BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) -- Progressive organizations are ramping up their campaign against Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch and explicitly calling on Senate Democrats to do more to oppose his confirmation to the nation's highest court. On Monday, leading organizations on the left, including MoveOn, UltraViolet, DailyKos, NARAL Pro-Choice America and others sent an email to their millions of members asking them to demand that Democrats filibuster any vote to confirm Gorsuch. The new push came as the Senate Judiciary Committee on Monday also began their hearings to consider President Trumps pick to the nations highest court. While the majority of Democrats are expected to oppose Gorsuchs nomination, there has been palpable frustration among progressive activists that more of them have not yet publicly declared which way they intend to vote. Progressives want commitments now, even before hearings get fully underway. We're not hearing from enough of the Democratic senators that they will fight this nomination with everything they have. We need them to understand that simply stating their opposition to Neil Gorsuch is not enough, NARAL President Ilyse Hogue wrote in an email to the groups list that went out Monday morning. We need Senate Democrats to filibuster this nomination and demand a nominee who represents the mainstream values of our country. Last week, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., held a press conference with individuals he argued had been hurt by Gorsushs past rulings. Still, he would not definitively say that he planned to vote against the judge. Schumer said that he has a strong presumption against Gorsuch but that he would wait until after he heard the judges formal testimony before Congress before making up his mind. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., a senior Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, echoed Schumer. He said he was prepared to filibuster Gorsuch if he was not satisfied with the judges answers before his committee, but that he had a profound duty to question him first before publicly announcing his final decision. Blumenthal said he had prepared tough but respectful questions for hearings this week. In 2013, when Democrats were in the majority, they changed the rules so that federal judges could be confirmed with a simple majority vote, but they maintained the long-standing requirement that Supreme Court picks would first need 60 votes to move their confirmation forward without the threat of a filibuster. In order to get those 60 votes for his nomination to proceed, Gorsuch would need eight Democrats to vote with Republicans, assuming all Republicans back Trumps pick. But as that vote -- with the 60-vote threshold -- is technically a procedural vote, some Democrats may be tempted to vote in favor of it as a compromise and not risk being labeled an obstructionist. Trump has said Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., should consider the so-called nuclear-option, wherein he would change the rules and allow a vote to proceed without the bipartisan 60-vote requirement, if Democrats slow the process. Schumer said last week that he did not think Republicans wanted to go that route. Some Democrats have already been out front and vocal about their opposition to Gorsuch, including Sens. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., Ed Markey, D-Mass., and Jeff Merkley, D-Ore. They joined advocacy organizations for an event in front of the Supreme Court last week. When Justice Scalia died giant corporations and their right wing buddies spent millions of dollars to keep that Supreme Court seat open so Donald Trump could name a replacement. Why? Because giant corporations and their right wing buddies dont want a neutral court that simply upholds the law for everyone, Sen. Warren said during the event. They want a court that favor corporations over real people. And we are here today to fight back. There is still a lot of resentment among Democrats that Republicans kept former President Obamas nominee Judge Merrick Garland from even getting a hearing. After the event with senators and progressives in front of the court last week, volunteers and staff delivered petitions with over a million signatures, they said, urging senators from both parties to oppose Gorsuchs nomination. Progressive groups are quick to point out Gorsuchs conservative record on social issues, including his high-profile ruling in the Hobby Lobby case where he sided with religious employers in their case against an Obama-era mandate to provide contraceptive insurance. Other Democrats would rather focus on what they say is Gorsuchs record of backing big business over worker rights. All of the witnesses that Schumer brought to the Hill last week were plaintiffs in cases where Gorsuch sided with an employer over an employee. Copyright 2017, ABC Radio. All rights reserved. YEREVAN, MARCH 20, ARMENPRESS. The total revenues of Armenias state budget in January, 2017 comprised 84 billion 263,9 million AMD, Armenpress reports citing the data of the National Statistical Service. In January, 2016 this number was 75 billion 906.6 million AMD which is less than 11% compared to the total budget revenues of January, 2017. The total expenditures of the budget in January, 2017 comprised 58 billion 972,8 million AMD, whereas in January, 2016 it was 53 billion 276,8 million AMD. The total expenditures in January, 2017 increased by 10.7% compared to January, 2016. As a result, Armenias budget surplus in January, 2017 comprised 25 billion 291,1 million AMD. In January, 2016 it comprised 22 billion 629,8 million AMD. The surplus of January, 2017 exceeded that of January, 2016 by 11.8%. David Rockefeller, pictured in 2010, a former chief executive of Chase Manhattan bank, was an outspoken champion of American capitalism Billionaire philanthropist David Rockefeller, a former head of Chase Manhattan bank and a luminary in political circles, died Monday at the age of 101, a spokesman said. He died in his sleep due to congestive heart failure at his home in Pocantico Hills, just north of New York City, spokesman Fraser Seitel said. The last living grandson of Standard Oil co-founder John D. Rockefeller, Forbes magazine ranked David Rockefeller 581st on its annual list of billionaires released Monday, estimating his fortune of $3.3 billion. He led Chase Manhattan, now part of JPMorgan Chase, in the 1960s and 1970s, and his accomplishments included opening the first Moscow offices of an American bank and the first in mainland China after President Richard Nixon's 1972 visit there. He also oversaw the growth of Chase Manhattan's operations in the Middle East, Latin America and Japan, Seitel said. Rockefeller also was well known in political circles in the United States and overseas, where he encountered heads of states from close to 100 countries and was known as an outspoken champion of American capitalism. He was offered the post of Treasury secretary by presidents Jimmy Carter and Richard Nixon, but turned both men down, the New York Times reported. Rockefeller famously helped persuade then-president Carter to allow the shah of Iran into the United States for cancer treatment in 1979. The move was widely seen as spurring the Iranian revolution led by the Islamic fundamentalist Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. - Family tradition of philanthropy - Born in 1915, Rockefeller grew up in a mansion in Manhattan and attended Harvard College and then the University of Chicago, where he received a Ph.D. in Economics. He enlisted in the Army and served during World War II in North Africa and Southwestern France. The French government awarded him the Legion of Honor with the rank of Chevalier in 1945. Rockefeller joined Chase National Bank in 1946 as an assistant manager in the foreign department before subsequently overseeing the bank's business in Latin America. He became co-chief executive in 1961 and later sole chief executive before retiring in 1981. Story continues Rockefeller, along with brother Nelson, who was governor of New York state and later vice president under Gerald Ford, helped lead the development of the World Trade Center in the 1960s and 1970s in lower Manhattan. The Twin Towers were dubbed in the press "David" and "Nelson." The move continued a family tradition that had included the family's efforts to spur the building of Rockefeller Center during the Great Depression. Among his other most important civic roles, Rockefeller served as chairman of the Council on Foreign Relations and executive committee chair of the Museum of Modern Art, which his mother founded. Rockefeller Foundation President Rajiv Shah said in a statement "the world has lost a great man and philanthropist." Former president George H.W. Bush praised Rockefeller as "one of the most generous philanthropists" whose "keen aptitude for issues made him a valuable advisor to Presidents of both parties -- yours truly certainly included." Former president Bill Clinton hailed Rockefeller as "a consummate businessman, a great humanitarian, and a serious scholar." Rockefeller's grandfather was one of the original American "robber baron" tycoons of the 19th and early 20th centuries, employing brass-knuckles business tactics to build his oil empire before the US Supreme Court ruled in 1911 that his Standard Oil company should be broken up. Today's oil giants, including ExxonMobil and Chevron, are descendants of Standard Oil. Ironically, Rockefeller philanthropic organizations have strongly supported action on climate change policy, putting them at odds with oil companies like ExxonMobil. They also provide financing to research and journalism groups that accused the oil giant of knowingly supporting propaganda questioning the science of climate change. The Rockefeller family has been active in philanthropy since patriarch John D. Rockefeller, who funded medical research and higher education programs. The Museum of Modern Art, Rockefeller University and Harvard are each expected to receive some $100 million upon the death of David Rockefeller, according to the magazine Inside Philanthropy. UPDATE: For reasons not disclosed, Judge Cadish has rescheduled Koppenhaver's sentencing to May 8 at 8:30 a.m. LAS VEGASJust over one hour ago, Jonathan "War Machine" Kopenhaver was found guilty of 29 of the 34 counts with which he had been charged, bringing an end to the trial which lasted just more than two weeks and perhaps bringing some relief to his two victims, former adult star Christy Mack and her boyfriend Corey Thomas. A full list of the charges can be found here, and among the ones of which he was found guilty are several counts of battery resulting in substantial bodily harm (including battery by strangulation) on both Mack and Thomas, sexual assault (including sexual assault with use of a deadly weapon), first degree kidnapping, as well as dissuading a witness from reporting a crime. Koppenhaver was found not guilty of burglary with use of a deadly weapon, sexually motivated coercion, and battery with intent to commit sexual assault. The jury, which was composed of eight women and seven men, deliberated for approximately 11 hours over two days but was unable to reach a verdict on Counts 26 and 33, the attempted murder of his two victims. Upon hearing the jury's verdicts, District Judge Elissa Cadish declared a mistrial as to those two counts. The Las Vegas District Attorney's office will have the option to retry Koppenhaver on the attempted murder charges, but considering that none of the charges could result in the death penalty, the DA may wait until Judge Cadish pronounces sentences on the other 29 charges on June 5, which could result in life in prison for the former MMA fighter, before making its decision. After hearing the jury's verdicts, defense attorney Jay Liederman told reporters that he will be filing a motion for a new trial on at least some of the charges, though likely not the ones for which Koppenhaver pled guilty: Counts 16-23, which are several counts of Battery Resulting In Substantial Bodily Harm Constituting Domestic Violence and Battery With Use Of A Deadly Weapon Constituting Domestic Violence. After the verdicts were read, Mack tweeted, "Today was a great victory for myself, as well as victims of DV everywhere. Please continue to speak out, and stay strong!" She also offered to her fans, "Thank you all for your support through the years, please continue to support others in similar situations, and BELIEVE them." Koppenhaver has been in custody since his arrest in Simi Valley in late 2014, and has been serving a 1-1/2 to four-year sentence for violating his probation on a 2009 conviction for attempted battery involving a 21-year-old woman. Pictured: Christy Mack before and after her beating by Jonathan Koppenhaver. SEATTLE, WA Streamate has won Best North-American Live Cam Site at the 2017 Live Cam Awards. The Live Cam Awards third-annual ceremony honored the best in the adult live webcam industry during the European Summits Barcelona show on March 5 at Finca Mas Solers estate in Sitges, Spain. Streamate brought home the win for Best North-American Live Cam Site and various Streamate models also took home trophies. Streamate is honored to receive the award for Best North-American Live cam site this year. We are thrilled to support North America. We continue to grow our relationships both here in the US and across the globe, helping models and affiliates succeed, said Liz, Streamate Marketing Director. After its win in Spain, the Streamate team is off to Tempe for the annual Phoenix Forum event at the Tempe Mission Palms Hotel in Tempe, AZ, March 22-26 . The Phoenix Forum is an educational/networking event for the Adult Business Community. Unlike larger exhibit-style tradeshows, The Phoenix Forum is a mid-sized gathering, offering attendees a more relaxed face-to-face networking environment and providing opportunities to meet, learn and share ideas with their online business peers. Streamate team members and partners will be on hand during the show participating in events, networking, and scheduling meetings. To set up a meeting with Streamate during Phoenix Forum, email [email protected] Representatives from Streamate's award-winning white label program CamBuilder.com will also be in attendance. To set a meeting with CamBuilder during Phoenix Forum please email [email protected] Visit Streamate.com to see its portfolio of models and more of what Streamate has to offer. Following Streamate through social media on Twitter @StreamateModels. 5 Causes of Nursing Home Resident Anxiety Unfortunately, for many reasons anxiety happens more often by long-term care residents than by those who live in PARIS (Reuters) - France and Japan support a "free and open maritime order" in the Asia-Pacific region, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said after talks with French President Francois Hollande on Monday. The message seemed aimed at China, which claims almost all the South China Sea and which has fuelled concern in Japan and the West with its growing military presence in the waterway. "Francois and I agreed on the importance of ensuring a free and open maritime order in the Indo-Pacific region (and) of continuing to support the stability and prosperity of this region," Abe told reporters after the talks. Japan plans to dispatch its largest warship on a three-month tour through the South China Sea beginning in May, three sources said last week, in its biggest show of naval force in the region since World War Two. China pledged a firm response if Japan stirred up trouble in the South China Sea. Abe underlined the importance of separate naval exercises involving personnel or equipment from Japan, France, Britain and the United States to be held around Tinian island in the western Pacific in May. Hollande said France reaffirmed its support for an increased Japanese peace-keeping role and said the two countries would work together to improve the ability of their forces to cooperate. He assured Abe of France's support after North Korea this month fired four ballistic missiles into the sea off Japan's northwest coast. He also denounced the development of North Korea's nuclear and ballistic programmes, which he said violated all its international obligations. Reflecting concerns over rising protectionist sentiment in the United States and elsewhere, Abe said Japan and France wanted to continue to be "champions of free trade" and said an agreement on a free-trade pact with the European Union would send an important message. Hollande also voiced support for the proposed EU-Japan trade accord which is being negotiated. France and Japan also signed an agreement on reinforced cooperation on nuclear energy. Two Japanese firms, Japan Nuclear Fuel Limited and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, agreed in February to buy a combined 10 percent stake in a new company being split off from Areva for 500 million euros ($537 million), helping a state-backed rescue of the French nuclear group. Abe earlier met German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Hanover. ($1 = 0.9308 euros) (Reporting by Bate Felix and Adrian Croft, editing by larry King) The Method-2 robots arms stretch wide with Amazons billionaire founder, Jeff Bezos, at the controls. (Jeff Bezos via Twitter) If youre one of Amazons competitors, be afraid. Be very afraid. Jeff Bezos, the Seattle-based online giants billionaire founder, has tweeted a picture of himself at the controls of a giant robot. And hes smiling. Why do I feel so much like Sigourney Weaver? Bezos can be heard saying in a video clip from the demonstration, which took place at a hush-hush conference organized by Amazon in Southern California. This robot isnt meant to fight off scary xenomorphs like the one that menaced Weavers character in the movie Aliens. And its not designed to deliver packages, either. Its the 14-foot-tall Method-2 robot, developed at Hankook Mirae Technologys lab near Seoul in South Korea. To create the 1.5-ton monstrosity, Hankook Miraes engineers worked with Hollywood robot designer Vitaly Bulgarov, who has been involved in mech-monster movie franchises such as Transformers, RoboCop and Terminator. Method-2 is controlled by a pilot who sits inside a cockpit in the robots torso, as Bezos demonstrates in the picture he tweeted. A close-up shows a smile on Jeff Bezos face. (Jeff Bezos via Twitter) The contraption been compared to the exoskeletons seen in such movies as Avatar and Aliens, or the giant Gundam robots from Japans popular anime TV series. Last December, AFP quoted Hankook Miraes chairman, Yang Jin-Ho, as saying that Method-2 serves as the prototype for a breed of robots that could take on tasks in extreme hazardous areas where humans cannot go. Some have even speculated, hopefully jokingly, that the robot could be deployed at the Demilitarized Zone between North and South Korea. Yang said he expected the robot to be ready for sale by the end of 2017, at an estimated price of $8.3 million (10 billion South Korean won). At the time, Bulgarov said there was a real-world application already in development, but Im not allowed to say more at this moment. Story continues Is Bezos in the market? It seems unlikely, but the Amazon CEO (and founder of the Blue Origin space venture) hinted at the point behind his robo-ride in his tweets hashtag: #MARS2017. I just got to pilot an awesome (and huge) robot thanks to Hankook Mirae Technology. Nice! #MARS2017 pic.twitter.com/MvN6ghEYFi Jeff Bezos (@JeffBezos) March 20, 2017 MARS 2017 isnt exactly an off-planet event, but it is off the grid. Its this years running of an annual invitation-only gathering for leaders in the fields of Machine learning, home Automation, Robotics and Space exploration. Last years inaugural MARS event, organized by Amazon, took place at the Parker Palm Springs resort in California, and featured serving trays borne by Amazons Kiva robots, tons of talks by tech brainiacs, and Bezos wearing a robotic exo-suit thats designed to simulate the effects of aging. We havent yet heard anything more about this years conference, other than the oohs and ahhs of attendees who saw Bezos in action. But be assured well keep you in the loop if we come across any more MARS sightings. More from GeekWire: Oxfam Canada sent Canada's Finance Minister Bill Morneau work boots to wear ahead of this year's budget - a symbol of how women are driving economic progress, but still reap far too few of the benefits from that growth.Click here for high-resolution version OTTAWA, ON--(Marketwired - March 20, 2017) - Oxfam Canada delivered a pair of work boots to Finance Minister Bill Morneau today, in the hopes that he will wear them ahead of budget day 2017 to signal his support for women's rights world-wide. Almost every year Canada's Minister of Finance buys new shoes to wear on the day the budget is delivered in the House of Commons. Oxfam Canada sent Minister Morneau an option to consider wearing this year: work boots - presented as a symbol of how women are driving economic progress, but still reap far too few of the benefits from that growth. Over the past month Oxfam has polled Canadians on which shoes would best represent a feminist budget that ensures women's work is fairly paid and equally valued. Participants were able to cast votes for moccasins, slippers, purple Oxfords, work boots and sandals. Julie Delahanty, Executive Director of Oxfam Canada, said: "Highlighting the Minister's shoes is fun way to raise awareness about the importance of the Federal Budget and its impact on issues like child care and good jobs for women." She added "I'm hoping that Minister Morneau will put on his work boots for women! We look forward to Budget Day and to working with the government to ensure that women's work is paid, equal and valued." Ottawa based Oxfam Canada supporter Angie Tan, who helped with the initiative, said: "Let's ensure that for Canada's 150 we show the world that our budget -- and our economy -- works for women." This initiative follows months of engagement in the federal budget process by Oxfam, including an official budget submission, testimony during the pre-budget hearings and public campaigning to raise awareness of the impact of budget decisions on women. Oxfam delivered a petition and open letter to Minister Morneau in January outlining recommendations for the budget. Together with women rights advocates across Canada, the anti-poverty organization is calling for the Government to take the following actions in the next federal budget: Story continues Encourage living wages in Canada and regulate Canadian companies working abroad to ensure decent work standards for women; Close the gender pay gap and ensure women are treated fairly at work no matter what their job; Invest in public services, like child care and elder care, that reduce and redistribute women's unpaid care work; Increase the aid budget to tackle global poverty and advance women's rights around the world. Oxfam Canada recently published its first annual "Feminist Scorecard" tracking government action to deliver on a feminist agenda. The category of 'jobs and pay equity' was where most progress remains to be enacted by this government. Notes to Editors: A press package including photos of the shoes being delivered is available here: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/hliwyuq480f5yad/AAA9eFpgbXnfTIxRZP63Vsvza?dl=0 Oxfam created a short video interviewing people outside of shoes stores about the federal budget. View the video here: https://www.facebook.com/OxfamCanada/videos/vb.139019864276/10154920629209277/?type=3&theater Image Available: http://www.marketwire.com/library/MwGo/2017/3/20/11G133524/Images/Shoes_1_graphic-e6f8de1eedfe840387ee243f22608f5f.jpg The logo of Germany's largest business bank, Deutsche Bank is seen in front of one of the bank's office buildings in Frankfurt, Germany, October 27, 2016. REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Deutsche Bank (DBKGn.DE) announced details of its latest bid for cash on Sunday, as it turned for the fourth time to investors, many of whom have privately expressed exasperation with its strategic shifts and heavy losses in recent years. Here are key points in Deutsche Bank's strategy shifts since 2010: http://tmsnrt.rs/2mMpPUl The rights issue represents an increase of about 50 percent in Deutsche Bank's current shares and puts the bank on course to have raised more than its 25 billion euro ($27 billion) market value in the last seven years. Since the financial crisis, the lender has been forced to change tack on strategy, most conspicuously in the case of Postbank, a German retail lender it bought in 2010, the same year it tapped investors for more than 10 billion euros. Less than five years later, management announced that Postbank would be sold, unveiling what they described as the "next milestone in the journey". Roughly two years later, under new Chief Executive John Cryan the sale has been canceled. Deutsche also announced in 2015 a reorganization to separate its markets and investment banking business, only to recombine them two years later. (Writing by John O'Donnell; editing by Susan Thomas) German banking giant Deutsche Bank (DB) has slashed its total bonus payments by 77% to $538 million. According to its annual report published Monday, no member of the management board will receive variable compensation. The announcement from Deutsche Bank comes after the bank reported a net loss of 1.4 billion euros for 2016, its second straight full-year loss. In a letter to shareholders, Deutsche Bank CEO John Cryan wrote that 2016 was a very challenging year for us at Deutsche Bank. During the year, Deutsche Bank reached a $7.2 billion deal with the US government to settle claims that it misled investors and sold toxic mortgages between 2005 and 2007. As it looks to shore up its finances, the German bank also issued details about its big share offering. Deutsche Bank said it will launch its $8.6 billion capital raising strategy by issuing 687.5 million new shares at 11.65 euros, about a 35% discount to Fridays closing price of 17.86 euros. The news is weighing on the banks stock in intraday trading on Monday. As of noon EDT, shares were down about 1.3%. For more on Deutsche Bank and todays big stock movers, check out the Final Round, live at 4 p.m. EDT, right here on Yahoo Finance. Read more from Yahoo Finances Seana Smith: By Ju-min Park SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea has likely mastered the technology to power the different stages of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) and may show it off soon, analysts say, but it is likely still a long way from being able to hit the mainland United States. North Korean state media announced its latest rocket-engine test on Sunday, saying it would help North Korea achieve world-class satellite-launch capability, indicating a new type of rocket engine that could be compatible with an ICBM. The test showed "meaningful" progress, a spokesman for South Korea's Defence Ministry said on Monday, with the firing of a main engine and four auxiliary engines as part of the development of a new rocket booster. Pentagon spokesman Captain Jeff Davis declined to give a specific assessment of the test but said it was "consistent with the pattern we've seen by North Korea to continue to develop their ballistic missile program." The North Korean announcement came as U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson was in Beijing at the end of his first visit to Asia for talks dominated by concern about North Korea's nuclear and missile programs. South Korean Defense Ministry spokesman Lee Jin-woo said the test showed progress in engine function, but added that further analysis was needed to show the exact thrust produced and possible uses for the engine. North Korea's state media released pictures of the high-thrust engine test overseen by leader Kim Jong Un, and said he had called it "a new birth" of the country's rocket industry. Experts say space rockets and long-range missiles involve fundamentally identical technologies, but with different configurations for trajectory and velocity for the stages. MOTOR FOR ICBM? Kim Dong-yub of Seoul's Institute for Far Eastern Studies said he believed North Korea had carried out "a comprehensive test for the first-stage rocket for an ICBM." "It appears that North Korea has worked out much of its development of the first-stage rocket booster," he said. Joshua Pollack, of Washington's Nonproliferation Review, said four steering nozzles had also been seen in older, long-range rockets North Korea used to launch objects into space in 2012 and 2016. But he said the main engine was quite different from anything seen previously and appeared roughly the right diameter to serve as either the first or second stage of an ICBM. U.S. aerospace expert John Schilling, a contributor to the 38 North North Korea monitoring website, said the motor appeared too big for any ICBM North Korea has been known to be working on, but would be a good fit for the second stage of a new space rocket it is planning - or for a yet-unknown ICBM design. Kim said North Korea had not yet mastered the re-entry technology needed for an ICBM, so still had work to do before it was able to hit the United States. It might though soon be able to demonstrate that it had perfected an ICBM system's booster rocket stage. "What could be next is they would make a new type of ICBM with this new engine system and launch it, but not the entire stages, but to make only the first stage, fly about 400 km and drop. They are not going to show it all at once." A U.S. administration official declined to give a specific technical assessment of the test but said it showed North Korea was "150 percent" committed to its weapons programs. "This is one more indication that they are going to act in a way that is counterproductive," he said. North Korea has conducted five nuclear tests and a series of missile launches in defiance of U.N. resolutions, and experts and Western officials believe it is working to develop nuclear-tipped missiles that can reach the United States. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said this year the country was close to test-launching an ICBM, prompting U.S. President Donald Trump to tweet: "It won't happen!" Last week, Tillerson issued the Trump administration's starkest warning yet to North Korea, saying a military response would be "on the table" if it took action to threaten South Korean and U.S. forces. Trump told reporters on Sunday he held meetings on North Korea over the weekend and said Kim was "acting very, very badly." China said on Monday the situation with North Korea was at a new crossroads with two scenarios - a deterioration to war or a diplomatic solution. "Any chance for dialogue must be seized, as long as theres hope," Foreign Minister Wang Yi said in Beijing. (Additional reporting by James Pearson in Seoul and David Brunnstrom, Matt Spetalnick and Idrees Ali in Washington; Editing by Jack Kim and James Dalgleish) The Quebec government is lobbying New York lawmakers and businesses to oppose plans by the state to impose "Buy American" provisions on large public contracts. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat, announced the provisions in January. They would require the state to buy goods and services from American companies on all contracts over $100,000 US. The state is one of Quebec's largest trading partners. According to provincial figures, commercial exchange between Quebec and New York reached $8 billion in 2014. Quebec Economy Minister Dominique Anglade is worried cross-border trade will suffer if the provisions are passed into law, and is hoping to mobilize enough opposition to convince Cuomo to abandon his plans. Anglade wants to forge a common front with New York businesses that have a northern connection. "It's important to build links with allies so that people of New York, businessmen and women, say that it's not advantageous for them to have this 'Buy American' act," Anglade told Radio-Canada. "They have interests in Canada and they want them to be maintained." Uncertain trade future Anglade is not alone in hoping to dissuade Cuomo from taking a protectionist turn. Maryscott Greenwood, senior adviser with the Canadian-American Business Council, underlined the importance of free trade between Canadian and American entrepreneurs. "It's the largest economic relationship in the history of the world. Millions of American jobs depend on it," Greenwood said Friday at a news conference organized by the provincial government and the Montreal Chamber of Commerce. Cuomo's Buy American proposal comes amid more general uncertainty about the future of free trade between Canada and the U.S. President Donald Trump, who campaigned on an "America First" platform, has already pulled the U.S. out of a proposed free trade deal with Japan and other Pacific Rim countries. He also has started the process of renegotiating the North American Free Trade Agreement with Mexico and Canada. Atlantic salmon stocks dip in 2016, leading to fears for this year Documents filed with New Brunswick's Court of Queen's Bench reveal an environmental disaster was only narrowly averted last summer in the Bay of Fundy. The incident is tied to an outbreak of sea lice at aquaculture sites managed by the Gray Group, which had slipped into receivership owing millions of dollars to creditors. More than 250,000 salmon died from the fast-growing infestation before contractors managed to gain the upper hand. An additional 284,000 salmon were pre-emptively killed to contain the spread. Fears of dead fish on shore Details about the event are laid out in a report and supporting documents written by Ernst & Young receiver George Kinsman and included in the file. Kinsman describes fears at the height of the crisis that hundreds of tons of rotting salmon would wash up on the shoreline at Saint Andrews during last summer's tourist season. Kinsman, a chartered accountant and vice-president with the firm, had been appointed to manage the aquaculture company and to find a buyer for its assets. He had only been on the job for weeks when a spike in sea lice counts was discovered at Hospital Island, one of three salmon farms the Gray group of companies operated in Passamaquoddy Bay near Saint Andrews. Insurers resisted pre-emptive kill The documents describe a race against the clock as Kinsman tried to convince insurers that more than 500,000 fish at Hospital Island and a nearby site at Hog Island needed to be killed to prevent the spread of the infestation to other areas. Kinsman had been informed by insurance adjuster Greg Potten of a provision in the insurance policy against "intentional slaughter" that would prevent coverage for the loss of the fish. In an email to Potten, Kinsman describe a potential "environmental disaster" if the fish were not pre-emptively killed, "with 600 tons of rotting biomass washing up along the Saint Andrews sea shore line, resulting in unsightly and unbearable odours that will affect the seaside vacation townships." Story continues Without a green light from the insurer and with sea lice counts quickly climbing at the two cage sites, Kinsman went ahead with arrangements for contractors to collect and kill the fish. Another letter, from the Department of Aquaculture's chief veterinarian, suggested the company should go even further and pre-emptively kill all fish at all three Gray-owned farm sites in the bay. "With great certainty, as the Chief Veterinarian Prov. of NB, I can attest that all of the fish at the three indicated sites will expire within the next 30-60 days," wrote Michael Beattie. Not to kill the fish now, he suggested, would be to create a "catastrophic event." Kinsman hired contractors with pumper boats to collect the live salmon at the Hospital Island and Hogg Island farms, but the workers discovered nearly half the fish, or 252,000, had already died from the sea lice infestation. The remaining fish were "euthanized," although the report does not say how that was done. The effort managed to contain the sea lice problem, fish at the third Gray farm, near Simpson Island were sold in September of 2016. Saint Andrews Mayor Doug Naish says neither he nor town staff were aware of problems last summer at Hospital Island, which is visible from the popular tourist town. "No one had any knowledge of this whatsoever," Naish said. The executive director of the Atlantic Canada Fish Farmers Association, an aquaculture industry group, said the incident was a "great concern" for her members. "There was a salmon farming company that was no longer able to manage its farms and take care of its fish and an accounting firm was trying to manage it," wrote Susan Farquharson. "Our members were concerned about animal welfare and bio-security." Location of farms a worry Farquharson said quick action by members of her association helped the receiver gain control over the "unfortunate situation." Reached by CBC News, Kinsman said his report is a public document and he did not wish to say more. But environmentalist Matthew Abbott of the Conservation Council of New Brunswick questions whether the three Gray sites are appropriate places to allow salmon farming. Abbott said there were problems before in north Passamaquoddy Bay. Sees a flushing problem "The area isn't really flushing," said Abbott, the council's Fundy Baykeeper. "There didn't really seem to be a way to stop someone from essentially restarting an operation in an area where we had good reason to expect there would be problems, and indeed they had the very problems we could have expected them to have. That was certainly a disappointment." A spokesman for the New Brunswick Department of Agriculture, Aquaculture and Fisheries said the three former Gray sites are not being used and will remain vacant until at least April of 2018. The assets of Gray Group, including the company's leased farm sites in New Brunswick and in Newfoundland and Labrador, were later sold for $15 million to Marine Harvest, a company with extensive operations in Norway and Western Canada. A spokesperson said the company is developing a business plan for operations in the Bay of Fundy. DUBAI (Reuters) - A Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen called on Sunday for the United Nations to place a strategic port under its supervision after 42 Somalis were killed in an attack on their refugee boat nearby. The refugees had departed from the western port city of Hodeidah en route to Sudan when it came under fire in an incident aid workers said had involved a helicopter [nL5N1GU1EO]. The Red Sea port near the Bab al-Mandab strait is under the control of Yemen's armed Houthi movement, which has been fighting Saudi Arabia and its allies in a two-year-old conflict. While the Arab alliance denied responsibility for the attack on Friday, it called for jurisdiction over Hodeidah port to be transferred to the U.N. "This would facilitate the flow of humanitarian supplies to the Yemeni people, while at the same time ending the use of the port for weapons smuggling and people trafficking," it said in a statement. It did not address a call by Somalia to investigate. It is still unclear who was behind the assault. "We do not know who carried it out, but survivors said they came under attack from another boat at 9 p.m., the crew used lights and shouted to signal this is a civilian boat," Iolanda Jaquemet, a spokeswoman for the International Committee of the Red Cross, has said. "Nevertheless, it did not have any effect and a helicopter joined in the attack," she said. Hodeidah is part of a broad battlefront where forces loyal to Yemeni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, backed by the Saudi-led coalition, are fighting the Iran-allied Houthi movement, which controls most of northern and western Yemen. The Saudi-led coalition was formed in 2015 to fight the Houthis and troops loyal to former president Ali Abdullah Saleh, who have fired missiles into neighboring Saudi Arabia. The Bab al-Mandab is a strategic waterway through which nearly 4 million barrels of oil are shipped daily. (This story was refiled to remove reference to helicopter in first paragraph) (Reporting by William Maclean; Writing by Stephen Kalin; Editing by Elaine Hardcastle, Larry King) MONDAY, March 20, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- The number of infants born with HIV in the United States has dropped dramatically over the past two decades, a new study shows. According to new data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there were 69 cases of HIV-infected infants in 2013, compared with 216 cases in 2002. Factors tied to mother-to-child transmission of HIV include late HIV diagnosis of mothers and a lack of antiretroviral and preventive treatment, say a team led by the CDC's Dr. Steven Nesheim. "Missed opportunities for prevention were common among infected infants and their mothers in recent years," they wrote. One HIV expert who reviewed the paper noted other disparities, as well. "More than 80 percent of new cases of mother-to-child transmission of HIV are from mothers who are black/African American and Hispanic/Latino," said Dr. David Rosenthal. He directs the Center for Young Adult, Adolescent and Pediatric HIV, in Great Neck, N.Y. He also noted that five Southern states -- Florida, Texas, Georgia, Louisiana and Maryland -- accounted for 38 percent of the new cases of HIV in the United States. Still, great progress has been made, Rosenthal said. "We have made great strides in decreasing HIV in mother-to-child transmission in the USA," he said. "In New York State alone in the 1990s we had more than 500 new cases of mother-to-child transmission a year, but now in 2015-2016 we had an 18-month period with zero new mother-to-child transmissions." He said three factors early diagnosis of HIV in pregnancy, use of HIV-fighting medications by the mother, and treatment of the infant with anti-HIV meds for 6 weeks after birth are key to stopping mother-to-child spread of the virus. "Together, these methods are incredibly effective in decreasing mother-to-child transmission," Rosenthal said. "I take care of many patients who were born with HIV, are taking their medications and are thriving. These children have grown up over the past 2 to 3 decades, and in turn are having their own children now, all of whom are not infected with HIV because of the tools we have." But he added that, "in order to make this happen, we have to help ensure mother receive good medical care early in their pregnancy, and we need to ensure that mothers of all races and ethnicities receive the same outstanding medical care we offer." The new study was published March 20 in the journal JAMA Pediatrics. More information AIDSinfo has more on HIV and pregnancy. European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker has warned Turkey that any return of the death penalty would be a "red line" in the country's stalled EU membership bid. "If the death penalty is reintroduced in Turkey, that would lead to the end of negotiations," he told Sunday's edition of Germany's Bild newspaper, calling it a "red line". Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said yesterday he expected parliament to approve the restoration of capital punishment after next month's referendum on controversial constitutional changes to expand his powers. German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel went even further, saying in an interview with Der Spiegel: "We are farther away than ever from Turkey's accession to the EU." Turkey abolished the death penalty in 2004 and the European Union has repeatedly made clear that any move to restore it would scupper its membership bid. However Turkish ministers say they need to respond to popular demand for the return of capital punishment to deal with the ringleaders of an attempted coup in July. "What Hans and George say is not important for me," Mr Erdogan said. What the people say, what the law says, that's what is important for us." Turkey and Europe are locked in a diplomatic crisis after Germany and the Netherlands blocked Turkish ministers from campaigning for a 'yes' vote in the 16 April referendum, which opponents fear will create 1-man rule. In response, Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu threatened to "blow the mind" of Europe by sending 15,000 refugees a month to EU territory, which would endanger a year-old migrant deal between Turkey and the EU to reduce the flow of migrants. "Turkey will not back out of the accord, even if Erdogan has told me several times he wanted to," Mr Juncker said. Turkey has no interest in ceding "control" of its borders to "human traffickers and criminals". Erdogan vows to reinstate death penalty as referendum opponents face 'attacks and imprisonment In the build up to the referendum, the Turkish President promised he will introduce the death penalty in a campaign that has caused a diplomatic furore Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan vowed on Saturday that he will reinstate capital punishment "without hesitation", ahead of the referendum on 16 April that could lead to a radical extension of his powers. Speaking at a televised rally in Canakkale, the leader of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) promised that he would sign a bill on the death penalty, stating: "I believe, God willing, that after the 16 April vote, parliament will do the necessary concerning your demands for capital punishment". His controversial comments come over a decade after Turkey completely abolished the death penalty in its efforts to join the European Union. This isn't the first time the premier has introduced talks about reinstating capital punishment. He raised the idea after last year's failed coup of 15 July, suggesting it would bring justice to the families of the victims. As the referendum approaches, Erdogan has been leading an inflammatory, anti-western campaign that saw him pushing a political narrative that depicts Turkey as a great nation that is being undermined by an imperialist Europe. He attacked German chancellor Angela Merkel again on Sunday, accusing her of using "Nazi measures", according to Agence France-Presse. In a televised speech, he said: "You are right now employing Nazi measures," using the informal 'you' in Turkish in what has become an intense diplomatic dispute. He previously launched a scathing attack on Germany for stopping rallies in advance of the constitutional referendum, in which he repeatedly referred to Germans as 'Nazis'. He erroneously labelled the Dutch as "Nazi remnants" in a desperate bid to appeal to voters in the Turkish diaspora. The Netherlands is home to approximately 397,471 people of Turkish origin, who make up 2.4 % of the total population. Most of them hold dual nationality and are therefore eligible to vote in the Turkish referendum. A 'yes' in the referendum would rewrite the constitution and transform Turkey from a parliamentary system to an executive presidency, giving Erdogan unprecedented control to appoint ministers, pick senior judges, and dismiss parliament. Erdogan's campaign has understandably been met with criticism, with Turkey's main opposition leader, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, urging Turks to vote no in the referendum, saying its approval would undermine democracy. European institutions have also expressed concerns over the campaign. A Council of Europe inquiry noted there is an "excessive concentration of powers in one office." According to the Associated Press, figures opposing the referendum in Turkey have faced threats, violence, arbitrary detentions, a lack of TV airtime and even sabotage in the campaign. The AKP leader's shift towards an autocratic government has led to accusations of being 'dictatorial' by critics. Erdogan came under fire in January after using Hitler's government as an example of an effective presidential system. He defended his argument that putting all political power in the hands of the presidency would be a success, by saying "there are already examples in the world [...] you can see it when you look at Hitler's Germany. There are later examples in various other countries." The rocky campaign and talks of introducing a death penalty will undoubtedly cause long-term damage for ties between Turkey and European countries, and could end Ankara's efforts to join the EU. | 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: rte.ie, March 20, 2017Source: independent.co.uk, March 20, 2017 In a special prayer, Catholic bishops have urged Filipinos to "make a stand" against restoring the death penalty. The bill, pushed by President Duterte, has already passed the lower house of the Philippine parliament. The clerics read out the homily at all masses across the Philippines on Sunday. "Dear sisters and brothers in Christ, let us not allow our wells to be poisoned by bitter water. Let us uphold the sanctity of life and make a stand against death penalty," the Catholic bishops said in a pre-written prayer. The Philippines abolished the death penalty in 2006. However, firebrand President Rodrigo Duterte launched a bid to restore it as part of his brutal crackdown on crime. Lawmakers already backed the bill in the country's House of Representatives and it is expected to pass the Senate as well. Despite the death penalty being illegal, Duterte has repeatedly supported extrajudicial killings and police have reportedly executed thousands of suspects since he took office in June. Jesus was not 'an advocate' of killing On Sunday, the bishops said that the death penalty would be biased against the poor, who would not be able to afford a good lawyer, and argued there was no evidence that it deterred crime. Referring to the upcoming Senate vote, they called on worshipers to "pray fervently for the legislators." "Jesus was never an advocate of any form of 'legal killing.' He defended the adulterous woman against those who demanded her blood," they said, citing the New Testament story about Jesus opposing a stoning. Around 80 percent of all Filipinos are Catholic, and the Church wields a significant influence in the country. At the same time, Duterte and his crusade against drugs are also immensely popular. When confronted by the Catholic Church earlier this year, Duterte accused it of greed, hypocrisy, and sexual abuse of children. The pro-death penalty camp hopes to reinstate capital punishment by May this year. Philippines moves to restore death penalty for drug offenses The Philippine House of Representatives has approved a bill to restore the death penalty, 11 years after it was abolished. The government has called the measure "a vital tool" in Duterte's war on drugs. The Philippine lower house approved the legislation on Tuesday with 216 votes in favor, 54 against and one abstention. The proposed bill must still be passed by the Senate before it can be signed into law by President Rodrigo Duterte, whose aggressive campaign against drug users and pushers has killed thousands since he took office in mid-2016. A spokesman for the president said the restoration of capital punishment "underlines the Duterte administration's goal to reduce illegal drug-related criminality." "The death penalty, with its strong deterrent effects, protects innocent lives," spokesman Ernesto Abella said in a statement. "At the same time, its punitive aspect ensures that criminals recompense grievous loss." Opponents stage protest As lawmakers voted on the bill, activists from human rights groups held demonstrations outside the House of Representatives. Opponents, largely led by the country's influential Roman Catholic church, have vowed to question the law before the Supreme Court once it is signed. "The death penalty is an abhorrent punishment. It forecloses the reformation of the convict. It victimizes the poor. It is not the solution to criminality," Edcel Lagman, one of the 54 who voted against the bill, said. Capital punishment has long proven a divisive issue in the predominantly Catholic nation. It was the first Asian country to abolish the death penalty in 1987, before restoring it in 1993 for crimes such as murder, child rape and kidnapping. The penalty was again abolished in 2006 by then-President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, who also voted against bringing it back during Tuesday's session. The new death penalty initiative applies only to drug-related crimes, including production and trafficking. It excludes offenses previously covered by the law such as rape, treason and economic plunder. The penalty would be carried out by hanging, lethal injection, or firing squad. | 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: Deutsche Welle, Agence France-Presse , March 19, 2017Source: Deutsche Welle, March 7, 2017 As well as releasing his budget, President Trump recently signed an executive order to make the executive branch more efficient. In signing the order, he said Today there is duplication and redundancy everywhere. Billions and billions of dollars are being wasted. So far the budget has overshadowed the executive order. But the two work together. The reorganization plan complements the budget by enabling the administration to reduce waste without waiting for Congress. The order requires each agency to submit a proposal to improve efficiency, effectiveness, and accountability within 180 days. Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney will then invite comments from the public for improving the plans. One hundred and eighty days after the comment period, Mulvaney will submit a proposal with recommendations to eliminate unnecessary agencies and programs, together with a list of the required legislative or administrative measures. We know that Congress moves slowly on presidential budgets. This plan could help bring about meaningful reforms, although a reorganization effort that incorporated Congress could achieve more. This executive order could help achieve budgetary savings while making government more efficient. The goal of making the government less wasteful is not a new one. President Taft formed the Commission on Economy and Efficiency to examine some of these same problems over a century ago. Some later administrations undertook similar endeavors to make the government less wasteful, with different degrees of success. Other administrations showed little appetite for these reorganization efforts, and the scope of government inefficiency grew. This effort could succeed where others failed because President Trump, a former businessman, is clearly committed to reform, more so than many of his predecessors. In addition, the Government Accountability Office has recently produced annual reports with suggestions for reducing waste. Some of these proposals give a sense of the type of actions agencies could propose. From 2011 to 2015, GAO presented more than 200 areas and 544 actions to reduce redundancy and improve efficiency. The most recent report added 92 new actions in 37 different areas. These recommendations are not confined to one area or sphere of government, from Department of Defense to the IRS. An executive order encompassing the entirety of the executive branch is important for this reason. Every agency has areas where it could improve. Out of the actions the GAO identified from 2011 to 2015, 41 percent had been "fully addressed," but many of these actions were from 2013 or earlier. As the GAO report notes, change takes a long time. For illustration, only 13 percent of the new 2015 actions had been fully addressed by the time the next report came out, according to the GAO. A comprehensive examination of the entire executive branch could identify more opportunities and lead to more action. Even before the executive order, efforts undertaken by Congress and executive branch agencies have led to $56 billion in benefits from 2010 through 2015. The GAO estimates $69 billion more in through 2025. The reorganization sparked by the order could deliver even more. Savings of this size will not solve the countrys long-term fiscal problems. They could relieve some fiscal pressure while reducing inefficiencies. Addressing agencies poor management would be a matter of better contracting or coordination. For example, the federal government spends roughly $1.2 billion each year on 1.5 million mobile devices and associated services. According to the GAO, the federal government could have saved almost $400 million from 2013 to 2015 by consolidating or eliminating mobile device contracts. The majority of agencies were not even able to measure the effectiveness of their system. Smaller reforms such as this could produce some savings, but they will not address questions about the purpose of programs or the structure of executive branch agencies. The executive order touches on these issues. It tasks agency heads to determine whether some functions could be spun off to states or private parties. Here relying on agency heads might not yield results as impressive as an effort that better incorporated Congress or other independent agencies. It might be difficult for them to conceive of some functions being more effectively administered by another agency, or the private sector because that would reduce bureaucrats power. President Trumps executive order could deliver real savings and make government more efficient without waiting for Congress to act on his budget. This executive order is an important signal that the federal governments status quo will be re-examined with a critical eye. Charles Hughes is a policy analyst at the Manhattan Institute. Follow him on twitter @CharlesHHughes. Interested in real economic insights? Want to stay ahead of the competition? Each weekday morning, E21 delivers a short email that includes E21 exclusive commentaries and the latest market news and updates from Washington. Sign up for the E21 Morning Ebrief. Danish English Notice is hereby given that the Company's Annual General Meeting will be held on 20 April 2017 at 11.30 at Hermans (Tivoli Friheden), Skovbrynet 5, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark. (The meeting will be in Danish.) Agenda: Report of the Board of Directors on the activities of the Company during the past financial year Presentation of the audited annual report for approval and resolution to discharge the Board of Directors and the Executive Management from liability Adoption of a resolution on the distribution of profit according to the approved annual report Proposals from the Board of Directors or the shareholders No proposals have been submitted by the Board of Directors or the shareholders. Election of members to the Board of Directors From the board of directors Jrgen Wisborg is up for election. The Board of Directors proposes that Jrgen Wisborg be re-elected. The Board of Directors also proposes that Hans Martin Smith be elected to the Board of Directors, which will enlarge the Board to seven members. Jrgen Wisborg was born in 1962. He holds an MSc from the Aarhus School of Business and LEAP - Leadership Pro-gramme from Insead, France, and is CEO of OK a.m.b.a. Mr Wisborg has special expertise in management and sales as well as in strategy, business development, financial reporting, treasury and finance. He is deputy chairman of the Board of Directors of Schouw & Co. and chairman of the Company's Audit Committee. He has been a member of the Board of Directors of Schouw & Co. since 2009 and is considered to be independent. Jrgen Wisborg is chairman of Danoil Exploration A/S, Energidata ApS, Kamstrup A/S, OK Plus A/S, OK Plus Butiksdrift A/S and Samfinans A/S, deputy chairman of Energi- og olieforum, a member of the board of directors of AP Pension Livsforsikringsaktieselskab, AP Pensionsservice A/S and Foreningen AP Pension F.M.B.A.; and CEO of OK a.m.b.a. and Rotensia ApS. Hans Martin Smith was born in 1979. He holds an MSc from the Aarhus School of Business, and is Senior Vice President, Group Treasury and Investor Relations at Vestas Wind Systems A/S. Mr Smith has special expertise in finance, business development, strategy, M&A, capital markets and investor relations. He is considered to be independent. Hans Martin Smith is also a member of the board of directors of Wind Power Invest A/S. Appointment of auditors The Board of Directors proposes that Ernst & Young Godkendt Revisionspartnerselskab be re-appointed. Any other business --o0o-- Share capital and shareholder voting rights The Companys share capital amounts to a nominal value of DKK 255,000,000 divided into 25,500,000 shares of a nominal value of DKK 10 each. Each share of DKK 10 carries one vote. Adoption of the proposals of the agenda requires a simple majority of votes. The record date is Thursday, 13 April 2017, and shareholders of the Company at the record date are entitled to attend and vote at the General Meeting. Shareholdings are calculated at the record date on the basis of registration of shares in the register of shareholders and notifications of ownership received by the Company for entry into the register of shareholders. Attendance is also subject to the shareholder having obtained an admission card as described below. Admission cards Shareholders wishing to attend the General Meeting must request an admission card not later than on Wednesday, 12 April 2017. Registration forms have been sent to registered shareholders; shareholders may order admission cards by returning the registration form to Computershare A/S, Kongevejen 418, DK-2840 Holte or by contacting Computer-share A/S by fax on +45 45 46 09 98 or by e-mail to gf@computershare.dk. Admission cards may also be obtained from Aktieselskabet Schouw & Co.s website, at www.schouw.dk/gf, by using NemID or the internet user name and access code set out on the registration form. If a shareholder appoints a proxy other than the Board of Directors, the proxy must request an admission card on the same terms as a shareholder. Proxies and voting by correspondence Shareholders may appoint a proxy and may also vote by correspondence. Proxy/voting forms have been sent to registered shareholders; proxies or votes by correspondence can be submitted in writing by returning the proxy/voting form duly signed to Computershare A/S, Kongevejen 418, DK-2840 Holte, Denmark or otherwise by fax (to +45 45 46 09 98) or by e-mail to gf@computershare.dk. Shareholders may also vote electronically on Aktieselskabet Schouw & Co.s website, at www.schouw.dk/gf, by using NemID or the internet user name and access code set out on the registration form received. Proxies must be received by Computershare A/S not later than on Wednesday, 12 April 2017. Votes cast by correspondence must be received by Computershare A/S not later than on Wednesday, 19 April 2017 at 16:00. Additional information The Company's website, www.schouw.dk/gf, contains further information about the General Meeting, including the 2016 Annual Report, the notice convening the General Meeting and the agenda, the complete proposals, information about the members up for election and their directorships, information about the total number of shares and voting rights as at the date of the notice, and a link to the investor portal for the purposes of registration, appointing a proxy or voting electronically. Questions from shareholders Shareholders may submit questions to the agenda or to documents, etc., to be used at the General Meeting by contacting Aktieselskabet Schouw & Co. in writing at this address: Chr. Filtenborgs Plads 1, DK-8000 Aarhus C, Denmark or by e-mail to schouw@schouw.dk. Aarhus, 20 March 2017 Aktieselskabet Schouw & Co. Jrn Ankr Thomsen, Chairman Jens Bjerg Srensen, President Questions relating to the above should be directed to Jens Bjerg Srensen, President, on tel. +45 8611 2222. NEWARK, N.J. and CHARLESTON, S.C., March 20, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Arkados Group, Inc. (OTC:AKDS), a leading software developer and system integrator enabling Internet of Things (IoT) applications for commercial and industrial customers, today announced it has signed a letter of intent to acquire the assets of SolBright Renewable Energy, LLC, a renewable energy design and development company based in Charleston, SC. The deal is subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals and is anticipated to close by March 31, 2017. SolBright Renewable Energy is a leading provider of turnkey development, engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) services for the commercial/industrial and military solar photovoltaic markets. Arkados will pay $15 million in a combination of cash, debt and stock for substantially 100% of the assets of SolBright, including a current backlog of approximately $40 million in distributed generation EPC projects and a large and growing pipeline of additional projects throughout the Eastern United States. This transaction can allow Arkados to significantly expand its Arkados Energy Solutions business into the rapidly growing renewable energy industry and open many new customer opportunities for its cutting-edge Internet of Things solutions. The SolBright team has built a great renewable energy business by delivering superior service to Fortune 500 and other commercial, industrial and military customers, said Terrence DeFranco, Chief Executive Officer of Arkados Group, Inc. This acquisition allows us to greatly scale and diversify our services business, add significant current and future revenues and cash flows and expand the penetration of our smart building solutions based on our Arktic software platform into a blue-chip customer base. The solar market is poised for explosive growth over the next 5 years and beyond and this combination positions Arkados to capitalize on the tremendous growth in renewables and the Internet of Things. We are very excited about the merger of our business with Arkados, states Patrick Hassell, Managing Director of SolBright Renewable Energy, LLC. We have worked hard over the past 8 years growing our business and believe that the combination of our services with the robust technology solutions of Arkados will give us an edge in further differentiating ourselves as this tremendous market evolves. We believe there is great demand for digital solutions in the renewables industry and are impressed with the advantages that our customers can gain from Arkados technology solutions. There is a growing market that demands higher efficiency with less cost and we believe that the combination of SolBrights services and Arkados technology is a winning formula. General Electric estimates that the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), the use of sensing, data gathering, monitoring and controlling commercial and industrial machinery, will reach $60 trillion worldwide in the next 15 years. IIoT technology and software applications in combination with on-site renewable energy generation and emerging battery storage capabilities provides a complete solutions set for optimizing energy efficiency and corporate energy spend. Big Data analytics and Cloud based management positions Arkados/SolBright to capitalize on the $1.2 $3.7 trillion in estimated value created by IoT applications by 2025 (McKinsey). Leveraging the growth in the solar industry, which is expected to triple in the next 5 years according to the Solar Energy Industries Association, can position Arkados as an emerging leader in this market. In November 2015, Gartner estimated that the Internet of Things will consist of 20.8 billion connected objects in use by 2020, up from 6.4 billion in 2016 and that enterprise customers represent the largest spending on these devices. Another more recent Gartner report estimates IoT deployment in commercial buildings is on track to reach just over 1 billion in 2018. About Arkados Group, Inc. Arkados Group, Inc. (the Company) through its subsidiaries, is a leading software development and system integrator enabling Internet of Things applications for home and building automation and energy management. The Company's solutions are uniquely designed to drive a wide variety of wireless and powerline communication (PLC)-based products, such as sensors, gateways, video cameras, appliances and other devices. By utilizing the Company's solutions, Arkados' customers can bring numerous sophisticated, full-featured products to market faster at a lower overall development cost. Arkados is a registered trademark of Arkados Group, Inc. For more information about Arkados, please visit: http://www.arkadosgroup.com. About SolBright Renewable Energy, LLC SolBright Renewable Energy is a turnkey developer and EPC of Solar Photovoltaic projects for long term, stable, distributed power solutions. SolBright focuses on military, municipal and commercial/industrial markets, with projects ranging in size from 100 kWp to 5,000 kWp. SolBrights services include market assessment, design/engineering, installation, operation and maintenance/monitoring, financing and project ownership. SolBright has distinct competitive advantages for ground, parking canopy and roof-top solar applications that ensure integration with existing/new roof warranties. SolBright has a national reach within the United States, with projects successfully delivered throughout the southeast, mid-Atlantic and northeast and as far west as California. Investor Relations Press Release March 20, 2017 TBC Bank wins The Best Bank in Georgia Award from Global Finance Magazine TBC Bank has been awarded The Best Bank in Georgia Award for 2017 by Global Finance Magazine. This is the sixth consecutive year that TBC Bank has won this prestigious award, underlining our continuous commitment to offer the best banking service to our customers. The nominees were assessed according to different criteria including: growth in assets; profitability; geographic reach; strategic relationships; new business development; and innovation in products. TBC Bank's Chief Executive Officer Vakhtang Butskhrikidze expressed gratitude for acknowledgement of the bank's outstanding achievements during 2016. "We are honoured to receive the Best Bank in Georgia Award for the ninth time. TBC Bank is the leading bank in the Georgia and remains committed to achieving strong financial results, while continuing to offer best in class service to our customers." TBC Bank won the Best Bank in Georgia Award from Global Finance magazine in the following years: 2004, 2006, 2007 and 2012-2017. About Global Finance 2017 Best Bank in Central and Eastern Europe It is the 24th annual awards of the World's Best Banks from Global Finance magazine. Global winners will be announced in the summer and published in the October issue. Winners will be honored at an Awards Ceremony held during the IMF/World Bank Annual Meetings in Washington DC in October. For further enquiries, please contact: Head of Investor Relations Anna Romelashvili ir@tbcbank.com.ge About TBC Bank Group PLC ("TBC PLC") TBC PLC is a public limited company registered in England and Wales that was incorporated in February 2016. TBC PLC became the parent company of JSC TBC Bank ("TBC Bank") on 10 August 2016. TBC PLC is listed on the London Stock Exchange under the symbol TBCG. About TBC Bank TBC Bank, together with its subsidiaries, is the leading universal banking group in Georgia, with a total market share of 31.1% of loans (or 38.9% taking into account TBC Bank's holding in JSC Bank Republic and 33.0% of non-banking deposits (or 37.8% taking into account TBC Bank's holding in JSC Bank Republic) as at 31 December 2016, according to the data published by the National Bank of Georgia. French English Dutch ageas SA/NV is organising an Extraordinary General Meeting of Shareholders in its headquarters, rue du Marquis 1, 1000 Brussels on 20 April 2017 at 10:30am. Ageas published the following documents in relation to this Extraordinary General Meeting on its website, www.ageas.com: the convening notice, together with the agenda; a specimen proxy form; the special Board of Directors report. It is Ageas's experience that a first called Extraordinary General Meeting of Shareholders does not attain the required 50% capital representation attendance quorum. Therefore this Meeting will likely not be able to make valid decisions. In the case the attendance quorum for this meeting would not be met, Ageas will publish on Friday 14 April 2017, an invitation to a second Extraordinary General Meeting of Shareholders together with the invitation to the Ordinary General Meetings of Shareholders of ageas SA/NV, both meetings to be held on Wednesday 17 May 2017 at the National Theatre in Brussels. Any questions relating to this Meeting may be sent to general.meeting@ageas.com. Ageas is a listed international insurance Group with a heritage spanning 190 years. It offers Retail and Business customers Life and Non-Life insurance products designed to suit their specific needs, today and tomorrow. As one of Europe's larger insurance companies, Ageas concentrates its activities in Europe and Asia, which together make up the major part of the global insurance market. It operates successful insurance businesses in Belgium, the UK, Luxembourg, France, Italy, Portugal, Turkey, China, Malaysia, India, Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Singapore, and the Philippines through a combination of wholly owned subsidiaries and long term partnerships with strong financial institutions and key distributors. Ageas ranks among the market leaders in the countries in which it operates. It represents a staff force of over 40,000 people and reported annual inflows close to EUR 32 billion in 2016 (all figures at 100%). Wauwatosa, March 20, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- This year, members from the Elite Media Communications team consisting of Saad Fleifel, Sara Alaam, Lakisha Porsche-Bates, and Maria Bucci, along with owner and President Leigh Jackson attended the Managers and Top Leaders Meeting held at the Gaylord Texan Resort, in Grapevine Texas. This conference took place On Monday, March 13th through Wednesday, March 15th. The Managers and Top Leaders Meeting is an event designed to promote and discuss leadership development strategies the company has implemented. With this mindset of motivating and promoting others, the goal is to find the next generation of leaders. These networking events work toward creating a unified corporate culture that trains, develops and mentors career-focused employees. The people that attend these events are account managers nationwide, who have all been impacted by the best owners. This year, owner Leigh Jackson spoke at the Keys to Success meeting, held specifically for owners to attend. Returning from Dallas, Leigh discussed what it was like to speak at this event, stating that Every time I get an opportunity to speak, its kind of the same . . . its always a very humbling experience for me, to know that the higher ups, and peers selected me to speak . . . and the joy I got from it, is being able to deliver a message to all the owners, and being able to give it my spin. As far as his biggest takeaway from this event, Leigh said that it is something he got from my mentor Zach. . . and its to learn how to effectively manage your time, and making sure that every single second of every single day counts. For attendees Maria Bucci, and Lakisha Porsche-Bates, the event was just as fulfilling, with Bucci claiming It was an amazing experience, and I got so much more out of it than I can even describe or that I thought I was going to. When asking about the biggest thing they learned while there, Porsche-Bates stated it was in the recruiting phases . . . and during interviews, making sure Im picking the right people, making sure Im not getting down when Im losing people. Bucci said that for her, It was the focus on recruiting. And the takeaway for me was being in an environment where people are so successful and so knowledgeable and have so much experience. The stronger we all are individually, the stronger we are together. . . the opportunities are out there, you just have to do what is already working. Take the advice of people who have made it, because they want you to make it too. For a lasting thought, Leigh has some good advice for those looking to get where he is, with being invited to speak at these events. He said that the biggest thing is Not focusing so much on always getting to the stage and speaking, but perfecting your craft . . . Everyone who likes to speak should have a goal to publicly speak . . . and not get caught up in the awards and achievements. . . and have a goal, but dont get so caught up in the materialistic side. AsadAbu wrote: sandalphon wrote: Warning that computers in the United States are not secure, the National Academy of Sciences has urged the nation to revamp computer security procedures, institute new emergency response teams, creating a special nongovernment organization to take charge of computer security planning. (A) creating a special nongovernment organization to take (B) creating a special nongovernment organization that takes (C) creating a special nongovernment organization for taking (D) and create a special nongovernment organization for taking (E) and create a special nongovernment organization to take Warning that computers in the United States are not secure, the National Academy of Sciences has urged the nation to revamp computer security procedures, institute new emergency response teams, and create a special nongovernment organization to take charge of computer security planning. to revamp institute create and Warning that computers in the United States are not secure, the National Academy of Sciences has urged the nation to revamp computer security procedures, to institute new emergency response teams, and to create a special nongovernment organization to take charge of computer security planning. Why National Academy of Sciences has urged the nation? to do to do to do can't revamp institute create urged Warning that computers in the United States are not secure, the National Academy of Sciences has urged the nation to revamp computer security procedures, institute new emergency response teams, and create a special nongovernment organization to take charge of computer security planning. to take can't purpose/intention of an action urged something is done to take It is clear that taking charge of computer security planning is the purpose for creating this special nongovernment organization something is done something is done to create urged to take charge of computer security planning purpose to create a special nongovernment organization to create itself something is done urged to take charge of computer security planning to revamp to institute to create to revamp to institute to create , and to take ,and to take charge of computer security planning Whats Life Like as a Darden MBA and Entrepreneur? [Episode 194] [ #permalink What is 1Degree App? Whats the backstory? Hows it going? Are the influencers volunteering/participating? Can you give an example of someone whos participated? Are people doing it for fun, connections, star worship, advice ? What about the motivations of the influencers? Are they mainly looking to build their social media presence, raise money for charity, reach out to fans, or are there other reasons? Did you know you wanted to start a business when you arrived at Darden? Sam: Max: You wrote an article in Forbes about the pros and cons of starting a business during b-school. What are the pros and cons? Sam: Max: Are you glad you started the company during b-school? And are you glad youre getting the MBA? Has Darden met your expectations? Sam: Max: What could be improved? Sam: What is the impact of Dardens location? Max: Sam: What will you miss? Sam: Max: Looking back to when you applied, what was the hardest part of the application process Sam: Max: Sam: What was the most memorable interview question you were asked? Sam: Max: What are your tips for MBA applicants, especially those considering an entrepreneurial career? Sam: 1. Go to classes 2. Talk to people Max Any last insights? Max: Sam: Click here to listen to the show! Related Links: Related Shows: Subscribe: 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 A light railway track has been built to go through a hole in a residential 19-storey building in China. The city of Chongqing in the south-east of the country has a population of 49 million packed into 31,000 square miles, causing urban planners to look creatively at solving space issues, Joinfo.com reports with reference to Daily Mail Online. A special railway station was built into the block of houses, set into the sixth to eighth floors. Residents can hop on Chongqing Rail Transit No.2 at their own Liziba station. Even though they are living in close quarters to a busy train station, any noise has been muffled by special equipment. To homeowners in the complex, the sound of the train is designed to be as disturbing as the noise from a dishwasher. By doing this, planners avoided having to take the whole building down to make way for the train tracks. A city transport spokesman said: Our city is very heavily built upon and that can make finding room for roads and railway lines a real challenge. The port city of Chongqing is one of the four municipalities in China and lies along the banks of the river Yangtze. Even though it is a densely populated area, it is nicknamed the Mountain City because it lies around deep swathes of forest and hills. See also: One city in China built more skyscrapers in 2016 than US and Europe together New Zealand has expelled an attache at the U.S. Embassy after Washington declined to waive his right to diplomatic immunity after an incident which gave him a broken nose and a black eye, media and authorities said, Joinfo.com reports with reference to Reuters. New Zealand police said they responded to the incident near the capital Wellington on March 12 involving an employee of the U.S. Embassy. They did not say what work the employee did or give any other details. The U.S. government later declined a police request to waive the employees diplomatic immunity, the New Zealand Foreign Ministry said on Monday. The New Zealand Herald at the weekend identified the man as an embassy attache and said he had left country with a broken nose and black eye. A spokeswoman for the U.S. Embassy said it was in touch with New Zealand authorities. We take seriously any suggestion that our staff have fallen short of the high standards of conduct expected of U.S. government personnel, the spokeswoman said. Britains high street banks processed nearly $740m from a vast money-laundering operation run by Russian criminals with links to the Russian government and the KGB, the Guardian can reveal. HSBC, the Royal Bank of Scotland, Lloyds, Barclays and Coutts are among 17 banks based in the UK, or with branches here, that are facing questions over what they knew about the international scheme and why they did not turn away suspicious money transfers. Documents seen by the Guardian show that at least $20bn appears to have been moved out of Russia during a four-year period between 2010 and 2014. The true figure could be $80bn, detectives believe. One senior figure involved in the inquiry said the money from Russia was obviously either stolen or with criminal origin. Investigators are still trying to identify some of the wealthy and politically influential Russians behind the operation, known as the Global Laundromat. They estimate a group of about 500 people were involved. These include oligarchs, Moscow bankers, and figures working for or connected to the FSB, the successor spy agency to the KGB. Igor Putin, the cousin of Russias president, Vladimir, sat on the board of a Moscow bank which held accounts involved in the fraud. British-registered companies played a prominent role in this extensive money-laundering network. The real owners of most of the firms used in the scheme remain secret, however, because of the anonymity provided by controversial offshore laws. The Global Laundromat banking records were obtained by the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) and Novaya Gazeta from sources who wish to remain anonymous. OCCRP shared the data with the Guardian and media partners in 32 countries. The documents include details of about 70,000 banking transactions, including 1,920 that went through UK banks and 373 via US banks. The data is understood to be part of the evidence gathered in a three-year money-laundering investigation led by police in Latvia and Moldova. Detectives have unravelled a conspiracy that involved billions of dollars being sent from suspected criminals in Russia via accounts in Latvia and Moldova held at banks notorious for their exposure to money-laundering scams. The trail led investigators to 96 countries and to a network of anonymously owned firms, most of them registered at Companies House in London. Most of the 21 core companies under scrutiny have been dissolved. The scale of the operation has staggered law enforcement officials. The records show British banks and foreign banks with offices in London processed $738.1m in transactions apparently involving criminal money from Moscow. Banks say they have sophisticated units dedicated to rooting out financial crime. But they say the volume of payments billions a year makes such work difficult. If you are on the back end you are kind of playing whack-a-mole, trying to pick this up, one source said. HSBC processed $545.3m in Laundromat cash, mostly routed through its Hong Kong branch. The troubled Royal Bank of Scotland which is 71% owned by the UK government handled $113.1m. Coutts used by the Queen and owned by RBS accepted $32.8m worth of payments via its office in Zurich, Switzerland. Coutts is winding down its Swiss operation and was last month fined by regulators for money laundering in a different case. Other high street banks that appear in the Laundromat data include Barclays, NatWest and Lloyds. NatWest also owned by RBS allowed through $1.1m. In the US, big banks processed more than $63.7m. They include Citibank ($37m) and Bank of America ($14m). The Guardian contacted all these banks. None of them challenged the authenticity of the data, but they all insisted they had strict anti-money-laundering policies. The response from RBS was typical. The bank said: We are committed to combatting financial crime and money laundering in line with our regulations and have controls and safeguards in place to identify, assess, monitor and mitigate these risks. The statement covered Coutts and NatWest. HSBC said: This case highlights the need for greater information sharing between the public and private sectors, each of whom holds important information the other does not. However, the Guardians disclosures raise awkward questions for UK banks. The Financial Conduct Authority demands that banks consider the money-laundering risk presented by customers, taking into account country risk; the customers reputation and the source of their wealth and funds. In many of the cases looked at by the Guardian, money vanished into offshore shell firms, whose beneficial owners remain anonymous, and whose source of wealth is a mystery. The OCCRP discovered that the official owners of many of the firms were fake or nominee directors based in Ukraine. The Guardian showed details of the transfers to L Burke Files, an international financial investigator. He said compliance checks at many western banks were desultory, and often little more than box ticking. Typically the compliance and investigations department is treated like an unwanted step-child. The directors of a bank see compliance as an expense without any return. The compliance professionals are underpaid, underskilled and receive little or no effective training in spotting criminal patterns. Files added: Most of the transactions Im seeing here would have required substantial enhanced due diligence. It isnt just individual transactions. Its the repeated pattern. Police in eastern Europe have focused on a number of British shell companies, including Seabon Limited, which was run by a company management firm in Tooley Street, London, just around the corner from the mayor of Londons office and City Hall. In 2013, Seabon filed accounts to Companies House saying its income was just 1. The firm was wound up in February 2016. According to an analysis of the records, Seabon was involved in transactions worth $9bn. Another firm Ronida Invest LLP, registered in Newhall Street, Birmingham processed $6.4bn. Prosecutors in eastern Europe claim both firms were set up for the purposes of fraud. The records also give an insight into Russian shopping habits, although the customers in many cases are unknown. They bought diamonds from a jewellers in Bond Street, furs from brokers in north London, and chandeliers from a Chelsea boutique. The scheme was also used for a wealthy Russian to pay for his sons boarding fees at Millfield, a prestigious school in Somerset. Often, the information in the notes section of wire transfers was misleading. One bank payment of $500,000 was marked down in records as notebooks. Actually, it was spent on fur. The scheme that allowed the transfer of money from east to west was unravelled by police following the launch of the inquiry in 2014. The OCCRP which first reported the story originally called it the Russian Laundromat. Typically, two firms would pretend to lend money to one another, with the sums underwritten by Russian businesses. One company would then default on the loan. Judges would certify the debt as authentic, allowing the Russian businesses to send cash to an account in Moldova. From there it went to Latvia, inside the EU. Accounts held at 19 Russian banks were involved in the scheme. In 2014, it was reported that one financial institution was the Russian Land Bank (RZB). A bank board member at the time was Igor Putin. Detectives say accounts at RZB transferred about $9.7bn to accounts at Moldovas Moldindconbank. The cash was then moved to Trasta Komercbanka in Riga. RZBs director Alexander Grigoriev was arrested in Moscow in 2015, a year after his bank was shut down for money-laundering offences. Sources told the OCCRP that Grigoriev had links to the FSB, Russias main spy agency. He has denied wrongdoing and says he is a respectable citizen. He remains in custody, accused of stealing assets in a different case. Igor Putin declined to comment. In a letter written in 2014, he said: My personal experience, gained in recent years, proves the truth of the thesis that the Russian banking system should be radically rehabilitated and cleaned of troubled banks headed by people with doubtful reputations. Trasta, the Latvian bank at the centre of the scandal, was closed in 2016. Maija Treija, deputy director of Latvias finance ministry, said it lost its licence due to money laundering. Of the billions sent from Russia, she said: Obviously it was money either stolen or with criminal origin. The fight against money laundering was a never-ending story, she told the Finnish broadcaster YLE. The involvement of Moldovas banks in the scandal led to a political crisis that has seen five prime ministers come and go in the last two years. Former and current officials working at Moldovas central bank were detained by prosecutors last August suspected of turning a blind eye to information on money laundering carried out through Moldindconbank. The fraud has also sparked a row with Moscow. This month, Moldovas parliament said Russias FSB had abusively treated Moldovan officials arriving in the Russian Federation. It linked their harassment to Moldovas Laundromat investigation and said some of the money had been used to try to bribe Moldovan MPs. The FSB run by Vladimir Putin before he became prime minister and president had used part of the Laundromat money to further Russian state interests, Moldovan officials said. Ronald Reagan The value of a man should be seen in what he gives and not in what he is able to receive. Albert Einstein If you have an important point to make, don't try to be subtle or clever. Use a pile driver. Hit the point once. Then come back and hit it again. Then hit it a third time - a tremendous whack. Winston Churchill It isnt so much that liberals are ignorant. Its just that they know so many things that arent so. With integrity nothing else counts; Without integrity nothing else counts. Winston Churchill Never be bullied into silence. Never allow yourself to be made a victim. Accept no one's definition of your life, but define yourself. Harvey S. Firestone It is inaccurate to say that I hate everything. I am strongly in favor of common sense, common honesty, and common decency. This makes me forever ineligible for public office. H. L. Menken Referenda insure all have a voice in land use decisions. U.S. Supreme Court Listen carefully to first criticism of your work. Note just what it is about your work the critics don't like - then cultivate it. That's the only part of your work that's individual and worth keeping. Jean Cocteau The still, murky waters off Mapoon on Cape York, Queensland, Australia, are home to many Australian box jelly, Chironex fleckeri, during the peak summer months. Credit: Angel Yanagihara Being stung by a jellyfish is one of the fastest ways to ruin a fun day at the beach. But what you do after you're stung has the potential to make you feel much better or make matters a lot worse. Researchers at the University of Hawai'i - Manoa (UHM) investigated whether commonly recommended first aid actions such as rinsing with seawater or scraping away tentacles lessen the severity of stings from two dangerous box jellyfish species. Their results, published this week in the journal Toxins, reveal that some of the most commonly recommended practices actually worsen stings. "Anyone who Googles 'how to treat a jellyfish sting' will encounter authoritative web articles claiming the best thing to do is rinse the area with seawater, scrape away any remaining tentacles, and then treat the sting with ice," said Dr. Angel Yanagihara, lead author of the paper and assistant research professor at the UHM Pacific Biosciences Research Center (PBRC) and John A. Burns School of Medicine (JABSOM). "We put those methods to the test in the lab, and found they actually make stings much, much worse." Box jellies are among the deadliest animals in the oceans, responsible for more deaths every year than sharks. Even mild stings cause severe pain and can leave horrible scars. Yanagihara, aided by Dr. Christie Wilcox, a postdoctoral fellow at JABSOM, looked at the best ways to respond to stings from two dangerous box jelly species, the Hawaiian box jelly Alatina alata here in Hawaii and the largest box jelly in the world, the Australian box jelly Chironex fleckeri . In order to conduct the study, Yanagihara, traveled to Cape York Australia in December, 2016 to work on-site with live Chironex. For both, they examined how different ways of removing tentaclesrinsing with vinegar or seawater, scraping with a credit card, or simply plucking them offaffected the amount of venom injected during a sting using a human tissue model designed by Yanagihara. They also looked at whether treating with ice packs or hot packs reduced the damage done by the venom. A freshly caught, Australian box jelly, Chironex fleckeri, the most notorious killer of the marine world, with a body about the size of a melon and up to sixty 10-foot long tentacles. A sting by this animal can lead to death in as little as 5 minutes. Credit: Angel Yanagihara The team found that some of the most commonly recommended actions, including rinsing with seawater, scraping the tentacles, and applying ice, dramatically increased the severity of the stings. "Less than one percent of stinging cells on a tentacle actually fire when you're first stung," explained Wilcox. "So anything you do that moves the tentacles or adherent stinging cell capsules around has the potential to increase the amount of venom injected into you by many fold." Instead of rinsing with seawater or scraping, the team found that rinsing with vinegarwhich irreversibly prevents the stinging cells from firingor even simply plucking tentacles off with tweezers led to less venom injection. And after the sting, applying heat actively decreased venom activity. Applying ice not only didn't help, for stings from the Hawaiian box jelly, it actually enhanced the venom's activity to make stings cause more than twice the damage. And, if you have it available, the team found the best way to treat a jelly sting was the combination of Sting No More Spray and Cream, a venom-inhibiting product duo developed by Yanagihara with Hawaii Community Foundation, National Institutes of Health and Department of Defense funding. "Box jellies are incredibly dangerous animals. The more venom they inject, the more likely a victim is to suffer severe, even life threatening symptoms," said Yanagihara. "The increases in venom injection and activity we saw in our study from methods like scraping and applying ice could mean the difference between life and death in a serious box jelly sting." "It's all too easy to find bad advice on treating jelly stings on the internet," said Wilcox. But she also noted that such bad advice isn't solely the fault of the sites that provide it. "Even in the peer-reviewed literature, there are a lot of examples of recommendations that are made in passing in discussion sections without any direct evidence to back them up, and then those just keep getting repeated and cited over and over even though they're not based on rigorous, empirical scientific evidence." The team expects these statistically powered findings will prompt online medical sites, government agencies, and the broader medical community to re-evaluate the advice they provide on treating jelly stings. International collaborators and colleagues have joined in this effort and are conducting similar studies around the world using this Yanagihara-Wilcox sting model to test locally prevalent jellyfish species in a similar push to develop evidence-based medical practices. More information: Angel Yanagihara et al, Cubozoan Sting-Site Seawater Rinse, Scraping, and Ice Can Increase Venom Load: Upending Current First Aid Recommendations, Toxins (2017). Angel Yanagihara et al, Cubozoan Sting-Site Seawater Rinse, Scraping, and Ice Can Increase Venom Load: Upending Current First Aid Recommendations,(2017). DOI: 10.3390/toxins9030105 (HealthDay)For patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD), receipt of hemodialysis (HD) is associated with increased mortality after radiofrequency ablation (RFA) for hepatocellular carcinoma, according to a study published online March 7 in the Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology. Masaya Sato, from the University of Tokyo, and colleagues used a nationwide database to examine in-hospital mortality and hemorrhagic complications following RFA among patients on HD for ESRD. For each patient enrolled, up to four non-dialyzed patients were randomly selected. The authors compared in-hospital mortality and hemorrhagic complications between dialyzed and non-dialyzed patients (437 and 1,345 patients, respectively) following RFA. The researchers found that mortality was significantly lower in those aged 70 years versus older patients (P = 0.02). Dialyzed ESRD patients had significantly higher in-hospital mortality than non-dialyzed patients (1.1 versus 0.15 percent; odds ratio, 7.77; P < 0.001). There was a significant difference in hemorrhagic complications between dialyzed ESRD and non-dialyzed patients (3.4 and 0.87 percent, respectively; odds ratio, 4.75; P < 0.001). "In-hospital mortality following RFA was higher in dialyzed ESRD patients than in non-dialyzed patients," the authors write. "The indications for RFA in dialysis-dependent patients should be considered carefully." Copyright 2017 HealthDay. All rights reserved. A blood clot forming in the carotid artery. Credit: American Heart Association A small protein that could protect the brain from stroke-induced injury has been discovered by researchers from The University of Queensland and Monash University. UQ Institute for Molecular Bioscience researcher Professor Glenn King, who led the research, said the small protein showed great promise as a future stroke treatment. "We believe that we have, for the first time, found a way to minimise the effects of brain damage after a stroke," Professor King said. "The small protein we discovered, Hi1a, blocks acid-sensing ion channels in the brain, which are key drivers of brain damage after stroke. "During preclinical studies, we found that a single dose of Hi1a administered up to eight hours after stroke protected brain tissue and drastically improved neurological performance. "This world-first discovery will help us provide better outcomes for stroke survivors by limiting the brain damage and disability caused by this devastating injury." Stroke claims six million lives worldwide each year, and five million survivors are left with a permanent disability. Professor King said he hoped this discovery could radically improve outcomes for stroke patients. "One of the most exciting things about Hi1a is that it provides exceptional levels of protection for eight hours after stroke onset, which is a remarkably long window of opportunity for treatment," he said. "Hi1a even provides some protection to the core brain region most affected by oxygen deprivation, which is generally considered unrecoverable due to the rapid cell death caused by stroke. "We are now working to secure financial support to fast-track this promising stroke therapy towards clinical trials." This research was published overnight in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. It involved scientists from UQ's Institute for Molecular Bioscience, School of Biomedical Sciences, Queensland Brain Institute, and Centre for Advanced Imaging; and Monash University's Biomedical Discovery Institute and Department of Pharmacology. More information: Potent neuroprotection after stroke afforded by a double-knot spider-venom peptide that inhibits acid-sensing ion channel 1a, PNAS, www.pnas.org/cgi/doi/10.1073/pnas.1614728114 Journal information: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Potent neuroprotection after stroke afforded by a double-knot spider-venom peptide that inhibits acid-sensing ion channel 1a, (HealthDay)When you learn that just 1 in 5 Americans locks up prescription drugs, it's not surprising to hear that thousands of children are treated for accidental medication overdoses each year. A new Consumer Reports survey of more than 1,000 adults also found that more than one-quarter of Americans hang on to unused drugs "until they're used up." This ups the odds for misuse, too. "People may not realize how dangerous certain medications can be for a child," said Lisa Gill, deputy editor of Consumer Reports Best Buy Drugs. "Pills within easy reach can be as dangerous as a loaded gun, particularly narcotic painkillers, such as OxyContin, Percocet and Vicodin," she said. The bottom line: "If you have these pills at home, and you have children around, we urge you to lock them up," Gill said. The magazine staff also recommends cleaning out your medicine cabinet once a year to reduce the risk of medication misuse. The magazine suggests that the first day of springMonday, March 20is the perfect day to start this cleaning process, dubbing it, "National Spring Clean Your Medicine Cabinet Day." Don't assume that prescription drugs such as sedatives and opioid painkillers are the only drugs on your bathroom shelves that can potentially cause harm. "Acetaminophen, used as a fever and pain-reducer and found in Tylenol and hundreds of other products, is the most common accidentally ingested [over-the-counter drug]," Gill said. A child who takes too much acetaminophen can develop liver damage or liver failure, she noted. About 60,000 preschoolers are rushed to hospitals each year after accidentally swallowing medicine, whether prescription or over-the-counter, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says. Many of these emergencies are preventable. To avoid such mishaps, Consumer Reports shares some tips for safe disposal of your medications. Return unused medication to your pharmacy, hospital or narcotic treatment program for proper disposal. This is especially advisable for opioid painkillers such as oxycodone (OxyContin, Percocet) and morphine, ADHD drugs and sedatives such as alprazolam (Xanax)drugs with a high potential for abuse. If a pharmacy or hospital won't take them, ask your local fire or police department if they'll accept unused medication. Places that collect and destroy unused medications may also be found at DisposeMyMeds.org. This program is run by the National Community Pharmacists Association Foundation and the National Community Pharmacists Association. Mark your calendar for National Prescription Take-Back Day: On Saturday, April 29, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration will allow anyone to drop off leftover medications anonymously at designated police departments, fire stations and other facilities. The agency will run another drop-off day in October. For a small fee, some major pharmacy chains provide mail-back envelopes for prescription and over-the-counter medications. If you have no other choice, you can toss most pills in your household trashafter camouflaging them. Hide them in coffee grounds, sawdust or kitty litter, and seal both in a plastic bag, the Consumer Reports staff suggests. But don't do this with dangerous drugs such as opioids because someone could grab them from the garbage. staff suggests. But don't do this with dangerous drugs such as opioids because someone could grab them from the garbage. For dangerous drugs, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration suggests flushing them down the toilet. However, many advise against this because trace amounts of drugs can end up in the water supply. More information: The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shares tips for The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shares tips for safe medication storage Copyright 2017 HealthDay. All rights reserved. Dr. David C. Hess, stroke specialist and chairman of the Department of Neurology at the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University. Credit: Phil Jones A multicenter trial looking at whether a single dose of millions of adult, bone-marrow-derived stem cells can aid stroke recovery indicates it's safe and well-tolerated by patients but may not significantly improve their recovery within the first three months, researchers report. However, the trial does provide evidence that giving the therapy early - within the first 36 hours after stroke symptoms surface - may enhance physical recovery by reducing destructive inflammation as well as the risk for serious infections and that these benefits might continue to surface many months down the road, they report in the journal Lancet Neurology. Stroke is a leading cause of long-term disability and the leading preventable cause of disability, according to the American Heart Association. "There is solid evidence from our basic science work and now some indicators from this phase 2 patient trial that giving these stem cells can safely help dial back the body's immune response to stroke injury that can ultimately further damage the brain and body," said Dr. David C. Hess, stroke specialist and chairman of the Department of Neurology at the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University. Hess, corresponding author of the study, said next-phase trials already are being planned that make time-appropriate adjustments. The study at 33 centers in the United States and the United Kingdom from October 2011 to December 2015 included 129 adults with moderately severe strokes. A dose of 400 million cells were given to a handful of patients to establish safety, the dose was then increased to 1,200 million cells for the majority of patients. About half of patients received a single dose of the stem cells while the remainder received placebo. Patients in both arms were able to also have received standard stroke therapies, including the clot-buster tPA and/or an endovascular procedure to retrieve the clot. While the study made several adjustments along the way to enable better enrollment, it was an early adjustment in the timeframe for giving the therapy that may have impacted results, Hess said. Trial leaders extended the timeframe for therapy from the original 24 to 36 hours - which was suggested by previous animal studies - to 24 to 48 hours. That adjustment was in response to limited hours at some centers to thaw and otherwise prepare the cells for patients as they qualified for the study. Now cell developers have reduced thaw times from 6 hours to 30 minutes and made the process much easier, which should enable tighter timeframes for giving the treatment moving forward, Hess said. Although the primary analysis of results was done at 90 days, about 80 percent of study participants were followed for a full year. It was those longer-term results, particularly in the small number of patients who got therapy early, that suggested the cell therapy group might be more likely to continue to recover, with reduced disability and fewer infections one year out than the placebo group, investigators write. The multipotent cells, dubbed MultiStem, were developed by the international biotechnology company Athersys Inc., which also funded the clinical trial. Doses given in the study were the largest ever given in a human cell therapy trial. Side effects in a minority of patients included bad breath, fever, chills, nausea and vomiting. Death and other serious adverse events were no different in the treated versus untreated patients. The fact that the cells are scalable and require no tissue typing make it a potentially widely and rapidly available therapy for stroke patients, Hess said. "The cells are 'off the shelf' and ready to go," he said. "One donor of these cells provides hundreds of thousands of doses to patients." Researchers like Hess, who have studied the cells, believe they primarily work by modulating the body's immune response, which can go a bit haywire following a stroke. An immune response is definitely needed to help the brain heal and to remove debris generated by dead or damaged tissue. But there also may be a secondary response that includes immune organs like the spleen, beginning to shrink in size within the first hours after symptoms of stroke arise, Hess said. The spleen, an organ typically about four inches long and found just to the left of the stomach, is an important immune system regulator that filters blood and stores immune cells. Shrinkage that follows a stroke prompts it to quickly dump activated immune cells that can go to the brain and worsen inflammation and damage there, Hess said. Ironically, patients can then experience what is termed a more generalized "immune exhaustion" that puts them at increased risk of infections, like pneumonia and urinary tract infections. "Some inflammation is good, but in a big stroke, it almost always overshoots," Hess said of this second neuroinflammatory response. "We think this secondary neuroinflammatory process is preventing the natural healing tendencies of the body." The researchers found patients receiving cell therapy had lower blood levels of inflammatory signals called cytokines as well as other drivers of the immune response such as circulating lymphocytes and a subset of lymphocytes called regulatory T cells. "We think cell therapy prevents this early egress of cells from the spleen that go to the brain and, by doing that, they also prevent the later exhaustion of the spleen and immune system," Hess said. Researchers note that they are not certain that the blood levels they measured correlate with tissue levels and they did not measure the spleen size of study participants. However, they plan to look more closely at both in future studies and already have animal evidence the cell therapy reduces spleen shrinkage In an accompanying commentary, Dr. Steven C. Cramer, from the Departments of Neurology, Anatomy and Neurobiology and Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the Sue and Bill Gross Stem Cell Research Center at the University of California, Irvine, reiterates the need for new stroke therapies that can improve outcomes for a large percentage of stroke patients and views cell-based therapies as "attractive candidates." Cramer also notes that therapies like stem cells take time to produce clinical results and that expanding the timeline for delivery of therapy to enable study enrollment took these cell therapy researchers past the timeframe that proved effective in animal studies. Early animal studies, led by former MCG neuroscientist Dr. Cesario V. Borlongan, pediatric neurologist and professor emeritus Dr. James Carroll and Hess, indicated that the cells would be most beneficial if given within two days of an ischemic stroke and they could reduce death of cells in the vicinity of the stroke's core, that were also injured. Phase three studies - which are among the final steps in seeking Food and Drug Administration approval - are planned in the United States, the United Kingdom as well as Europe and these studies will limit the therapy window to 18-36 hours, Hess said. Studies also are planned in Japan, where there is also an aging population and a keen interest in regeneration and cell therapy - that includes Nobel Prize-winner Shinya Yamanaka who transformed mature cells into induced pluripotent stem cells that can basically become any cell type. The upper age limit of the phase 2 cell therapy study also was extended from 79 to 83 during the trial and to patients who received both the clot-buster tPA and endovascular treatment to remove the clot, instead of one or the other, because of the large number of centers also performing the clot-removal technique to restore blood flow and ideally reduce stroke damage. It's likely the cell therapy would also be an adjunct to one or both of those therapies if it becomes approved for general use. Hess is also interim dean of MCG and interim executive vice president for medical affairs and integration at Augusta University. Credit: University of New South Wales UNSW researchers have identified key reasons why some doctors continue working beyond retirement age, despite evidence suggesting their performance is more likely to decline. In Australia in 2014, nearly 10 per cent of the medical workforce was over the age of 65. This marked an 80% increase from 2004. Currently, there are some 1700 employed doctors in Australia aged 75 and older. While older doctors can occupy important roles in the profession as teachers, mentors and leaders, potential benefits must be weighed against a "complex array of factors associated with ageing" that could hinder optimal performance, the researchers say. "Whilst the psychological health of older doctors who are still practising tends to be better than that of younger colleagues, there are demonstrated declines in their cognition and patient outcomes," said Dr Chanaka Wijeratne, from the UNSW School of Psychiatry. "There is a need for the profession to promote retirement as a final transition in a medical career, and provide resources for doctors to do so." Dr Wijeratne and colleagues recently surveyed 1048 Australian doctors aged 55 and over to better understand the professional and psychosocial factors influencing their retirement decisions. Their results were published this week in the Medical Journal of Australia (MJA). The researchers found that 38% of respondents had no intention to retire or were uncertain about their future retirement plans, and that the likelihood of retirement was most consistently predicted by two factors: the idea of work being a central component to their life, and their financial resources. The results suggest the odds of retiring were lowest for doctors who saw their work as a central part of their life, and who had greater "emotional resources" such as better self-esteem and positive self-perception of their cognitive abilities. International medical graduates also retired later, but researchers say this was due partly to their delayed entry into the workforce. On the flipside, the survey results indicate that doctors with concrete intentions to retire, particularly those 65 and older, had achieved greater financial security and were more anxious about ageing. The survey was sent to 6000 Australian doctors aged 55 and older in October 2015 and 1048 responses were considered valid. Respondents were asked to provide information about their demographic and professional details, education, medical specialty, geographic location, their typical hours and type of practice. They were also asked to self-assess their physical and psychological health, and to indicate their intention to retire, along with the preferred age and a ranking of factors contributing to their decision. Some of the other key findings: 38% (390) of respondents had no plans to retire or were unsure 62% (650) had plans to retire but only two-thirds nominated an age, and 315 of these respondents (48.4 %) were already older than 65 Of those with plans to retire, the median anticipated age was 70 for men and 68 for women, which is later than the rest of the community Doctors aged 65 and older who intended to continue working indicated this was motivated by family or partner wishes, the cognitive stimulation and sense of purpose provided by work, and their good physical health The researchers say their results will inform the development of educational resources to help doctors more effectively plan for their retirement. Doctors past retirement age have valuable skills, but need to validate them The MJA also published a related editorial piece by Professor Brian Draper from the UNSW School of Psychiatry, who studies mental health problems and cognitive decline in old age. Draper argues that doctors need to plan for retirement earlier in their careers as financial insecurity is one key factor keeping them in the workforce in late life. While doctors working in the public sector are likely to have superannuation schemes with employer contributions, Draper says it can be more difficult for self-employed doctors, particularly general practitioners, to secure a stable retirement income. But there are other factors, too: "Sometimes they don't have enough money, and sometimes they have nothing else to go to in life," he says. "A medical career can't be the be-all and end-all. Doctors need to have a rounded life with other interests, and they need to nurture relationships outside of work." He says the benefits of having older doctors in leadership and teaching roles are "counterbalanced by evidence that they have less factual knowledge, are less likely to adhere to standards of care, and may also achieve poorer patient outcomes". "While they may think they are in good physical health, there may be cognitive impairment that is harder for the older doctor detect," he says. "As doctors get older, keeping up with what's going on the medical world also gets harder and harder." Draper notes that the Medical Board of Australia is currently considering implementing a revalidation system, which would require healthcare professionals to prove their skills and knowledge are up-to-date. He also highlights that the Royal Australian College of Surgeons (RACS) has changed its continuing professional development (CPD) regulations, requiring doctors to have their own GP and to undergo regular health checks. He says these measures are needed, and that CPD programs should promote whole-of-career planning strategies, feedback from patients and peers, and age-related performance evaluations, which can proactively detect declines (or risks of decline) in a doctor's performance in certain tasks. "This will help us reduce instances of decreased performance, and could help doctors transition their practice into areas where their skills are still appropriate and valuable," says Draper. "You may not want a 75-year-old to be doing precise microsurgeries, but they may be perfectly suited to certain roles, and may even outperform younger doctors. "On one level this is about reducing errors, but on another level it's about finding ways to better use older doctors' skills and abilities, which we need to treasure and value a lot more." More information: Chanaka Wijeratne et al. Professional and psychosocial factors affecting the intention to retire of Australian medical practitioners, The Medical Journal of Australia (2017). Journal information: Medical Journal of Australia Chanaka Wijeratne et al. Professional and psychosocial factors affecting the intention to retire of Australian medical practitioners,(2017). DOI: 10.5694/mja16.00883 Three South Africans have developed an adhesive tape which allows you to attach LEGO blocks to almost any surface. The product is called Nimuno Loops and recently launched on IndieGoGo where it quickly raised over $1,000,000. The flexible, LEGO-compatible tape can stick to most surfaces and can be bent, cut, and shaped. The adhesive tape is the creation of three South Africans who work at the Chrome Cherry Design Studio in Cape Town. The creators spoke to the Sunday Times about the success of the product, stating that pledges were lagging in the beginning. Then, after bloggers picked it up, it started to snowball and went wild, said designer Anine Kirsten. When we hit a million dollars, I cracked open a beer and started dancing in the kitchen. Toys R Us in North America has expressed interest in Nimuno Loops, seeking to stock the product in stores and acquire sole rights for 60 days. Users are able to back Nimuno Loops on IndieGoGo and the product is expected to start shipping in July 2017. Greece to soon ban sale of spyware U.S. military delegation arrives in Turkey German industry calls for postponement of global minimum corporate tax Podolyak: Ukraine has never refused to negotiate Elon Musk calls on 'independent-minded' voters to vote for Republicans Bezos Earth Fund pledges $1 billion by 2030 to protect carbon stocks and biodiversity 7 people killed in collision between truck and passenger bus in Turkey Nikol Pashinyan holds closed meeting with members of ruling party faction Qatar's foreign minister calls criticism of West 'arrogant' and 'racist' Algeria officially applies to join BRICS group Delegations headed by Armenian and Azerbaijani FMs meet in Washington French Finance Minister calls on EU to oppose U.S. Armenian President: Aliyev's statements about intentional destruction of mosques have nothing to do with reality German MFA reports constructive talks in EU on new sanctions against Iran Kazakhstani President Tokayev instructs to increase oil supplies bypassing Russia President of Artsakh holds expanded working meeting Armenian Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports to receive more than 250 billion drams in 2023 Borrell says EU is dependent on supplies from China Armenia official: Peace treaty implies restoration of sovereign territory Guterres thinks mankind is heading for climate hell Dollar, euro gain value in Armenia General: Iran riots were US plan to derail nuclear deal Minister: 'Lydian Armenia' may start exploitation of gold mine on Mountain Amulsar Armenia political scientist: Balance is formed in region thanks to Iran Minister: 70 schools will be repaired or newly built in Armenia in 2023 UAE lifts most COVID-19 restrictions for tourists Political scientist: There is no Armenian-American agenda President of Finland says country has no plans to host nuclear weapons Russian Ambassador to Armenia: We are not used to making PR and playing games Flight restrictions extended to 11 airports in Russia Kopirkin: Spiritual core will help Armenia, Russia overcome difficulties, challenges Armenia ranks among top 5 CIS countries for winter tourism Envoy: Russian president awarded Armenian philologist with medal Iranian intelligence arrests 26 terrorists: an Azerbaijani citizen among them Russian Defense Ministry confirms: Azerbaijan fired at Khramort village in Artsakh Number of oil and gas drilling rigs is up in US Economy minister: Azerbaijan aggression prevented increase of Armenia wheat sowing areas Gegharkunik governor: There are observers who recorded that Azerbaijan carried out aggression against Armenia The National Interest: Iran turns attention to the Caucasus Tokayev: Kazakhstan is ready to use other measures, besides diplomacy, for its defense Economy minister: Primary agricultural products ensure 11%-13% of Armenia GDP FAO: World grain prices rise in October Kremlin urges Yerevan and Baku to refrain from destabilization Governor of Armenias Tavush on possible handover of enclaves to Azerbaijan: Not being discussed now Governor of Armenias Vayots Dzor: We have pastures that are monitored by Azerbaijan WSJ: Sullivan is in contact with Ushakov and Patrushev on Ukraine Vayots Dzor governor: Azerbaijan military that infiltrated Armenia can be seen with naked eye from Jermuk city Armenia President: Military clashes, hostilities have direct impact on soil, air pollution IRGC seizes over 1,500 weapons in Iran riots Minister: $879 million worth of agricultural products exported from Armenia Japan to exterminate 150 thousand chickens because of bird flu outbreak Armenia informational online platform for promoting highly qualified specialists engagement is launched South Korea's president apologizes for crush in downtown Seoul Documento: Greek PM Mitsotakis used intelligence services to spy on dozens of people Close to $98M to be allocated from Armenia state budget for agricultural projects in 2023 Man who set self on fire near Armenia government mansion is in severe condition Anti-Iranian action to take place in Baku UN promises to lift restrictions on Russian grain exports in near future Fighter jet crashes in Saudi Arabia About $770M to be assigned to Armenia territorial administration, infrastructure ministry next year Armenia parliament vice-speaker: There is very important note in Sochi statement Copper falls in price New York bank robberies up 42% this year Armenia President to attend climate change convention in Egypt Gold prices change slightly World oil prices falling 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 U.S. National Park Service urges against licking the Sonora desert toad Azerbaijan army units open fire in direction of Armenia positions Minister: Britain's government faces tough decisions Pashinyan: Teachers in Armenia must get 800,000, 1,000,000 and 1,200,000 drams wages 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 U.S. arms sales in Europe are soaring Turkmenistan becomes regional energy center Kishida pledges to strengthen Japan's naval and military capabilities Germany and eight other EU member states plan to expand sanctions against Iran Iranian Parliament Speaker's visit to Azerbaijan postponed NYT: Kyiv plans total evacuation in case of power outage Iran reveals new air defense missile IRGC neutralizes terrorist group in southwestern Iran Bahrain to continue building relations with Israel after Netanyahu's victory Iran says it confiscated a large batch of U.S.-made munitions Civilian exploded on mine in Artsakh 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 U.S. decides to block number of seats on planes because of the increase in passenger weight BMW M4 turned into a pickup truck 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 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 It is not right to cede territory to Azerbaijan hoping to maintain peace. Besides, the importance of maintaining peace should not be spoken with Armenians, who already know this very well, but with the main instigator of the military actions [i.e. Azerbaijan]. Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) Dashnaktsutyun Party MPand MP candidateArmen Rustamyan on Sunday stated the aforesaid, within the framework of campaigning for the forthcoming parliamentary election in Armenia, at an assembly with voters in Charentsavan town. In his words, the Azerbaijanis and their big brothers, the Turks, see Armenia as an obstacle that stands in the way of their joining together, and of the triumph of Pan-Turkism. As per Rustamyan, as long as they are guided by such ideas, they will not rest whether or not Armenia will make concessions to them. Peace is not begged for, peace is imposed, stressed the ARF MP. If you want peace, you should be ready for war; this is the sole option. And let them tell [Azerbaijan President Ilham] Aliyev about the need to maintain peace. The parliamentary election in Armenia will be conducted on April 2. GYUMRI. A march in memory of Food Provider Artur Sargsyan was held Sunday in Gyumri, the second largest city of Armenia. The demonstrators, chanting and holding signs and bread, marched towards the central square, the Armenian News-NEWS.am reporter informed from Gyumri. Subsequently, they lit candles at the Cathedral of the Holy Mother of God, which also known as the Our Lady of Seven Wounds, where a requiem mass was held in Sargsyans memory. Artur Sargsyan, a.k.a. the Food Provider, died on March 16 at Armenia Medical Center, in capital city Yerevan Sargsyan, who was charged with aiding the Sasna Tsrer armed group, was released from prison on December 31, 2016, since he had an illness that was incompatible with imprisonment. On February 9 of this year, however, he was arrested yet again. Subsequently, Sargsyan went on hunger strike, and demanded that his preventive measure of arrest be commuted. But sometime thereafter, and with a written guarantee by several dozen MPs, he was released from prison and immediately hospitalized. Several days later, however, he left the hospital on his own volition. But his health grew worse on the evening of March 15, and he was rushed to Armenia Medical Center, where he underwent emergency surgery; but he did not regain consciousness after this operation. The Sasna Tsrer armed group had taken over a police patrol regiment building in Yerevan, taken hostages, but later surrendered, in July 2016. The violent confrontation, however, had lead to repeated clashes between protesters and police. On July 26, Artur Sargsyan had broken through a police cordon with a vehicle loaded with food, and delivered food to the Sasna Tsrer gunmen. Sargsyan, 48, was a sculptor and a wood engraver. YEREVAN. The President of Armenia, Serzh Sargsyan, on Monday attended the groundbreaking of a thermal power station to be built in the country. The station will be constructed not far from the operating Yerevan Thermal Power Plant, in the capital city. Minister of Energy Infrastructures and Natural Resources Ashot Manukyan noted that a considerable part of the electricity, which the new thermal power station will produce, will be exported. The construction of this station will be completed in 2019. To note, the construction of a new and powerful Iran-Georgia electricity transmission linevia Armeniaalso is expected to be completed by that time. As a result, the electricity transmission capacity of Armenia will increase by more than three times. Greece to soon ban sale of spyware German industry calls for postponement of global minimum corporate tax Podolyak: Ukraine has never refused to negotiate Elon Musk calls on 'independent-minded' voters to vote for Republicans Bezos Earth Fund pledges $1 billion by 2030 to protect carbon stocks and biodiversity 7 people killed in collision between truck and passenger bus in Turkey Nikol Pashinyan holds closed meeting with members of ruling party faction Qatar's foreign minister calls criticism of West 'arrogant' and 'racist' Algeria officially applies to join BRICS group Delegations headed by Armenian and Azerbaijani FMs meet in Washington French Finance Minister calls on EU to oppose U.S. Armenian President: Aliyev's statements about intentional destruction of mosques have nothing to do with reality German MFA reports constructive talks in EU on new sanctions against Iran Kazakhstani President Tokayev instructs to increase oil supplies bypassing Russia President of Artsakh holds expanded working meeting Armenian Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports to receive more than 250 billion drams in 2023 Borrell says EU is dependent on supplies from China Armenia official: Peace treaty implies restoration of sovereign territory Guterres thinks mankind is heading for climate hell Dollar, euro gain value in Armenia General: Iran riots were US plan to derail nuclear deal Minister: 'Lydian Armenia' may start exploitation of gold mine on Mountain Amulsar Armenia political scientist: Balance is formed in region thanks to Iran Minister: 70 schools will be repaired or newly built in Armenia in 2023 UAE lifts most COVID-19 restrictions for tourists Political scientist: There is no Armenian-American agenda President of Finland says country has no plans to host nuclear weapons Russian Ambassador to Armenia: We are not used to making PR and playing games Flight restrictions extended to 11 airports in Russia Kopirkin: Spiritual core will help Armenia, Russia overcome difficulties, challenges Armenia ranks among top 5 CIS countries for winter tourism Envoy: Russian president awarded Armenian philologist with medal Iranian intelligence arrests 26 terrorists: an Azerbaijani citizen among them Russian Defense Ministry confirms: Azerbaijan fired at Khramort village in Artsakh Number of oil and gas drilling rigs is up in US Economy minister: Azerbaijan aggression prevented increase of Armenia wheat sowing areas Gegharkunik governor: There are observers who recorded that Azerbaijan carried out aggression against Armenia The National Interest: Iran turns attention to the Caucasus Tokayev: Kazakhstan is ready to use other measures, besides diplomacy, for its defense Economy minister: Primary agricultural products ensure 11%-13% of Armenia GDP FAO: World grain prices rise in October Kremlin urges Yerevan and Baku to refrain from destabilization Governor of Armenias Tavush on possible handover of enclaves to Azerbaijan: Not being discussed now Governor of Armenias Vayots Dzor: We have pastures that are monitored by Azerbaijan WSJ: Sullivan is in contact with Ushakov and Patrushev on Ukraine Vayots Dzor governor: Azerbaijan military that infiltrated Armenia can be seen with naked eye from Jermuk city Armenia President: Military clashes, hostilities have direct impact on soil, air pollution IRGC seizes over 1,500 weapons in Iran riots Minister: $879 million worth of agricultural products exported from Armenia Japan to exterminate 150 thousand chickens because of bird flu outbreak Armenia informational online platform for promoting highly qualified specialists engagement is launched South Korea's president apologizes for crush in downtown Seoul Documento: Greek PM Mitsotakis used intelligence services to spy on dozens of people Close to $98M to be allocated from Armenia state budget for agricultural projects in 2023 Man who set self on fire near Armenia government mansion is in severe condition Anti-Iranian action to take place in Baku UN promises to lift restrictions on Russian grain exports in near future Fighter jet crashes in Saudi Arabia About $770M to be assigned to Armenia territorial administration, infrastructure ministry next year Armenia parliament vice-speaker: There is very important note in Sochi statement Copper falls in price New York bank robberies up 42% this year Armenia President to attend climate change convention in Egypt Gold prices change slightly World oil prices falling 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 U.S. National Park Service urges against licking the Sonora desert toad Azerbaijan army units open fire in direction of Armenia positions Minister: Britain's government faces tough decisions Pashinyan: Teachers in Armenia must get 800,000, 1,000,000 and 1,200,000 drams wages 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 U.S. arms sales in Europe are soaring Turkmenistan becomes regional energy center Kishida pledges to strengthen Japan's naval and military capabilities Germany and eight other EU member states plan to expand sanctions against Iran Iranian Parliament Speaker's visit to Azerbaijan postponed NYT: Kyiv plans total evacuation in case of power outage Iran reveals new air defense missile IRGC neutralizes terrorist group in southwestern Iran Bahrain to continue building relations with Israel after Netanyahu's victory Iran says it confiscated a large batch of U.S.-made munitions Civilian exploded on mine in Artsakh 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 U.S. decides to block number of seats on planes because of the increase in passenger weight BMW M4 turned into a pickup truck 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 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 Traveler and freelancer from Belarus, Alexander Goyshik, has apologized for the conduct of the Belarusian authorities within the framework of blogger Alexander Lapshins case. Goyshik, who is taking part in the international forum of bloggers in Stepanakert, noted that by handing Lapshin over to Azerbaijan, the Belarusian authorities tried to get preferences from Azerbaijan. I am myself a traveler and I know how bad it is to appear as a pawn in the big game, the blogger noted. According to him, the actions of the Belarusian authorities badly affected the image of the country, while Belarus didnt get the promised oil. The Belarusians were definitely against such a decision by their authorities, Goyshik said, apologizing. The Belarusian blogger has been visiting Karabakh for the third time: he first visited it 10 years ago and then a year ago during the escalation. Goyshik wished peace and prosperity to the Karabakh people. In Belarus welike nobody else know what a terrible war is. Let there be peace and let travelers be able to arrive here calmly, he noted. After his visits to Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) in 2011 and 2012, Alexander Lapshin was blacklisted by Azerbaijan. In June 2016, however, he paid a visit to Azerbaijan, but with a Ukrainian passport. Subsequently, he issued several articles criticizing the Azerbaijani authorities. Afterward, the Azerbaijani authorities issued an international search for this famous blogger. And on December 15, 2016, he was detained in the Belarus capital city of Minsk, and based on this international search. On January 26, the Minsk city court dismissed the complaint of blogger Alexander Lapshin over the decision of the Belarusian prosecutors office to extradite him to Azerbaijan. The Supreme Court of Belarus on Tuesday dismissed the complaints filed in the case of blogger Alexander Lapshin. According to the experts and human rights defenders, Lapshins case may become a horrible precedent limiting the freedom of speech of foreigners and freedom of movement of Armenian citizens. On February 7, blogger Alexander Lapshin was brought to Baku. YEREVAN. - The side which advocates for peace neither makes diversionary attacks nor violates the international humanitarian law. Foreign Minister of Armenia, Edward Nalbandian, said the aforementioned in an interview with Arminfo, referring to the subsequent statement by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev. The latter stated that there is no progress in the negotiations on Karabakh conflict settlement since Armenia doesnt want peace. In response, Nalbandian noted that striving for peace first and foremost means propagating peace and not war. A country self-positioned as an adept of peace wont initiate diversion attacks, wont grossly violate the international humanitarian law, wont constantly violate the ceasefire regime and wont refuse to create an incident investigation mechanism for ceasefire violations. Peace is perceived that way only in Baku, as one can see from the statements made there. It is well known what troubles the leaders, who ignored international law and advocated for solving issues by force, brought on their own people, the FM said. Referring to comparisons, Nalbandian said: It is not for the first time Baku has been cherishing the idea that Armenia and Azerbaijan cannot be competitors, and thus Armenia should go for unilateral concessions. Azerbaijan is sure they can obtain reputation with money, buy friends, pass certain dubious resolutions and present that to the domestic audience as an achievement and proof of reputation. Of course, Armenia and Azerbaijan cannot be competitors in terms of democracy, tolerance, human rights, economic freedoms, as well as freedoms of press, speech, media and other fundamental freedoms. In recent years we have witnessed what happened to no less wealthy and self-righteous authoritarian regimes. The logic and vectors of the development of our states and societies are contrary comparable. Motorola Solutions (NYSE:MSI) launched a series of events recently to celebrate International Womens Day (IWD). In line with the companys continued commitment to diversity of people and ideas, a discussion about inclusion, culture and leadership was held in Chicago, featuring Motorola Solutions Chairman and CEO Greg Brown and ComEd President and CEO Anne Pramaggiore.At the global research and development (R&D) centre in Penang which celebrated its 40th anniversary last year, 40% of the employees is made up of women in engineering, developing next-generation devices and solutions for customers worldwide as part of the companys borderless approach to technology innovation.This includes solutions to help public safety and enterprise sectors overcome new challenges, from complex security threats to growing pressure on costs, resources and meeting greater customer expectations. Innovative technology solutions can enable organisations to work more effectively while reaching higher levels of safety and productivity.Diversity at all levels of our workplace is critical, helping us to see different perspectives and bring new ideas to any discussion. This definitely helps us to move towards our vision of becoming a premier design centre, in order to provide our customers with advanced communications solutions, says Dr. Hari Narayanan, Managing Director of Penang Operations, Motorola Solutions Malaysia.The objective of the global Womens Business Council at Motorola Solutions is to create an inclusive, flexible culture to connect and empower female employees to grow, maximising their results for positive impact to the business. We also work in the community to promote Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education among female students globally, says Claudia Rodriguez, Corporate Vice President, Devices, Motorola Solutions.Over the past 10 years, the Motorola Solutions Foundation has provided more than $45 million in education grants through its Innovation Generation program, which supports STEM education-focused initiatives. Throughout 2017, Motorola Solutions global Womens Business Council will continue to offer female-focused activities in the U.S., U.K., Israel, Poland, Australia and Malaysia.In Australia for instance, the Council enjoys close ties with Females in Technology & Telecommunications , a non-profit organisation through which employees can participate in tailored mentoring and development programs, as well as regular networking events. While software coding workshops are organised in partnership with the Society of Women Engineers in Malaysia, to introduce software programming to young girls.Learn more about the Motorola Solutions Foundations support for STEM education at https://www.motorolasolutions.com/en_us/about/company-overview/corporate-responsibility/community.html Motorola Solutions (NYSE: MSI) creates innovative, mission-critical communication solutions and services that help public safety and commercial customers build safer cities and thriving communities. For ongoing news, visit www.motorolasolutions.com/newsroom Image: www.uber.com San Francisco, Mar 20 (IBNS): Jeff Jones, the president of taxi aggregator Uber, has reportedly stepped down from his post, reports said. Following his decision, the BBC quoted an official as saying that it came 'completely unexpected'. "We want to thank Jeff for his six months at the company and wish him all the best," a company statement read. UK Company Fined $198,000 After Two Hurt in Falls "Both of these men suffered shocking injuries after falling from height, which could easily have been a double fatality. Our investigation found the incident could have been avoided had adequate monitoring been taking place," said Tania van Rixtel, the HSE inspector. A British aircraft engineering company has been fined about $198,000 after two workers fell about 15 feet while they were carrying out checks at the tail of an airplane. The Health and Safety Executive reported March 15 that an employee of Inflite Engineering Services and an agency worker suffered broken bones after they fell at Stansted Airport on June 10, 2015. They were working on either side of the tail using mobile elevated work platforms when another employee closed the wrong circuit breaker, inadvertently opening the plane's airbrake, which knocked over both platforms. The men fell 10 to 15 feet. One, a 62-year-old man, suffered three fractures to his pelvis, a broken back, three broken ribs, a fractured elbow, and a punctured right lung. The other man, age 60, suffered a broken wrist and a chipped a bone on his spine. An HSE investigation found no suitable risk assessment was done. Inflite Engineering Limited, based at Stansted, pleaded guilty March 15 to breaches under Sections 2 and 3 of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and was fined 160,000 and ordered to pay costs of 5,492.90. "Both of these men suffered shocking injuries after falling from height, which could easily have been a double fatality. Our investigation found the incident could have been avoided had adequate monitoring been taking place," said Tania van Rixtel, the HSE inspector. "Aircraft maintenance companies are reminded that not all risks are covered by the Aircraft Maintenance Manual, and additional measures need to be introduced." As of December 2016, Stansted was the busiest single-terminal airport in the UK, with 24 million passengers per year using it and plans to raise that to 35 million. Washington L&I VPP Seminar Set for March 30 The companies that will explain how they've made their workplaces as safe as possible and created a culture of safety include Trident Seafoods, CMC Biologics, NuStar Energy, Nucor Steel, the Washington Onsite Sewage Association, and K-Solutions Law. Continuous improvement and success stories from Voluntary Protection Program sites in Washington state are on tap at a March 30 all-day event in Tumwater, Wash., home of the Washington Department of Labor & Industries (L&I). It is hosting the free seminar so employers can learn from companies around the state that have been recognized for safety excellence. The companies that will explain how they've made their workplaces as safe as possible and created a culture of safety include Trident Seafoods, CMC Biologics, NuStar Energy, Nucor Steel, the Washington Onsite Sewage Association, and K-Solutions Law. The keynote speaker is Rick Gleason of the University of Washington Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences. The event will take place at the L&I auditorium, 7273 Linderson Way SW, and pre-registration is required. Visit this website for a link to the meeting agenda. "Bar Month" at OnMilwaukee is brought to you by Miller Brewing Company, calling Milwaukee home since 1855. For the entire month of March, we're serving up fun articles on bars, clubs and beverages including guides, the latest trends, bar reviews, the results of our Best of Bars poll and more. Grab a designated driver and dive in! BelAir Cantina It's the third year running that BelAir Cantina has claimed victory as the home of Milwaukee's best margaritas. And when it comes to those salt-rimmed quenchers, BelAir Cantina has about a dozen on its menu, including the signature "The BelAir," featuring Sauza Silver, Triple Sec, simple syrup and fresh lime. There are also four locations just waiting to satiate your thirst: now serving on Downer Avenue, Oak Creek, Wauwatosa and Water Street. Coming soon in Brookfield. OnMilwaukee editors' pick: Cafe Corazon Runners up: 2. Cafe Corazon 3. Conejito's 4. Botanas 5. La Fuente This year we also asked a variety of prominent Milwaukeeans to weigh in on their pick for specific categories. For this category, we consulted Nick Anton, former owner of La Perla and co-owner of Santino's Little Italy. Anton's pick: "My pick for favorite margarita (now that La Perla is gone) is from Bodegon in Hotel Madrid. They do a Spanish style margarita with El Tesoro tequila and black lava salt. Also a very dry curacao. Quite tasty!" "Bar Month" at OnMilwaukee is brought to you by Miller Brewing Company, calling Milwaukee home since 1855. For the entire month of March, we're serving up fun articles on bars, clubs and beverages including guides, the latest trends, bar reviews, the results of our Best of Bars poll and more. Grab a designated driver and dive in! Sara Padley started in the service industry working as a server at Stonefly Brewing Co. (now Company Brewing) and found herself smitten with the brewing process. "I knew then that I wanted to learn as much as I could about craft beer and really get into the industry," says Padley. A year ago, she started working at Drink Wisconsinbly Pub, 135 W. National Ave., from the first week the bar-restaurant opened its doors. "Ive loved working here ever since. I just moved to Walkers Point, across the street from DW, in fact," she says. OnMilwaukee stopped in Drink Wisconsinbly, which recently won Best New Bar, and chatted with Padley about dogs, cheese curds and, of course, beer. OnMilwaukee: Where did you grow up? Sara Padley: I grew up in a small farming town outside of Madison called Oregon. My dad was a farmer. I grew up with horses. It was great, but I fell in love with Milwaukee and moved here nine years ago. Do you miss rural life? Sometimes. But then I just go and visit. Milwaukee is addictive. Its my home now. Where have you worked other than Drink Wisconsinbly and Stonefly? I was a bartender at The Stone and worked on the RiverWalk Boat Tours which was really fun. What are your favorite drinks to consume? As I mentioned, Im super into the craft beer scene. I love going out exploring new breweries in Milwaukee and Madison. Its hard to pick favorites, but I really like Urban Harvest and Enlightenment. And I really like sour beers a lot. What is your favorite drink to make? Old Fashioneds. Our Old Fashioned here is really great. Its classic, like one my uncles would drink. I dream about muddling I do it so much. I love making them. Are you a home brewer? Im into the idea of home brewing, but I dont follow directions very well so I think Id be a terrible home brewer. Ill leave it to the experts. What is your favorite thing on the menu here? We have really awesome cheese curds. I hear all the time that we have the best in the city. And our burgers are really good, too, and made with so many locally-sourced ingredients. What do you like to do when youre not working? I love to work, so Im here most days. But I have a puppy under a year old shepherd mix named Daisy who I love spending time with. Im obsessed with her. I also like hanging out in Milwaukees bar community. Do you hope to open your own bar some day? I do. That would be a dream come true. But its not time yet. I have years of bartending ahead of me and plenty of time to figure it out. "Bar Month" at OnMilwaukee is back! For the entire month of March, we're serving up fun articles on bars, clubs and beverages including guides, the latest trends, bar reviews, the results of our Best of Bars poll and more. Follow along with the #DrinkOnMke hashtag too. Grab a designated driver and dive in! Wide is the world of bitter libations. Among them is the deliciously elegant, and biologically functional, apertif. "When youre getting up after a late Saturday night and your mouth is all cottony, a Negroni is the perfect thing to cleanse the palate and prepare for a new day." Guy Rehorst, founder of Great Lakes Distillery If youre Guy Rehorst, the Negroni a cocktail made with bittersweet Campari is an appropriate beverage for just about any time of the day. But, for most, the Negroni is primarily an apertif, consumed as a precursor to a large meal. And its been that way for centuries, particularly in Europe where libations like Campari, Dubonnet, Lillet, Cinzano and Pernod play an integral role in the daily ritual of hospitality that accompanies long, conversational meals. In fact, in Italy, the word "apertivo" refers to both the social tradition of pre-dinner cocktails and the drinks themselves. And an apertif is the perfect way to begin. Derived from the Latin word aperio, which means "to open," apertifs are designed to engage the senses, open the palate and prepare the digestive system for operation. And because theyre generally low in alcohol typically between 10 and 24 percent ABV they're less likely to get you schnockered before you have a chance to enjoy your dinner. The perfect pre-dinner drink Despite the fact that Americans seldom enjoy the long, leisurely and innately social meals that are enjoyed by Europeans on a daily basis, Wisconsinites might actually be somewhat prone to behaviors that make enjoying an apertif quite natural. "Its common in Midwestern culture particularly in Wisconsin that people show up at the restaurant at least a half hour before their reservation," notes Katie Rose of Goodkind, whose collection of apertifs is one of the best in the city, "So, when people are looking for suggestions for something to start off their night, I like to introduce them to options that are lighter and lower in alcohol. Im seeing more and more people interested in the idea. In fact, Cocchi Americano on the rocks is cool now." "Cocchi," as fans of the beverage often call it, is a wine thats been fortified and aromatized with bittering cinchona bark, citrus peel, spices and other botanicals. And its been gaining in popularity along with other light refreshing bitter spirits like Aperol, a reddish colored apertif which bears a prominent orange flavor and less astringent bitter notes. And, although you can always opt for a glass of wine before dinner, research shows that bitter liqueurs really do assist in readying your digestive tract for what lies ahead. "With this type of beverage, you have all the flavor, but youre not inundated with alcohol or sweetness," Rose explains. "Apertifs are often herbaceous or floral. But, theyre also flavors that are great for opening up your palate, perking it up, and getting you ready for your meal." Rose says she also relies heavily on bitter spirits and fortified, aromatized wines as modifiers for cocktails. "Theyre completely essential foundations to cocktail making because theyre so flavorful," she says. "They add so much including balance but they dont weigh the drink down with a high alcohol content." Start with a cocktail And if someone is looking for a way to dip their toes into the waters of bitter libations, cocktails are often an accessible way to try them out for the first time. At Goodkind, you can try the Wild Cherry Rose featuring cherry and rose hip infused vodka, the rosy and slightly bitter Aperol and Cocchi Torino, a vermouth that's rich with flavors including Artemisia and citrus. For those more interested in whiskey, there's the Wry Word, a rye-based cocktail which makes good use of complex flavors including the herbal funk of yellow chartreuse and Luxardo Maraschino (made with the bitter pits of cherries). Rose says she's a particular fan of Rinomato LApertivo Deciso, an Italian bitter liqueur which makes use of three bittering agents gentian root, cinchona bark and wormwood and is described as both an "homage and a challenge to the aperitivi traditions of Piedmont." "On the nose, theres this really creamy orange sweetness," she says. "And then youre hit with the bitter notes. Its in the same realm as Campari." And, of course, theres always Rehorsts go-to: the Negroni. Its a cocktail served at a variety of local spots, from Boone & Crockett to Bittercube Bar & Bazaar. Justin Burich, co-owner of Voyager Wine Bar says embodies the spirit of Italy and its carefree elegance. "In the States we kind of dress it up," he says. "We pour the gin and the Campari into a beautiful glass and garnish it with something pretty. In Italy, they slam a glass of ice on the bar, add the components and you pretty much have to stir it yourself with the orange peel they give you as a garnish. Its meant to be a brutish drink. Its made of beautiful things that are slapped together in the most carefree way. It screams Italian. And its delicious." A cluster of Little Brown Myotis bats in the newly explored Alberta cave. Unlike in eastern caves, most hibernation sites in northern and western regions contain only a few hundred bats at most. Credit: Greg Horne The Wildlife Conservation Society Canada and Alberta Environment and Parks announced today the discovery last month of the largest Alberta bat hibernation site (based on estimated bat count) ever recorded outside of the Rocky Mountains. The newly-discovered cave is being used as a hibernaculum by at least 200 Little Brown Myotis bats, listed as Endangered under Canada's Species at Risk Act. Formed by weak sulphuric acid dissolving bedrock, conditions in the narrow, muddy cave make it impossible to fully inspect hand-sized pockets, cracks and fissures that compose roosting sites. "This means population numbers could be significantly higher," suggests Dave Hobson, Senior Wildlife Biologist of Alberta Environment and Parks. Said Dave Critchley of the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT), who co-coordinates WCS Canada's BatCaver program in Alberta, and was one of the cave explorers: "Finding a cave in Alberta's boreal forest inhabited by several hundred bats is a real breakthrough. It demonstrates that this kind of bat habitat may well exist in other non-mountainous areas throughout the boreal forest." Said Shannon Phillips, Minister of Environment and Parks: "This is a fascinating and important find. Understanding where Alberta's different bat species are living is a crucial part in preventing the spread of white-nose syndrome and in protecting sensitive habitats." The discovery of hibernation spots has become extremely urgent in western Canada since the 2016 discovery of white-nose syndrome (WNS) in Washington State. Bats with WNS are infected with a fungus that wakes the individual bats and forces them to burn through their precious stored winter fat long before the return of insect season. It spreads throughout hibernation sites and can kill more than 90 percent of resident bats. WNS has devastated bat colonies in Eastern North America and could be about to erupt in the West. Said Greg Horne, who is co-leading the BatCaver efforts in Alberta: "Cavers are helping to locate hibernacula so that more can be learned about the bats before the disease arrives." The four-person crew that explored the Alberta cave collected DNA and guano samples for analysis. In addition, they placed ultrasonic bat detectors along with temperature and humidity loggers in the cave to learn more about this newly discovered bat colony, including when the bats are entering and exiting the cave and more about their behavior during hibernation. Said WCS Canada Associate Conservation Scientist and bat specialist Dr. Cori Lausen: "Bats are the No. 1 nocturnal consumer of insects such as mosquitos. Losing vast numbers of the night-feeders will have cascading impacts for backyard enthusiasts and ecosystems, and for industries such as forestry and agriculture. It's urgent we develop plans for protecting bats and ensuring they are in a position to eventually recover should WNS hit the western provinces." A new paper from an MIT-led team demonstrates that Alaska can offer a significant foothold for Asian flu viruses, enabling them to enter North America. Credit: Massachusetts Institute of Technology A new paper from an MIT-led team demonstrates that Alaska can offer a significant foothold for Asian flu viruses, enabling them to enter North America. The research also shows that the region serves as a fertile breeding ground for new flu strains. In 2014 and 2015, an outbreak of H5N8, H5N1, and H5N2 influenza affected poultry farms in North America, resulting in the culling of nearly 50 million chickens and turkeys. The new study finds that an epidemic flu strain, which originated in Southeast Asia, was most likely carried into Alaska by wild migratory birds. In Alaska, the viruses mingled with local flu strains and eventually evolved into the deadly strains that spread south to poultry farms in Washington, Oregon, and California. "We think there's strong evidence that those viruses moved through the Bering strait through wild bird populations and began a process of evolution that ended up with them infecting poultry populations and becoming a big agricultural issue," says Jonathan Runstadler, an assistant professor of biological engineering and comparative medicine at MIT and the senior author of the study. The paper's lead author is MIT postdoc Nichola Hill. Researchers from the U.S. Geological Survey, the University of Alaska at Fairbanks, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, the J. Craig Venter Institute, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the University of California at Davis also contributed to the study. Influenza migration Influenza strains come in many subtypes, which are classified by the structure of two proteins (abbreviated H and N) found on the surface of their viral envelope. In 1997, an outbreak of H5N1 that began in birds infected 18 people in Hong Kong and killed six of them. The virus then re-emerged in southeast Asia in the early 2000s, killing many birds and causing small pockets of human disease. Since then, H5N1 and other H5 strains have continued to circulate in wild bird populations, raising concerns that bird flu could spread again into poultry or into humans. Part of Runstadler's recent research has focused on trying to understand how these viruses evolve in wild bird populations, with a particular focus on Alaskan birds because many wild birds migrate from southeast Asia to Alaska. Alaska hosts huge flocks of migratory waterbirds, such as ducks, geese, and gulls, which fly north from both Asia and southern regions of North America. "Water birds spread virus easily, and a lot of these birds migrate intercontinentally. They make a great host for influenza viruses," Hill says. This intermingling of birds gives flu viruses a chance to undergo a process called genetic reassortment, which allows them to develop new traits such as the ability to infect a different host. Flu viruses have eight genetic segments that are independent and unattached, and when two different viruses infect the same host, they can swap segments. "The virus then comes out of that cell with the mixture of the two viruses," Runstadler says. "This reassortment seems to be a major mechanism by which the influenza virus can move between different hosts." Runstadler and Hill have previously shown that reassortment occurs in wild birds in Alaska during the breeding season, and that the process occurs at an even greater frequency as the birds move south. This led them to hypothesize that Alaska could be the entry point for highly pathogenic H5 viruses from Asia, and that these viruses could diversify and spread south into the United States. The researchers got the chance to test this hypothesis after the U.S. poultry outbreak began in late 2014. The MIT team and another group from the University of Alaska at Fairbanks and the USGS had taken taken flu samples from wild birds in 2014 as part of a larger project on flu virus evolution. After the poultry outbreak began, the researchers went back to their samples to try to determine whether they were predecessors to the viruses that caused the poultry sickness. Analyzing these sequences and comparing them with viruses taken from birds infected at lower latitudes of North America revealed that the virus had come into Alaska from southeast Asia. Once the virus arrived in Alaska, it began swapping genes with less harmful flu viruses already present in the Alaskan wild bird population. "As the highly pathogenic H5 virus entered into North America, along the way it reassorted with locally circulating, less pathogenic strains from North American wild birds," Hill says. "We've been able to understand the trajectory of how the virus moved in and reassorted by looking at the strains that these birds in Alaska were shedding." This genetic reassortment allowed the flu strains to diversify in ways that made it easier for them to spread among the wild bird population and eventually infect poultry as the wild birds migrated south. "This data is very important to our understanding of flu evolution and shows the importance of timely sampling in surveillance," says Ralph Tripp, a professor of infectious diseases at the University of Georgia's College of Veterinary Medicine, who was not involved in the research. "We don't know enough" The researchers say that the study highlights the need for surveillance of potentially dangerous flu strains that could enter through Alaska and spread south. Such strains could pose a threat to not only agricultural operations but also human heath, because viral reassortment can make it easier for the virus to spread among people. "I think it's fair to say that the circulation of H5 viruses anywhere is cause for concern because of the fact that the influenza virus can do this reassortment," Runstadler says. "If one of these viruses that was circulating in North America, or one of the ones still circulating in Asia, happened to be able to infect a person who is also sick with a seasonal H1N1 virus, you'd have some concern that those viruses would reassort and you might get a novel virus produced that is able to transmit between humans and could be a public health risk." The researchers also plan to investigate how human activities, such as urbanization and agriculture in Alaska and elsewhere in North America might influence the flu virus' ability to evolve and infect new hosts by changing the distribution and susceptibility of wild birds. "Humans have used and altered landscapes that provide food sources for populations of birds, and affected migration patterns," Runstadler says. "We don't know enough about influenza virus to say what's really a risk and what's not. That's one reason why we do what we do, to try to figure that out better." More information: Nichola J. Hill et al. Reassortment of Influenza A Viruses in Wild Birds in Alaska before H5 Clade 2.3.4.4 Outbreaks, Emerging Infectious Diseases (2017). DOI: 10.3201/eid2304.161668 Journal information: Emerging Infectious Diseases This story is republished courtesy of MIT News (web.mit.edu/newsoffice/), a popular site that covers news about MIT research, innovation and teaching. Photograph and line drawing of specimen Yijenplatycnemis huangi. Credit: Zheng Daran Courtship behaviours, frequent among modern insects, have left extremely rare fossil traces. In odonates, the male must persuade the female to mate in tandem and the female should be willing to engage her genitalia with the male's. Many territorial odonatans display their courtship by high-frequency wing-beats towards an approaching female. Most courtship, mating and parenting (social-sexual) behaviour cannot be preserved, and fossil reports are therefore few and ambiguous. No courtship behaviors were previously recorded for fossil odonatans. Recently, Dr. Zheng Daran and Prof. WANG Bo from Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences described three male damselflies showing ancient courtship behaviour from mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber. These fossils were named Yijenplatycnemis huangi after Mr. Huang Yijen from Taiwan, for his generously donation of the type specimen. Y. huangi has spectacular, extremely expanded, pod-like tibiae to fend off other suitors as well as attract mating females, increasing the chances of successful mating. The new findings provide suggestive evidence of damselfly courtship behaviour as far back as the dinosaur age. Modern Platycnemidinae and Chlorocyphidae convergently acquired similar but less developed structures. During courtship, male Platycypha caligata waves the white anterior surface of all six laterally enlarged tibiae at the females, but uses the posterior surface of the tibiae for intra-sexual signaling during territorial defense. Similarly, male East Asian Platycnemis species with expanded, feather-like tibiae, well differentiated from the females, exhibit a strong sexual dimorphism. The males display their white legs in a fluttering flight in front of females before mating. By morphological inference, the six extremely expanded tibiae of Y. huangi could also have a signaling function for courtship displays. Platycypha has all six tibiae expanded, but all less so than Y. huangi in size. Platycnemis has more expanded mid and hind tibiae, but is still smaller than Y. huangi. These more expanded fossil tibiae suggest an extreme adaptation for courtship behaviour. Reconstruction showing the courtship behavior. Credit: Yang Dinghua More importantly, unlike Platycypha and Platycnemis, the tibiae of Y. huangi are asymmetric and pod-shaped, especially the hindleg tibia with a semi-circular outline. This pod-like shape would make waving slower due to air resistance. Y. huangi waving its giant pod-like tibiae would make males more noticeable and attract female attention, increasing mating opportunities and implying sexual selection. The tibial shape of Y. huangi also resembles the wings of some members of the extinct neuropteran families. The tibiae of Y. huangi are hyaline and partly covered with two narrow brown bands, making them even more like pigmented wings. In addition, there is an eye-shaped spot in the middle of the hindleg, quite like the wing spots in Kalligrammatidae and some recent butterfly eyespots. These well-developed eyespots were and are used to make a conspicuous and contrasting display to intimidate vertebrate predators or protect the body by deflecting an attack to the wings. Deflective eyespots in butterflies and fossil lacewings are smaller than deimatic ones and neither are found on the legs, but dragonflies are predators with good eyesight, and the tiny ones in Y. huangi may have less to do with paralleling fossil lacewings in deflecting nearby predators and more to do with raising the interest of females (cf. peacock eyespots). That none of the pigmented tibiae in Y. huangi are damaged, however, suggests they did not precipitate an aggressive response. This research was recently published in Scientific Reports. ULA Delta IV rocket streaks to orbit carrying the Wideband Global SATCOM (WGS-9) tactical communications satellite for the U.S. Air Force and international partners from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fl, at 8:18 p.m. EDT on Mar. 18, 2017, in this long exposure photo taken on base. Credit: Ken Kremer/kenkremer.com On the 70th anniversary year commemorating the United States Air Force, a ULA Delta IV rocket put on a daunting display of nighttime rocket fire power shortly after sunset Saturday, March 19 powering a high speed military communications satellite to orbit that will significantly enhance the targeting firepower of forces in the field; and was funded in collaboration with America's strategic allies. The next generation Wideband Global SATCOM-9 (WGS-9) military comsat mission for the U.S. Force lifted off atop a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Delta IV from Space Launch Complex-37 (SLC-37) on Saturday, March 18 at 8:18 p.m. EDT at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida. The launch and separation of the payload form the Delta upper stage was "fully successful," said Major General David D. Thompson, Vice Commander Air Force Space Command, Peterson Air Force Base, CO, to our media gaggle soon after launch at the press view site on base. "The WGS-9 mission is key event celebrating the 70th anniversary of the U.S. Air Force as a separate service. The USAF was created two years after World War II ended." "The theme of this year is 'breaking Barriers.'" WGS-9 was delivered to a supersynchronous transfer orbit atop the ULA Delta IV Medium+ rocket. The WGS-9 satellite was paid for by a six nation consortium that includes Canada, Denmark, Luxembourg, the Netherlands amd the United States. It joins 8 earlier WGS satellite already in orbit. A United Launch Alliance (ULA) Delta IV rocket carrying the Wideband Global SATCOM (WGS-9) mission for the U.S. Air Force launches at 8:18 p.m. EDT on Mar. 18, 2017from Space Launch Complex-37 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fl. Credit: Ken Kremer/kenkremer.com "WGS-9 was made possible by funding from our international partners," Thompson emphasized. It is the ninth satellite in the WGS constellation that serves as the backbone of the U.S. military's global satellite communications. "WGS provides flexible, high-capacity communications for the Nation's warfighters through procurement and operation of the satellite constellation and the associated control systems," according to the U.S. Air Force. "WGS provides worldwide flexible, high data rate and long haul communications for marines, soldiers, sailors, airmen, the White House Communication Agency, the US State Department, international partners, and other special users." WGS-9 also counts as the second of at least a trio of launches from the Cape this March with the possibility for a grand slam fourth at month's end if all goes well with another SpaceX Falcon 9 launch from pad 39A. Launch of USAF WGS-8 milsatcom on ULA Delta IV rocket from pad 37 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fl, on Mar. 18, 2017. Credit: Dawn Leek Taylor The 217 foot tall Delta IV Medium+ rocket launched in the 5,4 configuration with a 5 meter diameter payload fairing that stands 47 feet tall, and 4 solid rocket boosters to augment the first stage thrust of the single common core booster. The payload fairing was emblazoned with decals commemorating the 70th anniversary of the USAF, as well as Air Force, mission and ULA logos. Orbital ATK manufactures the four solid rocket motors. The Delta IV common booster core was powered by an RS-68A liquid hydrogen/liquid oxygen engine producing 705,250 pounds of thrust at sea level. A single RL10B-2 liquid hydrogen/liquid oxygen engine powered the second stage, known as the Delta Cryogenic Second Stage (DCSS). The booster and upper stage engines are both built by Aerojet Rocketdyne. ULA constructed the Delta IV Medium+ (5,4) launch vehicle in Decatur, Alabama. Close-up view of nose cone encapsulating the Wideband Global SATCOM (WGS-9) mission for the U.S. Air Force slated to launch from Space Launch Complex-37 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fl, on Mar. 18, 2017. Credit: Ken Kremer/kenkremer.com The DCSS will also serve as the upper stage for the maiden launch of NASA heavy lift SLS booster on the SLS-1 launch slated for late 2018. That DCSS/SLS-1 upper stage just arrived at the Cape last week as I witnessed and reported here. Saturday's launch marks ULA's 3rd launch in 2017 and the 118th successful launch since the company was formed in December 2006 as a joint venture between Boeing and Lockheed Martin. The is the seventh flight in the Medium+ (5,4) configuration; all of which were for prior WGS missions. Provided by Universe Today David Hoekman, a former postdoctoral researcher at UWMadison, now an assistant professor at Southern Nazarene University, in a midge swarm in May 2008. Credit: Claudio Gratton Swarms of midges rise out of a lake in northern Iceland in such enormous numbers every spring and summer that they can impair breathing and darken the sky, giving the lake its nameMyvatn, or "midge lake." Ecologists at the University of WisconsinMadison are trying to understand why the midge population can fluctuate by 100,000-fold across a decade, and what impact these massive swarms have on the surrounding landscape. It's becoming clear that the billions of midges falling on land fertilize and alter the vegetation on the lakeside, but the cause behind such large fluctuations in the insects' population remains a mystery. The research aims to better understand lake-dominated environments, including those of Wisconsin. Lake Myvatn sits at the edge of the Arctic Circle, where the sun barely sets during summer field work from May to August. The ecosystem is extreme, yet simplea relatively small number of species, like the midges, dominate. This bare-bones environment is perfect for exploring complex interactions within ecosystems. In 2005, when Claudio Gratton, a UWMadison professor of entomology, first saw the huge numbers of midges rising out of the lake and dying on land, he thought of them as a living transfer of nutrients from water to shore. Gratton calculated that the midges were the nutritional equivalent of scattering a half-million Big Macs around the edge of the lake, which is about the size of Lake Mendota in Madison. He wondered how the lakeside responded to this nutritional glut. Resembling a blanket of fog, midges swarm near Lake Myvatn in June 2014. Credit: University of Wisconsin-Madison To test how the midges alter the landscape, Gratton's laboratory set up experimental plots in the vegetation around the lake. In some, they added dead midges; in others, they used netting to exclude them. Over the years, Gratton's team saw that where they added midges, grasses flourished. Normally starved of nutrients in the poor soil and outcompeted by heartier plants, the grasses took off in response to the influx of rotting-midge fertilizer. The research explained why grass grew in some areas and withered in others. "Only by understanding the linkage between midges and grass can you explain this pattern in nature," says Gratton. "The lake is causing that to happen." Local shepherds have long called the grass in midge-infested areas "midge grass"they harvest the grass and feed it to their flocks. Gratton's work suggested that the shepherds' folklore contained a kernel of truth, and that midges might indirectly nourish the sheep by encouraging more grass growth. Gratton was originally introduced to Lake Myvatn by Tony Ives, a UWMadison professor of zoology, who has a lifelong connection to the island. Midges on flowers near Lake Myvatn in August 2006. Credit: Claudio Gratton "I've been going to Iceland since I was a kid," says Ives, whose middle name, Ragnar, was given to him in honor of an Icelandic farmer and friend of his father. Ives learned about the unpredictable and large swings in midge population through Arni Einarsson, the director of the Lake Myvatn research station, who has studied the lake since the 1970s. In a 2008 article in the journal Nature, Ives, Einarsson and their collaborators laid out a straightforward mathematical framework that might explain how the midge population spikes and crashes so dramatically and unpredictably. They suggested that small, random environmental changestoo much wind one year, or a late spring the nextcould send the population crashing. But the true causes of this hair-trigger sensitivity remain elusive. In the nine years since, the team has been searching for clues that can help them understand the population changes better. Each year, they measure water quality, nutrient concentrations, and the amount of lakebed algae among other factors that might affect the insects. Then they wait for the midges. "Every year around this time I start holding my breath," wondering how the dynamic midge population will respond in spring, says Ives. "It's kind of like slow-motion suspense." Claudio Gratton, UWMadison professor of entomology, in a swarm of midges near Lake Myvatn in May 2008. Credit: David Hoekman Supported by a 10 year National Science Foundation grant for long-term research, Ives and his collaborators are waiting for the natural experiment to proceed through an entire population boom and bust. This year, the researchers might see the population crashbut they don't know. As the ecologists work to better understand the spare Lake Myvatn ecosystem, they are also extending their studies to the lake-filled Wisconsin landscape. Gratton and UWMadison postdoctoral researcher Mireia Bartrons, now at the University of Vic in Spain, developed a model of how insect emergences from Wisconsin lakes affect lakeside ecosystems. With more than 15,000 lakes and 34 percent of the state lying within 200 meters of a lake or stream, the scientists expect aquatic insects to affect a large share of the state. Gratton sees ecosystems, whether in Iceland or the American Midwest, as an interwoven tapestry of interactions rather than isolated patches of land or water. "The character of the land would change without these lakes," says Gratton. "Our landscapes are completely interconnected." More information: Anthony R. Ives et al. High-amplitude fluctuations and alternative dynamical states of midges in Lake Myvatn, Nature (2008). DOI: 10.1038/nature06610 Mireia Bartrons et al. Regional-Level Inputs of Emergent Aquatic Insects from Water to Land, Ecosystems (2013). DOI: 10.1007/s10021-013-9688-6 Journal information: Nature , Ecosystems Image: YouTube New Delhi, Mar 19 (IBNS): Maruti Suzuki India Limitedas premium retail channel NEXA in association with Indiaas apex industry body for fashion, Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI) on Sunday, presented the NEXA Lifestyle collection at Amazon Fashion Week 2017, an official release stated. The NEXA show was themed on monochrome and featured Dhruv Vaish, Kommal&RatulSood, Nought One by Abhishek, Pawan Sachdeva, Rohit Kamra and Sahil Aneja, who showcased their collections at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Lodhi Road. NEXA Lifestyle encapsulates fashion, art & hospitality. The NEXA Lifestyle series is an attempt to include the burgeoning menswear market into the repertoire of mainstream fashion. As a part of the same, each designer interpreted the NEXA theme in his own unique way, incorporating the NEXA colours - black, white and chrome. R. S Kalsi, Executive Director, Marketing& Sales, Maruti Suzuki India Limited commented, We are delighted to associate with FDCI for Amazon India Fashion Week 2017. This event is about bringing new trends and style for the discerning new age customers similar to NEXA which is at the forefront of bringing innovation by delivering new experiences. A NEXA inspired collection was showcased by six designers today at AIFW 2017, in line with NEXA philosophy of being monochrome, innovative and global. The purified water is compared with its original source, as well as a reference sample from the tap. Credit: KTH Royal Institute of Technology What can the forests of Scandinavia possibly offer to migrants in faraway refugee camps? Clean water may be one thing. A bacteria-trapping material developed from wood by researchers KTH Royal Institute of Technology is now being tested for use as a water purification filter. The aim is to use it in places where there is no infrastructure or clean water supply. The material, which combines wood cellulose with a positively-charged polymer, can trap bacteria by attracting and binding the bacteria to the material surface. It shows promise for bandages, plasters and packaging that kill bacteria without releasing toxins into the environment. Led by Professor Monica Ek, the Swedish research team is investigating whether the material can enable portable on-site water treatment where no facilities or wells exist to meet demand. "Our aim is that we can provide the filter for a portable system that doesn't need electricity just gravity to run raw water through it," says Anna Ottenhall, a PhD student at KTH's School of Chemical Science and Engineering. "The great idea is that we are trapping the bacteria and removing them from the water by our positively-charged filter. The bacteria trapping material does not leach any toxic chemicals into the water, as many other on-site purification methods do." Labwork shows how water is purified with environmentally-friendly wood cellulose material. Credit: KTH The Royal Institute of Technology Her co-supervisor, Josefin Illergard, has been working with the antibacterial fibers from wood cellulose for about a decade. "We had this fantastic material that is antibacterial and can be used in different ways, and we wanted to see how to use it in a way that truly makes a difference a way that addresses a big problem in the world," Illergard says. Illergard says the fibres are dipped in a positively-charged polymer solution that makes the surface becomes positively charged. Bacteria and viruses are negatively charged and therefore stick to the positively-charged polymer surface. From there, they cannot free themselves and reproduce, and as a result they die. "One of the advantages of surfaces covered with polymers is that bacteria will not develop any resistance," she says. Purified water is compared with the source water. Credit: KTH The Royal Institute of Technology After it is used, the filter can be burned. The technology is one of several innovative ways wood-based materials are being developed at KTH, which recently has announced advances with see-through wood, squishy batteries made from wood, wood cellulose-based foam, and even a polystyrene alternative from wood. The water filter project also is just one of the many water-related research projects ongoing at KTH, where a new organizational unit, WaterCentre@KTH, was officially launched on World Water Day 2017 to stimulate cross-disciplinary collaboration and new water-related research approaches within KTH and with industry partners, other knowledge institutions and public agencies. Water runs through a wood-based antibacterial filter that releases no toxins into the environment. Credit: KTH The Royal Institute of Technology A new theory by Purdue University scientists says that the Martian moon Phobos might eventually break apart, forming a ring around the red planet. The NASA-funded scientists theorize that this ring formation has happened before, and that as the moons break apart some of the material falls to the surface, as shown in this illustration. Credit: Purdue University Envision Center As children, we learned about our solar system's planets by certain characteristicsJupiter is the largest, Saturn has rings, Mercury is closest to the sun. Mars is red, but it's possible that one of our closest neighbors also had rings at one point and may have them again someday. That's the theory put forth by Purdue University scientists, whose findings were published in the journal Nature Geoscience. David Minton, assistant professor of Earth, atmospheric and planetary sciences, and Andrew Hesselbrock, a doctoral student in physics and astronomy, developed a model that suggests that debris that was pushed into space from an asteroid or other body slamming into Mars around 4.3 billion years ago and alternates between becoming a planetary ring and clumping up to form a moon. A theory exists that Mars' large North Polar Basin or Borealis Basin, which covers about 40 percent of the planet in its northern hemisphere, was created by that impact, sending debris into space. "That large impact would have blasted enough material off the surface of Mars to form a ring," Hesselbrock said. Hesselbrock and Minton's model suggests that as the ring formed and the debris slowly moved away from the planet and spread out, it began to clump and eventually formed a moon. Over time, Mars' gravitational pull would have pulled that moon toward the planet until it reached the Roche limit, the distance within which the planet's tidal forces will break apart a celestial body that is held together only by gravity. Phobos, a Martian moon, might eventually disintegrate and form a ring around the red planet, according to a new theory by Purdue University scientists. The NASA-funded research indicates that this process of moons breaking apart into rings and then reforming as moons may have happened several times over billions of years. Credit: Purdue University Envision Center Phobos, one of Mars' moons, is getting closer to the planet. According to the model, Phobos will break apart upon reaching the Roche limit and become a set of rings in roughly 70 million years. Depending on where the Roche limit is, Minton and Hesselbrock believe this cycle may have repeated between three and seven times over billions of years. Each time a moon broke apart and reformed from the resulting ring, its successor moon would be five times smaller than the last, according to the model, and debris would have rained down on the planet, possibly explaining enigmatic sedimentary deposits found near Mars' equator. "You could have had kilometer-thick piles of moon sediment raining down on Mars in the early parts of the planet's history, and there are enigmatic sedimentary deposits on Mars with no explanation as to how they got there," Minton said. "And now it's possible to study that material." Other theories suggest that the impact with Mars that created the North Polar Basin led to the formation of Phobos 4.3 billion years ago, but Minton said it's unlikely the moon could have lasted all that time. Also, Phobos would have had to form far from Mars and would have had to cross through the resonance of Deimos, the outer of Mars' two moons. Resonance occurs when two moons exert gravitational influence on each other in a repeated periodic basis, as major moons of Jupiter do. By passing through its resonance, Phobos would have altered Deimos' orbit. But Deimos' orbit is within one degree of Mars' equator, suggesting it has had no effect on Phobos. "Not much has happened to Deimos' orbit since it formed," Minton said. "Phobos passing through these resonances would have changed that." The Martian moon Phobos, seen here in a photo taken by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter from 4,200 miles away, may eventually break up and form a ring, according to a new theory by scientists at Purdue University. Credit: NASA Richard Zurek of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California, is the project scientist for NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, whose gravity mapping provided support for the hypothesis that the northern lowlands were formed by a massive impact. "This research highlights even more ways that major impacts can affect a planetary body," he said. Minton and Hesselbrock will now focus their work on either the dynamics of the first set of rings that formed or the materials that have rained down on Mars from disintegration of moons. More information: An Ongoing Satellite-Ring Cycle of Mars and the Origins of Phobos and Deimos, Nature Geoscience, nature.com/articles/doi:10.1038/ngeo2916 Journal information: Nature Geoscience The Nanobiosym Gene Radar, winner of the first ever XPRIZE awarded for health care. Credit: Nanobiosym Bacteria may mutate more rapidly in space and scientists theorize patterns of those mutations could help predict how pathogens become resistant to antibiotics. Such predictions could, in turn, be used to develop new drugs to use against those pathogens. Antibiotic resistant pathogens or bacteria is a growing world-wide health concern. The long-term use of many common antibiotics has led to some diseases becoming resistant to drug therapy, which can lead to longer and more complicated illnesses. A proof-of-concept investigation, Nanobiosym Genes, is sending two strains of Staphylococcus aureus bacteria to the International Space Station. Investigators will compare patterns of their mutations to the same organisms grown on Earth in order to refine computational algorithms that predict mutations leading to antibiotic resistance. BioServe Space Technologies at the University of Colorado, Boulder integrated this investigation, which is hosted in four BioCells Habitats and BioServe's Space Automated Bioproduct Lab (SABL). "More than 25 years ago, I had the hypothesis that environment has an effect on how genes mutate and evolve, or express themselves," principal investigator Anita Goel, chairman and scientific director at Nanobiosym Inc in Cambridge, Massachusetts, said. Goel holds a doctorate of philosophy in physics and a doctor of medicine degree. "This investigation allows me to study whether we can make mutations happen by changing the environment. The first step is to understand, everything else being the same, how does microgravity affect the rate and the pattern of mutations? Some data suggest that microgravity speeds up mutations, but we don't know the mechanism of how the environment might play a role." Dr. Anita Goel, chairman and scientific director of Nanobiosym in Cambridge, Massachusetts, speaks about the Nanobiosym Genes experiment ahead of its launch aboard SpaceX-10. Credit: NASA/Frankie Martin Data from the investigation can define the mutational spectrum. Combining that with algorithms can improve the ability to predict mutations, including those that lead to drug resistance. "We can model which way drug resistance will go and use that to develop better, smarter drugs," Goel said. "A bug can mutate in the presence of a drug and become resistant. We're trying to get ahead of that, predict those mutations, and be ready with a drug when they show up." While this work is starting with infectious diseases, it can potentially be used with anything that has a DNA marker, including cancer. The Space Automated Bioproduct Laboratory (SABL) facility. Credit: Bioserve There are two key steps: first, a tool that analyzes DNA or RNA, and second, algorithms to determine the right therapy for the particular disease. Goel's company, Nanobiosym, has developed a device called Gene-RADAR that conducts the first step. "In principle, we can provide real-time diagnosis of any disease with an RNA or DNA signature or genetic fingerprint," she said. "Ultimately, we can build tools to decentralize health care delivery on Earth, to diagnose diseases in real time in a village in Africa or your own home, just with a drop of blood or saliva. Right now those tests can take weeks to months. The device fits in your hand, so we also can put it on the space station to do analysis and research." That real-time analysis has important applications in space. Currently, experiments aboard the space station are brought back to Earth for gene analysis. The device could conduct some analyses in space and send only the data back to Earth. Astronauts could immediately test for DNA life forms in samples collected on Mars, for example, or diagnosis their own infections. Mutant pathogens in space hardly stand a chance. Provided by NASA Credit: University of St Andrews Recently discovered peatlands in Amazonia and Africa must be protected from commercial agriculture to prevent environmental disaster, say researchers at the University of St Andrews. Extensive deforestation, drainage, burning and conversion of peat swamp forests to rice and oil plantations in Indonesia and Malaysia over recent decades have caused huge carbon releases into the environment. As well as resulting in Indonesia being one of the largest emitters of carbon on the planet, this has led to severe air pollution due to the smoke from peat fires, and the loss of habitat for iconic species such as the orangutan. A series of recent discoveries has shown that peatlands also cover large parts of Amazonia and Africa. These currently remain largely intact, beyond the present-day frontier of agriculture. The international research team, led by St Andrews, identified a series of threats to these intact tropical peatlands, and highlighted conservation methods particularly relevant to this type of ecosystem. This work focuses on the largest known intact tropical peatland in Amazonia, the Pastaza-Maranon Basin in north-east Peru, as a case study. Lead author Dr Katy Roucoux of the School of Geography and Sustainable Development at St Andrews said: "The key to preserving these peatlands, which are a type of wetland, is maintaining their water balance; you need to keep the water table high. In our study area the main threat to peatland health is the expansion of commercial agriculture linked to the development of new transport infrastructure which makes it easier for companies to access remote areas." Although some of the peatlands in the Pastaza-Maranon Basin were found to fall within existing legally protected areas such as national parks, the team found that this protection is patchy, weak and not focused on protecting the most carbon-rich areas. Co-author Dr Ian Lawson said: "By comparing legally-protected areas with our model of peatland distribution in the Pastaza-Maranon Basin, it became clear that although some of the peatlands are protected, the most carbon-rich peatlands happen to occur in areas that are much less well protected. That makes them vulnerable to future economic development in the region." The team identified several key pathways for conservation. New carbon-based conservation funding, for example under UN-backed schemes such as the Green Climate Fund to which the UK contributes, could help local communities to protect their environment while also achieving sustainable economic development. Harvesting sustainable peatland products such as palm fruits, which can be collected without substantially degrading the ecosystem, could provide an alternative to monoculture plantations. Giving local communities legal ownership of the lands they occupy could also help communities to have a greater say in how peatlands are managed, while national parks and forest reserves could be expanded to provide a legal barrier to environmentally damaging development. Dr Roucoux added: "We argue that conservation should be focused in the first instance on the most carbon-rich peatlands, not just in Amazonia but across the tropics." The Cygnus spacecraft reenters the Earth's atmosphere, as observed by Expedition 40 crewmembers aboard the space station. RED-Data2, a soccer-ball sized companion to a spacecraft reentering the Earth's atmosphere, will be a test-bed for the testing and demonstration of high-heat materials. Credit: NASA Orbital ATK is targeted to launch its Cygnus spacecraft into orbit for a resupply mission to the International Space Station March 24, 2017 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. Cygnus will launch atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket carrying crew supplies, equipment and scientific research to crew members aboard the station. The flight will deliver investigations that study magnetic cell culturing, crystal growth and atmospheric reentry. Here are some highlights of research scheduled to be delivered to the station: ADCs in Microgravity could provide better drug designs for cancer patients In microgravity, cancer cells grow in 3-D, spheroid structures that closely resemble their form in the human body, allowing to better test the efficacy of a drug. The Efficacy and Metabolism of Azonafide Antibody-Drug Conjugates in Microgravity (ADCs in Microgravity) investigation tests new antibody drug conjugates, developed by Oncolinx. These conjugates combine an immune-activating drug with antibodies and target only cancer cells, which could potentially increase the effectiveness of chemotherapy and potentially reduce the associated side-effects. Results from this investigation could help inform drug design for cancer patients, as well as more insight into how microgravity effects a drug's performance. 3-D cell culturing in space may lead to improved drug development costs Cells cultured in space spontaneously grow in 3-D, as opposed to cells cultured on Earth which grow in 2-D, resulting in characteristics more representative of how cells grow and function in living organisms. The Magnetic 3-D Cell Culture for Biological Research in Microgravity (Magnetic 3-D Cell Culturing) investigation will test magnetized cells and tools that may make it easier to handle cells and cell cultures. As a result, this could help investigators improving the ability to reproduce similar investigations on Earth. This investigation will test ways to manipulate and culture cells in 2-D and 3-D in space and on the ground, which may help isolate the effects of gravity in experiments. If investigators can identify these effects on the cell's growth, data will be used to help design environments on Earth which mimic microgravity, which could reduce the cost of drug development. SUBSA Furnace and Inserts provide for improved crystal growth in microgravity NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson installs the original SUBSA hardware on Expedition 5. SUBSA Furnace and Inserts, an updated and modernized version of SUBSA, will soon join Whitson on her current expedition as well. Credit: NASA The Solidification Using a Baffle in Sealed Ampoules (SUBSA) investigation was originally operated successfully aboard the space station in 2002. Although it has been updated with modernized software, data acquisition, high definition video and communication interfaces, its objective remains the same: advance our understanding of the processes involved in semiconductor crystal growth. Many crystal growth investigations, such as CLYC Crystal Growth and Detached Melt and Vapor Growth of InI, will occur within SUBSA Furnace and Inserts. Samples can be observed with high-definition video in real-time, along with remote commanding of thermal control parameters by investigation teams. Understanding how space debris reenters the atmosphere can lead to improved spacecraft materials Out-of-function satellites, spent rocket stages and other debris frequently reenter Earth's atmosphere, where most of it breaks up and disintegrates before hitting the ground. However, some larger objects can survive atmospheric reentry. The ability to predict how an object will break apart is valuable in the protection of people and property. The Thermal Protection Material Flight Test and Reentry Data Collection (RED-Data2) investigation studies a new type of recording device that rides alongside of a spacecraft reentering the Earth's atmosphere, recording data about the extreme conditions it encounters during reentry, something scientists have been unable to test on a large scale thus far. Understanding what happens to a spacecraft as it reenters the atmosphere could lead to increased accuracy of spacecraft breakup predictions, an improved design of future spacecraft and the development of materials that can resist the extreme heat and pressure of returning to Earth. IceCube CubeSat seeks to improve understanding of weather and climate models IceCube, a small satellite known as a CubeSat, will measure cloud ice using an 883-Gigahertz radiometer. Used to predict weather and climate models, IceCube will collect the first global map of cloud-induced radiances. The key objective for this investigation is to raise the technology readiness level, a NASA assessment that measures a technology's maturity level. Advanced Plant Habitat supports plant research Joining the space station's growing list of facilities is the Advanced Plant Habitat, a fully enclosed, environmentally controlled plant habitat used to conduct plant bioscience research. The habitat integrates proven microgravity plant growth processes with newly-developed technologies to increase overall efficiency and reliability. The ability to cultivate plants for food and oxygen generation aboard the space station is a key step in the planning of longer-duration, deep space missions where frequent resupply missions may not be a possibility. Provided by NASA CU Boulder Professor Gifford Miller, shown here, is part of a team that has found the Barnes Ice Cap on Baffin Island, the last remnant of the Laurentide Ice Sheet, will vanish in several hundred years because of rising temperatures caused by human activity. Credit: Gifford Miller, University of Colorado The last piece of the ice sheet that once blanketed much of North America is doomed to disappear in the next several centuries, says a new study by researchers at Simon Fraser University in British Columbia and the University of Colorado Boulder. The Barnes Ice Cap, a Delaware-sized feature on Baffin Island in the Canadian Arctic, is melting at a rapid pace, driven by increased greenhouse gases in the atmosphere that have elevated Arctic temperatures. The ice cap, while still 500 meters thick, is slated to melt in about 300 years under business-as-usual greenhouse gas emissions. The results provide compelling evidence that the current level of warming is almost unheard of in the past 2.5 million years, according to the authors. Only three times at most in that time period has the Barnes Ice Cap been so small, a study of isotopes created by cosmic rays that were trapped in rocks around the Barnes Ice Cap indicated. "This is the disappearance of a feature from the last glacial age, which would have probably survived without anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions," said Adrien Gilbert, a glaciologist at Simon Fraser University in British Columbia in Canada and lead author of the new study published online today in Geophysical Research Letters, a journal of the American Geophysical Union. While the melting of the Barnes Ice Cap will likely have negligible effects on sea level rise, its end could herald the eventual dissolution of the larger ice sheets like Greenland and Antarctica, said CU-Boulder Professor Gifford Miller, a study co-author. "I think the disappearance of the Barnes Ice Cap would be just a scientific curiosity if it were not so unusual," said Miller, the associate director of CU Boulder's Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research who has conducted research on Baffin Island annually for the past five decades. "One implication derived from our results is that significant parts of the southern Greenland Ice Sheet also may be at risk of melting as the Arctic continues to warm." Elevated sea rise created by a melting Greenland would automatically cause the Antarctic Ice Sheet, whose dimensions are controlled by sea level, to also shrink in size, Miller said. The Barnes Ice Cap is part of the Laurentide Ice Sheet that has covered millions of square miles of North America episodically since the start of Quaternary Period roughly 2.5 million years ago. The ice sheet grew and shrank over time as Earth went through various climate cycles, and the ice was a mile thick at present-day Chicago about 20,000 years ago. It started receding substantially around 14,000 years ago when Earth slipped out of its last ice age. The ice cap stabilized about 2,000 years ago until the effects of the recent warming caught up with it. Miller was conducting research on Baffin Island in 2009 when he realized the ice cap had shrunk noticeably as compared to images from a few decades earlier. He recruited Gilbert and Gwenn Flowers from Simon Fraser to develop a model of how the ice cap might behave in the future. In the new study, the researchers used their model to estimate when the ice cap would disappear under different greenhouse gas emissions scenarios. They project that under all future emission scenarios the ice cap will be gone within 200 to 500 years. For a moderate emissions scenario that assumes Earth's greenhouse gas emissions will peak around the year 2040, they project the ice cap to be gone in 300 years. "The geological data is pretty clear that the Barnes Ice Cap almost never disappears in the interglacial times," Miller said. "The fact that it's disappearing now says we're really outside of what we've experienced in 2.5 million-year interval. We are entering a new climate state." The Barnes Ice Cap is like a canary in a coal mine, said Miller, who also is a professor in CU Boulder's Department of Geological Sciences. Even if humans stopped emitting greenhouse gases today, the ice cap would still disappear in the next few centuries. In 2010, the project received a boost from Waleed Abdalati, current director of the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (a joint venture of CUBoulder and NOAA), who was NASA's chief scientist at the time. Abdalati supported the flight of a NASA plane monitoring ice loss in the Arctic to revisit the Barnes Ice Cap. In addition to measuring changes in the ice cap's height, researchers used ice-penetrating radar aboard the aircraft to reveal its hidden, sub-glacial topography. The measurements were key for the computer model subsequently developed by Gilbert and Flowers to predict the evolution of the Barnes Ice Cap. A member of the Ngogo community of chimpanzees in Uganda's Kibale National Park. A new study shows that the Ngogo chimps have surprisingly long life expectancies. Credit: Brian Wood/Yale University A 20-year demographic study of a large chimpanzee community in Uganda's Kibale National Park has revealed that, under the right ecological conditions, our close primate relatives can lead surprisingly long lives in the wild. The study, published March 19 in the Journal of Human Evolution, establishes an average life expectancy of about 33 years in its sample of 306 chimpanzees, nearly twice as high as that of other chimpanzee communities and within the 27- to 37-year range of life expectancy at birth of human hunter-gatherers. These findings are important for understanding the evolution of chimpanzee and hominin life histories, the researchers argue. "Our findings show how ecological factors, including variation in food supplies and predation levels, drive variation in life expectancy among wild chimpanzee populations," said Brian Wood, assistant professor of anthropology at Yale University, the study's lead author. "They also inform the study of the evolution of human life history, helping us to imagine the conditions that could have changed mortality rates among our early hominin populations." The Ngogo chimpanzees reside in the center of Kibale National Park, in southwestern Uganda. The directors of the Ngogo Chimpanzee ProjectDavid Watts (Yale), John Mitani (University of Michigan), and Kevin Langergraber (Arizona State University)have monitored births, deaths, immigrations, and emigrations in the unusually large Ngogo chimpanzee community since 1995, producing the largest demographic dataset available for any community of wild chimpanzees. This study reveals that Ngogo chimpanzees have the highest life expectancy on record for any group of wild chimpanzees. Favorable ecological conditions largely account for the Ngogo community's high life expectancy, according to the study. The forest in Ngogo provides a relatively consistent and abundant supply of high-energy and nutritious foods, including easily digestible figs. The research team argues that this rich food supply helps buffer the Ngogo chimpanzees against periods of hunger, and helps fuel their ability to stave off diseases that would otherwise lead to higher mortality. The Ngogo chimpanzees also benefit from a low risk of predation, because leopards are not found within Kibale National Park, and from the fact that during the study, the chimpanzees did not experience major disease epidemics, either introduced by humans or due to other causes, like those that have affected wild chimpanzees at several other long-term research sites. In the same national park, not far from Ngogo, other researchers have studied the life expectancy of chimpanzees in the Kanyawara community. Like Ngogo, this community lacks natural predators, but its life expectancy at birth is nearly 13 years shorter than that of Ngogo. The Ngogo chimpanzees' higher survivorship appears to be an adaptive response to a more abundant and less varied food supply than that of Kanyawara, the researchers argue. "It has long been proposed that there are extreme differences in the life expectancies of human hunter-gatherers and chimpanzees," said David Watts, professor of anthropology at Yale and a coauthor of the study. "Our study finds that while maximum lifespan differs a great deal, the differences in average lifespan are not as dramatic as typically thought, especially when chimpanzees are not subjected to major negative impacts caused by humans. In fact, the Ngogo community's pattern of survivorship more closely resembles that of human hunter-gatherers than those documented for other chimpanzee communities." SAN FRANCISCO, March 20, 2017 /PRNewswire/ Omnyway, formerly known as OmnyPay, the leading provider of contextual digital commerce platforms, announced today the launch of ZAPBuy, which allows consumers to instantly buy items directly from ads with just one ZAP of the ad. With this feature, shoppers can complete a purchase in a single step, enabling retailers and brands to deliver a seamless buying experience that stays within the context in which their customers see the ad, removing friction and providing ease and convenience for shoppers ultimately driving incremental sales. Consumer brands are projected to spend $44.8 billion on digital advertising in 2017, according to Cadent Consulting Group, representing almost a 28% jump over the year before. Despite this massive spend, an overwhelming majority of marketers say they are frustrated with the ROI. One of the biggest problems is the path from viewing the ad to making the purchase is inconvenient and full of friction. Currently, advertisements require customers to leave the context they are in to make a purchaseby either having to open the ecommerce site or remember the ad while in a physical store. Once at the store, either digitally or physically, shoppers have to go through a complicated process to complete the purchase, leading to a high degree of abandonment. ZAPBuy offers a more effective way to complete a purchase: Rather than shoppers leaving their current environment to make an ad-based purchase, ZAPBuy brings the store to the context they are in. ZAPBuy works across any advertising mediumsupporting all digital media including display ads, social media ads, email, search engine, and television, as well as, print media such as billboards, catalogs, and posters. In all cases, it allows shoppers to complete the purchase with one scan within the context of the ad, completely streamlining the path from ad-to-purchase. ZAPBuys secret sauce is that it converts any surface into a point of commerce, said OmnyWay CEO, Ashok Narasimhan. It also allows brands and retailers to connect directly with selected shoppers based on a shopper relevancy index. By removing the friction from the process of making a purchase from an ad, Omnyway is improving the shopping experience for consumers, leading to a significant improvement in conversions and sales. The feature is easy for retailers and brands to get up-and-running, simply requiring a list of products desired to be listed on the ZAPBuy marketplace. The brand then selects the targeted medium and which dates to run the campaign, all through an easy to use dashboard. The functionality will show up across the retailers app, and all third party apps powered by Omnyways ZAPBuy SDK. Whether a shopper is browsing through a catalog, sees a display ad on their computer, or spots a billboard, they can act in-the-moment to instantly buy products in one zap. About OmnyWay Omnyway empowers retailers, banks and brands to build a contextual digital commerce ecosystem that encourages shoppers to use their mobile phone for all aspects of their buying journey. Through dynamic data-rich interactions, Omnyway delivers personalized and relevant promotions, payment processing, and loyalty rewards in the most contextual way to shoppers, which increases average order value for businesses, as well as customer loyalty. Omnyway is based in San Francisco and led by senior executives with deep experience in payments, mobile, retail and commerce. For more information, visit http://www.omnyway.com, contact info(at)omnyway(dot)com or follow us @Omnyway. Other Point of Sale blogs of interest: Point Inside Launches Personalization Service for In-Store Mobile Marketing #ShopTalk Deals Personalization is a micro-location based in-store tool allowing retailers to serve shoppers the right deals at the right place and time BELLEVUE, Wash., March 20, 2017 Point Inside, the leading provider of in-store product location solutions for retailers, today announced its new Deals Personalization tool. The first-of-its-kind solution is an extension of Point Insides StoreMode platform and allows retailers to leverage historical shopping information in combination with a shoppers in-store physical location to serve highly relevant, personalized deal recommendations through a retailers branded mobile app. Point Inside made the announcement at the annual 2017 Shoptalk event held in Las Vegas, Nevada (March 19-22) where the company is exhibiting in booth #523. More and more shoppers are using their smartphones to assist with purchasing decisions while in-store, said Josh Marti, CEO and co-founder of Point Inside. This presents a huge opportunity for retailers to engage shoppers via mobile and present deals in real-time that are relevant to their shopping trip and personal preferences. With the launch of Deals Personalization, were empowering retailers to provide shoppers with recommendations and deals that are more tailored than ever before. A 2015 study found that more than 70 percent of Gen Y shoppers are very or somewhat interested in receiving personalized offers on their smartphones. Deals Personalization allows retailers to capitalize on this interest by tailoring deal recommendations based on shoppers in-app search history, shopping list contents and physical location in the store, enhancing the in-store shopping experience for customers and improving click-through rates for retailers. For example, a grocery retailers mobile app would show deals on brands that a shopper has previously purchased, new products that fit their shopper profile and deliver recommendations based on the proximity of the shopper to those products. Deals Personalization is built on Point Insides StoreMode platform, which creates a digital representation of each retail store capturing current product locations, departments and services. This digital map is then infused with enterprise data and mobile shopper usage to give retailers a comprehensive view of whats happening across retail stores. This enables retailers to make data-driven decisions and provides shoppers with indoor mapping, product location and store-specific search capabilities through a retailers branded mobile app. Mobile deal recommendations are becoming a focus for big-box retailers as they look to enhance the in-store shopping experience, said Patrick Giusti, chief revenue officer at Point Inside. The majority of millennial shoppers have shown interest in digital coupons and deals, and since this demographic grew up with personalized online experiences, its a natural progression to offer these consumers the same type of deals when they shop in brick and mortar stores. On Tuesday, March 21, Point Inside will demo its new Deals Personalization tool for attendees of Shoptalk 2017. The demo will take place from 4:25 4:35 p.m. in Track Room #5: Demos & Announcements, located on Level 1 of the ARIA Resort & Casino Convention Facility. For more information about Point Inside and its indoor location solutions, please visit www.pointinside.com. About Point Inside More than 90 percent of retail sales occur in-store, yet shoppers arent finding what they are looking for in stores. Point Inside is the leading provider of in-store product location solutions for shoppers, store employees, and merchandisers. Its StoreMode platform is the biggest opportunity in retail, enabling retailers to create an immersive physical store experience for the connected, mobile shopper inspired by e-commerce. Its cloud-based technology answers shoppers top two questions, Do you have it? and Where can I find it? for top retailers such as Target, Lowes Home Improvement, and Meijer. Point Insides platform includes StoreMode and StoreLocation, powering personalized digital in-store experiences. Other Point of Sale blogs of interest: Scala to Display Digital Experience Creation Tools at #Shoptalk Event MALVERN, Pa., March 17, 2017 /PRNewswire/ Scala, Inc., will be first-time exhibitors at two tradeshows in Las Vegas next week, Shoptalk next gen commerce event and Adobe Summit Digital Marketing Conference, in booths #1522 and #148 respectively. Scala, a member of the STRATACACHE family of complementary digital solutions companies, will debut a new platform, EXP, at Adobe Summit, being held March 21-23. EXP is a web standards-focused platform with built-in tools and infrastructure for developing high-impact digital experiences, leveraging existing assets, workflows and skill sets of the experience designers. Further, EXPs flexible content creation uses modern web technologies, allowing for seamless integration with existing apps and systems as well as popular social, technical and retail cloud services. We built this new platform with developers and designers in mind, said Joe Sullivan, Scala COO. EXP allows them to remain focused on solving the creative aspects of executing the experience or vision by eliminating many devops-related tasks. Debuting it at an event like the Adobe Summit, lets us reach technical creative minds who may be looking to push the boundaries of traditional digital signage. We can show them whats possible and that we have the tools to bring it to life. Mumbai, Mar 20 (IBSN): ICICI Bank Ltd. has announced the launch of a unique mobile banking app for rural customers that allow them to access banking services as well as information on agri services, an official release stated. Anyone including non-ICICI Bank customers can also download and use the app which is available in eleven Indian languages. Christened, Mera iMobile, it allows users in rural areas to avail as many as 135 services on their mobile phone, helping them to save the time and cost of visiting a branch to avail these services. The list of services include Kisan Credit Card, Gold Loan, Farm Equipment Loan and loans to Self-Help Groups (SHGs). The app also enables them to undertake an array of frequently used banking services from their smartphone, without using mobile internet services. Additionally, it is the first banking app to offer agriculture related information like crop-wise mandi prices of nearly 230 crop varieties across 460 mandis. It also displays taluka-wise weather update for close to 3700 talukas across and over 300 districts, aiding farmers to plan their sowing and harvesting activities conveniently and in an informed manner. Chanda Kochhar, MD & CEO, ICICI Bank said, At ICICI Bank, we believe in investing in innovative technology much ahead of its time. In line with this philosophy, ICICI Bank has pioneered many innovative solutions for its customers like internet, mobile, Tab and Touch Banking branches among others. Today, India has the second largest - internet user base and smartphone market globally. We envisage that the next wave of growth in internet usage will come from rural India due to growth in cheaper smartphone handsets, spread of wireless networks and evolving consumer behavior." "With the new Mera iMobile, we will offer our rural and semi-urban customers a unique and unparalleled experience in their interactions with the bank. Mera iMobile is a result of extensive research and has evolved into the countrys first comprehensive offering for rural customers on smartphone with 135 services and in eleven Indian languages. It enables any user, even if they are not ICICI Bank customers, to download the app and get access to agri related advisory on mandi prices and weather. These aid in saving time and effort of travel to the branch and the mandi for various services. We believe this app will resonate with the needs of the rural customers and aim to have over half a million downloads in the next six months, Kochhar added. Any ICICI Bank customer with a rural savings account / Kisan Credit Card/ Gold Loan/ Self-Help Group/ other agri loans can download Mera iMobile from Google Play store on their Android smartphone. Non-ICICI Bank customers can also download to use the agriculture advisory related services. The key services of Mera iMobile are: Integrated offering of rural banking accounts in the app: It is the only banking app to offer rural banking services like Kisan Credit Card (KCC), gold loan, loans to SHG and tractor loans. Customers can now view details including outstanding interest, available limit, account statement, among others, on the app itself. They can also make payments from within the app from their linked savings account for KCC. Shortly, customers will also be able to renew these loans from the app itself. Value- added services of agri-information: Users can avail information on weather and prevailing crop prices from the app. It is the first banking app to offer these additional services. Anyone, including non ICICI Bank customers can download the app to avail the advisory related services. To begin with, this information will be available in agri-dominant districts. Availability of services without using mobile internet services: The app offers 14 frequently used banking services which can be used without using mobile internet services. These SMS based services that can be done from Mera iMobile are a marked improvement over the SMS Banking services available in feature phones. Available as pre-formatted templates, customers can conveniently complete their frequent transactions by simply adding few details. These services include fund transfer, bill payment, cheque book request, recharges and balance enquiry among others. Offers the app in multiple languages: The app is available in eleven Indian languages and English. The languages include Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Bengali, Odia, Assamese and Punjabi. It is also the first banking app to offer UPI services in multiple Indian languages. The Vanguard is reporting that at least five state governors out of the 11 under the control of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have moved over to the camp of factional leader Ali Modu Sheriff. Sheriff (right) has gained support from five of Makarfi-led faction's governors Although the report did not state who the governors are, it claimed that they are openly engaged with the Sheriff leadership of the party. READ ALSO: Saraki visits Babangida allegedly over 2019 presidency This is just as reports emerged that the national chairman of the party has applied to the Supreme Court seeking to stop the Senator Ahmed Makarfi-led faction from using the name of the party to challenge the ruling of the Court of Appeal in Port Harcourt which affirmed him as the authentic chairman of the party. Vanguard reports that in a motion for discontinuance filed by Sheriff and Professor Wale Oladipo, secretary of the party, they argued that the Makarfi faction did not have the legal ground for such appeal. Sheriff therefore applied for the withdrawal of an appeal filed in the name of the party by the Makarfis faction with number SC.133/2017 on February 27, 2017. The appeal challenged the February 17 judgment of the Port Harcourt Division of the Court of Appeal which restored Sheriff-led executive as the authentic leadership of the party. PAY ATTENTION: Get the latest news on Legit.ng News App In his motion of discontinuance, which was filed through lead counsel, Chief Akinlolu Olujinmi (SAN), Sheriff noted that by virtue of the Court of Appeals judgment, Makarfi and other members of his faction were incompetent to institute any legal process using the name of the party. This report comes just as Bayelsa state governor, Seriake Dickson, unable to bear the mass defection of members of the PDP to even lesser political parties, asked Ahmed Makarfi to resign his position as chairman of the party's national caretaker committee at the weekend. Makarfi had been in a long political battle with Ali Modu Sheriff over who should be the authentic chairman of the party. Source: Legit.ng - It was revealed that President Muhammadu Buhari has concealed details of Paris Club refunds despite promising transparency - The concealment of the funds is, however, frustrating Nigerians keen about knowing how their governors spent the huge amount - The Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun, was said to have blocked attempts by Nigerians, civil society and the media to obtain details of the payments, amid allegations of misuse by governors Some months after paying N522.74 billion Paris Club loan refund to 36 states, the federal government has concealed details of the disbursements, frustrating Nigerians keen about knowing how their governors spent the huge amount. President Muhammadu Buhari Premium Times reports that for months, Finance Minister, Kemi Adeosun, and other senior officials blocked attempts by Nigerians, civil society and the media to obtain details of the payments, amid allegations of misuse by governors. READ ALSO: Pay salary now! Buhari orders CBN, finance ministry to release Paris Club refunds to states immediately In authorising the payments in November 2016, President Muhammadu Buhari advised the money be used in settling arrears of workers salaries, retirees pension and gratuities. But it was gathered that few states applied the funds as advised. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), according to Premium Times has last week confirmed it was investigating suspected misuse of the funds, but did not give details. But despite the governments pledge to fight corruption by being more transparent, the Ministry of Finance, the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation, and the Debt Management Office, separately denied requests by Nigerians and groups to make those details open. Secret sharing of $4 billion Nigerians first knew of the refunds in November 2016 after the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Federal Capital Territory, Dino Melaye, accused the federal government of secretly sharing the money to states. The lawmaker also accused the 36 states governors of attempts to conceal the payment from the public, especially civil servants. But the finance minister, Mrs Adeosun, promptly dismissed the allegation as absolutely incorrect. She said: there was no such money to share. The minister did not provide further details, particularly regarding the accumulated refund of the debt service deductions in respect of the Paris Club, London Club and multilateral loans of the federal and state governments between 1995 and 2002. Mrs Adeosun merely explained that states were overcharged during the 2005 Paris Club for debt relief under the Obasanjo administration. Following verification and approval by President Buhari, the minister said only 14 states would share N153.01 billion in the first disbursement, but did not disclose the names of the affected states. Only a few states like Kaduna and Plateau voluntarily admitted receiving payments. Mrs Adeosun later explained that there was an agreement with states that at least 25 per cent of each states claim would be paid, subject to a cap of N14.5 billion, while balances due would be paid when the countrys financial situation improves. In the end, N522.74 billion was paid to the states. Kemi Adeosun The minister later assured that appropriate personnel had been directed to get in touch with this newspaper with the needed details. No such personnel ever contacted this medium. Buhari orders release of second tranche of payment Amid allegations of fund diversion, and lack of transparency, President Buhari on Thursday, ordered the immediate release of the second tranche of the fund to the states to ease their financial difficulties. PAY ATTENTION: Nigeria News Legit.ng - Android Apps on Google Play The Paris Club debt payment deal was sealed in October 2005. It involved the repayment of $12.3 billion, instead of $30.4 billion. Out of the $30.4 billion, Nigeria was expected to pay only $6.3 billion (arrears & levelling up) and another $6billion (post cut-off date debt and debt buy-back), while the creditors agreed to cancel $18 billion, an overall debt reduction of about 60 per cent. Source: Legit.ng - The Concerned Nigerian Youth Development Organisation accuses some top political figures of trying to stop Abubakar Atiku from realising his presidential ambition come 2019 - The group notes that based on his pedigree and track record, Atiku has the constitutional right to contest any election in Nigeria The Concerned Nigerian Youth Development Organisation has said Atiku Abubakar has the right to contest in the 2019 presidential election. The support for former vice president, Atiku Abubakar, to contest in the 2019 presidential election has got the backing of a group who said Atiku had the right to contest the election on any political platform which he desires. READ ALSO: Five of 11 PDP governors move to Sheriff camp The group, under the umbrella of Concerned Nigerian Youth Development Organisation (CYNDO), said no intimidation can stop the presidential ambition of Atiku Abubakar. The national coordinator, (CNYDO) Comrade Joel Edegba, made the statement over the weekend, when appraising the gradual build up towards the 2019 general elections following early release of election time table by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). Edegba said Atiku has the constitutional right to contest any election in Nigeria based on his pedigree and track record, Leadership reports. The groups coordinator said some top political figures were trying to stop Atiku from realising his presidential ambition come 2019. He said: We in Concerned Nigerian Youth Development Organisation, CNYDO, commends the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, for the first time to promptly release an election time table ahead of 2019. It is an indication that the electoral body is very prepared and ready to conduct elections. We commend their move and early preparation. We have it on record that some top political figures are beating their chest that Former Vice President of Nigeria, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, will be stopped from realising his presidential ambition come 2019. We think is an intimidation to Atiku by them and have made themselves demi-gods in Nigerian politics. We declare that no height nor breadth of intimidation can stop Atiku, and we the youths will see who will stop him come 2019. READ ALSO: Revealed: Buhari conceals details of Paris Club refunds despite promising transparency Former Vice President like every Nigerian has the constitutional right to contest in 2019 on any political platform which he desires. So we the youth in this country discard that intimidation because it is a storm in a tea cup. Edegba called on Nigerian youths to give their support to credible candidates before, during and after the 2019 general elections. Meanwhile, a kinsman of former President Goodluck Jonathan, Chief Richard Kpodoh, has declared that the people of the Niger Delta will massively vote for President Muhammadu Buhari in 2019. Kpodoh made the declaration while reacting to Jonathans recent claims that the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, will reclaim power in 2019. In an open letter to the President, the Bayelsa state elder statesman stressed that Buharis two years in power had exposed the rot perpetrated by the Jonathans administration. Kpodoh said Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCCs, recent clampdown on those he described as, Jonathan boys in Bayelsa and other parts of the country has shown that the administration of the former President was the worst in the history of Nigeria. Source: Legit.ng Kolkata, Mar 20 (IBNS): The Next-Gen Employability Conclave, held recently in Kolkata, focused on bridging the employability gap by bringing together employers and employee to discuss the criteria for being employable. The third edition was held at the Bengal Chamber of Commerce and Industry premises in the city. Sutanu Ghosh, President BCC&I and MD of Ghosh, Bose and Associates Pvt. Ltd; chief guest and Vice Chairman, SREI Infrastructure Finance Ltd and ex - President of Assocham, Sunil Kanoria; conference Chairperson, L& K Leader, GBS, IBM India Ltd, Rahul Bose were among the principal speakers at the inauguration of the conclave. Sutanu Ghosh said that the Chamber focuses on three initiatives: first, strengthen the economic academic interface; second, see how to make education relevant to the industry; and third, career counselling. He said, Education is the single requirement for the economic development of a country. Corporates, educational institutes and HR heads came together to discuss the employability quotient through a series of panel discussions where not only technical but soft skills, emotional quotient, workplace orientation were discussed. Sunil Kanoria, who also launched the Human Resources book where employability criteria have been discussed in details by leading HR heads, said, Job creators rather than job seekers should be the disruption that we need and a person with an acquired skill set must know how to sell his skills instead of seeking a job. He also believes that the thought process of entrepreneurship must be included in every curriculum along with focus on digital literacy and training the trainers. The Conclave saw a rise in the number of participants this year. Participants from various institutes such as JIS College of Engineering, Army Institute of Management, Camelia Group, Haldia Institute of Technology and others interacted with HR heads and corporates from leading industries such as TATA Steel, CESC, Wipro, etc. (Reporting by Shilpa Salwan) Reuters Indian digital payments firm Paytm reported a 76% jump in second-quarter revenue, helped in part by a surge in loan growth, while the company reiterated that it would turn profitable by September 2023. Paytm's parent, One 97 Communications Ltd, said revenue rose to 19.14 billion Indian rupees ($233.81 million) in the July-September quarter from 10.86 billion rupees a year earlier. The revenue jump in the reported quarter was lower than the 88.5% increase Paytm posted in the first quarter. Trump has provoked anger from GCHQ (Rex) Donald Trump is doing exactly what Russia wants him to by claiming Barack Obama used the GCHQ intelligence agency to spy on the President during his election campaign, a former British ambassador to the US has warned. Sir Peter Westmacott said officials in the administration were peddling falsehoods, which risked damaging the US-UK relations in a way that was a gift to our enemies. The claims, which President Trump repeated on Friday and have been strenuously denied by the UK, originally emanated from an interview with a former CIA official on RT the Russian propaganda news channel. And asked on Monday morning whether the claims were straight from the Russian playbook, Sir Peter agreed. What we do know is that the Russians are engaged in information warfare against the US and the UK and a lot of Western democracies, he told the BBCs Today programme. They have peddled stories in the past which have turned out to be not true, which were deliberately put out by them. They have been involved in producing leaked material to embarrass different politicians in the US So if the story comes from RT it would indeed be part of the fairly standard Russian playbook with which all Western democracies are having to cope. Sir Peter, who retired last year, urged foreign secretary Boris Johnson to take up the issue when he visits Washington later this week. The intervention comes after White House press secretary Sean Spicer cited a claim by a Fox News analyst that Obama had used British spies to bug Trump Tower. The claim brought a rare public denial by GCHQ which described the claims as nonsense and utterly ridiculous. Downing Street said it had secured an assurance that the allegation would not be repeated. But at a visibly awkward news conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Friday, Mr Trump said only that Mr Spicer had just been quoting retired judge Andrew Napolito, a Fox News commentator. MORE: Trumps rallies give a boost to president and his supporters MORE: Did Donald Trump really refuse to shake Angela Merkels hand during White House meeting? We said nothing, Trump told a reporter. All we did was quote a certain very talented legal mind who was the one responsible for saying that on television. I didnt make an opinion on it. Story continues He added: You shouldnt be talking to me. You should be talking to Fox. Merkel and Trump failed to shake hands following their meeting at the White House (Rex) Sir Peter said senior US officials were well aware the president was playing a dangerous game which revolved around Mr Trumps famous reluctance to admit mistakes combined with his suspicion of intelligence agencies. The intelligence relationship between Britain and America is unique and precious, he wrote in the Guardian. It is based on unquestioned mutual trust, between operatives and politicians on each side of the Atlantic, he said. That is something both countries have taken for granted since the Second World War. Photographers: Can we get a handshake? Merkel (to Trump): Do you want to have a handshake? Trump: *no response* Merkel: *makes awkward face* pic.twitter.com/ehgpCnWPg7 David Mack (@davidmackau) March 17, 2017 Gratuitously damaging it by peddling falsehoods and then doing nothing to set the record straight would be a gift to our enemies they could only dream of. The New York Times described the allegations as having provoked as a rare public dispute with Americas closest ally. It added that a livid Britain had reacted angrily. Americas relationship with another European ally, Germany, was also put under the microscope as Trump and Merkel failed to shake hands following a joint press conference. However, Germanys largest tabloid Bild said the meeting could have been a lot worse, while Suddeutsche Zeitung described it as not warm, but not distant. 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 New Delhi, Mar 20 (IBNS): NBCC, a Navratna construction major under the Ministry of Urban Development will execute a US $ 20 million (Rs.130 cr) social housing project in Mauritius. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in this regard was signed here today in the presence of Minister of Urban Development M.Venkaiah Naidu and the visiting Vice-Prime Minister and Minister of Housing and Lands Showkutally Soodhun. As per the MoU, NBCC will undertake construction of 700 duplex type houses with 50 sq.mt net floor area with two bedrooms, living and dining rooms, kitchen, bathrooms and toilets each in 18 months in Dagotiere and Mare Tabac The visiting dignitary also informed that NBCC will also execute construction of new Supreme Court Building at a cost of US $ 33 million (Rs.220 cr) in Port Louis in 24 months. An agreement has been signed earlier this month in this regard, read a government statement. Government of India has sanctioned a grant of US $ 353 million for execution of five projects in Mauritius including Metro Express Project, new ENT Hospital and supply of digital tablets to primary school children. The visiting Mauritius leader thanked India for assisting his country in several fields. Venkaiah Naidu said that bilateral cooperation between the two countries has a strategic dimension and both the countries have an important role to play in ensuring peace and prosperity in the Indian Ocean region. He expressed happiness over commencement of construction of the World Hindi Secretariat and the Chancery Project of Indian High Commission in Mauritius. 7even Skateboards welcome Ethan Watkins to the team with a short but sweet edit of creative indoor park lines and technical combos filmed at Bridgends Ashmore Skatepark. Enjoy the clip below and check out the park if youre in the area, it looks dope! 19 House Republicans call on their party to do something about climate change Posted on 20 March 2017 by dana1981 While the Trump administration is veering sharply toward climate science denial, 19 House Republicans have taken steps to pull the party in the direction of reality, and the need to combat the threats posed by human-caused climate change. The Republican Climate Resolution Last week, Congresswoman Elise Stefanik (R-NY), Congressman Carlos Curbelo (R-FL), and Congressman Ryan Costello (R-PA) led a group of 17 House Republicans in introducing a resolution that calls on Congress to develop policies to tackle climate change. The Republican Climate Resolution recognizes that environmental stewardship is a conservative principle, that policies should be based on scientific evidence and quantifiable facts, that climate change is having negative impacts and is viewed by the Department of Defense as a threat multiplier, and that we can and must take meaningful action to address these threats in a manner that doesnt constrain the American economy: ...be it Resolved, That the House of Representatives commits to working constructively, using our tradition of American ingenuity, innovation, and exceptionalism, to create and support economically viable, and broadly supported private and public solutions to study and address the causes and effects of measured changes to our global and regional climates, including mitigation efforts and efforts to balance human activities that have been found to have an impact. The Resolution has thus far been signed by House Republicans representing districts in New York, Pennsylvania, Florida, Nevada, Nebraska, Virginia, New Jersey, Utah, Washington, and South Carolina. The bipartisan Climate Solutions Caucus Eleven of the Resolutions signatories are also members of the Climate Solutions Caucus, as are Darrell Issa (R-CA) and Lee Zeldin (R-NY), who have not yet signed the Resolution. The Climate Solutions Caucus is a bipartisan group in the US House of Representatives currently comprised of 13 Republicans and 13 Democrats that explores policy options to address climate change. Caucus members include some prominent conservative Republicans. Darrell Issa is the former chair of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, and Mia Love is viewed as a rising star in the party. Love featured in an episode of the acclaimed program Years of Living Dangerously: Mia Love in Years of Living Dangerously Altogether, this makes 19 Republican members of the House of Representatives calling for or developing policies to tackle climate change. The conservative Climate Leadership Council The Republican Climate Resolution also follows a proposal by eight Republican elder statesmen in the Climate Leadership Council including Secretaries of State and Treasury to former Presidents Reagan, George H.W. Bush, and George W. Bush for the Republican Party to support a bipartisan revenue-neutral carbon tax . The group met with the White House to urge support for this policy. Were President Trump to throw his support behind this bipartisan, free market, small government, economically beneficial solution to climate change , along with the support of these 19 House Republicans, the policy might conceivably gain momentum in Congress. Republican voters would also support this shift. 62% of Trump voters favor a tax or regulations on carbon pollution, or both. While these voters dont view climate change as an urgent threat or high priority, and thus arent too bothered by their partys general climate denial and policy obstruction, they would nevertheless prefer that Republican policymakers take steps to address the threats posed by climate change. A sustainable GOP requires a sustainable climate It would certainly be a smart move for the Republican Party. The current party policy involves rejecting decades worth of scientific evidence and a 97% expert consensus, and rolling back all of the progress America has made to address the threats posed by climate change. But denying a problem doesnt make it go away. Climate denial, much like opposition to equal rights for minorities, is a long-term losing proposition. In recent elections, Democrats have won lesbian, gay, and bisexual voters by margins of over 50%, and African-Americans by margins of over 80%. Click here to read the rest Even the most well intentioned initiatives can have negative consequences if you dont do enough research before launching. Just ask General Mills. The company, famous for cereals like Honey Nut Cheerios, which has a bee as its mascot, recently launched a Bring Back the Bees campaign. General Mills gave out 1.5 million wildflower seeds to customers in the hopes the seeds would get planted across the U.S. and help the declining bee population. But some critics have argued that this initiative could actually do more harm than good. Since General Mills gave out the same seeds to customers across the country, its possible that the wildflowers could become invasive species in certain areas. And that could potentially hurt local ecosystems. For its part, General Mills said that it chose the flowers because of how attractive their nectar is to bees. And it also said that the particular variety of wildflower it chose is not an invasive species. Conservation and environmentalism are hot topics right now. And businesses that try to give back could potentially do a lot of good. But todays consumers arent just going to take your word for it. A Cautionary CSR Example Individuals and groups are likely to do research and understand exactly the type of impact your program might have positive or negative. So, businesses should heed the lesson in this cautionary CSR example: do your own research to make sure that all aspects of an initiative like this are going to lead to a positive outcome. Scarce promotion among primary school pupils and their parents, and insufficient financial motivation for companies are among the most cited reasons of why the system struggles. Font size: A - | A + More information about the Slovak labour market Please see our Career & Employment Guide. This years edition was published also thanks to support from the general partner of the guide, the executive search firm - Amrop. When employers complained about the shortage of qualified labour force on the market, dual education was introduced with the aim to become one of the remedies for their problem. Expectations were high during the preparations, but now that the system has been launched, pupils and employers alike seem to be lacking interest in taking part. Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Scarce promotion among primary school pupils and their parents, and insufficient financial motivation for companies are among the most cited reasons of why the system struggles. The first year of dual education in Slovakia has shown that the biggest problem is to attract primary school pupils and persuade their parents to let them join the system, Jaroslav Holecek, president of the Employers Board for the Dual Education System and executive vice-president of the Automotive Industry Association, told The Slovak Spectator. Currently, only about one-tenth of the 134,000 pupils at secondary schools participate in the scheme. Statistics show that 1,121 pupils started training in 142 companies altogether in September 2016. The number is more than double than the total in the programmes first school year, 2015-2016, when 92 employers created a total of 1,438 positions, but only 469 of them were actually filled. The State Institute of Vocational Education (SIOV) plans to increase the number of participating pupils fivefold by 2020. Qualified workers retire Up to 75 percent of secondary school graduates do not work in their field of study. That means only 4,000 graduates find a job they studied for. This, however, is insufficient, as some 41,000 qualified workers retired in 2016, while their number should increase to 46,000 annually as of 2024. As a result, there is a deficit of more than 34,000 graduates every year, the institutes head Michal Bartok told a December 2016 press conference, as reported by the TASR newswire. The representatives of employers agree that dual education can solve these problems. Moreover, dual education is a tool to reduce the unemployment rate of young people, which remains a priority for many European Union countries, said Maria Berithova, head of the Slovak-Austrian Chamber of Commerce. The dual education system is one of the suitable solutions as pupils acquire skills necessary for the labour market and the companies garner an appropriate labour force, Berithova told The Slovak Spectator. She stresses the necessity to connect the education system and companies in a way that they train students for specialisations currently lacking on the labour market. Promotion is necessary This, however, may be a problem as the current structure of specialisations and also the structure of some schools is off target, says Holecek. Unfortunately, we have specialisations that have disappeared from schools over the past 25 years, but we need them badly, he added. We also do not have enough students in specialisations lacking on the labour market. Another frequently cited reason for low interest among pupils is insufficient promotion among young people and their parents. One of the reasons for this is the lack of career counselling at secondary schools, employers agree. Some schools refuse to participate in the system altogether. Companies often witness the unwillingness of vocational schools to sign agreements with them, Viliam Gonda of the Slovak Chamber of Commerce and Industry told The Slovak Spectator. This may follow from the fact that they receive a lower contribution for students attending dual education. Moreover, schools need to dismiss some of their teachers and have to reduce the number of theoretical lectures, the Sme daily reported. Schools need to be enabled and encouraged to go dual, Guido Glania from the German-Slovak Chamber of Commerce and Industry told The Slovak Spectator. Financial support and know-how are essential to make them motivated and capable partners for companies. Some schools, however, are reluctant to change their ways. It is easier for schools to have their own master of vocational education rather than communicate with companies within dual education, Holecek added. Money fails to motivate Additional problems include red tape and poor financial support for companies. Currently, participating companies are entitled to tax relief of up to 3,200 per student for whom they provide practical training of more than 400 hours annually. Moreover, every company seeking to go dual needs to pass a demanding registration process and obtain a certificate confirming they are able to provide the necessary education on their premises. Employers first have to submit an application to the professional organisations that oversee the process in individual sectors, which then tests its abilities to train pupils. Only after passing this process they can sign agreements with schools. This is also why small and medium-sized companies (SMEs) are not motivated to participate in the system, representatives of employers agree. Smaller companies fear the initial investment needed to start dual vocational training, i.e. the preparation of in-company instructors and the provision of equipment, Glania said, adding they are also afraid the pupils will leave for bigger firms which can offer them higher salaries. Moreover, SMEs lack the educational centres that would secure the practical training of pupils within the system, said Gonda. However, the more companies join the dual system the more SMEs will see the benefits and overcome their reservations, Glania opines. Besides increasing the financial motivation of companies and reducing the administrative burden, the state may motivate SMEs to join the system by establishing some kind of methodology support, Berithova and Gonda agree. Ministry promises changes Following complaints from the business community, the Education Ministry organised several meetings to collect their comments and proposals. It plans to amend the law on vocational training, promising to establish a system of career counselling and remove administrative obstacles employers face. The new rules may come into force on September 1, 2018, the ministry told The Slovak Spectator. Moreover, SIOV plans to prepare a national project, set to run through 2020, which will be funded from the EU funds. Part of it will consist of the establishment of eight so-called dual points in every self-governing region where parents, employers and schools will find and deal with all documents necessary for joining the system. SIOV expects that 12,000 pupils will participate in dual education thanks to the project. Moreover, it plans to sign 1,450 agreements with secondary vocational schools and train 700 instructors, TASR wrote. Representatives of employers, however, also propose other measures to make the system more attractive, mostly calling for direct financial motivation for employers, simplifying the administrative process, harmonising the offer of specialisations with labour market needs, and better promotion among pupils. We expect that dual education will make a big contribution, but we will be able to evaluate it only after some years when we see how the graduates place in the labour market, Roman Conorto of the Federation of Employers Associations said. Former senior police officer points at suspicious actions of the police during raids of firms belonging to businessman Ladislav Basternak who rose to fame because of his high-profile political connections. Font size: A - | A + Jozef Lutter, who was the deputy-director of the National Unit of the Financial Police of National Criminal Agency (NAKA) in its Bratislava office at the time of the Basternak raids, filed a criminal motion with the General Prosecutors Office in January. In it, he says that the police officers were first called off from the businessmans company. which is also controlled by Marek Turcan, a crony and business partner of Interior Minister Robert Kalinak. Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Later, Kalinak personally might have intervened, Lutter opined for the Dennik N daily. Lutter's testimony has not yet been heard. The raid on June 29, 2016 was carried out at Basternaks house and at his companies registered on Tupeho Street in Bratislava, and the media was informed. Another raid was to be made at another one of his firms, Vega Plus, registered at Karadzicova 10, aimed at his accounting books. But when police arrived there in the morning, the National Criminal Agency (NAKA) officer who was in charge was called off and told not to do any search, Dennik N wrote on March 20. Apart from Basternak, other partners in Vega Plus are Jozef Deak and Marek Turcan. Lawyer Turcan is a business partner of Kalinak, e.g. in the B. A. Haus company, in which Kalinak bought a share from Basternak. In Karadzicova 10, the law agency of Turcan also resides Metis Legal. Jozef Lutter described the recalled raid in his criminal complaint: the police offer in charge described the event and reasoned the call-off with a false pretence, that the address in Karadzicova 10 was meant just for post delivery, and thus it made no sense to make a raid there. This was not true, according to Lutter. The raid was later made on the same day, led by the investigator of the case but in the afternoon, when the moment of surprise was gone. The whistleblower In his motion, since January Lutter has been asking the General Prosecutors Office to investigate who was the person to recall the morning raid. He left the police last October and now is a keeper of a stadium in the town of Krupina. He said, as quoted by Dennik N, that he is ashamed he did not file the motion immediately but cites his cowardice or loss of trust in prosecution bodies to investigate this misstep. Lutter added that he filed the complaint after he watched the reaction of minister Kalinak in January to an interview with former head of the team investigating the Gorilla case, Marek Gajdos. Kalinak opined that Gajdos is already the tenth ex-investigator who says that strange things start happening in politically sensitive cases, but only after they leave the police, and that nobody has filed any official motion yet. Thus, Lutter decided to do so, according to the daily. Kalinak, Police President Tibor Gaspar, Basternak and Turcan were addressed by Dennik N for comments but failed to do so by the deadline. Overlooked by guidebooks, Slovakia is a worthy European destination without the crowds, The Washington Post wrote about the country in mid-March. Font size: A - | A + The writer for The Washington Post, Erica Rosenberg, describes not just the bright moments of a visit to Slovakia but also the shortcomings of the country, mostly connected according to her with lack of skills in tourism and promotion, but also with 40 years of communism. Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement She sees, however, the lower density of tourists and tourism-inspired activities as an advantage, offering a taste of the true and unfeigned Slovak life. Rosenberg also stresses that there are sites worth seeing outside the capital as Lonely Planet devotes more than half of the thin coverage in its six-year-old Czech/Slovak guidebook to Slovakias capital, Bratislava and the majority of those who visit probably only stop in it en route to Vienna or Budapest. She adds that only about 40,000 American tourists visit Slovakia each year, while its more illustrious neighbour and border-mate, the Czech Republic, draws hundreds of thousands, citing the travel writer Rick Steves who deemed Slovakia the West Virginia of Europe. The eastern-Slovak metropolis, Kosice, is what caught her attention, and she describes its centre, around the Hlavna Ulica / Main Street, lined with dramatic monuments including its Baroque Plague Column, erected in 1722 to offer thanks for the plagues end fountains, shops and buildings from the 13th to the 19th century. She also notes a tree-encircled musical fountain that played Yesterday and other familiar tunes; after sunset, coloured lights illuminated jets of water pulsing to the music....; and the local St Elizabeth Cathedral. Eastern Slovakia and more... Apart from Kosice, she also found to her liking the town of Levoca, founded in 1249, with its intact centre of Gothic, Baroque and Renaissance structures painted in pastels, and monuments including the works of local artist Master Pavol. The sprawling ruins of one of central Europes largest fortresses, the UNESCO World Heritage site, Spis Castle, also caught her attention, as did the nearby national parks with significant natural assets Slovak Paradise National Park (aka Slovensky raj), the Alp-like mountains of Tatra National Park, and a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve (with a funicular railroad). In central Slovakia, she mentions the medieval mining town of Banska Stiavnica whose main street winds its way up to the cobblestoned town centre, Trinity Square, and whose charms, culture and food rival those of any Italian hill town with two small-scale castles on either side the 13th-century Old Castle and the 16th-century New Castle both with panoramic views. Medieval towns, natural beauty, cultural riches, magnificent castles, great food, a thriving cafe culture all at affordable prices and with no tourist crowds Maybe its time those guidebooks got an overhaul, Rosenberg concludes. Developments for improving rates even more are planned, says minister. Font size: A - | A + The unemployment rate in February 2017 hit a historical low since December 2008: 8.39 percent. This means that month-on-month, it declined 0.25 percentage point (p. p.), while declining 1.7 p. p. year-on-year (10.09 percent in February 2016). Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement The number of unemployed ready to work immediately was 228,665 in February of this year, the SITA newswire cited the Slovak Centre of Labour, Social Affairs and Family on March 20. It shrunk month-on-month by 6,790 people (i.e. 2.88 percent); while decreasing by 45,537 people (16.61 percent) y-o-y. The total unemployment rate calculated from all job-seekers seekers including those on sick leave and post-graduate internship was 9.8 percent in February 2017; declining 0.25 p.p. against January (10.05 percent) and 2.20 p.p. against last year. The total number of job-seekers stood at 267, 219 people in February 2017. In all regions, a decline in registered unemployment rate (RUR) was found, with the biggest one in the Trencin Region. The biggest RUR in February was in the Presov Region (13.45 percent), followed by the Banska Bystrica Region (12.57 percent), and the Kosice Region (12.91 percent) . The Slovak average is 8.39 percent. As for districts, Rimavska Sobota has the highest registered unemployment rate (24.76 percent), with the lowest (3.01 percent) being in the Trnava District. There were 40,809 vacancies in February 2017. Labour minister: development can still be improved The favourable development in the unemployment rate has been preserved, Labour Minister Jan Richter said, as quoted by the TASR newswire. We have a nine-year minimum of the total number of unemployed, Richter noted, adding that all realistic conditions for the further decrease in the unemployment rate and increase in the employment rate for the upcoming period have been created. Of the total number of unemployed, 96,500 were registered for a period up to six months with a realistic chance to return to the labour market. A total of 137,000 people have been registered for up to one year, and 130,000 for more than 12 months. There are more projects being prepared to further boost employment, especially to help include the long-term unemployed, Richter summed up for TASR. New Delhi, Mar 20 (IBNS): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said the approval of the four Goods and Services Tax-related bills by the Union Cabinet is a boost to his government's reform agenda. "Crucial bills relating to GST have been approved by the Cabinet, giving a boost to our reform agenda," the Prime Minister tweeted. The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved four Goods and Services Tax-related bills on Monday, which were earlier discussed and approved by the GST Council. The four bills to be tabled in the parliament are the Central Goods and Services Tax Bill 2017 (The CGST Bill); the Integrated Goods and Services Tax Bill 2017 (The IGST Bill); the Union Territory Goods and Services Tax Bill 2017 (The UTGST Bill); and the Goods and Services Tax (Compensation to the States) Bill 2017 (The Compensation Bill). The above four Bills were earlier approved by the GST Council after thorough, clause by clause, discussion over 12 meetings of the Council held in the past six months. The CGST Bill makes provisions for levy and collection of tax on intra-state supply of goods or services for both by the Central Government. On the other hand, IGST Bill makes provisions for levy and collection of tax on inter-state supply of goods or services or both by the Central Government. The UTGST Bill makes provisions for levy on collection of tax on intra-UT supply of goods and services in the Union Territories without legislature. Union Territory GST is akin to States Goods and Services Tax (SGST) which shall be levied and collected by the States/Union Territories on intra-state supply of goods or services or both. The Compensation Bill provides for compensation to the states for loss of revenue arising on account of implementation of the goods and services tax for a period of five years as per section 18 of the Constitution (One Hundred and First Amendment) Act, 2016. The Government is committed to introduce GS as early as possible. GST Council has decided July 1 as the date of commencement of GST. The Finance Minister in his Budget Speech said that country-wide outreach efforts will be made to explain the provisions of GST to Trade and Industry. Spain is home to more than 100,000 British pensioners. Most moved there many years ago to enjoy their retirement with the understanding that they would be able to export their pension and healthcare rights with them. But since the UKs vote to leave the European Union, these rights are no longer guaranteed, and pensioners Ive spoken to in Spain are uncertain about their futures. It is often assumed that British people who retire to Spain are wealthy and spend their days sipping cocktails on the verandas of their luxury villas. While this is true for a small number, the vast majority are not wealthy. Instead they moved to Spain to make their limited retirement income go further because of the lower cost of living. In my research on retirement migration over the last decade, Ive spoken to numerous British people living in Spain who are entirely reliant on a British state pension as their only form of income. Many have now become elderly and are in need of additional care and support. They had been getting by with support from friends or voluntary organisations that operate in Spain. However, since the EU referendum, their lives have become fragile and uncertain. Health and pensions By and large the main concern for these pensioners is healthcare and whether they will still be able to access free healthcare once the UK leaves the EU. The governments recent Brexit white paper recognises the importance of access to healthcare by British nationals living in the EU. Spanish president Mariano Rajoy has also indicated that he wants an early agreement to secure their rights. But so far, no such agreement has been reached. Pensioners who are currently entitled to free healthcare via reciprocal arrangements between EU members are concerned that on Brexit day they will simply not be able to access the healthcare services upon which they depend an issue highlighted in work by law scholars Tamara Hervey at the University of Sheffield and Joaquin Cayon-De Las Cuevas at the University of Cantabria. Story continues Another concern is pensions and whether annual increases in the state pension will continue to be paid after Brexit. These increments are not paid to those living outside of the EU in countries like Canada and Australia, whose state pension is frozen at the amount it was when they left the UK. Its possible the same rules could apply to those living in or moving to EU countries after Brexit. In the meantime, the maximum British state pension of around 480 a month is barely enough to cover living costs and is low by European standards in comparison the Spanish state pension averages around 900 (790) a month. British pensioners in Spain told me they have already been affected by a drop in the value of the pound since the referendum. For some this has meant cutting out on the luxuries such as having a meal out. For others, this means not being able to turn on the heating (yes it does get cold in Spain in the winter), or cutting back on care. www.shutterstock.com Ralphs story On a trip to southern Spain in February 2017 I met a gentleman in his 90s who moved to Spain nearly 30 years ago. Ill call him Ralph as he wanted to keep his identity anonymous. Ralph worked in the UK his whole career and when he developed severe arthritis in his 60s he was advised by his doctor to move to a sunny climate to enhance his quality of life. So, like many others, he chose Spain where his small state pension would go further. His health showed remarkable improvements and his regular hospital visits ceased. Nearly 30 years later he has become frail and can no longer walk unaided. Following the death of his wife some years ago he now pays for a private carer to help him wash, dress and cook each day. He has found state-funded care is in short supply in Spain. A Spanish law introduced in 2007 means all residents are entitled to state-funded care, but a person needs to have very high care needs to qualify and waiting lists are long due to funding cuts over the last few years. Since the drop in the value of the pound, Ralphs rent, heating and carer costs exceed his state pension. He is very worried, not only about his spiralling living and care costs, but also his access to healthcare. He would not be able to pay even a small contribution towards healthcare and feels that if there is no deal for British pensioners in Spain after Brexit he would have no option but to return to the UK to ensure continued access to healthcare under the NHS. But he does not want to return as his home is in Spain and knows that his health will decline in the cold weather. Ralph is one of many people I spoke to who are in a similar situation: they dont want to return to the UK but fear they may have to if access to healthcare in Spain is not guaranteed. But for some, the only solution will be to return to the relative safety of the UK NHS and broader welfare state. These people did choose to move overseas, but they chose to live in Spain with the understanding that they would be able to transfer their healthcare and pension rights with them. And those who had lived overseas for more than 15 years were not even entitled to vote and so were denied any say in their future. This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article. The Conversation Kelly Hall 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 Rod Nickel and David Ljunggren WINNIPEG, Manitoba/OTTAWA (Reuters) - Nearly half of Canadians want to deport people who are illegally crossing into Canada from the United States, and a similar number disapprove of how Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is handling the influx, according to a Reuters/Ipsos opinion poll released on Monday. A significant minority, four out of 10 respondents, said the border crossers could make Canada "less safe," underlining the potential political risk for Trudeau's Liberal government. The increasing flow of hundreds of asylum-seekers of African and Middle Eastern origin from the United States in recent months is becoming a contentious issue in Canada. Although there has been broad bipartisan support for high levels of legal immigration for decades in Canada, Trudeau is under pressure over the flow of the illegal migrants. He is questioned about it almost every time he appears in parliament, from opponents on the left, who want more asylum-seekers to be allowed in, and critics on the right, who say the migrants pose a potential security risk. Canadian opposition parties seized on the poll results, with both those on the left and the right saying they underscored their positions. Canadians appeared to be just as concerned about illegal immigration as American, according to the poll, which was conducted between March 8-9. Some 48 percent supported "increasing the deportation of people living in Canada illegally." (For graphics on asylum process, immigration poll see http://tmsnrt.rs/2nyY8CJ) When asked specifically about the recent border crossings, the same number - 48 percent - said Canada should "send these migrants back to the U.S." Another 36 percent said Canada should "accept these migrants". In the United States, where President Donald Trump was elected partly on his promise to boost deportations, 50 percent of adults supported "increasing the deportation of illegal immigrants," according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted in the same week. Illegal migrants interviewed by Reuters in Canada said they had been living legally in the United States and had applied for asylum there. But they fled for fear of being enmeshed in Trump's immigration crackdown. Kevin O'Leary and Kellie Leitch, top contenders to be leader of the official opposition right-leaning Conservative Party, both said the poll showed they were right to demand Ottawa deter border crossers. Like Trump, O'Leary is a brash businessman and television personality with little experience of politics. The left-leaning opposition New Democrats said given the poll showed Canadians wanted asylum seekers to cross the border legally, Ottawa should suspend an agreement with the United States whereby Canada turns back refugees from the United States if they try to make claims at border crossings. WARMING WEATHER POSES RISK Support for deportations was strongest among men, adults lacking a college degree, people who are older and those with higher levels of income. "There are so many people in the world who want to come in and go through the right channels," said Greg Janzen, elected leader of a Manitoba border municipality that has seen many crossers. "That's what's pissing most people off. These guys are jumping the border," he said. Forty-six percent feel the influx would have no effect on safety, while 41 percent said it would make Canada less safe, according to the poll. "Refugees are much more welcomed when we have gone and selected them ourselves as a country, as opposed to refugees who have chosen us," said Janet Dench, executive director of Canadian Council for Refugees. Of those polled, 46 percent disagreed with how Trudeau was handling the situation, 37 percent agreed, while 17 percent did not know. In January, a separate Ipsos poll found 59 percent of Canadians approved of Trudeau, while 41 percent disapproved. Trudeau faces no immediate threat, since the next elections are not until 2019. His office declined to comment on the poll. Brian Lee Crowley, head of the Macdonald-Laurier Institute public policy think-tank, said the number of illegal migrants could spike as the weather warms, and "if people become convinced there's a large uncontrolled flow of illegal immigrants, I think that will be a very serious political issue for the government." Authorities dismiss the idea they are being lax. Dan Brien, spokesman for Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale, said trying to slip across the border "is not a 'free' ticket to Canada," and noted all the asylum-seekers are immediately arrested. "If they are found to be inadmissible without a valid claim, deportation procedures are begun," he said when pressed on the poll. Those who cannot be identified, are a flight risk or pose a public danger can be detained, he added. According to a separate Ipsos poll, 23 percent of Canadians listed immigration control as among the top national issues in March, up from 17 percent in December. It ranks behind healthcare, taxes, unemployment and poverty as top concerns. Ottawa set an immigration target of 300,000 for 2017, or just under 1 percent of the population, the same level as 2016. It reduced the 2017 target for resettled refugees to 25,000 from 44,800 in 2016, when it welcomed 25,000 Syrian refugees. The Reuters/Ipsos poll was conducted online in English and French throughout Canada. It included responses from 1,001 people 18 years or older. Individual responses were weighted according to the latest population estimates, so that the results reflect the entire population. The poll has a credibility interval, a measure of accuracy, of 4 percentage points. (Reporting by David Ljunggren, Rod Nickel and Chris Kahn, additional reporting by Anna Mehler Paperny, editing by Amran Abocar and Ross Colvin) By Jonathan Saul and Parisa Hafezi LONDON/ANKARA (Reuters) - Iran has asked the Bank of England to set up special clearing accounts for its banks, but has so far been rebuffed in its effort to resolve an impasse that has left it excluded from banking in London more than a year after sanctions were lifted. Tehran has been hoping for swift reintegration into global trade after its deal in 2015 aimed at curbing Tehran's nuclear programme in return for the lifting of international sanctions. Its failure to persuade Western banks to accept its business has been one of the main choke points preventing its rehabilitation. Banking sources from both Iran and the West, and Iranian political sources close to the talks, said Tehran has approached the Bank of England to seek clearing accounts directly with the UK central bank. Such accounts, for Iran's own Central Bank or for the British subsidiaries of Iranian banks, would allow them to make and receive payments in sterling, business so far rejected by commercial banks. "That would send a huge message to the market. What commercial bank is practically going to stop Bank of England payments? None," said one Western source. However, the sources said the BoE seems uninterested in resolving the problem for now. "The Bank of England has proved resistant to intervening in any kind of positive way in order to assist trade between Iran and UK," said the Western source. A senior Iranian banking official in Tehran said: "The Bank of England has suspended anything related to Iran, even the latest scheduled meeting was cancelled. Everything has been put on hold." A Bank of England spokesman declined to comment. Iran's Central Bank officials were not available to comment. The sources all spoke on condition of anonymity as talks between Iran and the bank have not officially been made public. Although EU and United Nations sanctions over Iran's nuclear programme were lifted a year ago, the United States still has separate measures in place over Iran's missile programme, and the new U.S. administration has promised a hard line. The risk of falling afoul of U.S. measures has been enough to persuade Western banks to steer clear, including in London, where Iran is particularly keen for a presence in the main global financial centre outside of the United States. Even Iran's embassy in London has so far been unable to open a British bank account. Three Iranian banks have subsidiaries with licenses to operate in Britain: Melli Bank Plc, Bank Sepah International Plc and Persia International Bank Plc. But none has been able to persuade a commercial bank to clear its payments in sterling, the British currency. "TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE" "It is totally unacceptable that a UK bank which has a banking licence, which is in good standing with its regulators, is unable to access the sterling system," said Sue Millar, partner with law firm Stephenson Harwood that represents those three UK-based arms of Iranian banks, as well as Bank Saderat Plc, which remains on the U.S. blacklist. Iran considers the failure of Western countries to allow it back into the international financial system to violate the spirit of the 2015 nuclear deal. It says Britain in particular, given its large capital markets, should do more to ensure Iranian banks operating there legally are treated fairly. The issue is particularly sensitive within Iran for the future of the nuclear deal's architect, President Hasan Rouhani, a pragmatist elected in a landslide in 2013 on a promise to reduce Iran's economic isolation. He faces re-election in May against hardliners who say his deal has never yielded the promised economic benefits. The UK government, eager to boost trade with new markets like Iran after last year's vote to leave the European Union, has struggled to convince British banks to boost trade with Iran, sources have told Reuters. British trade minister Liam Fox told a parliamentary committee last week he had commissioned work from his department to look at how to normalise "effective payment channels" with Iran to try to open up trading opportunities. An official close to Rouhani said while the British government had promised to do more, so far there had been no progress. The senior Iranian banking official added that meetings between Iranian and British government officials had yielded no change in the commercial banks' policies. "They (banks) are worried about Trump's Iran approach - and now that Iran has been 'put on notice', the process will be much more difficult," the official said, referring to remarks made in Washington last month by then U.S. national security advisor Michael Flynn threatening an unspecified response after an Iranian ballistic missile test. In response to questions from Reuters, the British government said it was committed to working closely with all parties, including UK banks and industry groups, to help open opportunities for trade between Britain and Iran. "This will be a vital part of Iran's re-integration into the international community and we will continue to work to strengthen and expand our trading relationship for mutual benefit," said a statement attributed to a government spokesperson. "IRANOPHOBIA" In April last year, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei accused Washington of undermining the nuclear deal by scaring investors away from Iran. "On paper America lets foreign banks deal with Iran, but in practise they create Iranophobia so no one does business with Iran," Khamenei said at the time. In addition to concern over the remaining U.S. sanctions, banks are wary of business with Iran because of the high cost of ensuring that any transactions comply with rules. Iran is one of just two countries, along with North Korea, declared "high risk and non-cooperative jurisdictions" by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), a global group of nations that monitors money laundering. Iran is implementing an "action plan" to have that designation lifted, and the watchdog has set a June 2017 deadline to evaluate its progress. Meanwhile, the FATF still advises countries to tell their banks to impose extra due diligence on transactions with Iranians. The FATF's guidance cites in particular the risk of funding terrorism. Banking officials said reintegrating Iranian banks into the financial system would take time, and may require support from the government to help allay the cost to commercial banks of taking on added risk and performing additional checks. "When you have had such broad ranging sanctions over such a long period of time, it is completely unrealistic to re-enter this space without considerable risk analysis. That may involve creative risk sharing," said Justine Walker, director financial crime with industry lobby the British Bankers' Association. "So, industry will be looking at some kind of tie up with government." For Iranians hoping to trade abroad, that means waiting. "As a businessman, I cannot open an account in Britain's major banks. How am I supposed to do business with the world?" said the chief executive of an import-export company in Tehran, who asked not to be identified. (Editing by Peter Graff) WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said on Monday he received assurances during talks with President Donald Trump and his administration of increasing American support as he presses his country's campaign against Islamic State. "We have been given assurances that the (U.S.) support will not only continue but will accelerate for Iraq to accomplish the task," Abadi said following talks with Trump at the White House. (Reporting by Phil Stewart and Yara Bayoumy) WARSAW (Reuters) - Poland promised on Monday to put up a tough fight at the European Union's anniversary summit later this week, with the country's most powerful politician saying Warsaw will not bow to any form of a multi-speed Europe. The March 25 EU summit marking the 60th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome, which paved the way for European integration, will ponder the bloc's future without Britain. Some euro zone leaders back the idea of letting some member states push ahead with further integration without the whole bloc following suit. EU chief executive Jean-Claude Juncker, who presented options for reforming the bloc to be discussed at the Rome summit, also has spoken positively of some states pushing ahead more quickly with integration. "We cannot accept any announcements of a two-speed Europe," Jaroslaw Kaczynski, the leader of the governing eurosceptic Law and Justice Party (PiS), told the weekly wSieci. "This would mean either pushing us out of the European Union or downgrading us to an inferior category of members," he said. "We must oppose that with all firmness." Poland was the sole opponent to the reappointment on March 9 of Donald Tusk, Kaczynski's political nemesis, as the European Council chairman. That a move that further isolated Warsaw from Brussels and cost PiS some domestic support. A new poll by the IBRiS pollster for the Rzeczpospolita daily showed that support for PiS was down 5 percentage points after Warsaw's fight over Tusk, while the main opposition party that once had Tusk as its chief gained 10 points. Kaczynski did not reveal any strategy or concrete steps Poland will present at the Rome summit, saying only: "We will fight for Polish interests with full determination." The European Union is effectively already multi-speed through the enhanced cooperation mechanism that lets groups of countries cooperate on specific issues without engaging the whole bloc. The euro zone is the clearest example of this. Prime Minister Beata Szydlo will head the Polish delegation. (Writing by Lidia Kelly; Editing by Tom Heneghan) Professor Stephen Hawking knows a lot about space and now hes announced that he is actually going there. The physicist and cosmologist, 75, said he had not expected to have the opportunity to experience space but that Virgin boss Sir Richard Branson had offered him a seat on Virgin Galactic. Discussing the meaning of happiness on Good Morning Britain, he said: My three children have brought me great joy. And I can tell you what will make me happy, to travel in space. Professor Stephen Hawking is going to space on a Virgin Galactic flight (PA) I thought no one would take me but Richard Branson has offered me a seat on Virgin Galactic, and I said yes immediately. Professor Hawking also shared his views on US President Donald Trump and Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn during the interview and he didnt hold back. The scientist who previously referred to Mr Trump as a demagogue said he still admires America but fears that he may not be welcome there any more. MORE: A gift to our enemies: Ex-British ambassador slams White Houses dangerous wiretap claims MORE: The Evening Standard accused George Osborne of a conflict of interest in yesterdays edition He said: The reaction to the election of Donald Trump may have been overdone, but it represents a definite swing to a right-wing, more authoritarian approach. Everyday life in the United States continues much the same. I have many friends and colleagues there, and it is still a place I like and admire in many ways. Stephen Hawking announced his plans on Good Morning Britain (ITV) I would like to visit again and to talk to other scientists but I fear that I may not be welcome. Professor Hawking added of Mr Corbyn: I dont believe there will be much chance of Labour winning an election under him. He doesnt come across as a strong leader, and he allowed the media to portray him as a left-wing extremist, which hes not. Its no good having the right principles if you never get in power. But he added: I will continue to vote Labour, its the party that matters. Host Piers Morgan also quizzed Professor Hawking about Brexit. Story continues The scientist, who was opposed to leaving the EU, said if the referendum decision must be implemented it shouldnt be a hard Brexit as the right wing of the Conservative Party want. He added: That would leave us isolated and inward-looking. Instead, we should retain as many links as possible with Europe and the rest of the world, particularly China. Professor Hawking also warned that leaving Europe threatens Britains status as a world leader in science and innovation. Top pic: ITV Mumbai, Mar 20 (IBNS): ESAF Small Finance Bank, Kerala's first private sector commercial scheduled bank, was launched in Thrissur, the cultural capital of Kerala. The bank, promoted by ESAF Micro Finance and Investments (P) Ltd, was launched by Chief Minister of Kerala, Pinarayi Vijayan. The banks ATM cum debit cards, digital banking platforms including website were launched during the function. ESAF, the first Small Finance Bank from Kerala, is planning to open 85 branches across the country in the first year, of which RBI approval has been obtained for opening 15 branches on the inaugural day. All the branches are full-fledged retail branches and will start operations from next week. As per the RBI guidelines, the bank is required to open 25% of the branches in unbanked rural centres. The first 15 branches will be opened majorly at such locations and also in the major centres in Kerala. The Bank is also planning to open branches in Metropolitan cities like Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Mumbai and New Delhi in the first year. Locations have been identified in these cities and work has already started in some of these cities. The bank proposes to offer between 5.75 per cent and 9 per cent for term deposits of varying maturities. For savings deposits, the rates vary from 6 per cent to 7 per cent, based on the outstanding balance in the account. Senior citizens will be entitled to an additional 0.05 per cent for term deposits. ESAF Micro Finance, which presently has a network of 285 branches in 93 districts spread over 11 states, will currently convert all its existing branches into customer service centres or ultra-small branches or satellite offices, said bank Managing Director and CEO Paul K Thomas, ESAF. Micro Finance, which owe its success to the door step delivery of services, will replicate the same model for the bank. We are planning to appoint 10,000 banking associates for providing services at doorstep. The associates will provide service such as account opening, banking transactions and small value loans, he added. ESAF, which has own fund of over INR 300 crore, recently raised another INR 330 crore through the issue of commercial papers. The bank is targeting a business of INR 20,000 crore by 2020. The bank is supported by a strong board chaired by R. Prabha, former Chairman, Kerala Grahmin Bank. Inaugurating the Bank the Chief Minister said that the bank should work for the marginalized section of the society who still does not have access to banking services. He reiterated that it should work for the needy as the meaning of the word ESAF in Arab means giving relief. ESAF has already been involved in educating the banking illiterate about creating awareness about various pension schemes and bank support for agriculture sector. Unveiling the ATM cum Debit card of the bank, Leader of Opposition party in the state, Ramesh Chennithala pointed out that the nationalized banks have these days moved away from the poor despite the poor and marginalized are in the forefront to repay their loan compared to the big corporates. Debit Cards were distributed to selected five women beneficiaries from the states Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Madhya Pradesh. The bank will launch a novel social deposit scheme, Hridaya Deposit, for HNI and NRI customers. It will enable the customers to contribute to the overall development of the underdeveloped segments in the society. The minimum deposit limit for the scheme is INR 15,00,000 and there is no cap on the maximum limit. As a value added service the customers will be provided facilities for making video calls to the kith and kin free of cost at the bank branches. The bank has introduced paper less account opening, cash home delivery, Biometrics facility for online money transfer and online shopping facility. We are planning to construct 25 houses for the homeless from among our members and will give scholarships for the students. Best women entrepreneur will be recognized added Paul Thomas. Donald Trump being schooled on Twitter is nothing new but now he has been left burned by an extremely high-powered official. Ranking Democratic congressman Adam Schiff tweeted a scathing response to the President when he declared the hearings into his administrations tied with Russia as fake news. Refusing to take the now-standard phrase used by Trump to criticise unflattering news reports, Schiff tweeted back: Mr. President, the Russians hacked our election and interfered. As you will see during our hearing, Mr. President, there is no evidence Mr. Obama tapped your phones. This is what is called fiction. Adam Schiff (@RepAdamSchiff) March 20, 2017 The intelligence community concluded the Russians will interfere again. This is why full investigation is important to country. Please stop. Adam Schiff (@RepAdamSchiff) March 20, 2017 No one disputes this now, but you. This is what is called fact. Not stopping there, Schiff went on to tweet: As you will see during our hearing, Mr. President, there is no evidence Mr. Obama tapped your phones. This is what is called fiction. Now on a roll, Schiff then blasted the President for accusing the British of colluding on wiretapping during the US election. MORE: Downing Street denies snap election to be held in May MORE: Nicola Sturgeon calls Theresa May worse than Thatcher as Downing Street fails to tell Scotland its Brexit plan He added: Your suggestion British wiretapped you & jape with Merkel are harming our relationships with key allies. This is called collateral damage. The intelligence community concluded the Russians will interfere again. This is why full investigation is important to country. Please stop. Donald Trump claimed stories about ties to Russia were fake news (Rex) FBI Director James Comey has said at a hearing today that it is investigating possible links between Trumps campaign and Russias attempt to disrupt the US election. Story continues Donald Trump has claimed that links to Russia were made up by the Democrats after Hillary Clinton lost the election. Top pic: Rex FILE - In this March 26, 2006, file photo, U.N. troops from Uruguay march during a transitional ceremony at the U.N. Spain base in Forte-Liberte, Haiti. Uruguay's president Tabare Vazquez said Monday, March 20, 2017, that his country is pulling its soldiers out of a United Nations peacekeeping mission in Haiti, where they have served since 2004. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos, File) MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay (AP) Uruguay will soon pull its soldiers out of a United Nations stabilization mission in Haiti that began operations in 2004 and is facing sharp cutbacks, the leader of the South American country announced Monday. President Tabare Vazquez said at a public event that his country's troop contributions to the Haiti mission will end this month and the roughly 250 Uruguayan peacekeepers will return home in early April. The country had as many as 1,000 forces deployed in Haiti at the height of the mission. U.N. deputy spokesman Farhan Haq in New York expressed appreciation for Uruguay's contribution and said, "If their rotation is going to be ending now and they'll be moving out, what we're going to try to do is make sure that they can be quickly replaced so that there's no security void in the country." The announcement by the Uruguayan leader comes days after U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told the world body's Security Council that he believed that "the military component should undergo a staggered but complete withdrawal of the 2,370 personnel" in Haiti. The soldiers come from 19 countries. In a March 16 report, Guterres called for the military component of the Haiti mission to be wrapped up six months after its current mandate expires in April. He also said the number of "formed police units" should be reduced from 11 to seven, with individual officers cut from 1,001 to 295, to continue efforts to strengthen the Haitian National Police and ensure "a progressive testing" of their capacity to assume full security responsibilities. The U.N. Security Council is due to debate Guterres' recommendations and vote on the future of Haiti operations in mid-April. The U.S. administration of President Donald Trump has pushed for cutbacks in an operation that costs $346 million a year. Washington, the Haiti mission's main check-writer, is reviewing all 16 U.N. peacekeeping missions. Col. Luis Antonio Ferreira Marques Ramos, deputy commander of the Brazilian peacekeeper contingent in Haiti, recently told The Associated Press that "the important thing is to leave in a good way." The U.N.'s first-ever "stabilization" mission came to Haiti in 2004 following a rebellion that ousted President Jean-Bertrand Aristide and had the chronically troubled country on the brink of collapse. A lawsuit filed last month alleges that Albuquerque Public Schools employees physically restrained a nonspeaking special education elementary school student and left her soiled all day, according to court documents. The child experienced restraint during the 2013-14 and 2014-15 school years when she was in kindergarten and first grade. During that time, she also needed help going to the bathroom, used pull-ups and was dependent on school staff to change her. Because she cannot speak, the child had no ability to come home and report to her parents what had happened at school, leaving her parents dependent on APS for information about their daughters health and safety at school. But according to the lawsuit, the district does not have any policy requiring teachers and staff who work with nonspeaking students to offer daily reports informing parents of events that might affect their childs well-being. Gail Stewart, the attorney representing the childs family, said that the restraint was a result of people with inadequate training being frustrated. And she said that kids who experience restraint or seclusion can regress, act out or respond emotionally. The lawsuit alleges that use of physical restraint on a young child is akin to corporal punishment, and has no teaching purpose or value and is known to cause trauma. When a parent sees a response and has no narrative from the school about what the childs been through, she said, theres obviously no way to connect the dots. Johanna King, APS spokeswoman, said the district does not comment on lawsuits. APS policy is to train its staff who work with students who have disabilities to employ physical restraint as a response to nonconforming behaviors, and to withhold notice to parents when restraint is used in a special education classroom, the lawsuit argues. These incidents do happen with some frequency; parents are not notified, Stewart said. And I think that the citizenry of New Mexico needs to understand that there is no law right now. School personnel are not accountable for this conduct or even for reporting it. The family is seeking damages in an amount to be determined at trial. They allege that the school district was negligent and breached its duty to care for the girl. Who will be the next leaders in the food, agriculture and natural resources industries in New Mexico? The 4-H and FFA youth development programs instill leadership qualities in school- and college-age youth that they might then call upon in their daily lives or in the future during their careers. But who will step up now as leaders and have the skills to translate the industries concerns into proposals for change, agreements or laws? That question is being addressed by the New Mexico Agricultural Leadership program housed at New Mexico State Universitys College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences. The purpose is to identify and support effective leadership within sectors of food, agriculture and natural resources in New Mexico, said Claudia Trueblood. Trueblood is the coordinator of the NMAL program that was founded in 2001 by the New Mexico Department of Agriculture and transferred to NMSU in 2008. The program aids participants in the development of skills so they can become stronger and more effective leaders in their industry and communities, she said. This goal is accomplished by exposing class members to direct experiences and interactions with a variety of businesses, social settings and political environments, both domestically and internationally. We want to develop knowledgeable, multicultural leaders for New Mexicos food, agricultural and natural resources industries, Trueblood said. The current class members are Lacy Levine, NMDA program manager, agricultural programs and resources division in Las Cruces; Dustin Ptolemy, Farm Credit of New Mexico, vice president, business development manager in Roswell; Valerie Huerta, New Mexico Farm and Livestock Bureau, regional director in Mora; Newt McCarty, NMSU Cooperative Extension Service agricultural agent in Valencia County; Ryan Garcia, NAPI assistant corn crop manager in Farmington; Cheri Lujan, East Torrance Soil and Water Conservation District district manager in Estancia; Alicia Briggs, New Mexico Cattle Growers Association deputy director in Albuquerque; Shannon Norris, NMSU College of ACES recruiting and retention coordinator; and Toby Boone, Sierra Soil and Water Conservation District district manager in Truth or Consequences. During the 15-month program, eight seminars include meetings with experts in their respective fields, on-site tours, and meetings with business and government leaders. This program is designed for individuals interested in improving their leadership skills for their current and future careers, Trueblood said. The participants have the opportunity to deepen their understanding about themselves and about issues relevant to our state. Through the seminars, participants enhance their knowledge and understanding of major issues relevant to leaders in their fields. Topics include economics and policy; national and international trade; cultural awareness; energy, including renewable, and oil and gas; water issues and management; urban vs. rural agriculture; and the role of institutions. On-site tours allow the class members to broaden their perspectives by understanding processes through asking questions directly to the people responsible for the operation, Trueblood said. The tours take them to all parts of the state, from the Navajo Nation in the Four Corners region to the oil fields of southeast New Mexico. They also spend time in Santa Fe visiting with state leaders about issues affecting the industries. The seminars include trips to Washington, D.C., and a foreign country. This year, it will be Belize, where the members will meet business and government leaders. The application period for the next class of the New Mexico Agricultural Leadership program is currently open. To learn more about the program and to apply, visit aces.nmsu.edu/nmal/. Its the aroma. Thats what first hits you when you walk through the front doors of Red Rock Roasters at 4801 Jefferson NE. And its an experience that doesnt end until you leave the store. The locally owned and operated coffee wholesaler has been brewing since 1993, when it began in a barn in Corrales. Soon after founder Daniel Langer opened for business, his wife Nancy opened a Red Rock Roasters cafe in Rio Rancho. It did very well thanks to the Intel crowd, says daughter, Rachel Langer. But the focus shifted to wholesale coffee. Recently, the business was passed on to Rachel, who has decided to ride the coattails of the local beer brewing scene. Much like the local brewers, Red Rock is focusing on education. After all, it wasnt long ago that tastings and variety were largely considered the province of the wine world. People smirked at the idea of fine beers. Coffee has had less of an uphill battle in convincing the public of a wide range of tastes and quality, but it does face a challenge in the stereotype of overpriced water and beans. Thats where Red Rocks Roasters new tasting room and cupping lab comes in. The younger Langer hosts weekly classes for 15 to 20 coffee enthusiasts, and speaks on subjects such as how different beans and roasting techniques affect taste and how brewing can take an ordinary coffee to the next level. We want to be more accessible to the public, but the main thing we want to show is that being a snob about it doesnt make coffee better, Langer says. The new space is simple and modern. It displays teas and coffees for sale, as well as barista supplies. It feels like a mix between a cafe and a modern kitchen. In the back, Eugene Duran, the master roaster, operates the large hot-air roaster and decides which recipes to use to give each blend a specific taste. Red Rock Roasters, Duran points out, loves to get involved in the community. It gives leftover beans and other scraps, for example, to local farmers to use as fertilizer and chicken feed. Classes are held twice a month at Red Rocks Roasters. They are free, but Rachel suggests a $5 donation to the Cafe Femenino Foundation, a Washington-based charity that helps women coffee producers support their families. The next class will be at 10 a.m. April 15. Classes last roughly 1 hours. For more information on scheduling and topics, go to the companys blog section at www.redrockroasters.com. Wild Birds Unlimited When Mary Schmauss moved to Albuquerque to help her sister open a birding shop, she didnt know what to expect. From a suburb of Chicago, Schmauss was unsure about the market opportunities here. But her fears were unfounded; Wild Birds Unlimited celebrated its 25th anniversary in December. We had never been to New Mexico before, Schmauss said. But my sister and I always wanted to work with birds and we saw that not only was Albuquerque an unclaimed franchise space for Wild Birds Unlimited, but the entire Southwest was wide open. In December 1991, the sisters opened Wild Birds Unlimited on Montgomery at Louisiana Plaza, a location it still occupies today. It became the first hobby bird-feeding shop in the Southwest, Schmauss says. We are experts in birds of the region, she says. Schmauss offers competitive prices while understanding that she needs to supplement that with quality and expertise in order to compete with the big-box stores. Her seed blends are mixed especially for birds of the region and contain zero filler. Many other retailers sell seed mix that is up to 70 percent filler, meaning the birds discard it and create a mess, Schmaus says. She says she hopes customers will see the value in buying a slightly more expensive product that is 100 percent edible for birds. She is also grateful that her business has had the ability to withstand changes in the retail marketplace. Albuquerque has been so good to us, she says. We know that. But its also hard to buy bird seed online. That helps. Frost, A Gelato Shoppe Frost, A Gelato Shoppe is expanding to Nob Hill. The Albuquerque-based gelato eatery will take over the iconic location once occupied by Kurts Camera Corral at 3417 Central NE. We are excited to be a part of the Nob Hill business community, says owner Daniel Romero. Its kind of a mixed bag. We are super excited to be there, but you hate to see a great business like (Kurts Camera Corral) leave. Frost has been booming since a somewhat rocky start in Uptown in November 2013. We opened in the winter, Romero says, before adding, in the middle of a blizzard. Not optimal gelato weather. Weather wasnt the only challenge. A lot of people out here didnt even know what gelato is. Market education was a big part of the plan, he says. Frost offers more than 30 flavors of gelato daily and coffee that is flavored with gelato rather than cream. We import all dry stock direct from Italy, so its very fresh, he says. No preservatives or additives, either. Were very proud of that. When Frost took over the space at Kurts Camera Corral, it was basically just a concrete block, Romero says. The location has required major renovations, but work is coming along steadily and the new location is on track for an April 14 opening. If you have retail news to share, contact me at thood@abqjournal.com or 823-3953. For more regular updates on Albuquerque shopping and restaurant news, visit my blog at ABQjournal.com or follow @hood_abqjournal on Twitter. BEIT SHEMESH, Israel In a cavernous warehouse where Israel stores its archaeological treasures, an ancient burial box is inscribed with the name of Jesus. Not THAT Jesus. Archaeologists in Israel say Jesus was a common name in the Holy Land 2,000 years ago, and that they have found about 30 ancient burial boxes inscribed with it. Ahead of Easter, Israels antiquities authority opened up its vast storeroom to reporters on Sunday for a peek at unearthed artifacts from the time of Jesus. Experts say they have yet to find direct archaeological evidence of Jesus Christ, but in recent years have found a wealth of material that helps fill out historians understanding of how Jesus may have lived and died. Theres good news, said Gideon Avni, head of the archaeological division of the Israel Antiquities Authority. Today we can reconstruct very accurately many, many aspects of the daily life of the time of Christ. Israel is one of the most excavated places on the planet. Some 300 digs take place each year, including about 50 foreign expeditions from as far away as the United States and Japan, the Antiquities Authority said. About 40,000 artifacts are dug up in Israel each year. A third of all the antiquities found attest to the ancient Christian presence in the Holy Land, Avni said. Historians now know how long it took to travel between cities and villages where Jesus preached, and what those places looked like at the time. Avni said knowledge of the period has advanced over the past 20 years. We can reconstruct precisely how the country looked, he said. In a brightly-lit, 5,000-square meter (54,000-sq. feet) warehouse crammed with stacks of ancient jugs and pottery sherds what the Antiquities Authority calls its Ali Baba cave of ancient treasures officials set up a simple white table with finds from the time of Jesus. There were well-preserved limestone drinking cups and dishes, widely used by Jews in the Holy Land at the time as part of their strict practice to ensure the ritual purity of their food. There was an intricately decorated limestone burial box belonging to a scion of the high priest Caiaphas, known in the New Testament for his involvement in delivering Jesus to the Roman authorities who crucified him. In ancient times, families would gather the bones of the deceased and place them into boxes known as ossuaries. They also showed off a replica of a major artifact located in the Israel Museum in Jerusalem a heel bone pierced by an iron nail with wood fragments on each end, discovered in a Jewish burial box in northern Jerusalem dating to the 1st century AD. To date, its the only evidence found of a victim of Roman crucifixion buried according to Jewish custom. It has helped archaeologists reconstruct how the man was crucified with his feet nailed to the sides of the cross. Avni said Jesus may have been crucified in the same manner, unlike the way the crucifixion is depicted in traditional Christian art. Across from cardboard boxes marked bones from Bethsaida of the New Testament, a massive stone block sat on a wooden crate on the warehouse floor. The stone bears an apparent carved depiction of the Second Jewish Temple, and was discovered in 2009 at the site of an ancient synagogue on the shores of the Sea of Galilee. Archaeologists have suggested Jesus may have preached in the synagogue. Avni said there is no reason to believe Jesus did not exist just because archaeologists havent found physical evidence of him. You have to remember that Christ was one among more than a million people living during this time in the Holy Land, he said. Yisca Harani, an Israeli scholar of Christianity, said the lack of physical evidence of Jesus is a trivial mystery. Why do we expect in antiquity that there would be some evidence of his existence? Harani said. Its the reality of human life. Its either rulers or military men who had their memory inscribed in stone and artifacts. She said what remained of Jesus are his words. __ Follow Daniel Estrin on Twitter: www.twitter.com/danielestrin LAS CRUCES Students are learning that often a short nap can save a day that isnt going right. Two high schools in the Las Cruces Public Schools district and two in the Gadsden Independent School District are using sleep pods Restworks Energy Pods. The high-tech pods, a reclined chair with a domed sensory-reduction bubble that closes around ones head and torso, were purchased through grants from the New Mexico Community Foundation and the Community Foundation of Southern New Mexico to be used in the school-based health centers. The pods, which vary a little from school to school, generally feature a one-touch start button which activates a relaxing sequence of music and soothing lights. Some have headphones for nappers to wear. At the end of 20 minutes, the pod begins to vibrate gently and an uptempo beat gradually starts playing to wake the student. Currently, LCPS and GISD are the only school districts in the nation using the pods. The first one, purchased in 2008, was installed at Gadsden High School. Linda Summers, an associate professor in the School of Nursing at New Mexico State University, helped secure the grant after discovering the pods which, at the time, were being used in a sleep lounge in the basement of the Empire State Building. Tired New Yorkers would go down there for a short nap in the middle of the day, she said. Summers, meanwhile, was looking for something better than cots to help students coming to school insufficiently rested. As soon as the sleep pod arrived at the school-based health center, she began learning it had other benefits. If they came to us and they were tired, we stuck them in there, Summers said. If they had a headache, we stuck them in there. If a teacher had high blood pressure, we stuck him in there. The sleep pod, which runs on a 20-minute cycle, helped all of them. Of 100 students who used it, 99 were able to return to class within 20 minutes with tremendous increases in energy and mood, Summers said. It even helped calm down agitated students who had been involved in fights. In 2011, Summers secured federal funding for three more to be installed at Chaparral High School, Onate High School and Las Cruces High School. In 2015, Summers purchased one for the School of Nursing through legislative mental health funding secured by Sen. Mary Kay Papen, D-Las Cruces. Sandy Peugh, a longtime school nurse who is now the health services director for LCPS, said she first saw the benefit of the sleep pods when she was a school nurse at Las Cruces High. We found, as we were using them at the high school, that it was great for kids who werent getting enough sleep at night which teenagers dont, for a variety of reasons, Peugh said. They were coming to school exhausted, and wed put them in the pod. Within 20 minutes, they were coming out refreshed and focused, and they were able to stay at school, so instruction time wasnt missed. Police dispatched to a disturbance at a northeast Albuquerque gas station found a man dead in the street, according to a department spokesman. Officer Simon Drobik said police were called to the Circle K on at Lomas and Eubank around 7 p.m. Sunday. Witnesses said two males got into some type of disturbance that spilled out of Circle K into the westbound area of Lomas, Drobik said. When police arrived, they found one man dead. The cause of his death has not been determined, Drobik said. Witnesses offered descriptions of the second man, and police canvassing the area found him near Babies R Us, about a half a mile from the gas station. We do have the offender in custody, we believe, Drobik said. That person, who was injured, was taken to a local hospital for treatment. Drobik said it was not clear whether the mans wounds were self-inflicted or sustained in the fight. Neither of the men have been identified. Drobik said westbound Lomas will remain closed as officers conduct an investigation, which could last through the morning. He said detectives have numerous witnesses to interview. The Journals editorial Scalpel, not ax, needed on BLMs new methane rule has several flaws in its assumptions about the impacts of the Bureau of Land Managements venting and flaring rule. The most glaring is the fact that BLM doesnt have authority to regulate air quality. When advocating on public policy, care must be taken to respect authority granted to the various federal agencies by Congress. Wishing for a policy outcome because of its perceived benefits is not enough. When it comes to BLMs venting and flaring rule, the ends cannot justify the means. At a time when New Mexico has the worst unemployment rate in the nation, not repealing the BLM rule would be detrimental to our childrens welfare. One-third of our states budget is derived from the production of oil and natural gas. It is also the single largest source of state funding for our public schools. Who does have authority to regulate air quality? Congress designated the Environmental Protection Agency and state governments with the authority to regulate air quality under the Clean Air Act, not BLM. For this reason alone its appropriate for the U.S. Senate to repeal BLMs venting and flaring rule. Failing to do so only hands power to unelected bureaucrats, wresting it away from elected representatives in Congress. For businesses in New Mexico, BLMs sweeping new authority over air quality is also concerning because it clouds the regulatory environment. The oil and natural gas industry is highly regulated. But regulations should not be redundant with state and federal rules. The venting and flaring rule duplicates rules finalized last year by EPA that apply to all new wells. EPA has also signaled its intention to regulate methane emissions from existing wells. If EPA moves ahead with methane rules for existing wells, it will do so under the process outlined in the Clean Air Act and in accordance with congressional intent. Adding layers of duplicative regulations adds unnecessary costs of compliance and makes following the regulations confusing, particularly for small companies. Another flaw was the papers reliance on economic figures from Western Values Project. The activist organization keeps promoting its estimate on lost revenues to taxpayers from venting and flaring even though the numbers fail to account for any operational, safety or market reasons that natural gas has to be flared or vented at times. The reality is BLMs rule would actually result in at most $3.86 million in additional natural gas royalties but would reduce revenues collected by federal and state taxes by $114 million annually, according to economist John Dunham. Using northwest New Mexicos San Juan Basin as an example, 70 percent of the 30,000 wells in that area are considered marginal by the feds because of low production. They are barely considered economic to operate. The cost of retrofitting those wells to comply with this rule is estimated to be as much as $50,000 per well. It doesnt make sense to make that investment, so operators are looking at shutting them down. Its a sobering picture compared to that painted by environmental activists. Lastly, the Journal ignores the industrys success in capturing methane and putting it to beneficial use. After all, methane lost to the atmosphere means less profit on the very product New Mexico producers sell. It shouldnt come as a surprise that since 1990, oil and natural gas companies have reduced methane emissions by 21 percent as production has climbed 52 percent, even without federal regulations. For these reasons, and more, New Mexico Business Coalition, Land Commissioner Aubrey Dunn, and Oil Conservation Division director David Catanach called on Congress to repeal BLMs rule. NMBC and these public officials recognize BLMs venting and flaring rule ignores proper authority delegated by Congress and the rules costs arent in line with the supposed benefits. An ax, not a scalpel, is needed on BLMs venting and flaring rule. New Mexico Business Coalition (NMBC), the NM Affiliate Group for the National Association of Manufacturing, is a nonpartisan advocacy organization representing businesses of all sizes, employees and New Mexican families throughout the state. On March 14, 2017, a man identified as Kaushal Paswan (30) was shot dead by Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) cadres near Mahuraushan village in the Gaya District of Bihar. Superintendent of Police (SP), City, Avakash Kumar disclosed that Paswan, a native of Pashewa village, was a member of an anti-Maoist outfit - Bhakt Sangharsh Samiti - formed in 2016 by some Dalits as a vigilante group against Maoists, after they had killed some members of the Bhuian and Paswan communities during the State Assembly polls in 2015. On March 8, 2017, four CPI-Maoist cadres were killed in an encounter with personnel of the 205th battalion of CoBRA (Commando Battalion for Resolute Action) of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) in the forest area of Baskatwa under Gurpa Police Station in Gaya District. Acting on a tip-off about a meeting of top Maoist leaders in the area, the Security Forces (SFs) launched an operation and, on seeing SFs, the rebels opened fired, leading to an encounter in which the four Maoists were killed. SFs recovered four bodies of the rebels along with their arms. The arms included two Indian Small Arms System (INSAS) assault rifles, one Self Loading Rifle (SLR) and one AK-47 assault rifle. The slain Maoists were identified as Anil aka Deepak, 'zonal commander' of 'Magadh area committee', Rajesh Ravidas, a 'sub-zonal commander'; Nepali Yadav and Uttam. On March 1, 2017, cadres of the Tritiya Prastuti Committee (TPC) killed a villager, identified as Jitendra Kharwar, at Goreya village in Rohtas District. TPC is a CPI-Maoist splinter group and operates out of Jharkhand, the neighboring State. On February 21, 2017, Mantu Khaira, 'zonal-commander' of the CPI-Maoist was killed in an anti-Maoist operation in Dahibara forests under Anandpur in Banka District. SFs recovered two SLRs, an AK-47 and some grenades at the encounter site. On February 20, 2017, CPI-Maoist cadres killed one Sunil Yadav at Champapur village in Lakhisarai District. Sunil was the husband of the deputy mukhiya (village head) of Champapur village. On January 30, 2017, Sanjay Pandey, a munshi (accountant) with Raj Kumar Constructions, engaged in construction of rural roads, was beheaded for not paying extortion money to the Naxals [Left Wing Extremists (LWEs)] in Jamui District. Maoist leaflets found near the dead body declared that those executing Government plans with the help of the Police and without obtaining CPI-Maoist permission would meet a similar fate. According to partial data collated by the South Asia Terrorism Portal (SATP), Bihar has already accounted for at least nine Maoist-linked fatalities, including four civilians and five Maoists, in the current year (data till March 19, 2017).During the corresponding period of 2016, the number of such fatalities stood at eight (one civilian, two SF personnel and five Maoists). Indeed, the declining trend in fatalities recorded in the State since 2011 registered a sharp reversal in 2016. According to the SATP database, 32 persons, including eight civilians, 15 SF personnel and nine Maoists, were killed in the State in 2016, in comparison to nine persons, including four civilians, three SF personnel and two Maoists, killed in 2015. The surge in civilian fatalities, which doubled in 2016 as against 2015, is worrisome indeed. Worse, SFs appear to have been pushed on the back foot in the State. The Maoists continued to improve their kill ratio against SFs, at 1:1.66 in their favour, as against 1:1.5 archived in 2015. The surge in Maoist-related violence in 2016 was substantially the result of three major incidents (each involving three or more fatalities), in which three civilians, 10 SF personnel and seven Maoists were killed, in comparison to no major incident registered in 2015. The most significantof these was recorded on July 18, 2016, when 10 COBRA commandos were killed and another five injured, in a CPI-Maoist orchestrated Improvised Explosive Device (IED) blast and subsequent encounter in the Chakarbanda-Dumarinala forests of Aurangabad District. Three Maoists were also killed in the encounter. The Aurangabad incident will go a long way in denting the morale of the SF personnel not just in Bihar but across all theatres of LWE conflict in India. The manner in which the Maoists planned and trapped the elite counter-insurgency personnel speaks volumes of the hold the ultras enjoy in the region , across Aurangabad, Gaya and Jamui, the epicentre of Maoist-violence in Bihar. Incidentally, according to SATP data, out of the total of 32 fatalities in the State in 2016, 29 (seven civilians, 13 SF personnel and nine Maoists) were reported from these three Districts alone. In addition to incidents of killing, the Maoists in Bihar have also escalated other violent activities through 2016, including abduction (two reported incidents in which six persons were abducted), arson (10 incidents), bomb blasts (four occasions), attacks on railway property (three incidents), among others. During 2015, the Maoists were involved in three incidents of abduction in which three persons were abducted, and three incidents of arson. No incident of bomb blast or attack on railway property was recorded during 2015. The Maoists also issued four bandh (shut down strike) calls on different issues in 2016, in comparison to five such calls in 2015. The Maoists had given three such calls in the State in 2014. Union Ministry of Home Affairs (UMHA) data confirms the spike in the Maoist-linked incidents in the State in 2016, with 129 Maoist-linked incidents recorded in 2016, as against 110 such incidents in 2015. A total of 163 such incidents were recorded in 2014. Similarly, there was a marginal spike in Maoists involved in attacking economic targets in 2016, with 10 such incidents, as compared to nine such attacks in 2015. A total of 31 such attacks were registered in 2014. Disturbingly, out of the 38 Districts of the State, 22 Districts - Arwal, Aurangabad, Banka, Begusarai, Bhojpur, East Champaran, Gaya, Jamui, Jehanabad, Kaimur, Khagaria, Lakhisarai, Munger, Muzaffarpur, Nalanda, Nawada, Patna, Rohtas, Sitamarhi, Sheohar, Vaishali and West Champaran -are among the 35 worst LWE- affected Districts identified by the UMHA across the country. According to SATP, Maoist activities were recorded in at least 17 Districts in 2016 as against 22 in 2015. On March 14, 2017, Kundan Krishnan, Inspector General (IG, Operations), Bihar Police, admitted that there were challenges in carrying out operations in some part of Munger, Lakhisarai and Chakarbandha in Gaya; south GT road in Aurangabad and Gaya Districts, besides Charkapathar and Narganjo in Jamui, owing to the difficult terrain in these areas. He added, "Maoist violence has certainly shown a declining trend in the State. But four Bihar districts along the Jharkhand border, known for their difficult topography, namely, Aurangabad, Gaya, Lakhisarai and Jamui - still have pockets of left-wing extremist (LWE) activity." Apart from CPI-Maoist, the TPC, also made its presence felt in the State. On January 3, 2016, TPC cadres assaulted two persons, identified as Ramvilas Ram and Ramdeep Ram in Aurangabad District. The fear of a TPC backlash is such that it forced the mukhiya (village head) Ramji Ram not to lodge a Police complaint even though the victims belonged to his family - 70-year-old Ramvilas Ram (father) and Ramdeep Ram (brother). TPC cadres had demanded 20 per cent of the grant sanctioned by the Government for welfare schemes in Ramji's panchayat (village level local self government institution). The March 1, 2017, killing (mentioned above) of a civilian in Rohtas District was the latest TPC-related incident. Another, Maoist splinter, People's Liberation Front of India (PLFI), which also operates out of Jharkhand, has been active in Bihar. Additional Director General of Police (ADG, Headquarters), Sunil Kumar, noted, on March 9, 2016, "Looking at the increasing activities of the PLFI, the officials of both the States [Bihar and Jharkhand] have decided to share information. Earlier, PLFI was more active in Jharkhand. So, their input will be valuable for us." Meanwhile, SFs arrested at least 104 LWEs in the State, including two 'area commanders,' two 'zonal commanders' and a 'supreme commander' of the Revolutionary Communist Centre (RCC), in addition to 153 arrests in 2015. Till March 19, 2017, another 11 LWEs had already been arrested in the current year. SF personnel also recovered a huge amount of arms, ammunition and explosives in Bihar. On September 8, 2016, Police seized a huge consignment of explosives being smuggled from Jharkhand, in the Barachatti Police Station area in Gaya District. The recoveries included 10,350 detonators and 6,500 gelatin sticks. Further, on November 10, 2016, Police uncovered two mini gun factories and recovered a country-made revolver and a large number of arms-making hand-driven machines and barrels at Gorho village under Asarganj Police Station in Munger District. Under the State's new surrender policy of 2013, in which the Bihar Government provides financial assistance, including up to INR 250,000 to top leaders who surrender; INR 10,000 as immediate assistance and INR 3,000 per month for rehabilitation, as well as rewards for each weapon surrendered, the State recorded the surrender of 24 LWEs in 2016, in addition to seven surrenders in 2015. Unfortunately, Bihar Police continues to lag in terms of capacities to deal with the evolving challenges created by the Maoists. According to the latest Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPR&D) data, Bihar has 90.68 Police personnel per 100,000 populations, as against a sanction of 119.17, as on January 1, 2016, the worst ratio in the country, and far below the national average of 137.11. The Police/Area Ratio (number of policemen per 100 square kilometers) is 99.61, as against the sanctioned strength of 130.92. The State was found to be lagging in construction of fortified Police Stations, with 40 out of the sanctioned 45 yet to be constructed. By comparison, in neighbouring Jharkhand, out of 73 sanctioned fortified Police Stations, only two were yet to be completed; in Odisha, out of 52 sanctioned fortified Police Stations, 18 remained to be constructed; and in West Bengal, out of 17 fortified Police Stations, just one was yet to be completed. Moreover, 36 of 1,064 Police Stations are without any wireless sets. These are only a sampling of the enveloping deficits that afflict Police capacities in the State. Significantly, on January 31, 2017, A.R.K. Kini, the Union Secretary (Security) in the Cabinet Secretariat, expressed concern over Bihar Police's failure to implement the Crime and Criminal Tracking Network and System (CCTNS) project, despite the Centre bearing the entire cost of the project. The Centre has already provided INR 250 million out of the total INR 680 million earmarked to the State for this project. The persistent lack of political sagacity across successive regimes in addressing these issues and deficits has bolstered the Maoists in the State at a time when they are suffering major reverses across most other theatres in the country. The Maoists have demonstrated tremendous resilience in very trying circumstances in the past, and the failure to deal consistently and effectively with them will create opportunities for their consolidation once again, giving them a base in Bihar to engineer a recovery in other parts of the country as well. There is, quite simply, no room for a divergent State approach on this issue, at a time when a nationally coordinated strategy appears to be making significant gains. A steady stream of smart immigrants has historically offered a steroid shot to the U.S. economy. Most people reading this are descended from smart immigrants. This influx of geniuses (or almost geniuses) is at risk as the U.S. government has just suspended premium processing of expedited applications for H-1B visas to the U.S. and put forth policies that discourage all immigrants from coming here. Many international students come to American universities first as their path to American citizenship. At universities, there are high academic standards for entrance that escalate with higher degrees. At Americas top schools, the competition to get a graduate degree is fierce particularly in the STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) disciplines the exact disciplines that H-1B visas target. For example, a Ph.D. generally involves being in the top 5 percent of IQs for the country. If you have not been to a university in the U.S. recently, you might not have noticed that more and more of our American graduate schools are made up of foreign students hoping to get advanced degrees and stay here on H-1B visas until they can get green cards and then eventually become citizens. There are so many students that apply to graduate school positions from foreign countries, it is hard to manage the applications. To make a rough first cut, universities often order potential students in giant spreadsheets by graduate record examination (GRE) scores (for engineering, we normally favor quantitative reasoning). Elite universities often have pages of perfect or near-perfect scores from foreign students wanting to come to America. American students able to compete at this level have become minorities in graduate schools like mine in the middle of Michigan. These foreign students represent an enormous benefit for America. We get some of the smartest people from other countries to come here for training and then they stay to help our tech sector. They end up living and working in places like Silicon Valley literally making America great. These smart foreigners are not stealing graduate school spots from Americans. They can actually help subsidize domestic students. This same reasoning holds true even for students of potential enemy foreign countries. Trumps misguided and legally questionable executive order banned refugees from entering the United States for 120 days, and it placed an indefinite hold on Syrian refugees. It also blocked citizens from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen. (The latest version lets in Iraq citizens). What this means is we are turning away smart people from these countries en masse. This is not a good idea. For example, more than half of the Iranian students that come to America are engineers; over 80 percent come for graduate degrees and nearly 90 percent stay the highest number of any country mostly because they are running away from Iran. It is an enormous challenge for them to come here as it is as they must travel out of Iran simply to take the GRE exam. If Iran is truly an enemy country, the last thing we want to do is stop the brain drain, with their smartest citizens coming to the U.S. Worse, turning them away at the border provides Iran with a ton of smart engineers. Why would we want to do that? Certainly, vet students to ensure they are not terrorists, but do it in a way that shows them respect and maintains their dignity. Then bring as many in as we can it only makes the U.S. better. One of my first graduate students was Iranian. He spoke perfect English, was a hard worker, polite and easy to get along with, and a solid engineer. His thesis covered the design of advanced energy systems using algorithms that learn. He is smart. He now works on projects helping major firms improve their energy efficiency literally saving companies tens of millions of dollars a year. He lives in Canada. America lost out. And the greatest risk is that other foreign students either stop staying in the U.S. or, even worse, stop coming to America altogether. It is time we dusted off the red carpet, and started welcoming foreign students and immigrants into the U.S. of A. again. Joshua Pearce is a professor cross-appointed in the Department of Materials Science & Engineering and the Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering at the Michigan Technological University. Defenders of New Mexicos system of court-appointed guardians and conservators say it works pretty well, thank you very much. Move along. Nothing to see here. But compared to other states that have made reforms a high priority, New Mexico has a system cloaked in secrecy with little public accountability and very few avenues to complain or seek recourse. If theres nothing to see, perhaps its because the system is designed that way. So critics of the system would not be surprised by a 2009 legislative analysis in which the Administrative Office of the Courts reported there is no system in place in New Mexico to assure effective oversight and monitoring of court-appointed guardians. Or by a legislative analysis four years later that said in New Mexico, there is limited regulation of what is known as corporate guardianship. Those reports wouldnt surprise Sen. Jerry Ortiz y Pino, D-Albuquerque, who told the Journal recently that we really dont have a system. Were faking it. While legislative changes here have been beaten back at the behest of the corporate guardian/conservator industry, other states have found a way. In New Mexico cases most likely to end up in family turmoil, judges typically appoint a team of professionals recommended by the lawyer for a petitioner usually a family member seeking to impose a guardianship on an older relative to advise the court on whether to declare that relative incapacitated which essentially means they no longer have control over their own life. In California, the court relies on an independent investigator not people hired by the petitioners lawyer. Texas not only requires that guardians undergo background checks and be licensed, it requires a bond. People can take complaints to the Texas licensure board. We are focused on making sure that these people are protected, and its a big issue, a hot topic all throughout Texas, said Jeff Rinard, guardianship certification program director in Texas. Nationwide, its a big deal, especially as the population ages. In New Mexico, it apparently isnt such a big deal. Incredibly, the state cant even say how many active guardianships there are. A recent study found more than 6,000 in Bernalillo County alone, some dating to the 1950s. Presumably many of the wards, and guardians, have long since passed away, but the files were never closed. There is no systematic auditing of reports that are supposed to be filed. There are different kinds of guardianships ranging from low-income people on disability to elderly people with considerable assets. The latter often garner the most family fighting because there is money involved that is under the control of a for-profit guardian/conservator. There is no recourse for complaints other than to try to get the attention of the judge in the case. The New Mexico Office of Guardianship contracts with commercial companies and nonprofits to care for low-income wards, paying a flat fee of $3,650 a year for those services. And it has jurisdiction to investigate complaints, although a 2013 legislative analysis said the agency works closely with its contractors so there is an inherent conflict of interest. So is it an effective watchdog? The agencys records custodian last week said the office has no public records showing the number of complaints filed against any particular contractor. Moreover, he said such complaints are exempt from public inspection because they relate to client complaints against a contractor. Translation: We dont have anything, and if we do, we arent going to tell anybody. That means youre out of luck if you want to know about your court-appointed guardians track record. Everybody just move along. Nothing to see here. This editorial first appeared in the Albuquerque Journal. It was written by members of the editorial board and is unsigned as it represents the opinion of the newspaper rather than the writers. Journal Town Hall The Journal is joining with the Albuquerque Department of Senior Affairs and radio station KANW to host a town hall on New Mexicos guardianship program. Tune in for a live broadcast on KANW 89.1-FM from 7-9 p.m. March 22. The program features a 12-member panel of elected officials, members of the industry, advocates and experts. Fewer foreign students are looking into continuing their educations at the University of New Mexico, perhaps threatening one of the schools growing enrollment streams. International graduate school applications are trending 16 percent lower than at the same point last year, according to UNMs Global Education Office. Acting President Chaouki Abdallah told the schools Board of Regents last week that applications from India, Iran and Mexico represent the largest declines. Possible culprits include perceptions that the U.S. is not welcoming or a place where international students can find long-term employment, he said. Were trying to deal with it, but it is a challenge when we have fewer applications, because then we will eventually have fewer students, Abdallah said. International students represent a fraction of UNMs total population 1,288, or 4.7 percent, of the fall semesters 27,060 students but their presence has grown. The number of international students in UNMs graduate degree programs including Anderson School of Management increased 31 percent from the fall of 2012 to fall 2016, a period during which the schools total enrollment actually dropped about 7 percent. Like many other universities, UNM has increased recruitment efforts outside the U.S., said Pablo Torres, the schools director of international recruitment and admissions. As of last school year, UNM boasted students from 100 countries, including the United States, he said. The university has also seen an increase in the number of foreign undergraduate students, but most of the schools international population is concentrated in graduate-level programs. While the number changes by the day, Torres said a recent snapshot found 898 international graduate applicants in hand compared with 1,072 from the same day last year. Undergraduate applications had remained steady. Some university programs may still accept applications, though others deadlines have already passed. Torres said there is no definitive explanation for the drop, but he noted recruiters recently working on UNMs behalf in India reported hearing a lot of political questions with regard to student visas and President Donald Trumps travel ban, as well as more safety-related inquiries. Torres cited Indian media coverage of a shooting last month in Kansas that killed one Indian man and wounded another. The incident prompted the injured mans father to urge other parents not to send their kids to the United States. Other concerns include changes Trump could make to the H1-B visa program that allows highly skilled foreign workers to work in the U.S. Torres said some students are wondering if they would still be welcomed into the country. The number of UNMs graduate applications from foreign students soared in 2014 and 2015, with computer science among the main growth areas. Torres said UNMs denial rate in that program rose, which also likely contributed to the application dip experienced in 2016. But he believes this years application decline is for other reasons. And UNM is not alone. In his remarks to the regents, Abdallah referenced an Inside Higher Ed report about a new survey on international application trends. The survey found that 39 percent of U.S. colleges had noticed drops in total international student applications, with the highest reported declines coming from Middle Eastern countries. UNMs efforts to recruit international students include last months release of a You Are Welcome Here video featuring students and other university representatives repeating that phrase some in other languages. UNMs video has racked up 190,000 views through the universitys Facebook page. Many other universities have done similar videos as part of a national campaign. Torres said the focus now is on converting as many applicants as possible into students for the fall semester. I wouldnt say its inevitable (international enrollment will fall), he said, adding that UNM could gain traction in some countries to combat losses it is sustaining in others. At UNM, international students not on scholarships pay $17,107 per year in tuition, but spend nearly $33,000 when including housing and other expenditures, Torres said. Copyright 2017 Albuquerque Journal Eric Arellano has been locked up at the Metropolitan Detention Center since January awaiting several felony trials. But lockup is a new look for him. Arellano, 38, is one of an unknown number of benefactors of a local criminal court system that ignores many of his past arrests when a judge sets conditions for pretrial release. Thats because the risk assessment form used by judges does not include a suspects past arrests if the charges were dropped, even if there were plans to refile them. And in Bernalillo County, thousands of cases have been dismissed by prosecutors in recent years. In Arellanos case, at least nine criminal cases against him have been dismissed since 2015. Those included five stolen vehicle cases, two felony drug possession cases, a breaking and entering case and a residential burglary, according to police. Because of those dismissals, every time he came up for a hearing to determine his conditions of release on his latest arrest, the risk assessment instrument used by Bernalillo County criminal courts rated him as a low risk to the community. He was often released with a small or no bond, often after spending just a few days in jail, according to police documents. And hes not alone. Other inmates with lengthy arrest records have received low scores because charges in the previous cases were dropped. Many cases were dismissed because prosecutors were concerned they could not meet deadlines for discovery in Bernalillo County. The deadlines have been in place since February 2015. District Attorney Raul Torrez, who took over the 2nd Judicial District Attorneys Office this year, is concerned the current system puts the public at risk. He says he believes the risk assessment should consider a persons total arrest history, adding that the scoring instrument has negatively affected public safety because so many criminal cases have been dismissed. Torrez is currently working with local criminal justice professionals to try to make those changes, according to his spokesman. But others say only convictions or criminal charges that are pending should be taken into consideration. Lots of innocent people get arrested, said Matthew Coyte, the president of the New Mexico Criminal Defense Attorneys Association. Why would you use an innocent arrest to keep more people in jail? Richard Pugh, a public defender in Albuquerque, said penalizing defendants for cases that have been dismissed would be highly unusual. He said he has analyzed instruments used in various jurisdictions around the country, and all penalize defendants for convictions and pending cases, not unproven allegations. We are not aware and do not believe that any nationally recognized tool uses arrests as a factor, he said. Pugh said Bernalillo County criminal courts are preparing to start using a new risk assessment tool, which he called the gold standard that is considered by most to be the highest scientifically validated instrument currently in use. But it does not consider simple arrests either, he said. Scoring system for risk When people are arrested in Bernalillo County, their criminal backgrounds are put through the risk assessment process, which scores all defendants on a 1-15 scale meant to determine which inmates pose the greatest risk to the community. The higher the suspects risk to the community, the higher the score. The score is one part of the system judges use in deciding where and under what conditions the suspect awaits trial. Besides the risk assessment, judges also take into consideration the seriousness of the new charges and prosecutor and defense attorneys recommendations. The risk assessment scoring method gives most weight to defendants who are charged with new offenses and already have a previous case pending. In that situation, the defendant would get an automatic seven points on his or her score. The assessment also takes into consideration whether the defendant has a history of failing to appear in court to face prior charges, and if the person has any prior felony or misdemeanor convictions. Guidelines suggest that low-risk inmates charged with nonviolent felonies should be released on their own recognizance, while high-risk defendants charged with serious crimes should be held on a high bail or no bond. The process does consider a high number of arrests to be an aggravating factor that can influence the judges decision. But the number of arrests dont factor into the persons 15-point score. Revolving door at MDC Its unclear how many suspects with multiple arrests have had their charges dropped, but Torrez believes there could be many. In recent years, prosecutors voluntarily dismissed thousands of cases estimated to be close to 3,000 criminal cases because of fears that prosecutors couldnt meet deadlines for turning over evidence to the defense. A case management order approved by the state Supreme Court set the deadlines. They were put in place because the MDC was overcrowded with people who were jailed, sometimes for years, waiting for trial. If those suspects who had their crimes dismissed were rearrested, the risk assessment instrument wouldnt take into consideration the charges they racked up that were dismissed by prosecutors. Thats contributed to what law enforcement officials have described as a revolving door at MDC that has damaged public safety. It doesnt count arrests and it doesnt count referred cases, it only counts charged cases, Torrez said of the risk assessment used in criminal courts. So theres an interplay between the risk assessment instrument that the court is relying on and the (case management order). WASHINGTON Senate hearings are getting underway on Neil Gorsuch, President Donald Trumps nominee for the Supreme Court. They come 13 months after Justice Antonin Scalias death created a vacancy on the high court. Gorsuch is a respected, highly credentialed and conservative member of the Denver-based 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. His nomination has been cheered by Republicans and praised by some left-leaning legal scholars. Democrats head into the Senate Judiciary Committee hearings divided over how hard to fight him. The first day of the hearings Monday will feature opening statements from senators and Gorsuch himself. Questioning will begin on Tuesday, and votes in committee and on the Senate floor are expected early next month. BOULDER, Colo. Hundreds of residents were allowed to return to their homes in the foothills just outside this university city on Monday as firefighters make progress against a wildfire possibly sparked by transient campers in the area. The fire spread to about 70 acres, but firefighters fully contained it Monday afternoon by building lines to stop it from spreading. Winds were forecast to be a bit lighter than when the fire broke out on Sunday, helping crews mop up hot spots and control flare-ups overnight. Boulder County Sheriffs Cmdr. Mike Wagner said the blaze may be human-caused and that hikers and transient campers frequent the area where it erupted a wooded, mountainous place a couple of miles from Pearl Street, the shopping and dining hub in the heart of the home of University of Colorado. Officials ruled out any lightning strikes or downed power lines, and Wagner said investigators were working to pinpoint exactly where it started. Last year another wildfire in the county was accidentally started by two men camping in the mountains who didnt fully put out their campfire. It destroyed eight homes near the small town of Nederland. Resident Anne Shusterman said the vast majority of people camping around the area are those who chose to live without a home, not people who have fallen on hard times and have no other choice. She said she no longer feels safe running along trails because of them and worries about the fire danger posed by them in tinder-dry conditions. I dont know what its going to take for this city to wake up, said Shusterman, who lives near the fire and woke up to find heavy smoke around her home Sunday. The latest fire started in the Sunshine Canyon area, which is dotted with expensive homes and rustic mountain residences. Dead trees exploded and sent black smoke skyward. Residents of 426 homes were ordered to evacuate and people who live in over 800 others were told to be ready to leave if conditions worsened. Officials worried that stronger wind gusts could fan the flames overnight. Residents of 836 homes were told to be ready to leave if conditions worsened but high winds did not develop. No structures have been damaged. Although Colorados mountain snowpack is healthy ranging from 105 to 130 percent of normal on Monday most of the states eastern half, including the populated Front Range, is experiencing some degree of drought. Many local governments have enacted fire bans after weeks of warm, dry and often windy weather during what is normally one of the snowiest months of the year. Wagner said conditions seemed more like what might normally be found in June rather than March. Firefighter Jason Morley told the Daily Camera newspaper that the conditions on Sunday were brutal. Ive never seen if like this before, he said. There is no snow at all up there. If you picked up grass, it would just crumble in your hands. PHOENIX Arizona lawmakers are working on a set of proposals designed to give more protection to patients who receive unanticipated medical bills from out-of-network providers, as legislators across the nation continue to fight the issue known as surprise billing. Arizonas main effort to combat the unexpected fees is much weaker than proposals made in other states. Though most patients do their due diligence to make sure care from doctors and medical facilities are part of their insurance networks, healthcare consumers all over the country are repeatedly being hit with surprise medical bills. Patients typically incur the unexpected fees because of hospitals contracted use of out-of-network providers who work as specialists. Sponsor Sen. Debbie Lesko, R-Peoria, said Senate Bill 1441 would help solve a state issue that patients have no control over. They have no choice over which doctor is going to treat them and they get a bill for possibly thousands of dollars, Lesko said during the Senates final vote on the floor. The legislation would require patients, insurers and providers to first try to settle the dispute in an informal phone call before advancing to arbitration if an agreement cannot be reached. Consumers could ask the Arizona Department of Insurance to assign an arbitrator to settle the dispute if they receive a bill of $1,000 or more from out-of-network providers. Both providers and insurers would split the costs of the arbitration. Other states have taken harder stances on the issue. Some lawmakers have proposed measures that curb surprise billing by banning it. Legislation signed into law in California mandates patients who receive non-emergency care in in-network facilities only must pay in-network cost sharing. Health plans must pay non-contracting physicians either the plans average contracted rate or 125 percent of the Medicare rate depending on which is greater. Under a Montana proposal, if patients ask in writing, insurers or facilities are required to disclose whether the service or care of other health care providers is needed, and give an estimate of those charges if it costs more than $500. Lesko said the bill is modeled after legislation in Texas, and noted 94 percent of surprise billing cases are settled over the phone there. The legislation passed the Senate on a 25-5 vote earlier this month and awaits House action. Christina Cousart, a policy associate at the National Academy for State Health Policy, said aside from specialist care, the unexpected bills often arise from emergency transportation such as helicopter lifts. Senate Bill 1321 by Sen. Sean Bowie, D-Phoenix, would require the Insurance Department director to produce a report on surprise billing in the state by January of next year. Stephen Briggs, an agency spokesman, said the department does not track complaints about surprise billing in the state. Opponents say the measure would likely not solve the problem and would only add more complexity to the already over-regulated health care industry in place. AUSTIN, Texas Federal prosecutors say a Texas lawyer who bills himself as the DWI Dude conspired to steal more than $1 million from Colombias largest rebel group. Court records contend that 56-year-old Jamie Balagia conspired with two others to launder $1.2 million provided by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia. Authorities say FARC leaders were told the money would be used to bribe judges and others involved in the prosecution of a rebel leader on drug charges in Texas. The San Antonio Express-News reports (http://bit.ly/2meK3Ku ) Balagia pleaded not guilty Thursday in federal court in North Texas to charges that include obstruction of justice. Balagia is a former Austin police officer who markets himself to people facing drunken-driving and other charges. His lawyer has not returned calls or emails from the Express-News seeking comment. ___ Information from: San Antonio Express-News, http://www.mysanantonio.com LAS CRUCES Experts, survivors and even abusers came together Friday to shed light on domestic violence in a wide-ranging conference meant to help the community better understand the complexities associated with this form of abuse. The daylong conference at Hotel Encanto was hosted by a group of New Mexico State University students in Alpha Phi Sigma, the national criminal justice honor society. It was the groups fifth annual criminal justice conference. During the morning half of the conference, separate panels examined the psychological makeup of victims and abusers. Experts later focused on the prosecution of domestic violence cases and offered guidance on how to navigate the court system to obtain protective orders. Most of those who spoke also shared personal stories about the impacts of domestic violence on their lives. Pat Acosta, director of operations at La Casa Inc., said she first experienced abuse at 17. She told the audience she had come home after having her first child and was struck by her then-husband after she refused his advances. That was the first time I experienced a punch, she said. The abuse never stopped, she added, until she ended the relationship several years later and left the home with her four children, who had witnessed the abuse. I am one of those survivors who has seen, by first-hand experience, the damage domestic violence can do to children, she said while sitting on the panel that discussed the psychology of victims. There was strong consensus among panelists that no two victims are the same, and that they often stay with their abusers for a variety of reasons. There is not a cookie-cutter description of a victim, Stacy Scanlon, a clinical supervisor at Southwest Family Guidance Center, said. One of key ways to preventing continuous cycles of domestic violence is educating victims on the signs of abuse, Scanlon said. Being educated on what the warning signs are can help you from repeating the cycle, she said. But its very difficult to break because you dont know it until youre in it and once youre in it, how do you get out? Acosta agreed that education is essential in curbing abuse. She pointed to La Casas work with victims. When were doing workshops with (victims) about the cycle of violence and the power of control, so many of them come the next day Im even looking in their faces, they look different and they say I was able to see what Ive been doing, she said. She also said victims who do not have strong support systems find it much harder to get out of an abusive relationship. If you have a woman who has come from Mexico and all her family are in Mexico, and theres no support system, I already know that its going to be 10-fold and that its going to be harder for her, she said. Acosta also offered advice to people who learn about abuse from a victim. She said the worst thing a person can do is to try to give (the victim) advice as to what to do, because it doesnt work that way. The best thing we can do for victims, she said, is to provide them with options (that) are available, and then within themselves, they also have to be ready to seek out and make that step, which takes a lot of courage. Joseph Cairns, president of NMSUs Alpha Phi Sigma, said about 30 students helped organized this years conference. But he said their adviser, Andrea Joseph, an associate professor of criminal justice, played a critical role in the logistics of the conference. The conference was opened to the public, but Cairns said those who attended also included professionals with backgrounds in social work and law enforcement. He said he hoped those who attended learned more about the issues surrounding domestic violence and left with a better sense of awareness. But at the end of the day, he said, if we can actually go out into the community and start making a tangible, physical difference that would be the biggest takeaway and I hope it would develop from this conference. Carlos Andres Lopez can be reached 575-541-5453, carlopez@lcsun-news.com or @carlopez_los on Twitter. 2017 the Las Cruces Sun-News (Las Cruces, N.M.) Visit the Las Cruces Sun-News (Las Cruces, N.M.) at www.lcsun-news.com Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. _____ LAS CRUCES U.S. Border Patrol agents, with Customs and Border Protection and air and Marine personnel, together tracked and located two vehicles that were allegedly smuggling marijuana through dense terrain in New Mexicos boot heel. Shortly after midnight Wednesday, USBP agents were alerted, through border surveillance technology, of possible vehicle activity near the U.S. border with Mexico, west of the Antelope Wells Port of Entry. Agents discovered tire tracks crossing the border area and began tracking the vehicles through the Animas Valley, according to a USBP news release. The search became extremely difficult due to the rugged terrain. So the Border Patrol contacted air support from the El Paso branch of Air and Marine Operations, and New Mexico National Guard Counterdrug Support Task Force to assist with the search. The agents continued to pursue the suspected illegal crossers for seven hours. Combined effort by agents on the ground and partners in the air resulted in finding the suspected vehicles. The vehicles were found hidden in a wash and covered by tarps. The suspects driving the vehicles fled the area before agents closed in. Horse patrol units from USBP and specialized canine teams ultimately found and arrested three people from Mexico who were hiding in the area. Agents also seized 3,610 pounds of marijuana, and a 2006 Dodge Ram and a 2014 Chevy Silverado pickup truck several miles north of the initial illegal entry point. The suspects, vehicles and marijuana were transported to the Lordsburg Border Patrol Station for further examination and processing. Also, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcements Homeland Security Investigations was contacted. Three suspects were taken into custody, and are awaiting further investigation and criminal prosecution. U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with management, control, and protection of U.S. borders at and between official ports of entry. Customs and Border Protection is also responsible for keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the U.S. while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws. 2017 the Las Cruces Sun-News (Las Cruces, N.M.) Visit the Las Cruces Sun-News (Las Cruces, N.M.) at www.lcsun-news.com Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. _____ New Delhi, Mar 20 (IBNS) : The two Sufi clerics of Delhi's Hazrat Nizamuddin Dargah, who had gone missing in Pakistan, returned to the national capital on Monday,reports said. After their arrival in New Delhi, the two clerics- Syed Asif Nizami and Nizam Ali Nizami thanked External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj for her efforts. Both are expected to meet Swaraj. The two clerics were reported missing after they travelled to Lahore on March eight. On Sunday, Swaraj said she had spoken to Syed Nazim Ali Nizami in Karachi and was assured they were safe and would be back to Delhi on Monday. On Saturday, she took up the issue of the clerics disappearance with Pakistan Prime Minister's Adviser on Foreign Affairs, Sartaj Aziz. CARROLL, Iowa Outside his rural congressional district stretching over 39 Iowa counties, conservative U.S. Rep. Steve Kings stream of inflammatory comments generate outrage and condemnation, but back home they rate little more than a shrug. Thats just Steve being Steve, was how Tom Reiter put it, looking into a mirror while getting his hair cut Thursday in Carroll. He doesnt pull any punches. Its been that way since King, a former construction company owner and state legislator, was elected to Congress in 2002. Its still true, days after King tweeted his support for a far-right Dutch politician who opposes immigration and added, We cant restore our civilization with somebody elses babies. Later in a radio interview, King responded to a question about changing demographics that could mean whites will no longer make up a U.S. majority by predicting, Hispanics and the blacks will be fighting each other before that happens. Kings comments prompted House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi to call for Republican leaders to condemn what she called vile racism, and House Speaker Paul Ryan told Fox News he disagreed with King about somebody elses babies. The White House also distanced itself from Kings comments. In the 4th Congressional District, dotted with small towns and some of the worlds most valuable farmland, King remains popular, typically winning 60 percent or more of the vote with reliable support even from those who feel uneasy about some of his statements. The comments have included opposition to placing an image of black anti-slavery activist Harriet Tubman on the $20 bill, comments about immigrant children having calves the size of cantaloupes because of carrying marijuana across the border and support for fortifying a border wall by placing an electric wire on top. Although the Hispanic population is growing in cities such as Storm Lake with large meat processing plants, the district remains overwhelmingly white and deeply conservative, with about 70,000 more Republicans than Democrats. It backed Trump in the 2016 election by nearly 2 to 1, with some counties giving the Republican six times more votes than Democrat Hillary Clinton. Many voters credit King for a willingness to speak his mind despite criticism. Hes honestly saying what he believes, said Pat Luther, a retired teacher who joined her husband for coffee and a frosted doughnut Thursday at Bunkers Dunkers Bakery in Jefferson. Her husband, Dave Luther, nodded and added, Political correctness makes me tired. The couple have lived most of their lives in Jefferson, a city of 4,200 on the southern edge of the district, and acknowledged some of Kings comments make you cringe. But Dave Luther, a Republican and retired insurance agent, said he believes King doesnt mean to be offensive. Hes just concerned about immigration and how our country is changing, he said. Although the entire district favors Republicans, apart from Ames, home to Iowa State University, it gets more conservative heading north and west. Heading west to Carroll, hair stylist Amy Riddle agrees with customer Reiter that in a conservative district, voters are willing to overlook statements from a congressman they trust, and agree with on issues. If you know the character of a person, youre able to give him a little grace, she said. Don Kass, the chairman of the Republican Party in Plymouth County, said he sometimes wishes King wouldnt feed the liberal bears, but adds that most criticism comes from people outside the district. Since they agree with King on the issues, Gwen Ecklund, a Republican Party leader in Crawford County, said voters dont worry about his comments. I think theres a skepticism among the voters regarding Washington and the media and because of that, the voters may not seem to take it as seriously as others do, she said. Not everyone supports King, though its hard to find someone who thinks voters will reject the congressman. One who holds out hope is Democrat Kim Weaver, who ran against King in 2016. She lost in 38 of 39 counties but expressed optimism as she edges toward another run next year. Maybe its just that Im naive, but I dont believe the people in northwest Iowa are horrible racist bigots, not aware of whats going on, said Weaver, who works as an advocate for seniors in care centers. Weaver said Kings recent comments prompted a flood of donations from inside and outside the district to an exploratory committee she has established. People are starting to realize, this guy really means this stuff, she said. Dorla Neiderheiser, a retired nurse from the 200-person city of Paton in Greene County, said shed like to see King replaced, quipping that People on the coasts must feel like were uneducated. Still, she said, A lot of people seem to want to hear it that way. Libertarian Dale Gentry, a retired teacher from Rockwell City who owns an auto restoration business just off the 2,100-person citys town square, is no fan of the congressman, saying, Steve doesnt plug his mind in before his mouth takes off. But Gentry doesnt have a lot of faith in the two political parties, which he says cater to a left and right fringe. Thats not the way it should be, he said. Weve lost the middle-of-the-road guys. ___ Follow Scott McFetridge on Twitter at: https://twitter.com/smcfetridge On Jan. 9, the Russian dissident Vladimir Kara-Murza celebrated a signal victory in a long campaign to hold Vladimir Putins regime accountable for its human rights crimes. The outgoing Obama administration announced sanctions against Gen. Alexander Bastrykin, a close Putin confidant who heads the state investigative committee the instrument used to persecute opposition activists with trumped-up criminal charges. Kara-Murza, who divides his time between Moscow and Washington, had long campaigned for the designation of Bastrykin, just as he had pushed for passage of the law under which the general was targeted the Sergei Magnitsky Act, which mandates sanctions on Russians involved in repression and corruption. For years Bastrykin seemed too powerful to be sanctioned, Kara-Murza exulted in a Jan. 12 blog post. That ceiling is now gone. Exactly three weeks later, back in Russia, Kara-Murza felt a horrific and all-too-familiar sensation: His organs were beginning to shut down. He concluded immediately that he had been poisoned, just as he had been once before, in May 2015. His family rushed him to a hospital, where a doctor who helped save his life in the previous instance was waiting. Within hours he was in a coma, where he remained for a week. Last week Kara-Murza met me in Washington, visibly frail and short of breath, but alive. He believes he somehow survived two attempts to murder him with a sophisticated and virtually untraceable poison the same kind of attack that has killed a host of other Putin opponents in the past decade. He was also pretty sure why he was targeted: because of his work on the Magnitsky sanctions. Its revenge for the Magnitsky law, pure and simple, Kara-Murza told me. Its the main thing they are afraid of. They have mastered the ways of silencing the opposition at home. For now the only thing they are really afraid of is Western countries closing the havens where they stash their money and send their families. To the extent that it still exists, the opposition to Putin inside Russia is led by Alexei Navalny, the nationalist anti-corruption crusader. This month he posted a video allegedly documenting the vast trove of mansions, villas and vineyards accumulated by Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev. By last week it had been viewed 9.7 million times on YouTube proving that a lot of Russians are still interested in learning the ugly truth about their rulers. Kara-Murza, however, may be regarded by the Kremlin as an equally dangerous opponent. Educated at Cambridge, he spent nearly a decade working as a journalist in Washington before becoming active in the opposition. A gifted speaker, he has deep connections in Congress: His hospitalization produced statements of concern from Republican Senators John McCain, Marco Rubio and Ron Johnson and Democrats Chris Murphy and Benjamin Cardin, among others. At 35, he carries the legacy of Boris Nemtsov, the liberal opposition leader who was gunned down outside the Kremlin in 2015. A film Kara-Murza made about Nemtsov (between hospitalizations) is touring Russia. How is it possible to oppose Putin, other than by posting videos on the Internet and lobbying Congress for more sanctions? Kara-Murza spent much of 2016 in the Russian provinces, recruiting young people to stage hopeless runs for office in local and parliamentary elections. Two dozen signed up; collectively they were credited with receiving a little over 100,000 votes. None came close to winning. But Kara-Murza and his sponsor, the exiled former oil-magnate-turned- political-prisoner Mikhail Khodor-kovsky, see themselves as seeding the next generation of Russian democratic politicians. There has been an entire generation that has grown up without democracy or fair elections, Kara-Murza says. We want to give them some kind of political experience. For the same reason, the opposition coalition plans to nominate a candidate to run against Putin in next years election. We have no illusions. We know its not a real election, Kara-Murza says. But we will show that there is an alternative because one of the founding myths of the Putin regime is that there is no alternative. The prospect that President Trump will embrace Putin and his regime elicits little more than a shrug from this dissident. Its only our job to effect political change in Russia, he says. Its not the job of Trump or [Angela] Merkel. But, he says, what we would ask is not to be helping Putin by treating him as a worthy player on the global stage or allowing his cronies to use Western countries to stash the wealth they have stolen. Thats where the Magnitsky Act comes in. Bank account freezes and travel bans are poison for Putins corrupt inner circle. Congress, with the prodding of brave Russians such as Kara-Murza, can do more to spread it. BEIJING Israel wants to boost cooperation with China in technology, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Chinas premier Monday, as he led a large business delegation on a visit to Beijing to promote commercial ties with the Asian giant. Netanyahu said in opening remarks at a meeting with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang that Israel and China could explore many ways of technological cooperation. Earlier Monday, Netanyahu told a meeting of more than 600 Israeli and Chinese businesspeople that Israel is well-positioned to help China upgrade its products, services and utilities with better technology. I think that there is an extraordinary capacity for China to assume its rightful place, as its doing, on the world stage, Netanyahu said. We are your perfect junior partner for that effort, he said, adding that the governments would sign a series of agreements. I believe this is a marriage made in heaven. Netanyahu also met with the heads of large Chinese corporations including the conglomerate Dalian Wanda Group, e-commerce giant Alibaba Group, computer maker Lenovo Group and Baidu Inc., an internet search company. I told them that in todays world there are several concentrations of technology, not many; the U.S., Israel, and Israel is open for business with China, Netanyahu was quoted as saying in a government statement. During his visit, Netanyahu also is to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping, who will host an official banquet. Netanyahu said the countries would discuss a free trade agreement. Netanyahu also told Li that he looked forward to discussing the regions security situation with China. There is a great deal of convulsion in the world, including in our part of the world and I would like to have the opportunity to exchange views with you and see how we can cooperate together for stability and peace, he said. Along with playing a more active diplomatic role in the Middle East, Beijing has also been expanding its security presence in the region, including the building of ties with Iran and Saudi Arabia through joint military drills and port visits. China has also backed the government of President Bashar al-Assad in the Syrian conflict. While deepening its ties with Israel, Beijing continues to maintain support for the Palestinian cause and their bid for statehood, reportedly providing the Palestinian National Authority with financial and technical help and training for Palestinian officials. Health savings accounts are poised for a major expansion by Republicans in Washington, D.C., and that could mean millions more customers and fees flowing to a handful of companies. Investors are betting on it, bidding up shares of HSA provider HealthEquity by about 35 percent since the November election. Its one of the best performing stocks on Wall Street since Donald Trump won the White House. Another big beneficiary might be Optum Bank, the industry leader, with more than 3 million of these accounts and about $7 billion in assets it manages for consumers. Its owned by the nations largest health insurer, UnitedHealth Group. For years, these companies and others have been lobbying lawmakers for changes that could become reality with a Republican-controlled Congress and Trump administration. The GOP health law replacement plan introduced last week in the House reflects the partys broad consensus for giving more Americans access to HSAs, which allow people to put aside money tax-free for medical expenses. There is an excitement in the business now, Dr. Steve Neeleman, founder of Utah-based HealthEquity and a former trauma surgeon. There are definitely things Washington can do to make HSAs more enticing to a broader market. Health saving accounts were introduced in 2003 in legislation championed by President George W. Bush. Enrollment has grown steadily to nearly 21 million accounts with $41 billion in assets, according to the Devenir Group, a research and consulting firm that tracks the industry. Still, that number is a small fraction of the 178 million people who have health insurance through their jobs or purchase it on their own. Industry officials are eager to reach new markets, including baby boomers in Medicare and enrollees in the militarys Tricare system, for whom under current law HSAs are off-limits. They also want to manage larger accounts that generate more revenue. Republican proposals in Congress could help accomplish both. Proponents say consumers with HSAs may be more judicious in using services and seeking lower prices because their own money is at stake. Backers also like the tax breaks: Theres no tax on the funds investment gains or on withdrawals if spent on medical care. But critics note this treatment favors the wealthy as those with lower incomes often struggle to afford health care and have little to set aside in savings accounts. A 2015 study found that high-income households were considerably more likely than low-income to contribute to HSAs. The highest-income tax filers were also substantially more likely to fund their accounts fully. Under current law, HSA accounts must be paired with a high-deductible health plan. Individuals can contribute as much as $3,400 annually, or $6,750 for families. Unused balances roll over to the following year, and consumers can take the account with them when they leave an employer, much like a 401(k) retirement account. Some employers contribute to HSAs on behalf of their employees. Its already a lucrative business. In a February investor presentation, HealthEquity touted a gross profit margin of 57 percent on its 2.7 million health savings accounts. And the company said the accounts become more profitable over time, reaching a 72 percent profit margin six years in as costs decrease and balances grow. The House Republican plan proposes to nearly double the HSA contribution limits to $6,550 for individuals and $13,100 for families beginning in 2018. Meanwhile, in the Senate, other proposals including one by Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., and another advanced by Sens. Bill Cassidy, R-La., and Susan Collins, R-Maine lay out slightly different yet favorable treatment of HSAs. The over-65 market in Medicare is a prime target for expansion. That is a great population that has the potential to save and really take more control over their health care, said Eric Remjeske, president of the Devenir Group, the research and consulting firm. Neeleman agreed and said its wrong to shut out thousands of baby boomers who are retiring every day. Its just not fair, he said. Backers note that, even though Medicare is not a high-deductible health plan, there is cost sharing in Medicare, which leads many in Congress to think the prohibition should be abandoned. The companies overseeing these accounts rake in money from a variety of fees, much like banks do. Often consumers pay service fees that range from $2 to $5 per month for each account. The companies also earn interest on the customers money they manage in whats known as custodial revenue. And HSA administrators collect fees from merchants when consumers use company-issued debit cards to pay for medical expenses out of their accounts. At HealthEquity, the second-largest HSA provider, about half of its revenue comes from service fees and the rest derives from custodial revenue or debit fees, according to its annual report. Companies can also earn fees from mutual funds offered to customers as investment options. In the workplace, some employers cover some or all of the fees for workers. Neeleman said that HealthEquity and other firms provide an important service and that theyre upfront about the fees they collect. In addition to well-heeled retirees on Medicare, companies running these accounts also see opportunity among lower-income households. Several states have experimented with adding savings accounts in Medicaid, the state-federal insurance program for the poor. Vice President Mike Pence embraced this idea while he was governor of Indiana. Medicaid members in Indiana can get additional benefits such as vision and dental coverage if they make small monthly contributions to accounts similar to HSAs. However, debate continues as to how effective the approach will be for this population. Industry officials doubt they will get everything on their wish list from Congress. For instance, unlimited contributions to tax-free accounts could cost the federal government too much in revenue and invite more criticism that HSAs are a tax shelter for the rich. Kevin Robertson, a senior vice president and director of sales for HSA Bank, the industrys third-largest company, said some proposals are more likely wishful thinking but the overall direction is unmistakable as the GOP pushes a market-driven approach to health care. The political and economic winds are favorable and most definitely pushing HSAs, he said. (Kaiser Health News (KHN) is a national health policy news service. It is an editorially independent program of the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation.) 2017 Kaiser Health News Visit Kaiser Health News at www.khn.org Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. On Sundays episode of Keeping Up With the Kardashians, Kim Kardashian opened up about being robbed at gunpoint last year in Paris. The guy came in, grabbed the phone from me, threw me on the bed and I was like, This is it, she recalled. The episode, which comes nearly six months after thieves stole more than $10 million in jewelry from the reality star, took on the dramatic stylings of a true-crime documentary. On October 3, 2016, at approximately 2:30 AM, Kim Kardashian was robbed at gunpoint while in her Paris apartment, the show reminded us in graphic intro text. Still numb and in shock, Kim fled Paris quickly after the incident to rejoin her husband in New York. KUWTK featured footage of Kardashian arriving at her New York City apartment along with her husband, Kanye West, and her mother, Kris Jenner. I dont want to cry in front of the kids (or), like, let them think anything is wrong, Kardashian told West in the elevator ride up to see their two young children. OK, yeah, we wont talk about it in front of the kids, the rapper agreed. Kardashians robbery made international headlines, but even if you only had cursory knowledge of what happened, KUWTK didnt really offer any new details. Thats become a staple on the long-running E! show, since the famous familys melodrama so often plays out on social media and in gossip magazines before its discussed on the series. But this weeks episode was markedly somber. Tonights episode is going to be very tough for me, Kardashian tweeted before the episode aired. Before Kardashian detailed the robbery, Keeping Up With the Kardashians documented happier moments of her trip to Paris, where she excitedly prepped for Paris Fashion Week, trying on couture designed by Balmains Olivier Rousteing and approved by West, who has his own fashion line and made a quick trip to the City of Light to help his wife with her looks. Kardashian later watched her sister Kendall Jenner walk in the Givenchy show, alongside her mother and sister Kourtney. After the show, Kourtney decided to go out with Kendall, but Kim was tired and decided to stay in at her Paris hotel. This is where the episode took a dark turn, showing West abruptly leaving a performance at a New York music festival. Im sorry, he told fans. I have a family emergency. I have to stop the show. Sundays episode featured Kims perspective on the robbery, as well as her familys reaction to the incident. Kim explained that she had been lying in bed at a discreet mansion hotel, debating whether she was going to wash her face. And then I heard pounding up the stairs, she recalled, noting that she initially thought it was her assistant, Stephanie, returning to the apartment with Kourtney. But when they didnt answer, Kardashian said, she knew something wasnt quite right. Kardashian recalled her confusion as two men dressed as police officers held down a man she eventually recognized as the concierge. He became the de facto translator between her and the thieves, who took away her phone when she tried to call her bodyguard, Pascal Duvier. The thieves tied her up, eventually leaving her in the bathroom, badly shaken, but physically unharmed, as her rep told CNN. (In January, French police arrested 17 suspects believed to have ties to the case.) But in those first few minutes, the reality star was convinced she was going to be killed. While Im being tied up, Im like, Are we going to die? Are they gonna kill us? And I was just crying and like, Tell them I have babies. She also described the moment she saw the thieves were armed. I have a split second in my mind to make this quick decision, like, am I gonna run down the stairs, and, like, either be shot in the back, she said, tearing up. It makes me so upset to think about it, but, like, either theyre gonna shoot me in the back or if I make it and they dont, if the elevator does not open in time, or the stairs are locked, then, like, Im f. Theres no way out. Kardashian told her sisters that she now believes the thieves were following her throughout the Paris trip. I was Snapchatting, you know, that I was home and that everyone was going out. So I think they knew Pascal was out with Kourtney and that I was there by myself. They had to have known we were leaving that day. They had this window of opportunity and just went for it. Kardashian was noticeably silent on social media in the months following the robbery, leading to speculation about the future of the familys reality show and whether the notoriously candid star would scale back her frequent (and lucrative) posts on Twitter and Instagram. Ultimately, Sundays episode proved that shell continue to be open with her fans but on her own terms. After the show, Kardashian took to Twitter, where she reminded fans that she took a tragic horrific experience and did not let it diminish me, rather grew and evolved and allowed the experience to teach me. I can say Ive become so much better because of it, she added. Thank you for allowing me to share my story tonight. WASHINGTON FBI Director James Comey acknowledged on Monday the existence of a counterintelligence investigation into the Russian governments efforts to interfere in the 2016 election, and said that probe extends to the nature of any links between Trump campaign associates and the Russian government. Testifying before the House Intelligence Committee, Comey said the investigation is also exploring whether there was any coordination between the campaign and the Kremlin, and whether any crimes were committed. The acknowledgment was an unusual move, given that the FBIs practice is not to confirm the existence of ongoing investigations. But in unusual circumstances, where it is in the public interest, Comey said, it may be appropriate to do so. Comey said he had been authorized by the Justice Department to confirm the wide-ranging probes existence. He spoke at the first intelligence committee public hearing on alleged Russian interference in the 2016 election, along with National Security Agency head Michael S. Rogers. The hearing comes amid the controversy fired up by President Donald Trump two weeks ago when he tweeted, without providing evidence, that then-President Barack Obama ordered his phones tapped at Trump Tower. Comey privately told lawmakers last week that there was no basis to the charge. The fact that Russia hacked U.S. election-related databases comes as no shock to this committee. We have been closely monitoring Russias aggressions for years, the committees chairman, Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Calif., said in an opening statement. However, while the indications of Russian measures targeting the U.S. presidential election are deeply troubling, one benefit is already clear it has focused wide attention on the pressing threats posed by the Russian autocrat. In recent years, Committee members have issued repeated and forceful pleas for stronger action against Russian belligerence. But the Obama administration was committed to the notion, against all evidence, that we could reset relations with Putin, and it routinely ignored our warnings. Nunes said he hoped the hearing would focus on several key questions, including what actions Russia undertook against the United States during the 2016 election and did anyone from a political campaign conspire in these activities? He also wants to know if the communications of any campaign officials or associates were subject to any improper surveillance. Let me be clear, he said. We know there was not a wiretap on Trump Tower. However, its still possible that other surveillance activities were used against President Trump and his associates. Finally, Nunes said he is focused on leaks of classified information to the media. We aim to determine who has leaked or facilitated leaks of classified information so these individuals can be brought to justice, he said. In his opening statement, Schiff said: We will never know whether the Russian intervention was determinative in such a close election. Indeed it is unknowable in a campaign in which so many small changes could have dictated a different result. More importantly, and for the purposes of our investigation, it simply does not matter. What does matter is this: the Russians successfully meddled in our democracy, and our intelligence agencies have concluded that they will do so again. He added: Most important, we do not yet know whether the Russians had the help of U.S. citizens, including people associated with the Trump campaign. Many of Trumps campaign personnel, including the president himself, have ties to Russia and Russian interests. This is, of course, no crime. On the other hand, if the Trump campaign, or anybody associated with it, aided or abetted the Russians, it would not only be a serious crime, it would also represent one of the most shocking betrayals of our democracy in history. Just hours before the start of the hearing, Trump posted a series of tweets claiming Democrats made up the allegations of Russian contacts in an attempt to discredit the GOP during the presidential campaign. Trump also urged federal investigators to shift their focus to probe disclosures of classified material. The real story that Congress, the FBI and all others should be looking into is the leaking of Classified information, Trump wrote early Monday. Must find leaker now! On Sunday, Nunes, who served on Trumps transition team, also countered the presidents assertion. Was there a physical wiretap of Trump Tower? No, but there never was, he said on Fox News Sunday. The FBI has been conducting a wide-ranging counterintelligence investigation into Russias covert role in the election. As part of that, the bureau has been exploring potential links between Trump associates and Moscow, but Comey has never publicly acknowledged that. His reticence has annoyed lawmakers from both parties, and leaders of the Senate Judiciary Committee have threatened to hold up the confirmation of the deputy attorney general until he briefs the committee on the matter. The FBI probe combines an investigation into hacking operations by Russian spy agencies with efforts to understand how the Kremlin sought to manipulate public opinion and influence the elections outcome. In January, the intelligence community released a report concluding that Russian President Vladimir Putin wanted to not only undermine the legitimacy of the election process but also harm the campaign of Hillary Clinton and boost Trumps chances of winning. Hackers working for Russian spy agencies penetrated the computers of the Democratic National Committee in 2015 and 2016 as well as the email accounts of Democratic officials, intelligence official said in the report. The material was relayed to WikiLeaks, the officials said, and the anti-secrecy group began a series of damaging email releases just before the Democratic National Convention that continued through the fall. For a lot of Americans this is the first time to really tune in to exactly what the Russians did and what the investigation involves, and Id like to walk through with both directors what do we know about the Russian operation? What was its breadth? said Schiff, speaking on NBCs Meet the Press on Sunday. Beyond the hacking and dumping of documents, he said, a key issue is were there U.S. persons that were helping the Russians in any way? Was there any form of collusion? On Friday, the Justice Department delivered documents to the committee in response to a request for copies of intelligence and criminal wiretap orders and applications. Nunes said the material provided no evidence of collusion to sway the election toward Trump and repeated previous statements that there is no credible proof of any active coordination. But Schiff said there was circumstantial evidence of collusion at the outset of the congressional investigations into purported Russian election meddling, as well as direct evidence that Trump campaign figures sought to deceive the public about their interactions with Russian figures. The concerns about Moscows meddling are also being felt in Europe, where France and Germany hold elections this year. Our allies, Schiff said, are facing the same Russian onslaught. Comey will be limited in what he can publicly say about the issue of collusion, Schiff acknowledged. But there is a lot he can tell us about the Russian motivations for their intervention in our elections, how the Russians operate in Europe, what techniques they use and what we should be on the lookout for in our investigation, he said. A new CBS pilot is hoping to reach new heights. The pilot for Mission Control is being filmed in Albuquerque. It is being filmed at Albuquerque Studios. Mission Control focuses on the next generation of NASA astronauts and scientists as they juggle both their personal and professional lives during a critical mission with no margin for error. Whenever we have another TV pilot, we have a good chance for another TV series to follow, said New Mexico State Film Office Director Nick Maniatis. I know New Mexico will do its part to make this pilot the best it can be and we look forward to the possibilities this Pilot brings. The pilot stars Poppy Montgomery, David Giuntoli, Peyton List, Wunmi Mosaku and Nestor Serrano. Since Maniatis has taken the helm at the New Mexico Film Office, its been a goal to bring more TV productions to the state. On deck are the returning seasons for Better Call Saul in April, as well as the return for The Night Shift and the premiere of Midnight, Texas, both in June and July, respectively. Mission Control is produced by CBS Television Studios. The pilot is executive produced by Brian Buckner, Andy Weir, Chic Eglee, Genre Films Simon Kinberg and Aditya Sood. Slingshot Global Medias Courtney Conte and Quan Phung are also involved in producing. The pilot is being directed by Jeremy Podeswa, who has helmed the camera for Boardwalk Empire and Game of Thrones. BOULDER, Colo. The Latest on wildfire burning near Boulder, Colorado (all times local): 6:20 p.m. Firefighters have contained a wildfire that forced hundreds of people from their homes in the foothills near Boulder, Colorado. The Boulder Office of Emergency Management says the 70-acre fire was 100 percent contained Monday afternoon, and firefighters are expected to work overnight mopping up hotspots and flare-ups. The fire started Sunday in a wooded, mountainous area a couple of miles from Pearl Street, the shopping and dining hub in the heart of the university city. Officials ruled out any lightning strikes or downed power lines and are looking at whether the fire was sparked by transient campers. ___ 1:50 p.m. Hundreds of residents have been allowed to return to their homes in the foothills near Boulder, Colorado, as firefighters make progress against a wildfire possibly sparked by transient campers in the area. The fire was burning on about 70 acres just west of downtown and is nearly fully contained. Boulder County Sheriffs Cmdr. Mike Wagner says investigators are working to pinpoint where the fire started. It broke out Sunday in a wooded, mountainous place a couple of miles from Pearl Street, the shopping and dining hub in the heart of the university city. Officials ruled out any lightning strikes or downed power lines. Another wildfire in the county was accidentally started last year by two men camping in the mountains who didnt fully put out their campfire. It destroyed eight homes. ___ 10:25 a.m. Hundreds of residents have been allowed to return to their homes in the foothills near Boulder, Colorado, as firefighters make progress against a wildfire possibly sparked by transient campers in the area. The fire was burning on about 70 acres just west of downtown and is about 50 percent contained. Boulder County Sheriffs Cmdr. Mike Wagner says investigators are working to pinpoint where the fire started. It broke out Sunday in a wooded, mountainous place a couple of miles from Pearl Street, the shopping and dining hub in the heart of the university city. Officials ruled out any lightning strikes or downed power lines. Another wildfire in the county was accidentally started last year by two men camping in the mountains who didnt fully put out their campfire. It destroyed eight homes. ___ 9:10 a.m. Hundreds of residents could be allowed to return to their homes in the foothills near Boulder, Colorado, on Monday as firefighters make progress against a wildfire possibly sparked by transient campers in the area. Boulder County Sheriffs Cmdr. Mike Wagner says that the fire was still believed to be about 60 acres and about 50 percent contained. Winds are forecast to be a bit lighter than when the fire broke out on Sunday but are still likely to be a factor especially in the afternoon. Another wildfire in the county was accidentally started last year by two men camping in the mountains who didnt fully put out their campfire. It destroyed eight homes. In defending an order to restrict immigration from certain majority-Muslim nations, President Donald Trump and his administration have emphasized the alleged risks of letting in people that they fear intend to do Americans harm. But the administration has made little effort to address the consequences of keeping such visitors out, and new data suggest that by choking off the flow of immigration from the six blacklisted countries Iran, Libya Somalia, Syria, Sudan, and Yemen the Trump administration risks dwindling the supply of doctors in parts of rural America that need them most. The United States has long relied on immigrants to practice medicine in areas where doctors are otherwise hard to come by, including many rural areas. Lack of access to medical care is one reason rural Americans tend to live shorter lives than their urban counterparts. Where doctors are scarce, deaths from chronic, treatable diseases are more common. Federal programs provide incentives to talented foreigners to practice medicine in rural areas, including states such as West Virginia, a state where only 1.2 percent of residents are immigrants, but where 28 percent of the doctors received their training overseas, according to data from the American Association of Medical Colleges. (Some fraction of these may be U.S.-born citizens the data do not distinguish but its safe to assume that the majority of these doctors are immigrants.) If Trump succeeds in implementing his travel ban from these six countries, he risks cutting off that supply of doctors and exacerbating shortages in rural areas. A recent report from researchers at Harvard and MIT shows that doctors trained in the countries targeted by the travel ban are an important part of this effort. Its not as if the travel ban would leave rural America doctor-free overnight. Of the nations 800,000 active physicians, only about 7,000 or about 0.85 percent come from the six targeted countries, according to medical license data collected by the physician networking site Doximity. And the order wouldnt remove the immigrant doctors who are already here, only prevent new ones from entering in the next three months. Immigrant doctors from those six countries are often recruited to practice medicine in rural places. In West Virginia, for example, immigrants from the six blacklisted countries alone account for 2.7 percent of physicians, according to a Washington Post analysis of Census data. In Michigan, its 2.3 percent of physicians. In Ohio, 1.5 percent. Thats a small slice, but its a slice that areas with doctor shortages can ill-afford to lose. Many of the most affected states would be ones that supported Trump in the 2016 election. Unlike typical immigrants, who concentrate in blue states, the doctors from the targeted countries live all across the nation. If anything, the immigrant doctors are slightly more prevalent in both particularly pro-Trump and pro-Clinton areas. This is because medically underserved areas tend to be located either in rural America, which largely votes Republican, or in the inner city, which largely votes Democrat. The above trend is a small piece of a bigger picture: Immigrants increase the pool of high-skill workers ready to do the most in-demand jobs including those from the six countries the Trump administration wants to blacklist. Compared to native-born Americans, immigrants from the six blacklisted countries are 2.8 times more likely to have a law or medical degree, and 4.3 times as likely to have a PhD, according to a Washington Post analysis of Census data. Although the president continues to claim that people from the targeted countries are terror risks, many of those ensnared by his earlier travel ban in January turned out to be scientists and doctors. If his new restrictions eventually go forward, they will not only prevent hospitals from recruiting new physicians, but also universities, for instance, from bringing in new professors and tech companies from hiring new programmers. Trump has continually understated or outright rejected the potential benefits of immigration to the United States. He announced his presidential run by claiming that immigrants from Mexico arent that countrys best but rather its rapists and murderers. And since then, he has has made the alleged danger of immigrants and particularly of Muslim immigrants a central theme of both his White House run and the opening months of his presidency. At times in the past, however, the President has shown support for highly-skilled immigrants. On a Breitbart radio show in November 2015, Trump suggested that foreign Ivy League students should be encouraged to stay in the United States. You know, we have to keep our talented people in this country, he said. Powerful members of his administration disagree, seeing immigrants as a threat to society simply because they are immigrants. Trump was being interviewed by Stephen Bannon, a former Breitbart News executive who is now chief strategist of Trumps White House and among the principal architects of the proposed ban. And whatever their economic benefits, Bannon disagreed with Trumps sentiments about working to retain talented foreigners. A country is more than an economy, Bannon replied. Were a civic society. Should a version of Trumps proposed travel ban survive legal challenge the administration filed papers against a federal ruling that stayed the proposed executive action the administration will be able to put one these views of high-skill immigrants into practice. Trumps executive order would allow the Department of Homeland Security to make case-by-case exceptions in the name of the national interest. It remains to be seen, however, how, or if, those waivers would be applied. Bernie Wrightson didnt draw lines so much as he seemed to summon them from the deep. His pen spun out dark and supernatural visions in such spellbinding detail that to some comics fans, Wrightson rendered Poe to be Baltimores second greatest master of the macabre. It was in Baltimore, in fact, that Wrightson got his shot at drawing for professional publication while still a teenager. He began creating illustrations for the Sun in 1966, and by age 20 was getting freelance jobs from DC Comics, beginning with House of Mystery. Three years later, in 1971, Wrightson co-created, with Len Wein, the character he likely will be most remembered for: the Swamp Thing. Within that character, you can find so many of Wrightsons artistic gifts: the sinewy tension of tissue; the viscous muck clinging to muscle; the haunted eyes that dare you to come in for a close-up; and always, elaborately rendered settings that reward close study. Wrightson, who lived in Austin, Texas, died over the weekend after a battle with brain cancer, said his wife, Liz. Befitting his style, Wrightson adapted stories by Poe and Lovecraft for Warren Publishing, and collaborated with Stephen King several times as an illustrator, including on a special edition of The Stand and Cycle of the Werewolf. But it is his textured visions for Mary Shelleys masterwork that might stand as his most compelling epic achievement. In 50 pen-and-ink illustrations, completed over more than a half-dozen years, Wrightson created a Frankenstein to haunt our waking dreams. The doctors lab is a staggering menagerie of tubes and beakers that stand like cool, clinical witnesses to the rise of a rippling, tortured beast. Wrightsons art and design contributions to Hollywood include the films Ghostbusters, Heavy Metal, Creepshow, Spider-Man and Frank Darabonts The Mist. Bernard Albert Wrightson was born Oct. 27, 1948 in Baltimore. Besides his wife, he is survived by two sons, Jeffrey and John, and a stepson, Thomas Adamson. On a personal note, it was special to see Wrightson at Baltimore Comic-Con, where he first appeared in 2008 as a special guest. Prior to that, promoter Marc Nathan said, Wrightson had been one of the conventions most requested guest hopefuls. Chandigarh, Mar 20 (IBNS) : Police on Monday arrested a woman, who had allegedly killed her husband with the help of of brother and stuffed the body in a suitcase, which she could not dispose of. The murder had taken place on Sunday. According to media reports, the victim has been identified as Ikam Dhillon son of human rights activist Jaspal Singh Dhillon. His wife Sirat Kaur escaped from the scene after she lost the key of her BMW in which the suitcase was kept. . She has admitted to murdering her husband with the help of her brother and his friend, claimed police. The woman is the niece of a former Congress MLA who lost in the recent Assembly Elections. Sirat and her husband were reported to be staying separately because of strained relationship. Earlier this week, I considered a question from a reader about whether Fox News could be categorized as an organ of the mainstream media. The answer: In terms of reach and impact, absolutely. In terms of standards, no way. The trouble is that Fox News, seizing on a convention of mainstream newspapering, has set up a stark division between news and opinion divisions with programs like Special Report in the former and Fox & Friends, The OReilly Factor and Hannity in the latter. Sensing greater freedom because of their designation as opinion purveyors, anchors in these divisions have trounced journalistic norms. Think of host Sean Hannity doing a video promotion for then-candidate Donald Trump or paying for Newt Gingrich to fly to a vice presidential interview. This unbridgeable gulf looms over the Fox News operation. From the White House briefing room podium Thursday, press secretary Sean Spicer quoted reporting by Fox News senior legal analyst Andrew Napolitano suggesting that former President Barack Obama got assistance from British intelligence (GCHQ) to surveil then-candidate Trump. Napolitano made the claim on the morning opinion show Fox & Friends. A GCHQ (Government Communications Headquarters) spokesman blasted the whole notion: Recent allegations made by media commentator Judge Andrew Napolitano about GCHQ being asked to conduct wiretapping against the then president-elect are nonsense. They are utterly ridiculous and should be ignored. Spicer has reportedly assured British officials that he wont again cite Napolitanos work on this subject. Nor will the news side of Fox News, as it turns out. Friday on his afternoon program, host Shepard Smith said, Fox News cannot confirm Judge Napolitanos commentary. Fox News knows of no evidence of any kind that the now president of the United States was surveilled at any time, in any way, full stop. Wild, huh? Fox News cant confirm something that aired on Fox News. The statement from Smith is impeccable, save for one detail: Though Napolitano may have presented his research on a show that Fox News considers commentary or opinion, he was debuting news reporting. Heres precisely the words Napolitano used on Fox & Friends on Tuesday morning: Three intelligence sources have informed Fox News that President Obama went outside the chain of command. He didnt use the NSA. He didnt use the CIA. He didnt use the FBI and he didnt use the Department of Justice. He used GCHQ. What the heck is GCHQ? Thats the initials for the British spying agency. They have 24-7 access to the NSA database. Now what Fox News viewer would be savvy enough to determine that this reporting didnt have the full weight and confidence of the news side of Fox News? Perhaps just Howard Kurtz. Newsworthy breaches of common journalistic standards not to mention plain common sense fall disproportionately on the opinion side of the operation. In January 2015, Jeanine Pirro, host of an opinion show at the network, apologized for allowing a guest to allege wide-ranging European no-go zones: There are actual cities like Birmingham that are totally Muslim, where non-Muslims just simply dont go in, said the guest. Pirro corrected: The guest asserted that the city of Birmingham, England, is totally Muslim and that it is a place where non-Muslims dont go. Both are incorrect. Just weeks ago, Bill OReilly, another opinion anchor, invited a guest to spout off on the perils of immigration to Sweden. Though he was touted on the show as a Swedish Defense and National Security Advisor, the credentials of this fellow, Nils Bildt, were subsequently debunked by various in-the-know Swedes. OReilly himself later admitted that the criticism is valid. How many other major U.S. allies can Fox News opinionators alienate? Then theres Fox & Friends, which appears to plan out all the ways in which it can embarrass the news side. Its no wonder whatsoever that Napolitanos massively challenged claim about GCHQ first saw the light of day on this program, which is easily the worst in all of televised news. Therell be no hysterics here about how Fox News cannot survive with this bifurcation between opinion and news. It has thrived with the split, ruling cable-news ratings. In fact, its a mistake to overstate the sturdiness of the wall between the sides. Sometimes news segments kick off by citing the commentary of one of their opinion folks, and its quite common that news anchors team up with conservative panelists against liberal panelists. Yet Smiths statement Friday about the news sides lack of confidence in Napolitanos commentary is a clear message to its colleagues across the wall: Standards, please. Tad Cummins handed over the title of his SUV, put up some other personal effects and walked out of the loan office with $4,500 in cash. The 50-year-old high school health teacher was on the verge of losing his job and his freedom after hed been spotted kissing a 15-year-old student, according to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation. The ensuing criminal investigation was swirling, and authorities believe Cummins, armed with two handguns, had little left to lose. The $4,500, investigators believe, has helped the pair elude authorities during a week-long manhunt that has consumed the state of Tennessee and made national headlines. TBI investigators believe Cummins may have planned to abduct Elizabeth Thomas well before he picked her up at a Shoneys restaurant in Columbia, Tennessee. Elizabeth had a troubled life, authorities said. Her mother is facing felony child abuse charges, District Attorney Brent Cooper told Reuters. Cummins had been the teens health teacher. Investigative efforts have revealed a troubling pattern of behavior by Tad Cummins, suggesting the 50-year-old may have been abusing his role as a teacher to groom this vulnerable young girl for some time in an effort to lure and potentially sexually exploit her, the TBI said in a statewide Amber Alert. Having now been on the run for more than five days, Cummins may have taken her, frankly, anywhere, the agency said. On March 13, video surveillance at a Columbia gas station showed Cummins filling up his silver Nissan Rogue. A short time later, investigators believe, he drove to the Shoneys restaurant, where Elizabeth had been dropped off by a friend and was waiting. That afternoon, investigators say they determined Thomas was 80 miles away, in Decatur, Ala. Then, nothing. Investigators say they have received 250 tips from 24 states, but not enough information to tighten the dragnet despite a multistate manhunt and Cumminss addition to Tennessees most wanted list. In a news release, the TBI said Cummins may be keeping Elizabeth out of sight of authorities, possibly sleeping in his car or in a rural community. Cummins is a white man with brown hair and eyes, who stands 6-feet tall and weighs about 200 pounds. Authorities believe hes armed and driving a silver Nissan Rogue with Tennessee tag 976-ZPT. The man and the teen may have dyed their hair or otherwise changed their appearance. Cummins has been charged with sexual contact with a minor and aggravated kidnapping. The crimes hes accused of contrast greatly with the portrait hed painted on social media of a God-fearing husband and grandfather. His twitter biography describes him as a Jesus freak/child of The King and a warrior-poet who plays drums. He retweeted quotes about his Christian faith and snapped photos of students and teachers donating blood. Last week, Cumminss wife Jill went on TV and pleaded for her husband to turn himself in. Tad, this is not you. This is not who you are. We can help you get through this. I had no idea my husband was involved in any of this, she said, according to the Tennessean. Your family wants their Poppy back. Please do the right thing and turn yourself into the police and bring Beth back home. WASHINGTON Emerging from his first meeting with President Donald Trump, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said Monday he was assured the U.S. will accelerate its support for his countrys struggle against the Islamic State group. I think they are prepared to do more than the administration of President Barack Obama, he said. Obama was reluctant to commit large numbers of U.S. troops to combatting IS in Iraq, but his approach, which relied on training and supporting local forces, has succeeded in pushing the militants out of much of the territory they once held. Speaking at a Washington think tank shortly after his White House visit, al-Abadi said he got the impression that the Trump administration will take a more aggressive approach, although he did not say what that might entail. I think this administration wants to be more engaged in fighting terrorism, he said. I sense a difference in terms of being head-to-head with terrorism. He added, however, that military force is not necessarily the most effective tool. There are better ways for defeating terrorism. Asked whether he had seen specific Trump administration improvements to the previous administrations approach, al-Abadi said: To be honest, I havent seen a full plan. I know there is a plan. I havent seen it. We have our own plan. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis recently presented Trump with the outlines of a comprehensive approach to defeating IS and other extremist groups on a global scale, but specifics are yet to be worked out. Officials have indicated that the approach is unlikely to depart radically from the Obama strategy, at least with regard to the ongoing efforts in Iraq and Syria. Al-Abadi appeared at the U.S. Institute of Peace, a federally funded think tank. The prime minister spoke optimistically of completing the recapture of Iraqi lands still held by IS. He said government forces, working effectively with Kurdish forces known as Peshmerga and supported by American airpower and military advisers, are on the brink of fully liberating Mosul, the northern city that has been the Islamic State groups main Iraqi stronghold since 2014. He spoke later at a U.S. Chamber of Commerce dinner with U.S. business executives, along with Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross. In brief remarks in the presence of reporters during al-Abadis White House visit, Trump raised his frequently stated objections to the Iran nuclear deal negotiated by his predecessor, but did not talk specifically about how he intends to support Iraq. One of the things I did ask is, Why did President Obama sign that agreement with Iran? because nobody has been able to figure that one out, Trump said. But maybe someday well be able to figure that one out. Trump said he hopes to address the vacuum that was created when IS moved into Iraq and added that we shouldnt have gone in to Iraq in the first place. In readout of the pairs meeting, the White House said the United States and Iraq stand fully committed to a comprehensive partnership, rooted in mutual respect and agreed to pursue a long-term partnership to decisively root out terrorism from Iraq and strengthen the Iraqi military and other key institutions. Although ISIS/Daesh remains a dangerous enemy, we are confident it will be defeated, they said. Trump campaigned on a promise to dramatically ramp up the assault on IS and has vowed to eradicate it. Trump greeted al-Abadi in the Oval Office shortly after FBI Director James Comey said the FBI and Justice Department have no information to substantiate Trumps claims that Obama wiretapped him before the election. As reporters were leaving, al-Abadi leaned over to Trump and said jokingly, We have nothing to do with the wiretap. In his think tank appearance later, al-Abadi again struck a humorous note at Trumps expense. After expressing hope that Iraq will succeed in ending decades of internal conflict, he said his country should be wary of partitioning areas along ethnic or religious lines as some have recommended. We have to build bridges with others and work with others to be more secure, he said. Otherwise, what do you do? You build walls? What do you do? He then grinned widely at the allusion intended or not to Trumps plan to erect a wall on the border with Mexico. Later this week al-Abadi will be attending a 68-nation meeting to discuss the coalition against the Islamic State group. ___ Associated Press writer Lolita Baldor contributed to this report. As a conservative, Im thrilled by the arrival ofunified Republican government. But the politician Im most grateful to in Washington today is not President Donald Trump, House Speaker Paul D. Ryan, R-Wis., or Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. Its Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. Thats because the Senate minority leader is doing more than anyone in our nations capital to ensure the passage of the most conservative health-care and tax reform possible while working overtime to make sure that Democrats who voted for Trump in 2016 stay in the GOP fold in 2018 and beyond. The biggest fear many conservatives had after the 2016 election was that Trump would be too quick to cut deals with the Democrats. Trump holds heterodox positions on everything from spending, foreign policy and entitlements to the minimum wage, trade and health care. If Democrats were smart, they would have reached across the aisle to Trump and offered to work with him. Trump is a dealmaker, not an ideologue. He would have loved nothing better than to cut deals with Schumer. Indeed, Trump reportedly called Schumer the morning after the election offering to do just that. Instead of accepting Trumps outstretched hand, Schumers Democrats are opposing virtually everything that Trump does. They are attempting to block not only his Cabinet nominees (Schumer even voted against Elaine Chao, wife of the majority leader and paragon of the GOP establishment, for transportation secretary) but also his sub-Cabinet appointments. And they have expressed zero interest in working with him on bipartisan legislation. The battle cry of the Democratic Party is Resist! This unrelenting resistance has pushed Trump to the right. Since Trump knows he cant get Democratic votes for his health and tax plans, he does not need to make any concessions to win over Democrats. Conservatives criticizing the Trump-Ryan health-care plan as Obamacare lite should take a moment to consider how much worse the legislation would be if Schumer had decided to sit down with Trump at the bargaining table. Imagine what might have happened if Schumer had greeted Trumps post-inaugural outreach by publicly declaring: I know Donald Trump well. He was one of my biggest donors. We worked together for years. And I look more forward to working with him as president. We agree on a lot of things, and where we do agree I will be his strongest ally in Congress. Where we disagree, I will try to bring him over to our side, because Trump is nothing if not flexible. And where we cant cut a deal, we will let the democratic process sort it out. It would have been Schumer with Trump in the White House bowling alley, hammering out their differences on health care, instead of the members of the Freedom Caucus. Trump would have cut deal after deal with Schumer. This would have been smart policy, and it would have been smart politics allowing Schumer to sow divisions between Trump and the more conservative elements of the GOP caucus who would have bristled at his bipartisanship. But Democrats are in such a hysterical state right now that they are not interested in bipartisanship. They want to destroy Trump. As a result, Schumer is passing up golden opportunities to win policy victories and divide Republicans all in an effort to placate his Trump-deranged, far-left base. Conservatives should be thrilled by this. Schumer is not only pushing Trump to the right but also helping Republicans consolidate and grow their congressional majorities by further alienating once-reliably Democratic blue-collar voters who abandoned the party in the last election. Last summer, Schumer dismissed these voters with the back of his hand, declaring that For every blue-collar Democrat we lose in western Pennsylvania, we will pick up two, three moderate Republicans in the suburbs in Philadelphia, and you can repeat that in Ohio and Illinois and Wisconsin. It didnt work out that way. While Democrats won Illinois, they lost Pennsylvania, Ohio, Wisconsin and even Michigan. The Washington Post reports that of the nearly 700 counties that twice voted for Obama, a stunning one-third flipped to support Trump in 2016. That means there are millions of Obama voters out there who were sick of Democrats such as Schumer dismissing their concerns and decided they wanted to give Trump a chance. Now they see Democrats responding to their decision by digging in their heels and resisting and obstructing everything that Trump does from staffing his administration to legislating on Capitol Hill. The Democrats message to Middle America is: We dont hear you. There could be nothing better for the GOP and nothing worse for the 10 Democratic senators who are up for reelection in 2018 in red states that voted for Trump. Republicans need to pick up only eight seats to win a filibuster-proof majority in the Senate, in which case they wont need Democrats for anything. So thank you, Chuck Schumer! Lets hope he continues to lead the resistance. Lets hope he continues to block Trumps agenda and forces vulnerable Senate Democrats to be Trump obstructionists. If Republicans dont blow the opportunity, the result will be legislation that is more conservative and expanded congressional majorities in 2018. Thiessen, a fellow with the American Enterprise Institute and former chief speechwriter to President George W. Bush, writes a weekly online column for The Washington Post. LAS VEGAS The former mixed martial arts fighter known as War Machine was found guilty Monday of kidnapping, beating and sexually assaulting his porn actress ex-girlfriend over several months in 2014, and of beating her male friend when he found them together in her bedroom. Nevada jurors deadlocked on two attempted-murder counts against Jonathan Paul Koppenhaver but convicted him of 29 felonies stemming from attacks on Christy Mack and Corey Thomas. The Associated Press normally does not identify people who say they are victims of sexual assault, but Mack gave AP permission to use her name. Neither she nor Thomas was in the courtroom while Koppenhaver, 35, stood flanked by his lawyers. He folded his arms across his chest as the verdicts were read. Koppenhaver shook his head a little as he heard guilty to the two most serious counts kidnapping and sexual assault with a weapon. Each could get him up to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Sentencing was scheduled for June 5. Defense attorney Jay Leiderman said hell appeal the convictions. Hes a tough guy. He stood there and took the verdicts, Leiderman said. But its obviously the worst day of his life. Koppenhaver was acquitted on three lesser counts battery with intent to commit sexual assault, burglary with a weapon and sexually motivated coercion. The jury of six women and six men left the courthouse without speaking with reporters or attorneys. Prosecutors Jacqueline Bluth and Robert Stephens said they were happy with the verdict. Bluth referred to Mack by her legal name, Christine Mackinday. I think what was important to Ms. Mackinday was that the jury believed her in regards to previous conduct that she never reported, Bluth said. What that says to domestic violence victims is that even if you dont report it right away, a jury can still believe you. In closing arguments, Leiderman characterized Koppenhaver as a raging bull with brain injuries from his fighting career and emotions inflamed by the use of steroids and non-prescription stimulant and antidepressant drugs that combined could have caused mood swings and violence that the defense attorney termed roid rage. Koppenhaver didnt testify. Mack, 24, spent eight hours on the witness stand, crying as she said she was beaten and raped by Koppenhaver several times in the months before the August 2014 attack on her and Thomas. Thomas, a digital media company owner, testified that he dated Mack for two months before Koppenhaver arrived at her home unexpectedly, flipped on the bedroom lights and set upon him on the bed with rapid-fire punches and choking. Thomas testified that he suffered a broken nose, dislocated shoulder, scrapes, bruises and bite marks. The beating stopped, he said, when he asked Koppenhaver if his end game was going to be to kill him or let him go. Mack testified that Koppenhaver attacked her after Thomas left. The jury saw photos of Mack with a broken nose, missing teeth, fractured eye socket and leg injuries. She also suffered a lacerated liver. Mack said she fled her home and ran bleeding to neighbors homes when Koppenhaver went to the kitchen to fetch a knife. Koppenhaver was arrested a week later in the Los Angeles suburb of Simi Valley, and was returned to Nevada. He has been serving a 1- to four-year sentence for violating his probation on a 2009 conviction for attempted battery involving a 21-year-old woman. Koppenhaver made his Ultimate Fighting Championship debut in 2007. He had a 14-5 record as a welterweight and legally changed his name to War Machine. His final fight was in 2013. He was dropped by his fight promoter and his clothing line after Macks accusations became public. Since 2010, At least 20 SWAT raids involving suspected marijuana dealers have turned deadly, according to data compiled by the New York Times. The list of fatalities includes small-time dealers and people who sold the occasional joint to a friend, as well as people suspected of dealing in more serious drugs like crack or meth, but who were found to be in possession of only marijuana after the fact. It also includes four police officers who were killed during the raids, intentionally or otherwise. The deadly raids are a reminder that an activity thats legal in some states selling weed can get you killed in others. The dead include: 29-year-old Jason Westcott of Tampa, Florida, who was shot and killed by police who stormed his home and observed him with a firearm. Westcott never fired his gun. The police uncovered a total of .2 grams of marijuana at Westcotts residence, not enough to fill a typical joint. Trevon Cole of Las Vegas, who was targeted for a raid after undercover officers purchased 1.8 ounces of the drug from him. Cole was unarmed, and was shot and killed by an officer as he was trying to flush marijuana down a toilet. His family eventually received a $1.7 million settlement from police. Levonia Riggins, also of Tampa, who became the subject of a raid after undercover agents purchased marijuana from him on three occasions. Riggins was in bed at the time of the raid. He didnt respond to officers demands, and when the officers moved toward him Riggins made a quick movement. He was shot and killed. The raid turned out no firearms and a small amount of marijuana. Marijuana itself is not a deadly substance. No death from overdose of marijuana has been reported, according to the DEA. But the deadly raids on suspected marijuana dealers underscore how drug enforcement can become a greater threat to life and safety than drug use itself. The Times data shows that drugs are the primary driver of SWAT raids that turn deadly. Among the 85 fatal raids that have occurred since 2010, 61 of them or 70 percent were initiated on suspicion of drugs. The modern-day SWAT team originated in Los Angeles in the late 1960s as a way to deal with gunmen targeting police officers or civilians. But today SWAT teams are mostly used to handle routine warrant work, especially drug warrants. A 2014 ACLU study found that nearly 80 percent of SWAT deployments were to serve search warrants. Just 7 percent of SWAT deployments involved hostage, barricade, or active shooter scenarios. Defenders of the use of tactics in drug search warrants say theyre necessary to protect officer safety. These are dangerous people were dealing with, an Arkansas SWAT commander told The New York Times. If you have a dope house next door theres probably nothing the police can do that would be overreacting. But selling drugs is not, in and of itself, a violent crime. And with certain drugs, marijuana in particular, the risk to public health of using the drug is minimal. Over half of U.S. states have legalized the drug for medical use, and eight states plus DC have legalized it for recreational use as well. But while nobodys overdosing on marijuana, police are still killing people for it and occasionally being killed themselves. In 2013, a SWAT team in rural Texas conducted a pre-dawn raid on the home of Henry Magee, who an informant said was growing 12 marijuana plants in his house. Groggy and disoriented by the commotion, Magee grabbed a semi-automatic rifle and began firing in the direction of the door that the officers had just battered down. His live-in girlfriend, four months pregnant at the time, thought they were being robbed. When Magee and his girlfriend heard the police announce themselves, they immediately surrendered. By then, police investigator Frederich Sowders lay dead on the floor. They later recovered 10 marijuana plants and 4 ounces of dried marijuana from his home. It took a grand jury 12 hours to acquit Magee of a capital murder charge. All of us felt that if I were in bed and heard anything that made me get up and get a gun, and all of a sudden my door explodes in, Im shooting, one of the jurors told The New York Times. Why in the world would you do a full-out assault on a guy growing pot? Lets start with what we know: There can be little doubt that the Russian government attempted a multipronged operation last year to try to influence our presidential election. All 17 members of the U.S. intelligence community agree on that, and such unanimity on anything from so many government agencies in the intelligence world or elsewhere is rare. It is also clear that the goal of the Russians operation was to increase the likelihood that Donald Trump would be elected. This is not a partisan statement, especially if you look at it from Russian President Vladimir Putins perspective: Candidate Trumps positions on Russia were very much more favorable to Moscow than were those of his opponent, Hillary Clinton (see also: NATO, Crimea, Eastern Ukraine). Personal antipathy between Putin and Clinton also probably played a role. What else do we know? We have seen a series of data points linking the Trump campaign to the Russian government before the election. We know Michael Flynn, erstwhile national security adviser and active member of the Trump campaign, visited Moscow at the behest of RT, a Russian media outlet controlled and funded by the Kremlin and notorious for spreading propaganda. We know RT paid for the trip and also compensated Flynn. We know that Flynn sat at the head table with Putin during an RT event. We know there are as yet unproven allegations of connections between Paul Manafort, Trumps former campaign chief, and Russia (possibly via a Russian intelligence officer and a Russian oligarch/organized crime figure). We know there are outstanding questions regarding Trumps personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, as to whether he traveled to Europe for meetings with Russians (which he has denied). And more recently, it has come to light that Trump adviser Roger Stone was in contact with hacker Guccifer 2.0, who claims to have been involved with the breach of Democratic National Committee servers. The steady drumbeat regarding some kind of contact between the Trump camp and Russia, coupled with the assessment of the IC, has caused Congress to begin investigating. The House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, led by Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Calif., will hold public hearings this week, while various other committees indicate they plan to investigate, as well. But figuring out the connections between the Russian government and the Trump administration wont be possible if we leave it up to Congress. For such a serious and politically fraught matter, we need an independent investigation. Even if only one of the data points pointing toward contact between the Trump campaign and the Russians is accurate, a serious probe is required. This is not a matter of looking into a misguided policy that was pursued illegally (like Iran/Contra), a possible intelligence failure resulting in thousands of American deaths (the 9/11 attacks) or the gross politicization of intelligence for political means (whether Iraq had weapons of mass destruction before the 2003 U.S. invasion). For the Trump campaign or any of its representatives to be in any way coordinating with the government of Russia during the campaign constitutes a threat to a primary pillar of American democracy: free and fair elections. That Russia meddled in U.S. presidential elections is bad enough; cooperation or collusion between a candidate and a foreign power particularly Russia, a serious adversary in an attempt to win would be unprecedented in modern times. The gravity and inherently political nature of the situation are precisely what make investigation by congressional committees ill-advised. I have seen both the House and Senate committees on intelligence in action during my time working in the CIAs Office of Congressional Affairs. As a longtime intelligence officer and member of the Clandestine Service, I was impressed with the committes attention to security and secrecy. Members and staffers enjoyed access to incredibly sensitive programs and information, and in some cases the professional staff had a better understanding as to what was going on during briefings than I did. I cannot recall a time during my tenure when either a staffer or a member leaked classified information. But thats not the issue. The real problem is the politics that are baked into the congressional oversight system. Because members of Congress are involved, party politics inevitably comes into play. Take, for example, the investigation into the CIAs enhanced interrogation techniques, undertaken in 2009 by Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), then chair of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. The result was a unilateral report issued by the panels Democrats. Republican members never agreed with how the investigation was run, and they refused to participate. And then there was the controversy over whether Senate staffers had tried to access information the CIA had not cleared for them, the subsequent CIA search of computers used by the staffers to determine this (which the committee believed was an illegal hack) and the ensuing distrust on both sides. While the Torture Report dealt with a sensitive topic involving American values, the possibility of a presidential election corrupted by a foreign power is incredibly more incendiary. At the end of the day, the Torture Report decided nothing and caused no change that had not already occurred inside the CIA, and the results of the report remain contested. I doubt if most Americans outside of Washington can recall the results of Feinsteins work or whether anything decisive happened in its wake. This cannot happen with the investigation into possible Russian ties to the Trump campaign. Allegations of torture quite correctly caused our democracy to take a hard look at what our intelligence services have been asked to do by an administration. But allegations of a candidate cooperating with an adversarial foreign power to win a presidential election strike at the very heart of our system. The seriousness of these allegations means we cannot leave the investigation to any politician who has a vested interest in the outcome, as both Republicans and Democrats do. Members and staffers on the oversight committees simply cannot act in a truly bipartisan fashion. This fact is a product of the hyper-partisanship present in politics right now. At a different time in our history, I might have believed a politician who said, This issue is critical and needs to be dealt with in a bipartisan fashion. In todays political vocabulary, that translates into, This issue is critical, and if you are from the opposing party you need to get behind us on this. Already there is evidence that the investigations by the intelligence oversight committees are becoming political. The issues associated with Flynn are being called a tangent by Nunes, even as a better understanding of Flynns activities while in Russia is critically important. President Trump has made allegations that his campaign was subjected to surveillance last year, and despite there being no evidence of this, Nunes has agreed to include the claims in the investigation, thereby stretching the committees resources and, more important, the nations attention span. The 9/11 Commission tried to get to the root cause of how thousands of Americans could be killed in the United States by terrorists. Those attacks were horrible, but politically, everyone in power in Washington agreed on who the enemy was and that nothing like the attacks should never happen again. It was, truly, a bipartisan matter. The much more insidious possibility of Trumps cooperation with Russia to win the election should be of the same kind of bipartisan concern, investigated by an independent commission, too. If that doesnt happen, and the results of the oversight committees work is simply a shoulder shrug, grave damage will have been done to the bedrock of our democracy. Hall retired from the CIA in 2015 after 30 years of running and managing Russian operations. PHOENIX A federal judge has dismissed an advocacy groups lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of a federal law on placements of Native American children removed from their parents custody. The suit filed in 2015 by the Goldwater Institute contended that the Indian Child Welfare Act is discriminatory. The act prioritizes placing Native American children removed from the custody of their parents with relatives or another Native American family. It was passed in 1978 to prevent the break-up of Native American families after officials found children within tribes were being removed from homes at disproportionately high rates. U.S. Senior District Judge Neal V. Wakes ruling Thursday says the individuals named as plaintiffs lack legal standing to mount the challenge and that the court doesnt have jurisdiction to decide the case. WASHINGTON FBI Director James Comey made one thing abundantly clear Monday: There is zero evidence that Donald Trump or Trump Tower was wiretapped during the course of the 2016 presidential campaign. I have no information that supports those tweets, Comey told House Intelligence Committee ranking Democrat Adam Schiff of California, confirming that neither the FBI nor the Justice Department had found any evidence of the alleged wiretapping after a very close look. Comeys denial of wiretapping comes on the heels of similar statements by former director of national intelligence James Clapper, former president Barack Obama and House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes, R-Calif. For Trump to continue to make the case that he was wiretapped by Obama during the 2016 election, you must believe that the current FBI director is lying in a public, nationally televised congressional hearing. And that the former director of national intelligence was lying. And that Mike Rogers, director of the National Security Agency, is lying that Britain was not involved in a wiretapping program at the behest of the American government. Thats a very, very, very, very tough sell. Now, there are ways around this and a number of the Republican members on the Intelligence Committee are taking Trumps lead in suggesting them. The prime pushback is that when Trump used the word wiretapping, he didnt actually mean wiretapping. Instead he meant a broader palette of potential means of surveillance. And so, by denying, specifically, the words wiretapping, Comey and the rest are playing word games and not broadly denying that someone, somewhere was watching or listening to the Republican presidential nominee. It is possible in the broadest sense of that word that such a theory could have some validity. But it is the longest of long shots, and to believe it, you have to believe that people like Comey and Clapper purposely obfuscated when asked direct questions about whether Trump was being surveilled. Given Comeys flat denial of any evidence of Trump Tower being wiretapped, there will be increased pressure on both Trump and Republican members of Congress to back off that position and apologize for it. Reps. Tom Cole, R-Okla., and Will Hurd, R-Texas, have already called on Trump to apologize to Obama. Its hard to imagine that other Republicans wont follow that lead in light of Comeys testimony in front of the House Intelligence Committee on Monday. Trump is another matter. His offhand remark at a joint news appearance Friday with German Chancellor Angela Merkel that perhaps he and she had both been wiretapped by the Obama administration suggests he isnt planning to leave the issue alone much less apologize for it. And we know that for 35 to 40 percent of the public, that will be enough; they simply trust Trump more than they trust any intelligence official or media outlet. But thats sort of beside the point. Trump is the president of the United States. There is now ample evidence that a very serious accusation he made about a former president is simply not true. Standing by it now is simply irresponsible. SANTA FE With a new school board in place in Espanola and the superintendent now on administrative leave, the school district is working to make amends with the state Public Education Department, which took financial control of the district in November. I think were getting things back on track. Were trying to do things right, Ruben Archuleta, president of the school board, said in a phone interview Friday. Archuleta is part of a new majority on the school board, which last week placed Superintendent Eric Martinez on administrative leave. Martinez is still under the scrutiny of PED, which in the past four months has twice placed him on a 30-day notice and required him to submit a corrective action plan regarding how he proposed to address such issues as bullying and student safety within the district. Martinez recently provided PED with an 11-page letter outlining his plan after the department determined a previous response was insufficient. Martinez said he would require staff to undergo mandatory training to prevent and eventually eliminate intimidation and bullying, revamp security including the installation of surveillance cameras and shore up staffing with qualified teachers in classrooms, rather than rely so heavily on substitutes. A PED spokeswoman said Friday that Martinezs letter is under review and a response is being prepared. Archuleta says some elements of Martinezs plan are already being implemented. He said the school board is also reviewing contracts the district has with certain vendors that are under investigation by the Attorney Generals Office. One of those contracts is with Trujillo Media, formally 2Smooth Marketing, which has a $50,000 per year contract with the school district. The company is owned by Barney Trujillo, a Rio Arriba County commissioner whose Chimayo home was raided by investigators from the Attorney Generals Office in January. Investigators were also requesting invoices, purchase orders, work logs and bank statements relating to Trujillos company from the school district. Archuleta said the school board discussed that contract during its Wednesday meeting. A couple of board members expressed concern about deliverables. Has student enrollment increased? Are we getting our moneys worth? That whole situation has left a sour taste in peoples mouths, he said. Archuleta said that contract and others, including one with Rio Arriba County to place deputies at the middle school and high school, will be taken up at the boards next meeting April 5. New Delhi, Mar 20 (IBNS): The Supreme Court on Monday refused to grant more time to Gopal Ansal in the Uphaar fire case and ordered him back to jail, according to media reports. The apex court had ruled that younger bother Gopal Ansal would have to complete the remaining part of his sentence. The Ansal brothers were found guilty in Delhis Uphaar Cinema fire tragedy that killed 59 people in 1987. But elder brother Sushil Ansal, 79, was granted relief on the grounds of his advanced age. A special bench headed by Justice Ranjan Gogoi, on March 9, refused to alter its February verdict and only extended the deadline for Ansal's surrender to March 20. Gopal Ansal appealed that he has approached the President of India for mercy and pardon, according to media reports. BERLIN President Donald Trumps first meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel may have resembled the comedic awkwardness of a Sasha Baron Cohen movie. But an unlikely star was born during the bizarre Trump and Merkel show. Kristina Dunz. The self-effacing German journalist was thrust into the spotlight Friday, when she stood up at their White House news conference in what became an Emperor-Has-No-Clothes moment. Over the weekend, her instant fame snowballed, particularly in her native Germany, where Dunzs exchange with Trump has suddenly become a defining moment for Internet memes and late-night TV monologues. Channeling the angst of an international audience watching the first season of the President Trump show from afar, Dunz called on by Merkel asked the tough questions that the U.S. journalists picked on by Trump did not. She asked Merkel about Trumps contempt for the European Union and queried Trump over whether his America first policy could backfire on the United States by weakening Europe. Yet the crux of her question to the president was this: How can he decry fake news, yet at the same time spread apparently false accusations, including that former president Barack Obama had wiretapped him? A visibly riled Trump cut off Merkel as she tried to reply first, sarcastically calling Dunz a nice, friendly reporter. He defended his trade policy, saying he wasnt isolationist, and declared that any newspapers who called him such were printing fake news. In the United States, American journalists applauded Dunz, along with a fellow German journalist who followed up with more hard questions, for doing what the Americans hadnt. The German press shamed us, Politicos Tara Palmeri tweeted. Even actress Mia Farrow gave the German press a shout-out. In Dunzs native Germany, a country where polls show Trump is exceedingly unpopular, media outlets rushed to interview her. Her bravery was heralded on the heute-show, a sort of German version of the Daily Show, whose host joked that by merely questioning Trump so toughly Dunz had risked a declaration of war. One German Internet meme making the rounds showed Trump as J.R.R. Tolkiens Gollum, hissing, Nice, friendly reporterstses! Must not hurt us, precious! In an interview with The Washington Post, Dunz, a 25-year veteran of the German Press Agency (DPA), said she was uncomfortable with all the attention. In an era of look-at-me journalism, shes old school a hardscrabble professional whos spent time covering German troops in Afghanistan and believes reporters should never be part of the story. She suggested that she was simply doing her job, as well as her homework. She worked on the question beforehand, and was advised by a colleague in Washington to ask the question in German to avoid being cut off by Trump. After the news conference, she said, her phone wouldnt stop making an odd sound. I thought my cell was jammed, she said. But she quickly realized they were Twitter and text notifications. Her Twitter followers have more than quadrupled over the past three days. I think I hit a nerve . . . because mine was a more general question about his fundamental attitude and about American values, she said. She added, He must be afraid of something. . . . The fact that he kept going on about fake news only got him into trouble. In Germany, she is something of a social-media folk hero. Stuttgart user Klaus Jahn tweeted at Dunz: You deserve the Pulitzer Prize for your courageous, unexpected questions. Bravo and respect. German journalist Silke Burmester tweeted at her, Lets make journalism great again! But in a country where Trump is as divisive as he is in the United States, others blasted Dunz. Johannes Loew, a self-proclaimed German Trump supporter from Bavaria, tweeted: Trump called all of this fake news. This answers the question. People like you arent worth more of a response! Yet the incident, more than anything, seemed to shed a spotlight on Trumps dealings with the press. During joint news conferences with foreign leaders, it is not unusual for the U.S. press to ask presidents questions tied to the news cycle in Fridays case, on the health-care debate. Yet reporters picked on to speak in such situations are often pre-selected, and a debate is raging over whether some U.S. journalists, in a quest for access, are currying favor by being less hard hitting. Dunz dismissed any blanket criticism of the U.S. press, saying the fault is with Trump for squeezing out critical voices. One absolutely cannot say . . . that the German press is showing its U.S. colleagues how its done, she said. U.S. colleagues, including your paper, were pioneers and are role models. Perhaps more telling than Dunzs question was her resulting story. At times, it had the tone of American foreign correspondents covering despotic governments in Venezuela, China or Russia. For a while now, it hasnt been common practice in the White House to answer tough, uncomfortable questions in an open, matter-of fact way, she wrote. Trump is visibly tormented by this kind of openness. Although uncomfortable with her newfound notoriety, Dunz is at least happy for one thing: that her DPA news agency, long overshadowed by bigger German names such as Bild and Der Spiegel, is finally getting its moment in the sun. I have a problem with this whole famous and hero thing, said Dunz. But what makes me extraordinarily happy is that it throws a spotlight on the agency. . . . Agency reporters are always there, they are the only ones who go on every trip . . . theyre always in the background. On Friday, they werent. Turks and Armenians have been in a bitter, long-running dispute over the deaths of more than 1 million Armenians during World War I in the Ottoman Empire. Armenians call it a genocide; the Turkish government says the killings were not systematic, occurring in the midst of war. Now, the dispute has come to Hollywood. Two films this spring feature an intense love triangle that unfolds in this historic setting but their political agendas are vastly different. The Promise, opening nationwide April 21, is the first major Hollywood movie to portray what a consensus of historians calls the Armenian genocide, which involved forced-march deportations and mass killings over several years starting in 1915. Oscar Isaac plays a young Armenian man who moves from his small village to Istanbul in 1914 to study medicine. There, as the predominantly Muslim Ottoman Empire enters the war on the side of Germany and turns on its own minority Christian Armenian population, he meets and falls in love with an Armenian woman raised in France (Charlotte Le Bon of The Walk), who is romantically involved with an outspoken American correspondent for the Associated Press (Christian Bale). Talaat Pasha, considered the mastermind behind the killings, is one of the real-life figures in the film, which spares none of the Turkish atrocities against the Armenians, from the brutal labor camps for young men to the massacres of women, children and the elderly. Though The Ottoman Lieutenant appears similar on the surface, it offers a very different interpretation of history. The film which opened March 10 with a limited release tells the fictional story of a headstrong American nurse (Icelandic actress Hera Hilmar) who travels to eastern Anatolia (now Turkey) to work at an American Mission Hospital. During the war, she is pulled between two men seeking her affections: an American doctor (Josh Hartnett) and a Muslim Ottoman lieutenant (Michiel Huisman of Game of Thrones). The film takes an approach similar to the position of the Turkish government, which has long held that there was no state-organized policy of ethnic cleansing against Armenians. Rather, Turkey insists, during the fighting on the Ottoman Empires eastern front against the Russians, Turkish and Armenian civilians alike died in the course of wartime violence. Taner Akcam of Clark University, one of the few historians from Turkey to recognize the events as a genocide, says that the countrys government refuses to acknowledge Turkish culpability partly because of the sensitive issue of reparations for survivors and their descendants. But the stance also stems from deeper roots: the countrys founding in 1923 on the ashes of the Ottoman Empire. If you acknowledge the Armenian genocide, then you have to acknowledge that an important number of Turkish founding fathers were either involved directly in genocide or became rich during the genocidal process through the seizure of Armenian property, said Akcam. Both films were in the works well before the April 24, 2015, centenary of the tragedy, which helped increase awareness of the subject. The Armenian genocide is one of the most well-documented humanitarian catastrophes of the 20th century, said Eric Esrailian, lead producer for Survival Pictures, which produced The Promise his first film, as hes also a physician at UCLAs David Geffen School of Medicine. It was, in real time frequently written about in U.S. newspapers. There was a huge humanitarian relief effort. It is largely due to Turkish pressure on the film industry that a movie like The Promise was not made sooner. In the 1930s, MGM acquired the film rights to The Forty Days of Musa Dagh, Franz Werfels best-selling novel inspired by the true story of several thousand Armenians who survived a mountaintop siege. But lobbying by Turkish Ambassador to the United States Mehmet Munir Ertegun (whose son Ahmet went on to found Atlantic Records) forced the studio to drop the project. Recent years have seen a couple of small-scale indie features that deal with the tragedy, including Armenian-Canadian director Atom Egoyans Ararat (2002) and Turkish German director Fatih Akins The Cut (2014). The Promise was also developed outside the studio system, financed entirely by the late mogul Kirk Kerkorian, who owned MGM for many years and later founded Survival Pictures in 2012. The promise means so much to us personally, said Esrailian. The promise was from Mr. Kerkorian to make the film. The promise was from us to complete the film. The promise is for us to never forget. And the promise is for us to also vow to do something so that it never happens again. With a budget of nearly $100 million, the film is one of the most expensive independent films ever made, according to Variety. And the entire endeavor is not-for-profit: Survival Pictures has committed to donating all proceeds to nonprofit organizations, including the Elton John AIDS Foundation and other human rights and humanitarian groups. The Ottoman Lieutenant was also made with private financing, in this case from a group of Turkish producers working in film, TV and advertising. They teamed up with producer Stephen Joel Brown (Seven), as well as an American director, Joseph Ruben (The Forgotten), and screenwriter, Jeff Stockwell (Bridge to Terabithia), to make a feature that would have high production values. In an interview, Brown maintained that their film was not seeking to promote a particular political agenda, describing it as a classic love story, set at a time and place that we really havent seen in cinema. While foregrounding the clandestine romance between the American nurse and the Ottoman lieutenant, the movie does not completely shy away from showing the suffering of the Armenians, particularly in one crucial scene involving Turkish soldiers. That (scene) seems kind of unequivocally saying, Turks force-marched Armenians and then slaughtered them along the way, said Stockwell, the screenwriter. Whatever you want to quibble about, there it is. Now, is there enough? Is it soft-pedaled? Nevertheless, focusing the action on the town of Van and showing one of the few Armenian insurgencies, which took place there in April and May 1915, has the effect of promoting the Turkish narrative, which points to the Van resistance as a justification for repression of the Armenians. The official Turkish argument is that deportation of Armenians was a response to Armenian uprisings, said Akcam (who has not seen The Ottoman Lieutenant). This is the reason the Van event is crucial in Ottoman Turkish historiography. This argument is not correct, because we know that the decision for deportation was already taken before the Van uprising. (The studio did not make the Turkish producers available for interviews.) A sizable contingent of Turks, as well as many in the Armenian diaspora, have been aware of The Promise for some time. Last October, outlets including the Independent reported that it had more than 85,000 ratings on IMDb, nearly all of them either 1 or 10 stars. Given that the film had had just three public screenings by that point, it seemed clear that users who had not even seen it were rating it based purely on their politics. Similarly, before The Ottoman Lieutenant had even opened, it was quickly dismissed in Armenian-American publications and in YouTube comments sections as Turkish propaganda. While neither movie is likely to settle the debate over the events of World War I, these portrayals might prompt some Americans to look into the historical record and draw their own conclusions. Is Pluto a planet? Its not a question scientists ask in polite company. Its like religion and politics, said Kirby Runyon, a planetary scientist at Johns Hopkins University. People get worked up over it. Ive gotten worked up over it. For years, astronomers, planetary scientists and other space researchers have fought about what to call the small, icy world at the edge of our solar system. Is it a planet, as scientists believed for nearly seven decades? Or must a planet be something bigger, something more dominant, as was decided by vote at the International Astronomical Union (IAU) in 2006? The issue can bring conversations to a screeching halt, or turn them into shouting matches. Sometimes, Runyon said, its just easier not to bring it up. But Runyon will ignore his own advice this week when he attends the annual Lunar and Planetary Science Conference in Houston. In a giant exhibit hall crowded with his colleagues, hes attempting to reignite the debate about Plutos status with an audacious new definition for planet one that includes not just Pluto, but several of its neighbors, objects in the asteroid belt, and a number of moons. By his count, 102 new planets could be added to our solar system under the new criteria. Its a scientifically useful bit of nomenclature and, I think, given the psychological power behind the word planet, its also more consumable by the general public, Runyon said. A classification has to be useful, or else its just lipstick on a pig, countered planetary scientist Carolyn Porco. Runyons definition is not useful at all. The debate rages on. If aliens arrived at our solar system tomorrow, they would not see planets laid out in the orderly parade depicted in textbooks. Instead, theyd encounter hundreds of constantly moving bodies engaged in a complex dance around a brightly burning star. Its hard to know what would immediately catch their attention. Probably Jupiter, the largest body in our solar system. Next theyd spot Saturn, Neptune and Uranus other giant worlds and the two belts of debris that orbit the sun inside Jupiters orbit (the asteroid belt) and beyond Neptune (the Kuiper belt). If they peered a bit closer, theyd spot the small, rocky spheres of the inner solar system: Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars. They might see the dozens of worlds that circle the larger bodies or Ceres in the asteroid belt. And finally, if they searched near the Kuiper belt, theyd discern Pluto, tinier than Earths moon but undeniably captivating, with water ice mountains and a heart-shaped plain. Which of these would they consider a planet or whatever the alien term for planet might be? When the IAU voted in 2006, scientists came to the conclusion that gravitational dominance is what distinguishes the eight planets from the solar systems other spheres. From giant Jupiter to tiny Mercury, each is massive enough to make them the bullies of their orbits, absorbing, ejecting or otherwise controlling the motion of every other object that gets too close. According to the definition, planets must also orbit the sun. Pluto, which shares its zone of the solar system with a host of other objects, was reclassified as a dwarf planet a body that resembles a planet but fails to clear its neighborhood, in the IAUs parlance. If you look at the solar system with fresh eyes, it is really hard to not realize that there are eight big things dominating the solar system and millions of tiny things flitting around, said Caltech astronomer Mike Brown, whose discovery of the dwarf planet Eris, announced in 2005, precipitated the IAU vote a year later. Brown was not at that vote, but he said that a definition based on orbital dynamics is the most profound classification you can come up with. Thats the one that asks the question were asking as planetary scientists, he explained. Why did the solar system form with these eight giant things and all these other things around them? But to Runyon, that distinction is less important than what dozens of solar system worlds have in common: geology. Im interested in an objects intrinsic properties, he said. What it is on its surface and in its interior? Whether an object is in orbit around another planet or the sun doesnt really matter for me. Runyon calls his a geophysical definition. A planet, he says, is anything massive enough that gravity pulls it into a sphere (a characteristic called hydrostatic equilibrium), but not so massive that it starts to undergo nuclear fusion and become a star. Its only about one force and one property, the mass, said Alan Stern, who led NASAs New Horizons mission to visit Pluto in 2015. Stern is a co-author on the paper outlining Runyons new definition. I think thats very elegant, as a physicist. Within that definition, Runyon and Stern say, scientists can divide planets into subcategories: moon planets like Europa and Titan; rocky planets like Earth and Mars; gas giant planets like Jupiter and Saturn; icy planets like Eris and Pluto. But making planet more inclusive would formalize something many scientists already do: use the term when comparing geologic features. Runyon said he found dozens of examples in the scientific literature of researchers referring to the planets Pluto, Earth and Mars to talk about glacial processes on their surfaces, or a planet-wide haze layer when discussing the moon Titans atmosphere. As planetary scientists we feel like the situation got really badly mangled back in 2006, Stern said. It was time somebody write this all down and start a new conversation. Questions about the definition of planet go back much further than the debate over Pluto. The moon was considered a planet until the 17th century, when Copernicus placed it in orbit around the Earth. Galileo initially referred to the four largest moons of Jupiter as planets, but astronomers eventually adopted the term satellite (attendant) instead. Ceres was considered a planet for several years after it was discovered circling between Mars and Jupiter in 1801. But when astronomers realized it was just the largest of thousands of objects inhabiting that stretch of sky, they renamed Ceres an asteroid and called its crowded home orbit the asteroid belt. When Pluto was named the ninth planet in 1930, astronomers vastly overestimated its size, suggesting it could be even larger than Jupiter. It would also take more than 50 years for them to realize that Pluto had plenty of company in its far-flung orbit. Jean-Luc Margot, a planetary scientist at the University of California at Los Angeles who voted in favor of the IAU resolution in 2006, said Pluto might have gone the way of Ceres if scientists had found other Kuiper belt objects sooner. An aspect of science is that we revisit our ideas, he said. We have to be able to acknowledge when we make a mistake. That moment came in 2006. When astronomers arrived at IAU meeting in Prague that year, they were surprised to hear that a group had been working in secret to devise a formal definition for planet something that had never been done before. Planet, the group proposed, was any object made round by its gravity thats in orbit around a star. Though many bodies in the solar system met this requirement, only Ceres and Eris would be made new planets; Pluto and its moon Charon would be called a binary planet system. The group also suggested a new classification, pluton, for bodies like Pluto whose orbits around the sun took 200 years or more. The draft definition made almost no one happy. It was criticized as awkward and arbitrary, and the secrecy in which it was developed meant that researchers who wanted to improve the definition had little time to do so. Scientists spent the next two weeks of the conference rushing to come up with terminology they liked better. Sara Seager, an exoplanet researcher at MIT who did not attend that years meeting, recalled watching the chaos from afar. It actually was very confusing, she said. Everyone was asking me what was going on. Id be in a taxi and the taxi driver would say, I really want Pluto to be a planet. Will it still be a planet? And I couldnt say. The vote happened on the meetings last day. Despite the rushed circumstances, the resolution passed with a large enough majority that no one counted the votes. Pluto had lost. Stern, who missed the 2006 meeting to help his daughter move into her college dorm, said it felt like astronomers who study black holes and stars had hijacked the most important concept in his field. He hadnt even known that a definition was being formulated otherwise, he might have tried to attend the meeting. Now, suddenly, he was a planetary scientist whose object of study was no longer a planet. He scoffed at Plutos new classification, dwarf planet How can an adjective in front of a noun not describe the noun? Stern asked. There are dwarf stars but theyre still considered stars. Runyon, who was a 21-year-old college student at the time of the IAU vote, said that the result never sat well with him. In 2015, he was on the data analysis team for the New Horizons spacecraft as it flew past Pluto. That December, the stunning new images of that distant world fresh in his mind, he sat down and in a fit of creative passion drafted his definition. The paper that Runyon will present this week isnt a formal proposal, like the one that was devised at the IAU. Hes not putting his definition up to a vote, or even suggesting that it should replace the IAUs. If he did, its unlikely that the IAU would adopt it. But its sure to spark debate. Porco, who is one of the lead scientists for NASAs Cassini mission to Saturn, pointed out that she is a planetary scientist and has no problem with the IAUs orbital dynamics-based definition. She also noted that astronomers already have a perfectly serviceable term for the kind of body Stern and Runyon are trying to describe: world. In her view, the only scientists who want to make those places planets are people who study Pluto. Nearly everyone agrees that the IAU definition is imperfect. Margot, the UCLA planetary scientist who voted for the resolution, has tried to refine it. But the debate over Pluto was so traumatic for the community, he said, that he doubts that the IAU would be willing to revisit the issue anytime soon. If you talk to enough scientists on either side of this debate, youll notice that their arguments start to echo each other. They use the same terms to criticize the definitions they dont like: not useful, too emotional, confusing. Both groups want the same thing: for the public to understand and embrace the science of the solar system. But each is convinced that only their definition can achieve that goal. And each accuses the other of confusing people by prolonging the debate. But Seager, the exoplanet researcher, said the opposite might be true. In her experience, the debate over Plutos status has given her more opportunities to talk about the solar system than ever before. What I love about it is its a teaching moment, she said. If someone asks about Pluto you use that as an opening to say, look whatever you want to call it, heres whats going on in our system today. Seager has no dog in this fight. Her gaze extends far beyond the Kuiper belt, to worlds that orbit stars light-years from our own. In the years since the IAU resolution, scientists have found thousands more planets outside our solar system. Many are like nothing astronomers have ever seen before giant hot Jupiters that orbit tightly around their stars; rogue planets that rocket through the galaxy independent of any sun. For scientists like Seager, the age of planet discovery is just beginning. What else is out there? Whats beyond Pluto? she asked. Theres so much we still dont know. WASHINGTON Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., is asking Education Secretary Betsy DeVos to explain the hiring of two officials with ties to the for-profit-college industry, questioning their roles and potential conflicts of interest. Warren, a member of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, sent a letter to DeVos on Friday raising concerns about Robert Eitel and Taylor Hansen. Eitel, as first reported in the New York Times, is a top lawyer at Bridgepoint Education, an operator of for-profit colleges, who has taken unpaid leave to serve as a special assistant to DeVos. Hansen, a former lobbyist at the Association of Private Sector Colleges and Universities (now called Career Education Colleges and Universities), told ProPublica that he was hired on a temporary basis at the department. Their appointments come as the Education Department has extended the deadline for career schools and community colleges that provide vocational training to submit appeals under the gainful employment rule. The controversial regulation threatens to withhold federal financial aid from institutions whose graduates are unable to earn enough to repay their student loans. For-profit colleges have lobbied against the rule for years, arguing that it unfairly targets the sector and would ultimately hurt the low-income students they educate. Their protests fell on deaf ears during the Obama administration, but the Trump administration and congressional Republicans have taken up the cause with promises to roll back the rule. In her letter, Warren questions the timing of the extension and Hansens hiring because he lobbied against the gainful rule, according to the Senate Office of Public Records Lobbying Disclosure databases. She said his recent employment history clearly calls into question his impartiality in dealing with higher education issues at the Department of Education, and raises alarming conflicts of interest concerns. Hansen, she added, also may have other conflicts of interest related to the student loan program because his father, Bill Hansen, is president of United Student Aid Funds, a company that collects education debt. The company, now known as Strada Education Network, is suing the Education Department for barring it from charging people in default fees of up to 16 percent of the principal and accrued interest owed on the loans. The lawsuit is now moot because the department revoked its own guidance on the issue last week. Education Department spokesperson Jim Bradshaw said Hansen resigned on Friday, which Bloomberg first reported on Monday. Bradshaw said Hansen served without conflict and decided his service had run its course. Trump signed an executive order in January that requires political appointees to abstain from involvement in matters related to their former employer or clients, including regulations and contracts, for two years. But Warren said the appointment of Hansen and Eitel, coupled with recent announcements at the education agency, call into question whether the Department of Education is adequately complying with Trumps order. The Education Department contends that Eitel consulted with the ethics officer at the agency before he agreed to join the department, and has had several follow up meeting since then. Eitel has recused himself from any matter involving Bridgepoint, including anything related to the gainful rule, according to the department. Eitel worked at Bridgepoint, owner of Ashford University and the University of the Rockies, when the company agreed to a $32 million settlement with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. The watchdog agency made the company refund and discharge $24 million in debt that students accumulated through an in-house loan program that allegedly misled borrowers about the total cost of the loans. In February, the Education Departments inspector general determined that Bridgepoint owes the department a $300,000 fine for miscalculating the refund of federal aid provided to Ashford students, according to a regulatory filing. The company can appeal the inspector generals audit directly to DeVos, but department officials say Eitel will have no role in the matter since he has recused himself from anything related to the company. Bridgepoint spokeswoman Marianne Perez said Eitel has no input on company business and no work-related communications with employees while he is on leave. Publicly traded for-profit colleges have butted heads with state and federal regulators over allegations of steering students into high-cost loans, misleading consumers about their programs and aggressive marketing tactics. The scrutiny, coupled with government lawsuits and depressed student enrollment, has placed tremendous pressure on the sector. But the election of Trump, who campaigned on reducing regulation across industries, has lifted shares of for-profit colleges as Wall Street anticipates the weakening of federal rules and oversight of the industry. RIO DE JANEIRO A scandal over alleged bribery in Brazils meat-packing industry to allow the sale of expired meat deepened Monday as the European Union, China and Chile decided to halt some meat imports from Latin Americas largest nation. The developments represent a major blow to Brazil, one of the worlds largest exporters of meat, which is struggling to emerge from its worst recession in decades. The announcements came despite a flurry of meetings that Brazilian President Michel Temer held with ambassadors and numerous assurances from the government that Brazilian meats in general are safe. Speaking to reporters in Brussels, European Union spokesman Enrico Brivio said the Brazilian companies involved in alleged bribery would be temporarily barred from shipping meat to the EU. The EU will guarantee that any of the establishments involved in the fraud will be suspended, said Brivio, who didnt cite companies by name or say how long the ban would last. A few hours later, Agriculture Minister Blairo Maggi said China had suspended the unloading of Brazilian meats in Chinese ports. Maggi played down that development, saying Chinese authorities were in the process of asking for more information. There is no Chinese embargo, Maggi told reporters in Brasilia. What we have are containers there that cant leave the port to local markets. Chile followed suit, announcing the temporary suspension of Brazilian meats, said Angel Sartori, director of that countrys Agricultural and Livestock Service. On Friday, police issued 38 arrest warrants related to the probe, naming several companies including giant meatpackers JBS and BRF. Both have denied wrongdoing. In a statement Monday, JBS said it had been inappropriately connected to this story. There are no allegations in the judges order that JBS or its executive management violated food safety or product quality standards or engaged in any wrongdoing, it said. The investigation is focused on the actions of Brazilian Federal Meat Inspectors. Late Monday, the Brazilian government said it was barring the exports of meats from 21 plants being investigated, but that sales for internal consumption would not be affected. Investigators charge that health inspectors were bribed to overlook the sale of expired meats. Police also allege that the appearance and smell of expired meats was improved by using chemicals and cheaper products like water and manioc flour. Three plants have been shut down. Temer called an emergency meeting Sunday with ambassadors of several countries. He assured them that Brazilian meats are safe and invited them to a Brazilian-style barbeque. On Monday, Temer again sought to calm nerves, saying Brazils meat industry should not be judged by a single investigation. The agro business for us in Brazil is very important and it should not be marred by a small nucleus (of bad actors), a small thing, he said, speaking to the American Chamber of Commerce in Sao Paulo. Brazil was the worlds largest producer of beef and veal in 2016 and one of the top exporters, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture. The country is also a major exporter of chicken and pork products. On Monday, sanitation officials were out in force in several cities. Marcia Rolim, head of Rio de Janeiros municipal sanitary inspections, said routine investigations were being intensified in light of the investigation. Investigators collected several carts of meats for analysis. Some of the packages from at least one supermarket appeared to be rotten, with a greenish color. Browsing meats on Monday at a supermarket, Carla Simone Macedo said she had periodically seen products that looked to be repackaged. Antonio Fernando, another customer, said called investigation an exaggeration. We have very good meats, he said, adding it was good to see more inspectors. ___ Associated Press video journalists Renata Brito and Mario Lobao in Rio de Janeiro and AP writer Eva Vergara in Santiago, Chile, contributed to this report. NEW ORLEANS A Texas school board can open its meetings with student-led public prayers without running afoul of the Constitutions prohibition against government-established religion, a federal appeals court ruled Monday. The ruling by a three-judge panel of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans upheld a lower court ruling dismissing a lawsuit against the Birdville Independent School District. The suit was filed by the American Humanist Association and a graduate of Birdville High School. The panel said student-led prayers for legislative bodies differ from unconstitutional prayers in public schools. The panel noted a 2014 Supreme Court ruling allowing prayers at a town council meeting in Greece, New York, and said the prayers at the Birdville school board fall under that legislative prayer exception. It would be nonsensical to permit legislative prayers but bar the legislative officers for whom they are being primarily recited from participating in the prayers in any way, Judge Jerry E. Smith wrote for the panel. Indeed, the Supreme Court did not take issue with the fact that Town of Greece board members bowed their heads during invocations. The opinion noted that the Birdville school board meetings are held in an administration building not in a school. People attending can enter and leave at any time, including during the prayer. It said the board meetings open with a student-led Pledge of Allegiance and a statement that can include a prayer, although the statements are sometimes secular. It also noted that no student representatives sit on the board, as in some school districts. Although it is possible to imagine a school-board student-expression practice that offends the Establishment Clause, this one, under its specific facts, does not, Smith wrote. Smith was nominated to the court by Republican President Ronald Reagan. Also on the panel were two nominees of Republican President George W. Bush: Edith Brown Clement and Leslie Southwick. Public Relations Council of India (PRCI) inducted Ashwani Singla, Founding Managing Partner of Astrum, into its Hall of Fame at its 11th Global Conclave held in Bangalore from March 3-5, 2017. Singla is also former Asia MD of Penn Schoen Berland, and CEO of Genesis Burson-Marsteller. On his induction into the PRCI Hall of Fame, Ashwani said, I am grateful to the members of the PRCI for this rare honour. This recognition really belongs to my outstanding colleagues, clients, friends and my family; it is their faith and belief in me that has led to this recognition. MB Jayaram, President, PRCI, commented, Ashwani has played a stellar role in shaping the course of the industry over the last two decades, his professionalism and his continuing focus in developing the next generation of practices has contributed to the respect and trust he enjoys with clients and colleagues. Astrum is touted as Indias first specialist reputation management advisory that uses science to understand and shape public opinion. In his two decades of experience in industry, Singla has donned the role of a trusted advisor and strategist for both the C-Suite and political leaders. He was the campaign strategist for the campaign committee of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) during the 2014 General Elections in India, and continues to work closely with the leadership on the ongoing election strategies. From virtually scaring people to buy an insurance policy by depicting negative scenarios to donning the role of Sache Advisors and even grief counsellors insurance companies have travelled a long way. From merely providing a financial cover for ones family after ones death to empowering the family to fulfil their dreams the focus of communication has taken a positive turn. Jiyo Befikar has become the mantra, which is reflected in the campaign strategies of various insurance players. Be it HDFC Lifes campaign that tells the story of a young womans transformation from a protected daughter to an independent entrepreneur, thanks to the strength that her husband gave her. Or ICICI Prudentials #IValueYou campaign, which portrayed real life relationships that showcased how much families valued the hard work that the head of the family did to ensure that they have a good life and are well provided for. Or the Max Life Insurance campaign, where the husband gives his very reluctant wife driving lessons in order to make her independent. Gone is the hard sell stance, and instead there is more emphasis on relationships, empowerment, looking ahead at the future with hope. Adgully spoke to a cross section of insurance industry majors to have more insight on the shift in brand communication, the marketing strategies and the factors that have influenced this change. In Part 1 of this feature report, we focus on the communications aspect. Shift in brand communication & factors influencing this shift According toAs Indians take bolder steps in their personal and professional lives, challenging norms, becoming more entrepreneurial and shattering societal stereotypes, brands are changing the way they communicate. They have to genuinely talk with customers, and not to customers. Theyve got to now walk the talk more than ever before. Brands are trying to include more culturally relevant codes instead of just sticking to the category codes when it comes to communication and advertising. While stating that there is a definite shift in brand communication in the insurance sector, Sapna Desai, Head - Marketing, Cigna TTK Health Insurance, remarked, In the changing market scenario, insurance companies realise the inherent value of brands and consider them as valuable assets. There is now a deeper focus on customer experience, enriching the customer journey, customisation of product and services to suit the diverse needs of customers. The shift has led to a deeper understanding of customer segments and this has helped not only reach a larger market but also connect more meaningfully with the customer. Desai further listed a few factors that have influenced the shift: Digitisation: Proliferation of digital technology over the decade has been substantial and we are witnessing disruptive business models supported by digitisation. Cigna TTK is not agnostic to this trend and is taking all the necessary steps to emerge as a leading health and wellness organisation supported by a very strong digital foundation. Data Focus: Big data is indeed big and has a lot to offer. Big data and advanced analytics can be a game changer for health insurance. Enriching and deepening customer relationships is just one of many advantages that data analytics can offer. Data can help create products that go beyond peace of mind and protection but can bring in more value such as health and wellness offerings. The Evolving Integrated Health Ecosystem: Health insurance is gradually integrating with a larger ecosystem healthcare. Health is today driven by different platforms such as apps and wearable devices. Cigna TTKs recent study revealed that 73 per cent of respondents in India are familiar with fitness monitoring tools with 1 in 4 using such tools regularly. Given this insight, the company recently launched Get ProActiv India, where its customers can earn Healthy Rewards by syncing activity logs with the Get ProActiv Application or by syncing with a wearable device. The life insurance category penetration is very low in India. The ecosystem that we operate in is dynamic. We hit upon the insight that people were not buying life insurance for life insurances sake, commented. He added, With our new campaign, Apno ko apne dum pe jeena sikhao, HDFC Life made an earnest attempt to reinforce the very core benefit of life insurance protection against lifes uncertainties, with the poignant story of a young woman who goes on to open her own cafe with the confidence instilled in her by her husband. Todays customers want brands to give them honest propositions which add value to their lives. This shift in the consumers life has been influenced by a number of factors like evolving social roles, advent of the internet and opening up of the market place. On a different note, Martijn de Jong, Chief Digital Officer, Aegon Life Insurance, feels that a clear change in messaging is required as the customer is expecting/ demanding that he/ she is much more in control and is able to make his/her own decisions for the financial protection benefits of her/his family. One of the key reasons is the DIY generation that is used to inform itself and then make and execute their own decisions. However, we noticed that the rest of the industry is relatively slow in catching up with this trend. The industry is still very dependent on emotional messaging and we have not seen any change in the way insurance brands are communicating yet. While the communication has taken a leap in terms of design/ look, the fundamental approach still remains timeworn. Nevertheless, we are trying to set a clear space for ourselves as a new age insurance brand that demystifies and empowers the customer to make his/her own decisions. added here that first there was a need to see how communication has evolved over the years. He added, Communication has evolved from uni-directional to dialogues and now social conversations with groups. Clearly, the need of the hour and the constant opportunity lies in undertaking integrated communication with consumers, extending much beyond traditional advertising and straddling all touch points. Hence, how a consumer is welcomed to the service and purchase experience needs to be closely synergised and in synch with the overall communication architecture. He further pointed out that consumers are now extremely savvy and well informed. Their relationships with brands are not influenced solely by the advertising or the consumption of the service, but also by the overall experience delivered and their ability to engage in conversations with brands. This, in essence, has made it essential that all communication modes stimulate and encourage conversations and more importantly, allow consumers to experience the brand. Communication now needs to clearly allow for enhancing the understanding and knowledge of consumers to allow them to make informed and balanced choices. Transparency and trust are no more nice things to be done, but in fact a must. Insurance caters to critical aspects of care and protection of a persons life and hence, the need to build trust and offer transparent conversations at every interaction point in the customer journey is vital, Namburi added. From depicting a negative scenario to empowering people and even offering grief counselling how has this shift in insurance communication happened? To this Nangia replied, From a predominantly pessimistic and conservative mindset in the past, the mood of the nation has become optimistic. Negative scenarios hence don't find the fitment in today's context. Consumers are not looking at insurance as a crutch; rather they want brands to be agents of empowerment, knowledge and fulfilment of their dreams. Sharing Cigna TTKs perspective,noted that when the firm first came to India in 2014, it did not use negative communication or that of fear. Cigna TTKs communication to their customers was on the lines of We partner our customers in illness and in wellness and, not just at the time of claims. And we believe in Health Hai toh Life Hai. Its mission to improve the health, well-being and sense of security of the people we serve. In 2017, Cigna TTK once again launched yet another campaign called the # say YES to health campaign. This health campaign is designed to infuse positivity and affirmation for the set of consumers who are aware of health insurance, and are considering buying but are unable to make the final decision. It is within this context that Cigna TTK has chosen to # say YES to health - reassuring customers that at Cigna TTK their health and well-being will always come first. The campaign leverages the product and service truths to differentiate and provide exclusive value to our customers based on their diverse needs. In this campaign the brand partners the consumers in the decision making process and builds a relationship that drives brand preference. Desai said, From our offerings perspective, too, while we do cover the risk of hospitalization and other medical issues, we are also into health and well-being offerings under ProActiv Living program. This is done through a set of specialized tools made just to cater to the customers health needs! ProActiv Living is a customized, global wellness platform that is apt for individuals, families as well as corporates. Tripathy shared the fact that today brands have realized the need to humanize themselves and connect with the customer at an emotional level to create strong preference and drive consideration. With this new campaign, HDFC Life is celebrating todays hard-to-replace individual, the chief wage earner, who goes beyond finances and instills a sense of emotional independence and confidence in his family. Combining this cultural insight with the real benefit of life insurance, HDFC Life gives people a compelling reason to consider life insurance i.e. protection against lifes uncertainties that no other financial product can provide. Life Insurance companies are realizing more and more the positive contribution they can bring to consumers and society, this is not only related by providing financial protection to the ones closed to you but also extended to ensuring that your will is captured safely and grief counselling. In our view, thats the reason of our existence and all our efforts are aimed at this. We learned from our end-to-end customer engagement, that he/ she also values brands who go beyond their normal call of duty. Keeping these dynamics in mind, we need to be a differentiated brand that stands out not only for communication but the way we engage with customer, said Throwing some light on the researches undertaken by Bharti AxacommentedOver the years we have done various researches to study the customer life cycle. In insurance while there are 3 main stages of the customer life-cycle, i.e. onboarding, servicing and claims, customer expectations are most heightened during the claims phase. Claims is the key moment of truth for the category. It is the main reason behind investing in insurance. A person buys a life insurance policy to ensure that in his absence his family will be taken care of. During such times, while insurance covers the financial aspect of the distress, there is a huge loss that the family has to cope with. This is when the role of an insurer provider should be beyond just a payer of claims and with this in mind; we have launched the Grief Support Program. A program to support the family in times of loss and to empower them to overcome the distress associated with it. The life insurance company, under the Grief Support Program, offers emotional counselling, financial advice and legal advice (second opinion on will) to the family of the deceased. The aim is to Go Beyond and transition the relationship from being just an insurance provider to a partner in times of need. The same intention and underlying theme to Go Beyond is reflected in the communication. The new-look brand home of Jameson Whiskey has opened its doors to the public following an 11 million investment. Jameson Distillery Bow St., located in Smithfield, Dublin, was officially opened by the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform and Dublin Central TD Paschal Donohoe last week, becoming the whiskey brands immersive and interactive new home. TBWADublin worked with Jameson to signal the closure and subsequent reopening of the distillery. The theme a good story cannot be devised, it has to be distilled is immortalised in the distillerys large open bar. TBWADublin utilised the brands legendary and iconic barrelmen in print, digital and OOH, including signage at Dublin airport, using them to communicate the temporary closure and relaunch. Its really great to work with a client as passionate and as collaborative as Jameson, says Des Creedon, Creative Director, TBWADublin. Over 230 years ago, John Jameson started his story on Bow Street, Dublin, among those who knew a thing or two about craft and graft in equal measure, and now its brilliant for TBWADublin to be involved in adding a new chapter to this enduring story. The site has undertaken a complete overhaul since it closed in September 2016, now offering three interactive experiences to visitors Bow St. Experience, The Whiskey Makers, and The Whiskey Shakers. Purists will be delighted to see that the legendary Jameson chandeliers have remained intact and now hang proudly in the bar. The Bow St Experience brings the stories of Jamesons rich heritage to life in a fully guided, immersive tasting tour. Split across three rooms, visitors can uncover the history of Irelands best-selling Irish whiskey and discover the innovative triple distillation process that makes Jameson one of the worlds favourite, smoothest whiskeys. The Whiskey Makers experience is a 90-minute masterclass exploring Jameson Original whiskey and the trio of whiskeys that complete the Makers Series - Distillers Safe, Coopers Croze and Blenders Dog each of which has been developed by one of Jamesons Master Makers. The tasting experience deconstructs the ingredients, craft and different flavours of each whiskey, before allowing visitors the chance to blend their own that they can then take home. Finally, The Whiskey Shakers experience is an immersive cocktail masterclass, hosted by a Jameson bartender, who guides visitors through the history, ingredients and recipes of world-famous Jameson cocktails. In the Shakers Room youll be provided with all of the professional bar tools and ingredients required to turn the recipes into masterpieces, before continuing into the Maturation Warehouse to sample whiskey straight from the cask. For the first time in over four decades, whiskey is once again being matured on Dublins Bow Street. Claire Tolan, Managing Director Jameson Brand Homes, comments: Giving our guests the opportunity to touch, taste, smell and interact with Jameson in the original Bow St. Distillery buildings is extremely powerful. The pinnacle for many visitors will be their visit to our Maturation Warehouse. A whiskeys flavour is greatly influenced by the barrels its stored in. We have liquid quietly resting in a mixture of ninety bourbon & sherry casks, the aroma as a result of the Angels Share is palpable; its a magical experience. Deirdre Waldron, CEO, TBWADublin, adds: "This is just the beginning of a new agency-client relationship. There's much more to come from this new Jameson brand home and we're delighted to partner with Jameson on this new chapter of the story of Jameson on Bow Street." Jameson Distillery Bow St. will support the Irish Whiskey Tourism Strategy target of trebling the number of Irish whiskey tourists visiting Ireland annually, to 1.9 million by 2025. Kwality Limited has launched its brand of milk Kwality through a TVC featuring Akshay Kumar. The film has been conceptualized by McCANN Health, India. The ad launches the milk brand with a message that, now, nothing will hold you back as protein ki shakti from Kwality milk will help you live ZINDAGI NON STOP. The ad picks up the everyday mundane traffic scenario and turns it into a power-packed sequence of energy and enthusiasm. It starts with Akshay Kumar spotting the Kwality milk van stuck in a traffic jam along with his car. As he tastes the milk, a gush of energy runs through his body and he goes ahead cutting through the traffic in parkour style. His magnetic energy pulls the crowd with him and the whole street goes buzzing in action. Akshay Kumar was chosen as the brand ambassador as the way he lives his life and the energy he exudes wherever he goes, aptly connects with the brand personality. And the brand promise. Rajesh Rai, Executive Creative Director, McCANN Health, India, shares his thought The brand promise, Zindagi Non Stop, captures the truth of the fast-paced life we live today and at the same time presents the brand as a solution to keep moving forward. It is a different take on how milk can help you lead a life. Nawal Sharma, President & Head - Business Transformation, Kwality Limited says, We are going through an exciting journey of strategic transformation - from being a B2B player to B2C. Creating a strong brand is of utmost importance to us. The ad film delivers the brand promise very well. More importantly, we are getting good reviews from our consumers and trade partners since the time we have started airing it. Dr. Harshit Jain, Country Head and Marketing Director (APAC), McCANN Health says, The challenge was to find the right positioning for the brand. So, we did a thorough market analysis and came up with a strategy that could cut the clutter. https://youtu.be/EKyP68xJAsE CREDITS Client: Kwality India Limited Agency: McCANN Health, India Country Head: Harshit Jain Vice President: Daleep Manhas Executive Creative Director: Rajesh Rai and Dinesh Gosalkal Account management: Kamya, Abhilasha Creative team: Anisha, Bhavesh, Prasanth Lucknow, Mar 20 (IBNS) : Yogi Adityanath, the new Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh held a meeting with the state police chief on the first day in the office and directed him to present a blueprint within 15 days for better policing in the state. According to NDTV, the Chief Minister asked police chief Javeed Ahmed to be "vigilant" as he discussed the murder of a Bahujan Samaj Party politician. Adityanath, the 44-year-old priest-politician took oath on Sunday with two deputies - Keshav Prasad Maurya and Dinesh Sharma - and 44 other ministers. Yogi Adityanath also met the Chief Secretary, the state's top bureaucrat, at the VVIP guest house where he is currently staying. On Sunday, the Chief Minister held an informal meeting with his cabinet colleagues immediately after being sworn in. He has reportedly asked all his ministers to submit to him details of their assets and wealth within 15 days. The new Chief Minister moves into his official 5 Kalidas Marg residence in Lucknow on Monday. NDTV reported that seven priests from Gorakhpur performed housewarming rituals before the move. This is an era of Conscious Crowdsourcing where unprecedented connectivity, technical agility and demand for solutions to pressing global challenges have given rise to new multidisciplinary and collaborative efforts by companies, foundations, nonprofits, governments and individuals to advance social progress. Similar to crowdfunding, which continues to effectively raise capital to support a cause or initiative from a broad base of supporters, crowdsourcing broadens the collective effort to source resources, especially intellectual capital, from multiple sources. In its report on Conscious Crowdsourcing, Weber Shandwick explores how unprecedented connectivity, technical agility and demand for solutions to pressing global challenges has given rise to greater investment in collaboration to advance solutions to issues from climate change to poverty to global health and beyond. The report, fourth in the Innovation Trends series, has been brought out by Weber Shandwicks Social Impact practice team. Crowdsourcing as a tactic for sourcing new ideas and engaging people in co-creation is not new. And neither is crowdsourcing for social good. For example, since 1900, The National Audubon Society has organised people to do an annual count of all the birds in the Western Hemisphere. But over the past several decades, the practice of crowdsourcing has been deployed more and more often to benefit social and environmental causes. And so too, with the rise of social media, the pace of possibility for progress for these causes has grown exponentially greater. On one end of the spectrum, social media challenges with the aim of sparking broad-based participation and awareness, such as the #IceBucketChallenge, demonstrate a mass of support by blitzing social media feeds with conversation about an issue or organisation, thereby raising its profile and priority. On the other end are innovation challenges, such as the XPRIZE, which catalyses collective efforts to create new technologies or solutions that benefit humanity, or the Global Challenges Foundation New Shape Prize, which is crowdsourcing ideas on new models of global cooperation capable of handling the most pressing threats to humanity. The report provides a six-step roadmap for purpose organisations across sectors to align their practices with best-in-class conscious crowdsourcing efforts for social change. Step 1: Focus on a clear and compelling issue or initiative to advance Step 2: Recruit the perspectives and expertise to shape the message Step 3: Facilitate inclusive and efficient collaboration and sharing Step 4: Design a nimble and responsive communications platform Step 5: Deploy messengers and storytellers as a united front Step 6: Evolve the story based on learnings and momentum How crowdsourcing is shaping journalism The idea that everyday citizens can and should contribute to the information that shapes the news is not new, but it was greatly enabled by the advent of the internet and then further empowered by the rise of social media. Sometimes called citizen journalism, crowdsourced journalism was originally conceived mainly as a check on mainstream media. However, in the wake of events such as the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, Arab Spring protests and more recent social movements, crowdsourced journalism has become a staple of new media outlets and legacy outlets alike. And in between are new tools to enable crowdsourcing and real-time information to enhance journalism across the board. Crowdsourcing in Legacy Media For legacy outlets, the practice of crowdsourcing provides additional resources for fact-checking and verification, data and information access and investigative legwork. The Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism at the University of Oxford published a helpful analysis of crowdsourcing in investigative journalism with compelling examples from The Guardian in the UK, NPR in the US, Helsingin Sanomat in Finland, among others. And we have a fairly current example of crowdsourced investigative journalism facilitated by David Fahrenthold of The Washington Post, who was investigating the charitable activity of the new President in the lead-up to the 2016 US Presidential Election. Crowdsourcing Tools & Technology The media industry is supported by new technology efforts such as Googles News Lab, which seeks to make the worlds information universally organised and accessible and provide tools, data and programmes designed to help news organisations. Similarly, the non-profit Internews aims to give communities the resources needed to produce quality, independent and verified news and information locally. Additionally, there are several open data corruption platforms, such as the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection Website App in China or I Paid a Bribe in India, that are helping journalists expose patterns of corruption. Pure Play Crowdsourced News While every person with a camera phone and a social media profile is a potential citizen journalist, the true power of crowdsourced journalism lies in the ability to combine the immediacy of real-time, on the ground information (often shared through social networks) with a process to verify and fact check that information and ultimately analyse all aggregated information to uncover trends and insights that will inform the public. We can help you make sense of the agribusiness industry, extending from chemicals and fertilizers used as inputs into agriculture, to the commodities, food and by-products that are an output to farming, with policy and regulation applied at every step of the value chain. Baselworld 2017 the yearly watch and jewelry trade show organized in Switzerland every spring is set to open its doors to the public in just a few days from now on March 23rd. Numerous smartwatch manufacturers are expected to showcase their latest products during the event, but interestingly enough, US-based clothing and fashion accessory designer GUESS is already one step ahead with its unveiling plans. Earlier today the companys watch branch GUESS Connect announced its plans to release two Android Wear 2.0 smartwatches bearing the Connect moniker, both of which should be showcased at Baselworld 2017 before the end of the week. GUESS Connects previous attempt to enter the smartwatch market was a collaborative effort with Martian and resulted in a hybrid watch powered by analog internals, sprinkled with smart functionalities and boasting integration with Amazons AI (artificial intelligence) Alexa. However, this time around it appears that the upcoming two GUESS Connect wearables will take the form of fully-fledged smartwatches powered by Googles Android Wear 2.0 operating system. Both models will reportedly be equipped with the Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 2100 SoC (System-on-Chip), which was manufactured on a 28nm process and designed specifically for wearable devices. The Snapdragon Wear 2100 consists of a quad-core 32-bit CPU featuring four ARM Cortex-A7 cores clocked at up to 1.2 GHz, a Qualcomm Adreno 304 graphics chip with support for OpenGL ES 3.0, and includes a Qualcomm Snapdragon X5 LTE modem, Wi-Fi 802.11n, and Bluetooth 4.1 Low Energy connectivity. As far as the overall design is concerned, the GUESS Connect smartwatches will be available with a 41mm and 44mm dial and in a variety of color and material options. In fact, according to a report passed along by Wareable, the upcoming models will offer hundreds of combinations of colors, display faces, and sub-dials. Options will include a navy blue model, as well as variants enriched by gold, rose gold, silver, and jewel-encrusted elements. Prices for the GUESS Connect Android Wear 2.0 smartwatches havent been mentioned, and prospective buyers will have to wait until the second half of 2017 before theyll have the option of placing an order. Hopefully, more details about the lineup will be unveiled at Baselworld 2017 later this week. Tomislav Himbele, HMD Globals Head of Marketing for Eastern Europe revealed that new Nokia phones will launch on the Old Continent in Q2 2017, adding that the company is currently aiming to release its upcoming offerings in the second half of the quarter. While speaking to a Croatian tech magazine Bug, Himbele confirmed the vague Q2 2017 release window for the Nokia 3310 (2017) that HMD Global already announced at this years Mobile World Congress (MWC), but also provided a more specific timeframe for its release by saying how all of the upcoming Nokia phones will start hitting the European markets in either May or June. HMD Globals marketing official also said that the Nokia 3310 (2017) will be available through numerous wireless carriers in Europe and implied that the same will hold true for the Nokia 3, Nokia 5, and the Nokia 6. Himbele noted how the price tags of the aforementioned Nokia devices may be somewhat higher to that announced by HMD Global at MWC 2017. The exact pricing details will likely vary by territory as not all European countries have the same value-added tax (VAT). For example, German wireless carriers and retailers will probably stick to the prices HMD Global announced in Barcelona earlier this month as the VAT in Germany is 19 percent, but the same wont hold true for Croatia where the VAT is 25 percent. Likewise, prices in Hungary are expected to be somewhat higher to those recently unveiled by HMD Global as Hungarys 27-percent VAT is currently the highest one in Europe and will almost certainly influence the price tags of Nokias upcoming devices. Finally, Himbele also revealed that HMD Global has ambitious plans for the future as the company is looking to become one of the top three smartphone manufacturers in the world within the next three years. It remains to be seen whether the Nokia brand will manage to gain so much traction in a relatively short period of time, but HMD Globals recent statements this one included indicate the company certainly doesnt lack ambition. In related news, several British retailers already confirmed pre-orders for Nokias upcoming phones are starting soon and the Nokia 3310 (2017) is seemingly enjoying an unprecedented demand in the United Kingdom. When it is time to look for a well-made timepiece, the best place to start is at the annual watch trade show in Basel, Switzerland, aptly named, Baselworld, where Swiss luxury watchmaker, Gc announced their first smartwatch running Android Wear 2.0. The new device is called the Gc Connect and is based on their companys analog models called Gc Structura. They have a round design, and all models will sport a 318L stainless steel case with options of brushed and polished steel, rose gold, or bronze. Each will have a mineral glass cover with a touchscreen display and are powered by the new Snapdragon Wear 2100 processor with no mention yet of how much RAM or internal storage will be included. Gc Connect will offer up a mens and womens version, with the mens model having a black ceramic ring around the display. The mens style watch will have options of a rose gold or polished steel base with either a black silicone strap or crocodile leather strap as well as a bronze or steel case with a gray embossed silicone strap. On the womens side, you will have your choice of rose gold or steel with a white silicone strap or rose gold with a polished bracelet. Android Wear 2.0 allows for many customized faces and Gc will offer up their own designs and will work with either an iOS or Android smartphone. No Pricing or release date have been given. More luxury Swiss watchmakers are crossing lines into the smartwatch field TAG Heuer Connected was the first Swiss Android Wear watch that arrived on the scenes in late 2015 with the newest model, the TAG Heuer Connected Modular 45 recently unveiled. The original model will get its upgrade to Android Wear 2.0 this month and the new model, like the Gc Connect, will come with Android Wear 2.0 out of the box. The new version of Android Wear is quite a substantial upgrade and will offer many new features making the conversion to a smartwatch much easier to deal with as well as more useful. There is a section in the Google Store with Android Wear 2.0 specific apps that you can download directly to the watch. If your smartwatch has NFC capabilities, you can now make and authorize Android Pay purchases right from your smartwatch with no help from your smartphone. There is a much better organized and customizable notification area, and you will even be able to pull up a complete keyboard to answer a text message or reply to an email. These great new features coupled with the new Gc Connect should make for an excellent experience. LeEco is a China-based smartphone manufacturer who wanted to do too much too fast, and is now paying the consequences it seems. This company was quite successful in China under the Letv name, before they changed it to LeEco. Letv was founded back in 2004 and they were a video streaming company for quite some time, and were quite good at it. Letv was actually the first Chinese video streaming company to go public. Well, the company decided to manufacture smartphones back in 2015, they actually released first three handset in April 2015, and have changed their name to LeEco in January 2016. That being said, LeEco decided to expand outside of China rather fast, and that didnt exactly pan out for them. They started selling their products in India, and then moved on to the United States in November 2016. LeEco hosted their first flash sale in the US, though they didnt realize that flash sales are not exactly the best idea when it comes to the United States. Even though LeEco managed to sell out their TVs rather quickly in the US, the whole venture didnt exactly pan out for the company. LeEcos CEO issued a corporate letter a while back, claiming that the company over-expanded, and the US was not the only problem, LeEco actually fired 85% of their staff in India rather recently. On top of all that, a report surfaced recently claiming that LeEco wants to sell the property they bought from Yahoo last year, and even though LeEco officially said that they have nothing to announce at this time, and that theyre working hard on improving things, in a nutshell. The company denied that theyre leaving India, but will they leave the US? Well, weve received some new info from an anonymous source, and based on the provided info LeEco is not doing that well at all, read on. Ex-Samsung CMO, Todd Pendleton, allegedly quit LeEco in November, and the Google Patent lawyer who LeEco hired quit rather recently as well. LeEco laid off over 250 people in the US since November, and according to the source, the company will continue doing so. Now, some of you might know that a company in the US needs to issue a WARN notice if they plan to lay off a substantial amount of people, well, it seems like LeEco violated that rule, as you can see here. Weve decided to reach out to the company after weve received this report, and LeEco simply said the following: As a company, we follow regulatory processes and laws, while theyve also mentioned that they do not comment on the individual status of employment. Now, if you take a look at the gallery down below, youll be able to get some additional info, on top of what was already said in this article. So, will LeEco be leaving the US in the near future? Well, the company spent a lot of money and time trying to succeed in the US, and its not that likely well see them leaving the States anytime soon, they even announced US retail expansion for smartphones and TVs quite recently. So, all in all, it seems like LeEco is here to stay, but who knows what the future brings, stay tuned. Mumbai, Mar 20 (IBNS) : Nearly 4500 Resident doctors across Mumbai and several other parts of Maharashtra went on mass leave on Monday following three incidents of violence in which several of them were where attacked, reports said. The doctors, in their leave applications, have said that they cannot work under such life-threatening conditions. After an attack on a resident doctor at Sion hospital on Saturday, doctors in Mumbai called a strike refusing to handle the OPD and emergency cases. YEREVAN, MARCH 20, ARMENPRESS. The Ministry of Transport, Communication and Information Technologies told Armenpress on March 20, as of 09:30, Berd-Chambarak highway is closed due to a snowstorm. The Vardenyats Pass is difficult to pass as a result of clear ice. Clearing operations are underway. All the remaining roads are open. The three-diamond brand has delayed the launch of the Outlander and the Outlander Sports next-generation models. According to the company insiders who have disclosed the information, Mitsubishi is attempting to find a way to "borrow" Nissan components to ensure future savings.The officials of Mitsubishi confirmed that product plans are under review, but have refused to detail or comment any information regarding delays in the product launch cycles, Automotive News remarks.The insiders who revealed this possible part of Mitsubishi and Nissans plans claim that the dealers of the three-diamond brand are not thrilled with the delays, which could significantly affect profits in 2019 and 2020, when the two Outlanders were supposed to reach the market.Mitsubishis next-generation Outlander and Outlander Sport are expected to get components from Nissans Rogue and Rogue Sport models. The news comes from an executive from an automotive supplier, who preferred to remain unnamed for obvious reasons.If the story turns out to be accurate, Nissan and Mitsubishi will have to figure out a way to implement parts from the former into a vehicle developed by the latter. While using Nissan parts will help both save money in the long run, they will need to draw separate identities for the two products.Moreover, if Mitsubishi has already developed the next generations of the Outlander/ Outlander Sport , the brands new leaders will have to find a way to spread those costs over the next few years to cut losses.Economies of scale are also possible through shipping and parts acquisition deals, but these will be in the capable hands of Carlos Ghosn and his hand-picked team Evidently, when the development process began on those cars, the three-diamond brand did not have a fuel economy scandal on its hands, which meant nobody had any idea the platform will require adaptations in the future. The French conglomerate owns the Citroen , Peugeot, and DS brands, and the heirs of the founder still have an important opinion in the companys operations.As Automotive News notes, the Peugeot family controls 22.19 percent of the PSA Groups voting rights, and 13.68 percent of the firms capital. They have more than their two other partners, the French government and Dongfeng Motor Company, whom each have a stake of 13.68 percent.In an interview with the Germans at Welt am Sonntag, Jean-Philippe Peugeot told the paper that the acquisition of Opel would help the lion brand come closer to its global expansion plans.Just like his cousin, Robert Peugeot, explained in a joint interview, the French conglomerate wants to conquer the rest of the world, and it has a bigger footprint on the globe because it has become the second-largest automaker in Europe.Robert Peugeot , who is also the chairman of PSA Groups strategy committee, explained that an automaker can still make economies of scale even if it is not the first in the world. All it takes is to build and sell at least three million cars in a core market. This is why the PSA Group wanted the Opel and Vauxhall brands.Opel sells more cars in Germany than the entire group of French brands combined, and the same can be said about Vauxhall in the United Kingdom. These results were a big reason for PSA to acquire the German and British brands.Robert Peugeot explained that the phenomenon of cannibalization between the newly acquired and the existing brands is minuscule. He did not detail his opinion, but some may not agree with this view.After all, Opel has a competitor model for every product in the PSA range available in Europe, and the two French marques were already struggling to avoid potential cannibalization. Image: Google Maps Guwahati, Mar 20 (IBNS): The sleuths of Assam Police Vigilance and Anti Corruption on Monday arrested a jailer who demanded bribe from a contractor in middle Assamas Morigaon district. The arrested jailer of Morigaon district jail was identified as Dhrubajyoti Baruah. According to the reports, the government official had demanded bribe of Rs 10,000 from a contractor named Manas Kumar Nath. The contractor immediately contacted to the V&AC officials and the sleuths arrested red handed the government official. (Reporting by Hemanta Kumar Nath) The big sleeper issue in the U.S.-China relationship: cars. Senior White House officials are quietly preparing to confront China over what they consider unfair handling of automobiles, one of the world's largest industries. It's a move that could profoundly disrupt relations between the superpowers. Watch for the issue to pop in President Trump's talks next month with China's Xi Jinping. What you need to know: When U.S. automakers sell in China, they are met with import tariffs of 25%. That's why 96% of the 27.5 million vehicles sold in China last year were built there. When U.S. automakers like GM build in China, they are required by law to form joint ventures with Chinese companies. Those Chinese companies must own 50% or more of the venture. By contrast, the U.S. imposes tariffs of just 2.5% and lets foreign car companies own their entire U.S.-based operations. U.S. companies have swallowed these rules since the '90s because the Chinese market is so lucrative. But Trump and his top nationalist-minded advisers Steve Bannon, Stephen Miller and Peter Navarro believe the status quo is unacceptable. The White House's calculus: China currently exports very few cars to the U.S., but it's itching to sell dramatically more. Trump is perfectly positioned to negotiate the terms of China's market entry. He's got plenty of leverage with tariff levels and ownership restrictions though the Trump folks are still hashing out their negotiation strategy. A playbook for Trump: Michael Dunne, an authority on the Chinese auto market, has three rules from his book "American Wheels, Chinese Roads" for American negotiators to deal with China: In front of the House Intel Committee, FBI Director James Comey confirmed that despite usual FBI policy he has been authorized by the Department of Justice to confirm that the FBI is investigating the Russian government's efforts to interfere in the 2016 presidential election. Comey also stated that includes investigating connections between Trump associates and Russia. Comey reiterated that some questions could not be answered due to the ongoing investigation's classified nature: "I know that is extremely frustrating to some folks, but that is the way it has to be." WATCH FBI Director Comey's key statement on the investigation on Russian interference in 2016 pic.twitter.com/rErZTpZHDM Axios (@axios) March 20, 2017 New Delhi, Mar 20 (IBNS): External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Monday raised her voice against the attempt on the life of a church priest of Indian origin Father Tomy Mathew in Australia by a citizen of Italian origin. "There was an attempt on the life of a church priest of Indian origin Father Tomy Mathew in Australia by a citizen of Italian origin," Swaraj tweeted. She informed that Father Mathew was immediately taken to the hospital. "The attacker had a problem with Father Mathew presiding over the church," she posted. "Our Consulate officials met Father Mathew in the hospital. The Police have arrested the attacker and charged him with attempt to murder," she wrote. She said the Indian Consulate is in touch with the Police authorities "and will keep us informed of the progress of the case." New Delhi, Mar 20 (IBNS): Minister of External Affairs Sushma Swaraj said that the safety of countrymen comes ahead of strategic partnership while speaking about the recent hate crimes that occurred against Indians in United States, at Rajya Sabha on Monday. The opposition on Monday raised the issue in the upper house regarding several death of Indians in US, due to racial intolerance. Sushma called the attack to be "hate crimes" and not a law and order problem of US. "We asked US for investigations in all the cases on the basis of hate crime," she said. Answering to a Communist leader D. Raja about strategic partnership, Sushma said: Strategic partnership is not such that we will not think about the well being of Indians. Never think that we will be quiet because of strategic partnership with US." "Strategic partnership is secondary," she added. Following the death of an Indian engineer Srinivas Kuchibhotla at a bar in Kansas, a Sikh man at Kent and an Indian origin businessman in South Carolina were killed within just few days in the last month. Though Sushma expressed concern over the death of Indians, she believes that the US government would not allow the hate crime to be a trend. "Common Americans and US Congress doesn't stand by this hate crime. Even US President condemned the act," External Affairs Minister said. Spring Equinox: Culture, Religion and Astrology Meet More Than Just the Beginning of Spring Equinox is Latin for equal night. It describes the moment that the Sun crosses the celestial equator moving north. This gives the day and night an equal amount of time in the sky. In the northern hemisphere, this event signals the beginning of Spring. Your detailed life path reading is waiting! The Spring Equinox is a time of rebirth and renewal. For thousands of years, it has been an important cultural, spiritual and religious event. Lets look at the customs, celebrations, and monuments honoring this special event. Monuments Built for the Equinox There are monuments throughout the world that pinpoint the exact moment of the Spring Equinox. Angkor Wat Angkor Was was built in the first half of the 12th century in Cambodia. Its the largest religious monument in the world. Its structures were built to mark astrological events, including the vernal equinox. Researchers from the University of Michigan discovered that by standing in a certain position one could observe the sun rise directly over the top of the central tower at the precise moment of the Spring Equinox. El Castillo El Castillo is the name of a pyramid in the Mayan site of Chichen Itza in Mexico. During the Spring Equinox, when the setting sun touches a part of this pyramid, it creates a stunning visual. A shadow in the shape of a snake works its way down the pyramid. Perhaps it is a symbol of the Mayan snake god. Stonehenge One of the most mysterious sites to celebrate the Spring Equinox is Stonehenge in England. To the ancient Saxons, this was the time of year to honor the goddess Eostre who represents new beginnings and fertility. However, many people still gather to witness the sunrise over the great stones. Celebrations Around the World For many cultures, the Spring Equinox also signals the start of a new year. Its a celebration of new life and rebirth, and a time to honor our most important relationships. Japan In Japan, the celebration of Shunbun includes the observance of the vernal equinox. People give flowers to family members both living and dead and also clean their homes. Many Buddhists in Japan also celebrate Higan, a similar week-long celebration that begins with the vernal equinox. The translation of the word Higan means to arrive on the Other Shore, also known as reaching Nirvana. Egypt Since the 1950s Egyptians have celebrated Mothers Day on the Spring Equinox. The tradition has also carried over to other countries such as Syria, Sudan, and Iraq. Bali For the Bali Hindus, the calendar starts with the celebration of Nyepi. This is a quiet day of rest and reflection. Its a part of other religious celebrations with renewal-like significance, such as the day after, when people offer forgiveness and renew their relationships with others. Nowruz Nowruz, also known as the Persian or Iranian New Year, is a Spring Equinox celebration. It began as a way to honor the ruler of Persia. Two weeks before Nowruz, people plant seeds. On March 21, houses are cleaned and a table is covered with a white tablecloth. The table is decorated with new plants, a mirror, incense, and eggs. People play games and dance. Easter Speaking of eggs, lets not forget Easter which celebrates the life, death and the rebirth of Christ. Its also a mix of cultural traditions, like decorating eggs. Its also a religious celebration of life after death. Easter arrives on the first Sunday after the first full moon following the Spring Equinox. Whether you view the Spring equinox as a cultural, religious or cosmic event, its easy to understand why its important to so many people. It is an event that symbolizes and celebrates life, growth and the continuation of existence. Astrology plays an important role in your day-to-day life. The planets are responsible for your moods, experiences and more, which is why you should get a psychic astrology reading. Our astrology psychics can calculate your natal chart and tell you about the important dates in your life (past, present, and future) that will massively impact you. Find an astrology psychic or learn more about astrology readings. About California Psychics California Psychics is the most trusted source of psychic readings. We have delivered over 6 million discreet and confidential psychic readings by phone since 1995. More than a prediction, we are your guide for lifes journey. Serenity, happiness, and success are just a phone call away. With over 400 psychics online to choose from, youre sure to find the best psychics for you. Call one of our trusted and accurate psychics today! Confidential and secure, real psychics, accurate predictions, 100% guaranteed. Photo: The Canadian Press The Armdale traffic circle, located near the Northwest Arm A pair of researchers in Halifax are working on a computerized disaster-planning simulator that will one day function like a multiplayer video game. The first version has already plotted what could happen if the port city is inundated by a sudden, catastrophic flood a scenario that could be adapted to different emergencies across the country. Professor Ahsan Habib at Dalhousie University says a test of an early model has suggested it would take 15 hours to evacuate the Halifax peninsula if the ocean rose between 3.9 and 7.9 metres. Habib says the peninsula has narrow roads and only five exit points, which would make a mass evacuation particularly difficult. Dalhousie professor Kevin Quigley says the gaming scenario, which will be used to train emergency planning officials, has yet to include several variables including widespread panic, but that is coming. Public Health Grand Rounds (PHGR) will continue to promote Preventive Medicine Grand Rounds (PMGR) while our monthly PHGR sessions are on hold. We welcome your questions. Please email us at grandrounds@cdc.gov. Wednesday, November 2, 2022, 1:30 3:00 p.m. ET Data Practice Through the Lens of American Indian/Alaska Native Communities The November 2022 Preventive Medicine Grand Rounds will discuss how western-based models of achieving health equity in indigenous communities must be inclusive of non-western modalities if true equity is to be achieved. This session will focus on research and data techniques of indigenous knowledge systems used to decolonize data, which involves collecting, analyzing, and interpreting data through the perspective of Indigenous communities. Ms. Echo-Hawk will present an Indigenous framework that identifies strength-based activities and protective factors and illustrates how to describe disparities in health outcomes, behaviors, and risk factors in ways that benefit tribal communities in both rural and urban settings. A 22 month old baby and his mother in the stabilization centre in the Borama Hospital in Borama, Somaliland A crisis appeal by the Disasters Emergency Committee for people at risk of starvation in East Africa has raised 17m within five days of its launch. In South Sudan, Somalia, Kenya and Ethiopia, drought and conflict have left millions of people in immediate need of food, water and medical treatment. More than 16 million people in the region do not know where their next meal will come from and children are at the risk of dying from starvation. Launched on 15 March, the appeal has been shown on all major UK broadcasters including BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Channel 5 and Sky. The DEC welcomed the 17m raised so far but urged further donations to support the work being done by its 13 member charities to combat the crisis. Chief executive, Saleh Saeed, said: After the 2011 Somalia famine, the international community said never again. This time we have the opportunity to intervene, so together we can save and protect lives. Our member charities are ready on the ground delivering life-saving help but they need more support to reduce the scale and severity of the crisis. But we must act now or the number of deaths will drastically increase. Dont delay please donate. In Fundraising Magazine DECs member charities are already on the ground delivering life-saving aid, such as food, treatment for malnutrition and clean drinking water. The UK government has said it will match pound for pound the first 5m donated to the DEC East Africa Crisis Appeal. The DECs member charities are ActionAid, Age International, British Red Cross, CAFOD, CARE International, Christian Aid, Concern Worldwide, Islamic Relief Worldwide, Oxfam, Plan International UK, Save the Children, Tearfund and World Vision. New York, Mar 20 (Just Earth News): Humanitarian agencies are bracing for the possibility that in coming weeks about 300,000 to 320,000 civilians may flee the western districts of Iraqi's Mosul city where Government forces are fighting to oust the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL/Da'esh) terrorists, a senior United Nations aid official in the country has said. The humanitarian operation in western Mosul is far larger and far more complex than in the east said the Humanitarian Coordinator for Iraq, Lise Grande, in a news release issued yesterday by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). The main difference, she explained, is that tens of thousands of families stayed in their homes in the east, but in the west, tens of thousands are fleeing. We've been planning and preparing for the Mosul operation for months. But the truth is that the crisis is pushing all of us to our limits. We're going to be doing the best we can to ensure the people who need assistance receive it. said Grande. Humanitarian agencies are deeply worried that civilians are at grave risk in western Mosul. The use of explosives in the densely populated Old City is likely to cause extensive damage, and people fleeing are telling humanitarian workers that it's very difficult to enter or leave the Old City, said Grande. Families are at risk of being shot if they leave and they are at risk if they stay. It's horrible. Hundreds of thousands of civilians are trapped and they are in terrible danger, she said. The main supply route into western Mosul has been cut since mid-November. Families fleeing the city are reporting that shelves are empty and that the only food available is what they already have at home. Water and electricity supplies have been cut and medicines are running out. Under the leadership of the Government of Iraq, a massive national effort is underway to address the crisis. Civilians fleeing the western districts in the city are being accommodated in 17 camps and emergency sites near the city. The Government and partners are rushing to construct and expand 10 of these. Every day, more space is becoming available, said Grande. It's a race against time. So far, families are receiving support and being sheltered. But if the number of people leaving the city increases faster than we can construct new plots, the situation could deteriorate very quickly. Since 17 October, over 330,000 people have been displaced by the Mosul crisis, over 70,000 of whom have returned to their homes. Humanitarian agencies have been working around the clock to provide life-saving support to more than 1.3 million people from eastern and western Mosul including families who have stayed in their homes, and those who have fled. Photo: IRIN/Tom Westcott Source: www.justearthnews.com l Heads of the largest independent schools have warned they will sacrifice the benefits of charitable status rather than give in to government proposals to make them run state schools, which are expected in the next few weeks. Last year government produced a consultation document called Schools that Work for Everyone. This included a proposal to make independent schools do more if they want to retain the advantages of charitable status. The document says that if schools to do not comply voluntarily, the government will change the law to strip schools of their charitable tax breaks although not necessarily their charitable status and force the Charity Commission to change its guidance on independent schools. It is questionable whether the proposals would comply with charity law. The Charities Act 2011 contains a line which says that "In the exercise of its functions the Commission is not subject to the direction or control of any Minister of the Crown or of another government department". The consultation is now closed but the Department for Education has said it is planning to take the plans forward, and will produce a white paper shortly with much firmer legal proposals. 'No one wants the nuclear option' Last week Mike Buchanan, the chair of the Headmasters and Headmistresses Conference (HMC), one of several umbrella bodies for the independent schools sector, warned that if government tried to enforce the changes, schools would resist. Independent schools are supposed to be independent of government, he wrote in a joint letter with Russell Hobby, general secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers. The clue is in the name. If the Prime Minister tells them what to do as they are told or lose the financial benefits of being charities, many will walk away. This isnt petulance. It goes much deeper than that. Being free from government interference, they argue, is why they fund themselves through fees and why they have been able to excel, free from under-investment and constantly changing educations policies. It is this independence, under the regulation of the Charity Commission, which creates the ethos that the government wants state schools to copy. No one wants the nuclear option. It will cost millions which would have been better spent on state schools, soak up even more lawyers time (if there are any left over from Brexit) and put some small independent schools at risk of closure, bringing even more pupils into the cash-strapped state system. Plans hard to implement Penny Chapman, partner at the law firm Bircham Dyson Bell, said that there would be many problems with implementing the governments plans as outlined in last year's consultation. This is one of the most poorly drafted and ill-conceived pieces of work that I have ever had the misfortune to read, she said. There is sparse logic and precious little evidence to show that it is necessary. Since the consultation there has been little formal change, except that Phillip Hammond has now said we will have a white paper in a few weeks, but the Department for Education has been making all sorts of threatening noises. From Governance & Leadership Chapman said that the schools sector is now divided on how to approach the new DfE proposals. She said that many school governors had been sent a letter detailing an agreement between DfE, the Independent Schools Council one of five umbrella bodies representing schools and AGBIS, the representative body for school governors. This agreement says that the two bodies will encourage schools to meet the DfE criteria, and the Charity Commission will be asked to carry out more monitoring of schools. But she said many schools had no intention of following this agreement. Theres a real division between schools, she said. Many have said they do not support the ISC proposals. I think the larger schools may be particularly ready to resist. She questioned how much pressure the government could apply by removing tax breaks from schools. She said the only significant tax break most schools receive is relief from business rates, which is also available to non-charitable educational establishments. She also said that it would be impossible in practice for schools to simply give up their charitable status at least without a change in the law, because school buildings are charitable assets. If the schools were forced to give up charitable status, the buildings would have to be passed on to another charitable organisation, she said. And the buildings are usually not suitable for any purpose except running a school. What the consultation said "We propose that independent schools with the capacity and capability should meet one of two expectations in recognition of the benefits of their charitable status: To sponsor academies or set up a new free school in the state sector. The capital and revenue costs of this would be met by the government, but the independent school would have responsibility for ensuring its success. We would expect this school to be good or outstanding within a certain number of years To offer a certain proportion of places as fully funded bursaries to those who are insufficiently wealthy to pay fees. We expect this figure to be considerably higher than that offered currently at most independent schools. "We know that there are a large number of smaller independent schools that do not have the capacity and capability to take on full sponsorship. However, we believe that they still have a role to play in improving schools in the state sector. We will ask these schools to fulfil one or more of the following: Provide direct school-to-school support with state schools. This could include providing staff to assist state schools with teacher development and personal support between heads of department in independent and state schools to share best practice. Joining Teaching School Alliances is the best way to make those contributions to teacher development or school improvement really count; Support teaching in minority subjects which state schools struggle to make viable, such as further maths, coding, languages such as Mandarin and Russian, and classics; Ensure their senior leaders become directors of multi-academy trusts, to give strategic steer and leadership and provide experienced staff to be governors; Provide greater expertise and access to facilities, for example access to science labs and music, drama and sporting facilities; and Provide sixth-form scholarships to a proportion of pupils in each year 11 at a local school; assisting with their teaching; or helping them with university applications. "We propose to set new benchmarks that independent schools are expected to meet, in line with their size and capacity. We think it is essential that independent schools deliver these new benchmarks. "If they do not, we will consider legislation to ensure that those independent schools that do not observe these new benchmarks cannot enjoy the benefits associated with charitable status, and to result in the Charity Commission revising its formal guidance to independent schools on how to meet the public benefit test, putting the new benchmarks on to a statutory footing." 03/20/2017 Photo (c) revalent - Fotolia You may have heard the adage that an apple a day keeps the doctor away, but it turns out that drinking tea every day could be even more beneficial in some respects. A study from the National University of Singapores Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine finds that drinking tea daily could greatly cut the risk of cognitive decline in the elderly. The researchers say the findings are a positive sign due to the beverages popularity. Tea is one of the most widely consumed beverages in the world. The data from our study suggests that a simple and inexpensive lifestyle measure such as daily tea drinking can reduce a person's risk of developing neurocognitive disorders in late life," said assistant professor Lei Feng. Reducing risk of cognitive decline The study examined 957 Chinese seniors aged 55 and older and found that drinking tea regularly cut the risk of cognitive decline by 50%. However, those who carried the APOE e4 gene which genetically predisposes individuals to cognitive conditions like Alzheimers had their risk reduced by 86%. The researchers believe the positive effects of tea drinking are derived from some of its bioactive, natural ingredients, such as catechins, theaflavins, thearubigins, and L-theanine. Feng points out that these compounds are known to reduce inflammation in the body and protect the brain from vascular damage and neurodegeneration. Additionally, the researchers say the type of tea does not matter when it comes to these benefits, as long as the leaves are brewed from tea leaves such as green, black, or oolong tea. Improving prevention strategies While the findings focus specifically on Chinese seniors, the researchers believe that the results could apply to other races as well. This is an important point, they say, because of how pervasive cognitive diseases have become and how difficult they are to treat. Our findings have important implications for dementia prevention. Despite high quality drug trials, effective pharmacological therapy for neurocognitive disorders such as dementia remains elusive and current prevention strategies are far from satisfactory, said Feng. Our understanding of the detailed biological mechanisms is still very limited so we do need more research to find out definitive answers. The full study has been published in the Journal of Nutrition, Health & Aging. 03/20/2017 Richard Cordray Not long ago, the Justice Department argued in court that the structure of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau was perfectly legal. Now it says it isn't. What changed? The Constitution remains the same and the law that established the CFPB remains intact, but the United States is under new management and President Trump is determined to jettison holdovers whose views he finds disasteful. Thus, the Justice Department is now arguing that Trump should be able to fire CFPB Director Richard Cordray, even though a few months ago it made exactly the opposite argument. When the CFPB was established as part of the Dodd-Frank Act, lawmakers wanted to protect it from political pressure so they gave it a single director who, unlike most other appointees, can be fired only "for cause," meaning for misconduct or dishonesty. Most political appointees are routinely dismissed when a new administration takes office, but Cordray's term runs through next year, and so far Trump has not found grounds to dismiss him. "Extreme risk" The pressure comes from the financial services industry. It has been calling for a rollback of the CFPB, which has recovered billions of dollars for consumers in lawsuits and enforcement actions against banks, mortgage lenders, car dealers, and payday loan operators, among others. The current challenge to the CFPB grew out of a lawsuit brought by mortgage lender PHH Corp., which argued that the one-director structure of the CFPB is unconstitutional. It notes that the Federal Trade Commission, Federal Communications Commission, and many other executive branch agencies are governed by a group of commissioners. The CFPB and its supporters note that the Constitution does not specify that independent agency heads are subject to firing without cause and they point to the Social Security Administration and Federal Housing Finance Agency. They each have a single director who has not been replaced by the Trump Administration. The Justice Department agreed with them a few months ago, but in a brief filed Friday, it argues that an agency headed by a single director represents an "extreme risk" of deviating from the President's policies. The case is before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, which has scheduled a hearing for May 24, Chief Judge Merrick Garland presiding. But however the appeals court rules, the case is almost certain to go to the U.S. Supreme Court for a final disposition, by which time Cordray's term will most likely have expired. The Connecticut Maritime Associations Shipping 2017 conference and expo is set for a banner week in Stamford, as the event takes place March 20-22. The event brings together the international shipping community, with a large exhibition, three tracks, 15 conference sessions and over 2,500 attendees expected. A host of experts are scheduled to speak on many topics that are shaping the future of the maritime industry. A number of cruise lines are expected to attend what is a whos who gathering of the North American shipping industry. The Connecticut Maritime Association has worked to put together a conference program with direct relevance. These sessions are best associated with the goal of delivering immediate commercial, technical, regulatory or strategic value to the industry and its global participants, said the group. The event starts on Monday, March 20 with opening remarks by Capt. Joseph D. Gross, President, Connecticut Maritime Association and Dry Operations Manager, d'Amico Shipping USA; followed by a Keynote address by Vice Admiral Charles W. Ray, Deputy Commandant for Operations, United States Coast Guard. Panel discussions touch on everything from cyber security to emissions, alternative fuels, big data, operational challenges, regulatory compliance, human resources and much more. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) announced Friday it is seeking comment on a bureau plan to assess its rule on international remittances. CUNA has long believed the rule, which took effect in October 2013, is overly broad, and feedback from member credit unions is that this rule has harmed consumers by forcing them out of this market. We appreciate that the CFPB recognizes their statutory mandate to review the impact of the remittances rules on consumers. We hope that they pay particular attention to the concerns credit unions have raised about the impact of this rule on credit union members, said Ryan Donovan, CUNAs chief advocacy officer. A recent CUNA member survey showed that over half (55%) of credit unions that have offered international remittances sometime during the past five years have either cut back (27%) or stopped offering them (28%), primarily due to burden from CFPB regulations. This very serious problem should be addressed by the CFPB during this review of the remittances rule, Donovan added. Financial technology companies are now one step closer to having the means to apply for special purpose national bank charters. The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency on Wednesday published a draft supplement to its licensing manual, which contains existing regulations for chartering national banks. The draft rules, which are open for comment through April 14, give guidance on how fintech companies are expected to apply for national charters and makes it clear they are subject to all the same laws and regulations as traditional financial institutions, plus additional requirements. This manual reflects the approach weve seen from the OCC all along, and its clear that this is not a bank-lite charter, said American Bankers Association Vice President Rob Morgan in a statement Wednesday. Today the Senate Judiciary Committee kicks off the nomination hearing for Neil Gorsuch to fill the vacancy left open on the Supreme Court when Justice Scalia passed away. Assuming he ultimately gets approved by the Senate, there are few individuals who will have as direct and immediate impact on what your credit union can and cant do for decades to come. This is not simply because he will be the fifth (presumably more conservative) vote on the court, or because he is the first of what could be multiple Trump nominees pushing the court further to the right, but because there is a plethora of outstanding legal issues that need to be resolved in the next few years. Here are some of the big ones: The structure of the CFPB- As readers of this blog will know the US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit is set to reconsider En banc, whether the CFPB as structured is constitutional. Early this year, a panel of the same court ruled that it was unconstitutional for the CFPB to be overseen by a single director, who doesnt serve at the pleasure of the president. Late last week, the Trump Administration submitted a brief arguing that this decision should be upheld. If the courts earlier decision is upheld, the Trump Administration will have all the authority it needs to effectively fire Director Richard Cordray. However, win or lose this case will undoubtedly be heard by the Supreme Court with Gorsuch, who is no fan of regulatory overreach on the bench. Does Russias Election Meddling Break International Law? US spies say Russia meddled in the US presidential election. However, the worlds top minds in cyber warfare arent sure if the act constitutes coercion by one state against another. That legal ambiguity is why weaponising stolen information is such a difficult tactic for the United States to counter. Even the latest version of NATOs guide to such questions cant offer a definitive answer. Recently, the alliances Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence, or CCD COE, released its much anticipated update to the Tallinn Manual, which bills itself as the most comprehensive analysis of how existing international law applies to cyberspace. The manuals first edition was published two years after Russias seminal distributed-denial-of-service attacks on Estonia in 2007. Compiled by 20 experts, it sought to outline the best thinking about what laws apply to states attacking each other over the internet. Much has changed since then; most importantly, Russia executed a concerted effort to steal and publicise politicians email with the aim of influencing the US election. Thats what makes the recent update so important. It provides a roadmap for how states should respond to incidents like that in the future. In terms of international law, the question is whether by stealing emails and releasing them through Wikileaks and other outlets Russia forced the United States to do something that the latter would not otherwise. That would constitute meddling in the internal affairs of another state by means of coercion, i.e., in a way that prohibits the target from acting freely. Its an idea that goes back to 1758 but that has taken on new relevance now. To get a sense of how contentious the issue has become, check out the recent discussion of information warfare at Yale Law School. Right around the 21-minute mark, a small argument breaks out between a young law student and the expert panel over whether Russia coerced a particular election outcome. In reply, West Points Aaron Brantly argues that the DNC hack, and subsequent doxxing via Wikileaks, was not coercion because it lacked a threat of force. We may not like that. It sounds better to say it was coercion. But, in reality, we drank the Kool-Aid ourselves, Brantly said. Its our responsibility as a civil society to process that information. Others note that theres (as yet) no firm evidence that the data theft changed the elections outcome, so its impossible to prove that the meddling caused the United States government or people to do something that they otherwise would not have done. Bottom line: the degree to which the DNC hack constitutes an act of illegal coercion is a somewhat subjective matter. Even the experts who updated the manual could not come to a consensus. The counter view notes that there may have been an impact on the election and the fact that the impact is the result of the hacking differentiates it from mere propaganda or other means of exerting influence (as distinct from intervention) by means of information, said Michael Schmitt, the editor of the manual and a law professor at both the University of Exeter and the Naval War College. The Russians are masters at playing the gray area in the law, as they know that this will make it difficult to claim they are violating international law and justifying responses such as countermeasures. Schmitt explained why that matters. If you could show that Russias influence on the election had been coercive then the United States would be legally justified in employing countermeasures that matched the offense, such disrupting the functioning of the Russian government in a way that would be unlawful but for the fact that they are response to the unlawful activities of the target state and are designed to cause the target state to comply with the law. But if the attack was not coercive, then the only real response that the US can employ is something called retorsion, or what Schmitt calls unfriendly, but lawful, actions. The expulsion of the Russian diplomats and sanctions fall into this category. This is because neither the expulsion of foreign officials nor the imposition of economic sanctions is unlawful, he said. At some point, better exit polling and other metrics may allow governments to more effectively trace influence operations to specific effects. You might, for instance, be able to prove beyond reasonable doubt (or at least with high statistical confidence) that a Russian influence campaign did throw the election one way or the other. Until then, drawing a clear link between doxxed information and voter behavior will be next to, impossible, to conclude. Thats why Russian influence campaigns like the one targeting the DNC will continue. DefenseOne: Information Warfare isnt just Russian Its also American as Apple Pie: Estonian Honey Trap There is an attempt to discredit a NATO mission to protect its borders, Estonia'ss spy chief has warned. Beware: Russia could set 'honey traps' for British troops when they deploy says Estonia's head of intelligence. Mikk Marran, the head of the countrys equivalent of MI6, said Moscow will target the soldiers with a huge tool box, which will include fake news. In Cold War style-tactics, they will attempt to penetrate the soldiers social media accounts to find information for blackmail purposes, he said. Some 800 UK troops, including cyber specialists, are deploying to the country as part of the biggest build-up on Russias borders since the Cold War. Mr Marran said British and Estonian officials have been discussing the Russian threat to UK troops for months in an attempt to avoid Cold-War style spy games. He said the deployment will provide a perfect opportunity for Moscow to create a false impression of Western aggression by spreading fake news stories. Speaking about the subversive efforts, the director-general of the Estonian Information Board (EIB), told the Times: We are seeing some of it already. Some degree of noise along the lines of: these troops are not welcome by the local population. There will be 800 young British soldiers. People will be travelling from their bases to the cities. Probably they will do some pub hopping. We cannot exclude some fights that might be triggered by the opposite team, as we call it in Estonia. For example, traditional honey-traps and so forth. Soldiers from 5th Battalion, The Rifles, will head the British mission, which begins around the end of March. They will deploy alongside cyber warfare experts and GCHQ specialists trained to counter electronic attacks from Moscow. Mr Marran added: Cyber espionage might be used, disinformation campaigns might be used, blackmailing on the basis of stolen data for example. The UK troops will be working alongside 300 French soldiers in one of four battalions. The battalions of 4,000 troops will be spread across the Baltic States and Poland to deter Russia from a Crimea-style invasion of Nato territory. The deployment will be a fraction of the Russian forces massed along Russias western border. Last year the Army investigated claims two British troops in Latvia were involved in a brawl as part of a plot by Russia to smear UK soldiers. The brawl with a group of locals was filmed by a crew linked to a media outlet sympathetic to Russia. Asked about that incident, Mr Marran said: Certainly it had some Russian background to it. He spoke after his agency published a report about President Putins attempts to undermine Nato and the European Union. Mail: Hacker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy: Future Cyberwar: NATO Tools Up For Cybewar: Kabul, Mar 20 (IBNS): At least 13 ISIS militants were killed in separate airstrikes conducted by the US in Afghanistan, local Khaama Press reported. The operations took place in Nangarhar province of the country. The agency quoted Afghan National Army (ANA) sources as saying that while three militants were killed in Achin district, the remaining 10 were gunned down in Deh Bala district of the province. AUD/JPY may face range-bound conditions going in Japans 2016 fiscal year-end as it struggles to break the monthly opening range, but the broader outlook remains constructive as the pair preserves the bullish formations carried over from earlier this year. AUD/JPY Daily The lack of momentum to test the 87.70 (61.8% expansion) hurdle may keep AUD/JPY within a narrow range especially as the Relative Strength Index (RSI) preserves the downward trend carried over from December. However, the aussie-yen exchange rate appears to be on the cusp of a larger move as the 50-Day SMA (86.42) continues to offer support, with price & the RSI approaching the approaching the apex of a near-term wedge/triangle formation. With that said, the rebound from trendline support accompanied by the bullish engulfing (outside-day) candle keeps the topside targets in focus over the remainder of the month, with a break/close above 87.70 (61.8% expansion) opening up the next region of interest around 88.20 (38.2% expansion) followed by 88.60 (50% expansion). With both the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) and the Bank of Japan (BoJ) showing little signs of moving away from their current policy stance, market sentiment may continue to influence AUD/JPY, with the global benchmark equity indices highlighting a similar behavior as they largely retain the range from earlier this month. Why and how do we use the SSI in trading? View free trading guide here At the same time, the DailyFX Speculate Sentiment Index (SSI) suggests retail traders are caught on the wrong side as the crowd remains net-short since March 10 when AUD/JPY traded near 86.43;price has moved 0.7% higher since then. Current data shows 43.3% of traders are net-long with the ratio of traders short to long at 1.31 to 1. The number of traders net-long is 13.6% higher than yesterday and 1.2% lower from last week, while the number of traders net-short is 20.3% higher than yesterday and 4.3% higher from last week. May see the SSI offer a contrarian signal as the recent build in net-short interest appears to be accompanied by a mild appreciation in AUD/JPY. For More Updates, Join DailyFX Currency Analyst David Song for LIVE Analysis! If youre looking for trading ideas, check out our Trading Guides. --- Written by David Song, Currency Analyst To contact David, e-mail dsong@dailyfx.com. Follow me on Twitter at @DavidJSong. To be added to David's e-mail distribution list, please follow this link. Election Day 2022: The stakes are high with all eyes on Pennsylvania Injection of a novel form of synthetic high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), or good cholesterol, into the arteries of patients who had recently had a heart attack did not reduce the volume of fatty deposits, or plaque, in the arteries, compared with placebo injections, according to research presented at the American College of Cardiology's 66th Annual Scientific Session. The Phase 2 CARAT trial failed to meet its primary endpoint of change in the volume of fatty deposits in a coronary artery that had previously been shown to be at least 30 percent blocked, said Stephen Nicholls, MBBS, PhD, director of the Vascular Research Centre at the South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute in Adelaide, and the study's lead author. "In general, CER-001 was well-tolerated, but it had no discernible effect on arterial plaque compared with placebo injections," Nicholls said. "This suggests that low-dose CER-001 does not appear to be a promising agent for use in patients with acute coronary syndrome." Acute coronary syndrome, or ACS, occurs when blood flow to the heart is suddenly blocked. It may take the form of a heart attack or unstable angina, chest pain that may signal an imminent heart attack. Studies suggest that about 12 percent of patients with ACS will experience another blockage of blood flow to the heart within a year of the first event, despite taking medication to reduce their risk. Standard treatments to reduce the risk of both heart attack and stroke have focused on reducing blood levels of LDL cholesterol (LDL-C), known as "bad" cholesterol because it contributes to the development of plaque in the lining of arteries, making them narrower, stiffer and more prone to being blocked by a blood clot. However, some researchers have sought to develop treatments that increase HDL cholesterol (HDL-C). Studies suggest that healthy levels of HDL-C (above 40 in men, above 50 in women) may protect against heart attack and stroke, due in part to HDL-C's role in clearing bad cholesterol from the arteries, thereby reducing inflammation and preventing blood clots. Low levels of HDL-C, by contrast, have been shown to increase risk for heart attacks and strokes. One strategy for increasing HDL-C levels has been to create synthetic HDL-C that mimics the biological structure and function of natural HDL-C. The idea is that the synthetic HDL-C, when injected into the blood, will help to clear more fat and bad cholesterol, shrink arterial plaque, and reduce heart attack and stroke risk. CER-001 is a form of synthetic HDL-C. Early studies suggested that CER-001 could increase the removal of LDL-C from the arteries and that, in patients with inherited cholesterol abnormalities such as familial hypercholesterolemia, it could reduce arterial plaque. However, other previous studies have found no benefit from CER-001 in reducing fatty deposits in arteries. In the CARAT trial, researchers enrolled 301 patients (average age about 60, 80 percent male) who had had a recent heart attack and who had at least one coronary artery that had been shown in an ultrasound examination to be more than 30 percent blocked with fatty deposits (that is, to have atheroma volume of more than 30 percent). Patients with uncontrolled diabetes, extremely elevated triglyceride levels, heart failure, or liver or kidney disease were excluded. The study was conducted in Australia, Hungary, the Netherlands and the United States. Trial participants were randomly assigned to receive 10 weekly infusions of either CER-100 or a placebo. One to three weeks after the last infusion, they underwent a second ultrasound examination of the same coronary artery that had previously been shown to be at least 30 percent blocked. In addition to comparing the two ultrasounds and measuring the change in the volume of fatty deposits (the primary study endpoint), Nicholls and his colleagues also looked at additional measures of plaque volume, cholesterol levels, and safety and tolerability. Results showed the primary endpoint decreased by 0.41 percent in the placebo group and by 0.09 percent in the CER-001 group, a non-statistically significant difference. Analysis of the major secondary endpoints revealed a reduction in total atheroma volume of 6.6 mm3 in the placebo group and 5.6 mm3 in the CER-001 group and regression of percent atheroma volume in 57.7 percent of placebo patients and 53.3 percent of CER-001 patients. Neither of these findings met the cutoff for statistical significance. Levels of LDC-C declined equally in the CER-001 and placebo groups. Rates of adverse events were low and were similar in both groups. "We are disappointed that low-dose CER-001 did not show a benefit in a patient population at elevated risk for an ACS event," Nicholls said. "We will continue to analyze the CARAT data in order to fully understand the study's findings, and we will continue to search for effective therapies targeting residual risk for ACS events." ### The study was funded by Cerenis Therapeutics, the manufacturer of CER-001. The ACC's Annual Scientific Session, which in 2017 will be March 17-19 in Washington, brings together cardiologists and cardiovascular specialists from around the world to share the newest discoveries in treatment and prevention. Follow @ACCCardioEd, @ACCMediaCenter and #ACC17 for the latest news from the meeting. The American College of Cardiology is a 52,000-member medical society that is the professional home for the entire cardiovascular care team. The mission of the College is to transform cardiovascular care and to improve heart health. The ACC leads in the formation of health policy, standards and guidelines. The College operates national registries to measure and improve care, offers cardiovascular accreditation to hospitals and institutions, provides professional medical education, disseminates cardiovascular research and bestows credentials upon cardiovascular specialists who meet stringent qualifications. WASHINGTON, March 17, 2017 -- American Chemical Society (ACS) President Allison A. Campbell, Ph.D., will focus on areas of significant importance -- the health of our planet, the safe practice of science and strong technical programming -- at the ACS 253rd National Meeting & Exposition, April 2 to 6, in San Francisco. The presidential events will be held at Hotel Nikko San Francisco, San Francisco Marriott Marquis and the Moscone Center. All times listed are in PDT. The first event, "LGBT Graduate & Postdoctoral Student Chemistry Research Symposium," is organized by the Division of Professional Relations. This two-day symposium will take place from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday and Monday in Nikko Ballroom III at Hotel Nikko San Francisco. It will consist of scientific talks by lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) graduate and postdoctoral students, and will feature a panel discussion on issues that affect LGBT students and postdocs at the end of day on Sunday. Sunday afternoon at 1:20 p.m. in Golden Gate A at San Francisco Marriott Marquis, the symposium "Holy Grails in Chemistry -- Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of Accounts of Chemical Research Journal" will focus on a 1995 issue in the journal that sought to spotlight critical areas of chemistry and will assess the progress in these areas since then. On Monday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in Room 133 at the Moscone Center, the symposium "Science for a Sustainable Energy Future" will highlight scientific advances for creating and storing sustainable, low-carbon energy. The symposium will focus on energy storage in the morning session and chemical and biological approaches to energy conversion in the afternoon. Details of these presidential events and fourteen other president-recommended symposia can be found at http://www.acs.org/sanfran2017. ### The American Chemical Society is a nonprofit organization chartered by the U.S. Congress. With nearly 157,000 members, ACS is the world's largest scientific society and a global leader in providing access to chemistry-related research through its multiple databases, peer-reviewed journals and scientific conferences. ACS does not conduct research, but publishes and publicizes peer-reviewed scientific studies. Its main offices are in Washington, D.C., and Columbus, Ohio. To automatically receive press releases from the American Chemical Society, contact newsroom@acs.org. Follow us on Twitter | Facebook Courtship behaviours, frequent among modern insects, have left extremely rare fossil traces. In odonates, the male must persuade the female to mate in tandem and the female should be willing to engage her genitalia with the male's. Many territorial odonatans display their courtship by high-frequency wing-beats towards an approaching female. Most courtship, mating and parenting (social-sexual) behaviour cannot be preserved and fossil reports are few and ambiguous. No courtship behavious were previously recorded for fossil odonatans. Recently, Dr. ZHENG Daran and Prof. WANG Bo from Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences described three male damselflies showing ancient courtship behaviour from mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber. These fossils were named Yijenplatycnemis huangi after Mr. Huang Yijen from Taiwan, for his generously donation of the type specimen. Y. huangi has spectacular extremely expanded, pod-like tibiae, helping to fend off other suitors as well as attract mating females, increasing the chances of successful mating. The new findings provide suggestive evidence of damselfly courtship behaviour as far back as the dinosaur age. Modern Platycnemidinae and Chlorocyphidae convergently acquired similar but less developed structures. During courtship, male Platycypha caligata waves the white anterior surface of all six laterally enlarged tibiae at the females, but uses the posterior surface of the tibiae for intra-sexual signaling during territorial defense. Similarly, male East Asian Platycnemis species with expanded, feather-like tibiae well differentiated from the females, exhibit a strong sexual dimorphism. The males display their white legs in a fluttering flight in front of females before mating. By morphological inference, the six extremely expanded tibiae of Y. huangi could also have a signaling function for courtship displays. Platycypha has all six tibiae expanded, but all less so than Y. huangi in size. Platycnemis has more expanded mid and hind tibiae, but is still smaller than Y. huangi. These more expanded fossil tibiae suggest an extreme adaptation for courtship behaviour. More importantly, unlike Platycypha and Platycnemis, the tibiae of Y. huangi are asymmetric and pod-shaped, especially the hindleg tibia with a semi-circular outline. This pod-like shape would make waving slower due to air resistance. Y. huangi waving its giant pod-like tibiae would make males more easily noticed and attract female attention, increasing mating opportunities and implying sexual selection. The tibial shape of Y. huangi also resembles the wings of some members of the extinct neuropteran families. The tibiae of Y. huangi are hyaline and partly covered with two narrow brown bands, making them even more like pigmented wings. In addition, there is an eye-shaped spot in the middle of the hindleg, quite like the wing spots in Kalligrammatidae and some recent butterfly eyespots. These well-developed eyespots were and are used to make a conspicuous and contrasting display to intimidate vertebrate predators or protect the body by deflecting an attack to the wings. Deflective eyespots in butterflies and fossil lacewings are smaller than deimatic ones and both are never on the legs, but dragonflies are predators with good eyesight, and the tiny ones in Y. huangi may have less to do with paralleling fossil lacewings in deflecting nearby predators and more to do with raising the interest of females (cf. peacock eyespots). That none of the pigmented tibiae in Y. huangi are damaged, however, suggests they did not precipitate an aggressive response. This research was recently published in Scientific Reports, and supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and the HKU Seed Funding Program for Basic Research. ### In the face of the Trump travel ban, academics must strengthen, rather than sever, ties to the United States, argues Dr. Matthew Stanbrook, Deputy Editor, CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) in an editorial. "Science, especially medical science, knows no borders and cannot advance effectively without the free international exchange of knowledge, ideas and skills among all its participants," writes Dr. Stanbrook. "For academics to suspend interactions with US colleagues or refuse to peer review and validate the work of US researchers risks weakening US science at the worst possible time, abandoning colleagues to face a political administration that already manifests a desire to muzzle federal scientists, escape accountability by the media and wage war on facts incompatible with its preferred narrative." He advocates against boycotting scientific meetings in the US or moving them to another country as this would prevent participation from the many scientists and trainees from the countries under the ban who live and work in the US. "Although the travel ban targets individuals, its threat to the integrity and prosperity of scientific collaboration is of paramount concern. Physicians and scientists must not remain silent, but the best solution lies in more, rather than less, engagement with US colleagues," Dr. Stanbrook concludes. ### Twitter and other social media tools are commonly used around the world. Now, many government and not-for-profit organizations have a presence on at least one of these systems and use them in various ways to share information about their activities and engage with people. For organizations that work in disaster zones and emergency situations, these tools can also be used to coordinate activities, help raise funds and disseminate timely news that can help in relief efforts. New research from the Department of Political Science at Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, Texas, USA, suggests that just half of the Red Cross and Red Crescent national societies around the world have adopted Twitter. They assessed the factors influencing adoption rates as well as message type and frequency, and the ability to reach large audiences. Writing in the International Journal of Emergency Management the researchers report that adoption is constrained by the digital divide and country population size. The team defines the digital divide as the disparity between country-level internet access rates. Moreover, the researchers, Clayton Wukich and Ashish Khemka, found, the existence of an account on Twitter does not necessarily mean that the target audience is necessarily aware of its existence or engaging with it. There are significant limitations to organizational reach and many people who need to receive important content on a timely basis may not actually do so. However, the team observed high activity rates in countries such as Kenya, Indonesia, and the Philippines, which they say indicates the potential for continued growth in developing economies, especially as internet access increases. The researchers recommend several strategies based on their findings that could help organizations improve their reach and engagement. For instance, they suggest that organizations must plan to make personnel available for handling social media throughout and subsequent to any large-scale disaster. At the technical level, organizations should use hashtags in order to expose their messages to the largest possible audience and to create some coherency during particular disasters. The team also found that while a link to additional information might be useful the presence of a link, a URL, actually reduced the rate at which Twitter users shared a particular update, it correlated negatively with retweets, in other words. ### Wukich, C. and Khemka, A. (2017) 'Social media adoption, message content, and reach: an examination of Red Cross and Red Crescent national societies', Int. J. Emergency Management, Vol. 13, No. 2, pp.89-116. AUGUSTA, Ga. (March 20, 2017) - A multicenter trial looking at whether a single dose of millions of adult, bone-marrow-derived stem cells can aid stroke recovery indicates it's safe and well-tolerated by patients but may not significantly improve their recovery within the first three months, researchers report. However, the trial does provide evidence that giving the therapy early - within the first 36 hours after stroke symptoms surface - may enhance physical recovery by reducing destructive inflammation as well as the risk for serious infections and that these benefits might continue to surface many months down the road, they report in the journal Lancet Neurology. Stroke is a leading cause of long-term disability and the leading preventable cause of disability, according to the American Heart Association. "There is solid evidence from our basic science work and now some indicators from this phase 2 patient trial that giving these stem cells can safely help dial back the body's immune response to stroke injury that can ultimately further damage the brain and body," said Dr. David C. Hess, stroke specialist and chairman of the Department of Neurology at the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University. Hess, corresponding author of the study, said next-phase trials already are being planned that make time-appropriate adjustments. The study at 33 centers in the United States and the United Kingdom from October 2011 to December 2015 included 129 adults with moderately severe strokes. A dose of 400 million cells were given to a handful of patients to establish safety, the dose was then increased to 1,200 million cells for the majority of patients. About half of patients received a single dose of the stem cells while the remainder received placebo. Patients in both arms were able to also have received standard stroke therapies, including the clot-buster tPA and/or an endovascular procedure to retrieve the clot. While the study made several adjustments along the way to enable better enrollment, it was an early adjustment in the timeframe for giving the therapy that may have impacted results, Hess said. Trial leaders extended the timeframe for therapy from the original 24 to 36 hours - which was suggested by previous animal studies - to 24 to 48 hours. That adjustment was in response to limited hours at some centers to thaw and otherwise prepare the cells for patients as they qualified for the study. Now cell developers have reduced thaw times from 6 hours to 30 minutes and made the process much easier, which should enable tighter timeframes for giving the treatment moving forward, Hess said. Although the primary analysis of results was done at 90 days, about 80 percent of study participants were followed for a full year. It was those longer-term results, particularly in the small number of patients who got therapy early, that suggested the cell therapy group might be more likely to continue to recover, with reduced disability and fewer infections one year out than the placebo group, investigators write. The multipotent cells, dubbed MultiStem, were developed by the international biotechnology company Athersys Inc., which also funded the clinical trial. Doses given in the study were the largest ever given in a human cell therapy trial. Side effects in a minority of patients included bad breath, fever, chills, nausea and vomiting. Death and other serious adverse events were no different in the treated versus untreated patients. The fact that the cells are scalable and require no tissue typing make it a potentially widely and rapidly available therapy for stroke patients, Hess said. "The cells are 'off the shelf' and ready to go," he said. "One donor of these cells provides hundreds of thousands of doses to patients." Researchers like Hess, who have studied the cells, believe they primarily work by modulating the body's immune response, which can go a bit haywire following a stroke. An immune response is definitely needed to help the brain heal and to remove debris generated by dead or damaged tissue. But there also may be a secondary response that includes immune organs like the spleen, beginning to shrink in size within the first hours after symptoms of stroke arise, Hess said. The spleen, an organ typically about four inches long and found just to the left of the stomach, is an important immune system regulator that filters blood and stores immune cells. Shrinkage that follows a stroke prompts it to quickly dump activated immune cells that can go to the brain and worsen inflammation and damage there, Hess said. Ironically, patients can then experience what is termed a more generalized "immune exhaustion" that puts them at increased risk of infections, like pneumonia and urinary tract infections. "Some inflammation is good, but in a big stroke, it almost always overshoots," Hess said of this second neuroinflammatory response. "We think this secondary neuroinflammatory process is preventing the natural healing tendencies of the body." The researchers found patients receiving cell therapy had lower blood levels of inflammatory signals called cytokines as well as other drivers of the immune response such as circulating lymphocytes and a subset of lymphocytes called regulatory T cells. "We think cell therapy prevents this early egress of cells from the spleen that go to the brain and, by doing that, they also prevent the later exhaustion of the spleen and immune system," Hess said. Researchers note that they are not certain that the blood levels they measured correlate with tissue levels and they did not measure the spleen size of study participants. However, they plan to look more closely at both in future studies and already have animal evidence the cell therapy reduces spleen shrinkage In an accompanying commentary, Dr. Steven C. Cramer, from the Departments of Neurology, Anatomy and Neurobiology and Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the Sue and Bill Gross Stem Cell Research Center at the University of California, Irvine, reiterates the need for new stroke therapies that can improve outcomes for a large percentage of stroke patients and views cell-based therapies as "attractive candidates." Cramer also notes that therapies like stem cells take time to produce clinical results and that expanding the timeline for delivery of therapy to enable study enrollment took these cell therapy researchers past the timeframe that proved effective in animal studies. Early animal studies, led by former MCG neuroscientist Dr. Cesario V. Borlongan, pediatric neurologist and professor emeritus Dr. James Carroll and Hess, indicated that the cells would be most beneficial if given within two days of an ischemic stroke and they could reduce death of cells in the vicinity of the stroke's core, that were also injured. Phase three studies - which are among the final steps in seeking Food and Drug Administration approval - are planned in the United States, the United Kingdom as well as Europe and these studies will limit the therapy window to 18-36 hours, Hess said. Studies also are planned in Japan, where there is also an aging population and a keen interest in regeneration and cell therapy - that includes Nobel Prize-winner Shinya Yamanaka who transformed mature cells into induced pluripotent stem cells that can basically become any cell type. The upper age limit of the phase 2 cell therapy study also was extended from 79 to 83 during the trial and to patients who received both the clot-buster tPA and endovascular treatment to remove the clot, instead of one or the other, because of the large number of centers also performing the clot-removal technique to restore blood flow and ideally reduce stroke damage. It's likely the cell therapy would also be an adjunct to one or both of those therapies if it becomes approved for general use. Hess is also interim dean of MCG and interim executive vice president for medical affairs and integration at Augusta University. ### Physicists have simulated the structure of a new material based on fullerite and single crystal diamond to show how this material can obtain ultrahigh hardness. This discovery allows the estimations the potential conditions for obtaining ultrahard materials. The results were published in the Carbon journal. Fullerite generally is a molecular crystal with fullerene molecules at its lattice nodes. Fullerenes are a form of molecular carbon where carbon atoms form a sphere. It was first synthesized over thirty years ago, and its discovery was awarded with the Nobel Prize. Carbon spheres in fullerite may be packed in different ways, and the hardness of the material strongly depends on how the fullerenes are connected to each other. A group of scientists from the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (MIPT), the Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology (Skoltech), the National University of Science and Technology (MISIS) and the Federal State Budgetary Scientific Institution Technological Institute for Superhard and Novel Carbon Materials (FSBSI TISNCM, Moscow, Troitsk) headed by Prof. Leonid Chernozatonskii from the Institute of Biochemical Physics (IBCP) of the Russian Academy of Sciences managed to explain why fullerite becomes an ultra-hard material. Alexander Kvashnin, Candidate of Physics and Mathematics, the main author, remarked, "When we started to discuss this idea, I was working at TISNCM. There, in 1998, a group of scientists headed by Vladimir D. Blank obtained a new material based on fullerenes -- ultrahard fullerite, or "tisnumit". According to the measurements, this new material could scratch diamond, that is, it was in fact harder than diamond." The obtained substance was not single crystal material; it contained amorphous carbon and 3D-polymerized molecules of C60. Still, its crystal structure is not completely determined. The fullerene molecule has excellent mechanical rigidity. At the same time, the fullerite crystal is quite a soft material under normal conditions, but becomes harder than diamond under pressure (due to the 3D polymerization). Although this material has been synthesized and studied for more than 20 years now, the reason why it becomes ultrahard is still unknown. There is a number of models that have been developed to explain how fullerenes can be polymerized into fullerite. One of the models was proposed by Prof. Leonid A. Chernozatonskii. The X-ray diffraction pattern of the model perfectly agrees with experimental data and should have high volumetric bulk modulus, several times higher than the diamond value. But the relaxed structure of the model does not display such fascinating properties. Alexander Kvashnin remarks, "We based our analysis on that model and the experimentally known fact that if you apply high pressure, more than 10 GPa to fullerene powder, and heat it above 1800 K, you obtain a polycrystalline diamond. The idea was to combine these two facts. On the one hand, a super-hard fullerite material, and on the other hand, under pressure, fullerenes turn into a polycrystalline diamond." The scientists suggested that under pressure, part of the fullerite turned into diamond, while the other part remained as fullerite, but in a compressed state within the diamond. To simplify the model, the fullerite crystal structure proposed by Prof. Chernozatonskii was taken and placed inside a single crystal diamond. Then this composite material was studied. The idea was that fullerite inside diamond should be compressed. It is known that in the compressed state, the elastic and mechanical properties of the material would increase. And diamond would act as a shell, which keeps the compressed fullerite inside to preserve all those properties. In the study, they first analysed small models containing 2.5 nm fullerite grain inside the 1 nm thick diamond shell. However, such a small model did not comply with the experimental data. Then the researchers started modelling the composites, where the size of fullerite was increased up to 15.8 nm, and the thickness of diamond shell remained the same. The changes in the X-ray diffraction spectrum showed that the increase in the fullerite size brought the spectrum closer to the experimental data. After comparing the spectra, it was assumed that most likely in the experiment, they had obtained an amorphous carbon medium with a hydrostatically compressed fullerite inside, while the model dealt with a diamond containing a fullerite inside. According to the calculated spectrum, the new model correlated very well with the experimental data. "The developed model will help us to understand the nature of its unique properties and to help to systematically synthesize the new ultra-hard carbon materials, as well as to contribute to the further development of this promising field of science", said Pavel Sorokin, Doctor of Physical and Mathematical Science, head of the project (TISNCM, MISIS, MIPT). Fullerite itself is not very hard; its bulk modulus is 1.5 times less than that of diamond. But when it's compressed, its bulk modulus increases dramatically. To preserve this enhanced bulk modulus, the fullerite should always remain in such a compressed state. Using the results of simulations, the scientists can conduct targeted experiments to obtain an ultra-hard material. ### EAST LANSING, Mich. - Prion diseases are scary, incurable and fatal. They first gained notoriety when cows became infected by prion proteins and, in turn, infected people. Fervor surrounding mad cow disease resulted in the U.S. banning imports of beef from the European Union for 15 years. New research led by Michigan State University and published in the current issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, offers hope by showing how we might prevent prions from aggregating or growing into deadly diseases. The results also show that an antihistamine, astemizole, proved effective in reducing prion aggregation. Lisa Lapidus, MSU professor of physics and astronomy, has pioneered a laser technique to advance her medical discoveries. The two-laser approach measures the speed at which proteins rearrange before beginning to clump, or aggregate -- the critical beginning of many neurodegenerative diseases. "While prion's transmission method is quite unusual, the process of protein clumping is quite common in a number of diseases, such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease," said Lapidus, who published the paper with Kinshuk Raj Srivastava, former postdoctoral fellow at MSU. "We've discovered that there is a 'dangerous middle range,' a speed that individual proteins rearrange in which clumping happens fastest. We were also able to find a way to bump the proteins out of the danger zone and reduce the chances of clumping from happening." Bumping proteins out of the danger zone could help advance research on prion diseases, such as fatal familial insomnia and kuru in humans, mad cow disease, and chronic wasting disease in deer. What these prion diseases have in common, the team discovered, is the key speed changer of pH. Using the protein from a hamster, a mammal with a history of suffering from prion diseases, the team found that prion-related protein chains reconfigure slowly at neutral pH, thus avoiding the sticky middle speeds. However, at low pH, the scientists found the protein rearranged in the dangerous middle range, confirming that prions thrived and grew when pH levels were low. To further prove this middle regime is really dangerous, they compared the speed of hamster at low pH to rabbit, an animal that doesn't get prion disease. Rabbit prion was much faster than hamster. "If rearrangement is fast, when two chains come into contact, they can rearrange rapidly enough to avoid making interactions that lead to clumping," Lapidus said. "When moving slow, neither chains will have sticky patches exposed. But when the rearrangements are happening at the same speed as the random collisions between two proteins, then clumping can occur more quickly." Taking the research one step further, Lapidus and her team decided to see if any drugs could move hamster prions out of this danger zone. Lapidus proved that astemizole is effective in speeding up protein self-interactions even further and preventing prion clumping. Astemizole was once used to treat allergies, but it was pulled from the market due to rare but sometimes fatal side effects. The antihistamine, however, also has shown promise in some Alzheimer's research. This research didn't directly examine disease transmission, but future research could tackle this and help understand how proteins rearranging in the danger zone can be recruited by an existing clump of protein. While this research is years away from medical trials, it at least makes prion diseases a little less scary. ### This research was funded in part by the National Institutes of Health. Michigan State University has been working to advance the common good in uncommon ways for more than 150 years. One of the top research universities in the world,MSU focuses its vast resources on creating solutions to some of the world's most pressing challenges, while providing life-changing opportunities to a diverse and inclusive academic community through more than 200 programs of study in 17 degree-granting colleges. For MSU news on the Web, go to MSUToday. Follow MSU News on Twitter at twitter.com/MSUnews. In future, you could get off the train and hop onto an electric kickboard equipped with a smart unit that can warn you of potential hazards while it navigates you home. You could also transform the same electric kickboard into a smart trolley for your grocery shopping. Such next-generation personal mobility devices may soon become reality in a new joint research lab by Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) and Schaeffler Group that has a combined funding of S$5 million over three years. Schaeffler Group, a leading global automotive and industrial components supplier headquartered in Germany, will set up the lab as part of the Schaeffler Hub for Advanced REsearch at NTU (SHARE at NTU). The new lab, Schaeffler's first SHARE lab outside Europe, is housed at NTU's School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, ranked 6th in the world in the recent Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University Rankings by Subject 2017. NTU was also ranked 4th globally by QS in Engineering and Technology. NTU Vice President (Research) and Chief of Staff, Professor Lam Khin Yong, said the collaboration will tackle transportation challenges for Singapore within the context of the country's Smart Nation vision. "NTU has deep expertise in smart mobility technologies and a strong track record of industry collaborations. Together with Schaeffler, we aim to develop innovative personal transport solutions that will be safer and more efficient, which will support Singapore's drive towards a car-lite society," Prof Lam said. Professor Dr.-Ing. Peter Gutzmer, Deputy CEO and Chief Technology Officer at Schaeffler AG, said: "Schaeffler has a strong legacy of close collaboration and joint research with universities mainly in Europe. With this agreement to set up the first SHARE lab outside Germany, we are laying a solid and long-term foundation for cooperation in the Asia Pacific region." Both organisations signed a master research agreement today at NTU's campus, where Schaeffler demonstrated some of its advanced technology concepts for personal mobility, including the E-Board, an electronic skateboard-like device that comes with a control stick, and an e-bike equipped with an automatic bicycle gearshift system. Schaeffler places particular emphasis on investing in research and development. In 2016 alone, this commitment led to more than 2,300 new patent registrations. As a result, Schaeffler is among the leading companies in Germany in terms of inventions. Two models of Schaeffler's future-oriented four-wheeled bio-hybrid that offer electric-assisted pedalling in a four-wheel format, were also showcased at the signing ceremony today. Working models of the bio-hybrid and E-Board were demonstrated at CES 2017, the global consumer electronics and consumer technology tradeshow in Las Vegas in January. Schaeffler's Bio-Hybrid combines the health benefits of a bicycle with the ease of a assisted electric bike that has similar comfort levels to that of a car. Developing technologies for future megacities The new joint lab will study various aspects of personal urban mobility and intelligent transportation systems for mega cities of the future. The research projects include studying human user behaviour on personal mobility devices in Singapore and the development of portable smart technologies that can enhance the users' safety and last-mile experience. CEO Schaeffler Asia Pacific Mr Andreas Schick, said: "Our long-term vision is to develop Singapore as a hub for research and innovation for urban mobility. The proactive efforts from the Government of Singapore make it a highly conducive place for developing technologies for future megacities and Schaeffler is keen to tap into these opportunities, working together with the big and highly educated talent pool," said Chair of NTU's School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering Professor Yoon Soon Fatt, added: "NTU is already a living lab for advanced mobility concepts and technologies, with an interconnected network of smart devices in cars, buses and traffic infrastructure under the NTU-NXP Smart Mobility Test Bed. Coupled with our world-class engineering faculty, the campus becomes the perfect place to develop next-generation mobility devices." Leveraging campus-wide smart mobility test bed at NTU The partnership between NTU and Schaeffler will also ride on the NTU-NXP Smart Mobility Test Bed, which consists of vehicles equipped with smart units and roadside units with video cameras mounted on street lamps throughout the NTU campus. Schaeffler is also part of the NTU-NXP Smart Mobility Consortium, which was founded by NTU and NXP Semiconductors with 12 industry members to develop innovations in smart mobility. NTU and Schaeffler will develop applications that will allow personal mobility devices to interact seamlessly and safely with traffic infrastructure and vehicles around them, using an industry standard vehicle-to-everything (V2X) wireless communication technology. ### Media contact: Lester Kok Manager Corporate Communications Office Nanyang Technological University Email: lesterkok@ntu.edu.sg Ashish Shukul Director Communications and Marketing Asia Pacific Schaeffler Singapore Pte. Ltd. Email: ashukul@schaeffler.com About Nanyang Technological University 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 (ERI@N) 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 http://www.ntu.edu.sg About Schaeffler The Schaeffler Group is a leading global integrated automotive and industrial supplier. The company stands for the highest quality, outstanding technology, and strong innovative ability. The Schaeffler Group makes a key contribution to "Mobility for tomorrow" with high-precision components and systems in engine, transmission, and chassis applications as well as rolling and plain bearing solutions for a large number of industrial applications. The technology company generated sales of approximately EUR 13.2 billion in 2015. With around 85,000 employees, Schaeffler is one of the world's largest family companies and, with approximately 170 locations in over 50 countries, has a worldwide network of manufacturing locations, research and development facilities, and sales companies. Follow us on Twitter @schaefflergroup to get all of our latest press releases and news. A new species of groundwater copepod has been discovered in the rocky savannas of Brazil - an ecosystem suffering from heavy anthropogenic impact. Upon description, the tiny crustacean turned out to also represent a previously unknown genus. It is described by Dr. Paulo H. C. Corgosinho, Montes Claros State University, Brazil, and his team in the open access journal Zoosystematics and Evolution. Prior to the discovery of the new species, named Eirinicaris antonioi, only one genus of its subfamily (Parastenocaridinae) had been recorded in the Neotropical region, which comes to show that related species had already spread across a huge range when the ancient supercontinent Gondwana split apart. The new copepod measures about 0,300 mm and can be told apart by its morphological characteristics, including unusual sensorial structures at the rear part of the body, as well as unique sexual dimorphism. The copepods of the family Parastenocarididae are adapted to life in groundwater, where they thrive between sand grains. These tiny creatures measure less than 1 mm, ranging between 0,200 and 0,400 mm in length. They can be found in various microbiotopes along rivers, lakes and human-made structures, such as dug or artesian wells. Alternatively, these copepods might be associated with mosses and other semi-terrestrial environments. "This is the first species described from Goias state, Central Brazil," explain the authors. "With the discovery of this new species our knowledge about the geographical distribution of the copepod family Parastenocarididae is increased. Our project highlights the vast amounts of undiscovered biodiversity of the Brazilian rocky savannas, which are under high anthropogenic threat." ### Original source: Corgosinho PHC, Schizas NV, Previattelli D, Falavigna da Rocha CE, Santos-Silva EN (2017) A new genus of Parastenocarididae (Copepoda, Harpacticoida) from the Tocantins River basin (Goias, Brazil), and a phylogenetic analysis of the Parastenocaridinae. Zoosystematics and Evolution 93(1): 167-187. https://doi.org/10.3897/zse.93.11602 Bioethics and Populism: How Should Our Field Respond? Mildred Z. Solomon and Bruce Jennings Authoritarian populism is on the rise, posing a real threat to constitutional democracies worldwide. Fueled by ethnic and nationalistic extremism, these emerging movements are highly polarized, antidemocratic and exclusionary. The field of bioethics is uniquely positioned to contribute to the rebuilding of the communal and civic foundations upon which constitutional democracy rests. This essay makes a vital case for a renewed commitment to justice and civic deliberation in the field of bioethics. Mildred Z. Solomon is president of The Hastings Center; Bruce Jennings is a senior advisor. Enrolling in Clinical Research While Incarcerated: What Influences Participants' Decisions? Paul P. Christopher, Lorena G. Garcia-Sampson, Michael Stein, Jennifer Johnson, Josiah Rich, and Charles Lidz We know surprisingly little about how (and why) prisoners choose to participate in medical research. This study sought to better understand their motives. Through semistructured interviews, the study found that prisoner-participants face many of the same issues as nonincarcerated participants when determining whether or not to enroll in clinical research, but they are also subject to unique influences that may leave them vulnerable to exploitation. While none of the participants reported coercion, many described enrolling in clinical research to obtain access to better health care, which raised some concerns. Keramet Reiter When prisoners' basic needs are unmet, how can we be certain that their decision-making is uncoerced? In this response to "Enrolling in Clinical Research While Incarcerated," Keramet Reiter, of the School of Law at the University of California, Irvine, reconsiders the question of coercion for prisoner-participants in clinical research. Toward an Ethically Sensitive Implementation of Noninvasive Prenatal Screening in the Global Context Jessica Mozersky, Vardit Ravitsky, Rayna Rapp, Marsha Michie, Subhashini Chandrasekharan, and Megan Allyse By analyzing placental DNA circulating in maternal blood, noninvasive prenatal screening using cell-free DNA can provide information about fetal chromosomal disorders without posing a risk to the fetus. The majority of the literature on this screening tool has considered it from a primarily European or North American perspective. Emerging from a four-day international workshop on the implications of expanded access to cell-free DNA screening, this article highlights eight key insights from a global context, considering ethical, legal, social, economic, clinical, and practical issues. Also in this issue: "Best Evidence Aside: Why Trump's Executive Order Makes America Less Healthy," "Justifying Clinical Nudges," Case Study ("Managing Opioid Withdrawal for Hospital Patients in Custody"), and In Practice ("The Clue"). ### Contact Susan Gilbert, Director of Communications The Hastings Center 845-424-4040 x244 gilberts@thehastingscenter.org Crashing computers or smartphones and software security holes that allow hackers to steal millions of passwords could be prevented if it were possible to design and verify error-free software. Unfortunately, to date, this is a problem that neither engineers nor supercomputers can solve. One reason is that the computing power required to verify the correct function of a many types of software scales exponentially with the size of the program, so that processing speed, energy consumption and cooling of conventional microelectronic processors prevent current computers from verifying large programs. The recently launched research project aims to develop a biocomputer that can overcome the two main obstacles faced by today's supercomputers: first, they use vast amounts of electric power - so much that the development of more powerful computers is hampered primarily by limitations in the ability to cool the processors. Second, they cannot do two things at the same time. The EU now funds a project that will develop a computer based on highly efficient molecular motors that will use a fraction of the energy of existing computers, and that can tackle problems where many solutions need to be explored simultaneously. The potential impact of the project results is not limited to the design of error-free software: "Practically all really interesting mathematical problems of our time cannot be computed efficiently with our current computer technology." says Dan V. Nicolau, Ph.D. M.D., from the UK-based enterprise Molecular Sense, who had the original idea of using biomolecular motors as computers. This is the limit that the new project aims to push by using biomolecular motors as computing units: The idea is that biomolecular machines, each only a few billionth of a meter (nanometers) in size, can solve problems by moving through a nanofabricated network of channels designed to represent a mathematical algorithm (see fig. 1); an approach the scientists in the project termed "network-based biocomputation". Whenever the biomolecules reach a junction in the network, they either add a number to the sum they are calculating or leave it out. That way, each biomolecule acts as a tiny computer with processor and memory. While an individual biomolecule is much slower than a current computer, they are self-assembling so that they can be used in large numbers, quickly adding up their computing power. The researchers have demonstrated that this works in a recent publication in the Proceedings of the National Academy of the USA (PNAS). "We are using molecular motors of the cell that have been optimized by a billion years of evolution to be highly energy efficient nanomachines.", says Prof. Stefan Diez who is heading the participating TU Dresden research team, "and the biological computing units can multiply themselves to adapt to the difficulty of the mathematical problem." adds Dr. Till Korten from TU Dresden, co-coordinator of the Bio4Comp project and equally contributing first author of the PNAS publication. The research consortium will focus on developing the technology required to scale up network-based biocomputers to a point at which they are able to compete with other alternative computing approaches such as DNA computing and quantum computing. In the process, they aim to attract a larger scientific and economic community that will focus on developing the technology into a viable alternative computing approach. To do so, they have received 6.1 Million from the Future & Emerging Technologies (FET) programme of the EU to run a highly interdisciplinary research project touching mathematics, biology, engineering, and computation. Of this funding, 1.1 million will go to the research group of Stefan Diez, Professor for BioNanoTools at B CUBE, a TU Dresden research institute focusing on Molecular Bioengineering, and fellow at the Max Planck Institute of Cell Biology and Genetics (MPI-CBG) Dresden. The role of the group will be to modify the properties of motor proteins, such as kinesin, in order to optimize them for biocomputation, as well as to integrate them into nanofabricated devices. This work will strongly benefit from synergies and collaborations with the Center for Advancing Electronics Dresden (cfaed), one of the current Clusters of Excellence at TU Dresden. "Optimizing the motors not only gives us ideal tools for nanotechnology, but at the same time we learn a great deal about how they work and what they do inside the cell.", Diez says. These insights will be useful beyond the specific project goals, for example to elucidate the roles of these proteins in serious diseases such as cancer and dementia. ### The project Bio4Comp (2017-2021) is funded by Horizon 2020, the EU framework program for Research and Innovation under under Grant Agreement No 732482. More information can be found on the research consortium's webpage: http://www.bio4comp.eu. Media Inquiries: Stefan Diez, Professor for BioNanoTools B CUBE - Center for Molecular Bioengineering Technische Universitat Dresden, Dresden, Germany Tel.: +49 (0) 351 463-43010 stefan.diez@tu-dresden.de http://www.tu-dresden.de/bcube Contact list of project partners: Partner 1: Lund University, Lund, Sweden Heiner Linke, Professor of Nanophysics; Director of NanoLund Tel.: +46 (0) 46 222 4245 heiner.linke@ftf.lth.se Kristina Lindgarde, Pressansvarig vid Kommunikation och Samverkan, LTH Tel.: +46 (0) 46 222 0769 kristina.lindgarde@kansli.lth.se http://www.nano.lu.se/ Partner 2: Linne-University Kalmar, Kalmar, Sweden Alf Mansson, professor i fysiologi Tel.: +46 (0) 70 886 6243 Annika Sand, pressansvarig Tel.: +46 (0) 76 830 0105 https://lnu.se/en/research/searchresearch/the-molecular-motor-and-bionano-group/ Partner 3: Molecular Sense Ltd., Oxford, U.K. Dan V. Nicolau, PhD. MD. https://molecularsense.com/ Partner 4: Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel Dr. Hillel Kugler Tel.: +972 (0) 3 7384437 kugler.hillel@biu.ac.il http://www.eng.biu.ac.il/hillelk/ Partner 5: Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Forderung der angewandten Wissenschaften e.V. Prof. Stefan E. Schulz Tel.: +49 (0) 371 45001-232 stefan.schulz@enas.fraunhofer.de https://www.fraunhofer.de/ Links To PNAS paper: http://www.pnas.org/content/113/10/2591.full?sid=5d9e45c4-6338-461e-9c93-a74c5ca7b6ed To web-site: http://www.bio4comp.eu CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing allows researchers to sift through thousands of gene mutation combinations for those that selectively kill cancer cells Genetic mutations that cause cancer also weaken cancer cells, creating an opportunity for researchers to develop drugs that will selectively kill them, while sparing normal cells. This concept is called "synthetic lethality" because the drug is only lethal to mutated (synthetic) cells. Researchers at UC San Diego School of Medicine and Jacobs School of Engineering developed a new method to search for synthetic-lethal gene combinations. The technique, published March 20 in Nature Methods, uncovered 120 new opportunities for cancer drug development. "The ovarian cancer drug olaparib works by synthetic lethality -- it inhibits a gene that, when a BRCA gene is also mutated, kills just those cancer cells," said John Paul Shen, MD, clinical instructor and postdoctoral fellow at UC San Diego School of Medicine and Moores Cancer Center. "Many other cancers could likely be treated this way as well, but we don't yet know which gene mutation combinations will be synthetic-lethal." Shen was co-first author of the study, along with Dongxin Zhao, PhD, postdoctoral fellow at UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering, and Roman Sasik, PhD, computational biologist in the UC San Diego School of Medicine. To overcome this limitation, the team developed a new method that uses the gene editing technique CRISPR/Cas9 to simultaneously test for thousands of synthetic-lethal interactions. CRISPR/Cas9 works like this: researchers design a "guide" RNA to match the sequence of a specific target gene in a cell. The RNA guides the Cas9 enzyme to the desired spot, where it cuts the DNA. The cell can repair the DNA break, but it does so imprecisely, thereby inactivating the gene. In this study, the researchers designed a CRISPR/Cas9 system with two guide RNAs: 1) one that targets a tumor suppressor gene that is commonly mutated in cancer and 2) one that targets a gene that could also be disrupted by a cancer drug. They deployed this system against 73 genes in three laboratory cell lines -- human cervical cancer, lung cancer and embryonic kidney cells -- for a total of 150,000 gene combinations. Then they measured cell growth and death. The approach revealed more than 120 new synthetic-lethal interactions. "Identifying underlying genetic interactions in this way can reveal important functional relationships between genes, such as contributions to the same protein complex or pathway," co-senior author Trey Ideker, PhD, professor in the UC San Diego School of Medicine, founder of the UC San Diego Center for Computational Biology and Bioinformatics and co-director of the Cancer Cell Map Initiative. "This in turn can impact both our fundamental understanding of biological systems, as well as therapeutics development." Many of the gene interactions the team identified were synthetic-lethal in just one of the three cell lines tested. This means that synthetic-lethal interactions may be different in different types of cancer. The researchers said this will be an important consideration for future drug development. "Moving forward, we intend to further refine our technology platform and make it more robust," said co-senior author Prashant Mali, PhD, assistant professor in the Jacobs School of Engineering at UC San Diego. "And we are scaling our cancer genetic networks maps so we can systematically identify new combination therapies." ### Additional study co-authors include: Jens Luebeck, Amanda Birmingham, Ana Bojorquez-Gomez, Katherine Licon, Kristin Klepper, Daniel Pekin, Alex Beckett, Kyle Sanchez, Alex Thomas, Chih-Chung Kuo, Nathan E Lewis, Aaron N Chang, Jason F Kreisberg, UC San Diego; Dan Du, Assen Roguev, Nevan Krogan, UC San Francisco; and Lei Qi, Stanford University. Editors: View an embeddable video of Gifford Miller and others conducting research at Baffin Island. Download related images using the search term "Barnes." Find more stories at CU Boulder Today. Last remnant of North American ice sheet on track to vanish The last piece of the ice sheet that once blanketed much of North America is doomed to disappear in the next several centuries, says a new study by researchers at Simon Fraser University in British Columbia and the University of Colorado Boulder. The Barnes Ice Cap, a Delaware-sized feature on Baffin Island in the Canadian Arctic, is melting at a rapid pace, driven by increased greenhouse gases in the atmosphere that have elevated Arctic temperatures. The ice cap, while still 500 meters thick, is slated to melt in about 300 years under business-as-usual greenhouse gas emissions. The results provide compelling evidence that the current level of warming is almost unheard of in the past 2.5 million years, according to the authors. Only three times at most in that time period has the Barnes Ice Cap been so small, a study of isotopes created by cosmic rays that were trapped in rocks around the Barnes Ice Cap indicated. "This is the disappearance of a feature from the last glacial age, which would have probably survived without anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions," said Adrien Gilbert, a glaciologist at Simon Fraser University in British Columbia in Canada and lead author of the new study published online today in Geophysical Research Letters, a journal of the American Geophysical Union. While the melting of the Barnes Ice Cap will likely have negligible effects on sea level rise, its end could herald the eventual dissolution of the larger ice sheets like Greenland and Antarctica, said CU-Boulder Professor Gifford Miller, a study co-author. "I think the disappearance of the Barnes Ice Cap would be just a scientific curiosity if it were not so unusual," said Miller, the associate director of CU Boulder's Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research who has conducted research on Baffin Island annually for the past five decades. "One implication derived from our results is that significant parts of the southern Greenland Ice Sheet also may be at risk of melting as the Arctic continues to warm." Elevated sea rise created by a melting Greenland would automatically cause the Antarctic Ice Sheet, whose dimensions are controlled by sea level, to also shrink in size, Miller said. The Barnes Ice Cap is part of the Laurentide Ice Sheet that has covered millions of square miles of North America episodically since the start of Quaternary Period roughly 2.5 million years ago. The ice sheet grew and shrank over time as Earth went through various climate cycles, and the ice was a mile thick at present-day Chicago about 20,000 years ago. It started receding substantially around 14,000 years ago when Earth slipped out of its last ice age. The ice cap stabilized about 2,000 years ago until the effects of the recent warming caught up with it. Miller was conducting research on Baffin Island in 2009 when he realized the ice cap had shrunk noticeably as compared to images from a few decades earlier. He recruited Gilbert and Gwenn Flowers from Simon Fraser to develop a model of how the ice cap might behave in the future. In the new study, the researchers used their model to estimate when the ice cap would disappear under different greenhouse gas emissions scenarios. They project that under all future emission scenarios the ice cap will be gone within 200 to 500 years. For a moderate emissions scenario that assumes Earth's greenhouse gas emissions will peak around the year 2040, they project the ice cap to be gone in 300 years. "The geological data is pretty clear that the Barnes Ice Cap almost never disappears in the interglacial times," Miller said. "The fact that it's disappearing now says we're really outside of what we've experienced in 2.5 million-year interval. We are entering a new climate state." The Barnes Ice Cap is like a canary in a coal mine, said Miller, who also is a professor in CU Boulder's Department of Geological Sciences. Even if humans stopped emitting greenhouse gases today, the ice cap would still disappear in the next few centuries. In 2010, the project received a boost from Waleed Abdalati, current director of the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (a joint venture of CUBoulder and NOAA), who was NASA's chief scientist at the time. Abdalati supported the flight of a NASA plane monitoring ice loss in the Arctic to revisit the Barnes Ice Cap. In addition to measuring changes in the ice cap's height, researchers used ice-penetrating radar aboard the aircraft to reveal its hidden, sub-glacial topography. The measurements were key for the computer model subsequently developed by Gilbert and Flowers to predict the evolution of the Barnes Ice Cap. ### Fair trade certified coffee is the kind of phrase that sounds good on a Whole Foods shelf, the type of marketing that merges first world affluence with third world resource. For the average consumer, it implies fairness in labor and wealth, the idea that small producers profit directly from the products and goods they produce. The reality is far more complex, says Lindsay Naylor, assistant professor of geography in the College of Earth, Ocean, and Environment whose paper, "Auditing the Subjects of Fair Trade: Coffee, Development, and Surveillance in Highland Chiapas," was published recently in Environment and Planning D: Society and Space. In research that has taken her to the shade grown coffee plots of Mexico and the communities of indigenous Maya who work in them, she has discovered that this seemingly altruistic concept often has unforeseen impacts, and complex political origins. In the southernmost Mexican state of Chiapas, for example, where fertile soils grow an estimated 60 percent of Mexico's total coffee output, the coffee business benefits the Mayan community, but in some ways, also has them trapped. "Fair trade has assisted families, but it's also served as a security blanket with little mobility," she says. "Coffee producers are marching in place." Labor prices have been raised only once since fair trade labels first originated in 1988, and most farmers make around $500-1,000 each year. But the power of the crop also goes beyond profits and pay, becoming at times a political weapon. As an example, Naylor points to the 1997 Massacre of Acteal, in which 45 men, women and children participating in a Catholic Mass for peace were slaughtered. "Their pacifist response to violence was to create a coffee cooperative," she says of their Maya Vinic coffee. "Truly rising from the ashes. That's what makes the fair trade movement so fascinating." Naylor is one of the foremost scholars on the topic, having previously published, "Some are More Fair than Others: Fair Trade Certification, Development, and North-South Subjects," in the 2014 issue of Agriculture and Human Values. She was also quoted in a Yes Magazine article on "How to Become a Citizen Eater: A Trip Behind the Labels of Your Ethnic Cup of Coffee." ### For migratory birds, breeding grounds are where the action is. But a new study by University of Guelph biologists is among the first to suggest that the number of songbirds breeding during spring and summer depends mostly on what happens at their wintering grounds. The pioneering study points to potential effects of climate change and may help conservation groups better protect migratory birds, including many species whose numbers have dropped in recent years, says Brad Woodworth, a PhD student in the Department of Integrative Biology and the study's lead author. The paper appears today in Nature Communications. Co-authors are U of G professors Ryan Norris and Amy Newman, and researchers in Maine and Switzerland. Most researchers spend more time studying birds during the summer breeding season, but this study looked at how conditions in summer and winter homes affected population numbers of savannah sparrows. The Guelph team used tiny tracking devices called geolocators to follow individual birds - each weighing about as much as three loonies - during migration over thousands of kilometres to and from their wintering grounds in the southern United States. The researchers also used data collected since the late 1980s by researchers studying the sparrows during summer breeding at the Bowdoin Scientific Station on Kent Island in New Brunswick's Bay of Fundy. They found that wintering ground temperatures and population density at the breeding grounds are key factors affecting how many individuals return to breed on Kent Island each spring and summer. That's important information for biologists hoping to understand why populations of certain migratory birds have fallen in recent years, said Norris. "What's prevented us from learning has been lack of knowing where these birds go and what they do after leaving the breeding grounds," he said. Acknowledging that breeding grounds are usually more interesting and accessible to most researchers, he said the breeding season offers only a snapshot of a creature's annual life cycle. "Most birds are visitors to breeding grounds. They spend two to four months, they breed and they're out of there." Not surprisingly, said Woodworth, warmer wintering grounds improve overall survival and encourage higher populations. But predictions of more frequent and severe weather caused by climate change suggest that any warming benefit may be outweighed by new threats. "Even a harsh winter storm of a few days could put populations at jeopardy," he said. Norris said conservation organizations looking to protect habitat, including buying land or pushing for protected status for various species, might need to focus more on wintering ground conditions. Grassland birds, for example, are increasingly threatened by more intensive farming in their winter homes. "You can only really make effective decisions about where to put resources for conserving migratory animals if you know what's driving year-to-year fluctuations in their populations," said Norris, noting that the study offers a model for studying other migratory animals from caribou to whales. "We need to know what's happening at both the breeding and non-breeding grounds. For many species like savannah sparrows, the non-breeding grounds might matter more." ### It's the part of the eye exam everyone hates: the pupil-dilating eye drops. The drops work by opening the pupil and preventing the iris from constricting in response to light and are often used for routine examination and photography of the back of the eye. The drops sting, can take up to 30 minutes to work, and cause blurry vision for several hours afterwards, often making them inconvenient for both patient and doctor. Now, researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine and Massachusetts Eye and Ear/Harvard Medical School have developed a cheap, portable camera that can photograph the retina without the need for pupil-dilating eye drops. Made out of simple parts mostly available online, the camera's total cost is about $185. "As residents seeing patients in the hospital, there are often times when we are not allowed to dilate patients -- neurosurgery patients for example," said Dr. Bailey Shen, a second-year ophthalmology resident at the UIC College of Medicine. "Also, there are times when we find something abnormal in the back of the eye, but it is not practical to wheel the patient all the way over to the outpatient eye clinic just for a photograph." The prototype camera can be carried in your pocket, Shen said, and can take pictures of the back of the eye without eye drops. The pictures can be shared with other doctors, or attached to the patient's medical record. The camera is based on the Raspberry Pi 2 computer, a low-cost, single-board computer designed to teach children how to build and program computers. The board hooks up to a small, cheap infrared camera, and a dual infrared- and white-light-emitting diode. A handful of other components - a lens, a small display screen and several cables - make up the rest of the camera. The camera works by first emitting infrared light, which the iris - the muscle that controls the opening of the pupil - does not react to. Most retina cameras use white light, which is why pupil-dilating eye drops are needed. The infrared light is used to focus the camera on the retina, which can take a few seconds. Once focused, a quick flash of white light is delivered as the picture is taken. Cameras exist that use this same infrared/white light technique, but they are bulky and often cost thousands of dollars. Shen's camera photos show the retina and its blood supply as well as the portion of the optic nerve that leads into the retina. It can reveal health issues that include diabetes, glaucoma and elevated pressure around the brain. Shen and his co-author, Dr. Shizuo Mukai, associate professor of ophthalmology at Harvard Medical School and a retina surgeon at Massachusetts Eye and Ear, describe their camera and provide a shopping list of parts, instructions for assembly, and the code needed to program the camera in the Journal of Ophthalmology. "This is an open-source device that is cheap and easy to build," said Mukai. "We expect that others who build our camera will add their own improvements and innovations." "The device is currently just a prototype, but it shows that it is possible to build a cheap camera capable of taking quality pictures of the retina without dilating eye drops, " Shen said. "It would be cool someday if this device or something similar was carried around in the white-coat pockets of every ophthalmology resident and used by physicians outside of ophthalmology as well." ### This work was supported in part by gifts to the Mukai Fund of Massachusetts Eye and Ear. Using a technique that avoids the use of high-dose chemotherapy and radiation in preparation for a stem cell transplant, physicians at the University of Illinois Hospital & Health Sciences System have documented the first cure of an adult patient with congenital dyserythropoietic anemia. CDA is a rare blood disorder in which the body does not produce enough red blood cells, causing progressive organ damage and early death. The transplant technique is unique, because it allows a donor's cells to gradually take over a patient's bone marrow without using toxic agents to eliminate a patient's cells prior to the transplant. Dr. Damiano Rondelli, the Michael Reese Professor of Hematology at the University of Illinois at Chicago, says the protocol can be used even in patients with a long history of disease and some organ damage because of the minimal use of chemotherapy. "For many adult patients with a blood disorder, treatment options have been limited because they are often not sick enough to qualify for a risky procedure, or they are too sick to tolerate the toxic drugs used alongside a standard transplant," said Rondelli, who is also division chief of hematology and oncology and director of the stem cell transplant program at UI Health. "This procedure gives some adults the option of a stem cell transplant which was not previously available." For more than 30 years, Northbrook, Illinois, resident David Levy's only course of treatment for CDA was regular blood transfusions to ensure his organs and tissues received enough oxygen. Levy was 24 when the pain became so severe he had to withdraw from graduate school. "I spent the following years doing nothing--no work, no school, no social contact--because all I could focus on was managing my pain and getting my health back on track," Levy said. By age 32, Levy required transfusions every two to three weeks; had lost his spleen; had an enlarged liver; and was suffering severely from fatigue, heart palpitations and iron poisoning, a side effect of regular blood transfusions. "It was bad," Levy said. "I had been through enough pain. I was angry and depressed, and I wanted a cure. That's why I started emailing Dr. Rondelli." Rondelli says that because of Levy's range of illnesses and inability to tolerate chemotherapy and radiation, several institutions had denied him the possibility of a stem cell transplant. UI Health's advances in curing sickle cell patients opened up a new possibility. Rondelli performed Levy's transplant in 2014. "The transplant was hard, and I had some complications, but I am back to normal now," said Levy, now 35. "I still have some pain and some lingering issues from the years my condition was not properly managed, but I can be independent now. That is the most important thing to me." Levy is finishing his doctorate in psychology and running group therapy sessions at a behavioral health hospital. Rondelli says the potential of this approach to stem cell transplantation is very promising. "The use of this transplant protocol may represent a safe therapeutic strategy to treat adult patients with many types of congenital anemias -- perhaps the only possible cure," Rondelli said. This case report is published in a letter to the editor in the journal Bone Marrow Transplantation. ### COLUMBIA, Mo. - Companies and shareholders depend on auditors to provide unbiased, independent analyses of financial statements, but new research from the University of Missouri shows auditors can be influenced and misled by information provided by management. Nate Newton, assistant professor of accountancy in the Trulaske College of Business, and his co-authors asked practicing auditors to estimate expenses relating to a year-end fire at a fictional company. All auditors were given the same range of possible total costs for the incident and a set of company estimates, as is commonly done to demonstrate management's consideration of alternative assumptions. However, one group of auditors was given company estimates strategically grouped near management's preferred total expenses, and another group received a set of estimates more representative of the full range of potential expenses. Newton and his co-authors found that the group given estimates supporting the company's preferred expenses were more than twice as likely to approve of management's preference compared to auditors who received a set of estimates more representative of the full range of potential expenses. "We found that outside auditors were completely influenced by management's estimates, despite knowing in advance the full range of potential payouts," Newton said. "Industry standards tell auditors to evaluate management's consideration of alternative assumptions, so it is important for auditors to be aware that the process can influence their judgments." Ideally, Newton said, auditors should ask for the information that led management to develop their estimates and create cost scenarios of their own. Companies often prefer to report lower costs; if auditors aren't critical of the assumptions made by a client, the result could be inaccurate financial statements. In the year-end fire scenario, it is impossible to know the precise cost of the event because it involves uncertainties like whether lawsuits might be filed or the extent of physical damages to the fictional company. Still, working on cost scenarios independent of company estimates could result in a more comprehensive and accurate analysis, Newton said. "Being aware of the potential bias created by the consideration of alternative assumptions can serve auditors, company management and investors because they can have a clearer portrait of a company's financial results," Newton said. As part of the study, Newton and his co-authors also asked two groups of auditors to assess the risk that a company's financial statements would be misstated due to a lapse in internal controls. One group was given the option to rate a company as either low risk or high risk. The second group was asked to rate the company using one of three risk categories: low, moderate or high. When participants had two options, 37 percent rated the company as low risk. However, with three options, low risk was selected only 13 percent of the time. Newton said the experiments illustrate that individuals who are making a determination amid uncertainty are highly influenced by the suggestion of benchmarks, despite knowing the full range of possibilities. ### Newton's co-authors are Christopher Wolfe, accounting professor at Texas A&M University; and Brian Fitzgerald, assistant professor of accounting at Northeastern University. Their study, "The Effect of Partition Dependence on Assessing Accounting Estimates," will appear in an upcoming issue of Auditing: A Journal of Practice & Theory. Transport systems face disruption by extreme weather - better risk management is needed Extreme weather conditions due to climate change pose a new threat to ageing infrastructure. We need to be better prepared, according to a publication by the OECD's International Transport Forum. The findings of a number of research projects can now be applied worldwide. VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland was the lead author of the report in Finland. Extensive preparations should be made for extreme weather events to minimise or avoid dangerous situations. In an OECD report, experts from a number of countries have broadly appraised the costs of disruption to transport systems and the most effective ways of reducing such costs. The report also included a list of long and short-term strategic measures. The results combine earlier research findings with experiences from the EU, the USA, Canada, Japan and Australia. For example, according to the EWENT (Extreme Weather Impacts on European Networks of Transport) project coordinated by VTT, transport system disruptions alone could cost national economies in the EU up to 0.15% of GDP. Such disruptions include traffic accidents, infrastructure damage, and delays in travel and transport, for example. The freshly published report lists nine strategic measures which it proposes for inclusion in the transport and infrastructure policies of OECD countries. 1) act now! 2) invest in maintenance, 3) prepare for more frequent extreme weather events, 4) draw up continuity plans for sudden events, 5) assess the vulnerability of transport systems, 6) focus on the system's resilience, not just better infrastructure, 7) re-evaluate redundant transport infrastructure, that can provide valuable alternative routes if main routes fail, 8) extend your assessment beyond traditional cost-benefit analyses, 9) develop new investment appraisal methods that take better account of uncertainties, risks and a possible future in which extreme events become more frequent. "Each of these recommendations is very serious and they should be taken into account in managing the entire transport system life cycle - they address planning, construction, appraisal, maintenance and use. Experts need this information when improving the resilience and durability of different parts of the transport system. Citizens will benefit from a transport system that continues to serve the public during extreme weather conditions and situations," emphasises Principal Scientist Pekka Leviakangas of VTT. "Many impacts of climate change and extreme weather events emerge only after a long delay, so this is not just about sudden phenomena such as torrential rain or snow storms. We need to improve resilience in the long term as well, with an eye on the cost impacts on future generations." A new approach to risk management will also provide new business opportunities to companies involved in maintenance, diagnostics technologies, in the strategic design of the transport system and infrastructure, and life-cycle management. ### Publication: Report by the OECD's International Transport Forum: "Adapting Transport to Climate Change and Extreme Weather": http://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/transport/adapting-transport-to-climate-change-and-extreme-weather_9789282108079-en;jsessionid=5o0iqml8ohiq9.x-oecd-live-03 EWENT project: http://ewent.vtt.fi/index.htm During the spring, VTT will post blogs exploring the nine strategic measures proposed by the OECD in more detail: Follow them here: https://vttblog.com/ Further information: Pekka Leviakangas, Principal Scientist +358 40 641 1496, pekka.leviakangas@vtt.fi Further information on VTT: Milka Lahnalammi-Vesivalo Communications manager 358 40 5457 828 milka.lahnalammi-vesivalo@vtt.fi http://www.vtt.fi VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd is the leading research and technology company in the Nordic countries. We use our research and knowledge to provide expert services for our domestic and international customers and partners, and for both private and public sectors. We use 4,000,000 hours of brainpower a year to develop new technological solutions. VTT in social media: Twitter @VTTFinland, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, Instagram and Periscope. New Haven, Conn.-- A 20-year demographic study of a large chimpanzee community in Uganda's Kibale National Park has revealed that, under the right ecological conditions, our close primate relatives can lead surprisingly long lives in the wild. The study, published March 19 in the Journal of Human Evolution, establishes an average life expectancy of about 33 years in its sample of 306 chimpanzees, nearly twice as high as that of other chimpanzee communities and within the 27- to 37-year range of life expectancy at birth of human hunter-gatherers. These findings are important for understanding the evolution of chimpanzee and hominin life histories, the researchers argue. "Our findings show how ecological factors, including variation in food supplies and predation levels, drive variation in life expectancy among wild chimpanzee populations," said Brian Wood, assistant professor of anthropology at Yale University, the study's lead author. "They also inform the study of the evolution of human life history, helping us to imagine the conditions that could have changed mortality rates among our early hominin populations." The Ngogo chimpanzees reside in the center of Kibale National Park, in southwestern Uganda. The directors of the Ngogo Chimpanzee Project -- David Watts (Yale), John Mitani (University of Michigan), and Kevin Langergraber (Arizona State University) -- have monitored births, deaths, immigrations, and emigrations in the unusually large Ngogo chimpanzee community since 1995, producing the largest demographic dataset available for any community of wild chimpanzees. This study reveals that Ngogo chimpanzees have the highest life expectancy on record for any group of wild chimpanzees. Favorable ecological conditions largely account for the Ngogo community's high life expectancy, according to the study. The forest in Ngogo provides a relatively consistent and abundant supply of high-energy and nutritious foods, including easily digestible figs. The research team argues that this rich food supply helps buffer the Ngogo chimpanzees against periods of hunger, and helps fuel their ability to stave off diseases that would otherwise lead to higher mortality. The Ngogo chimpanzees also benefit from a low risk of predation, because leopards are not found within Kibale National Park, and from the fact that during the study, the chimpanzees did not experience major disease epidemics, either introduced by humans or due to other causes, like those that have affected wild chimpanzees at several other long-term research sites. In the same national park, not far from Ngogo, other researchers have studied the life expectancy of chimpanzees in the Kanyawara community. Like Ngogo, this community lacks natural predators, but its life expectancy at birth is nearly 13 years shorter than that of Ngogo. The Ngogo chimpanzees' higher survivorship appears to be an adaptive response to a more abundant and less varied food supply than that of Kanyawara, the researchers argue. "It has long been proposed that there are extreme differences in the life expectancies of human hunter-gatherers and chimpanzees," said David Watts, professor of anthropology at Yale and a coauthor of the study. "Our study finds that while maximum lifespan differs a great deal, the differences in average lifespan are not as dramatic as typically thought, especially when chimpanzees are not subjected to major negative impacts caused by humans. In fact, the Ngogo community's pattern of survivorship more closely resembles that of human hunter-gatherers than those documented for other chimpanzee communities." ### John Mitani, the James N. Spuhler Collegiate Professor at the University of Michigan, and Kevin Langergraber, assistant professor in the School of Human Evolution and Social Change and Institute of Human Origins, Arizona State University, were coauthors of the study. The Farmers Union of Wales (FUW) has reinforced the difference between Wales and England in terms of agriculture, at the Welsh Conservative Party Spring Conference in Cardiff. Theresa May has set out her desire to create a "more united" Britain, in her speech in Cardiff. She told the conference that Britons are "at heart one people" be they Welsh, English, Scottish or from Northern Ireland. However, the FUW has warned that Welsh agriculture 'fundamentally differs' in terms of needs, product and social importance. Speaking at the event was FUW President Glyn Roberts, who said: In Wales the family farm is the cornerstone of much of our agriculture and our way of life. Far more so than in England. Therefore we must ensure that the role of such farms in rural Wales is recognised. He said: We need the UK Government to appreciate the difference and repatriate powers from Brussels to the Welsh Government, ideally within a new UK framework. Welsh agriculture fundamentally differs in terms of need, product and social importance. Hence why we cant have an England Centric policy once we leave the EU. There are things happening in regards to our exit from the EU. Whilst the focus will be on the big issues of exit negotiations, there are critical UK issues that need to be resolved through discussion and agreement with devolved nations. But, we can work in parallel and continue to plan our future here at home and thats why I urge our devolved administrations to work together closely and with a sense of urgency in developing the necessary UK agricultural framework, added Glyn Roberts. We can have a prosperous future for the sector after we leave the EU and there are plenty of opportunities to be explored but a lot of it depends on the willingness of our politicians to recognise how different farming across the devolved nations is and that they have very different requirements. The FUW agreed last autumn that a UK agricultural framework should be put in place which prevents unfair competition between devolved regions and secures and protects adequate long term funding for agriculture. Brazil, the worlds biggest exporter of red meat, is at the centre of international attention due to a widespread beef scandal that could seriously damage the countrys reputable sector. Top meat-packers in Brazil have been accused of selling rotten produce for years. Raids by police on Friday (17 March) investigated whether companies paid bribes to conceal unsanitary conditions at meatpackers. Meat giants JBS, the world's largest meat producer, and BRF were among more than 20 companies targeted in the raids. Brazil's President Michel Temer tried to reassure partners on Sunday 19 March President Michel Temer, confronting the corruption scandal tarnishing Brazil's lucrative meat industry, met on Sunday (19 March) with executives and foreign diplomats to assuage health concerns tarnishing a sector responsible for $12 billion in annual exports. The National Farmers' Union (NFU) has today highlighted the importance of securing trade deals which uphold the high standards of British food production amid these allegations about Brazil. The NFU says that Britain has one of the safest and most traceable food systems of any country in the world. Post-Brexit, it says, it is vital that trade deals which involve importing food products from other countries, such as Brazil, do not undermine this. 'Safe and secure food source' NFU President Meurig Raymond said: Trade is an incredibly important issue for the future of British food in this country and for the people who produce it. News that the worlds largest red meat exporter could be involved in exporting rotten meat shows how important it is to have a secure and safe source of food in the UK. We have some of the highest animal welfare and environmental standards in the world. Food produced in this country is traceable and how its produced is independently audited by assured schemes like the Red Tractor. Trade agreements with countries across the globe must be balanced with the same conditions applying to food imports and exports. Protecting the standards adhered to by British farmers and the transparency across the supply chain is essential for the public who want to buy safe and traceable food. Independent surveys show that 86% of shoppers want to buy more British food. This demand can be met by Britains farmers. But any trade deal entered into post-Brexit must ensure farming can be profitable, competitive and productive. Supplies of Welsh beef and lamb in Co-op Group stores is set to double following a 1.5bn investment over three years, the retailer has announced. With this move, the group is doubling its stock of Welsh beef and lamb after committing to providing British produce. Welsh cabinet secretary for environment and rural affairs, Lesley Griffiths, said: "I am grateful to the Co-op for their commitment to doubling its stock of Welsh lamb and beef, offering it in over 160 stores across Wales. "This news will provide a real boost to Wales lamb and beef producers. "Food and drink is a real Welsh success story. We are already more than half way towards achieving our target of 30% growth in the sector by 2020. "Welsh lamb and beef is at the forefront of our larder of world class produce and I am sure the range on offer in the Co-ops stores will prove to be popular with customers." Local economy Simon Dryell, ranging manager for the Co-op in Wales, said food provenance, quality and trust are important cues for customers. "The Co-op's Farming Groups and its collaborative approach not only offer greater security and stability to local suppliers and producers but also plays a key part in unlocking opportunities. "Backing local produce is about much more than just hanging out the bunting, and as a community retailer we are committed to investing in our local economies and providing new opportunities to showcase and celebrate great home-grown produce. "Working together, the partnership approach is key to unlocking greater potential, meeting customer needs, adding value through product development and meal solutions, and ultimately making a bigger difference throughout the supply-chain." In addition to sourcing local beef and lamb, the co-op is working with a range of micro-breweries. In December it added 11 new Welsh small micro-breweries to it range, including: Boss Brewing from Llansamlet, Swansea; the Llandudno-based Great Orme Brewery; the family-run Glamorgan Brewing Co, and Tiny Rebel, based in Newport. The National Trust is to reduce food production on some of its 1,500 tenant farms in order to benefit wildlife. The plans aim to ensure half of all Trust farmland is nature-friendly by 2025 to put nature, which has been squeezed out to the margins, back in the heart of the countryside. It said that the measures, such as removing grazing animals from some places, creating wetlands and widening wild areas set aside for birds and bees, could result in some farms producing less food. Peter Nixon, Director of Conservation of the National Trust, said the charity had a duty to help prevent wildlife decline, which currently affects 56 per cent of British species. National Trust says the future of farming and the environment were inextricably linked and they wanted both to thrive (Photo: Large Blue Butterflies) Nature has been squeezed out to the margins for far too long. We want to help bring it back to the heart of our countryside, he said. Our charity was founded to protect our natural heritage and we believe we should be playing an active role in reviving it by doing what we can on our own land. Despite the battering its taken over many decades, nature has an incredible ability to rejuvenate and revive if given the conditions to thrive. Birds such as the cuckoo, lapwing and curlew are part of the fabric of our rural heritage. But theyve virtually disappeared from the countryside. We want to see them return to the fields, woods and meadows again, along with other wildlife which was once common and is now rare. 'Inextricably linked' Many of the Trusts 1,500 tenant farms are already run in a way that benefits wildlife, and the organisation insisted farming remained vital to its approach to countryside management. The Trust said it would work in partnership with its farmers to deliver wildlife-rich, productive landscapes which will require support for sustainable farming. Mr Nixon said the future of farming and the environment were inextricably linked and they wanted both to thrive. George Dunn, chief executive of the Tenant Farmers Association, said: Farm tenants will be heartened by the National Trusts clearly expressed position that good environmental management in the countryside cannot be divorced from the achievement of productive and sustainable farming. The Trust owns almost 250,000 hectares of land, more than one per cent of land in the UK, and cares for 775 miles of coast. Around 10 per cent of land owned by the Trust has been identified as priority habitat which is threatened and projects are already ongoing to help revive Britains wildlife on Trust land. The announcement comes after farmers criticised National Trust Director Dame Helen Ghost, who took part in a debate at the Oxford Farming Conference, explaining that should would farm 'beauty' if she had the chance to run her own farming business. Police were called to an area of Hexham, Northumberland after reports were made of several sheep being killed after being attacked by dogs. Officers attended the area known as Hermitage Tyne Green and found two dogs had chased and killed pregnant ewes. Neighbourhood Inspector Pam Bridges said people living in the countryside near vulnerable livestock should keep fences around their property secure so dogs cannot escape. "We want to remind dog owners to make sure their dogs are kept under control at all times, in particular when near farm land and other animals. "Clearly failure to take simple steps to keep dogs under control in the countryside can result in sheep and other young animals being attacked, maimed or killed. "t can also lead to dog owners losing their family pets and being prosecuted and farmers losing their animals and suffering financial loss. "The harm in this incident caused could have been prevented if the dogs had been kept under control and out of harms way." Police say they are appealing for witnesses and are tracing the owner of the dog with inquiries still ongoing. Farming leaders have made repeated warnings about the dangers of dogs in areas around sheep. Kerry Clark, NFU Scotland's Regional Manager for Lothians and Borders, said: "It is very disappointing that despite the extensive awareness raising that has taken place in recent months on this issue, a small minority of the public continue to allow their dogs to worry sheep. "The worrying of livestock by domestic dogs can have a very damaging impact on the livelihoods of farmers, as well as cause significant and unnecessary distress to the animals themselves." Police are appealing for witnesses and anyone with information is asked to call 101, quoting reference number 673 of 19/03/17. Growing financial pressures coupled with a lack of prospects are pushing more European dairy farmers to commit suicide. Farmers are concerned after news reported that a French dairy farmer took his own life last December. Those in the industry have launched a campaign to encourage farmers to write to their agriculture ministers in their own country. President of French milk producer association APLI said farmers are 'running out of steam'. "We work round the clock but are still unable to live off our work," said Boris Goudouin. Milk producers from European countries are currently sending letters to their national Agriculture Ministers "Debt is a system that forces us to keep producing more and more but at the end of the day, we are left with nothing." A statement on the UK based YANA (You Are Not Alone) website says: "Farming is usually a good way of life but it is a demanding and stressful occupation. "So its not surprising that many people involved with agriculture can feel isolated, depressed or unable to cope as well as normal." "Those who work in agriculture are often reluctant to seek support for depression, stress or anxiety. However, talking about your problems and seeking appropriate help can make it easier to cope and improve your quality of life." 'Overproduction' According to the agricultural social insurance MSA France, the suicide rate among French farmers is especially high. APLI started a campaign to send letters to the French Minister of Agriculture Stephane Le Foll in late January. These letters, signed by farmers and citizens, demanded specific measures to help French milk producers. Milk producers from other European countries are currently sending letters to their own national agriculture ministers. The system of 'unbridled liberalisation and overproduction' must come to an end, stressed Mr Gondouin. "We need a European regulatory system for the dairy market to pull European dairy production out of the crisis and keep it out. "The EMB's Market Responsibility Programme takes this approach to the logical next step and must finally be legally established." In the UK, the charity organization YANA (You Are Not Alone) works to help depressed farmers. They have GPs, counsellors and people who know what its like to farm - the number is 0300 323 0400. The Farming Community Network also helps farmers and their families. Food and drink exports from Scotland has grown by 421 million in 2016, to a record 5.5 billion. The latest figures show an 8% increase in the value of exports to Scotlands food and drink sector over the past year. Food exports alone grew by 22% to 1.5 billion. The fish and seafood category recorded the largest overall increase of 156 million (up 26%), with Europe the leading export destination. Exports to EU countries were worth 2.3 billion overall, up 133 million last year, and Scotch Whisky exports grew by 153 million (up 4%) to over 4 billion in 2016. Scotland's Rural Economy Secretary, Fergus Ewing, said a hard Brexit pursued by the UK is a 'major threat' to the food sector. Rural Economy Secretary, Fergus Ewing, said: These figures show the importance of retaining access to the vital European markets, which are currently worth 2.3 billion to the sector, and represent our largest export market. We shouldn't have to face the choice between remaining as part of the UK and the EU single market. The pursuit of a hard Brexit is a major threat to this success and these figures show why we must work to protect Scotlands place in Europe. Saving for retirement is the biggest challenge that many people face in managing their money. You want to make sure you have enough to live well when you stop working, but finding ways to set money aside is tough. Retirement plans can help make saving for retirement easier, because they give you tax advantages that you won't get in regular investing accounts. Below, we'll look at the many different types of retirement plans to help you figure out which ones are best for you. Plan Which Employers Typically Use Them 2016 Maximum Employee Contribution 401(k) Large and mid-sized companies $18,000 / $24,000 403(b) Schools and non-profit organizations $18,000 / $24,000 457 Government agencies and non-profits $18,000 / $24,000 SIMPLE IRA Small businesses $12,500 / $15,500 SEP IRA Small businesses and self-employed individuals None (employer contributions only) IRA N/A-not related to employer $5,500 / $6,500 2 ways to save for retirement The first thing to understand about retirement saving is that there are two major categories of savings vehicles. Most of the plans in the table above are employer-sponsored plans, meaning that individuals aren't allowed to set them up on their own and most rely on their places of employment to create and manage them. The regular IRA and the related Roth IRA, on the other hand, are savings vehicles that anyone can create on their own without employer assistance as long as they have the earned income to qualify. There typically aren't restrictions on contributions both to an IRA and to an employer-sponsored retirement plan. However, the deductibility of traditional IRA contributions does depend in part on whether you're covered by a retirement plan at work, so there can be tax implications if you have access to both types of retirement savings. How 401(k)s, 403(b)s, and 457 plans are more similar than you'd think It can be intimidating as an employee to deal with retirement plans named after different sections of the Internal Revenue Code. However, 401(k) plans, 403(b) plans, and 457 plans share a lot in common. They all have the same employee contribution limits, and they all typically give their participants an opportunity to select from several different investment options in order to save toward retirement. Most such plans operate through your employer's HR department, with deductions automatically made from your paycheck and deposited into your retirement plan account. There are some minor differences among the three major types of employer plans, such as eligibility requirements before a worker can participate, the ability to take loans from the plan, and when any employer contributions to the plan vest. However, for the most part, employees can use any of these plans effectively to save for retirement. Retirement plans for smaller employers The other main thing that 401(k)s, 403(b)s, and 457 plans have in common is that they're more common among large employers. Small employers have choices that are easier in some ways to implement. For instance, the SIMPLE IRA is available to employers with 100 or fewer employees, and rather than forcing employers to handle the administrative functions of a more formal retirement plan, SIMPLE IRAs allow the financial institutions that help establish them to handle most of the details. Moreover, the federal government offers tax credits for up to three years to qualifying small businesses that set up SIMPLE IRAs for their employees. For employers, other benefits include lower costs and not having to file annual reports. For employees, the SIMPLE IRA doesn't have contribution limits that are as high as 401(k)s and other similar plans. However, the advantage the SIMPLE IRA offers is that participants can typically choose a wider array of investments, and contributions are always 100% vested immediately upon their deposit into the account. Entrepreneurs and retirement plans For self-employed individuals, setting up a more formal retirement plan can be a hassle. The SEP-IRA is one way that the self-employed can save for retirement. As you see in the table above, SEP-IRAs don't allow employee contributions. However, as a self-employed individual, you act as both the employer and the employee for retirement plan purposes. An SEP-IRA lets you contribute up to 25% of your net eligible employee compensation, up to a maximum of $53,000. As with the SIMPLE IRA, the SEP-IRA offers nearly unlimited investment flexibility, and it comes with simple administrative requirements and no additional reporting requirements. Taking advantage of retirement plans is a smart thing to do. Between employer plans and traditional and Roth IRAs, you can tailor your retirement savings strategy to optimize your long-term investing prospects and put yourself in the best possible position to retire comfortably. This article was updated on Jan. 8, 2017, and originally published on Dec. 20, 2016. Now that retirement is quickly becoming less of a dream and more of a reality, it's critical that those in their 50s use the next 10 years or so to their advantage. Here's how to make the most of your final decade in the workforce and prepare financially for what lies ahead. 1. Eliminate bad debt Unless you're planning to work during retirement or have saved substantially, there's a good chance money's going to be tighter then than it is today. That's why it's so important to enter retirement debt-free. Surprisingly, Americans 65 and older carry an average of $6,351 in credit card debt, and while that may not seem like a huge amount at first glance, it can really cost you in the long run. Any time you fail to pay off your credit card in full, you're basically signing up to throw away money on interest charges. And because many seniors find themselves cash flow-constrained in retirement, if you start off with a balance hanging over your head, it might still be there 10 years later. This means that a balance of $6,351 could wind up costing you a whopping $13,732 all-in if your card charges 18% interest and it takes you a decade to pay it off. That's more than double your original total! You're better off eliminating that debt while you still have a paycheck coming in. 2. Work on paying off your mortgage If you're planning to keep your home in retirement, now's a good time to work toward paying off your mortgage. Housing is a huge expense for seniors, and while renting can be costly in its own right, maintaining a home can be even more expensive in some regards. Consider this: The average homeowner spends anywhere from 1% to 4% of his or her home's value on annual maintenance and repairs. If your home is on the older side, plan on hitting the highest end of that range -- which would mean spending $16,000 a year, or $1,333 per month, on a home worth $400,000. Furthermore, you'll still be responsible for homeowners' insurance and property taxes, which have historically proven to rise over time. Entering retirement mortgage-free will remove the financial burden of having yet another monthly payment to contend with, all the while freeing up extra cash to cover the unavoidable expenses that come with homeownership. 3. Put retirement savings before college As a parent, it's natural to want to give your children an edge in life. But saving for college at the expense of retirement is a move that's likely to hurt you in the long run. In a 2016 study by T. Rowe Price, 57% of parents said they've been saving for their children to attend college, while only 54% said they've been setting money aside for retirement. Furthermore, 67% said that saving for college takes priority over retirement. The problem with this approach is that while your children have the option to borrow money for college, you can't as easily take out loans to fund your retirement (and even if you could, they'd wind up being far more costly than your typical student loan). If you're able to save for college and retirement simultaneously, more power to you. Otherwise, focus on your own needs and let your children reset their expectations or take out loans. Remember, they'll have the rest of their lives to pay off that debt, whereas you only have a limited window to sock away enough money in time for retirement. 4. Take advantage of catch-up contributions Though you may not have a ton of time to benefit from compounding, the more money you set aside for retirement during your final decade in the workforce, the more of a cushion you'll have in your senior years. Currently, workers 50 and older can put up to $6,500 into an IRA and $24,500 into a 401(k). If your employer offers to match a portion of your contribution, that's even more free money coming your way. Putting $24,500 per year into a 401(k) for 10 years would leave you with an additional $308,000 for retirement if your investments generate a relatively conservative 5% average annual return. If you can't spare $2,000 and change per month (which, let's face it, most people can't), do your best to contribute as much as possible. Saving even $500 a month for 10 years would give you an additional $75,000 with a 5% average annual return. Over the course of a 20-year retirement, that's over $300 a month in extra cash. 5. Stick with stocks While many people rush to unload their stock holdings in the years leading up to retirement, selling off stocks prematurely could also mean selling yourself short. As a general rule, any money you don't expect to use for seven years or more should be invested in stocks, because that's where you'll get the highest return. Now if you're in your late 50s and expect to retire at 62, you should think about shifting some of your stocks into bonds or an equally conservative investment. But if you're only in your early to mid-50s, or if you're in your late 50s but don't expect to retire until 67 or later, then you're better off hanging onto your stocks. This especially holds true if your portfolio is loaded with dividend stocks, which not only tend to outperform their non-dividend-paying counterparts, but can also serve as a critical income source in retirement. Of course, this isn't to say that your entire portfolio should consist of stocks as you inch closer to retirement. But as long as you still have some time on your side, the bulk of your assets should remain stock-focused. Making the right money moves in your 50s could set the stage for financial success in retirement. If you've yet to sit down and come up with a retirement plan, now's the time to get moving. The sooner you outline your expectations and goals, the better equipped you'll be to maximize the last of your working years. The National Trust has unveiled plans to reduce food production on its farms to benefit wildlife. The trust said it wanted to address the dramatic slump in wildlife by creating and restoring 25,000ha of habitats equivalent to 10% of its land by 2025. It said the plan would include chalk grassland and arable field margins areas hand-picked by government as threatened and in need of help. See also: Wildlife groups say subsidies must restore nature By 2025, at least 50% of the trusts farmland would be nature-friendly, with protected hedgerows, field margins, ponds, woodland and other wildlife habitats, it said. Support for sustainable farming Supporting sustainable farming would be crucial for the plans to succeed, said the trust. Many of the trusts 1,500 farm tenants are already farming in a way that benefits wildlife and the charity said it would continue to work in partnership with its farmers. Trust director Peter Nixon said: Our charity was founded to protect our natural heritage and we believe we should be playing an active role in reviving it. He added: Nature has been squeezed out to the margins for far too long. We want to help bring it back to the heart of our countryside. Return of birds Important bird species such as the cuckoo, lapwing and curlew had virtually disappeared from the countryside, said Mr Nixon. We want to see them return to the fields, woods and meadows again, along with other wildlife that was once common and is now rare. The trust would plant more hedgerows, establish more lowland meadows and create wetlands to establish new habitats in partnership with tenant farmers and other stakeholders. Mr Nixon said: The future of farming and the environment are inextricably linked they are reliant on the other to succeed. So, its not a case of supporting one at the expense of the other. We want both to thrive. Support from farmers We need the support of our farmers and want to support them in their businesses and combine our skills, expertise and passion to deliver a healthier, more beautiful environment. Thats why we will work with them and explore how we make improvements together. The trust says its plans have been welcomed by conservationists and farming groups. Plantlife charity chief executive Marian Spain said the plans were a bold commitment. George Dunn, chief executive of the Tenant Farmers Association, said farmers would be heartened by the trusts pledge to work in partnership with its tenants. Good environmental management in the countryside cannot be divorced from the achievement of productive and sustainable farming, he said. The trust says its commitment could play an important role in helping deliver the governments own ambitions to improve the natural environment. It quoted Defra secretary Andrea Leadsom as saying she was really pleased that nature would be prioritised across the trusts farmland. Haiti - Politics : HRC adopts report on Haiti in Geneva Friday in Geneva, as part of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR), the Human Rights Council adopted, at midday, the final documents resulting from the UPR for Haiti. The Vice-President of the Council, Mr. Shalva Tsiskarashvili, said that, based on the information received, Haiti had received 213 recommendations, had accepted 188 and had taken note of the other 25. Universal Periodic Review : Haiti Pierre Andre Dunbar, Permanent Representative of Haiti to the United Nations Office at Geneva, explained that the implementation of international treaties required financial resources, which was why Haiti could not be party to all international covenants. As for the ratification of the Rome Statute, the Government had taken steps to fight crimes against humanity which did not require the ratification of that instrument. With respect to gender-based and sexual violence, the Constitution made provisions for the enjoyment of the rights of all citizens, regardless of their gender. The identification of Haitians living in the Dominican Republic remained a problem due to the fact that the process required negotiations with the Dominican Republic, which did not always cooperate. Mr. Dunbar also drew attention to the difficult situation in Haiti due to hurricane Matthew which had devastated the southern part of the country. In the ensuing discussion, speakers commended Haitis participation in the Universal Periodic Review despite financial and environmental challenges. It welcomed the legal changes made to raise the legal marrying age, efforts to fight violence against women and girls, and measures to tackle corruption, trafficking in persons and child abuse. Speakers urged the Haitian Government to work closely with the Government of the Dominican Republic to restore Dominican nationality to those arbitrarily deprived of it in 2013. They also called attention to the situation of human rights defenders, the high level of discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex persons, as well as the lack of housing. Speaking were Brazil, Burundi, Congo, Cuba, Ecuador, Ghana, Iraq, Madagascar, Peru, Nigeria, Pakistan, Paraguay, Maldives, Philippines and Sierra Leone. Also taking the floor were the following civil society organizations: Franciscans International, Amnesty International, Advocates for Human Rights, Rencontre Africaine pour la defense des droits de lhomme, Human Rights Watch, Istituto internationale Maria-Ausiliatrice delle Salesiane di Don Bosco, Coalition des Organisations haitiennes des Droits Humains pour lEPU, and Centre for Global Nonkilling. The Council then adopted the outcome of the Universal Periodic Review of Haiti. Paulino Wanawilla Unango, Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs of the Republic of South Sudan, said that South Sudan had already acceded to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, the Convention on the Rights of the Child and its Optional Protocols, and the Convention against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment. The Government was committed to the implementation of the agreement on the resolution of the conflict signed in August 2015, and was carrying out the necessary institutional reforms stipulated in it, particularly the reforms related to organized forces and law enforcement institutions and the criminal justice system. In the ensuing discussion, delegations welcomed the development of the national strategy for human rights, the setting up of a technical committee for the Commission for Truth, Reconciliation and Healing, and the adoption of a framework to mainstream gender issues. Speakers were deeply concerned by appalling levels of sexual violence since the outbreak of the conflict in 2013 and stressed the need for accountability of perpetrators, without which there would be no hope of bringing an end to the ongoing violence. Delegations urged South Sudan to deepen the cooperation with the United Nations Commission on Human Rights, work with the African Union on establishing the Hybrid Court, and turn into action its commitment to the deployment of the regional protection force as authorised by Security Council resolution 2304. Speaking in the discussion were Maldives, Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Sudan, Togo, United Nations Childrens Fund, United Kingdom, United States, Venezuela, Albania, Algeria, Angola and Botswana. Also taking the floor were the following non-governmental organizations: Article 19-The International Centre against Censorship, Advocates for Human Rights, East and Horn of Africa Human Rights Defenders Project (joint statement), Centre Independent de Recherches et initiatives pour le Dialogue, Rencontre Africaine pour la defense des droits de lhomme, International Service for Human Rights, Lutheran World Federation, and Human Rights Watch. Debate : PIERRE ANDRE DUNBAR, Permanent Representative of Haiti to the United Nations Office at Geneva, said that out of 213 recommendations, Haiti had accepted 188 and noted 25. Haiti had made efforts to regularly submit reports to treaty bodies, including the Universal Periodic Review. He noted that the implementation of international treaties required financial resources, which explained why Haiti could not be party to all international covenants. As for the ratification of the Rome Statute, the Government had taken steps to fight crimes against humanity which did not require the ratification of that instrument. With respect to gender-based and sexual violence, the Constitution made provisions for the enjoyment of rights for all citizens, regardless of their gender. The identification of Haitians living in the Dominican Republic remained a problem due to the fact that the process required negotiations with the Dominican Republic, which did not always cooperate. As for increasing the minimum marrying age of girls and boys, legislation had already stipulated that that age was 18. The Civil Code prohibited the celebration of marriages between girls and boys below the age of 18 by State officials. As for the request to end all forced expulsions from camps, the authorities was constantly taking steps to prevent them. The Government was not fully able to guarantee the rights of persons expelled from third countries due to socio-economic difficulties in their countries of origin. The Government had not accepted the two recommendations regarding the criminalization of placing children in domestic service and fighting the high rate of adolescent pregnancies. The Government had accepted the three recommendations on the implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding between Haiti and the Dominican Republic with respect to repatriation mechanisms. Mr. Dunbar drew attention to the difficult situation in Haiti due to hurricane Matthew which had devastated the southern part of the country. Brazil praised the Government for its timely examination even in the face of the tragic recent passage of Hurricane Mathew. It was confident that Haiti would foster best efforts to build resilience and implement the recommendations. Brazil praised the Governments efforts to enhance the living conditions of the poorest, and the implementation of a comprehensive strategy on social assistance, as well as the Governments respect for the rights of freedom of opinion, expression and peaceful assembly. Burundi welcomed the measures envisioned by Haiti to raise awareness and educate the population about their rights and duties. It commended the Governments plan to eliminate corruption, as well as the steps taken towards the promotion and protection of the rights of women. It was pleased to note the creation of the office to combat violence against women and girls. Congo congratulated Haiti on the significant progress made on the institutional and legal fronts, so as to consolidate national measures for the promotion and protection of human rights. Congo welcomed the will of the Government of Haiti to implement the human rights strategy and called upon the Council to help in its implementation. Cuba congratulated Haiti for the efforts undertaken for the protection of the Haitian people. The commitment of Haiti was clear. Cuba was happy that its recommendation on cooperation with international mechanisms had been accepted. Cuba appealed to the international community to support Haiti in implementing all rights, particularly the right to development. Ecuador welcomed the fact that Haiti had accepted the recommendations made by Ecuador in a constructive and open manner, adding hope that there would be positive benefits for the Haitian society. It was aware of the challenges faced by Haiti, notably severe weather conditions. Ghana noted with satisfaction that a significant number of recommendations enjoyed the support of Haiti. Ghana urged the international community to help Haiti to increase the size of the police force, reform the judicial system, build new prisons, establish a legal aid system, and eradicate illiteracy and gender inequality in education. Iraq thanked Haiti for having responded positively to its recommendations. It encouraged Haiti to safeguard the rights of women and to pursue the equality of women in decision-making. Madagascar welcomed the fruitful cooperation of Haiti with the Universal Periodic Review process, and its efforts to promote human rights in spite of natural disasters. It particularly welcomed Haitis fight against discrimination of women and girls. Peru congratulated Haiti for the recent democratic elections. It took note that Haiti had accepted the vast majority of the recommendations, but regretted that the two recommendations by Peru had not been accepted. These had been made in a true constructive spirit. Nigeria commended Haitis compliance with the mechanisms, despite the challenges that the country had faced following the hurricane. Nigeria was pleased to acknowledge the ratification of many human rights mechanisms by Haiti. It joined other delegations in recommending the adoption of the report of the working group on the Universal Periodic Review of Haiti. Pakistan commended the Government of Haiti for accepting the majority of the recommendations, including those made by Pakistan. Pakistan appreciated that Haiti had made efforts to promote and protect the rights of its citizens, including women, children and persons with disabilities. Pakistan wished Haiti every success in the implementation of the accepted recommendations. Paraguay welcomed the presentation of Haiti and its efforts to advance human rights. It recognized the willingness of the Government to accept the recommendations by Paraguay, in particular to ratify the International Labour Organization convention on domestic workers and the Convention against Torture. It also stressed the recommendations on the operation of national human rights mechanisms and on improving gender focus. Maldives appreciated Haitis measures towards the protection and promotion of child rights, especially the provision of free education. It also positively noted Haitis progress towards disaster risk management and aftermath of natural disasters. Philippines welcomed Haitis acceptance of the recommendation made by the Philippines, namely the ratification of the Convention on the Rights of Migrants and their Families and International Labour Organization convention 189 on domestic workers. It also commended Haitis reforms in the justice system and measures to tackle corruption, trafficking in persons, violence against women and girls, and child abuse. Sierra Leone commended Haitis participation in the Universal Periodic Review despite financial and environmental challenges. It welcomed the legal changes made to raise the legal marrying age, efforts to fight violence against women and girls, and the acceleration of the Child Protection Code. Franciscans International, in a joint statement with International Commission of Jurists; and International Federation for Human Rights Leagues, recalled that the Government of Haiti had withdrawn its support for the renewal of the mandate of the Independent Expert on the situation of human rights in the country. It called on the Government to consider the view of civil society before making the decision about the renewal of the mandate of the Independent Expert. Amnesty International urged the Haitian Government to work closely with the Government of the Dominican Republic to restore Dominican nationality to those arbitrarily deprived of it in 2013. It also called attention to the situation of human rights defenders, and the high level of discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex persons, as well as the lack of housing. Advocates for Human Rights commended the Government for its support of recommendations that addressed womens human rights, such as reforms to promote gender equality and combat stereotypes, assistance for domestic violence victims, and increasing womens access to decision-making policies. It remained concerned, however, over the fact that the Government had noted, but not accepted, the recommendation to eliminate violence against women in all its manifestations. Rencontre Africaine pour la defense des droits de lhomme appreciated the Governments efforts and congratulated the Haitian people for their resilience following the hurricane. It remained concerned about the lack of legislation criminalising rape, family violence, discrimination based on sex, extreme poverty, illegal detention, and the situation of children in domestic work. It invited Haiti to improve the access to education, water, and sanitation, in order to prevent disease. Human Rights Watch continued to have deep concerns related to dire public health conditions in Haiti among the most vulnerable individuals, including those affected by or at risk of outbreaks of cholera. Despite accepting recommendations to ensure access to basic services such as water, housing and health for the population, many instances remained where Haiti could improve water and sanitation coverage. Istituto internationale Maria-Ausiliatrice delle Salesiane di Don Bosco was pleased by the constructive attitude of the Government. Nevertheless, despite efforts to improve the quality of education, there were shortcomings. Demotivation and lack of training for teachers had a negative impact on the quality of education. This was why the majority of children signed up to private schools. The quality of education was directly related to the situation of families. Centre pour les Droits Civils et Politiques Centre CCPR welcomed the adoption of the strategic development plan for Haiti and said that extreme poverty continued to plague the country. Hurricane Mathew, the cost of which was estimated at $ 2.7 billion, had aggravated the food security of many in the country and hampered the efforts to improve the enjoyment of economic, social and cultural rights. Centre for Global Nonkilling commended Haiti for its acceptance to abolish the death penalty and thanked Haiti for making a recommendation to Iceland to adopt universal basic income which would ensure better living for all. Respect for life must also be seen as respect for ones own life and therefore addressing suicide must be undertaken. Conclusion : Dunbar, Permanent Representative of Haiti to the United Nations Office at Geneva, in concluding remarks, thanked all delegations for their support to Haiti in its efforts to promote and protect human rights and reiterated the will to continue Haitis cooperation with all Human Rights Council mechanisms. Haiti was fully committed to implementing all accepted recommendations and reassured all States of the intention of the Government to bolster the legal and institutional framework and so turn the promotion and protection of human rights into a reality. The Vice-President of the Council said that of the 213 recommendations received, Haiti had supported 188 and noted 25. HL/ HaitiLibre New Delhi : Members of the module inspired by the so-called Islamic State behind the Bhopal-Ujjain train blast, led by emir Atif Muzzafar, crisscrossed the country between February 2016 and January 2017 visiting various borders and contacting immigration agents in cities with international airports in search for an opportunity to exit the country and migrate to Iraq/Syria. After forming a core group of like-minded, IS-influenced youths in Kanpur in February 2016, Atif, along with Danish and Faisal, travelled to Srinagar, Amritsar, Wagah and Jaisalmer, exploring ways to exfiltrate to Pakistan through the land border and contacting travel agents to get a visa to Pakistan. In Srinagar, they even tried to get local contacts to arrange a meeting with members of a terrorist outfit, who could help them cross over to Pakistan for training and subsequent migration to Iraq/Syria to join IS. When the efforts failed, they decided to take a bus to Amritsar. However, they could not get local travel agents there to secure a Pakistan visa. They also went to Wagah to illegally cross over to Pakistan, but in vain. Their next attempt took them to Jaisalmer. After returning to Delhi from Amritsar, they took a train to Jodhpur and then reached Jaisalmer by bus. They took a hotel room at the fort and went around enquiring about ways to cross over. But the idea was dropped after they learnt of the heavy deployment at the border. While Saif and Faisal returned to Kanpur, Atif, determined to migrate to territories occupied by IS, left for Mumbai via Udaipur-Ahmedabad by bus. However, after failing to get an employment visa for Saudi Arabia through a placement agency, he too returned to Kanpur in March 2016. Three months later in June-July 2016, Atif and Gaush Mohd Khan, the ex-IAF personnel in the module, went to Kolkata to attempt an entry into Bangladesh for further journey to Iraq/Syria. The modules latest attempt to emigrate was as late as in January this year, when Atif, Saifullah (killed in the Lucknow encounter) and Danish visited Kozhikode to explore possibilities of meeting an IS contact in Kerala, who would help them cross over to Iraq/Syria. When nothing worked, they tried setting up base in the jungles of Panna in Madhya Pradesh but returned to Bhopal after two days and then headed back to Lucknow. In July 2016, after their attempts to exit the country and join IS failed, Atif was appointed emir of the module and he and 8 others took oath of allegiance to IS at his plot on the Unnao highway near Kanpur. The module decided to procure arms and explosives to wage war in support of IS in India. Keen on railway sabotage, the module extensively studied maps and rail network to select targets. Gaush Mohammad Khan, suspected to be an ISI mole, advised them on derailment. Source : Indian Express Asia Philippines Duterte Welcomes Prospect of ICC Case Members of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency during their anti-drug operations in Quezon City, Philippines in March 2017. / Romeo Ranoco / Reuters NEWS By REUTERS Monday, March 20, 2017 MANILA, The Philippines Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on Sunday welcomed the prospect of the International Criminal Court (ICC) putting him on trial over his bloody war on drugs, saying he would not be intimidated and his campaign would be unrelenting and brutal. A self-confessed assassin who testified to being in a death squad under Duterte is expected to file a case at the ICC this month or in April, accusing the president of crimes against humanity, his lawyer said recently. But Duterte has said he is on the right track regarding human rights and has never instructed security forces to kill suspects who were not resisting arrest. More than 8,000 people have died since he took office last year and began his anti-drugs campaign, a third in raids and sting operations by police who say they acted in self-defence. I will not be intimidated and I shall not be stopped just by what? International Criminal Court? Impeachment? If that is part of my destiny, it is my destiny to go, Duterte told reporters shortly before leaving for Burma. The drive against corruption, criminality and drugs will resume and it will continue and it will be brutal. Rights groups say many of the deaths were assassinations of drugs users with police complicity. The authorities reject that and blame vigilantes and drugs gangs. Duterte said he would never condone the killing of a criminal person arrested with outstretched arms, begging for his life, or what is popularly known as extrajudicial killings. Follow the law and we are alright. Drop shabu and nobody will die tomorrow, Duterte said. Shabu is the street name for the highly addictive crystal methamphetamine that the government blames for most of the serious crimes in the Philippines. But Duterte warned: If you place the guys lives in jeopardy my order is to shoot you. He said he would rather see thousands or millions of criminals go first, than see security forces killed in the anti-narcotics war. Two men, including the one who is expected to file the ICC case, have testified before the Philippine Senate saying they were part of an alleged death squad in Davao that killed at Dutertes behest. But legislators found no proof of extra-judicial killings and death squads. The death squad and allegations of drugs-related extrajudicial killings were among the reasons for an impeachment complaint filed by an opposition lawmaker in Congress against Duterte on Thursday. Duterte said he was not ruling out the possibility that scalawags in government who are trying to silence guys dealing with them were behind these extrajudicial executions. Asia Thai Police Say They Have Found Plot to Kill Prime Minister Thailands Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha at Government House in Bangkok, Thailand, February 2017. / Chaiwat Subprasom / Reuters BANGKOK, Thailand Thai police said on Sunday they had uncovered a plot to assassinate the countrys prime minister after seizing a weapons cache belonging to a fugitive anti-junta activist. It is the latest discovery of a weapons stockpile belonging to a member of the red shirt movement, a political group loyal to exiled Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. Police on Saturday found dozens of rifles and grenades, and thousands of rounds of ammunition, at a house belonging to red shirt leader Wuthipong Kochathamakun, who has been on the run since the military coup. Police also arrested nine men in connection with the arms seizure, saying they had clear evidence the suspects and their extended network were aiming to cause unrest. We found a rifle with a scope. We guarantee that this is not to shoot at birds but was going to be used to assassinate the leader of the country, National Police Chief Jakthip Chaijinda told reporters on Sunday, referring to Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha. Prayuth, then the army chief, overthrew the government of Thaksins sister Yingluck in a 2014 coup. His junta discovered dozens of weapon caches belonging to groups they said were loyal to the Shinawatra clan. The junta said the stockpiles showed there were groups trying to create instability and justified their seizure of power. Police chief Jakthip presented no other evidence of an assassination plot, but said Wuthipong and his network had always opposed the junta and the group had predicted on social media that the prime minister would be killed. Police said the group was planning an ambush if officials had continued their operations against an influential nearby Buddhist temple, which is seen as having close ties to Thaksin. Thai police ended their search of the Dhammakaya temple earlier this month after laying siege to it for more than three weeks without finding the former abbot, who is wanted for suspected money-laundering. Burma Critics Skeptical of New Privacy Legislation Civil society groups say Burmas new privacy law is incomplete. / Reuters RANGOON Burmas newly enacted privacy and security protection law received skepticism from several civil society groups that said the legislation was incomplete and failed to fully ensure the protection of individuals privacy and freedom of expression as it was adopted hastily and without public consultation. The privacy and security protection bill was submitted to Parliament in September last year. The Union Parliament voted for the enactment of the legislation on March 1 and President U Htin Kyaw signed the legislation on March 8. The move was an attempt to legislate Article 357 of Burmas 2008 Constitution, which states the union shall protect the privacy and security of home, property, correspondence and other communications of citizens under the law subject to the provisions of this Constitution. While the laws fundamental intention was to prohibit warrantless household inspections and surveillance of individuals and their private communication in a manner that harms human dignity and personal freedom, rights groups are concerned that several provisions in the law will affect freedom of expression rather than provide full protection for citizens privacy and security. The four-page law prohibits intrusion on an individuals privacy to freedom of movement, residence and speech. It also protects the security of houses, buildings, premises, properties, private letters, parcels and communication data barring permission, order, or warrant in accordance with existing laws, or the permission of the President or Union government. The Myanmar ICT for Development Organization (MIDO), a digital rights advocacy group in Burma, stressed that the legislation lacked clarity in defining the term privacy. Defining privacy as freedom of movement, residence and speech will not be enough, MIDOs executive director Ma Htaike Htaike Aung said, emphasizing that personal freedom also means freedom from any unlawful surveillance and interference according to international norms. Burma endured nearly five decades of military rule and state surveillance was used to control citizens and monitor political dissent. During parliamentary discussions, military representatives dissented to the law, stating that national security should be prioritized over personal freedom. The legislation also says that no one can request or provide information and contents transmitted or received through telephones or electronic communication devices, which are kept in secured or encrypted systems of telecoms operators. Last week, nine civil society organizations, including the Myanmar Center for Responsible Business (MCRB), Article 19 and MIDO, issued a statement expressing concern over the flawed legislation. The law does not contain a clear process for seeking permission, orders, or warrants or how much private data shall be kept and for how long, the statement said. Ma Wai Phyo Myint, regional outreach manager of the MCRB, told The Irrawaddy on Tuesday that the law should not violate basic human rights in long run. She also highlighted the need for separate legislation regarding lawful communication surveillance, as the recently enacted law focused more on physical privacy. There should be separate legislation protecting digital privacy and lawful interception to reflect rapidly changing technology, she said. Ma Wai Phyo Myint added that MCRB tried four times to urge Parliament to hold public consultations before approval of the law. Parliament and its lawmakers are significantly weak at [holding] public consultations, not only for this particular legislation but others as well, she said. Ma Yin Yadanar Thein, program manager in Burma for Article 19, an international NGO defending freedom of expression and information, told The Irrawaddy that lack of clarity in the laws provisions would definitely threaten an individuals freedom of expression in the future. She said the public should be well informed and engaged in enacting legislation so that people have legal awareness and the law reflects grassroots concerns. She emphasized that the permission to intrude on an individuals privacy should only be granted by court [order] rather than by the President or Union government. Critics say that the Union Parliaments Legal Affairs and Special Cases Assessment Commission was behind the legislation and wanted the bill enacted as soon as possible but The Irrawaddy was unable to confirm this. The law prescribes a punishment to anyone who violates the provisions of the law with a prison term of up to 3 years and a maximum fine of 1,500,000 kyats (about US$1,100). Any police official who fails to take action against reports of such violations could face imprisonment of up to 5 years and a maximum 2,500,000 kyats ($1,800) fine. Burma Israel Rejects Petition for Military Export Ban on Burma Israeli President Reuven Rivlin meets Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing in September 2015. / Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaings official Facebook page CHIANG MAI, Thailand The Israeli government has rejected a petition by a group of 10 Israeli human rights activists and lawyers who called for an end of arms sales to Burma. The activists submitted the petition to the Israeli Supreme Court on Jan. 19 this year. It argued that the Burma Army should not be allowed to purchase Israeli weapons at the same time that it fights a war against ethnic minorities in Shan and Kachin states and while it allegedly violates human rights in Arakan State. The Israeli government responded on March 15 to the petition in a letter written in Hebrew to the Supreme Court. It informed the Supreme Court that weapons exports to Burma are a political matter beyond the courts authority, according to Jerusalem-based human rights lawyer Eitay Mack. That is, the [Israeli] Ministry of Defense is allowed to do as it pleases without judicial review, Mack told The Irrawaddy, adding that the Israeli governments response omitted any reference to claims of human rights violations in Burma. This response runs contrary to the fact that Israeli legislation has regulated a bureaucratic procedure for granting permits to Israeli security companies. Burma Armys Commander-in-Chief Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing visited Israel in September 2015, touring the offices of defense manufacturers Elbit Systems, Israeli Aerospace Industries, and Elta Systems Ltd. The Burmese delegation also visited the Ministry of Defense in Tel Aviv, an Israeli naval base, and a memorial to Israeli soldiers who died fighting in the Gaza Strip. Reports and pictures of the trip were revealed on the Burma Armys chiefs Facebook page, where he announced that he had spoken with Israeli representatives about purchasing military equipment and training. The petition included Min Aung Hlaings Facebook posts about purchasing weapons and military training from Israel, as well as documents by an Israeli security company containing photos of the transfer of arms to and training of the Burma Army. Despite this evidence, says Mack, the Israeli government did not acknowledge any of the claims made in the petition. Burma Thousands Protest the Naming of Gen Aung San Bridge Ethnic Mon protest the naming of Gen Aung San Bridge in Moulmein. / Lawi Weng / The Irrawaddy MOULMEIN, Mon State Thousands of ethnic Mon protested in state capital Moulmein on Sunday against a local bridge that the Union government named after independence hero Gen Aung San. We protested because the government did not consider what locals wanted, said Mi Kun Chan Non, a leading protest member and vice chairwoman of the Mon Womens Organization. The Mon State government built a bridge across the Salween River between Moulmein and Chaungzon townships. Local Mon people asked that the National League for Democracy government name the bridge Rehmonya, meaning Mon State in Mon language, or Salween Bridge. The government named it Gen Aung San Bridge. Local activists assert that the name is not related to the region. The name Gen Aung San is not suitable for our region or our local ethnic people, said Mi Kun Chan Non. We [ethnic Mon] are a minority and they [Burmans] are the majority. They ignored the wishes of the minority. This will damage unity and national reconciliation, she added. The statement continued that the state government should have been given more authority in the decision. It added that the Union government should not engage in any activities that could undermine the trust of ethnic groups, and protestors hoped the government would revoke the name. [The government] says it is working toward a federal system, but look at what it has done and said already, said Nai Mon Yar Zar, another leading protest member. Local ethnic people and the state government should have had the right to decide on a name, he added. Mi Kun Chan Non said activists would fight under existing laws to change the name if the government did not cooperate. Some Moulmein residents disagreed with the protestors. The government built the bridge not with money from locals, but with government money. People should accept the name, one resident said. Fighting a name has no meaning. Even Mon Buddhist monks have joined the protest. Monks should not be involved in politics, he added. Some ethnic Karen and Pa-O people joined the protest to show they disapproved of how the Union government handled the decision. Reddit 31 Email 93 Shares By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | The US foreign aid budget is not mainly about helping the poor. It is an instrument for buying influence in countries important to the US. The poorest countries in the world do not get much help from the US. Israel, which is a wealthy country, gets over $3 bn. a year, some of it going to Israeli civilians! Egypt is a relatively poor country, but most US aid to Cairo goes to the Egyptian military. In fact, they dont need or know what to do with all those Apache helicopters, which are mostly just warehoused. This military aid to Egypt is a bribe for them to continue to honor the Camp David peace accord with Israel. Taken as a whole, foreign aid makes up about 1% of the US budget (the public thinks it is 25%). It is a minor amount, but the Trump budget to be voted on later this week cuts it by about a third. These are the top recipients with total sums, below. Afghanistan $4.7B Israel $3.1B Egypt $1.46B Iraq $1.14B Jordan $1B Pakistan $742.2M Kenya $626.4M Nigeria $606.1M Tanzania $575.3M Ethiopia $513.7M from Washington Post Since Israel and Egypt are teflon, the cuts will fall on other countries, and fall heavily. Afghanistan may have to make do with more like $3 bn. a year. Iraq, still struggling against Daesh (ISIS, ISIL), with some 5,000 US troops on the ground, may also see heavy cuts. And to get a savings of $8-10 billion, perhaps Trump will have to cut Pakistan, Jordan, Kenya, Nigeria, Tanzania and Ethiopia entirely. Since the aid is intended to win influence, the obvious conclusion is that cutting the aid will significantly reduce US influence. Does it matter? Well, if Trump wants to turn Afghanistan around, he will find that he needs Pakistan (however much its general play a double game, supporting some radicals to keep influence in the Pashtun areas of Afghanistan). Losing all or most influence in Islamabad would be bad for this effort. The Afgan paper Hewad reported on 15 March according to BBC Monitoring, Speaking on contacts between Trump and Ghani the Afghan ambassador to Washington Hamdullah Mohib has said: Trumps questions and long conversation were noteworthy. Trump asked: What does Afghanistan need to become economically self-reliant? How can the mines industry and trade be developed in Afghanistan? According to Muhib, Trump paid close attention to the answers given to his questions. The paper argued that Trump is about to drop Pakistan, and it hopes that Afghanistan would benefit. Pakistan is a country of nearly 200 mn. people and is the sixth largest country in the world by population, and is highly strategic. Remember that Afghanistan is landlocked and needs export routes to the Persian Gulf for shipping. Those go through Pakistan. Some could go through Iran, but Trump would like that even less. But it isnt just an issue that US foreign aid is intended to get specific diplomatic work done. The US is in competition with other powers for the political support of countries such as Pakistan and Tanzania. Cutting their aid is a form of shouting at them to go away and find some other friend. China is poised to move in to replace the US where it can. Its foreign aid budget is about 1/4 of that of the US. But even $10 bn goes a long way in many poorer countries. Thus, China already has a China-Pakistan Economic Cooperation zone, CPEC, funded by China to the tune of $40 bn. It is extremely ambitious, involving improvements in ports, rail transportation, and energy generation. In essence, China is trying to re-do Pakistan as Hong Kong west. Pakistani development will help Chinas troubled Xinjiang Province. The Chinese have been willing to share Pakistan with the US in the past, as a friendly nation with a substantial military and a nuclear arsenal. But they will be even happier, no doubt, to have it all to themselves. China has emerged as a top aid donor to countries like Kenya, which appear to be on Trumps chopping block. So at a time when Trump wants to win in Afghanistan he is giving Pakistan away to China, and giving away much of Africa to China, as well. The danger is that the US will end up like Trump himself, living in a gilded tower, isolated and with no significant friends or allies, open to a debilitating belief in conspiracy theories. China will know what to do. Related video: CGTN: Watch: Debut of Chinese PLA military parade in Pakistan Reddit Email 554 Shares By Daniel Martin Varisco | MENA Tidningen | The old saying goes With friends like this, who needs enemies. This is especially apparent in the visit of Saudi Prince Mohammed Bin Salman to meet newly elected American President Donald Trump in mid-March. Coming two days before the latest Trump era anti-Muslim ban was to go into effect, Prince Bin Salman said after the meeting that he supported the ban and did not think it was against Muslims. It was obviously not against Saudi Muslims, although one wonders why given that most of the attackers in the 9/11 bombing were from Saudi Arabia. But it is abundantly clear to the vast majority of Muslims worldwide, especially in the United States, that this ban does indeed target Muslims. The U.S. federal courts agree, issuing yet another stay on this callously recrafted executive order. The problem with Trump is that he has a track record of Islamophobic statements, including his campaign pledge to ban all Muslims from coming into the United States. Given his chosen advisors, the fact that lawyers for hire can come up with a supposedly constitution-friendly ban on visitors and immigrants makes for great political theater but is as illegal as it is reprehensible. The increase in America of hate crimes against Muslims and Jews (anti-semitism is not just about Jews) is clearly correlated with the racist-bating rhetoric that Trump inspires. So far Trumps lie as often and as outrageous as you can twitterkrieg is not winning over new supporters. Even Fox News, perhaps his most loyal media outlet, rates his popularity only at 44%. Consider that the same poll found that Senator Bernie Sanders has a 61% favorable rating and Planned Parenthood (which Trump wants to end) has 57% favorable. The let loose in the candy store Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell has a 20% favorable rating and Representative Paul Ryan is only at 37%. The Obamacare law, which the Republicans are bent on destroying, has a 50% approval. But back to the Saudi Prince. I suppose it should come as no surprise that Prince Bin Salman, who is only 31 years old and has no military training, should be the impetus for the Saudi-led coalition campaign that has created a horrific humanitarian crisis in Yemen with no end in sight, as well as causing damage to the southern area of Najran that the Saudi regime has ignored in their quest to make Riyadh their own Oil-rich Disneyland. If he cares so little for the lives of Yemeni men, women and children, why should he not embrace the same kind of unethical concern as Trump and his political acolytes. According to Prince Bin Salman, President Trump expressed his deep respect for the religion of Islam, considering it one of the divine religions that came with great human principles kidnapped by radical groups. Really? That is probably news to his advisors Steve Bannon and Stephen Miller, or the advice he received from Islamophobe Frank Gaffney. I suspect that Rev. Franklin Graham, a strong supporter of Trump, would not characterize Islam as a divine religion. Graham does not see the travel ban as a biblical issue, although his brand of Evangelicals often consider Islam to be part of the biblical apocalyptic scenario for the prophesied Battle of Armageddon. The history of the American friendship with Saudi Arabia, dating back to 1945 when President Roosevelt promised to defend Ibn Sauds realm in return for a stake in the oil, is based on mutual interest that has been economic and political, but with no concern whatsoever for ethics. Saudi Arabia has one of the worst human rights records in the world, with frequent beheadings, prejudicial treatment of their Shia population and major restrictions on women. The spread of their intolerant Wahhabi doctrine is part of the genealogy of al-Qaeda and ISIS. Yet, it seems as long as they are willing to spend billions of dollars buying American military hardware, they remain a friend. Even the fact that the United States no longer needs Saudi oil does not seem to be a factor in assessing the continuing value of the cozy relationship. The 18th century French philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau said, Those people who treat politics and morality separately will never understand either of them. The world has little changed since then. If the current regime in Saudi Arabia remains a friend of the United States, the morality of both countries is short changed. Daniel Martin Varisco Anthropologist and historian with 40 years of experience researching and working in Yemen. Current President of the American Institute for Yemeni Studies, Research Professor of Social Sciences at Qatar University and expert advisor to MENA Tidningen. Reprinted from MENA Tidningen with authors permission. Related video added by Juan Cole: Bloomberg: Why Trump Is Getting Praise From Saudis TORONTO, March 20, 2017 /CNW/ - Argonaut Gold Inc. (TSX: AR) (the "Company", "Argonaut Gold" or "Argonaut") is pleased to announce that it has completed a 22 hole reverse-circulation ("RC") drill program totaling 5,139 metres at the La Colorada mine in Sonora, Mexico (the "2017 drill program"). The drilling was designed to test for the down dip extension of potential open pit mineralization at the El Creston deposit. The Company believes the results of the 2017 drill program, coupled with the results of 70 RC holes drilled during 2016 (see press release dated October 3, 2016) (the "2016 drill program"), have the potential to expand the El Creston open pit beyond its current design. The recently completed El Creston drill program was mainly designed to convert Inferred Resource projected down-dip to a Measured and Indicated Resource. All 22 holes were spaced along the northern fringes of the historical El Creston pit and drilled to intersect mineralized zones that dip northerly below the currently designed pit limits. In addition to upgrading Inferred Resources and confirming Indicated Resource, the 2017 drill program was intended to further de-risk the project prior to the commencement of mining. Table 1 below illustrates the El Creston deposit Mineral Resource estimate year-over-year that was most recently updated at December 31, 2016 and shows the high conversion rate of Inferred Resource to Indicated Resource through the 2016 drill program as well as the ability to discover new Inferred Resource. The results from the 2017 drill program are not included in the Mineral Resource estimate. Table 1: El Creston Mineral Resource Estimate 2015 vs. 20161 El Creston Deposit Class Tonnes (000s) Au Grade (g/t) Au Ozs (000s) Ag Grade (g/t) Ag Ozs (000s) December Indicated 12,869 0.61 251 12.5 5,154 31, 2015 Inferred 487 0.92 14 17.9 280 December Indicated 13,097 0.63 264 16.5 6,937 31, 2016 Inferred 2,381 0.82 63 12.1 923 1 The El Creston Deposit December 31, 2015 Mineral Resource Estimate was updated internally and reviewed by Qualified Persons Mike Lechner and Richard Rhoades. The Mineral Resource update used a gold price of $1,300 and a silver price of $18. A gold equivalent cut-off grade of 0.106 g/t was used. The El Creston Deposit December 31, 2016 Mineral Resource Estimate was updated internally and reviewed by Qualified Persons Mike Lechner and Richard Rhoades. The resource update used a gold price of $1,400 and a silver price of $20. A cut-off grade of 0.11 g/t Au was used and is supported by the current operating costs. The Mineral Resources are confined within a conceptual pit using MineSight software and slope templates developed by Golder Associates. Pete Dougherty, President and CEO commented: "The results of the drill campaigns over the past 11 months have further delineated and de-risked the El Creston deposit and give us further confidence in the potential to expand the El Creston open pit beyond its current design. These results substantiate the Company's decision to accelerate stripping at El Creston and is an example of how brownfields exploration continues to yield positive results at La Colorada." Gold samples were capped at 10 g/t Au. Table 2 below illustrates key highlight holes from the 2017 drill program. For a full table of all drill results, plan view maps and cross sections, please visit: http://www.argonautgold.com/gold_operations/drill_results/ Table 2: Key Highlight Holes Hole Azimuth Dip From (m) To (m) Interval (m) Au (g/t) Ag (g/t) 17-LCRC-479 180 65 Interval 161.5 166.1 4.6 0.32 1 Interval 175.3 190.5 15.2 0.62 5 Including 179.8 182.9 3.0 1.69 8 Interval 195.1 214.9 19.8 0.72 10 Including 201.2 204.2 3.0 2.32 17 Including 211.8 213.4 1.5 1.93 7 Interval 245.4 257.6 12.2 0.44 5 Interval 265.2 271.3 6.1 0.33 5 Hole Azimuth Dip From (m) To (m) Interval (m) Au (g/t) Ag (g/t) 17-LCRC-481 180 53 Interval 189.0 192.0 3.0 0.15 4 Interval 199.6 240.8 41.1 1.15 6 Including 199.6 201.2 1.5 3.81 2 Including 225.6 230.1 4.6 6.57 24 Including 231.6 233.2 1.5 2.62 7 Hole Azimuth Dip From (m) To (m) Interval (m) Au (g/t) Ag (g/t) 17-LCRC-482 180 50 Interval 100.6 106.7 6.1 0.16 10 Interval 147.8 166.1 18.3 0.26 33 Interval 201.2 208.8 7.6 0.49 2 Interval 213.4 240.8 27.4 0.96 5 Interval 248.4 251.5 3.0 0.65 9 Interval 262.1 278.9 16.8 2.69 3 Including 262.1 268.2 6.1 6.86 5 Hole Azimuth Dip From (m) To (m) Interval (m) Au (g/t) Ag (g/t) 17-LCRC-483 180 50 Interval 123.4 128.0 4.6 0.21 1 Interval 150.9 153.9 3.0 0.28 11 Interval 184.4 243.8 59.4 1.24 6 Including 184.4 185.9 1.5 7.39 7 Including 189.0 195.1 6.1 3.32 8 Including 219.5 224.0 4.6 2.85 6 Including 227.1 228.6 1.5 10.00 10 Interval 248.4 249.9 1.5 6.89 5 Interval 262.1 268.2 6.1 0.19 10 Hole Azimuth Dip From (m) To (m) Interval (m) Au (g/t) Ag (g/t) 17-LCRC-484 180 57 Interval 135.6 137.2 1.5 1.08 2 Interval 155.4 157.0 1.5 1.30 3 Interval 179.8 182.9 3.0 0.89 6 Interval 190.5 242.3 51.8 0.52 4 Interval 251.5 253.0 1.5 0.22 14 Interval 259.1 262.1 3.0 0.67 1 Hole Azimuth Dip From (m) To (m) Interval (m) Au (g/t) Ag (g/t) 17-LCRC-485 180 59 Interval 106.7 115.8 9.1 0.38 28 Interval 184.4 233.2 48.8 0.97 12 Including 208.8 211.8 3.0 1.56 5 Including 217.9 224.0 6.1 1.74 3 Including 231.6 233.2 1.5 10.00 24 Interval 245.4 268.2 22.9 0.32 4 Hole Azimuth Dip From (m) To (m) Interval (m) Au (g/t) Ag (g/t) 17-LCRC-486 180 57 Interval 167.6 222.5 54.9 0.89 5 Including 170.7 172.2 1.5 10.00 9 Including 196.6 198.1 1.5 3.08 13 Hole Azimuth Dip From (m) To (m) Interval (m) Au (g/t) Ag (g/t) 17-LCRC-489 180 55 Interval 201.2 207.3 6.1 0.24 81 Interval 214.9 251.5 36.6 1.22 12 including 217.9 221.0 3.0 6.36 21 including 234.7 237.7 3.0 4.83 22 Interval 288.0 345.9 57.9 1.00 4 including 298.7 309.4 10.7 4.22 3 Hole Azimuth Dip From (m) To (m) Interval (m) Au (g/t) Ag (g/t) 17-LCRC-490 180 57 Interval 152.4 285.0 132.6 1.29 24 including 155.4 157.0 1.5 4.17 27 including 166.1 170.7 4.6 8.19 44 including 184.4 187.5 3.0 7.05 274 including 268.2 272.8 4.6 3.64 103 Hole Azimuth Dip From (m) To (m) Interval (m) Au (g/t) Ag (g/t) 17-LCRC-492 180 69 Interval 166.1 181.4 15.2 1.32 4 including 167.6 169.2 1.5 10.00 19 Interval 185.9 213.4 27.4 1.01 16 including 195.1 199.6 4.6 4.86 25 Interval 217.9 222.5 4.6 3.00 70 including 219.5 221.0 1.5 6.53 85 Interval 228.6 236.2 7.6 0.35 22 Tom Burkhart, Vice President of Exploration commented: "The El Creston open pit exploits a large structural controlled vein system that comes to surface and dips to the north. This system was an important historical producer in the district and an obvious drill target beneath the designed pit. We are very pleased that the 2017 drill program confirms what we suspected and are optimistic that these encouraging results will positively impact the continuing development of the El Creston deposit." Qualified Person Comments / Quality Control Procedures The preparation of this Press Release was supervised and approved by Thomas Burkhart, Argonaut Gold's Vice President of Exploration and a Qualified Person under NI 43-101. Mr. Burkhart also reviewed the reverse circulation and on-site sample preparation procedures at La Colorada. For sample analysis, the Company utilizes a system of Quality Assurance/Quality Control that includes insertion and verification of standards, blanks and duplicates consistent with industry standards. Samples from the El Creston deposit are collected at site by Argonaut's personnel and transported to ALS-Chemex preparation laboratory in Hermosillo, where samples are prepared and pulps sent for assay in ALS-Chemex's Vancouver, BC laboratory. Samples are analyzed for gold by fire assay and atomic absorption finish (Au-AA23 assay code; 0.005 to 10 ppm detection limit) plus silver by aqua regia and atomic absorption finish (0.1 to 100 ppm detection limit). Samples over 10 g/t Au are assayed with gravimetric finish (Assay code Au-GRA21). Argonaut is not aware of any legal, political, environmental or other risks that could materially affect the potential development of the El Creston deposit other than those set out in its annual information form filed on www.sedar.com. Please see below under the heading "cautionary note regarding forward-looking financial information" for further details regarding risks facing Argonaut. For further information regarding the La Colorada Mine, please see the Technical Report titled National Instrument 43-101 Preliminary Economic Assessment La Colorada Project Sonora, Mexico effective October 15, 2011. About Argonaut Gold Argonaut Gold is a Canadian gold company engaged in exploration, mine development and production activities. Its primary assets are the production stage El Castillo mine and the construction stage San Agustin project in Durango, Mexico and the production stage La Colorada mine in Sonora, Mexico. Advanced exploration stage projects include the San Antonio project in Baja California Sur, Mexico, and the Magino project in Ontario, Canada. The Company also has several exploration stage projects, all of which are located in North America. CALGARY, ALBERTA--(Marketwired - March 20, 2017) - Mkango Resources Ltd. (TSX VENTURE:MKA)(AIM:MKA) (the "Company" or "Mkango") is pleased to announce that it has entered into a Memorandum Of Understanding ("MOU") with Metalysis Limited ("Metalysis") to jointly research, develop and commercialise novel rare earth metal alloys for use in three-dimensional (3D) printed permanent magnets. The MOU will combine Mkango's intelligence surrounding the performance characteristics and future global demand outlook for rare earth magnets with Metalysis' disruptive, solid-state process, which can generate high margins from the manufacture of metal powders for markets including 3D printing. Together, the parties envisage a comprehensive research and development ("R&D") programme, culminating in the joint pursuit of commercial opportunities. One such opportunity includes evaluating the United Kingdom as a future host country for a manufacturing plant to exploit a commercialised technology. Rare earth permanent magnets are a critical component of many electric vehicles, as well as other consumer and green technologies. China dominates the rare earth permanent magnet industry, and with one of the few rare earths projects outside China to have advanced beyond the pre-feasibility stage, Mkango is well-placed to respond to the global demand outlook. Mkango's share of the first phase of R&D costs will be funded out of existing cash resources. William Dawes, Chief Executive Officer of Mkango, said: "We are very pleased to collaborate with Metalysis. It is a core part of Mkango's strategy to be at the forefront of research and technology in every step of the rare earths supply chain; positioning the Company as a future low cost, sustainable supplier of rare earths used in electric vehicles and other green technologies, which have entered a new phase of accelerating demand growth. The R&D programme will seek to enhance marketing flexibility, increase future margins and affirm the Company's competitive positioning." About Metalysis Limited Metalysis is a growing company, based in South Yorkshire, U.K, with global rights to disruptive technology posing proven economic and environmental benefits over traditional metal production methods. The Company is committed to transforming the metals industry through its patented process for producing Titanium, Tantalum, other metals and innovative alloy powders. Metalysis' process, originating from the University of Cambridge and proven at industrial scale, can generate high margins from the manufacture of metal powders for markets including 3D printing. About Mkango Resources Limited Mkango's primary business is the exploration for rare earth elements and associated minerals in the Republic of Malawi, a country whose hospitable people have earned it a reputation as "the warm heart of Africa." Mkango holds, through its wholly owned subsidiary Lancaster Exploration Limited, a 100% interest in two exclusive prospecting licenses in southern Malawi, the Phalombe licence and the Thambani licence. The main exploration target in the Phalombe licence is the Songwe Hill rare earths' deposit, which features carbonatite hosted rare earth mineralisation and was subject to previous exploration in the late 1980s. Mkango completed an updated Pre-feasibility Study for the project in November 2015. Mkango's strategy for Songwe is to further optimise the project with a view to maximising efficiency and reducing costs, thereby providing a strong platform for entering into partnerships, marketing and offtake arrangements. The main exploration targets in the Thambani licence are uranium, niobium, tantalum and other associated minerals. VANCOUVER, BC--(Marketwired - March 20, 2017) - SolidusGold Inc. (the "Company") (TSX VENTURE: SDC) is providing an update on the Company's proposed purchase of the Northumberland Project in Nevada from Newmont USA Limited (the "Northumberland Acquisition") and certain of its affiliates and the concurrent private placement of subscription receipts (the "Financing"), as previously announced on September 15, 2016. The Company announces that the parties were not able to agree on amended transaction terms that would enable the Company to raise the required funds, and the parties have mutually agreed to terminate the purchase agreement. Accordingly, the Financing will not proceed. Sorin Posescu, President & CEO, commented: "Although we are disappointed in not completing the Northumberland transaction, SolidusGold remains committed to identifying high quality gold assets in safe, mining friendly jurisdictions." VANCOUVER, March 20, 2017 /CNW/ - Trilogy Metals Inc. (TSX, NYSE-MKT: TMQ) ("Trilogy Metals" or "the Company") is pleased to announce that it intends to undertake a pre-feasibility study ("PFS") on the high-grade Arctic deposit located in northwest Alaska. The PFS will be supported by information collected during the 2015 and 2016 field seasons as well as additional information to be collected during the 2017 summer field program. A budget totaling $7.1 million for fiscal 2017 has received board approval, and will focus mainly on the Arctic Project PFS with an anticipated completion date of Q1 2018. The Arctic Project is a very high-grade polymetallic volcanogenic massive sulphide ("VMS") deposit, hosting copper-zinc-lead-gold-silver mineralization with an average grade of 6% copper equivalent which has the potential to be mined in an open-pit. The PFS will incorporate all of the information collected over the past two years of in-fill drilling and related studies, including: an updated resource model; geotechnical pit-slope stability studies; hydrology; waste rock characterization and metallurgy (all of which are now completed, or will be shortly). The remaining field work to be completed during this field season will cover studies related to determining the placement of all site facilities, including: the ore processing facility (crushing and milling); the waste rock and tailings disposal area(s); water storage ponds and supporting road infrastructure. In addition, on-going environmental data collection will continue - sufficient to be used to support a PFS level of study. Site work will include geotechnical drilling, hydrology installations, and test pits for site facility locations and mine design, and geophysical ground surveys to evaluate ground conditions. A significantly expanded environmental baseline program will further the ongoing baseline data collection including: aquatic studies, avian and large mammal surveys, water balance programs will be expanded, and collection of data from the existing meteorological station will continue. Surface water quality testing will continue from the programs initiated in earlier years and groundwater quality monitoring will begin. Previous wetlands delineation information will be analyzed during the year for submission of a jurisdictional determination to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The PFS on the Arctic deposit is expected to be completed in Q1 2018, with a view to re-categorizing the resources at Arctic to reserves. Rick Van Nieuwenhuyse, President and CEO of Trilogy Metals commented, "We are pleased to have received board approval for the 2017 plan and budget to complete a PFS on Arctic. The PFS will demonstrate the true value of the high-grade Arctic deposit which we expect will be the first in a series of potential mines in the Ambler mining district. With the recent announcement that the BLM has initiated the permitting process on the AMDIAP, as well as an upswing in demand for copper and zinc, the Company is well positioned to add value for shareholders by advancing development of the world-class Ambler mining district." On March 6, 2017, the Company announced that the permitting process is advancing on the Ambler Mining District Industrial Access Project ("AMDIAP"). The Notice of Intent ("NOI") initiating the permitting process under the National Environmental Policy Act ("NEPA") for the preparation of an Environmental Impact Statement ("EIS") on the AMDIAP was published on February 28, 2017 by the Bureau of Land Management ("BLM") in the U.S. Federal Register. The BLM is the lead Federal agency for the EIS. This notice initiates the public scoping process for the EIS with comments due by May 30, 2017 and outlines a schedule to complete the EIS by December, 2019. The Company intends to sign a new MOU with the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority ("AIDEA") that will set the foundation to work together during the next permitting phase of the AMDIAP. Please see the Company's recent press release titled "Permitting Advances on Ambler Access Road", dated March 6, 2017, as well as visit the AIDEA website - http://www.ambleraccess.org// for more information on the AMDIAP. Qualified Person Erin Workman, P.Geo, Director of Technical Services and an employee of Trilogy Metals, is a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101. Ms. Workman has reviewed the scientific and technical information in this news release and approves the disclosure contained herein. About Trilogy Metals Trilogy Metals Inc., formerly NovaCopper Inc., is a metals exploration company focused on exploring and developing the Ambler mining district located in northwestern Alaska. It is one of the richest and most-prospective known copper-dominant districts located in one of the safest geopolitical jurisdictions in the world. It hosts world-class polymetallic VMS deposits that contain copper, zinc, lead, gold and silver, and carbonate replacement deposits which have been found to host high grade copper mineralization. Exploration efforts have been focused on two deposits in the Ambler mining district - the Arctic VMS deposit and the Bornite carbonate replacement deposit. Both deposits are located within the Company's land package that spans approximately 143,000 hectares. The Company has an agreement with NANA Regional Corporation, Inc., a Regional Alaska Native Corporation that provides a framework for the exploration and potential development of the Ambler mining district in cooperation with local communities. Our vision is to develop the Ambler mining district into a premier North American copper producer. TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - March 20, 2017) - Tanzanian Royalty Exploration Corporation (TSX:TNX)(NYSE MKT:TRX) (the "Company") is pleased to announce the appointment of Jeffrey R. Duval as Acting Chief Executive Officer. Prior to this appointment, Mr. Duval held the position of Vice President of Project Logistics in the Company since 2015. He is a licensed General Engineering Contractor with a previous quarter century history in corporate executive management, project development and project management for some large US construction firms. Mr. Duval's management skills, efforts and involvement were instrumental in the Company obtaining the Special Mining License (SML) for the Buckreef Project from the Ministry of Energy and Minerals in Tanzania with a renewal term of ten (10) years. His strengths in international diplomacy and negotiations between the Company and STAMICO have achieved a good working relationship with the government of Tanzania. Among Mr. Duval's numerous achievements and contributions to the Company - he led the team overseeing the design, planning and development of the new Gravity/Carbon-In-Leach process plant presently planned at the Buckreef Project. "The new plant will establish a solid foundation for our initial production goals, and it's designed to allow us to add additional processing capacity as we grow our production in the future." Acting Chief Executive Officer Duval said. The Company's updated independent NI 43-101 compliant feasibility study is near to release due to his diligence and oversight in expediting the Company's compliances. James E. Sinclair, who previously served as President and Chief Executive Officer since the Company was founded has become the Executive Chairman. Executive Chairman Sinclair said, "As we approach the most important point in our Company's history, we sought to realign and restructure our management team to maximize efficiency and utilize each member's proven skill sets. This will ensure that all of the Company's immediate and specific requirements and needs will be managed by the right expert with the proper authority and responsibility, and in the most timely manner. As Executive Chairman, I will continue to have an active role in the operations of the Company with an overall focus on corporate strategy and financial/investment matters." Sinclair continued, "Jeff Duval has the management expertise and industry skill sets to advance our corporate mining agenda to efficiently mine and produce gold as a commercial gold producer. Jeff has the talent, expertise and ability to bring the Company to new and extraordinary levels of success." Mr. Duval is in the process of enhancing the final designs of the Company's production plant to improve efficiency to 4-5 times the initial designed plant capacity levels. The SML granted to the Company with a renewal period of ten (10) years, makes these enhancements vital. The renewal period of SMLs is directly related to the quantities of optimized and mineable reserves from the initial mineral resource base as reported and published in various NI-43-101 compliant reports on Buckreef Gold Project. The tenure is renewable at expiry as more resources are established through on-mine and around-mine exploration program as mining progresses. Extended renewal periods for mining licenses have a direct relationship to the anticipated longevity of the mine, and therefore the amount of gold to be mined expected to be mined, as per updating of the NI-43-101, during that renewal phase. "I enthusiastically undertake this new role in the Company, and believe we are approaching a very exciting time for the gold mining industry. I am a significant shareholder in the Company and my qualifications in management and industry will assist me in serving the Company as we progress toward our impending and soon to be prosperous mining endeavors. It is my mandate from the Board of Directors and my personal objective to mine and produce as much gold as efficiently and expeditiously as possible," Mr. Duval said. "As a commercial gold producing Company we needed to diversify management into areas of specialization," Duval continued. "Mr. James E. Sinclair's leadership, dedication and financial expertise sustained the Company through challenging times in the gold market place, and he must be acknowledged and appreciated for all of his successes and accomplishments which preserved and enabled our Company for the coming prosperity," Duval concluded. Mr. Duval returned last week from business travel to Tanzania to ensure matters of interest to the Company are proceeding in order. Although he is focusing and directing corporate matters for the continued success of the Buckreef Project, he is also examining opportunities for the development of Kigosi and Itetemia. He has a vision not only for the Buckreef Project but for the Company moving forward. "We believe in the vision Jeff has for the Company going forward to mine and process gold, and deliver tremendous value to our loyal shareholders. Jeff and I look forward to working together and providing updates as this exciting year unfolds for our Company," Sinclair concluded. ABOUT TANZANIAN ROYALTY EXPLORATION CORPORATION: Tanzanian Royalty Exploration Corporation is a mineral resource company, which engages in the acquisition, exploration and extraction of gold and other natural resources in the United Republic of Tanzania, Africa. The Company, after successfully exploring for Gold has identified three development projects, Buckreef, Kigosi, and Itetemia. In early 2016 in conjunction with our first gold pour, the Company was deemed a commercial gold producer by the Tanzanian Government. The Company is presently focused on its Buckreef Gold Project located in North central Tanzania. Further information can be found in the Company's 43-101 reports, which can be viewed together with other reports and updates on the Company homepage at: www.TanzanianRoyalty.com By Press Trust of India: Muzaffarnagar, Mar 20 (PTI) The District Health administration has served notices to the owners of two sealed clinics in connection with four foetuses found in garbage in the Purkazi town here. Four foetuses including, three of females, were found in a garbage bin at Purkazi town on March 9. As police suspected that they have been dumped by some clinics, a team of health department had started inspections and sealed the two clinics for irregularities. advertisement Additional Chief Medical Officer B K Ojha said it was found that the two women owners of the clinics, which were sealed, were practising medical allegedly without any license. They have been asked to show their authorisation documents for practising medicine, he said. PTI CORR DIP --- ENDS --- New president urged to assert national interest By Kim Jae-kyoung South Korea needs a strong, outspoken leader to overcome ongoing challenges and lift the country to the next level, analysts said. The country is now being pushed around by global powers surrounding the Korean Peninsula, and domestically, it is suffering a deep division among people following the impeachment of President Park Geun-hye. The challenge comes amid a new order in Asia in the making, with a rivalry among the major countries intensifying as a result of footloose protectionism and nationalism. A new president, who will be elected in a May 9 snap election, should not only bring unity to the country but also assert the national interest against four large powers the United States, China, Japan and Russia. Coincidentally, the big four are all led by powerful leaders with unique leadership skills U.S. President Donald Trump, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Although they have different styles, there is one thing in common. They all embrace nationalism over globalism to pursue their own goals. In this regard, the most important quality for a new president should be strong leadership with solid communication skills. "I think South Korea needs a leader with the stature to meet with those neighboring leaders and assert Korea's national interest," Mauro Guillen, director at the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, told The Korea Times. "It is important to have a legitimate and outspoken leader." Since his inauguration in January, Trump has stuck to his "America first" policy by pushing for trade and security policies lopsidedly in favor of the U.S. He has vowed trade wars against close allies, including Korea, to fix the U.S. trade deficit. Xi is spearheading China's nationalist approach. China is taking retaliatory measures against Korea through a tourism ban and boycott of Korean products over the deployment of the U.S. missile defense system. It is also endeavoring to strengthen its foothold in the disputed South China Sea. Putin has been under fire for his alleged deployment of a land-based cruise missile that violates a Cold War-era nuclear arms control treaty. Russia is trying to increase its clout in Europe and Asia by rebuilding its military power. Abe is no exception. Known as the most conservative leader in Japan's postwar history, he is portrayed as a hard-line nationalist encouraging a spirit of nationalism and is bent on asserting dominance in the region. Changing rules of game A series of developments led by these leaders indicate nationalism is taking center stage and every country will prioritize the protection of their own interests. In other words, the world will see a war between nationalism and globalism for decades to come. Experts said in this time of uncertainty, it is important for Korea to elect an active, decisive president with strong leadership skills and forward-looking insights. Simply speaking, Korea needs a president who can say "no" when pushed against its national interest and can fight to follow its own agenda. "What Korea needs badly is a strong leader who can rally the Koreans to tackle thorny political and economic issues," said Sohn Sung-won, professor of economics at California State University. He pointed out that the new president should not bend to the U.S. and China on security and trade issues. "Hopefully, the new leader will point the way for the Korean economy to reduce its dependence on China and diversify its export destinations," he said. "Externally, the leader should negotiate forcefully with the U.S. on trade issues and convince China that Korea can't be pushed around." Internally, the new president will also face equally daunting tasks. First, the new leader should be dedicated to rebuilding unity among people by ensuring effective communication and sharing vision. Also, they should change the rules of game by overhauling the country's political system as well as reforming economic models. Under the new government, collusive ties between politics and business should be severed, while economic reforms that favor competition and innovation should be carried out. What is important is that these tasks could be only possible when a strong leadership accompanies unwavering efforts to communicate with the people. "I think everyone agrees that what Korea wants is a president who communicates, in which 50 percent of the communication is listening," said Anthony Mitchell, managing director of Euro-Asian Business Consultancy. "Equally important isbuilding a competent team with an agreed vision which is communicated and widely shared through open minded debates," he added. By Press Trust of India: Bareilly (UP), Mar 20 (PTI) ABVP workers allegedly created ruckus in Bareilly College accusing a retired BHU professor of making controversial remarks against RSS founder MS Golwalkar and its chief Mohan Bhagwat, leading to tension on the campus. The seminar was cancelled after agitated members of the RSS student-wing Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad broke chairs and tables in the campus and demanded that a case be lodged against the professor Chauthi Ram Yadav for his comments at the event yesterday, police said today. advertisement The ABVP workers raised slogans that they would not allow their college to turn into another JNU. Eventually the organisers cancelled the seminar and escorted Yadav outside the college campus. Police said that an FIR has been filed against Yadav even as he later apologised and maintained that he had made no reference to Bhagwat. "Late on Sunday night, an FIR was lodged against Yadav at police station Baradari on the basis of the complaint filed against him. Police and para-military personnel have been deployed outside the college to ensure that the situation remains under control," SP City (Bareilly) Sameer Saurabh said. Later, Yadav clarified, "I never made any reference to RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat...If my statement has hurt anyones sentiment, then I tender my apology." PTI COR NAV SMI CK RT CK --- ENDS --- Ag Growth International Inc., together with its subsidiaries, manufactures and distributes grain and rice handling, storage, and conditioning equipment in Canada, the United States, and internationally. The company offers storage equipment comprising grain and bolted bins, hopper bins, smooth wall bins, temporary storage equipment, unloads and sweeps, water tanks, fuel tanks; and conditioning equipment, such as mixed flow dryers, fans and heaters, aerations, airaugers, aeration floors, vents and exhausters, stirrings, and accessories. It also provides portable handling equipment, such as portable augers, conveyors, grain vacs, post pounders, seed treaters, and accessories; and permanent handling equipment, including bucket elevators, chain and belt conveyors, enclosed belt conveyors, distributors, feed handling equipment, screw feeders and conveyors, and spouts and connections. In addition, the company offers towers, catwalks, ladders, all-steel buildings, flat storage buildings; batch blenders, bulk scales, declining weight blenders, vertical blenders, micro-dosing systems, mixers, milling equipment; and controllers, hazard monitoring equipment, monitoring and automation equipment, sampling solutions. Further, it provides cleaning and destoners, rice milling and processing equipment, bin unloads, blending and control systems, Liquid and dry fertilizer blending and conveying equipment, turnkey design and build construction solutions for seed and fertilizer facilities, and farm management software. The company markets its products under the AGI, Airlanco, Batco, Brownie, CMC, Compass, Danmare, Ezee-dry, Frame, Grain Guard, Grainmaxx, Hi Roller, Hutchinson, Improtech, Junge, Keho, Mayrath, Milltec, MMS, Neco, PTM, REM, Sabe, Sentinel, Storm, Suretrack, Tramco, Twister, Westeel, Westfield, Wheatheart, and Yargus brand names. It provides its equipment for agricultural commodities. The company was founded in 1996 and is headquartered in Winnipeg, Canada. 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. 3:27pm: The Braves have officially announced the move. 2:20pm: MLBTR has learned that veteran lefty John Danks asked for and will be granted his release by the Braves. Danks is willing to sign elsewhere, but is not interested in pitching in the minors. Danks reached a minor-league deal with Atlanta in December, then allowed seven runs while striking out seven and walking six over 9 2/3 innings of spring work. Even before those disappointing performances, Danks seemed unlikely to crack a Braves rotation that will feature Julio Teheran, Bartolo Colon, Jaime Garcia, R.A. Dickey and Mike Foltynewicz. The 31-year-old Danks pitched with the White Sox early in the 2016 season but did not pitch for another team after being released in May. Danks has pitched over 1,500 innings and won 79 games over parts of ten seasons in the big leagues, all of them with the White Sox, and he stood out as a rotation workhorse from 2008 through 2011. He has, however, had a rough go since shoulder problems that resulted in surgery in 2012 in the last five seasons, he has a 4.92 ERA, 6.0 K/9 and 2.9 BB/9 while dealing with an average fastball velocity thats gradually slipped from 91.6 MPH to 87.1 MPH last year. He made $65MM over those five seasons thanks to a long-term deal he signed prior to the 2012 season, although that contract expired last fall. The Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture, Catherine Afeku has expressed her condolences to the families of victims in the Kintampo Water Falls accident. The Minister, in a statement released on Sunday, asked the public to refrain from circulating images of the dead and injured. Rescue workers at the site of Sundays disaster at the Kintampo Water Falls in the Brong Ahafo region have brought their work to a close, declaring 18 people dead. Some 22 critically injured people are also receiving treatment at the hospital. Brong Ahafo Regional Police Commander, DCOP Kwame Takyi-Poku, told Joy News Monday they do not expect to find any more bodies following the thorough work of the rescue workers, which includes personnel from the Ghana National Fire Service. The accident struck after a huge tree fell on revellers at the Kintampo Water Fall, one of Ghanas popular tourist sites, on Sunday. Madam Catherine Afeku said in the statement that, We extend our condolences to the families of the dead and pray for the injured who have been rushed to the Kintampo and Techiman General Hospitals. She added that, the Ghana Tourism Authority will work closely with the Ghana Police and the Kintampo District Assembly to ensure the families receive needed support and information. Story by Ghana | Myjoyonline.com | Ernest Dela Aglanu (Twitter: @delaXdela / Instagram: citizendela) 20.03.2017 LISTEN Award winning Ghanaian actress and television personality, Regina Adu Safowaah has added another business to her many careers and this time she moves into yoghurt production. She joins celebrities like Delay, Martha Ankomah, John Dumelo, and many popular people who use their fame to venture into businesses that could bring in extra income to either support their flamboyant lifestyles or to aid them after the fame. The talented actress, who was recently unveiled as the brand image of Adonko Bitters and Zafaa Global confirmed this to journalists at a press briefing in Accra. After 6 months of supplying Sayo Yoghurt to kids programmes , weddings, parties and getting good compliments from customers , I decided to come public to the world and supply all sorts of programmes that requires for my service She revealed. Sayo Yoghurt owned by Adu Safowaah is made of variety of natural ingredients which brings out its creamy texture and yummy taste for quality human consumption. Popularly known in Unholy Matrimony movie, Adu Safowaah has proven beyond measures at all times and worked tirelessly to become a brand in the creative industry and as a young entrepreneur. The young entrepreneur also disclosed that she has self-produced a television series titled Shocki, and it will soon be aired on our screens. Currently shes working on another television series with Ghanaian Production House. For your sweet and quality yoghurt for all your events, contact Adu Safowaah on 0557037323 or 0540652878 at affordable price. Sayo Yoghurt: 33y33 Tasty Rapper and philanthropist, Kwame Nsiah-Apau, known in showbiz as Okyeame Kwame has received a United States Presidential Volunteer Service Award for his outstanding humanitarian effort. The award was presented to him on Sunday, March 19 in Ohio by Americas immediate past Ex-President Barack Obama, in recognition for his Hepatitis B campaign in Ghana. The Presidential Service Award, the highest civilian honour is granted to people for their voluntary community service towards development. Starting in 2009, the awardee has in partnership with MDS-Lancet Laboratories spearheaded and funded the screening, vaccination, sensitisation of over 7,000 beneficiaries against the deadly Hepatitis B disease in his Ghana. The award was presented to him by Dr. Pauline Key, on behalf of the former president. The award came with a congratulatory plaque with an inscription,"Outstanding Humanitarian Service in Ghana". The artiste expressed his appreciation to President Obama for the honour and pledged even greater intensity of his campaign towards ridding Africa of Hepatitis. Management of the artiste announced earlier this year that plans are far advanced to extend the Hepatitis activations to West African countries in the coming months. Not long ago, Okyeame Kwame was given the key to the city of Cincinnati for the same reason, as well as an appointment as an iconic figure by the World Hepatitis Alliance. Story by Ghana | Myjoyonline.com Two men died in an accident during a blast misfire in the quarry belonging to one Anandkumar at Sulur in Coimbatore. Kanagaraj visited the site on Saturday and demanded that the officers in-charge should take immediate action against the owner. By Pramod Madhav: In a surprising turn of events, AIADMK MLA R Kangaraj openly threatened to leave the Sasikala camp if necessary action is not taken against the granite quarry company where two workers died on March 17. Two men died in an accident during a blast misfire in the quarry belonging to one Anandkumar at Sulur in Coimbatore. Kanagaraj, who represents the Sulur constituency, visited the site on Saturday seeking an explanation and demanded that the officers in-charge should take immediate action against the owner. advertisement Kanagaraj also had a heated argument with an official over the phone where the person threatened him of informing chief minister Edappadi Palaniswami about Kanagaraj's actions. The irked MLA, in his response, said, "I'm not worried about any CM. We have a new CM every 3 to 6 months. Two men have been murdered in my constituency. If you want to talk to the CM, go ahead. I have no problem and I'm not scared of our CM. Go tell him that Sulur MLA said that he is not afraid of you". Kanagaraj claimed that the officers don't even visit the quarry before giving a permit and do not check the safety measures at all, which leads to loss of lives. "They don't even visit the place, all they do is just get the money and give the ticket. I'll definitely see to it that action is taken against them. If no action is taken, I'll leave the government or resign," he threatened the Sasikala faction. Soon after his threat, district collector Hariharan immediately sealed the quarry. Speaking on the issue, AIADMK deputy general secretary TTV Dinakaran assured that Sulur MLA Kanagaraj is still with them and that it is just a minor issue. ALSO READ | AIADMK expels O Panneerselvam after Sasikala is convicted in DA case ALSO READ | Sasikala jailed, AIADMK No 2 Madhusudhanan strips her, Dinakaran of all party posts: Top developments --- ENDS --- Award winning Ghanaian rapper and philanthropist, Okyeame Kwame, received a United States Presidential Volunteer Service Award on Sunday. The award was given to him in recognition of his humanitarian efforts in Ghana the Okyeame Kwame Hepatitis B campaign. The Presidential Service Award is the highest civilian honour that is granted to US citizens and permanent residents for their voluntary community service towards development. Okyeame Kwame was given the award by Dr. Pauline Key, on behalf of former American president Barack Obama, with a congratulatory plaque which had an inscription, Outstanding Humanitarian Service in Ghana. This is not the first time Okyeame Kwame has been honored in America. In 2016, he was given a key to the city of Cincinnati for his humanitarian works. He was also appointed as an iconic figure by the World Hepatitis Alliance. By: Jeffrey Owuraku Sarpong/citifmonline.com/Ghana Six truckloads of illegal lumber being transported to Burkina Faso through unapproved routes have been intercepted by the Brong Ahafo Regional Minister, Kwaku Asomah-Cheremey. The six DAF and MAN Diesel trucks were loaded with the illegal lumber at Deaba in the Asunafo South District of the Brong Ahafo Region. Instead of the drivers using the Goaso-Sunyani Wenchi Road to Wenchi-Wa Road, they decided to drive through Dormaa-Sampa-Nsawkaw to Banda Ahenkro Road to evade security agencies and join Wenchi-Wa Highway to Burkina Faso at Tinga Junction. However, luck eluded them when the Regional Security Council (REGSEC), led by the Regional Minister, met the truck drivers after returning from a fact-finding mission to Banda Ahenkro where the indigenes threatened to kill non-resident workers. The six drivers and the trucks were handed over to the Regional Forestry Commission for further investigations. Briefing the media, Lawyer Kwaku Asomah-Cheremey, said members of REGSEC saw the trucks and became suspicious of their movement. They told the minister that the lumber belong to a Burkinabe contractor and that each consignment was worth GH34,000. However, invoice covering the consignment showed GH2,400 for each truck. Mr. Asoamah-Cheremey bemoaned the rapid destruction of the forest cover in the region by illegal chainsaw operators and promised to address the problems by setting up a special taskforce in his office to control illegal chainsaw activities in the Brong Ahafo Region. Members, he said, would comprise the Forestry Commission and the security agencies. Assembly Member for Kabonu Banda Ahenkro Electoral Area, Mohammed Saliho, said not less than 10 vehicles pass through this area each day in the last two years, and even on Thursday more than six vehicles passed before the minister intervened. The impounded trucks had registration numbers- AW 5459-11, PS 422-W, 32HL 4431, 11 H2768 and GT 4279-V. Regional Police Commander, DCOP Kwame Techi-Poku, ordered that the trucks be transferred to the offices of the Forestry Commission in Sunyani to ensure thorough investigations. [email protected] From Daniel Y Dayee, Banda Ahenkro Dhaka: Asia-Pacific Forum Environmental Journalists (APFEJ), in the backdrop of Indian governments recent decision to ban a British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) scribe on filming in its tiger reserves, has urged New Delhi to be reverent to the global media outlets respecting the democratic spirit of the country. The environment media forum also appealed to the Indian authority not to think of evoking the British scribes visa at any cost. It may be noted that the controversy erupted after the BBCs south Asia correspondent Justin Rowlatt prepared a news feature on Assams well-known Kaziranga National Park where he claimed that forest guards of the abode of precious one-horned rhinos were indulging in extra judicial killings in the name of conservation. Rowlatt pointed out that the park, which hosted UK's Prince William and Katherine in April 2016, witnessed the killing of almost two people per month under the brutal conservation policy since 2013. The year 2015 witnessed the encounter killings of 23 people in Kaziranga in contrast to 18 rhinos poached by the criminals. Innocent villagers, mostly tribal people, have been caught up in the conflict (between the poachers and forest guards) and the problem is mostly because the park rangers are indiscriminate in applying brutal force, and they are given immunity from prosecution, said the BBC feature. Rowlatt, who lives with his family in New Delhi, also clarified that despite his initiative, both the environment ministries in New Delhi and Dispur (responsible for the protection of forest and wildlife), the National Tiger Conservation Authority and Assam forest department did not respond to his necessary queries. Once the BBC aired the item titled Our World: Killing for Conservation on 11 February 2017, the government and people of Assam raised serious concern over its content. Various non-government nature &wildlife protection groups came forward scolding the London based news channel for propagating a wrong image to Kaziranga to the international audience. Encouraged with the development, the Indian authority barred the BBC journalist Rowlatt from filming in any of Indias 50 tiger reserves for five years. Later the Union environment ministry even requested the external affairs ministry to revoke the visas of Rowlatt along with his associates who shot the film. But it tempted the global tribal peoples rights body Survival International to launch a boycott campaign against the park that attracts over some 150,000 annual visitors including over 11,000 foreign tourists, till the Kaziranga authority retains its shoot-on-sight policy. It has already written to various tour operators in western countries to evade Kaziranga that gives shelter to over 2430 rhinos, 167 Royal Bengal tigers along with other wildlife. We appeal to Survival International to lift the boycott call against Kaziranga such that the success achieved by the Indian forest department is not subdued by the controversy, said a statement issued by APFEJ president Quamrul Islam Chowdhury and secretary Nava Thakuria, adding that Assam forest department should also come out with specific clarification to the BBC news feature. Due to incessant clamor of Ghanaians and citizens of the third world to travel out for greener pastures, many young men and women use various means to leave our shores for Europe, United States of America South Africa and some Asian nations. The reasons for this adventure are many. Some of the young ones especially the women and girls are lured by some travel agents to travel to Saudi Arabia and Dubai to work as house helps. The Young men among them are taken out to work on farms and factories. On reaching their destinations they find to their surprise that they were lured into slavery. Even though they are made to pay for their journeys, their passports are often seized and they are subjected to difficult house hold chores from morning till late sometimes being denied decent accommodation food and freedom to move about freely. Most of those people who were lured to go on these journeys have managed to sneak back into the country. Speaking on this issue to us, most of these people said they were enlisted through their churches for that matter they had no reason to disbelieve the information they were fed about the foreign nations involved. Having been maltreated they have now chosen to advise all men and women to desist from travelling without going through proper arrangement. If the trouble our youth go through in the hands of Arabs in Saudi Arabia and Dubai are Considered unacceptable, then what others are going through in South Africa and other nations can be described as nauseating. Due to the craze for wealth by young ladies these days, most of them are being lured to travel to South Africa. One of the modus operandi of the perpetrators of this crime is to travel down to Ghana and some West Africa nations to get married to young ladies, flashing before them, large sums of money, sometimes buying them cars. As time goes on they would then suggest that they go on a honeymoon to South Africa. While in this country, they would then send them to hospitals for treatment where one of their kidneys would be removed and sold at high price. This is dangerous and must be checked. Other adventurer travelers are still being lured to travel by road through the Sahara Desert to Europe through the Mediterranean Sea. This journey has become dangerous given the refusal of European countries to grant passage or asylum to travelers who pass-through Arab nations like Libya and Somalia to Europe. To safeguard our citizens there is the need for us to take the following measures; The government must take steps to examine the procedure used by the travelers to Europe, Arab countries and South Africa. The government must find out the problems our youth go through and to find out who are those government officials and private persons responsible for this problems. The government can [having gathered information on this issue} embark on education programs in schools, churches and mosques and neighborhoods to educate the youth to follow the right methods in travelling. They must be made to shun those who call on them to go on a poorly arranged journey. Arrange Proper travels The government should them arrange with some foreign countries seeking workers, to come down to recruit workers to be sent out properly to work abroad. This way all those to travel out would be monitored while they make genuine money under proper labor laws EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR eanfoworld for sustainable development [email protected]/[email protected] 0244370345/0208844792/0274853710 20.03.2017 LISTEN James Barnor has returned home and we must applaud this young at heart, 87 year old son of James Town, who still active with more projects and things to do, and who in recent times, has consistently put Ghana and Africa right at the top of the worlds attention with his iconic photographs of Ghana in its formative years. He has been excited from last October 2016, when he held another exhibition in France at Galerie Clementine de la Feronniere where his photographs were projected all over the Metro stations and streets of Paris as publicity for the exhibition. This exhibition was also used to promote a book of his photographs and he had an opportunity to present one to President Mahama who was then in France to attend a conference at Unesco. In our weekly discussions since then, he has continued to talk about how his original studio EverYoung on St Edmonds Street needs to be turned into a photographic museum to inspire other young people in James Town British Accra where it all started. His other project was how to replicate the exhibition of his works that the Black Cultural Archives had mounted in Othello House Kennington to commemorate the [email protected] anniversary. So, when he called one day, and left a message with my son for me, saying that he was on his way to Ghana, I did not quite know what to make of it till I saw in the Ghanaian news online that he had been invested with the honour of Member of the Order of the Volta. He came back and I was privileged to have attended a reception held in his honour by one of his good friends and Black British celebrated photographer Neil Kenlock, who once co-owned the first commercial Black Radio Station in Britain and he would not stop talking about [email protected] Then one day he blurted out the good news. He was going back to France in February to host an exhibition on [email protected] at Unesco and then he was going to take that exhibition to Ghana to the former seat of government, the Christianborg Castle. Well, certainly some of his photographs are now at that [email protected] exhibition, but it never really was the the solo exhibition he had contemplated. The first time Mr Barnor had exhibited in Ghana was in 2012 at the British Council and the Accra Mall, an exhibition sponsored by Myx Quest of Qirv, but now he has two exhibitions going one at the Movenpick that has been sponsored by the destination-ghana conference and has been ably organised by Ambassador Johanna Odonkor-Svanikier and another at Jamestown Cafe in Ussher Town. The James Town exhibition is one of the most innovative exhibitions that has been curated in our time. It challenges but also projects and promotes the concept that our productive endeavours will best flow out of our creative thoughts and energies and that unless we can appreciate our own arts and culture, our growth and development will remain deficient and dominated by foreign content. Joe Osae-Addo has turned his ArchiAfrika Gallery and his James Town Cafe into a community facility to host this important exhibition. In so doing he is providing a service to the JamesTown community that once boasted distinctive architecture of yesteryears and he has staked his commitment to the regeneration of the area in a way that blends with the people and their spirit. Into this mix appears Allotey Bruce-Konuah, a visual communicator now running accralomigh, a scion of the original Bruce who gave us Bruce Road and the Konuah family of educational entrepreneurs who gave us Accra Academy. He has done marvellous work with the young pupils in Chorkor and probably now coming back home to help transform the artistic and cultural landscape of JamesTown with this unusual exhibition. Allotey had started his working life at photofusion in Brixton and had always been interested in recording and documenting iconic images of communities in transition so that their visual images can be preserved for posterity. Allotey was the first to start digitising Mr Barnors work in 1998 at the offices of Equinox Consulting in Brixton South London. Mr Barnor had exhibited his photographs before on his 75th birthday, an exhibition attended by the then Ghna High Commissioner in the UK, Isaac Osei; his works have been previous curated by Rachel Pepper of the Acton Arts Centre, but it was Allotey who introduced Mr James Barnor to the Black Cultural Archives and through him that he met other curators who have exhibited his works at the BCA in South London, at the Autograph in Shoreditch, at the prestigious October Gallery in Holborn, in Manchester and Bristol and Medway, at Harvard University, in Chicago, in Toronto, Canada in South Africa and France and several other places. Now, Mr James Barnors face and his works have been splashed all over in several photographic and news magazines and respected newspapers such as the New York Times and the Guardian newspapers and though his photographs have been on the walls of great institutions such as the Tate Gallery and in the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, but there was still unfinished business between the two. As Allotey recounts I am privileged to have known Mr Barnor, who I also consider to be a good friend, and I am very proud that though the genesis of this association started in Britain we are harvesting its fruitful produce in Jamestown British Accra with this unique exhibition of his works. Allotey says that Mr Barnor remains an inspiration to me which is why I started the EveryoungJBA.org project that is building a veritable archive of our past. It already provides several photographs of places and families, it will now become a fully-fledged audio visual archive to preserve the best in music, film, photographs and important documents. The beauty of the current exhibition being curated by Allotey Bruce-konuah is that these Independence Photographs were the very first negatives that Allotey digitised and it is fortuitous that these pictures now have a pride of place in the community where a lot of the action of the independence took place. Bringing them back to the community is important it may just inspire another JamesTown born 28-year-old, the age Mr James Barnor was when he took those photographs 60 years ago to adopt photography. In the often-repeated cliche, pictures tell a thousand words, or rather pictures do not lie, the fact that they cannot be easily revised means that they will not excite any controversy. For me this is the real reason for anyone to attend this exhibition. There are no photographs of my contribution to the cause of independence and Mr James Barnor did not capture me as I marched down the street to the event, but I was there too, but the are several photographs of some of the unsung ones who helped usher in our freedom, sixty years ago,. James Barnor Jamestown Revisited is running till the 5th of May 2017 at ArchiAfrica Gallery, James Town Cafe and on the streets of James and Ussher Town in Accra. Ade Sawyerr is a partner in the diversity focused management consultancy Equinox Consulting that works on issues relating to economic development of disadvantaged communities and social cultural and political issues of African heritage people in the Diaspora. He can be reached at [email protected] , followed @adesawyerr, and read at https://adesawyerr.wordpress.com Who said that the critics who are querying President Akufo-Addos appointment of 110 substantive and deputy ministers are not doing so legitimately? I am afraid the critics are within their democratic rights. Indeed, they have every right to interrogate the rationale behind President Akufo-Addos decision to constitute a large size government. But then again, if you were to ask my opinion on the issue; I will venture to inform you that I do not harbour any marked disposition for or against the size of Akufo-Addos government. In any case, I would like to maintain that the resources available and the scope of the task at hand would normally determine the size of a project team. I do not also want to brush aside the views of those who are suggesting that we should reserve our criticisms until the tasks at hand have been completed and we can then measure the input against the output. Then also those who are fretting thy souls with extreme disappointments over the corresponding huge wage bill amid harsh economic conditions have my sympathy. I would also like to know whether, if, the critics will be content and take back their criticisms if President Akufo-Addos large size government managed to reverse all the economic mess created by President Mahamas supposedly small size, albeit incompetent government? There is no denying or hiding the fact that the country is in the throes of economic collapse due to the previous governments economic mismanagement and the numerous scandalous corruptions. Indeed, there is an unobjectionable evidence of gargantuan bribery and corruption cases, including monies that were given to individuals who did not render any services towards the national development. Apparently, the rot in the erstwhile NDC government was so pervasive that even the diehard supporters threatened to boycott the 2016 general election. I recall my long-term friend who had seen enough of the mess in his beloved NDC government decided to walk out of the NDC Party. My pal contended that he had been defending and promoting the partys much touted ethos of probity and accountability for well over twenty three years, but lost the zeal to continue, as the sleaze and corruption in President Mahamas government reached immeasurable proportions. My friend however maintained that the straw that broke the camels back was when President Mahama unjustifiably gave Madam Akua Donkor of Ghana Freedom Party (GFP) two four wheel drive cars and a luxury bungalow (estimated to cost a staggering $470,000)for no work done. Apparently, my mates beef stemmed from the fact that he had worked his socks off all those years for the Party to enjoy power, meanwhile he had nothing to show for his efforts. My pal was thus flabbergasted that parasitic creatures like Madam Akua Donkor were needlessly being showered with all sorts of melodic gifts. Unsurprisingly, however, my friend demitted his role in the NDC party prior to the 2016 election and confided in me that he was not even going to travel to his polling station on the voting day. In fact, he did not see the urgent need to vote for NDC and President Mahama. My pal was indeed distraught about Mahamas handling of the economy and his maladaptive laissez faire leadership. Indeed, a large portion of the countrys resources went down the drain due to irrevocable mismanagement and the wanton sleaze and corruptions perpetrated by the officials of the erstwhile administration. The erstwhile NDC government even managed to allocate judgement debt amount in the national budget (around GH600 million). Somewhere in 2010, it was reported that the late Mills warned some officials in his government not to effect payment to Woyome. Yet the conspiratorial plotters defied the good old Mills orders and doled out a staggering amount to Wayome, who had no contract with the government of Ghana. Subsequently, in July 2014, the Supreme Court of Ghana ordered Businessman Mr Alfred Woyome to pay back to the state a Gh 51.2million dubious judgment debt paid him between 2009 and 2010. The Supreme Courts ruling was as a result of a review of the court's earlier decision sought by former Attorney General Martin Amidu, who maintained that Woyome, like international firms, Waterville and Isofoton, had no valid contract to be paid any amount by the state in judgment debt. The Supreme Court also ruled that Isofoton S.A. and Waterville Holdings BVI, must also refund the dubious judgement debt payments made to them by the erstwhile NDC government. According to the highest Court of the land, Waterville Holdings BVI, which was allegedly involved in the construction of some stadia in Ghana, ahead of the hosting of the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations, was wrongfully paid 25 million and thus must refund the money. While the Court ordered Isofoton S.A. US$325,472 it received as judgment debt from the Government of Ghana. Unfortunately, none of those monies were retrieved by the erstwhile NDC government, despite the Supreme Courts ruling. We cannot also leave out the scandalous corruption cases involving GYEEDA, AZONTABA, SADA, SUBAH, the purported $250million debt incurred on the faded STS housing deal, the dubious Embraer 190 Aircrafts and hanger for the Ghana Armed Forces and over a US$100 million oil revenue loss between 2011 and 2013 as reported by the Public Interest& Accountability Committee headed by Major Daniel Ablorh Quarcoon (rtd.). The Progressive Nationalist Forum (PNF)however estimates that monies lost to corrupt and dubious transactions under the presidency of John Dramani Mahama amounted to GHC5billion. Apparently, the total of my calculations in respect of all the recorded corrupt and dubious transactions exceeds that of the PNF, but I shall use the PNFs figure of GH5billion in my analysis. Substantive and deputy ministers salaries A cabinet minister who is a Member of Parliament (MP) will now receive GH16,423 while a cabinet minister, who is not an MP, will collect GH16,195. A minister of state who is an MP will now receive GH15,967 while a minister of state who is not an MP will go home with GH15,739. Regional ministers who are MPs will take home GH15,967 while those who are not MPs will have GH15,511. Deputy ministers who are MPs will collect GH14,876 while those who are not MPs will receive GH14,369. Deputy regional ministers who are MPs will take home GH14,369 while those who are not MPs will be given GH14,142 (Source: Daily guide, 2016). Based on the above figures, the average salary per minister is a little over GH15, 300. If you multiply the average salary by 110 ministers by 12 months will give us a total sum of a little above GH20 million (representing total annual salary). For argument sake, I shall increase the total annual salary figure to GH25 million over the four years and that should give us GH100 million (four years salary figure). This is no attempt to justify the appointment of 110 ministers, but let us please be honest, if a few individuals could conspire and embezzle over GH5 billion over eight years, then the four years wage bill of GH100 million, is a peanut in my humble opinion. In sum, despite the fact that the critics hold the preponderance of the argument about 110 ministers, I, for one, would have preferred that the hardworking men and women receive deserving remunerations than a few conspiratorial plotters squandering our resources through create, loot and share. K. Badu, UK. References: www.ghanaweb.com/.../Mahama-must-sack-AG-for-failing-to-retrieve-dubious-judg ... https://www.newsghana.com.gh News Politics www.ghanaweb.com/.../Impeach-Mahama-over-GYEEDA-SUBAH-scandals-Group-2... dailyguideafrica.com/article-71-holders-set-10-pay-rise-2017/ The Afigya Kwabre South Constituency Chairman of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), Odeneho Kwaku Appiah has observed that the appointment of 110 ministers by the President, His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwah Akufo Addo, is an emergency step towards finding immediate antidote to the country's sick economy. To him, Ghanaians need to be content should the President even increase the number of ministers and deputy ministers all in the name of helping rescue the "tattered economy". Speaking in an interview, Mr Kwaku Appiah noted the President Akufo-Addo and his NPP had since January 7, 2017 inherited from the National Democratic Congress (NDC) government "diseased economy". He said the diseased economy needed emergency attention and that panacea called for more hands to be on deck with the gates of the Akufo-Addo led administration. He said the President who had been Presidential Candidate of the NPP in 2008, 2012 and 2016 presidential elections had on sevetal campaign platforms, promised the people of Ghana he would cause the wheels of fortunes turning if voted as President. He however, said having really won the election and sworn into office as President it would need patient Ghanaians to allow him (President Akufo-Addo) devise strategies to deliver on his promised hopes for the country. He expressed belief that appointment of 110 ministers and deputy ministers was one of the strategies enabling the ruling NPP government to be able to perform to expectation. "Nana Akufo-Addo has promised Ghanaians of hopes to the hopless economy and I would urge every Ghanaian to exercise some patience as he delivers on his promises. So let us not heckle or destructively criticise him on the appointment of his 110 Ministers. He and his team have more to rescue Ghanaians from their state of despair", he stated. He urged all ministersorts and others appointed by the President to remain focused and help the President deliver to the people. Lionel Messi scored a pair of goals to help Barcelona secure a 4-2 victory over 10-man Valencia at the Camp Nou on Sunday. The win sees Luis Enrique's men tighten their grip on second place in La Liga, where they are two points behind leaders Real Madrid, who still have a game in hand. Eliaquim Mangala opened the scoring just before the half-hour mark for the visitors, before Luis Suarez equalised from a throw-in six minutes later. Messi converted from the spot after Mangala was sent off for a foul in the penalty box on 45 minutes, only to be answered by Barca academy product Munir El Haddadi seconds later. But Barca would not be denied, and Messi collected his second seven minutes after the break -- the Argentina man receiving an Andres Iniesta pass on the right, beating a defender and sliding his shot past Valencia keeper Diego Alves from an angle. Barcelona then sealed the victory just before the final whistle -- Neymar crossing for substitute Andre Gomes to tap in from close range. The Pong Tamale Senior High School (PONTASS) in the Savulugu Municipality of the Northern region on Saturday March18, 2017 celebrated its 25 years of existence as a community secondary school. The school which was established in 1991 with only18 students and the aim of producing students to feed the Pong Tamale Vetenary College can now boast of 700 to 800 student population. Speaking on behalf of the vice president, the guest of honor and Northern regional minister, salifu Saeed lauded the theme for the celebration 25 years of Community Based Senior High School: Prospects, Challenges and the Way Forward as it offers opportunity for introspection into the challenges and successes of the school since its inception in 1991. Mr. Chairman, the theme for the 25th Anniversary Celebration 25 years of Community Based Senior High School: Prospects, Challenges and the Way forward is phenomenally appropriate. It offers us the opportunity for introspection; looking within, to identify our challenges and successes and to make the relevant adjustments for a thriving future he said Mr. Chairman, it is my firm belief that most of us are here today because we are conscious that education has the lasting potential for making our lives better and that through quality education we can empower our people and transform our communities and our nation as a whole. No wonder, Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President of the United States of America stated that the philosophy of the school room in one generation will be the philosophy of government in the next generation". It is for this reason that we must explore various ways to making quality education more accessible and affordable he added. Honorable Saeed also used the occasion to call for an increase in girl-child enrolment in the various schools to help achieve gender parity in the country. Mr. Chairman, I am informed that there has been remarkable improvement in girls enrolment. Gender Parity Index (GPI) has since 2009/2010 academic year increased. As the numbers enrolled have increased over the years, the number of girls enrolled in the school has shot up significantly. Despite the improvement in the enrolment of girls, it is still difficult for most girls to proceed to the tertiary level from high schools. It behooves us all to make room for the enrolment of more girls and to make the school more productive for them He also reiterated the commitment of the president, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufu Addo and vice, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumiya to provide free secondary education to all children in public schools in the country. Mr. Chairman, it is line with this that the Government of the NPP has recognized the critical role of education in nation development, and therefore has introduced the free Senior High School policy. The free SHS policy will start in the 2017/2018 academic year. As a party in Government we have made firm commitment to this policy. We will also be better off if more investments were made in training and to incentivize high school teachers. This will ensure that the various subjects have adequately motivated teachers to teach Mr. Saeed added. Mr. Salifu Saeed also assured the Pong-Tamale senior high school government support to help improve teaching and learning in the school. Mr. Chairman I wish to assure you that the Government shall not renege in providing the requisite support to the school. I am confident that with more support from all stakeholders, commitment from the teachers to set their goals on producing the best students and a solid resolve from all the students to perform, the Pong-Tamale Senior High School will be the bastion of community based secondary education in Ghana. In her welcome address, the headmistress of the school, Mrs Magaret Alasima Gbande said after 25 years of existence, the school still faces lots of challenges. According to her, the Pong Tamale Senior High School lacks infrastructure and other social amenities such as water, stable electricity and transportation. Mr. Chairman, I am not lamenting, because the occasion to celebrate the 25 should be successes rather than the challenges. However, it is also good to make mention our needs to the family as we seek help from the government and other philanthropist. After 25 years, the good intention of government to give the school a standard dining hall is yet to be realized. In it is short yet to be completed. Accommodation for both staff and teachers is still remaining a big challenge she said The school according to Mrs Magaret Alasima Gbande faces acute water supply and frequent power outage affecting teaching and learning. Mr. Chairman, our school is fortunate to be a beneficiary of the national electricity grid and the Pong Tamale water supply, yet we face acute water shortage from the month of March to August each year. Our students are often seen carrying the yellow gallons searching for water she explained. She however noted that, despite all the challenges facing the school, the school since its establishment has choked some successes necessary for celebration. As it is always known, the joy of child-birth starts with labor, it is therefore worth for us to be together today after 25 years of labor and joy to publicly make ourselves know to the country and the whole world at large she stated. Mr. Chairman, we are not currently in the best situation as far as infrastructure and other facilities are concerned. But that should not over shadow our successes of celebration. I am proud to say that, one can get an old boy or girl of this humble institution in almost all the labor front of this country. We have never in a minute try to give up as far as our national and educational goals are concerned she added On academics, Mrs Magaret Alasima Gbande said students performance of the school in the West African Senior School certificate examination (WASSCE) has seen improvement. According to her, the Pong Tamale Senior High School has moved out from the association of law performing schools in the country. 2017-03-19 224312 2017-03-19 224326 2017-03-19 224340 2017-03-19 224353 Kumasi Tafo: Asanteman Council of North America l (ACONA) has adopted the Internet Technology Center (ICT) being constructed at the multi purpose community Center by Tafohene , his sub chiefs, and the elders of Tafo Traditional Council at Tafo a suburb of Kumasi To mark the occasion Nana Tafo hene , his sub chiefs and elders as well as some prominent members of the community staged a colorful durbar for the vising representatives of Asanteman Council of North America ( ACONA) led by Dr Agyenim Boateng a former Deputy Attorney General of Kentucky. Accompanying him was Nana Akua Adutwumwaa a queen mother of Asanteman Association of Greater Cincinnati Ohio In his introductory speech Dr. Agyenim Boateng who has been one of the architects of AOCNAs formation briefly traced its history to the visit of Otomfuo Oopku Ware 11 to New York City in 1982 wherein he urged Asante residents of New York and USA to organize themselves , teach their children the Asante cultural values and history and mobilize resources to help in the development of Asanteman. Following this advise, many Asanteman Associations were formed throughout the years in many cities in USA and Canada. At the apex of these organization is the Asanteman Association of North America which had provided various funds , among other, to Otumfuo Educational Fund, Manhyia Museum in Kumasi, various medical equipments to hospitals in Asante and Kumasi, water bore holes and many other charities. At present there are about nine Asanteman Associations that have pledged to help to sustain the ICT Center. Among them are Asanteman Association of Toronto, Asanteman Association of Chicago, Asanteman Association of Tennesee,Asanteman ,Assciation of North Carolina , Asanteman of Columbus, and Asanteman Association of Worcester, Asanteman Association of Texas and Asanteman Association of Greater Cincinnati. Thus the motivation to contribute funds for the building of the ICT was in furtherance of Otumfuo Opoku Wares vision to develop Asanteman. Dr. Boateng emphasized. He concluded by noting that It is gratifying to note that Otumfuo Osed Tutu 11 has also given his blessings to ACONA since he ascended Golden Stool! Dr Boateng presented an amount of over 40 million Ghana Cedis to Nana Tafohenee to complete the sight for the ICT Center and pledged that the ACONA would provide additional assistance in terms of computers and other accessories once the building is finished ., Nana Tafohene in accepting the donation thanked ACONA profusely for their thoughtfulness and generosity in making such a generous offer and also promising to provide the necessary equipment for the ICT Center, He encouraged other diasporan associations and Tafo diasporans to play their role in the social and economic development of Tafo and Asanteman, The children are our or future Nana said, but it all depends on how we prepare our children for such future. He believes the CIT Center would be such an incubator for such preparation. The colorful ceremony came to an end when Nana graciously conducted a personal tour for the visitors to view the multi complex building he and his elders are construction for Tafo community. It includes the multi purpose places for hosting funeral and social programs which can seat more than 500 people, Also included are place for restaurants, library , guest houses, pharmacy and bank. The court observed that the discrimination between officers and airmen for grant of study leave was "totally discriminatory and violation of the article 14 of the Indian constitution". By Ajit Kumar Dubey: The Indian Air Force has come under heavy criticism for denying study leave to a corporal-rank airman on the grounds that only officers were entitled to such a privilege. The airman had sought the leave for pursuing M Tech from IIT Dhanbad after topping the entrance exams. The incident comes to light at a time when the armed forces are facing issues of strained relations between officer and soldier amid a growing demand for change in the archaic British-era rules and ensure equal benefits for officers and jawans. advertisement Taking a strong view against the "discriminatory policy", the Delhi High Court in its February 20 order reprimanded the air force and asked it to frame fair rules for both officers and men. A corporal is designated as non-commissioned personnel in IAF. "Don't deny them equality by refusing them leave to pursue higher studies only on the grounds of rank and status," the bench headed by Justice Indira Bannerjee said in the order. Ankur Chhibber, the counsel for corporal BK Verma, told Mail Today that Verma had sought permission for pursuing his M Tech from IIT Dhanbad, after appearing for the graduate aptitude test in engineering exam with permission from Air Force authorities. DIFFICULT TO APPRECIATE RATIONALE: DELHI HC "However, that was rejected by Air Force on grounds that there was no provision for sending air force jawans on study leave and this was allowed only for officers," Chhibber said. The IAF grants leave of maximum 28 months to its officers who have completed 15 years of service for pursuing courses in institutions which are approved and certified by it and the knowledge gained from them can be utilised by the service. Aggrieved by the decision of the senior authorities despite recommendation by several of his officers to allow him to proceed for the course, Verma approached the Delhi High Court. Verma's counsel said the airman was a meritorious student and had completed his B Tech degree while carrying out his duties as a soldier in the force and had secured a gold medal in his B Tech course which was quite an achievement. The Delhi High Court bench took a favourable view of the petition observing that the Air Force should appreciate the intellect and erudition of the soldier and encourage him by giving him opportunity to enhance his knowledge skills. The court stated that it is very difficult to appreciate the rationale behind differentiation between officer and airmen in the matter of granting study leave. "It is, in our view, preposterous to assume that only officers would have aspirations of improving their knowledge and educational qualifications, and not the airmen," the two-member bench said. The court observed that the discrimination between officers and airmen for grant of study leave was "totally discriminatory and violation of the article 14 of the Indian constitution". advertisement Setting aside the Air Force order to deny study leave to the soldier, the High Court ordered it to frame "non-discriminatory leave rules and reconsider the application of the soldier for study leave in light of the observations made (by the court)." Verma, according to his lawyer, has going through his first semester in Dhanbad as he was granted interim relief by the court. The Air Force is now considering whether it should go against the court order in the Supreme Court or not. Generally, Air Force is considered to be more lenient than the Navy and Army while dealing with its men. Also read: IAF man hacks colleague to death in Punjab, chops his body, stuffs it in 16 polythene bags Also read: Petty theft lands IAF officer in trouble, gets court-martialled for stealing wallet worth Rs 531 Also read: IAF's Sukhoi crashes in Rajasthan's Barmer, pilots eject safely --- ENDS --- New York, 18 March 2017 (SPS) President of Republic, Secretary-General of the Polisario Front, Brahim Ghali, met Saturday in New York with United Nations Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres. After the meeting of the two sides in private, the talks expanded to include the Saharawi and UN General Secretariat delegations, where they discussed the overall developments related to the efforts of the United Nations to resolve the Saharawi-Moroccan conflict, and the means to speed-up the UN and AU settlement plan to organize a referendum of self-determination of the Saharawi people. The Representative of the Polisario Front to the United Nations, Bukhari Ahmed, considered that the meeting was frank and constructive and allowed to examine the current developments and prospects of joint future work to complete the decolonization of Western Sahara, the last colony in Africa. The meeting was attended on the Sahrawi side by Coordinator with MINURSO, Emhamed Khaddad, Representative of the Polisario Front to the United Nations, Bukhari Ahmed, Representative of the Polisario Front in Washington, Muloud Saeed, Counselor to the Presidency Abdati Breika. It was attended on the UN side by Jeffrey Feltman, the United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs, Christopher Ross, the Personal Envoy of the UN Secretary-General to the Western Sahara, and Maria Luisa, director of the Office of the UN Secretary-General (SPS) The members of the Double-Road NPP Youth Wing in Tamale wishes to extend a warm welcome to Hon Iddrisu Musah as the Metropolitan Chief Executive of Tamale. We have heard many glowing reports of your works at the inner circles. Congratulation on your appointment. We are confident that your influence will continue to encourage our proud tradition of involvement in worthwhile political endeavors. We have no doubt that in the fact that H.E Nana Addo has recognized your hard work, commitment, selflessness and your dedication to the goodwill to serve the people of Tamale and Ghana at large. We want to also render our invaluable appreciation to the President His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akuffo Addo for putting his trust and believing in us; the people of Tamale and appointing one of our illustrious son Hon. Iddrisu Musah Superior as the Tamale Metropolitan Assembly Chief Executive Officer. As we wait unsciouly for your approval and confirmation by the General Assembly of Tamale Metropolitan Assembly, we will like to create your awareness that in the discharge of your official duties there will come challenges and successes as well. Indeed, it is a challenging responsibility but continue to be firm, honest and always stand for the truth and what is right as you have always done. We the DRNPPYW will like to humbly urge you to remember that, the entire metropolis is looking up to you, the unemployed and underprivileged youth are all looking up to you. Children are looking up to you, orphans are looking up to you, business women and men are looking up to you, your constituents are looking up to you and the entire regional team are looking up to you. We strongly believe in your can-do spirit and we would as a matter of fact reaffirm our unflinching support for you and to what whatever worthy course that you set out to achieve. Congratulation once again. Finally, we want to take this opportunity to equally congratulate the following proud sons and daughters of the North for being appointed ministers and nominated in the deputy ministerial positions awaiting approval. Hon. Hajia Alima Mahama Minister of Local Government and Rural Development Hon. Dominic Nitiwul Minister of Defence Hon. Otiko Djaba Afisa Gender, Children and Social Protection Hon. Ibrahim Awal Mohammed Minister of Business Development. Hon. Salifu Sa-eed Northern Regional Minister Deputy Ministers designate. Hon. Dr. Mohammed Amin Anta Deputy Ministry of Energy Hon. Mohammed Habib Tijani Deputy Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It is our prayer that the Deputy Ministers designate pass through the vetting process successfully without any reservation. The appointments of these high profiled people is not an honor due them alone but one to the entire region and the country as a whole. Signed: A.H Aziz ( DRNPPWY Secretary) 20.03.2017 LISTEN I find it necessary to respond to Rockson Adofos piece of 16 March 2017 (www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/Ghanaians-absurd-infatuation-with-spoken-English-518819) in order to give equal prominence to the rebuttal of his illogical postulations. A lot of valid points have been made as comments on his piece but I picked on one by Sika as a prop to write my rejoinder. I agree with Sika that those calling for Twi to be made the national language are indeed fools and mere ethnic supremacists. As such, they cannot recognise that Twi is not the mother tongue of the majority of Ghanaians, even though a majority of Ghanaians may be speaking it now. Fact is, they don't even know that the MAJORITY of Ghanaians ARE NOT AKANS! Akans altogether, with their various dialects, with even the Nzemas grouped among them, form the largest ethnic group in Ghana, now comprising about 47% of the population. It used to be 44% but due to the high birth rate or number of children per woman among them than other ethnic groups, their proportion of the population has been steadily increasing. Nevertheless, they dont constitute an absolute majority in the country as we constantly read or hear from many of them, including the supposedly highly educated who are the main culprits and purveyors of their ethnocentric agenda and claims. The mass of uneducated and less educated among them have no clues about such things anyway, and so dont their heads about such things. The same argument Adofo, who has distinguished himself as a bigot too, used to claim that even those foreigners who learn English fluently in England - presumably even those born and bred in the UK and speak only the English language - would never be recognised as English can be used against non-Akans learning to speak Twi too: theyd never be recognised as Akans. To many non-Akans, Twi is just as Greek to them as any other foreign language. They'd certainly prefer to have English, a world language, imposed on them than a parochial language like Twi which has been left stunted since the 1960s, just as other Ghanaians languages whites put into the written form. Ignorant as he is, he thinks that those who are English today have progeny dating back to posterity, completely failing to recognise that successive invasions from continental Europe, with William the Conqueror being the last, followed by immigrations over the centuries of other Europeans, have led to the English language and the people known as the English. That's why a lot of words in English have Latin, German and Norman/French roots. English today is as much a language created by foreigners mixing with Bretons just as many English people have foreign origins, their very royalty included. By the way, some African societies developed written languages long before the whites came. Ethiopia stands up tall amongst them. Amharic has been written for 1000s of years. I learned that their form of mathematics is behind the algorithms that form the basis of the computer language. The Nubian script, yet to be deciphered, is even older than the hieroglyphics of ancient Egypt. The ancient Congo Kingdom also had a form of written notations, just as a kingdom in the Cameroons. Having said that, when some point to those Asian countries and others as using their own languages, they seem to forget that they have had written languages for 1000s of years. Their languages continue to be developed through the active actions of their scholars, adding new words to cover new things. Over the years, one language, usually that of the supreme ruler, assumed dominance over others, just as Mandarin Chinese has done in China. They may speak officially and teach in schools in their languages but their political leaders are very highly educated people, often very fluent in English, French, Russian and Germans, some having studied abroad. In Ghana, it is only the illiterates, semi-illiterates and the poorly educated people who cannot speak good English. English is therefore a measure of how well a person is educated in Ghana. Laughing at people who dont speak it fluently is more so a look down upon the less educated, a practice in Ghana which has led to the failure to develop pidgin English as a common medium of communication just like in the other West African English-speaking countries. I consider this as rather unfortunate but it does not mean Ghanaians have an absurd infatuation for English, whereas it can be said more correctly that most Akans have such an absurd infatuation for Twi. In Nigeria, Liberia and Sierra Leone in particular, even those who did not have formal education learn to speak pidgin English fluently when they move to the big towns and cities. Official business is thus conducted strictly in English and practically all the relevant population understand. In Ghana, it has become common practice that government Ministers, public officials, TV and radio presenters speak in Twi at public events with even expatriates in the audience without the benefit of interpreters! This is what is absurd. Is it Twi they are going to use to make Ghana into the Gateway into West Africa, as we often hear top government officials proclaiming? The very poor level of English by even Ghanaian journalists does not put English in Ghana on a pedestal. A host of school leavers from some parts of the country, especially from the Akan areas, could hardly express themselves in English, leading to the Twinisation of Accra-Tema and the airwaves! I doubt if they can even read and write in Twi properly! I quite recollect an incidence during the Kufour regime period when Papa Ankomah paid his first official visit to the UK when he was appointed majority leader in Parliament. During an interview on one of the Ghanaian FM stations by one Space, he responded that hed like to answer a question in Fante in order to bring out the gist of the matter, a request which unsettled me. There was so much hype about the man. The whole interview soon turned into Twi. I tuned to my favourite Jazz station, instead of listening further to their kind. It is simply arrogant, crude and insensitive for government officials and TV and radio presenters at national functions to speak in Twi without the benefit of interpretation to non-Twi speakers. The crass, mediocre thinking that the uneducated can understand and run modern governance systems and institutions is behind allowing a stark illiterate like Akua Donkor to form a political party, with the delusion that she could be President of Ghana. Tweah! No wonder Ken Kuranchie came out of prison and blurted out that Ghanaians were not civilised! Modern governance is not for the unlettered and illiterates. Former Prime Minister Bathiar imposed Malay as the national language in Malaysia in order to give an advantage to his less educated fellow Malays over the dominant Chinese and Indian migrants. One of the actions he took before his retirement was to re-instate English as a national language and medium of instruction. The Chinese and Indians made sure their children acquired proficiency in English through private tuition or education in America, the UK, India, etc. Instead of their dominance reducing, it rather increased in many respects. They were becoming the partners to the foreign investors. Malay graduates struggle to express themselves in English, just as some who came to invest in Ghana. Others have therefore travelled that unfruitful path before in this increasingly competitive world and found it unworthy of continuing on it. We shall therefore not sit down and allow some uninformed and uneducated people to lead us down a blind alley. If researches done in other countries under different conditions show that children taught in their mother tongues perform better (I know all about this in Norway), does it mean that teaching Ewe, Ga, Gonja, Grunshie, Konkomba, etc. pupils in Twi will make them to perform better? And if the adoption of one language unites a people, why are the Congolese bumping each other off in millions; the Somalis indulging in brutal slaying of each other, and the Hutus and Tutsis of both Rwanda and Burundi committing genocide on each other since the 1950s? The minority Watutsis have even adopted the language of the majority Hutus. I recollect the story of the only two surviving speakers of a language in Mexico which was about to go extinct not on speaking terms with each other. Language, per se, doesnt unite or bring peace between people, or there wont be so much intra-family quarrels. In fact, we may observe negative correlation. Can that woman even read and write Twi so that she can read translated legislation in Twi? And some want interpreters to be employed for her, thus adding to the bloated cost of running Parliament. Look, it is a pure anomaly that she is in Parliament. It sends the wrong message to young people that one can drop out of school, as she did, and even become an MP in Ghana! We in the FTOS Campaign for the adoption of the Production Sharing Agreement formula for Ghanas upstream oil contracts have got Masters and PhD holders reading our articles and frankly confessing that they could NOT offer informed opinions because the field of oil contracts is not their areas of specialisation, and we have people defending this school drop-out as fit to be MP and calling for Twi to be imposed on Ghana in order to accommodate uneducated Akans in the governance system, as if the incompetence and mediocrity we have in the state institutions are not pervasive and damaging enough. Let them operate at the district level then, as I knew Akua Donkor was advised to continue doing but she was misled by some people interested in swindling her to go and form a party. As if that is not enough, some even robbed the poor, naive woman at gun point! We have had enough of this nonsense about adopting Twi as the official, national language in Ghana. It is ill-informed. We need an African language policy as one Prof. Prah suggested decades back but the discussion of that is beyond this rejoinder. Andy C. Y. Kwawukume [email protected] Former President John Mahama has extended his condolence to the bereaved families of students who lost their lives in Sundays ghastly accident at the Kintampo Waterfalls in the Brong Ahafo Region. At least 18 persons have been confirmed dead after a huge tree uphill descended unto the dozens of revelers swimming beneath the fall. The incident is the most catastrophic domestic tourism accident in Ghana in the last few years. The former President in a Facebook post, on Monday said I am keeping the families of the Kintampo falls victims in mind and praying for them. Please comfort their families and pray for them. Lets also ask the almighty God to heal the injured and receive the souls of the departed into his kingdom. In a separate post on Twitter, John Mahama described the incident as tragic, and called for emotional support for all the affected families. Very sad news of tragic deaths at the Kintampo waterfalls. Sincerest condolences to families of the victims, Mr. Mahama posted. Among those confirmed dead were students of Wenchi Senior High School and the University of Energy and Natural Resources (UENR). The Kintampo Divisional Commander, Chief Superintendent Desmond Owusu Boampong, told Citi News 17 bodies had been retrieved from the water. By: Jonas Nyabor/citifmonline.com/Ghana The lion does not turn around when small dogs bark African Proverb. It all started as a rumour in the media. I told myself that it was nothing but pure rumour. All the same, I prayed fervently that the rumour should not come to pass. I shuddered to imagine the reaction of the propagandists and how they would play on the keyboard of people's emotions to cause disaffection for the young government. My prayer was not answered as my worst fear came to pass. The story that the Elephant government was an obese one turned out to be fact, and not fiction. The report that 110 ministers were riding on the fat Elephant was true, after all! True to my fears, the propagandists have resorted to playing on the keyboard of people's emotions in order to cause mass disaffection for the ruling party. After the drubbing they received at the 2016 poll and the resultant shame, it is obvious that they are now clutching at straws hoping to resuscitate the dead trust the electorate have for them and their party. We wait to see if the straws would save them! Trust me when I say I do understand the genuine lamentations of civil society groups and individuals who have no political points to gain. Their complaints are well-founded so one cannot blame them for ranting. Indeed, no one can dispute the fact that the seeming chubby Elephant government under President Nana Akufo-Addo is the biggest under the Fourth (4th) Republic. But the truth also is that President Nana Akufo-Addo inherited a very bad economy; so he needs to use a radical approach in order to sanitize the situation. It would be foolhardy to expect him to use the same old strategy to achieve a different result. If the 110 ministers would help him actualize the FREE SHS, ONE VILLAGE-ONE DAM, ONE DISTRICT-ONE FACTORY, PLANTING FOR FOOD AND JOBS and other policies, then why don't we give him the benefit of the doubt? After all, he has four years to deliver on his promise, doesn't he? As I pondered over the raging debate on the apparent obese Elephant government, I couldn't help but wonder if the lamentations of the likes of Prof. Ransford Gyampo are really genuine and devoid of malice. I doubt if Prof. Gyampo and his ilk would reject a ministerial appointment from the President on the grounds that his government is bloated. Could it be that some of them are shouting their voices hoarse because their names were missing from the ministerial roll? It is just a question oo! Yes, the Elephant might look obese in comparison to other governments under the 4th Republic. But I still prefer an obese government that delivers to a lean government that disappoints. I prefer an obese government that would not inflate contracts to a lean government that engages in create, loot and share schemes. I prefer an obese government that abides strictly by the procurement act to a lean government that uses sole-sourcing to deplete state resources and line the pockets of its appointees. I laugh when I see unrepentant greedy bastards rejoice over genuine ranting against the apparent bloated Elephant. I laugh because they are exhibiting traits of jokers. They delude themselves into believing that engaging in cacophony of noises would restore their lost goodwill. I'm not an expert in political science but I can say without any fear of contradiction that nobody would vote for or against a government solely because of its number of ministers. What would influence the electorate include the fight against corruption, the management of the economy and its impact on the people's standard of living. Am I happy with the obese Elephant government? No, I'm not; but I'm not worried. I'm not worried because I know the end justifies the means. As the President himself said in an interview with GTV, the size of the Elephant wouldn't matter if it is able to deliver on its promise. As I watched the President during the said interview, I heaved a sigh and thanked the Bearded Old Man above for giving us a president who respects his compatriots. He clearly expressed his point of view with neither obvious nor implied insults. Indeed, I'm happy to have a president who has not been infected with the dead-goat syndrome. Yes, the Elephant looks bloated; but the fierce criticisms have come too early. I liken the hasty condemnation of the seeming obese Elephant to a man who experiences premature ejaculation while a beautiful damsel waits in vain to be satisfied. Obviously, such a bloke can never retain the love of the disappointed damsel. As for the 110 ministers and other government appointees, my unsolicited counsel to them is to make sure not to die and allow lurking vultures feast on their carcass. For they need not be reminded how hungry the vultures are. See you next week for another interesting konkonsa, Deo volente! President Nana Akufo-Addo is in a hurry. He said so himself when he was speaking to the nation through their representatives as a guest of Parliament. We have no cause to dispute his eagerness for a cruising speed, as he commences dealing with the promises he made to his compatriots. It was an election, which the usual rigging machinery was disabled and so it reflected the wishes of the people of this country. The polls were based on a proclivity by Ghanaians for a change, transformation which the then candidate Nana Akufo-Addo promised to deliver by all means; perhaps including the hiring of a high number of persons. For a man seeking to drive his country at a cruising speed towards the desired destination, especially after a socio-economic stagnation, we should expect unusual, no constitutional breaches anyway, approaches as evidenced by the many appointees in his government. We might find the number high but so are the expectations of the people of Ghana who after many years of standing-still would want to see the man they voted for turning all stones in his bid to hit the bull's eye. We plead with our compatriots to hold on as the man leading the pack deals with his political project. The success of this political project will in turn impact positively on the economic situation of the country. We know the various agenda the President seeks to prosecute, as we do his determination to prove his pessimist political opponents wrong. They have been busy and interestingly some members of his party too, querying the seeming high number of appointees but appearing to be oblivious to the enormity of the task ahead. Daunting tasks such as halting the downward spiral of governance, when those responsible for the mess pretend all was well, demand measures seemingly outlandish. Let us tighten our seat belts for a cruising speed. Those who have been appointed must appreciate the gargantuan expectations of Ghanaians and the appointing authority represented by the President. He does not cut out like a person ready to countenance the indolence, which can drag the image of a government in the mud and provide fodder for an opposition starving for such opportunities. The President looks like a man who would not mind dealing a decisive sanction on whosoever is culpable of such indolence and spot the blemishes which pushed the former ruling party to the other side of the political divide. Appointees should have noticed the heat generated by the President's decision on the numbers and must gear themselves for the massive transformation promised Ghanaians. Sincerity, candour and exceptional inter-personal relationship devoid of hubris and flamboyance should be part of the cornerstone of serving the people of Ghana under the current order. Our compatriots, Ghanaians, have showed more than ever before that they would not brook hubris from government appointees. They explicitly expressed this during the last elections, items that appointees should bear in mind by maintaining open-door policies while concentrating on their schedules to meet the targets of the President. The clock did not stop ticking since the last election and would not do so today for any reason. Let them be conscious of this fact by being on top of their jobs, because Ghanaians would not take any excuse for non-performance and failure. President Nana Akufo-Addo's sledgehammer will strike when it will. Let them beware the reshuffle and be wise, lest they fall. Personnel from the Ghana Fire Service in a rescue mission and some of the recovered bodies Twenty students were killed yesterday when a huge tree fell on them at the Kintampo Waterfall in the Brong-Ahafo Region as they swam at the location, with about 30 others injured in the bizarre afternoon tragedy. A heavy storm was said to have uprooted a huge tree on top of the waterfall which came crashing down, landing on tourists, including the students. According to the District Fire Commander, ADO1 Adu Kumi, doubling also as the Acting Municipal Fire Service Commander for Kintampo who spoke to DAILY GUIDE from the town, the accident occurred at about 3.30 pm. He said his station was alerted about the accident and they quickly responded. When we reached the place we saw the tree on the students. We learnt that they are students of the Wenchi Senior High School who were on excursion of various places, he asserted. According to him, the excursion commenced with a trip to the Bole National Park from where they proceeded to the famous Paga Crocodile Pond. After their sightseeing activities at the two places, the students came to the Kintampo Waterfall where they met their fate. At about 3.30 pm, the Acting Municipal Fire Service Commander for Kintampo said as the students were swimming in the water body there was a massive windstorm which uprooted one of the huge trees at the site. The tree fell on the students as they swam, we were told, when we got to the waterfall he said. Continuing he said, We cannot confirm deaths but the number of students who died stood at 20 at the time the tree fell on them. Giving the gender of the deceased, he said, Six of the dead were females and 14 males. Of the eleven injured, nine are males and two females. The mortal remains of the dead have been transferred to the Kintampo Hospital for preservation and autopsy as the injured are being managed at the same facility. The Kintampo Waterfall is an important tourist attraction in a town, regarded as equidistant from Accra and the uppermost part of the country, and is visited by many tourists throughout the year. The Waterfall is located on the Pumpum River, a tributary of the Black Volta, about 4 kilometres north of the Kintampo municipality, along the Kumasi-Tamale road. By A.R. Gomda Nigeria has the highest rate of sickle cell anemia in the world Nigerian Bujola Bolarinwa suggests show on potential cure for Al Jazeera; appears via Skype Bone marrow transplant cure exists but not available or affordable for most Nigerians Experimental gene therapy looks promising but unlikely to be available or affordable for most Nigerians in the near future Even drugs like Hydroxyurea too expensive for many Nigerians Newborn screening needed in Nigeria Nigeria has the highest rate of sickle cell in the world, Bujola Bolarinwa, president of the Sickle Cell Aid Foundation in Abuja, told Al Jazeera last week. You have millions of people living with sickle cell, hundreds of thousands of births every year, way more than HIV, way more than cancer and a lot of other diseases that get way more funds Sickle cell doesnt get enough publicity. Bolarinwa was appearing on The Stream on Al Jazeera, after suggesting the talk show explore an experimental gene therapy that is offering hope to those who suffer from sickle cell anemia, an inherited condition that can cause crippling pain and shortened lifespans. A French teenager with the genetic condition achieved complete clinical remission after researchers in Paris injected his stem cells with an anti-sickling gene from his own bone marrow. So far it seems to be working for the teen. Fifteen months since his last treatment, the patient is no longer dependent on medication and his blood cells show no sign of the disease. When this news came out, it was in most major news outlets but there wasnt any way for us to ask questions, Bolarinwa told The Streams host, Femi Oke, a former Nigerian media personality of the year. I work with a lot of people that live with sickle cell disease and they all came to me and said, What does this new breakthrough mean for us? How soon is it going to be applicable?... Can we call this a cure? I wasnt able to get answers to those questions. On The Stream, Jamie Wells, director of Medicine, American Council on Science and Health, and Julie Kanter, director of Sickle Cell research at University of Southern Carolina, had the answers Bolarinwa had been waiting for, but probably not the ones shed hoped for. Wells called for cautious optimism as more patients and more time were needed to monitor the long-term efficacy of the treatment. She also warned that the treatment was a long, involved process, with risks, so is typically reserved for the most severe cases at this early trial phase. Kanter added, It is right now not available for mass production and it is expensive My goal one day somehow is that, when you know youre going to have a baby with sickle cell disease, we can take the cord blood from that baby and insert the gene into the cord blood and give that doctored cord blood back before the first year of life. But were not there yet. Kanter suggested the focus in Nigeria for now should rather be to have newborn screenings. Because the most important thing we can do first is start patients on penicillin. Penicillin is not expensive; the problem is diagnosing kids right away at birth and getting them the help they need. There is already a cure for sickle cell disease: bone marrow transplants. But even for those Nigerians who find a matching donor, this remains out of reach due to the costs involved, according to Bolarinwa. Things like stem cell transplants are completely out of it because you have to travel to India and other countries for them to do it; its not really available here, she says. A lot of the therapies are great; theyre good news. But if the people who need it the most cant afford it, it really seems like just another far-fetched thing. She says that many Nigerians cant even afford Hydroxyurea, a drug given to most children who live with sickle cell in the USA. I take it and its really improved my life but a lot of people in Nigeria cant afford it, she says. Kanter admitted pricing was a huge problem. Because where are most babies born with sickle cell disease? In Sub-Saharan Africa and in Nigeria. Among other topics, The Stream also discussed the misconception that sickle cell anemia is a black disease; the reasons for the lack of awareness around it, even within the medical community; the stigmas associated with the disease; and the odds of having a child with sickle cell if you carry the trait. Watch the full episode below Atheism is now an incorporated belief in Nigeria. The news, coming out of Africas most populous nation, says that the countrys Corporate Affairs Commission has, at last, issues a certificate to the Atheist Society of Nigeria (ASN). The person who announced the registration for the first legal atheist (by official name, not the mission) organisation on Facebook used the phrase AND BOOM!!! which clearly indicated a pleasant shock and surprise. It was indeed a milestone, a longstanding process that many imagined would never be finalised. A Nigerian atheist, on hearing this new, posted a comment on Facebook stating that he never expected that the group would be incorporated in his lifetime. He wasnt in shock, of course, because there was something wrong with the application. Rather, he was in shock because of the intolerance that is often displayed bty state officers and their religious allies. There have been long-held concerns regarding the entrenched bias and negative perception of atheism in the country. Previous attempts to register a non-religious outfit, the Nigerian Humanist Movement, had been unsuccessful. The state agency in charge of incorporating associations rejected the application several times without stating any reason for doing so. So, how and why did this happen? Atheist Societys certification of incorporation First, it is important to note that organised atheism is a recent phenomenon, although atheistic belief is not. There has been an erroneous notion that there are no atheists in Nigeria. That is patently untrue. Atheists exist in Nigeria. They may not be as organised and vocal as their counterparts in other parts of the world, but atheists are found everywhere among the old and the young, in our schools and colleges, even in our churches and mosques. In recent years, there has been an increasing visibility of Nigerian atheists, especially on the Internet. But there has always been people in Nigeria who disbelieved in God or who had serious doubts about Gods existence. There has always been atheists, anti-theists and apatheists in the country. The problem has been that non-theists in Nigeria have had to contend with living in communities where people often assume that everyone should be religious or should believe in God. This is evident in the names that Nigerians bear and the way these names are used to place people in various religious and theistic boxes that sometimes they do not belong. For instance, people who are identified as James, Doris or Callistus are automatically assumed to be Christians. Nobody bothers to inquire from these persons if they believed in the father figure in the sky. Not only that, those who bear names such as Muhammed, Maryam, Musa, Aminat or Mubarak are automatically believed to be Muslims. It is taken for granted that they subscribe to the notion that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is his messenger. Attempts are seldom made to find out if their names were indicative of their cultural background, not their religious belief. Nigerians are compelled to take part in god affirming ceremonies, rituals and activities. Non-theists live in societies where atheists are constantly vilified, and atheism is perceived as evil and immoral. Godlessness is treated as a social and political taboo. Rejecting belief in god or expressing hostility towards such a notion is seriously frowned at. So Nigerians are brought up to think that there is no worthy alternative to theism or to religion. People are made to profess belief in God or to engage in godly activities; whether they believe or not. Believing in God is not a matter of choice but a matter of force. Religion is not an option, but a compulsion. There is practically no space for atheism, for the godless, the god-free, or god-indifferent to be. There is no recognition of the right to freely express doubts and disbelief in God. Theism is ubiquitous and comes in different shapes and sizes. In families, parents bring up their children to be religious and to worship their own God. Parents teach their children to pray to their own God, to attend their own churches and mosques and to present themselves as their own god-fearing kids. Even if parents slack in bringing up their children to fear God, schools provide the theistic missing links. Children are sent to actual or quasi-faith schools and colleges where religious indoctrination, not critical liberal education, is the norm. Most Nigerians grow up, socialise, vote and even marry along religious and theistic lines. They detest atheism, and to disrespect and discriminate against atheists. People perceive atheists as fools, as persons without morals or as devil worshippers and as enemies of God or Allah. This negative perception has hampered the cause of atheism and freethought in the country. This mistaken idea about godlessness is a critical factor in the way atheists are perceived and treated in the country, and also how atheists themselves negotiate spaces. Atheism has until recently been invisible because many atheists in Nigeria are afraid of coming out of the closet with their nontheistic or anti-theistic beliefs. Atheists in the Christian dominated southern Nigeria could be ostracised by families or be sanctioned by the authorities at faith schools. They could be scapegoated for the sufferings in their communities. Atheists could also lose their jobs or be refused employment; they have virtually no chances of being elected into public office. In Muslim dominated Northern Nigeria where sharia law is being implemented, people who openly express their atheism could be imprisoned or executed. Islam and politics mix in ways that leave no dignified space for apostates, infidels and blasphemers to be, to live and express themselves. So atheists are forced to pretend to be Allah worshippers. Atheists are coerced into presenting themselves as Muslims when in actual fact they are not. The implication is that the religious statistics in Nigeria has been highly misleading because many Nigerians who are officially identified as Muslims or Christians are, in fact, atheists or agnostics. Looking Ahead So, the incorporation of the Atheist Society of Nigeria is a welcome development and a signal for hope, freedom and positive change. This promised change is evident in two of the organisations objectives. First, To provide a voice for freethinking individuals and societies in Nigeria, and then to promote rational, critical and scientific thinking. The atheist society is set to provide a counter-narrative to pervasive theism, mysticism and supernaturalism, and to help fast-track an intellectual awakening in the country. The registration of this society will provide a strong voice to nontheistic Nigerians. It will give atheists a legal platform to campaign against superstition and religious extremism. It will also provide them a legal platform to promote the human rights of non-theists and ensure equality for all persons before the law despite their belief in God or lack thereof. The incorporation of atheism will further help correct the long-held notion that there are no atheists in Nigeria, and that the country is populated by theists-Christians, Muslims, and traditionalists. In fact, the registration of this atheist society will embolden more non-theistic people across the country to come out of their closet and facilitate a significant shift in the bloated religious/theistic demography of Nigeria. A Nigerian atheist hinted at this benefit in a comment that was posted on Facebook. He said, I know that we are much more numerous than statistics show. Our numbers would swell if it werent for agnostics and atheists living in fear for their jobs and lives and fear of being abandoned by their friends and family. Hopefully, the registration of the atheist society will turn this fear into courage and commitment. Hopefully the registration will engender a newfangled respect for the humanity of non-theists and the enhancement of the visibility of non-believers and atheists in Nigeria and beyond. Four persons, including a Malian national, who terrorise residents of Tema and its surrounding communities, have been arrested in a robbery operation at New Dawhenya in the Ningo-Prampram District of Accra on Friday. The culprits are Awudu Zakaria, alias Wadudu, a 24-year-old butcher who resides at Old Tulaku, and Bismark Owusu, alias Nero, 28, a photographer who lives at Lebanon Zone 2 in Ashaiman. The names of the rest were given as Emmanuel Amannor Tetteh, a 20-year-old driver's mate who resides at Community 22, and Mohammed Eliasu, a 24-year-old unemployed Malian who recently relocated to Zongo-Lakka in Ashaiman. The suspects who were wielding a pump action gun and other offensive weapons were said to have succeeded in robbing a residence at New Dawhenya at dawn, but they were rounded up in the act by a police patrol team upon a tip-off. They were said to have attacked the residence of a businessman and robbed the household of an amount of GH40, 000, four mobile phones, 11 wrist watches, wedding rings, among others. However, police retrieved from the robbers items such as an amount of GH18, 000, three wrist watches, three BBB live ammunitions, an axe, a torchlight, a jackknife, wrappers of dried leaves suspected to be Indian hemps, screw drivers, five mobile phones and a bunch of car keys. Briefing pressmen, Assistant Superintendent Police (ASP) Juliana Obeng, PRO of the Tema Regional Police Command, disclosed that at about 1:30 am Thursday, March 17, 2017, the suspects scaled over a fence wall and broke the main door of the house with a cement block to attack the occupants. According to her, a police patrol team responded to a distress call from an informant about the armed robbery incident. She mentioned that the immediate response from the patrol team led to the arrest of three suspects in the act, but one of them managed to escape with the booty and the weapons used for the operation. ASP Obeng said further that the fourth suspect, Emmanuel Amannor, who escaped with the booty and the weapons, was later arrested at his hideout at Ashaiman. She said the suspects are in police custody assisting with investigations before prosecution at the law court. From Vincent Kubi, Tema By Manjeet Sehgal: Two days after Captain Amrinder Singh's cabinet decided to do away with the red-beacons in Punjab, a reality check done by India Today on Monday revealed that ending the VIP culture by mere removing the beacons from the official vehicles may not be a solution. A visit to the parking lot of Punjab government secretariat revealed that Chief Secretary Karan Avtar Singh himself came in a beacon-fitted official vehicle. His driver tried to remove the beacon when our camera was recording visuals. advertisement "Abhi notification nahi aayi hai hame pata nahi (we have not received the notification yet)," the driver said and then removed the beacon from the vehicle. However, chief secretary's official flag remained fixed on the vehicle. Besides the chief secretary, state's power minister Rana Gurjit Singh has already announced that he will continue to use the red beacon despite the restrictions. Meanwhile, red and blue beacons fitted on hundreds of official vehicles in various parts of Punjab were removed hours after the new state government decided to do away with the symbol of VIP culture. Besides the public representatives like MLAs, chairmen of Zila Parishads, MPs, officers including secretaries, deputy commissioners and senior police officers besides the members of religious institutions like the Shiromani Gurudwara Prabanchak Committee (SGPC) will not be allowed to use red and blue beacons on their vehicles. However, the state government has not made it clear whether the district and High Court judges will be exempted from using the beacon-fitted vehicles or not. When questioned, state's Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal said: "Using red or any type of beacon on any vehicle will be a crime in the state now. Any vehicle owner entering Punjab will have to remove the beacon failing which his vehicle can be impounded with imposition of fine. The minister gave the statement before the cabinet decision. The decision will be enforced in letter and spirit". However, when questioned Badal left the decision on the judiciary and said it will be upto them whether to follow the state government or not. The opposition believes that the red beacons are just a symbol of VIP culture and mere removing the beacons will not be a solution to end this culture. What is required is to stop the VIPs from misusing the powers and the VIP treatment which is given to the VIPs and their relatives. "Removing beacons will just have a cosmetic effect on the VIP culture which is an inseparable part of the political and bureaucratic societies. VIPs will be using the luxury vehicles, will be misusing the office staff, will get the VIP treatment everywhere. Will the chief minister stop using the helicopter or using the escort vehicles or security?" Vineet Joshi, former advisor to Parkash Singh Badal, said. advertisement The former SAD-BJP government was liberal in providing red beacon facility not only to the Zila Parishad's chairmen but also to the members of SGPC. Zila Parishad bosses were even allowed to use beacons on their private vehicles. However the facility to SGPC members was withdrawn later as it was challenged in the court. The Inspector General of Police (IGP), David Asante-Apeatu, has revealed that as part of the Police Service's reformation strategies, the Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD) will undergo a robust restructuring. The objective, he said, is to establish a more professional and civil-oriented MTTD that will effectively discharge its mandate without reproach. In this regard, he has directed that a nationwide internal recruitment, screening and retraining be carried out and those who will be selected will constitute the MTTD. The MTTD is the face of the Police Service and as long as personnel on our various roads and highways continue to exhibit low level of professionalism, it may be difficult to have a better image, Mr Asante Apeatu stressed. The IGP disclosed this at the closing ceremony of Junior Command Course 7 for 53 officers at the Ghana Police Service Command and Staff College at Winneba, Central Region. The officers, with the ranks of Assistant Superintendent and Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), comprised 43 males and 10 females. Mr Apeatu disclosed that when this is done, the administration expects a traffic department that will decisively deal with recalcitrant and reckless road users. Again, I am expecting a traffic police department that will add more value to our image. We cannot achieve our vision of a world-class police service capable of delivering planned, democratic, protective and peaceful service up to the standards of international best practice without winning the confidence, trust and cooperation of the public, he noted. The police boss said since its establishment in 2013, the college has trained about 591 senior officers. He averred that the police administration was feverishly implementing human resource improvement strategies that would go a long way to build the capacity of personnel at all levels. Unfortunately, officers have erroneously linked graduation from a course at the college to immediate promotion to the next rank, he said. In an address, the Commandant of the college, ACP Dr Shaibu Gariba, said the college offers courses on junior command, senior command, police management, among others. He said under the junior command course, the graduating personnel were taken through modules such as crime prevention strategies, staff duties, command and control, intelligence management and others. ASP Peter Toobu took an award for exhibiting an exemplary leadership and overall best personnel during the course. The second best position was awarded to ASP Bawa Alhassan. By Linda Tenyah-Ayettey The participants presenting a notice board to ACP Maame Yaa Tiwaa Addo Danquah Plans are underway for the police administration to train more of their untrained personnel who have been attached to the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) as aides by the end of this year. ACP Maame Tiwaa Addo Danquah, Deputy Director General in-charge of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID), said this is aimed at sharpening their skills to enable them to carry out their detective and investigative work to the best of their abilities. She made this known at the closing ceremony of a seven-week training in crime detection and investigations for 80 aides to CID for 2017. The participants were drawn mainly from the Criminal Investigations Department, headquarters and Accra Regional Police Command. The CID aides were taken through courses, including basic investigative skills, interview and interrogation, identification methods, preparation of dockets, surveillance and crime scene management, arrest, detection and searches, report writing and communication skills and others by resource persons from the Attorney General's office and other senior police officers. ACP Maame Yaa Tiwaa said it is imperative to note that the need for professional capacity building in line with contemporary policing is extremely crucial for economic growth and the survival of every country. The CID Administration expects to see complete transformation in participants' performances and their attitudes towards work after the course, she stated. ACP Addo Danquah urged them to eschew armed chair investigations and move to the field, meet witnesses to collect information and evidence instead of sitting in their offices and expecting information. Visit crime scene with the crime scene team and observe how they process the crime scene, collect and package evidence in a proper and professional manner and by so doing, you will be contributing effectively to the fight against crime, she added. The deputy CID boss appealed to participants to be civil and treat the public with respect at all times. The outgoing Commandant of the Detective Training School, DCOP Alex Amponah Asiamah, in an address disclosed that due to the lack of accommodation, we are unable to select personnel from the other regions for the course and we appeal to the police administration to, as a matter of urgency, solve that issue for the others to also get the opportunity to learn. Participants also presented a notice board to the school. [email protected] By Linda Tenyah-Ayettey The Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (GIPC) intends to meet an ambitious target of attracting about $5 billion in Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) into the country in 2017. This will represent an increment of about $2.6 billion over the 2016 amount of $2.4 billion, and a total of 180 projects for that year, BUSINESS GUIDE gathered. Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of GIPC, Yoofi Grant made this known on Friday in Accra while briefing the media about the recent visit of 30-member delegation from Ghana to Mauritius on an investment promotion mission. According to Mr. Grant, the GIPC is being repositioned to help create an international financial services centre in Ghana to attract investment funds which can be channeled to other African countries to help promote trade and give meaning to the regionalization of the continent. He explained that GIPC was making efforts to make Ghana the most attractive investment and business destination in Africa. It is achievable if we remove the stumbling blocks that make investments in our country unattractive, he said. He indicated that the legislation on making Ghana a Financial Services Centre had already been passed by Parliament. What is left is for the doors to be opened for financial entities, namely insurance and banking firms, to start making contributions to that vision. Economic Parks The four-day mission held on the occasion of the official visit of the Vice President of Ghana, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, to Mauritius, was organized in collaboration with the Board of Investment (BOI), an entity responsible for promoting trade in Mauritius. Members of the delegation, BUSINESS GUIDE gathered, were drawn from the Ghana Free Zones Board, Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), CEOs and heads of 30 private sector companies operating in the financial services, ICT, tourism, trade, sanitation and agriculture. Mr. Grant indicated that a number of Memorandum of Understandings (MOUs) were signed between the Ghanaian businessmen and their Mauritian counterparts. Also, he said, there were a number of trade agreements signed between the governments of Ghana and Mauritius, key among them being the proposed establishment of an economic park at Dawa, near Accra, for the establishment of Mauritian firms. The property at Dawa has been secured, the title has been secured, all that is left is to sign the bilateral treaty. Plans are being made to establish similar parks at Kwabenya in Accra, he said. Trade Boost GIPC is being repositioned to ensure that Mauritian firms that want to do business in Ghana are served with the necessary trade information and support expeditiously. Mauritius is a pretty small country with a population of 1.3 million that is almost about a quarter of Accra and has a Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of about $6.5 billion. Mauritius is currently the number one country when it comes to ease of doing business in Africa. Mauritius has a very ambitious plan of leading the way in Africa regional integration and they are doing so by finding partners on the continent through trade and investment. Mauritius has chosen Ghana as the country it wants to first start a very close trade and investment relationship with in its drive of regional integration, he said. Mauritius manages about $28 billion worth of investment, which they believe they can deploy to boost trade in Africa, according to Mr. Grant. GIPC and BOI are preparing to sign an MoU to collaborate to enable GIPC play a leading role in our economic development like they have done in their country, he said. In 2015, ex-President Mahama visited Mauritius where he reportedly initiated a number of activities where there were MoUs signed to collaborate in many business spheres. The recent delegation, he said, made efforts to strengthen some of those 2015 MoUs and proceeded with some of them. One of them of course was an initial MoU of collaboration between ourselves (GIPC) and BOI. We will update it, perfect it and then sign it. What this will mean is that at some point, we will expect some of our offices to go to Mauritius to build capacity, understand how they were able to transform. They, on the other hand, will bring some people to help us with training and visioning. By Melvin Tarlue (Right to left) Dr. Edward Kwapong (right), Ebenezer Agbettor (middle) and John Wilson-President of IHRMP (far left) The Institute of Human Resource Management Practitioners (IHRMP) Ghana will host CDH-Phoenix's first Ghana HR Star Awards as part of efforts to enhance human resource management in Ghana and reward outstanding and best HR Practice. The awards, which is under the theme, 'Human Capital and National Development' will be held at the La Palm Royal Beach Hotel, Accra on Saturday, March 25, 2017. The awards is being sponsored by CDH-Phoenix, GCB Bank, Ghana Water Co. Ltd, Tullow Ghana, Guinness Ghana Breweries Limited, Fidelity Bank, Lube Oil, La Palm Hotel, Raincoat Roofing System, Unilever Ghana and South Akim Rural Bank. Media partners are Graphic Communication Group Limited, Multimedia Group, DAILY GUIDE, New Times Corporation, Today Newspaper and Parliamentary News. According to the Chairman of the Awards Committee, Dr. Edward Kwapong, who doubles as Vice-President of the Institute, nominations have been received for the various categories. The categories are Best Organization in Learning & Development Practice (Private/Public Sectors), Best Organization in Employee Relations Practice (Private/Public Sectors), Best Organization in Rewards Management Practice (Private/Public Sectors), Best Organization in Performance Management (Private/Public Sectors), Best Organization in Recruitment and Selection (Private/Public Sectors) and HR Practitioner of the Year (Private/Public Sectors). The rest are Best Talent Management Strategy (Private/Public Sectors), Most Successful Change Management Programme (Private/Public Sectors), Best Use of CSR in HR (Private/Public Sectors), Most Innovative Use of Technology (Private/Public Sectors) and Best Workplace Diversity Strategy (Private/Public Sectors). The dream of Pius Kyere, a first-year student at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), to become a neurosurgeon has been given a boost, as UMB has presented him with a full scholarship for emerging as the overall best student at the 2016 WASSCE. The scholarship was presented to him at the WAEC Distinction Awards, which was organized to recognize the top performing students in the 2016 WASSCE. In addition to the full scholarship, UMB also presented a laptop to Pius and also pledged to open a personal account for him with a starting balance of $1,000. Dignitaries at the event included the Minister of Education, Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, Director General of the Ghana Education Service (GES), Jacob Kor, Head of the WAEC Ghana Office, Dr. Sam Nii Ollenu, Ghana's representative on the WAEC Endowment Fund and Prof. W.A Asomaning. Presenting the scholarship, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of UMB, John Awuah said the curriculum in Ghana's educational system should focus on innovation. According to him, The world continues to change at a bewildering pace and we must equip our young people with the skills and technology to be on top of this change and to use it to their advantage. He also announced that UMB was expanding its partnership with WAEC by offering another scholarship to one needy but brilliant student who also excels at the WASCCE. Another student, Sango Benjamin Bortey, who was the second highest scorer in the 2016 WASSCE, also received a laptop and some souvenirs from UMB. Speaking on behalf of the award winners, Pius Kyere, expressed his gratitude to UMB for their recognition and support. Golden Pride International School has begun the construction of its ultramodern school building at Appolonia, the mixed-use urban development project in the Greater Accra Region. The school will serve residents of the Appolonia urban development and other communities within the district, employing around 200 teaching and non-teaching staff, with an intake of 2,000 students. Our 2-hectare site is being developed to meet international standards in line with those expected at the Appolonia development and the standard of education that will be offered to our students, said Philip Cobbinah, proprietor of Golden Pride International School. The Golden Pride International School campus will offer both Ghanaian and British educational curricula from pre-school to high school levels. The school's modern facilities will include science and computer labs, as well as a variety of recreational facilities. Construction of the school is due to complete in 2018. Golden Pride joins the growing list of social amenities being offered at the 941-hectare Appolonia development. Established in 2010 to provide quality education at an international standard to Ghanaians, Golden Pride currently operates a campus at Millennium City in Kasoa. We are thrilled to welcome Golden Pride to Appolonia, said Appolonia Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Bright Owusu-Amofah. Golden Pride will be a cornerstone in both the development of Appolonia and the futures of children living in the district. Residents of our current developments, including The Oxford and the third phase of Nova Ridge, are excited to have such a fantastic school within walking distance. We encourage everyone to visit Appolonia to experience its ideal location, infrastructure and amenities. Appolonia City is a 2,325-acre (941-hectare) mixed-use and mixed-income urban development in the Greater Accra Metropolitan area. The project is being developed for residential properties, retail and other commercial centres, as well as schools, healthcare and other social infrastructure. World-class infrastructure is currently being implemented which includes water, electricity, tarred roads with storm water drains. Residential sales are underway with the option of purchasing a plot to build your own house in Nova Ridge or an existing house at the Oxford development. Appolonia Business Park offers 70 acres (30 hectares) of modern commercial areas with world-class infrastructure and estate management services. The park is designed to accommodate a range of uses, including manufacturing, processing, storage, logistics and service companies. Freda Duplan and Alan Kyerematen unveiling the 60th anniversary logo Alan Kyerematen, Trade and Industry Minister, has indicated that new policies that would be introduced by government would create a favorable business environment to boost competition among companies in Ghana. He said the policies are aimed at offering direct and indirect support to companies, including medium and long-term financing. Mr. Kyerematen also noted that government would support companies and encourage Ghanaians to patronize locally manufactured products and services in the bid to create more jobs. Whatever it takes to support companies for them to survive and create jobs is what we are interested in, he said. He disclosed this while speaking at the 60th anniversary celebrations of Nestle Ghana Limited held at the head office of the company in Accra. Mr. Kyerematen commended Nestle for its commitment to meeting tax obligations. They are paying taxes. My understanding is that they are the second best taxpayer in Ghana. Government needs revenue to be able to support its projects, he said. Managing Director of Nestle Ghana Ltd, Freda Y. Duplan, said the company has survived primarily by creating shared values for both businesses and society. At Nestle, we are proud that the achievement of 60 years of contributing to nutrition, health and wellness has been achieved together with employees, customers, consumers, key external stakeholders such as government and communities, individuals and families, she said. Mrs. Duplan said the objective of Nestle is to enhance the quality of life and contribute to a healthier future. We are guided by the value of respect for ourselves, for others, for diversity and for the future.' She observed that Nestle's commitment to local agricultural sector has been encouraging, noting that the company trained more than 50,000 cereal farmers through the Northern Rural Growth programme in partnership with the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture. Mathias Feldmann, Head of Cooperation at the Embassy of Switzerland in Ghana, lauded the efforts of the multinational company in the socio-economic development of Ghana. Mrs. Duplan and Mr. Kyerematen unveiled the 60th Anniversary logo of Nestle at the event. By Jamila Akweley Okertchiri Victim of alleged assault at Marwako restaurant has explained how her supervisor Ghanaian-born Lebanese Jihad Chabaan allegedly assaulted her by stashing her face inside a blender containing pepper and other ingredients. At an Accra Magistrate Court where there was an engaging cross-examination Monday, Evelyn Boakye told the court the blender was not big enough so the accused supervisor tilted the equipment low enough to get the irritating ingredient into her eyes, she said. In his cross-examination which lasted more than an hour, the defence lawyer, Augustine Sarfo Agyei, sought to prove that given the size of the blender in question, it could not have been possible for his client to dip the face of the victim into the blender. He told the court 'no adjustment of form, size or shape of the blender' could have caused the injuries reported by the victim. He also disputed the time of the incident which he said was 8:00pm and not 4:30pm as Evelyn had told the media. In a grilling cross-examination in which nearly every detail of the victim was disputed by the defence, counsel for the accused tried to demonstrate that Evelyn Boakye's testimony is inconsistent. Opposing counsel and lawyer for the victim, Francis Sosu-Xavier also told the media, different media reports of his client's story could be down to her condition at the time of the interview. Francis Sosu-Xavier said it is natural for a traumatised person to give different accounts while trying to avoid a nervous breakdown. A sobbing and crying victim should be expected to appear inconsistent, the lawyer said. Lawyer Sosu-Xavier stressed that media reports are not consequential to the case because the court will focus exclusively on her testimony under oath. The judge, Victoria Ghansah was unhappy with the lenght of time taken by the defence counsel in cross-examining the victim. She adjourned proceedings and set Wednesday March 22 for the next hearing. She would not have further adjournments and urged the defence to adequately prepare to help speed up proceedings. Lawyer Augustine Sarfo Agyei stressed his commitment to complete cross-examination indicating that he has had to hold on to other cases he is handling to devote considerable time on the Marwako case. In an interview with Joy News' Matilda Wemegah, the defence lawyer re-emphasised his concern about media reports surrounding the alleged incident which he said is intended to incite the public against his client. Story by Ghana|myjoyonline.com|[email protected] Vatican City (AFP) - Pope Francis on Monday begged for God's forgiveness for "the sins and failings of the Church and its members" implicated in the 1994 Rwanda genocide that killed around 800,000 people. The pontiff "conveyed his profound sadness, and that of the Holy See and of the Church, for the genocide against the Tutsi," the Vatican said in a statement following a meeting between Francis and the Rwanda President Paul Kagame. "He implored anew God's forgiveness for the sins and failings of the Church and its members, among whom priests, and religious men and women who succumbed to hatred and violence, betraying their own evangelical mission," it said. Francis's pardon plea followed a request from Rwanda in November for the Vatican to apologise for the church's role in the massacres. Since the genocide, whose victims were mostly from the Tutsi minority, the Catholic Church has been accused of being close to the Hutu extremist regime in power in 1994. A number of churches became scenes of mass killings as Hutu militiamen found people seeking refuge there, sometimes turned over by the priests, with no way out. Francis, 80, said he hoped "this humble recognition of the failings of that period, which, unfortunately, disfigured the face of the Church, may contribute to a 'purification of memory'" and promote "renewed trust". Several Catholic priests as well as nuns and brothers were charged with participating in the genocide and tried by the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) and by a Belgian court, leading to some convictions while others were acquitted. The highest ranking Church official to be tried for genocide was the late bishop Augustin Misago, who was acquitted and freed from prison in June 2000. During the 20th anniversary commemorations in April 2014, Kagame accused the Catholic Church of having "participated fully" in establishing the colonial ideology that created the divide between Hutus and Tutsis which he claimed led to the genocide. In November, a letter of apology signed by the bishops representing the nine dioceses in Rwanda was read in all churches. But the Rwandan government said the local apology was not good enough considering the crimes committed. Around half of Rwandans are Catholic, but since the genocide many of them have turned to pentecostal churches. The release of the Joe Ghartey committee report on the bribery allegations that hit Parliament recently may further delay, as a Member of the House has applied to provide fresh evidence on the matter to the Committee. This comes at a time when the committee was just about to wrap up on its investigations. The 5-member Committee was set up following allegations that the Energy Minister, Boakye Agyarko, bribed some members of the Appointments Committee of parliament to facilitate his approval after appearing before it for vetting. The second Deputy Majority Whip, Matthew Nyindam, who confirmed the development to Citi News, said although the deadline for the submission of the report was due, the Committee would still have to take the evidence of the interested party to prevent suspicion of bias. We met last week on a business issue and I raised that issue with the majority leader, and I asked him when this Joe Ghartey thing will be ready, because the public is interested, we are also interested as a house because it is an alleged issue and we all have to clear it. According to the leader, a member said he has some kind of evidence to tender in so they have to hold on for him to bring it so that it doesn't look like somebody is fighting against the other. Matthew Nyindam, who remained tight-lipped on which MP had made the fresh application, said the report would be ready soon. It is true that the period given has expired, and I don't recollect vividly that the speaker extended it, but the report is not ready. It is not illegal; there is no illegality in this. The only thing is that they would have gone to see the speaker for an extension of time and the speaker would have granted that, he said. Various civil society groups and individuals are mounting pressure on the committee to release the report on the matter which many say, has dented the image of the legislative body. Dr. Rashid Raman, the Executive Director of the Africa Center for Parliamentary Affairs, has said that the longer the delay in the release of the report, the more likely Ghanainas will doubt the accuracy of the findings when eventually published. By: Jonas Nyabor/citifmonline.com/Ghana Follow @jnyabor On February 17, thick smoke enveloped Bellandur lake after a fire broke out when garbage strewn around it was set ablaze. By India Today Web Desk: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has issued a notice to the Karnataka government over Bellandur lake fire. Taking suo motu cognizance of the pollution problem in Bengaluru, the green panel has asked the state government to respond to its notice before April 12. On February 17, thick smoke enveloped Bellandur lake after a fire broke out when garbage strewn around it was set ablaze. The incident triggered panic among motorists on the busy Sarjapur main road. advertisement Residents had hit out at the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) officials for their "lackadaisical" attitude to stop dumping of garbage. Karnataka State Pollution Control Board Chairman Lakshman had said that notices were issued to the BBMP, Bengaluru Water Supply and Sewage Board and other agencies to stop the dumping. He also said the board is in the process of inspecting sewage treatment plants in the area. The lake has been in news for the last one year for spillover of froth and toxic fumes. WATCH: Bengaluru: Choked in toxic fume, Bellandur lake catches fire ALSO READ: Karnataka Chief Secretary visits Bellandur and Varthur lakes Bengaluru's Bellandur lake catches fire again, toxic smoke over IT city's suburb 1,000 Bengaluru kids write to PM Modi: Get us clean air, water and environment --- ENDS --- 20.03.2017 LISTEN On March 17 Ugandas Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIGP) Andrew Kaweesa became the 12th victim of a five-year on-going assassination phenomenon in the east African country that started in 2012. He is so far, the highest-ranking government official and a symbol of national security among the victims. Others, most of them Muslims include Sheik Abdul Karim SentamuApril 2012, Sheik Abdul Jawali Sentuga2012, Sheik Yunus Abubakar MudunguAug 2012; Haji Abubakar KiweewaJun 2012; (v) Sheik Dr Abdul Kadir Muwaya, the Shia leader in UgandaDec 2014; Sheik Mustafa BahigaDec 2014; sheik Ismail SsebugwawoJan 2015; State Attorney Joan KageziMarch 2015; sheik Abdul Rashid WafulaMay 2015; Sheik Ibrahim Hassan KiryaJun 2015; and Sheik Maj Muhammad KigundduNov 2016. Desperate response The trend seems to continue unabated at specified intervals by perpetuators. Uganda president Museveni has conceded it as a national security threat, blaming the bulk of it on the countrys police even though referring to the assailants as thugs. He instructed immediate release of funds by the finance department to procure and install security cameras (CCTVs) in urban centers and highways and urged vigilance among the population and security agencies in identifying the killers. The latest incident has highlighted holes in Ugandas investigative competence and exposed glaring weaknesses in the countrys security apparatus. The counter-measure by Museveni is itself an act of desperation as the perpetrators are not necessarily limited to urban centers but operate anywhere any time. It therefore indicates lack of better options for government to take and perhaps it never planned for such a type of security threat in its all prior-possible insecurity scenarios. Six possible theories behind the murder phenomenon Six theories have since emerged in attempts to explain the murders. The newest theory is the succession theory. The other five previously discussed in detail include rebel group ADF, disgruntled former rebel recruits, intra-Muslim conflicts, government itself, and sophisticated-foreign-based opposition. Most Plausible Theory In previous discussions, the last two theories (government and foreign political opposition) were identified as most plausible. Now the sixth one (succession theory) further reinforces the one that points to government itself. Its advocates argue that the succession battles as to who should replace Museveni in case he doesnt stand in 2021, has pitted different camps among those who favor his wife Janet and those who dont. They add that the late Kaweesa was tipped for a higher position in police. Kaweesa is alleged to be pro-Janet. They say on grounds of this, fanatics plotted to eliminate him before he could assume the big post. Before they could do this however, word went around within government circles finally landing into ears of arch enemies to the IGP Gen Kale Kayihura. Its then Kayihura enemies who swiftly sponsored the mission so that the murder can be blamed him. Theory Implications The overall implication of these revelations offer one serious insight: there exists a killer-squad within the government in Kampala that is well known to all those in high security circles and can be used at will. This is how the government theory is reinforced in this latest murder incident. However, the foreign-based opposition theory remains outstanding in that sources of the new succession theory (that pin government cycles) are actually based outside Uganda. This can imply that they are playing diversionary so that focus is this time turned from intra-Muslim conflicts to intra-government conflicts. Oil Dollars It must be recalled that during Ugandas presidential campaigns in 2016, Museveni said those wanting to replace him, were targeting to steal Ugandas oil. So, if he failed them through election, they could not just sit back, they had to strike back. Hence by targeting high security personnel they are set to make key investors in Ugandas oil sector think twice before sinking heavy capital in Ugandasuch that by 2021 Ugandas oil and gas could still be underground and impossible for Museveni to enjoy it either. Politically, the entire population is now engulfed in panic. This is contrary to when all people were convinced about Musevenis competence to provide security across the country. But if everyone is going to be insecure as the Katikkiro of Buganda Peter Mayiga suggested during a requiem mass on March 19, it implies Museveni has outlived his usefulness and this must be exactly the calculation of the sponsors of this phenomenon. Apparently, actual sponsors are succeeding in swaying both public opinion and the gullible security apparatus away from themselves to other groups such as Muslim conflicts and now intra-government conflicts. 20.03.2017 LISTEN By Dennis Peprah, GNA Kintampo, (B/A), March 20, GNA - Police in Kintampo have identified 14 students as among the 18 people who died in the tragic incident that happened at the Kintampo Waterfalls, following a downpour, which hit the Municipality over the weekend. They comprised 11 students from the Wenchi Methodist Senior High School and three students of the University of Energy and Natural Resources at Fiapre, near Sunyani. Their bodies had since been deposited at the morgues of Kintampo and Wenchi Government Hospitals and Techiman Holy Family Hospital for identification. The deceased were among some people who had visited the waterfalls to swim when the tragedy incident occurred on Sunday March 19. Chief Superintendent Desmond Owusu Boampong, the Kintampo Municipal Police Commander told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in an interview that the dead were made up of 12 males and six females. He said three people were also in critical condition and they had been referred to Techiman Holy Family Hospital, Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital and the Regional Hospital in Sunyani. Narrating the incident to the GNA, Chief Supt Boampong explained that a severe storm that followed the downpour uprooted some trees upstream and they fell on the students, who were among some of swimmers downstream of the waterfalls. Mr Kwasi Asomah-Cheremeh, the Brong-Ahafo Regional Minister had led members of the Regional Security Council and some journalists to the waterfalls to assess the situation. This is barely a week, when a gory accident, which occurred on the Sunyani-Abesim highway, claimed the lives of four final year students of the Community Health Nurse Training College at Tanoso, who were returning to school from a night club. GNA 20.03.2017 LISTEN Nkawkaw (E/R), March 20, GNA - The Nkawkaw Police Command, have destroyed 204 bags of Indian hemp (wee) at Amanfrom along the Nkawkaw- Kumasi highway in the Kwahu West District of the Eastern Region. The consignment according to the Command was retrieved in 21 household at Apesika. The action followed a directive by the Mpraeso Circuit Court. Chief Superintendent of Police James Sarfo- Peprah, the Nkawkaw Divisional Commander, who disclosed this to the Ghana News Agency, said most people at Apesika were cultivating and possessing narcotic drugs. He said the suspects from 35 to 79 years were arrested including a physically challenged woman and would be arraigned. Chief Supt Sarfo-Peprah expressed worry at the rate in which the youth were involved in the smoking of Indian hemp. He said peddling of the drug were common among the youth at Nkawkaw, Kwahu Tafo and other surrounding towns in the district. He said the police had intensified patrol to arrest dealers of the stuff, and warned that the perpetrators would be prosecuted if caught. The destruction of the narcotics was witnessed by personnel of the Police Professional and Intelligence Bureau, Bureau of National Investigation and officials of the Court and the media. GNA By Eunice Tekie Tei, GNA Abetifi (E/R), Mar 20, GNA - The Kwahu East District Directorate of Education, has taken delivery of office equipment and other items, all costing about GH 30,000.00 for its smooth running. These included photocopier machine, tonners, printers, Mazda vehicle engine and six brand new tyres. They were a donation from the Member of Parliament (MP) for Abetifi, Mr. Bryan Acheampong. Mr. Isaac Agyapong, the Constituency Communications Officer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), handed them over to the District Education Director, Mr. Kwasi Boafo, at a ceremony held in Abetifi. He said it was the MP's contribution towards the drive to raise the quality of education in the area. He was eager to see effective teaching and learning in the schools and was ready to assist provide the needed resources - support the construction of classroom structures and accommodation for teachers. Mr. Boafo thanked the MP for the gesture and said this could not have come at a better time. He appealed to him to help stop Fulani herdsmen from terrorizing people in the area, a situation, he said, was scaring away many children in farming communities, where the herdsmen had strong presence, from schools. GNA Rome (AFP) - Interior ministers mainly from the central Mediterranean region met in Rome on Monday to ramp up efforts to curb migration from Libya amid a sharp rise in the number of people trying to cross to Europe. One year after a controversial deal with Turkey to stop migrants setting out across the Aegean Sea for Greece, the European Union is seeking to reach a similar accord with conflict-hit Libya, despite fierce opposition from human rights campaigners. Just this past weekend more than 3,300 people were rescued from unseaworthy vessels off the north African country, bringing the number of arrivals in Italy to nearly 20,000 so far in 2017 -- a significant increase on previous years. Interior ministers from Algeria, Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Libya, Malta, Slovenia, Switzerland and Tunisia took part in the meeting, along with the European Commissioner for Migration Dimitris Avramopoulos. The group released a declaration of intent which limited itself to promising increased coordination and information sharing in a bid to tackle the root causes of migration, as well as combat smuggling and strengthen borders. "The aim is to govern migratory movements" rather than be governed by them, said Italian Interior Minister Marco Minniti. Libya's UN-backed unity government has requested 800 million euros ($860 million) worth of equipment to help patrol its coast and territorial waters, including radars, boats, helicopters and all-terrain vehicles, according to Italy's Corriere della Sera daily. There is also talk of a Libya-based operational centre to coordinate rescues in international waters off the North African coast, relieving the burden on Rome, which has been forced to monitor and intervene well beyond its established maritime surveillance zone. Experts say some of the equipment requested by Libya would fall foul of a UN embargo on arms imports into the country. France's interior minister, Bruno Le Roux, stressed the importance of making sure the Libyan coastguard lives up to its EU training. Some 90 members of the coastguard are currently completing skills training under the EU, and Italy is preparing to return 10 coastguard boats to Libya that it seized in 2011. They are expected to be operational by the end of April or in early May, Minniti said. The idea is to intercept migrants before they reach international waters and take them to camps in Libya where their human rights would be protected -- "a big step forward" from current conditions in the country's migrant holding camps, Minniti said. But critics warn against planned repatriations of asylum seekers to Libya, a country where allegations of torture, rape and murder are rife. Those picked up off Libya and not entitled to international protection would be returned to their countries of origin, Minniti said, without saying what would happen to those who are eligible for asylum, subsidiary protection or humanitarian protection. Some 40 percent of those who seek asylum in Italy are granted some sort of leave to remain. 20.03.2017 LISTEN Vice President Dr Mahamadu Bawumia has paid a visit to Kintampo in the Bono Ahafo region where a freak disaster at a tourist site has resulted in a tragic loss of 20 revelers. Commiserating with families of the bereaved victims, the he described the death toll as a "major loss" pledging governments support for families. The Vice-President visited the scene of the accident in the accompany of the Bono Ahafo Regional Minister Kwaku Asoma Cheremeh and Tourism Minister Catherine Afeku. The deceased were mainly students from the Wenchi Methodist Senior High School in the region who had gone to the Kintampo Water Fall on excursion last Sunday. Witnesses have explained that after a downpour, strong winds buffeted a tree until it came crashing on the students, some of whom were taking instructions from a teacher to take shelter. This account has been corroborated by the Fire Service after their preliminary investigation. Parents of some of the victims have flocked to the hospitals at Kintampo to ascertain the condition of their children and for others to identify bodies of their dead relations. Out of 11 others who sustained varying degrees of injuries eight of them are on admission at the Techiman Municipal Hospital while the three others have been rushed to Kumasi for special care. Story by Ghana|myjoyonline.com The Minority in Parliament has called for a thorough investigation into the Kintampo Waterfalls disaster which has left at least 19 persons dead and 22 injured. In a statement extending commiserations to the bereaved and injured persons, the Minority urged government to diligently carry full-scale investigations into the Kintampo Waterfalls incident and make the findings public. A safety audit of all tourists destinations so as to preserve Ghana's brand as a tourist destination will also be in order, the Minority stated further. it has become necessary to reassure the Ghanaian populace and to forestall any similar future occurrence by carrying out an immediate safety audit of all tourist destinations with the view of guaranteeing the safety of revelers while also ensuring that Ghana's international tourism brand is not made to suffer because of this incident which has attracted immense global media coverage. The minority also expressed hope that government would offer some form of financial assistance to the injured, and go a step further to consider providing insurance for tourist sites. It is our hope and expectation that Government will assist in offering financial assistance to the injured to help them defray their medical expenses as was the practice when the NDC held political power. Perhaps, after 60 years of independence as a nation, we may now want to consider providing insurance cover for all our recognised tourist sites. The accident occurred after a huge tree run off the top of the waterfall, falling onto the scores of revelers swimming beneath the fall. The deceased and injured persons were students of the Wenchi Senior High School, and the University of Energy and Natural Resources. Find below the full statement STATEMENT BY MINORITY OF GHANA'S PARLIAMENT ON THE KINTAMPO WATERFALLS DISASTER The NDC Minority in Parliament expresses our deepest commiserations with the relations and loved ones of Sunday's tragedy that occurred at the Kintampo Waterfalls in the Brong Ahafo Region. We join the nation in praying for the scores injured and for the souls of the 18 departed. The Minority wishes to commend rescuers including the team from the Ghana National Fire Service and medical staff of Kintampo Municipal Hospital for their timely interventions. It is most disturbing that this calamity comes at a time the nation is yet to recover from other recent fatalities caused by a surge in motor accidents and suicide cases. While we grieve, we wish to urge all Ghanaians including journalists to be circumspect in how images from these tragedies are reported and transmitted especially on social media. We ought to be reminded of the dignity of the victims and the sensitivities of their families. The Minority will like to urge Government to diligently carry out full scale investigations into the Kintampo Waterfalls incident and make the findings public. Additionally, it has become necessary to reassure the Ghanaian populace and to forestall any similar future occurrence by carrying out an immediate safety audit of all tourist destinations with the view of guaranteeing the safety of revellers while also ensuring that Ghana's international tourism brand is not made to suffer because of this incident which has attracted immense global media coverage. It is our hope and expectation that Government will assist in offering financial assistance to the injured to help them defray their medical expenses as was the practice when the NDC held political power. Perhaps, after 60 years of independence as a nation, we may now want to consider providing insurance cover for all our recognised tourist sites. We trust that we can all work together to improve upon the safety and security of all living in Ghana. By: Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana The Minority in Parliament has implored government to the medical expenses of students who were injured in the Kintampo Waterfalls disaster. Minority leader, Haruna Iddrisu, in a statement Monday said the goverment must defray their [injured] medical expenses as was the practice when the NDC held political power. Ghana Fire Service (GFS) officials have confirmed the death of a total of 20 students after a huge tree tumbled on them Sunday while they swam in the waterfall. Out of 11 others who sustained varying degrees of injury, eight (8) are on admission at the Techiman Municipal Hospital, while three others have been rushed to Kumasi for special care. The students who were largely from Wenchi Methodist senior high school were on an excursion in the company of their teachers. It has been confirmed the tragic accident occurred after a strong wind flung a huge tree which was on top of the mountain. The Waterfalls is estimated to attract hundreds of revellers every day but the Sunday attendees were students. Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia visited three of the families who lost their loved ones and gave them an undisclosed sum of money. We are here on behalf of the President...our intention is to come here to mourn with the bereaved family...because we are all part of one family, he told the bereaved families. He said government will direct an investigation into the circumstances leading to the incident to understand how it all happened. Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia with Tourism Minister, Catherine Afeku Tourism Minister, Catherine Afeku has directed officials of the Ministry to conduct a safety audit at all the tourist sites in the country to avert future incidents. Wading into the issue, National Democratic Congress (NDC) Members of Parliament (MPs) have praised rescuers for the swift manner they intervened in the incident. It is most disturbing that this calamity comes at a time the nation is yet to recover from other recent fatalities caused by a surge in motor accidents and suicide cases, the Minority said. The NDC MPs have suggested to government to consider providing an insurance cover for all recognised tourist sites. Mr Iddrisu entreated government to launch a full scale investigation into the incident and to make the findings public. He also cautioned Ghanaians especially journalists to be mindful about publication of images accident victims. We ought to be reminded of the dignity of the victims and the sensitivities of their families, Mr Iddrisu said. Story by Ghana | Myjoyonline.com | Austin Brako-Powers | [email protected] Juba (AFP) - At least 37 people were injured when a passenger jet crash-landed in South Sudan's northwestern city of Wau on Monday, government and airport officials said. There were 40 passengers and five crew members on board the South Supreme Airlines plane that had taken off from the capital Juba, said the airline's manager Gabriel Ngang. State Information Minister Bona Gaudensio said an ambulance had brought the passengers from the airport to the hospital, and most of them were released shortly after. "We had 37 passengers taken to the hospital and so after they were given first aid we have released 31 of them and we will release the rest tomorrow," Gaudensio told AFP. He could not account for the remaining eight people who had been on board, but claimed there were no deaths in the accident. Paul Charles, an engineer at Wau airport, and local radio journalist Lawrence Yunisen both told AFP that some passengers -- not counted among the injured -- had managed to flee the burning plane unscathed. Charles said the weather in the region had not been good when the plane attempted to land. "Visibility was not good up to now and (the plane) was landing from the east to west, then it just crashed (off) the runway. The pilot I think was not seeing the runway well," he said. "Some of the people got out by themselves, some of them were pulled. Only the back part of the plane remains but the rest was burned," he added. Video images obtained by AFP showed firefighters battling to put out the blaze as thick black smoke billowed from the aircraft. The plane was completely burned out except for the tail, which clearly displayed the insignia of South Supreme Airlines, a local carrier. In November 2015, 36 people were killed when a Soviet-era Antonov plane crashed just after take-off from Juba. Two survivors were pulled from the twisted metal hulk but one later died. South Sudan has been gripped by civil war since 2013, and the country is also in the midst of a "man-made" famine due to the conflict. Abidjan, Cote dIvoire, March 20, 2017 Relations between Morocco and the rest of the continent are intensifying. The Kingdom, which has just returned to the African Union and announced its intention to join the Economic community of West African States (ECOWAS), is pursuing commercial, economic and diplomatic offensives south of the Sahara. Above all, Morocco intends to establish itself as a major economic hub on the continent. The second volume of Analysis of Morocco's Trade Policy titled Impact of Morocco's tariff policy on its position as a hub for the rest of Africa, published recently by the African Development Bank offers a targeted analysis to determine whether tariff policies between the Kingdom and the other African countries would promote the development of trade among them. Steadily increasing trade conjures promising prospects Trade between Morocco and the rest of the continent has grown steadily in recent years (+ 20%, or more than US$ 1.5 billion). Sub-Saharan Africa, with an average growth rate of about 6.3% during the 2000s (world record after Asia), offers an increasingly attractive economic outlook and market. Still, the volume of trade remains modest in absolute terms: Sub-Saharan Africa now accounts for just over 6% of Moroccan exports and just under 1% of its imports (compared with 5% in 1993). Reversing the picture reveals even lower figures: Morocco, as a destination for African exports, occupies 95th place, with only 0.05% of the region's exports (compared with 0.07% in 1993 and 0.36% in 1998). And the country ranks 62nd among the continent's products importers, accounting for 0.27% of total African imports (compared with 0.07% in 1993). The Kingdom imports coal (15.8%), coffee (13.6%), livestock feed (11.2%), spices (6.2%) and inorganic chemicals. Low volume but intense trade transactions While trade remains weak in absolute terms, they are of very high-intensity with some countries which are therefore relatively important partners for Morocco: Senegal, Equatorial Guinea, Ghana, Angola, Guinea, Cote Ivory Coast (the AfDB's headquarters and to date the continent's main destination for Moroccan investments), Togo and Egypt. With regard to Morocco's exports, 13 African countries are among the 28 partner countries with which trade intensity was significant between 2011 and 2013: Guinea, Senegal, Equatorial Guinea, Cote d'Ivoire, Ghana, Togo, Angola, Nigeria and Mauritania in Sub-Saharan Africa; And Tunisia, Algeria, Libya and Egypt in North Africa. On the import side, the index of these exchanges is greater than one with seven African countries (of the 22 partner countries): Togo, Senegal, Malawi and Cameroon; As well as Tunisia, Algeria and Egypt. Customs duty regime reveals the African Paradox Both Morocco and many other African countries have renegotiated their tariffs with countries and regional blocs in Europe, Asia and America. On the positive side, this enabled them to facilitate their respective commercial relations with their partners and destinations of choice. However, this has resulted in a paradox in that it has become easier for them to trade with Europe, Asia or the United States than with their own neighbours and continental peers. In fact, the difference between Morocco's average tariff rate with European countries and the average tariff applied to African countries is about 17 percentage points. African countries, on the other hand, apply to their Moroccan imports customs tariffs higher by 3 or 4 points on average to the tariffs applied for their imports from Europe or the United States. Admittedly, Morocco has significantly lowered its tariffs in recent years on products from sub-Saharan Africa (-78%, 39 percentage points less since 1993). But this decline did not translate into an increase in exports to that region. Reducing Moroccan customs duties on products imported from sub-Saharan Africa would help boost their exports to Morocco. It is projected that cutting these tariffs by half would lead to a 20% increase in imports from sub-Saharan Africa. No real trade policy without tariff reduction? Similarly, halving the customs duties of the ECOWAS, Morocco's main economic partner in Africa, would result in an increase of about 5% in Moroccan exports. And they would increase by 15% in the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) countries with an identical reduction in tariffs; And 23% in the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS). More importantly, Moroccan exports could reach 40% in the case of the East African Community (EAC)! The AfDB's publication, therefore, highlights the fact that tariff reduction remains a key trade policy tool on the continent. And if the tariffs applied by Morocco and by its partners in Africa (especially sub-Saharan Africa) were to be renegotiated, it would undoubtedly increase trade for the benefit of both parties. The publication with seven chapters devoted to the competitiveness of Moroccos tariff policy follows the first volume which focused on the impact of the countrys tariff policies. A third forthcoming volume will seek to identify categories of export products that could benefit from an increase in trade between Morocco and other African countries. Keen to make the most of the Modi wave, the ruling BJP in Gujarat may opt for an early Assembly election in the state. By India Today Web Desk: After winning a huge mandate in Uttar Pradesh, the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) is now getting battle-ready for the upcoming election in Gujarat, due end of this year. Gujarat holds the pride of place in the BJP--Prime Minister Narendra Modi is still being best associated with the Gujarat model of development. Keen to make the most of the Modi wave, the ruling BJP in Gujarat may opt for an early Assembly election in the state. advertisement The BJP has also launched a new slogan ahead of the election, "UP mein 325, Gujarat mein 150", setting itself a target of winning 150 of the 182 Assembly seats in Gujarat. AHEAD OF 2019, GUJARAT WIN IS CRUCIAL The BJP, which has been in power in Gujarat for nearly 19 years, is looking to offset the anti-incumbency wave with the Modi wave that lifted the party to an unassailable victory with the BJP forming the government in Uttar Pradesh after 15 years. "There is a Modi wave across the country, and we are prepared if there is an early election. We will definitely win more than 150 seats," Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani was quoted as saying to NDTV. While there has been no official word on pre-poning the Assembly election in Gujarat, but Rupani's statement is a clear indication that is a possibility the BJP is not ruling out. The party cadre is already busy with the election preparation with banners of Narendra Modi and BJP President Amit Shah being put up and pamphlets being distributed across Gujarat. Ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha election, a win in Gujarat is nothing less than a prestige issue for Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who started his political innings from the state. CHALLENGES FOR THE BJP The BJP is facing several challenges in its pet state of Gujarat and the election may not be a cakewalk for the party this time around. A disgruntled Patel community wants OBC quota, there is resentment among Dalits over cow vigilantism incidents, and absence of a strong state-level leader after Narendra Modi left for Delhi are factors that may upset the BJP's apple cart. The farmer suicide issue too may dent the BJP's popularity among the agrarian community. The BJP besides fighting the Congress will also face challenge from the Aam Aadmi Party which has pitted the Delhi model of development against the Gujarat model of development. ALSO READ: Uttar Pradesh: How Modi-powered BJP bettered its strike rate as poll progressed Modi vs Nitish in 2019? Bihar's Grand Alliance wants to go national now advertisement Modi for 2019: How RSS is preparing ground in south India with Coimbatore meet ALSO WATCH --- ENDS --- The Night Spirit Frog (Leptopelis spiritusnoctis) is considered Ghanas most beloved frog. For many artists and frog lovers in Ghana and around the globe, it is the poster child for the beauty of nature, thanks first and foremost to its distinctively large silver-grey eyes, just one feature that makes it particularly adorable. The species name spiritusnoctis comes from two Latin words: spiritus, meaning soul or spirit and noctis, meaning night. Like the name suggests, it is mostly active at night, producing a whispering, buzzing sound as though wooing you. The Night Spirit Frog is associated with primary and secondary equatorial evergreen forest and semi-deciduous forest types. Outside of Ghanas forest belt, it occurs throughout forested parts of West Africa as far as the Niger Delta in Nigeria. In September 2016, for the first time, SAVE THE FROGS! Ghana recorded it along the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) Wewe River in Kumasi, Ghana. The Wewe River is the site of an ongoing restoration project by the SAVE THE FROGS! KNUST Chapter. Its color varies but most adult Night Spirit Frogs are light brown to dark chocolate brown, while tadpoles are nearly black. Its coolness may also be ascribed to the body size: in relation to other forest tree frogs (Leptopelis) found in Africa, it is small, about thumb length. Its small size and beauty earned it the nickname lady by many local frog lovers. The Night Spirit Frog prefers moist places and along streams and river banks, breeding in small puddles and temporary ponds. Unfortunately, like most amphibians, this beautiful frog is severely threatened by habitat loss. About 90% of its KNUST Wewe River habitat has already disappeared along with probably hundreds, or even thousands, of the Night Spirit Frogs. Anecdotal evidence suggests that the Night Spirit Frog is also exploited for the local and international pet trade. Of the few known populations that exist, it is urgent that these claims be substantiated by rigorous trade monitoring to secure the future of the Night Spirit Frog. Sandra Owusu-Gyamfi SAVE THE FROGS! Ghana - Associate Executive Director & Ecologist www.savethefrogs.com/ghana http://savethefrogs.com/sandra BEN GUERIR, Morocco, 20 March 2017 -/African Media Agency (AMA)/- A new-look SAP Skills for Africa kicks off today with the Francophone Africa leg of the student orientation taking place in Ben Gerier. The 2017 iteration of the continent-wide initiative aims once again to train and certify young unemployed graduates in the world's most powerful SAP software suite of business systems and applications and place them in actual positions at partner organisations. The training schedule will take place over a three-month period and is sponsored by regional partners, including the OCP Foundation , the Mohammed VI Polytechnic University and Universap , who is the hardware sponsor of this programme. According to Meena Confait, Head of Skills for Africa at SAP Africa, the Francophone Africa leg of this year's initiative will see some key changes from the previous year. "In our first year of the Francophone Africa leg of Skills for Africa in 2015, we celebrated the successful graduation of 39 students who all became certified SAP Associate consultants, securing placements with our Moroccan partners and customers and even some joining the SAP Francophone team. This year, our 64 will for the first time stay on-site at the University Mohammed VI Polytechnic, during the training schedule. To drive SAP Africa's vision for a diverse and inclusive workplace, we are also hugely proud to announce that female participation in the 2017 programme more than 60%." SAP Skills for Africa has grown and matured over its short lifespan, bringing growing numbers of graduates, partners and customers together to help promote economic growth and develop substantive ICT skills that change lives in a sustainable manner. In January this year, the initiative was awarded the prestigious Hasso Founders' Award, the highest employee recognition at SAP awarded annually by the CEO to an individual or a team from around the globe. SAP Africa Managing Director, Francophone Africa, Frederic Alran, said: "By 2040, Africa will have a working age population of more than 1.1 billion, creating the world's largest and fastest growing talent pool. With a dire shortage of technical skills worldwide, Africa is likely to play a critical role in driving digital transformation around the world. We are proud to work with our partners and customers to play our part in helping address this challenge." Francophone Africa partners and customers who will take the successful graduates into internships after they successfully complete their training include Cevital , ValuePass, Cosumar , Universap , Progesto , BC Skills , EOH , Ailink Telecommunications as well as the Mohammed VI Polytechnic University . "Tomorrow's workforce requires keen technical knowledge and practical experience in real-world business scenarios," commented Alran. "In most of Africa, digital training is not accessible to all and often lacks the key skills that the employment market requires. Initiatives such as SAP Skills for Africa help close the gap between training and workforce requirements by involving partners and customers to ensure graduates walk out of training with instantly implementable skills and experience. Our graduates make an immediate positive impact in the companies where they are placed upon completing their training." Using a hybrid approach of classroom and e-learning training, with hands-on simulated exercises, the three month programme will afford the participants the opportunity to develop world-class IT skills. The training will comprise seven classes and modules and SAP flagship in-memory technology, SAP S/4HANA, will be introduced as part of the training for the first time. The course also incorporates essential business and soft skills training, with a formal SAP Academy accreditation resulting in internationally recognised associate SAP consultant certification. The programme is fully-sponsored with no cost to qualifying university graduates. Mrs. Karima Sghiri, Director of the Social Actions and Youth Empowerment Program at the OCP Foundation, one of the Francophone Africa partners to the programme, said: "A key success factor to this programme, is the partnership between the public and private sector. The OCP Foundation is pleased to partner with SAP, government and other private sector organisations, to enable these graduates to become active contributors to our economy." Noura Meddahi, Director Information Systems at Cevital an SAP customer in Algeria, said: "Cevital understands that technology is a radical game-changer and that it facilitates the Digital Transformation process. Our future business leaders need the training and qualifications to pursue careers in the ICT fields. This initiative supports disadvantaged students to develop a future focus and because it delivers highly skilled, business-ready graduates, it enables our organisation to offer our customers the highest levels of skilled services." Alran concludes: "For Africa's GDP to grow to the projected $2.6-trillion by 2020, it is imperative that African youth have opportunities to develop key skills to realise the continent's economic potential. Skills for Africa is a job-creation vehicle that fully leverages the power of SAP's existing ecosystem, creating a tangible and direct impact on people's lives. We look forward to seeing this new class graduate and join our partners and customers to help drive Africa's economic prosperity in the years to come." Tangiers (Morocco) (AFP) - Morocco and China's Haite Group signed an agreement on Monday to launch an industrial park near Tangiers for 200 Chinese companies that will create tens of thousands of jobs. The agreement was signed in a ceremony at the royal palace in the port city attended by King Mohamed VI. With an initial investment of $1 billion, "Mohamed VI Tangier Tech City" aims to generate 100,000 jobs, including 90,000 for employees from the Tangiers area. "Chinese economic operators are looking for competitive platforms and they have chosen Morocco as one of those platforms," Industry Minister Moulay Hafid Elalamy told AFP. "The project is scheduled to take 10 years" and work will start in the second half of 2017, he said. It will serve as the North Africa base for Chinese companies operating in the sectors of automobile manufacturing, aeronautics and textiles. Total investments by companies from China over 10 years will amount to $10 billion, said Li Biao, president of the Chinese group, quoted by Morocco's news agency MAP. Morocco has launched an industrialisation drive centred on Tangiers which is being turned into a hub with a free trade zone and deepwater harbour. By Morkporkpor Anku, GNA Accra, March 20, GNA- A Canadian teacher has been awarded the $1 million Global Teacher Prize 2017 for her work in a remote community. Madam Maggie MacDonnell teaches at Ikusik School in Salluit, a remote Inuit village in the Canadian arctic. The Global teacher awards honours outstanding educators for their exemplary leadership and ground breaking work that has affected lasting social change with their students and communities around them. A statement issued in Accra by Varkey Foundation, organisers of the event, said the prize was presented to Madam MacDonnell by his highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum at the ceremony in Dubai. The statement also said the Canadian Prime Minister, Mr Justin Trudean in a congratulatory message said: "On behalf of all Canadians, from one teacher to another, we congratulate you on winning the Global Teacher Prize 2017." "I will like to thank you all teachers out there because you teachers owe responsibilities to many people, to students, parents, community and to the school board," he added. Madam MacDonnell said the nomination process created a means for more than 20,000 teachers to feel valued and revitalized and have their professional commitment validated. "On a personal note I would like to invite my students to share in this award, as I have won this not for them but with them," she added. After completing her Master's degree, Madam MacDonnell sought out opportunities to teach indigenous communities in Canada and for the last six years, she has been a teacher in the Canadian arctic. She has created, a life skills programme, specifically for girls, which has seen a 500 per cent improvement in girl's registration. The Award winner also dramatically improved school attendance by getting her students involved in running a community kitchen, attending suicide prevention training and hiking through national parks to understand environmental stewards. Mr Sunny Varkey, Founder of Varkey Foundation, said: "l will like to congratulate Maggie MacDonnell for winning the Global Teacher Prize for 2017 from such a huge number of talented and dedicated teachers." He expressed the hope that Madam Macdonnel's story would inspire individuals looking to join the teaching profession and also shine a powerful spotlight on the incredible work teachers do all over the world every day. The other nine finalists for the teacher prize 2017 are Raymond Chambers, a computer science teacher from Brooke Weston Academy in Corby, Northamptonshire, UK, Salima Begum, Head teacher at Elementary College for Women Gilgit, Pakistan, David Calle, from Madrid, Spain, the Founder and Creator of the Unicoos educational website and Wemerson da Silva Nogueira, a science teacher at the Escola AntAnio dos Santos Neves in Boa EsperanAa, Brazil. The rest are Marie-Christine Ghanbari Jahromi, a physical education, maths and German teacher at Gesamtschule Gescher school, in Gescher, Germany, Tracy-Ann Hall, an automotive technology teacher at Jonathan Grant High School in Spanish Town, Jamaica, Yang Boya, a psychology teacher at The Affiliated Middle School of Kunming Teachers College, China and Michael Wamaya, a dance teacher from Mathare, Nairobi, Kenya. GNA Accra, March 20, GNA - The Minerals Commission is holding a five-day workshop to train stakeholders in the mining industry on 'Mine Closure and Post Closure Planning' in Accra. The workshop the first of its kind in Ghana is to present participants with a platform to draw on Canada's long experience in the mining sector as well as best mine practices and planning for implementing mine closure. It is being facilitated by the Canadian International Resources and Development Institute (CIRDI) and funded by the Canadian government. Addressing participants, Dr Toni Aubynn, the Chief Executive Officer of the Minerals Commission, indicated that mine closure plans generally included the creation of 'sustainable conditions that provide for public health and safety and environmental protection'. He said mining did have 'marked negative impacts' on the natural environment, including changes in landscape and land use; as such it depended on how those impacts were managed from the outset to ensure the net benefits became positive. Dr Aubynn noted that past mining operations had been guided by the policies and legislations that had existed then, although presently, public and stakeholder expectations had thus made revision of the legal and regulatory regimes governing mining operations imperative. He observed that mine closure required key lessons bordering on the need for baseline monitoring data, challenges of handling contaminated mine waters such as acid and metalliferous drainage (AMD) and the need for effective and comprehensive stakeholder engagement. The Minerals Commission Chief stated that the contribution of mining to economic development and judicious use of land was premised on the quality of laws and their effective enforcement. 'Thus, a creative approach is required to tackle environmental and social challenges to guarantee that the mining sector contributes to Sustainable Development rather than impede it,' he added. Ms Tina Guthrie, Charge d' Affaires of CIRDI, expressed the interest of the Canadian government to be associated with the training workshop, indicating that the growth of the Ghanaian mining sector was a 'priority focus for Canada as 17 of their firms were presently engaged in the country. She said Canada recognised the significance of the extractive sector as it could be an important driver of economic growth and poverty reduction in Ghana, hence the need to improve the best practices. She said the timing of the training was apt and expected it to afford participants the opportunity to learn and subsequently implement best practices in mine closure. 'Obviously Canada did not get it right from the onset, but our long history in mining has allowed us to learn from our many mistakes to become one of the leading countries in the world for environmental and social practices related to mining,' she said. She added that the course was technically inclined, focusing on the science, engineering and environmental aspects of mine closure. She urged participants to take advantage of discussions on aspects of social and community engagement as well as gender inclusivity, which she said, were all equally important. GNA By Iddi Yire, GNA Accra, March 20, GNA - Participants at the end of the Fifth Dialogue Series workshop of the College of Humanities, University of Ghana (UG), have urged the government to review the pension age for workers upward. They were of the view that the compulsory retirement age for civil and public service office holders should be at 65 years and not 60 years as enshrined in Act 199 section One, of the 1992 Constitution. They also advocated that the retirement age for the nation's academics should be 70, just as it was for the Justices of the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeal. According to the panelists, the retirement age reform would serve as a means of retaining a crop of experienced academics in the nation's universities, which were facing acute staff shortages. The workshop on the theme: "Retirement at Sixty: A blessing or a Curse," was hosted by the Centre for Aging Studies, UG. Mrs Rose Gomez of Queens International School said when people retire, there were critical losses in four areas in particular; relationships, reputation, re-work and regeneration. "And the price tags associated with such losses were estimated to be as much as 20 times the more visible, tangible costs of recruitment and training," she stated. She said in-depth succession planning, knowledge- sharing programmes, even just questioning the experts before they leave the organisation were imperative steps to ensure that the organisation's deep smarts stay within the walls of the organisation. Mrs Gomez said naturally, retirement was associated with a decline in health; stating that: "It may also be agreed that retirement is associated with improvements in health." "Some others may think that it has little effect on health. Yes, skilled and passionate human resources (teachers) are lost to retirement," she added. Mr Kwasi Okoh, Managing Director, Aluworks Limited, said: "Why retire at 60, when the life expectancy in Ghana is around 70? What could one who has not prepared be doing during that period waiting for death? But it is best to face the reality early and try to re-generate so that it can become a blessing rather than a curse." Professor Augustin Fosu, Professor, ISSER, UG, said retirement should not be equated to cessation of work, since a lot of retirees were still very active. Prof C. Mate-Kole, Director, Centre for Ageing Studies, UG, said it was high time government took the issue of upward review of the national pension age very seriously. He cited that in advance nations like France and the United Kingdom, people retire at 70 and 65 years. He said some people due to change in habits after retirement turned to die early. Prof Samuel Agyei-Mensah, the Provost, College of Humanities, UG, said the motivation to introduce the Dialogue Series was inspired by a discussion at a recent College Advisory Board meeting to expand the range of critical debate devoted to national and international issues by the academic and nonacademic fraternity and to stimulate interactions among academics, the public, private and non-profit sectors. The Chairman of the event, Prof Ellen Bortei-Doku Aryeetey, Centre for Social Policy Studies, UG, urged young people to think of their future and put adequate plans in place for their retirement. GNA By Julius K. Satsi, GNA Accra, March 20, GNA - The Nurses and Midwifery Council of Ghana in collaboration with some Nursing and Midwifery Training Schools at the weekend undertook a clean-up campaign in some parts of Madina and sensitised the people on good environmental practices. In an interview with the Ghana News Agency, Mr Felix Nyante, the Registrar and Chief Executive Officer of the Council said health was very critical to the survival of humanity hence the need for the exercise to clean gutters from the Madina Zongo Junction to the Social Welfare. Mr Nyante said: 'Because the works we do is related to health, we have decided to embark on this clean-up captioned 'Operation 360? Healthcare (Prevent and Cure)' to help the traders and buyers as well passers-by to adopt the habit of preventing than curing.' He said it was the aim of the Council to undertake the exercise twice annually throughout the country with the focus on Accra in the month of March and the attention turned to the others region in the rest of the months in the year. Mr Nyante advised Ghanaians to prevent themselves from attracting diseases than curing them with expensive treatment cost at the hospitals. According to him, the La-Nkwantanang Municipal Assembly supported the exercise by providing 50 wheelbarrows for the collection of rubbish, two tipper trucks to convey the wastes, 50 wellington boots and 50 rakes as well as pairs of gloves. Other sponsors of the clean-up exercise were the Ghana Police Service's Police protection, the Military's ambulance for emergencies and UCS, a subsidiary of Zoomlion support with 50 pairs of boots and the Ghana National Fire Service's tankers for water flushing. Mr Nii Teiko Tagoe, the Accra West Regional said they desilted the gutters in order to do away with the numerous impurities that had been deposited by traders, buyers and passers-by. Mr Tagoe said the traders in the Madina were cooperative because they excused them to perform the exercise whenever they asked to do so. Participating schools were the Pantang Nurses and Midwifery College, Teshie School of Nursing, Western Hills School of Nursing, University of Ghana - School of Nursing, Korle-bu Nurses and Midwifery School of Nursing. The clean-up exercise, which lasted for more than three hours, saw 450 participants made up largely of student nurses were present to participate. The Nurses and Midwifery Council of Ghana is a statutory body whose mandate is derived from Part III of the Health Professions Regulatory Bodies Act, 2013 (Act 857). The objective of the Council is to secure in the public interest the highest standards of training and practice of nursing and midwifery. GNA By Godwill Arthur-Mensah, GNA Accra, March 20, GNA - Mr Affail Monney, the incumbent and Presidential Candidate of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), has announced that the Association is on the process of establishing a Pension Fund to promote the welfare of members. He said the Fund would complement the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) contributions, and members who contribute five years to the Fund before retirement would be entitled to some juicy packages. He said the next annual general meeting of the Association would discuss and agree on the amount each member would pay and urged the members to support such a laudable cause. Mr Affail Monney, also a media consultant, made this known in Accra when he visited the premises of the Ghana News Agency on Monday, with some members of the GJA, seeking re-election to share his vision for the Association when given the nod on the March 31 elections. Mr Monney was accompanied by Mr Dave Agbenu, the aspiring General-Secretary and News Editor of the Ghanaian Times, Mrs Linda Asante-Agyei, the aspiring Vice President and Madam Mary Mensah, the aspirant for Public Affairs. Commenting on the GJA Annual flagship Awards, Mr Monney said the package for the awardees would be upgraded and award winners would be awarded houses. He said the Association was negotiating with a real estate company to sponsor the prizes. He said the Association awarded two brand new vehicles to its award winners during last year's awards ceremony, which was unprecedented in the history of the GJA. Commenting on capacity-building for members of the Association, Mr Monney noted that the journalism profession was dynamic and therefore demanded frequent upgrading. In view of this, he announced that it had established an exchange programme with the Black America University in the United States, so that members of the Association could be awarded scholarships to study there. In addition, he said, the Cultural Consulate of the Islamic Republic of Iran had struck a partnership with the Association for capacity-building programmes for journalists. The aspiring GJA President gave the assurance that the Association would continue the cordial relationship with the US Embassy which, over the years, had been of immense help to the Association by supporting and facilitating training programmes for its members. For his part, Mr Agbenu, said the GJA was on the process of registering members of the Association onto an insurance policy. He said two insurance companies had presented proposals to the Association to study. He also displayed the architectural designs and artistic impression of the multi-purpose International Press Centre, comprising a 1,500 seating-auditorium, hotel, conference hall, swimming pool, car park and other facilities. He said the executives of the Association had briefed the Minister of Information, Mr Mustapha Abdul-Hamid, who had shown interest to support the project. Mr Agbenu indicated that the Association was at the verge of unionising and thus, awaiting the Trades Union Congress' General Council Meeting slated for June this year in order to get certification. Mrs Asante-Agyei indicated that the Association would soon translate the revised code of ethics of the body into four languages namely, Ewe, Twi, Ga and Dagbani. She said the Association had a Distress Fund lodged with the Fidelity Bank to support members in need, adding that part of it was used to support the family of the late Samuel Nuamah, the Ghanaian Times Presidential Correspondent who died in a motto accident involving the presidential press corps. She said the website of the Association had been activated and members could visit the site for information and would also create a database of members to facilitate communication and feedback on its activities. Ms Mensah, gave the assurance that the institutional chapters of the Association would be activated while the Greater Accra Regional Branch would be revived. GNA Accra, March. 20, GNA - The Institution of Christian Health Association of Ghana (CHAG) has appealed to stakeholders to commend its health facilities, including the Saint Joseph Hospital in Koforidua. A statement issued in Accra by Mr Peter K Yeboah, the Executive Director, CHAG, said the health facilities that collaborate with stakeholders to provide charitable works of mercy for humanity deserves to be commended. It said consequent to media allegations of extortions levelled against St Joseph Hospital Koforidua, a Member of CHAG in October 2016, regarding Operation Walk Syracuse, an American Charity that sought to conduct knee and hip replacement surgery at the Hospital, and at the behest of the then Minister of Health, Hon Alex Segbefia, an investigation into the matter was necessitated given its significance on CHAG's corporate image, values and identity. It said a committee was formed to investigate to establish the veracity of the allegations as reported in the media, identify any matters of criminal nature for further Police investigations and recommend the necessary interventions to forestall the recurrence of this incident with CHAG Member Institutions. The statement said the Committee's report finding indicated that the allegations, as reported in the media, were unfounded and malicious to the integrity, image and reputation of the St Joseph Hospital-Koforidua. It said no payment or donation of US$ 100,000 was ever made to the St Joseph Hospital towards the surgical operations and beneficiary patients received free echocardiogram, x-rays and other laboratory tests, all at the expense of the hospital. 'Indeed, patients paid GH1000 each for the procedures, which comparatively cost about GH 55,000 in most hospitals in Ghana,' it added. It said the patients, who benefitted from the operation were now healthy, happy, and enjoying functional mobility as independent persons. The statement assured the public that their Christian ideals of service and sacrifice have been, and were still, upheld in all circumstances especially their fidelity to the sick and suffering, poor and needy, neglected and marginalized segment of the society. It said it was gratifying to know that the American Charity-Operation Walk Syracuse was returning to the same Hospital-St Joseph Hospital-Effiduase-Koforidua in October 2017 for another batch of humanitarian and restorative surgeries to the poor and needy. It called on the public to support CHAG Member Institutions in preserving, promoting and protecting health and healing at all times, anywhere and to every person. GNA "China is strongly dissatisfied and firmly opposed to it," Hua said. By Ananth Krishnan: China on Monday said it was "firmly opposed" to India inviting the Dalai Lama to open an international Buddhist conference hosted by the Ministry of Culture in Nalanda, Bihar, on Friday. Coming ahead of the Dalai Lama's scheduled visit to Arunachal Pradesh next month, the issue has once again emerged as a fresh strain in already tested relations. advertisement Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying on Monday accused India of "undermining" relations. "In recent days the Indian side, in total disregard of China's stern representation and strong opposition, insisted on inviting the 14th Dalai Lama to attend the international conference on Buddhism held by the Indian government," Hua said at a press briefing. "China is strongly dissatisfied and firmly opposed to it," Hua said. "We urge the Indian side to clearly see the anti-China splittist nature of the Dalai clique and honour its commitment on Tibet and related questions, respect China's core concerns and avoid China-India relations from being further disrupted and undermined." China's strong reaction follows a formal protest issued to India late last year after the Dalai Lama was hosted along with other Nobel laureates at Rashtrapati Bhavan, marking his first meeting with an Indian President in decades. With his upcoming visit to Arunachal Pradesh, the view in China is that the Indian government has been giving a raised profile for the exiled spiritual Tibetan leader, who China claims to be "a splittist", compared with a more cautious approach in the past. Also read: India dragging ties into hostility by using Dalai Lama: Chinese media The last Lama Also watch: India and China strategic dialogue begins in Beijing; foreign secretaries discuss bilateral issues --- ENDS --- Nigeria has become a perfect country for Ponzi Schemes. Many people in the country seek for possibilities for getting Passive income. Helping Hands International has become one of these opportunities. Therefore, many people in Nigeria might wonder is the Helping Hands International Nigeria a Ponzi Scheme or not? Let`s try to find out! Helping hands Nigeria: Scam or real? What is Helping Hands Nigeria? According to the official website information, Helping Hands Nigeria is an empowerment-based-membership program. No such a business can be defined as the empowerment-based-membership program. It means that their definition is not clear, but they run their business in Nigeria as Non-profit or even charitable organization. Which means that they pay no taxes to the Nigeria Government. They pay only bills for water, electricity, etc. from their official address No 5 Allen Avenue, Ikeja Lagos. Helping hands Nigeria: Scam or real? The founder of the organization is Mrs. Luzviminda Mac-Elvis. She is a citizen of Philippines and operates the business from there. According to her personal message on the official website, she believes that the mission of Helping Hands Nigeria is to provide help to the weak. It`s a noble goal, but it`s not what she seeks. Official web page of the Helping Hand International on the Facebook is filled with information about how people earn money in this organization. If you look through their personal Facebook page, you would probably make a conclusion, like: Join us! Invite your friends and become rich!. It`s not the massage you expect to hear from a charitable non-profit organization which claims to help poor. Helping hands Nigeria: Scam or real? Helping Hands International: how it works? If you want to join Helping Hands Nigeria, you just need to visit their website and register there. After that, you would be asked only $40 to join the organization. When you pay them money you may enjoy things, like: Business Loan Free educational fund for your children Residential income Paid trips Free House New Car Skill trading Property support Nevertheless, you should understand that if you pay $40, you may have only the opportunity to enjoy the above-mentioned things. The opportunity does not mean to get a full free package. If you want to have all above mentioned you need to find more people who would pay more money into the system. It`s a classical Pyramid Scheme or MLM. If you are on top of this pyramid you get money. If you are somewhere at the basis, then you might get nothing. Helping hands Nigeria: Scam or real? Why should you treat this organization as Helping Hands International Scam? The answer is simple! Where do they get money? This organization does not run business, and it does not pay taxes from this business. They claim to be a charitable organization, but they work more like a Pyramid Scheme. They do not sell goods or services. As they claim, all their services within the organization are for free. Therefore, they can only get revenues from the new members of the organizations. READ ALSO: How to unblock my MMM account in Nigeria? Helping hands Nigeria: Scam or real? What is Helping Hands International Compensation Plan It`s a pyramid of the system. If you pay $40 do the pyramid and do nothing, then consider is a payment to a charitable organization. Can you claim back your money from a charity? It`s difficult and why should you start the noise over $40? If you want to get some money from the Helping Hands International Compensation, then you need to grow through stages. Helping hands Nigeria: Scam or real? 1 Stage. Associate At the very first stage, you just need to make sure that you invest $40 into the Helping Hands Nigeria. After that, you will be provided with your personal account and referral or direct link to the project. After that, you need to start introducing other people to the Helping Hands International Nigeria. Every person whom you invite to the system will provide you 20% of the sum of the investment. It means that if they invest $40 you get $8. If you want to become an associate, you need to create a matrix, where two people you brought also provided two other people. If you invite six persons you get 6*8 = $48 plus $10 for building the matrix. If you get two persons, then you get $26. Helping hands Nigeria: Scam or real? What is the point of the system on this stage? If you manage to build a pyramid 1*2*4, you get $58, your two associates on the lower level gets $28 each, and four other persons get nothing. Therefore, if you`ve managed to become the Associate you`ve also managed to bring to the Helping Hands Nigeria $280, and it must return only $110 ($58 to you and $52 to two people of your matrix on the lower level). It means that they get 170$ tax free money just from you. Is not it wonderful? Stage 2. Master In this stage, you become a master if six members of your matrix level up to the Associate stage. It means to collect at least $26 from getting two people into the Helping Hands Nigeria. Therefore, you need to build a simple matrix of your associates 2*5. There you get $1000 as your matrix bonus. Also, you can also have a free laptop. You can also earn extra 10% every time your direct referral completes a stage. It`s called Matching Bonus. Helping hands Nigeria: Scam or real? Stage 3. Super master When people in your 2*5 become masters, you will receive $1500 and another $1500 bonus if your matrix will fill in. Your direct uplink will provide you with $150 Matching Bonus. You can also get a brand new Hyundai ix10 from the Helping Hands International. Stage 4. Minister When people from your matrix become Super Master, you will receive $2000 from the 1-5 level of the matrix. You can also get additional $4000 if your matrix is completed. The price of your referral uplink is $300 now. You can also get a new car (if you stay the Minister for three weeks in a row). You can also ask for $12000 free interest loan. Helping hands Nigeria: Scam or real? Stage 5 Prime Minister If your first six members of the 2*2 matrix join you Minister stage, you will get $12000 paid in two levels. You would get additional $1000 if your Matrix filled up. You can also enjoy housing funds, international trips, educational funds from the Helping Hand International. Is Helping Hands Nigeria Scam? Verdict. Helping hands Nigeria: Scam or real? The intentions of the Helping Hands Nigeria are unclear. They continue to define themselves as a non-profit organization, but they apparently work at least like a MLM business. They help people to provide their pyramids. How does Helping Hand International earn money? Only from new members of the pyramid. They do not sell goods and do not provide services. They define themselves as registered and non-profit organization to help poor. Still, their Facebook show results of how they consult people to create their MLM pyramids and become rich. It may not be a Ponzi scheme, but it`s a classical MLM Pyramid where the people on the top of the pyramid gets money from the people of the lower level of the pyramid. READ ALSO: The billion coin review - is it scam? Source: Legit.ng - The returned hospital is said to have state-of-the-art equipment including MRI machine worth $1million - The EFCC handed over the medical property to the Nigerian Air Force's medical unit because it reportedly could not manage facilities - The federal government is reportedly making moves to seize more of former Air Force chief Amosu's properties, especially in London Ex-chief of air staff Amosu has lost many properties to the federal government of Nigeria already The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has handed over a hospital with medical equipment reportedly worth about $2.15m which was seized from Air Marshal Adesola Amosu (retd.), a former chief of air staff, to the Nigerian Air Force. READ ALSO: Senator Dino Melaye in certificate scandal The PUNCH reports that the medical facility called St. Solomon Hospital and is located on Adeniyi Jones Avenue in Ikeja, Lagos state is said to have state-of-the-art equipment including a Magnetic Resonance Imaging machine which costs well over $1m. Front view of St Solomon Hospital that EFCC handed over to Nigerian Air Force The EFCC reportedly handed over the property to the Nigerian Air Force medical unit because it could not manage the property. The hospital has very expensive equipment including an MRI machine which is very rare. However, we could not manage the hospital so we handed it over to the air force pending the outcome of Amosus trial. It is assumed that the money used in buying the hospital was stolen from the air force, the source said. Side view of the St Solomon Hospital on Adeniyi Jones Avenue in Ikeja, Lagos The Punch reports that other properties the EFCC seized from Amosu included a house on Adeyemo Alakija Street, GRA Ikeja worth N250m; a duplex at House 11, Peace Court Estate, GRA Ikeja worth N110m; a N40m property located at NAF Harmony Estate, Asokoro base; a five-bedroomed house at Valley NAF Estate, Port Harcourt, worth N33m and a N95m house on Umaru Dikko Street, Jabi. PAY ATTENTION: Get the latest news on Legit.ng News App It also reports that the Federal Government is set to seize Amosus house at 50 Tenterden Grove, NW41TH, London worth about 2m. Meanwhile, there is slight panic among the management team of the ministry of foreign affairs following the decision of the EFCC to commence investigation into the alleged sack of a whistle-blower. The staff was reportedly sacked for exposing the diversion of $229,000 and N800,000 by top officials of the Directorate of Technical Cooperation in Africa (DTCA). The EFCC now has the directive by the presidency to probe why the minister of state for foreign affairs approved the sack of the staff. Source: Legit.ng A video made the rounds recently, in it, Boko Haram leader, Abubakar Shekau appeared, threatening world leaders and disputing claims of being defeated by the Cameroonian government. 6 very cold threats Shekau made in his latest appearance Speaking Hausa, Shekau ordered his fighters to remain steadfast, adding that the sect will not back down until Sharia is established in Benin, Cameroon, Chad, Niger, Nigeria and Mali. Below are 6 major threats which Shekau dished out in his latest video. 1. To Paul Biya 6 very cold threats Shekau made in his latest appearance "Lies! Lies every day, you better be careful Paul Biya because you are not fighting Shekau but God. It would have been easy for you to fight Shekau not God." 2. Allah for all nations 6 very cold threats Shekau made in his latest appearance "Accept the real teaching of the Islam by not only depending on fasting, salat, zakkat (charity) and Hajj (pilgrimage)." 3. To President Muhammadu Yusufu 6 very cold threats Shekau made in his latest appearance "Niger Republic President Muhammadu Yusufu you are a liar. You can't dare my students and if I rise against you it will be difficult for you to face me." 4. A challenge to all the world 6 very cold threats Shekau made in his latest appearance "As long as we are Muslims and we practice the injunction of the Holy Quran we will be powerful." 5. Woe to Borno state 6 very cold threats Shekau made in his latest appearance "All the explosions in Maiduguri are carried out by us and we will continue to detonate bombs." 6. To the non-sharia nations 6 very cold threats Shekau made in his latest appearance "You will never have rest of mind until you accept the holy Quran." The emergence of the video has agitated some Nigerians who suggested that the footage was a challenge to the Boko Haram war of President Muhammadu Buhari's administration. Another group wondered if the message was from the same Abubakar Shekau the military claimed to have killed several times. But another set, dismissed Shekaus threat in the new video as empty, warning the Boko Haram leader his end will soon come. Source: Legit.ng Following the non-payment of salaries to primary school teachers for up to four months, living condition is now worse for the teachers in Delta state. Our Legit.ng correspondent in Delta who made contact with some of the teachers in the state, reports that conditions surrounding the teachers is grievous. Many of the teachers are living on borrowing with the anticipation that the salaries will come for them to pay up. But salaries have failed to show up as government is turning a blind eye to the teachers plights. In the months that have been paid, that is up to November 2016, most of the teachers spent the money to settle debts from cooperatives and others. On most occasions, the salaries are deducted from source and what comes to them barely takes care of their needs for a week. Their situation would not have been worse as such if the salaries were coming as other members of the state civil service. Delta state governor, Ifeanyi Okowa, his commissioner for basic education, Chiedu Ebie, locked in titanic warfare with NUT state chairman, Jonathan Jemirieyigbe The salary challenge of the primary school teachers has been an issue for years. While other civil servants in the ministries, parastatals and agencies receive their salaries, at times two weeks into the new month, primary school teachers can only pray for their salaries to come at the end of may be four or five months in Delta state. This has been the recurrent issue over the years and there seems to be no solution to the long time challenge. Although Delta is seen as the third richest state in Nigeria, there are continuous complaints from the government that there is shortage of funds to pay workers and the primary school teachers are the worse hit among civil servants in the oil rich state. They have never received salaries at the end of the month. This is even as they are the foundation of education in Nigeria. Mrs. Rose Ughegbe, a teacher in Egburie Primary school in Ozoro, Isoko North local government area of the state, is unhappy over the non-payment of their salaries by the Delta state government. Mrs. Ughegbe, who has put in over 20 years in the state primary education, has expressed disgust over the attitude of the state government towards the welfare of teachers. READ ALSO: We have paid primary school teachers November 2016 salaries Delta govt For her, it is a painful experience, she would have opted for another job but for the lack of it in the state. Also, her family is settled in the state and it would be a problem relocating to other cities to begin life afresh. For all these reasons, she has decided to take the bull by the horn and forge on irrespective of government attitude to their service to the state. According to her: There is no money with us. We are not happy with the way the state government is treating the issue of primary school teachers in the state. Government is very ungrateful to teachers. Many of us supported the governor when he was coming as governor in 2015 but its unfortunate that Governor Okowa is rewarding us with debts and unfulfilled promises. A teacher in Ajenesan Primary School, Oghara, Ethiope east council area of the state, Mary Ogorode, is also not finding life rosy. For her, the way government is carrying teachers issues is bad. That is why every one of us is now at home. The extent of the impact of government owing teachers depends on the occupation of teachers and their spouses. Secondary school students stranded as teachers and government are locked in a battle of supremacy There are some teachers who are married to people in other professions; in that case, they have to depend on their partners for their daily living. But for those husbands and wives who are both teachers, the situation is worse for them. This is because they receive salary from the same source and when the salaries fail to come the way it is now, you can imagine what the family will look like. Since government stopped paying us, teachers have been running from one place to the other doing one small business or other to keep life going. Some go to the market to sell food stuff just to get what they can eat. Some have also gone into farming just to raise money for their children's education and the family upkeep, Mrs. Ogorode pointed out. She said the non-payment of salaries is the major reason the schools are not doing well. You will see that before we will resume from this strike, many parents may have withdrawn their children from public schools to private schools where is nothing like strike. READ ALSO: Delta schools shutdown over non-payment of salaries Mrs. Janet Ogorugba, a teacher in Uzoigwe Primary school in Asaba, the Delta state capital, has resorted to selling electronics. She said she is into networking and marketing of electronics. According to her, when the schools were in session, she sells the products during school hours to her colleagues and other friends but now that NUT has declared strike action, she now runs a mini shop in her home. For Emmanuel Oyonbru, also a primary school teacher in Ethiope Primary school, Sapele, he has been a farmer even while still a teacher. And since the commencement of the strike, he has become almost a full time farmer in Sapele. Having been brought up by farming parents, Oyonbru has no problem becoming a good farmer. I have been a farmer before now. The strike simply availed me the opportunity to focus on my farm. I grow cassava and that is what I live on. My wife sells in the market and we join resources together to fend for ourselves and our three children. I must say it has not been easy since December 2016 no salary. Imagine, we worked for four straight months without any dime from the government; that is wickedness. They claim that there is no money, that there is recession in the country, yet they still drive big cars. What they are doing to teachers in the state is more of wickedness than economic problem. The foregoing explains the pain primary school teachers are passing through in Delta state. This is why they are unhappy with the state government. Following the development and the government ineptitude to their plights, the rift between the state government and teachers has taken a fearful dimension. Beginning from Thursday, March 9, 2017, the two bodies, the government and the NUT are locked up in titanic war over the salary of primary school teachers and the promotion and implementation of same to teachers in the post primary institutions. Anxious students await the who blinks first between the two warring factions The teachers under the aegis of Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT) embarked on the strike action on Thursday, March 9, 2017. The teachers grouse lies on non-payment of primary school teachers salaries for up to four months with last payment being November 2016. From November 2016 till date, primary school teachers have not been paid salaries, a development which means the teachers spent their Christmas and New Year without salaries. READ ALSO: Delta schools remain shut as negotiations meet deadlock Series of meeting have been held between government officials and members of the union, many of which ended in deadlock as the union members had turned down the plea and promises of the government, led by Governor Ifeanyi Okowa. The teachers are of the view that the government is showing high level of insincerity to the challenges of the teachers, hence, they are unwilling to bend to the desires of the state government until their demands are met. The NUT state chairman, Jonathan Jemirieyigbe, gave series of reasons why the teachers are unwilling to go back to school. According to him, the government is refusing to meet the demands of teachers of both primary and secondary schools. He condemned the lackadaisical attitude of the government to the welfare of the teachers. His reasons are not far-fetched. He said: Our primary school teachers salaries from December, January and February have not been paid till date. We also have the issue of non -implementation of promotions released for primary and secondary schools. Others include non-implementation of JACs decision to pay primary school teachers, non-payment of minimum wage for several years as well as illegal deductions of teachers salaries on the excuse of infotech biometric data report, among others. Governor Okowa says all secondary school teachers must resume on Monday as they have been settled but no statement on primary school teachers Following the unwillingness of government to address the issues raised by the NUT, the union members have agreed that the strike will continue until government bows to their needs. But government, represented by the commissioner for basic and secondary education, Chiedu Ebie, said it has met certain demands of the teachers, hence the teachers should go back to the classroom and resume work. On Saturday, March 18, 2017, the state government went furious, issuing threat to secondary school teachers to either go back to school or forfeit their salaries. The threat which it codenamed No work, no pay directed all secondary school teachers to go back to school today, Monday March 20, as failure to do so will mean forfeiting their pay, describing their strike action as being in solidarity with their primary counterparts. The government said it has met all the demands of the secondary school teachers under the post primary education board. Consequently, it said the continued sympathy strike with their primary school counterparts has become unreasonable as all matters concerning promotions have been approved and implemented by the state government. It thereafter said the government will no longer tolerate strike actions that would jeopardise the smooth conduct of teaching and learning in public schools. It added: For the avoidance of doubt, the state government will henceforth apply the policy of No work, No pay on any school principal or teacher who fails to resume work on Monday, March 20, 2017. But chairman of the NUT, Jonathan Jemirieyigbe, said the action of the state government was uncalled for. He told Legit.ng that Governor Okowas threat cannot hold water. For him, Okowa cannot do what he is threatening to do. He said the strike was embarked upon by the NUT and it is only the NUT that has the constitutional right to suspend the strike. READ ALSO: Free education not the best for Nigeria - Delta Commissioner According to him: Okowa no fit. Secondary school teachers did not call for strike, it is NUT that called for strike. And since, it was the NUT that called for strike, it is the NUT that has right to call off the strike. Okowas threat cannot hold water. He is the one just taken the issue beyond where it is supposed to be. We will be very happy if he applies the policy of no work no salary. Let him not pay, let him add secondary school teachers to the struggle. Has he paid the arrears of the secondary school teachers he is saying he has settled? Has our promotions been implemented? He has not settled anything. Im the one you are talking with and not anybody else. He added that even if the state government has settled the issues with the NUT, it is not within the power of the governor to call off strike. He told Legit.ng that though the teachers are hungry but they could afford to sacrifice the next months for Delta state government, provided the teachers needs are met. But if the needs are not met, he said: We will not go back to school. Even at gunpoint, we will not resume school. All that the government of Delta state needs do is to attend to our needs. We need results and not promises. We have been receiving these promises since 2014 when I came on board as NUT chairman. Up till today, the promises are still there unmet. The promises have remained unredeemable, other problems have been added. We are tired, we are even hungry. If need be let him sack everyone and do fresh employment. We are ready to take the bull by the horn. Source: Legit.ng China's One Belt, One Road project envisages a land economic belt to South and Central Asia and Europe, and a maritime "silk road" to Southeast Asia and the Indian Ocean. By Ananth Krishnan: China's "One Belt, One Road" (OBOR) infrastructure plan was receiving "broad global support" despite India's objections to the plan, Chinese state media said on Monday. This came after China's diplomats on Friday hailed a United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolution which for the first time mentioned the OBOR, which envisages a land-economic belt to South and Central Asia and Europe, and a maritime "silk road" to Southeast Asia and the Indian Ocean. advertisement India isn't among the countries that have backed the plan, as a key flagship project of the OBOR is an economic corridor through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). China is hosting the first OBOR summit in Beijing in May, with 20 global leaders and representatives from 50 countries and international organisations expected. India hasn't yet decided on its representation at the summit. 'WATCHING THE RISE OF CHINA' Indian officials have repeatedly expressed concerns to China about the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) violating its sovereignty in PoK, which is Indian territory. China has similarly objected to economic exploration projects in the South China Sea, for instance between India and Vietnam. CPEC was initiated more than a year before President Xi Jinping unveiled the OBOR plan in 2013. China made the decision to include the CPEC as a flagship corridor under the OBOR rather than carry it forward as a separate project, essentially closing the door to any Indian involvement in OBOR. "New Delhi cannot prevent the growth of the OBOR's influence," the Global Times, a Communist Party-run tabloid published by the official People's Daily, said in a commentary on Monday. "If India wants to exclude itself from the OBOR at a time when the initiative is receiving widespread support from the global community, India will end up simply watching the rise of China's international reputation." CREATING A FAVOURABLE ATMOSPHERE FOR CHINA The paper said that "despite concerns from India, broader support has been given to the OBOR from the international community". As the UNSC on Friday adopted a resolution to extend the mandate of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) by one year, the text called on countries to "strengthen the process of regional economic cooperation, including measures to facilitate regional connectivity, trade and transit, including through regional development initiatives such as the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road (the Belt and Road) Initiative". Chinese diplomats have portrayed the reference as a diplomatic victory of sorts, with Liu Jieyi, the Chinese permanent representative to the United Nations, saying it showed "the consensus of the international community on embracing the concept, and manifesting huge Chinese contributions to the global governance". advertisement Liu said the move would be "conducive to creating a favourable atmosphere for China to host a Belt and Road forum for international cooperation in Beijing this May in order to brainstorm on interconnected development." BEIJING WANTS DELHI TO ADOPT AN OPEN ATTITUDE The Global Times said if "Delhi has concerns about the CPEC as a flagship project in the OBOR, India's joining the initiative could cement its economic ties with China and possibly shift the initiative's center of gravity." "The dispute over Kashmir between India and Pakistan makes New Delhi habitually vigilant against any possibility of large-scale foreign investment flowing into the region, but it is necessary to learn to distinguish activities between normal commercial investment and ones that could violate India's sovereignty. Both the OBOR and the CPEC are economic initiatives. Hopefully India will wake up to the benefits and adopt an open attitude toward joining the initiatives." CPEC A VIOLATION OF SOVEREIGNTY, SAYS INDIA India, however has disregarded China's argument of the CPEC being "purely economic" and pointed out that China has on numerous instances objected to economic projects in the South China Sea, for instance when India and Vietnam took forward exploration projects. advertisement Stressing that India was a "pro-connectivity country" with a number of regional connectivity projects, Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar conveyed to China at the February 22 strategic dialogue in Beijing that it was a fact that the CPEC "violates Indian sovereignty because it runs through PoK". "The issue is not about connectivity per se," Jaishankar said. "The fact is CPEC is part of this particular initiative and CPEC violates Indian sovereignty because it runs through PoK. Therefore, since they are a country very sensitive to sovereignty concerns it was for them to see how a country whose sovereignty has been violated can come on an invitation. We would like to see what proposals anybody has in that regard," Jaishankar said. ALSO READ: China defends Pak corridor after Modi criticism of projects India's CPEC concerns 'unwarranted', says China media FROM THE MAGAZINE: The Silk Road gamble Corridor of Uncertainty ALSO WATCH --- ENDS --- - A retired major general, David Jemibewon, describes Hameed Ali, as a fine military man who should not belittle himself with customs uniform - Jemibewon says wearing customs uniform will be belittling the position of the uniform of a member of the Armed forces - Meanwhile, former aviation minister, Femi Fani-Kayode, says Ali was arrogant to have ignored the Senates order to appear before lawmakers in customs uniform for a briefing on a controversial policy on payment of duties for old vehicles David Jemibewon has said it is belittling for a retired military officer to wear the customs uniform. A retired major general and former governor of defunct Western state, David Jemibewon, has said the demand by the Senate that the comptroller-general of Nigeria Customs Service appears before it in service uniform senators was unnecessary. READ ALSO: El-Rufai's Memo: It's like Brutus stabbing Julius Caesar - Fani-Kayode Jemibewon described Hameed Ali, a retired colonel, as a fine military man who should not belittle himself with customs uniform, Premium Times reports. The retired general, who once served as the minister of police affairs, said he would have resigned if anyone had compelled him to wear police uniform as a minister. He said: It would be belittling the position of the uniform of a member of the Armed forces. There was no way anybody could have compelled me to wear uniform. I would have resigned, Mr. Jemibewon said. Even if the law said so I would have resigned. However, Jemibewons position on the issue is in contrast to what occurred when a former customs chief was appointed outside the service in similar manner as Ali wore uniform. Bello Haliru had said the moment he was appointed, he became a career customs officer. I knew I must comply with all rules and regulations of the organisation I am leading and that included wearing a uniform," Bello said. Similarly, Haladu Hananiya, a former corps marshal of the Federal Road Safety Commission, wore uniform of the agency following his appointment by former president, Olusegun Obasanjo. This was despite the fact that Hananiya retired from the Nigerian Army as a major-general, years before his appointment to the FRSC. When reminded of the above cases, Jemibewon, praised the humility of Bello Haliru and Haladu Hananiya but stood his ground, still. Hameed Ali appeared before the Senate on Thursday, March 16, without wearing the complete customs uniform as directed by the lawmakers. Jemibewon also admitted that he doesnt know what Customs rules and regulations stipulate, but repeated that an Army officer should be above a Customs uniform. The highest patriotic body in any country in the world is the Army...You dont expect someone who has risen to that position in the Army to wear customs uniform. READ ALSO: Fake car documents allegedly the cause of war between the senate and Hameed Ali Here is a man who has excelled in his military career and youre asking that one to wear Customs uniform? I dont see how that will ensure competence and efficiency," he said. Meanwhile, Former aviation minister Femi Fani-Kayode has mocked the travails of Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) comptroller-general Hameed Ali at the Nigerian Senate. Fani-Kayode tweeted on Sunday that Ali was arrogant to have ignored the Senates order to appear before lawmakers in Customs uniform for a briefing on a controversial policy on payment of duties for old vehicles. The former media director of the Goodluck Jonathan presidential campaign organisation in 2015 said Ali should have done exactly as the Senate order. See some social media reactions to the issue below: Source: Legit.ng A Federal High Court judge, Binta Nyako has ordered that all journalists covering the case of the leader of the Indigenous People Of Biafra (IPOB) Nnamdi Kanu be barred from using their phones and cameras. Nnamdi Kanu and others arriving the court on Monday, March 20 The order came on the heels of Kanu's appearance before the court on Monday, March 20 for hearing. An operative of the Department of State Security (DSS) dressed in plain clothes stood on the entrance of the courtroom alongside three heavily armed prisons officials. Nnamdi Kanu and others finding their way into the court room on Monday, March 20 The operative said the judge gave a fresh order that no journalist should be allowed into the court room with their phones. "Madam (the judge) gave the order, she said no journalists should be allowed inside with their phones their cameras," the DSS operative said. Nnamdi Kanu led by prison officials to the courtroom READ ALSO: Biafra agitation: IPOB reveals when Kanu will be set free It is however not clear if the DSS official was acting on his own or on the orders of Justice Nyako. At the last hearing on the matter, Nyako had accused the security operatives of making a mole hill out of Nnamdi Kanu's matter. Nnamdi Kanu and his co-accused persons inside the courtroom The judge said the "overzealous operatives are making this matter special." "There is absolutely nothing special about Nnamdi Kanu, there is absolutely nothing special about this case," Justice Nyako had said angrily. Kanu and three others are facing charges for treasonable felony among others. READ ALSO: Nnamdi Kanu dissociates himself from new Radio Biafra in America Below is a video clip of the IPOB leader and others arriving the court earlier today. Source: Legit.ng The treasure site, located in the intersection of Minjiang River and its branch Jinjiang River, is 50 kms away south of Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan Province. Archaeologists says the items could be more than 300 years old. (File Photo for representation) By Press Trust of India: Chinese archaeologists today said that they have recovered more than 10,000 gold and silver items that sank to the bottom of a river in southwestern Sichuan Province over 300 years ago. The items included a large amount of gold, silver and bronze coins and jewellery as well as iron weapons such as swords, knifes and spears, said Gao Dalun, director of Sichuan Provincial Cultural Relics and Archaeology Research Institute. advertisement The characters carved in the gold and silver utensils are still clear and the embossed patterns on the jewellery show exquisite craftsmanship, state-run news agency Xinhua quoted archaeologists as saying. The treasure site, located in the intersection of Minjiang river and its branch Jinjiang river, is 50 kms away south of Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan Province. It is believed that in 1646, peasant uprising leader Zhang Xianzhong was defeated in the area by Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) soldiers while attempting to transfer his treasure to the south. About 1,000 boats loaded with money and valuables sank during the skirmish. "The objects have helped identify the area where the battle was fought and are direct evidence of this historical event," said Wang Wei, a Chinese archaeologist. Sichuan launched the exploration project in January when the dry season arrived. Several water pumps were used to drain water away day and night. Hundreds of meters of the river bed appeared after archaeologists dug five meters down, where they found the relics. "The items are extremely valuable to science, history and art. They are of great significance for research into the political,economic, military and social lives of the Ming Dynasty," said Li Boqian, an archaeologist from Peking University. Archaeologists said the excavation will last until April and the team expects to unearth more items. ALSO READ: Real life Jurassic Park found in China Zealandia: All you need to know about the 8th continent we didn't know we had --- ENDS --- There was a mild drama at the Federal High Court on Monday, March 20, following the arraignment of Ambassador Dr Dickson Akoh, the commandant of the newly established Peace Corps of Nigeria. Dr Akoh and others arriving the court premises earlier today Akoh was brought to the court for arraignment before Justice Gabriel Kolawole of the Federal High Court earlier today. But while the police and the defence team waited for the case to be called up, the court clerk informed the parties that no date was fixed by the court for the matter. Akoh was just about leaving the courtroom when he was cornered by some police officers in plain clothes. READ ALSO: Police, DSS, NSA get 12 days to justify clampdown on peace corps The Peace Corps officers entering the court building earlier today The commandant was still discussing with some of his associates who were directing him to a waiting vehicle when he and the other accused persons were cornered by some police officers in plain clothes into a waiting police van. The police vans - about three - zoomed off in a convoy back to the Force Headquarters in Abuja. Dr Akoh and his associates inside the court room earlier today The Nigeria police in a 90-count charge accused Akoh and many others of illegal establishment of a paramilitary organization. They were also accused of extortion and obtaining by false pretense over N1.4 billion from applicants applying for jobs in the corps. Two weeks ago, the proposed office for the Peace Corps was raided by the police. Akoh and 49 other officers of the corps was arrested in the process. READ ALSO: Peace Corps sues AGF, police for N2bn over 'harassment' of members After their release, the police moved against the officers on Sunday, March 19, and rearrested them. Below is a video of Akoh and other senior officers of the Peace Corps arriving the court earlier today. Source: Legit.ng - A landlord, Musliu Aliu, who is also a farmer, has been found dead after having a dispute with his tenant who is a Fulani herdsman - In another incident, a woman was also stabbed in the stomach and has been hospitalised, while about 19 houses are said to have been razed in the aftermath of the incident - The Oyo state police command spokesperson, Adekunle Ajisebutu, says the herdsman who allegedly killed the farmer is still at large The herdsman who allegedly killed the farmer is still at large, according to the police. There is heightened tension between the indigenes of Igbeti in the Oke-Ogun area of Oyo state, and herdsmen in the area after a herdsman allegedly murdered his landlord over dispute over cattle. READ ALSO: Herdsmen struck in Edo, kill ex-LG boss, kidnap 15 others The Guardian reports that the deceased landlord, Musliu Aliu, who was also a farmer, was killed on his farm shortly after having a dispute with his herdsman tenant. The chairman of Igbeti community, Alhaji Alawode Jimoh Fasina, said the indigenes of the town had warned the deceased not to accommodate the herdsman who has many cows in the area. He said: Aliu went to his farm where he had preserved some yam seedlings for planting. But the cows ate some tubers of yam, which resorted into a quarrel between them. The herdsman accused the deceased of poisoning his cows, who he said were discharging bile. The deceased told us he was going to report the incident to the police. But we learnt that he went to his farm to plant the yamseedlings. It was in the process that the herdsman attacked and killed him. READ ALSO: Chaos at National Assembly, as herdsmen killing invoke protest In another incident, a woman was also stabbed in the stomach and had been hospitalised, while about 19 houses were said to have been razed in the aftermath of the attack. The woman explained that the herdsman tried to forcefully grabbed her purse in which she had some money, but when she resisted, he tried to cut her purse which she tied to her waist with a dagger and in the process, the dagger pierced her stomach and gouge out her intestines. She is in the hospital. However, the leader of Fulani herdsmen in the area, Alhaji Saliu Kadiri, who is also the national chairman, Jamu Nati Fulbe Association of Nigeria, has exonerated his members form the murder of the farmer. Alhaji Saliu Kadiri alleged that the deceased farmer poisoned his crops which the cattle ate and that led to its death. The herdsman reported the case and the following day, the man was found dead. He was not stabbed and there were no stab wounds on him. His tubers of yam were also burnt. Only my God knows who killed him, he said. The herdsman who allegedly killed the farmer is still at large, according to the Oyo state police spokesperson, Adekunle Ajisebutu. Meanwhile, more than 1000 guns were recovered as armed bandits, cattle rustlers and vigilante surrendered their weapons as part of a disarmament process spearheaded by Zamfara State and 1 Division Nigerian Army. In a statement by Brigadier-General Sani Kukasheka Usman who is the director of army public relations, he said the army and the state government is working towards peace. The region has recorded violence ranging from cattle rustling to Fulani herdsmen attack and the army has vowed to work towards achieiving peace. Source: Legit.ng The naira note is a tapestry of pictures that represent the things and people we are most proud of as Nigerians. The naira is the currency of Nigeria, subdivided into 100 Kobo and issued by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). CBN is the sole issuer of legal tender money throughout the Nigerian Federation. It controls the volume of money supply in the economy in order to ensure monetary and price stability. Below are the pictures on some notes and the original photos they are taken from: 1. The Fulani milk maids At the back of the 10 naira note are two ladies carrying calabashes. It has been discovered that it is a picture taken by John Wilfrid Hinde an English photographer, whose idealistic and nostalgic style influenced the art of postcard photography. Hinde took the picture of the Fulani milk maids between 1960 and 1970. Below are the pictures: The current 10 naira note is made of polymer 2. Murtala Mohammed General Murtala Ramat Muhammed was born on November 8, 1938 and was assassinated on February 13, 1976. He was the military ruler of Nigeria from 1975 until his assassination in 1976. His picture appears on the 20 naira note. Below are the pictures: Murtala Muhammed was succeeded by Olusegun Obasanjo 3. Sir Ahmadu Bello Sir Ahmadu Bello KBE was born on June 12, 1910 and died on January 15, 1966. He was a Nigerian politician who was the first and only premier of the Northern Nigeria region. He also held the title of Sardauna of Sokoto. His picture appears on the 200 naira note. Below are the pictures: Ahmadu Bello was a descendant of Uthman dan Fodio, a great grandson of Sultan Muhammed Bello and a grandson of Sultan Atiku na Raba READ ALSO: FG to print more naira notes and many things that will happen in 2017 (LIST) 4. Obafemi Awolowo Chief Obafemi Jeremiah Oyeniyi Awolowo, GCFR, was a Nigerian nationalist and statesman who played a key role in Nigeria's independence movement, the First and Second Republics and the Civil War. His picture graces the 100 naira note. Here is the real photo: Obafemi Awolowo was the first premier of the Western Region and later federal commissioner for finance, and vice chairman of the Federal Executive Council during the Civil War 5. Nnamdi Azikiwe Benjamin Nnamdi Azikiwe, usually referred to as Nnamdi Azikiwe or Zik, was one of the leading figures of modern Nigerian nationalism. He served as the second and last Governor-General of Nigeria from 1960 to 1963 and the first President of Nigeria from 1963 to 1966, holding the presidency throughout the Nigerian First Republic. His face is on the 500 naira note. Below are the pictures: The airport in Abuja is named after Nnamdi Azikiwe READ ALSO: 15 facts to know about Ladi Kwali, the woman on the 20 naira note 6. Alhaji Aliyu Mai-Bornu Mallam Aliyu Mai-Bornu was born in 1919 and he died on February 23, 1970. He was a Nigerian economist, and the first indigenous Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria. On the 1,000 naira note he is one of the faces, beside Dr Clement Isong. Below are the pictures: Aliyu Mai-Bornu is Nigeria's first indigenous governor of the CBN 7. Ladi Kwali Ladi Kwali OON, MBE was a Nigerian potter. Lady Kwali was born in the village of Kwali in the Gwari region of Northern Nigeria, where pottery was an indigenous female tradition. Ladi Kwali is respected for her pottery and she appears on the 20 naira note. Below is the picture: Ladi Kwali has a road and a pottery training center named after her in Nigeria Watch a video below on the Nnamdi Azikiwe airport: Source: Legit.ng Lauretta Onochie, a special assistant on new media to President Muhammadu Buhari, has mocked Senator Dino Melaye of Kogi West senatorial district over allegations that he did not graduate from university as he had earlier claimed. Lauretta Onochie says Melaye's behaviour is an attestation to his alleged lack of certificate In a tweet on Monday, March 20, Lauretta also posted a picture of Melaye in tattered cloth after he had a messy on the floor of the House of Representatives way back in 2010. READ ALSO: We dont hate Buhari, but we hate his actions - Christian group She hinted that this probably explains the fight Melaye had on the floor of the lower house of legislature. Onochie, a very outspoken lady, was recently involved in a spat with ace journalist Dele Momodu after he criticised President Buharis policies on media platforms. In a related vein, Lere Olayinka, an aide to Ekiti state Governor Ayodele Fayose on new media, also mocked Melaye over his present predicament. He noted that All Progressives Congress which used Melaye against the Peoples Democratic Party has now turned on him. Legit.ng recalls that reports emerged on Sunday, March 19 that Melaye never graduated from the department of geography at Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) in Zaria. According to the report, the DSS was alerted over this but the security agency reportedly covered it up and allowed the man blossom. At least three exam officers at ABU, Zaria insists that @dino_melaye never graduated from geography department, DG DSS alerted but covered it up, the report said. Source: Legit.ng The whistle-blowing wagon seems to be getting larger as more people including bankers have reportedly joined on. People carrying out fraud will likely be in trouble as their account officers n the bank are likely to give them up for graft. Whistle-blowing and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission's recent action made the headlines of today's papers, March, 20, 2017. Finance Minister, Kemi Adeosun has confirmed a meeting with Godwin Emefiele to align fiscal policies According to This Day, a reliable source with the EFCC, who disclosed this at the weekend, said that some bankers have been encouraged largely by the reward of between 2.5 per cent (minimum) and five per cent (maximum) of the total amount recovered. According to the source, several former and current public officers who had allegedly stolen from the treasury either hid the physical cash in safe houses or used shell companies, close aides, associates and family members to stash the ill-gotten funds in bank accounts using the names of the companies or their friends, family members and associates. However, though the accounts are not in the names of the political office holders, they usually operate the accounts themselves, a fact that is well known by the bank account officers who help them to manage the accounts. READ ALSO: Magu cannot be acting EFCC chairman again - Senate Niger Delta stakeholders are currently strategising to formulate modular oil refineries According to The Guardian, unless the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) is consistent in making foreign exchange (forex) available for manufacturers to import raw materials that are yet to have local alternatives, foreign investors with access to cheaper funds may acquire controlling stakes in these local firms. Already, some firms that are unable to sustain their operations, having suffered huge losses in 2016 due to currency adjustments and inadequate access to forex, are being acquired by new investors, while others are exploring the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) by way of rights issue before considering bailout from their parent companies. Indeed, many listed local producers lost over N50 billion in profit across the food, beverages, conglomerates and drug manufacturing sectors. READ ALSO: 6 things you need to know about the FG's whistle-blowing programme The Nigerian economic recession has also led to job losses even among expatriates in the multinationals According to Punch, a hospital with medical equipment worth about $2.15m which was seized from a former Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Adesola Amosu (retd.), has been handed over to the Nigerian Air Force. The hospital, St Solomon Hospital, which is located on Adeniyi Jones Avenue, Ikeja, Lagos, is said to have state-of-the-art equipment including a Magnetic Resonance Imaging machine which costs well over $1m. The news that a medical doctor parked his car on 3rd mainland bridge Lagos before jumping to his death has created a buzz According to The Nation, states are demanding about $6.9billion Paris Club loan deductions from the federal government. The government has raised a verification and reconciliation team on the claims by states to end over deduction of loans which have crippled many states. It was also learnt that the government has set guidelines for accessing the refund. The FG may no thanks to the recession issue long tenored instruments of between five and 10 years to states with valid claims to refund the money. Watch a video of the ongoing debacle with Apostle Suleman: Source: Legit.ng A man, Saddam Hussein, surrendered on Monday in a Coimbatore court, four days after an atheist was murdered in cold blood in the city. By Pramod Madhav: A man, Saddam Hussein, surrendered on Monday in a Coimbatore court, four days after a 31-year old atheist was murdered in cold blood by a gang in the city. Another man, Ansad, had surrendered yesterday. Police have said they're changing the investigation angle from 'personal enmity' to murder by a 'religious prejudice group'. Four special teams have been formed to catch the culprits. advertisement Farooq was the administrator of a WhatsApp group whose members regularly debunk religion and religious claims, District Commissioner of Police Saravanan said. The rationalistic messages he posted on his Facebook page had attracted criticism from members of the Muslim community, who called him an apostate. Farook was a member of the Thanthai Periyar Dravidar Kazagam, and preached Periyar's verses and Dravidianism. He is survived by his wife, a 10-year-old son and a 7-year-old daughter. BRUTAL KILLING At around 11:45 pm on the night of 16th March, Farook got a call from an unknown number. The caller claimed to be in the scrap business just like him, and asked they could meet near the Corporation Sewage Treatment Plant to discuss a deal. Farook agreed and left on his motorbike. Once he arrived, a gang had attacked him from behind and slashed him with a knife. Before he realised what was going on, he'd suffered fatal cuts to his body. Farook couldn't run since he'd lost a lot of blood. He cried out in pain, but the gang mercilessly slashed him to death. Passersby rushed to the spot upon hearing his cries, but it was too late: the gang had escaped, and Farooq had already died. ALSO READ | Coimbatore: Vocal atheist hacked to death, realtor surrenders ALSO WATCH | Coimbatore: Rationalist hacked to death for free thinking --- ENDS --- - The family of the medical doctor, Dr. Allwell Orji, who killed himself on Sunday has asked that their grief be respected - The family said he is not the person in the photo that has been circulating online - His mother still believes that he could be alive and has refused accept that he could be dead The family of the medical doctor, Dr. Allwell Orji, who killed himself on Sunday, March 19, by jumping into the Lagos lagoon has asked Nigerians to respect their grief. A man residents described as a father figure to Dr. Orji said: Please respect our grief. This is a difficult time for us and we dont want to make comments on this issue. It is not something to be celebrated. We are believing that hes still alive. God still does miracles. Family, church members, friends and colleagues of the doctor were said to be comforting his distraught mother who is said to have refused to accept he might be dead The Nation reports that the medical doctor lived with his widowed mother, Mrs. Chinyere Orji, a retired banker at her residence at 3, Odunukan Street, off Abule Ijesha, Yaba. His mother is said to have refused to accept he might be dead and has been receiving comfort from family, church members, friends and colleagues of the doctor. Journalists were denied access into the building, as relatives appealed that their moment of grief be respected. According to them, neither the woman nor anyone close to the family was ready to make comments on the development. READ ALSO: Medical doctor jumps into Lagos lagoon, kills self One of them said: You people dont know what we have been through since yesterday. Please, respect our grief. This is not a case of a grandfather that died and we want to celebrate it. This whole issue has been difficult for us. The mother is up there, not talking to anyone. Not even us who are very close relatives. People have been around her since yesterday so that she doesnt do anything drastic. She has yet to accept that he could be dead. She doesnt even accept peoples sympathies and condolences. As a Christian, shes believing God that a miracle could happen and that her son wont die. She believes hes just missing and would return alive. We cant allow you in. We wont also comment on it. Not today, not any day. We are not interested in talking about this issue. But I can tell you hes not the person in the picture they have been circulating online. Thats not my doctor. So many falsehoods have been circulated online in respect to this matter. We are not too pleased about it, but we wont be pushed to comment. READ ALSO: Woman rescued after jumping into Lagos lagoon in an attempt to kill herself (photo) It was gathered at the Mt. Sinai Hospital, Olanibi street, Papa Ajao, Mushin, where Orji worked, that he was on duty Friday night. Denying insinuations that he might have killed himself because he was sacked from his place of work, the hospital said he was a good doctor. Orji who is yet unmarried was the first of his mothers three children. He was said to be returning from the church, when he allegedly stopped the car, a Nissan X-trail with registration number LND 476 EE before diving into the lagoon. The spokesperson of LASEMA, Kehinde Adebayo, explained that the agency was alerted by concerned Nigerians over the incident. Efforts are still ongoing to recover his body from the lagoon. Not long after the medical doctor incident, an unidentified woman was rescued after she attempted to kill herself by jumping into the lagoon from Maza-Maza bridge in Mile 2 area of Lagos state. A vulcanizer who was presumed dead in the Ile-Ife crisis has said he is alive. Watch the video below. Source: Legit.ng Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Public Affairs, Abdurazak Namdas, said nothing was wrong with Senates rejection of Mr Ibrahim Magu as Chairman of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Public Affairs, Abdurazak Namdas, says there is nothing was wrong with Senates rejection of Ibrahim Magu as EFCC chairman. Namdas told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Abuja that the Senate had treated many nominees from the Presidency fairly, adding that they were guided by their wisdom. According to him, if in the wisdom of the senate it discovered that this is the best decision they can arrive at, there is nothing wrong in that. READ ALSO: Boko Haram: Protesters threaten to shut down Nigeria if Amnesty International does not vacate within 24hrs This Senate I know has cleared a lot of presidential nominees, whether ministers or for statutory appointments; they have done many screenings. If out of a dozen they chose to make reservation on certain individuals, I think Nigerians should listen to them. I can assure Nigerians that the legislature and the executive will continue to work together for the good of this country, he said. On whether Magu could be re-nominated, Namdas said that it was possible as no law stopped the President from re-nominating anyone three to four times. In fact, the issue is that all of us, both the legislature and executive, should work together as there is nothing stopping the president from resending another name or the same persons name. I am sure the senate will still screen at the moment and take a decision, Namdas said. READ ALSO: LASEMA reveals identity of medical doctor who jumped into Lagos Lagoon For the second time, President Muhammadu Buharis nomination of Magu as EFCC chairman was rejected on Wednesday by the Senate following a report on him by the Directorate of State Service. His first attempt at confirmation was rejected in December, 2016 on the same reason. Source: Legit.ng By Press Trust of India: New Delhi, Mar 19 (PTI) The Competition Commission might have seen rise in the number of cases but it remains "extremely under-staffed" with over 40 per cent of the sanctioned posts remaining vacant. The watchdog has the mandate to keep a tab on unfair business practices across sectors and has received more than 850 cases related to anti-competition conduct since being set up in 2009. advertisement Coming under the Corporate Affairs Ministry, the Competition Commission of India (CCI) has 197 sanctioned posts. The issue of staff crunch at the regulator has been flagged by the Standing Committee on Finance in its report on the Demands for Grants (2017-18) of the Corporate Affairs Ministry. "Against the sanctioned strength of 197 posts for the CCI and the office of Director General, 114 officers are in position as on December 31, 2017," the report said. The vacancy position has recently increased as a number of people on deputation have been recently relieved on completion of their tenure, it added. At the Commission, the vacant positions relate to deputation, direct recruitment and promotion quota. In the case of DG, the vacancies pertain to deputation quota. DG is the investigation arm of the regulator and cases where there is a prima-facie evidence of violation of competition norms are referred to it for a detailed probe. "Considering its huge workload... the Commission is extremely under-staffed with only 114 officers in position as against the sanctioned strength of 197 posts," the panel said in the report tabled in the Parliament last week. Out of the 853 cases received by the CCI since 2009, the watchdog has taken decisions in 633 cases. Among the remaining ones, 134 cases are pending with the DG while 87 are under the consideration of the regulator, as per the Ministry. As many as 156 cases have been pending for more than a year, the panel noted. These figures are till January 31, 2017. Citing the "huge number of pendency cases and the rising cases of anti-competitive practices", the panel has said the Ministry should provide the CCI with "skilled and efficient permanent work force". The Ministry should move away from the practice of hiring people on deputation at the CCI so that there is continuity, the panel noted. PTI RAM MKJ --- ENDS --- The Nigerian Senate has revealed its final decision on Ibrahim Magu, the embattled chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). Ibrahim Magu was rejected by the Senate a recently It however said it was awaiting a response from the executive arm of the government headed by President Muhammadu Buhari concerning the issue. READ ALSO: Senator Dino Melaye in certificate scandal Magu was recently rejected by the Senate after a screening exercise. The upper legislative chamber reportedly pegged its action on a security report from the Department of State Services (DSS). Vanguard reports that Senate leader, Ahmad Lawan, revealed that the chamber was waiting for the response of the executive to the rejection. The Senate had already taken a decision, we will only wait for the response of the executive, Lawan said. The report said President Mohammadu Buhari has received a written report of the Senates rejection of Magu. Senator Ita Enang, a senior special assistant to President Buhari, has reportedly confirmed the receipt of the Senates action on Magu, but has not revealed what is contained in the letter. READ ALSO: There is nothing wrong with Senate rejecting Magu as EFCC chairman Namdas Yes, there has been a communication between the President of the Senate and the President of Nigeria, His Excellency, Muhammadu Buhari. But the content thereof is privileged between them. I dont know, he said simply. Source: Legit.ng Dennis Dooshima is an incredibly beautiful Nigerian female firefighter. The classy and savvy young woman sure knows how to melt the hearts of Nigerians with her poise and standard. The beautiful firefighter slays in uniform. Due to the situation of things in Nigeria, we are used to seeing frustrated individuals in certain departments and sectors. We always expect some gruesome officer to answer us when we make enquiries. Officers particularly are feared and respected because of the way they go about their businesses. Uniform officers are thought to be stern and mean when met; Dooshima is a firefighter you would love to meet any time any day because of her ravishing beauty. Dennis Dooshima has everything it takes to drive a man crazy. When stunning and curvy ladies walk into a gathering, the general perception people have about them is that they are either models or actresses. Dooshima's profession as a firefighter has broken the norm; young ladies now know there are no limitations when it comes to career. Not only is she cute, she has a very beautiful shape; the curves are quite remarkable and you would expect her to be some air hostess or a regular hard-working lady in Nigeria. Her profession is one of the things that intrigue us as we keep wondering how lovely she would be when carrying out her duty. Firefighters are heroes in the society; they should be appreciated more for the effort they put in saving the day. This young lady has won the hearts of people on social medias. They simply cannot get enough of her. We are quite sure that some of our men would keep trailing her whether or not they have fire incidents. Find below some pictures of this curvy and beautiful woman in her uniform. Do not forget to let us know what you think about her: 1. All shades of beauty 2. Slaying without giving it all away 3. An amazing figure 8 4. Never out of style 5. Behind the wheels 6. Sizzling hot She sure knows how to dress. READ ALSO: Stunning wedding anniversary pictures of couples in Nigeria 7. So on point You can be this smashing while saving lives and properties. 8. She slays in African wears too 9. So beautiful Dennis Dooshima is definitely a darling. 10. This will drop your jaws 11. Definitely savvy This is one hell of a firefighter. 12. So beautiful in uniform When you are beautiful, you are simply beautiful. 13. Smooth 14. She's got it Even with little makeup, we can tell she is definitely beautiful. Allowing your skin to breathe sometimes help. 15. OMG 16. This is beyond denim This lady sure represents. PAY ATTENTION: Get the latest news on Legit.ng app 17. Curvy... This is inspiring. 18. Beautiful officer This female firefighter will no doubt melt your heart. 19. Stunning This uniform looks so good on her. This is what we call saving lives and still 'repping'. READ ALSO: 9 things who do not like spending money do 20. Owanbe mode Even for parties, she does not want to carry last. There is a synergy with her work and lifestyle. Source: Legit.ng It was impossible Dwayne JohnsonBecause of his charisma, but above all because of his physique, he didn't end up in... At the same time, Crawford is experiencing increasing panic about the prospect of an empty nest. To drive home the parental theme further, Davis, who is at first annoyed by the casting of the pudgy and obviously gay Victor Buono (Dominic Burgess) as her leading man (Im sure his Falstaff is the toast of Tijuana, she snaps at Aldrich), takes a parental interest in him, in direct contrast to her dismissive attitude toward B.D. The first mention of the elephant in the room, besides the title, is during a Crawford family dinner outing. Crawford, the twins and Crawfords German assistant, Mamacita, sit in a restaurant. Mamacita, with silent severity, hands Crawford a card to sign. Its for Christina, whose play opens that night. Crawford cant bring herself to sign the card. Her mother never sent her cards. As Crawford later admits to Davis in an intense conversation about their mothers and their childhoods (the best scene in the episode), My mother didnt care if I lived or died. Crawfords early life was harrowing, and its all there in Langes eyes, in the way her voice plummets into the gutter, Grande Dame dulcet tones vanishing the rage of the child she once was, the child who was thrown to the wolves. There is something extremely complicated in Langes reaction to that card for Christina. Its a fascinating counterpoint to the expected Crawford narrative. But the show must go on. Filming gets tense. The women drive each other crazy, sometimes on purpose. The feud has exploded, helped along by Hedda Hoppers columns, and Aldrich is at his wits end, trying to keep them from killing each other. Davis and Crawford have a huge public blowup about Oscar nominations (who will get nominated for what). The last time either actress was nominated for an Oscar was a decade before, and both for films released in 1952: Davis for The Star (a film about an Oscar-winning actress who can no longer get work because of her age) and Crawford for Sudden Fear. Davis eventually throws a temper tantrum claiming she was robbed of an Oscar for her role in the 1950 film All About Eve (Judy Holliday won that year for Born Yesterday), leading to Crawfords parting shot as she storms back to her dressing room: And it was Gloria Swanson who was robbed in 1950, not you, bitch! Lange catapults her voice up into the stratosphere, with the final words elongated into a near-operatic screech. Its such a bizarre and brilliant choice, the hugeness of expression matching the hugeness of the emotion. The best kind of acting is a full-body, full-voiced expression, something many contemporary actors trained to rely on the close-up cannot manage without seeming artificial. Both Sarandon and Lange have always used their bodies and voices fully to communicate emotion and character. Sarandons distinct voice-over in Bull Durham is one of the many reasons that film works, her voice oozing into our ears with character and intimacy and humor. Langes primal scream (What about my civil rights?) in Frances comes roaring out of the depths as her body bucks and thrashes around like a live electrical wire. This sort of acting is almost a lost art, but it is the kind of work that Davis and Crawford did, too (and Katharine Hepburn, and Barbara Stanwyck, and Greta Garbo, et al.). The great actresses of classic Hollywood were superb in close-up, but superb in long-shot as well. When Garbo fell in love, her whole body quivered upward toward what she yearned for. When Hepburn entered a room, her stride practically encircled the globe. When Stanwyck descended a staircase, the sexy tension in her body told the whole story. This episode is a tough one. On the one hand, there are some welcome developments: Quinn is back doing spy craft again: walking better, running in a reasonable sort of a way, outsmarting local law enforcement, creating a diversion, securing a private arsenal, breaking into Dars house (Pardon the recurrent obsession, but is it really Dars house? The whole house?), and conducting impromptu telephone surveillance. Those are good things. The devolution of Dar into a quasi-lovesick nut job was well done, too. But the moments of fun and interesting intrigue alternated with so much bad writing and weird acting that it was easy to lose sight of them. There was, for example, Elizabeth Keanes squirm-inducing coffee play, a ridiculous attempt at charm that felt just as jarring and wrong as her spoon-licking, coffee-witholding tough girl act back in Episode 1. There were lines like Get a load of this! or Whoever reported shots out here, they werent kiddin! from the hapless sheriffs deputies who came to check out Quinns lake house. (Has anyone ever talked like that, in any of our lifetimes?) Delhi traffic police claims to have installed CCTV cameras that can read vehicle number plates. However, cops were unable to trace the accused in a hit-and-run case despite 14 CCTV cameras being present at the accident site. 14 CCTV cameras were at the spot where the accident took place By Harish V Nair: The horrific experience of Dhanesh Kumar, a Territorial Army personnel, has completely exposed the tall claims of the Delhi traffic police regarding installation of high definition CCTV cameras in VIP areas. Even six months after the 39-yearold suffered grievous injuries after a speeding Honda CRV crashed into his bullet near the rear gate of the Subroto Park Air Force Station on the Dhaula Kuan-Airport Road, the police are yet to trace the SUV. advertisement The incident happened despite the 14 CCTV cameras installed in the area. The cameras captured the footage of the vehicle, but shockingly, the number plate of the car was not legible in those clips. It took two months for Dhanesh who suffered several fractures, including a head injury, to recover. The accident took a heavy toll on his job too. With the car still untraceable, he is not even in a position to claim motor accident compensation. 'UNABLE TO TRACE ACCUSED' Though the police promptly registered a First Information Report (FIR) under Section 279 (rash driving) and 338 (causing grievous hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others) of the Indian Penal Code, it could not move an inch further. The 'untraceable report' handed over to Dhanesh by the Station House Officer of the Delhi Cantonment police station states: "You are hereby informed that in spite of our best efforts, there is no clue about the culprit in this case. The case has been sent as untraced on January 19, 2017. In future, if any clue comes to light in this case, the same will be reopened for further investigation." 'WORLD CLASS CCTV CAMS OF NO USE' The Delhi traffic police have often been claiming that it proposed to install specially designed, world-class number plate CCTV cameras. These cameras, used in most big cities worldwide, are built specifically to capture vehicle registration plates/number plates in day or night, even when the car has full beam headlights on. "If this is the case in VIP area, then what could be the condition in the other parts of Delhi? The cameras turned out to be totally useless and purpose of the same would not be served if they cannot read number plates. If the promised high definition cameras are not installed there, then where else do the traffic police plan to fit them?" asks Dhanesh. 'HALF OF ALL CCTV CAMS NON-FUNCTIONAL' It is to be noted that earlier Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung had directed then Commissioner of Police, Alok Kumar Verma, to resolve the issue of defunct unworthy CCTV cameras in the city on an urgent basis. At least 50 per cent of the CCTV cameras installed by the Delhi Police across the Capital are reportedly non-functional. During a law and order meeting, Verma had told Jung that many times CCTV cameras were damaged due to digging of roads. He had also pressed that there was a need for some long-term measures, including placing the cables in conduits, which could be laid down across gantries, Metro pillars and flyovers. advertisement The Delhi Police had installed a total of 4,064 CCTV cameras in the city. Of them, nearly 2,000 are defunct. ALSO READ | DCW notice to Delhi Police over CCTV camera installations, asks why Supreme Court order not implemented ALSO READ | Have CCTV cameras become mere showpieces in Delhi markets? --- ENDS --- The number of executive departures from Uber is growing. Jeff Jones, Ubers president of ride sharing, has left the company after just six months, Uber said on Sunday. In addition, Brian McClendon, vice president of maps and business platform at Uber, also plans to leave at the end of the month. The two men are exiting Uber under very different circumstances. Mr. Jones, who was poached from Target to be Ubers No. 2 executive, resigned after the ride-sharing companys chief, Travis Kalanick, said he needed leadership help and began a search for a chief operating officer. Mr. McClendon is departing amicably from Uber and will be an adviser to the company. In a statement, he said he was moving back to Kansas, where he is from, to explore politics. His exit has been in the works for some time, and his last day at Uber is March 28. The departures add to the executive exodus from Uber this year. Raffi Krikorian, a well-regarded director in Ubers self-driving division, left the company last week, while Gary Marcus, who joined Uber in December after Uber acquired his company, left this month. Uber also asked for the resignation of Amit Singhal, a top engineer who failed to disclose a sexual harassment claim against him at his previous employer, Google, before joining Uber. And Ed Baker, another senior executive, left this month as well. OBIT - JIMMY BRESLIN- #5373 - SCRIPT of cut uploaded to scoop on 9.23.2016 BRESLIN: I always knew from the sports writing, dont go where the others go. Go to the losers dressing room at all times. music TITLE CARD: THE LAST WORD TITLE CARD: JIMMY BRESLIN REPORTER TITLE CARD: animation of signature VO: As columnist, novelist, biographer and raconteur, Jimmy Breslin witnessed and chronicled the American 20th century with an eye for life lived in the lanes of the overlooked, and the unwritten. He also contributed two classic titles to the literature of cosmic ineptitude: The Gang That Couldnt Shoot Straight, about a crew of dissolute Brooklyn Mafiosa, and Cant Anybody Here Play This Game? about the 1962 New York Mets. Ultimately Breslins most enduring love was newspapers and he produced pieces that changed journalism. SOUND UP FROM KENNEDY BURIAL In 1963, the funeral of President John F. Kennedy drew reporters from around the world. BRESLIN: Theyre all herded together and they were talking about how Jacqueline Kennedy walked, what Truman looked like at graveside, or the planes overhead. Well forget about it, thats nothing. VO: Breslin found Clifton Pollard - the man who had dug the Presidents grave. BRESLIN:He was getting three dollars and one cent an hour to dig the grave. And// when he was through with it, he//He tried to get back to watch the funeral and they wouldnt let him back.//. Youre looking like a bum, youre a laborer. SOUND UP FROM KENNEDY BURIAL BRESLIN: While they were having the big funeral services he just went over the hill and dug another grave. SOUND UP FROM KENNEDY BURIAL BRESLIN: //I remember, when it was all over, he looked at the grave, they fixed it up late in the evening. And I remember him just saying, its an honor to have done this. FOOTAGE: KENNEDY BURIAL - TAPS. VO: Among journalists, his account of that day became a genre of its own. For years afterwards, editors would send reporters out to stories with instructions to look beyond the obvious, to tell their tale through the gravedigger. VO: Born in 1930 in Queens, New York, Breslin grew up with dreams of the sportswriters life... BRESLIN: We used to get the Long Island Press at home on 101st Avenue where I lived. And Id spread it out //on the living room floor and read it. .Carl Lundquist, that was my favorite writer,// I had a...a candle in my mind to him.// He covered the major league baseball roundup. // He would start with the game of the day and work his way through the schedule. And all I dreamed of was Lundquist in ariding in a Pullman car from St. Louis, then hed go up to Chicago//well the pullman cars were at Sunnyside Yards, we used to go down there and stand on the hill and look at them and dream we were going away in them. //I didnt know that Lundquist was on 42nd Street, and he used to put a different city on top of the story every day, then he took the Long Island Railroad home to Long Island. He never went anyplace. VO: After getting his start on the obituary desk at the Long Island Press, Breslin became a leading figure in what became known as the New Journalism. He and writers like Joan Didion, Tom Wolfe and Pete Hamill brought literary techniques and personal voices to their work. BRESLIN: //youve got to let the people come in and see something. Set a scene. 02:13:30 // You gotta have people talking. Let them hear the people involved talk. SOUND UP FROM CIVIL RIGHTS MARCH VO: In 1965 as the civil rights struggle was reaching an epic climax, Breslin was in Alabama covering a march from Selma to Montgomery for voting rights. At the front of the march was Dr. Martin Luther King. The very last man was Albert Turner, a bricklayer, who wanted to vote. BRESLIN What bothered Albert Turner on this night was the figure on his pay stub. It said that twenty-seven dollars and fifty-two cents had been taken out for income taxes. He looked at the stub and a strange thought ran across his mind. If the government can take $27.52 a week, then it can give back something to Albert Turner, like a vote in an election. //He represented to me everything in the south. People taking a chance to force change that had to be. SOUND UP FROM CIVIL RIGHTS MARCH VO: Breslin traveled widely, always writing to the rhythm of of columnists deadline. He spent the afternoon of June 4, 1968 in Los Angeles, reporting a column about gun violence. That evening, he went to the Ambassador Hotel where Robert F. Kennedy was holding a rally to celebrate winning the Democratic presidential primary in California. Breslin: I walked into the kitchen just as they were breaking from their rally. //And Im in the kitchen and this guy ahholds a gun out at Kennedy and shoots. Nat sound news coverage of shooting Breslin://There was hysteria there, they were screaming and yelling, but they couldnt get the gun out of the fellows hand, I remember that. //All of a sudden they threw him onto the steam table, and ah everybody pushed and I winded up sitting on his legs and Roosevelt Grier just put an arm over him at that end and he couldnt move.// Nat sound news coverage of shooting Breslin: They stamped feet on his hand to get the gun out, and that was that. VO: Shaken by the assassination, Breslin took a break from the news. He wrote his first novel - a best-selling Mafia satire based on his reporting about the Gallo crime family of Brooklyn called The Gang That Couldnt Shoot Straight Nat Sound: Movie Breslin: They had a gang war. There was a war between kidnappings and shootings. ,Tthey kept hitting telephone poles when they shot. Nat Sound: Movie Breslin: They had a lion in the basement....[pop]/t/ook a lion on a leash around Mulberry Street.[pop].. I had to be nuts not to hang out with that act. VO: The movie, which flopped with the critics, featured a very young Robert DeNiro. Breslin: He got $750 dollars a week for that movie. He must get $750 dollars uh, to brush his teeth now. VO: Breslin himself became a performer in 1969, when he officially entered the race for New York City council president on a ticket with fellow writer Norman Mailer, who was running for Mayor. Their campaign featured a plan for the city to secede and become the 51st state. A: //thats a bad idea, isnt it. That we could be all alone here with our money, and living a nice life... VO: Much to the relief of themselves and people who knew them well, neither Mailer nor Breslin were elected. VO: During the summer of 1977, when New York City was hit by a vast power blackout and massive looting, Breslin also was writing about the 44 caliber killer, known Son of Sam, who shot one of his earliest victims just a few block from Breslins house in Queens. BRESLIN: Then some weeks after that, a college student named Virginia Voskerichian is walking from...from the subway on Queens Boulevard down from the station square and //from the bushes jumped a guy with a gun and he held...she got terrified and held a big textbook up to her face and he shot through it and she was dead. VO: After months of terrorizing the city with a spree of shootings that left five people dead, the killer sent JImmy Breslin a letter. BRESLIN: It was printed in big backslash printing, marvelous cadence, hello from the sidewalks of New York and the ants that dwell in the sidewalks and the dried blood in the cracks in the sidewalks of the city// signed Son of Sam. VO: Breslin used his column to plead with the deranged killer, but on July 31st he struck again, this time in Brooklyn, murdering 20-year old Stacy Moskowitz and wounding her boyfriend. The news sent the simmering city into complete panic. SOT Brown=haired woman Getty 176746614: You have to be careful - you have to watch where you go now, how late you stay out.. Ultimately It was a parking ticket issued near the scene of the Moskowitz killing that lead police to a suspect and finally cracked the case. David Berkowitz was sentenced to six consecutive life sentences for the killings. BRESLIN:I never heard from him again except Christmas card from the devil, he sent me. Once or twice. // VO: He might not have been everyones idea of a man of letters but the range of Breslins writing was matched by few in his era. He wrote biographies of Damon Runyon, the chronicler of Prohibition New York, and of Branch Rickey, the Brooklyn Dodger executive who integrated baseball by signing Jackie Robinson. In columns for the Daily News and New York Newsday, he was one of the earliest voices demanding dignified care for people with AIDs. He won the Pulitzer Prize for commentary in 1986 after exposing the use of torture by rogue police officers in Queens. BRESLIN: Its a great thing, though. A newspaper column you just put yourself into it and make sure that people will want to read it the next day, it gives them something. Its a great obligation to the reader. VO: He filed his last regular column on November 2, 2004, and kept working on new books, plays and film projects. When the Times spoke with Breslin in 2007 he was 77 years old and about to release his latest book, The Good Rat about one of his favorite subjects - Mafia families. Q: How do you want to be remembered? 12;33 Audio drop out BRESLIN: What does it matter? Please dont talk about me when Im gone? I mean I dont care what you say or what you do, if Im not here it dont count. MUSIC OUTRO CREDITS 2016 THE NEW YORK TIMES Dear Diary, No matter the weather, the neighborhood or the way we meet, men keep finding ways to take me to speakeasies on first dates. There was Arturo from Barthelona. We ordered half the menu at Bohemian. The fish burned my tongue, but the wine eased the pain. He wanted me to fly with him to London the next week, and I told him I had a final. Roger took me to Beauty & Essex. I walked in soaked from a July rainstorm. He walked into the antique shop in the front from the bar in the back holding a book. We smiled at each other and drank Coke at dinner because we werent 21 yet. I fell in love with him that night and stayed in love for two years. Have you been to Dear Irving? Its a good reason, aside from Gramercy Park, to walk down Irving Place. Jake took me there. On Election Day last year, stickers became a tribute when voters went to Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx and stuck them on the headstones of suffragists buried there, like Elisabeth Cady Stanton. Some stickers were taken as far as Rochester, New York, after the last election (including one carried by this reporter), where they joined thousands of I Voted stickers from other municipalities at the grave of suffragist Susan B. Anthony. But what kind of image might sum up this city, and something as abstract as civic pride? Perhaps no one knows better than Milton Glaser, designer of the I Heart New York logo, a rallying symbol when the city and state were in crisis in 1977. The problem with New York is it is so complex; its essentially a state of mind rather than a place, Mr. Glaser, 87, said in an interview. How do you achieve any kind of representation of that without using something that is so banal and obvious that it would be easy to overlook? New York Citys ineffability, Mr. Glaser said, often results in uninspired imagery, like the Empire State Building or the initials N.Y.C. The solution has to involve, for me, two things: one is a kind of first puzzle, to recognize there is no immediate solution, and then a sense of durability, so that when you see it, you remember it. Image The I Voted sticker became a social media star in the 2016 election, showing up in countless selfies and at the gravestones of several suffragists. Credit... Hiroko Masuike/The New York Times The winners of the last competition, Zoe and Stanley Markman, now ages 14 and 15, edged out three other designs that eschewed imagery for interesting lettering and crisp graphic design. Try to be as unique as possible, Stanley Markman said. The other stickers, they were all pretty minimalistic designs. Thats part of the reason people didnt choose them. Yet Ms. Goitein, who has no sympathy for Mr. Trumps policies, believes his clumsy comments on wiretapping, even if not true, should be an opening for a broader discussion of government surveillance and American privacy. She is among the civil libertarians who believe Mr. Trumps critics have been too quick to dismiss the real possibility that the National Security Agency or F.B.I. might actually have picked up Trump campaign communications under eavesdropping rules that civil libertarians see as too permissive. I dont think we can laugh it off, she said. Intentionally or otherwise, Mr. Trump has rejuvenated the debate over the proper balance of privacy and security that surfaced after Edward Snowdens disclosures about N.S.A. programs in 2013. When the libertarian Senator Rand Paul, Republican of Kentucky, used the Trump claims to suggest a broader concern about privacy, Glenn Greenwald, a left-wing writer for the online publication The Intercept, backed him up in a column titled Rand Paul Is Right. Pauls explanation is absolutely correct, Mr. Greenwald wrote. He said that the National Security Agency is empowered to spy on Americans communications without a warrant, calling current procedures a violation of the Fourth Amendment and the dirty little secret of the U.S. Surveillance State. What these odd political bedfellows were pointing out is a truism inside the intelligence world but less understood outside it: When the National Security Agency or the F.B.I. eavesdrop on foreigners communications, they often pick up the Americans who are talking to them. National Security Agency and F.B.I. officials call this incidental collection, but it can have serious consequences. It appears that such incidental collection, for instance, decided the fate of Michael T. Flynn, who stepped down as national security adviser after he was picked up talking to the Russian ambassador, Sergey I. Kislyak, and lied about the conversations. To address the threat to American privacy from incidental collection, the government applies what it calls minimization rules. Names of Americans must be masked in intelligence reports disseminated by the agencies, but there are exceptions: Officials can request that the names be unmasked to help understand the reports, and the names are available to criminal investigators. There is also the possibility of what is called reverse targeting say, eavesdropping on Mr. Kislyak, ostensibly to find out what the Russian ambassador is up to but with the real goal of catching Mr. Flynn. Reverse targeting is prohibited by law, but Ms. Goitein points out that it is difficult to prove because it requires showing what was in the eavesdroppers mind. Dina Powell, Mr. Trumps senior counselor for economic initiatives, has been named the deputy national security adviser for strategy to spearhead the preparation of policy options and oversee their execution once Mr. Trump decides on them. Nadia Schadlow, a former Pentagon official and the author of a recent book that examined cases in which the United States Army intervened abroad, was hired to draft a security strategy. In the past, that document has often been little more than a rehash of the White Houses policies, but for a Trump administration struggling to translate its promise to make America great again into a coherent foreign and economic agenda, it might emerge as an important statement. How General McMaster will navigate rival centers of power within the White House that have their own deep-seated views on security policy remains to be seen. When Mr. Mattis hosted the Saudi defense minister at the Pentagon on Thursday, General McMaster was one of five White House officials who attended the meeting. The others were Stephen K. Bannon, who remains a full member of the National Security Councils principals committee; Jared Kushner, Mr. Trumps son-in-law; Ms. Powell; and Derek Harvey, the chief Middle East expert on the N.S.C. staff. General McMasters problem is not how to deal with defense secretary and other principals; it is how to deal with the many competing powers in the White House, said Ivo Daalder, the president of the Chicago Council on Global Affairs and the co-author of a book on the National Security Council. That was underscored when five senior White House officials traipsed over to the Pentagon for a meeting that normally might be attended by a single N.S.C. aide. An immediate focus for General McMaster, however, is making good on Mr. Trumps vow during his speech to a joint session of Congress last month to demolish and destroy the Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL. Mr. Trump, who claimed during the campaign to have a secret plan to defeat the militant group, instructed the Pentagon and other key agencies in late January to submit a preliminary plan within 30 days to do so. More than seven weeks later, no new strategy has been announced, and there has been some speculation that the White House will not decide one key question whether to arm the Kurdish Y.P.G. militia in Syria until after a Turkish referendum on April 16 on whether to expand the powers of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. While American commanders generally believe that the militia would greatly help what is expected to be a hard-fought operation to take Raqqa, Syria, the self-proclaimed capital of the Islamic State, Turkey has denounced the group as a terrorist organization. The steps the Trump administration has taken so far, such as deploying Marine artillery in Syria, generally reflect the Obama administrations approach of providing firepower and advisers so local forces can do the main fighting on the ground. SANARY-SUR-MER, France The National Fronts leafleteers are no longer spat upon. Its local candidates headquarters sit defiantly in a fraying Muslim neighborhood. And last week, Marine Le Pen, the partys leader, packed thousands into a steamy meeting hall nearby for a pugnacious speech mocking the system and vowing victory in this springs French presidential election. Theres been a real evolution, Philippe Renault-Guillemet, the retired head of a small manufacturing company, said as he handed out National Front leaflets in the market on a recent day. A few years ago, they would insult us. Its changed. It has long been accepted wisdom that Ms. Le Pen and her far-right party can make it through the first round of the presidential voting on April 23, when she and four other major candidates will be on the ballot, but that she will never capture the majority needed to win in a runoff in May. Laurie Anderson Artist and Musician Ms. Anderson created scores for Set and Reset (1983), a signature Brown work, and O zlozony/O composite (2004), made for three Paris Opera Ballet etoiles: I have known Trisha forever. The first time I actually worked with her was for Set and Reset. She said, This one is all about falling, and so I started with the obvious things of falling musical phrases, and then I realized it was on a bigger level, so whole sections of the music began to fall. That was something Id never tried before, and it was really, really fun. I would go to rehearsal with them, and she would communicate with me even through her facial expressions, her shoulder as well. For the Paris Opera piece, I didnt want to make something bombastic, even though the dancers were the three etoiles. I decided to make a really tiny, slightly sad, warped sound that would be very quiet. Jennifer Tipton had lit the piece in a very beautiful way, but Brigitte Lefevre [the Paris Opera Ballets director of dance] stormed in and said: The lighting is all wrong. Im going to do it myself. Our mouths all dropped open. I thought, This is going to be a disaster. But she lit it with this blaring light, just like you would light etoiles, and it was gorgeous. I realized then that Trishas work was so complicated it could accommodate this blast of white light and this very shy little warped musical score of three drunk people in the back room just cranking away. Trisha Brown, the choreographer and exemplar of the founding generation of American postmodern dance, died on Saturday in San Antonio. She was 80. Barbara Dufty, the executive director of Ms. Browns dance company, confirmed the death. Ms. Brown had been treated for vascular dementia since 2011. Few dance inventors have so combined the cerebral and sensuous sides of dance as Ms. Brown did, and few have been as influential. Her choreography, showcased primarily in New York, helped shape generations of modern dance creators into the 21st century. [ Mikhail Baryshnikov, Laurie Anderson and other artists speak on working with Ms. Brown. ] In December 2012, it was announced that the two dances she had made the previous year would be her last. By that point, she had been an international figure for over 30 years, choreographing for the Paris Opera Ballet, collaborating with Mikhail Baryshnikov, and commissioning stage designs from Robert Rauschenberg and other eminent visual artists, including Donald Judd and Nancy Graves. LONDON A 63-year-old man attacked an 18th-century oil painting by Thomas Gainsborough with a sharp object at the National Gallery in London over the weekend, slashing through layers of paint but leaving the canvas underneath intact, the museum said. The Metropolitan Police identified the attacker as Keith Gregory, saying in a statement that he had slashed Gainsboroughs Mr. and Mrs. William Hallett, also known as The Morning Walk, on Saturday in the east wing of the museum, which is dedicated to paintings by old masters. The wing, which was evacuated after the attack, reopened within two hours. The painting was removed from display. Mr. Gregory, who has no fixed address, was charged on Sunday with causing criminal damage, and was to appear in court on Monday morning. AAP has already begun an aggressive 'door-to-door campaign' beginning last Sunday as elections are only a month away. By Baishali Adak: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is relying on a feisty line-up of women candidates to see it through the crucial Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) polls. It has roped in at least 145 women - ranging from the politically seasoned Juhi Khan to Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) chief Swati Maliwal's "left-hand" Promila Gupta, to even student leaders like Hansraj College's Swati Sachdeva - to see it through the elections. The reigning party of Delhi has already released names of 261 hopefuls on the 272 MCD seats, giving it a clear head start over BJP, Congress and Swaraj India who are also fighting for share of the civic pie. advertisement While Congress and Swaraj India are still looking for suitable faces, BJP changed the whole game for itself by declaring that it won't give tickets to any of its sitting councilors or their family members. AAP BEGINS CAMPAIGNING It is now scrutinising fresh applications. AAP has already begun an aggressive 'door-to-door campaign' beginning last Sunday, and elections are only a month away, scheduled for April 22. A senior AAP functionary said, "After delimitation, 136 seats out of 272 in east, north and south MCDs combined are already reserved for women. But we have given tickets to women in at least seven to eight general wards as well. We have strong women nominees who can win us seats." WHY SO MANY WOMEN CANDIDATES? "Besides, we feel promoting women participation is necessary as it is impossible to change society or the political system without it," she added. Juhi Khan, for example, is fighting from Sarita Vihar (Ward number 101 S, Assembly Okhla). She is famous for coming to the defense of AAP senior leader Kumar Vishwas in an "illicit affair" case. However, as an experienced political and social activist, she commands respect in her area, the party claims. "She stopped the demolition of jhuggis of Noor Nagar because of which she is extremely popular in her area. She has also organised many camps for women safety in Jamia University and Sarita Vihar," a party leader said. Promila Gupta is a well-known councilor with Delhi Commission for Women (DCW), who has worked with its chief Swati Maliwal in rescuing minors from brothels in GB Road. She will be fighting from Timarpur (12 N) ward. She currently oversees the 181 Mahila Ayog helpline and has raided night shelters, Nari Niketan, Asha Kiran etc. in the past. Swati Sachdeva, who will contest from Model Town (77 N), is a graduate from Hansraj College. She said, "I will first ensure that Model Town is cow dung free. Inspite of being one of the most posh colonies in north Delhi, it is stinking of cow dung all the time." Also read: Delhi: AAP youth wing leader arrested for robbery Also read: 'Don't lose faith, hum honge kaamyaab.' Arvind Kejriwal pens letter to demoralised AAP workers Also read: Delhi: Aam Aadmi Party clears Harjeet Singh's name for Rajouri Garden Assembly by-election --- ENDS --- Its a truth universally acknowledged that anyone in want of attention could do worse than take possession of Jane Austen. Weve already had Austen and zombies, Austen and game theory, Austen and guinea pigs. Now, a scholar has offered another spit-take-inducing pairing: Jane Austen and the alt-right. No, bonnet-wearing Janeites have not been spotted at white nationalist gatherings. But in an article published March 12 in The Chronicle of Higher Education titled Alt-Right Jane Austen (and illustrated with a drawing of the beloved British novelist in a Make America Great Again hat), Nicole M. Wright, an assistant professor of English at the University of Colorado, describes finding a surprising Austen fan base. It started, she writes, when she noticed the provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos riffing on the famous first line of Pride and Prejudice, turning it into a dig at ugly feminists. (He also mistakenly called Austen, who died during the reign of George III, a Victorian novelist, but whatever.) THE CRISIS OF THE MIDDLE-CLASS CONSTITUTION Why Economic Inequality Threatens Our Republic By Ganesh Sitaraman 423 pp. Alfred A. Knopf. $28. President Obama labeled income inequality the defining challenge of our time. But why exactly? And why our time especially? In part because we now know just how much goes to the very top of the income distribution, and beyond that, we know that recent economic growth, which has been anemic in any case, has accrued mostly to those who were already well-heeled, leaving stagnation or worse for many Americans. But why is this a problem? Why am I hurt if Mark Zuckerberg develops Facebook, and gets rich on the proceeds? Some care about the unfairness of income inequality itself, some care about the loss of upward mobility and declining opportunities for our kids and some care about how people get rich hard work and innovation are O.K., but theft, legal or otherwise, is not. Yet there is one threat of inequality that is widely feared, and that has been debated for thousands of years, which is that inequality can undermine governance. In his fine book, both history and call to arms, Ganesh Sitaraman argues that the contemporary explosion of inequality will destroy the American Constitution, which is and was premised on the existence of a large and thriving middle class. He has done us all a great service, taking an issue of overwhelming public importance, delving into its history, helping understand how our forebears handled it and building a platform to think about it today. Image Part of a 19th-century magazine cover featuring an illustration titled Rich and Poor; Or, The Two Christmas Dinners. Credit... Getty Images As recognized since ancient times, the coexistence of very rich and very poor leads to two possibilities, neither a happy one. The rich can rule alone, disenfranchising or even enslaving the poor, or the poor can rise up and confiscate the wealth of the rich. The rich tend to see themselves as better than the poor, a proclivity that is enhanced and even socially sanctioned in modern meritocracies. The poor, with little prospect of economic improvement and no access to political power, might turn to a demagogue who would overthrow the government only to become a tyrant. Oligarchy or tyranny, economic inequality meant the end of the republic. Theres a moment near the end of Angie Thomass debut novel, The Hate U Give, when fiction and reality collide. The narrator a 16-year-old girl named Starr, who is in mourning and shock after a police officer shoots her friend recalls the names of African-American victims of racial profiling in recent years, shot in many cases by officers: Oscar. Aiyana. Trayvon. Rekia. Michael. Eric. Tamir. John. Ezell. Sandra. Freddie. Alton. Philando. Ms. Thomas wrote the novel, which became an instant best seller, partly as a response to those deaths. The Hate U Give is one of several recent and pending young adult novels that grapple with racial profiling and the emotional, social and political aftershocks that communities endure in the wake of police violence. 2. During an evening rally in Kentucky, Mr. Trump delivered a rollicking speech that drew deeply on the core themes of his campaign. He made clear that the Republican bill to replace the Affordable Care Act would have to be changed to make it through Congress. But he appeared unconcerned about the ultimate outcome. Were going to negotiate; its going to go back and forth, Mr. Trump said. In the end, its going to be great. On Capitol Hill, a group of hard-liners in the House, known as the Freedom Caucus, may pose the greatest threat to the bills passage. Turkeys diplomatic row with Germany intensified. Turkish Kurds rallied in Frankfurt, calling for a no vote in Turkeys referendum that would increase President Recep Tayyip Erdogans powers. Germany condemned Mr. Erdogan for saying that Ms. Merkel was using Nazi measures to suppress Turkish government campaign rallies in Germany. Berlins top spy said that he was not convinced by the Turkish governments account of a failed coup last year. In the second part of our series examining Turkeys crises, our correspondent meets an imprisoned journalists family and a government loyalist who took a bullet during the coup attempt. _____ Bank of America has poached a top rainmaker for financial services companies from Morgan Stanley. Eric Bischof, who helped advise the Federal Reserve Bank of New York on matters related to the American International Group, will join Bank of America as co-head of its global financial institutions group, serving alongside Jim ONeil in New York. The hiring, announced in an internal memorandum on Monday, comes amid a potential rise in mergers among financial institutions as the Trump administration signals it will loosen regulations governing such combinations. Image Mr. Bischof, formerly a leader of Morgan Stanleys financial institutions banking practice. Mr. Bischof was previously co-head of Morgan Stanleys financial institutions banking practice, where he served as a longtime deal maker for big insurance firms. He helped ACE buy the fellow insurer Chubb for $28.3 billion, and advised A.I.G. on the sale of the United Guaranty Corporation to Arch Capital Group for $3.4 billion. That high burden means a defendant might have committed the crime but there could be enough doubt so that it is proper not to convict. This reflects the oft-repeated principle of the famous English jurist William Blackstone, who wrote in the 18th century that it was better that 10 guilty persons escape, than that one innocent suffer. There has been a significant amount of publicity about wrongful convictions in which defendants have been exonerated after spending years in prison for crimes they did not commit. Many of these cases involve DNA evidence showing conclusively that the perpetrator was not the defendant, while others involved confessions extracted by the police through high-pressure interrogations that were shown to be false. The core of these innocence cases involves a misidentification, not a claim that a crime did not take place. Thus, in ordinary street crimes the identity of the perpetrator is paramount, and typical defenses involve an alibi or questions about whether the victim properly identified who committed the offense. White-collar crimes do not involve any of the issues typical in the exoneration cases, so the claim of innocence instead hinges on what the defendant knew about the transactions at issue and their purpose. The recent announcement by Joon H. Kim, the acting United States attorney in Manhattan, about the decision not to charge any crimes involving fund-raising by Mayor Bill de Blasio of New York that may have involved pay-to-play contract awards shows how equivocal evidence of wrongdoing can be. In closing the investigation, Mr. Kim noted the particular difficulty in proving criminal intent in corruption schemes where there is no evidence of personal profit, indicating that the conduct came close to the line well short of any declaration of innocence. In insider trading cases, jurors have often been unwilling to credit assertions of innocence when the trades were particularly well-timed and quick profits raise suspicions that confidential information must have been used. The conviction last week of Robert M. Schulman, a former patent law partner at Hunton & Williams, for tipping an investment adviser about an impending merger involving King Pharmaceuticals shows how difficult it can be to persuade a jury to accept the claim made by his lawyer after the indictment that evidence at trial will show that my client is innocent. The governments case was built around testimony from a cooperating witness that Mr. Schulman tried to cover up that he had a few glasses of wine and let spill about the King Pharmaceuticals acquisition by saying that it would be nice to be King for a day. Uber is not just struggling to right the ship, its problems may actually be getting worse. Jeff Jones, the president of ride sharing and the No. 2 executive at the company, left after just six months, the latest in an executive exodus. He had been hired to much fanfare and was viewed as a successor or counterpart to Travis Kalanick, the chief executive. Mr. Kalanick had already been searching for a chief operating officer after admitting that he needed help with leadership. Mr. Jones who was seen as an adult in the room at a company that experienced months of turmoil had determined that the situation at the company was more problematic than he had realized, according to Recode, which earlier reported his decision. And the departures are continuing. Brian McClendon, president of maps and business platform at Uber, also plans to leave. He is departing amicably to explore politics and will continue to advise the company, but his move is also a source of concern because of Ubers dependence on mapping services, particularly those from competitors like Google. LONDON UBS said on Monday that the Swiss bank and its French subsidiary would face trial in a long-running investigation into whether it helped French clients hide funds from the countrys national tax administration. The announcement followed reports in the French media that UBS had rejected a proposed settlement. French prosecutors had sought a fine of 1.1 billion euros, or about $1.2 billion, in the case. We will now have the possibility to respond in detail in a court of law, UBS said in a statement on Monday. UBS has made clear that the bank disagrees with the allegations, assumptions and legal interpretations being made. We will continue to strongly defend ourselves and look forward to a fair proceeding. A French trial would be the latest legal headache for UBS, which reached a settlement with authorities in the United States in 2009 and German tax authorities nearly three years ago. The bank also is facing a similar inquiry in Belgium, accusations it has described as unfounded. BRUSSELS They discussed Greeces bailout. They grappled with pension issues. They pored over draft budgets. But Mondays meeting of the Eurogroup, the 19 finance ministers from countries that share the euro, was most notable for what it did not address: the future of their president. Jeroen Dijsselbloem, the Dutch finance minister and current president of the Eurogroup, has been one of the public faces of austerity in Europe. He has been praised for helping lay the foundations for the regions economic recovery, but has been scorned for arguing in favor of fiscal restraint even as countries like Italy and Greece have struggled to overcome economic downturns. Now, his fate is in doubt after last weeks election in the Netherlands. With his Dutch Labor Party recording a poor showing at the polls, he will probably lose his post as finance minister, meaning he will be replaced in the Eurogroup by the end of his term early next year. By Press Trust of India: New Delhi, Mar 20 (PTI) The CBI today arrested the chairman-cum-managing director of public sector enterprise Engineering Projects India Limited (EPIL), its two executive directors and four others in a case of alleged bribery of Rs 10 lakh. In a late evening development, EPIL MD SPS Bakshi was arrested by CBI team along with Executive Director, Delhi Region of EPIL, Harcharan Pal and its Executive Director, Mumbai Region, Kapil Tara and four private persons. advertisement "It is alleged that the officials demanded bribe from the private firm (builder from Raipur) for favouring the company in the award of the contractfor the construction of Mega Urban Educational Complex at Pallur Hills, Kainisi in Ganjam district Odisha," CBI spokesperson R K Gaur said here. He said a case of criminal conspiracy and corruption has been registered against the accused. It was further alleged that the CMD in conspiracy with others, deputed his staff to collect Rs 10 lakh as a part payment of the total agreed amount of gratification from one hawala operator based at Chandni Chowk, Delhi. "The staff was intercepted by CBI while allegedly receiving the said bribe," Gaur said. He said searches were conducted today at eight locations in Delhi, Mumbai and Raipur. PTI ABS KIS --- ENDS --- Hotel construction continues apace in the United States, and dozens of new properties are expected to open this year in two major corporate and tourist destinations, New York and Los Angeles. But the three other cities with the most hotels projected to open in 2017, according to the industry research company STR, are all in Texas Dallas, Houston and Austin. There had not been a hotel building boom in Texas in about a decade, said Daniel Moon, the vice president of the Sam Moon Group, a developer of shopping centers and hotels in the Dallas area. But recent relocations by corporate headquarters and population growth have been driving new demand, and there is still plenty of open space to build on around the major cities, he said. Mr. Moons company, which has been in business since the mid-1980s, is building its own first full-service hotel, a Marriott Renaissance in Plano, part of the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area. The states development-friendly attitudes are also a major driver, though each citys particular circumstances have also helped fuel the growth. The hotel industry in general has benefited from a strong national economy. As a result, the industry has experienced significant growth in the past seven years, said Eric Jacobs, the chief development officer in North America of Marriott Select Brands. In the Chinese blockbuster comedy Jian Bing Man, a street vendor turned caped crusader wields ingredients as weapons: raw eggs, a fistful of scallions. It doesnt matter who I am, he declares. Harmonious society is what really matters. Some may argue that the humble dish he sells on the streets jianbing, a savory crepe with an omelet underbelly and a crackly heart of fried dough is contribution enough to the world. It starts with batter ladled onto a round cast-iron griddle. An egg or two are not so much scrambled as scrawled across the surface. If youre in Beijing, its flipped; in Shanghai, it stays put, for a crisper finish. Ingredients and order vary: scattered scallions, cilantro and zha cai (pickled mustard root); fat brush strokes of tianmianjiang (sweet bean paste) and chile sauce; and fried dough in the form of fluffy batons (you tiao) or flat blistered rectangles (bao cui). The crepe is folded like a triptych, creased or cut in half and handed over still steaming. Every month there seems to be a newly minted beauty star someone whose social media feed highlights trends, how-tos, product reviews and more to her plentiful followers. But in the world of influencers, not all fight in the same weight class. And one woman in particular has emerged as a force to be reckoned with, a Kim Kardashian West of the beauty influencer economy, if you will: Huda Kattan of @HudaBeauty, who has 18 million Instagram followers, heads a namesake makeup line and is introducing a Huda Beauty emoji collection called Hudamoji (not unlike Ms. Kardashian Wests Kimoji) this spring. That there is a resemblance to Ms. Kardashian West in looks (dark and curvaceous), style (glamorous and sexy) and family (Ms. Kattans business partner is her sister Mona Kattan; her sister Alya is her social media manager) only fuels the comparisons. Based in Dubai, Ms. Kattan was in New York recently for a Womens Wear Daily beauty event last year the publication anointed her the Digital Innovator of the Year in the prestige beauty category. I can understand getting compared to the Kardashians, she said, reclining on a plush seat at the Park Hyatt in Midtown. Were 2017 women who are ultimately going out there, pursuing something out of passion and making a business out of it. I just cant wait for the comparisons to stop. Also, researchers who have tried to conduct studies comparing treatments often failed because specialists were already convinced that the method they used was best and were reluctant to assign men to other treatments. Dr. Ian Thompson of the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio, said he was involved with several clinical trials that withered for that reason. When clinical trials succeed, though, they can provide important information. For example, a recent one showed that hormone-blocking drugs can prolong life for men whose prostate cancer recurs after surgery to remove the prostate. The researchers on the new study think recruitment will not be a major problem because they are comparing different courses of radiation, rather than entirely different approaches for example, surgical removal of the prostate versus implantation of radioactive seeds in the prostate. A study to investigate those two approaches closed because investigators were able to enroll only 20 patients, Dr. Thompson said. For men, quality of life is often pivotal in choosing a treatment, weighing which possible side effects sound worse: with surgery, urinary incontinence and impotence; or, with radiation, bowel problems including diarrhea and rectal leakage, and impotence. With the shorter radiation treatment, there is also a possibility that scarring can block the urethra, an effect that might not emerge until years after the treatment. In the absence of a broad base of solid evidence, men often make decisions based on personal preferences or on the advice of a trusted doctor. Like Mr. Kolnik, some want as short a recuperation as possible and find the newer kind of radiation treatment appealing. But prostate cancer specialists worry about the lack of data. Dr. James Yu, a radiation oncologist at Yale, who will lead the quality of life assessment for the new clinical trial, says crucial unanswered questions are, How fast can you give it and how fast is too fast? Very high dose radiation was studied in the treatment of lung cancer, said Dr. Anthony V. DAmico, a radiation oncologist at Brigham and Womens Hospital and the Dana Farber Cancer Institute in Boston. For lung cancer patients with small tumors that are not near sensitive structures, like large blood vessels, it appears to be just as curative as surgery. How do you know what career to pursue? Can you be sure youll like what you end up doingif so, how? In the Opinion essay Will Dropping the LSAT Requirement Create More Miserable Lawyers?, Akilah Green writes: Harvard Law School recently announced that it will no longer require Law School Admission Test scores from applicants, joining the University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law in this new policy. Students can now submit scores on the Graduate Record Examination, known as the G.R.E., instead. The move might succeed in expanding the pool of applicants. But heres what it wont do: increase the number of people in law school who actually want to be lawyers. See, the LSAT is a speed bump with potential to separate those who truly want to be lawyers the ones who thrive doing logic games in the same way theyll relish adding Bluebook-style footnotes to briefs and motions in years to come from those who just arent sure what else to do with their lives. I practiced at a firm for seven years. Lawyers are notoriously dissatisfied and depressed, but I had an unusually positive experience. Even so, I eventually quit, to pursue the TV writing career Id always wanted. But not after spending some would say wasting 10 years and six figures to get there. The LSAT was rough. The logic games that make up its most infamous section are real killers, and my name, which means logical in Arabic, failed to give me any sort of edge. Studying was grueling, repetitive and at times mind-numbingly boring, adjectives that happen to have quite a bit of overlap with the way some lawyers would describe their jobs. ... The test is to the desire to become a lawyer as a dating service with 2,000 personal questions and a registration fee is to the desire for a relationship. Its easier to swipe aimlessly on your phone while binging on Netflix at 2 a.m., but if swiping is all youre willing to do, that might tell you something about what you actually want. And remember, studying for the LSAT creates a lot of angst but so will being a lawyer, if being a lawyer isnt for you. The Office of Chief Medical Examiner, which operates New York Citys DNA laboratory, tests all manner of objects for microscopic evidence that could link a suspect to a crime. This is a story about a small and bizarre subset of those objects, evidence left by criminals feeding that most basic of human appetites. Literally feeding. Criminals who eat in the act. Partially eaten apple, a spokeswoman for the medical examiners office wrote when asked for examples. Sunflower seed shells. Half-eaten chocolate cake. Chewed gum. When she got to half-eaten biscuit, the list was not yet half over. Chicken bones. Chicken wing. Pizza crust. Fruit pit. For the victim of a home burglary, it would seem to be yet another affront after the crime: the violation of the kitchen and the discovery, while perhaps seeking simple comfort in the stress, of a lowly pit where once there was fruit. That violation was last seen in this space earlier this month, in the tale of a Brooklyn man whose attempt to rent his apartment to a stranger went terribly awry. But the phenomenon of the hungry burglar is timeless. An article in The New York Times on May 17, 1886, described the theft of nearly 100 pieces of flatware from the Poughkeepsie mansion of a fallen generals widow. After completing their pillage, the story noted, the burglars went down to the kitchen and brought upstairs to the parlor cooked meats, bread, cake, eggs and milk, and partook of the banquet there and then. Indeed, this is a confusing time to be teaching the difference between fake news and real news, what with President Trump blasting television networks and The New York Times as the fake news media. And social media has contributed to the spread of stories that have no basis in fact, with troubling consequences. In December, a 28-year-old man drove to Washington to self-investigate a conspiracy theory that had spread online about child sex trafficking at a pizza restaurant. The man, Edgar Maddison Welch, fired an assault rifle a couple of times once he arrived. No one was injured. Last week lawyers said that he had reached a plea deal on weapons charges. I.S. 303s involvement with news literacy began when Ms. Amador attended a conference a few years ago held by the Center for News Literacy at Stony Brook University, which sees its mission as instructing the news consumers of the future. The center has been doing that since before Facebook and Twitter reshaped the media landscape and made it easier than ever to spread fake news. A concern is that teenagers who have never known anything but a smartphone as a source for news need to learn to separate fiction from fact as they work their way around the web. People call me and say, Wow, isnt it great that you came up with this course to fight fake news? said Howard Schneider, the dean of the Stony Brook School of Journalism and a former editor of the Long Island newspaper Newsday. Its like those actors who get discovered overnight when theyve been working for 10 years. Weve been fighting fake news since 2007. But the fight is not just about fake news. If you define fake news as news thats totally fabricated, he said, thats only a small part of a much bigger problem, which is this tsunami of information and misinformation, half-truths, advertising masquerading as news and opinion appearing as if its fact-based. Thats the problem, the information stew were dealing with. Under New Yorks program, providers must offer 100 mbps speed fast enough to download a movie in high definition in 90 seconds for $60 a month. Thats pretty amazing, said Gigi Sohn, a former senior adviser at the F.C.C., acknowledging that it was a reasonable price given that prices elsewhere could be much higher. But if youre really poor, can you afford it? I dont know. If you are a poor rural person living in Appalachia, thats a big bite out of your budget. But many rural businesses in New York have jumped at the chance for faster internet. About an hour from Halcott lies the Beaverkill Valley Inn, a historic hotel sitting on the banks of the Beaver Kill river, a world-famous fly-fishing spot in Lew Beach, N.Y. Theres no cellphone service, so for years the inn and its guests shared a satellite internet connection. We were competing with our guests need and our own need to do business, said Kathy Bryant, one of the inns managers. She noted that despite a sprawling property well suited for corporate retreats and meetings, the inn was unable to attract such business because of its limited internet. After years of pleading with local officials and telecommunications providers for a broadband connection, the inn was connected to high-speed internet by the Margaretville Telephone Company last August. Today, flush with retreats, weddings and guests spending an extra day or so working from home, the inn just had the most successful year in its 120-year history. Now, we just reassure them that they can still unplug while theyre up here, Ms. Bryant said with a laugh. Trump sets out to deceive people. As he has put it, I play to peoples fantasies. Caveat emptor: When Donald Trump says something happened, it should not change anyones estimation of whether the event actually happened. Maybe it did, maybe it didnt. His claim doesnt change the odds. Which brings us to Russia. Russias interference in the 2016 presidential campaign was an attack on the United States. Its the kind of national-security matter that a president and members of Congress swear to treat with utmost seriousness when they take the oath of office. Yet now it has become the subject of an escalating series of lies by the president and the people who work for him. As Comey was acknowledging on Monday that the F.B.I. was investigating possible collusion between Russia and the Trump campaign, Trump was lying about it. From both his personal Twitter account and the White House account, he told untruths. A few hours later, his press secretary, Sean Spicer, went before the cameras and lied about the closeness between Trump and various aides who have documented Russian ties. Do you remember Paul Manafort, the chairman of Trumps campaign, who ran the crucial delegate-counting operation? Spicer said Manafort had a very limited role in said campaign. Mr. Lockett regained consciousness, which indicated that the midazolam had not kept him insensate to the pain of the subsequent drugs, and began to writhe and yell. It took 40 minutes for him to die. Mr. Locketts execution is a cautionary tale, not only about the failures of midazolam as an execution drug, but also about the perils of performing executions back to back. Oklahoma had planned to execute an inmate named Charles Warner the same day as Mr. Lockett, but canceled the second execution after the disastrous outcome of the first. Investigators from the Oklahoma Department of Public Safety subsequently interviewed the execution team and found that several of them commented on the feeling of extra stress for all staff created by scheduling two executions on the same day. The states report recommended that executions not be scheduled within seven calendar days of one another due to manpower and facility concerns. If Arkansas were to heed the warning of Oklahomas investigators, it would schedule its eight executions over two months. Instead, Arkansass execution team, which has not performed an execution in over a decade and has never performed an execution with midazolam, faces a daunting and relentless schedule of two executions per day, repeated four times over 11 days. The pressure on the team will be immense, and it will make mistakes more likely in a situation in which there is no margin for error. Theres no need for Arkansas to act so recklessly. While Gov. Asa Hutchinson has doubted whether the state will be able to get midazolam in the future, the state has not supported the claim that the drug is unavailable. To be sure, some pharmaceutical companies, including some of the manufacturers of midazolam, do not want to be associated with executions and have made their products unavailable for such use. But other states have obtained midazolam for executions. Ohio, for example, twice purchased large quantities of the drug at the end of 2016. We have seen this before. For years, states have cited concerns about drug availability to justify extreme secrecy and recklessness in their efforts to get drugs and perform executions. Arkansas is following this playbook to defend rushing through eight executions with a drug that science and experience tell us is wholly inadequate for the task and has already resulted in gruesome executions. The fact that Arkansass supply of midazolam is about to expire does not justify a rushed execution schedule with a dangerous and unreliable drug. The need is nonexistent, and the risk is enormous. By Press Trust of India: Panaji, Mar 20 (PTI) Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar today kept Home, Finance and Education with him as he allotted portfolios to his nine cabinet colleagues from the BJP and its allies. The portfolio distribution came ahead of the presentation of the state budget on March 24. Last week, Parrikar won a crucial floor test in the Assembly after the BJP succeeded in securing the number of legislators required for government formation by enlisting the support of the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP), the Goa Forward Party (GFP) and Independents, after the polls threw up a hung verdict. advertisement While Parrikar has kept the crucial portfolios such as Home, Finance and Education with himself, he has allotted one each to the nine ministers. Former deputy chief minister and BJP leader Francis DSouza was given the Urban Development portfolio while his colleague in the BJP Pandurang Madkaikar was assigned the charge of the Power department. Among the BJPs allies, MGP MLA Sudin Dhavalikar was given the charge of the Public Works Department, which was under him in the previous BJP-led government in the state headed by Laxmikant Parsekar. Another MGP leader, Manohar Asgaonkar, will be the Tourism Minister. All three MLAs of another BJP ally, the GFP, were also allotted ministries. While GFP MLA Vijai Sardesai was allotted Town and Country Planning, his party colleagues Jayesh Salgaoncar and Vinod Palyekar will head the Housing and Water Resources ministries respectively. Three of the two Independent MLAs -- Rohan Khaunte and Govind Gawade -- have been given the charge of the Revenue and the Art and Culture departments respectively. Three MLAs each of the MGP and the GFP, besides three Independent legislators, are supporting the BJP-led coalition government in the coastal state, while NCPs Churchill Alemao is providing outside support. The Parrikar-led government was sworn in on March 14, two days after the BJP staked claim to form government in Goa, despite ending up behind the Congress in the recently-concluded Assembly polls. The BJP has 13 MLAs as against the Congress 17 in the 40-member House. The Parrikar government proved its majority on the floor of the House on March 16 by winning the trust vote with the support of 22 legislators. PTI RPS NSK NM NSK RC --- ENDS --- President Trumps vow to bring back the coal industrys heyday is a delusion. But its already inspiring Republican legislatures in Appalachia to resurrect a grim element of those boom times: loose safety laws that endangered miners lives and protected owners profits. Republican leaders contend the federal government can do the inspections just as well as the states. This is a remarkable turn by politicians usually heard decrying the intrusiveness of Washington bureaucrats. The Trump administration, already stocked with anti-environment industry sycophants, is bent on resuscitating, not regulating, Big Coal. To that end, it is moving to help surface mine operators by eliminating protections for Appalachian streams and hamlets inundated by mine wastes. The Kentucky Legislature, where Republicans have taken control of both houses, gave final approval on Tuesday to a measure that will cut back the four annual inspections now required at a working mine to as few as one. Instead of actually checking the miners safety equipment on site, an inspector will write a safety analysis based on conversations with miners. This is feel-good law making, but Gov. Matt Bevin, a Republican, is expected to sign the measure. A major point of contention facing Judge Neil M. Gorsuch in his Senate confirmation hearings this week is likely to be his view on a landmark 1984 Supreme Court decision concerning rule-making by federal agencies. This may seem like a dispute about administrative power, but more basically, it is about civil liberties. The case, Chevron U.S.A. v. Natural Resources Defense Council, involved the Environmental Protection Agencys authority to issue a rule under the Clean Air Act. Congress can expressly authorize agencies to make rules on one topic or another under current Supreme Court doctrine. Yet even when Congress does not expressly authorize rule making, agencies often make rules to clarify ambiguities or silences in laws in order to enforce them. They do this by interpreting the language used by Congress. In such circumstances, according to Chevron, judges must defer to an agencys interpretation, at least if it is within the range of permissible interpretations. In that way, agencies can make binding rules essentially, can make law on the theory that they are merely interpreting statutes, and under Chevron, judges generally cannot second-guess agency interpretations. In the case itself, the court found the E.P.A.s interpretation of the law reasonable and upheld the rule. The constitutional questions about Chevron focused for decades on the problem of separation of powers. But the debate has turned to deeper concerns about judicial independence and bias. Democracy has had a rough time in Pakistan. But 70 years after independence, democracy took a significant step forward in Pakistan with the recent decision to merge the war-torn and neglected Federally Administrated Tribal Areas with the adjoining Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Province, earlier known as the North-West Frontier Province. The move will combine the northwestern frontier regions, along the countrys mountainous and dangerous border with Afghanistan, into one administrative unit. This provides a way for the people of the Tribal Areas to become full legal citizens, to elect their own representatives directly, to have the laws of Pakistan apply to them, to sue for justice in Pakistani courts and to be compensated for the destruction of their homes in the war on terrorism all rights that they do not have now. The reorganization yet remains to be approved by the Parliament, and after its approval the administrative and legal changes will occur over a period of five years. However, it fails to address the structural inequities ethnic bias, stereotyping FATA residents as militants, lack of freedom of movement and ethnic othering faced by the people of the Tribal Areas and, in fact, it may institutionalize those very things. The Tribal Areas are variously called the wild frontier and militant terrain and considered a place with no rules and little regard for life. In this region of three million to seven million (Pakistan has not had a census since 1998), 70 percent of the population lives in poverty, the literacy rate is only 8 percent for women and 45 percent for men, and the infant mortality rate is the nations highest. Yet this same region has significant cities like Miran Shah, Sadda and Parachinar, where Pashto literary societies flourish and which produce fabric and shoes coveted across Pakistan. In Britain, under the assumed name of Bennett (or Bennet), he spoke with the authority of Moscow. According to Ivy Litvinov, the British-born wife of a Soviet diplomat named Maxim Litvinov, Petrovsky was the ugliest man you ever saw, but very charming. Around the time he arrived in London, in 1920, another Comintern agent named Rose Cohen returned to Britain, after traveling the world distributing party funds. She and Petrovsky fell in love. Cohen, from a poor Jewish family in Londons East End, was lively, clever, literate and hauntingly beautiful, with brown eyes and long dark hair. Petrovsky and Cohen married and moved to Moscow around 1929, where their son Alyosha was born. After Lenins death in 1924, Joseph Stalin had assumed leadership. For a time, all went well: Max had an important government job, and Rose became the foreign editor of a new English-language newspaper, The Moscow Daily News. Their idyll collapsed in 1937. Suspected of sympathy with the exiled Leon Trotsky, Petrovsky and Cohen were arrested. Alyosha was sent to an orphanage and never saw his parents again. They were soon shot. Because of Stalins purges, it was getting very hard to see Moscow as a beacon of hope rather than as a cruel oppressor. Yet many still managed to do so, for the world looked bleak in 1937. Hitler ran Germany, Mussolini ruled Italy, and the fascists were winning the civil war in Spain. In Britain and America, the Depression, with all the human misery it caused, looked to dedicated Communists like the final death throes of capitalism. As Harry Pollitt saw it, those who had defeated tyranny in Russia could never do, nor ever can do, any wrong against the working class. Pollitt had counted Petrovsky and Cohen among his friends, but mistakes are made, he thought. You cant make an omelet without breaking eggs. So the agents of the Comintern and loyal comrades like the graduates of the International Lenin School learned to hunt down Trotskyists and anarchists, and to think only of the brave new world that was to follow all this misery. President Trump began his campaign assailing immigrants as ruthless lawbreakers who steal American jobs with impunity. To halt them, he has vowed to build a wall along the border with Mexico, hire thousands of new immigration agents, ramp up immigrant detention and subject visa applicants to even more rigorous vetting. His administration has been largely silent, however, about the strongest magnet that has drawn millions of immigrants, legal and not, to the United States for generations: jobs. American employers continue to assume relatively little risk by hiring undocumented immigrants to perform menial, backbreaking work, often for little pay. Meanwhile, as Mr. Trumps deportation crackdown accelerates, families are being ripped apart, and communities of hard-working immigrants with deep roots in this country are gripped by fear and uncertainty. As long as employers remain off the hook, a border wall and an expanded dragnet can only make temporary dents in the flows of undocumented immigrants. There was widespread, bipartisan acknowledgment of this reality the last time lawmakers managed to pass a comprehensive immigration bill. In 1986, President Ronald Reagan signed into law the Immigration Reform and Control Act, which outlined a carrots-and-sticks approach to reducing the number of undocumented workers in the American labor force. The bill offered a pathway to citizenship to roughly 2.7 million people who had been living in the United States without permission, set in motion an era of tighter controls at the border and made knowingly hiring undocumented people a crime. To the Editor: Re Tillerson and Xi Show Off Cooperation in Meeting (news article, March 20): Let me be very clear: the policy of strategic patience has ended. With this remark on his East Asia trip, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson laid the groundwork for the Trump administrations pivot from President Obamas North Korea policy to what it argues will be a bolder, more effective diplomatic, security and economic approach to reverse North Koreas nuclear enterprise. Will the effort work? The odds are long. Speaking candidly to the Council on Foreign Relations in October, James Clapper, then director of national intelligence, conceded: I think the notion of getting the North Koreans to denuclearize is probably a lost cause. They are not going to do that. That is their ticket to survival. So where does Mr. Clappers finding leave us? Rather than press ever harder the quixotic nuclear elimination effort, the United States must focus on the most critical issue: ensuring that North Korea never uses the arsenal. It is a challenge the United States confronted before when President Richard Nixon began the process of diplomatic normalization with China without a nuclear abolition precondition. The strategy worked to reassure both countries. We must make no concession to our commitment to South Koreas defense. However, normalization is not a reward for the Norths bad nuclear behavior but a move to better ensure that its bomb never lands in our backyard. Kansas can only hope that reports are true that the Trump administration will let its governor, Sam Brownback, escape the disaster he created in Topeka for a quieter United Nations agricultural post in Rome. And global humanity can only hope for the best. Mr. Brownback, a Republican first elected on the Tea Party crest of 2010, used his office as a laboratory for conservative budget experimentation. His insistence that tax cuts create, not diminish, revenues has left the state facing a ballooning deficit plus a ruling by the state Supreme Court that Kansas schoolchildren have been unconstitutionally shortchanged in state aid for years, with the poorest minority children most deprived. The court ruled this month that they would shut the states schools if funding wasnt made equitable by June 30. It found reading test scores of nearly half of African-American students and more than one-third of Hispanic students were deficient under aid formulas favoring more affluent school districts. To the Editor: At the hearing of the House Intelligence Committee on Monday, Representative Adam B. Schiff of California, the ranking Democrat, succinctly recounted the coincidences about Donald Trumps operatives contacts with Russian intelligence. When you hear them all together like that, its really damning. Up until now I allowed Mr. Trump a tiny bit of benefit of the doubt. No longer. I am convinced that the Trump campaign actively colluded with the Russians to deny Hillary Clinton the presidency. And that is an impeachable offense. JOHN DIEHL, SAN FRANCISCO To the Editor: The F.B.I. director, James Comey, who improperly influenced the election, investigates whether the Russians did? ILYA SHLYAKHTER CAMBRIDGE, MASS. To the Editor: Re Britain Furious as Trump Pushes Claim of Spying (front page, March 18): How long do we as a nation have to mollify Donald Trump in his accusation that former President Barack Obama tapped his phone at Trump Tower? Why isnt it enough that our intelligence agencies, leaders of both the House and Senate Intelligence Committees, and even an anchor from his favorite resource, Fox News, have said there is no evidence? We use air quotes for many reasons. Theres the conspiratorial use, as when Mr. Trump questioned Mr. Obamas legitimacy by referring to him as the quote president during his campaign. That, you might say, is old-fashioned, street-fighting politics. Theres the self-subverting air quote, as when the Chicago White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen said, after using slurs against gays in 2006, I will apologize to the people I offended. Then there are the times when air quotes backfire, seeming to reveal something otherwise hidden about the speakers meaning. Consider the criticisms of Senator John McCain who, while discussing abortion in 2008, air-quoted health of the mother. In the 1990s, the Saturday Night Live comedian Chris Farley had a skit in which he made fun of all of this. Maybe Im not the norm, he said. I dont own a toothbrush or let my scabs heal. Its hilarious because hes doing it wrong. But it also raises the question: If everything is air-quotable, then what does anything really mean? We didnt always have to contend with such ambiguity. People may have used air quotes as early as the 1920s, but they really came into vogue in the late 20th century. In a 1989 essay, The Irony Epidemic, Kurt Andersen and Paul Rudnick called air quotes the quintessential contemporary gesture that says, Were not serious. Earnestness was out. Sarcasm was in. Nothing meant what it seemed to mean. To the Editor: Re Shes 17 and Needs Birth Control. What Now? (column, March 5): As Nicholas Kristof explains, health care clinics in the United States are targets of President Trumps restrictive abortion policies. So are clinics in the developing world, where a lack of safe reproductive care is already a reality for women and girls. Mr. Trumps global gag rule threatens to make that reality even worse by effectively restricting American aid to any overseas organization that even mentions abortion care. This appalling policy forces organizations that receive American aid to choose between providing women and girls incomplete care or depriving an even larger group of people any care at all. It should be no surprise that abortion and maternal mortality rates increase under the gag rule. From Nepal and Kenya to Texas and Mike Pences Indiana, weve seen what happens when politicians force clinics to close. Vulnerable people dont have the luxury of just going to the other clinic down the street. They simply go without care or resort to dangerous methods. The four supporting GST legislations include Central GST or C-GST, the Integrated GST (I-GST), and the Union Territory GST (UT-GST), and the Compensation to the States Law. By India Today Web Desk: The Union Cabinet headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi today approved four supporting Goods and Services Tax (GST) bills, which will now be introduced in Parliament during the ongoing Budget session. The four supporting GST legislations include Central GST or C-GST, the Integrated GST (I-GST), and the Union Territory GST (UT-GST), and the Compensation to the States Law. The four bills were earlier approved by the GST Council after a thorough clause by clause discussion over 12 meetings held in the last six months. advertisement WHAT IS GST? The C-GST Bill makes provisions for levy and collection of tax on intra-state supply of goods or services for both by the Central Government. On the other hand, the I-GST Bill makes provisions for levy and collection of tax on inter-state supply of goods or services or both by the Central Government. The UT-GST Bill makes provisions for levy on collection on tax on intra-UT supply of goods and services in the Union Territories without legislature. The Union Territory GST is akin to States Goods and Services Tax (SGST) which shall be levied and collected by the States/Union Territories on intra-state supply of goods or services or both. The Compensation Bill provides for compensation to the states for loss of revenue arising on account of implementation of the goods and services tax for a period of five years as per section 18 of the Constitution (One Hundred and First Amendment) Act, 2016. These bills will help in the rollout of the much-awaited indirect tax regime, which the Centre plans to do from July 1 this year. MODI BATS FOR GST AT INDIA TODAY CONCLAVE On Saturday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said people should make efforts to discuss and understand the new indirect tax regime. "I want the entire country to discuss and try to understand GST," Modi said here at the India Today Conclave through video conferencing. "In GST, the entire process has been reached by consensus; the states have taken ownership. It is an example of cooperative federalism," he added. Meanwhile, a number of Opposition parties said they want the GST Bill to become a reality, but the green signal will be given in the Rajya Sabha only after seeing the blueprints of the four supporting bills. Congress MP PL Punia said, "We have to see the blueprint of these bills. We also want GST to pass as it is our own bill. But there were certain objections in the past too. So, we have to go through these bills first." JD-U's Sharad Yadav, "It is a good move. The GST is long due and we want GST to get passed at the earliest." advertisement Also read: GST: Everything you wanted to know What is the GST bill? Here's all you need to know about India's biggest tax reform How GST impacts common man: Here's what you need to know --- ENDS --- But Donald Trump and his operatives are up to something qualitatively different. Armed with the weaponized resources of social media, Trump has radicalized this strategy in a way that aims to subvert our relation to reality in general. To assert that there are alternative facts, as his adviser Kellyanne Conway did, is to assert that there is an alternative, delusional, reality in which those facts and opinions most convenient in supporting Trumps policies and worldview hold sway. Whether we accept the reality that Trump and his supporters seek to impose on us, or reject it, it is an important and ever-present source of the specific confusion and anxiety that Trumpism evokes. Donald Trumps relation to Vladimir Putin is one area where our sense of bewilderment is particularly pronounced. Whatever may or may not be going on between the two authoritarian leaders, similarities in their style are striking. A recent BBC documentary, HyperNormalization, by Adam Curtis who is often as over-the-top as he is insightful is suggestive in this context. Curtis calls our attention to Vladislav Surkov, whose official title is the vice head of the presidential administration and has been referred to as the puppet master of Putins Russia. Surkov has a background in avant-garde theater and is a devotee of postmodern culture, and has adopted theatrical and artistic techniques of subversion to unleash a full frontal attack on Russian societys sense of reality. According to Curtis, Trump has taken his stratagems for spreading pandemonium from Surkovs playbook, with Steve Bannon a product of Hollywood and Goldman Sachs who now sits on the National Security Councils Principals Committee acting as Trumps Surkov. As opposed to the Soviet Union or contemporary North Korea, Surkov, as Peter Pomerantsev observed in The London Review of Books, does not seek to generate and maintain the regimes power exclusively through the exercise of overt terror (though there is plenty of that). On the contrary, his fusion of despotism and postmodernism comprises a strategy of power based on keeping any opposition there may be constantly confused, creating a ceaseless shape-shifting that is unstoppable because its indefinable. To keep his opponents off-balanced and powerless, he might, for example, sponsor nationalist skinheads one moment and human rights groups the next. In a similar vein, Surkov could have provided the seating arrangements for the N.S.C., where Bannon, a right-wing white nationalist who has provided a platform for anti-Semites, sits on one side of Trump, and his son-in-law Jared Kushner, an orthodox Jew, sits on the other. After observing Donald Trump for all these exhausting months, it is clear that, whether he is as calculating as a puppet master like Surkov or simply functioning on a showmans intuition, the law of noncontradiction does not apply in his universe. By continually contradicting himself and not seeming to care, Trump generates confusion in the members of the media and political opposition that has often rendered them ineffectual, especially in speaking to those outside the liberal base. They were slow to realize that he was playing by a different set of rules. This is why they, like Hillary Clinton before them, have had such difficulty gaining traction against him via appeals to facts and other cherished norms of liberal democracy. He has proved adept at deflecting well-intentioned fact-checking, regardless of how often it has caught him in a contradiction, and rational counterarguments, which can bounce off him like rubber. As long as Steve Bannon and his colleagues continue to destabilize our sense of reality, and their opponents fail to recognize how these techniques work, those who oppose him will continue to stumble. In the psychiatric setting, it only becomes possible to treat a patient in the psychotic range of the diagnostic spectrum when an analyst does not focus on the manifest content on what actually happens on the surface but finds a way to address the underlying dynamics in order to work them through and establish, first in the analytic setting, and then hopefully in the patients life, a less compromised relation to reality. Murder or self-defense? Mr. Sack writes about two cases five months and 85 miles apart that took starkly divergent legal paths. 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.) Once youre on the series page, you can tap on the episode title to play it, and tap on the subscribe button to have new episodes sent to your phone free. With enough determination, money and smarts, scientists just might revive the woolly mammoth, or some version of it, by splicing genes from ancient mammoths into Asian elephant DNA. The ultimate dream is to generate a sustainable population of mammoths that can once again roam the tundra. But heres a sad irony to ponder: What if that dream came at the expense of todays Asian and African elephants, whose numbers are quickly dwindling because of habitat loss and poaching? In 50 years, we might not have those elephants, said Joseph Bennett, an assistant professor and conservation researcher at Carleton University in Ontario. Dr. Bennett has spent his career asking hard questions about conservation priorities. With only so much funding to go around, deciding which species to save can be a game of triage. Two sentences would go a long way, Mr. Gardiner said. Weeks without snow or rain and late-winter temperatures scraping 80 degrees are threatening to create even more blazes in Western states grappling with the growing fire danger posed by climate change. Hundreds of homes were evacuated this weekend because of a wildfire that erupted in the dry hills near Boulder, Colo. By Monday, the fire was about 80 percent contained. The Kansas fires the largest in state history burned more than 400,000 acres here in Clark County alone. Ten days later, Mr. Gardiner was still burying cows on his familys ranch. One by one, an orange loader scooped them off the bare sandy soil and trundled them to a pit being dug by a backhoe. Ranchers said the cattle they had lost were worth more than the $2,000 they could fetch at an auction. Each cow was an engine that drove their farms and finances, giving birth to new calves every year or producing embryos through artificial insemination that could be implanted into other cows. Emergency programs run by the federal Department of Agriculture which is facing 21 percent cuts under Mr. Trumps budget proposal will help ranchers, up to a point. One provides up to $200,000 per rancher for replacing burned fences. Another offers up to $125,000 for livestock losses. In response to the fires, the department is planning on Tuesday to announce $6 million in aid to affected farmers and ranchers to help restore their land, water and fences. But at about $10,000 per mile, Mr. Gardiner said, new fencing alone may cost his ranch about $2 million. His total losses could reach $5 million to $10 million. Like many ranchers out here, he had insurance on his home and equipment, but said insuring so many livestock and so much fence was impossibly expensive. Were not asking for freebies here, he said. Were going to work our tails off to get this thing rebuilt. Were going to get the blisters on our hands and roll up our sleeves and do the labor. WASHINGTON The F.B.I. director, James B. Comey, took the extraordinary step on Monday of announcing that the agency is investigating whether members of President Trumps campaign colluded with Russia to influence the 2016 election. Mr. Comeys testimony before the House Intelligence Committee created a treacherous political moment for Mr. Trump, who has insisted that Russia is fake news that was cooked up by his political opponents to undermine his presidency. Mr. Comey placed a criminal investigation at the doorstep of the White House and said officers would pursue it no matter how long that takes. Joined by Adm. Michael S. Rogers, the director of the National Security Agency, Mr. Comey also dismissed Mr. Trumps claim that he was wiretapped by his predecessor during the campaign, a sensational accusation that has served as a distraction in the public debate over Russian election interference. Taken together, the two provided the most definitive statement yet that Mr. Trumps accusation was false. The New York Times and other news organizations have reported the existence of the investigation into the Trump campaign and its relationship with Russia, but the White House dismissed those reports as politically motivated and rallied political allies to rebut them. Mr. Comeys testimony on Monday was the first public acknowledgment of the case. The F.B.I. discloses its investigations only in rare circumstances, when officials believe it is in the public interest. WASHINGTON One of President Trumps first executive orders promised a weekly recounting of the crimes committed by undocumented immigrants and a list of the recalcitrant local law enforcement departments that failed to turn those people over to federal officials. The Department of Homeland Security on Monday delivered the first report. But rather than provide a complete tally, it contained misleading information that only prompted confusion and defiance from law enforcement officials from the jurisdictions in question. The report, which covers Jan. 28 to Feb. 3, shows that Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the agency charged with deportations, issued 3,083 detainers, which are requests to local police departments to hold undocumented immigrants and legal permanent residents who could be deported. The report showed, however, that only 206 of those detainers were declined by local law enforcement agencies. Nevertheless, ICE officials say the lack of cooperation endangers Americans. Comeys revelation raises questions about the Clinton email inquiry. Mr. Comeys statement that the F.B.I. is investigating the Trump campaign is certain to raise comparisons to his disclosure in October that the bureau had discovered a new trove of Mrs. Clintons emails. Some folks may want to make comparisons to past instances where the Department of Justice and the F.B.I. have spoken about the details of some investigations, Mr. Comey said. But please keep in mind that those involved the details of completed investigations. Our ability to share details with Congress and the American people is limited when those investigations are still open, which I hope makes sense. We need to protect peoples privacy. We need to make sure we dont give other people clues as to where we are going. Mr. Comey said that he had consulted the Justice Department about whether to disclose the existence of the investigation something he had not done before he held a news conference in July to announce that there was not enough evidence to charge Mrs. Clinton with a crime. Mr. Comeys statements on Monday brought immediate criticism from Mrs. Clintons allies and former campaign officials. In refusing to discuss an ongoing investigation, Director Comey is appropriately adhering to the Justice Departments standards, said Brian Fallon, the spokesman for Mrs. Clintons campaign. The question he has never satisfactorily answered is why he deviated from those standards so egregiously in Hillary Clintons case. Daniel C. Richman, a longtime confidant of Mr. Comeys and a professor at Columbia University, defended Mr. Comey. There is no fair comparison between announcing a material status change in an investigation that you publicly declared to be closed in an announcement the public can be expected to rely on and speaking about investigative moves, or nonmoves, in a covert national security investigation, Mr. Richman said. McCarthyism? Um, no. Mr. Comey provided a rare moment of levity when asked if he believed the inquiry into Russian meddling and possible connections to the Trump campaign was a form of McCarthyism. The question came during a stretch of questioning in which both he and Admiral Rogers unequivocally rejected claims by Mr. Trump that he was wiretapped during the campaign. I have been authorized by the Department of Justice to confirm that the FBI, as part of our counterintelligence mission, is investigating the Russian governments efforts to interfere in the 2016 presidential election and that includes investigating the nature of any links between individuals associated with the Trump campaign and the Russian government and whether there was any coordination between the campaign and Russias efforts. As with any counterintelligence investigation, this will also include an assessment of whether any crimes were committed. Because it is an open ongoing investigation and is classified, I cannot say more about what we are doing and whose conduct we are examining. At the request of congressional leaders, we have taken the extraordinary step in coordination with the Department of Justice of briefing this Congress leaders, including the leaders of this committee, in a classified setting in detail about the investigation but I cant go into those details here. I know that is extremely frustrating to some folks. I hope you and the American people can understand. The FBI is very careful in how we handle information about our cases and about the people we are investigating. On President Trumps claims that President Barack Obama tapped phones in Trump Tower SCHIFF: Director Comey, I want to begin by attempting to put to rest several claims made by the president about his predecessor, namely that President Obama wiretapped his phones. So that we can be precise, I want to refer you to exactly what the president said and ask you whether there is any truth to it. First, the president claimed, quote, Terrible. Just found out that Obama had my wires tapped in Trump Tower just before the victory. Nothing found. This is McCarthyism, unquote. Director Comey, was the presidents statement that Obama had his wires tapped in Trump Tower a true statement? Judge Neil M. Gorsuch gave his opening statement on Monday during the first day of his confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee. Here are some highlights: Senator Richard J. Durbin, Democrat of Illinois, said he wanted to know what Judge Gorsuch would do when called upon to stand up to this president. Mr. Durbin said, You going to have your hands full with this president. Senator Michael Bennet, Democrat of Colorado, introduced Mr. Gorsuch, his fellow Coloradan, with high praise but stayed studiously ambiguous about how he would vote. Senator Lindsey Graham, Republican of South Carolina, said, if you believe this has been a great plan to get a Trump nominee on the court, then you had to believe Trump was going to win to begin with. WASHINGTON Halfway through Congresss 2013 summer recess, a letter landed on the desks of House Republican leaders demanding a new strategy to fight one of the largest grievances in our time. Give Congress the option to defund the Affordable Care Act, it said, or risk shutting down the government. Republican leaders condemned the idea, and the 80 House Republicans who signed the letter acquired a nickname, courtesy of the conservative commentator Charles Krauthammer the suicide caucus. But it wasnt long before a bitter disagreement over the health care law snarled budget negotiations and resulted in a disruptive government shutdown that lasted 16 days. Republicans took the blame. Three and a half years later, the letters recipients John A. Boehner, then the House speaker, and Representative Eric Cantor of Virginia, the majority leader at the time are gone, casualties of the take-no-prisoners conservatism it espoused. Representative Mark Meadows of North Carolina just a freshman Republican when he wrote that letter and several of the signers are now part of the hard-line group known as the House Freedom Caucus. True to their suicide caucus roots, they pose what is possibly the greatest threat to Republicans long-awaited opportunity to scrap former President Barack Obamas biggest domestic policy achievement. A few dozen Indian-Americans representing various Indian-American groups from in and around the Greater Washington Area held a peaceful demonstration in view of the recent surge in hate crimes against the community. By Press Trust of India: Indian-Americans, particularly Hindus and Sikh, have become victims of Islamophobia and xenophobia in the US, the community members said as they held an awareness rally against hate crimes in front of the White House seeking President Donald Trump's intervention in the matter. "Hindus have been recently affected and victimised (in the US) as a result of Islamophobia. It does affect our community as well," Vindhya Adapa, 27, a Virginia-based corporate lawyer, told PTI outside the White House on Sunday. advertisement Adapa along with a few dozen Indian-Americans representing various Indian-American groups from in and around the Greater Washington Area held a peaceful demonstration in view of the recent surge in hate crimes against the community. "A recent example of that is recent shooting and murder of an IT personnel in Kansas, who was mistaken for being an Arab and a Muslim. I do think that the current political climate is eventually going to target all communities including Hindu-Americans," said S Sheshadri, a young Indian-American doctor and Adapas friend. SEEKING BIPARTISAN SUPPORT AGAINST HATE CRIME "We are here today to raise awareness against hate crimes particularly against people of Indian origin. This is not necessarily a protest against the Trump Administration. We are here to seek bipartisan support against the hate crimes that has been happening recently against Indian-Americans," Adapa said, urging the President to acknowledge and condemn what is happening. "I would say what is happening against the Indian-American community is a result of xenophobia, Islamic phobia and the anti-immigrant statements that have come out from the Administration," she alleged. "A lot of Sikh people and Hindu people are mistaken for being Muslim, for being Middle eastern," she said, adding that the way to tackle that is to spread awareness about these different communities. WHAT HAS COALITION OF INDIAN-AMERICAN ORGANISATIONS URGED TRUMP? In a petition memorandum submitted to President Trump, the recently established Coalition of Indian American organisations of the USA, which organised the event, urged him to intervene in the matter and take steps to punish the culprits under federal hate crimes law. It also urged the President to allay the fears of the Indian-American community and show his support, and take remediation steps to eliminate the hate. "A message should go out to the people of this country from the administration that no citizen should take the law into their hands and it will not be tolerated by the government," said the petition. The peaceful protest was organised in the aftermath of a series of hate crime incidents against Indian-Americans. ALSO READ | US citizen charged with hate crime for assaulting, abusing Indian-American advertisement ALSO READ | Third attack on an Indian in 10 days in US: All you need to know about 'climate of hate' --- ENDS --- Read our coverage and watch live video of the hearing here. Washington once again will be watching on Monday to see how far James B. Comey, the F.B.I. director, will go in discussing the sensitive investigation into Russias election meddling. Members of the House Intelligence Committee have summoned Mr. Comey and Adm. Michael S. Rogers, the director of the National Security Agency, to a hearing beginning at 10 a.m. as the panel tries to respond to President Trumps insistence that President Barack Obama had him wiretapped at Trump Tower during the campaign. The panel which is leading an investigation into Russias efforts to influence the 2016 election also wants to press Mr. Comey and Admiral Rogers to answer questions about what they have found in the course of the federal investigation into connections between Mr. Trumps associates and any contacts they may have had with Russia. Heres how the hearing may play out: Wiretap? What Wiretap? In the aftermath of Mr. Trumps Twitter storm three weeks ago in which he accused Mr. Obama of wiretapping him, Mr. Comey pushed senior Justice Department officials to publicly reject Mr. Trumps claim, since Mr. Comey believed that Mr. Trump had falsely insinuated that the F.B.I. had broken the law. But Justice Department officials declined to go along with his request. Senate Republicans are in race against the clock. They want to put Judge Neil M. Gorsuch on the Supreme Court in time to participate in at least some of this terms cases, notably one on the separation of church and state. If they are to succeed, they will have to move with exceptional speed. The calendar is an obstacle course. The confirmation hearings started on Monday and will last several days. The last scheduled arguments of the Supreme Court term are set for the last two weeks of April, and the Senate leaves for a two-week break on April 7. Senator Charles E. Grassley, the Iowa Republican who heads the Judiciary Committee, has said that getting Judge Gorsuch onto the Supreme Court was important enough to cancel the recess. Senator Mitch McConnell, the majority leader, has said that will not be necessary. Were going to confirm him, he said, before the April recess. But in the last three decades, it has taken a median of 15 days from the start of the hearings for the Senate Judiciary Committee to vote, and another nine days for the full Senate to act, according to the Congressional Research Service. That works out to April 13, after the Senate is scheduled to leave town. ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia At the moment when she lost her home and family, Hanna Tsegaye was spending her Saturday night with a neighborhood friend. Around 8 p.m. on March 11, Ms. Hanna, 16, heard a strange sound, like rushing wind, and felt the ground shake beneath her feet. She rushed outside and saw that an enormous pile of garbage at a nearby landfill had collapsed. Her home, which had been a couple of hundred yards from the trash heap, was buried. So were her parents and two siblings. At least 113 people, according to the latest government estimate, were killed when part of the Repi landfill, in the southwest of Ethiopias capital, Addis Ababa, collapsed. In the days since, grieving survivors have been tormented by a pressing question: Could this tragedy have been prevented? KABUL, Afghanistan A feud that began when one police commander in western Afghanistan was accused of killing the civilian son of another has set off days of clashes, leaving four police officers dead, Afghan officials said. Fighting between the sides continued Monday in Maimana, the capital of Faryab Province, as officers loyal to each of the commanders fired heavy weapons at one anothers houses in and around the city, local officials said. Each faction was from a different unit of the same provincial police force and represented a rival political party. It was another indication of strife in Afghanistans shaky coalition government, which combines ethnic-based factions that in some cases have never quite moved past the civil war they fought in the 1980s and 1990s. The latest outbreak began on Saturday when the head of Faryab Provinces police antiterrorism department, Ahmad Shah Malang, killed the son of Nizam Qaisari, the police commander in Qaysar, a neighboring district, according to the governor. The son, Burhanuddin Qaisari, a second-year law student at Herat University, had come home to Maimana during school vacation. BEIJING Squalid conditions at a care center for vagrants in southern China ignited public outrage on Monday after reports that at least 21 people held there had died in just a few months, including an autistic boy who died after being given filthy food and water. The deaths at the facility in Shaoguan, Guangdong Province, came to light in an unusual expose published by a state-run newspaper. The case tapped into broad concerns in China over the governments treatment of the poor and disadvantaged, especially rural migrants vulnerable to discrimination and detention in Chinese cities. Past cases of abuse have put the Communist Party on the defensive, and the government moved quickly on Monday to address angry questions about the facility in Shaoguan. Such centers are intended to care for the destitute, the mentally impaired and older people who become separated from their families, but critics say the authorities use them to keep undesirables off city streets. The accounts of crowding and neglect at the center suggest that government efforts fell far short. The family of the 15-year-old boy who died, Lei Wenfeng, blamed officials who did not do enough to care for him or find his family after he wandered off from his father last year. BEIJING The toilet paper thieves of the Temple of Heaven Park were an elusive bunch. They looked like most park visitors, practicing tai chi, dancing in the courtyards and stopping to take in the scent of ancient cypress and juniper trees. But hidden in their oversize shopping bags and backpacks was a secret: sheet upon sheet of crumpled toilet paper, plucked surreptitiously from public restrooms. Now the authorities in Beijing are fighting back, going so far as to install high-tech toilet paper dispensers equipped with facial recognition software in several restrooms. Before entering restrooms in the park, visitors must now stare into a computer mounted on the wall for three seconds before a machine dispenses a sheet of toilet paper, precisely two feet in length. If visitors require more, they are out of luck. The machine will not dispense a second roll to the same person for nine minutes. At the Temple of Heaven Park, one of Beijings busiest tourist sites, many people said on Monday they were pleased by the new machines. A transcript of the speech was distributed to journalists in Manila on Monday. And there is the civil code, which states you can only marry a woman for me, and for a woman to marry a man. Thats the law in the Philippines. Mr. Duterte, who turns 72 next week, said he was only following what was in the books, asserting that he did not take issue with anyones sexuality. Two of his brothers-in-law, and some of his cousins, are gay, he said. But he stressed: Wherever God has placed you, stay there. He noted that no one was empowered to erase the great divide between a woman and a man. This stood in contrast to Mr. Dutertes stance during the 2016 campaign, when he expressed support for possible legislation allowing same-sex marriage. In a pre-election forum in January last year, Mr. Duterte endeared himself to progressives and the gay community when he was asked whether he would push for legislation to allow same-sex marriages, and he replied that he would. He said there appeared to be an error in the Bible when it said unions must be only between men and women. SEOUL, South Korea North Koreas latest test of a rocket engine showed that the country was making meaningful progress in trying to build more powerful rockets and missiles, South Korean officials said on Monday. North Korea said on Sunday that it had conducted a ground jet test of a newly developed high-thrust missile engine, which its leader, Kim Jong-un, called a great event of historic significance. Using the characteristic bombast of such announcements, he said that the test heralded a new birth of the countrys rocket industry and that the whole world will soon witness what eventful significance the great victory won today carries. The Norths rival, South Korea, acknowledged on Monday that the test represented a breakthrough. Lee Jin-woo, a spokesman at the Defense Ministry, said it showed that the North was developing a more sophisticated rocket engine. The model that the North tested included a cluster consisting of a main engine and four vernier thrusters smaller engines used to adjust the crafts velocity and stability. Through this test, it is found that engine function has made meaningful progress, Mr. Lee said during a news briefing, without divulging further details. KIEV, Ukraine After his name surfaced last August in a secret ledger listing millions of dollars in payments from a pro-Russian party in Ukraine, Paul Manafort not only lost his job running Donald J. Trumps presidential campaign but also assumed center stage in a bizarre internecine struggle among Ukrainian political forces. On Monday, the intrigue took another turn, when a member of Parliament in Ukraine released documents that he said showed that Mr. Manafort took steps to hide the payments, which were tied to Mr. Manaforts work for former President Viktor F. Yanukovych. The documents included an invoice that appeared to show $750,000 funneled through an offshore account and disguised as payment for computers. Mr. Manafort, who denied the latest allegations, has asserted that the ledger is a forgery and that the member of Parliament, Serhiy A. Leshchenko, was involved in a scheme to blackmail him. Mr. Leshchenko insists that a letter appearing to show him threatening Mr. Manafort with the release of damaging information was itself a fake, and he denies any involvement in blackmail. The latest development unfolded against the backdrop of a congressional hearing on Monday in which the F.B.I. director, James B. Comey, was asked about Mr. Manaforts work in Ukraine. Mr. Comey declined to talk specifically about Mr. Manafort or any other individuals under scrutiny in the bureaus investigation of ties between the Trump campaign and Russian intelligence. During Russias surreptitious invasion of Crimea, much was made of the little green men, soldiers without insignia who turned out to be Russian regulars. On Monday there was a new green man albeit one of a decidedly different political hue the opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who was doused with a bright green liquid in the Siberian city of Barnaul by an unknown assailant who had pretended to shake his hand. Mr. Navalny wrote on his Facebook page that he initially feared an acid attack after feeling a burning sensation. But relief appears to have given way to exaltation after he realized that the bright green liquid not only would not harm him, but even made him look like a superhero in his eyes, anyway. He can be seen mugging for the camera in a selfie taken after the fact. Referring to masked heroes in Hollywood films in a post on Twitter, he wrote: I will be opening a headquarters in Barnaul as if I am from the film The Mask! Cool. Even my teeth are green! By Press Trust of India: New Delhi, Mar 20 (PTI) Major Rohit Suri, who led the army team that carried out the daring cross-border surgical strike last year, was today decorated with second highest peacetime gallantry award Kirti Chakra by President Pranab Mukherjee. Corporal Gursevak Singh of Indian Air Force was posthumously conferred the Saurya Chakra for putting up a valiant fight against terrorists who had attacked the frontline Pathankot air base in January last year. advertisement The gallantry awards were given by the President at Rashtrapati Bhavan in the presence of Vice President Hamid Ansari, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Defence Minister Arun Jaitley among others. Suri, from the Parachute Regiment, was the mission leader of the team which was tasked to carry out the operation against the hideout of the terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir, an official release briefing about the awardees said. It said Major Suri showed exemplary leadership and courage beyond call of duty and "once all terrorists were neutralised", he directed the strike team to move to jungle towards North West of the target." Suri displayed utter disregard to his personal safety and showing "raw courage", neutralised two terrorists in a close quarter combat, it said. Naib Subedar Vijay Kumar was conferred the Shaurya Chakra for his daredevilry in killing two terrorists in the operation despite coming under fire. "Naib Subedar Vijay Kumar opened extremely heavy volume of fire onto the terrorist hideout, thereby enabling smooth closing in by the assault group to the target," the release said. A number of other personnel who had participated in the operations were also awarded. The army conducted surgical strikes on terrorist launchpads across the Line of Control in September last year, after a militant attack on an army camp in Uri in Jammu and Kashmir claimed the lives of 19 jawans. The government, so far, has not revealed the number of terrorists killed in the strike. Lt General Devraj Anbu, Lt Gen Abhay Krishna and Lt Gen Rajendra Nimbhorkar were conferred Uttam Yuddh Seva medal. A total of 22 personnel were given Ati Vishisht Seva medal, while 15 were bestowed with Param Vishisht Seva medal. Corporal Singh was awarded the Shaurya Chakra for displaying exemplary courage in preventing terrorists from entering the technical area of the Pathankot airbase, thereby ensuring safety of all aircraft and other strategic assets. Those who were conferred Shaurya Chakra included Naik Bir Singh of 21st Parachute Regiment (Special Forces), Captain Gaurav Sharad Jadhav of 36th Battalion, Rastriya Rifles, Major Rahul Dev Singh of third battalion, Rashtriya Rifles and Sepoy Hari Chettri, 9th Battalion of Rastriya Rifles. advertisement The personnel who were given the award posthumously are Naik Shinde Shankar Chandrabhan from 41st Battalion, Rastriya Rifles, Captain Tushar Mahaja of 9 Para, Captain Pawan Kumar of 10 Para and Lance Naik Om Parkash of 9 Para. PTI MPB SK --- ENDS --- Her husband, Kadri Gursel, a prominent columnist, is one of at least 81 journalists now imprisoned in Turkey, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists. Most of them were arrested after a failed coup attempt last July, accused of links either to the Islamist Gulenist movement or to a secular Kurdish militant group. Mr. Gursel is paradoxically accused of both an absurd charge, she says. He was a longtime critic of Gulenists. But still the police staged a follow-up raid on the familys home, seizing his computer, and he was sent to prison in October. The United Nations on Monday called for an inquiry into an aerial assault on a boat of migrants last week off Yemens Red Sea coast that left at least 42 people dead. The attack on the boat, believed to be carrying 145 people leaving Yemen, was among the most horrific episodes of deadly violence on asylum seekers there since Saudi Arabia and its allies entered the countrys civil war and began an air campaign against the Houthi rebels two years ago. The boat assault also illustrated the vibrant trade in people-smuggling between the Horn of Africa and Yemen, a congregation point for tens of thousands of Africans fleeing their own countries. Most of the passengers aboard the vessel were believed to be Somalis who had been staying in Yemen and were trying to reach Sudan. Norwegians have one more reason to smile, not that they need it. After placing fourth last year, Norway is now the worlds happiest country, according to the 2017 World Happiness Report, released on Monday. The Central African Republic was the least happy of 155 countries. The authors of the report found that a half-dozen socioeconomic factors explain much of the difference in happiness among countries, but that social factors play an underappreciated role. As evidence, they cite periods of substantial economic growth that were nonetheless matched by declining happiness in China and the United States, which ranked 14th. Even in Norway and several other Nordic countries that dominated the top of the list, economics alone did not explain the high rates of happiness. It takes good social foundations and trust, said John Helliwell, one of the reports editors and a professor emeritus in the Vancouver School of Economics at the University of British Columbia. According to the deal, Vodafone will hold 45 per cent stakes in the new company, while Idea Cellular will have a command over 26 per cent stakes. By Devina Gupta: Idea Cellular and Vodafone India today announced merger to form country's biggest telecom company. According to the deal, Vodafone will hold 45 per cent stakes in the new company, while Idea Cellular will have a command over 26 per cent stakes. A final decision and announcement were pending after March 16 meeting of top Vodafone executives, who reviewed the terms of merger and gave approval. advertisement The executives discussed operational integration, combined infrastructure, overlaps and redundancies. Experts believe that approximately 10,000 jobs will be lost due to Idea-Vodafone merger. KUMAR MANGALAM BIRLA TO BE THE CHAIRMAN OF NEW COMPANY Kumar Mangalam Birla will be chairman of the merged company, and Vodafone will appoint a CFO. Money for buying 4.9 per cent of Vodafone stake (Rs 3,874 crore) will come from promoters and not from Idea, said Birla. The merger makes possible synergies of $10 billion, said Vodafone CEO Vittorio Colao. "The ongoing tax dispute with govt not to affect the merger," Colao added. The combined entity had a net debt of Rs 1.07 trillion as of December 2016. Vodafone and Idea brands to operate separately post the merger as both are very strong, Colao said VODAFONE'S TROUBLED INDIAN JOURNEY Since its entry in India in 2007, Vodafone has become number 2 operator in the country, but its journey has been tumultuous as it is locked in a legal battle with the government over a 2 billion dollar retrospective tax claim over its acquisition of Vodafone India from Hutchison in 2007. It had written down value of business by 5 billion pound (3.35 billion dollar) late last year. The British firm has pumped in more than 7 billion dollar into the India unit. Backed by Mukesh Ambani, Reliance Jio Infocomm is offering free voice calls and data till March and has notched up 74 million users. It has already invested over 25 billion dollar and is investing another Rs 30,000 crore (4.8 billion dollar). The Aditya Birla group owns 42.2 per cent of Idea while Malaysian carrier Axiata Group Bhd has a 19.8 per cent stake. Vodafone India Ltd is a wholly-owned unit of Vodafone Group Plc. Idea rose as much as 29 per cent, the most since the shares began trading in 2007, taking the company's market valuation above US dollar 5 billion. Vodafone gained as much as 4.1 per cent. In a separate BSE filing, Idea Cellular said it plans to raise Rs 500 crore through non-convertible debentures on private placement basis. advertisement ALSO READ: Vodafone confirms merger talks with Idea Cellular as Reliance Jio triggers price war among telecom giants --- ENDS --- As a child of the University of Iowa -- literally and figuratively -- its current financial woes are troubling. Frankly, I don't think the Iowa Legislature can pass the laugh test when it awards $12 billion in tax breaks while fashioning a $7 billion state budget and then says it "can't afford" to adequately fund its "state" universities. The truth? It just has other priorities. What to do? The American Academy of Arts & Sciences recommends its Lincoln Project's "An Educational Compact for the 21st Century" (http://tinyurl.com/hk59pq9). It's not the first proposal for our plight, and won't be the last -- but it's coherent and data driven. On March 9, the Academy organized a powerhouse panel in Iowa City (and later Des Moines) to discuss this Compact. It was headed by the project's co-chair, Mary Sue Coleman, President, Association of American Universities, and former president of the Universities of Iowa and Michigan. Joining her were UI President Bruce Harreld and former University of Illinois Chancellor Phyllis Wise. Our multi-faceted Jim Leach added to the panel his experience as our former member of Congress, Chair of the National Endowment for the Humanities, and currently UI's Senior Scholar, Chair in Public Affairs, Professor of Law, and Interim Director, Museum of Art. It turns out that Iowa's woes are part of a national trend. States' support of research universities declined 35% the last 17 years (per full-time student, in constant dollars). Private universities have three-to-four times state schools' funding per student. We can hope for a brighter future, but as President Harreld said, "Hope is not a strategy. We may need a 'Plan B.'" There's more to the Educational Compact than a column can hold: the impact of research universities' discoveries on Iowa's (and the world's) economic growth and job creation (the mere purchases of eight schools put $2 billion into 1750 counties one year), their research that corporations can't or won't do, their advances in medical science, their innovative cost-cutting efforts, the economic as well as personal value from arts and humanities (Jim Leach's HUMANISTEAM), or their financial aid for low income undergrads, among many others. The tuition-free college programs of California and New York -- and the one in the post-World War II GI Bill -- were a major reason for those states, and our nation's, spurts of economic growth. But if that evidence isn't enough, how can legislators be persuaded? President Harreld came the closest with his insightful, joking (and illegal) proposal for a vote-buying, pro-education PAC. There's another Politics 101 approach that never came up; something I've been harping on for years and was reminded of November 8, 2016. . . . From Paul Craig Roberts Website The List (Image by propornot.com) Details DMCA Few any longer believe the "mainstream media," that is, the presstitutes. This has put them into a panic as the presstitutes lose their value to the ruling elite if the presstitutes cannot control the explanations in order to justify the self-serving agendas of the ruling elite. To fight back against the alternative media that does tell the truth, a secret group, PropOrNot, as well hidden as an offshore money-laundering operation, published a list of 200 websites accused of being "Russian agents/dupes." PropOrNot's effort to discredit truth-tellers was hurt by the site's anonymity. Consequently, the next list appeared on the website of the Harvard University library, where it is attributed to a Melissa Zimdars, of whom no one has ever previously heard. The websites on the list are also on the PropOrNot list, but those of us on Zimbars' list are no longer "Russian agents/dupes," merely purveyors of "fake news." None of my readers agree that I provide fake news. Indeed, when I tried to retire, my readers demanded that I continue providing them with reliable information as they understand that the presstitue media consists of lies. Now I hear from bloggers in France that the French newspaper Le Monde has posted a list of conspiratorial news sites, and, yes, French sites that translate and post my columns in the French language are on the list. It appears that the campaign against truth is being extended to the entirety of the American Empire. Just as the Washington Post and the Harvard Library made themselves look ridiculous and had to put some distance between themselves and the lists that they publicized, Le Monde will also. Not only was I a columnist for leading French newspapers, such as Liberation (Paris) in the late 1980s and for Le Figaro (Paris) in the early to mid-1990s, but also I was awarded the French Legion of Honor by the President of France in 1987. The honor was personally presented to me at the French Embassy in Washington, D.C., by the French Minister of Economics and Finance, and later Prime Minister, Edourad Balladur, at a grand party at which top level Reagan Administration officials attended bearing a letter from the President of the United States congratulating France for recognizing my contributions. That Le Monde would post such a list proves the truth of Udo Ulfkotte's statement in his well known book that there is no significant journalist anywhere in Europe that is not on the CIA payroll. I have wondered if the PropOrNor list was a creation of the presstitute media, such as CNN, New York Times, Washington Post, NPR, MSNBC, in order to protect their monopoly over explanations, or whether it was a creation of the CIA in an effort to protect the presstitutes who serve the CIA by controlling the explanations that gullible and ignorant people receive. I suspect that the list is a creation of the CIA or the Department of State. It is a desperate act by those who have lost credibility to keep control over explanations. The world of lies that comprises life in the Western world and hides reality from the people has destroyed all justification for the West's long hegemony over humanity. Today the West, corrupt, violent, greedy beyond all measure, evil beyond Satan, is a collection of populations comfortable with the mass murder of millions of Muslims in many countries. When evil can go without challenge, what hope does humanity have? The Harvard Library website, perhaps in response to criticism, has now identified Melissa Zimdars as an assistant professor of communication at Merrimack College. The library distances itself from the list by declaring it to be "an informal list." The library still has a link to Zimdars' list of fake news websites, but the link opens to something else. Stephen Lendman provided a copy of Zimdar's list on Global Research. Notice that WikiLeaks is on Zimdar's list, which shows Zimdar's absurdity. WikiLeaks posts no commentary or news, only vetted documents. Here is Zimdars' list: 21st Century Wire Activist Post Antiwar.com Before Its News.com Black Agenda Report Boiling Frogs Post Common Dreams Consortium News Corbett Report Countercurrents CounterPunch David Stockman Contracorner Fort Russ Freedoms Phoenix Global Research The Greanville Post Information Clearing House Intellihub Intrepid Report Lew Rockwell Market Oracle Mint Press News Moon of Alabama Naked Capitalism Natural News Nomi Prins Off-Guardian Paul Craig Roberts Pravda.ru Rense Rinf Ron Paul Institute Ruptly TV Russia-Insider Sgt Report ShadowStats Shift Frequency SJLendman.blogspot.com -- my alma mater (Harvard) recommends avoiding my writing; new articles posted daily; featuring truth-telling on major issues From Consortium News The New York Times' connect-the-dots graphic showing the Kremlin sitting atop the White House. (Image by New York Times) Details DMCA There are real reasons to worry about President Donald Trump's foreign policy, including his casual belligerence toward Iran and North Korea and his failure to rethink U.S. alliances with Saudi Arabia and Israel, but The New York Times obsesses on Trump's willingness to work with Russia. On Saturday, the Times devoted most of its op-ed page to the Times' favorite conspiracy theory, that Trump is Vladimir Putin's "Manchurian candidate" though evidence continues to be lacking. The op-ed package combined a "What to Ask About Russian Hacking" article by Louise Mensch, a former Conservative member of the British Parliament who now works for Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation, and a connect-the-dots graphic that when filled out shows the Kremlin sitting atop the White House. But the featured article actually revealed how flimsy and wacky the Times' conspiracy theory is. Usually, an investigation doesn't begin until there is specific evidence of a crime. For instance, the investigative articles that I have written over the years have always had information from insiders about how the misconduct had occurred before a single word was published. In the early 1990s, for the investigation that I conducted for PBS "Frontline" into the so-called "October Surprise" case -- whether Ronald Reagan's campaign colluded with Iranians and others to sabotage President Jimmy Carter's negotiations to free 52 American hostages in 1980 -- we had some two dozen people providing information about those contacts from multiple perspectives -- including from the U.S., Iran, Israel and Europe -- before we aired the allegations. We didn't base our documentary on the suspicious circumstance that the Iranians held back the hostages until after Ronald Reagan was inaugurated President on Jan. 20, 1981, or on the point that Iran and the Republicans had motives to sandbag Carter. We didn't casually throw out the names of a bunch of people who might have committed treason. When we broadcast the documentary in April 1991, there was a strong evidentiary case of the Reagan's campaign guilt -- and even then we were highly circumspect in how we presented the story. Ultimately, the 1980 "October Surprise" case came down to whether you believed the Republican denials or the two dozen or so witnesses who described how this operation was carried out with the help of the Israeli government, French intelligence, and former and current CIA officers -- along with former CIA Director George H.W. Bush and future CIA Director William Casey. In the end, Official Washington was never willing to accept that the beloved Ronald Reagan could have done something as dastardly as conspire with Iranians to delay the release of 52 American hostages. It didn't matter what the evidence was or that Reagan quickly approved arms shipments to Iran via Israel in 1981, a prequel to the later Iran-Contra arms-for-hostages scandal of 1985-86. No Direct Evidence By contrast, what the current "Russia Owns Trump" allegations are completely lacking is an insider who describes any nefarious collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia to arrange the Kremlin's help in defeating Hillary Clinton and electing Donald Trump. Then-Vice President George H.W. Bush with CIA Director William Casey at the White House on Feb. 11, 1981. (Image by (Photo credit: Reagan Library)) Details DMCA What we do have is President Barack Obama's outgoing intelligence chiefs putting out evidence-free "assessments" that Russia was responsible for the "hacking" and the publicizing of two batches of Democratic emails, one from the Democratic National Committee and one from Clinton's campaign chairman John Podesta. The DNC emails revealed that top Democratic Party officials had violated their duty to remain neutral during the primaries and instead tilted the playing field in favor of Hillary Clinton and against Sen. Bernie Sanders. The Podesta emails exposed the contents of Clinton's paid speeches to Wall Street, which she was trying to hide from voters, as well as some pay-to-play features of the Clinton Foundation. 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). Steven Jonas, MD, MPH. This entry, "Author's Preface," Part 2, was written in my voice, in 2013. The Republican Party and the "Rightward Imperative" An essential element of this process [a description of which concluded Part 1 of this "Author's Preface"] is what can be called the "Right-Wing Imperative". For example, consider that in the 2012 Republican primaries a candidate for his party's nomination known as 'moderate' would propose to abolish Medicare as then known, adopting something similar to the infamous (Rep.) Paul Ryan plan (which happened to sink any presidential aspirations Ryan himself might have had; but of course tone-deaf Romney did give him the consolation prize). In boasting about it, this candidate said: "I'll end Medicare faster than Newt Gingrich." He also supported the proposed Mississippi Constitutional "Personhood" amendment to ensconce a particular religious belief as to when life begins (turned down by the voters of Mississippi!) Yes, that was Mitt Romney, who continued to have all sorts of trouble cozying up to the Republican Far Right, because of that awful label 'moderate' earned when he was Governor of Massachusetts. Then there was the "traditional conservative" Rick Santorum who said (12): "As long as abortion is legal in this country . . . we will never rest because that law does not comport with God's law." In other words, Santorum, as in that Mississippi "Personhood" Constitutional Amendment initiative that Romney supported, would put "God's law" above the U.S. Constitution. (Romney, it should be noted, believes that the Constitution was "divinely inspired.") None of the other Republican candidates pointed out either of two major features of Santorum's position. First, the central feature of the Islamic "Sharia Law" that they all so eagerly pounce on as if its institution were just around the corner in the United States, is that it proclaims that "God's law" is to stand above any civil constitution that happens to be in place in the country. Second, "God's law" in any country that is governed even in part by it is means simply what some group of men happen to say it is, of course always citing some "holy book" (that just happens to have been written by men). But the Republican Party was by then so far to the Right that this position of Santorum's is not challenged within it (13). (See also "Rick Santorum's Most Outrageous Campaign Moments," The Progress Report, Jan. 5, 2012.) You can tell a book by its cover (Image by Steven Jonas) Details DMCA Then there was another " conservative, " Ron Paul. The bulk of the Republican establishment doesn't like him, because he would like to cut out virtually all of the US imperialistic overseas involvements, military and otherwise. That of course would lead to a major reduction in US military spending, but it would also end the cash cow that the war industry provides for its owners and their Congressional stooges in the US. It would also put an end to the central element of Cheneyism (14), the establishment of Orwellian Permanent War. It is this element of Paulism that attracts certain elements of the Left to him. But Paul also takes these positions, as The Nation's Katha Pollitt has pointed out (15): "In a Ron Paul America, there would be no environmental protection, no Social Security, no Medicaid or Medicare, no help for the poor, no public education, . . . no anti-discrimination law, no Americans With Disabilities Act, no laws ensuring the safety of food or drugs or consumer products, no workers' rights, [no] Federal Aviation Authority and its pesky air traffic controllers." On the other hand, this so-called "libertarian" would let the states criminalize any belief that life begins other than at the time of conception, and (quoting again from Pollitt) "he maintains his opposition to the 1964 Civil Rights Act and opposes restrictions on the 'freedom' of business owners to refuse service to blacks. . . . No wonder they love him over at Stormfront, a white-supremacist website with neo-Nazi tendencies." In a rather remarkable way Libertarians--chiefly by practicing ahistoricalism--have succeeded in selling themselves to a wide section of the electorate as "reasonable conservatives" but, in reality, in many areas, as Pollitt enumerates, they hold radical right-wing positions. Nobody in today's GOTP [Grand Old Tea Party] would get anywhere by challenging any of them. Today's GOP is a far cry from that of Dwight D. Eisenhower who said publicly that the New Deal reforms were accepted and acceptable public policy and that the only differences between Democrats and Republicans on them were how they should be implemented. But how did the Republican Party get from Ike to Mitt and Newt and Rick (either of them) and Ron? Through what I have already referred to as the Imperative of the Right-Wing Imperative (12). It started with Goldwater and has proceeded through Reagan and the Bushes down to the present day. Then we have this truly crazy Presidential electoral system in which truly tiny numbers of people in small states have an inordinate influence on who wins the Republican Presidential nomination. In 2012 little more than 200,000 generally far-right voters in Iowa determined who "won," Romney and Santorum with about 30,000 (!) each, and who "lost," all of the others. The Iowa caucuses are then followed by primaries in two more small states with right-wing Republican bases, New Hampshire and South Carolina, and then by Florida, which while not small also houses a right-wing Republican electorate. Thus, to have a chance of winning the nomination, more and more the Republican candidates' pitches have to be pitched to the Right. It was left for Norman Orenstein of the (formerly right-wing) U.S. "think tank," the American Enterprise Institute, no liberal he, to say, with Thomas Mann of the (no longer liberal) Brookings Institution, in their book It's Even Worse than It Looks (16): "[Today's Republican Party] is an insurgent outlier --- ideologically extreme, contemptuous of the inherited social and economic policy regime; scornful of compromise; not persuaded by conventional understanding of facts, evidence, and science; and dismissive of the legitimacy of its political opposition." Further Examples of the Thinking of Leading Candidates for the Republican Presidential Nomination, 2012 Let's start with Newt Gingrich (17). In 1995 he proposed executing "drug smugglers." In 1994, before the election returns were in, he referred to the President and Mrs. [Bill] Clinton as "counterculture (sic)." He said that he would seek to portray Clinton Democrats as the "enemy of normal people," and in a speech during the campaign he described America as a "battleground" between men of God, like himself, and the "secular anti-religious view of the left." He also blamed a tragic murder-suicide by a young mother in South Carolina on the "values" of the Democratic Party. In 1995, he said: "We are the only society in history that says that power comes from God to you . . . and if you don't tell the truth about the role of God and the centrality of God in America, you can't explain the rest of our civilization. I look forward to the day when a belief in God is once more at the center of the definition of being an American." In 1985 he addressed the issue of AIDS, which at that time appeared to be a disease that would affect only homosexuals. At one point he said: "AIDS is a real crisis. It is worth paying attention to, to study. It's something one ought to be looking at. . . . [For] AIDS will do more to direct America back to the cost of violating traditional values, and to make America aware of the danger of certain behavior than anything we've seen. For us [the GOP], it's a great rallying cry." Finally, in March, 2012, in discussing the possible imposition of (Islamic) Sharia Law in the United States (sic) that so many of his Republican colleagues seem to perceive as such a real threat, he said: "I am convinced that if we do not decisively win the struggle over the nature of America, by the time [my grandchildren] are my age they will be in a secular atheist country, potentially [one] dominated by radical Islamists." (How can a man of his reputed intellectual stature proclaim in one breath such nonsensical contradiction is typical of the range of unchallenged imbecility that exists today in America's political culture. I, for one would like to know how radical Islamists, known for their deep religiosity, would dominate in a nation defined by Newt as "secular" and "atheist.") Let's consider Rick Santorum next. (18, 19) He is the most like my fictional "Jefferson Davis Hague," (who, as the nominee of the "Republican-Christian Alliance" becomes President in "2004"). A major exception is that Santorum really believes the religious doctrines he pronounces while Hague doesn't believe the stuff at all. Hague just used it to get to the Presidency and then spouted it as necessary in order to remain unchallenged in office. If Mitt Romney does not win the Presidency in (the real) 2012, Santorum will be quickly nominated, by the Fox"News"Channel at least, as the Republican "front-runner" for their nomination in 2016. (Fox "news" actually performed the same service for Romney in December, 2008.) Santorum has referred to the science behind our understanding of global warming and the threats to humanity and indeed many of the Earth's species that it presents as "punk science." He feels that we should continue to rely on fossil fuels and indeed would vastly expand the extraction of same regardless of the pollution of the air, water and ground that such extraction causes (see the book's "Resource Based Economy" [chap. 14]). He seems to be bothered by homosexuals and homosexuality to a rather extraordinary degree. He has compared homosexual intercourse to "bestiality," for example, and would outlaw it (see Chapter 11, "The Proclamation of Right." Then see Chapter 18, "The Second Final Solution.") In referring to the excesses of the French Revolution, he inferred that he believes in the "eternal values" upheld by the absolute monarchy that it overthrew. On abortion policy, based on his religious belief about when life begins he is against it and wants it to be criminalized (see Chap. 7, "The Morality Amendment," which would put the contemporary "Personhood Amendment" also supported by Mitt Romney, almost word-for-word into the Constitution.) In the process he would of course criminalize the religious/secular belief of those of us who hold that life begins at the time of viability. He does not tell us if he would be for sending just the abortion providers to prison, or would he include those women who have them too (see also Chapter 7). He has not told us how he would go about paying for the massive increase in the size and scope of the criminal justice system that the criminalization of abortion in the way he contemplates it would entail. Finally, he has said that he would outlaw contraception, for it is "a license to do things in a sexual realm that is counter to how things are supposed to be." Then we come again to Mitt Romney. Particularly interesting is his Mormon faith, discussed very little during the campaign, but which is the basic formative influence in his thinking about life and the United States (20). For those concerned with the central political issue of the separation of church and state and the ever-expanding intrusion of religious doctrine into the law and politics (that is, the subject of this book at its core), in a word: yes. According to Frank Rich, "[Romney's] great passion [his Mormonism] is something he is determined to keep secret" (21). It is well-known that many Right-wing Christians (usually referred to by the polite name "evangelicals" even though there are many evangelicals who are not right-wing) refer to Mormonism as a cult, and the evidence contained in the Book of Mormon 22) (see also 23) to the contrary notwithstanding, "not Christian." But such complaints generally don't make it to the national stage. A New York Times article about Romney, Mormonism and his personal Mormonism also deserves mention (24). The information contained in it, drawn from friends, colleagues and fellow Mormon activists (and he is, or at least has been, a Mormon activist), raised some serious concerns. In historical Mormonism, the church and state were fully integrated in the person of Brigham Young. Of course, it has not been, on paper at least, since 1890 when Utah made its deal to join the Union. But the important point was, where did Romney stand on this question? As of this writing (August, 2012) he had not answered it directly. But what he did say in the vicinity of the question must give pause for thought to those of us concerned with maintaining that separation. His Liberty University Commencement Address (25) of 2012 contained such phrases as: "Marriage is the relationship between one man and one woman," a definition that is derived from religious texts (and of course a definition to which the Mormon Church did not adhere until 1890, and at least one of his grandfathers had five wives, one of which was presumably one of his grandmothers [but those are other stories]). And "But from the beginning, this nation trusted in God, not man." And "there is no greater force for good in the nation than Christian conscience in action." Rhetorically at least, he believes that the United States was chosen by God to play a special role in history, and that our Constitution was "divinely inspired." He has also professed the view that "America is the [Biblical] Promised Land." Finally, Romney prays frequently, feels that he has a direct connection to "God," and indeed engages in conversations with "God," asking for guidance in making decisions, even about matters of investment. Now, one would have no objection to Tevye talking with "God" in "Fiddler on the Roof." But for someone who would be President of the United States the questions do arise: what is the nature of these conversations; how often do they occur; what influence do "God's" answers have on his decision-making, does "God" accept the principle of the separation of church and state and if so, how does Romney find that his conversations with "God" are consistent with this principle. Other Republicans and the "Supremacy of God" As it happens, these references to "God" and his/her/its influence on the affairs of state are not confined to major Republican candidates for their party's nomination for the Presidency in 2012. For example, in 1996 Patrick Buchanan said: "We're on the verge of taking [the Republican Party] back as prelude to taking back our country as prelude to taking back the destiny of America, and when we get there, my friends, we will be obedient to one sovereign America and that is the sovereign of God himself" (26). But that's Pat Buchanan. Is there a higher authority on the role of the Higher Authority? How about one of George W. Bush's two favorite Supreme Court Justices, Antonin Scalia, considered by many to be the representative exemplar for the Republican Religious Right? Beginning with a quote from St. Paul as his thoughts are represented in the New Testament, Scalia had this to say about the subject (27): "'For there is no power but of God [St. Paul is said to have said]; the powers that be are ordained of God. . . . The Lord repaid --- did justice --- through his minister, the state. . . .' "[This was the consensus] of Christian or religious thought regarding the powers of the state. . . . That consensus has been upset, I think, by the emergence of democracy. . . . The reaction of people of faith to this tendency of democracy to obscure the divine authority behind government should not be resignation to it, but the resolution to combat it as effectively as possible [emphasis added]." Justice Scalia is still fighting the dyed-in-the-wool religionists' battle against The Enlightenment which, ironically enough, was the inspiration of the Founding Fathers of the United States. Further, Scalia has said on more than one occasion that he thinks that there is some divine "authority" standing above the Constitution (28). His soul mate Clarence Thomas does too. Scalia could have written the book's "33rd Amendment" himself. Of course there is no mention of such an authority, God or otherwise, standing above its precepts and proscripts in the Constitution itself, and it was written by the Founding Fathers to be the supreme law of the land. But Scalia is in a position to interpret the document and say "what it really means." So much for the Doctrine of Original Intent. Too bad I didn't have the above quote from Scalia at the time I wrote the book. I would have made it the rallying cry of the Republican-Christian Alliance as they proceed to use the Constitutional amendment process to destroy the Constitution and convert the United States into a "Christian Nation." Finally on this point, like Mitt Romney, Pres. George W. Bush has been quoted as claiming something that Jefferson Davis Hague never did, even at the height of his powers: that he acts under the direct instructions of God. The quote came from what the leading Israeli daily Haaretz (29) stated was the transcript of the conversation of a meeting between Bush and the Prime Ministers of Israel and the Palestinian Authority, Ariel Sharon and Mahmoud Abbas on June 25, 2003. No denial of its validity ever came from the White House. And so: "God told me to strike at al-Qaida and I struck them, and then He instructed me to strike at Saddam, which I did, and now I am determined to solve the problem of the Middle East. If you help me, I will act, and if not, the elections will come and I will have to focus on them." Bush did not claim, however, that he was acting under divine instruction in dealing with the Israel/Palestine conflict. Nor did he claim that God had already told him that He would be on his side in the upcoming elections. And so, it happens that references to the "Supremacy of God" litter the speeches of the leaders of the Republican-Christian Alliance in the book, just as they litter the leadership of the 21st century Republican Party and its peripheral formations in reality. In the book's scenario, the concept actually makes it into the Constitution (the "33rd Amendment," see chap. nine) and then helps to pave the way for their eventual formal declaration of the United States as a "Christian Nation" (a long-time goal of such Christian Right leaders as David Barton [30]). That "God is supreme" is a theory of government (theocracy, in one form or another) that the Christian Right has publicly subscribed to for quite some time now. An Increasing Focus on Homophobia Homophobia and its political consequences are very important in the ideology and subsequent policies of the Republican-Christian Alliance of the book. First, as noted, in "2005" the Alliance puts into the Constitution (!) the notion that homosexual behavior is a matter of choice (chapter 7). In "2009", the President, under his emergency powers, declares homosexuality to be a crime (chapter 11). Finally, in "2020", with an active rebellion underway, the regime begins the "Second Final Solution," in which that "scourge upon society" on which all the people's troubles are blamed, are now to be arrested and sent to passive extermination camps (chapter 18). How far-fetched is this scenario? Well, at some time during the first two years of the G.W. Bush Administration, when Trent Lott was Senate Minority Leader, he said words to the effect that homosexuality is a sin and therefore evil, because the Bible says so. This man was the third-ranking leader of the Republican government at the time. A 2003 Bush nominee for the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals, the Attorney General of Alabama Bill Pryor, in a brief to the U.S. Supreme Court, at one time compared homosexuality with necrophilia, bestiality, incest and pedophilia. In April, 2003, Rick Santorum, when he was the third highest ranking Republican in the United States Senate, compared homosexuality to bigamy, polygamy, incest and adultery. Pres. Bush's response to this statement was that he (Bush) was tolerant of a range of views on social questions. That range apparently didn't include the view not held by Sen. Santorum that homosexuality, regardless of origin, is a perfectly legitimate lifestyle, protected by the Constitutional right to privacy (declared by the Supreme Court in "Griswold" to be found under the Ninth Amendment). More recently, former Wisconsin Rep. Mark Neumann allowed that "If I was elected God for a day homosexuality wouldn't be permitted" (31). Mr. Neumann was a Republican candidate for the Senate from his state in 2012. The Creation of the "American Faith Party" Which leads us to what Howard Fineman, in 2012 a liberal (hardly radical) commentator for MSNBC and Editorial Director of the AOL Huffington Post Media Group would say the following in March 2012 (32): "The signs are numerous, but it's still easy to miss the big picture: that the GOP now is best understood as the American Faith Party (AFP) and its members as conservative Judeo-Christian-Mormon Republicans. The basement of St. Peter's is just one clubhouse. " 'There has never been anything like it in our history,' said Princeton historian Sean Wilentz. 'God's Own Party' now really is just that'. . . . "The American Faith Party is a doctrinally schizophrenic coalition bound by faith in the power of biblical values to create a better country; by fear of federal power, especially that of the federal courts and President Barack Obama and his administration; and by fear of rising Islamic political power around the world. "The AFP unites Catholic traditionalists who especially revere the papal hierarchy; evangelical, fundamentalist and charismatic Protestants; some strands of Judaism, including those ultra-orthodox on social issues and Jews for whom an Israel with biblical borders and a capital in Jerusalem is a spiritual imperative, not just a matter of diplomatic balance in the Middle East; and Mormons, who ironically aren't regarded as Christians by most other members of the coalition. Romney, a devout Mormon, is their man. "The four still-standing Republican presidential candidates are all AFP members in good standing on most of the party's key agenda items. The GOP platform is sure to feature all of them, including opposition to [legal] abortion and gay marriage; measures to counter what Republicans regard as attacks on religious liberty [sic]; expressions of fear about the extent of federal power, especially from the courts, on social and medical issues; libertarian economic policies that limit regulation and taxes (for religious conservatives and economic libertarians share a common enemy: government); denunciations of Islamic political power; and support for Israel. (Ron Paul is a dissenter on the last two points.) "All the candidates, including Paul, adhere to the AFP's central operational tenet: that professing your own faith -- once verboten in American politics -- is a necessary precondition to being taken seriously. "In the American Faith Party, in other words, every day begins with a prayer breakfast, a public ritual that used to occur only once a year." In this book, I refer to the next stage of development of the Republican Party, going into the (projected) election of "2004," as the "Republican-Christian Alliance" (see chapter six). According to Mr. Fineman, it now exists in reality. Fascism and the Trajectory of the Republican Religious Right Since the principal focus of this book is on how the Republican Religious Right would come to create fascism in the United States, I feel that it is important to present the definition of fascism that I use here. The bulk of this section is taken from Appendix II, "The Nature of Fascism and Its Precursors," supposedly written by "Dino Louis" in "1998". At this time (2012) the word "fascist" is not used in certain left-wing circles. It is thought to be too over-used, too out-of-date, too devoid of meaning, too nasty, too emotional. At the same, it is hurled around by right-wingers to describe certain social polices promoted by liberal Democrats. In that case, it is highly misused by people who do not have the foggiest notion of what forms of government the word describes that actually existed over time. In the book, I project that in "2048", were a real equivalent of "Jonathan Westminster" to be writing, when describing the economic and political system which existed throughout the period "2001-2023," first in the old United States and then in the apartheid- state the New American Republics (NAR, see Chap. 13: "White," "Negro," "Indian," and "Hispanic"), the words "fascist" and "fascism" would generally not be used. However, it should be understood that with few exceptions the Republican Religious Right leadership and its successors in both the old United States and New American Republics would vehemently deny that they were fascists, and would strongly shy away from ever using the term to describe themselves or any of their activities. They would, of course, continue to use it to describe the Resistance. Perfect Orwellianism. Even at the height of the projected NAR's racist oppression of the non-white peoples of the Second, Third, and Fourth Republics, and violent repression of dissent and resistance within the White Republic itself, even at the time of the most extreme concentration of power in the hands of the Executive Branch of the NAR and the substitution of the rule of men for the rule of law, and even with the perpetuation of one-party (American Christian Nation Party, the ACNP, the successor to the Republican Christian Alliance) government, in my projection the Right would pursue the fiction that it was following the precepts of Democracy and was the protector of traditional American freedoms. Even after it would have used the Constitutional Amendment process in the most grotesque way to make the original U.S. Constitution a mere shadow of its original self, the Republican Religious Rightists would claim that they were doing nothing more than protecting the traditional "American way of life." And they shunned the use of the term "fascism" even at the risk of alienating some of their projected strongest, and most violent, supporters from the traditional U.S. Far Right, groups and organizations that proudly labeled themselves "Fascist" and "Nazi." But the ACNP leadership would persist in this policy to the very end. It was the natural outgrowth of a fashion broadly used by Republican Religious Right during the Transition Era, of racists claiming they were not racists, anti-Semites claiming they were not anti-Semitic, misogynists claiming they were not anti-female, xenophobes claiming they were not xenophobic, Islamophobes claiming they were not Islamophobic, and homophobes claiming they were not homophobic. Mindspeak again. It was a peculiar tactic bred of a time just before the commencement of the projected Transition Era in 1980 when in fact prejudice of most kinds was considered by most people to be nasty stuff. The tactic, as we can see today, has served a very useful purpose for the Republican Religious Rightists because many of their opponents were drawn into useless, distracting, no-win "yes-you-are, no-I'm-not" arguments, rather than discussing and exposing the true policies and desired social outcomes advocated by the Right-Wing forces, regardless of how they characterized themselves. In Westminster's time, the phrase "if it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, it's a duck" would most certainly characterize the approach of most historians to the study of the period 1980-2022. And so, here is a working description of fascism as Westminster would most likely understand it (drawn from the book's Appendix II). A Definition of Fascism Fascism is a political, social, and economic system that has the following baker's dozen plus one of major defining characteristics: 1. There is complete executive branch control of government policy and action. There is no independent judicial or legislative branch of government. 2. There is no Constitution recognized by all political forces as having an authority beyond that claimed, stated, and exerted by the government in power, to which that government is subject. The rule of men, not law, is supreme. 3. There is only one political party, and no mass organizations of any kind other than those approved by the government are permitted. 4. Government establishes and enforces the rules of "right" thinking, "right" action, and "right" religious devotion. 5. Racism, homophobia, misogynism, and national chauvinism are major factors in national politics and policy-making. Religious authoritarianism may be part of the package. 6. There is no recognition of inherent personal rights. Only the government can grant "rights." Any "rights" granted by the government may be diminished or removed by it from any individual or group at any time without prior notice, explanation, or judicial review. Thus, there is no presumed freedom of speech, press, religion, or even belief, automatically accompanying citizenship. There are no inherent or presumed protections against any violations of personal liberty committed by law-enforcement or other government agencies. 7. Official and unofficial force, internal terror, and routine torture of captured opponents are major means of governmental control. 8. There are few or no employee rights or protections, including the right of workers to bargain collectively. Only government-approved labor unions or associations are permitted to exist, and that approval may be removed at any time, without prior notice. 9. All communications media are government-owned or otherwise government-controlled. 10. All entertainment, music, art, and organized sport are controlled by the government. 11. There may or may not be a single charismatic leader in charge of the government, i.e., a "dictator." 12. The economy is based on capitalism, with tight central control of the distribution of resources among the producers, and strict limitations on the free market for labor (as noted above). 13. The fascist takeover of the government of a major power always leads to foreign war, sooner or later. 14. Built as it is on terror, repression, and an ultimately fictional/delusional representation of historical, political, and economic reality, fascism is inherently unstable and always carries with it the seeds of its own destruction. To date, such seeds have always sprouted within a relatively short historical period of time. Retiring a deeply entrenched fascist regime is no easy task, however, as modern history has shown. Some Final Thoughts Many books have been written about the Republican Religious Right in general and the Christian Right in particular and what they stand for, and how their ideology stands in complete contradiction to the fundamental principles of the U.S. Constitution and indeed our whole national multicultural, multiethnic, and multi-religious history and tradition. They range from Rob Boston's Why the Religious Right is Wrong to Sara Diamond's Roads to Dominion , to Frederick Carlson's Eternal Hostility , to Sean Faircloth's Attack of the Theocrats! How the Religious Right Harms Us All- --and What We Can Do About It. This book is different. This book projects what things might actually look like, what actually might happen, should the Republican Right take over, fully, and as I have said above, do exactly what they have already told us they would do were they to take full power (and are already doing to some extent with their partial power, especially at the state level). Think Mein Kampf . Hitler said exactly what he would do, were he to take power. Few other than his committed far rightists and his Storm Troopers paid any attention. It is actually scary to me as I re-read this book to see the number of events, speeches, doctrines, and policies that seemed so far-fetched when I originally wrote it and published it in the mid-90s actually happening, being made, and being implemented. As Jonathan Westminster himself puts it (in "2048"): "Many books have been written about the Fascist Period. In fact, it has been estimated that if not for the chronic paper shortage, in the 25 years since the Restoration more books would have been written about both the Period and the Second Civil War than had been written about slavery and the First Civil War in the 100 years following the latter's conclusion. Many of these books have been devoted to detailed historical descriptions of the events, monumental and not so monumental, that took place during the time. Some of the more important ones are cited in the reference lists for this book. "However, as noted, this book has a rather different perspective from that of a conventional history book. I want people living now to know, not in detail about the depredations wreaked on our economy, polity, and society by the Fascists (although those are covered in outline), not about the defeats the Constitutionalist forces endured at first and the detailed story of their eventual victory, not about the widespread environmental degradation at all levels that took place and from which we are still struggling to recover, but rather about how easily the forces of Republican Religious Right took over, how step by step they created Fascism by apparently legal means, how precious and at the time unappreciated our Constitutional Democracy was, and what must be done, even now, to defend it and eventually transcend it toward a far more real form of egalitarian power." ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ References: 1. Stevens, W.K., "Scientists Say Earth's Warming Could Set Off Wide Disruptions," New York Times , September 18, 1995, p. 1. 2. Center for Biological Diversity, Endangered Earth , Winter, 2012. 3. Specter, M., "The Climate Fixers," The New Yorker , May 14, 2012 4. McKibben, B., "Global Warming's Terrifying New Math," Rolling Stone , July 19, 2012, click here. 5. Lizza, R., "The Second Term: What Would Obama Do if Re-elected?" The New Yorker, June 18, 2012, p. 44. 6. Phillips-Fein, K., Invisible Hands , New York: WW Norton, 2009, p. 254. 7. ibid., Introduction. 8. The Nation, "Islamophobia: A Double Issue," July 2/9, 2012. 9. Turley, J., click here. 10. Cooper, A., "360," CNN , May 28, 2012. 11. Wikipedia, "Social Fascism," http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_fascism. 12. Jonas, S., "The Imperative of the Republicans' Rightward Imperative," Published on BuzzFlash@Truthout on Thu, 02/09/2012 [not copyright]. URL: http://blog.buzzflash.com/node/13269. (For the specific references in the quoted version here, see the column as published.) 13. The Progress Report, "Rick Santorum's Most Outrageous Campaign Moments," Jan. 5, 2012.) 14. Jonas, S. "The Triumph of Cheneyism," BuzzFlash@Truthout, 11/03/11 http://blog.buzzflash.com/node/13119. 15. Pollitt, K., "Ron Paul's Strange Bedfellows," The Nation, Jan. 23, 2012, click here 16. Rich, F., "Nuke 'Em," New York (magazine). June 25 -- July 2, 2012, p. 37. 17. Jonas, S. "Ask Newt Gingrich," Published on BuzzFlash@Truthout on Tue, 12/13/2011 - 2:09pm [not copyright], URL: http://blog.buzzflash.com/node/13203. (For the specific references in the quoted version here, see the column as published.) 18. ibid., "Rick Santorum, Front-Runner --- For 2016," Published on BuzzFlash@Truthout on Thu, 02/09/2012 - 1:34pm [not copyright], URL: http://blog.buzzflash.com/node/13320. (For the specific references in the quoted version here, see the column as published.) 19. ibid., "Eleven Questions for Sen. Santorum," Published by BuzzFlash@Truthout on Fri, 02/24/2012 - 10:06am. URL: http://blog.buzzflash.com/node/13344. This column also appeared on The Greanville Post, http://www.greanvillepost.com/2012/02/23/ask-senator-santorum/. (For the specific references in the quoted version here, see the column as published.) 20. ibid., " Mitt Romney's Issues (that He Doesn't Want Discussed), Published on BuzzFlash@Truthout on Thu, 05/24/2012 - 12:36pm.URL: http://blog.buzzflash.com/node/13515 (For the specific references in the quoted version here, see the column as published.) 21. Rich, Frank, "Who in God's Name is Mitt Romney?" New York Magazine, Jan. 29, 2012. 22. The Book of Mormon, Salt Lake City, Utah: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints 23. Tarisco, V., "Former Mormon: What American Need to Know About Mormonism," Alternet.org, March 26, 2012. 24. Kantor, J., "Romney's Faith: Silent but Deep." The New York Times, May 19, 2012. 25. Mitt Romney Press, May 12, 2012. 26. Corn, D., "Buchanan Wins in New Hampshire," The Nation , 3/11/96. 27. Wilentz, S. "From Justice Scalia: A Chilling Vision of Religion's Authority in America," New York Times, July 8, 2002, p. A19. 28. Chernus, Ira, "Scalia and a Supreme Being," rd magazine: Politics , February 13, 2008, http://www.religiondispatches.org/archive/politics/70/scalia_and_a_supreme_being. 29. Haaretz, "'Road Map a Lifesaver for Us,' PM Abbas Tells Hamas," June 26, 2003, quoted in Floyd, C., "Global Eye --- Errand Boy," June 27, 2003, .tmtmetropolis.ru. Haaretz also has its own website, on which this material appeared. 30. Wikipedia, "David Barton," en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David Barton 31. Human Rights Campaign PAC, "If he were God, gays wouldn't exist," www.hrc.org, March 29, 2012. 32. Fineman, H., "Rise of Faith within GOP Has Created America's First Religious Party," click here From Reader Supported News I was listening to a GOP congressman the other day talking about his $12,000 deductible. I am not sure what state he was buying insurance in, but if he is dumb enough to choose a plan with a $12,000 deductible, then he shouldn't be spending our money in Congress. Let us hope this is another one of Donald Trump's lies. He did tell us that more people attended his inauguration than any other. He did say that Obama was listening to his phone calls (Of course the NSA was -- they listen to everyone.). Then there are the millions of illegal votes, so I guess I shouldn't be too worried about what the Donald says. I am worried, though, that Obamacare will be repealed without an adequate replacement. The GOP says Obamacare is redistribution of wealth from the wealthy to the poor. They want the money back. They want to take from the poor and give it back to the rich. The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office estimates that repealing Obamacare will save the government over 300 billion dollars. Of course it does. The savings all come on the backs of the poor. Most of the savings will come from ending the expanded support from the federal government to states for Medicaid expansion. The rest of the savings will come from ending subsidies to help individuals purchase insurance. So the cuts are taking support away from the people who need it to afford insurance. Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), after getting grilled at town hall meetings in Cedar Rapids and Des Moines, told reporters that she and a number of her colleagues are undecided on the Republican bill to replace Obamacare. Ernst said she was concerned that people who need the assistance would fall through the cracks. While that sounds promising, she also said that Obamacare was not sustainable. Ernst's comments do show that there is a chance to kill the repeal and replacement bill that is scheduled for a vote in the House on Thursday. If Joni Ernst has concerns, then it is possible to flip three Republican senators. Click Here to Read Whole Article FBI Director Comey (left) at House Intel Hearing (Image by cnn.com) Details DMCA By the logic displayed by the Democrats on the House Intelligence Committee hearings, this is a question that should bee asked. The Wikileaks disclosure of Democratic National Committee (DNC) emails showed how Clinton supporters at DNC stole the nomination from Bernie Sanders. As bad as that was, Clinton maintained her lead over Trump. However, when Comey raised questions about the Clinton email investigation on Friday, 11/28/2016, that revelation caused enough of a shift in key states to push Trump over the top in the Electoral College. Here's the tortured logic. Trump is a Russian tool. People who support Russian tools are automatically suspect (and subject to smears). Therefore, the Russians may have inspired Comey's actions that supported Trump. This thinking is, of course, rubbish. It's reminiscent of the smears of Joseph McCarthy (R, WI) in the 1950's. This neo-McCarthyism distracts from real issues like climate change, health care, a still out-of-control Wall Street, etc. Here are the facts describing the impact of Comey's revelations just eleven days before the 2016 presidential election. Polls Are Showing James Comey Could Affect the Election Fortune 11/4/2016 Since last Friday, when FBI director James Comey publicized his revival of a criminal investigation relating to Hillary Clinton's emails, races in six battleground states--representing 85 electoral votes--have swung sharply in Donald Trump's favor, according to at least one measure. Comey's disclosure shocks former prosecutors, Thee Atlantic 10/28/2016 FBI director's announcement of new evidence in the Clinton probes compounds criticism of his earlier willingness to discuss the case. James Comey's surprise announcement that investigators are examining new evidence in the probe of Hillary Clinton's email server put the FBI director back under a harsh spotlight, reigniting criticism of his unusual decision to discuss the high-profile case in front of the media and two congressional committees. James Comey Acted on His Own in Clinton Email Disclosure, Violated Justice Department Policy The Atlantic, 10/29/2016 According to The New Yorker's Jane Mayer and the Washington Post, FBI director James Comey acted on his own when he, 11 days before the election, disclosed on Friday that new emails had been discovered which may or may not be relevant to the agency's closed investigation of Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server as secretary of State. Comey, by informing Congress of the evidence, apparently disregarded the opinions of Attorney General Loretta Lynch and Justice Department officials, who had reminded him of the department's policy of neither commenting on ongoing investigations nor acting in such a way that could influence an upcoming election. Congress should do the people's business. One step in that direction would involve the intelligence committee focusing on the fact that President Trump is an unrepentant liar as demonstrated by his claims that Obama wiretapped his campaign. How can the people trust an unrepentant liar to occupy the White House? Creative Commons 4.0 Quicklink Not Found Sometimes, authors delete their quicklinks after publishing them. To see if the quicklink was renamed or re-published, please click here. By Press Trust of India: From Sajjad Hussain Islamabad, Mar 20 (PTI) Officials from India and Pakistan discussed problems relating to Indus Basin at the two-day Indus Water Commission meeting which began here today after a gap of nearly two years. The 10-member Indian delegation led by Indus Water Commissioner P K Saxena held a close door meeting with the Pakistani side which was headed by Mirza Asif Saeed. advertisement During the meeting, Pakistan was expected to highlight concerns about the three Indian hydro projects being built on the rivers flowing to Pakistan. They are 1000 MW Pakul Dul on Chenab, 120 MW Miyar, located across Miyar Nalla which is a right bank main tributary of River Chenab, and the 43 MW Lower Kalnai hydro project on Lower Kalnai Nalla, a tributary of river Chenab. Pakistan contends that the projects were violating the Indus Water Treaty of 1960, which has come under strain during the current tension between the two sides. Pakal Dul and Lower Kalnai are being built in Jammu and Kashmir at a cost of Rs 7,464 crore (November 2008 price level) and Rs 396 crore respectively. Miyar hydroelectricity project, located in Himachal Pradeshs Lahaul Spiti district, is estimated to cost Rs 1,125 crore. Todays meeting is the 113th session of the Permanent Indus Waters Commission which was established in 1960. The last meeting of the commission was held in 2015. Another meeting planned in September 2016 was cancelled due to tension following the Uri terror attack by Pakistan-based outfits. Pakistans Minister for Water and Power Khawaja Asif said that Indus Waters Treaty is one of world agreements, which provides amicable solution of serious water issues between Pakistan and India. Addressing a news conference here, Asif today said Secretary level talks on Ratle hyderoelectric plant will begin on 12th of next month in Washington between the two countries. Asif expressed the hope that things will move in the positive direction as a result of meeting between Permanent Indus Commissioners of Pakistan and India. He said outstanding problems relating to Indus Basin will be discussed during the meeting, Radio Pakistan reported. Khawaja Asif said the two-day meeting will discuss the design aspects of Pakal Dul, Lower Kalnai and Miyar hydroelectric plants, flood data supply by India. He said Pakistan has welcomed the readiness of India for talks at Indus Water Commissioners level. To a question, he said Pakistan is pressing for implementation of arbitration courts decision on Kishanganga. PTI SH ZH AKJ ZH --- ENDS --- advertisement The New York Times made it a front-page story: "EPA Chief Doubts Consensus View of Climate Change." Trump's appointed head of the Environmental Protection Agency, Scott Pruitt, stated (again) that carbon dioxide was not "a primary contributor to the global warming that we see." He added, "We need to continue the debate and continue the review and the analysis." For those who follow clean air and water issues to protect the health of our families, Pruitt's statement was no surprise. (It was insane that someone with his track record of suing the EPA and unreleased emails to fossil fuel powers, got confirmed in the first place.) So where does that leave us? Ever vigilant. The Trump environmental team may think that it's okay to continually relitigate science. However, most Americans don't. The Yale Program on Climate Change Communication updated their Opinion Map this month (incorporating findings from 2014-2016). This interactive mapping of the country is remarkable. America can be broken down by states, Congressional Districts, metro areas, and hyperlocal counties. 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). Every so often the laws of nature appear to reverse, as when cold air is trapped on the earth's surface in a thermal inversion enveloping people in a smog of pollution. Such has been the recent political experience of the Dutch, until a blast of fresh air on Wednesday sanitized the country. The Dutch election came as a relief to mainstream political parties in Europe after Brexit in Britain and the election of Donald Trump in America. Geert Wilders the Dutch populist, anti-immigrant, Koran and Mosque banning firebrand simply burned himself out. At one point leading in the polls with 25 percent, there were fears he might win a plurality and have the prerogative of being the first to be asked to form a government -- although an impossibility as the other major parties had refused any alliance. Even so it would have delayed the formation of a new governing coalition. None of it came to pass. Mr. Wilders came a distant second with 20 seats and only 13 percent of the vote. Outgoing prime minister Mark Rutte's center right party was the greatly relieved winner of 33 seats although it lost 8. A big winner was Jesse Klaver's GreenLeft which boosted its seats from 4 to 14. It was in its way a repudiation of Geert Wilders and his hate rhetoric for the attractively boyish Mr. Klaver has a Moroccan father and a mother of Indonesian descent. The Dutch Labor party PvdA suffered an historic defeat losing 29 seats our of the 38 held previously. Their traditional voters chose smaller left wing parties and GreenLeft. Might it portend the fate of British Labor unless they can marshal their supporters before the next election? All in all not a bad week for the Dutch who ended it with their heads high and their liberal/moral credentials intact. Then, was it not Hugo Grotius who initiated the concept of just war in the West, sparing civilians and prisoners of war and so forth. In the U.S., our own homegrown populist was busy exercising his charms on Germany's Angela Merkel, here on a very brief one-day visit, her hand strengthened by Wilders poor showing. Asked by the press to shake hands for a photo, President Trump ignored the request. No doubt a great relief for the Chancellor as 87 percent of Germans in a January poll felt he was not good for Germany. A photo like that could have been plastered all over by her opposition before the forthcoming election on September 24th. They did shake hands although more privately and not posed. The Dutch election results have fortified the EU drivers. Marine Le Pen's star seems to have peaked and the latest betting odds offered have Emmanuel Macron an odds-on favorite. While bookmakers can be wrong, Le Pen's chances in the French second round look remote. That Britain is adrift, facing a possible breakaway Scotland, has been sobering to other electorates. Being part of the EU has definite advantages. As Angela Merkel obliquely pointed out, addressing the press instead of Donald Trump, who was bemoaning Germany's great trade deal with the United States, her country has long surrendered trade negotiations to the EU in Brussels -- a large trading block comparable to the U.S. and consequently a more powerful negotiator. And as she has pointed out earlier, why can't American manufacturers turn out cars Americans want to buy. Little Britain adrift in a sea of sharks had Theresa May running to Washington doubly eager to sign a trade deal to allow it to swim in the wake of one of the biggest fish around. It doesn't take great art for Mr. Trump to figure that deal, but just wait for Mr. Xi's visit. He has already had him retreat from attempts at a two-China policy without moving a muscle. That's one tough cookie, as they say. Perhaps a bigger problem for Mr. Trump is his idee fixe. He is beginning to be tedious, and nothing turns off the public faster than a one-trick pony -- in Mr. Trump's case squeezing more money for the US out of friends and rivals alike (from the so-called bad trade deals and countries not paying enough for their defense). Once the public has had enough, there goes the second term. Going by recent poll numbers, that seems to be the hope of an increasing majority of the people. For this series, well be following Pastes own Curmudgeon, Geoffrey Himes, as he sets out on a massive road trip across the South, exploring musical landmarks, traditions and history along the way. Ninth stop: Austin, TX. I gambled three times at the South by Southwest Film Festival on Sunday, and I won every bet. The first gamble was on the listing for the days last showing at the Alamo Ritz on Sixth Street in downtown Austin. It was listed as Secret Screening, and rumors were that it was T2: Trainspotting. But it could have been two hours of smoke rings or two hours of chainsaw massacres. It could have been anything. The second gamble was getting in. As soon as I got out of the 6:15pm screening for the wonderful Baltimore documentary Rat Film, I got in line at 8:10pm for the 9 oclock Secret Screening. But the line was already so long that the white queue cards that guaranteed admission were gone. Instead I got a red queue card that indicated the waiting list. Did I really want to wait around for 50 minutes with a very real possibility I wouldnt get in? After all, Id already been burned once that weekend, when I waited 50 minutes to get into Terrence Malicks Song to Song, only to get turned away half a block from the front door. But what the hell, thats what film festivals are all about for the non-VIPs. So I decided to stay. The line moved and then stopped, moved and stopped. When it stopped again, right in front of the theaters door, my heart stopped, too. But finally we got in, took our seats, and there was director Danny Boyle on stage with Ewan McGregor, acknowledging that this was indeed T2: Trainspotting. That presented the third gamble: Was there any way this sequel could be as good as the original? Boyle himself acknowledged the risk in his opening remarks. People keep coming up to me and saying, This better not be shite, Danny. Jonny Lee Miller and Ewan McGregor in T2: Trainspotting (courtesy Sony Pictures) I won that gamble too. T2, which opened last Friday, may well be better than the original. That 1996 movie, based on Irvine Welshs 1993 novel about four young Edinburgh heroin addicts, is much beloved, and rightfully so, for vividly portraying the self-absorbed hedonism of young males in is most extreme forms. But how much more interesting it is to see those same child-men as the self-absorption starts to rub off and they begin to see the consequences of what theyre doing? While theres still a lot of sex, drugs and violence in the second picture, whats most interesting are the children at the edges of the story. Theres Begbies college-age son, who finds the criminal life far less enticing than his old man (Robert Carlyle) expected. Theres Spuds estranged teenage son who watches from a second-floor window as his funny-shaped father (Ewen Bremner) goes wobbling down the front walk. Theres the two children that Mark (McGregor) claims to have left behind in Amsterdam, but who dont really exist. Theres the daughter that Veronica (Anjela Nedyalkova) embraces after a successful scam. Boyle spins new twists on the visual delights that made the first film so memorable. Right at the beginning theres an unforgettably gross image of a suicide attempt going very wrong. But there are also quiet moments, when the characters are isolated on the Scottish landscapeat the top of a grassy hilltop or in the bowels of a blue-lit streetthat allow the characters to ponder the interest accrued on debts theyve left unpaid. I originally wanted to do the sequel 10 years after the original, Boyle said in the after-film Q&A, but not enough time had elapsed. The actors hadnt aged enough, and the characters hadnt aged enough. But 20 years seemed right, because then the audience can immediately see the differenceWhats amazing about movies is theyre about time. What you do in making a film is you expand time or contract time or make it stop. T2 and Song to Song were the exceptions to the rule at the SXSW Film Fest this year, in which the obscure indie films outnumbered the interesting big-budget pictures by a greater ratio than usual. One of the best small-budget narrative films was Lucky, which does feature a legendary actorHarry Dean Stanton. But you can tell its not a mainstream Hollywood movie by how patiently it builds. The 89-year-old Stanton plays an 89-year-old loner in a tiny desert town in Arizona. His name is Lucky, but that luck seems to be running out after he passes out in his own house. Not much happens as he makes his daily rounds of watering his cactus, buying cigarettes and milk at the bodega and drinking cocktails at the local bar. But as he gradually comes to grips with his looming deadline, he discovers that hes not nearly as alone as he thought he was. The story starts slowly, but just as youre about to give up on it, you realize how much youve come to care about the towns eccentric characters. In the post-screening Q&A, director John Carroll Lynch revealed that screenwriters Logan Sparks and Dragan Sumonja based about 80% of the script on Stantons own unromantic musings about aging and mortality. So, though its a fictional film, theres a lot of autobiography in there, too. In Lucky, filmmaker David Lynch plays Howard, another old-timer who hangs out as the same local bar as Stantons character. But Lynch featured in another of the festivals better documentaries, as well, David LynchThe Art Life. This picture, directed by Jon Nguyen, Rick Barnes and Olivia Neergaard-Holm, takes the unusual approach of devoting the entire soundtrack to nothing more than music and the sound of Lynchs voice telling the story of his life. Only rarely is that voice matched to visuals of him talking; the footage is mostly of him working on his paintings (the film explains in detail how he started out as a painter before turning to the cinema without ever leaving the painting behind). This mismatch between sound and image creates a two-level story that makes this much more interesting than the usual documentary of an artist. My favorite documentary, though, was The Untold Tales of Armistead Maupin. Every good movie needs a compelling lead character and a charismatic performer to play the role. Directors Jennifer M. Kroot and Bill Weber found both in Maupin himself, the novelist and journalist who has not only lived a fascinating life but has also developed the dramatic skills to tell that tale entertainingly. He grew up in North Carolina as a conservative who worked for Jesse Helms and who was invited to the White House to be praised by Richard Nixon. But when he finally admitted to himself that he was gay, he moved to San Francisco and became a reporter to write about the burgeoning counter-culture scene there. Early on he hit on the idea of a lightly fictionalized serial story to reveal the aspects of that culture that the participants refused to reveal on the record. And he found an editor at the San Francisco Chronicle who allowed him to write a new chapter every day, five days a week. The Tales of the City series quickly became must-reading in the Bay Areaeither because you loved its insight into bohemian and gay culture or because you hated that. It was turned into a successful novel and then into a controversial PBS mini-series. It wasnt merely the subject matter that made Maupin such a successful writer; it was his way of getting inside characters and summing up their quandaries with meme-like aphorisms. Perhaps his best known aphorism is, We moved beyond our biological families and found our logical families. For anyone who has dreaded Thanksgiving dinner with homophobic or fundamentalist relatives, that phrase sums up the opposing pulls of the home one grew up in and the home one found as an adult. That was true of Maupins life, which this movie captures with the same kind of detail, anecdote and wit as the writer himself. When I asked Maupin after the screening how he shifted from reporting in newspapers to writing fiction in newspapers, he said he was inspired by two thingsthe serialized stories of Charles Dickens and Jan Struther in the London newspapers and the Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman alternative soap opera on TV. Untold Tales suggests that we need more such storytelling in our media. While the majority of the world turns to television sets in the final minutes of December, a number of Middle Easterners and their descendants pair earthly revolutions with the onset of spring. Known as Persian New Year to Eurocentric tongues, Nowruz (which translates to new day in Avestan), coincides with the vernal equinox. Rooted in Zoroastrianism, Nowruz persisted despite the rise of Islam and has been celebrated in modern-day Persia for more than 3,000 years. Today, the lunar new year is celebrated in Iran, Iraq, India, Afghanistan, Tajikestan, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan as well as in European and North American cities that host members of the Iranian diaspora. Nowruz celebrations typically begin a with a Chaharshanbeh suri or festival of fire, on the Tuesday night before the equinox (This year, fire festivities took place on March 14). Fire is a symbol of purification in Zoroastrianism, and jumping over small fires before the new year replaces negativity and illness with warmth and energy. Zardi ye man az to, sorkhi ye to az man. My yellow is yours, your red is mine. Photo by Amin Mohammad Jamali/Getty Persians also prepare a Haft-Seen, an arrangement of seven symbolic items, to bring fortune. Each itemsprouts for rebirth, garlic for health, an apple for beauty, Samanu pudding for sweetness, vinegar for patience and sumac to honor the sunrisestarts with the Persian letter Seen (so it literally translates to seven Ss). The Haft-Seen is often accompanied by other items such as hyacinths, a mirror and a goldfish in a bowl. Persians shake or clean the house in anticipation of the new year and buy new clothes to welcome purification in style. The eve of Nowruz typically involves a party (sometimes louder, with dancing and traditional tableside performances from inebriated relatives who cannot sing) and a feast of fortune. Sabzi polow (rice seasoned with dill and lima beans) and white fish are the quintessential Iranian Nowruz meal, although menus differ across nationalities and families. The Persian calendar entered 1396 at 6:28:10 a.m. (time specificity is crucial) EST on March 20, and participants everywhere wished warmth upon those they hold dear. The new year itself brings a breather. Iranians, a populace pressed by restriction, is able to relax following Nowruz. Persians traditionally travel, often to visit relatives, in the post-Nowruz lull. Sizdah Be-dar, the 13th day after the new yearand the 13th of the first month, Farvardinbrings finality to the celebration. On this day, its custom to spend time outdoors, usually picnicking with family. If the goldfish accompanying Haft-Seens survive, this is the day they become free. Families place the sprouts (Sabzeh) grown in the Haft-Seen into moving water, casting off the negativity absorbed during its presence. What was once twisted now becomes purifiedfor a moment, we are distanced from hatred and free to focus on whats important: who we love and who we are. Photo by Parmida Rahimi, CC BY Sarra Sedghi is Paste Foods and Paste Sciences assistant editor. When we blasted into the BC Interior to shoot the 2017 Race Face soft goods collection, we were greeted with Ponderosa pine, sagebrush and hero dirt high above lake-front beaches. The team went to work setting features and getting boosty; dragging rakes and dragging brakes. The overnighter took us from Kamloops to Lillooet to hit expansive flow lines in the arid flanks of the Fraser canyon - our RF team riders put our gear to the test as we captured the stoke in order to share it with you. Come along for the trip and meet the new goods for 2017. Noah sends his regards above Kamloops Lake. Build, ride, repeat. Amanda leans in rocking the Indiana kit. Shes also packing with the womens Stash Tank. Check the full 2017 Soft Goods Collection at raceface.com online and look for it to hit shelves early April! Video credit: Connor Macleod Photography and Staging: Margus Riga and Travis Bilton Riders: Amanda Cordell, Lorraine Blancher, Noah Brousseau and Dylan Forbes Noah Brousseau and Dylan Forbes do us the favour of showing how, in new graphics and colorways, the Ruxton Jersey and Pants continue to provide comfort and protection while accenting your roost.Laser perforated 600D Cordura mixed with mesh panels maximize your airflow, if not your airtime.The all new Stage Jersey provides welded underarm ventilation for Dylans cross-fit training. Paired with our tried and true Ambush Shorts, hes got more going on than Archie from Riverdale.The completely redesigned Khyber Jersey returns to our womens line in three colors with Amanda Cordell and Lorraine Blancher putting them through the paces.The full Khyber kit brings hard-wearing style in a 3/4 sleeve jersey, shorts made with our durable and stylish Tweedster fabric, and gloves in accented colorways to keep it all on level as you get sideways.We wrapped Kamloops as the sun was giving us some seriousconditions. Our journey was not over yet. We had to pin it to Lillooet before dusk, and the Reynolds Liquor Store closed.Basically how everyone in Lillooet hangs out. But peep that new Lumber Jill hoody Lorraine is rocking. Plaid game is strong.Though we hit some particularly spectacular weather, you obviously shred no matter the possibility of precipitation. Our hyper-packable Nano Jacket gives you the adaptability to carry a rain layer without cramping your minimalist style.Ditch the baggage. Our Stash layering system takes the pockets youve classically had on your XC jersey and hides them for more security, and less bulk. Pair the Stash Tank with our new Stage Jersey and Shorts to keep it brappy.Indy and Trigger kits were built for big pedal days and your endro needs. Also when you have to look so damn stoic.On the trails above the Fraser Canyon, the new womens' Indiana line shines - ready for enduro and trail epics in two new colourways.Finally, for when the weather gets substantially more adverse, our highly praised Agent Jacket goes blue, but you can still rock all black if thats how you feel inside.Lillooet afforded us some particularly beautiful views, and a nice chance to eat camp chili with some buds. A big thanks to our entire crew for their bike, shovel, photo and design work. Cate Hall Overwhelmingly Defeats Mike Dentale in Grudge Match March 20, 2017 Jason Glatzer Editor Cate Hall overwhelming defeated Mike Dentale two matches to zero in the highly anticipated best of three heads-up matches. The grudge match, was broadcast live on the Poker Night in America Twitch channel. Doug Polk and Shaun Deeb commentated from the SugarHouse Casino in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where the match, tagged #MikeAndCatePlusHate, was played. According to Poker Night in America, the duo were not only settling a grudge, but also raising money for charity. 4 the #MikeAndCatePlusHate match we've teamed with 2 charities. @mikeunbelievable reps for @CVIMWestChester & @catehall 4 @pressfreedom... PokerNight.com (@PokerNightTV) Background Leading Up to the Grudge Match The feud began innocently enough back in December when Hall posted on Twitter about regretting the way she played a hand against Barry Hutter on Day 3 of the World Poker Tour Five Diamond World Poker Classic Main Event. Spoiler alert for those watching updates: Just went with a read I was pretty confident of & was wrong. It will look horrible. Now short. How horrible, you ask? I 4b & called it off 80bb deep with ATo. Come at me, Internet. Cate Hall (@catehall) Brian Reinert was the first to question Hall about the hand when tweeting, "Calling off 80 BB's w/A10 is ever right?" He insisted it wasn't a needle. Hall replied to the Tweet stating, "Getting 2.3:1 yes depending on range assumptions." At this point, things heated up when, instead of discussing the hand, Mike Dentale questioned Hall's poker ability. @catehall @BrianReinert1 this answer proves to me you're clueless Mike Dentale (@Mikunbelievable) Hall replied, challenging Dentale for a heads-up match. [email protected] Bro you do a lot of talking. If you want to play HU tonight or any other time, I'm game. Cate Hall (@catehall) Dentale and Hall agreed to terms and three months later the duo competed in a best of three heads-up freezeouts with each player starting off with $15,000 and players 100 big blinds deep with blinds at $75/$150. Hype increased leading up to the match as fans and friends were discussing on social media who they felt would win. Many agreed to private bets, while others headed to PokerShares, a poker betting site recently founded by Mike McDonald, to lay wagers. Hall Dominates First Match After Polk introduced the two players, they started the heads-up match with a fury. On the very first hand, Hall raised from the button with to $400 and Dentale called with . Dentale checked on the flop. Hall, with trips, bet $500 and Dentale called. Dentale then led out with a bet of $1,000 after the appeared on the turn and Hall called. The completed the board on the river giving Dentale top pair. He led out for $2,000 and Hall quickly called giving her the first pot of the night. A short while later, Hall extended her lead to a 4:1 chip advantage. She opened up from the button to $400 with and Dentale defended with . Both players checked on the flop of before Hall led out for $500 after the appeared on the turn. Dentale, with the best hand at the time, called. The completed the board on the river giving Hall a better pair. She led out for $900 and shipped a sizable pot after Dentale called. Hall extended her lead to a 5:1 chip advantage before Dentale began to rally back to almost even the stacks. After winning a few smaller pots to reduce Hall's advantage to 3:1, Hall opened from the button for $400 with and Dentale called with . Dentale check-raised Hall's $400 bet on the flop to $1,000 and Hall called. Dentale then led out for $1,000 when the appeared on the turn and Hall called. Dentale led out again, this time for $1,500 when the completed the board on the river. Hall, missing her straight draw, folded. Dentale's frustration was evident as Hall regained momentum. Hall chipped away at Dentale's stack when she regained a 4:1 chip advantage after she bluffed on a board holding . Dentale, with the best hand holding , tanked before folding. Cate Hall's Winning Hand in Match 1 A short while later, Hall extended her lead to a 9:1 chip advantage and left her opponent with $3,000. Hall, with , jammed all in and Dentale snap-called . The board ran out giving Hall the better pair and the first match. Hall Completes the Sweep Players returned to the poker felt after an over 20-minute break. The second match began where the first one left off with Hall swinging the chip advantage in her favor and never looking back. On the first hand of the second match, Hall completed the blinds with before Dentale with raised to $400 from the big blind. Hall called and Dentale led out for $700 on the flop. Hall behind in the hand turned on the gas and raised to $2,100. Dentale tanked for nearly four minutes before he tossed his hand into the muck. Throughout the match, Dentale was critiquing his opponent's play while Hall took down pot after pot to gain an almost 3:1 chip advantage. Hall was not without table banter herself stating, "Is that how you play when you weren't on tilt?" Dentale responded, "What do you mean?" Hall replied, "I assumed you were on crazy tilt already," she said. "When?" Dentale asked. Hall smiled and said, "For the whole last hour." "What would make you think that?" Dentale asked Hall. "You are very bad at the verbal sparring." Hall, smiling the entire time, eventually needled Dentale about his queen-five call that ended the first match. Hall then took down a hand preflop with pocket kings. Dentale wasn't done with the table talk though. "Remember, you will always suck," he said. "Especially in my eyes...There are a lot of girls that have earned my respect...But it definitely isn't you." On the very next hand, Hall opened up on the button to $300 with and Dentale defended with . The appeared on the flop giving Hall top pair and Dentale straight and flush draws. Dentale led out for $500 and Hall quickly called. Dentale then led out for $800 when the appeared on the turn and Hall quickly called again. Both players checked when the appeared on the river and Hall extended her lead to a 4:1 chip advantage. Cate Hall's Winning Hand in Match 2 About 40 minutes later, Dentale was down to $5,025. Hall opened for $300 on the button with and Dentale defended with . The flop came giving Dentale top pair. However, he was a huge underdog with Hall flopping a set. "This might be the end of the match," Deeb stated on the stream. Dentale led out for $400 and Hall quickly called. After the appeared on the turn, Dentale was drawing dead. Dentale checked before Hall fired out an almost-pot-sized bet of $1,300. Dentale went into the tank before he moved all in for his remaining stack of $4,325. Hall called and won the match with quads after the completed the board. Dentale Disappointed, Hall Looking For Next Challenge After the match, Dentale joined Polk and Deeb in the booth to discuss the last hand. Polk and Deeb were sharing with Dentale that they would have played the last hand differently calling the turn bet to keep Hall's bluffs in play for the river. Dentale disagreed. Despite this disagreement, everyone in the booth agreed it was inevitable that Dentale would lose the match on that hand regardless of how it was played on the turn. Dentale then said that while he was disappointed that he didn't win, he was more discouraged that he disappointed his fans. "I just want to say this to everyone," Dentale said. "The thing that upsets me the most is letting down whomever put money on me. I truly apologize for that. It hurts me more than anything." While Hall did not join the stream after the match, she did have a little fun with her Twitter fans. Who wants next Cate Hall (@catehall) *Images, hands and commentary courtesy of the Poker Night in America Twitch channel. Born out of "a combination of Craigslist, Myspace and absinthe," Vancouver outfit Fake Shark abuse the eardrums with a cataclysmic melding of heavy metal, paralyzing synths and volcanic drums. That was certainly the case on their 2007 debut Zebra Zebra, but with their follow-up, 2009's Meeting People is Terrible, sonic shifts began to rumble throughout their work. EDM and tropical house rippled into their unusually volatile grunge-rock. By the time 2013's Liar came along, the band flickered with static-shock pop, leaning heavily into Flaming Lips territory. Now, their upcoming new album called Faux Real (out May 26 on Light Organ) promises to be considerably more electronic, as evidenced by their brand new banger "Heart 2 Heart," which premieres exclusively today. Kevvy Mental, Louis Wu and Tony Dallas further fragment their music, shedding their gritty outer layers in favor of more psychedelic, spacey and atmospheric coats. "'Heart 2 Heart' is a song about feeling like you can be extra reckless when you're far from home, but within all of the carelessness, you end up returning home with life-affirming experiences and a life-changing new relationship," the band says of the song, which upsets all expectations and proves they can not be defined by any one influence or movement. "It's a love song for people who don't actually want to fall in love, but are hit over the head with it, even though they're resisting it." In support of the new album, Fake Shark plot a new headlining tour, set to launch May 27 at the Lucky Bar in Victoria, B.C. and stretching through June. The Faux Real Album Release Tour hits up cities like London, Halifax, Toronto and Montreal. Listen below: Here are the tour dates: May 27 - Victoria, BC - Lucky Bar June 1 - Edmonton, AB - The Forge June 2 - Calgary, AB - Commonwealth June 3 - Regina, SK - The Exchange June 4 - Saskatoon, SK - Capitol June 5 - Winnipeg, MB - Park Theatre June 8 - London, ON - Rum Runners June 9 - Toronto, ON - Baby G June 10 - Kingston, ON - The Mansion June 13 - Montreal, QC - Turbo Haus June 14 - Quebec City, QC - L'Anti June 15 - Moncton, NB - Plan B June 16 - Charlottetown, PEI - Fishbones June 17 - Halifax, NS - The Seahorse Tavern READ MORE ABOUT MUSIC... Premiere: C. Shirock's "Back Against the Wall" gets a feverish facelift Interview: Sarah Solovay on her comeback EP, Madonna & going to Yale Premiere: The Sextones conjure '70s soul on "Can't Stop" The conclave, held last Friday and Saturday at Hotel Grand Hyatt in Mumbai, was a resounding success. By India Today Web Desk: The two-day India Today Conclave - India's most iconic ideas platform - saw a galaxy of speakers deliberating on 'The Great Disruption', including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, President Pranab Mukherjee, former French president Nicolas Sarkozy, industrialist Mukesh Ambani, and superstar Shah Rukh Khan. The conclave, held last Friday and Saturday at Hotel Grand Hyatt in Mumbai, was a resounding success. Here's all that happened: advertisement TOP SPEAKERS: THE POLITICS OF DISRUPTION: SETTING INDIA'S NEW AGENDA India Today Conclave 2017: PM Modi presents report card, calls GST an example of deliberative democracy SUCH A LONG INNINGS: POLITICS, POWER, OFFICE India Today Conclave 2017: President Pranab Mukherjee praises PM Modi during his Chief Guest's address THE ONE TO BEAT: NEW POLE OF INDIAN POLITICS? India Today Conclave 2017: 'Congress Mukt Bharat' related with eradicating bad characteristics of politics, says Amit Shah WHY TECHNOLOGY WILL CHANGE INDIA: THE 21ST CENTURY OPTIMIST India Today Conclave 2017: Mukesh Ambani pitches for 'keep in India' GLOBALISM IN AGE OF PROTECTION The world no longer depends on a single power; it is multi-polar: Nicolas Sarkozy DAY 1: Welcome address by Chairman and Editor-in-chief, India Today Group, Aroon Purie India Today Conclave 2017: Democracy is our most precious gift, says Aroon Purie COOPERATE AND COMPETE: THE NEW FEDERALISM India Today Conclave 2017: We get whatever we need, there is no discrimination from the Centre, says Mehbooba Mufti THE E-ECONOMY: FROM THE FRONTLINES OF CHANGE Paytm CEO Vijay Shekhar says wallet was a curtain-raiser, payments bank will be show HOW TO MAKE A POWERFUL, DIGITAL, SMARTER INDIA India Today Conclave 2017: I want to create a digital ecosystem for the country's infrastructure, says Ravi Shankar Prasad HOW TO MAKE A POWERFUL, DIGITAL, SMARTER INDIA India Today Conclave 2017: Dissent is agreeable, disintegration is not, says Venkaiah Naidu on free speech debate HOW TO MAKE A POWERFUL, DIGITAL, SMARTER INDIA India Today Conclave 2017: HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar says the education policy is being redrafted THE NEW FAULT LINES: GLOBAL ECONOMY, LOCAL FLUX India Today Conclave 2017: Major change is government is taking risk, says Anand Mahindra DEAR AMERICA: NOTES FROM AN IMMIGRANT India Today Conclave 2017: Turban on my head represents equality for all, says Waris Ahluwalia KALKI KOECHLIN at India Today Conclave 2017: Bollywood is a unifying factor between India and Pakistan advertisement Bollywood is a unifying factor between India and Pakistan: Kalki A MILLION MUTINIES: WHAT MAKES AN INDIAN? India Today Conclave 2017: Shamshaan over kabristan in Uttar Pradesh, says Asaduddin Owaisi SUCH A LONG INNINGS: POLITICS, POWER, OFFICE India Today Conclave 2017: President Pranab Mukherjee praises PM Modi during his Chief Guest's address BEING THE BEST YOU: FINDING THE CHAMPION WITHIN Legs are overrated, says paralympic athlete Deepa Malik THE DISRUPTORS: TECHNOLOGY AND OPPORTUNITY India Today Conclave 2017: Technology and human beings should optimise each other, says Ananya Birla SETTLE FOR MORE: TAKING CENTRESTAGE India Today Conclave 2017: Industry is not used to actresses asking questions, says Anushka Sharma THE ONE TO BEAT: NEW POLE OF INDIAN POLITICS? India Today Conclave 2017: 'Congress Mukt Bharat' related with eradicating bad characteristics of politics, says Amit Shah GLOBALISM IN AGE OF PROTECTION The world no longer depends on a single power; it is multi-polar: Nicolas Sarkozy DAY 2 THE NEXT MASTERPIECE: THE VIRTUAL BRUSH India Today Conclave 2017: We want to make museum collections accessible online: Google's Laurent Gaveau KOFFEE WITH KARAN: LOVE BEYOND BOUNDARIES India Today Conclave 2017: Karan Johar says Bollywood is sensitive, easy to offend advertisement THE FUTURE OF POLITICS: INDIVIDUAL INTERESTS VS NATIONAL AGENDA India Today Conclave 2017: Indecision cost us Goa, BJP an election-winning machine, admits Congress INDIA PAKISTAN: LOVE STORY OR HATE TALE? As Mumbai hosts India Today Conclave 2017, India, Pak diplomats exchange fire in debate on 26/11 attacks MAKE INDIA-AMERICA GREAT AGAIN: WHY TRUMP WILL BE GOOD FOR THE WORLD India Today Conclave 2017: Shalabh Kumar explains why Trump will be good for the world WHY TECHNOLOGY WILL CHANGE INDIA: THE 21ST CENTURY OPTIMIST India Today Conclave 2017: Mukesh Ambani pitches for 'keep in India' EXECUTIVE VS JUDICIARY: THE FINAL VERDICT India Today Conclave 2017: Government shrank and so the judges widened their jurisdiction, says Harish Salve REFUGEE CRISIS: OPEN BORDERS OR CLOSED MINDS? India Today Conclave 2017: Building walls won't solve refugee crisis, says Elhadj As Sy UNLESSONS FROM MY FATHER: MYTH AND REALITY Alia at India Today Conclave 2017: Being a member of your own fan club won't get you anywhere #BIGSHORTS FOR SMALL SCREEN India Today Conclave 2017: Nandita Das bats for freedom of speech with her short film on Manto THE GREAT DISCONNECT: SILENCE IN A WORLD OF NOISE advertisement India Today Conclave 2017: Only by going nowhere do you get anywhere, says Pico Iyer GIRLS UNINTERRUPTED: LEFT, RIGHT, OR MY RIGHT? India Today Conclave 2017: When we make a point, we are abused, says Varada Marathe THE DREAM MAKERS: LESSONS FROM THE SPOTLIGHT Shah Rukh Khan at India Today Conclave 2017: To be in the spotlight is lonely THE POLITICS OF DISRUPTION: SETTING INDIA'S NEW AGENDA India Today Conclave 2017: PM Modi presents report card, calls GST an example of deliberative democracy --- ENDS --- PR-Inside.com: 2017-03-20 08:01:02 A.M. Best Briefing: European Cedants Continue to Increase Reinsurance Buying but Demand for Cover Slows A.M. Best Carlos Wong-Fupuy, +44 20 7397 0287 Senior Director carlos.wong-fupuy@ambest.com or Yvette Essen, +44 20 7397 0322 Director, Research & Communications - Europe & Emerging Markets yvette.essen@ambest.com or Edem Kuenyehia, +44 20 7397 0280 Director, Market Development & Communications edem.kuenyehia@ambest.com or Jim Peavy, +1 908 439 2200, ext. 5644 Director, Public Relations james.peavy@ambest.com The 20 largest European cedants have continued to buy more reinsurance as soft market conditions prevail, although the pace at which retention ratios are falling has been more subdued, according to A.M. Best. In a new briefing, A.M. Best notes higher cession levels have been driven by a diverse range of factors, including regulatory demands under Solvency II and the need to support product diversification including new lines of business. The findings follow A.M. Bests most recent examination of the reinsurance purchasing trends of European insurers ceding the highest amount of non-life premiums based on companies full-year 2015 and 2016 interim data (when available). In 2015, total non-life premiums ceded for the 20 largest European cedants rose by 17.9% to EUR 44.2 billion while gross premiums written (GPW) increased during this period by just 6.2% to EUR 333.3 billion. For the 15 companies in which data were available, demand for reinsurance continued in the first half of 2016 but was not as pronounced. Premiums ceded increased by 3.0% to EUR 21.9 billion, while GPW decreased by 1.3% to EUR 154.1 billion. Carlos Wong-Fupuy, senior director, said: Some of the largest insurers have increased their reinsurance purchasing as they take advantage of the soft rate environment and optimise the efficiency of their own capital. The need to protect capital and make it more efficient has become even more important following the implementation of Solvency II in 2016. The European directive imposes significant capital charges for insurers retaining particular products involving significant claims uncertainty and volatility, especially in the long term. Purchasing reinsurance protection such as stop loss or adverse development cover on reserves can be an efficient mechanism for reducing capital requirements. The report, titled, European Cedants Continue to Increase Reinsurance Buying but Demand for Cover Slows, notes product diversification also has been a contributor to increased reinsurance purchasing. Underwriting new lines of business can grow a companys top line, but requires additional reinsurance support, which can provide technical assistance, as well as capital. Yvette Essen, director of research and communications, said: Given the pressure on rates for primary insurers and reinsurers, some of the largest European insurers have ventured into new lines of specialist business particularly in the commercial and engineering sectors or have been trying to strengthen their participation in these niche lines of business. Cyber also has attracted some interest from insurers, although this still remains an emerging risk. In 2015, overall retention ratios for the 20 largest European cedants fell to 86.7% from 88.1%. Based on interim data available for 15 of the 20 largest cedants, the retention ratio stood at 86.2% in the first half of 2015, but this slipped to 85.8% at first-half 2016. The report states it appears that insurers are continuing to retain less risk, although the rate at which they are increasing reinsurance purchasing has slowed. While it is still too early to determine if this will become a clear trend, A.M. Best expects the declines in retention ratios to be less significant in 2016 and 2017 than those experienced in 2015. To access a complimentary copy of this briefing, please visit http://www3.ambest.com/bestweek/purchase.asp?recor. A.M. Best is the worlds 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/201703200052 Agave Nectar Market PR-Inside.com: 2017-03-20 07:04:35 Press Information Future Market Insights 616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018, Valley Cottage, NY 10989, United States T: +1-347-918-3531 F: +1-845-579-5705 Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.com press@futuremarketinsights.com Website: www.futuremarketinsights.com email Published by Abhishek Budholiya +1-347-918-3531 e-mail http://www.futuremarketinsights.com # 626 Words 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: www.futuremarketinsights.comAbhishek Budholiya+1-347-918-3531 Agave nectar is a sweetener which is commercially produced from various agave species such as Agave tequilana (blue agave) and Agave salmiana. Agave nectar market is increasing significantly with CAGR of 5.5%. Agave nectar is primarily produced from blue agave which is mostly found in Southern Mexico. Agave Nectar is a natural substitute to artificial sweeteners and refined sugars which is less viscous than sugar. With its thin, light consistency, agave nectar is used as a topping for food products such as fruit salad, pancakes and ice-creams. Agave nectar is used as a sugar substitute in baked products such as bread, bread roll, bun, cake, and cookies. Agave Nectar is 1.4 to 1.6 times sweeter than sugar, which mean less quantity is required for preparing food and beverages. Agave nectar is healthier than refined sugar. Agave nectar is used as a binding agent in breakfast cereals globally.Agave Nectar Market: SegmentationThe global agave nectar market is segmented on the basis of type, form, application, distribution channels and region. The agave nectar is segmented on the basis of types such as light, amber, raw and dark agave nectar. Light agave nectar has neutral flavor and mostly used in food products such as desserts, baked goods, and others. Amber agave nectar contains medium caramel flavor used for preparing sauces and savory food products. Dark agave nectar has high caramel flavor which is mostly used in food products such as poultry, meat products and other seafood products. Raw agave nectar contains mild and neutral taste that is used as a sweetening substitute for raw food products.Request Report Sample@ http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-2478 The global agave nectar market is also segmented on the basis of form such as powder and liquid. The global agave nectar is segmented on the basis of distribution channels such as supermarket, online stores, and retail stores. The supermarket segment is increasing significantly as a result increasing demand for agave nectar by the consumers globally.The global agave nectar is segmented on the basis of applications such as baked products which is further sub segmented as bread, cakes, pastries, and others. Agave nectar is also used in poultry and meat products, savory food products, and others. Hence, the global agave nectar market is expected to significantly increase the revenue contribution over the forecast period.Agave Nectar Market: Regional OutlookGeographically, the global agave nectar market can be divided by major regions which include North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa. Globally, among all regions, Europe has developed as the dominant region in global agave nectar market followed by Africa. Increasing baking industry and demand for convenient and on-go-option snack and baked foods, has strengthened the growth of global agave nectar market and hence is projected to significantly expand the revenue contribution of the market over the forecast period.Agave Nectar Market: Growth DriversAgave nectar is a substitute for honey and sugar. Increasing consumer awareness regarding health benefits from agave nectar, which is another driving factor of the global agave nectar market. Rising number of supermarkets and retail stores are rapidly increasing the demand for agave nectar worldwide. Various agave nectar manufacturers are focusing on providing healthier product offerings. Hence, the global agave nectar market is expected to observe robust growth over the forecast period.Request For TOC@ http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/toc/rep-gb-2478 Agave Nectar Market: Key PlayersSome of the key players identified across the value chain of the global agave nectar market includes Wholesome, Dipasa USA, The iidea Company, S.F.D (PTY) Ltd, MADHAVA NATURAL SWEETENERS, GLOBAL GOODS INC., Colibree Company, and the groovyfood company. The companies are focusing on framing certain strategies in future for gaining competitive advantage in the global agave nectar market till 2026. PR-Inside.com: 2017-03-20 10:03:01 Finance Durham LP to commence investments from May 2017 and intends to support up to 70 companies based in County Durham Business Durham appoints Maven Capital Partners as Fund Manager for its 20m Investment Fund Business Durham Dr Simon Goon, +44 (0) 3000 265 504 Managing Director or Catherine Johns, +44 (0) 3000 265510 Innovation and Business Growth Director or Luther Pendragon Harry Chathli, Ana Ribeiro, Claire Norbury +44 (0) 207 618 9100 Business Durham, the economic development company for County Durham working on behalf of Durham County Council, announces that it has appointed Maven Capital Partners as Fund Manager for its Finance Durham LP (FDLP), the 20m investment fund set up to help businesses located in County Durham. FDLP will commence the investment process from May 2017 and intends to support up to 70 businesses with the explicit intention of helping these businesses grow and create thousands of jobs in the County. Business Durham has a successful track record of investing in businesses. It was an early stage investor in companies such as Atom Bank, Britains first digital bank, which recently raised 219m, and PolyPhotonix, the company that has produced an innovative eye mask to prevent sight loss and treat eye disease in diabetic sufferers. Highlights of Finance Durham LP include: Evergreen fund offering flexible finance options Investments will range between 200,000 to 2m 10% of the fund set aside to fund start-up companies: investments will be between 10,000 and 40,000 Businesses need to be based in, or relocating to, County Durham when the investment is made Investments to be spread out across all sectors and sizes of business Maven Capital Partners is one of the UKs most active private equity managers in the lower mid-market, offering a range of flexible funding solutions for entrepreneurial SMEs at any stage of the business growth cycle. They work closely with business owners, corporate finance advisors and property developers to source a wide range of interesting investment opportunities, tailored for income-focused retail investors and Professional Clients. In February 2017, Maven was appointed to manage the 57.5m NPIF Maven Equity Finance fund, part of the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund which will provide equity funding to high potential businesses, including SMEs, across the North of England. Bill Kennedy of Maven said: Maven is delighted to have been selected to manage this new and innovative fund in County Durham. By working alongside the existing regional business support community, in particular Business Durham, we expect to raise awareness of the financial options available to dynamic, high-growth SMEs across the whole of the County. Alongside providing substantial financial support to suitable SMEs, Maven will work closely with supported businesses to drive value creation and improve operational performance throughout the life of an investment, without interfering on the day-to-day running of a business. We believe that by working in partnership with County Durham SMEs we can help achieve the long-term growth objectives of Durham County Council. Councillor Simon Henig, leader of Durham County Council, said: Were seeing more and more firms locate, start up and grow here in County Durham. This 20m is testament to our commitment to help County Durhams economy to grow. We are pleased to appoint Maven Capital Partners as the fund managers to Finance Durham LP as they have a tremendous track record in supporting businesses to scale up. The aim is for the investments to yield a return, so we expect to see the 20m grow to help even more businesses in the future. Its very pioneering for a local authority to do this and were very proud to be able to offer support in such an innovative and direct way. Simon Goon, managing director of Business Durham, said: Business Durham has a successful track record in actively supporting businesses, be it through funding, advice, or using our extensive network for the benefit of the enterprises. We have taken great pride in helping entrepreneurs turn bright ideas into successful businesses and I truly believe this commitment of 20m will be seen as a transformative move because access to finance has historically been a real issue for businesses in the North East. I have no doubt that it will go a long way to address this issue and help businesses create jobs and add to the economic prosperity to the County. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/201703200053 Chromium Polynicotinate Market PR-Inside.com: 2017-03-20 07:13:23 Press Information Future Market Insights 616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018, Valley Cottage, NY 10989, United States T: +1-347-918-3531 F: +1-845-579-5705 Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.com press@futuremarketinsights.com Website: www.futuremarketinsights.com email Published by Abhishek Budholiya +1-347-918-3531 e-mail http://www.futuremarketinsights.com # 631 Words 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: www.futuremarketinsights.comAbhishek Budholiya+1-347-918-3531 Chromium is a metal which was first discovered in the late 1790s in France, until 1958 it was not considered as an essential trace element but was considered in the 1960s. Chromium polynicotinate is a supplement made up of chromium and niacin. It is believed that niacin helps in the absorption of chromium. Chromium polynicotinate doesnt contain much niacin as excess of niacin can cause side effects. Chromium polynicotinate is taken by people those who want to lose body weight, increasing muscle, and decreasing fat content of the body. Chromium polynicotinate is also used by athlete to improve their performance and to increase energy. Several research studies has shown that chromium polynicotinate is useful in treating depression. It is suggested that chromium polynicotinate should not be consumed by patient suffering from liver or kidney disorder as it may cause some sort of allergic reaction to them.Market Segmentation:Chromium polynicotinateis segmented on the basis of form, distribution channel and region. On the basis of form market is segmented into liquid and capsule. Among all these segment capsule is expected to grow enormously in the coming future. The demand for Chromium polynicotinateis more due to the health benefits it offers as well as ease of availability of product in the market. On the basis of distribution channel the market is segmented into supermarkets/hypermarkets, convenience stores, medical stores and online stores. Online stores is expected to hold a relatively high share in the chromium polynicotinatemarket, followed by medical stores.On the basis of region chromium polynicotinatemarket is segmented into North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Asia Pacific, MEA and Japan.Request Report Sample@ http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-3068 Market Regional Outlook:Regional segment for the market of chromium polynicotinateis divided into seven different regions: North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Asia Pacific, MEA and Japan. Among these segment Asia Pacific is expected to have the major market share globally, as it is the largest producer and consumer of chromium polynicotinate country like China is generating the major revenue. In Europe region the major revenue is generated by the countries like Germany and Spain. In terms of revenue Europe may be the second prominent contributor in thechromium polynicotinatemarket.Market Drivers:Research studies has shown that people suffering from diabetes were able to improve their blood sugar levels when they were given chromium polynicotinate. Chromium polynicotinate basically improved the fasting glucose levels of people suffering Type 2 diabetes. Chromium polynicotinateexhibits some special properties such as, acts as anti-depressant, helps in controlling cholesterol and fats and helps in the metabolism of glucose which is essential to produce energy for the body. Chromium polynicotinate also helps in reducing obesity and building of muscles. These versatile properties of chromium polynicotinate is attracting the pharmaceutical companies a lot, which expected to drive the chromium polynicotinate market to a greater extent.Moreover , the market is also driven by the increasing awareness and curiosity among the consumers about the health benefits associated with chromium polynicotinate. Although side effects from chromium polynicotinate supplement are very less, but some of them do exist. People those who consumed chromium polynicotinate experienced dizziness, people experience weird dreams after they start taking chromium polynicotinate, studies have shown that chromium polynicotinate may cause Iron mal-absorption in some people and people experienced headache after quitting the intake of chromium polynicotinate. Apart from these side effects chromium polynicotinate do not cause any health problems. These factors mentioned above may be the restrain of the growing market of chromium polynicotinate.Request For TOC@ http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/toc/rep-gb-3068 Market Key Players:Some of the key players in chromium polynicotinatemarket areBiotech Pharmacal, Inc., Olympian Labs, Solgar, Nature's Way,NOW Foods, Vital Nutrients,Puritan's Pride, Solal, Superior Labs, Inc., Olympian labs and Nutrafx among others. Coconut Flour Market PR-Inside.com: 2017-03-20 07:05:12 Press Information Future Market Insights 616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018, Valley Cottage, NY 10989, United States T: +1-347-918-3531 F: +1-845-579-5705 Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.com press@futuremarketinsights.com Website: www.futuremarketinsights.com email Published by Abhishek Budholiya +1-347-918-3531 e-mail http://www.futuremarketinsights.com # 659 Words 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: www.futuremarketinsights.comAbhishek Budholiya+1-347-918-3531 Coconut flour is one of the digestible carbohydrate which is gluten-free and is cheaper as compared with other nut flours. Coconut flour is expected to register a single digit CAGR over the forecast period. Coconut flour is made from finely grounded coconut meat from which most of the moisture and fat is removed. Coconut flour is a rich source of protein as compared with wheat flour. Coconut flour based food products does not have complications on blood sugar level than products made from wheat flours. Demand for coconut flour is gaining more popularity in the consumers worldwide which are intolerable to flours containing presence of gluten in the products. Coconut flour is boosting as an alternative for baking ingredients along with gaining wide importance in the baking industry. Coconut flour contains high fiber content that makes it greatly absorbent in various flour-based recipes globally. Coconut flour is mostly consumed by people which are having complications such as gluten sensitivity, celiac disease, and leaky gut syndrome.Global Coconut Flour: Market SegmentationThe global coconut flour market is segmented on the basis of nature, type, application, distribution channels, and region. The coconut flour market is segmented on the basis of nature such as non-organic or conventional coconut flour and organic coconut flour. The organic coconut flour is gaining more popularity in the consumers due to the presence of high fiber in the coconut flour-based food products. The global coconut flour market is segmented on the basis of types in full fat flour, low fat flour, defatted, paired and other flour types. The global coconut flour market is segmented on the basis of application type in which coconut flour is used in applications in food products as an ingredient and topping. Application as an ingredients includes bakery products such as cakes, muffins, pancakes, doughnut holes, waffles, buns, and bagels. Coconut flour is also used as a topping, decoration purpose in bakery and confectionery products. The global coconut flour market is also segmented on the basis of distribution channels such as supermarkets/hypermarkets, online stores and retails stores.Request Report Sample@ http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-2479 Global Coconut Flour Market: Regional OutlookGeographically, the global coconut flour industry can be divided by major regions which include North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Asia Pacific, Japan, Middle East and Africa. Globally, among all regions, Asia Pacific has developed as the dominant region in global coconut flour market followed by Latin America. Increasing consumer shift towards high fiber bakery products coupled with high consumption of gluten-free food products, has strengthened the growth of global coconut flour market and hence is projected to significantly expand the revenue contribution of the market over the forecast period.Global Coconut Flour Market: Growth DriversIncreasing consumer demand for ready-to-eat snack foods that are gluten-free is a major driving factor of the global coconut flour market. Increasing opportunities in baking industry is also another factor in driving the global coconut flour market. As coconut flour-based food products that provides high fiber content is acts as an attractive factor as label claim globally. Increased shelf life without affecting product quality is also another major driving factor in global coconut flour market. Coconut flour is off-white- white, odour free and bland in taste , hence very well mixed as an ingredient in all recipes, provides good option for gluten-free flour.Request For TOC@ http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/toc/rep-gb-2479 Global Coconut Flour Market: Key PlayersSome of the key players identified across the value chain of the global coconut flour market include Celebes Coconut Corporation, Connectinut Coconut Company, Van Amerongen & Son, Peter Paul Philippine Corporation, Coconut Secret, the groovyfood company, Bobs Red Mill Natural Foods, Smith Naturals, Asia Botanicals Sdn. Bhd, Nutiva, Inc., and Nutrisure Ltd. (Supernutrients). The companies are expected to expand their business by enhancing their product portfolio in global coconut flour market. The strong distribution of coconut flour is also key driver for market growth. Computer Keyboards Market PR-Inside.com: 2017-03-20 06:45:51 Press Information Future Market Insights 616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018, Valley Cottage, NY 10989, United States T: +1-347-918-3531 F: +1-845-579-5705 Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.com Website: www.futuremarketinsights.com email Published by Abhishek Budholiya +1-347-918-3531 e-mail http://www.futuremarketinsights.com # 591 Words 616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite: www.futuremarketinsights.comAbhishek Budholiya+1-347-918-3531 An ergonomic keyboard is designed to minimize muscle strain and other related problems resulting from extended usage. Ergonomic keyboards allow the wrists and hands to rest and move naturally while keyboarding. Despite the fact that ergonomic keyboards do not necessarily eliminate complex cases of repetitive stress injuries (RSIs) and carpal tunnel syndrome, they do however offer some degree of relief to people with moderate levels of such problems.There is no specific definition or a precise design for an ergonomic keyboard. Usually, these keyboards either have contoured designs, adjustable slopes, or are split in half allowing the user to type at a different angle than the typical straight keyboard. Other keyboards in this category come with a rounded base or a uniquely designed wrist rest.Computer Keyboards Market DynamicsErgonomic computer keyboards are becoming popular with consumers who use them for significant amounts of data entry or other tasks involving keyboarding such as gaming. Typing for long periods causes wrist pain and other muscular stress related problems that can lead to carpal tunnel syndrome if not managed immediately.Increasing demand for improved devices for performing repetitive tasks at workplaces is driving growth of the ergonomic computer keyboards market. Several large enterprises provide ergonomic devices and furniture to their workers (office chairs, desks, monitor stands, keyboards, and other items) to build a healthy workplace and enhance productivity.Computer Keyboards Market Value and ForecastThe global computer keyboards market was valued at US$ 4,780.5 Mn in 2014 and is expected to expand at a CAGR of 2.3% during the forecast period (20152025). Emergence of high quality products at low price points is a major factor propelling market growth.Request For Sample@ http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-269 Computer Keyboards Market Analysis, by TypeThe global computer keyboards market is classified on the basis of type as basic and ergonomic keyboards. The ergonomic keyboards segment was valued US$ 493.1 Mn in 2014 and is anticipated to register a CAGR of 10.5% during the forecast period. Presently, the basic keyboards segment dominates the global computer keyboards market. However, with growing popularity of ergonomic keyboards, the basic segment is expected to lose significant market share during the forecast period.Computer Keyboards Market Analysis, by RegionNorth America leads the market for ergonomic keyboards in terms of value, however, in terms of unit shipment Asia Pacific excluding Japan accounts for the largest share of the total computer keyboards market. Around five million people suffer from carpal tunnel syndrome in the U.S. each year, as per research conducted by the U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Safety and Health Administration. In order to curb such cases, North America is adopting ergonomic keyboards to facilitate improved muscular support and movement. In order to leverage this opportunity, original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) in this region offer ergonomic keyboards in various shapes and sizes, further propelling market growth.computer-keyboards-marketAsia Pacific (excluding Japan) is anticipated to register substantial growth during the forecast period. This is primarily due to increase in the number of multinational companies such as Tata Group, Intel Corporation, Global Sources, Induchem AG, and HubSpot, Inc. establishing offices and in Asia Pacific. In addition, decreasing prices of ergonomic keyboards owing to robust competition from regional manufactures is further contributing to market growth in this region.Send An Enquiry@ http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/askus/rep-gb-269 Computer Keyboards Market Key PlayersKey players of the computer keyboards market include Microsoft Corporation, Logitech International SA, Kinesis Corporation, Gold Touch Enterprises Inc., Adesso Inc., Fellowes Inc., Posturite Ltd., Datadesk Technologies, Fentek Industries, Inc., and Shenzhen V4 Electronics Co. Ltd. Plastic Jar Packaging Market PR-Inside.com: 2017-03-20 07:23:15 Press Information Future Market Insights 616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018, Valley Cottage, NY 10989, United States T: +1-347-918-3531 F: +1-845-579-5705 Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.com press@futuremarketinsights.com Website: www.futuremarketinsights.com email Published by Abhishek Budholiya +1-347-918-3531 e-mail http://www.futuremarketinsights.com # 495 Words 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: www.futuremarketinsights.comAbhishek Budholiya+1-347-918-3531 For many decades, plastic jars have been adopted widely for packaging of materials like food, detergents, and other consumer goods. Plastic Jars are made from compounds such as polyethylene terephthalate, HDPE, LDPE, polystyrene etc., known to have an impressive clarity, and a good ability to withstand impact. They are known to act like a barrier that can resist oil and grease, and temperature changes which may affect the product within, especially food products. Attributed to their properties which include economic price point, improved product insulation, its recyclability, resistance to UV, and minimized need for coatings to prevent dissolution with food, the preference for plastic jar has increased substantially, translating into value proposition for players operating in the plastic jar packaging market.Plastic jar Packaging Market: DynamicsGlobal consumer packaging market has transformed over the past few years, creating the need for absolute customization in terms of package design and formulations. Since, retail sector growth in developed market is staggering around 5%, and that in developing markets it has already surpassed over 8% annually, it is anticipated that it would translate in meteoric growth for the plastic jar packaging market. The global plastic jar packaging market is also growing on the backdrop of FMCG industry growth along with changing food consumption pattern. Global ready to eat food market grew at CAGR of over 6.8% over the past three years and is likely to gain momentum with growing urbanization and increasing disposable income. Despite all the positive market conditions for plastic jars packaging market, stringent policy framework and regulatory landscape are likely to impede the growth, along with developing alternate packaging options such as bag in box or bag in tubes. Concerns for the environmental effects of plastic also restrain the growth of the plastic jar packaging market. Plastic being known to take centuries to decompose, paves way for an increasing demand for new recyclable forms of plastic, which makes the market a competitive one.Request Report Sample@ http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-3076 Plastic jar packaging market: Geographical and Competitive dynamicsBeing the most developed of all with a well-informed consumer population, North America is the largest market for plastic jars. It is closely followed by Europe, the Asia Pacific region and RoW. However, economic powerhouses like China and India represent markets that have shown the growing need for economical products that also promise quality. Rapid economic development of these countries, in addition to a large consumer base, plastic jars are anticipated to face sizable demand in the next decade. These, combined with the added benefits of plastic jars like inert nature and resistance to impact damage, protection from UV etc., increase the need for such products in these markets.Request For TOC@ http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/toc/rep-gb-3076 Key PlayersSome of the key players in the market for plastic jars are Alpha Packaging, Constar International, Ontario Plastic Container producers Ltd, Gepack, Cospak, Amcor, Container Corporation of Canada, Graham Packaging Europe, Olcott Plastics and M & H Plastics. Injectable Anti-Wrinkle Treatment Market PR-Inside.com: 2017-03-20 07:18:31 Press Information Future Market Insights 616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018, Valley Cottage, NY 10989, United States T: +1-347-918-3531 F: +1-845-579-5705 Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.com press@futuremarketinsights.com Website: www.futuremarketinsights.com email Published by Abhishek Budholiya +1-347-918-3531 e-mail http://www.futuremarketinsights.com # 528 Words 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: www.futuremarketinsights.comAbhishek Budholiya+1-347-918-3531 Injectable anti wrinkle are the treatment that are injected into the treatment area to reduce the skin lines and wrinkles. It can also fill the sagging skin and tighten the skin, reduce the frown lines, and lines under the eyes etc. The injectable anti-wrinkle treatment can help in rejuvenation of the skin without undergoing any surgery. The treatment is relaxing, it is quick and requires minimal downtime, painless etc. Furthermore the anti-wrinkle treatment also help in treating excessive sweating. The anti-wrinkle injection are mostly of two types firstly the muscle relaxants which use botulinum toxin that blocks the nerve impulse which leads to contraction and secondly, the dermal fillers which are used to fill up the wrinkles. The treatment may have side effects like headaches, bruising and minor pain at the sitInjectable Anti-Wrinkle Treatment Market: Drivers & RestraintsRise in concern about beauty and physical awareness among the people is one of the major factor attributing to the growth of the global injectable anti-wrinkle treatment market. Increase in geriatric population is another major factor contributing to the growth of the global market. The baby boomer population progressing towards the age of retirement is the major contributing group for the growth of the global market. Furthermore, less time consuming, effective results, lower side effects, rise in demand from consumers, non-invasive, technologically advance procedure, rise in obesity are the other major factor attributing to the growth of the global injectable anti-wrinkle treatment market during the forecast period.Request Report Sample@ http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-3073 Higher cost of the treatment, safety and efficacy concern are the major restrains that can hamper the growth of the global injectable anti wrinkle treatment market through 2027.Injectable Anti-Wrinkle Treatment Market: OverviewInjectable anti-wrinkle treatment market is expected to expand at a significant growth rate across regions. Major players in this segment are operating strategies to develop a treatment with lower side effects, cost effective and highly efficient and long lasting. According to WHO, the number of aging population of age 65 years is estimated to grow from 524 million in 2010 to 1.5 billion in 2050 which will propel the growth of the global anti-wrinkle treatment market in the forecast period.Injectable Anti-Wrinkle Market: Region-wise OutlookA geographic condition regarding injectable anti-wrinkle treatment device market, it has been segmented into seven key regions: North America, Latin America, Eastern Europe, Western Europe, Asia-Pacific and the Middle East & Africa.North America is the dominating region in the global market in terms of value which is followed by Europe. The factors attributing to the growth of the market in North America are rise in awareness among people about signs of aging, increase prevalence rate of unhealthy lifestyle, new technological advancement etc. Asia Pacific is expected to anticipate a higher growth in the global market due to factors like new technology, rise in disposable income, and prevalence of unhealthy lifestyle.Request For TOC@ http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/toc/rep-gb-3073 Injectable Anti-Wrinkle Treatment Market: Key PlayersSome of the prominent players operating in the global anti- wrinkle treatment market is Laser & Skin, Maryland Dermatology Laser, Skin, & Vein Institute, LLC, Allergan, Galderma Laboratories, L.P, Merz North America, Inc., among the others worldwide. By Press Trust of India: New Delhi, Mar 20 (PTI) The two Indian clerics, including the head priest of Hazrat Nizamuddin Dargah, who went missing in Pakistan last week, returned here today. Syed Asif Nizami and his nephew Nazim Ali Nizami were welcomed at the airport by their family members and a group of well wishers. Amir Nizami, son of Asif Nizami who is the head priest (Sajjadanashin) of Hazrat Nizamuddin Aulia Dargah, thanked the Indian government for its intervention in ensuring the return of his father and Ali Nizami. advertisement "Both are fine. We care thankful to the Indian Government for all the support in securing their return," Amir told PTI. The two clerics did not speak to the waiting media. Ibrahim Nizami, grandson of the 80-year-old head priest, said special prayers will be offered today at the Nizamuddin Dargah to "thank the almighty" for their return. Asif Nizami and Nazim Ali Nizami had gone to Lahore on March 8 but went missing in the middle of last week following which India took up the issue with Islamabad. The main purpose of the visit of Asif to Pakistan was to see his sister in Karachi. On Saturday, Pakistan had conveyed to India that the clerics were traced and had reached Karachi. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj had taken up the issue with Pakistan Prime Ministers Adviser on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz and requested him to trace the missing clerics. Yesterday, Swaraj had spoken to Asif Nizami and said they were safe. According to Pakistani media reports, both clerics had been in "interior Sindh where there was no communication network" and that is why they could not inform their relatives about their whereabouts. Earlier, Pakistani sources had said the two clerics were in the custody of Pakistans intelligence agency over their alleged links with the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM). They were offloaded from Karachi-bound Shaheen Airlines on March 14 at the Allama Iqbal International Airport, Lahore, the Pakistani sources had said. PTI KND MPB RT --- ENDS --- PR-Inside.com: 2017-03-20 14:05:01 OUTOTEC OYJ PRESS RELEASE MARCH 20, 2017 3:00 PM Invitation to a Q&A teleconference with Outotec The Q&A teleconference with CEO Markku Terasvasara will be held on Monday, March 27, 2017 at 2:00 PM (Finnish time). JOINING THE TELECONFERENCE AND PRESENTING QUESTIONS Dial in 5-10 minutes prior to the start time using the number/confirmation code below. Conference ID: 8790382 United Kingdom: +44 (0)330 336 9105 Finland: +358 (0)9 7479 0361 Sweden: +46 (0)8 5033 6574 United States of America: +1 719 325 2385 In addition, questions may be sent in advance via email to riitta.lind(at)outotec.com by March 27 at 10:00 AM. The recording of the teleconference and transcript will be published and stored on Outotec's website for on demand listening. The contact information is gathered for registration purposes only and it is not used for commercial purposes. The aim of the CEO's Q&A teleconferences is to give further clarity on information, which has been made public already earlier. Therefore, the company does not intend to publish separate announcements in connection with these sessions. In order to serve the capital market efficiently, and ensure equal access to company-related information, the teleconference is recorded and it is available on demand for future references. OUTOTEC OYJ Rita Uotila, Vice President - Investor Relations tel. +358 20 529 2003 e-mail: rita.uotila(at)outotec.com DISTRIBUTION: Main media www.outotec.com This announcement is distributed by Nasdaq Corporate Solutions on behalf of Nasdaq Corporate Solutions clients. The issuer of this announcement warrants that they are solely responsible for the content, accuracy and originality of the information contained therein. Source: Outotec Oyj via Globenewswire Microsclerotherapy Treatment Market PR-Inside.com: 2017-03-20 07:19:17 Press Information Future Market Insights 616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018, Valley Cottage, NY 10989, United States T: +1-347-918-3531 F: +1-845-579-5705 Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.com press@futuremarketinsights.com Website: www.futuremarketinsights.com email Published by Abhishek Budholiya +1-347-918-3531 e-mail http://www.futuremarketinsights.com # 719 Words 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: www.futuremarketinsights.comAbhishek Budholiya+1-347-918-3531 The very thin and tiny veins that look like a spider web below the skin is known as spider veins or thread veins. Spider vein are also known as small varicose veins. They are caused because of the malfunctioning of the valves in the veins. The bloods gets backed up in the veins resulting into swelling. Microsclerotherapy is one of the best technique to treat spider veins. It involves injecting a substance called as sclerosant, which destroys the veins over a period of time and makes it disappear. The technique is most used on legs and other body parts and rare on face due to the minimal possibility of scarring. Normally the patients require about 2 to 6 session of treatment at 4 to 8 weeks of intervals, also depending upon the size of the veins.Microsclerotherapy Treatment Market: Drivers & RestraintsRising incidence of spider veins and varicose veins is one of the major driving factor that can influence the growth of the global microsclerotherapy market. Comparatively painless procedure, minimal invasion, highly effective, fewer post-operative complications, simple analgesic required during the procedure are the important factors that will propel the growth of the global market through 2027. The incidence of spider veins are more prevalent in aging population, therefore rise in geriatric population is another factor that can positively influence the global market. Furthermore, heredity, prevalence of unhealthy lifestyle, obesity are the factors that can influence the growth of the global microsclerotherapy market during the forecast period.Higher cost of the treatment, lack of training for surgeons, other alternative procedures, are few of the major factors that can restrain the growth of the global microsclerotherapy treatment market during the forecast period.Request Report Sample@ http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-3074 Microsclerotherapy Treatment Market: SegmentationThe global microsclerotherapy treatment market is classified on the basis of material type and end-user.Based on material type, the global microsclerotherapy market is segmented into the following:SclerosantsSodium Tetradecyl sulphatePolidocanolChromated glycerinOthersMicro-NeedlesGraduated compression hosiery supportsOthers surgical productsBased on End-User, the global microsclerotherapy market is segmented into the following:Cosmetic and Skin ClinicsHospitalsCosmetic Training InstitutesBased on geography, the global microsclerotherapy market is segmented into following:North America (U.S., Canada)Latin America (Mexico, Brazil)Western Europe (Germany, Italy, U.K, Spain, France, Rest of Western Europe)Eastern Europe (Russia)Asia Pacific (China, India, ASEAN, Australia & New Zealand)JapanMiddle East and Africa (GCC, S. Africa)Microsclerotherapy TreatmentMarket: OverviewMicrosclerotherapy treatment market is expected to expand at a significant growth rate across regions. Major players in this segment are working on their research and development process to build advanced products such as improved and effective sclerosants, improved after care and support. Microsclerotherapy is a widespread and a well-established technique for spider veins and with various organizations working to raise and maintain the standards of the treatment the global market is expected to anticipate a higher growth rate. Rise in prevalence of spider veins and varicose vein is one of the major factor attributing to the growth of the market. Furthermore, it is estimated that about 50 to 55 percent of the women in United States suffer from one or other type of vein disease which is one of the major factor that can accelerate the growth of the microsclerotherapy market in North America.Request For TOC@ http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/toc/rep-gb-3074 Microsclerotherapy Treatment Market: Region-wise OutlookA geographic condition regarding microsclerotherapy treatment market, it has been segmented into seven key regions: North America, Latin America, Eastern Europe, Western Europe, Asia-Pacific and the Middle East & Africa.North America is expected to dominate the global microsclerotherapy market which is then followed by Europe. Advance healthcare infrastructure, growing importance of aesthetics, continuous lifestyle associated changes, prevalence of spider vein, high disposable income etc. are few of the factors attributing the growth of the microsclerotherapy market in the North America. The Asia Pacific region is expected to register a highest growth rate during the forecast period due to increase in patient awareness and early treatments, increase in disposable income, improved technological advancement.Microsclerotherapy Treatment Market: Key PlayersSome of the prominent players operating in the global microsclerotherapy market are The Vein Clinic, STD Pharmaceutical Products, Covidien, Kreussler Pharma, VASCULAR SOLUTIONS, Medicetics, and Skin Care Clinic, Maryland Dermatology Laser, Skin, & Vein Institute, LLC, among others worldwide. Otoscope Market PR-Inside.com: 2017-03-20 07:10:14 Press Information Future Market Insights 616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018, Valley Cottage, NY 10989, United States T: +1-347-918-3531 F: +1-845-579-5705 Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.com press@futuremarketinsights.com Website: www.futuremarketinsights.com email Published by Abhishek Budholiya +1-347-918-3531 e-mail http://www.futuremarketinsights.com # 690 Words 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: www.futuremarketinsights.comAbhishek Budholiya+1-347-918-3531 According to a recent report published by WHO (World Health Organization) 360 million people worldwide is presently victims of some kind of audibility related disease. More than 32 million children are victims of deafness. Apart from this a massive pool of an adult population of the world is also crippled by deafness. This population is swelling alarmingly every year in South-Asia, Asia-Pacific and sub-Saharan Africa, which is also promoting the prospects of the emerging otoscope market in these regions of the world. The otoscopes and ophthalmoscopes are predominantly used by ENT specialists across the world for detecting any sort of ENT related disease. Presently a population of 285million visually impaired adults and children are living in this world. The population is rising every day. The otoscope/ophthalmoscope market can fetch the direct benefits of this rise as they are mostly needed for diagnosing eye and ear related ailments. Countries like India, China, Oman, Brazil and Morocco are some of the nation living in the shadows of diseases like glaucoma. Over the years they have made several consorted efforts to eradicate the disease but still it is prevalent amongst a large population. The market is completely untouched and mostly dominated by few domestic players and it is definitely under the radar of some of the biggies of the otoscope market. The US is not only one of the leading producers of otoscope devices, it also caters to the demand of the large global and local population. Statistics shows that almost 37 million Americans are suffering from sinus-related diseases. Thus the US is one of the largest thriving otoscope markets of the world.Otoscope market: DriversThere are several key components which are driving the growth and expansion of the otoscope market. The prime factor which is pushing the growth of this industry is the overall development of the healthcare infrastructure. Apart from this, the steady rise of the ENT related diseases around the world is another significant reason which are multiplying the development of the otoscope markets spread around the world. The constant economic rise of India in the recent past has had an positive effect on the entire healthcare and also on the otoscope market spread across the country The otoscope market in India is not only giving stiff competition to its western contenders but it is also fulfilling the demands of the local and regional demands through its domestic production.Request Report Sample@ http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-2474 Otoscope market: RestraintsThough the otoscope market is out of its slumber and ginning pace with every single day. The regional markets spread across US, UK, Australia and New Zealand, India and China, Brazil, Morocco, Chile, Japan are performing properly for the last few years. But the dominance of the bi players based in the first world countries and the cloning of products in the Chinese and Indian otoscope markets are creating a massive gulf. It is also disturbing the uniformity of the otoscope market in this south East Asian regions and Latin American countries.Otoscope market: Key regionsThe growth of the entire otoscope market is concentrated on some of the prime pockets. The market is mushrooming in regions like India, China, US, UK and several other Latin American countries where the spread of disease related to ENT are galloping with time. A massive chunk of the market production is consumed by the healthcare giants present in these regions. The ENT industry is booming in India and it churns a few billion revenue from the different adjacent neighbouring markets. The production is high and cost effective which is also a major factor which is sustaining the players present in this segment in India.Request For TOC@ http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/toc/rep-gb-2474 Otoscope market: Key PlayersSome of the front runners of this section are camped in countries like Germany, US, UK , Japan, China and India. Heine, Riester, Welch Allen are some of the market leaders has been impacting the otoscope market for the last 100 years. Their quality products and robust market policies are the key ingredients which are fuelling their exports and providing them with the necessary tinder for survival. By Press Trust of India: New Delhi, Mar 20 (PTI) An Indian journalist, currently on a globe-trotting journey, was allegedly mugged in Chile by a drug addict who fled with his mobile phone and money. The scribe, Vishnudas Chapke (33), told PTI he was robbed near Laja Falls (Salta Del Laja), located along Pan-American highway - around 150 km from the Chilean city of Chillan on February 25 when he was seeking a lift on way to Argentina. advertisement Vishnudas, who escaped the attack unscathed, has requested the Chilean embassy here to help locate the robber and his phone. "He (the attacker) put a knife on my stomach and ran away with my bag containing mobile, around 200 US dollars and passport. "Some locals helped chase him in a vehicle. Scared, he dropped the bag at some distance. Luckily, I could get back at least my passport," Vishnudas said in a complaint lodged with local police. Vishnudas, in Buenos Aires at present, has shared a copy of the complaint with PTI. The journalist has been circumnavigating the globe by land, hitchhiking and using other low-cost ways to spread awareness on global warming, for a year now. Originally hailing from Maharashtras Parbhani, Vishnudas said he reached Argentina via Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, China, Australia and Chile, covering an estimated distance of 46,000 kms until now. PTI ENM KUN --- ENDS --- PR-Inside.com: 2017-03-20 10:04:02 Online print shop offering a range of products for all campaign needs print24.com all set for Super Election Year 2017 unitedprint.com SE Maria Lehmann 0049 (0)351 / 27225388 presse@unitedprint.com The online print shop UNITEDPRINT SE, owner of the renowned brand print24.com, is getting its customers ready for election year 2017 with the creation of the new category Election advertising, packed with loads of products all at great prices! Amongst the standard Flyers and Corrugated plastic sheets, there is a whole portfolio of other products on offer, including Stickers, Postcards, Counters, T-shirts and Ballpoint pens. Large print runs of election posters and Corrugated plastic sheets are perfect for extensive campaigns, ensuring your message sticks in potential voters minds. And all print24.com election products can be purchased starting from just one piece! With the new category, parties and agencies can immediately see every product they need for a successful election campaign, said Ali Jason Bazooband, Managing Director for Innovation/Marketing of print24.com. Our Flyers, available in print runs of up to 500,000, are one of the most popular and cost-effective ways of reaching high numbers of voters. With all its Top sellers available now at great prices in the new Election advertising category, the online print shop is all set for Super Election Year 2017. print24.com is a UNITEDPRINT SE brand, a global and innovation-oriented e-commerce company for print and media. As one of Europes leading online print shops, UNITEDPRINT SE employs a staff of around 700 people and operates the renowned brands print24, Easyprint, Unitedprint, getprint, printwhat, FIRSTPRINT, DDK PRINT BIG, infowerk, and Unitedprint Shop Services (USS) in 26 locations worldwide (in Germany, 21 other European countries, and in Brazil, China, Canada, and the US). In addition to the standard print products, Unitedprint provides its customers with high-quality products and services ranging from textile printing, photo printing, large-format printing, advertising material, advertising equipment and the hospitality/gastronomy sectors. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/201703200054 PR-Inside.com: 2017-03-20 16:20:09 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 401 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 FSCwire / Press ReleaseThe following press release was disseminated by FSCwire for Quantum International Income Corp.--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---Toronto, Ontario (FSCWire) - Quantum International Income Corp. (TSX Venture:QIC). has issued a press release with the following headline:Quantum International Income Corp. Announces Acquisition in the Georgia Gaming MarketTo view this press release on the FSCwire website, please either click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your browser:If you would prefer, you can also view this press release as a PDF file, please either click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your browser:For more information on Quantum International Income Corp., or to see additional press releases issued by this company, please either click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your browser: http://www.fscwire.com/public-company/Quantum International Income Corp.Source: Quantum International Income Corp. (TSX Venture: QIC, TSX Venture: QIC.U, ISIN: CA74766M1005)Date: March 20, 2017Time: 11:18 AM EDT--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---The story mentioned above was issued on behalf of Quantum International Income Corp. and disseminated through FSCwire.About FSCwireFSCwire (a division of Filing Services Canada Inc.), is a global newswire dissemination, SEDAR, SEDI, and EDGAR / XBRL service provider.FSCwire is a full service global newswire dissemination company and is fully approved by all exchanges in Canada and the U.S. Press releases can be distributed for all sizes of public, private or not for profit companies and any other organization requiring news distribution. In addition to individual companies; public relations, communications and investor relations firms trust FSCwire to distribute press releases for their respective clients.In addition to newswire dissemination FSCwire also offers EDGAR, XBRL, SEDAR, SEDI, and additional services for publicly traded companies. For more information, please go to our website: http://www.fscwire.com Maximum News Dissemination by FSCwire. http://www.fscwire.com Copyright 2017 - FSCwire (a division of Filing Services Canada Inc.) PR-Inside.com: 2017-03-20 22:02:09 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 395 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 FSCwire / Press ReleaseThe following press release was disseminated by FSCwire for Standard Tolling Corp.--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---White Rock, British Columbia (FSCWire) - Standard Tolling Corp. (TSX Venture:TON). has issued a press release with the following headline:Standard Tolling Sells Huamachuco PlantTo view this press release on the FSCwire website, please either click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your browser:If you would prefer, you can also view this press release as a PDF file, please either click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your browser:For more information on Standard Tolling Corp., or to see additional press releases issued by this company, please either click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your browser: http://www.fscwire.com/public-company/Standard Tolling Corp.Source: Standard Tolling Corp. (TSX Venture: TON, FWB: GA0, ISIN: CA8541792070, WKN: A12FTL)Date: March 20, 2017Time: 5:00 PM EDT--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---The story mentioned above was issued on behalf of Standard Tolling Corp. and disseminated through FSCwire.About FSCwireFSCwire (a division of Filing Services Canada Inc.), is a global newswire dissemination, SEDAR, SEDI, and EDGAR / XBRL service provider.FSCwire is a full service global newswire dissemination company and is fully approved by all exchanges in Canada and the U.S. Press releases can be distributed for all sizes of public, private or not for profit companies and any other organization requiring news distribution. In addition to individual companies; public relations, communications and investor relations firms trust FSCwire to distribute press releases for their respective clients.In addition to newswire dissemination FSCwire also offers EDGAR, XBRL, SEDAR, SEDI, and additional services for publicly traded companies. For more information, please go to our website: http://www.fscwire.com Maximum News Dissemination by FSCwire. http://www.fscwire.com Copyright 2017 - FSCwire (a division of Filing Services Canada Inc.) PR-Inside.com: 2017-03-20 01:01:02 Singapore region positioned for strong private cloud growth ZeroStack Opens Asia/Pacific Region With M5 Technologies StoryPR for ZeroStack Michael Schoolnik, 415-420-2391 michael@storypr.com ZeroStack, Inc., the leader in making self-driving private cloud affordable for all companies, today announced that it has signed a reseller agreement with M5 Technologies, an IT infrastructure expert headquartered in Singapore, adept at both traditional and cutting edge technologies, with activities currently spanning and increasing across Asia South. Our region is going through a rapid economic shift to cloud services, requiring on-premises options that can also be integrated with local hosting, managed services providers and public cloud providers, said Joel Norton, ZeroStacks Regional Manager Asia South at M5 Technologies and assigned to positioning ZeroStacks cloud platform. This service delivery landscape is an ideal opportunity for M5 to position ZeroStacks leading integrated solutions as fundamental and foundational to a business digital transformation. Global demand for ZeroStacks self-driving cloud solution is growing rapidly, said Ajay Gulati, CEO of ZeroStack. Singapore represents one of the key business and financial hubs for South East Asia, where the innate synergy between businesses, hosting companies and managed service providers (MSPs) will help us bring our unique offering to the vast Asia Pacific market. Helpful Links ZeroStack Inc. ZeroStack Inc. Blog ZeroStack Inc. on Twitter Suggested Tweet: ZeroStack launches Asia/Pacific presence with M5 Technologies About M5 Technologies Established in Singapore since 2006, M5 Technologies is an IT infrastructure expert adept at both traditional and cutting edge technologies, with activities currently spanning and increasing across Asia South. M5 empowers businesses through the convergence of 5 key areas Cloud, Collaboration, Networks, Storage and Security. With its flagship CIM (Cloud, Infrastructure and Managed Services) offerings, M5s innovative and optimal business solutions custom fit the end user. Customers are technologically enabled to compete in the global marketplace, while enjoying high-end features and value performance, yet at low complexity, low TCO and high ROI! www.m5asia.com About ZeroStack ZeroStack uses smart software and artificial intelligence to deliver a self-driving, fully integrated private cloud platform that offers the agility and simplicity of public cloud at a fraction of the cost. On premises, ZeroStacks cloud operating system converts bare-metal servers into a reliable, self-healing cloud cluster. This cluster is consumed via a self-service SaaS portal. The SaaS portal also collects telemetry data and uses artificial intelligence to create models that help customers make decisions about capacity planning, troubleshooting and optimized placement of applications. The integrated App Store enables one-click deployment of many applications that provide the platform for most modern cloud native applications. This solution is fully integrated with public clouds to offer seamless migration between clouds. Founded by senior engineers from VMware and Google, the company is funded by Formation 8 and Foundation Capital, and is based in Mountain View, California. For more information, visit http://www.zerostack.com or follow us on Twitter @ZeroStackInc. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/201703190050 @ZeroStackInc launches Asia/Pacific presence with M5 Technologies The Business and Beauty Expo is a event to bring education and information to the students and professionals in the Beauty Industry. As an industry we want to maintain the level of professionalism that is required from our loyal customers. By: PHILLY BEAUTY EXPO Contact JACQUELYN J DOUGLAS ***@phillybeautyexpo.com JACQUELYN J DOUGLAS End -- An incredible experience awaits at the Philly Professional Business & Beauty Expo. This exciting event founded by world renowned, hair care industry veteran Jacquelyn Jackson Douglas will take place on Sunday, April 23, 2017 at the Hilton Doubletree Airport Hotel located at 4509 Island Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19153. More than 300+ people are expected to take part in this event that will provide exposure and premiere education to hair stylist, barbers, makeup artist and anyone interested in getting a piece of the 72-billion-dollar beauty industry.Classes include hair extensions, hands-on workshops, master classes, hair techniques and trends including color, texture & natural, makeup artistry seminars, business of beauty classes, branding, student workshops and more! We guarantee you will get amazing classes, speakers and subjects that will help you take your skills and career to the next level! The expo, lined with top beauty companies and the most innovative products and tools, will take place from 9am-5pm, followed by a VIP reception from 6:30pm 7:30pm and a hair bash soiree from 7:30pm 11:30pm. to culminate this exciting event."I decided to produce this expo to provide a platform for beauty professionals in the Philadelphia area. Most times, amazing professionals right here in my home town must travel out to shows like this. We do not have many professional expos here. My goal is to provide serious beauty professionals with what they need to help them refine and further develop their techniques, better their skills and help them build an exciting career. It is important for me as a beauty professional of over 30 years to provide this opportunity to so many who need it," says Jacquelyn Jackson Douglas, Expo Founder.Jacquelyn is also launching the Philly Beauty Network (PBN) at the expo. PBN is a new network for beauty industry professionals to stay connected, provide support & cross training for each other and collaborate in monthly roundtable sessions. The organization will provide networking opportunities, events, classes and mentoring programs to members.A woman of God, mother, wife, author, entrepreneur, and educator Jacquelyn, also known as the "Color Diva" wears many hats and loves sharing her knowledge to the beauty industry. She began her climb to success at the age of 14-years-old, developed a winning mindset and became a quite formidable force. She is dedicated to helping individuals in this thriving industry.If you have questions, please contact: Kim R. at info@phillybeauty.com ( mailto:INFO@ MARKANTHONYSBEAUTY.COM ) or call 610-352-3515.To register, visit phillybeautyexpo.com. By: Mrs. District of Columbia International Pageants Contact Meredith Egwuatu meredithegwuatu@ mrsinternationalpageants.com Meredith Egwuatu End -- The Mrs. DC and Mrs. MD International Organization is very pleased to announce the new Mrs. District of Columbia International 2017, Helene France. Helene France has been an excellent community spokesperson and philanthropist. As a fixture in the DC Social Circuit, she has worked with various charities and organizations to help them get the needed recognition in order to support those in need. She has committed to continuing her goal of empowering women in her community.Helene France is currently studying toward her Juris Doctor at Washington College of Law American University. She holds a Masters of Law in Tax and Public Finances from the University of Paris Pantheon- Assas, ranked best law school in France, as well as an L.L.M. from the University of Virginia. She was previously practicing law in Paris, France. She has been married to her husband Kris for fourteen years and has one son Kyle. She is currently interning at the Department of Justice.In the past years, Helene has developed a passion for fashion and styling. She has built Helene France a photo styling and wardrobe styling business, styling for magazine editorials, cosmetic and hair industry promotional campaigns, as well as styling runways for international designers at New York Fashion Week. Helene combines her love for fashion and philanthropy as she produced a breast cancer awareness fashion show which raised over $15,000 for the Tigerlily Foundation. The show featured breast cancer survivors who walked the runway and shared their incredibly heartbreaking stories.Helene also volunteers her time and produces the annual fundraiser "Beyond the Little Black Dress" fashion show in collaboration with French Alliance which entirely benefits cultural programs and support women's entrepreneurship. The third Beyond the little Black dress event will take place on October 7 at Embassy of France In D.C.Recently Helene donated her time as a student attorney to represent low income families at Washington college of Law's law clinic. Working with the very disadvantaged and poor to provide them with equal access to justice has transformed her as a person and as a legal professional. Impacting others life is one of the greatest thing one cas expect in a carreer and working to provide poor famly with equal acess to justice has been the most rewarding experience of her life.Helene France looks forward to competing for the title of Mrs. International. Founded 29 years ago, Mrs. International was developed to have high standards and to showcase married women all around the globe.The Mrs. International Pageant is the only platform- based system and is owned and operated by International Pageants, Inc., which also operates the Miss International and Miss Teen International competitions. Mrs. International showcases married women 21 to 56-years-old and includes their husbands as an integral part of the event. For more information visitwww.MrsInternationalPageants.com By: Long Beach Senior Squadron 150 (L-R) 2d Lt. Rommel Anacan,CAP Capt. Gary Mathieson, CAP Capt. David Powell, CAP Contact 2d Lt. Rommel Anacan Public Affairs Officer ***@cawgcap.org 2d Lt. Rommel AnacanPublic Affairs Officer End -- Long Beach Senior Squadron 150 is pleased to announce the promotion of SM Gary N. Mathieson to the grade of Captain in Civil Air Patrol (CAP). Mathieson became a member of CAP in 2016 to, "Continue my service to the nation; to be with other committed professionals and to continue wearing an Air Force Uniform."In addition to his service in CAP Mathieson is currently a Staff Sergeant in the USAF Reserves (USAFR), where he has served for 12 years. During his tenure in the USAFR Mathieson has served for three years as a C-141 Loadmaster, six years as a C-17 Loadmaster and four years in Combat Camera. Prior to his service in the USAFR, Mathieson was a Seabee for eight years in the US Navy Reserves (USNR).In his civilian life Mathieson has been a teacher for 23 years-having taught both physical education and special education during his career. He holds a Masters Degree in Special Education, which combined with his squadron role as an Aerospace Education Officer, qualified him for an advanced promotion from Senior Member to Captain. Mathieson also serves as Squadron 150's historian and is currently in training as an aircrew Mission Scanner.___Civil Air Patrol, the longtime all-volunteer U.S. Air Force auxiliary, is the newest member of the Air Force's Total Force, which consists of Regular Air Force, Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve, along with Air Force retired military and civilian employees. CAP, in its Total Force role, operates a fleet of 550 aircraft and performs about 85 percent of continental U.S. inland search and rescue missions as tasked by the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center and is credited by the AFRCC with saving an average of 70 lives annually. Civil Air Patrol's 58,000 members nationwide also perform homeland security, disaster relief and drug interdiction missions at the request of federal, state and local agencies. Its members additionally play a leading role in aerospace education and serve as mentors to more than 24,000 young people currently participating in the CAP cadet program. Civil Air Patrol received the Congressional Gold Medal in 2014 in honor of the heroic efforts of its World War II veterans. Congressionally chartered 74 years ago, the nonprofit organization also participates in Wreaths Across America, an initiative to remember, honor and teach about the sacrifices of U.S. military veterans. Visit http://www.capmembers.com for more information.Long Beach Senior Squadron 150 is a part of California Wing and South Coast Group 7. The California Wing includes 3,000 senior members and cadets, and South Coast Group 7 encompasses six squadrons in Orange County, California.Long Beach Senior Squadron 150 is composed entirely of adult members (aged 18 and older) and meets every Thursday from 7:30pm-9:30 pm at the Los Alamitos Joint Forces Training Base and visitors are always welcome. The address is 3976 Constitution Avenue Los Alamitos, Calif. For more information visit https://sq150.blogspot.com/ Indo -China (Shenzhen) Innovation and entrepreneurship International Competition announces Advancells as a winner in Regenerative Medicine honoring best-in-Innovation and development initiatives within Regenerative Medicine/Life sciences. By: www.cnintcpc.org Media Contact Advancells; Care no: +91-9654321400 ***@advancells.com 09654321400 Advancells; Care no: +91-965432140009654321400 End -- Indo -China (Shenzhen) Innovation and entrepreneurship International Competition announces Advancells as a winner in Regenerative Medicine honoring best-in-Innovation and development initiatives within Regenerative Medicine/Life sciences. The international conference of India Region was held in Bangalore, India on 19March, 2017, the largest gathering of life science Innovation and Entrepreneurship contestants.andrepresented the Advancells for this competition.Advancells is a leading Stem Cell Therapy provider in India. Our mission is to make use the latest invention in medical science for therapeutic applications, thus enabling cure for chronic diseases otherwise not possible in conventional medicine. Regenerative medicine primarily used in stem cells generated from patients own body source. We provide safe and effective treatments to patients all over the world at the highest medical standard using our flagship technologies such as "Autologous stem cell therapy from Bone Marrow and Adipose tissue;" along with Stem cell stimulation and growth factor injections.Regenerative Medicine will soon be in the centre of all kinds of therapeutic solutions applicable for a patient irrespective of the kind or stage of disease he/she would be suffering from. Nature has given our body all the strength and resources to fight any ailment or disease that threaten to harm us. Use of regenerative medicine protocols such as Human Stem Cells combined with augmented and supplementary natural therapies will soon be the gold standard in keeping us healthy and young for a long period of time.Through thisThe Cnintcpc Award was designed and developed in partnership with Sino India Trade and culture Promotion Council. The judging panel was comprised of experienced professionals working in the life sciences and others. Finalists are selected by a diverse group of experienced judges and, from that group of finalists; one winner from each category is awarded. The winner will then join the division competition winners from Australia, Canada, Israel, Germany, Japan, UK and the USA in Shenzhen in April 2017.Sino India Trade and culture promotion council which was organized by Minister of science and Technology and State Administration of Foreign Experts Affair (cnintcpc.org;fb.com/cnintcpc;twitter.com/cnintcpc), has announced 2017 award winners at the Ist China (Shenzhen) Innovation and entrepreneurial international completion. The future Patagonia National Park, Chile, is now Certified Wildlife Friendly showcasing flagship coexistence efforts, wildlife conservation and wild lands protection for tourists while supporting the local economy Contact Alison Kelman ***@tompkinsconservation.org Alison Kelman End -- The Wildlife Friendly Enterprise Network (WFEN), a global community dedicated to the development and promotion of products and tourism that contribute to the conservation of threatened wildlife and to the economic vitality of rural landscapes, is pleased to announce the awarding of Wildlife Friendly Certification to Patagonia Park (http://www.patagoniapark.org/), part of Conservacion Patagonica (http://conservacionpatagonica.org/home.htm) whose mission is to promote the creation of national parks in Patagonia (Argentina and Chile), in collaboration with neighboring communities and local, regional, and national governments, that save and restore wildlands and wildlife, inspire care for the natural world, and generate healthy economic opportunities for local communities.Originally one of the region's largest sheep ranches, Estancia Valle Chacabuco changed ownership several times over the past century, resulting in an overgrazed and degraded landscape. When Kris and Doug Tompkins first visited the Valle Chacabuco Valley in 1995, CONAF (Chile's National Forest Service) had long recognized the need to prioritize the protection of these unique and biodiverse ecosystems. With help from Tompkins Conservation and Conservacion Patagonica, the 170,500-acre Estancia Chacabuco was acquired. In subsequent years several other adjacent properties have been purchased from willing sellers, bringing the currently total area of protected land to close to 200,000 acres. Eventually, Patagonia Park will be combined with the Jeinimeni National Reserve to the north and the Tamango National Reserve to the south, to create a 640,000-acre Patagonia National Park. This will allow bi-national trans-boundary access across the border of Chile and Argentina and will provide ecosystem continuity, wildlife corridors, and tourist driving and hiking circuits."For Conservacion Patagonica it is an honour to receive the Wildlife Friendly Certification in Chile which is a landmark supporting the feasibility of traditional livestock activities in Patagonia coexisting with top predators such as pumas," said Paula Herrera, a veterinary doctor and livestock manager for the Park. "It has been a long process, over eight years involving changes in the carrying capacity, herding practices and a strong involvement of local gauchos. Today, we are very proud to reach the point where our neighbors recognize our status as a protected area, and the high quality of our products (meat, wool and breeding stock) associated with different livestock management practices such as the pioneering use of livestock guardian dogs ( https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=NEeXyVDwYKg ) to reduce predation in southern Patagonia."We are thrilled to recognize the incredible restoration, conservation and coexistence work happening here in Patagonia Park," said WFEN Executive Director Julie Stein during a recent visit to the park to meet with the wildlife team and other staff. "It is truly inspiring to witness first hand this celebration of wild places including the hard but essential work to coexist with apex predators like pumas and by proving that the local economy can be supported through Wildlife Friendly tourism and products. We don't have to choose between thriving businesses and thriving biodiversity both are possible and in fact are inter-dependent."Efforts at Patagonia Park include extensive grasslands restoration, removal of over 400 miles of fencing which fragmented critical habitat by blocking wildlife corridors and entangling species like Guanacos in barbed wire leading to mortality. There is also an endangered Huemul Deer recovery program, a breeding center for Darwin's Rheas, an Andean Condor reintroduction effort, and Puma monitoring, as well as a thriving livestock guard dog program to protect livestock from predation.Patagonia Park is an initiative led by Conservacion Patagonica since 2004, whose main goal throughout has been the formal donation of the land to the Chilean State to create Patagonia National Park, an agreement which was finalized and signed by the Chilean President President Michelle Bachelet ( http://www.tompkinsconservation.org/ news/2017/03/ 15/presi... ) on March 15 2017."The need for people and wildlife to not only coexist but to benefit each other is a challenge for protected areas and neighboring lands and communities,"said Cristian Saucedo, Conservation Director. At Conservacion Patagonica, we believe this, and we invite other Chilean initiatives to be part of the Wildlife Friendly Enterprise Network, because we see this as a unique opportunity which links tourism, conservation, local communities and caring for the land as all part of our long- term vision for wild lands in Chile." Syed Asif Ali Nizami, 80, and his nephew Nazim Ali Nizami, both clerics of Delhi's Hazrat Nizamuddin Dargah, landed at the Delhi airport this morning. By India Today Web Desk: The two Sufi clerics, who had gone missing in Pakistan last week, returned to India today. The two clerics from New Delhi's Nizamuddin Dargah - Syed Asif Nizami, 80, and his nephew Nazim Nizami, 66 - were received by thier families at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in the national capital. "Both have reached home and are safe and sound. We had a talk and they were quite excited after coming back. We thank the Ministry of External Affairs and the central government for ensuring their safe return," said Syed Sajid Ali, son of the 80-year-old cleric. advertisement On Sunday, Pakistan had conveyed to India that the clerics were traced and reached Karachi last evening. "I just spoke to Syed Nazim Ali Nizami in Karachi. He told me that they are safe and will be back in Delhi tomorrow," External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said in a tweet. On Saturday, at the India Today Conclave 2017, Pakistan's High Commissioner to India Abdul Basit had said they are trying to locate the two Sufi clerics. The two clerics had gone to Lahore on March 8 and were to return to India on March 20. The main purpose of the visit of 80-year-old Asif to Pakistan was to see his sister in Karachi. 'CLERICS QUIZZED BY PAKISTANI AGENCIES' Meanwhile, the son of one of the clerics claimed that the two Indian priests were detained and quizzed by Pakistani agencies. "Yes, they were detained in Pakistan after media reports described them as spies," said Sajid Ali Nizami, Syed Asif Nizami's elder son. Pakistani newspaper Ummat had reported that the clerics worked for Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW) and Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) movement. According to Pakistani media reports, both clerics had been in "interior Sindh where there was no communication network" and that is why they could not inform their relatives about their whereabouts. They were offloaded from Karachi-bound Shaheen Airlines on March 14 at the Allama Iqbal International Airport, Lahore, the Pakistani sources had said. ALSO READ: Missing Indian Sufi priests traced, Sushma Swaraj speaks to Sartaj Aziz Missing clerics of Delhi's Nizamuddin Dargah are in Karachi, says intelligence Missing Nizamuddin priests detained by Pakistani intelligence over suspicious movement: Report --- ENDS --- SDFI Contrast Camera System Fingerprint Media Contact Julie Steeper ***@sdfi.com 310-492-5372 Julie Steeper310-492-5372 End -- Last year in the United States, 944,665 patients had their "protected" health information (PHI) stolen from laptop/desktop computers and cell phones, due to hacking, unauthorized access and theft.SDFI (Secure Digital Forensic Imaging)-TeleMedicine hopes to lower that number of breaches in 2017 and beyond, with the SDFI Store and Send System, which they will showcase at booth 711 at the Health Care Compliance Association's (HCCA) Compliance Institute Conference, March 26through March 29, 2017 at the Gaylord National Hotel and Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland.The Boulder City, Nevada-based company's Store and Send System utilizes military-grade, 256-Bit AES nested end-to-end encryption that protects patient health information. Accompanying SDFI Image Management forensic software tools like the SDFI Negative Invert Filter and the SDFI Loupe Tool help users see forensic evidence better."No one wants a data breach for their organization, but in today's world, this is a very real risk. Recently, intelligence agencies and hacker tools in the news have exposed numerous vulnerabilities in the devices we all use daily, such as in mobile devices and in laptop and desktop computers. Couple that with all the permission given to common apps these days, and you never know who is listening, or who is looking at your data," SDFI's Marketing Assistant, Julie Steeper says."The SDFI Store and Send System is the antidote for these risks. We want compliance officers and home healthcare workers performing continuity of care services for their patients to know that they can easily and securely store their PHI with our federally-approved encryption in our Image Management System. When they are ready, they can securely send their data to anyone in the world, using the SDFI Secure File Portal, then the recipients call the sender for a unique passphrase in order to access the data. We don't use cell phone cameras and we don't use the cloud. SDFI system-user data remains on their own laptop or on their organization's network, where it is encrypted. Not even an organization's I.T. department can see the data, ensuring complete chain of custody and compliance", Steeper adds.In addition to their secure Store and Send System, CoN-certfied SDFI provides forensic photodocumentation products, education, services and support to hundreds of medical and legal professionals across the country, who assist with the reduction and elimination of physical violence.SDFI offers two Camera Systems The Standard SDFI Camera System and the Contrast SDFI Camera System. Both systems offer examiners and nurses the ability to take high-resolution RAW and .JPG forensic still photos and video, encrypt them using 256-Bit AES encryption in order to store them on their computers or networks, then electronically send them securely to recipients anywhere in the world. Recipients do not even need SDFI's software to access the sent files and videos. SDFI also offers Standard and Contrast "Add-On" options, allowing current SDFI clients to build their own SDFI System environments. Current SDFI clients can purchase SDFI training videos: a live, webcam-based training with a SDFI Technical Trainer, and a pre-recorded version both of which are available for download after purchase from the SDFI Secure File Portal.For more information, visit www.sdfi.com (2016 PHI information from the report "2016 Cost of Data Breach Study: United States". Benchmark research sponsored by IBM and independently conducted by Ponemon Institute LLC, link: http://www-03.ibm.com/ security/data- breach/ ).-ENDS- Many coffee aficionados consider Aroma Bravo Coffee to be the perfect companion for the pour over brewing technique. Contact Charles C Harmon Co LLC ***@gmail.com Charles C Harmon Co LLC End -- Pour over coffee is once again gaining popularity in the exciting world of brewed coffee. More aficionados are now embracing this Japanese manual brewing method for its simplicity and smoother taste. To make the most of pour over coffee at home, experts highly recommend using the best coffee beans in order to produce a delicious cup of joe every single time.Aroma Bravo, an organic coffee company, is one of the most recommended brands for making pour over coffee. It currently offers three roasts on Amazon: Light Roast, Medium Dark Roast, and French Roast. Since there's no particular roast type required for making pour over coffee, aficionados can freely choose whichever appeals most to their taste.After trying Aroma Bravo's whole bean coffee selections, many have found that the coffees complement the pour-over way of brewing. The reason for this is the brand's use of organic non-GMO Arabica beans that hail from the famous mountains of Marcala, Honduras. Because the beans are grown organically and sourced from one of the world's best coffee bean suppliers, the resulting coffee is guaranteed to taste great especially when brewed manually.As boiled water is gently poured over the freshly ground Aroma Bravo coffee, one can easily get lost in the delightful aroma that's released. Waiting for the last drop to finish can be frustrating for the pour over fan but it is well worth the wait. Once the coffee is ready, it is such a rewarding experience to finally indulge in the smooth and rich flavors of Aroma Bravo Honduras Coffee.The premium quality, delicious taste and great care that come with every bag of Aroma Bravo are just some of the reasons that make it favorite among pour over lovers online. Aficionados can get their favorite Light Roast, Medium Dark Roast or French Roast coffee at https://www.amazon.com/ s/ref=bl_dp_ s_web_0?ie=UTF8&se... Aroma Bravo sources only the best coffee beans from Marcala, Honduras. Highly recommended for its smooth and well-balanced flavor, Aroma Bravo Coffee is a must-have for aficionados of pour over coffee. Zeitgeist Asset Management has acquired yet another apartment house for a German individual pension scheme fund, administered by Institutional Investment Partners. The property is located in the Mlynarska Street, in Pragues historical centrum. The medieval St. Peters church from 12th century, after which the former name of the entire city [] Thailands Kanboon Sompraingarm is set to broadcast its Lamkhong TV channel through the Lao Sat-1 satellite, after reaching a year-long agreement with operator Lao Asia Pacific Satellite Company. The companies will also cooperate in the distribution of their satellite receivers, which will facilitate direct-to-home (DTH) satellite broadcasting where 60 TV channels, including six Lao channels, are already hosted, according to The Nation Lao Sat-1, which was launched in 2015, began commercial services in March 2016. Companies from Indonesia, Thailand and China have all arranged to lease transponder space on the satellite . It is run as a joint venture between the Laos Government (with a 45% stake) and Chinese developers APMT (35%), SSTC (15%) and APST (5%).The aim of the satellite is to help boost the economy of Laos through the provision of Internet and TV services, especially in the countrys remote mountainous areas.Lao Asia Pacific Satellite also recently sealed a deal with AEK Group to provide Laosat HD satellite receivers in Laos. International English news platform TRT World is continuing its expansion in MENA region after concluding a distribution agreement with Middle East and North Africa broadcast giant beIN. TRT World is currently available in 190 countries across ten satellites and claims to be running from all the leading operators. It can be accessed via traditional media, including free-to-air, cable and satellite, and other digital platforms, including mobiles, desktops and social media platforms.TRT World became available to all beIN subscribers on 1 March and now beIN will offer the programming in high definition. TRT World is very pleased to be available to all beIN subscribers, commented Roch Pellerin, marcom and distribution director at TRT World . [Our] international news content produced from our broadcast centres in Istanbul, London and Washington DC will have a unique perspective on news and will be the channel where news inspires change. Toyota and Suzuki have now entered a Capital Alliance Agreement. The development fosters and promotes the long-term partnership between both companies. Both partners will collaborate in new fields, including autonomous driving. The business partnership between both companies has been developing over time. The idea of a partnership became a consideration back in October 12, 2016, and has continued to be developed since. In March 20, 2019, Toyota and Suzuki announced that they would begin specific considerations. This would lay the groundwork to engage in joint product development and production collaboration. Both partners are keen on promoting mutual supply of products. This will come to fruition by making best use of Toyotas electrification tech, and Suzukis compact vehicle tech. With the industry bracing for changes, both partners look forward to overcoming new challenges. The auto industry is embracing great changes pertaining to enhanced environmental regulations, and competition from new entries from distinct industries and diversified mobility businesses. Toyota and Suzuki intend to achieve sustainable growth by building and deepening cooperative relationships in new fields, even as they continue to remain competitors. Working together will help strengthen tech, products, company specializations, and existing business foundations. Both companies together will approach current day transitional era challenges. Establishing a long-term partnership to collaborate in new fields includes the premise of autonomous driving. The announcement of the capital alliance agreement is an outcome of discussions between both companies regarding how they plan the future of the partnership pertaining to new fields. To develop and promote a long-term partnership between both companies, Toyota and Suzuki intend to acquire each others shares, basis the Alliance. Toyota plans to acquire 24,000,000 shares of common stock in Suzuki (4.94 percent ownership of the total number of shares issued by Suzuki as of March 31, 2019 (excluding treasury shares) with a total value of JPY 96 billion) by underwriting the disposition of treasury shares by way of third-party allotment conducted by Suzuki. Similarly, Suzuki plans to acquire, through purchase in the market, shares in Toyota equivalent to JPY 48 billion (half the amount which was paid by Toyota). Share acquisitions will be implemented once both companies obtain approvals from foreign competition authorities. Toyota has started exported made in India Maruti Suzuki cars like the Alto, Swift and Ciaz to markets in Africa. Toyota is selling Suzuki cars at their dealerships in Africa, as Suzuki has no presence in those countries. In India, Toyota recently launched a rebadged Suzuki Baleno, and called it Glanza. Similarly, Toyota has plans to launch rebadged Vitara Brezza, Ertiga and Ciaz in India next. In the face of the Trump travel ban, academics must strengthen, rather than sever, ties to the United States, argues Dr. Matthew Stanbrook, Deputy Editor, CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) in an editorial. "Science, especially medical science, knows no borders and cannot advance effectively without the free international exchange of knowledge, ideas and skills among all its participants," writes Dr. Stanbrook. "For academics to suspend interactions with US colleagues or refuse to peer review and validate the work of US researchers risks weakening US science at the worst possible time, abandoning colleagues to face a political administration that already manifests a desire to muzzle federal scientists, escape accountability by the media and wage war on facts incompatible with its preferred narrative." He advocates against boycotting scientific meetings in the US or moving them to another country as this would prevent participation from the many scientists and trainees from the countries under the ban who live and work in the US. "Although the travel ban targets individuals, its threat to the integrity and prosperity of scientific collaboration is of paramount concern. Physicians and scientists must not remain silent, but the best solution lies in more, rather than less, engagement with US colleagues," Dr. Stanbrook concludes. Improving traffic safety, better health services and environmental benefits -- Big Data experts see a wide range of possibilities for advanced image analysis and recognition technology. "Advanced image recognition by computers is the result of a great deal of very demanding work. You have to mimic the way the human brain distinguishes significant from unimportant information," says Eirik Thorsnes at Uni Research in Bergen, Norway. Thorsnes heads a group in the company's Centre for Big Data Analysis focus area, which develops strategies for use of big data for research and commercial purposes. The Centre also works on developing advanced computing power that works in the same complex way as the human brain. In many areas, the human brain's fantastic capacity and working methods will continue to outperform computers, but there are some areas where computers can do things better. "There has been a tremendous development in recent years, and we are now surpassing the human level in terms of image recognition and analysis. After all, computers never get tired of looking at near-identical images and may be capable of noticing even the tiniest nuances that we humans cannot see. In addition, as it gets easier to analyse large volumes of images and video, many processes in society can be improved and optimised," Thorsnes explains. Recognise which objects are important Thorsnes and his colleagues at the Centre for Big Data Analysis predict that image recognition and analysis will become increasingly important in areas such as health care, environmental monitoring, seabed surveys and satellite images. advertisement Using big data in image analysis and recognition requires a combination of good hardware, algorithms (formulae) and software, as well as people who manage to recognise the best approaches. "The need for this kind of technology will only increase in coming years, but it is not 'plug and play'. Our researchers have developed specialised knowledge about handling huge amounts of data, and thus how essential knowledge can be identified," says Thorsnes. Researchers in the department Uni Research Computing develop computer systems that learn to recognise objects and recognise which objects are important in the image. Alla Sapronova is an expert in artificial intelligence, image recognition and machine learning: "I train computers in the same way we teach children. I show the computer patterns of input signals and tell it what I expect the output signal to be. I repeat this process until the system begins to recognise the patterns. Then I show the computer an input signal, such as an image, that it has not seen before and test whether the system understands what it is," Sapronova explains. advertisement For example, on a relatively simple level, this kind of machine learning has resulted in smile recognition technology for mobile phone cameras. Autistic children undergoing music therapy More advanced areas of application include medicine, with analysis of external bodily signs of illness, or the detection of positive / negative situations in consultation with a therapist. "We have run a pilot project with GAMUT, with analysis of video footage of autistic children undergoing music therapy. Normally, the therapist would have to spend hours reviewing the footage to identify the exact moment that best reveals the status or progress of the patient. However, if we teach a computer what constitutes an interesting moment, it will be able to find and select them, although to date computers cannot rank them. There is great potential for further development in a subsequent project," says Thorsnes. In another project, the researchers used a publicly available webcam at Danmarksplass, Bergen's busiest road intersection, as a starting point to teach computers to register how many and what types of vehicles passed through the junction during the course of the day. This allows identification of traffic patterns, which can then be used in planning and decision-making. In addition, at times the air quality at Danmarksplass is very poor in winter, and Thorsnes envisages that better mapping of the traffic could also provide a basis for environmental improvements. However, he believes that at the current time image analysis has the greatest potential in improving traffic safety, which is basically a matter of monitoring selected stretches of roads or tunnels. Computers could detect a range of different situations, including cars travelling in the wrong direction, fire, abandoned cars, people inside tunnels, etc. "It will also be possible to get computers to monitor slopes susceptible to landslides along major roads, and teach the computers to recognise which changes in the landscape might imply an increased risk of a landslide," says Thorsnes. Monitor the incidence of escapees from fish farms Uni Research Computing and the Centre for Big Data Analysis, headed by research director Klaus Johannsen, have also worked on a project mapping the movements of salmon and trout at the mouth of a river. This work was done in collaboration with another department in the company, Uni Research Environment. "A camera was installed at the mouth of the river, and the computer was trained to record what kind of fish passed, and whether it was a wild fish or a farmed fish. In this way, we can monitor the incidence of escapees from fish farms, among other things," says Thorsnes. Part of the reason that detection technology has made such good headway in recent years is what Thorsnes calls a rediscovery of algorithms for artificial intelligence. The industry's needs and some good old artificial intelligence ideas found one another at the same time as massive computing power and sophisticated graphic processors from the gaming industry became available for use in analyses. "Traditionally, these kinds of analyses have been carried out by people who have to sit and watch hours of video footage, for example medical analysis or traffic in tunnels," says Thorsnes. The algorithms that have had something of a renaissance come from what is now called 'deep learning', because we now have enough computing power thanks to advanced processors and access to interesting material to be able to teach more advanced and 'deeper' algorithms. A species of unicellular ciliate has found a special trick to make use of the cellular machinery in seemingly impossible ways. Researchers of the NCCR "RNA & Disease -- The Role of RNA Biology in Disease Mechanisms" of the University of Bern have for the first time described a mechanism in detail how so called "junk"-DNA is transcribed before being degraded -- and this mechanism is remarkably clever. It sounds a bit like the winning proposal in a design contest: How can small pieces of information be read when they are too short to fit into the reading apparatus? Stitch them together into a longer string and close the string to produce a handy loop that can even be read off repeatedly. That's how a little organism called Paramecium tetraurelia, a species of unicellular ciliate, organises the transcription of small excised DNA segments into RNAs, which have a regulatory function. But the story actually goes the other way round: When Mariusz Nowacki from the Institute of Cell Biology of the University of Bern found small RNAs with a regulatory function in the elimination of segments out of the Paramecium DNA, he and his team started to investigate the molecular mechanisms -- where do these RNAs come from, and what exactly is their role? They soon found out that there seems to be a sort of a feedback loop in the deletion of DNA segments. These, previously thought to be useless pieces of DNA (also called "junk DNA"), are cut out of the genome and then degraded by the cell machinery. However, before degradation, they serve as templates for small RNAs which in turn help with cutting out more of these DNA pieces. Once started, this pyramid system keeps reinforcing itself, via the production of RNA. Transcribing the non-transcribable As beautiful and intriguing as this system seemed to be, the researchers were left with a serious problem: Usually, the cellular transcription mechanism needs a much longer piece of DNA to operate. So how could these small excised DNA pieces -- of the length of not even 30 base pairs -- be used as templates? Without a good explanation for this, the whole theory looked very implausible. "It was an interesting detective work," Nowacki remembers. They had a suspect -- all they needed was to pin it down. "We were not actually looking for the unknown, because we soon had an idea, and then it was all about testing that idea." And their guess proved to be right: Paramecium has figured out a way to stitch DNA pieces together randomly into strings and, once the strings have the right length (of about 200 base pairs), to connect the ends and form circular concatemers of DNA segments. Junk or not junk? The finding has interesting implications: DNA thought to be non-coding "junk" -- of no use for the organism whatsoever and degraded quickly after being removed from the genome -, is actually a functional template for a biologically important class of small RNAs. It is actually one of the big emerging fields in molecular biology, whether "junk" DNA is really worthless or rather, as is increasingly becoming clear, whether it actually has regulatory functions. Nowacki believes that in this work his group was for the first time able to pin down a precise mechanism for the transcription of deleted "junk" DNA -- which would strengthen the case for an inevitable name change. "RNA & Disease -- The Role of RNA Biology in Disease Mechanisms" The NCCR "RNA & Disease -- The Role of RNA Biology in Disease Mechanisms" studies a class of molecules that has long been neglected: RNA (ribonucleic acid) is pivotal for many vital processes and much more complex than initially assumed. For instance, RNA defines the conditions, in a given cell, under which a given gene is or is not activated. If any part of this process of genetic regulation breaks down or does not run smoothly, this can cause heart disease, cancer, brain disease and metabolic disorders.The NCCR brings together Swiss research groups studying different aspects of RNA biology in various organisms such as yeast, plants, roundworms, mice and human cells. Home institutions are the University of Bern and the ETH Zurich. Genetic mutations that cause cancer also weaken cancer cells, creating an opportunity for researchers to develop drugs that will selectively kill them, while sparing normal cells. This concept is called "synthetic lethality" because the drug is only lethal to mutated (synthetic) cells. Researchers at UC San Diego School of Medicine and Jacobs School of Engineering developed a new method to search for synthetic-lethal gene combinations. The technique, published March 20 in Nature Methods, uncovered 120 new opportunities for cancer drug development. "The ovarian cancer drug olaparib works by synthetic lethality -- it inhibits a gene that, when a BRCA gene is also mutated, kills just those cancer cells," said John Paul Shen, MD, clinical instructor and postdoctoral fellow at UC San Diego School of Medicine and Moores Cancer Center. "Many other cancers could likely be treated this way as well, but we don't yet know which gene mutation combinations will be synthetic-lethal." Shen was co-first author of the study, along with Dongxin Zhao, PhD, postdoctoral fellow at UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering, and Roman Sasik, PhD, computational biologist in the UC San Diego School of Medicine. To overcome this limitation, the team developed a new method that uses the gene editing technique CRISPR/Cas9 to simultaneously test for thousands of synthetic-lethal interactions. CRISPR/Cas9 works like this: researchers design a "guide" RNA to match the sequence of a specific target gene in a cell. The RNA guides the Cas9 enzyme to the desired spot, where it cuts the DNA. The cell can repair the DNA break, but it does so imprecisely, thereby inactivating the gene. In this study, the researchers designed a CRISPR/Cas9 system with two guide RNAs: 1) one that targets a tumor suppressor gene that is commonly mutated in cancer and 2) one that targets a gene that could also be disrupted by a cancer drug. They deployed this system against 73 genes in three laboratory cell lines -- human cervical cancer, lung cancer and embryonic kidney cells -- for a total of 150,000 gene combinations. Then they measured cell growth and death. The approach revealed more than 120 new synthetic-lethal interactions. "Identifying underlying genetic interactions in this way can reveal important functional relationships between genes, such as contributions to the same protein complex or pathway," co-senior author Trey Ideker, PhD, professor in the UC San Diego School of Medicine, founder of the UC San Diego Center for Computational Biology and Bioinformatics and co-director of the Cancer Cell Map Initiative. "This in turn can impact both our fundamental understanding of biological systems, as well as therapeutics development." Many of the gene interactions the team identified were synthetic-lethal in just one of the three cell lines tested. This means that synthetic-lethal interactions may be different in different types of cancer. The researchers said this will be an important consideration for future drug development. "Moving forward, we intend to further refine our technology platform and make it more robust," said co-senior author Prashant Mali, PhD, assistant professor in the Jacobs School of Engineering at UC San Diego. "And we are scaling our cancer genetic networks maps so we can systematically identify new combination therapies." Some reports in the Pakistani media accused the two clerics of being agents of Indian agency Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW) and also associated with Pakistan's Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) movement. By India Today Web Desk: The two Sufi clerics of Delhi Hazrat Nizamuddin Dargah, who went missing mysteriously in Pakistan last week, returned to the national capital. The two clerics Syed Asif Nizami and his nephew Nazim Nizami met External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj upon in New Delhi. However, both remained tightlipped over how they went missing. Neither of the two clerics revealed anything about the situation leading to their sudden disappearance. Some reports in the Pakistani media accused the two clerics of being agents of Indian agency Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW) and also associated with Pakistan's Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) movement. advertisement HOW THE CLERICS WERE TREATED IN PAKISTAN When asked as to why they were "interrogated", Nazim said they were asked about their visa and other immigration details. "I was taken to a place quite far from Karachi, with my face covered. I was offered food, they prepared tea for me and biscuits," added Asif Nizami. However, Amir Nizami, son of Syed Asif Nizami, alleged that the duo were taken away based on a news report in a Pakistani Urdu daily which claimed that they had links with R&AW. Asked if Pakistan spy agency ISI was involved in the episode, he refused to comment but made it clear that "no force was used" against them. 'WILL VISIT PAKISTAN AGAIN' Despite the incident, Nizami said he will be visiting Pakistan again with a message of peace and love. "Main Pakistan phir jaaunga, phir paigaam-e-mohabbat le kar jaaunga aur danke ki chot jaaunga," said Nizami. "We went to the shrine of Baba Farid Ganj to offer prayers. We also went to Data Darbar. We were kept in VIP rooms where the local SHO took my details. We were not troubled," said Asif. Nizami also rubbished Pakistani media reports that they were in "interior Sindh where there was no communication network". "We did not have visa for Sindh interior region, so how could we have gone there? We come from the school of Sufi which teaches peace and brotherhood. There are good and bad elements and those who go against the teachings they have to suffer humiliation," he told reporters refusing to divulge much details. The two Sufi clerics thanked the governments of India and Pakistan for their safe return. UNANSWERED QUESTIONS 1. Initially, it was known that Nazim Nizami was stalled at Lahore airport. The reason cited was travel documents. Why was there a problem when it came to documents when he was flying on a domestic flight in Pakistan. Documents had already undergone all scrutiny when he flew international from Delhi to Pakistan. Also, he holds an exemplary visa as he travels to Pakistan frequently. advertisement 2. Asif Ali Nizami was asked to proceed to Karachi. He landed in Karachi and called up the person who came to receive him at the airport, Hammad. Asif never exited the airport according to Hammad who had informed Asif's family in Karachi. Since then Hammad was also unreachable. No one knew where Hammad was. 3. The family got a call from Islamabad saying that both Asif and Nazim were safe and found in interior Sindh where there was no mobile network. The family was surprised that both were stalled at two different locations but found together. Moreover, the family claims even if they went to meet disciples and there was no mobile network, there had to be landline connections and a television or newspaper to let them know what was happening in the world. (With inputs from Shalini Maria Lobo) ALSO READ: Missing Indian Sufi clerics return from Pakistan Missing clerics of Delhi's Nizamuddin Dargah are in Karachi, says intelligence Missing Nizamuddin priests detained by Pakistani intelligence over suspicious movement: Report Also watch: Missing Sufi clerics return from Pakistan; meet Sushma Swaraj --- ENDS --- Researchers from UCLA and the University of Western Australia have developed a new way of visualizing the distribution of cholesterol in cells and tissues. Their research provides insights into the movement of cholesterol into and out of cells and could eventually identify mechanisms linking cholesterol to coronary artery disease. Using a new high-resolution imaging mass spectrometry approach called NanoSIMS imaging, the team was able to visualize and quantify a pool of cholesterol called "accessible cholesterol" on the surface of cells. Cholesterol is an essential lipid and is critical for maintaining the integrity of the plasma membrane in every cell in the body. But elevated levels of cholesterol in the blood represent a risk factor for coronary artery disease. The accessible pool of cholesterol on the plasma membrane is thought to play a role in regulating production of cholesterol by cells and likely plays a role in the ability of cells to unload surplus cholesterol. "Accessible cholesterol" on the surface of cells can be detected with a cholesterol-binding protein from bacteria. By taking advantage of the bacterial protein, along with NanoSIMS imaging, researchers showed that the accessible pool of cholesterol is not evenly distributed on a cell's plasma membrane but instead is highly enriched on specialized projections from the plasma membrane called microvilli. "In the past, other scientists had speculated that microvilli play a role in moving cholesterol into and out of cells," said the study's co-author, Dr. Stephen Young, a distinguished professor of medicine and human genetics at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. "The discovery that 'accessible cholesterol' is highly enriched in microvilli lends support to that idea." The findings were recently published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Dr. Haibo Jiang, a study co-author, noted that NanoSIMS imaging provides unique insights into cholesterol distribution on the plasma membrane and future studies will make it possible to assess mechanisms by which cells dispose of excess cholesterol. "We would like to gain a better understanding of the mechanisms of cholesterol movement in cells and tissues," said Jiang, a lecturer from the University of Western Australia's Centre for Microscopy, Characterisation and Analysis. "We believe that NanoSIMS imaging could yield new strategies for lowering cholesterol levels in the blood or at least new strategies for optimizing the effects of existing cholesterol-lowering drugs." Added Young: "The plan now is to use NanoSIMS, along with novel biochemical approaches, to investigate cholesterol distribution and movement in multiple cell types." The last piece of the ice sheet that once blanketed much of North America is doomed to disappear in the next several centuries, says a new study by researchers at Simon Fraser University in British Columbia and the University of Colorado Boulder. The Barnes Ice Cap, a Delaware-sized feature on Baffin Island in the Canadian Arctic, is melting at a rapid pace, driven by increased greenhouse gases in the atmosphere that have elevated Arctic temperatures. The ice cap, while still 500 meters thick, is slated to melt in about 300 years under business-as-usual greenhouse gas emissions. The results provide compelling evidence that the current level of warming is almost unheard of in the past 2.5 million years, according to the authors. Only three times at most in that time period has the Barnes Ice Cap been so small, a study of isotopes created by cosmic rays that were trapped in rocks around the Barnes Ice Cap indicated. "This is the disappearance of a feature from the last glacial age, which would have probably survived without anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions," said Adrien Gilbert, a glaciologist at Simon Fraser University in British Columbia in Canada and lead author of the new study published online today in Geophysical Research Letters, a journal of the American Geophysical Union. While the melting of the Barnes Ice Cap will likely have negligible effects on sea level rise, its end could herald the eventual dissolution of the larger ice sheets like Greenland and Antarctica, said CU-Boulder Professor Gifford Miller, a study co-author. "I think the disappearance of the Barnes Ice Cap would be just a scientific curiosity if it were not so unusual," said Miller, the associate director of CU Boulder's Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research who has conducted research on Baffin Island annually for the past five decades. "One implication derived from our results is that significant parts of the southern Greenland Ice Sheet also may be at risk of melting as the Arctic continues to warm." Elevated sea rise created by a melting Greenland would automatically cause the Antarctic Ice Sheet, whose dimensions are controlled by sea level, to also shrink in size, Miller said. advertisement The Barnes Ice Cap is part of the Laurentide Ice Sheet that has covered millions of square miles of North America episodically since the start of Quaternary Period roughly 2.5 million years ago. The ice sheet grew and shrank over time as Earth went through various climate cycles, and the ice was a mile thick at present-day Chicago about 20,000 years ago. It started receding substantially around 14,000 years ago when Earth slipped out of its last ice age. The ice cap stabilized about 2,000 years ago until the effects of the recent warming caught up with it. Miller was conducting research on Baffin Island in 2009 when he realized the ice cap had shrunk noticeably as compared to images from a few decades earlier. He recruited Gilbert and Gwenn Flowers from Simon Fraser to develop a model of how the ice cap might behave in the future. In the new study, the researchers used their model to estimate when the ice cap would disappear under different greenhouse gas emissions scenarios. They project that under all future emission scenarios the ice cap will be gone within 200 to 500 years. For a moderate emissions scenario that assumes Earth's greenhouse gas emissions will peak around the year 2040, they project the ice cap to be gone in 300 years. "The geological data is pretty clear that the Barnes Ice Cap almost never disappears in the interglacial times," Miller said. "The fact that it's disappearing now says we're really outside of what we've experienced in 2.5 million-year interval. We are entering a new climate state." The Barnes Ice Cap is like a canary in a coal mine, said Miller, who also is a professor in CU Boulder's Department of Geological Sciences. Even if humans stopped emitting greenhouse gases today, the ice cap would still disappear in the next few centuries. In 2010, the project received a boost from Waleed Abdalati, current director of the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (a joint venture of CUBoulder and NOAA), who was NASA's chief scientist at the time. Abdalati supported the flight of a NASA plane monitoring ice loss in the Arctic to revisit the Barnes Ice Cap. In addition to measuring changes in the ice cap's height, researchers used ice-penetrating radar aboard the aircraft to reveal its hidden, sub-glacial topography. The measurements were key for the computer model subsequently developed by Gilbert and Flowers to predict the evolution of the Barnes Ice Cap. 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 France and Britain recently contracted weapons builder MBDA to perform mid-life refurbishment of Storm Shadow/Scalp missiles. The deal will include midlife refurbishment of current missile parts, such as the turbo-jet engine, an upgrade of the navigational system, and other replacement parts such as the cabling, seals, and gaskets. The first refurbished missiles are expected to be returned to the French and British by early 2020. The total price of this upgrade is not known but British revealed that their part of the deal is worth around $182 million and also stated strong collaboration with France has led to around $61 million savings for both sides. The French will not release that type of data. MDBA introduced the air-launched Scalp cruise missile in 2002 but they were not much used between 2003 and 2015. That changed in 2015 when France intensified its war against Islamic terrorism and the new Typhoon fighter-bomber was equipped to use Scalp. With a max range of 560 kilometers the 1.3 ton Scalp has a 450 kg conventional warhead and a highly accurate (capable of hitting ships or small buildings) terminal guidance system. Scalp uses GPS, INS and terrain recognition guidance systems to get close enough for the terminal guidance system to take over. Costing about $1.5 million each some 3,000 have been ordered since the late 1990s (when MBDA began marketing it) and about a hundred used. France bought 600 while Britain ordered nearly a thousand (as Storm Shadow) and wealthy Gulf Arab oil states bought over a thousand. Greece, Italy and Egypt also bought some. The recent use of Scalp in Syria and Mali have been successful. Britain first used Storm Shadow in combat during air campaign against Iraq during 2003. But now all the nations with Scalp/Storm Shadow are using it more frequently against terrorist targets. But most Scalp missiles are over a decade old and still waiting to be used. This is a common problem with guided missiles which are designed for a long shelf life. But after a certain age it is best to refurbish and, if you can afford it, upgrade the older missiles for another decade or so of service sitting in a warehouse. This joint refurbishment effort will not only prolong the operational superiority of the weapon against the anticipated evolving threat well into next decade but will also further strengthen Franco-British cooperation roadmap and strengthens the Franco-British strategic partnership in the armament field. -- Przemysaw Juraszek By Press Trust of India: Jammu, Mar 19 (PTI) The troops of Indian and Oman armies today concluded their exercise Al-Nagah-II 2017 in Bakloh belt of Himachal Pradesh which was aimed at strengthening the military ties between the two countries. During the 14-day joint exercise, the troops of the two armies shared expertise in counter-insurgency and other operations in various terrains like snow-bound areas and dense woods. advertisement The exercise of the Indian Army and the Royal Army of Oman was declared closed by Major General Naveen Kumar Airy of the Indian Army began with the opening ceremony at Bakloh today, PRO Defence Lt Col Manish Mehta said. In his closing remarks, Airy, after addressing the participating contingents, appreciated the professional conduct of the training which has resulted in instilling confidence in each others capability. The exercise also demonstrated the determination of the two armies in working closely with each other to eradicate the menace of terrorism in all its forms, Lt Col Mehta said. The second edition of Exercise Al Nagah-II commenced on March 6 at Bakloh which is in continuation of a series of joint exercises between the two armies. The first joint exercise between India and Oman was held in Oman in 2015. The Joint Exercise was aimed to share expertise in counter insurgency operations and demonstrated the growing relationship between two countries, he said. The joint military exercise shall be yet another milestone in defence co-operation and military relations between the two countries, the officer said. PTI AB KIS --- ENDS --- Two prominent executives, including the president who joined Uber just six months ago, are leaving the company, another sign of tumult as the ride-hailing service continues to grapple with months of scandal. Jeff Jones was courted away from Target last September to serve as president of Ubers ride-booking business. His departure comes just weeks after CEO Travis Kalanick said he would seek leadership help and announced plans to hire a chief operating officer. Jones told tech news site Recode: It is now clear, however, that the beliefs and approach to leadership that have guided my career are inconsistent with what I saw and experienced at Uber, and I can no longer continue as president of the ride sharing business. Read more: Uber to end use of Greyball program that blocked government officials from hailing cars Uber CEO under fire over video Inside Ubers aggressive, unrestrained workplace culture Recode first reported the departures and they were later confirmed by a spokesperson. We want to thank Jeff for his six months at the company and wish him all the best, the company said in a statement. Also departing this month is Brian McClendon, the vice-president of maps and business platform. He plans to return to his native Kansas and explore a career in politics, he said in a statement provided by the company. This falls election and the current fiscal crisis in Kansas is driving me to more fully participate in our democracy and I want to do that in the place I call home, he said. They join a larger exodus of executives since Ubers troubles began in January. Others to depart the company in recent months, according to media reports, include Ed Baker, the vice-president for product and growth; Raffi Krikorian, a senior engineering director; and Gary Marcus, whose company Uber acquired in December. Ubers senior vice-president of engineering, Amit Singhal, left the company in February after he did not disclose a sexual harassment accusation was made against him at Google, his previous employer. The departures come as Uber tries to contain the fallout from a series of controversies, including several involving Kalanick. The company was the subject of a consumer boycott after the company continued to operate during a taxicab protest at New Yorks John F. Kennedy Airport following U.S. President Donald Trumps first travel ban. Kalanick stepped down as an economic adviser to Trump as a result. Then, a former employee published allegations of sexual harassment and discrimination at the company, including accusations that the human resources department did not properly handle complaints from female employees. The company hired former attorney general Eric Holder to lead a review of those accusations and the companys discrimination policies. Last month, Googles self-driving arm, Waymo, filed a lawsuit against Uber, alleging that its technology was modelled off of stolen intellectual property. Waymo has accused three former employees of taking trade secrets to Uber and asked a judge to bar Uber from using the technology until the matter is settled. Kalanick was also caught on video in an argument with one of the companys drivers, who confronted the CEO about changes to the service he thought harmed drivers. After the video surfaced, Kalanick publicly apologized and said he would seek leadership help. Finally, a bombshell report in the New York Times outlines Ubers use of Greyball software to evade regulators in cities where it was not allowed to operate. The company said it would review how it uses the software which allows the company to display the app differently to individual users and prohibited its use to target action by local regulators going forward, the company said. Read more about: SHARE: When 9-year-old Tess Baird landed at Sick Kids for surgery on a badly broken finger she was terrified. The big lights, all the big machines. I was really scared, she said. To put her mind at ease, hospital staff gave her a virtual reality headset futuristic-looking goggles with a 360-degree video screen that detailed the impending procedure from a patients perspective. The frightened Brampton girl experienced a blow by blow of what to expect from the moment shed be greeted by nursing staff, to being wheeled through the halls on a gurney, receiving anesthetic and falling into a fog, to finally waking up when it was over. When she underwent the surgery 30 minutes later, she was no longer scared. Lets say I had 10 nerves. Nine of them were gone, said Tess, who broke her finger while roughhousing with her teenage brother Mitch. Virtual reality isnt just for gamers anymore. Toronto anesthesiologists Fahad Alam and Clyde Matava are using immersive reality in health care in the only such lab in Canada called the Collaborative Human Immersive and Interactive Lab (CHISIL). They have tested the technology on more than 200 patients including Tess at The Hospital for Sick Children and Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre. Were taking (VR) out of the gaming realm, and actually using it to help patients and changing care, said Alam. With the immersive experience, the fear of unknown is kind of eliminated. They doctors are now analyzing the data and the results have been encouraging. There have been no episodes of VR sickness (headaches and nausea similar to motion sickness) and any fear prior to surgery has decreased. They found that nearly all the children at Sick Kids preferred the VR over traditional PowerPoint slides to explain the surgery process. One hundred parents of patients, including Tesss mom Kristen Wall, also tried the technology. Theres nothing more frightening as a parent than having one of your children sick or broken, said Wall, who found it eased her nerves as well. I watched (Tess) go from nervous and frightened to more armed with information. Preoperative anxiety doesnt just affect children. It is a significant problem across all age brackets. Up to 80 per cent of patients coming for any type of surgery can be suffering from some form of preoperation anxiety, said Alam. That anxiety can result in pain and increased anesthetic requirements in the operating room. The unease doesnt just dissipate after surgery, it can delay recovery. Anxiety exists up to three weeks afterwards, said Matava. For children, this often can be what the doctors call post-hospital negative behaviours including bed wetting, loss of sleep, missed school and not eating well. The VR could replace current less effective methods of stress relief including cartoon drawings, photographs and standard 2D video by allowing patients to preexperience the environment in a gamelike way. For Toronto resident Laura Victoria-Perez, 41, who suffers from social anxiety, the presurgery virtual reality experience was ideal. It feels like youre inside a video game, said Victoria-Perez, who had surgery in November. If at my age I was afraid, I can only imagine how it scares some kids before a surgery. Virtual reality is most often associated with pricey brands like Occulus Rift and PlayStation VR, which cost upwards of $500. At Torontos CHISIL lab, Matava and Alam have kept their costs in check using Google Cardboard, which is mounted to a smartphone rather than using its own screen. At $5-$15 per headset it is among the most inexpensive of VR options. The technology is increasingly being used in various fields such as journalism (watch a scared Star reporter ride a rollercoaster), education, religion, and museums. In sport, the related idea of visualization imagining a successful goal, taking your mind through strokes of the paddle to victory has been around since the early 80s, said Olympian rower Silken Laumann. She partnered with Samsung for the #BeFearless campaign to help participants face fears including public speaking using a Samsung VR headset. As athletes weve used visualization for decades to imagine a scenario and learn to cope with that scenario, she said. The unconscious mind cant really discern between an imagined experience and a real experience. Imagining something over and over again is like doing it. The Sick Kids and Sunnybrook doctors hope that the technology will also be helpful for training health workers. Theyve tried the VR in instruction for putting a scope down a virtual patients airway and for simpler tasks such as setting up an operating room. Patients in Matava and Alams Toronto hospitals may soon have menus of 50 to 100 immersive experiences accessible at home with their own Google Cardboard headset, which they keep after using at the hospital. Patients can already download an app for Sick Kids on the App Store called ChildLife VR. These will allow pre-op patients to do such things as navigate the halls of Sunnybrook, see what its like to get a nerve block for pain management, get an epidural, or simply where to park the car. The purpose of each VR video is to lower a patients anxiety and fear. For Tess, the virtual reality prelude was a success. Dont worry, is her post-op advice. Its not going to be as scary as you think. SHARE: The lawyer for embattled Sen. Don Meredith says his client feels he would not be facing the same level of criticism over his relationship with a teenage girl if he were a member of the old white boys club. His Senate colleagues would not have come down so harsh on him thumping those bells of resignation or expulsion which has never happened in the Senates history, lawyer Selwyn Pieters told CTVs Question Period on Sunday. Theres a lynch mob mentality thats going on right now thats not helpful to anyone. Meredith the subject of a recent damning report by the Office of the Senate Ethics Officer, which found he broke Senate rules when he had a sexual relationship with a teenage girl, promised her committee work that would get her started on a career, and tried to do business with her parents has admitted to wrongdoing and apologized for his moral failing. But amid mounting calls from his colleagues to resign, he said he has no plans to leave his Senate post. In an interview with The Canadian Press last week, Meredith, 52, said he believed hes been a victim of racism since the allegations about his affair were first published by the Star in the summer of 2015. Where individuals of colour rise, he said, somehow theyre taken down whether its self-inflicted or orchestrated. Absolutely, racism has played a role in this, Meredith told The Canadian Press. This is nothing new to me. There is always a double standard that exists in this country. Meredith hung up on the Star when the paper first broke the story and has not commented to the paper since. In another interview conducted earlier in the weekend with CTVs Power Play, Pieters, a Toronto-based lawyer and longtime civil rights activist, said his client was being portrayed as a sexual predator, and historically that is how people look at black men: as hypersexual, as sexual predators, as thinking with their penis as opposed to their heads. Pieters suggested that institutional racism has created a double standard in how ethical misconduct is treated in the senate. He pointed to white senators Pamela Wallin and Mike Duffy, who he said have engaged in improper conduct and have not been forced to resign or been expelled. When reached by the Star via Twitter Sunday evening Pieters said he was not doing any more interviews on Senator Don Merediths case. In his interview with Power Play, he defended his clients relationship with the teenager, known only as Ms. M, who was 16 when it began. Nothing improper happened, he said. It takes two to tango. Pieters said that the young woman was above the age to legally consent to having sex. A teenager or a person who is . . . able to consent is able to have sexual relationships. I mean, in some cultures people marry at 12. You have very old men marrying people at 12. So I dont buy this thing about power and about protecting and all that sort of stuff, he said. The relationship between Meredith and the teenage girl began in 2013 when Meredith, 48 at the time and a Pentecostal pastor from the GTA, met the then 16-year-old at a church event. Over a two-year period it progressed from flirtatious chats over Skype and Viber to sexually explicit live videos during which Meredith would masturbate while the woman took off her clothing, to intimate sexual relations that included fondling. They had sexual intercourse before and after the woman turned 18. At the same time, Meredith, a married father of two, was suggesting he could help the woman further her career. He was also speaking with her parents about potential business arrangements and to her older sister about a non-profit initiative. In her March 9 report, Senate Ethics Officer Lyse Ricard said Meredith failed to uphold the highest standards of dignity of the Canadian Senate. Meredith, the report states, drew upon the weight, prestige and notability of his office, as well as his relative position of power as a much older adult to lure or attract Ms. M, a teenager who by virtue of her age was necessarily vulnerable. Pieters, who called Merediths behaviour completely becoming of a senator, also suggested that the young woman may have had other motives when she told her story to the Star. I dont know whether that was in a bid to distort him or what that was, Pieters said, adding. This was not something that he was doing something in the bushes or he was doing something on the street. It was in the privacy of his room and her room. Meredith, who was kicked out of the conservative caucus by Stephen Harper after the allegations first surfaced and is now an independent senator, is facing a separate investigation into allegations of workplace harassment by former staff. Ottawa police began a criminal probe but Ms. M decided not to proceed because, she said, police would not guarantee her identity would be kept confidential. Meredith is currently on sick leave. SHARE: There is the power of position, prestige, influence, manifest manhood. There is the power of an adolescent girls sexual allure. Both Don Meredith, the senator, and Ms. M., the teenager, came to their clearly inappropriate liaison with weapons. And they wielded them. Ms. M.: The erotica of explicit online photos, pungent texts and Skype foreplay, a girlish enticement for a married man to betray spouse and family and his faith as a Pentecostal pastor. Meredith: The ability to groom, with apparent charm, a ripening romantic thrall in a young woman of limited sexual experience, a virgin. His inducements included the promise of a reference letter for an internship program on Parliament Hill, appointment to a committee, introduction to contacts that could assist his paramour in future career endeavors, the possibility of business opportunities for her family. But, on the evidence of an exhaustive inquiry by the Senate ethics officer, it does not appear that Ms. M was swayed in her choices by the dangling rewards of an affair with Meredith. She was in love, in that overwhelming way of teenagers that stops the world from turning. And, of course, there is the fundamental imbalance of power. At all times during her relationship with Senator Meredith, Ms. M remained in a position of relative youth and vulnerability, writes ethics officer Lyse Ricard. Senator Meredith engaged in a pattern of behavior that advanced an improper relationship with her, in which there was an obvious imbalance in power between the two of them. In Canada, the age of consent for sexual relations is 16. However, the age of consent is 18 if there is a relationship of authority, trust or dependency. Ms. M was 16 when the relationship began after meeting Meredith at a function for Black History Month held at an Ottawa church; he was 48. She was 17 when Meredith masturbated while Ms. M partly disrobed during exchanges on Skype and Viber; 17 when he touched her breasts and buttocks; 17 when Meredith first penetrated her with his penis for about a minute, though Ms. M seems under the impression this didnt constitute intercourse, what she said Meredith called a teaser; 18, two months after her birthday, when she gave Meredith her virginity in his Ottawa hotel room. Gm, baby hope you slept well, he messaged her the following morning. You are special amazing, awesome. Blessed and loved. They had sex just once more, in May 2015, before Meredith ended the affair, never having any contact with Ms. M again. God has spoken with me and am (sic) not happy with me, he told her via Viber. I should be leading you not making you. Ms. M: Its true, you are right and Im proud of you. Ill get used to it. Meredith: Thanks for your love and understanding. But less than two years later, Ms. M took her story to the Stars Kevin Donovan and the unseemly tale was published. It was not vindictiveness, an older and presumably wiser Ms. M said. After other media had revealed Meredith was under a Senate review over allegations of sexual harassment in his office, Ms. M was concerned that the complainants, former staffers, would not be believed and wanted her experience to buttress. It is sordid stuff, particularly in the methodical rendering of events as documented in the 30-page report issued to the public by Ricard on March 9, with nearly all the details provided by Ms. M, while Meredith, in his interviews with Ricard, relies on a steady drumbeat of no comment and cannot recall and the salaciousness of a conversation has no relevance to this hearing. On every article of disagreement, Ricard sides with the credibility of Ms. M. In any event, any disputes are now a moot point. Meredith, who has taken a leave of absence from the Senate on the advice of his doctor, last week essentially accepted the contents of the report, telling The Canadian Press in an interview: This is a moral failing on my part. As a human being, I made a grave error in judgment, in my interactions. For that I am deeply sorry. This is Meredith scrambling to keep his Senate job, by throwing himself on the mercy of his Red Chamber colleagues. The scathing report concluded Meredith had failed to uphold the highest standards of dignity inherent to the position of senator, acting in a way that could bring disrepute on the Senate, with Ricard ruling hed also used his position as a senator improperly, violating the chambers ethics code. What the Senate can do about it censure, suspend, oust is unclear, though several senators have urged Meredith to resign and spare the body an ugly public hearing, adding a further unsavory chapter to a recent history of expense scandals and criminal charges dropped or resulting in acquittal (Mike Duffy), all of it again triggering debate about the constitutional merit of the unelected upper chamber. Its never before booted anybody. Those earlier infamies led the Senate to adopt new rules of conduct with the objective of more firmly disciplining members who violate standards of dignity. But they came into effect only in June 2016 after Meredith ended the relationship and cant be retroactively applied. Ricards jurisdiction is tenuous. Ricard carefully professes to be making no moral judgments about extramarital sex between consenting adults. But thats disingenuous because the sex specifically, once before Ms. M turned 18, twice afterwards is precisely what Ricard has evaluated, within the context of a professional code of conduct. Merediths morality is very much the subtext to his violation of the Ethics and Conflict of Interest Code for Senators. Certainly there is no criminal offence; Ottawa police opened and closed their investigation without laying any charges. Theres nothing to lay a charge over, foolishness and concupiscence not yet proscribed under the Criminal Code. At this point, I remind myself of the excuses and exculpations many of us made two decades ago to absolve or forgive or temper president Bill Clintons sexual relationship with White House intern Monica Lewinsky. And I dont see a difference except that Meredith may have made pledges as part of his seduction. Except, as stated earlier, they seem to have carried little weight with Ms. M. She wanted Meredith, not what he might have done for her. They were mutually pursuing, although he, three decades older, with a wife and kids and Senate plum, stands utterly exposed for folly driven by lust. (And, having obtained it, so long Ms. M.) Words like disgusting, deplorable, creepy all of which have crossed my mind are folded within a moral denunciation that makes me uneasy and, given the clemency extended to Clinton, hypocritical. And then, a few days ago, Meredith Canadas first Jamaican-born senator whipped out the race card. Absolutely, racism has played a role in this, he told The Canadian Press. This is nothing new to me. There is always a double standard that exists in this country. Sidling away from sexual exploitation of a naive teenager, by cloaking himself in the victimhood of race. Shameful. Whether or not Meredith is actually capable of feeling genuine shame. Rosie DiManno usually appears Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. Read more about: SHARE: A Canadian man accused in a massive hack of Yahoo emails posed an extremely high flight risk in part due to his alleged ties to Russian intelligence agents, law enforcement officials allege in documents filed with an Ontario court. In an application for Karim Baratovs arrest, U.S. authorities describe the 22-year-old Hamilton resident as an alleged hacker-for-hire paid by members of the Russian Federal Security Service, known as the FSB. They argue in the documents that Baratov allegedly has the money to leave Canada and the ability to destroy evidence related to his alleged activities while on the run. Given the serious nature of his conduct, the public impact of his hacking-for-hire conduct, his substantial earnings as a result of the unlawful hacking, and his ties to foreign intelligence officers with nation state resources at their disposal, he should be arrested on an urgent basis and detained, the documents say. Even assuming that Baratov does not receive assistance from his known and unknown Russian government conspirators, he possesses the skills and financial resources to flee justice, the documents say, noting that Baratov does not appear to have any legitimate employment. Read more: Inside a twisted tale of international cybercrime Charges against Canadian arrested in Yahoo hack politically motivated: lawyer Social media posts detail lavish lifestyle of alleged Yahoo hacker Baratov, who is of Kazakh origins, was arrested under the extradition act in the community of Ancaster last Tuesday. U.S. authorities said on Wednesday that he and three others two of them allegedly officers of the FSB were indicted for computer hacking, economic espionage and other crimes. Baratovs lawyer, Amedeo Dicarlo, has said the allegations against his client are unfounded. Baratov appeared briefly in a Hamilton court by video link on Friday. A bail hearing has been scheduled for April 5. Dicarlo said he will seek to have Baratov released and plans to fight an extradition order. He declined to discuss Baratovs personal or professional life, describing him only as a successful entrepreneur. In documents filed with the Hamilton court, U.S. authorities warned that if Baratov found out about the warrant for his arrest before it could be carried out, he may attempt to flee. They pointed to the case of one of Baratovs alleged co-conspirators, Alexsey Belan, who was previously arrested for another matter in Greece in 2013 and was to be extradited to the United States. Belan was released on bail while waiting for his extradition hearing and promptly fled to Russia, where he benefited from the protection afforded by Russian government officials, according to the documents. Belan has been able to continue his crimes namely, providing hacking services to the Russian government and victimizing hundreds of millions of innocent third-parties for, in some instances, private financial gain, the documents said. Belan had previously been indicted in 2012 and 2013 and was named one of FBIs most wanted cybercriminals in November 2013. Indicted along with Baratov in the alleged conspiracy that authorities said began in January 2014 were Dmitry Aleksandrovich Dokuchaev, 33, and Igor Anatolyevich Sushchin, 43, who U.S. authorities describe as Russian intelligence agents who allegedly masterminded and directed the hacking. Dokuchaev and Sushchin allegedly tasked Baratov with hacking more than 80 accounts in exchange for commissions, U.S. authorities have said. The application for Baratovs arrest shines further light on how authorities believe the alleged hacking scheme operated. Google records indicate Baratov used spear phishing messages designed to look like emails from trustworthy senders so recipients were lured into opening attached files or clicking on hyperlinks in the messages and into providing valid login credentials for their accounts, the application alleges. Baratov would then allegedly email Dokuchaev screenshots of the successfully hacked email accounts and demand payment before handing over the login information, it says. U.S. authorities alleged the payments were made to various online accounts including a PayPal account that was registered to Baratov from an IP address traced to his home and linked to a bank account under his name. The documents said nearly $212,000 was paid to that account between early 2013 and late 2016, though not all would have come from the alleged conspiracy. An affidavit from a Toronto police officer included in the application and filed with the court alleged Baratov had hacked thousands of other accounts outside of the Yahoo-related allegations and noted that current websites advertise Baratovs hacking services. Baratov appeared to live a lavish lifestyle, which he documented on public social media accounts such as Instagram, posting photos of luxury cars and money. Read more about: SHARE: For the Canada Revenue Agency, the Panama Papers was a line in the sand. Unlike those exposed by previous leaks, tax cheats named in the massive database wont be offered amnesty; instead, theyre more likely to end up doing hard time. This is a more aggressive CRA, said assistant commissioner Ted Gallivan in an interview with the Star. There are some actors who need that threat of a jail term to stop, or they actually physically have to be locked up in jail to get them to discontinue their activities. Tax fraudsters identified in the Panama Papers will not be allowed to clear their name by declaring their hidden assets and paying back taxes and interest, a process called voluntary disclosure. (The Panama Papers) allows us to showcase how the CRA has changed, Gallivan said. Theres a bit of a paradigm shift for us: no voluntary disclosures and a lot more criminal investigations. That reflects a shift to more severe consequences for people who are participating in aggressive tax avoidance or tax evasion. From now on, the CRA will also fingerprint anyone charged with tax evasion, which could affect their ability to travel abroad. Its about more than revenue, said Gallivan. It sends the message that its not just tax evasion, its not just white collar crime, its a serious criminal offence and it comes with serious criminal consequences. Internationally, Canada has long been considered lax on white collar crime, with few prosecutions and prison sentences measured in months, not years. But after the Panama Papers were made public last April, the new Liberal government quickly announced a nearly $500-million investment in the CRA to bolster tax enforcement. Early results reflect an ongoing reorientation toward fewer, high-value tax cheats and a focus on multinational corporations. The number of criminal convictions for tax evasion has dropped dramatically from 137 in 2011-12 to only 17 so far in 2016-17, yet the criminal fines imposed have almost tripled from an average of about $46,000 to over $123,000 for each offender. Sentences are up, too, from an average of 18 months in 2011-12 to 26.5 months this year, according to numbers provided by the CRA. Additional tax collected by CRA audits has increased almost 45 per cent over the last six years from $8.7 billion in 2011-12 to $12.6 billion in 2015-16. More and more of these audits target large and multinational corporations, producing tax assessments that have more than doubled in the last three years from $6.1 billion in 2013-14 to a projected $13 billion this year. In order to move more quickly from investigation to prosecution, in the last year 230 people have been added to the compliance department and lawyers are now being embedded in investigating teams. The Panama Papers even spawned a new branch of the CRA, known as International, Large Business and Criminal Investigations, which operates under Gallivans personal watch. This branch, which has 100 specialized auditors, will be taking on the most complex, big-ticket cases that often have an offshore component and involve sophisticated tax professionals, the enablers of tax evasion. The new thinking of the new branch is in addition to finding the taxpayers, we need to find the promoter, the head, and go after the head thats driving this behaviour and put them out of business, Gallivan said. In the 2016-17 fiscal year so far, tax professionals have been fined $44.3 million for their role in facilitating tax evasion a huge increase over the $200,000 handed down last year and the information gleaned from the Panama Papers promises an uptick in years to come. It helps that the CRA obtained parts of the leak before it was made public and got the ball rolling early. It gave us the advantage of timing. By the time the public took interest in this, we were already fairly well advanced in our work, said Gallivan. But the gears of justice move slowly. Almost a year later, there are 75 audits and several criminal investigations underway, but no charges have been laid. Investigators, Gallivan acknowledged, have had difficulty finding the individuals behind shell companies used to defraud the tax collector, a phenomenon highlighted by the Stars Canada Papers investigation. Some actual people have multiple corporations with millions of dollars and millions of dollars of non-compliance, he said. Taxpayers who are conducting these things certainly go to great lengths to obscure them. Last year, an international evaluation of Canadas financial system flagged lack of transparency in corporate ownership as an impediment to law enforcement. But Canadian enforcement efforts are only a small part of the solution. The post-Panama Papers world is about to get much more complicated for wealthy individuals who hide their money offshore and multinationals that shelter their profits in tax havens. The EU and G20 are set to publish a new black list of unco-operative tax havens this summer, shortly after the first global system of tax information sharing becomes operational. The OECDs automatic exchange system will allow tax auditors in one country to see what their citizens are declaring in another. There are 54 participating countries in 2017 and next year Canada will start sharing its tax information, along with 46 more countries. For the 2016 tax year, Canadian multinational corporations with more than $1 billion in annual revenue will have to report to the CRA their profits, sales, employees, assets and taxes paid on a country-by-country basis. This information will then be fed into the international sharing system, creating a web of tax oversight that will be much more difficult to escape. To prepare for this new big data era in tax collection, the CRA is ramping up its use of computer analysis to trawl the information looking for red flags suggesting suspicious activity. Instead of just checking the math on peoples tax returns, the CRA is developing algorithms to cross reference outside data including real estate transactions and luxury purchases with what people claim to be making. The agency knows that people who are trying to avoid paying taxes often manipulate their tax return so they look like theyre low income, said Gallivan. The system will flag that despite somebodys low income on their tax return, they have a lot of money. When we see that flag, we dig deeper. The CRA recently started receiving real time data of all international electronic money transfers and is building a computer system to monitor more than 1 million transfers each month in real time. Because it could take two or three years to get the system up and running, auditors are currently going through them manually, Gallivan said, having flagged more than 41,000 transactions worth $12 billion last year. The manual review will ramp up to looking at 100,000 transfers this year. The money flow is exactly where our focus is now, he said. We do have to be accountable for results. Read more about: SHARE: The representatives mentioned that there is a sense of unease after more than 150 vigilantes turned up outside the Hayat Rabbani hotel in Jaipur and started a demonstration. By Dev Ankur Wadhawan: After a Jaipur hotel, Hayat Rabbani, was sealed and two of its employees arrested by the police, representatives of minority community and social activists on Monday met Jaipur Police Commissioner and complained that a deliberate attempt was being made to vitiate the atmosphere on the pretext of cow vigilantism. The representatives mentioned that there is a sense of unease after more than 150 vigilantes turned up outside the Hayat Rabbani hotel in Jaipur and started a demonstration. The protestors were shouting slogans of 'Gau Mata Ki Jai' and claimed that beef was being served at the hotel premises. advertisement The representatives also mentioned that the police had arrested hotel staff employees and the hotel premises was sealed in an arbitrary and unjust manner. Commenting on the incident, social activist Kavita Srivastava said, "I think in the name of beef, they have decided to attack the owner Mr Rabbani and his business. It is so easy to attack a Muslim and yes, the Muslims, the Muslim leadership and the hoteliers who are Muslims are absolutely in a state of shock and they are worried. If this be the case, then every hotel, every restaurant will have these cow vigilante groups outside screaming and the JMC will come and seal it." Also read: Jaipur: Hotel sealed after cow vigilantes complain of beef being served Also read: Yogi Adityanath: Gau sevak to UP CM; does this mean 'achchhe din' for cows? --- ENDS --- A man who allegedly killed a Burlington chiropractor Thursdayand also wounded himself with his own gunhas died of his injuries in hospital. His alleged victim, Dr. Ferdinand Fred Mejilla, was shot at his own clinic, Mejilla Family Chiropractic, on Plains Rd. in Burlington. Officers with Halton Regional Police Service were called in response to the shooting around 12:05 p.m. on Thursday afternoon. David Williamson, 44, died in hospital of his injuries, police confirmed in a release on Monday morning. Mejilla died in hospital on Friday. Williamson had been rushed to hospital with critical injuries police described as self-inflicted. He was a one-time patient of Mejilla. At the time, police said there werent looking for any suspects and that there wasnt any concern for public safety. With files from the Hamilton Spectator Read more about: SHARE: It was the speech that felt like a slap in the face to criminal defence lawyers. Ontario Attorney General Yasir Naqvi, speaking to the Empire Club of Canada in Toronto last month, said he had written to his federal counterpart asking for reforms to the Criminal Code that would greatly limit the use of preliminary hearings as a way to speed up the justice system. The hearings are typically held before trials in Superior Court, which handles the most serious cases, such as murder, where witnesses testify under oath and allow for a lower court judge to determine if there is enough evidence to send the accused to trial. We need to make bold changes to speed up and simplify the criminal court process, Naqvi wrote to federal Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould. PART 1: How an 'invented' Supreme Court ruling has rocked the Canadian justice system PART 3: Defence lawyers say ideas for reform being met with silence The speech came as a surprise to the criminal defence bar, some of whom took to Twitter to vent their frustration, denouncing Naqvis idea as short-sighted and nothing more than a political move that wont lead to real change. They also criticized the lack of consultation on the issue with the Criminal Lawyers Association. Like many knee-jerk reactions on the part of the attorney general, it makes for nice headlines but will do little to address the underlying problem of insufficient judicial resources and insufficient funding for the infrastructure (Crowns, staff, space, legal aid), lawyer Michael Lacy told the Star. Naqvis idea was not radical. It has been floated for decades by governments, think-tanks and even the Supreme Court as a way to combat chronic delays in the court system, with proponents saying that historic rationales for preliminary hearings no longer exist. Opponents, particularly defence lawyers, are adamant that prelims still have value. They say they allow both sides to narrow the issues ahead of trial and, in a small number of cases, reveal that the evidence is so weak that the case cannot proceed to trial. Prelims also allow the defence to hear directly from police witnesses, and can help lawyers decide if they should bring constitutional challenges relating to their clients arrest. The renewed push to scrap most preliminary hearings, which is backed by several other provinces including Manitoba and Alberta, comes in the wake of the Supreme Court of Canadas landmark 2016 ruling, R v. Jordan. The 5-4 ruling set new timelines to bring an accused person to trial which have sent politicians and the legal community scrambling: 18 months in provincial court and 30 months in Superior Court. The top courts majority even included this line at the end of its judgment: Parliament may wish to consider the value of preliminary inquiries in light of expanded disclosure obligations, referring to the Crowns obligation to turn over its evidence to the defence to prepare for trial. Naqvi had already announced last year that the provincial government would appoint more judges to the Ontario court of justice and prosecutors following the Jordan decision, but his request regarding preliminary hearings is so far his most notable attempt at reducing delay. He called it a necessary structural change in an interview with the Star. We cannot just agree on status quo anymore, he said. I think the Supreme Court has told us very clearly that being complacent is no longer the option. So its important from my perspective that we have a national conversation so that we can look at that idea about preliminary inquiries and others in the view of structural change, so that we have timely delivery of criminal justice in our country and in Ontario. By way of justification, Naqvi told Wilson-Raybould in his letter that there are now more effective and efficient procedures in place to assess the sufficiency of charges, saying that the Crowns screening standard on pursuing charges is already higher than the preliminary hearing test on whether an accused should stand trial. He also noted that the Supreme Court has previously said the discovery function of the preliminary hearing, where the accused hears the case against them, has lost much of its relevance given a landmark 1991 ruling from the top court, R v. Stinchcombe, which found the Crown already must provide all evidence to the defence. In recent months, Ontario has been conducting detailed analysis regarding the effectiveness of preliminary inquiries in criminal cases destined for the Superior Court, he wrote. We have found that the vast majority of preliminary inquiries result in the accused being committed to stand trial, yet this step in the process typically adds many months to the length of a criminal case. Wilson-Raybould has yet to formally reply. Naqvi asked her for a special meeting that would include all provincial and territorial justice ministers to consider what other steps should be taken now. Naqvi also reiterated his plea that Wilson-Raybould move to fill the 11 judicial vacancies in the understaffed Superior Court. The fact Naqvi asked that preliminary hearings be limited to the most serious of cases such as murder came as a bit of a head-scratcher to defence lawyers, seeing as most of the hearings are already only happening in serious cases. According to Statistics Canada, preliminary hearings were requested or held in only about 3 per cent of completed adult criminal cases in 2014-2015, which StatsCan said has been a consistent trend over the past 10 years. Defence lawyers point out the actual percentage may be even lower because the data do not distinguish between hearings that are scheduled and held versus scheduled, but not held for example, an accused person showing up for the first day of the preliminary hearing, but who ends up pleading guilty instead. Of the 9,179 completed adult criminal cases that involved a preliminary inquiry in 2014-2015, about 80 per cent were completed before the 30-month ceiling in Superior Court that was set by the Supreme Court in Jordan. Preliminary hearings are a low-hanging fruit that provides a political solution and the appearance of action, said Ottawa defence lawyer Michael Spratt. (Naqvis) letter was a political letter, its why it was released publicly. I have no doubt that Minister Naqvi has ways to communicate discretely his concerns with (Wilson-Raybould), but he didnt do that this time. If he really wanted to write to the federal government to provide real solutions, he could have asked for speedier action on reforms to minimum sentences, to restore elements of conditional sentences. He could have urged the federal government to decriminalize marijuana while we wait for this long-anticipated legislation. Lawyers are quick to point out that the Supreme Court set a 30-month timeline in Superior Court, versus 18 months in provincial court, for a reason: It takes into account that there may be a preliminary hearing. Without the prelim, the 30-month ceiling would probably be knocked down by the top court. Although no changes have yet been made to the Criminal Code regarding prelims, defence lawyers in Ontario have already complained of Crowns increasingly seeking what are known as preferred indictments post-Jordan to bypass the preliminary inquiry and head straight to trial. (There is no constitutional right to a preliminary inquiry, although lawyers say it is an important procedural right for the accused.) The Criminal Lawyers Association president, Anthony Moustacalis, said it is not unusual for interested parties not to be consulted on inter-government proposals ahead of time, but said he did with meet with Naqvi soon after the letter was made public. Importantly, he agreed to keep an open mind, but wanted to start the inter-government dialogue right away, Moustacalis said. I explained that prelims are necessary, are generally two days or less, and save time in Superior Court. Also, they allow the parties to assess the viability of their case better than untested statements to police. On the prosecution side, there are still times when Crown attorneys are grateful for the preliminary hearing because it gives them an opportunity to assess their case in advance of a trial, said Kate Matthews, president of the Ontario Crown Attorneys Association. There are times when you finish a prelim and think, Do I really want to take this to a jury? Are there weaknesses in the case that have been revealed? she said. You cant always see the strength of the case on the paper disclosure you have. Matthews explained that the vast majority of cases are known as hybrid offences, where the Crown can elect to proceed summarily or by indictment. If they proceed summarily, the case is heard in provincial court, where the maximum penalties are lower and the cases are often dealt with quicker. Another result of proceeding summarily is that there is no preliminary hearing. Increasingly, this was happening long before the Jordan decision came down. Crowns were already well aware of delays, especially in Superior Court, Matthews said. Where possible, if it was still a legitimate route to take without offending other principles, we were trying to elect summarily to keep cases out of Superior Court. Matthews said she doesnt believe abolishing prelims will be helpful in the long run. Its a complicated issue, but what I would say is this: when youre looking at the tools to solve trial delay, preliminary inquiries are a small, small part of why we have trial delay. To the extent that governments are looking to changes of the preliminary inquiry rules to solve this problem, its not going to solve this problem. If the concern is clogging up the courts, Toronto criminal defence lawyer Daniel Brown has suggested that in some cases where both sides agree there should be a trial, a preliminary inquiry could be held in a boardroom without the need for a judge or courtroom, similar to the discovery process used in civil proceedings. There are cases where we agree the case should go to trial, we just need to hear from certain witnesses, he said. Often times, waiting for a courtroom and a judge to be available is what leads to a lot of the delay. When we go into court and they say we can give you a judge or courtroom six months from now, well, how long will it take to get a boardroom? And what it does is that those cases that do require a judge can be heard sooner. Its true that most accused persons are sent to trial after a prelim, but some charges are modified at the end of the prelim, such as a first-degree murder charge being dropped down to second-degree based on the evidence presented. In a small number of cases, the accused is discharged when the judge rules there isnt sufficient evidence for a trial. Even if they might have been acquitted at trial, being discharged means the accused person no longer has criminal charges hanging over their head along with bail conditions, and in some cases, no longer has to stay in jail pending trial. People who want to get rid of the prelim will say we don't have that need for discovery anymore because we have full disclosure, but the preliminary inquiry has two purposes, a discovery purpose and a screening purpose, said Ottawa criminal defence lawyer Anne London-Weinstein. She raised the case of Susan Nelles as an example of the preliminary inquirys screening purpose. The young Hospital for Sick Children nurse was accused in the early 1980s of murdering four infants, a sensational story at the time, only for the case to collapse at the preliminary inquiry and for Nelles to be discharged. (Questions have been raised about whether any of the babies were actually murdered, or were inadvertently exposed to a toxin in medical equipment.) The case against Nelles is now considered to have been bogus. The provincial government later paid her $190,000 in compensation. SHARE: Queens Park wants Ottawa to help cool home prices in overheated real estate markets such as Toronto. Ontario Finance Minister Charles Sousa is urging federal Finance Minister Bill Morneau to take steps in his budget Wednesday to curb speculation contributing to the soaring cost of homes. Uncertainty in the housing market has been partially driven by speculation, Sousa told the house on Monday after sending an open letter to Morneau imploring him to act. Ive sent a letter to the federal minister of finance to request that the federal government consider increasing the capital gains inclusion rate for non-principal residences, the provincial treasurer said. Under the current rule, when you sell a home that is not your principal residence for a profit, only 50 per cent of the capital gain is included in taxable income, he said. This change will be an important step toward keeping our countrys housing market stable and curbing price acceleration. Sousas comments come as he is preparing an Ontario budget expected next month. He was coy about what additional measures the provincial government will take to ensure house prices are more affordable. We are looking at a suite of options that may be available to us, said Sousa, who noted that he met with British Columbias Finance Minister Mike de Jong on Monday to discuss that provinces tax on foreign buyers in Vancouver. But the Ontario minister stressed he was concerned about the unintended consequences of any decisions we make, and indicated that domestic speculators are having a greater impact on housing prices than wealthy investors from abroad. Just today, TD Economics released a special report on the housing market, arguing that the heightened uncertainty in the market can be largely attributed to speculation, he said. The bank noted prices are expected to rise between 20 per cent and 25 per cent this year, and at roughly 3 per cent to 5 per cent in 2018. Uncertainty is running higher than usual due to the risk of more buyer speculative activity, the TD study said. Our analysis suggests speculative demand forces may have become more far-reaching within Torontos housing market. In Ottawa, an aide to Morneau said the federal government is committed to working closely with provinces and municipalities to tackle housing affordability issues. We believe all Canadians deserve a real and fair chance at success, and this includes having access to housing that meets their needs and that they can afford, press secretary Annie Donolo said in an email. We know that, for many middle-class Canadians, their home is the most important investment they will make in their lifetime. As such, it is critical to their financial well-being that this investment be protected, and for people to be making investments they can afford, said Donolo. Thats why Ottawa doubled the amount required as a down payment on homes costing more than $500,000. It now stands at 10 per cent. Were improving tax fairness by ensuring that the principal residence exemption is available only in appropriate cases, she said. With files from Bruce Campion-Smith Read more about: SHARE: WASHINGTONThe top two lawmakers on the House intelligence committee said Sunday that documents the Justice Department and FBI delivered late last week offered no evidence that the Obama administration had wiretapped Trump Tower, but the panels ranking Democrat says the material offers circumstantial evidence that American citizens colluded with Russians in Moscows efforts to interfere in the presidential election. There was circumstantial evidence of collusion. There is direct evidence, I think, of deception, Rep. Adam Schiff said. Theres certainly enough for us to conduct an investigation. The House intelligence committee is to begin hearings Monday into Russias role in cybersecurity breaches at the Democratic National Committee (DNC), as well as U.S. President Donald Trumps unsubstantiated claim that his predecessor had authorized a wiretap of Trump Tower. FBI Director James Comey and Mike Rogers, the director of the National Security Agency, are slated to testify. Intelligence officials have said that Russia was behind the theft of DNC emails last summer. The U.S. government later concluded that the Russian government directed the DNC hack in an attempt to influence the outcome of Novembers presidential election. For the first time the American people, and all the political parties now, are paying attention to the threat that Russia poses, committee chairperson Devin Nunes, said. We know that the Russians were trying to get involved in our campaign, like they have for many decades. Theyre also trying to get involved in campaigns around the globe and over in Europe. Read more: Trump jokes, offers no apology over baseless wiretap claim that has Britain livid U.S. Justice Department asks for more time to show proof of Trumps wiretap claim Trump alleges Obama wiretapped his phones, cites no evidence Nunes said the committee will also examine whether the Russians were trying to sow doubt in the U.S. electoral system or whether they were trying to help Trump get elected to the White House. We need to get to the bottom of that, Nunes said. Nunes and Schiff were among a number of lawmakers who said on Sundays news shows they had seen no evidence that the Obama administration ordered wiretaps on Trump during the campaign. Was there a physical wiretap of Trump Tower? No there never was, Nunes said. The information we received Friday continues to lead us in that direction. Nunes added: There was no FISA warrant I am aware of to tap Trump Tower. FISA stands for the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which requires investigators to seek a warrant from a secret court to wiretap a foreign suspect. Republican Sens. Tom Cotton of Arkansas and Susan Collins of Maine also said Sunday they had seen no evidence that the Obama administration had placed Trump under surveillance at Trump Tower, the Manhattan highrise that housed Trumps residence, business office and campaign office. Collins encouraged Trump to turn whatever evidence he has of the surveillance over to the congressional intelligence panels looking into the matter. The president repeatedly insisted last week that former president Barack Obama had Trump Tower put under surveillance late last fall. Trumps claims widened to two of the U.S.s staunchest allies. He repeated an unsubstantiated claim that Britains Government Communications Headquarters, the cyber intelligence agency known as the GCHQ, conducted the surveillance at Obamas request. The agency flatly denied the claim. During Angela Merkels first visit to the Trump White House, he also mentioned the Obama administrations monitoring of Merkels cellphone, a bruising incident in German-U.S. relations. What the president said was just patently false, Schiff said of the Trump Tower allegations, and the wrecking ball it created has now banged into our British allies and our German allies and continuing to grow in terms of damage. And he needs to put an end to this. Nunes spoke on Fox News Sunday, while Schiff and Collins appeared on NBCs Meet the Press, and Cotton was on CNNs State of the Union. Read more about: SHARE: ROXBURY, N.J.Crews have rescued a deer that was stuck in a frozen pond in New Jersey for nearly a day. The deer was pulled from the water in Roxbury shortly after 10 a.m. Sunday. But the animal initially struggled to walk on its own and it wasnt immediately known if it had suffered any injuries. The rescue came shortly after an amphibious land boat that crews were using to get near the deer started taking on water, forcing the rescuers into the ponds cold waters. But officials say none of them were injured. The deer had gotten stuck about 60 yards off shore on Saturday morning. Crews then worked for most of the day to free the animal, but eventually had to suspend their efforts around dusk. SHARE: The schools superintendent in Harrisonburg, Virginia, was meeting parents this month when a mother broke down in tears, explaining that she was undocumented. What would the school do, she asked, if she became separated from her children? I remember walking up to her and putting my arm on her shoulder and saying, Your child is safe at our school, said Scott Kizner, the city schools chief. But he also advised those at the meeting in the Shenandoah Valley that any parents worried about deportation need to make plans. Across the country, U.S. President Donald Trumps promise to crack down on illegal immigration is leading schools with large immigrant communities to consider how to care for children whose parents could be detained in federal raids. Parents, teachers and administrators have raised questions about how schools should respond if U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents come to a school to take away students or obtain records even though the agencys policy restricts enforcement actions on school grounds. Officials in Sacramento, Denver, Chicago and Miami have declared their schools havens, out of reach of ICE agents without special permission or a warrant. The Los Angeles school board voted days after the November election to resist any Trump administration attempts to use student data against students or families in immigration matters. A Wisconsin school district sent information home advising parents to keep their doors shut, stay silent and refuse to sign anything if ICE agents visit their home. Read the latest news on U.S. President Donald Trump In Virginia, the state schools chief urged local superintendents this month to ensure schools have current emergency contact information for parents and to prepare for situations in which children are stranded at school. The Maryland State Department of Education has not issued similar guidance, but a spokesman said the states long-standing policies mirror Virginias. D.C. Public Schools put out a statement in six languages urging advance preparation: Discuss whether you would wish your children to remain here, in the United States, or whether you would want your children going with you. Educators say connecting parents to community resources to help them prepare for family-separation scenarios is part of their job to ensure that children feel as secure as possible in class. Our goal is to get children in school and have them engage in learning, said Steven Staples, superintendent of public instruction for Virginia. A frightened child doesnt learn much. He also said the state doesnt want children to be missing days of school because of concerns about immigration status. Millions of U.S. children face growing uncertainty at home because of shifts in immigration policy. The Pew Research Center estimates 3.9 million schoolchildren had an unauthorized immigrant parent in 2014 or 7.3 percent of all schoolchildren. About 725,000 of those children were unauthorized immigrants themselves. Read more: Irish prime minister calls on Trump to help undocumented immigrants Why does Trump keep running into legal trouble with his travel ban? Public contract notices offer more details on Trumps proposed border wall Trump has pledged to deport millions of unauthorized immigrants and erect a wall on the southern border to stop more from entering the country. Since taking office, he has expanded the pool of immigrants prioritized for deportation, sped up some deportation proceedings and called for hiring more border patrol and immigration enforcement officers. ICE arrests of undocumented immigrants in recent weeks have drawn widespread publicity. All of these developments have spread fear among immigrants. Some have retreated to their homes and stopped going to work. Historically, ICE agents have avoided schools. A 2011 memo says they are barred from arresting or interviewing people at schools, churches, hospitals and other sensitive locations, unless there is an imminent threat or they seek approval. Carissa Cuttrell, a spokeswoman for ICE, said the Department of Homeland Security is committed to ensuring that people seeking to participate in activities or utilize services provided at any sensitive location are free to do so without fear or hesitation. There has been scrutiny in recent weeks of ICE actions near sensitive locations. In Alexandria, Virginia, agents arrested men after they left a church homeless shelter. Another man was detained in Los Angeles about a half-mile from a charter school after he dropped off his daughter. The local teachers union called the arrest a deliberate tactic being deployed by the Trump administration to spread fear. ICE said the man in Los Angeles, Romulo Avelica-Gonzalez, had multiple prior criminal convictions and an outstanding order for removal that dated back to 2014. In his memo to Virginia schools, Staples reminded superintendents that ICE agents are barred from school grounds unless they have a warrant and that student records should not be released without a subpoena. Several superintendents who happened to have fairly large immigrant populations were mindful that it was a possibility, and given the national conversation I think their inclination was to seek advice before they had an incident rather than afterward, Staples said. Not everyone agrees that schools should be off-limits for immigration enforcement. Corey Stewart, chair of the Prince William Board of County Supervisors in Virginia and a Republican candidate for governor, said immigration agents need to be in schools to combat violence, some of which has been linked to gangs that recruit in schools and have members who are unauthorized immigrants. Its not the schools role to interpose between and to try to stop ICE from doing its job, Stewart said. He added that he was not concerned that the presence of immigration agents could deter other undocumented students from coming to school. Rooting out gangs, especially those who are preying on children, is a much higher priority than not offending a couple of illegal aliens. Many school officials say they want to allay the fears of families. They have hosted educational and legal seminars for immigrants, and in some cases assigned staff to support them. In Harrisonburg, Kizner assembled a crisis response team for immigrant students and their families. He also sent home forms to parents, asking in English and Spanish: In the event of family separation (accident, arrest, emergency hospitalization, etc.) who will take care of your child temporarily? The Prince Georges County school system in Maryland has worked with the county government to place bilingual community resource officers in schools to support students dealing with immigration-related problems. Parent-teacher associations in Alexandria have organized know your rights seminars, with the first held this month in an elementary school auditorium. At that event, an attorney from the Tahirih Justice Center urged undocumented parents to think about who would care for their children and what would happen to their property if they are detained. Folks are very, very fearful and very uncertain, but I think also wanting to be as proactive as they can be, Kathryn Finley, the attorney, said. Despite the words of reassurance, many immigrant parents even those with legal status are anxious. Our families, and quite frankly, our staff are terrified, Allegra Happy Haynes, a member of Denvers school board, said at a recent conference of the Council of the Great City Schools. And despite the resolution we passed that you dont get into our schools without a court order, they remain fearful. Staff are scared that they might somehow violate the law, she said, even as they focus on protecting their kids. Catherine Lhamon, a former assistant education secretary for civil rights in the Obama administration, said at the conference that schools can take many steps to help families. But ultimately, she said, they must also acknowledge that they cant guarantee anything about the direction of federal immigration policy. Thats just a chilling reality, Lhamon said. Arelis R. Hernandez contributed to this report. Read more about: SHARE: WASHINGTONThe Canadian government has fired off a letter to a group of U.S. lawmakers who support tougher Buy American rules, foreshadowing a possible tussle ahead as American procurement policies get debated this year. David MacNaughton, Canadas ambassador to Washington, sent a letter last week to four Democratic lawmakers who have urged U.S. President Donald Trump to restrict foreign suppliers, including on the Keystone XL oil pipeline. The issue is especially relevant this year for three reasons. A big U.S. infrastructure bill is coming, potentially worth $1 trillion (U.S.) in contracts; procurement could be an issue in NAFTA negotiations; and the winds of protectionism are blowing in Washington. Read more: G20 drops pledge to fully oppose trade protectionism amid Trump pushback First G20 skirmish with Trump administration sets scene for free trade battle Support for Buy American policies exists within both parties, with a vocal new booster in Trump, but its especially strong among Democrats including those addressed in the letter. Imposing local content requirements on the purchasing decisions of private companies is unprecedented and would have potentially severe and wide-ranging consequences, including vis-a-vis international trade obligations, said MacNaughtons March 16 note. These are crucial principles that Canada and the United States have together championed for decades. The letter goes on to say that while the U.S. procurement market is larger, the Canadian one is more open that just three per cent of U.S. federal contracts are won by foreign suppliers, while 11 per cent are in Canada. It says Canadian suppliers win 0.15 per cent of U.S. contracts, while American suppliers win more than nine per cent of federal contracts in Canada including Microsoft, North American Steel and 3M Cogent. The letter concludes by making the case against protectionism: It drives up prices, results in fewer projects and ultimately costs jobs. Two of the recipients of the letter held a press conference criticizing Trump for allowing the Keystone XL pipeline to be built with foreign steel. Tammy Baldwin said: President Trump so far has shown that he will talk the talk when it comes to Buy American, but he wont walk the walk. The lawmakers referred to a U.S. federal report that shows the U.S. allows far more foreign competition in government projects than the next five largest countries in the World Banks government procurement agreement combined. The U.S. opens $198 billion of its federal projects under that global agreement, according to the report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office it says Canada offers just $2.25 billion, not including provincial and local projects. A Canada-U. S. trade lawyer says the issue isnt a slam-dunk case for Canada. But he says the letter from MacNaughton makes sense, given that NAFTA and the infrastructure bill could be coming up. I dont think the ambassadors letter is going to make the issue go away but it is not a surprising opening gesture, said Mark Warner of MAAW Law in Toronto. I dont think our trading partners agree that our procurement markets are as open as the ambassador suggests. He noted that Canada excluded Hydro-Quebec and Infrastructure Ontario from its European trade agreement. He says he expects the U.S. to seek the slight expansion of procurement in services Canada offered in the now-scrapped Trans-Pacific Partnership. The 2016 U.S. report on foreign trade barriers said U.S. businesses have access to most procurement from Canadian federal departments, and a large number of provincial entities, and to some but not all of Canadas Crown corporations. The last time Buy American became a major Canada-U. S. irritant was 2009. Congress passed a major stimulus bill with protections for domestic construction companies; it took months for the Harper government and Obama administration to agree to a temporary, partial workaround. Read more about: SHARE: LUCEDALE, MISS.In the waning days of U.S. President Barack Obamas administration, supporters of LGBT rights hailed the first federal hate crime conviction for the killing of a transgender woman in Mississippi. With President Donald Trump now in office, they worry about the future of such prosecutions. Trumps new attorney general, Jeff Sessions, opposed the 2009 hate crime law when he was a U.S. senator, saying it was overly broad and he thought it was unnecessary to include further protections for gay and transgender people. During his January confirmation hearing, Sessions told fellow senators they can be sure I will enforce the law, but some observers wonder about his commitment. We really might be looking at a new day under Sessions, and that has huge implications for how the federal government is going to treat violence that is absolutely rampant in the transgender community, said Jordan Woods, a University of Arkansas law professor who studies LGBT legal issues. Read the latest news on U.S. President Donald Trump Sentencing in the Mississippi case is May 15. With a plea agreement in place, its unlikely Sessions could change the strategy in this prosecution. Joshua Vallum, an ex-convict and top-ranking gang member, faces life in prison without parole for killing 17-year-old Mercedes Williamson, who was born male but transitioned to a female. Prosecutors say Vallum, 29, and Williamson dated and that he killed his transgender girlfriend because he worried fellow gang members would discover their relationship and kill both of them because gay sex was strictly forbidden by the Latin Kings gang. Attorney Dru Levasseur of the LGBT rights group Lambda Legal said supporters had a frustratingly long wait for the first federal hate crime prosecution involving a transgender person. Read more: An entirely confusing story from Donald Trump on gay rights Tight budgets could complicate AG Jeff Sessions crackdown on violent crime Trump admin lifts federal guidelines on bathrooms for transgender students One in every 137 U.S. teens would identify as transgender, report says We waited for many years for the government to finally deploy that law, Levasseur said. Hate crimes have historically been a priority for the FBI and Justice Department. Investigations are typically initiated by the FBI and the attorney general doesnt need to sign off on each prosecution. Six Democrats in Congress wrote to Sessions on March 10 to ask the Justice Department to investigate as hate crimes the deaths of seven transgender women this year, including another one in Mississippi. The Justice Department declined comment. Crimes motivated by a loathing of sexual orientation or race will often be prosecuted under state hate crime charges, but those vary. Mississippi, for example, doesnt include crimes against transgender people. Usually defendants will also face charges such as assault or murder, but people are more likely to be convicted in federal court and can sometimes face longer sentences. In Vallums case, he pleaded guilty to murder in state court and was sentenced to life in prison, but with a chance of parole. He could get life in prison without parole for his federal guilty plea. Theres a lot of variability in the willingness of state and local jurisdictions to prosecute, said Rebecca Stotzer, a University of Hawaii professor who has studied violence on LGBT people. Vallum previously served time for a fake bomb threat at a church. While imprisoned, he joined the Latin Kings gang, going by the name King Chaos. After his release, Vallum met Williamson online and they dated for months in 2014. In his defence, Vallum initially told sheriffs deputies and later The Sun Herald newspaper that he found out that Williamson had a penis on May 30, 2015 moments before he killed her. He said he blacked out and doesnt remember the crime, a variation of whats known as a gay panic or trans panic defence. Prosecutors doubted the claim, in part because the FBI found a cache of gay porn on Vallums cellphone and because he was charged with indecent exposure in Alabama. Most significantly, Vallum didnt contest evidence in court that he long knew Williamson was transgender. Federal prosecutor Julia Gegenheimer said during Vallums plea hearing in December that he began planning to kill Williamson after a friend called him May 28 to say hed discovered her identity. Vallum lured Williamson into a car in Alabama and drove her 80 kilometres to his family home near Lucedale, Mississippi, prosecutors said. He shocked her with a stun gun and stabbed her in the body and head with a pocketknife. When she tried to run into the woods, he chased her down and bashed her head with a hammer. Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights advocates say heinous attacks like this one should be prosecuted as hate crimes because they spread fear among their community. Hayley Seymour is a transgender woman who led a vigil for Williamson in Mobile, Alabama, after her death. Seymour didnt know Williamson, but she acted because she grew up nearby. Williamson had left home, had a tenuous relationship with her parents, and was struggling with a drug habit. She deserved better, Seymour said. I know how easily violence can happen and how easily it can be swept under the rug, she said. She moved to the Atlanta area because being transgender in Alabama was a nightmare. Despite fears that the hate crime law would be overused, prosecutions under Obamas administration were relatively few. An Associated Press analysis using data gathered by the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse at Syracuse University show that 47 people nationwide have been prosecuted using the law, with 37 convictions. Another 300 people were referred for prosecution, but hate crimes charges were never filed. In at least half those cases, there wasnt enough evidence or prosecutors couldnt prove intent, a key threshold. Levasseur said that whatever the difficulties, the law protecting LGBT people makes an important statement. This law is meant to send the message back that these lives matter, he said. Read more about: SHARE: PESAWAR, PAKISTANPakistans prime minister ordered the reopening of the countrys border with Afghanistan on Monday, ending a protracted closure that has cost businesses on both sides millions of dollars and deepened tensions between the two neighbours. Calling it a goodwill gesture, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif ordered the opening of all the crossings along the boundary, considered the busiest and most lucrative border crossings in South Asia. Pakistan closed the border in mid-February following a string of deadly militant attacks that Islamabad has blamed on militants hiding in Afghanistan. Since then, traders have complained of daily losses and prices of goods imported from Pakistan rose sharply in Afghanistan. Pakistan and Afghanistan often accuse the other of harbouring militants. They have also exchanged lists of insurgents each says are hiding in the others country, demanding action. Afghanistan has also sent Pakistan the location of 23 suspected insurgent training camps it says are operating on its territory. There has been no information from either Kabul or Islamabad that any insurgents have been handed over. Sharif said he decided on reopening the border because of shared cultural and religious ties between the two nations, as well as the economic losses incurred by the closure despite the presence of militants still in Afghanistan. Ziaul Haq Sarhadi, of a joint Pakistan-Afghan chamber of commerce, urged Sharifs government to move quickly to notify the border administration, which he said was still waiting for instructions to open the border. However, news of the border opening spread quickly and convoys of trucks that had been waiting to cross began moving toward the border later Monday. Lal Rahim Shinwari, president of the Traders Association, told The Associated Press that the opening is late in coming but still welcome. We have suffered losses on both sides, he said, speaking from Landi Kotal, which is near the border. He said the timing was auspicious as people in Afghanistan are preparing to celebrate the Persian New Year of Nawroz on Tuesday. We hope that trade and business will flourish without any further interruptions, he added. The deputy spokesman of the Afghan foreign ministry, Khairullah Azad, said that closing borders cant be the solution to problems and cant help us fight terrorism that needs a strong commitment and of course, practical action. Border closure can be harmful and can have negative impact on both Afghanistan and Pakistan, so once again, we appreciate and welcome the decision made to reopen the border, he added. Read more about: SHARE: VATICAN CITYPope Francis on Monday begged forgiveness for the sins and failings of the church and its members during Rwandas 1994 genocide, and told Rwandas president that he hoped his apology would help the country heal. In an extraordinary statement after Francis meeting with Rwandan President Paul Kagame, the Vatican acknowledged that the church itself bore blame, as well as some Catholic priests and nuns who succumbed to hatred and violence, betraying their own evangelical mission by participating in the genocide. During the 100-day genocide, more than 800,000 ethnic Tutsis and moderate Hutus were killed by Hutu extremists. Many of the victims died at the hands of priests, clergymen and nuns, according to some accounts by survivors, and the Rwandan government says many died in the churches where they had sought refuge. During the 25-minute meeting in the Apostolic Palace, Francis implored anew Gods forgiveness for the sins and failings of the church and its members, the Vatican said. He expressed the desire that this humble recognition of the failings of that period, which unfortunately disfigured the face of the church, may contribute to a purification of memory and may promote, in hope and renewed trust, a future of peace. The Rwandan government has long pressured the church to apologize for its complicity in the genocide, but both the Vatican and the local church have been reluctant to do so. The church has long said those church officials who committed crimes acted individually. In 1996, St. John Paul II refused to take blame on the churchs part for what transpired in Rwanda, saying in a letter to Rwandan bishops that: The church in itself cannot be held responsible for the misdeeds of its members who have acted against evangelical law. Four years later, however, he did make a general apology for a host of Catholic sins and crimes over its 2,000-year history. Amid continued pressure from the government, Rwandas Catholic bishops last year apologized for all the wrongs the church committed. The ministry of local government rejected the apology then as inadequate. During Rwandas annual dialogue in December, Kagame said he didnt understand why the church was so reluctant to apologize for genocide when popes have apologized for much lesser crimes. I dont understand why the pope would apologize for sexual offences, whether it is in the U.S., Ireland or Australia, but cannot apologize for the role of the church in the genocide that happened here, Kagame said at the time. On Monday, the Rwandan government called Francis meeting with Kagame a positive step forward. Todays meeting was characterized by a spirit of openness and mutual respect, said Foreign Minister Louise Mushikiwabo. It allows us to build a stronger base for restoring harmony between Rwandans and the Catholic Church. However, Mushikiwabo repeated charges that even before 1994, Catholic institutions helped divide Rwandans and laid the intellectual foundation for genocide ideology. Today, genocide denial and trivialization continue to flourish in certain groups within the church and genocide suspects have been shielded from justice within Catholic institutions, the statement said. SHARE: Police arrested two hotel employees on charges of disturbing peace and creating nuisance, however, no one from the demonstrating cow vigilante brigade was taken into custody. By Dev Ankur Wadhawan: Over 100 cow vigilantes protested outside Hotel Hayat Rabbani in Jaipur on Sunday night alleging beef was cooked and served there. Komal Didi, a cow vigilante from the Gaurakasha Dal, led the demonstration and had a heated argument with the hotel staff claiming that they are serving beef. It was also alleged that the hotel staff threw the remnants of the non-vegetarian food in the nearby park. advertisement Hotel owner Naeem was not traceable after the ruckus began. Police was called in late on Sunday night, which arrested two hotel employees - Ashfaq and Wasim on charges of disturbing peace and creating nuisance. However, no one from the demonstrating cow vigilante brigade was taken into custody. Jaipur Municipal Corporation (JMC) has sealed the hotel on the charge of not discarding garbage properly. Banphool Singh, Sindhi Camp Police Station SHO, told India Today that the food samples collected were prima facie found to be that of chicken but further investigation will be carried out by the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL). ALSO READ | India Today expose: How Gau Rakshaks turn into extortion mafias ALSO READ | Two 'beef transporters' forced to eat cow dung by Haryana's Gau Rakshak Dal --- ENDS --- WASHINGTONThe political appointee charged with keeping watch over Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt and his aides has offered unsolicited advice so often that after just four weeks on the job, Pruitt has shut him out of many staff meetings, according to two senior administration officials. At the Pentagon, theyre privately calling the former Marine officer and fighter pilot whos supposed to keep his eye on Defense Secretary Jim Mattis the commissar, according to a high-ranking defence official with knowledge of the situation. Its a reference to Soviet-era Communist Party officials who were assigned to military units to ensure their commanders remained loyal. Read the latest news on U.S. President Donald Trump Most members of U.S. President Donald Trumps cabinet do not yet have leadership teams in place or even nominees for top deputies. But they do have an influential coterie of senior aides installed by the White House who are charged above all with monitoring the secretaries loyalty, according to eight officials in and outside the administration. This shadow government of political appointees with the title of senior White House adviser is embedded at every cabinet agency, with offices in or just outside the secretarys suite. The White House has installed at least 16 of the advisers at departments including Energy and Health and Human Services and at some smaller agencies such as NASA, according to records first obtained by ProPublica through a Freedom of Information Act request. These aides report not to the secretary, but to Rick Dearborn, the White House deputy chief of staff for policy, according to administration officials. A top Dearborn aide, John Mashburn, leads a weekly conference call with the advisers, who are in constant contact with the White House. The aides act as a go-between on policy matters for the agencies and the White House. Behind the scenes, though, theyre on another mission: to monitor cabinet leaders and their top staffs to make sure they carry out the presidents agenda and dont stray too far from the White Houses talking points, said several officials with knowledge of the arrangement. Especially when youre starting a government and you have a changeover of parties when policies are going to be dramatically different, I think its something thats smart, said Barry Bennett, a former Trump campaign adviser. Somebody needs to be there as the White Houses man on the scene. Because theres no senior staff yet, theyre functioning as the White Houses voice and ears in these departments. The arrangement is unusual. It wasnt used by presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush or Bill Clinton. And its also different from the traditional liaisons who shepherd the White Houses political appointees to the various agencies. Critics say the competing chains of command eventually will breed mistrust, chaos and inefficiency especially as new department heads build their staffs. Its healthy when there is some daylight between the presidents cabinet and the White House, with room for some disagreement, said Kevin Knobloch, who was chief of staff under Obama to then-energy secretary Ernest Moniz. That can only happen when agency secretaries have their own team, who report directly to them, he said. Otherwise it comes off as not a ringing vote of confidence in the cabinet. The White House declined to comment about the appointees on the record, citing the confidentiality of personnel matters and internal operations. But a White House official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, contested their mission of holding agencies accountable and said they technically report to each departments chief of staff or to the secretaries themselves. The advisers were a main point of contact in the early transition process as the agencies were being set up, the official said in an email. Like every White House, this one is in frequent contact with agencies and departments. The advisers power may be heightened by the lack of complete leadership teams at many departments. The long delay in getting Trumps nominee for agriculture secretary, former Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue, a Republican, confirmed means that Sam Clovis, who was a Trump campaign adviser, and transition team leader Brian Klippenstein continue to serve as the agencys top political appointees. He and Brian Klippenstein are just a handful of appointees on the ground and theyre doing a big part of the day-to-day work said Dale Moore, the American Farm Bureau Federations public policy executive director. Every president tries to assert authority over the executive branch, with varying degrees of success. The Obama White House kept tight control over agencies, telling senior officials what they could publicly disclose about their own departments operations. Foreign policy became so centralized that State Department and Defense Department officials complained privately that they felt micromanaged on key decisions. After then-attorney general Eric Holder made some political gaffes, Obama aides wanted to install a political aide at the Justice Department to monitor him. But Holder was furious about the intrusion and blocked the plan. Former Defense Secretary Robert Gates pushed back against a top official the White House wanted at the Pentagon to guide Asia policy, wary of someone so close to the president in his orbit. Former Republican house speaker Newt Gingrich a Trump adviser, said the president needs to dispatch political allies to the agencies to monitor a bureaucracy thats being targeted for reduction. If you drain the swamp, you better have someone who watches over the alligators, Gingrich said. These people are actively trying to undermine the new government. And they think its their moral obligation to do so. At the Transportation Department, former Pennsylvania lobbyist Anthony Pugliese shuttles back and forth between the White House and DOT headquarters on New Jersey Avenue, according to an agency official. His office is just 20 paces from Secretary Elaine Chao, the official said. Day to day, Pugliese and his counterparts inform cabinet officials of priorities the White House wants them to keep on their radar. They oversee the arrival of new political appointees and co-ordinate with the West Wing on the agencys direction. The arrangement is collegial in some offices, including at Transportation and Interior, where aides to Chao and Secretary Ryan Zinke insisted that the White House advisers work as part of the team, attending meetings, helping form an infrastructure task force and designing policy on public lands. Tensions between the White House and the cabinet already have spilled into public view. Mattis, the defence secretary, and Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly were caught unaware in January by the scope of the administrations travel ban in January. The president has been furious about leaks on national security matters. Trump does not have long-standing relationships or close personal ties with most leaders in his cabinet. Thats why gauging their loyalty is so important, said officials who described the structure. A lot of these (cabinet heads) have come from roles where theyre the executive, said a senior administration official not authorized to publicly discuss the White House advisers. But when you become head of an agency, youre no longer your own person. Its a hard change for a lot of these people: Theyre not completely autonomous anymore. Many of the senior advisers lack expertise in their agencys mission and came from the business or political world. They include Trump campaign aides, former Republican National Committee staffers, conservative activists, lobbyists and entrepreneurs. At Homeland Security, for example, is Frank Wuco, a former security consultant whose blog Red Wire describes the terrorist threat as rooted in Islam. To explain the threat, he appears on YouTube as a fictional jihadist. Matt Mowers, a former aide to New Jersey Gov. Christie who was Trumps national field co-ordinator before landing at the State Department as senior adviser, said through a spokesman that he leads interagency coordination among the White House, agencies and the National Security Council and co-ordinates on policy and personnel. Mowers sits at the edge of Secretary of State Rex Tillersons seventh-floor suite, dubbed Mahogany Row. But neither Tillerson nor his chief of staff are his direct boss. Many of the advisers arrived from the White House with the small groups known as beachhead teams that started work on Jan. 20. One of the mandates at the top of their to-do list now, Bennett said, is making sure the agencies are identifying regulations the administration wants to roll back and vetting any new ones. At the Pentagon, Brett Myers acts as a go-between between Mattis team and the White House, largely on bureaucratic matters, said an official who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss personnel issues. Career officials who work near the E ring offices occupied by senior Pentagon staff, suspicious that Byers is not directly on Mattis team, came up with the Soviet-era moniker commissar to describe him, someone familiar with their thinking said. Elsewhere, resentment has built up. Pruitt is bristling at the presence of former Washington state senator Don Benton, who ran the presidents Washington state campaign and is now the EPAs senior White House adviser, said two senior administration officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss personnel matters. These officials said Benton piped up so frequently during policy discussions that he had been disinvited from many of them. One of the officials described the situation as akin to an episode of the HBO comedy series Veep. Trumps approach may not be so different than Abraham Lincolns. Coming into the White House after more than a half-century of Democrats in power, Lincoln worked swiftly to oust hostile bureaucrats and appoint allies. But he still had to deal with an Army led by many senior officers who sympathized with the South, as well as a government beset by internal divisions. Gettysburg College professor Allen Guelzo described Lincoln as surrounded by smiling enemies, which prompted him to embed his friends into army camps as well as some federal departments. I think that presidents actually do this more than it appears, said Guelzo, adding that Lincoln dispatched Quartermaster General of the U.S. army Montgomery Meigs to circulate among the Army of the Potomac to pick up any negative doggerel or insults officers made about him. Read more about: SHARE: FBI Director James Comey is about to testify on the continuing U.S. investigation into Russias meddling in last years presidential election, but U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday accused Democrats of making up claims and pushed the agency and Congress to focus instead on media leaks. The House Intelligence Committee will try to untangle a web of conspiracies including Trumps unsupported allegation that his predecessor had Trump Tower wiretapped Monday morning when it hears from Comey and Admiral Michael Rogers, director of the National Security Agency, in a rare open session. The Democrats made up and pushed the Russian story as an excuse for running a terrible campaign. Big advantage in Electoral College & lost! Trump tweeted early Monday. The real story that Congress, the FBI and others should be looking into is the leaking of Classified information. Must find leaker now! Heres what to watch for: Was Trump wiretapped? After Trumps Twitter posting March 4 claiming that former President Barack Obama had my wires tapped in Trump Tower just before the victory, Comey unsuccessfully urged the Justice Department to publicly deny the allegation, according to a U.S. official who requested anonymity in order to discuss sensitive issues. Now, the hearing may give Comey and Rogers an opportunity to deny there was any such bugging. Theyre not likely to hear dissent from committee members on that score. Representative Devin Nunes of California, the committees Republican chairman, said on Fox News Sunday that the president doesnt go and physically wiretap someone. So if you take Trump literally, he said, it didnt happen. Read more: Intel documents offer no evidence of spying on Trump Tower No indication Trump Tower was wiretapped, two U.S. senators say No, Barack Obama didnt wiretap Donald Trump, says Republican intelligence committee chairman Kellyanne Conway explains microwave oven comments; Im not Inspector Gadget The panels top Democrat, Representative Adam Schiff of California, said Sunday on NBCs Meet the Press that a classified dossier from the Justice Department delivered on Friday showed no evidence to support the presidents claim that he was wiretapped by his predecessor so I hope we can put an end to this wild goose chase, because what the president said was patently false. Jeremy Bash, who was the CIAs chief of staff during the Obama administration, said Comeys testimony is likely to complicate things for Trump. He will either repudiate the wiretapping claim or he will leave open the idea that there is an investigation of the presidents inner circle, Bash said. Either story is bad for the president. Was Trumps campaign under surveillance? After the uproar that followed Trumps tweets on Obama and wiretapping, the president and his spokesmen recast the claim, saying he was referring to surveillance more broadly. While many lawmakers from both parties have said theres no sign that Obama ordered spying on Trump, Nunes said Sunday hes pursuing whether there were any other surveillance activities that were used that led to the unmasking of names and the leaking of names. Nunes cited the case of Michael Flynn, Trumps first national security adviser. Flynn was forced to resign in February after it was revealed hed spoken to Sergey Kislyak, Russias ambassador to the U.S., during the presidential transitionand, crucially, misled U.S. Vice-President Mike Pence about their discussions. This month, Attorney General Jeff Sessions recused himself from probes related to Russias role in the 2016 campaign and potential contacts between Russian officials and the Trump campaign team, after acknowledging that he met twice last year with Kislyak. Intelligence agencies are known to listen in on communications by foreign leaders and diplomats, including ambassadors like Kislyak, but the contents of those calls arent supposed to be disclosed. Whatever happened to Russian hacking? The ostensible topic of Mondays hearing is the Intelligence Committees Russian Active Measures Investigationin other words, the finding by U.S. intelligence agencies in January that Russia hacked into Democratic emails and leaked them to sow confusion in the U.S. electoral process, damage Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton, and help Trumps candidacy. There was no finding, though, that hackers affected the actual vote-counting process. Russia has denied it engaged in hacking. As intelligence agencies and congressional committees continue to investigate Russias actions, lawmakers and intelligence experts have expressed concern that Moscows model of interference including selective leaking of information and attempts to control media narratives could be replicated in other countries such as France, which holds its first round of presidential voting April 23. Did Trumps aides collude with Russia? Tying all of this together is the question of whether anyone close to Trump worked with the Russians during the campaign, whether in the hacking of Democrats or potential deal-making after the election. Trump supporters including Flynn, former campaign chairman Paul Manafort, and energy consultant Carter Page have denied any improprieties in their contacts with Russian officials or intermediaries. Documents released last week by congressional Democrats show Flynn received more than $45,000 (U.S.) from RT, the Russian government-backed television network, for his participation at a December 2015 gala where he sat at President Vladimir Putins table. Were there U.S. persons who were helping the Russians in any way? Schiff asked Sunday. Was there any form of collusion? Asked if there was evidence of collusion, Nunes responded, Ill give you a very simple answer: No. Can Comey satisfy lawmakers? Comey, 56, angered Republicans in 2016 when he announced there werent sufficient grounds to prosecute former Secretary of State Clinton or her aides for improper handling of classified information on her private email system. Then, many Democrats were infuriated when Comey announced in late October that he was looking at some new evidence, believing he cost Clinton the election. Comey is in his fourth year of a 10-year term heading the Federal Bureau of Investigation and can be removed only if he resigns or is fired by the president. In an aside during a March 8 speech, the director indicated he has no intention of stepping down voluntarily. Youre stuck with me for about another six-and-a-half years, he said. SHARE: Wednesdays federal budget can chart a strong Canadian response to stateside uncertainties on the economy and climate action. It can do that by launching a decade of locally driven growth through economy-boosting infrastructure projects across the country. But this will require some bold decisions next week on the federal infrastructure plan. Unprecedented dollars are already on the table: $81-billion over the coming 11 years for transit, social, green and other infrastructure. The Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) called for this investment, but were also the first to insist: historic dollars alone dont deliver historic outcomes. For that, well need a smart, long-term federal plan that empowers local governments to deliver outcomes for Canadians. This federal budget can launch the next era of public transit. As municipal leaders, we know that better transit will answer our residents calls for better mobility and faster commutes. And by moving forward now, well also be creating jobs, reducing emissions, and recovering billions of dollars in productivity now lost to gridlock. The Canadian Urban Transit Association has estimated that each dollar invested in transit returns three to the economy. But these numbers only begin to capture the opportunity that lies ahead. In 2017, modernized transit is integral to many cities plans to build the vibrant, livable urban environments that can attract the talent and investment Canada needs. With cities ready to move on transit expansions, unwieldy application-based funding programs wont get the job done. What cities need are predictable allocations that give them the confidence to push go on engineering and construction. Back that up with reasonable federal-provincial cost-sharing so local fiscal limits dont derail progress and well have the bones for a transformational transit plan on Wednesday. Setting our economy on the right path and improving Canadians quality of life also requires tackling Canadas housing crisis. Safe, affordable housing is the bedrock of the livable communities Canada needs to compete. Yet 1-in-5 renters now spends half their income on shelter, 1.5 million households cant find decent housing they can afford, and housing is becoming less affordable at every income level. Municipal leaders have been clear: we cant build Canadas future on top of this crisis. But we have also delivered a plan to turn this around. With $21.9 billion already earmarked for social infrastructure, we are calling for a bold federal decision to dedicate $12.6 billion to housing specifically to protect existing social housing and build new affordable homes. Wednesdays budget is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to secure investment on the scale thats needed to get this done. This will spark significant growth and create the conditions Canada needs for a successful long-term national housing strategy. Finally, theres the great challenge of our time: addressing climate change. As the Paris Agreement entered into force last October, the world was closer than ever to meaningful action on emissions. Today, signals from the new U.S. administration are shaking up already-difficult national debates. In this context, Wednesday is an opportunity for Canada to stake out fresh leadership. Municipalities influence half of Canadas greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. They are also modelling some of our countrys most innovative solutions from green fleets to building retrofits to transit innovation. Today, some of the richest potential to reduce national emissions lies in investing to scale up this local green innovation. With $21.9-billion available for green infrastructure, we expect to see federal support for major initiatives in emissions reductions across all orders of government. Ottawa cannot meet its climate objectives without deep engagement with municipalities. Wednesdays budget should get this work started, both to reduce GHGs and to adapt local infrastructure to new weather extremes. Cities and communities are Canadas economic engines. These are the places where people work, where businesses grow, where talent gathers and where innovation happens. Local governments have a record of delivering cost-effective local solutions to national challenges. And with the right tools in local hands, we are ready to build that path to a more livable, green and competitive Canada. Clark Somerville is president of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities and a local/regional councillor for the Town of Halton Hills and Halton Region. FCM is the national voice of local government, with nearly 2,000 members representing 91 per cent of Canadas population. SHARE: Vodafone Plc (VOD) said Monday that it is merging its subsidiary in India with Idea Cellular (ICLQY) that will create the country's biggest telecoms operator with over 400 million customers. The deal puts the two operators -- with a combined enterprise value of $23.3 billion -- and completes talks that were confirmed by Vodafone in late January. Vodafone will own 45.1% of the combined company, the company said in a statement, after transferring a stake of 4.9% to the Aditya Birla Group for around $579 million. Aditya Birla will own 26% and have the right to acquire more shares from Vodafone over time. "The combination of Vodafone India and Idea will create a new champion of Digital India founded with a long-term commitment and vision to bring world-class 4G networks to villages, towns and cities across India," said CEO Vittori Colao. "The combined company will have the scale required to ensure sustainable consumer choice in a competitive market and to expand new technologies - such as mobile money services - that have the potential to transform daily life for every Indian. We look forward to working with the Aditya Birla Group to create value for all stakeholders." Vodafone's operations in India have taken a toll on the company's bottom line, with the group reporting a first half loss of 5 billion ($5.9 billion) on a similar-sized writedown linked to a fierce price war in the market led by Reliance Jio Infocomm, a cut-price operator with the financial backing of billionaire Mukesh Ambani. Vodafone India is the nation's second largest operator by subscriber numbers, according to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India, with an 18.7% market share. It sits just behind Bharti Airtel Ltd., which has 24.3% of the market, while Idea Cellular is India's third largest company with a 17.2% share of the market, and a market capitalization of Rs.352 billion ($5.1 billion). Despite its vast size and growing population, the Indian market has been a problem for Vodafone, where it has spent years fighting government tax demands. The unit recorded 3 billion ($3.18 billion) of sales for the six months ending Sept. 31 and Ebitda of 892 million. It accounts for nearly 11% of total revenue and 14% of the bottom line. It also has at least 5.5 billion of net debt. Vodafone shares closed at 211.4 pence each in London Friday and have risen around 4.47% over the past three months, well ahead of the 0.765% gain for the FTSE 100 benchmark Shares of CytomX Therapeutics (CTMX) were up 34.4% to $20.40 in premarket trading Monday after the South San Francisco, Calif.-based company and New York-based Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMY) on Monday announced they are expanding their collaboration to discover novel therapies that will include up to eight additional targets using CytomX's proprietary Probody platform. The original collaboration was signed in May 2014. Aevi Genomic Medicine (GNMX) shares were down 59.6% to $2.20. The Philadelphia-based company announced top-line results from the SAGA trial of AEVI-001. The company said that although AEVI-001 did not meet the primary endpoint, "there was an encouraging improvement observed on the inattention subscale." Shares of Esperion Therapeutics (ESPR) jumped 32.2% to $31.30 after the Ann Arbor, Mich.-based lipid management company said the U.S. Food and Drug Administration "recently confirmed that Esperion's LDL-C lowering program is adequate to support approval of an LDL-C lowering indication for bempedoic acid." Esperion said it intends to submit a new drug application by the first half of 2019 for an LDL-C lowering indication based on the successful completion of the phase three clinical development program. Meanwhile, shares of Nektar Therapeutics (NKTR) were up nearly 22% to $18.90 after the San Francisco company on Monday unveiled results from the first late-stage clinical trial showing its experimental, addiction-resistant opioid NKTR-181 reduces pain significantly more than a placebo in patients with chronic back problems. Shares of Array BioPharma (ARRY) were down 10.9% to $9.41. The Boulder, Colo.-based company said Sunday it has withdrawn its new drug application from the FDA for binimetinib monotherapy for the treatment of NRAS-mutant melanoma. "Based on feedback from the agency, Array concluded that the clinical benefit demonstrated in the Phase 3 NEMO clinical trial would not be found sufficient to support approval of the NRAS-mutant melanoma NDA," Array said. The company said ongoing clinical trials for binimetinib will continue. The action announced on Sunday will not affect the planned phase three COLUMBUS trial NDA of binimetinib, in tandem with encorafenib, for the treatment of BRAF-mutant melanoma, Array said. Adam Feuerstein and Alicia McElhaney contributed to this article During his three-day trip to Beijing this week, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wants to enlarge Israel's high-tech presence in China and encourage future Chinese investment in the country, according to Reuters. The move is indicative of the prime minister shifting the Israeli economy towards Asia over Europe and the U.S. Over 100 technology executives have joined Netanyahu on the visit, with meetings planned with Chinese business leaders. The Washington Cos. announced Sunday, March 19, that it had offered to buy Dominion Diamond Corp. (DDC) in a deal valued at $1.1 billion. Washington said in a statement that it offered to pay $13.50 per Dominion share, a 36% premium over Dominion's closing price of $9.92 on Friday and a 54% premium over Dominion's close on Wednesday, when talks between the two companies ended. Shares of Dominion Diamond rocketed 23% Monday morning to $12.24 per share. The bidder is a group of privately held companies in the United States and Canada, collectively controlled by Montana billionaire Dennis Washington, engaging in businesses including mining, heavy equipment distribution and rail transportation. In a blistering response Sunday, Dominion criticized Washington's offer as "opportunistic," "highly questionable," "mostly boilerplate" and "self-serving," as well as one undervaluing Dominion. "Based on the presentation received from WashCorps, and by their own admission, the Board confirmed that WashCorps does not have experience in the highly specialized diamond mining and marketing industry," Dominion said. "WashCorps also advised that they did not have any unique plans for the business." Dominion also said that, contrary to Simkins' claims, Washington refused to accept "customary" conditions and also demanded the right to veto Dominion's board's choice of a new CEO. Washington said it proposed the deal in a Feb. 21 letter to Dominion's board of directors, after which the two sides began talks. By last Wednesday, however, Washington said Dominion demanded onerous terms to begin due diligence, including a broad 12-month standstill and an exclusivity period. Dominion predecessor Aber Diamond Corp. renamed itself Harry Winston Diamond Corp. in 2007 after buying the renowned jeweler for $157 million. Dominion took its current name in 2013, the same year it acquired its Ekati interest for $500 million and sold Harry Winston to Swatch Group Ltd. for $1 billion. Editor's note: This article was originally published by The Deal, a sister publication of TheStreet that offers sophisticated insight and analysis on all types of deals, from inception to integration. Click here for a free trial. In the Feb. 21 letter, Washington president Lawrence Simkins said his company is particularly interested in Dominion's Ekati Mine Jay pipe, which "is important to all of the stakeholders of the Company, including the local economy, and is an integral part of the value of the business." "Despite reasonable accommodations, which included Washington agreeing to a partial standstill providing that it would not acquire shares, make an unsolicited offer or sponsor a proxy fight during the standstill period and offering generous carve-outs to its exclusivity request, Dominion still refused," Washington said. As a mining company, Dominion should favor "a shareholder with a long-term view, patience and effectively permanent capital to invest in the business over multiple decades," Simkins said, adding that Washington would likely fund an acquisition with debt. "These conditions would frustrate the Company's ability to establish its senior leadership, would prevent Dominion from pursuing other value-creating opportunities, beyond the Company's current business plan, and would leave WashCorps free to lower its preliminary, highly conditional expression of interest or take advantage of the Company's confidential information to further its own interests through a subsequent 'cashless takeover,'" Dominion said. "In other words, WashCorps is seeking a self-interested 'free option' to learn of Dominion's business and prospects, while paralyzing the Company." An activist shareholder group led by Canadian hedge fund K2 & Associates Investment Management Inc. urged Dominion to explore a sale last year, with sources telling The Deal, a sister publication of TheStreet, that Rothschild & Co. was advising Dominion. Washington is taking financial advice from BDT & Co. LLC on the proposal. Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP and Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP are advising Washington on U.S. and Canadian law, respectively. TD Securities Inc. is providing financial advice to Dominion, while Stikeman Elliott LLP is its outside counsel. Kingsdale Shareholder Services Inc. is also advising Dominion. By India Today Web Desk: Kapil Sharma's weekend was quite happening, as he was in the news for both good and bad reasons. First, for introducing everyone to his girlfriend Ginni Chatrath and then for the mid-air ruckus that he created on a flight. A lot has been said and written about how a drunk Kapil Sharma allegedly assaulted his co-star Sunil Grover. Sunil has kept mum on the issue but Kapil has opened up on the matter and posted a note on Facebook this morning. He said that this is the first time in five years that he shouted on Sunil and that he respects him and he is like an elder brother to him. advertisement His note said, "Hi, good morning friends. I was celebrating my best time and suddenly I heard a news about me and Sunil paji fighting. First of all, see where it is coming from, what are the intentions behind this? If I fought with him in the flight then who saw it and informed you? Is he trustworthy? Some people enjoy these kinds of stuff. We eat together, we travel together...I meet my brother once in a year and spend almost every day with my team, especially Sunil. I love him, I respect him...Yes I had a argument with him but are we not normal people? I shouted at him for the first time in 5 years... itna to chalta hai bhai. We will sit and talk that where is the problem. I love him as an artist, as a human being. He is like my elder brother. Why so much negativity all the time? I respect our media. There are some other serious issues which we need to focus. Is my and Sunil's issue is so important and related to the security of my country? We spend a lot of time together rather than our families... an d sometime it happens in family. It's our family matter and we will sort this out... zyada maze mat liya karo. OK now I am tired of typing .. and one more thing.. I m going for the final schedule of Firangi. Hahahahaha.. sorry again promotion.. thank you so much for your love and blessings... keep smiling and stay happy always :)) love u all." According to reports, Kapil allegedly assaulted Sunil on a flight from Australia to Mumbai on Thursday night. The Kapil Sharma Show's entire team was in Australia for a tour, and were returning to Mumbai when the unpleasant incident took place. He misbehaved and abused loudly, which caught attention of the co-passengers too. There are also reports of Sunil planning to quit the show. --- ENDS --- A new report said the value of the airlines' credit card affiliations has long been dramatically underestimated because it hasn't been broken out by the carriers. "There is, currently, a clear and significant disconnect in the market between how much the loyalty programs within airlines are worth and how the total airline is being valued," wrote Stifel analyst Joseph DeNardi in the report issued Monday. "We are confident that this chasm will begin to close as airlines begin to provide improved disclosures as to how valuable the programs are over the next 12 to 24 months," DeNardi said. "We see the upside potential to current stock prices as highly compelling." While airlines trade around 10 times earnings, the multiple should be far higher due to the unrecognized value of the loyalty programs, DeNardi said. He dramatically raised target prices. American (AAL) closed Friday at $41.72. DeNardi's target price is $95. Alaska closed Friday at $93.36. DeNardi's target price is $145. Delta (DAL) closed Friday at $46.51. DeNardi's target price is $75. Also, Southwest closed Friday at $53.18. DeNardi's target price is $80. United (UAL) closed Friday at $66.79. DeNardi's target price is at $125. Shares in all five carriers were modestly higher on Monday morning. Airline loyalty programs link specific credit cards to frequent flier miles and other affinities with individual airlines. DeNardi's estimated value for the programs considers both their price/earnings ratio and his estimates of the discounted cash flow from the programs. Probably the most controversial component is that DeNardi applies a 22x multiple to his after-tax estimate of 2018 earnings from the loyalty programs. "We suspect there will be some degree of disagreement with the use of a 22x multiple," he acknowledged. "However, we view it as rather conservative given the profitability metric and growth potential for the programs. " DeNardi argued that airlines don't disclose enough information about their loyalty programs. Yet a few disclosures have occurred. America has said it expects its agreement with Citibank and Barclays to add $800 million to EBIT between 2015 and 2018. Delta has said it expects its relationship with American Express to add $1.6 billion in revenue between 2015 and 2021. That means revenue of $4 billion, up from $2.4 billion in 2015. One could conclude from DeNardi's report that airlines could profit by spinning off their frequent flier programs. However, he said, "Our view that a sum-of-the-parts is the best way to value airlines does not mean we advocate airlines spinning out their loyalty programs. We do not. "Rather, we would like {each airline} to begin reporting the loyalty program as its own operating segment, similar to what United did from 2002-2005," he said. "We believe this will provide a clearer picture as to how valuable the loyalty program is and result in management focusing on improving the profitability of the core airline rather than relying so much on the credit card partnership." This article is commentary by an independent contributor. At the time of publication, the author held no positions in the stocks mentioned. Manx Telecom plc provides a range of telecommunications services to consumers, businesses, and the public sector in the Isle of Man and internationally. It operates through five segments: Fixed Line, Broadband and Data; Mobile; Global Solutions; Data Centre; and Other. The Fixed Line, Broadband and Data segment offers fixed line, broadband, and connectivity services to approximately 37,000 homes and 4,000 businesses. It provides ADSL and VDSL, fixed line, and private circuit rental and connection services. The Mobile segment offers pre-paid and post-paid tariffs to various market segments; supports inbound roaming traffic; and sells mobile handsets, laptops, and accessories. It provides mobile calls, SMS, data, and mobile rental services. The Global Solutions segment offers wholesale SMS and voice, international traveler market, machine to machine, and signal mobile services, as well as mobile termination products, such as Chameleon. The Data Centre segment offers co-location, managed hosting, cloud, storage, disaster recovery, and business continuity services to corporate clients through three data centers. The Other segment provides phone book and business directory services; and operates MTTV, an online news channel, as well as manx.net portal. It also sells hardware equipment; and offers managed and interconnection services. The company was formerly known as Trafford Equityco Limited and changed its name to Manx Telecom plc in February 2014. Manx Telecom plc is headquartered in Braddan, the Isle of Man. After 139-day blockade came to an end in Manipur just ahead of the BJP government won the floor test in Assembly, people in the state now expect that normalcy would be restored soon. Prices had gone up many times in Manipur after United Naga Council imposed the economic blockade in November last year.. By Manogya Loiwal : The 139-day ordeal for people in Manipur has finally come to an end. Just ahead of the floor test of N Biren Singh government in Manipur Assembly today, the economic blockade was withdrawn. The United Naga Council (UNC) had began the economic blockade on November 1 last year protesting the previous Okram Ibobi Singh government's decision to create seven districts in hilly areas. advertisement The BJP had promised during the election campaign in Manipur that it would make sure that the economic blockade ended after it was voted to power. The UNC has opposed the decision to whittle out new districts from tribal-dominated hill areas in Manipur. These areas are predominantly inhabited by various Naga tribal groups. HOW UNC AGREED TO END BLOCKADE Staying true to his party's poll promise, Manipur Chief Minister Nongthombam Biren Singh brokered peace with the UNC before proving his majority in the Legislative Assembly. The Manipur government has agreed to release the arrested United Naga Council leaders along with withdrawal of all cases related to the economic blockade against the Naga tribal and student leaders over past few months. "In response, the UNC agreed to suspend the economic blockade from midnight (Monday) and will also be releasing the arrested leaders and rest the cases against them," said Suresh Babu, Principal Secretary (Home). The tripartite talks among the Centre, Manipur government and United Naga Council were held at Senapati District Headquarters along with the Joint Secretary (NE), Ministry of Home Affairs in the chair resulted in a decision after the discussion. UNC HAD A 'GENUINE' GRIEVANCE The UNC complained that the districts were created in violation of earlier agreements signed with the government. It also said that the selected class of consultancy group was not discussed with. Suresh Babu admitted that the Naga leaders had a genuine complaint. "We acknowledge that there are four agreements between the UNC and the government. In the agreement, there was a class that needed to be consulted. Perhaps the districts were created without consulting them," Suresh Babu said. He further added, "As per the new districts, which are created are concerned, they have specific issues to be discussed. Those issues will come up for discussion in the next round of meeting. WHAT PEOPLE SAY NOW The economic blockade of Imphal Valley caused immense problems for the masses. Prices went up many times. Petrol and diesel sold at over Rs 250 per litre. Now Manipur has got a huge reprieve. "It is good that the blockade has been removed. We expected to get petrol on the same price of Rs 70, but it is still ranging from Rs 100-Rs 200 a litre," said a relieved resident of the state. advertisement Another local said, "I am very happy with the end of economic blockade. The BJP government headed by Chief Minister Nongthombam Biren Singh has done a good thing. I run a fast-food centre and because of the blockade, I was facing a lot of difficulties. Now, I hope things will improve." UNC general secretary S Milan said, "The Manipur government has accommodated our concerns and also the government of India has respected the sentiments of Naga people. Everything will be redressed. We are on the right track. So, even if we are slow, we are sure to reach the destination." The next tripartite talks are expected to be held within a month at political level to iron out all other differences to find a permanent solution. (With Jit Ningomba in Manipur) ALSO READ| Manipur: After nearly five months of impasse, Naga blockade lifted ahead of CM Biren Singh's floor test --- ENDS --- Brazilian president Michel Temer, who is confronting a huge corruption scandal that is tarnishing the countrys lucrative meat industry, on Sunday met with executives as well as foreign diplomats in an attempt to assuage the health concerns that are tarnishing a sector that represents $12 billion of Brazils exports annually. The meetings followed raids by Brazilian police Friday that are investigating whether companies were paying bribes to conceal conditions deemed unsanitary at meatpackers. Temer is working to protect one of the few sectors that has remained vibrant in the largest economy in Latin America hit by two years of deep recession. Get Warning: Undefined variable $CompanyName in /home/accttr/public_html/wp-content/themes/responsalambre/single.php on line 65 alerts: The scandal has hit the prices of stock at JBS SA, the largest meat exporter in the world and BRF SA a poultry exporter, after both had been targeted in what was dubbed Operation Weak Flesh. Dozens of other smaller rivals were targeted as well. Addressing diplomats from the U.S., China, Europe and elsewhere, the Brazilian president said his government stands behind the quality of that countrys national product that has won over worldwide consumers and obtained approvals from the most rigorous of markets. Temer, who took a few of the diplomats to eat at a steakhouse following the meeting, called the raids isolated, but necessary to fight corruption. The president of Brazil looked to dispel any fears of the sector having system flaws, as today the sector is the worlds largest beef exporter as well as a number of other meat products. Temer said the countrys investigators would speed up their probe and stressed that the raids on Friday affected only 21 of over 4,800 meatpackers nationwide. Just 33 of over 11,000 inspectors were under investigation. Despite police allegations that some meat producers sold adulterated and rotten meat products, a senior official in the Agriculture Ministry said no sanitary risk was found. The allegations were worrisome from a point of view of crime and corruption, but from a perspective of health, the ministry is confident the sanitary issues that were alleged are not representative of a risk for exports or consumers. As such, officials in the government following the meeting quickly pointed out that the success in Brazil from the standpoint of a meat producer comes from what is a high-regarded and efficient system of controls for sanitation. They also noted that none of the over 150 countries that currently buy Brazilian exported meat had suspended its imports. Germany has sent three thermal cameras to the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine. The mission posted this information on Facebook. The OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (SMM) received thermal cameras donated by the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany today during an official handover ceremony held in the SMMs head office in Kyiv, reads a report. It is noted that cameras will enhance the OSCE SMM's capabilities to monitor and verify compliance with Minsk agreements. iy Infrastructure Minister of Ukraine Volodymyr Omelian says that two more low-cost airline companies can enter the Ukrainian air market. The year 2017 is a year of low-cost [airline companies] in Ukraine. We see that Raynair [one of the largest budget airlines in Europe] has already entered [the Ukrainian market]. Currently we hold talks with two low-cost companies from Europe," Omelyan stated on Hromdske Radio. The minister said he expects that negotiations will be fruitful. According to him, then this will lead to competition. And free competition means the direct obtaining of high-quality services at a low price, he summarized. iy Ukrainian-based banks with Russias state capital hold talks on the sale of assets. Deputy Governor of the National Bank of Ukraine Kateryna Rozhkova said this on the air of Inter TV channel. "We know for sure that all the banks with Russian state capital, which now work in Ukraine, are holding talks on potential sale," she said. According to Rozhkova, the NBU considers the sale to be the best way for these banks to leave the Ukrainian market, as "under the current conditions, it is impossible to speak about any further development of these banks in the territory of Ukraine." At the same time, the Deputy Governor of the National Bank of Ukraine noted that the possible sale would not affect the customers of the banks. As reported, March 16, President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko put into effect the decision of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine on the introduction of sanctions against five banks with Russian capital. The sanctions for a period of one year were imposed on PJSC Sberbank, VS Bank, PJSC "Joint-stock commercial industrial investment bank", PJSC "VTB BANK", PJSC "BM BANK" in form of prevention of the capital withdrawal outside Ukraine. ol By Press Trust of India: New Delhi, Mar 20 (PTI) Three key Cabinet Committees headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi were restructured today after Union minister Manohar Parrikar resigned and took over as chief minister of Goa. The Cabinet Secretariat today issued updated composition of all committees of Cabinet. Parrikar was member of Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs (CCPA) and Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS). All these committees are headed by Modi. His name has been replaced from all the three panels, as per the new composition, with Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, who has also been given additional charge of the Defence Ministry. advertisement Jaitley will be part of these committees in both the capacities. There has been no change in other Cabinet Committees. There are six Cabinet Committees--Appointments Committee of Cabinet (ACC), Cabinet Committee on Accommodation (CCA) and Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs. Both the ACC and CCA are headed by the Prime Minister whereas the panel on Parliamentary Affairs is chaired by Home Minister Rajnath Singh. PTI AKV SKL KIS --- ENDS --- Over the past three years, the European Investment Bank has financed programs in Ukraine worth more than 3 billion euros. Head of the EIB representative office Lilia Cherniavska said this during her speech at a meeting of the Regional Development Council, an Ukrinform correspondent reports. "For the past three years, the European Investment Bank has invested more than 3 billion euros in Ukraine," she said. According to her, the funds were used to support more than 15 programs in three main areas - development of private business, socio-economic infrastructure and combating climate change. At the same time, Cherniavska has noted that the EIB continues to work in Ukraine in the fields of small and medium business, energy and transport. ish Ukraine's cooperation with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the European Investment Bank (EIB) is extremely important as it facilitates development of the Ukrainian cities. President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko said this at the Regional Development Council meeting in Kyiv on Monday, an Ukrinform correspondent reports. "We have agreed that today an opportunity appears to dramatically increase the scope of cooperation between the territorial communities and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the European Investment Bank, the President said. Poroshenko added he was pleased with the noticeable development in the Ukrainian cities. For example, the construction of the subway began in Dnipro city, which had been frozen for a long time. In addition, the construction of a subway station, which the residents had been expecting for more than 20 years, was completed in Kharkiv. These projects are being implemented thanks to cooperation and raising funds from the international financial organizations, the Head of State stressed. ol The Foreign Ministry of Georgia condemns Russia's aggression against Ukraine, which led to the annexation of Crimea. This has been reported by Radio Liberty. "The Foreign Ministry of Georgia condemns Russia's aggression against Ukraine and an attempt to forcibly change its borders. The international community should take a consolidated position to counter aggression against sovereign states," the Georgian Foreign Ministry noted. Three years ago, Russian armed forces started occupying Crimea. On March 16, 2014, an illegal "referendum" took place on the peninsula, and on March 18 Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that Crimea became a part of the Russian Federation. The annexation of Crimea by Russia is not recognized either by Ukraine or by the international community. Ukraine officially considers Crimea as the temporarily occupied territory. ish 03/17/2017 By Katharine Webster Jessica Fruth has worked nonstop since she was 14, usually at more than one job. She studies hard, too. Because she aims for a career in advertising, the honors student from Braintree is majoring in marketing and minoring in English and graphic art. But a new interdisciplinary honors seminar, A Call to Adventure, has persuaded her that sometimes its important to take a break, step back and gain perspective. So instead of starting work full-time as soon as classes end in May, shes planning a solo four-week trip through continental Europe her first trip to non-English-speaking countries. Fruth wants to reconnect with nature, experience different cultures and contemplate her own lifes journey and she says the class has given her the confidence to do it. Going someplace where Im not comfortable and thats not familiar makes me think about what I want to do as an individual, instead of being influenced by the people around me, she says. To the extent you have choices, youre in charge of the outcome of your own life. A Call to Adventure is taught by Julian Zabalbeascoa, a visiting professor in the Honors College. Students examine the stages of the heros journey, as described by mythology scholar Joseph Campbell, through movies and books. Then they discuss them and write two short essays a week. Honors College Dean Jim Canning says the course exemplifies the spirit of the college, which not only offers challenging classes within students majors, but its own lineup of small, interdisciplinary seminars, including Art and the Nazis, The Politics of College Sports, and Science and Technology in an Impoverished World. This new course is part of the Honors Colleges menu of unique seminars that invite our students to step outside their majors and develop greater intellectual breadth, Canning says. What I love is seeing our students take more academic risks and expand their horizons by studying abroad, using a hands-on approach to solve problems in the developing world, or simply becoming more thoughtful about their lives and careers. Photo by K. Webster Photo by K. Webster Visiting Prof. Julian Zabalbeascoa teaches A Call to Adventure and leads Honors College study-abroad trips to Cuba and Spain. In A Call to Adventure, Zabalbeascoa has students watch movies ranging from Star Wars to The Graduate and Cinema Paradiso and read books including Wild, by Cheryl Strayed, and The Infinite, a novel by Nicholas Mainieri about love in post-Katrina New Orleans and amid Mexicos drug wars. Mainieri will visit the class in April. I would not be who I am without the movies Ive watched and the books Ive read, Zabalbeascoa says. I believe in the power of narrative to inspire us to seek new experiences, and those experiences give shape to our lives and reveal to us who we are. Zabalbeascoa should know. When he was in college at University of the Pacific in Stockton, Calif., he took a similar class in religion and cinema and promptly dropped out to travel in Spain, where he explored his Basque heritage. He returned a year later and completed his degree, then worked a series of jobs before ending up in Hollywood, where he became actor Jeff Bridges personal assistant. But he got restless and decided he wanted more adventures. He earned his M.F.A. in creative writing while living in Madrid, where he met his future wife. He also traveled through Europe, South America, North Africa, the Middle East, and Southeast and Central Asia. Now Zabalbeascoa teaches the First-Year Seminar in Honors (FYSH), in which students explore Lowells history and culture. He also developed the Honors College's unique study-abroad courses, which occur in Cuba over winter break and in San Sebastian, Spain the crossroads of Spanish, Basque and French culture during the summer. Photo by K. Webster Photo by K. Webster Honors student Ania Burgess reads before class begins. First-year mechanical engineering major Ania Burgess says she took A Call to Adventure because she loves Zabalbeascoas active, hands-on teaching style. This is her third class with him this year: She took FYSH in the fall and traveled to Cuba in January. This class is a different kind of adventure and it provides a welcome break from the intense science and math focus of her engineering classes, she says. Its an intellectual adventure, she says. Ive always been very tied to the humanities, which are about looking within yourself and asking, What do I think about this? Matt Levenson, a sophomore majoring in criminal justice and minoring in psychology, heard the call to adventure before he ever took the class. He loves to climb mountains in nearby New Hampshire or to explore Lowell with his roommates, and hes planning several international trips, including a study-abroad experience in Portugal this summer. But A Call to Adventure has given him a broader perspective and taught him that adventure is an attitude. There are so many things you can only do once. You cant take anything for granted, he says. This class is absolutely, 100 percent making me more intentional about the actions I take and the heros journey I want to be on. By Press Trust of India: Colombo, Mar 19 (PTI) Many countries have supported the draft UN human rights council resolution on Sri Lanka, strengthening Colombos request for more time to address the issue of accountability over the alleged war crimes committed during the civil war, civil society groups here have said. The draft text, Promoting reconciliation, accountability and human rights in Sri Lanka, had Montenegro, Macedonia, the UK, Northern Ireland and the US as its main sponsors. advertisement Australia, Canada, Germany, Israel, Japan and Norway have now extended support to the draft text. Sri Lanka is a co-sponsor of the resolution. The follow-up draft resolution on Sri Lanka was submitted to the UNHRC before the deadline for submissions ended last week. The support strengthens Sri Lankas request for more time to address the issue on accountability over the conflict, according to local civil society groups. The resolution calls on the UNHRC to continue to assess progress on the implementation of its recommendations and other processes related to reconciliation, accountability and human rights in Sri Lanka. It also calls to present a written update to the UNHRC at its 37th session, and a comprehensive report followed by discussion on the implementation of resolution 30/1 at its 40th session. Sri Lanka was granted 18 months by a UNHRC resolution in October 2015 to initiate a credible investigation into the nearly three-decades long civil war with the LTTE. The country has sought more time to deliver on accountability mechanism. It braces for a two-year breather despite pressures from the Tamils for more stringent action from the UNHRC. The country faces criticism for dragging its feet on the accountability mechanism to try both government troops and the LTTE for alleged war crimes during the last phase of the military conflict that ended in 2009. According to the UN, up to 40,000 civilians were killed by security forces during former president Mahinda Rajapaksas regime that brought an end to the conflict. Earlier this month, the UNHRC had criticised Sri Lankas "slow" progress in addressing its wartime past and reiterated its earlier call for hybrid court of international and local judges to investigate allegations of rights violations. PTI CORR AJR CPS ASK CPS --- ENDS --- Standing against a serene and green background, the smiling AAP boss calmly explains how, BJP and Congress together looted the civic bodies for 20 years. He also gives several examples of how AAP built flyovers, schools, clinics and sewers in record time. By Baishali Adak: Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has now issued a 20-minute-long video seeking votes from Delhiites in the upcoming MCD polls. Standing against a serene and green background, the smiling AAP boss calmly explains how "BJP and Congress have together looted the civic bodies for 20 years, and turned it into a garbage house". "Sharam aati hai Dilli ko desh ki rajdhani kehte hue (it's shameful to call Delhi- India's Capital)," he laments. advertisement He also gives several examples of how AAP has "built flyovers, schools, clinics and sewers in record time and using lesser money than the allocated budget to complete them," insisting that Delhiites vote them to power in MCDs in the April 22 elections, as well. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has now issued a 20-minute-long video seeking votes from Delhiites in the upcoming MCD polls. Standing against a serene and green background, the smiling AAP boss calmly explains how "BJP and Congress have together looted the civic bodies for 20 years, and turned it into a garbage house". "Sharam aati hai Dilli ko desh ki rajdhani kehte hue (it's shameful to call Delhi- India's Capital)," he laments. He also gives several examples of how AAP has "built flyovers, schools, clinics and sewers in record time and using lesser money than the allocated budget to complete them," insisting that Delhiites vote them to power in MCDs in the April 22 elections, as well. KEJRIWAL RECOUNTS WORK DONE BY AAP AAP workers are fully leveraging the video, screening it at every ward to impress voters. A worker said, "We have provided projectors and LEDs in all the 261 wards we have fielded candidates in. We have also appointed projector coordinators. We are holding six screenings of the video in each ward, with an average 100 plus audience presence in every show. So we are conveying the AK message to 1,50,000 people every day." The video is being widely circulated on Facebook and Twitter as well, AAP leaders said. In the video, the CM tells people that many suffer from a misconception that the Delhi government is responsible for sanitation when the truth is that "it is MCD's job." "They take all sorts of taxes from the public ranging from property tax, parking tax and conversion charges, but all is eaten away. They make one road thrice on paper, but on the ground, it is never built," he complaints. He goes on to give specific instances like the Rani Jhansi Road "which is being made for 11 years now," while the AAP government has finished five flyovers in two years. He says the Pitampura Madhubani Chowk flyover has been built for Rs 200 crore against an estimate of Rs 350 crore and the same "efficiency and honesty can be replicated in civic works as well." AAP is known to make optimum use of technology and social media on every big occasion, ranging from the 2015 Delhi Assembly Election to the car-rationing odd-even scheme. advertisement Watch video here Also read: Kejriwal demands rollback of demonetisation; says Modi govt leaked information to its friends Also read: Arvind Kejriwal promises to clean up Delhi in 1 year if AAP wins MCD polls Also read: Delhi: AAP MLA's kin goes on rampage over parking --- ENDS --- T-cell checkpoint blockade has become a dynamic immunotherapy for bladder cancer. In 2016, atezolizumab, an immune checkpoint inhibitor, became the first new drug approved in metastatic urothelial carcinoma (mUC) in over 30 years. In 2017, nivolumab was also approved for the same indication. This overview of checkpoint inhibitors in clinical trials focuses on novel immunotherapy combinations, predictive biomarkers including mutational load and neoantigen identification, and an evaluation of the future of bladder cancer immunotherapy. Programed cell death protein 1/programed death-ligand 1 (PD-1/PD-L1) checkpoint inhibitors have achieved durable clinical responses in a subset of previously treated and treatment-naive patients with mUC. The combination of PD-1 and cytotoxic T-lymphocyte antigen 4 (CTLA-4) has successfully improved response rates in multiple malignancies, and combination studies are underway in many tumor types, including bladder cancer, combining T-cell checkpoint blockade with other checkpoint agents and immunomodulatory therapies. Strong tumor responses to checkpoint blockade have been reported to be positively associated with expression of PD-L1 on tumor and tumor infiltrating immune cells and with increased mutation-associated neoantigen load, which may lead to the development of predictive biomarkers. Recent clinical evidence suggests that mUC is susceptible to T-cell checkpoint blockade. A global effort is underway to achieve higher response rates and more durable remissions, accelerate the development of immunotherapies, employ combination therapies, and test novel immune targets. Current opinion in oncology. 2017 Mar 16 [Epub ahead of print] Nicole N Davarpanah, Akira Yuno, Jane B Trepel, Andrea B Apolo aGenitourinary Malignancies Branch bDevelopmental Therapeutics Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA *Nicole N. Davarpanah and Akira Yuno contributed equally to the article. PubMed http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28306559 Pope Francis on Monday begged forgiveness for the sins and failings of the church and its members during Rwandas 1994 genocide as the Holy See sought to open a new phase in relations nearly a quarter-century after the slaughter. In an extraordinary statement after Franciss meeting with Rwandan President Paul Kagame, the Vatican acknowledged that the church itself bore blame, as well as some Catholic priests and nuns who succumbed to hatred and violence, betraying their own evangelical mission by participating in the genocide. During the 100-day genocide, more than 800,000 ethnic Tutsis and moderate Hutus were killed by Hutu extremists. Many died at the hands of priests, clergymen and nuns, according to some accounts by survivors, and the Rwandan government says many died in the churches where they had sought refuge. During the 25-minute meeting in the Apostolic Palace, Francis implored anew Gods forgiveness for the sins and failings of the church and its members, the Vatican said. He expressed the desire that this humble recognition of the failings of that period, which unfortunately disfigured the face of the church, may contribute to a purification of memory and may promote, in hope and renewed trust, a future of peace. The Rwandan government has long pressured the Catholic Church to apologize for its complicity in the genocide, but both the Vatican and the local church have been reluctant to do so. The church has long said that those church officials who committed crimes acted individually. In 1996, Pope John Paul II refused to accept blame on the churchs part, saying in a letter to Rwandan bishops that the church in itself cannot be held responsible for the misdeeds of its members who have acted against evangelical law. Four years later, however, he did make a general apology for a host of Catholic sins and crimes over the churchs 2,000-year-old history. Amid continued pressure from the government, Rwandas Catholic bishops last year apologized for all the wrongs the church committed. In December, Kagame said he didnt understand why the church was so reluctant to apologize for genocide when popes have apologized for much lesser crimes. I dont understand why the pope would apologize for sexual offenses, whether it is in the U.S., Ireland or Australia, but cannot apologize for the role of the church in the genocide that happened here, Kagame said at the time. On Monday, he tweeted his appreciation for Franciss words and said a new chapter in relations had begun. We have started a revolution in classical music, the conductor James Blachly told the crowd. Behind him was a 70-piece orchestra. In front of him was a dance club. The venue was Dock 5, a nightclub at Union Market in the District, and the event was billed by Septime Webres Halcyon Stage as a Stravinsky Rave: Rite of Spring Dance Party. All around the world, orchestras are eager to break out of their conventional trappings to reach new audiences. The Tonhalle orchestra in Zurich has a long-standing series called tonhalleLATE, with concerts starting at 10 p.m. followed by a dance party with DJs. Two years ago, the NSO played at Echostage, the Districts largest club. So why not offer a Stravinsky rave, let people dance, break out of the traditional classical music mold, and abolish the outmoded idea that people are supposed to listen to certain kinds of music in certain ways? The only problem: Blachlys revolution didnt really allow for that kind of freedom. That is, having gone to all the trouble of putting an orchestra (largely made up of New York-based music students and freelancers) in a club, and assembling a trendy-looking audience (largely, it seemed, people with some connection or other to the various presenting organizations), he didnt actually want a rave atmosphere. [NSO hits the club, and scores] While audience members circle the dance floor, Morgann Rose and Darion Flores perform a duet set to Bach at the Stravinsky Rave: Rite of Spring Dance Party at the Dock 5 nightclub. (Mark Alan Andre/IDGC) The conductor kept berating the audience for talking, took them to task for their cellphones (were here to dance, not to take pictures) and, at one point, actually stopped the music to try to force people to be quiet. Some in the audience tried to help, with cries of Its classical music! and Show some respect! which seems the opposite message to the one sent by playing Stravinsky in a club in the first place. You could, of course, say it was appropriate to The Rite of Spring, which famously provoked a near-riot at its 1913 premiere, with supporters calling for silence and detractors booing and catcalling. Pierre Monteux, however, didnt stop conducting to try to tell people how to receive his art. Blachlys revolution, to judge from the text on the website of his Experiential Orchestra, involves people being intoxicated by the brilliance of Stravinskys music and caught up in a frenzied bacchanal of spontaneous dancing. In fact, a number of people on Saturday did dance, doing their best with a score thats known for its many starts and stops and changes of tempo. The Rite of Spring was the grand finale of a program that started with a piece called Scribbles and Riddles by a young composer named Viet Cuong, which exposed some of the issues that the orchestra had in this particular space. Since they were playing at floor level, it was hard to see them unless you were right up close, and the quiet parts of the music were all but obscured by the ambient noise. After a brief DJ interlude came two more pieces, which fared better, because both featured individual performers rather than a large group. The solo percussionist Peter Ferry played Nick Bonaccios Variations on a Balkan Rhythm, a lively piece for an array of drums that were easier to watch and, in a nightclub ambiance, apprehend. Then came the Sarabande from Bachs second solo partita, played ardently by Henry Wang and choreographed by Stuart Loungway into a pas de deux for the dancers Morgann Rose and Darion Flores. Dance at a dance club is not a huge leap: everyone stood in a circle and cheered lustily when it was over. Stravinskys Rite, though, makes far more demands on its audience. And while Blachly exhorted his listeners to take their conversations outside, explaining, This music will change your life if you let it, he didnt give them much context to go on. The performance was quite respectable, given the circumstances, but if you put music in a club, people will treat it like club music. Im all for experimentation and new venues, but the kind of reaction Blachly evidently had in mind for this particular piece might have been easier to elicit in some kind of large room with seating where people could hear the music better. Like, I dont know, a concert hall. Q: My kitchen cabinets have a veneer that has rotted from moisture in certain places. How can I restore the cabinet panels to their original finish? Potomac A: If indeed it is a veneer issue and there is some doubt about that among several professional cabinet refinishers who looked at the picture you sent it would be easier to buy replacement door and drawer fronts rather than try to replace the veneer. Veneer is really hard to remove, said Joe Henel of Pro Refinish in Fredericksburg (703-853-9665; prorefinish.com). And if you put on new veneer, you still have to sand and finish it. So its better to just get a new drawer or door and stain that. Plus, as Peter Simonello, owner of Cabinet Restoration Co. in Manchester, Va. (443-292-5650; cabinetrestoration unlimited.com ), pointed out, buying new doors would be more cost-effective and in the end a better product. If your cabinets do have a wood veneer, they are almost certainly not solid wood underneath; they are much more likely to be a manufactured product, such as medium-density fiberboard. But when you buy the replacement parts, you can upgrade to solid wood and never have to worry about veneer peeling again. The style you have is flat-panel Shaker, which almost all cabinet companies make. Its hard to tell from your pictures, but if the surface is veneer, it appears to be cherry or mahogany also common cabinet options. So you should be able to find replacement pieces fairly easily. A reader failed to maintain this concrete countertop, and now its surface is pitted, which is unsightly and unhygienic. (Reader photo) And what if its not a veneer problem? You wouldnt need replacement parts. Simonello said he is 99 percent sure that your issue is water damage , which you can determine by running your finger across the surface. If you feel a jagged edge where the cherry color stops, its veneer. Otherwise, Simonellos hunch is probably right. When water damage strips the color from a cabinet, he said, what is usually the case is that all of the color was put into the finish rather than a stain that would have been wiped on to the raw wood and penetrated into it. A manufacturer might do that to create a specific look or just to save money, because its faster. But because the tinted finish sits on the surface, all the color comes off if the finish is damaged. So what theyre seeing is raw maple beneath the finish with no color beneath. Whether you need replacement parts or just refinishing, your big challenge will be getting the color to match your other cabinets. Because the color is likely to wind up slightly different, you might want to start by taking a door or drawer front with you to a company that has a kitchen cabinet showroom and seeing whether they have Shaker-style cabinet parts that closely match the color you need. If so, even if its not a perfect match, you might want to go with that. Otherwise, you will need to custom-mix stain or seek help from a company thats experienced with refinishing cabinets and is willing to do small jobs. Some companies take on only whole kitchens. Cabinet Restoration Co. does accept small jobs, but Simonello cautions that it is nearly impossible to get a perfect color match if you work on a single cabinet. What we typically do, because its hard to refinish one cabinet and get it to match, is to do all the cabinets, or at least that section, Simonello said. For example, the crew might refinish all cabinets on one side of a kitchen. But redoing lots of cabinets gets expensive; Simonello said his companys average price for a whole-kitchen job last year was $7,900. If youre willing to accept the chance that the color might wind up slightly different, Simonellos company will custom-mix stain and apply it and a clear, protective finish. Refinishing a door or applying finish to a new one typically costs $125 to $175 per door and $75 to $95 per drawer front, provided you take the pieces to the companys shop. For an extra cost, often about $750, the company will go to your house to remove and then reinstall the pieces. That would save you the hassle of having to adjust the new doors and align the drawer fronts. If you want to tackle the work yourself and scraping off existing veneer is something youre willing to do, you can buy replacement veneer at a woodworking store. Woodcraft (woodcraft.com), which has a store in Springfield, sells veneer one-sixteenths of an inch thick in a package that covers three square feet. For cherry, the price is $15; for mahogany, its $11. The store also carries adhesives suitable for veneer work, as well as cherry and mahogany veneer with a pressure-sensitive adhesive backing. Q: We installed attractive concrete countertops in our kitchen 18 years ago. I admit I did not properly care for them, believing that kitchen counters would not require care. Especially next to the sink, the surface is pitted, which is unsightly and unhygienic. I promise to do better. But is there someone or some way to refinish them? Washington A: Your countertops are the pressed concrete type, said Bill Kulish, owner of Kulish Design Co. in Springfield (703-451-4859; kulishdesignco.com), which started out making concrete countertops but now focuses on training installers and doing forensic investigations when there are problems with a job. Pressed concrete countertops are formed in a mold, upside down, using a stiff concrete mix. When the countertop is removed from the mold and flipped over, relatively big air gaps show on the surface. These are then filled with a concrete slurry thats typically tinted a different color from the main mix. In your countertop, these gap fillers created the yellow accents. Kulish does not repair existing countertops, and he knew of no area company that does. However, Tim Seay, owner of Decorative Concrete of Virginia (434-851-3510; decorative concreteofvirginia.com), said his company does do this work. But its not cheap. Even if a kitchen has relatively little countertop space, refinishing the counters usually runs about $2,000, Seay said. Its expensive because its a two- or three-trip deal, he said. Its possible to resurface concrete without creating dust, by using water to turn the dust into a slurry. But spattering your kitchen with water and concrete slurry would make a mess. So, unless there is a way to remove the countertop and refinish it outside or in a shop, the crew would need to use dry grinders with vacuums. Even then, they would need to install plastic sheeting to confine any dust that the vacuum doesnt trap. Your family probably wouldnt be able to use the kitchen for several days. The crew would start grinding with 50-grit abrasive, which is very coarse. Once they had ground down the concrete to the bottom of the pits, they would then go over it four more times with finer and finer abrasives, ending with 400-grit. (The larger the grit number, the finer the abrasive.) Sometimes, the surface is smooth enough after grinding that it is ready for a penetrating sealer, and its then good to go. But often the concrete has air gaps, which can be filled with a slurry of cement, pigment and a liquid similar to white glue, or with epoxy. The filler might need a day to cure, and then the crew could lightly sand it and apply the sealer. Some refinishing jobs are even more complicated. For example, if a countertop has an epoxy coating which Seay said yours does not appear to have, based on the picture you sent his crew would need to strip it off with chemicals, which would add a days work to the job. FBI Director James B. Comey, bottom left, waits to testify alongside National Security Agency Director Michael S. Rogers before the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence on March 20. (Matt McClain/The Washington Post) Donald H. Rumsfeld once categorized three forms of information: known knowns, known unknowns and unknown unknowns. At Monday mornings House Intelligence Committee hearing on Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, those categories were enlarged to include: Things we think we know but have no proof of, which has never stopped the American public before. Things we know that apparently are a big no-no for us to know. Things we would know if FBI Director James B. Comey would tell us, but he wont, except for confirming that the Russian investigation exists, which we already knew. Can you tell us who was in the room for the conversation? asked one committee member, referring to a briefing that allegedly took place between President Trump and FBI employees. Im not going to confirm there was a conversation, Comey said. We all know that four of you went to Trump Tower, though, the committee member pressed. How do you know that? Comey responded. Do we did we I thought that someone said that wait, what? No, youre the one who met with Russian ambassadors, in the conservatory, with the candlestick. By 8 a.m., two hours before the hearing was scheduled to start, there already was a line of people 60 or 70 deep waiting to get into the Longworth House Office Buildings hearing room, seeking an explosive moment, a memorable exchange, the end of civilization, a small piece of definitive truth and certainty. The conclusion that active measures were taken [by Russia] specifically to help President Trumps campaign . . . by early December, you already had that conclusion? Rep. Michael K. Conaway (R-Tex.) asked Comey. Correct, Comey said. That they wanted to hurt her, help him. A few minutes later, the official presidential Twitter account posted: The NSA and FBI tell Congress that Russia did not influence electoral process. That expresses a point that Trump has made before but which was beside the point of the hearing. What the intelligence agencies actually said was that there is no evidence that Russian agents had changed vote tallies in swing states, i.e. that the cast of The Americans did not put on a trench coat and drive to East Lansing to spirit away a ballot box. Also, there was no wiretap. By 11 a.m., it had become clear that whatever known knowns those tourists, activists and aspirational democratic citizens were seeking Im just glued to this, murmured a professor who said his sabbatical had been consumed by following the Russia investigation it did not exist in Longworth. Holding a public hearing provided an aura of transparency, a sense that now was the time to get to the bottom of things. But in actuality, the hearing was public only in the sense that there was an audience present for all the times that Comey and his counterpart, National Security Agency Director Michael S. Rogers, said that they could not divulge information in front of an audience. Please dont draw any conclusions from the fact that I may not be able to comment on certain topics, Comey told the committee at the beginning of the hearing. I know speculating is part of human nature, but it really isnt fair to draw conclusions simply because I say that I cant comment. It was an impossible request. With Comey and Rogers ducking and deflecting in the name of national security, the two men became receptacles for the bipartisan committees respective biases, lambasted by leading questions that they were then unable to agree or disagree with. Democrats focused on implying that Trump was what Hillary Clinton once memorably said he was: Russian President Vladimir Putins puppet. Given Russians long-standing desire to cultivate relations with influential U.S. persons, asked Rep. Terri A. Sewell (D-Ala.) isnt the American public right to be concerned about [former national security adviser Michael Flynns] conduct, his failure to disclose that contact with the Russian ambassador, his attempts to cover it up and what looks like the White Houses attempts to sweep this under the rug? I cant comment, Comey replied. Republicans focused on implying that the real concern was not the Russian investigation but the fact that its supposedly top-secret contents were regularly leaked. By whom, they couldnt say but they could strongly imply that it was someone from the previous presidential administration. Did you brief President Obama on any calls involving Michael Flynn? asked Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.). I cant answer that, Comey said. The end result allowed each questioner to claim victory, with roughly the same efficacy as if the roles of Comey and Rogers had been played by cardboard cutouts or well-behaved labradoodles. But what are you going to do? Russia is apparently our official adversary again. That was the message behind all of the back-and-forths the terrifying specter of another Cold War, another nuclear arms race hanging over the congressional hearing room. Meanwhile, this was democracy, happening in public, laying bare all the sordid truths we wish we knew, but dont, and wont, and would probably forget anyway. By India Today Web Desk: Mira Rajput's remarks about feminism and being a housewife stirred up a storm. Working mothers from all over the country slammed her for suggesting that they treat their children like 'puppies' by choosing to have a job. Even as her husband Shahid Kapoor defended her comments as a personal opinion and not directed towards anyone, one of her batchmates from college has slammed her for being "narrow." advertisement Deccan Chronicle quotes a Facebook post from one of Mira's batchmates. It reads: Dear Mira, Having watched your interview, I feel extremely enraged today. I've spent three years in the same college and batch as you. I can say today with confidence that your idea of feminism is extremely flawed. Seeing you walk around with your posse in college, belittling women who were not skinny enough or did not subscribe to your fashion 'standards' makes me wonder what you ever did to have a moral high ground over anyone at any point. Your narrow world view is astounding to say the least. And not to forget, how your statement about working mothers takes us years back in reaching actual empowerment of which you seem to know nothing. With lots of aggression, An informed feminist Mira had enraged many with her views at a Women's Day event. She had said, "The new wave of feminism is aggressive and destructive. There is a term called 'feminazi' which is now becoming the female equivalent of a male chauvinist." She had also said, "I am a housewife and wear that label with pride. Why can't you be an accomplished homemaker? Accomplishing could mean anything one has their heart set on. I had a tough pregnancy, bringing Misha (seven-month-old daughter) into this world. Now, I love being at home and spending time with my child. I don't want to spend an hour with her and then rush to work. Why did I have her? She's not a puppy." ALSO READ | Mira Rajput: New wave of feminism is destructive, I am proud to be a housewife ALSO WATCH | Shahid Kapoor: Media troubles my wife Mira, but she can handle it well --- ENDS --- This spring, expect a bloom of travelers 4 percent more than last year, according to an industry report. (Astrid Riecken/For The Washington Post) Its out with Winter Storm Stella and in with spring. The new season ushers in daffodils (redux), fresh asparagus and travelers dressed in shorts and flip-flops. Watch those toes. In a recent spring travel forecast, Airlines for America expects a record number of passengers to fly in March and April. The industry association is anticipating 145 million fliers, or about 2.4 million people per day, during the school vacation period a 4 percent rise from last year. (Trivia question: What was the slowest year since 2000? Hint: It was the same year a court convicted Winona Ryder of grand theft and vandalism.) To meet the growing demand, U.S. airlines are adding 110,000 seats per day with larger planes and new nonstop routes. In 2010, less than half of domestic aircraft contained more than 100 seats; now, 55 percent do good news for people who dont enjoy feeling like a Lego person in a toy plane. Since last year, airlines have introduced 349 new itineraries, such as Reagan National to Providence, R.I., on Southwest. On the flip side, they have discontinued 295 routes, such as Uniteds flight from Cleveland to Las Vegas. [Will the long airport lines of spring break 2016 be back again this year?] The report shared some other juicy gumdrops as well. For instance, airfare has dropped nearly $30 since 2014, and fees are up by less than 40 cents. Surprising, I know. Though complaining about air travel is as much an American pastime as criticizing the DMV, the Department of Transportation did report some praiseworthy improvements. In 2016, U.S. airlines properly handled 99.73 percent of bags, a record high. The carriers also completed 99 percent of their flights (the best since 1992), with 81 percent of flights arriving on time, a success rate not witnessed since 2012. And less than one passenger (.62) per 10,000 was involuntarily denied boarding which roughly calculates to one freshman spring breaker per season. More from Travel: American and United unveil a new low-fare category. Is it worth the sacrifices? Healthiest airplane food in the U.S.? Virgin America wins top spot. The best time to buy airline tickets and other travel advice for 2017 Retired Greenville police chief Hassan Aden was detained at JFK Airport in New York for 90 minutes on March 13. (Greenville Police Department/Greenville Police Department) Hes been called lots of things: chief, deputy chief, officer, husband, son, dad, immigrant, American. But none of those titles mattered when Hassan Aden landed on U.S. soil earlier this month in Trumps America. All that mattered was that his name is Hassan. And that, apparently, was enough for U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers to question everything else about Adens life. Aden, 52, is a retired Greenville, N.C., police chief and a former deputy chief with the Alexandria police in Virginia. So why was a lifelong law enforcement official detained for an hour and a half at New Yorks John F. Kennedy Airport when he returned from a trip to Paris? Was he being profiled because of his Muslim-sounding first name? [Former deputy police chief says he was detained because of his name] (WUSA) Hassan is an immigrant, the Italian-born son of an Italian mother and a Somali father. He has lived in this country for 42 years and is a naturalized U.S. citizen. He has a U.S. passport and TSA Pre-check. Hes been out of the country dozens of times without incident. Not this time. This experience has left me feeling vulnerable and unsure of the future of a country that was once great and that I proudly called my own, Aden wrote in a long Facebook post describing the unnerving detention. This experience makes me question if this is indeed home. A spokeswoman for U.S. Customs and Border Protection denied that officers were engaging in profiling. In an email to my Post colleague Faiz Siddiqui, she said the agency bars race and ethnicity from being considered in screening in all but the most exceptional circumstances. So what was exceptional about a retired cop coming home from celebrating his mothers 80th birthday? One thing: his first name. Aden was treated shamefully. The America that stops Chief Aden, locks him in a room and judges him is an America filled with fear and ignorance, not the land of the free and the home of the brave. Want to say this is about terrorism? Give. Us. A. Break. This guys a cop. He knows whats up. Prior to this administration, I frequently attended meetings at the White House and advised on national police policy reforms all that to say that If this can happen to me, it can happen to anyone with attributes that can be profiled, Aden wrote. No one is safe from this type of unlawful government intrusion. An agent told him that my name was used as an alias by someone on some watch list. He stated that he sent my information to another agency to de-conflict and clear me, so that I could gain passage into the United States . . . my own country!!! After about an hour, another officer saw the situation, swooped in, pressed for status updates, cleared him within a half-hour and apologized. She understood what was going on. Something very similar happened twice in a month to Muhammad Ali Jr., son of the former heavyweight champion. Most recently, he was detained at Reagan National Airport on March 10. Chris Mancini, his attorney, said Ali was trying to board a JetBlue flight when security officials rejected his identification and repeatedly asked where he was from. No mention of a watch list. A name was all they had to go on. (And what a name. Duh.) The ultimate irony: Ali and his mother had come to Washington to lobby for an end to racial profiling. If names are now the criterion being used to keep America safe, lets do it right and take a good look at other names of those who have terrorized our country. James. Men named James set the standard for homegrown terrorist shootings in America. We can start with James Earl Ray, the man who assassinated Martin Luther King Jr. in 1968. One of the forefathers of the modern American mass shooting is James Oliver Huberty, who killed 21 people at a McDonalds in San Ysidro, Calif., in 1984. Ever heard the term going postal? You guessed it a trend brought to you by a James. In 1983, disgruntled postal worker James Brooks shot the postmaster and injured his supervisor in the Anniston, Ala., post office where he had worked. The former employee shooting up a workplace? Ah, yes, James D. Simpson killed five co-workers, including the bosses, in a Corpus Christi, Tex., office in 1995. And, of course, theres James Holmes, who in 2012 shot up the audience in a dark movie theater in Aurora, Colo., killing 12 people. Wow. Maybe we can only keep America safe if we stop James. Every single one of them. No? So maybe stopping someone because their name sounds suspicious isnt legal, moral or even American. Yup, thats what I thought. Twitter: @petulad D.C. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser, middle right, joins city officials as they speak with Edward Perez, a homeless man, during an annual census of persons experiencing homelessness on Jan. 25. City officials say President Trumps proposed spending plan will mean millions in lost federal assistance to prevent homelessness. (Amanda Voisard/For the Washington Post) President Trumps proposed budget would cost D.C.s government at least $103 million and lead to the loss of roughly 120 public-sector jobs, dealing a blow to affordable housing and other social services in a city where runaway economic growth has bypassed many low-income residents, District officials said Monday. The estimated loss amounts to about 9.6 percent of the $1.07 billion in non-Medicaid federal funding the District would receive this year and does not account for cuts to health-care spending that could result from Republicans efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act. City officials projected the hit to their budget based on the preliminary federal spending plan Trump released Thursday. That budget proposed dramatic reductions in funding for domestic programs and a ramping up of military and homeland security spending. The effects would be severely felt in Washington, which relies on direct federal funding for 25 percent of its budget. In New York, by contrast, the figure is 9 percent. Cities other than the District also receive a certain amount of indirect federal funding that is funneled through their states. Trumps plan to scale back agencies such as the Department of Housing and Urban Development targeted for a 13 percent spending cut would dry up a significant portion of the federal grants bestowed on District programs that help the poor, City Administrator Rashad M. Young said. (Jenny Starrs/The Washington Post) Were looking at a federal budget thats bleak in its investments in critical programs, Young said at a news conference Monday. This budget proposal is inconsistent with our D.C. values. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D), who did not attend the news conference, issued a statement echoing those concerns. By making cuts to programs that support basic needs like housing and health care, this budget will force our city to make tough choices about programs that not only promote growth, but enable us to support our most vulnerable residents, Bowser said. It remains unclear how much of the White Houses proposal will become reality. Congress must approve the presidents spending plan in the coming months, and some members of his own party are already balking. Young said city officials will be unable to calculate the losses to some programs until the president releases a more detailed budget in May. He said the city also has yet to estimate how much of the Districts $2.19 billion in annual Medicaid funding could be at stake if Medicaid is rolled back as part of a GOP health-care overhaul. Among the hardest-hit D.C. programs would be those that promote affordable housing and offer assistance to low-income residents. Housing programs would lose out on about $17 million in funding, Young said, while nonprofit groups that provide social services and counseling to about 60,000 District residents stand to lose $10.5 million. The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), a popular national program that subsidizes heating and cooling costs for the poor, could lose $10 million. About 22,000 D.C. residents each year receive help through LIHEAP, Young said. Public-safety programs could also be at risk, Young said, including a federal grant that pays the salaries of about 45 police officers out of the 3,800-member force. Bowser aides said the mayor plans to meet with Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney to discuss her concerns about the preliminary budget proposal. Since last week, city and state officials across the country have been warily sizing up the threat to their local budgets from the proposed cuts to domestic programs. Iris Lav, a senior fellow at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, said many states would have trouble finding the money to restore the social services that would be slashed if Congress passes Trumps budget. It hits a lot of low-income programs. It hits things that help students, and a lot of things that help seniors and people with disabilities, Lav said. Its pretty difficult for any jurisdiction to replace the kind of money theyre talking about. Unlike many cities and states across the country, the District is in a strong financial position. Last month, city officials reported nearly $1.17 billion in reserve funds, the result of years of booming tax revenue. But Young said Monday that the excess money was intended for emergencies or one-time expenditures and should not be used to plug permanent holes in the citys budget of the kind that would be opened by the presidents spending proposal. The reserve isnt designed, nor should it be used, to pay ongoing operating expenses of the government, Young said. If we start taking the reserves to pay for things that the federal government should be doing, then were going to be on a slippery slope in terms of our financial stability. BLOOD DONATIONS Blood drives April 7, 8:30 a.m.-2 p.m., Loudoun County Fire and Rescue, 801 Sycolin Rd., Leesburg, 800-733-2767. Inova Blood Donor Center Mondays noon-8 p.m., Tuesdays 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Fridays 6 a.m.-4 p.m. and Sundays noon-4 p.m. Dulles Town Center, 45745 Nokes Blvd., Sterling. 866-256-6372 or inova.org/donateblood. FIRST AID First aid/adult, infant and child CPR/AED (Automated External Defibrillator) Fauquier Hospital Medical Office Building, 500 Hospital Dr., Warrenton. 540-316-3588. Call for schedule. $85. Registration required. HEARING Disability Resource Center Technical assistance through the state Department for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing and presentations to businesses, groups and schools. Third Tuesdays 2-5 p.m., Workplace, 205 Keith St., Warrenton. Call for an appointment, 800-648-6324; TDD, 540-373-5890. Free. MENTAL HEALTH Counseling for sexual violence survivors Provided by Loudoun Citizens for Social Justice. 703-771-9020. Crisis Intervention Treatment and Assessment Center Provides emergency mental-health, substance-use and developmental services to Loudoun residents. Daily from 7 a.m.-11 p.m. 102 Heritage Way NE, Suite 102, Leesburg. Emergency services are available 24 hours a day at 703-777-0320. Crisislink Suicide and crisis intervention. Community education, a volunteer crisis response team and CareRing, a telephone outreach program for the elderly and disabled. 703-527-6016, volunteer@crisislink.org or crisislink.org. Psychiatric Rehabilitation Services This mental health nonprofit organization is accepting clients from ages 16 to 30 for a coordinated services program with Loudoun County to help young people with their first experience of psychosis find hope and recover. For information, call Lisa Beran at 703-388-6572 or go to prsinc.org. Piedmont Chapter, National Alliance on Mental Illness Serves Fauquier, Orange, Madison and Rappahannock counties. Support group, education classes and events for people living with mental illness and their family members. First Wednesdays 7-9 p.m. Fauquier Hospital, 500 Hospital Dr., Sycamore Room A, Warrenton. 571-426-8213. Mental health first-aid A public education program offered by the Loudoun County Department of Mental Health, Substance Abuse and Developmental Services to help residents understand mental illness and seek intervention. Go to loudoun.gov/mhfirstaid. Northern Virginia Chapter, National Alliance on Mental IllnessA support group, classes and programs for people living with mental illness and their family members. naminorthernvirginia.org. PREGNANCY, PARENTING Adoptive family preservation Adoptive families discuss common experiences; registration required. Third Tuesdays 12:30-2 p.m., Ashburn Library, 43316 Hay Rd. Call 703-941-9008, Ext. 23, or email jmellario@umfs.org. Birthright of Loudoun County Free pregnancy tests, baby clothing, transportation and support throughout pregnancy, 823 S. King St., Leesburg. 703-777-7272. Bond Between Us A nonprofit organization that offers support to birth parents when children have been placed for adoption. Fourth Tuesdays 7:30 p.m. Call for location. 703-771-7844. Breastfeeding support Mondays 9:30-10:30 a.m., Fauquier Hospital Family Birthing Center, 500 Hospital Dr., Warrenton. 540-316-3588. Dad support New and expectant fathers share ideas. First Tuesdays at 7 p.m. Inova Loudoun Hospital, 44045 Riverside Pkwy., Leesburg. 703-858-6360. For the Childrens Sake A group for separating or divorcing parents to share advice. Four-hour session weekly. Information: 703-391-8599 or fitsfoundation.org. La Leche League Mother-to-mother support and breastfeeding information. 10 a.m. second Wednesdays in Warrenton, 540-351-6103. Third Fridays 10:15-11:45 a.m., call for location, 703-444-7386. Second Fridays 10:15 a.m., Ashburn Library, 43316 Hay Rd., 703-829-0349; Thursdays 10 a.m.-noon, Panera Bread, 43670 Greenway Corp. Dr., Ashburn, lllashburn@gmail.com. Third Fridays 10:15 a.m., Christ the Redeemer Church, 46833 Harry F. Byrd. Hwy., Sterling, 540-338-4637. Loudoun Fatherhood Program Fathers discuss the joys and challenges of being a parent. Meets every other Saturday for two hours for four months; sponsored by Northern Virginia Family Service. 571-748-2796. Free. Loudoun Nurturing Parenting Program Positive parenting techniques; children attend with parents. Registration required. Call 703-771-3973, Ext. 27, or email nurturingprogram@lcsj.org. Free. Mothernet/Healthy Families Loudoun Program links first-time parents with medical, social and educational resources to give children a socially and physically healthy start in life. Family support workers meet with participants in homes. English-Spanish translation provided. 703-444-4477, Ext. 217, or inmed.org. New mother support Wednesdays 9:30-11:30 a.m. Inova Loudoun Medical Pavilion, 224 Cornwall St., Leesburg. Babies welcome. 703-858-6360. Young parent services Support for teenage parents. Loudoun County Department of Family Social Services, 52 Sycolin Rd., Leesburg. Call for times. 703-771-5375. Online childbirth education program Inova Loudoun Hospitals Web-based program uses animation, videos and interactive activities to guide users through the basics of childbirth, breastfeeding and caring for newborns. 703-858-6360 or thebirthinginn.org/classes. Parenting Alone group For parents of school-age children who have lost a spouse or partner to cancer. Second Tuesdays 5:30-6:30 p.m. Inova Loudoun Hospital, Radiation Oncology Center, 44035 Riverside Pkwy., Suite 100, Leesburg. Call 703-698-2536 or email jennifer.eckert@inova.org. Pregnancy and childbirth support Childbirth Solutions Resource Center, 8393 W. Main St., Marshall. 571-344-0438. SENIORS Chair yoga Age 55 and older. Mondays 11 a.m.-noon, Carver Center, 200 Willie Palmer Way, Purcellville. Wear comfortable clothes. Bare feet or socks are encouraged. 571-258-3400. $2 drop in. Exercise equipment Age 55 and older. Weights, treadmills, bikes and a cardio-glide. Instruction provided. Weekdays 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Leesburg Senior Center, 102 North St. NW. 703-737-8039. Free. Eye care LensCrafters staff members clean glasses and make minor repairs. Second Wednesdays 1-2 p.m. Senior Center at Cascades, 21060 Whitfield Pl., Sterling. 703-430-2397. Free. Inova Loudoun mobile van Blood pressure checks. Second and fourth Tuesdays 9:30 a.m.-noon, Senior Center at Cascades, 21060 Whitfield Pl., Sterling, 571-258-3280; first Wednesdays 9:30 a.m.-noon, Leesburg Senior Center, 102 North St. NW. 703-737-8039. Laughing yoga for seniors Improve flexibility and balance. Thursdays 9:30-10:30 a.m. Leesburg Senior Center, 102 North St. NW. 703-737-8039. Free. Loudoun Adult Day Centers For seniors with physical limitations or memory loss, a safe and social environment, therapeutic activities, individualized care and respite for caregivers. Limited transportation. Sliding-scale fees. Weekdays in Leesburg, 7:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m., 703-771-5334; Purcellville, 571-258-3402; and Ashburn-Sterling, 571-258-3232. Senior Outreach Services Free and confidential assistance from an Area Agency on Aging case manager. Call for an appointment or sign up at the Senior Center at Cascades. First and third Wednesdays 11 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Senior Center at Cascades, 21060 Whitfield Pl., Sterling. 571-258-3280. Senior Outreach Services Free and confidential assistance from an Area Agency on Aging Elder case manager. Sign up in the Leesburg Senior Center lobby. Second and fourth Thursdays 11 a.m.-noon and 12:30-4:30 p.m. Leesburg Senior Center, 102 North St. NW. 703-737-8039. Free. Senior Outreach Services Free and confidential assistance from an Area Agency on Aging Elder case manager. Call for an appointment or sign up at the Carver Center. First and third Mondays, 12:30-5 p.m. Carver Center, 200 Willie Palmer Way, Purcellville. 703-737-8741. Free. Tai chi for seniors Stretching and strengthening movements. Mondays 11 a.m. Leesburg Senior Center, 102 North St. NW. 703-737-8039. Free. Zumba gold class Age 55 and older. Wear rubber-soled shoes and comfortable clothing; bring water and a towel. Tuesdays 11 a.m., Tuesdays and Fridays 1 p.m. Senior Center of Leesburg, 102 North St. NW, Leesburg. 703-737-8039. $24 per month. Zumba For people 55 and older learning Zumba for the first time, or those who prefer a lower-impact version. The fitness program combines Latin and international music with dance.Thursdays 11 a.m. Senior Center at Cascades, 21060 Whitfield Pl., Sterling. 571-258-3280. $12. SUPPORT GROUPS Al-Anon Service Center of Northern Virginia A volunteer is available 24 hours with information for spouses, family members and friends of problem drinkers. 703-534-4357 or 877-339-8350. Mondays 8 p.m. Emmanuel Episcopal Church, 125 W. Washington St., Middleburg, 540-554-2747; Tuesdays 7:30 p.m. St. James Episcopal Church, 14 Cornwall St. NW, Leesburg, 877-339-8350; Fridays 8:30 p.m. Grace Episcopal Church, 6507 Main St., The Plains, 800-344-2666; Tuesdays 12:15 p.m. Warrenton Church of Christ, Route 29 N., 540-347-7448; Tuesdays 7 p.m. and Saturdays 8:30 p.m. Warrenton Presbyterian Church, 91 Main St., 800-344-2666. Alcoholics Anonymous Various meeting times and locations in Loudoun County. 800-208-8649 or 703-876-6166. nvintergroup.org. Alzheimers caregiver support For those who care for people with Alzheimers disease and other forms of dementia. Fourth Wednesdays 4-5:30 p.m. The Villa at Suffield Meadows, 6735 Suffield Lane, Warrenton. 540-316-3800. Alzheimers caregivers support For those caring for people with Alzheimers disease and other forms of dementia. Second Mondays 7-8:30 p.m. Galilee United Methodist Church, 45425 Winding Rd., Sterling. 703-430-9229. galileeumc.org. Alzheimers caregivers support Emotional, educational and social support for family members and friends of people with the disease. Third Saturdays 10 a.m. Loudoun County Area Agency on Aging, 20145 Ashbrook Pl., Ashburn. Call 703-771-5407 or email lesley.katz@loudoun.gov. Alzheimers caregiver support group Fourth Thursdays 3-4 p.m. Carver Center, 200 Willie Palmer Way, Purcellville. 540-903-6831 or alz.org. Alzheimers support First Tuesdays 10-11 a.m. Spring Arbor Assisted Living, 237 Fairview St. NW, Leesburg. 540-338-6520. Alzheimers support First Wednesdays 4 p.m. Leesburg Adult Day Center, 16501 Meadowview Ct., Leesburg. 703-771-5334. Alzheimers support Fourth Thursdays 3-4 p.m. Carver Center, 200 Willie Palmer Way, Purcellville. 571-258-3400. Talk About Curing Autism A nonprofit organization educating and supporting families affected by autism. tacanow.org. Autoimmune support Last Thursdays 6:30-7:30 p.m. Jackson Building, 209 Gibson St., Leesburg. autoimmunesupport@hotmail.com. Bereaved parent support One-on-one counseling is available. Spiritual Care Support Ministry Center, 76 W. Shirley Ave., Warrenton. 540-349-5814 or scsm.tv. Bereavement support Age 18 and older. Third Mondays 1 p.m. Fauquier Hospital Chestnut Room, 500 Hospital Dr., Warrenton. Sponsored by Capital Caring. 703-957-1800. Bereavement support Tuesdays through March 28, 7:30- 9 p.m. Spiritual Care Support Ministry Center, 76 W. Shirley Ave., Warrenton. 540-349-5814. Free. Breast cancer support Fourth Tuesdays 7-8 p.m. Fauquier Hospital Tower, Chestnut Room, 500 Hospital Dr., Warrenton. 540-349-0588. Breast cancer support For those with new diagnoses or starting treatment. Register if attending for the first time. Fourth Mondays 5-6:30 p.m. Inova Loudoun Hospital Radiation Oncology Center, 44035 Riverside Pkwy., Suite 100, Leesburg. 703-858-8857. Breast cancer support For those who have finished treatment, have had a recurrence or have metastatic breast cancer. Register if attending for the first time. Fourth Mondays 6:30-8 p.m. Inova Loudoun Hospital Radiation Oncology Center, 44035 Riverside Pkwy., Suite 100, Leesburg. 703-858-8857. Free. Breast Cancer Support Assistance Fund Loudoun County residents who have received a diagnosis or have undergone treatment in the past 12 months are eligible to apply for financial assistance. Areas included are wigs, bras, puffs and prostheses, mammograms and medical bills, food and help with utilities, rent or mortgage, and transportation costs. The Pink Assistance Fund has been established by the Loudoun Breast Health Network. lbhn.org. Cancer support Oncology nurses, social workers and spiritual-care providers offer education and support to patients, families and caregivers. Second Mondays 5:30-6:30 p.m. Fauquier Hospital Sycamore Room, 500 Hospital Dr., Warrenton. 540-316-2273. Cancer support Life with Cancer, for patients, family members and friends. Second Thursdays 7 p.m. Ashburn Presbyterian Church, Room 202, 20962 Ashburn Rd. 703-729-2012 or ashburnpresbyterian.org. Caregiver support Emotional, educational and social support. Encourages caregivers to maintain their physical and emotional health while caring for people with dementia or other chronic illness. Fourth Thursdays 3-4 p.m. Carver Center, 200 Willie Palmer Way, Purcellville. 540-903-6831. Caregiver support and resource group Wednesdays 10:30 a.m.-noon (no meeting first Wednesdays), Spiritual Care Support Ministry Center, 76 W. Shirley Ave., Warrenton. 540-349-5814. scsm.tv. Caring for Aging Parents Support group. Confidential. Fourth Wednesdays 7:30 p.m., Family Focus Counseling Service, 20-B John Marshall St., Warrenton. 540-349-4537. Chadd parents support For parents of children with ADD/ADHD. Fourth Sundays 3 p.m. KinderCare, 44051 Ashburn Village Shopping Plaza. chadd.novaloudoun@gmail.com. Chronic illness support Tuesdays 1:30-2:30 p.m. Spiritual Care Support Ministries, 76 W. Shirley Ave., Warrenton. 540-349-5814 or scsm.tv. Coffee and Conversation Support for those discouraged because of illness, bereavement, caregiving or a loved one in the military. Thursdays 10 a.m.-noon. Spiritual Care Support Ministry Center, 76 W. Shirley Ave., Warrenton. 540-349-5814. Compassionate Friends For parents who have experienced the death of a child. First Wednesdays 7:30 p.m. St. James Episcopal Church, 14 Cornwall St. NW, Leesburg. 540-882-9707. Creating and Connecting Two-hour art therapy and relaxation workshop for cancer patients. Every other month, 12:30-2:30 p.m. Inova Loudoun Hospital Radiation Oncology Center, 44035 Riverside Pkwy., Suite 100, Leesburg. Call for dates. 703-858-8850. Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance of Western Loudoun Saturdays 3 p.m. Purcellville Library, 220 E. Main St., Carruthers Room. Call 703-431-7160 or email kathy@dbsanca.org. Drop-in grief support Second and fourth Wednesdays 1-2 p.m. St. Davids Episcopal Church, 43600 Russell Branch Pkwy., Ashburn. Sponsored by Capital Caring. 703-597-1781. Families Overcoming Drug Addiction Support group. First and third Thursdays at 6:30 p.m. Fauquier Hospital Sycamore Room, 500 Hospital Dr., Warrenton. myfodafamily@gmail.com or 540-316-9221. Gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender youth and parent support A group in partnership with Metro DC PFLAG. Fourth Sundays 4-6 p.m. Unitarian Universalist Church, 22135 Davis Dr., Sterling. 703-328-6518. Griefshare Open to anyone who has experienced the death of a loved one. Tuesdays through May 23 from 7-8:30 p.m. Purcellville Baptist Church, 601 Yaxley Dr., Purcellville. Call 540-338-0918 or email caring@purbap.org. Workbook, $15. Griefshare Nondenominational seminar and support group. Tuesdays 7:30-9 p.m., and Wednesdays, 1-2:30 p.m. Spiritual Care Support Ministry Center, 76 W. Shirley Ave., Warrenton. 540-349-5814. Free. Grief support Sponsored by Hospice Support of Fauquier County. Individual counseling available. First and third Thursdays 3:30-5 p.m. Hospice Support Office, 42 N. Fifth St., Warrenton. Registration required. Email hospicesupport@verizon.net or call 540-347-5922. Grief support Wednesdays, 10:30 a.m.-noon, Spiritual Care Support Ministry Center, 76 W. Shirley Ave., Warrenton. 540-349-5814. Hospice support Free medical-equipment loan facility for Fauquier County residents. Especially needed are donations of wheelchairs, bedside commodes, rolling walkers, electric hospital beds, shower benches and chairs, adult diapers, lift chairs, Ensure and hospital bed mattresses. 540-347-5922. Look Good, Feel Better For women undergoing or emerging from cancer treatment. Every other month, 6:45 to 9 p.m. ,Inova Loudoun Hospital Radiation Oncology Center, 44035 Riverside Pkwy., Suite 100, Leesburg. Call for dates. 703-776-2820. Free. Loudoun CHADD support Led by Children and Adults With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. Third Thursdays 7 p.m. Leesburg Town Hall, lower-level conference room, 25 W. Market St. 703-669-2445. Lyme disease support Fourth Sundays 2-4 p.m. Inova Loudoun Hospital, 44045 Riverside Pkwy., Conference Room A and B, Leesburg. Go to natcaplyme.org or email loudounlymeadvocates@ gmail.com. Lyme disease support Third Thursdays 7-9 p.m. Warrenton Church of Christ, 6398 Lee Hwy. Access Road, Warrenton. 540-341-8245 or email phillipsgeo@comcast.net. Lyme disease support Age 18 and older. First Tuesdays 6:30-8 p.m. Carver Center, 200 Willie Palmer Way, Purcellville. Email charphealy@yahoo.com. MADD Loudoun victim support For those who have been affected by drunken driving. Third Wednesdays 7:30 p.m. 210 Wirt St., Leesburg. 540-338-6491. Man-to-Man Cancer Support Sponsored by Loudoun Cancer Care Center, for prostate cancer patients and their families. Second Tuesdays 6:30-8 p.m. Senior Center at Cascades, 21060 Whitfield Pl., Sterling. Call 703-858-8857 or email karen.archer@inova.org. Menopause support Third Thursdays 6:30-9 p.m. Inova Loudoun Hospital, 44045 Riverside Pkwy., Leesburg (second floor, Patient Education Room). 703-858-8060. Mens grief supportSecond Mondays at 7 p.m. Fauquier Hospital Sycamore Room, 500 Hospital Dr., Warrenton. 703-568-3346. Free. Multiple sclerosis support Saturdays 10:30 a.m. Fauquier Hospital Chestnut Room, 500 Hospital Dr., Warrenton. 540-349-2826. Multiple sclerosis support Last Sundays, September-June, 2-4 p.m. Cascades Library, 21030 Whitfield Pl., Potomac Falls. Call ahead to confirm. 703-771-4256. Nar-anon family support For those affected by loved ones with addiction. Meaningful Mondays, 7-8 p.m., Galilee United Methodist Church, 45425 Winding Rd., Sterling. 703-203-9792; Wisdom Wednesdays 7-8 p.m., St. Francis de Sales Catholic Church, 37730 St. Francis Ct., Purcellville, 703-606-7125; Serenity Thursdays, 7-8 p.m. Leesburg Presbyterian Church, 207 W. Market St., Leesburg, 703-606-7125. Overeaters Anonymous For fellowship and support. For locations and times, call oa.org. Parkinson's support Open to those with Parkinson's disease, their family members and caregivers. First Tuesdays 1:30-3 p.m. Call for Ashburn location. 571-442-8851. Post-partum support Second and fourth Wednesdays 1-2:30 p.m. Inova Loudoun Cornwall Campus, 224 Cornwall St., Leesburg. Call 703-909-9877 or email lamckeough@gmail.com. Registration required. Reach to Recovery Home visit program for mastectomy and lumpectomy patients. Temporary prostheses, exercise instruction and encouragement. 703-938-5550. Sexual assault and incest survivors group counseling Services provided by Loudoun Citizens for Social Justice and the Loudoun Abused Womens Shelter are free and confidential. 703-771-9020. Sexual assault survivors empowerment support Sponsored by Sexual Assault Victims Volunteer Initiative. Child care available with 48 hours notice. Mondays; call for times and locations. 540-349-7720. Spiritual support group For cancer patients, family members and friends. Third Tuesdays 6:30-8 p.m. Inova Loudoun Hospital Radiation Oncology Center, 44035 Riverside Pkwy., Suite 100, Leesburg. 703-858-8850. Spouse loss support Sundays through April 2, 2:30-4 p.m. Spiritual Care Support Ministry Center, 76 W. Shirley Ave., Warrenton. Facilitated by Liz Shaw. 540-349-5814. Free. Stroke survivors and caregivers support Second Wednesdays 11 a.m.-noon, Inova Loudoun Hospital, 44045 Riverside Pkwy., Leesburg, second floor, Patient Education Room. 703-858-6199 or jill.lieb@inova.org. Suicide counseling Third Wednesdays 7-8:30 p.m. Leesburg Town Office, Conference Room 2, lower level, 25 W. Market St., Leesburg. 703-587-1618 or survivorsofsuicidelossleesburg@gmail.com. Womens support Sponsored by Services to Abused Families. Tuesdays 6:30-8 p.m. Confidential location. 540-825-8876. Widows and widowers support Third Mondays 11 a.m. Leesburg Senior Center, 102 North St. NW. 703-737-8039. Womens cancer support Woman to Woman, first Wednesdays 6:30-8 p.m. Inova Loudoun Hospital Radiation Oncology Center, 44035 Riverside Pkwy., Suite 100, Leesburg. Registration required. 703-858-8850. MISCELLANEOUS Ask the Expert lecture Colorectal Disease: Symptoms, Screenings and Treatment Options Wednesday at 6 p.m. Inova Loudoun Medical Campuw, 224-D Cornwall St. NW, Leesburg. Register at 855-694-6682. Free. Brain trauma survivors brown-bag lunch For survivors and caregivers. First Tuesdays, noon-1:30 p.m., Inova Loudoun Hospital, 44045 Riverside Pkwy., Leesburg, second-floor Patient Education Room. Call 703-737-3150 or email jberg@braininjurysvcs.org. Free. Child developmental screenings For ages 2-5. Children may not be kindergarten-age-eligible. Sponsored by the Loudoun County public schools Child Find Center. 571-252-2180. Cholesterol screenings Weekdays from 6 a.m.-8 p.m. Fauquier Health LIFE Center, 500 Hospital Dr., Warrenton. 540-316-2640. Registration required. $35. Dementia conversations For adults. Bob Bell of the Alzheimers Association National Capital Area Chapteer will offer tips on how to have a caring conversation with family members about issues related to Alzhemiers and dementia, including visits to the doctor, deciding when to stop driving and making legal and financial plans. Saturday March 25 at 1 p.m. Cascades Library, 21030 Whitfield Pl., Potomac Falls. 703-444-3228. Free. Emergency food supplies Loudoun County residents in need can receive a free three-day supply of groceries. Supplies are distributed Mondays through Saturdays by Loudoun Hunger Relief. Call 703-777-5911 or go to loudounhunger.org. Fauquier free walk-in medical clinic Call Thursdays from 12:30 to 1 p.m. to register for the clinic, which begins at 5:30 p.m. Patients are seen by appointment Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Fauquier and Rappahannock residents only. Bring proof of address for the first visit. Patients cannot have Medicaid, Medicare or private insurance. Information: 540-347-0394 Tuesdays or Thursdays, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Fauquier Hospital Bistro Senior Supper Club Nutritious meals and fellowship for people 55 and older. Tuesdays and Thursdays 4:30-6:30 p.m. Fauquier Hospital Bistro on the Hill, 500 Hospital Dr., Warrenton. 540-316-3588. $5.49. HEROES (Hometown Enabling Relationships, Opportunities and Empowerment through Support) is a program for military families. Support to military members and families, from pre-deployment up to two years post-deployment. Assistance includes financial help, job placement, family care and mental-health services. caring@purbap.org or heroescare.org. Inova Loudoun Hospital Mobile Health Services Blood pressure screenings, Monday 9-11 a.m. William Watters House, 22365 Enterprise St., Sterling; Thursday 10 a.m.-noon, Carver Center, 200 Willie Palmer Way, Purcellville; March 28, 9 a.m.-noon, Senior Center at Cascades, 21060 Whitfield Pl., Sterling; March 29, 10 a.m.-noon, Lansdowne Woods, 19400 Leisure World Blvd., Leesburg. For information, call 703-858-8818 or go to inova.org/mobilehealth. Free. Loudoun Cares information and referral help line Call 703-669-4636 for help in finding resources for county residents dealing with eviction, utility cut-offs, needed health care and employment. Motor skill screenings Birth to 21 months. First Thursdays, Blue Ridge Speech and Hearing Center, 19465 Deerfield Ave., Suite 201, Lansdowne. Call for an appointment. 703-858-7620. Free. Northern Virginia long-term care ombudsman Call 703-324-5861 for help in resolving complaints related to long-term-care facilities. Road to Recovery Free rides to appointments for cancer patients. Call 410-781-6909 or email jen.burdette@cancer.org. Free. Safe sitter classes For girls and boys ages 11-14. First Saturdays except for holiday weekends. 7:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Inova Loudoun Hospital, 44045 Riverside Pkwy., Leesburg. To receive a Safe Sitter Certificate, students must pass practical and written tests on babysitting and handling an emergency. Take a lunch from home or buy one in the cafeteria. $70, includes handbook and snacks. Registration required. 703-858-8818 or charlene.martin@inova.org. Seven Loaves Food Pantry Individuals and families can receive a three-day supply of food, distributed Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 10 a.m.-noon. Go to sevenloavesmiddleburg.org or call 540-687-3489. Tree of Life Food Pantry Serving western Loudoun County. Food is delivered Wednesdays and Saturdays. 703-554-3595. Compiled by Sandy Mauck TO SUBMIT AN ITEM Email: ldliving@washpost.com Fax: 703-777-8437 Mail: Health Calendar, The Washington Post, 104 Dry Mill Rd. SW, Suite 101, Leesburg, Va. 20175 Help is needed to Keep Leesburg Beautiful The 13th annual Keep Leesburg Beautiful community cleanup and beautification campaign will run throughout April. The town needs assistance with inventories of storm sewer inlets. Volunteers will make a list of storm drains that are blocked by vegetation and debris or that need repair, and report them to the Public Works and Capital Projects Department. The information will be used to dispatch crews to address problems. Residents, businesses, and neighborhood and community groups are also encouraged to form teams to collect litter along roads, stream beds and other public common areas. Safety vests, gloves and trash bags will be provided. For information, go to leesburgva.gov/KLB. STEM career fair to be March 28 in Sterling The Loudoun Workforce Resource Center, in partnership with the Loudoun campus of Northern Virginia Community College and NOVA SySTEMic Solutions, has scheduled a STEM career fair March 28 from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Higher Education Center, 21200 Campus Dr., Sterling. More than 20 employers will attend to recruit for science, technology, engineering and math/banking positions. To help residents prepare for the career fair, the Loudoun Workforce Resource Center, 102 Heritage Way NE, Leesburg, will host a Ready, Set, Go to the Career Fair workshop Tuesday and mock interviews Wednesday. To register for the workshop or a mock interview, go to loudoun.gov/wrcworkshops. For information about the Loudoun Workforce Resource Center, go to loudoun.gov/wrc. Fauquier Disability and Transition Fair is April 19 The Fauquier County public schools Parent Resource Center and the Office of Special Education will host a Disability and Transition Fair on April 19 from 3:30 to 7 p.m. at Fauquier High School, 705 Waterloo Rd., Warrenton. The fair will focus on students with disabilities, their families and professionals supporting them. Refreshments will be provided. The fair will have workshops on Medicaid waivers, Individualized Education Programs, college preparation, post-graduation options and special-needs trusts. Local agencies and support groups will provide informational resources. To register, go to openingdoorsconference.eventzilla.net. To request accommodations, email prc@fcps1.org or lpayne@fcps1.org. Rep. Elijah E. Cummings (D-Md.) said he is not beyond asking Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan to push fellow Republicans in Congress and the White House to preserve the Affordable Care Act, or to publicly discuss the effect a repeal would have on the state. So he came to Annapolis on Monday, just days before the House is expected to vote on a replacement for the health-care law, to beg the governor to speak out. Cummings joined House Minority Whip Steny H. Hoyer and Reps. John Sarbanes and Jamie B. Raskin all Maryland Democrats at a news conference in front of the State House and called on Hogan to join a growing chorus of Republican governors who have raised serious concerns about the legislation being debated on Capitol Hill. We are talking about saving peoples lives, Cummings said. Republican governors in Arkansas, Massachusetts, Michigan and Ohio have said that rolling back a Medicaid expansion and other changes included in the replacement bill would negatively affect their states. The congressmen from Maryland said their governor, too, should send a strong message to Congress about what they said is the devastation the bill would bring to Maryland. Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R). (Linda Davidson/The Washington Post) This is a moment of emergency for us, Raskin said. Hoyer said that nearly 300,000 state residents would become uninsured under the Republican bill, including 60,000 children, and that more than 50,000 health-care jobs could be lost. Losing expanded Medicaid could cost the state $1.4 billion, he said. Hogan has repeatedly ignored demands that he denounce President Trumps policies, and Monday was no different. A spokeswoman for Hogan dismissed the news conference as grandstanding and said the governor would issue no public statement about the replacement bill to Trump, the Republican majority in Congress or anyone else. Instead of wasting time playing politics and holding news conferences in Annapolis, these congressmen should be in Washington doing their jobs, Amelia Chasse said in a statement. The governor and the administration are fighting to ensure that Marylands priorities are protected under any federal health care plan its time for our federal representatives to do the same. Chasse said the congressmen appeared to be disregarding the governors direct appeal to them after they met about health care in January to work in a bipartisan manner to come up with responsible solutions for Maryland. Sarbanes said the group had not heard from Hogan since that meeting and came to Annapolis in hopes of getting him to speak before a vote expected Thursday on the House floor. There is still time for the governor to make a difference, Sarbanes said. This isnt grandstanding. This is a part of governing. A tornado hit Appomattox County and other parts of Virginia in a deadly storm on Feb. 24, 2016. (Courtesy of Virginia Department of Emergency Management) About a year ago, four people died and more than 45 were injured in a tornado that hit Virginia. To mark the Feb. 24 anniversary, officials are reminding area residents to register, starting Tuesday, in an annual Tornado Drill. The event will be held at 9:45 a.m. Tuesday. The drill involves a test tornado warning that will be sent by the National Weather Service to the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The NOAA weather radios will then send a tone alert that shows a text message or a flash to say there is a message. It is similar to what people would see or hear during an actual tornado warning, officials with Fairfax County said. The text message is also broadcast by local radio, TV and cable stations. In the past, 1 million Virginia residents have signed up for tornado drills, officials said. To register, go to www.vaemergency.gov/prepare-recover/threat/tornadoes. The 2016 tornado that hit Virginia Feb. 24 was the deadliest since 1959. There were several reports of tornadoes touching down in Sussex and Appomattox counties, along with the Northern Neck and Middle Peninsula areas, officials said. [Severe storm kills 4 in Virginia, causes power outages in D.C. area] In a news release issued Monday, Fairfax County emergency personnel said Virginians must prepare for the possibility of tornadoes and other natural disasters. Bill Sammler of the National Weather Service said in a statement, tornadoes can occur any month of the year. He said Virginia averages 16 tornadoes a year. When a tornado watch is issued for your area, he said, residents should know where to seek shelter. A tornado watch means a tornado is possible in your area. A tornado warning indicates a tornado has been sighted, and individuals should take cover immediately. Two women were held against their will Saturday in a house in the LeDroit Park/Bloomingdale area of Northwest Washington, and police said an arrest was made. They said they received a call about 10:30 p.m. indicating that someone was being held in the 200 block of Elm Street NW. When officers arrived, they found two victims, the police said. They said Adam Murray, 24, of Northwest, was arrested and charged with kidnaping. Neither of the victims was injured, police said. Elm Street is three blocks long and runs eastward from the east side of Howard University Hospital. A Howard University dormitory for male undergraduates is on the street, along with renovated rowhouses and detached houses. The Service you requested is not available at this time Regret the inconvenience caused. Try again after sometime. A man drove up to a White House check point shortly after 11 p.m. Saturday and told a Secret Service officer that theres a bomb in the trunk, authorities said. As he was being pulled to the ground by a uniformed Secret Service officer, the man allegedly said, according to a D.C. police report, this is a test. The man was taken into custody and his vehicle was searched. There was no indication that anything was found. The police said Sean Patrick Keoughan, 29, of Roanoke, Va., was charged with false bomb threats, as well as unauthorized use of a vehicle. According to the report, the car was reported stolen in Roanoke, Va. The incident occurred at the vehicle check point at 15th and E Streets NW. It does not give access to the White House grounds, but only authorized vehicles are permitted to pass. The security incident was the second of the day at the White House. In the earlier one, a man was spotted about 12:40 p.m. in a prohibited area on the sidewalk in front of the North Lawn for the White House, according to a D.C. police report. The man was behind an auxiliary security barrier that stands in front of the fence that encloses the White House grounds. The auxiliary barrier is about 40 inches tall and resembles a bicycle rack. The man behind the barrier was yelling nonsensical statements, a uniformed Secret Service officer said, according to the D.C. police report. Police said Sunday night that William Bryant Rawlinson, 58, of Silver Spring, Md., was arrested on a charge of unlawful entry. Members of the Secret Service Uniformed Divison patrol perimeter of the White House on March 18, (Martin Weil/AFP/Getty Images) A Virginia man arrested after falsely reporting his car trunk contained a bomb at a U.S. Secret Service checkpoint outside the White House was ordered to undergo a mental competency examination and remain jailed until a hearing Thursday. Sean Patrick Keoughan, 29, of Roanoke, faces a statutory maximum penalty of 10 years in prison if convicted of making a false bomb threat Saturday night, U.S. Magistrate Robin M. Meriweather of the District said at Keoughans first court appearance Monday. Meriweather ordered a 24-hour competency examination by D.C. court officials as requested by assistant federal defender Dani Jahn, which prosecutors did not oppose. The magistrate put on hold for now a request by assistant U.S. attorney Erik Kenerson for a 30-day psychiatric evaluation for Keoughan under U.S. Bureau of Prisons detention. Jahn said Keoughan, bearded and dressed in a checked shirt, hooded blue rain jacket and jeans with a torn back pocket, appeared to understand the proceedings against him and to be able to assist in his defense. Kenerson said a competency exam was justified based on statements Keoughan allegedly made to a uniformed Secret Service officer. An arrest affidavit filed with the court charges: At about 11:05 p.m. Saturday at a checkpoint at 15th and E streets NW, Keoughan pulled up in a black Chevrolet Impala and said he was carrying a bomb and, later, an asteroid in a canvas bag in the trunk; that he had been directed to test the checkpoint by President Trump; and that he was in telepathic communication with Trump, the Secret Service and Delta Force through a system called Think Talk. Members of the Secret Services uniformed divison patrol along the security fence around the the White House. (Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images) A man who was spotted Saturday in a prohibited area on the sidewalk in front of the White House North Lawn and who police said was yelling nonsensical statements was ordered released from D.C. jail Monday after he pleaded not guilty to misdemeanor unlawful entry in D.C. Superior Court. William Rawlinson, 58, of Silver Spring, was ordered to return to court April 12. Police say Rawlinson was behind an auxiliary security barrier in front of the fence that encloses the White House grounds. The auxiliary barrier is about 40 inches tall and resembles a bicycle rack. [Two men arrested in separate incidents at White House on Saturday ] According to charging documents, Rawlinson gave authorities consent to search his vehicle, which was at the intersection of 15th and I streets. Authorities said no unusual items were found. The vehicle was towed to the 2nd District D.C. police headquarters and retrieved by Rawlinsons mother. As a condition of his release, a judge ordered Rawlinson to stay away from the White House grounds. A series of heroin overdoses in Alexandria, Va., led to charges against 11 people in what local authorities are calling a significant heroin-trafficking ring in the D.C. region. Prosecutors said more than a kilogram of heroin, with a street value of at least $1 million, passed through the groups hands in the past year. Lives will be saved because they are no longer dealing, Virginia Attorney General Mark R. Herring (D) said at a news conference Monday. But, he added, were not going to be able to arrest our way out of this problem. That problem is one that has bedeviled police and politicians across the country as opioid use continues to rise. In January alone there were 15 overdose deaths in Northern Virginia, along with more than 100 emergency room visits for overdoses. Virginias health commissioner last fall declared opioid addiction to be a public health emergency. Maryland made the same assessment this month. Alexandria Commonwealths Attorney Bryan Porter said this case is so complex that it will put a significant dent in that citys heroin market. Yet he acknowledged that the setback will likely be short-lived. The heroin trade is particularly a lucrative trade, he said, and the amount of money involved brings guns and violence into the community along with drugs. The suspects face charges of racketeering, drug possession and distribution. The majority were arrested March 11, but some of the charges date back a year. This month, police with search warrants seized 10 firearms, 436 grams of heroin, 330 grams of cocaine, 19 grams of PCP and seven pounds of marijuana, plus vehicles and $18,000 in cash, officials said. The suspects span the region and range in age from their 30s to their 60s. Lt. Col. Gary Settle of the Virginia State Police told reporters that community members and hospitals dealing with overdoses directed them to a common distributor in Maryland. Their investigation then led them back to Alexandria. These men and women were organized, they were part of a network responsible for trafficking thousands of dollars worth of heroin and cocaine throughout the region, heroin that came very close to costing people their lives, Settle said. Investigators do not know of anyone who died using the rings product. In Alexandria, the arrestees were Robert E. Hunt, 54, Dwayne Mann, 56, Tony S. Mann, 55, Albert B. Taylor, 60, and Richard C. Williams Jr., 63. Jacqueline D. McBride, 61, was arrested in Virginias Fairfax County and 57-year-old Anthony D. Terry in Dumfries. Tony D. Smith, 31, came from Woodbridge, Va. Gregory Taylor, 43, and Tyrone Washington, 37, come from Fort Washington, Md. Ronald Morton, 39, was arrested in Clinton, Md. Terrys father said the 57-year-old had only recently been released from prison after several years and expressed disbelief that his son would want to get in trouble again. Family members of other suspects could not be reached or declined to comment. All 11 suspects have been in front of a judge and appointed counsel, Porter said. They will be prosecuted in Alexandria Circuit Court, in concert with the attorney generals office. The names of their lawyers could not immediately be learned. The coordination between the two offices is novel, Porter said, as is the multi-jurisdictional police investigation all part of a sweeping effort to tackle the sprawling opioid crisis. Even as dealers are hammered with decades-long prison sentences, Herring said the state also needs to focus on addiction treatment and prevention for users. This is a real epidemic, and we have the power to bring it under control, he said. Peter Hermann contributed to this report. A student at a Temple Hills high school was stabbed Monday morning, according to Prince Georges County police. The incident occurred during a Crossland High School class that was being held outside, police spokesman Tyler Hunter said. The student got into a verbal altercation with a former student, and it escalated into the stabbing, police said. Police identified the former student as Nathaniel Coates, 18, of Temple Hills. Coates was arrested within minutes of the reported stabbing and a weapon was recovered, police said. He has been charged with first-degree assault, police said. The injured student was taken to a hospital with injuries that do not appear to be life-threatening, police said. Foreign nationals are arrested in February during a targeted enforcement operation conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Los Angeles. (Charles Reed/Associated Press) Homeland Security officials on Monday unveiled the administrations first list of law enforcement agencies that refused to detain jailed immigrants beyond their release dates so that the federal government could take them into custody and try to deport them. Federal officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity in a conference call with reporters, said local agencies, including some in Maryland and Virginia, failed to honor 206 detention requests from Jan. 28 to Feb. 3. President Trump in January ordered Homeland Security to issue a weekly list of crimes committed by noncitizen immigrants and to identify agencies that refused to hold those people in jail on civil immigration-violation charges until federal agents could pick them up. These numbers will continue to go up, a Homeland Security official said. There is a clear public safety issue here that will only be further illuminated as we go forward. Advocates for immigrants say it is unconstitutional for local police to detain someone for a civil deportation proceeding when the judge in their criminal case has ordered them released. This is part of an overall strategy to try to scare jurisdictions into becoming deportation agents, said Cody Wofsy, a staff attorney with the American Civil Liberties Unions Immigrants Rights Project. And the truth is that jurisdictions have the legal right to refuse to become entangled with the federal immigration enforcement system. Trump has threatened to withhold federal funding from what are called sanctuary cities, where local law enforcement agencies do not cooperate with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement bureau, but officials said they hoped such jurisdictions would start cooperating with federal agents instead. Officials identified 118 such agencies in the report Monday, though they cautioned it was preliminary. The National Immigration Law Center (NILC) estimates that 600 jurisdictions limit their cooperation with ICE, in most cases because they do not want immigrants to fear the police or be deported for minor traffic offenses. Avideh Moussavian, a staff lawyer at NILC, said police often cooperate with federal law enforcement agencies on criminal matters but emphasized that immigration violations are civil, not criminal. Theyve created this totally false narrative that somehow local law enforcement is obstructing their work because theyre not holding people when the local law enforcement authorities have no basis for holding that person any longer, Moussavian said. Homeland Security officials cautioned that the report offered only a snapshot of a weeks worth of detainers requests from ICE to a law enforcement agency to hold an immigrant for up to 48 hours after they are released on bail so that immigration agents can take them into custody and seek to deport them. The report did not identify the alleged criminals affected by the declined detainers, but officials said many had been arrested for serious crimes, including aggravated assault and homicide. A Washington Post analysis, however, showed that fewer than half of the people had been convicted of a crime. Most detainers were issued for citizens of Mexico, followed by Honduras. Some local law enforcement agencies suggested Monday that the agencys methodology is flawed. More than 60 percent of the declined detainers were from Travis County in Texas, which on Feb. 1 adopted a policy limiting its cooperation with ICE. Maj. Wes Priddy, of the Travis County Sheriffs Office, said the agency does detain criminals convicted of serious crimes for immigration officials. But he said his department does not turn over people awaiting trial. We do honor ICE detainers. But we do it selectively and in a manner which we can abide by our policy, Priddy said, adding that in the past, immigration officials have deported people before trial, depriving defendants of their day in court and, in some cases, denying closure to crime victims. We want to make sure that justice is served on the local level as well. Patrick Lacefield, a government spokesman in Montgomery County, Md., which also has a declined detainer on the list, said officials in the county cooperate with ICE and have nothing in their records matching what the federal officials have on their list. We looked in our records, and we dont have either a detainer received on that date or a detainer declined on that date, Lacefield said. If we had a name of who it was, we could do a more thorough search. On the face of it, it doesnt really support the information that they have. Jessica Vaughan, director of policy studies for the Center for Immigration Studies, said the report suggested that ICE may not be effectively tracking detainers it files with local agencies. Some detainers were issued as far back as 2010 or 2014 but were logged as declined just a few weeks ago, apparently because ICE had not tracked them before then. At the same time, Vaughan said, the list is an attempt to pressure localities to change their policies and inform the public that sanctuary cities sometimes release serious criminals. When he signed the Jan. 25 executive order intensifying deportation efforts, Trump said jurisdictions put U.S. citizens at risk by releasing criminals who should be deported and who, in some cases, commit additional crimes after being released from jail. David Rockefeller Sr., the heir to a vast and storied family fortune who, as president, chairman and chief executive of Chase Manhattan Bank transformed a listless business into one of the worlds largest financial institutions, died March 20 at his home in Pocantico Hills, N.Y. He was 101. A spokesman, Fraser P. Seitel, said the cause was congestive heart failure. Dr. Rockefeller was the last surviving grandchild of oil baron John D. Rockefeller, who became one of the richest men in the world by the time he died in 1937. Dr. Rockefellers four brothers, John 3rd, Nelson, Laurance and Winthrop, carved prominent careers in philanthropy, politics, conservation and politics, respectively. David Rockefeller became a banking stalwart. He was a globe-trotting financial diplomat and twice declined President Richard M. Nixons offer to become secretary of the treasury because he felt his position at Chase gave him more influence. In 1979, he used his contacts at the highest levels of government to bring the ailing and deposed shah of Iran to the United States for medical treatment. Dr. Rockefeller was a celebrated philanthropist. He donated millions of dollars to the Museum of Modern Art, his alma mater Harvard and the Council on Foreign Relations, where he served as chairman from 1970 to 1985. He turned his family-sponsored medical research center into Rockefeller University in New York. President Ronald Reagan, right, greets David Rockefeller Sr. in 1984. (Ira Schwarz/ASSOCIATED PRESS) In 1998, President Bill Clinton awarded Dr. Rockefeller the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nations highest civilian honor, for co-founding the International Executive Service Corps, a volunteer organization that since 1964 has sent American business executives to developing countries to provide management expertise. Dr. Rockefeller was most remembered for his influential role in banking. When Dr. Rockefeller arrived at Chase in 1946, New York law restricted the banks business to the city. Using family connections particularly his brother Nelson, a Republican who was then governor of New York he got the restrictive laws overturned in 1960. Chase expanded into Westchester and Nassau counties. Eventually the banks reach extended across Europe, Latin America and Asia. The bank made loans to Panamanian ranchers, financed bowling alleys in Europe and backed a bus line in the Virgin Islands. By the early 1960s, it had become the second-largest bank in the country. When Dr. Rockefeller first joined Chase, the bank handled wealthy clients, banks and corporations, and snubbed deposits smaller than $5,000. It was largely mismanaged, lacked a budget and had no formal organization chart or comprehensive business plan. Dr. Rockefeller became the banks president in 1961 and, among many modernization efforts, set out to attract a diverse clientele, implementing the slogan You have a friend at Chase Manhattan. But by the mid-1970s, the bank had lost ground in the industry. When Dr. Rockefeller became chairman in 1969, Chase was about even with massive Citicorp in assets and deposits. By aggressively targeting retail customers and foreign clients, Citi overtook Chase in three years. A Rockefeller family portrait taken in 1920 at Seal Harbor, Maine. Abby and John D. Rockefeller Jr. with their children, from left, Laurance, Abby, John 3rd, David, Winthrop and Nelson. (AP) During his 12-year reign as chairman, Dr. Rockefeller was often accused of being an absentee leader. He took 78 trips abroad. Although many of those trips were associated with business, critics said he was gone too much to redress the banks problems. If there was one defect of his leadership of the Chase, its that he had so many other strong interests that he couldnt focus all his attention on the bank, said New York University financial historian Richard Sylla. In 1976, $1.9 billion of loans the bank made went sour, including $50 million lost when the department store W.T. Grant declared bankruptcy. A large part of the banks liabilities stems from Rockefellers high-minded conviction that the Chase should be a good corporate citizen, Time magazine reported in 1976. When New York City verged on bankruptcy in 1975, Chase bought more than $400 million of city bonds and notes, which helped the city but hurt the banks bottom line. Chase also invested more than $730 million in real estate investment trusts, an investment vehicle Dr. Rockefeller often used to reduce corporate income taxes. When real estate values plummeted in the 1970s, nearly three-quarters of the banks real estate holdings produced no income. By the time he retired in 1981, the bank had fallen from the third-largest in the world to 89th. David Rockefeller, the youngest of six children, was born in Manhattan on June 12, 1915. His mother, Abby, was a founder of the Museum of Modern Art. His father, John D. Rockefeller Jr., was emotionally distant, high strung and tormented by his inherited wealth, but he drove into his children a sense of noblesse oblige and a commitment to hard work. Young David, who grew up in the largest private residence in New York City, was required to do chores. At 7, he spent eight hours a day raking leaves on the familys 3,400-acre estate in Westchester County. In Maine, where the family owned a summer home, he pulled weeds by hand, earning a penny a weed. He found fun in entomology. One summer in Maine, he took a natural history course and developed a passion for beetles. On warm nights, he would hang a bedsheet outside his bedroom and set a light in front of it. Soon, the sheet would be crawling with insects. He would eventually collect more than 40,000 specimens. In later years, foreign bankers would arrive at Chase Manhattan bearing packaged beetles for Dr. Rockefeller. As a boy, his parents often entertained artists, foreign leaders, adventurers and politicians, and young David moved seamlessly among them. One Antarctic explorer-cum-family acquaintance named a relay camp after him. That was an exciting thing for a thirteen-year-old boy, Dr. Rockefeller wrote in his 2002 autobiography, Memoirs. He graduated from Harvard in 1936, and then spent a year at the London School of Economics and received a PhD from the University of Chicago (co-founded by his grandfather) in 1940. After his dissertation was complete, he married Peggy McGrath. They knew each other growing up, and he began courting her while pursuing his doctorate. She possessed charm and a biting wit, which nicely complements her husbands habitual blandness in manner, the New Yorker magazine commented in 1965. She died in 1996, and their son Richard Rockefeller died in a plane crash in 2014. Survivors include five children, David Rockefeller Jr. and Peggy Dulany, both of New York, Abby Rockefeller and Neva Goodwin, both of Cambridge, Mass., and Eileen Growald of Shelburne, Vt.; 10 grandchildren; and 10 great-grandchildren. During World War II, Dr. Rockefeller joined the Army as an enlisted soldier, but he could not bear sharing assigned quarters with a malodorous horse keeper. He applied for officers training. Fluent in French, he was given intelligence work in North Africa. After Paris was liberated, he worked at the reestablished U.S. Embassy, reporting on French economic and political developments. After the war, Dr. Rockefeller joined Chase National Bank because his uncle was its chairman and the family had a 5 percent stake in the company. In 1955, Chase merged with the Bank of the Manhattan Co., creating Chase Manhattan. Early in the 1970s, Dr. Rockefeller founded the Trilateral Commission, a networking group of influential private-sector leaders. Dr. Rockefeller was on intimate terms with many world leaders. One of these relationships had a lasting effect on U.S. foreign relations. In 1979, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the shah of Iran, was overthrown. For nearly a year, the exiled ruler sought medical treatment for cancer. Dr. Rockefeller, a business acquaintance of 20 years, helped secure medical treatment in Mexico City. After the shahs health deteriorated, his twin sister approached Dr. Rockefeller and asked for help. Thinking that the United States should stand by a longtime ally, Dr. Rockefeller helped convince President Jimmy Carter to grant the shah entry into the country to get medical treatment in New York City. In Iran, public reaction was vitriolic. Thirteen days after the shahs arrival, militant students overran the U.S. Embassy in Tehran and held 52 American hostages for 444 days. Dr. Rockefeller was long associated with New York City and contributed to its iconic skyline. By moving Chases headquarters to downtown Manhattan, he rejuvenated the worlds financial heart. For years, companies once headquartered near Wall Street had migrated to midtown. Chases move downtown in the early 1960s launched a building boom in Lower Manhattan, leading to the construction of the World Trade Center in the 1960s and 70s. According to one story, when he heard the World Trade Center would block the view from his buildings top floor, he called his brother Nelson, the governor. Cant you just move it over a few feet? he asked. Dr. Rockefeller maintained his view of the Statue of Liberty and the Hudson River. Florida Police: Mother slain by daughters boyfriend Florida police say a 47-year-old who was reported missing by friends was killed by her daughters boyfriend. The Bradenton Herald reported that Roy Nichols Jr., 26, was arrested early Saturday at a West Virginia truck stop along with Tricia Freemans daughter. Palmetto Police Chief Scott Tyler said Sunday that Nichols faces a second-degree murder charge, and Freemans daughter, Kayla Colyer, will be charged as an accessory to murder after the fact. Nichols said in an interview that he had gone to Freemans Palmetto home Tuesday, and that she had said something that set him off, Tyler said. Nichols and Colyer were apprehended Saturday in Cabell County, W.Va., after a clerk working at the store recognized them from a news broadcast. Associated Press Waiter fired after asking about immigration status: A waiter was fired from a Southern California restaurant after asking customers to prove they had legal residency before serving them. The Los Angeles Times reported that Brenda Carrillo, 23, said she and a friend were asked that question at Saint Marc in Huntington Beach. Carrillo said the waiter later asked her sister and another friend to see their proof of residency. She said the women complained to the manager and left. The restaurant said in an online post that the waiter was fired. Maya Angelous childhood home up for sale: The St. Louis childhood home of the late poet Maya Angelou is up for sale. With a listed price of $159,000, the 1,100-square-foot place at 3130 Hickory St. was Angelous home for her first three years and, after her death in 2014 at the age of 86, was given local landmark status. The three-bedroom, three-bathroom dwelling is 129 years old. The home belonged to Angelous maternal grandparents when she was born as Marguerite Johnson in 1928. As a child, Angelou and an older brother were sent to live with a paternal grandmother in Arkansas after their parents marriage collapsed. Deer rescued from frozen pond: Crews have rescued a deer that was stuck in a frozen pond in New Jersey for nearly a day. The deer was pulled from the water in Roxbury shortly after 10 a.m. Sunday. But the animal initially struggled to walk on its own and it wasnt immediately known if it had suffered any injuries. The rescue came shortly after an amphibious land boat that crews were using to get near the deer started taking on water, forcing the rescuers into the cold pond. Officials say none of them were injured. The deer had gotten stuck about 60 yards offshore Saturday morning. Crews then worked for most of the day to free the animal, but eventually had to suspend their efforts at about dusk. From news services Van Jones poses for a portrait in blue lights backstage after filming The Messy Truth for CNN in Los Angeles in February. (Ivan Kashinsky/For The Washington Post) Standing backstage, downwind of a cloud of blush and hair spray vapors, political commentator Van Jones is getting ready to tape an appearance on ABCs The View. Blurred Lines blares out of a studio sound system, a controversial 2013 hit whose title seemed appropriate for the activist-turned-bridge builder. Some of the women in the audience start squealing and chair dancing. A young, white host a member of the The Views all-women, hot-topic-debating roundtable spots Jones. She needs to thank him. On The Messy Truth, his CNN special, Joness declaration that President Trumps supporters arent a cauldron of bigots was so very right, she says. Well, wait a minute, Jones said. I actually do think some Trump supporters are racists. The hosts face fell. Soon, its showtime, where Jones knows the stakes of saying things committed to tape better than most. A few weeks earlier on election night, he had uttered a word that history may forever associate with Trumps win. People have talked about a miracle, Jones, 48, said on CNN. Im hearing about a nightmare. . . . I have Muslim friends who are texting me tonight saying, Should I leave the country? I have families of immigrants that are terrified tonight. Then, he emphasized, This was a whitelash. This was a whitelash against a changing country, against a black president. Clips of Joness whitelash soliloquy bounced around the Internet for weeks. But if the nation thought it had him pegged as the voice of unwavering opposition, that soon proved wrong. Jones began talking about the lefts responsibility to form a Love Army, describing the power of love and listening to resolve problems, bind us and build solutions. He started a program and called on Americans to sign up for #LoveArmy events. In December, he told a conservative radio show host that Republicans are the party of colorblind meritocracy. He described a portion of Trumps congressional address in February as one of the most extraordinary moments in American politics. Jones exemplifies a quandary facing the left. Caught off guard by Trumps victory, the presidents detractors have grappled with how to respond: Some have gone to battle, calling out racism and bigotry or participating in protests. Others have focused on listening to and empathizing with the white working class, sometimes suggesting that the groups economic challenges are unique from those of other working-class Americans. Critics have called Joness shift between those options dizzying, self-interested and gutless. Supporters have showered him with laurels, saying hes a political commentator with a deserved cult following for his ability to bridge the political divide. Ive spent my whole life being half bomb-thrower, half bridge-builder and as a result, pissing people off on both sides, Jones said. I think sometimes people see me as the black anti-Trump crusader, but thats not what Im there to do all the time. Sometimes, Im the crusader against liberal arrogance or lack of empathy or insight. Jones laughs with Bill Maher while filming The Messy Truth. (Ivan Kashinsky/For The Washington Post) The hard edge Nothing about Joness trajectory surprises his twin sister, junior by four minutes, Angela Jones. Their teacher mother and school-principal father raised the twins in Jackson, Tenn. Jackson, today home to about 67,000, sits an hour and a half drive northeast of Memphis. As a lanky, cerebral boy with glasses, Anthony Van Jones was targeted by bullies. Angela Jones, now a social worker in Tennessee, was his protector. As a child, Jones spent hours reading X-Men comics and other stories about outsiders and underdogs. By high school, he was fascinated with student government and systems how things work and fail, why groups have certain experiences. Looking back, I see hes always really been interested in figuring out how to get people to play nice and get along, his sister said. But Angela Jones isnt oblivious to the suspicions that her brother is shilling an intentionally watered-down version of his progressive ideas. I obviously dont believe hes an Uncle Tom or anything like that, she said, her voice breaking as she starts to cry. Thats ridiculous to me. Van Jones graduated from the University of Tennessee at Martin before heading to Yale University Law School in the early 1990s. There, one of his works of graphic art offered an early example of his penchant for bridge building, classmate James Forman Jr. recalls. Forman now a Yale constitutional law professor remembers Jones standing next to a poster Jones drew and hung on a wall law students pass on the way to class. On it: a group of four white adolescents standing on a corner near a boombox above the words, a group of teens, and a group of black adolescents engaged in the same above the words a teen gang. The poster homed in on the existence of implicit bias. Usually, white papers and essays were posted on that wall early, before too many people were around, Forman said. Instead, Jones stood by that poster between classes for days, talking with anyone who wanted to engage. To me, Van is someone who started as an activist, Forman said, and has become more focused on that very broad audience. Theres probably a way that you inevitably give up some of your hard edge. But that does not mean you abandon beliefs. Van certainly hasnt done that. After law school, Jones worked in the Bay Area fighting police misconduct and briefly participating in a socialist collective. In 1996, he co-founded a nonprofit organization in Oakland the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights focused on reducing mass incarceration. When the organization challenged a state plan to build a massive youth prison, Jones decided to work with a group of wealthy, largely white homeowners who lived near the proposed site. They opposed it on grounds Jones said were mostly, you know, racism. Jones thought the group had political contacts and leverage others didnt. Many of his allies were appalled. California officials ultimately scrapped the plan. In 2009, President Barack Obama named Jones special adviser for green jobs, enterprise and innovation with the White Houses Council on Environmental Quality. Some considered Joness history in radical political circles as conservative political commentator Glenn Beck suggested proof that Obama was suspect. Beck insisted that Jones had signed a petition saying that George W. Bushs administration allowed the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. The White House offered to fight, Jones says. He resigned. Although the organization behind the petition listed Joness name on its website, the group later said it could find no evidence of Joness signature or support for the petitions statements. Jones reacts while filming The Messy Truth. (Ivan Kashinsky/For The Washington Post) Decoding Trumpism On The Messy Truth, Jones serves as host and, effectively, coastal Americas political ambassador to what some now describe as real America. The program began as a Web series and Joness personal project. Jones was still Jones unfailingly polite and affable. Bits of Southern aphorisms, such as Fight till the last dog barks, roll off his tongue. But, at critical moments, hes direct and instructive. In the first Web installment, published Nov. 6, he appears in the living room of a family of white Trump supporters in Gettysburg, Pa. He listens as they describe Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton as a habitual criminal and the election a last chance for us to save the country. One member of the family says a Clinton win would set off a civil war. Later, a woman in the family says racist has lost meaning. The country is so sissified, she says, dressing up as a Native American for Halloween is racist. Jones challenges her, telling her she should not dismiss other peoples pain and expect them to believe she respects them. Soon, the woman starts to cry. Jones brought The Messy Truth concept to CNN. In the weeks after the election, the network began to produce a version with extras: experts, celebrities, a town hall format and a live audience. On Dec. 6, in the first post-election installment of The Messy Truth and the first to air on the cable news network, Jones stood on a stage with an image of Mount Rushmore against a red, white and blue backdrop. The nation needs to talk, Jones says. He takes viewers with him via video to an Ohio community that has lost thousands of jobs. Jones sits around the kitchen table with a white family, some of whom are two-time Obama voters backing Trump because, they suggest, Obama let them down by allowing the unemployment rate to rise. One says people like them built the country. Theyre assertions that often begin debates about race, such as the role slavery played in building the U.S. economy. In a Facebook video the day after the election, Jones noted how responses to unemployment in white communities differed from others: African Americans lost their jobs with globalization, but we didnt go and join any fascist movement. But on this day, Jones didnt object to the familys comments. He later explained that the segment was an attempt to understand Trump voters. Im not in every instance trying to debunk Trump and Trumpism, Jones said. Im trying to decode Trumpism. Im trying to make it legible on, more or less, its own terms. And a lot of liberals just cant stand it because every single time someone says something they disagree with, they want us to get down and basically get into a fistfight. Jones prepares to begin filming. (Ivan Kashinsky/For The Washington Post) Bridging divides Jones has faced criticism from many directions. Much of it is on Twitter, in all its snarky, ruthless, animated GIF glory. Its coming from the left, the middle and the right. The blog TheBluestI has described Jones as playing the part of the magical Negro in public discourse an archetype whose primary purpose is to rescue, comfort and impress whites. (The blogs author has since limited access to the site.) Responding to Joness comments about Trumps February speech, a GQ headline asked, What the Hell, Van Jones? A piece for the Conservative Review called him a race-baiting agitator. Herbert Hines, a sociologist and professor at the State University of New York at Cortland who studies social change, says the criticism is more reflective of the times than it is of Jones. I dont see anything particularly heretical in what he is doing, Hines said. We are simply so incredibly polarized right now that the very act of Jones listening, on TV, is called controversial. Jones dismisses the criticism. Its not about coddling or cozying up, he said. Its reality. People of color have always had to bear the burden of serving as this countrys moral consciousness. Through that weve shamed, and yes, demanded many of the rights we are due. Back in New York, Jones moved toward the door of the beige box on Manhattans Upper West Side where The View tapes. Thank you, brotha, he said, lifting his arm in a friendly wave toward a security guard stationed near the buildings entrance, one of several warm gestures directed toward the mostly black and Latino staff who work the doors and desks of the citys buildings. I see you, brotha. Keep doing what you do, the guard said, as Jones made for a black car waiting at the curb. Then, under his breath, the guard added: Just try to give those white people a little more hell. Later, the guard explained his mumbled advice. Jones, the man said, talks to Trump people like they are delicate things that have to be washed in cold water, gentle cycle only. Ezekiel Emanuel, speaking here in Philadelphia two years ago, helped forge the Affordable Care Act as part of the Obama White House. He is now trying to help steer Republicans as they seek to dismantle the law. (Neilson Barnard/Getty Images for Klick Health) When bioethicist and oncologist Ezekiel Emanuel met with President Trump at the White House on Monday, the session revealed publicly what has been happening privately for months: A trusted ally of former president Barack Obama and chief architect of the Affordable Care Act is trying to help steer how Republicans take it apart. With the administration and GOP leaders in Congress working to rewrite the landmark 2010 law and Democrats displaying little appetite for negotiating with them Emanuel appears to be one of the only members of his party with a seat at the table. Mondays meeting was Emanuels third in-person conversation on health policy with Trump since the November election. According to one person familiar with the session, who spoke on the condition of anonymity about the private discussion, it took place in the Oval Office and lasted about 40 minutes. Among the others also attending were Vice President Pence, House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.), Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price, the presidents son-in-law and senior adviser, Jared Kushner, and the White House National Economic Council director, Gary Cohn. Details of the conversation were not available. But White House press secretary Sean Spicer confirmed the meeting took place only days before Ryan hopes to bring the bill to a House vote. Obviously, [Emanuel] and the president have some differing views on the best way to make health care affordable and accessible, Spicer told reporters afterward. But the president also strongly believes that the health and well-being of the American people shouldnt always be a partisan issue, he said, noting that Trump also has talked about drug prices with Rep. Elijah E. Cummings, a Maryland Democrcat. (The Washington Post) In an interview Sunday, Emanuel recalled how during the ACAs drafting, Democrats held ongoing discussions with shifting groups of Republican lawmakers, even though no GOP members of the House or Senate ultimately supported the legislation. Now, however, such bipartisan discussion of the future of federal health-care law doesnt seem to be happening, said Emanuel, who chairs the University of Pennsylvanias Department of Medical Ethics and Health Policy. I may be the only person on the Democratic side who, for crazy reasons, theyve agreed to talk to. This role is a dramatic turnabout for the prolific health policy expert who served as a top adviser in the Obama White House from 2009 to 2011 and was demonized at the time by many Republicans. In his 2014 book Reinventing American Health Care, Emanuel wrote that beginning in 2020 or so, the ACA will increasingly be seen as a world historical achievement, even more important for the United States than Social Security and Medicare has been. And Barack Obama will be viewed more like Harry Truman judged with increasing respect over time. [House health-care bill will change to offer more help to seniors, Ryan says] While Emanuel is partisan, he also is pragmatic, and he has consistently maintained that the sprawling law needs improvement. He has argued that it should be altered to further expand insurance coverage, contain health costs, improve the health plans affordability and address the inconsistent caliber of health-care delivery in the United States. Following the election, the president-elect phoned Emanuel and said they would meet in January after the inauguration. Emanuel replied that they needed to talk sooner, because, if Congress repealed and replaced the ACA, it would tank Trumps presidency, Emanuel recalled. in mid-December, officials for the presidential transition announced that Emanuel would visit Trump at Trump Tower. Then last month, he met with the president at the White House. Along the way, he also has discussed health-care matters periodically with several of Trumps top advisers. I take the president seriously when he says he wants to get everyone in the country covered, Emanuel said Sunday a goal that could be an even bigger challenge under the Republians American Health Care Act. A forecast last week by the Congressional Budget Office estimated that the legislation would lead to 24 million more uninsured Americans by 2026. In 2018 alone, the CBO projected, the number of people without health coverage could increase by 14 million. There are ideas out there that are bipartisan, and Im pushing those ideas, Emanuel said. They include the idea of automatically enrolling Americans in coverage with a minimum set of benefits. Its not administratively simple, but its got appeal. [Affordable Care Act revision would reduce insured numbers by 24 million, CBO projects] The conversations between the two men carry political risks for both sides. Emanuels brother, Rahm, is the mayor of Chicago and a onetime Obama chief of staff who has clashed repeatedly with Trump over how best to address gun violence in that city. And the doctor has himself come under Republican fire before. Former GOP vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin once called him Orwellian for an op-ed in which he noted that many medical professionals support the idea of providing care to younger rather than older patients when resources are very scarce. Emanuel, who opposes physician-assisted suicide and voluntary euthanasia, countered that critics had taken a single piece of his voluminous works of writing out of context. He has been an outspoken critic of the U.S. health-care system; his 2014 books full title continues as How the Affordable Care Act Will Improve Our Terribly Complex, Blatantly Unjust, Outrageously Expensive, Grossly Inefficient, Error Prone System. Under the ACA, he helped usher in changes to how health care is delivered, from accelerating the adoption of electronic medical records to making preventive health services more affordable. As a tenured professor who does not hold elected office, Emanuel has considerably more freedom than many other prominent Democrats. Even as he talks with the White House, he rejects the current House GOP legislation. It would leave many Americans who are currently covered without insurance, he said Sunday, and it fails to address the factors driving up health care costs. In its present form, the bill is totally unacceptable to Democrats, myself included, he said. But Emanuel is accustomed to intellectual combat. In another of his books, he recounted what it was like to grow up with his equally ambitious and accomplished brothers (the other one, Ari, is a prominent Hollywood agent), who helped turn family dinners into verbal sparring matches. The bitter fight over the origins of the ACA taught him the danger of declaring victory or defeat too early, he says: One thing you recognize is, its not over till its over. David Nakamura contributed to this report. GERMANY Berlin rejects Trumps claim on NATO debt Germany has rejected President Trumps claim that it owes NATO large sums for underspending on defense. Trump tweeted Saturday that Germany owes vast sums of money to NATO & the United States must be paid more for the powerful, and very expensive, defense it provides to Germany! His comments came a day after his first White House meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, which he described as great. Berlins defense budget has long been below NATOs target of 2 percent of a members gross domestic product. German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen said Sunday that theres no debtors account at NATO, adding, To tie the 2 percent of defense spending, which we want to achieve in the middle of the next decade, only to NATO, is wrong. Associated Press FRANCE Autopsy completed on Paris airport attacker French officials completed an autopsy Sunday to determine whether a suspected Islamist extremist was drunk or high on drugs when he took a soldier hostage at Pariss Orly Airport and was fatally shot by her fellow patrol officers. The attacker, Ziyed Ben Belgacem, fired birdshot at traffic police early Saturday. Then, 90 minutes later, he attacked the military patrol at Orly. A police search of his apartment found cocaine, Paris prosecutor Francois Molins said. Blood samples taken during the autopsy were to be screened for drugs and alcohol, his office said. In an interview Sunday with the French radio network Europe 1, a man identified as Belgacems father said his son wasnt a practicing Muslim and drank alcohol. Belgacem, 39, had a long criminal record, with jail terms for drugs and robbery offenses. Molins said the Frenchman had been out on bail, banned from leaving the country and obliged to report regularly to police, having been handed preliminary charges over robberies in 2016. He was also flagged as having been radicalized during a 2011-2012 detention, Molins said. Associated Press SYRIA Clashes in Damascus after insurgents attack Fierce clashes broke out in the Syrian capital on Sunday after insurgents infiltrated government-held parts of the city through tunnels overnight, a rare if brief advance after months of losses at the hands of government forces elsewhere in the country. It was a surprising breach of Damascuss security perimeter, with the government having effectively walled itself off from opposition forces encamped in two enclaves in the east of the city. Residents said artillery shells and rockets were landing in the heart of the city, and the activist-run Damascus Today Facebook group reported government air raids over the area of the clashes. Infantry and tank reinforcements arrived on the government side to repel the attack, the group said. The clashes centered on a government-held gap between two besieged opposition enclaves. The ultraconservative Ahrar al-Sham rebel faction said fighters had liberated the area. Associated Press $1 million award for Canadian teacher: A Canadian teacher whose philosophy underscores hope and kindness won a $1 million prize for excellence. Maggie MacDonnell was awarded the annual Global Teacher Prize in Dubai, beating out thousands of applicants. She has worked for six years in a remote Arctic village called Salluit, home to an Inuit indigenous community, in Quebec. Afghan soldier killed after he wounds 3 U.S. troops: An Afghan soldier opened fire inside a base in southern Helmand province, wounding three U.S. soldiers before he was fatally shot. A U.S. military spokesman said coalition forces killed the soldier to end the attack, but an Afghan army spokesman said the soldier had made a mistake and had not fired deliberately. Israeli coalition crisis raises threat of elections: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu backed out of a deal to establish a new broadcasting authority, creating a coalition crisis with a key partner that could lead to early elections. Netanyahu initially ordered the struggling state-run Israel Broadcasting Authority shut down and be replaced, only to shift course once the emerging personnel of the new body did not seem favorable to his administration. Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon, head of the Kulanu party, insists that the corporation start broadcasting next month as planned. From news services On Jan. 9, the Russian dissident Vladimir Kara-Murza celebrated a signal victory in a long campaign to hold Vladimir Putins regime accountable for its human rights crimes. The outgoing Obama administration announced sanctions against Gen. Alexander Bastrykin, a close Putin confidant who heads the state investigative committee the instrument used to persecute opposition activists with trumped-up criminal charges. Kara-Murza, who divides his time between Moscow and Washington, had long campaigned for the designation of Bastrykin, just as he had pushed for passage of the law under which the general was targeted the Sergei Magnitsky Act, which mandates sanctions on Russians involved in repression and corruption. For years Bastrykin seemed too powerful to be sanctioned, Kara-Murza exulted in a Jan. 12 blog post. That ceiling is now gone. Exactly three weeks later, back in Russia, Kara-Murza felt a horrific and all-too-familiar sensation: His organs were beginning to shut down. He concluded immediately that he had been poisoned, just as he had been once before, in May 2015. His family rushed him to a hospital, where a doctor who helped save his life in the previous instance was waiting. Within hours he was in a coma, where he remained for a week. Last week Kara-Murza met me in Washington, visibly frail and short of breath, but alive. He believes he somehow survived two attempts to murder him with a sophisticated and virtually untraceable poison the same kind of attack that has killed a host of other Putin opponents in the past decade. He was also pretty sure why he was targeted: because of his work on the Magnitsky sanctions. Its revenge for the Magnitsky law, pure and simple, Kara-Murza told me. Its the main thing they are afraid of. They have mastered the ways of silencing the opposition at home. For now the only thing they are really afraid of is Western countries closing the havens where they stash their money and send their families. To the extent that it still exists, the opposition to Putin inside Russia is led by Alexei Navalny, the nationalist anti-corruption crusader. This month he posted a video allegedly documenting the vast trove of mansions, villas and vineyards accumulated by Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev. By last week it had been viewed 9.7 million times on YouTube proving that a lot of Russians are still interested in learning the ugly truth about their rulers. Kara-Murza, however, may be regarded by the Kremlin as an equally dangerous opponent. Educated at Cambridge, he spent nearly a decade working as a journalist in Washington before becoming active in the opposition. A gifted speaker, he has deep connections in Congress: His hospitalization produced statements of concern from Republican senators John McCain, Marco Rubio and Ron Johnson and Democrats Chris Murphy and Benjamin L. Cardin, among others. At 35, he carries the legacy of Boris Nemtsov, the liberal opposition leader who was gunned down outside the Kremlin in 2015. A film Kara-Murza made about Nemtsov (between hospitalizations) is touring Russia. How is it possible to oppose Putin, other than by posting videos on the Internet and lobbying Congress for more sanctions? Kara-Murza spent much of 2016 in the Russian provinces, recruiting young people to stage hopeless runs for office in local and parliamentary elections. Two dozen signed up; collectively they were credited with receiving a little over 100,000 votes. None came close to winning. But Kara-Murza and his sponsor, the exiled former oil-magnate-turned-political-prisoner Mikhail Khodor-kovsky, see themselves as seeding the next generation of Russian democratic politicians. There has been an entire generation that has grown up without democracy or fair elections, Kara-Murza says. We want to give them some kind of political experience. For the same reason, the opposition coalition plans to nominate a candidate to run against Putin in next years election. We have no illusions. We know its not a real election, Kara-Murza says. But we will show that there is an alternative because one of the founding myths of the Putin regime is that there is no alternative. The prospect that President Trump will embrace Putin and his regime elicits little more than a shrug from this dissident. Its only our job to effect political change in Russia, he says. Its not the job of Trump or [Angela] Merkel. But, he says, what we would ask is not to be helping Putin by treating him as a worthy player on the global stage or allowing his cronies to use Western countries to stash the wealth they have stolen. Thats where the Magnitsky Act comes in. Bank account freezes and travel bans are poison for Putins corrupt inner circle. Congress, with the prodding of brave Russians such as Kara-Murza, can do more to spread it. Read more from Jackson Diehls archive, follow him on Twitter or subscribe to his updates on Facebook. The emerging Trump foreign policy doctrine might be summed up this way: escalate to de-escalate. During his visit to Tokyo last week, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson made news by promising a new approach to North Korea following what he called decades of failed diplomacy. Increased pressure on the North Korean regime and its Chinese enablers is coming, he said, and a preemptive military strike on Pyongyang is not off the table. Less noticed in his first-ever news conference was Tillersons prediction about the longer-term future of American intervention overseas. Explaining why he and President Trump are comfortable proposing historic cuts in funding for the State Department and foreign aid, Tillerson said the administration expects that, as time goes by, there will be fewer military conflicts that the U.S. will be directly engaged in. That might seem like a contradiction, especially since Trump has been aggressively increasing U.S. military activity in several conflict zones in his first weeks. But theres an emerging theory about Trumps foreign policy doctrine that squares both statements. The administration may be ramping up U.S. involvement in the short term in crisis zones as a means of finding an exit strategy. The apparent approach could reveal a doctrine of escalate to de-escalate, said Alex Gallo, senior associate at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Trump may want to escalate in certain areas to force a negotiation where actors might not be interested or willing to negotiate otherwise. (Bastien Inzaurralde/The Washington Post) Its a strategy Trump used in business for decades confront an adversary brashly and publicly to get the upper hand before striking a deal. Trump is increasing U.S. military commitments and activities in Syria, Iraq, Yemen and perhaps soon Afghanistan. He has stepped up sanctions on Iran with a promise to renegotiate the nuclear deal somewhere down the line. With China, Trump escalated by engaging with Taiwans president and calling the one-China policy into question, then backed down weeks later. The problem with ascribing any particular foreign policy doctrine to the Trump administration is that doing so assumes the approach is deliberate. There are several competing centers of power on foreign policy inside the administration, and many decisions appear to be ad hoc. One clear sign that the Trump doctrine is not completely settled is that Trumps national security adviser, H.R. McMaster, last week chose a senior official for strategy who completely disagrees with the notion that military tools should be relied on to solve problems and that American disengagement is wise. Nadia Schadlow will be a deputy assistant to the president and the NSC staffer in charge of writing the Trump administrations official national security strategy, NSC spokesman Michael Anton told me the document that is meant to guide the administrations national security policies. Her recent book, War and the Art of Governance, is a full-throated endorsement of the importance of the political dimensions of military operations and a clear rejection of quick exits following interventions. Schadlow argues, convincingly, that more than 100 years of U.S. military interventions abroad have shown that the United States consistently makes the mistake of focusing on the tactical operations and ignoring the hard work of political development and reconstruction not nation-building per se, but sustained attention after the bombs stop dropping. By failing to understand that the space between war and peace is not an empty one but a landscape churning with political, economic, and security competitions that require constant attention American foreign policy risks being reduced to a reactive and tactical emphasis on the military instrument by default, Schadlow wrote in a 2014 op-ed for the website War on the Rocks. The White House declined to comment on how that view of American power squares with the view of those inside the White House who support Trumps America First foreign policy approach. Schadlow, McMaster and other top officials who believe in soft power, including Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, may be able to influence the policy direction internally and bring the Trump administration to a posture more closely resembling the foreign policy the United States has pursued since World War II. Alternatively, they might become marginalized by top White House aides, and the national security strategy that Schadlow is tasked with developing could become a purely academic exercise. If Trumps pattern of escalate to de-escalate does emerge as his overarching doctrine, the results are ominously predictable. As Schadlows book lays out, history shows that when the United States is not actively and continuously involved in maintaining order and stability abroad, the world becomes a more dangerous, chaotic and dark place. Read more from Josh Rogins archive, follow him on Twitter or subscribe to his updates on Facebook. Vikram Amar is the dean of the law school at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. There is a lot of talk these days about judicial independence, given President Trumps criticisms of recent judicial rulings and more problematically judges themselves. Judicial independence is undeniably one of the pillars of the Constitution, but it is also sometimes distorted to impede another constitutional structural element: the Senates assessment of Supreme Court nominees. Too often, nominees by both parties, it should be emphasized refuse to comment on past Supreme Court cases during Senate questioning on grounds that such comments could compromise judicial independence once someone joins the court. The best way to discern where a nominee may move the nations jurisprudence is to get him or her to weigh in on particularly contentious cases. Platitudes about originalism, textualism, activism or states rights mean little until you get someone to apply these notions to actual disputes that have divided the justices in recent times. When William Brennan and Antonin Scalia would offer the same basic answer to a question about judicial meta philosophy (as is often true of the queries senators pose), that question is not very helpful. The idea that a nominee should not give views about actual cases because doing so might force a prejudging of issues that may come before the nominee later makes no sense. Of course nominees should not make or be asked to make promises about future rulings. But the disclosure of specific, albeit provisional, views about past cases does not commit nominees to rule in any particular way in the future. They remain free to refine their thinking or even change their minds altogether, as sitting justices are free to do, even if they have spoken publicly on these matters in deciding earlier cases. Surely no one thinks current justices are conflicted because they have opined on similar issues in prior decisions. Which cases should modern nominees such as Judge Neil Gorsuch be required to weigh in on? There are many to choose from, but here are five particularly telling ones, all of which were decided by a narrow majority: Obergefell v. Hodges: In 2015, the court invalidated state laws that prohibited same-sex marriage. Discussion of Obergefell would provide insight into a nominees views not only on how to apply equality principles in the LGBT setting, but also on whether and when substantive due process the foundation of modern sexual privacy and abortion protections is appropriately invoked. Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission: The 2010 ruling striking down a federal law prohibiting nonprofit corporations from making independent campaign expenditures bears not only on the hugely important question of money in politics, but also on the legitimacy of many modern freedom-of-speech protections that may not always be supported by originalist evidence. Fisher v. University of Texas: This 2016 decision upheld the University of Texas s use of race in admissions. A nominees thoughts on this case could signal whether he or she thinks the equal protection clause provides asymmetrical protection to racial minorities, and importantly what kind of originalist the nominee is (insofar as the originalist evidence against the permissibility of affirmative action strikes many analysts as thin). Printz v. United States: In 1997, the court struck down the federal Brady Law provision requiring local law enforcement to conduct gun-purchase background checks. The case could be a useful platform to explore how much protection a nominee thinks state and local executive officials constitutionally enjoy from commandeering by the feds. Employment Division, Oregon Department of Human Services v. Smith: This 1990 holding that the free exercise clause of the First Amendment does not confer a right for someone practicing a religion to be presumptively exempt from generally applicable laws (in this case, peyote consumption laws) remains the biggest recent ruling on religious liberty and the Constitution. Hearing a nominees views on this case would be particularly important today, given that issues enduring importance. From what I know of Gorsuch thus far, I would favor his confirmation, but if senators cannot unearth and examine his views about these and other key cases decided in recent years, I might feel differently and the hearings will largely be a waste of time for the senators, the nominee and the public. In this November 2016 photo provided by ARC Center of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, dead staghorn coral killed by bleaching appears drab on the northern Great Barrier Reef, Australia. (Greg Torda/ASSOCIATED PRESS) THE MEASURED warming of the planet is not hypothetical. Nor are its effects, which are happening now, not decades from now. An ecological catastrophe is unfolding off Australias coast: Humans are killing the Great Barrier Reef, one of the worlds greatest natural wonders, and theres nothing Australians on their own can do about it. We are all responsible. An ocean water temperature spike last year caused a massive bleaching event, in which colorful corals turned an antiseptic, sickly white. Scientists believe that the reef will never be the same. The chances of the northern Great Barrier Reef returning to its pre-bleaching assemblage structure are slim given the scale of damage that occurred in 2016 and the likelihood of a fourth bleaching event occurring within the next decade or two as global temperatures continue to rise, a major new study in the journal Nature reported last week. Alarmingly, but perhaps not surprisingly, the Australian government reports that sections of the reef are getting slammed again this year. Corals are polyp creatures that build their iconic limestone structures in cooperation with photosynthesizing algae. When ocean temperatures increase, the algae emit poisons. The corals then reject their symbiotic partners and succumb to disease and death. This occurred across a vast section of the northern Great Barrier Reef last year. Under normal conditions, corals can often recover from big bleaching shocks, but conditions are no longer normal. Higher background ocean temperatures mean that dangerous spikes are more likely. Corals decades of years old may be replaced by weedier, faster-growing species or by none at all. There is little doubt that temperature is the culprit. Reefs far away from human runoff and other local risks are suffering. Corals in pristine water bleached just like those in dirty water. The Nature study quantified a relationship between exposure to warm water and the severity of observed bleaching. Immediate global action to curb future warming is essential to secure a future for coral reefs, the study warned. Water quality and fishing pressure had minimal effect on the unprecedented bleaching in 2016, suggesting that local protection of reefs affords little or no resistance to extreme heat. Similarly, past exposure to bleaching in 1998 and 2002 did not lessen the severity of bleaching in 2016. Also last week, the Trump administration proposed deep cuts for the Environmental Protection Agency, singling out climate programs, as well as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which monitors Earths seas and skies. President Trump also began what will no doubt be a broad rollback of Obama administration climate rules. Meanwhile, the president is still thinking about pulling the country out of the landmark Paris climate deal, which took decades to strike. The administration has offered no sense that it has any alternative emissions-cutting strategy in mind. In the long run, the planet will change enough hurting enough people in the process that even Republicans will have to admit the issue must be addressed. The question is what price the nation and the world will pay, in dollars, lives and ecological catastrophe, because our leaders were negligent in the meantime. President Trump might do the world a perverse favor. Voters in Western Europe appear to be looking at what America has brought upon itself and deciding: We sure as heck dont want to go there. And Trumps bizarre performance at a joint news conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Friday did nothing to change that. The moment came after the Netherlands slapped back the ethno-nationalist far right in its elections last week. The forces of tolerance and openness bent but didnt break. It was a good sign for the years next two big electoral tests, in France and Germany. There was always some hype in the commentariats obsession with Geert Wilders, the viciously anti-Muslim leader whose party managed only 13 percent of the vote in the Dutch elections. He was never going to form the next government and had already begun sagging at the campaigns end. Still, hold the champagne. Its troubling that someone as extreme as Wilders (imagine a more malicious version of Trump) would get as many votes as he did. Moreover, the two big conservative parties, Prime Minister Mark Ruttes Peoples Party for Freedom and Democracy and the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA), embraced more hostile rhetoric toward the countrys large Muslim community to appease backlash voters. This worked in keeping enough of them away from Wilders, but at the cost of moving the countrys political conversation well to the right. According to the latest count, Ruttes party emerged as the leader in the 150-member parliament with 33 seats, a loss of eight. Wilders won 20, gaining five. The CDA was well-rewarded for its escalating toughness on immigrants with six additional seats, and a new right-wing party, the Forum for Democracy, won two. Overall, the right gained five seats. Many Dutch voters opted for what might be called a softer hard line. On the left, politics was transformed. The election was a disaster for the practical, moderate social democrats of the Labor Party (PvdA). As coalition partners in Ruttes government, Labor endorsed his austerity policies, angering progressive voters. So while the more left-wing (and out-of-power) Socialist Party lost only one of its 15 seats, the PvdA collapsed to a mere 5.7 percent of the vote, and shed all but nine of its 38 seats. How much of an earthquake is this? Consider that at its most recent peak in 1986, the party secured a third of the vote and 52 seats. But the bulk of those losses were redistributed to other left and left-liberal parties. (The left, on net, was down seven seats.) The true outsider winner in this election was not Wilders but Jesse Klaver, the leader of the Green Left Party whose representation in parliament more than tripled, from four seats to 14. The left-liberals of the Democrats 66 party also gained ground, up seven seats to 19. And a Turkish breakaway party from Labor, Denk (Dutch for Think, Turkish for Equal), took three. The Greens Klaver, just 30, did well by being the most charismatic and uncompromising opponent of Wilderss brand of nationalism. He argued that liberals and the left, not the far right, were the true defenders of Dutch traditions and the values the Netherlands stands for . . . its freedom, its tolerance, its empathy. If Wilders made identity the issue in this election, urban liberals and progressives countered by insisting on their own definition of what it means to be Dutch and, in the case of Denk, by standing up for minority rights. This new politics of self-expression will make life difficult for traditional parties on the left whose stock-in-trade was the bread-and-butter politics of jobs and incomes. France, which holds a two-round presidential election in April and May, and Germany, expected to vote in the fall, could deliver the next blows to the far right. In France, the old French Socialist Party, like its comrades in the PvdA, is flagging, eclipsed by Emmanuel Macron, a slightly-left-tilting centrist who appeals to urban liberals. Hes running ahead of the far rights Marine Le Pen. In Germany, the new leader of the Social Democrats, Martin Schulz, has catapulted his once ailing party into a close race with Merkels Christian Democrats. In defending Western values, Merkel has emerged as a powerful alternative voice to Trumps. But Schulz might profit even more from anti-Trump feeling. No wonder Merkel gave Trump a look of grim exasperation on Friday when he tried to inveigle her in his evidence-free charge that former President Barack Obama had wiretapped him. If Macron and Schulz were both to win, a moderately social democratic Europe would get another chance. This would be the biggest shock of a year that began with fears of a far right on the march. And Macron and Schulz share something important with Rutte: All three owe a great deal to the negative example of Donald Trump. Read more from E.J. Dionnes archive, follow him on Twitter or subscribe to his updates on Facebook. A FEDERAL JUDGE in Virginia encapsulated the catch-22 at the heart of state laws whose effect is to punish poor defendants by confiscating their drivers licenses if they cant afford to pay court fines and fees even if the crime is minor or completely unrelated to driving. The case involved Damian Stinnie, a 24-year-old Charlottesville man diagnosed with lymphoma who became homeless after failing to pay traffic fines. Mr. Stinnie couldnt afford the $1,000 he owed, so his license was suspended automatically. Yet without a license, he couldnt drive legally, meaning finding and keeping a job were non-starters. In other words, wrote Judge Norman K. Moon of U.S. District Court for the Western District of Virginia, because he cannot pay the fees, his license is suspended, but because his license is suspended, he cannot pay the fees. His pithy analysis notwithstanding, Mr. Moon dismissed a class-action suit brought by Mr. Stinnie and others in similarly dire straits not because their case had no merit, but because the judge ruled that Virginia and its state courts were alone empowered to fix the problem, which, he wrote, may very well violate Plaintiffs constitutional rights to due process and equal protection. Virginia is unfriendly terrain for poor people generally. By refusing to expand the states Medicaid program, lawmakers have left tens of thousands of indigent people without health insurance. By tightening voter-ID rules, the state restricted ballot access disproportionately for young and minority voters, who tend to be poorer. The states rules regarding drivers license suspension are in some ways even more slanted against the neediest. Incredibly, 1 in 6 Virginia drivers, some 977,000 in all, have lost their drivers licenses for failing to pay court-ordered fines and fees stemming from convictions, often for misdemeanors. In many or most cases, their nonpayment is not an act of defiance; its a reflection of limited means. In theory, state district courts, which are responsible for minor crime and traffic infractions, have implemented programs designed to help low-income individuals pay off court fees. That, at least, was the recommendation of Virginias Judicial Council in 2015. In fact, community service in lieu of payment is generally not an option in most courts, nor are sliding scales of payment tied to a defendants income or hourly wage. Depriving defendants of drivers licenses can exact a crushing burden, especially in rural and suburban parts of the state where job sites are not served by buses and trains, and Uber is nonexistent or economically out of reach and where many poor people tend to live. And while many states suspend driving privileges routinely for nonpayment of traffic-related fees, Virginia is one of a minority that does so in cases unrelated to driving. Federal courts may lack jurisdiction to fix Virginias mess, but in so ruling Mr. Moon all but begged the state to do so. Lawmakers and courts should heed his words. Mark Gitenstein was chief Democratic counsel for the Senate Judiciary Committee from 1981 to 1989. Part of this op-ed is derived from a book he wrote on the Bork fight, Matters of Principle. He served as U.S. ambassador to Romania from 2009 to 2012 and practices law in Washington at Mayer Brown LLP. His views are his own, and not that of the firm. Retired federal judge James Robertson regrets his role in helping to defeat Judge Robert Borks nomination to the Supreme Court in 1987 because, he wrote, it kicked off a Thirty Years War on judicial appointments. Im sorry Robertson regrets his conduct. I do not. I served as chief counsel of the Senate Judiciary Committee during the Bork hearings, and I remain proud of my part in helping to defeat the nomination. In June 1987, the retirement of moderate Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. set the stage for an enormous fight about the future of the court. Powell had been the decisive vote in many decisions on the most sensitive issues before the court. President Ronald Reagan saw the vacancy as an opportunity to change the direction of the court for years to come by nominating Bork, the philosopher king of the conservative legal movement, as some described him. And Bork, through his writings and his testimony, clearly signaled how dramatically he would shift the court to the right. Democrats didnt Bork the nominee he Borked himself. My boss, Chairman Joe Biden, pleaded directly with the president not to select Bork. But the administration and its allies seized the chance to reverse the liberal jurisprudence of the Warren Court. They were especially eager to undermine the notion of fundamental rights, notably the right to privacy and personal autonomy that provided the doctrinal underpinning for the right to abortion and, many years later, same-sex marriage. So Reagan started the war, not the Judiciary Committee or those who found Borks views unacceptable. Bork partisans miscalculated the support the nominee and his legal approach had among the American people and in the Senate. Bork was rejected by a vote of 58 to 42. Eventually, the vacancy was filled by Anthony M. Kennedy, who has played a moderating role on the court, and the bruising nature of the Bork battle may also have influenced President George H.W. Bush to select David Souter. Both Kennedy and Souter distanced themselves from Bork and made clear in their testimony that they shared the fundamental rights jurisprudence, and Kennedy went on to author the decision establishing a constitutional right to same-sex marriage. That decision and numerous others where Kennedy and Souter were the deciding votes make the case that the Thirty Years War was worth fighting. By not surrendering to Reagan, the Senate determined the direction of the court for three decades. Indeed, the Bork battle is far from the only war over the court in its history. Andrew Jackson sought to use the court to thwart his nemesis, the Second Bank of the United States, in the early 19th century. Franklin Roosevelt did the same a century later when a conservative majority blocked his New Deal. Indeed, changing the direction of the Supreme Court was a key election platform for Roosevelt in the 1936 election. To be clear, under the Constitution, all three presidents were perfectly entitled to try to shape the courts direction through their choice of nominees. By the same token, the Senate was empowered, indeed obligated, to block those presidents if they disagreed. So the argument that the Bork fight was somehow illegitimate is far off the mark. In fact, the framers probably assumed that these struggles would be political. The first serious struggle over a Supreme Court nomination, George Washingtons choice of John Rutledge to be chief justice, was as political as you can get. Rutledge was defeated because of his position on the 1795 Jay Treaty with Britain. Certainly, there have been excesses in these battles, among them the successful effort to block President Barack Obama from filling the vacancy created by Antonin Scalias death. But that doesnt mean the Senate should not fulfill its constitutional responsibility of providing advice and consent on judicial nominations. What the Bork fight did inaugurate is a period of thirty years of close scrutiny of a nominees approach to critical constitutional controversies and whether that approach is acceptable to the American people. Thus, President Trumps nominee, federal appeals court judge Neil Gorsuch, should be questioned thoroughly by the committee on his jurisprudence. His opinions should be carefully examined by staff and senators. If senators are concerned about what Gorsuch says or even by his refusal to answer questions, they should vote accordingly. The worst thing they could do would be to preemptively abandon their constitutional role by declaring a truce. As a conservative, Im thrilled by the arrival of unified Republican government. But the politician Im most grateful to in Washington today is not President Trump, House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.) or Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.). Its Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.). Thats because the Senate minority leader is doing more than anyone in our nations capital to ensure the passage of the most conservative health-care and tax reform possible while working overtime to make sure that Democrats who voted for Trump in 2016 stay in the GOP fold in 2018 and beyond. The biggest fear many conservatives had after the 2016 election was that Trump would be too quick to cut deals with the Democrats. Trump holds heterodox positions on everything from spending, foreign policy and entitlements to the minimum wage, trade and health care. If Democrats were smart, they would have reached across the aisle to Trump and offered to work with him. Trump is a dealmaker, not an ideologue. He would have loved nothing better than to cut deals with Schumer. Indeed, Trump reportedly called Schumer the morning after the election offering to do just that. Instead of accepting Trumps outstretched hand, Schumers Democrats are opposing virtually everything that Trump does. They are attempting to block not only his Cabinet nominees (Schumer even voted against Elaine Chao, wife of the majority leader and paragon of the GOP establishment, for transportation secretary) but also his sub-Cabinet appointments. And they have expressed zero interest in working with him on bipartisan legislation. The battle cry of the Democratic Party is Resist! This unrelenting resistance has pushed Trump to the right. Since Trump knows he cant get Democratic votes for his health and tax plans, he does not need to make any concessions to win over Democrats. Conservatives criticizing the Trump-Ryan health-care plan as Obamacare lite should take a moment to consider how much worse the legislation would be if Schumer had decided to sit down with Trump at the bargaining table. Imagine what might have happened if Schumer had greeted Trumps post-inaugural outreach by publicly declaring: I know Donald Trump well. He gave more money to me than to any other senator. We worked together for years. And I look more forward to working with him as president. We agree on a lot of things, and where we do agree I will be his strongest ally in Congress. Where we disagree, I will try to bring him over to our side, because Trump is nothing if not flexible. And where we cant cut a deal, we will let the democratic process sort it out. It would have been Schumer with Trump in the White House bowling alley, hammering out their differences on health care, instead of the members of the Freedom Caucus. Trump would have cut deal after deal with Schumer. This would have been smart policy, and it would have been smart politics allowing Schumer to sow divisions between Trump and the more conservative elements of the GOP caucus who would have bristled at his bipartisanship. But Democrats are in such a hysterical state right now that they are not interested in bipartisanship. They want to destroy Trump. As a result, Schumer is passing up golden opportunities to win policy victories and divide Republicans all in an effort to placate his Trump-deranged, far-left base. Conservatives should be thrilled by this. Schumer is not only pushing Trump to the right but also helping Republicans consolidate and grow their congressional majorities by further alienating once-reliably Democratic blue-collar voters who abandoned the party in the last election. Last summer, Schumer dismissed these voters with the back of his hand, declaring that For every blue-collar Democrat we lose in western Pennsylvania, we will pick up two, three moderate Republicans in the suburbs in Philadelphia, and you can repeat that in Ohio and Illinois and Wisconsin. It didnt work out that way. While Democrats won Illinois, they lost Pennsylvania, Ohio, Wisconsin and even Michigan. The Post reports that of the nearly 700 counties that twice voted for Obama, a stunning one-third flipped to support Trump in 2016. That means there are millions of Obama voters out there who were sick of Democrats such as Schumer dismissing their concerns and decided they wanted to give Trump a chance. Now they see Democrats responding to their decision by digging in their heels and resisting and obstructing everything that Trump does from staffing his administration to legislating on Capitol Hill. The Democrats message to Middle America is: We dont hear you. There could be nothing better for the GOP and nothing worse for the 10 Democratic senators who are up for reelection in 2018 in red states that voted for Trump. Republicans need to pick up only eight seats to win a filibuster-proof majority in the Senate, in which case they wont need Democrats for anything. So thank you, Chuck Schumer! Lets hope he continues to lead the resistance. Lets hope he continues to block Trumps agenda and forces vulnerable Senate Democrats to be Trump obstructionists. If Republicans dont blow the opportunity, the result will be legislation that is more conservative and expanded congressional majorities in 2018. Read more from Marc Thiessens archive, follow him on Twitter or subscribe to his updates on Facebook. Judge Neil Gorsuch promised to remember the modest station we judges are meant to occupy in a democracy if he is elevated to the nations highest court, as the hearing on his Supreme Court nomination began Monday amidst Democratic doubts about his impartiality and lingering resentment over the circumstances of his selection. The day followed a familiar confirmation hearing script glowing assessments from senators of the party whose president made the nomination, vows of scrutiny from senators out of power and a humble, deferential opening statement from the nominee. But there was a sharp-edged difference as well. Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee made clear they are not over the decision of their Republican colleagues to keep open the seat held by the late Justice Antonin Scalia for President Trump to fill it. And rarely has there been such a demand that a Supreme Court nominee declare his independence from the president who nominated him. You're going to have your hands full with this president. He's going to keep you busy, Sen. Richard J. Durbin (D-Ill.) told Gorsuch. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Vice President Mike Pence met with Neil Gorsuch, President Trump's nominee for the Supreme Court , in February. (Melina Mara/The Washington Post) Republicans intend to move quickly on confirming the 49-year-old Gorsuch, who sits on the Denver-based U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Charles E. Grassley (R-Iowa) said the plan is for the full Senate to vote on Gorsuch by Easter, so he could be on the court for its final round of oral arguments in late April. Democrats are outnumbered 52 to 48 in the Senate, and it is unclear how hard they want to fight. They could allow Gorsuchs nomination to proceed on a simple-majority vote, or they could force a procedural vote requiring a 60-vote majority for the confirmation to prevail. In their round of opening statements, Democrats questioned the process by which Gorsuch received the nomination and presented him with a laundry list of questions they planned to pursue. Sen. Dianne Feinstein (Calif.), the ranking Democrat on the committee, started the day complaining that Republicans blocked consideration of Judge Merrick Garland, President Barack Obamas nominee to replace Scalia after the justices death 13 months ago. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) decided to block a hearing for Garland, saying that the next president should name the late justices successor. Im deeply disappointed that its under these circumstances that we begin our hearings, Feinstein told the committee, saying that Gorsuch was nominated only because of the unprecedented treatment of Garland. In recent days, many Democrats on the judiciary panel said they will wait until the end of the hearings before determining how to proceed, but most signaled on Monday how they plan to proceed on several fronts. (Peter Stevenson,Gillian Brockell/The Washington Post) Feinstein said she will ask Gorsuch to clarify his beliefs on abortion rights and gun rights two issues on which hes never ruled, but issues that he has mentioned in passing in other legal opinions, she said. She said she takes issue with Gorsuchs strict interpretations of the Constitution because, If we were to dogmatically adhere to originalist interpretations, then we would still have segregated schools and bans on interracial marriage. Women wouldnt be entitled to equal protection under the law, and government discrimination against LGBT Americans would be permitted. Durbin and Sen. Christopher A. Coons (D-Del.) said they would push Gorsuch to clarify his views on religious freedoms. Religious freedom must not be the freedom to push our beliefs into the public square, Coons said. Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) said she would explore his views on campaign finance laws another area in which his judicial record is thin. And Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) said he planned to draw out the nominee on Trumps vicious attacks on federal judges. He noted that the committee was meeting to consider his nomination in the midst of a looming constitutional crisis as FBI Director James B. Comey was testifying to a House panel that his agency is investigating ties between the Trump campaign and Russian officials. The possibility of the Supreme Court needing to enforce a subpoena against the president is no longer idle speculation, Blumenthal said, adding later: The independence of the judiciary is more important than ever, and your defense of it is critical. Democrats are also expected to press Gorsuch to explain his tenure at the Justice Department during George W. Bushs presidency, during which he worked on cases related to the detention of terrorism suspects. Durbin noted that Gorsuch helped draft language designed to bolster Bushs claims of executive authority on matters of torture and the treatment of detainees. We need to know what youll do when youre called upon to stand up to this president, or any president, if he claims the power to ignore laws that protect fundamental human rights, Durbin told him. Durbin also quoted from a February statement by White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus, who called Gorsuch the type of judge that has the vision of Donald Trump. I want to hear from you why Mr. Priebus would say that, Durbin told the judge. Democrats say they will also ask Gorsuch to explain comments he made while teaching a class on ethics and professionalism at the University of Colorado School of Law last April. In a letter sent to committee Democrats, one of his former students, Jennifer Sisk, claimed that during a conversation about work-life balance in the legal profession, Gorsuch asked students if they knew of women who had used a company to get maternity benefits and then left right after having a baby. Judge Gorsuch focused on women having babies, not men expanding their families, Sisk wrote. White House officials assisting Gorsuch with his nomination denied the accusation and noted that he earned the highest possible score from students on evaluation questions of instructor respect and professional treatment. In a letter provided by committee Republicans, another student, Will Hauptman, rebutted Sisks claims, saying that while Gorsuch did discuss some of the topics mentioned in the letter, he did not do so in the manner described. The judge frequently asked us to consider the various challenges we would face as new attorneys. Gorsuch steered clear of controversy in his 13-minute introductory address. He tried to reassure senators he was a mainstream jurist who was in the majority in 99 percent of the 10 years of cases he decided on the appeals court. Gorsuch said he has ruled for disabled students, prisoners, undocumented immigrants, the rich and poor, and against such persons, too. But my decisions have never reflected a judgment about the people before me only my best judgment about the law and facts at issue in each particular case, he said. The outdoorsy Gorsuch looked tanned and interested in hours of speeches from the senators, taking notes and nodding his head. When Durbin after complaining about Garlands treatment said Gorsuch should nonetheless be judged on his own merits, Gorsuch silently mouthed, Thank you. There was a touching if awkwardly staged embrace with his wife, Louise, after he professed his love, and he choked up when he remembered his Uncle Jack, who recently died. Gorsuchs mother was Ann Gorsuch Burford, who had a stormy tenure in Washington as President Ronald Reagans first head of the Environmental Protection Agency. She taught me that headlines are fleeting courage lasts, Gorsuch said. Gorsuch was promoted by conservative legal activists because of his sterling credentials, a decade of right-of-center rulings and his allegiance to the same brand of constitutional interpretation that Scalia followed. In a sign of the bipartisan support he enjoys, Gorsuch was introduced by the senators from his home state of Colorado, Cory Gardner (R) and Michael F. Bennet (D) who has not yet signaled whether he plans to vote for the judge and Neal Katyal, who served as acting U.S. solicitor general for Obama. Republicans cheered Gorsuch on Monday, acknowledging the strong Democratic attacks to come, but noting that the nomination came with broad public support. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) said that Gorsuchs nomination comes with super-legitimacy because he was on a list of potential court nominees that Trump touted during his presidential campaign. The American people played a very direct role in helping choose this nominee, Cruz added. Sen. Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.) dismissed Democratic claims of a grand Republican plan to nominate someone with similar views to Trump. If you believe this has been a great plan to get a Trump nominee on the court, then you had to believe Trump was going to win to begin with, he said. The frequent Trump critic added: Obviously, I didnt believe that, saying all the things I said. Some in the room erupted in laughter. In another of the day's lighter moments, Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) acknowledged that Gorsuch is still widely unknown by most Americans by recalling how the nominees name had been misspelled in recent remarks he was reading off a teleprompter. It was replaced with Judge Grouch," Flake said. By the end of this week, "every spell-checker in the country will know your name and Judge Grouch is about as far as you can get from Judge Gorsuch in terms of your temperament, Flake said. He then quipped: "That may change by the end of the week as well." Read more at PowerPost House Republican leaders, racing toward a planned Thursday vote on their proposed health-care overhaul, unveiled changes to the legislation late Monday that they think will win over enough members to secure its passage. The tweaks addressed numerous GOP concerns about the legislation, ranging from the flexibility it would give states to administer their Medicaid programs to the amount of aid it would offer older Americans to buy insurance. They are the product of two weeks of negotiations that stretched from the Capitol to the White House to President Trumps Florida resort. The bill's proponents also appeared to overcome a major obstacle Monday after a key group of hard-line conservatives declined to take a formal position against the bill, known as the American Health Care Act. The House Freedom Caucus has threatened for weeks to tank the legislation drafted by House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.), arguing that it does not do enough to undo the seven-year-old Affordable Care Act. Their neutrality gives the legislation a better chance of passage: If the group of about three dozen hard-right GOP members uniformly opposed the bill, it could block its passage. Their decision not to act as a bloc frees House leaders and White House officials to persuade individual Freedom Caucus members to support the measure a process that the Freedom Caucuss chairman said was underway. President Trump, House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.), left, and Vice President Pence, right, walk down the Capitols East Front steps after the annual Friends of Ireland luncheon on March 16. (Alex Wong/Getty Images) Theyre already whipping with a whip thats about 10 feet long and five feet wide, said Rep. Mark Meadows (R-N.C.). Im trying to let my members vote the way that their constituents would want them to vote. . . . I think theyre all very aware of the political advantages and disadvantages. House leaders hope to pass the bill Thursday and then send it to the Senate. Trump is expected to press for the bills passage in a Tuesday morning meeting with Republican lawmakers. Some of the changes unveiled Monday were made to placate conservatives, such as accelerating the expiration of the ACAs taxes and further restricting the federal Medicaid program. But a major push was made to win moderate votes, including a maneuver that House leaders said would allow the Senate to beef up tax credits for older Americans who could see major increases in premiums under the GOP plan. There were signs Monday that the bill had growing support among the moderate wing of the House GOP. Rep. Tom MacArthur (R-N.J.), who had voted against the leadership in an early procedural vote on the health-care legislation, said that he was satisfied enough that I will support the bill. MacArthur said he was assured that the bill would do more for older and disabled Americans covered under Medicaid and that an additional $85 billion in aid would be directed to those between ages 50 and 65. Thats a $150 billion change in this bill to help the poor and those who are up in years, he said. Several House Republicans from Upstate New York won an amendment that would allow counties in their state to keep hundreds of millions of dollars of local tax revenue that they forward to the state government to fund its Medicaid program. One member, Rep. Claudia Tenney (R-N.Y.), told the Syracuse Post-Standard on Monday that her support of the bill was conditioned on the amendments inclusion. View Graphic Whats next for the Obamacare replacement bill Opponents of the bill Republicans and Democrats alike called the deal a sordid giveaway on social media networks Monday night. Many compared it to the state-specific deals that were cut to pass the Affordable Care Act in 2009 and 2010 and panned by Republicans such as the Medicaid reimbursement boost that then-Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.) secured for his home state that Republicans mocked as the Cornhusker Kickback. The Freedom Caucus had pushed for a variety of alterations, from an earlier phaseout of the ACAs Medicaid expansion to a more thorough rollback of the insurance mandates established under the law. But for political and procedural reasons, few of the groups major demands stand to be incorporated into the bill. Its very clear that the negotiations are over, said Meadows, who met with White House officials at Trumps Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida on Saturday. Many Freedom Caucus members who left the groups Capitol Hill meeting Monday night said they remained sharply opposed to the legislation. Nothings changed, said Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), a co-founder of the caucus. Weve still got lots of problems with this bill. . . . The presidents a good man, and the White House has been great to work with, but opposition is still strong with our group. Under the groups rules, it can take a formal position to oppose the bill if 80 percent of its members agree. No Democrats are expected to support the bill, meaning Republican leaders can afford to lose no more than 21 of their own members. Meadows said after Monday nights meeting that taking a hard position against the bill creates some dynamics within the group that perhaps we dont want to create, hinting at tensions in the groups ranks. One of its members, Rep. Gary Palmer (R-Ala.), decided to support the bill last week when he met with Trump in the Oval Office, emboldening House leaders who think that even hard-liners will be hard-pressed to oppose Trump. This is a defining moment for our nation, but its also a defining moment for the Freedom Caucus, Meadows said. There are core things within this bill as it currently stands that would violate some of the principles of the Freedom Caucus. Attending the Freedom Caucus meeting Monday were three senators opposed to the House bill Ted Cruz (R-Tex.), Mike Lee (R-Utah) and Rand Paul (R-Ky.) who hold leverage to block the bill in their own chamber, where Republicans hold a two-seat majority. Cruz said he told the House members that the leadership strategy of pursuing distinct phases of legislation was a dead end and that they needed to push for changes in the present bill. The Senate Democrats are engaging in absolute opposition and obstruction, and it is difficult to see that changing anytime soon, Cruz told reporters after leaving the meeting. Trumps visit to the Hill on Tuesday signals that GOP leaders and the president consider larger-scale talks with key blocs of House members to be essentially complete. The effort now turns toward persuading individual members to vote for the package. Ryan credited Trumps backing in a statement Monday: With the presidents leadership and support for this historic legislation, we are now one step closer to keeping our promise to the American people and ending the Obamacare nightmare. Trumps visit Tuesday will be his first appearance at the weekly House Republican Conference meeting since becoming president. He last privately addressed Republican lawmakers as a group at the partys policy retreat in Philadelphia in late January and has met with small groups of members on several occasions since. Trump won the backing of Palmer and several other conservative House members Friday when he agreed to make changes to the Medicaid portion of the bill, including giving states the option of instituting a work requirement for childless, able-bodied adults who receive the benefit. Those changes were included in the leadership-backed amendments that will be incorporated into the bill before it comes to a final vote. [Whom to trust on health-care reform? Trump supporters put their faith in him.] To address concerns expressed by a broader swath of GOP lawmakers conservatives and moderates alike leaders said they hoped to change the bill to give older Americans more assistance to buy insurance. In an extreme case laid out in a Congressional Budget Office analysis of the bill, a 64-year-old earning $26,500 a year would see yearly premiums rise from $1,700 under the ACA to $14,600 under the Republican plan. House leaders said they intended to provide another $85 billion of aid to those ages 50 to 64, but the amendment unveiled late Monday did not do so directly. Instead, the leaders said, it provides the Senate flexibility to potentially enhance the tax credit for the older cohort by adjusting an unrelated tax deduction. That workaround, aides said, was done to ensure that the House bill would comply with Senate budget rules and to ensure that the CBO could release an updated analysis of the legislation before the Thursday vote. But it also means that the House members who pushed for the new aid will have to trust the Senate to carry out their wishes. Kelsey Snell contributed to this report. Read more at PowerPost Britains government said Monday that it will deliver a letter to the European Union next week giving formal notice of its plans to leave the bloc, a widely anticipated step that makes good on last years Brexit vote. The triggering of Article 50, the never-before-used mechanism for a country to leave the European Union, will set off a two-year negotiation in which the United Kingdom and its 27 erstwhile partners will have to agree on the terms of divorce. We are on the threshold of the most important negotiation for this country for a generation, said David Davis, Britains Brexit secretary. The government is clear in its aims: a deal that works for every nation and region of the U.K. and indeed for all of Europe a new, positive partnership between the U.K. and our friends and allies in the European Union. Prime Minister Theresa May has vowed for months that the country will trigger Article 50 by the end of March. But Mondays announcement of the date March 29 was the first official confirmation of the exact timing. Britains Parliament gave its final approval last week to Mays Brexit plans, and the prime minister had at one point been expected to trigger Article 50 then. Scottish leader Nicola Sturgeon threw a wrench into those plans last Monday by announcing a push for a new referendum on independence from the United Kingdom, which also includes England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The Scottish move seemed to catch Downing Street off guard, and it may have contributed to a decision to push Article 50 notification back to the final week of March. May heads into the E.U. negotiations with her premiership, Britains economy and even the United Kingdoms viability as a unified country all on the line. She came to power soon after the Brexit referendum in June and has repeatedly said that she will deliver on voters narrow decision to make Britain the first country to leave the E.U. On Monday, she departed on the first stage of a listening tour that will take her across Britain in the lead-up to the March 29 move. Her first stop was Wales, and she was expected to visit sites in Scotland, Northern Ireland and England in the coming days. Although Britain as a whole voted 52 to 48 percent in favor of leaving, majorities in both Scotland and Northern Ireland favored staying in the E.U. Sturgeon has charged that Scottish voters are being taken out of the bloc against their will, and she said last week that she wants a referendum on independence a rerun of a September 2014 vote, in which a majority of Scottish voters opted to stay in the United Kingdom between the autumn of 2018 and the spring of 2019. May has sharply criticized that call. She said over the weekend that now is not the time for a Scottish vote. But she has not threatened to veto another referendum. Britains exit negotiations are expected to be exceptionally tricky, with the country aiming to leave Europes single market and customs union but hoping to retain preferential access to both through a new trade agreement. May has signaled that she will prioritize Britains ability to control immigration from E.U. countries, a critical element driving pro-Brexit sentiment. European leaders have drawn a tough line, signaling that they will not allow Britain to enjoy the benefits of E.U. membership but not bear the responsibilities. Once Britain has delivered its Article 50 letter to European Council President Donald Tusk in Brussels, E.U. leaders are expected to reply with a letter setting out the blocs negotiating stance. If Britain and the rest of the E.U. cannot agree to terms by the spring of 2019, they will have to extend the negotiations or Britain will simply fall out of the bloc without an agreement on its future relations with its biggest trading partner a scenario known as dirty Brexit. May is hoping that she will be able to run for reelection in the spring of 2020 on a platform of having delivered on the publics will. But economists and government officials have warned that Britains exit is likely to be turbulent, and some within the prime ministers ruling Conservative Party have urged her to call for an early election this spring. The call would take advantage of polls showing Mays Tories well ahead of the opposition Labour Party, which has been beset by internal strife under left-wing leader Jeremy Corbyn. May has a narrow majority in the House of Commons, and a vote this spring probably would allow her to broaden it significantly. But she has repeatedly ruled out an early vote, and her spokesman told British journalists on Monday that there is not going to be one. Read more: Britains May promises clean break from Europe in Brexit speech As Brexit approaches, signs of a gathering economic storm for Britain Brexit could leave fields of rotting crops in Britain if migrant employees stay away Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world Like Washington Post World on Facebook and stay updated on foreign news President Trumps first meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel may have resembled the comedic awkwardness of a Sacha Baron Cohen movie. But an unlikely star was born during the bizarre Trump and Merkel show. Kristina Dunz. The self-effacing German journalist was thrust into the spotlight Friday, when she stood up at their White House news conference in what became an Emperor-Has-No-Clothes moment. Over the weekend, her instant fame snowballed, particularly in her native Germany, where Dunzs exchange with Trump has suddenly become a defining moment for Internet memes and late-night TV monologues. Channeling the angst of an international audience watching the first season of the President Trump show from afar, Dunz called on by Merkel asked the tough questions that the U.S. journalists called on by Trump did not. She asked Merkel about Trumps contempt for the European Union and queried Trump over whether his America first policy could backfire on the United States by weakening Europe. Yet the crux of her question to the president was this: How can he decry fake news, yet at the same time spread apparently false accusations, including that former president Barack Obama had wiretapped him? A visibly riled Trump cut off Merkel as she tried to reply first, sarcastically calling Dunz a nice, friendly reporter. He defended his trade policy, saying he wasnt isolationist, and declared that any newspapers who called him such were printing fake news. In the United States, American journalists applauded Dunz, along with a fellow German journalist who followed up with more hard questions, for doing what the Americans hadnt. The German press shamed us, Politicos Tara Palmeri tweeted. Even actress Mia Farrow gave the German press a shout-out. [Trumps attacks on the media sound eerily familiar to Germanys journalists] In Dunzs native Germany, a country where polls show Trump is exceedingly unpopular, media outlets rushed to interview her. Her bravery was heralded on the heute-show, a sort of German version of the Daily Show, whose host joked that by merely questioning Trump so toughly Dunz had risked a declaration of war. One German Internet meme making the rounds showed Trump as J.R.R. Tolkiens Gollum, hissing, Nice, friendly reporterstses! Must not hurt us, precious! In an interview with The Washington Post, Dunz, a 25-year veteran of the German Press Agency (DPA), said she was uncomfortable with all the attention. In an era of look-at-me journalism, shes old school a hardscrabble professional whos spent time covering German troops in Afghanistan and believes reporters should never be part of the story. She suggested that she was simply doing her job, as well as her homework. She worked on the question beforehand and was advised by a colleague in Washington to ask the question in German to avoid being cut off by Trump. After the news conference, she said, her phone wouldnt stop making an odd sound. I thought my cell was jammed, she said. But she quickly realized they were Twitter and text notifications. Her Twitter followers have more than quadrupled over the past three days. I think I hit a nerve . . . because mine was a more general question about his fundamental attitude and about American values, she said. She added: He must be afraid of something. . . . The fact that he kept going on about fake news only got him into trouble. In Germany, she is something of a social-media folk hero. Klaus Jahn of Stuttgart tweeted at Dunz: You deserve the Pulitzer Prize for your courageous, unexpected questions. Bravo and respect. German journalist Silke Burmester tweeted at her, Lets make journalism great again! But in a country where Trump is as divisive as he is in the United States, others blasted Dunz. Johannes Loew, a self-proclaimed German Trump supporter from Bavaria, tweeted: Trump called all of this fake news. This answers the question. People like you arent worth more of a response! Yet the incident, more than anything, seemed to shed a spotlight on Trumps dealings with the news media. [Amid Turkeys media crackdown, Erdogan praises Trump for putting CNN reporter in his place] During joint news conferences with foreign leaders, it is not unusual for the U.S. press to ask presidents questions tied to the news cycle in Fridays case, on the health-care debate. Yet reporters called on to speak in such situations are often preselected, and a debate is raging over whether some U.S. journalists, in a quest for access, are currying favor by being less hard hitting. Dunz dismissed any blanket criticism of the U.S. press, saying the fault is with Trump for squeezing out critical voices. One absolutely cannot say . . . that the German press is showing its U.S. colleagues how its done, she said. U.S. colleagues, including your paper, were pioneers and are role models. Perhaps more telling than Dunzs question was her resulting story. At times, it had the tone of American foreign correspondents covering despotic governments in Venezuela, China or Russia. For a while now, it hasnt been common practice in the White House to answer tough, uncomfortable questions in an open, matter-of-fact way, she wrote. Trump is visibly tormented by this kind of openness. Although uncomfortable with her newfound notoriety, Dunz is at least happy for one thing: that her DPA news agency, long overshadowed by bigger German names such as Bild and Der Spiegel, is finally getting its moment in the sun. I have a problem with this whole famous and hero thing, said Dunz. But what makes me extraordinarily happy is that it throws a spotlight on the agency. . . . Agency reporters are always there. They are the only ones who go on every trip. . . . Theyre always in the background. On Friday, they werent. Read more Trumps meeting with catastrophic leader Merkel was as awkward as youd expect Poll: Germans are more concerned about Trumps policies than Putins Liberal Germans boycotted this Americans burger joint after Trump won. Then the right came to its rescue. Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world Like Washington Post World on Facebook and stay updated on foreign news On March 19, archaeologist Annette Landes-Nagar of the Israel Antiquities Authority displays ancient coins from the Byzantine era, which were found last summer during excavations near the Arab Israeli village of Abu Ghosh near Jerusalem. (Menahem Kahana/AFP/Getty Images) When a revamped highway into Jerusalem fully opens in coming months, it will be just the latest makeover of a road that has served Holy Land travelers for centuries. Almost as a testament to a path well-trodden, tractors and plows that made way for a new tunnel that is part of the project revealed a Christian village that provided refuge to weary pilgrims making their way into the holy city more than 1,500 years ago. On Sunday, Israeli archaeologists announced the discovery at the site of a rare cache of Byzantine-era coins. They had lain hidden for some 1,400 years inside the stone walls of an old building in the unearthed village, which archaeologists now believe was called Einbikumakube. At a time when the Christian presence across the Middle East is diminishing and believers often face persecution, archaeologists in Israel say that more than a third of the roughly 40,000 artifacts found in the country each year are linked in some way to Christianity. Its a potent point, offering proof of the Christian connection to the Holy Land and the Middle East, alongside that of Judaism and Islam. The coins were hidden for about 1,400 years inside the stone walls of an old building in a recently unearthed village. (Menahem Kahana/AFP/Getty Images) [Work begins to try to save Christianitys holiest shrine: Jesus tomb] The Israel Antiquities Authority gave journalists an up-close look at the coins on Sunday during a rare tour of its central warehouse, which is tucked away in a quiet industrial zone in the city of Beit Shemesh, about 40 minutes west of Jerusalem. Tens of thousands of relics found across Israel since its creation in 1948 are kept at the site, though some go on display in museums. Many of the items are from the period that Jesus is believed to have lived or are evidence of his followers from the ensuing centuries. Archaeologists say the excavated items might give an indication of how Jesus lived 2,000 years ago, but they arent physical evidence of his existence. He was one of more than a million people living here then, an ordinary Jew who had original ideas and attracted some followers, said Gideon Avni, head of archaeology at the Israel Antiquities Authority. His fame only really started after his death. Avni said it is difficult, perhaps even impossible, to find proof of one ordinary person from thousands of years ago. But based on finds from hundreds of archaeological digs, he believes archaeologists can accurately reconstruct Jesus life from the Church of the Nativity, the site revered as his birthplace, to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, where he is believed to have been buried after the Crucifixion. [Jewish art challenges the taboo of Jesus] Eugenio Alliata, a professor of Christian archaeology at the Franciscan biblical school in Jerusalem, said that what has been found to date corroborates biblical accounts of Jesus life and puts his existence into a real context. We have not found any evidence of the person of Jesus, but we have found lots of things about what happened at the time he lived, such as the population and the material culture that grew because of him, Alliata said. Artifacts stored at the Israel Antiquities Authority warehouse also provide insight into those who followed Jesus after his death. The earliest evidence of Christianity as a movement is from the end of the 1st century, Avni said. After that, throughout the Byzantine period and during the Crusades, Christian pilgrims regularly traveled to Nazareth, Bethlehem and Jerusalem. Archaeologists are now using the day-to-day items and rare commodities from those ancient times to study Jesus and his teachings. Among these precious finds are the nine Byzantine coins. These coins give us a rare look into this Christian ancient world, said archaeologist Annette Landes-Nagar, who estimated that the coins were minted sometime between 604 and 609 because they bear the faces of Byzantine emperors of the time. The coins were probably placed in the walls of the building around 614, toward the end of the period when Persian armies invaded the Holy Land, destroying churches and Christian communities, just before the rise of Islam in the area. The hoard was found amongst large stones that had collapsed alongside the building. It seems that during a time of danger the owner placed the coins in a cloth purse that he concealed inside a hidden niche in the wall, she said. He probably hoped to go back and collect it, but today we know that he was unable to do so. Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly said that an excavated Christian village was inhabited more than 2,000 years ago. It should have said that the village was in use more than 1,500 years ago. This story has been updated. Read more: Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world Like Washington Post World on Facebook and stay updated on foreign news FBI Director James B. Comey acknowledged Monday that his agency is conducting an investigation into possible coordination between the Kremlin and the Trump campaign in a counterintelligence probe that could reach all the way to the White House and may last for months. The extraordinary disclosure came near the beginning of a sprawling, 5 -hour public hearing before the House Intelligence Committee in which Comey also said there is no information that supports President Trumps claims that his predecessor ordered surveillance of Trump Tower during the election campaign. Comey repeatedly refused to answer whether specific individuals close to the president had fallen under suspicion of criminal wrongdoing, so we dont wind up smearing people who may not be charged with a crime. The FBI traditionally does not disclose the existence of an investigation, but in unusual circumstances, where it is in the public interest, Comey said, it may be appropriate to do so. Comey also said he was authorized by the Justice Department to confirm the existence of the wide-ranging probe into Russian interference in the electoral process. He drew fire last year after he notified Congress 11 days before the presidential election and against the departments strong advice not to that the FBI had reopened an examination of Hillary Clintons use of a private email server. That move, Democrats charged, hurt Clinton as she was heading into the home stretch of her campaign. Now, the tables are turned. Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.), the committee chairman, urged Comey to reveal if and when the bureau has information clearing any of its targets, and to do so as quickly as possible. Theres a big gray cloud that youve now put over people who have very important work to do to lead this country, and so the faster that you can get to the bottom of this, its going to be better for all Americans, Nunes said. Comey said that the investigation began in late July and that for a counterintelligence probe, thats a fairly short period of time. The hearing came amid the controversy fired up by Trump more than two weeks ago when he tweeted, without providing evidence, that President Barack Obama had ordered his phones tapped at Trump Tower. I have no information that supports those tweets, Comey said. We have looked carefully inside the FBI, and agents found nothing to support those claims. He added that the Justice Department had asked him to tell the committee that the agency has no such information, either. Under questioning from the top Democrat on the panel, Rep. Adam B. Schiff (Calif.), Comey said no president could order such surveillance. Remarkably, Trumps presidential Twitter account continued to fire away throughout the widely watched hearing, live-tweeting comments and assertions that lawmakers then referred to and used to question Comey and National Security Agency Director Michael S. Rogers. [Full transcript: FBI Director James Comey testifies on Russian interference in 2016 election] Comey and Rogers both predicted that Russian intelligence agencies will continue to seek to meddle in U.S. political campaigns, because they consider their work in the 2016 presidential race to have been successful. In an influence campaign that the U.S. intelligence community in January said was ordered by Russian President Vladimir Putin, hackers working for Russian spy agencies penetrated the computers of the Democratic National Committee in 2015 and 2016, as well as the email accounts of Democratic officials. The material was relayed to WikiLeaks, the intelligence community reported, and the anti-secrecy group launched a series of damaging email releases that began just before the Democratic National Convention last summer and continued through the fall. The Russians goal was not only to undermine the legitimacy of the election process but also to harm Clintons campaign and boost Trumps chances of winning, the intelligence community concluded. Theyll be back in 2020. They may be back in 2018, Comey said. One of the lessons they may draw from this is that they were successful, introducing chaos and discord into the electoral process. Rogers agreed: I fully expect they will maintain this level of activity. And, he said, Moscow is conducting a similar active measures campaign in Europe, where France and Germany are holding elections this year. The panels Democrats focused on possible contacts between Trump associates and Russian officials. Schiff outlined a series of events that took place last July and August that he said appear to be pivotal to the question of whether there was improper contact. He ticked off a list of more than a dozen incidents, including former Trump campaign adviser Carter Pages trip to Moscow and alleged meeting with Igor Sechin, a Putin confidant and chief executive of the energy company Rosneft; and Trump political adviser Roger Stones boasts about his connections to WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and Stones prediction that the emails of Clinton campaign adviser John Podesta would be published. Is it possible that all of these events and reports are completely unrelated and nothing more than an entirely unhappy coincidence? Yes, it is possible, Schiff said. But it is also possible, may be more than possible, that they are not coincidental, not disconnected and not unrelated. . . . We simply dont know, not yet, and we owe it to the country to find out. At the White House, press secretary Sean Spicer stressed that an investigation into possible collusion between Russian officials and Trump associates doesnt mean that there was any. Investigating it and having proof of it are two different things, Spicer said. I think its fine to look into it, but at the end of the day theyre going to come to the same conclusion that everybody else has had. Said Spicer: Theres no evidence of a Trump-Russian collusion. The committee Republicans, meanwhile, seemed most exercised by leaks to the media. Information shared with the press has resulted in stories since the election on the intelligence communitys conclusion about Moscows desire to see Trump win, and on contacts Trump administration officials or close associates had with Russian officials. One story in particular that apparently upset the Republicans was a Feb. 9 piece by The Washington Post reporting that Trumps then-national security adviser, Michael Flynn, discussed the subject of sanctions with the Russian ambassador, Sergey Kislyak, in the month before Trump took office. The Post reported that the discussions were observed under routine, court-approved monitoring of Kislyaks calls. Flynn, who had denied to Vice President Pence that he had spoken about sanctions, was forced to resign. Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.) suggested that the leaks were political. He asked Comey whether the intelligence community had shared such information with Obama or his attorney general, Loretta E. Lynch. Comey who had acknowledged that in general, senior officials, including Lynch, would have access to such information said he would not comment on his conversations with Obama or Trump. As the hearing was going on, Trumps presidential Twitter account in an apparent dig at Comey and carrying the suggestion that Obama administration officials were behind the leaks posted the tweet: FBI Director Comey refuses to deny he briefed President Obama on calls made by Michael Flynn to Russia. [Comey: Please dont draw conclusions from my no-comments. Trump: Nah, Im good.] At another point, the account tweeted out, The NSA and FBI tell Congress that Russia did not influence electoral process. Rep. Jim Himes (D-Conn.), noting that the tweet had gone out to 16.1 million Americans, asked Comey, Is that accurate? Weve offered no opinion . . . on potential impact because its not something we looked at, Comey said. Nunes sought an admission from the officials that the leaks were illegal under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, the law that governs foreign intelligence-gathering on U.S. soil or U.S. persons overseas. Yes, Comey answered. In addition to being a breach of our trust with the FISA court. Rep. Thomas J. Rooney (R-Fla.) pressed Rogers to clarify under what circumstances it would be legitimate for Americans caught on tape speaking with people under surveillance to have their identities disclosed publicly. Rogers stressed that the identities of U.S. persons picked up through incidental collection in which investigating agents hear the words of people conversing with the targets of a wiretap are disclosed only on a valid, need-to-know basis, and usually only when there is criminal activity or a potential threat to the United States at play. Comey confirmed that individuals within the NSA, the CIA, the FBI, the Justice Department and others including personnel in the White House, in some situations could have requested the unmasking of the names of U.S. persons. But he stressed that only the collecting agency, whether its the FBI, the NSA or the CIA, can unmask the identities of people. Read more: The web of relationships between Team Trump and Russia Trump administration sought to enlist intelligence officials, key lawmakers to counter Russia stories Every airplane passenger who arrives in Mexico is vetted against U.S. criminal and national security databases, a daily dose of intelligence sharing aimed at finding fugitives and suspected terrorists. In the Mexico City airport, plainclothes U.S. border officers work alongside their Mexican counterparts to investigate suspicious travelers bound for the United States. In Brownsville, Tex., U.S. customs agents remotely watch X-ray scans of train cargo from the Mexican side of the border. For much of their history, the United States and Mexico had a wary relationship and security cooperation was limited. It wasnt until 1996 that Mexico began extraditing its citizens accused of crimes to the United States. But over the past two decades, as their economies have become more interdependent, the countries have developed an extraordinary level of collaboration in addressing terrorist threats and capturing dangerous criminals. Today, that partnership is at risk. The Trump administration has threatened to ramp up deportations of illegal immigrants, scrap the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and make Mexico pay for a border wall. The Mexican economy minister, Ildefonso Guajardo, told a Canadian newspaper last month that if relations deteriorate, the incentives for the Mexican people to keep on cooperating on security issues will be diminished. Many different agencies and many different players are now in a holding position, said a senior Mexican official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to be candid. That is not good. U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer Rachel McCormick, left, and Mexican customs officer Alejandra Galindo demonstrate how they would jointly inspect a cargo truck carrying goods from Mexico into the U.S. while at the Mariposa Inspection Facility at the Nogales Port of Entry in Arizona. (Astrid Galv'n/AP) [Trumps taunts are stirring a level of nationalism Mexico hasnt seen in years] While existing programs have not stopped, the Mexican government is reviewing how security cooperation could change in the event that President Trump pushes forward with policies that harm this country, according to Mexican officials. Now is a moment to question our drug and migration policy with the United States, said Gabriela Cuevas, an opposition senator who is president of the Foreign Relations Commission. We know that the United States is important. But it seems the U.S. government doesnt understand that Mexico is important. I think Mexico should have a Plan B. While Mexico relies heavily on the United States for things such as trade and investment, its contributions to its northern neighbor also are significant, especially in security. For example, under pressure from the White House, Mexico has cracked down in recent years on Central American migrants bound for the United States, deporting hundreds of thousands of them. Cuevas said that Mexico could choose to scale back that cooperation. It could also force U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration officials to leave our country immediately if relations deteriorate, she said. That could hurt the fight to prevent heroin from flowing into the United States, in the midst of an addiction epidemic. The cooperation continues to be good, but we could lose many things, Cuevas said. Some law enforcement exchanges have already been postponed. The heads of Mexicos army, Gen. Salvador Cienfuegos, and its navy, Adm. Vidal Francisco Soberon, called off a planned trip to meet Defense Secretary Jim Mattis shortly after President Enrique Pena Nieto canceled a visit to Washington in January in a dispute over the proposed border wall. Mexicans do not want to appear to be going out of their way to embrace the Americans at a time when people in Mexico are feeling under attack, said Eric Olson, a Mexico expert at the Wilson Center in Washington. The Mexican military leaders later met with Secretary of State Rex Tillerson in Mexico City. A mixed relationship For most of the past two centuries, Mexico and the United States have had a complex, mutually suspicious relationship. The border line was established in 1848 after a war in which Mexico lost half its territory to the United States. After World War II, Mexico refused to sign a military assistance agreement with the United States even as other Latin American countries did. But over the past two decades, as trade between Mexico and the United States boomed, law enforcement cooperation also intensified. On the American side, the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks drove interest in securing the border. Under Mexicos previous president, Felipe Calderon, a stepped-up offensive against drug cartels led to a closer working relationship with DEA officers and intelligence agencies. [U.S. role at a crossroads in Mexicos intelligence war on the cartels] Every day, U.S. and Mexican officials are in contact about security issues such as money laundering, child pornography, human trafficking and drug running. Mexican customs agents are stationed inside the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) national targeting center for cargo in Herndon, Va., while U.S. immigration and customs officers train their Mexican counterparts on gathering biometrics, managing checkpoints and questioning U.S.-bound migrants in Tapachula, on Mexicos southern frontier. It became a really quite warm and cooperative relationship, Gil Kerlikowske, who stepped down as commissioner of CBP earlier this year, said in an interview. Every year, a couple hundred criminals and fugitives fleeing the United States are captured in Mexico and turned over to U.S. authorities. Last year, Mexico extradited 79 peopleto the United States, compared with 12 in 2000. Just before President Barack Obama left office, the U.S. government got the top criminal prize from Mexico, when the country sent drug lord Joaquin El Chapo Guzman to face an American court. In recent years, Mexican authorities have given U.S. authorities access to suspicious travelers from Syria, Iraq, Somalia, Libya and elsewhere. Mexico also has detained and sent home hundreds of thousands of Central American migrants. If that cooperation were not in place, it would have a dramatic impact on the flow of migrants to the southwest border of the United States, said Alan Bersin, who served as a top Department of Homeland Security official in the Obama administration. Were the United States to continue along the lines of the presidents grossly insulting tone and substance, Bersin said, referring to Trump, or if there were an attempt to redraw fundamentally the economic framework that has grown trade from $80 billion annually to nearly $700 billion, theres no reason the United States should expect Mexico to continue the cooperation weve received on security. Much in the relationship depends on whether the Trump administration pursues trade policies that harm Mexico, which sends most of its exports to the United States. Trump has argued that NAFTA was not a good deal for American workers and should be renegotiated. Some former U.S. officials worry that, if bilateral ties worsen, Mexico might cut back on extraditing drug suspects and stop helping on issues such as fighting poppy cultivation. More than 90 percent of U.S. heroin comes from Mexico. The Obama White House was in pretty advanced conversations with Mexico on plans to increase cooperation on eradicating poppy plants and helping farmers to cultivate alternative crops, said Mark Feierstein, the former senior director for Latin America on the National Security Council. Thats a concern now, he said. We do need Mexicos cooperation on it. Mexico has the option of saying, Not our problem. Youre the consuming country. Gabriela Martinez contributed to this report. Read more A Mexican populist rises to face Trumps America Trump policies strain the ties that bind a Mexican village to small-town Illinois U.S. border officials are illegally turning away asylum seekers, critics say Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world Like Washington Post World on Facebook and stay updated on foreign news A series of recent polls show significant popular opposition in the American population to Donald Trumps mass deportation program. A CNN poll released March 17 shows that 90 percent of Americans believe the government should give immigrants who have lived and worked in the US for a number of years the right to apply for US citizenship, including 84 percent of Trump voters. The total percent opposed to such a proposal has fallen by half since 2014. This statistic explodes the narrative advanced by Trump, the corporate media, the Democratic Party and the upper-middle class left groups orbiting the Democrats, which claims that a racist, backward white working class is fueling Trumps anti-immigrant campaign. The 90 percent figure is all the more remarkable since it comes in the wake of a decades-long bipartisan campaign to scapegoat immigrants for the social and economic crisis. This overwhelming majority refutes even Robert F. Kennedys popular political aphorism: About one-fifth of the people are against everything all of the time. Support for immigrants crosses all major demographic and regional categories: 92 percent among those with incomes under $50,000, 91 percent of white non-college graduates, 92 percent of rural voters, 90 percent of those aged 65 and over, 93 percent of Midwesterners, 89 percent of Southerners, and 86 percent of Republicans. The CNN poll also shows that 60 percent of Americans believe the governments top immigration priority should be ensuring undocumented immigrants have the right to remain in the US. This compares with just 13 percent who say the government should prioritize deportation, and 26 percent who say the US should stop immigrants from entering the US without documents. These numbers have increased significantly within the last two years. In September 2015, 46 percent of respondents said the government should prioritize defending the rights of immigrants. Those with incomes under $50,000 are slightly more likely to support legalization as the top immigration priority, and this option retains the support of over 50 percent of all age groups and regional areas, including Southerners, the elderly and whites without a college degree. Similarly, 71 percent of respondents say the government should not carry out a mass deportation plan, up from 63 percent in December 2015. The program is particularly hated amongst young people and those living in urban areas, where they are more likely to live amongst larger immigrant populations. Trump supporters are split evenly on the deportation plan. Fifty-eight percent of people say current US immigration policies go too far, including majorities of every age demographic and region. A second poll from the Pew Research Center titled Americans express increasingly warm feelings toward religious groups was published in February 2017. According to the poll, Muslims and atheists are the two groups whose popularity is growing most substantially. Compared with three years ago, Americans are more tolerant of members of every religious group except evangelical Christians, whose popularity did not increase. The Pew report notes that growing acceptance of Muslims in particular is due to a 7 percent increase in the percentage of people who personally know a Muslim person. Among young people, Muslims are as popular as evangelical Christians and Mainline Protestants and more popular than Mormons. Older Americans and evangelical Christians remain the only groups who hold relatively cool feelings toward Muslims. Additional polls from 2017 show: 62 percent oppose the building of a wall along the US-Mexico border. 77 percent believe undocumented immigrants are less likely or about as likely to commit crimes than US citizens. 68 percent oppose suspending all immigration of Syrian refugees to the US. There remains significant political confusion, in particular on the question of the rights of immigrants with criminal records. Seventy-eight percent of respondents to the CNN poll say the government should deport those with criminal records, though even this figure is down from 83 percent in September 2016. Older and less educated populations are more likely to support deporting those with criminal records, for example. Such confusion is inevitable amidst the deluge of anti-immigrant hysteria whipped up by the press and both parties of big business. What the polls show, however, is considerable sympathy for immigrants, particularly in the working class, and regardless of race. The vast majority of the American working class lives and interacts with immigrants in their daily lives, confronts the same social problems and sympathizes with their struggle. Families are increasingly international and multi-ethnic, and 21 percent of US married couples include at least one foreign-born spouse. Furthermore, the entire non-Native American population is the progeny of immigrants whose stories linger in the family folklore of tens of millions. Data from the 2000 census (national heritage was not listed in the 2010 survey) shows that the US population includes 49 million German descendants, 35 million Irish, 32 million Mexican, 27 million English, 17 million Italians, 10 million Polish, 9 million French, etc. That Trumps attempts to whip-up anti-immigrant hysteria have so far failed to gain broad support does not reduce the danger posed by his program. Trump and his advisors are attempting to build support for a fascist movement aimed at channeling growing social tensions against immigrants in order to prosecute the financial aristocracys plans for war abroad and social counterrevolution domestically. The Democratic Party, which passed the laws used to deport millions, has largely accepted Trumps xenophobic program and has only opposed him on the basis of a mixture of anti-Russian nationalism and the identity politics of the affluent upper-middle class. In their right-wing campaign, the Democrats are establishing the conditions in which a fascistic movement may take root. Only the working class, organized independently of both parties in a common struggle for social equality, is capable of protecting the rights of immigrants. Today, if someone is diagnosed with HIV, he or she can choose among 41 drugs that can treat the disease. And theres a good chance that with the right combination, given at the right time, the drugs can keep HIV levels so low that the person never gets sick. That wasnt always the case. It took seven years after HIV was first discovered before the first drug to fight it was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). In those first anxious years of the epidemic, millions were infected. Only a few thousand had died at that point, but public health officials were racing to keep that death rate from spiking the inevitable result if people who tested positive werent treated with something. As it turned out, their first weapon against HIV wasnt a new compound scientists had to develop from scratch it was one that was already on the shelf, albeit abandoned. AZT, or azidothymidine, was originally developed in the 1960s by a U.S. researcher as way to thwart cancer; the compound was supposed to insert itself into the DNA of a cancer cell and mess with its ability to replicate and produce more tumor cells. But it didnt work when it was tested in mice and was put aside. Two decades later, after AIDS emerged as new infectious disease, the pharmaceutical company Burroughs Wellcome, already known for its antiviral drugs, began a massive test of potential anti-HIV agents, hoping to find anything that might work against this new viral foe. Among the things tested was something called Compound S, a re-made version of the original AZT. When it was throw into a dish with animal cells infected with HIV, it seemed to block the virus activity. The company sent samples to the FDA and the National Cancer Institute, where Dr. Samuel Broder, who headed the agency, realized the significance of the discovery. But simply having a compound that could work against HIV wasnt enough. In order to make it available to the estimated millions who were infected, researchers had to be sure that it was safe and that it would indeed stop HIV in some way, even if it didnt cure people of their infection. At the time, such tests, overseen by the FDA, took eight to 10 years. Story continues Patients couldnt wait that long. Under enormous public pressure, the FDAs review of AZT was fast tracked some say at the expense of patients. Scientists quickly injected AZT into patients. The first goal was to see whether it was safe and, though it did cause side effects (including severe intestinal problems, damage to the immune system, nausea, vomiting and headaches) it was deemed relatively safe. But they also had to test the compounds effectiveness. In order to do so, a controversial trial was launched with nearly 300 people who had been diagnosed with AIDS. The plan was to randomly assign the participants to take capsules of the agent or a sugar pill for six months. Neither the doctor nor the patient would know whether they were on the drug or not. After 16 weeks, Burroughs Wellcome announced that they were stopping the trial because there was strong evidence that the compound appeared to be working. One group had only one death. Even in that short period, the other group had 19. The company reasoned that it wouldnt be ethical to continue the trial and deprive one group of a potentially life-saving treatment. Those results and AZT were heralded as a breakthrough and the light at the end of the tunnel by the company, and pushed the FDA approve the first AIDS medication on March 19, 1987, in a record 20 months. But the study remains controversial. Reports surfaced soon after that the results may have been skewed since doctors werent provided with a standard way of treating the other problems associated with AIDS pneumonia, diarrhea and other symptoms which makes determining whether the AZT alone was responsible for the dramatic results nearly impossible. For example, some patients received blood transfusions to help their immune systems; introducing new, healthy blood and immune cells could have helped these patients battle the virus better. There were also stories of patients from the 12 centers where the study was conducted pooling their pills, to better the chances that they would get at least some of the drug rather than just placebos. And there were still plenty of questions left unanswered about the drug when it was approved. How long did the apparent benefits last? Could people who werent sick yet still benefit? Did they benefit more than those further along in their disease? Such uncertainty would not be acceptable with a traditional approval, but the urgent need to have something in hand to fight the growing epidemic forced FDAs hand. The people in the trial were already pressuring the company and the FDA to simply release the drug if there were something that worked against HIV, they said, then it was not ethical to withhold it. The drugs approval remains controversial to this day, but in a world where treatment options are so far advanced it can be hard to imagine the sense of urgency and the social pressure permeating the medical community at the time. AIDS was an impending wave that was about to crash on the shores of an unsuspecting and woefully unprepared populace. Having at least one drug that worked, in however limited a way, was seen as progress. But even after AZTs approval, activists and public health officials raised concerns about the price of the drug. At about $8,000 a year (more than $17,000 in todays dollars) it was prohibitive to many uninsured patients and AIDS advocates accused Burroughs Wellcome of exploiting an already vulnerable patient population. In the years since, its become clear that no single drug is the answer to fighting HIV. People taking AZT soon began showing rising virus levels but the virus was no longer the same, having mutated to resist the drug. More drugs were needed, and AIDS advocates criticized the FDA for not moving quickly enough to approve additional medications. And side effects including heart problems, weight issues and more reminded people that anything designed to battle a virus like HIV was toxic. Today, there are several classes of HIV drugs, each designed to block the virus at specific points in its life cycle. Used in combination, they have the best chance of keeping HIV at bay, lowering the viruss ability to reproduce and infect, and ultimately, to cause death. These so-called antiretroviral drugs have made it possible for people diagnosed with HIV to live long and relatively healthy lives, as long they continue to take the medications. And for most of these people, their therapy often still includes AZT. Angelina Jolie at the annual lecture of the Sergio Vieira De Mello Foundation in Geneva in March. (Photo: Harold Cunningham/Getty Images) Angelina Jolie has been no stranger to scandal over the years, but the latest storm thats brewing could be one of the most serious yet if it proves to have any merit at all, that is. Mounh Sarath, an aid worker in Cambodia, is claiming that he listed himself as the father of Maddox Jolie-Pitt on the boys adoption papers to help speed up the process for the actress in 2003. She had to change his name, so the only way was for me to do it. I said hes my son, he explained. Allegedly, Jolie was supposed to fix that detail later, but according to Sarath, she never did. Based on this, the 51-year-old is arguing that he actually still has power of attorney over the 15-year-old boy. Mounh Sarath (Photo: Facebook) On Sunday, Sarath produced the document hed filed with a court in Battambang, Cambodia, in August 2003, which seemed to confirm the court considered him the father, according to the Sun; however, his documentation does not seem to prove that either Jolie or her then-husband, Billy Bob Thornton (who originally adopted Maddox too), knew Sarath had done this. Neither has commented on the allegations. Around the time that Jolie took Maddox into her care, the United States was tightening restrictions on Cambodian adoptions because of fears of trafficking. Further muddying the waters is the fact that Lauryn Galindo, the agent who arranged the adoption, served 18 months in jail in the U.S. for falsifying names, birth dates, and places of birth of Cambodian children she placed with U.S. parents. Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, and son Maddox Jolie-Pitt in 2013. (Photo: Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic) Jolie has previously insisted that she went to great lengths to ensure Maddox did not have a living birth mother in Cambodia. I would never rob a mother of her child. I can only imagine how dreadful that would feel, the actress, who has six children in total (including two other international adoptees), stated. In addition, she has said that she would never break the law to adopt a child. Personally, I prefer to stay on the right side of the law. I would never take a child away from a place where adoption is illegal, she said, possibly taking aim at fellow celeb mom Madonna for adopting a child from Malawi. Its a country where there is no real legal framework for adoption, Jolie explained. Story continues Angelina Jolie with Pax, Maddox, Zahara, and Shiloh on a recent trip to Cambodia. (Photo: Heng Sinith/AP) It has been a rocky few months for the 41-year-old star, who split from Brad Pitt in September after two years of marriage and almost a decade together, amid allegations of child abuse against Pitt. She earned Cambodian citizenship herself in 2005, but not everyone is happy about that. I would be happy if Cambodia didnt see her again, Sarath said. Read more from Yahoo Celebrity: Tim Allen stopped by Jimmy Kimmel Live! on Friday night, where he shared his experience about going to Donald Trumps inauguration and how being a conservative in Hollywood is like living in 1930s Germany. I was invited, we did a VIP thing for the vets, and went to a veterans ball, so I went to go see Democrats and Republicans, the Last Man Standing actor said. Yeah I went to the inauguration. Im not attacking you, laughed Jimmy Kimmel, after Allen turned defensive. Youve gotta be real careful around here, Allen replied. You get beat up if dont believe what everybody believes. This is like 30s Germany. I dont know what happened. If youre not part of the group, You know what we believe is right, I go, Well, I might have a problem with that. Im a comedian, I like going on both sides. Allen, whos previously spoken out about Hollywood being hypocritical, told Megyn Kelly on Fox News last year that he finds it odd that Hollywood didnt like Trump because he was a bully. But if you had any kind of inkling that you were for Trump, you got bullied, he explained. During his interview with Kimmel, Allen also discussed how people should be paranoid about our privacy being compromised by the government and other major companies. If a government drove by with a gray sedan with a camera on it, youd be rioting and going to Washington, he explained. But if its white, with emojis and Google on it, Yay, youre waving at it. Theyre taking pictures of your house! Check out the full video below. Related stories 'Jimmy Kimmel Live' YouTube Channel Clocks Biggest Week After Oscar-Hosting Stint Jimmy Kimmel On Sean Spicer Health Care Pitch: "It's Like He's Writing Melissa McCarthy's Sketches" Stephen Colbert Ratings Streak Hits Fifth Week; Jimmy Kimmel Enjoys Post-Oscar Bump FCC Chairman Ajit Pai, responding to Senate Democrats queries about his recent congressional testimony, said that a free media is vital to our democracy. Pais statement was a response to a series of questions from Senate Democrats after he testified earlier this month before the Commerce Committee. Among other things, they asked him whether he believed that the media was the enemy of the American people, a reference to one of Trumps tweets railing against the New York Times, CNN, ABC, CBS, and NBC News. In February, Trump named those outlets in characterizing fake news outlets as the enemy of the American people. Pai answered no. He also wrote, I should note that at the hearing, I was asked if I agreed with the President that the media was the enemy of the people. However, the President has made clear he was referring to fake news. As I stated at the hearing, these comments are part of a larger political debate which I will not be wading. He also gave Yes answers to a series of questions on whether he would commit to the independence of the agency. That included informing them and the public of any White House attempt to influence decision making, or to try to direct the FCC to take any action on media interests. In his letter, Pai wrote that during his tenure on the FCC, I have consistently opposed any effort to infringe upon freedom of the press and have fought to eliminate regulations that impede the gathering and dissemination of news. He cited previous comments he has made on the newspaper industrys profound financial troubles. In 2016, before he was chairman, he dissented to the majoritys decision that the FCCs media ownership rules should remain largely unchanged. That included a restriction on the common ownership of a newspaper and TV station in the same market. John Oliver has come up with a creative solution for those who find the news depressing to watch these days - just add zebras. On Sunday, Oliver spoke about how in La Paz, Bolivia, people are hired to dress up like zebras and dance on crosswalks, in an effort to encourage traffic safety and reduce car accidents. "The news has been hard," said Oliver. The dancing Bolivian zebras got the Last Week Tonight host thinking: "If zebras can make Bolivian traffic jams better, what else could they help with?" He showed a clip his team made of a zebra sitting next to Melania Trump, holding up a stop sign during Trump's inauguration. He also put a dancing zebra into Rachel Maddow's introduction to her Trump tax return reveal, and added a zebra to a very emotional scene in Manchester by the Sea. "I think it's pretty clear, with things in America the way they are now, we need these zebras like never before," said Oliver. He provided 24 minutes of a zebra in front of a green screen dancing, reading the newspaper and being generally silly, encouraging viewers to add the footage to "painful moments" with the hashtag #JustAddZebras. Read more: John Oliver Buys Fact-Based TV Ads to Educate Donald Trump Here are some examples of dancing zebras popping up in serious places, often involving the Trump administration. Decided to teach myself how to use green screen on iMovie. #JustAddZebras to the meme about the gun-toting son of the racist. pic.twitter.com/6vxFwB5NV0 - Mikala Paula (@mikalapaula) March 20, 2017 Read more: John Oliver Compares Republicans' Obamacare Replacement Options to Thongs For the main segment of his show, Oliver dedicated his time to talking about Trump's federal budget proposal. "This budget is simply a blueprint, what's known in Washington as a 'skinny budget,' which sounds like a line item that Trump might have included in one of his pre-nups," said Oliver. He talked about Trump's cuts to public broadcasting, the arts and the EPA. "You don't cut those agencies as a cost-saving measure, you do it as a f - you," Oliver said. "It is the budgetary equivalent of inviting Mitt Romney out to dinner at Jean-Georges before not offering him a Cabinet position. And I will say that was awesome, by the way." "Some of the cuts in Trump's budget heavily impact groups that voted for him," continued Oliver. Watch him break it down below. Prevent Mistakes in MBA Applications Making the cut for an MBA program is a difficult feat even with excellent credentials. "If you're going to apply, you need to give it your very best shot," says David Simpson, admissions director for the MBA and master's in finance program at the London Business School. "You're better off applying to a reduced number of schools rather than applying poorly to a wide range of schools." Before submitting an MBA application, experts say prospective students should check their application for these 10 common errors. 1. Using the wrong school name One of the most cringe-worthy blunders in an MBA application is when an applicant mentions the wrong school in his or her essay.Unfortunately, admissions officials say, this often happens, and it typically results in rejection. "The biggest mistake we see here with applications is students who do not proofread their essay submission well enough," says Mike Minutoli, director of graduate programs with the Willumstad School of Business at Adelphi University. "Every cycle, I receive at least one essay that was written for another university where the applicant has professed their 'strong attention to detail.'" 2. Generic essays Admissions officers say sending generic MBA essays that could be sent to any business school conveys a lack of effort. Crystal Grant, head of admissions at Imperial College Business School in London, says applicants should tailor each application they submit to the school receiving it. "We know that application forms can be lengthy, but every section is there for a reason," she said in an email. "If you copy and paste your answers between schools, you're missing a great opportunity to demonstrate how you fit with the culture and values of each institution." 3. Focusing on out-of-reach schools Top business schools typically have high admissions standards and low acceptance rates. Story continues The painful truth is that an MBA applicant is unlikely to be accepted to a highly ranked MBA program unless he or she has extraordinary credentials, and even then, acceptance is not guaranteed, U.S. News columnist Stacy Blackman wrote in the "Strictly Business" blog. "Being realistic about your profile and aligning yourself with programs that mesh with your particular academic and professional background is the surest recipe for success," Blackman wrote. 4. Phoniness Experts say some MBA applicants make the mistake of writing admissions essays that reflect what they believe admissions officers want to hear rather than writing essays that reflect their true personality. These contrived essays usually backfire, Blackman wrote. "Even if you have a pretty good idea of what a particular business school looks for in MBA candidates, this isn't the time to remake yourself into what you think their ideal student would be. This is a major pet peeve of the admissions committee, which is why they have gone to great lengths recently to come up with creative essay prompts." 5. Lying or exaggerating Any dishonesty in an MBA application that is discovered will typically lead to automatic rejection, experts say, and if it is found after a student has begun MBA courses, he or she will generally be expelled. Dan Bauer, CEO of The MBA Exchange admissions consulting firm,says that MBA admissions officers will typically reject an applicant who they suspect of deception. "Business schools want and need to believe they're admitting someone who has done exactly what they say they've done," he says. "When in doubt, the application is discarded." 6. Relying too much on feedback Incorporating too many suggestions from friends and family can lead MBA applicants to erase their own voice from their MBA application, said one expert. "The way you write is the way you write," Jesse Mejia, founder and CEO of the MBA Catalyst admissions consulting firm, told U.S. News. "How you tell your story must be narrated in a way that the reader can hear you speak from the heart." 7. Choosing the wrong reference It's important for MBA applicants to be selective about who they ask to write their recommendation letters, experts say. "If a potential reference seems less than enthusiastic in any way, keep looking," Blackman wrote in a blog post. "That person's ambivalence will likely come through in the letter." 8. Repetition Each component of the MBA application should introduce some new and valuable information. Deena Maerowitz, a principal with the Bertram Group admissions consulting firm and a former associate director of admissions with Columbia Business School, told U.S. News emphasizing a single accomplishment too much in an MBA application often gives a negative impression. "Your application pieces can complement each other," she said, "but you don't want to repeat everything because that's a waste of the admission officer's time." 9. Unanswered questions Simpson of the London Business School says an inconsistency or a lack of clarity in an MBA application reduces a person's chance of acceptance to b-school. "Their main job is to help us understand what they do, why they want to do an MBA, why they want to do an MBA at our school and what value they'll add. That is their main task to do, and if they leave any confusion or gaps, then that's going to go against them," Simpson says. 10. Inappropriate tone "The admissions committee isn't interested in declarations of eternal love and will likely suspect that you're professing the same adoration for every school to which you're applying," Blackman wrote. Striking a balance between humility and confidence in MBA essays and providing a reason why admissions officers should choose you instead of your competition are also important. More on Applying to B-school Discover how to identify MBA programs that are a good fit for you as a student, and learn how to craft a compelling MBA application. Access our complete rankings of the 2018 Best Business Schools. For more advice on business school, follow U.S. News Education on Twitter and Facebook. Ilana Kowarski covers graduate schools for U.S. News. You can reach her via email at ikowarski@usnews.com. LANCASTER, Pa. (AP) Officials say two children severely sickened after drinking what they believed to be apple juice at a Chinese buffet have been released from a Pennsylvania hospital. The 10-year-old boy and 4-year-old girl were taken March 3 to Penn State Hershey Medical Center after their mouths and throats were burned at the Star Buffet & Grill in East Lampeter Township near Lancaster. Hospital officials said the boy was treated and released, and the girl was in good condition Friday. On Sunday, a spokeswoman said she was no longer listed as a patient. Police said Department of Agriculture tests indicated that the store-bought juice wasn't the cause of their injuries. The department referred questions to police, who haven't commented further. Authorities have since closed the restaurant, citing possible building code violations. Receiving multiple offers on a home is the standard, not the exception, in Boston, where sellers can sometimes see a half-dozen or more offers at the end of their first open house. But not all offers are created equal. An all-cash offer might have too many strings attached. A buyer might have a long list of contingencies that could drag things out too long. Someone who looks like the right buyer at first might not actually have all of his or her financials in order. A great offer can easily go bad for any number of reasons. U.S. News spoke with some of Boston's top real estate agents, as identified by real estate technology company Agent Explore (a U.S. News partner), on how to spot a risky offer and how to bounce back. Here's what they say to watch out for. No Preapproval Letter Kerry Dowlin, broker and manager with Gibson Sotheby's International Realty, always asks buyers if they have a current and valid preapproval letter from a reputable local lender. In addition, Dowlin says, "I usually take the time to reach out to their mortgage broker to confirm that the buyer has been properly vetted and already filled out the application, provided tax returns, bank statements, proof of income and essential documentation." Any good mortgage broker can provide enough information to give a seller confidence in the buyers, she says. "They can speak to their creditworthiness and give our side peace of mind that they can close this deal seamlessly." [Read: 3 Things Boston Home Sellers Should Ask Before Hiring a Real Estate Agent.] Joseph Pollack, a Redfin real estate agent, agrees that preapproval is key, and serious buyers will make sure they are ready with a strong offer. "I love to see a preapproval," Pollack says. "In the Boston area, we are in a seller's market. Properties move quickly." Curious Contingencies (or Lack Thereof) Contingency clauses frequently appear in real estate contracts. The most common one is a mortgage contingency, stating if the buyers can't get a mortgage in a specific time or rate, they can back out of the deal with no penalties. Story continues "In this market, we see a lot of buyers who imply that they are paying cash by waiving a mortgage contingency," Dowlin says. "But once they get a deal accepted, they then pursue a mortgage, so what was presented as cash with no hassles still requires the same process" as someone with a preapproval. She adds, "Cash is terrific and a lot of buyers get help from family to make those offers, but it can be a bait-and-switch." Christian Iantosca, broker at Arborview Realty Inc., says to watch for the phrase "subject to appraisal coming in at sale price" in the offer. "In the current market, with each sale seeming to set a new price record, this contingency is used by buyers' agents to make buyers feel more comfortable stretching beyond their comfort zone," he explains. "If you see this, it may mean the buyer does not think the property is worth what they are paying. This could lead to them backing out prior to a purchase and sale signing." [Read: 4 Real Estate Trends to Know Before Selling Your Home in Boston.] Pollack says, "Buyers can use contingencies as a way of backing out, so buyers who waive a lot of contingencies can offer the least amount of risk." Complicated Backstory Dowlin says, "I try to ensure that the buyers do not have any surprises up their sleeve -- like needing to sell their current place. Sometimes asking a simple question like whether they are currently on a lease can help determine how mobile they are and how easily they can close a deal." If the potential buyers can't close on a home until they sell their house, a buyer with no strings holding them back might have a better offer. Another thing to watch out for, especially in a town with so many college students, is who exactly has the final say on the purchase. "Always make sure all decision-makers have seen the unit before signing," Iantosca says. For example, if out-of-state parents are buying a condo for their college student, it can mean trouble if the parents haven't seen the unit. "If that offer has a contingency for an inspection, the parents may fly in for that occasion and decide they don't like the unit for any reason and tank the sale." Overseas Buyers When a buyer is from another country, getting the down payment and closing funds can be complicated. "The United States has new guidelines on bringing cash in, including how much and how frequently, so this can cause delays in closings," Iantosca explains. [Read: 100 Best Places to Live in the USA.] So, keep that in mind if you're evaluating multiple offers, he says. "Ask the buyer to prove the funds are liquid and in the country prior to offering acceptance." Looking for a real estate agent in Boston? U.S. News' Find an Agent tool can match you with the person who's most qualified for the job. Kim Foley MacKinnon is a Boston-based editor, journalist and travel writer. Her work has appeared in the Boston Globe, AAA Horizons, Travel + Leisure and USA Today, among others. She has also written and contributed to several guidebooks. If you have decided to take an SAT subject test in math, which exam should you choose -- Math Level 1 or Level 2? The answer is, surprisingly, not straightforward. Here are four tips that can help you select the math test that best suits your needs. [Learn the three questions to ask before taking SAT subject tests.] 1. Consider your math abilities: The College Board, which administers SAT subject tests, recommends you have a minimum of three years of high school math as preparation for either exam. The two tests primarily differ in the breadth of assessed topics. Math Level 1 contains questions on items like algebraic expressions, coordinate geometry, data analysis and number sequences. Math Level 2 also addresses these topics, plus items like logarithmic functions and the law of cosines and sines. Both exams require that you answer 50 questions in 60 minutes. When choosing between the two levels, match your skills to each test. If you do not excel in trigonometry, for instance, consider whether Math Level 2 is truly your best option -- Math Level 1 may be more advantageous. [Ask three questions to decide between AP exams, SAT subject tests] 2. Investigate school-specific requirements or preferences: Certain institutions, such as the California Institute of Technology, require prospective students to sit for the Math Level 2 exam. Others may not require math at all or may be satisfied with Math Level 1 or Level 2. Research the schools on your short list to determine whether they prefer one exam over another as well as how they may use this assessment. Many science, technology, engineering and math -- commonly known as STEM -- programs, for instance, will stipulate that an SAT math subject test must be submitted, but not all will ask for Math Level 2. The University of North Carolina--Chapel Hill, for instance, requires a math placement score before students can register for introductory chemistry. The school also encourages students who plan to declare a major that involves calculus to register for Math Level 2. Story continues Many schools will consider SAT subject test results during the admissions decision process, but how they interpret the scores can vary greatly. The only way to know with certainty is to read each institution's admissions materials or speak with admissions counselors. 3. Consider issues of time: Finally, determine how much time you will need to prepare for each exam. For students with little or no experience with trigonometry, statistics and precalculus, the choice is simple: Math Level 1. It is almost always inadvisable to self-study these topics to the degree that would be necessary for Math Level 2 -- at least in part because it would involve a serious investment of time. For students who plan to pursue a degree in a mathematically intense subject -- such as the STEM fields -- you will almost certainly need to take Math Level 2 to be a competitive applicant. Choose a test date that will allow you several weeks for dedicated review. [Know three things about SAT subject tests before you study.] 4. Review SAT Percentile Rankings: Be sure to also review the percentile rankings for both exams. In 2016, 20 percent of the students who sat for Math Level 2 received the maximum score of 800. Only 1 percent of students who took Math Level 1 received an 800. Remember that the score you earn is a measure of how well you did relative to others who took the test. Given that so many individuals received an 800 on Math Level 2 means that a mid-700s result is less impressive than it might be on other exams. A 750 on the level 2 exam does indicate you have significant mathematical knowledge, you are still only in the top 40 percent of test-takers. In contrast, a 750 on Math Level 1 places you in the top 8 percent. There are several potential reasons for this difference. For example, students who have completed more advanced math classes in high school may tend toward Math Level 2. The two exams also use different curves. Before you register, weigh the relative importance of both your target score and its percentile ranking. What are the average scores for Math Level 1 and Level 2 at your top-choice institutions? If a 750 on Math Level 2 is well above average at your dream school, earning this score may be impressive despite its overall percentile placement. Allow your decision to be guided by both your mathematical abilities and the college-specific data that is available to you. The difficult choice lies with students who are not required to take Math Level 2 but who possess some experience with the involved topics. Because Math Level 1 covers an easier range of concepts, you could conceivably spend less time studying for that exam and more time on other efforts that will also strengthen your college application. If you are almost competitive in the Math Level 2 sphere, however, an excellent score could be worth the extra review effort. It is also possible to take both exams. Accompanying a high score on Math Level 2 with an 800 on Math Level 1 is one way to potentially distinguish your application. Alternatively, if you took Math Level 2 but did not meet your goal score, you might do better to register for Math Level 1 instead of retaking the level 2 exam. Brian Witte is a professional SAT tutor with Varsity Tutors. He earned his Bachelor of Science from the University of Washington and holds a Ph.D. from Ohio State University. Enjoy added privacy and replenishing spa treatments before your next flight. Let's get this out of the way: Flying is rarely a smooth, pain-free experience. But it doesn't have to be that way. At first-class airport lounges, complimentary Champagne, Michelin-starred cuisine, a cigar lounge and chauffeured transportation to your plane are just a few bells and whistles you can expect to make your preflight experience more seamless. And these days, high-flying preflight privileges aren't restricted to frequent fliers with elite status. Airports are catering to different travelers' needs, travel patterns and price points. U.S. News caught up with seasoned air-travel experts and jet-setters to bring you the top airport lounges -- and tips for getting inside. Lufthansa First Class Terminal, Frankfurt Airport Frankfurt, Germany When it comes to first-class lounge experiences, Lufthansa is unrivaled, says Zach Honig, editor-in-chief of The Points Guy. Fliers "have access to a sit-down restaurant, shower rooms with full bathtubs, a fantastic whiskey bar, loads of seating options and a car service to the plane," he adds. Other coveted perks include a cigar lounge and meals curated by Michelin-starred chefs. And in terms of service, Lufthansa's lounge offers an effortless experience, complete with a porter to check you in, take you through immigration and collect you when it's time to board, adds Gary Leff, author of frequent flier site View from the Wing. Emirates First Class Lounge, Dubai International Airport Dubai, United Arab Emirates Spanning the entire length of the terminal, this first-class lounge offers few crowds and superior service, Leff says. Plus, you can pick from a variety of cuisine options and duty-free shops, he adds. Other standout features include shower spa areas appointed with lavish toiletries, a vintage wine cellar, a cigar lounge and quiet areas outfitted with blankets and pillows to catch a preflight nap. And while you typically can't gain access to lounges without purchasing a premium-class ticket, "Emirates recently began offering buy-up access for its first-class lounge in Dubai," Honig adds. Story continues Air France La Premiere Lounge, Charles de Gaulle Airport Paris In this first-class lounge, fliers can enjoy a private check-in and porter service, menu items curated by Alain Ducasse, a spa treatment center and chauffeured transportation to or from the airport. What's more, if you have time to spare, you can get pampered with a soothing facial or body treatment, browse an extensive collection of books in the library or download the latest news on your tablet (for free) with the Air France app up to 24 hours before your flight. Plus, you can enjoy priority boarding access upon arrival to Charles de Galle to get to baggage claim quickly. The Pier, First Class, Hong Kong International Airport Hong Kong Cathay Pacific's terminal in Hong Kong is sleek, with walnut wood accents that create a calming atmosphere, says Brian Sumers, an airline business reporter at Skift. "A lot of the best lounges are first-class lounges," he says. Coveted amenities include first-rate services such as massages at the on-site spa, globally inspired cuisine at the upscale dining room (or the Pantry for more casual fare on the go) and quiet areas for catching up on emails. Plus, the area boasts spacious private suites that offer a tranquil place to unwind before your flight. As a bonus, you don't have to fly with Cathay Pacific to access its lounge: When you're flying with American Airlines from Hong Kong, you can gain entry thanks to their partnership, Honig explains. Thai Airways' Royal First Lounge, Suvarnabhumi Airport Bangkok When you fly first class on Thai Airways, you'll enjoy a relaxing, hassle-free experience from the moment you arrive, with a personal escort to accompany you within the terminal, Leff says. Aside from a smooth, stress-free check-in process, you can unwind with indulgent massages at the Royal Orchid Spa. "Nobody matches the quality of the spa that Thai Airways has at their spa in Bangkok," Leff says, adding that first-class guests can enjoy hourlong treatments. Plus, there are private rooms, shower suites, a la carte dining options and plenty of secluded areas where you can unwind before takeoff. How to get access? Tip 1: Fly (or travel with someone) in business- or first-class. "Passengers almost always have access to airline lounges when traveling internationally in business- or first-class," Honig says. And though amenities change depending on the lounge, typically you can expect freebies such as light snacks and beverages. "More elaborate lounges such as United's new network of Polaris lounges offer full restaurant-style dining and a well-stocked bar," he explains. But even if you haven't purchased a premium-class ticket, you're still in luck. If you're on the same plane as an elite member who is a friend or family member, you may be "guested in," Leff explains, although the rules vary by carrier and lounge, so conduct some research ahead of your flight. How to get access? Tip 2: Carry the right card. "Rather than purchasing an annual membership, I'd recommend going with a co-branded card option, since you'll typically pay a bit less," Honig says, emphasizing that there are no initiation fees, and you can take advantage of other benefits like free checked bags. Plus, "the AAdvantage Executive card, the Delta Reserve credit card and the United Club card all allow you to access a lounge on any itinerary -- sometimes even when you're flying another airline," he adds. Daraius Dubash, who runs the site Million Mile Secrets, recommends the Chase Sapphire Reserve card and the Platinum Card from American Express (both $450 annually) for additional benefits like priority boarding access. How to get access? Tip 3: Take advantage of alliance networks. "Occasionally, you may come across a lounge branded with an airline alliance rather than an individual carrier," Honig says, pointing to Star Alliance Lounge at Los Angeles International Airport as an example. "These lounges offer a similar experience -- the broader branding is simply intended to communicate that access extends beyond one airline," he explains. If you have Star Alliance gold status, you can enjoy access to any of the 30 participating member airlines' lounges as long as you're traveling on an eligible itinerary (typically international business- or first-class), he explains. "So if you don't want to visit the United Club in Tokyo, you can head over to ANA Lounge instead," he explains. How to get access? Tip 4: Invest in a day pass. "I'd hesitate to pay $50 or more for lounge access unless you have many hours to take advantage of the services," Honig says, noting that Centurion lounges in popular cities such Seattle, San Francisco, Dallas, Las Vegas and Miami through the American Express network (available for $50 for AmEx cardholders) is an exception. "Platinum and Centurion cardholders get in for free," he adds. If you have a six-hour layover, the day pass is worth it, Dubash adds. Plus, a day pass can prove particularly valuable if you encounter inclement conditions, Sumers says. Thanks to shorter customer service lines inside top-tier lounges, "you may be able to get rebooked a bit faster," he explains. Liz Weiss is the Travel editor for Consumer Advice at U.S. News, where she writes and edits consumer-focused travel content that offers trip-planning inspiration and helps consumers make smarter travel decisions. She has been covering the travel industry for nearly five years at U.S. News & World Report. She also manages the En Route blog, and has been interviewed on a variety of outlets, including MarketWatch and Fortune. Prior to joining the Consumer Advice team, Liz oversaw the development and content creation for U.S. News Travel's Best Cruises, Best Travel Rewards and Best Vacations franchises. A native of Washington, D.C., she received a bachelor's degree from George Washington University. You can follow Liz on Twitter or email her at eweiss@usnews.com. Milestone moments do not a year make. Often, its the smaller news stories that add up, gradually, to big history. With that in mind, in 2017 TIME History will revisit the entire year of 1967, week by week, as it was reported in the pages of TIME. Catch up on last weeks installment here. Week 12: March 24, 1967 As the 450th anniversary approached of Martin Luthers posting of his 95 theses on the door of a church in Wittenberg, Germany, TIME took a look at the entire history of Protestantism including the question of whether the religion of the 1960s needed a new Luther to intervene. No matter the circumstances, however, the appearance of such a figure seemed unlikely. Not only was the life of the man who launched the Protestant Reformation unique, the urge to reform the church by launching a new church seemed far from a solution in a modern world the world Luther helped create where it was possible to try to remain a Christian outside organized Christianity, as one priest put it. Plus, Pope John XXIII seemed as willing to reform the Catholic Church as anyone else might be. But the urge to seek a Luther was not surprising, the piece explained: So large is Luther that every age has been able to find in him a religious hero to its own liking. To the Enlightenment he was above all an individualist and rationalist who sneered at superstition and fought totalitarianism. The Romantic era saw Luther as a German nationalist, the rebel against Roman imperialism. Turn-of-the-century Christian liberals pictured him as a primitive reductionist who tried to return the church to its apostolic simplicity. Since Luthers fears, foibles and physical ailments are amply documentednotably in his own writings, which fill some 100 volumes in the authoritative Weimar Editionhe has provided a wide target for psychoanalysts and playwrights. A successful case in point is John Osbornes Luther, in which the reformer came across as a manic-depressive lout, whose rebellion against the church was motivated by a father fixation and a bad case of constipation. Luther defies easy characterization, however, since his life and work add up to a complex of paradoxes. An authentic spiritual revolutionary, he was at the same time a social and political conservative, wedded to the ideals of feudal society. A limpid preacher of Gods majesty and transcendence, he was capable of a four-letter grossness of language. He was the archetype of individual Christian assertion; yet he could be brutally intolerant of dissent, and acquiesced in the suppression of those he considered heretics. Prayerful and beer-loving, sensual and austere, he was the least saintly, but most human, of saints. Story continues Get your history fix in one place: sign up for the weekly TIME History newsletter Things to come: Richard Nixon had thrown his well-worn hat in the ring for the following years presidential election, though he was careful to say that he had not made up his mind to run. His supporters, however, were eager to get behind a man respected everywhere around the world. At Arlington: More than three years after his death, John F. Kennedys body was finally brought to Arlington National Cemetery, the national news section reported, and buried next to the two babies he and Jackie had lost. Despite the fight between Sen. Robert Kennedy and President Lyndon Johnson that TIME had reported on in the previous weeks issue the veracity of which the publisher had to defend the two men were among the small group that came to pay their respects. Two perspectives: This issue contains an interesting (and very modern) juxtaposition. The TIME Essay the unbylined analysis-opinion format that appeared in most issues at the time concluded that crime in the U.S. is a national disgrace, the crime rate was spiraling upward and that the nations police needed more support in their dangerous work. Meanwhile, in the legal-news section, readers learned about a case in which police in Nashville had shot and killed an unarmed student who seemed to have been suffering a psychiatric emergency, and the debate over whether such use of force was necessary. Great vintage ad: Maybe Im reading too much into this, but Im pretty sure this utility-company ad is a weird joke about World War II or Cold War resistance movements in Poland. Coming up next week: The aerospace industry and James McDonnell. From Delish In honor of spring, Starbucks has released what's essentially the red cup to pull you out of the doldrums of winter. A couple of them come with doodles already on them, but most of the cheery cups are blank, so you can live out your artist dreams. People online have been pretty creative with their drawings already, and we couldn't help but notice a common theme: the need for coffee is real. So real. 1. When you have every intention to seize the day but there's just one thing you've gotta do first: 2. When your coffee has you feeling so fly you've got to do a self-portrait - then selfie it, of course: 3. The face you make when you get in and out of the coffee shop in less than 5 minutes: 4. When your friend stuns you with a next-level secret menu drink you've never even heard of before: 5. TFW you're waiting in line, and the person in front of you has an unnecessarily complicated order: 6. When you're the type of person who celebrates St. Patrick's Day with a different kind of brew: 7. When you're going all 007 trying to snap a pic of the hot guy in front of you in line: 8. When you have VERY strong opinions on how you'll take your java: Follow Delish on Instagram. You Might Also Like A 2-year-old rescued Boxer is proving himself an ideal co-parent. Read: Baby's Best Friend: Family Dog Rescues 8-Month-Old Child From Venomous Snake Attack Jeeves never fails to make 9-month old Graham laugh. Hes a lifesaver, Katie Wahrhaftig, 35, of Brookfield, Illinois, told InsideEdition.com. In a video licensed by Caters News, Wahrhaftig can be seen tickling her sons tummy. Moments later, Jeeves follows suit, and nuzzles his nose into little Grahams stomach, sending him in an uncontrollable fit of laughter. Honest to God, no one can make Graham laugh like Jeeves, Wahrhaftig said. Theyre funny, theyre a lot like siblings. She explained she and her husband had adopted Jeeves when she was five months pregnant. We had just lost our previous dog, which was the love of our lives, she explained. Read: Dog Dies While Saving Baby in Fast-Moving House Fire: 'He Stayed With Her The Whole Time' Even though she was nervous introducing her newborn to a dog they had just recently adopted, within moments it was obvious they would become best of friends. Jeeves will go sit or lay down right next to him, and Graham will start pulling his tail or his ears, she said. He acts like it annoys him, yet hell sit closer to him. Watch: Dalmatians Help 8-Year-Old With Autism Read After He Previously Suffered Severe Meltdowns Related Articles: By Yann Le Guernigou and Gus Trompiz PARIS (Reuters) - Police questioned and then released relatives of a man shot dead at a Paris airport, as investigators sought clues on why he attacked an army patrol in an incident that has pushed security to the forefront of France's election campaign. Paris prosecutor Francois Molins said late on Saturday that the man, named as 39-year-old Ziyed Ben Belgacem, had shouted he was there to "die for Allah" when he tried to seize a gun from a woman air force member on patrol at Orly airport. After throwing down a bag containing a can of petrol and putting an air pistol to the head of the soldier, he was shot three times by her colleagues. More than 230 people have died in France in the past twoyears at the hands of attackers allied to the militant Islamistgroup Islamic State, making security a key issue in the two-round presidential election on April 23 and May 7. Emmanuel Macron, the centrist frontrunner, told France 2 television on Sunday it was "essential" to maintain the current state of emergency, in force since November 2015. He reiterated that he would strengthen military operations and intelligence against Islamist militants. Conservative Francois Fillon said France was in a "situation of virtual civil war" and spoke out against the idea of lifting the state of emergency, as floated by the justice minister last week. Far-right candidate Marine Le Pen, running on an anti-immigration, anti-European Union ticket, told a rally that the government was "overwhelmed, stunned, paralysed like a rabbit in the headlights." IN AND OUT OF PRISON Belgacem, who had been in and out of prison for theft and drug offences according to judicial sources, was already on the authorities' radar. They said he became a radicalised Muslim when he served a prison term several years ago for drug-trafficking. He had been reporting regularly to police under the terms of a provisional release from custody, and did not have the right to leave the country. Several hours before he was killed, Belgacem had shot and wounded a police officer with his air pistol when he was stopped for a routine traffic check north of Paris, officials said. He then fled the scene. He later entered a bar where he was a regular customer in Vitry-sur-Seine on the other side of Paris, and opened fire with his air gun without hitting anyone. He also stole a car before arriving at the airport. Belgacem's father, who was initially detained by police but released late on Saturday, denied his son had been involved in terrorism. "My son has never been a terrorist. He has never prayed: he drinks. And, under the influence of alcohol and cannabis, this is what happens," the father, whose name was not given, told Europe 1 radio. He said he had received a phone call from his son in which Belgacem referred to shooting the police officer, saying: "I ask your forgiveness. I screwed up with a policeman." An autopsy showed the presence of cannabis and cocaine in Belgacem's body, as well as an alcohol blood level of 0.93 grams per litre, a judicial source said on Sunday. The legal limit for alcohol while driving in France is 0.5 g/l. An earlier search of Belgacem's home had found several grams of cocaine, the prosecutor said. Belgacem was born in Paris, according to the prosecutor. French media said his family was of Tunisian origin. A brother and cousin of Belgacem were also questioned by police and then released on Sunday, the judicial source said. (Writing by Richard Balmforth; Editing by Mark Trevelyan and Sandra Maler) Around noon on Monday, January 9, the receptionist at the Bender Jewish Community Center of Greater Washington located in Rockville, Maryland, received a phone call. On the other end of the line, an unfamiliar elderly woman's voice said there was a bomb in the building. The receptionist passed the phone the security supervisor, who happened to be standing next to her. When he asked when the bomb was going off, the voice said, "now." In the next few minutes, administrators fanned through the halls and preschool classrooms, telling teachers to evacuate the children to a nearby school. To the kids, it was just another day -- with the added bonus of two lunches -- one with particularly yummy fish sticks. But to some parents, who received word of the bomb threat through official school texts and emails, it was terrifying. "I felt like I was helpless," says Daphna Sarlui, a parent of three. "You know your kids are there and you can't help them. All you have to do is trust." The bomb threat at Bender JCC was part of a recent wave of anti-Semitic incidents that have rattled the North American Jewish community. Since January, more than 84 Jewish Community Centers in North America have received threats, all of which turned out to be hoaxes, according to the JCC Association of North America. Jewish schools have been threatened, and Jewish cemeteries have been vandalized in cities such as St. Louis, Philadelphia, Rochester and Fort Wayne, Indiana. The events, part of a larger trend of hate crimes against Muslims, immigrants and other minorities, have drawn national condemnation and caused high levels of anxiety in the Jewish community. But experts say they are not an indication of rising anti-Semitism in the U.S. In fact, anti-Semitism in the U.S. may either be static or on the decline. Most Americans hold more positive views of Jews than they did a few years ago, according to a survey released in February by the Pew Research Center. When asked to rate a variety of religious groups on a "feeling thermometer" ranging from 0 to 100, U.S. adults rated Jews at 67 degrees -- making them the most popular religious group in the country. Story continues When it comes to the overall attitudes of the American people toward Jews, "those numbers are far better than what they used to be 50 years ago," says Ken Jacobson, deputy national director of the Anti-Defamation League. His group, which has tracked anti-Semitism for decades, says the percentage of Americans reporting negative views about Jews has remained fairly consistent in recent years. In 2015, that figure was around 10 percent, according to the group's Global 100 Index. At Bender, at least a half dozen parents and several staff members said that although they were rattled by the bomb threat, they did not believe Americans had seismically shifted their views of Jews. In the weeks after the incident, the center received letters of support from people of many faiths near and far, including an anonymous note from "your atheists friends in Tennessee." Many staff and members said they were able to shake off the incident and go back to their routines. The threats across the country, they felt, were the result of a few hateful people who had always been around, but who now suddenly felt emboldened to behave badly -- likely as a consequence of the the divisive rhetoric used during the presidential campaign. "Sure, anti-Semites are feeling more comfortable," says Ora Cohen Rosenfeld, the early childhood director at Bender. "But so are people who are anti-Muslim and anti-immigrant." Jack Levin, a professor at Northeastern University who studies hate crimes, agrees. [READ: Feds Arrest One in Jewish Community Bomb Threats] "Unquestionably, there has been a larger number of hate attacks generally, including hate-motivated actions against Jews, since Trump's election," says Levin, a professor emeritus of criminology and sociology. "You really do have to talk about the expressed attitudes of our leaders. Rightly or wrongly, if they are seen as supporting and encouraging hate attacks, then you can expect the number of hate crimes to grow." In late February, after weeks of pleas by Jewish organizations to address the threats, President Donald Trump denounced them as "horrible" and "painful." It wasn't the first time his remarks regarding the community fell under the spotlight. In January, the White House faced criticism for issuing a statement on International Holocaust Remembrance Day that didn't mention Jews or anti-Semitism. Levin says it's hard to know for certain the motivation behind the recent wave of bomb threats and cemetery vandalization. "I wouldn't be surprised if it does turn out to be 15-year-old boys who go out with their friends on a Saturday night to have fun at someone else's expense," he says. He also notes that Jews tend to be an easier target than some other minority groups, like Muslims. There are almost twice as many Jews as Muslims in the U.S., he says. (Pew puts the figure at 3.3 million Muslims and 5.7 million Jews) And it's relatively easy to find their community centers and cemeteries. "I call it hate by proxy," he says. Levin and other experts note that despite recent incidents, the U.S. continues to be among the least anti-Semitic countries in the world. The Anti-Defamation League's 2015 survey, for example, found that 10 percent of people in the U.S. held anti-Semitic views, compared to 17 percent in France, 24 percent in Argentina, 37 percent in Poland, 67 percent in Greece and 71 percent in Turkey. "Compared to Jewish communities all over the world for 2,000 years, there's never been a community or society where the Jews have been as comfortable as they are here in America, and that's for a variety of reasons," says the ADL's Jacobson. "We're a country of immigrants; we're a country of pluralism. We also have a constitution which protects people and we don't have quite the old history of anti-Semitism that Europe had." Michael Feinstein, CEO of the Bender JCC, recognizes the situation could certainly be worse. But that doesn't ease his anxieties. "I find it all very troubling," he said in February. "I wake up every morning and I think, 'Are we going to be evacuating today?' I think it's going to get worse before it gets better. It seems to me there is no end to the type of discourse we saw during the campaign now that the campaign is over." On Monday March, 6, he was right to worry. Just before midnight that night, the center received another bomb threat. It was also a hoax, though this time no one needed to be evacuated. Devon Haynie is news editor, international for U.S. News. You can follow her on Twitter or email her at dhaynie@usnews.com. American choreographer Trisha Brown, a pioneer of postmodern dance whose work shaped generations of creators, has died at the age of 80, her company said on Monday. "It is with great sorrow that we share the news that artist Trisha Brown died on March 18th in San Antonio, Texas, after a lengthy illness," the dance company said in a statement. Brown formally retired five years ago after decades as a leading light on the international dance stage, working mostly out of New York but also choreographing for the Paris Opera Ballet. The Trisha Brown Dance Company paid tribute to "one of the most acclaimed and influential choreographers and dancers of her time" whose "groundbreaking work forever changed the landscape of art." Born in 1936 in Aberdeen, Washington, Brown graduated in 1958 from the Mills College Dance Department in California, and arrived in New York three years later in search of new directions. She became a founding member of the Judson Dance Theater, an influential collective of avant-garde performers that emerged in 1960s New York. After setting up her own company in 1970, she would spend the next four decades exploring new paths in contemporary dance, with a strong focus on experimentation and improvisation. The creator of more than 100 choreographies and six operas, she retired as a dancer in 2008 and choreographed her last works three years later. Brown's husband, the artist Burt Barr, died in November. She is survived by a son, four grandchildren, a brother and a sister. By Humeyra Pamuk DIYARBAKIR, Turkey (Reuters) - Thronged with shoppers and men sipping tea on a warm day in early spring, the main streets of Turkey's Diyarbakir show few signs of the devastation wrought by months of fighting last year between Kurdish militants and security forces. But nearby in Sur, the historic district that saw some of the worst violence, the narrow back alleys simmer with anger. Many residents blame both the state and Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militants. How voters in Sur and across the largely Kurdish southeast view the 33-year-old conflict could shape the outcome of an April referendum intended to give President Tayyip Erdogan sweeping new powers. In a close race, pollsters say Kurdish voters, about a fifth of the electorate, could tip the balance. One resident, Serkan, gestures toward bombed-out buildings and fields of rubble. "Our homes, our memories and our past have been erased, and both sides are to blame for that," he says. A 2-1/2-year ceasefire between the government and the PKK broke down in July 2015, pitching the southeast into the worst violence in decades. During the months of security operations that followed, about 2,000 people were killed and up to a half a million displaced, the United Nations has estimated. Diyarbakir is seen by many of Turkey's 15 million Kurds as their cultural capital, and Sur is the warren of streets in its ancient heart, encircled by towering Roman-era basalt walls. BOMBS AND TRENCHES When tanks bulldozed their way in to root out PKK militants who had excavated trenches and laid explosives, tens of thousands of residents had to leave. "They should not have dug trenches and set up barricades and rebelled against the state like that. But then the state responded excessively and burned and destroyed," said Serkan, declining to give his surname for fear of retribution. The Islamist Kurdish party he supports, Huda Par, backs "Yes" in the referendum, but Serkan says he's not sure he can. Turkey's main Kurdish-rooted party, the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), says a "Yes" vote will increase the grip on power of an authoritarian leader bent on stifling dissent. Thousands of HDP members, including its leaders, have been jailed on terrorism charges, dealing a major blow to its campaigning abilities. Erdogan accuses the HDP itself of supporting terrorism. The party denies direct links to the PKK, seen as a terrorist organization by Europe, the United States and Turkey. Pollsters say about a fifth of Kurds, or 4 percent of the electorate, are undecided about how to vote. Recent national opinion polls are mixed - some putting either camp as high as 57 percent. Most indicate a high level of undecided voters. "Whoever can convince the undecided Kurds will come out on top," said Faruk Acar, president of the polling firm Andy-Ar. Erdogan and his millions of supporters say Turkey needs a strong presidency to avoid the fragile coalition governments of the past. His critics cite the arrest, dismissal or suspension of more than 100,000 teachers, civil servants, soldiers, judges and journalists in the wake of a failed coup last year as evidence of his authoritarian instincts. 'YES' BABY While the HDP has strong backing in Kurdish areas - taking more than 6 million votes, or 13 percent of the nationwide total, in the June 2015 parliamentary election, and nearly 80 percent of votes in Diyarbakir - Erdogan remains popular among some right-leaning Kurds. "Kurdish voters are not monolithic and their political loyalties span the ideological spectrum," said Aaron Stein, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council think-tank. In the village of Gecitli, 80 km (50 miles) west of Diyarbakir, Mustafa Celik, 43, has named his newborn girl "Evet" ("Yes") to show his gratitude to Erdogan for easing or scrapping long-standing cultural restrictions. "We can now speak Kurdish. There are TV stations in Kurdish," said the 43-year-old, sitting beside a pink cradle where his daughter lay asleep. "That's all his doing." Erdogan later launched peace talks with the PKK, a first for a Turkish leader. But since the ceasefire collapsed, he has ruled out a return to the negotiating table, saying security forces will "annihilate" militants. That has boosted his support among nationalists, but also some Kurds. "As long as we have the Turkish flag above us, we need no other flag or state," said Mehfahir Ogulcum, a Kurdish volunteer village guard drinking tea outside a military post in rural Kulp, 140 km northeast of Diyarbakir. After the PKK took up arms against the state in 1984, Turkey started hiring villagers in the southeast to fight alongside the army and help it navigate the local terrain, a move that sowed division among Kurds. 'CONSCIENCE OF THE PEOPLE' The government for its part has promised to put money into redeveloping the southeast, where the scars of conflict are all too visible. In most parts of Sur, the curfews have now been lifted, but many homes remain unusable. In Cizre, a largely Kurdish town bordering Syria, buildings are riddled with bullet holes, their windows shattered. In the crackdown that followed last year's failed coup, dozens of Kurdish journalists were detained and numerous Kurdish media outlets shut. HDP lawmaker Osman Baydemir said this was enough reason to vote "No" in the referendum. "We trust the conscience of the people," he said. "The fact that the TV channels are off-limits to us, that our party officials are arrested and our leaders are in jail resonates with our people." Some in Diyarbakir accuse the HDP of failing to stand up to the PKK when fighting escalated. Others say it should take a harder line against the government. But frustration with the HDP is unlikely to translate into support for Erdogan. "Those who leave the HDP do not automatically come to the AK Party," said Acar, the pollster. For many Kurds, like Huseyin Calis, whose home of 53 years was destroyed by fighting in Sur, the choice is clear. "It is mostly the state's fault," said the 76-year-old, sitting in the living room of a relative's flat. "We are heartbroken with the HDP too. But our people still can't bring themselves to vote 'Yes' ... I say 'No', until the end." (Additional reporting by Gulsen Solaker in Ankara; Editing by David Dolan and Kevin Liffey) By Press Trust of India: New Delhi, Mar 20 (PTI) The head priest of Hazrat Nizamuddin Dargah, who along with another cleric had gone missing in Pakistan for days, returned home today with their disappearance still shrouded in mystery amid reports they had been picked up by the ISI. 80-year-old Syed Asif Nizami, the chief priest of the sufi shrine and his nephew Nazim Ali Nizami flew back by a Pakistan International Airlines flight and met External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, who had taken up their case with Pakistan Prime Ministers Adviser on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz. advertisement Though the two clerics did not divulge much about what happened during this period, Asif Nizami, however said, he was blindfolded and taken to some undisclosed place. "I was sitting at the Lahore Airport, carrying my boarding pass when suddenly some people came and told me there were some details lacking in my passport. "When the flight was about to depart, I was asked to accompany them. I felt helpless. Soon 8-10 people surrounded me and I was taken out through another gate," he said. Asif Nizami said they "put a cloth over my head and took us somewhere." He, however, said the stay was "comfortable" and the room he was kept in had bed, pillows and an AC. Union Ministers of State M J Akbar and V K Singh, besides Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar were present when the clerics met Swaraj. Both the clerics briefly met reporters here but did not throw much light on their disappearance last Wednesday. While Asif Nizami had gone missing from Karachi airport, his nephew Nazim disappeared from Lahore airport before news broke on Saturday that they had been traced. However, Sajid Nizami, son of Asif Nizami, alleged that the duo was "taken away" after a news report appeared in a Karachi-based Urdu daily which claimed they had links with Indian external intelligence agency RAW. On reports that both of them could not be contacted as they were in interior Sindh where there was no communication network, Nazim Ali Nizami strongly rejected the claim. "We did not have visa for Sindh interior region, so how could we have gone there? The reports that we could not be contacted because of network issues is totally false," Nazim told reporters. On whether they were detained by Pakistani authorities, Sajid said, "Yes". When asked if ISI was involved in their disappearance and whether they were harassed, Sajid said "no force or coercion was used" against them. After meeting Swaraj, Nazim Ali Nizami thanked the Indian government, particularly the minister, for their safe return and said they had gone to the neighbouring country with a message of peace and love. advertisement "We were not among those who were involved in any illegal activities. We had gone to Pakistan to spread the message of love and peace. Some people may not have liked our message. I will again go to Pakistan with greater resolve," he said. Nizami also thanked the Pakistan government for the cooperation extended by it to enable their return. Pakistani newspaper Ummat had in a report claimed that the clerics worked for RAW and Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) movement, an organisation of Muslims who had migrated to Pakistan from India during partition. The MQM has been often locked in confrontation with the Pakistani establishment. The two clerics were given a warm welcome on their return to the dargah and special prayers were offered to "thank the Almighty" for their safe return. Two two clerics had gone to Lahore on March 8 but went missing last week following which India took up the issue with Islamabad. The main purpose of the visit of Asif to Pakistan was to see his 90-year-old sister in Karachi. On Saturday, Pakistan had conveyed to India that the clerics had been traced and had reached Karachi. advertisement Some Pakistani media reports had said the two had been in "interior Sindh where there was no communication network" and that was why they could not inform their relatives about their whereabouts. Earlier, Pakistani sources had said they were in the custody of Pakistans intelligence agency over their alleged links with MQM. When asked as to why they were "interrogated", Nazim said they were asked about their visa and other immigration details. "We thank Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and Swaraj and well wishers from all religions who prayed for our return," Nazim said. PTI KND SBR MPB PYK SK SK --- ENDS --- RAFAH, Gaza Strip (AP) Palestinian barber Ramadan Adwan has found a fiery way to trim his client's hair if they are brave enough. In his small shop in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, Adwan uses careful application of open flames. His creative idea was born from Gaza's frequent power cuts preventing him from using a dryer. After cutting and combing, the barber applies what he calls "special" lotion and powder to client's heads to protect their skin before using flames from an aerosol can to dry the wet hair. "The experience strengthens the hair, but it's not permanent as with chemical products. It's just temporary to show a good and nice style," he says. News about Adwan's hot method has spread across the Gaza Strip and some other barbers began imitating him. He says applying "fiery" hairstyles requires great attention and experience that not all imitators possess. The technique is yet another form of resilience displayed by Gaza's 2 million residents, who are entering their 10th year under a blockade. Israel and Egypt imposed the measure after the Islamic militant group Hamas seized the territory in bloody street battles from forces loyal to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Israel says it is meant to prevent Hamas from getting weapons. Critics condemn it as collective punishment. AP photographer Khalil Hamra recently visited the barbershop for this photo essay. Giorgio Armani reinvents elegance and seduction with a masculine twist in "Armani Code Colonia," a fresh yet decidedly masculine take on the original "Armani Code" fragrance. "Armani Code Colonia" channels a simple elegance, a stylish, sensual and subtle interpretation of masculinity. This new form of elegance, both deep and discreet, is captured in this very latest version of "Armani Code." Fresh and light but also virile and sensual, this highly captivating flanker stands out with its quality ingredients and contrasting notes. With its fresh notes, "Armani Code Colonia" takes inspiration from classic colognes while keeping the fougere character of the original scent, explains its creator Antoine Maisondieu. "When I began to work on this fragrance, I immediately wanted to keep its fougere spirit that's so attractive and virile, and add to it a freshness and elegance by marrying the note with a soft orange blossom accord," he said. This Eau de Toilette has a combination of citrusy top notes, including bergamot, mandarin and pink peppercorns, with aromatic middle notes of clary sage, florals and salicylate orange blossom. The base brings notes of tonka bean and heliotrope. The bottle keeps the same signature shape of other "Armani Code" fragrances but comes finished for the first time in a pale blue shade, echoing the scent's fresh feel. A wide black band wraps around the bottle, just under the monogrammed cap, adding a subtly elegant detail that evokes the cummerbund of a tuxedo. American actor Chris Pine ("Star Trek", "Horrible Bosses 2") has been chosen to front the new fragrance. He stars in the upcoming "Wonder Woman" movie, due out in June. Moscow (AFP) - Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Monday said Russia can play an important role in the crisis following Syria's firing missiles at Israeli warplanes carrying out strikes in the conflict-torn country. "Russia can play a role so that Israel no longer attacks Syria," Assad told Russian journalists. "I think Russia can play an important role in this regard." Russia's foreign ministry on Monday summoned Israel's ambassador over air strikes close to Moscow's forces near the historic Syrian city of Palmyra. The air strikes on Friday prompted retaliatory Syrian missile launches, in the most serious incident between the two countries since the war began six years ago. Israel's military said it had been targeting weapons bound for Lebanon's Hezbollah movement, which backs the Damascus regime in Syria. Assad was quoted in comments translated into Russian that "any military operation in Syria that does not have the consent of the Syrian government is illegal". "If there are some troops on Syrian soil, it is an invasion," he said, adding that the "protection of our borders is a right and a duty". Syria's military said it had downed an Israeli plane and hit another as they were carrying out pre-dawn strikes near Palmyra, but the Israeli military denied that any planes had been hit. On Sunday, Israeli Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman threatened to destroy Syria's air defence systems "without the slightest hesitation" if it happened again. Russia and Israel had already set up a "hotline" aimed at avoiding air clashes over Syria, which Moscow said it would like to see work more effectively. For its part Israel has said that it does not usually inform Moscow ahead of time when it will carry out an air strike. Dubai (AFP) - Bahraini liberal opposition figure Ibrahim Sharif was charged on Monday with "inciting hatred" against the regime with his tweets, a human rights group said. The Britain-based Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy (BIRD) said Sharif was questioned by the Gulf state's public prosecution about comments he tweeted. Apart from voicing support for detained rights activists, Sharif questioned moves by the justice ministry to dissolve the secular, opposition National Democratic Action Society (Waed) of which he was a founding member, the group said. "What remains of the decor of the democratic state?" Sharif asked in a tweet. Amnesty International condemned the charge against Sharif, who it said had been "in and out of prison as a prisoner of conscience" over the past six years, and called for it to be dropped. "Once again Ibrahim Sharif is being unjustly punished simply for exercising his right to freedom of expression. The charge against him is ludicrous and must be dropped immediately," the rights group said. "The Bahraini authorities have repeatedly sought to harass and intimidate anyone who dares to speak out about human rights violations in Bahrain," said Lynn Maalouf, a deputy director at Amnesty's office in Beirut. Sharif, a Sunni who supported Shiite-led protests in a failed 2011 uprising in the Sunni-ruled kingdom, was released from jail in July 2016 after having served a year, also on a charge of inciting hatred against the regime. He served a four-year jail term after the protests were crushed before being released under a royal amnesty in June 2015. By Mustafa Abu Ganeyeh BETHLEHEM, West Bank (Reuters) - Guests began arriving at the Walled Off Hotel in Bethlehem on Monday, the quirky guesthouse created by British street artist Banksy that stands a few feet away from Israel's towering security barrier in the occupied West Bank. The three-storey hotel, its low-lit bar and restaurant decorated like a British colonial clubhouse but with ironic works by the artist covering the walls, was unveiled two weeks ago but has only now opened to overnight stays. There are 10 rooms, ranging from a budget barracks-style accommodation for backpackers to a presidential suite that can sleep six. None of the rooms has a view -- all of them look out on Israel's five-meter, graffiti-covered concrete wall. The Bristol-based artist, who has become a global phenomenon over the past decade but whose real identity is a closely guarded secret, has described the guesthouse as having "the worst views of any hotel in the world". That has not deterred guests. "I came because I heard Banksy opened a new hotel and I was curious," said one visitor arriving from Melbourne, Australia. "I wanted to check it out and check out the West Bank, too. "The hotel with the worst views, that's quite interesting. It's unique." Manager Wissam Salsa, who kept the project secret for more than a year as building work was completed and local staff were trained, said the hotel was fully booked until June. "We are expecting 18 guests to arrive this afternoon from different parts of the world, from the United Kingdom, the United States, Switzerland, Sweden, Australia and Finland," he said. The mayor of Bethlehem said that while the town where Jesus was born already attracted a large number of tourists to sites like the Church of the Nativity, the Walled Off added an extra dimension. "(It's) a very significant addition to the entity of Bethlehem as a touristic city," said Mayor Vera Baboun. "Having Banksy putting all his paintings in the hotel, it has significant political messages," she said, suggesting it would draw attention to Israel's occupation of the West Bank, which began in June 1967, after the six-day Middle East war. Bedroom partitions and hallways are embellished with the Banksy's stencil graffiti work. One reveals an Israeli soldier and masked Palestinian youth having a pillow fight, and a statue of a chimpanzee bell-boy stands on the entrance, garments falling out of the suitcase he holds. (Writing by Luke Baker; editing by Richard Lough) Bethlehem (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) - Secretive British street artist Banksy's hotel next to Israel's separation wall welcomed its first guests on Monday, two weeks after its surprise launch. The Walled-Off Hotel in Bethlehem is only four metres (yards) from the controversial wall which cuts through the occupied West Bank, and all the rooms face it. The nine rooms, which Banksy described as having the "worst view of any hotel in the world," range from $30 for a bunk bed in one room to $965 per night for the presidential suite. Guests, who will each put down a $1,000 deposit to ward off theft of the dozens of new Banksy works on the walls, began arriving in the early afternoon. Paul Smith from the British city of Bristol, where Banksy is also said to be from, said he flew in especially to visit the hotel. "It's bizarre -- I feel like I am in a painting." He said he didn't much care for some of Banksy's recent work but was excited by this project. "I feel like this means something -- coming here and making the effort and putting something into the economy." Toan Nguyen from Australia said he waited a long time online to get a bed. "I was in Israel for the last three weeks and by chance I heard about the hotel," he said. Manager Wissam Salsaa said they were nearly totally booked for the next three months. "We have arrivals today from six different countries, and I think most of our clients are flying just to stay here," he told AFP. He rejected criticism the prices were unaffordable for many Palestinians, saying they had nearly 50 staff to pay and any profits would go back into the community. "Everyone that came here thinks this is the most amazing project for letting the voice of the Palestinians be heard." - Graffiti supplies - The hotel was announced unexpectedly at the beginning of the month and the artwork, Banksy's largest new collection in years, has been donated to the local community, the hotel's website says. Story continues The artist closely protects his identity and was not in attendance at the launch. Elton John played by video link at a launch party for staff and local residents. The West Bank wall is one of the most striking symbols of Israel's 50-year occupation, and has become a major focus for demonstrations and artwork -- including by Banksy. Israel refers to it as the security barrier and insists it is crucial for keeping out would-be attackers, but an advisory opinion by the International Court of Justice declared it illegal in 2004. The hotel's website encourages guests to explore the possibility of painting on the wall, while a graffiti supplies store with "everything you need to make your mark" was preparing to open next door this week. In the hotel, staff in red waistcoats served Walled-Off Salads and afternoon tea in the lobby, while a self-playing piano performed classic pop hits. Tourists are allowed to visit even if not staying, with a few mulling around inspecting a gallery selling Palestinian art and a museum highlighting the history of the region. Bea Kaufmann, a German living in the Israeli commercial capital Tel Aviv, said she had come with friends as she thinks it is "important to see the other side" of the conflict. The rooms themselves have a deliberate faded luxury, with typical Banksy touches. Above a bed in one room, an Israeli soldier and Palestinian protester fight with pillows, while a television supposedly showing CNN is cracked and backwards. In the presidential suite, a working jacuzzi is fed from a leaking water tank similar to those that adorn the roofs of many Palestinian homes. - Long history in territories - Banksy has a long history in the Palestinian territories. In February 2015, he allegedly sneaked into the Gaza Strip through a smuggling tunnel and painted three works on the walls of Gaza homes destroyed in Israeli air strikes during the previous year's conflict. In 2007, he painted a number of artworks in the West Bank town of Bethlehem, including a young girl frisking an Israeli soldier pinned up against a wall. In 2005, he sprayed nine stencilled images at different locations along the eight-metre-high (27-foot) wall. They included a ladder reaching over the wall, a young girl being carried over it by balloons and a window on the grey concrete showing beautiful mountains in the background. His works, like elsewhere in the world, have become tourist attractions. It was around dawn on Oct. 17 when Kurdish forces began the long-awaited offensive to retake Mosul from the Islamic State. Two and a half years had passed since the group swept through northern Iraq, allowing a chance to dig in for the eventual counterattack. For months, photographers waited in the wings for word that the battle would begin. They knew it would be long, bloody, ruthless. But when? Sebastian Meyer, an American photographer based in the Kurdish region of Iraq from 2009 to 2014, was working on a book about Kurdistan. He had no interest in the frontline anymore but knew the offensive was a crucial inclusion for his book. So a friend dropped him off at a medical clinic in Wardak, a tiny village about a mile from the front. There, he assumed the traditional role of the conflict photographer, capturing the mayhem close up. Previously under ISIS control, the village had been wrestled back about six months earlier. Largely empty of civilians, he says it had become a base of sorts for forces preparing for the offensive. That night, he got about three hours of sleep, on a gurney in an ambulance. Meyer recalls it was still pitch black when the line of vehicles began to move toward the front around 3 a.m. In Wardak, the explosions began near dawn, these loud booms in the distance. A solid two hours went by, nothing. There was just thumps, Meyer says. Around 8 or 9, the first ambulance comes tearing down the dirt road. All the injuries that day were from improvised explosive devices, among the ugliest weapons in modern warfare. Men who left that morning returned limblesseight of them, lifelesswithin hours. When youre just covering the medical clinic, all youre getting is the carnage side of it, Meyer says. You dont see any successes, you just see the negative. One ambulance brought back a man who appeared to be dead on arrival. This was no young gun, but an older, seasoned fighter, respected within the Peshmerga ranks. They brought him in thinking the doctors could do something, and the doctor takes one look at him and says no, Meyer says. Everyones in shock. Nobody would call time of death. Story continues A group hoisted the man onto an orange stretcher, his arms hanging off the sides. A large white bandage had been placed over his eyes. His green camouflage jacket was open, exposing an undershirt caked with dirt and stained with blood. Handmade tourniquets were loosely fastened on both legs. They wheeled him around the corner to a spot under the shade. Meyer, who picked up Kurdish during his years in the region, understood much of the whispering. [There was] a sense of reverence around him as people walked by, he recalls. The man was among 24 casualties at the clinic that day, and one of four deaths that Meyer says was photographable. He tweeted a few pictures from the clinic, showing fatalities early into what was sure to be a long fight. Kurdish authorities were upset and booted him that afternoon. Later, the body was zipped into a bag and shipped back to Erbil. About three weeks would pass before Meyer would again think about the man on the gurney. The way that war reporting happens is we very rarely follow up with the families of people who die or are wounded or kidnapped. I think its important to show the ripple effects of something like this, of what it does, he says. Speaking about the notion of relatability between subjects and viewers, he adds, its the biggest challenge I think that we have. He knew the mans name (Kamaran Omar) and his rank (captain). Finding the family wasnt difficult in a place as small as Kurdistan. Through a friend in the local media, and three phone calls later, he was introduced to Kamarans nephew, Hazhar. By that time, Kamaran was buried. Hazhar allowed Meyer to tag along when the family visited the gravesite a month after Kamarans death. They met outside a mall in Erbil and drove about a half hour away to the village of Sewaka. On the way, Hazhar says in a phone call with TIME, he showed Meyer photos of him washing Kamarans body at the mosque. He told Meyer that Kamaran was one of seven brothers, and the fourth to die on the battlefield over the past three decades. The first was Safen. In November 1987, nine months after he was smuggled into the Peshmerga as a 17-year-old, he was killed fighting on the front line against Kurdish fighters allied with Saddam Husseins forces. The second, Hashim, was the eldest of the brothers. He was conscripted, joining the Iraqi armys communications division. After more than a year, Hazhar says, he deserted to join the Peshmerga. In the mid-1990s, that militia was divided against itself, with forces split between rival political parties, the KDP, or the Kurdistan Democratic Party, and the PUK, or Patriotic Union of Kurdistan. As the civil war raged, the KDP allowed Husseins army to rout the PUK from Erbil. Hashim was captured by the KDP and, Hazhar says, thought to have been handed off to Husseins forces and disappeared. His body was never found, his tale became the stuff of lore. Bekir, the third son to die in battle, spent 25 years of his life with the Peshmerga. The third-youngest of the four, he was the first to die against ISIS. His group was holding a front near Makhmour, on the plains south of Mosul, in 2014 when the militants attacked, leaving 14 Peshmerga dead. Bekir was shot five times, including in the left side of his chest, near the heart. He died five days later. Kamaran, born in 1972, was a quiet boy, Hazhar says. When he was young, during his studies, he worked at the familys bakery part-time. When he was a teenager in the city and Hashim was with the Peshmerga in the mountains, he would bring things like food and medicines and letters containing sensitive information back and forth. In 1991, he joined the Peshmerga as a fighter and rose up through the ranks. He was a veteran by the time the Mosul offensive began. In a conversation after Bekirs death, Hazhar recalls Kamaran saying, I miss all three brothers, I want to see them, I want to be with them. Hazhar urged him not to joke about death. You have to look after your kids. If you go to them, who will look after your kids? He had five children: three sons and two daughters. This familys sacrifice is more extreme than most, Meyer says. Certainly there are families that have lost like this and more, but four brothers who died in the handful of major conflicts of modern-day Kurdistan is rare. The day at the cemetery was dry, and the sun had already started to fall. Relatives gathered around a row of three plots, the newest covered by a blue tarp and held down with stones. Underneath was a Kurdish flag, also held down with stones. Mourners began to recite prayers. After a while, the men pulled back, leaving Kamarans two daughters, his wife, mother and a few others. Islamic prayers could be heard from a cell phone as the daughters comforted one another, then comforted their mother. Later, on the way back to Erbil, Hazhar told Meyer more about the family. Of the three brothers who are left: one works in the oil business, another lives in Holland and the third, previously in the U.K., returned to take care of their mother. Kamarans funeral was broadcast on several regional television networks, and the familys sacrifice over three decades duly noted. OK, Hazhar says people would tell them, your family has given enough. Sebastian Meyer, based in Brooklyn, is a documentary photographer who was based in Iraqi Kurdistan from 2009 to 2014. His book, Under Every Yard of Sky, will be published in late 2017 by Red Hook Editions. By Carl O'Donnell and Greg Roumeliotis (Reuters) - Private equity firm BC Partners LLP is in advanced talks to acquire U.S. surgical center operator National Surgical Hospitals Inc, in a deal that could value it at close to $1 billion, including debt, people familiar with the matter said. The acquisition would underscore the continued appetite of buyout firms for deals in the healthcare sector, despite uncertainty over the future of the U.S. Affordable Care Act and government insurance programs such as Medicare and Medicaid. BC Partners has outbid other private equity firms in the auction for National Surgical Hospitals, and is now negotiating final terms with the company's owner, buyout firm Irving Place Capital, the people said on Monday. It is still possible that these negotiations end without a deal, the people cautioned. BC Partners declined to comment, while National Surgical Hospitals and Irving Place Capital did not respond to requests for comment. Founded in 1998, Chicago-based National Surgical Hospitals now spans 20 surgical facilities in 12 states. Irving Place acquired National Surgical Hospitals in 2011 for an undisclosed amount. Under Irving Place's ownership, National Surgical Hospitals made three add-on acquisitions, including Savannah, Georgia-based Optim Healthcare in 2015. The majority of the company's revenue comes from surgical centers that treat the musculoskeletal system. About 20 percent comes from a variety of other operations, including for the eyes and the gastrointestinal tract. Based in London, BC Partners focuses on buyouts in Europe and the United States. It has several investments in the healthcare sector, including Elysium Healthcare and Pharmathen. (Reporting by Carl O'Donnell and Greg Roumeliotis in New York; Editing by Andrew Hay) Actor Ben Affleck recently announced that he had completed rehab for alcohol addiction for at least the second time a scenario that is not uncommon among people who experience alcoholism. In a Facebook post on Tuesday (March 14), Affleck said he had successfully completed a treatment program for alcohol addiction. The condition is "something I've dealt with in the past and will continue to confront," the post said. The actor previously went to rehab for alcoholism in 2001, when he was 29 years old, according to The Hollywood Reporter. [7 Ways Alcohol Affects Your Health] Addiction is a chronic illness, and this means that relapsing is not only possible, but likely, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). Here are some important things to know about alcoholism and the risk of relapse: Most people treated for alcoholism experience a relapse. Relapsing after treatment for alcoholism is common. A 2001 review study found that, during the first year after treatment for alcoholism, only about 25 percent of people were able to continuously abstain from alcohol. However, the idea that patients can fall into only two categories those who abstain, and those who relapse may be a narrow view, according to the study authors. The researchers noted that people can still make substantial progress even if they return to drinking. The study also found that, even if those in recovery did not abstain from alcohol completely, most participants significantly cut down their use of alcohol, abstaining from the drug on three out of every four days. The longer people go without drinking, the better their chances are of staying sober. People's risk for relapse decreases the longer they remain sober. About 40 percent of those who abstain from alcohol for two consecutive years will relapse, according to Medscape, but people who abstain for five consecutive years are likely to remain sober indefinitely. Story continues Stress and alcohol "cues" can trigger a relapse. Many factors can trigger a relapse among people who have been treated for alcoholism. These include exposure to alcohol-related cues, such as seeing an advertisement for alcohol, walking by a bar or experiencing social pressure to drink, including simply being around other people who are drinking, according to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. Another important trigger of relapse is stress or other negative emotions, such as anxiety. In fact, recent studies have suggested that the brain areas involved in stress and emotions overlap with the areas responsible for the drug's rewarding effects, according to a 2012 review paper. Researchers suspect that chronic alcohol use may result in changes in the brain that increase a person's response to stress, which may increase the risk for relapse, according to the review. People's brain activity can predict relapse. People with alcoholism who relapse after treatment may have different patterns of brain activity than those who remain sober. A 2013 study found that people with alcoholism who showed high levels of activity in a brain area called the prefrontal cortex were eight times more likely to relapse during a three-month period, compared with those who showed normal levels of activity in this area. It's unclear whether this heightened brain activity may be a cause of a relapse; it's possible that some other factor may cause both the brain activity and the relapse. But scientists know that the prefrontal cortex is involved in regulating emotions and suppressing urges. It's possible that chronic drinking may lead to changes in this area that affect people's ability to regulate their cravings and resist relapse, the researchers said. Relapse doesn't mean "failure." It's important to recognize that a relapse doesn't mean treatment has failed, according to NIDA. Addiction is a chronic disease, and just as with other chronic diseases, there may be times when people's symptoms reoccur. Rather than viewing this as a failure, people should interpret a relapse to mean that a person's treatment may need to be reinitiated or adjusted, or that another treatment should be tried, NIDA says. Original article on Live Science. Editor's Recommendations By Press Trust of India: From Sajjad Hussain Islamabad, Mar 20 (PTI) Pakistan today asked India to share the details of the designs of hydroelectric projects being built in Kashmir and provide access to Pakistani experts to verify that the Indus Water Treaty is not being violated in the process. The demand was made on the first day of the two-day Indus Water Commission meeting which began here today after a gap of nearly two years following the tensions in bilateral ties after the Uri attack. advertisement During the Water Commission meeting, officials from India and Pakistan discussed problems relating to the Indus Basin. The 10-member Indian delegation led by Indus Water Commissioner P K Saxena held a close door meeting with the Pakistani side which was headed by Indus Water commissioner Mirza Asif Saeed. During the meeting, Pakistan highlighted concerns about the three Indian hydro projects being built on the rivers flowing to Pakistan. Pakistans Minister for Water and Power Khawaja Asif had earlier said the meeting will discuss the design of Pakal Dul, Lower Kalnai and Miyar hydroelectric plants and flood data supply by India. The 1000 MW Pakal Dul is being built on Chenab, while 120 MW Miyar located across Miyar Nalla which is a right bank main tributary of Chenab and the 43 MW Lower Kalnai hydro project is located on Lower Kalnai Nalla, another tributary of river Chenab. An official said Pakistan formally asked India to share the details of the designs of the three projects and also provide access to Pakistani experts to verify that the Indus Water Treaty was not being violated in the process. "So far India has not given the designs and they are also not willing to give access to the sites of the projects," he said. Another official said Pakistan also asked Indian side to share the data of floods and "they have promised to share it with us." Initially, it was said that Ratle hydroelectric project will not be discussed but Pakistan side said that it was also discussed in the meeting. Khawaja Asif said that Secretary level talks on Ratle issue will begin on April 12 in Washington. The Minister for Water and Power hailed the start of talks between Pakistan and India on the contentious issue of water, saying it is good for bilateral relations. Asif said that Indus Waters Treaty is one of the world agreements which provides amicable solution of serious water issues between Pakistan and India. Pakistan contends that the projects were violating the Indus Water Treaty of 1960. advertisement Asif expressed hope that things will move in the positive direction as a result of the meeting between Permanent Indus Commissioners of Pakistan and India. He said Pakistan is pressing for implementation of arbitration courts decision on Kishanganga. Todays meeting is the 113th session of the Permanent Indus Waters Commission which was established in 1960. The last meeting of the commission was held in 2015. Another meeting planned in September 2016 was cancelled due to tension following the Uri terror attack by Pakistan- based outfits. Pakistani officials said the meeting was held in cordial atmosphere. The Indian High Commission in Islamabad has so far not issued any statement about the meeting. PTI SH NSA PMS PMS --- ENDS --- Thousands of children accidentally ingest dangerous prescription drugs every year. Yet few people take the needed precautions that could protect kids from drug poisoning. A new Consumer Reports Best Buy Drugs nationally representative survey of 1,006 American adults found that only 2 in 10 who have dangerous medicationssuch as opioid pain pills, stimulants used to treat ADHD, and sedativeslock them up. That could help explain why nearly 60,000 kids under the age of 5 accidentally ingest these dangerous drugs every year and wind up in emergency rooms, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). With today being National Spring Clean Your Medicine Cabinet Day, it's important to be aware of the dangers of prescription drugs and know the best ways to keep your kids away from them. How Poisoning Occurs Children get their hands on pills or liquid medicine by finding them around the houseleft out on kitchen countertops or by a bedside to be used later, says Dan Budnitz, M.D., M.P.H., director of the CDC's Medication Safety Program. Parents either don't take the needed precautions to store them safely away, or they assume child-safety caps and devices will deter kids from trying to get into them, he notes. Parents also underestimate the harm to a child from ingesting even a single pill, says Budnitz. For certain long-acting opioids, for instance, one pill can be a fatal dose for a child," he explains. Opioid-containing pills like hydrocodone (Vicodin), oxycodone (Percocet), and buprenorphine (Suboxone) top the list as drugs most likely to be accidentally ingested, followed by anti-anxiety drugs like clonazepam (Klonopin) and lorazepam (Ativan), says Budnitz. Those drugs could cause a child to become unconscious or even stop breathing, or could trigger seizures. If any of these happen to your child, or he or she seems overly sleepy, confused, has difficulty breathing, or has stopped breathing, call 911 immediately. Story continues Then check the child's mouth and remove any pills. Get the bottle and remaining pills so that emergency personnel can identify what they were and give the best treatment or antidote. If you suspect an opioid pain pill is the culprit, emergency responders can administer the opioid reversal drug naloxone. Your child will still need to be taken to an emergency room for further evaluation and possible treatment. Even OTC Pills Are Dangerous Acetaminophen (in Tylenol and other products), the widely used fever and pain reducer, is the most common accidentally ingested over-the-counter drug. It can cause liver damage or liver failure when taken in doses that are too high for a child. These risks are why the CDC recommends treating all drugs like any other potentially dangerous household chemical and locking up or storing all medicine away from children, all the time. To reinforce the suggestions, the CDC recently started Up and Away, an initiative that reminds people to never leave pills or medicine bottles lying around on tables, nightstands, or countertops, in purses, bags, or coat pockets. And never tell children that their medication is candy. Dont Rely on Child Safety Caps Child-resistant caps on medicine bottles have been around since the 1970s, but child-resistant does not mean child-proof. Child-resistant caps dont work unless adults use them properly by completely re-closing them immediately after each and every use, says Maribeth Lovegrove, M.P.H., an epidemiologist in CDCs Medication Safety Program. When the child-resistant cap is not completely closed, weve found that many young children can easily access the bottle contents, notes Lovegrove. Instead of relying exclusively on the safety caps, Lovegrove suggests that innovative safety packaging like child-resistant blister packs could help to prevent unsupervised ingestions for certain high-risk medicines because each dose of medicine is individually sealed. These can be more difficult for children to open and reduces the chance that children will swallow a pill they are not supposed to. Not every pharmacy can fill prescriptions in blister packs, but it is worth asking. An online pharmacy service based in New Hampshire called PillPack can fill prescriptions in personalized, individualized plastic packs (they ship to all 50 states except Hawaii). Use Flow Restrictor Caps To combat acetaminophen overdoses, drugmakers recently added a small plastic safety device to the opening of liquid medicine bottles. Its called a flow restrictor, and it limits the amount of fluid that a person can pour out, even when the cap is off and the bottle is turned upside down, shaken, or squeezed. That prevents a child from getting a large volume of liquid medicine quickly from a bottle, which limits the risk of an overdose. In 2013, Consumer Reports tested flow restrictors on more than 30 infant and childrens liquid acetaminophen bottles. Our tests confirmed that this feature added an extra layer of protection against acetaminophen poisoning, making it more difficult for children to pour out and drink liquid medicine. The CDCs own studies also show something similar: Without a flow restrictor and with an improperly locked safety cap, 82 percent of kids could empty a bottle in under 2 minutes; with a flow restrictor in place and without any safety cap, a mere 6 percent of kids could could completely empty the bottle by the end of the 10-minute test. Ideally, adding a flow restrictor to any liquid medication bottle will lessen the risk of accidental ingestion. Editor's Note: This article and related materials are made possible by a grant from the state Attorney General Consumer and Prescriber Education Grant Program, which is funded by the multistate settlement of consumer-fraud claims regarding the marketing of the prescription drug Neurontin (gabapentin). 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. Baghdad (AFP) - A car bombing on Monday evening in the Iraqi capital Baghdad killed at least 15 people and wounded 33, an interior ministry official told AFP. The attack was claimed in an online statement by the jihadist Islamic State group, which gave a toll of 23 dead, the US-based SITE Intelligence Group reported. The blast happened at around 7:00 pm (1600 GMT) in the busy business district of Hay al-Amel in the west of the city, he said. The radical Sunni IS group is under assault in both Iraq -- in the country's second city Mosul which IS seized in June 2014 -- and in neighbouring Syria. In that year, the jihadists took vast swathes of Iraqi territory north and west of the capital. Iraqi government forces backed by the US-led international coalition have since retaken many cities, including Tikrit. But as IS has lost ground in Iraq, it has also retained the ability to stage regular attacks there. The Daily Beast GettyAnti-Russia activists and former Russian lawmakers opposed to Russian President Vladimir Putin have been gathering in Poland in recent days to discuss what removing Putin from power would look like nearly nine months into his war in Ukraine.Some of the scenarios the anti-Russia group discussed include Russians staging a civil war, taking up arms, and killing Putin, according to Euractiv.A guerrilla fight may be the only way to take down Putin, said opposition activist Viacheslav Maltsev. T Emory University hematology scientist Renhao Li had received a decades worth of funding from the National Institutes of Health for his platelet storage research when suddenly his funding dried up. The R01 score for his grant remained high, but he just missed the mark to get funded again from NIH. Rather than placing the brakes on his research, Li was able to secure $150,000 in bridge funding from the American Society of Hematologys Bridge Grants program, which helped continue his research as he reapplied for NIH funding. Read the rest... Budapest (AFP) - The former head of the far-right British National Party has said he is moving to Hungary to live under anti-immigration Prime Minister Viktor Orban as a "refugee" from western Europe. "There is already a sort of nationalist emigre community building up here. There's French, there's Italians, there's Swedes and Brits as well," Nick Griffin told a Hungarian website this weekend. "So it's only a trickle at present but I have no doubt at all that when the trouble really begins with Al-Qaeda and Isis in western Europe, that trickle is going to become a flood," the 58-year-old told 444.hu. "And I hope that Hungary, the Hungarian government, the Hungarian people, will welcome people who are genuine refugees from western Europe but keep out the liberals who have brought western Europe to this state in the first place." Orban sees immigration as a "poison" endangering Europe's Christian culture and values. In February he offered refuge to anyone in western Europe looking to "find the Europe they have lost in their homelands". His government aims to confine all asylum-seekers currently in Hungary, and any new arrivals, to container camps at its southern border. They are free to leave only if they return to Serbia. Griffin, BNP head from 1999 to 2014, was in Budapest for a "Stop Operation Soros!" conference aimed at halting the pro-refugee activities of Hungarian-born US financier George Soros's Open Society Foundation. "I am very, very pleased that Hungary is taking a leading role in confronting the Soros problem," Griffin said. Orban's government "doesn't want to commit national suicide. That's very refreshing," he said. Cambridge-educated Griffin said he hoped to move to Hungary, a member of the European Union which Britain is due to leave in 2019, in the next six months. The brother of the missing teen who vanished with her 50-year-old teacher is speaking out. Read: Girl, 15, Allegedly Kidnapped By Her Teacher Shared Instagram Post: 'Every Beauty Needs Her Beast' On the morning of her disappearance with teacher Tad Cummins, Beth Thomas posted a troubling remark on Instagram that featured Belle and the Beast, from "Beauty and the Beast," that read: Every beauty needs her beast to protect her from everything but him. Her older brother, James, told Inside Edition his 15-year-old sister is a big fan of Disney princess films. She has always been into Disney princesses and "Beauty and the Beast" just came out, he said. I do believe he has some control over her. Prior to the pair's disappearance, another student at the school outside Nashville reported walking in on the two kissing, but it was another week before the school authorities suspended the teacher. On Monday afternoon, the Tennessee Bureu of Investigation released the last known photo of Thomas, with information on how to help in her search. NEW PICTURE: Here's the last known photograph of Elizabeth Thomas prior to her alleged kidnapping. Spot her? 1-800-TBI-FIND! #TNAMBERAlert pic.twitter.com/5hInjYHU5d TBI (@TBInvestigation) March 20, 2017 The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation have issued an Amber Alert for the missing teen and have posted new images of Cummins and Thomas inside a local WalMart days before the kidnapping. VIDEO: Here's surveillance of AMBER Alert suspect Tad Cummins, days before disappearing with Elizabeth Thomas. https://t.co/j1fuc5VJWH TBI (@TBInvestigation) March 20, 2017 MORE VIDEO: Here's a second clip of AMBER Alert suspect Tad Cummins. https://t.co/rnUJWNdx8l TBI (@TBInvestigation) March 20, 2017 Surveillance video allegedly shows Cummins filling up his silver SUV at a gas station moments before meeting the student at a nearby diner in Columbia. They drove south to Decatur, Alabama, which is 70 miles away but since then the trail has gone cold. Story continues Police believe they may be headed for the Florida Panhandle. Cummins has at least $4,500 in cash after taking out a loan on his car. He also allegedly has two handguns. Read: Wife Pleads For Husband, 50, To Return 15-Year-Old He Allegedly Kidnapped As Search Continues An attorney for the girl's family says that, despite appearances, Beth Thomas may not have willingly gone with the health sciences teacher. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said Cummins was driving a silver Nissan Rogue with Tennessee tag 976-ZPT. They have also released a series of images on Twitter, urging anyone with information on their whereabouts to contact them. Your RT may just get this information in front of the one person who needs to see it. Help us spread this across the country! Thanks! pic.twitter.com/c5jI8ER816 TBI (@TBInvestigation) March 17, 2017 Watch: After Woman's Daring Escape From Captor, How to Get Out If You're Trapped in a Car's Trunk Related Articles: DEARBORN, Mich. Zahraa Ballout isnt white, and she certainly isnt some other race. If the government gives her the choice of checking a new Middle East/North Africa box on a census form, would she? Yes, she says, despite some reservations about what it would mean to stand out after Americans elected a president who wants to ban travel from some countries in the region and has spoken favorably of registering Muslims in the U.S. I would feel some wariness because you dont know exactly the consequences or whats coming next after you check the box, says 21-year-old Ballout, a student in Dearborn, Michigan, whos been in the country three years. I dont want to fool myself to think that checking another box (other than the new one) is going to protect me in some way. Ballous risk-benefit analysis reflects a new caution surrounding the way the U.S. government counts Americans, an every-decade exercise mandated in the Constitution that influences the nations day-to-day operations in ways big and small. That includes representation in Congress and how taxpayer money is doled out for education, public health, transportation and more. The Census Bureau on Feb. 28 for the first time recommended including the new category, which would mostly affect Muslims. The Office of Management and Budget is expected to make the decision later this year. The move is the product of years of research and decades of advocacy for Arab and other groups from the region that pre-date Donald Trumps presidential campaign. The Census Bureau said that when it tested a new MENA category in 2015, people of Middle Eastern or North African descent tended to check off that box. When it wasnt there, theyd select white or, increasingly, some other race. Including the separate category, the agency said, is optimal to get a more accurate count of Americans. Story continues Theres nothing for me to hide, said Hussein Dabajeh, 30, a lifelong Dearborn resident who said his ancestors arrived from whats now Lebanon in 1911. Dabajeh says hed check the MENA box. I can be American of Arab descent without being un-American. The disparity can be seen in a basic statistic. The Arab American Institute estimates as many as 3.7 million people in the United States have Arab roots. The Census Bureau estimates there are 1.8 million Arab Americans in the U.S, according to data it has collected. Among other things, that means there are no accurate national numbers to provide clues to whether certain medical ailments are as suspected unusually common in people of that background, experts say. Both tallies show explosive growth in that population since 2000. And both support the new box on the 2020 census that would represent people with backgrounds from 19 countries in the region. But singling oneself out in that way has become sensitive at a time when Trump has linked a crackdown on Muslims with better national security. As a candidate, he called for a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States. As president, Trump has twice ordered travel bans on people from certain majority-Muslim nations. Federal courts have blocked those orders, but on Friday, the Trump administration said it would appeal the latest ruling. In 2016, Trump said the government should investigate mosques in the U.S. in much the same way the New York Police Departments now-shuttered Demographics Unit spied on Muslims with help from the CIA. The group assembled databases on where Muslims lived, shopped, worked and prayed, infiltrated Muslim student groups, put informants in mosques and monitored sermons, The Associated Press reported in 2011. The fear is legitimate. Its something I worry about, said Maya Berry, executive director of the Arab American Institute, which has been pushing for the change since before the 1990 census, when it put up posters reading, We want to be counted, do you? Its very hard for us now to sort of reject that wholly, because weve been working on it for decades, she adds. Weve been telling our members: We understand why youre concerned, its a legitimate concern. Lets just proceed with caution. Former Census director Robert Groves traces the worries in part to one black mark on the departments history. During World War II, the Census Bureau provided the government with neighborhood information to help it sweep up 120,000 people of Japanese descent for imprisonment, under an order by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. But he points out that the law prohibits workers from disclosing personal census information. The culture of the Census Bureau and this law has been successful over successive decades in allowing me and others to say this is the best protection that can be given to people, said Groves, now provost of Georgetown University. While some members of the MENA community share the concerns, they also believe the government is powerful enough to discriminate against anyone. There are better ways to do that than the census, said Germine Awad, a University of Texas psychologist born in Egypt but raised in the United States. That could happen at any moment. China is aiming advanced medium-range ballistic missiles at Taiwan as part of a growing military threat towards the island, Taipei's defence minister said Monday. The announcement came after Taiwan said for the first time last week that it is capable of launching missiles at China as it warned of an increased invasion risk. China still sees Taiwan as part of its territory to be brought back into its fold, by force if necessary, even though the island has been self-governing since the two sides split after a civil war in 1949. Ties have worsened since Beijing-sceptic President Tsai Ing-wen took power last year, ending an eight-year rapprochement. The DF-16 (Dongfeng 16) is capable of precise strikes against Taiwan and has been deployed by the Rocket Force of the People's Liberation Army, defence minister Feng Shih-kuan said. Feng told lawmakers the development comes as China "strengthens its weaponry modernisation and military hard power". He did not say how many missiles had been deployed or where. Taiwan has said China is targeting the island with around 1,500 missiles -- this is the first time the defence ministry identified the DF-16 as among them. Beijing has severed all official communications with Taipei since Tsai became leader in May and has been accused of blocking the island's political representatives from attending international events. China is highly suspicious of Tsai, whose Democratic Progressive Party is traditionally pro-independence. Taiwan has never formally split from the mainland and China has warned of military consequences if it did. Feng added that China's six recent drills in the Western Pacific and sending its sole aircraft carrier through the Taiwan Strait were designed to "pressure Taiwan to follow its plans in the development of cross-strait relations". China displayed the DF-16 among a variety of short- and intermediate-range ballistic missiles at a military parade in Beijing in 2015 to commemorate the 70th anniversary of Japan's World War II defeat. Story continues Military experts said the missile has a range of between 1,000 and 1,500 kilometres (600 and 900 miles) and can reach US military bases in Okinawa. It is capable of pinpoint precision and can carry two or more warheads to conduct multi-target attacks. When asked by lawmakers how Taiwan would handle the new threat, Feng said the island's Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) anti-missile system could intercept the DF-16. "We are confident in our surveillance to detect any unfriendly action towards us ... We have sufficient weaponry to shoot it down outside our territory," he said. Taiwan pledged to build up its military in the face of the China threat in a four-yearly defence report unveiled last week. The island's military, which consists of around 200,000 troops, is a fraction of China's 2.3 million-strong army. By Press Trust of India: Bhopal, Mar 20 (PTI) Union Minister Uma Bharti today claimed that people living in Madhya Pradeshs Bundelkhand have given up their demand for a separate state as the region has witnessed development since the BJP came to power in the state. Bharti, who has been a votary of separate Bundelkhand state, also said that Bundelkhand Development Board would be constituted soon to ensure development of the region. advertisement "Mainly, demand for two states - Bundelkhand and Vidarbha (in Maharashtra) - is being raised presently. The residents of Bundelkhand region of Madhya Pradesh side dont want a separate state now. But, people living in Uttar Pradeshs Bundelkhand region want a separate state," Bharti told reporters here. She said peoples stand about carving out a separate Bundelkhand state in MP has changed now. "MPs Bundelkhand has seen development since the BJP came to power in the state. Therefore, people living here have relinquished their demand of a separate state since the past one decade. On the other hand, people living in UPs Bundelkhand are in favour of a separate state," she said. The Union Minister for Water Resources said that the funds received under the special package for Bundelkhand have been utilised in a proper way in MPs part. "Bundelkhand Development Board would also be constituted soon by the Centre for ensuring the development of entire region," she informed. Though the BJP has been in favour of smaller states, the region in UPs Bundelkhand is very small to be turned into a separate state, she added. "The present part of UPs Bundelkhand is very small for a state. Some more areas like Fatehpur, Kanpur etc need to be included in Bundelkhand, but this depends on the willingness of people living there. A committee of political parties should be constituted to at least ascertain the limit of the state," she said. She said that the most of the new states, except Telangana, were carved out during the NDAs rule. "The logic behind the smaller state was better administrative management," she added. Bharti said that BSP supremo Mayawati had announced to carve out a separate Bundelkhand state. "Former UP CM Mayawati had announced in Vidhan Sabha to carve out a separate Bundelkhand. But, this was mindless as she didnt set the limit for it. Samajwadi Party (SP) was against the smaller state so it did not take any action in this direction," she added. PTI ADU MAS NP --- ENDS --- advertisement BEIJING (Reuters) - China expressed anger on Monday after exiled Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama attended a Buddhist conference supported by the Indian culture ministry, the latest spat with India over a man whom China brands a dangerous separatist. The Nobel Peace Prize-winning Dalai Lama, who fled into exile in India after a failed uprising against Chinese rule in 1959, denies espousing violence and says he only wants genuine autonomy for his remote Himalayan homeland. The Dalai Lama opened the conference last Friday in eastern India. "Recently, India ignored China's solemn representations and strong opposition and insisted on inviting the 14th Dalai Lama to attend an international Buddhist conference organized by the Indian government," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said. The Dalai Lama also shared the stage with Indian government officials and gave a speech, she told a daily news briefing. "China is strongly dissatisfied and resolutely opposed to this," Hua added. "We urge the India side to clearly recognize the anti-China separatist nature of the Dalai clique, abide by its promises on the Tibet issue, respect China's core interests and avoid further disturbances and harm to China-India relations." The Dalai Lama and Indian Culture Minister Mahesh Sharma inaugurated the conference on Friday, the Indian culture ministry said in a statement. Buddha's teachings were especially relevant in a world facing violence, Indian President Pranab Mukherjee said on Sunday in a closing address to the conference, held at Rajgir in the eastern state of Bihar. In December, Mukherjee hosted the Dalai Lama at his official residence with other Nobel prize winners, the Tibetan leader's first public meeting with an Indian head of state in 60 years. Next month, Indian federal government representatives will meet the Dalai Lama when he visits a sensitive border region controlled by India but claimed by China, despite a warning from Beijing that it would damage ties. China has ruled Tibet with an iron fist since it was "peacefully liberated" by the People's Liberation Army in 1950. China denies any repression in Tibet and says its rule has brought development to a once backward and poverty-stricken region. (Reporting by Ben Blanchard; Additional reporting by Sanjeev Miglani in New Delhi; Editing by Clarence Fernandez) Brasilia (AFP) - The fallout from Brazil's rotten meat scandal accelerated on Monday when China, a huge client, suspended imports and the European Union demanded a partial ban. Another ban on Brazilian meat imposed by Chile sparked fears of a trade spat between the two South American partners. A charm offensive by President Michel Temer, who even invited foreign ambassadors to a traditional meat restaurant in the capital Brasilia late Sunday, failed to calm importers. China, which with Hong Kong is Brazil's biggest meat export market, said it needed to know more about the allegations that major meatpacking businesses bribed inspectors to get health certificates and masked tainted meat as fit for consumption. "Until it receives more information, China will not unload meat imported from Brazil," the Brazilian agriculture ministry said. Brazilian Agriculture Minister Blairo Maggi was to hold a videoconference late Monday with Chinese authorities to offer "clarifications". "We expect more than 30 countries to question Brazil about this issue," Maggi told a news conference. If all of them halt imports of Brazilian meat, it will be catastrophic for the country, the minister said. The European Commission, the EU executive arm, called on Brazil to immediately halt exports by four companies implicated in the scandal, the bloc's spokesman Enrico Brivio told reporters in Brussels. Shortly after, the Brazilian government said it had complied, halting exports by all 21 meat processors under investigation. But after Chile announced a "temporary" ban on Brazilian meat products, Maggi angrily threatened reprisals. "We are major importers of Chilean products: fish, fruit and other products, and Brazilians demand that we should erect barriers. Trade is like that," Maggi said. Tensions escalated between the two countries late Monday, when Furche said Chile will not act "according to threats" and reiterated his request for official information regarding the scandal. Story continues South Korea, for its part, lifted a temporary suspension on the distribution of chicken already imported from Brazil, after authorities there performed quality inspections and confirmed that no tainted poultry had entered the country. It has no plans to close its market to Brazilian meat, the South Korean embassy in Brasilia said. Japan, another of the industry's principal markets, said it was considering issuing a notice to customers. At least 30 people have been arrested in the scandal, with Brazilian police raiding more than a dozen processing plants. A poultry-processing plant run by the multinational BRF group and two meat-processing plants operated by the local Peccin company were shut down, the agriculture ministry said. - New blow for Brazil - Brazil is the world's biggest beef- and poultry-exporting nation and the row is especially unwelcome when the country is struggling to overcome its worst recession in history. Market analysis group Capital Economics warned the scandal over Brazil's meat exports could derail the country's economic recovery. "Brazil is facing a potential loss of export revenues of about $3.5 billion. That's the equivalent of about 0.2 percent of GDP," Capital Economics said. "The economic impact will depend to a large extent on how long any bans stay in place. There are some reasons for optimism here." Officials are arguing that there is no systemic corruption or health problem in the meat industry and that the police operation uncovered only a few bad apples. "Agribusiness is extremely important for us in Brazil," Temer said in an address Monday. "It cannot be discredited just because of a small group." The scandal also broke just days before the start of negotiations to seek a free-trade accord between the European Union and several South American countries including Brazil. Brazilian meat is exported to more than 150 countries, with main markets also including Saudi Arabia and Russia. Sales in 2016 reached $5.9 billion in poultry and $4.3 billion in beef, according to Brazilian government data. Total meat exports amount to about seven percent of exports and 0.7 percent of gross domestic product, according to Capital Economics. France and other European countries are wary about opening up the EU meat market to countries in the South American Mercosur bloc, which includes major exporters Brazil and Argentina. Paraguay and Uruguay are the other members. CORRECTION Monday, March 20, 8:42 a.m. EST: A former version of this story stated that Top Funny Comedian included a cameo from Mike Tyson. That is incorrect, the movie includes a cameo from boxing legend Evander Holyfield, not Tyson. We have since corrected the error in the headline and text below. A bunch of guys go on a vacation, they get lost and a former world-champion boxing legend makes a cameo. Sound familiar? It's the plot of Top Funny Comedian, a movie which has just premiered in China. SEE ALSO: Finally, there's a Mike Tyson iPhone emoji for every situation So don't go mistaking it for The Hangover. For one, Rowan Atkinson (as his most popular character, Mr Bean) makes an appearance, and Evander Holyfield who famously had a piece of his ear bitten off in a heavyweight bout with Mike Tyson gets his ear chewed in a fight. Yeah, we're equally confused. The movie follows four guys and one girl who travel to Macau, the gambling capital of China, for a vacation. Crazy things happen along the way, but eventually one of the group's members go missing, as the others try their best to save him. Image: Movie Commune/ youtube Image: MOVIE COMMUNE/ YOUTUBE The movie is Atkinson's latest reprisal of his role as Mr Bean, which won him global recognition in the '90s. According to the actor, he resorted mainly to body language to communicate with his co-stars, since he can't speak Mandarin. We can only imagine this seemed most in character as Mr Bean, who often speaks in grunts and mumbles in his series, anyway. Top Funny Comedian will only be available in China for now. Looks like what happens in China, stays in China. BEIJING (AP) China's trading partners are bringing the top U.N. food standards official to Beijing in a last-ditch attempt to persuade regulators to scale back plans to require intensive inspections of food imports including such low-risk items as wine and chocolate that Washington and Europe say could disrupt billions of dollars in commerce. The rule could inflame tensions with the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump, who has promised to raise tariffs on imports from China, and the European Union. Under the rule, due to take effect as early as October, each consignment of food would require a certificate from a foreign inspector confirming it meets Chinese quality standards. Other countries require such inspections only for meat, dairy and other perishable items. That alarms suppliers that see China as a growing market for American fruit juice and snack foods, French wine, German chocolate, Italian pasta and Australian orange juice. They complain Beijing already uses safety rules in ways that hamper access for beef and other goods in violation of its market-opening commitments. "It could bring down food imports quite dramatically," said the German ambassador to Beijing, Michael Clauss. "It often seems it is more about protecting Chinese producers than about food safety." The requirement would add "unnecessary regulatory complexity" at a time when Beijing has promised to reduce regulation, Jake Parker, vice president of China operations for the U.S.-China Business Council, said in an email. Chinese regulators say closer scrutiny is needed as food imports increase. They say they are willing to consider suggestions about alternatives, but foreign officials say they have yet to make any changes. China contends the inspections requirement is supported by the Codex Alimentarius, the "Food Code" of the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization and World Health Organization, according to a person familiar with the discussions. The Codex sets quality standards but other nations say it recommends certificates only for risky products. Story continues The president of the Codex council, Awilo Ochieng Pernet, a Swiss lawyer, will attend an April 6 seminar with Chinese officials in Beijing to explain its standards, according to that person, who asked not to be identified further. Participants plan to propose alternatives such as giving Beijing access to electronic records to track sources of shipments. Ambassadors from the United States and another government expressed concern in a letter in January to Wang Yang, a deputy premier who oversees farming and commerce. Officials of the United States, the EU, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, Argentina, Chile and other governments sent a similar letter to the Chinese product quality agency, the General Administration for Quality Inspection, Supervision and Quarantine, known as AQSIQ. EU officials believe requiring health certificates for all products "is not scientifically justified," the EU mission in Beijing said in a statement. The rules would be a burden on foreign suppliers and "a waste of the precious control resources" that should focus on risky products, it said. The rules follow an avalanche of scandals over Chinese suppliers caught selling tainted milk and other shoddy or counterfeit food products. Western officials say the proposed food rules appear meant to shift responsibility away from AQSIQ, which Chinese consumers often blame for safety failures . In a written statement, AQSIQ told The Associated Press it is talking with more than 30 exporting countries and regions including the European Union, the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Japan. The agency said it welcomes suggestions of "alternative solutions." The measures are aimed at "promoting the international co-governance of food safety," the agency said. It said that would improve regulators' ability to trace imported food and block counterfeits. "We have to assess the food management of areas abroad that export food to China to ensure the food safety of our country," the minister in charge of AQSIQ, Zhi Shuping, said at a March 14 news conference. Zhi did not refer directly to the inspection requirement but said his agency's activities are "in line with international practice." Beijing already is at odds with the U.S. and Europe over low-priced exports of steel and aluminum they say are hurting foreign competitors. In the Trump administration's first trade complaint, a group for American aluminum producers asked March 9 for higher import duties on Chinese-made aluminum foil to counter what it said were improper subsidies. Clauss, the German ambassador, said the rules should be submitted for WTO review a step that AQSIQ said in its written statement it will take. "We don't see that they really are trying to compromise on this so far," said Clauss. "To our knowledge, this doesn't exist anywhere else in the world." ___ General Administration for Quality Inspection, Supervision and Quarantine: www.aqsiq.gov.cn Codex Alimentarius: www.fao.org/fao-who-codexalimentarius FBI Director James Comey confirmed Monday that the bureau has since July been examining the Russian campaign to meddle in the 2016 American election, and that the federal probe includes an investigation of any coordination between the Trump campaign and the Kremlin effort. The FBI as part of our counterintelligence mission is investigating the Russian governments efforts to interfere in the 2016 presidential election, and that includes investigating the nature of any links between individuals associated with the Trump campaign and the Russian government, and whether there was any coordination between the campaign and Russias efforts, Comey told the House Intelligence Committee. Comeys confirmation of the ongoing investigation was an extraordinary acknowledgement. Speculation about an FBI investigation has roiled Washington and cast a cloud over President Donald Trumps first months in office. Democrats on the committee, led by ranking member Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), sought to tease out what the FBI and the NSA know about any possible ties between Trump advisers and the Kremlin, but in a public hearing Comey could say little about the ongoing investigation. Comey did, however, say Putin was pulling for a Trump victory, given his known dislike for his opponent. If Putin wanted Clinton to lose, Comey explained to Rep. Mike Conaway (R-Tex.), that means he wanted Trump to win. Democratic members of the committee in particular, Schiff and Rep. Terri Sewell (D-Ala.) also asked Comey and Rogers about the activity of former director of National Security Advisor Michael Flynn, who discussed sanctions with the Russian ambassador as a private citizen and did not disclose he was working as a foreign agent, lobbying for a firm linked to the Turkish government, while also advising the Trump campaign. While Comey and Rogers largely declined to answer their questions on the matter, that the questions were asked at all perhaps signals that Democratic attention is turning toward investigating Flynn. Story continues Some Democratic members focused their questions on Paul Manafort, the former Trump campaign chief currently sought for questioning in Ukraine in connection with a corruption case there. Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-Tex.) described him as having a major part of the Trump campaign, shortly after press secretary Sean Spicer said Manafort had a very limited role in the campaign (Manafort resigned after allegations emerged accusing him of receiving payments from Ukraine.) In a statement released after the hearing, Manafort said, I had no role or involvement in the cyberattack on the DNC or the subsequent release of information gained from the attack, and I have never spoken with any Russian Government officials or anyone who claimed to have been involved in the attack I am disappointed that anyone would give credence to allegations made by individuals with clear political motives in a blatant attempt to discredit me and the legitimacy of the election of president Trump. Rep. Denny Heck (D-Wash.) insisted the investigation is not about party, its about country. But most Republicans on the panel sought to push the inquiry in a different direction, ignoring the revelation that the presidents campaign is under investigation and focusing instead on the leaks of classified information about contacts between Trump administration officials and Russia. Trump has railed against the congressional investigation as an attempt to undermine his legitimacy, and on Monday took to Twitter to attack the probe. Trump called the notion that he had colluded with Russia FAKE NEWS and said allegations about his connections to Russia had been concocted by Democrats as an excuse for running a terrible campaign. (He also tweeted Monday morning, What about all of the contact with the Clinton campaign and the Russians?, and, indeed, Nunes asked Comey whether the FBI might look into ties between Russia and the Clinton campaign if pertinent information emerged.) The real story that Congress, the FBI and all others should be looking into is the leaking of Classified information, Trump wrote. Must find leaker now! After the hearing began, Trump tweeted out, The NSA and FBI tell Congress that Russia did not influence electoral process. Later in the hearing, when asked whether Trumps tweet was accurate, Comey clarified that communicating such sentiment was not our intention, as that was not part of the scope of their investigation. At a White House briefing the same day, Spicer stressed that this hearing is the first of several, and that its clear nothing has changed with respect to potential Russian collusion. What is new, he said, is that Director Comey said certain Obama officials had access to information, implying that Obama administration officials might have leaked confidential information, such as Flynns intercepted communications. Republican representatives took up the presidents line of attack, with Rep. Thomas Rooney (R-Fla.) and Rep Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.) focusing their questioning on leaks of classified information. (Gowdy himself appears to have accidentally released the name of a CIA source in 2015 in connection with the Benghazi Committee.) In a round of questions with NSA Director Michael Rogers, Rooney argued that such leaks harm national security and may threaten the reauthorization of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, a key statute authorizing overseas signals intercept. Rooney contended such leaks harm trust in the legal process to obtain a warrant for foreign intelligence surveillance. Trump has levelled explosive allegations against his predecessor, claiming on Twitter that President Obama ordered phones at Trump Tower be tapped. I have no information that supports those tweets, Comey said, adding the the Department of Justice does not, either. The NSA also said that it has no evidence to support those claims. After those claims were publicly debunked, the White House suggested that British intelligence may have spied on Trump. Rogers seconded British intelligences dismissal of those claims as nonsense and utterly ridiculous, but added that the intelligence relationship is strong enough to weather the spat. The FBI probe into Russian meddling reportedly includes three separate investigations being carried out by the Washington, Pittsburgh, and San Francisco field offices. The Washington office is reportedly heading the counterintelligence investigation, which is examining contacts, possible collusion, and financial ties between the Trump team and Russia. Pittsburgh agents are reportedly attempting to determine who broke into the computer systems at the Democratic National Committee and leaked stolen documents to WikiLeaks. The San Francisco office agents are investigating the online persona known as Guccifer 2.0, which American intelligence officials have described as a front for Russian intelligence to publish stolen documents. Rogers noted that the Russians were particularly brazen in meddling in the past presidential election campaign, and he said at several points that they are acting similarly to affect elections in Europe. Theyll be back, Comey said, pointing to upcoming elections in 2018 and 2020. Update, Mar. 20 2017, 12:16 pm ET: This post was updated to include Comeys comments on Putins presumed preference for Trump and Nuness questioning on a hypothetical investigation into potential ties between the Clinton campaign and Russia. Update, Mar. 20 2017, 12:46 pm ET: This post was updated to include Schiff and Sewells questions on Flynn. Update, Mar. 20 2017, 1:02 pm ET: This post was updated to include Rogerss comments on the brazenness of Russias actions and Comeys comments that they will be back. Update, Mar. 20 2017, 2:01 pm ET: This post was updated to include Spicers comments. Update, Mar. 20 2017, 2:52 pm ET: This post was updated to include comments on Paul Manafort. Update, Mar. 20 2017, 3:06 pm ET: This post was updated to include Hecks comments. Update, Mar. 20 2017, 3:42 pm ET: This post was updated to include the presidents refuted tweet. Update, Mar. 20 2017, 5:04 pm ET: This post was updated to include Manaforts statement. Photo credit: MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images The White House responded to a day of damaging testimony to Congress on Monday by FBI Director James Comey and NSA Director Adm. Mike Rogers with a series of tweets intended to cast the news in the best possible light. However, in at least one instance, Comey himself directly disputed the administrations interpretation. The official @POTUS account sent out a series of clips from the House Intelligence Committees hearing into the 2016 election, focusing on three issues: Russian efforts to influence the vote, allegations that the Trump campaign was wiretapped, and the leaks to the media about contacts between Russian officials and former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn. Comey said that the Department of Justice was looking into Russian interference with the election and potential ties to the Trump campaign but that he had no information to support the presidents claims, on Twitter, that Trump Tower had been wiretapped on the orders of former President Barack Obama. The first tweet concerned Comeys answer to a question by Rep. Trey Gowdy on whether he had briefed President Obama on the conversations between Flynn and the Russian ambassador. Im not going to get into either that particular case or any conversations I had with the president, so I cant answer that, Comey replied. The White House tweet framed this exchange as Comey refus[ing] to deny that he briefed the president. In fact, it was one of dozens of times over the course of the hearing that Comey declined to answer questions, whether from Republicans or from Democrats, because he said he could not comment on an ongoing investigation. FBI Director Comey refuses to deny he briefed President Obama on calls made by Michael Flynn to Russia. pic.twitter.com/cUZ5KgBSYP President Trump (@POTUS) March 20, 2017 The second tweet read, The NSA and FBI tell Congress that Russia did not influence electoral process, and included a clip of Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Calif., asking Rogers whether foreign agencies had specifically changed vote tallies in a number of states. The tweet conveyed the impression that the NSA was confirming that there had been no influence of any sort on the election, while the question was in fact confined to the narrow issue of whether Russia had hacked into the election results. Story continues The NSA and FBI tell Congress that Russia did not influence electoral process. pic.twitter.com/d9HqkxYBt5 President Trump (@POTUS) March 20, 2017 After a break, Democrat Jim Himes of Connecticut read aloud the POTUS tweet. In response, Comey disputed the White Houses conclusions, pointing out that the FBI and NSA had not investigated whether Russian disinformation, propaganda or hacking of Democratic National Committee emails might have changed voters minds. Weve offered no opinion, have no view, have no information on potential impact, because its never something we looked at, Comey said. So its not too far of a logical leap to conclude that the assertion that you have told the Congress that there was no influence on the electoral process is not quite right? asked Himes. It certainly wasnt our intention to say that today, because we dont have any information on that subject, said Comey. Thats not something that was looked at. Washington (AFP) - President Donald Trump's Supreme Court pick, Neil Gorsuch, faced senators Monday for his confirmation hearing, with Democrats immediately casting him as a threat to civil liberties and social progress. If confirmed, Gorsuch -- a federal appeals judge for the past decade -- would fill the seat left vacant by the death of towering conservative justice Antonin Scalia, who died in February 2016 in the middle of the presidential election campaign. Since that time, the court has been operating with eight justices, and Democrats are still bitterly angry over the Republican refusal to even consider Barack Obama's nominee Merrick Garland for a vote. "For all its imperfections, I believe the rule of law is truly a wonder," Gorsuch, dressed in a navy blue suit and tie, said in his opening statement. "Putting on a robe reminds us judges that it's time to lose our egos and open our minds." "If I am confirmed, I will do all my powers permit to be a faithful servant of the constitutional laws of this great nation," he added. The silver-haired 49-year-old judge is expected to be grilled for the next few days in the Senate Judiciary Committee, which opened the hearing with statements from several senators and Gorsuch himself. The Republicans, who have a majority in the Senate, say they are confident Gorsuch will be confirmed, pushing the court's balance towards the right. A Colorado native with an Ivy League education, Gorsuch -- the youngest nominee for a generation -- is known for a strict interpretation of the Constitution known as originalism, and his defense of so-called traditional family values. "As Alexander Hamilton said, liberty can have nothing to fear from judges who apply the law but liberty has everything to fear if judges try to legislate," Gorsuch said. He will be pushed to expand on his opinions on hot-button issues such as abortion, same sex marriage and the right to bear arms. Story continues Dianne Feinstein, the ranking Democrat on the committee, voiced her fears that a woman's right to an abortion as guaranteed by the high court's decision in Roe v Wade, will be at risk. "Judge Gorsuch has not had occasion to rule directly on a case involving Roe. However, his writings do raise questions," she told the hearing. And she queried Gorsuch's "troubling" belief in originalism, saying: In essence, it means that judges and courts should evaluate our constitutional rights and privileges as they were understood in 1789." - Highest court of the land - Trump announced his pick of Gorsuch in late January, just 11 days into his presidency. Some Democrats are demanding a 60-vote threshold for Gorsuch's confirmation, which they have permission to do under Senate rules. "I think a nominee to the United States Supreme Court ought to be approved overwhelmingly, not by a razor-thin margin. We are talking the highest court of the land -- lifetime appointment," said Democrat Richard Blumenthal, who sits on the judiciary committee. With Republicans holding 52 seats in the 100-member chamber, Gorsuch would need to earn the support of at least eight Democrats to win confirmation. But other Democrats, especially those from states that voted for Trump, may be unwilling to force the issue. And Republicans praised Gorsuch as a man of integrity, beyond reproach. Committee chairman Chuck Grassley hailed his "exceptional record" while Ted Cruz called Gorsuch "brilliant." Trump has attacked the federal judiciary in recent weeks, especially over its decisions to block his travel ban on refugees and nationals from six mainly Muslim nations. Some Republican senators have made it clear they will call on Gorsuch to reject those statements in the coming days. - No stranger to court - Gorsuch knows his way around the Supreme Court building -- he was a clerk for the late Byron White. The late justice shared Gorsuch with Anthony Kennedy who, at 80 years old, may now become his colleague. He then worked as a litigation attorney for a Washington firm before taking a job in the Justice Department under George W. Bush. It was Bush who would nominate him for the federal court position he took in Denver in 2006. Gorsuch is known for his ability to write incisive rulings and for his traditionalist views, both of which have fueled the comparisons with Scalia. The Columbia and Harvard grad says he is flattered by such comparisons, and does not hide his admiration for Scalia, who died at age 79. If he is confirmed, Gorsuch would join: -- Elena Kagan (56) and Sonia Sotomayor (62), appointed by Barack Obama -- Chief Justice John Roberts (62) and Samuel Alito (66), appointed by George W. Bush -- Stephen Breyer (78) and Ruth Bader Ginsburg (84), appointed by Bill Clinton -- Clarence Thomas (68), appointed by George H.W. Bush -- Anthony Kennedy (80), appointed by Ronald Reagan (In March 17 item, corrects paragraph 10 to say shipyard is in Newport News, not Norfolk.) By Mike Stone WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump says he wants to build dozens of new warships in one of the biggest peace-time expansions of the U.S. Navy. But interviews with ship-builders, unions and a review of public and internal documents show major obstacles to that plan. The initiative could cost nearly $700 billion in government funding, take 30 years to complete and require hiring tens of thousands of skilled shipyard workers - many of whom don't exist yet because they still need to be hired and trained, according to the interviews and the documents reviewed. Trump has vowed a huge build-up of the U.S. military to project American power in the face of an emboldened China and Russia. That includes expanding the Navy to 350 warships from 275 today. He has provided no specifics, including how soon he wants the larger fleet. (For graphics on projected strength of U.S. Navy, shipyard employment see: http://tmsnrt.rs/2n3vOr0) The Navy has given Defence Secretary Jim Mattis a report that explores how the country's industrial base could support higher ship production, Admiral Bill Moran, the vice chief of Naval Operations with oversight of the Navys shipbuilding outlook, told Reuters. He declined to give further details. But those interviewed for this story say there are clearly two big issues - there are not enough skilled workers in the market, from electricians to welders, and after years of historically low production, shipyards and their suppliers, including nuclear fuel producers, will struggle to ramp up for years. To be sure, the first, and biggest, hurdle for Trump to overcome is to persuade a cost-conscious Congress to fund the military buildup. The White House declined to comment. A Navy spokeswoman said increases being considered beyond the current shipbuilding plan would require sufficient time to allow companies to ramp up capacity. The two largest U.S. shipbuilders, General Dynamics Corp and Huntington Ingalls Industries Inc , told Reuters they are planning to hire a total of 6,000 workers in 2017 just to meet current orders, such as the Columbia class ballistic missile submarine. General Dynamics hopes to hire 2,000 workers at Electric Boat this year. Currently projected order levels would already require the shipyard to grow from less than 15,000 workers, to nearly 20,000 by the early 2030s, company documents reviewed by Reuters show. Huntington Ingalls, the largest U.S. military shipbuilder, plans to hire 3,000 at its Newport News shipyard in Newport News, Virginia, and another 1,000 at the Ingalls shipyard in Mississippi this year to fulfil current orders, spokeswoman Beci Brenton said. Companies say they are eager to work with Trump to build his bigger Navy. But expanding hiring, for now, is difficult to do until they receive new orders, officials say. "Its hard to look beyond" current orders, Brenton said. Smaller shipbuilders and suppliers are also cautious. "You cant hire people to do nothing," said Jill Mackie, spokeswoman for Portland, Oregon-based Vigor Industrial LLC, which makes combat craft for the Navys Special Warfare units. "Until funding is there ... you cant bring on more workers." SCALING UP WORKFORCE Because companies won't hire excess workers in advance, they will have a huge challenge in expanding their workforces rapidly if a shipbuilding boom materializes, said Bryan Clark, who led strategic planning for the Navy as special assistant to the chief of Naval Operations until 2013. Union and shipyard officials say finding skilled labour just for the work they already have is challenging. Demand for pipeline welders is so strong that some can make as much as $300,000 per year, including overtime and benefits, said Danny Hendrix, the business manager at Pipeliners Local 798, a union representing 6,500 metal workers in 42 states. Much of the work at the submarine yards also requires a security clearance that many cant get, said Jimmy Hart, president of the Metal Trades Department at the AFL-CIO union, which represents 100,000 boilermakers, machinists, and pipefitters, among others. To help grow a larger labour force from the ground up, General Dynamics' Electric Boat has partnered with seven high schools and trade schools in Connecticut and Rhode Island to develop a curriculum to train a next generation of welders and engineers. It has historically taken five years to get someone proficient in shipbuilding," said Maura Dunn, vice president of human resources at Electric Boat. It can take as many as seven years to train a welder skilled enough to make the most complex type of welds, radiographic structural welds needed on a nuclear-powered submarine, said Will Lennon, vice president of the shipyard's Columbia Class submarine programme. The Navy envisioned by Trump could create more than 50,000 jobs, the Shipbuilders Council of America, a trade group representing U.S. shipbuilders, repairers and suppliers, told Reuters. The U.S. shipbuilding and repairing industry employed nearly 100,000 in 2016, Labour Department statistics show. The industry had as many as 176,000 workers at the height of the Cold War in the early 1980s as the United States built up a fleet of nearly 600 warships by the end of that decade. SUBMARINE CRUNCH Apart from the labour shortage, there are also serious capacity and supply chain issues that would be severely strained by any plan to expand the Navy, especially its submarine fleet. Expanding the Navy to 350 ships is not as simple as just adding 75 ships. Many ships in the current 275-vessel fleet need to be replaced, which means the Navy would have to buy 321 ships between now and 2046 to reach Trump's goal, the Congressional Budget Office said in a report in February. The shipyards that make nuclear submarines - General Dynamics' Electric Boat in Groton, Connecticut, and Huntington's Newport News - produced as many as seven submarines per year between them in the early 1980s. But for more than a decade now, the yards have not built more than two per year. The nuclear-powered Virginia class and Columbia class submarines are among the largest and most complex vessels to build. The first Columbia submarine, which is set to begin construction in 2021, will take seven years to build, and two to three additional years to test. Retooling the long-dormant shipyard space will take several years and significant capital investments, but a bigger problem is expanding the supply chain, said Clark, the former strategist for the Navy and now a senior fellow at the Centre for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments. Makers of submarine components such as reactor cores, big castings, and forgers of propellers and shafts would need five years to double production, said a congressional official with knowledge of the Navys long-term planning. "We have been sizing the industrial base for two submarines a year. You cant then just throw one or two more on top of that and say, 'Oh here, dial the switch and produce four reactor cores a year instead of two.' You just can't," the official said. In his first budget proposal to Congress on Thursday, Trump proposed boosting defence spending by $54 billion for the fiscal 2018 year a 10 percent increase from last year. He is also seeking $30 billion for the Defence Department in a supplemental budget for fiscal 2017, of which at least $433 million is earmarked for military shipbuilding. A 350-ship Navy would cost $690 billion over the 30-year period, or $23 billion per year - 60 percent more than the average funding the Navy has received for shipbuilding in the past three decades, the Congressional Budget Office said. Senator John McCain, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, who will have a major say in approving the defence budget, said in a statement to Reuters that he supported Trump's vision to increase the size of the Navy to deter adversaries. "However, this is not a blank check," he said. (Additional reporting by Luciana Lopez in New York, Editing by Soyoung Kim and Ross Colvin) By Ronnie Cohen (Reuters Health) - - The retail pharmacy company CVS Health helped its customers quit smoking by pulling cigarettes off the shelves two years ago, a new study suggests. Smokers who purchased cigarettes exclusively at CVS stores were 38 percent less likely to buy tobacco after the national chain stopped selling cigarettes, the study shows. In addition, cigarette sales dropped 1 percent - or by 95 million packs - in 13 states in the eight months after CVS left the tobacco market in September 2014, according to the report in the American Journal of Public Health. It shows that responsible behavior by a pharmacy has public health benefits for the whole population, Stanton Glantz said in a phone interview. He directs the Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education at the University of California, San Francisco, and was not involved with the study. The results provide very strong evidence that removing tobacco from CVS more than 7,800 stores reduced smoking, Glantz said. It was a big enough effect that you could see it in the population level, which is very impressive, he said. The findings heartened Dr. Troyen Brennan, CVS Healths chief medical officer and one of the studys authors. We think that this research definitely shows that if pharmacies didnt sell cigarettes, fewer people would smoke, more people would live longer, and fewer people would die, he said in a phone interview. Brennan and a team of CVS researchers analyzed data from a nationally representative survey of consumers cigarette purchases at drug, food, big box, dollar, convenience and gas station retailers prior to and one year following the companys exit from the cigarette market. While they found that shoppers who purchased cigarettes exclusively from CVS were 38 percent more likely to stop buying cigarettes altogether, they could not conclude that those customers kicked the habit. The data shows they did not purchase cigarettes elsewhere, but it remained unclear whether they got cigarettes from another source, possibly a friend or relative, Brennan said. But states in which CVS pulled out of the tobacco market sold 0.14 fewer packs of cigarettes per smoker a month compared to other states, the study found. In 1970, the American Pharmaceutical Association declared cigarette displays to be in conflict with the public health role of pharmacies. The following year, the association recommended that pharmacies stop selling tobacco. But until CVS quit the business, nationwide pharmacy chains had ignored the recommendation. We know that tobacco kills 488,000 people a year in the U.S., Brennan said. How can you sell that kind of thing when youre supposed to be emphasizing health care? Public health advocates have pressed Walgreens to also clear its shelves of cigarettes. But the pharmacy chain, one of the nations largest, has refused to leave the tobacco market. Asked to comment about the study, Walgreens provided a written statement. We believe that the most effective step we can take to help smokers quit is to address the root causes of smoking, which go far beyond the small percentage of smokers who access this product at pharmacies, it says. We have made an active decision to reduce space and visibility of tobacco products in certain of our stores as we focus on helping customers who want to stop smoking, the statement says. Robin Koval, CEO and president of Truth Initiative, a Washington, D.C. nonprofit dedicated to ending youth smoking, took Walgreens to task for failing to follow CVS lead and missing a significant opportunity to serve their customers health and welfare. The new study underscores the need for Walgreens to remove tobacco from its stores, Koval, who was not involved in the study, said in an email. Smoking is the leading cause of preventable disease and death in the U.S. One in four American adults use tobacco, and nearly 17 percent smoke cigarettes. The vast majority of smokers want to quit, Brennan said. Consequently, moving cigarettes out of their line of sight helps them to abstain. Cigarettes are an impulsive buy, he said. When you change availability, you can change the smoking habits of individuals. SOURCE: http://bit.ly/2lMrHQD American Journal of Public Health, online February 16, 2017. By Press Trust of India: New Delhi, Mar 20 (PTI) President Pranab Mukherjee today extended his greetings to the government and people of Iran on the occasion of Nouroz, the Iranian New Year. "The close friendship and cooperation between India and Iran are built on historical, civilisational and cultural ties spanning more than two millennia," Mukherjee was quoted as saying in a statement issued by Rashtrapati Bhavan. advertisement He said in the modern times, the relations between India and Iran are defined by close and multifaceted cooperation in diverse fields. "We look forward to developing our mutually beneficial partnership to greater heights in the coming years," Mukherjee said. PTI ABS RC --- ENDS --- And heres what to expect in HDB resale. From Reuters: Ride services company Uber Technologies Inc has been thrust deeper into turmoil with the departure of company president Jeff Jones, a marketing expert hired to help soften its often abrasive image. Jones quit less than seven months after joining the San Francisco company, an Uber spokesman said on Sunday. The reason for his departure was not immediately clear, but Jones' role was put into question after Uber earlier this month launched a search for a chief operating officer to help run the company alongside Chief Executive Travis Kalanick. From The Motley Fool: Raffles Medical Group Ltd is a healthcare services provider. It runs a hospital in Singapore, is currently developing a hospital in China (with an expected completion date of 2018), and has a network of medical facilities in 13 cities across five countries (Singapore, China, Japan, Vietnam, and Cambodia). At Raffles Medicals current stock price of $1.42, it is near a 52-week low price of $1.38. Given this, investors may be interested to know if the companys cheap right now. From PropertyGuru: Greater stability is expected in the public housing market in 2017, according to PropertyGurus HDB resale outlook report. Around 17,000 new flats will be launched this year, putting downward pressure on resale prices. HDB resale volumes are predicted to reach 23,000 units in 2017. More From Singapore Business Review JOHANNESBURG (AP) More than 5 million people in South Sudan do not have access to safe, clean water, compounding the country's problems of famine and civil war, according to UNICEF. Even those South Sudanese who can find water spend much of their day hiking, fetching and carrying the containers of the precious fluid that is essential to life. As World Water Day approaches on March 22, nearly 27 million people do not have access to clean water in Somalia, South Sudan, northeastern Nigeria and Yemen. In total about 12 percent of world population lacks clean drinking water and water-related diseases account for 3.5 million deaths each year, more than car accidents and AIDS combined, according to the World Water Council. In Africa 319 million people, representing 32 percent of sub-Saharan Africans, don't have safe drinking water. New York (AFP) - Billionaire philanthropist David Rockefeller, a former head of Chase Manhattan bank and a luminary in political circles, died Monday at the age of 101, a spokesman said. He died in his sleep due to congestive heart failure at his home in Pocantico Hills, just north of New York City, spokesman Fraser Seitel said. The last living grandson of Standard Oil co-founder John D. Rockefeller, Forbes magazine ranked David Rockefeller 581st on its annual list of billionaires released Monday, estimating his fortune of $3.3 billion. He led Chase Manhattan, now part of JPMorgan Chase, in the 1960s and 1970s, and his accomplishments included opening the first Moscow offices of an American bank and the first in mainland China after President Richard Nixon's 1972 visit there. He also oversaw the growth of Chase Manhattan's operations in the Middle East, Latin America and Japan, Seitel said. Rockefeller also was well known in political circles in the United States and overseas, where he encountered heads of states from close to 100 countries and was known as an outspoken champion of American capitalism. He was offered the post of Treasury secretary by presidents Jimmy Carter and Richard Nixon, but turned both men down, the New York Times reported. Rockefeller famously helped persuade then-president Carter to allow the shah of Iran into the United States for cancer treatment in 1979. The move was widely seen as spurring the Iranian revolution led by the Islamic fundamentalist Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. - Family tradition of philanthropy - Born in 1915, Rockefeller grew up in a mansion in Manhattan and attended Harvard College and then the University of Chicago, where he received a Ph.D. in Economics. He enlisted in the Army and served during World War II in North Africa and Southwestern France. The French government awarded him the Legion of Honor with the rank of Chevalier in 1945. Rockefeller joined Chase National Bank in 1946 as an assistant manager in the foreign department before subsequently overseeing the bank's business in Latin America. He became co-chief executive in 1961 and later sole chief executive before retiring in 1981. Story continues Rockefeller, along with brother Nelson, who was governor of New York state and later vice president under Gerald Ford, helped lead the development of the World Trade Center in the 1960s and 1970s in lower Manhattan. The Twin Towers were dubbed in the press "David" and "Nelson." The move continued a family tradition that had included the family's efforts to spur the building of Rockefeller Center during the Great Depression. Among his other most important civic roles, Rockefeller served as chairman of the Council on Foreign Relations and executive committee chair of the Museum of Modern Art, which his mother founded. Rockefeller Foundation President Rajiv Shah said in a statement "the world has lost a great man and philanthropist." Former president George H.W. Bush praised Rockefeller as "one of the most generous philanthropists" whose "keen aptitude for issues made him a valuable advisor to Presidents of both parties -- yours truly certainly included." Former president Bill Clinton hailed Rockefeller as "a consummate businessman, a great humanitarian, and a serious scholar." Rockefeller's grandfather was one of the original American "robber baron" tycoons of the 19th and early 20th centuries, employing brass-knuckles business tactics to build his oil empire before the US Supreme Court ruled in 1911 that his Standard Oil company should be broken up. Today's oil giants, including ExxonMobil and Chevron, are descendants of Standard Oil. Ironically, Rockefeller philanthropic organizations have strongly supported action on climate change policy, putting them at odds with oil companies like ExxonMobil. They also provide financing to research and journalism groups that accused the oil giant of knowingly supporting propaganda questioning the science of climate change. The Rockefeller family has been active in philanthropy since patriarch John D. Rockefeller, who funded medical research and higher education programs. The Museum of Modern Art, Rockefeller University and Harvard are each expected to receive some $100 million upon the death of David Rockefeller, according to the magazine Inside Philanthropy. Miami (AFP) - Low-oxygen areas of the ocean known as dead zones threaten hundreds of coral reefs worldwide, fragile ecosystems already struggling because of climate change and pollution, researchers said Monday. Although dead zones are not typically considered top killers of coral reefs, they may be far more common than previously thought, according to a study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, a peer-reviewed US journal. "Ocean warming and acidification are recognized global threats to reefs and require large-scale solutions, whereas the newly recognized threats to coral reefs caused by dead zones are more localized," said co-author Andrew Altieri, staff scientist at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute. "Fortunately dead zones can be reduced by controlling sewage and agricultural runoff into the ocean." Researchers became interested in the role of dead zones after seeing a widespread coral reef die-off on the Caribbean coast of Panama in 2010. The reefs in Almirante Bay, Bocas del Toro Province, turned white and died. Thick mats of bacterial slime covered the reefs, and dead crabs, sea urchins and sponges coated the ocean floor. In deeper water, the corals all died, but there was a clear line above which the reefs seemed healthy. So scientists measured the water quality and found extremely low oxygen levels in deeper waters, signaling a dead zone. High oxygen levels were measured in shallow waters where corals were still healthy, the report said. Researchers also found 20 other instances when dead zones were believed to play a role in mass coral die-offs worldwide. "Hypoxia (low oxygen) isn't even mentioned in several of the most important academic reviews of threats to coral reefs and is rarely discussed at scientific meetings," Altieri said. "Even worse, many coral-reef monitoring efforts do not include measurement of oxygen levels, making it nearly impossible to identify low oxygen as the cause of mass coral mortality after the fact." Researchers say their findings suggest that dead zones may be far more common than previously thought in the tropics. "For every one dead zone in the tropics, there are probably 10 -- nine of which have yet to be identified," said Nancy Knowlton, co-author and chair for Marine Science at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History. From Redbook In late 2016, HGTV stars Tarek and Christina El Moussa officially announced the end to their seven-year marriage. Despite the drama, the two plan to finish filming Season 7 of Flip or Flop, and officially started the new year with a new lives. Below, a definitive timeline of the El Moussa's seemingly perfect relationship, from when it started to after its demise. Photo credit: Getty 2000s Tarek El Moussa earns his real estate license at the age of 21 and meets his future wife, Christina, while at work at a real estate office. 2008 The budding Orange County real estate agents decide to dive into the real estate market together, but at a pretty bad time. The housing market went drastically downhill after the October stock market crash, and the couple was forced to give up their $6,000 per month home and move into a $700 per month apartment. May 2009 Tarek and Christina tie the knot and officially become the El Moussas. 2010 After struggling to get pregnant and undergoing in vitro fertilization, Christina gives birth to the couple's first child, a girl named Taylor Reese. April 2013 Flip or Flop premieres on HGTV. The show documents the process of the the El Moussas buying distressed properties and remodeling or "flipping" them to sell them for a profit. Photo credit: Getty 2013 Tarek receives a phone call from a nurse who was watching Flip or Flop, who notices a lump in his neck. Tarek has the lump examined and doctors diagnose him with stage 2 thyroid cancer. 2013 Two months after being treated for his thyroid cancer, Tarek learns he also has testicular cancer. He and Christina make the hard decision to keep the second diagnosis private; much later, Tarek explains on a March episode of The Doctors that the demands of the show combined with the stress of the treatment took a toll on he and Christina's relationship. Fortunately, Tarek had the cancer removed and is currently in good health. 2014 The TV couple sells one of their flipped Orange County properties to Tarek's sister. Story continues Photo credit: Getty 2015 The couple has their second child, a boy named Brayden James. April 2016 After 7 years of marriage, the couple celebrate their wedding anniversary by purchasing their very own boat, appropriately named Flip or Flop. May 2016 According to US Weekly, on May 23, 11 deputies from the Orange County police department were called to the El Moussa home in response to a "possibly suicidal male with a gun." Reportedly, an eyewitness told police that he saw Tarek "run out of his back door, jump over his back fence and walk northbound into the hiking trails of the Chino Hills State Park." Christina's friend, who happened to be home during the incident, later disclosed to the police that she saw Tarek grab a handgun from his safe before heading outside the home. Tarek later told the police that he had "no intention of hurting himself" and that he took the gun for protection and "to blow off steam." Photo credit: Getty December 2016 Tarek and Christina announce their split after facing ups and downs in their marriage. The couple releases a statement to US Weekly: "Like many couples, we have had challenges in our marriage. We had an unfortunate misunderstanding about six months ago and the police were called to our house in an abundance of caution. There was no violence and no charges were filed. We chose to get counseling to sort out our relationship. Together, we have decided to separate while we reevaluate the future of our marriage. During this process, we are committed to our kids and being the best parents we can be. We will continue to work through this process civilly and cooperatively, and plan to continue our professional life together." Though they formerly announced their split in December, the couple had reportedly been separated since May. It had also been rumored that the couple had already begun dating other people. Christina reportedly starts to date the former couple's contractor, Gary Anderson. January 2017 Tarek files for divorce from Christina. The divorce follows a year-long split. February 21, 2017 Christina El Moussa appears on ABC for her first TV interview since her public split. March 2017 Christina attends the All-Star Chef Classic at L.A. Live, where the Flip or Flop star opens up about her new life to E! News, saying things between her and former husband are now normal. "Tarek and I are in a very good place right now. We're doing a really good job," she says. "We share the kids 50/50 and our communication is great. Like I said, the kids are happy, so everyone's doing really well." But despite the couple's split, the El Moussas want to make sure that their Flip or Flop franchise stays alive. HGTV announces in March that Flip or Flop will now expand to other states with new stars. "We were approached about a year ago that they were going to explore doing Flip or Flop in some other states, and we gave it our blessing," she tells E! News. According to US Weekly, the Flip or Flop spinoffs will start off in the 5 cities of Chicago, Nashville, Atlanta, Texas, and Las Vegas by 2018. Photo credit: Getty Follow Redbook on Facebook. You Might Also Like Judge Neil Gorsuch defended his judicial record on the first day of his confirmation hearing, preempting attacks by Democrats who accused him of being insensitive to the human side of his cases. Giving an opening statement to the Senate Judiciary Committee Monday afternoon, President Trumps nominee to fill the open seat on the Supreme Court said he has tried to treat all who come before me fairly and with respect. Ive ruled for disabled students, for prisoners, for the accused, for workers alleging civil rights violations, and for undocumented immigrants, he testified. Sometimes too Ive ruled against such persons. My decisions have never reflected a judgment about the people before me, only a judgment about the law and facts and issues in each particular case. A good judge can promise no more than that, and a good judge should guarantee no less. Gorsuchs comments came after nearly four hours of opening statements by the Senators on the committee and responded to Democratic concerns that he often sides with corporations at the expense of individuals. I have not seen that the rights of minorities are a priority for you, Democratic Sen. Mazie Hirono of Hawaii said to Gorsuch in her opening statement. In fact, a pattern jumps out at me. You rarely seem to find in favor of the little guy. Multiple other Democrats cited the so-called frozen trucker case, in which Gorsuch dissented against a man who was fired for abandoning his truck in sub-zero temperatures when he feared for his health. That freezing night was not as cold as your dissent, Judge Gorsuch, Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois said pointedly. But Gorsuch advanced a conservative vision of his role as a judge and possible future justice, arguing that even if he doesnt like the result of a case, that does not mean the legal reasoning isnt sound. Story continues If judges were just secret legislators, declaring not what the law is but what they would like it to be, he said, the very idea of government by the people and for the people would be at risk. And he said Justice Anthony Kennedy taught him that a case isnt just a number or a name, but a life story. (Gorsuch once clerked for Kennedy and if hes confirmed, the two would become the first ever justice and former clerk to sit on the Supreme Court together.) Gorsuch also presented statistics to sway Democrats who say theyre trying to determine whether hes in the legal mainstream, the criteria Democratic leader Chuck Schumer set forth for his confirmation. My law clerks tell me that 97% of those 2,700 cases I decided [on the 10th Circuit] were decided unanimously, Gorsuch said, and that Ive been in the majority 99% of the time. Thats my record. Monday marked the first day that senators have had the chance to publicly probe the Supreme Court nominee after more than a month of private meetings Gorsuch laughed when dozens of cameras swarmed him and began furiously clicking as he took his seat. But Tuesday is when the conflict will begin in earnest, as Gorsuch faces his first day of questioning. Committee head Sen. Chuck Grassley predicted the first round of questioning will last for about 10 hours, and joked that he would appreciate it if he could be home for his preferred 9 p.m. bedtime. (WASHINGTON) The chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee praised President Donald Trumps Supreme Court pick on Monday for an unfailing commitment to the principle of separation of powers, as Judge Neil Gorsuchs confirmation hearing got underway. His grasp on the separation of powers including judicial independence enlivens his body of work, Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, said in opening remarks to begin the long-awaited hearing 13 months after Justice Antonin Scalias death created a vacancy on the Supreme Court. The court opening was never filled last year as Republicans blocked President Barack Obamas nominee, Judge Merrick Garland, until a new president could be elected. Senate Democrats remain furious about that GOP obstruction, and are under intense pressure from liberal base voters opposed to Trump, but they enter the hearing divided over how hard to fight his court choice. Im deeply disappointed its under these circumstances that we begin these hearings, the top Democrat on the committee, Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California, said in her opening remarks, referencing Garlands treatment. Still, she said senators responsibility through the hearing was to determine whether Gorsuch is a reasonable mainstream conservative, or is he not. Gorsuch, 49, is a respected, highly credentialed and conservative member of the Denver-based 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. He arrived in the large and crowded hearing room Monday with amiable smiles all around, and introduced his wife, Louise, other family members as well as law clerks, remarking, I consider them family, too. Gorsuch then settled in to listen as Grassley and Feinstein delivered opening statements, which were to be followed by opening remarks from all the other 20 committee members before Gorsuch gets his chance to speak. Republican Senate leaders intend to move quickly on the nomination. Grassley announced plans for a committee vote on April 3, which would be followed by a vote in the full Senate later that week. Story continues The nomination has been surprisingly low-key thus far on a Capitol Hill distracted by Trump-driven controversies over wiretapping and Russian spying as well as attempts to pass a divisive health care bill. The hearings give Democratic senators a chance to press Gorsuch on issues like judicial independence, given Trumps attacks on the judiciary, as well as what they view as Gorsuchs own history of siding with corporations in his 10 years on the bench. Gorsuchs supporters dispute such criticism and argue that the judge is exceptionally well-qualified by background and temperament, mild-mannered and down to earth, the author of lucid and well-reasoned opinions. Gorsuch told Democratic senators during private meetings that he was disheartened by Trumps criticism of judges who ruled against the presidents immigration ban, but Schumer and others were dissatisfied with these comments and are looking for a more forceful stance on that issue and others. Democrats have struggled with how to handle the Gorsuch nomination, especially since the nominee is hardly a fire-breathing bomb-thrower. Democrats are under intense pressure from liberal voters to resist Trump at every turn, and many remain irate over the treatment of Garland, who was denied so much as a hearing last year by Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. Several of the more liberal Senate Democrats have already announced plans to oppose Gorsuch and seek to block his nomination from coming to a final vote. But delay tactics by Democrats could lead McConnell to exercise procedural maneuvers of his own to eliminate the 60-vote filibuster threshold now in place for Supreme Court nominations, and with it any Democratic leverage to influence the next Supreme Court fight. Republicans control the Senate 52-48. The filibuster rule when invoked requires 60 of the 100 votes to advance a bill or nomination, contrasted with the simple 51-vote majority that applies in most cases. Supreme Court Justice nominee Neil Gorsuch. (Photo: Andrew Harnik/AP) WASHINGTON Senate Democrats hope to force Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch into revealing his opinions on abortion rights and the legality of President Trumps travel ban during confirmation hearings that begin Monday. Supreme Court nominees are usually circumspect when asked to share their views on issues that could one day make their way to the court, a standard that Gorsuchs defenders say was set by liberal Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg during her confirmation hearing in 1993. But Democrats argue that Gorsuchs nomination is different given Trumps repeated attacks on judges. I think he has an obligation to show unequivocally and emphatically his support for an independent judiciary and his own independence from Donald Trump, Sen. Dick Blumenthal, D-Conn., told Yahoo News. Gorsuch told Blumenthal in a private meeting in February that he felt Trumps attacks on judges who temporarily blocked his first executive order banning travel from several majority-Muslim nations were demoralizing. The judge will likely be repeatedly asked about the presidents statements. The opinion of this so-called judge, which essentially takes law-enforcement away from our country, is ridiculous and will be overturned! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 4, 2017 Blumenthal acknowledges that Gorsuch would not be able to comment directly on the litigation surrounding the executive order since it will likely reach the Supreme Court. But he thinks Gorsuch should be able to answer broadly about what constitutes religious discrimination by explaining whether he supports past Supreme Court decisions. There are cases involving religious discrimination that would be very appropriate for him to address, cases decided many years ago, Blumenthal said. Carrie Severino, chief counsel of the Judicial Crisis Network, a group that is backing Gorsuch, said the judge will need to be wary of getting pinned down on questions that are veiled attempts at eliciting an opinion on Trumps travel ban. Story continues We have seen [Sen.] Chuck Schumer and some of the Democrats trying to paint Gorsuch as nonresponsive, she said. The same people who are attempting to get him to make commitments on these cases which everyone understands are going to come up before the court are going to be filing a recusal motion if he did make those statements. He simply is not ethically able to respond to them, she added. Blumenthal also believes Gorsuch should have to clarify his stand on the Supreme Court decisions Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey, which upheld a womans right to an abortion. Trump vowed to appoint a justice who would overturn Roe, which Blumenthal says makes this question even more crucial than in previous nominations. Gorsuch has never directly ruled on the issue. He has an obligation to come clean with the American people before he assumes a lifetime appointment on the nations highest court, Blumenthal said. Nominees in the past have found ways to dodge answering hot-button questions, and Gorsuch is likely to do the same. Democrats will also ask the judge to answer questions raised by his tenure as the Justice Departments third-highest ranking official in President George W. Bushs administration. Gorsuch helped defend the administrations warrantless wiretapping program and its treatment of detainees in the war on terror. The senators also have picked out cases in which Gorsuch ruled against sympathetic plaintiffs like trucker Alphonse Maddin, who was fired after driving to safety when his trailer broke down in subzero weather. Gorsuch has been nominated to fill the seat left vacant after conservative firebrand Justice Antonin Scalia died last year. His appointment would restore a 5-4 conservative majority on the court. The hearings will likely last four days, with a vote anticipated in early April. Democrats, including Blumenthal and Schumer, have threatened to filibuster Gorsuchs nomination if they decide he is outside of the mainstream, but Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said he would have no problem changing the chambers rules to let Gorsuch pass through on just 50 votes. The Democrats efforts to paint Gorsuch as extreme are also undercut by his bipartisan support from former law clerks and colleagues across the ideological spectrum. Former Obama administration lawyer Neal Katyal will help introduce Gorsuch at Mondays confirmation hearing. Related: Read more from Yahoo News: WASHINGTON In the first day of his Supreme Court confirmation hearing on Monday, Judge Neil Gorsuch defended himself from Senate Democrats who said he ruled against the little guy as a federal judge. I have ruled for disabled students, prisoners, for workers alleging civil rights violations, and for undocumented immigrants, Gorsuch said. Sometimes, I have ruled against [them], too. But my decisions have never reflected a judgment about the people before me only a judgment about the law and facts at issue in each particular case. Gorsuchs statement came after he listened to hours of remarks from senators on the Judiciary Committee, which over four days this week is weighing his nomination to the nations highest court. Democratic senators, still angry over Republicans refusal to allow former President Barack Obamas Supreme Court nominee, Merrick Garland, a hearing last year, repeatedly brought up cases in which Gorsuch sided against sympathetic plaintiffs while he served as a federal judge in Colorado. That included the case of Alphonse Maddin, a trucker fired after his trailer broke down in subzero temperatures. Gorsuch concluded it wasnt illegal for the company to fire him for seeking safety when he began to lose feeling in his body after hours of waiting for help. It might be fair to ask whether TransAms decision was a wise or kind one, Gorsuch wrote in his dissent. But its not our job to answer questions like that. Our only task is to decide whether the decision was an illegal one. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., described the frigid environment Maddin faced when he decided to seek help, remarking to Gorsuch that the temperatures were freezing, but not as cold as your dissent. Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, also brought up Maddins case. A pattern jumps out at me: you rarely seem to find in favor of the little guy, she said. You consistently choose corporations and powerful interests over people, she added. We need to know whats in your heart. Story continues Republicans on the committee rushed to Gorsuchs defense over these attacks, saying that judges must be impartial servants of the law and that means sometimes ruling against sympathetic plaintiffs. The American people deserve the comfort of a judiciary thats cold and impartial, said Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Neb. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., said he found it inspiring that Gorsuch didnt let his sympathy or empathy for a case influence his final decisions. Several senators, and Gorsuch himself, paraphrased the late Justice Antonin Scalia, who once said the judge who always likes the results he reaches is a bad judge. Gorsuch also noted that the vast majority of the cases he decided from the bench were unanimous decisions. Sen. Cory Gardner, R-Colo., highlighted cases in which Gorsuch most certainly focused on the little guy. He quoted Denver attorney and Democrat Marcy Glenn in praising Gorsuch for siding with underdogs in a case allowing people to sue over illnesses connected to a nearby nuclear weapons facility. Democratic senators frequently aired their bitterness over the committee Republicans treatment of Garland, whose nomination was blocked last year. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., said in his opening statement that he believed Garland was more qualified than Gorsuch, which is saying something. But it remains to be seen if the Democrats actually vote against Gorsuch, whose impeccable credentials and support from across the ideological spectrum (former Obama administration lawyer Neal Katyal introduced him Monday) make him an imperfect vessel for their opposition to Donald Trump. Supreme Court Justice nominee Neil Gorsuch arrives on Capitol Hill for his confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais) Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., carefully revealed this conflict in his statement Monday, saying he was angry about Garlands treatment but did not think that was reason enough to oppose Gorsuch. Bennet said he was keeping an open mind on Trumps nominee. Other Democrats sounded much more skeptical of Gorsuch. Sens. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., and Dick Blumenthal, D-Conn., said they believed Gorsuch must go further than previous nominees in explaining his judicial philosophy and declaring his independence from the judicial branch given Trumps attacks on judges. Gorsuch privately told some senators in February that he found Trumps comments about judges who ruled against his executive order disheartening. You know its not enough to say in private that the presidents attacks on the judiciary are disheartening, Leahy said. It isnt enough to do it in the privacy of my office or my colleagues behind closed doors, Blumenthal said. I believe that our system really requires and demands that you do it publicly and explicitly and directly. But Republican senators argued that Gorsuch should not be made to comment on the presidents statements or on any case that might come up before him on the Supreme Court. Was Justice Ginsburg or Breyer asked about the sexual harassment suit filed by Paula Jones? Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, asked, referring to former President Bill Clintons nominees. Supreme Court nominee judge Neil Gorsuch attends his Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill. (REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst) Cruz said Democrats standard to make Gorsuch criticize the president was a double standard. Meanwhile, Sen. Lindsay Graham, R-S.C., said he wished the Senate would return to its earlier standard of voting for Supreme Court candidates if they are qualified for the job, regardless of whether individual senators share the nominees judicial philosophy. He noted that Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Antonin Scalia were nearly unanimously confirmed. Unlike 31 of his Republican colleagues, Graham voted for Justice Sonia Sotomayor in 2009 because he believed she was fit for the job, even though he disagreed with her. As to whether or not this man is highly qualified, Im dying to hear the argument that hes not, Graham said of Gorsuch. Senators begin to question Gorsuch Tuesday, with a committee vote on his nomination expected April 3. Read more from Yahoo News: Stockholm (AFP) - Denmark on Monday summoned Turkey's charge d'affaires for talks after local media reported that Danish citizens of Turkish origin critical of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan claimed they had been denounced to Ankara. The Danish foreign ministry said in a statement its foreign policy director "made it clear" that Denmark "saw with great concern" those reports about Danish citizens allegedly being registered by Turkish authorities accused of treason because of their political affiliation. During the meeting, the charge d'affaires said Turkey denied registering Turks living in Denmark based on their political opposition to the government or even having such a registry. Informing on Turks is only permitted in terrorism-related issues, the charge d'affaires said, according to the Danish ministry statement. The Turkish charge d'affaires could not be reached for immediate comment. On Saturday, Danish daily Berlingske reported that several Danish citizens of Turkish origin claimed to have been accused of treason by Ankara and placed on a list because of their political views. Mustafa Gezen, a high-school teacher in Denmark, had appeared on a TV programme last year criticising Erdogan. He later received an anonymous phone call. "A man with a heavy Danish accent told me he had recorded the programme. He said he would send it to the Turkish embassy in Denmark," Gezen told Berlingske. Lars Aslan Rasmussen, a lawmaker for the Social Democrats who has Turkish roots, said he has been contacted by people through Facebook and over the phone saying his name has been sent to the Turkish authorities. "I take this very seriously. I would of course be very upset if I couldn't go there anymore because my father is from there," Rasmussen told Berlingske, referring to Turkey. On March 12, Danish Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen called on his Turkish counterpart Binali Yildirim to delay a visit planned for later this month because of "tensions" between Ankara and the neighbouring Netherlands. Dutch authorities had refused to allow Turkish ministers to campaign for an April 16 referendum on expanding Erdogan's powers, prompting the Turkish strongman to compare them with Nazi Germany. "Such a visit could not take place in light of the current attacks by Turkey against the Netherlands. Therefore I proposed to my Turkish colleague to postpone our meeting," Rasmussen said in a statement. India's badminton star PV Sindhu is turning out to be quite the diva, and we're just not complaining. By India Today Web Desk: PV Sindhu blew our minds with her stellar performance on the badminton court at Rio Olympics. She is back now, amazing us off the court this time, in an all-new royal avatar! Recently, the athlete adorned an elegant Anjali Jani outfit for her meeting with the US consulate general, Katherine Hadda, and we're still swooning over her look. Picture courtesy: Instagram/pvsindhu1 advertisement The dusky beauty did absolute justice to her embellished beige outfit and a violet applique cape. Sindu slayed this embroidered blouse and dhoti pants, while oozing her natural confidence and charm. Picture courtesy: Instagram/pvsindhu1 With hair pinned on one side, flaunting a just-right shade of gold in her ears, a studded statement ring, Sindhu totally owned this ethnic ensemble. The earrings by Varun Raheja (Minerali Store) added just a dash of royalty to the look, while her super-toned abs made that embroidered blouse fit like a dream. It's not hard to see her channelling royal Arabian-Night-princess vibes now, is it? Picture courtesy: Instagram/pvsindhu1 She posted a few pictures on Instagram in her ethnic avatar and made us want more of her. On the court and off it, this wonder woman is definitely making us wonder about her other hidden talents. --- ENDS --- Addis Ababa (AFP) - One minute, Zemed Derib stood negotiating with her precocious siblings who had locked themselves inside their uncle's home as a prank. The next, the playful scene gave way to horror as the hillside of the rubbish dump above them collapsed. With terrified screams of neighbours filling the air, Zemed abandoned her doomed sisters and took to her heels, outrunning the torrent of fetid dirt that swallowed homes and killed at least 113 people in Africa's second most-populous country, Ethiopia. "I ran away, but finally, when I turn my face, nothing was there. Everything changed into black," Zemed said as she sat clutching a portrait of her mother Yeshi Beyene, one of the victims of the disaster at Koshe, the country's largest rubbish dump situated on the outskirts of the capital Addis Ababa. On Saturday, a week after the tragedy, men in face masks and rubber aprons waited for excavators to move aside the waste to carry out their search for the dead. Zemed, wearing all black, is mourning the loss of seven relatives, including her three younger sisters and a baby girl born days earlier who had not yet been named. Zemed's family lived among a community of hundreds who had built homes on the side of Koshe's main slope and spent their days scavenging for valuable rubbish trucked in from neighbourhoods around this city of about four million people. - Accident waiting to happen? - The settlement is now buried under a wall of black muck and the landslide left a jagged, crescent-shaped cut in the side of the landfill's rise. Friends and relatives gathered under the watchful eyes of dozens of police officers, who harassed AFP journalists conducting interviews with victims' family members in a private home and forced them to delete photos and videos they had taken. Koshe residents say their status at the dump has long been contentious. The government last year tried to move the dump to a different site, only to back down in the face of protests from people living near the proposed new location. Story continues Meanwhile, bulldozers have flattened parts of the landfill to make way for a biogas plant, one of many infrastructure projects the government of Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn has pointed to as evidence of its efforts to develop Ethiopia, where poverty is rampant despite years of rapid economic growth. While some residents have speculated that the plant's construction destabilised the hillside, communications minister Negeri Lencho said investigators from the United States and Ethiopia will have the final say on what caused the disaster. The government has promised to find accommodation for people who lost their homes in the calamity, but Zemed said her surviving relatives have nowhere to stay and have lost everything they own. "It's changed into mud," she said. "Everything is changed into mud." Since breaking out internationally with Whale Rider in 2002, New Zealand director Niki Caro has produced a steady stream of well-regarded dramas. She has directed three actresses to Oscar nominations: first, Whale Riders Keisha Castle-Hughes at that time the youngest actress to be nominated for a supporting role then Charlize Theron and Frances McDormand in 2005s North Country. And now, as the director of the live-action remake of Disneys 1998 animated musical Mulan, she will become the fourth woman to solo-direct a movie with a budget north of $100 million. Speaking to TIME about her upcoming movie The Zookeepers Wife, which stars Jessica Chastain as real-life Polish hero Antonina Zabinski, who saved hundreds of Jews during the Holocaust, Caro took a moment to address her inclusion on a short list that includes Kathryn Bigelow (K-19: The Widowmaker), Patty Jenkins (this Junes Wonder Woman) and Ava DuVernay (next years A Wrinkle in Time, also from Disney). When asked how it feels to join this group, Caro sighed. Thats depressing, isnt it? As a statistic, thats really depressing. But she acknowledged the studio responsible for tapping the latest names on the list. Big ups to Disney for the fact that their last two movies are directed by women. And she displayed no uncertainty about what she plans to do now that shes one of them: Me and Ava, she promised, well just kick that door wide open so more can follow. Disneys Mulan remake is just one of many beloved animated films the studio is revisiting, from last years The Jungle Book and the Beauty and the Beast remake in theaters now to Guy Ritchies forthcoming take on Aladdin and Tim Burtons live-action Dumbo. Last fall, Disney put out a casting call for actors bilingual in English and Mandarin to star in Mulan, which is due November 2018. And while Beauty and the Beast retained the original movies songs, even adding a few, Caro recently confirmed to Moviefone that the remake, based on current plans, will not be a musical. Caro, who will start work on Mulan after The Zookeepers Wife is released on March 31, may be a little biased after landing the gig, but she says she favors Mulan above the Belles and Ariels of Disneys royal history. Of all the princesses, shes the most kick-ass. I love her the most, she says. I have daughters, so Im down with all princesses, but Im particularly down with Mulan. LONDON (AP) The deputy director-general of Britain's MI5 spy agency has been named as the new chief of the government surveillance agency known as GCHQ. Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said Monday that Jeremy Fleming will become director of GCHQ. Johnson said Fleming has worked for two decades to help keep Britain safe from attack. Fleming will succeed Robert Hannigan, who said in January he was stepping down as director for personal reasons. GCHQ has been dragged into the controversy surrounding President Donald Trump's assertion that he had been a surveillance target at the direction of former President Barack Obama. In a rare public statement, GCHQ last week rejected the claim that it had been involved as "nonsense" and "utterly ridiculous." GCHQ plays an important role in the effort to intercept extremists' communications. Drake, Canadian rapper, meme hero and frequent poster boy for unrequited love, just gave quite the shout-out to his music collaborator, Jennifer Lopez. His association with the star appeared to be purely professional, even though a potential romantic union had untapped potential for a truly great couple moniker (because, who wouldnt have enjoyed Dra-Lo?) Not one to hide his emotions, Drake released a 22-song playlist (not an album) titled More Life over the weekend, which opens with the song Free Smoke featuring the 6 god confessing, I drunk text J. Lo/Old numbers so I bounce back/Boy Wonder gotta bounce back. If that wasnt a blatant enough hint that Drake still had lots of feelings about J. Lo, a later song on the playlist called Teenage Fever samples her hit song If You Had My Love and includes the acutely on-brand lyrics Your heart is hard to carry after dark / Youre to blame for what we could have been / Cause look at what we are. J. Lo, for her part, is busy canoodling in the Bahamas and Miami with her rumored new flame, A-Rod. DOVER, Del. (AP) Police say a Delaware man was picked up on his third driving-under-the-influence arrest after he was found passed out in the drive-thru lane of a McDonald's restaurant. Master Cpl. Mark Hoffman, a Dover police spokesman, said in a news release that 21-year-old Octavio Lopez-Hernandez of Dover was arrested around 1 a.m. Saturday after police were called to the restaurant. Lopez-Hernandez was taken into custody without incident and charged with third offense DUI, a felony. Lopez-Hernandez was being held behind bars with bond set at $5,000. It was not immediately clear whether he has an attorney. (This March 17 story has been corrected to fix quote in paragraph 3 to make clear fields are mostly depleted, not money from the fields) By Alexandre Assis DILI (Reuters) - East Timorese flocked to political rallies on the final day of campaigning ahead of Monday's presidential election, as Asia's youngest democracy grapples with persistent poverty and corruption at a time when oil revenues are rapidly running dry. This year's presidential poll and parliamentary elections in July come as concerns mount over the failure to use wealth generated by oil and gas sales to support development and create jobs. "The next five years with new leadership is a critical time because the currently used oil fields are mostly depleted," said Charles Scheiner of La'o Hamutuk, a Dili-based think-tank. The challenge for any incoming government would be to wean the nation of 1.2 million people off oil and diversify its sources of income into agriculture and manufacturing, he said. The energy sector accounted for around 60 percent of GDP in 2014 and more than 90 percent of government revenue. Monday's election, the fourth since independence in 2002, is being contested by eight candidates. Francisco "Lu Olo" Guterres, backed by the party that led the independence struggle, Fretilin, is a favorite to win the election. His chances were further enhanced by the endorsement of resistance hero Xanana Gusmao and his CNRT party, said Michael Leach of Australia's Swinburne University. Police on Friday were keeping an eye on possible unrest as candidates held rallies around Dili. Supporters of Guterres in convoys of trucks chanted "Viva Lu Olo, Viva Fretilin, Viva CNRT" on their way to a rally about 15 km (9 miles) from the capital in Tasitolu. "If I am later chosen to be president of East Timor, I will prioritize the economic and education sectors, to support the welfare of the people," Guterres said while campaigning. Another leading candidate is Democratic Party politician Antonio da Conceicao. The education minister has called for "peaceful politics" in a country that has suffered communal violence. He has the backing his own party as well as the newly formed People's Liberation Party (PLP) of the incumbent president Jose Maria de Vasconcelos. The president plays a largely ceremonial role, but it is an important post for underpinning unity, particularly with unemployment running at around 60 percent. Vasconcelos, also know by his former guerrilla nickname "Taur Matan Ruak" (two sharp eyes), is expected to run for the more powerful prime minister's post in the July elections. The new government will inherit a looming budget crunch as its main source of revenue, the Bayu-Udan field, operated by ConocoPhillips, is set to dry up in the next five years. That will put pressure on the government to resolve disputes with Australia that are holding back the development of a potential new source of revenue, the Greater Sunrise field. The field is estimated to hold 5.1 trillion cubic feet of gas and 226 million barrels of condensates, which have been estimated to be worth $40 billion. The former Portuguese colony was invaded by Indonesia in 1975. A 24-year resistance movement achieved independence in 2002 and many of its key figures still feature prominently in the running of the country. (Additional reporting by Kanupriya Kapoor in JAKARTA and Ben Weir in SYDNEY; Editing by Ed Davies and Nick Macfie) Raj had started the annual ritual just last year. The MNS even fought a court battle for holding the event at the ground where political rallies are not allowed. By Kamlesh Damodar Sutar: After a drab performance in the recently concluded municipal corporation polls, Raj's Thackeray MNS is staring at a bleak future. Party Supremo Raj has cancelled his annual rally at the Shivaji Park on Marathi New Year 'Gudi Padwa'. Raj had started the annual ritual just last year. The MNS even fought a court battle for holding the event at the ground where political rallies are not allowed. The Shiv Sena has been holding its annual rally on Dusshera at the same venue for over four decades now. advertisement Raj called a meeting of his party office bearers at his Dadar residence today. According to sources, Raj informed his party men that he will be travelling out of the country with his son Amit for medical reasons. Amit Thakeray has been unwell and undergoing treatment. Due to Amit's health, Raj had joined the election campaign late and addressed just 4 rallies. Raj also spoke about his son's health in his first rally at Vikhroli in Mumbai informing the supporters that he was caught up with his ailing son. The MNS performed badly in the recently held municipal polls in Maharashtra. In Mumbai, his party could manage just 7 seats. While in his bastion Nasik, Raj's party that was in power was decimated to just 3 seats. On the backdrop of his poor show, Raj made a brief appearance at his party's Foundation Day earlier this month. Raj promised his followers in the rally that this will be the last defeat seen by his party and that his party will rise all over again. "We believed that Raj saheb perhaps refrained from making any political comments at the party foundation day as he was expected to speak at the party's annual Gudi Padwa rally. But now with the rally cancelled, party cadres will be left disappointed," said a party leader on the condition of anonymity. Also read: BMC election results: What's next for Raj Thackeray's MNS after the big debacle Also read: Mumbai: Sion doctors hold silent protest, OPD services affected in many hospitals --- ENDS --- Dili (East Timor) (AFP) - East Timor voted for a new president Monday, with a former guerrilla fighter tipped for victory after winning the backing of the two biggest parties, in a new sign of stability for Asia's youngest nation. The vote comes at a challenging time for the tiny half-island nation 15 years after independence, with oil reserves running dry and its leaders struggling to reach agreement with Australia over lucrative energy fields. It is the first presidential election since the departure of United Nations peacekeepers in 2012. But despite fears of violence there has been only sporadic and low-level unrest in the run-up to the vote. Francisco Guterres -- known by his nom de guerre "Lu-Olo" -- is favourite to win the presidency, which is largely ceremonial but can have a key role in keeping the peace between feuding politicians. He is leader of the second-biggest party Fretilin and also won the backing of independence hero Xanana Gusmao and his CNRT party, the country's largest. "I am sure I will win, that there will be no second round," Guterres, who is facing seven challengers for the presidency, said after casting his vote in the capital Dili. He will have to secure over 50 percent of the vote to avoid a run-off in April. Democratic Party politician Antonio da Conceicao is seen as his closest rival in the fourth presidential election since East Timor gained independence in 2002 following a brutal 24-year Indonesian occupation. Current President Taur Matan Ruak is not seeking re-election. Analysts say Guterres's unified candidacy will help stabilise a nation repeatedly rocked by bouts of violence. "That is good from the point of view of stability, because competitive politics can raise tensions," Damien Kingsbury, an East Timor expert from Australia's Deakin University, told AFP. Kingsbury said it suggests that the country will continue to be led by a unity government following parliamentary elections later in the year. Story continues But he added that the absence of a viable opposition could raise concerns about government accountability. - Huge challenges - Guterres is from a humble family and like many members of East Timor's political class took part in the bloody struggle against Indonesian occupation. He was Fretilin's unsuccessful candidate for presidential polls in 2007. Vasco Pires de Jesus, a 58-year-old labourer, told AFP he was voting for him because "he is a fighter who fought alongside Xanana Gusmao in the forest to bring independence to this country". Whoever wins the vote will preside over a nation with huge challenges. East Timor remains a deeply poor country and the government has struggled to improve the livelihoods of its 1.1 million people. As well as diversifying the resource-rich economy away from a reliance on oil, the country's leaders must agree a new sea border with Australia after tearing up a contentious maritime treaty that cuts through energy fields. Polls closed at 3:00 pm (0600 GMT) and preliminary results should be known within a few days. Many of the candidates are not serious contenders and are more concerned with raising the profile of their parties before the more important parliamentary elections that will decide the government and prime minister. Well-known figures closely associated with the independence struggle have in the past held the presidency, including Gusmao and Nobel Peace laureate Jose Ramos-Horta. But many have now withdrawn from the front line of politics to let a new generation take over. Indonesia moved into East Timor in 1975 after colonial master Portugal withdrew. During the occupation, around 183,000 people died from fighting, starvation or disease. Athens (AFP) - Greek police said they found eight "suspect" packages on Monday addressed to global economic institutions, after a domestic militant group sent mail bombs to the IMF and German finance ministry last week. The packages, intended for "officials at European countries" were located at the Greek postal service's main sorting centre north of Athens, a police statement said. A police source later said the packages were intended for officials at the Eurogroup and other global economic institutions. Last week, a mail bomb sent to the International Monetary Fund's offices in Paris exploded and injured a secretary. A second bomb sent to the German finance ministry was intercepted by security. The investigation so far suggests that both the IMF and the German finance ministry bombs were sent by a far-left group called the Conspiracy of Fire Nuclei, which police thought they had mostly dismantled in 2011. A source close to the investigation in Paris last week said the mail bomb consisted of two tubes of black powder and a makeshift electric trigger. A second Greek police source on Monday said the eight additional packages had been scanned and "found to contain a similar mechanism." To make the packages more likely to be opened, the perpetrators listed Greek economic officials and academics as the senders. - 'Criminal organisation' - Last week, the names of two senior officials in Greece's conservative New Democracy party were used as the alleged senders -- deputy leader Adonis Georgiadis and party spokesman Vassilis Kikilias, formerly a police minister himself. The Berlin package was intended for German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble, and was discovered a day before he was due to host his new US counterpart, Steven Mnuchin. Greek authorities last week said package screening procedures at Athens airport were state of the art, while a spokesman for the airport's security company said the small quantity of gunpowder contained in the packages was hard to trace. Story continues Conspiracy of Fire Nuclei, which is considered a terror organisation by Washington, sent mail bombs to foreign embassies in Greece and to European leaders in 2010. The outfit, which has links to the Italy-based Informal Anarchist Federation (FAI), has only claimed last week's German finance ministry hit. Many Greeks blame Germany and the IMF for imposing years of public-sector cuts and policy overhauls in exchange for bailout packages needed to prop up the debt-ridden country. Police say the name "Conspiracy of Fire Nuclei" had been used as a cover by urban militants carrying out minor arson attacks against car dealerships and police vehicles since the middle of the last decade. In 2011, several of its members, many of them very young, were convicted of "participating in a criminal organisation" and given long prison sentences. Three years later, the group announced its return and has since been committing sporadic attacks. The organisation denounces capitalism and consumerism, as well as police repression and worker exploitation. Starring in Disneys live-action adaptation of Beauty and the Beast was apparently a fairy tale come true for Emma Watson. During a recent press conference for the film, the 26-year-old actor told the Irish Independent that she felt fortunate to have already had the privilege to play two of her fictional role models Belle and Hermione Granger. I think that I just feel really lucky. For me, Belle was my childhood heroine; [the animated original] came out two days after I was born, she said. And then, in my early teens, it was about idolising Hermione. So to be given the chance to play my two childhood idols is probably a very unique and rare experience for an actress. Watson also spoke about how she feels she has grown personally and professionally since the completion of the Harry Potter series. I think I came out of [Beauty and the Beast] with more confidence, with more skills. And more belief in myself, she said. Because when I came off Potter and decided to go to university, that wasnt a career decision the people I worked with were pleased about. But I kind of I try to stay true to whatever whisper Im getting from myself and I hope that will see me through. Thats all I can do really. Otherwise, if I dont listen to myself, Id feel a bit lost in it all. WASHINGTON (Reuters) - European Foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini expressed concern on Monday over the Trump administrations proposed deep cut in U.S. foreign assistance, saying it would destabilize major parts of the world and hurt American national security. Investing in America means investing in places that are far away, Mogherini said during an international conference on nuclear policy in Washington. Trump has proposed a 28 percent reduction in the State Departments budget, which would translate into steep cuts in U.S. funds for foreign aid and the United Nations. Mogherini also strongly defended the Iran nuclear deal, pointing out that the U.N. nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, has five times confirmed Irans compliance with the 2015 agreement designed to stop it from developing nuclear weapons. There is no alternative to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear arsenal, she said, adding that she believed Tehran was committed to adhering to the deal. U.S. President Donald Trump has harshly criticized the agreement, which was negotiated between Iran, the United States, Russia, China, Britain, France and the European Union. The deal lifted international sanctions on Iran in return for Tehran accepting restrictions on its nuclear program. Mogherini ruled out the possibility of renegotiating the agreement. Some U.S. critics have said the pact does not do enough to prevent Iran from gaining further nuclear technology. (Reporting by Jonathan Landay; Editing by Bernadette Baum and Jonathan Oatis) By Robin Emmott BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union imposed sanctions on Monday against four senior Syrian military officials accused of using chemical weapons on civilians, after Russia and China blocked similar measures at the United Nations. The move marks the first time the EU has blacklisted Syrian officials for the government's alleged use of chlorine gas during the six-year conflict, although it previously accused one commander, Major General Tahir Hamid Khalil, of deploying chemical weapons as part of repressive tactics in 2013. It has also targeted Syrian companies accused of manufacturing chemical weapons. The four military officials, who the EU will name on Tuesday, will be banned from traveling to the European Union and will be unable to access any assets in the bloc or its banks, according to a statement by the European Union. The EU measures take the number of people under its Syrian sanctions to 239, as well as 67 companies. EU sanctions also include an oil embargo, restrictions on investments, a freeze of Syrian central bank assets held in the EU and a ban on exports of equipment and technology that could be used against civilians. An investigation by the United Nations and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) found Syrian government forces were responsible for three chlorine gas attacks and that Islamic State militants had used mustard gas, but Russians said that the results were inconclusive. In February, Russia and China blocked a bid by the United States, Britain and France at the U.N. to impose sanctions over the use of chemical weapons in the Syrian conflict, saying it would harm peace talks. The United States had already blacklisted 18 officials in January over the chemical weapons accusations. Chlorine use as a weapon is banned under the Chemical Weapons Convention, which Syria joined in 2013. If inhaled, chlorine gas can kill by burning the lungs or drowning victims in the fluids that the body produces following an attack. The government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, who has been under EU sanctions since May 2011, has denied its forces used chemical weapons. (Reporting by Robin Emmott) Europe may finally be entering calmer waters. German Chancellor Angela Merkel affirmed her image as leader of the free world in a press conference with U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday. Talk of a Geert Wilders victory in the Netherlands now seems like a bad nightmare. And European Union wonk Emmanuel Macron seems to be edging out right-wing Marine Le Pen in Frances presidential race. Whats more, Italy has a new pro-EU party. On Saturday, Italian Foreign Minister Angelino Alfano announced that he was refashioning his New Center Right as Popular Alternative, a new party that aims to draw liberals and moderate conservatives to a pro-EU agenda. We are the political movement in Italy that defends Europe, he declared at the former NCDs national assembly. He also unveiled a new blue-and-yellow heart logo (mirroring EU flag colors) and the slogan: Dare to build. Together. It was an interesting move for a politician who was once considered Silvio Berlusconis protege. His NCD party was founded in 2013 as an offshoot of Berlusconis Forza Italia after the two had a falling-out. But his moderate-right party never quite got off the ground as anything more than a junior partner with an abstract, conservative agenda. It holds only a smattering of seats in Italys parliament and the European Parliament. Some said the change smacked of a publicity stunt. Hes fighting for survival, Stefano Stefanini, a former Italian ambassador to NATO, told Foreign Policy. NCD is not faring well in the polls and risks heavy losses in the elections. Alfano may be hoping an image reboot will help him fill the vacuum left by former Prime Minister Matteo Renzi. The firmly pro-Europe, center-left leader stepped down in December after Italians rejected his constitutional reform in a referendum, leaving the country in limbo until the next election, which could be held this year or in February 2018. For now, Renzis ally Paolo Gentiloni has been guiding the government as a place-holder prime minister. Story continues The uncertainty has set off a fierce battle among Italys political parties. Renzi and his Democratic Party are trying to revive their momentum, while the anti-establishment Five Star Movement is surging in the polls. The far-right Northern League is hoping to capitalize on migration issues. And 80-year-old Berlusconi is even trying to get back in on the action with a Trumpian hard-right recast. Alfanos choice of a new party is just to find some new clothes and place the party well for the next elections, Rosa Balfour, the director of the German Marshall Funds Europe program, told FP. I guess he assumes he could be kingmaker. Alfano framed his party as a counterweight to the anti-establishment mood sweeping Italy. He defined the party as an alternative to the Lepenisti, an Italian term for supporters of far-right French politician Marine Le Pen. Its also an alternative to the leftists that only want to go backward; those who are only thinking of the bulldozer; those who say no; and those who dont care about the Republic, he said. But will an expressly pro-Europe stance play well in Italy? Former Prime Minister Renzi espoused similar positive views about the EU and liberal progress but still lost support. Some even compared Renzis referendum debacle to Brexit, the United Kingdoms vote to leave the EU. But most observers said voters were mostly fed up with Renzis personal style and disliked the domestic changes his party proposed. Populist parties, like the Five Star Movement and the Northern League, have flirted with anti-EU rhetoric in the past. But it doesnt always play well. Though Italians often complain about EU intrusion into the countrys financial system and lack of solidarity for dealing with the migrant crisis, there seems to be less appetite for a full-blown Italexit. After Brexit, an Ipsos Mori poll found that 48 percent of Italians said they would vote to remain in the EU if it were put to a vote. Only 28 percent would vote to leave, and 26 percent were undecided or wouldnt vote. Alfano is probably encouraged by Prime Minister Mark Ruttes relative success in the Dutch elections, argued Stefanini. In Europe, you can win on a conservative pro-EU platform, he said. Photo credit: FRANCO ORIGLIA/Getty Images Correction, March 20, 2017: Mark Rutte is the prime minister of the Netherlands. A previous version of this article gave his first name wrong. ACCRA (Reuters) - At least 18 people were killed when a large tree fell into the pool they were swimming in at the base of a waterfall in Ghana, crushing and drowning people enjoying a day out at a popular beauty spot, police said. The waterfall, near the town of Kintampo, was busy with weekend daytrippers, many of them high school students, when the freak accident happened on Sunday. A further 20 people were being treated in hospital, Desmond Owusu Boampong, a local police commander, told Reuters. Another police commander said 22 were injured. "It was the upper part of one of the biggest trees that came crashing down on them. It was a horrifying scene as the area was engulfed in screams and shouts for help as we arrived," fireman Kwaku Boateng told Reuters. "It was a difficult operation because ... some untrained members of the public joined in a desperate attempt to help. We swung into action immediately with many of our men diving into the water. We used chainsaws and other cutting tools to chop the tree in pieces in order to free the victims," he said. Pictures used by local media showed thick branches lying in a pool at the base of the waterfall, which drops in large steps over rocks. Other photographs showed bodies, some wearing bathing suits, placed in rows on the ground or piled into pick-up trucks. The disaster occurred not long after a rainstorm in the area located in Ghana's middle belt Brong Ahafo region which is known for heavy rains at this time of year. Ghana's Tourism Minister Catherine Afeku, who is heading to the scene to meet the families of victims, said an investigation would be conducted. President Nana Akufo-Addo sent his condolences via his official Twitter feed. (Reporting by Kwasi Kpodo,; Editing by Matthew Mpoke Bigg and Ed Osmond) A California man and his young daughter were found dead in a car outside a shopping mall this weekend in what police are calling a murder-suicide. Cops were first tipped off Sunday afternoon when the man's wife - and mother of their 8-year-old daughter - called authorities to say her suicidal husband had taken off with the girl. Watch: Couple Arrested For Staging Fake Murder Scene As Prank Speaks Out Outside the entrance of the Capitola Mall in Monterey Bay, police later found the bodies of the man and girl. When police arrived they found the man in the drivers seat and the child in the passenger seat of a Kia Soul, according to CBS News. Police said the husband, wife and daughter had been shopping together prior to the incident. Watch: Former Cop on Trial for Murder After Wife's Death Initially Deemed Suicide The names of the deceased have not been released. Watch: Couple Arrested For Staging Fake Murder Scene As Prank Speaks Out Related Articles: At a House Intelligence Committee hearing Monday morning, FBI Director James Comey said there was no evidence to support President Trumps claim that former President Barack Obama wiretapped his campaign. With respect to the presidents tweets about alleged wiretapping directed at him by the prior administration, I have no information that supports those tweets, Comey said. And we have looked carefully inside the FBI. The Department of Justice has asked me to share with you that the answer is the same for the Department of Justice and all its components. The department has no information that supports those tweets. The hearing was investigating Russian interference in the 2016 election, the presidents claims about surveillance of his campaign, and the source and impact of government leaks. Comeys testimony echoes what legislators from both sides of the aisle said last week. Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C., the chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, released a statement with the committees ranking Democrat, Mark Warner, D-Va., last week saying, Based on the information available to us, we see no indications that Trump Tower was the subject of surveillance by any element of the United States government either before or after Election Day 2016. FBI Director James Comey gestures as National Security Agency Director Mike Rogers looks on during the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence hearing on Russian actions during the 2016 election. (Photo: Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images) That statement followed comments from the chair of the House Intelligence Committee, Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif), who said the president was clearly wrong about Obama wiretapping Trump Tower, but left the White House an out with a possible broader interpretation: President Obama wouldnt physically go over and wiretap Trump Tower. So now you have to decide, as I mentioned to [the press] last week, are you going to take the tweets literally? And if you are then clearly the president was wrong. But if youre not going to take the tweets literally and there is a concern that the president has about other people, other surveillance activities looking at him and his associates either appropriately or inappropriately we want to find that out. Story continues Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif. , the ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, and House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., both said in separate interviews last week that they had seen no evidence of the wiretapping. The entire investigation sprang from a pair of the presidents tweets early on the morning of March 4. Id bet a good lawyer could make a great case out of the fact that President Obama was tapping my phones in October, just prior to Election! wrote Trump. 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! The controversy went international last week during a White House briefing when press secretary Sean Spicer cited Fox News commentator Andrew Napolitanos claim that British intelligence had done surveillance on Trump at Obamas request. Fox News anchor Shep Smith said that the network had been unable to confirm Napolitanos comment, while the British prime ministers office asked Spicer to stop repeating those claims. I dont want to get into private conversations, but weve made clear to the administration that these claims are ridiculous and should be ignored, a Downing Street spokesman told the Guardian regarding Spicers accusations. Weve received assurances these allegations wont be repeated. We have a close relationship which allows us to raise concerns when they arise, as was true in this case. This shows the administration doesnt give the allegations any credence. Read more from Yahoo News: Three Union ministers who were expected to answer queries during Question Hour missed the session today. Even Opposition MPs who'd asked questions were missing. Ansari called it an "extraordinary situation." By Kamaljit Kaur Sandhu: Monday blues hit the Parliament's Upper House today, when three Union ministers who were expected to answer queries during Question Hour missed the session. Their absence drew taunts from the Opposition, and prompted Vice-President and Rajya Sabha Chairman Hamid Ansari to express anguish. Interestingly, even Opposition MPs who'd asked questions were missing. Congress leader Jairam Ramesh took a potshot at the government, saying this was "an example of 'maximum ministers, minimum governance'." advertisement 'NOT A HAPPY STATE OF AFFAIRS' The episode occurred towards a few minutes before the end of Question Hour, when Vice-President Ansari took up a question related to the Ministry of Shipping. The questioner had wanted to ask the ministry whether the government was launching a Yamuna Water Taxi Project. But neither the MP who had asked the question, nor the minister who was supposed to answer it, were present, provoking Ansari to remark that this was an "extraordinary situation". He was supported by Congress' Anand Sharma. When Ansari took up the next question - this time a query about the Environment Ministry - there was again no one from the government to answer it. "This is the shape of the things to come," came a remark from the Opposition benches, as Congress leader Jairam Ramesh complained that there wasn't even a single Cabinet minister in the House. In fact, ministers of state Nirmala Sitharaman, Ram Kirpal Yadav and Balyan were present, but they were the only ones. Then, another question - this time for the Ministry of Power - went unanswered. "This is not a happy state of affairs," the Rajya Sabha chairman said, expressing his annoyance. Ram Kirpal Yadav, however, tabled the answer to the next question and was ready to answer the supplementaries. But by that time, Question Hour had ended. ALSO READ | Now a rap from Vice-President: Distinction between dissent, disruption and agitation ALSO WATCH | Bill seeking to declare Pakistan a terror sponsor withdrawn from Rajya Sabha --- ENDS --- The Department of Justice and the FBI have no evidence to support President Trumps unfounded and widely-dismissed claim that Barack Obama wiretapped him, FBI Director James Comey said Monday. Speaking at a hearing of the House Intelligence Committee, Comey confirmed what top Republican lawmakers, Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Obamas camp representatives have said about Trumps claims, which were first tweeted earlier this month. With respect to the Presidents tweets about alleged wiretapping directed at him by the prior Administration, I have no information that supports those tweets and we have looked carefully inside the FBI, Comey said. The Department of Justice has asked me to share with you that the answer is the same for the Department of Justice and all its components. The Department has no information that supports those tweets. Comey reiterated that any wiretapping of a U.S. citizen would require a rigorous, rigorous process that involves all three branches of government and has been in place since the 1970s. He said that no president could unilaterally order that kind of wiretapping. There was only one issue on which Comey demurred. Asked about a tweet from Trump which claimed that Obama was turned down by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court for a request to do the surveillance, Comey said he could not comment one way or another on that subject, but said not to read too much into his non-response. 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! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 4, 2017 At the same hearing, National Security Agency Director Mike Rogers also shot down the White Houses repeat of a claim from a conservative pundit that Obama might have asked British intelligence to wiretap Trump. That would be expressly agains the construct of the Five Eyes agreement thats been in place for decades, he said. The British spy service GCHQ had previously rebuffed the claim, calling it utterly ridiculous. Washington (AFP) - FBI chief James Comey dealt Donald Trump a double blow Monday by confirming a probe into his election campaign's links to Russia last year while repudiating the president's claim that he was wiretapped by Barack Obama. In a high-stakes public hearing televised live from the US Congress, Comey took the extraordinary step of confirming that the Federal Bureau of Investigation is investigating whether Trump campaign aides colluded with a Russian effort to influence the 2016 election. Comey's bombshell statement undercut a White House effort to dismiss the controversy stalking Trump's young administration -- with the president once more dismissing talk of his team's ties to Russia as "FAKE NEWS" as the hearing got underway. The FBI chief refused to answer the questions of the House Intelligence Committee about exactly what and who its probe involves, citing the need to protect a sensitive, ongoing counterintelligence investigation. But he confirmed to lawmakers that it "includes investigating the nature of any links between individuals associated with the Trump campaign and the Russian government, and whether there was any coordination between the campaign and Russia's efforts." And in a second setback for the Republican president, Comey firmly shot down his tweeted allegation earlier this month that his predecessor ordered a wiretap on Trump Tower, the real estate mogul's Manhattan residence and office. "The Department of Justice has asked me to share with you that the answer is the same for the Department of Justice and all its components. The department has no information that supports those tweets," he told the hearing. - Putin's 'clear preference' - At least four separate congressional investigations are underway into Moscow's election meddling, which US intelligence chiefs said in January was directed by President Vladimir Putin and aimed to boost Trump's campaign over Democratic rival Hillary Clinton. Story continues Democrats argue that the interference, in which Russian actors allegedly stole Democratic documents and communications and released them through WikiLeaks, contributed to frontrunner Clinton's defeat. Confirming longstanding reports that his agency is probing a Russian effort to steer last year's vote, Comey dated the probe back to July last year, when the government became aware of the Democratic party hack. Until Monday only a small group of legislators has been briefed in secret on this issue by US intelligence and law enforcement, and the public had not heard directly from them. Comey and Admiral Mike Rogers, director of the National Security Administration, confirmed that they believed Moscow aimed to hurt Clinton's campaign and support Trump. "Putin hated Secretary Clinton so much that the flip side of that coin was he had a clear preference to the person running against the person he hated so much," Comey said. "They wanted to hurt our democracy, hurt her, help him. I think, all three, we were confident in at least as early as December," he said. - 'Nothing has changed' - But Comey's unwillingness to comment on specifics, or on unproven media reports of Trump aides' contacts with Russian intelligence, gave the White House room to defend its position -- which is that the entire controversy was manufactured by opponents to undermine Trump's presidency. As he testified, a senior administration official said in a written statement: "There is NO EVIDENCE of Trump-Russia collusion and there is NO EVIDENCE of a Trump-Russia scandal." Later, Trump spokesman Sean Spicer told journalists: "Following this testimony it's clear nothing has changed. Senior intelligence officials have gone on record to say there is no evidence of a Trump/Russia collusion." "Investigating and having proof are different thing," he added. Likewise -- in spite of Comey's straightforward rejection of Trump's wiretapping allegations -- the White House continued to cling to those claims. Asked if Trump would withdraw the accusation and apologize to Obama, Spicer said that investigations are "still ongoing" into the issue. - Independent probe sought - Monday's hearing made clear the question of Russian interference in the election will continue to trouble the Trump administration. Both the House and Senate Intelligence Committees will hold more public hearings in the coming weeks, as well as closed-door sessions with Comey, Rogers and other intelligence chiefs to discuss classified information on the probes. But Democrats have expressed concerns that the White House and Republicans would like to stifle the issue, and are calling for an independent probe. "I believe that we would benefit from the work of an independent commission that can devote the staff and resources to this investigation that we do not have, and that can be completely removed from any political considerations," said Adam Schiff, the senior Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee. The Affordable Care Act protects people who buy insurance against a comprehensive set of health care risks. It specifies a set of 10 essential health benefits that all plans must cover, and also requires that plans provide those benefits with defined levels of cost-sharing by the individuals covered. By offering benefit flexibility, the Republican bill to replace the ACA could mean more expensive insurance for covering pregnancy, newborn care, mental illness, and addiction disorders. The 10 essential benefits now required of all plans sold in the health insurance marketplaces, also called health exchanges, include outpatient care, hospital care, emergency services, prescription drugs, laboratory tests, preventive care, rehabilitative services, pediatric care, mental health services and addiction treatment, and maternity and newborn care. The ACA doesnt define coverage levels using specific deductibles, copays, etc. Instead, it uses the actuarial value of the plan. A plan with an actuarial value of 60 percent (a bronze plan) means that the plan will pay on average 60 percent of an enrollees health care expenses, while he or she will pay the remaining 40 percent using copays, coinsurance, deductibles, etc. A platinum plan covers 90 percent, with the enrollee on the hook for 10 percent. House Republicans have unveiled the American Health Care Act, their bill to replace the ACA. It envisions a return to the pre-ACA world of insurance company benefit flexibility by removing the essential benefit requirements for plans covering the Medicaid expansion population. Read more: Womens health services face cuts in Republican bill For individual marketplace insurance, the AHCA removes the requirement to cover specified percentages of the expected medical costs. This means that while plans are required to include the full set of benefits, they are free to raise the cost sharing for particular benefits like mental health services or maternity and newborn care to potentially prohibitive levels. Story continues What might that mean for the resulting plans sold to the estimated 22 million people who buy their health insurance in the individual health insurance market? Thats a question we can answer, thanks to a survey conducted by the Department of Health and Human Services when one of us (S.A.G.) was the departments assistant secretary of planning and evaluation. Before the opening of the ACAs health insurance marketplaces in 2014, most companies selling plans on the individual market had flexibility in what they included. In most states, plans sold in the individual market did not have to include any particular set of benefits. States had the same flexibility to set benefit standards. In 2011, HHS looked at the design of plans in this largely unregulated market using data that health insurance companies had submitted. These data represented an estimated one-third of all people who bought their own non-group health insurance. The survey had three important findings: Benefit flexibility yielded only modest savings. The cost savings from allowing benefit flexibility were modest. Most plans in the survey covered most of the categories in the essential health benefits set. The overwhelming majority of employer-sponsored health insurance met or exceeded the minimum benchmark set of services later required by the ACA. In the individual health plans, about 95 percent of the cost was accounted for by basic benefits inpatient, outpatient, emergency, lab, and pharmaceutical. Because most individual health insurance plans covered most of the essential benefits, there was little in the way of savings from allowing benefit design flexibility. Often omitted: maternity and pregnancy coverage. One of the most frequently omitted benefits across the market was maternity and pregnancy coverage. Nearly two-thirds of the plans surveyed didnt include it. Although many insurers did sell health insurance riders that covered maternity and pregnancy care, they were expensive, costing about $5,000 more a year. Also missing: treatment for mental illness and substance use disorder. Another category missing from many of the individual plans was coverage for mental illness and substance use disorder. About 34 percent of the plans surveyed did not include any coverage for substance use disorder treatment, and 18 percent provided no coverage for mental health care. Translated into todays individual health insurance market, that means about 7.5 million people currently covered by ACA plans would lose coverage for substance use disorder treatment and 4 million would lose coverage for mental health care. Buying that care could cost an average of $2,000 to $4,000 for a single episode of treatment. Among the plans that did offer coverage for these behavioral health disorders, patients were usually restricted to a limited number of covered days or visits. The typical coverage before 2014 was 20 outpatient visits and 30 inpatient days a year. This left households with family members suffering from addiction or mental illness susceptible to very large uncovered medical bills. Consequences for pregnant women, people with mental illness If pregnancy benefits arent included in an individual health plan, or are covered with extremely high cost-sharing, women and their families with such coverage who anticipate having a child will pay an extra tax of thousands of dollars to cover the expected costs of pregnancy. Today, the cost of carrying a pregnancy to term averages at least $20,000 for pregnancy and newborn care. Thats certainly not family-friendly coverage. In the employer-sponsored health insurance market, the costs of pregnancy and newborn care have long been spread across all those covered. The ACA requires that non-group insurers act in the same way, adding roughly 5 percent to average premiums while making childbirth affordable for millions of families. Insurers would also like to avoid covering people with depression, serious mental illnesses, and alcohol or opioid addictions. Like other preexisting conditions, they are generally more expensive to cover. While these severely disabling illnesses can be addressed effectively through treatment, they are also highly stigmatized chronic illnesses. Read more: Visualized: What Medicaid pays for addiction treatment meds, state by state But what makes sense for insurers bottom lines doesnt make much sense for us as a nation. As we struggle with the burdens of the opioid epidemic and of untreated mental illness in our communities, our social welfare programs, and our families, we should be simplifying the path to treatment, not reinstalling barriers to treatment. The evidence from research on and experience with the individual health insurance market shows that providing essential health benefits is not the source of meaningful upward pressure on the cost of health care. Moreover, the benefits most prone to dramatically shrink or disappear in the absence of essential health benefits and coverage requirements are those that protect parents of newborns against substantial financial burdens and provide tools against the nations scourge of opioid deaths, serious mental illness, and suicide. If Republicans move forward with their current health care bill, health insurance companies will regain benefit flexibility, but two key groups will suffer the consequences: pregnant women and their families, and people struggling with mental illness or addiction. These vulnerable groups of people will be forced to pay more for their health coverage, and will lose access to critically needed health care. Richard G. Frank, PhD, is professor of health economics at Harvard University and Sherry A. Glied, PhD, is dean of the Wagner Graduate School of Public Service at New York University. Both were previously the assistant secretary of planning and evaluation in the Department of Health and Human Services, Glied from 2010 to 2012 and Frank from 2014 to 2016. Paris (AFP) - Marine Le Pen's proposal to pull France out of the euro and her hardline stance on Islam came under attack from her fellow presidential hopefuls Monday, in a combative TV debate a month before the country goes to the polls. France's election is shaping up as the most unpredictable in decades, with far-right National Front (FN) leader Le Pen and centrist Emmanuel Macron tied in polls for the April 23 first round, while the mainstream left and right languish in third and fourth place. With polls showing Macron, 39, would easily beat the anti-immigration Le Pen, 48, in a decisive run-off vote on May 7, he had been expected to take the most heat in Monday's TV battle. But it was Le Pen who was repeatedly thrust onto the defensive as Macron, conservative nominee Francois Fillon, the Socialist Party's Benoit Hamon and fifth-placed leftist radical Jean-Luc Melenchon all tore into her programme. Former frontrunner Fillon, 63, who has been ensnared in a raft of scandals, said Le Pen's proposal to ditch the euro and bring back the French franc would cause "economic and social chaos." "You don't leave the euro and the protection afforded by the European Central Bank...for an adventure... that would ruin borrowers and savers alike," Fillon, who presented himself as the most experienced pair of hands, scolded. Le Pen, who has been buoyed by Donald Trump's election in the US and Britain's decision to leave the EU, accused Fillon of scaremongering. "That's called Project Fear, Mr Fillon. It was used before Brexit," said Le Pen, who has pledged a similar referendum on France's EU membership, said. Setting out her vision of a France which defends its interests "without being lectured by a supranational body", Le Pen, who has accused Germany of dictating to the rest of Europe, said: "I have no desire to be Mrs Merkel's deputy". Former economy minister Macron, the most europhile of the candidates, noted that "all those who said Brexit will be wonderful...ran away and hid." Story continues Le Pen cast the former Rothschild banker Macron -- who has campaigned as "neither of the left or the right" -- as trying to be all things to all voters. "You never come down on one side or the other," she accused. - 'Nauseating' remarks - Macron also traded barbs with Le Pen on the Islamic full-body swimsuit. The so-called burkini was at the centre of a furore in France last summer after several coastal towns banned the garment. Le Pen said the burkini was a sign of the "rise of radical Islam in our country" and accused Macron of supporting it. "The burkini is a public order problem. Do not use it to divide the French," former economy minister Macron retorted, accused her of transforming "the over four million French people, whose religion is Islam...into enemies of the Republic". Hamon, for his part, took issue with Le Pen's claim that public schools are wracked by violence, calling her remarks "nauseating". A total of 11 candidates, spanning the spectrum from the Trotskyist left to the far right, are running for president. Six smaller candidates were excluded from Monday's debate. - Voters undecided - Millions of voters are still undecided after five years of unpopular Socialist rule under Francois Hollande, marked by high unemployment, low growth and a spate of jihadist attacks that has killed over 230 people. Fillon had been hoping for a boost Monday after taking a battering over revelations that his wife was paid hundreds of thousands of euros for a suspected fake job as a parliamentary assistant and allegations that he accepted luxury suits from a rich benefactor. Le Pen also goes into the election under a legal cloud, accused of defrauding the European Parliament of funds and illegal campaign financing. Communist-backed candidate Melenchon appealed to voters to "reward the virtuous". - Turnout a key factor - The election could hinge on turnout. Polls show that only around 65 percent of voters are planning to vote in the first round in what would be a record low. The surveys also show voters being unusually fickle. Supporters of Macron, who styles himself as a progressive, are among the most likely to switch camp while Le Pen's are seen as the most loyal. The trained lawyer has worked hard to purge the National Front of the anti-Semitism and overt racism bequeathed by her father. Jean-Marie Le Pen sent tremors through France in 2002 by beating the Socialists to a place in the presidential run-off against conservative Jacques Chirac. In the run-off voters rallied en masse behind Chirac. burs-cb-gj/ceb At the Group of 20 Summit held in Baden-Baden, Germany, which concluded Saturday, the world's top economic nations issued a statement that reflected a more subtle tone on the issue of trade protectionism, compared to what the finance ministers had committed to in the September 2016 summit in Hangzhou, China. The statement came in the backdrop of President Donald Trump administration's pushback against anti-protectionism, so that trade must benefit U.S. companies and workers, according to reports. Finance ministers from the 20 leading world powers concluded talks without agreeing on a common position that would have renewed their long-standing pledge for free trade. The G20 finance ministers' communique failed to keep up its past commitments, such as promoting open trade and an outright rejection of protectionism, Deutsche Welle reported. Read: Trump Refers To Abraham Lincoln To Back His Free Trade Views In the summit in September 2016, world leaders had reaffirmed their opposition to protectionism on trade and investment in all its forms. However, during the Germany summit, their statement did not have any mention of this. The meeting was a clear indication that the U.S. had an upper hand when it came to formulating the policies of world trade. It also marked the biggest clash between the Trump administration and the international community. According to reports, officials sought to replace G20's long-standing opposition to all forms of protectionism with a new text that would highlight U.S. concerns over "fair" trade, but no compromise was reached to at the end. "This is my first G20, so what was in the past communique is not necessarily relevant from my standpoint," Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said during the summit. "I understand what the president's desire is and his policies, and I negotiated them from here," Mnuchin said. "I couldnt be happier with the outcome," he said, according to Reuters. Story continues The G20 is a platform where 19 countries plus the European Union discuss economic cooperation. The next summit, which will have the heads of states from the member countries, will be held in Hamburg, Germany, on July 7-8. Related Articles San Jose Pinula (Guatemala) (AFP) - Imprisoned young gang members killed two guards and held four others hostage in a riot in a juvenile detention center in Guatemala, police said Monday. The violence broke out late Sunday in the Stage II juvenile detention center for boys in the town of San Jose Pinula, just to the east of the capital Guatemala City. The deadly unrest came less than two weeks after 40 teenage girls died in a fire at a nearby youth shelter. Pablo Castillo, spokesman for the national police, said one security guard at the Stage II juvenile detention center was killed. A separate police source, who asked not to be named, later told AFP a second guard had died. "They are still holding four guards," Castillo told AFP. The Guatemalan prosecutor's office for human rights said about 40 members of the feared Barrio 18 gang had led the revolt Sunday in the Stage II juvenile center. Emergency services said detainees had lit fires inside the facility, causing two of the inmates to be hurt. An AFP journalist outside the blue-and-white center saw male detainees, their hair cut short, crowding at barred doors and windows. Armed police patrolled the exterior. - Alleged maltreatment - The youth inmates were said to be rebelling against maltreatment by guards. A similar motive was reported in the nearby Virgin of the Assumption shelter, where teenagers had claimed sexual and other abuse by personnel before the deadly March 8 fire. Staff denied the allegations. That deadly blaze prompted public indignation and numerous protests that have rocked the government of President Jimmy Morales. Local media reports said the Stage II inmates had made a series of demands, including the return of comrades who had been sent to other centers, better food, and the easing of restrictions on visits. According to police, one wounded guard at Stage II was released by the inmates early Monday and taken to hospital. Negotiations were underway to try to have the other four released. Story continues "A dialogue is ongoing with various institutions so that they drop their violent attitude," Castillo said. Both the Stage II and Virgin of the Assumption facilities are managed by the social welfare ministry. Its head, Carlos Rodas, and several of his officials were dismissed and arrested in the wake of the deadly blaze at the shelter early this month. The Stage II center was the scene of a battle between rival gangs in 2005 which left 14 people dead. San Jose Pinula (Guatemala) (AFP) - Guatemalan police stormed a juvenile detention center Monday and freed four guards taken hostage by inmates who killed two others during a riot over what they called harsh treatment. But one of the hostages died soon thereafter of injuries suffered during the ordeal, which started around midday Sunday. Authorities said he had been beaten severely and stabbed. Two other freed captives have head injuries, said a spokesman for the fire department, Mario Cruz. Journalists outside the Stage II facility for boys in San Jose Pinula, just to the east of Guatemala City, saw dozens of armed officers rush inside the blue-and-white building surrounded by barbed wire fences, while others took positions on the roof. Yells and detonations were heard from inside during the raid. President Jimmy Morales later tweeted: "Thanks to God and to the quick and efficient action of our @PNCdeGuatemala" (Guatemala's national police force). The scene unfolded less than two weeks after 40 teenage girls died in a fire at a nearby overcrowded youth shelter in the same town. Officials earlier said two security guards at the Stage II center were killed and five were injured by the inmates. One of those five was released early Monday and taken to a hospital. Pablo Castillo, a spokesman for the national police, told AFP that negotiations to free the remaining four guards taken hostage had broken down. And that is when the police moved in. The Guatemalan prosecutor's office for human rights said about 40 members of the feared Barrio 18 street gang had led the revolt in the Stage II juvenile center. It said the riot started after a visit by other members of the gang. The facility is supposed to house minors, but of 56 known gang members, 39 are adults, said Vladimir Lopez, deputy minister of the social welfare ministry. Fire fighters put out a blaze that had started in part of the facility. - Alleged maltreatment - Story continues The youth inmates were said to have rebelled against maltreatment by guards. A similar motive was reported in the nearby Virgin of the Assumption shelter, where teenagers had claimed sexual and other abuse by personnel before the deadly March 8 fire. Staff denied the allegations. That deadly blaze prompted public indignation and numerous protests that have rocked the government of President Jimmy Morales. Local media reports said the Stage II inmates had made a series of demands, including the return of colleagues sent to other centers, better food and the easing of restrictions on visits. Both the Stage II and Virgin of the Assumption facilities are managed by the social welfare ministry. Its head, Carlos Rodas, and several of his officials were dismissed and arrested in the wake of the blaze at the shelter. The Stage II center was the scene of a battle between rival gangs in 2005 that left 14 people dead. The facility held gang members mixed with other detainees unaffiliated with the gangs, according to Hilda Morales, a deputy prosecutor for human rights. The head of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, Roberto Caldas of Brazil, said during a session being held in Guatemala that the situation for children in the country needed improvement. Guatemala is one of the most dangerous countries in Latin America, prey to Barrio 18 and other gangs. Nearly 60 percent of its 16 million inhabitants live in poverty, according to the World Bank. Four years ago, Sheryl Sandberg, chief operating officer of Facebook, sent her son and niece to a Silicon Valley coding camp where she was dismayed to see a stark gender disparity. Out of the 35 kids, only five were girls and two of those girls were my niece and her friend, she told me. Its terrible it has to change! Sandberg, as COO of a company where women hold only 27 percent of top management jobs, should know. It is widely acknowledged that an ever-growing proportion of the better-paid jobs in the American workforce will be linked to digital technologies, and that women are strikingly underrepresented in computing science. Government data suggest that a mere 17 percent of computer science graduates are female even though women represent 57 percent of American students. While 74 percent of middle-school girls tell pollsters that they want to study STEM science, technology, engineering, and math they become so deterred as they pass through school that only 0.3 percent of them take computer science courses. Similarly, although women represent 59 percent of the workforce, only 30 percent of tech company workers, and a mere 10 percent of software developers, are women. Men have dominated the world of computing so completely in recent years that this almost seems like the natural order. In fact, as of 2016 the participation rate of women for some tech jobs was actually declining. Aside from limiting womens careers, this trend could have wider consequences. The Presidents Council of Advisors on Science and Technology estimated in 2012 that U.S. businesses will need to find about 1 million more STEM professionals than America currently has. Tech companies have hitherto plugged this gap by using the H-1B visa program to import engineers from places such as India. But President Donald Trump has pledged to curb the use of those visas. Getting more American girls into computer science could create a deeper bench of qualified workers. In theory, this should not be hard. While some scientists have suggested that there are biological distinctions between male and female brains, these differences are minuscule and do not keep women from excelling at math. According to the National Girls Collaborative Project, in general, female and male students perform equally well on standardized mathematics and science tests. Perhaps the powerful sign that the computer science bias is overwhelmingly cultural, not cognitive, is that if you look across the wider world of STEM it is clear that some sectors have attracted girls. Take statistics, for example. About 40 percent of statistics degrees are awarded to women, and they represent 31 percent of positions in statistics departments at universities, 24 percent of tenured positions, 34 percent of tenure-eligible positions, and 50 percent of nontenure posts. This could be because bodies such as the American Statistical Association have made conscious efforts to recruit girls into their ranks in recent years statisticians have gone into high schools to inform girls that the work can be steady and flexible, with an attractive median annual wage of $80,000. But the other factor might be a kind of feedback loop. Girls who see women working in the statistics departments of universities might be more inclined to apply to those schools. There is no intrinsic reason why something similar cant happen with computer science. One little-known quirk of tech history is that when the computer science field emerged in the 1970s and 1980s, it actually had a good female-male ratio. In 1984, women accounted for 38 percent of computer science students and a similarly high number of computer-literate workers in offices. According to a number of women who work in computer science, the field was so new then that it had not yet established gender stereotypes. However, another factor was that in the late 1970s and early 1980s female office workers tended to have better keyboard skills than men (because many had been trained in typing), so they were often asked to input data on the early computers. But as the computer science field exploded in size and status the women disappeared. Some female computer scientists grumble that this was because the sector started to command much higher salaries, sucking in ambitious men who pushed women aside. But another issue might be the way that computer science has been presented to teenagers. Jane Margolis of the University of California, Los Angeles argues that teenage girls were discouraged from computer science because computing toys were presented as war games. Wendy Hall of the University of Southampton agrees. In the mid-1980s, the new personal computers such as the Sinclair ZX Spectrum and the BBC Micro began to emerge, she told me. There was very little you could do on them except program in Basic or assembly code. They were marketed as toys for boys, which nudged males toward computer courses and careers. Now the good news is that insofar as culture not neurology established this pattern, efforts being made to reverse it are promising. Companies such as Facebook are targeting women in their recruitment. The nonprofit CSNYC has taken on the herculean task of teaching every student in New York City public schools certain computer science skills. In February 1999, Smith became the first American womens college to announce its own engineering program. And some colleges, such as Harvey Mudd, have restructured computer science classes to be more attuned to female students relative inexperience with computing. This has had spectacular results. At Harvey Mudd, the proportion of female students in computer science classes has risen from 10 percent to 40 percent. Today, parents are seeking toys that will instill a love of computer science among girls and entrepreneurs have responded. Families can now buy GoldieBlox, a game featuring a female engineer protagonist who aims to persuade girls to love tech. And organizations such as Girls Who Code have established summer camps and free workshops in 50 states. The U.S. government could also help. Barack Obamas efforts to address the gender balance didnt generate much buzz. But the current White House certainly knows how to make waves and Ivanka Trump says she wants to support #WomenWhoWork, to cite her hashtag. Instead of just championing women in politics, business, or fashion, perhaps Ivanka should start shouting about women in computer science, and team up with Sandberg and others like her. That might help shrink the shocking gender ratio for computer science and get America ready to embrace a tech future in an equitable way. A version of this article originally appeared in the March/April 2017 issue of FP magazine. Photo credit: Getty Images/Foreign Policy illustration By Press Trust of India: RCom, in September last year, announced it will merge its wireless telecom business with smaller rival Aircel to create what will be the countrys 3rd-biggest mobile phone operator, with asset base of more than Rs 65,000 crore and net worth of Rs 35,000 crore. Both the companies will transfer Rs 14,000 crore of debt each to the joint venture, taking the total debt of the new company to Rs 28,000 crore. advertisement Post closing of the deal, RCom and the present shareholders of Aircel Ltd (Maxis Communications Berhad) will hold 50 per cent each in the merged entity, with equal representation on the board and committees. The Competition Commission of Indias nod to RCom and Aircel merger comes amid a massive consolidation drive in the telecom sector, intensified by the disruptive entry of newcomer Reliance Jio. Earlier today the board of Idea Cellular approved its amalgamation with telecom operator Vodafone India and Vodafone Mobile Services, to create the countrys largest telecom service provider. PTI MBI SBT MR MKJ --- ENDS --- Berlin (AFP) - The father of a Germanwings co-pilot whose plane slammed into the Alps in 2015 is trying to prove his son did not crash the jet deliberately, sparking anger among victims' families. German prosecutors in January closed their investigation into the crash after concluding that Andreas Lubitz was suicidal and bore sole responsibility for the disaster that killed all 150 people on board. The probe focused on whether any doctors who treated Lubitz, 27, had been criminally negligent in not reporting him to the authorities before the plane came down in France. Guenter Lubitz has called a press conference in Berlin for Friday, March 25, the second anniversary of the disaster, where he plans to present his own findings alongside journalist Tim van Beveren, who he called "an internationally recognised aerospace expert". "Up to now, everyone believes the theory of a co-pilot who was depressed for a long time, who deliberately crashed his plane into a mountain in a planned act. We are convinced this is false," the father said in a press release. For Elmar Giemulla, a lawyer representing several of the victims' families, Guenter Lubitz is pursuing an "irresponsible" campaign that will be traumatic for grieving relatives. "I imagine that Mr Lubitz wants to promote a theory that would absolve his son of any responsibility," Giemulla told the Rheinische Post newspaper. Andreas Lubitz's parents had already angered the families last year when they placed a heartfelt newspaper announcement in their son's memory to mark the first anniversary of the crash. Entitled simply "Andreas" and featuring a smiling photograph of the co-pilot, the brief text ended with a message to their son in bold letters: "We miss you very much but you are and will remain in our hearts". They spoke of a year "filled with horror and fear" but did not explicitly mention the 149 other people killed in the crash. French investigators have been carrying out their own manslaughter inquiry over the crash, and victims' relatives have filed a lawsuit against the Lufthansa-owned flight school that trained Lubitz. Germany's doctors' association has criticised Germanwings's parent company, Lufthansa, and aviation regulators for failing to keep Lubitz from flying, saying that medical controls focused largely on "physical findings and laboratory tests" but neglected psychological examinations. A German official rejected President Trumps claim that it owes NATO and the U.S. vast sums of money for defense Sunday. There is no debt account at NATO, German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen said in a statement. On Saturday, Trump said Germany owes vast sums of money to NATO and that the U.S. must be paid more for providing defense, asserting his common refrain that European nations need to contribute more funds to the intergovernmental military alliance. His comments came via Twitter following his first meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel earlier this week. Von der Leyen pointed out that defense spending goes beyond funding just for NATO. Defense spending also goes into UN peacekeeping missions, into our European missions and into our contribution to fight against IS terrorism, she said, according to a Reuters report. Countries under NATO have pledged to spend 2% of their GDP on defense by 2024. Merkel noted that Germany was committed to the 2% military spending goal during her visit to Washington. Trumps claims were also debunked by Ivo Daalder, the U.S. ambassador to NATO during Barack Obamas first term. Thats not how NATO works, he tweeted. 1/ Sorry, Mr. President, that's not how NATO works. The US decides for itself how much it contributes to defending NATO. pic.twitter.com/8svkzRBEQb Ivo Daalder (@IvoHDaalder) March 18, 2017 The US decides for itself how much it contributes to defending NATO, Daalder continued. This is not a financial transaction where NATO countries pay the U.S. to defend them. It is part of our treaty commitment. See original article on Fortune.com More from Fortune.com Berlin (AFP) - Chancellor Angela Merkel warned Monday that Germany could ban future campaign events by Turkish politicians on its soil unless Ankara stops "Nazi" jibes aimed at Berlin. Turkey and the European Union -- especially its top economy Germany, with its large Turkish diaspora -- are locked in a bitter dispute as tensions rise ahead of a April 16 referendum on expanding President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's powers. Erdogan at the weekend accused Merkel of using "Nazi measures" after local and state authorities in Germany had refused to allow several Turkish ministers to campaign for a 'yes' vote there. Merkel stressed that such insults must stop -- "no ifs, no buts" -- and that Germany reserved the right to "take all necessary measures, including reviewing the permissions" for campaign events it had already granted. A stern-faced Merkel said such comments were "breaking every taboo, without consideration for the suffering of those who were persecuted and murdered" by the Nazis. Raising the issue at the start of a joint press conference with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, she stressed that "appearances by Turkish politicians here can only take place on the basis of the principles of German constitutional law". - 'Threats, insults' - A German foreign ministry spokesman earlier also condemned the insults but indicated that Berlin had no interest in entering a spiral of mutual provocations and insults. "Who would really benefit from it if we paid back in kind, if we answered using the same language as the Turkish president," said the ministry spokesman, Martin Schaefer. "It benefits mostly the Turkish president who... with threats, insults and more is seeking majorities of Turkish citizens in Turkey and also... in Germany for the constitutional referendum of April 16." To hit back with strong verbal retaliation would mean falling for Erdogan's tactic, Schaefer said, stressing that Germany is "a strong, democratic country" that could handle such insults. Story continues But he cautioned that "we are not defenceless or stupid or naive and, if pushed too far, the government will react." - 'Harbouring terrorists' - Other EU countries, including the Netherlands, have had similar rows with Turkey, a candidate country for membership in the bloc. But relations with Turkey are especially important for Germany, which has been home to a large community of Turks since the "guest worker" ("Gastarbeiter") programme of the 1960s and 70s. Over the past year Germany has also banked on a EU agreement with Turkey that has sharply reduced the influx of asylum seekers that has brought one million refugees and migrants to Germany since 2015. However, bilateral ties have been put to the test, especially since last summer's failed coup aimed at ousting Erdogan. Berlin has emerged as a strident critic of Ankara's vast crackdown since, 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. Both NATO partners have also rowed 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. Ankara has in turn accused Berlin of harbouring "terrorists" and of failing to respond to requests to hand over suspects from the coup as well as Kurds it believes are members of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). Turkey on Sunday protested a pro-Kurdish rally in Frankfurt where demonstrators carried symbols of the PKK, which is listed as a terror organisation not just by Turkey but also the EU and the United States. BERLIN (Reuters) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel called on Saturday for Europe to set about standardising rules on using data in Europe, ahead of a visit to the CeBIT technology fair in Hanover where digitalisation is expected to be in focus. "We want to create a digital single European market. That means we need to have legal situations that are as similar as possible in all European countries," Merkel said in her weekly video podcast. A key issue is determining who owns the data and the related copyright issues, Merkel said, adding: "We're still discussing that." She said that in the automobile sector, for example, it was important to clarify whether data belonged to carmakers or software manufacturers because it was possible to develop new products with the data about clients. "We need to very quickly and uniformly implement legislation in Europe regarding copyright laws and the ownership of data," she said. (Reporting by Michelle Martin; Editing by Stephen Powell) Berlin (AFP) - Germany's panel of economic experts on Monday rejected criticism that Europe's biggest economy is running an overly high trade surplus, but said Berlin could reduce the gap by attracting more investors. US President Donald Trump's administration has lashed out at Germany over its surplus, as data showed that Berlin exported 253 billion euros ($270 billion) more than it imported in 2016. The current account surplus, which also includes services, was even higher at 266 billion euros. Trump's top trade advisor Peter Navarro has accused Germany of exploiting a "grossly undervalued" euro to boost its exports. But in its report to Chancellor Angela Merkel, the German Council of Economic Experts said: "The recent growing criticism against the high German current account surplus ... is not substantive." "The German current account surplus is high, but there are no macroeconomic imbalances," said Christoph Schmidt, the chairman of the council known as Germany's "five wise men" even though it includes a woman among them. But politicians need to ask themselves "why are German companies investing a lot comparatively abroad, and not domestically," he said. "The government should improve the attractiveness of Germany to investors and thereby help to reduce this surplus," added Schmidt. The panel also predicted that growth this year will hit 1.4 percent, 0.1 percentage points up from its previous forecast, as the employment market remains healthy. For 2018, output growth is expected to reach 1.6 percent, it said, also pointing to a positive global economic outlook. But it repeated its criticism of the European Central Bank's easy-money policy, saying that it is "still too expansive and that there are growing risks for financial market stability". "The ECB should bring about an end to its stimulus spending programmes as soon as possible," they added. Under President Mario Draghi, the ECB has bought well over one trillion euros of government and corporate bonds in a bid to pump cash into the financial system. At its last meeting this month, the ECB decided to keep cheap money flowing for fear of undermining a nascent recovery. The French aren't the only ones with a taste for their country's finest of home-grown fizzes, it seems. In fact, champagne enjoyed another bumper year in 2016, with orders worth 4.71 billion worldwide. In terms of volume, global champagne sales fell slightly in 2016, by 2.1%, with the French wine-growing region's producers exporting 306,096,000 bottles. In comparison, sales in France fell 2.5% to 157,737,000 bottles. The 2016 figures confirm the enduring appeal of the French sparkling wine on a global scale. In terms of volume, the British are still the biggest consumers of champagne, with 31.1 million bottles shipped to the UK. However, the Brexit vote has affected the market, with a 14% drop in export value and an 8.7% drop in volume of sales. What's more, champagne faces tough competition from the Italian sparkling wine prosecco on the British market. While the British take the top spot for champagne exports in terms of volume, the USA pips the UK to the post on export value, up 6.3% to 540 million. The new champagne drinkers Other countries buoying the champagne market include New Zealand, with export volumes up 29.1% to 648 million bottles, for a total value of 9.8 million (+25.4%). Champagne is also proving increasingly popular in Russia, with 1.3 million bottles shipped for a value of 22.5 million, and in Mexico, with 1.5 million bottles shipped (+30.9%) in 2016. Exports to South Africa (856,000) and South Korea (825,000) are also on the rise, with sales volumes up 21.9% and 16.1% respectively in 2016. As champagne continues to gain popularity in more and more countries, the sector is also diversifying with new options and flavors. Rose exports were up 8.5% on 2015, for example, and prestigious vintages were up 4.6%. Dr. Fred Gbagbo recognized the woman right away, even though the blood had drained from her face and was instead pooling between her legs. There was no trace of the pushy, even demanding young woman in this listless body lying semiconscious in front of him. During their first encounter just hours earlier, hed concluded that she was a devil trying to tempt angels. Now, seeing her so pale, he wasnt so sure. That morning, she had interrupted a pre-work prayer he was conducting with other student doctors in the gynecology unit of a teaching hospital in Ghana; she was pregnant, she said, and she wanted an abortion. Gbagbo and his colleagues, devout Christians all, knew what to do. They told her no, preached her the Gospel, and sent her on her way, proud they had so uncompromisingly cast her out, certain they had deterred her from sin. But here she was back again, and Gbagbo couldnt shake the nagging, nauseating feeling that perhaps it was he who had sinned. Their examination revealed a perforated uterus, the likely result of an attempt to perform the abortion herself, or the botched efforts of a local freelancer; either way, she wasnt talking, and her body told only the worst of the story. They took her to the operating room, but it didnt matter. She died there hours later, a first-year medical student and her parents only daughter. A decade later, one question still haunts Gbagbo: Who killed this poor girl? The possible answer that in refusing the woman care, it was Gbagbo who was culpable for her death branded a mark of guilt on his heart so deep that it set him on a new path. Not long after, he started his work as an advocate for safe abortion, which led him to become a leader in developing Ghanas national policy on comprehensive abortion care. Now, he is the national director of medical development in Ghana for Marie Stopes, an international NGO, overseeing private facilities that provide family planning, infertility treatment, prenatal care, and safe abortions for women in need. Story continues Women sell plantain chips and water amid traffic in central Accra. Children stand in the street in Medina, a poor predominantly Muslim neighborhood in Accra. A sign reads "Viva Ghana" in Medina. In many ways, Gbagbos personal journey mirrors the evolution experienced across this coastal West African nation. Alarmed by research showing that unsafe abortion was the second-leading cause of Ghanas startlingly high maternal death rates, since 2006 the Ghanaian government has embraced a more liberal policy on reproductive health, slowly working to integrate both safe abortion and effective contraception into the formal health care system. The past decade has brought significant progress in making abortion safer and more accessible across Ghana, coming hand in hand with easier access to family planning measures than ever before putting the country ahead of the many other African nations where abortion remains illegal and disturbingly unsafe. Though abortion is still stigmatized and often clandestine, people in big cities are increasingly aware of where to get access (if not quite yet in the countrys rural reaches). As a result, more women are able to get procedures performed by trained medical professionals. But that progress may have just hit a wall in the form of an American president bowing to domestic anti-abortion forces and implementing a restrictive new policy that will cut off U.S. aid to any foreign organization that so much as talks about abortion. This policy, an executive memorandum also known as the Global Gag Rule or the Mexico City Policy and signed by President Donald Trump on his fourth day in office, says that foreign aid can go only to organizations abroad that neither perform nor actively promote abortion as a method of family planning. The foreign aid includes money that pays for contraception, safe pregnancy and delivery, childhood vaccinations, and treatment of HIV/AIDS, malaria, Ebola, and other infectious diseases. What it means to actively promote abortion is vexing. Its not defined in the text of the policy itself, so organizations scared of losing American funding interpret it in exceedingly broad terms. The Gag Rule is widely understood to yank financial support from groups that offer abortions with their own non-U.S. money, refer their clients for safe, legal abortions, or advocate for abortion rights in their countries. The effect, advocates say, is wide-sweeping and chilling. Recipients of U.S. funds are afraid to talk about abortion at all, ultimately putting women at risk. The order doesnt apply to U.S.-based organizations because it violates Americans First Amendment rights; no such protections extend overseas. Family planning advocates from Washington, D.C., to Addis Ababa in Ethiopia worry that Trumps Global Gag Rule will not only roll back many of the modest but critical gains African countries have made on safe abortion, but also the decades worth of progress in increasing family planning, decreasing maternal mortality, and promoting democracy and womens rights more broadly. Murder does not mean just picking a gun or a knife and killing people, Gbagbo said. Denying someone their legitimate, rightful access to a service, as a health worker, is equally as murderous as killing someone. This is exactly what he and the organization he works for fear the Gag Rule will do. Marjorie Newman-Williams, vice president and director of international operations at Marie Stopes posits the problem this way: When organizations that receive money from the U.S. government are prohibited from mentioning abortion, referring women to an abortion provider, or telling them about their legal rights, the most vulnerable person in the equation isnt a legislator in Washington or a dedicated NGO employee. It is a woman needing care because shes had an unsafe abortion walking into a public health clinic that cannot speak about abortion because theyre taking U.S. money, Newman-Williams says. They will look that woman in the face and turn their back on her. At a Methodist high school in Mando, Ghana, students attend the weekly meeting of a sexual-health club that teaches young people about contraception. Every year, despite increased access to safe abortion procedures, 6 million African women end their pregnancies unsafely, and 1.6 million are treated for complications. Africa has more abortion-related deaths than any other continent. This problem of pregnant women shamed, injured, and dying from unsafe and often illegal abortions is steeped in combative politics more than 100 years old, imported to African shores by colonial France and Britain. They outlawed abortion across the continent, and Christian missionaries did their part to create a deep stigma about the procedure. But for the past 30 years, the hand most obviously manipulating the landscape of reproductive rights in Africa has been the United States. America has injected its own uniquely volatile abortion politics, hindering the efforts of African governments and health workers to improve conditions for their people and subverting the ability of citizens of sovereign nations to openly debate abortion rights. In the immediate wake of Roe v. Wade the 1973 U.S. Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion Congress approved the Helms Amendment, which barred American foreign assistance dollars from paying for abortion as a method of family planning and has ever since been largely interpreted as a wholesale ban on U.S. dollars paying for abortion even for rape victims. As the American religious right gained political power, even Helms was deemed insufficiently anti-abortion, and so in 1984, President Ronald Reagan put forward a more expansive executive order then known as the Mexico City Policy. It pulled USAID family planning funds from any foreign organization that provided abortions with non-U.S. money, advocated for abortion rights in their country, or directed women on how to get a safe and legal procedure. This order is what abortion rights advocates now refer to as the Global Gag Rule; the name refers to the fact that the policy gags health care providers and advocates from even speaking about abortion. While the Gag Rule was effective in limiting access to abortion, it did not affect instances of abortion itself. Across Africa, the story was the same. Maternal deaths were the highest in the world, and unsafe abortions were a leading cause. These numbers proved sufficiently alarming that even governments hostile to abortion rights agreed something needed to be done. After President Bill Clinton rescinded the Gag Rule in 1993, the restrictive culture of silence began to break apart; abortion was discussed more openly as a public health issue. Many African governments increasingly allowed for post-abortion care, an emergency procedure to keep women who have had unsafe procedures from dying. Years ago, women would regularly come in with incomplete abortion, and some are septic, some they cannot have children anymore, some die, said Christina Addo, a veteran nurse-midwife at the Planned Parenthood in Ghanas capital city, Accra. When post-abortion care came, it helped to save a whole lot of lives. In 2001, President George W. Bush put the Global Gag Rule back into place, and again USAID family planning funds could not go to organizations that provided, referred, or advocated for safe abortion. This yielded disastrous results. Planned Parenthood Association of Ghana, which had been doing USAID-supported family planning outreach since the 1970s, was in the middle of a rural outreach program that made up a third of its budget and was funded entirely by USAID. That money, none of which paid for abortions but rather funded contraception, testing for pregnancy and HIV, STI treatment, and infertility management, was pulled. Almost half of Ghanas Planned Parenthood nursing staff lost their jobs, and programs serving thousands of women were scaled back or dismantled. Ultimately, the Global Gag Rule meant that fewer resources went to the very groups that, like Planned Parenthood, were on the front lines of preventing unintended pregnancies. As a result, abortions increased across sub-Saharan Africa when the Gag Rule was in place, and many were unsafe. In an attempt to stave off deaths caused by unsafe procedures, the Bush administration did carve out a tiny but crucial exception to the Gag Rule, allowing U.S. funds to go to groups offering post-abortion care as long as they didnt allow safe, legal, elective abortions. Worshippers attend a Sunday service at a Pentecostal church in Mando. Anti-abortion church groups across Africa have lobbied against signs that abortion laws are loosening. Worshippers attend a Sunday service at a Methodist church in Mando. Still, post-abortion care has its limitations. As Dr. Patrick Djemo, the Francophone regional program manager for Ipas, an abortion-access organization, put it, Its more like wiping the floor when the tap continues to flow. But Bushs Gag Rule had another unintended effect. It woke up reproductive rights activists to the vulnerability of the small progress they had made. That is when civil society sat up, especially in Ghana, said Aba Oppong, who works on gender and reproductive health for the Center for the Development of People. In the aftermath of Bushs Gag Rule, she helped form the Alliance for Reproductive Health Rights, which aimed to combat unsafe abortions in Ghana. Advocates made a big push for their government to draft a formal protocol implementing the long-standing but largely ignored abortion law. These efforts dovetailed with research showing that worldwide, there is no correlation between abortions legality and its prevalence. However, there is a correlation between legality and safety that is, women have abortions whether theyre legal or not, but when they are legal, the procedures are safer and women are less likely to die. Since 1994, more than a dozen African countries have liberalized their abortion laws. Beginning in 2003, 36 African states ratified the Maputo Protocol, pledging to take all appropriate measures to protect the reproductive rights of women by authorising medical abortion in cases of sexual assault, rape, incest, and where the continued pregnancy endangers the mental and physical health of the mother or the life of the mother or the foetus. Progress took off from there. Take Ethiopia, a new leader on the continent when it comes to safe abortion. In 2005, the government decriminalized abortion; in 2006, it issued implementation protocols; and today, three-quarters of facilities able to provide abortion or post-abortion care, including 98 percent of the countrys 120 public hospitals, do so. Unsafe abortion used to be the No. 1 driver of maternal mortality in Ethiopia, accounting for nearly one-third of deaths among pregnant women; by the late 2000s, one study found that figure had dropped to 6 percent. The abortion rights landscape on this continent remains chokingly restrictive, but it has been, slowly, relaxing. This was helped along in 2009, when a newly elected Barack Obama rescinded Bushs Gag Rule. For many organizations, funding returned. Marie Stopes and the International Planned Parenthood Federation received millions of dollars for family planning services around the world during the next eight years. Marie Stopes estimates that in 2015 alone, it brought family planning to 20.9 million women, preventing more than 6 million unintended pregnancies, 4 million unsafe abortions, and 18,000 maternal deaths. USAID funded nearly 20 percent of the organizations budget. But as many African nations were changing their abortion laws and expanding access to contraception, the abortion wars in the United States were reaching a fever pitch. Since 2010, American states have approved almost 300 restrictions on abortion, accounting for about a quarter of the more than 1,000 restrictions on abortion rights since Roe v. Wade. Many of these restrictions aim to inhibit what some African nations are embracing: easier availability of medication abortion, more accessible early procedures, and skilled midlevel providers like nurses and midwives offering abortion services. Under Ghanaian law, midwives and other medical providers who arent doctors can perform abortions up to 12 weeks of pregnancy; after that, a gynecologist has to do the procedure. Similar laws are in place in Ethiopia, Zambia, and Mozambique, among other African nations. By contrast, in 38 American states, abortions can be legally performed only by a physician, even though studies have shown that the procedure is just as safe when conducted by a trained nurse-midwife. Ninety percent of U.S. counties lack an abortion provider. As abortion becomes harder to get for poor and rural women in America, reports of self-induced abortion in the United States are increasingly surfacing, and some women are being arrested and jailed for it. Obamas retracting of the Gag Rule in 2009 didnt mean that family planning dollars were fully restored. When the Gag Rule lifted, then the doors were open, said Planned Parenthoods Albert Wuddah-Martey. In ensuing years, his organization has been working to meet USAIDs strict requirements to secure new grants. They came to look at our procurement plan, staff, time sheets, he said. All those things that USAID looks out for. Then came Donald Trump. The new presidents Gag Rule is significantly more aggressive than previous versions. The rule encompasses all global health funding, not just funds earmarked for family planning. USAID requested $544 million for family planning and reproductive health for 2017. The projected global health funding for 2017 is an estimated $9.5 billion, all of which is subject to this new rule. Sub-Saharan Africa, the largest recipient of American humanitarian aid dollars, will be the hardest hit. There is no doubt, advocates say, that the Gag Rule will mean more unplanned pregnancies, more unsafe abortions, and more women injured and dead. Although it wont take away a single dollar spent on elective abortions, it will cut money that was going to contraception, HIV/AIDS treatment, and the antenatal care that reduces maternal and child deaths. Just as we were about to finish and we started some engagement with USAID Ghana here, this new Gag Rule has come in, Wuddah-Martey said. So we are back to square one. Linda Asantewaa, 24, had an abortion in 2013 at a Marie Stopes clinic in Ghana. She now works as a community volunteer. Marie Stopes in Ghana does not rely heavily on USAID funds, but its family planning work in other countries, including Niger, which has the highest fertility rate in the world, does. The Gag Rule translates into a loss of nearly $30 million every year, money they will no longer receive because they refuse to stop providing safe abortions where theyre legal and advocating for them where theyre not. In terms of women affected, we estimate that if this money is taken away, we are going to be reducing services to about 1.5 million women in the poorest countries, said Marie Stopess Newman-Williams. And by that Im referring to sub-Saharan Africa, Niger, Burkina Faso, Mali. Niger, really? Where women still have on average seven children, who have no access to modern contraception, where the women are destitute? This is going to be really hard on the poorest women in the world. Theres another revision to the rule that has advocates worried. While the Reagan and Bush Gag Rules applied to nongovernmental organizations, Trumps rule removed the word nongovernmental from the text. The administration has so far refused to clarify if that means they may pull funds to national health systems and USAID supports national health systems across Africa if sovereign governments allow legal abortion for their citizens. One of the most important, and least quantifiable, components of this new rules impact will be its effect on spreading reliable information and building trust in a public that may have good reason to doubt both those advocates who are seen as outsiders and their own governments. International organizations rely heavily on local groups that people trust to speak frankly and competently, and that encourage open discussion about often-taboo issues, including family planning and abortion. Now, if these organizations receive USAID money, they have to choose: much-needed funding in some of the poorest places on Earth, or the freedom to speak. Unlike the Bush administration, the Trump administration has offered no clarity on whether its Gag Rule allows providers to at least offer post-abortion care to women who show up dying on their doorsteps. The impact, said Aba Oppong of the Center for the Development of People, will be tremendous. Without that funding, you cannot promote the life that safe abortion saves. Oppongs group does not perform abortions, but she works with many young people in need. Shes seen 10-year-old girls diagnosed with HIV, girls married in adolescence, girls without family support sleeping with older men to survive. Trumps Gag Rule, she said, gives me the chills, because I know the life of a girl without information. At the Marie Stopes clinic in Kumasi, Ghanas second-largest city, Yaa, a mother of eight with full cheeks and a bronze bird-print scarf wrapping her hair, sits in one of the counseling rooms, a painting of a tree on the wall at her back. Next to her, an older midwife deftly arranges a clutter of objects on the table: a packet of pills, an IUD sitting snugly in a wooden carving of a cervix, an illustrated flipbook of voluptuous naked women and curving pink uteruses, a model penis. A few days earlier Yaa had discovered she was pregnant again, and when a friend got hold of an abortion-inducing drug from a local store, Yaa took it. This is fairly common. Although abortion-inducing drugs are prescription-only in Ghana and kept under tight control by reputable clinics like Marie Stopes and Planned Parenthood, women often get them under the table elsewhere. Some of these women arent aware that abortion is legal for them; others assume they cant afford it; still others are too ashamed to walk into a clinic and ask for help. Andrena Gryekye helps a pregnant woman who has come to the public clinic in Mando for a checkup. Many women who try to end their pregnancies themselves end up at local clinics or hospitals. A few make their way to a Marie Stopes center, a chain of nine bright, tidy buildings where staff members wear sky blue to match the paint, and every exam room has a wall stenciled with a leafy tree, a cheery little bird flying off the side. Each center sees 25 to 50 clients a day, four of whom come for early abortions, and perhaps six of whom have tried the procedure on their own. The rest come in for other services, such as cervical cancer screenings, contraception, infertility treatments, cryotherapy (a remedy for abnormal cervical cells that can develop into cancer), vasectomies, and STI regimens and testing. Marie Stopes also has a network of BlueStar clinics across the country, where they train and audit other providers who offer a range of reproductive health services. For all of the countrys gains, unsafe abortion remains a significant cause of maternal death in Ghana, where more than one in 10 women who die during pregnancy or birth perishes from an unsafe abortion. Many more survive some because of post-abortion care, and some because innovations in abortion-inducing medication mean that even unsafe abortions have become a lot safer but still, for every woman dead from an unsafe procedure, 15 are physically injured. Clandestine and off-label use of abortion-inducing drugs (like the kind that Yaa took), is far less optimal than procuring them by prescription from legitimate sources where the drug is sure to be real and the dosing correct. But even these technically illegal abortions are infinitely safer than the options women had a decade or two ago, which largely amounted to drinking herbal concoctions or inserting sticks or ground glass into their vaginas. But governments across the world, including in Ghana, are nonetheless cracking down on the illicit use of medications that cause abortion, leaving women with only the more dangerous options. Yaa is lucky. Edith Offei, the midwife laying out a carnival of reproductive health paraphernalia on the table, is not only trained in post-abortion care, but is also prepared to discuss preventing future pregnancies. After going through her options using an illustrated chart, Offei shows Yaa physical samples of various methods an IUD, a pack of pills, an implant and Yaa, certain she doesnt want any more children, opts for a tubal ligation. Offei, clad in her sky blue scrubs, flips through her book to find an illustration of a uterus and fallopian tubes, showing Yaa where the tubes would be cut. Does she understand? Is she sure? Yaa nods, yes, she understands, she is sure. Offei pulls out a medical consent form and peers through her glasses to read it, line by line, her eyes flickering up to meet Yaas after each section to repeat her questions. Does she understand? Is she sure? Yaa rubs her forefinger on an inkpad and stamps the form with her consent. Then its time for Offei to remove the leftover tissue in Yaas uterus so that she doesnt get a potentially deadly infection. Yaa stands up and follows Offei, skirt swishing, down the blue corridor until she disappears behind a blue curtain adjacent to the procedure room. According to Gbagbo, Yaas experience is typical. Ninety-five out of 100 women who received abortion services leave here with one form of family planning or the other, he says and the contraceptives are free. Post-abortion contraception is an intentional strategy aimed at decreasing the abortion rate, giving women the tools to plan their families and ultimately saving womens lives. If the women we see for an abortion are here, it means we have failed as a family planning service organization, Gbagbo says. We should have been able to identify them, reach out to them with information and services. If they dont offer family planning services when women come for abortions or after trying abortions on themselves, then we have failed them twice. The women who are failed the most often are not city dwellers like Yaa, but villagers. As much as Ghana has improved its laws and as much as health care providers are honing their skills, misinformation remains an intractable challenge. Women, especially in rural areas, may not know they can seek a safe and affordable abortion at a health clinic. Even if they know abortion is legal, the stigma laid on women seeking abortions often drives them to try self-inducing first, and drives health providers away from offering the service. Out in the villages, many women still rely on traditional healers and herbalists to brew concoctions to induce a miscarriage. Andrena Gryekye, a 26-year-old mother and one of the midwives at a public clinic in Mando, with her 2-year-old at home. Three days a week, Gryekye walks 20 minutes to put her daughter into a taxi to take her to preschool. While the girl is in child care, Gryekye visits with women to discuss antenatal care, infant vaccination, and contraception. Seventy-five miles outside of Accra, down the coast and then inland, sits Mando, a lush town where the main road is flanked by churches, small stands selling phone credit or eggs, and heavy banana trees. This is the type of area reproductive health organizations try to reach, when they have the resources. The lifting of the Gag Rule during the Obama years meant these organizations could rely on USAID to expand their family planning work, bringing contraception and sex education to women who had not been able to easily access it. The Ghana Health Service is here too, as it increasingly is in towns and villages far more rural than this one, all across the country. One of the nations more innovative health strategies has involved dispatching midwives to agrarian enclaves, putting access to health care including, crucially, family planning and antenatal care for pregnant women at Ghanaians fingertips, no matter where they live. A handful of these midwives have been trained by groups like Ipas or Marie Stopes to offer safe abortions and function as a kind of one-woman reproductive health clinic, armed with the skills to offer contraception, improve the health of pregnant women, assist a woman in childbirth, and end a pregnancy safely. But the abortion part of that full spectrum of services is, predictably, the least common, only on offer by the midwives who have intentionally sought it out. Andrena Gryekye, a warm 26-year-old mother with a generous smile and a soft, lulling voice, is one of the midwives at the public clinic in Mando. Three days a week, she pulls her green midwifes uniform over her visibly pregnant belly, straps her 2-year-old girl to her back, walks 20 minutes to put her daughter into a taxi to preschool, and then spends the hours before the sun becomes too punishing visiting women door to door in their cinder block multifamily homes. She encourages the pregnant ones to come in for antenatal care, tells mothers to vaccinate their babies, and talks to all of them about spacing out their pregnancies with modern contraception. Sometimes, women come to her clinic having tried to end pregnancies themselves, and she knows how to stop the bleeding and refer them to a bigger hospital for serious complications. Elective abortions, though, are another matter. We say a lot of things to stop them, she says. But if they are planning to abort the baby, with any means they will do it. Her clinic doesnt offer abortions, and as far as she knows, the local hospital will terminate pregnancies only when there are fetal abnormalities. In our country, no hospital will do a normal abortion, she says although according to many other advocates, some hospitals and many Ghana Health Service midwives will. But [women] know if they do the normal abortion they will go to the hospital and the hospital will probably save them, Gryekye says. So they plan on taking the medicine at the home and then going to the hospital. This knowledge gap is a pervasive challenge in Ghana. The farther one gets from the city, the greater, it seems, that information gap grows. One risk of the Gag Rule is that it will stifle conversation about abortion, not just leading to a lack of movement in the policy realm, but keeping women and even some health care providers ignorant about their options. Health providers, too, are interested in moving forward and expanding their knowledge, not seeing their speech restricted. Despite her personal misgivings about elective abortion, Gryekye says, if she were invited to a training session on safe abortion, she would want to learn. Women come to Gryekye and other midwives because these providers live, socialize, and invest their time in the communities where they work. That trust in the health care system can take years to form, and its been built on the efforts of midwives as well as health outreach workers who often partner with reproductive health NGOs. These workers have gotten many Ghanaians to gradually and unevenly break through their wariness of the formal health system and seek care. If outreach workers withhold information from women or flat-out lie to them in an effort to maintain their U.S. dollars, these fragile gains could collapse and take a generation or more to rebuild. This is the trajectory the Gag Rule interrupts. For unsafe abortion rates to decline significantly, nations have to liberalize restrictive abortion laws, increase accessibility by training providers across the country to offer safe procedures, stamp out misinformation, reduce stigma, and build trust in the health system. In countries where abortion is legally restricted, the Gag Rule shuts down discussions on liberalization. In places like Ghana, where its mostly legal and increasingly accessible, the Gag Rule makes it harder for health care providers to tell women the truth about their rights and options and, as a result, compromises trust in the system. A health care worker weighs and measures a patient at the public clinic in Mando. The question looming over health care workers in Ghana and every other nation affected by the Gag Rule is: How do we move forward? But this question is impossible to answer; the opacity of Trumps rule means no one really understands it. At the offices of Planned Parenthood in Accra, Albert Wuddah-Martey ticks off a list of groups that refer to his organization: community volunteer workers, midwives, local NGOs, even churches. If those groups receive USAID funding for, say, childhood vaccination campaigns and a mother asks about family planning, can they no longer mention Planned Parenthood? He pauses, furrowing his brow, and asks, Does it include partnerships? If it does, then we are doomed. In Ghana, a slew of organizations already work together to leverage their resources and knowledge. Oppong, of the Center for Development of People, doesnt perform abortions but does refer women to another provider if they should ask. For women, the Gag Rule means that opportunities for information will be stifled, she said. Without funding for us to conduct research, to engage more, we dont have more information about emerging issues, so we can never save that group of people who live in the community, who have never been to school, who dont have the knowledge. These partnerships include abortion providers like Marie Stopes and Planned Parenthood, but also researchers, activists, and many other members of civil society who dont work on abortion, including groups like JSI, which has successful projects in the country to reduce and treat malaria. Beyond the fact that we work for different organizations, we are from the same community, we go to the same church, we are from the same family you know, we are brothers and sisters and uncles, Wuddah-Martey said. At meetings on coordinating contraceptive delivery, for example, there are a lot of players there, and we all discuss issues related to family planning, safe abortion, and maternal mortality. So if it means a USAID-funded partner like JSI cannot come and sit and share his views, then where are we going? A woman checks in at the reception desk in the Marie Stopes clinic in Kumansi. A midwife at the clinic in Kumansi discussed birth control options with Dora Gyamfi, an 18-year-old patient who came to the clinic for an abortion. Dora waits to receive a birth control implant. She was too far along in her pregnancy to have the abortion at the clinic, and the midwife directed her to a local hospital for the procedure. Across town, in another one of those blue-painted Marie Stopes rooms adorned with a tree and a little bird flying away, Dinah, 27, a mother of four with a short angular haircut, hasnt heard about the Global Gag Rule and doesnt know much about Donald Trump. But she has seen how a little information can change the world of a person who knew little and had less. Her kids, two sets of twins, are 3 and 6. She had her first abortion at 16, having never heard about family planning; shes had about six more abortions since then, shes not sure exactly, all of them done by herself. She told no one. When she was pregnant with her second set of twins, she arrived at Marie Stopes in Accra, desperate, scared, and unaware of what to do. After a long counseling session where it was clear Dinah wanted to keep the pregnancy but didnt know how she would manage financially, the organizations staff rented a room for her so she wouldnt go homeless. After she gave birth, she came back for an IUD to prevent future unplanned pregnancies. None of Dinahs care was abortion-related, although Marie Stopes would have performed an early procedure had she requested it. However, it did cost money money the organization stands to lose across the globe. Marie Stopess Newman-Williams is hopeful that private donors and more progressive governments will fill the funding gap that could prevent the organization from providing the holistic care it offered Dinah. Private donors are stepping up, and the Netherlands has pledged some funds, so she hopes more nations will follow suit. But her organization cant sign the Gag Rule. No matter how much money is at stake, she says, we will not turn our back on women. When Dinah walked into Marie Stopes for help, she was thinking about killing herself retelling the story, her voice wavers and tears land on her white polo shirt. That Marie Stopes offered a roof over her head and the ability to plan her pregnancies wasnt just a lifeline; it was an assertion that she had a future to plan for. Things are still hard shes living in a slum, sleeping in the hallway of her parents place but theyre different; she feels as if shes finally moving forward. She runs her own shop and wants to get a degree in information and communications technology, so that I can build some small home for me and my children so that my children will be safe, she says. Women like Dinah, Gbagbo says, are the reason he does this job even in the face of social judgment and great personal risk. We do it because we believe in what we do, he says. When many women come into the clinic, they feel like life is not worth living. But thereafter, you give them a sign of hope, a sign of relief. That is more fulfilling than being the president of the U.S. Today, Dinah says its a relief, little but significant, to know an accidental pregnancy wont derail her careful, tenuous plans. For now, she says, Im free. Im free. A version of this article originally appeared in the March/April 2017 issue of FP magazine. Photo credit: Getty From Cosmopolitan Photo credit: Getty The Preamble to the United States Constitution sets out the founding vision of our country, declaring that we the people set out our Bill of Rights not just as a list of rules, but in an effort to "establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity," all for the ultimate goal of establishing "a more perfect Union." When did we forget about promoting the general welfare? And when did our pursuit of a more perfect union turn so cruel? President Donald Trump's proposed budget is a shocking affront to a basic American - and human - value: caring for others. It cuts funding from basic services from those most in need: programs like Meals on Wheels, emergency heating for the poor, legal aid for the indigent, work-study and financial aid for low-income college students, and foreign aid to help some of the poorest and most vulnerable people in the world. But don't confuse it for fiscal conservatism: It channels billions into an unnecessary border wall. Trump's budget is egregious, but it's not the only cold-hearted policy from the GOP. Paul Ryan's proposal to repeal the Affordable Care Act, which is a windfall for the wealthy, would mean more than 20 million Americans would lose health care. Vice President Mike Pence says the ACA repeal will bring "freedom and individual responsibility." According to one estimate, some 44,000 people will die unnecessarily every year if the ACA is repealed. Republicans dont seem to care. And the callousness isnt just budgetary - its ideological, and theyre getting worse at censoring themselves. Paul Ryan has reportedly bragged that hes been dreaming of cutting Medicaid, the program that helps provide health care for the indigent, since he was "drinking out of a keg." Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price wasnt particularly responsive to a cancer survivor concerned about his health care, saying coolly that he doesnt want to take care away from anyone. White House budget chief Mick Mulvaney claims the cuts to Meals on Wheels are compassionate - to taxpayers. Mulvaney also claims that after-school programs that feed poor, hungry kids deserve cuts because There's no demonstrable evidence they're actually helping results, helping kids do better in school the way we justified it was, these programs are going to help these kids do better in school and get better jobs. And we cant prove that thats happening. Perhaps the primary purpose of feeding hungry kids is not so they perform better and get jobs, but rather to make poor, hungry kids a little less hungry. Story continues This is not what makes America great. This is reptilian. It is true that the U.S. government has historically not done a particularly great job of taking care of all of its citizens. Those same founding fathers who sought a more perfect union also brokered a compromise to enable slavery to persist, and many kept slaves themselves. Segregation and discrimination kept many black families from fully reaping the benefits of the American dream, with the government, private employers, and individuals (including, reportedly, Donald Trump's father and Trump's own company) offering unearned advantages in housing and jobs to whites. But so too have some of our country's greatest achievements come from our impulse to promote the general welfare. Trump's budget didn't touch Social Security, because Americans recognize its value and cutting it would be hugely unpopular - even though it is one of those entitlement programs Republicans have claimed are for "takers." Medicare is also wildly popular, despite being government-run health care. Our public universities are some of the best in the world. The United Nations, an organization to which Trump also cut funds, is an unparalleled global achievement, dispatching peacekeepers to conflicts the world over. The idea that all criminal defendants are entitled to an attorney is a foundational American value and a model for justice systems around the world (Trump's budget cuts funding to legal aid programs). Trump's budget calls for a $54 billion increase in defense spending, but a nation-state is bigger than just defense; it is more than border patrol, an army, and police. It's a set of collective values and, ideally, a pledge to care for each other, and especially to make sure that the most vulnerable people among us are able to thrive - the poor, the very old, the very young, the sick, the members of groups that face pervasive hate and discrimination. Trump's budget and Ryan's proposed ACA repeal now collectively push ourselves to ask what values we want our nation to embrace. Do we want to live in a country that demands "individual responsibility" for goods that in nearly every other developed and prosperous society are collective and public - health care, education - and that, when privatized, mean stress, death, and illness to all but the luckiest among us? Or do we want to live in a country where we agree that together, we are stronger, and that part of our contract with each other is to make sure that individuals are able to reap the benefits of their hard work while also ensuring that no one is left behind to suffer? It's the latter that's a traditional American value, not the cruel politics of today's GOP. Modern Republicans may scoff at the idea that the role of government includes providing for the collective social welfare, casting it as some newfangled Bernie Sanders socialism. It's not. It's written right there in the first sentence of our Constitution. CorrectIon: A previous version of this article misidentified the Health and Human Services Secretary as Mike Price. This has been corrected to Tom Price. Follow Jill on Twitter. You Might Also Like The woman had flown to Dubai about on the promise of a housemaid's job but was repeatedly raped and abused. By Kamaljit Kaur Sandhu, Reuters: An Indian woman rescued from sex slavery in Saudi Arabia was brought back to her hometown in Gujarat on Sunday amid concerns traffickers are widening their net to new parts of India. Two agents, one in Gujarat and another in Mumbai have been arrested and the search is on for more agents, officials said. The woman, 35, had flown to Dubai about a year ago on the promise of a housemaid's job and a monthly salary of about 40,000 Indian rupees. advertisement She was, however, sold to another employer in the Saudi capital Riyadh where she was repeatedly raped and abused, a state minister said. She is currently recuperating at a public hospital in the western state of Gujarat. South India tops the chart in trafficking Campaigners said most trafficking cases in the Gulf region have so far been from southern Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu and Kerala, and rarely from other parts of the country. "It is presumed that most cases of trafficking to the Gulf are from southern states. We are finding names of more agents in Gujarat from those arrested," Bhupendrasinh Chudasama, education minister in Gujarat told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. "Police have launched a major investigation. We will alert other states too if we find links to them." Chudasama had alerted government officials and the police to the case after he read about the woman's plight in The Times of India newspaper. While police teams from Gujarat and Mumbai swooped on agents who had lured the woman to Dubai, an Indian politician with business interests in Saudi Arabia, Thopali Sriniwas, contacted the Indian embassy there. Dismal state of domestic workers This was the second case of a Gujarat woman that he helped return to her homeland in less than a month. Of an estimated six million Indian migrants in the six Gulf states of Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Oman, domestic workers are among the most exploited, campaigners say. "Housemaids are treated like cattle here. This woman didn't even know where she was when I asked her location. She kept crying to be saved. India should ban sending housemaids to the Gulf," Sriniwas said. In the woman's hometown of Dholka, officials are dealing with what they said is their first case of human trafficking. "We have information that there could be more women who have been trafficked to the Gulf nations. This is a new development for us," said Rituraj Desai, deputy in the Dholka district office. advertisement ALSO READ| Bombay High Court orders Maharashtra Police to trace two missing sex trade victims ALSO READ| Right to Know: How to identify sexual workplace harassment --- ENDS --- On a sunny afternoon in November 2015, police officers from Marsabit, Kenya, were driving north along a bumpy dirt road, heading toward the village of Segel. There were two officers in the car, but it was the woman in the passenger seat who was navigating their journey, issuing directions in a firm and steady voice. They were pursuing a man who had been accused of raping a 14-year-old girl. The police had found the man in question a few days earlier and tried to arrest him quietly, but he denied guilt and refused to come to the station for questioning. Reluctant to use force, the police returned without him. This woman, however, was determined to bring the man into custody. She wasnt their superior or even a member of the police force, but the officers followed her orders until they reached the place where men like to gather under a large tree to chew khat. The car slowed to a stop, and the woman peered through the window until her eyes landed on a group of three men. She stepped out of the car, a shock of bright color in her robe-like dress. With the cops walking in step beside her, she greeted the figures lounging in the shade, told them she was looking for someone, and gave them the suspects name. One of the men announced that he was the one she was looking for. She smiled and introduced herself. Ive heard of you, the man said. And without protest, he stood up and walked to the car. Along with other volunteers at the Marsabit Womens Advocacy Development Organization, female genital mutilation survivor Helen Halake, 55, monitors the community and identifies families intending to subject their girls to FGM or marry off their underage daughters. Early most mornings, Nuria Gollo walks to her office in pastoral Marsabit, a small town located an eight-hour drive north of the capital, Nairobi. Most likely, there will already be a group of people waiting outside her door. On a slow day, there are around 10. On a busy one, the line could snake 50 yards down the road. Even on the weekends, when the office is closed, strangers will call or knock on her door. They have all come to seek her help. Story continues Gollo is short and round with broad shoulders, but she wears sandals with a small wedge and stands so straight that she seems much taller than her 5-foot-3 frame. She owns countless flowing dresses in vibrant sunset reds and oranges and emerald green, which she pairs with matching headscarves that unravel every time she waves her arms. She douses herself in Dior perfume, and her scent lingers long after she departs. At 48, she has few wrinkles and her laugh is easy and loud. But when Gollo is angry her tone turns so sharply it can change a rooms temperature. Since founding the Marsabit Womens Advocacy Development Organization (MWADO) in 2003, Gollo has made it her mission to bring justice to every victimized woman in her community. A former teacher, she is also a trained paralegal but her work now is far more involved and multifaceted. On any given day, she is a detective, cop, lawyer, mediator, therapist, or social worker. Gollo takes on dozens of cases each week, ranging from sexual assault and domestic violence to disputes over child support, land rights, and cattle raiding. In recent years she has crashed a child marriage ceremony to rescue the underage bride, exposed a school principal who was setting up his female students for marriages with local men, and tracked down women who were illegally arranging to mutilate young girls genitals. The one who was paid to perform the cutting is now serving a five-year term behind bars. Armed with only an iPhone 5s in a gold case and a reputation that precedes her, Gollo is something of a celebrity in her hometown. Stories of her prowess, like the one of her leading the police to the rapist, are ubiquitous, and their reach stretches far beyond Marsabits borders. Men fear her, women revere her, and the police are the first to admit they need her. She is a godsend, said Irene Charo, a police officer who works with Gollo to solve cases of gender-based violence. What I know about Nuria is she is fighting for the girl-child. Chirri Kossi, 40, a local campaigner against female genital mutilation and a volunteer with the Womens Advocacy Development Organization, is the wife of a local chief. She uses her position to educate women about the dangers of FGM. On a December morning, two dozen women are seated around long tables in a dimly lit conference room at the Nomads Trail Hotel in Marsabit. They have just finished snacking on beef samosas and milky chai tea. Lying neatly in front of each woman is a brand-new notebook and pen. Gollo stands at the front of the room. How many of you were cut as children? she asks in Kiswahili. Every woman raises her hand. And how many of you enjoy having sex? All the hands go down. She smiles and nods; Gollo knew the answer before she asked the question. You work all day, you do the wash, and at night you complain that you are sick even when you are not sick, she says. That is the way we have to survive. Her audience hums, sounding in agreement. After you have refused many times, your husband will go outside to look for illegal affairs. There is so much quarreling. There is so much fighting. The crowd agrees louder this time. Then she turns to a poster board and points to the words Female Genital Mutilation written at the top. All of the women in this room were once vulnerable girl-children all of them, including Gollo. There are no health benefits for women subjected to FGM. In fact, it can cause lifelong medical problems, including recurring urinary tract infections, which can lead to renal failure, as well as vaginal infections and painful complications during sex and childbirth. Surgeries to reverse the effects of genital cutting are exceedingly rare. And the practice remains prevalent in many northern Kenyan communities. Women who support FGM say it keeps them clean and prevents lustful behavior and prostitution. Genital cutting is also a big business women pay midwives varying amounts to perform the cut, with some earning upward of $25 for the procedure, which can range from pricking the clitoris with a needle to removing it and parts of the labia, and then sewing up whats left of the labia, leaving just enough room for the victim to urinate and menstruate. Gollo experienced the latter. She was around 10 years old when a group of women from her village gathered the girls in her neighborhood to bring them to her grandmother, a traditional midwife, for what they were told was a special ceremony. The girls were excited; their mothers had promised that after the festivities, they would receive gifts and eat meat for the rest of the week. But instead, four women spread their legs and held them down while Gollos grandmother used a razor blade to cut out their clitorises. If you cry, you are a coward, she remembers her grandmother telling her. They put clothes in your mouth so you dont scream. Then they say, Now you are a full woman. They said they went through the same. For the two weeks after she cut her, Gollos grandmother kept her legs bound together with rope to ensure she wouldnt reopen the wound. When she was 16, Gollos father forced her to drop out of school so he could marry her off to a 38-year-old man in exchange for a cow, about $190, 15 pieces of clothing, tobacco, tea leaves, cooking oil, sugar, and coffee beans. The marriage was miserable from the start. Her husband was an aggressive man who beat her regularly. Unable to avoid his demands for sex, she suffered the tremendous pain of intercourse, a result of the scar tissue from the cutting. It wasnt long before she was pregnant. The labor of her first child, a son named Abdulrizak, was excruciating and the recovery took months. After two years and the painful birth of a second son, Mohamed, Gollo had had enough. Though it went against convention, and the wishes of her father, she divorced her husband. Even after her father ordered her husband to track her down, beat her, and bring her home, Gollo refused. Formerly a traditional birth attendant and practitioner of female genital mutilation, Chukulisa Jarso, 78, stopped performing the procedure in 2008, when an initial law banning FGM was enacted and her eyesight began to fail. I did it for financial reasons. People respect you for this job, she said. Jarso estimates that she performed FGM on 100 girls. By the time she was 22, she was free from her first marriage and her fathers reach. She had completed her secondary school education and began teaching at a local primary school. She married again, this time to a fellow teacher, Abdulkadir Kaaru. They had three children together, a boy named Yassin, who is now 21, and two girls, Sulekha, 19, and Fardosa, 11. In 2000, after years of informally counseling women in her community on their concerns about health, marriage, and gender inequity, Gollo told her husband that she wanted to quit her teaching job to work in advocacy full time. He helped her write grants and send proposals to international organizations, and she received some small initial funding from SNV Netherlands Development Organization. Within three years, she had enough outside funding to officially launch MWADO and set up an office in town. She has continued to support her organization by procuring funding from international NGOs like ActionAid. Through MWADO, she provides transport for some community members who visit the organization for workshops on how to develop business skills, or put an end to FGM and domestic violence. Gollo says she gives herself a salary of $300 a month, enough to eat and pay for housing but not much else. Built into the side of an inactive volcano, Marsabit is a dusty town interrupted by low-rising hills that, until last year, could not be reached by paved road. The main drag is boisterous and busy, with countless vegetable stands and duka, the Kenyan equivalent of the New York bodega, where locals gather to buy phone credit and share the latest gossip. Downtown, groups of men who work driving boda bodas (motorcycle taxis), cluster on corners while others squat on the red-dirt side streets, where they chew khat and play bao, a popular board game. Home to about 25,000 people, Marsabit is the capital of a county of arid plains and volcanic craters around 100 miles south of the Ethiopian border, where pastoralist communities roam in search of fields to graze their camels, cows, and goats. In recent years, when violent clashes have broken out between pastoralists competing over dwindling land and water, Gollo has organized the women shes counseled or trained at her community workshops to stand up to their husbands and demand peaceful negotiations between the warring ethnic groups. Nuria has never started anything and left it pending, said Guyo Golicha Huka, a local government official. The peace we are enjoying up to today is thanks to her. Dahabo Mohamed, 32, was left destitute when her husband abandoned the family. But under pressure from Nuria Gollos local community organization, he has started to pay welfare to support the family. From the Outside, it might appear that Gollo is working around Kenyas judicial system. But its more apt to say that her work in Marsabit is a compromise between two conflicting structures: traditional, pre-colonial dispute settlement tactics passed down by elders and Kenyas courtroom legal system, which remains foreign to pastoralists like those living in rural Marsabit County. Local people and traditionalists fear the government so much, she said. When you take something to court, sometimes it brings a lot of hiccups. In 2016, the Kenyan chief justice tasked a group of legal experts, elders, and social scientists with traveling across the country to investigate how traditional dispute-resolution programs were being used, encouraging them to help mediators determine which cases to resolve on their own and which to release to a formal court. (The latter category includes incidents of murder and sexual violence and complaints filed by minors.) As part of the crisis of modernization in many African countries, the organic dispute resolution processes withered away, said Kenyan High Court Justice Joel Ngugi, who chairs the commission. Due to financial constraints and alienation from the formal justice system, many people have given up trying to solve cases. These people have to accept the limits of a flawed system, Ngugi said. When that happens, women and children usually suffer the most. In rural families near Marsabit, women handle the bulk of household duties. They manage the livestock, build their families shelters, take care of children, and walk for miles each day to collect water. Although the majority of girls in town now finish high school, those living in rural areas rarely make it past eighth grade. Even after Kenya banned FGM in 2011, Gollo says 90 percent of girls in the isolated northern region are still cut. Pastoralist men dont want their wives to work, Gollo said. They want women to take care of them like babies. Although the decisions Gollo reaches in her office are not legally binding, the aim is to find a permanent resolution. In circumstances where she wont be able to resolve a matter on her own, Gollo helps guide the victim through the more formal legal process. Dahabo Mohamed, 32, was taking care of one child and pregnant with another when the father of her children, a police officer, abruptly left her in 2004. She didnt know Gollo personally, but had heard of MWADO and showed up at the office for help. Gollo summoned the man and tried to talk through ways for him to financially support his children, but he refused to pay child support and wouldnt negotiate. So Gollo contacted the police. Local officers arrested him, and in a formal court, a judge determined that money would be taken out of his paycheck and sent to Mohamed each month. He was very embarrassed, Mohamed said of her husband. Nuria supported me. She advised me, made sure court was going smoothly, went to his bosss office to make sure he showed up to court, and she still follows up to make sure Im paid. Orge Galgallo, 52, a former practitioner of female genital mutilation, started performing the procedure when clients for her services as a traditional birth attendant opted for clinic deliveries. I was paid around 200 shillings ($2) to circumcise a girl, she said. Galgallo gave up the practice when she discovered that FGM causes complications during childbirth. Still, there are limits to what organizations like MWADO can achieve. However exalted she might be, Gollo doesnt always succeed. Beyond the failings of the Kenyan criminal justice system, Gollo is fighting deeply engrained patriarchy, fear, and resentment of authority, which cannot always be addressed with private intervention. In 2005, MWADO received a tip that two sisters, ages 9 and 11, had gone missing from a village outside of town. A few days after they disappeared, the girls returned home in a daze, their clothes torn and bloody. They told their parents that a local police officer had kidnapped them, force-fed them alcohol, and raped them. Gollo drove out to the parents house and asked them to let MWADO team up with a pro-bono lawyer and help them with the case. If they took the officer to court, Gollo explained, their daughters could see justice for what was done to them. But the cop had already offered the parents cash in exchange for not pursuing legal action against him. Fearing the notorious delays and expenses associated with court, they accepted his settlement. Friends later warned Gollo that the officer knew of her intervention in the case and had promised that if he had the opportunity, he would finish this woman. That police officer is one of a number of people who have opposed Gollo mostly traditionalist men who view her as overstepping her authority, both as an activist and a woman. Fatuma Kurungu, one of Gollos colleagues who helps train community members to report violence against women, said that when Gollo tried to gather enough information to take the school principal to court for selling girls off to marriage, many members of the community refused to help. They were so secretive, they didnt want to assist us, she said. Especially men are afraid of her, because they know her reputation and know she is working with the government. Although the principals crimes were widely acknowledged in his community, the case never went to trial. Gollo is aware of the personal risks that come with her work, but she doesnt have the means to pay for security. Instead, she follows a strict routine. Every evening at 6:30, she locks her gate and doesnt open it until morning. She never walks alone at night. When necessary, she works through intermediaries so that it isnt clear to the public that she is involved in sensitive cases. My family worries, she said. They say, You are going to be killed. Some family members even cry and say, We dont want to lose you. Stop doing this job. But none of this the governments failure to address sexual assault, the high number of unsolved cases, or even the potential danger she could encounter seems to deter Gollo or dampen her faith in the work she does. Sometimes after she hits an obstacle like another inexplicable court delay, she is devastated completely. At those times I feel like stopping with this work, Gollo said. Then I think, No. Who will take care of these people if I quit? Fatuma Kurungu, 39, a female genital mutilation survivor and a teacher at a local school, educates students about human rights and keeps track of their attendance, alert to girls who may be at risk for child marriage or FGM. Back at the Nomads Trail Hotel, Dansoye Dulla, a local nurse and victim of FGM, draws a diagram of female external genitalia on the board. The women carefully copy their own versions into their notebooks as Dulla explains the function of each part and the audience repeats after her: urethral orifice, labia minora, vagina. When she finishes, Dulla asks if anyone has questions. There is a brief silence until one woman raises her hand and shouts, Its the most beautiful thing Ive ever seen! The room bursts into laughter and applause and the women pack up to go home. Before she leaves, one woman shyly approaches Gollo to thank her for her presentation. Her daughter is in primary school, she explains, and she was planning to bring the girl to a midwife the next day to have her cut. Im canceling the appointment, the woman tells Gollo, who gives her a nod of approval. Its a good thing she is, Gollo says quietly as she steps out of the hotel, fanning herself as she meets Marsabits oppressive afternoon heat. Otherwise, I would have made sure she ended up in prison. This article originally appeared in the March/April 2017 issue of FP magazine. Port-au-Prince (AFP) - The motorcade of ex-Haitian president Jean-Bertrand Aristide came under fire in the capital Monday after he appeared as a witness in a money laundering case, his lawyer said. Several hundred supporters of the ex-head of state had taken to the streets of Port-au-Prince as he made the rare appearance at the request of a judge. "The motorcade has come under fire and this is tantamount to an assassination attempt," said Mario Joseph, who represents the former president. He said the shots were fired at the rear door where Aristide was sitting. "He is unharmed, but one person is injured and recovering in hospital," the lawyer said. Forced to quit power and flee the country in 2004, Aristide has made only very rare public appearances since his return from exile in South Africa in 2011. The 63-year-old gave testimony Monday for more than two hours, during which he "responded to questions from the investigating judge. He said what he knew," said Joseph. "The judge is investigating the accused Jean Anthony Nazaire, who worked as security chief during Mr Aristide's tenure. This is why he was heard." Following Aristide's questioning, crowds followed his convoy through the streets, some waving pictures of their hero. Thirteen years after his forced departure, the firebrand former shantytown priest, nicknamed "Titid," still arouses stronger feelings than any other Haitian politician. Adored by most residents of poor neighborhoods, he is considered by others to be responsible for political instability and insecurity in the capital. "Being there, we proved to the entire world that Aristide is and will always remain the king of the country of Haiti," said Paul Moise, one of the demonstrators. "No one is above the law: they invited him, he came." - First democratically-elected president - Aristide was Haiti's first democratically-elected president when he came to power in 1991, but he was ousted later that year in a military coup. Story continues After a period in exile in the United States, he returned in 1994 to finish his mandate. He was elected again in 2001, but again forced from office three years later by large protests and an armed rebellion. In 2013, he presented himself as a witness before a judge investigating the assassination of top journalist Jean Dominique, who was killed in the capital in 2000. He has not, however, responded to the many calls of a judge investigating suspicions of corruption and embezzlement during his presidency. Aristide's absence was noticeable at the funeral of his former prime minister Rene Preval on March 11. U.S. District Judge Derrick Watson from Hawaii, in a court ruling Sunday rejected the government's request to clarify his temporary restraining order on President Donald Trump's revised travel ban. Watson told federal lawyers who protested against his ruling that "there is nothing unclear" about his restraining order against the ban. Watson ordered a temporary halt to Trump's revised travel ban Wednesday in response to a lawsuit from the state of Hawaii and said that there was "significant and unrebutted evidence of religious animus" behind the travel ban. Trump's revised travel ban restricts travel into the U.S. for 90 days by citizens of Sudan, Syria, Yemen, Iran, Libya and Somalia. It also restricts any kind of refugee resettlement from any country for 120 days. If Watson accepted the Justice Department's request to limit the ruling then this Hawaii ruling would have been quite similar to a Maryland federal court order by U.S. District Judge Theodore D. Chuang against the new travel ban, issued on Thursday. Chuang's order only covered the part relating to the issuance of visas from the six countries banned by Trump's travel order. However, Watson's temporary ruling covered both the parts and also restricted Trump from modifying the refugee resettlement program, the Associated Press reported. The Department of Justice filed a motion Friday against Watson's restraining order and asked him to take back his decision. The federal lawyers against Watson's restraining order also said that he should modify the ruling to specify that it did not apply to the refugee ban. "The Motion. ... asks the Court to make a distinction that the Federal Defendants' previous briefs and arguments never did. As important, there is nothing unclear about the scope of the Court's order. ...("Defendants. ...are hereby enjoined from enforcing or implementing Sections 2 and 6 of the Executive Order across the Nation."). The Federal Defendants' Motion is DENIED," Watson wrote on his new order Sunday, Politico reported. Story continues The Justice Department could appeal Watson's initial ruling Wednesday to the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco. The revised travel ban was signed on March 6 and is expected to be implemented on March 16. The initial travel ban signed on Jan. 27 had Iraq in the list of countries from where citizens were banned to enter the U.S. for 90 days. However, the new ban excluded Iraq. The Hawaii ruling was called an example of "unprecedented judicial overreach" by the president and he also hinted that it will be appealed, according to the Associated Press. Related Articles TEGUCIGALPA (Reuters) - A court found a Mexican man and two Hondurans guilty of plotting to assassinate Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez, who has extradited more than a dozen drug lords since taking office, a judicial spokesman and security officials said on Sunday. The Mexican, Jesus Estrada, and the two Hondurans, Victor Flores and Jose Contreras, were convicted of planning to kill the Honduran leader in a September 2014 scheme, said supreme court spokesman Melvin Duarte. Flores and Contreras were also convicted of criminal conspiracy. Another three people, including a Mexican, were found not guilty, Duarte added. The men were captured in different places in 2015. They were convicted late Saturday night, and their sentences will be decided on April 24, Duarte added. The plotters had hoped to kill Hernandez in 2014 when he was due to land in a helicopter in his home town of Gracias, 200 km (124 miles) west of Tegucigalpa, security sources said. The scheme, which also involved Colombians and Guatemalans linked to the now-disbanded Valle brothers cartel, was foiled by U.S. and Honduran authorities, the sources said. "They were planning to attack the president as a result of the war (on drug gangs) that he launched since he took office in 2014," said a security official who was not authorized to speak publicly on the matter. At least 13 drug lords have been extradited to the United States since Hernandez came to power. Five of those 13 were heads of the Valle brothers cartel, which was linked with Mexico's Sinaloa cartel, previously controlled by Joaquin "Chapo" Guzman. He was extradited from Mexico to the United States in January. The sentence for attempting to kill the president is up to six years, while criminal conspiracy charges can face up to 10 years, according to Honduras' penal code. (Reporting by Gustavo Palencia; Editing by Alistair Bell) A North Carolina couple had their home-owners umbrella insurance revoked when they posted a cute picture of one of their three pups on Facebook. Nationwide Insurance claimed that the photo showed a Rottweiler mix, which they considered a dangerous breed. The dog has black-and-tan markings, as many breeds do, but its clearly not a Rottweiler. Nationwide eventually apologized and offered to reinstate coverage, but the unhappy couple has taken their business and their pets elsewhere. Watch: Protecting Against Privacy Invasion Is that part of the vetting procedure now? asks Plastic Surgeon Dr. Andrew Ordon. Theyre going to go on Facebook and look at all your personal pictures? As a former actuary, ER Physician Dr. Travis Stork explains that umbrella policies cover big liabilities, like a dog attack. America has 4.5 million dog-bite incidents a year, and its a big exposure for insurance companies. Watch: What to Do in a Dog Attack Breast Surgeon Dr. Kristi Funk delivers the take-home: Make your Facebook photos private if you dont want snoopers! Beirut (AFP) - Heavy air strikes pounded rebel positions in east Damascus on Monday, a monitoring group said, as Syrian government forces pushed back a rebel assault. "There have been intense air strikes since dawn on opposition-held positions in Jobar from which the offensive was launched," said Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. "The government and allied forces have retaken the initiative and are striking the groups that launched yesterday's assault," he added. Rebels and allied jihadists, led by former Al-Qaeda affiliate Fateh al-Sham Front, launched an attack early Sunday on government positions in the eastern district of Jobar before advancing into the neighbouring Abbasid Square area. It was the first time rebels had penetrated the Abbasid Square neighbourhood in two years, but government forces had forced them back by nightfall. AFP correspondents in eastern Damascus could hear warplanes circling above the city on Monday morning and said activity in Abbasid Square was returning to normal levels. Abdel Rahman did not have an immediate toll for Monday's strikes and could not specify whether the raids were carried out by Syrian government warplanes or allied Russian aircraft. Baghdad (AFP) - Iraqi forces battled Islamic State group fighters on Monday to push into Mosul's Old City where thousands of civilians remain trapped under jihadist rule. The city's historic centre is home to the Al-Nuri mosque, where IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in July 2014 proclaimed an IS "caliphate" in jihadist-controlled territory in Iraq and neighbouring Syria. The forces have recaptured several neighbourhoods from IS since starting the push for west Mosul last month, but the battle for the Old City, with its warrens of alleyways, was always expected to be tough. Located on the west bank of the River Tigris which divides the city, the densely populated old centre is difficult for armoured vehicles to navigate and any use of heavy weapons there risks putting civilian lives in danger. Iraqi forces on Monday aimed to press forward to enter the Old City from the Iron Bridge in an area rocked by heavy fighting the previous day, the commander of the Rapid Response Division's 2nd Brigade told AFP. "The offensive has resumed in the same area as yesterday... which is made up of large buildings, markets and narrow streets where the enemy is hiding," Brigadier General Mahdi Abbas Abdullah said. Several buildings have been retaken from the jihadists on the edge of the Old City in the past few days, Iraqi authorities have said. But the fighting for IS's last major urban stronghold in Iraq puts civilians who remain in the Old City in "terrible danger", an aid coordinator for the United Nations has warned. "People fleeing are telling us that it's very difficult to enter or leave the Old City," the UN's humanitarian coordinator in Iraq, Lise Grande, said in a statement on Sunday. "Families are at risk of being shot if they leave and they are at risk if they stay," she said. - 'Tens of thousands fleeing' - "It's horrible. Hundreds of thousands of civilians are trapped and they are in terrible danger." Story continues Iraqi authorities launched the offensive to retake the city on October 17 last year, with the support of the US-led coalition that has been carrying out strikes against IS in Iraq and Syria since 2014. Recapturing Iraq's second city would be a major blow to IS following months of jihadist losses in both countries. Iraqi forces launched the drive to retake west Mosul on February 19, after seizing the city's eastern side the previous month. More than 180,000 people have fled west Mosul, the Iraqi government said Monday. About 111,000 have sought shelter in 17 nearby camps and reception centres while many others have stayed with relatives, the ministry of displacement and migration said. The Iraqi government says it can accommodate a further 100,000 displaced people in camps, but the United Nations says the numbers could rise way beyond that. "Humanitarian agencies are bracing for the possibility that an additional 300,000-320,000 civilians may flee in coming weeks," the UN's aid coordination agency OCHA said. Grande said aid groups had spent months preparing for the Mosul operation. "But the truth is that the crisis is pushing all of us to our limits," she said. The aid operation for western Mosul is "far larger and far more complex" than in the east, she said. "The main difference is that tens of thousands of families stayed in their homes in the east," she said. "In the west, tens of thousands are fleeing." "If the number of people leaving the city increases faster than we can construct new plots, the situation could deteriorate very quickly," she added. Mosul had an estimated population of two million before IS overran it in a lightning June 2014 assault. Baghdad (AFP) - Iraqi forces battled Islamic State group fighters on Monday to push into Mosul's Old City where thousands of civilians remain trapped under jihadist rule. The city's historic centre is home to the Al-Nuri mosque, where IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in July 2014 proclaimed an IS "caliphate" in jihadist-controlled territory in Iraq and neighbouring Syria. The forces have recaptured several neighbourhoods from IS since starting the push for west Mosul last month, but the battle for the Old City, with its warrens of alleyways, was always expected to be tough. Located on the west bank of the River Tigris which divides the city, the densely populated old centre is difficult for armoured vehicles to navigate and any use of heavy weapons there risks putting civilian lives in danger. Iraqi forces on Monday aimed to press forward to enter the Old City from the Iron Bridge in an area rocked by heavy fighting the previous day, the commander of the Rapid Response Division's 2nd Brigade told AFP. "The offensive has resumed in the same area as yesterday... which is made up of large buildings, markets and narrow streets where the enemy is hiding," Brigadier General Mahdi Abbas Abdullah said. Several buildings have been retaken from the jihadists on the edge of the Old City in the past few days, Iraqi authorities have said. But the fighting for IS's last major urban stronghold in Iraq puts civilians who remain in the Old City in "terrible danger", an aid coordinator for the United Nations has warned. "People fleeing are telling us that it's very difficult to enter or leave the Old City," the UN's humanitarian coordinator in Iraq, Lise Grande, said in a statement on Sunday. "Families are at risk of being shot if they leave and they are at risk if they stay," she said. "It's horrible. Hundreds of thousands of civilians are trapped and they are in terrible danger." Story continues - 'Tens of thousands fleeing' - Iraqi authorities launched the offensive to retake the city on October 17 last year, with the support of the US-led coalition that has been carrying out strikes against IS in Iraq and Syria since 2014. Recapturing Iraq's second city would be a major blow to IS following months of jihadist losses in both countries. Iraqi forces launched the drive to retake west Mosul on February 19, after seizing the city's eastern side the previous month. More than 180,000 people have fled west Mosul, the Iraqi government said Monday. About 111,000 have sought shelter in 17 nearby camps and reception centres while many others have stayed with relatives, the ministry of displacement and migration said. The Iraqi government says it can accommodate a further 100,000 displaced people in camps, but the United Nations says the numbers could rise way beyond that. "Humanitarian agencies are bracing for the possibility that an additional 300,000-320,000 civilians may flee in coming weeks," the UN's aid coordination agency OCHA said. Grande said aid groups had spent months preparing for the Mosul operation. "But the truth is that the crisis is pushing all of us to our limits." The aid operation for western Mosul is "far larger and far more complex" than in the east, she said. "The main difference is that tens of thousands of families stayed in their homes in the east," she said. "In the west, tens of thousands are fleeing." "If the number of people leaving the city increases faster than we can construct new plots, the situation could deteriorate very quickly," she added. Mosul had an estimated population of two million before IS overran it in a lightning June 2014 assault. Also on Monday, a car bombing in a bustling business district in the west of the capital Baghdad killed at least 15 people, an interior ministry official said. The attack was claimed in an online statement by IS, which gave a toll of 23 dead, the US-based SITE Intelligence Group reported. Jerusalem (AFP) - A senior army officer said Monday that Israel had fired its Arrow missile at a Syrian rocket which posed a "ballistic threat" during clashes over the weekend. Israeli warplanes struck several targets in Syria on Friday, drawing retaliatory missile fire, in the most serious incident between the two countries since the start of the Syrian war six years ago. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the air strikes targeted weapons bound for Lebanon's Shiite militant group Hezbollah, and that Israel would do the same again if necessary. Syria's military launched anti-aircraft missiles at the attackers and said it had downed an Israeli plane and hit another as they carried out pre-dawn strikes near the desert city of Palmyra. Israel denied any of its aircraft was hit. Related: For more news videos visit Yahoo View, available now on iOS and Android. Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman on Sunday threatened to destroy Syrian air defence systems "without the slightest hesitation" if they fired on Israeli planes in future. During the sortie, Israel threw its Arrow interceptor into the fray to take out what the officer said Monday was believed to have been a Russian-made SA 5 missile. "It was a ballistic threat focused on the state of Israel," he said, speaking in English to foreign media on condition of anonymity. "Our mission is to defend the state and the people of Israel," he added. "That was exactly the case last week." Former prime minister and defence minister Ehud Barak has questioned the wisdom of the Arrow launch, saying it may have escalated tensions with Syria in too public a manner. Missile fragments fell in Jordan, which borders both Israel and Syria, without causing casualties. But the Israeli officer said Monday that the Syrian missile, weighing "tonnes and carrying hundreds of kilos of explosives" had posed a threat that could not have been ignored. "Try to imagine the meaning if this kind of threat would hit the cities and towns of Israel," he said. Story continues Launching the Arrow, jointly developed by the United States and Israel, was "a correct and effective solution", he added. Russia's foreign ministry on Monday said it had summoned Israel's ambassador over the strikes and "expressed concern". Israel and Syria are still technically at war, though the border had remained largely quiet for decades until 2011 when the Syrian conflict broke out. Iranian-backed Hezbollah has been fighting inside Syria in support of President Bashar al-Assad against rebels. While Israel has largely avoided getting sucked into the conflict directly, it has repeatedly struck Syrian territory, particularly targeting alleged Hezbollah weapons convoys. Aiming to fast track highway projects, the government may include Niti Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant in the NHAI. By Rakesh Ranjan: With the government facing an uphill task of constructing 41 km of highways every day, it may bring road construction under close supervision of the Prime Minister's Office (PMO). The government may soon include Niti Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant in the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) board; a move aimed at ensuring swift execution of the projects. advertisement While a proposal has been mooted jointly by the NITI Aayog and the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, the Cabinet may take a decision soon in this regard. Officials said such an arrangement was in place during the erstwhile Planning Commission when its secretary used to be a member in the NHAI board. However, after the Narendra Modi government created disbanded Planning Commission, its presence in the NHAI ceased to exist. 'WILL HELP FAST TRACK PROJECTS' "The step will help fast track clearances to highway projects at a time when the Centre is struggling to meet the current construction rate target of highways of over 40 km per day," a senior transport ministry official said. He said the presence of NITI Aayog CEO in NHAI board will empower it to clear all highway projects on its own, instead of taking the long route of seeking clearances from MoRTH and the finance ministry, prior to sending them for Cabinet approval. The move assumes significance as the road transport ministry has managed to construct only half its annual highway construction target till February this year. The delay has been essentially due to land acquisition hurdles and poor performance of contractors. TARGET FY 2016-17: 15,000 KMS The ministry, which had set a target of constructing 15,000 kilometres in this financial year, has managed to build only 6,604 kilometres of highways as of February-end, said the minister of state for road transport and highways Pon Radhakrishnan, in a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha. The written statement also cites non-availability of soil aggregates used for road construction, pending environment, forest and wildlife clearances and issues with the Indian Railways for over-bridges and under-bridges as some of the factors which slowed down the pace of construction. The move will cover nearly 25,000 kilometres of highway construction in India with an investment of at least Rs 3.5 lakh crore. Well placed sources said while the contracts for these projects have been awarded or in the process of being awarded, its timely execution over the next two years will be the key focus of the government. BUDGET BOOST FOR ROADS Interestingly, road transport and highways minister Nitin Gadkari has said that the ministry aims to build 30 kilometres of highways per day within this financial year even as the current rate of road construction is only 21 kilometres per day. advertisement In the Union Budget 2016-17, finance minister Arun Jaitley had earmarked Rs 97,000 crore towards roads and highways, including Rs 15,000 crore to be raised by the National Highway Authority of India through bond issuance. The NHAI had set a target of awarding 15,000 kilometres of new road projects by March 2017. The Union Budget 2017-18 stepped up the allocation towards roads and highways was stepped up to Rs 64,000 crore. ALSO READ | Budget 2017 brings big push for transport infrastructure ALSO READ | Centre to appoint global consultant to help enhance road engineering techniques in India ALSO WATCH | Modinomics17: Strengths and weaknesses of Union Budget 2017 --- ENDS --- Jerusalem (AFP) - Nuclear whistleblower Mordechai Vanunu argued Monday Israel was unnecessarily hounding him 12 years after he was freed from prison, as he appeared in court over breaches of his release terms. The 62-year-old former nuclear technician was jailed in 1986 for disclosing the inner workings of Israel's Dimona nuclear plant to Britain's Sunday Times newspaper. He spent more than 10 years of his sentence in solitary confinement. Israel is the Middle East's sole if undeclared nuclear power, refusing to confirm or deny that it has such weapons. Upon his release in 2004, Vanunu was slapped with a series of restraining orders, forbidding him from travel, contact with foreigners or speaking to media. He has twice been jailed for breaking those orders. In January, Vanunu was convicted of meeting with two US nationals in Jerusalem in 2013 without having permission to do so. Monday's appearance was a sentencing hearing over that conviction. His lawyer told the court it was a chat lasting "minutes" in a coffee shop with doctors visiting Israel. He was cleared of two other charges, one of which related to an interview he gave to Israel's Channel 2 television in 2015. "I left prison and they put me in another prison," he told Jerusalem magistrates court. "I performed my punishment and they keep on punishing me." The court did not pass sentence or set a date for sentencing, but Judge Yaron Mientkavich said he would consider ordering him to perform community service. Vanunu told AFP outside the courtroom that he had been confident that he was not returning behind bars. "I knew there was no chance I would be going back to prison because they didn't find me guilty on all the charges," he said. He added that more than 30 years after he worked in the nuclear plant he had no more to reveal to anybody. "All the nuclear secrets have gone," he said in English. "I don't have any nuclear secrets, and everything is on the internet." "After 18 years in prison it's enough and more... they should let me go. All what I want is freedom, that's all." Israel has refused to sign the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty or to allow international surveillance of its Dimona plant in the Negev desert of southern Israel. By Kiyoshi Takenaka TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will visit Russia next month for a summit with President Vladimir Putin, his foreign minister said on Monday, with an aim of advancing his effort to end a territorial spat and conclude a peace treaty. Abe has pledged to resolve the territorial dispute over a string of western Pacific islands, seized by Soviet troops at the end of World War Two, in the hope of leaving diplomatic legacy and building better ties to counter a rising China. The feud has precluded a formal peace treaty between the two countries. Speaking to a joint news conference after talks with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov and a separate meeting among foreign and defense ministers from Japan and Russia, Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida said: "We've agreed to accelerate preparation for the summit meeting." During Putin's visit to Japan last December, the two countries agreed to resume so-called "two-plus-two" security dialogue among foreign and defense ministers, suspended after Russia annexed Ukraine's Crimea region in 2014. "I believe the resumption of dialogue in the two-plus-two format means lifting Russo-Japanese relations to a new level ... and expanding security cooperation regarding global and regional security," Lavrov said at the outset of the security meeting. The two sides agreed to demand North Korea, which has carried out a series of nuclear and missile tests in defiance of UN sanctions, halt such actions, Kishida said. "We had in-depth talks today over North Korea's nuclear and missile issues and agreed to demand strongly that North Korea refrain from further provocations and observe U.N. Security Council resolutions," he said. North Korea's official media said on Sunday the reclusive state had tested a new high-thrust engine, which an analyst said was a dangerous step toward the North's goal of developing a rocket that could hit the United States. Lavrov told the security meeting that UN sanctions against North Korea should be aimed not at punishing Pyongyang but at prompting the North to go back to dialogue with the international community, he said at the joint news conference. Lavrov also said he had told the security dialogue that the U.S. deployment of ballistic missile defense system is posing a serious risk to Asia-Pacific, and the scale of the deployment is disproportionate to a threat from North Korean missiles. The United States this month started to deploy its advanced anti-missile defense system, called the Terminal High Altitude Area Defence (THAAD), in South Korea in response to the threat from North Korean missiles. China and Russia worry that the system's powerful radar can penetrate their territory and undermine their security. (Reporting by Kiyoshi Takenaka; Editing by Nick Macfie and Clarence Fernandez) Amazon chief, Washington Post owner, and budding super-villain Jeff Bezos had one heck of a 2016, going from super-mega-rich to super-duper-mega-hella rich. SEE ALSO: Amazon plans to train thousands of veterans for work in the tech industry We know this thanks to Forbes' annual billionaire list, or as it's known in my house, Forbes' annual "My God, what have I done with my life, I am so incredibly inadequate and I will never amount to anything because look at these rich jerks" list. According to the list, Bezos boosted his total worth from his 2016 number of only $45.2 billion to his 2017 number of $72.8 billion. It's good enough to bump him up from fifth in the rankings to third, the first time Bezos has cracked the top three. TL;DR, while you were lamenting how terrible 2016 was, Jeff Bezos was getting richer and dressing up as an alien for the latest Star Trek film. Oh, and HUGGING MICHELLE OBAMA. Real rough life Image: Susan Walsh/AP/REX/Shutterstock And good for him. America rewards entrepreneurial spirit, from Bezos to the person who invented the Chia Pet. Fortunately, all this hard work hasn't distracted Bezos from his plans to build a rocket, procure robot suit and swim in that giant vault of gold below his mansion. Forbes credits Bezos' big boost to the growing success of Amazon Web Services, otherwise known as "the reason you couldn't post to Facebook for a few hours that one time." How much of this growing fortune will be spent on Oscar-winning movies and how much will be spent of Bezos' new drone army has yet to be confirmed, but it's probably going to be a lot. Story continues First-ever #AmazonPrimeAir customer delivery is in the books. 13 minclick to delivery. Check out the video: https://t.co/Xl8HiQMA1S pic.twitter.com/5HGsmHvPlE Jeff Bezos (@JeffBezos) December 14, 2016 In closing, Jeff, can I borrow $20? Jerusalem (AFP) - A major restoration project at the shrine inside the Jerusalem church where Jesus is said to have been buried was completed Monday ahead of its inauguration, an AFP reporter said. Work at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in the Old City began at the end of last May. It was carried out by Greek specialists who reconstructed the Edicule, which for decades had been supported by metal beams following an early 20th century earthquake. The restoration and cleaning has uncovered the original details of the Edicule, the reporter said. The work also included opening what Christians believe to be Jesus's tomb for the first time since at least 1810, when the last restoration work took place after a fire, and possibly earlier. On Wednesday, the renovated site will be inaugurated in the presence of senior political and religious leaders from Greece, as well as Holy Land clergy. The work was funded by the three main Christian denominations that share the Holy Sepulchre -- Greek Orthodox, Franciscans and Armenians -- as well as from public and private contributions. The church also contains the area where Jesus is believed to have been crucified and his body anointed. An Army veteran who served two tours of duty in Afghanistan has been ordered to be deported to Mexico by an immigration judge. Miguel Perez was a permanent legal resident of the United States, where's he's lived since his family moved to Chicago when he was 8. Read: Transgender Woman Arrested by ICE Agents While Seeking Protective Order Against Alleged Abuser Despite his longstanding residence and service in the armed forces, he is being deported because of a non-violent drug offense, for which he served seven years in prison, authorities said. "Miguel is basically an American in every sense of the word," his lawyer Chris Bergin said at a press conference where Perez's family gathered to affirm their support for the veteran. According to KFOR, Perez joined the U.S. Army and served two tours of duty in Afghanistan, where he suffered a brain injury in an explosion. Perez's loved ones say he developed post-traumatic stress disorder, which made it difficult for him to find work when he returned to Chicago. It was then they say he then started selling drugs. Perez was convicted of selling more than two-pounds of cocaine in February 2010. Now that he's been freed, the father of two was detained by ICE officials because he is not an American citizen. His family, meanwhile, has appealed to Sen. Dick Durbin and Sen. Tammy Duckworth for help. Watch: Single Father Of 3 Deported After Checking In With Immigration Officials Its a complicated case," Durbin said in a statement. "We dont want dangerous people to remain in this country, but we ought to have our eyes wide open ... Heres a man who risked his life for this country, maybe he can pay his price for what hes done wrong here, and still get a chance to stay here." Perez has two children, an 18-year-old daughter and 12-year-old son, who are both U.S. citizens. An appeal has been filed on his behalf to the Board of Immigration Appeals. Perez will remain in the U.S. during the appeals process. Story continues Watch: Undocumented Mother of 4 Fearing Deportation Moves Into Church Related Articles: Big Bang Theory star Kaley Cuoco recently competed at a horse show with one of her horses, Escarlata. On her Instagram account, the actress revealed that they participated in the 1.35 classic off the circuit category. Cuoco praised Escarlata for her perfect performance with a single rail. The photo she posted showed Cuoco sitting and hugging the horse. Prior to the competition, Cuoco also posted a photo of her other horse, Benji, who did not participate at the event. Cuoco has been competing at various horse shows for the past couple of years. In fact, she has received countless recognition in the sport. However, there was also a time in her life when she thought she could no longer ride horses. In 2010, Cuoco fell off her horse during one of her riding lessons. The actress ankle snapped, and she could barely move at the time. Read: Kaley Cuoco shares practice video with horse Escarlata Immediately after the accident, Cuoco was rushed to the hospital where she was told by the doctors to consider amputation. During an appearance on the Ellen Show, Cuoco shared, Im hysterical and my doctor comes in OK, gotta go over your options; one of them is amputation. All Im thinking is Im gonna have to call work and tell them I only have one foot. Cuoco added that the doctors decided to give her the worst case scenario because she was about to go into surgery. He was really telling me that they were thinking there was infection I thought my foot was gonna be gone They had to tell me because I was going into emergency surgery that I might be coming out with one foot, she said. Luckily, Cuoco recovered from the accident. Now, not only is she still riding horses, but she is also part of the CBS sitcom Big Bang Theory. Kaley Cuoco Photo: Reuters/Phil McCarten Related Articles Kuwait City (AFP) - A Kuwaiti lawyer filed a lawsuit Monday seeking a temporary driving ban on millions of expatriates to ease traffic congestion in the oil-rich Gulf state. Lawyer Mohammad al-Ansari called for a temporary suspension of their driving licences and a total ban on issuing new licences for expats. He filed the lawsuit on behalf of a number of Kuwaiti citizens affected by traffic problems, Ansari told AFP in a written statement. "The traffic problem in the country has reached an unbearable phase," said the lawyer, adding that the government had failed to resolve it. Ansari said the suspension should stay in force until new regulations are introduced to curb traffic jams, although certain professions should be exempted. Around 3.1 million foreigners, most of them Asians, live and work in Kuwait alongside 1.35 million citizens. For the past decade, authorities have imposed very strict rules on expatriates to obtain a driver's licence. Most foreigners are required to hold a university degree, earn 600 dinars ($2,000) a month and have lived legally in the emirate for at least two years before a license is issued. Their high number has been criticised by lawmakers and activists, with several MPs calling for it to be lowered to the same level as Kuwaiti citizens within five years. Others have called for taxes to be slapped on their money transfers out of Kuwait. BOULDER, Colo. (AP) The Latest on wildfire burning near Boulder, Colorado (all times local): 6:20 p.m. Firefighters have contained a wildfire that forced hundreds of people from their homes in the foothills near Boulder, Colorado. The Boulder Office of Emergency Management says the 70-acre fire was 100 percent contained Monday afternoon, and firefighters are expected to work overnight mopping up hotspots and flare-ups. The fire started Sunday in a wooded, mountainous area a couple of miles from Pearl Street, the shopping and dining hub in the heart of the university city. Officials ruled out any lightning strikes or downed power lines and are looking at whether the fire was sparked by transient campers. ___ 1:50 p.m. Hundreds of residents have been allowed to return to their homes in the foothills near Boulder, Colorado, as firefighters make progress against a wildfire possibly sparked by transient campers in the area. The fire was burning on about 70 acres just west of downtown and is nearly fully contained. Boulder County Sheriff's Cmdr. Mike Wagner says investigators are working to pinpoint where the fire started. It broke out Sunday in a wooded, mountainous place a couple of miles from Pearl Street, the shopping and dining hub in the heart of the university city. Officials ruled out any lightning strikes or downed power lines. Another wildfire in the county was accidentally started last year by two men camping in the mountains who didn't fully put out their campfire. It destroyed eight homes. ___ 10:25 a.m. Hundreds of residents have been allowed to return to their homes in the foothills near Boulder, Colorado, as firefighters make progress against a wildfire possibly sparked by transient campers in the area. The fire was burning on about 70 acres just west of downtown and is about 50 percent contained. Boulder County Sheriff's Cmdr. Mike Wagner says investigators are working to pinpoint where the fire started. It broke out Sunday in a wooded, mountainous place a couple of miles from Pearl Street, the shopping and dining hub in the heart of the university city. Officials ruled out any lightning strikes or downed power lines. Story continues Another wildfire in the county was accidentally started last year by two men camping in the mountains who didn't fully put out their campfire. It destroyed eight homes. ___ 9:10 a.m. Hundreds of residents could be allowed to return to their homes in the foothills near Boulder, Colorado, on Monday as firefighters make progress against a wildfire possibly sparked by transient campers in the area. Boulder County Sheriff's Cmdr. Mike Wagner says that the fire was still believed to be about 60 acres and about 50 percent contained. Winds are forecast to be a bit lighter than when the fire broke out on Sunday but are still likely to be a factor especially in the afternoon. Another wildfire in the county was accidentally started last year by two men camping in the mountains who didn't fully put out their campfire. It destroyed eight homes. Jharkhand's Saddam Hussain was rejected over 40 times by various shipping companies and soon realised that people were scared to hire him. By India Today Web Desk: Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussain was executed in 2006. But years later, an Indian marine engineer feels he still bears the burden of his name. This engineer's grandfather named him Saddam Hussain thinking that one day he would grow up into a 'positive' human being. However, all that this name has given him is trouble. advertisement Hailing from Jamshedpur in Jharkhand Saddam was rejected over 40 times by various shipping companies and soon realised that people were scared to hire him. Also read: US man stalks Indian, blames them for snatching away jobs from Americans It has been over two years since Saddam graduated from Tamil Nadu's Noorul Islam University. Despite ranking second in his batch, he still has not been able to secure a job. During the initial six months of his struggle, he remained unaware that his name might be working against him. He spoke to HR departments of different company and was told that his "name was the problem", as reported by Hindustan Times . Saddam decided to act on it and finally got his name changed into Sajid. However, the situation worsened. Now Sajid, and then Saddam, got all the relevant documents with his new name. But his university has refused to change his name on the certificates until his class 10 and 12 exam certificates are changed. Also read: 10 ridiculous reasons for which people were fired Approaching Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) for a name change has done no good as the board has not acknowledged his request yet. Tired and frustrated, Sajid has moved the Jharkhand high court with a plea to direct the CBSE to change his name. The court has given him the date of May 5 for a hearing. "I am an innocent victim of somebody else's crimes," Sajid feels. --- ENDS --- LUCEDALE, Miss. (AP) In the waning days of President Barack Obama's administration, supporters of LGBT rights hailed the first federal hate crime conviction for the killing of a transgender woman in Mississippi. With President Donald Trump now in office, they worry about the future of such prosecutions. Trump's new attorney general, Jeff Sessions, opposed the 2009 hate crime law when he was a U.S. senator, saying it was overly broad and he thought it was unnecessary to include further protections for gay and transgender people. During his January confirmation hearing, Sessions told fellow senators they "can be sure I will enforce" the law, but some observers wonder about his commitment. "We really might be looking at a new day under Sessions, and that has huge implications for how the federal government is going to treat violence that is absolutely rampant in the transgender community," said Jordan Woods, a University of Arkansas law professor who studies LGBT legal issues. Sentencing in the Mississippi case is May 15. With a plea agreement in place, it's unlikely Sessions could change the strategy in this prosecution. Joshua Vallum, an ex-convict and top-ranking gang member, faces life in prison without parole for killing 17-year-old Mercedes Williamson, who was born male but transitioned to a female. Prosecutors say Vallum, 29, and Williamson dated and that he killed his transgender girlfriend because he worried fellow gang members would discover their relationship and kill both of them because gay sex was strictly forbidden by the Latin Kings gang. Attorney Dru Levasseur of the LGBT rights group Lambda Legal said supporters had a frustratingly long wait for the first federal hate crime prosecution involving a transgender person. "We waited for many years for the government to finally deploy that law," Levasseur said. Related Video: For more news videos visit Yahoo View, available now on iOS and Android. Hate crimes have historically been a priority for the FBI and Justice Department. Investigations are typically initiated by the FBI and the attorney general doesn't need to sign off on each prosecution. Story continues Six Democrats in Congress wrote to Sessions on March 10 to ask the Justice Department to investigate as hate crimes the deaths of seven transgender women this year, including another one in Mississippi. The Justice Department declined comment. Crimes motivated by a loathing of sexual orientation or race will often be prosecuted under state hate crime charges, but those vary. Mississippi, for example, doesn't include crimes against transgender people. Usually defendants will also face charges such as assault or murder, but people are more likely to be convicted in federal court and can sometimes face longer sentences. In Vallum's case, he pleaded guilty to murder in state court and was sentenced to life in prison, but with a chance of parole. He could get life in prison without parole for his federal guilty plea. "There's a lot of variability in the willingness of state and local jurisdictions to prosecute," said Rebecca Stotzer, a University of Hawaii professor who has studied violence on LGBT people. Vallum previously served time for a fake bomb threat at a church. While imprisoned, he joined the Latin Kings gang, going by the name King Chaos. After his release, Vallum met Williamson online and they dated for months in 2014. In his defense, Vallum initially told sheriff's deputies and later The Sun Herald newspaper that he found out that Williamson had a penis on May 30, 2015 moments before he killed her. He said he "blacked out" and doesn't remember the crime, a variation of what's known as a "gay panic" or "trans panic" defense. Prosecutors doubted the claim, in part because the FBI found a cache of gay porn on Vallum's cellphone and because he was charged with indecent exposure in Alabama. Most significantly, Vallum didn't contest evidence in court that he long knew Williamson was transgender. Federal prosecutor Julia Gegenheimer said during Vallum's plea hearing in December that he began planning to kill Williamson after a friend called him May 28 to say he'd discovered her identity. Vallum lured Williamson into a car in Alabama and drove her 50 miles (80 kilometers) to his family home near Lucedale, Mississippi, prosecutors said. He shocked her with a stun gun and stabbed her in the body and head with a pocketknife. When she tried to run into the woods, he chased her down and bashed her head with a hammer. Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights advocates say heinous attacks like this one should be prosecuted as hate crimes because they spread fear among their community. Hayley Seymour is a transgender woman who led a vigil for Williamson in Mobile, Alabama, after her death. Seymour didn't know Williamson, but she acted because she grew up nearby. Williamson had left home, had a tenuous relationship with her parents, and was struggling with a drug habit. She deserved better, Seymour said. "I know how easily violence can happen and how easily it can be swept under the rug," she said. She moved to the Atlanta area because being transgender in Alabama was "a nightmare." Despite fears that the hate crime law would be overused, prosecutions under Obama's administration were relatively few. An Associated Press analysis using data gathered by the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse at Syracuse University show that 47 people nationwide have been prosecuted using the law, with 37 convictions. Another 300 people were referred for prosecution, but hate crimes charges were never filed. In at least half those cases, there wasn't enough evidence or prosecutors couldn't prove intent, a key threshold. Levasseur said that whatever the difficulties, the law protecting LGBT people makes an important statement. "This law is meant to send the message back that these lives matter," he said. ___ Associated Press News Researcher Monika Mathur in Washington contributed to this report. ___ Follow Jeff Amy on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/jeffamy . Read his work at https://www.apnews.com/search/JeffAmy . Just ask anyone, anywhere, ever, and they'll tell you: Buying and selling homes is a risky business. But help's supposedly on the way, in the form of yet another attempt at disrupting a business ostensibly in desperate need of a paradigm shift. At least, if you ask the people behind the startup. That's what the people at Nested, a London-based endeavor, are thinking. Nested guarantees it'll sell your house within 90 days (at 95 to 98 percent of market value), or offer you a cash advance against the sale. Now, it's raised 8 million euro ($8.6 million USD) to do so, bringing its total funding to 11 million, TechCrunch reported. SEE ALSO: You will soon be able to pay for Netflix using Paytm TechCrunch compares Nested's basic operational purview as that of a real estate agent, enhanced by technology. What's in it for Nested? If they score a higher sale price than what's agreed upon, it'll take 30 percent of the difference, and give the rest to the property owner. Again, it's a lot of risk, and Nested is far from the only player. Opendoor, a startup with a similar mission (but based in San Francisco) raised $210 million in a Series D round in November. That brings its total funding up to $320 million. But Nested and its founders remain confident. They've helped five sellers a month so far. Their next goals, according to TechCrunch, are to hit 100 deals per month, and not too long after that, 1,000 per month. By Joseph Sipalan KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - Malaysia is gunning for a revamp of its aging naval fleet, as countries in the region prepare to face threats from the influx of Islamic State (IS) militants fleeing Mosul, and from rising tensions in the South China Sea. Defense spending in the Asia Pacific region is expected to hit $250 billion from 2016-20, IHS Janes Defense Weekly said in December, and Malaysia intends to improve on its capabilities alongside other states in the hotly contested South China Sea, even as its defense budget narrows. Malaysia's navy aims to replace all 50 vessels in its aging fleet as the country cut its total defense budget by 12.7 percent to 15.1 billion ($3.41 billion) this year. That will be led by the procurement of four littoral mission ships (LMS) built in collaboration with China. "The LMS are designed for many aspects of maritime security such as dealing with cross-border crime, piracy, anti-terrorism and search and rescue operations," Malaysian navy chief Ahmad Kamarulzaman Ahmad Badaruddin told Reuters in an interview. "These ships would be very capable of dealing with the threat posed by Daesh and other maritime security concerns," Kamarulzaman said, referring to the Arabic acronym for the IS. Malaysia is expected to formalize the LMS deal with China at the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition (LIMA) this week to build four LMS and acquire the technology to construct more of the ships at home. The navy hopes this will enable them to eventually obtain a total of 18 LMS. Plans to acquire four LMS from China were first announced in November. Over 500 exhibitors from 36 countries will parade their wares at this year's LIMA, which is held every two years on the northern duty-free island of Langkawi. Kamarulzaman said they are also in the final stages of negotiations with French shipbuilder DCNS to launch a program to build the larger littoral combat ships (LCS), which he said should be formally announced in August or September this year. The navy is also looking to acquire three new multi-role support ships (MRSS) and two more submarines to round off the fleet. COMPETING NEEDS The naval build-up in the region comes as tensions rise in the South China Sea, where Beijing's creation of artificial islands has alarmed some Asian countries and stoked friction between China's navy and the U.S. air force. China claims most of the South China Sea, through which $5 trillion in ship-borne trade passes every year. The Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan and Brunei also have overlapping claims. Under President Joko Widodo, Indonesia's total defense spending jumped around 26 percent, and last month Thailand's military government approved a 13.5 billion baht ($389.05 million) submarine deal with China after putting the purchase on hold last year. Members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), however, need to share intelligence if they want their big-ticket buys to be of any use, said Shahriman Lockman, a senior analyst with the Kuala Lumpur-based Institute of Strategic and International Studies. Shahriman said asset upgrades like Malaysia's LMS program are important, but stressed that such high-value procurements would end up sailing blindly without strong intelligence sharing among the 10 ASEAN members, supported by a wide network of surveillance equipment. "We're talking military patrol aircraft, radars, drones... and in bigger numbers. Quantity is a quality of its own. It doesn't make sense to aspire to top-of-the-range equipment but in small numbers," Shahriman said. "Equipment that contributes to maritime domain awareness ought to be the priority for all. You can't fight what you can't see." (Editing by Ed Osmond) A Michigan man will require amputations of parts of his hands and feet after experiencing a severe case of strep throat. But how do the bacteria that cause strep also cause such an extreme complication? The 44-year-old man, Kevin Breen, first went to the emergency room in late December with flu-like symptoms and stomach pain, according to CNN. Then his stomach began to enlarge, and he was taken into surgery. Doctors found copious amounts of pus surrounding his organs, but they didn't know the cause of his illness. A big clue came after Breen's surgery, when a rash appeared on his chest, which can be a symptom of a strep infection. Indeed, a test for streptococcus, the bacteria that cause strep throat, came back positive, CNN said. [27 Devastating Infectious Diseases] Unfortunately, his infection caused him to develop septic shock, according to Breen's GoFundMe page, which was set up to help pay for his medical bills. Septic shock is a life-threatening complication that occurs when an infection leads to dangerously low blood pressure, according to the National Institutes of Health. It happens when toxins released by the bacteria, as well as the body's own inflammatory response to the infection, damage the body's tissues, causing blood pressure to drop, the NIH says. When people experience a dramatic drop in blood pressure, their body starts to shunt blood to vital organs, which reduces blood flow to the extremities, and so tissue in these areas starts to die, Dr. Amesh Adalja, an infectious-disease specialist at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, told Live Science in a 2015 interview. In Breen's case, parts of his hands and feet started to turn black from tissue death. Breen will undergo surgeries to amputate his left hand, fingers on his right hand, and parts of both feet, according to his GoFundMe page. Breen's complication is extremely rare in most cases of strep throat, the bacteria infects the throat and tonsils, and causes such symptoms as a sore throat, fever and red spots on the roof of the mouth, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But the bacteria can spread to other parts of the body, including the sinuses, skin and ears. Story continues With Breen, the bacteria spread to his stomach. There have been just 32 reported cases of strep bacteria infecting the stomach, and of these, just two involved men, according to the New York Daily News. Before Breen's illness, his son had a strep throat infection, and Breen had visited the doctor at that time to see if he also had a strep throat infection. But this first test for the bacteria came back negative, according to NBC. About 10 to 20 percent of tests for strep throat are "false negatives," meaning the result is negative when a person really does have the illness, according to HealthPartners, a nonprofit health care provider. Original article on Live Science. Editor's Recommendations OCEAN VIEW, Del. (AP) Delaware authorities say a Maryland man remains hospitalized in critical condition after a police pursuit ended in gunfire. Delaware State Police Master Corporal Gary Fournier said Monday that the suspect, a 31-year-old from Hurlock, Maryland, was in critical but stable condition at Christiana Hospital. Authorities say the man, whose name has not been released, was shot Saturday night after a pursuit involving an Ocean View police officer and Worcester County, Maryland, sheriff's deputies. Investigators say the officer and deputies were pursuing a sport utility vehicle when it stopped on a dead end road, then accelerated backward at high speed into police cruiser, pushing it off the roadway. The driver then turned around and began accelerating toward two officers who yelled commands to stop before firing multiple rounds at the SUV. By Press Trust of India: New Delhi, Mar 20 (PTI) After putting under the hammer land and buildings of various defaulters, regulator Sebi will now auction jewellery and ornaments of a Maharashtra-based group for recovery of funds worth thousands of crores raised from the public through illicit schemes. As part of the recovery proceedings, Sebi will e-auction next month, 48 jewellery and ornaments of gold (3.21 kg) of Sai Prasad group that the regulator has attached. Besides, composite jewellery and ornaments with 50-carat weight of diamond and 254 grams of gold would be put under the hammer. advertisement The reserve price for the gold items has been fixed at Rs 68.85 lakh, while that for composite jewellery is Rs 82.2 lakh for the auction to be held on April 11. A number of recovery orders have been passed against the Sai Prasad group companies and some of its directors in the recent years for recovery of thousands of crores of rupees they were found to have collected through illicit collective investment schemes. In an auction notice, Sebi said the prospective bidders can inspect the jewellery and ornaments on March 30 to satisfy themselves about the purity and quality of the items. Sebi will also arrange for gold testing, analyser machine and carat meter machines for the bidders for checking the weight, purity and quality of gold items. "However, the intending bidders shall bring their own magnifying glasses or such other instrument for ensuring quality of diamonds," it said. The sale would be subject to the orders of the MPID Court which has been also hearing the case relating to Sai Prasad group under the Maharashtra Protection of Interest of Depositors (in Financial Establishment) Act. In the last couple of years, Sebi has auctioned land assets and buildings of various defaulters for recovery of dues, including the investors money, while it has also attached bank and demat accounts as part of the recovery proceedings. However, Sebi now seems to have begun auctioning other valuables such as jewellery as well for recovery of funds. PTI BJ SBT SA --- ENDS --- HANOVER, Germany (Reuters) - Chancellor Angela Merkel demanded again on Monday that Turkey stop comparing German bans on rallies by Turkish officials to Nazi tactics, and said her government reserved the right to block future appearances unless Ankara complied with German law. Berlin is growing increasingly frustrated about Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan repeatedly accusing it of applying "Nazi methods" by banning rallies aimed at drumming up support among Turks in Germany for a referendum that would strengthen the power of his presidency. "My demand that Turkey should stop Nazi comparisons remains in force, with no ifs or buts," Merkel told reporters at the CeBIT technology fair in Hanover. "Unfortunately, we have observed that these comparisons have not stopped, and we will not tolerate that every taboo is broken." Ties between Turkey, Germany and other European countries have deteriorated in recent weeks amid growing tensions over the April referendum vote and concern over an increasingly authoritarian tone from Ankara. Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus on Monday said Turkey was using metaphors about "facism" because it was worried about European countries forgetting their history and falling into the trap of Nazism once again. Merkel said the German foreign ministry had warned Ankara in an "unambiguous" diplomatic communication, or "note verbale", in recent days that Turkish politicians could speak in Germany only if they complied with the country's law, which explicitly bans malicious disparagement of the German government. If laws are violated, "the German government reserves the right to take all necessary measures, including a re-examination of all appearances approved as part of the diplomatic communication," she said. AVERT DAMAGE Merkel's spokeswoman told a regular government news conference that "Nazi comparisons are unacceptable in any form", adding that it was up to Turkey to tone down its rhetoric and avert damage to relations between the two countries. Erdogan had said in a speech in Istanbul on Sunday: "Merkel, now you're applying Nazi methods. Against my brothers who live in Germany, and against my ministers and lawmakers who visit there. Would this suit the ethics of politics? Your mission is not to support terrorist organizations, but to extradite them." Josef Schuster, president of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, said Turkey's Nazi comparisons demeaned the memory of those who perished in the Holocaust and distracted from the real threat of growing anti-Semitism and right-wing populism. "The comparisons between the Federal Republic of Germany and National Socialism .... are not only insulting and absolutely wrong, they also diminish the reign of terror of the Nazis," he said in a statement. German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel said he worried that the conflict would spill over to ties between citizens of German and Turkish descent. "We belong together. We are one people," he said at an event in Berlin. German lawmakers from across the political spectrum also voiced concern about reports that Turkish consulates had confiscated passports of Turks in Germany. Stephan Mayer, a member of Merkel's conservatives, said it was "not acceptable" for Turkey to pressure its citizens through such measures, and a clear reaction was needed from Berlin. "That is not the way a democratic government treats its citizens," he said. (Reporting by Andreas Rinke in Hanover, Paul Carrel, Hans-Edzard Busemann and Andrea Shalal in Berlin and Ece Toksabay in Ankara,; Writing by Andrea Shalal, editing by Ed Osmond and Ken Ferris) MEXICO CITY (AP) Mexico's environmental protection agency says another endangered porpoise has been found dead in the upper Gulf of California. The office says the adult female vaquita marina was found Sunday in waters of a marine reserve about 16 miles (26 kilometers) north of San Felipe, Baja California state. The agency said Monday in a statement that the porpoise was in an advanced state of decay but had deep stabbing wounds as well as slashes consistent with the cutting of nets around the animal. The vaquita population has been dramatically reduced by illegal net fishing for the totoaba, whose swim bladders can sell for thousands of dollars in China. Only about 30 of the reclusive porpoises are believed to remain in the gulf, also known as the Sea of Cortez. As U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson wrapped up his trip to Asia, North Korean state media reported over the weekend the dictatorship tested a new high-thrust engine, a great leap forward for its rocket program. Security experts warn the technological breakthrough could help North Korea develop more accurate intercontinental ballistic missiles. North Koreas announcement followed Tillersons comments that pre-emptive military action against North Korea is on the table. While delivering remarks along with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Beijing on Saturday, Tillerson said, We noted that efforts made over the last 20 years have so far not succeeded in curbing the threat posed by North Koreas illegal weapons programs. Because Chinas stated policy is denuclearization of the Korean peninsula, we renewed our determination to work together to convince the North Korean government to choose a better path and a different future for its people. U.S. President Donald Trump, for his part, told reporters North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is acting very, very badly. Whether and how Kim will respond to the comments, which the president made from the Florida resort he spends his weekends, will be seen in the week ahead. In other dictatorship news, authorities in Belarus detained the leaders of protests against a so-called parasite tax on the unemployed on Sunday. Since March 1, Belarus detained 150 for protesting the tax and journalists for trying to cover it. Protests continued even after the governments March 9 announcement the tax would be suspended until 2018. Belarusian leader Aleksandr Lukashenko, known as Europes last dictator, hasnt yet quashed the backlash to his attempted crackdown on social parasitism. Meanwhile, Trumps former campaign manager Paul Manafort is wanted for questioning in Ukraine in connection with a corruption case against Ukraines former Justice Minister Oleksandr Lavrynovych. Lavrynovych is accused of diverting over $1 million from government funds to a New York City law firm, and prosecutors want Manafort to testify. Speaking of potentially unsavory dealings: the House Intelligence Committee will hold a hearing on its investigation into the Trump campaigns potential ties to Russia on Monday. The hearing is also expected to cover intelligence leaks and the presidents unsubstantiated accusation former President Barack Obama had him wiretapped. Photo credit: STR/AFP/Getty Images (In March 17 item, corrects paragraph 10 to say shipyard is in Newport News, not Norfolk) By Mike Stone WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump says he wants to build dozens of new warships in one of the biggest peace-time expansions of the U.S. Navy. But interviews with ship-builders, unions and a review of public and internal documents show major obstacles to that plan. The initiative could cost nearly $700 billion in government funding, take 30 years to complete and require hiring tens of thousands of skilled shipyard workers - many of whom don't exist yet because they still need to be hired and trained, according to the interviews and the documents reviewed. Trump has vowed a huge build-up of the U.S. military to project American power in the face of an emboldened China and Russia. That includes expanding the Navy to 350 warships from 275 today. He has provided no specifics, including how soon he wants the larger fleet. (For graphics on projected strength of U.S. Navy, shipyard employment see: http://tmsnrt.rs/2n3vOr0) The Navy has given Defense Secretary Jim Mattis a report that explores how the country's industrial base could support higher ship production, Admiral Bill Moran, the vice chief of Naval Operations with oversight of the Navys shipbuilding outlook, told Reuters. He declined to give further details. But those interviewed for this story say there are clearly two big issues - there are not enough skilled workers in the market, from electricians to welders, and after years of historically low production, shipyards and their suppliers, including nuclear fuel producers, will struggle to ramp up for years. To be sure, the first, and biggest, hurdle for Trump to overcome is to persuade a cost-conscious Congress to fund the military buildup. The White House declined to comment. A Navy spokeswoman said increases being considered beyond the current shipbuilding plan would require sufficient time to allow companies to ramp up capacity. Story continues The two largest U.S. shipbuilders, General Dynamics Corp and Huntington Ingalls Industries Inc, told Reuters they are planning to hire a total of 6,000 workers in 2017 just to meet current orders, such as the Columbia class ballistic missile submarine. General Dynamics hopes to hire 2,000 workers at Electric Boat this year. Currently projected order levels would already require the shipyard to grow from less than 15,000 workers, to nearly 20,000 by the early 2030s, company documents reviewed by Reuters show. Huntington Ingalls, the largest U.S. military shipbuilder, plans to hire 3,000 at its Newport News shipyard in Newport News, Virginia, and another 1,000 at the Ingalls shipyard in Mississippi this year to fulfill current orders, spokeswoman Beci Brenton said. Companies say they are eager to work with Trump to build his bigger Navy. But expanding hiring, for now, is difficult to do until they receive new orders, officials say. "Its hard to look beyond" current orders, Brenton said. Smaller shipbuilders and suppliers are also cautious. "You cant hire people to do nothing," said Jill Mackie, spokeswoman for Portland, Oregon-based Vigor Industrial LLC, which makes combat craft for the Navys Special Warfare units. "Until funding is there ... you cant bring on more workers." SCALING UP WORKFORCE Because companies won't hire excess workers in advance, they will have a huge challenge in expanding their workforces rapidly if a shipbuilding boom materializes, said Bryan Clark, who led strategic planning for the Navy as special assistant to the chief of Naval Operations until 2013. Union and shipyard officials say finding skilled labor just for the work they already have is challenging. Demand for pipeline welders is so strong that some can make as much as $300,000 per year, including overtime and benefits, said Danny Hendrix, the business manager at Pipeliners Local 798, a union representing 6,500 metal workers in 42 states. Much of the work at the submarine yards also requires a security clearance that many cant get, said Jimmy Hart, president of the Metal Trades Department at the AFL-CIO union, which represents 100,000 boilermakers, machinists, and pipefitters, among others. To help grow a larger labor force from the ground up, General Dynamics' Electric Boat has partnered with seven high schools and trade schools in Connecticut and Rhode Island to develop a curriculum to train a next generation of welders and engineers. It has historically taken five years to get someone proficient in shipbuilding," said Maura Dunn, vice president of human resources at Electric Boat. It can take as many as seven years to train a welder skilled enough to make the most complex type of welds, radiographic structural welds needed on a nuclear-powered submarine, said Will Lennon, vice president of the shipyard's Columbia Class submarine program. The Navy envisioned by Trump could create more than 50,000 jobs, the Shipbuilders Council of America, a trade group representing U.S. shipbuilders, repairers and suppliers, told Reuters. The U.S. shipbuilding and repairing industry employed nearly 100,000 in 2016, Labor Department statistics show. The industry had as many as 176,000 workers at the height of the Cold War in the early 1980s as the United States built up a fleet of nearly 600 warships by the end of that decade. SUBMARINE CRUNCH Apart from the labor shortage, there are also serious capacity and supply chain issues that would be severely strained by any plan to expand the Navy, especially its submarine fleet. Expanding the Navy to 350 ships is not as simple as just adding 75 ships. Many ships in the current 275-vessel fleet need to be replaced, which means the Navy would have to buy 321 ships between now and 2046 to reach Trump's goal, the Congressional Budget Office said in a report in February. The shipyards that make nuclear submarines - General Dynamics' Electric Boat in Groton, Connecticut, and Huntington's Newport News - produced as many as seven submarines per year between them in the early 1980s. But for more than a decade now, the yards have not built more than two per year. The nuclear-powered Virginia class and Columbia class submarines are among the largest and most complex vessels to build. The first Columbia submarine, which is set to begin construction in 2021, will take seven years to build, and two to three additional years to test. Retooling the long-dormant shipyard space will take several years and significant capital investments, but a bigger problem is expanding the supply chain, said Clark, the former strategist for the Navy and now a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments. Makers of submarine components such as reactor cores, big castings, and forgers of propellers and shafts would need five years to double production, said a congressional official with knowledge of the Navys long-term planning. "We have been sizing the industrial base for two submarines a year. You cant then just throw one or two more on top of that and say, 'Oh here, dial the switch and produce four reactor cores a year instead of two.' You just can't," the official said. In his first budget proposal to Congress on Thursday, Trump proposed boosting defense spending by $54 billion for the fiscal 2018 year a 10 percent increase from last year. He is also seeking $30 billion for the Defense Department in a supplemental budget for fiscal 2017, of which at least $433 million is earmarked for military shipbuilding. A 350-ship Navy would cost $690 billion over the 30-year period, or $23 billion per year - 60 percent more than the average funding the Navy has received for shipbuilding in the past three decades, the Congressional Budget Office said. Senator John McCain, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, who will have a major say in approving the defense budget, said in a statement to Reuters that he supported Trump's vision to increase the size of the Navy to deter adversaries. "However, this is not a blank check," he said. (Additional reporting by Luciana Lopez in New York, Editing by Soyoung Kim and Ross Colvin) Ever since 2014, when Narendra Modi became Indias Prime Minister, political pundits have been debating his priorities. He leads the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which has its roots in the Hindu right-wing movement. But during his campaign to become the countrys leader, he focused on economic growth and development. So is he really a reformer focused on generating the jobs the country needs for the roughly 12 million Indians who enter the work force each year? Or is the language of development, propagated via an unremitting stream of slogans, speeches and tweets by the Prime Minister and his top officials, actually a cover for Hindutva, an ideology that sees India as a Hindu nation? Promoted by right-wing Hindus, it puts a troubling question mark over the status of the countrys minorities, including the more than 172 million Muslims who call India home. This debate resurfaced in India this weekend, after the BJP named Yogi Adityanath, a Hindu hard-liner, as chief minister of Uttar Pradesh (UP), the countrys most populous and politically significant state, where Modis party scored an overwhelming victory in a ballot to pick the next state government. Results on March 11 showed that it captured 312 out of 403 seats in the state assembly. It was a triumph, above all, for Modi, who was the face of the BJP campaign there. The outcome tightened Modis grip on his party, with his boosters casting the vote as another thumping endorsement for his development agenda. But Adityanath, UPs new leader, is a Hindu cleric better known for something else: a long record of divisive rhetoric targeting Indias minorities. Over the years, he has faced a number of criminal charges, from attempted murder to rioting, according to 2014 data compiled by the Association for Democratic Reforms, an independent nonprofit. And in 2007, he was arrested on allegations of inciting riots, the Press Trust of India said. Story continues It was a surprising choice, given the way Modi has sought to rebrand himself. Before he arrived in New Delhi, Modi was the leader of the western Gujarat state, where, on his watch in 2002, rioting along religious lines led to the deaths of at least 1,000 people, most of them Muslims. Although he has always denied any wrongdoing and has never been charged with a crime, Modis critics questioned whether he did enough to stop the violence. By 2014, however, the spotlight had shifted to Gujarats fast-growing economy, with Modis campaign holding up what became known as the Gujarat model as a way to spur growth nationwide. On the question of minorities, Modi insists that his government will safeguard the rights of all Indians, not just majority Hindus. So far as the government is concerned, there is only one holy book, which is the constitution of India, he told TIME in a rare interview in 2015. My government will not tolerate or accept any discrimination based on caste, creed and religion. But Adityanath, a five-term MP who appears in public in the saffron robes worn by Hindu priests, has struck a radically different tone with his public statements. Back in 2005, when Modi was still a regional player in Indian politics, Adityanath said he would not stop until I turn UP and India into a Hindu rashtra [nation], according to the local Hindustan Times newspaper. More recently, just months after Modis victory in 2014, he offered up this breakdown of Indias religious tensions during an appearance on a popular television interview program: In places where there are 10 to 20% minorities, stray communal incidents take place. Where there are 20 to 35% of them, serious communal riots take place and where they are more than 35%, there is no place for non-Muslims. He went on to say that if you [minorities] stay in peace, we will live in peace, if you concentrate on progress, we will help you more for progress. But he also threatened: If the other side does not stay in peace, we will teach them how to stay in peace. We will teach them in the language that they understand Some people are replying to us in that language, and we are also responding in a similar fashion. In 2015, he went after Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan, one of Indias biggest film stars. When Khan added his voice to a growing chorus of public figures criticizing religious intolerance in India, Adityanath suggested the actor move to Muslim-majority Pakistan and compared Khan to Hafiz Saeed, a militant leader accused of masterminding the 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks. There is no difference between the language of Shah Rukh Khan and Hafiz Saeed, he said. Another target: Mother Teresa, the late Nobel Peace Prize laureate whom Adityanath once characterized as part of a conspiracy for [the] Christianization of India. The 44-year-old, who was born Ajay Mohan Bisht, had warmer words for President Donald Trumps controversial initial travel ban restricting immigration from seven Muslim-majority countries back in January. Similar action is needed to contain terror activities in this country, he said when the executive order was first announced. Now, he is in charge of a territory that is home to some 220 million people around 40 million of whom are minority Muslims. The day after the results from UP and a handful of smaller states were announced, Modi said a new India is on the horizon and reiterated his commitment to economic development. On March 20, an editorial in the Indian Express newspaper said Adityanaths swearing-in as UP chief minister on Sunday was a tragic letdown of the inclusive tone of Modis speech. More than why, the question is: What next? it asked. Until yesterday, the BJPs fig leaf was that hate talk was a speech bubble of the marginal and the fringe. That fringe is now in charge of Indias most populous and politically crucial state. A Texas mom is distraught after her 11-year-old son took his life after being bullied at school, according to family members. Mayra Rodriguez said her son, Julio, a sixth grader at L.V. Stockard Middle School in Dallas, was being bullied and pressured to sell drugs at school before his took his life last Thursday. Rodriguez said she had noticed her toddler son wasnt in his crib that night and when she asked him why, he told her that Julio had kicked him out of the room. Read: Teenager Calmly Calls 911 After Train Severs His Feet: 'I Think It Cut Them Off' I went into his room. Thats where I found him hanging down, Rodriguez told InsideEdition.com. "My son hanged himself in the closet due to bullying. Rodriguez said she began noticing drastic changes in Julios behavior just days before his death. Days prior to the accident he had told me, 'Mom if I fight in school would you get mad at me?' because he was a person that wouldnt fight with nobody and I said yeah, you go to school to learn. Rodriguez said that she'd instructed her son to go to teachers and counselors to talk to them about the problem, but he said he had and they hadnt listened. I knew something was going on because he was hitting the table, hitting the walls. I didnt know the severity of the situation. I didnt know how bad it was. I wish I could have acted but thats just wishing, Rodriguez said. Rodriguez, who has three other children that have graduated from the school and a seventh grader who still goes there, said her daughter had seen the bullying but didnt think it was serious. Robyn Harris, a spokesperson for the Dallas Independent School District, told InsideEdition.com that Julio did visit a counselor before his death, but the counselor had asked him to come back after lunch. Harris said when the counselor looked for Julio, he was in class taking a test. Story continues "The student was a really upbeat kid. He volunteered and spent time with the teachers," Harris said. She said there was no evidence of bullying. Read: Fast Food Manager Charged with Involuntary Manslaughter Over Bullied Teen Worker Who Killed Himself Still, Rodriguez said she blames the school for what happened. "Our house is not an aggressive environment. We are a very loving family. I dont know how this escaped out of our hands, Rodriguez said. I should have stepped in more and looked into it more, she continued. I cant cry no more. When I hold his clothes, it hurts me. When I see his backpack, it drains me. I say, 'how can this happen this way?' Talk to your kids. Love your kids every day. Watch: Woman Marries EMT Who Saved Her Life After Ex-Boyfriend Stabbed Her 32 Times Related Articles: A parent has thanked Florida police for arresting her daughter on spring break. The 19-year-old girl was arrested on March 15 after police allegedly caught her drinking a can of beer on the beach. "In this day, 'cops' are getting a bad rap. So, I wanted to say 'thank you'. Yesterday, my daughter was one of the thousands of spoiled spring breakers 'living it up' on the beach, the woman wrote in a letter that police posted to their Facebook. The arrest scared the HELL out of her and I'm hoping she learned her lesson. Read: Man Arrested After Licking Teen's Knee and Touching Woman During Flight The mom said it was a stupid move on her daughters part and thanked the officers for being kind anyhow. The reason that I am sending this is that every officer that I talked to or that I could hear in the background talking to her was so nice! Firm, but nice, she wrote. For a mom hundreds of miles away, that was very reassuring. Thank you for saving me a few more grey hairs last night." Read: Cops: Fake Teen Doctor Arrested Again, This Time For Allegedly Stealing More Than $34,000 From Elderly Patient The Walton County Sheriffs Office told InsideEdition.com that the girl gave them a fake ID and that they have a zero tolerance policy for underage drinking. We like to send that message out clearly," said Corey Dobridnia, the public information officer for the department. "We are not trying to ruin kids lives but protect them from hurting themselves. We treat them fairly like we would treat anyone else. Its nice to hear from a parent and hear their support." Watch: 17-Year-Old Beauty Queen Gets Arrested For Forging Doctor's Note To Skip School Related Articles: Seoul (AFP) - North Korea's latest rocket engine test showed "meaningful progress" in its missile capabilities, Seoul said Monday, as the nuclear-armed state steps up its controversial weapons development programmes. The North's leader Kim Jong-Un oversaw the "successful" test of the powerful new rocket engine, state media said Sunday, in a move apparently timed to coincide with a trip to Asia by new US Secretary State Rex Tillerson. It was the latest in a series of moves by Pyongyang, which have recently included the firing of four missiles to its east in what it described as practice for an attack on US army bases in Japan. "The latest test is believed to have made some meaningful progress in engine functions," Seoul's defence ministry spokesman told reporters. "But we need more analysis on its exact propulsive power and applicable use," said Lee Jin-Woo. The North's last ground test of a high-powered rocket engine -- which can be used in missiles -- was in September last year, and also observed by Kim. The weekend's experiment came as the top US diplomat wrapped up his trip to Tokyo, Seoul and Beijing, having declared Washington would drop the "failed" approach of "strategic patience" with Pyongyang. In Seoul, Tillerson also warned that US military action against Pyongyang was possible -- a sharp divergence from China's insistence on a diplomatic approach to its neighbour, which it has long protected. The impoverished, isolated North insists that it needs nuclear and missile weapons for self-defence against "hostile forces", including the US and its ally South Korea. It has conducted five nuclear tests since 2006 -- three under Kim Jong-Un -- and launched a number of missiles as it seeks to develop a weapon capable of reaching the US mainland. Expert opinions vary on how advanced the North's missile capabilities are, but most agree it has made significant progress in recent years. A growing threat from the North has prompted Seoul and Washington to begin installing a powerful US missile defence system in the South -- angering Beijing, which views it as a threat to China's own missile capabilities. The deployment of Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) has prompted angry protests in China and boycotts of South Korean businesses, and further strained ties between Beijing and Washington. A Tennessee nail salon has come under fire after a woman who visited the shop claimed owners charged overweight customers a higher fee for pedicures. Sorry. But if you are overweight, pedicures will be $45 due to service fees for pedicurists. Thank you! the sign reportedly read. Read: 270-Pound Woman Drops Half Her Body Weight After Vowing Not to Get Engaged Until She Slims Down Deshania Ferguson took to Facebook to complain about a notice she said was posted at Rose Salon in Memphis. Went to get my nails done on Overton Crossing and Frayser Blvd and this is what they have up ... so rude, Ferguson wrote. Rose nails usually charges up to $30 for pedicures, according to local reports. The salon did not return phone calls, but according to WREG, the owner, Son Nguyen, denied he had posted a sign about overweight customers. Read: Retired Marine Says He Was Rudely Booted From Flight For Being Overweight But he also told the station he has decided to stop serving obese patrons because it is difficult to give them pedicures. Watch: Curvy Mom Body-Shamed For Wearing Printed Leggings Thanks Haters Related Articles: Pawar is now of the view that the Modi-Shah aim of a 'Congress-mukt Bharat' is dangerous for the country. By Javed M. Ansari : Late in the evening on March 10 - less than 12 hours before the counting of votes started in Uttar Pradesh and four other states that went to the pollls - Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar hosted a surprise visitor at his 6, Janpath residence in New Delhi. The visitor was none other than Rahul Gandhi, the Congress party's vice-president. The two spent close to two hours, discussing the post-poll scenario and the need for all the "like-minded parties" to join forces in order to prevent the saffron juggernaut from gaining a stranglehold over the country. advertisement The 76-year-old NCP chief has refused to divulge the details of what transpired at his meeting with Rahul, save indicating that they dicussed the likely scenarios post the Uttar Pradesh results. Pawar may have parted company with the Congress in 1998 after falling out with Congress president Sonia Gandhi, but is now of the view that the Modi-Shah aim of a 'Congress-mukt Bharat' is dangerous for the country. Pawar also believes that the Congress party, principally the Gandhi family, must now take the initiative and reach out to some of the leaders who have left the Congresss, like West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. "It will not be good for the country if the Congresss withers away," the NCP chief says. 'MAHAGATHBANDHAN' AGAINST BJP IN 2019? The Pawar-Rahul meeting is not the only one of its kind. Janata Dal-United (JD-U) chief Sharad Yadav had a brief conversation with Bahujan Samaj Party supremo Mayawati. Similar conversations, both formal and informal, have been taking place in the Opposition ranks in the wake of the Uttar Pradesh results. The unintended consequence of the BJP's sweep is that it has triggered speculation of major Opposition parties banding together to form a kind of Mahajot or Mahagathbandhan to take on the BJP in the 2019 Lok Sabha election. The idea of a grand alliance is still under-cooked, but it is being given serious thought by the Opposition parties. Two years is a long time in politics and the Opposition leaders need to cover a huge amount of ground and display the kind of sagacity not seen before for it to become a reality. "It won't be easy, but the Opposition needs to come together or else it will be very dangerous for the country," says Pawar. ALSO READ | Yogi Adityanath: What Opposition parties said about new Uttar Pradesh CM ALSO WATCH | How Congress, SP, BSP and Shiv Sena reacted to Yogi Adityanath's swearing-in --- ENDS --- Nicki Minaj has left Paris for London. Queen Barbz arrived in the capital city of England this weekend, and she said shes happy to be back to her second home. The Anaconda hitmaker also hit the streets to wave the British flag in front of her fans. On Sunday, Minaj updated her Instagram with posts from her very conspicuous arrival in London. Meek Mills ex first shared a video clip of her being escorted by her security crew while walking the street. In the clip, the hip hop artist can be seen wearing a huge white fur coat and a shiny, diamond-adorned headdress as she calls out a man for acting like he was with the crew. At one point in the video, Minaj asks for her crew to hand her the little British flag she brought with her. She then started waving it in front of her fans while giving them a piece of advice: Dont ever leave school until you graduate. READ: Nicki Minajs feuds from past to present In a follow-up post, Minaj shared a snap of her smiling while raising the flag with her right hand. In the caption, Minaj stated that she considers London as her second home. She also admitted that it was freezing cold when she took the photo. Minaj also took the time to show off her assets to her fans by posting pictures of her rocking a black Agent provocateur bodysuit, an Alexander McQueen leather bra and a pair of Osmose shoes. She used the hashtag #QueenInEngland to indicate that shes already in London after staying in Paris for more than two weeks due to Paris Fashion Week and her shows with Drake there. Her posts come days after Mills friend Rick Ross revealed that he didnt trust her back when she and Mill were still together. Ross rapped about this in his intro for his new album, saying, I told Meek I wouldnt trust Nicki, instead of beefing with your dog you give him some distance. Minaj has yet to respond to Ross. Nicki Minaj Photo: Reuters/Eduardo Munoz Related Articles By Ju-min Park SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea has likely mastered the technology to power the different stages of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) and may show it off soon, analysts say, but it is likely still a long way from being able to hit the mainland United States. North Korean state media announced its latest rocket-engine test on Sunday, saying it would help North Korea achieve world-class satellite-launch capability, indicating a new type of rocket engine that could be compatible with an ICBM. The test showed "meaningful" progress, a spokesman for South Korea's Defence Ministry said on Monday, with the firing of a main engine and four auxiliary engines as part of the development of a new rocket booster. Pentagon spokesman Captain Jeff Davis declined to give a specific assessment of the test but said it was "consistent with the pattern we've seen by North Korea to continue to develop their ballistic missile programme." The North Korean announcement came as U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson was in Beijing at the end of his first visit to Asia for talks dominated by concern about North Korea's nuclear and missile programmes. South Korean Defence Ministry spokesman Lee Jin-woo said the test showed progress in engine function, but added that further analysis was needed to show the exact thrust produced and possible uses for the engine. North Korea's state media released pictures of the high-thrust engine test overseen by leader Kim Jong Un, and said he had called it "a new birth" of the country's rocket industry. Experts say space rockets and long-range missiles involve fundamentally identical technologies, but with different configurations for trajectory and velocity for the stages. MOTOR FOR ICBM? Kim Dong-yub of Seoul's Institute for Far Eastern Studies said he believed North Korea had carried out "a comprehensive test for the first-stage rocket for an ICBM." "It appears that North Korea has worked out much of its development of the first-stage rocket booster," he said. Joshua Pollack, of Washington's Nonproliferation Review, said four steering nozzles had also been seen in older, long-range rockets North Korea used to launch objects into space in 2012 and 2016. But he said the main engine was quite different from anything seen previously and appeared roughly the right diameter to serve as either the first or second stage of an ICBM. U.S. aerospace expert John Schilling, a contributor to the 38 North North Korea monitoring website, said the motor appeared too big for any ICBM North Korea has been known to be working on, but would be a good fit for the second stage of a new space rocket it is planning - or for a yet-unknown ICBM design. Kim said North Korea had not yet mastered the re-entry technology needed for an ICBM, so still had work to do before it was able to hit the United States. It might though soon be able to demonstrate that it had perfected an ICBM system's booster rocket stage. "What could be next is they would make a new type of ICBM with this new engine system and launch it, but not the entire stages, but to make only the first stage, fly about 400 km and drop. They are not going to show it all at once." A U.S. administration official declined to give a specific technical assessment of the test but said it showed North Korea was "150 percent" committed to its weapons programmes. "This is one more indication that they are going to act in a way that is counterproductive," he said. North Korea has conducted five nuclear tests and a series of missile launches in defiance of U.N. resolutions, and experts and Western officials believe it is working to develop nuclear-tipped missiles that can reach the United States. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said this year the country was close to test-launching an ICBM, prompting U.S. President Donald Trump to tweet: "It won't happen!" Last week, Tillerson issued the Trump administration's starkest warning yet to North Korea, saying a military response would be "on the table" if it took action to threaten South Korean and U.S. forces. Trump told reporters on Sunday he held meetings on North Korea over the weekend and said Kim was "acting very, very badly." China said on Monday the situation with North Korea was at a new crossroads with two scenarios - a deterioration to war or a diplomatic solution. "Any chance for dialogue must be seized, as long as theres hope," Foreign Minister Wang Yi said in Beijing. (Additional reporting by James Pearson in Seoul and David Brunnstrom, Matt Spetalnick and Idrees Ali in Washington; Editing by Jack Kim and James Dalgleish) By Karen Freifeld and David Shepardson NEW YORK/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, who has been looking into investments of U.S. President Donald Trump and other matters related to the Trump administration, on Monday said he has hired two lawyers with federal government experience. In a memo to his staff on Monday, Schneiderman said he had hired former federal prosecutor Howard Master as senior enforcement counsel. Master was previously deputy chief of the criminal division of the U.S. attorney's office in Manhattan. He left the U.S. attorney's office on March 8. In addition, Eric Haren, chief counsel to Sen. Dianne Feinstein, will join the office as special counsel and senior adviser on Monday, the memo said. Feinstein is the ranking member on the Senate Judiciary Committee. Master will lead "complex affirmative investigations and litigation as well as advise on important investigations and prosecutions in the criminal division," Schneiderman wrote. A person familiar with the matter said that includes issues involving the Trump administration. Under U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara, Master prosecuted public integrity cases, including the case against former New York assembly speaker Sheldon Silver on corruption charges. Bharara was fired by Trump earlier this month. Haren has experience in civil rights, constitutional law, data privacy, and security and criminal law, Schneiderman's memo said. He will provide experience in federal law and the internal workings of Congress and federal agencies, according to the memo. Master did not return a call for comment and Haren could not be reached. A White House spokeswoman did not immediately comment Monday. Schneiderman last month told reporters in Washington that his office was researching Trump's business investments. "As a general matter, it is not sustainable for him to refuse to divest from all of these vast holdings and refuse to disclose what those holdings are," the attorney general said. "It is so far beyond the bounds of anything that anyone has ever attempted that people are having trouble coming up with a clear legal strategy to address it," Schneiderman said.Schneiderman also has joined lawsuits against Trump's travel ban, which temporarily bars the entry of people from six Muslim-majority countries and refugees to the United States. In addition, he has been probing Trump's charitable foundation, which came under increased scrutiny following reports by The Washington Post of possible improprieties. In November, the foundation filed forms saying it violated a ban on so-called self-dealing. In 2013, Schneiderman brought a fraud case against Trump over "Trump University," a series of real estate seminars. Trump agreed to settle that case in November. (Reporting by Karen Freifeld in New York and David Shepardson in Washington; Editing by Leslie Adler) TULSA, Okla. (AP) An Oklahoma police officer is on paid leave after he used his patrol car to kill a woman as she exchanged gunfire with other officers. The Tulsa Police Department says Officer Jonathan Grafton intentionally struck 21-year-old Madison Sueann Dickson on Saturday as she fired at Officer Kayla Johnson and Det. Ronnie Leatherman. Police have said Dickson was wanted in four gun-related incidents, including shooting a man in the head. Officers spotted her as she climbed into a pickup truck near an apartment complex. Dickson, the passenger, jumped out of the truck and was firing at the officers when Grafton hit her with his vehicle. The department says Grafton is on paid leave. Police say the driver of the truck was questioned and released. By India Today Web Desk: Well, if you've happened to chance upon Shilpa Shetty's Instagram account, you already know there are two things she's absolutely obsessed with--food and fitness. And while most people fail to strike a balance between the two entities, the ever-so-stunning Shilpa does the job mighty well. And now, besides having authored a book and headlining her own YouTube channel dedicated to yoga, the actress is, reportedly, planning to start her own chain of vegetarian restaurants in Mumbai. advertisement Also Read: Shilpa Shetty's minding her business, beautifully In Pictures: Shilpa Shetty's style on Super Dancer That's right. According to a report in Filmfare, Shilpa is planning to launch a full-fledged series of eateries that will boast of an impressive vegetarian menu and will involve some prominent names from the culinary world. The venture will however not be her first to be related to food. She already owns Mumbai's luxury lounge and bar, Club Royalty. While the news is yet to be confirmed further, we really do hope it's true considering how trustworthy Shilpa is when it comes to combining fitness and food. --- ENDS --- The latest round of rumors pertaining to the Galaxy S8 suggest the device will come in Black Sky, Orchid Grey and Arctic Silver color options. Tech informant Evan Blass released details about the color options Sunday, sharing renders of the Galaxy S8, which also include possible wallpapers for the smartphone. There have been countless rumors about what colors Samsung will use for the Galaxy S8. Most recently, Samsung itself hinted at an Amethyst Purple color option for the Galaxy S8. The manufacturer included in a consumer survey, black, silver and amethyst when asking what options customers may prefer for the next Galaxy flagship. So far, black and silver appear to be solidly in the running as Galaxy S8 colors, but other options remain up in the air. In addition to several rumors about Orchid Grey and Amethyst Purple, other rumored color options include Crimson Red. Pundits have expected Samsung would also release the Galaxy S8 in the Blue Color color option, which was popular on the Galaxy Note 7 and Galaxy S7 Edge. Several leaks suggest the Black Sky color option may have a glossy finish like the Black Pearl Galaxy S7 Edge or the Jet Black iPhone 7, rather than a matte finish. Samsung is also known for color options including white, gold, pink and green; however, these colors have not come up as options for the Galaxy S8. Samsung has typically released a set number of color options during a devices initial launch while introducing new options several weeks or months later. The Galaxy S8 is expected to be announced March 29 and may release to the market April 21. Related Articles On an evening in late January, amid fallout from President Donald Trumps executive order temporarily barring entry into the United States to nationals of seven predominantly Muslim countries, a foreign-born Muslim-American journalist, Asra Nomani, sits at a cafe table in Washington, D.C.s Union Station while opponents of the ban trickle by on their way back from a protest. They tote handwritten signs that say, Refugees welcome and, in English, Spanish, and Arabic, No matter where youre from, were glad youre our neighbor. Nomanis reaction is not one of solidarity. So ridiculous, she mutters when someone walks by with a Ban on Bannon sign, a gibe at Trump advisor and reputed Muslim ban architect Stephen Bannon. In fact, Nomani, 51, is fresh from defending the executive order, which she views as imperfect but necessary, on a Fox News talk showfor the second time that day. It is no longer an unaccustomed role for the former Wall Street Journal reporter who came out as a Trump voter in a Washington Post piece two days after the election. She says she decided to go public after watching television commentators analyze the Trump vote as a backlash from uneducated white men. I just thought, That doesnt describe me. That doesnt look like me, the kind of voter youre talking about, she says. The stereotypical Trump voter does not look like Nomani. He is not a Muslim, even a liberal one; he is not an immigrant (from India, in Nomanis case); he is white; and he is probably a he. Nomani says the backlash she has received has focused on her gender as much as on her Muslim identity. Theres this constant theme of How can you support a misogynist if youre for womens rights? Theres this constant theme of How can you support a misogynist if youre for womens rights?and not just a misogynist but a rapist, a sexual criminal, she says. Many find it unfathomable, she adds, that any woman could get beyond the infamous 2005 Access Hollywood tape in which Trump boasted that his star status allowed him to grab women by the pussy. Even before that P-bomb tape was released in October 2016, the presidential election was supposed to be an epic Battle of the Sexes. Hillary Clinton was poised to become the first female president of the United States, facing a rival who might have been scripted by a hack writer with no subtletya blustery tycoon notorious for insulting women and treating them like sex objects. After the tape and subsequent accusations of sexual abuse from at least a dozen women, Trumps defeat seemed certainprimarily at the hands of female voters, with Republican women thought to be on the verge of mass defection. History was made, but not in the way Clinton supporters had expected. The gender gap, far from turning into a yawning chasm, barely budged from previous elections. While only 42 percent of female voters backed Trump, he got 53 percent of the white female vote. In their darkest hour, many feminists not only saw Trumps victory as stark evidence of Americas sexism (Its the misogyny, stupid!) but berated white women as self-loathing gender traitors who chose white privilege over womanpower and cast their lot with white men rather than join a multiracial progressive coalition. Later, there were more thoughtful attempts to understand the women who supported Trumpand who, as a post-election survey by PerryUndem Research/Communication confirms, defy easy categorization. A sizable minority are ultraconservatives strongly skeptical of the feminist revolution that has become a part of mainstream Western culture. Thirty-one percent agree at least somewhat that women should return to traditional roles, compared with 21 percent of all women in the survey; one in four believes that men generally make better political leaders, compared with 3 percent of Clinton voters. Still more extreme traditionalism can be found on the alternative-right fringes of Trumpism, where women like Lana Lokteff, host of a pro-white (and pro-Trump) internet radio show, regard even womens suffrage as destructive. Yet a third of female Trump voters in the PerryUndem survey identified themselves as moderate or liberaland an overwhelming 77 percent wanted to see Trump and Congress advance equality for women. Many of these voters may reject what they see as the excessive hypersensitivity of modern feminism53 percent agreed that women often misinterpret innocent situations as sexistbut they do not reject equality. And while 39 percent of them found Trumps comments about women upsetting, their queasiness wasnt enough to sway them. Shikha Dalmia, a senior analyst at the libertarian Reason Foundation, says that unlike other groups Trump has verbally demeanedsuch as Mexican immigrants and Muslimsthese white women do not believe his attitudes and trash talk could translate into a politically threatening program aimed at them. In fact, Dalmia says, his promises of paid maternity leave and child tax credits only have an upside for them, and his proposed immigration restrictions may make them feel safer. Indeed, some voters interviewed for this article link their support for Trump to their commitment to womens rights. Nomani agrees with Trumps claim that political correctness has prevented liberals from confronting radical Islam, an attitude that she sees as condoning womens oppression. Ann Stone, a veteran GOP activist and businesswoman, believes that Trump will have unique opportunities to work for womens advancement on such issues as tax reform and family leave. This is not your mothers female conservative basethe homemakers Phyllis Schlafly mobilized in the 1970s to defeat the Equal Rights Amendment. Yes, many of Trumps female supporters hail from small-town Middle America; but they are also much more. Supporters cheer then-GOP candidate Donald Trump on Nov. 7, 2016, in Raleigh, N.C. (Photo credit: CHRIS SEWARD/Raleigh News & Observer/TNS via Getty Images) As I discovered in my reporting for this article, the female Trump voter may be a pro-choice and pro-gay Republican activist who praises Clinton for breaking a historic barrier for women; a college student who has volunteered tutoring disadvantaged children but dislikes social justice activism on campus; a retired Jewish lawyer born in a post-World War II refugee camp; an African-American academic who has studied white nationalism; or a liberal Muslim single mother and professional woman. These women have cloutpolitical and, in many cases, economic. Some of the most prominent backers of Trumps campaign have been women, such as former wrestling magnate and current Small Business Administration head Linda McMahon, a pro-choice Republican who criticized Trumps taped remarks but did not withdraw her support, and billionaire heiress and businesswoman Rebekah Mercer. It is also noteworthy that the chief ideologue of Trumps populist rebellion and top Trump advisor, former Breitbart publisher Stephen Bannon, began his rise in conservative politics as a cheerleader for presidential candidate Michele Bachmann and vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin. In a 2011 speech to a conservative group, the Liberty Restoration Foundation, Bannon championed a right-wing feminism, praising the Tea Party as Americas first center-right movement principally led by women. Granted, he framed this female leadership in arguably retrograde terms, linking it to womens role as chief operating officers of the American family. But unlike Schlaflys anti-feminist resistance, the new female populism is not linked to a call for the restoration of womens domesticity. Some of Bannons political heroines clearly aspire to run a country, not a household. Today, some of those heroines are on the other side of the Atlantic: the French presidential contender and National Front leader Marine Le Pen and her niece, parliament member Marion Marechal-Le Pen. In November, days after Trumps victory, Bannon gave an interview to the French news network LCI hailing the women of the Le Pen family as the leaders France needed, and expressing interest in working with rising star Marechal-Le Pen. She responded with a tweet accepting the invitation. Meanwhile, Breitbart has been working hard to boost Le Pen as the presidential race heats up in France, regularly featuring her in a positive light. The Le Pen women are a reminder of a striking fact. In Europe, women are increasingly visible both as leaders and foot soldiers in the nationalist and populist revolt widely seen as a parallel to the Trump phenomenon in America. French far-right Front National party presidential candidate Marine Le Pen, center, poses with a woman at a market in Six-Fours-les-Plages, France, on March 16. (Photo credit: FRANCK PENNANT/AFP/Getty Images) Besides Le Pen, the best-known of these women is Frauke Petry, 41, of Alternative for Germany. A chemist, businesswoman, and mother of four, she has risen to prominence as a fierce critic of Chancellor Angela Merkels pro-immigration policy and raised hackles in the countrys political establishment when her party adopted into its manifesto the declaration, Islam does not belong in Germany. In Norway, the Euroskeptical Progress Party is led by finance minister Siv Jensen, who has been described as blend[ing] Tea Party-like anti-tax views with liberal social policies. While the party has toned down its anti-immigrant rhetoric, Jensen has refused to apologize for her 2009 warning of the danger of sneak Islamization. In Denmark, the anti-immigration, anti-Islam Danish Peoples Party, founded in 1995, was headed until 2012 by Pia Kjrsgaard, current speaker of the parliament. The latest Danish right-wing grouping, New Bourgeois, has as its head Pernille Vermund, a divorced mother of three who describes herself as a true conservative. In England, one of the three leaders of the anti-Islamization group Pegida UK is former left-wing feminist Anne Marie Waters, whose 2015 Breitbart article warning of a migrant-driven rape epidemic in Europe drew attention in September 2016 when it was tweeted by Donald Trump Jr. Right-wing populist groups, whose base traditionally has been male, may also be attracting more rank-and-file female voters. In France, Le Pen, who has worked hard to de-demonize the National Front by toning down the nativist coarseness that was her father Jean-Maries stock in trade has tried to reinvent herself in a feminist image. She has been able to virtually close the gender gap. In early February, she came out with a glossy campaign publication promising to defend French women and featuring herself as a player in the world of men, fighting, as the pamphlet reads, for a France whose women have the choice of wearing a skirt, going to work or to the bistro, free from the threat of Islamic fundamentalism. In Germany, the rise in discontent with refugee admissions that has made Merkel politically vulnerable has been more dramatic among women, especially after the sex attacks in Cologne on New Years Eve 2015, perpetrated by young men allegedly of Middle Eastern and North African descent. Between November 2015 and January 2016, according to YouGov/Bild surveys, the share of respondents agreeing that Germany has taken in too many refugees increased from 55 percent to 60 percent among German men and from 51 percent to 63 percent among women. In the past, fear of terrorism and crime had been amped up as a campaign strategy to push women into the political embrace of a strongand often right-wingmale protector. After 9/11, some American conservative women hailed the return of manly virtues, as well as the contained, channeled virility of George W. Bush. But in several European countries today, the would-be protector is a woman. Moreover, the anxieties about Islamic extremism that helped propel Trump to victory have given rise to a peculiar marriage of feminism and nativism in Europe. After the Cologne attacks, Le Pen wrote an opinion piece that invoked French feminist icon Simone de Beauvoir while warning that mass immigration would imperil the precious freedoms hard won by our mothers and grandmothers. Some feminists were horrified, denouncing Le Pen as a pretender using womens rights to feed a hatred of foreigners and migrants. But to the populist rebels, condemnation by the liberal feminist elite means nothing. On her blog, Pegida UKs Waters assailed feminists for failing to confront the harsh realities of Islamization. Womens rights, actual civil rights, are in trouble in Europe and feminists are going to have to step up, she wrote. But you dont. Instead, you attack those of us who do. Shame on you. Phyllis Schlafly greets supporters on the floor during the second day of the Republican National Convention in Cleveland on July 19, 2016. (Photo credit: CHIP SOMODEVILLA/Getty Images) The eight female Trump supporters with whom I met or had in-depth email exchanges just before Trumps inauguration and in the first days of his presidency were, in some ways, not a typical sample: professional women and college students, all but one living in the Northeast. Yet they are part of the Trump bloc as much as the blue-collar, Rust Belt voters who make up the majority of his base and who have, understandably, received most of the media attention. They include staunch Republicans and lifelong Democrats, committed Trump backers from the beginning and latecomers to the Trump train. The complaint that arises again and again in conversations with them is dissatisfaction with the status quo and establishment culture, liberal or conservative. When he got in the race, I thought, You know, he would really be a disruptor, says Ann Stone, the political activist and businesswoman in Virginia. He would really allow us to shake things up, shake the party up. And that was something I was looking for. Stone, a brash, super-confident dynamo at 64 and a Reagan Revolution veteran, is in many ways the anti-Schlafly: a pro-choice, pro-gay, feminist Republican harshly critical of GOP orthodoxy on social issues. Almost 30 years ago, she founded the Republicans for Choice political action committee; last year, she co-founded the Women Vote Trump super PAC. Stone, a marketing consultant on Trumps 1989 to 1992 airline venture, the Trump Shuttle, says the experience left her with a very positive impression, especially [of] the way he treated women in business. To Stone, Trump is a modern pragmatist whose ideas on trade, immigration, and foreign policy are adapted to present-day realities, and who has a unique ability to connect with the ordinary manand woman. Hes not a politician, Stone says. They feel that as obnoxious and as vulgar as he can be, hes genuine. He doesnt hold back, he has no filters, so you hear what hes thinking. Hes not BS-ing you. Paradoxically, Stone sees Trumps recent conversion to the anti-abortion position as tactical; she is convinced that he is still a social moderate at heart and would much rather stay away from the abortion issue. She points out that he was the first Republican presidential candidate in recent memory to not mention abortion in any of his major speeches and to give a shoutout to gay rights. And the Access Hollywood tape? For Stone, as for the other Trump supporters I spoke to, his words were not a confession to sexual assault but simply hyperbolic swaggering. Was it crass, was it vulgar, was it inexcusable? Absolutely, she says. Did he apologize for it? Yes. Do I know men who are jerks and say things as bad and worse, that I still do business with or still am friends with? Yes. Stone is optimistic that Trump will, either on his own or through first daughter Ivanka as his point person, push for progress on womens issues. She believes he will be in a unique position to succeed on this because of his alpha male reputationour Nixon going to China. In this analysis, Trumps degrading comments about women earn him a kind of street cred with, as Stone puts it, the macho male types who feel threatened by equality. That is, Trump has the political capital to further the pro-woman agenda championed by his consigliere and ambassador to the working women of the liberal elite, Ivanka. The women who helped elect him may share this hope. University of California, Berkeley sociologist Arlie Russell Hochschild, whose acclaimed new book, Strangers in Their Own Land: Anger and Mourning on the American Right, is based on interviews with conservative voters in Louisiana, said in an email that all of the women she interviewed had worked for pay all their lives and wanted equal pay for equal work. While these women hope that Trump will bring back well-paying industrial jobs for the men in their livessons, brothers, cousins, current or prospective husbandsHochschild added that those are also the jobs they themselves would prefer to the service jobs they have. So pressing is their economic needand their belief that Trump can address itthat they are either willing to overlook his outlandish sexism, or welcome it as a screw-you to the establishment that left them behind. Donald Trump takes the stage during a campaign rally in Raleigh, N.C. on Nov. 6, 2016. (Photo credit: CHIP SOMODEVILLA/Getty Images) It may well be that Trump plays up his sixth-grade vocabulary and frat-boy routine, or plays it down, depending upon his audience. But the appeal of his unfiltered genuineness is by no means limited to the blue-collar base. Esther Goldberg, 70, an enthusiastic Trump supporter from the start, is a retired lawyer and writer in Virginia, with a grown daughter who is an oncologist. She says Trumps honesty is among his most appealing characteristics. Direct, quick-witted, and gracious in conversation, Goldberg has an acerbic, take-no-prisoners style in her columns for the American Spectator, where she lampoons Trumps conservative critics such as George Will as pussycons who cant stand Trumps political incorrectness and fear losing the liberal establishments approval. She recalls with amusement that at one point during the early days of the campaign, her editor wanted her to qualify her opinion with what he said other smart conservative writers say: Of course, hell never get the nomination. And I said, No. I believe hell get the nomination, and I believe hell win. She saw Trump as breaking the mold, and found herself agreeing with him on a number of things, from trade and immigration to relations with Russia. I thought, in a very Hegelian sense, she says with a chuckle, that the man and the time had metthat he was the man for this time. Goldberg herself is an immigrant and former refugee. The daughter of Polish Jews who lost their family in the Holocaust, she lived most of her life in Canada before coming to the United States with her husband in the 1990s. Given her background, she might be expected to feel sympathy for refugees and an aversion to nationalism, yet it has not made Goldberg wary of Trumps often-intolerant message. She believes America would be much more open to refugees if we could trust our government to put Americans needs first. And she dismisses concerns about Trumps appeals to nationalismthough, unlike Bannon, she views European nationalism differently. To be a nationalist in Europe, like in France or Germany, involves an appeal to blood and to birthto nativism, Goldberg says. Being nationalist in Americayoure talking about the principles of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, broad principles for everybody; youre not talking about blood. So, for me, nationalism in America is a good thing. A relatedthough not identicalstrain of patriotism energizes Laurie Morrow, 63, a Vermont-based English professor turned talk show host and philanthropy consultant. She shares Trumps stark (and, many have said, dark) vision of the American predicament, of freedoms being lost under a government that has been far more concerned about the rights of aliens and enemies than the safety or prosperity of ordinary Americans, and of trade deals that benefit other countries while devastating American industries. What she wants from American leadership, she wrote, is compassion for all people, but putting the needs of Americans first, without question and without apology. Indeed, she was won over early by Trumps bluntness, by his fearless and forthright manner in the first GOP debate. Morrow, who was also an early booster for Palin as John McCains running mate, told me in an email that post-Reagan Republicans have been trying too hard to please or appease their opponents. But not Trump. What makes Mr. Trump so likable is that he doesnt care whether you find him likable. So far Morrow hasnt been disappointed. She wrote to me in early February, I havent stopped doing my happy dance since the evening of the inauguration. Trump supporters pose for a photograph following the inauguration of President Donald Trump on Jan. 20. (Photo credit: ZACH GIBSON/AFP/Getty Images) Trump supporters discontent with the status quo has many causes. For Sally, 62, an attorney in the Northeast, a lifelong independent, and a reluctant Trump voter, it is the Obama administrations ramped-up hysteria on campus sexual assault. She is not alone. In recent years, even some feminist law professors have voiced concern that the federal guidelines handed down in 2011 directing colleges to adopt a lower standard of proof in Title IX sex discrimination cases have subjected accused students to punishment without due process. For Sally, the issue is highly personal. One of her sons, who is in graduate school, was caught up in such a case. Her request for anonymity is intended to shield him. Sally now works with a group that advocates for students accused of sexual misconduct. (Full disclosure: I first met Sally last year when I was a paid speaker at one of the groups events on campus sexual politics.) In an email, Sally wrote that she generally believes the Democrats have drifted too far to the left, though she is less than sanguine about the Trump presidency. She wants to see more female leadership, yet she is convinced that a Clinton administration would have doubled down on Title IX enforcement and further eroded due process for college students. If I had to be a one-issue voter after having a son nearly ruined by [the Democrats], she wrote, that is all I needed to know. This suffocating strain of political correctness on some college campuses is not limited the issue of Title IX legislation. Hanna and Julia, who are Trump supporters and seniors at a large East Coast university, feel compelled to hide any political views that are out of lockstep with the majority. They asked that their names not be used for this article. Both are science majors and first-time voters at 21; both mentioned the much-discussed problem of political correctness as an issue that influenced their vote. For Hanna, it was the issue. While she mentions Trumps plan to invest in the infrastructure as a plus, she mainly saw a Trump victory as a strike against PC culture. Hanna talks about campus politics with sarcasm and palpable irritation, a trace of European inflections in her voice (her father is a Cold War-era Soviet refugee). During freshman orientation, she recalls, We had to, one time, stand in a circle and renounce our privileges, and I was like, No! Ridiculous. There was also, she says, all this gender stuff coming up in virtually every class she took, even ones that were supposed to be hard science. In my neuroscience class, we had a chapter on biological sex and hormones, and they prefaced the class by talking about the distinction between gender and sex, she says. Then there was the religion class in which, Hanna says, the professor urged students to be nonjudgmental toward non-Western cultural norms when reading about some Muslim womens acceptance of wife-beatinga stance she found hypocritical given the schools embrace of feminism. Campus politics also made Hanna more likely to shrug off Trumps offensive comments. The outrage felt like an extension of the PC stuff and often came from the same people. Her reaction to the opportunistic sexual allegations against Trump was colored by skepticism about what she sees as inflated claims about campus sexual assault, including charges stemming from drunken sex. Hanna admits that she finds some of Trumps policies, including the executive order on immigration, concerning, and that she might have voted differently if such consequences had been more clearly pointed out. But she is even more contemptuous of the anti-Trump protests, especially the Womens March and its internal squabbles over identity politics. Thats probably why this movement is not going to last, she says. Julia, the daughter of immigrant business owners from Eastern Europe, is more conventionally conservative on national security and economic issues; but for her, too, campus politics are a sore spot. She bristles at safe spaces and trigger warnings and the notion that offending someone can make you an oppressor. (You go to college to learn and to be challenged.) Hannas and Julias fear of backlash if they were publicly known as Trump voters is justified, says Toni Airaksinen, a junior at New Yorks Barnard College and an Ohio native who grew up on food stamps. A disenchanted former social justice activist, Airaksinen says she is often assumed to be a Trump fan because she has criticized political correctness and written for such right-of-center websites as The College Fix. (In an email, Airaksinen said she did not vote but understands how PC culture could motivate some to vote for Trump.) She says she has repeatedly experienced verbal harassment on campussuch as being called Trump trashand received abusive online messages. Some students, Airaksinen says, have confided to her that they support Trumpabout four-fifths of them men. But she thinks the true percentage of women may well be higher, because the social consequences for coming out as a Trump supporter are worse for women and women are more likely to stay in hiding. Then-Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump stands with Women for Trump at a rally on Oct. 14, 2016, in Charlotte, N.C. (Photo credit: BRIAN BLANCO/Getty Images) A cadre of conservative women who think about policy for a living and do not feel inclined to hide their support for Trump have experienced personal and professional repercussions but have persisted in defending the president. Carol Swain, 62, a professor of political science and law at Vanderbilt University, is no stranger to being under fire for going against the party line in the academy. A conservative African-American, Swain has been the focus of several campus controversiesand the target of a petition demanding her dismissalover her outspoken opinions on such topics as the Black Lives Matter movement and Islam in America. The scholar and author recently announced that she will retire this year to focus on writing and speaking; there is little doubt that the campus climate played a role in her decision. A one-time high school dropout and teenage mother who made, by any measure, an extraordinary journey up from poverty, Swain left the Democratic Party in the early 2000s and became a Republican in 2009. She initially supported Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas in the GOP primaries; in the end, she backed Trump. Swain is well aware of claims that Trump has energized a nationalism that is not just American but nativist and even racist. It is an issue on which she has a unique perspective. Nearly 15 years ago, she wrote a book titled The New White Nationalism, which warned that white nationalism would re-emerge as a force in mainstream American politics. Today, she says that Trumps white nationalist followingthe alternative right or alt-rightis simply a rebranding of the movement she wrote about back then. Yet to her, this is the next logical step in identity politics, and the blame lies largely with the progressive left. Unless we change how we do politics, Swain says, you are going to have more white people, just everyday white people, thinking in terms of white interests and white identity. If blacks and Hispanics and every other group present their concerns by race, then whites will do the same, especially as they become a minority. She also faults Democrats for what she sees as their failure to acknowledge the afflictions of working-class and poor whites, such as rising mortality. Much as Bill Clinton once convinced voters that he felt their pain, Swain says, Trump made disadvantaged whites feel that he saw their sufferingjust as I believe he sees the suffering of the mothers in Chicago [whose] children are killed by black-on-black crime. Swains views also overlap with Trumps on what may be an even more controversial issue: Islam. In January 2015, shortly after the Charlie Hebdo terror attack in Paris, she wrote a column for the Tennessean that sparked protests and accusations of hate speech. Swain, a born-again Christian since the early 2000s, wrote that while she had once seen Islam as part of the family of Abrahamic faiths, she had come to believe that it is not like other religions in the United States and poses an absolute danger to us and our children unless it is monitored better. Today, Swain allows that she might have used different wording if she had it to do over again; she wants more encouragement for Muslim immigrants to truly assimilate and accept other peoples freedoms. But she clearly remains deeply skeptical of the religion itself. I think the ones that are religiously devoutif they actually follow what their religion teaches, they are going to be more extreme, she says, echoing the common view of anti-Islam polemicists that subjugating or slaughtering the infidel is Islams core message. Trump supporters gather outside of Trump Tower to express support for the president on Feb. 5 in New York. (Photo credit: ANDREW LICHTENSTEIN/Corbis via Getty Images) This is the ground on which many women on the American Trumpist right converge with the harder-core conservative women of Europe. There is a shared view of independent womanhood as a bedrock of modern Western civilization, of female emancipation coming under threat from cultural forces that have infiltrated Europe and America with the arrival of Muslim immigrants. The United States has nothing like Europes demographic concentrations of Muslims, where entire, dense quarters of cities and suburbs are inhabited by people whose culture is often seen as being at belligerent odds with the hosts. But a few significant terrorist attacks by homegrown Islamists in the United States have inflamed and exaggerated fears that would otherwise have been muted or slow-burning. Images of Middle Eastern refugees pouring into Europe, and daily accusations about Europes mishandling of this crisis, have only hardened attitudes in the United Statesalthough these are, in the main, nowhere near European levels of trepidation. Swains comments on Islam may seem harsh, but she is moderation itself compared with Waters, the British activist whose Twitter feed obsessively chronicles crime and terrorism by Muslims. One of her recent tweets links to a news article about an Australian Uber driver convicted of rape, with the comment, Oh look, a rapist named Muhammad. Such things have gotten Waters branded a bigot, even by former ally Maryam Namazie, an Iranian-born human rights activist and ex-Muslim who shares Waterss opposition to sharia courts in England. But to Waters, soft-spoken but intense during a telephone conversation, it doesnt matter. She sees herself as fighting for womens survival. For Waters, the issue is simple. Muslim-majority countries are steeped in misogyny, and far too many migrants who have no experience being around unveiled, free women bring those attitudes with them. This mass immigration from these societiesthis is a nightmare for European women .This mass immigration from these societiesthis is a nightmare for European women, she says urgently. She is convinced that the only solution is a total Muslim ban. Its not a conclusion one wants to come to, Waters says. But if European women being free means banning Muslim immigration, then Ill ban Muslim immigration. A former Labour Party member, Waters is bitterly angry at what she regards as the lefts betrayal. Today, she says, the traditionally right-wing parties are objecting to crimes against women and gaysand even if their ranks include old-school sexists who would happily shove Western women back into the kitchen, she is prepared to deal with it. She says she would have voted for Trump if she were American, despite misgivings about his anti-abortion stance. Anything he may do to curb abortion rights, she believes, will not be as dangerous as having masses and millions more people in your country who are incompatible with it. Unlike most critics of Islamic extremism, Waters is willing to attack not only Islam itself but Muslims, sometimes in the ugliest terms. In a recent tweet, apropos of assaults ascribed to Muslim immigrants, she wrote: There was a time when blonde hair & ABBA sprang to mind when one thought of Sweden. Now its (sic) rape & violence. Some call this progress. Yet underneath the hyperbole and the ugliness, there is a legitimate problem. Even among liberals, there is growing recognition that poorly integrated Muslim communities are a source of tensions that cannot be blamed solely on bigotry. French television reported recently on majority-Muslim areas of cities and suburbs where women feel compelled to dress conservatively and avoid cafes and shops. Sweden may not be the rape capital of Europe, as Waters claimsthe countrys high rape statistics in recent years are largely the result of laws that use a wider definition of rape than other European countries. But Paulina Neuding, a columnist for the center-right daily Svenska Dagbladet, reports on evidence that sex crimes are on the increase. This is most likely due to more assaults by foreign-born men, she says. The governments refusal to release statistics on the backgrounds of perpetrators, Neuding told me, contributes to a vicious cycle of speculation. (The Swedish government has separate registries that keep track of criminality and foreign background, making information that cross-references the two hard to obtain, according to Manne Gerell, a lecturer in criminology at Malmo University in Sweden.) Neuding says the rapid influx of migrants and the failure of integration are creating tangible problems in everyday life. When the establishment fails to address these issues, then people will turn to populist parties, she says. She predicts that the anti-immigrant backlash will become further radicalized, with calls not only for a halt to immigration but also for deportations. Supporters of Donald Trump listen as he addresses a crowd at a campaign rally at the Jefferson County Fairgrounds in Golden, Colo., on Oct. 29, 2016. (Photo credit: JASON CONNOLLY/AFP/Getty Images) Islamist extremism remains a threat in many parts of the world. Meanwhile, large numbers of poorly assimilated first- and second-generation Muslim immigrants continue to be a source of tension in parts of Europe. Some countries, like Hungary and Slovakia, appear not to want any Muslims on their soil. In the United States, Trump has played up Europes woes and put Muslims under a specific, harsh spotlight, a departure from the policies of any previous American president. So what comes next in the United States and Europe? Is populist conservatism, with its ever-widening appeal, getting more female, more diverse? Historically, the popular base of right-wing nationalist parties in Europe has skewed distinctly male; as much as two-thirds of their support at the voting booths has come from men. (By comparison, 43 percent of Trump voters were women.) But that may be changing. A 2012 study by the London-based Counterpoint political consultancy found that while hardcore supporters of right-wing nationalist/populist parties tended to be men, the gender gap largely disappeared among reluctant radicals who had voted for these parties but were not committed supporters. In several countries, women predominated among potential radicals who had not voted for the populist parties but sympathized with their views. In France, for example, where women vote in far lower numbers than men, the electoral future may belong to candidates who can lure women to the polls by convincing them that Islam threatens their rights and security. Where does all this leave a liberal Muslim-American who backs Trump? Nomani, the former Wall Street Journal reporter, is well aware that some Trump supporters have a blanket negative view of Islam, which she blames on ignorance: I just feel like they could be educated. But she says she is far more concerned about the Muslim rightMuslim-American organizations defending the conservative order in Islam, including repressive female modesty norms and gender segregation in mosques under the guise of protecting Muslim civil rights. Among her targets are groups accepted as entirely moderate by liberal Americans, such as the Council on American-Islamic Relations. Nomani is particularly appalled by what she sees as the American lefts willingness to ally itself with Muslim reactionaries. She points to a post on ThinkProgress, a leading progressive website, listing protests against Trumps travel ban. Two are at the Islamic Center of Washington, D.C., a major mosque and cultural center from which Nomani and other female activists have been ejected for praying in the men-only main sanctuary rather than the partitioned womens section. To Nomani, downplaying the religious nature of Islamist extremism is part of the same pandering. In June 2016, when Trump lashed into Obama for failing to cite radical Islamic terrorism after the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando, Florida, many liberals were outraged by what they saw as his Muslim-baiting. Nomani, who had voted for Obama and all other Democratic presidential candidates in her adult life, was heartened. The pro-Clinton groupthink in her social circles, Nomani says, was a turnoffas were comments by former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and feminist leader Gloria Steinem that disparaged young women who supported Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) in the Democratic primaries. Thats exactly the problem, Nomani says. You just cant understand that theres differentiation among women. Clearly, women in the West feel that they are facing new frustrations and insecurities and are looking for a kind of support that old-style politics doesnt offer. Its a different feminism and a different populism, UC-Berkeleys Hochschild told me, describing the attitudes of women in the heartland who voted for Trump and love Palin. Although not all pro-Trump women would describe themselves as populists, it is a good way to sum them up. Mainstream feminists would no doubt find them exasperating, but they are, for many reasons, done with mainstream feminists and determined to seek their own path to empowerment. However much critics may question their choice of Trump as the vehicle for their revolt, their grievances and concerns demand to be heard. In the United States, the future of Trumps base largely depends on the success of his volatile administration. Meanwhile in Europe, a right-wing feminist populist may soon have her day of glory if, as seems possible, Le Pen wins the presidential election. Its not a womanpower scenario many feminists would have predicted or wanted. But the women behind this shift are following their own script, and feminists and political candidates will have no choice but to contend with them. The president of mainly Muslim Pakistan has signed into law a bill allowing the Hindu minority to register their marriages for the first time since partition from India in 1947. The bill, signed by President Mamnoon Hussain on Sunday, will "safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Hindu families", a government statement said. It will also allow Hindus to file for divorce and remarry, and will protect the financial security of women and children after divorce. Ramesh Kumar Vankwani, head of the Pakistan Hindu Council, told AFP Monday the legislation would solve many problems faced by the community in Pakistan, where discrimination and violence against religious minorities is commonplace. "This law is a welcome step ... It will remove all difficulties for the registration of Hindu marriages," he said. Following the end of British rule in South Asia in 1947, the sub-continent was partitioned into mainly Hindu India and Pakistan, triggering widespread religious bloodshed in which hundreds of thousands were killed and millions displaced. Since then, Pakistani Hindus -- who number around 8.2 million in the country of an estimated 180 million people -- have been unable to acquire the legal documentation needed to register marriages and annulments. Lawmakers in the southern province of Sindh, where most Pakistani Hindus live, passed their own provincial legislation last year allowing Hindus to register marriages. Pakistan on Monday ordered the border with Afghanistan to be reopened "immediately", a month after it was closed amid soaring tensions as Islamabad and Kabul accused one another of providing safe haven for militants. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif ordered the two main crossings on the long, porous border be reopened as a gesture of "goodwill", a statement from his office said. The crossings -- Torkham at the famed Khyber Pass, and Chaman in Balochistan province -- were closed last month after a wave of militant violence killed 130 people across Pakistan. The attacks, most of which were claimed by the Islamic State group or the Pakistani Taliban, dented optimism after the country appeared to be making strong gains in its decade-and-a-half long war on militancy. Pakistan's powerful military as well as the civilian government swiftly pointed fingers at Afghanistan, blaming Kabul for harbouring those behind the attacks. Afghanistan has long accused Pakistan of providing safe haven to the Afghan Taliban, and the claim sparked a diplomatic furore as both countries traded allegations. The statement from Sharif's office called for the border to be reopened "despite" the accusations, citing "centuries-old" religious, cultural and historic links. "We hope that Afghan government will take all necessary actions to end the reasons for which this step was taken," Sharif said, adding that lasting peace in Afghanistan was essential to Pakistan's security. The two nations are divided by the "Durand Line", a 2,400-kilometre (1,500-mile) frontier drawn by the British in 1896 and disputed by Kabul, which does not officially recognise it as an international border. Tensions along the frontier have been simmering for months, after hundreds of thousands of Afghan refugees in Pakistan were repatriated last year, with Human Rights Watch accusing Islamabad of coercion, threats and abuse. Pakistani attempts to control the previously open border and implement customs duties have also sparked complaints from traders used to crossing with impunity. The Pakistani government estimates that undocumented trade on the border exceeds $2.5 billion annually. Torkham and Chaman were briefly opened on March 7-8 by Pakistan to allow Pakistani and Afghan citizens who had valid travel documents to return home. When Illinois paramedic Todd Zobrist jumped into freezing waters to check inside a submerged car, he didn't expect to find a 3-month-old baby. Zobrist, 31, is now being called a hero after his quick actions saved the infants life on Thursday. I got to meet him yesterday. I got to hold him and play with him, Zobrist told InsideEdition.com Monday. "It went really well." According to the Gazette, a witness called police after seeing an SUV drive down a hill and into Silver Lake. Zobrist, who works for the Highland Fire Department, showed up to the scene at 5:30 a.m. Zobrist, another paramedic and two police officers realized they didnt have time to wait for fellow rescuers so Zobrist wasted no time jumping into the lake to see if anyone was trapped inside the vehicle. Read: Cop Shatters Window to Rescue Baby From Hot Car, Later Discovers It Was a Doll: 'It Was Absolutely Convincing' After a 75-foot swim in 29-degree weather, Zobrist reached the vehicle, which he said was filled with water up to the windshield. After looking around, he noticed what he thought was a doll in the pitch black water. The water level was like up to your head if you were sitting in the driver seat. I take my arm and I reach and I didnt find anything. When I looked in the back I saw a car seat, Zobrist told InsideEdition.com. When I took a second look I saw two feet and two hands. They looked bluish, purple. Zobrist said he grabbed the babys foot and pulled him onto the roof of the car. I think I was completely shocked. I was expecting to find an adult. I was caught off guard that it was a baby. The training just kicked in, Zobrist said. He said he started performing CPR on the infant who spat up some water and then started breathing. Zobrist knew he didnt have time to wait for rescuers to come. I was concerned for the state he was in. I knew he was in more danger than me because he had been out there longer and I was freezing, Zobrist said Story continues It was then that Zobrist held the baby against his left arm, making sure to keep him above water, and did the backstroke to the shore. He started breathing 100 percent on his own. We started warming him up, Zobrist said. Police found the babys mother, Cristy Campbell, dead in the lake five hours later. His father, Justin Campbell, was also reportedly found dead with a gunshot wound to the head inside a nearby house. The property had been on fire, according to reports. An SUV was spotted leaving the home where Cristy had lived with her seven kids as well as her ex-husband, Capt. Mike Dixon of the Madison County Sheriffs Department told People.com. Read: 'Baby Jessica' Speaks Out, 30 Years After Rescue From Well: 'My Life Is a Miracle' A gun was also found in the SUV but it is unknown if it was used in the shooting, reports said. The couples six other children, aged 4 to 14 years old, reportedly escaped the burning house and were not physically injured. The infant was transferred to a hospital and later released. All seven children were placed with relatives, according to reports. Zobrist was later treated in the hospital for hypothermia as well. "Just another day on the job," Zobrist said. Watch: Couple Tries To Sell 3-Month-Old Baby For Drug Money, Cops Say Related Articles: By Yuval Ben-David and Michael Martina JERUSALEM/BEIJING (Reuters) - China's economy may be 35 times larger than Israel's, but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is hoping to use that to advantage during a three-day visit to Beijing as he looks to reorient Israel's economy towards Asia over Europe and the United States. A week after U.S. chip giant Intel agreed to buy Israeli technology firm Mobileye for $15.3 billion, Netanyahu wants to enlarge Israel's high-tech presence in China while encouraging further Chinese investment in Israel, where infrastructure and construction projects are growing apace. More than 100 technology executives have joined Netanyahu on the visit, with meetings planned with Chinese business leaders. Bilateral trade has been hovering at around $8 billion for the last few years, but over the past decade, Israel's exports to China have tripled to $3.3 billion in 2016, with technology - from cybersecurity to agri-tech - leading the way. Half the investments in Israeli funds in 2015 involved at least one Chinese investor, and 40 percent of funds raised by Israeli venture capital firms came from Chinese backers, according to the Economy Ministry. "Israel is pivoting towards Asia in a very clear and purposeful way," Netanyahu said last month in Singapore, which he visited along with Australia. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Israel in the summer, underpinning the Asia trend. While the European Union remains Israel's largest trading partner, Asia is steadily closing the gap and politically it tends to put far fewer demands on Israel than the EU does. Matan Vilnai, Israel's former ambassador to Beijing, said China's interests in Israel were almost purely economic. The Chinese leadership seeks to learn from Israel's culture of high-tech innovation and doesn't push beyond that. "It's very simple: technology, technology, technology," he told Reuters. Chinese firms are driving major infrastructure projects in Israel, including Tel Aviv's metro system and new Mediterranean ports in Haifa and Ashdod. A deal for 6,000 Chinese construction workers to come to Israel was signed earlier this year, with the possibility of extending it to 20,000. Ilan Maor, Israel's former consul-general in Shanghai and the managing partner of Sheng BDO, a business advisory firm, said he thinks China's leadership is keen to limit discussions with the Israeli delegation to economics, even if Beijing has become more outspoken on Middle East issues. "The place (Netanyahu) can make a significant contribution is opening the door to more trade, moving forward to free trade, and making a clear message that we want Chinese investment," he said. The countries are negotiating a free-trade agreement, although it remains unclear how far advanced talks are. From Netanyahu's point of view, while China and Israel may be vastly different in terms of population, physical size and resources, there is a strong fit: while Israel innovates, China concentrates on mass marketing and commercialisation. "Given the basic infrastructure of initial and secondary development - airports, sewage lines, water - once you've done that, the way to go up and up and up is to constantly improve your products and services and utilities with technology," Netanyahu told Chinese business leaders in Bejing. "We are your perfect junior partner for that effort." (Editing by Luke Baker and Alison Williams) Washington (AFP) - The US military is probing allegations that a strike targeting Al-Qaeda leaders near a mosque in northern Syria killed numerous civilians, the Defense Department said Monday. A US air strike on March 16 completely destroyed a building located next to an old mosque in the village of Al-Jineh in the northern province of Aleppo. The Pentagon says the strike targeted a meeting of senior Al-Qaeda leaders but local reports and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group have claimed dozens of people were killed, including civilians. Pentagon spokesman Navy Captain Jeff Davis told reporters that officials initially thought there were "zero" civilian casualties. After reviewing additional public and classified information over the weekend, Central Command has launched a casualty "credibility assessment" to determine whether allegations of civilian deaths have any merit. "This is when there are allegations made about civilian casualties, they assess those allegations to determine if they are credible," Davis said. "If they are determined to be credible, they take additional steps from there." Questions have arisen over whether the targeted building was an annex to the mosque or somehow related. The US military is not supposed to strike or target mosques. An AFP correspondent who visited the area Friday said there are two Omar bin al-Khattab mosques in Al-Jineh, adjacent to each other. The old one was damaged and the new one totally destroyed. "Whether or not it was part of the mosque, I don't know," Davis said. "But the main mosque we purposefully avoided and this was extensively surveilled prior to the strike that we did, and we are confident that we disrupted a significant meeting of senior Al-Qaeda leadership." The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Friday that 49 people were killed -- most of them civilians. FBI Director James Comey testified before the House Intelligence Committee on Monday, enlightening lawmakers about the agencys intelligence gathering and broadening Americans vocab in the process. When Rep. Adam Schiff (D-MA) asked Comey what he thought the main offense in the Nixon-Watergate controversy was, Comey responded that, As I recall it the gravamen was an abuse of power, including a break-in. As a result, Merriam-Webster saw an enormous spike in lookups for gravamen a noun that refers to the material or significant part of a grievance or complaint. The Oxford English Dictionary defines the word as the particular part of an accusation that bears most heavily on the person accused. On Monday, Comey also testified that the FBIs work had not borne out the gravamen of President Donald Trumps accusation against President Obama, after Trump tweeted allegations that the former Commander-in-Chief had wiretapped him. I have no information that supports those tweets and we have looked carefully inside the FBI, Comey said. This bit of legalese comes from a Latin adjective, gravis, which means heavy. And the same root can be found in words such as gravity, grieve and grave (the adjective that means serious). A kitchen gadget company has been accused of sexism after posting an advert on its website for a range of pink appliances aimed at women. SEE ALSO: Commuters call out 'sexist' ad, brand brings on the extreme sarcasm The ad featured the words "KitchenAid for Women" alongside the pink products, which were part of a limited edition colour range to raise money for UK charity Breast Cancer Haven. Hazel Davis was first to spot the ad and she took to Twitter, labelling the ad an example of "#everydaysexism." Many replied to Davis' post, calling the ad out for its "patronising strapline" and its unnecessary gendering of the products. Some questioned whether the ad was actually an early April Fool's prank. You posted this too early @KitchenAid_UK Not April's Fools Day yet pic.twitter.com/dAIOJioRLG Katherine Trill (@KittyTrill) March 17, 2017 "I sort of like how this implies that kitchen supplies are typically for men," wrote one Twitter user. And, others expressed their disappointment with the brand. @KitchenAid_UK @hazedavis Whoever thought that was a suitable, or accurate, strapline for your advertising is a pilchard. Bee-Trix (@Trix3Bee) March 17, 2017 KitchenAid responded to Davis' criticism, stating that the colour pink had been used as "a symbol of hope" and to raise "awareness to find a cure". Story continues @hazedavis This color edition to support @BreastCancerHaven in the UK. Pink as a symbol of hope. It raises awareness to find a cure! KitchenAid UK (@KitchenAid_UK) March 17, 2017 Not everyone took offence at the ad, however. "Pink for women ranges are invariably breast cancer related. Don't be so quick to take offence," wrote one Twitter user. A spokesperson for KitchenAid UK apologised for any offence caused and said the offending webpage had been removed. "Our intention was to highlight the Cook for the Cure program, which gives people with a passion for cooking a way to support a meaningful cause," the spokesperson said. "The program raises funds and awareness for the fight against breast cancer. From pink products and celebrity chef auctions to home-based fundraising events," the spokesperson continued. Alia Bhatt, Karan Johar and Shah Rukh Khan brought the house down on Day 2 of the India Today Conclave 2017. Treat yourself to some of the best moments from their sessions. By India Today Web Desk: Shah Rukh Khan, Karan Johar and Alia Bhatt made sure they spiced up Day 2 of the India Today Conclave 2017 in the best way possible. On Saturday (March 18), all people present at the Conclave got a taste of Karan Johar's wit, Alia Bhatt's refreshing take on life and Shah Rukh Khan's lessons in romancing women. advertisement While Karan Johar did not stop at anything and had a freewheeling chat with moderator Koel Purie Rinchet, Alia Bhatt shared lessons from her fathee Mahesh Bhatt on the stage. And as for Shah Rukh Khan, from telling people what his association with Amitabh Bachchan has been like over the years, to saying why he now had lady bodyguards, King Khan was at his candid best. Amitabh Bachchan, who was supposed to have shared the stage with Shah Rukh, for a session called Unforgettables: The Dream Makers, Lessons from the Spotlight, couldn't attend the event because Aishwarya Rai Bachchan's father Krishnaraj Rai passed away that day. Here's looking back at the best of the India Today Conclave 2017. KARAN JOHAR I like being trolled Speaking about trolled, insulted and abused on social media, Karan Johar said that he is a complete sadist and that he likes to hear abuses. "It started with anger, went on to indifference, and now I look forward to them," Karan Johar said about his reaction to abuses. On Kangana Ranaut's statements on Koffee With Karan Karan Johar happily accepted that he is the flag-bearer of nepotism and that is the movie mafia, like Kangana Ranaut accused him of being on the sets of Koffee With Karan. However, he also added that he did not understand what Kangana Ranaut meant when she said that their individual ideas of poverty are different. I would marry Shah Rukh Khan When given a choice to love, marry and hook up with one of the following: Shah Rukh Khan, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Sidharth Malhotra, he said he would marry Shah Rukh Khan because he loves his bungalow. However, he chose to kill both Aishwarya and Sidharth because in his own words, "I don't want to answer this question." I'm the mother of my children When asked who would be his choice as the mother of his children, Karan replied, "I am the mother of my children." A while later, he said, "I am more of a mother than I am a father." WATCH THE BEST OF KARAN JOHAR'S SESSION HERE ALIA BHATT On dumb jokes I look at in two ways - I'm either relevant or irrelevant. If you're making a joke about me, I'm relevant. So why should I be upset? advertisement There is always someone better than you, no matter how brilliant you are I don't feel I have achieved anything. I have reached a certain stage, but i feel like I am doing. I feel grateful but I don't feel I have achieved. You have to walk the tight rope and do your best. Hard work will get you at a lot of places. Being the first member of your fan club won't get you anywhere. WATCH THE BEST OF ALIA BHATT'S SESSION HERE SHAH RUKH KHAN It's better not to say shut up You can ask people to shut up sometimes or behave badly at the Wankhede Stadium. Nowadays I think it's better not to say Shut Up on social media, you get capital letters - SHUT THE F*** UP, GET OUT OF MY COUNTRY. You can afford a padded room where the sound doesn't go out. Go and shout there, come back happy. I'm being a liar. I'm an actor - I can lie, right? Difficult explaining scratches on my body If you're stepping out, you have to smell good. Brush your teeth, hair should be soft, you should smell very very good. That's the secret you need to follow. My pictures in my car, when I'm coming for a party, are always growling. It is scary. I have a lot of ladies who like me and want to smell me, so I have lady bodyguards now. Women have lovely long nails, and their love hurts, and it is difficult explaining to your kids and wife the nailmarks. advertisement Same line three ways: Love, Anger, Sorrow Among the high-points of Shah Rukh Khan's session at the India Today Conclave 2017 was the actor being asked to act the same line three different ways. When moderator Koel Purie Rinchet asked him to teach her how to say the same dialogue - in love, angrily, and in sorrow - Shah Rukh Khan nailed the task. Watch: --- ENDS --- By Manuel Mogato MANILA (Reuters) - A lawyer for the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos on Monday filed an impeachment complaint against Philippine Vice President Leni Robredo for her strong criticism of the administration's bloody war on drugs. The complaint for violation of the constitution and betrayal of public trust was sent by Oliver Lozano to the office of House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez, a staunch ally of President Rodrigo Duterte. Alvarez had for several days been studying whether to file a complaint himself. "She is the termite of the government," Lozano said in a letter seeking endorsement for his six-page complaint. Robredo, who is not a member of Duterte's party and was elected in a separate contest, may have landed herself in trouble after issuing a strong rebuke of the popular president's war on drugs in a video sent to the United Nations.Alvarez said that was "irresponsible". "This is the first time a high government official has sent a video clip maligning our country," he said in a radio interview on Monday. Robredo's lawyer, Barry Gutierrez, was confident she had done no wrong. "Truth-telling can never be an impeachable offense," he told reporters. The complaint comes amid bitter squabbling between Duterte and his loyalists and the opposition Liberal Party and its allies, loosely along political lines going back to the time of the late president Ferdinand Marcos, who was ousted by a "People Power" uprising in 1986. It was filed four days after lower house representative Gary Alejano filed an impeachment complaint against Duterte, accusing him of offences ranging from conflict of interest and assets concealment to drugs-related extrajudicial killings. The complaints against Robredo and Duterte will not be handled by Congress until May at the earliest, as the legislature is in recess. Congress is dominated by lawmakers who have sided with the president. Robredo's Liberal Party is in the minority. Duterte has denied wrongdoing and his allies say the impeachment motion against him would be soundly defeated. A one-third vote in the 292-member lower house would impeach a high-level official, paving for a Senate trial in which a majority would be needed to remove him or her from office. Duterte on Sunday welcomed the impeachment complaint, as well as the prospect of the International Criminal Court putting him on trial over his war on drugs, saying his campaign would be unrelenting and "brutal" and he would not be intimidated into ending it. (Editing by Martin Petty) Naypyidaw (Myanmar) (AFP) - Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has described European lawmakers as "crazies" in a salty-tongued rebuttal of criticism of his deadly drug war, while vowing again that all traffickers will be killed. Duterte fired his broadside in a late-night speech Sunday in Myanmar after the European Parliament issued a resolution last week condemning "the high number of extrajudicial killings" in his war on drugs. "I don't get these crazies. Why are you trying to impose on us? Why don't you mind your own business," said Duterte, who frequently uses swear words and other abusive language against his critics. Since taking office in the middle of last year Duterte has overseen a ruthless campaign to eradicate illegal drugs which he says are threatening to turn the Philippines into a narco-state. Police have reported killing more than 2,500 people, while rights groups say there have been more than 5,000 other deaths linked to the drug war. Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have said Duterte may be overseeing crimes against humanity, with police allegedly running anonymous death squads. Duterte has insisted he has not asked his security forces to break the law, although on other occasions he has called for millions of addicts to be killed and vowed to pardon police officers found guilty of murder. At the speech to a gathering of the Filipino community in Myanmar's capital Naypyidaw, Duterte warned that many more people would be killed in his drugs crackdown. "More people will die. I said I will not stop. I will continue until the last drug lord in the Philippines is killed and the pushers (are) out of the streets," he said. Reacting to criticism that the operation targeted the poor, Duterte said he must "destroy" small-time street peddlers as well as the big-time drug lords. In its resolution, the European lawmakers also called on the UN Human Rights Council to launch a probe into Duterte's drug war, and expressed "deep alarm" at his plans to bring back the death penalty. Story continues - 'Culture clash' - Duterte insisted foreign critics did not understand the Philippines. To illustrate his theory on the clash of cultures, Duterte referred to a recent Time magazine cover article on gender and sexuality and compared it with what he insisted was blanket Filipino opposition to same-sex marriage. "That's their culture. It does not apply to us. We are Catholics and there is the civil code which says that you can only marry a woman for me (and) for a woman to marry a man," he said. "You stay where God assigned you. Do not mix us all up." Duterte insisted he would not be cowed by warnings from foreigners that he may face prosecution over his drug war. He boasted about calling then-US president Barack Obama a "son of a whore" last year in response to criticism of the killings, as he repeated his unsubstantiated allegation that the US Central Intelligence Agency was plotting to kill him. "They miscalculated me. They thought they would scare me with a jail threat and then they would put Obama in front of me. I told them, 'What is it to you?'" Duterte said. "Now I am even famous because I called their leaders sons of whores, you are all sons of whores." Duterte was set to meet Myanmar's de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi on Monday afternoon, before having high tea with the army's commander-in-chief, Min Aung Hlaing. His visit coincided with the 60th anniversary of ties between the two countries. Duterte will head to Thailand on Monday evening. A Spirit Airlines pilot and his wife were found dead by their children after the couple overdosed on drugs, police said. Authorities in Centerville, Ohio, released a heartbreaking 911 audio of the call made by the children of Brian and Courtney Halye after they apparently died from a fatal mix of heroin and fentanyl last week. Watch: Prince Was Reportedly Treated for Drug Overdose Days Before His Death The call came after the children woke up for school and discovered their parents hadn't left their room. "I just woke up and my two parents are on the floor. My sister said they're not waking up," a 13-year-old son says. "They're not breathing." Other children can be heard crying in the background. According to WLWT, police said they found evidence of narcotics use. "We did locate drug paraphernalia, which leads us to believe this is drug-related," said Centerville police Officer John Davis. The local coroner's office is awaiting toxicology results, but preliminary findings showed deaths were likely caused by fentanyl and heroin, authorities said. Brian Halye had been a pilot for Spirit Airlines for 9 years. Watch: Why Children Are Being Taught How to Save People From a Heroin Overdose In a statement, the company wrote, "Our hearts go out to the family, friends, and colleagues of Captain Halye." Watch: Jim Carrey Hits Back at Lawsuit Claiming He Gave Drugs to Ex In Fatal Overdose Related Articles: TRUCKEE, Calif. (AP) Regional planners developing a comprehensive transportation blueprint for Lake Tahoe over the next two decades say the shortage of public parking spaces is a bigger problem than they thought. While some parts of Tahoe's southern and western shores in California average one parking space for roughly every 800 visitors, other areas have more than 6,000 visitors per parking spot, the Sierra Sun newspaper reported (http://tinyurl.com/m6fwzms ). The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency published a draft last month of its plan for the lake through 2035. The agency's governing board intends to review the plan Wednesday before a 30-day comment period expires Friday. Plans call for developing new bus transit systems around the lake as well as water ferry service linking the north and south shores. Officials hope to increase transit frequency from 60-minute to 30-minute intervals. The area is home to only 55,000 full-time residents, about 10 million vehicles visited last year. The biggest shortage of public parking identified so far is around the northwest quarter of the lake from Sugar Pine Point on California State Route 89 to the Nevada state line on State Highway 28. The ratio there is 6,441 visitors for every parking spot, according to data used in the draft. That means about 6.7 million vehicles travel that stretch a year. "We all know parking's an issue, but when you start comparing it to parking spaces, you realize the number of parking spaces available to us is abysmal, and they're not in the recreational areas," Tahoe Transportation District Manager Carl Hasty told the newspaper. Another of the most traveled areas around the lake is the Nevada side a 28-mile stretch of Nevada State Route 28 on the north shore from the Nevada-California line at Crystal Bay south to Stateline. The area recorded an estimated 4.5 million trips with a visitor-to-parking ratio of 3,736-to-1. Hasty said the transportation plan acknowledges the reality that because the region's main roads run along the perimeter of the lake, they cannot be expanded to meet the growing traffic demands. And transit shuttles require parking areas. Story continues "If we're ever going to be successful in getting people to use transit and reduce vehicle trips, we need to address parking," he said. The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency is a bistate compact that regulates the lake and use of its shores. ___ Information from: Sierra Sun. WARSAW, Poland (AP) Poland will fight against the idea of a multi-speed European Union at the bloc's upcoming anniversary summit, the powerful head of Poland's ruling conservative party said in remarks published Monday. Earlier this month the leaders of France, Germany, Spain and Italy called for groups of member states to be allowed to advance at their own pace, as a way of cushioning the impact of Britain's exit. Jaroslaw Kaczynski said in an interview published Monday by the "wSieci" conservative weekly that Poland would oppose that idea "with full strength." "We cannot accept any announcements of a two-speed Europe," he was quoted as saying in the interview ahead of the weekend EU summit in Rome. "That would either mean pushing us out of the Union or downgrading us to (being) a member of an inferior category." He did not cite any specific disadvantages for Poland. Kaczynski holds no government position, but is widely considered to be the nation's most powerful politician and the mastermind behind the policies of Prime Minister Beata Szydlo and her ministers. WARSAW (Reuters) - Poland promised on Monday to put up a tough fight at the European Union's anniversary summit later this week, with the country's most powerful politician saying Warsaw will not bow to any form of a multi-speed Europe. The March 25 EU summit marking the 60th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome, which paved the way for European integration, will ponder the bloc's future without Britain. Some euro zone leaders back the idea of letting some member states push ahead with further integration without the whole bloc following suit. EU chief executive Jean-Claude Juncker, who presented options for reforming the bloc to be discussed at the Rome summit, also has spoken positively of some states pushing ahead more quickly with integration. "We cannot accept any announcements of a two-speed Europe," Jaroslaw Kaczynski, the leader of the governing euroskeptic Law and Justice Party (PiS), told the weekly wSieci. "This would mean either pushing us out of the European Union or downgrading us to an inferior category of members," he said. "We must oppose that with all firmness." Poland was the sole opponent to the reappointment on March 9 of Donald Tusk, Kaczynski's political nemesis, as the European Council chairman. That a move that further isolated Warsaw from Brussels and cost PiS some domestic support. A new poll by the IBRiS pollster for the Rzeczpospolita daily showed that support for PiS was down 5 percentage points after Warsaw's fight over Tusk, while the main opposition party that once had Tusk as its chief gained 10 points. Kaczynski did not reveal any strategy or concrete steps Poland will present at the Rome summit, saying only: "We will fight for Polish interests with full determination." The European Union is effectively already multi-speed through the enhanced cooperation mechanism that lets groups of countries cooperate on specific issues without engaging the whole bloc. The euro zone is the clearest example of this. Prime Minister Beata Szydlo will head the Polish delegation. (Writing by Lidia Kelly; Editing by Tom Heneghan) SALISBURY, N.C. (AP) Police in North Carolina say a woman faces second-degree murder charges after allegedly injecting a teen with nonmedical silicone in a plastic surgery procedure at her home. Salisbury police tell local media outlets that 42-year-old Kavonceya Iman Cornelius turned herself in Monday after warrants were issued. According to police, an investigation showed 19-year-old Eugene Jones II went to Cornelius' home for silicone injections. Investigators say Jones went back to Fayetteville, where he died from the procedure on Jan. 12. Police were later notified that an out-of-state victim who received similar injections is now experiencing health problems. Cornelius is being held in the Rowan County jail without bond. It's not known if she has an attorney, but she is scheduled to appear in court Wednesday. Vatican City (AFP) - Pope Francis on Monday begged for God's forgiveness for "the sins and failings of the Church and its members" implicated in the 1994 Rwanda genocide that killed around 800,000 people. The pontiff "conveyed his profound sadness, and that of the Holy See and of the Church, for the genocide against the Tutsi," the Vatican said in a statement after a meeting between Francis and the Rwanda President Paul Kagame. "He implored anew God's forgiveness for the sins and failings of the Church and its members, among whom priests and religious men and women who succumbed to hatred and violence, betraying their own evangelical mission," it said. Francis's pardon plea followed a request from Rwanda in November for the church to apologise for its role in the massacres. Related: For more news videos visit Yahoo View, available now on iOS and Android. Since the genocide, whose victims were mostly from the Tutsi minority, the Catholic Church has been accused of being close to the Hutu extremist regime in power in 1994. A number of churches became scenes of mass killings as Hutu militiamen found people seeking refuge in them, sometimes turned over by priests, with no way out. - 'Renewed trust' - Francis, 80, said he hoped "this humble recognition of the failings of that period, which, unfortunately, disfigured the face of the Church, may contribute to a 'purification of memory'" and promote "renewed trust". Several Catholic priests as well as nuns and brothers were charged with participating in the genocide and tried by the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) and by a Belgian court, leading to some convictions while others were acquitted. The highest-ranking Church official to be tried for genocide was the late bishop Augustin Misago, who was acquitted and freed from prison in June 2000. During the 20th anniversary commemorations in April 2014, Kagame accused the Catholic Church of having "participated fully" in establishing the colonial ideology that created the divide between Hutus and Tutsis, which he claimed led to the genocide. Story continues In November, a letter of apology signed by the bishops representing the nine dioceses in Rwanda was read in all churches. But the Rwandan government said the local apology was not sufficient considering the crimes committed. Jean-Pierre Dusingizemungu, head of the Ibuka survivors group, called the pope's words a "giant step taken by the church" that would "help us fight the negationism and ideology of genocide". - 'Shielded from justice' - Rwanda Foreign Minister Louise Mushikiwabo, who accompanied Kagame to the Vatican, said Monday's meeting was held in "a spirit of openness and mutual respect". The Catholic Church is "facilitating" efforts to help survivors and repentant perpetrators live and work side by side, she said. But the minister said that there were those in the church who were still protecting genocide perpetrators. "Today, genocide denial and trivialisation continue to flourish in certain groups within the Church and genocide suspects have been shielded from justice within Catholic institutions," she said. About half of Rwandans are Catholic, but since the genocide many have turned to pentecostal churches. "The pope's gesture is a way for him to put back into play a Rwandan Catholic Church effectively discredited" by the scandal, wrote Nicolas Seneze, the Rome correspondent for the French daily La Croix. Centre has the power to reject a candidate on grounds of national security and will be setting up of secretariats in the apex court and each HC to screen judge aspirants. Government had in August last year inserted a clause in the MoP that provides primacy to the Centre in rejecting any recommendation of the collegium. By Harish V Nair: Putting to end a 17-month standoff with the Centre, the Supreme Court collegium which is now headed by Chief Justice J S Khehar on Monday said it had cleared the memorandum of procedure (MoP) for appointment of judges to the apex court and various High Courts. The significance of this move is that the collegium has dropped its objection to prime bone of contention- Centre getting power to reject a candidate on grounds of national security and also setting up of secretariats in the apex court and each HC to screen judge aspirants. Khehar's predecessor T S Thakur, who headed the previous collegium was adamant that he will not clear the MoP with these provisions. advertisement It had resulted in matters being in limbo since August last year and stalemate over appointment of nearly five apex court judges and 500 HC judges. "The MoP has been cleared. Now the filling up of vacancy in the High Courts can be sped up. There is also a need to increase the post of judges in the High Courts. But the priority will be to fill the existing vacancies," CJI Khehar said while disposing off PILs which sought speedy filling of judicial vacancies. WHAT WILL HAPPEN NOW Finalisation of the MoP, which will be sent to the Centre for approval and adoption this week, raises hopes of speedy filling up of vacancies in HCs, which are operating at below 60 per cent of their sanctioned strength. The SC collegium also comprising SC's four senior most judges apart from the CJI agreed that a name of a candidate for judgeship can be rejected by the government on grounds of national security if specific reason is put in writing. Government had in August last year inserted a clause in the MoP that provides primacy to the Centre in rejecting any recommendation of the collegium without ascribing reasons, on the grounds of 'national security'. The collegium recommendation can be rejected by the government if it feels the appointment is not in the overall interest of the country. The MoP further provides that once the Centre has rejected a recommendation it will not be bound to reconsider it even after reiteration of the collegium. This is contrary to current practice where government is bound to accept a recommendation by the collegium. Setting stage for the stiff judiciary vs government confrontation, the bench led by Justice Khehar had in October 2015 struck down a new law brought in by the Modi government - National Judicial Appointments Commission which had given it a major role, including veto powers, in matters relating to appointment and transfer of apex court and high court judges and asked the Centre to prepare fresh memorandum of procedure in consultation with the CJI. Watch video here Also read: Facing arrest for rape, absconding UP minister Gayatri Prajapati gets no relief from Supreme Court Also read: Loan default case: ED says Mallya may move Supreme Court if he has a problem with probe advertisement Also read: Supreme Court orders internet giants to report video uploads of sexual assault --- ENDS --- (VATICAN CITY) Pope Francis begged forgiveness Monday for the sins and failings of the church and its members during Rwandas 1994 genocide and told Rwandas president that he hoped his apology would help the country heal. In an extraordinary statement after Francis meeting with Rwandan President Paul Kagame, the Vatican acknowledged that some Catholic priests and nuns succumbed to hatred and violence, betraying their own evangelical mission by participating in the genocide. During the 100-day genocide, over 800,000 ethnic Tutsis and moderate Hutus were killed by Hutu extremists. Many of the victims died at the hands of priests, clergymen and nuns, according to some accounts by survivors, and the Rwandan government says many died in the churches where they had sought refuge. The Vatican said Francis expressed the desire that this humble recognition of the failings of that period, which unfortunately disfigured the face of the church, may contribute to a purification of memory and may promote, in hope and renewed trust, a future of peace. The Vaticans statement followed an official apology last year by Rwandas Catholic bishops for all the wrongs the church committed. In the years since, the local Catholic Church had resisted efforts by the government and survivors groups to acknowledge the churchs complicity in mass murder, saying those church officials who committed crimes acted individually. The Vatican said Francis conveyed the sadness of the Holy See and the church at large for the genocide and expressed solidarity with the victims. Evoking the gesture of Pope St. John Paul II during the Great Jubilee of the Year 2000, he implored anew Gods forgiveness for the sins and failings of the Church and its members, the Vatican said. Four prison guards who are alleged to have killed a schizophrenic inmate by effectively boiling him to death have escaped charges. Darren Rainey was forcefully held in a scalding hot shower for hours after he smeared faeces on himself at the Dale Correctional Institution in Miami, Florida, in 2012. Rainey, 50, had refused to stand under the shower but was told by Officer Roland Clarke that he could not leave until he washed. MORE: Schools in Boston ditch distorted and outdated map of the world for more accurate plan MORE: Downing Street denies snap election to be held in May After starting to wash, Rainey said, No, I dont want to do this, and leaned on a wall away from the water, according to Officer Clarke. Officers continued to check on him, and the decision was made to take Rainey out of the shower after around two hours but he was found lying face up in about 8 centimetres of water with no pulse and not breathing. Another inmate, Harold Hempstead, alleged that he had heard Rainey yelling and kicking at the shower door, saying, Im sorry. I wont do it anymore and I cant take it no more while the guards laughed. Several witnesses said Raineys skin appeared to be peeled back or reddish in some spots and looked like a boiled lobster. However, an autopsy found this slippage was most likely caused by friction or pressure on his moist and warm skin that was applied in an effort to revive him. Prosecutors have now concluded Hempstead was an unreliable witness and concluded Rainey had died partly because of undiagnosed heart disease and suffered no scalding injuries. Dr Emma Lew, Miami-Dades medical examiner, said Rainey did not suffer any burns of any kind and there was no evidence of trauma. She said his death was down to a combination of his schizophrenia, heart disease and confinement in the small shower space. Dr Lew said that schizophrenic people can have nervous system reactions that trigger a heart attack if they have an underlying condition. Story continues Prosecutors said that the guards did not commit murder or manslaughter, writing in a memo: Placing an inmate who has defecated upon himself in a shower to decontaminate himself is not conduct that is criminally reckless. There was no evidence of any intent to harm Rainey. Rainey was a prisoner at the Dale Correctional Institution (Rex/stock photo) The conclusion ends a nearly five-year probe into the death Rainey, who was serving a two-year sentence on a cocaine charge. Milton Grimes, the layer for Raineys family, said in a statement that the family is disappointed and heartbroken that no charges will be brought. He added: This is not justice for Darren, for his family, nor for the mentally ill who have been subject to similar abuse and mistreatment, Mr Grimes said. The prosecutors determined that corrections officers did not commit murder or manslaughter in Raineys death and that taking him to the shower was appropriate under the circumstances. Top pic: Police handout SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) Puerto Rico's governor on Monday pushed back on a federal control board's demand for $450 million in cuts at the island's largest public university. The proposed cuts recently prompted nearly a dozen top university officials to resign in protest amid warnings it would affect the quality of education and lead to layoffs of professors who already have been denied sabbaticals and salary increases. Gov. Ricardo Rossello told the control board in a letter that the University of Puerto Rico cannot sustain further cuts because its budget has already been reduced by $348 million in the past two years. He proposed instead that university budget cuts be instead reduced to $241 million and implemented by 2021. "Having access to higher education is key element to enhance economic and social development," he wrote. Rossello said he could generate more revenue for the university by having government agencies pay professors to provide training for teachers and other government employees. Public Affairs Secretary Ramon Rosario said in a press conference on Monday that municipalities are already paying private companies to provide that service, so it would not be an additional financial burden on them. The university system has a total of 11 campuses and serves more than 50,000 students. The board, which oversees the island's finances, did not immediately comment on Rossello's letter. The proposed cuts have been a point of contention as Puerto Rico seeks to restructure some $70 billion in public debt amid a decade-long economic crisis. The board recently approved a 10-year fiscal plan that implements multimillion-dollar cuts and increases in some services to help stabilize the island's economy. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I want to thank Director Comey and Admiral Rogers for appearing before us today as the committee holds this first open hearing into the interference campaign waged against our 2016 Presidential election. Last summer, at the height of a bitterly contested and hugely consequential Presidential campaign, a foreign, adversarial power intervened in an effort to weaken our democracy, and to influence the outcome for one candidate and against the other. That foreign adversary was, of course, Russia, and it acted through its intelligence agencies and upon the direct instructions of its autocratic ruler, Vladimir Putin, in order to help Donald J. Trump become the 45th President of the United States. The Russian active measures campaign may have begun as early as 2015, when Russian intelligence services launched a series of spearphishing attacks designed to penetrate the computers of a broad array of Washington-based Democratic and Republican party organizations, think tanks and other entities. This continued at least through winter of 2016. While at first, the hacking may have been intended solely for the collection of foreign intelligence, in mid-2016, the Russians weaponized the stolen data and used platforms established by their intel services, such as DC Leaks and existing third party channels like Wikileaks, to dump the documents. The stolen documents were almost uniformly damaging to the candidate Putin despised, Hillary Clinton and, by forcing her campaign to constantly respond to the daily drip of disclosures, the releases greatly benefited Donald Trumps campaign. None of these facts is seriously in question and they are reflected in the consensus conclusions of all our intelligence agencies. We will never know whether the Russian intervention was determinative in such a close election. Indeed, it is unknowable in a campaign in which so many small changes could have dictated a different result. More importantly, and for the purposes of our investigation, it simply does not matter. What does matter is this: the Russians successfully meddled in our democracy, and our intelligence agencies have concluded that they will do so again. Ours is not the first democracy to be attacked by the Russians in this way. Russian intelligence has been similarly interfering in the internal and political affairs of our European and other allies for decades. What is striking here is the degree to which the Russians were willing to undertake such an audacious and risky action against the most powerful nation on earth. That ought to be a warning to us, that if we thought that the Russians would not dare to so blatantly interfere in our affairs, we were wrong. And if we do not do our very best to understand how the Russians accomplished this unprecedented attack on our democracy and what we need to do to protect ourselves in the future, we will have only ourselves to blame. We know a lot about the Russian operation, about the way they amplified the damage their hacking and dumping of stolen documents was causing through the use of slick propaganda like RT, the Kremlins media arm. But there is also a lot we do not know. Most important, we do not yet know whether the Russians had the help of U.S. citizens, including people associated with the Trump campaign. Many of Trumps campaign personnel, including the President himself, have ties to Russia and Russian interests. This is, of course, no crime. On the other hand, if the Trump campaign, or anybody associated with it, aided or abetted the Russians, it would not only be a serious crime, it would also represent one of the most shocking betrayals of our democracy in history. In Europe, where the Russians have a much longer history of political interference, they have used a variety of techniques to undermine democracy. They have employed the hacking and dumping of documents and slick propaganda as they clearly did here, but they have also used bribery, blackmail, compromising material, and financial entanglement to secure needed cooperation from individual citizens of targeted countries. The issue of U.S. person involvement is only one of the important matters that the Chairman and I have agreed to investigate and which is memorialized in the detailed and bipartisan scope of investigation we have signed. We will also examine whether the intelligence communitys public assessment of the Russian operation is supported by the raw intelligence, whether the U.S. Government responded properly or missed the opportunity to stop this Russian attack much earlier, and whether the leak of information about Michael Flynn or others is indicative of a systemic problem. We have also reviewed whether there was any evidence to support President Trumps claim that he was wiretapped by President Obama in Trump Tower and found no evidence whatsoever to support that slanderous accusation and we hope that Director Comey can now put that matter permanently to rest. Today, most of my Democratic colleagues will be exploring with you the potential involvement of U.S. persons in the Russian attack on our democracy. It is not that we feel the other issues are not important they are very important but rather because this issue is least understood by the public. We realize, of course, that you may not be able to answer many of our questions in open session. You may or may not be willing to disclose even whether there is any investigation. But we hope to present to you and the public why we believe this matter is of such gravity that it demands a thorough investigation, not only by us, as we intend to do, but by the FBI as well. Let me give you a little preview of what I expect you will be asked by our members. Whether the Russian active measures campaign began as nothing more than an attempt to gather intelligence, or was always intended to be more than that, we do not know, and is one of the questions we hope to answer. But we do know this: the months of July and August 2016 appear to have been pivotal. It was at this time that the Russians began using the information they had stolen to help Donald Trump and harm Hillary Clinton. And so the question is why? What was happening in July/August of last year? And were U.S. persons involved? Here are some of the matters, drawn from public sources alone, since that is all we can discuss in this setting, that concern us and should concern all Americans. In early July, Carter Page, someone candidate Trump identified as one of his national security advisors, travels to Moscow on a trip approved by the Trump campaign. While in Moscow, he gives a speech critical of the United States and other western countries for what he believes is a hypocritical focus on democratization and efforts to fight corruption. According to Christopher Steele, a former British intelligence officer who is reportedly held in high regard by U.S. Intelligence, Russian sources tell him that Page has also had a secret meeting with Igor Sechin (SEH-CHIN), CEO of Russian gas giant Rosneft. Sechin is reported to be a former KGB agent and close friend of Putins. According to Steeles Russian sources, Page is offered brokerage fees by Sechin on a deal involving a 19 percent share of the company. According to Reuters, the sale of a 19.5 percent share in Rosneft later takes place, with unknown purchasers and unknown brokerage fees. Also, according to Steeles Russian sources, the Trump campaign is offered documents damaging to Hillary Clinton, which the Russians would publish through an outlet that gives them deniability, like Wikileaks. The hacked documents would be in exchange for a Trump Administration policy that de-emphasizes Russias invasion of Ukraine and instead focuses on criticizing NATO countries for not paying their fare share policies which, even as recently as the Presidents meeting last week with Angela Merkel, have now presciently come to pass. In the middle of July, Paul Manafort, the Trump campaign manager and someone who was long on the payroll of Pro-Russian Ukrainian interests, attends the Republican Party convention. Carter Page, back from Moscow, also attends the convention. According to Steele, it was Manafort who chose Page to serve as a go-between for the Trump campaign and Russian interests. Ambassador Kislyak, who presides over a Russian embassy in which diplomatic personnel would later be expelled as likely spies, also attends the Republican Party convention and meets with Carter Page and additional Trump Advisors JD Gordon and Walid Phares. It was JD Gordon who approved Pages trip to Moscow. Ambassador Kislyak also meets with Trump campaign national security chair and now Attorney General Jeff Sessions. Sessions would later deny meeting with Russian officials during his Senate confirmation hearing. Just prior to the convention, the Republican Party platform is changed, removing a section that supports the provision of lethal defensive weapons to Ukraine, an action that would be contrary to Russian interests. Manafort categorically denies involvement by the Trump campaign in altering the platform. But the Republican Party delegate who offered the language in support of providing defensive weapons to Ukraine states that it was removed at the insistence of the Trump campaign. Later, JD Gordon admits opposing the inclusion of the provision at the time it was being debated and prior to its being removed. Later in July, and after the convention, the first stolen emails detrimental to Hillary Clinton appear on Wikileaks. A hacker who goes by the moniker Guccifer 2.0 claims responsibility for hacking the DNC and giving the documents to Wikileaks. But leading private cyber security firms including CrowdStrike, Mandiant, and ThreatConnect review the evidence of the hack and conclude with high certainty that it was the work of APT28 and APT29, who were known to be Russian intelligence services. The U.S. Intelligence community also later confirms that the documents were in fact stolen by Russian intelligence and Guccifer 2.0 acted as a front. Also in late July, candidate Trump praises Wikileaks, says he loves them, and openly appeals to the Russians to hack his opponents emails, telling them that they will be richly rewarded by the press. On August 8th, Roger Stone, a longtime Trump political advisor and self-proclaimed political dirty trickster, boasts in a speech that he has communicated with Assange, and that more documents would be coming, including an October surprise. In the middle of August, he also communicates with the Russian cutout Guccifer 2.0, and authors a Breitbart piece denying Guccifers links to Russian intelligence. Then, later in August, Stone does something truly remarkable, when he predicts that John Podestas personal emails will soon be published. Trust me, it will soon be Podestas time in the barrel. #Crooked Hillary. In the weeks that follow, Stone shows a remarkable prescience: I have total confidence that @wikileaks and my hero Julian Assange will educate the American people soon. #Lockherup. Payload coming, he predicts, and two days later, it does. Wikileaks releases its first batch of Podesta emails. The release of John Podestas emails would then continue on a daily basis up to election day. On Election Day in November, Donald Trump wins. Donald Trump appoints one of his high profile surrogates, Michael Flynn, to be his national security advisor. Michael Flynn has been paid by the Kremlins propaganda outfit, RT, and other Russian entities in the past. In December, Michael Flynn has a secret conversation with Ambassador Kislyak about sanctions imposed by President Obama on Russia over its hacking designed to help the Trump campaign. Michael Flynn lies about this secret conversation. The Vice President, unknowingly, then assures the country that no such conversation ever happened. The President is informed Flynn has lied, and Pence has misled the country. The President does nothing. Two weeks later, the press reveals that Flynn has lied and the President is forced to fire Mr. Flynn. The President then praises the man who lied, Flynn, and castigates the press for exposing the lie. Now, is it possible that the removal of the Ukraine provision from the GOP platform was a coincidence? Is it a coincidence that Jeff Sessions failed to tell the Senate about his meetings with the Russian Ambassador, not only at the convention, but a more private meeting in his office and at a time when the U.S. election was under attack by the Russians? Is it a coincidence that Michael Flynn would lie about a conversation he had with the same Russian Ambassador Kislyak about the most pressing issue facing both countries at the time they spoke the U.S. imposition of sanctions over Russian hacking of our election designed to help Donald Trump? Is it a coincidence that the Russian gas company Rosneft sold a 19 percent share after former British Intelligence Officer Steele was told by Russian sources that Carter Page was offered fees on a deal of just that size? Is it a coincidence that Steeles Russian sources also affirmed that Russia had stolen documents hurtful to Secretary Clinton that it would utilize in exchange for pro-Russian policies that would later come to pass? Is it a coincidence that Roger Stone predicted that John Podesta would be the victim of a Russian hack and have his private emails published, and did so even before Mr. Podesta himself was fully aware that his private emails would be exposed? Is it possible that all of these events and reports are completely unrelated, and nothing more than an entirely unhappy coincidence? Yes, it is possible. But it is also possible, maybe more than possible, that they are not coincidental, not disconnected and not unrelated, and that the Russians used the same techniques to corrupt U.S. persons that they have employed in Europe and elsewhere. We simply dont know, not yet, and we owe it to the country to find out. Director Comey, what you see on the dais in front of you, in the form of this small number of members and staff is all we have to commit to this investigation. This is it. We are not supported by hundreds or thousands of agents and investigators, with offices around the world. It is just us and our Senate counterparts. And in addition to this investigation, we still have our day job, which involves overseeing some of the largest and most important agencies in the country, agencies, which, by the way, are trained to keep secrets. I point this out for two reasons: First, because we cannot do this work alone. Nor should we. We believe these issues are so important that the FBI must devote its resources to investigating each of them thoroughly; to do any less would be negligent in the protection of our country. We also need your full cooperation with our own investigation, so that we have the benefit of what you may know, and so that we may coordinate our efforts in the discharge of both our responsibilities. And second, I raise this because I believe that we would benefit from the work of an independent commission that can devote the staff and resources to this investigation that we do not have, and that can be completely removed from any political considerations. This should not be a substitute for the work that we, in the intelligence committees should and must do, but as an important complement to our efforts, just as was the case after 9/11. The stakes are nothing less than the future of liberal democracy. We are engaged in a new war of ideas, not communism versus capitalism, but authoritarianism versus democracy and representative government. And in this struggle, our adversary sees our political process as a legitimate field of battle. Only by understanding what the Russians did can we inoculate ourselves from the further Russian interference we know is coming. Only then can we help protect our European allies who are, as we speak, enduring similar Russian interference in their own elections. Finally, I want to say a word about our own committee investigation. You will undoubtedly observe in the questions and comments that our members make during todays hearing, that the members of both parties share a common concern over the Russian attack on our democracy, but bring a different perspective on the significance of certain issues, or the quantum of evidence we have seen in the earliest stages of this investigation. That is to be expected. The question most people have is whether we can really conduct this investigation in the kind of thorough and nonpartisan manner that the seriousness of the issues merit, or whether the enormous political consequences of our work will make that impossible. The truth is, I dont know the answer. But I do know this: If this committee can do its work properly, if we can pursue the facts wherever they lead, unafraid to compel witnesses to testify, to hear what they have to say, to learn what we will and, after exhaustive work, reach a common conclusion, it would be a tremendous public service and one that is very much in the national interest. So let us try. Thank you Mr. Chairman, I yield back. By Emily Flitter NEW YORK (Reuters) - President Donald Trump's outspoken doubts about climate change and his administration's efforts to roll back regulation to combat it have stirred a sleepy faction in U.S. politics: the Republican environmental movement. The various groups represent conservatives, Catholics and the younger generation of Republicans who, unlike Trump, not only recognize the science of climate change but want to see their party wrest the initiative from Democrats and lead efforts to combat global warming. Conservative green groups such as ConservAmerica and republicEn, along with politically neutral religious groups such as Catholic Climate Covenant and bipartisan groups such as the Citizens Climate Lobby, have ramped up efforts to recruit more congressional Republicans to work on addressing climate change since Trump's election. Conservative environmental advocates promote what they call "free enterprise" solutions to climate change, like a carbon tax. That stands in contrast to the approach of liberal environmentalists under former President Barack Obama, who backed bans on certain kinds of oil drilling and regulations aimed at discouraging petroleum use. But whatever their differences, the conservative groups say they have an important role to play. "Conservatives now have a chance to earn back the trust of Americans on environmental issues," said Alex Bozmoski, director of strategy for republicEn. "They can lead in a completely different direction that actually grows the economy while cutting greenhouse gasses." The activists' efforts have not swayed anywhere near a majority yet on Capitol Hill. Only 20 or so of the 237 Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives have spoken out on climate change this year. But they hope to build a big enough bloc in Congress, or enough influence at the White House, to temper Trump's agenda. Lobbying has yielded some early results: a pro-environment voting bloc in Congress, the Climate Solutions Caucus, for example, has signed on more Republicans in the last two months than in it had in the final year of Obama's administration - its first year in existence. Urged on by a coalition of conservative and religious groups, including the Catholic Climate Covenant, a handful of additional Republicans have also signed a congressional resolution pledging to address climate change. The resolution was non-binding, but it represented a direct challenge to Trump's climate stance, a high-profile signal of dissent within his party. "It's like Alcoholics Anonymous you've got to first recognize you've got a problem before you can deal with it," said Mark Sanford, a Republican Congressman from South Carolina who signed the resolution. Melinda Pierce, legislative director for the more than 100-year-old Sierra Club environmental group, said she was happy to see "enlightened Republicans" beginning to act on climate change. But Pierce added, "Legislative action is a long time away based on, at least, the Republican leadership." Pierce also said she was skeptical of free enterprise solutions advocated by conservative environmental groups like republicEn, which she said sounded to her like "we have to pay them not to pollute." Jose Aguto, associate director of the Catholic Climate Covenant, said Republicans are the only major political party in the world not convinced by climate change. "Once they accept the reality and science of climate change, we will have reached a tipping point in the political will for solutions. TRUMP HOAX Trump has raised the hackles of many environmentalists since taking office. He has overturned several Obama-era environmental regulations, and last week he proposed slashing the Environmental Protection Agency budget by 31 percent. During his presidential campaign Trump called climate change a "hoax" and vowed to pull the United States out of the Paris accord, a global pact to fight it tapping into a well of Republican concern that the United States' energy habits would be policed by the United Nations. But Republican bias against climate science is out of step with the majority of Americans. A Reuters/Ipsos poll shows a majority of Republican supporters agree the United States should play a leading role in combating climate change. "It shouldn't surprise anyone that more and more Republicans are interested in this issue," said Republican Representative Carlos Curbelo of Florida. "This issue was regrettably politicized some 20 or so years ago, and we are in the process of taking some of the politics out." THE WHITE HOUSE On Feb. 8, representatives from a newly formed group of Republican statesmen, the Climate Leadership Council, including former Treasury secretaries Henry Paulson and James A. Baker, met with senior administration officials to push a carbon tax. "We got a very respectful hearing," said the council's CEO, Ted Halstead. "We've also been meeting with Republicans on the Hill and have found open minds." The White House did not comment on the meetings. Billionaire Republican donor and environmental advocate Andy Sabin, meanwhile, said he has been speaking directly with White House officials in hope of becoming Trump's unpaid climate change adviser modeled on the role of fellow billionaire Carl Icahn in advising Trump on regulation. Focusing on health concerns would be the most effective way to get Trump to try to slow climate change, said Sabin, a precious metals magnate. When asked about the chances of Sabin getting the position, a White House spokeswoman said, "We don't have an announcement at this time." SNO BALLED Republican Senator James Inhofe incurred public ridicule two years ago after marching into the Capitol Building with a snowball, claiming the cold weather disproved Obama's climate change claims. This year, republicEn used the incident as part of a humorous rallying call on Valentine's Day. Volunteers delivered greeting cards to lawmakers quoting Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, in his former role as chief executive officer of Exxon, declaring climate change to be a serious risk warranting "thoughtful action." Along with the card were coconut-coated cakes called Sno Balls, a photograph of Inhofe and a poem: "Roses are red, snowballs are white, together we'll get the solution right." (Editing by Richard Valdmanis, Simon Webb and Leslie Adler) By Susan Cornwell and Valerie Volcovici WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. House Republicans are working on changes to their healthcare overhaul bill to provide more generous tax credits for older Americans and add a work requirement for the Medicaid program for the poor, House Speaker Paul Ryan said on Sunday. Ryan said Republican leaders still planned to bring the healthcare bill to a vote on the House of Representatives floor on Thursday. Speaking on the "Fox News Sunday" television program, he said leaders were working to address concerns that had been raised by rank-and-file Republicans to the legislation. Republicans remain deeply divided over the healthcare overhaul, which is President Donald Trump's first major legislative initiative. It aims to fulfill his campaign pledge to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, popularly known as Obamacare, the signature healthcare program of his Democratic predecessor, Barack Obama. Democrats say the Republican plan could throw millions off health insurance and hurt the elderly, poor and working families while giving tax cuts to the rich. "We think we should be offering even more assistance than the bill currently does" for lower-income people age 50 to 64, Ryan, the top Republican in Congress, said of the tax credits for health insurance that are proposed in the legislation. Ryan also said Republicans were working on changes that would allow federal block grants to states for Medicaid and permit states to impose a work requirement for able-bodied Medicaid recipients. Trump told reporters in a brief conversation aboard Air Force One that he had meetings about healthcare reform in Florida at the weekend and that the effort to sell the proposal was going well. He has been wooing lawmakers to vote for the bill and won the backing of a dozen conservative lawmakers on Friday after an Oval Office meeting in which the president endorsed a work requirement and block-grant option for Medicaid. Trump is set to meet Ezekiel Emanuel, a health policy special adviser under Obama who helped shape the Affordable Care Acton, at the White House on Monday, along with Ryan and Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price. Block grants would give states a set amount of money to cover people on the Medicaid program and provide flexibility in spending decisions. However, there is no guarantee funding would keep up with future demands. "TRYING TO FIX BILL" While Ryan said he felt "very good" about the health bill's prospects in the House, a leading conservative lawmaker, Representative Mark Meadows, told the C-Span "Newsmakers" program that there were currently 40 Republican "no" votes in the House. Republicans hold a majority in the chamber but cannot afford to have more than 21 defections for the measure to pass. Meadows and two other Republican opponents of the bill, Senators Mike Lee of Utah and Ted Cruz of Texas, met at Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida on Saturday "negotiating with the president's team, trying to fix this bill," Cruz told CBS' "Face the Nation." North Carolina Republican Meadows said the changes being considered for the Medicaid program would not go far enough if they left it up to states to decide whether to put in place a work requirement. Price acknowledged the tough negotiations, telling ABC's "This Week": "It's a fine needle that needs to be thread, there's no doubt about it." The healthcare bill would face significant challenges in the Senate even if it were to pass the House. Senator Tom Cotton, a conservative Arkansas Republican, said the bill would not reduce premiums for people on the private insurance market. "It's fixable, but it's going to take a lot of work," Cotton said on CNN's "State of the Union." Moderate Republicans have also expressed concerns about the bill, and their worries are often not the same as that of conservatives. Speaking on NBC's "Meet the Press," Republican Senator Susan Collins of Maine worried the bill would harm older Americans, and shift Medicaid costs to states - something critics say a block-grant approach would only make worse. Collins said coverage issues must also be dealt with, citing a report from the Congressional Budget Office that said 14 million people would lose health coverage under the House bill over the next year and 24 million over the next decade. Affordability has been one of the bigger concerns that insurers and hospital groups have raised about the legislation. To the extent that a change in tax credits makes healthcare more affordable for some people, insurers and hospitals could stand to benefit. The BlueCross BlueShield Association emphasized the need for the replacement to be affordable when the draft of the healthcare bill was released earlier this month. The association represents BCBS insurers that cover the vast majority of the roughly 10 million people enrolled in 2017 Obamacare plans. (Additional reporting by David Shepardson in Washington and Roberta Rampton in West Palm Beach, Fla.; Editing by Phil Berlowitz, Peter Cooney and Paul Tait) (BEIJING) The United States is looking forward to the first meeting between President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said Sunday, on the final day of a swing through Asia dominated by concerns over North Koreas nuclear and missile programs. In talks with Xi in Beijing, Tillerson said Trump places a very high value on communications with the Chinese president. Trump looks forward to the opportunity of a visit in the future, Tillerson said, in an apparent reference to unconfirmed reports of plans for the two leaders to meet in Florida next month. While few details of his talks have been released, Tillerson appeared to strike a cordial tone during his meetings in Beijing, in contrast to Trumps tough talk on Chinese economic competition during his presidential campaign. Xi told Tillerson that China considered his meetings Saturday with Foreign Minister Wang Yi and top diplomat Yang Jiechi to have been productive and constructive. Both (Trump) and I believe that we need to make joint efforts to advance China-U.S. cooperation and we believe that we can make sure the relationship will move ahead in a constructive fashion in the new era, Xi said. Tillersons Beijing visit followed his remarks in South Korea on Friday that pre-emptive military action against North Korea might be necessary if the threat from its weapons program reaches a level that we believe requires action. China, the Norths biggest source of diplomatic support and economic assistance, hasnt responded directly to those comments, although Beijing has called repeatedly for all sides to take steps to reduce tensions. China has agreed reluctantly to U.N. Security Council resolutions sanctioning North Korea, but is adamantly opposed to measures that might bring about a collapse of North Korean leader Kim Jong Uns regime. Beijing fears Kims fall would send waves of refugees into northeastern China and see South Korean and American forces taking up positions along its border. Beijings patience with Pyongyang appears to be growing thin, however. Last month, China potentially deprived Kims regime of a crucial source of foreign currency by banning imports of North Korean coal for the rest of the year. On Sunday, Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One that he and his advisers discussed North Korea before returning to Washington from a weekend at his private club in Florida. On that subject, Trump said: Hes acting badly. Hes acting very, very badly. MOSCOW (Reuters) - The Russian Foreign Ministry summoned Israel's Ambassador to Moscow to protest an Israeli military strike near the Syrian city of Palmyra, news agency Interfax quoted a ministry official as saying on Monday. Ambassador Gary Koren was called for discussions at the ministry last Friday, the official said. Last week Syria's army high command said Israeli jets had breached Syrian air space and attacked a military target near Palmyra, in what it described as an act of aggression that aided Islamic State. (Reporting by Andrey Ostroukh; Writing by Alessandra Prentice) Full of mouth-watering offerings, this food fest was every Delhi foodie's delight! The massive burger challenge was just one of the highlights of the Grub Fest. Picture courtesy: Instagram/thegrubfest By India Today Web Desk: The level of food served seems to go up another notch with every edition of The Grub Fest. With a huge fan base across Delhi, Gurgaon, Mumbai and Pune, most foodies have taken to look forward to this gastronomic gala. Last weekend, Delhi got to enjoy the fourth edition--the first Grub Fest of this year--to the hilt. Picture courtesy: Instagram/thegrubfest advertisement Held at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, the three-day food fest was a huge crowd-puller. With city biggies like Banta Bar, Karim's, Cafe Hera Pheri, Imperfecto, and Uncle Jack's in attendance, people got a taste of many cuisines. Picture courtesy: Instagram/thegrubfest Also read: A mini food-truck festival, and other reasons to go for The Grub Fest this weekend Some new additions this year were Tippling Street, CJ's Fresh, Bombay Brunch, Milkshake and Co, Indian Saffron Co, Wafflelicious, and Al Yousuf. Picture courtesy: Instagram/thegrubfest Musical performances by artistes like Bally Sagoo, Anish Sood, Guru Randhawa, Hari and Sukhmani, and Akhil Sachdeva made the weekend fest even more enjoyable. But the main attraction was the grub on offer. Picture courtesy: Instagram/thegrubfest Picture courtesy: Instagram/thegrubfest Curated menus by some of the best restaurants in town, and a crazy burger challenge by Dev's American Cafe, were just some of the highlights of the event. Picture courtesy: Instagram/delhiciousfoodie If you missed all the yummy excitement this time, make sure you don't with the next edition of The Grub Fest! Watch a challenger take down the massive Empire State Burger, here: Another Challenger. Thats 4 so far today @The Grub Fest 2017 #Devsamericancafe #getgrubbed #grubfest #gabhrupatola #monsterburger #challenge #originalrecipe #bacon #foodporn A post shared by Devinder S Mahal (@devswithlove) on Mar 17, 2017 at 10:17am PDT --- ENDS --- MOSCOW (Reuters) - Syrian government representatives will attend upcoming peace talks in Geneva, Russia's state RIA news agency reported on Monday, citing Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov. Bogdanov said Moscow hoped that Syrian armed opposition would be able to attend the peace talks. Bogdanov also said the United Nations' Special Envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, would visit Moscow ahead of the Geneva talks. De Mistura is trying to mediate a political agreement between Syria's warring sides, and after a procedural round of talks in Geneva ended on March 3, he plans to bring the negotiators back for in-depth discussions on March 23. Related: For more news videos visit Yahoo View, available now on iOS and Android. (Reporting by Andrey Ostroukh; Writing by Alessandra Prentice) By Tom Perry BEIRUT (Reuters) - The Syrian Kurdish YPG militia said Russia was setting up a military base in northwestern Syria under a bilateral agreement and will help train its fighters - a step that would anger Turkey as it tries to block Kurdish gains near its borders. The Russian defense ministry, however, said it had no plans to open any new military bases in Syria; it said a branch of its "reconciliation center", that negotiates local truces between the warring sides in Syria, had been located in Aleppo province near Afrin. One of the major forces in the Syrian conflict, the YPG is also a military ally of the United States and is playing a major part in U.S.-backed operations against Islamic State in areas of Syria further to the east. YPG spokesman Redur Xelil told Reuters the agreement had been concluded on Sunday and that Russian troops had already arrived at the position in the northwestern region of Afrin with troop carriers and armored vehicles. "It is the first (agreement) of its kind," he said in a written message. Such an agreement would further illustrate how the Syrian Kurds have managed to bring both Washington and Moscow onto their side after showing themselves as an organized force able to confront jihadist groups and take back territory from Islamic State. A Russian deployment would help deter cross-border attacks against the Kurdish-dominated area of Afrin from Turkey, which is hostile to the YPG, seeing it as an arm of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) that is pressing an insurrection in Turkey. Earlier this month, some 100 km (60 miles) further east, a deployment of U.S. forces near Manbij deterred a Turkish attack against YPG-allied fighters who control that city, after Ankara and its Free Syrian Army rebel allies vowed to take it. Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus said in response to a question on Afrin that Ankara would never allow what he called a "terror region, a terror state" to be established in northern Syria," in reference to the YPG. We have conveyed this to all interested parties in almost every meeting. The Russians know this, and the Americans know this and other countries know this, Kurtulmus said during a news conference in Ankara. SIGHTS ON RAQQA YPG control over swathes of northeastern Syria and the Afrin region of its northwest is of great concern to Turkey. Helped by allied FSA groups, Turkey has been waging an offensive in northern Syria to stop the YPG creating a contiguous Kurdish territory along most of its border with Syria. Kafr Jina - the area where the Russian deployment is being set up - has previously been shelled by Turkish forces from across the nearby frontier, Xelil said. He declined to say how many Russian troops had arrived in Kafr Jina. "The agreement came into force today," he said. Xelil said the YPG had shown its effectiveness in "fighting terrorism". "This is what pushed many forces to cooperate and make alliances with the YPG," he said. The YPG also said on Monday it planned to expand its force by about two thirds to more than 100,000 fighters this year with the aim of turning it into a more organized force that resembles a traditional army. Russia deployed its air force in Syria in 2015 in support of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in his war against insurgents battling to unseat him. Despite a long history of enmity between the Syrian Kurds and government, the YPG and Damascus have mostly avoided conflict in the six-year-old conflict. "The Russian presence ... comes in agreement between (the YPG) and the Russian forces operating in Syria in the framework of cooperation against terrorism and to help train our forces on modern warfare and to build a direct point of contact with Russian forces," Xelil said in a written statement. Turkey has been pressing Washington to abandon its alliance with the YPG and instead back its rebel allies in a final assault to capture Raqqa city, Islamic State's remaining redoubt. The head of the YPG told Reuters last week the assault would begin in early April, and that the YPG would take part alongside Arab fighters. The Pentagon said no decision had been taken. U.S. support in the fight against Islamic State is funneled to an alliance of militias called the Syrian Democratic Forces, which includes the YPG. Ankara views it as a front for the YPG. (Writing by Tom Perry Additional reporting by Humeyra Pamuk in Istanbul; Editing by Samia Nakhoul and Ralph Boulton) By Michael Martina BEIJING (Reuters) - China welcomed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday just days after hosting Saudi Arabia's King Salman and the signing of deals worth as much as $65 billion with Riyadh, as China steps up its tentative engagement with the Middle East. China has traditionally played little role in Middle East conflicts or diplomacy, despite its reliance on the region for oil. But it has been trying to get more involved, for example in efforts to end Syria's civil war, trying to portray itself as an honest broker without the historical baggage the Americans and Europeans have in the region, Beijing-based diplomats say. Meeting in Beijing's cavernous Great Hall of the People, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang praised Israel's advances, saying it was a world leader in some technologies. "The Chinese people and the Jewish people are both great peoples of the world," Li said. Netanyahu said there was much to talk about in tech cooperation. "And at the same time there is a great deal of convulsion in the world, including in our part of the world," Netanyahu said, in comments made in front of reporters. "And I would like to have the opportunity to exchange views with you and to see how we can cooperate together for the advancement of security, peace and stability, and prosperity." Deng Li, director general of the Chinese Foreign Ministry's West Asian and North African Affairs Department, told a briefing that both countries had agreed to step up free trade talks. "Personally I am very confident and optimistic about the future of this free trade agreement," Deng said. He added that Li had said China does not have its own interests on the Palestinian issue and would like to see the issue properly solved at an early date in line with United Nations resolutions and the international consensus. Chinese envoys occasionally visit Israel and the Palestinian Territories, but Chinese efforts to mediate or play a role in that long-standing dispute have never amounted to much. China also has traditionally had a good relationship with the Palestinians. The Middle East, however, is fraught with risk for China, a country that has little experience navigating the religious and political tensions that frequently rack the region. China also has close ties with Iran, whose nuclear program has seriously alarmed Israel. Behind closed doors, China and Israel have close security ties too, rarely discussed in public. "You shouldn't ask me this question," Deng said, when asked whether Li and Netanyahu discussed intelligence sharing. (Writing by Ben Blanchard; Editing by Nick Macfie) Photo credit: Getty From Esquire Sean Hannity believes that every "abusively biased, alt-Left, propaganda, destroy-Trump media outlet is into conspiracies these days." He also believes that U.S. District Judge Derrick Watson, who recently ruled against Travel Ban 2.0, and President Barack Obama (possibly) have a history of doing drugs together. "This judge who issued the travel ban ruling is an Obama law school classmate," Hannity pointed out during his radio show on Thursday. The natural progression of thoughts then ensued. "Maybe he should have recused himself from the case. Just a maybe? Were they best friends in Hawaii? Were they part of the Choom Gang, smoking pot and hanging out and doing a little bit of weed and maybe even a little blow?" Hannity's segment echoed the right-wing conspiracy theory circulating in recent days that Obama's recent trip to Hawaii was somehow connected to the judge's ruling. "Now, just to put a fine point on this, Obama made a surprise visit to Hawaii 48 hours before the judge blocked the Trump travel ban," Hannity said. "Did he see his buddy? I'm not saying he did." No, of course he's not. That would be preposterous, and certainly beyond his knowledgeunlike the whole drug thing, of course. The suggestion that the timing of Obama's trip was beyond mere coincidence surfaced earlier Thursday in an article published on the conservative news site Independent Journalism Review. The post, which mapped out connections between the former President and the judge as well as the details of Obama's trip itinerary, was later retracted. "IJR published an article that does not meet our editorial standards or represent IJR's vision or values. We have retracted the story, and we deeply regret the error." [h/t Huffington Post] You Might Also Like By the time the U.S. officially entered World War I on April 6, 1917 nearly exactly a century ago the war had already been ravaging Europe for years. Since the continents tangled web of alliances had triggered widespread conflict in 1914, citizens and soldiers alike had discovered that modern warfare, with its trenches and tanks, was a beast of an undertaking. So it was that the news that fresh American troops would be joining the fight was met with eagerness by allies like the French. Those eager French citizens included a certain group of roughly middle-school-age boys who attended a school in the Montmartre neighborhood in Paris, where their teacher asked them to creatively express their reactions to the news. Some of the drawings they created, preserved for 100 years, can be seen here. In addition to expressing reactions to the American declaration of war and their appreciation for the alliance between the two nations, the students reflected artistically on their daily lives and feelings about the war in general. These images are part of the 30 drawings on loan from Le Vieux Montmartre Historical Society to the National World War I Museum and Memorial in Kansas City for the exhibition Vive lAmerique: French Children Welcome Their American Ally, on view Tuesday through Oct. 15. A couple of years ago, Sesame Street took a major step toward reaching out to even more children by introducing a character named Julia, a Muppet meant to represent an autistic child. But the use of Julia was limited to a digital character. That all ends now, as Julia is about to become a regular member of the Sesame Street cast. SEE ALSO: 'Overwatch' reveals one of its playable characters is on the autism spectrum The new Muppet was shown off on Sunday on 60 Minutes. Reporter Leslie Stahl was introduced to Julia on set by one of the most popular Muppets, Elmo. "We really like Julia," he said. "She's really special to us." To get the character right, in addition to the regular child psychologists Sesame Street works with, the show also worked with autism organizations. With its 1st Julia ep, Sesame Street hopes to deliver a message of inclusion. Elmo: We really like Julia. Shes really special to us. pic.twitter.com/UpgbMQr1pt 60 Minutes (@60Minutes) March 20, 2017 Explaining the reasoning behind bringing on the new character, Sesame Street writer Christine Ferraro said that it's an effort to help normalize interactions between children. "So that when [children] encounter [autistic children] in their real life, it's familiar," said Ferraro. "And they see that these these can be their friends, too." Julia will make her official television debut in a few weeks. WATCH: What My Family Wants You to Know About Autism (with Grover) Washington (AFP) - "Sesame Street" has often experimented with new ways of teaching children about social issues as well as their ABCs since its launch nearly 50 years ago. Now it's taking on a new challenge: autism. The groundbreaking public television children's program is introducing a new character, a muppet named Julia who has autism, the show's creators revealed on the CBS News show "60 Minutes" broadcast on Sunday. Diagnoses of autism have risen steadily in recent years to the rate of one in every 68 US children, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But tackling the topic for children was far from straightforward. "The big discussion right at the start was, 'How do we do this? How do we talk about autism?'" Sesame Street writer Christine Ferraro told "60 Minutes." "It's tricky because autism is not one thing, because it is different for every single person who has autism." The episode introducing Julia includes some common scenarios. When Big Bird is introduced to her, she ignores him. And when a group of children decide to play tag together, Julia becomes so excited she starts jumping up and down. "That's a thing that can be typical of some kids with autism," Ferarro said. But the situation turns into a new game in which all the children jump around with Julia. "So it was a very easy way to show that with a very slight accommodation, they can meet her where she is," Ferraro said. As for other characters, the show conducted extensive research, including consultations with educators and child psychologists, and in this case autism organizations, to understand how best to normalize autism for non-autistic children. Julia's puppeteer, Stacey Gordon, also happens to be the mother of an autistic son. "It's important for kids without autism to see what autism can look like," she told "60 Minutes." Story continues "Had my son's friends been exposed to his behaviors through something that they had seen on TV before they experienced them in the classroom, they might not have been frightened." Although it's not clear whether Julia will become a major character, "I would love her to be," Ferarro said. "I would love her to be not Julia, the kid on Sesame Street who has autism," she added. "I would like her to be just Julia." JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South African airport customs officials have confiscated male sexual enhancement tablets worth 20.6 million rand ($1.63 million) en route to Swaziland from India, the revenue service said on Monday. Customs officers found 80,000 tablets and 126,000 oral jellies in transit sheds at Johannesburg's OR Tambo airport on Sunday. The pills were wrapped in brown sacks sent from Mumbai. "These tablets are restricted and controlled substances and must have permits when being imported," the South African Revenue Service (SARS) said in a statement. "The shipment has been handed over to the Medical Council of South Africa for further investigation." SARS spokesman Sandile Memela said the police would investigate who had sent the pills and the intended recipient. ($1 = 12.6579 rand) (Reporting by Joe Brock, editing by Pritha Sarkar) The Hague (AFP) - Bosnian Croat wartime leader Jadranko Prlic on Monday appealed against his conviction for the murder of Muslims during the 1990s Bosnian war, denying any involvement and saying Croats were "forced" to defend themselves in the conflict. Prlic and five other defendants launched seven days of appeal hearings at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) against prison sentences ranging between 10 and 25 years. Prlic was sentenced to 25 years in 2013 on charges of murdering and deporting Muslims during Bosnia's 1992-1995 war which killed more than 100,000 people and left 2.2 million homeless. Five other Bosnian Croat military and political leaders were also handed heavy prison terms by the tribunal based in The Hague, after being found guilty of war crimes and crimes against humanity. "I was not part of the chain of command," of the HVO, the main Bosnian-Croat army in Bosnia at the time, Prlic told the panel of five judges. But Croatian communities needed to organise themselves, also militarily, "due to the unreactiveness" of the Bosnian Republic for their "defence", he said. "The Croatian community was one of the foundations of the creation of the... Republic of Bosnia-Hercegovina and not an instrument of its destruction," Prlic added. His lawyer Michael Karnavas said the trial verdict showed a "pattern of calculated neglect of evidence, abject disregard of context and with all due respect, a reckless abandonment of fairness". UN prosecutor Douglas Stringer however dismissed Prlic's claims, saying Bosnian Croats had cynically exploited attempts to end the conflict to their own aims. "Rather than raising the peace process to advance peace, these appellants in fact seized on the peace process to advance their own territorial aims," Stringer said. - 'Greater Croatian state' - Judges at the sentencing said Prlic, now 57, "made a significant contribution to a joint criminal enterprise... to drive out the Muslim population" from Bosnia in a bid to create a "greater Croatian state". Story continues A former president and later also prime minister of the self-proclaimed Bosnian Croat state of Herceg-Bosna, Prlic has been on trial before The Hague-based ICTY since 2006. His co-defendants are his former defence minister Bruno Stojic, and four senior military officials: Slobodan Praljak, Milivoj Petkovic, Valentin Coric, and Berislav Pusic. "The Prlic et al. trial was one of the tribunal's largest and most complicated," the ICTY said in a statement, adding that a total of 326 witnesses had appeared. - Mass arrests, murder - At the end, the ICTY's judges ruled the six defendants removed Muslims and other non-Croats by force, intimidation and terror through "mass arrests of Bosnian Muslims who were then either murdered, beaten, sexually assaulted, robbed of their property and otherwise abused". The campaign included the nine-month siege of the southern city of Mostar from June 1993 by Bosnian Croat troops, which saw the destruction of its historical four-century-old bridge, an act that the court said caused "disproportionate damage for the Muslim civilian population of Mostar." Bosnian Croats and Muslims were allies against Bosnian Serbs during most of the country's 1992-1995 war. However, they also fought against each other for 17 months in 1993 and 1994 in southern and central Bosnia. As early as December 1991, Croatia's late ultra-nationalist president Franjo Tudjman and other Croat leaders realised that "in order to achieve the ultimate goal of a Croatian territory it was necessary to modify its ethnic composition," said Jean-Claude Antonetti in the 2013 ruling. Herceg-Bosna was proclaimed in August 1993, but dissolved in 1995 just before the Dayton peace accords and integrated with the Bosnian Serb entity Republika Srpska to become Bosnia-Hercegovina. A verdict in the appeal is due in November 2017, in what will be one of the ICTY's last judgements as it winds down more than 20 years after it opened. By Press Trust of India: New Delhi, Mar 20 (PTI) Gopal Ansal surrendered today before Tihar jail authorities to undergo one-year jail term in the 1997 Uphaar fire tragedy case after the Supreme Court refused to grant him more time. A bench comprising Chief Justice J S Khehar and Justices D Y Chandrachud and S K Kaul rejected the plea moved by the real estate baron seeking more time to surrender on the ground that he has moved a mercy plea before the President, and had asked him to surrender by this evening. advertisement "Ansal surrendered around 5-5.30 PM. He is currently lodged in the hospital at Jail No. 3 as he complained of some health issues," said a jail official. The bench said, "Sorry, we cant," when senior advocate Ram Jethmalani mentioned the matter and sought more time, telling the court that they have already approached the President with their mercy plea. The apex court also rejected the plea from the senior advocate seeking a direction for speedy disposal of his mercy plea, pending before the President, saying that it cannot interfere in it as it is an exclusive jurisdiction of the President. The apex court, on March 9, had dismissed Ansals petition for parity with his elder brother Sushil Ansal, who was awarded jail term already undergone by him considering his "age-related complications", and directed him to surrender by today to serve the prison term. 69-year-old Gopal Ansal was in jail earlier for around four-and-a-half-month in connection with the case relating to the June 13, 1997 fire tragedy in which 59 persons had died in Uphaar cinema during the screening of Hindi movie Border. Over 100 people were injured in the subsequent stampede. A bench headed by 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 the jail term already undergone and had asked Gopal to surrender in four weeks to serve the remaining jail term. Gopal had thereafter approached the apex court seeking modification of its order on the grounds of parity, saying he was 69-year-old and would suffer irreparable damage to his health if sent to prison. In its February 9 judgement, the apex court had upheld the fine of Rs 30 crore each imposed on both the convicts and said it should be utilised for setting up a trauma centre. Earlier, a two-judge bench of the apex court had on March 5, 2014 held Sushil and Gopal Ansal guilty, but differed on the quantum of sentence to be awarded to them after which the matter was heard by a three-judge bench. advertisement The Delhi High Court had on December 19, 2008 awarded one-year jail term to both Sushil and Gopal Ansal in the case while reducing the two-year sentence imposed on them by the trial court. PTI SLB UK SMN --- ENDS --- By Abdiqani Hassan BOSASSO (Reuters) - Somali officials whose forces freed a hijacked oil tanker and its eight Sri Lankan crew said on Sunday that NATO ships must do more to prevent the illegal fishing that locals say sparked the latest attack. Monday's hijacking was the first time that Somali pirates had successfully hijacked a commercial ship since 2012. Unlike previous hijackings, the ship was freed swiftly and with no ransom paid after the Puntland Maritime Police Force intervened. The intervention reassured shipping companies concerned that resurgent pirates could once again threaten one of the world's most important shipping lanes. Officials from the semi-autonomous region of Puntland blamed local anger over illegal fishing by foreign vessels for the attack. They warned that more hijackings might happen unless the problem was tackled. "We requested NATO warships to tackle the illegal fishing, but they replied it was not their mandate," Abdihakim Abdullahi Omar, the vice president of Puntland, told reporters at Bosasso port. "We told them that if they cannot take measures against the illegal fishing vessels who come under their cover and those who pour wastes into our waters, then their presence is a burden rather than a benefit." The Somali pirates often claim they attacked ships in revenge for illegal fishing by foreigners, then broadened that out to include any foreign-owned vessel. NATO officials were not immediately available for comment. They have previously said illegal fishing along Somalia's coast is not in their mission. Pirate attacks peaked in 2011 but fell sharply after shipping companies upgraded security aboard vessels and regional naval forces stepped up patrols. The emergence of the marine force in Puntland also helped, said John Steed, a former British defence attache who has worked on Somali piracy for nearly a decade. The force of around 1,000 men is paid by the United Arab Emirates and has dual roles: fighting piracy and fighting Islamic militants. "Our role is to capture smugglers, pirates and terrorists ," said Abdirahman Mohamud, the head of the marine force. "When illegal fishing vessels are captured, we hand them over to the Puntland government, which fines them a high amount of money so that they do not fish illegally again." In 2012, the force stormed the MV Iceberg 1, freeing its crew of 23, who had been abandoned by the ship's owner and subjected to increasingly brutal torture over nearly three years of captivity. In 2015, the force rescued the crew of the MV Al Amal, whose 34 crew were washed ashore just south of the pirate haven of Eyl when their ship broke up on rocks, Steed said. In December, the force helped drive militants affiliated with Islamic State from the northern port town of Qandala. (Additional reporting by Katharine Houreld,; writing by Katharine Houreld,; editing by Larry King) By Christine Kim and Jane Chung SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea has complained to the World Trade Organization about Chinese retaliation against South Korean companies over the deployment of a U.S. anti-missile defense system in the South, the trade minister said on Monday. South Korea and the United States say the sole purpose of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system is to guard against missile launches from North Korea, but China says that its powerful radar could penetrate into its territory. "We have notified the WTO that China may be in violation of some trade agreements," Trade Minister Joo Hyung-hwan told parliament in response to questions about China's reaction. It would be up to South Korea to follow up on its complaint to the WTO for any action to take place, analysts say, either by continuing to raise its concerns and spelling out what China is doing wrong, or by launching a trade dispute. The first step would be to formally "request consultations" with China. When asked what would happen next, Joo said the ministry would strengthen communications with Beijing and take action if needed. He did not give further details. China is South Korea's largest trading partner and the dispute over THAAD has resulted in a sharp decline in Chinese tourists in the South's shopping districts. Chinese authorities have also closed nearly two dozen retail stores of South Korea's Lotte Group amid the diplomatic standoff. Beijing has never explicitly linked the restrictions to the THAAD deployment, but the South Korean government has offered cheap loans and extended deadlines on existing debt to help businesses that have been affected and has pushed to diversify trade markets. Joo said the issue was raised with the WTO's Council for Trade in Services on Friday. A trade ministry official, who asked not to be identified because of the sensitivity of the matter, said the complaint could not be categorized as a legal action but was rather a request for the WTO to look into whether China was upholding trade agreements fairly. In Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying did not comment directly on the WTO complaint. "We support normal business and other exchanges between China and South Korea," Hua told a daily news briefing. "But everyone knows this needs a corresponding basis in public opinion." Despite its concerns about the radar, Beijing also says THAAD will do nothing to ease tensions on the Korean peninsula. Lawmakers ramped up their criticism of what they say has been the government's lack of an aggressive response to China's actions, which also include a freeze on South Korean television dramas, as well as music and product boycotts. Seoul's options, however, look limited. Efforts to hold direct discussions between the finance ministers of China and South Korea at a Group of 20 meeting in Germany at the weekend fell through after Beijing declined Seoul's request to meet, citing scheduling reasons. (Additional reporting by Ben Blanchard in Beijing and Tom Miles in Geneva; Editing by Paul Tait and Nick Macfie) By Denis Dumo JUBA (Reuters) - South Sudanese rebels said on Monday they had kidnapped four oil workers including a Pakistani national, in a bid to force their Chinese and Malaysian consortium to leave the country. The fighters loyal to former vice president Riek Machar said they had seized the four working for DAR Petroleum Operating Company from Upper Nile State on Saturday - the second group of oil workers abducted this month. There was no immediate comment from DAR, a consortium including China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC), China's Sinopec and Malaysia's Petronas. South Sudan, which split away from Sudan in 2011 after decades of conflict, has been mired in civil war since President Salva Kiir sacked Machar in 2013. The fighting has forced 3 million people to flee their homes, split much of the population along ethnic lines and paralyzed agriculture, leaving the country facing famine, according to the United Nations. South Sudan's government said it was using "diplomatic channels" to negotiate the workers' release and accused the rebels of demanding a ransom. Rebel spokesman Lam Paul Gabriel dismissed that allegation. "There are no conditions for their release, but we want to make it clear to their country of residence and the government that we do not want their company to operate in South Sudan," he told Reuters. He did not say why the rebels wanted the consortium to leave the area bordering Sudan and Ethiopia. The kidnapping came just over two weeks after two Indian employees of South Sudan's petroleum ministry were seized in northeast Maiwut county. Last week, the International Organization for Migration said gunmen attacked an aid convoy in the center of the country, killing two people and wounding three. (Writing by Aaron Maasho; Editing by Andrew Heavens) Colombo (AFP) - Former Sri Lanka president Mahinda Rajapakse's brother Gotabhaya directed a top-secret death squad which targeted journalists and dissidents, a court was told Monday. Criminal Investigations Department (CID) told the Mount Lavinia magistrate's court that Gotabhaya Rajapakse, who was Sri Lanka's defence secretary during his brother's rule, directed a secret unit which is accused of assassinating a newspaper editor in January 2009. The CID said it found evidence that the death squad was controlled by Gotabhaya Rajapakse who has already publicly denied involvement in the killing of former Sunday Leader editor Lasantha Wickrematunga. "Testimony from the former army commander (Sarath Fonseka) shows that there was a special secret unit outside his authority and controlled by Gotabhaya Rajapakse through the then chief of national intelligence Kapila Hendawitharana," said a CID report which was read out in the court. "This unit was operated outside the army command structure and was used to target journalists and other dissidents," added the report. Fonseka who led Sri Lankas successful military campaign against Tamil rebels in 2009 fell out of grace after he unsuccessfully challenged Rajapakse at January 2010 elections. Rajapakse had been accused of ordering the killing of many dissidents, but Monday's police report is the first to implicate him in an ongoing court case. Wickrematunga's killing, which sparked an international outcry, drew attention to violence against Sri Lanka's media during Rajapakse's tenure that ended in 2015 when he lost elections by an opposition alliance. In a written report to court, the CID said a fresh autopsy revealed that Wickrematunga had been stabbed to death and not shot as previously recorded in the original death certificate. Wickrematunga's body was exhumed in September for a fresh forensic test after allegations that the original autopsy report had been falsified to deliberately mislead investigators. Story continues The Mount Lavinia Court also ordered police to carry our further investigations and arrest any suspects involved. Speaking to AFP after Monday's court hearing, a senior police officer said that authorities were close to making more arrests over the murder, after five military intelligence officers were detained last month. "Now that the cause of death has been firmly established, we can proceed with making further arrests," the officer said on condition of anonymity. Wickrematunga had accused Gotabhaya of taking kickbacks in arms purchases, including a deal to buy used MiG jet fighters, and was due to testify against him in court when he was killed. Rajapakse and several members of his family are under investigation for large-scale fraud and murder during his 10 years as president, in which 17 journalists and media workers were killed. All deny any wrongdoing and in turn accuse the new government of a political vendetta. A retired army intelligence officer was found hanging at his home in October with a note claiming responsibility for Wickrematunga's death. But police have said they do not believe the claim and are treating the officer's death as a murder. French fashion brand Paul & Joe has collaborated with coffee giant Starbucks to design their in-store merchandise under the theme of spring. Available in stores throughout Asia, the 2017 Paul & Joe + Starbucks Designer Collection features cherry blossoms, butterflies and founder Sophie Mechaly's cat Gipsy. The pink and pretty merchandise includes double-walled mugs, tote bags and tumblers. The new line is an extension of their first collaboration in 2016 for Starbucks Taiwan's 20th anniversary. Renown British physicist Stephen Hawking fears he may not be welcome in the U.S. under President Trump, who he said is leading Americas definite swing to a right-wing, more authoritarian approach. I have many friends and colleagues there and it is still a place I like and admire in many ways, but I fear that I may not be welcome, Hawking said in an interview with the British program Good Morning Britain. Hawking has been critical of Trump in the past. During the 2016 election, the Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient called Trump a demagogue who seems to appeal to the lowest common denominator. Now, Hawking is urging the President to take climate change seriously. He should replace Scott Pruitt at the Environment Protection Agency, Hawking said. Climate change is one of the great dangers we face, and its one we can prevent. It affects America badly, so tackling it should win votes for his second term. God forbid. Watch the full interview at ITV. The UK's most renowned theoretical physicist and cosmologist is still using his exceptional mind to map a theory of how the universe works. But when it comes to matters here on Earth, Stephen Hawking is just as concerned about President Trump's science policies as anyone. During a recent interview with Good Morning Britain, set to air Monday, Hawking bluntly laid out his views on U.S. administration's science policies. SEE ALSO: Stephen Hawking reminds us technology will kill us all and it's all our fault "Climate change is one of the great dangers we face, and it's one we can prevent," said Hawking, according to the Guardian. "It affects America badly, so tackling it should win votes for his [Trump's] second term. God forbid." Hawking also suggested that Trump should, "replace Scott Pruitt at the Environment Protection Agency [EPA]." Pruitt, who has sued the organisation in the past over environmental issues, was a controversial choice to lead the EPA, with current and former staffers protesting his selection. 'People who boast about their IQ are losers.' Catch @PiersMorgan's exclusive interview with Professor #StephenHawking on tomorrow's GMB. pic.twitter.com/4GG6nFExhQ Good Morning Britain (@GMB) March 19, 2017 But one of the biggest surprises from Hawking a recipient of the U.S. Franklin Medal for science and the Presidential Medal of Freedom (from Barack Obama in 2009) was his personal concerns regarding the new immigration policies in the U.S. "I would like to visit again and to talk to other scientists," said Hawking, "but I fear that I may not be welcome." The television program gave a small preview of Hawking's appearance via Twitter, where the scientist tossed off his now familiar quip about intelligence: "People who boast about their IQ are losers." Peering into the eyes of a 37-year-old woman in China, doctors were surprised to see a raised, rippled ring of tissue, encircling her irises in both eyes. The ring, called a protruding iris collarette, is a variation of a normally flat part of the eye called the iris collarette. The iris is the colored part of a person's eye, and has different layers and textures, said Dr. Andrea Thau, the president of the American Optometric Association, who was not involved with the new report of the woman's case. The collarette is the middle portion of the iris, found between the dark pupil that fills the center of the iris and the limbus, which is the outer edge of the iris, where the white part of the eye begins, Thau said. [Here's a Giant List of the Strangest Medical Cases We've Covered] The iris collarette is also the thickest part of the iris, Thau told Live Science. The image of the woman's eye shows that her case of protruding iris collarette was a particularly pronounced one, Thau said. Generally, in people with this condition, the raised ring of tissue is not as prominent as that seen in this woman, Thau said. Still, Thau said that she has seen patients with protruding iris collarettes, and the condition is not rare. The cause of a protruding iris collarette is unknown, and people who have the condition are born with it, Thau said. The condition is completely harmless and isn't associated with any vision problems, she added. Indeed, in the woman's case, the striking feature wasn't causing any problems, the report said. The reason she had gone to the doctor was that she had itchy, watery eyes symptoms that turned out to be simply due to allergies, the doctors who treated the woman wrote in a brief report of the case, published Wednesday (March 15) in The New England Journal of Medicine. In fact, aside from allergy symptoms, the woman's eyes were deemed healthy and her vision was normal, Dr. Lingyi Liang, an ophthalmologist at the Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center in China and the senior author of the case report, told Live Science in an email. The woman's vision was 20/20, the pressure in her eyes was normal, and her eyes adjusted properly to light and distance, the doctors wrote in the report. Story continues The doctors gave the woman allergy medications for her itchy eyes and assured her that the interesting eye feature was nothing to worry about, the doctors wrote. Originally published on Live Science. Editor's Recommendations A pair of studies indicate immigrants are less likely to commit crimes than U.S. citizens. The studies by the Sentencing Project and the Cato Institute dispute President Donald Trumps portrayal of undocumented immigrants as a source of crime. The fiscal 2018 budget Trump released last week gives an additional $3 billion to the Department of Homeland Security to fund his proposed border wall and executive orders on immigration. Trump often has portrayed immigrants as a source of crime, pointing up individuals who were slain by undocumented immigrants. Read: How Donald Trump May Be Creating Fake News About Immigrants Every Week But the studies released last week cast doubt on the premise. Among people 18-54 years of age, 1.53 percent of those born in the United States were behind bars, as were 0.85 percent of undocumented immigrants and 0.47 percent of legal immigrants, the Cato study indicated. In sheer numbers, that translates to 2 million U.S. born prisoners, 123,000 undocumented immigrants and 64,000 legal immigrants. Read: Trump Says Immigrants Are Killing Everyone Even Though Data Says Otherwise All immigrants are less likely to be incarcerated than natives relative to their shares of the population, the libertarian Cato Institute said. Even Illegal immigrants are less likely to be incarcerated than native-born Americans. The Sentencing Project study suggested immigrants actually may have contributed to the historic drop in crime rates since 1990. Violent crime has dropped from 730 per 100,000 citizens in 1990 to 362 in 2014. During that same period, the number of undocumented immigrants grew from 3.5 million to 11.1 million. Policies that further restrict immigration are therefore not effective crime-control strategies, the Sentencing Project study said. These facts supported by over 100 years of research have misrepresented both historically and in recent political debates. Starting from his first day as a candidate, President Donald Trump has made demonstrably false claims associating immigrants with criminality. Story continues The study concludes: False statements about immigrant criminality contribute to unfounded public fears that threaten the safety of immigrants and U.S. citizens. Improving public safety is a complicated question that cannot be addressed by scapegoating foreign-born residents but rather by investing in effective community-based solutions that address the true causes of crime. Rep. Raul Grijalva, D-Ariz., told the Hill that Republicans are making a mistake by going after immigrants. "The weakest of people in this country are the ones being made the scapegoats for everything, and unfortunately, facts don't matter, logic doesn't matter," Grijalva said. "It's a rush to deal with a campaign issue that I think Republicans in general and the Trump administration specifically feel that an anti-immigrant strategy is going to be something that will serve them well in the next round of elections. I don't think so. I think it's going to catch up with them." Related Articles Every couple of years, unannounced visits by inspectors from the Joint Commission trigger a frenzied response in hospitals, in which clinicians are instructed to do everything by the book to avoid potentially embarrassing violations. On Monday, a new study revealed the impact of that all-hands-on-deck response when the accreditors are in town: significantly fewer patient deaths during inspection week than the weeks before and after the inspectors visit. Researchers at Harvard University found the disparity was particularly pronounced at major teaching hospitals, where the heightened response, if applied for an entire year, would translate to 3,600 fewer deaths. The findings, published in JAMA Internal Medicine, did not link the lower death rate to adherence to specific best practices or standards. Rather, the researchers said, the improved performance appeared to a result from a more generalized vigilance caused by the arrival of the inspectors. The results suggest there are opportunities for quality improvement right under our noses that we take for granted, said the studys lead author, Dr. Michael L. Barnett, an assistant professor of health care policy management at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Some creative thinking around how we react to Joint Commission surveys might lead to quality improvement. Barnett, a primary care physician at Brigham & Womens Hospital, said he was motivated to conduct the study, in part, by what he said was the absurdity of inspection week, when hospitals put on a show for visiting inspectors who arent really getting an accurate view of normal operations. Youre not really measuring the quality of the hospital, Barnett said. Youre measuring the capacity of the hospital to mobilize the troops. Read more: Patients treated by foreign-educated doctors are less likely to die, study finds The Joint Commission performs unannounced inspections of US hospitals every 18 to 36 months to test their adherence to quality and safety practices in a broad range of areas, including infection control, accuracy of documentation, and medication management. The not-for-profit organization accredits 21,000 health care facilities across the country. Failing an inspection could cause a facility to lose its accreditation and to suffer a big hit to its reputation. Story continues Failure is exceedingly rare, but to avoid it, many hospitals quickly notify their staffs of an inspection and hold training sessions to optimize performance. Barnett said more than 98 percent of facilities passed, with only a tiny fraction receiving a citation. The study, which examined outcomes for 1.7 million Medicare patients, found that patients who happened to receive care during inspection week had a better chance of surviving. Overall, the reduction of 30-day mortality rates across all hospitals was modest about 1.5 percent. But the reduction was significantly larger, about 5.9 percent, at major teaching hospitals, which rely the most on maintaining their reputations as prestigious institutions on the vanguard of medicine. They have a lot at stake if they dont get accredited by The Joint Commission, and they also have the resources to mobilize their staff hospital-wide to respond, said study co-author, Dr. Anupam Jena, a professor of health policy at Harvard. While the overall improvement in mortality rates were modest, he said, they can have a significant impact when spread across hundreds of thousands of visits each year from Medicare patients. If you aggregate over the entire US population of Medicare beneficiaries, its a large impact, he said. The study examined outcomes in patients admitted from three weeks before the inspection to three weeks after its completion. The researchers adjusted for demographic and clinical differences among the patients included in their examination. The study also examined infection rates and other quality measures, but did not find a significant difference at the hospitals during inspection week compared to the other periods reviewed. Jena said that latter finding suggests that the difference in mortality outcomes was not related to any one or two specific practices, but to a more heightened vigilance that occurs during inspection. When youre being monitored you behave differently and you do your job differently, he said, adding that hospitals could adjust their schedules and practices to help harness that increased focus and attention to detail. One thing you could do would be to ensure that when key clinical decisions are being made, you have a disruption-free policy, so that doctors and nurses cannot be disrupted unless its an emergency, he said. Changes in shift work and the amount of hours doctors work, and the staggering of those hours, could also have an impact. A huge fire broke out at the Uphaar cinema hall when the movie Border was being screened on June 13, 1997. 59 people were killed in the incident. 59 people were killed in the fire in Uphaar Cinema on on June 13, 1997. (File Photo) By India Today Web Desk: The Supreme Court today rejected builder Gopal Ansal's plea for more time to surrender in connection with the 1997 Uphaar Cinema fire tragedy case. Ansal told the court that he has moved the President for mercy and pardon in the case, however, was asked to surrender immediately and serve his remaining term. From India Today magazine: Tickets to hell advertisement "Sorry, we can't," said a bench of Chief Justice Jagdish Singh Khehar, Justice D.Y. Chandrachud and Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul as senior counsel Ram Jethmalani urged the court to give a few more days to Ansal to surrender. The apex court had earlier asked Gopal Ansal to surrender to undergo the remaining part of his sentence in the Uphaar fire tragedy case. A huge fire broke out at the Uphaar cinema hall 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. ALSO READ: Uphaar cinema tragedy: 20 years on, owner Gopal Ansal gets 1 year in jail in fire that killed 59 Uphaar tragedy chronology: 18-year-long battle for justice --- ENDS --- By Andrew Chung WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday cleared the way for prosecutors to pursue bribery charges against Democratic Senator Robert Menendez of New Jersey, rejecting his bid to have the case involving donations from a Florida ophthalmologist thrown out. The justices left in place a lower court's refusal to dismiss a corruption indictment against Mendendez, who had argued that a provision in the U.S. Constitution shielded him from prosecution. In 2015, a grand jury indicted Menendez on charges of bribery, fraud and with making false statements in his annual financial disclosure forms by failing to list gifts he received from a wealthy friend, Florida ophthalmologist Salomon Melgen. Prosecutors allege Menendez accepted campaign donations and gifts, including a stay at a Caribbean villa and private jet flights, from Melgen in exchange for interceding in various matters on his friend's behalf, including an $8.9 million Medicare billing dispute. Menendez and Melgen have pleaded not guilty to the charges they faced in the 22-count indictment. Menendez argued that his actions were protected by the Constitution's "speech or debate" clause, which offers broad protection to members of Congress against prosecution for actions they undertake as legislators. Last July, the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia ruled that Menendez's actions amounted to "essentially lobbying on behalf of a particular party," and thus outside the "safe harbor" provided in the Constitution. (Reporting by Andrew Chung; Editing by Will Dunham) Kintampo (Ghana) (AFP) - Frank Adansi-Bonnah sat on his bed Monday in the Kintampo Municipal Hospital in central Ghana, his lips covered in bruises and cuts, and his arm in a sling. He was swimming with his friends on Sunday afternoon at the popular tourist destination of Kintampo Falls, when a massive tree crashed into the water, crushing everyone around him. Eighteen students died at the picturesque spot in the Brong-Ahafo region, some 450 kilometres (281 miles) by road from the capital, Accra. Two others died later in hospital. At least 22 were injured. "What I remember was I was struggling with the tree," said the 21-year-old Adansi-Bonnah, who is a student at University of Energy and Natural Resources in the regional capital, Sunyani. Dazed and disorientated, he did not know what happened to his friends but was told three other students from his university were killed in what has been described as a freak accident. "I'm thankful I'm alive," he said in a quiet voice, as his concerned father looked on. The student, who suffered cuts to his head and a dislocated shoulder, was one of the lucky ones. Nearby, Joanna Adubea watched her sleeping 16-year-old daughter Matilda Owusu Addo-Nyinah, whose neck was in a brace. She suffered spinal damage and sprained her arm. The teenager -- from the Wenchi Methodist Senior High School, where many of the dead were students -- will be transferred to a bigger hospital that can deal with her injuries, her mother said. - Huge gust - Photographer Richard Asante, 50, said he was at the falls when the wind started picking up. "We saw the rain coming, we ran to the shelter. Somewhere after 20 minutes we saw a severe wind coming," he recalled. "By that time there were many people inside the water bathing. I decided to call them to come out but because of the water falling they didn't hear me. "All of a sudden, as we raised our heads, the big tree at the top of the river cracked and fell inside the water, onto the many people. Story continues "We saw that there was a problem as the children were crying, some of them are struggling to come out." Alexander Sarpong, the chief inspector of Kintampo police, said the students would have had no time to react and would have been killed instantly by the impact, rather than drowned. "It was all of a sudden, the wind just started, there was no cloud to indicate there would be rainfall. It was unexpected," he said. - Churning - On Monday, the usually clear waters of the waterfall were a muddy brown and churning violently in the pool where the students had been swimming. Uprooted trees and fallen branches littered the beauty spot, which is a haven for visitors from across the country, as the authorities worked to clean up the debris. Sarpong said police attended to the scene as quickly as they could, helping other emergency personnel and civilians pick through the damage. "I felt sad. I didn't know what to do, we just had to rush in to convey the injured, those we can save to the hospital and later on we conveyed the dead to the mortuary," Sarpong said. Ghana's President Nana Akufo-Addo sent his condolences to the families of those who died in what he said was an "unfortunate and tragic incident". Kintampo police superintendent Anane Appiah said an investigation had been launched but initial indications were that it was a "natural disaster", he said. "It's not the fault of anybody. We have to take some proactive measures so such occurrences cannot also come again," he added. Mohammed Iddrisu Zito, an assistant planning director at the Kintampo North Municipal District, also described the accident as a freak of nature but said measures could be taken at the site to warn people of potential hazards "It was a natural disaster. It will happen but the casualties we saw shouldn't have been like that," he said. Qamishli (Syria) (AFP) - Russia's military will train Kurdish forces in Syria, the militia's spokesman said Monday, in Moscow's first agreement of its kind with the group that controls large parts of the country's north. The move by Russia, a longtime ally of President Bashar al-Assad's regime, is likely to anger Turkey, which considers the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) to be a "terrorist" group. "An agreement was signed between our units and Russian forces operating in Syria that will train us in modern military tactics," YPG spokesman Redur Xelil said. "This is the first agreement of its kind, although we have had previous cooperation (with the Russians) in Aleppo city," he said. Russian forces were already present at the training camp in the Afrin region, one of the three "autonomous" cantons that Kurdish authorities manage in northern Syria, Xelil told AFP. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group said Monday that nearly 100 Russian soldiers have entered the Afrin area. The deal, which Xelil said was part "of the framework of the fight against terrorism", was signed on Sunday and came into force on Monday. Russia has not officially confirmed the announcement of the accord, but confirmed in a statement that it has a presence in Afrin. The YPG makes up the bulk of the Syrian Democratic Forces, a US-backed alliance of Kurdish and Arab fighters that has seized swathes of territory from the Islamic State group (IS) in the north of the country. The SDF receives equipment, weapons and air support from the US-led coalition, and it is backed by several hundred Western special operations forces in an advisory role. Pentagon spokesman Jeff Davis said the Kurds to be trained by the Russians "are not the people we have worked with before". He said the Kurds comprised "a lot of different people". "Some are working with us through the Syrian Democratic Forces to fight ISIS (IS), some are not. We are supporting the ones who are working with us to fight ISIS." Story continues Russia is a long-term backer of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, but also recently worked closely with rebel supporter Turkey to try to end the six-year war in Syria. Aaron Stein, a senior fellow at the US-based Atlantic Council, said Russia was now partnering with the Kurds as they had become an important player in Syria. "The Kurds are now the most consequential non-state actor in Syria, alongside Al-Qaeda... They will have a huge say over the future of Syria," he said. Six years ago, 15 teenagers from the southern Syrian city of Deraa graffitied a wall with anti-government slogans, including the phrase synonymous with the popular uprisings taking place across the Arab world: The people want the overthrow of the regime. When all 15 teenagers were arrested and tortured, the local community responded violently, and were met with gunfire. Four people died. Coming at the very start of what became a major uprising, this unflinching response from Bashar al-Assads government set the tone for what was to come: a collapse of the national order, a state military prepared to use all means at its disposal against its own people, and one of the 21st-centurys worst humanitarian crises so far. But as the Syrian conflict enters its seventh year, the battle lines are still fundamentally the same ones Assad used to frame the conflict at its start. According to him, this remains a conflict between the Damascus government on the one hand and Islamic extremists on the other. Over the six years of conflict so far, he has done a lot to make this somewhat arbitrary image of the situation into reality. As peaceful, democratic Syrians were arrested, besieged and killed, their only true choice was between the barrel bombs and chemical weapons of Assads military or beheading at the hands of jihadists. Millions fled the country, while many others joined rebel groups, including ones officially espousing militant religious ideology, to become part of the rebellion against Assad. A similar pattern plays out on the international stage. Efforts to resolve the conflict from outside are frustrated by the proxy war between Iran and Saudi Arabia and the complicated interests of Turkey. Then theres the mutual suspicion between Russia and the US: Russia wants to see IS destroyed just as much as the US does, but like Iran, it stands to lose a key ally in Assad. As these various major powers try to agree on what comes next for Syria, Assads future remains the central bone of contention. Story continues Deadlock For years now, the US and its allies have stuck to the line that any solution to the conflict must be designed to pave the way towards a new, democratic Syria. In light of the severe humanitarian crisis for which Assads government is responsible, the US has so far been reluctant to back any political solution where that would allow him to stay in power. Russia, by contrast, puts a premium on stability, and in its view, only the current government can provide enough security to give all Syrians a more peaceful future. Russias involvement is also more directly self-interested than the US: an estimated 5,000 Russian jihadis have travelled to fight in Syria at various points, creating a long-term security issue that Moscow considers a legitimate cause for intervention. The template for an inclusive democratic solution was created with United Nations Security Council Resolution 2254, which lays out the transition that all states (including the US and Russia) agree must take place to foster a peaceful, united Syria. At the core of it are free and fair elections to pave the way for a Syrian constitution one to be created by the citizens themselves, not foisted upon them by foreign powers trying to impose their political will. However, all states agree that there cant be an inclusive political process without a sustainable ceasefire. This is what makes the Saudi-Iranian proxy war such an obstacle; it puts the individual goals of Iran, Saudi Arabia and the US above those of the very people who bear the brunt of this drawn-out conflict and in lieu of what looks like an impossible political consensus, all sides are pursuing a military solution. Redrawing the lines The Obama administrations central proposal, such as it was, meant providing support to moderate anti-Assad groups and accepting Assad as the only viable interim government that could maintain stability long enough to oversee the transition to a post-conflict democracy. But now that Donald Trump is in the White House, the lines are being redrawn. Its not yet clear who Trumps team will deal with to find a military solution. Most analysts agree that the troops best placed to tackle IS are among Syrias Kurdish forces. But thanks to a longstanding feud with its own Kurdish minority, Turkey will not co-operate with them for fear of empowering its own Kurdish secessionists. Given Trumps apparent openness towards Russia, Syrias future looks set to follow the Iranian-Russian roadmap: full military force will be deployed against any Islamic extremist opposition, including many rebel groups, with Assad accepted as the only hope of stability in what promises to be a dangerous security vacuum. But under this plan, the question of future elections will be very tricky. Iran and Russia are both relying on Assads Shia regime to govern an overwhelmingly Sunni country; should a stable Syria ever hold democratic elections, the Sunni majority might well elect a Sunni government. If that happened, it would turn Syria away from Russia and Iran towards Saudi Arabia and defeat the point of keeping Assad in the first place. Assad acting as an interim leader, then, is not a given. But should it happen, it would leave Syria almost back where it began. This conflict is one of the biggest humanitarian crises of our time, with nearly half a million killed, millions displaced internally, and millions more dispersed around the world as refugees and yet the man most directly responsible is still in power, and may be for some time. This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article. The Conversation The author would like to thank his postgraduate research student Joseph Royce, at the University of Dundee, for contributing his valuable input for preparing this article. Syrian rebels launched a massive attack on Damascus Sunday amid government bombardments of rebel-held areas as a new round of U.N.-brokered peace talks was scheduled to begin in Geneva this week. The presidential palace was rocked by explosions, Twitter user Eboumhna Remaly reported. Both moderates and jihadist rebels were reported involved in the attack about 1.2 miles from the heart of the Old City. Read: Is US Responsible For Syria Mosque Bombing? The BBC reported two suicide car bombs exploded in the Jobar district, near the capitals center, as rebels attempted to storm government defenses. Syrian state media also reported the rebels used tunnels to launch their attack. Steady shelling and sniper fire were reported across the city as factions allied with al Qaeda affiliate Jabhat Fateh al-Sham targeted government positions, Al Jazeera reported. Read: Who Is Abu Khayr al-Masri? Al Qaeda Second In Command Killed Two large car bombs went off about 5:20 a.m., local time, near Jobar. Tahrir al-Sham, an umbrella group for hardline fighters, claimed responsibility. Reuters reported the army deployed tanks in adjacent neighborhoods. "The streets are empty and the army has despatched dozens of troops in the streets, and tanks are being moved. The sounds of mortars from Jobar have not stopped," a resident of the nearby Tijara district, who asked not to be named, told Reuters. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the attack was launched to relieve pressure from government forces in Barzeh, Tishreen and Qabun districts. The observatory said rebels captured several industrial sites and buildings east of the capital as a result of the attack. The opposition holds only a few areas of Damascus. The fighting targeted the government-controlled gap between Jobar and Qaboun. The ultraconservative Ahrar al-Sham rebel group claimed victory, Al Jazeera said. But state media said the attack had been repelled. Story continues AFP reported the army had blocked access to Abbasid Square. Schools announced they would be closed Monday for fear the shelling would continue. A suicide bomber last Wednesday killed at least 31 people in the main court complex, and 20 more were injured in another attack at a restaurant later in the day, marking the sixth anniversary of the uprising against President Bashar Assad. Fighting has continued across Syria despite a December ceasefire agreement. Peace talks among Syrian factions are scheduled to begin Thursday in Geneva. Related Articles GAZIANTEP, Turkey (AP) Syrian refugees in the southern Turkish city of Gaziantep have marked the sixth anniversary of the start of the Syrian civil war with songs, speeches and a martial arts show. A group of children sang revolutionary laments in Arabic and Turkish, and boys clad in black with red headbands took the stage in a downtown municipal theater Monday. They swung nunchucks, shouted "freedom" three times, and called for President Bashar Assad to leave Syria. The uprising against Assad began in March 2011 with protests in the southern city of Daraa that were triggered by the arrest of teenagers writing anti-government graffiti on the wall. Turkey, host to the largest refugee population in the world, including 2.7 million Syrians, is on the front line of the current crisis. More than 300,000 Syrians live in Gaziantep, a city of 1.5 million about 90 kilometers from Syria's largest city, Aleppo. As the number of Syrian refugees fleeing the civil war climbs well into the millions, there are new warnings from top U.S. counterterrorism experts that the exodus is posing a national security threat far more serious than any the United States and Europe have seen in decades. We are witnessing the largest human catastrophe in our lifetimes, said Ali Soufan, a widely acclaimed former FBI counterterrorism agent and the author of a report being released today to mark the sixth anniversary of the Syrian civil war, entitled Syria: The Humanitarian-Security Nexus. Soufans message: The failure of the West to address the conditions of refugees flooding into neighboring countries creates a situation like the one that gave rise to the Taliban and al-Qaida in Afghanistan 25 years ago with consequences that could potentially be more disastrous. There are millions of refugees living in tents. Eighty-five percent of the Syrian children have been affected by the war, Soufan said in an interview with Yahoo News. Weve seen that before. Weve seen that in Afghanistan, where many Afghani refugee children were recruited in Pakistani refugee camps by extremists, by radical madrasas Muslim theological schools leading to the rise of the Taliban. That is exactly what is now likely to start happening in settlement camps in Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey, he says, where Syrian refugees, large numbers of them children, are living in squalor, fearful of returning to their homes and increasingly unwanted in the West. Syrians fleeing the war wait to enter Turkey near the Turkish border crossing at Akcakale in Sanliurfa province. (Photo: Bulent Kilic/AFP/Getty Images) Today, you have terrorist organizations that are anxiously waiting to recruit these children into their fold, groups like al-Qaida, like ISIS who basically are the only people benefiting from this disaster, Soufan said. The conclusions in Soufans report, released by a new nonprofit research center he founded, were echoed by Avril Haines, a former deputy CIA director and until last January deputy national security adviser to President Barack Obama. Haines reviewed the findings for Yahoo News. Story continues I completely agree, she wrote in an email to Yahoo News. Not only will failure to address the Syrian refugee crisis destabilize neighboring countries, she said, it will fuel transnational crime, and will ultimately facilitate the growth of terrorist networks in the region that are a threat to the United States and its allies. These warnings come as the Syrian civil war appears to be deteriorating, complicated by the fact that the Trump administration has stepped up air strikes inside the country and is planning to deploy more troops to fight the Islamic State. A U.S. drone strike outside Aleppo last week targeted al-Qaida militants, but local activists and a monitoring group reported that the attack hit a local mosque, killing at least 46 people, many of them civilians. (U.S. officials deny that a mosque was hit.) Only last month, Syrian President Bashar Assad boasted to Yahoo News in an interview: As you can see, Damascus is safe today its nearly normal life, not completely. Yet last week, two suicide bombers struck in the heart of Damascus, killing more than 30 people and injuring at least 100. Attacks like these are likely to escalate the refugee crisis. More than 4.9 million Syrians have registered as refugees with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees a number five times greater than the total number of Palestinian refugees displaced by the Israeli-Arab conflict of 1948, and the equivalent of nearly a quarter of the entire population of Syria before the civil war began. But that is only half the story: As many as 6.6 million more have been internally displaced within Syria, according to Soufans report. Untold others have fled the country but never registered with the United Nations. You have to look at the amount of refugees that are hiding, living in the streets of Beirut or Istanbul, said Soufan. The number is way bigger than 4.9 million refugees, he argued. A Syrian boy displays his toy hippos at the Ritsona refugee camp north of Athens, Oct. 12, 2016. (Photo: Petros Giannakouris/AP) The crisis is being fueled by the brutality of the Assad government, according to Donna McKay, executive director of Physicians for Human Rights, which released its own report on the crisis last week. Entitled Access Denied, it documented how the Syrian government was blocking United Nations aid convoys carrying food and medicine to rebel-controlled areas, subjecting its citizens to slow-motion slaughter death by starvation and denial of medical care. Its a vicious weapon of war, McKay said in an interview, referring to the Syrian regimes blocking of U.N. aid convoys to besieged areas. She cited the bombing of clinics, pediatric centers and doctors, which she called unprecedented in any conflict weve ever seen. These are apolitical people, these are health care professionals whose ethical duty is to care for people. They are not soldiers. The national security threat Soufan warns about in his report calls for a response very different from the crackdown on refugees proposed by President Trump, the former FBI agent says. What President Trump is saying is we should not pay attention to [the refugees], Soufan said. What President Trump is saying is: These guys are going to come here and be terrorists. Were saying: If we dont pay attention to them and provide aid instead of cutting U.S. aid to these programs that are helping these children, instead of cutting our contribution to the U.N., instead of cutting the budget of the State Department, the crisis will become much worse. Either its pay now or its pay later, he added. If we dont pay attention to the situation now, were going to deal with situations that are way worse than Afghanistan, way worse than the Taliban. (TAIPEI) Taiwans government, worried about being used as a pawn by China and the United States, said on Monday the self-ruled island must protect its own interests as concerns in Taipei rise ahead of an expected meeting of U.S and Chinese leaders. China has never renounced the use of force to take back what it deems a wayward province and has been pressuring Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen, who leads an independence-leaning ruling party, to concede Taiwan is a part of China. The United States is Taiwans only major political ally and sole arms supplier. We call on the United States and China, when they improve relations, to not use Taiwan in their own interest or as a chess piece, Catherine Chang, Taiwans minister in charge of China affairs, the Mainland Affairs Council, told reporters. Chang urged Beijing to communicate with Taipei in order to maintain stability and peace in the Asia Pacific region. The comments come after U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson told Chinese President Xi Jinping on Sunday in Beijing that U.S. President Donald Trump anticipates a meeting soon. At issue for Taipei is whether a Trump-Xi meeting will harm Taipeis interests as Washington begins considering a big, new arms package for Taiwan, a move sure to anger China. We should seek the greatest advantage in the interaction between the United States and China, to reduce the possibility of Communist China guiding and manipulating the U.S.-China-Taiwan relationship, said Peng Sheng-chu, chief of Taiwans National Security Bureau. Peng, who was answering questions at a parliamentary session, didnt elaborate on what steps Taiwan should take, but said that based on the bureaus current intelligence, it was not likely that a new communique that could hurt Taiwans interests would result from a Trump-Xi meeting. But we do not rule out the possibility, Peng said. Story continues In December, Taiwan had celebrated a diplomatic coup when Trump, as president-elect, took a congratulatory phone call from Tsai and raised questions about whether he would stick with the four-decade-old one China policy. Trump changed tack last month and agreed to honor the one China policy during a phone call with Xi. Tillerson left China with warm words from Xi on the weekend, ending his first trip to Asia since taking office with an agreement to work together with China on North Korea and putting aside trickier issues. Xi praised increasing communications in recent weeks between Beijing and Washington, and said he is confident of seeing bilateral relations moving in the right direction. Taiwan was discussed during the meeting, but details were not provided. Reporting by J.R. Wu and Jess Macy Yu; Editing by Lincoln Feast On the morning that Tennessee teen Mary Catherine Elizabeth Thomas was allegedly abducted by her 50-year-old teacher, she told her family she was spending the day with a female friend - but to call police if she wasnt home by 6 p.m, her familys attorney says. She confided in one of her siblings that if she was not back by 6 p.m. that day and she was to disappear, to call the police, attorney Jason Whatley tells PEOPLE. Thomas, a high school freshman at at Culleoka Unit School, was picked up from her home the morning of March 13 by a female friend. By 12:41 that afternoon, she was declared missing by the Maury County Sheriffs Department. The last reported sighting of her was at 7:45 a.m., when someone spotted her at a local Shoneys restaurant. After 8 a.m., alleged kidnapper Tad Cummins was seen on surveillance camera at a local gas station adjacent to the Shoneys. A spokesman for the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation tells PEOPLE authorities believe Cummins, a health teacher at Culleoka who had recently been suspended by the school, picked the freshman up after putting gas in his car. AMBER Alerts have since been issued in both Tennessee and Alabama. Cummins is believed to be armed and dangerous, Tennessee officials state. Authorities alleged Cummins had sexual contact with Thomas weeks before kidnapping her. Whatley says Thomass family believes the teen was conflicted about her relationship with him, and that Cummins groomed her. Shes 15, hes 50. He had a lifetime of skills in figuring out how to manipulate a child, Whatley alleges, calling Cummins a predator. Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Click here to get breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases in the True Crime Newsletter. A warrant has been issued for Cummins arrest for alleged aggravated kidnapping and sexual contact with a minor, according to the Tennessee Bureau for Investigation. The latter charge stems from an earlier alleged sexual interaction between him and Thomas in January on school property. Story continues Teacher: He and Thomas Were Best Friends According to Maury County Public School District documents obtained by PEOPLE, a student reported to school administration on Jan. 24 that she allegedly saw Cummins kissing Thomas in his classroom the day before. The student described the encounter as a peck and when she confronted Cummins about the alleged kiss, Cummins allegedly told the student he and Thomas were close and best friends, the report states. Cummins also told the student he was a father figure to Thomas and was trying to help her with issues at home. According to Whatley, Elizabeth has a good relationship with her father, who has had custody of her since 2015. Its horrific. Hes looking for vulnerability, Whatley says of Cummins. After the alleged kiss was reported, Thomas was ordered to be taken out of Cumminss forensics class. Cummins was suspended by school officials on Feb. 6, Whatley tells PEOPLE. Last week, the school district released a statement announcing Cummins termination. (The Maury County Public School District could not be reached for comment by PEOPLE.) Pick up PEOPLEs special edition True Crime Stories: Cases That Shocked America, on sale now, for the latest on Casey Anthony, JonBent Ramsey and more. On Friday, Cummins wife, Jill, spoke to the media and pleaded with her husband to bring the teen home. Like so many of you, Im deeply troubled by what has happened in the past few days, she said with her family pastor by her side. I certainly cant begin to explain why I think this occurred. But I do know one thing: I had no idea my husband was involved with anything that could lead to this. According to the school districts documents, Cummins and Thomas said they had attended church together with his family. At the news conference on Friday, Jill said she didnt see any signs leading up to the alleged abduction. Jill Cummins In her emotional statement, Jill tearfully addressed her husband. Tad, this is not you. This is not who you are. We can help you get through this. No matter how far youve gone or whats happening right now, Gods grace is sufficient for you and He wants you to come home. Your family wants their Papi back. Please do the right thing, and turn yourself into the police and bring Beth home. Family Very Scared for Thomas Thomas was last seen wearing a flannel shirt and black leggings. She is 5 feet 5 inches inches tall and weighs 120 lbs., with blonde hair and hazel eyes. Cummins was seen driving a Silver Nissan Rogue with a Tennessee license plate 976ZPT, according to the TBI. He is 6 feet tall and weighs 200 lbs., with brown hair and eyes. Speaking with PEOPLE last Wednesday, a family source said, Im very scared for [Thomas], adding, Its so hard to understand what would bring someone to do these kinds of things. I dont understand how this is real life, the source said. According to Whatley, Thomass father is not doing well physically or emotionally and has asked for his privacy. Anyone with information on Cummins or Thomas should call the TBI at 1-800-TBI-FIND. This article was originally published on PEOPLE.com Mohhamed Shami was going towards his car parked outside his office, when he was fatally shot. By India Today Web Desk: BSP leader Mohammed Shami was shot dead in Allahabad on Sunday night. He was reportedly shot at by two unidentified gunmen who came on a motorbike. The incident took place in Allahabad's Mau Aima. Mohhamed Shami was going towards his car parked outside his office, when he was fatally shot. Sources said that he fell down immediately and the accused fled from the spot. advertisement The 60-year-old deceased was a local leader. After the incident, locals and supporters of Shami reportedly held a protest. The incident took place hours after Yogi Adityanath in his swearing-in ceremony as Uttar Pradesh CM vowed to improve the law and order situation in the state. WHO WAS MOHAMMED SHAMI Shami was a history-sheeter of Mau Aima police station. His number is HS 18B and his gang is registered as IS (inter state) 197 in Allahabad He has 31 cases registered against him including heinous offences like murder, dacoity and loot. He had many serious enmities including a land dispute with another criminal which seems to be the likely cause of his murder. He was a block Pramukh thrice and was hopping between SP and BSP. (With inputs from Mausami Singh) Also read: Bengaluru: BJP leader Kithaganahalli Vasu hacked to death by unidentified assailants --- ENDS --- By Jonathan Stempel (Reuters) - A federal appeals court said on Monday a Texas school board may open its meetings with student-led prayers without violating the U.S. Constitution. In a 3-0 decision, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected an appeal by the American Humanist Association, which said the practice by the Birdville Independent School District violated the First Amendment's prohibition of a government establishment of religion. The appeals court also reversed a lower court judge's denial of "qualified immunity" to school board members, and dismissed the case against them. Birdville serves Haltom City, Texas, a suburb of Dallas and Fort Worth. Monica Miller, a lawyer for AHA and Isaiah Smith, a 2014 Birdville High School graduate who challenged the prayers, said they were reviewing their options, including asking the entire New Orleans-based appeals court to review the case. The Birdville school district, in a statement, called the decision a "complete vindication." Birdville's school board has since 1997 let students, typically in elementary or middle school, open meetings with statements that AHA said were usually prayers, often referring to Jesus Christ and asking audience members to pray. Board members often stand and bow their heads during the invocations. Writing for the appeals court, Circuit Judge Jerry Smith said the matter involved legislative prayer, because a school board was "more like a legislature" than a classroom. He also said the U.S. Supreme Court's 2014 decision letting the town of Greece in upstate New York start board meetings with prayer supported the Birdville school board's practice. "Most attendees at school-board meetings, including Smith, are mature adults," and even board members' "polite" requests that the audience stand during invocations "do not coerce prayer," Smith wrote. The judge added that while two other federal appeals courts reached the opposite conclusion in similar cases, their decisions predated the Greece case and students, unlike in Birdville, had formal roles in board proceedings. Story continues Smith was appointed to the bench by Republican President Ronald Reagan, while panel members Edith Brown Clement and Leslie Southwick were appointed by Republican President George W. Bush. "The decision is reassuring because these trustees are elected and serve without compensation, and the possibility that they might be personally liable for damages would be somewhat daunting," D. Craig Wood, a lawyer for the defendants, said in an interview. The case is American Humanist Association et al v Birdville Independent School District et al, 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, Nos. 15-11067, 16-11220. (Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Additional reporting by Jon Herskovitz in Austin, Texas; Editing by Grant McCool and Peter Cooney) By Panarat Thepgumpanat and Aukkarapon Niyomyat BANGKOK (Reuters) - An exiled "red shirt" opponent of Thailand's junta accused police of trying to set him up after they said they had found a cache of weapons and uncovered a plot to kill the prime minister. The government said it would seek Wuthipong Kochathamakun's extradition from neighboring Laos and pledged to stop anything which could cause unrest in Thailand, where the opposition has been largely silenced since a 2014 coup. "They're trying to force terrorism charges on me," Wuthipong said in an interview posted on YouTube. "This is a very poorly done setup." The police drew a link from their discovery not only to the red shirts supporters of ousted populist leader Thaksin Shinawatra, but also to an influential Buddhist temple that is at odds with authorities. They did not give details of the alleged plot to kill junta leader Prayuth Chan-Ocha but said they had discovered the weapons at a house belonging to Wuthipong, who fled Thailand at the time of the coup. Critics accuse the government of using security threats to justify the army's continued grip on power. "I don't believe he has the kind of military caliber to intend to harm the prime minister," said Jatuporn Prompan, a leader of the red shirt movement, known as the United Front for Democracy Against Dictatorship. The government played down any risk to Prayuth's life, but said that it would take action against any threat to stability as it tries to bring about political reconciliation before eventual elections. "Whatever causes unrest, we will put it out," Defence Minister Prawit Wongsuwan said. The junta seized power in the name of ending political turmoil and says its measures against dissidents are to preserve stability. Elections which had been initially promised for 2015 are not widely expected to happen before well into next year. In accusing the red shirt follower over the weapons, police also said there had been a plan to potentially use the arms against security forces at the Dhammakaya temple, where they were searching for the former abbot on money laundering charges. A senior monk said the temple was making no comment because it had nothing to do with the police accusations. In the video, Wuthipong denied any link to the temple. Wuthipong was wanted on weapons charges, Prawit said. "I want him, and will ask Laos to hand him over," he said. The junta has previously accused dissidents there of making death threats and insulting the monarchy. Former prime minister Thaksin, overthrown in 2006, lives in exile in Dubai to escape corruption charges. A government led by his sister, Yingluck Shinawatra, was overthrown in 2014. She is on trial for corruption and denies the charges. (Writing by Patpicha Tanakasempipat; Editing by Nick Macfie) BANGKOK (Reuters) - A 25-year-old sea turtle in Thailand slipped into a coma on Sunday after an operation to remove 915 coins from her stomach earlier this month. The green sea turtle named Omsin, "piggy bank" in Thai, had been finding it hard to swim normally after swallowing 5 kg (11 lb) of coins thrown into her pool for good luck. Omsin underwent a seven-hour-long operation earlier this month, but concerns rose among Thais after she was rushed to an intensive care unit on Sunday night. "She is in a coma and breathes very slowly," one of the veterinarians taking care of Omsin told Reuters. "There's a chance of survival if she can make it through tonight." Nantarika Chansue, of Chulalongkorn University's veterinary science faculty, urged people to pray for Omsin in a Facebook post on Monday. (Reporting by Athit Perawongmetha; Writing by Patpicha Tanakasempipat; Editing by Nick Macfie) BANGKOK (AP) Thai police said Monday that they're looking for more weapons believed to be part of a plot to assassinate the prime minister, after police discovered guns and thousands of bullets allegedly belonging to an anti-establishment leader. Police found over a dozen guns, around 6,000 bullets, knives, drugs, grenades and other contraband over the weekend that they said belonged to Wuthipong Kochathamakun, who was part of the violent anti-government protests in 2010 that paralyzed Bangkok for three months and killed around 90 civilians and six soldiers. Krisana Pattanacharoen, a deputy police spokesman, said police officers were halfway through searching over 2,000 shipping containers at noon Monday where they believe more weapons were kept. In the seizure Saturday, police also discovered red fabric banners with Wuthipong's nickname printed on them. Wuthipong, better known as "Ko Tee," denied having any knowledge of the weapons stash in a Sunday interview on the YouTube channel "Jom Voice" and charged that the seizures were a setup by Thai authorities. He is currently seeking political asylum in neighboring Laos since Thailand's military toppled the elected government he supports in a coup in 2014. "Looking at this incident, I can tell you now it is a setup that is not well concealed," Wuthipong said. He also said that his friends and colleagues have been searched "hundreds of times" by authorities, making it impossible for any of them to hoard such a large amount of firearms. Police said the weapons were part of a plot to assassinate leaders of Thailand's military government, including Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha and Defense Minister Prawit Wongsuwan. Nine men were arrested over the weekend in connection with the seizures. Wuthipong said he knew only one of them, but police said all nine were connected to him. "It doesn't really matter whether they confess or not because there is physical evidence in the firearms meant for terrorism," deputy national police chief Srivara Ransibrahmanakul told reporters Sunday. Police also said the alleged plotters had been preparing to launch violence against police in connection with their siege of the headquarters of a Buddhist sect whose chief they were seeking to arrest on charges of accepting embezzled money. The Dhammakaya temple is considered sympathetic to the Red Shirt movement that led the 2010 protests, and some of the sect's sympathizers believe that Phra Dhammajayo, who heads the sect, is being prosecuted for political reasons. Police recently ended a three-week siege of the temple north of Bangkok without finding Dhammajayo, but say they will continue to seek his arrest. From hotels with segregated swimming pools to jelly made from seaweed instead of pig bones, Buddhist Thailand is chasing halal gold as it welcomes Muslim visitors and touts its wares to the Islamic world. Inside the cavernous dining hall of the five-star Al Meroz hotel in a Muslim suburb of Bangkok, an elderly man with a wispy beard recites verses of the Koran as a nervous-looking groom awaits the arrival of his bride. The young man bursts into a smile as his soon-to-be wife appears, clad in a brilliant white dress with matching headscarf. The ceremony is one of dozens of marriages held over the last few months at the Al Meroz -- the city's first entirely halal hotel. Thailand has long been a draw for the world's sun-seekers and hedonists, drawn to its parties, red-light districts, cheap booze and tropical beaches. But it has also seen a huge influx of visitors from Muslim countries, part of a quiet but deliberate strategy by the Southeast Asian nation to diversify its visitor profile. "Considering there are 1.5 billion Muslims around the world, I think this is a very good market," explains Sanya Saenboon, the general manager of the hotel, one of a growing number of businesses serving a boom in Islamic tourists. The hotel opened its doors last year, setting itself apart with its attention to all things Islamic. For a start there is no alcohol on sale, while the top floor swimming pool and gym has specific times for when men and women can use the facilities. Everything in the building has been ticked off against stringent checklist for practicing Muslims, from bed linen washed in a particular way, to ensuring toiletries are free of alcohol or animal fat -- making everyday goods "permissible" for the faithful. Sanya, who is Muslim, says such checks give visitors "peace of mind" so clients never have to ask themselves "can I eat this?" - 'Ahead of the curve' - Despite a decade of political turbulence, Thailand has seen an explosion in tourist arrivals, from 13.8 million annual visitors in 2006 to a record 32.5 million last year. Story continues Western arrivals have largely remained a constant. The biggest increase in arrivals comes from China, skyrocketing from just 949,000 arrivals 10 years ago to 8.7 million visitors in 2016. But Muslim countries are also sending their citizens. An AFP analysis of government figures shows visitors from key majority Muslim nations in the Middle East and Asia have risen from 2.63 million in 2006 to 6.03 million last year. "Thailand was ahead of the curve," says Fazal Baharden, founder of the Singapore-based Crescent Rating, which rates which countries are most welcoming to Muslim travellers. Thailand routinely places in the top two for non-Muslim majority nations alongside Singapore in Crescent Ratings' annual survey of halal destinations. "They've really recognised the Muslim consumer market is worth tapping into," he explains, adding medical tourism, shopping and high quality hotels are the primary draws. Baharden says the Islamic travel market is one of the world's fastest growing thanks the growth of cheap flights and booming Muslim middle classes. He estimates the number of Muslim travellers has surged from around 25 million a year in 2000 to 117 million in 2015. But it is not just at home that Thailand has gone halal. - Food gets halal makeover - From chicken and seafood to rice and canned fruit, the country has long been one of the world's great food exporters. Now a growing numbers of food companies are switching to halal to widen their customer base. Against a backdrop of humming machines churning out butter, Lalana Thiranusornkij, a Buddhist, explains how her family turned their three factories -- under the KCG Corporation banner -- halal to access markets in Indonesia, Malaysia and in the Gulf. But going halal sometimes required some clever workarounds, such as how to avoid animal based gelatin to make jelly. "In the past we used gelatin from pork but... we changed our gelatin from the pork source to be from a seaweed source," she said. Thailand's junta has set the goal of turning the country into one of the world's top five halal exporting nations by 2020. Some outsiders might be surprised to see an overwhelmingly Buddhist nation embrace halal. But Dr Winai Dahlan, founder of the Halal Science Centre at Bangkok's Chulalongkorn University, says Thailand was well placed to make the change. Five percent of its population is Muslim and -- outside of the insurgency plagued southern border region -- is well-integrated within the Buddhist majority. It was local Thai Muslims who first began asking for the country's halal testing centre, a business that scours products for any banned substances and has since boomed. "Fifteen years ago there was only 500 food plants that had halal certification. Now it's 6,000," Winai told AFP as female lab technicians in headscarves tested food products for traces of pork DNA. Over the same period the number of halal certified products made in Thailand has gone from 10,000 to 160,000, he added. It's paid off. The government estimates the halal food industry is already worth $6 billion a year. As Thailand has quickly learned, there's gold at the end of the halal rainbow. President Donald Trumps three oldest children, Donald Jr., Ivanka and Eric, took off to Aspen, a Colorado ski-resort town, for a family vacation over the weekend that doubled up as a sibling's reunion after some time apart following their fathers election. Ivanka moved to Washington D.C. from New York after Trump took office in January this year. Her husband, Jared Kushner, is a senior adviser to the president. Donald Jr. and Eric took over the reins of the Trump Organization from their father as he stepped down from his position on his companies after he became president. Read: Is Trump Taking His Mar-A-Lago Vacations At The Cost Of Taxpayers' Money? Ivanka and Donald Jr., along with his wife Vanessa, were spotted on the streets of Aspen on Sunday following lunch at Ajax Tavern in Aspens The Little Nell. The presidents family was seen browsing local shops while regularly checking their phones after what could be called a busy week, the Daily Mail reported. Trumps elder daughter met with German Chancellor Angela Merkel Friday to discuss how companies can better train workers. In Aspen however, dressed in a black tracksuit and oversized glasses, Ivanka was at her casual best as she enjoyed time off with her family. The presence of the first family in the resort town also saw Secret Service agents being stationed, a move that could cost the taxpayers quite a bit of money. While there were no hotel bills for Aspen in the Federal Procurement Data System, according to NBC News, the database showed a $12,208.25 contract by the Secret Service with Aspen Valley Ski/Snowboard Club for recreational good rental/ski equipment lease. The dates mentioned were between March 10 and March 23, the report stated. Previously, in 2015, the Trump children had taken another vacation in Aspen, some time before their father announced that he will be running for president. Trump has, in the past, criticized former first lady Michelle Obamas trip to the same location, which he said cost taxpayers a lot of money. Story continues Trump, however, went down to his Southern White House or Palm Beach, Florida-based Mar-a-Lago for the seventh time, in less than two months of being president. Related Articles Hours before FBI Director James Comeys testimony before Congress on the bureaus probe into Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, President Trump took a few swings on Twitter. First, the president pointed out that former National Intelligence Director James Clapper had said in a recent interview that there was no evidence of collusion between the Trump campaign and Moscow. James Clapper and others stated that there is no evidence Potus colluded with Russia, Trump tweeted. This story is FAKE NEWS and everyone knows it! James Clapper and others stated that there is no evidence Potus colluded with Russia. This story is FAKE NEWS and everyone knows it! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 20, 2017 Clapper made those comments earlier this month in an interview with NBCs Meet the Press. We did not include any evidence in our report and I say, our, thats NSA, FBI and CIA, with my office, the director of national intelligence that had anything, that had any reflection of collusion between members of the Trump campaign and the Russians, he said. There was no evidence of that included in our report. What Trump didnt point out is that in the same interview, Clapper shot down his explosive, evidence-free claim that former President Barack Obama had ordered the wiretapping of his phones at Trump Tower. There was no such wiretap activity mounted against the president-elect at the time, as a candidate, or against his campaign, Clapper said. Comey is expected to say the same when he testifies before the House Intelligence Committee on Monday. Related: Top Dem on House intel panel hopes Comey ends wild goose chase On Sunday, the leaders of the bipartisan committee said they have seen no proof of Trumps allegation against his predecessor. Was there a physical wiretap of Trump Tower? No, there never was, Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Calif., the intelligence committee chairman, said on Fox News Sunday. Story continues We are at the bottom. There is nothing at the bottom, Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., the committees ranking Democrat, said on Meet the Press. What the president said was just patently false. Schiff said he expects Comeys testimony will definitively put an end to Trumps wiretap allegations. I hope we can put an end to this wild goose chase, Schiff said. Whether it does remains to be seen. Trump followed up his Clapper tweet with another claiming that the Russian story was being pushed by bitter Democrats. Since his stunning November victory, Trumps administration has been dogged by the U.S. intelligence communitys conclusion that the Kremlin meddled in the election through cyberattacks and other means. The Democrats made up and pushed the Russian story as an excuse for running a terrible campaign. Big advantage in Electoral College & lost! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 20, 2017 Trump went on to insist that the real story was the ongoing leaks coming out of the federal government. The president, who embraced WikiLeaks during the campaign, didnt say which leaks he was taking exception to, but he has previously fumed over the revelation that his former national security adviser, Lt. Gen. Mike Flynn, discussed Obama-era sanctions with Russia during the transition. The real story that Congress, the FBI and all others should be looking into is the leaking of Classified information, the president wrote Monday. Must find leaker now! The Democrats made up and pushed the Russian story as an excuse for running a terrible campaign. Big advantage in Electoral College & lost! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 20, 2017 Trump also alleged that Democrats pushed the Russian story ad an excuse for running a terrible campaign. But questions about the Trump campaigns ties to Russia were raised well before Election Day. Before Mondays hearing, Schiff fired off a series of tweets of his own. Mr. President, the Russians hacked our election and interfered. No one disputes this now, but you. This is what is called "fact". https://t.co/izJhR5xRrf Adam Schiff (@RepAdamSchiff) March 20, 2017 As you will see during our hearing, Mr. President, there is no evidence Mr. Obama tapped your phones. This is what is called "fiction." Adam Schiff (@RepAdamSchiff) March 20, 2017 Your suggestion British wiretapped you & jape with Merkel are harming our relationships with key allies. This is called "collateral damage." Adam Schiff (@RepAdamSchiff) March 20, 2017 The intelligence community concluded the Russians will interfere again. This is why full investigation is important to country. Please stop. Adam Schiff (@RepAdamSchiff) March 20, 2017 Read more from Yahoo News: Washington (AFP) - Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said Monday after talks with President Donald Trump that the new US administration appears more focused on the fight against terrorism than its predecessor. Abadi met Trump at the White House on the 14th anniversary of the US invasion of Iraq and two days before a major Washington ministerial meeting on the way ahead in the war against the Islamic State group. Afterward, Abadi said he expected US assistance to the Iraqi forces fighting to drive Islamic State fighters from the northern city of Mosul to "accelerate" under Trump more quickly than would have happened under Trump's predecessor, Barack Obama. "I think this administration wants to be more engaged in fighting terrorism. I sense a difference in terms of being head-to-head with terrorism," Abadi told an audience at the United States Institute for Peace. Earlier, Trump said the operation against the Islamic State group in Mosul was "moving along" and he questioned whether the United States under Obama should have pulled US combat troops out of the country. "We should never, ever have left," he said. Previously Trump had supported the 2009 withdrawal, and he ran for office last year arguing that the United States should never have invaded Iraq in the first place. "We will figure something out. I mean we have to get rid of ISIS," he added, using an alternate acronym for the IS group. "We're going to get rid of ISIS." The Iraqi authorities launched an offensive in October to retake Mosul from the IS group with the support of US-led coalition air strikes. Government forces retook the eastern part of Mosul in January before setting their sights on the more densely populated west of the city, the last major urban center the IS group holds in Iraq. Trump shied away from any substantive discussion in public, but the presence of his top economic aide at a meeting in the cabinet office indicated that energy and economic ties were also on the agenda. US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson -- a former ExxonMobil executive -- made a rare public appearance at the White House. U.S. President Donald Trump has repeated his brusque denouncement of Kim Jong Un, telling reporters as he left his resort home in Mar-a-Lago, Florida on Sunday that the North Korean leader was acting very, very badly. Trumps comments follow a weekend on which administration officials convened to discuss North Korea and other issues, Reuters reports, and on which Secretary of State Rex Tillerson met with Chinese Premier Xi Jinping in Beijing with Pyongyangs nuclear ambitions and destabilizing behavior top of the agenda. Speaking in Seoul last week, Tillerson said that military action against North Korea was on the table, indicating a break with the Obama administrations dissuasion strategy based on sanctions. Tensions between the U.S. and North Korea have worsened in the wake of a series of successful missile launches by Pyongyangincluding four rockets fired into the sea northwest of Japan on Mar. 6and massive U.S.-South Korea joint military drills, which the North regards as dress rehearsals for an invasion. North Korean State media said the countrys latest rocket-engine tests were a great leap forward, CNN reports, and South Korean officials conceded Monday that the Norths tests demonstrated meaningful progress in rocket-engine function. Trumps latest comment on North Korea echoed his Twitter declaration last week. North Korea is behaving very badly, he tweeted Friday. They have been playing the United States for years. China has done little to help! Daniel Pinkston, Northeast Asia deputy project director at the International Crisis Group in Seoul, tells TIME that uncertainty over the Trump administrations commitment to international institutions and to allies in the region has heightened risk. This uncertainty, he said, was exacerbated by unfilled positions in the State and Defense Departments and by budget proposals that would gut agencies dealing with foreign policy. Story continues If U.S. alliance commitments are undermined, weakened or terminated, that undermines reassurances to allies. It also signals to potential challengers or enemies that there may be opportunities to revise the status quo, Pinkston says. Under conditions of uncertainty you dont know where the red lines are youre going to challenge the other actors and see what you can get away with, he added. Citing the diplomatic fallout from Trumps unproven claim that Britains GCHQ spy agency had tapped his phones during the presidential race, Pinkston suggested that while Trump might have benefitted from deliberately creating uncertainty in business this strategy was not applicable to foreign policy. Theres no global international government to enforce contracts so they have to be self-enforcing. In that setting your reputation and your credibility are of paramount importance, he said. Meanwhile in Beijing this weekend Tillerson struck a more conciliatory tone with China, emphasizing the need for co-operation. Trump places very high value on communications with Xi and looks forward to the opportunity of a visit in the future, Tillerson said. Tillersons comments came at the tail end of an Asia tour that signaled that U.S. patience with North Korea was at the edge of breaking point, and underscored Washingtons desire for a results-driven, constructive bilateral relationship with China, according to Zhu Feng, professor of international relations at Chinas Nanjing University. Asked whether discussions over North Korea could pave the way for genuine U.S.-China rapprochement, Feng suggested that it was likely because China is now facing the new reality of the DPRK. Kim Jong Il was realistic in that he preferred to use the nuclear program as a negotiating chip, he told TIME. But Kim Jong Un totally changed and said hed never give up the nuclear program. We have to adapt to such a reality. Those worried about the trajectory of the Trump White House and these days, who isnt? could take some comfort from the news last week that two well-respected professionals were joining the National Security Council. Former George W. Bush aide Dina Powell, a fluent Arabic speaker and Goldman Sachs alumna, will become deputy national security advisor, and Nadia Schadlow, an expert on military affairs, will leave the Smith Richardson Foundation to take charge of strategic planning. They are welcome additions to the Axis of Adults that must compete for influence in this administration with the Cabal of Crazies, whose ranks include Stephen Bannon, Stephen Miller, Peter Navarro, and Sebastian Gorka. The problem is that the cabal counts among its members someone whose influence trumps, so to speak, that of National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster, Secretary of Defense James Mattis, Secretary of Homeland Security John Kelly, or any other appointee. We refer, of course, to the conspirator in chief himself. The series of vintage performances delivered by President Donald Trump last week and the vehement response they elicited from national security officials testifying Monday before the House Intelligence Committee reminds us of why the Axis of Adults has a nearly impossible job in keeping this administration from veering into cloud cuckoo-land. On March 15, Trump journeyed to Nashville, Tennessee, for a campaign-style rally where supporters repeated the old cry of Lock her up in reference to Hillary Clinton a demand that was merely deranged when made during the campaign but that now seems positively sinister when it is associated with the man charged with enforcing the nations laws. At the rally, Trump reacted to the terrible court rulings blocking his revised executive order on immigration. The order blocked was a watered-down version of the first order , he thundered. Let me tell you something. I think we ought to go back to the first one and go all the way. Story continues It is precisely such presidential pronouncements that provide ammunition to litigants who claim that the executive order is an unconstitutional attempt to ban Muslims. Administration lawyers insist otherwise in court, but their arguments are undermined by their boss, who simply cannot hide his true intent. Two days later, Trump hosted German Chancellor Angela Merkel at the White House for what looked to be the first date from hell. With cameras rolling, Merkel asked Trump if he wanted to shake hands; he pointedly ignored her. Trump then used their joint news conference to demand not only that Germany and other NATO partners increase their defense spending a standard trope of past administrations but that they pay back the United States vast sums of money from past years that they owe us for defending them from Russian aggression. To make sure that no one missed the message, he followed up with tweets reiterating: Germany owesvast sums of money to NATO & the United States must be paid more for the powerful, and very expensive, defense it provides to Germany! While hes at it, why not ask France to pay back the cost of D-Day? Or is he afraid that France will retaliate by demanding repayment for its contribution to Americas War of Independence? That would certainly take Trumps view of international relations as a protection racket to its logical, if absurd, conclusion. Trump also could not hide his anti-German animus when it came to trade, saying: Right now, I would say that the negotiators for Germany have done a far better job than the negotiators for the United States. But hopefully we can even it out. Trump seems oblivious to the fact that over 750,000 Americans are employed by German-owned companies such as Daimler, T-Mobile, Siemens, Adidas, and even Trader Joes. He makes it sound as if Germany is committing some heinous offense by selling us lots of stuff we want to buy. Naturally, he had all too little to say about the continuing importance of the German-American alliance that has underpinned prosperity and security on both sides of the Atlantic since 1945. An anonymous German Foreign Ministry official was subsequently quoted as saying that Trump uses rudeness to compensate for his weakness, like Putin. An astute observation, that. And when it came to alienating allies, Trump was just getting started. In desperately trying to support Trumps discredited allegation that President Barack Obama had been spying on him, which has been denied not only by the U.S. intelligence community and the Justice Department but by the bipartisan leadership of the House and Senate intelligence committees, White House spokesman Sean Spicer cited a statement by a Fox News commentator. Former Judge Andrew Napolitano asserted that, rather than spying on Trump directly, Obama had outsourced the dirty work to Britains communications agency, the Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ). His source? A discredited former CIA officer who has become notorious for peddling false stories that former first lady Michelle Obama gave a speech railing against whitey and that former Secretary of State John Kerry raped some poor Vietnamese women while in the Navy. The allegation of British wiretapping was immediately denounced by the normally secretive GCHQ and National Security Agency (NSA), with the British said to be livid and angry over this utterly ridiculous charge. Even Fox News, in the person of anchor Shepard Smith, could not confirm this claim. Definitive refutation was provided Monday by FBI Director James Comey, who testified that while there is credible evidence worth investigating of collusion between the Trump campaign and the Russians, there is no evidence of any wiretapping of Trump. The FBI director all but called the sitting president a liar, creating yet another undesirable first for the Trump administration. Perhaps Trump will now be reduced to claiming that Obama dressed like a cat burglar and personally broke into Trump Tower to plant listening devices without Comeys knowledge. Despite the absence of factual support for his position, Trump would not back down. Asked about the allegations by a German reporter on Friday, he said with his typical insouciance: We said nothing. All we did was quote a certain very talented legal mind who was the one responsible for saying that on television. I didnt make an opinion on it. Trump even tried to make light of the affair, joking that he and Merkel have something in common, perhaps, because both had allegedly been wiretapped by Obama. This was a reference to revelations from Edward Snowden not normally a source cited with approbation by American officials that the chancellors cell phone number was on a list monitored by the NSA. Merkel grimaced and did a double take but wisely said nothing about Trumps insulting insinuations that stir up uncomfortable memories in Germany of state surveillance and make it harder for Merkel to maintain a close alliance with the United States. Trumps allegations against the United Kingdom also wiped out any goodwill remaining from Januarys summit between the president and Prime Minister Theresa May (they actually held hands) and continued Trumps streak of offending American allies. Among those who have felt Trumps white-hot wrath have been the president of Mexico, who refuses to pay for any border wall, and the prime minister of Australia, who wants the United States to honor an agreement to take in 1,250 refugees detained by Australia. Oh, and Trump did a drive-by shooting on Sweden to justify his complaint that Muslim immigrants are a bane to society. It is all the more striking, by comparison, that Trump never says anything remotely critical regarding Russian President Vladimir Putin, who is engaged in flouting international norms and threatening his neighbors. Indeed, Trumps utterly unnecessary spats with key allies play right into Putins hands, because the Russian despot is intent on dividing the Western alliance. Comey noted Monday that Putin wants to break up the European Union, and Trump seems eager to help. Little wonder that allies faith in America is plummeting as rapidly as the White Houses credibility. The number of Germans who believe the United States is a trustworthy ally has fallen from 59 percent in November to just 22 percent in February and, based on the present trajectory, may soon go into negative numbers. The pattern is clear. Trump is constitutionally incapable of admitting wrongdoing or apologizing for giving offense. His invariable pattern is to double down and dig in, compounding the original damage. He doesnt care whom he offends. All that matters to the president and his courtiers is to soothe his fragile ego and maintain his illusory air of infallibility. Thats not easy to do given how little he knows and how many alternative facts are lodged in his noggin. You would think the commander in chief would rely on the information gathered at great trouble and expense by the U.S. intelligence community, but no. Instead, he relies on Fox News, Infowars, and Breitbart, and he doesnt bother with any fact-checking before repeating their crackpot claims. Thus, he almost always blunders when speaking (or tweeting) without a script; it is telling that one of the few highlights of his first two months in office was his ability to read a teleprompter in front of a joint session of Congress. Here, in sum, is the problem confronting Trump optimists. He can hire well-qualified aides and even defer to them in some areas. He can refrain from adopting some of his crazy campaign brainstorms. (No, he hasnt imposed 45 percent tariffs on China or ordered the murder of terrorists relatives.) But ultimately he cant stop being himself. And who Trump is boastful, vain, stubborn, crude, boorish, ignorant, conspiratorial, mean-spirited is deeply problematic for anyone, whether on his staff or outside of it, hoping that his administration will become more normal. Photo credit: NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP/Getty Images Adityanath's appointment has caused some in the state to fear that that sectarian animosity could grow, unless the new chief minister changes himself before trying to change Uttar Pradesh. By Siraj Qureshi: It's clear from the way Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath was chosen over senior politicians like Rajnath Singh and Manoj Sinha, that the BJP seeks to polarise Hindu votes in UP, keeping in mind the big picture: the 2019 parliamentary elections. Adityanath's appointment has caused some in the state to fear that that sectarian animosity could grow, unless the new chief minister changes himself before trying to change Uttar Pradesh. advertisement Senior citizen Rama Shanker Sharma told India Today that the BJP wants to win the 2019 parliamentary elections just like it won the elections in 2014 and 2017, although the challenges before the new Chief Minister are considerable and how he deals with them will decide his party's fate in 2019 election. Under Adityanath, who's known for his radical anti-Muslim approach in politics, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's slogan 'Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas' may become a tough target to realize, Sharma said. Adityanath once asked who would stop Hindus from building a Ram Temple in Ayodhya (even as the Supreme Court continues to examine the Babri issue), when nobody could stop them from demolishing the Babri Mosque, claimed a Muslim leader who spoke on the condition of anonymity. The leader wondered if Adityanath could even circumvent the top court and use government machinery to build the temple. He said it seemed the rule of law doesn't matter to the new Uttar Pradesh chief minister, athough he calls himself an ascetic who transcends the confines of caste and religion. SEVERAL TESTS AHEAD FOR THE BJP Social leaders believe that the BJP still has several tests to undergo in Uttar Pradesh, despite winning a three-quarter majority in the Assembly. Farmers, youth, the poor, and the unemployed expect a lot from the BJP. As well, the Adityanath government needs to tackle several issues of prime importance, like law and order and the eradiction of corruption. MODI'S NEW INDIA Prime Minister Narendra Modi has called the UP victory the rise of the "New India" of which he dreamed. Mohammed Yusuf Khan, a social activist and young entrepreneur, said the coming months will reveal what Yogi Adityanath manages to achieve in the terms of communal solidarity, in an atmosphere that is now fraught with apprehension because of the five-time Gorakhpur MP's image as an orthodox Hindu leader. The formation of a 'New India' will be possible only if Yogi Adityanath makes Uttar Pradesh 'New UP' before the 2019 parliamentary elections, Mohammed Yusuf said. The best way to achieve that would be by promoting communal harmony in the state and giving equal opportunities to Muslims in the state services, he added. advertisement ALSO READ | To keep tab on CM Yogi Adityanath, PM Modi's office appoints senior IAS officer as Centre's monitor Chinese media bets on PM Narendra Modi in 2019 after Uttar Pradesh win BJP seeks to do a UP in Narendra Modi's Gujarat. Early election on the cards? WATCH VIDEO | Yogi Yug in Uttar Pradesh: From Gorakhpur to 5, Kalidas Marg --- ENDS --- NEW YORK (Reuters) - Eric Trump, the 33-year-old middle son of U.S. President Donald Trump, said on Monday that his wife Lara was expecting to give birth to their first child in September. "We are adding a boy to #TeamTrump," Trump wrote on Twitter. "It's been an amazing year. We are blessed!" Eric Trump and his wife, formerly Lara Yunaska, married in November 2014 at Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida after dating for six years. Lara is also 33 years old, according to People magazine. The baby boy, the president's ninth grandchild, is due in September. The couple told People they were still deciding on a name for their son. We really loved the name Charlie, but we'd already named our dog that, so it's out, Eric Trump said. Eric is the third child born to Donald Trump and his first wife, the former model Ivana Trump. A resident of New York City, Eric serves as a trustee of the Trump Organization along with his brother, Donald Trump Jr. The president congratulated his son and daughter-in-law on the pregnancy following the announcement. "Congratulations Eric & Lara. Very proud and happy for the two of you!," he wrote on Twitter. (Reporting by Laila Kearney; Editing by Andrew Hay) ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkey uses metaphors about Nazism with respect to its European friends as it is worried about them falling again into the trap of the ideology, Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus said on Monday. Germany and Turkey are at loggerheads after Berlin banned some Turkish ministers from speaking at rallies meant to drum up support among expatriate Turks ahead of a referendum next month that may give President Tayyip Erdogan greater powers. Germany has grown angry with Erdogan repeatedly accusing it of applying "Nazi methods" by banning the rallies on security grounds. On Monday, German Chancellor Angela Merkel demanded again that Turkey stop making such comparisons and said her government reserved the right to block future appearances by ministers unless Ankara complied with German law. Kurtulmus said Turkey was trying to warn Europe over what it sees as European politics being taken hostage by rising racism. "We make these metaphors about fascism and Nazism because we worry about the future of our European friends. We do know what these comments mean, particularly in Germany," Kurtulmus told a news conference in Istanbul. "European countries are the ones that suffered the most from fascism and Nazism between the end of World War One and World War Two. We are seeing and hearing the footsteps of fascism and Nazism now," he said. "We are not saying this to hurt them...We are saying this so that they will remember those bloody days in recent European history and not fall into the trap of fascism again. We are saying this so that they can take precautions." He said Europe was behaving in an anti-democratic manner by blocking elected Turkish ministers from speaking in European cities while allowing what he described as a demonstration by the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). "This is unacceptable and a stance that does not fit our friendship, our partnership and our long-standing cooperation," he said. "It can not be explained by any democratic rule." Around 30,000 Kurdish supporters rallied in the German city of Frankfurt on Saturday chanting "Erdogan terrorist" and "freedom for Ocalan", referring to Abdullah Ocalan, the jailed PKK leader, with many waving flags featuring his face. The PKK is formally classified as a terrorist group by the European Union and United States. (Reporting by Humeyra Pamuk; Writing by David Dolan; Editing by Mark Heinrich) GENEVA (Reuters) - The United Nations is testing a new road route to deliver aid to the Syrian city of Qamishli, and also has provisional approval from the Syrian government for supplies to cross the border from Turkey, according to minutes of a logistics meeting published on Monday. Kurdish-dominated Qamishli has been receiving hundreds of aid airlifts from Damascus since July last year, flown in by the U.N. World Food Programme (WFP), partly in preparation for a possible influx of refugees from the battle for Mosul in Iraq. Despite historic enmity, Syrian Kurdish groups have steered clear of confrontation with the Syrian government in the six-year-old civil war. The route trial comes after the head of the Kurdish-led administration in northeastern Syria said this month that a new land corridor to the government-controlled west had opened up after advances by Syrian government forces. He said the corridor marked an economic breakthrough for the autonomous region which had been under "siege" by hostile parties. Minutes of a meeting of U.N. aid agencies in Damascus on March 16, including representatives of WFP and the U.N. humanitarian agency UNHCR, suggested aid convoys could soon take advantage of the new land route. "WFP and UNHCR are in the process of sending humanitarian assistance by road as a trial from Damascus or Aleppo through Menbij to reach Qamishli," the minutes of the meeting said. "This will be the first time U.N. agencies send trucks to Qamishli directly. Both agencies have submitted a request to the (Syrian) Ministry of Local Affairs and are awaiting approval." The U.N. has for months also been asking permission to truck aid into Qamishli from the Turkish border town of Nusaybin. Airlifting aid is expensive and inefficient compared to sending a convoy of trucks. Syria's Foreign Ministry had told the chief U.N. humanitarian official in the country that Syria's government was ready to approve use of the crossing, provided that approval is also obtained from the Turkish Government, the minutes said. That may not be straight forward. Turkey to the north of Syria's Kurdish region is hostile to the YPG, the main Syrian Kurdish militia. The ministry's letter also said aid deliveries would have to be coordinated with the governor and relief sub-committee of Syria's Hasakeh governorate. (Reporting by Tom Miles; editing by Richard Lough) By Colin Packham and Aaron Bunch CANBERRA/PERTH (Reuters) - U.S. officials began taking fingerprints of asylum seekers in an Australian-run camp on the Pacific island of Nauru on Monday, signaling that vetting of applicants for resettlement in what U.S. President Donald Trump called a "dumb deal" has restarted. Australia agreed with former U.S. President Barack Obama late last year for the United States to resettle up to 1,250 asylum seekers held in much criticized processing camps on Papua New Guinea and Nauru. In return, Australia would resettle refugees from El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras. Trump labeled the agreement a "dumb deal" in a Tweet, but said he would stand by it. Interviews with more than half a dozen detainees on Nauru confirmed the U.S. Homeland Security officials arrived on Saturday, with meetings with detainees beginning on Monday. Two asylum seekers, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of fears of jeopardizing their applications to settle in the United States, told Reuters by phone Homeland Security officials did not ask any specific questions. "It was not a normal interview, they just collected fingerprints and took my height and weight," the Iranian refugee told Reuters. Other refugees showed Reuters appointment slips to meet U.S. officials. Similar biometric data collection would begin at the Australian-run detention center in Papua New Guinea in early April, detainees were told by immigration officials last week. Australia maintains a strict policy of not allowing anyone who tries to reach the country by boat to settle there, instead detaining them in the camps on Nauru and PNG in conditions that have been harshly criticized by rights groups. Some asylum seekers have spent years in the camps, with numerous reports of sexual abuse and self-harm among detainees, including children. One 36-year-old woman told Reuters by phone from Nauru she did not want to be too hopeful about resettlement. "For me, I really don't believe anything (about) when I get out from this hell," she said. "I heard too many lies like this in this three and half years." A spokeswoman for Australian Immigration Minister Peter Dutton declined to comment. The Department of Homeland Security did not respond to a request for comment. The U.S. security interviews with asylum seekers on Nauru were canceled last month amid uncertainty about what constituted "extreme vetting" Trump promised to apply to the 1,250 refugees it agreed to accept. Some asylum seekers said the latest developments gave them hope. "I think the deal will happen, but the question we don't know is how many people will be taken by the U.S.," Behrouz Boochani, an Iranian refugee held on PNG's Manus Island for nearly four years, told Reuters. With mounting international pressure, officials at Manus Island center are increasing pressure on asylum seekers to return to their home countries voluntarily, including offering large sums of money. (Editing by Nick Macfie) The United States is banning many common electronic devices from the cabin on inbound and outbound flights on more than a dozen Middle Eastern and African airlines. Its not clear whether the ban reflects concerns about an imminent security risk, but it is making waves among big carriers that fly to and from the United States. On Monday, Royal Jordanian Airlines abruptly announced on Twitter that it received instructions from the concerned U.S. departments that passengers cant carry any electronic devices bigger than a cell phone onto its flights into or from the United States. The tweet was deleted several hours later. Screen Shot 2015-08-10 at 11.44.56 AM Devices including laptops, tablets, cameras, and DVDs can only be put in checked bags. Medical devices and cellphones were exempted. The ban comes into effect starting March 21 and airlines are expected to comply within 96 hours. Related: For more news videos visit Yahoo View, available now on iOS and Android. A public relations executive for Saudia Airlines, the Saudi Arabian national carrier, tweeted that U.S. authorities ordered the directive for passengers from 13 countries, but he didnt specify which ones: @thatjohn directives by US authorities with immediate effect (96 hours) for pax from 13 countries (@ahfahad) March 20, 2017 Royal Jordanian Airlines didnt specify which U.S. departments instructed this ban, or specify whether the ban was temporary or permanent. A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security didnt deny there is a directive, but declined to comment. We have no comment on potential security precautions, but will provide an update when appropriate, spokesperson Gillian Christensen told Foreign Policy. A congressional aide told the Associated Press Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly informed lawmakers of security issues related to the upcoming electronics ban over the weekend. Story continues The Guardian reported that the the U.S. Transportation Security Administration, which oversees security at airports, distributed a confidential circular Monday to airlines from 13 nations, requiring passengers to check laptops, iPads, Kindles and cameras larger than cell phones. It is unclear which airlines are affected. A U.S. official told CNN the directive would be for a limited duration, applies to some Middle Eastern and African countries, and is meant to ensure extra security measures at specific airports. This story is very much still developing, air travel expert Ben Schlappig, who runs the One Mile at a Time travel blog, wrote. However, what seems certain is that Royal Jordanian wasnt misinterpreting some policy, but rather theres some intelligence thats about to change travel for a lot of people. Royal Jordanian didnt immediately respond to FP for immediate comment. International carriers Saudia, Qatar Airways, and Lufthansa didnt immediately return requests for comment. A spokesperson for the International Air Transport Association told FP IATA was aware of the travel directive but still trying to track additional information down. Royal Jordanian has trolled Trump in the past. In February, after a federal court temporarily froze the travel ban he ordered, the airline turned the ban into fodder for a cheeky advertisement. Fly to the US with RJ now that youre allowed to, the ad read, along with a headline that crossed out Ban to say Bon Voyage! Photo credit: ALEXANDER KLEIN/AFP/GettyImages London (AFP) - Britain on Monday named a new head for its communications spying agency GCHQ, which has been embroiled in a rare public row with Washington over allegations that it was used to snoop on Donald Trump. Jeremy Fleming, currently deputy director-general of the domestic spy agency MI5, will take up his new post at Government Communications Headquarters next month. Fleming "is a dedicated public servant whose work over two decades in the intelligence services has helped to keep our country safe", Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said in a statement. He is taking over from Robert Hannigan, who announced in January that he was stepping down for personal reasons. This month, a Fox News commentator, Andrew Napolitano, aired claims that president Barack Obama had used the GCHQ to wiretap president-elect Trump as a way of circumventing laws on spying on US citizens. The claims were then repeated by White House spokesman Sean Spicer at a briefing on Thursday. In a rare rebuke, a GCHQ spokesman swiftly denounced the allegations as "nonsense", saying they were "utterly ridiculous and should be ignored". Prime Minister Theresa May's spokesman repeated the denial on Friday and said British officials had spoken to the White House and received assurances that the claims "will not be repeated". Trump on Friday reiterated his charge that Obama had ordered a wiretap against him but said he did not endorse the Fox News claim that the GCHQ carried it out. "We said nothing" about the GCHQ claim, Trump told journalists. "That was a statement made by a very talented lawyer on Fox. And so you shouldn't be talking to me, you should be talking to Fox," he said. By William James, Elizabeth Piper and Gabriela Baczynska LONDON/BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Prime Minister Theresa May will trigger Britain's divorce proceedings with the European Union on March 29, launching two years of negotiations that will reshape the future of the country and Europe. May's government said her permanent envoy to the EU had informed European Council President Donald Tusk of the date when Britain intends to invoke Article 50 of its Lisbon Treaty - the mechanism for starting its exit after a referendum last June in which Britons voted by a 52-48 percent margin to leave the bloc. The EU said it was ready to begin the negotiations and within 48 hours of the trigger on March 29, Tusk will send the other 27 member states his draft negotiating guidelines, which means that talks could start at the earliest in May. Sterling slipped from a three-week high against the dollar on what Brexit minister David Davis described as a move taking Britain to "the threshold of the most important negotiation for this country for a generation". May said she would negotiate for "everyone across the United Kingdom and all parts of the UK". "We're going to be out there, negotiating hard, delivering on what the British people voted for," she told reporters. The 60-year-old leader hopes to negotiate terms that keep trade, financial and political relations with EU member states as close as possible after Brexit, but also satisfy euroskeptics in her Conservative Party who demand a complete break from an institution they say has stolen British sovereignty. It will be a difficult and ambitious balancing act. Talks on departing the prosperous club Britain joined in 1973 are likely to be the most complex London has held since World War Two, with other EU leaders saying they will not give May an easy ride. With nationalism and anti-establishment, anti-immigrant sentiment spreading across Western Europe, the EU leadership in Brussels is anxious to avoid encouraging others in the 28-member bloc to bolt. At the same time, May faces threats by Scottish nationalists to call a new independence referendum that could splinter the United Kingdom and fears in Northern Ireland that a "hard border" with EU member Ireland will return after Brexit. May has revealed little of her strategy for securing what she calls "the best possible deal" for the world's fifth largest economy and making Brexit as painless as possible. Although she succeeded David Cameron as prime minister soon after the June 23 Brexit referendum, she delayed triggering Article 50 to give herself time to work on her strategy for talks that are likely to determine her political legacy. FUTURE RELATIONS Article 50 allows for two years of talks to decide an EU member state's divorce terms, "taking account of the framework for its future relationship with the Union". May says that clause means the two sides can set out deals to cover future trade and other ties. German Chancellor Angela Merkel said the EU also had two tracks to work on over the next year. "The first track is Britain's exit, including what all this means in terms of future relations with Britain when the exit terms are known," she told a news conference alongside Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at a technology fair in Hanover. "The second track is how we can strengthen and invigorate cooperation between the EU27 and make them weatherproof in the 21st century." Britain's referendum exposed geographical and social divisions in the country that have deepened over arguments about its future relationship with the EU. Nationalists in Scotland, which voted to remain in the bloc, have accused the May government of pressing for a hard Brexit by committing to departing the EU's lucrative single market of 500 million consumers. Scotland's first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, has called for a new independence referendum. In Northern Ireland, which also voted to stay in the EU, the largest Irish nationalist party, Sinn Fein, has said it wants a referendum on splitting from the United Kingdom and uniting with the Republic of Ireland "as soon as possible". Against the backdrop of trying to keep the UK together, May has a long wish list for the EU - the closest possible trading ties, security cooperation, regaining control over immigration and restoring sovereignty in various policy areas. The EU has baulked at her demands, saying they amount to "having your cake and eating it". May's government acknowledges its opening position is bold, and is also preparing for the possibility of crashing out of the bloc with no deal. While the government has signaled areas for compromise and is keen to remind EU leaders of the benefits of cooperation, government departments are still awaiting the final word from May's office on which economic sectors to prioritize. Britain's commitment to payments into the EU budget - which officials in the bloc estimate to reach around 60 billion euros - are shaping up to be one of the first, and possibly most contentious, parts of the divorce talks. Any argument over money would underline the challenges May will face. She wants to show goodwill in the talks but will also be under pressure from pro-Brexit lawmakers for a total break - something that could harden the case for independence movements. (Additional reporting by Alistair Smout in London and Joseph Nasr in Berlin, writing by Elizabeth Piper; editing by Mark Heinrich) United Nations (United States) (AFP) - UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is proposing to shut down the UN peacekeeping mission in Haiti by October and replace it with a much smaller UN presence, according to a report obtained by AFP on Monday. The proposal to close the 13-year-old UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti, known by its French acronym MINUSTAH, comes as the United States is planning major funding cuts to the United Nations. Guterres said in the report sent to the Security Council last week that all 2,370 soldiers serving in the peacekeeping mission should be gradually withdrawn "and that the mission close by October 15, 2017." A new mission would be established that would retain 295 of the current 1,001 police officers serving in MINUSTAH, and the civilian staff would also be significantly reduced. "The successor mission would be a smaller peacekeeping operation focused on the rule of law and police development," Guterres said in the report sent to the council on Thursday. Based in Port-au-Prince, the UN team would "also monitor and exercise an early warning function for conflict prevention, human rights and rule of law issues at the local level through the use of mobile teams." The Security Council will decide on the future of the Haiti mission next month. Guterres proposed that MINUSTAH's mandate be extended for six months during which it would wind down operations and pave the way for the smaller mission. With its annual budget of $346 million, MINUSTAH does not rank among the costliest peacekeeping operations run by the United Nations, but its closure could send a signal about the need to streamline UN peacekeeping. US Ambassador Nikki Haley has called for a mission-by-mission review of UN peacekeeping to find priority areas for cuts. In his report, Guterres said there had been "significant progress" in Haiti's road to stability and that the poor Caribbean nation was "relatively stable." The mission was deployed in 2004 after the departure of president Jean-Bertrand Aristide to help stem political violence but it has not endeared itself to Haitians. An outbreak of cholera in 2010 was introduced by Nepalese UN peacekeepers serving in the mission. More than 9,000 Haitians died in the epidemic. Geneva (AFP) - The United Nations called Monday for an inquiry into last week's attack on a boat off Yemen's coast that killed 42 people, mostly Somali refugees. "Many questions remain unanswered on the circumstances of this horrific event," the head of the UN refugee agency, Filippo Grandi, said in a statement. "We call on all parties to the conflict to make proper inquiries to ensure accountability and to prevent this from happening again," he added. The Saudi-led coalition battling rebels in Yemen has said it was not responsible for the killings late last week off the rebel-held port of Hodeida. Somalia, which is a member of the coalition fighting Yemen's Shiite Huthi rebels, has also called for a probe into the raid. The International Organization for Migration has said it believed the boat was headed for Sudan. Despite a two-year war that has cost more than 7,000 lives and brought the country to the brink of famine, Yemen continues to attract people fleeing the horn of Africa. The United Nations refugee agency, UNHCR, says Yemen is hosting more than 255,000 Somali refugees. "The RSS never interferes with the selection of chief ministers," Union Minister M Venkaiah Naidu said a day after Adityanath took over as the 21st Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh. By India Today Web Desk: The BJP today dismissed reports that the RSS had anything to do with the selection of hardliner Yogi Adityanath as the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and said it is unfair to criticise the decision without giving the Gorakhpur MP a "fair opportunity" to govern. "The RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh) never interferes with the selection of chief ministers," Union Minister M Venkaiah Naidu said a day after Adityanath took over as the 21st Chief Minister of the state. A number of the former or serving members of the RSS, which is the ideological fountainhead of the BJP, have been appointed Chief Ministers recently. Uttarakhand's Trivendra Singh Rawat is a former RSS pracharak, so is Maharashtra's Devendra Fadnavis and Haryana's Manohar Lal Khattar. Naidu, who is the BJP's in-charge for Uttar Pradesh, also sought to allay the fears that Adityanath's image as a Hindutva poster boy will have a bearing on his work as the Chief Minister. "It is very unfair to criticise Yogi Adityanath without giving him a fair opportunity," he said. "Yogi Adityanathji will care for all the sections of the people and will prove his critics wrong. He will become one of the most successful CMs ever," he added. "The safety of the people is of prime importance. There will be zero tolerance towards crime," Adityanath's minister Shrikant Sharma said. On Sunday, shortly after he took oath, Yogi Adityanath had pledged to work for all sections without bias and said he believed in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's slogan: 'sabka saath sabka vikas'. Addressing his first press conference after taking oath, the controversial Gorakhpur MP also vowed to end the law and order problems in the sprawling and the country's most populous state. In an apparent move to allay fears that he, as a long-time Hindutva icon, might discriminate against the minorities, Adityanath promised there would be no bias for or against anyone. ALSO READ | Yogi Adityanath: How priest of Gorakhpur became Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister ALSO READ | What clinched it for Yogi Adityanath as next Uttar Pradesh CM: All you need to know WATCH | Yogi Yug in Uttar Pradesh: From Gorakhpur to 5, Kalidas Marg --- ENDS --- advertisement Paris (AFP) - Seven countries and an American donor on Monday pledged $75.5 million (70 million euros) to a UNESCO-backed fund aimed at protecting the world's cultural heritage against war and terrorism. French President Francois Hollande hosted the gathering at the Louvre museum in Paris of influential art patrons and world leaders at the initiative of the UN cultural body, the United Arab Emirates and France. Their International Alliance for the Protection of Heritage in Conflict Zones (ALIPH), based in Geneva, aims to raise $100 million by 2019. "At Bamiyan, Mosul, Palmyra, Timbuktu and elsewhere, fanatics have engaged in trafficking, looting and the destruction of cultural heritage, adding to the persecution of populations," Hollande said. Speaking in the Louvre's Khorsabad courtyard, which houses the imposing remains of a 706 BC palace from ancient Mesopotamia, the land of modern-day Iraq, Hollande said the country was a priority in the global fight against cultural destruction. The region "is home to a civilisation thousands of years old that we cannot abandon to the abomination of terrorism," he added. The funds will be used to help prevent the destruction of historic sites in conflict zones, combat the illicit trade in cultural artifacts and help restore damaged relics. France pledged $30 million to the fund, followed by Saudi Arabia with $20 million and co-host UAE with $15 million. Kuwait, Luxembourg and Morocco pledged $5.0 million, $3.0 million and $1.5 million, respectively. US philanthropist Tom Kaplan pledged $1 million, while Switzerland offered logistical support that it valued at $8.0 million. More funds and in-kind support are in the pipeline from Italy, Britain, Germany, China, South Korea and Mexico. A total of 40 countries pledged their support to the initiative at a conference in Abu Dhabi in December. - Safe havens - A network of safe havens for endangered artworks was also put in place, allowing cultural property to be stored abroad temporarily, but only as a last resort. Story continues Some countries, including Egypt and Greece, expressed reservations about such zones, citing sovereignty claims. Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras told participants at the time there should be "guarantees for the safe return" of national treasures. For the past 30 years Athens has been demanding the return of the so-called Elgin Marbles, which decorated the Parthenon temple on the Acropolis in ancient times, from Britain. In his speech on Monday, Hollande emphasised that measures would be taken to ensure that "sovereignty principles will be respected." After Islamic State group fighters seized the ancient ruins of Palmyra in May 2015, they systematically destroyed and looted the temples of the UNESCO World Heritage site. The group also ravaged the Assyrian city of Nimrud in Iraq using bulldozers and explosives, and ransacked pre-Islamic treasures in Mosul's museum. Bamiyan, in Afghanistan, and Mali's Timbuktu are other UNESCO sites to suffer destruction at the hands of Islamic extremists. GENEVA (AP) The United States on Monday boycotted a Human Rights Council session focusing on Palestinian areas, saying the regular review shows the council's "long-standing bias against Israel" that threatens the credibility of the U.N.-supported body. Israel is the only country that faces an examination of its rights record at every one of the council's three sessions each year under a standing agenda item - known as Item 7 - on "Palestine and other occupied Arab territories." The current session, which lasts four weeks, ends Friday. U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley, in a statement, denounced how Israel was the only country that is a permanent fixture on the 47-member body's calendar. "It is not Syria, where the regime has systematically slaughtered and tortured its own people," she said. "It is not Iran, where public hangings are a regular occurrence. It is not North Korea, where the regime uses forced labor camps to crush its people into submission. It is Israel, the only democracy in the Middle East." The boycott announced by the State Department comes as the Trump administration contemplates ending U.S. participation at the council. A letter from U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson to advocacy groups, obtained by The Associated Press last week, said the U.S. wouldn't continue participating unless the council undergoes "considerable reform." "Today's actions in the council are yet another reminder of that body's long-standing bias against Israel," State Department spokesman Mark Toner said in a statement. "No other nation has an entire agenda item dedicated to it at the council. The continued existence of this agenda item is among the largest threats to the credibility of the council." In New York, U.N. deputy spokesman Farhan Haq, defended the "important" work of the council. "Obviously, different member states have their opinions about different topics before the council to which they're entitled, but at the same time we do hope that the overall work of the council will be supported by all members," he said, when asked about the U.S. boycott. Story continues In the more than 230 country-specific resolutions at the council since it was founded 11 years ago, more than a quarter of them have been focused on Israel, whose policies in Palestinian areas have raised rights concerns for decades. Israel easily tops the rankings: second-place Syria, where since 2011 hundreds of thousands have been killed, has been the subject of 19 resolutions. Earlier Monday, the U.N.'s special rapporteur on "rights in the Palestinian territories occupied by Israel," Michael Lynk, decried how "illegal settlement enterprise has moved at an alarming pace" this year. Lynk pointed to announcements by Israel to build 6,000 new housing units in Palestinian areas, accompanied by "high rates of demolition of Palestinian homes in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem." He also cited a U.N. Security Council resolution in December that called the establishment of settlements in the West Bank a "flagrant violation" of international law. ___ Edith M. Lederer at the United Nations contributed to this report. WASHINGTON (AP) The FBI is investigating whether Donald Trump's associates coordinated with Russian officials in an effort to sway the 2016 presidential election, Director James Comey said Monday in an extraordinary public confirmation of a probe the president has refused to acknowledge, dismissed as fake news and blamed on Democrats. In a bruising five-hour session, the FBI director also knocked down Trump's claim that his predecessor had wiretapped his New York skyscraper, an assertion that has distracted White House officials and frustrated fellow Republicans who acknowledge they've seen no evidence to support it. The revelation of the investigation of possible collusion with Russians, and the first public confirmation of the wider probe that began last summer, came in a remarkable hearing by one branch of government examining serious allegations against another branch and the new president's election campaign. Tight-lipped for the most part, Comey refused to offer details on the scope, targets or timeline for the FBI investigation, which could shadow the White House for months, if not years. The director would not say whether the probe has turned up evidence that Trump associates may have schemed with Russians during a campaign marked by email hacking that investigators believe was aimed at helping the Republican defeat Democrat Hillary Clinton. "I can promise you," the FBI director vowed, "we will follow the facts wherever they lead." Comey for the first time put himself publicly at odds with the president by contradicting a series of recent tweets from Trump that asserted his phones had been ordered tapped by President Barack Obama during the campaign. "With respect to the president's tweets about alleged wiretapping directed at him by the prior administration, I have no information that supports those tweets, and we have looked carefully inside the FBI," Comey said. The same was true, he added, of the Justice Department. Story continues His confirmation of the Russia-links investigation was striking given the FBI's historic reluctance to discuss its work. But Comey said the intense public interest in the matter and permission from the Justice Department made it appropriate to do so. Comey said the collusion inquiry began last July as part of a broader probe into Russian meddling in American politics, meaning Trump was elected president as associates remained under investigation for possible connections to Russia. Clinton allies on Monday contrasted Comey's silence during the campaign with public comments he made last year when closing out an investigation into Clinton's email practices and then, shortly before Election Day, announcing that the probe would be revived following the discovery of additional emails. Many Democrats blame Comey's public updates with stoking worries about Clinton's trustworthiness and turning voters against her. Comey acknowledged that "some folks may want to make comparisons to past instances" where he and other officials were more open, but he said those were about concluded investigations. In the current case, it's not clear how long it will take for the FBI to decide if a crime was committed, but counterintelligence investigations are known for being complicated and time-intensive and for frequently concluding without charges. Comey would not commit to a timetable. Regardless of the outcome, the investigation is unquestionably an unwelcome distraction for an administration that has struggled to move past questions about ties to Russia. The White House tried anew Monday to distance itself from two former senior members of Trump's team, Paul Manafort and Michael Flynn, who have been under scrutiny for foreign contacts. Rep. Devin Nunes, the California Republican who chairs the committee, told Comey that revelations about the investigation had placed a "big gray cloud" over people trying to lead the country. "The faster you can get to the bottom of this, it's going to be better for all Americans," he said. Comey is the latest government official to reject Trump's claims, made without any evidence, that Obama had wiretapped Trump Tower, his campaign headquarters.. Nunes rejected them earlier in the hearing. Comey testified along with National Security Agency Director Michael Rogers, who also disputed allegations that British intelligence services could have been involved in such wiretapping. The White House last week pointed to a report of British involvement in an attempt to bolster the president's claim. The move only angered an ally. The hearing quickly divided along partisan lines, Democrats pressing for details on the status of the FBI's investigation while Republicans focused on news coverage and possible improper disclosures of classified information developed through surveillance. Trump took to Twitter before Monday's hearing began, accusing Democrats of making up allegations about his campaign associates. He said Congress and the FBI should be going after media leaks and maybe even Clinton instead. "The real story that Congress, the FBI and others should be looking into is the leaking of Classified information. Must find leaker now!" Trump tweeted early Monday as news coverage on the Russia allegations dominated the morning's cable news. The president continued to tweet throughout the hearing, creating an unusual public conversation between the embattled president and his FBI director. After Trump tweeted that the FBI and NSA had told Congress that Russia did not influence the electoral process, Comey disputed that description. The FBI has offered no opinion and has no view and no information on the potential impact on the election because that's not something the bureau has looked at, he said. The president also claimed that Comey had said there was no evidence of collusion between his aides and Russia, though Comey said no such thing. Trump also suggested, without evidence, that Clinton's campaign was in contact with Russia and had possibly thwarted a federal investigation. U.S. intelligence officials have not publicly raised the possibility of contacts between the Clintons and Moscow. Officials have said they believe Moscow had hacked into Democrats' computers in a bid to help Trump's election bid. The panel's ranking Democrat, Rep. Adam Schiff of California, outlined a chronology that he said suggested frequent and troubling contacts between Trump associates and Russian intermediaries. "Is it possible that all of these events and reports are completely unrelated and nothing more than a entirely unhappy coincidence?" he asked rhetorically. "Yes, it is possible. But it is also possible, maybe more than possible, that they are not coincidental, not disconnected and not unrelated." ___ Follow Eric Tucker on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/etuckerAP ___ Associated Press Writers Deb Riechmann, Julie Pace Josh Lederman in Washington contributed to this report. Brussels (AFP) - For Philippe Vansteenkiste, whose sister was killed in the Brussels attacks one year ago, the suffering is made worse by the battle with the Belgian authorities for support. "We are victims twice over," said Vansteenkiste, mourning his sibling Fabienne, 51, a check-in agent at Brussels airport. She had stayed on after her shift to help colleagues and died when two suicide bombers blew themselves up there on March 22, 2016. The attacks claimed by the Islamic State group on Maalbeek metro station and Zaventem airport killed 32 people, wounded around 230 others and shattered the lives of hundreds of their loved ones. After battling to get support from a labyrinthine Belgian bureaucracy, Vansteenkiste founded an association, V-Europe, to help all victims receive adequate medical and psychological care as well as proper financial and moral assistance from the authorities and insurance firms. "It was like we had to get down on our knees to receive minimum compensation to be able to continue," Vansteenkiste told AFP at his home outside Brussels, where he and his family moved to be closer to his ageing parents after the tragedy. Unlike in France and some other countries, those affected by terrorism in Belgium do not receive a document officially recognising them as victims of an attack, he said. In France, he added, the government arranges for the victims to receive the document within 30 days. In financial straits himself, he said it is also "extremely urgent" for the state to provide a lump sum of tens of thousands of euros so victims can meet the initial costs of things such as medical treatment and accommodation. - 'How human is this?' - Vansteenkiste said he was also shocked when the airport's insurance firm gave him 250 euros ($270) compensation for his sister's iPhone but nothing for the loss of his sister. "How human is this?" he asked. Nicolas de Lavalette, a 56-year-old Franco-American English teacher, criticised the Belgian bureaucracy about the help for his 18-year-old daughter's recovery after she lost both her legs below the knee in the airport attack. Story continues "I wish there was in Belgium a structure which takes care of victims from A to Z," Lavalette told AFP. "There is no overall organisation to handle something of this magnitude." The married father-of-three, who is also a member of V-Europe, said he was worried whether the Belgian authorities would follow up Beatrice's file when the family goes back to live in the United States. Belgian authorities -- heavily criticised immediately after the attacks for intelligence and security failings -- insist they are not letting down victims a second time. Interior Minister Jan Jambon told AFP that "we have understood well that there were things we could improve" to help the victims, and that the government was now doing everything to correct the situation. Health Minister Maggie De Block recently lashed out at the insurance firms for having only so far covered some 15 percent of the estimated damages. Under fire, the government promised in February to grant a "status of national solidarity" to terror victims guaranteeing them financial aid for life. But the draft law fails to satisfy support groups partly because it covers only people who were living in Belgium at the time of the attacks. - 'Souls in another world' - Kristin Verellen, whose partner Johan Van Steen died in the bombing in the metro, has since founded the social support group "Circles -- We have the choice", which also has online participants from countries as far away as the Philippines. The aim is to help heal people's trauma from terrorism and other events as well as restore connections between them in an increasingly fragmented and less humane society. "If one of the purposes of those who are doing these terrible terrorist attacks is further fragmentation of our society, the way of going beyond that is to connect again with people," she said. "What I discovered is that mourning is the other side of love and the other side of life," Verellen told AFP. "And when I can try to share my sadness with others, something wonderful happens and there is connection." For the anniversary, she is launching an exhibition of Johan's photographs in Brussels to pay tribute to his passion for the craft. The healing process is a long one, both for victims and those who helped them. Doctor Olivier Vermylen was among the first to experience the trauma of the attacks when he arrived at Maalbeek metro station. "These poor souls... are in another world," the bespectacled 47-year-old said, recalling the scene and how the victims looked. Nor can he forget the acrid, throat-catching powdery odour from the explosives, the eerie darkness and silence, and the sight of train carriage doors blown open with such force. "Very little light. A red light blinking. And no noise." Warsaw (AFP) - A Polish-Russian lawyer has been sentenced to four years in prison for spying for Russia's GRU military intelligence agency, a Warsaw court said Monday. The lawyer, a man with dual citizenship identified only as Stanislaw Sz. for legal reasons, pleaded not guilty at the trial held behind closed doors. He can appeal the verdict. Judge Agnieszka Domanska said the man gave Russia information on Poland's energy sector, in particular regarding a new liquefied natural gas terminal at Swinoujscie on the Baltic coast, according to the Polish news agency PAP. He notably got hold of a secret report by the national audit chamber NIK on natural gas contracts and the launch last June of the Swinoujscie terminal, which Poland built to ease its dependence on Russian gas. Poland currently relies on Russia for about forty percent of its gas, with a third coming from domestic sources and 20 percent from central Asia. Stanislaw Sz. was arrested in October 2014, at the same time as a Polish officer, Zbigniew J., who was sentenced last year to six years in prison by the Warsaw military court for spying for Russia. Their cases were related but the two men did not work together, according to Polish media reports. FBI Director James Comey will testify before the House Intelligence Committee during a hearing on Russian meddling into the 2016 election on Monday. You can watch live above beginning at 10 a.m. The highly anticipated hearing is set to focus on the investigation into Russias involvement in widespread hacks during last years election, but Comey is also expected to face questions about Trumps claims that his New York apartment building was wiretapped by former President Obama. Obama, intelligence officials and a growing group of lawmakers on Capitol Hill have said there is no evidence wiretapping occurred. The New York Times reported that Comey asked officials at the Justice Department to publicly denounce Trumps claims as false, though officials did not release a statement. During the hearing, Comey will have an opportunity to denounce the allegations himself. Lawmakers are eager to get definitive answers on whether Russia worked with officials from the Trump campaign during the election, which President Trump called fake news in an early-morning tweet on Monday. The hearing may provide some insight into the current investigation, but its unclear how much will be made public. When faced with questions about Russias involvement in the 2016 election previously, Comey said he would not comment on an ongoing investigation in an open forum. Trump addressed the hearing on Twitter on Monday morning: James Clapper and others stated that there is no evidence Potus colluded with Russia. This story is FAKE NEWS and everyone knows it! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 20, 2017 The Democrats made up and pushed the Russian story as an excuse for running a terrible campaign. Big advantage in Electoral College & lost! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 20, 2017 Its the talk of the town in Washington. FBI Director James Comey and Michael Rogers, the director of the National Security Agency, are testifying before the House Intelligence Committee on Russias alleged interference in the 2016 presidential election campaign and potential ties between U.S. President Donald Trumps advisors and the Kremlin. Its the first time Comey and Rogers will testify publicly since Trump took office. For the first time, Comey confirmed that the FBI is investigating any possible ties between the Trump campaign and Russia. He said the investigation began in late July 2016. Stay tuned to Foreign Policy for more. Trump spiced up the drama in recent weeks by accusing former President Barack Obama of wiretapping him and his campaign though numerous lawmakers and senior intelligence officials denied Trumps unsubstantiated claims. Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), the panels ranking member, called those allegations slanderous at the start of the hearing. Trump took to Twitter early Monday to deride the investigation into Russian meddling in the election as fake news. The scandal has already hit the administration. Michael Flynn resigned as Trumps national security advisor less than a month into the job, after he lied to Vice President Mike Pence about his contacts with the Russian ambassador. Attorney General Jeff Sessions recused himself from any investigations into Trumps Russia ties after he, too, had misled the White House and public about his meetings with Russian officials. A lot of questions are still swirling around, and many are hoping Mondays hearing can finally provide some answers. You can watch the hearing live here: Update: This article has been updated to include FBI Director James Comeys comments. Photo credit: Win McNamee/Getty Images Photo credit: Anthony Cullen From Road & Track Just when you thought you've seen everything, Subaru of America decided to go to the Swiss Alps to show a 113-year-old bobsled track that it is indeed wide enough for a Subaru WRX STI. Of course the car was no ordinary STI. For this job, Prodrive had to modify the hell out of 2015's Isle of Man record car, using tires that are now banned from WRC, as well as a lot of extra bracing, since pinballing between thick ice walls wasn't gonna be a walk in the park. The daredevil in the driver's seat? Mark Higgins, the man who has been a stunt driver since Ben "The Stig" Collins first gave him a call some ten years ago. Mark has worked on the two latest Bond movies, Fast & Furious 6 and even on BBC's Sherlock. What's more, he is also the four-wheeled lap record holder around the Isle of Man TT Course, and race tracks don't get much hairier than that. Yet no asphalt action can prepare somebody for a 98 foot long bend made of ice, which ends in a vertical drop to the left side. Bobsleds can make the turn, while four-doored Subarus might not. Six days after disturbing the peace and quiet of St. Moritz, Subaru is ready with the video. And while we should probably tell you not to try this at home, it's reassuring to know that you don't have the world's oldest, and last remaining natural ice track in your background. In fact, the Swiss don't have it either, since the Italian experts responsible for the job will only get to rebuild it in December. Which is a good thing. You Might Also Like WASHINGTON (AP) If you want to go to your happy place, you need more than cash. A winter coat helps and a sense of community. A new report shows Norway is the happiest country on Earth, Americans are getting sadder, and it takes more than just money to be happy. Norway vaulted to the top slot in the World Happiness Report despite the plummeting price of oil, a key part of its economy. Income in the United States has gone up over the past decade, but happiness is declining. The United States was 14th in the latest ranking, down from No. 13 last year, and over the years Americans steadily have been rating themselves less happy. "It's the human things that matter. If the riches make it harder to have frequent and trustworthy relationship between people, is it worth it?" asked John Helliwell, the lead author of the report and an economist at the University of British Columbia in Canada (ranked No. 7). "The material can stand in the way of the human." Studying happiness may seem frivolous, but serious academics have long been calling for more testing about people's emotional well-being, especially in the United States. In 2013, the National Academy of Sciences issued a report recommending that federal statistics and surveys, which normally deal with income, spending, health and housing, include a few extra questions on happiness because it would lead to better policy that affects people's lives. Norway moved from No. 4 to the top spot in the report's rankings, which combine economic, health and polling data compiled by economists that are averaged over three years from 2014 to 2016. Norway edged past previous champ Denmark, which fell to second. Iceland, Switzerland and Finland round out the top 5. "Good for them. I don't think Denmark has a monopoly on happiness," said Meik Wiking, chief executive officer of the Happiness Research Institute in Copenhagen, who wasn't part of the global scientific study that came out with the rankings. Story continues "What works in the Nordic countries is a sense of community and understanding in the common good," Wiking said. Still, you have to have some money to be happy, which is why most of the bottom countries are in desperate poverty. But at a certain point extra money doesn't buy extra happiness, Helliwell and others said. Central African Republic fell to last on the happiness list, and is joined at the bottom by Burundi, Tanzania, Syria and Rwanda. The report ranks 155 countries. The economists have been ranking countries since 2012, but the data used goes back farther so the economists can judge trends. The rankings are based on gross domestic product per person, healthy life expectancy with four factors from global surveys. In those surveys, people give scores from 1 to 10 on how much social support they feel they have if something goes wrong, their freedom to make their own life choices, their sense of how corrupt their society is and how generous they are. While most countries were either getting happier or at least treading water, America's happiness score dropped 5 percent over the past decade. Venezuela and the Central African Republic slipped the most over the past decade. Nicaragua and Latvia increased the most. Study co-author and economist Jeffrey Sachs of Columbia University said in a phone interview from Oslo that the sense of community, so strong in Norway, is deteriorating in the United States. "We're becoming more and more mean spirited. And our government is becoming more and more corrupt. And inequality is rising," Sachs said, citing research and analysis he conducted on America's declining happiness for the report. "It's a long-term trend and conditions are getting worse." University of Maryland's Carol Graham, who wasn't a study author but did review some chapters, said the report mimics what she sees in the American rural areas, where her research shows poor whites have a deeper lack of hope, which she connects to rises in addictions to painkillers and suicide among that group. "There is deep misery in the heartland," Graham, author of the book "The Pursuit of Happiness," wrote in an email. Happiness and doing what you love is more important than politicians think, said study author Helliwell. He rated his personal happiness a 9 on a 1-to- 10 scale. Related Video: What Makes Us Miserable? Survey Says Only Illness Is Worse Than Work (2016) For more news videos visit Yahoo View, available now on iOS and Android. Twelve years after disappearing off the face of the earth, Dave Chappelle is making his comeback. Our reaction: Finally. The comedian's two new Netflix specials The Age of Spin, filmed at the Hollywood Palladium in March 2016, and Deep in the Heart of Texas, filmed at Austin City Limits Live in April 2015, debut on Tuesday. A third anticipated special is expected to drop later this year. Here are three big reasons why you should care about the comedian's return. SEE ALSO: That's it, Netflix just cornered the comedy-special market 1. Chappelle isn't just good at stand-up, he's a legend. Chappelle is considered a comedic genius. He's known for his impressions of people (including Rick James and Prince), his commentary on racial inequality and, of course, his sketch comedy show on Comedy Central. But stand-up has always been his strong suit. People still consider his 2000 special Killing Them Softly as one of the best of all time. 2. No one can tackle race like Chappelle Image: netflix The Chappelle Show which launched on Comedy Central in 2003 started as a cult hit. But by season two, it became a must-watch as Chappelle stacked the line-up with amazing musical guests (each show ended with a musical performance by a hip-hop or soul artist) and notable sketches. The show always found a way to shed light on the truth using comedy. He did everything from spot-on celebrity impressions (his "A Moment in the Life of Lil Jon" sketch is a great example) to sketches tackling race in America. But in 2005, he shocked fans after he walked away from the show and a $50 million deal to escape the limelight. One of his most popular characters is Clayton Bigsby, a blind white supremacist character who was black. Chappelle brought back Bigsby when he hosted Saturday Night Live in November following the election. You can bet that'll be much of the same tone of his Netflix specials. In his comedic return, Chappelle doesn't shy away from anything. He touches on police brutality before pointing out that most black people are in danger from eating too much salt. Story continues He also talks about watching ISIS videos on YouTube, Bill Cosby's alleged rapes and the time he met O.J. Simpson in the '90s with Nicole Brown Simpson. 3. The specials are also a big deal for Netflix You have to understand what's going on in comedy right now, what Netflix has done is amazing - it's bringing back the legends Daniel Soff (@Swagadore) February 22, 2017 With Chappelle's stand-up specials, Netflix has officially positioned itself as the king of comedy content. It all began last year when Netflix reportedly outbid HBO by dishing out a whopping $40 million to get Chris Rock's comedy specials on the streaming service. Jerry Seinfeld followed shortly after in January, when he announced he's moving his show Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee from Sony's streaming service Crackle to Netflix as part of a multifaceted production deal. Amy Schumer, who also had many specials on HBO, also debuted her latest comedy special on Netflix on March 7. The first of Louis C.K.'s Netflix specials, titled 2017, will premiere April 4. All of that combined with the fact that Netflix will boast not one, but three of the most highly anticipated comedy specials in years give Netflix a pretty robust library when it comes to comedy content. Game: blouses. Former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav's uncle Ram Gopal Yadav said one should give Yogi Adityanath at least six months to start work and deliver on his promises. By India Today Web Desk: The BJP's decision to appoint Yogi Aditynath as the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh has invited a range of reactions from its political rivals, with some slamming the choice yet others adopting a wait-and-watch approach. In a scenario like this, newly-anointed CM Yogi Adityanath has found support from an unusual quarter. Samajwadi Party leader and former chief minister Akhilesh Yadav's uncle Ram Gopal Yadav said one should give Yogi Adityanath at least six months to start work and deliver on the BJP's promises to people in Uttar Pradesh. advertisement "There is no need to start attacking him from the first day," said Ram Gopal Yadav as Gorakhpur MP Adityanath spent his first day in the chief minister's office today. WHAT RAM GOPAL YADAV HAD TO SAY ABOUT ADITYANATH Rajya Sabha MP Ram Gopal Yadav, who helped nephew Akhilesh Yadav dethrone father Mulayam Singh Yadav from the SP president's post, said there was nothing objectionable in Yogi Adityanath holding a puja at his house before moving in. "Doing puja is a normal practice in Hindu tradition before starting on a new project," Ram Gopal Yadav said, reacting to reports on Yogi Adityanath getting a team of seven priests from Gorakhpur to perform puja at the CM's official residence at 5, Kalidas Marg in Lucknow. The Samajwadi Party leader also lauded Adityanath's directive to his ministers to declare their source of income and assets to the party and the chief minister's office within 15 days. FINGER-POINTING STARTS IN SAMAJWADI PARTY Following the Samajwadi Party's humiliating loss in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly election, finger pointing has begun and Ram Gopal Yadav could face some tough questions from party seniors. Samajwadi Party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav was never in the favour of an alliance with the Congress and did not campaign for it during the election. However, once the election results were announced, father Mulayam Singh had defended son Akhilesh and said the responsibility for the defeat should not entirely fall on the young Yadav's shoulders. As father and son try to put up a united face after election, many expect the party to take some tough decisions to put the house in order. ALSO READ: To keep tab on CM Yogi Adityanath, PM Modi's office appoints senior IAS officer as Centre's monitor Akhilesh Yadav bigger brand than 'Cycle', he will be PM one day: Ram Gopal BJP on Yogi Adityanath: RSS had no role in decision, unfair to criticise without giving him a chance Yogi Adityanath: Gau sevak to UP CM; does this mean 'achchhe din' for cows? ALSO WATCH --- ENDS --- Federal judge Neil Gorsuch starts his testimony in the Senate today and he will face tough questioning on many issues. So why do many experts believe Gorsuch will get a confirmation vote, with a likely approval? Gorsuchs major challenge, barring any major issues with his testimony this week, will more likely be related to any efforts by the Democrats in the Senate to keep his nomination from getting a full vote by deploying the filibuster. The filibuster and its related tactic, the cloture vote, require a vote by 60 Senators to let a motion, like Gorsuchs nomination, to get a discussion and a vote by the full Senate. Filibuster attempts against Supreme Court nominations are rare. To this day, there is a debate that tactics used in 1968 to delay the nomination of Associate Justice Abe Fortas as Chief Justice represented a true filibuster. President Lyndon Johnson withdrew that nomination after it has been approved by the Judiciary Committee but delayed in the Senate. In three other cases, cloture votes were taken in the Senate about a Supreme Court nominee and all failed, in the cases of William Rehnquist (twice) and Samuel Alito. And in 2017, the Senates Republican leadership has the option of changing the Senates rules to allow a vote on Gorsuch to proceed to the full floor without a cloture vote by killing the filibuster, using tactics deployed by former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid in 2013. While the current Majority Leader, Mitch McConnell, is reportedly opposed to killing the filibuster using the nuclear option, President Donald Trump and other GOP leaders have urged the Senate to use that measure, if needed, to get a confirmation vote on the floor, most likely in April. Barring a cloture vote succeeding and the Republicans not using the nuclear option history shows that Gorsuchs odds should be very good, at least for getting a Senate vote. In every instance since 1945 when the same party controlled the White House and the Senate, that Supreme Court nominee was approved. (There were two nominees in the Lyndon Johnson administration who didnt make it to the voting stage in the Senate.) Story continues Also since World War II, there have been 38 official nominees for the Supreme Court offered by the President. Eight of those nominations were withdrawn, not voted on or rejected by the Senate. Of the 30 successful confirmations since 1945, 13 of the votes, or about 43 percent, came when the Presidents party didnt control the Senate. This was especially true when the Democrats ran the Senate for long periods during the 1960s and 1970s. In the case of Gorsuch, with the Republicans controlling the Judiciary Committee and expected to make a positive recommendation of his nomination to the full Senate, it would be extraordinary for a GOP-controlled Senate to reject his appointment to the Court. The last three Supreme Court nominees to be rejected in a Senate vote were candidates proposed by a Republican President to a Democratic-majority Senate. Richard Nixon saw two nominees, Clement Haynsworth and Harold Carswell, get just 45 yes votes in the Senate (the GOP had 44 Senators at the time). The well-publicized nomination of Robert Bork to the Supreme Court by President Reagan in 1987 saw Bork get just 42 votes in the Senate, when the Republicans had just 45 seats. The last time a GOP-controlled Senate rejected a Supreme Court nominee from a Republican President was in 1930, when President Herbert Hoovers choice for the Court, John J. Parker, lost in a 41-39 floor vote. Parker was opposed by organized labor and civil rights groups. The only other Republican nominee for the Court to lose a floor vote in a GOP-controlled Senate was Ebenezer R. Hoar in 1869. Nominated by President Ulysses S. Grant, Hoar was opposed to patronage and didnt support prior GOP efforts to remove Andrew Johnson from office. (Two other Grant nominees also didnt make it to a floor vote.) Given the high-stakes related to Gorsuchs nomination, a short-handed Court and a politically charged atmosphere in Washington, only a situation involving the filibuster or an unforeseen circumstance would prevent Gorsuch from getting a floor vote. But there have been a few of those in the history of court nominations. For example, President Andrew Johnsons nomination of Henry Stanbery in 1866 so angered Republicans that they passed a law reducing the number of Justices on the bench, to avoid dealing with Stanbery. And in May 1881, Republican nominee Stanley Matthews was finally confirmed by one vote in a deadlocked Senate where control over the floor shifted due to attendance issues and political infighting. It had tabled Matthews nomination just months earlier when made by outgoing President Rutherford B. Hayes. A wildfire raged near Sunshine Canyon in Boulder, Colorado, on Sunday, March 19. Boulder County Sheriffs Office Commander Mike Wagner said the blaze, dubbed Sunshine Fire, had spread 62 acres and was 50 percent contained as of Sunday evening. A mandatory evacuation would remain in place overnight for more than 400 homes in the area. Strong winds were expected and could be a concern. Boulder officials said the fire could be human-caused, The Denver Post reported. Credit: Boulder Office of Emergency Management via Storyful New York (AFP) - A chilly climate isn't keeping Norway from basking in the glow of being named the world's happiest country on Monday. The Scandinavian country surged from fourth place in last year's UN assessment all the way to the top spot, according to the World Happiness Report 2017. Other top countries on the list included Nordic neighbors Denmark and Iceland, as well as Switzerland. Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg, who is facing a tough re-election battle in September, welcomed the report as "a nice validation on a Monday morning. "For many years, Norway has been behind Denmark in this ranking. "I've made a point of it in many dinner speeches in the Nordics. Now I must find something new!" she said in a message on Facebook in Norwegian. "But even if we top this statistic now we (must) continue to prioritize mental health care, to improve follow-up of children and young people because many are still struggling." The report found that "all of the top four countries rank highly on all the main factors found to support happiness: caring, freedom, generosity, honesty, health, income and good governance." Rounding out the top 10 were Finland, in fifth place, The Netherlands (6), Canada (7), New Zealand (8) and Australia and Sweden tied for 9th. All in the top 10 were affluent, developed nations, though the report said that money was not the only ingredient for happiness. In fact, among the wealthier countries the differences in happiness levels had a lot to do with "differences in mental health, physical health and personal relationships: the biggest single source of misery is mental illness," the report said. "Income differences matter more in poorer countries, but even their mental illness is a major source of misery," it added. Another major country, China, has made major economic strides in recent years. But its people are not happier than 25 years ago, the report found. China ranked 79th in the study of 155 countries. Story continues The United States slipped to number 14 because of less social support and greater corruption -- the very factors explaining why Nordic countries fare better on the happiness scale. - 'Won the lottery' - Norway, the largest oil producer in western Europe, is a prosperous country -- despite a recent drop in oil prices -- with a very generous welfare state. "We won the lottery," Arne Larsen, a retired civil servant, told AFP in central Oslo. "Oil is part of it, but you shouldn't exaggerate its importance because life was good in Norway before too. "I think it has more to do with fundamental societal factors: Norway is quite homogenous, it's a country where the gap between the state and the people is not very big, and where there is a lot of trust," he said. Thea Sofie Rusten Grastveit, who works as an advisor for a humanitarian agency, echoed those thoughts. Thirty years old and pregnant with her first child, she is getting ready to take a 16-month parental leave, which she will share 50-50 with her husband. "One of the main reasons we can do all this is the oil money," she acknowledged. "We of course managed our resources well for the good of society, but we were also really lucky to have these resources," she said. The World Happiness Report was released by the United Nations on the International Day of Happiness. It is the fifth such report since the first was published in 2012. "Since then we have come a long way. Happiness is increasingly considered the proper measure of social progress and the goal of public policy," the report said. While the 10 countries at the top remained the same as in a 2016 update, those in the bottom 10, which had the lowest life evaluations, showed greater variation. The Central African Republic, which returned to the surveyed group, came in dead last at 155, with Burundi and Tanzania doing only slightly better. Among the 20 largest losers, five were in the Middle East and North Africa and five were in sub-Saharan Africa. A US diplomat has been expelled from New Zealand after Washington refused to waive diplomatic immunity so police investigating a serious crime could question him, officials said Monday. Details of the alleged crime have not been revealed but local media reported the diplomat left the South Pacific nation last week suffering a broken nose and black eye. Prime Minister Bill English labelled the US knockback on immunity regrettable and said he expected American authorities to carry out their own investigation. "We expect all diplomats here to obey our law and if it's broken we'd expect our police to investigate," English told reporters. "We regret that they didn't give us a waiver on immunity but they didn't and now it's in the hands of their authorities." Earlier, Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully said he was "disappointed" at the US refusal and in response had asked for the man at the centre of the police investigation to be withdrawn from New Zealand. He said Wellington's ambassador in Washington had raised the issue with US officials. Police said they were called to an incident in Lower Hutt, on Wellington's outskirts, in the early hours of March 12, which "involved an individual from the US embassy in Wellington". By the time they arrived the person had left the scene and no arrests were made. Attempts to further investigate hit a diplomatic brick wall, however police said they still regarded the case as active. McCully said foreign affairs officials relayed a police request to waive immunity but their US counterparts refused. Local media named the diplomat as Colin White and said he left Wellington with his wife and children. TVNZ, which broke the story, reported that White was a technical attache who had been working closely with New Zealand's intelligence service, the GCSB. A spokeswoman for the US embassy said they were "communicating with New Zealand authorities" on the issue. Story continues "As a matter of policy, we do not comment on the specifics of matters under investigation," she said in a statement. "We take seriously any suggestion that our staff have fallen short of the high standards of conduct expected of US government personnel." McCully said the US had stated it always fully investigated all allegations involving its diplomatic staff. Diplomatic immunity, formalised in the 1961 Vienna Convention, means foreign envoys are protected from local law enforcement in the country to which they are posted. The most recent known case of it being invoked in New Zealand was in 2014, when Malaysian military attache Mohammed Rizalman bin Ismail was accused of indecent assault. It was eventually revoked and Rizalman was sentenced to nine months' home detention after being found guilty in a Wellington court. Photo credit: Nana Agyemang From ELLE Earlier this year, a friend of mine who works in the fashion industry told me that I had a commercial look, and asked me to model a turtleneck for a segment on a local NYC fashion news network. A few months later I was invited back to model, but this time it was for a major national morning show. I was thrilled. I never thought that someone like me-with dark skin and thick thighs-could ever "model." I counted down the days. I arrived on set as instructed: makeup free and with my hair straight-not curly. The makeup artist on set shot me a look of annoyance. She had no color in her makeup set to match me and used foundation way lighter than my complexion, which made my skin look ashy. She swiped a bright pink lipstick on my full lips, to make me "pop," she said. I didn't feel like I was poppin' at all. I felt like I was being made up to look like a clown. I knew that my one painful, personal experience modeling couldn't be an isolated one. So I spoke with eight black models about their experiences in the industry, the microaggressions they've experienced, the ways in which they have been made to feel less-than. I asked each model to speak specifically to that body part or feature that once made them feel insecure but is now their biggest motivator. Khoudia Diop, 19, The Colored Girl Photo credit: Nana Agyemang I grew up in Senegal, where more than 50 percent of the women bleach their skin, and skin bleaching is a huge deal. I grew up seeing my cousins and my aunts using it. My cousin pressured me and they wanted me to use skin bleaching products but my sister said you're not using it because a lot of them experience the damages [from it]. Photo credit: Nana Agyemang I wanted to use it at a point, not going to lie, and I felt really ashamed of being dark, but my sister would always show me pictures of dark skin models, there weren't a lot, but she would show me pictures of dark skin models and say "this is not a bad thing and your skin is not a thing you have to change. It's unique and beautiful and you have to learn to know things you like about yourself and celebrate them. Story continues Photo credit: Nana Agyemang Mominatu Boog, 21, G Models PR Photo credit: Nana Agyemang I am very dark but I am very soft and feminine and I don't really feel like there is a lot of that in the dark skin market. Stop trying to make us out to seem like we are these animals. Photo credit: Nana Agyemang I feel like in the industry when it comes to dark skinned women they always make us out to be these aggressors and these angry people when we're not. I don't have to shave my head to be a model. I don't have to look like I am going to bark at you to be a model. I like flowers. I like perfume. I like sweet stuff. Photo credit: Nana Agyemang Gia Oteto, 22, Omit Photo credit: Nana Agyemang I have pretty big lips so I feel like that's where people's eyes go to. It makes me feel like that's the only thing people see from me is my lips. It's always been uncomfortable. Photo credit: Nana Agyemang [When] shooting they see the lips and say let's do a pop of green and it gets uncomfortable, sometimes because not every dark girl with big lips can rock a lime green. A lot of places I used to work would say to me "let's do yellow eye shadow and like a lime green on her lips because they're so beautiful." I feel like they don't notice that we can rock that color sometimes but we can also rock a nude and look amazing. And I look like a duck sometimes. I can't wear this bright pink lipstick for every shoot. Photo credit: Nana Agyemang Tatiana Elizabeth, 22, MSA models Photo credit: Nana Agyemang I remember one time getting my full face of makeup done and I look in the mirror and it's a completely wrong shade and I am like, What the heck, you're a makeup artist I don't understand how you don't understand how to do all types of skin tones not just one. I have had multiple experiences where I am like this is not how I am supposed to look. Sometimes they'll use lighter shades or darker shades. I think [some makeup artists] just don't understand how to do it, so they try to compromise and try to mix and match and make things instead of just having the correct shades because they're available, but they just don't have them. Photo credit: Nana Agyemang At this point, I don't even say anything anymore, I'll just go into the bathroom and fix it myself. I'll come out and they'll say "OMG you look amazing" and I am like "yeah because I did it myself." It is annoying that I have to go through that and at first I was scared to make those adjustments but at the end of the day I am my own brand and I don't want to put work out there, whether it's with a client or for myself, because it's me, my image-it's not the makeup artist it's not anyone, it's me so I need to make sure that it's on point. Photo credit: Nana Agyemang Grace Mahary, 27, IMG Models Photo credit: Nana Agyemang It means the world to me to be able to embrace my culture and my traditions because for so long I was embarrassed about it and I wanted to assimilate. Now I see trends in beauty and fashion that are similar to or have origins from my tradition and my culture in Eritrea. Photo credit: Nana Agyemang [But] I think cultural appropriation is a really relevant topic right now. I feel like every idea or every creation comes from some type of copying or image you have seen already so I think it's about intention and how genuine you are coming off and what you're trying to say or present with your message. I am Eritrean, I am Canadian and I am a woman-[that's my message]. Photo credit: Nana Agyemang Kamie Crawford, 24, JAG Models Photo credit: Nana Agyemang I once had a job where the client was so nice, the shoot was long and the rate wasn't amazing, but I wanted to do it regardless. I got there and the hairstylist was Australian. She went in to do my hair and she kept referring to my hair as an afro and my hair was straight this day. She was like "OMG this afro!" and I was like, what the hell are you talking about and she kept referring to my edges as afro bits. In a negative way. Photo credit: Nana Agyemang [She said] "Omg your afro bits I just can't get them." It was taking so long to do my hair, the client asked what's going on, we are not on schedule, and she said her afro bits are too difficult for me to do them, I am trying to get them straight. Basically she was blaming it on me and making it seem like my hair and I were the problem but it wasn't me. My hair was straight but she just didn't know how to do it. Of course, it's offensive but I can't cuss her out and do my job at the same time. These microaggressions add up being a woman of color and others models who aren't of women of color don't have to face it. Photo credit: Nana Agyemang Ashley Chew, 25, retired Photo credit: Nana Agyemang Even though I am lighter toned with green eyes, I understand that privilege, but with me its been a battle of my hair. Is it on trend? They'll ask me to straighten it or they'll say we already have a girl that looks like you even though there is 10 other blondes in the room. Photo credit: Nana Agyemang My issue is because I am fair toned I shouldn't be the darkest thing in the room, if I look around and see that I am the darkest person in the room with ethnic hair then there is a problem. Even in the black hair care casting white directors will ask for a black girl then I show up and they're like, "No, we want a black girl," and that's happened plenty of times. It's almost like being too light for the black castings and being too dark for regular casting. Photo credit: Nana Agyemang Diandra Forrest, 27, Krush Model Management Photo credit: Nana Agyemang People are curious about why I look the way I do. I have very full lips and I remember going to Paris and every casting director that I met was like "did you get your lips done?" And I am like what why did everyone think I got my lips done? Well, they didn't know I am black girl. I have a strong nose and I remember people suggesting that if I were to get my nose done I would get more work and I was just baffled. Photo credit: Nana Agyemang I love my nose and I don't want to lose that part of me. To each its own, if you want to change the way you look to fit into society more or if it's something you want to do to make yourself feel better then fine but I don't think you should suggest to people what they should do because you don't completely agree with their look. There shouldn't just be one standard type of model. Beauty is diverse. Photo credit: Nana Agyemang You Might Also Like Ivanka Trump may have publicly disassociated herself from her clothing and accessories label by announcing a formal leave of absence in January but some retailers feel the label is still profiting from her name and influence. A San Francisco-based retailer is suing the Ivanka Trump label. (Photo: Getty Images) Now a San Francisco-based fashion company, Modern Appealing Clothing, is suing the Ivanka Trump label over unfair competition. In the lawsuit, filed in San Francisco Superior Court on Thursday, the 40-year-old brand alleges the Trump clothing and accessories label has gained an unfair advantage from Donald J. Trump being the President of the United States and from Ivanka Trump and her husband, Jared, working for the President of the United States. Yahoo Style has reached out to the Trump brand for comment and will update with any response. The company also accuses the brand of profiting off of its association to the White House, as well as the unlawful marketing practices of government officials, including the counselor to the president, Kellyanne Conway, and even President Trump himself. Modern Appealing Clothing says the label is guilty of exploiting the power and prestige of the White House for personal gain, including, but not limited to, piggy-backing promotion of defendant Ivanka Trump products on appearances at executive branch and other governmental events. The lawsuit cites President Trumps tweet slamming Nordstrom for dropping the Ivanka Trump label as an example of unlawful promotion. My daughter Ivanka has been treated so unfairly by @Nordstrom. She is a great person always pushing me to do the right thing! Terrible! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 8, 2017 Kellyanne Conways highly controversial act of endorsing Ivanka Trumps products on Fox & Friends in early February is also described in the lawsuit as unfair promotional activity. Story continues After the incident, White House press secretary Sean Spicer said during his daily briefing that Conway had been counseled on that subject, and thats it. The suit also claims Spicer has used his position to endorse the Ivanka Trump label. Modern Appealing Clothing argues that the brand fails to take appropriate steps to avoid exploiting public office for private gain, which will help the company to continue to increase its sales. The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages and an order preventing the Ivanka Trump brand from being sold in California. Read more from Yahoo Style + Beauty: Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest for nonstop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day. For Twitter updates, follow @YahooStyle and @YahooBeauty. Katy Perry received a human rights award and stunned in her dress from Rasario. (Photo: Getty Images) Katy Perry headed out to the Human Rights Campaign Gala on Saturday, to be honored with the National Equality Award. As she discussed her conservative Christian upbringing in her acceptance speech, Perry wore a stunning white dress from the Moscow-based brand Rasario. Pulled from the brands Spring 2017 collection, the shoulderless gown, with its black ruffled top and back slit, styled by Jamie Mizrahi, was perfectly timed; Saturday was also the final day of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Russia. The Rasario brand focuses on evening and cocktail dresses. Designer Rasida Lakoba started her business in 2012, and has since been named designer of the year by Glamour Russia and is carried by Moda Operandi. In her acceptance speech, the pop star referenced her childhood experiences with singing at pro-conversion camps while attempting to understand sexuality and its complexities. What I did know was I was curious, she said. Even then I knew sexuality wasnt as black and white as this dress. In addition to the gown, Mizrahi chose a stunner of an accessory. Although it wasnt easy to see at a distance, an Ana Khouri diamond Mirian ear cuff gleamed in the stars ear. Rimming almost the entire lobe, the piece, which was previously worn by Miley Cyrus to the Met Gala, added some glitz to the ensemble. And its no wonder: Its made of 18-karat gold and white diamonds. A post shared by Jamie Mizrahi (@sweetbabyjamie) on Mar 18, 2017 at 8:32pm PDT Perry has been rocking shorter hair these days, which showed off the accessory to the max. To set it off, Chris Appleton, who also styles the hair of Ariana Grande, Adele, and more (and who is currently dating Baja East designer Scott Studenberg) kept her tendrils loose and light, falling to one side. Read more from Yahoo Style + Beauty: Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest for nonstop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day. For Twitter updates, follow @YahooStyle and @YahooBeauty. Photo credit: Getty From Town & Country Derek Walcott, a Nobel-prize winning poet known for capturing the essence of his native Caribbean and became the region's most internationally famous writer, has died on the island of St. Lucia. He was 87. Walcott died early Friday at his home in the eastern Caribbean nation of St. Lucia, according to his son, Peter. "Derek Alton Walcott, poet, playwright, and painter died peacefully today, Friday 17th March, 2017, at his home in Cap Estate, Saint Lucia," read a statement the family released later in the morning. It said the funeral would be held in St. Lucia and details would be announced shortly. The prolific and versatile poet received the Nobel Prize in literature in 1992 after being shortlisted for the honor for many years. In selecting Walcott, the academy cited the great luminosity" of his writings including the 1990 "Omeros," a 64-chapter Caribbean epic it praised as "majestic." "In him, West Indian culture has found its great poet," said the Swedish academy in awarding the $1.2 million prize to Walcott. Photo credit: Getty Walcott, who was of African, Dutch and English ancestry, said his writing reflected the "very rich and complicated experience" of life in the Caribbean. His dazzling, painterly work earned him a reputation as one of the greatest writers of the second half of the 20th century. With passions ranging from watercolor painting to teaching to theater, Walcott's work was widely praised for its depth and bold use of metaphor, and its mix of sensuousness and technical prowess. He compared his feeling for poetry to a religious avocation. Soviet exile poet Joseph Brodsky, who won the Nobel literature prize in 1987, once complained that some critics relegated Walcott to regional status because of "an unwillingness ... to admit that the great poet of the English language is a black man." Walcott himself proudly celebrated his role as a Caribbean writer. Story continues "I am primarily, absolutely a Caribbean writer," he once said during a 1985 interview published in The Paris Review. "The English language is nobody's special property. It is the property of the imagination: it is the property of the language itself. I have never felt inhibited in trying to write as well as the greatest English poets." Walcott was born in St. Lucia's capital of Castries on Jan. 23, 1930 to a Methodist schoolteacher mother and a civil servant father, an aspiring artist who died when Walcott and his twin brother, Roderick, were babies. His mother, Alix, instilled the love of language in her children, often reciting Shakespeare and reading aloud other classics of English literature. In his autobiographical essay, "What the Twilight Says," he wrote: "Both the patois of the street and the language of the classroom hid the elation of discovery. If there was nothing, there was everything to be made. With this prodigious ambition one began." Walcott once described straddling "two worlds" during his childhood in St. Lucia, then a sleepy outpost of the British empire. "Colonials, we began with this malarial enervation: that nothing could ever be built among these rotting shacks, barefooted backyards and moulting shingles; that being poor, we already had the theater of our lives. In that simple schizophrenic boyhood one could lead two lives: the interior life of poetry, and the outward life of action and dialect," he wrote. Early on, he struggled with questions of race and his passion for British poetry, describing it as a "wrestling contradiction of being white in mind and black in body, as if the flesh were coal from which the spirit like tormented smoke writhed to escape." But he overcame that inner struggle, writing: "Once we have lost our wish to be white, we develop a longing to become black." At the age of 14, he published his first work, a 44-line poem called "1944," in a local newspaper. About four years later, while still in his teens, he self-published a collection of 25 poems. At 20, his play "Henri Christophe" was produced by an arts guild he co-founded. He left St. Lucia to immerse himself in literature at Jamaica's University College of the West Indies. In the 1950s, he studied in New York and founded a theater in Trinidad's Port-of-Spain, a Caribbean capital he mentioned with great warmth during his Nobel lecture in 1992. Walcott's treatment of the Caribbean was always passionate but unsentimental. In his 1979 work about Jamaica, "The Star-Apple Kingdom," he wrote of the "groom, the cattleboy, the housemaid ... the good Negroes down in the village, their mouths in the locked jaw of a silent scream." For much of his life, Walcott, who taught at Boston University for many years, divided his time between the United States and the Caribbean, and the exile of millions of Caribbean citizens who have left the region in search of a better life is another frequent theme in his works. Although he was best known for his poetry, Walcott was also a prolific playwright, penning some 40 plays, including "Dream on Monkey Mountain" and "The Last Carnival," and founding theaters such as the Boston Playwrights' Theatre. British writer Robert Graves said in 1984 that Walcott handled "English with a closer understanding of its inner magic than most - if not any - of his English-born contemporaries." Not all his work was met with accolades. He collaborated with American pop star Paul Simon to write "The Capeman" story, which became a Broadway musical in 1997 and quickly became a major flop, closing less than two months into its run and getting panned by critics. His reputation was weakened by sexual harassment allegations made against him at Harvard and Boston universities in the 1980s and 1990s. He retired from teaching at Boston University in 2007 and spent more of his time in St. Lucia. You Might Also Like Bixby is real, and it's ready to make your Samsung devices smarter in the very near future. In a new press release, Samsung gave the scoop on its long-rumored virtual assistant that's launching with the Galaxy S8, and detailed how it will differ from heavy hitters such as Siri and Alexa. The Galaxy S8 will have a dedicated Bixby button. Credit: Phone Arena The Galaxy S8 will have a dedicated Bixby button. Credit: Phone Arena According to Samsung, Bixby will stand out from the AI pack in three key categories: completeness, context awareness and cognitive tolerance. All three of these features are designed to make talking to Bixby feel natural, eliminating the learning curve that sometimes comes with voice assistants. The company claims that Bixby will be able to control virtually any task that a Bixby-enabled app is capable of, meaning that anything you can do with your fingers, you should be able to do with your voice. In terms of context awareness, Bixby is designed to let you switch between touch and voice controls seamlessly. For example, you might open your contacts app with your fingers and use Bixby to make a call, or start a text note with Bixby and finish it by hand. MORE: iPhone 8 vs. Galaxy S8: Clash of the Titans Finally, Bixby's cognitive tolerance should allow you to talk to your Samsung smartphone or tablet without having to remember specific voice commands. According to Samsung, Bixby will be advanced enough to "understand commands with incomplete information," meaning you should be able to use it to open your email with natural language, regardless of what the "official" voice command is. Samsung also talked about the Galaxy S8's dedicated Bixby button, which the company claims will allow you to instantly perform voice commands without unlocking the phone and manually opening apps. The Galaxy S8 will debut with a subset of Bixby-ready apps when it arrives next month, but Samsung didn't specify which ones will support the virtual assistant. The company says that the roster of Bixby-ready apps will expand over time, and that third-party developers will eventually have access to it. Story continues Bixby will eventually make its way to all of Samsung's appliances, allowing you to control everything from air conditioners to TVs using the assistant. According to Samsung, "as long as a device has an internet connection and simply circuitry to receive voice inputs, it will be able to connect with Bixby." See also : Most Anticipated Phones of 2017 The story has since expired. By India Today Web Desk: The story has since expired. --- ENDS --- Samsung has a new voice. And it has world-changing ambitions. In the upcoming Galaxy S8, users will find an extra button on the left side of the phone, just below the volume controls. Pressing it will activate Bixby, Samsung's new voice assistant. Once activated, Bixby will help you navigate what's arguably the most sophisticated piece of technology you own the smartphone in your hand. If Samsung gets its wish, though, Bixby will eventually do much more than just help you order Lyfts or set up complex calendar appointments. The long-term vision is for Bixby to act as a kind of uber-interface for all of Samsung's products: TVs, wearables, washing machines, even remote controls. SEE ALSO: Samsung Galaxy S8: all the leaks in one place Samsung designed Bixby with a specific goal in mind, one that veers away from its fellow voice assistants Apple's Siri, Amazon's Alexa, Microsoft's Cortana and the Google Assistant. Those platforms were generally built to help users quickly perform common tasks ("Remind me to buy milk") and perform search queries ("What's the capital of Brazil?"). Bixby, on the other hand, is all about making the phone itself easier to use, replicating the functions of many apps with voice commands. Yes, Siri et al. already do that to a certain extent you can easily set a reminder with your voice, for example but the voice integration typically only handles the basics. The goal of Bixby is to voice-enable every single action in an app that you'd normally do via touch, starting with Samsung's apps. So, not just "set a reminder to buy pickles at 6 p.m., but "Set a reminder on my Shopping List to buy pickles at 6 p.m. and make it repeat every week, then share the list with my wife." Bixby speaks Injong Rhee, CTO of Samsung Mobile and the architect behind Bixby, says the voice assistant is nothing short of an "interface revolution," freeing users from hunting down hidden functionality within menus and hard-to-find screens. Story continues "Bixby is an intelligent user interface, emphasis... on 'interface,'" Rhee says. "A lot of agents are looking at being knowledgeable, meaning that you can ask questions like, 'Who's president of the U.S.?' A lot of these are glorified extensions of search. What we are doing with Bixby, and what Bixby is capable of doing, is developing a new interface to our devices." Bixby architect Injong Rhee, CTO of Samsung Mobile. Image: Pete Pachal/Mashable Although it makes its debut on the Galaxy S8, it will soon spread. Rhee sees the Bixby button eventually spreading to all kinds of smart-home devices, from TVs to refrigerators to air conditioners. "Anywhere there is an internet connection and a microphone, Bixby can be used," he says. "There is some technology in the device, but a lot of it lives in the cloud. That's why the range of devices goes beyond just a smartphone. It means it can be in any device we produce." Samsung began work on Bixby about 18 months ago, Rhee says. It grew out of the company's S Voice tool, which has been on Samsung phones since 2012. (The timing might explain why Samsung's smart fridge announced right around then failed to deliver on its planned integration with Alexa.) S Voice hadn't progressed much over the years, but then last year Samsung acquired the much-hyped Viv Labs and its sophisticated assistant, a strong indicator of the company's renewed interest in voice control. However, Rhee says Viv's technology is planned for future updates to Bixby and doesn't have a role in the initial release. The name Bixby came out of Samsung's focus groups, but it was actually their third choice overall. It was the top pick among millennials a demographic the company is specifically targeting with the Galaxy S8 so it won out. (Rhee declined to say what the other names were.) It's also distinctive enough, with hard consonants, for it to work well as an activation word. Bixby, which will initially speak just English and Korean, is intended to be a user's "bright sidekick," helping them navigate their devices in a more natural way. "[What came before], it's been people trying to learn how the machine interacts with the world, but... it should be the machine learns how the human interacts with the world," Rhee says. "The learning curve shouldn't be steep." All talk, all action For an app to be considered Bixby-supported, every possible touch action needs to be mapped to a voice command. Rhee explains that, for a typical app, there are about 300 different actions the user can perform. That doesn't sound too bad until you consider there are around 15,000 different ways to perform them. And the ways to verbalize those actions number in the millions. That's a lot of stuff to map out. Still, Samsung says it's up for the challenge, at least as far as its built-in apps are concerned. But what about third-party apps? Considering the amount of development work, will Snapchat or Facebook ever work as well with Bixby as Samsung's apps? Rhee says Samsung has a plan to get third-party apps talking to Bixby, and an SDK to be released at a later date will introduce tools that make the mapping much easier. He also suggests Viv's technology can help here, too. "Viv Labs is coming in by way expanding our vision into third-party ecosystems. It doesn't necessarily have to be all of the touch commands that they can perform. At a minimum, [Bixby will perform] the basic functionalities: like the settings, or changing the language from English to French." On the Galaxy S8, a total of 10 apps will be Bixby-supported, Rhee says, with a second "wave" coming a few weeks later. Out of the gate, users will be able to use Bixby with Contacts, Gallery, Settings, Camera, Reminders and a few others. Another way Bixby is different from its peers: it will be aware of what you're doing on the phone and suggest different actions depending on what's on screen. So if you press the button while, say, looking at a single photo in the Gallery, editing and sharing controls are probably more relevant to you than searching. And if Bixby doesn't understand every aspect of a complex command, it will take you as far as it can rather than just hitting you with a "Sorry, I didn't catch that." All this "awareness" brings up an important question: How much data is Samsung collecting about you? Rhee says most user-specific data is kept on the device, but, as a cloud service, Bixby needs to store some information in the cloud. It's not yet clear what the exact breakdown is. The button Having a dedicated button for Bixby brings a number of advantages. For starters, it means Samsung won't have any need for Clippy-style pop-ups directing users to the assistant people will inevitably find it on their own. It also ensures there will be far fewer accidental activations than if Bixby were mixed into a home button something users of Siri are all too familiar with. "We actually have done a lot of research to have the Bixby button as part of the home button like our friends in Cupertino," Rhee says. "A lot of people find it a little awkward to use it in public. The home button is a very overloaded place there's a lot of functionality into it. Having a dedicated button really removes a lot of friction." And since the idea is to press and hold, lifting your finger when you're done, Bixby will know definitively when you're done speaking. Still, there will also be a wake-up phrase you can just say "Hi Bixby," to activate the assistant at any time. It's the dedicated button that really epitomizes Samsung's approach, and if it indeed ends up on all Samsung products, Bixby will become much more than just a smartphone assistant it'll become the gateway for Samsung to finally, truly become a major player in the internet of things. Sure, Samsung has had its "Smart" devices for a long time, and its low-power Tizen OS is ideal for powering the many products with connections to the internet. It also acquired SmartThings in 2014 to strengthen its IoT brand. But until now, Samsung has lacked a gateway for its customers to really take advantage of that interconnectivity. For most, it's hard work hunting down the right settings on your phone to connect a smart TV to an air conditioner, but what if you could just tell Bixby to do it? And if you can talk to it from all those devices asking any question or even making phone calls then you're really onto something. "It's actually omnipresent in a sense," Rhee says. "Even if I speak to Bixby in, say, a washing machine, you can still do a lot of things that you do on your phone. For instance, you can say, 'Bixby, send a text to my friend Michael,' or 'Make a phone call.' That's the vision." The more capable assistant Amazon and Google already know this, and the success of Alexa and buzz around Home are a testament to the unquestionable efficiency of adding voice control to devices. But Samsung, with its high standard of controlling all functions of a device via Bixby, might end up with the advantage. Alexa, for all of its "skills," often falls short of full control (you can turn on or dim LED lights, for example, but might not be able to select specific colors), so the market has room for a more capable competitor. Of course, how and when Bixby will mix with third-party products and services remains an open question. "Philosophically, what we are looking at is revolutionizing phone interfaces," Rhee says. "We understand our applications better than anybody else out there that's why we started with our own technology, but going forward we have plans to work with our partners." Eventually, Rhee says a Bixby app might come to non-Samsung Android phones and even iOS, possibly partnering with Google Assistant for search-related queries (though he cautions Google and Samsung haven't "gotten to the specifics" on how that would work). At the same time, Bixby control could extend to all kinds of smart products, not just Samsung ones. That would probably take a level of cooperation with competitors that Samsung hasn't really shown before, but if Bixby becomes ubiquitous in the long term, whatever OS this or that device is running will become less relevant. That's a future Samsung is clearly hoping for, since software has traditionally been its weakness. Samsung may be a chief Android partner, but it's struggled to differentiate its many services from Google's, and the company lacks an OS of its own (Tizen notwithstanding). Samsung's browser, Samsung Pay, S Health they're all duplicates of Google products, and are widely regarded as inferior. That's why Bixby may be the best thing to happen to Samsung software in a long time. If customers respond, Bixby could, in the long term, finally get Samsung users to think of its phones as Samsung phones rather than just the best-performing Android phones on the market. All Android vendors try to differentiate to some extent, but Bixby's app-simplifying skills and potential IoT capabilities are a compelling sell. Bixby represents an important step for Samsung when it comes to services: finally a good answer to "Why should I use your software?" Effortless voice control of everything not just your phone is a tantalizing promise, and if Samsung can pull it off in the long term, its "bright sidekick" might end up being the only assistant we actually want to talk to. Intel on Sunday took the wraps off its first Optane SSD, a device thats been in the making for at least 10 years. The new memory tool is supposed to work both as a speedy SSD and as a RAM unit, while offering faster performance and longer life. Intels exceptional invention sounds amazing, but dont get too excited. The new 3D XPoint memory device the Intel Optane SSD P4800X might not be available in any commercial products this year, at least not the kind that regular users would buy. Instead, the device will be used in servers that require plenty of computing power speed, though we can only hope Intel finds a way to bring it over to regular computers and even smartphones in the near future. Don't Miss: Galaxy S8 leaks: The 10 biggest leaks you missed over the weekend Intels first 3D XPoint SSD will be available in a 375GB versions that costs $1,520. Thats cheaper than RAM memory, The Wall Street Journal explains, but significantly more expensive than traditional SSDs. According to Ars Technica, in the second quarter, Intel will release 750GB PCIe and 375GB U.2 models, while storage should go up to 1.5TB (PCIe) and 750GB (U.2) in the second half of the year. Whats exciting about the new memory technology is that nobody knows exactly how it works. While DRAM and NAND use transistors etched in silicon to store electrical charges representing digital 1s and 0s, the new technology uses no transistors and stores no charge, Intel has said, The Journal writes. Instead, it uses electricity to make a physical changelike shifting between crystalline and amorphous statesin a proprietary material that Intel and Micron havent named publicly. When it comes to performance, the 3D XPoint tech should be 1,000 times faster than traditional NAND flash memory found in a regular SSD, but current interfaces will only allow it to operate at speeds of five-to-eight times faster than NAND SSDs. 3D XPoint reaches just 80% of RAM speed, but that might not matter to companies looking to significantly expand RAM in their servers without breaking the bank 3D Xpoint is cheaper than conventional RAM and requires far less energy to operate. Story continues One other significant advantage 3D XPoint has over NAND flash is that write processes wont destroy the drive over time, which would obviously give them much more longevity than traditional SSDs. According to The Journal, Dell is currently testing the technology for an unspecified purpose. Alibaba Group will use Optane 3D XPoint drives for fast internet searches, and Harvard University will use it for cloud computing. Trending right now: See the original version of this article on BGR.com By Yuval Ben-David and Michael Martina JERUSALEM/BEIJING (Reuters) - China's economy may be 35 times larger than Israel's, but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is hoping to use that to advantage during a three-day visit to Beijing as he looks to reorient Israel's economy toward Asia over Europe and the United States. A week after U.S. chip giant Intel agreed to buy Israeli technology firm Mobileye for $15.3 billion, Netanyahu wants to enlarge Israel's high-tech presence in China while encouraging further Chinese investment in Israel, where infrastructure and construction projects are growing apace. More than 100 technology executives have joined Netanyahu on the visit, with meetings planned with Chinese business leaders. Bilateral trade has been hovering at around $8 billion for the last few years, but over the past decade, Israel's exports to China have tripled to $3.3 billion in 2016, with technology - from cybersecurity to agri-tech - leading the way. Half the investments in Israeli funds in 2015 involved at least one Chinese investor, and 40 percent of funds raised by Israeli venture capital firms came from Chinese backers, according to the Economy Ministry. "Israel is pivoting towards Asia in a very clear and purposeful way," Netanyahu said last month in Singapore, which he visited along with Australia. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Israel in the summer, underpinning the Asia trend. While the European Union remains Israel's largest trading partner, Asia is steadily closing the gap and politically it tends to put far fewer demands on Israel than the EU does. Matan Vilnai, Israel's former ambassador to Beijing, said China's interests in Israel were almost purely economic. The Chinese leadership seeks to learn from Israel's culture of high-tech innovation and doesn't push beyond that. "It's very simple: technology, technology, technology," he told Reuters. Chinese firms are driving major infrastructure projects in Israel, including Tel Aviv's metro system and new Mediterranean ports in Haifa and Ashdod. A deal for 6,000 Chinese construction workers to come to Israel was signed earlier this year, with the possibility of extending it to 20,000. Ilan Maor, Israel's former consul-general in Shanghai and the managing partner of Sheng BDO, a business advisory firm, said he thinks China's leadership is keen to limit discussions with the Israeli delegation to economics, even if Beijing has become more outspoken on Middle East issues. "The place (Netanyahu) can make a significant contribution is opening the door to more trade, moving forward to free trade, and making a clear message that we want Chinese investment," he said. The countries are negotiating a free-trade agreement, although it remains unclear how far advanced talks are. From Netanyahu's point of view, while China and Israel may be vastly different in terms of population, physical size and resources, there is a strong fit: while Israel innovates, China concentrates on mass marketing and commercialization. "Given the basic infrastructure of initial and secondary development - airports, sewage lines, water - once you've done that, the way to go up and up and up is to constantly improve your products and services and utilities with technology," Netanyahu told Chinese business leaders in Beijing. "We are your perfect junior partner for that effort." (This version of the story has been refiled to fix title and spelling of India's Modi in paragraph six) (Editing by Luke Baker and Alison Williams) The latest Galaxy S8 price rumors reaffirm that the device may be quite expensive; however, it may not be as expensive as originally expected. Tech informant, Evan Blass recently shared possible price details for several products Samsung is expected to release soon. Blass predicts a 799 price tag for the Galaxy S8 and an 899 price for the Galaxy S8 Plus. These prices would directly convert to about $858 for the Galaxy S8 and $965. However, taking into consideration that currency does not convert directly, it is possible the Galaxy S8 could cost around $799 in the U.S., while the Galaxy S8 Plus could cost around $899. This seems plausible considering the price of the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge. The smaller S7 sold for $672 while the phablet-sized Galaxy S7 Edge sold for $792. For Samsungs 2017 release it is expected to release two phablet-sized devices. The smaller S8 device may be similar in size to the Galaxy S7 Edge, which could mean its price could also be similar. The Galaxy S8 Plus may be similar in size to the Galaxy Note 7, which sold for $849, meaning the S8 Plus may also have a price similar to the 2016 Note smartphone. It is possible Galaxy S8 aspects including the larger display and biometric features such as a fingerprint scanner and iris or facial recognition scanner could influence the price of the smartphone. Reports have indicated that Samsung expects the pricier Galax S8 Plus to be more popular with consumers. At this time no price rumors for the Galaxy S8 have been confirmed. Most rumors have surfaced in currency other than dollars. Such rumors have suggested the Galaxy S8 may sell for $845 and the Galaxy S8 Plus for $950. In addition to smartphone prices, Blass also revealed Samsung may release its DeX mobile computer station at 150, a new Gear VR headset at 129 and a new Gear 360 camera at 229. These prices would convert directly to $161, $138 and $246. Story continues Samsung is expected to unveil the Galaxy S8 March 29 and release the device between April 21 and 29. Related Articles Samsung on Monday unveiled whats probably going to be one of the Galaxy S8s most important new features, the Bixby assistant. After months of speculation, and after confirming the existence of Bixby on its website, Samsung decided to tell us what Bixby is and what it can do. The company also confirmed that Bixby is indeed debuting on the Galaxy S8, although we might see it in a more limited capacity at first. Don't Miss: Galaxy S8 leaks: The 10 biggest leaks you missed over the weekend Samsung has a conceptually new philosophy to the problem: instead of humans learning how the machine interacts with the world (a reflection of the abilities of designers), it is the machine that needs to learn and adapt to us, Samsung explained in a press release. The interface must be natural and intuitive enough to flatten the learning curve regardless of the number of functions being added. With this new approach, Samsung has employed artificial intelligence, reinforcing deep learning concepts to the core of our user interface designs. Bixby is the ongoing result of this effort. Samsung said that Bixby will be a new intelligent assistant, thatll be fundamentally different from other voice agents or assistants in the market. Three major features make up Bixby, including Completeness, Context Awareness, and Cognitive Tolerance. Completeness refers to the assistants ability to trigger nearly any task inside an application that can be triggered using a touch command. Context Awareness refers to Bixbys ability to determine the users intentions based on whatever he or she is doing at the time. Cognitive Tolerance refers to the assistants ability to understand a variety of actions without the user having to remember specific wording for commands. The Galaxy S8 will contain a subset of Bixby-enabled applications at launch, and the set will continue to expand over time. Samsung said in its announcement that it plans to release an SDK in the future so that third-party app developers can incorporate Bixby in their applications. Story continues Samsung also said that it plans to bring Bixby to a wide range of different devices, not just flagship phones. Trending right now: See the original version of this article on BGR.com FBI Director James Comey said today that his department is investigating any links between individuals associated with the Trump campaign and the Russian government, and any attempts to coordinate. But he added, in opening comments to a House Intelligence Committee hearing looking at the matter, that because it is an open ongoing investigation and is classified, I cannot say more. Whats more, he says, it isnt fair to draw conclusions simply because I say I cannot comment. But I can promise you we will follow the facts wherever they may lead. Asked about President Donald Trumps tweets accusing former President Barack Obama of ordering wiretaps of Trump Tower and his phones, Comey said that he has no information that supports those tweets and added that the Justice Department has no information that supports those tweets. He added later that agency officials had made a fairly easy judgment that Russian President Vladimir Putin wanted to interfere with the U.S. election to help Trump and hurt his rival, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who had been a vigorous critic. Putin had a clear preference for the person running against the person he hated so much, Comey said. National Security Agency Director Mike Rogers also disputed the Presidents suggestion that his agency might have encouraged Britains intelligence agency GCHQ to eavesdrop on him. He didnt do so nor would I. He agreed with the British governments characterization of the charge as utterly ridiculous adding that it frustrates a key ally of ours. The officials described Russias interference in the 2016 election as unusual. It was very loud, Comey said, almost as though they wanted us to know. The plan might have been to undermine the credibility of our entire enterprise by freaking people out. Story continues He added that the Russians will be back in 2020 maybe in 2018 having concluded that their efforts paid off. They want to mess with us in a continuing and general way, he says. Their next opportunity to mess with our election is two years from now and four years from now. Rogers agreed, saying that he has never seen in previous presidential elections information published on such a massive scale that had been illegally removed. Later, in response to a question, he added that absent some change in the dynamic, this is not the last time well be having this discussion. Committee Chairman Devin Nunes (R-CA) kicked off the hearing saying that Russian interference in the election comes as no shock to this committee but remains deeply troubling. He added that we know there was not a physical wiretap of Trump Tower but held that its possible there were other forms of surveillance. Several Republicans including Trey Gowdy (SC) and Peter King (NY) quizzed the officials about leaks of classified information. Comey said that theyve been unusually active and should be prosecuted. In response to a question, he also said that leaks didnt necessarily come from intelligence agencies. They could come from lots of different places.Its often coming from places you didnt anticipate. Ranking member Adam Schiff (D-CA) said that if evidence shows the Trump campaign aided or abetted the Russians it would be one of the most shocking betrayals of democracy in history. Its possible, he added, that its a coincidence that a string of connections between the Presidents camp and the Russians was followed by its leaks designed to hurt Clintons campaign, as well as Trumps efforts to quash criticism of the countrys invasion of the Ukraine and intensify criticisms of NATO. But it is also possible, maybe more than possible that it isnt a coincidence, Schiff said. Comey frequently declined to discuss specific meetings or investigations. The President noted in a tweet from his White House account during the hearing that the FBI director refuses to deny he briefed President Obama on calls made by Trumps former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn to Russia. FBI Director Comey refuses to deny he briefed President Obama on calls made by Michael Flynn to Russia. pic.twitter.com/cUZ5KgBSYP President Trump (@POTUS) March 20, 2017 Comey and Rogers said the Russians felt that their election year leaks had been effective, but Comey added that the FBI made no judgment as to whether the Russians were successful in influencing the outcome of the election. Although late in the summer they concluded that Mr. Trump didnt have a chance, the Russian government still felt it was worthwhile to undermine her, meaning Clinton, especially with European allies, the FBI director said. The President said that the officials told Congress that Russia did not influence electoral process. The NSA and FBI tell Congress that Russia did not influence electoral process. pic.twitter.com/d9HqkxYBt5 President Trump (@POTUS) March 20, 2017 Asked about the tweet, Comey said that his agency didnt look at whether Russian actions affected the outcome of the election. Prior to the hearing, Trump fired off several tweets from his personal account attacking the investigations of Russian interference in the election. One questioned all of the contact with the Clinton campaign and the Russians. What about all of the contact with the Clinton campaign and the Russians? Also, is it true that the DNC would not let the FBI in to look? Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 20, 2017 Another tweet charged that Democrats made up and pushed the Russian story as an excuse for running a terrible campaign. The Democrats made up and pushed the Russian story as an excuse for running a terrible campaign. Big advantage in Electoral College & lost! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 20, 2017 Related stories Donald Trump Declares Truce With NBCU Long Enough To Appear In Golf Channel's Jack Nicklaus Special John Oliver: Donald Trump Treated Angela Merkel Like Drunk Masturbating In Subway Car Chris Matthews: Donald Trump Beating Alec Baldwin At Presidential Parody iStock/Thinkstock(SEOUL, South Korea) -- North Korea announced this weekend that it had tested a new rocket engine that could drive a nuclear weapon. The test came just hours before Secretary of State Rex Tillerson met with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing. Analysts in Seoul, South Korea say the photo released by North Korea appears to feature a main engine supported by four supplementary engines. The South Korean military is analyzing exactly what that means to the current status of North Korea's missile program. Copyright 2017, ABC Radio. All rights reserved. Yogi handed them the Bharatiya Janata Party's vision document - Sankalp Patra - for the 2017 state assembly elections, and asked the bureaucrats to study the document and ensure its "speedy and complete implementation". By India Today Web Desk: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath today directed senior officials of the state to prepare a roadmap for "good governance and transparency" for all departments. Presiding over a meeting of the officials, Yogi handed them the Bharatiya Janata Party's vision document - Sankalp Patra - for the 2017 state assembly elections, and asked the bureaucrats to study the document and ensure its "speedy and complete implementation". advertisement Officials present at the meeting said that the "maiden meeting with the new CM was good" though it had its "share of anxious moments". They pointed out that they knew very little about the new Chief Minister, who is known for his firebrand Hindutva-oriented politics. Yogi also asked policemen to ensure that law and order situation in the state improved within a week. He referred to the late-night killing of a BSP leader in Allahabad and directed the Director General of Police (DGP) to bring the guilty to book. The Chief Minister was slated to attend a high tea hosted by Governor Ram Naik at Raj Bavan for the new ministers. Earlier in the day, Yogi moved into the official Chief Minister's residence at 5, Kalidas Marg. But before he moved in, seven priests from the Gorakhnath temple in Gorakhpur, of which Yogi is the presiding priest, propitiated the gods - performing a "Shuddhi Hawan" and "Vastu Puja" - before a "Kalash" was placed as a sign of house warming. A priest also made the auspicious 'Swastik' symbols on both sides of the tall gate of the heavily guarded CM's residence, which was occupied by former Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav for well over five years. The sprawling bungalow will now be home to the 44-year-old Chief Minister, who is a bachelor, and some of his companions of many years, who, an insider said, would take care of the "routine puja-paath". Before moving into the 5, Kalidas Marg, the Chief Minister spent the night at a luxury suite in the state's VVIP Guest House, where many senior officials visited him and sought directions. Prominent among those who visited him included Chief Secretary Rahul Bhatnagar, Director General of Police Javeed Ahmad, senior Indian Police Service officer Sultan Singh and Surya Kumar Shukla. LOCAL BSP LEADER SHOT DEAD IN ALLAHABAD BSP leader Mohammed Shami was shot dead in Allahabad on Sunday night. He was reportedly shot at by two unidentified gunmen who came on a motorbike. The incident took place in Allahabad's Mau Aima. Mohhamed Shami was going towards his car parked outside his office, when he was fatally shot. WATCH VIDEO | Yogi Yug in Uttar Pradesh: From Gorakhpur to 5, Kalidas Marg advertisement ALSO READ:To keep tab on CM Yogi Adityanath, PM Modi's office appoints senior IAS officer as Centre's monitor --- ENDS --- The 51-year-old preacher has been booked along with other unnamed officials of his IRF for promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion. By Mustafa Shaikh: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) issued a second notice to controversial Islamic preacher Zakir Naik asking him to join the investigation at its headquarters in New Delhi on March 30. The previous notice had asked him to appear on March 14. Naik's Islamic Research Foundation official has received the second notice on Friday. This notice will only add to the list of summons that has been issued to Naik by Enforcement Directorate (ED). advertisement It is believed that Naik is staying in Saudi Arabia to evade arrest after perpetrators of the Dhaka terror attack last year claimed that they were inspired by him. The 51-year-old preacher has been booked along with other unnamed officials of his IRF for promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion. He has also been accused of indulging in acts prejudicial to the maintenance of harmony beside various sections of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA). Meanwhile, ED has recorded statement of Naik's sister Nailah Noorani under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). Earlier, ED said that properties belonging to Zakir Naik worth Rs 100 crore in India will be attached soon and process to issue a non-bailable warrant against him will be initiated. Hawala transactions, his sister's role in Rs 200 crore transaction is being probed. The ED will begin legal process to issue the warrant against him will be initiated if does not appear by the prescribed date. Meanwhile, ED is short listing properties of Dr Naik in India which could be attached soon. The valuation of these properties could be around Rs 100 crore. Also Read Mumbai: Evangelist Zakir Naik skips ED summon again ED summons Islamic preacher Zakir Naik under Money Laundering Act Also watch: NIA issues second summons to absconding Islamic preacher Zakir Naik --- ENDS --- A researcher, Ali Alfoneh, of The Washington Institute for Near East Policy, recently put the number of Iranian losses at 2,603. The 2,603 losses were broken down as 511 actual Iranians, 1,045 Hezbollah fighters and 1,047 Afghan, Pakistani and other Shiite militia fighters, which were all under Iranian command. More than 10 Iranians of a rank equivalent to a Brigadier General are said to have been among those killed. High losses, especially of so many senior officers, according to the report, is the reason Irans military presence in Syria and Iraq has fallen from thousands to hundreds. Other speculations are that Tehran has only now confirmed the numbers publicly because the wars are winding down and there wont be significant additional Iranian losses. Still other, contrary reports, by regime opposition groups, claim that Irans losses are far higher, but are being covered up. The broader implication though, is that Tehran is becoming a secondary player for the Assad regime, with Russia providing the primary military backup and direction. 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. BUSHTON -- There are a sizable number of people from Morgan Township who served in World War II, as evident by the four plaques resting up on a wall in the township building. One of those listed on the plaques is a 91-year-old World War II veteran who was honored Saturday for his service during the dedication of the veteran plaques. Jack Boyds name is one of 93 names that now have a more permanent recognition of their service on plaques in the Morgan Township building. Before, these names were listed on several white boards that have since chipped and deteriorated. A local committee that is focused honoring veterans of foreign wars set out to make a more permanent recognition of the soldiers that were either from Morgan Township when they enlisted or lived there throughout their lives. Boyd was given an American flag that had been flown over the Illinois State Capitol for a few days, as well a World War II Victory Medal. Boyd said he saw war, in general, as a waste of time, however he was still honored by the dedication, the flag and the medal for his time in the war. He was presented the flag by state Rep. Reggie Phillips, R-Charleston. He said he never believed when he was on the U.S.S. Cascade in the South Pacific that he would be recognized for the work he did. Boyd served with the Navy as a deckhand and mailman on the destroyer tender, which is an auxiliary ship that served as a supportive maintenance ship, in the South Pacific in Tokyo from 1944-48. Boyd and his wife, Janis, have lived in Fairgrange all their lives. After his stint in the service, Boyd worked for the railroads for 30 years. Tom Michael, 90, who served in the South Pacific during WWII, was another veteran who was in attendance for the dedication. Meredith Von Lanken, a member of the foreign wars committee, said Michael and Boyd are the only living WWII veterans living in the area or from the area as far as those in the committee know. Michael served in the Navy, also, as a boatswain in the South Pacific. Michael said he helped steer the destroyer he was on, the U.S.S Norman Scott. Michael said the ship he was on traveled to several islands in the South Pacific front, including Iwo Jima, Okinawa. His last time in the war was spent in Tokyo. Michaels ship took a beating throughout much of the war. Holes from shrapnel would become commonplace on some of the walls of the ship, he said. Michael said 22 men were killed on the Norman Scott. Michael was one of 57 injured on the ship, later getting an honorable discharge from service for his injuries. He said it was humbling to see his name as one of many on the plaques, however, especially when he enlisted to fight, recognition for his service was far from his mind. I was growing up, 17, and everybody was getting drafted and going to service, Micheal said. I thought that was the thing to do so, hell, I volunteered I didn't know any better. Michael was in a family of servicemen. He had two brothers, Bill who served in the Air Force during the war and Bruce who served in the Army during the war. I heard about those guys sleeping in fox holes and this and that and everything, he said. I thought, Well, hell, lets get on a ship where you have a place to sleep and something to eat. After the war, Michael went on to serve as a building inspector in Charleston. Lanken said there was a misunderstanding that Michael was deceased. It was found out later, close to the time of the dedication, that he was not. Plans are being considered to honor Michael in a similar fashion to Boyd. She said both would have been honored in the same way had organizers known in time for the dedication. The project to get Michael, Boyd and the WWII soldiers from Morgan Township a more solidified place in township history started last summer, Lanken said. Roy McNabb, whose father, Paul McNabb, was a WWII veteran from the area, proposed the idea. He came to us and asked if we could do something, maybe a plaque indoors, that would be more permanent, Lanken said. The committees goal is to ensure that those on the plaques represent all of the Morgan Township WWII veterans. The committee is planning on representing all the Morgan Township veterans from the other wars in the township building eventually. Lanken said anyone with information about a veteran from these wars can call her at 217-348-1438 or can fax Morgan Township at 217-348-1005. IPPF Appointment of Director, Knowledge Information Systems and Technology Located in Bangkok, Thailand $75,000 USD plus 7% international allowance per annum plus benefits Join us to defend the sexual and reproductive health rights of all people Empowering the most vulnerable women, men and young people in over 170 countries to access life-saving services and programmes and to live with dignity, the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) and its 30,000 staff, along with millions of volunteers, campaign for sexual and reproductive health rights (SRHR) and deliver education and services through 45,000 service points. In pursuit of our aim to improve quality of life and ensure all peoples right to enjoy sexual lives free from ill health, unwanted pregnancy, violence and discrimination, we are currently embarking on an ambitious new strategy and in order to achieve our goals, we have developed a brand new team to support us in the drive for increased impact, efficiency and performance. IPPF is now seeking its first Director, Knowledge Information Systems and Technology. The role will report to the Director of Performance Division and will develop and lead a knowledge information services and technology team as well as work closely with IPPFs regional offices and Member Associations. The new Director will provide global leadership, innovation and direction in the development and implementation of organizational ICT strategy in support of organizational business objectives in the fast-paced and changing business environment and help the Federation to deliver on its new Strategic Framework. This new and exciting role will be based in our new office in Bangkok, and will involve international travel. In this role you will provide insight and advice on how to use cutting-edge technology to drive the organizations efficiency and competitiveness across all facets of the Secretariat, optimising and prioritising the Secretariats investment in information and communications technology. You will ensure planning and delivery, based on IPPFs strategic plan, of priorities around information needs, business related processes, integration requirements and implementation of knowledge information systems. Furthermore, you will be responsible for the full range of information and communications systems (ICT) across the Secretariat including the life cycle and budgets of computer equipment, software, voice communications, digital systems, security systems and knowledge management systems. You are educated to degree level in information technology, business management or a related field. You have significant experience in a senior-level information technology leadership and management position alongside strategic IT programme development, implementation and management of large scale ICT contracts. Change management experience in leading and motivating teams, including global and remote teams, is essential, as well as knowledge of information technology computer systems and software, and the ability to manage information technology operations, development and implementation. We are also seeking individuals with experience of working in an international development organization across multiple regions/countries and experience of health informatics is strongly preferred. You can demonstrate excellent analytical skills to identify and present relevant information to senior decision makers; strong project management skills including time management skills and a confident, proactive approach to problem solving; exceptional team and consensus building skills; excellent interpersonal skills including the ability to use sound judgment, initiative and be accountable, as well as contracting, and negotiating skills; strong written and verbal communication skills in English, with the ability to interact effectively with employees at all levels of the organization; and also, sound budgeting skills and financial astuteness. Additionally, you are committed to the mission, values and culture of IPPF, have the ability to maintain an appropriate level of information sharing/confidentiality to protect IPPFs commercial interests and are willing to travel internationally approximately 40 days a year. Fluent English is essential, and a working knowledge of French, Spanish or Arabic desirable. For further information and to download the appointment details, please visit the website of IPPFs appointed advisors for this role, Perrett Laver, at www.perrettlaver.com/candidates quoting reference 2846. Applications should include a full curriculum vitae (including comprehensive details of key achievements and responsibilities and current salary) along with a covering letter addressing the candidate profile and indicating motivation for both the role and IPPF. The closing date for applications is 9am BST on 18 April 2017. Formal interviews are likely to take place in London or via Skype on 31 May and/or 1 June 2017. For further information please contact Sophia Copeman at sophia.copeman@perrettlaver.com Applications are particularly encouraged from candidates openly living with HIV. IPPF is committed to equal opportunities and cultural diversity. Candidates from all sections of the community are welcome to apply. IPPF will assist with the work permit for Bangkok, if required. 1. Comments must not be racist, misogynistic, homophobic, or otherwise bigoted. 2. Comments must not involve little more than name-calling and insulting remarks. 3. Comments must not be made by "anonymous" or "unknown". 4. Comments must not try to sneak in some free advertising for themselves (like spam). I invite anyone who wishes to comment on this blog to do so. I enjoy the comments, whether you agree with what I have said or not. But some people want to abuse the right to comment, and since this is my blog, I have decided to lay down the following rules. If your comment violates these rules, it will not be published. The Harry A. Koch Co. hires Chris Smith as the Lincoln branch manager and Jim Olafson as sales executive, FNB liaison. The Harry A. Koch Co. is pleased to announce the addition of Chris Smith as the branch manager for the Lincoln office. Smith began his insurance carrier in 1986 with the Cleveland Insurance Group. In 1995, he joined The Harry A. Koch Co., working for 12 years before he joined a local, family-owned and operated agency in Lincoln. After working for them for 10 years as president, he has returned to The Harry A. Koch Co. Smith has extensive knowledge in total cost of risk (TCOR) and risk management, in addition to his in-depth knowledge of workers' compensation. He is the membership committee chair for Nebraskans for Workers' Compensation Equity and Fairness (NWCEF). Smith attended Illinois College in Jacksonville, Ill., and was in the United States Air Force until his honorable discharge in 1982. He holds his Nebraska resident agent's license in property and casualty, life and annuities, sickness, accident and health, and his consultant license in property and casualty. In 1996, he earned his Certified Insurance Consultant designation. The Harry A. Koch Co. is pleased to announce the addition of Jim Olafson as sales executive and FNB liaison. Olafson joined The Harry A. Koch Co. in 1993 and had a stellar twenty-year career. In 2013, Olason had the opportunity to start and manage an insurance branch for a large bank in the Denver metro area. He enjoyed the experience and success of the new branch, but in 2016, Olafson decided to return to Omaha to be close to family and friends. Now, back with The Koch Co., Olafson performs two roles: sales executive and FNB Liaison. As sales executive, he provides professional risk management assistance to his commercial clients in the transportation, agriculture, and industrial business. As The Koch Co.'s FNB liaison Olafson will work with Koch's parent company, First National Bank of Omaha, and the First Insurance Group agencies to create and maintain a collaborative relationship between all groups. Founded in 1916, The Harry A. Koch Co. is a locally owned insurance agency and broker with offices in Omaha and Lincoln. They employ over 100 professionals and are the 20th largest bank-owned insurance agency in the United States. Two Lincoln-based small businesses have won awards from the Nebraska Business Development Center. International Propeller Service was named the NBDC's 2016 Export Business of the Year and Goldfinch Solutions won the Innovation Business of the Year award. Both businesses were honored at a luncheon at the State Capitol on Friday. NBDC, which is a collaboration between the U.S. Small Business Administration and the College of Business Administration at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, awards the Export Business of the Year annually to a Nebraska business that is successful in selling and delivering products or services internationally. International Propeller Services, which is located at 4630 Hartley Ave., does propeller repairs and also sells overhauled propellers and parts. Since 2012, it has exported products to clients in 43 countries. There are only 30 shops in the country that do this kind of work, Managing Partner Bob Finke said in a news release. The Innovation Business of the Year award goes to a Nebraska business that advances technological innovation and partners with a Nebraska university to either meet federal research and development needs, or increase commercialization of federal research. Goldfinch Solutions is a University of Nebraska-Lincoln startup company that created an imaging technology that can identify at the packing stage whether a piece of piece of meat will be tender, intermediate or tough. Nebraska lawmakers are considering legislation that would stop the state from deducting public employees' union dues from their paychecks, a measure that union leaders said unfairly penalizes collective bargaining groups. A bill (LB503) sponsored by Sen. Tom Brewer of Gordon would prohibit public employers from deducting union dues or assessments from the wages of public employees "including, but not limited to, public school employees." "This raises the question whether (the bill) is a barefooted political retribution or whether the sponsors don't trust educators," state teachers union president Nancy Fulton said Monday. The measure is unlikely to advance from the seven-member Business and Labor Committee due to opposition from the three Democratic senators and liberal independent Sen. Ernie Chambers. But if it makes it to the full Legislature, Nebraska could join several other states where Republicans in recent years have passed similar laws or are now considering them. Wisconsin's far-reaching 2011 union law ended paycheck deductions for most unionized public employees, and Alabama prohibited deductions after Republicans gained control of the state's Legislature in 2011. Pennsylvania and Missouri are currently considering similar legislation. Brewer said he doesn't want to eliminate unions in any way but instead "get the government out of the business of being a dues collector." Paying dues should be a conscious choice from union members, he said. The bill is a "step in the right direction" toward eliminating public employee unions, said Lincoln City Council candidate Deb Andrews. She said unionized employees control government bureaucracy and prioritize their jobs, pensions and benefits over other taxpayers. "We don't elect them, but they control us," she said. Nebraska already is a "right-to-work" state, where union membership is voluntary and non-union employees are covered by union contracts. Employers can choose whether to agree to paycheck deductions during negotiations, and they take the minimal cost associated with it into account, Nebraska Association of Public Employees executive director Mike Marvin said. Smaller collective bargaining groups, like the Southeast Community College Faculty Association, may be unable to collect dues, association president Dennis Toalson said. His union has about 275 members who have $12 a month deducted from their paychecks, Toalson added. "This would really limit our ability to function," he said. Removing payroll deductions for unions and leaving them for charitable donations, employees' share of health care and 401(K) deductions doesn't make sense, Omaha Firefighters Association President Steve LeClair said. "I know that there's this perception that unions are just a pure support for the Democratic Party," LeClair said. "Firefighters look for people who support public safety, whether they have a D, a R or a L behind their name." Three state senators emerged Monday as potential candidates for secretary of state in the wake of John Gale's announcement that he will not seek re-election in 2018. Sens. Jim Smith of Papillion and John Murante of Gretna are possible Republican candidates for the post that Gale has held since December 2000. Sen. Adam Morfeld of Lincoln is viewed as a potential Democratic candidate. Lincoln attorney Bob Evnen, a former member of the State Board of Education with deep ties in the Republican Party, has long been considered to be a potential GOP candidate if Gale decided to step down after 18 years as the state's chief election officer. "I think there are many potential candidates out there who will be interested in this job if I don't run," Gale said. "This will give them a chance to file in plenty of time to run in the May 2018 primary." Gale was appointed by former Gov. Mike Johanns to fill a vacancy in the office in December 2000 and subsequently won four elections to four-year terms. During those years, Gale said, he has been most proud of "the conduct of statewide elections being smooth, reliable, fair, accessible, accountable, transparent and secure." Murante, chairman of the Legislature's Government, Military and Veterans Affairs Committee, said he will "give serious consideration" to the possibility of seeking the office in 2018. Murante would be at the mid-point of his second and final four-year legislative term. "I think I have a record of having a tremendous amount of expertise in election law and policy," Murante said. Those are subjects that come before his legislative committee. Murante is sponsor of a proposed constitutional amendment that would clear the path for adoption of voter photo ID requirements in Nebraska and a bill that would return the state to a winner-take-all system of awarding all of Nebraska's presidential electoral votes to the statewide victor. Three of the state's five electoral votes now are awarded to the winner in each of the state's congressional districts. Smith, who will complete his second and final term in the Legislature at the end of 2018, said he has made no decisions about his political future. "I'm sorting out plans for what I may do after the Legislature," he said, while acknowledging that he has indicated "some interest" in the office of secretary of state in the past. Smith is chairman of the Legislature's Revenue Committee. Morfeld, who is serving his first term in the Legislature, noted that he has expressed interest in serving as secretary of state at some point in the future, but he declined comment at this time. Gale's departure opens up a second state constitutional office in the 2018 election that will be free of an incumbent. Republican State Treasurer Don Stenberg will be term-limited out of office after the end of next year. Gale practiced law in North Platte for 29 years before becoming secretary of state. He was Republican state chairman in 1986. Some senators on Monday took the opportunity to express their dismay that the Department of Health and Human Services has held up a set of state psychology licensing rules and regulations for at least seven years. They spoke out during a report offered to the Legislature on the confirmation of Dr. Thomas Williams, the chief medical officer and director of the department's public health division. Williams, a pathologist, in part oversees the division responsible for regulation and licensure of health professionals and occupations. He has practiced at Methodist Hospital in Omaha for 38 years, and teaches at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. Sen. Adam Morfeld of Lincoln said the lack of revised regulations for the practice of psychology in the state has hurt recruitment of psychologists and has impacted the public. In 2008, he said, the Board of Psychology completed a review of the regulations after consulting with the Nebraska Psychological Association, and recommended several important changes. Those revisions ranged from psychological definitions on testing, extended timeframes for completing doctoral supervised work experience, record keeping and updating of the code of conduct. Those revised regulations were sent in 2009 to the Nebraska Catholic Conference for review, Morfeld said, and the conference "demanded" the regulations be revised to include a conscience clause that would allow licensed psychologists to deny professional services. If a person from the LGBT community would go to a psychologist who did not approve of that lifestyle, Morfeld said, they could be turned away with no duty to refer that person to another psychologist. "Now why is this a big deal?" Morfeld said. "It's a big deal because the primary purpose of the regulations is not to serve the individual personal interest of a psychologist, but rather the broader public interest and good." The department's CEO, Courtney Phillips, said long-running actions on the rules have been terminated and a new draft of the regulations has been written. "We put (out) a fresh set that people can start to provide feedback (on), and we'll work through the process," she said. The Nebraska Catholic Conference said the conference's position on the regulations was misrepresented during the debate. The conference, said executive director Tom Venzor, had for many years been willing to work on alternative means for referral of patients that satisfied everyone. But other stakeholders were unwilling to accept the compromise, he said. The conscience clause and referral proposal had to do with marriage counseling, he said, and not psychological counseling for people who were depressed, for example, or had other needs. The conference's compromise would have permitted a mandatory, general list of providers for referral, but not a direct referral to a specific provider, Venzor said. "This general list would have provided the patient ample avenues for choosing the provider best suited for their needs," he said. Venzor said counselors, including those at Catholic Social Services, provide services to anybody dealing with the array of mental health issues, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity. "For example," he said, "a counselor would not deny somebody suffering depression or anxiety because of their sexual orientation or gender identity." But those counselors have limits on their ability to properly and fully serve a patient regarding marriage therapy because of their religious and moral beliefs on the nature of marriage as being between one man and one woman, he said. A letter sent March 6 to Phillips from Anne Talbot, president of the board of directors of the Nebraska Psychological Association, protested the new draft of regulations. That draft, she said, removes sanctions for discrimination, including the elimination of any mention of sexual orientation and gender identity as non-discrimination categories. And there is no reference to the American Psychological Association's practice standards cited in previous versions of the regulations. "This is especially disappointing in light of our previous hope that your administration would take a more enlightened stance toward our long delayed and much needed psychology regulations updates," Talbot said. Omaha Sen. John McCollister said he hoped Phillips would put the issue on the top of her to-do list. The regulations process should not go back to square one, he said. The Legislature confirmed Williams' appointment 39-2, with Omaha Sens. Ernie Chambers and Morfeld voting against the appointment. Omaha Sen. Bob Krist said Williams' credentials spoke volumes about his past, but now his job is to take care of the health and safety issues of Nebraska that have not been taken care of for quite some time, including such issues as immunizations and radon in homes. And when the doctor comes to committees to testify on health and safety issues, Krist said, he needs to provide his medical opinion and tell the truth about those issues. Bonnie Faye Zager died on March 17, 2017, in Lincoln. Bonnie was born in Wellington, Kan., on June 5, 1935, the 10th of 13 children to Juana Gonzales and Santiago Manuel Orosco. She grew up in Sutherland, attended Sutherland High School, and worked at the Soil Conservation Office in North Platte. Bonnie and Don met in North Platte, marrying six months later and settling in Lincoln. Bonnie worked at the State Capitol at the Board of Education Lands and Funds until 1968 when she left to be a full-time homemaker. Bonnie suffered a stroke on March 8, and quietly departed while in the peaceful environs of The Monarch hospice home. Bonnie had a creative spirit and it showed in her accomplished sewing, decorating and cooking. She loved her church and was a lifelong member in service clubs and bible study groups. Bonnie was a supportive, nurturing spouse and mother and her humor and playfulness made our home warm and happy. Bonnie is survived by husband of 50 years, Don Zager (Lincoln), daughter Susan (Denver), and Mike (Des Moines, Iowa), and grandchildren Carlos and Sigourney (Denver). Bonnie had only two biological children but was called "Mom" by many nieces, nephews and friends and the impact she had on us will echo throughout the rest of our lives. We will celebrate Bonnie's life at 10 a.m. on Thursday, March 23, with a funeral service held at Calvary Lutheran Church, 2788 Franklin Street, followed by a graveside ceremony and luncheon at Lincoln Memorial Funeral Home. Visitation will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. on Wednesday, March 22, at Lincoln Memorial Funeral Home, 6800 South 14th Street. Memorials may be given to the family for a future designation. The next national drug take back day is April 29 this year, but theres no need to wait. You can take back medicines any day to most pharmacies in Lincoln. Diane Webb cleaned out her mothers drugs, after she passed away last year, everything from prescriptions to old Neosporin. She put everything in plastic bags and dropped them off at the O Street Hy-Vee. What started as a pilot program in Lincoln in 2012 has grown into a statewide program with more than 300 pharmacies helping collect drugs, everything from outdated aspirin to waiting-to-be stolen oxycodan. People are encouraged to get rid of leftover medication because it might get into the wrong hands -- accidentally taken by children, or stolen by others. Webb, who works for the Nebraska Pharmacists Association, has seen the evolution of the program and the growing awareness of disposing of medicines safely. It's not just prescriptions, she said. "It's the Advil and the eye drops that have expired." Last year pharmacies across the state collected almost 20,000 pounds of no longer needed and unwanted medications that people brought in from their homes. Thats a half-dozen mid-sized elephants worth of drugs. About two-thirds of pharmacies -- 45 of 60 -- in Lancaster County are participating in the collection program. The association is always adding pharmacies to the program, said Marcia Mueting, with the Nebraska Pharmacists Association, which coordinates the efforts. Many pharmacies are figuring out this isnt hard to do, and patients are asking for it, she said. You can access a list of participating pharmacies online at Nebraskameds.org. These include most CVS, Walgreens and Shopko pharmacies and all Hy-Vee, Russs and Super Saver pharmacies. And disposal is getting simpler. At most pharmacies customer bring in their medications and the pharmacist separates the nonaddictive drugs, like Tylenol and vitamins, from the controlled substances, generally medications considered addictive and more likely to be stolen. Nonaddictive drugs are put in a box, and are eventually sent to be incinerated. Controlled substances are put in a special envelope, found at the pharmacy counter, and the individual mails them to a hazardous waste disposal site in Texas. But four Lincoln pharmacies now collect all medicines in a special blue locked box, bolted down so no one can steal it from the store. Its locked up like Fort Knox, said Gary Rihanek, pharmacist at Kohlls Wagey Drugs, 800 N. 27th St. When the box is full, the pharmacy staff seal and mail the drugs to the disposal site in Texas, where they are incinerated. Prescription drug abuse is the fastest growing drug problem in the United States. And a grandparents medication is involved in 38 percent of child poisoning cases, according to the Nebraska Pharmacists Association. Until a few years ago, people were encouraged to flush unwanted drugs, but most city treatment systems do not remove the drugs from the water and they end up polluting streams and rivers, based on federal studies. Then people were encouraged to put medicine in the trash -- in coffee grounds, sawdust, kitty litter, so they wouldnt be attractive to thieves, said Mueting. But the drugs could still leach into water. So the most environmentally safe way to get rid of medicine is incineration in a hazardous waste incinerator. That is the gold standard, said Mueting. The $400,000 annual cost for the boxes, incineration, marketing and coordination in the state is funded through a Nebraska Environmental Trust grant and a legislative appropriation. The most likely time for people to get rid of medicine is when someone in the family dies, said Rihanek. But more people are getting in the habit of routinely getting rid of old stuff, he said. A lush carpet of short green sprouts covers Rick Larsons wheat fields in the Nebraska Panhandle near Potter. The plants look good, Larson said, although the mild winter caused it to break dormancy early this year putting it in danger of being damaged by a hard early spring frost. Wheat farmers financial books, however, dont look quite so good. Were not breaking even at all, the third-generation wheat farmer said. That dismal financial outlook has accelerated the decline of wheat acres being planted in Nebraska, where it has long been a staple of dryland rotations. The states farmers will grow fewer acres this year than ever before. They planted 1.09 million acres of hard red winter wheat last fall to harvest in 2017, 20 percent less than the year prior and about half what got planted a decade ago for harvest in 2007, according to the U.S. Department of Agricultures National Agricultural Statistics Service. Right now, the cost of wheat production is higher than the price per bushel, Caroline Brauer of the Nebraska Wheat Board said in a recent interview. Farmers in some areas of Nebraska, Brauer added, would lose a dollar a bushel if they planted wheat this year. From a business standpoint, its just not sustainable to plant that. Its not a viable option, she said. Farmers had to make a decision in some instances that led to saying its not economically viable to plant a wheat crop on some acres this year. In the Nebraska Panhandle, the going price for a bushel of wheat and corn is about the same, around $3.50, Larson said. While corn produces bigger yields, its not as reliable a crop on dryland that sees only 15 inches of precipitation on average a year, he said. About half the wheat grown in the United States gets exported. World supplies of the grain, which saw a bin-busting harvest last year, are abundant and a strong U.S. dollar has made wheat grown here more expensive on the world market. U.S. wheat stocks were 2.07 billion bushels as of Dec. 1, up 19 percent from the year prior, according to the USDA. Farmers have been sowing fewer wheat seeds nationally as well. The USDA estimated 36.6 million acres of winter wheat got planted last fall, down 7 percent from the year prior. The decrease in wheat planted in Nebraska has been happening for much longer than can be blamed on current financial woes. Corn and soybeans, generally the better yield-price combination, have been encroaching on wheat acres for decades; current finances simply hastened the process. Advances in science, genetics and breeding have made corn and soybean suited to growing in a wide range of regions, made them more pest resistant and led to explosive growth of yields, which means more kernels or beans per acre. Areas that used to be only wheat now can support newer varieties of dryland corn or soybean and yield where they wouldnt have before, Brauer said. Wheat research hasnt kept pace. While wheat yields have trended up, they have not increased anywhere near as dramatically as corn yields. Nebraska wheat fields yielded an average of 42 bushels an acre in 1971 and 54 bushels in 2016, an exceptionally good year. Meanwhile, dryland corn fields went from an average of 60.6 bushels an acre in 1971 to 147.2 bushels in 2016. Mark Knobel, who works fields north of Fairbury, is one of the farmers still working wheat into his crop rotation. You analyze your situation every year, but I dont want to mess up my rotation. Wheat does positive things overall for your ground from a conservation standpoint, and soil tilth and soil health. I have some highly erodible ground and it fits my rotation quite nicely, Knobel said. Wheat typically ripens by the end of June, ahead of hot, dry conditions; and gets used as ground cover to prevent runoff from gully-washers, as well as helps control pests and plant diseases when used in rotation. Knobel, who grows wheat to sell for seed, said he generally plants a rotation of corn and soybeans followed by wheat and sunflowers in a single year, made possible by the early wheat harvest. The double cropping makes it a little more palatable, he said. You have to maintain profitability to stay in business. Despite its benefits, wheats unlikely to see resurgence in Nebraska without a major turnaround in price or the development with better yields, said Paul Hay, a University of Nebraska-Lincoln extension educator based in Beatrice. We really need these crops to stand on their own merit. If were going to raise wheat, we either need to find a way to produce more per acre or get the price up to where we it can be competitive against other crops, he said. Often, he said, the decision of whether to plant wheat hinged on whether the producer owned land outright or had to pay loans or rent, which adds more red ink in the costs column of the ledger. Southeast Lincoln will finally have its own YMCA on May 1, when the newly constructed facility opens at 84th and Yankee Hill Road. And who better to name it after than longtime supporters Ed and Mary Copple? Ed has been a YMCA member since age 10, when his family moved from Walton, Nebraska, to Lincoln in 1933. Ive exercised at the Y five days a week ever since, said Copple, now 94. The only exceptions were when I was an Air Force pilot for three years, and when my brother Newt and I were wrestlers at the University of Nebraska. He credited his interest in flying to a YMCA class that taught him how to make balsa wood airplanes as a kid. And he and Newt started wrestling at the Y because as teenagers, they were inspired by watching Bill Luke, a 135-pound wrestler at UNL from 1937-39, pin challenger after challenger at the downtown Y. During the same period, Copple learned leadership skills in a Junior Leaders class at the Y. Years later, when he returned from military service, Copple became chairman of the YMCAs Camp Kitaki committee. He also served on the YMCA board of directors for many years and is a past chair. In 1970, Copple chaired a $2 million fund drive to build the Northeast Lincoln YMCA. Part of those funds helped move the downtown Y west to its current location at 11th and P streets. He also chaired the fundraising effort to build the Cooper YMCA in southwest Lincoln, for which he purchased and donated land at 6767 S. 14th St. In February 2012, Copple and his wife Mary (who died March 20 of this year), a former teacher at Holmes Elementary School, donated the lead gift of $1 million to the capital campaign to build a YMCA in southeast Lincoln the only quadrant of the city that didnt have one yet. And soon, in May, that new YMCA facility will open. Copple Family YMCA When asked what it means to have the southeast Y named after him and Mary, the humble, soft-spoken Copple said that he was a little embarrassed by all the attention. Weve contributed time and money over the years because we really believe in the YMCA, he said. If we had more YMCAs across the United States, wed have a better country. Having more YMCAs would help kids who are down and out, and it makes no difference what their economic status is. YMCA volunteers raise money so kids from low-income families can be involved. A lifetime fitness enthusiast, Copple continues his exercise routine five days a week at the downtown Y. To illustrate the significance, he stood up beside his desk at Copple Insurance Agency where he still works full time as owner and president stretched his arms high above his head and then bent over forward, nearly touching his toes. Im 94 years old, and its because of exercising at the YMCA that I can do that, he said. It makes all the difference in the world. Barb Bettin, president/CEO of YMCA Lincoln, said she enjoys working with Copple on YMCA projects. Ed is one of the most positive, successful individuals I know, and its a joy to be around him, she said. He has a positive outlook on life, and hes very giving. He has been an important part of who we are and what we do. The YMCA is a much better place because of Ed and Mary Copple. Bettin also praised Nick Cusick, co-founder and CEO of IMSCORP, and Byron Boslau, longtime president/CEO of Farmers Mutual of Nebraska, for co-chairing the capital campaign that helped build the Copple Family YMCA. Boslau passed away in May 2016. Jumpstarted by the Copple familys $1 million donation five years ago, the capital campaign raised $4 million from individuals, companies and foundations. The remaining $3 million needed to construct and equip the facility with exercise equipment came from facility operations, Bettin said. Collaborative efforts The 56,000-square-foot Copple Family YMCA is attached to the new Marilyn Moore Middle School in a collaborative effort modeled after the Fallbrook YMCA-Schoo Middle School partnership in northwest Lincoln. At each of the northwest and southeast Lincoln locations, the YMCA and middle schools share an additional 30,000 square feet of space, Bettin said. It has been an amazing collaboration with Lincoln Public Schools, she added. We opened the Fallbrook YMCA with the same type of model in 2009, and it has been a win-win for the Y and LPS because it maximizes resources. We get calls from other communities across the country asking how we did this with the schools. The LPS-YMCA partnership has been around for many years, said Scott Wieskamp, LPS director of operations. Our partnership makes sense in so many ways, he said. We support families, youth development and our community through education and programs. Joint facilities save money because of shared spaces, and the attached concept allows for smoother transitions for families. Lincoln is known for collaborations, added Bettin, citing Haymarket Park and Pinnacle Bank Arena as other examples. The Copple Family YMCA will include: Outdoor pool with waterslide and splash pad; Indoor pool with aqua track and whirlpool; Cardio and weight equipment; Group exercise studios; Four full-size gyms; Child watch center; Preschool and before/after school programs; Family/teen room; and Adult/youth locker rooms and private changing areas. Design input from YMCA and LPS staffs The facilitys design and construction were completed with input from YMCA and LPS staff members working with Clark Enersen Partners and Hausmann Construction Co. It could be expanded in future years if necessary to meet the needs of the growing southeast Lincoln community, Bettin said. Chris Klingenberg has been named executive director of the new facility. He was executive director of the Northeast YMCA for 13 years, and before that was director of YMCA Camp Kitaki. Melissa Kinzie, former Cooper YMCA aquatics director in southwest Lincoln, will be the Copple Family Ys associate executive director. Other staff members will include a property director; health and wellness director; youth, teen and family director; and nearly 200 part-time employees, Bettin said. Throughout the city, YMCA Lincoln employs 53 full-time staff members and 950 part-time employees. Bettin said she would welcome additional collaborative projects with LPS. The Northeast Y is 38,000 square feet, so its small, and down the road if LPS has a project in northeast Lincoln, well look there, she said. Were also looking at the downtown Y facility. Its well-attended and doing well, but its getting older, and we may need to look at getting a newer facility with more efficient space. Bettin also mentioned the need to expand Camp Kitaki to accommodate more participants. Last summer we had a waiting list of over 500 kids, she said. The Nebraska Chapter of the United Nations Association will welcome Dr. Courtney Hillebrecht, faculty advisor, and UNL Model UN Co-President, Andrew Barry, to its meeting Monday (March 27) at the Midwestern African Museum of Art (MAMA), 1935 Q St. The two presenters will report on this years MUN competition in New York. At the New York national competition, each college-level club was assigned a country and organized itself as that countrys delegation to a General Assembly meeting. This year, the UNL MUN was assigned Sudan, and thus came to the meeting prepared to represent their countrys interest in debate and discussion. The meeting is free and open to the public. Parking and entrance to the museum are to the west of the building. The program will take place from noon to 1 p.m.. A lunch is available at 11:30 for $7. To reserve for lunch, call Anita Fussell (402) 486-2330 or email anitafussell214@gmail.com RACINE The lighting may have been dim inside Infusinos Banquet Hall on Sunday evening, but former Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein didnt let that put a damper on her message to the Greens newest members: the Racine Green Party. The organization, which formed in January with 10 members, invited Stein to help with its efforts to get the City of Racine to decriminalize marijuana. About 100 people attended Sundays event, which found Stein speaking on a range of Green Party platform issues, among them the need for free higher education; the cancellation of student loan debt; single-payer national health care; and sanctuary cities for undocumented immigrants. Stein called on those gathered to back Green Party candidates who stand for things they support, as opposed to voting for the lesser of two evils. The solution is not going back to the same old Democratic Party that got us here in the first place, Stein said, adding that the election of Donald Trump was not a true vote for Trump but a revolt. The solution is a new politics of by and for the people that is not sponsored by the big banks, and the fossil-fuel giants and the war profiteers, said Stein, who lives outside of Boston. When people ask me What is the Green Party? I say, well, it the one national party that is not poisoned by corporate money; that is not poisoned by the money from oligarchy, she added. Stein, who received 1.04 percent of Wisconsins vote in the 2016 presidential election she received 1.07 percent of the vote nationally raised $7.3 million to force recounts in three states after the Nov. 8 election, including Wisconsin. The Wisconsin recount concluded in December with little change in the vote tally and judges ordered recounts halted in Pennsylvania and Michigan. Marijuana decriminalization The Racine Greens are pushing for the marijuana law change to help address the high rate of African American incarceration in southeastern Wisconsin, local party co-chair Fabi Maldonado said. Possession and delivery of marijuana is illegal in Wisconsin, although enforcement of minor possession violations can vary from community to community. A person found with 25 grams or less of the drug can be cited under city ordinance violation in Racine, or charged with violating the state law. Maldonado and fellow co-chair Guadalupe Davalos said they planned to address the City Council in the coming weeks to ask them to propose that it pass a measure to put a referendum on the issue on the ballot. If that effort is unsuccessful they plan to embark on a signature gathering campaign to get the question on an upcoming ballot. In addition to pushing for the decriminalization of pot, local Greens have said they also plan to focus on local policies. Although municipal elections are nonpartisan, Maldonado said he plans to run for 2nd District alderman as Green Party candidate in 2018. On Sunday, three other members of the Racine Green Party said they also plan to run for City Council. Davalos said she plans to run for 3rd District alderman in 2019. Lying next to membership forms were cards that people could fill out if they were interested in participating in signature gathering for the referendum or in recalling officials and putting laws up for a vote. Asked why the Green Party supports marijuana decriminalization efforts, Stein said the current system of incarcerating people for the use of a recreational substance that is safer than nicotine and alcohol doesnt make sense scientifically or socially. CALEDONIA Two residents of Caledonia are running for one open Village Board seat in the April 4 municipal election. Incumbent trustee Dave Prott takes on challenger Jay Benkowski. Trustees serve two-year terms and are compensated $6,600 per year. The Journal Times asked the candidates to answer three questions. Following are the questions and their responses. What motivated you to seek elected public office? Prott: I just like working with the people. Hopefully I can help people when they have problems to bring them to some sort of positive resolution that is workable. Thats my main objective, to help the residents of Caledonia. It makes me feel great. Its always good when you have a compromise when it leads to a positive resolution thats good for the resident and good for Caledonia, especially if it is controversial. Benkowski: My experience running a small diversified real estate business in Southeastern Wisconsin has made me passionate about helping local communities prosper. Over the last five years, it has become clear to me that we need more business expertise on the Village Board in order to improve the business environment in Caledonia, which also means improving the qualities that make it a great place to live and work. Currently, only two of the seven members of the Caledonia Village Board of Trustees are employed in the private sector. In contrast, I have more than two decades of real world experience as a business owner, commercial developer, and property manager in Southeast Wisconsin. What do you see as the issues your community faces? Prott: We have a lot of great things happening in Caledonia and there are things that need to be followed up on to continue to move forward. We need to keep the industrial park at I-94 moving forward and working to get business to move in there and fill it up. We have a new village hall so that is going to be done in early spring. An objective of mine is that it is completed on budget. Another building project is at the current village hall, which will be removed and a new garage for the highway department will be built. It will allow them to get bigger equipment in to service, which they cant do now. Benkowski: First, our Villages largest challenge remains attracting new business to the community in order to generate a more diversified tax base and vibrant economy. Although development along the I-94 corridor should bring some much needed commercial and industrial tax base diversity to a large portion of western Caledonia, the project remains in the early stages. The Village must exercise its political leadership to compel the Wisconsin Department of transportation to complete necessary road improvements along the Highway K corridor. Moreover, we need to focus on reinvigorating other key commercial areas located near where most Caledonia residents live, including the Highway 32/Douglas Avenue corridor. What would be your goals if you are elected? Prott: I serve on the licensing and the personnel committee. One of my goals is to guide the new human resource director hired by the village. Caledonia has been lacking in that department so the new person will be creating the department from the ground up. I look forward to working with her on policy and everything that is involved in HR. I want to make sure were moving forward on all the things were spending money on, whether it be water and sewer. I just want to make sure were following up and doing what we need to do to entice business into Caledonia and secure those businesses. Benkowski: 1. Create an I-94 Corridor Subcommittee, membership comprised as follows: Village President and Village Administrator, one member each from the following Authorities/ Commissions: Community Development Authority, Finance, Planning, Sewer and Water Utility, Storm Water Utility District; 2. Improve the Highway 32/Douglas Avenue corridor thru the implementation of a Corridor Master Plan, which includes a full narrative of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. 3. Increase residents ability to communicate with the Board of Trustees and have access to information through direct interactions, electronic platforms, and regular printed reports for those without digital technology to encourage greater community engagement. The dust has hardly settled on Sen. Ron Johnson's defense of his seat over former Sen. Russ Feingold, but the Republican effort to unseat Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin has already begun. The Republican Party of Wisconsin last Wednesday launched its first digital ad of the 2018 campaign, targeting Baldwin for her involvement in the Tomah VA Medical Center scandal. The ad campaign accuses her of engaging in a "cover-up," and was followed by a press release listing a timeline of the issues at Tomah. Baldwin drew scrutiny in 2015 after reports indicated her office responded slowly to complaints patients at the Tomah VA had been prescribed large amounts of opiate medications. A staffer, fired from her office, later alleged a political cover-up. Complaints filed over the firing and the office's handling of the scandal were dismissed by Senate ethics panels. "When Senator Baldwin had a chance to protect Wisconsin's veterans, she protected the status quo instead and then called in a high-powered lawyer to clean up the mess," said Alec Zimmerman, spokesman for the Republican Party of Wisconsin. "She can get all the help she wants from Hillary Clinton's scandal attorney and the liberal elites in Washington, but Wisconsinites have made it clear they're fed up with insiders who have been part of the problem for decades." Zimmerman was referring to Marc Elias, whose firm, Perkins Coie, counts the Democratic National Committee and its candidates among its clients. Baldwin was asked about her role in the Tomah scandal at a town hall meeting in Milwaukee last week, by a woman who said she works at the Milwaukee VA. The senator said she has worked with the family of Jason Simcakoski, a Marine veteran who died of an overdose at the Tomah VA in 2014, to pass legislation in his honor that requires VA employees prescribing opioids to be better trained and to follow Centers for Disease Control guidelines. But Baldwin said she wished her office had done more to follow up on complaints it received from a whistleblower, rather than simply forwarding information back to the whistleblower. "I have owned up to mistakes and made changes to make sure that this wont happen again, and it is my absolute honor to have worked with the Simcakoski family so closely, to not just change the culture at Tomah but to have passed national reforms for all veterans," Baldwin said. '"And I will continue to work with the veterans that I represent to get them the absolute best health care and services they have earned and deserve in serving our nation." Tomah became an issue during the 2016 race between Johnson and Feingold, leading to a confusing back-and-forth barrage of ads from both sides, each alleging the other didn't do enough to protect veterans. Baldwin, who defeated former Gov. Tommy Thompson in 2012, is serving her first term in the Senate after representing Wisconsin's 2nd Congressional District for seven terms. Baldwin's campaign has zeroed in on Milwaukee County Sheriff David A. Clarke, Jr., as a potential opponent, having sent at least four fundraising emails previewing the match-up. "Sheriff David Clarke is being groomed to run against Tammy for Senate in 2018," read an email sent earlier this month, featuring a photo of Clarke visiting Russia. "This guy is bad news and so are the outside groups trying to convince him to run." Clarke, a top surrogate for President Donald Trump, has not announced a run, but several political action committees have launched efforts to "draft" him for the race. Some of the groups have used anti-gay language to refer to Baldwin, the first openly gay person elected to the Senate. "This kind of rhetoric is beneath Wisconsinites. We cant stop these groups from saying awful things, but we can make sure were prepared to overpower their attacks and make sure Tammy is ready to defend her seat in 2018," another email read. The campaign's focus on Clarke came after U.S. Rep. Sean Duffy, the perceived Republican frontrunner, announced he would not seek to challenge Baldwin in 2018. "Twenty months before election day, special interests are already attacking Tammy, and no one should expect them to stop," said Baldwin campaign manager Scott Spector. "No matter the attacks, Tammy will never be afraid to stand up to Washington special interests and fight for the people of Wisconsin to build an economy that works for everyone, not just those at the top." Other rumored challengers include businessman Eric Hovde, who lost the 2012 Senate primary to former Gov. Tommy Thompson; state Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald, R-Juneaul; state Sen. Leah Vukmir, R-Wauwatosa; state Rep. Dale Kooyenga, R-Brookfield; and Marine veteran Kevin Nicholson. 2 policemen among 4 held for timber smuggling Two police personnel among four persons have been arrested on charge of smuggling timber in Bishnupaduka area, Dharan in Sunsari district. A Tokyo-based Nepali entrepreneur's views on fellow countrymen Japan has become a popular destination for Nepali low, semi-skilled and skilled manpower. According to a latest available figure, more than 65,000 Nepali work and study in Japan. It is also noted here that Nepalis make up the sixth largest foreign population in Japan. Beijing park dispenses loo roll using facial recognition A park in Beijing has installed toilet paper dispensers with facial recognition to stop visitors from taking too much loo roll, media reports say. Election season kicks in at FNCCI With less than a month to go for the election of the senior vice-president at the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI), the countrys largest umbrella body of the private sector, two candidates vying for the postShekhar Golchha and Kishore Pradhanhave formally announced their panels. Energy self-sufficiency in 3 yrs, says NEA chief Nepal can achieve energy self-sufficiency in three years if an efficient transmission and distribution network is put in place to handle the power generated by upcoming power plants. Fierce fighting erupts in Syrian capital Damascus after rebel attack Syrian security forces have engaged in fierce clashes with rebels on the eastern outskirts of Damascus. Final hearing on IGP case to continue A final hearing on the governments controversial decision on appointment of the Inspector General of Nepal Police began on Sunday. Flood mitigation project for Beni The Water Induced Disaster Management Sub Division Office in Baglung has said that it plans to build walls along the banks of Kaligandaki and Myagdi rivers to mitigate the risk of flood in Beni Bazaar. Police fire tear gas during RPP protest (In photos) Police on Monday afternoon fired tear gas shells at Jamal in Kathmandu to disperse the agitating protesters of Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP). Political Hinduism The appointment of the Hindu cleric Yogi Adityanath as chief minister of Uttar Pradesh has created waves in the Indian media. Saudi govt grants 90-day amnesty to illegal migrants Saudi Arabia has announced a 90-day general amnesty to undocumented migrant workers to leave for their home country starting from March 29. Search for missing soldier continues in Narayani River Whereabouts of a Nepal Army soldier, who disappeared after jumping into the Narayani River along with his girlfriend, is still unknown. SEE examinee killed in Rajbiraj truck hit A student, who was on her way to attend the Secondary Education Examinations (SEE), died after being hit by a truck at Rupnagar in Rajbiraj along the East-West Highway on Monday. SLMM shuts municipal, village council offices The activists of Samyukta Loktantrik Madhesi Morcha (SLMM) padlocked all municipal and village council offices in Saptari on Sunday, Stung by EC, RPP registers constitution amendment proposal Shaken by the Election Commissions decision to remove some provisions of its statute, the Rastriya Prajatantra Party registered a constitution amendment proposal at the Parliament Secretariat on Sunday. UN under secy general meets NPC vice chair The United Nations Under-Secretary-General Gyan Chandra Acharya, who is on a Nepal visit, called on Vice-chair of the National Planning Commission (NPC) Min Bahadur Shrestha at the commissions Secretariat on Sunday. We want to inspire Nepali youths to believe that politics can be noble Of late, the country has seen a few new partiesmost recently the Sajha Partyclaiming to provide an alternative to the moribund mainstream political parties, and to deliver clean politics and development. Wont join govt in present situation: Gachhadar Madhesi Janadhikar Forum-Loktantrik Chairman Bijaya Kumar Gachhadar has said his party would not join the government in the given circumstances. 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 An auxiliary police officer in Foshan, South China's Guangdong province, has recently become an online celebrity after a video of him showing a foreigner the way in English was published online by an internet user. The man is Liu Yuxing, 24, who graduated from Dongbei University of Finance and Economics in Dalian, Northeast China's Liaoning province and studied in the US for two years. On March 14, an internet user named Haishangwanpantianshi published online a short video of Liu, who was near a subway station, giving a Dutchman directions in English to scenic spots. Liu's fluent English attracted many fans, and some media also reported on him. The shy young man told reporters in English that "I am single now." Liu said he loves guns and dreams of being a police officer. After completing his studies in the US, he returned to China and passed the examinations to become an auxiliary police officer in the Chanchen district in Foshan. According to Chinese media reports, Liu saved a young woman in her 20s who tried to kill herself in April, 2015 by jumping off a bridge. Liu and his colleagues on duty rushed in to pull her back. Court today begins hearing a case in which mother of convicted former Accountant in the Office of the Prime Minister Geoffrey Kazinda accuses police of grabbing her Shs3 billion during a search at her sons house in July 2012. Teopista Nanfuka says the alleged money was in foreign currency (British Pounds, Euros and US Dollars). Nanfuka alleges that the money was part of the property confiscated by police during the search at her sons mansion in UCB zone in Bukoto suburb which he shared with her. She wants court to order government to refund the said money and to issue a permanent injunction stopping the government from interfering with her property. A copy of the search certificate seen by Daily Monitor shows that police found in the residence one plastic grey box containing 40 bundles of 100 British Pound notes in denominations of 50. In defence of government, the Attorney General maintains that since Kazinda had committed offences relating to misappropriation of huge sums of public money, the police acted lawfully in searching her home for the said property which may be treated as exhibits. Kazinda, a former principal accountant in the Office of the Prime Minister, is still battling over 160 charges of corruption in the Anti-Corruption Court. Related Stories Kazinda Mother Sued Kazindas mother wants her property back President Yoweri Museveni has ordered the Inspector General of Police Gen. Kale Kayihura to clean the police force of criminals. He said criminals have infiltrated the police Force and other security agencies, which has compromised investigations into high profile killings.The president was speaking last evening at the home of slain Assistant Inspector General of Police Andrew Felix Kaweesi in Kulambiro, a suburb of Kampala. He in particular singled out the Directorate of Criminal Investigations, which he accused of bowing to the criminals. President Museveni says the criminals will be hunted down and killed or captured. He also advised the public to be vigilant and pay attention to persons following them and where necessary confront them. Related Stories President Museveni condemns the killing of Andrew Felix Kaweesi Kaweesi To Be Laid To Rest On Tuesday Muslims mourn Kaweesi, ask for operation against illegal guns Assistant Inspector General of Police Andrew Felix Kaweesi shot dead. If youre planning to rent a movie at Family Video in Madison, Middleton or Sun Prairie this week, youll need to decide more than whether itll be Fences or The Easter Bunny Adventure. Youll likely also be asked if you want to round up your purchase to help fight lymphoma. Through Sunday, Illinois-based Highland Ventures, parent company of Family Video, will be running its annual Round It Up for Lymphoma campaign. Patrons will be asked to voluntarily round up their purchase to the nearest whole dollar amount, with proceeds benefiting the Lymphoma Research Foundation and the Lymphoma Biobank at the University of Chicago Medicine. While a few cents here and there may not sound like much, multiply that by hundreds or even thousands of small contributions and the result can be staggering. Its amazing the power that comes from a united front, said Keith Hoogland, president of Highland Ventures, which has 785 locations, including 62 stores in Wisconsin. Since 2012, the companys round it up campaigns have raised nearly $6 million. Last years campaign raised $1.1 million, with $93,000 coming from Wisconsin. Point-of-purchase fundraising, also known as cause marketing, has been around for years but its impact was first examined in 2013 by the Cause Marketing Forum. The forum reviewed 78 large fundraising programs in 2012 that raised more than a combined $389 million. In 2014, the group found 77 major campaigns had generated $390 million. The largest point-of-purchase fundraiser in 2014 was online auction house giant eBay, which raised $62.2 million by allowing sellers to contribute a portion of their sales to charity and inviting buyers to make donations year-round. Michael Johnson, CEO of Boys & Girls Clubs of Dane County, was introduced to point-of-purchase fundraising in 2008 when he was earning his credentials to become a certified fundraising executive at the University of Indiana. These kinds of campaigns give local nonprofits the opportunity to raise money in a different light and also it shows to a business customers that these corporations are socially conscious, Johnson said. Johnson has worked with businesses around Dane County, including Oscar Mayer. A campaign with Oscar Mayers Lunchables, now in its second year of a four-year agreement, will generate $1 million over the life of the deal for Boys & Girls Clubs of America, with some of those dollars coming to the Dane County organization. For the past five years, Middleton-based PDQ convenience stores has partnered with Johnsons organization typically during its Bike for Boys & Girls Club event, which this year is July 16. PDQ staff asks customers who come into the stores if theyd be interested in pledging $1 to benefit the Boys & Girls Clubs. Donors then sign a small, decorative flyer, which is displayed inside the store. The pledges collected on behalf of Boys & Girls Clubs of Dane County by PDQ last year raised about $20,000 over five weeks, Johnson said. Cause marketing fundraising represents about $100,000 of the revenues that support Boys & Girls Clubs of Dane Countys annual $4.5 million budget. The amount doesnt seem like much, but when I look at it we have more than 100 tutors that we pay to support kids in the classroom, Johnson said. Those cause marketing funds help us pay for those tutors. Patrons happy to help out When youre asking customers for a few cents, most are glad to help, said Eric Erwin of Lake Mills. He owns three Firehouse Subs restaurants, including one at 1403 Emil St. in Madison and oversees all franchisees and company expansion in Wisconsin. Over 90 percent of our customers do voluntarily offer to round up their bills, Erwin said. Jacksonville, Florida-based Firehouse Subs, which presently has 1,054 locations in 44 states, including Puerto Rico, Canada and Mexico, opened its first Wisconsin location in 2013. There are now 12 Firehouse Subs locations in Wisconsin with five more opening this year. Firehouse Subs was among hundreds of businesses that aided in relief efforts in New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina in August 2005. Erwin said the company initially went to New Orleans to provide food to first responders and other relief workers. But when they arrived and saw the devastation, they offered food to anyone who asked. That led the company to launch the Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation, Erwin said. The foundation receives funding from donations collected at Firehouse Subs restaurants from patrons who round up their purchases. The foundation awards grants to public safety agencies and first responders who apply. The foundation works to ensure local dollars collected benefit organizations in the immediate community, Erwin said. The Wisconsin Firehouse Sub locations have collected $207,000 through point-of-purchase donations since 2013. Erwin said the Firehouse Subs foundation helped the Sauk City Fire Department acquire an inflatable search-and-rescue boat and trailer, valued at $13,500. The boat will be used by the fire department to conduct rescue missions on local lakes and rivers where traditional boats cant go. When the community sees a direct impact from donations, it often leads to more giving, Erwin said. Its very rare that someone wont want to round up their bill when asked, he said. We always make sure to thank them when they do. Self policing According to the Wisconsin Department of Revenue, if a business and a charity have an agreement for the business to collect donations on the charitys behalf, the business isnt required to identify the amount collected through these arrangements on their annual income taxes. Businesses can claim charitable contributions on their taxes but there are many stipulations, and rules vary for corporations and companies with one owner. When point-of-purchase donations are made at Firehouse Subs, its registers are equipped to separate the donation from the rest of the transaction and those funds go directly to the Firehouse Subs foundation. Highland Ventures has a similar process and procedure. It also documents the collections and ensures all donations go its targeted charity. Johnson said the rules to establish a fundraising partnership with a business are complex, but once the paperwork is done the rest is easy. It really is just another avenue for nonprofits to raise money, he said. It has been effective for us, and I hope it continues to grow. An immigrant from Taipei who arrived in the United States at the age of 8 speaking no English, Elaine Chao was transformed by her early childhood into a crusader for equal rights. Earning an masters degree from Harvard University, Chao later became the first Asian American to be appointed secretary of labor. Appointed by George W. Bush, she served the full eight years of that presidency, the only cabinet member to do so. As secretary of labor, she focused on modernizing safety standards to fit the 21st century workplace. She later became president of the United Way and director of the Peace Corps. On Jan. 31, 2017, she was confirmed as President Donald Trumps secretary of transportation. LA FARGE Thalia A. Ellefson, 95, of La Farge died Friday, March 17, 2017, at Vernon Manor in Viroqua. Memorial funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Friday at Free Methodist Church, La Farge, with visitation from 10 a.m. to time of services. Picha Funeral Home in Hillsboro is assisting the family. La Crosse Police Assistant Police Chief Rob Abraham completed the 267th Session of the FBI National Academy on March 17. Abraham is one of 227 law enforcement executives from 48 states, the District of Columbia, 25 countries, three military organizations and eight federal civilian organizations to graduate during the session. FBI Director James Comey was the keynote speaker at the ceremony. The program, held at the FBI Academy in Quantico, Va., offers advanced law enforcement leadership training. Officials who attend the academy must be nominated by the chief executive of their agency. Fewer than 1 percent of all law enforcement officers are selected to attend the academy. Abraham is part of an elite group of 49,913 graduates since the academys inception in 1935. La Crosse Police Chief Ron Tischer, Capt. Shawn Kudron and Lt. Pat Hogan are alumni of the academy. University of Wisconsin Chancellor Joe Gow says the lawyer defending a former employee is demanding a $250,000 settlement from the UW System. On Monday, Gow said Fehr demanded the amount to settle a dispute with former UW-L police dispatcher Kimberly Dearman, who was fired for making offensive comments to a student employee. The university has offered Dearman her job back, citing due process concerns about how the investigation of the incident, but Dearmans lawyer, Lee Fehr of Onalaska, said his client is still considering her options and he would be speaking about the dispute with lawmakers on Monday. Fehr first brought the incident to light on March 13, with a letter to the UW System Board of Regents. Since then, Fehr and his client have appeared on national news networks including Fox News and on talk radio chastising Gow for comments he has made and calling for an investigation into the state of free speech on campus. Gow said Fehr has been seeking publicity, pointed out that Fehrs website lists examples of monetary settlements and awards he has obtained for clients. This whole situation is about getting money from the university system, Gow said, and emphatically stated UW-L would not pay the requested amount. We did not start this, Gow said. But when someone questions the integrity of the university, we are going to respond. When asked on Sunday, Fehr said he didnt want to disclose the settlement amount he had offered the university and said the university should recommend its own number. Later that day, he changed his stance, saying the settlement amount should be debated by the public, as he believed his client was winning in the court of public opinion. The public is really behind my client, Fehr said Sunday. They are offended by what the university is doing. The UW System also released the full investigation report on Monday, which included the missing fourth page Fehr declined to provide to the Tribune on Sunday. On the fourth page was information about previous disciplinary actions taken against Dearman, including a performance improvement plan. Gow said he was told Fehr is blocking the release of information about the improvement plan. Dearman was fired after a conversation with a student employee she supervised during which Dearman told the Asian student that all immigrants should go back to where they came from. The student employee resigned her position and filed a complaint about the conversation, which was investigated by the university. It was nothing, Dearman told her supervisors when questioned about the incident. She better get used to it cuz could happen to her the rest of her life. MOGADISHU, Somalia Somalias government on Saturday blamed the Saudi-led coalition for Fridays attack on a boat that killed at least 42 Somali refugees off the coast of war-torn Yemen, calling the assault by a military vessel and a helicopter gunship horrific. Somalia urged the United States-supported coalition to investigate. The boat was packed with dozens of refugees, some of them women and children. What happened there was a horrific and terrible problem inflicted on innocent Somali people. The Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen is responsible for it, Somalias foreign minister, Abdisalam Omer, said on state-run radio. He said Yemens government also must give an explanation for the attack and that those responsible must be brought to justice. Somali Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khaire in a separate statement called the attack atrocious and appalling. Yemens Shiite rebels also have blamed the Saudi-led coalition. There has been no coalition comment. The attack highlighted the perils of a heavily used migration route running from the Horn of Africa to the oil-rich Gulf, right through Yemens civil war. Laurent De Boeck, the head of the Yemeni office for the International Organization for Migration, has said the agency believes all those on board the boat were registered refugees. A Yemeni trafficker who survived the attack said the refugees had been trying to reach Sudan. Somalias foreign minister on Saturday said their ultimate destination had been Somalia. Video of the aftermath showed dozens of slain migrants, along with others who suffered gunshot wounds, lost limbs, or had broken arms and legs. The Saudi-led coalition has been heavily bombarding the coast around the port of Hodeida, where it accuses the rebels, known as the Houthis, of smuggling weapons in small boats. Its good to be home. New city of Tomah Ambulance Service director Randy Dunford is happy to be back in his hometown and to return to a position he held from 1989 to 1991. Dunford, a 1978 Tomah High School graduate, got into the ambulance service when he was a member of the Tomah Police Department, which he joined in 1979. He served on the TPD until 1989, which he left as a sergeant, and transferred to the Ambulance Service. The key factor in his transfer was the ability to serve and help others, Dunford said. Its a great group of people people that work in this particular field are very passionate people because they care so much for their patients and helping them through a difficult period. If somebody needs an ambulance, its usually not a happy time in their life, he said. We want to ... make it as best of an experience as possible for them. After about two years in the Ambulance Service, Dunford returned to the police department, where he remained until 1997, when he became chief of police in New Lisbon. In 2001, Dunford left to become police chief in Pulaski until his retirement in 2013, for a total of 34 years in law enforcement. In retirement, Dunford felt a pull back to ambulance. I missed emergency services law enforcement and emergency services is all under that umbrella, he said. Having been an ambulance director before, I know the basics about that field and managing is managing. ... So, that part of it Im confident that Ill be able to continue the excellence that Tomah expects from that position, and Im still young enough where that kind of challenge is exciting, its fun. Dunford and wife, Sarah, a 1979 THS graduate, also felt a pull back home, to be close to family. Its something weve been praying about, ... if it would work to move back here, he said. So far, its just been wonderful. Shes on board with moving back and shes equally as excited to be back here. It was a fairly easy decision to make. City Administrator Roger Gorius believes Dunford will do well as director. He was already director of the ambulance service at one time, hes got experience, he knows the town, he knows the city, he said. I think hell be a fine member of our team. Dunford says its an honor to be selected. Im sure they had some very, very qualified people, and to be chosen, Im just humbled and grateful and I want to do a good job for the city and the citizens, he said. Dunford, who began as ambulance director Feb. 27, says hes impressed with the changes the department has made since he left. Stepping up to the paramedic level in Tomah is just huge, that was just a huge undertaking as far as creating it, he said. I dont think the average person really realizes the amount of work and effort that it took to get us to this level. I commend Jody Allen a great deal for doing that and bringing it here. Dunfords goal as director is to keep moving the department forward. I want to create a vision within the department that we can work towards and achieve, he said. Tomahs always been a very pro-active community. Its not a community without its struggles, we all have them, but theyve got a great history of moving in the right direction and doing the right thing. 032017-tj-nws-dunford-ambulance Susan Holmes, Judy Jonson Faulkner and Melanie Marshall were recognized Thursday by the Tomah branch of American Association of University Women for their contributions to the community. They were honored at the Mary E. Wedin Womens History Month recognition reception. It is the 12th year that the AAUW has presented the awards in the Tomah area. Susan Holmes said she was shocked but pleased to be honored. I didnt have a clue, but it (was) a wonderful surprise, she said. It is definitely an honor and I appreciate the fact that they honor women in this National History Month, and I think its wonderful that you think of yourself as part of a big collection of women that went before you and women who are going to come after you. Holmes was a trailblazer, said Tomah Area School District superintendent Cindy Zahrte, who introduced Holmes at the celebration. Zahrte said she has looked up to Holmes since she met her more than 30 years ago. Susan was one of those fearless, brave women who really was a trailblazer, she said. When you look at her career in finance, banking and insurance, she entered that field at a time where it wasnt very common to see women reaching the heights of being an executive officer of that type of organization. Ive always looked up to her for that, her expertise and her knowledge and leadership in that particular field. Holmes and her husband, Robert, opened an insurance agency in 1975. It expanded to multiple agencies as well as entering the savings and loans business. She served as president of Westland Insurance where she helped evolve it into a stock owner-held corporation until her first retirement. Holmes later left retirement for a career in banking, serving as a senior operations officer at Timberwood Bank until she retired again in 2015. While excelling in business, Holmes was also honored for her community involvement. Shes been president of the Miller Elementary School PTO, fundraising chair for Winnebago Wonderland and was a founder of the Tomah Area Montessori School, where she served as the first treasurer. Zahrte said Holmes most outstanding work was with the West Central Boys & Girls Club. Susan was on the committee that started that organization over 17 years ago, and she is still a part of that group, she said. Shes dedicated thousands of hours to help the kids in our community who need us the most. Even when shes at her most fragile, shes out there supporting the Boys & Girls Club. Her dedication to the club knows no bounds, Zahrte said. Even while experiencing a medical issue and have to be transported to La Crosse by ambulance, she was thinking of the club. She had the wherewithal, while they were giving her oxygen and getting her medically taken care of, to ask the EMTs if they would please come to the club and present to the Boys & Girls Club, Zahrte said. She is always thinking of others, has just been a wonderful role model for kids at the club as well. Weve been very fortunate to have you and your family be in the Tomah community. Holmes daughter, Katie, said she couldnt be more proud of her mother and is thrilled to see her get recognized. What makes her amazing ... has to do with her always being very much successful in business in a time when there wasnt very many successful businesses, she said. Shes always been a big advocate of womens equality ... and shes done so much work for the community. ... I really like to see her getting recognized for that work. Fellow honoree Judy Jonson Faulkner is a painter who expanded her creativity to buying, remodeling and reselling homes for low- and middle-income families. She was born in Tomah, raised in New Lisbon, went to school in Madison and returned to the Tomah area after meeting her husband Dale. Deb Thiel, AAUW vice-president of membership, said Jonson Faulkner has a spark of energy and creativity that benefits the community. Not only does she have creative ideas, but she acts upon them with courage, with blind faith at times and actually has done a heck of a lot for this community that I dont think anybodys aware of, she said. She took her painting business and ended up getting into housing renovations. ... She really found herself having a mission to really improve the infrastructure of our town to provide affordable housing to individuals who may not otherwise have decent housing. Thats incredible, and we should all be very proud of you for doing that. Jonson Faulkner was grateful for the recognition. Its very humbling. Im not one for the spotlight, she said. This is very ... hard for me to be in the center of attention, but I think its really cool. I appreciate it as much as its very humbling. Melanie Marshall, a Tomah native and officer with the Tomah Police Department, was recognized for her dedication to the community and her profession. She is the School Resource Officer. During the school year, her main assignment is the high school. She interacts with the students, does some teaching at the middle school and conducts some special events with the elementary schools. Marshall said she was shocked to be an honoree. I dont feel like Ive done anything special. Its part of my job and I like my job, so it seems like its easy to get involved, she said. Marshalls husband, Joe, wasnt shocked. She goes into (her job) head first, 110 percent all the time, he said. I mean she gets phone calls all the time at home about work stuff, all times of the night. She puts in more than people think, I think, on her own time. Im very proud of her. 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Mar 18 (1) Mar 16 (1) Mar 15 (2) Mar 13 (1) Mar 12 (1) Mar 11 (1) Mar 10 (1) FBI Director James Comey confirms that his agency is investigating possible links between the Trump campaign and Russian officials. Comey also says that he has no information to support claims by President Donald Trump that the government wiretapped his phones during the 2016 campaign. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the country's top criminal investigative agency. Comey was speaking Monday during a hearing of the House of Representatives Intelligence Committee. Earlier this month, Trump sent a series of tweets accusing former President Barack Obama of ordering wiretaps of his offices at Trump Tower in New York City. Comey said the FBI and the U.S. Department of Justice had both carefully investigated Trumps claim. With respect to the presidents tweets about alleged wiretapping directed at him by the prior administration, I have no information that supports those tweets. He added that Department of Justice officials asked him to inform the committee that they had also reached the same conclusion about the Trump tweets. Comey said the investigation is ongoing, the work is complex, and he could not say when it would be completed. But they will always do it well no matter how long that takes. I can promise you we will follow the facts wherever they lead. So far, White House and senior intelligence officials have offered no information to back up Trumps claim of wiretapping. A spokesman for Obama has called the allegation "simply false. Speaking about the wiretapping process, Comey said no individual can order surveillance of an American. He said a court must approve wiretaps after an application process is completed. Confirmation of investigation into possible tie with Russia Comey officially confirmed for the first time that the FBI is investigating possible links between Trump campaign officials and the Russian government. He said investigators were looking into whether there was any coordination between the campaign and Russias efforts. In keeping with FBI policy, Comey said he was not able to publicly comment on specific parts of the investigation. The House Intelligence Committee is one of several congressional panels investigating possible Russian influence during the U.S. presidential election. U.S. National Security Agency Director Michael Rogers also testified during Mondays hearing. He said he stands by an earlier conclusion of U.S. intelligence agencies that Russia did attempt to influence the 2016 election with the goal of electing Trump. Comey said the intelligence community conclusion had determined that Russia hated Hillary Clinton and wanted to harm her chances of winning the election. He added that investigators believed Russian officials saw the possibility early on that Trump could win the election. Later, when most opinion surveys showed Clinton had a wide lead over Trump, Russia focused all its effort on harming her campaign, Comey said. U.S. intelligence agencies concluded that Russia was responsible for leaking emails of U.S. people and political institutions. Thousands of emails were leaked by anti-secrecy group WikiLeaks from the Democratic National Committee (DNC). Private emails from a top campaign adviser to Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton were also leaked. The emails showed embarrassing, behind-the-scenes efforts of Democratic officials to help Clinton win the party's nomination. The U.S. intelligence community concluded that Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the hacking into computers at the DNC. The Trump administration has denied that any campaign officials cooperated with Russian officials in that cyberattack. Before Mondays hearing started, Trump sent out a series of tweets denying that his campaign had cooperated with Russia. The Democrats made up and pushed the Russian story as an excuse for running a terrible campaign. Big advantage in Electoral College & lost! he tweeted. The real story that Congress, the FBI and others should be looking into is the leaking of Classified information. Must find leaker now! he wrote. Both Comey and Rogers addressed the issue of leaks, saying they are an important part of their work and will be fully investigated. Leaks of classified information are serious, serious federal crimes for a reason. They should be investigated and, where possible, prosecuted in a way that reflects that seriousness, so that people understand it simply cannot be tolerated. The two officials said no evidence had been found that Russian cyber attackers had changed any actual vote numbers in key states during the election. Im Bryan Lynn. Bryan Lynn wrote this story for VOA Learning English, based on reports from the Associated Press, VOA News and other sources. Hai Do was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story wiretap v. place a device on someones phone to secretly listen to their calls complex adj. involving many different, but connected parts surveillance n. act of watching someone carefully, especially by police of government agencies leak - n. disclosure of information not previously known embarrassing adj. something that makes someone feel ashamed or foolish tolerate v. allow something to exist, happen or be done Scientists who study primates say that we are moving towards a time when species like gorillas will no longer be found in the wild . They say Orangutans would be gone too. And Madagascar would lose its lemurs. Jo Setchell is a primatologist at Durham University in Britain. She studies primates, the group of mammals that includes gorillas, chimps, monkeys, gibbons, mandrills, and lemurs. And, of course, humans. "So If we have 60 percent threatened with extinction at the moment, then we will see that number rise and within our lifetimes, within our children's lifetimes, we will eradicate other primates." In all, there are an estimated 600 different species of primates. They include the little creature called the mouse lemur, whose body is only about six centimeters long. Then, there is the largest of the species, the gorilla, weighing up to 250 kilograms. Primates face one common threat: loss of habitat, the places in nature where they live. Primatologists like Setchell say human activity is to blame. "... the major problem is habitat loss and habitat conversion, and essentially it's humans changing primate habitat into human habitat - logging for timber, logging for conversion to agriculture, logging for cattle ranching; anything essentially that destroys tropical forests because primates are largely tropical forest species." More than half of all primate species are grouped in four countries: Brazil, Indonesia, Madagascar and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Paul Garber says each of these countries is working to help protect the primates in their areas. But often, there is neither the funds, community support nor in-country expertise to address their conservation problems. Madagascar is a good example of these problems, he says. It is home to over 100 primate species; almost all of them live nowhere else. And 94 percent of them are endangered. Ninety percent of the original forests of Madagascar have been cut down, Garber says. Neither Garber nor Setchell have any easy answers about how to stop this road to extinction. "We knew that primates were in trouble, but I think even for those of us who work in primate conservation, it was still shocking to discover quite what the scale of the problem is." They do say that the clearest way is to slow human activity in primates habitats. They also say the decrease is reversible if humans make primate and habitat conservation a top concern. Im Anne Ball. Kevin Enochs wrote this story for VOA news. Anne Ball wrote this story for Learning English. Caty Weaver was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section and visit us on our Facebook page. See how well you understand the story by taking this reading quiz. Quiz - More than Half of the World's Primates Disappearing Start the Quiz to find out Start Quiz ____________________________________________________________ Words in This Story extinction n. the state or situation that results when something (such as a plant or animal species) has died out completely decline v. to become lesser in number primate n. any member of the group of animals that includes human beings, apes, and monkeys eradicate v. to remove (something) completely : to eliminate or destroy (something harmful) habitat n. the place or type of place where a plant or animal naturally or normally lives or grows conversion n. the act or process of changing from one form, state, etc., to another logging v. to cut down trees in an area for wood timber n. trees that are grown in order to produce wood funds n. money conservation n. the protection of animals, plants, and natural resources scale n. a device to measure or weigh things reversible adj. able to be changed back to an earlier or original state The United States top diplomat completed a three-nation trip to East Asia on Sunday. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson visited Japan, South Korea and China for talks on security and other issues. But the main concern on all three stops was North Korea and its weapons program. Tillerson noted in Beijing that the U.S. and China sensed urgency in their dealings with North Korea, which tested a rocket engine on Sunday. Tillerson met with Chinese President Xi Jinping to prepare for a meeting between the Chinese leader and U.S. President Donald Trump. Their meeting could take place as early as next month. The Trump administration is seeking to find ways of working with China on a number of issues, such as North Korea, trade, and the South China Sea. The U.S. official spoke about North Korea at a press conference in Beijing with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. "We've committed ourselves to do everything we can to prevent any type of conflict from breaking out. And we view there are a number of steps that we can take that are in front of us. Neither Tillerson nor Wang suggested what steps could be taken. In the past, President Trump has said that China should do more to pressure North Korea on its nuclear and missile programs. North Korea policy being tested The Trump administration is currently studying the U.S. governments policy on North Korea. Last week, on a stop in Tokyo, Tillerson said that diplomatic and other efforts over the past 20 years have failed to put an end to North Koreas nuclear activities. He noted that the U.S. had operated under a policy known as strategic patience. When Barack Obama was president, the U.S. had ordered strong economic restrictions on North Korea and against North Korean individuals. It also had increased military cooperation with allies South Korea and Japan and increased military exercises on the Korean peninsula. "It is clear that a different approach is required," Tillerson said. Speaking in Japan, he stated, "North Korea and its people need not fear the United States or their neighbors in the region who seek only to live in peace with North Korea." Tillerson called on North Korea to give up its nuclear and missile programs and noted the U.S. commitment to defend Japan and other allies is unwavering. In South Korea, the secretary of state did not rule out the use of military force against the North Koreans. Tillerson said, If they elevate the threat of their weapons program to a level that we believe requires action, that option is on the table. Daniel Pinkston is a security expert with Troy University in Seoul. He told VOA there are three choices in dealing with North Korea. One is to surrender and appease North Korea, just give them everything they want, he said. The second option is preventive war, and the use of force to disarm North Korea. And I think the third option, which is the best of the three and the default option, is deterrence and containment. However, some experts argue that stronger actions are not necessary at this time. They support direct talks with North Korea. In Beijing, Tillerson said the U.S. and China should work together to get North Korea to take a different course. China has said it supports United Nations Security Council sanctions on North Korea. However, officials say all sides must work to reduce tensions in the area and negotiations should be restarted. Since the beginning of 2016, North Korea has carried out two nuclear tests and tested many long-distance missile. Most recently, the North launched four missiles that traveled about 1,000 kilometers. Three of the four landed in waters within Japans exclusive economic zone. Looking ahead to future talks with China On Sunday, Secretary Tillerson also discussed a future meeting between presidents Xi and Trump. Diplomatic sources told VOA that the meeting could take place from April 6 to 7 at Trumps Mar-a-Lago, Florida home. There, the two leaders will have the chance to discuss North Korea and other issues in person. Tillerson told Xi that Trump looks forward to increasing understanding between the two countries and the opportunity for a visit in the future. Nike Ching and Brian Padden reported this story for VOANews.com. Mario Ritter adapted their reports for Learning English. George Grow was the editor. ______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story Strategic adj. related to a general plan over a long period of time Unwavering adj. not changing, continuous and steady on the table idiom something to be considered, something that is possible or available default n. a fallback position, what happens when no other possibility has been chosen committed adj. given time or energy to do something view v. to see, to think or have an opinion source n. a person who gives information approach n. a way of doing things, a way to deal with a problem or issue It is the first day of spring throughout the northern hemisphere. And for Iranians and other cultures and countries in Central Asia, the day is very important. Today is Nowruz. Here in studio with me is my co-worker Kaveh, who is Iranian-American. And I thought we could talk about how you celebrate Nowruz in America. Hi Kaveh. Hi Ashley. Eide Nowruz Mobarak. Thank you, Ashley. You're welcome! Did I say that right? You did. Okay. So can you talk a little bit about how you and your family are celebrating today? Nowruz for us is our new year. It means "new day." In Iran, it's celebrated for two weeks. And during this time, families clean out their houses, they put on fresh new clothing, and they visit friends and family members. But here in the U.S., we celebrate it a little bit differently. We get together on Nowruz with our family, we make food and eat together and spend time together; and we also celebrate the first day of spring, which is a new beginning for us. One of the very important things for Nowruz is the "haft seen." "Haft seen" means "seven s's," so seven items that start with the letter "s." That's correct, Ashley. "Haft seen" is our tabletop arrangement. And it's the seven symbolic items that we use to display Nowruz. It's very beautiful, because there are many items in there with various vibrant colors. It's sort of like the American Christmas tree during the Christmas holiday season here in the U.S. So we have the first "seen," which is "sabzeh," which kind of means "green vegetable," in a way? It's actually wheat or barley or lentil sprouts. It's grown in a dish. And it represents rebirth. And our second "seen" is "samanu?" Yes, "samanu" is a sweet type of pudding, that represents affluence. And, "senjed." It is a kind of olive? Yes, it's a Persian olive. And it represents love. Interesting. [Next we have] "seer," which is garlic, and that represents health or medicine. That's correct. Okay. "Seeb" -- I also know this word -- apple. And the apple represents beauty? It does. And what are the final two? The sixth one is "sumaq." It's pretty much sumaq fruit. And it represents sunrise. And the last one is "serkeh," which is vinegar, and that represents old age and patience. How long do you display this "haft seen?" We typically have the "haft seen" set up a week or two before Nowruz, and about 13 days after. Because the 13th day after Nowruz is considered "Sidzeh Bedar." That's another holiday where we get together with friends and family and typically go to a picnic. And we take our "sabzeh...." Which is the barley or lentil plant? Exactly. And we go to a stream or a river, and we release it into there. So you put it in nature. Exactly. Kaveh, is it ever difficult to find these items for your "haft seen?" Well there are a lot of Persian supermarkets around the area, and I have to tell you that during this time, they are very crowded! I bet! There are long lines and a lot of people go there to gather their seven "s's" for their "haft seen" arrangement. Here in the Washington, D.C., area, we have a big Persian community that celebrates Nowruz. I know that in Los Angeles, California, the community over there is much larger, but we still get together here to celebrate the beginning of spring. Alright! I know you also took some photographs of your family's "haft seen." So our audience in Iran and around the world...if you are curious what the "haft seen" looks like...check out our website, and you can enjoy Kaveh's beautiful photographs. Thank you so much, and "eide shoma mobarak!" "Eide shoma mobarak." I'm Ashley Thompson. And I'm Kaveh Rezaei. From VOA Learning English, this is the Health & Lifestyle report. Many children spend a lot of time watching or playing with electronic media from televisions to video games, computers and other devices. So, it is natural that parents should wonder about all the time children spend looking at a TV or computer screen. Americans say screen time when they talk about any time spent in front of an electronic device. Perhaps parents should ease up on their concerns about screen time, at least for older boys and girls. Until last year, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) suggested that children and teenagers have no more than two hours of screen time a day. The academy has since changed that advice. In October 2016, the groups members agreed on a policy statement called Media and Young Minds. In the statement, they listed a number of suggestions for parents and child care specialists. Here are some of the suggestions. Avoid digital media use (except video-chatting) in children younger than 18 to 24 months. For children ages 18 to 24 months, choose high-quality media with your child. Avoid letting the child watch media alone. And avoid using media as a way to calm your child. For children two to five years of age, limit screen time use to one hour of high-quality programming a day and watch it with your child. For children ages 6 and older, limit time spent using media and the kinds of media. Also, make sure screen time does not take the place of healthy sleep, physical activity and other behaviors essential to health. to health. Make sure to have media-free times together as a family, such as dinner or driving. Also make some areas of the home media-free. Turn off your childs electronic devices an hour before bedtime. The AAP also suggests that doctors educate parents about brain development in the early years and the importance of hands-on, free play that builds language, thinking and social skills. The group also suggests that parents balance a childs screen time with other activities, such as getting enough sleep, exercising and doing homework. However, some experts question claims that too much screen time is harmful. Christopher Ferguson teaches psychology at Stetson University in the American state of Florida. He notes a lack of evidence supporting reports that too many hours spent playing video games or watching TV is truly harmful. Still, Ferguson notes, many people believe that too much screen time is bad. "So there's always this kind of sense of there being a zero-sum game that the more time our kids are spending with screens, the less time they're spending with academics, the more they're getting exposed to all kinds of anti-social messages or objectionable messages that we would not like our kids to be exposed to." However, there are only so many hours in a day. If a child spends six hours a day watching a screen, that is six hours he or she could be doing other things, like reading, enjoying a sport, or simply staring up at the clouds. Ferguson doesnt dispute that those activities are important. He seems more interested in one idea: the link between video games and violent or risky behavior. When he saw results from a recent British survey on screen time, he wanted to know more. The British study found a small negative effect -- about a one percent increase -- in aggression and depression among children who had six or more hours of screen time a day. He wanted to see if there was a similar effect among young people in the United States. So, Ferguson and a team of investigators examined answers from a survey on risky behaviors. The study involved about 6,000 boys and girls in Florida. Their average age was 16. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention developed the questionnaire. Data from this 2013 survey found that American children are also fairly resistant to the negative effects of electronic media. Among those who played video games, watched TV or worked on the computer up to six hours a day, the survey found: a small increase in delinquency of half of one percent; of half of one percent; a 1.7 percent increase in signs of depression; and a 1.2 percent negative effect on school grades. The researchers found no increase in risky sex or driving behaviors, use of illegal substances or eating disorders. Ferguson adds that young people can have up to six hours of screen time a day without an increase in problematic behavior. "Kids actually can consume a larger amount of media than we kind of thought in the past -- up to six hours per day -- without there being any kind of noticeable correlation with problematic behaviors." The researchers published their findings in the journal Psychiatric Quarterly. The American Psychological Association created a task force to look at a possible link between video games and violence. In August 2015, the group issued a statement saying it found that violent video games did lead to aggressive behavior in the player. It also said there is not enough evidence to prove that this link leads to criminal violence or delinquency. Ferguson is openly critical of this APA study and others that link video game use and violence. To further argue his point that screen time is not harmful, Ferguson adds that children should become familiar with screen technology. Electronic devices, he says, are a part of our everyday lives -- from school to work to our personal lives. To balance that statement, the American Academy of Pediatrics says that parents should not feel pressured to introduce technology early. The group adds that computer interfaces are very easy for children to learn. Give a child a new electronic device and most likely they will figure it out -- easily. And thats the Health & Lifestyle report. Im Anna Matteo. Jessica Berman reported this story for VOANews.com. Anna Matteo adapted her report for Learning English and added additional reporting. George Grow was the editor. Quiz - Screen Time: How Much is Too Much? Start the Quiz to find out Start Quiz _____________________________________________________________ Words in This Story screen n. the surface on which the image appears in an electronic display essential adj. extremely important and necessary data n. factual information (as measurements or statistics) used as a basis for reasoning, discussion, or calculation zero-sum game phrase : a situation in which one person or group can win something only by causing another person or group to lose it : (Mathematics) (in game theory) a contest in which one person's loss is equal to the other person's gain survey v. to ask (many people) a question or a series of questions in order to gather information about what most people do or think about something : ( n.) an activity in which many people are asked a question or a series of questions in order to gather information about what most people do or think about something negative adj. harmful or bad : not wanted delinquency n. conduct that is out of accord with accepted behavior or the law consume v. to use (fuel, time, resources, etc.) correlation n. the relationship between things that happen or change together interface n. a system that is used for operating a computer : a system that controls the way information is shown to a computer user and the way the user is able to work with the computer 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. scholarship, news and new ideas in legal history Country United States of America US Virgin Islands United States Minor Outlying Islands Canada Mexico, United Mexican States Bahamas, Commonwealth of the Cuba, Republic of Dominican Republic Haiti, Republic of Jamaica Afghanistan Albania, People's Socialist Republic of Algeria, People's Democratic Republic of American Samoa Andorra, Principality of Angola, Republic of Anguilla Antarctica (the 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St. Kitts and Nevis St. Lucia St. Pierre and Miquelon St. Vincent and the Grenadines Sudan, Democratic Republic of the Suriname, Republic of Svalbard & Jan Mayen Islands Swaziland, Kingdom of Sweden, Kingdom of Switzerland, Swiss Confederation Syrian Arab Republic Taiwan, Province of China Tajikistan Tanzania, United Republic of Thailand, Kingdom of Timor-Leste, Democratic Republic of Togo, Togolese Republic Tokelau (Tokelau Islands) Tonga, Kingdom of Trinidad and Tobago, Republic of Tunisia, Republic of Turkey, Republic of Turkmenistan Turks and Caicos Islands Tuvalu Uganda, Republic of Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom of Great Britain & N. Ireland Uruguay, Eastern Republic of Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of Viet Nam, Socialist Republic of Wallis and Futuna Islands Western Sahara Yemen Zambia, Republic of Zimbabwe Its becoming a tradition. China Evergrande Group has started the year three times since 2014 by asking bondholders to loosen restrictions on raising more debt and spending on acquisitions. It then goes on a borrowing and buying spree. The result has been a series of credit downgrades that has Chinas most indebted developer on the verge of the C category, associated with imminent default. The Guangzhou-based company is offering notes payable in 2020 and 2022, Bloomberg News reported on Friday, citing people familiar with the matter. The move comes only three days after Evergrande got holders of its outstanding offshore bonds to relax constraints on how much debt the company can assume. Among other things, Evergrande was allowed to increase the amount of permitted investments to 25 percent of assets from 20 percent. Other rules were eased that freed some subsidiaries to take on more debt individually. Evergrande had 999.9 billion yuan (USD144.9 billion) of assets as of June 30, so the company in effect just obtained a blank check to increase its permitted investments by $7.2 billion. When the Hong Kong- listed developer asked bondholders to agree to the changes, it justified them by saying it was trying to do a share offering in China that would increase equity, which should be a welcome prospect for creditors. The company made similar requests at the beginning of both 2014 and 2016. Subsequently, Evergrande went on to increase its leverage to astronomical levels. Its total debt to common equity ratio went from 224 percent at the end of 2013 before the first consent solicitation, as such requests are known, to 809 percent at the end of June. Even that measure doesnt fully reflect Evergrandes leverage, as I have noted before. The company has issued preferred shares and perpetuals, which are treated as equity but have more debt-like characteristics. If those are factored in, the developer owes $91 for every $9 of stock on the balance sheet a leverage ratio of more than 10 times. As Evergrandes leverage has climbed, S&P Global Ratings has moved the company from a BB score to B- with a negative outlook. Given the increase in debt ratios, the likelihood of a downgrade to the C category now looks high. Christopher Langner, Bloomberg The fire that broke out around 7 p.m. on Friday at the construction site of the Grand Lisboa Palace in Cotai may have been caused by arson. These are the preliminary conclusions from the Fire Services (CB) who attended the call for the blaze in Cotai. A total of 52 men supported by 14 firefighting vehicles and a 68-meter long ladder arrived at the scene a few minutes after the alarm, but it took them more than 2 hours to control the flames. According to a CB spokesperson, the fire had started at a storage room located on the 14th floor of the building where several flammable construction materials were kept. The incident led to the evacuation of over 500 workers operating within the building at that time, but there were no reports of injuries. CB complained to the media about the lack of fire hydrants on site as well as other difficulties in fighting the fire. Authorities suspect that the blaze might have been intentionally caused and the case was handed to the Judiciary Police (PJ) for further investigations. This is the third time in the last two years that the development of Sociedade de Jogos de Macau (SJM) in Cotai has caught fire, this most recent incident being the most severe. For now, it is unclear whether the blaze caused severe enough damage to delay the completion of the development, which is set to open its doors in the first half of 2018. RM China plans to build the first permanent structure on a South China Sea shoal at the heart of a territorial dispute with the Philippines, in a move likely to renew concerns over Beijings robust assertions of its claims in the strategically crucial waterbody. The top official in Sansha City that has administered Chinas island claims since 2012 was quoted by the official Hainan Daily newspaper as saying that preparations were underway to build an environmental monitoring station on Scarborough Shoal off the northwestern Philippines. The preparatory work on the stations and others on five other islands in the strategically vital waterway was among the governments top priorities for 2017, Sansha Communist Party Secretary Xiao Jie was quoted as saying in an interview published in the papers Monday edition seen online Friday in Beijing. No other details were. Beijing seized tiny, uninhabited Scarborough in 2012 after a tense standoff with Philippine vessels. Taiwan also includes the island within its South China Sea claims that largely overlap with those of China. The other stations mentioned by Xiao would be situated on features in the Paracel island group that China has controlled since seizing parts of it away from Vietnam in 1974. Chinas construction and land reclamation work in the South China Sea have drawn strong criticism from the U.S. and others, who accuse Beijing of further militarizing the region and altering geography to bolster its claims. China says the seven man-made islands in the disputed Spratly group, which it has equipped with airstrips and military installations, are mainly for civilian purposes and to boost safety for fishing and maritime trade. Prior to the announcement, South China Sea tensions had eased somewhat since Beijing erupted in fury last year after a Hague- based arbitration tribunal ruled on a case filed by the Philippines. The verdict invalidated Chinas sweeping territorial claims and determining that China violated the rights of Filipinos to fish at Scarborough Shoal. China has since allowed Filipino fishermen to return to the shoal following Philippine President Rodrigo Dutertes calls for closer ties between the countries, but it does not recognize the tribunals ruling as valid and insists it has historical claims to almost the entire South China Sea, through which an estimated USD5 trillion in global trade passes each year. Scarborough has no proper land mass and any structure on it would likely have to be built on stilts. The shoal forms a triangle-shaped lagoon of rocks and reefs running for 46 kilometers, with its highest point just 1.8 meters above water at high tide. Known in Chinese as Huangyan Island, it lies about 200 kilometers (120 miles) west of the main Philippine island of Luzon, and about 600 kilometers (370 miles) southeast of China. U.S. diplomats have said privately that reclamation work on the shoal would be seen as crossing a red line because of its proximity to the main Philippine islands and the threat it could pose to U.S. and Filipino military assets. During his Senate confirmation hearing for secretary of state, Rex Tillerson compared Chinas island-building and military deployments to Russias 2014 annexation of Crimea, and suggested Chinas access to the islands should not be allowed. The U.S. says China has reclaimed more than 1,295 hectares (3,200 acres) of land in the area. The topic is likely to be high on the agenda when Tillerson visits Beijing for talks with top officials on Saturday and Sunday. Meanwhile, Chinese Vice Premier Wang Yang was visiting the Philippines, just days after Duterte said Monday that he had told the military to assert Philippine ownership of a large ocean region off the countrys northeastern coast where Chinese survey ships were spotted last year, in a discovery that alarmed Philippine defense officials. China, the Philippines, Vietnam, Taiwan, Malaysia and Brunei have long contested ownership of the South China Sea, which straddles one of the worlds busiest sea lanes and is believed to sit atop vast deposits of oil and gas. Also this week, the commander in chief of Chinas navy, Vice Adm. Shen Jinlong, noted improving relations in a meeting with his Vietnamese counterpart, Rear Adm. Pham Hoai Nam, in Beijing. China and Vietnam have had long-running territorial disputes in the South China Sea. Tensions spiked in 2014 after China parked an oil rig near Vietnams central coast, sparking mass protests in Vietnam. The two navies and their countries should together play a positive role in maintaining peace and stability in the South China Sea, Shen was quoted as saying by Chinas defense ministry. Christopher Bodeen, Beijing, AP Britains government will begin the process of leaving the European Union on March 29, starting the clock on the two years in which to complete the most important negotiation for a generation. Britains ambassador to the 28-nation EU, Tim Barrow, informed the European Council President Donald Tusk of the timing yesterday, the Department for Exiting the European Union said. The notification of triggering Article 50 of a key EU treaty will come in the form of a letter delivered to Tusk though it was unclear whether it would come through an actual letter or an electronic missive. We are on the threshold of the most important negotiation for this country for a generation, Brexit secretary David Davis said. The government is clear in its aims: a deal that works for every nation and region of the UK and indeed for all of Europe a new, positive partnership between the U.K. and our friends and allies in the European Union. The 10 Downing Street office of Prime Minister Theresa May said that she will make a statement in the House of Commons on the day Article 50 is triggered. The announcement came after May pushed through legislation to start the negotiations to start withdrawal a process set in motion by voters in a June 23 referendum. The European Commission said it stood ready to help launch the negotiations. Everything is ready on this side, commission spokesman Margaritis Schinas said. The letter May sends next week will plunge Britain into a period of intense uncertainty. The country doesnt know what its future relationship with the bloc will look like whether businesses will freely be able to trade, students can study abroad or pensioners will be allowed to retire with ease in other EU states. Those things have become part of life since the U.K. joined what was then called the European Economic Community in 1973. Its not even certain the United Kingdom will survive the exit intact. Scotlands nationalist first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, is seeking a referendum on independence within two years. Scottish voters backed remaining in the EU, and Sturgeons said Scotland mustnt be taken down a path that we do not want to go down without a choice. The trigger for all this tumult is the innocuous-sounding Article 50 of the EUs Lisbon Treaty, a never-before-used mechanism for withdrawing from the bloc. It stipulates that the two sides now have until March 2019 to agree on a divorce settlement and if possible establish a new relationship between Britain, the worlds No. 5 economy, and the EU, a vast single market containing 500 million people. Danica Kirka & Jill Lawless, London, AP Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd. set a target to save 30 percent in employee costs at its Hong Kong head office as part of the biggest revamp in two decades, amid mounting competition that caused the carrier to post its first annual loss in eight years. The savings will come from changes to middle to senior management that will be announced by June, Asias biggest international carrier said in an emailed statement Friday. A transition to the new structure will occur over the summer, Cathay said. It is clear that there is a need for an organizational structure that will allow the Cathay Pacific Group to succeed, the airline said. We need a leaner, simpler structure that is driven by real insights into our customers and their needs, one that will allow us to respond quickly to change. The statement sheds more light on a critical review Cathay announced five months ago. The airline has been discounting its premium offerings in a bid to fill seats as it competes against airlines such as China Eastern Airlines Corp., weighing on passenger yields. It has kicked off a three-year transformation program to revive earnings, and has said changes would start at the top. The marquee carrier expects the operating environment in 2017 to remain challenging. Its a wonderful opportunity for them to look at what is happening now, not just the numbers but look at the structural issues and make a clean break from the old days, Shukor Yusof, founder of Endau Analytics, an aviation consulting firm in Malaysia, said by phone. This year is going to be the threshold for them, and if they dont do anything by the end of this year, theyre going find themselves a lot deeper in trouble. Shares of Cathay rose 1.4 percent to HKD11.28 in Hong Kong on Friday, narrowing losses in the past 12 months to 18 percent. The citys Hang Seng Index has gained 19 percent over the same period. Swire Group is the parent of Cathay, while Air China Ltd. holds almost 30 percent. The Hong Kong carrier recorded a net loss of HKD575 million (USD74 million) for 2016, it said March 15. Losses from fuel hedging totaled HKD8.46 billion, and the airline said it expects further such losses in 2017 though the amount should be smaller. Cathay Pacific Group employed more than 33,700 people worldwide, including about 23,400 for the main airline, according to the interim report for the half year ended June 2016. Increases in staff expenses are harder for Cathay to contain because of unions involvement, said Will Horton, an analyst at CAPA Centre for Aviation in Hong Kong. Staff costs saw increases due to wage growth at unions for frontline staff. That is a trickier cost element to control, Horton said in an email. Stating the 30 percent figure seems to be a clear message Cathays restructuring starts at the top and all employees are in this together if they are to secure Cathays future. That means pilots then need to come to the table, too. Bloomberg Saudi Arabias King Salman met with Chinas premier on Friday, a day after the two nations signed a memorandum of understanding on investment cooperation valued at USD65 billion. The landmark agreement aims to boost joint efforts in fields including energy, investment, finance, culture and aerospace, part of Saudi Arabias drive to develop a growth strategy less dependent on oil. Beijing meanwhile is rolling out a massive trade and investment initiative across Central Asia and the Middle East called One Belt, One Road that sees the desert kingdom as a regional linchpin. Despite the eye-catching sum noted in the memo, the actual value of such commitments is usually much smaller once projects begin. Saudi Arabia had been Chinas biggest supplier of imported crude oil before being overtaken by Russia last year, and the kingdoms state-owned oil producer, Aramco, is a partner with state-owned China Petroleum & Chemical Corp. The two operate a refinery in Fujian province along with other Chinese projects. The signing of the agreement, which involves 35 separate projects, followed talks last week between Salman and President Xi Jinping, during which the Chinese leader said results of their burgeoning cooperation had already surpassed our expectations. Security ties between the two have also grown significantly, with the Saudi air force deploying Chinese unmanned attack drones and the two militaries holding joint counter-terrorism exercises in western China. Chinese navy vessels have also visited the Saudi port of Jeddah as part of increasingly active maneuvers in the Gulf of Aden. However, China is also a close partner of Saudi Arabias arch rival Iran, and has backed the government of President Bashar al-Assad in the Syrian conflict, while Saudi Arabia has insisted on Assads ouster and has supported the Syrian opposition, including Islamic militant groups. The 81-year-old Salmans visit is part of a monthlong swing through Asia. Accompanied by a 1,500-strong retinue of businessmen, princes and support staff in close to a dozen aircraft, he has already visited Japan, Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei. He was to travel next to the Maldives, but postponed that visit because of the spread of swine flu in the Indian Ocean island nation, according to the presidents office. AP American missiles have hit the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, signalling the start of the US-led campaign to topple Saddam Hussein. President George Bush delivered a live television address shortly after the bombings began, vowing to disarm Iraq and to free its people. The attack was ordered two hours after a final 48-hour deadline expired for Saddam Hussein to leave Iraq. US sources say five key members of the Iraqi regime, including the Iraqi leader himself, were targeted in the first attacks. The Iraqis say some non-military targets have been hit and a number of civilians wounded in Doura, a southern suburb of the capital. The air strikes began at 0534 local time (0234 GMT). A short time later, Iraqi TV broadcast what it said was a live speech by Saddam Hussein. In it he said: I dont need to remind you what you should do to defend our country. Let the unbelievers go to hell, you will be victorious, Iraqi people. President Bush played down hopes of an early victory. In his broadcast to the American people he warned the campaign could be longer and more difficult than some predict. He continued: This will not be a campaign of half measures and we will accept no outcome but victory. The dangers to our country and the world will be overcome. We will pass through this time of peril and carry on the work of peace. We will defend our freedom. We will bring freedom to others. At 2200 GMT British Prime Minister Tony Blair made a live televised address to the nation. He confirmed British troops were in action in Iraq. He said their purpose was to remove Saddam Hussein and disarm Iraq of weapons of mass destruction. The attack has drawn international condemnation and brought demonstrators onto the streets in several countries. Attempts to get a United Nations Security Council resolution backing a military campaign in Iraq were abandoned earlier in the week when it became clear the US still faced an uphill battle to get the majority it needed. The French had been pushing for more time to allow Iraq to disarm and today President Jacques Chirac of France expressed regret at the launch of hostilities without UN backing. Russian President Vladimir Putin said the military action was entirely unjustified, while China said the strike violated the United Nations charter. Anti-war demonstrations have taken place in cities in Greece, Egypt, Australia and Indonesia. Courtesy BBC News In context The Pentagon called the US air strike against Baghdad a target of opportunity a chance to attack leadership targets in the hope of killing senior Iraqi commanders. It was not the launch of full-scale hostilities. The attack was carried out by F-117 Stealth fighters, but cruise missiles were also fired from four US navy warships and two submarines. The following day (21 March) the US and British launched a massive aerial assault on Baghdad in what the US called its shock and awe strategy. At the same time, ground forces were advancing into southern Iraq. Iraqi forces resisted the American-led coalition troops until 9 April when a giant statue of the Iraqi leader was toppled by demonstrators in Baghdad but the man himself escaped into hiding. On 15 April a first meeting was held to talk about a new regime in Iraq. The US formally handed over power to the Iraqis on 28 June 2004. Saddam Hussein was captured in December 2003, tried by an Iraqi court, sentenced to death and hanged on 30 December 2006. The appalling, horrendous story of abuse that Erwiana faced in Hong Kong as a domestic helper raises awareness of how modern slavery is still present today. I will not be tackling issues about how these domestic helpers are in need of rights protection, or their long working hours. I am aware that the tone in my recent columns has been in favor of the rights of such workers. I think what I realized during the film screening of Erwianas story is that it isnt enough for several migrant groups and/or researchers to help stop the abuse of these employees, or to raise awareness of such issues. Cheers to the employers who treat their workers as part of their family; kudos to the local and non-local employers who treat domestic work as work, and not some kind of slavery. It would be unfair not to speak about the shameful fact that modern slavery still exists reported or not both in Macau and Hong Kong. Domestic workers face several migration-related stressors that are highly likely to affect their health, so concrete and accurate data should be studied in order to understand how their health is also affected when encountering legal and institutional constraints. The oppressive living and working conditions of some domestic employees pose threats to their mental well-being, so I consider the efforts of the University of Macaus Population Research Initiative for Domestic Employees (PRIDE) extremely beneficial in assisting and promoting the well-being of the domestic worker community in Macau. As the population research initiative for domestic employees aims to recruit more than 3,000 domestic helpers, this comprehensive study could yield accurate data which could be used to aid the community in the future. With the groups measurement of physical and mental heath to gather data about types of possible stressors, the study would hopefully have the potential to produce concrete data, which could be submitted to the government in a bid to promote the protection of domestic workers. The data also covers whether workers experience uncomfortable living due to cramped housing, remittance strain, abusive practices and more. As previously reported by the Times, PRIDEs preliminary data shows many domestic helpers work more than their stipulated hours per week. I know the data has a long way to go in terms of concluding how the current practices affect workers physical and mental health, but at least there is an effort to improve the well-being of these vulnerable groups. In a region that accommodates some 25,587 domestic workers, its appropriate for the city to be able to provide such statistics on factors that negatively and positively affect domestic workers welfare. The region has heard countless stories of how these vulnerable migrants are mistreated, but seldom hears of how it affects their health. It would be unfair for these migrant workers to contribute in the region and return home with physical and mental health issues. With such research, the study could provide recommendations for better protection of the regions domestic employees. This research should not be underestimated, as it would significantly contribute not only to the welfare of the regions immigrants but also advance the regions labor law, which could potentially lead to better rights protection. All Antonio Molina has to do to cross the border into Gibraltar for work is wave an identity card, barely slowing his motorbikes pace. The Spanish delivery mans job depends on the border being open, a fact thats under threat as Britain leaves the European Union, dragging the overseas territory with it. Molinas livelihood, like that of some 300,000 people who work in the region, is on the line. There is much fear because we dont know whats going to happen, says the 46 year- old father of two, a Spanish citizen and resident who is applying for his first passport ever in case border controls become stricter. We live in limbo; you hear one thing today and a different thing tomorrow. Britain has controlled the rocky speck of land for three centuries against Spains wishes. But being in the EU has meant the border has been open to the unlimited flow of workers, goods and money. That could end if Britain leaves the EU without retaining access to the blocs single market. And Spain could use the situation to press for greater control of the territory. Gibraltar, which is barely twice the size of Central Park and home to 32,000 people, has thrived economically under Britains rule and open trade with Spain. Its low corporate taxes, business-friendly regulation and links to the EU market since 1973 have attracted investment. Tourists can often be seen taking selfies with the Barbary macaques, the only free-roaming monkeys in Europe, that live on the promontory known as The Rock. They can pay with pounds or euros. With the prospect of losing easy access to Spain and the wider EU market, Gibraltars government says the territory is rebranding itself as a gateway for the U.K. and new markets in northern Africa just across the strait. Its unfortunate. We dont want to turn our backs to Europe, but those are the cards that we have been dealt and we have to play this hand the best as possible, Fabian Picardo, the chief minister of Gibraltar, told The Associated Press. It doesnt matter that 96 percent of Gibraltarians voted to remain in the EU in last years referendum. Since then, pleas for a special deal that would allow Gibraltar to retain access to the EU single market and keep borders open have been blocked by Spain, which wants joint sovereignty of the territory. Madrids proposal is to share foreign and defense matters with London, which keeps a strategic military presence in Gibraltar, in return for ample autonomy, investments and special tax conditions. Gibraltarians would be allowed to have a Spanish passport without having to renounce their British one. Acknowledging such an agreement with Britain is unlikely, Spain is taking a tough line. Gibraltar has been the setting for diplomatic tensions between the two countries, including over fishing quotas, the handling of drug smuggling from North Africa and security matters, such as the killing of three IRA members by British forces in 1988. Foreign Minister Alfonso Dastis recently said that Madrids position remains that Britains control of Gibraltar violates the territorial integrity of our country. In its divorce talks with the EU, Britains focus on controlling borders and limiting migration means it is unlikely to retain access to the blocs single market, as the EU has said the country cannot have it both ways. That has left many in Gibraltar wondering whether their fate will be considered in Britains negotiations with the EU. Picardo argues it is possible to limit migration somewhat while keeping borders open to workers and tourists to Gibraltar. Its an arrangement he believes could also work for Britains land border with Ireland, for example. Nobody expects Gibraltars border to be fully closed. But disruptions and queues which already happen at times of diplomatic tensions between Britain and Spain are a nightmare for workers and employers. Molinas boss, Redwood International general manager Danny Gabay, says his logistics business is already affected by increased border checks at customs. Gibraltar is paying a price due to political situations, and obviously our businesses are in the front line, he says. Gabays office is in an airport terminal building that stops abruptly over the frontier fence, a powerful symbol of the lack of cooperation at the official level. The Spanish side never built a terminal on its side because Madrid considers the airstrip built on illegally occupied land. That leaves the airport servicing flights linking only with destinations in Britain. And Spain has threatened to block the airport from getting EU air travel permits once Brexit happens. European mediation has been key to solving past British-Spanish disputes over Gibraltar. But now, workers here feel like theyll be an afterthought in Britains two- year negotiations with the EU. Jesus Verdu, an international public law professor at the University of Cadiz, believes Gibraltar overall is well positioned to navigate uncharted waters. The biggest losers if Spain takes a hard line, he says, will be workers like Molina and others in the region around Gibraltar, where unemployment remains high and 25 percent of economic output is linked to jobs in Gibraltar or spending by Gibraltarians. There are so many things at stake that are essential both for the U.K. and for the EU that the issue of Gibraltar is being diluted and pushed right to the margins, and that is obviously a source of great concern for our region, Verdu says. Aritz Parra, Gibraltar, AP Political observer and academic Sonny Lo presented a seminar last week at the Rui Cunha Foundation, at the invitation of the Macau Association of Portuguese and English Press. During the presentation, Lo explained his perspective on the City Cluster Plan, or Greater Bay Area of Guangdong Province, in response to Chinese Premier Li Keqiangs endorsement of the proposal at the annual session of the National Peoples Congress. The plan seeks to transform the Pearl River estuary into a cluster of cities under a strategic plan for integrated development, playing to the relative strengths of the individual cities there today. Lo said that the plan ultimately represents deeper economic integration between Macau, Hong Kong, Guangzhou and the nearby border cities such as Shenzhen and Zhuhai, and suggested that such economic integration was not only inevitable, but would one day include Taiwan. He argued that the idea initially surfaced as early as 1996 in Shenzhen, but the notion of close economic integration with the mainland was not well-received in Hong Kong. Now, the Chinese premier has revisited the economic objective, in the hope of expediting the process, which has implications for Hong Kong, Macau, Guangdong and Taiwan between now and 2047 and 2049 for Hong Kong and Macau respectively. Lo is the president of the Hong Kong Political Science Association and holds positions at several universities in the Asia-Pacific region. He is a political scientist who specializes in the fields of cross-border crime, policing and politics of the greater China area. The veteran Hong Kong observer assured guests that, despite this economic and municipality integration, both SARs would need to retain their uniqueness specifying that Hong Kong should stay a financial center and Macau should continue to develop as a tourism hub, though he recommended that Macau diversify away from its reliance on gaming revenues. He also mentioned the differences between the two SARs, in terms of the relative strength of their localism movements and attitudes toward the mainland. In particular, So referenced the political activism rife in Hong Kong. Beijing and the Hong Kong government could not have anticipated that closer economic integration would bring about social conflicts and political tensions, such as the rise of localism, he said. In a sense, localism in Hong Kong is an ideology resistant to mainlandization and deeper economic integration. The mainland has said that it wants Hong Kong people to focus less on politics and more on economic development. The reality is that Hong Kong has already been politicized because of internal politics, including pro-democracy movements and political fragment forces. So, politics in Hong Kong are beyond its [Beijings] control, and there are still many people [there] resisting this economic integration, he added. On the other hand, Macau has seen less resistance to mainland influence, which according to Lo is because of a stronger Chinese identity and a weaker sense of localism. However, political reform in Hong Kong and Macau will have to be more realistic, he warned. [That means] more consultation, more harmony and [fewer] political arguments in Hong Kong This is and will be difficult given the very divided society in Hong Kong. The academic also offered some comments about the future of Macau, Hong Kong and Taiwan under Beijings One Country, Two Systems policy. While he said it was impossible to know whether the policy would be scrapped by the mid- 21st century, he promised that the integration of the greater China area would be expedited in the years ahead. Economic integration will be far more profound and [at a pace] much faster than before. Hong Kong and Macau [leading up to 2047 and 2049 respectively] will be in positions ready to be integrated further into the mainland the new economic region of southern China with Guangdong as the locomotive, he said. Meanwhile, Taiwans integration is only a matter of time. Despite the current frosty relationship between Beijing and Taipei, the deeper economic integration of Taiwan into the southern region of China will be a matter of time. The Japanese government held its first-ever drill Friday to protect citizens in case a ballistic missile is launched toward Japan. More than 100 residents and schoolchildren of the coastal city of Oga in northern Japan participated in the drill. Loudspeakers warned them of a possible missile threat and urged them to seek shelter indoors because missile parts might fall. The drill assumed a scenario of a hypothetical country firing a missile that falls into Japanese territorial waters off the coast of Akita prefecture. It came amid increasing missile threats from North Korea. Earlier this month, North Korea fired four missiles, of which three landed in the 200-nautical mile offshore area where Tokyo has sovereign rights to explore and exploit resources. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told reporters it is imperative to raise the publics awareness about how they should respond in case of a missile threat. The drill began with a government alert issued at 9:30 a.m. warning of a possible missile launch. Municipal officials then used loudspeakers and emails to urge residents to seek cover at designated evacuation centers. During the drill, schoolchildren and others who were outside sought shelter inside a school building or a community center. AP Former lawmaker Rui Afonso has passed away on Friday in Lisbon aged 70, the victim of a prolonged disease. His funeral service was held Saturday. Afonso is seen as a key figure in the modernization of Macaus public administration. A lawyer in Portugal since 1976, Afonso started practicing in Macau in 1985. He was a legal adviser to the Secretary of Administration and Justice (1983-1984), and director of the Administration and Public Servants Service (1984-1985). Between 1984 and 1997, he was a lawmaker. The president of the Macau Lawyers Association, Jorge Neto Valente, stresses Afonsos role in the modernization of public services in Macau. Together with Adelina de Sa Carvalho, he kicked off the modernization of the public administration in Macau, and he did that during a convulsed time, Neto Valente told the Times yesterday. Lawyer Sergio de Almeida Correia, who had worked with Rui Afonso since 1989, stressed the late lawyers key role in reforming the public administration regarding human resources and fine-tuning the services legal framework. Some organic laws were changed. And there was the need to bring more people from the Chinese community to have a role in those services, besides those who belonged to the cultural and economic elite. Almeida Correia recalls that around that time Afonso played a role in setting up and recruiting people to a program of studies in Portugal which became known as PEP in the Portuguese acronym whereby members from the Chinese community were enrolled in courses in Portugal before returning to work in the local public administration. Neto Valente, also a lawmaker at the time, remembers Afonsos 13 years as a directly-appointed lawmaker at the Legislative Assembly. In the plenary we were always together, he recalls. He was an active lawmaker, never ceasing to take a stance on issues [that were debated]. He was a left- wing man with social concerns. According to the Lawyers Association head, Afonso was free and independent. Neto Valente describes Afonso as someone who had finesse: He thought well and had his own ideas. He knew how to read law and how to arrive at conclusions. As a lawmaker, Rui Afonso supported the idea of having the Legislative Assembly operating in autonomous facilities, instead of the Government Palace at Praia Grande. He thought that the separation of [executive and legislative] powers was needed to avoid promiscuity between the government and lawmakers, Almeida Correia reflected. He added to MDT that Afonso had also held a role in reforming the legal status of the Portuguese in Macau and the judicial system in the territory. During the 90s, appeals of decisions made by the secretaries were trialed in Lisbon. That was unfeasible [after the handover]. In his legal practice, Rui Afonso Advogados, he also had a role in mediating between the Chinese and Portuguese counterparts involved in large-scale infrastructure works that were constructed before the handover, such as the airport. Sergio de Almeida Correia notes that, although Rui Afonso spent lengthy periods in Portugal in his later years, he always kept his legal practice active in the MSAR. Affability and loyalty were the two characteristics Almeida Correia said he associated with Rui Afonso. He had strong social concerns. There are countless cases that were solved here at the legal practice free of charge. Either because [these] people were poor or because they worked for the public administration, had a low income and were facing disciplinary procedures, or simply because they were Portuguese. [] That shows his character. He was not in the law field to exploit people. Things had to be straight. We walk the streets everyday, he used to say. Newspaper against information control An apologist of freedom of speech, Rui Afonso was involved in the foundation of a newspaper named Futuro de Macau. Sergio de Almeida Correia recalls: Information was controlled in Macau. Every time a newspaper that was more critical of the government sprung up, the government wanted to buy a share in the newspaper through intermediaries. [] Rui Afonso thought it was needed to have a free and independent voice in Macau. He founded Futuro de Macau, together with Manuela Antonio. The intense rains, overflowing rivers, mudslides and flooding being experienced in the country are the worst seen in two decades, Peruvian authorities said Saturday, affecting more than half the nation as the death toll since the beginning of the year hit 72. The highly unusual rains follow a series of storms that have struck hard along Perus northern coast, with voracious waters inundating hospitals and leaving some small villages isolated. The storms are being caused by a warming of the surface waters in the Pacific Ocean and are expected to continue for another two weeks. Perus government said that 374 people were killed in 1998 during a similar period of massive rains and flooding caused by rains blamed on the El Nino climate pattern. On Saturday, Prime Minister Fernando Zavala updated the number of dead from the latest flooding to 72. The rains have overwhelmed the drainage system in the cities along Perus Pacific coast and the health ministry has started fumigating around the pools of water that have formed in the streets to kill mosquitoes that carry diseases like dengue. Lima has been without water service since the beginning of the week. The government has deployed the armed forces to help police control public order in the 811 cities that have declared an emergency. The prices for lemons have gone up, as well as for potatoes and cooking oil, said Sara Arevalo, a mother of five who was shopping at a market in northern Lima. The government has acknowledged that prices have shot up some 5 percent because of the flooding. In the Lambayeque region, 22 inmates at a juvenile detention center took advantage of the rains to escape. And in the city of Trujillo, rains flooded a cemetery with the waters carrying bones through the streets. Even Perus capital city of Lima, where a desert climate seldom leads to rain, police on Friday had to help hundreds of residents in an outskirt neighborhood cross a flooded road by sending them one-by-one along a rope through choppy waters. The muddy current channeled down the street after a major river overflowed. Some residents left their homes with just a single plastic bag carrying their belongings. The presidents of Chile, Bolivia and Venezuela offered to send help to Peru. Franklin Briceno, Lima, AP U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Saturday pushed for closer China-U.S. cooperation on dealing with North Koreas nuclear program in his first face-to-face talks with top Chinese diplomats. Tillersons visit to Beijing followed his remarks in South Korea on Friday in which he warned that pre-emptive military action against North Korea might be necessary if the threat from its weapons program reaches a level that we believe requires action. China, the Norths biggest source of diplomatic support and economic assistance, hasnt responded directly to his remarks, although Beijing has called repeatedly for all sides to take steps to reduce tensions. Tillerson stressed the need for a results oriented relationship with China in comments following his meeting Saturday with Foreign Minister Wang Yi. We renewed our determination to work together to convince North Korea to choose a better path and a different future for its people, Tillerson said. He said Wang agreed on the need for a course correction with Pyongyang. Bringing North Korea to a different place is a matter to be approached with a sense of urgency, Tillerson said. Wang restated Beijings calls for dialogue between the U.S. and North Korea and called Tillersons visit an important step toward a meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and his U.S. counterpart, Donald Trump, expected next month. Tillerson met later with Yang Jiechi, Xis top foreign policy adviser. As North Koreas most important source of diplomatic support and economic assistance, China has grown increasingly concerned about the possibility of conflict on the Korean Peninsula. Wang warned last week that North Korea on one side, and the U.S. and South Korea on the other, were like two accelerating trains headed at each other, with neither side willing to give way. He floated a proposal that North Korea could suspend its nuclear and missile activities in exchange for a halt in joint U.S.-South Korea military drills. That was swiftly shot down by the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, who said Washington has to see some sort of positive action from North Korea before it can take leader Kim Jong Un seriously. While China has agreed reluctantly to U.N. Security Council resolutions sanctioning North Korea, it is adamantly opposed to measures that might bring about a collapse of the North Korean regime and send waves of refugees into northeastern China while South Korean and American forces take up positions on its border. Thats left Beijing with few options other than to call for renewed dialogue under the Beijing-sponsored six-nation format that broke down in 2009. In a further sign of its frustration with Pyongyang, China last month banned imports of North Korean coal for the rest of the year, potentially depriving Kims regime of a key source of foreign currency. On Friday, Tillerson signaled a tougher strategy toward North Korea that leaves open the possibility of pre-emptive military action. Let me be very clear: The policy of strategic patience has ended, he said after visiting the heavily militarized border between the rival Koreas. We are exploring a new range of diplomatic, security and economic measures. All options are on the table. Past U.S. administrations have considered military force because of North Koreas development of nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles to deliver them, but rarely has that option been expressed so explicitly as by Tillerson. North Korea has accelerated its weapons development, violating multiple Security Council resolutions without being deterred by sanctions. The North conducted two nuclear test explosions and 24 ballistic missile tests last year. Experts say it could have a nuclear-tipped missile capable of reaching the U.S. within a few years. China has stridently opposed the deployment of a U.S. missile defense system to South Korea, saying its X-band radar can peer deep into China to monitor flights and rocket launches. The U.S. says its a system focused purely on North Korea and poses no threat to the security of other nations. Tillersons visit to Beijing is the final stop on his three-nation swing through Northeast Asia, which began in Japan. State Department officials have described it as a listening tour as the administration seeks to coordinate with its Asian partners on a coherent North Korea policy. Though it didnt come up in his public remarks, Tillerson was expected to discuss with China its claim to virtually the entire South China Sea, including its building of islands atop coral reefs, complete with airstrips and military installations. During his confirmation hearings in January, Tillerson compared Chinas island-building and deployment of military assets to Russias 2014 annexation of Crimea, and suggested that Chinas access to its newly built islands should be blocked. Secretary of State meets with Xi Jinping The United States is looking forward to the first meeting between President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said yesterday, on the final day of a swing through Asia dominated by concerns over North Koreas nuclear and missile programs. In talks with Xi in Beijing, Tillerson said Trump places a very high value on communications with the Chinese president. Trump looks forward to the opportunity of a visit in the future, Tillerson said, in an apparent reference to unconfirmed reports of plans for the two leaders to meet in Florida next month. While few details of his talks have been released, Tillerson appeared to strike a cordial tone during his meetings in Beijing, in contrast to Trumps tough talk on Chinese economic competition during his presidential campaign. Xi told Tillerson that China considered his meetings Saturday with Foreign Minister Wang Yi and top diplomat Yang Jiechi to have been productive and constructive. Both [Trump] and I believe that we need to make joint efforts to advance China-U.S. cooperation and we believe that we can make sure the relationship will move ahead in a constructive fashion in the new era, Xi said. Christopher Bodeen, Beijing, AP Tin, her husband and five children have cleared years of refugee hurdles to come to the U.S.: blood tests, interviews, DNA and fingerprints, background checks. She has her one must-bring possession within reach, a well-worn Bible, and keeps their phone charged for the U.S. Embassy to call. But the odds of that happening dropped precipitously. President Donald Trumps 16-page travel ban to keep the bad dudes out bars new visas for people from six Muslim-majority countries and shuts down Americas refugee program through mid-July. His executive order had been set to take effect Thursday last week, but a federal judge put it on hold hours before it was to take effect. The order also includes a 55 percent reduction in refugee visas overall, from a planned 110,000 to 50,000 this year. This means, in some of the most desperate places in the world, 60,000 refugee visas are not going to be issued after all. Who are the 60,000 people who may have lost their chance to resettle in the U.S. by September? An Associated Press analysis of 10 years of refugee data suggests that their most common country of origin is not any of the six nations in the travel ban, but Myanmar, also known as Burma. Thousands, like Tin and her family, are Christians who were persecuted in their native country. They expected to resettle before September in the U.S., a place they consider home. More than 160,000 Burmese have resettled in the U.S. in the past decade, more than any other group. They account for nearly 25 percent of new U.S. refugees since 2007. America is really our fatherland in terms of religion, said Tin, 38. They sent their missionaries to our country and taught us to be Christians. And now we had to escape. All we want is to be safe. Christians face religious and political discrimination in predominantly Buddhist Myanmar. Its nascent democracy is heavily influenced by a military that ruled for half a century and remains at war with several ethnic groups, some of which are majority Christian. Tin and her community fled Chin state, where Human Rights Watch says more than 90 percent of the residents were adhering to the tenets the American Baptist Church by 2009, pitting them against a military campaign to elevate Buddhism over all other religions. Tin and others said that when they gathered for family prayers, people threw rocks at them. Soldiers busted into church services. They hid their precious Bibles for fear of attack. School teacher Sang, 29, a Burmese refugee who learned English as a theology student, meticulously read through a copy of Trumps executive order last week and then looked up, nodding. He said that while he agreed with the need to keep terrorists out of the U.S., We are not terrorists, we are Christians. We will never be a problem in the United States. We will get educations, we will work hard. We only seek safety. Tin and Sang are among more than 100,000 Christian Burmese refugees forced to flee in recent years. They live out of suitcases in abject poverty in Malaysia. Their kids cant go to school, and they risk deportation or detention if they try to report a crime. And its not just Christians. Hundreds of thousands of Rohingya Muslims have also been forced to escape the country of 51 million, where soldiers torched homes, raped women and killed them in a crackdown that began in October. Trumps Executive Order Protecting The Nation From Foreign Terrorist Entry Into The United States, says lowering the cap is necessary to U.S. interests. But the swift reduction in refugee visas interrupts work underway by federal law enforcement agencies and nonprofits around the world to vet 110,000 people in 2017, the highest number in decades. It was an attempt to put a small dent in the record 65 million refugees, asylum seekers and internally displaced persons worldwide. Nearly 38,000 have been admitted so far. Another 72,000 were preparing to arrive before the fiscal year ends in September. Instead, under Trumps order just 12,000 more will be allowed in. Exceptions can be made if the secretaries of State and Homeland Security agree. The safety and security of the American people is our highest priority, said a State Department official who provided a statement on condition of anonymity because he wasnt authorized to talk on the record about it. The U.S. defines refugees as people of special humanitarian concern who have been persecuted because of their race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or membership in a particular social group. An AP analysis found that nearly half the refugees who have arrived in fiscal year 2017 came from the seven majority Muslim countries named in an earlier executive order. Refugees from Syria, in particular, have arrived in greater numbers in the past twelve months. Burmas share has dropped from 26 percent of all spots in 2015 to just 8 percent of the refugee caseload so far this fiscal year. The AP also found refugees from Bhutan and Afghanistan make up a smaller proportion admitted in 2017 than in previous years. About 210,000 refugees, largely Vietnamese and Cambodians, came to the U.S. in 1980, the most in any year. Refugee arrivals dropped to less than 30,000 after 9/11 prompted strict new immigration rules. But they have increased fairly steadily since 2004, and overall refugee admissions reached 85,000 last year. The journeys of Burmese refugees begin in some of the poorest places on Earth: remote villages in strife-ridden regions. They pay smugglers upward of USD500 for the harrowing two-week journey. Some end up in Thailand, where an estimated 100,000 live in refugee camps, known locally as temporary shelters. Thai officials did not allow AP to visit. In Malaysia there are about 130,000 Burmese refugees awaiting resettlement. They live in Kuala Lumpurs poorest neighborhoods, their makeshift plywood walls dividing ordinary two-bedroom apartment into a half dozen stifling family units, a stark contrast to citys glimmering skyscrapers. They can stay for years, their belongings packed in baggage, so they can be near the United Nations and U.S. Embassy if called to get stamps on documents or meet with officials. Martha Mendoza and Meghan Hoyer, Kuala Lumpur, AP The U.S. and its Asia-Pacific allies are rolling out their new stealth fighter jet, a cutting-edge plane that costs about USD100 million each. The U.S. Air Force this week hosted allies and partners in Hawaii for a symposium on the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, which can sneak undetected behind enemy radar. Brig. Gen. Craig Wills, the strategic plans director at Pacific Air Forces, said the U.S. wanted to share its experiences with the F-35 and F-22, another stealth fighter, with allies and partners so they wouldnt have to learn everything on their own. The Air Force will use the F-35 to replace the A-10 and the F-16, and say it represents a quantum leap in air combat capability over these older planes. The idea with fifth generation is that we want to be able to operate in areas where others cannot, in places where our fourth generation airplanes cant fly, Wills said. The U.S. Marine Corps in January deployed 10 of the planes to a base in Japan. The U.S. Air Force plans to station the jet in Alaska within three years. Australia and Japan have already taken delivery of some of planes that they are using for pilot training in Arizona. South Korea is scheduled to get the plane next year. Loren Thompson, a defense analyst at the Lexington Institute, an Arlington, Virginia-based think tank, said the F-35 can make a huge difference in places like North Korea, where it could defeat air defenses and take out threats before they could react. The F-35 could fly all the way from South Korea to the North Korean capital without anyone from North Korea knowing it was on its way, he said. The Air Force currently has 103 planes in its possession, including one fully operational fighter wing at Hill Air Force Base in Utah. Other than Alaska, Wills said the Air Force hasnt decided where in the Pacific it will station additional planes. Alaskas Eielson Air Force Base is expected to get two squadrons. The Air Force currently bases F-22 jets in Hawaii and Alaska. Wills said the F-22 was designed to face down other fighter jets in the air, but also have an ability to hit ground targets. The F-35 was designed to strike ground targets and for air-to-air combat. MDT/AP If you want to go to your happy place, you need more than cash. A winter coat helps and a sense of community. A new report shows Norway is the happiest country on Earth, Americans are getting sadder, and it takes more than just money to be happy. Norway vaulted to the top slot in the World Happiness Report despite the plummeting price of oil, a key part of its economy. Income in the United States has gone up over the past decade, but happiness is declining. The United States was 14th in the latest ranking, down from No. 13 last year, and over the years Americans steadily have been rating themselves less happy. Its the human things that matter. If the riches make it harder to have frequent and trustworthy relationship between people, is it worth it? asked John Helliwell, the lead author of the report and an economist at the University of British Columbia in Canada (ranked No. 7). The material can stand in the way of the human. Studying happiness may seem frivolous, but serious academics have long been calling for more testing about peoples emotional well-being, especially in the United States. In 2013, the National Academy of Sciences issued a report recommending that federal statistics and surveys, which normally deal with income, spending, health and housing, include a few extra questions on happiness because it would lead to better policy that affects peoples lives. Norway moved from No. 4 to the top spot in the reports rankings, which combine economic, health and polling data compiled by economists that are averaged over three years from 2014 to 2016. Norway edged past previous champ Denmark, which fell to second. Iceland, Switzerland and Finland round out the top 5. Good for them. I dont think Denmark has a monopoly on happiness, said Meik Wiking, chief executive officer of the Happiness Research Institute in Copenhagen, who wasnt part of the global scientific study that came out with the rankings. What works in the Nordic countries is a sense of community and understanding in the common good, Wiking said. Still, you have to have some money to be happy, which is why most of the bottom countries are in desperate poverty. But at a certain point extra money doesnt buy extra happiness, Helliwell and others said. Central African Republic fell to last on the happiness list, and is joined at the bottom by Burundi, Tanzania, Syria and Rwanda. The report ranks 155 countries. The economists have been ranking countries since 2012, but the data used goes back farther so the economists can judge trends. The rankings are based on gross domestic product per person, healthy life expectancy with four factors from global surveys. In those surveys, people give scores from 1 to 10 on how much social support they feel they have if something goes wrong, their freedom to make their own life choices, their sense of how corrupt their society is and how generous they are. While most countries were either getting happier or at least treading water, Americas happiness score dropped 5 percent over the past decade. Venezuela and the Central African Republic slipped the most over the past decade. Nicaragua and Latvia increased the most. Happiness and doing what you love is more important than politicians think, said study author Helliwell. He rated his personal happiness a 9 on a 1-to-10 scale. Seth Borenstein, AP BRITAIN will begin divorce proceedings from the European Union on March 29, starting the clock on two years of intense political and economic negotiations that will fundamentally change both the nation and its European neighbors. The European Commission the blocs legislative arm said it stood ready to help launch the negotiations. THAILAND Police said yesterday that theyre looking for more weapons believed to be part of a plot to assassinate the prime minister, after police discovered guns and thousands of bullets allegedly belonging to an anti-establishment leader. NORTH KOREA Six people died when the roof of a mine in North Korea collapsed in January, the Norths state media reported yesterday, in a rare admission of a deadly accident in the secretive country. AUSTRALIA Private cellphone numbers of most Australian federal lawmakers, their staff and several former prime ministers have been made public after a government department failed to properly remove them from a routine report. INDIA-PAKISTAN Pakistani and Indian experts yesterday opened round-table talks in Islamabad over water disputes between the two nuclear-armed neighbors, even as tensions over competing claims to Kashmir remain high. US-RUSSIA FBI Director James Comey confirmed yesterday that the bureau is investigating possible links and coordination between Russia and associates of President Donald Trump as part of a broader probe of Russian interference in last years presidential election. The extraordinary revelation came at the outset of Comeys opening statement in a congressional hearing examining Russian meddling and possible connections between Moscow and Trumps campaign. ISRAEL A senior Israeli air force official said a joint U.S.-Israeli missile interceptor will be operational soon, completing the countrys multi-layer defense system. He said yesterday that Davids Sling, meant to counter medium-range missiles possessed by Iranian-backed Hezbollah militants in Lebanon, will be operational in early April. US-ROMANIA U.S. Marines and Romanian troops are taking part in joint exercises on the Black Sea coast to simulate the defense of coastline and urban areas. In one maneuver yesterday, they launched a Stinger missile at a surface-to-air firing range. EU-TURKEY The European Union is praising its migrant agreement with Turkey, one year after the deal officially entered force. A European Commission spokesman said yesterday that the EU-Turkey statement was a game changer which allowed us to break the cruel business model of smugglers exploiting human misery and putting peoples lives in danger. MEXICO An attacker has shot a journalist to death in the Mexican state of Veracruz, adding to the toll in a region plagued by drug gang violence and allegations of government corruption. Under President Trumps budget proposal for 2018, the U.S. Department of Agriculture would see a sharp 21 percent decrease in funding. This news was initially met with trepidation by rural communities, but the plan is unlikely to have as severe an impact as the top-line number might suggest. The proposal only impacts the USDAs discretionary budget, which is less than one-fifth of the USDAs overall budget, leaving major programs like crop insurance and food stamps largely untouched. However, the proposal does include cuts that could hurt rural communities. Most importantly, budgets for county-level USDA offices will be cut, as will funding for other services, including statistical gathering, the Water and Wastewater loan and grant program, and the Rural Business and Cooperative Service. The USDA is not the only department to see funding curtailed, as the proposal will make cuts to 19 agencies in all, including budget slashes of over 20 percent to the State Department, Labor Department and the EPA. These savings will then be shifted to three departments: Veterans Affairs, Homeland Security and Defense. The White Houses proposal would need to be adopted by Congress, leaving opportunities for ag-focused Congress members to lobby for changes. New homes, new commodities rally? The U.S. housing market is showing continued strength, with single-family home construction last month reaching a seasonally adjusted 10-year high. Housing is a major sector within the U.S. economy, and rising activity could give a boost to construction-related commodities like steel, copper and lumber. U.S. steel prices are approaching the highest price in almost three years, while lumber futures are near a four-year high at $363 per 1,000-board feet. Lumber has also been benefiting from concerns about Canadian lumber supplies. Meanwhile, copper futures are near a two-year high, trading Friday for $2.67 per pound. Copper is an essential component in electrical, heating, cooling and plumbing systems, making it especially reactive to construction demand. Furthermore, if President Trumps plans for renewed infrastructure spending come to fruition, these markets could benefit as massive road, bridge and port construction projects increase demand for raw materials. TWIN FALLS The winter of 2016-17 will be remembered for its snow storms and flooding, and perhaps for driving interest in federal crop insurance. Hail storms last July followed by a wet harvest that left many acres of beans and corn standing in fields led to losses for many farmers. Flooding from the rapid snow melt wiped out some winter wheat fields. Crop insurance is becoming more important in Twin Falls County, said Paula Stephens, county executive director for the Farm Service Agency. We are seeing more interest in being eligible for it. As more farmers seek federally subsidized crop insurance to protect against these weather-related risks, they risk finding themselves out of compliance with a farm bill requirement to protect highly erodible land. Approximately 98 percent of Twin Falls County farmland has been designated as highly erodible. Although protecting highly erodible land (HEL) from erosion has been part of the farm bill since 1985, HEL compliance wasnt tied to federal crop insurance eligibility until the 2014 Food Security Act. To be eligible for farm programs, including federal crop insurance, farmers must certify that they are following a conservation plan. The trouble is some of the plans were written 10 or 15 or 20 years ago and the farmer doesnt remember what was in the plan until a tract is selected for a compliance spot check and problems are discovered. Kirk Whitehead knows that compliance equates to busting someones chops. Farmers who are found out of compliance can be required to pay back farm program payments received that year or are denied federal crop insurance. But as the area east compliance officer for the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, Whitehead wants to help farmers be compliant. There are a lot of fairly easy practices that farmers can use to be compliant on their HEL soils, Whitehead said during a meeting held in Twin Falls. It could be as easy as raising the combine header to leave more straw height or changing tillage equipment. One concern many farmers have this winter is if the erosion caused by flooding will throw them out of compliance with their conservation plans. Most of our compliance decisions are based on the system and the (conservation) plan we have on file even though we are looking at a field at a particular time, explained Travis Youngberg, NRCS state agronomist. The tools that NRCS uses to help farmers develop conservation plans includes a wind erosion prediction model that includes crop rotation, irrigation practices and tillage equipment and timing along with climate data. The tools use an annual average. The field visit is to corroborate what the model shows, to ground truth it, Youngberg said. But if your plan says you have to maintain a certain percentage of residue after a certain crop, then we will still look at that. Even though the model can be cumbersome to run, Youngberg said it can provide good information for farmers. He often graphs the results to show farmers when erosion losses spike on their farm. By looking at the date of those spikes and what tillage equipment is being used at that time, farmers can tweak the system to reduce those high losses which may be enough to bring the field into compliance. Waiting until after May 1 to work bean fields is one example of reducing wind erosion potential especially on shallow soils. Youre not doing anything wrong, Whitehead said. Youre just dealing with very particular, very challenging soils. He encourages farmers to visit with their local NRCS office to review their conservation plan or to develop a new one that reflects their current practices. Its better to have a plan in place and not need it, than to not have a plan in place, Whitehead said, as long as you are following the plan that you have on file. Flying, by Shu Chunguang. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn] Veteran painter Shu Chunguang, 76, is always looking for new ways to do things. "It's hard to innovate traditional Chinese ink painting, yet I am still trying to make something new in spite of those difficulties," Shu said at the opening ceremony of an exhibition featuring 100 of his works from the past 50 years. Born at a farmer's family in a small village in Gansu province, Shu worked in Xinjiang Uyghur autonomous region for more than 30 years. There, he broadened the traditional Chinese landscape painting by capturing the special geographic features of Xinjiang, especially the Yardang landforms in Northwestern China. With large herds of camels in black and white, running horses on steep hills, the enlarged shadow of a flying eagle and white swans gliding across an azure lake near a dark blue hill, Shu poetically conveys the strong vitality and beauty of nature along the Silk Road. Apart from animals, Shu has also painted ethnic people, often as small shapes, dancing, migrating, or walking across the Gobi desert. About 100 guests from famed institutions attended the ceremony, including the China Artists Association, Capital Normal University. The exhibition is held at the China Millennium Monument and runs until March 23. BOISE Three people have died in the past four months because of lack of medical care by faith-healing families, including one person on Sunday, Canyon County Sheriff Kieran Donahue told a Senate committee Monday. By a single vote, the Senate State Affairs Committee moved forward on a bill to make it easier for a court to get involved if a child whose parents believe in faith healing treating with only prayer is at risk of serious injury or death. The law should apply to everyone equally, regardless of their religion, Donahue said. Donahue favors removing the exemption from prosecution entirely and doesnt think the bill that advanced Monday will do much to change things. He declined to elaborate on Sundays death, saying its still under investigation. Its an embarrassment to our state that we allow a small minority of people to neglect children to the point that they continue dying needlessly, he said. The bill doesnt get rid of the exemptions from criminal prosecution, but it removes a line from the civil law that says treatment through prayer or spiritual means alone cannot be considered neglect, making it more likely that a court would act if a case were to be brought to their attention. It adds language stating Idahos commitment to religious freedom and saying the state should not substantially burden religious freedom and will get involved in deeming faith healing to be neglect only in cases where the failure to receive medical treatment is likely to result in serious permanent injury or death. And, it says a judge should take the childs wishes into account. The bill was written by Sen. Dan Johnson, R-Lewiston, who was co-chairman of a group of lawmakers who studied the issue last year. He has said he was trying to find a balance between protecting children and not wanting to turn their parents into criminals for their beliefs. Everyone who testified was against the bill. Advocates for a stronger law or for repealing the religious exemptions in the criminal code argued it wouldnt do much to protect children. Im representing the hundreds of children that have perished because of faith healing, said Linda Martin, who grew up in the Followers of Christ Church and has lobbied for years to change the law. Prayer alone is not medical care. The free exercise of religion does not give anyone the right to harm another person. Members of the Followers of Christ Church, which has been at the center of the debate due to their belief in faith healing and child deaths among its members, called on legislators to protect their freedom of religion and questioned why the Legislature would seek to criminalize their beliefs when plenty of people also die after seeking conventional medical treatment. Faith is the basis of all Christianity, church member Nathan Kangas said. And it seems odd to me that they have now put man before God. They feel that is a superior way to take care of your children, is medical. ... What kind of a nation or state is that becoming when you go to prison for trusting in God? The committee voted 5-4 to send the bill on to the full Senate, with Sens. Chuck Winder, R-Boise, Patti Anne Lodge, R-Huston, Michelle Stennett, D-Ketchum, and Cherie Buckner-Webb, D-Boise, opposed. Most of the senators spoke at length about their votes, with some speaking about their own religious faith and their personal belief in the power of prayer. We found a way to introduce a bill to offend everybody, said Majority Leader Bart Davis, an Idaho Falls Republican. Which certainly wasnt our target. We werent looking for applause. We were instead looking for something that could be a partial solution and have a chance of passing. Well, this is that bill. Lodge, whose district includes many members of the Followers, defended them as people and said the media has sensationalized the issue. They love their children, she said. They have big families, they love them. Their lives are built around their families. Most states give some exemptions to parents who dont believe in conventional medicine for religious reasons, but Idaho is one of a handful that exempts parents from prosecution if one of their children dies. Debate over whether to change the law started a few years ago after Oregon changed its law and the higher-than-normal number of child deaths among Followers living in Idaho also came to public attention. The Republicans who hold a super-majority in the statehouse have been reluctant to change the law, saying they dont want to infringe on religious freedom. The bill would still need to go through the House before becoming law, and lawmakers are hoping to adjourn for the year at the end of the week, so if it is going to pass it will likely come to a vote in the Senate soon. Im representing the hundreds of children that have perished because of faith healing. Prayer alone is not medical care. The free exercise of religion does not give anyone the right to harm another person. Linda Martin, who grew up in the Followers of Christ Church April 5, 1943March 17, 2017 On March 17, 2017 Sharon Chlones Cummings passed over to meet the LORD. She was a well known Southern Baptist pastors wife that had a great southern accent everyone loved and commented about. Sharon was born in Quanah, Texas on April 5, 1943 as the only child of Weldon and Marcelle Smith. During her early development, she lived with her grandmother and grandfather on a farm just outside of Quanah. Sharon moved to Wichita Falls where she met her husband Jerry of 53 years. They have 3 children, Gerald Byron Jr., Jenny, and Don. After serving the LORD in Texas the family moved to Idaho in 1992 to start a mission church first in Shoshone and later in Twin Falls. She proudly served in the First Southern Baptist Church of Twin Falls, where Jerry was the pastor. She headed a program to children titled TEAM KID that many children who are now adults will remember. The Idaho State said Michael Jenkins, 20, of Twin Falls was driving northbound in a Chevrolet Blazer at about 1:15 a.m. when he failed to yield at a stop sign at the intersection of N 3800 E and State Highway 50, police say. The vehicle collided with a Freightliner hauling two commercial trailers, driven by Danny Day, 54, of Burley, who was headed westbound on State Highway 50. FBI Chief James Comey said publicly for the first time Monday that his agency is investigating alleged links between Russia and the Trump campaign and whether any crimes may have been committed during last year's election campaign. "That includes investigating the nature of any links between individuals associated with the Trump campaign and the Russian government and whether there was any coordination between the campaign and Russia's efforts," Comey said in his opening statement to a dramatic hearing before the House Intelligence Committee. But Comey said that while an investigation was going on he would be unable to give few details about its progress or whether anyone in particular was being targeted. The hearing, which also features testimony from National Security Agency Director Mike Rogers, could also shed light on the state of FBI investigations into the extent of Russian meddling in the election campaign. Republicans hope Comey will state that there is no evidence of collusion between Trump aides and officials from Moscow, a move that could begin to break up a cloud of Russian intrigue that has stifled the early weeks of the administration. But Democrats say there is circumstantial evidence of wrongdoing that needs to be probed. Comey is also expected to publicly reject President Donald Trump's claims that he was wiretapped by his predecessor, Barack Obama. Republican Committee Chairman Rep. Devin Nunes said the hearing would have several areas of focus -- the extent to which Russian intervened in the US election and whether any campaign officials conspired in those efforts. He restated that there was not a wiretap against Trump Tower, but did not rule out other kinds of surveillance against the Trump campaign. Nunes also said the hearing would seek information about who has leaked classified information linked to the issue or Russian election interference. The top Democrat on the committee, Rep. Adam Schiff, said it was not yet known whether the Russian operation was aided by US citizens, "including people associated with the Trump campaign." "Many of Trump's campaign personnel, including the President himself, have ties to Russia and Russian interests. This is, of course, no crime," Schiff said. "On the other hand, if the Trump campaign, or anybody associated with it, aided or abetted the Russians, it would not only be a serious crime, it would also represent one of the most shocking betrayals of our democracy in history." Schiff related alleged links between people close to Trump and Russia, including his former campaign aide Paul Manafort, using the President's words during the campaign and publicly available information contained in a dossier drawn up by former British intelligence officer Christopher Steele, large portions of which have yet to be corroborated by CNN. "Is it possible that all of these events and reports are completely unrelated. ... Yes, it is possible," Schiff said. "It is also possible, maybe more than possible, that they are not coincidental, not disconnected and not unrelated and that the Russians used the same techniques to corrupt US persons that they employed in Europe and elsewhere. We simply don't know, not yet, and we owe it to the country to find out." Trump tried to shift attention away from the wiretapping claims in a series of Monday morning tweets. "James Clapper and others stated that there is no evidence Potus colluded with Russia. This story is FAKE NEWS and everyone knows it!" Trump wrote shortly after 6:30 a.m. ET, followed by: "The Democrats made up and pushed the Russian story as an excuse for running a terrible campaign. Big advantage in Electoral College & lost!" The controversy over the wiretapping claims was unleashed by stunning early morning tweets from the President at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida two weeks ago. He drew parallels to Watergate and McCarthyism and said Obama was a "Bad (or sick) guy!" for ordering surveillance of his New York residence -- allegations the former president quickly denied through a spokesman. President Donald Trump is a reckless bully with authoritarian leanings and a craving for attention. Kim Jong-un is a reckless bully with dictatorial powers and a craving for attention. Oh yes, and both have fingers on nuclear triggers. Thats why so many national security experts of both political parties struggle to think of a scarier pair. Its not just that Kims outlaw North Korean regime has accelerated its nuclear weapons capacity and delivery capability, or that Kim sees nuclear weapons as his insurance policy against adversaries. Its also that Trump has displayed little appreciation of history or knowledge and a compulsion to show that hes tough. Trump has called Kim a madman, one of the few things he has gotten right about North Korea. Dealing with him, though, requires measured patience and smart diplomacy not Trumps forte and a reliance on alliances and relationships that he has dismissed. On his current Asia trip, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said that diplomacy with North Korea hasnt worked and that thered be a new approach. That sounds like just talk. More important, Defense Secretary James Mattis impressed Asia experts during his visit last month to Japan and South Korea, in essence assuring the allies that U.S. commitments were unchanged despite Trumps America First oratory. There are few Asia specialists in this slow-to-form administration. But if Trump listens to Mattis and H.R. McMaster, his national security adviser, there will be a sense of relief in Tokyo, Seoul and Washington about the approach to North Korea. Lets hope the president doesnt revert instead to his penchant for relying on gut instincts or his nationalist Svengali, Steve Bannon. Trump did advocate a greater nuclear presence in Asia during the 2016 presidential campaign. He declared that China has total control over North Korea and has hinted that hes going to tell Chinas President Xi Jinping to bring the North Korean dictator to his knees or else. But China doesnt have anything close to total control over Kim Jung-un. It has contempt for his recklessness and alarm at his nuclear development. Above all, Beijing fears collapse of the regime, which would bring millions of refugees pouring across the border and possibly created a unified Korea that isnt a strategic buffer for China. The Chinese want to tamp down Kim, but their interests arent the same as Americas. Chinas influence is limited, but it has practical leverage if it chooses to use it, said Tony Blinken, deputy secretary of state in the administration of President Barack Obama. For example, the Chinese did suspend coal imports from North Korea that accounts for about a third of its exports in line with a United Nations resolution. But the or else Trump has suggested he could punish China on trade wont scare Beijing. The dilemma on what to do is compounded by political instability in South Korea, whose hard-line President Park Geun-hye was just thrown out of office in a corruption inquiry. A new leader will be elected in May, possibly someone more inclined to compromise over relations with the North. A fear expressed by some experts is that Trump, who fancies himself a masterful negotiator, would agree to offer less resistance to Chinas ambitions in the South China Sea in exchange for a promise by Xi to bring more pressure on North Korea. The other fear is that the megalomaniac North Korean dictator could goad Trump into a mano-a-mano exchange that starts on Twitter and ends who-knows-where. President Donald Trump is having no success selling the American Health Care Act to voters, according to a new Huffington Post/YouGov poll: The public opposes the bill released by House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., and backed by President Donald Trump by a 21-point margin 45 percent to 24 percent according to the survey, with 31 percent unsure. The GOP plan also is on the wrong side of a significant gap in intensity, with just 5 percent strongly favoring the bill, and 32 percent strongly opposed. While Hillary Clinton voters overwhelmingly say Trumpcare will be worse than Obamacare (79 percent), Republicans are not thrilled with the plan either. Voters who supported Trump consider the GOP plan an improvement over Obamacare, but are less than unanimous and not especially enthusiastic, according to the poll. While 50 percent say they favor the GOP bill, just 13 percent report favoring it strongly. Only 6 percent think the bill would hurt them personally, but fewer than a quarter say it would improve things for them personally. The voters seem to be saying: Dont make things even worse than they are. Trump is not making headway with Republican governors either. John Kasich of Ohio, Asa Hutchinson of Arkansas, Brian Sandoval of Nevada and Rick Snyder of Michigan sent a letter to House Speaker Paul D. Ryan, R-Wis., and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., imploring them to rethink the AHCAs impact on Medicaid. They wrote that the AHCA provides almost no new flexibility for states, does not ensure the resources necessary to make sure no one is left out, and shifts significant new costs to states. We support fundamental reform of the Medicaid entitlement. (They attached their own detailed Medicaid program.) They added that Congress should focus first on stabilizing the private insurance market, where the greatest disruption from Obamacare has occurred. In an interview on CNN with Anderson Cooper, Kasich reiterated his opposition to the AHCA, acknowledging that there does need to be Medicaid reform. However, he stressed, some of the 700,000 people covered under Medicaid in his state are receiving treatment for drug addiction. If they get kicked off, Kasich asked, Where are they going to go? His most interesting remarks were focused on the tax credits under the AHCA that would replace the subsidies available through the ACA exchanges. He noted that the most you could get was is a $4,000 credit to buy health insurance. He retorted, What would you buy with $4,000 for an insurance policy? He pointed out many people are paying $2,000 per month. As he explained, all that is going to buy you is a catastrophic plan with a deductible that you can never pay. In sum, the AHCA is a plan voters and Republican governors think is going to make things worse. There is no popular outcry in favor of the bill. Ryan desperately wants to pass it, but his decades-old dream of cutting Medicaid should not prompt him, let alone the rest of the House Republicans, to adopt an unpopular, ill-conceived plan. Voters did not elect them to go on autopilot and spit out a bill no matter how bad. With the Senate ready to kill the bill anyway, House Republicans do themselves and the cause of health-care reform a great disservice by plowing ahead with a bill that has been so widely panned. They wont get passage of the AHCA, but they will demonstrate how utterly unprepared and unsuited to govern they are. They will have written the script for 2018 for Democrats to take back the majority. Who would have guessed that the biggest turnout for an Idaho legislative hearing this year would come on the subject of climate change? It was all the more surprising because theres no active Idaho legislation specifically on the subject this year nothing moving through the system. The closest came last month when legislators voted to pull references to climate change from classroom standards in Idaho schools. At a Senate committee meeting on the subject about two dozen members of the public spoke on the standards rule, all but one in favor of retaining the references to climate change; on a party line vote, the reference was stricken. (The Senate seemed somewhat open to compromise, but the House was firm that the climate change reference must go.) The Republican leadership and committee chairs arent supportive of it as a legislative initiative, so its just not a subject of much discussion. At least, not until last Wednesdays hearing at the Statehouse. What happened then wasnt even a hearing, exactly, not even a formal proceeding of a legislative committee. Instead, after Dell Raybould, the House Environment, Energy and Technology Committee chairman, turned down a request by Democratic Representative Ilana Rubel for a committee informational event, he agreed to allow a special meeting which was not connected to the committee, to be held in the Statehouses auditorium. Though no supporter of her position on the issue, he personally showed and stayed through the event. Not much of the rest of the committee seems to have appeared. So this was an event without any official standing, untied to legislation or even any committee or even any specific proposal, and without the opportunity to speak to any governing group of legislators. Despite all that it drew, by several reporters estimates, around 650 people, enough to fill the auditorium and cause building managers to open overflow rooms. It was the biggest crowd for any event in this years legislative session. It was among the biggest crowds any Idaho legislative event ever has drawn. Rubel, who hosted the meeting, was quoted as saying, This issue is not just about rising ocean levels and polar bears its about crops and jobs in Idaho. Idahos leaders must assess the risk ahead and take steps to address it, not hide their heads in the sand. The crowd seemed to be mostly unified in its stand, too. To judge at least from the testimony, the push was strong for at least acknowledging the fact of climate change (you wont find much of that kind of acknowledgement in the Idaho Legislature) and the need to plan ahead for changes that may be coming. On one hand, the presence of a large turnout hasnt proven especially persuasive to the Idaho Legislature up to now. As I wrote a few weeks back, large turnout on one side of an issue often has resulted in exactly the opposite reaction from legislators. The Add the Words campaign, which has drawn large crowds, is just one example. But the ability to draw such significant numbers for a single meeting does suggest some untapped political energy out there. Campaigns in legislative races, and ballot initiatives, could be accomplished with smaller numbers and force than that single meeting generated. The soldier cries out in pain, his combat fatigues soaked with blood. Around him, six medics -- an Iraqi, a German and four Americans -- are hard at work. One asks the soldier's name, trying to soothe him, while another cuts off his bloody uniform with scissors; the others are examining his wounds, taking his pulse. It's another hectic day at this frontline clinic in the village of Albu Saif, just a few minutes from the battle for west Mosul. Over the clamor around the wounded, booms echo from the nearby fighting. Artillery hurtles overhead from Iraqi positions targeting ISIS in the city. An American B-52 circles above, F16s fly over the battle field, and helicopters clatter, firing volleys of missiles into the city. Ten volunteers from New York City Medics, a humanitarian aid group providing emergency medical care, are set up in an abandoned, bullet-pocked house, working with a team of Iraqis from the Rapid Response Division of the Federal Police. NYC Medics has provided aid in the aftermath of the Nepali earthquake, the Fukushima disaster, the Haitian earthquake, but this is its first war zone. "In twenty minutes here, we see as much trauma as a lot of places would see in an entire shift, if not in an entire week of work," says Jeff Evans, a physician's assistant from Boulder, Colorado and mountaineer who once guided a blind climber up Mount Everest. Controlled chaos Evans cuts the interview short as an ambulance arrives at the clinic; a young man whose face is covered in bandages sitting in the front seat. He springs into action, his relaxed, easy going demeanor gone as he and the rest of the team get to work. They sit the young man -- clad only in boxer shorts -- in a wheel chair and roll him into the operating theater. The ambulance driver, a soldier in his late teens, explains his comrade was burned by the flames from a suicide car bombing in the Tayaran neighborhood, about two kilometers (or less than a mile and a half) away. The ambulance driver lost a friend in the same bombing. His face twitches in anguish as he recounts what happened. The medics, meanwhile, unwrap the bandages on the wounded soldier's face. The flames have burned the outer layer of skin off his face, his lower abdomen and his right hand. Occasionally the soldier groans softly, but doesn't flinch. Here, the focus is on stabilizing patients who have received first aid on the battlefield, before sending them on to a larger field hospital a half hour's drive to the south. The burned soldier, however, needs to go to a special burns unit in Baghdad. Kathy Bequary, NYC Medics' country director, calls to request a helicopter for the soldier's onwards journey. The atmosphere here can best be described as controlled chaos. It's noisy, the medics and translators are scrambling around grabbing syringes and pills, bags of saline solution, jotting down information on clipboards, barking staccato orders hard for the layman to understand. On the day CNN visited the medics, they only treated one civilian, a little girl with a toothache who had fled Mosul that morning with her family. The days before, however, they had treated multiple civilians, many with gunshot wounds from ISIS snipers. One of the victims was a five-year-old girl shot through the pelvis. Readjusting to a war zone When they put the patients into an ambulance and send them on their way, calm returns. The medics lounge on a sofa outside, sip from bottles of water and chat quietly among themselves. For newcomers to a war zone, they've quickly become accustomed to their surroundings. It wasn't so easy for their friends and family, however. "My friends were not surprised, my sisters were not surprised, my mom cried, and my dad got mad at me," Bequary recounts in a pause between attending to patients. Evans also had to overcome the reservations of his 11-year-old son. "My little boy was very much against me coming to do this. He has only known me as a mountaineer, as a climber, going on trips, and he has never had a problem with it. This one, he said, 'don't go dad.' So that was a tough thing for me, to be able to explain to him that this was something I needed to do." For Evans, as a husband and father, he says the onus is on him to live by example and "to do things to show my son, how important it is to life a selfless life." Algerian leader Abdelaziz Bouteflika Sunday appeared on state-run television, after rumors about his health and his ability to rule mounted since he failed to receive German Chancellor Angela Merkel last month. The 80-year old ailing leader was seen receiving the countrys minister for African Union and Arab League affairs, Abdelkader Messahel, but the talks were not aired. Last month, the presidency cancelled in a last minute a planned visit by Angela Merkel on health grounds. Iranian leader Hassan Rohani also had to cancel his March 12 visit to Algiers for the same reasons and the following days, Bouteflika failed to receive Spains top diplomat Alfonso Dastis. The Algerian leader has been confined to a wheelchair since he suffered a stroke in 2013. Ahmed Ouyahia, head of the National Democratic Rally (RND) and also chief of staff of the Algerian presidency lambasted critics arguing that Bouteflika was sound and able to govern. I come here at Illizi to reassure you on the health of the President of the Republic. There have been a lot of rumours over past days about his health. And I can assure you that he normally carries out his function, Ouyahia told Illizi radio over the weekend. Former Egyptian president Honis Mubarak is still held in Cairo military hospital and awaits approval to go home from current President al-Sisi despite last week court ruling which acquitted the 88-year old man. Security sources close to the former leader told London-based Qatar media New Arab that Mubaraks release hinges on al-Sisis personal approval, which has not come yet. Last week, a Cairo criminal court ordered the full release of former dictator who ruled Egypt for 30 years. The ruling came following a decision early this month by a cassation court, which acquitted him for the killing of protestors during the 2011 revolution that toppled him. His lawyer, following the criminal court decision last week, suggested that his client could be allowed to return home in Heliopolis within a day or two. Al-Sisi was Mubaraks defense minister during the overthrow. Still banned from leaving the country, Mubarak and his sons Alaa and Gamal filed a lawsuit against the justice minister and the general prosecution to unfreeze 61 million Egyptian Pounds ($3.36 million) of assets, alleging that the continued freeze on their assets was in defiance of the law, the New Arab reports. The lawsuit is set to be addressed on March 23. Protests against tax hikes have entered their fifth day in Lebanon as the parliament prepares to approve such plans in the coming weeks. Protesters are claiming that the government should instead focus on fighting corruption as they accuse officials of embezzling public funds through shady public-private contracts. Prime Minister Saad Hariri tried to calm down protesters in Beirut on Sunday but the interaction with them was short cut with bottles of water being thrown at him. Authorities claim that they want to increase taxes in order to facilitate the funding of a wage increment in the public sector. A percentage point increment of the sales tax was approved last week in parliament but extending it to other sectors has been met with protests. Prime Minister Hariri admitted that the road will be long but assured Lebanese that his government will be on their side in fighting corruption. There have been calls from several civil society groups and some leading political parties in recent days for people to take to the streets and protest against the tax plans. However, Hariri thinks that forming a committee that can raise their demands and discuss them positively with the authorities would help to reach a lasting solution. The Christian Kataeb party and the Progressive Socialist Party are against the tax hike plans while Hezbollah stated that it has reservations against some of the taxes. Speaker of the parliament, Nabih Berri said the protests will not affect improving the wages for the civil servants but was silent about that of the taxation. He said it is the governments responsibility to find the revenues to fund the (wage) scale describing it as the peoples rightful demand. He concluded that the wage scale is going to be approved in the end. 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. Error 404 Not Found You may have mis-typed the URL. Or the page has been removed. Actually, there is nothing to see here... Click on the links below to do something, Thanks! Take Me our of here THE TRUE COST OF ALL THAT 'CHEAP' LAOR THAT DESTROYED AMERICA THE BIG SECRET DEMOCRATS DO NOT WANT YOU TO KNOW: Heather Mac Donald of the Manhattan Institute has testified before a Congressional committee that in 2004, 95% of all outstanding warrants for murder in Los Angeles were for illegal aliens; in 2000, 23% of all Los Angeles County jail inmates were illegal aliens and that in 1995, 60% of Los Angeless largest street gang, the 18th Street gang, were illegal aliens. via @learyreports Do you know who Roger Stone is? Rep. Adam Schiff of California, the ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, asked that question Monday morning of FBI director James Comey during a hearing into Russian meddling in the election, putting a spotlight on the Florida operative Stone. Stone has long been allied with Donald Trump and in 2011, helped set up a speech before a tea party group in Boca Raton in which Trump tried out the themes he ran on in 2016. This month, Stone acknowledged he had contact with Guccifer 2.0, an online persona considered a front for Russian intelligence operatives. But he disputes collusion. Stone, who lives in South Florida, has flirted with running for office in Florida but mainly seems to relish his role as a provocateur and former Nixon operative with a tattoo of the former president on his back. Hes written books attacking Hillary Clinton and Jeb Bush. His new book is about the Trump campaign. Last week, Stone claimed he was on his way to a book signing in Orlando when he was the victim of a hit-and-run driver in Pompano Beach. At the Intelligence Committee hearing, Comey acknowledged an investigation into Russian interference in the election and ties to the Trump campaign. Comey also said there is no evidence to support Trumps tweets, sent from Mar-a-Lago on a recent Saturday morning, that President Obama wiretapped Trump Tower. Rep. Tom Rooney of Okeechobee used his early time at the hearing to question intelligence leaks, in line with other Republicans. --ALEX LEARY, Tampa Bay Times Photo credit: Mary Altaffer, Associated Press via @KyraGurney Gabriela Fowler has a 4.7 GPA, takes college-level calculus and statistics courses, and is the president of her schools business leadership club. But for the 17-year-old Hialeah High senior, a college scholarship funded by the record-setting revenues of the Florida Lottery somehow remains out of reach. Like many low-income and minority students in Miami-Dade County, Fowler has been shut out by tougher eligibility requirements for Bright Futures college scholarships. A few years ago, her SAT and ACT scores would have been high enough to earn money that, along with federal financial aid, would have covered most of her college costs. Instead, Fowler is now scrambling to find a way to pay for college. Shes far from alone. Since the Florida Legislature started instituting tougher standards tied to higher test scores beginning in 2011, Miami-Dade schools with large populations of low-income and African-American and Hispanic students have seen a drastic decrease in the number of students who qualify for what has long been billed as the Lotterys primary payout for education. @MichaelAuslen Two former chief justices of the Florida Supreme Court and a former Florida State University president are among the lawyers and judges who publicly chastised Gov. Rick Scott on Monday for removing the state attorney in Orlando from prosecuting an alleged cop killer after she announced she would not seek the death penalty. In a letter, more than 100 current and former law professors, judges, prosecutors and lawyers told Scott they were "deeply troubled" and that his removal of State Attorney Aramis Ayala from the prosecution of accused killer Markeith Loyd "sets a dangerous precedent." Last Thursday, Ayala announced she would not seek the death penalty for Loyd -- accused of killing Orlando Police Lt. Debra Clayton, as well as his ex-girlfriend Sade Dixon -- or any other accused murderer while she is in office. That set off a firestorm of calls for Ayala to be suspended from office and led Scott to reassign the case to another state attorney. "We believe that this effort to remove State Attorney Ayala infringes on the vitally important independence of prosecutors, exceeds your authority, undermines the right of residents in Orange and Osceola counties to the services of their elected leaders, and sets a dangerous precedent," they wrote. The letter was signed by former Florida chief justices Harry Lee Anstead and Gerald Kogan, as well as Talbot Sandy D'Alemberte, past president of FSU and of the American Bar Association. Deciding not to seek the death penalty is an example of prosecutorial discretion, the lawyers wrote. But it has been roundly criticized, including by other state attorneys and Attorney General Pam Bondi, for being outside the spirit of the state's criminal laws. Photo: Sandy D'Alemberte (Steve Bousquet | Times/Herald) The ritual is so routine it hardly draws attention but, in the ramp-up to the annual legislative session, Floridas most politically powerful corporations seed hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign cash into the political committees of legislators. Sometimes legislators hold fundraisers at swanky resorts or sporting events. Other times, they corner lobbyists over cocktails in a Tallahassee bar, usually during the busy committee weeks leading up to the regular session before the self-imposed fundraising ban takes effect at the start of the 60-day session. But getting all the details on who got what is impossible. Florida law allows groups that accept contributions from corporations to legally distribute money to other political committees, including those controlled by legislators, without reporting the original source of the cash. The practice of shielding political spending from public view has fueled the dark money trend in politics that has allowed groups to launch political attacks in state and local campaigns without fear of being traced. For picture posts from 2010 and earlier, see the Earlier Picture Posts Page HELENA A lawmaker from Helena is planning to introduce a bill that would pay for a new state history museum through an increase to the tax on lodging. House minority leader Rep. Jenny Eck, D-Helena, released a statement on the bill Monday as a slew of infrastructure bills worked their way through a legislative committee. The legislation has not yet been drafted, so details were not available about how much the tax would be and how much it's estimated to generate. Montana currently charges a 7 percent tax on lodging, a combination of a use tax and sales tax that in fiscal year 2014 generated $42.3 million. The Montana Historical Society's building in Helena is aging and in need of replacement. The society has sought funding for more than 15 years to replace the facility. An infrastructure bill that failed to pass the 2015 Legislature by one vote would have given $25 million to the project. Gov. Steve Bullock this fall proposed to give the project $27.6 million under this session's House Bill 14, the governor's main infrastructure legislation. The bill contained a mix of projects paid for with cash and bonding, but has been stripped down to just bonding bills by a Republican-majority Legislature. Under the budget Bullock introduced in November, cash normally used to pay for projects was swept into the state's general fund to pay for the operation of government. That was necessary to fill gaps left after a drop in revenues taken in from taxes on natural resource extraction. Coming into the session, Republicans in the Legislature said they opposed transferring the cash and relying on bonding. That's led to the governor's infrastructure package being taken apart, with cash projects moved under separate bills and bonding projects left in House Bill 14. On Monday several of the bills that contained infrastructure projects paid for with mostly cash worked with their way through the House Appropriations Committee. The historical society is still under House Bill 14, the bonding bill, but Rep. Nancy Ballance, chair of the appropriations committee, said that bill will be tabled. A statement from Eck on Monday said her bill would put one more option on the table to build a new historical society building. She also said the plan would put the burden to pay for the projects on tourists. "The bed tax, more than any other tax, is paid for by out-of-state visitors," Eck said, adding Montana is still a good deal four tourists. She also said the bill would put some percentage of the revenue toward grants for historical museums to be built around the state so more local museums could benefit from the collections housed in Helena. Eck emphasized the historical society benefits Montana's economy, bringing 30,000 into Helena annually. She estimated that to increase to 100,000 once a new building was complete. On Thursday the House State Administration Committee will hear a bill by Rep. Dennis Lenz, R-Billings, to sell up to $50 million of the museum's items to help pay for a new building. The Missoula-based Washington Companies, a privately held conglomerate of mining and transportation assets founded by billionaire Dennis Washington, has announced it is at a negotiating impasse with a Canadian diamond-mining company over a $1.1 billion purchase bid. A statement from the Washington Companies on Monday announced that it submitted a proposal to acquire Toronto-based Dominion Diamond for $13.50 a share on Feb. 21, but Dominion has not accepted the offer. Dominion has ownership interest in two major diamond mines in Canadas Northwest Territories. Along with Montana Rail Link and many other businesses, Washington Companies owns and operates Montana Resources, which is an open-pit copper and molybdenum mine in Butte, one of the largest in North America. The unsolicited offer, which was made to Dominions board of directors, was for $13.50 per common share in cash. Dominion (NYSE: DDC) was trading on the New York Stock Exchange for $12.20 on Monday afternoon, up from $8.83 at the end of trading last week. Lawrence Simkins, president of Washington Companies, said in a statement that if the transaction was consummated, it would be in the best interests of Dominion and all its shareholders, customers, employees and communities. We are disappointed that Dominions board has thus far prevented Washington from moving ahead with its proposal under which shareholders would receive a substantial premium and immediate liquidity, but we remain fully committed to completing this transaction, Simkins said. However, Dominion said in a statement that Washington Companies has a lack of credibility in the diamond industry and with public company acquisitions. Based on the presentation received from WashCorps, and by their own admission, the Board confirmed that WashCorps does not have experience in the highly specialized diamond mining and marketing industry, Dominion said. WashCorps also advised that they did not have any unique plans for the business. "Regardless, the Dominion Board carefully considered the expression of interest, including with the benefit of legal and financial advice. While the Board considered the expression of interest to be opportunistic, and believes that it does not recognize all of the value in the Company under its current business plan, the Board told WashCorps that it was prepared to engage in discussions with them on customary terms, including a customary standstill, and allow WashCorps to conduct extensive due diligence on Dominions unique assets and growth potential in order to improve their expression of interest. When Washington initially made the offer to Dominion, it said in a letter that it was basing its proposed purchase price on knowledge of (Dominion) from publicly available sources. Given the Companys recent update on fiscal 2018 guidance and the complexity of Dominions assets, to indicate that diligence is confirmatory based on public records is highly questionable, Dominion responded. The Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday that the stage is set for a public takeover fight. Nuclear fallout doesnt typically promote fertility, but it certainly spurred Mike Chessins growth as a scientific activist. I had kids growing up here, the retired University of Montana botany professor recalled. By the mid-1950s we were already detecting it. North Dakota was a hot spot. Chessin was studying how ultraviolet radiation affects plants when zoologist Bert Pfeiffer showed up with a pile of radioactive bones collected from milk cows downwind of early atmospheric nuclear bomb tests. Along with several colleagues, the professors soon organized the Western Montana Scientists Committee for Public Information to spread the discussion. It was one of 24 university-based committees around the country, Chessin recalled. Wed go around and talk to PTAs and service clubs on the biological effects of radiation. Wed always try to be as objective as possible. But at the end, everyone always wanted to know, as scientists, were we building fallout shelters? It was the time of the Cold War between the United States and the U.S.S.R., when Americans set off 210 above-ground nuclear bombs between 1945 and 1962. The U.S. military was funding what it called environmental science to catalog the effects of the forces it unleashed. One phenomenon it found was that clouds of radioactive cesium and strontium could travel for miles on the wind, from the testing fields of Nevada to the dairy fields of North Dakota. The Atomic Energy Commission was not too happy with what we were doing, Chessin said. But we started getting the government behind us. Eventually (President John) Kennedy was able to bring about a limited test ban treaty that ended atmospheric testing. Initially reluctant to get involved in public health issues, Chessin found the calling irresistible. He went on to challenge soldiers exposure to Agent Orange in Vietnam and Missoulians risk from pulp mill exhaust and wood smoke. He protested the placement of nuclear-tipped missiles in Montana silos, convinced that a geopolitical strategy that assumed the end of life on earth after a nuclear winter was not worth following. Chessin said his Army Signal Corps duty in Germany after World War II ended helped form his ethical viewpoint. I wasnt prepared for what I saw, he said of Berlins post-war devastation. It was completely flattened. It really convinced me there must be some other way to settle problems. *** Chessin retired from UM in 1990, but has kept active in progressive politics and letter-writing. Now 96 and still meeting friends for hamburgers and pool games at the Missoula Club, Chessin says he hears disturbing parallels in the way President Donald Trump talks about nuclear conflict. I dont understand where Trump fits in the nuclear issue, Chessin said. He talks about getting together with Russia, when weve spent all this time saying of course nothing with Russia can be any good. The whole thread seems to be moving toward increased tension between the U.S. and Russia. Looking back over the decades of nuclear debate, Chessin said he also cant fathom why science has become so distrusted in the public arena. Fresh off the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1963, Democrat Kennedy was able to get his test ban through Congress on an 80-14 vote. Republican President Ronald Reagan, who had warned that a nuclear winter could just end up in no victory for anyone because we would wipe out the earth as we know it, won Senate passage of his Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, 93-5. But in the next decade, Democratic President Bill Clinton failed to win Senate support for a comprehensive nuclear test ban in 1999, when 51 Republicans voted against 44 Democrats and four GOP dissenters to reject the treaty. Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama did more of their nuclear deals either unilaterally or through agreements that didnt require a Senate supermajority. The Montana Rail Link main line in northern Idaho reopened Sunday evening after a Friday morning incident that derailed 52 empty coal cars and a locomotive on the north shore of Lake Pend Oreille. Snowmelt and last weeks heavy rainfall were to blame for the derailment and plenty of other havoc wreaked on three lines in the Pacific Northwest, including two washout-caused delays of Amtrak passenger service between Whitefish and Spokane. Spokesman Jim Lewis said the derailment on the MRL line occurred just after 6 a.m. Friday near Kootenai, Idaho, north of Sandpoint, where the tracks were washed out. All 52 cars and the locomotive remained upright. No injuries occurred and no hazmat materials were released in the incident, Lewis said in a statement Monday. The siding at the washout location was opened at 11 a.m. Saturday allowing rail service to resume through the area, but the mainline wasnt cleared and ready for trains until the following evening. Lewis said high water and ground saturation contributed to the washout. MRL is monitoring water level conditions across our network as spring run-off events occur, he said. Fridays derailment marked the third consecutive day of railroad disruptions in the area, according to a Railway Age Magazine. None resulted in injuries. On Wednesday, Union Pacifics main line to Canada gave way under a grain train a few miles north of U.S. Highway 2 and Moyie Springs, Idaho, on the Kootenay River. Several loaded hoppers went down a steep embankment. Service to Canada was restored by Sunday. The next day a series of landslides in the Kootenai River Canyon blocked BNSF tracks at Katka, Idaho, just west of the Montana line. Amtraks westbound Empire Building was held overnight in Whitefish and the eastbound passenger train was held in Spokane while the line was cleared. More landslides on Saturday afternoon again held up Amtrak service in Whitefish and Spokane. The line was reopened Sunday. Dryer weather hasnt solved all the problems. While there continues to be widespread reports of flooding, washouts and track slippage in northern Idaho, some trains have been detoured over alternate routes, Railway Age Magazine reported. But with BNSF, UP and MRL normally moving a combined flow of more than 70 trains per day through the Sandpoint-Spokane area, intermittent service outages are causing a substantial back-up of traffic into neighboring states and Canada, as well. On Sunday morning, Amtrak reported more disruptions farther west due to landslides between Edmonds and Everett, Washington. The magazine said BNSF, which owns the tracks, suspended all traffic in the area for 48 hours, through Tuesday morning. The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse are riding high as tensions rise inexorably between the U.S. and North Korea, with the most serious chance of nuclear war in recent times. Deriving from the Book of Revelations, Pestilence, War, Famine and Death are the entities that ride on white, red, black and pale horses to assail humanity. Given that Donald Trump and North Koreas Kim Jong Un are now widely considered the two most dangerous and unhinged leaders on the planet, there are plenty of reasons to fear a potentially apocalyptic war. As Rex Tillerson, Exxons CEO turned Trumps secretary of state, recently told reporters: I think its important to recognize that the political and diplomatic efforts of the past 20 years to bring North Korea to the point of denuclearization have failed, adding, its time for a new approach. What that new approach means is a highly provocative escalation of the warmaking preparations in the area, including the recent installation of a THAAD anti-missile system in South Korea, month-long naval military exercises off North Koreas coast, the potential for reinstalling nuclear missiles in South Korea, and discussions of a first strike from Japan a significant break with the nations post-World War II stance toward military engagements. None of this is good news for the rest of the world, including China, which is predicted to become the globes top economic power, eclipsing the United States, in the near future. With its nearly 1.4 billion citizens, the last thing China wants is a nuclear war on its doorstep. Nor, given that we all share the same planet, oceans and atmosphere, would the disastrous consequences of a nuclear exchange be limited to the Korean Peninsula. In more stable times, with a more stable presidency in the United States, such a horrific scenario would be unimaginable. But unfortunately, thats not what were dealing with in Washington, D.C., these days. The Trump administration is off to the rockiest start of any presidency in recent history. Consumed by extreme paranoia, we have a president who routinely throws out radical, unsubstantiated accusations, sees spies behind every bush (or electronic device), and fears enemies foreign and domestic. Yet, 500 of the 522 presidential appointments to be confirmed by the Senate remain unfilled. Its chaotic within the administration, too, with new reports coming out every day of internecine battles between people who are all supposed to be on Team Trump. Trumps new budget calls for cutting social, family and senior services, education, environmental protection, and science budgets to throw an additional $54 billion annually into the black hole of the military-industrial complex. While our chest-pounder in chief lauds this historic military buildup, the simple truth is that we already out-spend all the other top military budgets in the world combined. So why should we further bloat our $2 billion-a-day military expenditures? Yet Democrats appear to be willing to go along with such fiscal idiocy providing there are matching expenditures on domestic programs. Our nation is as divided as its been since Vietnam, and Trump may be hoping that a war will unite us. Its not a new ploy, but with spineless Democrats willing to go along with expanded military adventurism and an increasingly unpredictable little hand on the nuke button in the White House, its obviously time for sane and rational citizens to speak up for ourselves and our future. Its easy in the words of Nancy Reagan, Just say no to a Korean war. Your kids, grandkids and the planet will thank you. I was heartened to see the Missoulian editorial on March 14 putting a spotlight on an important issue: the legislatures cuts to higher education. Thank you for bringing attention to these cuts targeting students and families who struggle under the weight of paying for higher education. I am one of those students attending the University of Montana. These cuts could mean double-digit tuition increases to campuses across the state and further limit already scarce resources. While the House Appropriations Committee did restore some cuts, the budget is still down $11.3 million. Our university system budget is already lean. With more cuts, schools wont be able to attract the students necessary to have a robust student body and rebound from declining enrollment. I hope legislators recognize that its not possible to sustain a massive budget cut and still operate at current levels. The one important detail not mentioned in the editorial is there is another option to balance the budget instead of just cutting state support. Montana simply needs more revenue, and right now there are a variety of bills to do just that. We must ensure we have the levels of revenue needed to invest in Montanas future teachers, nurses and entrepreneurs. Erin Harbaugh, Missoula BILLINGS The ancestors of Yellowstone National Parks bison migrated to North America much later than previously believed, according to newly published research. The common ancestor for all of these bison is not very old, said professor Beth Shapiro, of the UC Santa Cruz Genomics Institute. There are some really old dates from fossil assemblages in southern North America. We pointed out that some of these old dates are pretty bad. Research by Shapiro and University of Alberta professor Duane Froese, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, pulls that date much closer: between 130,000 and 195,000 years ago for the first migration, 45,000 to 21,000 years ago for a second wave of Asian bison. Theres really no record of bison in North America from more than 150,000 years ago, Froese said. Tracking DNA The scientists used new techniques for ancient DNA extraction and sequenced the mitochondrial genomes of more than 40 bison, including the two oldest bison fossils ever recovered one from the Yukon, and one from Snowmass, Colorado. Mitochondria are passed from the mother to offspring. Comparing these genomes to additional Siberian and North American bison clarified the earliest parts of the bison family tree. From that information the scientists constructed a bison genealogy establishing that a common maternal ancestor the mother of all North American bison arrived during the Illinoian ice age, corresponding with a lower sea level. "Until recently, the fossil records from different parts of North America disagreed with each other, with a few fossil localities suggesting that bison arrived millions of years ago, but most old fossil sites showing no evidence of bison at all," Shapiro said. Bison species From about 191,000 to 130,000 years ago, ice covered much of the northern hemisphere. As the ice sheet grew the sea level dropped by 300 feet or more, opening a 600-mile wide land route between Asia and North America known as the Bering Land Bridge. The same route would later be used by humans, possibly about 25,000 years ago, and was a place where those early ancestors were isolated for 10,000 to 15,000 years before glaciers receded and allowed them to venture farther south into North America, migrating down the West Coast, according to the most recent theory. The second wave of bison migration is pretty coincidental with when humans came across, which isnt surprising knowing that those people were bison hunters, Shapiro said. The first bison to enter North America from Asia were the now-extinct steppe bison, Bison priscus. This animal was about 6 feet tall at the shoulder and weighed around 2,000 pounds. Its horns were spread about 3 feet apart. No Bison priscus fossils have been found south of the Yukon. What have been found in the United States are descendants of B. priscus. The first was Bison latifrons, an extinct long-horned bison that was much bigger: 8 feet tall at the shoulder and weighed about 2,250 pounds with horns that stretched 4 to 7 feet. They were 25 to 30 percent bigger than modern bison, Froese said. Theyve never been found in the North. This was the most intriguing part of this study, Shaprio said. I expected them to be so different genetically, but really they were just responding to the enormous amount of resources available to them. After latifrons disappears from the fossil record, Bison antiquus arrives, which was a bit smaller in stature. Next came the American bison, Bison bison. The two species of modern North American bison that are still present the American Plains bison like those in Yellowstone, Bison bison bison, and the slightly bigger American wood bison, Bison bison athabascae found in Canada are the descendants of the American bison. Earlier studies show these modern species descended from a common ancestor about 15,000 to 22,000 years ago. Based on the horn and skull morphology, they are all priscus, Froese said. Theyre not that different genetically. Shaprio agreed. Im a lumper. I believe they are all pretty much the same thing. At one point there were 50 different named species. Genetically, theyre all the same. Which is not what past scientists had believed. Yet Froese said most of the response hes gotten from fellow scientists about the new dates and genealogy has been positive so far. The comments weve received from paleontologists are that they are happy to see this get nailed down, he said. Invasive species Although initially the first bison would have been blocked from migrating farther south from Beringia by large ice sheets, when they did make it to what is now the United States they found a land very favorable to their species. The close genetic relationship between maternal lineages found in the earliest northern bison and the earliest continental bison argues for a rapid expansion of bison across the continent in a period of approximately 20,000 years, according to the scientists published research. "After they arrived in Alaska, they spread quickly across the continent, taking advantage of the rich grassland resources that were part of the ice age ecosystem," Shapiro said. The early bison would have been sharing grazing lands with mammoths and early horses, successful species that had lived on the continent for a million years. They all coexisted together for about 100,000 years before the mammoth and horses went extinct, along with many other large animals present following the last ice age. Somehow, when so many other animals died out, the bison survived and even thrived. So its probably the most successful invasion of a mammal into North America, except for humans, because of the success they had, Froese said. He is curious about how that successful establishment of bison on the Great Plains affected the grassland ecosystem that had long been dominated by horses and mammoths. Did the grasslands become more productive? How was the vegetation altered by the many different herbivores? Nearly extinct Estimates of North American bison populations before the mid-1800s have ranged from 30 to 60 million animals. They were a key source of sustenance for many American Indian tribes and their early ancestors, who are estimated to have begun exploring what is now the United States more than 15,000 years ago. In the early 1800s, market and sport killing of bison by Euro-Americans exterminated the animals east of the Mississippi River and nearly pushed the animals to extinction in the West. In Yellowstone less than two dozen animals managed to survive under protection of the U.S. Army. Those few animals were supplemented by introductions of bison from other remnant populations. Now the Yellowstone bison herd is a victim of its own success. With a population near 5,500 the parks two herds have been the subject of a controversial slaughter program to reduce their numbers to 3,000 an agreed-upon figure by the Park Service and state of Montana meant to limit the animals winter migration north of Yellowstone. So far this winter almost 1,000 bison have been killed at processing facilities with the meat going to participating tribes. HAMILTON Oftentimes the best photographs are those unplanned. Two Bitterroot Valley photographers earned top honors this past week in the Ravalli County Museums annual Ernst Peterson Photography Contest by capturing one of those unexpected moments. Donna Husebys Life Changing photograph is a collection of four generations of her familys hands. My daughter had come to see her grandpa, Huseby said. He was dying. It was just one of those moments that happened. Its a photo the represents the past, present and future. The family was all gathered around Jim Huesby, who was holding his great-grandson Raylans hand. And then her two children, Dylan and Bree, and her husband, Brent, all reached in to take Jims hand. While the fingers were intertwined, Donna Huseby leaned over an took a photograph. A couple of weeks later, Jim Huesby died. That photograph captured one of the last times they were all together. Huesby didnt know what the judges of the annual contest might think about her photograph, but she decided to enter it anyway. She had no idea that it had been selected as Best in Show until found herself babysitting her grandson and decided to take a trip to museum. It took my breath away when I saw that it had been selected, she remembered. It brought tears to my eyes. She later talked to a woman at the museum who had accompanied the judges. She said they had been struggling a little to decide which photo to pick as the overall winner. But then they gathered again before Huesbys photo. The lady said they all said, Thats it. Thats it, Huesby said. Huesby has since returned to the exhibit. This time she came alone. I wanted to spend some time there looking at all the photography, she said. There is a lot of beautiful photos there. Its so amazing to me that they picked mine. *** The Peoples Choice award was presented to Greg Dowling for his haunting photo of two horses standing next to a pond under brightly colored, smoky skies northeast of Hamilton. The photo was taken just a couple of nights after last summers Roaring Lion Fire roared to life. Dowling had been out driving around looking for a good sunset photograph. He thought he had missed his opportunity. But then he came upon the scene of the horses standing next the pond and he slammed on his brakes. It popped right out at me, Dowling said. I saw their reflections in the pond and sky. I jumped out of my car and hurried to take a photo. It just happened, he said. I was in the right place at the right time. This is the third time the public has selected Dowlings photography as their favorite in the past four years. Considering the fact that Dowling knew Ernst Peterson, he sees that as quite an honor. Peterson, a Hamilton resident and Montana native, is among the Bitterroot's best-known photographers, with his work appearing in major publications like National Geographic, the Saturday Evening Post, Country Gentlemen and Colliers. He died in 1991. As an artist, Petersons photography is in a completely different genre that the photographers of today. Dowling said he didnt really get started taking photographs until film was a thing of the past. Digital photography has changed the art form. I have a great deal of respect for those people who spent hours in the darkroom, he said. Its quite a bit different than editing a photo in Photoshop. Dowling remembers Peterson as a quiet and introspective man. He knew what he wanted to get when it came to his photos, Dowling said. He would go to great lengths to get what he envisioned. It was a different time back then. HELENA (AP) A 6-year-old boy survived a crash into a Missouri River canal in southwestern Montana that killed his mother. The Montana Highway Patrol says the boy escaped the sinking sport utility vehicle Saturday night and was rescued by people camping in the area who heard the crash. The patrol says a 28-year-old Billings woman sped away from the Toston Dam Campground at about 10:15 p.m. She lost control of her SUV on a curve in the gravel road and crashed into the dam's intake canal. Sgt. Glen Barcus says the SUV quickly sank, but the boy was able to get out and on top of the vehicle. He suffered minor injuries. Fellow campers were unable to pull the woman from the vehicle. Her name hasn't been released. MAN WITH KNIFE SPITS ON COP Officers patrolling Uptown Butte around 1 a.m. Monday responded to the Party Palace, Park and Main, on a report of a man with a small knife. When police arrived they said a witness told them Antonio Huerta, 19, was drinking a bottle of wine outside at the tables and agitating others. When the underage drinker was asked to leave, he allegedly threw down his wine bottle and threatened to fight people. Police placed Huerta in a squad car, where they said he began kicking one of the windows. Police said when they rolled the windows down Huerta spit on an officer's chest. Huerta was charged with underage possession of alcohol, disorderly conduct and assault with a bodily fluid, all misdemeanors. FAKE NAME AGAIN Officers were called to the 800 block of South Arizona Street around 9 p.m. Sunday for a report of an argument in a car. One of the men, who gave a fake name, was recognized by an officer as having given a fake name during a call previous day. The officers determined the man to be Jeremiah Marry, 31, and attempted to arrest him for two charges of obstructing a peace officer. Police said Marry attempted to pull away from officers during handcuffing, and also had a drugs on him, so was also booked for resisting arrest and felony drug possession. The type of drug was not identified in the police report. AGGRAVATED ASSAULT Police investigating a crime on the 600 block of Park Street around 2:30 a.m. Saturday witnessed a man throw another to the ground and kick him in the face a block away. The man then attempted to flee, but ran right into police and obeyed orders to get on the ground. Nicholas Amestoy, 21, was arrested for aggravated assault, a felony. The victim was bleeding from the nose and mouth, had a chipped tooth and later went to the hospital. INAPPROPRIATE TOUCHING Two women at the Irish Times Bar, Galena and Main, complained to police that a man on the dance floor touched them inappropriately. The man, Casey McCampbell, 20, was kicked out of the bar and booked into jail on two counts of sexual assault, both misdemeanors. Many families in Mexico migrate to the country's Baja region on the West Coast seeking jobs and a better lives. Though they find employment, they often join the ranks of Mexico's "working poor," barely earning the equivalent of $100 a week. ST. IGNATIUS Its a favorite view for many Montanans, when they top Ravalli Hill on U.S. Highway 93 west of here and the Mission Mountains e WEDNESDAY, MARCH 22 AUTHOR PRESENTS The Butte-Silver Bow Public Archives at 17 W. Quartz will continue its Brown Bag Lunch series at noon with a presentation by Tess Fahlgren of Missoula. She is the third writer in residence in the Mining City Writing Project. Guests are encouraged to bring a sack lunch. Coffee and water will be provided. Details: 406-782-3280. TECH TALK Montana Tech's Restoration Seminar Series continues at 4 p.m. in the Chemistry and Biology Building on the Montana Tech campus. Guest speakers will be Loren Burmeister of Atlantic Richfield Co. and Mike Borduin of Pioneer Technical Services. THURSDAY, MARCH 23 LIVE THEATER IN DILLON The University of Montana-Western will present Agatha Christie's famous whodunit, "And Then There Were None," Thursday and Friday and again March 30 and April 1 at 7:30 p.m. at 710 S. Atlanta St., Dillon. The play is based on the queen of mystery's most celebrated novel. Tickets are $8. Students get in free. Details: 406-683-7101. FRIDAY, MARCH 24 ADULT SPELLING BEE The Butte Education Foundation's "Get-Stung" an adult spelling bee is at the Butte Country Club. Teams will compete in three swarms to determine the final teams competing for the title and $500. Doors open at 6 p.m. with team check-in at 6:30 p.m., and the competition starts at 7 p.m. Food will be provided. Tickets are $35, and bottomless beer glasses are $15. Details: bef@bresnan.net or Susanne at 406-498-3471. COMMUNITY CONCERT International pianist and chamber musician Alina Kiryayeva will be in concert at 7:30 p.m. in the Mother Lode Theatre, 316 W. Park St. Kiryayeva is renowned for her command of the instrument, unique interpretations, and clarity of sound. Tickets are by season membership or $30 at the door. Educational outreach starts at 10 a.m. FISH FRY The Dillon Knights of Columbus Fr. Kellehar Council 4069 will prepare and serve a community Lenten fish fry buffet from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the St. Rose Family Center. At 5:15 p.m., the community is invited to pray the stations of the cross in the St. Rose Church. The meal includes baked and fried pollock, baked potatoes, potato salad, baked beans, coleslaw, fruit salad, dessert, and beverages. Prices are $25 per family, $8 per adult, $6 per child, and free for children 6 and under. SPORTSMEN'S BANQUET The Skyline Sportsmen's Family Banquet will be held at the Butte Civic Center, 1340 Harrison Ave. No-host cocktails start at 6 p.m. with the catered buffet dinner starting at 7:30. Tickets are $30 for adults and $15 for youth and can be purchased at Bugs and Bullets, Stone Fly Sport Shop, Three Bears Alaska, Rocky Mountain Archery, from Skyline members, or at the door. Details: Leroy Mehring, 406-723-5996. WOMEN IN HISTORY In recognition of March being Women's History Month, the Elling House Arts and Humanities Center at 404 E. Idaho St., Virginia City, present "Climbing Mountains in Skirts" at 7 p.m. Presenting the stories of these women will be Karen McMullin, Mary Oliver, and Gary Forney. Admission is by donation. Details: 406-843-5507. DILLON FILM FESTIVAL The Wild & Scenic Film Festival will take place at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday at the University of Montana-Western's STC Great Room. The festival includes a collection of films from the annual festival held in Nevada City, California. Ticket prices are adults: $15 for one night, $20 for two; kids (5-17): $8 for one night, $10 for two; or UMW students: free with current ID. Tickets can be purchased at Wildwood Floral in Dillon, from a BTC member, or SMACarts.org. Details: Mandy Maass at 406-683-6208 or SMACarts@gmail.com. LIVE THEATER IN DILLON The University of Montana-Western will present Agatha Christie's famous whodunit, "And Then There Were None," Friday and again March 30 and April 1 at 7:30 p.m. at 710 S. Atlanta St., Dillon. The play is based on the queen of mystery's most celebrated novel. Tickets are $8. Students get in free. Details: 406-683-7101. SATURDAY, MARCH 25 TRADES DAY Highlands College of Montana Tech will host the first "Trades Day for the Public" from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 25 Basin Creek Rd., Butte. This is an opportunity for the public to visit the college and learn what educational opportunities and careers in the trades are available in today's job market. Additionally, visitors can tour the carpentry, machining, welding, and automotive labs and learn how students turn their education into a lifetime career. CASINO NIGHT The Rotary Club of Twin Bridges will have its annual Casino Night Scholarship Fundraiser at the Blue Anchor Bar and Cafe in Twin Bridges. The theme is "River Boat Gambling." Bingo and poker will run from 7 to 10 p.m. with live and silent auctions as well. Admission is free. Details: Rand Bradley, 406-684-5259. YMCA BIKE-A-THON One day, one ride, one child the YMCA's first annual Bike-A-Thon is from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Proceeds help families in need within our community. Details: 406-782-1266. TEA PARTY FUNDRAISER Montana Dance Works and the Orphan Girl Children's Theatre are hosting their first Royal Princess Tea Party fundraiser at the Knights of Columbus Hall, Park and Idaho, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Makeovers, hair, and nails can be done at the event and photos taken. Tickets are $20 each. Each child must be accompanied by one adult. Tickets are non-refundable and must be purchased in advance at www.montanadanceworks.com. Details: Jackie Freeman at 406-782-5657. DILLON FILM FESTIVAL The Wild & Scenic Film Festival continues at 7:30 p.m. at the University of Montana-Western's STC Great Room. The festival includes a collection of films from the annual festival held in Nevada City, California. Ticket prices are adults: $15 for one night, $20 for two; kids (5-17): $8 for one night, $10 for two; or UMW students: free with current ID. Tickets can be purchased at Wildwood Floral in Dillon, from a BTC member, or SMACarts.org. Details: Mandy Maass at 406-683-6208 or SMACarts@gmail.com. SUNDAY, MARCH 26 GO DANCING The Highlites will play for a public dance from 1 to 5 p.m. at the Anaconda Elks Lodge. Dance to music from the Big Band era, with polka, swing, and waltzes also featured. Admission is $10. CLUBS AND MEETINGS BUTTE Top O' the Mornin' Toastmasters meet at 6:30 a.m. Monday at Perkins. Bingo will be played at 7 p.m. each Monday and Wednesday at the Elks Lodge, Montana and Galena. Players are urged to come early to get a good seat. Butte Citizens for Preservation and Revitalization's monthly board meeting is Tuesday at 7 p.m. in the Butte Archives, 17 W. Quartz St. Chapter AC of PEO meets at 7 p.m. Wednesday. Butte Sunrise Kiwanis Club meets at 7 a.m. Wednesday at Perkins. Guest speaker will be Kelley Klamp, owner of For Heaven's Cakes bakery in Uptown Butte. Marine Corps League meets at 7 p.m. Thursday at the Marine Corps building, also called "The Hooch." Rotary Club of Butte meets at noon Thursdays at the Butte Country Club. Chapter X of PEO will meet at noon Thursday at Big Sky Senior Living. The Warped Weavers meet 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesdays at the Butte-Silver Bow Public Library, third floor, 226 W. Broadway St. Curious about weaving? Come watch, ask questions; there may be a loom for you to try. Details: 406-782-5784. Ruth Chapter 2 Order of the Eastern Star will welcome Marlene Pfaff, Worthy Grand Matron, and David Nielsen, Worthy Grand Patron, at 7 p.m. Friday in the Masonic Temple, 314 W. Park St. No-host early dinner starts at 3 p.m. at Perkins. Details: 406-565-5918. Book Arts runs from 6 to 7 p.m. the second Thursday of every month at the Butte Public Library. Play ACC-sanctioned cribbage every Thursday at 6:30 p.m., nine games, Eastside Athletic Club. Details: Phil at 406-494-2618. A suicide loss support group meets from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Thursdays in the Butte Public Library, 226 W. Broadway St. Call before attending for the first time. Details: Beth at 406-490-1279 or Mary Alice at 406-533-9899. Al-Anon meetings: 7:30 p.m. Mondays, Congregational Church; 7:30 p.m. Wednesdays, Gold Hill Lutheran Church; 7:30 p.m. Thursdays, Sharing and Caring, 1500 Cobban. Open AA meetings start at 7 p.m. Tuesdays at the United Congregational Church, 2945 Bayard St. Details: 406-560-7330. Overeaters Anonymous meets at 6:15 p.m. Wednesdays at the Gold Hill Lutheran Church, 934 Placer St. Details: 406-533-5454. Butte Public Library hosts Coloring for Adults from 6 to 7:30 p.m. every Thursday. Details: 406-723-3361. Butte Public Library's After Hours Book Club meets from 6 to 7 p.m. the first Thursday of the month. Mad Scrappers meet from 1 to 3 p.m. the first and third Fridays of the month at the Butte Public Library, 226 W. Broadway. Details: 406-723-3361. Chess club meets from 2 to 4:45 p.m. Fridays at the Butte Public Library, 226 W. Broadway St. Details: 406-723-3361. Butte Public Library's Book Club meets the third Friday of every month from 1 to 2 p.m. An anxiety and depression support group meets at 1:30 p.m. every Saturday at 721 S. Utah St. Adult Children of Alcoholics meets at 10 a.m. Saturdays in the Atherton Apartments community center room, 4500 Continental Dr. Details: 406-396-4112. ANACONDA Anaconda Sportsman's Club meets at 7 p.m. Wednesday at AOH Hall. Discussion will cover pending bills in the state Legislature. Anaconda Central High School Class of 1965 will have a planning meeting at noon Wednesday in Peppermint Patty's for the summer picnic and 70th birthday party. Details: Bob at 406-563-2689. DILLON The Beaverhead Chapter of Joining Community Forces will meet at noon Tuesday in the St. James Episcopal Church Guild Hall, 203 E. Glendale, Dillon. Free lunch is provided, and public participation is encouraged. Details: Jodie Jolly at 406-925-3563. FBI Director James Comey said for the first time Monday that the bureau is investigating whether there was any coordination between the Trump campaign and Moscow while Russia was interfering in the presidential election. Comey also delivered an implicit rebuke to President Donald Trump, saying that he had "no information" to support claims by the President that he was wiretapped on the orders of predecessor Barack Obama. In a dramatic hearing before the House Intelligence Committee, Comey, once again finding himself at the epicenter of a political storm, also said that Russian President Vladimir Putin had a clear preference for whom he wanted to see as the next president -- and it was not Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. Comey's comments represented his most explicit intervention yet in the controversy over what US intelligence agencies have assessed was a Russian attempt to disrupt the election -- and a string of counter-claims against the previous administration leveled by Trump himself. Comey on Monday publicly confirmed for the first time that his agency is investigating possible collusion between Russia and the Trump campaign and whether any crimes may have been committed during last year's election campaign as part of a wider probe into the hacking of Democratic servers and the Clinton campaign. "That includes investigating the nature of any links between individuals associated with the Trump campaign and the Russian government and whether there was any coordination between the campaign and Russia's efforts," Comey said in his opening statement to the committee. The hearing, which also featured testimony from National Security Agency Director Mike Rogers saw Democrats highlight publicly available information about links between Trump associates and Russia. Republicans tried to turn the hearing into leaks that led to the resignation of former national security adviser Michael Flynn. Comey testified that US intelligence agencies were agreed that Russia's aim evolved into an effort during the election to aid Trump over Clinton. "They wanted to hurt our democracy, hurt her, help him. I think all three we were confident in at least as early as December," Comey said. Comey also said he had no information to support claims by Trump that he was wiretapped by Obama -- made in a series of explosive tweets two weeks ago. "I have no information that supports those tweets," Comey told the committee, adding that the Justice Department, along with the FBI, had no information to support the allegations. Comey said that no president could order a wiretapping operation against a specific American citizen. Republican Committee Chairman Rep. Devin Nunes had said the hearing would have several areas of focus -- the extent to which Russian intervened in the US election and whether any campaign officials conspired in those efforts. He restated that there was not a wiretap on Trump Tower, but did not rule out other kinds of surveillance against the Trump campaign. Nunes had also said the hearing would seek information about who leaked classified information linked to the issue or Russian election interference. Comey was also asked to explain the conclusions of the unclassified report released by the US intelligence community in January that found that Russia had attempted to stir mistrust in US democracy, and had developed a preference for Trump over Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton owing to her stance on Moscow while secretary of state. "I don't know for sure, but I think that was a fairly easy judgment for the community," Comey said. "He -- Putin -- hated Secretary Clinton so much that the flip side of that coin was he had a clear preference for the person running against the person he hated so much." Republicans on the committee pressed Comey on how ousted national security adviser Michael Flynn's name became public, or was unmasked, in news reports about his conversations with Russian ambassador to Washington Sergey Kislyak -- apparently in telephone calls picked up by intelligence sweeps targeting Moscow's embassy. Flynn's failure to tell the truth about those calls led to the request for his resignation. But Republicans say that the leaking of his name was a criminal act in contravention of laws that mask the identify of US citizens caught up in surveillance operations targeting foreign nationals. Comey would not talk Monday about specific cases or confirm newspaper reports, but said that leaks about classified activity were "terrible." South Carolina Republican Rep. Trey Gowdy read out the names of Obama administration officials, including former national security adviser Susan Rice and former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, asking whether they would have had access to the name of a unmasked person. Comey said that their positions would likely allow them such information but did not comment on the individual cases. "The felonious dissemination of classified material most definitely is a crime," Gowdy warned. The top Democrat on the committee, Rep. Adam Schiff, said it was not yet known whether the Russian operation was aided by US citizens, "including people associated with the Trump campaign." "Many of Trump's campaign personnel, including the President himself, have ties to Russia and Russian interests. This is, of course, no crime," Schiff said. "On the other hand, if the Trump campaign, or anybody associated with it, aided or abetted the Russians, it would not only be a serious crime, it would also represent one of the most shocking betrayals of our democracy in history." Schiff related alleged links between people close to Trump and Russia, including his former campaign aide Paul Manafort, using the President's words during the campaign and publicly available information contained in a dossier drawn up by former British intelligence officer Christopher Steele, large portions of which have yet to be corroborated by CNN. "Is it possible that all of these events and reports are completely unrelated. ... Yes, it is possible," Schiff said. "It is also possible, maybe more than possible, that they are not coincidental, not disconnected and not unrelated and that the Russians used the same techniques to corrupt US persons that they employed in Europe and elsewhere. We simply don't know, not yet, and we owe it to the country to find out." Rogers said under questioning from the top Democrat on the committee that there was no information that the Obama administration requested the British surveillance agency GCHQ to conduct eavesdropping on Trump, as stated in a Fox News report that has been cited by the White House. He also said that he had not personally done so. "No, sir, and nor would I, that would be expressly against the construct of the Five Eyes agreement that has been in place for decades." Trump tried to shift attention away from the wiretapping claims in a series of Monday morning tweets. "James Clapper and others stated that there is no evidence Potus colluded with Russia. This story is FAKE NEWS and everyone knows it!" Trump wrote shortly after 6:30 a.m. ET, followed by: "The Democrats made up and pushed the Russian story as an excuse for running a terrible campaign. Big advantage in Electoral College & lost!" The controversy over the wiretapping claims was unleashed by stunning early morning tweets from the President at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida two weeks ago. He drew parallels to Watergate and McCarthyism and said Obama was a "Bad (or sick) guy!" for ordering surveillance of his New York residence -- allegations the former president quickly denied through a spokesman. Democrats were quick to jump on Comey's remarks to hike pressure on Trump over his allegations, arguing that the President's conduct had "severely damaged" his credibility. "President Trump owes the American people and President Obama more than just an explanation, but an apology," said Democratic Senate Minority leader Chuck Schumer. "He should admit he was wrong, stop the outlandish tweets, and get to work on behalf of this country." This story is being updated to include breaking news. 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 An item on display at an exhibition depicting the Dongba culture of China's Naxi people. [Photo/Chinaculture.org] As part of the cultural activities to mark the 45th anniversary of the normalization of China-Japan diplomatic ties, an exhibition dedicated to the Dongba culture of China's ethnic Naxi group opened in Tokyo last week. More than 50 oil paintings created by contemporary Chinese painter Liu Liqun are on display at the China Cultural Center in the Japanese capital. Liu is skillful in adding ethnic elements to his paintings. He is so enthusiastic about the Dongba culture - a unique culture of the Naxi people in Southwest China's Yunnan province - that he stayed in Yunnan for over three years to study the local history and art. The Dongba culture dates back over a thousand years. The ancient Naxi people created pictographic characters called the Dongba script in the seventh century, which is now the only pictographic character system existing in the world. During the three-year work, Liu has successfully fused the mysterious Dongba scripts and the techniques used in local rock paintings in his art creation. 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. MUSCATINE For senior citizen who are looking to either downsize their home for something more manageable, it can be a struggle to find affor MUSCATINE, Iowa When Diane Orr-Kelly awoke from her six day coma, she was a different person. She could not swallow. She couldnt speak or walk. Her short term-memory was so damaged that she could not keep a thought in her mind for more than a few seconds. Since she could not speak, the doctors gave her a board with letters with which to communicate. But her short-term memory loss got in the way. By the time I would get through with the first letter I wouldnt remember what I was trying to communicate, she said. Then came the insatiable obsession for Coca-Cola memorabilia. Her memories from that period are hazy, but she thinks it began with a Coke-themed clock. Coke-themed curtains, signs, bottles and jars soon followed all of which line the kitchen of her Mulberry Avenue home. Her husband, Frank Kelly, says the kitchen is decorated in traumatic brain injury motif. Seventeen years ago, Orr-Kelly got into a car crash that left her with broken ribs, a cracked vertebra and a head gash that needed 88 staples. She has no memory of the crash or many of the weeks that followed, but she does remember the long road to regaining some of what she lost. The act of swallowing took months to re-learn. Learning to eat on her own took at least a year. Her doctors did not think shed ever talk again, in part because she lost the ability to string words into sentences. But you cant keep a girl from talking, she said. They didnt think I could talk, but I proved them wrong. Learning to walk again also was a challenge. And though she can walk today, it requires some effort. I (still) have to think about walking today, she said. I had to memorize what it would feel like. She has to think about other things most people take for granted. I forget to swallow if Im not thinking, she said. All my clothes have coffee stains on them. Shes improved in leaps and bounds, but she has to navigate the challenges of living with short-term memory loss. She learned to cope with her short-term memory loss, mostly by using memory aids like alarms with notes on her phone. Orr-Kelly said she could have never imagined the trajectory that her life would take after the crash. And knowing that recovery requires constant effort and support, she wants to start a support group for people who struggle with brain injury. Her friends at the Pilot Club of Muscatine are helping her do that. Next week, they will host a meeting on traumatic brain injury at the hospital. If community members express an interest in such a support group, Orr-Kelly said, her friends will help her organize it. 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 [] This website is intended for U.S. visitors only. Artworks to beautify a downtown Napa square and a stretch of a countywide walking trail are three votes away from reality. The City Council on Tuesday will decide the future of a metallic, wind-catching sculpture a Sonoma County artist is proposing as the centerpiece for an overhaul of the aging Dwight Murray Plaza on First Street. Also up for a decision is a multicolored mural combining paint and steel silhouettes that would occupy 710 feet of fencing at the city corporation yard in view of the Napa Valley Vine Trail, where a beautification effort is in its early stages. Veil of Water, the artwork planned for Dwight Murray Plaza, is a design by Ned Kahn of Sebastopol that would form a ring 48 feet in diameter and 15 feet high in the middle of the square, supported by four outward-facing poles. Making up its canopy would be thousands of stainless steel tiles 3 inches square, which would rustle with even the lightest wind to create the impression of water rippling on a pond an effect seen in other pieces by Kahn in Santa Rosa and elsewhere. The breeze-driven sculpture replaces an earlier proposal for a flat-surfaced spray-and-play fountain, which had won wide city support for allowing the plazas easy conversion for large public gatherings but was abandoned due to state laws requiring such water features to include restrooms like those at public swimming pools. Kahns design gained the support of Napas Public Art Steering Committee earlier this month but only on a 4-3 vote, amid concerns that the water-like effect could not be fully appreciated at ground level and that its bulk could interfere with staging concerts and festivals. A public artwork is one in a $1.5 million package of upgrades envisioned for Dwight Murray Plaza, which is also to receive new tree plantings, cafe-style tables, chairs, and a single-level surfaces to replace it stepped seating pit. The changes would almost entirely make over a square that opened in 1974 and saw its original features, a 70-foot-tall wooden clock tower and a stone waterfall fountain, removed or retired in the early 2000s. Meanwhile, the green-covered privacy fencing of the corporation yard on Jackson Street is set to become a wide-angle canvas for Mikey Kelly, a Napa artist also endorsed by the city public art committee. Life-size powder-coated metal cutouts on the 7-foot-tall installation will depict the men, women, children and pets who stroll the nearby Vine Trail on foot or on wheels daily, with diagonal multicolored patterns forming the background. Napans will be photographed to serve as the silhouette models, according to Shari Cooper, city development project coordinator. Kelly is expected to survey Napa residents for information on what words should be on the artwork such as respect, community and healthy and a computer algorithm will determine their font sizes and colors in a word cloud forming part of the painting, Cooper wrote in a memo to the council. The artist also plans to work with local youth on the design and installation. Napas public art fund will cover the $40,000 cost of Kellys mural, one of the first elements in a campaign to bring public artworks to Napas urbanized and graffiti-prone portion of the Vine Trail. The effort also inspired the December founding of the Rail Arts District, which is raising funds and recruiting landowners for paintings, sculpture and landscaping along 1.7 miles of the trail in Napa. A few blocks away, the owner of the Napa Valley Register building at Soscol Avenue and Vallejo Street commissioned a Polish art collective to create a 210-foot-long tableau over the trail-facing back wall. An abstract artwork by Felipe Pantone was installed last week on the Matthews Mattress building on Soscol, and a surrealist installation by Cinta Vidal is under city review for a building at Tanen Street. Once again, Napa County leaders are waiting on a court decision that they fear could have casino implications for the area. The Mishewal Wappo Tribe of Alexander Valley in 2015 lost a federal court case seeking federal recognition as a tribe. It is trying again in the United States Court of Appeal for the 9th Circuit. A three-judge panel heard arguments from both sides last Monday over a half-hour. At some point in coming months, it will announce its decision in the case of the Mishewal Wappo Tribe of Alexander Valley versus former U.S. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell. Tribe officials in the past have said the main issue is for the tribe is to regain federal recognition it believes it wrongly lost more than five decades ago. County officials worry that the tribe, if recognized, could buy local land and have it held in trust by the federal government. That would exempt the property from local agricultural protection laws and perhaps open the door to a wine country casino. We have a history of welcoming people and being inclusive, Napa County Board of Supervisors Chairman Alfredo Pedroza said on Wednesday. I dont think thats a question. But, he said, everybody has to play by the rules. Legal wrangling has centered on California Rancheria Act of 1958. That federal law allowed the divvying up of rancheria land among tribe members in return for tribe members voting to terminate their relationships with the federal government. The government claims it properly applied the Act to the Mishewal Wappo and its Alexander Valley rancheria from 1959 to 1961. Two people living on the land, a Wappo and non-Wappo, voted for termination in exchange for splitting up the land. Attorneys for the tribe have said that the tribe was unlawfully terminated. They say the tribe today has 345 members. Among other things, the federal government claims the tribe waited 40 years too long to sue, given the statute of limitations is usually six years. A U.S. District judge in 2015 agreed. The latest legal arguments explore whether the 1961 date and the statute of limitations apply. How long could the tribe wait to bring this lawsuit? Judge Ronald Gould asked during Mondays hearing. Could it sit back for 100 years. Or 50 years? If you think the statue hasnt started to run, how long could this be deferred? As long as a tribe interacts with the Bureau of Indian Affairs, a lawsuit can be deferred and the courts can be a last resort, said a lawyer for the Mishewal Wappos. This tribe has continuously interacted with the agency since 1961, he added. Napa County is on the sidelines, though not from its own choice. A judge in 2012 kicked the county out of the legal proceedings, saying fears that the tribe might build a casino are too speculative to justify its involvement. But county officials continue to track a case they say could have a big, local effect. Napa County officials also feared in recent years that another tribe, the Scotts Valley Band of Pomo Indians, might try to buy Napa Valley land for a casino. Instead, that tribe is looking at Vallejo in Solano County. Napa Police responded shortly after midnight Sunday morning to the intersection of South Terrace and Kansas avenues where a citizen reported seeing a man assaulting a woman and placing her in a headlock. Police said the woman and the man, who live together, had gotten into an argument. When she tried to walk away, he allegedly put her in a headlock, causing visible injuries. Police arrested Carl Stewart, 43, of Napa. He was booked into the Napa County jail for possible charges of domestic violence and false imprisonment. Senate Democrats are reliving the snub of Merrick Garland, President Barack Obama's nominee to the Supreme Court, at the hearing of President Donald Trump's pick Monday. The first three Democrats speaking at the hearing of Judge Neil Gorsuch in the Senate Judiciary Committee began their speeches invoking the decision by Republicans to refuse a hearing or vote on Garland last year after the death of Justice Antonin Scalia. Sen. Patrick Leahy called it an "extraordinary blockade" that was "totally unprecedented in our country's whole history." Leahy criticized Trump for relying on conservative groups like the Heritage Foundation and Federalist Society last year to vet and recommend his list of potential Supreme Court picks. "Senate Republicans made a big show last year about respecting the voice of the American people in this process," he said, referring to Trump's election victory. "Now they're arguing that the Senate should rubber-stamp their nominees selected by extreme interest groups and nominated by a president who lost the popular vote by nearly 3 million votes." Texas GOP Sen. Ted Cruz responded later by saying in essence: We won. Cruz sharply defended Republicans' decision to hold the seat vacant, saying the president election was also a "referendum on the kind of justice that should replace Justice Scalia." "Given the engagement of the electorate nationally on this central issue, I would suggest that Judge Gorsuch is no ordinary nominee," Cruz said. "Because of this unique and transparent process -- unprecedented in the nation's history -- his nomination carries with it a super legitimacy," he continued. "The American people played a very direct role in helping choose this nominee." Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin said the actions blocking Garland and subsequent Gorsuch nomination "is part of a Republican strategy to capture our judicial branch of government. That is why the Senate Republicans kept the Supreme Court seat vacant for more than a year and why they left 30 judicial nominees who had received bipartisan approval of this committee to die on the Senate calendar as President Obama left office." Leahy said the GOP is conducting "court unpacking scheme," harkening back to President Franklin D. Roosevelt's failed effort in the 1930s to pack the Supreme Court with more justices, a move lawmakers rejected. "Remember the Judiciary Committee once stood against a court-packing scheme of a Democratic president that would have eroded judicial independence, and that was a proud moment," Leahy said. "Now Republicans on this committee are guilty of their own court-unpacking scheme." Monday is the first day of four hearings on Gorsuch a federal appeals court judge from Colorado, likely to carry on the conservative legacy of Scalia and be an early legacy-establishing win for Trump. Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, used his opening statement to decry "executive overreach" and expressed "alarm" over "the threat it poses to the separation of powers." Discussing the need for an independent jurist, Grassley said, "Good judges understand this. They know it isn't their job to fix the law. In a democracy, that right belongs to be the people." Democrats going after Gorsuch dissents, Trump policies Democrats will also use the hearing to go after Trump's early actions such as his travel ban for people from seven -- then revised to six -- majority-Muslim countries, which has been blocked by federal courts from coast to coast. The question, California Sen. Dianne Feinstein said of Gorsuch, is "whether he will protect the legal and constitutional rights of all Americans." "President Trump repeatedly promised to appoint someone in the mold of Justice Scalia," she said, "and that the nomination of Judge Gorsuch illustrates that he is a man of his word. For those of us on this side, our job is not to theoretically evaluate this or that legal doctrine, or to review Judge Gorsuch's record in a vacuum. Our job is to determine whether Judge Gorsuch is a reasonable mainstream conservative or is he not." Under the radar Gorsuch's nomination has flown under the radar in Washington as the focus has been on the litany of Trump actions such as the travel ban, budget proposal that would cut billions of dollars from agencies, executive orders and claims about Obama wiretapping Trump Tower. At the same time, Republicans are pushing through legislation to repeal and replace Obamacare. About a dozen people in the audience are wearing red "stop Gorsuch" shirts. Each senator on the Judiciary Committee will speak Monday, followed by two Colorado senators introducing Gorsuch as well as Neal Katyal -- a former Obama acting solicitor general. Gorsuch himself is expected to give his opening statement in mid-afternoon. He will face questions from senators Tuesday. Grassley announced he expects a committee vote on Gorsuch's nomination on April 3. CNN's Dan Berman and Tammy Kupperman contributed to this report. Few questions are as central to life in a community as how good is my local school? The answer to that question determines where you choose (or are able) to live, how much you pay for a house, what you pay in taxes, and what people think of your neighborhood and your town. For such an important and seemingly simple question, as it turns out, there is no easy answer. News organizations, educational foundations, states, and school districts themselves are forever trying to compare and rank schools in a way that answers the question: is my local school any good or not? The biggest effort of recent times was the 2001 No Child Left Behind act, which took the simple expedient of comparing everyones test scores and giving schools a pass-fail grade. Unfortunately, that effort turned out to be the bluntest possible way of looking at the situation. By strictly focusing on those numbers, it shackled teachers and administrators, forcing them to teach to the all-important tests. It also painted a misleading picture without any trace of nuance it predestined well-funded schools with a high percentage of affluent students to perpetual success and condemned poor schools with high numbers of poor students, or ones from non-English-speaking families, to perpetual failure. The shortcomings of this approach became obvious quickly and it was largely scrapped. Into the void has stepped the state of California with the California School Dashboard, an online tool that rates districts and individual schools in a color-coded system, looking at dozens of different types of data, from graduation rates to suspensions to test scores to the level of English proficiency among children of immigrant parents. This new system, which went live on Wednesday, is clearly a great improvement over the blunt tool of No Child Left Behind, but it is hardly perfect. The first problem is that it is complex. For all the visual simplicity of a color-coded system (from an alarming red on the poor end to a soothing blue on the high end), the data is complicated and not well explained. Most information comes from last year, but other data, such as suspension rate, is two years old or more. This is not well explained on the website, nor is much of the raw numerical data that goes into the rankings available to the general public. The system can also lead to confusing anomalies. New Tech High School, for example, is generally seen as one of the countys most successful schools, and yet it falls into the middling yellow category on graduation rates, despite being well into the 90s percentage-wise. Why? Because its graduating class is so small that the difference of one or two students can skew the data, making it appear that the graduation rate is falling, when it is merely subject to a normal statistical fluctuation. The Register editorial board met this week with representatives from the county Office of Education and the Napa Valley Unified School District. It was clear their feelings were decidedly mixed about this new tool. On the up side, they were relieved to be free of the stark and unforgiving No Child Left Behind method of ranking schools. The new system gives schools credit for progress made by at-risk or disadvantaged students, and the NVUSD does far better on this count than its raw math and reading test scores would suggest. On the other hand, however, they are worried about the complexity of the reports and the inconsistent way data is used and shared with the public. Clearly the reports will generate as many questions as answers and the administrators seem resigned to having to spend a lot of time explaining to parents what the colored symbols mean. We too were frustrated with the new system. It is a commendable effort to add some nuance and depth to assessing a schools performance. And yet it brings us back around to where we started a jumble of numbers that get us no closer to a clear answer to whether our schools are working or not. Perhaps there is no simple answer. It seems that if you ask Is my school succeeding the answer will inevitably be it depends on what you want. Try the tool yourself. It is available at caschooldashboard.org, though it might be worth visiting the California Department of Educations explanatory page first: cde.ca.gov/ta/ac/cm. It is ponderous and dense, but does have some explanation of what the new system is about, why it was created, and how to read it. In the end, we and the local school administrators agreed: the new dashboard system is an improvement, but it is not in itself an answer to the questions parents have. Look up your school or your district, and if you see something that concerns you, do not be afraid to call up the administration and ask about it. That may be the Dashboards most valuable function: leading parents and school officials into a more detailed conversation about whether our schools are working or not. Vallejo native Karl Tatom had never ventured outside the United States until he took a Spanish class at Napa Valley College. Thats when his Spanish 3 teacher, Mary Shea, came to class with a Study Abroad flyer, encouraging her students to spend three weeks in Spain. She was excited, trying to convince us all to go, travel, experience another culture, and use the Spanish we had learned up until that point, said Tatom, 22. With help from his grandfather, Tatom was able to raise the funds needed to go on the trip. I became part of a host family with Ivan, another person from my NVC program, and we stayed with a Salamanca woman and her daughter who had two other people from a different Spanish Abroad program. Salamanca is beautiful, much like the rest of Spain. The night life is definitely sparkling, active and alive, said Tatom. The Spanish classes were about grammar and syntax, but you get practical knowledge by interacting with people and understanding each other in Spanish. During the early days of his stay, he discovered a store owned by a Persian man who had been living in Spain most of his life. He didnt stock the adapter we needed, so he went to his house to get his own. He gave us the adapter, even though he had never met us before, and for the rest of the trip I would always go to that store where I knew there was a very warm, kind person. A lot of people in Spain were just as kind. Tatom said the daily Spanish assignments were not always collected, because the program was not focused on what we know, but what we were learning and how we were improving. He also spent a weekend on the beach in Porto, Portugal. Because of his experiences in Spain and Portugal, Tatom said he is likely to travel back to that region of Europe and elsewhere. I made a lot of friends in Spain, who I still talk with on Facebook. I recommend this program for people who love interacting with people, learning about other cultures and new languages. I felt I had improved exponentially, because I was able to talk with people and understand them, with very few hiccups. Our friends Bob and Henneke Peterson wanted to visit Indonesia, the former Dutch colony where Henneke is from, and my wife Kathy and I said that wed be interested in going with them. They asked Flo Schilling of Thompson Creekside Travel to set up a trip that included Indonesia, Cambodia and Vietnam. Bob sent us the itinerary for the trip, and thinking that wed never do such a trip on our own, we signed up. We arrived in Siem Reap, Cambodia, via Guangzhou, China, (Canton to us) after 22 hours of flight, crossing 15 time zones and losing an entire day by passing the International Time Line, to start our trip visiting the famous ruins of the Angkor Wat Temple. This marvelous temple, built in the 12th century by 25,000 workers over a 37-year period, is considered one of the finest monuments in the world. It was a temple where a god was worshiped and it served as a mausoleum for King Suryavarman II after his death. One writer, Helen Candee, said, One can never look at the Wat without a thrill, a pause, a feeling being caught up into the heavens. Perhaps it is the most impressive sight in the world of edifices. It covers 500 acres, surrounded by a wall and a moat that is 660 feet wide. The moat itself is crossed by a huge causeway 820 feet long and 39 feet wide. No wonder the locals believe that Angkor Wat was built by the gods. More importantly, let us also remember that Angelina Jolie, as Lara Croft in Tomb Raider, (2001) and Daniel Craig (one of the 007 James Bonds), shot scenes in and around Angkor Wat temples. She dives off the waterfall at Phnom Kulen, the most sacred mountain in Cambodia, comes ashore, borrows a cell phone from a monk, ventures into the Gallery of a Thousand Buddhas, and is healed by the abbot. We went from Angkor Wat to the Great Lake of Tonle Sap, the second largest lake in Asia. The lake is so polluted and dark that it makes the Napa River appear pristine, but we took a boat trip to see the lake dwellers, largely Vietnamese soldiers who didnt go home after the war. They pay $60 a year to live and fish on the lake. There were several fish farms, from which I hope we didnt eat any fish, and a crocodile farm, where they are raised for the meat as well as their skins. While in the area, we saw Banteay Kdei or Gods Hindu Hotel, a 39-room temple built by the Khmer people. You may have seen pictures of this with the giant jungle trees trying to take the place over again, some growing right out of the top of the buildings. To end the day, we went to Angkor Thom, climbed up to the top of the temple to view, with hundreds of others, the sunset over Angkor Wat. One historical political note. Pol Pot, the Khmer Rouge Cambodian dictator who picked up his radical Marxist ideas while studying for an electronics degree in Paris, came home and for 34 years, starting in 1963, between executions, relocation to collective farms, malnutrition and no medical care, he wiped out several million or 25 percent of the entire population. Too bad he hadnt stuck to electronics. From Cambodia, we flew to Hanoi, Vietnam, where we saw touristy things like the Chairmans Palace, Ho Chi Minhs massive mausoleum (we didnt go in, avoiding a two-hour wait in line to view his body), the Temple of Literature and a classic Confucianism temple where there is a huge statue and altar to Confucius himself. Perhaps the most depressing place we saw was the Hanoi Hilton, the infamous prison where American pilots like U.S. Senator John McCain of Arizona were kept. Many of the prisoners died of torture and horrible conditions, but the pictures on the walls tried to tell a story of wonderful treatment, men playing ping-pong and volleyball, eating three meals a day and having good medical care. McCain was trying to bomb a hydro-electric plant on a lake in the middle of Hanoi when he was shot down and was rescued by locals or he would have drowned. He has been back several times to thank the rescuers. Taking a ride in a bicycle-powered rickshaw in downtown Hanoi was alarming due to the way they drive there, but it certainly gave us a view of the town and their stores from the street level. Our guide in Hanoi was a fighter for the Viet Cong, and after the war, he taught Russian for 18 years because Russia was an ally of Communist Vietnam. When Russia quit supporting Vietnam, he lost his job, did menial work to get by and then became a tour guide. At the time of the war he was a true-believer in the Communist cause, but today he is disillusioned. He told us the country is no better off than it was 50 years ago, run by the top 1 percent made up of the Communist elite and their cronies, with nepotism rampant. The rest of the people do not have it good, he said, even having to pay for their own schooling and medical care. Halong Bay, a UNESCO Heritage Site in Vietnam, is breathtaking, with thousands of limestone islands rising from the blue jade water in an area of more than 1,500 square kilometers. We slept overnight on a sightseeing junk, and cruised around the islands while trying to avoid running into other junks. We also kayaked and explored island caves. On to Danang in the south of Vietnam. We stayed two nights in Hoi An, a historic village just down the road from Danang. Hoi An has a famous old town, which levies an admission fee, allowing you to see the historic buildings. Many have turned their first floors into shops, and the whole place is decorated by brightly covered lanterns, which at night is really beautiful. We ate in a restaurant looking out over the river full of boats of all sorts. Our guide here told us that his dad had helped the Americans learn Vietnamese and did translating for them during the war. Once the Americans left and the Communists took over, he was put into a re-education camp for three years, and when released, was basically persona non-grata. He and his family tried to flee the country as boat people, and all three times were thwarted. That made them even more suspect. Our guide, wanting to become a doctor, passed the exam to go to medical school and was admitted, but then thrown out a month later, due to the sins of his father having been an American collaborator. He was heartbroken, and ultimately went to school to become a tour guide. Hes hoping that enough time has passed so that his daughter can become a doctor, but isnt sure what will happen. Before leaving Danang we wanted to see Marble Mountains, five craggy marble hills topped with jungle and pagodas. Inside natural caves we found Buddhist and Hindu artifacts, including a giant Buddha. One cave was used by the Vietcong during the war as a headquarters and hospital, so it was bombed, opening the top of it up to the sky. Danang is also where the U.S. air force had built a huge airbase. U.S. servicemen loved the beaches near there and called the area China Beach, so a stop was essential on our way to Saigon. The French were in Indochina (Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand) for more than 100 years, and their influence is certainly noted in Saigon, now called Ho Chi Minh City. The beautiful Notre Dame Cathedral is still used, as is the opera house, several elegant, still functioning hotels, and La Grand Poste, the post office designed by Gustave Eiffel of Eiffel Tower fame. A real highlight of the area was visiting the Mekong Delta and the Mekong River. A river boat took us to several islands where we rode in a horse-drawn carriage on a village road and then took a wild ride in a five-person sampan powered by two rowers on a canal that led back out to the river. We were told to keep our hands inside the boat lest they get smashed by the numerous other sampans rushing up and down the canal. A well-known hangout in Saigon, now called Ho Chi Minh City, was the Rex Hotel. Originally built by the French as a parking garage, the building has been added to and changed uses many times. During the American War, as its called by the North, the United States Information Service rented the whole building and on the fifth floor was carved out into a giant bar. It became a favorite haunt of U.S. officers, GIs and foreign correspondents covering the war. It still exists as part of the 5-star Rex Hotel so we went to see the view of the city at night and try their long-featured cocktail, the Five Oclock Follies; that was the time that everybody during the war showed up to tell stories, swap information and just generally relax. What did we eat? We had a plethora of interesting foods, most of which we ate. Pineapple, dragons fruit, papaya, guava, pork, seafood, dog (northern Vietnam), water buffalo, noodles, rice of all sorts, and pho. In the U.S. this soup is sometimes called pho hoa, named after the most famous noodle shop in Saigon. Pho Hoa started 40 years ago as a street stall and eventually grew into a two-story space. Their pho is served with fresh basil, saw tooth herb, rice paddy herb, and Chinese fried dough sticks to dip into the broth. The pho was delicious and cost twice as much as anywhere else due to its reputation. For the four of us, with drinks, the cost was $19. Yes, we overpaid, but it was authentic. The problem with one-size-fits-all policies are they often get used against the wrong people. Just ask Dierks Bentleys new Arizona Whiskey Row bar who just a few days after their official grand opening has been forced to apologize to a U.S. veteran because of one of their dumb policies. Brandon Andrus is a U.S. Marine Corps veteran with two tours of duty in Iraq under his belt. The vet and his family decided to check out the newest attraction in Gilbert, Arizona last Wednesday when they were unfortunately turned away because of a corporate policy. The problem? Andrus has a 22 tattooed on his neck, AZ Central reports. Andrus, who wrote about the embarrassing encounter on Facebook, says the number represents how many veterans, on average, commit suicide each day across the nation. Andrus explained in the post that he was stopped at the door by two managers who said it was a corporate policy not to allow anyone with a face or neck tattoo entry into the bar. I was excited to check out a new bar in town, Andrus wrote on Facebook. I served my country with 2 tours in the Marine Corps, contribute to society, work full time, married and raising 2 kids in Gilbert. Buy zovirax Buy nexium After many criticized Whiskey Row in comments on the now viral Facebook post, the company decided to apologize in a Facebook post of their own, admitting they fell short in their treatment of a military veteran. The company says they are now planning to host a military-appreciation event and will be working with local police to tell the difference between gang and non-gang-related tattoos. I dont know, I think a better corporate policy would probably be to not judge a book by its cover. Trump not backing off claims that he was wiretapped, no matter how many in Washington say he should To say that official Washington that includes the establishment media, elected leaders, pundits, talking heads and think tanks still dont understand who Donald J. Trump is or what makes him tick, is an understatement. The current brouhaha over the presidents claims that former President Obama wire tapped him make this plain. Rep. Tom Cole, R-Okla., The Hill reported, became the first Republican to officially call for Trump to take back his allegations, which the president made in a series of tweets earlier this month, though other members of the GOP have openly questioned whether it was appropriate for Trump to make his allegations, which have yet to be officially acknowledged as true. I see no indication thats true. Its not a charge that I would ever have ever made, and frankly unless he can produce some pretty compelling proof, then I think President Obama is owed an apology in that regard, Cole said in response to a question from CNN, which like the rest of the Washington lapdog media, has continued to pursue this story like theres nothing else going on in the nations capital. If he didnt do it, we shouldnt be reckless in accusations that he did, Cole added. (RELATED: Did Team Trump Fall Victim To Backdoor Surveillance By U.S. Intelligence Agencies?) Naturally, since this was a Republican lawmaker, CNN ran with it and milked it for every drop. But heres what we do know about this fracas: Trump this week doubled down on his accusation, telling Fox News Tucker Carlson on Wednesday that though he cant say anything just yet, more information surrounding the charge is forthcoming within a couple weeks. As Fox News reported: Trump told host Tucker Carlson that the administration will be submitting things to the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence very soon. The president added that he will be, perhaps speaking about this next week and predicted that youre going to find some very interesting items coming to the forefront over the next 2 weeks. That sounds an awful lot like a man whos pretty confident in what he tweeted out earlier. But you can tell by the tone of the media reporting on this, as well as Coles comments and other observations emanating out of official Washington they dont yet understand who theyre dealing with. Trump is no politician, though he says hes become one after being elected president (fair enough). But hes certainly no typical politician, which means he cannot be put into the same box, into the same mold as practically everyone else in the nations capital, including those elected, appointed and employed by various entities. So why do people in D.C. insist on trying to oppose him or describe him or define him as though he is a typical politician? It didnt work for the bulk of the 16 other Republican candidates who vied for the partys nomination. It didnt work for Democratic presidential nominee and two-time White House loser Hillary Clinton. And it didnt work for the lamestream media. All of these people continue to believe their own characterizations about Trump that hes a racist, bigoted, loud-mouthed, lying buffoon who lacks the intellect and intelligence to be president. Despite building hugely successful brands as Trump the billionaire businessman (despite bankruptcies and other setbacks), they still cant bring themselves to realize hes just not who they say he is. Far from it. Take the health care reform legislation. For the past week the media has highlighted, emphasized and magnified every single GOP and Democratic objection to the American Health Care Act. From the outside, it would appear that theres no way this piece of legislation gets done. Then theres Trump on Friday, emerging from a White House meeting with House Republicans, all of whom had previously said they wont back the legislation, announcing to the press that after talking with these members, all had changed their minds and would be supporting the legislation after all. Trump even called out the media again for failing to accurately report what was in the legislation in the first place. So he won again, essentially. Anyone who still doubts that Trumps allegations he was wire tapped or otherwise under some sort of intelligence-related electronic surveillance needs to realize the man just doubled down on his initial allegations, not backed off from them as some reports have suggested. (RELATED: Flat out: Someone in government or the media is lying about wiretapping Trump Tower story.) That sounds like the confidence of a man who, like when he negotiates deals and health care reform, knows what the outcome is already. Keep up with all our president is up to at Conservative.news. J.D. Heyes is a senior writer for NaturalNews.com and NewsTarget.com, as well as editor of The National Sentinel. Sources: FoxNews.com TheHill.com Trump.news style="display:inline-block;width:728px;height:90px" style="display:inline-block;width:728px;height:90px" data-ad-client="ca-pub-8193958963374960" data-ad-client="ca-pub-8193958963374960" data-ad-slot="5845669306"> data-ad-slot="5845669306"> Submit a correction >> NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg met with US Secretary of Defense James Mattis at the Pentagon on Tuesday (21 March 2017) to discuss enhancing NATOs role in the fight against terrorism and preparations for the upcoming Meeting of NATO leaders in Brussels. The Secretary General is in United States to attend a meeting of the Counter-ISIL Coalition on Wednesday. During their talks, Mr. Stoltenberg and Secretary Mattis discussed how the Alliance can do even more in the fight against terrorism, and NATOs missions in Afghanistan and Kosovo. The two leaders also reviewed progress on NATO defence spending and agreed on the importance of fairer burden-sharing between Allies. Today, the Secretary General also met with Albanian Foreign Minister Ditmir Bushati. Later today, Mr. Stoltenberg is expected to meet with Iraqi Foreign Minister Ibrahim Al-Jaafari. Tomorrow, the Secretary General will attend a meeting of the Counter-ISIL Coalition, hosted by US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. All 28 NATO Allies are members of the Coalition, and NATO is providing direct support to Coalition forces with AWACS surveillance flights. The Alliance is also strengthening its support for partners in North Africa and the Middle East, including by training Iraqi military personnel. (Natural News) There is no denying that the face of our world is changing, and at a rate that most people have trouble keeping up with. For those of us raised to believe that men are men and women are women, successfully navigating our way through society has become an overwhelmingly bewildering experience. So many subjects have the potential to be politically incorrect landmines, that even making conversation has become a difficult endeavor. Gone are the days when a successful dinner party simply meant that nobody raised the subjects of politics or religion. And one is now just as likely to have a pretty boy covered in makeup staring back at you from the cover of a glossy magazine as it once would have been normal to have a heavily made up woman doing the same thing. The phenomenon of boys wearing makeup and teaching others how to do so has slowly and quietly been gaining steam on social media, and the fashion world has taken note. Late last year, the cosmetics giant CoverGirl chose a male as the face of its brand for the first time in the companys 60-year history. While some in the LGBT community would see James Charles, CoverGirls new cover boy, as a hero and symbol of progress, there are many, particularly parents, who are gravely concerned about the effects of a 17-year-old boy being held up as a model of normalcy to impressionable young men. CoverGirl is by no means alone in embracing this new trend. Cosmetics powerhouse Maybelline, has adopted its own new male face of the brand in the form of Manny Mua, a young man who has proudly shared his transition from straight-laced Mormon boy to makeup wearing fashionista on social media and YouTube. While this would once have been viewed as a disturbing trend, causing widespread controversy, particularly among conservatives, it is being accepted as the new normal. People magazine even included Mua in its annual Ones to Watch list. Of course, these young men will be watched, by millions of young men and women across the country, and it will inevitably shape their view of the world. While some would argue that these young men should be left to enjoy using cosmetics if it pleases them, does that mean they should be paraded as examples to be looked up to, in ways that have a powerful effect on impressionable young minds? Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, describes transgenderism and biological subjectivism as a politically correct demand that everyone agree to participate in the mental distortions of a few individuals who suffer from a psychological disconnect from their biological realities. Such ideologies stand in complete contradiction to the known science on biology and physical reality, and sadly, this mental distortion is now being thrust onto children as part of a sick, demented political agenda to appease the most lunatic fringe elements of the political spectrum. Schools, which are entrusted with the job of molding young minds, are jumping on the bandwagon too, adding to the confusion rather than helping children to understand their biologically assigned roles. In the U.K., a state school was started in the city of Manchester just for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students. And most Americans are familiar with the gender-neutral bathroom debacle, which caused outrage across the country. Though it may seem like progress and open-mindedness to some parents to allow their children to be indoctrinated with this thinking, the truth is that even the American College of Pediatricians has stated clearly that human sexuality is an objective biological binary trait [not a choice], and urged educators and legislators to reject all policies that condition children to accept as normal a life of chemical and surgical impersonation of the opposite sex. Facts not ideology determine reality. That really is it in a nutshell: Biologically speaking, we are what we are; thats just fact. Presenting gender as a choice that has to be made by every young person is not enlightening; its just confusing. (Photo credit: AllNewsPipeline.com) Sources for this article include: AllNewsPipeline.com NYTimes.com NaturalNews.com TheGuardian.com Chalcedon.edu NYTimes.com NaturalNews.com Sunday, March 19, 2017 by: JD Heyes Tags: carcinogen , EPA , glyphosate , Monsanto , Roundup This article may contain statements that reflect the opinion of the author (Natural News) A now-deceased career scientist for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) wrote a letter to a colleague that the chemical compound glyphosate, the principle ingredient in Montantos Roundup herbicide, is far more dangerous than even her own former agency is willing to admit. The scientist, Dr. Marion Copley, D.M.V., who died from cancer, worked for the EPA for three decades until her illness made it impossible for her to continue. In a letter to EPA colleague and Monsanto mole Jess Rowland in 2013, two years before a public debate over the carcinogenic effects of glyphosate began, Copley a senior toxicologist at the EPAs Health Effects Division voiced major concerns about how Rowland and the EPA were dealing with the compound. Since I left the Agency with cancer, I have studied the tumor process extensively and I have some mechanism comments which may be very valuable to CARC based on my decades of pathology experience. Ill pick one chemical to demonstrate my points, she wrote. (RELATED: Heartbreaking letter from dying EPA scientist begs Monsanto moles inside the agency to stop lying about dangers of RoundUp (glyphosate.) Glyphosate was originally designed as a chelating agent and I strongly believe that is the identical process involved in its tumor formation, which is highly supported by the literature. Copley goes on to note: Chelators prevent the process of apoptosis, which is a necessary bodily function to kill off tumor cells; Chelators act as endocrine disruptors, which in turn plays a role in the growth of tumors; Chelators serve to bind zinc, which is a necessary mineral for proper immune system function; Chelators also bind calcium and magnesium, as well as other minerals, thereby making foods deficient for these essential nutrients; Glyphosate has been found to be a genotoxic substance, which is key in cancer formation; Chelators can often cause damage to the kidneys or pancreas, which glyphosate does, serving as another cancer formation mechanism; Glyphosate is responsible for destroying good gut bacteria and in the gastrointestinal system at large is 80 percent of the bodys immune system; Chelators tamping down of the bodys immune system also leads to cancer formation. She noted further that, in the past, CARC found that glyphosate was a possible human carcinogen, and that kidney pathology in separate studies in animals led to the formation of tumors with other mechanisms. She also said that any one of these mechanisms alone listed can cause tumors, but glyphosate causes all of them simultaneously. Jess, you and I have argued many times on CARC. You often argued about topics outside of your knowledge, which is unethical, she wrote. Your trivial MS degree from 1971 Nebraska is far outdated, thus CARC science is 10 years behind the literature in mechanisms. For once in your life, listen to me and dont play your political conniving games with the science to favor the registrants. For once do the right thing and dont make decisions based on how it affects your bonus. Copley, who passed away in January 2014, also identified another EPA colleague, Anna Lowit, accusing both of them of intimidating staff on CARC and changing various reports to make the industry look better. A February filing in U.S. District Court for Northern California seeks to compel testimony from Rowland. The document says that Rowland, now a private citizen, left EPA mysteriously a day after an inadvertent leak and later retraction of a draft EPA report on the safety of glyphosate that bore Rowlands signature. (RELATED: EPA Corruption, Monsanto And RoundUp Litigation: Full Text Of Motion To Compel Deposition Of Jess Rowland.) [T]he Plaintiffs have a pressing need for Mr. Rowlands testimony to confirm his relationship with Monsanto and EPAs substantial role in protecting the Defendants business, efforts subsequently embodied in government reports consistently cited by Monsanto in this Court and elsewhere, the court filing said. As stated in the original Motion, the circumstances underlying the relationship between Mr. Rowland and Monsanto are highly suspicious. Keep up with this story as it develops at Glyphosate.news. J.D. Heyes is a senior writer for NaturalNews.com and NewsTarget.com, as well as editor of The National Sentinel. Sources: Glyphosate.news NaturalNews.com USRTK.org EPAWatch.org (Natural News) Four of the worlds largest pesticide corporations Syngenta, Bayer, Dow, and Dupont would like to educate your kids about the benefits of all the chemical and genetic experiments that are being engineered on natural foods. Thats why they collectively sponsor the Agriculture in the Classroom program, which is nothing more than an advertising outlet to promote their pesticide-ridden, GMO products to the next generation. These four companies own 54 percent of the global pesticide market and have taken over 36 percent of the global seed market. All that stands in their way is a generation of informed people who might reject this monopoly on seeds and chemical assault on natural foods. Thats why the industry is now striving to indoctrinate schoolchildren on the benefits of GMOs, why GMOs must feed the world, and why pesticides are so safe. The programs lesson plans teach how important it is to make informed decisions which are based on fact. Of course the industrys propaganda is to be accepted blindly as fact. The Canadian Biotechnology Action Network is speaking out against this insidious corporate product promotion which is now taking place in Canadian schools. This webinar is blatant corporate product promotion for the GM apple. Its certainly not a neutral presentation of genetic modification to students, said Lucy Sharratt of the Canadian Biotechnology Action Network. The programs webinar, presented on March 7, 2017, blatantly promoted a newly developed strain of genetically modified apple that doesnt brown. The natural enzymes that cause the apple to brown have been altered. This creates a new kind of apple property that corporations can claim intellectual property rights to. The new product is called the Arctic Apple. Even so, it wont be labeled as genetically modified, and will be promoted as natural. Even though the natural enzymes have been changed (which could change how its digested), this apple will be promoted as superior to apples that brown and degrade. These kinds of genetic modifications allow corporations to sell genetically-manipulated designer foods that can better appeal to uninformed, supermarket shoppers. This is an industry attempting to manufacture a need for its product by implanting the idea in school children that browning apples are not fit to eat, said Sharon Labchuk of Earth Action PEI. The Arctic Apple seems destined for the sliced and bagged fresh apple market. Eating whole apples is better for the environment and our health, but fresh sliced apples dipped in Vitamin C to prevent browning are already available in grocery stores. This kind of propaganda has already been used in U.S. schools, especially at the university level. Not everyone is taking it submissively. Canadian farmers are rejecting the GM apple in droves. Former high-school administrator and now Vice-Chair of the Council of Canadians, Leo Broderick, spoke out, This corporate intrusion into our schools is unacceptable. We cant let corporations teach our students and we are calling on all provincial Ministers of Education to put a halt to this webinar and protect students from this corporate propaganda. Hes right: the worlds largest pesticide corporations have no business indoctrinating students. The industry has already taken over much of the natural world. All they need now are young minds. Sources include: NaturalBlaze.com NaturalBlaze.com Inside a Cal State Fullerton lab, geology graduate Robert J. Leeper prepares sediment samples from the Seal Beach wetlands for various types of analyses. A Cal State Fullerton faculty-student study shows evidence of abrupt sinking of the wetlands near Seal Beach caused by ancient earthquakes that shook the area at least three times in the past 2,000 years and it could happen again, the researchers say. The paleoseismology study reveals that the wetlands at the National Wildlife Refuge Seal Beach, a nearly 500-acre area located within the Naval Weapons Station Seal Beach and next to the communities of Seal Beach and Huntington Harbor, are susceptible to rapid lowering in elevation during large over 7.0 magnitude earthquakes. Imagine a large earthquake and it can happen again causing the Seal Beach wetlands to sink abruptly by up to three feet. This would be significant, especially since the area already is at sea level, said Matthew E. Kirby, CSUF professor of geological sciences. Kirby and colleague Brady P. Rhodes, CSUF professor emeritus of geological sciences, and alumnus Robert J. Leeper, whose masters thesis is based on the research findings, led the study. The researchers mentored numerous CSUF geology students and collaborated with geologists and earthquake experts, including those from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). The researchers study, Evidence for Coseismic Subsidence Events in a Southern California Coastal Saltmarsh, was published today in Scientific Reports, an open-access, peer-reviewed Nature research journal. Cal State Fullerton geological sciences professor Matthew E. Kirby and CSUF geology student Hogan Rangel look for microscopic charcoal to radiocarbon date mud samples collected from the Seal Beach wetlands. Leeper, now a doctoral student in the earth sciences program at University of California, Riverside, is the lead author of the paper, and CSUF co-authors are Kirby; Rhodes; Joe Carlin, assistant professor of geological sciences; and 2016 geology graduate Angela Aranda, who for her masters thesis analyzed sediment cores from the wetlands. Other collaborators and co-authors are Katherine Scharer and Scott Starratt of the USGS; Eileen Hemphill-Haley, consulting micropaleontologist; and Simona Avnaim-Katav and Glen MacDonald from UCLA. Located off Pacific Coast Highway between Belmont Shores and Sunset Beach, the Seal Beach wetlands likely formed due to complex, lateral movement of the Newport-Inglewood fault, said Leeper. The wetlands straddle a segment of the fault system, which extends from Beverly Hills in the north to the San Diego region in the south. The study identifies three previously undocumented earthquakes in the area over the past 2,000 years, noted Leeper, who earned his bachelors degree in 2013 and masters degree in 2016, both in geology, at CSUF. The last big quake to cause the land to abruptly drop occurred approximately 500 years ago, he pointed out. This image shows the Newport-Inglewood fault zone in Southern California and its relative location within the Seal Beach wetlands, as well as the geographic and development features of the region. These research findings have important implications in terms of seismic hazard and risk assessment in coastal Southern California and are relevant to municipal, industrial and military infrastructure in the region, added Leeper, a former USGS geologist whose work focused on natural hazards. He recently left the scientific agency to concentrate on his doctoral studies. This new study stems from National Science Foundation-funded research on past occurrences of tsunamis along Southern Californias coastal wetlands that Kirby and Rhodes began in 2012. As an undergraduate, Leeper joined their study, which turned up no evidence of previous tsunamis in Orange County or the region. Soil samples analyzed in Kirbys lab from mud cores collected from the Seal Beach wetlands, combined with the study of microscopic fossils to identify the past environment, pointed the researchers in a new direction. The analyses revealed buried wetland surface layers, signaling evidence of sinking in the area from past massive earthquakes. Since that epiphany in 2013, our research evolved and has involved many other collaborators, each providing a skill or expertise that helped to develop our conclusions, Kirby said. CSUFs Carlin, his students and Leeper are continuing to study the Seal Beach wetlands to further investigate potential seismic hazards, as well as the poorly understood Newport-Inglewood fault system. Were looking to identify other past earthquake events in the sediment record from other cores from the wetland, Carlin said. The goal is to get a better understanding of how often earthquakes may have occurred in the past, the hazards associated with this fault and the probability of the next earthquake. Media Contacts: Matthew E. Kirby, Geological Sciences, 657-278-2158 Robert J. Leeper, Geological Sciences, 562-686-1497 Joe Carlin, Geological Sciences, 657-278-3054 Debra Cano Ramos, 657-278-4027 Paula Selleck, 657-278-4856 23:40 US President Donald Trump today accused the Democratic party of making up allegations about his campaign's links with Russia and the Russian interference in the presidential poll, saying federal investigators should now instead probe the media leaks of classified information. "The Democrats made up and pushed the Russian story as an excuse for running a terrible campaign. Big advantage in Electoral College & lost!" Trump said in a tweet, trashing the Democratic party's allegations about Russian meddling in the November 8 polls that brought the real-estate tycoon to power. The Trump campaign's possible links with top Russian officials, which Trump has vehemently denied, was one of the main election issue and dominated the news cycle since his election and even after his inauguration on January 20. Trump campaign's alleged links with Russian President Vladimir Putin have been the subject of intense debate and even more of speculation since his election. Trump's taking aim at the Democrats came as FBI Director James Comey testified before the House Committee on Intelligence, where he said the federal agency was probing the allegations of Russian meddling in the presidential elections and the possible collusion between Trump campaign and Russia. In a series of tweets before Comey's hearing, Trump said the "real story" the Congress and the FBI should be looking into was leaking of classified information to the media. "The real story that Congress, the FBI and all others should be looking into is the leaking of classified information. Must find (the) leaker now!" he said. Trump also referred to statements by former spymaster James Clapper -- the Director of the National Intelligence -- that the Trump campaign had no collusion with the Russians. The Pakistani, aged around 50 years, was apprehended by BSF troopers on Sunday after he inadvertently crossed the International Boundary, a Border Security Force spokesman said. "The Pakistan Rangers were contacted today and the Pakistani national was handed over to them on humanitarian grounds," the spokesman added. This year, the BSF has handed over five Pakistani border crossers to the Pakistan Rangers. --IANS js/mr ( 97 Words) 2017-03-20-20:16:10 (IANS) In one of the biggest mergers in the telecom space, Vodafone India and Aditya Birla Group-promoted Idea Cellular on Monday announced their much-awaited amalgamation. Kumar Mangalam Birla, Chairman of the Aditya Birla Group, will also be the Chairman of the merged entity. Idea Cellular in a regulatory filing on Monday said its Board of Directors "has approved the scheme of amalgamation of Vodafone India Limited and its wholly owned subsidiary Vodafone Mobile Service Limited with the company (Idea)". The merger will create an entity with over Rs 80,000 crore revenue. Vodafone will own 45.1 per cent of the combined company, said Idea in a statement. "Vodafone will own 45.1 per cent of the combined company after transferring a stake of 4.9 per cent to the promoters of Idea and/or their affiliates for Rs 38.74 billion in cash concurrent with the completion of the amalgamation. The promoters of Idea will hold 26 per cent of the company and the balance will be held by the public," the statement said. "The Aditya Birla Group will then own 26 per cent and has the right to acquire more shares from Vodafone under an agreed mechanism with a view to equalising the shareholdings over time," it added. The merged entity will have around 406 million subscriber base, which is higher than Bharti Airtel's 269 million customer base now. The combined entity will have 35 per cent customer base and 41 per cent of revenue market share in India. "For Idea shareholders and lenders who have supported us thus far, this transaction is highly accretive, and Idea and Vodafone will together create a very valuable company given our complementary strength," said Kumar Mangalam Birla, Aditya Birla Group Chairman. "The combination of Vodafone India and Idea will create a new champion of Digital India founded with a long-term commitment and vision to bring world-class 4G networks to villages, towns and cities across India," said Vittorio Colao, Chief Executive, Vodafone Group Plc. "The combined company will have the scale required to ensue sustainable consumer choice in a competitive market and to expand new technologies -- such as mobile money services -- that have the potential to transform daily life of every Indian," he added. Both Idea Cellular and Vodafone India are present in all 22 telecom circles in India and have 4G connectivity in 17 circles. Reacting to the development, Rajan S. Mathews, Director General, Cellular Operators' Association of India, said these consolidations are positive steps for the industry. "This trend of mergers and consolidation, will, however, remain a positive development, benefiting customers, operators and the government in the long run on global lines," he said. "The need of the hour, however is, a predictable, stable, long term, regulatory and policy environment, to ensure the financial health of telecom service providers and a conducive environment for continued investments for a fully connected and digitally empowered India," Mathews said. In India earlier, there were 13 operators, as opposed to the present of four or five operators. "Consolidation is a much anticipated and very welcome development in this beleaguered telecom sector. It will help bring in operational efficiencies and improved quality of service to customers," said Arpita Pal Agrawal, Partner and Leader- Telecom, PwC India. She added, "The regulatory regime will have to ensure that benefits of effective competition continue to be availed by customers." --IANS ag/sm/vt ( 567 Words) 2017-03-20-14:48:09 (IANS) The Supreme Court on Monday sought data on unsold vehicles which are Bharat Stage-III (BS-III) emission norms-compliant as the Environment Pollution Control Authority (EPCA) sought to enforce a government notification prohibiting the sale of such vehicles from April 1. Asking the Society of Indian Automobile Manufactures (SIAM) to get the figures of unsold BS-III emission norm-compliant vehicles from the automobile manufacturing companies, the bench headed by Justice Dipak Misra said it would decide on their pleas to allow the sale of BS-III vehicles beyond March 31 after examining the figures. Senior counsel Harish Salve who is amicus curiae in the matter told the court that the 2015 notification clearly barred the sale of BS-III vehicles beyond March 31 and automakers were given enough time. The court sought data on the unsold BS-III vehicles after automobile manufacturers opposed the EPCA plea for the enforcement of curbs on the sale of BS-III vehicles from April 1 this year. The EPCA had cited 2015 notification of the Road Transport and Highways Ministry backing its plea. The ministry had in August 2015 said vehicles not conforming to BS-IV emission norms would be barred from being manufactured or sold after April 1. However, the Society of Indian Automobile Manufactures and the automobile manufacturers contended that they could not be barred from selling their BS-III norm-compliant vehicles as they were permitted to manufacture them till March 31. The manufacturers contended that the 2015 notification only said that they would start manufacturing BS-IV emission norm-compliant vehicles from April and they were permitted to manufacture BS-III vehicles till March 31. The court fixed the next hearing for March 24. --IANS pk/lok/dg ( 284 Words) 2017-03-20-20:22:10 (IANS) Launched in India by KOS Corporation, Spawake is celebrating its second anniversary in the Indian market. "I'm delighted to be associated with global skincare and cosmetics company KOS, and to be the new face of Spawake in the country," Neha, who featured in "Youngistaan" and "Tum Bin 2", said in a statement. "Using natural ingredients from the sea, these products are perfect for urban women with a busy schedule and I'm very much thrilled on this exciting collaboration," she added. Currently, Spawake's portfolio includes 16 product variants. After its presence in the Indian market, the brand has forayed into Nepal. Commenting on the firm's strategy for India, Takashi Nomura, Director and CEO, KOSE Corporation India Pvt Ltd, said: "Spawake is a brand infused with technology from Japan, and has been extensively researched and developed for Indian women based on their preferences and consumer survey." --IANS nv/rb/vt ( 175 Words) 2017-03-20-13:40:07 (IANS) Jacqueline Fernandez is gearing up to play the perfect host to Grammy winning artist Justin Bieber, who will be in Mumbai on May 10 for his acclaimed 'Purpose Tour.' The sultry actress turned entrepreneur, who recently made it to the headlines for her restaurant venture, intends to take Bieber to the Gateway Of India, Iskon Temple, Colaba Causeway and maybe also on auto ride through the buzzing streets of Bandra apart from a tour of Film City. Jacqueline plans to curate a full blown meal comprising Maharashtrian, South Indian and Gujarati gourmet and have Bieber splurge at her spanking new restauraunt. What's more she has also planned a day out with underprivileged children at Dharavi Slums On this note, she shared, "I am a huge fan of Bieber and I already have quite a few things I've thought of that would make his visit multi-dimensional. While he's in India I'd love to take him around and give him a taste of all things desi and be his tour guide!" Arjun Jain, Director, White Fox India said, "We are working towards finalizing the itinerary and we hope to give Bieber a multi-dimensional perspective about India and make it a memorable event indeed." White Fox India will be bringing the 23-year-old Canadian megastar's 'Purpose World Tour' to India's DY Patil Stadium, Mumbai on May 10, 2017. Bieber's latest jaunt is in support of his fourth album, the critically acclaimed Purpose, wherein he experimented with more exploratory electronic sounds. Apart from India, the Asia leg of the tour comprises Tel Aviv in Israel and Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. Touring in support of his fourth studio album Purpose - which debuted at #1 in over 100 countries and has sold over 8 million copies worldwide, Bieber is without a doubt one of the most successful pop stars in the world today with a recent world tour imbibing sold out dates across countries. (ANI) With the Jat protestors postponing their 'Delhi Gherao', the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) on Monday expressed hope for some solution over the community's reservation issue. "It's a big relief because the entire Delhi was under stress. The Police Commissioner and administration were also preparing to counter it by ensuring that there is no law and order problem, no traffic jam and no inconvenience to the people. It is good that with the Chief Minister they had negotiation and they have deferred the agitation for the time being which certainly is a very good move," NCP leader Majeed Memon told ANI. Asserting that he would always appreciate and encourage the issues to be sorted out by sitting across the table, Memon said that both sides have to be flexible and there should be no rigidity. "Within the framework of law and under the Constitution, the demands are to be received by the authorities and must be considered sympathetically. I hope that some solution would be found out in days to come," he added. Echoing similar views, another NCP leader Nawab Malik pinned hope that the Jat reservation matter is solved before the proposed agitation. "The previous UPA government had provided reservation to the Jat community but for certain reasons it could not get along in courts. The Jat community considers itself to be backward. The government has 15 days time to solve the matter," he added. The Jat protesters yesterday postponed the 'Delhi Kooch' following discussing the matter with the Haryana Government. "Suspended Delhi Kooch after agreement with the Haryana Government on all issues," Jat leader Yashpal Malik told the media. With an intention of pacifying the protesters, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar said the Jat reservation process at the Centre will begin after appointment of chairman and members of National Commission for Backward Classes. The Chief Minister also appealed to the people to cooperate in order to maintain peace and harmony. Hoping to build a consensus between the Jat community and the government, All-India Jat Arakshan Sangharsh Samiti (AIJASS) leader Yashpal Malik yesterday said they had seven issues which could only be resolved through a dialogue, while confirming that the Jat community would meet the Haryana Chief Minister. The development came hours after Khattar urged the protestors to meet him and other ministers ahead of the agitation. Khattar said the government was serious about the issues of the Jat community and assured them of resolving the issue soon. (ANI) Nagaland Governor P B Acharya has called upon every religion, irrespective of their belief, to unite and make India great and stressed on the need to have a diverse and secular nation. Addressing at an event organised by the Mech Kachari Hindus of Dimapur at the Shri Shri Lakshmi Mandi at Naharbari in Dimapur yesterday, Mr Acharya said, "Communism demises the existence of God and contradicting to this concept India respects diversity with secularism as uniqueness of India along with freedom to exercise religious practices and views." In India, he said no one had the right to stop a community from practicing their belief and no community holds their respective religion superior over the other. He said there were people who do not believe in the existence of God, known as 'nastik' (atheist) and in some countries that follow only one 'Granth' (place where all the people follow one religion) such as in Saudi Arabia. "But there is one specialty of India, we respect diversity even with multiple languages, diverse race and culture co-existing in unity as one nation," he added. Emphasising on parity, Mr Acharya said everyone was all equal and entitled with equal opportunity with "one vote rights". Giving India's high population of youth as compared to other developed countries, Mr Acharya said the Central Government's primary focus was to empower the next generation with skills. He said a state like Nagaland, with around 20 Lakh population having over three Lakh graduates, could progress if the state focused on skills. Further, the Governor said "to protect our identity, it is important to preserve our language and culture." Therefore, Mr Acharya called upon every community "to expose their children to their respective first language medium school till fifth standard so that the children remain rooted with their culture." For this, he said his doors were always open to all the communities and at the same time assured to provide "all possible assistance and protection in their times of vulnerability," it said. UNI AS AD0941 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0108-1195384.Xml Art and philosophy entrepreneur Atul Todi is all set to unveil his 'Finding Buddha' themed art exhibition be held at the Convention Foyer, Indian Habitat Center from March 20th to 24th. Passionate about his work, Todi explains the idea behind Finding Buddha Theme by adding that the theme depicts the 'Awakened One', someone who has woken up from the sleep of ignorance. He further says that the awakening happens with the recognition of one's source of happiness, and this is what is intended to be reflected in the creations. "For generations, Buddha paintings have shown him as a symbol of meditation. They do not imbibe the true message of 'Buddha' or connect with today's generation," adds founder of 10Times app, Todi. Adding to this he says that it has no fixed time, geographical boundaries or defined monetary value. Buddha can be a moment in the rain or a sip of a freshly brewed coffee. Buddha is in anything that awakens our mind and allows us to be in-tune with our inner self. (ANI) Samajwadi Party leader Naresh Agarwal said that strict actions should be taken against those who try to challenge law and order. "We would request the Uttar Pradesh government that no compromise should be done in terms of law and order," Samajwadi Party leader Naresh Agarwal told ANI. "Earlier when such incidents used to take place during the Samajwadi party regime, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) used to dub our administration as 'Gundaraj'. Now their government has come in power and we can see the results," Agarwal asserted. BSP leader Mohd. Shami was shot dead by bike borne assailants on Sunday night in Allahabad. According to reports, the accused shot Shami near his house. Shami was a history sheeter. In the recently concluded Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, Shami had contested against six times winner from the Kunda constituency Raghuraj Pratap Singh alias Raja Bhaiya. Police is investigating the matter. (ANI) Two Indian nationals, including, an 80-year-old Muslim cleric, who had gone missing in Pakistan, today returned home. Indian nationals Syed Asif Ali Nizami and Sajjada Nashin of Dargah Hazrat Nizamuddin here, and his nephew Nazim Ali Nizami had gone to Pakistan on March 8, but were missing after they landed at Karachi airportin that country. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj had taken up the matter with Government of Pakistan at the highest level. Pakistani media said that the two Indians had gone to interior Sindh to meet their followers. They could not establish any communication with their relatives in New Delhi as there was no phone network in that part of the Pakistani province.UNI NAZ RSA SNU 1250 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0091-1195540.Xml Expressing dissatisfaction over the administrative functioning of Left Front government in Tripura, Union Agriculture minister Radha Mohan Singh said here today that there will be no more funding unless the state send the Utilisation Certificates (UCs). Talking to UNI, Mr Singh here today said the Tripura government has not been able to spend the money released under various schemes for the betterment of common people, which substantially reduced the flow of fund to the state. "During the second UPA rule Tripura had received a fund of Rs 7,646 crore in agricultural sector but after the Modi led government came in power in 2014, the state was given Rs 23,655 crore so far," he claimed, adding that the fund was three times more than the earlier and it was expected the development would be equal but it was not. Mr Singh said the Central government did not receive any Utilization Certificates for 2014-15 financial years and if UCs are not received, the Centre will not release any further funds in agricultural sector for Tripura. Tripura is the smallest state after Sikkim in North East and 73 per cent people lives in villages and 60 per cent of them lives in hilly areas and among them 24 per cent are involved in farming. But only 42 per cent farming land was under irrigation, which is shameful for the Leftist government that ruling the state uninterruptedly for past 25 years, he mentioned. He further said the central government released Rs 357 lakh in 2015-16 and Rs 332 lakh in 2016-17 financial years under Krishi Vikas Yojana, but the Centre did not receive UCs of Rs 194 lakh till now. Justifying non-furnishing of UCs Tripura Finance minster B L Saha argued the fund given to the state at the end of the financial year and in some cases only sanction letters were issued but no fund released, which caused delay in submitting UCs. "The Central government is always looking for an excuse as fit to their suit. Tripura is one of the few states in the country which performed better and it was recognised by the Central government officials only. Each and every expenditure in Tripura is booked properly," Mr Saha added.UNI BB AD1234 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0108-1195537.Xml The bench, headed by Chief Justice Jagdish Singh Khehar, refused to give more time to Gopal Ansal to surrender. It had earlier asked him to undergo the rest of the jail term. Owing to age-related complications, Gopal's elder brother Sushil Ansal had got a relief from incarceration with a prison term already undergone by him. However, Gopal, who had sought parity of his jail sentence like his brother, was refused. Senior criminal lawyer Ram Jethmalani, appearing for Gopal Ansal, pleaded for an extension of his client's surrender. Fifty-nine people, trapped in the balcony of the theatre in South Delhi, had died of asphyxia following the fire and more than 100 were injured in the subsequent stampede on June 13, 1997 during the screening of Bollywood film "Border". Neelam and Sekhar Krishnamurthy, who lost their only daughter Unnati and son Ujwal in the tragedy, had fought the case from the very beginning for the victims. Krishnamurthy had sought more stringent punishment so that such incidents do not happen in the country again in future. UNI XC SV ADG 1406 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0103-1195636.Xml Saudi King Salman's lavish tour of Asia, arriving in each country on a golden escalator with 400 tonnes of luggage, had a hardnosed marketing mission - to cement the kingdom's place as leading oil supplier to the world's biggest consumer region.The string of deals inked on his three-week tour to Malaysia, Indonesia, Japan and China also point to a fresh strategy, one to increase Saudi leverage over refined product and petrochemical markets, known as the downstream sector."Our strategy is about growth in the downstream," said Amin Nasser, chief executive officer of state oil company Aramco, told Reuters on Sunday. "The growth in that sector is very important, and anything integrated between refining, petrochemical, with marketing and distribution, is of interest to us."Saudi Arabia's main influence on oil markets has been via the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), of which it is the de-facto leader.But OPEC's ability to control prices by turning the oil pumping spigots on and off has waned as non-OPEC producers like Russia and, more recently, U.S. shale drillers, have ramped up output and eroded its grip on market share.One indication of a shift in Saudi strategy came on the first leg of the tour in Kuala Lumpur. Aramco signed a deal to take a $7 billion investment, in a joint venture with Malaysia's state oil company Petronas in a refinery and petrochemical project known as RAPID (Refinery and Petrochemical Integrated Development).'THE WINDOW'Under construction in Malaysia's southern Johor state, RAPID is just across a narrow strait from Singapore, Asia's oil trading hub. Some 70 percent of the oil for the project, set to start in 2019, will come from Saudi Arabia, giving the kingdom a key outlet for its crude in Asia, the world's fastest growing market. It is Armaco's largest refinery project outside the kingdom.Aramco also recently made a deal with Indonesia's Pertamina over a $5 billion expansion of the country's largest oil refinery, for which Armaco will supply the crude."The investments are intended to enhance Aramco's competitive position in Southeast Asia," said Ihsan Buhulaiga, a Saudi economist.The Malaysian investment also allows the Saudis to join the hub of refineries in and around Singapore that help determine fuel prices in the region.Price agency S&P Global Platts assesses dozens of fuel products during a set time every day, based on deliveries in and out of this region. Platts calls it Market-on-Close, but traders dub it "the window", and it influences pricing of oil products worth billions of dollars each day.While crude and fuel products by many companies flow in and out of the pricing region, known as FOB Straits. But the only refineries now in this price region are operated by U.S. Exxon , Anglo-Dutch Royal Dutch Shell, and Singapore Petroleum Corp (SPC), owned by PetroChina."When you control refining capacity with the capability to deliver petroleum products into the window, you have access to a physical outlet which also plays a key role in daily price discovery," said John Driscoll, director of consultancy JTD Energy in Singapore.ARAMCO IPOThe Saudi move deeper into refineries and petrochemical plants would likely help the potential valuation of Aramco in what could be the world's largest-ever initial public offering.Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who oversees the kingdom's economic policy, has said the sale is expected to value Aramco at $2 trillion or more. Analysts have estimated a valuation between $1 trillion and $1.5 trillion.Singapore, along with Hong Kong and Tokyo have been mentioned as possible exchanges where Aramco's shares would be traded. The primary listing will be on Saudi Arabia's domestic exchange, and Riyadh is also looking at New York or London for the secondary listing.Aramco's joint ventures in Malaysia, Indonesia and elsewhere are not only aimed at increasing its refining capacity. Its new deals in the region would also greatly increase its participation in the petrochemical sector, which involves all forms of plastics and where profits have soared thanks to strong demand."We have capacity of about 5.4 million barrels per day of participated refining capacity, and our target is to reach 10 million barrels by 2030," Aramco's Nasser said.Ultimately, the big prize is China, where the Saudis signed deals that could be worth as much as $65 billion during the last leg of the king's Asian tour, covering energy, manufacturing and even a theme park in the kingdom.The deals included a memorandum of understanding between Aramco and China North Industries Group Corp (Norinco) to look into building refining and petrochemical plants in China.John Sfakianakis, director of the Riyadh-based Gulf Research Centre, said that the trip was "the beginning of a long-term strategy of Saudi Arabia to open itself to Asian investors and vice versa" as part of its Vision 2030 policy to diversify its economy beyond crude exports.REUTERS JW RAI1358 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0364-1195608.Xml In a crackdown on those involved in smuggling of psychotropic substances, sleuths of Sashastra Seem Bal(SSB) seized drugs worth Rs 4 lakhs and arrested two smugglers in this connection from Jogbani near Indo-Bhutan border in Araria district in wee hours today. Official sources said here that sleuths of 56th battalion of SSB conducted raids at a hide-out on Khajurwani road near Jogbani, leading to seizure of psychotropic drugs worth Rs 4 lakhs. Two smugglers were also arrested during the operation. "Seized psychotropic drugs included 8496 tablets of Spasmo proxivon, 1000 tablets of Nitrosun, 495 bottles of Parvo Cof, 350 bottles of Corex Syrup, 320 pieces of Avil Injection, 100 pieces ofDiazelab Injection, 150 pieces of Lupigesic Injection and other drugs", sources said adding that those arrested were identified as Anil Sah and Amit Kumar. Arrested smugglers were being interrogated to ascertain the network operating behind smuggling of psychotropic drugs and substances.UNI KKS BM -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0214-1195848.Xml External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Monday met the two Sufi clerics, Syed Asif Nizami and Nazim Ali Nizami who had gone missing in Pakistan. Meanwhile, one of the Sufi clerics, said that they went Pakistan to spread the message of peace and love and will again visit there. "We went there spread the message of Nizammuddin Dargah of peace and love. There are people who disagree with this message of peace and love. They said they had gone to the interior province of Sindh. We did not. We don't have the visa for that place. We are thankful to the Indian government because of whom we are here. Negative people in Pakistan don't want us to go there again but we will go there again to spread the message if peace," Nazim Nizami told media here. Earlier in the day, hinting towards Pakistan's conspiracy to convict innocent Indians, Nizami said that one of the papers in the neighbouring country had printed false news of them being RAW agents. The cleric told the reporters that a newspaper 'Ummat' in Pakistan printed false statements of them being "RAW spies". "There is a newspaper Ummat (in Pakistan) which has printed false statements (of the two clerics being RAW spies) and photos," Nizami told the media here. The cleric thanked the Indian Government, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Swaraj, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh for their efforts. The two clerics, who belong to Delhi's Hazrat Nizamuddin Dargah, marked a safe arrival in India earlier today. The two clerics surfaced in Karachi and told that they had gone to meet their devotees in interior Sindh, where there was no phone connectivity. The duo had travelled to Pakistan to visit their relatives in Karachi and then embarked on a pilgrimage to Lahore. One of them went missing in Karachi and the other in Lahore, reports claimed. The Indian authorities had raised the issue with the Pakistan Foreign Ministry seeking its help in tracing their missing citizens. (ANI) In what may spark a fresh controversy, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Subramanian Swamy on Monday said the two Indian clerics, who had gone missing in Pakistan, were working against the nation. "They are lying in order to defend themselves and get sympathy. They are saying that they were portrayed as Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) agent. We can't trust them. We have independent information that they are working against the nation," Swamy told ANI. Earlier in the day, hinting towards Pakistan's conspiracy to convict innocent Indians, one of the Sufi clerics, said that one of the papers in the neighbouring country had printed false news of them being RAW agents. Nazim Nizami, one of the two clerics, told the reporters that a newspaper 'Ummat' in Pakistan printed false statements of them being "RAW spies". "There is a newspaper Ummat (in Pakistan) which has printed false statements (of the two clerics being RAW spies) and photos," Nizami told the media here. The cleric thanked the Indian Government, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh for their efforts. The two clerics, Syed Asif Ali Nizami and his friend Nazim Nizami, marked a safe arrival in India earlier today. The two clerics surfaced in Karachi and told that they had gone to meet their devotees in interior Sindh, where there was no phone connectivity. The clerics belong to Delhi's Hazrat Nizamuddin Dargah. Syed Asif Ali Nizami is the head priest of the Dargah. The duo had travelled to Pakistan to visit their relatives in Karachi and then embarked on a pilgrimage to Lahore. One of them went missing in Karachi and the other in Lahore, reports claimed. The Indian authorities had raised the issue with the Pakistan Foreign Ministry seeking its help in tracing their missing citizens.(ANI) The issue of alleged connivance of a Sub-divisional police officer (SDPO)with criminals rocked the pre-lunch session of the Bihar assembly as opposition BJP members created disorderly scenes demanding acting against the police officer. It all began when in-charge of home affairs Bijendra Yadav, in course of reply to a starred question, rejected opposition demand for disciplinary against SDPO of Pakri Dayal in East Champaran district. Irked over the minister's assertion, BJP members started raising slogans denigrating the state government from their respective seats. BJP's Rana Randhir said criminals gunned down three people including vice-president of town panchayat on January 16 and the SDPO instead of arresting the killers was hand in gloves with them. All hell broke when BJP members trooped into the well of the house and started raising slogans. Leader of the opposition Dr Prem Kumar said the SDPO Vijay Kumar was a tainted officer and was transferred at the behest of Election Commission during the assembly polls.Yet the government was trying to shield him, Dr Kumar said amid slogans like"Jo sarkar nikammi hai,who sarkar badani hai" renting the air. More UNI IS RD -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0214-1196026.Xml Dhoni, who was busy playing the Vijay Hazare Trophy for Jharkhand, had returned to his hometwon yesterday from Delhi after his side loss to West Bengal in the Semi Finals. The 35-year-old, who watched the match from the president's enclosure, drew loudest cheer from the crowd as his pictures were beamed on the huge screens. The crowd went into a frenzy and erupted chanting 'Dhoni, Dhoni'. Mahi, as he is fondly known, was clad in a white t-shirt and jeans also waved to his fans when the cameras were panned upon him. Notably, the third Test of the four-match rubber here, which ended in a draw, was the maiden Test at the venue and also the 800th Test for Australia.UNI AK KU SDR GC1702 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0348-1196001.Xml Jet Airways and Jetstar Asia, Singapore-based low-fares carrier, today announced a codeshare agreement for flights from Singapore.Under this agreement, Jet Airways will place its marketing code '9W' on Jetstar Asia flights operating from Singapore to 11 destinations across in the Asia Pacific region, Bangkok and Phuket in Thailand, Perth and Darwin in Australia, Jakarta, Denpasar Bali and Surabaya in Indonesia, Ho-Chi-Minh City in Vietnam, Kuala Lumpur and Penang in Malaysia and Hong Kong.With this codeshare, Jet Airways will extend its codeshare foot-print to three brand new destinations that include Darwin, Phuket and Penang.The codeshare will allow Jet Airways to offer seamless travel options to its guests from its ever-expanding and convenient bouquet of business and leisure destinations.Jayaraj Shanmugam, Chief Commercial Officer, Jet Airways, said, "Jetstar Asia flies to some of the most popular leisure and business destinations across the Asia Pacific. With this codeshare agreement, our guests will now be able to conveniently tap into this extensive network to explore new and exotic destinations across Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Hong Kong and Australia via Singapore. Jet Airways' guests from India travelling from Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai or Bengaluru to Singapore can seamlessly connect onto Jetstar Asia's network to travel beyond Singapore. This once again reinforces our core network strategy of connectivity, choice, convenience and comfort."Francis Loi, Head of Commercial, Jetstar Asia said, "The Jetstar Asia codeshare partnership builds on the expanding base of leading full-service carriers choosing to partner with us. As the first low-fare codeshare partner for Jet Airways, this partnership is testament of the confidence full-service carriers have in our product and customer service on board our flights." UNI ASH RSASNU 1654 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0388-1195968.Xml China's economy may be 35 times larger than Israel's, but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is hoping to use that to advantage during a three-day visit to Beijing as he looks to reorient Israel's economy towards Asia over Europe and the United States.A week after U.S. chip giant Intel agreed to buy Israeli technology firm Mobileye for $15.3 billion, Netanyahu wants to enlarge Israel's high-tech presence in China while encouraging further Chinese investment in Israel, where infrastructure and construction projects are growing apace.More than 100 technology executives have joined Netanyahu on the visit, with meetings planned with Chinese business leaders.Bilateral trade has been hovering at around $8 billion for the last few years, but over the past decade, Israel's exports to China have tripled to $3.3 billion in 2016, with technology - from cybersecurity to agri-tech - leading the way.Half the investments in Israeli funds in 2015 involved at least one Chinese investor, and 40 percent of funds raised by Israeli venture capital firms came from Chinese backers, according to the Economy Ministry."Israel is pivoting towards Asia in a very clear and purposeful way," Netanyahu said last month in Singapore, which he visited along with Australia. Indian President Narenda Modi will visit Israel in the summer, underpinning the Asia trend.While the European Union remains Israel's largest trading partner, Asia is steadily closing the gap and politically it tends to put far fewer demands on Israel than the EU does.Matan Vilnai, Israel's former ambassador to Beijing, said China's interests in Israel were almost purely economic. The Chinese leadership seeks to learn from Israel's culture of high-tech innovation and doesn't push beyond that. "It's very simple: technology, technology, technology," he told Reuters.Chinese firms are driving major infrastructure projects in Israel, including Tel Aviv's metro system and new Mediterranean ports in Haifa and Ashdod. A deal for 6,000 Chinese construction workers to come to Israel was signed earlier this year, with the possibility of extending it to 20,000.Ilan Maor, Israel's former consul-general in Shanghai and the managing partner of Sheng BDO, a business advisory firm, said he thinks China's leadership is keen to limit discussions with the Israeli delegation to economics, even if Beijing has become more outspoken on Middle East issues."The place (Netanyahu) can make a significant contribution is opening the door to more trade, moving forward to free trade, and making a clear message that we want Chinese investment," he said. The countries are negotiating a free-trade agreement, although it remains unclear how far advanced talks are.From Netanyahu's point of view, while China and Israel may be vastly different in terms of population, physical size and resources, there is a strong fit: while Israel innovates, China concentrates on mass marketing and commercialisation."Given the basic infrastructure of initial and secondary development - airports, sewage lines, water - once you've done that, the way to go up and up and up is to constantly improve your products and services and utilities with technology," Netanyahu told Chinese business leaders in Bejing."We are your perfect junior partner for that effort."REUTERS SDR BL1851 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0431-1196232.Xml Shiv Sena Member Shrirang Appa Barne in the Lok Sabha today suggested that EVMs should have voting printer machine in order to bring greater transparency in the voting process. Raising the issue during Zero Hour, the Shiv Sena Member said through this feature voters will see the print and will know that their vote has been cast.BJP Member Mahesh Giri while raising a separate issue during the Zero Hour urged the Government to place a system at Railway Stations on the lines of airport and metro for reducing overcrowding at the stations. The BJP Member said a large number of people who go at the railway stations alongwith the passengers causes overcrowding at the stations. He said in metro and airports only those who have tickets are allowed to enter and same should be adopted at the railway stations. ''Such type of system if placed in Railways will reduce overcrowding at the stations,'' the BJP Member added.UNI NY AE 1905 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0099-1196315.Xml On receiving a tip-off regarding drug peddling, a trap was laid near the red light at Ring Road opposite Chandgi Ram Akhara leading towards Majnu Ka Tila and one person identified as Sagar was apprehended along with his vehicle, a police official said. He said, "during search of the accused, 700 grams of heroin worth Rs 70 lakh was recovered from his possession. A case under Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act was registered." Further investigation of the case is in progress, the police official said.UNI DS SHK 1955 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0177-1196431.Xml The scope of work includes supply and erection of all equipment and materials related to the contract for RE infrastructure development for connecting unconnected house-holds, agricultural feeder segregation, system strengthening and metering works, a company statement said here today. These Projects are covered under DDUGJY of Rural Electrification Corporation and are funded by it under the Government of India Central Plan. The completion schedule of the works is 24 months. IL&FS Engineering Services recently won RE works worth Rs. 515.47 Crore. The Company is currently executing RE works worth more than Rs. 1290 Crore that involves works electrifying around 9000 villages, the statement added.UNI VV CS 1955 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0275-1196371.Xml The Congress party has strongly condemned AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi for blaming secular parties, including Congress, for the victory of Bharatiya Janata Party in Uttar Pradesh Assembly election. "Having sabotaged the secular votes by creating a division through polarisation, Mr Asaduddin Owaisi is trying to defend his stand by blaming others. AIMIM President entered Uttar Pradesh by wearing a communal mascot which was laced with hate speeches delivered by him and his brother in the past. He was fully supported by the BJP-backed media which gave his party more prominence than the Congress, Samajwadi Party or other secular groups. The number of seats from where AIMIM fielded its candidates was immaterial for the BJP and it only took advantage of its presence in the electoral battle and won the election due to polarisation of votes and also due to division of secular votes," Greater Hyderabad Congress Committee (GHCC) Minorities Department Chairman Shaik Abdullah Sohail said in a statement here today. Reacting to Asaduddin Owaisi's question on BJP's victory in Uttarakhand and other places where his party did not field any candidates, Mr Sohail said the AIMIM President himself should give an answer to this question. "If AIMIM's approach was secular and it had the support of Dalits and others sections of the society, then why it remained confined only to Uttar Pradesh? Why it did not field any candidates from Uttarakhand where Muslims constitute about 14 per cent of the total population? Why Asaduddin Owaisi was focused only on 33 out of 403 Assembly seats in UP which had a significant Muslim population?" he asked. He said "MIM severed ties with the Congress on filmsy grounds just before elections and later became an ally of TRS after 2014 elections in Telangana. It is bound to break to its ties with TRS sooner or later and it will join hands with any party which comes to power in 2019 general election," he said. Abdullah Sohail asked Asaduddin Owaisi to do a serious introspection of how his behaviour has been causing immense damage to the Muslims across the country. He said Owaisi should not sabotage the interest of entire community for short-term gains. He appealed to Muslims in Karnataka and Gujarat to stay cautious against the AIMIM's entry into their States in view of Assembly elections next year.UNI VV CS 1959 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0275-1196374.Xml Enforcement Directorate today attached assets worth Rs 18.37 crore of the Islamic Research Foundation (IRF) run by Dr Zakir Naik which was banned by the Ministry of Home Affairs last year. The ED attached the assets of the IRF under Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). In the same matter early today, the NIA issued another notice to Zakir Naik to be present at the NIA headquarters on March 30. This is the second notice to Zakir Naik to be present before NIA headquarters. Early this month, the Agency had issued a similar notice to Naik but he reportedly failed to appear for investigation. UNI MKS SHK 1920 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0298-1196358.Xml Telangana NRI Minister K T Rama Rao has urged External Affairs Minister Ms Sushma Swaraj to take necessary action for release of 29 workers from Telangana who were in the captivity for the last 12 days in Saudi Arabia. In a letter addressed to Ms Swaraj, a copy of which was released to media here today, Mr Rama Rao said that, 29 migrant workers from Telangana State working in Saudi Arabia were held in captivity for the last 12 days without any food or basic amenities. The Minister said Mr Boragalla Shekhar Rio of Kamareddy has contacted to inform that he along with 28 others working for Al Hajry Overseas Company at Al-Hassa, requested for leave to visit home town. In response, the said company, not only demanded USD 50,000 each to relieve them but refused to provide the expenses for travel. For redressel of their grievance, the individuals approached 'Labour Court and subsequently 'Amir Court' for Justice. The Amir Court issued directions to the employer company to bear all expenses and send the employees to their native places within 3 days. However, in the meantime the said company has taken all the 29 employees into their custody and was holding them captive in a room at Allsafaniya Kouqt, Bodar, city Kanji, Saudi Arabia, denying them food, water, medicines and other basic amenities for the last 12 days. " In view of the above, as there is need for immediate intervention of the Government of India, I request the Minister Madam to kindly address the said issue, with the host country Saudi Arabia, to ensure that all the 29 employees are safely released by the employer company and repatriated to India, at the earliest. Having full faith in the alacrity of your response, for which your authority is known. I reiterate my request, for immediate intervention, on humanitarian grounds to save the lives of 29 migrants from the state of Telangana", the Minister said in his letter.UNI VV CS 2012 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0275-1196416.Xml The Meghalaya Assembly today summoned and reprimanded a government officer Zenithsky J Sangma at the bar of the House after having found guilty of the charge of committing breach of privilege of Independent legislator, John Leslee K Sangma.This will be the second time that the State assembly has summoned and reprimanded a person to appear before the members of the House for breach of privilege.Prof Kapila Chatterjee, an editor of Young-India, an English Weekly, appeared before the Bar of the House on April 4, 1973 for publishing a libelous news-item under the caption "The bark of ignorant mischievous politicians," and an equally defamatory editorial with the heading "Privileges of Legislators and Assemblies". Mr Zenithsky, the Chief Executive Officer of Tura Municipal Board was summoned and reprimanded after a report of the Assembly's privileges committee presented by its chairman and Independent MLA, Saleng A Sangma, found that the officer, was guilty of the charge of committing breach of privilege of the member, John Leslee K Sangma and the House. Soon after the House adopted the privileges committee report, Speaker, Abu Taher Mondal announced that a warrant shall be issued with a direction to the concern departments to serve a warrant and bring the officer (Zenithsky) to the House on March 23."I have carefully perused the report of the privileges committee presented in the House March 16. I have found that the committee after strenuous exercise and deliberation, has come to an irresistible conclusion that Zenithsky is guilty of the charge of committing breach of privilege of the member (John Leslee) and the House," Mr Mondal said.The Speaker said the officer shall be summoned and reprimanded at the bar of the House under under rule 171 and rule 172 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business of the Meghalaya Legislative Assembly.In its report, the Committee recommended that Mr Zenithsky should be summoned and reprimanded, besides tendering his apology in the House failing which, strong disciplinary action should be taken including termination of service.The privileges committee had had nine sittings where members of the committee deliberated on the three complaints submitted by the opposition legislator, Mr John Leslee against Mr Zenithsky's action for breach of privilege of the elected representative.The committee found that the officer had filed FIRs against the Independent legislator accusing him of instigating vegetable vendors of Tura Ringrey Market, and the officer has also addressed the MLA by using the word as "one person.""The filing of concocted FIRs against the MLA (John) and summoning him to appear before police station Tura without proper justification is a serious breach of privilege of the member," the report stated.Moreover, the report said the committee was neither satisfied nor convinced with the clarifications submitted by Mr Zenithsky."The punishment to be meted out to him (Zenithsky) should also serve as a deterrent to other erring officials while discharging their duties," the privileges committee recommended. UNI RRK RN 2059 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0311-1196591.Xml Hardik Patel, the face of Patel quota stir in Gujarat, along with 59 others, was booked in a case of rioting at a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) councilor's house in the wee hours today.According to police, Hardik and 59 others from Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) had gathered at House of Paresh Patel, Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation councillor from Vastral at around 0200 hrs. They had gathered there to protest against arrest of one of their associates Krunal Patel, against whom Paresh Patel had filed a complaint of posting an objectionable message on social media. Hardik and his associates allegedly set BJP flag on fire and the councilor in his FIR claimed that he was issued a death threat too. The police is learnt to have arrested 11 persons in the case and is said to be on the look out for Hardik and his other associates.Meanwhile, Krunal Patel, on being released on bail alleged that he was beaten up by the police. PAAS, on the other hand, in a statement said that the gherao of councilor's house was just a "trailer" and if need be they would even gherao chief minister's house.UNI ND CJ SHK 2053 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0400-1196541.Xml "There was an attempt on the life of a church priest of Indian origin Father Tomy Mathew in Australia by a citizen of Italian origin," she tweeted. In a series of tweet she further said the Indian Consulate officials met Father Mathew in the hospital and are in touch with the police authorities. "Our Consulate is in touch with the Police authorities and will keep us informed of the progress of the case," she tweeted. Swaraj further informed that the police have arrested the attacker and charged him with attempt to murder. In an apparent hate crime, Father Mathew was attacked while leading the Sunday mass in a Melbourne church, according to media reports. The man has been charged for stabbing Mathew in the neck, moments before the priest was due to give the 11 a.m. Italian-language mass on Sunday. He has been charged with intentionally and recklessly causing injury and bailed to appear in the Broadmeadows Magistrates' Court on June 13. The attack was described as "appalling" by the Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne.(ANI) The Indian Institute of Packaging (IIP), an autonomous body under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India will organize a two-day National Conference on "Inno Vision in Packaging" at Hotel Kakatiya here from March 23. Talking to newsmen here today, IIP Director, Prof NC Saha, Joint Director AVPS Chakravarthy, IIP Sub-Committee Chairman Sanjiv Jaggi said that more than 300 delegates including USA, UK, Germany, Switzerland were participating in the meet. Telangana Principal Secretary, IT Jayesh Rajan would inaugurate the conference. They said that the two-day conference would discuss among other, Patient Centric Packaging in the Pharmaceutical Industry, Innovation in Glass Container, Safe drinking water through use of PET Bottle, a revolution in packaging "Wow' moment, Packaging Waster Management. "There will be a group discussion on day two, on "Role of packaging in Make in India" Chakravarthi said. Adding further, he said IIP was planning to expand. Three centers each one at Bangalore, Guwahati and Kakinada in Andhra Pradesh will be fully functional in next one to two years. Mr Chakravarthi said "Edible packaging is becoming reality. Though it is not yet commercialized and in the research phase, it may become reality in next four to five years and may even go commercial. This may revolutionize the packaging as at first thought of the concept, edible packaging might incite interesting reactions like "Eating the container that their food comes in ", he said. Speaking about online packaging solutions, Jaggi said, alternative materials for Bubble wrap were being considered now. Today mobile phone to giant TV, everything was ordered online and customers expect that their product reaches them scratch proof. So many eCommerce companies have realised that packaging was the key to reduce high returns and consumer grievances. Now Air Cushion plastic bags, stripes and many such new materials were being considered, he informed. " Holistic packaging is becoming increasingly important. Product and packaging integration has been at the forefront of many conceptual conversations in the industry for a few years now", Prof Saha said. He said that the Indian packaging industry constitutes about 4 percent of the global packaging industry. The per capita packaging consumption in India was quite low at 8.7 kgs, compared to countries like Germany and Taiwan where it was 42 kgs and 19 kgs respectively. However, organised retail and boom in e-commerce, which offer huge potential for future growth of retailing, is giving a boost to the packaging sector, Prof Saha said. Further, he said that the Indian packaging market was expecting to reach USD 32 billion by 2020 The objective of the National Conference was to update the worldwide innovations in packaging to discuss and to disseminate among the others to upgrade packaging standards in packaging materials, technologies, techniques and packaging machines, he added.UNI VV CJ SHK 2103 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0400-1196592.Xml Two Indian nationals, including, an 80-year-old Syed Asif Ali Nizami, Sajjada Nashin of Dargah Hazrat Nizamuddin here, and his nephew Azim Ali Nizami, who had gone missing after landing at Karachi airport, today revealed that they had been picked by Pakistani security agencies. On return home from Karachi today they met External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj to thank her for her efforts to ensure their safe return. Later, talking to media, they dismissed Pakistani media report that had gone to interior Sindh to meet their followers, and they could not establish any communication with their relatives in New Delhi as there was no phone network in that part of the Pakistani province. The said they were picked by some security people and taken away to some place in Karachi after their face was covered by a cloth. The family said they had brought the copy of a Urdu newspaper which carried a report that they were agents of India's external agency. Ms Swaraj had taken up the matter with Mr Sartaj Aziz, Advisor to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Foreign Affairs, to ensure the safety of the two Indians.UNI NAZ CJ SHK 2224 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0400-1196647.Xml Official here tonight said that CM and two deputy CMs Keshav Prasad Maurya and Dinesh Sharma will fly down to Delhi tomorrow morning to have discussion over many issues including portfolio distribution. "These three leaders are also likely to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi during their Delhi visit, " sources said. Sources say that two deputy CMs would get important portfolios. Keshav Maurya may get home while Dr Sharma could get finance ministry. Swami Prasad Maurya might get one of the important portfolios like PWD or Irrigation while Dr Rita Bahuguna Joshi may get education department. Health may go to Rama Pati Shastri while Satish Mahana could get Power. Hridaya Narain Dixit could be next assembly Speaker, while Suresh Khanna could be parliamentary affairs minister. "The list would be approved by central leadership. Besides, CM will have discussion over appointment of Chief Secretary and DGP," the source said.UNI MB CJ SHK 2217 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0400-1196663.Xml The President made the remark on Sunday on board Air Force One, as he prepared to return to Washington from a weekend at his Florida resort, Mar-a-Lago, reports Fox News. Trump also said he had "meetings on North Korea," but did not specify with whom or what was discussed. In a statement issued on Sunday, North Korea claimed the test was a success, with Kim calling it "a great event of historic significance" for the country's indigenous rocket industry, a report from the official Korean Central News Agency said. The test was conducted as U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson was in China as part of his three nation tour also including South Korea and Japan that has been closely focused on concerns over how to deal with Pyongyang's nuclear and missile programs. Last week Tillerson, who was in Seoul, said that Washington would consider military action against North Korea if it was provoked. While in Tokyo he had said that efforts over the past 20 years to prevent a nuclear North Korea had failed. Earlier this month, North Korea fired off four ballistic missiles into the Sea of Japan, reportedly reaching within 120 miles of Japan's shoreline. North Korea has conducted a series of missile launches this month, including four on March 6, KCNA reported. (ANI) "The next time the Syrians use their air defense systems against our airplanes, we will destroy all of them without thinking twice." CNN quoted Liberman as saying on Israel public radio on Sunday. His threat comes after Syria fired anti-aircraft missiles at Israeli military jets overnight Thursday into Friday. The Syrian military said the jets struck a military site near Palmyra, while Israel says they targeted a weapons shipment to Iran-backed Hezbollah. Syria claims their missiles downed one Israeli jet and hit another, which Israel rejected as "absolutely untrue." Meanwhile, the military actions did not go unnoticed both in the Middle East and further afield as in a sign of Russia's displeasure with the strike, Moscow summoned Israel's ambassador to Russia, Gary Koren, less than 24 hours after it happened. It is the first time in recent years that Moscow has summoned Israel's envoy over a strike in Syria, and it comes one week after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited to reaffirm coordination between the two sides over Syria. The two countries established coordination last year to avoid conflicts in Syrian airspace, ostensibly to allow both countries to operate freely. Israel has long focused on stopping the transfer of weapons from Syria to terror groups. (ANI) Pakistan President Mamnoon Hussain has given his approval to the much awaited Hindu Marriage Bill, 2017on the advice of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, turning it into a law. It is the first personal law in Pakistan to regulate the marriages in the Hindu community providing a mechanism for registration of Hindu marriage which includes conditions for contracting the marriage, procedure for dissolution of the marriage and the grounds on the basis of which such a marriage can be dissolved. The law aims to protect marriages, families, mothers and their children and safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Hindu families. It is a consolidated law for solemnisation of marriages by Hindu families residing in Pakistan, according to a government press release. Sharif said on the occasion, the government is focused on the provision of equal rights to minority communities residing in Pakistan, reports the Express Tribune. "They are as patriotic as any other community and, therefore, it is the responsibility of the state to provide equal protection to them," he added. The law provides for procedures relating to restitution of conjugal rights, judicial separation, void and voidable marriages, termination of marriage, the financial security of spouses and children, alternate relief in termination of marriages, and termination of marriage by mutual consent. It also provides divorcees with the right to marry again, the entitlement of remarriage by a Hindu widow at her own will and consent after the stipulated time, and the legitimacy of children. Marriages solemnised before the law comes into effect will be retroactively validated, but family courts would need to be petitioned for the relevant registration and documentation. The law also provides for punishments of imprisonment and fines up to Rs.100, 000 or both for contraventions. All the offences under the law shall be non-cognisable and non-compoundable and can be tried by a first class magistrate. (ANI) US officials began taking fingerprints of asylum seekers in an Australian-run camp on the Pacific island of Nauru on Monday, signalling that vetting of applicants for resettlement in what US President Donald Trump called a "dumb deal" has restarted.Australia agreed with former US President Barack Obama late last year for the United States to resettle up to 1,250 asylum seekers held in much criticised processing camps on Papua New Guinea and Nauru. In return, Australia would resettle refugees from El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras.Trump labelled the agreement a "dumb deal" in a Tweet, but said he would stand by it.Interviews with more than half a dozen detainees on Nauru confirmed the US Homeland Security officials arrived on Saturday, with meetings with detainees beginning today.Two asylum seekers, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of fears of jeopardising their applications to settle in the United States, told Reuters by phone Homeland Security officials did not ask any specific questions."It was not a normal interview, they just collected fingerprints and took my height and weight," the Iranian refugee told Reuters.Other refugees showed Reuters appointment slips to meet US officials.Similar biometric data collection would begin at the Australian-run detention centre in Papua New Guinea in early April, detainees were told by immigration officials last week.Australia maintains a strict policy of not allowing anyone who tries to reach the country by boat to settle there, instead detaining them in the camps on Nauru and PNG in conditions that have been harshly criticised by rights groups.Some asylum seekers have spent years in the camps, with numerous reports of sexual abuse and self-harm among detainees, including children.One 36-year-old woman told Reuters by phone from Nauru she did not want to be too hopeful about resettlement."For me, I really don't believe anything (about) when I get out from this hell," she said. "I heard too many lies like this in this three and half years."A spokeswoman for Australian Immigration Minister Peter Dutton declined to comment. The Department of Homeland Security did not respond to a request for comment.The US security interviews with asylum seekers on Nauru were cancelled last month amid uncertainty about what constituted "extreme vetting" Trump promised to apply to the 1,250 refugees it agreed to accept.Some asylum seekers said the latest developments gave them hope."I think the deal will happen, but the question we don't know is how many people will be taken by the US," Behrouz Boochani, an Iranian refugee held on PNG's Manus Island for nearly four years, told Reuters.With mounting international pressure, officials at Manus Island centre are increasing pressure on asylum seekers to return to their home countries voluntarily, including offering large sums of money. REUTERS JW VP1226 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0364-1195499.Xml Martin Schulz reacts after he was elected new Social Democratic Party (SPD) leader during an SPD party convention in Berlin, Germany, March 19, 2017. [Photo/Agencies] BERLIN - Germany's Social Democratic Party (SPD) confirmed Martin Schulz as its leader at a party congress here on Sunday to challenge Chancellor Agenla Merkel in upcoming elections in September, Deutsche Presse-Agentur reported. The party congress, held in Berlin, endorsed Schulz's leadership by a unanimous vote. Schulze, 61, was former European Parliament president. The confirmation was largely expected since the party nominated Schulz as the party's candidate for chancellery at a closed door meeting in Berlin on Jan 29. The nomination of Schulz's candidacy came a few days after Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel surprisingly announced his resignation from party chairman and proposed Shulz to replace him. Gabriel, a long-time hopeful for SPD candidate to challenge sitting Chancellor Merkel, said he would not participate in the Sept 24 general elections. Gabriel's decision not to run against Merkel as SPD candidate largely because of poor poll results while Shultz's candidacy would instead raise SPD's prospects in the upcoming elections, according to observers here. The SPD, or Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands, is currently a major partner of the ruling coalition and had been trailing Chancellor Merkel's Christian Democratic Union (CDU) in opinion polls for years before Schulz's nomination as party candidate for chancellery. The center-left party has seen a rise in recent opinion polls, fueling speculations that Schulz may have a chance to defeat chancellor Merkel in the national elections. The Russian Foreign Ministry summoned Israel's Ambassador to Moscow to protest an Israeli military strike near the Syrian city of Palmyra, news agency Interfax quoted a ministry official as saying today.Ambassador Gary Koren was called for discussions at the ministry last Friday, the official said.Last week Syria's army high command said Israeli jets had breached Syrian air space and attacked a military target near Palmyra, in what it described as an act of aggression that aided Islamic State.REUTERS JW VP1252 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0364-1195553.Xml The Prime Minister said that the decision was taken as a goodwill gesture as the countries enjoy "religious, cultural and historical ties", reported Dawn newspaper. Pakistan sealed the Torkham border crossing with Afghanistan for an indefinite period in the aftermath of a bombing at the Lal Shehbaz Qalandar shrine in Sindh province last month. At least 72 persons were killed in the blast. The border crossing was sealed for all kinds of trade and commercial activities due to security concerns. However, earlier in March, Pakistan temporarily opened the border crossings at Torkham and Chaman to allow stranded Afghan nationals to return to their country. The border crossings remained open on March 7 and 8 "in order to provide an opportunity to those nationals of Afghanistan who had come to Pakistan on valid visas and wish to return to their country", a press release by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had stated. The newly-built Pakistan Gate on the Torkham border was opened in August 2016, albeit without a formal ceremony. Clashes between Pakistani and Afghan security forces over the construction of the border gate last year left four soldiers dead on both sides, said the report. --IANS soni/vt ( 221 Words) 2017-03-20-13:54:08 (IANS) Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will visit Russia in late April for a summit with President Vladimir Putin, Foreign Minister Fuming Kishida said today.Abe has pledged to resolve a decades-old territorial dispute with Russia over a string of western Pacific islands in the hope of building better ties to counter a rising China.Kishida also said the two sides had agreed to demand that North Korea, which has carried out a series of nuclear and missile tests in defiance of UN sanctions, halt its provocations.REUTERS SDR AS1433 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0431-1195700.Xml China welcomed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu today just days after hosting Saudi Arabia's King Salman and the signing of deals worth as much as 65 billion dollar with Riyadh, as China steps up its tentative engagement with the Middle East.China has traditionally played little role in Middle East conflicts or diplomacy, despite its reliance on the region for oil.But it has been trying to get more involved, for example in efforts to end Syria's civil war, trying to portray itself as an honest broker without the historical baggage the Americans and Europeans have in the region, Beijing-based diplomats say.Meeting in Beijing's cavernous Great Hall of the People, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang praised Israel's advances, saying it was a world leader in some technologies."The Chinese people and the Jewish people are both great peoples of the world," Li said.Netanyahu said there was much to talk about in tech cooperation."And at the same time there is a great deal of convulsion in the world, including in our part of the world," Netanyahu said, in comments made in front of reporters."And I would like to have the opportunity to exchange views with you and to see how we can cooperate together for the advancement of security, peace and stability, and prosperity."Deng Li, director general of the Chinese Foreign Ministry's West Asian and North African Affairs Department, told a briefing that both countries had agreed to step up free trade talks."Personally I am very confident and optimistic about the future of this free trade agreement," Deng said.He added that Li had said China does not have its own interests on the Palestinian issue and would like to see the issue properly solved at an early date in line with United Nations resolutions and the international consensus.Chinese envoys occasionally visit Israel and the Palestinian Territories, but Chinese efforts to mediate or play a role in that long-standing dispute have never amounted to much.China also has traditionally had a good relationship with the Palestinians.The Middle East, however, is fraught with risk for China, a country that has little experience navigating the religious and political tensions that frequently rack the region.China also has close ties with Iran, whose nuclear programme has seriously alarmed Israel.Behind closed doors, China and Israel have close security ties too, rarely discussed in public."You shouldn't ask me this question," Deng said, when asked whether Li and Netanyahu discussed intelligence sharing.REUTERS SDR NS1638 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0431-1195947.Xml US President Donald Trump expressed concern about the political and humanitarian situation in Venezuela in a call on Sunday with Chilean President Michelle Bachelet, the Chilean president told reporters on Monday.Bachelet said she talked with Trump about the actions regional leaders were taking with regard to Venezuela, which has been wracked by an economic crisis in the last three years and is facing external pressure to make political reforms."(President Trump) presented to me his worries about the situation in Venezuela," Bachelet told reporters at the La Moneda presidential palace in Chile's capital, Santiago."I told him about the actions (Chile's) foreign ministry is carrying out together with other foreign ministries, and we are staying in contact to see how we can help Venezuela have a peaceful exit from its domestic situation."Venezuelans are suffering from severe shortages of basic goods, including food.The government of Nicolas Maduro blames private businesses for sabotaging the economy with price speculation and routinely denounces opposition activists as coup-plotters, intent on bringing down socialism in the country.Opposition leaders say the Maduro government has undermined democracy by canceling a key referendum and delaying local elections, among other measures.Last week, Luis Almagro, secretary general of the Organization of American States, said Venezuela should be suspended from the organization if it does not hold general elections as soon as possible.Relations between Venezuela and the United States have been rocky since former socialist president Hugo Chavez rose to power in 1999. The South American country has repeatedly criticized the United States for interfering in its domestic affairs.The US blacklisted Venezuela's vice president as a drug trafficker in February, and Trump later that month called for the release of jailed opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez.REUTERS CJ BL2203 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0400-1196664.Xml The United Nations is testing a new road route to deliver aid to the Syrian city of Qamishli, and also has provisional approval from the Syrian government for supplies to cross the border from Turkey, according to minutes of a logistics meeting published on Monday.Kurdish-dominated Qamishli has been receiving hundreds of aid airlifts from Damascus since July last year, flown in by the U.N. World Food Programme (WFP), partly in preparation for a possible influx of refugees from the battle for Mosul in Iraq.Despite historic enmity, Syrian Kurdish groups have steered clear of confrontation with the Syrian government in the six-year-old civil war.The route trial comes after the head of the Kurdish-led administration in northeastern Syria said this month that a new land corridor to the government-controlled west had opened up after advances by Syrian government forces. He said the corridor marked an economic breakthrough for the autonomous region which had been under "siege" by hostile parties.Minutes of a meeting of U.N. aid agencies in Damascus on March 16, including representatives of WFP and the U.N. humanitarian agency UNHCR, suggested aid convoys could soon take advantage of the new land route."WFP and UNHCR are in the process of sending humanitarian assistance by road as a trial from Damascus or Aleppo through Menbij to reach Qamishli," the minutes of the meeting said."This will be the first time U.N. agencies send trucks to Qamishli directly. Both agencies have submitted a request to the (Syrian) Ministry of Local Affairs and are awaiting approval."The U.N. has for months also been asking permission to truck aid into Qamishli from the Turkish border town of Nusaybin. Airlifting aid is expensive and inefficient compared to sending a convoy of trucks.Syria's Foreign Ministry had told the chief U.N. humanitarian official in the country that Syria's government was ready to approve use of the crossing, provided that approval is also obtained from the Turkish Government, the minutes said.That may not be straight forward. Turkey to the north of Syria's Kurdish region is hostile to the YPG, the main Syrian Kurdish militia.The ministry's letter also said aid deliveries would have to be coordinated with the governor and relief sub-committee of Syria's Hasakeh governorate.REUTERS CJ BL2221 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0400-1196665.Xml - Norwegian law student Karen Nerbo summed up the feelings of many on Monday as her country was named the world's happiest country."We have a lot of things to be happy about, our society is very open, we have everything that we need, there is not much to complain about," said Nerbo, 22, walking down Oslo's prime shopping avenue.Norway pipped last year's league leader Denmark to take the crown in the United Nations' World Happiness Report 2017.Piano teacher Elizabeth Eines hailed Norway's cradle-to-grave welfare system as the reason."We don't have to worry about stuff, if something bad will happen, we feel secure that we will be taken care of," said Eines, 32.The country of 5.2 million inhabitants largely avoided the 2008 financial crisis that hit the rest of the world thanks to high oil prices that boosted its leading industry, oil production.And despite a halving of crude prices since mid-2014, Oslo has carefully managed its oil wealth, pooling its revenues into a sovereign wealth fund that is the world's largest.The government takes a small percentage of the fund's value for its state budget every year, which has helped shelter it from the deep budget cuts other countries have had to make.Of course, not everyone is happy. A demonstration for workers' rights took place on Monday. And as Rudy Stanford-Smyth, a 37-year-old South African mechanical engineer, says, Norway can also be hard to move to."It can also be rough as a foreigner, as an immigrant maybe, but once you have a job and once you're in the system I think it's a good place," said the father-of-two."I have children so it's a good place for my children to be ... The salaries are pretty good here no matter what job you do," he said.For every winner, there is a runner up and over in Denmark, they were sanguine about the slip in the rankings."Denmark overtaken: Oil lifts Norway to the top of happiness ranking," Danish public broadcaster DR said.Maria Madsen Busk, a Danish student, said: "I think Norway is happier than Denmark because they have more money ... I don't think it's sad because we all know how happy we are," she said.And there is always room for a bit of banter in the two happiest nations and Scandinavian near neighbours.Stig Bakke, a 52-year-old civil servant married to a Danish woman, was looking forward to teasing his relatives."That's of course something I will use when I go down to visit them this Easter, saying them that they're number two," he said.REUTERS CJ BL2359 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0400-1196730.Xml by Denis Elamu JUBA, March 19 (Xinhua) -- East Africa should be alert to the escalating crises in South Sudan, which is fueling the influx of refugees and small arms that could destabilize the region, an expert told Xinhua in an interview on Sunday. Jacob Dut Chol, head of political science department at Juba University, said neighboring countries must brace for spillover of South Sudan conflict, hence the need for them to back peace building initiatives in the world's youngest nation. "The entire East and Horn of Africa region should be wary of the spillover effect of South Sudan conflict. Already, refugees are flocking into these countries and crossborder movement of illicit arms is at an alltime high," said Chol. He regretted that ideological differences among members of the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD), which has spearheaded efforts to end conflict in South Sudan, bode ill for regional stability. "When you talk about international relations, the regional interests always vary. You may look at the East African Community (EAC) as committed to helping support South Sudan, but you may realize that within those countries there could be one or two that are sympathetic to the rebels," he said. "And you may realize in the greater Horn of Africa that Eritrea and Ethiopia were not very clear on support for the government. Even Kenya was not forthcoming in its position," Chol said. In the aftermath of the December 2013 conflict, some neighboring countries with security interest were sucked in the fighting and reportedly backed different warring factions. Since July last year, renewed fighting have spread to the once peaceful Equatorial region and according to the UN refugee agency UNHCR, the conflict since 2013 has forced 1.5 million South Sudanese to flee into neighboring countries. And in late February, the United Nations declared famine in some parts of the country, especially in Mayendit and Leer counties of northern Unity state, with already 100,000 people starving and 1 million on the brink of starvation. Chol added that countries like China and the United States should continue engaging the warring parties to end the fighting that has triggered a humanitarian crisis. "China has come on board to help on mediation ... China will continue engaging at very high level ensuring that peace must come through home-grown efforts," he said. "U.S. politics might change because they have a new government ... The old government was Democrat and you might have realized the sentiment among South Sudanese that the government of Democrats did not help them especially Barack Obama," he added. The scholar however was skeptical on whether the Trump administration with his America-first policy will consider the South Sudan conflict a priority. "It is unfortunate Trump is not coming as an Ideologue Republican. So you may argue that the Trump government may not necessarily help South Sudan but it may not patronize South Sudan compared to the Obama administration," said Chol. Enditem PARIS, March 19 (Xinhua) -- The man who attacked a military patrol Saturday at Orly airport before being shot was under the influence of alcohol and narcotics at the time of the incident, French TV station reported Sunday night, quoting a legal source. "The toxicological analyzes carried out this Sunday showed a blood alcohol level of 0.93 grams per liter of blood and the presence of cannabis and cocaine," the source said on condition of anonymity, according to the French information channel of BFMTV. This man named Ziyed Ben Belgacem, a Frenchman of 39 years, had been condemned in 2009 for traffic of narcotics. CANBERRA, March 20 (Xinhua) -- Australian scientists have discovered a "key molecule," which can kill microbes which infect the human liver, in a breakthrough experts think could bring a malaria vaccine a step closer. Researchers at the Australian National University (ANU) announced the breakthrough at the weekend, after they tracked cells and discovered a molecule which kills microbes that infect the liver - such as malaria. Malaria kills around half a million people every year in warm climates such as in Africa and Asia, but lead researcher Hayley McNamara from the ANU said the findings helped answer questions about the mystery of "T-cells" - immune cells which hunt down infections in the body. "We know T-cells can protect against most infections, what we still don't fully understand is how these T-cells find the rare cells infected with viruses or parasites like malaria - a needle in a haystack problem if you like," McNamara said. "We've found that without a key molecule called LFA-1, that cells don't work - they can't move quickly and can't kill malaria parasites effectively." Associate Professor Ian Cockburn from the ANU said that because the T-cells were able to effectively hunt down malaria parasites, they could one day become a major component of future malaria vaccines. "What we want to do is understand how to make a vaccine that induces these types of immune cells. There are vaccines in clinical trials that work by inducing antibodies, adding a T-cell component would create stronger immunity by arming different parts of the immune system," he said. WELLINGTON, March 20 (Xinhua) -- An influx of visitors from China helped bolster New Zealand's accommodation sector in January, as New Zealanders headed overseas for the holidays. Total guest nights in commercial accommodation had a modest rise of 1.1 percent year on year in January, the government statistics agency said Monday. Nights spent by overseas guests were up 6.9 percent to a record 2 million, offsetting a 2.7-percent drop in domestic guest nights, according to Statistics New Zealand. "The decline in domestic guest nights this January coincided with greater numbers of Kiwis traveling overseas for their holidays," business indicators senior manager Neil Kelly said in a statement. Figures from the agency last month showed overseas visitor arrivals in January were up 11 percent year on year, hitting a new January record of 381,100. The strong increase had coincided with the Chinese New Year, with Chinese visitor arrivals up 32.4 percent to more than 54,000. In the January year, Chinese visitor numbers were 13.8 percent up to 422,256, keeping China's rank as New Zealand's second biggest visitor market after Australia. WELLINGTON, March 20 (Xinhua) -- New Zealand border authorities were warning Pacific island visitors that their "miracle water" could be costly if they bring it into the country. The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) said its border staff had seized miracle water from almost 500 air passengers arriving from Fiji since November. Sourced from a natural spring in Dawasumu, the untreated water was claimed to have healing properties that could cure anything from conjunctivitis to blindness. "Our concern isn't whether the healing properties are real or not, but whether it contains waterborne diseases that could harm New Zealand's freshwater aquaculture and natural environment," MPI manager north passenger and mail Craig Hughes said on Monday. "The locals may call it miracle water, but it is untreated, so it poses a biosecurity risk to New Zealand." All arriving passengers were required to declare the water at the border. "If they want to keep it, they have to pay for heat treatment, which costs around 60 NZ dollars (42 U.S. dollars). If they don't declare it, they face a 400-NZ-dollar (282 U.S. dollars) fine or prosecution," said Hughes. MPI was running a campaign to inform travelers from Fiji about New Zealand's biosecurity rules regarding untreated water, which included notices at Fiji's Nadi Airport. WELLINGTON, March 20 (Xinhua) -- New Zealand's uptake of electric vehicles (EVs) has overtaken Australia as infrastructure spreads, Transport Minister Simon Bridges said Monday. "I am delighted with the number of EV registrations we are now seeing. This year there has been 517 EV registrations bringing the total number of EVs in New Zealand to 3005. With nine months to go we are already half way to achieving our 2017 target," Bridges said in a statement. "While 1,513 EVs were registered in New Zealand in 2016, in Australia only about 220 EVs were." More new models were coming on to the market and interest was growing among manufacturers, with both Hyundai Ioniq and Tesla recently announcing their entry into New Zealand. "There's also been a big increase in the models and quantity of used EVs being brought into New Zealand. This means more EVs, at a range of prices, giving more choice to New Zealander's when they decide to step up on this," Bridges said. Infrastructure and charging stations were expanding across the country to support the growing number of EVs on our roads. About 50 fast chargers were available throughout the length of the country and more were coming, giving EV drivers greater confidence on longer journeys. "Electric vehicles are the future. A move from petrol and diesel to low-emission transport is a natural evolution," Bridges said. Driving an electric vehicle in New Zealand produced 80 percent fewer carbon emissions than a petrol or diesel car due to New Zealand's abundant renewable electricity. In May 2016, the government announced a package of measures to encourage the uptake of EVs, with a target to double the fleet each year to 64,000 by the end of 2021. In October last year, the government announced the number of registered EVs had doubled over the previous year, hitting 1,003, compared with 500 in 2015. BEIJING, March 20 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese concept of building "a community of shared future for all humankind" was on Friday incorporated into a U.N. Security Council resolution for the first time, reflecting the extraordinary charm and vitality of the notion. It also embodies growing global recognition of China's great contribution to global governance. The U.N.'s acceptance and incorporation of the Chinese concept into its resolution is of great significance and will have far-reaching influence. Earlier this month, the call of Ma Zhaoxu -- the head of the Chinese mission to the United Nations in Geneva -- for protecting human rights and building a community of shared future for all humankind on behalf of 140 countries on the sidelines of the 34th session of the U.N. Human Rights Council also struck a chord in the minds of representatives of other countries. The world is now at a critical juncture when it is faced with such increasing challenges as a rising trend of anti-globalization, terrorism and the refugee issue. As economic downturn still bites, instability and uncertainties have become a normal phenomenon. Therefore, how to lead a perplexed world to move forward is a key question on the table for politicians, strategists and scholars alike to ponder over. Facing a world somewhat spiralling out of control, some Western countries' strategic have made choices that are virtually disappointing. Some of them choose to lock themselves in their small worlds, while others turn to protectionism and pursue narrow-minded "nation first." It's under such a circumstance that people turn their eyes to the East. The report of the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China in November 2012 first proposed the concept of "a community of shared future for all humankind." Within the following four years, Chinese President Xi Jinping mentioned and illustrated the concept on various occasions. In September 2015, Xi proposed the roadmap of building "a community of shared future for all humankind" at a United Nations (U.N.) summit. In January 2015, he further expounded his concept in a comprehensive, profound and systematic manner at the U.N. Office in Geneva. By proposing the concept of "a community of shared future for all humankindy" and a roadmap thereof, China has offered the Chinese wisdom and Chinese plan for solving major problems concerning the future of mankind. The concept has shown China's global view and responsibility as a big power, and is bound to leave its mark in international relations. Philipp Charwath, chair of the 55th session of the U.N. Commission for Social Development, noted that the concept has offered inspiration to a world beset by rising challenges and risks. "In the long run, it profits us all," Charwath said, "I think that's how I understand the concept, and that's how the U.N. work can profit from the concept." The concept of "a community of shared future for all humankind" can be traced to the essential connotation of China's five thousand years of civilization. The concept, embodying the Chinese people's hope for a harmonious world, is a creative development of the traditional spirit in the new era of globalization, where all countries around the world share prosperity and losses, and are increasingly interconnected with one another. Therefore, joint cooperation is an effective way of development promotion. According to British scholar Martin Jacques, a professor at Cambridge University, China has provided a new possibility, that is, abandoning the law of the jungle, hegemonism and power politics and the zero-sum game and replacing them with win-win cooperation and co-construction and sharing. This is an unprecedented pioneering work and a great creation to change the world. The concept of "a community of shared future for all humankind" is a fresh idea, featuring Chinese characteristics and the spirit of the time, initiated by China to reform and rebuild a world order, and a new top-level design to lead global governance. The concept reflects Chinese style, power and responsibility that go beyond ideology and traditional geopolitics. According to Ross Terrill, a research associate at Harvard University's Fairbank Center, China's global governance idea focusing on the goal of building "a community of shared future for all humankind" has shown the country's strategic thoughts on long-term development of bilateral ties between China and other countries, and has injected new impetus into the effort to establish a new world order. The concept of "a community of shared future for all humankind" has proven practical when dealing with hot issues such as the Iran nuclear issue and the Korean peninsula issue, as it calls for consultation and coordination of international affairs among countries. It also involves the Belt and Road Initiative, generous emergency aid and other efforts. China's Belt and Road Initiative -- the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road -- put forward by Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2013, aims to build a trade and infrastructure network connecting Asia with Europe and Africa along the ancient trade routes. Building "a community of shared future for all humankind" is the essence of major country diplomacy with Chinese characteristics, and a torch of the time that leads the world in the 21st century. Related: Spotlight: Chinese landmark concept put into UN Security Council resolution for 1st time UNITED NATIONS, March 17 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese concept of building "a human community with shared destiny" was on Friday incorporated into a UN Security Council resolution for the first time, mirroring the global recognition of China's great contributions to the global governance, diplomats told Xinhua here. Also included in the newly adopted council resolution was China's Belt and Road Initiative, which aims to build a trade and infrastructure network connecting Asia with Europe and Africa along the ancient trade routes, they said. Full story UN Security Council resolution urges efforts to implement Belt and Road Initiative UNITED NATIONS, March 17 (Xinhua) -- The UN Security Council Friday adopted a resolution to renew the mandate of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) , which also urged further efforts to implement the Belt and Road Initiative and other regional development efforts. The 15-member UN body decided to extend the mandate of the UNAMA for another year, until March 17, 2018. The political mission will focus on providing good offices, working with and supporting the Afghan government, promoting peace and reconciliation, monitoring and promoting human rights and the protection of civilians and promoting good governance. Full story Xinhua Insight: China pushes for fair, inclusive global governance BEIJING, March 14 (Xinhua) -- During China's annual parliamentary and political advisory sessions, discussions are not just confined to domestic issues, but also focus on China's active involvement in global governance. Chinese Vice Premier Wang Yang speaks during the Business Forum Chartering New Heights in the Philippines-China Economic Relations: SME Cross-Border Trade and Investment Matching in Manila, the Philippines, March 18, 2017. (Xinhua/Rouelle Umali) MANILA, March 19 (Xinhua) -- Kristoffer dela Cruz, the vice president for sales and marketing of Hopping Buddies Travel & Tours, is among the more than 300 Chinese and Philippine entrepreneurs that took part in Saturday's cross-border trade and investment matchmaking session in Manila. Dela Cruz said his travel agency is very excited to offer and promote the Philippines to the Chinese tourism market. "By meeting face-to-face with our Chinese counterparts we are now assured that the Philippines will be included in their list of tourist destinations. That is something to look forward to," Dela Cruz told Xinhua, adding their agency would like to tap into the Chinese tourism industry. In 2016, Dela Cruz said, China had over 100 million outbound tourists of which the Philippines captured only less than 1 percent. "There is a huge potential to tap into the Chinese market given that the Philippines is only three to four hours away from China's major cities," he said. Rafael Valdez, chairman and CEO of Auburn Power Technologies Inc, also came to the forum to have a face-to-face meeting with his Chinese business match. Valdez is looking for a Chinese company that could fund his mini-hydro electric project in Naguilian province in the main Philippine Luzon Island. "We are happy to know that they have shown interest in funding our project," he told Xinhua. He said the Guangxi Hydroelectric Construction Bureau Co, Ltd. had sent engineers to the project site on Friday to look into the detailed engineering design, hydrology assessment, and environmental study of the project. "They are satisfied with our proposal and they thought the project is good and it's ready for further negotiations for funding. We are now in the final stage for financial closure," Valdez said. Chinese Vice Premier Wang Yang (C) participates in the Business Forum Chartering New Heights in the Philippines-China Economic Relations: SME Cross-Border Trade and Investment Matching in Manila, the Philippines, March 18, 2017. (Xinhua/Rouelle Umali) Shen Jian, the deputy general manager of International Engineering Company based in Guangxi province, told Xinhua he saw a lot of potential on the hydro power project. "I think it's good that we meet face-to-face and to know exactly our needs to build this project with much more efficiency. We also want to use Chinese technology to help the Filipino people develop their energy projects in thePhilippines," Shen Jian said. Chinese Vice Premier Wang Yang, who was in Manila for a visit, delivered a speech for the forum. He said the forum attracted a great number of representatives from both sides, and it showed positive expectation for practical cooperation between China and the Philippines as well as a vote of confidence for friendship between the two countries. The business matching initiative provided a platform to Philippine Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) to be partners with their Chinese counterparts in potential joint ventures. Bank of China Philippine head Deng Jun told a news conference Saturday that of the more than 300 Philippine and Chinese entrepreneurs who met during the session, at least 77 percent or around 230 had agreed to reach and sign an agreement. Philippine Trade and Industry Secretary Ramon Lopez said the event "certainly bodes well for MSMEs as it provides them with the right business environment to grow and develop." He said that MSMEs serve as a backbone for the Philippines economy, accounting for 99.6 percent of all the number of enterprises in the country. "This is the reason why we really put great emphasis on generating and promoting more MSME empowerment,' Lopez said. With the support of their Chinese counterparts, Lopez said local MSMEs would be able to seize opportunities in the current global market. Moreover, he said that the business matching initiative "showed how far the Philippines-China relationship has broadened with prior commitments now producing tangible results." In the wake of President Rodrigo Duterte's state visit to China in October last year, the Philippines and China have accelerated trade and investment engagements. HANOI, March 20 (Xinhua) -- Honda Vietnam is recalling 1,355 cars to repair and replace air bag inflators of several models, according to Vietnam Competition Authority (VCA) under the Ministry of Industry and Trade on Monday. Specifically, cars in models of Honda Civic, Honda CR-V, and Honda Accord manufactured in 2012 are applicable for the recall campaign. The automaker will check, repair and provide free replacement for the affected vehicles through its agencies nationwide, reported local Vietnam News newspaper. Honda Civic and Honda CR-V were produced in Vietnam while Honda Accord was imported from Thailand. Last year, the firm recalled 4,922 Honda Civic cars with faulty airbags, according to Vietnam Register. HANOI, March 20 (Xinhua) -- Vietnam's imports of Chinese steel rose sharply in value over the January-February period, according to Vietnam's General Department of Customs. China remained Vietnam's largest steel supplier with a total of 1.53 million tons exported in the period, worth 786 million U.S. dollars, up 7.6 percent in volume and 61.8 percent in value year-on-year, reported local Tien Phong (Pioneer) newspaper on Monday. South Korea rank second with some 304,000 tons of steel exported to Vietnam between January-February, worth 202 million U.S. dollars, rising 18 percent in volume and 57 percent in value year-on-year. In the first two months of 2017, Vietnam spent a total of 1.49 billion U.S. dollars on importing 2.74 million tons of steel, up 0.2 percent in volume and 49.3 percent in value against the same period last year, said the department. In 2016, Vietnam imported some 18.4 million tons of steel, worth 8.02 billion U.S. dollars, of which imports from China accounted for 10.9 million tons, worth over 4.5 billion U.S. dollars. SUVA, March 20 (Xinhua) -- The Fijian government will recommend to the parliament that Fiji ratify the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities this week, leading local newspaper the Fiji Sun reported Monday. Once the convention is ratified, the government is legally obliged to put a lot of measures in place, said Attorney-General Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum. "We have to make sure that there are ramps for crossing the streets from one end to the other," Sayed-Khaiyum said while giving an example. The attorney-general was responding to concerns raised by people living with disabilities, including high cost of obtaining a medical report, unavailability of different modes of transport, difficult access to microfinance assistance, and communication problems for the deaf when seeking help in public hospitals. Around 1.4 percent of Fiji's total population of less than 1 million are people with disabilities, government statistics showed. The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities is an international human rights treaty of the United Nations intended to protect the rights and dignity of persons with disabilities. Parties to the convention are required to promote, protect, and ensure the full enjoyment of human rights by persons with disabilities and ensure that they enjoy full equality under the law. SIEM REAP, Cambodia, March 20 (Xinhua) -- Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen opened the fifth China Round Table (CRT-5) on World Trade Organization (WTO) Accessions here on Monday, aiming at sharing best practices for the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) in preparing for the WTO accessions. Attended by high-level delegations of China, LDCs, and WTO, the three-day conference was to share lessons learnt and to assist acceding LDCs to better prepare for their accessions to the WTO. The decision of the WTO accessions will be made by the 11th WTO's Ministerial Conference (MC11), to be held on Dec. 11-14 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Hun Sen said Cambodia has been playing a very important role in pushing WTO members to provide duty-free-quota-free (DFQF), preferential rules of origins, preferences for services, as well as more assistance to LDCs. "The current obligation for us all, as LDCs, is to do whatever it takes to achieve successful negotiations in the MC11," he said. The prime minister also called LDC representatives in the CRT-5 to actively engage in completely resolve issues pertaining to local agricultural supports, public stockholding for food security purposes, fishery subsidies, trade and environment, and special and differential treatment for LDCs before the MC11 in Argentina. Speaking at the opening ceremony of the CRT-5, Chinese Vice Minister of Commerce Wang Shouwen said China was proud to see that the Round Table has served as a useful platform to share development experiences and best practices. "As WTO members, we must continue to reiterate our strong commitments to the multilateral trading system," he said, adding that China is committed to safeguarding a multilateral trading system since it is open, transparent, inclusive and beneficial to all. WTO's Deputy Director General David Shark said the CRT-5 will provide concrete contribution to support WTO accessions through policy dialogue and sharing experiences on accession and post-accession. "I am hopeful that they will listen to the exchange of experiences and share their menu of possible support and assistance to respond to the specific accession needs of the acceding governments, as well as the post-accession needs of those recently acceded LDCs," he said. The CRT-5 was initiated by the Chinese government in consultation with the WTO Secretariat and the Cambodian government, the chair of the coordinating group of the LDCs at the WTO. The annual round table has been held following a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the Chinese government and the WTO in July 2011. Under the MoU, China sponsors the meetings which are designed to build capacity and technical skills in trade policy, including on accession negotiations, for least-developed and developing countries. by Lu Shuqun KABUL, March 20 (Xinhua) -- In March the mercury is slowly rising in Afghanistan, but heavy snowfall in Kabul recently reminded Afghans how bitterly cold winter has been. The extreme weather has taken the lives of more than 100 people and injured scores of others across the war-torn country. Hundreds of houses also collapsed due to the wintry weather and thousands of cattle were killed, wiping out the livelihood of dozens of war-weary farmers. In some cases, avalanches buried whole villages in the blink of an eye. To survive the sub-zero conditions, many people rely on stoves to drive off the cold and in Kabul almost every room in a relatively well-build house has a chimney. When winter comes, people move an iron stove into their room and burn wood for warmth. The traditional stoves, which have the appearance of an oil tank, cost between 4000 and 6000 Afghanis (59 to 88 U.S. dollars). Another kind of stove, called a Turkish stove, which has a shiny appearance, is worth 12,000 to 14,000 Afghanis. The stoves get very hot when the wood is burning and a careless hand can easily lead to serious burns. "At night, when the stove is burning, the room gets very hot, and you may find it difficult to fall asleep. But when you fall asleep and the wood burns out, it becomes cold in the room, sometimes forcing you to wake up," Farid, 39, a Kabul resident explained to Xinhua. "The chimney may get blocked after being used for a couple of months and it needs cleaning from time to time," said Farid, referring to how inconvenient the stoves can be. Farid is lucky compared to other Afghans. In Kabul, every kilogram of wood costs more than 10 Afghanis, which is more expensive than a piece of naan, a common food here. About 40 percent of the Afghan population live under the poverty line, which means for many families, it's difficult to get enough food, let alone buying wood for warmth. Mohammad, 24, a refugee from the southern Helmand province, now lives in an internally displaced person's (IDP) camp in western Kabul. "We have been living in temporary shelters for many years. Our living condition is poor in the camp. We don't have portable water facilities, toilets or washrooms," sighed Mohammad. "We have no real jobs. I sell fruit along the highway in front of the camp. But I can only earn a little money which is not enough to buy food," he continued. He went on to explain that his children go around the city collecting garbage. They sell some recyclable items, if they can, to make money. The rest of the garbage including paper and plastic bags is used to make fire for cooking and heating the tents during the winter, he said. "Sometimes it's even difficult to find enough garbage to keep warm," bemoaned Mohammad in his cold makeshift house. The war destroyed many residences' central heating systems, leaving only the pipes or radiators to heat houses or offices. Nowadays, such heating systems are only available in a few places. Afghans also try to use household appliances like air conditioners or electric heaters in winter, but the power supply is not stable, which dramatically reduces the lifespan of the appliances. In addition, electricity, most of which is imported from neighboring countries, is very expensive. For many people like Mohammad, the only hope is to wait for spring and for warmer climes to ease the misery. (Xinhua reporters Farid Behbud, Abdul Haleem in Kabul contributed to the report.) TOKYO, March 20 (Xinhua) -- A candidate staunchly opposed to the U.S. military using an island in the southwest of Japan for military activities won the Nishinoomote mayoral election, local media reported Monday. Shunsuke Yaita, 63, saw off challenges from three other candidates on Sunday to become mayor of Nishinoomote, a city located on the island of Tanegashima in Kagoshima Prefecture. According to local reports Monday, one of his opponents was in favor of the U.S. military using Mage Island in Kagoshima Prefecture for plane drills, a move also supported by the central government. The central government is planning to buy the majority of the land on the island from a private developer and was eyeing allowing the U.S. military to use it for its carrier-based aircraft's landing practice. The island is located 12 kilometers west of the Nishinoomote City and the residents there have voiced their opposition to the U.S. military's presence. They said that aircraft operating on or around Mage Island could cause noise pollution or accidents in or over towns and cities in the vicinity. Yaita, a former news reporter, will follow on from his predecessor's stance which was also opposed to the use of the island as a practice base for the U.S. military. The plan for the island to be used as a permanent landing site for the U.S. military's carrier-based aircraft was first made between Japan and the United States in 2007. The Japanese government also saw Mage Island as a possible exercise site for the U.S. military's controversial Osprey aircraft. The tilt-rotor aircraft has a checkered safety history and five crew members had to be airlifted to safety and treated for injuries following an MV-22 Osprey crashing in Okinawa on Dec. 13. The crash marked the first major accident involving an Osprey since its deployment in Japan in 2012. Since its developmental phase in 2000, dozens of Ospreys have crashed and numerous lives have lost. The planes are also known for creating an unbearable amount of noise due to their massive turboprop engines. Against public and political opinion, Japan's Ground Self-Defense Force has earmarked plans to add around 17 Osprey aircraft units to its fleet, each of which can carry 24 combat troops. TIRIN KOT, Afghanistan, March 20 (Xinhua) -- At least three army soldiers and 11 militants were killed during a fierce clash on outskirts of Tirin Kot, capital of Afghanistan's southern province of Uruzgan overnight, a local official said on Monday. "Several armed militants stormed an army base in Khorma locality of Tirin Kot, triggering a clash that left three soldiers and 11 militants dead Sunday night," Doust Mohammad Nayab, provincial government spokesman, told Xinhua. The rebels involved in the fighting were the extremist Taliban, he said. The attackers were also believed to have taken control of the base for hours before the additional forces' arrival at early hours of Monday. Several army soldiers were also captured by the militants following the attack, Obaidullah Barakzai, a representative from Uruzgan to Wolesi Jirga, or the lower house of parliament, told Xinhua via phone earlier on the day. "The additional forces arrived at the scene early Monday. They are trying to secure the base and they launched a search operation to locate and rescue the seized soldiers," he said. Violence has been on the rise since the drawdown of foreign forces over the past two years as the Afghan security forces struggle against a surge in attacks by anti-government fighters. On Friday, one army soldier was killed and over 20 people were wounded after a Taliban truck bombing struck an army base in eastern Khost province. BEIJING, March 20 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Li Keqiang's five-day official visit to Australia starting Wednesday is expected to boost the development of China-Australia relations and cooperation, and push forward free trade and regional integration. It will be his first visit to the Oceanic state in the southern hemisphere in his capacity as Chinese premier. After that, he will visit New Zealand. TO ALIGN DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIES Li is expected to seek cooperation spaces for common growth with Australia, in accordance with China's updated economic outlook and blueprint from the just concluded "two sessions" -- the annual gatherings of National People's Congress and Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. With an extensive common ground and huge potential in cooperation, Australia has been an important economic and trade partner of China. Meanwhile, China has for years ranked top among Australia's trade partners, as its largest exports market and source of imports and investment. The two sides have seen deepening economic and trade ties as a result of a free trade deal since December 2015. Liu Qing, head of the Asia-Pacific department at the China Institute of International Studies (CIIS), believes the Chinese premier's visit will bring more opportunities to China-Australia cooperation. "The two countries have highly complementary economies and development strategies," he said, expecting to see an alignment between the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative and Australia's ambitious development plan for its north. Australian Trade Minister Steve Ciobo said recently that Australian businesses have a keen interest in and want to be part of the Belt and Road Initiative. TO SAFEGUARD FREE TRADE RESULTS China and Australia share extensive consensuses on and appeals for the enhancement of free trade and globalization amid worldwide uncertainties, including a sluggish economic recovery and a surge in protectionism in some Western countries. This is especially so after the United States withdrew from the Trans-Pacific Partnership talks in January, dealing a blow to free trade to the great disappointment of Australia and some other countries in the region. At the crucial moment for the future of globalization, Li's visit to Australia will convey a positive message to the world, that is, China and Australia will jointly safeguard the results of free trade, tackle protectionist challenges, and push forward regional integration and globalization, said Ruan Zongze, vice president of the CIIS. China has made it clear it will remain an advocate for globalization and free trade, and is willing to work together with other countries to improve global economic governance. Ruan attributed Australia's growth for 26 years in a row partly to its close economic and trade ties with China. Particularly, he added, after the two countries reached a bilateral free trade deal, convenience in trade and investment between the two countries has generated more business opportunities for their businesses and brought tangible benefits to the two peoples. TO BOOST REGIONAL INTEGRATION, STABILITY Cooperation between China and Australia, both advocates and driving forces for free trade in the Asia-Pacific, is expected to inject fresh energy into not only globalization, but also regional integration. During Li's stay in Australia, China and Australia are also expected to reach agreements on a series of regional issues. Both countries are members of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, of the East Asia Summit and of the Group of 20 major economies. They are also parties to the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) negotiations. Wang Zhenyu, CIIS associate research fellow, suggested that both countries make use of the existing mechanisms to increase dialogues and coordination, enhance connectivity in the Asia-Pacific and promote comprehensive cooperation in various fields through economic and trade cooperation with a goal of lifting regional integration to a new height. China and Australia have the same aims in safeguarding regional security and stability, Wang added, saying both countries will continuously explore new spaces for cooperation in dealing with climate change, poverty relief and reduction, technical assistance, people-to-people exchanges and combating terrorism, among others, and play a constructive role in tackling regional issues. Ousted South Korean President Park Geun-hye (C) arrives at her private residence in Seoul on March 12, 2017. (File photo/ Xinhua/Lee Sang-ho) SEOUL, March 20 (Xinhua) -- Ousted South Korean President Park Geun-hye will indicate her position before being questioned by prosecutors on Tuesday over the corruption scandal that led to her impeachment and ouster. Sohn Beom-gyu, one of Park's legal team, said via text message that Park will convey her stance around the time she appears in the prosecutors' office for questioning. The lawyer said Park had a prepared message to tell, but he noted that he was not informed of further details. The special investigation headquarters of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, which took over the probe into the scandal embroiling Park from this month, had summoned the former president for questioning. Park is scheduled to appear in the office at about 9:30 a.m. local time on Tuesday, becoming the fourth South Korean former president to be interrogated by prosecutors. She was permanently removed from office on March 10 as the constitutional court unanimously upheld the bill to impeach her, making Park the first South Korean leader to be ousted through impeachment. Park has stayed at her private home in southern Seoul since she vacated the presidential Blue House on March 12. During the questioning, state prosecutors would focus on Park's alleged involvement in charges of bribery, abuse of power and the leakage of state secrets, according to local media reports. Park has been accused of colluding with her decades-long friend Choi Soon-sil, who is currently in custody, to receive tens of millions of U.S. dollars in bribes from Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong, the heir apparent of Samsung Group who was also taken into custody. The kickbacks are suspected of being offered in return for helping Lee inherit the overall management control of the country's biggest family-controlled conglomerate from his ailing father Chairman Lee Kun-hee who has been hospitalized for heart attack for almost three years. Park was also identified as an accomplice to Choi in extorting tens of millions of U.S. dollars from scores of large business conglomerates to establish two nonprofit foundations Choi used for personal gains. Choi has been charged with meddling in state affairs behind the scene by receiving government documents on a regular basis through Park's former presidential secretary. Related: Profile: Park Geun-hye, from 1st S.Korean female president to 1st ousted leader SEOUL, March 10 (Xinhua) -- Impeached President Park Geun-hye of South Korea was permanently removed from office on Friday as the constitutional court upheld the impeachment motion. PYONGYANG, March 20 (Xinhua) -- The Democratic People's Republic of Korea Monday denounced the so-called anti-terror war by the United States as an excuse to intervene into the sovereignty of other countries. The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said that "anti-terrorism war" of the United States is "state-sponsored terrorism and a new version of war of aggression against the anti-U.S. countries for realizing the imperialists' ambition for world domination." "The U.S. has wantonly infringed upon the sovereignty and territorial integrity of other countries while escalating the 'anti-terrorism war' worldwide," said the news agency. It further said "the strategy and purpose of the U.S. 'war on terrorism' was to train terrorists and steadily spread terrorism on one hand and perpetrate military intervention in sovereign states under the signboard of combating terrorism." "The U.S. forces, which were deployed mainly in Europe during the Cold War era, are being reorganized, centering around Asia in the new century," the KCNA said. Russia n President Vladimir Putin speaks at a celebration to mark the first anniversary of Crimea's incorporation into Russia, in Moscow, Russia, March 18, 2015. (Xinhua Photo) MOSCOW, March 20 (Xinhua) -- Russia has launched a large-scale live-fire exercise in Crimea, a senior military official said Monday, after the West repeatedly asked Moscow to return the Black Sea peninsula to Ukraine. The combat drill involves over 2,500 airborne troops and some 600 pieces of equipment from Russia's Black Sea Fleet and the Aerospace Forces, Airborne Forces commander Andrey Serdyukov told reporters. Three divisions were simultaneously alerted and partially deployed to Crimea with authorized weapons and other materials, according to the commander. Last week, Russia celebrated the third anniversary of a referendum held in Crimea, which led to the re-incorporation of the Black Sea peninsula into Russia. But Kiev, Washington and their allies insist that Crimea remain part of Ukraine and it was "illegally" annexed by Russia. Western countries introduced economic sanctions against Russia in 2014 over Crimea and its alleged role in the conflicts in eastern Ukraine. "Our Crimea-related sanctions will remain in place until Russia returns control over the peninsula to Ukraine," U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley told the U.N. Security Council last month. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Sunday in response that Russia will not consider any deal on Crimea in exchange for any relaxation of Western sanctions. Russian President Vladimir Putin "keeps the situation around Crimea" under control, Peskov said. A high-speed train runs along the cole flowers at Anshun segment of Shanghai-Kunming high-speed railway in Anshun, southwest China's Guizhou Province, March 16, 2017. (Xinhua/Lu Wei) Hi, here's what you need to know about China: BEIJING -- China will remain committed to ensuring innovation drives development forward and will increase efforts to revitalize the real economy, Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli said Sunday. "The real economy is the foundation of economic growth and we will optimize it," Zhang said at the opening ceremony of the ongoing China Development Forum (CDF) 2017. xhne.ws/ipqme ---- URUMQI -- This year, 300 westbound transnational freight trains will run from northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, 80 more than last year. Two hundred will be bound for central Asian countries, 50 for Russia and 20 for Germany, Turkey and Iran, according to the regional economic and information technology commission. xhne.ws/hg4vW ---- CHENGDU -- More than 10,000 gold and silver items that sank to the bottom of a river in southwest China's Sichuan Province over 300 years ago have been recovered, archeologists said Monday. The items included a large amount of gold, silver and bronze coins and jewelry as well as iron weapons such as swords, knifes and spears, said Gao Dalun, director of Sichuan Provincial Cultural Relics and Archeology Research Institute. xhne.ws/3n3xr ---- WELLINGTON -- An influx of visitors from China helped bolster New Zealand's accommodation sector in January, as New Zealanders headed overseas for the holidays. Total guest nights in commercial accommodation had a modest rise of 1.1 percent year on year in January, the government statistics agency said Monday. xhne.ws/VHFmH WELLINGTON, March 20 (Xinhua) -- The ties between two wartime foes were strengthened Monday with the unveiling of a memorial to Turkey's World War I dead at New Zealand's national memorial park. Arts, Culture and Heritage Minister Maggie Barry said it was fitting that the Turkish Memorial was the second memorial at Wellington's Pukeahu National War Memorial Park as Gallipoli was where the ANZAC (Australia New Zealand Army Corps) tradition was born. "This week also marks the 102nd anniversary of the Dardanelles naval campaign, which prompted the assault on Gallipoli," Barry said in a statement. An Australian memorial was the first to be installed at Pukeahu in 2015. The Turkish memorial was one of four planned for the park this year. "British, Belgian and American memorials will be unveiled gradually through the year - their designs are still under wraps. A French memorial will be installed early next year in time for ANZAC Day 2018," she said. "Each is a testament to our international relationships, and the shared values, the freedoms and the quality of life our countries have fought for and continue to support today." The battle for Gallipoli, a small peninsula jutting out from Turkey into the Aegean Sea, with its staggeringly high casualty rate, is commonly cited as one of the defining events in New Zealand's identity. On April 25, 1915, New Zealand and Australian troops under the ANZAC banner landed in a bid to drive the Ottoman Empire out of World War I. It had been thought that around a third - 2,779 - of the 8,556 New Zealand troops believed to have served there had died by the time the campaign ended in failure nine months later. But historians working for the Ministry for Culture and Heritage and the New Zealand Defence Force last year revealed that the total number of New Zealand soldiers who served at Gallipoli in 1915 was actually more than 16,000 -- although the casualty rate was unchanged. The Ottoman Empire had about 86,692 troops killed in Gallipoli, according to official New Zealand figures. April 25, or ANZAC Day, has become a public holiday in Australia and New Zealand and commemorative services are held around both countries and in Turkey. An opposition fighter from the Failaq al-Rahman brigade fires a heavy machine gun in Jobar, a rebel-held district on the eastern outskirts of the Syrian capital Damascus, on March 19, 2017. (Xinhua/AFP Photo) DAMASCUS, March 20 (Xinhua) -- The Syrian army recaptured all areas fallen during Sunday's wide-scale offensive by rebels in eastern Damascus, the military general command said Monday. The army retook all points lost to the rebels of the al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front and like-minded groups in the factories area at the entrance of the rebel-held neighborhood of Jobar in the Eastern Ghouta countryside of Damascus, said the statement. The operation targeted all areas which the rebels used to launch their wide-sale offensive on the eastern part of the capital on Sunday. A day earlier, the rebels launched a large-scale offensive led by the the al-Qaida-linked militants against Syrian army positions and residential areas in the eastern part of the city. Sunday's offensive began in the early morning when the Nusra Front and allied militant groups sent three suicide car bombs, targeting military positions at the outskirts of the rebel-held Jobar neighborhood in the eastern Ghouta countryside of Damascus. The rebels captured several buildings that government forces were controlling on the frontline between Jobar and the government-controlled areas in Abbasiyeen area. Residents in Abbasiyeen and the nearby areas, said the Syrian soldiers fanned out in the streets, which are close to the battle lines to repel the rebel offensive. Before midnight, cautious calm prevailed Damascus, amid sporadic shelling heard every now and then. It's worth mentioning that the Nusra Front is designated as a terrorist group by the UN, and thus excluded from any settlement. The group recently changed its name to the Front for Conquering the Levant, after it alleged to have cut ties with the al-Qaida. The group was responsible for deadly bombings that recently took place in Damascus, and the central city of Homs where tens of people lost of their lives. MAZAR-E-SHARIF, Afghanistan, March 20 (Xinhua) -- Nine persons were killed and two others injured after a mini-bus collided with an oil tanker in northern Afghanistan's Balkh province on Monday, said police spokesman in the province Shir Jan Durani. The deadly accident took place in Hairatan locality in the afternoon and those killed in the accident include three children, two women and four men, the official said. Without providing more information, the official blamed reckless driving for the deadly accident and said investigation has been initiated into the case. BANGKOK, March 20 (Xinhua) -- Thailand plans to call on Laos to return a former Red Shirt leader so that he could be brought back to justice. Defense Minister Prawit Wongsuwan said Monday he will shortly call on the Lao authorities to promptly locate and extradite Wuthipong "Ko Tee" Kochathamakul, said to be hiding out somewhere in the neighboring country. Wuthipong, known as former hardcore leader of Red Shirt movement in Bangkok's northern outskirts, has been allegedly involved in illegal possession of war weapons and violating majesty charges. He was said to have fled into Laos where he reportedly joined ranks with underground Thai political activists who have launched unrelenting attacks online against the current government under Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha. Prawit's comments came after a recent raid by army soldiers and policemen on a house in Lamlukka district of Pathum Thani province, about 45 km north of the Thai capital, owned by a man allegedly connected with Wuthipong. The place was found out as a cache of varied war weapons including four M-16 assault rifles, an M-79 grenade launcher and about 5,000 rounds of ammunition, police said. SINGAPORE, March 20 (Xinhua) -- Singapore does not import any meat from companies involved in the meat adulteration in Brazil, said the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA) in a press release on Monday. Singapore is not involved as none of the affected meat processing establishments are approved to export to Singapore, AVA said. AVA said it has stepped up surveillance of imported meat and meat products from Brazil, adding that the authority is monitoring the situation closely and has been liaising with the Brazilian authorities to get more details. The authority also revealed it is working with meat importers to monitor the situation and to get prepared to ramp up alternative sources if necessary. In the press release, AVA elaborated that meat and meat products can only be imported into Singapore from AVA accredited sources, which involves two levels of checks. AVA said it will first assess the robustness of an exporting country's national animal health and food safety system and the authorities' powers to enforce food safety requirements, such as minimizing microbial contamination and chemical residues. If the country is approved as a source of meat supply, each meat establishment within the country will then be individually evaluated to ensure that they meet AVA's food safety requirements, before meat which processed by the establishment can be exported to Singapore. Upon arrival in Singapore, every meat consignment is physically checked for spoilage and the health certification verified at the point of import. In addition, samples are also taken for laboratory testing. Failed products will not be allowed to be sold. AVA stated that up to date, there have not been any significant instances of non-compliance in meat shipments from Brazil. Earlier on Monday, Brazilian ambassador to Singapore Flavio Damico confirmed with local media Channel NewsAsia that meat adulteration in Brazil doesn't affect exports to Singapore. The Brazilian police on March 17 uncovered a massive scheme of meat adulteration, which involves some of the country's largest meat producers. The probe revealed major meat producers bribed health inspectors to certify tainted food as fit for consumption. LONDON, March 20 (Xinhua) -- Prime Minister Theresa May embarked Monday on a tour of Britain as part of her ongoing engagement with devolved regions ahead of triggering Article 50 to exit the European Union. May is going to trigger the Article 50 on March 29, formally starting the country's exit from the European Union, local media reported. The move, which comes nine months after a referendum, will officially start the two year process of negotiations about the UK's EU exit May's tour started in Wales, and will be followed by visits to Scotland and Northern Ireland. Downing Street said in London the tour was part of a series of visits around Britain to enable the prime minister to engage and listen to people from across the nation as it prepares to leave the EU. The visit to Wales came as one of the main industrial cities in Wales, Swansea, signed an historic City Deal which is expected to create more than 9,000 jobs and trigger almost 1.3 billion pounds (1.62 billion U.S. dollars) in investment. The city deal, formed between the British government, local authorities and the Welsh government, will pave the way for major infrastructure investment in the Swansea City Bay region, ranging from research centres to a new waterfront digital district. May, accompanied by the Secretary of State for Exiting the EU David Davis and the Secretary of State for Wales Alun Cairns, met with the Welsh First Minister Carwyn Jones. as well as representatives from a range of sectors and businesses. Downing Street added: "The main point of discussion will be how every part of the UK -- including Wales -- can make the most of the opportunities offered by Brexit. The Welsh export market is worth around 12.3 billion pounds a year." Ahead of her departure Monday morning, May said: "From my first day on the steps of Downing Street, I made clear my determination to strengthen and sustain the precious union. I have also been clear that as we leave the European Union I will work to deliver a deal that works for the whole of the UK. I want every part of the United Kingdom to be able to make the most of the opportunities ahead." May's tour will also take her to Scotland where the Scottish Parliament will be voting Wednesday after a two-day debate whether to back a new independence referendum to form a breakaway country outside of the United Kingdom. Scotland's first minister Nicola Sturgeon wants a referendum before a final Brexit deal is sealed with Brussels. May has said now is not the time for Scotland to vote on independence, preferring to wait until after Brexit before deciding. Media in Scotland was Monday focusing on what currency Scotland would adopt if it became independent, with choice ranging from the pound sterling to a new currency, though Scotland's former first minister, the SNP's Alex Salmond, has ruled out the euro as a currency in Scotland. The Evening Standard in London reported Monday that a latest opinion poll shows support for Scottish independence is lower today than it was in 2014 when the first independence poll was held. The poll puts backing for Scottish independence at 44 percent, one point lower than when the question was put to Scotland two-and-a-half years ago, while a majority (56 percent) would vote to remain in the United Kingdom. Scottish voters backed remaining in the EU by 62 percent to 38 percent in the Brexit vote last June, compared to the final result for the whole of Britain of 52 percent to 48 percent. by Bedah Mengo NAIROBI, March 20 (Xinhua) -- A drop in value of imports amid rise in exports helped push down Kenya's trade deficit 15 percent in 2016, new economic data showed Monday. The East African nation's trade deficit declined to 8.3 billion U.S. dollars from 9.8 billion dollars in 2015 on account of low import bill. The imports, according to the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) data, fell 9.4 percent to 13.4 billion dollars from 15.5 billion dollars mainly due to low oil prices in 2016. On the other hand, domestic exports increased slightly by 0.5 percent to 4.9 billion dollars from 4.8 billion dollars mainly attributed to increased volumes amid rise in prices of tea, horticulture and coffee. The three accounted for 46 percent of the country's total exports in 2016 compared to 45 percent in 2015, the highest level in six years. During the period, the total value of fuel and lubricant imports declined by 12 percent to slightly above 2 billion to account for only 14.5 percent of the total import bill, compared to 15 percent in 2015. This was a notable improvement from a high of 27 percent in 2011, with the fall being attributed to the low global oil prices in 2016. The oil import bill, according to the economic data, averaged 150 million dollars a month last year from a peak of 437 million dollars in July, 2014. The drop pushed down Kenya's monthly oil import bill to a level witnessed about a decade ago, but the oil prices are currently on the surge again. On the other hand, the value of transport equipment imports dropped by 7 percent to account for 9.8 percent of the total import bill, compared to 17 percent in 2015, partly attributable to the stability of the shilling during the year, analysts noted. Of the major imports, only the value of construction and machinery equipment increased with the surge arising from the ongoing infrastructure projects in Kenya, which include the standard gauge railway. Construction imports increased by 9.9 percent to 3 billion dollars from 2.7 billion dollars in 2015, accounting for 22 percent of the total import bill compared to 18 percent in 2015. "The increase in construction machinery equipment is partly attributable to the continued investment in the infrastructure, which is supportive of developments especially in the real estate sector," said Cytonn, a Nairobi-based Investment firm. During the period, most of the imports came from China, the United States and India as in the past years, while exports went to Uganda, Pakistani and Britain, with the Asian nation being a newcomer. The declining trade deficit, according to Cytonn, is key in supporting the Kenyan shilling to remain within stable levels, although the currency remains exposed to external factors such as the recovery of global oil prices, and weak tea and coffee prices, which are Kenya's main exports. Last week, the Kenya shilling declined 0.5 percent against the U.S. dollar to close the day at 103 mark following increased pressure from oil importers. "Going forward, the trade balance is likely to remain stable given that the import activity is likely to decline as we have observed in early 2017, due to the weakening shilling and tight liquidity in the market limiting the access of credit by traders," said Cytonn. Djiboutian President Ismail Omar Guelleh (L) and Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn attend the press conference at the National Palace in Addis Ababa, capital of Ethiopia, March 17, 2017. (Xinhua/Michael Tewelde) ADDIS ABABA, March 20 (Xinhua) -- Ethiopia and Djibouti have expressed desires to take their strong bilateral relations to a greater height. The announcement was made on Friday when the visiting Djiboutian President Ismail Omar Guelleh held talks with Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn in Addis Ababa, capital of Ethiopia. The two East African countries have signed agreements on extradition and on mutual legal assistance on criminal matters, and a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on cooperation in the fields of justice and legal training. They have expressed commitment to ensuring the implementation of various agreements signed between the two countries at various times. Desalegn and Guelleh have expressed commitment to further extending and cementing the bilateral relations by deepening, diversifying, and widening the scope of cooperation. Acknowledging that free movement of people and goods is pre-requisite to expedite economic integration between the two countries, they also called for rapid operationalization of the recently inaugurated railway between Addis Ababa and Djibouti. Alarmed by the humanitarian crisis caused by drought that has affected the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) region, the two leaders called upon IGAD member states to stand together to withstand the looming disaster. They also appealed to the international community and humanitarian agencies to deliver assistance to the affected people in a matter of urgency. The Djiboutian president has been on an official visit to Ethiopia from March 16 to 18. U.S. President Donald Trump (front) addresses the joint session of Congress, as Vice President Mike Pence (L) and House Speaker Paul Ryan listen, on Capitol Hill in Washington D.C., the United States, Feb. 28, 2017. (Xinhua/Yin Bogu) MOSCOW, March 20 (Xinhua) -- Relations between Russia and the United States have attracted great attention since Donald Trump won the U.S. presidential election last year, as the top leaders of both countries have implied the willingness to build rapprochement. However, two months after Trump's inauguration, bilateral ties have not improved as many expected. In view of deep-rooted conflicts and competing interests, the confrontational pattern between the two countries is unlikely to be reconciled anytime soon, experts say. MULTIPLE FACTORS HINDERING NORMALIZATION It is said that Trump has personally been friendly to Russia and Russian President Vladimir Putin, which may seem to bring a ray of optimism for Russia-U.S. relations. However, with anti-Russian sentiments unprecedentedly dominant in Washington, it is not entirely up to Trump and his aides to shape the actual U.S. foreign policy towards Russia or to break the impasse of bilateral relations between the two countries. The Russia-U.S. relationship has deteriorated in recent years amid the crisis in Ukraine. The United States, along with its Western allies including the European Union, has introduced several rounds of sanctions over Russia's alleged involvement in the Ukrainian conflict, which led to Russia's countermeasures against the West in turn. For the time being, the sanctions tactic shows no sign of ending. Former U.S. national security adviser Michael Flynn was forced to resign last month due to accusations of his secret meeting with Russian ambassador to the United States and pledging sanctions relief against Moscow after Trump took office. U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions is stuck with similar allegations. So far, the Trump administration is suffering the greatest setback since his inauguration. "I think that pressure on Trump will continue on the Russian issue. Russia is a convenient opponent for the U.S. political establishment, and there is some inertness of the conflict in the development of relations inherited from the previous president," said Andrey Kortunov, Director General of the Russian International Affairs Council (RIAC). Facing serious domestic opposition and criticism, the new U.S. president's team is now considering a tone change. Trump has started to distance himself from the previous pro-Russia stance, even calling on Moscow to return Crimea to Ukraine at one point.p On the other hand, anti-U.S. sentiments in Russia are running just as intensely. A report by the Russian pollster Levada Center shows that about 71 percent of Russian citizens surveyed hold a negative attitude towards the United States and its role in the international community, marking a record high in eight years. Mutual hostility stems from opposite national interests. Russia and the United States have been competing with each other in multiple areas including military, economy, foreign affairs and regional strategic positions, and conflicts have escalated over different issues like the hacking dispute, the Syrian crisis and the U.S. THAAD deployment in South Korea. The tension between Moscow and Washington is unlikely to alleviate in the near future and therefore may continue to stand in the way of reconciliation. Within such a context, experts warn that it is important for Russia to manage expectations, and approach opportunities realistically without creating illusions of a new large-scale strategic Russian-U.S. partnership. "Now it is necessary to set tasks aimed not at a complete revision, but at stabilizing relations," Kortunov added, specifying that contacts through civil society and at the level of diplomats, military and special services should be expanded. ROOM FOR ANTI-TERRORISM COOPERATION Despite the clouded prospect of overall Russia-U.S. relationship, there is a silver lining. Fighting international terrorism has been one key aspect of both Putin's and Trump's foreign policies, and the two sides are exploring cooperation in this area. As far as the fight against terrorism is concerned, Trump continues to insist that it is necessary to cooperate with Russia. Putin also said that Russia considers the United States as its most significant partner in anti-terrorism operations. Both leaders have called for coordinated cooperation with each other for the sake of wiping out the Islamic State group and other terror organizations while resolving the Syrian crisis. "If the U.S. government and the Russian government want to do something, there are things they could do," said Paul Saunders, executive director of the Center for the National Interest based in the United States, specifying that there are creative ways in which the two countries could increase cooperation even in this current fraught political environment, particularly by using military-to-military "de-confliction" channels. "If there was some kind of cooperation in Syria that was viewed as a success by the (U.S.) administration, then I think that could help to facilitate contacts on other issues, no question," he added. Nevertheless, concrete details on Trump's policy with regard to terrorism, Syria and the Middle East remain unknown. Even if his administration manages to break through political constraints, its proposition still has to center around national interests. As Russia and the United States have different goals on Syria, the two countries are destined to have a hard time balancing their strategic interests. In addition, some warn that the U.S. alleged stance of double standards and one-sidedness on fighting terrorism could also affect its cooperation with Russia. "If an attack takes place in the United States, it is an act of terrorism, and if it happens in Damascus, then it is a struggle for liberation from the tyrant Assad," Kortunov said. "By the way, I believe that one of the reasons for the failure of the American intervention (in Afghanistan) in 2001 was that the U.S. wanted to do everything unilaterally," Kortunov said, "It is difficult to fight terrorism in such a manner." PHNOM PENH, March 20 (Xinhua) -- Four children, aged between three and four years old, drowned in a pond near their houses in southern Cambodia's Takeo province on Monday, a provincial police chief said. Ouk Samnang, police chief of Takeo province, said the incident occurred at 3:20 p.m. local time in Angkor Borei district and blamed the tragedy to their parents' carelessness. "Twin 4-year-old boys and their two neighborsa 4-year-old boy and a 3-year-old girlwere found dead in the pond about 100 meters from their houses," he told Xinhua. Police concluded that they died of drowning, he said, blaming their parents for leaving them at home alone when they were busy with their farm work. Drownings happen very often in Cambodia, especially in rural areas. On Feb. 28, seven young girls, aged between 6 and 13 years old, drowned in southwestern Preah Sihanouk province after their overloaded wooden boat sank in a reservoir where they went to collect water lilies. BRUSSELS, March 20 (Xinhua) -- The European Union (EU) will unveil its guidelines on Brexit in 48 hours once Britain fires the starting gun to leave the bloc, European Council President Donald Tusk said on Monday. "Within 48 hours of the UK triggering Article 50, I will present the draft Brexit guidelines to the EU27 Member States," Tusk tweeted. His tweet came on the heels of British government's announcement that Prime Minister Theresa May is going to trigger the Article 50 on March 29, formally starting the country's exit from the EU. The move, which comes nine months after a referendum, will officially start the two year process of negotiations about Britain's EU exit. The spokesman said that Britain's Ambassador to the EU Tim Barrow informed the European Council earlier on Monday that Article 50 would be triggered next Wednesday. May is expected to make a statement to the House of Commons shortly after invoking the Article 50. Photo taken on March 14, 2017 shows the "Big Ben" and the UK flag in central London, Britain. The British upper house of the Parliament passed the Brexit Bill Monday night, clearing the last hurdle for the government to trigger Brexit. (Xinhua/Han Yan) LONDON, March 20 (Xinhua) -- Britain is to trigger the process for leaving the European Union on March 29, it was announced Monday by 10 Downing Street. Britain's Permanent Representative to the European Union Tim Barrow Monday morning informed the office of European Council President Donald Tusk of Britain's intention to invoke Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty on March 29, 2017. May is expected to make a full statement to MPs in the House of Commons immediately after the triggering of the Article 50 on next Wednesday. The launch of the Article 50 means the starting of a two-year Brexit talks between London and Brussels on a deal to determine Britain's future relationship with the remaining 27 member states of the EU. That also means the final departure will be no later than March 2019. The announcement Monday meets British Prime Minister Theresa May's longstanding commitment to trigger Article 50 by the end of March 2017. Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union David Davis said "Last June, the people of the UK made the historic decision to leave the EU. Next Wednesday, the Government will deliver on that decision and formally start the process by triggering Article 50." The Brexit secretary said Britain will then be engaged in the most important negotiation "for a generation." The British announcement comes as EU leaders are preparing for a gathering in Rome later this week to mark the 60th anniversary of the Treaties of Rome, which established the European Economic Community (EEC), forerunner to the current EU. May has already announced she will not be attending the event. May embarked Monday on a tour of Britain as part of ongoing engagements with devolved regions ahead of triggering the Article 50. May's tour started in Wales, and will be followed by visits to Scotland and Northern Ireland. Downing Street said in London the tour was part of a series of visits around Britain to enable the prime minister to engage and listen to people from across the nation as it prepares to leave the EU. Ahead of her departure Monday morning, May said "From my first day on the steps of Downing Street, I made clear my determination to strengthen and sustain the precious union. I have also been clear that as we leave the European Union I will work to deliver a deal that works for the whole of the UK. I want every part of the United Kingdom to be able to make the most of the opportunities ahead." May's tour will also take her to Scotland where the Scottish Parliament will be voting Wednesday after a two-day debate whether to back a new independence referendum to form a breakaway country outside of the United Kingdom. Scotland's first minister Nicola Sturgeon wants a referendum before a final Brexit deal is sealed with Brussels. May has said now is not the time for Scotland to vote on independence, preferring to wait until after Brexit. Media in Scotland Monday are focusing on what currency Scotland will adopt if it becomes independent, with choice ranging from the pound sterling to a new currency, though Scotland's former first minister, the SNP's Alex Salmond, has ruled out euro as a currency in Scotland. The Evening Standard in London reported Monday that a latest opinion poll shows support for Scottish independence is lower today than it was in 2014 when the first independence poll was held. The poll puts backing for Scottish independence at 44 percent, one point lower than when the question was put to Scotland two-and-a-half years ago, while a majority (56 percent) would vote to remain in the UK. Scottish voters backed remaining in the EU by 62 percent to 38 percent in the Brexit vote last June, compared to the final result for the whole of Britain of 52 percent to 48 percent. PARIS, March 20 (Xinhua) -- The building housing the French financial prosecutor office in Paris was briefly evacuated on Monday due to a bomb alert following a hoax bomb warning call, according to local reports. Demining services rushed to the building to search for explosives after an anonymous call warning a bomb threat was made at 10:12 a.m. (0912 GMT) to the police, French media reported quoting police sources. The alert was lifted after a 90-minute police search, which found nothing, they added. Security in France was harassed by a series of attacks recent days with the latest targeting a soldier at Orly airport on Saturday. The attack in the busy airport came few days after two separate assaults with one targeting the International Monetary Fund office in Paris and the other involving a heavily-armed teen, "fascinated by firearms," and causing four injuries at a high school in south France. France has already imposed a state of emergency amid deadly assaults claimed by the Islamic State (IS), which have killed 130. CAIRO, March 20 (Xinhua) -- Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi stressed on Monday the importance of a two-state solution to end the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, official Ahram newspaper reported. Sisi's remarks came during his meeting with visiting Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas who arrived Sunday in Cairo for talks with his Egyptian counterpart ahead of the Amman Arab Summit meeting later this month. During the meeting, Abbas briefed the Egyptian president on the latest developments in Palestine in light of the ongoing Israeli settlement activities. The two leaders agreed to push forward with the two-state vision as a way to make peace in the region. The Palestinian president hailed Egypt's role supporting the Palestinian cause as well as its unwavering efforts to end the Palestinian domestic political divide. Abbas started a regional and European tour with aims to lobby support for the Palestinian cause ahead of the upcoming Arab Summit and his visit to the While House in mid April. Sisi will also meet the U.S. President Donald Trump on April 3 and it is expected that the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and the resumption of the stalled peace talks would be part of their discussions. NAY PYI TAW, March 20 (Xinhua) -- Myanmar and the Philippines on Monday signed a memorandum of understanding on food security and agricultural cooperation. The signing was witnessed by Myanmar President U Htin Kyaw and his visiting Philippine counterpart Rodrigo Roa Duterte following their talks. The Philippine President, who arrived Nay Pyi Taw Sunday on a two-day state visit to Myanmar, also met State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi. The pair discussed regional integration in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), enhancing bilateral relation and trade cooperation, providing technical assistance on agriculture and vocational training, Rakhine state issue and humanitarian affairs. They also discussed cooperation in cracking down on human trafficking, drugs and terrorism. Duterte donated 300,000 U.S. dollars as humanitarian aid to Rakhine state through Aung San Suu Kyi who is also the chairperson of Central Committee for the Implementation of Peace and Stability in Rakhine state. The Philippines President also met Myanmar's Commander-In-Chief of Defense Services Senior General Min Aung Hlaing Monday evening. The Philippines and Myanmar established diplomatic ties in 1956. Duterte, on an introductory trip in the region after he took office last May, is to proceed to Thailand after Myanmar visit. SINGAPORE, March 20 (Xinhua) -- Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong will make an official visit to Vietnam from Tuesday to Friday, announced the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) on Monday. In a statement, PMO said Lee will stay in Ho Chi Minh from Tuesday to Wednesday, and Hanoi from Thursday to Friday. Lee will call on Communist Party of Vietnam General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and Vietnam President Tran Dai Quang. He will also meet Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and National Assembly President Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan. Lee will also attend the welcome ceremony at the Presidential Palace and will be hosted to an official dinner by Phuc. While in Ho Chi Minh City, Lee will oversee the opening of the Mapletree Business Centre, attend a luncheon with businessmen based in the city and meet Singaporeans residing in the city. A picture taken on February 23, 2017 shows a billboard, of unknown origin, on a main road leading to the West Bank city of Ramallah, reading in Arabic: "If the choice is between one state or two states, then I am choosing the one state." (Xinhua/AFP Photo) CAIRO, March 20 (Xinhua) -- Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi stressed on Monday the importance of a two-state solution to end the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, official Ahram newspaper reported. Sisi's remarks came during his meeting with visiting Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas who arrived Sunday in Cairo for talks with his Egyptian counterpart ahead of the Amman Arab Summit meeting later this month. During the meeting, Abbas briefed the Egyptian president on the latest developments in Palestine in light of the ongoing Israeli settlement activities. The two leaders agreed to push forward with the two-state vision as a way to make peace in the region. The Palestinian president hailed Egypt's role supporting the Palestinian cause as well as its unwavering efforts to end the Palestinian domestic political divide. Abbas started a regional and European tour with aims to lobby support for the Palestinian cause ahead of the upcoming Arab Summit and his visit to the While House in mid April. Sisi will also meet the U.S. President Donald Trump on April 3 and it is expected that the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and the resumption of the stalled peace talks would be part of their discussions. Hot air balloons take off from the bank of the Awon River during the Hot Air Balloon Festival held in Bristol, 200 kilometers west of Britain's capital London, August 12, 2005. (Xinhua Photo/Ma Jianguo) LONDON, March 20 (Xinhua) -- The south west England city of Bristol was named Sunday as the best place to live in Britain. The coveted accolade described Bristol as a small city that feels like a big city. With a population of less than half a million, it is the biggest city in southern England after London. The city was named as the best place to live by the Sunday Times newspaper after a team examined a list of contenders for the sought after title. A "best places to live" guide published Sunday says Bristol is handily placed for seaside and scenery, but hardly cut off from the rest of the country, "cramming in all the culture you could wish for". Sunday Times Home Editor, Helen Davies, commenting on The Sunday Times Best Places to Live guide, said: "Bristol faced stiff competition from many wonderful places to live across Britain. "But the city is a worthy winner thanks to its ideal combination of extraordinary culture, impressive schools, buzzing culinary scene, exciting redevelopment and community spirit. We sum the city up as cool, classy and supremely creative." Bristol, say the judges, contains all the culture people could wish for, a first choice for restless folk looking to take half a step off the treadmill. It's a city where creative individuals seem to thrive, collaborate and prosper. Known for its stunning Clifton suspension bridge over the River Avon across a deep gorge, locals describe their city as, cool, classy and creative. The internationally famous bridge was built in the 1830s by celebrated British engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel. Bristol expanded as a bustling port town in the 17th century thanks to trade with America. Its position on Britain's west coast gave it a big advantage and in the 18th century it became, along with Liverpool, one of the major cities involved in the slave trade. WINDHOEK, March 20 (Xinhua) -- When 36-year-old Leena Asheela migrated from her village to Oshakati town in northern Namibia, she had big hopes for her life in the urban area. "I couldn't produce enough surplus to support my family in the village due to poor yields. I decided to come to town and set up my shack and seek ways to improve my life and earn an income," she said. Everything seemed sanguine in the beginning: Asheela worked in a bar to earn enough money to build her own shack with corrugated iron, and from there she set up her own tailoring business. Her tailor business has been going well for two years, until the recent flood pelted the region, destroying her high hopes for a better future. "My shack and those of fellow dwellers are now under water. My items and equipment have been damaged, and have no place to stay either," she told Xinhua. Asheela is one of the more than 570 residents of Oshoopla settlement area who have been displaced by the recent flood in the northern part of Namibia. The flood is caused by the overflowing Kunene River, said senior hydrologist Leonard Hango. Water levels in the Cuvelai Iishanas are rising after heavy rains in Angola caused more foods in the catchment. Katarina Kamari, communications officer at Oshakati Town Council, said 571 residents, including 282 children, had been displaced by the floods and were accommodated in 32 tents at Ekuku, another residential under the Oshakati Town Council. "We are grateful that we have been re-located. However we endured losses, and we continue to miss out on making a living for ourselves," said Asheela. Challenges of relocation also persist. "Our tents are leaking because they are old, and we also do not have food," Asheela said. According to Kamari, the town council currently provides food and basic facilities to the flood victims, assisted by local business community and the Namibia Red Cross Society (NRCS) that has distributed first aid items such as toiletries and malaria preventive kit. Oshana region is not the only region affected by the flood. The senior hydrologist said western parts of Ohangwena and northern Omusati regions are also among the hard-hit. In Ohangwena region, according to Hango, residents of Odibo, Onamhinda and Engela have been relocated to Omafo where they lived in temporary shelters. Like Asheela in Oshana region, Victoria Festus in Ohangwena region has been hard-hit by the floods. "We have endured many losses due to the floods, including our livestock and homes," said Festus, a resident of Onamhinda village. As for Asheela, although living in a shelter, she is still reeling from the shattered hopes of a prosperous life by the floods. "This means after the floods, I have to start from scratch again to rebuild my life," she said. While the flood has not yet been declared as a natural disaster, Urban and Rural Development Minister Sophia Shaningwa said aid was coming. "We have already started addressing the challenges of the people here, and we have contact business community to meet us halfway and help," said Shaningwa. JAKARTA, March 20 (Xinhua) -- Indonesia will speed up infrastructure development to provide hospitality accommodations in North Sumatra's Lake Toba, to make it a world-class destination, an official said Monday. Speaking at a press conference in Jakarta, Tourism Minister Arief Yahya said that the government would assure legality of land used for tourism projects around the lake and open a particular environmental conservancy zone. The government aims to develop the area into a major contributor in tourism, he said. A special state agency will also be established to manage the lake and increase fund allocation to finance projects in the destination, he added. "Our ministry would propose a 50 billion rupiah (about 3.7 million U.S. Dollars) of fund addition to finance the projects there," the minister said. The government expects Lake Toba to contribute 5 billion U.S. Dollars to the state coffer from tourism sector by 2019, by serving an estimated 1 million foreign visitors by that time. To popularize the destination, provincial government has set tourism events from May to October this year, showcasing the best of traditional food, cultural performance, sport events and music festivals, a provincial official from North Sumatra added. Lake Toba, formed from a huge volcanic eruption 75,000 years ago, is the largest lake in Southeast Asia region. The lake is part of 10 new tour destinations developed by the Indonesian government, which are expected to par with resort island of Bali in attracting foreign visitors. Indonesia is now taking herculean efforts to build tourism sector since it has been set as the nation's core business. The government has set the target of receiving 20 million foreign visitors, earning more than 24 billion U.S. Dollars by 2019. BEIJING, March 20 (Xinhua) -- China-U.S. relations seem to have found a good rhythm, as U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson wrapped up his visit to China. While Chinese President Xi Jinping said China and the United States could become "good cooperative partners," and that "cooperation is the only correct choice for both countries," Tillerson vowed that the U.S. side is ready to develop relations with China based on the principles of non-confrontation, no conflict, mutual respect and win-win cooperation. Tillerson's reiteration of the important principles originally proposed by China in 2013 is a positive sign for China-U.S. relations, in which cooperation should always prevail. Despite earlier inappropriate words and actions from the U.S. new administration, which had led to worries and doubts about U.S. adherence to the one-China policy, things have gradually come back on track. In a phone conversation on Feb. 10, President Donald Trump said the U.S. government adhered to the one-China policy, reversing his previous stance and sending a positive signal for bilateral relations. Engagement between China and the United States has been moving forward since 1972 when U.S. President Richard Nixon paid a historic visit to China. Over the last four decades, cooperation has been the mainstream in bilateral ties, despite twists and turns. Two-way trade of goods surged from 1 billion U.S. dollars in the 1970s to 500 billion dollars in 2016. China has become the largest trading partner of the United States, while the United States is China's second-largest trading partner. Meanwhile, China-U.S. bilateral trade and investment helped create about 2.6 million jobs in the United States in 2015 across a host of U.S. industries from automobiles and construction equipment, to agriculture. Cooperation between Beijing and Washington has been highlighted in joint efforts on climate change and in handling of the Iranian nuclear issue. These hard-won achievements should be appreciated and valued, especially at a time when the Asia-Pacific and the wider world are facing a thicket of thorny issues that require close coordination between the two countries, such as the tense situation in the Korean Peninsula. Cooperation has prevailed over confrontation for four decades, leading to prosperity in both countries and delivering benefits to the world at large. Let us hope for more optimistic signs on the heels of Tillerson's visit. TOKYO, March 20 (Xinhua) -- Japan and Russia on Monday agreed to continue cooperation in a number of areas including defense, with both sides eyeing future economic collaborations. The pledge was made during a dialogue between Japan's Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida and Defense Minister Tomomi Inada, and Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. The two sides also confirmed a summit between their leaders in Russia late next month. The meeting also focused on bilateral negotiations to conclude a post-World War II peace treaty. "We agreed to discuss closely with a view to produce results on the bilateral negotiations to conclude a post-World War II peace treaty," Japan's foreign minister was quoted by local media as saying. Japan and Russia both claim a group of islands off Japan's northern prefecture of Hokkaido, called the Northern Territories in Japan and the Southern Kurils in Russia. The decades-old territorial spat has prevented the two countries from signing a post-World War II peace treaty and hindered diplomatic and trade relations between the two countries. While the latest round of talks also brought up some issues of contention regarding the deployment of missile defense systems in the region, both parties, while agreeing the next round of talks will be held in Moscow, agreed to cooperate further in areas of defense exchanges. Such exchanges are to include those related to search and rescue operations, they concurred. BEIJING, March 20 (Xinhua) -- China released a reform plan Monday, calling on the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles (CFLAC) to update its literary and art exchange mechanism. The reform plan stressed that the CFLAC should carry out exchanges with international influence and help promote more literary and art works overseas, according to a document released by the General Office of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee. Hailing federations of literary and art circles as a bridge and bond linking the Party and government and literary and art workers, the document stressed that the leadership of the CPC should be upheld in the reform. China's literary and art circles should adhere to socialism with Chinese characteristics, grasp the historic missions of literary and art work and bolster cultural confidence, according to the document. The federations of literary and art circles should build themselves into a cohesive and harmonious home for literary and art workers. The plan contains more than 40 measures and called for building online promotional platforms, boosting Internet literary and art works and promoting the integrated development of conventional and online works. The plan urged the federation to establish a new pattern in literary and art exchange with the Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions (SARs) and Taiwan. According to the plan, efforts should be made to innovate communication to promote mutual understanding between the country's mainland artists and those in Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan. Efforts should be made to enhance the young literary and art workers'recognition and confidence in Chinese culture in the SARs and Taiwan, it read. Photo taken on March 20, 2017 shows Ma Zhaoxu, head of the Chinese mission to the United Nations in Geneva, addressing at a general debate in the 34th Session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland. Ma Zhaoxu called upon international community to improve global human rights governance. (Xinhua/Xu Jinquan) GENEVA, March 20 (Xinhua) -- Ma Zhaoxu, head of the Chinese mission to the United Nations in Geneva, Monday called upon international community to improve global human rights governance. "In a globalized world, countries are increasingly interconnected in their interests with a shared destiny. However, global challenges pose threats to the well-being of people of all countries," he addressed at a general debate in the 34th Session of the Human Rights Council, on behalf of a cross-regional group of 36 developing countries. He highlighted it is high time to develop and improve global human rights governance, promote healthy and sustainable development of international human rights cause, and pool in our efforts to build a community of shared future for human beings. With this objective, the Chinese diplomat proposed that the international community should stay committed to sovereign equality, multilateralism, mutually beneficial cooperation, openness and inclusiveness, as well as peace and development. "We should develop and improve UN human rights institutions, ensure the fulfillment of their mandates in an impartial, objective, constructive and non-selective manner, give equal attention to all categories of human rights, and facilitate seeking common ground amidst differences and building consensus among all parties, with a view to injecting strong impetus into international human rights cause," he said. "Without peace and development, human rights are like a tree without roots," he said. "We should be committed to maintaining sustained peace, realizing common development, with a view to laying a solid foundation for the promotion and protection of human rights." (Xinhua file photo) ISTANBUL, March 20 (Xinhua) -- The Syrian refugee card that Turkey is playing to push the EU to grant visa-free travel for Turkish citizens risks failure, as many of the refugees choose to stay in Turkey instead of leaving for a hostile Europe, analysts here said. "Even if the doors are opened (by Turkey), I don't think the refugees would flock to Europe in large numbers as was the case in the past," Metin Corabatir, president of the Ankara-based Research Center on Asylum and Migration, told Xinhua. The Turkish government feels the EU has failed to honor a jointly-concluded refugee deal by not having so far granted Turkish citizens visa-free travel to the Schengen countries within the bloc. Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu threatened last week to "blow the mind" of Europe by allowing 15,000 refugees to flock to Europe each month. Turkey officially hosts around 3.6 million refugees, some 3.2 million of whom are Syrians. Turkey inked the refugee pact with the EU in November 2015 to stop the illegal migration toward Europe in return for visa-free travel for its citizens, revival of its long-stalled accession talks and financial aid for refugees in Turkey. "I feel many of the Syrians have already started to establish a life for themselves in Turkey," said Corabatir. Noting it became clear in 2015 that Europe was not waiting for the refugees with open arms, he added, "Leaving for Europe would be a big risk for the refugees." According to the UN refugee agency, a total of 844,000 refugees, the majority of whom Syrians, illegally migrated to Greece via Turkey in 2015. Some also illegally entered Greece and Bulgaria through the Turkish border in Thrace. Many of the refugees made it to Germany, but had to face great hardships on their way due to cold weather, long walks and bad treatment at border passes. Hundreds of refugees got drowned in the Aegean while trying to reach Greek islands. Some countries built fences to stop the refugees from entering their territories, with Bulgaria expected to complete in May a 270-km-long fence along the Turkish border to prevent illegal migration. European politicians have felt threatened by the mass arrivals as anti-refugee sentiment has risen on the continent. "Other than small groups, I don't expect there to be a big wave of migrants toward Europe any more," Murat Bilhan, deputy chairman of the Istanbul-based think tank Turkish Asian Center for Strategic Studies, told Xinhua. Following the deal, irregular migration to Europe through Turkish shores has sharply fallen thanks largely to measures taken by Turkey along its Aegean coast and its border in Thrace. Turkey expected the EU, based on the deal updated in March last year, to grant visa-free travel by last October, arguing that it had fulfilled all the 72 benchmarks required under the deal. The EU argues, however, that there are still several benchmarks Turkey needs to meet, like narrowing the definition of terrorism in the criminal law. Various reports penned by Turkish researchers in recent years have argued that many of the Syrians are here to stay. Bilhan, the former diplomat, feels that a recent ban by some EU countries on campaign rallies by several Turkish cabinet ministers may well be linked to this fact about Syrians in Turkey. The Syrians have managed in one way or another to scrape a living in Turkey and are well aware of Europe's negative attitude toward migrants, he noted. Currently, 258,000 of the roughly 3.2 million Syrians in Turkey are hosted in camps in various cities, while the rest are left to their own devices. The refugee issue was once again raised by Turkey last week following a spat with Germany and the Netherlands, two EU members that barred Turkish ministers from addressing Turkish immigrants ahead of a key referendum in Turkey. Soylu's remarks came after Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu warned that Turkey could cancel the refugee deal, accusing the EU of having failed to do its part. "If there is no visa-free travel, we may cancel the migration deal," Cavusoglu said. European Commission President Jean Claude Juncker denied in remarks to the German daily Bild am Sonntag on Sunday that the deal with Turkey exposed the EU to blackmail. Juncker told the German daily that he was convinced Ankara would not rip off the deal because that was "not in Turkey's interests to have smuggling rings and bandits in charge along its coast." Junker also reportedly said the refugee arrivals in Greece from Turkey diminished by 97 percent thanks to the deal. Under the deal, Turkey agreed to get back all migrants who have illegally made it to Greece or Bulgaria via its territory, while the EU would admit the same number of refugees hosted in Turkey. Turkey is no longer implementing the readmission agreement and will not implement the refugee agreement either unless the EU keeps its promises, Cavusoglu said. Accusing the EU of stalling over the visa-free travel, Cavusoglu added, "We are using none of the trump cards in our hand as a threat." Turkey's chief ombudsman Seref Malkoc said in January that some 80 percent of the Syrians should be expected to stay in Turkey, judging from data regarding refugee behavior in the world. "The UN data tells us that 80 percent of those who fled their country in mass migration remain in the country they went to," Malkoc said. It was also widely argued in the past years that many of the Syrians who already left for Europe were generally better qualified than those who remained in Turkey. According to data released by Turkey's migration management organization, one third of the Syrians in Turkey are illiterate. "Despite all shortcomings, Turkey is almost the only country that offers protection to Syrians," remarked Corabatir. Both Corabatir and Bilhan think that asking Syrian refugees to go to Europe would be inhumane and that the interior minister's remarks are just rhetoric. Devlet Bahceli, leader of Turkey's Nationalist Movement Party, also indirectly criticized the interior minister, saying Syrian refugees should not be treated as a weapon. "That's not humane," he was quoted as saying by the Hurriyet daily. When the EU delayed paying Turkey the sum of money to be spent on Syrians, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also warned back in February 2016 that Turkey could let Syrians leave for Greece by bus. A couple of months before Erdogan's statement, a large number of Syrians were gathered in the Turkish city of Edirne on the Greek border. They were stopped by the government from leaving for Greece by bus in the end. According to their deal, the EU is obliged to pay Turkey 3 billion euros (3.23 billion U.S. dollars) for the Syrians until the end of this year. So far, the bloc has actually paid about 700 million euros (753 million dollars), although a total of 2.2 billion euros (2.37 billion dollars) have been allocated to be used in projects regarding the refugees. Turkey, for its part, is taking steps for the Syrians to be integrated into the Turkish society. A total of 5,016 Syrians have so far been granted work permit by the Turkish government, while reports reveal that hundreds of thousands of Syrians are illegally working with very low wages. Ankara is also preparing to grant citizenship to around 80,000 Syrians, roughly 20,000 families, following the referendum in April in which Turks will vote on whether to replace the country's parliamentarian system with an executive presidency. Syrians in Turkey have set up some 5,000 businesses, according to data by last November unveiled by the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi delivers a speech at the China Development Forum 2017 in Beijing, capital of China, March 20, 2017. (Xinhua/Li Xin) BEIJING, March 20 (Xinhua) -- China and the United States can sidestep the Thucydides Trap and the Kindleberger Trap and jointly chart bilateral ties from a long-term perspective, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Monday in Beijing. "China has the confidence to avoid the historical precedent through enhanced dialogue and coordination with the U.S. side," Wang said during a luncheon speech at the 2017 China Development Forum (CDF). As the interests of emerging powers and established powers converge in an interconnected world, conflicts will lead to nothing but a lose-lose situation, Wang said. The Thucydides Trap refers to a warning by the ancient Greek historian that cataclysmic war can erupt if a rising power causes fear in an established power. The two countries will not fall to the Kindleberger Trap either, Wang said, as a single country cannot provide all public goods for the world with such complexity, and international cooperation is the only possible choice. Charles Kindleberger, an intellectual architect of the Marshall Plan who later taught at MIT, believes that the disastrous decade of the 1930s was caused by the U.S. replacing Britain as the largest global power but failing to take on Britain's role in providing public goods. Applauding U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson's remarks during his recent visit to China, Wang said that China stands ready to advance bilateral ties from a strategic perspective. Tillerson said that the United States and China should jointly chart bilateral ties for the next 50 years and plan all-round cooperation. On the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue, Wang said that solutions proposed by China, including the "parallel-track approach", denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula and replacing the Korean armistice with a peace agreement at the same time, as well as the "suspension-for-suspension proposal," that is the DPRK's suspension of missile and nuclear activities in exchange for a halt of the large scale U.S.-ROK exercises, are realistic and reasonable. "Such solutions aim for resuming talks and early harvests," Wang said, adding that it is necessary to adopt a more flexible attitude and be creative in solving the issue. China stands ready to shoulder its due international responsibilities, but never wants to lead the world, Wang said. China has established different kinds of partnership with 97 countries and international organizations. Wang said that China will continue to expand such partnerships. MOSCOW, March 20 (Xinhua) -- United Nations Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura will visit Moscow ahead of a new round of Geneva meeting for Syrian settlement, local media reported Monday. "De Mistura will meet Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Wednesday to discuss Syrian reconciliation," the RIA Novosti news agency quoted an unnamed diplomatic source as saying. The U.N. envoy is coming at a time when his rift with Damascus grows ahead of the new round of Geneva talks scheduled for Thursday. Damascus accused De Mistura of showing preferences for certain sides, instead of defending the interests of all participants in intra-Syrian talks, according to Konstantin Kosachev, chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Russian upper house of parliament. "These claims possibly have grounds, but it is not enough to interrupt dialogue with the U.N. envoy," Kosachev told reporters on Monday. Russia is seeking to resolve the disputes between Damascus and De Mistura, he said. Several rounds of talks have been held in Geneva under the auspices of the U.N. for a political settlement of the chronic Syrian civil war, but progress has been difficult to make. There has been a parallel process in Astana, Kazakhstan, since January 23, with Russia, Turkey and Iran as the mediators. BANGKOK, March 20 (Xinhua) -- Thai police have arrested a man with 1.1 million methamphetamine pills in northern Thailand on Monday, local media reported. Police from Narcotics Suppression Bureau(NSB) stopped a six-wheel truck at a checkpoint in Lampang Province, only to find 1.1 million speed pills in wrapped packages inside three 200-liter plastic containers. According to police, the driver, 30, said he bought the truck in northern Thailand early last month and had been hired to deliver drugs with his truck from the north of the country to the central part and the south. Local media said drug dealers turn to use trucks in drug delivery, taking it for granted that police would not check the big vehicle as it may cause traffic jams. As a result, many checkpoints are equipped with x-ray machines to scan for drugs including the one where the meth pills were found, said police. Local reports said some of the drugs were to be sold inside Thailand, while the rest were to be trafficked to Europe and America. by Denis Elamu Juba, March 20 (Xinhua) -- At least two new militia groups have been formed in South Sudan within two weeks, stoking fears their sudden rise would worsen the conflict in the country, analysts said Monday. Augustino Ting Mayai, analyst with Juba-based think tank Sudd Institute, told Xinhua that the current proliferation of militia groups will exacerbate violence and humanitarian suffering as the country is faced with a man-made famine caused by fighting. "The fact is more rebel groups amount to more violence and suffering. There is no coordinated strategy to resolution of the conflict," he said. This came after the February defections of top military officers like Lt. General Thomas Cirilo, the former deputy head of logistics in the South Sudanese army (SPLA) who formed the National Salvation Front (NSF) to overthrow President Salva Kiir's regime. And other peripheral rebel groups like the Cobra faction in the northeast Pibor area led by Khalid Boutros and South Sudan Democratic Forces rebels operating in Equatoria region have been co-opted into the NSF. Mayai added that these defections have been driven by perception of ethnic domination by President Kiir's Dinka tribe at the expense of Machar's Nuer tribe and other 62 ethnic groups. In May 2014, the Cobra faction agreed a peace accord with the government and most of its fighters were integrated into the SPLA, but again rebelled last year citing failure to implement the peace accord. Festus Mogae, Chairperson of the Jointing Monitoring Evaluation Commission (JMEC) that monitors the peace deal revealed in early February that more militias driven by opportunism and criminal objective have sprung up since the renewed July clash in 2016. "The whole argument of defections can be put on two things. Some of these people may not have been given opportunities. The second thing is some of them rebel to get money and power," said Jacob Dut Chol, a lecturer of politics at Juba University. "It's kind of endless thing it might not end soon in South Sudan because when you rebel you have to be brought back and given a position. And then for somebody else who has seen you driving a big car, sleeping in a hotel, dating the best women will decide that actually it's his turn to rebel," he explained. The government earlier downplayed these developments, saying they won't cause regime change as they are a work of disgruntled individuals driven by ethnic chauvinism. But, also the rebels allied to former first vice President Riek Machar (SPLA-IO) have been hit with defections after some of their top military soldiers shifted allegiance to General Cirilo's NSF. During the more than two decades of civil war of independence from Sudan, the then guerilla-cum-ruling Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) managed to survive factionalism leading to splinter sections and finally won South Sudanese sovereignty from Sudan in 2011. "This has been a lucrative business for South Sudanese politicians and therefore it is not ending soon. It's how we started our government. In 2006 the government started what we called the South-South dialogue. It was meant to bring all militias that were marauding in South Sudan and they were all absorbed into the SPLA," Chol revealed. Meanwhile, James Alic Garang, a lecturer of Economics at Upper Nile University, told Xinhua that defections clearly indicate peace is yet to hold in the country. "In principle, these defections carry with them high opportunity costs in terms of lost limbs, foregone earnings and induced macro-economic instability," he said. "Of course, the peace agreement is still alive but much has to be done to resurrect it from collapsing. In other words, initiatives such as the recent call for the national dialogue by the president are the right thing to do. The only downside is the manner of doing it, more must be done to ensure that it is really inclusive, transparent and comprehensive," Garang added. President Kiir initiated the national dialogue last December aimed at uniting and reconciling warring factions, but rebel leader Riek Machar has not warmed up to the dialogue. "Someone rebels with lower rank, adorns them in the bush and returns with high ranks. As a condition for solidifying peace, they are absorbed into the army with their new ranks and that means higher economic opportunities. This has financially bled the country and yet enriched individual war merchants," Garang disclosed. The lack of punishment and accountability for returnee militia leaders in the past has created a culture of impunity that encourages a cycle of defections, Chol explained. "The consequences are that you cannot have development, peace, security and very stable country where people are working hard. Simply because rebellion is what the government keeps an eye on. Any small resource that comes in goes to security sector to make sure that people buy peace," he said. It is actually rent-seeking behavior which is difficult, people must change from that and think of what they can do for their lives, he revealed. "It is unlikely the rebels will succeed in toppling the Kiir regime, but what will happen is that there will be disturbances on the government of the day in terms of development," Chol said. PYONGYANG, March 20 (Xinhua) -- The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) on Monday blasted the U.S. administration for pressurizing Pyongyang with threatening remarks when U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson visited Asia recently. Tillerson said Friday at a joint press conference with his South Korean counterpart Yun Byung-se in Seoul that all options were on the table to resolve the Korean Peninsula's nuclear issue, including diplomatic, security and economic measures. Tillerson said that a so-called "strategic patience" policy toward the DPRK has ended, referring to the U.S. foreign policy in the past decade under which Washington had refrained from having talks with Pyongyang before its sincere efforts at denuclearization. The top U.S. diplomat indicated a need for tougher U.N. Security Council sanctions on the DPRK's nuclear program and other weapons of mass destruction. "The DPRK has the will and capability to fully respond to any war the U.S. would like to ignite," said an unnamed spokesman for the DPRK foreign ministry in response to those remarks in a statement released by the state-run news agency KCNA. "What matters is that neither Obama nor Tillerson knows the reason why the DPRK had to have access to nuclear weapons and why it is dynamically bolstering up the nuclear force," said the spokesman. He called the nuclear weapons of the DPRK "treasured sword of justice" and the "most reliable war deterrence to defend the socialist motherland and the life of its people." Tillerson began Wednesday his first three-nation Asian tour that took him to Japan, South Korea and China. KATHMANDU, March 20 (Xinhua)-- A multinational peacekeeping exercise with the participation of 1,024 peacekeeper trainers and cadets from 28 countries started in Nepal Monday, the Nepalese Army said. Nepalese Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal inaugurated the two-week long training, which is named Shanti Prayas-III' and aimed at enhancing peacekeeping capabilities. Jointly organized by the Nepalese Army and US Pacific Command, the exercise is taking place at Birendra Peace Operations Training Centre in Panchkhal of Kavre District. Addressing the program, the prime minister said that the UN peacekeepers are the vanguard and one of the key tools of the international community to restore peace and security in the conflict-torn areas. "In the midst of challenges, their dedication and devotion with professionalism, honesty and impartiality have made them beacon of the global peace," he said. "This is a moment when we solemnly remember those brave and selfless peacekeepers who have sacrificed their lives for the cause of world peace. On behalf of the Nepalese people I salute and pay homage to those valiant Nepalese and other peacekeepers of the world." Dahal stressed that promotion of international peace and security are issues of paramount importance for the United Nations. "Nepal has been consistently supporting the United Nations efforts in the maintenance of international peace and security through continuous participation in the UN Peacekeeping missions," he said. In his opening remarks, Admiral Harry B.Harris, commander of the US Pacific Command, reiterated the United States' commitment to U.N. peacekeeping initiatives and the importance of working together. "The United States is committed to U.N. peacekeeping missions, mandates and tasks that support the rules-base of international order...a system that benefits all nations. That's why we continue to work together with partners from the countries you all represent," Harris said. BUDAPEST, March 20 (Xinhua) -- Stability of Europe depends on the Balkans, the Hungarian President Janos Ader said Monday at a press conference following a meeting with his Macedonian counterpart Gjorge Ivanov. "The stability of the Balkans relies on two things, on the increase or the decrease of the migration pressure on the Balkans, and thus on Macedonia, and whether the Balkan countries possess a clear integration perspective or not," Ader told reporters, adding that a clear integration strategy and perspective would have a stabilizing effect on Macedonia and the whole Balkan region. The Hungarian president recalled that the objectives of Macedonia are well known since a long time, which are the accession to the EU and NATO. He said now it's time to start the significant negotiations. Macedonian President Ivanov said that EU and NATO leaders must convey a "clear and unequivocal" message to Macedonia, one that gives a perspective in which the accession process is supported and not blocked. He also said that the cooperation between Macedonia and Hungary was a great example of how a member state and a country seeking membership should work together. "The two countries would like to continue the well harmonized cooperation regarding the migration issue, which is especially important when the migrants are not coming only from one way, but more," he explained, referring to a new central Asian route being outlined. Nevertheless, he stressed that the leaders in Brussels should not forget that the most practical, fastest and cheapest route of the smugglers was still leading through the Balkans. After meeting with President Ader, the Macedonian president also met with the Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban. The latter said that "common faith united Hungary and Macedonia," according to the leader of his press service, Bertalan Havas. "Hungary regards Macedonia with friendly positions, and is very much appreciating Macedonia's efforts in keeping the Balkan route closed to the migrants, thus contributing to the defense of Europe," Havas underlined. LAGOS, March 20 (Xinhua) -- Daredevil armed robbers on Monday killed two policemen in an operation in northwest Nigeria's Sokoto State, a senior police officer said. Mohammed Abdulkadir, the state Commissioner of Police, told Xinhua that the policemen were attacked and killed while on duty at a mega station. The police chief believed that the armed hoodlums had targeted the filling station's sales of Friday, Saturday and Sunday. "They made a futile attempt to open the safe of the filling station," he said. "No arrest was made as of now, but we have swung into action to apprehend the fleeing hoodlums and bring them to book," he added. Enditem Chinese Premier Li Keqiang meets with foreign representatives of the China Development Forum (CDF) 2017 in Beijing, capital of China, March 20, 2017. (Xinhua/Pang Xinglei) BEIJING, March 20 (Xinhua) -- China will open its door wider to the outside world, said Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on Monday. Li made the remarks when meeting with overseas representatives at the China Development Forum (CDF) in Beijing. China will relax market access in service industries, manufacturing and mining, said Li China supports foreign-funded enterprises to list and issue bonds in China and participate in national science and technology programs as well as infrastructure construction, he said. China will streamline the administrative procedures for foreign investments and create a fair competition environment for all companies registered in China, he said. He welcomed more foreign companies to invest in China, cooperate with Chinese enterprises and enjoy development opportunities together. Li said the Chinese economy has achieved steady growth, with continued improvement in its quality and efficiency. China is making efforts to advance supply side structural reform, seek growth driven by innovation, promote entrepreneurship and the "Internet Plus" plan, and to streamline administration, he said. China will continue to boost the healthy development of emerging industries and is willing to deepen cooperation with foreign governments and enterprises in this field, said Li. He hoped that other countries overcome the problems of globalization and properly deal with frictions and divergences through dialogue and consultation. China will steadfastly advance the liberalization and facilitation of trade and investment, safeguard multilateral trade and support open and transparent regional free trade arrangements, said the premier. Li answered questions from Stuart Gulliver, the chief executive of the bank HSBC, former U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Lawrence Summers, Apple CEO Tim Cook, Martin Wolf, chief economics commentator for the Financial Times and Columbia University professor Edmund Phelps. Overseas representatives lauded China's remarkable progress in stabilizing growth and restructuring the economy, as well as China's active role in coping with climate change. The representatives voiced their willingness of participating in China's reform and opening-up process and expanding their partnerships with China. The CDF, organized by the Development Research Center of the State Council, is a high-level meeting that gathers leaders from international institutions, academia and companies worldwide. It is usually held after the annual sessions of China's national legislature and political advisory body. WINDHOEK, March 20 (Xinhua) -- Amid lackluster economy and surging unemployment, some Namibians have found solace in the road construction sector, where, thanks to some Chinese projects, new jobs are emerging. Among them is Elina Nashixwa, a human resource manager for China Henan International Cooperation Group, which recently upgraded a road linking Otjinene with Okamatapati in the east Omaheke region. The over 140-km road that was upgraded to bitumen standards by the company was inaugurated by President Hage Geingob last week. Nashixwa has been part of the project for the past three years and she says the whole industry has transformed her life in ways she could have never imagined. "I am blessed to be a part of this project which has employed half thousand young Namibians who three years ago were unemployed. I now have skills that I did not have before," she said. The massive motorway construction program envisioned by Namibia is set to improve transport connections and boost the country's economy. The new motorways, as well as many new rural roads being built, will connect the country's many small and remote villages to the main road network. Yet apart from improving transportation and boosting trade, Nashixwa suggests the road has transformed many local people's lives in a more specific way. Among the locals the company hired, many started off with no knowledge to become skilled and specialized. Nashixwa is in charge of organizational development, industrial relations and recruitment, and she said apart from managerial positions, locals also took up jobs that require very special skills. "Final cutters operate the grader machine for the tar to be leveled, which is very complicated and all this knowledge was taught by the Chinese nationals," she said. The new bitumen-standard road between Gobabis and Grootfontein links the Omaheke and Otjozondjupa regions via the Otjinene-Okondjatu and Okamatapati settlements. Construction on the project started in December 2013, and the final section is a 110-km stretch between Okamatapati and Grootfontein that will be launched in July. More than 15 small and medium enterprises were involved in the construction of the road and 500 people were employed during the peak period. A further 300 unskilled Namibian were also engaged during the construction. The Otjinene-Okamatapati road forms part of the Southern African Regional Trunk Road linking Mozambique, South Africa and Botswana with Angola via Namibia. Namibia was once accorded the top position for having the best roads in Africa by the World Economic Forum (WEF), which found Namibia's roads to be the best in Africa and of similar quality to those in Britain and Puerto Rico. The expansion of the road network has already started to bear fruit as many communities in Namibia are now able to sell their products to major urban centers in the country and beyond. Also, the road infrastructure of Namibia continues to contribute to the economic growth of other SADC countries as Namibia is currently accessible by all the SADC member states, with land-locked countries such as Zambia, Zimbabwe and the Democratic Republic of Congo now having access to the Atlantic Ocean via the Port of Walvis Bay. By Ejidiah Wangui NAIROBI, March 20 (Xinhua) -- The World Bank has committed 57 billion U.S dollars to development projects in Sub-Saharan Africa in the next three fiscal years, said a press release from the Bretton Woods Institution on Monday. Jim Yong Kim, World Bank Group President said the funds will support implementation of projects that transforms the livelihoods of communities in the world's second largest continent. Kim who is currently on a trip to Rwanda and Tanzania to emphasize the World Bank's support for the entire region including Kenya, said the bulk of the financing (45 billion U.S dollars) will come from the International Development Association (IDA), the lender' special fund for the poorest nations. He said the funds will cover health, education, and infrastructure projects such as expanding water distribution and access to power. Kim indicated that while much of the estimated 45 billion U.S dollars in IDA financing will be dedicated to country-specific programs, significant amounts will be available through special "windows" to finance regional initiatives and transformative projects, support refugees and their host communities, and help countries in the aftermath of crises. "This represents an unprecedented opportunity to change the development trajectory of the countries in the region," Kim added. Expected IDA outcomes include essential health and nutrition services for up to 400 million people, access to improved water sources for up to 45 million, and 5 gigawatts (GW) of additional generation capacity for renewable energy. The scaled-up IDA financing will build on a portfolio of 448 ongoing projects in Africa totaling to about 50 billion U.S dollars. Of this, a 1.6 billion U.S dollars financing package is being developed to tackle the imminent famine threat in parts of Sub-Saharan Africa. The financing for Sub-Saharan Africa also will include an estimated 8 billion U.S dollars in private sector investments from the International Finance Corporation (IFC), a private sector arm of the Bank Group, and 4 billion U.S. dollars from the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the bank's unit for middle-income nations. "To support countries' development priorities, scaled-up investments will focus on tackling conflict, fragility, and violence; building resilience to crises including forced displacement, climate change and pandemics, and reducing gender inequality. Efforts will also promote governance and institution building, as well as jobs and economic transformation," Kim said. The funding is expected to be rolled out from July 1 this year to June 30, 2020. BANGKOK, March 20 (Xinhua) -- Twenty-four undocumented Myanmar workers have been found in two mail trucks in southern Thailand, local media Monday reported. Local reports said the truck drivers of a mail company were arrested early Monday when they were trafficking the migrant workers from Thailand's central provinces to the southern part of the country. Two dozens of Myanmar workers, reported 20 men and four women, were stuck inside the two mail trucks and unregistered. According to the Nation newspaper, the drivers, who confessed that they had made three successful trips to the south in the past months, were paid about 37 to 42 dollars per worker. They were charged with smuggling illegal workers. Police are investigating into the human trafficking network. Thailand has come under fire in recent years for worker exploitation and abuses against its migrant laborers the vast majority from neighboring Myanmar. Many workers pay exorbitant agent fees to be smuggled into Thailand for dangerous and demeaning jobs, earning salaries below the minimum wage. Thailand has pushed through policies in an effort to combat human trafficking and forced labor. Enditem LAGOS, March 20 (Xinhua) -- Nigeria has attained self-sufficiency in the production of cement and is now an exporter of the commodity, Minister for Solid Minerals Development, Kayode Fayemi said Monday. In a statement made available to Xinhua in Lagos, Nigeria's economic hub, the minister ascribed the feat to Dangote Cement which spearheaded the backward integration policy introduced by the government. The minister who leads a team of the federal government to the Dangote Cement plants in Ibese, Ogun State, said the government is happy with the leadership roles played by Dangote Cement in executing the backward integration policy in the cement industry. The Group Managing Director of Dangote Cement, Onne Van der Weijde had in February while presenting the financial results of the company for 2016, declared that the Company had commenced exportation of cement to Nigeria's neighboring countries. "We exported nearly 0.4Mt into neighboring countries and in doing so, we achieved a great milestone by transforming Nigeria into a net exporter of cement," he added. "This is a remarkable achievement, given that only five years ago, in 2011, Nigeria was one of the world's largest importers, buying 5.1Mt of foreign cement at huge expense to our balance of payments. We will increase our exports substantially in 2017," he said. Meanwhile, the minister said it is a success story that Nigeria which few years ago imported over 60 percent of her cement needs now can produce to meet local demands and still export to other nations, which is highly commendable. "As you all know, as the federal government moves to diversify the economy away from oil, two areas the government is focusing on are agriculture and solid minerals. This is why we are embarking on tour of mining operations across the country to know the challenges they face and what could be done to tackle those challenges," he said. "What Dangote is doing is marvelous. We need to commend them. The way they led the backward integration policy to turn around our fortunes in the cement industry. I am delighted to see the development here bigger than what I saw the last time. And we are looking at how we can replicate the successes in the cement industry in other non-oil sectors of our economy," the minister added. Fayemi said besides the mining operations, government is also trying to see how the big plants are running in an environmentally friendly manner as observed in Dangote Cement. Earlier, the Honourary Adviser to the President of Dangote Group, Joseph Makoju said Dangote Cement operates the largest cement mining operations across the country. He told his guests that Dangote Dangote cement also operates the largest coal mining to generate power as alternative to gas since the supply of gas has been plagued with incessant disruptions. He added that over 50 percent of power need of the cement plants are generated from coal. Dangote Cement is Africa's leading cement producer with nearly 46Mta capacity across Africa, a fully integrated quarry-to-customer producer with production capacity of 29.25Mta in Nigeria. Its Obajana plant in Kogi state, Nigeria, is the largest in Africa with 13.25Mta of capacity across four lines. The Ibese plant in Ogun State has four cement lines with a combined installed capacity of 12Mta. The Gboko plant in Benue state has 4Mta. The company plans to build new factories in Ogun State (3-6Mta) and Edo State (6.0Mta). In addition, it has invested several billions U.S. dollars to build manufacturing plants and import/grinding terminals across Africa. The group operations are in Cameroon (1.5Mta clinker grinding), Congo (1.5Mta), Ghana (1.0Mta import), Ethiopia (2.5Mta), Senegal (1.5Mta), Sierra Leone (0.7Mta import), South Africa (3.3Mta), Tanzania (3.0Mta), and Zambia (1.5Mta). Enditem Chinese Premier Li Keqiang holds a welcome ceremony for visiting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu before their talks in Beijing, capital of China, March 20, 2017. (Xinhua/Pang Xinglei) BEIJING, March 20 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Li Keqiang held talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Beijing on Monday, vowing to advance innovation cooperation. Li suggested the two sides to beef up cooperation in areas of basic science, modern agriculture, clean energy and biomedicine. He urged the two sides to speed up negotiation on the establishment of a bilateral free trade area, so as to send out a clear signal of safeguarding free trade. China is ready to work with Israel to push forward infrastructure cooperation, such as ports and light rail projects, and explore possibility of cooperation in third-party market, he said. As a mutual friend of Israel and Palestine, China has no private interest and hopes to see peaceful coexistence of the two sides at an early date, said Li. He hoped that the two sides would adhere to the right direction of the two-state solution to restart the peace talks as soon as possible. China will continue to work with international community to play a constructive role for the peace, stability and development of the Middle East, said the premier. Netanyahu said Israel is willing to strengthen innovation cooperation with China in areas including smart vehicle, modern health care, clean energy, telecommunications, marine fishery, agriculture and water conservation. Israel hopes to accelerate negotiation on bilateral free trade area, so as to expand two-way investments, he said, adding that Israel is ready to enhance education cooperation with China to support their innovation partnership. He said Israel welcomes Chinese companies to participate in its infrastructure projects and is ready to enhance transportation cooperation with China. Israel appreciates China's constructive role in the Middle East peace process, said Netanyahu. After their talks, Li and Netanyahu witnessed the signing of agreements for cooperation in economy, science and technology, commerce and civil aviation. Netanyahu is paying an official visit to China from March 19 to 22 at the invitation of Li. UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura shows a picture of the ceremony welcoming the Syrian government and opposition delegations as he attends the press conference in Geneva, Switzerland on March 3, 2017. (Xinhua/Xu Jinquan) MOSCOW, March 20 (Xinhua) -- United Nations Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura will visit Moscow ahead of a new round of Geneva meeting for Syrian settlement, local media reported Monday. "De Mistura will meet Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Wednesday to discuss Syrian reconciliation," the RIA Novosti news agency quoted an unnamed diplomatic source as saying. The U.N. envoy is coming at a time when his rift with Damascus grows ahead of the new round of Geneva talks scheduled for Thursday. Damascus accused De Mistura of showing preferences for certain sides, instead of defending the interests of all participants in intra-Syrian talks, according to Konstantin Kosachev, chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Russian upper house of parliament. "These claims possibly have grounds, but it is not enough to interrupt dialogue with the U.N. envoy," Kosachev told reporters on Monday. Russia is seeking to resolve the disputes between Damascus and De Mistura, he said. Several rounds of talks have been held in Geneva under the auspices of the U.N. for a political settlement of the chronic Syrian civil war, but progress has been difficult to make. There has been a parallel process in Astana, Kazakhstan, since January 23, with Russia, Turkey and Iran as the mediators. WASHINGTON, March 20 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director James Comey said on Monday there was no evidence to support U.S. President Donald Trump's claim that his predecessor Barack Obama ordered wiretapping of the Trump Tower in the 2016 election. "With respect to the president's tweets about alleged wiretapping directed at him by the prior administration, I have no information that supports those tweets," said Comey here at a congressional hearing. "And we have looked carefully inside the FBI. The Department of Justice has asked me to share with you that the answer is the same for the Department of Justice and all its components. The Department has no information that supports those tweets," he added. Meanwhile, Comey confirmed publicly for the first time that the FBI was investigating alleged Russian efforts to meddle in the 2016 U.S. election, including possible links between Moscow and the campaign of U.S. President Donald Trump. The probe included investigating the "nature of any links between individuals associated with the Trump campaign and the Russian government and whether there was any coordination between the campaign and Russia's efforts," said Comey. On March 4, Trump claimed in a tweet storm that Obama had wiretapped Trump Tower before his election victory, offering no evidence. Hours after Trump tweeted, Obama's spokesman said Trump's wiretapping accusation is "simply false". Speaking at the beginning of the hearing on Monday, Republican lawmaker Devin Nunes, chairman of U.S. House Select Intelligence Committee, also acknowledged that "there was not a physical wiretap of Trump Tower." "However, it's still possible that other surveillance activities were used against President's Trump and his associates," he said. AMMAN, March 20 (Xinhua) -- The Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development (AFESD) on Monday agreed to provide around 96.5 million U.S. dollars in loans to Jordan for infrastructure projects, said the Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation. Planning and International Cooperation Minister Imad Fakhoury met with the AFESD Director General and Chairman Abdullatif Youssef Al Hamad, and discussed enhancing cooperation between Jordan and the AFESD. At the meeting's opening, Fakhoury expressed the Jordanian government appreciation for the fund's continuous support to the Kingdom's efforts in facing the economic and social challenges, according to a statement by the ministry. The minister announced AFESD's preliminary approval of funding Irbid's ring road through a concessional loan worth 49 million dollars, and Salt's ring road at a cost of 47.5 million dollars. The project aims to improve land transport in the governorates and neighbouring regions, said Fakhoury. The fund also agreed to purchase a CT scanner for the King Hussein Cancer Centre through a grant worth 981,000 thousand dollars as well as the project planning to expand the storages, offices and courtyards of the Jordan Hashemite Charity Organisation in Ghabawi at a cost of 655,000 thousand dollars, according to the minister. During the meeting, Fakhoury outlined the current economic and financial situation in Jordan generated by the regional unstable political and security situation and the Syrian crisis's repercussions, which have become a heavy burden affecting finances and the quality of services provided to both residents and refugees. He noted that Jordan has reached its maximum limit in shouldering burdens generated by regional crises and their humanitarian repercussions such as hosting large numbers of refugees. He stressed that the international community's lack of commitment to support the Kingdom would seriously affect continued governmental services to refugees and residents. The planning minister highlighted the AFESD's role in aiding Jordan to overcome financial challenges. As for Al Hamad, he commended the Jordanian government's efforts in dealing with economic issues, especially those related to refugees and various reform plans, stressing the fund's commitment to support the Kingdom in its development efforts to tackle the challenges it is currently facing. The fund has contributed to 47 critical economic and social development projects in Jordan between 1975 and 2016 with a total value of 1,914 billion dollars. During the same period, AFESD also provided 35 million dollars in grants, and 80 million dollars in soft loans to fund small-and-medium sized enterprises. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (front, right) and U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson (front, left) pose for a group photo during a G20 ministerial meeting in Bonn, Germany, February 16, 2017. (AP Photo) MOSCOW, March 20 (Xinhua) -- Relations between Russia and the United States have attracted great attention since Donald Trump won the U.S. presidential election last year, as the top leaders of both countries have implied the willingness to build rapprochement. However, two months after Trump's inauguration, bilateral ties have not improved as many expected. In view of deep-rooted conflicts and competing interests, the confrontational pattern between the two countries is unlikely to be reconciled anytime soon, experts say. MULTIPLE FACTORS HINDERING NORMALIZATION It is said that Trump has personally been friendly to Russia and Russian President Vladimir Putin, which may seem to bring a ray of optimism for Russia-U.S. relations. However, with anti-Russian sentiments unprecedentedly dominant in Washington, it is not entirely up to Trump and his aides to shape the actual U.S. foreign policy towards Russia or to break the impasse of bilateral relations between the two countries. The Russia-U.S. relationship has deteriorated in recent years amid the crisis in Ukraine. The United States, along with its Western allies including the European Union, has introduced several rounds of sanctions over Russia's alleged involvement in the Ukrainian conflict, which led to Russia's countermeasures against the West in turn. For the time being, the sanctions tactic shows no sign of ending. Former U.S. national security adviser Michael Flynn was forced to resign last month due to accusations of his secret meeting with Russian ambassador to the United States and pledging sanctions relief against Moscow after Trump took office. U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions is stuck with similar allegations. So far, the Trump administration is suffering the greatest setback since his inauguration. "I think that pressure on Trump will continue on the Russian issue. Russia is a convenient opponent for the U.S. political establishment, and there is some inertness of the conflict in the development of relations inherited from the previous president," said Andrey Kortunov, Director General of the Russian International Affairs Council (RIAC). Facing serious domestic opposition and criticism, the new U.S. president's team is now considering a tone change. Trump has started to distance himself from the previous pro-Russia stance, even calling on Moscow to return Crimea to Ukraine at one point. On the other hand, anti-U.S. sentiments in Russia are running just as intensely. A report by the Russian pollster Levada Center shows that about 71 percent of Russian citizens surveyed hold a negative attitude towards the United States and its role in the international community, marking a record high in eight years. Mutual hostility stems from opposite national interests. Russia and the United States have been competing with each other in multiple areas including military, economy, foreign affairs and regional strategic positions, and conflicts have escalated over different issues like the hacking dispute, the Syrian crisis and the U.S. THAAD deployment in South Korea. The tension between Moscow and Washington is unlikely to alleviate in the near future and therefore may continue to stand in the way of reconciliation. Within such a context, experts warn that it is important for Russia to manage expectations, and approach opportunities realistically without creating illusions of a new large-scale strategic Russian-U.S. partnership. "Now it is necessary to set tasks aimed not at a complete revision, but at stabilizing relations," Kortunov added, specifying that contacts through civil society and at the level of diplomats, military and special services should be expanded. ROOM FOR ANTI-TERRORISM COOPERATION Despite the clouded prospect of overall Russia-U.S. relationship, there is a silver lining. Fighting international terrorism has been one key aspect of both Putin's and Trump's foreign policies, and the two sides are exploring cooperation in this area. As far as the fight against terrorism is concerned, Trump continues to insist that it is necessary to cooperate with Russia. Putin also said that Russia considers the United States as its most significant partner in anti-terrorism operations. Both leaders have called for coordinated cooperation with each other for the sake of wiping out the Islamic State group and other terror organizations while resolving the Syrian crisis. "If the U.S. government and the Russian government want to do something, there are things they could do," said Paul Saunders, executive director of the Center for the National Interest based in the United States, specifying that there are creative ways in which the two countries could increase cooperation even in this current fraught political environment, particularly by using military-to-military "de-confliction" channels. "If there was some kind of cooperation in Syria that was viewed as a success by the (U.S.) administration, then I think that could help to facilitate contacts on other issues, no question," he added. Nevertheless, concrete details on Trump's policy with regard to terrorism, Syria and the Middle East remain unknown. Even if his administration manages to break through political constraints, its proposition still has to center around national interests. As Russia and the United States have different goals on Syria, the two countries are destined to have a hard time balancing their strategic interests. In addition, some warn that the U.S. alleged stance of double standards and one-sidedness on fighting terrorism could also affect its cooperation with Russia. "If an attack takes place in the United States, it is an act of terrorism, and if it happens in Damascus, then it is a struggle for liberation from the tyrant Assad," Kortunov said. "By the way, I believe that one of the reasons for the failure of the American intervention (in Afghanistan) in 2001 was that the U.S. wanted to do everything unilaterally," Kortunov said, "It is difficult to fight terrorism in such a manner." NAIROBI, March 20 (Xinhua) -- The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), a regional bloc, is to convene an international summit Saturday, to discuss the status of nearly 1 million Somali refugees displaced by two decades of civil strife and prolonged humanitarian crises, organizers said Monday. Kenyan government, U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and IGAD, said in a statement the Nairobi Summit would "marshal a comprehensive regional approach" to find a lasting solution to the crisis facing the Somali refugees as they prepare to return to their homeland to rebuild their lives. "Continuing political and the growing security stabilization progress in Somalia, along with growing pressure in host communities, makes this a critical moment to renew the process to find durable solutions for Somali refugees," the organizers of the summit said in a statement. Aid agencies and government officials say some two million Somali refugees have been displaced in Somalia, one of the world's most protracted political and humanitarian crises nearing its third decade. A generation of Somali refugees has never set foot at home and remains at refugee camps in neighboring countries having been born and raised during the protracted civil and humanitarian crises. UN agencies estimate nearly 1.1 million Somalis are internally displaced inside the Horn of Africa nation and some 900,000 are refugees in neighboring countries -- Ethiopia, Djibouti, Kenya and Uganda. Somalia's Federal Government says amongst its key priorities have been to deal with the issue of displaced refugees within the country by providing basic services before moving to refugees in the neighboring countries to stem the potential for conflicts over scarce resources. However, the Somali government has been decrying its limited ability to provide basic services. Somalia conducted peaceful elections in February which saw the election of President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, known as Farmajo. The elections followed December's election of Members of Parliament, completing a peaceful transition. IGAD member states termed the political transition in Somalia a "milestone" in the country's post-conflict transformation, which ushers in an opportunity to begin work on a number of areas. The agencies involved in the organization of the Summit said Monday addressing the humanitarian crises and the displacement of people should remain a priority for the new government. NAIROBI, March 20 (Xinhua) -- Eleven people died on Sunday during a fierce gun battle between Borana and Samburu herders in northern Kenya, authorities confirmed on Monday. The fight took place in a grazing field in Kom, former Merti district, where herders from Isiolo, Samburu and parts of Marsabit counties in northern Kenya had migrated to in search of water and pasture. At least 20 cows were also killed in the skirmishes that erupted against a backdrop of severe drought in northern parts of Kenya. Isiolo County Police Commander Charles Ontita said local Borana herders had earlier attacked Samburu counterparts who later engaged in a retaliatory attack. "The Borana attacked the Samburu and stole the animals. The owners pursued them and caught up with them resulting in a fierce fight," said Ontita. He said six people from Isiolo county were killed while the Samburu had four casualties. A hotelier at Archers Post, who hails from Isiolo town, was attacked with stones and clubs at his premises and killed in what sources said was a revenge attack. Ontita said a Samburu herder sustained gunshot wounds in a different fighting in the area amid escalating tension. A joint security personnel aided by an aircraft recovered a huge significant number of the stolen animals. Enditem BEIRUT, March 20 (Xinhua) -- Lebanon's Prime Minister Saad Hariri stressed on Monday that Lebanon "developed a strategy to deal with the Syrian crisis's severe repercussions." Hariri added "the strategy also aims to reposition Lebanon back on a sustainable stabilization and development path." According to a statement by the PM's media office, Hariri was speaking during a high-level steering committee meeting he chaired addressing the crisis of displaced Syrians in Lebanon. The steering committee was formed following last year's London conference, and includes Lebanon and representatives from countries which participated in the conference, United Nations organizations and the World Bank. Hariri said "the Lebanese government's policies regarding displaced Syrians, which we hope to unveil at the conference, are being finalized. Last week, the inter-ministerial committee took part in a progressive discussion of the Lebanese government policy draft, which we hope to finalize in the coming weeks." He added "Lebanon is going through extremely difficult times requiring exceptional measures. As a result of the crisis, our growth rates have sharply declined, unemployment and poverty rates have increased to unprecedented levels, our public services are overstretched, our infrastructure is depleted, our situation has deteriorated and needless to say, our debt and deficits ratios have increased." He expressed hope "to see a peaceful political solution to the Syrian conflict in the very near future. We would also like to see the reconstruction of Syria taking place." NAIROBI, March 20 (Xinhua) -- A passenger aircraft crashed at South Sudan's Wau Airport and burst into flames at around 3:30 p.m. (local time) on Monday, injuring 16 people and fatality unknown, sources from UN security department at Juba said. Sixteen people who were aboard the aircraft were identified in the Wau Teaching Hospital, the source said. Bona Gaudenesio, Wau State Information Minister, told Xinhua by telephone that the plane crashed at Wau Airport, leaving unknown number of people dead while search for survivors had intensified. "Yes, a plane crashed in Wau today, but we will give you concrete information later because we are still rescuing the injured," Gaudenesio said. There were 49 people on board, according to Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD), an east African regional bloc. Privately owned Eye Radio reported on its Twitter account that at least 9 people were pulled from the wreckage alive. A source from UNMISS Military confirmed that no UN staff member was on board and it was not a terror attack. The aircraft hit an object on the ground during landing and burnt up. Witnesses said the aircraft was burnt down in 20 minutes. The airport is near the location of Chinese peacekeepers at Wau. After the accident happened, the Chinese peacekeepers hurried to the spot to help rescue people and put out the fire with water trucks. The plane was travelling from the South Sudanese Capital Juba to the northern town of Wau. Local media reported that the plane owned by South Supreme Airlines. TIRANA, March 20 (Xinhua) -- Albanian President Bujar Nishani decreed Monday the dismissal of four ministers dismissed last week and appointed four new ministers, proposed by Prime Minister Edi Rama. Heads of the four ministries of interior, health, state for local issues and social welfare and youth were changed. Fatmir Xhafaj was appointed as new Minister of Interior, Ogerta Manastirliu as new Minister of Health, Eduard Shalsi as new Minister of State for Local Issues, and Olta Xhacka as new Minister of Social Welfare and Youth. Such changes to government cabinet came at a time when the Albanian opposition, protesting since more than a month ago, requested the resignation of the Prime Minister Rama and the creation of a caretaker in order to guarantee the holding of free and fair elections. Rama said on Monday that there would be no caretaker government and he wasn't even thinking of resigning. Albania will hold elections on June 18, with or without the opposition, Rama said. Enditem LUSAKA, March 20 (Xinhua) -- Zambia may have another coal-powered thermal power plant following an interest by an Australian firm to construct another plant, a senior government official said on Monday. Currently, Nava Bharat Ventures Limited, a Singaporean firm, is running a 300 megawatts coal-powered plant in Maamba district in the southern part of the country. Minister of Energy David Mabumba said the unnamed Australian firm has expressed interest in setting up a 2,000 megawatts coal powered plant in the same district. The government, he said, has been having talks with the Australian firm, adding that the move will help the country in addressing the current power shortage. "They want to begin with 1,000 megawatts. We had a meeting with them a few days ago," he is quoted as saying by the Times of Zambia. Enditem Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn (R) meets with visiting Chinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi (L) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on March 20, 2017. (Xinhua/Michael Tewelde) ADDIS ABABA, March 20 (Xinhua) -- Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn and visiting Chinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi pledged here on Monday to enhance mutually beneficial cooperation between the two countries. During his meeting with the Ethiopian prime minister, Yang described Ethiopia as China's important cooperative partner in Africa. China and Ethiopia have always supported each other on issues concerning each other's core interests and major concerns, firmly maintaining the common interests of the two countries and developing countries as a whole, Yang said. China stands ready to work with Ethiopia to further implement the consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries and outcomes of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) summit held in Johannesburg, Yang said. Yang added that China is willing to work with Ethiopia to deepen mutual political trust in an all-round way, actively promote mutually beneficial cooperation in various fields and intensify the two countries' coordination and collaboration on international and regional affairs. Yang expressed hope that a healthier Sino-Ethiopian relationship that enjoys faster development will serve as a fine model of Sino-African cooperation and South-South cooperation. For his part, Hailemariam spoke highly of China's important status in international affairs, expressing appreciation that China has for a long time provided support and assistance for Ethiopia's development. As a leading African country that has participated in industrial capacity cooperation with China, Ethiopia welcomes more Chinese companies to come to Ethiopia to make investment and open businesses so that Ethiopia and China will achieve mutually beneficial results, said Hailemariam. On Monday, Yang also met with Ethiopian President Mulatu Teshome. Both the Chinese State Councilor and the Ethiopian President spoke highly of the achievement made by China and Ethiopia through mutually beneficial cooperation. Exchanging views on the situation in Africa and Sino-African relations, Yang and Mulatu agreed that the overall situation in Africa is favorable and getting better and there is a broad prospect for future development. They also agreed that China and Africa should deepen their mutually beneficial cooperation and actively implement the outcomes of the FOCAC summit held in Johannesburg so as to bring more benefits to the peoples of China and Africa. Photo taken on Nov. 30, 2015 shows a woman walking past the headquarters of the International Monetary Fund in Washington D.C., the United States. (Xinhua/Bao Dandan) KIEV, March 20 (Xinhua) -- Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko on Monday has called on all political forces in the East European country to unite their efforts for securing the next portion of critical aid from the International Monetary Fund (IMF). "We must combine our efforts to receive the tranche in the nearest time," Poroshenko told the meeting of the Regional Development Council, emphasizing that the funds are vitally important to maintain financial stability in Ukraine. Commenting on the IMF decision to postpone the disbursement of the aid, Poroshenko said it was caused by the "absolutely irresponsible behavior" of some Ukrainian politicians, who have launched the trade blockade on non-government-controlled territory in eastern regions. On Sunday, the Ukrainian Finance Ministry said the IMF has postponed a board discussion on disbursing the fourth tranche of its 17.5-billion-U.S.-dollar bailout program for Ukraine to assess the impact of the blockade on the country's economy. On late January, a group of activists, including Ukrainian lawmakers and members of volunteer military battalions, has blocked the movements of trains, transporting coal and other raw products from the non-government-controlled territory in eastern Ukraine. The IMF executive board approved the four-year bailout program for Ukraine in March 2015 to help the troubled country carry out reforms and boost its economic development. Since then, the IMF has provided Kiev with 7.7 billion dollars in three disbursements of the financial support. JERUSALEM, March 20 (Xinhua) -- Israel's David's Sling anti-missile array will be fully operational within two weeks, concluding the country's multi-tier air defense system, a senior air force officer said on Monday. David's Sling Weapon System is designed to intercept short and mid-range rockets from the Gaza Strip and the Hezbollah-dominated southern Lebanon. Tzvika Haimovitch, head of the army's Aerial Defense Command, told local media that the system is the final piece in the Jewish state's anti-missile system. The new system would close the gap between the short-range Iron Dome and long-range Arrow-2 and Arrow-3 anti-missiles systems, he said. "I am sure it will enhance our ability to deal with threats," Haimovitch said, but added that even with the new system Israel is still "vulnerable," the Times of Israel newspaper reported. The David's Sling gives the Israel Defense Forces "more capabilities and more effectiveness," he said. "But it's never enough. It's not hermetic," he added. The system, jointly developed by Israel and the U.S.-based Raytheon Co., passed its fifth and final testing on January 25. In the test, "threat-representative targets were launched and successfully intercepted by Stunner missiles," according to a statement released by the Defense Ministry. "The interceptors were successfully launched, performed all flight phases and engaged the targets," the statement read, adding that preliminary analysis indicates that test objectives were "successfully achieved." Also on Monday, the military said Arrow-2 was used to destroy a "ballistic missile" launched from Syria. The missile carried some 200 kg of explosives and was used to hit the Jordan Valley, a military official said. Syria's army launched the anti-aircraft missile after Israeli fighter jets reportedly struck posts in Syria. PRAGUE, March 20 (Xinhua) -- A majority of Czech people saw migration and terrorism as the main problems of the European Union (EU), according to poll results released on Monday. In all the EU member countries, Czech people had the most negative attitude to migrants, according to the poll which was conducted by the Eurobarometer. Poll results showed 63 percent of Czech people saw the migration as one of main problems of the present-day EU, while the it was 13 percent in 2013. For terrorism, the figure was 47 percent compared with 8 percent four years ago. Both the figures were above the EU average with 45 percent for migration and 31 percent for terrorism. Few Czech people believed that migrants mean a benefit, only 12 percent of Czechs held the view, while the EU average was 44 percent. Only 14 percent of the Czech people gave a positive assessment to the migration from outside the EU and 23 percent of them believed that the Czech Republic should help the refugees, which was the second lowest proportion within the EU. Some 95 percent of Czech people believed that the EU should adopt stricter measures against illegal migration. Some 45 percent of Czechs was ready to receive people from other EU countries. Enditem LISBON, March 20 (Xinhua) -- Environmental group Zero on Monday complained that documents in public hearing in Portugal concerning Spain's nuclear waste deposit plan don't present anything new. "It was a relative surprise that the documents that are available at this moment, for public hearing in Portugal, don't bring anything new," Carla Graca from Zero told Portuguese Lusa News Agency. The Portuguese Agency for the Environment (PAE) published documents on the nuclear deposit plan on Monday. Graca added that there was still no assessment of cross-border impacts. Portugal sent a complaint to the European Commission in January regarding Spain's decision to build a nuclear waste deposit in Almaraz, about 100 km east of Portugal's border. Portugal said in the complaint that an assessment on the impact the waste facility will have on Portugal should have been carried out. Portugal last month reached an agreement with Spain to withdraw the complaint regarding the nuclear waste deposit plan, but said it didn't mean a new complaint wouldn't be presented to Europe in future. Spain said it committed to not issuing any license or authorization regarding the operations of the warehouse. But Portugal's Minister of Foreign Affairs Augusto Santos Silva said Portugal would "not abdicate from presenting another complaint if joint work in the next two months leads to inconclusive results". Enditem LISBON, March 20 (Xinhua) -- Portugal's Secretary of State for health Fernando Araujo said on Monday to mark the World Oral Health Day that he expects over 50 health centers across the country to have dentists by the end of the year. Araujo said at a conference in Lisbon that the integration of dentists at national health service units should be carried out in a balanced, sustainable and consistent fashion. "The integration of these doctors is to stay, it is for the future," he said. "The National Health Service has to give a response to oral health." The President of the Order of Dentist Doctors, Orlando Monteiro, said dentists were attracted to the national health service for working in a team, with other health professionals, offering patients an integrated treatment. Since July, when a pilot project for dentists was launched at health centers, almost 6,500 have been treated by such professionals. At least 8,844 consultations were carried out and 6,420 patients were treated. On Tuesday, Portugal is holding a competition aimed at integrating dentists in at least 25 new establishments. Enditem VALLETTA, March 20 (Xinhua) -- Malta launched an official bid to host the European Medicines Agency (EMA) on Monday, which is due to relocate from its British base after Brexit. EMA was established in 1995 and is the European Union agency responsible for the protection of public and animal health through the scientific evaluation and supervision of medicines. EMA tests and licences all medications for use within the EU, with its authorizations covering more than a quarter of all global pharmaceutical sales. It employs a staff of 900 and receives around 36,000 visits per year. Maltese Health Minister Chris Fearne said Malta had all the requisites to successfully host the agency, citing free and high-quality healthcare, a growing research community, and expert human resources. He added that further incentives for EMA employees were Malta's high quality of life, warm weather and tranquility, as well as English as an official language. European Commissioner for Health Vytenis Andriukaitis said the process of selecting the EMA's post-Brexit host would begin as soon as Article 50 was triggered. British Prime Minister Theresa May is expected to invoke Article 50 on March 29, so the EMA relocation would need to happen before April 2019. It is expected that other EU member states will also be vying to host the influential regulatory body, with Belgium, Denmark, Sweden, Spain, France, Italy, Ireland and Poland already submitting their bids. UNITED NATIONS, March 20 (Xinhua) -- Humanitarian agencies are bracing for the possibility that an additional 300,000 to 320,000 civilians may flee in coming weeks, deputy UN spokesman Farhan Haq told reporters here Monday. The Iraqi government reported that 180,000 civilians had fled western Mosul since mid-February, when military operations to retake the western districts of the Iraqi city began, Haq said at a daily news briefing here. "Humanitarian agencies are deeply worried that civilians are at grave risk in western Mosul," he said. Lise Grande, the humanitarian coordinator in Iraq, said that the use of explosives in the densely populated Old City is likely to cause extensive damage. Hundreds of thousands of civilians are trapped, she warned, and they are in terrible danger. The main supply route into western Mosul has been cut since mid-November, Haq said. "Families fleeing the city are reporting that shelves are empty and that the only food available is what they already have at home. Water and electricity supplies have been cut and medicines are running out." Under the leadership of the Iraqi government, a massive national effort is underway to address the crisis. Civilians fleeing the western districts in the city are being accommodated in 17 camps and emergency sites near the city. The government and partners are rushing to construct and expand 10 of these. Since Oct. 17, more than 330,000 people have been displaced by the Mosul crisis, more than 70,000 of whom have returned to their homes. Humanitarian agencies have been working around the clock to provide life-saving support to more than 1.3 million people from eastern and western Mosul including families who have stayed in their homes, and those who have fled. Mosul witnessed a fighting between the Iraqi government forces and Islamic State (IS/Da'esh) terrorists The Iraqi government force's advance toward Mosul came after the Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi announced on Feb. 19 the start of an offensive to drive the extremist militants out of the western side of Mosul, locally known as the right bank of Tigris River which bisects the city. 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 the Islamic State (IS) militants. However, the western side of Mosul, with its narrow streets and a heavy population of between 750,000 and 800,000, appears to be a bigger challenge to the Iraqi forces, according to the United Nations estimates. Mosul, 400 kilometers north of the Iraqi capital of Baghdad, has been under IS control since June 2014, when Iraqi government forces abandoned their weapons and fled, enabling IS militants to take control of parts of Iraq's northern and western regions. RABAT, March 20 (Xinhua) -- The 24th Conference of the Arab Inter-Parliamentary Union (AIPU) opened on Monday in Rabat. Speaking at the opening of the conference, the speaker of the House of Advisors Hakim Benchamach said AIPU is urged to come up with bold and innovative initiatives to put an end to the structural deficit from which the joint Arab action is suffering. Benchamach called for efficient actions to fight cross-border challenges, including terrorism, organized crime, illegal immigration, human trafficking as well as regional crises and the historical incapacity to find a just solution to the Palestinian cause. He stressed the need to implement the Union's strategies and decisions based on the complementarity of national, pan-Arab and international parliamentary agendas, as well as international and UN rules and regulations. Held under the theme "consolidation of Arab joint action," the two-day meeting will elect new president of the AIPU and discuss its working plan for 2017. The participants will also tackle the current situation of the Arab world as well as the challenges facing Arab countries. Founded in 1974, AIPU is an Arab parliamentary organization composed of parliamentary groups representing Arab Parliaments with the aim of strengthening joint Arab action. Enditem VIENNA, March 20 (Xinhua) -- Austrian Chancellor Christian Kern on Monday reiterated his country's support for the EU accession of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH). The words came when BiH's Chairman of Council of Ministers Denis Zvizdic paid a visit here. Kern said the presentation of a European Commission questionnaire to BiH represented a first step in the process, Austria Press Agency reported. He further stressed that without EU involvement, there would be a "vacuum" in the Western Balkans region, and as such Austria firmly supports future EU perspectives for those in the region. In addition, he highlighted the 1.7 billion euros (1.8 billion U.S. dollars) invested in BiH by Austrian companies since 1955, as well as Austria being one of BiH's most important export markets. Zvizdic also noted the importance of an EU accession for his country, saying it is currently its highest foreign policy objective. He added that Austria is the "greatest advocate" of this process for his country. Enditem TIRANA, March 20 (Xinhua) -- There won't be a caretaker government in Albania, the judicial reform and "vetting process" will be implemented and June 18 elections will not be postponed, Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama reconfirmed Monday. Rama turned down the right-wing opposition's request for the creation of a caretaker government which Democrats said would be the only way to guarantee free and fair elections on June 18. Albanian opposition, led by the head of the Democratic Party (DP) Lulzim Basha, has been protesting for over a month now in front of the prime minister's office, calling on Rama to submit resignation and pave the way for the establishment of a caretaker government. But, in a post on social networks, the head of Albanian government said that the main aim of the opposition's protest was to create an artificial political crisis. The vetting process is aimed at checking the professional and personal backgrounds of Albanian judges and prosecutors as part of a broader judicial and constitutional reforms package approved last July in parliament. Rama said that he was ready to have dialogue with the opposition even inside its tent in front of his office in order to solve the situation. Following the PM's statements, Basha told the media that the opposition was determined to continue the protest till the resignation of Rama. Ahmed Hamad (front, L), President of British University in Egypt (BUE), signs a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Mamdouh Ghorab, President of Suez Canal University, at the BUE headquarters in Cairo, Egypt, March 20, 2017. Under the MOU, the Suez Canal's Confucius Institute will provide the BUE with professors and teachers to hold Chinese language programs for college students. This will make the BUE the first private university to have a program to teach Chinese language in the North African country. (Xinhua/Meng Tao) CAIRO, March 20 (Xinhua) -- The British University in Egypt (BUE) signed here Monday a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Confucius Institute at Egypt's Suez Canal University. Under the MOU, the Suez Canal's Confucius Institute will provide the BUE with professors and teachers to hold Chinese language programs for college students. The MOU was signed at the British University headquarters in Cairo by China's Consul General in Alexandria Xu Nanshan, Professor Ahmed Hamad, President of the BUE, and Professor Mamdouh Ghorabm, President of Suez Canal University. This will make the BUE the first private university to have a program to teach Chinese language in the North African country. "Egypt and China have built strong ties at different levels in recent years," the consul general said during the signing ceremony. He pointed out that there are 14 Egyptian colleges offering Chinese language programs and more than 5000 Chinese-learning students nationwide, with more than 1000 Chinese students learning Arabic in Egypt. "Cooperation between BUE and Suez Canal University's Confucius Institute will set up an example among private universities in Egypt and encourage them to offer Chinese language courses or open Chinese language departments in the future," he added. Becoming a bridge for Egyptian-Chinese cultural interaction, Confucius Institute was first founded at Cairo University in 2007. In recent years, Confucius Institute has opened branches in many places outside Cairo University, including Pharos University in Alexandria province, Benha University in Qalyoubiya province and Fayoum University in Fayoum province, besides other branches in several high, preparatory and elementary schools across the country. DAMASCUS, March 21 (Xinhua) -- Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said Monday that his Russian allies can play a role in preventing any further Israeli attacks on Syria. Speaking to Russian media outlets on Monday, the president said that defending the Syrian borders is the right and duty of the Syrian army, "and if we don't do that, the Syrian people will blame us and hold us responsible." "I think that Russia can play an important role in this regard (preventing Israeli attacks on Syria) and the policy of Russia relies entirely on the international law and the charters of the UN, and thus they can discuss these matters with the Israelis according to these standards and they (Russians) can play a role in preventing Israel from attacking Syria again in the future," Assad said. His remarks came just days after the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that an Israeli airstrike targeted a car in the Syrian Qunaiter province, killing a man inside. The Observatory stopped short of identifying the target, but Israeli media said he was a senior officer in Syria's air defense system. The Syrian side didn't comment on the incident, which came just days after the Syrian army announced last Thursday it had shot down an Israeli warplane, which was part of a four Israeli war jets carrying airstrikes on Syrian military positions in the eastern countryside of the central province of Homs. At the time, the Syrian army repeated its accusation of Israel of supporting the terror groups in Syria, while the later said it was targeting a weapon shipment belongs to the Shiite Hezbollah group. Those attacks were not the only ones. On Monday, a Syrian military source told Xinhua that the Syrian air defenses shot down an Israeli drone over Qunaitera on Monday. The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the downed drone was a Sky Lark drone. Following last Thursday's attack, the Russian foreign ministry summoned the Israeli ambassador in Moscow, a sign of that the Russian dismay of the strikes, which targeted an area in eastern Homs countryside near Palmyra city, where the Russians have military posts. The new tension also pushed Israel to issue an outright threats. Israel "will not hesitate" to destroy Syria's air defense systems if that country ever again targets IAF jet fighters, Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman threatened on Sunday. Observers in Damascus slammed the Israeli remarks as "outrageous." "Do they really expect to keep violating our airspace and targeting our military posts and we stay quiet? I think the UN must put an end to these acts," Ahmad Ashqar, a Syrian journalist, told Xinhua. BRASILIA, March 20 (Xinhua) -- Brazil's President Michel Temer said Monday that the problems found in the frozen meat sector, during police raids on Friday, only affected a small part of the sector. Speaking to a crowd of businessmen at the American Chamber of Commerce in Sao Paulo, Temer admitted that the affair could severely impact one of Brazil's main exports. "Agribusiness is very important for us and cannot be devalued by a small nucleus. (Those responsible) will at least be found, fined and punished. But we cannot endanger the whole system we have put together over the years. We export to over 150 countries," said the president. The operation carried out by police on Friday found that some of Brazil's largest food companies, including the JBS group and Brasil Foods, had committed fraud in order to hide foodstuffs beyond their sell-by date. The frozen meat vendors are accused of hiding the use of expired raw materials, using chemicals to mask the bad smell of rotten produce and of failing to meet standards in their production. Furthermore, certain officials at the Ministry of Agriculture are accused of taking bribes to authorize the sale of illegal products. For Temer, however, those responsible are small in number compared to the over 11,000 employees at the ministry. "We have very rigorous sanitary evaluation methods in Brazil," he explained. Furthermore, Temer stated that small industrial plants were suspected of these incidents, which he said were minimal compared to the sector as a whole. On Sunday, in an effort to show his confidence in the meat sector, Temer dined out with a group of ministers and ambassadors at a "churrascaria", a traditional Brazilian meat restaurant in Brasilia. However, a report from daily, O Estado de Sao Paulo, showed the restaurant imports beef from Argentina, Uruguay and Australia. UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina J. Mohammed (C) attends an event to mark the International Day of Happiness at the UN headquarters in New York, on March 20, 2017. UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina J. Mohammed Monday called for efforts to promote inclusive and sustainable development to mark the International Day of Happiness. (Xinhua/UN Photo/Manuel Elias) NEW YORK, March 20 (Xinhua) -- UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina J. Mohammed Monday called for efforts to promote inclusive and sustainable development to mark the International Day of Happiness. "We need more inclusive, equitable and balanced approaches to development that promote sustainability, poverty eradication, happiness and well-being of all peoples," said Mohammed at a special event to mark the day at the UN headquarters. She urged all governments to "have a duty to ensure the minimum conditions for happiness for all peoples," such as access to nutrition and basic services, basic human rights and social protection. "Let's keep in mind that the goal of development is to increase people's well-being but not at all costs, not at the cost of environment or the marginalization of the poor and other vulnerable groups," she added. Besides, the "Small Smurfs Big Goals" campaign was created to encourage people to visit SmallSmurfsBigGoals.com to find out how to contribute to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and to share information, ideas and images on social media. In July 2012, the UN General Assembly proclaimed March 20 the International Day of Happiness, to recognize the relevance of happiness and well-being as universal goals and aspirations in the lives of human beings around the world and the importance of their recognition in public policy objectives. Voice actors from the animated movie Smurfs: The Lost Village on Friday joined 1,500 students from the international Model UN conference to celebrate the International Day of Happiness, which focuses on personal well-being, and the SDGs, which include decent work for all, education and health services. On Monday evening, the film cast along with the UN, UNICEF and UN Foundation will be at the Empire State Building to turn the iconic tower blue in honor of both the International Day of Happiness and the Small Smurfs Big Goals campaign. LIMA, March 20 (Xinhua) -- Peruvian President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski sent a message of hope on Monday to the 10 million people living in Lima and other areas suffering from the consequences of torrential floods. "We know it is a difficult situation, but it is bring controlled and we have hopes this will all pass soon," said the president during a visit to Peru's National Emergency Operations Center (COEN). Kuczynski's optimism came despite a rising toll from the disaster that has left at least 75 dead, 30 missing, 263 injured and driven over 100,00 people from their homes. The floods and landslides have also had a staggering material cost on Peruvian infrastructure. Estimations by COEN say that over 1,000 kilometers of roads have been destroyed and 159 bridges have collapsed. Lima has seen massive flooding that have left houses filled with muddy water, devastated crops and fields, washed away vehicles and forced people to seek refuge on the roof of their homes. For six days now, Lima has seen rolling restrictions or complete cuts to its supply of drinking water, forcing inhabitants to rely on tanker trucks, or to plunder public fountains and reservoirs. The city's La Atarjea water treatment plant had been overwhelmed by debris in the Rimac river but Kuczynski said that technicians had begun to bring the situation under control. "We have had problems with drinking water, but this is improving rapidly. Do not give in to panic," called the head of state. Help has also begun to flow from Peru's neighbours with a Colombian army plane landing in Lima on Monday, loaded with 30 tons of food rations, clean-up supplies, blankets, mosquito nets and tents. Colombia has also sent helicopters to help with operations in the northwestern region of Piura. On Sunday, Ecuador sent a plane with food rations and other goods while Chile is readying its own convoy with 20 tons of aid, including drinking water, food and clean-up supplies. Peru is currently facing the El Nino weather phenomenon along its coast. El Nino began weakly in December but grew in intensity since February, having risen sea surface temperatures to 29 degrees Celsius, leading to increased evaporation and torrential rains across 11 regions. It is also feared the phenomenon may continue to blight the Peruvian coastline until April, although weather forecasts do predict temperatures will drop in the coming days. SANTIAGO, March 20 (Xinhua) -- Chile's President Michelle Bachelet spoke on the phone with U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday, discussing bilateral ties and the situation in Venezuela. At a press conference on Monday, Bachelet said that "yesterday, at 4.30pm, President Trump called me to re-affirm what Vice-President (Mike) Pence told me shortly after taking office, that Chile is a very important country for the U.S." She explained that Trump intends to "continue maintaining the good relations we have had. We also spoke of the commercial treaty we have with the U.S.", adding that Trump had invited her to visit the White House as soon as possible. Bachelet explained the two leaders spoke about Venezuela and that she had told Trump about the efforts the Chilean foreign ministry was taking with its regional counterparts concerning their troubled neighbor. Both countries have a noted difference when it comes to free trade. Chile is one of the countries with the most free-trade agreements in the world, including with China, while Trump pulled the U.S. out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership, which it had signed with 11 other nations. Last week, Chile organized a summit with its Pacific Alliance companions and other Asia-Pacific nations, including China, to reinforce their joint commitment to free trade. Journalists work at the closing 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 15, 2017. (Xinhua/Yang Zongyou) Folk artist Ma Yongbing carves a peach pit in Xuancheng, east China's Anhui Province, March 20, 2017. In the past 25 years, Ma Yongbing, as a folk culture inheritor, has created more than one thousands pieces of peach pit sculptures. Ma's creations mainly highlight traditional Chinese stories, architectures, scenery, etc. (Xinhua/Meng Dingbo) A dolphinfish, also known as Mahi-mahi, is photographed aboard the U.S. drilling ship JOIDES Resolution during an expedition to the South China Sea, March 19, 2017. Dozens of scientists from different countries are on the third expedition to the South China Sea, to explore the formation of the sea as part of the International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP). (Xinhua/Zhang Jiansong) A Syrian soldier flashes the victory sign at the Abbasyieen area in the east of Damascus, capital of Syria, on March 20, 2017. The Syrian army recaptured all areas fallen during Sunday's wide-scale offensive by rebels in eastern Damascus, the military general command said Monday. The army retook all points lost to the rebels of the al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front and like-minded groups in the factories area at the entrance of the rebel-held neighborhood of Jobar in the Eastern Ghouta countryside of Damascus, said the statement.(Xinhua/Ammar Safarjalani) Tourists attend a pillow run activity to call for healthy sleep at a scenic area in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality, March 20, 2017, one day ahead of the World Sleep Day. (Xinhua/Tang Yi) March 19, 2017 An international womens film festival was held in Cairo this month to highlight cinematic work by female filmmakers, empower them and promote their presence and role in the film industry. Women have played a major role in the development of international cinema. They deserve to have a festival that celebrates their work and provides an opportunity for more women to join the film industry, Amal Ramses, the president of the festival, told Al-Monitor. Women have been part of the film industry for a long time; they are camerawomen, scriptwriters, film directors and actresses playing leading roles in top-grossing films. They have always been everywhere in the industry, but they are not given their due recognition, Ramses said. The 10th edition of the Cairo International Womens Film Festival was held March 4-9 and showcased the works of more than 50 female directors from 30 Arab, Latin American, European and Asian countries. Ramses said that there was a huge turnout of film lovers during the festival as well as a productive interaction between the audience and the filmmakers. Ramses, 45, an Egyptian film director, initiated the festival in 2008 in order to introduce films directed by women in the Arab region and Latin America and explore the perspective of female filmmakers in the two regions. When her first film was shown at a festival in Cuba, Ramses realized that Latin American films were hardly screened in Egypt and that her film was the only Arab film at the festival. This encouraged her to launch a festival that shows both Arab and Latin American films and offers a platform to female filmmakers. To show its international character, the festival was renamed the Cairo International Womens Film Festival in 2013. However, it still has a special section for films from the Arab world and Latin America, titled the Caravan of Arab and Ibero-American Women's Films. The film festival is the first of its kind in the Arab world, as it is exclusively dedicated to cinematic productions created by women. The festival is a platform that introduces films created by women to the public and it serves as a meeting place for the audience and filmmakers, Ramses said. Furthermore, it creates a rare opportunity for female directors to get to know the viewpoints of the audience without any barriers. During this years festival, Swiss cinema was highlighted, with four Swiss films being screened. One Swiss film, titled Looking Like My Mother, traces the life of filmmaker Dominique Margot, who grows up with a mother suffering from depression. The film shows Margots journey toward understanding the illness and her fears that she will wind up suffering from depression herself. Other films displayed during the festival tackled a variety of topics that is not only about women. 4 Kings, a feature film directed by German filmmaker Theresa von Eltz, tells the story of four troubled youths who spend the Christmas holidays in a psychiatric unit for adolescents in the care of a young psychiatrist. "The Long Night of Francisco Sanctis," which is a 2016 Argentine drama film directed by Francisco Marquez and Andrea Testa, was also part of the festival. The film traces the life of office clerk Francisco Sanctis, who risks the safety of his family to rescue two friends about to be kidnapped by the army. Award winners are chosen by the audience a rare system in the film festival world that seeks to empower the audience to choose the best films. The audience is the most important part in the film industry and that is why we give them the power to grant the awards, Ramses said. During the festival, films are screened free of charge in order to promote the works of female artists. All films have Arabic-language subtitles so that the audience understands the issues tackled on the screen. The festival also organizes workshops for women who are looking to join the film industry and to get tips on how to make films. Cinema critic Tarek el-Shenawy said that women are of fundamental importance for the success of films around the world. Although they do not appear in leading roles that much and are not given the deserved recognition, women have made their mark on both the Arab and international film industry, Shenawy told Al-Monitor. He praised the efforts of Ramses over the past 10 years to organize this festival that gives women the opportunity to showcase their cinematic work. Although male filmmakers and actors have addressed womens issues over the years, an event such as the Cairo International Womens Film Festival is seen as a "very good opportunity to highlight the work of women," according to writer and cinema critic Khairiya el-Beshlawy. Beshlawy added, However, the festival is a good opportunity to empower female directors, scriptwriters, actresses and camerawomen and give them credit for their work. Man serving life found with weed According to reports, the prisoner, who is serving life for the murder of a doctor was found with several packets of marijuana during a routine search by prison officers shortly after midday. Yesterday he was expected to be taken from his cell to the Arouca Police Station to be charged with the offence and is expected to appear before an Arima Magistrate today. Bandits rob passengers of $4,000 The three bandits who alighted from the maxi taxi after carrying out the crime were confronted by police officers which ended in a shoot out. The three men escaped by running through a track at Mt Dor Road. According to reports the victims were in the maxi heading east along the PBR at about 11.50 pm when they were held up by three men posing as passengers. The victims were robbed of a quantity of cash, cell phones and jewellery, however, as the bandits were exiting the maxi in the vicinity of Mt Dor Road, PCs Edwards and Chootoo who were on mobile patrol saw the men running away and began pursuing them. The bandits reportedly fired at the police who returned fire, however, the suspects escaped. An All Points Bulletin was sent out for officers to be on the lookout for the suspects at the nations hospital. However up until yesterday none of the men were found. Special Branch officer remains in custody The officer, who has about 20 years service, was liming near Woodstock Bar, located at Indian Walk in Moruga at about 2 am on Saturday when the incident occurred. A police report stated that he observed two men, later identified as Rodriguez and his brother, Saran Albert Thomas, 29, striking his car, a Lancer, which was parked a short distance away. The report added that the off-duty officer approached the men and enquired their reason for doing it. A verbal clash followed by a physical altercation ensued during which the brothers began beating the officer. The police report further stated that fearful for his life, the officer in a bid to defend himself opened fire at the men using his service revolver. Both Rodriguez and Thomas, of Fifth Company in Moruga, were rushed to the Princes Town Area Hospital and later transferred to the San Fernando General Hospital. Rodriguez, who worked as a lorry loader at the San Fernando City Corporation, died at the hospital shortly after arrival. His brother, however, remained warded in a stable condition with a gunshot wound to the hand. First responders, a party of officers from Princes Town, among them PCs Mohammed and Brown, visited the scene and retrieved the firearm from the corporal whom they took to the station. Relatives of the brother are however claiming that Rodriguez was running away when the off-duty officer opened fire. An autopsy is expected to be performed today at Forensic Sciences Centre at St James. Officers of the Princes Town Police Station and the Homicide Bureau (Region III) are investigating. Wanted man and sister held Police investigators said that at about 9.20 am a party of officers headed by ASP Mohammed and Insp Gajadhar received information and went to an apartment building at corner of Railway and Tramline Road. The officers, among them Sgt Ramlogan, PCs Ramkissoon, Mitchell, Smith, Guerra and Mohammed, searched the apartment where they recovered a pistol with 15 9mm ammunition together with 235 grammes of high grade marijuana. The officers arrested the man, who is wanted for a series of crimes committed in the southern district, and his 26-year-old sister. COUPLE CHARGED The DPP spent close to four hours perusing the police file before giving the instructions yesterday afternoon. The couple is expected to appear before a Port-of-Spain Magistrate this morning charged with the offence. The DPP yesterday ordered that two other persons, a 24-year-old man of Sea Lots and another 34-year-old who were also detained in connection with the murder to be released. The two other suspects were detained on Wednesday and Thursday last. The Carenage mother of a onemonth- old who was charged jointly with the main suspect was detained on Wednesday last hours before the body of WPC Joseph was fished out between the estuary of the Caroni River and the Gulf of Paria. Police went to the DPP yesterday only with circumstantial evidence because they did not get any confession statements. The main suspect was detained on March 10, one day after WPC Joseph was reported missing. He was taken to the Riverside Plaza office of the Homicide Bureau where he continued to deny any involvement in the murder of the WPC. On Thursday, the main suspect went before a High Court judge to seek a writ of habeas corpus to have him released but the judge gave the police until today to lay any charge or release the suspect. On Thursday last, two fishermen were trawling for shrimp and fished out the WPC Josephs body whose decomposing body was in a bag and attached to the bag was a rope and three concrete blocks. When the body was viewed by a District Medical Officer the killers tied a rope around the neck of the officer in which two foundation blocks were attached as well as an iron anchor. Her hands were tied behind her back with rope and a stone placed in her hands while the right side of her face was bashed in and disfigured. An autopsy revealed the death was inconclusive however, it is believed that the WPC was smothered. A party of officers led by Assistant Commissioner of Police Harrikrishen Baldeo along with Region One Homicide officers carried out extensive investigations and detained six people during the enquiry. Two of the six were released on Friday last and other two released yesterday. A joint team of officers from the Portof- Spain CID led by Snr Supt Boxhill, ASP Ajith Persad and others along with Inter-Agency Task Force officers under the supervision of Senior Supt Simboonath Rajkumar also assisted in searches along with Coast Guard officers and the Defence Force. Yesterday, residents of Sea Lots said they were relieved that persons have been charged with the murder of the WPC and that their lives can now return to normal. The two boat men who were released yesterday did not return to their Sea Lots home but instead went to homes of relatives to rest and relax after their brief incarceration. The funeral of the WPC is expected to tentatively take place this Friday. Yesterday Assistant Commissioner of Police Hackshaw thanked members of the Police Service, the Coast Guard, the Defence Force and even members of the public who assisted the police in bringing closure to this probe. Elder threatens to burn robes Power plus transparency, Elder said. At the opening of the law term, last year, Chief Justice Ivor Archie made a call for abolition of the jury system. This did not sit well with several attorneys, including Elder, who threatened to burn her robes if the jury system was abolished. The highly contentious Miscellaneous Provisions (Trial by Judge Alone) Bill, 2017, is being hotly debated in Parliament. Clause 6(1) of this Bill gives an accused person who appears before a judge in the High Court a choice. He can have a judge alone trial, or trial before a judge and jury. He can choose whether he wants a judge alone to decide his guilt or innocence. So, would it be judge verdict or jury verdict? Clause 6(1) provides: Every person committed for trial shall be tried on an indictment and, subject to the provisions of this Act, shall be tried by a Judge and jury unless he elects to be tried by a Judge alone. However, Elder said that once the jurisdiction of judges was expanded and they were empowered to decide whether an accused person was guilty or not guilty, they should be obligated to declare their assets. I say this with full knowledge of the High Court judgment of the then Honourable Madame Justice Judith Jones in which she ruled that the Integrity in Public Life legislation which made judges and magistrates subject to the Integrity Commission was unconstitutional. As a result of this judgment, judges and magistrates are not required to declare their assets with the Integrity Commissio, Elder said. In the Court of Appeal Judgment number 30 of 2008, the obligations of persons subjected to the Integrity in Public Life Act stated: Persons who are subject to the jurisdiction of the Integrity Commission (the Commission) have onerous duties and responsibilities placed upon them. For instance, they are required to file exhaustive and detailed annual financial returns with the Commission in respect of themselves, their spouses and dependent children. Breaches of the provisions of the Integrity Act can be visited by severe penalties. By way of illustration, failing (a) to file the required returns, (b) to give information required by the Commission or (c) to attend an inquiry or (d) the giving of a false declaration are criminal offences punishable on summary conviction by a fine of $250,000.00 and imprisonment for ten years. Individuals who are caught by the Integrity Act are also subject to a stringent code of conduct and to a thorough investigation by the Commission. Elder said she was not casting any apsresions on the integrity of any judges, and did not doubt that they ensured the independence of the judiciary was maintained. She said mandating judges to declare their assets served a dual purpose. First, she said, it protected judges against allegations that they accepted a bribe to determine the case in a particular manner, and secondly, it generated public confidence in the justice system by allaying fears that a judge alone verdict was as a result of corruption. Elder said trust was not automatically bestowed on a person because of his/her status. She added that the mere donning of the judicial robe did not instill confidence in members of the public that the wearer of such a garment was not prejudiced, and had no human frailties which could influence his decision. Elder said the public must have confidence in the integrity of the justice system. Diabetes, hypertension, cancer costing TT $8.7 billion annually Dr Rohit Doon disclosed this while addressing a training seminar for medical practictioners on the National Strategy for Gestational Diabetes Screening: Health in pregnancy TT at Trinidad Hilton, St Anns. Doon said that estimate was provided by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB). A large proportion of this burden is due to diabetes, $3.5 billion and hypertension $3.2 billion and cancer about $2 billion. More than half of the total burden is due to productivity losses related to diabetes, hypertension and cancer mortality and morbidity. He said diabetes and hypertension prevention intervention can reap huge benefits as a 50 percent reduction through sustained prevention interventions can result in estimated savings of $2 billion annually. Therefore the ministry has completed and attained Cabinet approval for a five-year national strategic plan for prevention and control of NCDs (Noncommunicable Diseases). First strategic objective is multi sectoral policies and partnership for prevention and control so here we wish to build and promote multi sectoral action with relevant sectors of the government and society including integration into development and economic agendas. NCDs risk factors and protective factors, we wish to prevent prevalence of NCDs risk factors and strengthen protective factors with emphasis on children and adolescents. And vulnerable population using evidence based held promotions strategies policy instruments including regulation monitoring and voluntary measures to address the social and economic environmental determinants of health. Doon said the coverage of the health systems response to the NCDs and the risk factors need to be improved to create equitable and universal access to quality care with emphasis on primary health care and strengthened self care. He also said that the capacity for research needs to be strengthened. These strategies therefore reflect an appreciation of the fact that there is an link between society and the publics health that fundamentally influences each other. Health is therefore an input for and a benefit of development. Consequently public health can be defined as the essence and art of promotion health, controlling and preventing disease, prolonging life through the organised efforts of society, he said. Celebrating Walcotts many facets Derek was a man for whom friendship was sacred. Many of his poems speak of such friendships: with Heaney, and with Joseph Brodsky another poet laureate, for example. But he commemorated so many. His penultimate collection, White Egrets, remembers the departed dead such as Wilbert Holder and Aim? Cesaire but with typical generosity pays tribute to the living including Lorna Goodison. White Egrets is a book of loss and of fading light, of memory and of the closeness of death. But it is also a celebration of the many facets of his life. The egret becomes the pen through which he chronicles a life lived to the full and the Antilles, despite his many departures to different places such as Italy, which often became an echo of his beloved islands. Walcott was from St Lucia, but Trinidad became his other island home in the fifties and figured throughout his works in particular in The Prodigal, which is in many ways a love song to both St Lucia and Santa Cruz where his daughters live. Walcott taught at Boston University after leaving Trinidad and later went on to become Professor of Poetry at the University of Essex where he spent several months every year. There he worked with the Lakeside Theatre on the production of O Starry Starry Night I have the rare honour of attending all three world premieres, in Essex, St Lucia and Trinidad. O Starry Starry Night pays homage to another St Lucian artist, Dunstan St Omer, who died just two years ago and reminds us that Derek was a fine painter and at one point had to choose between poetry and painting. Walcott revelled in the use of words both in their English meaning and the many double meanings that words have accumulated through their use in creole. His famous Spoilers Return demonstrates his wit and his skill and indeed admiration for the calypsonian. Like the traditional calypsonian he was given to political criticism and had an acerbic wit. He ranted at both the governments of TT and of St Lucia for failing to recognise the need to finance the Arts. He spoke often of the tribulations endured by the Trinidad Theatre Workshop, though he cut off ties with this group in recent years. Yet he remained deeply loyal to those actors with whom he had worked over the years. Walcotts loyalty was and is phenomenal. He loved people and at the celebration of his work which we held at the University of the West Indies in 2010 he was most deeply affected by the very fact of seeing so many of his friends and colleagues. This, from a man who had by then received every honour and acclaim for his poetry, including the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1992. Derek never tolerated fools gladly, as those who worked with him knew well. He was demanding. But yet when he saw talent or dedication he was quick to lend his hand and his support. As I sit writing this, it is not the poetry or the plays that I know so intimately that come to mind, but his kindness and the fact that his spirit towered over everything. He was ably helped by his partner Sigrid Nama whose own spirit of kindness was demonstrated in her hospitality and the way she acted as a liaison between the poet and others. Sigrid was always willing to smooth the way. She cared for him with impeccable devotion and love during his last years and I still recall the day on which Derek had his most debilitating collapse and the sheer panic that assailed her. Many of his plays did not receive the same recognition as his poetry, though it might be argued that the stage was his true love. But no one could deny the beauty and the success of The Joker of Seville, which has a musical score by Galt MacDermot ---who also put Dereks two Barack Obama poems to music. The Joker exemplified that unique combination of witty social commentary, sexual innuendo, characterisation and beautiful poetic language all united by music and movement. It is equalled only by Ti Jean which has seen so many incarnations, finally emerging as Moon-Child in 2011. Walcott also wrote film scripts. Many of these are stored in the University of the West Indies and University of Toronto archives and only two have been produced: The Rig and Haytian Earth. But the long poem, Omeros, for me remains his masterpiece, not least because it is a conversation between the major writers of the Caribbean including Kamau Brathwaite and VS Naipaul and some of the Irish writers to whom Walcott paid homage. Its multifaceted and polyphonic structure makes it an epic beyond compare. Derek Walcotts loss leaves a huge gap that cannot be filled. But his legacy as a man and as an artist remains indelible. Dr Jean Antoine- Dunne is a Walcott specialist and her book Derek Walcotts Love Affair with Film, published by Peepal Tree Press, is due out in October. National Security tackling youth violence He identified the Military Led Academic Training Programme (MILAT), which targets young people between the ages of 16 and 20 years, as one of the measures being taken to address this issue. Dillon, a former TT Defence Force Chief of Staff, also said the Prison Service has targeted youth perpetrators of crime and violence through programmes at the Youth Training Centre (YTC). Later in the sitting, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Bridgid Annisette-George denied a request from Oropouche East MP Dr Roodal Moonilal to terminate the Community Comfort Patrol Programme as an urgent matter of public importance. This programme was started under the former Peoples Partnership government. Bhoe: Opposition worried Government floundering At a press conference at the Office of the Opposition Leader, Charles Street, Portof- Spain, Tewarie said they were also concerned about the governments failure to take decisions that will lead to stimulation of investment, reversal of recession, restoration of growth and creation of jobs in the economy. Tewarie also expressed concern over Finance Minister Colm Imberts announcement that some $1.7 billion in the Heritage and Stabilisation Fund (HSF) will be used to partially fund the countrys $7 billion Public Sector Investment Programme (PSIP). This is in addition to about $11 billion already borrowed during their term so far, a worsening debt to GDP ratio as borrowings increase and the GDP continues to decline... we are very worried and concerned about how our country is going to repay such high debt in the absence of confidence in the absence of ecnomic growth and with proseperity no where near on the horizon, he said. He questioned whether the PSIP has been financed in the past five months. The PSIP was allocated according to the 2017 budget $7 billion so does it mean that no money has been spent and that nothing has been done for five and a half months. Does it mean they are now beginning to finance the PSIP in mid-year and he has not told us what are the projects. Since the budgetary allocation is about $7 billion, what part of the PSIP and what specific projects will this $1.7 billion be used for and how much impact will it make? Tewarie said. He said the countrys economic situation has been getting worse with declines in each quarter since the Peoples National Movement has been in office. He said the general feeling of the population was that the government was floundering. This is also a feeling in the business sector which is that this government is overwhelmed, that they are out of their depth and incapable of offering solutions to any of our major challenges, whether it is the murder rate, whether it is managing revenue and expenditure and deficit, whether it is stimulating the manufacturing sector, facilitating the expansion of the services sector. Initiating construction activity, boosting agriculture, attracting investment or taking the necessary action to move the economy from decline and recession to growth and prosperity. Tewarie said the Opposition was concerned that revenue targets were not being met. We are continuing to spend more than we are earning, the deficit or fiscal gap is increasing. With a $50 oil price and a $3 gas price, the government seems to be making no effort to live within its means, he said. Ramadharsingh wants cultural museum in Siparia SRCs chairman Dr Glenn Ramadharsingh, during the national cleanup campaign on Saturday, made the suggestion to Rural Development and Local Government Minister Kazim Hosein. At the time the Minister was at the popular Daisy Voisin hub located along High Street, Siparia. The hub was named in honour of the late Alexandra Daisy Voisin, dubbed the Queen of Parang. She was the leader of the parang group La Divina Pastora. We want to have a natural history museum devoted to culture, to the works of Daisy Voisin and so many others like (entertainer) Machel Montano. He is from Siparia, we had (historian) Angelo Bissessarsingh. We have a lot of people in the arts and culture. We have the Siparia Deltones and Diatonics, we have good tassa groups, Ramadharsingh said. Ramadharsingh was the Social Development Minister under the Kamla Persad-Bissessar-led administration. Persad-Bissessar is the Member of Parliament for Siparia and Opposition Leader. Ramadharsingh said that Siparia is developing rapidly and is close to borough status. At the hub on Saturday, volunteers joined with the Minister and Chairman to clean up the area. The clean-up campaign continued in the municipality and Ramadharsingh added that at Murray Trace someone attempted to create a scrap yard, without legal authority to do so. Overgrown trees were trimmed, major rivers courses cleaned, derelict vehicles removed and dilapidated buildings demolished as part of the exercise. Hosein told Newsday that Siparia was the eighth of 14 corporations to be part of the campaign. Next week the team heads to the Point Fortin Borough Corporation and he called on volunteers to come out and clean up their respective communities. He thanked all volunteers, including the corporate community, for their assistance in the exercise. Moonilal says Opposition not helping govt rewrite constitution Moonilal was also critical of the amendment which would give the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), the authority to determine whether cases were sufficient to go forward in the courts. Such action as contained in the proposed amendment gives the DPP the power of filtration, of filtering cases and proffering an indictment to the High Court, before the same person prosecutes the matter, Moonilal stated. Moonilal said the drafters of the Constitution never anticipated the prosecutor would become a judicial officer as well saying they wanted to have a magistrate or the Judiciary filter these matters and the prosecutor would create his case with the police. By conferring onto the DPP the power to sit down and determine, to proffer an indictment without a judicial officer scrutinizing the information and the evidence before, is tantamount to undermining the constitutional structure and by so doing, you are defeating the Constitution, he stated. Indarsingh slams closures Prime Minster Dr Keith Rowley made these announcement at the post cabinet news conference at the Diplomatic Centre on THursday. Indarsingh said this was a continued assault on the countrys workers. In the case of Caroni Green, Indarsingh said this was a tool to diversify the economy but the Peoples National Movement (PNM) has a problem with anything with any reference to Caroni 1975 Ltd. Predicting there will be massive job losses in this fiscal year and beyond, Indarsingh called for the creation of an unemployment insurance fund and amendments to the Retrenchment and Severance Benefits Act Glenda: I am no OJT Jennings Smith, who is also Toco/Sangre Grand Member of Parliament, made this declaration as she rejected allegations made by Naparima MP Rodney Charles, during debate on the Pre-Trial Procedure Bill 2017 in the House of Representatives. A former police officer, Jennings Smith stated, In my experience in the Police Service, I have seen where I have been a witness, where I have been a complainant for victims of heinous crimes. Government MPs thumped their desks as she added, I want to refer particularly to female victims. Noting Charles reference to a murdered police officer as he said the Opposition would support measures to deal with crime in TT, Jennings Smith asked, I wonder if its a charade or if its real? While describing herself as an OJT in the Parliament, Jennings Smith looked across the Parliament chamber at Opposition MPs. Government MPs thumped their desks again, when she quipped, Sometimes I am not really convinced that those on the other side have the heart or the feelings of what goes on in this country of TT. She recalled a case where a victim in a matter she was involved in as a police officer was killed while the preliminary inquiry was going on. As Opposition MPs repeatedly taunted her during her contribution, Jennings Smith warned them that she could make disclosures about what happened in 2011 about things that happened under the State of Emergency while the then Peoples Partnership (PP) government was in office. Earlier in the sitting, Charles alleged all the parliamentary sittings taking place were practice for Government ahead of debate on a private motion on crime at the end of this month. Minister powers up Habitat for Humanity During the meeting, the minister acknowledged the work which has been done by Habitat for Humanity in Trinidad and Tobago since 1997 and the charitys devotion to constructing simple, decent, and affordable housing to address the issues of poverty and housing in Trinidad and Tobago. The minister praised its achievement in building five hundred houses for deserving families in this country since 1997. Ram?rez visit to Randall last Monday coincided with Habitats 20th Anniversary celebrations which were held last Tuesday. Also at the meeting was the Acting Permanent Secretary, Marion Hayes; Chairman of Habitat for Humanity TT, Derwin Howell and National Director of Habitat for Humanity TT, Jennifer Massiah. They also discussed current efforts at collaboration and other possible areas for partnership including the development of disaster-resilient housing as is currently being done in Jamaica. The talks also touched on The New Urban Agenda which was conceptualised at the recently- held United Nations Habitat III conference and Ramirez highlighted the charitys commitment to this policy. Both the visiting delegation and the minister agreed that the success of the New Urban Agenda lies in its ability to promote community-led development, environmental sustainability and the provision of affordable housing. Pranab Mukherjee addressed the closing ceremony of an International Conference Bihar, Mon, 20 Mar 2017 NI Wire President of India addresses The Closing Ceremony of International Conference on "Buddhism in The 21st Century - Perspectives and Responses to Global Challenges and Crises" The President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee addressed the closing ceremony of an International Conference on Buddhism in the 21st Century perspectives and responses to Global Challenges and Crises at Rajgir, Nalanda, Bihar today (March 19, 2017). Speaking on the occasion, the President said that no part of the world yesterday is free from the scourge of violence. This crisis is all pervasive. The basic question being raised today is how to stop this wanton destruction and come back to sanity. He said that the philosophy of Buddhism is as relevant today as ever - especially as the world grapples with complex problems that seem intractable. Buddhism has had a deep influence on human civilization. The mighty emperor Ashoka who had the ambition of extending his empire as far as he could was converted into a missionary. Dhamma Ashoka is remembered in history rather than warrior Ashoka. The President said that Nalanda reflects our ancient educational system which attracted mighty minds in the form of students and teachers in ancient India. He said that education means the development of mind and requires an atmosphere which is conducive to free exchange of ideas. He quoted Gandhiji who had said of the Buddha he was saturated with the best which was in Hinduism and he gave life to some of the teachings that were in the Vedas but which had been overgrown with weeds. His great Hindu spirit cuts its way through the forest of meaningless words which had overlaid the golden truth which was in the Vedas." Addressing the delegates present there, the President said as they return to their respective areas of activity and influence, he requested them all to redouble their efforts to promote the simple Truths and the Path of the Buddha that show we can be better citizens and contribute to making our land a better place to live in. The President expressed happiness that the Nava Nalanda Mahavihara has published the entire Pali Tripitaka (texts or words of the Buddha) in 41 volumes in the Devanagari script. He congratulated the Nava Nalanda Mahavihara University for this grand achievement and for opening the first ever Department of Buddhist Sciences in the world. He said that he would encourage the texts to be further dispersed like seeds by migrating birds far beyond the institutions of Buddhist studies and our region to Universities in all parts of the world regardless of their academic specialization. He stated that these initiatives will go a long way in popularizing the tenets of Buddhism. They will help the coming generations to easily connect with the supreme ideals of humanity, forbearance, discipline and compassion. Once these values are adopted by more and more scientists, engineers, entrepreneurs and leaders in letter and spirit, he had no doubt that they will work to gear up to address the skepticism and cynicism that ails modern societies. Source: PIB Never send a cop to do a man's job Bella and The Bulldogs The Greenhouse Viacom's TeenNick channel has launched on the yes Direct Broadcast Satellite (DBS) platform in Israel!TeenNick Israel is the first channel in Israel to target viewers ages 9 to 14. The 24-hour service focuses on live-action dramas, sitcoms and comedies such as),and many others.The channel also features an original special TV reunion of the cast from, an original live-action daily-drama series that broadcast for four seasons on Nickelodeon Israel exclusively for yes DBS. The show was produced by Nutz Productions, which also produced, an international remake acquired by Netflix scheduled to air later in 2017, and marks the first time an original Israeli series has been sold to Netflix.TeenNick is also set to air an original TV reunion special featuring the cast of the original live-action daily-drama series), which aired for four seasons on Nickelodeon Israel exclusively for yes DBS. The series was produced by Ananey-owned Nutz Productions, whose new tween-skewing sitcomrecently launched on Nickelodeon Israel exclusively for yes DBS. an international remake of the daily-drama serieswas acquired by Netflix and will air later this year. The acquisition marked the first time an original Israeli series sold to the global SVOD giant.The new TeenNick channelalong with other Viacom brands in Israel like Nickelodeon and Nick Jr.will be represented and operated by Ananey Communications Group, which operates more than 11 channels and reaches 76% of Israeli households. New post, The Adversarial System and the Torah Ethic of Justice on Nishma Policy Angela Merkel has reportedly declined an invitation from Algerian authorities who called off in the last moment a visit by the German Chancellor last February due to the falling health of Algerias President Abdelaziz Bouteflika. The Algerian press reported that Merkel was very upset with the last minute cancellation of the two-day visit during which she intended to discuss with Algerian officials means to stop the flow of migrants and speed up the repatriating of failed asylum seekers. Merkel refused to schedule another visit to Algeria in 2017 on grounds of her busy agenda, writes the Algerian press. After several months away from public appearance, renewed health rumors are fueling speculation over the future of President Bouteflika, an octogenarian leader in power for nearly two decades. Few weeks after canceling Merkels visit, Algerian authorities apologized to a Spanish delegation and to the Iranian President for the President incapacity to meet them. Although President Bouteflika surfaced again on TV on Sunday, when state television featured a video footage of the President with the countrys minister for African Union and Arab League Affairs, Abdelkader Messahel, that was not enough to dispel concerns on the Presidents failing health nor on uncertainties surrounding his successor. Analysts deem that the power struggle within the countrys security apparatus bode ill for Algeria as it braces for a contested or rocky succession. Since his stroke in 2013, Bouteflika rarely makes public appearances except for short meetings with foreign officials. When he was running for presidency in 2014, his campaign was led by his Prime Minister. Many observers saw in his re-election a time-buying measure for the rival elites within the regime to settle their disputes and agree on a successor at a time Algeria is facing big economic challenges resulting from the fall in oil prices. The juncture forced the country to take spending-cut reforms that may have serious repercussions on Algerias social peace. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres urged the head of the Polisario separatists Brahim Ghali to abide by the 1991 ceasefire agreement and withdraw militias from Guerguarat area on the borders with Mauritania in the demilitarized buffer strip. The talks between Guterres and Ghali took place in New York last Friday. Inner City Press reports that outgoing UN Envoy to the Sahara, Christopher Ross attended the meeting although he presented his resignation few days ago. Ross who talked to the press following the meeting said that the emphasis was placed on the need for the Polisario to withdraw its troops from Guerguarat buffer strip in the southernmost tip of the Saharan provinces. He said the UN Secretary General wants to relaunch negotiations between the parties to the Sahara dispute and stressed the need for the Polisario to withdraw armed men from Guerguarat following the example of Morocco. King Mohammed VI, in his quality as supreme commander of the Royal armed forces, ordered the unilateral withdrawal of Moroccan troops from Guerguarat following a phone call with Guterres during which the Monarch expressed concerns at the dangers to the ceasefire agreement posed by the Polisarios provocations. The withdrawal came in response to Guterres call for both parties to leave the demilitarized buffer strip. Despite the call by 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. Polisario armed men set up checkpoints forcing Moroccan drivers to remove Moroccan signs such as Moroccan maps or registration plates and threatening to fire on those who refuse to abide. Algeria has recently donated military equipment to the Polisario that it uses as a tool to destabilize Morocco and sap all efforts seeking to find a lasting, political and mutually acceptable solution to the Sahara conflict based on the Moroccan autonomy initiative. Tension started building up in the region last August when Morocco launched an anti-smuggling operation that has a police character to clear the southernmost tip of the Saharan provinces of all sorts of illegal commercial activities. Moroccan authorities also started asphalting a road to better monitor the area and bar traffickers and terrorist groups from setting up a safe haven in the buffer zone beyond Moroccos security berm on the borders with Mauritania. Saad Dine El Othmani of the moderate Islamist PJD party, who was appointed by the King Head of the Government Friday, seems to have broken away with the methods and the tense rhetoric adopted by his predecessor Abdelilah Benkirane whose consultations to form a new cabinet ended with a political deadlock unprecedented in Moroccos history. El Othmani who was tasked with forming a coalition Government will start his negotiations with the party that came second in October 7 general polls, the liberal authenticity and modernity party (PAM). He said he will hold talks with the leaders of all political parties starting negotiations all over again in a bid to end the political deadlock which left the country without a government over five months after the polls. By ushering a rapprochement with the PAM, the PJDs archrival, EL Othmani breaks away with a legacy of conflict fuelled by Benkiranes stances and statements. An alliance between the PJD with 125 seats and the PAM with 102 seats will make it easy to form a new government with an overwhelming majority exceeding the required 195 seats. But the ideological stances espoused by the two parties makes this scenario unlikely. The PJD builds on a referential of moderate political Islam imbued with conservatism, wherein the PAM defends modernity and liberal values. It is unclear also whether the PJD supreme council will allow such an alliance with the PAM to take place. El Othmani represents the most enlightened trend in his party and his views are not shared by the rest of the PJD leaders, most of whom consider governing with the PAM as a redline, as they accuse it of being a puppet whose strings are pulled by the influential figures in the deep state. Negotiations under the leadership of Benkirane came to a deadlock after the latter refused to accept the conditions put forward by the leader of the liberal party, the National Rally of Independents. The RNI with 37 seats conditioned his participation in the government with the exclusion of conservative Istiqlal Party (46 seats) and the inclusion of three other parties with minor results in the elections: liberal UC (19 seats), traditionalist MP (27) and leftist USFP (20 seats). Benkirane, although he gave up the PI, refused to admit the USFP in the new government and blamed the RNI of blackmail and of sabotaging the negotiation process. The PJD will receive another blow when the lower house speaker was elected from the USFP prior to Moroccos admission in the African Union. The PJDs national council, which held an extraordinary session Saturday, expressed its support to El Othmani and stressed the need to speed up the formation of the new government in accordance with the royal guidelines. Yet, El Othmani is unlikely to admit the participation of the USFP in the new government either. The last word hinges on the approval of the PJDs national council, which is largely composed of figures aligning on Benkiranes stand. The fragmentation of Moroccos political landscape makes no party able to win an outright majority. To secure the majority of seats needed to form a coalition government, the PJD has at least to enter into a coalition with three parties, putting the distribution of ministerial portfolios on a rocky road, not to speak of compromises on the policies of the different partners in the future government. With 12 parties represented in the lower house, the Moroccan stalemate indicates how too many parties can spoil politics giving way to incoherent governmental coalitions involving odd bedfellows including Islamists, former communists and conservatives as was the case with the previous government. Moroccos foreign Minister, Salaheddine Mezouar, visited several member countries of the West African Economic Community (ECOWAS) in a bid to gather support for Moroccos bid to join the sub-regional grouping. In this respect, Mezouar handed messages from King Mohammed VI to President of Senegal Macky Sall and President of Niger Mahamadou Issoufou during visits to Dakar and Niamey. In a statement to Moroccos news agency MAP, Mezouar said that he held talks with Nigers President who openly expressed support for the Kingdoms membership in the ECOWAS. The ECOWAS is a natural space for Morocco in light of the longstanding ties of friendship linking the Kingdom to the countries of the region but also given the initiatives and actions benefiting this sub-region, led by the King and Morocco, Mezouar quoted Issoufou as saying. Moroccos admission within the ECOWAS will have a beneficial impact on economic integration, security, stability and human development in the region, said Mezouar. Moroccos request to join ECOWAS and the steps to achieve this objective were discussed last week when King Mohammed VI received at the Royal Palace of Casablanca President of Guinea Alpha Conde, who was on a private visit to Morocco. The talks between the Moroccan and the Guinean leaders also touched on the ambitious projects launched or announced during the Kings recent visit to Conakry as well as on peace and stability in the continent and development of the African Union, currently chaired by Alpha Conde. Earlier this month, Morocco, which has an observer status in the ECOWAS and is bound by strong relations with its member states, has officially applied to become a full-fledged member of the grouping. Before submitting the bid to join the ECOWAS, King Mohammed VI visited several countries in the region where Morocco is one of the largest investors. Recently Morocco gave further substance to its south-south cooperation approach in the continent and sealed an agreement with Nigeria to build the Africa Atlantic Pipeline. In this vein, King Mohammed VI and President Muhammadu Buhari discussed over the phone last week the progress as well as the bilateral exchanges and working sessions held on this strategic project. President of the Nigerian Senate, Abubakar Bukola Saraki, who delivered a keynote speech at the Crans Montana Forum (FCM), held in Dakhla, underscored that the actions undertaken by King Mohammed VI in Africa are admirable, citing as an example the Gazoduc project, and inviting African heads of states to get inspiration from such actions. The Speaker of the Parliament of ECOWAS, Moustapha Cisse Lo, who also attended the Crans Montana Forum, hailed the role played by Morocco in promoting inter-African cooperation as extremely important. In the face of the paralysis crippling the Maghreb union, Morocco opted to look south reaching out to its partners in West Africa with whom it has been building partnerships on a sound foundation underpinned by a south-south cooperation approach. So, Moroccos request to join ECOWAS is the continuation of a decades-long process of fostering ties with the countries of the region. With the inclusion of Morocco, the ECOWAS will bolster its aggregated GDP to the 16th rank globally ahead of Turkey and right after Indonesia. Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuchs makes happy talk in his opening statement to the Judiciary Committee. The good feelings wont last. Photo: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images The initial phases of Senate confirmation hearings, especially for judges, usually revolve around the Kabuki theater of laying down markers. The nominee exudes good will to all and reaches out to as many constituencies as possible. The two parties congenially accuse each other of bad faith in accepting or rejecting the nominee. Later on, the phony peace ends and more meaningful interactions occur when senators get to ask questions and then spar with each other. In the case of Neil Gorsuchs Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing for the Supreme Court, the tough stuff will begin tomorrow. The bipartisan tone for Gorsuchs appearance was set by the fact that his introducers included Colorados Democratic Senator Michael Bennet (a home-state courtesy) and liberal civil-liberties attorney and one-time acting solicitor general for the Obama administration Neal Katyel. The latter, not coincidentally, is currently helping the state of Hawaii fight the Trump travel ban. Gorsuchs own opening statement was well-wrought. Aside from all the obligatory expressions of thanks to the president and the judges family and friends and all the little people behind the scenes (youd have thought he grew up in the obscurity of the lower-middle-class if you did not realize his mother served in Ronald Reagans cabinet), Gorsuch oozed humility and even-handedness. His judicial shout-outs were highly calculated to cover a lot of ground. Like all Coloradans, he professed to revere SCOTUS Justice Byron Whizzer White, a JFK appointee who nonetheless dissented from Roe v. Wade and authored a landmark opinion defending sodomy laws. He gave a nod to another justice for whom he clerked, Anthony Kennedy, while casually mentioning they didnt always agree on everything, which I took as a subtle indicator that he doesnt share Kennedy support for reproductive rights. And while he saved the loudest praise for his immediate predecessor and conservative icon Antonin Scalia, he matched that tribute with the claim that Justice Robert Jackson represented a tradition equally important to him. Jackson dissented from the Supreme Court decision that allowed the internment of Japanese-Americans and also served as chief prosecutor at Nuremberg. So hes an important legal angel to invoke for those worried that he might bless xenophobic or even authoritarian Trump-administration policies. The same reassure-everybody signals were sent by Gorsuchs repeated pledges of judicial independence. To liberals that means independence from the president and party that chose him; for conservatives it connotes a willingness to defy liberal conventions and Big Government. The opening statements of Judiciary Committee members did not break much unexpected ground. Democrats repeatedly contrasted their own willingness to consider Gorsuch on his merits with the GOPs summary rejection without a hearing of Obama nominee Merrick Garland. Ted Cruz picked up on the standard conservative line that the very public vetting process for the judge made him a sort of peoples choice. Democrat Richard Blumenthal implicitly responded by questioning whether Gorsuch had passed some sort of Trump litmus test, by which he meant a promise to vote the way conservatives would like on crucial issues like a challenge to Roe v. Wade. To the uninitiated, it all sounded pretty congenial. But you can expect lines to be drawn tomorrow, and Gorsuchs well-rehearsed happy talk to curdle a bit. The whole show should end Thursday, and divide attention with the planned American Health Care Act vote in the House that day and whatever other madness breaks out in this unpredictable era of Donald Trump. FBI director James Comey. Photo: Nicholas Kamm/AFP/Getty Images FBI director James Comey told the House Intelligence Committee Monday that the bureau is investigating potential Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election and whether members of Donald Trumps campaign coordinated with the Russian government. Comey began by saying he would not typically confirm the existence of ongoing investigations, but called this an unusual circumstance. Ive been authorized by the Department of Justice to confirm that the FBI as part of our counterintelligence mission is investigating the Russian governments efforts to interfere in the 2016 presidential election, he added. That includes investigating the nature of any links between individuals associated with the Trump campaign and the Russian government, and whether there was any coordination between the campaign and Russias efforts. Watch his full statement below. Comey would say little else on the subject, which at least one pundit thinks is trouble for the President. Mondays hearing also addressed President Trumps claims that President Obama had the phones wiretapped at Trump Tower. Both Comey and NSA director Mike Rogers said they know of no evidence to support Trumps claims. Further on the subjects of wiretaps, Congressman Adam Schiff, the ranking Democrat on the committee, asked Rogers about the White House claim that Obama enlisted the help of British intelligence arm GCHQ to spy on Trump. Earlier this month, White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer referred to a report from Fox News claiming that Obama went around U.S. intelligence agencies to get dirt on Trump. Rogers denied asking the GCHQ to spy on Trump and denied being asked to do so. When Schiff asked Rogers if he agreed with the GCHQ, which called Spicers claim nonsense and utterly ridiculous, he said, Yes sir. Committee chair Devin Nunes advocated for equal opportunity investigating at one point, asking Comey if he would investigate ties between Russia and the Clinton campaign if evidence surfaced linking the two. It was a question that, if nothing else, proves Nunes follows Trump on Twitter. What about all of the contact with the Clinton campaign and the Russians? Also, is it true that the DNC would not let the FBI in to look? Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 20, 2017 While members of the minority party focused on Russia and alleged wiretapping in their questions to Comey and Rogers, several Republicans wanted to talk about leaks. Representative Trey Gowdy pressed Comey on how the media learned about phone conversations between former national security adviser Michael Flynn and Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak, which eventually led to Flynns firing. After ticking off a list of officials he appears to believe may have had something to do with the leak, Gowdy asked Comey if the FBI was investigating the leak. I cant say because I dont want to confirm that that was classified information, Comey said. Later, Gowdy suggested that hes after punishment not just for leakers of classified information, but for the reporters who publish that information. Here's the full exchange between Gowdy and Comey on reporters getting classified leaks. https://t.co/AOWiTsTOYo Daniella Diaz (@DaniellaMicaela) March 20, 2017 In a sign that Comey has learned a lesson from the FBIs investigation of Hillary Clintons personal email server, he refused a request to provide Congress with regular updates into the investigation of Russias ties to the Trump campaign. I dont know how long the work will take, he said. I cant predict or commit to updates. Think the 2016 election marked the beginning and end of Russias attempts to meddle in the U.S. electoral process? Think again, Comey said. Theyll be back, he warned in response to questions from Florida Republican representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen. Theyll be back in 2020, they may be back in 2018, and one of the lessons they may draw from this is that they were successful because they introduced chaos and division and discord and sowed doubt about the nature of this amazing country of ours and our democratic process. As the hearing pressed on, President Trump weighed in on Twitter. The official @POTUS account shot off several tweets that not-so-subtly suggest it was the Obama administration that leaked classified information about former NSA Mike Flynn. FBI Director Comey refuses to deny he briefed President Obama on calls made by Michael Flynn to Russia. pic.twitter.com/cUZ5KgBSYP President Trump (@POTUS) March 20, 2017 Judge Gorsuch. Photo: Samuel Corum/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images So far concerns about what having Judge Neil Gorsuch on the Supreme Court would mean for women have centered on the presumption that he is anti-abortion. (He has never commented on the issue specifically, but he did rule that Hobby Lobby shouldnt have to cover its employees birth control, and he wanted to rehear a decision blocking Utahs attempt to defund Planned Parenthood.) Now some of his former students have raised concerns about Gorsuchs views on discrimination against female workers. Jennifer Sisk, who graduated from the University of Colorado Law School last year, says that during a Legal Ethics and Professionalism class last spring, Gorsuch told his students that companies should ask women about their pregnancy plans during job interviews, and claimed that many women plan to manipulate their employers by taking maternity leave, then quitting to stay home with their children. Sisk, who once worked for Democratic Senator Mark Udall and the Interior Department during the Obama administration, sent a two-page letter describing the incident to the Senate Committee on the Judiciary. It was posted on Sunday night by the National Employment Lawyers Association and the National Womens Law Center. In the letter, Sisk says that, on April 19, the class discussed a reading that described a hypothetical law student trying to find a job at a law firm to pay off her student loans, who also wanted to start a family with her husband. This sparked a discussion of work-life balance and student debt, but Gorsuch stepped in to redirect the conversation: Instead, he asked the class to raise their hands if they knew of a female who had used a company to get maternity benefits and then left right after having a baby. Judge Gorsuch specifically targeted females and maternity leave. This question was not about parents or men shifting priorities after having children. It was solely focused on women using their companies. Sisk says that when only a few people raised their hands, Gorsuch said, Cmon, guys. He told them that all our hands should be raised because many women use their companies for maternity benefits and then leave the company after the baby is born. She says he implied that women intentionally manipulate companies and plan to disadvantage their companies, starting from the first interview. When one student said employers cant ask prospective hires about their pregnancy plans, Gorsuch said that was incorrect. Sisk continues: Instead Judge Gorsuch told the class that not only could a future employer ask female interviewees about their pregnancy and family plans, companies must ask females about their family and pregnancy plans to protect the company. Judge Gorsuch tied this back to his original comment that companies need to ask these questions in order to protect themselves against female employees. Throughout this class Judge Gorsuch continued to make it very clear that the question of commitment to work over family was one that only women had to answer for. Guidelines published by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission do not ban asking questions about family plans, but an applicants answers are not supposed to figure into hiring decisions, according to NPR. Sisk says officials at the school told her they thought Gorsuchs interpretation was incorrect. She took her concerns to the deans and they told her they would speak to Gorsuch at the end of the term. She does not know if they followed through. The National Womens Law Center posted several documents supporting Sisks claim, including her post to a Facebook group for female lawyers and part of an email exchange with the dean. Theres also an anonymous statement from another student who took the class. They wrote: One of the topics he discussed was strongly gendered. Judge Gorsuch told our class that female lawyers get divorced at twice the rate of male lawyers. He also said that many female lawyers became pregnant, and questioned whether they should do so on their law firms dime. He asked the female students in my class what they would do if they became pregnant and about the impact of their pregnancies on their law firms. He also asked how they would take care of their children after those children are born. Both students said it seemed Gorsuch was expressing his personal views rather than playing devils advocate to spark classroom discussion, though they were happy with him as a professor overall. Sisk told NPR that she sent the letter so that the proper questions could be asked during his confirmation hearings. In a Facebook post just after President Trump announced that hed selected Gorsuch from his list of 21 candidates to replace the late Justice Antonin Scalia, Sisk said Gorsuch has a sharp judicial mind but she still finds his views troubling. He does not support FMLA, women as equal citizens, and values corporations above people, she wrote. Hes still better than the rest of the choices. This post was updated to note that Sisk worked for a Democratic senator and the Obama administration. New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman. Photo: Drew Angerer/Getty Images The assistant U.S. Attorney who led public-corruption prosecutions under now-fired Preet Bharara is taking on a new gig probing the Trump administration, reports The Wall Street Journal. Howard Master, who helped lead the CityTime payroll and Sheldon Silver cases, will now work for New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman as senior enforcement counsel, focusing on issues relating to the Trump White House and public corruption in general. Schneiderman has already started doing battle with the Trump administration, joining other states in challenging the administrations executive order on travel. Previously, the Attorney Generals office sued Trump on behalf of students who say they were bilked out of millions by Trump University, though the parties reached a settlement after the presidential election, in November. According to the Journal, Schneidermans office is now looking into the possibility that Trumps businesses put the president in violation of the Emoluments Clause, the constitutional provision that bars an officeholder from accepting gifts, payments, or titles from a foreign state. A watchdog group has brought a lawsuit, and had been urging Bhararas office whose district includes Trump Tower to investigate. Pro-Obamacare protesters. Photo: David McNew/AFP/Getty Images The greatest advantage the Republican Party held, through eight years of political war over the provision of health care, was not having a plan to defend. After Novembers elections handed them full control of government, Republicans designed a strategy to retain that advantage: repeal-and-delay, which would have allowed them to eliminate Obamacare without specifying the replacement. Repeal-and-delay failed, forcing them instead to pass a replacement plan. That plan has proven wildly unpopular. Indeed, it is so deeply unpopular that Republicans have given up defending the plan at all. Instead, they are back to promising an unspecified, future plan that will be revealed only after Obamacare has been gutted first. The most significant development to come out of the last week is that Republicans no longer defend the American Health Care Act. When confronted with the fact that his plan would make counties that supported him far worse off, Trump acknowledged, Oh, I know. Paul Ryan, appearing on Fox News Sunday, echoed Trump. We do believe we need to add some additional assistance to people in those older cohorts, he told Chris Wallace. We believe we should have more assistance, and thats what we are looking at. Secretary of Health and Human Services Tom Price told CNN, This is not the plan. By this, Price meant the plan that the White House and Republican leadership had claimed as its plan. The real plan has three prongs, of which the bill is only the first. The other two involve a combination of regulatory moves that may or may not be legal and a package of legislative changes that stands a zero-percent chance of being passed into law. (Theyre omitted from this bill because they cannot be included in a reconciliation bill, and thus are subject to a filibuster and require Democratic support, which will not be forthcoming.) Fixing the Republican plan is not a technical problem akin to rejiggering some wires in the shop. It means allocating real-world resources. The GOP plan makes coverage unaffordable for the old and poor because theyre expensive to cover, and Republicans dont want to pay for it. They insist their plan repeal Obamacares taxes on the rich, reducing the amount of resources available for coverage. They also insist their plan expand choice and freedom, which in practice means having the choice and the freedom not to pay for other peoples medical care. But if you dont make somebody pay for it either forcing insurers to give them artificially low premiums, or by taxes, then it wont be paid for. The regulations Republicans tout, which would allow insurers to sell skimpy plans to healthy people, would exacerbate the problem. Healthy people would get cheaper plans that dont cross-subsidize medical care needed by the old and sick. That would force the old and sick to bear even more of their costs. If there was a real Republican plan in writing, its effects would be even more gruesome. And so it must remain an abstraction. One Republican member of Congress hilariously stated that he would vote for the plan on the basis of unspecified assurances from Trump to eliminate features that would punish older, poorer Americans. The President listened to the fact that a 64-year-old person living near the poverty line was going to see their insurance premiums go up from $1700 to $14,600 per year, said Alabama representative Robert Aderholt. The President looked me in the eye and said, These are my people and I will not let them down. We will fix this for them. So, like every Republican alternative to Obamacare, this one has vaporized upon contact with the real world. The real Republican plan, once again, exists on an ethereal plane. Its features cannot be quantified but they can be described in generalities. Everybody who has seen it says it is, or will be, wonderful. Photo: Pool/Getty Images As President Trump recently reminded us, when someone has been disloyal to him, he never forgets it. But now that hes president, its become more difficult to keep track of those who have defied him or who may potentially defy him. Thats why, according to the Washington Post, Trump has embedded political appointees in every cabinet agency and tasked them with keeping tabs on the secretaries fealty to the president. Unsurprisingly, this is not going over well with some cabinet members. The Post is not the first to note the existence of these monitors. Last month, Politico reported that the Trump administration had created the new position of senior White House adviser within each agency, placing many former campaign aides in those jobs. Records obtained by ProPublica show that there are at least 16 of these advisers, with Trump loyalists stationed in all the major departments, as well as in some smaller agencies, such as NASA. Theres some disagreement over who the advisers answer to. The Post says they report to the Office of Cabinet Affairs, which is overseen by White House deputy chief of staff Rick Dearborn. An anonymous White House official said the advisers technically report to the head of each agency, but the White House would not discuss the matter on the record. The advisers ostensible mission is to act as a go-between on policy issues for the White House and the agencies, but eight officials tell the Post their primary task is to make sure agency staffers are carrying out the presidents agenda. Concerns about the presidents authority over the executive branch are not unusual, but no recent president has had such an arrangement. As New Yorks Ed Kilgore noted last month, People like that can be described as political commissars, to use the term made famous in the Soviet Union for the agents sent to impose ideological discipline, particularly in military units. Sure enough, the former Marine and fighter pilot assigned to Defense Secretary Jim Mattis is privately referred to as the commissar within the Pentagon. But the attitude toward the senior White House advisers varies by agency. Aides at the Departments of Transportation and the Interior described the advisers as part of their teams, and some advisers are picking up the slack in understaffed departments. However, Environmental Protection Agency administrator Scott Pruitt has reportedly banned former Washington state senator Don Benton, who ran Trumps Washington state campaign, from meetings. Per the Post: These officials said Benton piped up so frequently during policy discussions that he had been disinvited from many of them. One of the officials described the situation as akin to an episode of the HBO comedy series Veep. Behaving like a member of Selina Meyers team doesnt sound so bad when the alternative is an episode out of Soviet history. Budget director Mick Mulvaney, drawing upon deep experience in comparative studies of universal-health-insurance programs worldwide. Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images Donald Trump ran for president repeatedly promising to replace Obamacare with a terrific plan that would cover everybody for less money. Faced with the utter impossibility of this promise, many conservative Republicans are ignoring Trumps promise to give everybody access to medical care, or else treating it is an impossibility. Mick Mulvaney, the ultra-right-wing budget director, explained Sunday on Face the Nation that universal care is impossible unless you throw people in prison for being uninsured. The only way to get truly universal care is to throw people in jail if they dont have it, explains Mulvaney. Its true! Just go to any country that has universal health insurance that is, any industrialized country except the United States. Their prisons are filled with the uninsured. There is literally no other way to ensure that people who cant afford medical care have access to it. So thats why Republicans have no choice but to enact a huge cut to health-coverage subsidies to finance a huge tax cut for the rich. On Sunday, the White House, via one heck of a Fox News chyron, announced its requirements for President Trumps proposed border wall with Mexico. It has to be 30 feet high. (Because it is a wall.) It has to be difficult to climb or cut through. (Because it is a wall.) And it has to look good from the United States. (Because its a vain wall.) Naturally, it didnt take long before the good people of Twitter dot com decided to build some memes inspired by the list. Trump's Wall Requirements Must be -Tall Wall -Pretty Wall -Working wall That pretty much describes every wall tbh Sid (@SWMorrison5280) March 20, 2017 Border wall requirements: Really bigly Cool af stuff on US side Lame af stuff on Mexico side A moat with sharks Photon torpedoes pic.twitter.com/25lskgnyc2 That Girl (@myonlymizztake) March 20, 2017 Border Wall Requirements: 69 feet high Covered in glitter on US side Shoots lasers Has a moat with alligators Racist graffiti Yuuuge Birdy (@palebirdy) March 19, 2017 Border wall requirements: - Pretty fly for white guys Agent J (@AgentJSeattle) March 20, 2017 - Made from old turtle shells - NO SECRET PASSAGES - Mexico side covered in old "Friends" posters - Definitely not a hologram https://t.co/gBk2Elor8J Tom McAllister (@t_mcallister) March 19, 2017 Needs to retain that "new wall smell" Shouts out periodic affirmations like "Looking Good, America" Disguises unintended consequences https://t.co/2WHxku9nUF Philip Michaels (@PhilipMichaels) March 19, 2017 Border Wall Requirements: Automatic Supersonic Hypnotic Funky Fresh David (@DiscreetLatino) March 20, 2017 Ah, yes. A hot and tall wall. What could possibly go wrong? Photo: Courtesy of E! Entertainment This weeks episode of Keeping Up With the Kardashians covered the story at the forefront of Kardashian/Jenner/West news for the past six months: Kim Kardashians Paris robbery. Told from Los Angeles, New York, and Paris, Kims story is presented from her point of view. The episode was the perfect mix of sweet, sad, and hopeful, teasing us with what KUWTK could be, should they start telling stories as they truly happened and not in made-for-TV packages. Scene 1/Cold Open: As most epic and iconic television specials do, last nights episode started at the end: Kim Kardashian returning to New York from Paris, just hours after her robbery. To preface her return, text of the exact date flashed on the screen to give context for the entire hour. Somber, but very pulled together, Kim walks into her New York apartment building and in the elevator explains to her family that she doesnt want to mention the robbery or cry in front of her kids. The elevator doors open and Kim squeals Bugs! to let North and Saint know that mommy is home. Before we can see more of Kim reuniting with her family, were taken back a week in time before the robbery took place. This scene was filmed on October 3, 2016. Scene 3: In Calabasas, Kourtney meets Kardashian/Jenner wardrobe stylist Monica Rose to pull outfits for her trip to France. Kourtney has never been to Paris Fashion Week, so both she and her family are super excited for the eldest child of Kris to experience the luxuries of fashion shows out of the country. In her bedroom, Kourtney sifts through hundreds of garments and tries on options for Monica and Mason, who is proving himself to be his familys biggest critic: He says the options his mom has pulled make her look like a balloon and a lady Steve Urkel. Homeboys references are top-of-the-line and make insults by adults alive during the Urkel era seem like creatively defiant hospice patients. Kourtneys fitting was filmed on September 22, 2016. Scene 6: Days later, Kourtney meets Kim in Paris. Busting through Kims apartment doors, shes met with icy stares from Kim and her glam squad, who are already preparing for the Balmain show later that evening. Realizing she may not even have time to shower off an international flight, Kourtney rushes to try on looks for the evening. First, she puts on an almost-flesh-colored two-piece that Kim rightfully calls not flattering. Luckily for Kourtney, stylist-to-Calabasas-elite Kanye West is flying into Paris for #OneNightOnly to fix Kims Paris wardrobe, as he did not like what he saw her wearing online. This scene was filmed on September 29, 2016. Scene 7/8: Later that night, Fashion Police Kanye West buzzes about the apartment fastening together looks for Kim and Kourtney to wear to the Balmain show. That nights look will set the tone for the rest of their trip they cannot fuck up the moment. He tells Kourtney to forgo jewelry and simply wear sunglasses with her cotton swimsuit and cover-up. On his only day off between shows, Kanye, in SWEATS, fixes Kourtney and Kims fashion crisis, by making them look like netting youd use to catch fish. Like Scene 6, this scene was filmed on September 29. Scene 9: Kim, Kourtney, and Kanye (who calls himself a ghost) make a stop at the Givenchy showroom to pull looks for Givenchys runway show, in which Kendall is walking. Somehow, all of the clothes both Kim and Kourtney pulled in Calabasas and had shipped to Paris just wont do, so after Kim tells Youssef Marquis, the brands press director, about being attacked earlier in the week by a prankster, they get styled by Kanye. Kim enjoys having Kanye with her in the showroom because hes the only one with enough balls to pull one-of-a-kind couture pieces for Kim to wear in her daily life walking from a car to a restaurant, a car to an apartment, or a car to a fashion show. While being styled and even telling the story of a notorious celebrity prankster trying to kiss her ass on the street, Kim is very carefree and happy. This scene was filmed on October 29, 2016, four days before the Givenchy fashion show and Kims robbery. Following dated text on the screen that tells us its the day of and hours before Kims robbery, we see Kim and Kourtney prepare for that nights Givenchy show. Kourtney has never seen Kendall walk in a fashion show, so shes anxious. Kendalls excited for her sister to see her work she even lies and says that she enjoys when her family comes to shows, despite being filmed chastising family members who even deigned to think about coming to her Victorias Secret show in 2015. Calm as a button, Kim prepares to leave for the show. Yet again, the family sits in the front row and watches Kendall work the Givenchy runway. After the show, Kim, Kourtney, and Kendall talk with Joan Smalls about going out on the town that night. Kim wants to stay in. Theyre leaving Paris the next day, but she doesnt mind that Kourtney wants to spend her last night clubbing and even recommends switching her low ponytail for a high pony. This scene was filmed on October 2, 2016, and ends with Kim in her Paris apartment, sitting alone on her computer. Scene 12: Prefaced with text telling us that the following scene was taken by Kanyes documentary crew, Scene 12 is of Kanye in concert on the night Kim was robbed. Mid-show, Kanye is pulled to the side of the stage, where someone presumably whispers that Kim has been attacked. Kanye ends his show, citing a family emergency. Like Scene 11, this scene was filmed on October 2, 2016. Scene 13: Accompanied by images of Parisian streets, sirens, and Kourtney and Kendall partying, Kris, Kourtney, and Kendall tell their version of events in straight-to-camera confessionals. Kourtney remembers getting a call from Simone, their stylist in Paris, asking if everything was all right. She was staying in a hotel room near Kims and says she heard her scream, Take whatever you want. Shortly after, Kourtney got a call from a hysterical Kim begging for help. Kendall, who was in the club with Kourtney, remembers Jen Atkin, their hairstylist, telling her that Kim was attacked. Kendall immediately started crying and bodying people to get out of the club and rush to her sister. Kris remembers it as the worst night of her life. For Kris, she mainly remembers getting the news, rushing to the hotel, and feeling a sense of relief when she could see that Kim was alive and unharmed physically. When her family walked in, Kim was sobbing in the corner, and after they finished all pertinent police work, the family left Paris before the sun came up. Scene 14: Following her familys experiences from the night of Kims robbery, the show returns to Scene 1 on October 3, 2016, when Kim sees her kids for the first time. As promised, Kim keeps her composure and hugs and kisses her kids as if nothing happened. After greeting them, she sits down for breakfast with Kanye, Kris, Corey (Kris Jenners boyfriend), and Kanyes staff to break down what happened the night before. Throughout the whole scene, Kris battles tears, and Kanye tells Kim that if something really happened to her he wouldnt stop until the men were dead. Scene 15: Kris and Kim make their way back to Los Angeles. Kris advises Kim to go see someone because she doesnt know if Kim will suffer from PTSD. Kim doesnt think she will, but agrees that now their entire family will need to beef up security and, unlike before, have armed guards stand outside of their hotel doors. Aside from planning for future security measures, Kim tries to wrap her mind around the fact that reports are surfacing claiming she faked the entire attack. This scene was filmed on October 6, 2016. Scene 16: In Kris Jenners kitchen, Kris, Kendall, and Kourtney tie up their Paris narrative for the cameras. Kendall says shes still exhausted from the ordeal, while Kris is still woken up by nightmares about her other kids walking in on the robbery. Kris, beat to the highest of GAWDS, leans her head in her hands as though shes talking about the robbery in October 2016 and not January 4, 2017, when this scene was really filmed. Scene 17: In the most anticipated scene of the episode, Kim meets with her sisters, Kourtney and Khloe, to talk about the robbery. At Kims house, Kim and Khloe hug. Khloes come straight from the airport; Kourtney, straight from Calabasas. Just days after, Kim seems relaxed and tells her sisters that she has been sleeping fine. However, today she has some anxiety because Kanyes away on tour and shes sleeping alone. Before Kim gets into the details of her robbery, she tells Khloe that she and Kourtney had a conversation the morning of the robbery detailing what they would do should an armed robbery occur. Kim put her plan to use that night by telling robbers to take whatever they wanted. Kims retelling of her attack is shown through straight-to-camera interviews and her conversation with her sisters. Its heartbreaking. After explaining how she was tied up and scared she would be raped or shot in the back if she tried to run, Kim breaks down when she recalls the moment she was in fear of being raped and reconciling in her brain that she would be murdered. While suffering, Kim says she prayed for Kourtney to have a normal life if she were the one to find her dead body in bed. In her confessional, Kim explains that she was anxious when the French police arrived after her attackers left because they were wearing the same uniform as the robbers, minus the masks. She thinks the robbers were following her Snapchats that night, where she talked about being alone while her sisters and friends went out to the club. Thankfully, Kims worst fears did not come to fruition. Still emotional, Kim calls the ordeal whatever and reminds herself and her sisters that everything is replaceable. The show ends with a montage of Kims family. Shockingly, this scene is 100 percent authentic, as it was filmed on October 6, 2016, just days after the robbery. Dolls, thanks for following me on this journey this week. As sad as it is, the episode was great and sets the tone for an even more explosive season. Continue to keep up with your girl next week for another #KUWTKE recap of Keeping Up With Bugs Mommy. #SafetyandCreativity Kentucky governor Matt Bevin signed SB17 into law. Photo: BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images While the Trump administration reportedly mulls a national version of a so-called religious liberty order, the state of Kentucky is one step ahead. Last week, Kentucky governor Matt Bevin signed legislation that would let student groups at public schools and colleges bar LGBTQ members. Senator Albert Robinson, who introduced the bill, said he was inspired when Johnson County school officials cut a Bible verse from a production of A Charlie Brown Christmas. He said the bill is designed to state students rights so that the public school can be a place where religious and political ideas can be expressed without fear of suppression. Under the law, students can express religious and political views in class assignments and homework without fear of punishment; distribute religious and political literature; and wear religious symbols. But it also states that no recognized or religious political student organization is hindered or discriminated against for determin[ing] that only persons committed to its mission should conduct these activities. That means that if student groups want to exclude LGBTQ students, they can cite their religious beliefs as the reason why. Pro-LGBTQ groups have criticized the law, which they say jeopardizes nondiscrimination policies at public high schools, colleges, and universities. But it passed both the Kentucky House and Senate with almost unanimous support just eight House members and three senators voted against it. On March 16, it was signed by Kentucky governor Matt Bevin. According to the Hill, Kentuckys new law is one of about 100 religious freedom measures that have been introduced in states across the country, and others like Indiana and Mississippi already have similar laws in place. Theresa May and Donald Trump have a special relationship. Photo: Christopher Furlong/Getty Images Theresa May and Donald Trump both praised their special relationship during the British prime ministers first trip to Washington, and shortly afterward, the two were spotted holding hands as they walked along a colonnade outside the White House. And although May later commented on the size of Trumps hands I dont think I have received such a big hand since I walked down the colonnade at the White House, she said at a reception for Tory donors she never actually explained how one of them ended up in hers. Luckily, Vogue asked the penetrating question in its profile of May, published Monday. When asked about her conversation with the president, May replied, We dont comment on private conversations that take place. All I would say is, Ive been very clear: Im not afraid to raise issues. And the nature of the relationship is such that we should be able to be frank and open with each other. And then, the big reveal: So open, indeed, that they held hands outside the White Housean image that quickly went round the world. I think he was actually being a gentleman, May says, laughing off this gesture. We were about to walk down a ramp, and he said it might be a bit awkward. So, no, it wasnt because the president of the United States is afraid of stairs. Good to have that cleared up. jfc :( Reply Thread Link Fuck abusive pieces of shit. I hope her children are safely able to return to her custody....wtf :/ Reply Thread Link She was really good in Alias. I'm sad she hasn't had a better career but it seems he may be a bit to blame. I hope he can get out of France. Reply Parent Thread Link Thieves was fun and she was so cute. I think that was the first time I became aware of her and I agree, I'll always like her from that. This man is trash. I hope she gets fully custody, he's not fit to be around children. Reply Parent Thread Link 1000 dollars for assaulting her? wtf??? :( poor woman i hope her kids and her are safe Reply Thread Link Poor her and the children Reply Thread Link omg :( Reply Thread Link why did she have to pay him? and fuck him. Reply Thread Link oop lol sry, didn't mean to respond to you. He prob used proof of an obvious defensive wound (ie a scratch on the face) to claim it was mutually abusive. Edited at 2017-03-19 11:59 pm (UTC) Reply Parent Thread Link why was she convicted??? Reply Thread Link I'm really confused by that too, it sounds like she was convicted because he had a scratch on him?! That's such bullshit when you look at her injuries, it couldn't be any clearer that she was being violently assaulted and attempting to defend herself Reply Parent Thread Link Mte Reply Parent Thread Link I read this as Melissa Gorga from real housewives of new jersey Reply Thread Link from what i know of french police i am not at all shocked she was convicted too. horrifying. her kids are so young. I hope she and the bbs can gtfo to australia and stay safe and away from this scumbag. my parents v recently had an argument that left my mother with bruises. they're getting divorced and she's safe from him but i NEVER knew that their fights got to this point. like, no clue. my father has always been abusive and creepy in other ways but i feel another level of slime when i have to deal with him now. blech. Reply Thread Link Oh jeez =( What a horrible realisation to make but at least she's getting out, hopefully. That sucks that you still have to deal with him =/ Reply Parent Thread Link I'm still furious about the teenage girl who was murdered by her stalker. The police gave her a caution for wasting police time for contacting them repeatedly about his insane behaviour. ( This world is fucking bullshit. She was ordered to pay, too? Jesus fucking Christ.I'm still furious about the teenage girl who was murdered by her stalker. The police gave her a caution for wasting police time for contacting them repeatedly about his insane behaviour. ( http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/shana-grice-murdered-stalking-fined-for-wasting-police-time-michael-lane-trial-lewes-crown-court-a7637196.html This world is fucking bullshit. Reply Thread Link jesus christ, how awful :( That poor girl :( Reply Parent Thread Link I know, I saw that today. Those police but also that fucking judge who ruled that need to GTFO. I hope they feel so fucking guilty for her death. It's so unfair and sad. Reply Parent Thread Link I always thought Melissa was fantastic (along with the entire cast) during her season on In Treatment. Police rarely take women seriously when they're domestic violence victims. I hope she gets her kids back and goes to Australia. Reply Thread Link I can't believe Aussies in particular are shitty about a comment she made on Sunrise (which will always remain trash as long as Kochie is there) to a point where they don't give a shit about a woman being beaten up because she said she didn't want to talk about Home and Away anymore. People remain disgusting. Reply Thread Link RIGHT? i truly was agog at the facebook comments. wtf is wrong with people!? One was like 'what about the FATHERS RIGHTS?' like ummmm this is a DV case????? Reply Parent Thread Link And tbh I would definitely say that her husband had a say in the fact that she didn't work in Australia anymore, but that's just me, y'know. Using my common sense. MRA's are the woooooooorst. Reply Parent Thread Link Fucking exactly. "oh now she wants our help?!?!" Get fucked. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link our culture is always about tearing other people down. it's so fucking obnoxious and embarrassing Reply Parent Thread Link this mentality enshrined in our national identity alongside mateship, hun Reply Parent Thread Expand Link it's weird, because i do remember thinking the way she blew up about it was so...strange? i went back and re-read what she said, and she is legit like "i won't come back, it's too stressful and bad for my health." at the time it felt extra, but this kinda casts a different light on it? like, maybe her super controlling partner was the real reason, and the whole "screw you, all you do is ask me about Angel anyway" thing was just her way of rationalising it in any case, anyone who still resents her for it is a piece of shit. i'm staying out of comment sections for my own sanity at the moment. Reply Parent Thread Link Lisa Simpson from 'The Simpsons' : Classics, from Pride & Prejudice to Emily Dickinson's poems.: Here We Are: Feminism for the Real World by Kelly Jensen.: Lets get the feminist party started!Here We Are is a scrapbook-style teen guide to understanding what it really means to be a feminist. Its packed with essays, lists, poems, comics, and illustrations from a diverse range of voices, including TV, film, and pop-culture celebrities and public figures such as ballet dancer Michaela DePrince and her sister Mia, politician Wendy Davis, as well as popular YA authors like Nova Ren Suma, Malinda Lo, Brandy Colbert, Courtney Summers, and many more. Altogether, the book features more than forty-four pieces, with an eight-page insert of full-color illustrations.Here We Are is a response to lively discussions about the true meaning of feminism on social media and across popular culture and is an invitation to one of the most important, life-changing, and exciting parties around. Rory Gilmore from 'Gilmore Girls' : They were always books that were big and chunky and intellectual, and would be slightly intimidating to the average reader.: Annie Proulx - Barkskins: In the late seventeenth century two penniless young Frenchmen, Rene Sel and Charles Duquet, arrive in New France. Bound to a feudal lord, a seigneur, for three years in exchange for land, they become wood-cuttersbarkskins. Rene suffers extraordinary hardship, oppressed by the forest he is charged with clearing. He is forced to marry a Mikmaw woman and their descendants live trapped between two inimical cultures. But Duquet, crafty and ruthless, runs away from the seigneur, becomes a fur trader, then sets up a timber business. Proulx tells the stories of the descendants of Sel and Duquet over three hundred yearstheir travels across North America, to Europe, China, and New Zealand, under stunningly brutal conditionsthe revenge of rivals, accidents, pestilence, Indian attacks, and cultural annihilation. Over and over again, they seize what they can of a presumed infinite resource, leaving the modern-day characters face to face with possible ecological collapse. Kat Stratford from '10 Things I Hate About You' : We famously see Kat reading The Bell Jar at the very beginning of the movie and she pointedly throws a copy of Betty Friedan's The Feminine Mystique at Patrick Verona.: Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's new book, Dear Ijeawele, or a Feminist Manifesto in Fifteen Suggestions: From the best-selling author of Americanah and We Should All Be Feminists comes a powerful new statement about feminism today--written as a letter to a friend.A few years ago, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie received a letter from a dear friend from childhood, asking her how to raise her baby girl as a feminist. Dear Ijeawele is Adichie's letter of response.Here are fifteen invaluable suggestions--compelling, direct, wryly funny, and perceptive--for how to empower a daughter to become a strong, independent woman. From encouraging her to choose a helicopter, and not only a doll, as a toy if she so desires; having open conversations with her about clothes, makeup, and sexuality; debunking the myth that women are somehow biologically arranged to be in the kitchen making dinner, and that men can "allow" women to have full careers, Dear Ijeawele goes right to the heart of sexual politics in the twenty-first century. It will start a new and urgently needed conversation about what it really means to be a woman today. Daria Morgendorffer from 'Daria' : Daria has read tons of classic lit from Moby Dick to Anna Karenina.: In the Great Green Room: The Brilliant and Bold Life of Margaret Wise Brown by Amy Gary.: For decades children and their parents around the world have cuddled together to read Goodnight Moon and Runaway Bunny. While the lulling words of these stories have formed nighttime rituals for millions, few know that these classic works were part of a publishing revolution led by Margaret Wise Brown, who was renowned not only for her prolific writing and creative genius, but also for her stunning beauty and thirst for adventure.In 1990, author Amy Gary discovered unpublished manuscripts, songs, personal letters, and diaries from Margaret tucked away in a trunk in the attic of Margarets sisters barn. Since then, Gary has pored over these works and with this unique insight in to Margarets world she chronicles her rise in the literary world. Clever, quirky, and wildly imaginative, Margaret embraced life with passion, threw wild parties, attended rabbit hunts, and lived extravagantly off of her royalties. She carried on long and troubled love affairs with both men and women, including the ex-wife of John Barrymore, and was engaged to a younger man (who was the son of a Carnegie and a Rockefeller) when she died unexpectedly at the age of 42.In the Great Green Room captures the exceptional spirit of Margaret whose unrivaled talent breathed new life in to the literary world. Donna Meagle from 'Parks & Recreation' : A little bit of the supernatural with a lot of romance and tons of steam.: Sarah J. Maas - A Court of Thorns and Roses series.: When nineteen-year-old huntress Feyre kills a wolf in the woods, a beast-like creature arrives to demand retribution for it. Dragged to a treacherous magical land she only knows about from legends, Feyre discovers that her captor is not an animal, but Tamlinone of the lethal, immortal faeries who once ruled their world.As she dwells on his estate, her feelings for Tamlin transform from icy hostility into a fiery passion that burns through every lie and warning she's been told about the beautiful, dangerous world of the Fae. But an ancient, wicked shadow grows over the faerie lands, and Feyre must find a way to stop it... or doom Tamlinand his worldforever.Book Post?? OP I hate that you submitted this post before I did lmao. I was going to say that this looks like another piece of media where I have to feel like I have to choose between my sexual orientation and race - I'm one of those thirsty gays who perks up whenever there's a lesbian/bi character mentioned, but as if I'm gonna forget that Rita Repulsa remains whitewashed af - but tbh Trini will probably just end up being gay in the same way that Lefou and Sulu were gay. The representation that we need~ Reply Thread Link Ask your family and friends if you have been in a coma and they have hid it from you. You may also have that disease that Drew Barrymore did in that Adam Sandler movie. Either way...yes. They totally did cast Elizabeth Banks. I honestly think it's an odd choice. Reply Parent Thread Link lmaoooo Reply Parent Thread Link its honestly so bad, SO bad Reply Parent Thread Link This makes her look old. Reply Parent Thread Link how did they look at the original rita and then shit this out?? in what world is this rita?????? Edited at 2017-03-20 04:41 pm (UTC) Reply Parent Thread Link Preemptive- You: "Rita was only Asian because the original actress from the Japanese production was Asian." Rebuttal: So what? It was clearly something that TPTB decided to continue because all of the other live-action actors for Rita were Asian. You: "But I'm looking at the other live-action actresses and they're Latina. So clearly she's not SUPPOSED to be Asian." Rebuttal: They're Filipina. Spanish surnames are incredibly common in the Philippines. You: "But I mean the movie as a whole is more diverse considering that they made the Rangers more diverse." Rebuttal: Because god forbid that white people be left out for once. Too many POC, can't have that. And POC aren't interchangeable, you don't swap out East/Southeast Asian roles with other POC groups and say that it's the same thing. You: "But Rita's supposed to be an alien..." Rebuttal: Shut the fuck up. Edited at 2017-03-20 04:12 pm (UTC) Reply Parent Thread Expand Link OP I hate that you submitted this post before I did cancel the gay agenda. our work here is done. Edited at 2017-03-20 04:18 pm (UTC) cancel the gay agenda. our work here is done. Reply Parent Thread Link Waiting for theaters to start boycotting this movie now. Reply Thread Link There's no need for a ban when nobody will be watching it Reply Parent Thread Link Oh, please. It'll open number 2 with BATB at number 1 again. It'll make a ton and they'll move forward with sequels immediately. Reply Parent Thread Link FINISH HIM Reply Parent Thread Link I read a spoiler about the scene and I'm not impressed. These movies keep doing the absolute least (and I mean least as in fucking nothing) and get positive headlines from it. Give me an openly gay character or get the fuck outta here. Reply Thread Link But don't you see how the movie will be tackling and subverting heteronormativity head-on? Trini will be asked about boyfriend problems when she's really having girlfriend problems! It's genius. Emma Watson could never~ Reply Parent Thread Link Shoot you're right, guess I need to stop pushing my gay agenda, we already won! BRB gonna go celebrate. Reply Parent Thread Link Basically..is the above the scene? Person: Boyfriend troubles? Trini: Girl problems END OF INCLUSION Reply Parent Thread Expand Link I am imagining this scene as the rangers are in full costume doing exaggerated gestures Reply Thread Link Justice for the blue ranger! Reply Thread Link Agreed. They should've made Billy be gay but Saban would never after what David went through. Poor guy. It kills me every time I think about it. So glad he and AJJ are besties. Reply Parent Thread Link What happened? Reply Parent Thread Expand Link Excuse u, but my precious Joey does not agree.. Reply Parent Thread Link superhero "movie" Reply Parent Thread Link Yeah okay. Get back to me when we have a fully fleshed out gay lead and not a couple second line hinting at it Reply Thread Link how groundbreaking of them Reply Thread Link wait, so it's a REAL moment??? Holy shit, when I saw everyone flipping out I was like "yeah, sure I bet that one scene where she winks at a girl will be SO EARTH SHAKING" but holy shit...if they're actually going to say it??? This is great! Reply Thread Link I will await the boycotting to begin. Reply Thread Link It's like March Madness but it's a competition to see who can do the least when it comes to lgbtq reprentation At least they didn't make a big deal out of it but...Sure, ok. Reply Thread Link hows your bracket Reply Parent Thread Link My movie bracket is doing okayish. I need to check. Reply Parent Thread Link wow thanks for the scraps? If you really want to make a difference you should turn a "small" moment into just part of her character/the story. Why even bother? You just come off as behind and lame. Reply Thread Link more than that. #yeshomo (but, yes, this sounds very half-assed, not unlike BatB.) Edited at 2017-03-20 04:18 pm (UTC) AHAHAHAHAHA FUCK little ~7-year-old me is freaking out rn because my feelings for O.G. Yellow Ranger Thuy Trang (RIP ) were verrrrrrrrry eye-opening to me. Like, I always wanted to be Yellow when we played Power Rangers at school, but even then I suspected it was...(but, yes, this sounds very half-assed, not unlike BatB.) Reply Thread Link The same for me except replace Yellow ranger with Red and the many times I just stared at Austin St. Johns arms. Reply Parent Thread Link i have no urge to see the movie, but i can be outraged if you want Edited at 2017-03-20 04:52 pm (UTC) Reply Parent Thread Link The BaTB is also pandering. Reply Parent Thread Link $105 million Reply Parent Thread Link Isn't this show being shot by the guy behind Iron Flop? lol Reply Thread Link lmao Reply Parent Thread Link I'm in the minority that likes the Inhumans but I love the X-Men more, and I love this comment haha. Reply Parent Thread Link Anson Mount? As in Crossroads' Anson Mount? D: Reply Thread Link COMICS WISE! STEVE TREVOR IS GETTING HIS OWN SOLO COMIC COMING OUT RIGHT AFTER WONDER WOMAN MOVIE! YAY STEVE TREVOR BAE! Reply Thread Link YES I just saw this news too, great that's all I fucking need to waste my money on now lol Reply Parent Thread Link rip his long hair and beard Reply Thread Link Still don't care. Try again, Marvel. Reply Thread Link OMG that pic. Thanos one of the most powerful and lethal villains of the marvel universe being arrested and led away by cops. Reply Thread Link hahaha right? What is that from? lol Reply Parent Thread Link Spidey Super Stories #39 (1979) Thanos is after the cosmic cube only to be foiled by Hellcat and Spider-man. It's also memorable for the appearance of the notorious Thanoscopter. Reply Parent Thread Link Does anyone think they'll swap showrunners after the reception Iron Fist had? Or is it too late for that? Even a lot of the fans who liked Iron Fist took issue with the guy who ran the show so idk why Marvel gave him another one. Did they not watch their own show? Or, worse, did they think it was so great that they had to promote him? lol Reply Thread Link if the lumberjack ending of dexter wasn't enough warning for marvel, idk what would be (though pls fire scott buck PLEASE) Reply Parent Thread Link He was fantastic on Hell on Wheels. Hope he can get something decent after this flops out. Reply Thread Link I love all things comic-related so I'll probably give this a chance =) I don't have much hope for it...but most of the casting are actors I enjoy, so there's that hehe. Reply Thread Link Earlier this month, Tesla Inc reported that its revenues in China topped $1 billion in 2016, more than triple the revenues it generated there in 2015. The Chinese market was only second to the U.S. in terms of revenue generation for Tesla last year. The electric carmaker is not breaking down revenues by items, and has not offered any explanation for the triple revenues in China. The revenue jump could have been the result of Chinas license plate-issuing policies in major cities that fast track EV license plates issuing as the country grapples with perpetual pollution and traffic jams. Teslas Chinese revenues last year were $1.065 billion, compared to $318.5 million in 2015, and $477 million in 2014, the EV carmakers regulatory filing from March 1 shows. According to Reuters Breakingviews Robyn Mak, one of the key contributors to Teslas soaring Chinese revenues is the local green-car, or so called new energy cars, policies. In its fight against pollution and an attempt to alleviate congested city roads, Chinese authorities and many city traffic management authorities are favoring the issue of license plates for electric vehicles, while imposing severe rules and often lottery-like granting of license plates for other cars. The capital city, Beijing, for example, had 2.7 million applicants for license plates last June. In that lottery round, only one in every 725 applicants managed to get a license plate, the New York Times reported. Last year, the quota for electric vehicle license plates in Beijing was 40 percent of the citys total new car license plate quotaEV registrations were to be 60,000, while conventional fuel car plates to be issued were 90,000, according to Climate Home. In many cities, drivers need in-city traffic license plates for their gas and diesel vehicles, and face penalties if they drive with out-of-town license plates. On the other hand, electric vehicles and hybrid cars are exempt from conventional car registration systems in some areas of China. The tough conventional car-licensing and registration rules have convinced Chinese in many cities to try electric vehicles. In addition, often generous subsidies for buying local EV brands including Warren Buffet-backed BYD are fueling the rise in electric vehicle sales. Related: Can Renewables Save These Downed Energy Giants? Tesla, as a foreign-made vehicle, is not subject to those subsidies, which highlights the argument that Elon Musks company would be susceptible to any Chinese policy change regarding green cars acquisitions and registrations. In December last year, China launched a pilot program to issue special license plates for new energy vehicles in five citiesincluding Shanghaiin a bid to fight pollution and promote the use of EVs. The owners of the special platesdistinct from the traditional plates in color, size and number of digitsthink their cars are cooler with the special plates. Teslas vehicles in China are of a premium make that has almost zero competition from local lower-end brands, and this selling point could be Teslas winning strategy in the worlds biggest car market. However, Teslas surging revenue in China in 2016 may have been a one-off event, and revenues in the future could depend on how Chinese authorities will treat foreign-made electric vehicles in license plate grants. By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: In the lead-up to President Rouhanis visit to Moscow, expected to take place in late March, a plethora of news regarding joint Russo-Iranian energy projects has been circulating on the Internet. A three-year long negotiation process regarding a 100,000 barrels-per-day swap contract is believed to be agreed upon, premised on Iran providing Russia (most likely, Rosneft) oil from Kharg Island or other hubs in the Persian Gulf in return for cash and Russian goods that Iran would require. Teheran also woos LUKOIL, currently Russias only major oil producer in the Caspian, to participate in swap deals bound for Irans Neka Port (in return for Iranian crude provided from Kharg Island or other Persian Gulf hubs), albeit on a much smaller scale at 4000 to 5000 barrels per day. To top it all up, numerous Russian oil companies have committed themselves to developing Irans hydrocarbon fields. The lifting of most of Irans sanctions encouraged almost all oil & gas majors to consider investing in its largely untapped oil and gas fields. Total, apart from spearheading Phase 11 of the South Pars development project, now intends to resuscitate the halfway-constructed, currently-frozen Iran LNG initiative. Royal Dutch Shell signed a memorandum of understanding on conducting technical studies at the Azadegan and Yadavaran fields next to the Iraqi border, as well as the offshore Kish field not far away from the supergiant South Pars field. Yet the good will demonstrated by Moscow during negotiations prior to the lifting of nuclear sanctions, as well as Russias instrumental role in turning the tide in Syrias sanguineous civil war in support of President Assads regime have elevated the Moscow-Teheran axis to new heights. Related: Can OPEC Resist The Temptation To Cheat? These developments were further strengthened by Russias mediation between Teheran and Riyadh in the midst of the Vienna OPEC negotiations last November. Even if for six months, the sides managed to find a mutually acceptable modus vivendi, with Irans output capped at 3.795 million barrels per day. So far, Teheran reached out to four Russian energy companies (Gazprom Neft, LUKOIL, Zarubezhneft and Tatneft), preliminarily allotting seven oil fields from the presumed list of 34 included in the Iran Petroleum Contract (IPC) initiative. It is noteworthy that all of them are located right next to the Iraq-Iran border, up north from Basra, and all but one are brown fields, mostly discovered in the 1970-1980s and only partially appraised and developed. Teheran is yet to present the final terms of the long-awaited IPC and according to media rumors, it is about to do so in late March. Subsequently, other Russian companies might come on board, one of the most prominent of all being Rosneft, which confirmed its interest previously but fell short of signing up to a specific project. The energy cooperation between Russia and Iran is not solely limited to oil, gas is also a big part of the deal. Throughout 2016, Gazprom and NIGC have been discussing the possibility of gas swaps along the lines of the above mentioned oil deals. Gazprom would supply gas through Azerbaijan to Irans northern parts in exchange for Iranian gas made available in the Persian Gulf for further supplies towards South Asian nations, mainly India. Moreover, Gazprom might be involved in the development of Irans underground gas storage facilities and the modernization of its overage gas transmission network. Notwithstanding potential deals and partnerships, the long-term prospects of Teheran and Moscow converging on energy-related issues are somewhat dim. Currently, Teheran needs Russian oil & gas know-how to modernize its obsolete infrastructure and kick-start the production of its plentiful reserves, whilst Moscow needs new markets to do business with, as the still ongoing sanctions regime of most Western nations has nullified the potential to conclude new big deals with Western majors. Yet in the long-term, Russian and Iranian interests diverge. Iran aspires to surpass the 300 Bcm per year mark by the end of this decade, surging from the current 230 Bcm, and sees Europe as one of the most desirable gas markets. Unlikely to handle the burden of constructing a new gas pipeline, Teheran will seek to join an already existing conduit, such as the TANAP-TAP and ramp up its LNG projects. This will inevitably cause tension with Gazprom that sees Europe as its domain. The Teheran-Moscow relationship is fraught with numerous difficulties in the oil sector, too. Russia has no problems whatsoever with Iran supplying crude to Mediterranean countries like France, Greece or Italy. Yet if Teheran, against the background of its raising crude exports to Europe to 800 000 barrels per day from the current 500 000 barrel-per-day level, will move out of its traditional supply region, Moscow might react angrily. Related: New Oil Price War Looms As The OPEC Deal Falls Short Thanks to its post-sanctions charm offensive, Teheran has been expanding its geographical reach to export oil to countries as far as Poland, previously considered to be the domain of Russian suppliers. A recent spat between Russia and Belarus culminated in Minsk buying its first-ever 80kt cargo of Iranian crude, to be delivered to the Ukrainian port of Odessa or to one of the Baltic ports (none of which will please Russias energy authorities). The deal is a Belorussian tour de force, as Iranian oil will not be exempt from export duty as Russian oil and entails a heftier transportation costs, in order to demonstrate that Minsk might source its hydrocarbons from elsewhere if necessary. Eager to conquer new markets and not to stir up a wasps nest, Iran would be ill-advised to get stuck in the quagmire of Russo-Belorussian negotiations and most likely wont. For now, the Iran-Russia relationship is in its laugh now, quarrel later phase. By Victor Katona for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Members of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) favor extending production cuts beyond June to continue efforts to rebalance global oil markets, according to a new report by Reuters. The initiative would require that the 11 NOPEC nations that were a part of the original deal commit to extended cuts as well, anonymous sources from within the bloc said. "The ministers will meet in May to decide, but everyone has to be on board," one OPEC source from a major producer said regarding the deal. Last November, OPEC agreed to cut output by 1.2 million barrels, but most of the heavy-lifting has been done by Saudi Arabia the groups de facto leader. The deal was the first of its kind in eight years and included almost a dozen outsider nations that agreed to cut an additional 600,000 barrels of production. Oil prices have stayed in the $55-$60 range since the deal was implemented in January, with the increase in returns enticing United States producers to raise cheap shale oil output. At the same time, high inventories internationally have slowed new purchases, putting a downward pressure on prices. "An extension is needed to balance the market," one OPEC delegate told Reuters. "Any extension of the cut agreement should be with non-OPEC." In order for crude and refined oil inventories to fall to the previous five-year average, 278 million barrels of oil needs to be consumed from storage. Related: U.S. Shale Is Pushing OPEC To Breaking Point The bloc meets in Vienna on May 25th, but negotiations to determine whether the deal will be extended (and if so, to what extent) are already underway. "OPEC heavyweights such as Saudi Arabia are not happy with the return of shale oil in full force and have to make a hard choice between losing part of their market share or steady income," another source from a non-Gulf OPEC producer said. "They will more likely opt for income and will push to get help from non-OPEC." By Zainab Calcuttawala for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Time will tell, but cries of victory in Washington by Saudi Arabian Deputy Crown Prince and Defense Minister Mohammed bin Salman seemed hollow and perhaps even apocryphal. He needed some sign of success when he emerged from his White House meeting with U.S. Pres. Donald Trump on March 14, 2017: Saudi Arabia is running out of options and is pushing its traditional allies some of which are not happy with it to show solidarity, particularly over the wars in Yemen, Iraq, Syria, and Libya. And at a time when the Kingdoms economic fortunes are delicate and worsening, presaging internal political pressures. Prince Mohammed seemed to want to sweep Pres. Trump into the Saudi camp and to speak for all Muslims and how the Trump Administration would be good for them but he was, in fact anxious to exorcise the Presidents apparently blossoming friendship with Egyptian Pres. Abdul Fattah al-Sisi, now Prince Mohammeds nemesis. So the Saudi-Egyptian animosity extended to Washington as it became clear that the new U.S. Administration would not automatically continue any Middle Eastern policies of the former U.S. Administration.1 The stakes are of global significance to the U.S., but if Washington had to choose, it would choose the geopolitical (Mediterranean-Suez-Red Sea) and cultural weight of Egypt. Saudi Arabias recent rivalry with Egypt or, rather, the falling out between Saudi Deputy Crown Prince Mohamed and Egyptian Pres. al-Sisi has meant that the government of each state has attempted to sway the U.S. to its side, but with Washington giving away little as to its preference. It does not wish to fully alienate Saudi Arabia at this stage, or its neighbor and fellow-Wahhabist state, Qatar, but Egypts strategic position cannot be ignored. Related: Wall Street Bullish On Oil Prices Despite Saudi Warnings Thus Saudi Prince Mohammed bin Salman met with U.S. Pres. Donald Trump on March 14, 2017, and claimed that the meeting was an historic turning point in U.S.-Saudi relations. But White House sources told Defense & Foreign Affairs that it was nothing of the kind, and that as Pres. Trumps body language during the meetings showed he did not feel any chemistry with the young Saudi official. Despite this, the Prince authorized a post-meeting statement which said that Donald Trump was a true friend of Muslims who will serve the Muslim world in an unimaginable manner, and that the meeting was a huge success and an historic turning point in bilateral relations the two countries. Official White House statements were cool. The Trump team was unimpressed by the Deputy Crown Prince. On the other side, Pres. Trumps first action on January 23, 2017 (his first day in office), was to call Egyptian Pres. al-Sisi, and positive comments ensued from both sides. Pres. al-Sisi had visited Mr. Trump before Mr. Trump took office, and would meet him again during an official visit to Washington on April 1-4, 2017. Significantly, both the Saudi and Egyptian leaderships had turned their backs on the former U.S. Administration of Pres. Barrack Obama, but for different reasons. Now, the Trump Administration was attempting to determine what was likely to be the most expedient U.S. strategy for the region going forward, and being coerced by Saudi Arabia (and Turkey and the UAE) into a wider conflict in Yemen and Syria/Iraq was not seen as beneficial. But Prince Mohammed had already committed Saudi Arabia to a path from which it was difficult to retire gracefully. As a result, Riyadh was pushing its erstwhile friends deeper into a commitment to fight its wars with it, or for it. Prince Mohmamed continues to demand that Pakistan enter the conflict in Yemen, despite the fact that this was being promoted by Riyadh as a war against the Shia sect of Islam (and therefore against Iran), while Pakistan has a significant (20 percent plus) Shia minority. To enter the war in Yemen would, for Pakistan, possibly precipitate civil war at home. And yet Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who has benefitted from his long friendship with Saudi Arabia, has difficulty now in rejecting the demands of Riyadh. Thus, not only in Washington, but in other corridors of power, Saudi Arabias demands for support are not being well received, and are perceived as shrill and desperate. Increasingly, Washington, in particular, sees Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Qatar at an opposing side in the wars against DIISH (Islamic State) as well as in Yemen and Libya. Yemen has already reverted, essentially, to at least its former two-state identities. Related: Saudi Arabia Tries To Reassure Markets After Oil Price Plunge Pakistan, too, has to consider its longtime relations with Iran, which Saudi Arabia has now pledged itself to destroy. Indeed, there is a gradual dawning, even in Washington, that, geopolitically, Iran is more important than Saudi Arabia, despite the reality that the Iranian clerics who came to power in 1979 because of the active and deliberate steps of then-U.S. Pres. Jimmy Carter have proven to be the major obstacle to the restoration of a stable Iranian strategic position, and the question of Iranian nuclear weapons is politically (although perhaps not militarily) vexing for the U.S. Washington is now re-examining how well U.S. Pres. Richard Nixon (1969-74) was able to balance Iran and Saudi Arabia. But, then, he was able to deal with the Shah of Iran and Foreign Minister Ardeshir Zahedi on the one hand, and King Faisal bin Abd al-Aziz al Saud (1964- 75) on the other. In all this, whither Russia and the Peoples Republic of China, The Red Sea, Persian Gulf, and the Levant are very much in play, as is Turkey. By Gregory Copley via Defense and Foreign Affairs Special Analysis More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: According to Reuters, on Saturday, rebels loyal to former South Sudanese vice president, Riek Machar, kidnapped four workers of DAR Petroleum Operating Company, whose holders include China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC), Chinas Sinopec, and Malaysias Petronas. Earlier this year, South Sudan was said to have been planning to increase oil output, but the ongoing civil war has made it difficult to pump more crude. South Sudan gained independence from Sudan in 2011, but it has been a bloody road to establishing a stable government whose budget is dependent almost entirely on oil revenues. In December 2013, civil war broke out when President Salva Kiir Mayardit sacked the cabinet and accused Vice President Riek Machar of instigating a failed coup. The civil war ended in 2015at least officiallybut clashes have been frequent since. Now fighters loyal to Machar have seized the four workers of DAR Petroleum Operating Companythe second group of oil employees to have been kidnapped this month alone. The government of South Sudan said it was negotiating the release of the workers via diplomatic channels and accused the rebels of demanding ransom. But a spokesman for the rebels, Lam Paul Gabriel, told Reuters there was no such demand. Related: Can OPEC Resist The Temptation To Cheat? There are no conditions for their release, but we want to make it clear to their country of residence and the government that we do not want their company to operate in South Sudan, Gabriel said. Last week, a confidential report by the UNseen by Reutersshowed that the government of famine-stricken South Sudan is using at least half of its revenues from oil sales to acquire weapons, despite the dramatic political, economic, and humanitarian crises in the country. By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Indians shocked at nomination of Yogi Adityanath Many Indians are shocked at the nomination of Hindutva hardliner Yogi Adityanath as the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh (UP). The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its followers, unsurprisingly, support Adityanath's choice. The BJP spokesperson Siddharth Nath Singh said, "That image (of a saffron icon) may be with media, but he has been elected again and again. He stands for development, and that is the agenda we have got." Despite his rhetoric attacking Muslims, another Muslim minister in the Modi government, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, also defended Modi's choice, saying Adityanath would work for the party's agenda of "inclusive growth". Opposition parties have, however, voiced their disapproval--some with caution, others more vociferously--of the BJP decision. Congress leader Veerappa Moily dismissed it as the "biggest assault" on secularism. "Maybe, the Bharatiya Janata Party or RSS would like to endorse their cause of Hinduism. India is not Hinduism," sad Moily. Meanwhile, Communist Party of India leader, Brinda Karat, termed the selection as a part of the "RSS agenda". She questioned, "Several charges like rioting and more serious offences exist against him in various courts in UP...Then why this rhetoric of ending criminalisation?" Both Janata Dal (United) and Jammu & Kashmir National Conference also heavily censured BJP for their choice. Conference leader, Omar Abdullah, tweeted, "Can spokespersons of BJP now put to rest their oft-repeated assertion that RSS is only a social organisation?" All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen leader, Asaduddin Owaisi, seemed least surprised by the decision, calling Adityanath's elevation as the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh a part of Narendra Modi's vision of a "new India". Nevertheless, official statements from Congress and Samajwadi Party did not outrightly condemn Adityanath's selection as both parties wished to observe his performance for "people's interests" before opposing him. Indian print and electronic media outlets gave a mixed response to the choice. Some publications criticized the choice by running special features, highlighting the past statements of Adityanath while other resorted to highlighting Modi's faith in him. Hindustan Times and India Today highlighted most controversial statements targeting the minorities and the firebrand politics of Adityanath, while Times of India took a more cautious approach and highlighted the career and achievements of Adityanath. Perhaps the most heated conversation took place on social media platforms. With Adityanath's name trending on Twitter, many users shared their happiness on the microblogging site; predicting that their dream of Ram Temple at the disputed site in Ayodhya will be fulfilled. There were many who lamented his controversial politics for adversely impacting Muslim population in the state. Others took comfort in black humour, posting ironic messages to voice their shock. Taking jibes at the criminal cases pending against him, Twitterati spoke out against the ease with which India had started accepting hate speech. Then again, some even suggested that there could be more controversial appointments to come. China calls to create 3 mutual energy markets Beijing thinks that such a step will help building a cheap infrastructure and giving an access to inexpensive energy sources. The plan that was signed by Xi Jinping is about precipitating the cooperation among Asia, Europe and Africa. The report published by China Academy of Social Sciences during the Global Energy Security Forum that was held in Beijing provides this data. As the vice-president of academy Kai Fung stated, it is crucial to create the mutual energy markets based on a single financial platform. Therefore, he emphasized the necessity of closer economic cooperation with China and the countries stepping in Eurasian Land Bridge. Mr. Kai also added that China the biggest world energy consumer, thus a cheap access to energy sources is very essential for the country. It is important to mention that China, the Russian Federation, Central Asia, the Middle East, some countries of Africa and the Indian Ocean, the Strait of Malacca and the South China Sea are included in the Eurasian Land Bridge. The Academy report contained also suggestions about creating the Co2 trade centers in the East and South-East Asia, laying the gaspipe between China and Central Asia and intensification of cooperation in hydroenergy in the South-East Asia. 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. One of my favorite Woody Allen lines is, "I'm not afraid of death. I just don't want to be there when it happens." Death ... SARATOGA SPRINGS A Corinth man was jailed early Saturday after he was charged with aggravated felony driving while intoxicated during a traffic stop on Maple Avenue, police said. Edmond G. Currier, 63, was pulled over for failing to stop at a stop sign and failing to keep right just before 3:30 a.m., according to Saratoga Springs Police. He was found to be intoxicated, with a blood alcohol content of over 0.18 percent, and has at least one prior DWI conviction that elevated the charges to felonies, police said. Currier was arraigned in Saratoga Springs City Court and sent to Saratoga County Jail for lack of bail. FORT EDWARD A Fort Edward man who police said was a major marijuana dealer in the region has been sentenced to 6 months in Washington County Jail and 5 years on probation. Michael A. Mueller, 32, pleaded guilty last month to second-degree criminal possession of marijuana, a felony, in connection with his arrest last summer for selling the drug on multiple occasions in the Fort Edward area. Washington County Jail Kelly McKeighan directed he forfeit money that was seized by Washington County sheriff's officers during their investigation. QUEENSBURY A Washington County man was jailed Saturday after State Police made a major cocaine seizure that occurred after police stopped a vehicle on the Northway for having excessively tinted windows, authorities said. Marvin T. Grant, 32, of Butler Road, Granville, was arrested after troopers stopped a car heading north near Exit 19 just after 1:30 p.m., according to State Police. Police smelled marijuana, and Grant acknowledged that there was a bag of the drug in the back seat of the car, officials said. A State Police search dog and handler were in the area, and the trooper responded to the scene to have the dog check the perimeter of the vehicle, according to police. The dog alerted around the front of the vehicle, and when troopers opened the hood, a package was found secured in the engine compartment that contained two large bags of white powder. Grant tried to run at that point, but troopers caught him within seconds. The powder tested positive for cocaine, and the packages weighed 5.5 ounces, police said. That made it one of the largest cocaine seizures in Warren County in years, since a 2012 case in which police seized over two pounds of the drug in Lake George and Lake Luzerne. He was charged with two felony counts of criminal possession of a controlled substance, including a count that is the states second-weightiest drug charge, misdemeanor resisting arrest and non-criminal unlawful possession of marijuana. Grant was traveling with a Rutland, Vermont, woman who was not charged. Police believe they had gotten the drugs in New York City, where Grant had been living until recently, and were on their way to Rutland. He was arraigned and sent to Warren County Jail for lack of bail. The Warren County Sheriffs Office assisted State Police. While opioids such as heroin have gotten a large amount of attention in recent years as addiction levels have increase, police have also been seeing an increase in cocaine activity. Villages in three counties will open polls from noon to 9 p.m. Tuesday to elect mayors, trustees and justices. The slots up for election vary from village to village, and in many cases, there is no competition for the seats. The race for mayor of South Glens Falls has perhaps drawn the most attention, as incumbent Joe Orlow takes on Harry Gutheil and Brigid Martin. The election is taking place at Village Hall. Gutheil is running as a Republican and on the Taxpayers First line; Martin is a Democrat; and Orlow, who was not endorsed by the Republicans, is running on the Just Joe Orlow line. Also in Saratoga County, Schuylerville is holding a mayoral race after the incumbent mayor decided not to run for re-election. Dan Carpenter, a Village Board member, is running on the Democratic line. Jason Young, who runs Clarks Steakhouse in the village, won the Republican caucus. The election will be at Village Hall. In Lake George, Warren Countys only village, incumbent trustees Joseph Mastrodomenico Jr. and John Root are being challenged by Ron Mogren. The polls are at Lake George Town Hall. Theres plenty of competition in the Whitehall election. In the mayoral race, Republican incumbent Ken Bartholomew is being challenged by Democrat Phil Smith. Four people are running for two village trustee seats. Democratic incumbent Marge Mohn is seeking re-election, and fellow Democrat Tim Watson is running for a seat on the board as well. Teresa Austin, who now serves on the Whitehall Beautification Committee and the Village Planning Board, is running on the Whitehall Independent line. Pat Roche, who filled a vacancy on the Village Board in 2015, is looking to get back on the board. Hes running on the Skenesborough Independent line. In the justice race, incumbent Julie Eagan is running for re-election on the Justice line and is being challenged by Democrat Mike Putorti. Voting will take place at the Whitehall Rec Center on Williams Street. In Fort Edward, Mayor Matt Traver, a 12-year incumbent, is being challenged by Darlene DeVoe, now on the Village Board. Devoe said she is not critical of Travers work as mayor, but rather sees this as her last opportunity to become mayor. In Fort Edward, mayors serve four-year terms. The three other members of the Fort Edward board will remain the same. Tracey Conlon is not up for re-election, and Peter Williams and Edward Carpenter are running unopposed. If DeVoe loses, she has one more year on the board. If she wins, she can appoint someone to finish her term. Voting is at Village/Town Hall. In Granville, three candidates are running for two trustee seats. Incumbents Gordon Smith Jr. and Frank Caruso are running on the Stability line, and Stephanie Munger is running on the Ladies of the Square Table line. Voting is at Village Hall. In Cambridge, Carman Bogle is running unopposed for mayor, and trustees James Sweeney and Ellen Cruz are running unopposed for re-election. Voting is at the village offices. In Greenwich, Maureen Edsforth is unopposed in running for a three-year trustee seat, and Kyle Vanderwerker is unopposed in his run for a one-year seat. Voting will be at the Community Center. In Fort Ann, Russell Blair is running unopposed for mayor, and Dennis Langlois and Gregory Lehoisky are running for one trustee seat. Voting will take place at Village Hall. In Argyle, Joe Lohret and Joanne McDowell are running unopposed. Voting will take place at Town Hall. Hudson Falls does not have village elections this year, and Salem has dissolved as a village. Welcome Guest! You Are Here: According to him, Ghana has not demonstrated any true political will to deal with sanitation issues. He made these statements during the Brong-Ahafo Regional launch of the 2016 Ghana District Table (DLT) in Sunyani. The District League Table (DLT), produced by UNICEF Ghana and CDD Ghana, is a tool for strengthening social accountability between the state and its citizens for development. It is a simple ranking tool of the level of development in each of Ghanas 216 Districts. Instead of rating Districts by administrative compliance, it ranks them in terms of their delivery in six key sectors: health, education, sanitation, water, security and governance. READ ALSO: Ghana to lose GHC398m in 2017 for scrapping taxes He said the World Bank was shocked as to why open defecation is still a challenge in the country. The World Bank was also not happy that many Ghanaians still lacked access to basic sanitary facilities, particularly household toilets, he noted. Mr Dzradosi stated that a directive was required from the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development to push metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies (MMDAs) to tackle the issue of sanitation in a more proactive manner. Ma's Ant Financial, the financial services company spun out from Alibaba, struck an $880 million deal to acquire money transfer company MoneyGram in January. For Ant, which is controlled by Ma and underpins e-commerce giant Alibaba, the deal is a way to sidestep the painstaking legal and regulatory work it would take to build a global payments business from scratch. But MoneyGram is one of only a few dominant players in the global money-transfer industry, and it wasn't long before another bidder emerged. Last week, Kansas-based e-payment services company Euronet made a counter-offer of more than $1 billion. Now, Reuters is reporting that MoneyGram has opened its books up to Euronet so it can firm up its offer. Wall Street already seems certain that there's more to come. Ant's main business is the mobile wallet application Alipay. A combination would enable Alipay's customers, who are primarily based in China, to transfer money across borders. Right now, Alipay customers can use the app to pay for purchases online or in-person at stores. The app connects to their bank accounts and works similarly to Apple Pay or other e-wallets. The company has expanded into India and other parts of Asia, but users can't send money to friends or relatives abroad. Growing overseas without the acquisition would require building a network of partnerships with local banks and businesses and strict adherence to a huge array of regulations, which vary from country to country. The process of taking a cash deposit via a bodega or drug store moving it overseas and making it available to another person is fraught with money-laundering and terrorism financing risks. It's a business that only makes sense at scale, and it means that only a few key players dominate the industry. MoneyGram and its competitor Western Union are the biggest global players, having worked out agreements with businesses and financial institutions around the world. For Alipay, acquiring MoneyGram and its partnerships and compliance infrastructure would be a game changer. aw-enforcement and intelligence agencies wishing to monitor signal intelligence they deem relevant to an investigation in this case, suspected Russian interference in the 2016 election must obtain what is known as a FISA warrant from the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court. Reports have suggested that communications between Trump's former national security adviser, Michael Flynn, and Russia's ambassador to the US, Sergey Kislyak, were picked up by US intelligence officials who had been eavesdropping on Kislyak not on Flynn. Current and former US officials have also told several media outlets that they have intercepted communications between associates of Trump and Russian officials. Rogers would not comment during the hearing on the specific individuals who may or may not have been caught up in the intelligence community's routine surveillance. The House Intelligence Committee has asked the FBI, the CIA, and the NSA to give them a full list of people whose conversations may have been picked up in that kind of incidental surveillance. So far, only the NSA has "partially" complied, according to The Washington Post. This was announced Friday at a meeting jointly held by the World Cocoa Foundation (WCF), IDH-the Sustainable Trade Initiative (IDH), and The Prince's International Sustainability Unit (ISU) in London. The companies pledged their commitment to developing an actionable plan to end galamsey which will include a greater investment in more sustainable forms of landscape management. According to the companies, they will partner local groups to protect and restore forests in the cocoa landscape as well as invest in programmes to improve cocoa productivity for smallholder farmers. Lands Minister, Peter Amewu was appreciative to the companies and The Prince of Wales for their decision to help the country fight the menace of galamsey. READ ALSO:Production of gold to increase in 2017 "On our part, we are poised to enhance the environmental governance regime in the cocoa sector and implement actions that will enable cocoa producers to adopt cocoa agroforestry systems and practices that are climate smart". The Prince of Wales attributed deforestation to be the cause of low cocoa yields in Ghana and Cote d'Ivoire: "Tropical rainforests play an absolutely crucial role in climate change mitigation and adaptation, in ensuring sustainable livelihoods for hundreds of millions of people and in conserving biodiversity." According to him, the most powerful direct reason for action is that deforestation undermines the very resilience of the cocoa sector itself. "I am heartened that companies are undertaking to work up, in full collaboration with host governments and civil society, a Joint Framework of Action to make good on the commitments announced today, in time for COP 23 in November." Executive Director of IDH, Joost Oorthuizen expressed gladness to lead the initiative in the two countries which will help to improve their cocoa yields. READ ALSO:Illegal miners exit Obuasi mine "In recent history, the cocoa sector has proven to not be afraid to address difficult issues like child labor, malnutrition, and poverty reduction, all in a non-competitive manner. This meeting provides a great starting point to expedite action on the deforestation issue in concert with other relevant stakeholders." On his part, WCF Chairman, Barry Parkin, stated that the decision by the 12 companies to help the two countries marks a "crucial step forward" in the 21st Century. "We look forward to more companies joining the effort and are grateful for the leadership provided by The Prince of Wales in convening today's landmark event." The programme which is the first of its kind covering the global cocoa supply chain was attended by HRH The Prince of Wales, Lands and Natural Resources Minister, John Peter Amewu, senior executives from the companies and senior government officials from Cote d'Ivoire. It also brought together a cross-section of the world's largest chocolate makers and cocoa buyers, producers and traders including Barry Callebaut; Blommer Chocolate Company; Cargill; CEMOI; ECOM; Ferrero; The Hershey Company; Mars, Incorporated; Mondelez International; Nestle; Olam and Touton. Having money doesn't hurt. In a dispatch called the World Happiness Report, an initiative of the UN's Sustainable Development Solutions Network, a group of independent experts including economist Jeffrey Sachs surveyed people in 156 countries to find out how highly they evaluated their lives on a scale from 0-10. The report took into account several factors, of which 6 were found to be the most important: Real GDP per capita Healthy life expectancy at birth Freedom to make life choices Generosity Perceptions of corruption Here's a snapshot of the top 21 countries on the 2017 list: 21. United Arab Emirates The most significant factor in the UAE's positive ranking was its GDP per capita, followed by its social support. Interestingly, the report's scoring is based on its residents, which sometimes includes large numbers of non-Nationals. In the UAE, non-Nationals make up roughly 80% of its residents. 20. Chile The country moved up 4 places in the ranking since last year, largely thanks to its residents' perceptions of good social support. 19. United Kingdom England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland also moved up a few spots in the ranking from last year, with social support and per capita GDP appearing to play the biggest roles in its score. In Britain, however, there were huge variations across individuals in terms of life satisfaction, something the country had in common with the US, Australia, and Indonesia. 18. Luxembourg This country's GDP per capita played the strongest role of the 21 top countries in determining its place on the ranking. At a whopping $101,936, it's the second-highest in the world. Source: 17. Belgium This country ranked almost identically with Germany, with GDP and social support playing the strongest roles in its score. 16. Germany The report found that any rise in overall income in this country had little effect on the overall life satisfaction of its residents. The same was found true for only 2 other countries: Britain and Australia. 15. Ireland The country moved up 4 spots since last year's ranking, and its score is based heavily on how residents ranked their social support. This is especially interesting given the economic crisis the country faced post-2007, the report's authors write. "In respect to the post-2007 economic crisis, the best examples of happiness maintenance in the face of large external shocks were Ireland and ... Iceland." 14. United States The country fell one place on the rankings, something the report's editors attribute to social causes like less perceived personal freedom, lower social support, and mental illness. "America's crisis is, in short, a social crisis, rather than an economic crisis," they write. 13. Austria Although its ranking was almost identical to the US, more of Austria's ranking was accounted for by a higher perceived freedom to make life choices and a lower perception of government corruption. 12. Costa Rica Out of all the countries in the top 21, Costa Rica had the lowest GDP per capita. Nevertheless, its high levels of social support and low levels of perceived corruption earned it an esteemed spot on the list. The country is also a leader in sustainability and renewable energy, having recently gone 76 days without using fossil fuels. Source: 11. Israel The country ranked in the same spot as last year, thanks to its high GDP per capita and perceived social support. Out of the 21 happiest countries, it was also perceived to have the lowest government corruption, even though its former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert was recently found guilty of corruption. Source: 10. Sweden This country also held onto its place from last year, with social support, high GDP per capita, and healthy life expectancy earning it a place in the top 10. 9. Australia The country did well overall, but social issues like mental and physical illness kept it from earning a higher place on the list, according to the report's editors. 8. New Zealand Despite having a slightly lower GDP per capita than Australia, the 2 countries rank almost identically on the list in terms of all 6 happiness factors except generosity, with Kiwis being slightly more generous than Aussies. 7. Canada The country swapped places with the Netherlands in this year's ranking, but still achieved a high score, with social factors like diversity playing the strongest role. "Highly diverse societies, such as Canada, have been able to achieve relatively high levels of social trust through programs aimed at promoting multiculturalism and inter-ethnic understanding," the report's authors write. 6. The Netherlands The country and Canada have very similar happiness profiles, ranking neck-and-neck in terms of life expectancy, GDP per capita, social support, and perceived freedom to make life choices. 5. Finland The country maintained its spot in the ranking this year. Four other Nordic countries also stayed in the top 5 happiest countries on the list. 4. Switzerland The top 4 happiest countries on the list all Nordic nations are "clustered so tightly that the differences among them are not statistically significant," the report's editors write. 3. Iceland Social support proved to be one of the most important factors considered in the rankings, and of all the nations surveyed by the Gallup World Poll, the percentage of people who reported having someone to count on in times of crisis, the highest was in Iceland. 2. Denmark The country fell one place in the ranking, but retains a steady score based on all 6 of its happiness factors. The Africa CEO Forum is one of the most important events on the African business calendar. It brings together the most influential figureheads in Africa and the CEOs of the continents biggest companies. This years edition is focused on revitalizing the economic cycle on the continent. The forum allows participants to exchange their views and opinions on issues affecting the economic development of African companies, in a high-quality setting. The Africa CEO Forum has cemented its status as the foremost meeting dedicated to the development of the African private sector. READ ALSO:5th Africa CEO Forum kicks off on March 20 in Geneva Whilst there, President Akufo-Addo will also hold meetings with Mr. Michael Sidibe, Executive Director of UNAIDS; the Swiss Minister for Economic Affairs, Johann Schneider-Ammann; and with the Ghanaian community in Geneva. The Presidential Service Award, the highest civilian honour is granted to US citizens and permanent residents for their voluntary community service towards development. Starting in 2009, the awardee has in partnership with MDS-Lancet Laboratories spearheaded and funded the screening, vaccination, sensitisation of over 7,000 beneficiaries against the deadly Hepatitis B disease in his country. The cause, worth applauding lands him the recognition herein. Presented to him by Dr. Pauline Key, on behalf of the former president was a congratulatory plaque with an inscription, "Outstanding Humanitarian Service in Ghana". The artiste expressed his appreciation to President Obama for the honor and pledged even greater intensity of his campaign towards ridding Africa of Hepatitis. The OK management has announced, earlier this year that plans were advanced to extend their Hepatitis activations to West African countries in the ensuing months. In Ohio, counties are renting refrigerated trailers to store the mounting number of bodies of drug overdose victims. In New Hampshire, hospitals have so many overdose patients they have to treat them in operating rooms and neonatal nurseries. And in Palm Beach County, Florida, where President Donald Trump spends his weekends, 10 people died of overdoses on Friday alone, likely from a batch of heroin tainted by fentanyl, a powerful, synthetic opioid pain medication. After a decade and hundreds of thousands of deaths, the US opioid addiction crisis is entering a new phase. With the government finally cracking down on the free flow of prescription pain killers fueling the crisis, addicts are turning to heroin pouring in from Mexico. And towns, cities and states are being overwhelmed. Overdose deaths surging More than 33,000 people across the country died in 2015 from opioid overdoses, up 15.5 percent from 2014. That equated to a record 10 overdose deaths for every 100,000 people -- 10 times the level in 1971, when the US government declared its "War on Drugs" after a surge in overdoses. But whereas six years ago four out of five overdose deaths came from prescription painkillers like oxycodone and hydrocodone, now heroin and heroin-fentanyl deaths account for about half. In Cabell County, the overdose death rate was about 30 per 100,000, not even the highest in West Virginia, the state hit hardest by the addiction crisis. Lawyer Paul Farrell last week filed suit for Cabell and a neighboring county, Kanawha, seeking damages from drug companies for dumping massive amounts of addictive opioids into the state, fueling the addiction epidemic. "My community is dying on a daily basis," he said. Every sixth baby born locally suffers from neonatal abstinence syndrome, in which a mother's addiction is passed on to her child. "The hospital has to rock these babies 24 hours a day as they scream their way through addiction," Farrell said. He said counties like his had little choice but to sue to force drug companies to pay for the present and future costs of the crisis. "What we're asking for is not only to hold them responsible for blatantly violating federal and state laws, but to fix the damage they caused, so that we stop creating another generation of addicts," Farrell said. Hundreds of millions of pills How prescription opioid producers and distributors fed the crisis is made clear by previously unreleased US Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) data reported in December by the Charleston (West Virginia) Gazette-Mail. It showed that from 2007 to 2012, those companies sold 780 million opioid painkillers in West Virginia, 421 extremely addictive pills for every man, woman and child in the poor eastern state. Every state is feeling the impact. On March 1, Maryland Governor Larry Hogan declared the addiction crisis a "state of emergency," allowing him to draw on funds normally appropriated for natural disasters to deal with the problem. Two weeks ago, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced a sweeping new campaign to cut addiction, after the city's overdose death toll hit 1,075 last year. "The pharmaceutical industry for years has encouraged the overuse of addictive painkillers," he said. From prescription drugs to heroin The surge in deaths follows a shift in the nature of the crisis. After the DEA last year ordered a 25 percent cutback in the distribution of prescription opioids, addicts turned to heroin. But that drug is frequently cut with extremely potent fentanyl, causing even more overdoses. "Everybody is starting to see a slowdown of prescription opiates. As you see supply drop, what we are seeing is an equal rise of heroin," said Farrell. "We are going to see an all-time high transition to heroin abuse in the next five years." To raise funds to deal with it, cities and counties are suing manufacturers like Purdue Pharma, which makes OxyContin, the most prevalent of the opioid painkillers; mega-drug wholesalers McKesson, Cardinal Health and AmerisourceBergen; and pharmacy operators like Rite Aid and Walmart. New Hampshire, the New England state which rivals West Virginia for the rate of overdose deaths, has sued Purdue. "Last year we had 450 overdose deaths" in a state of 1.3 million, Senior Assistant Attorney General James Boffetti told AFP. "Their marketing exacerbated this addiction problem." Paul Hanly, whose law firm Simmons Hanly Conroy LLC is suing 11 opioid distributors and manufacturers on behalf of Erie County, New York, said the companies' behavior resembled that of neighborhood drug pushers. "Certain of the conduct that is alleged in our cases and the West Virginia cases do smack of racketeering and conspiracy," he said. The companies are fighting the suits, denying they are to blame. One of the movies high selling point was its star-studded cast featuring Emma Watson and Dan Stevens in the lead roles, with Luke Evans playing the arrogant villain, Gaston. Ian McKellen, Ewan McGregor, Emma Thompson and Gugu Mbatha-Raw completed a decent ensemble. Rehashing the famous story would seem redundant as the movie sticks to the core of the original animated feature, but for the odd person out who doesn't know, it is based on the fairy tale by French author, Jeanne-Marie Le Prince de Beaumont. The tale tells the story of an ingenious French girl who is bored with the dull routine life of her small provincial town and wants more than it offers. She soon gets her wish when her father is unreasonably imprisoned by a beast who lives in an enchanted castle thats shut off from the rest of the world, and she offers herself to be prisoner in exchange for him. The events of the first act leads the way to what is one of Disneys most iconic love stories. Beauty and the Beast excels due to its music more than the other elements in the story. It is near impossible to love the movie without its incredible music score. The music serves as a window to the deepest parts of the characters when they're happy, sad, reflective, or just having fun. Director Bill Condon admitted that the movies original score was why he ever entertained the idea of getting on the project. If theres any one obvious detail in the new live-action Beauty and the Beast movie, its that it looks and sounds the same as its original, only fancier and louder. Emma Watson, as Belle, effortlessly assumes the life of the beautiful young French girl who is a bibliophile and quite adventurous in ways that all the other villagers consider very abnormal. The movies first score, "Belle", underlines the young maidens struggles as she colours outside of the lines that her society has set for her. She laments the limitations of her society and craves for one that doesnt suck so much life out of her. The character of Belle is an interesting choice for Watson, a proud feminist, to play, especially since she had to turn down the lead role on the multiple award-winning La La Land to focus on the movie. Belle reads a lot of books, she thinks wildly as an inventor, and is quite capable of making her own decisions; all things that are apparently not expected of a woman in the movies 18th century France. The villagers resent her for her 'strange', 'funny' behaviour and even openly antagonise her when she tries to teach a little girl how to read. Belles biggest worry in the village is Gaston, an arrogant war veteran who is smitten and wants to marry her by any cunning means he can device. Gaston is the stereotypical alpha male who doesn't see Belle as an equal, but as a trophy wife to add to the collection of animal trophies he mounts on his wall. It is quite easy to understand why a girl like Belle repeatedly turns down his aggressive proposals as that kind of relationship would be unhealthy for her, or anyone else. Watson is sweet when Belle needs to be, and stern when the occasion calls for it without letting either trait define her character. She portrays her resentment of Gaston with impressive subtlety as she looks uneasy any time she's in close proximity with him. Evans' portrayal of the boorish Frenchman is one of the movie's high points as he huffs and puffs around the village trying to lay claim to anything that catches his fancy. He flows nicely with Lefou, his flamboyant companion whose altered character trait has caused a lot of controversy for the movie. The two are involved in two of the most energetic songs in the movie ("Gaston" and "The Mob Song") and they deliver the sort of electrifying sound that the movie needs. Dan Stevens doesn't disappoint as the titular Beast. As in the animated version, the Beast is a bratty Prince who is unkind to an enchantress disguised as an old haggard woman seeking shelter, who condemns him to live his days as a Beast until he can find a place for love in his heart and be loved in return. His entire castle is also enchanted so that his servants turn into household objects. Cogsworth, Lumiere (the one character who actually speaks like a Frenchman), Mrs. Potts, Plumette, and Chip form a very good supporting band that carry the movie in the events that transpire in the Beast's castle. They even get to perform one of the most popular musical sequence in the movie, "Be Our Guest". The brains behind this remake had promised the movie is a remarkable recreation that improves greatly on the 1991 movie. It's debatable how well the movie delivers on this promise. The movie toes the line of its original almost to the point of irritation, but it delivers on a few new details that are refreshing even if some of it feels ordinary and/or exploitative. It is 45 minutes longer than the original as it tosses in a couple of hammy, cliche Disney back stories, as well as three new musical scores, with the Beast finally getting his own solo performance. The Beast is also more well-read here so that book connection pays off beautifully between Stevens and Watson when he shows her his library. Also, one of the flashback back stories in the movie casts a whole new light on the character of Bell's father, Maurice (Kevin Kline). It makes you care about him not just because he is the father of the pretty girl you are rooting for, but as a standout character thats worthy of empathy for his own past scars. The flashback also deepens his relationship with his daughter as Kline shares standout scenes with Watson. In the end, Belle and the unnamed Beast still get their happily ever after to the rendition of the original Beauty and the Beast song, this time by the duo of Ariana Grande and John Legend. The movie is a celebration of an unusual love story that probably should make people feel more uneasy than the controversy that heralded the movie's release. Prior to its theatrical release, Condon dropped the bombshell that one of his major changes in the new movie is a gay Lefou, effectively creating Disney's first openly homosexual character. This revelation was welcomed with a huge outcry that led to the movie's ban by Malaysia's Film Censorship Board in the country, and it was also banned in some American theatres. The move appears as nothing short of a distraction because Lefou's sexuality doesn't contribute anything meaningful to the story and the suggestion that he is attracted to men lasted all of two to three seconds of screen time in the ballroom scene at the end of the movie. It is also a distraction from the wonderful job Josh Gad does to bring life to the bumbling idiot character from the animation. You keep holding your breath every time Lefou is onscreen expecting to see the "exclusively gay moment" the director promised and you're let down at every point until you witness the actual thing and sigh in disappointment, or relief. This liberal shoehorning makes Disney's announcement feel exploitative as the only way you even pay attention to Lefou's sexuality here is because the film makers called attention to it. Beauty and the Beast is a good dose of nostalgia for movie-goers who grew up to the animated version, and a wild fun journey for the new generation of kids who will be allowed to see it. Members of the Mount Zion Presby Church and other populace in the community flee their homes to find shelter elsewhere after a heated chieftaincy battle between two royal families in the community caused fear and commotion. People were chased out of their homes, churches, schools and other social gatherings with guns and cutlasses for supporting one royal family against the other. Church services and other activities in the community were halted as people vacated their homes. Speaking at the event, Chairman of the Committee, Mr. Patrick Addison urged the congregants to desist from engaging in chieftaincy wars and remain neutral on such issues. Lets pray and fast to God to save us from this crises. The situation is controllable, lets all work together to find a solution. The youth should be caution, people can instigate you to start a fight meanwhile you dont even know the root of the matter. As Christians, we dont choose sides, lets be neutral. Lets prevent war. A church member also advised his fellow Christians to live in peace and harmony with each other because the aftermath of war is not pleasing for any community or country. Lets take the war [in] Sierra Leone, Liberia and others. Pregnant women, children, men were killed and the country was destroyed. Lets all join together and prevent war. In an interview with pulse.com.gh, a mother recalled her ordeal where she had to quickly rush home from the market to look for her children when she heard the news of the clash between the two royal families. I sell meat at Mallam Market and I always leave early. When I heard the news, I had to come home and take my children to a safety place. When I got home, I didnt find anybody everybody had run for their lives. Later I found them at Bortianor. The chieftaincy issue has been there for more than 20 years. The following day, I came home to get some things but I was prevented from entering the town, anybody who disobeyed orders was beaten with a cane. I sent my child to buy tomatoes and he was mercilessly beaten, his one eye got swollen and I had to rush him to the hospital". 18 students have been confirmed dead at the Kintampo Waterfalls in the Brong Ahafo region after trees crashed on them following a heavy storm on Sunday, March 19, 2017. Eyewitnesses say the heavy trees fell from the top of the waterfalls and landed on the people, mostly students who had gone to swim. A joint team of personnel from the Ghana National Fire Service and Ghana Police Service were at the scene to rescue the trapped victims. Earlier, Mahama described the accident as "very sad news". Mahama in a tweet described the accident as "tragic". John Mahama in a Facebook post Monday morning, he said "I am keeping the families of the Kintampo falls victims in mind and praying for them. Please comfort their families and pray for them. Lets also ask the almighty God to heal the injured and receive the souls of the departed into his kingdom." READ ALSO: Sad Nana Addo consoles bereaved families Meanwhile, a Kumasi-based prophet says he predicted the Kintampo Waterfalls accident that has killed 18 students. According to him, government will await the outcome of the investigation into the cause of the disaster. Dr. Bawumia who paid a visit to the disaster site on Monday stated that: We have lost 18 young men and women at the prime of their lives who were in school trying to make a difference to their lives; we have lost them under very tragic circumstances. We will allow the necessary investigations to go on as we see what we can do for the affected families. Twenty people are now confirmed dead in Sundays accident at Kintampo during which falling trees crashed revellers bathing in the popular Kintampo Falls. The accident occurred on Sunday March 19 at about 4PM while tourists were still at the falls. A tree from the top of the waterfalls fell onto the sightseers who were swimming. Officers from the Ghana Fire Service, the Police and Ambulance Service have arrived at the scene to rescue those who have been trapped in the water by the tree. READ ALSO: NPP to celebrate Jake Obetsebi Lamptey Those who have been rescued so far have been rushed to the Kintampo Hospital for treatment. Meanwhile, Meanwhile, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has expressed grave concern about the accident. Nana Addo consoled the families of the departed souls. A church service will take place at the Ridge Church at 8:00am. Acting General Secretary of the party John Boadu said "Jakes contribution to the NPP can never be forgotten even in death, hence the celebration." Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey died in London following a protracted illness. The former national chairman NPP led the party into power in 2000. READ MORE: Jake Obetsebi Lamptey reported dead in London Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey (born 4 February 1946) was a Ghanaian politician and a former television and radio producer. From 2005 to July 2007, Obetsebi-Lamptey served as Minister of Tourism and Diasporan Relations in the cabinet of President John Kufuor. Previously Obetsebi-Lamptey was Minister of Tourism and Modernization of the Capital (200205) and Minister of Information (200102). She said she will not allow Appiah Stadium whom she described as a stranger, to be made a chief in NDC. Appiah Stadium who defected to the NDC following the defeat of the NDC party blamed the bad attitude of some leading members such as the campaign coordinator, Kofi Adams, Anita De sooso and Deputy General Secretary of the NDC, Koku Anyidoho for the NDC defeat. Koku Anyidoho reiterated his love and dedication to John Atta Mills. "I will never regret working for him President Mills, I salute you in your grave. Nobody will take that away from me," he declared. He stated that he loved the NDC as a party and that "leadership will rotate" adding that "I loved President Mills; I worked for President Mahama." But Anita Desoso in an interview on Accra-based Kasapa FM said "Today you Appiah Stadium, you are the cause of the death and maiming of some NDC supporters in Kumasi just before the 2008 elections, which forced Ambassador Ohene Agyekum and myself to invoke curses on our opponents a move that saved our party and brought us to power. Today you think youre better off so you insult me and claim youll strip me nakedgo ahead. He described him as the biggest gap in the New Patriotic Party (NPP). He said Obestebi-Lamptey is a huge pillar and stalwart of the NPP. In a recorded video played at the Ridge church to commemorate the one year anniversary of the late Obetsebi-Lamptey on Monday 20 March, Nana Addo said "Whats going on is the biggest gap for me personally in our victory of 7 December 2016. It had always been my expectation that the victory, which I was sure one day will come, would be one I would share with the man who I knew from the very beginning of my life and with whom Ive stayed friends all through, but they say man proposes and God disposes." READ ALSO: The life and death of Jake Obetsebi Lamptey "So, this fine man Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey was a huge figure and stalwart of the Danquah-Dombo-Busia political tradition. "My spirit is there and my continuing condolences go out to his wife and childrenand all of those he embraced and loved and fathered. My condolences go to the New Patriotic Party that continues to experience his absence. We will always miss him. He was a fine man," Nana Addo added. Background Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey died in London following a protracted illness. The former national chairman NPP led the party into power in 2000. READ MORE: Jake Obetsebi Lamptey reported dead in London Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey (born 4 February 1946) was a Ghanaian politician and a former television and radio producer. From 2005 to July 2007, Obetsebi-Lamptey served as Minister of Tourism and Diasporan Relations in the cabinet of President John Kufuor. Previously Obetsebi-Lamptey was Minister of Tourism and Modernization of the Capital (200205) and Minister of Information (200102). It's not as good as "The Tree of Life" or "The Thin Red Line" Malick's two best works but "Song to Song" is by far the best of his last three movies, and is beautiful enough to watch that it should be seen on the big screen if it's playing in a theater in your city. Whitta, who has also penned episodes of TV series Star Wars Rebels, told SuperHeroHype that he believes new standalone stories with new characters are on the horizon. I think youve already seen us get 90 percent of the way there with Rogue One," said Whitta. Yes, you see Leia, yes, you see the Death Star and Vader, because those are elements of that story and they belong there, you cant tell that story without those characters. But for the most part, 90 percent of that story is completely new characters. Completely new planets and places youve never seen before. Its a Star Wars movie with no Jedi! You dont see a lightsaber once until Vader pops it out at the end. Though looking to the past for ideas isnt done (and may never be), with the making of a young Han Solo movie and the rumors of a Boba Fett movie. But Whitta believes the foundation is being set for new stories. One of the thing things we really want to do at Lucasfilm is create a universe and not keep relying on old legacy characters, said Whitta. Weve got Rey and Finn and Kylo Ren, theyve already introduced a new generation of characters. Whatever kind of Star Wars films theyre making 10 or 20 years from now, I dont think theyre going to be relying on the same legacy story elements as we have in the past. President Trump has egged on a new arms race. Russia violated weapons treaties to upgrade its nuclear arsenal. North Korea is developing long-range missiles and practicing for nuclear war and the US military is considering preemptive attacks on the isolated nation's military facilities. Meanwhile, nuclear terrorism and dirty bombs remain a sobering threat. Though these events are unlikely to trigger the last-ditch option of nuclear war, let alone a blast in your neighborhood, they are very concerning. So you might be wondering, "If I survive a nuclear-bomb attack, what should I do?" Michael Dillon, a Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory researcher, crunched the numbers and helped figure out just that in a 2014 study published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society A: Mathematical and Physical Sciences. Likewise, government agencies and other organizations have also explored the harrowing question and came up with detailed recommendations and response plans. The scenario This is much less powerful than the bomb dropped on Hiroshima about 15 kilotons. However, it's not unlikely when looking at weapons like the new B61-12 gravity bomb, which is built by the US, maxes out at 50 kilotons, and can be dialed down to 0.3 kilotons. (Russia and Pakistan are working on similar so-called "tactical" nuclear weapons.) Studies have shown that you and up to 100,000 of your fellow citizens can be saved that is, if you keep your wits about and radiation exposure low enough. One of your biggest and most immediate goals is to avoid nuclear fallout. How to avoid fallout radiation Fallout is a mess of bomb material, soil, and debris that is vaporized, made radioactive, and sprinkled as dust and ash across the landscape by prevailing winds. (In New York City, for example, a fallout zone would spread eastward.) The best thing to do is to find a good place to hide the more dense material between you and the outside world, the better then wait until the rescuers can make their way to help you. The US government recommends hiding in a nearby building, but not all of them provide much shelter from nuclear fallout. Poor shelters, which include about 20% of houses, are constructed of lightweight materials and lack basements. The best shelters are thick brick or concrete and lack windows. Like a bomb shelter. This infographic from a government guide to the aftermath of nuclear attacks gives a rough idea on what makes a building a good or bad place to hide from fallout: Hiding in the sub-basement of a brick five-story apartment building, for example, should expose you to just 1/200 of the amount of fallout radiation outside. Meanwhile, hanging out in the living room of your one-story, wood-frame house will only cut down the radiation by half, which if you are next to a nuclear explosion will not do much to help you. So, what do you do if there isn't a good shelter right near you? Should you stay in a "poor" shelter, or risk exposure to find a better one? And how long should you wait? Should you stay or should you go? If you are immediately next to or in a solid shelter when the bomb goes off, stay there until the rescuers come to evacuate you to less radioactive vistas. If you aren't already in a bomb shelter, but know a good shelter is about five minutes away maybe a large apartment building with a basement that you can see a few blocks away his calculations suggest hoofing it over there quickly and staying in place. But if the nice, thick-walled building would take about 15 minutes travel time, it's better to hole up in the flimsy shelter for awhile but you should probably leave for a better shelter after roughly an hour (and maybe pick up some beers and sodas on the way: A study in the '50s found they taste fine after a blast). This is because some of the most intense fallout radiation has subsided by then, though you still want to reduce your exposure. Other fallout advice Below are some other guidelines that Dillon compiled from other studies and are based on how decent your first and second shelters are: One of the big advantages of the approach that this paper uses is that, to decide on a strategy, evacuation officials need to consider only the radiation levels near shelters and along evacuation routes the overall pattern of the radioactive death-cloud does not factor into the models. This means decisions can be made quickly and without much communication or central organization (which may be spare in the minutes and hours after a blast). Other researchers have analyzed other similar scenarios in papers, whose findings are summarized in the chart below: 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! According to the businessman, the actress' violent behaviour has cost him close to 66 million Naira. Churchill, who spoke in an interview with the Media Room Hub made clarifications concerning earlier claims by Dikeh who alleged that her husband assaulted her and their son, King. Tonto Dikeh, on the other hand, is unfazed. The actress shared a passage from the Bible on Instagram this morning, March 20, 2017, saying 'she fears no evil'. The passage was quoted from the Psalms of David. Psalm 23 to be precise. Just yesterday she shared this funny video of herself trying out the Snap Chat filters to her fans and followers. Then she shared photos of herself dancing in a hotel lobby. "When the blessings of the lord is upon your life,you will dance like David danced!!," she accompanied the photos. Meanwhile, her estranged husband revealed it is almost impossible to pacify the actress whenever she begins her aggressive behaviour. He also provided a video evidence to refute claims made by the actress who alleged that her husband inflicted injuries on her body. The clip revealed a heap of mess that followed one of the tantrums thrown by Dikeh who left her husband's house in ruins. Scenes of broken glass and blood-stained floor were captured in the video, all which have contrasted the actress' account of Churchill's abusive behaviour. Chinasa, who spoke with newsmen on Sunday, alleged that the teenager, who is also a neighbour stole her son, Chiagozie. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), reports the teenager identified as Simon had earlier confessed to the police that an unidentified Alfa, now in police custody, asked him to supply a three-year-old child. Simon said after he brought Chiagozie to the Alfa, he was given N500 for his efforts. When the three-year-old was finally located by detectives from Isheri Police Station, he was already dead. Chinasa, who broke down in tears, said that she was not only grieving for her murdered son, but also scared about strange men on motorbikes coming to threaten her and her husband, Augustine Okereke. The woman who lives in a multi-room building, has three other children, apart from Chiagozie. The eldest is 10years old, the second child is eight years old. Chiagozie was her third child. Her fourth child is just nine months old. She explained that on the fateful day, she wanted to give three of her children a bath outside the house when the three year-old child was abducted. According to her account, she had briefly stepped into the house to get a wrapper to strap the nine-month-old to her back. But when she returned Chiagozie was nowhere to be found. When she asked her eight-year-old daughter the whereabouts of her little brother, the girl said that Simon, the 15-year-old living in the building next door had taken him away. When my daughter told me that Simon took Chiagozie, I immediately rushed to his house, but his guardians said they had been looking for him too. When it was getting late, we went to the police station to report that Simon took our son and that we couldnt find him. Police took over the case and soon located and arrested Simon. He was taken to the station. Singing like a bird, he revealed how the Alfa came to pick him and Chiagozie with a car. When detectives asked questions from residents of the community, they were told that they saw the Alfa driving off with Simon and Chiagozie. The suspect led police to the scene where the Alfa took him and Chiagozie. The corpse of Chiagozie was found laid out on the ground. A big stone was beside his head and a red cloth tied round his neck. Asked how Chiagozie was killed, Simon said that he saw when the Alfa lifted Chiagozie mid-air and made some incantations before dropping him to the ground, the woman recalled in tears. Reacting to the incident the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Mr Fatai Owoseni, alleged that the Alfa used the deceased for ritual. He further said that the Alfa and Simon had been transferred to the State Criminal Investigations Department (SCID), Panti, Yaba, for further investigations. Parents should be proactive and know the kind of people they leave their kids with. Lagos State Police spokesman, ASP Olarinde Famous-Cole, who confirmed the arrest, said the suspect was arrested on Thursday for terrorising the public in a CSP uniform in Surulere area. At about 4pm on March 16, the command operatives attached to Area C Command, Surulere, arrested the suspect following reliable information. The suspect over the years has been parading himself as a police officer and extorting money and other valuables from unsuspecting public. The suspect was intercepted under the National Stadium Bridge, Surulere where he was about to resume his criminal activities. On sighting the patrol team, the suspect took to his heels, but was given a hot chase that resulted to his arrest at Shitta Area of Surulere. A walkie-talkie, a Lagos State Ministry of Transportation identity card bearing the name, Olayiwola Animashaun and his passport photograph, were found in his possession, he said. The spokesman said the suspect later led the detectives to his residence where exhibits, including a traffic taskforce reflective jacket, police statement forms, and a machete, were recovered from his house. He confessed to be operating mostly around Tejuosho, Ojuelegba and National Stadium areas, the police spokesman said. Famous-Cole advised the public to be wary of individuals who present themselves as police officers with no proof of official identification. He urged the public to question such people and alert other security agencies when the need arises. Punch reports that Okeke who lives in the Trans Ekulu area of the state, had constantly subjected the boy to various forms of physical abuse, often inflicting severe injuries on him. In the recent assault on the teenager, Okeke was said to have tied him up on Wednesday, March 15, 2017, and made him kneel on sharp stones in a dark room when the police, acting on intelligence, stormed the family house to arrest him. The state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Ebere Amaraizu who confirmed the development, said fresh wounds inflicted by the father were found on Kelechis body when he was rescued. The police spokesman added that it was discovered that Okeke habitually flogged his son wire and heavy sticks in a bid to 'beat the stubbornness out of him.' Okeke is always in the habit of subjecting the son to inhuman treatment, such as kneeling on stones with his hands tied together, and massive flogging with wire and other dangerous objects, thereby leaving his entire body scarred with injuries, DSP Amaraizu said. It was further revealed that the boy's mother was separated from Okeke after she left him some time ago, leaving the boy in his care, while he lived with the wife of a pastor who left her husband to move in with him. The abused boy, Kelechi Okeke Photo Credit: Punch Continuing, DSP Amaraizu said: Following the rescue of Kelechi with injuries and the arrest of Okeke, facts emerged that Kelechis mother was not living with the father, although there appeared to be unresolved marital issues which left the little boy in the hands of the father. Further findings revealed that Kelechis father was living with a woman with four kids belonging to a certain pastor in Enugu. The woman has abandoned the pastor over a yet to be established issue and now lives with Kelechis father, and in that process, allegedly turned the little boy to a slave. Narrating his ordeal to the police, Kelechi disclosed that he was subjected to constant torture for about one month before he was rescued. The Minister of Interior retired Lt.-Gen. Abdulrahman Dambazau while unveiling the document on Monday in Abuja said that the document would also fast-track the ease of doing business in Nigeria. He explained that the Immigration Regulations 2017 is a vital document that sought to operationalise the Immigration Act, 2015 and provide the legal framework for the dynamic and unfolding migratory realities. Dambazau said that the new regulation would replace the old and outdated Immigration Act of 1963, which could not take care of modern realities such as terrorism, technology and new immigration challenges. The objective of this new Immigration Regulations 2007 is to provide the legal framework for the effective implementation of the Immigration Act, 2015 and consolidate existing immigration regulations. This new document therefore replaces the outdated Immigration Act of 1963, he said. He explained that the new document empowers the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) to properly register all foreigners, protect the borders, enhance internal security and attract foreign investors using the latest technology. Dambazau said with the policy in place, the NIS would be empowered to register and monitor the entry and movement of foreign herdsmen who come into the country. According to him, this will also go a long way in checking the herdsmen/ farmers clashes. Earlier, the Comptroller-General of NIS, Muhammad Babandede said that the Immigration Regulations 2017 would positively change the operations of NIS in line with international best practices. The Immigration Act, 2015 made some profound provisions such as the establishment of migration directorate, dealing with issues bordering on smuggling of migrants and so on. I can assure you that with the Immigration Regulation 2017, NIS has been strategically positioned to combat all cases relating to transnational organised crimes, he said. According to him, NIS will be working with other security agencies like the Police, and INTERPOL to check trans-border crimes, human trafficking and arms smuggling into Nigeria. Alhaji Usman Umbugadu, the Aren-Akun of Akun Chiefdom, made the commendation on Sunday in an interview with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Akun, Akun Development Area of the state. He said the communities were appreciative of the governors efforts considering the importance of the projects to them, noting that the appreciation will encourage the governor to do more. As a traditional ruler, we are the custodians of peoples culture and peace; it is our role to continue to advise our subjects and Nigerians to live in peace and tolerate one another irrespective of ethnic, religious and political affiliation. This is because no society or nation could achieve speedy development in an atmosphere of rancour and confusion. I want to commend Gov. Tanko Al-Makura for the construction of rural bridges and culverts as it will reduce the hardship my people have been facing and connect them with other communities thereby boosting their agricultural production, he said. He also commended the Overseer of the Development Area, Mr Moses Malle, for the construction of Ezga, Embugu and Ukuchuku bridges, urging him to keep initiating projects that would impact on the lives of the people. Umbugadu also called on the people of the area to continue to support the present administration at the federal and state levels as they strive to improve their lives. He also appealed to Nigerians, especially youths to be law abiding, respect constituted authority, live in peace and tolerance, irrespective of ethnic, religious and political interest. The protesters who barricaded Amnesty Internationals Abuja office on Monday, March 20, 2017, condemned the recent report by AI which alleged human rights abuses by Nigerian security agencies against arrested Boko Haram suspects. Addressing protesters, director of GOPRI, Melvin Ejeh announced that if the human rights organisation does not shut down its operations and leave Nigeria, the group and other Nigerians shall begin a five-day Occupy Amnesty International Protest at the office in Abuja. ALSO READ: Boko Haram: Military faults Amnesty report Ejeh noted that the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) and the Global Amnesty Watch have condemned the recent report by Amnesty International which alleged human rights abuses by Nigerian security agencies against arrested Boko Haram suspects. The deliberate attempt by the amnesty international to indict the security agencies working day and night to restore peace in troubles parts of the country without condemning the heinous crimes committed by Boko Haram terrorists proves that the international organization has ulterior motives, Ejeh said. "Previous calls by concerned groups for the government to kick Amnesty International out of Nigeria for the safety of citizens have gone unheeded. Unfortunately, if this organization is allowed to continue carrying out its atrocities here it will destabilize Nigeria. "Unlike our leaders, most of us do not have the resources to relocate our loved ones to other lands if Amnesty International succeeds in ruining this nation. Like the victims of AI's operation in the Middle-East we would be left without a country and we would not be welcomed in other nations. We will become mere footnotes in its next annual report since it stops showing interest in places it has successfully destroyed," he added. He stated that recent revelation by Haaretz, an Israeli newspaper, indicated that Israel used Amnesty International as a front for its foreign ministry. Ejeh said: According to Haaretz, 'The documents reveal how some heads of Amnesty International Israel were allegedly in regular contact with the Foreign Ministry from the late 1960s to the mid -1970s, reporting on their activity in real time, consulting with officials and taking instructions from them. "The Amnesty office in Israel received regular funds transferred through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs which reportedly included hundreds of Israeli pounds for flights abroad, per diem allowances, registration fees and dues payments to the organization's headquarters, according to the papers. "This in our consideration is not the right approach to dealing with this demonic entity. Its evil contaminates any country it chooses to work against. Its destructive touch leaves countries in failed state," he added. According to a report by Punch Newspaper, the hospital, which is valued at $2.15million, is one of the properties forfeited by the embattled ex-Chief of Air Staff over his involvement in the arms deal fraud. A source reportedly said: The hospital has very expensive equipment including an MRI machine which is very rare. However, we could not manage the hospital so we handed it over to the air force pending the outcome of Amosus trial. It is assumed that the money used in buying the hospital was stolen from the air force. Now to be managed by the Nigerian Air Force medical unit, St. Solomon Hospital is said to have a state-of-the-art equipment including a Magnetic Resonance Imaging machine which costs well over $1m. Other properties seized from Amosu included a house on Adeyemo Alakija Street, GRA Ikeja worth N250m; a duplex at House 11, Peace Court Estate, GRA Ikeja worth N110m; a N40m property located at NAF Harmony Estate, Asokoro base; a five-bedroomed house at Valley NAF Estate, Port Harcourt, worth N33m and a N95m house on Umaru Dikko Street, Jabi. Also reportedly recovered from Amosu by the EFCC since the launch of the investigation int the misappropriation of funds is a total sum of N2.835billion. Adeniran said Seeing that the EFCC had decided to tread this path gives us hope of winning the war against corruption to achieve positive impacts on the people. It has always been our position at CACOL that whatever money/property recovered from looters should be re-channeled back to the original project the looted funds/property were meant for. If funds meant for a particular project that gets diverted, once such fund is recovered by any anti-corruption agency, such monies should be used to fund the project that was made un-actualizeable as a result of looting. It was reported that the President's workload was drastically scaled down to allow him get more rest. The reports said Buhari barely four hours in his office since his return from a medical vacation in London. It was also gathered that the President has not attended any event outside the Presidential Villa since his return. But Buhari's spokesman, Garba Shehu said on the contrary, the President had a busy week. He said Buhari had an engaging week devoted mostly to policy issues, not ceremonial events. Shehu states in Abuja on Sunday, March 19. Shehu, however, refuted the claims, saying that "in the first week of his return, President Buhari walked his talk on his intense desire to pay back to Nigerians by way of keeping their trust and serving their interests. "His reply to the people for their support and trust is to work much harder for them." According to him, the President did not have a day off or even a light week at all throughout his week of resumption. He added that, "I read those analyses and I believe they were mostly wrong. What they dont understand is that the President doesnt follow official working hours because he is on duty all the time. "He has another office by his living room so he works from home when most civil servants have closed." Shehu noted that the president, who resumed work on Monday 13, started with the letters he sent to the two arms of the parliament, signifying his return to work. He said the president then went in for a handover briefing by the Vice President. "They had a lot to discuss between themselves. "Although he gave specific mandates to the Acting President, he needed to be brought up to speed on the developments in the Supreme Court, the Niger Delta, the economy with particular reference to the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan, ERPG which was launched in his absence and programs like the Small and medium Enterprises Clinic which have strong connections to the agricultural strategy of the administration." The Presidential aide disclosed that on Tuesday the President followed up his meeting with the Vice-President, getting details from the governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele on the liquidity situation of the country, the issue of reserves and the outlook for the rest of the year. Shehu said the president then met with the leadership of the National Assembly led by Senate President, Bukola Saraki and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara. "Those two arms have dealt with the issue of his vacation with great sensitivity." He revealed that on Wednesday, the President presided at the Federal Executive Council (FEC), saying that "the president came well prepared for the meeting, appearing as if he had not been away for over a month. "The noticeable thing about the last meeting was that it dwelled on policy. The meeting didnt discuss contracts." Shehu added that on Thursday, the President had a joint sitting with the Chief of Staff, Abba Kyari, the Ministers of Finance, Kemi Adeosun and that of Budget and Planning, Udoma Udoma. He said that they discussed the countrys economic situation, the progress on the 2017 budget and liquidity issues. He observed that on the same day, President Buhari held a state-of-nation meeting with governors who had assembled for the routine meeting of the National Economic Council being presided over by the Vice-President. Shehu noted that Friday was used mostly for security briefing before the Jumaat prayers. "The President has big ambitions for the country, driven by an intense desire to leave his mark on national affairs. This is as he said on his return two Fridays ago," he added. The students who trooped into Abuja from the various higher institutions in the country on Monday, March 20, 2017, endorsed the leadership style of President Buhari. Addressing the rally at the Unity Fountain in Abuja, President of the group, Osisioma Osikenyi Igwe said the Ndigbos made grave mistakes in the past, but were not prepared to repeat same. He said Ndigbo students and youths have come to the inevitable conclusion to embrace change collectively. Igwe urged South easterners, particularly, MASSOB and IPOB who are 'incensed' about a Biafran Republic to 'extinguish' the idea. His words: "We have chosen to become part of the change agents, by impressing on our people to sight the bright future Nigeria offers every ethnic nationality, most especially Igbo nation under the God-fearing and de-tribalized leader, President Muhammadu Buhari. We must bury our mundane thoughts that have tethered us to retrogressive sentiments for ages. ALSO READ: MASSOB: Group says Igbo leaders are political slaves "We are strangely happy in the euphoria of being blinded by our foibles. When we contemplate any remedy, it is usually half-baked and poorly articulated, manifest in the frequent retreat into our cocoons, with loud gospels of separatism. These wrong approaches have failed to give us solace, heal our wounds and cement ties with our Nigerian brothers to work for the prosperity of Nigeria. "In the years past, we have been misled and enslaved by our people, who exploited our innocence and complacency to market several unfounded and unprofitable sentiments, which poisoned our minds towards our beloved country, Nigeria. Sadly, no one can point to a single reward weve got from these wild adventures from our years of silence; our months of endurance and decades of antagonism. "Over time too, we have silently watched elders of our land; our leaders indulge in excesses that have led us to wrong steps and decisions, which have disappointingly and continuously nurtured the passion of hate against us, as a race in Nigeria. It has rather expanded the frontiers of enmity between us and other ethnic nationalities in Nigeria. We cannot continue in this manner and we have taken up the challenge to also lead the path for our elders to follow because the future belongs to the youths" "We want our Southeastern brothers and sisters to understand in unmistaken terms that Nigeria holds a lot of promise for the Igbo nation than the delusion of a non-existent Biafran state. And luckily, the hour this realisation has dawned on us has come at a time Nigeria is blessed with a good leader, President Buhari. His actions and utterances demonstrate a passion of love for every Nigerian, regardless of tribe, religion or political affiliation. "Ndi'gbos have no better time to have a resounding deal in Nigeria, outside of the Buhari Presidency," he added. The students apologised to President Buhari, the national leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and stakeholders of the party for the embarrassment caused them by the threats of MASSOB and IPOB to disrupt the Pro-Buhari rally in Awka. Fashola said this while speaking with newsmen in Maiduguri after a tour of projects in the North East. He said government was equally making efforts to complete the Mambilla Power Station, also in Taraba. As for the Mambilla plant, the contractor is back to site after he was mobilised. But he has lots of challenges; he has to open letter of credit and import equipment, among other things. For Kashimbilla project, we have made progress in terms of project planning. We are in the final stage of pricing and we expect that we will start work this year, Fashola said. According to him, preparatory work is going on and the ministry is considering the best route to move the equipment to site. This is part of project planning that makes for efficient project execution, the minister said. Fashola said that estate valuers had been engaged to prepare ground for easy compensation of the natives. We already have estate valuers who are valuing the whole site where the plant will be constructed so that when compensation is paid, there will be no problem when work construction begins. Zungeru project had problems relating to compensation as no prior work was done like this one, Fashola said. He lauded the National Assembly for its planned amendment of the Procurement Act to provide for more mobilisation fee to contractors, especially those handling road projects. I want to acknowledge the tremendous support that our ministry is receiving from the National Assembly. Amending the Act will be useful now; if you get more money to contractors in an economy that is getting out of recession, it will help in reflating the economy, the minister said. Fashola added that injecting more money to the economy, through lawful means, would help in quick recovery from the current recession. He assured that government would pay more attention to federal roads in all states of the North East within the shortest possible time. The most important thing is that we are back to site and very soon those nasty experience on our roads will be over. The News Agency of Nigeria, (NAN) reports that the state governor, Mr Ayo Fayose made this known while speaking on a monthly public enlightenment programme, The Governor Explains. He disclosed that an investigation panel has been set up to probe what actually transpired between the woman and the police. He said the investigation will unravel the policemen that beat the woman. The governor said he was particularly disturbed by media reports linking policemen to the alleged beating of the woman, Toyin Adeyeye, despite her status as a nursing mother. He described as regrettable, the police action, coming barely two weeks after the state celebrated Womens Day with fanfare. The governor declared that the law on violence against women still subsists in the state, and that the law would be applied as appropriate in this matter. Mr Abdullahi Chafe, the state police commissioner had said the woman was beaten by policemen at a checkpoint in Ado Ekiti because she slapped one of his men and tore his uniform. He claimed the woman slapped one of his men when she was asked to prove the ownership of the car in which she was being driven. Chafe spoke in a reaction to the social media outrage against the policemen for brutalising a woman. After the beating, Adeyeye and her baby, including her younger brother, Adeniyi Dada were detained at a police station in Ado Ekiti, the Ekiti state capital. The Kia Picanto that Dada was driving was also impounded. It is not good for somebody to prevent a law enforcement officer from carrying out his lawful duty, somebody wearing the uniform? It is not about his age but the authority he carries, I dont allow my men to do something contrary to the law, Chafe said. Those people slapped my policeman on duty and tore his uniform. Uniform is an authority and what those people did was against the law and it is not good for a civilian to slap a policeman I dont want a woman to be detained with baby or with pregnancy, I dont want an old woman or a minor to be detained. I have taken note of this and we will take the right action on the matter as investigation continues, he said. The husband of the woman, Mr Akanni Adeyeye refuted the police claim, saying his wife and her brother were beaten and detained for refusing to offer bribe to the policemen at the checkpoint. He told newsmen that about five policemen on duty at the checkpoint beat them before taking them to the New Iyin Police Station where they were detained. He said the police also impounded the black Kia Picanto car with registration number LAGOS FKJ 221 EE conveying them. Artist Lucia Torres presents a collection of abstract water color, acrylic and oil paintings that explore a deeply personal confrontation of historical trauma. Runs through 5/18. A new exhibition of paintings by educator and artist Lucia Torres opens with a reception on March 17, 2016. Originally from Monterrey, Mexico, Lucia Torres is a Chicana Jew with indigenous heritage currently living in Corpus Christi, Texas. Her mothers family fled Spain to escape the Inquisition and her indigenous father was from the mountains of Monterrey. Nahalat Shalom will host this exhibition of her new work, which explores the effects the Inquisition has had on her family and is part of her process of reclaiming her Jewish heritage, which was hidden for many generations. Aves de Fuego means Firebirds and this collection of abstract water color, acrylic and oil paintings explores a deeply personal confrontation of historical trauma. Works entitled Introducion a mi Cultura/Introduction to my Culture, Rebirth of Consciousness, Kerido Mio/My beloved, Consevido bajo las Llamas/Conceived under the Flames, and others surround you with a sophistication of color, energy and emotion that you must experience. This event is open to everyone and free of charge. Refreshments will be served. NAN also reports that the protesters carried placards with various inscriptions some of which read: we want a quick passage of the anti-grazing bill, President Buhari please do more to end the farmers/herdsmen clashes, among others. Mr Justine Gbagir, who led the protests, appealed to the state government to adopt measures aimed at preventing future attacks in the state. Gbagir,who is the Chairman, Justice Rights Human Initiative, said that the early passage of the bill would check the intermittent clashes between farmers and herdsmen. He called for stringent measures to secure the rural areas from invaders, and promised full support to initiatives that would bring permanent peace to Benue. We want the Federal Government to replicate the measures used in tackling insurgency in the north-eastern parts of the country in the fight against herdsmen attacks, he said. He said that the invaders had raped women and attacked farmers after destroying their crops, and expressed fear of food shortages if the situation was not checked. The spokesman urged the legislators to pass the executive bill without altering its content so as to safeguard human lives. Responding to their agitations, Gov. Samuel Ortom expressed optimism that the legislators would respond promptly to the yearnings of the people by passing the bill. Ortom, who was represented by his deputy, Mr Benson Abounu, promised that government would do everything within its powers to protect the people. NAN reports that the Benue House of Assembly began a public hearing on the grazing bill on Monday. The hearing is to hold in each of the three senatorial districts. The anti-grazing bill, presented to the lawmakers by Ortom last week, seeks to end open grazing which the governor said was responsible for the constant clashes between farmers and herdsmen. Falana made the comments via an article published on Sunday, March 19, in which he described the Senates move as unconstitutional. The Senate lacks the vires (power) to summon the CGC on policy matters. Indeed, the oversight power of either House of the National Assembly is not at large but limited by section 88 (2) of the constitution, Falana said. No power exists under the section for general investigation, not for personal aggrandizement of the House. In the instant case, the Senate is not conducting an investigation but challenging the policy of the Nigeria Customs Service on payment of duties. With respect, the summons served on the CGC is illegal and unconstitutional as it cannot be justified under section 88(2) of the constitution. Neither the constitution not the Rules of Procedure of the Senate has conferred on it the power to compel the CGC to wear customs uniform when he is not a serving customs officer. Indeed, the directive is a reckless usurpation of the powers of the board which is the only competent body to decide on the wearing of uniform by customs officer. Col. Ali cannot be made to wear any uniform by the Senate, he added. Ali and the Senate have been involved in a verbal battle over the Customs boss failure to wear the agencys uniform. The Customs boss earlier said that he was appointed to do a job and not wear a uniform. The former governor of Delta state, reportedly challenged the conviction in London during the ongoing asset seizure trial. Ibori's media assistant, Tony Eluemunor, in a statement said the ex-Gov's lawyer made this known at the Southwark London court on Friday, March 17, 2017. The twist in the trial, which is presided over by David Tomlinson, has seen the court adjourning the ongoing proceedings on the confiscation case indefinitely. It was further gathered that the confiscation trial is to determine if Iboris assets should be seized or released to him. It will be recalled that the UKs National Crime Agency investigated alleged evidence of police corruption and claimed that the crown prosecution service withheld key evidence in the ex-Gov's money laundering trial. Ibori was he was arrested in Dubai by Interpol operatives and jailed for 13 years in 2012 after he pleaded guilty to laundering money in the United Kingdom. Boroh, who is also the special adviser to the President on Niger-Delta Affairs, said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Abuja. The coordinator said since the the Federal Government has taken over Maritime University, Amnesty Programme was willing to engage the ex-agitators in other meaningful ways that would add value to the country. He told NAN that the Niger Delta states should be involved in the reintegration of ex-agitators within their states by providing them with land for agricultural training and empowerment. The adviser said that the ex-agitators would also be involved in the provision of security for pipelines and the water ways. According to him, state governments should also not only be involved in physical projects but reorientation of their youths from negative vices. In addition, he called on state government to create skill acquisition centres across local government areas where youths can learn different skills to make them self-reliant and self-employed. The presidential aide urged state governments to provide soft loans and other facilities toward empowering these youths. Boroh added that by so doing, no person would be a willing tool to be exploited by undesirable elements for their selfish agenda, when opportunities are available for them to explore. NAN recalls that the coordinator said the amnesty programme had not only succeeded in helping to stabilize the region, but had also worked in synergy with all government agencies. President, Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE), Mrs Funke Egbemode, stated this in Osogbo, the Osun State capital. Egbemode led the NGE Standing Committee members on an inspection tour of projects across the State. On his part, Governor Aregbesola attributed the nation's economic problem and the poverty ravaging millions of people to lack of productivity. Some of the projects visited by the NGE team included the 18 kilometre Oba Adesoji Aderemi East By-Pass; 3,000 students capacity Ataoja Government High School, Osogbo Government High School, Nelson Mandela Freedom Park and Atewogbeja Fountain, rehabilitated Nigeria Railway Terminus and park. Egbemode attributed the development and progress of the State to the atmosphere of peace and security being enjoyed in the State. Egbemode, who is also the Managing Director of the New Telegraph Newspaper, said however ambitious any chief executive of a State is, he can only achieve little without peace and security. She said it is obvious that something has changed in Osun and there has been a significant improvement in terms of infrastructure in the State since the present administration came on board. She added that it is gratifying to know that the state of Osun, especially the state capital, is now looking cleaner, more developed and beautiful. She said, "Obviously, so many things have changed in Osun. I am from this State and I come home occasionally and each time I come there is always a new thing to see. "I am so happy that we now have a cleaner and more beautiful State, it is great to see that there is a lot of improvement in Osun. "A Governor that is able to attract businesses and investors to his State through direct mass-oriented programmes like the O'Meal, O'yes and others has done well." In his response, Aregbesola said more than 70 percent of the nation's oil resources goes to less than one percent of the total population, thereby leaving large numbers of the populace living below poverty line. He lamented that the huge resources in the hands of this few was not even channelled to the development of the nation. Aregbesola said "If we have ever paused to ask why we are how we are in this nation, we will discover that lack of productivity is at the root of our economic problems. "The large chunk of the nation's wealth is in the hands of a few while majority wallow in abject poverty. And these resources are not utilised for any development. "Sadly, work does not pay in Nigeria today as those who work very well are the most poor. Our inability to develop values out of nature brought us to this abysmal level of poverty. "Therefore, for as long as we don't work for this wealth, it will lead to lack of productivity. Work must be the major attraction for all of us rather than our heavy reliance on rent seeking oil economy of the present." Aregbesola cautioned media practitioners on the need to be conscious of the impact of what they write on the society. The Governor said a serious minded Governor will not be averse to criticisms because it serves as a means to gauge performance. He however noted that criticism must be constructive and done in good faith. "Criticism is an elixir of life. If you want to get far in life you must be willing to accept criticism. The clerk said that Abang, who now comes from Asaba to handle the case, asked him to announce that he was held up in Kaduna and would not want to keep counsel waiting. He, however, said that the matter would continue on the next adjourned. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Metuh had on the last adjourned date asked the judge to disqualify himself from the trial. Metuh made the oral application through his counsel, Mr Onyeachi Ikpeazu (SAN) saying this was on the grounds that he no longer has confidence in the court. Metuh is being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for allegedly receiving N400million from the former National Security Adviser, retired Sambo Dasuki. According to the charge, he collected the money knowing fully well that it was proceeds of an unlawful act. Similarly, the case of the former Chief of Defence Staff, Alex Badeh, could not go on due to the same reasons given in Metuhs case. Counsel to Kanu, Mr Ifeanyi Ejiofor, in his argument, told the court that the proof of evidence filed by the prosecution against his client was not strong enough to warrant his continued detention. According to him, the proof of evidence is empty and not strong enough to sustain the charge against him and his health is deteriorating. We have attached nine exhibits to our application; one of them is an order of this court made by your learned colleague, Justice Adeniyi Ademola, that he be granted bail which has not been complied with. We also attached a letter we wrote to the Controller-General of Prisons informing him of an attempt to terminate the life of the defendant. Canisters of tear gas were left in his cell which he inhaled and this has affected his lungs and he can barely stand and if not released on bail, his health will get worse in prison, Ejiofor said. He acknowledged that bail was at the discretion of the court, and urged the judge to exercise the descretion in favour of his client in the most liberal terms. Mr Inalegwu Adoga, counsel to Onwudiwe, urged the court to admit his client to bail, adding that bail was constitutional, temporary and would end if the defendant was convicted. He argued that his continuous detention amounted to him already serving a jail term even though the constitution held that he was innocent until proven otherwise. He expressed concerns that he might not be able to properly defend his client while in detention as the DSS was making it impossible to have access to him. On the last day I went to visit my client in Kuje Prison, l was told by stern looking DSS operatives that he was no longer allowed visits from anyone, including his lawyers. Mr E.I Eseme, Counsel to Madubugwu, told the court that his client was being held on a two-count charge which was not even remotely related to a capital offence. He said that since his client had no previous criminal record, he was entitled to bail, adding that when released on bail, he would not commit any other crime. Nwawuisis counsel Maxwell Okpara also appealed to the judge to grant his client bail, adding that the courts last ruling, which struck out some of the charges against his client gave hope to a lot of people. He said Granting bail to the defendants will pave way for peace just as when Uwazurike and Asari Dokubo were granted bail, it paved way for peace. The prosecuting counsel, Mr Shuaibu Labaran, opposed the application for bail, arguing that the first, third and fourth defendants premised their applications on non-existing laws. They based their application on the Criminal Procedure Act, nevertheless we replied. Labaran prayed the court to refuse the bail application and maintain the order of accelerated hearing for the case. Nyako adjourned the matter until April 25 to rule on the bail application. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Kanu and his co-defendants are standing trial on charges of treasonable felony, unlawful possession of firearms and other offences bordering on their agitation for the secession of the Republic of Biafra from Nigeria. NAN reports that Nyako would be the second judge to hear Kanus bail application. Ademola had in 2016 admitted Kanu to bail unconditionally while ruling in an application filed and argued by his former lawyer, Vincent Obeta. Kanu, however, during one of sittings told the court that he was no longer confident in the court saying he got information that he would not receive a fair hearing. The case file was then returned to the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice Ibrahim Auta, who reassigned it to Justice John Tsoho. However, following an alleged conflicting ruling given on the issue of secret trial in favour of the DSS, Kanu in a petition asked the National Judicial Council (NJC) to investigate Tsoho. He also filed an application asking the judge to disqualify himself from the matter. The Corporations Chief Operating Officer, Gas and Power, Mr Saidu Mohammed, made this known in a statement signed by NNPC Group General Manager, Public Affairs, Ndu Ughamadu, on Monday. He said that the power plants, which would be built with Joint Venture Companies, international power companies and Nigerian investors, would be structured after the Nigerian Liquefied Natural Gas business model. Power generation is a big business. As at today, NNPC has interest in two power plants, one in Okpai, Delta State and the other in Afam, Rivers State. Both were built by joint ventures with Nigerian Agip Oil Company and Shell Petroleum Development Company. These two power plants collectively generate up to 1,000 megawatts and they are the most reliable and cheapest source of power to the national grid in Nigeria today, Mohammed said. Mohammed said in order to make up the 4,000 megawatts, plans were underway to build Okpai Phase 2, Obite and Agura power plants to boost power generation in the country. He said that the corporation had commenced the extension of its major gas pipeline infrastructure on Ajaokuta-Abuja-Kaduna-Kano axis and other robust network to connect various parts of the country. The main base-loads to justify such infrastructure are power plants that would consume the gas and for that, we are planning to build about 2,000 to 3,100 megawatts, combined in these three cities. The partnership will involve players who will bring in their various capacities as operators, builders of power plants and as investors. NNPC will also bring its strength of being a dominant player in the Nigerian gas value chain, he said. He said NNPC had developed capabilities in processing, transportation and marketing of gas for export and domestic utilisation, adding that the nations gas resources could change Nigerian economy for the better. If you generate enough power, the multiplier effect will revive most of the moribund industries across the country. The denial was made via a statement released by NGF spokesman, Abdulrazaque Bello-Barkindo. The statement reads: The Nigeria Governors Forum read with utter disgust reports making the rounds in the print, electronic and social media that monies accruing to states from the Paris and London Clubs refunds have found their way into private pockets. Apart from stating that these reports are unfounded and are only a figment of the imagination of the writers, the Nigeria Governors Forum wishes to also categorically state that nothing illegal has been committed in the entire process leading to the final disbursement to states of the first tranche Paris-London Clubs repayment of the excess deductions from states coffers and the refund of their loans. Following the barrage of innuendoes, untruths and outright falsehoods that have pervaded the media, the Nigeria Governors Forum deems it imperative to shed light on the transactions that followed and put the records straight. The Paris London Clubs loan refund has been on the cards since 2005. Successive state governors had tried to get reimbursement for the excess deductions from their states in the past but did not succeed. The failure resulted from a number of reasons, varying from one state to the other. It is therefore to the Nigeria Governors Forums credit that this set of governors was able to persuade President Muhammadu Buhari to authorize the release of the funds for disbursement to deserving states. President Buharis desire to reflate the economy at a time when states were insolvent and unable to pay salaries was why he acceded to the request by the current group of governors that the money be released to the states. It is true that there were conditions attached to the disbursements but these arose from the collective and voluntary resolution of the governors and not any draconian order from any quarters. And each and every approving authority, including the Federal Ministry of Finance, the office of the Accountant General of the Federation, the Central Bank of Nigeria and the office of the Auditor General of the Federation as well as the National Assembly were duly informed from the beginning to the end of all the transactions. Nothing illegal was done and no monies were paid into the personal account of any Governor, legislator or top officials at any of the levels and arms of government in the country. Note also most importantly at this juncture, that every decision that was taken in respect of all the transactions was with the full consent and blessing of the 36 governors. We therefore find the insinuation in the media that monies went into the private accounts of seven unidentified governors as not only preposterous but mischievous. THE GUARDIAN NEWSPAPER Foreign investors acquisition of local firms over forex looms Unless the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) is consistent in making foreign exchange (forex) available for manufacturers to import raw materials that are yet to have local alternatives, foreign investors with access to cheaper funds may acquire controlling stakes in these local firms. Lenders tighten credit rules, decline customers loan request The level of credit to businesses and individuals in the first quarter of 2017 declined, as banks strengthened their rules in the midst of rising Non-Performing Loans (NPLs) and recession, despite availability of the funds. Buhari can re-nominate Magu for confirmation as EFCC boss, Ndume says The level of credit to businesses and individuals in the first quarter of 2017 declined, as banks strengthened their rules in the midst of rising Non-Performing Loans (NPLs) and recession, despite availability of the funds. THE NATION NEWSPAPER Doctor jumps into Lagos Lagoon In what appeared to be a suicide, a medical doctor, Allwell Oji, jumped into the Lagos lagoon yesterday. The incident happened at 4:45pm on Third Mainland Bridge when Oji, 35, was on his way to Victoria Island where he was going to attend a Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN) meeting. 36 states, FCT demand $6.9 bn Paris Club refund States are demanding about $6.9billion Paris Club loan deductions from the Federal Government. The government has raised a verification and reconciliation team on the claims by states to end over deduction of loans which have crippled many states. Naira to appreciate as CBN boosts forex sales The Naira is set to appreciate further this week as the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) plans to inject more Foreign Exchange (Forex) into the market to meet the requests of genuine customers. VANGUARD NEWSPAPER FG okays new package for Niger Delta The Presidency has finally come out with a bumper package aimed at accelerating the return of peace to the troubled Niger Delta region and ensure steady production of oil, Nigerias biggest foreign exchange earner, and gas, the badly-needed feedstock for the nations power generating plants. Shekau in new video, threatens Cameroon, Nigeria, Mali, others over Sharia Boko Haram leader, Abubakar Shekau, has appeared in a new video threatening world leaders and disputing the Cameroonian governments claim that it has defeated the terror group. Nnamdi Kanu distances self from US launch of Radio Biafra The leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu, has distanced himself and his deputy, Uche Mefor, from a live broadcast on Radio Biafra slated for yesterday in the United States, US. __________________________________________________ THE PUNCH NEWSPAPER EFCC hands over Amosus $2.15 million hospital to Air Force A hospital with medical equipment worth about $2.15m which was seized from a former Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Adesola Amosu (retd.), has been handed over to the Nigerian Air Force, The PUNCH has learnt. FG to disburse N500bn Paris Club refund this week The disbursement of the N500bn London-Paris Club loan refund to states by the Federal Ministry of Finance is to commence next week, investigations have revealed. PDP: Sheriff moves to stop Markarfis appeal to SCourt Moments later, the slum of over 5,000 inhabitants had been reduced to rubble. When Pulse visited Otodo-Gbame on Monday, March 20, 2017, the displaced residents were in anguish. "The policemen and MOPOL (mobile police officers) arrived all at once and started shooting sporadically. There was a helicopter hovering overhead. Trucks moved in and began bringing down our homes and people ran in different directions for their lives, said Geoffrey Shimave who was spotting an Arsenal kit and who looked every bit as harassed as the next guy. Shimave said he has lived in the now levelled settlement for a decade. Otodo-Gbame community stands as a paradox--it is a slum of shanties, peasants, mat-weaving fishermen and divers who are just a few meters away from the wealth, interlocked roads and high-rise buildings of Lekki Phase 1 and the rest of highbrow Lagos Island. As we strode the length of the demolished settlement, posh cars made the rounds a few blocks away. Here in Otodo-Gbame, living from hand to mouth is totally a thing. And the folks here had no qualms until last Friday, they told Is it a crime to be poor?, one gentleman dressed in a T-Shirt asked repeatedly. He had lost his once thriving bar in the demolitions, he said. We were completely taken by surprise, said Bamidele Friday, who introduced himself to Pulse as the spokesperson of the community. There is a court order asking the Lagos State government to stay action and not to move in here with bulldozers. We are not illegal settlers. Our parents have lived here since the 17th century. They emigrated from . Our children were born here. We have lived here all our lives. It is the people who are behind this. They asked the State government to come demolish our homes. When we went to the Lagos State government denied that it was behind the demolitions. So who brought all those policemen and MOPOL?, Friday inquired, incredulously. One after the other, the displaced residents told Pulse that the Ikate-Elegushi folks who are wealthier, are now after our land. Let the Lagos State government stay out of this and lets handle these Ikate-Elegushi people, man to man". Everywhere Pulse looked on a sandy terrain, were piles after piles of demolished shacks, fallen standard buildings and a community that is yet to recover from last Fridaythat may well never recover from last Friday. The Friday from hell. The excuse was that we were building shanties around here. And then we started building standard buildings made of cement. When they arrived here with guns last week, they spared neither shanty nor standard buildings. They brought everything down, said Tony John who said he earned a living as a ship captain when he's not fishing. They brought down our churches and mosques. They brought down our schools. They brought down everything. All without warning, said John. He was wearing a white singlet that had now turned brown from overuse. Its the only item of clothing I have left, John told Pulse. All our belongings are now several feet under or in the sea. Weve been treated worse than dogs. When they arrived that Friday morning, our mothers, fathers and children scampered for safety as fast as their legs could carry them. Most ended up in the Atlantic and got drowned. As I speak with you, we cant find some members of our families. (the Lagos State Governor) sent the Police to kill us, John lamented. It was lamentation all around what was once a bustling community as Pulse interacted with residents who have no idea where therell be spending the night. All they had were the clothes on their backs. The roofs over their heads have been taken away from them in the most cruel way imaginable. "This is hell", a lad screamed from a canoe floating on the creeks. The government should protect the poor. But our government detests and kills its poor. Our only offence is that we are not as rich as our Ikate-Elegushi neighbours who now want our land. The Lagos State government is using Ikate-Elegushi as front to seize a land that belongs to us. For hundreds of years, weve lived and fished here. Now they call us illegal settlers. They destroyed our shrines too. The gods we worshipped with the Elegushi people were also destroyed. Our gods that kept us safe, John moaned with a vigorous shake of the head. was conducted round shrine after shrine of gods whose heads have now been chopped off by bulldozers; amid the smell of smoked fish wafting in the still air. The wells from where the Otodo-Gbame people once scooped water to drink and do their laundry, was now submerged in filth and earth. The children were in tears. They were literally eating from the dustbin. The livelihoods of their parents have been imperiled. Mama Owhe Dansu, the Imam and Alhaja of the mosque that once stood as a place of worship, took turns to swear and curse the Lagos State government and the Elegushi people. Everyone here had terrible things to say about the Elegushi people"the wealthy neighbours who now want our land and who are being backed by the Lagos State government to seize our land for the developers". There were a few misty eyes as walked round beaches of shanties and poverty. Palpable poverty. A few residents of Elegushi on the other side of the lagoon declined comments for this story when approached. A day before the backhoes moved in to demolish the fishing settlement, a High Court had barred the Ambode led Lagos State government from bringing down all illegal waterfront communities like the Governor had threatened to do. Megan Chapman, who is the co-director of Justice Empowerment Initiatives (JEI), a community-based legal and empowerment organisation, told Premium Times that the demolition job was illegal. As you are probably aware, there is a case going on right now between 15 waterfront communities including Otodo-Gbame in which JEI is representing the community as counsel. "The Lagos State High Court gave an interim ruling on the 26th of January saying that this type of demolition without an opportunity for people to find alternative shelter or without provision of alternative shelter constitute cruel and degrading treatment. The court ordered the state government to go into a mediation with us. We started the mediation process last week and it is still on-going and we were supposed to report to the court at the beginning of next month. "The court also ordered that the parties should maintain the status quo until the ending of the mediation and the subsequent judgement of the court. So this is in direct violation of the court order, she said. Pulse did reach out to Commissioner for information and strategy in Lagos State, Steve Ayorinde, but he wasnt immediately available for comments. He condemned what he described as desperation of Adeyeye, at a time the efforts of the Peace and Reconciliation Committee of the party under the chairmanship of Gov. Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa state was ongoing. We appeal to all party faithful, loyal party members and strategic stakeholders to remain calm and committed to the PDP. They should continue to have faith in the Peace and Reconciliation report as the panacea for a united and cohesive party waiting for your mandate to tackle the developmental deficits and other adverse conditions we now face in Nigeria, Sheriff said. In a quick reply, Adeyeye, in a statement issued on behalf of the illegal National Caretaker Committee on Saturday had said that the claim of Mikko as a member of PDP National Working Committee (NWC) was also illegal. ALSO READ: Stop representing PDP - Chairman tells Jerry Gana Adeyeye said the claim was contrary to the judgment by the Appeal Court on February 14 which ordered reversal to status quo ante May 21, 2016. The continued parade of Dr as Deputy National Chairman and Bernard Mikko as Acting National Publicity Secretary of the PDP are acts of impunity and will be challenged in court. The comment was made on the groups behalf by its National Coordinator, Comrade Joel Edegba. We in Concerned Nigerian Youth Development Organisation, CNYDO, commends the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, for the first time to promptly release an election time table ahead of 2019. It is an indication that the electoral body is very prepared and ready to conduct elections. We commend their move and early preparation, Edegba said. We have it on record that some top political figures are beating their chest that Former Vice President of Nigeria, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, will be stopped from realising his presidential ambition come 2019. We think its an intimidation to Atiku by them and have made themselves demi-gods in Nigerian politics. We declare that no height nor breadth of intimidation can stop Atiku, and we the youths will see who will stop him come 2019. Former Vice President like every Nigerian has the constitutional right to contest in 2019 on any political platform which he desires. So we the youth in this country discard that intimidation because it is a storm in a tea cup. It is important to state that people like Atiku should be allowed to exercise their constitutional rights to seek political positions through election because he is a Nigerian who has made positive impact in the democratic development of Nigeria since 1999 and now. I urge Nigerian youth to discard such intimidations and support credible candidates, he added. He said that during the exercise, efforts would be made to ascertain dead persons on the voter register and eliminate them, adding that cases of transfers of voting points would also be handled. He said that the commission was approaching the update of the register with all cautiousness because of its sensitivity and importance in the electoral process. Election is essential based on a number of parameters. One of it is quality and credibility of voter register; the voter register is central to election. After the 2015 general elections, we are compelled to see if we can clean up the voter register. For instance, we have to remove the names of the deceased from the register. But this is easier said than done because sometimes you may know that the person is dead but the process of removing the name from the system is not that simple. This is simply because in some cases we receive report that candidates involve in an election were dead only for them to turn up at the commission few days later to say it is a lie that they are alive, Yakubu said. He said that the commission was also working on modalities that would assist it in the distribution of uncollected 7.8 million Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) during the voter registration. The chairman reiterated that the commission announced the dates of the 2019 general elections ahead to enable it to plan properly for it and stop being master of last minute arrangement for elections. With 70 million registered voters at the moment, and by the time we do the Continuous Voter Registration fixed for April, the number will definitely go higher. Ours is the second largest democracy in the world, and we just have to plan, he said. Yakubu disclosed that there were already two committees working on the delimitation and creation of more Polling Units (PUs) across the country, to ease voting process. He expressed hope that the committees would submit their reports next week. On monitoring of political parties finance and campaigns funds, he said that only two political parties had complied with the law, which required them to submit their financial details to the commission six months after an election. Yakubu listed the three audit reports expected from political parties as annual finance report, campaign expenditure and donations. All political parties are in default in these areas. Only two parties have complied with the six months requirement. On the solar-powered voting device developed by the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI), Yakubu said that INEC was already engaging the agency on the technology. We have written to them and we want to have open discussion with them so that we know what they have developed and how to avail yourself of it for 2019 or beyond. Whatever we come out with, we will let Nigerians know, he said. The pontiff "conveyed his profound sadness, and that of the Holy See and of the Church, for the genocide against the Tutsi," the Vatican said in a statement after a meeting between Francis and the Rwanda President Paul Kagame. "He implored anew God's forgiveness for the sins and failings of the Church and its members, among whom priests and religious men and women who succumbed to hatred and violence, betraying their own evangelical mission," it said. Francis's pardon plea followed a request from Rwanda in November for the church to apologise for its role in the massacres. Since the genocide, whose victims were mostly from the Tutsi minority, the Catholic Church has been accused of being close to the Hutu extremist regime in power in 1994. A number of churches became scenes of mass killings as Hutu militiamen found people seeking refuge in them, sometimes turned over by priests, with no way out. 'Renewed trust' Francis, 80, said he hoped "this humble recognition of the failings of that period, which, unfortunately, disfigured the face of the Church, may contribute to a 'purification of memory'" and promote "renewed trust". Several Catholic priests as well as nuns and brothers were charged with participating in the genocide and tried by the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) and by a Belgian court, leading to some convictions while others were acquitted. The highest-ranking Church official to be tried for genocide was the late bishop Augustin Misago, who was acquitted and freed from prison in June 2000. During the 20th anniversary commemorations in April 2014, Kagame accused the Catholic Church of having "participated fully" in establishing the colonial ideology that created the divide between Hutus and Tutsis, which he claimed led to the genocide. In November, a letter of apology signed by the bishops representing the nine dioceses in Rwanda was read in all churches. But the Rwandan government said the local apology was not sufficient considering the crimes committed. Jean-Pierre Dusingizemungu, head of the Ibuka survivors group, called the pope's words a "giant step taken by the church" that would "help us fight the negationism and ideology of genocide". 'Shielded from justice' Rwanda Foreign Minister Louise Mushikiwabo, who accompanied Kagame to the Vatican, said Monday's meeting was held in "a spirit of openness and mutual respect". The Catholic Church is "facilitating" efforts to help survivors and repentant perpetrators live and work side by side, she said. But the minister said that there were those in the church who were still protecting genocide perpetrators. "Today, genocide denial and trivialisation continue to flourish in certain groups within the Church and genocide suspects have been shielded from justice within Catholic institutions," she said. About half of Rwandans are Catholic, but since the genocide many have turned to pentecostal churches. THE Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, is currently not in good terms with the Federal Government. On Wednesday 15th of March, they gave the government a 14-day ultimatum to pay up salaries being owed to staff. That means the Federal Government now has about 10 days to comply. What should we expect from ASUU? ASUU, as we've come to know, will most likely respond with protests and even more likely, a strike action. They didn't stop at the Federal Government alone. They also issued warnings to the state governments owing lecturers their salaries and allowances the same period within which they should commence the payment. All of this went down at a press conference at the Federal University of Technology, Akure. The ASUU zonal chairman, Dr Alex Odiyi, said: "The government should not do anything that would plunge the university system into unnecessary chaos over the shortfall in salary payment." He also added that most universities in the country are suffering from a shortfall of staff salaries. Basically, many universities have resorted to paying a fraction of the salaries they should be paying. Affected universities, he said, include: "Affected Obafemi Awolowo University Ile-Ife, OAU, FUTA, Ekiti State University, EKSU, University of Jos, University of Ibadan, UI, University of Calabar and ATBU, Bauchi." He didn't forget to hold the Governing Council of Universities, federal and state, for not performing their role as the bridge between the Universities and the government. On Sunday the 19th of March, students who showed up to resume school, as instructed by a text message from the school authorities, were turned back. This is clearly in line with the Ministry of Health's directive that the school remain closed till further notice, until it is deemed hygienic enough for students. But on Monday, students who will be writing certificate examinations, JSS 3 and SSS 3 students resumed school today, but only as day students. According to our sources, these classes had to resume because they still had a lot to cover before their examinations. Just to recap what's been up. In January, over 1000 cases were reported at the school's sickbay of students with diarrhoea symptoms. Slow reaction from the school administration eventually led to the death of two students and the hospitalisation of many others. All the details are here. The attacks claimed by the Islamic State group on Maalbeek metro station and Zaventem airport killed 32 people, wounded around 230 others and shattered the lives of hundreds of their loved ones. After battling to get support from a labyrinthine Belgian bureaucracy, Vansteenkiste founded an association, V-Europe, to help all victims receive adequate medical and psychological care as well as proper financial and moral assistance from the authorities and insurance firms. "It was like we had to get down on our knees to receive minimum compensation to be able to continue," Vansteenkiste told AFP at his home outside Brussels, where he and his family moved to be closer to his ageing parents after the tragedy. Unlike in France and some other countries, those affected by terrorism in Belgium do not receive a document officially recognising them as victims of an attack, he said. In France, he added, the government arranges for the victims to receive the document within 30 days. In financial straits himself, he said it is also "extremely urgent" for the state to provide a lump sum of tens of thousands of euros so victims can meet the initial costs of things such as medical treatment and accommodation. 'How human is this?' Vansteenkiste said he was also shocked when the airport's insurance firm gave him 250 euros ($270) compensation for his sister's iPhone but nothing for the loss of his sister. "How human is this?" he asked. Nicolas de Lavalette, a 56-year-old Franco-American English teacher, criticised the Belgian bureaucracy about the help for his 18-year-old daughter's recovery after she lost both her legs below the knee in the airport attack. "I wish there was in Belgium a structure which takes care of victims from A to Z," Lavalette told AFP. "There is no overall organisation to handle something of this magnitude." The married father-of-three, who is also a member of V-Europe, said he was worried whether the Belgian authorities would follow up Beatrice's file when the family goes back to live in the United States. Belgian authorities -- heavily criticised immediately after the attacks for intelligence and security failings -- insist they are not letting down victims a second time. Interior Minister Jan Jambon told AFP that "we have understood well that there were things we could improve" to help the victims, and that the government was now doing everything to correct the situation. Health Minister Maggie De Block recently lashed out at the insurance firms for having only so far covered some 15 percent of the estimated damages. Under fire, the government promised in February to grant a "status of national solidarity" to terror victims guaranteeing them financial aid for life. But the draft law fails to satisfy support groups partly because it covers only people who were living in Belgium at the time of the attacks. 'Souls in another world' Kristin Verellen, whose partner Johan Van Steen died in the bombing in the metro, has since founded the social support group "Circles -- We have the choice", which also has online participants from countries as far away as the Philippines. The aim is to help heal people's trauma from terrorism and other events as well as restore connections between them in an increasingly fragmented and less humane society. "If one of the purposes of those who are doing these terrible terrorist attacks is further fragmentation of our society, the way of going beyond that is to connect again with people," she said. "What I discovered is that mourning is the other side of love and the other side of life," Verellen told AFP. "And when I can try to share my sadness with others, something wonderful happens and there is connection." For the anniversary, she is launching an exhibition of Johan's photographs in Brussels to pay tribute to his passion for the craft. The healing process is a long one, both for victims and those who helped them. Doctor Olivier Vermylen was among the first to experience the trauma of the attacks when he arrived at Maalbeek metro station. "These poor souls... are in another world," the bespectacled 47-year-old said, recalling the scene and how the victims looked. Nor can he forget the acrid, throat-catching powdery odour from the explosives, the eerie darkness and silence, and the sight of train carriage doors blown open with such force. The joint forces were around 100 metres (yards) south of Mosul's Iron Bridge, which has been destroyed along with other bridges that span the Tigris River that linked the city's eastern and western sides. Helicopters circled overhead harrying IS with barrages of bullets and rocket fire in strikes aided by weather that was clearer than it had been in recent days, AFP correspondents said. "The aim of the battle is to go past Al-Hadidi (Iron) Bridge northwards," Brigadier General Abbas al-Juburi of the Rapid Response units told AFP. He said the operation was complicated by the presence of hundreds of thousands of civilians believed to have stayed on under jihadists rule. "The difficulties are the presence of families, how to avoid opening fire on families who are used as human shields" by IS jihadists, Juburi said. The battle for the densely populated Old City, with its warrens of alleyways, was always expected to be the toughest of the campaign to retake Mosul from IS. In January Iraqi forces retook the east side of the city before setting their sights on the west. Mosque strategic target At the heart of the Old City lies the Al-Nuri Mosque, where IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in July 2014 proclaimed the IS "caliphate" that spans jihadist-controlled territory in Iraq and Syria. It was Baghdadi's first public appearance and the capture of the mosque would be highly symbolic and strategic for the Iraqi forces who have in recent days taken several targets from IS. On Saturday elite forces battled house by house in the Old City as they tried to inch towards the mosque, but were slowed by bad weather and the complicated effort of navigating the narrow streets. "Our forces are 800 metres (yards) from the mosque," Captain Firas al-Zuwaidi, the spokesman for Rapid Response, said on Saturday. "The fighting is street by street, house by house," he said, as the sound of mortar fire rang out from the heart of Iraq's second city. The Rapid Response Force is being backed up by federal police who have made steady gains since Friday, including the Al-Arbiaa market and a grain silo overlooking the Old City. The taking of Mosul, Iraq's second city, would deal a major setback to IS following months of losses in Iraq and neighbouring Syria. Instead of taxing citizens more, the government should eliminate corruption and waste within its own institutions, the protesters said. "You steal, we pay!" read one of the banners on Sunday, while another depicted a picture of Lebanon's cabinet with the caption: "The bandits of Lebanon". Transparency International ranked Lebanon 136th out of 176 countries last year in its Corruption Perceptions Index, in which first place goes to the least corrupt. "On top of everything else, this government wants to pass unconstitutional laws and taxes instead of finding the source of waste and corruption in the Lebanese state," said Alaa al-Sayegh, 29, in downtown Beirut on Sunday. "They're paying for all this waste and corruption from the pockets of the Lebanese people," he added. Camila Raad, the 32-year-old head of a teacher's union in the northern city of Tripoli, said she had travelled to the capital to show her "opposition to the government, which has starved the people". 'No food. No work' "We have no food. No work. We're hungry... They want to increase taxes and we can't even pay for food," she said. Lebanon's parliament last week began discussing a long-awaited salary increase for public servants, including teachers. But when it emerged that parliamentarians were considering hiking taxes to pay for the raise, political figures and civil society groups were enraged. "Tax evasion in Lebanon is valued at $4.2 billion. This amount is enough to fund multiple salary increases and plug a large part of the deficit," lawmaker Sami Gemayel, who heads the Kataeb (Phalange) political party, said earlier this week. So far, parliament has proposed to increase value-added tax by one percent to a total of 11 percent, as well as hike taxes on tobacco, imported alcohol, and travel. Protesters spent Sunday afternoon in the sunny square in front of Prime Minister Saad Hariri's offices in downtown Beirut, surrounded by Lebanese security forces. Hariri made a brief appearance in front of the crowd, pledging to fight "corruption in the country". But he retreated when protesters began tossing water bottles and shouting at him. In 2015, civil society groups organised a wave of protests in downtown Beirut to demonstrate against the lack of basic services like water and electricity and rampant corruption. Demonstrators marched under banners bearing slogans such as "No to Independence" and "Stop the Coup" -- a reference to the regional government's plan to hold an independence referendum, which the central government in Madrid says is unconstitutional, by September. "I don't want independence, I am Spanish," said Gloria Chicote, a 60-year-old nurse who moved to Barcelona from the northern city of Burgos three decades ago. It was the first protest staged by the Catalan Civil Society, a platform set up in 2014 to oppose independence for Catalonia, a wealthy region in northeastern Spain that is home to 7.5 million people. Barcelona city hall estimates 6,500 people took part in the march, which wrapped up outside the offices of the regional Catalan government. Organisers estimated over 15,000 people showed up. Pensioner Manuel Lopez said Catalan separatist leaders had "poisoned our society" with their independence drive. Parties that want Catalonia, which has its own distinct language and customs, to break away from Spain won a majority of seats in the regional parliament for the first time in local elections in 2015. Demands for autonomy have been fuelled by Spain's economic downturn, leading many to resent sending tax money to Madrid to prop up poorer regions. Recent attempts by Madrid to interfere with Catalan education have further stoked passions as did a 2010 ruling by Spain's Constitutional Court in 2010 that stuck down part of a 2006 autonomy statute that recognised Catalonia as a "nation" within Spain. Opinion polls show Catalans are evenly divided on independence. "The battle is not completely lost. It is reversible but Madrid needs to be much more present in Catalonia," the head of the Catalan Civil Society, Mariano Goma Otero, told AFP. The central government in Madrid should boost investment in infrastructure projects in Catalonia and be more sensitive to the region's language and culture, he added. According to police the Son Nguyen and Suoi Bac communes subsequently were flooded by about two million cubic metres of water. Police have banned them from leaving their places of residence so they may serve the polices investigation, Vo Duc Tho, chairman of Son Hoa District of Phu Yen province, told dpa of the three men. Police will decide whether to take criminal charges or administrative punishment on them after thoroughly calculating loss, Tho said. According to the Vietnam News Agency some 15 tonnes of harvested sugarcane were destroyed. During the meeting, the charge d'affaires said Turkey denied registering Turks living in Denmark based on their political opposition to the government or even having such a registry. Informing on Turks is only permitted in terrorism-related issues, the charge d'affaires said, according to the Danish ministry statement. The Turkish charge d'affaires could not be reached for immediate comment. On Saturday, Danish daily Berlingske reported that several Danish citizens of Turkish origin claimed to have been accused of treason by Ankara and placed on a list because of their political views. Mustafa Gezen, a high-school teacher in Denmark, had appeared on a TV programme last year criticising Erdogan. He later received an anonymous phone call. "A man with a heavy Danish accent told me he had recorded the programme. He said he would send it to the Turkish embassy in Denmark," Gezen told Berlingske. Lars Aslan Rasmussen, a lawmaker for the Social Democrats who has Turkish roots, said he has been contacted by people through Facebook and over the phone saying his name has been sent to the Turkish authorities. "I take this very seriously. I would of course be very upset if I couldn't go there anymore because my father is from there," Rasmussen told Berlingske, referring to Turkey. On March 12, Danish Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen called on his Turkish counterpart Binali Yildirim to delay a visit planned for later this month because of "tensions" between Ankara and the neighbouring Netherlands. Dutch authorities had refused to allow Turkish ministers to campaign for an April 16 referendum on expanding Erdogan's powers, prompting the Turkish strongman to compare them with Nazi Germany. Turning the ship before it hits the iceberg RBU hosts get together of senior citizens Educational institutions of the SGPC are leading in every field: Sukhminder Singh Arconic announced a multi-year supply deal Monday with Toyota North America to supply aluminum for the automaker's all-new Lexus RX. Under the contract, Arconic becomes the sole aluminum sheet supplier to Toyota for the Lexus RX. The new deal will mean added production for Arconic Davenport Works in Riverdale and for Arconic's automotive aluminum finishing plant in Danville, Illinois. Financial details of the transaction were not disclosed. "Automakers worldwide are turning to aluminum for the stronger, tougher, higher performing vehicles that consumers demand," said Mark Vrablec, the president of Arconic's Aerospace & Automotive Products business. Toyota debuted its Lexus RX last year. The vehicle became Toyota's first vehicle in North America to prominently feature aluminum exterior panels. The Lexus RX was named the Best Luxury SUV of 2016 by Consumer Reports. "Many best-selling vehicles in America have already converted to aluminum for improved performance, including better fuel efficiency, more towing and payload capacity, and improved vehicle safety scores. This trend will continue," Vrablec said. The new deal is the latest automotive relationship since a $300 million expansion was completed in 2014 at the Riverdale plant, formerly known as Alcoa Davenport Works. Designed to increase capacity and technologies to serve the automotive manufacturing business, the project included a new heat treating line and a line for Alcoa's then-new proprietary pretreatment bonding technology, known as Alcoa 951. The local expansion added 150 full-time jobs and helped retain 200 jobs at the Riverdale plant, which now employs 2,600. The contract with Toyota is not expected to create new jobs for Davenport Works. Arconic is a premier partner to the high-growth automotive industry. In addition to Davenport Works, it has operations in Alcoa, Tennessee, and technologies such as the Arconic Micromill in San Antonio, Texas. Arconic was created Nov. 1, 2016, when Alcoa Inc. split into two publicly traded companies, which also included Alcoa Corp. The global manufacturer estimates it will grow its automotive sheet revenue from $76 million in 2010 to $1.3 billion in 2018. Across its automotive portfolio, Arconic said it generates 98 percent of its revenues from products where it is No. 1 or No. 2 in its segment. A Davenport man pleaded guilty Friday to second-degree burglary after police say he jumped over the counter of a Walgreens pharmacy and took 940 hydromorphone pills. Chad Morgan Fairchild, 23, faces up to 10 years in prison when he is sentenced May 10. In a plea agreement filed Friday, Scott County prosecutors wrote that they will not oppose probation but will recommend that Fairchild obtain a substance abuse evaluation and follow through with recommended treatment. Just before 5 a.m. Jan. 16, Davenport police responded to the Walgreens, 1525 E. Kimberly Road, for a report of a robbery at the pharmacy. According to an arrest affidavit filed by Davenport police, Fairchild jumped over the pharmacy counter and demanded painkillers and ordered an employee not to walk away from him. The employee placed the pills into a plastic store bag, and Fairchild took it from her hand, according to the affidavit. The employee was in fear for her life during the incident, the affidavit stated. Officers who responded to the store spotted a person, later identified as Fairchild, matching the description of the suspect on the bike trail near Eastern Avenue. He had approximately 940 pills of hydromorphone, an opioid pain medication, in his possession, according to the affidavit. Fairchild did not have a valid prescription for the painkillers, according to the affidavit. Police also recovered clothes worn during the incident. University of Illinois Extension will host a bus trip to Fair Oaks Farms, Indiana, on Saturday, April 22. The bus will depart from Milan or Annawan, Illinois. The entire Fair Oaks Farms facility on cow and pig manure. Farm waste is transformed into energy by way of anaerobic digesters and reduces dependency upon natural gas and electricity during the milk and manufacturing process. The group will take the cow bus to visit the free-stall barns, then watch a "Day in the Life of Diva Mooreau" during a 3D/4D movie, visit the birthing barn, learn about the sustainability aspects of the farm, cow nutrition and the safety and nutrition of milk. For lunch, guests will have a buffet at the Farmhouse Restaurant. At the WinField Crop Adventure, visitors will meet farmers and learn about high-tech farming tools and find out how weather affects crop growth and catch virtual raindrops by witnessing a state-of-the-art thunderstorm from beneath the ground. The day will end at the Cowfe, where souvenirs, chocolates, cheese and ice cream are available for purchase. Cost is $75 per person. Seating is limited. Register online at University of Illinois Extensions website at web.extension.illinois.edu/hmrs. For more information, call 309-756-9978. The National Congress of Old West Shootists convention will Friday through Sunday at the Radisson Quad-City Plaza, Davenport. Events and seminars will appeal to historical re-enactors, cowboy shooters and Old West enthusiasts of the time period from 1865 to 1899. More than 100 attendees from 12 states will be on hand. Most attendees will wear historical clothing throughout their stay so visitors will see an array of colorful characters. Opening ceremonies at 1:15 p.m. Friday will include a flag ceremony using an 1896 American flag and color guard participants wearing military uniforms from the late 1800s representing four military branches. An Old West show and sale will feature vendors with period clothing, antique and reproduction firearms, leather, books, collectibles and more. Admission is $5 for the public. Hours are 1-5 p.m. Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday. Other events include a ladies tea, an indoor western action shoot at Davenport Guns & Shooting Club, and a Saturday night banquet. Seminar topics will include the evolution of the Colt Pistol, firearms engraving, long-range black powder rifle reloading and the life and times of Annie Oakley and Frank Butler. Visitors do not need to be congress members to attend the convention or sale. A one-day pass, payable at the door, is $5 for admittance to the show, sale and all the seminars being held that day. A conventioneer pass of $60 includes all four days. For more information about the convention, the seminar schedule and to register for the convention pass, visit http://www.sweetwaterregulators.com/2017_NCOWS_Convention.html The Quad-Cities Convention & Visitors Bureau expects this convention to have a local economic impact of $34,000. Marty Bannon did all the right things, mostly. He raised five children, lived modestly, worked hard and bought as much stock in his employer, AT&T, as he could. When AT&T's stock price plunged in the 2008 economic meltdown, Bannon sold at a loss of more than $100,000, he said. The stock was then selling for about $29 a share. It's now around $42. A big mistake bailing out, Bannon admits. But where was Steve Bannon -- his big shot son, a former Goldman Sachs banker and now political adviser to Donald Trump -- when he unloaded his life savings at the bottom of the market? Apparently not calling home and saying, "Dad, don't sell your stock now." Or the younger Bannon could have sent him the popular essay written in October 2008 by investment guru Warren Buffett. It was titled "Buy American. I Am." Instead, the younger Bannon exploited his father's financial trauma to sell his doctrine of economic nationalism -- a mishmash of emotions that blames everyone but oneself. "The only net worth my father had beside his tiny little house was that AT&T stock," Steve Bannon told The Wall Street Journal with customary melodrama. "And nobody is held accountable?" He added, "Everything since then has come from there. All of it." But actually, immigrants, Muslims and China did not create the debacle. An orgy of financial speculation fed by deregulation did. It happens that AT&T also did nothing wrong. It was a solid company caught in the downdraft of a crashing stock market. Back at the Trump administration, a fourth Goldman alumnus has just been nominated to help oversee the nation's money. These financiers are not exactly hot to preserve the more recent post-crisis regulations -- much less hold anyone accountable for the pain that inevitably follows the loosening of Wall Street's reins. They also don't care much for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which shelters ordinary Americans from the financial industry's worst abuses. Trump just nominated David Malpass to a prominent position in the Treasury Department. A big supporter of privatizing Social Security in the George W. Bush years, Malpass later served as chief economist at Bear Stearns in the years leading up to the investment bank's collapse in 2008. Almost every investor, big or small, lost money in the stock market meltdown. Small investors like Marty Bannon are known for panic selling when stock prices swoon. It is also their habit to buy when prices are high, like now. Retail investors are believed to be behind the recent stock market gains, according to a report by Bloomberg. The big institutional investors, meanwhile, are backing away. "You can thank the little guy for Dow 20,000," Bloomberg notes. It was no coincidence that Bush pushed his plan to let workers divert some of their Social Security taxes into stocks during a market rally. Even back then, some asked how the regular folk would handle it once the stock prices went south. Bush essentially said, "Don't worry. We won't let them put the money in risky investments." It would go into solid, conservative companies -- AT&T, for instance. The public is generally not sophisticated on matters of personal finance. That's the best reason for leaving Social Security alone as a boring but dependable financial backstop for the American people. Those who choose to invest are usually advised to stick with mutual funds, after checking out the fees they charge. There's really nothing in the Bannon program that would make America great again for the little guy. Rather, it's to make the little guy angry at the wrong people, preferably foreigners. These are diversion tactics. The Marty Bannons of America deserve better. You may have heard about a recent Paul Simon Public Policy Institute poll which found that Gov. Bruce Rauner's job disapproval ratings have almost doubled in the past two years, from 31 percent in March of 2015 to 58 percent this month. According to the poll, Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan's current disapproval rating is 61 percent, about the same as his 63 percent disapproval rating last October. Rauner's disapproval rating last October was 55 percent. During this long governmental impasse, Speaker Madigan has championed the cause of unions and working people against the governor's attempts to take rights and benefits away from them. But the Democrat is actually underwater with union members. According to the Simon poll, 55 percent of respondents who said they belong to a union disapprove of Madigan's job performance, including 38 percent who strongly disapprove. Just 34 percent of union members approve of his job performance, while only 12 percent strongly approve. All this pain and they still don't like him. But union members dislike the governor far more. The poll found that 72 percent of union members disapprove of Rauner's job performance, and half of union members strongly disapprove. Only 24 percent approve. On Rauner, anyway, the union message has gotten out. At the very beginning of this impasse almost two years ago, a top Madigan operative told me the plan was to drag Rauner down to the same polling levels as the House Speaker. They're very nearly there. Gov. Rauner is polling horribly everywhere. Fifty-eight percent of suburbanites and 56 percent of downstaters disapprove of his job performance. Another 62 percent of moderates, 60 percent of independents, 47 percent of born-again Christians, 55 percent of men, 61 percent of women, 56 percent of seniors, 54 percent of whites, 56 percent of those making over $100,000 a year and 55 percent of non-union members all disapprove of his job performance. The same day, JB Pritzker announced he was forming an exploratory committee to run for governor, the Illinois Republican Party made a wildly unsubstantiated claim that the Democrat was "at the center of Blagojevich's criminal scheme to sell Illinois' Senate seat." Like it or not, this is our future. Barring a dramatic turnaround in his approval ratings, Gov. Rauner's only sure path to reelection is to make his opponent look even uglier than he does - and he looks pretty darned ugly right now. But he's also got a very expensive ugly stick with which he can bludgeon the other side. Hes already deposited $50 million into his campaign bank account and theres plenty more cash where that came from. So, 2018 will not only likely be the most expensive gubernatorial race in history, it'll be the meanest, because now that the governor has opened the door to these sorts of crazy attacks, the other side will undoubtedly respond in-kind. Rauner has spent tens of millions of dollars muddying up Speaker Madigans image and he'll definitely use this "issue" against whoever his opponent will be. Campaigns are usually referendums on the incumbent, so Rauner will attempt to make Madigan and whoever his alleged puppet gubernatorial candidate is the incumbents while positioning himself as the outsider trying to change things for the better. For the past two years, the whole plan has been to equate "Democrat" with "Madigan" in voters' minds. And it's had some success. "When is a Democrat going to run a campaign for that 61 percent?" a Democratic operative asked me last week, referring to the obvious opportunity to capitalize on Madigan's 61 percent disapproval rating. To the operative, this is a no-brainer. Run a campaign that criticizes both Rauner and Madigan. After all, even more Democrats disapprove of Madigan's job performance (47 percent) than approve (40 percent), while 27 percent of Democrats strongly disapprove and only a tiny 9 percent strongly approve. So far, announced Democratic candidate Chris Kennedy has seemed to go out of his way to avoid directly criticizing Madigan. Even Ameya Pawar, the progressive Democratic candidate, hasn't really launched on the guy. Pritzker hasn't granted any serious interviews and hasn't issued any substantive policy statements, so we don't know yet where he'll stand. Meanwhile, the Democratic Party has not done much of anything to equate "Republican" with "Rauner" in voters' minds. Rauner's numbers were almost as bad last October as they are now, but the Democrats barely mentioned him in their campaigns. It's probably time to start thinking about that. What exactly is going on in Des Moines? Another $131 million is to be added to the $118 million January state budget deficit, according to reports. Republicans first claimed we do not have enough money for mental health, Medicaid, public schools and universities and other vital infrastructure and must cut spending. The Democrats suggested using the rainy day fund to make up the shortfall. No," said the Republicans, "it is inappropriate to use that money for such things. Now two months later, after massive cuts, they think its necessary to use the fund to prevent totally crippling our schools, public safety and essential services. Could these shortfalls be because we dont have a spending problem, we have a revenue problem? Could it be we have given too many tax cuts to profitable businesses? In 2013, we were told our taxes would be lowered -- for me, not so much, but Rockwell Collins, John Deere, DuPont-Pioneer, they got some wonderful cuts. With these breaks costing the state up to $500 million annually, it is no wonder were broke four years later. Republican legislators are blaming everyday people for this red ink, because we want to spend, spend, spend. This is misconception. Truth is Gov. Branstad and special-interest groups like ALEC and Americans For Prosperity have brought the state to this tipping point. They are responsible for Iowas fiscal failings. Republicans have created this problem, they have failed Iowans: they must now put politics aside and straighten out this mess. Pat Bowen Iowa City SIOUX FALLS | Homes in Sioux Falls' oldest neighborhoods are getting a face-lift, thanks to growing commitments from City Hall and a local nonprofit builder. Affordable Housing Solutions plans to rebuild 10 homes this construction season, many of which are located along the blocks surrounding downtown. It's a more ambitious target than ever before for the organization, which takes problem properties and injects them with new life, selling newly built houses to low-income families. "You're able to leverage both neighborhood revitalization dollars and affordable housing dollars," said Wayne Wagner, housing development director for Affordable Housing Solutions. The nonprofit revitalized three homes when Wagner first started in 2014 and has since steadily increased its yearly workload. This summer, Affordable Housing Solutions is tearing down old homes and putting in newly built replacements in the Pettigrew Heights, Cathedral and Whittier neighborhoods. The group acts as a good neighbor and plays an important role in addressing some of the blighted properties in the area, said Lura Roti, who lives in the Cathedral Historic District. "This is a great place to live," Roti said. "If there's a home that's condemned and it's beyond reproach, that's when I feel Wayne's organization fills a void." Roti is a freelancer for Argus Leader Media. The homes AHS revitalizes are sold to families earning less than 80 percent of the median income. Buyers can often be dual-income, with parents who are busy working and trying to provide for their children. Sometimes, it's still a struggle for them to afford an appropriate amount of space, Wagner said. "We really see single-family houses being workforce housing," Wagner said. By revitalizing homes in the core, Wagner believes his group is setting an example for other private builders, who might be inspired to help spruce up the same neighborhoods. It happened last year after his organization rebuilt two homes near the intersection of 16th Street and Spring Avenue. A private developer came in later and fixed up four houses on the same block, Wagner said. "That's when you have momentum," Wagner said. John Koch builds and revitalizes properties in some of the same neighborhoods as Affordable Housing Solutions. The owner of John Koch Construction does his best to honor the designs of the original building, fixing them up in a way that fits the neighborhood. Revitalization is helping to draw more interest from young people who want to be close to the center of the city but don't have the income to pay rising rent costs downtown, Koch said. "Living right downtown, say on Phillips Avenue, isn't necessarily affordable for a lot of people," Koch said. "I'm all of a sudden seeing a demand for close, real close, walking distance to downtown." For each project, AHS does its best to make sure a newly rebuilt home fits in with the look and feel of the block, giving the neighborhood's newest addition as much curb appeal as possible, Wagner said. "I really like the fact that they look around at the existing architecture and they do their best to build a home that complements it," Roti said. This is Part 2 of a timeline of key events in the life of Larry Lytle of Rapid City. The final portion of the timeline will run Tuesday. 1994: After using lasers to contour gum tissue in his dental practice, attends the World Congress on Lasers in Dentistry in Singapore and grows interested in the potential of low-power laser therapy for general medicine. Sept. 20, 1994: Division of Criminal Investigation agent Chad Evans poses as a Medicaid patient and wears a hidden tape recorder while receiving a checkup, cleaning, X-rays and teeth whitening at Lytles dental office in Rapid City. Lytle, the agent said, illegally double-bills Evans and Medicaid for the work. 1996: Develops the Pegasus, a precursor to his later QLaser flagship line of laser devices. April 10, 1996: A jury awards Lytles former patient Diane Geary $110,000 in a malpractice suit against Lytle for what she claims was botched dental work. Dec. 1-3, 1997: The South Dakota Board of Dentistry conducts a hearing on numerous complaints against Lytle. He skips the first day of the hearing, and then represents himself without a lawyer during the final two days of the proceedings. Dec. 24, 1997: Lasers Inc. is incorporated by Lytles son, Kip. Jan. 14, 1998: Files a federal civil rights lawsuit against Patrick Coyne, an appointed investigator with the state Board of Dentistry, and numerous others, seeking $11 million in damages for their role in proceedings against him by the South Dakota State Board of Dentistry. Lytle represents himself without a lawyer, and a judge dismisses the lawsuit later the same year. Feb. 24, 1998: Lytle's dental license is revoked by the South Dakota State Board of Dentistry. March 4, 1998: Is sued by Mary G. Bernt, who claims that Lytle and his dentist daughter, Kelly Lytle Lord, botched her dental work. The lawsuit is resolved with a private, out-of-court settlement on Feb. 22, 2000. March 11, 1998: While representing himself, Lytle files a federal civil rights lawsuit against Bernt (who was suing him in state court), seeking $500,000 over vaguely alleged rights violations. A judge tosses Lytle's suit later in 1998 and orders Lytle to pay Bernts attorney fees. March 11, 1998: Files, again without a lawyer, a federal civil rights lawsuit against members of the South Dakota State Board of Dentistry seeking $3 million in damages. The defendants persuade a judge to throw out the suit in 1999. Aug. 20, 1998: Files for divorce from his wife, Norma Jean Lytle, but the proceedings linger without resolution until being revived in 2011, when the divorce is finalized. 1999: A federal judge dismisses the last of Lytles lawsuits against numerous people involved in the revocation of his dental license. June 28, 2001: Low Level Lasers Inc. is incorporated by Lytle's son, Kip. It was September of 1994 when a patient named Steven Johnson showed up for a dental appointment that would loom large in the life of Rapid City dentist Larry Lytle. Johnson wanted a checkup, a cleaning, X-rays and teeth whitening. But when he mentioned that he was covered by Medicaid, the government health insurance program for the poor, Lytle stopped to explain an office policy: Johnson would have to pay $44 out of his own pocket in addition to whatever Medicaid would pay later. Lytle said the double payment was necessary because Medicaid payments were not sufficient to cover his costs. The policy may have sounded reasonable to some patients who heard it, but double-billing for services covered by Medicaid is fraud. And Lytle was about to be exposed. Steven Johnson was actually Chad Evans, an agent of the state Division of Criminal Investigation, and he was wearing a hidden tape recorder during his visit to Lytles office. The Evans tape would eventually become evidence in proceedings to strip Lytle of his dental license, but that professional embarrassment would not stop Lytle. It would only cause him to change course and pour his energy into low-power laser medical devices. In the meantime, though, additional problems with Lytles dental practice were under scrutiny, including accusations in a lawsuit that challenged his basic competence as a dentist. $110,000 verdict One of the earliest public glimpses of Lytles descent into accusations of dental malpractice came during a 1996 trial in a lawsuit filed by Diane Geary, of Piedmont. Geary had become a patient of Lytles in 1992, when she asked him to correct a misaligned bite and improve the appearance of her teeth. Unbeknownst to Geary, Lytle had become infatuated with the work of a relatively obscure World War II facial surgeon named Al Fonder. According to Lytles understanding of Fonders work and also, Lytle wrote, according to the early Chinese understanding of meridian energy adjusting the height of a patients back teeth could alleviate problems throughout a patients body, including headaches, backaches and bad posture. According to court documents, Lytles solution for Geary was something that Lytle called a Fonders splint. Over a series of appointments, Lytle built up a surface of hardened resin or bonding material on Gearys back teeth, causing her jaw to realign as the height of her teeth changed. He also capped her teeth with ceramoresin, a material that was described by him as better and safer than traditional crowns, but was later described in sworn testimony by two independent experts as garbage. Geary said the ceramoresin was rough and uncomfortable, she suffered headaches that she attributed to the Fonders splint, and all of the dental work made talking and eating difficult. She had paid Lytle $12,000 and was unhappy with the results, but he admitted no wrongdoing by anyone in his office least of all himself. All of us think your case is one of our finest, Lytle wrote to Geary in 1993, after she complained. Gearys lawsuit against Lytle went to trial for two days in April 1996. The jury deliberated for about two hours and then awarded Geary $110,000, which Lytle paid, according to a source who was involved in the case. Six months after the trial, the state Board of Dentistry notified Lytle that it was calling a hearing to examine allegations against him by Geary and numerous other former patients and former employees. The hearing began on Dec. 1, 1997, with a surprising development: Larry Lytle did not show up. License revocation Lytle had tried to avoid the Board of Dentistry hearing by demanding a new investigator and by voluntarily mailing his dental license to a board member a week before the hearing, according to the written findings and decision later filed by the board. But the mailing of his license was a token gesture, because there was no agreement in place regarding the terms of his license surrender. So, the hearing which had been scheduled for more than a year commenced as planned. Lytle skipped the entire first day, and the hearing went on without him. On the second day, he showed up without an attorney and claimed he was unaware that a hearing was occurring until he read about it in that mornings newspaper. Then, he withdrew the surrender of his dental license and proceeded to act as his own attorney. Over the three total days of proceedings, a wide, deep and damning array of evidence and testimony emerged from former patients, former employees and investigators. Besides the undercover recording of Lytle double-billing a DCI agent for services covered by Medicaid, there was other evidence of Lytle defrauding Medicaid and private insurance companies, both by double-billing and by requesting payments for services that he had not actually performed, and for materials he had not actually used. There was evidence of Lytle using substandard materials such as ceramoresin on patients other than Geary. One local dentist testified that he had inherited 40 to 50 of Lytle's former patients who had problems with the ceramoresin that Lytle used on their teeth. And, Board of Dentistry documents show, there was evidence of Lytle botching a number of dental procedures, including testimony from one former patient who said Lytles attempts to treat her with a Fonders splint disfigured her jaw and made her look like a Neanderthal. Lytle, according to the board, also entrusted some work to employees who lacked necessary licenses and certifications. He allowed those unlicensed employees to perform X-rays, clean teeth, place sealants, take impressions and do other kinds of patient care. Two months after the hearing, the state Board of Dentistry issued 23 pages of written findings and a 41-page written decision, the latter of which said that Lytle demonstrated no remorse for the harm he caused individual patients and has instead alleged that all of the witnesses were either lying or improperly motivated. He minimized the mistakes he made and he attempted to blame others. Revocation, while extreme, the decision continued, appears to be the only means by which to protect the public. Lytle gets litigious Lytles dental license was formally revoked on Feb. 24, 1998. Eight days later, former patient Mary Bernt filed a lawsuit in state court alleging that Lytle and his daughter, Kelly Lytle, who was in practice with him, had duped Bernt into believing that her amalgam fillings were hazardous to her health because of their mercury content. Bernt allowed the Lytles to replace her fillings with composite fillings, and she alleged that the Lytles botched the procedure and damaged her teeth. The lawsuit was scheduled for trial, but on Feb. 22, 2000, lawyers for both sides filed notice of an undisclosed out-of-court settlement. Larry Lytle had meanwhile countersued Bernt in federal court and filed additional federal lawsuits against everyone with any connection to the revocation of his dental license. He sought millions of dollars in damages for alleged violations of his rights, all while representing himself without an attorney. Lytle's lawsuits were eventually dismissed, and they were deemed so frivolous that a judge ordered Lytle to pay a total of $18,000 to some of the defendants as punishment for wasting their time and resources. The judge who issued the decision, Jerome Eckrich, of the South Dakota Fourth Circuit, did not believe Lytles excuse that his lawsuits had been thrown out because he was a layman who was ignorant of proper court procedure. If anything, Judge Eckrich wrote in his 2001 decision, Lytle, a highly educated man who suffers from no apparent cognitive limitations, chose to remain ignorant. This choice, this utter disregard for proper procedure, is further evidence of Lytles initial intent that is to punish those who he perceived participated in the South Dakota Board of Dentistry proceedings. Public records show that Lytle has never paid the $18,000 judgment. Nor has he admitted any responsibility for the loss of his dental license. In recent email correspondence with the Journal, Lytle said his license was unjustly revoked "for being a pioneer in bonded splints" who has been proved correct by the passage of time. "I practiced dentistry for 35 years and helped thousands of grateful people," he added in the email to the Journal. Yet the state Board of Dentistry has no record that Lytle ever tried to regain his dental license. Instead, he turned his full attention to what he called the energy medicine of the future. Lasers. New passion for 'healing light' According to books that Lytle wrote (he self-published at least four from 2008 to 2012), his first significant exposure to lasers came during the 1990s when he began using them to contour gum tissue in his dental practice. Those were high-powered lasers. In his book Healing Light, he recalled being invited in 1994 to speak at the World Congress on Lasers in Dentistry in Singapore, where he was exposed to low-power lasers. Laser technology had emerged in the 1960s while Lytle was entering dentistry. The word laser originated as an acronym for light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation. One of the simplest explanations of the technology comes from laser manufacturer Northrop Grumman, which says a laser is a very intense, highly directional beam of light. Unlike natural light, which is produced by different wavelengths or colors that spread in all directions, laser light consists of one wavelength or color that is focused in one direction. A laser, Northrop Grumman explains, is to a common light bulb what a marching band is to a random group of people. Among lasers used in health care, there are high-powered or hot lasers, which can cut bodily tissues in applications such as surgery, and there are low-powered, low-level or cold lasers, which are believed by some to transmit energy into the body without harming it. Mark Crislip, an infectious disease specialist in Oregon and an editor for the website Science-Based Medicine, has written an article explaining that low-power lasers are supposed to work by the nonuniversally accepted photochemical theory. The theory suggests that absorbed laser light interacts with organic molecules, which in turn modulate cellular activity. The result, hopefully, is healthier cells. But Crislip noted a scientific study showing that the intensity of low-level laser radiation is diminished when it passes through human tissue, leading Crislip to opine that hardly any laser light penetrates the skin. He said low-power lasers may impart minor benefits such as improved wound healing, but he advised consumers to be cautious. If I were a potential consumer of medical products advertised in my local paper, I think I would pass on laser therapy, Crislip wrote. Dont go into the light. Another source BerkleyWellness.com, a collaboration between the School of Public Health at the University of California, Berkeley, and a national team of writers and editors has reported that although it is not clear how cold laser therapy might work, cold lasers may have anti-inflammatory effects, help repair connective and other tissues, and release pain-relieving endorphins. Yet the same report noted that the coverage policies of medical insurers Cigna and Aetna say there is little or no conclusive evidence that cold laser therapy is effective for anything. Lytle himself noted the problems with low-level lasers while recalling his early exposure to them. When I researched this type of laser I found many inconsistencies, Lytle wrote in one of his books. I could not understand how one study showed quite good results while another study of the same type of lasers showed poor results. Fortunately for Lytle, he was not restricted by the bonds of scientific inquiry. He was liberated by his amorphous allegiance to universal energy the stuff that he said had powered his fathers witching stick during the elder Lytles Dust Bowl-era searches for groundwater on the parched plains near Wasta. Lasers, Lytle wrote, were a form of that same universal energy, waiting to be properly harnessed. I set out to learn why the worlds low level lasers were so inconsistent. My studies, combined with my basic knowledge of energy, propelled me into a new project to design a low level laser system that worked consistently. But Lytle would not be satisfied with inventing a consistently functioning device. Despite his dental career being in shambles, his marriage ending (he and his wife separated in 1998 and, court records show, continued to live apart until they divorced in 2011), and at least two malpractice lawsuits weighing down his finances, he did not shrink away but instead grew bolder. Two Rapid City men pleaded guilty in federal court Friday to separate charges of possession of child pornography. The offense is punishable by up to 20 years in prison. Michael John Vinton, 41, admitted having on his computer several hundred photographs and some videos of child pornography in 2016. Investigators from South Dakotas Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force received images of child porn from Vinton through peer-to-peer file-sharing networks, according to a statement that accompanied Vintons plea agreement. Vinton was out on parole when he committed the offense, the statement reads. In 2012 he was convicted to 10 years in state prison for possessing, manufacturing or distributing child pornography in Pennington County. Because of his previous conviction, Vinton faces a minimum 10-year prison sentence on his new charge. Several minutes after Vinton entered his guilty plea in Rapid City federal court on Friday, 41-year-old Eric Shaffer Dill also did the same. Dill, in a written court statement, admitted possessing in 2015 some 54,000 files of child pornography that he received online. They included nude images of girls younger than 12, as well as those bearing the logo of a Ukranian company that had been shut down, according to the statement. Many of the images depicted sadism, including young children bound with ropes or handcuffs and showing whips, it said. Vinton and Dill are detained at the Pennington County Jail while awaiting sentencing. Dill is set to be sentenced in June; Vintons has not yet been scheduled. I love what Bridger Gordon, a student from Whitewood, SD, wrote about agriculture: Agriculture encompasses and enhances the entire environment, harnessing soil, water, sunlight to produce food, habitat, employment. That observation helped Bridger win a national essay contest this year, which came with a $1,000 prize and a trip to Washington, DC, to celebrate National Ag Day on March 21. Bridger is right. The impact of agriculture is expansive, which is why America has offered producers a safety net for decades in the Farm Bill. While the deadline is still more than a year away, work on the next Farm Bill is already underway. Hearings have begun and Im working closely with Ag Committee Chairman Conaway to be sure South Dakota producers have the support they need. The 2014 Farm Bill was one of the most reformed weve seen. It maintained strong risk-management programs, strengthened the livestock disaster program, and invested in ag-related research. But improvements are needed. Im working on legislation, for instance, that would streamline the process for wetland determinations, ensuring producers get a timely response and have an efficient path for appeals. We also must make sure commodity programs work as they were intended. Ive heard many concerns about how ARC-county was administered, so were looking at possible improvements there. Changes to conservation programs, like CRP, are also being discussed. During the last general sign up, only 101 acres were accepted into CRP in South Dakota even though producers submitted applications for thousands more. The numbers dont add up. In addition to the Farm Bill, I want to make the regulatory environment work better for agriculture. Already, Congress and President Trump have delayed, suspended, or reversed more than 90 Obama-era regulations, including many impacting rural South Dakota. The president announced steps to roll back the controversial Waters of the U.S. rule, for example, just weeks after I sent a letter urging him to do so. Ive also been in touch with the administration on the importance of maintaining a strong Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), which helps get ethanol and biodiesel into gas pumps around the country. This is something the Obama administration often fell short on, but Im encouraged by the Trump administrations repeated commitments to the RFS. Were also working on comprehensive tax reform. In 2015, we permanently extended Section 179, which many use when purchasing equipment. Ive also been supportive of a $1-per-gallon tax credit for biodiesel to help decrease our reliance on foreign oil and increase support for American-grown fuels. More must be done though. In the Houses blueprint for tax reform, were looking to lower tax rates for small businesses, simplify the tax code, and repeal the taxes that make it more difficult to pass an ag operation from one generation to the next (this includes the death tax). While ag policy is largely dictated by Congress, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has a lot of influence too. I was pleased to see former Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue nominated as USDA Secretary. Sonny and I have hunted pheasants together many times. I know he understands our industry because hes lived it. He was raised on a row-crop farm, became a veterinarian, and at one point even ran a grain and fertilizer business. Im looking forward to being able to work with him on South Dakota priorities. I am incredibly proud to represent so many farmers and ranchers, the very people who as Bridger Gordon observed grow the worlds food, preserve our local habitat, and provide employment for more than 120,000 people in South Dakota. Thank you for all you do. The North Dakota Legislature has approved a measure, House Concurrent Resolution 3003, calling for a study of Marsys Law. Voters easily approved Marsys Law, Measure 3 on the ballot, last November. South Dakota and Montana also approved Marsys in November. Since its passage not everyone has agreed on how it should be interpreted. Marsys includes provisions allowing for notification of hearings in the judicial process and notification if the accused person escapes custody. It also calls for taking victims' and their families' welfare into consideration when setting bail for accused criminals. Prosecutors in Ward County and other parts of the state read the intent of the law differently. Its important that everyone gets on the same page with Marsys Law. It shouldnt be applied differently across the state. The problem with a study is that it will take more than two years before we have any results. If it is studied in the interim no action will be taken on recommendations until the 2019 legislative session. Thats too long to have confusion in the courts. It would be better if a court challenge could be mounted in an effort to clarify the law. Unfortunately, theres no guarantee a court case would resolve all the issues involved in Marsys Law. So it might take a combination of a court challenge and a study to resolve the questions. Its too bad that it will take so much time to sort out the issues with Marsys Law. The apparent problems in Marsys Law and the medical marijuana measure passed in November reflect the flaws in the initiated measure process. The Tribune has been a strong supporter of initiated measures and doesnt want to see the process weakened. North Dakota has a long history of voters putting measures on the ballot. It may ruffle the feathers of some officials, but its an established part of our democracy. The Legislature is considering Senate Bill 2135 that would create an interim commission to study the initiated measure process and would provide recommendations for possible 2019 legislation. The commission would have three legislators along with one tribal nation representative, three citizen members appointed by the governor and five representatives of various state organizations. SB2135 has passed the Senate and is in the House. Initiated measure supporters have strongly opposed SB2135 because they see it as an attempt to weaken the process and make it more difficult. That shouldnt be the goal of the study, but approving SB2135 will open the door to attempts to sabotage the initiative process. If the study is approved it should be limited in scope. It should focus on ways to make sure the intent of measures is clear. That voters know what they are getting. Both Marsys Law and the medical marijuana measure had strong support. Theres no doubt the public wants them and we shouldnt try to reverse their decisions. If the confusion involved in some of the measures can be eliminated everyone will benefit. This must be done without hindering the publics ability to use the initiative process. That means a very transparent and careful study. It wont be easy. Bismarck Tribune This is a draft chapter from my tome, which will be published by Atuanui Books at the end of October.will be illustrated by Paul Janman and Ian Powell.We do not know his name, or his age. We do know, thanks to a report in the, that he and a male companion had left Otahuhu, and had been working their way down the Great South Road. It was the winter of 1913, and there was trouble in Auckland. The men who loaded the ships at the city's port were threatening to strike; the government of William Massey had denounced them as reds and anarchists, and had threatened to send police and soldiers to work the waterfront. On the farms outside Otahuhu men who relied on exported meat for their income discussed cavalry tactics in their cowsheds, and sniped at magpies and pukeko.For anyone who could not afford a train ticket, the Great South Road was the easiest escape route from Auckland. The swagger and his companion walked south, through the village of Woodside, which is today preserved under Manukau City's concrete, through Papakura, where a new post office had just opened, and through Drury, where skinny horses waited patiently on their leashes outside the tavern. At Bombay, just before the road struggled over the Razorback Hills, the swagger and his mate found work for a few days.For decades swaggers had been walking New Zealand's roads. They had an unwritten contract with New Zealand's farmers and country constables. Swaggers were allowed to wander, but forbidden to stay too long in one place without jobs. They could ask for food, for accommodation, and for work, but they could not ask too aggressively. If farmers did not offer a few days' work, then they would usually provide a night's accommodation in a barn or a cowshed or a stable, and a few scraps of food. Swaggers were expected to show their gratefulness for these gifts by chopping some firewood, or by milking a few cows.The pair of swaggers moved on, over the Razorbacks and into the Waikato, where the river and the road ran beside each other, and were both lost in mist for hours each morning. The road was flat again, and still busy, by New Zealand standards. It is easy to imagine a farmer or a hawker pulling up, and offering the swaggers a place on his wagon, amidst the rubble of a potato harvest, or bottles of patent medicine, or leaky sacks of flour.The going should have been easy, but it wasn't. The mornings were cold, but the swagger could not stop sweating. The road was flat, but his calves and shins ached, as though he were still climbing the Razorbacks. He stopped to catch his breath, and found himself kneeling at the edge of a drainage ditch, vomiting up the pumpkin stew or lamb's fry some farmer's wife had spared for him. Going to bed in another barn he felt colder than usual, but hours later woke with his skin on fire. He stripped off his blanket and his stinking clothes, but soon woke again, shivering.Eventually the swagger and his companion were on the brink of Hamilton. Motorcars approached them, like emissaries from the Waikato's largest town. I imagine the swagger's companion stopping, and looking at him queerly. Pebble-sized pustules had grown from the swagger's forehead, from his cheeks. By the time the swagger had reached Victoria Street, with its pubs and cattle drovers holding up motorcars, the boils had spread to his forearms, to his torso. I imagine him breaking one of the growths with a jagged thumbnail: the pus would have been grey, and sticky, and streaked with blood.Hamilton's hospital had been built on the low hill overlooking Rotoroa, the lake soldier-settlers had stocked with swans and ducks and rowboats. The doctors and nurses were used to treating swaggers. Most of their visits went unrecorded, but in 1904 newspapers had discussed the case of an Irish veteran of the New Zealand Wars named Michael Barry, who had arrived at Ohaupo, a small town on the Great South Road just beyond Hamilton, and ordered a beer. Barry could hardly 'walk or breathe', so the hotelier 'served him some schnapps and housed him in the stable'. A constable arrived to take Barry to hospital, and found him in a 'filthy condition'. Barry explained that he hadn't washed for six years; the policeman 'could not approach him without a disinfectant'. Barry was allowed to linger and die in the hospital on the low hill above the ornamental birds and boats.But Dr Hugh Douglas, the chief surgeon and de facto manager of Waikato Hospital, quickly realised that the new swagger was special. He was not sweating and shaking because of delirium tremens or alcohol withdrawal; the marks on his face had not been made by dirt or a fistfight. The swagger had smallpox.There were already half a dozen smallpox victims in a quarantined ward of Waikato hospital, but all of them were Maori, from the village at Maungatautari, twenty or so kilometres away. Dr Douglas had travelled to Maungatautari in July, and watched one of the Ministry of Health's inspectors raise a yellow flag above the kainga. The swagger was the first white victim of the pox to appear in the Waikato. The disease had crossed a racial boundary.Douglas contacted Hamilton Health Inspector Bennett, who had been devoting all of his time to smallpox, and the town's mayor Arthur Manning. Manning composed a statement, which was printed and handed to Hamilton's hoteliers and restaurateurs:[I][Inspector Bennett]'Off colour', 'footing': the mayor's words betrayed his anxieties about race and vagrancy.In April 1913 a Mormon missionary named Richard Shumway had arrived in Auckland for a hui organised by New Zealand's Saints. Maori from around the country had to come to korero and hongi with Shumway and other missionaries. Shumway was sweating and sneezing, but he struggled through the hui. He thought he had measles; he was suffering from smallpox. After the hui Maori returned to kainga with Mormon devotional literature, and with a deadly disease.Soon the Ministry of Health's inspectors were isolating the Maori villages on the southern and eastern fringes of Auckland. The yellow flag of quarantine was raised over Mangere and Orakei.Smallpox travelled through the air, and through human fluids. A cough, a kiss, a tear: all were vehicles for the virus. It took about a fortnight for the infected to sicken. At first they might have been suffering from the flu. Then boils, hundreds of them, began to grow, and fill with pus and blood. When the boils burst they left scabs. If the victims lived long enough the scabs would flake off, to revealing pitted scars.By September 1913 a consensus had developed amongst New Zealand's politicians and journalists: smallpox was, in the words of the, a 'Maori malady', caused by the unhygienic homes and immoral habits of the country's indigent indigenes. If the movements of Maori were not restricted, then they would spread the disease to their white neighbours.Alexander Young, the MP for Waikato, told parliament that it was fortunate smallpox had not broken out in the summer, when the 'flies' and 'crowding' in kainga would have spread it even faster. George Elliott, a businessman organising an international trade fair in Auckland, demanded that 'filthy' Maori settlements like Orakei and Mangere be torched, and called for the deportation of every last Maori from the city.Young and Elliott were not only prejudiced but wrong. When in 1914 Joseph Frengley, New Zealand's National Health Officer, analysed the smallpox epidemic and composed a report for parliament, he was unable to find a link between unsanitary housing and smallpox infection. 'Natives living in comfortable homes' suffered 'as much as the others', Frengley told parliament.If any Maori fell ill, then the Health Department punished his or her kin and kainga with quarantine. Once the yellow flag had been raised over a Maori community, its members were prohibited from travelling, unless they carried a certificate of immunisation. In some places, not even such a certificate would do.The Waikato Hospital Board had insisted that the Maori of Maungatautari could only travel as far as Victoria bridge, which crossed the Waikato River and separated their community from the white town of Cambridge, and that they must carry a yellow flag if they journeyed even this far. An improvised militia waited on the Cambridge bank of the river, ready to enforce the ban with bullets. The Maori of Mangere were forbidden to cross the bridge that crossed the Manukau harbour, and connected their village with Onehunga and the isthmus of Auckland.There was no effective treatment for smallpox, but the first vaccine had been invented at the end of the eighteenth century. In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries New Zealand's government had made some desultory attempts to immunise its people against the disease. By the end of the winter of 1913 demand for vaccination far exceeded supply. The Ministry of Health and hospital boards tended to vaccinate city dwellers before rural New Zealanders, and whites before Maori.By September 1913 there were more than a hundred patients, almost all of them Maori, in the Auckland hospital devoted to infectious diseases. But most Maori infected with smallpox had to struggle with the disease at home, or in the tents of 'isolation camps' set up on the edge of kainga by teams of health officers, nurses, medical students on leave, and doctors. The young Dr Jessie Scott, who would later nurse both Allied and German soldiers in World War One, volunteered for service in an isolation camp, and was sent to Hokitika. In a letter published in, the magazine of the nurses' union, Scott described one of the victims under her care:[Her]In some communities there was no medical help, only a quarantine enforced by the state and white militia. Isolated from advice about the strange disease, Maori found their own desperate tactics to prevent its spread. In one Northland village an entire family became sick, and eventually died, one by one, in their home. Too afraid to retrieve the bodies and organise a tangi, neighbours set the whare and its decomposing corpses ablaze.While Hugh Douglas was tending to his smallpox victims and Arthur Manning was searching Hamilton's pubs and boarding houses, Health Inspector Bennett was driving slowly up the Great South Road in a government car, with a pair of assistants and a load of formaldehyde. Using a statement that the swagger had given from his hospital bed, Bennett revisited the places that the man and his companion had stayed. He sprayed formaldehyde over barns and cowsheds where the swaggers had slept, burnt any mattresses they had touched, burnt the clothes of anyone unfortunate enough to have shaken the men's hands. Bennett had already sprayed gallons formaldehyde onto Maungatautari, and the Maori village at Whatawhata.In 1913 formaldehyde was commonly used as a decontaminant. The chemical's role in causing cancer was not known until the 1980s. Inspector Bennett was spreading a new disease as he travelled about the Waikato and up the Great South Road.At the beginning of the twentieth century many New Zealanders saw Auckland as a place where disease flared and festered. Auckland was New Zealand's largest port; crews from around the world rioted in its bars and brothels, and left diseases and rats behind when they sailed away past Rangitoto. The working class suburbs that had grown up just west of Auckland were regarded, like the East End of London, as citadels of filth and illness, and the Maori villages on the city's fringe were considered even dirtier and more dangerous. Like the railways, the Great South Road was a route for infection to spread from Auckland to the rest of the country.In 1900 bubonic plague had emerged in Calcutta, and been exported by ships' rats to Noumea and Sydney. Residents of Sydney's waterfront slums began to die, and borough councils employed squads of rat hunters. Reports of rats behaving strangely began to circulate in Auckland.In April 1900 Reverend Hugh Kelly preached a sermon on bubonic plague at Auckland's Knox Church. Kelly had grown up in the Presbyterian south of the South Island, before being sent to minister to the souls of the northern city. He warned his audience at Knox church that plagues were 'God's commentary on evil habits of life', that men 'run down by sin' were 'most accessible to plague, and that 'filthy physical habits and filthy moral habits' went together.For Reverend Kelly, it was no coincidence that the latest plague had begun in India, a society 'stricken' by dirt, 'heathenism and vice'. The almighty was using rats and bubonic boils to 'preach' to the Indians. As they watched their kin die, the heathens got 'most impressive proof of the mind of the living god'. Kelly prayed that god would not preach with the plague to the unclean and sinful city of Auckland.When an Auckland newspaper runner was diagnosed with the bubonic plague in May 1900 the rest of New Zealand feared that the disease would spread. Although only a handful of Aucklanders caught the disease, millions of the city's rats became its carriers. An army of bubonic rats mustered in the cellars and drains of central Auckland then, in the early autumn of 1900, began to move south, into the Waikato.Rats stopped traffic, hung like rotten fruit from the orchardists' branches, ate their way through sileage heaps, and climbed the legs of terrifying carthorses. The pack disappeared for a few days, then reemerged, in even larger numbers, on the north bank of the Awakino River, close to the coast of the King Country.The people of Mokau, who lived a few kilometres south of the Awakino, hammered corrugated iron across the windows of their homes and sealed the cracks in their granaries. But by the time the rats reached Mokau they were moving slowly, and without enthusiasm. The animals looked drugged, as they wandered through the town's streets. Soon they began to die in their thousands. The people of Mokau ventured out of their houses, and began to make huge piles of rat corpses. The bubonic plague had killed its carriers.In the first week of October 1913 Wellington's wharfies were locked out of the city's port. Their employers demanded that they submit to arbitration of industrial disputes and put up a bond to cover the cost of future strikes. The wharfies refused, and their comrades in Auckland, Lyttleton, and Port Chalmers staged sympathy strikes. Soon coal miners and seafarers had also folded their arms.At the beginning of November Wellington's wharfies stormed and seized the city's waterfront; their comrades in other port cities threatened to do the same. Massey's Liberal government responded by asking its supporters to volunteer for work as 'special' policemen. In canvas camps farmers were issued with batons and revolvers, as well as hard liquor. Hundreds of 'Massey's cossacks' from the farms of South Auckland massed at Otahuhu, then rode unsteadily to the Waitemata waterfront, where they charged into the ranks of picketers who threw stones and bottles. Businessmen, bank tellers, and students were enlisted as 'foot specials', and joined the battle.Some of the men who volunteered to fight reds in New Zealand's cities had already served together, in the militia that defended the Waikato's white towns from the 'Maori malady'. Cambridge, which had been on the frontline of the war against sick Maori, sent one hundred and thirty-three specials to Auckland.By the end of the year the wharfies had gone back to wharf; the coal miners followed them in January. 'Massey's cossacks' had won. Many of them would soon be fighting together again, in Europe and Turkey.The smallpox epidemic had petered out by the end of 1913, but the restrictions on Maori movement were not dropped until the autumn and winter of 1914. Suspicion of Maori lingered in some communities. When Maori volunteers for the war against the Kaiser camped at the Avondale racecourse late in 1914, locals worried that they might be carrying smallpox.By the time the soldiers were returning and the Kaiser was defeated a new epidemic was spreading through their whanau. Smallpox killed fifty-five New Zealanders, all of them Maori. Influenza would take eight and a half thousand lives, a quarter of them Maori. In 1918, as in 1913, the Great South Road was a vector for infection. Maori villages were once again sealed off, and white militia reappeared.[Posted by Scott Hamilton] From A World to Win News Service Editorial: Introducing a transformed AWTWNS March 20, 2017 | Revolution Newspaper | revcom.us Bob Avakian, Chairman of the Revolutionary Communist Party, USA March 14, 2017. A World to Win News Service. With great joy, the editors of A World To Win News Service announce its transformation into a more thorough-going tool for revolution based on Bob Avakians new synthesis of communism. AWTW News Service first saw life in January 2003, at a critical juncture when under the banner of their global war on terror the U.S.-led imperialists had launched and were expanding what was in fact a war for empire. After invading Afghanistan, they were preparing to invade Iraq. It was a time when a powerful peoples war was surging forward in Nepal, led by revolutionaries who were participants in the Revolutionary Internationalist Movement. RIM gathered communists from around the world who, in the wake of the defeat of the revolution in China following the death of Mao Tsetung, banded together from the five continents to strengthen the struggle to do away with the capitalist system through revolution. AWTW News Service was inspired by RIM, which based itself on Marxism-Leninism-Maoism (MLM). During the years since then, the news service untiringly exposed the crimes of the imperialists in many corners of the globe, bringing to light stories of popular resistance against oppression, analyzing how all oppression was ultimately rooted in the system of capitalism-imperialism, and pointing to the need for the solution, revolution. These past fourteen years have seen major developments, including the collapse of RIM itself. Not only are some of the forces previously united in RIM now sharply opposed to each other, the previous understanding of revolutionary communism itself has, to borrow Mao Zedongs term, divided into two. One strand of the old Maoism has wound up in a social-democratic liquidation of the core revolutionary principles of Marxism, exemplified tragically in the capitulation of the Maoist leadership in Nepal and the termination of the revolutionary war there. Others from the previous MLM movement are stuck in a dogmatist, religious-like upholding of sterile Maoist formulas that are equally devoid of revolutionary content. In opposition to this, Bob Avakians new synthesis of communism has fully emerged, rescuing the scientific kernel of communism while criticizing and repudiating those secondary aspects in the past understanding and actions of communists that have actually gone against communisms liberatory nature. The result is that we now have a qualitatively more scientific framework for understanding the world and changing it through revolution, which is gaining adherents from among forces previously part of RIM as well as others more recently attracted to communism. (For more on RIM, its history, its collapse and the division of Maoism into two, see Communism: The Beginning of a New StageA Manifesto from the Revolutionary Communist Party, USA and Letter to Participating Parties and Organizations of the Revolutionary Internationalist Movement by the Revolutionary Communist Party, USA.) Available now: ORDER HERE ABOUT THE BOOK, WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING AND MORE HERE Get Into BA HERE And how the world cries out for revolution! Everywhere inequality has intensified, women face the violent intensification of patriarchy and degradation, and whole states in parts of the Third World are written off as failed and left to rot. The hopes of millions worldwide that soared as U.S.-backed dictators were toppled by mass uprisings in the Arab Spring were dashed with the re-consolidation of reactionary rule. War has ripped gaping wounds in the Middle East as the Western imperialists and their local allies contend with reactionary Islamic jihadists, trapping the masses in a vortex of terror and despair. Millions have been driven from their homes, and thousands drown in desperate attempts to cross the Mediterranean to safetywhile those few who make it face ever higher walls erected by these same imperialists to keep them out, physical walls as well as the walls of hatred being whipped up against them. Now, after years of normalizing mounting levels of nationalist jingoism, racism and misogyny, the dynamics of this system have propelled the fascist Donald Trump into the post of commander-in-chief of U.S. imperialism. This in turn is giving major impetus to fascist movements that have been steadily gnawing their way into the political mainstream of Europein Austria, Hungary and Poland, and now the Netherlands, France, Germany and elsewhere. Throughout the oppressed nations too, the rise of strong men like Indias Modi, Turkeys Erdogan, Duterte in the Philippines and others, tells the same story: the post-World War 2 order is rapidly coming apart at the seams. The most fundamental question facing humanity today is whether this great turmoil will give rise to the establishment of regimes that are far more repressive and reactionary than even those today, with an unprecedented intensification of oppression and inequality, the unleashing of war and famine, environmental catastrophe and potentially far worse, or whether the oppressed can be enabled to rise, led by a core of conscious revolutionaries, and dismantle the existing state apparatuses in key parts of the world and establish radically new state powers that begin to do away with all oppression and exploitation. This has everything to do with how well hundreds and thousands today can be armed with a scientific approach to reality and act on that basis. Today this means transforming AWTW News Service into one firmly based on Avakians new communism, a task that is proudly being assumed by the communists who have been the driving force in it over these yearsa task that you are being asked to join in, in countless ways: reposting, distributing, writing, reporting, debating and corresponding with it, to name but a few. Articles are needed that lay bare how the source of every kind of oppression in every country is ultimately rooted in the capitalist-imperialist system, whether it be through analyzing the coup detat in Turkey, the failure of the Syriza experiment in Greece, the rise of fascism in the U.S. and Europe, etc. The news service needs analysis that lays bare the major fault lines ripping through every class-divided society and propelling millions into questioning and resistance, to help increasing numbers make the leap from being fighters on one front against capitalist oppression to fighters on every front. To take just one example, it needs to highlight the many different ways that brave forces are stepping outside normal channels to resist the draconian measures being enacted against migrants, exposing how it is the capitalist-imperialist system that is driving immigration and clamping down on migrants. It has to help establish a powerful internationalist current around this burning issueshowing why and how it is essential that the whole world comes first, rather than what does this mean for me and my country so as to bridge borders between peoples, to change not only what people think but how they think, to train them in the communist line and outlook. Or, in relation to patriarchy, to bring out why you cannot break all the links in the chain of capitalist oppression except one, why leaving male supremacy unchallenged quickly opens the door to the strengthening of every form of division and inequality. All this is part of the process of fighting the power and transforming the people, for revolutionand not least of all, bringing forth a new generation of revolutionary leaders in this process, who can use this news service to help identify and bring together more revolutionary forces wherever they may be. It is critical to expose the system and its institutions and structures, but it is also vital to put forward the solution, a new kind of state power and a new way of organizing the society and economy to meet peoples needs in the broadest, most liberating sense, and step-by-step enable people to make the transition, through revolution, to a whole new world of flourishing humanity, armed with critical thinking and free of the shackles of class, patriarchy and all social divisions and inequalities. To do this we need to take on and tear apart the reactionary verdict on revolution and socialism. Otherwise, our criticism of the existing system loses force and purpose. Furthermore, based on the new synthesis summation of the socialist experiences of the 20th century, we need to show the necessity, possibility and desirability of Avakians re-envisaged socialist societyhow it not only meets the basic needs of the people, but will be a vibrant society marked by an unprecedented flourishing of intellectual and cultural life. Without BAs new communism and the understanding that has developed on the basis of his approach and method, even for those who have vital elements of understanding about how thoroughly rotten all that exists really is, it is difficult to understand that the world doesnt have to be the way it is, that the potential for a radically different way of living for all humanity lies entangled in todays web of contradictions that are driving society, trapping oppressed humanity in dog-eat-dog relations, and threatening unprecedented disasters. Avakians visionary understanding of the goal of communism shows how that is not only possible, but an urgent necessity, crying out for action right now. With this understanding as the solid foundation of the news service, its pages will be open to others who, from different perspectives and approaches, bring to the light of day otherwise hidden stories of resistance and opposition to the prevailing order, shed light on the crimes of the system and how it works, reveal the complexity of the forces at work, and do all this in a way that compels others to turn to this site as a vibrant hub of critical analysis and debate. To truly become a weapon for revolution in growing parts of the world, articles need to be shared, correspondence is needed, key articles translated into different languages, and more. To further this, the news service will rupture from its weekly edition format that has been more oriented to the print media epoch, and instead focus on releasing articles on the Web hot on the heels of major events in the world. We need contributions from all those able to help so that the now far too narrow scope of our articles, limited by our current abilities, can begin to better match the needs of what must necessarily be a global revolutionary process. Hard truths need to be stated clearly from the outset: the strength of the forces worldwide fighting for communist revolution pales in comparison to the immense challenges before us. But it is an even more important truth that never before in history has there existed a clearer and more scientific understanding of the source of oppression and what is needed to do away with it. On this foundation, A World To Win News Service can and must become a powerful tool serving all those who long for an end to oppression and exploitation, drawing forward and training thousands and influencing millions in many countries around the world, hastening the day when humanity can break free of the shackles that have enchained it for all too long. Find out more about the revolution Find out about BA, the leader of the revolution For full coverage and the current issue of REVOLUTION click here Guwahati, March 20 : First BJP Chief Minister of Manipur Nongthombam Biren Singh on Monday won the trust vote in the 60-member Manipur assembly with voice vote. N Biren Singh won floor test with the support of 32 legislators excluding speaker vote. BJP had formed the first state government in Manipur with support of four MLAs each of NPP and NPF, one MLA of LJP, Independent and two BJP joined legislators of Congress and All India Trinamool Congress (AITC). N Biren Singh was sworn in as the first BJP Chief Minister of Manipur on March 15. Only two BJP MLAs including the Chief Minister were inducted in the BJP-led ministry, while four MLAs of NPP, one each of NPF, LJP and the Congress legislator who joined the saffron party were included in the ministry. BJP won 21 seats in the assembly poll, while Congress capturing 28 seats, four each by NPP and NPF and one each by AITC, LJP and Independent. On the other hand, Y. Khemchand of BJP has been chosen as the Speaker of the 11th Manipur legislative assembly with support of 33 MLAs. (Reporting by Hemanta Kumar Nath) Guwahati, March 19 : Finally, the United Naga Council (UNC) on Sunday has decided to end the 130-day long economic blockade against Manipur. UNC decided it during a tripartite meeting with Union Home ministry and Manipur state government held at Senapati district headquarter on Sunday. 'Following the meeting, we have decided to lift the economic blockade with effect from tonight,' UNC General Secretary S Milan said. UNC had imposed the economic blockade against Manipur since November 1 last protest against the creation of seven new districts by the Ibobi Singh led government. The tripartite meeting inpresence of Joint Secreatary (NE) of Home ministry Satyendra Garg, Manipur government's Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Dr J Suresh Babu, Commissioner (Works) K Radhakumar Singh decided that, the grievances of the UNC which led to the imposition of economic blockade by them was recognized as there was non-adherence to the four Memorandum of Understanding and the Union government's assurance on the matter. The Manipur government agrees to start consultation with all stakeholders to redress the same. The meeting also decided that, the Manipur government will unconditionally release the arrested UNC leaders and all the cases related to economic blockade against the Naga tribes leaders and student's leaders will be closed. 'The tripartite meeting decided to create conductive environment for the democratic process of consultation and dialogue and next tripartite talks will be held within a month of time at political level,'A S Milan said. The top UNC leader said that, the UNC appreciates the initiative and new approach of the newly formed BJP-led Manipur government is coming forward to address the core issue at hand. Apart from the UNC leaders, All Naga Students' Association's Manipur unit president Seth Shatsang, Naga Women's Union president LM Tabitha also present in the meeting. Prime Minsiter Narendra Modi and BJP's national president Amit Shah assured the people of Manipur during the election campaign rally that, if BJP will in power then the new government will lift the four-month long economic blockade within a week. Nongthombam Biren Singh was sworn in as the first BJP Chief Minister of Manipur on March 15. (Reporting by Hemanta Kumar Nath) Guwahati, March 20 : A Sahitya Akademi award winning Assamese top cops, who conducted several counter insurgency operation against few militant groups in Assam in past three decades, had recently represented India in the London Book Fair, 2017. The award winning writer Kuladhar Saikia, Special Director General of Police (Law and Order) of Assam is equally at ease tackling militants and literary conflicts between the small tribal groups in Assam. 'If we lose less spoken languages, we have lost indigenous cultures, knowledge and many things of the small tribal groups. The modern world has already lost so many less spoken languages and several are most endangered. We need to preserve these endangered languages and London Book Fair like forums must to think about it. If less spoken languages are to be preserved, then it will help to reduce conflict among the small indigenous groups,'A Kuladhar Saikia said. The 1985-batch IPS officer, who represented India with four others Sahitya Akademi award winning writers at the world famous book fair said that, few less spoken languages in Assam and North East India are now endangered. The top Assam cops also appealed to include Assamese language in internet Unicode. Along with the other four a Dr SL Bhyrappa, Yese Dorji Thongchi, Arundhathi Subramaniam and Dr Vishwanath Prasad Tiwari, 58-year old Kuladhar Saikia took part in the Symposium on Indian Writing Today at Apex Room, National Hall Gallery on March 14, first day of the book fair. He also spoke in the session titled My World, My Writing at English PEN Literary Salon on March 16, last day of the book fair. Writing over 20 books, Saikia was awarded Sahitya Akademi award in 2015 for his book 'Akashar Chhabi Aru Anyanya Galpa' and also won the prestigious Munin Borkotoky award, Kotha award. (Reporting by Hemanta Kumar Nath) LONDON: The number of people developing and dying from tuberculosis (TB) is falling in Europe, but among the most vulnerable including migrants, prisoners and people who are HIV positive there have been worrying increases, data showed on Monday. Figures from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and the Europe regional office of the World Health Organization (WHO) showed new TB cases and deaths in the 53 countries of the WHOs European region fell each year by 4.3 and 8.5 percent respectively between 2011 and 2015. But new co-infections with TB and HIV together increased by 40 percent from 2011 to 2015, showing that efforts to control the disease need to be far more focused on high risk groups. The general downward trend in reported TB cases is encouraging, the ECDCs acting director, Andrea Ammon, said in a statement. But some groups are not benefiting from this trend and we need to target our efforts better if we want to end the TB epidemic. She said providing testing to all TB patients for HIV, and vice versa, followed by counselling and rapid treatment, could reverse the negative co-infection trend. Global figures released last year by the WHO showed that in 2015, some 1.8 million people died from TB. Of them, 400,000 were co-infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) that causes AIDS. People with HIV are more vulnerable to TB because their immune systems are weakened. Experts estimate the risk of developing TB is between 26 and 31 times greater in HIV patients than in HIV negative people. Zsuzsanna Jakab, the WHOs European regional director, said the flare-up of TB/HIV co-infections, coupled with persistently high rates of drug-resistant TB, were a serious threat to international efforts to control the disease. Kathmandu, Nepal: Multi-national military exercise kicks off in Birendra Peace Operations Training Center (BPOTC) in Paanchkhal, Kavre from Mnday. Military personnel from various 28 countries are taking part in the Exercise called as Shanti Prayas (peace endeavors). Nepal Army and US Army's Pacific Command have jointly organized the exercise. It is said that 1024 army personnel from 28 countries are taking part in the exercise. The objective of the joint military exercise is to help increase the participants' interoperability and peacekeeping skills prior to their deployment to the UN peace missions, states the Public Relations Directorate of Nepal Army. Kathmandu, Nepal: Tension runs high in front of the Election Commission (EC) at Kantipath of Kathmandu after Police personnel and the cadres of the Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) clashed each other on Monday. As RPP cadres picketed the EC protesting its decision to delete a section of the partys charter about the Hindu state and the monarchy, a clash was erupted between the RPP members and police. As RPP cadres turned violent, Police have lobbed tear gas shells to disperse the mob. Protesting the EC decision to remove the portion of its statue that advocates Hindu state and monarchy the RPP had decided to launch nationwide protest including the picketing of the EC head office and District Election Offices on Monday. The party had also decided seek constitutional remedy against of the EC decision. BAITADI, March 20: Two persons including a juvenile have been sentenced on charges of committing a murder. 14 year old Keshav Kunwar (name changed) and Ramesh Singh Kunwar, 17, of Api Municipality 4 of Darchula have been sentenced, said Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Kedar Khanal of District Police Office, Darchula. "Ramesh has been sentenced to 20 years in prison while Keshav has received a sentence of 10 years and nine months," he added. Three persons were arrested in accusation of killing Ganesh Singh Kunwar of Api 4 with a dagger on September 11, 2016. Dhirendra Singh Kunwar, 27, of the same locality was acquitted in the case on which the District Court Darchula ruled on Sunday. Meanwhile, Baldev Singh Mahar, 48, of Api 11 has been sentenced to one year's imprisonment along with a fine of Rs 6,000 on charges related to possession of 2 kilos and 200 grams of hashish. He was arrested on November 21, 2016. RSS groundviews.org - 16 March 2017 Manpower Plunder: The Plight of SLTas Contract Workers Videography by Amalini de Sayrah Text by Raisa Wickrematunge The giant hand gripping a telephone has become a landmark on Lotus Road. Just beyond it loom the offices of Sri Lanka Telecom. Look closer, though, and you will see banners. aEnough talking!a one reads. aNo to Manpower plunder,a another says. A makeshift tent has been set up. Nearby, clusters of people are gathered. These are the amanpower workersa of Sri Lanka Telecom (SLT) a those hired using a manpower agency called Human Capital Solutions (HCS) a a fully owned subsidiary of SLT. Screenshot from SLTas website The manpower workers comprise some 2,100 out of SLTas total workforce, and have been striking for 80 days, continuously. See video here SLT first began hiring contract workers from manpower agencies in the 1990s. Initially, only drivers were hired through manpower agencies. Over time, SLT also began hiring technical officers this way from around 2002. The contract workers were supposed to be hired to fill positions that were not part of SLTas core operations. However, the striking workers say that this is certainly no longer the case. aWe all do the same job, but they [the permanent employees] get paid much more. We arenat sent to meet customers as amanpower workers.a We wear the SLT uniform. It is only in terms of salary that we are treated differently,a said D M S Rajapakshe. Itas a vast gap a these workers only receive one-third the salary, although they do the same work. For instance, one of the striking workers tells Groundviews he receives a basic salary of Rs. 28,000. A full-time employeeas basic salary is Rs. 60,000. The full time employees also receive almost double in terms of annual bonuses and overtime, plus allowances for food, transport, medicine and housing. Many of these atemporarya workers have been working for SLT for decades a Rajapakshe for instance, has been with SLT for 12 years, starting as a driver and working his way up to the post of technical officer. It is for this reason that the workers have been striking for so long, facing great difficulties. aWe have struggled for every increment we have. For every increase of Rs. 2,500, we have had to strike,a T K G Jayalath says. They say they began organising strikes as far back as 2006. Hope came with the change of the Government in 2015, and promises to make the SLT contract workers part of the permanent cadre. In fact, the President, Minister of Telecommunications and Infrastructure Harin Fernando and the Prime Minister have all made promises to this effect, according to a statement released by the Solidarity Movement for Sri Lanka Telecomas Manpower Struggle [see below]. aNow whenever he sees us, he promises to solve the problem and doesnat do anything. This government came into power with promises of good governance. The Presidentas own brother is the Chairman of Sri Lanka Telecom, so we had hope. Yet nothing has changed,a Jayalath says. The strike has impacted all of the workers in different ways. aItas difficult to find food to eat and drinka difficult even to find Rs. 50 to come by bus here and continue the strike,a Jayalath says. Newly married, and with a baby on the way, Jayalath has had to leave his wife for long periods in order to participate in the strike. aMy bank loan is in arrearsa and I have no way to make the payments on time,a he says. Others have had more violent pushback. Rajapakshe says when he requested to meet the Group CEO, Dileepa Wijesundera, the latter filed a police entry against them. aThey donat understand that we are downtrodden,a he says. Yet the plight of these workers has remained largely un-reported in the mainstream media a and the strikers say it is because the company is a major advertiser. aSLT is a top company. They spend millions on advertising. They tell the media, aDonat show the unions striking. If you give them coverage, weall stop placing advertisements,a Sujiva Dissanayake said. More ominously, the Vice President of the All Ceylon Telecommunications Employees Union (ACTEU) Sujeewa Mangala was also abducted by armed men, blindfolded, and warned to give up strike action before being dropped off after two days. None of this appears to have daunted the striking employees. aEven to find food to eat and drink is difficult, without this job. But we are determined to see this through. We want to change this unfair system [whereby we are treated differently.], We are fed up of working in this mannera Sujiva said. A Minister had promised to visit the striking workers on Monday (13) but the workers were still waiting on Wednesday (15). aIf we donat get a response soon, we will fast until death,a one of the strikers vowed. According to the tenets of commercial or corporate law, there are certain tests to define who an employer is. If the contract workers could show that the workers were under the direction and control of SLT, they could still claim they were SLT employees, even if they were employed by HCS, an attorney specializing in corporate law who requested not to be named said. aIf the employees worked on [SLTas] behalf, it could be argued that they are in fact employed by them.a However, more firms were beginning to use third party manpower agencies as a method of cutting costs. aItas a commercial trend to hire manpower-sourced employees. Generally they would hire crucial personnel as permanent employees and the others would be hired using these agencies,a the lawyer explained. When contacted, Sri Lanka Telecom directed Groundviews to contact Human Capital Solutions, the manpower agency through which these workers are recruited. Founded in 2008, Human Capital Solutions CEO is P Roshan Kaluarachchi, who incidentally joined SLT as its Marketing Officer in 2010, according to their website. Kaluarachchi was not available for comment when Groundviews attempted to contact his office. The fact that SLT directed Groundviews to contact HCS for a comment indicates that they do not consider the strikers as part of their workforce. As of today, it has been three months since any of them received their salary. o o o The Crans Montana Forum has kept its promise and opened on Friday its third edition in Dakhla in southern Morocco, despite the manoeuvers of the Polisario and Algerian leaders who failed in their attempt to prevent the holding of the Forum. More than a thousand participants, including heads of state, ministers, economic operators and NGOs from all over the world, are taking part in the event held March 17-21 under the theme A New Africa in the 21st century: stability, cohesion and solidarity for sustainable development. The Forum organizers also want to shine light on Moroccos structuring role in the continent after its triumphant return to the African Union (AU). At a time when Morocco is making a triumphant return to the African Union, it is more than ever essential to give opportunity to major international decision-makers to discover a city and a region, become a clear evidence that no fatality resists a visionary and development-oriented policy, said Pierre-Emmanuel Quirin, President of the Crans Montana Forum, a Swiss international NGO whose influence and prestige are recognized worldwide. This year, the Forum is focusing on African women, young entrepreneurs and developing Small Island States. In a landmark message addressed to the participants in this important event, King Mohammed VI stressed that The Moroccan Sahara region, and Dakhla in particular, play a special role as a historic platform connecting Morocco to Africa. Accordingly, he added, and as part of our Development Model for the Southern Provinces and the projects launched in the region, we have spared no effort to rehabilitate it and provide it with the necessary infrastructure and elected bodies, as well as social and cultural facilities, with a view to turning it into an integrated economic hub that will help promote communication and trade with African states. The Dakhla forum has become an important event in the calendar of major intellectual and cultural encounters, given the high caliber and status of the prominent figures from the fields of politics, economics, culture, the media and civil society who participate in it, and also in view of the quality of its debates, the importance of the challenges it addresses, the practical solutions it proposes and the initiatives it launches. It has become a space for debating ideas and exchanging expertise in various areas of interest to the African continent. You have permission to edit this html. Edit Close Chris Burden inspired my first movie. My first scripted effort was a short 8mm film that you will never see -- I've never seen it! -- that was inspired by performance artist Chris Burden. I think I read a newspaper article about him and his work, most notably that time he was shot for his art. Frankly, my interest never went any further than that, lo those many years ago, but now a new documentary, Burden promises to expose him to the light. Directed by Timothy Marrinan and Richard Dewey, it's heading for release in select U.S. theaters on April 5, and will also be available on Video On Demand platforms, all courtesy of Magnolia Pictures. The trailer nicely sets up the artist and his work, and why it remains controversial. You can watch it below. More information is available at the film's official Facebook page. In the first case of a death by a cable car collision in nearly a decade, a 93-year-old man who was struck by a cable car Sunday afternoon has died from his injuries. As KRON 4 reports, the incident occurred at 3:10 p.m. Sunday at the intersection of Mason and Filbert Streets on Russian Hill, and the man died early Monday. His identity has not been released pending family notification. The cable car, on the Powell-Mason line, was traveling southbound at the time, knocking the man to the ground. According to the Chronicle, the man was walking in a marked crosswalk, and service on the line was shut down for about 80 minutes, resuming at 4:26 p.m. SFMTA director Edward D. Reiskin issued a statement saying, "Speaking for the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, I express our deepest sympathy to the family and friends of the individual who was fatally struck by a cable car at Mason and Filbert. The SFMTA will continue to work with the San Francisco Police Department as we undertake all necessary investigations into this matter." This is the first incident of a fatality in a cable car accident since 2008, the Chronicle notes, when an elderly woman was struck along the same line at the intersection of Mason and Broadway and died the following day. According to the Associated Press in an investigative piece in 2013, injuries related to SF's cable cars occur on average about once a month, with over 150 occurring over the previous decade. The cable cars "routinely rank among the most accident-prone mass transportation modes in the country per vehicle mile traveled annually," and resulted in the city having to pay upwards of $8 million to settle about four dozen cable-car-related legal claims. President Trump's nominee to the Supreme Court, Judge Neil Gorsuch, begins his confirmation hearing today at the Senate Judiciary Committee where California Senator Dianne Feinstein is the highest ranking Democrat. She began today's hearing, as the New York Times and Town Hall reports, saying "Were here today under very unusual circumstances," and that she was "deeply disappointed" that President Obama's nominee to the court, Merrick Garland, never received the courtesy of even a meeting with Senate Republicans despite his being "widely regarded as a mainstream moderate nominee." Now, she said, it is the committee's task "to determine whether Judge Gorsuch is a reasonable mainstream conservative, or is he not?" She further expressed concern today that, like the man he'd be replacing on the court, the late Justice Antonin Scalia, Gorsuch is a strict originalist, a stance she says "ignores the intent of the framers" of the Constitution. Originalism rejects all judicial decision making that does not adhere to the text of the Constitution as written, something that more moderate and liberal justices have long rejected because of the many issues they face that the framers could never have anticipated that require nuanced interpretations. "Its a framework on which to build, Feinstein said in the hearing. I firmly believe the Constitution is a living document that evolves as our country evolves," she said, adding that if some justices had not treated it as such, we would still have segregated schools and unequal protections for women. Her Republican colleague at the head of the committee and now its chairman, Senator Charles E. Grassley, opened the hearing by praising Gorsuch's "grasp on the separation of powers, including judicial independence," and noting with some sarcasm that the tables had turned with the recent election, and "Some of my [Democratic] colleagues seem to have rediscovered an appreciation for the need to confine each branch of government to its constitutional sphere." Senator Feinstein's office issued a statement ahead of the hearing laying out what are likely to be her main points of interrogation for this week's hearing. Per the Chronicle because the statement does not yet appear on the senator's website Feinstein said that Gorsuch "has consistently sided with employers and corporate interests" and against reproductive rights for women, and that his record on the latter showed him to be a "pro-life extremist." NPR reported also on a letter to the Senate committee submitted by a former law student's of Judge Gorsuch who cited a classroom discussion in which he allegedly "ask[ed] students how many of us knew women who used their companies for maternity benefits, who used their companies to in order to have a baby and then leave right away," and advocated for law firms asking female candidates for jobs what their plans were for having children. A separate letter submitted by another student in the same class claimed that this was a mischaracterization of the discussion, and a third letter submitted by a dozen former female law clerks of Gorsuch contended that he "treats and values women fairly and without preference or prejudice based on their gender." Congressional Democrats have been facing major pressure from the left, as the Times notes, to exact revenge for the Republicans' unprecedented obstruction of Garland's nomination last year, and it remains to be seen if they have the will to filibuster Gorsuch's nomination. In responding to a group of protesters outside a Los Angeles fundraiser over the weekend, Senator Feinstein gave some off-the-cuff remarks about the confirmation hearing, though she said it made "no sense" for her to make up her mind about Gorsuch before going through the history of cases that he's decided. Per the LA Times, Feinstein said she was "humiliated" by Republicans' refusal to hold hearings for Garland, and "[Republicans] took it away from [Obama], dont think we don't know it. Dont think we don't remember it. And dont think that that doesnt stick deeply with us." In true Feinstein fashion, though, when a protester shouted at her that she should "take a stand" on the Gorsuch nomination, she replied drily, "Young man, Ive made more stands in my lifetime than you are old by far." Update: Senator Mazie Hirono (D-HI) gave a pointed opening statement during the hearing as well, saying, "This hearing is about the people in this country who are getting screwed every single second minute and hour of the day." Senator Al Franken (D-MN) said in his statement that the committee must determine if Gorsuch's interpretation of the Constitution "will unfairly favor corporate interests over working families." Senator Ben Sasse (R-NE) then took to Fox News after the close of the hearing today to say that Democrats want their judges to be "super-legislators." Previously: Dianne Feinstein Looks Ready To Grill Trump's Supreme Court Nominee Neil Gorsuch A man crossing a Castro-area street was the victim of an unexpected attack Saturday, when another man stabbed him with a fork. Police say that the 53-year-old victim was crossing the street at the 400 block of Sanchez, which is between 17th and 18th Streets, at 8:58 a.m. Saturday when the assault occurred. According to the San Francisco Police Department, the 43-year-old suspect "walked towards [the victim] and stabbed [him] with a fork." Police arrived and arrested they suspect, they say. The injured man was transported to San Francisco General Hospital for his injuries, and was in stable condition as of publication time. Related: Suspect In Stabbing Of Housemate Found Hiding Under Car Nearby Sadly, the story from ten days ago about the two people who were recently sickened after drinking tea purchased from a Chinatown herbalist has taken a tragic turn. One of those who were hospitalized, 56-year-old Yu-Ping Xie, died on Saturday according to The Examiner and the Chronicle's Evan Sernoffsky, via Twitter. Yu-Ping Xie, 56 , of San Francisco has died after ingesting poisonous herbal tea from Chinatown shop Evan Sernoffsky (@EvanSernoffsky) March 20, 2017 As the Examiner reports, San Francisco health officials delivered the news Monday, and it appears that there are still only two victims in the case, which originated with a tea sold by Sun Wing Wo Trading Co., an herbalist at 1105 Grant Avenue. The second victim is said to be a man in his 30s who remains hospitalized after developing weakness and a life-threatening abnormal heart rhythm. The culprit was a plant-based toxin called Aconite or Aconitum, a.k.a. monkshood, wolf's bane, devil's helmet, or blue rocket. As Drugs.com explains, Aconite has been used both as a homeopathic medicine and a poison for centuries, with its medicinal use as an extract for reducing fever, treating pneumonia and croup, and for its sedative powers. The health department said in a statement, "The two patients each purchased different blends of medicinal teas that were put together for them at the shop. The teas had several ingredients, and the ingredients that were common to both tea mixtures are currently being tested." The teas were purchased and consumed in separate incidents in February and early March. As city health officer Dr. Tomas Aragon said the other week, "Anyone who has purchased tea from this location should not consume it and should throw it away immediately." Previously: Herbal Tea Sold In Chinatown Shop Poisons Two Rather than placing its emphasis on the downtown Oakland offices it purchased in 2015, embattled ride-hailing giant Uber will be renting much of the massive East Bay space it owns to others, placing only a few hundred, not thousands, of its own employees there. Instead, Uber has purchased a major stake in the offices being built as part of the Chase Center in Mission Bay, San Francisco, putting the company courtside when it comes to the Golden State Warriors' new arena there. The $1 billion Chase Center, which is now under construction after years of legal challenges failed to block it, is expected to be complete in 2019. With it comes 580,0000 square feet of office space, and as Uber's head of global workplaces Adony Beniares reveals to the Business Times, Uber will have at least half that square footage to itself as an equal equity stakeholder along with the Warriors. Alexandria Real Estate Equities, the Mission Bay developer, is also a minority partner. "The Warriors are thrilled to partner with Uber and Alexandria on the two office buildings that will be a critical component of our new multi-use district in Mission Bay," the team said in a statement. "Alexandria has a proven track record of success navigating the complex and unique urban-science mecca that is Mission Bay, and Uber is one of the 21st centurys greatest tech success stories." Alexandria, the Business Times reminds us, is working on previously announced Uber offices at 1455 Third Street and 1515 Third Street. Those will open late in 2018 or early in 2019, adding to Uber's serious SF presence. With 3,650 SF employees as of January, Uber is the city's 7th largest employer and its second largest tech tenant. Uber's purchase of Oakland's Uptown Station two years ago, the 380,00-square-foot former Sears Building on Broadway, was a steal at just $123.5 million. While the company originally planned to place 2,000 to 3,000 of its employees there, now Uber is marketing up to half of the building to other tenants. Rent isn't yet determined. Uber's Oakland ambitions were concerning to some in the city who already feel the influence of tech on rent and culture, and surely it would be the target of a degree of ill-will there. Still, it could cut down the tax revenue and other local spending Oakland officials were counting on. Now, says Adony Beniares, "We want to be thoughtful about how we move into Oakland. We're moving slower there." You might say Uber is approaching Oakland with caution, while here in SF, it's taking its usual full-speed-ahead approach. Related: Warriors Win! Mission Bay Arena Defeats Umpteenth Last-Ditch Legal Challenge SINGAPORE 60's: ANDY's POP MUSIC INFLUENCE IS A PERSONAL MUSIC, MEMORY TRAIL. BLOGGER DOES NOT OWN THE RIGHTS TO VIDEOS, AUDIO TRACKS AND IMAGES. THEY ARE UPLOADED FOR FUN, EDUCATIONAL, ILLUSTRATIVE PURPOSES AND HAVE BEEN CREDITED. BLOG IS NOT SPONSORED IN ANY WAY WHATSOEVER. INFORM BLOGGER OF COPYRIGHT ISSUES AND POST WILL BE DELETED IMMEDIATELY. DO NOT COPY THE POSTS; GET PERMISSION N CREDIT ME IF YOU DO. ANDY LIM LA (NOVEMBER, 2008) - () SIOUX CITY | An Omaha man has pleaded not guilty to possession of a stolen car found at WinnaVegas Casino Resort. James Souba, 23, entered his written plea Monday in Woodbury County District Court to second-degree theft, carrying a dangerous weapon and possession of a controlled substance. Souba and Samantha McCain, 20, of Council Bluffs, Iowa, were arrested March 7 at the Sloan, Iowa, casino after a Woodbury County Sheriff's deputy witnessed the two getting out of a 1997 Saturn that had been reported stolen in Council Bluffs. Deputies found a baggie of methamphetamine in Souba's pants and a sword inside the stolen vehicle. McCain has been charged with second-degree theft and has yet to enter a plea. SIOUX CITY | A Sioux City man was sentenced to 10 years in prison Monday for having sex with a 13-year-old girl who became pregnant and had a baby boy. Anthony Plunkett, 19, had pleaded guilty in January in Woodbury County District Court to one count of lascivious acts with a child. In addition to the prison sentence, District Judge Jeffrey Poulson ordered Plunkett to register with the Iowa Sex Offender Registry for life and also serve a special sex offender sentence in which he will be on lifetime parole after completing his prison sentence. If he were to violate terms of the special sentence, he could be sent to prison. The victim, then seven months pregnant and 13 years old at the time, told authorities in March 2015 that she'd had sex with Plunkett from about June 1, 2014, to July 31, 2014, when Plunkett would have been 17. She told authorities that Plunkett had told her he was 15, and she stopped seeing him after learning he was older. Plunkett admitted to police that he had sex with the girl more than 10 times, court documents said. SIOUX CITY | A Sioux City man faces multiple felony charges after police say he held his live-in girlfriend against her will for more than 24 hours Thursday and Friday, abusing her during that time period. Richard James Snoozy, 42, was charged Friday with domestic abuse assault and false imprisonment. He is being held in the Woodbury County Jail on $10,000 bond. According to court documents, between 5 p.m. Thursday and 8 p.m. Friday, Snoozy refused to allow his girlfriend to leave his residence. Documents say at different points during the 27-hour period, Snoozy kicked her and struck her on multiple parts of the body with a lighter and with a paperweight contained in a sock. Documents say Snoozy ordered her to leave the premises but then drug her back in and refused to let her leave. The victim was able to escape Friday evening after Snoozy took her outside, documents said. Documents say Snoozy has been convicted of domestic abuse assault on five prior occasions: 2004, 2005, 2011, 2014 and Feb. 9, 2017. STORM LAKE, Iowa There's a 10 percent chance of Iowas Best Burger comes from Northwest Iowa. Smokin Hereford BBQ of Storm Lake was named a finalist in the Top 10 Best Burgers in Iowa competition Monday. This annual contest is presented by the Iowa Beef Industry Council and the Iowa Cattlemens Association to find the states best burger and honor the state's beef producers. Votes were tallied from Feb. 13 to March 13 and more than 9,200 Iowans submitted nominations through the Iowa Beef website, text messages or paper ballots. Nearly 500 Iowa restaurants were represented in the total nominations, which is a new record for the contest, according to a release from the beef council. The previous record for the number of restaurants nominated was set in 2014, so we are thrilled that we were able to break that record this year with 487 restaurants represented, said Brooke German, director of marketing for the Iowa Beef Industry Council. This proves that there are a lot of great tasting burgers all across the state of Iowa. This was the first time Smokin Herford made the list. Other finalists include: Ankeny Diner; Elms Club, Creston; Beer Burger, North Liberty; Saucy Focaccia, Cedar Rapids; BWs Burgers, West Des Moines; Docs Stadium Bar & Grill, Jefferson; The Irish Shanti, Elgin; Down Right Delicious, Clarinda and Vaughns Cafe and Bakery, Clarinda. A winner will be crowned May 1. Todays top picks from our online calendar. Find more events at siouxcityjournal.com/calendar. David Thoreson: Local to Global Join Northwest Iowa Sierra Group in welcoming avid sailor and nature photographer David Thoreson as he shares his life-changing story. This event is free and the public is invited. Come as early as 5:30 p.m. to enjoy potluck and conversation at First Unitarian Church, 2508 Jackson St. 'I Am a Muslim' Listen to Dr. Mohammad Qamar lead an interfaith discussion to better understand the prejudice practicing Muslims sometimes face in our community. The event, "I Am a Muslim: Your Neighbor, Friend and Fellow Citizen," is from 7 to 8 p.m. at Saint Francis Center on the BCU campus, 3303 Rebecca St. Selma marchers speak Three alumni who marched at Selma with Martin Luther King Jr. will discuss their experiences during the annual Morningside College Wright Lecture at 8:30 p.m. at UPS Auditorium in Lincoln Center, 3627 Peters Ave. The panel discussion is free and open to the public. Democrat Kim Weaver, of Sheldon, who lost to King in the 2016 Iowa 4th congressional district contest, raised $159,626 over that entire two-year cycle. Weaver said Monday that people were so outraged by King's March 12 comments that she has received $137,183 over the eight following days. She said $100,000 of that amount came in the first four days after King in a tweet praised a Dutch presidential candidate, writing that Geert Wilders "understands that culture and demographics are our destiny. We can't restore our civilization with somebody else's babies." Chief elected Iowa Republicans criticized King's tweet, and the congressman subsequently refused to disavow the assertion. Weaver, who was soundly defeated by King five months ago to win his eighth two-year term, told the Journal she had received 5,443 contributions from people inside and out of Iowa. "There has been an outpouring of support, both financially, but as well as people signing up to volunteer on the campaign. While there were considerable donations from outside of the state, we also raised money from within the district and from individuals from across Iowa," Weaver said. She isn't the only possible Democratic 4th District candidate. Other news reports have cited that Dirk Deam is also exploring a campaign. An Iowa State University political science professor, Deam on Monday told the Journal he has "had an exploratory effort underway for many weeks." Deam said he is focused on gathering volunteers and may be getting some former ISU students for his team. "We have also been developing relationships with people in each of the 39 counties of the district," Deam said. Deam said he aims to "get past the corrosive partisan ideology that has characterized our politics in recent years and focus more directly on the people and communities of the 4th dDstrict to ensure they are effectively represented." Deam added that he's hewing to the adage that "all politics are local," so he must land grassroots supporters. "Well be out talking to people in the coming months, asking questions, getting a sense of peoples opinions and concerns, and trying to find common ground on matters that affect us all. If the people of the district are receptive to that approach and support it, well go ahead with the campaign," Deam said. Updated 2017-03-20 (originally posted 2017-02-21 ) 27 min read I have been programming primarily in Go for about six months. I find it frustrating. There are two reasons for this: First, functional programming is particularly difficult in Go. In fact the language discourages functional programming. This frustrates me because the imperative code that I write requires a lot of boilerplate, and I think it is more error-prone than it could be if I could use functional abstractions. Second, I see Go as a missed opportunity. There is exciting innovation in programming languages - especially in areas of type checking and type inference to make code safer, faster, and more ergonomic. I wish Google had chosen to put their weight behind some of those ideas. I am not the first person to look at Go this way. Here are other posts that echo my feelings: I will add to those with some of my own opinions. To highlight exactly how I think Go could be better, I want to make comparisons to Rust. Work on Go and Rust began at close to the same time: Go was first announced to the world in 2009, Rust in 2010. There is a lot of overlap in their philosophies; both languages: compile to fast, native binaries eschew inheritance in favor of composition support imperative programming omit exception-catching in favor of explicitly passing error results emphasize concurrency come with static type-checking come with a modern packaging system that promotes modularity Both languages may have been intended to replace C++: Go's designers have said that a primary motivation for Go was their dislike of the complexity of C++. One of Mozilla's prominent applications for Rust is Servo, a potential replacement for the Gecko HTML rendering engine, which is written in C++. As I see it the key differences are that Rust aims for soundness, powerful abstractions, and high performance; Go aims to be accessible, consistently simple, and fast to compile. That said, Rust is not necessarily a replacement for Go, and I do not mean to say that everyone using Go should switch to Rust. Rust supports real-time operation, can operate with stack-only allocation if necessary, and has a sophisticated type system that can, for example, detect problems due to concurrent access to shared data at compile time. Those requirements add to the complexity of Rust programs. The borrow-checker in particular has a reputation for its learning curve. My purpose for making comparisons to Rust is to provide context for specific ways in which I think Go could be better. Rust borrows a lot of good ideas from other languages, and puts them together in one nice package. Most of those ideas are not even tied to borrow-checking. I think that Go could be a better language if it adopted some of the same ideas that Rust has adopted. You can grab the code examples from this post. The examples come with executable tests to encourage experimentation. So, here is my view of how Go compares: The Good I think that Go's use of interfaces to promote composition is great. I like the separation of behavior and data: structs store data, methods manipulate data in structs - it is clean separation of state (structs), and behavior (methods). I think that distinction can become unfortunately blurry in languages that use inheritance. Go is easy to learn. Go repurposes object-oriented concepts to make something new in a way that makes it approachable to programmers who are familiar with other object-oriented languages. There is often a pretty clear "Go way" to solve a problem. This is also an oft-touted virtue of, for example, Python. Encouraging consistent idioms via the languages makes it likely that any Go programmer will be able to understand code written by any other Go programmer. This is part of a philosophy of simplicity that is described in the keynote Simplicity and collaboration. There are lots of features in the Go standard libraries that have clearly had a lot of thought put into them. This is one of my favorites: Goroutines are cheap, so programs can be structured in the way that makes most sense algorithmically, even if that involves spawning large numbers of goroutines. (But this is not unique to Go. Erlang and Scala also implement lightweight actors. Rust and other languages have their own solutions for lightweight concurrent and parallel programming.) Since I am using Rust as a point-of-reference I will point out that Rust has a separation of behavior and data that is a lot like Go's, and Rust also goes for composition-over inheritance. Instead of structs and interfaces, Rust uses structs, enums, and traits. Rust traits serve the same purpose as interfaces; but they are different enough that they might seem a little weird to programmers with an object-oriented background. Rust and Go differ in that Rust prioritizes expressiveness over simplicity, and type safety over fast compile times. (Fast compile times are a high priority for the Rust team - just not the top priority.) I could go on - there are plenty of nice features in Go. But there are also: The Bad These are features of Go that I find especially frustrating. nil I am disappointed by the decision to include null pointers in a new language when safer solutions have been in use for decades. Or to be more precise: I think it is a bad idea for a language to use nil as a bottom-ish type, where nil is type-compatible with every pass-by-reference type. I understand that nil is not technically a null pointer - but its behavior is close enough that criticisms that apply to null pointers also apply to nil . I have read Understanding Nil, and I understand that it is possible to implement methods where the receiver is nil , and that nil can be useful. Go does some nice things to make nil less bad than it could be. But the fact remains: nil is type-compatible with every pass-by-reference type, whether or not methods on that type have sensible behavior for nil receivers, and that leads to lots of opportunities for runtime errors. To me that seems like an opportunity to make language changes so that it is easier for the type checker to catch problems at compile time. Some newer languages have a null , but treat it as a distinct type that is generally not compatible with other types. (For example, Fantom and Flow do this.) In those languages values are non-nullable by default. Here is how one might declare and use a nullable variable in Flow when writing React code: Without a concept of nullability, uses of nil are contradictions of what is stated in your type signatures. This Go signature claims that the argument is a pointer to a User struct - but if you take that claim at face value you are likely to get a nil pointer dereference error: In Go every variable with a pass-by-reference type comes with the implied ambiguity, "...or it might be nil ". Support for non-nullable types makes a language expressive enough to avoid that ambiguity. The problem with nil in Go is exacerbated by the fact that nil checks sometimes fail. If an interface value has a concrete type but its value is nil , a nil check will not return true . The purist explanation for this is that the value is not really nil : it is an interface value that happens to have nil in its value slot. I don't find that explanation to be satisfactory. When a method is dispatched on that not-really-nil value, the receiver value will really be nil in the method body. But what about zero values? What would the zero value be for a function type or an interface type without nil ? Well, I think that zero values are also a bad idea. One of the design decisions in Go is that every type must have a well-defined default value, which is called the zero value. This can be convenient because it means you do not have to write constructors by hand when all you need is a default value. But I suspect that the real reason why zero values are a part of Go is that they provide well-defined behavior for what happens when you use uninitialized variables. C and C++ are notorious for undefined behaviors, which lead to traps for programmers, and to problems making code portable between compiler implementations. Use of uninitialized variables is one notable example of undefined behavior in both languages. I imagine that the designers of Go learned from C and C++, and set out to clearly define as much of Go's behavior as possible. I think that is a great attitude for language designers to adopt! But there is another option that I think leads to better code safety: Rust, Flow, and other languages use data-flow analysis to detect uses of uninitialized variables, and fail type-checking if any such uses are found. The zero-value requirement introduces a constraint that nil must exist and must be assignable to a variety of types. A lot of types have no sensible default value, so nil is the only choice. So that is one problem. Another problem is that the language does not have enough information to produce sensible default values for domain-specific types. The fact that it tries anyway undermines soundness in code. The zero values for functions and interface values (i.e., interface values with no runtime type tag) are not going to be useful under any circumstances. Pointer types can implement methods with nil receivers - but that is not useful for types that do not have sensible behavior for uninitialized values. Default struct values can be useful in some cases - but in other cases the default value violates invariants that would have been enforced by a hand-written constructor. The author of Three Months of Go called out problems with zero values in work at Pusher: Zero values caused so many problems over the summer, because everything would appear to be fine, then it suddenly breaks because the zero value wasn't sensible for its context of use. Perhaps it's an unrelated change that causes things to break (like a struct getting an extra field). How Rust does it differently Rust goes a step beyond nullable types: it does not have a null or nil value. Rust uses enums, which are types whose values come in multiple variants, where each variant is effectively a distinct struct. If you want to represent an absence of a value you use an enum variant that holds no data. The generalized form of this pattern is known as the "Option Pattern". The definition of the Option type from Rust's standard library looks approximately like this: None and Some are constructors: essentially they are each a function that returns a value of type Option . Some takes one argument, None takes zero arguments. Given an Option value, you can use pattern matching to determine which constructor was used to create the value; and pattern matching is also how you read back any constructor arguments. (In the case of a value created by calling Some(x) , pattern matching lets you get access to that x value.) Here is the Option pattern in action (source): An advantage of the option pattern over nullable types is that you can distinguish between values like None versus Some(None) . If you are looking up values in a cache (for example), a None result might indicate that there is no entry in the cache for a given key; and a Some(None) result might indicate that there is an entry, and the value of the entry is None . I once advocated for use of the Option pattern at a Java company - but at least one of my coworkers was put off by the idea of allocating an extra object on the heap just to distinguish between a value and an absence of a value. Rust is built with the Option pattern in mind, and prioritizes zero-cost abstractions: If the type parameter for Option is a reference type, then the None case can be safely represented at runtime as a null pointer. So the Some or None wrapper often disappears at compile time. In those cases the code is just as efficient as it would have been if the language allowed uses of unsafe null values in source code. In the example above since neither Option nor the i32 parameter are reference types, the compiler allocates contiguous space on the stack for the numeric result, and for a tag to distinguish between Some and None . There is no extra heap allocation, and no added pointer indirection. The Rust Book has a lot more detail on error handling. It is possible to implement the Option pattern in Go with similar efficiency; and one could even get a compile-time check that errors are handled by implementing a match method that uses the visitor pattern (example). But without generics there would be no type safety for values wrapped in an Option type. Error-handling boilerplate & lack of compile-time checks unhandled errors Error handling in Go has two related problems: there is a lot of boilerplate required; and if the programmer neglects to check for an error, or makes a small mistake such as checking the wrong error variable, the compiler will not detect the problem. Rust has a type, Result , that is quite similar to Option . The difference is that the failure variant of the Result enum is not empty - it contains an error value (of type E ). A returned value of type Result may be either Ok(value) (on success) or Err(err) (on error). A common complaint about the Option and Result patterns is that unwrapping success values is a pain. But a language with support for pattern matching makes unwrapping painless, and first-class result values permit combinators that can handle a series of potential failures more cleanly and safely than explicit error checks. Consider this Go function: There are a few ways the fetchAllBySameAuthor function this could be implemented in Rust. The pattern matching approach is probably the most accessible to people who do not have prior experience with the Option or Result Pattern: The match keyword introduces a pattern-match block. The block includes a pattern for each possible variant of the type of the expression in the head of the match paired with an expression to evaluate if that pattern matches. This is somewhat like the type switch feature in Go, where the code that runs depends on the type of the variable in the head of the switch block. But the Rust version comes with a compile-time check that a pattern is given for every possible variant of the given type, which avoids potential runtime errors. This is especially helpful when a custom type is updated to add new variants: the compiler will immediately point out any uses of the type that need to be updated. Anyway, that Rust code is no less verbose than the Go version - but it demonstrates that unwrapping Result or Option values does not have to be any more onerous than nil checks; and if we had left out a failure check in the Rust version Rust would have emitted an error at compile time. Rust has a macro, try! , that abstracts the pattern matches and early returns that we see above. So this is an equivalent function: try! rewrites an expression at compile time. For example, try!(fetch_post(post_id)) is expanded to put the fetch_post call inside a match , and inserts the boilerplate pattern matches for the Ok and Err match cases. The try! macro was used so often that Rust's designers decided to extend the language a bit to better support the pattern: putting the ? postfix operator at the end of an expression has the same effect. For example, the line let post = try!(fetch_post(post_id)); can be equivalently written as let post = fetch_post(post_id)?; And type-checking will fail appropriately if you forget the ? . But Go does not support macros. Thankfully, the Result pattern does not require macros to be concise. For the more functionally-inclined, here is another equivalent implementation that uses combinator methods: and_then is a method on Result values. If the value is a successful result, it runs the given callback, which should return a new Result value. Or if the value is an error result, and_then short-circuits, and passes the error result through. and_then is a lot like the then method on Javascript promises. But wait - what if you want to wrap error results to add context? There is a combinator for that to: map_err permits arbitrary transformations to error results. The idea is that failure checks are almost always the same: check for an error, return the error if it exists, otherwise continue. The DRY thing to do is to abstract the common pattern into a helper method or a macro. And again, a common theme in all of these Rust implementations is that there is a compile-time guarantee that every error is handled. That could be with some recovery code, or by passing the error up the call stack. Result does not get the same disappear-at-compile-time optimization that Option does because both enum variants hold data. But its efficiency compares favorably with Go's multiple return values. Go allocates enough space for every value in a multiple return. Rust allocates enough space to hold either T or E (i.e., enough space to hold the largest possible value), plus a tag to distinguish between an Ok(value) value and an Err(err) value. A nice thing about the generality of Rust enums is that if Result did not exist, it would be easy to implement it as a library. So what about using the Result pattern in Go? Well, we can't put methods on Go tuples (a.k.a, multiple return values), because they are not first-class values. It is not possible to define a function that that accepts a tuple and a callback: a Go function that takes a tuple cannot accept additional arguments (because Go tuples are not first-class values). Those constraints make the combinator pattern difficult. We could implement a custom struct type - but without generics it would not be very useful. List manipulation is not practical There is a special slap-in-the-face for functional programmers built into Go: there is no good way to write a polymorphic function that can manipulate slices with arbitrary types. In Rust you can write a function with a signature that looks like this: That is a function that takes a callback and an input slice, and returns a new array that is computed by accumulating the results of applying the callback to each element in the input array. Even better, there are built-in methods in Rust's iterator types that do exactly this. The input slice might hold any type of values; type variables allow the type checker to track how the type of the output array relates to the type of the input slice, and also allow the type checker to check that the callback has the appropriate input and output types. That pattern does not work well in Go. Without type variables the only way to express a type that is polymorphic over all slice types is to use the top-type: []interface{} . For example: But that function is not really polymorphic: a slice type with a more specific type parameter (e.g., []int ) is not type-compatible with []interface{} . So you cannot pass a variable with type []int to that Map function. You have to create a new slice of type []interface{} first, and copy int values to the new slice one-by-one in a for loop. Then after getting a result from Map you have to copy result values into yet another slice to get the proper final slice type. That means two custom loops are required around every invocation of Map - plus a runtime type assertion or type switch in the callback implementation. A slice with an arbitrary type parameter is type-compatible with the top-type, interface{} . If you just use interface{} type for every polymorphic argument you get a signature like this: With that signature you can pass in any slice type and callback type that you want, and assign the result to a variable with the proper type. But to make that work it is necessary to use the reflection API to fix up runtime type tags for the input slice, the input callback, and the output slice. The process is described in Writing type parametric functions in Go. The reflection code is ugly, but can be hidden in implementations of general-purpose functions. The unavoidable downsides are that you lose all compile-time type-safety, and there is an order-of-magnitude performance cost. The same problem applies to other list manipulation functions: Filter , Take , Reduce , etc. This is bad because list manipulation is the bread-and-butter of functional programming. The fact that Go discourages such a basic building block as Map means that functional programming is not likely to thrive in Go, and the Go community will not be able to benefit from the advantages of functional programming. You might have noticed a pattern here: Go does not support generics, and that leads to problems. Except the issue is not just lack of generics. Dynamic languages like Javascript, Python, and Ruby do not support generics either - at least not in the sense of compile-time checking. But functional idioms work just fine in those languages. For example, in Javascript you can pass any list to a generic list manipulation function, and it just works. Go occupies an awkward middle ground where it checks types at compile time, but does not provide tools to explain to the compiler how input and output types relate to each other. Generics - and type variables in particular - are a means to "talk" about types. They let you use function signatures to make statements like, "This function takes a slice of values of some type, and returns a slice of values of the same type." Working in a programming language with no type variables is as frustrating to me as talking in a spoken language without the word "the". So Go code must re-implement list abstractions everywhere. Consider this Go function: That function iterates over an input collection, skips over some values, does something with the values that are not skipped, and returns a collection with the results. In other words, this is a filter , map , take operation. Here is an equivalent Rust implementation: The Rust version lets you say what you mean. In other words, the Rust function is "declarative". And the difference becomes more pronounced if you want to process values concurrently - for example to make network requests in parallel. More on that in a bit. I once complained to a coworker about a lack of abstractions in Go. My coworker replied, "Well, maybe you shouldn't be doing that." So I want to emphasize that functional abstractions do not necessarily make code less efficient. Rust typically does "list" manipulation using lazily-evaluated iterators. (This is also how the standard data structures in Clojure work.) So you can chain filter , map , take , without intermediate collection allocations, and without wasting cycles on computing values beyond those that the caller requests. The function above does not run those filter and map callbacks on every element in the input collection - it stops processing elements as soon as it has enough results to satisfy the take(count) step. On top of that, iter , filter , map , take , and collect are polymorphic methods, but they are dispatched statically thanks to a compile-time monomorphization step. And the compiler will probably inline the filter and map callbacks. There are some notes in the Rust Book on performance of functional abstractions on iterators. It is possible that my coworker was more concerned with cognitive burden than with performance. I think that complaints of cognitive burden may be partly a result of looking at unfamiliar idioms. To an experienced functional programmer, a call to, e.g., map states a clear intention: "The input collection will be transformed according to this mapping function." With some practice declarative code is fast to read and understand. And type checkers are more effective at checking declarative code than at checking custom for loops. Let's get into the parallel-fetch problem that I mentioned. Here is a Go function that I wrote recently to fetch a set of documents in parallel: The use of a WaitGroup , the allocation of a new slice, copying result values, and explicit error checks are all low-level details that I should not have to reimplement every time I want to do things concurrently. Now that I am looking at this again, I realize there might be a problem here with concurrent access to the docs slice. Maybe it would be a good idea to use a mutex around updates to docs , or to send results from goroutines back to the main thread via a channel. But if I use a channel I will need to implement a custom struct or use two channels, because I want to capture errors, and I cannot send the type (models.Document, error) over a channel, because Go tuples are not first-class values... Rust gives a compile-time error if a mutable reference to a thread-unsafe data structure is passed to a function that could run in another thread. So I don't have to worry as much about what is or is not thread-safe when writing Rust code. But that is almost made moot by the fact that Rust can hide hairy concurrency details in library functions. Compare the Go code to an equivalent Rust function that uses the futures library: The Rust function works the same way that the Go function does: if all fetches are successful, you get a collection of data from responses. But if any fetches fail, you get the first failure as an error value. The difference is that in the Rust version the concurrency, mapping, and error-checking details are handled by a general-purpose library. (Another difference is that the Rust version returns as soon as any fetch fails, but the Go version always waits for all fetches to finish.) This example shows that the map abstraction is so powerful that concurrent versus sequential execution is an implementation detail. (I will talk more about more about functional parallel processing in a later section.) The Rust implementation assumes that fetch_document returns a Future . The function future::join_all also returns a Future . (Futures work very similarly to promises in Javascript: they represent an eventual result or error.) It would be more idiomatic to return that last future directly instead of using wait to block on the result. But blocking gives us a function that is logically equivalent to the Go version, and shows that using futures in Rust does not lock you into using callback-driven code everywhere. Using futures, and the related Stream type, makes some kinds of network server implementations much simpler than with blocking IO. In particular, streaming requests and responses are easy if code is implemented in terms of Stream values. Third-party libraries are second-class citizens Go has a magical function called make that seems to do whatever the standard library authors need for a given type. It takes a type as an argument, which is unlike most other Go functions. Called with one argument it initializes a small slice, map, or channel. make can take one or two integer arguments, depending on the choice of the first argument. For example, when creating a slice you can provide a length and a capacity: When creating a channel, you can specify the channel's buffer size with a second argument to make . As far as I know, this is the only way to set a channel's buffer size. It seems that standard libraries have a special privilege to overload make to delegate to custom constructor code when initializing their types. Third-party libraries do not get to do this. We see something like this with the range operator also. range is one of the few constructs that changes its behavior depending on the number of arguments that are assigned from its output: But more importantly: only standard library types get to be range-able. There is no way to make a third-party data type iterable. Library authors can implement adapters to output a view of their data structure as a slice, or to spit out values over a channel. But that puts extra complexity on code that uses third-party data structures, and requires programmers to use non-standard idioms. Yet another privilege is that only standard types can be compared using == , > , etc. And of course only standard libraries are allowed to define generic types. This is severely limiting to the library ecosystem around Go. It means that, for example, a third-party functional data structures library, or a third-party futures library will never be as usable as the standard library collection types. Rust supports generics for third-party code; and Rust implements iteration, equality, and comparison via traits that any third-party type can implement. Third-party Rust types are nearly indistinguishable from standard library types, which promotes innovation in Rust's library ecosystem. Incidentally, make and range are ad-hoc examples of a pattern that has generalized support in Rust: functions that are polymorphic in their return type. Rust traits are more flexible than typical object-oriented interfaces: when an interface method is dispatched the choice of the method implementation to execute is determined solely by the type of the receiver of the method. But a trait method implementation can be selected based on the type of the receiver, the type of any argument position, the combination of types of multiple argument positions (e.g., an equality trait can require that the two polymorphic arguments to an equals method have the same type), or by the expected return type. An implementation of make in Rust might look like this: Any type can implement any trait. The only rule is that the code for an implementation must be in the same crate as either the type or the trait. (A "crate" is a distributable Rust package.) So if Rust itself or a Rust library implemented make , then any third-party library could define their own custom implementations. I had to implement make and make_with_capacity as separate methods because Rust does not support method overloading. But in theory neither does Go. The Ugly These are some features of Go that I dislike on what I think are more subjective grounds than the "bad parts", or that could be worked around if some of the bad parts were fixed. No tagged unions, limited pattern matching Scala is another language that encourages passing messages over channels. Scala supports tagged-union types in combination with pattern matching. These features make great companions for channels: a tagged union describes a fixed set of message types that a channel can accept or produce. Rust supports tagged-union types in the form of enums: Rust does not require channels to be closed explicitly. Channel senders and receivers implement a Drop trait; any type can implement Drop to schedule some cleanup code to run when a value goes out of scope. In this example when the background thread terminates resp_tx goes out of scope, and closes automatically. This block is the pattern matching code from the example above: The block matches against instr , which has the type CounterInstruction . There are three variants for CounterInstruction ; each variant is represented by a pattern in the match block with code to run in case the pattern matches. Go has type switches, which are similar to pattern matching. Comparable Go matching code could look like this: The difference is in compile-time type-safety: A tagged union describes a fixed set of possible messages. When sending a value to a channel in Rust, the compiler is able to check that the value has a type that the channel consumer knows how to handle. And what is especially valuable is checking that all pieces of code that send or receive on a channel are consistent in the types of values that the they produce or consume. If you make a change to the set of possible messages in a Rust program, but forget to update some critical code to accommodate the change, the type checker will report an error at compile time. Because Go does not support tagged unions, messages over polymorphic channels are dynamically typed. You can use an interface as the type parameter for a channel, which does limit the types of messages that are sent over the channel. But a Go interface is not sealed: when a new type is created that implements the interface there is no compile-time check to ensure that all consumers of the channel are updated to handle the new type. Unpacking channel messages with a type switch (as opposed to using exclusively interface methods) can lead to bugs that a different type system would have caught. Dynamic typing Go makes heavy use of dynamic type-checking. Any use of interface{} , any type assertion or type switch, is dynamic typing. This is good and bad: without generics, it is often necessary to coerce a value to a different type; dynamic type assertions are a safer way to do this than unchecked type casts. Either way the program will (probably) crash at runtime if a value ends up having an unexpected type. But with an unchecked cast the program might corrupt memory or leak information to attackers before crashing. The fact that errors are reported at runtime means that problems are likely to go unnoticed without good test coverage. That does not just mean 100% code coverage - there might be different combinations of conditions that lead to a code path and a type error might not manifest under every combination. A type checker that can detect errors at compile time is like an extra test suite that always tests every combination of conditions. Dynamic type tests are nearly unheard of in Rust because the compiler resolves types at compile time. Pattern matches on enum variants looks a bit like a dynamic type test - but pattern matching is qualitatively different because enums are sealed. There is a compile-time guarantee that pattern matching will not fail. There are two caveats: unsafe blocks, functions, and traits in Rust do make unchecked type casts - especially when interacting with the foreign function interface. But unsafe implementations are delimited regions where the normal rules do not apply. The best practice is to keep unsafe code to a minimum; and most libraries do not use any unsafe code. blocks, functions, and traits in Rust do make unchecked type casts - especially when interacting with the foreign function interface. But implementations are delimited regions where the normal rules do not apply. The best practice is to keep unsafe code to a minimum; and most libraries do not use any code. Rust supports trait objects, which is are cases where the compiler does not resolve a concrete type for a value at compile time. But the compiler does verify at compile-time that the value implements a given trait. A trait object is a lot like a Go interface value - except that a trait object cannot have a nil value. Despite the lack of a compile-time concrete type, it is safe to dispatch trait methods on a trait object because there is compile-time verification that whatever value is in the object implements the given trait and therefore implements the appropriate methods. Dynamic dispatch, reinventing the wheel In general Rust resolves every value to a concrete type at compile time. That means that Rust can use static dispatch when invoking trait methods. (As I mentioned, the exception is trait objects, which do use dynamic dispatch much like Go interface values. My understanding is that idiomatic Rust code uses trait objects sparingly. Most uses of traits in Rust use the trait as a bound on a type variable, which leads to compile-time resolution to a concrete type. For details see the Rust book sections on traits and trait objects.) In Go every invocation of an interface method uses dynamic dispatch. Dynamic dispatch, type assertions, and type switches require runtime reflection, which adds some runtime overhead. The technique of resolving concrete types at compile-time is not new to Rust, and it has nothing to do with borrow-checking. Haskell was doing the same thing at least ten years before work began on Go. And Haskell has just as much polymorphic flexibility as Rust or Go. (Rust traits are an adaptation of Haskell type classes.) The designers of Go wanted a model for polymorphism that is simpler and more flexible than what other object-oriented languages provide. In particular they wanted composition over inheritance, and an ability to implement interfaces after-the-fact so that new interfaces can be applied to pre-existing types. This is exactly what traits and type classes do. The solution that Go introduced feels to me like a less-capable reinvented wheel. No first-class tuple Go supports multiple return values. Other languages (including Rust) support multiple return values via first-class data types called "tuples". First-class values can have methods, can be stored in data structures, and can be passed over channels. Multiple-values in Go cannot do any of those things. We already saw tuple return values in the implementation of the Make trait, and in the new_counter example. Here is a smaller example: A consequence of the lack of first-classness in Go is that there is no obvious way to communicate potential failures over a channel. It seems like this should work, but it does not: As far as I know the best options for doing this are to define a custom struct type; to coerce both success and error values to interface{} , and use a type switch to distinguish success and error on the other end of the channel; or to send success and error values over two parallel channels. Another consequence is that there is no good way to define methods on multiple return values, or to define a function that accepts multiple return values with a callback. This makes it impractical to define an analog of Rust's and_then combinator for Go return values. Shortage of high-level parallelism and concurrency features The post Channels Are Not Enough makes a detailed argument about problems with Go's lack of concurrency abstractions. In the section "List manipulation cannot be abstracted" I pointed out that Go does not provide an easy way to run a set of computations in parallel. @kachayev points out that the problem is more general than that. Really this is another symptom of lack of generics. In the parallel fetch example I showed a Rust solution that uses futures, which are great for concurrent IO. The futures library relates to a larger async IO library called Tokio, which seems to be popular. But async IO is not intended to provide parallelism. The excellent book Parallel and Concurrent Programming in Haskell has this to say about the distinction between parallel and concurrent code: A parallel program is one that uses a multiplicity of computational hardware (e.g., several processor cores) to perform a computation more quickly. The aim is to arrive at the answer earlier, by delegating different parts of the computation to different processors that execute at the same time. By contrast, concurrency is a program-structuring technique in which there are multiple threads of control. Conceptually, the threads of control execute at the same time; that is, the user sees their effects interleaved. Whether they actually execute at the same time or not is an implementation detail; a concurrent program can execute on a single processor through interleaved execution or on multiple physical processors. Go uses goroutines for both parallel and concurrent programming. Rust libraries offer a selection of tools whose strengths make them especially useful for different kinds of problems. When you want true multi-core parallel processing, the Map-Reduce pattern offers a powerful solution. This is another application of list abstractions. You can apply Map-Reduce in Rust using parallel iterators from the Rayon library: Parallel iterators implement a variation of the map method that divides work among a set of job queues that feed into a worker pool, so that invocations of the map callback run in parallel. As with goroutines, this is lightweight parallelism that scales to a large number of parallel tasks. But parallel iterators are a high-level abstraction that take care of some complicated details for you. For example, Rayon transparently splits work into batches, which provides better performance than queueing up every invocation of the map callback separately. (The default batch size is 5000 items, but that value is tunable.) The sum method (which is the Reduce step in this example) is also part of Rayon - which means that it is optimized for consuming batches of results from worker threads. It might seem strange to have to use two different libraries for concurrent vs parallel code. But those are separate concerns, with different underlying assumptions. Usually you do not actually want both at the same time. Conclusion How do I think Go 2.0 could be better? Generics. Nearly all of my complaints boil down to lack of support for generics. But I think that support for non-nil-able types, and getting rid of zero values would also be useful changes. Even Rust-style traits might be workable. Traits would require support for receiver-less methods; bit it might be possible to make traits work with Go's implicit implementation feature. In its current form, I prefer not to use Go. It is not that Go is bad - it is just that there are lots of languages available that I find more enjoyable. When I work with Go I cannot help thinking about how I could be doing things differently in another language. If you are willing to put in the time to understand lifetimes and borrow checking, Rust makes a fantastic language that does everything that Go does, but has none of the "bad parts" that I called out. Javascript is (like Go) easy to learn, and has wonderful support for concurrency (if not parallelism). When paired with Flow or Typescript you get more robust type safety than Go provides. The combination of Javascript and Flow in particular has none of the "bad parts" from this post. Erlang and Scala both support lightweight concurrency in the same style that Go does, and they are both great for functional programming. Clojure is not type-safe - but it does fantastic things! My favorite functional data structure implementations are the ones in Clojure. And Clojure encourages functional programming. Haskell has amazing type safety, some of the best concurrency and parallelism features that I have seen in any language, and is well-suited to network server code. Haskell is another language that avoids the "bad parts" from this post. We have better tools than ever for getting work done. Even Go - whether I like it or not - is clearly useful for building cool things. But if you take anything away from this post, I hope it is an interest in taking a look beyond the imperative / object-oriented world. I encourage you to pick one of the languages above, and take some time to learn about it and to get a good feel for its strengths. I think you will be glad that you did. Daimler AG, together its subsidiaries, develops and manufactures passenger cars, trucks, vans, and buses in Germany and internationally. It operates through Mercedes-Benz Cars & Vans, Daimler Trucks and Buses, and Daimler Mobility segments. The Mercedes-Benz Cars segment offers premium and luxury vehicles of the Mercedes-Benz brand, including the Mercedes-AMG, Mercedes-Maybach, and Mercedes-EQ brands; small cars under the smart brand name; and ecosystem of Mercedes-Benz under the Mercedes me brand, as well as vans and related services under the Mercedes-Benz and Freightliner brands. Daimler Trucks and Buses segment offers its trucks and special vehicles under the Mercedes-Benz, Freightliner, Western Star, FUSO, and BharatBenz brands; and buses under the Mercedes-Benz, Setra, Thomas Built Buses, and FU brands, as well as bus chassis. The Daimler Mobility segment provides financing and leasing packages for end-customers and dealers; and automotive insurance brokerage, banking, investment, and fleet management services under the Athlon brand. It also sells vehicle related spare parts and accessories. Daimler AG was founded in 1886 and is headquartered in Stuttgart, Germany Imperialism, Latin America March 20, 2017 Todd Gordon and Jeffery R. Webber An Introduction to the symposium on Blood of Extraction: Canadian Imperialism in Latin America An article published in Third World Quarterly in 2008 was our initiation into collaborative work on Canadian mining imperialism and the popular forms of resistance it systematically engenders in Latin America. The first seed. After a lengthy stretch of germination, this led almost a decade later to our new book, Blood of Extraction: Canadian Imperialism in Latin America . In the preliminary stages, when Blood of Extraction wasnt even yet a fully-fledged idea, Todd was working on the manuscript which would become Imperialist Canada (2010), and Jeff was trying to map out the cycle of left-indigenous revolt in early twenty-first century Bolivia and the rise to the presidency of Evo Morales. This eventually took shape in Red October: Left-Indigenous Struggles in Modern Bolivia (2011), and From Rebellion to Reform: Class Struggle, Indigenous Liberation, and the Politics of Evo Morales (2011). Focused collaboration on Blood of Extraction began in earnest in 2010, and in many ways flows logically out of those earlier books. Imperialist Canada sought to explain Canadas settler-colonial and capitalist foundations in the racist dispossession of indigenous peoples and its eventual rise to a secondary imperialist power within the hierarchical world-capitalist system. Through the prism of Bolivian history, Red October and From Rebellion to Reform , meanwhile, tackled questions of Latin Americas subordinate incorporation into the world market, the historical formation of capitalist states in the region, and the often radical struggles of subaltern classes and oppressed groups within, against, and beyond domestic capitalist states and the machinations of various imperialisms. Our fundamental analytical and empirical concern in Blood of Extraction is the role assumed by the Canadian state within the worldwide system of capitalist imperialism in relation to Latin America. Capitalist imperialism is characterized by deep structural inequalities between regions and countries of the world. These inequalities are exacerbated by the uneven development of global capitalist relations, and are reproduced through the active policies adopted by imperialist states and powerful international financial institutions (IFIs), such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank. Capitalist imperialism involves the draining of the wealth and resources of poorer countries to the benefit of capital of the Global North, at the cost of the majority of the peoples of the Global South. Doing the Research We started our research with a number of questions. What are the specific ways in which this systemic dynamic has played itself out in Canadian-Latin American relations? What forms have Canadian capitalist expansion and Canadian state interference in Latin America assumed in recent decades? How have Latin American workers, peasants, and indigenous communities dispossessed and exploited by Canadian capital responded in turn? What precisely are the contours of this dialectic of accumulation by dispossession and popular resistance? We began with Statistics Canada databases of Canadian foreign direct investment and the industry journals of the mining sector. We surveyed the secondary literature in Spanish and English, and trolled through the archives of newspapers and magazines throughout the Americas. This was the work of the sleuth and the economist, detecting hidden truths beneath official lies, drawing connections, and constructing models of Canadian interests and investments throughout the region. Patterns emerged. In 1990, Canadian foreign direct investment into Latin America and the Caribbean stood at only $2.58-billion (CAD) in stock (that is, cumulative Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) flows). It rose to $25.3-billion (CAD) in 2000, an increase of 880 per cent, and to $59.4-billion (CAD) amidst the deepest global economic recession since the 1930s in 2013, an increase of 134 per cent from the year 2000, and 2,198 per cent from the year 1990. The figures for 2000 and 2013, moreover, are certainly an underrepresentation of the extent of Canadian capitals penetration of the region, as Statistics Canadas data, from which these figures are primarily drawn, do not include Canadian investment that is routed through the Caribbean Offshore Financial Centres (OFCs), which, if it did, would likely double-to-triple the figures for some countries given how strong Canadian financial capitals presence is in the Caribbean OFC, as we note below. Canadian investment is occurring across a range of sectors. Canadian textile manufacturers and oil and gas, pipeline, and construction companies play prominent and controversial roles in the hemisphere. But it is clearly in the financial and mining sectors where Canadian companies are most prominent. The motivation underlying all of this investment is profit, at whatever cost to the human rights and the environment. The purpose of Canadian foreign policy in Latin America is in turn to enable and enhance the profit-making potential of Canadian multinational firms, above all in finance and mining. Next we turned to access-to-information requests. Sifting through the thousands of pages of documents generated through such requests over a number of years revealed precisely how the different apparatuses of the Canadian state the Prime Ministers Office (PMO), Foreign Affairs, the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) (as of 2015 Foreign Affairs, CIDA, and International Trade are now part of Global Affairs Canada), National Defense, Natural Resources Canada, Health Canada, and Canadian embassies throughout the region sought systematically to intervene in domestic Latin American affairs on behalf of Canadian capital. Most of the relevant activities we uncovered passed without mention in the mainstream Canadian media. Canadian Foreign Policy in Latin America In recent years, the Canadian state has lent its support to a repressive post-coup regime in Honduras; it has provided military and ideological backing for a repressive regime in Colombia, one which boasts the hemispheres worst record on human rights; it has aggressively interfered in the domestic affairs of left-of-centre Latin American governments, such as that of Hugo Chavez in Venezuela and Rafael Correa in Ecuador; it has supported ecological destruction and the dislocation of vulnerable populations in the region through its support for Canadian natural resource companies; it has provided cover for exploitative working conditions in the factories of Canadian companies operating in the export processing zones of Central America; it has sought to delegitimize, coopt, or coerce popular movements that have directly challenged the economic interests of Canadian capital this is the reality with which any honest study of Canadas growing political and economic engagement with Latin America must start. These are not extreme or isolated examples, we discovered, unrepresentative of the broader character of Canadas foreign policies in the Americas. These trends are at the core of Canadian foreign policy in Latin America, animating the dialectic of Canadian capitalist expansion and popular resistance in the region. Finally, we turned to interviews with trade unionists, indigenous activists, peasant militants, human rights lawyers, feminists, and environmentalists. [Ed.: see Bullet Nos.: 679, 681, 682, 683, 687.] During repeated trips to Honduras, Guatemala, Venezuela, Ecuador, and Bolivia we spoke to people on the frontlines of the many open battles against Canadian capitalists and diplomats which are ongoing throughout Latin America, from Mexico to Argentina. Our interview material demonstrates decisively that the indigenous and peasant communities dispossessed by Canadian mining companies, and the women workers in the sock and t-shirt factories exploited by Canadian capital, are not meek and passive victims of imperial abuse. They are fighting back in myriad creative ways, with often astonishing courage and commitment. This book aims to contribute in a small way to their multifaceted efforts of dismantling the architectures of coercion and exploitation. Blood of Extraction begins with an introductory chapter theorizing Canadas position in the imperialist world order today, and shows specifically the drivers and dynamics of Canadian imperialism in Latin America. In the rest of the book, we trace the increasingly aggressive insertion of the Canadian state and capital into the complex political economy of Latin America, with a particular focus on two sub-regions: Central America and the Andes. Canadian capital, especially in banking and natural resources development, plays a leading role in capitalist accumulation throughout the Americas, while the Canadian state is assertively pursuing the conditions amenable to Canadian investors: liberalized markets, weak environmental regulatory regimes, and contained or repressed social movements. The first section of the book looks at the dynamics of capitalist expansion and resistance as they have played out in Central America. Canada has positioned itself as an important player in the Isthmus, supporting reactionary forces, including the pro-coup actors in Honduras. The section is anchored by the chapter on Honduras, which pivots on the 2009 coup against democratically-elected President Manuel Zelaya, but also includes a detailed account of Canadas political-economic intervention in Guatemala and the rest of the region. The second section of the book looks at the Andes. Canadian capital has major interests in Ecuador, Peru, and Colombia, while the Left resurgence in Latin America has been strongest in the central and northern Andes. Thus there is a great deal at stake for Canadian investors in a region where their interests are regularly challenged by strong social movements and, occasionally, governments. As our chapters covering Ecuador, Colombia, Peru, and Venezuela argue in detail, the Canadian state has worked assiduously to weaken Andean social movements and the Ecuadorian and Venezuelan governments, while simultaneously seeking to strengthen diplomatic and military ties with conservative governments in Colombia and Peru. Canada and the Changing Structures of Global Power Gordon and Webbers new book is a major contribution to the study of Canadian political economy and foreign policy. Focusing on Canadas new role in Latin America, their book thoroughly undermines mainstream perspectives on Canadas interventions in the region for example, those emphasizing democracy promotion, counter-narcotics, development assistance, and American dictates. Instead, the authors demonstrate that the economic and political interests of Canadian capital particularly the interests of profit drive Canadian foreign policy in the hemisphere. In making this point, Gordon and Webber extend a line of academic and activist research that paints Canada as an imperialist state in the current world order. In this perspective, the Canadian economy is a relatively high-tech form of advanced capitalism; Canadian capitalists command and control an independent base of assets and revenue streams in the national economy; Canadian executives are constituted as a class through a dense network of interlocking corporate directorates; and Canadian business profits increasingly derive from foreign direct investments on a global scale. Furthermore, while the Canadian state has always been structured and managed with the interests of capital in mind, it has become even more so in the neoliberal period for example, by cutting social programs, disciplining unions, and signing international economic agreements that serve corporate profits over working-class life and the environment. Armoured Neoliberalism As resistance to neoliberalism has proliferated, the Canadian state and its principal allies have also engaged in disciplinary militarism toward any perceived threats to capital. In this context, the Canadian state, under Liberal and Conservative governments, has developed both a policy framework and an institutional capacity for a new grand strategy of armoured neoliberalism: a fusion of militarism and class warfare in Canadian state policies and practices around the world (see my book, Joining Empire: The Political Economy of the New Canadian Foreign Policy , 2014). Gordon and Webber develop this line of analysis in significant ways. First, they insist that Canadian foreign policy in Latin America be viewed in relation to global dynamics of economic, political, and military power. For the authors, [w]hat such an analysis reveals, is that Canada is one of the richest countries in the world, and it is operating within a global system of imperialism that continues to systematically benefit capital from the Global North at the expense of the people and ecologies of the Global South [p 4]. In making this point, the authors extend the Marxist theory of imperialism to include ecological relations. As they put it, [i]mperialism is an ecological phenomenon: it is shaped by ecological regimes, such as the ways in which certain natural resources have become central to capitalist accumulation and the geographical location of these natural resources, while it in turn transforms (usually destructively) local and regional ecologies in pursuit of profit [p 9]. Importantly, the authors insist that racism is also integral to the economics and ecology of imperialism. In this regard, they focus on the dispossession of indigenous peoples; the new border regimes that create apartheid-like zones of cheap labour around the world; and the systematic use of military violence by the North against the South. With this deeper understanding of imperialism, the authors map and analyze the particular position of Latin America in the global hierarchy. In particular, they critically interrogate the extractivist, export-driven, commodity-fuelled growth regime [p 27] that has guided recent development strategies in the hemisphere. For Gordon and Webber, the extractivist model is premised on the dispossession of indigenous peoples and poor peasants, and entails vast destruction of forests, farms, and water supplies. This blood of extraction has fostered a new dependency in Latin America, characterized by a boom-and-bust commodity cycle, de-industrialization, mass poverty and unemployment, and the repatriation of super-profits by multinational corporations in the resources sector. In this context, a new dialectic of capitalist expansion and popular resistance [p 2-3] has emerged. Indeed, Latin America has witnessed a wave of contentious resistance to neoliberalism by indigenous peoples, working classes, and other social movements. The response of the United States and its regional allies has been what Gordon and Webber call militarized neoliberalism: violence, fraud, corruption, and authoritarian practices on the part of militaries and security forces, as well as murder, death threats, assaults, and arbitrary detention against opponents of resource extraction [p 28]. The authors are right to examine Canadian foreign policy in Latin America in this light. Indeed, as part of the extractivist boom, Canadian direct investment has poured into the region, reaching approximately $60-billion (CAD) in 2013 [p 15]. Canadian corporations in the resources sector particularly in energy and mining have led this investment invasion. The key motivation of these companies is not economic development, but profit. In fact, the authors reveal that several Canadian mining companies have earned nearly a fifty per cent rate of profit on their investments in Latin America most of which is repatriated to Canada instead of reinvested in endogenous growth processes in the region [p 17]. State-Capital Nexus Finally, the authors demonstrate the state-capital nexus by documenting the unfettered support of Canadian governments for Canadian corporate expansion in the hemisphere. As the authors reveal, the depth and extent of Canadian capitals penetration of Latin America would never have been possible without the backing of the Prime Ministers Office, Foreign Affairs, including the embassies, the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), National Defense, Natural Resources Canada, and Health Canada the true nature of the so-called whole-of-government approach to foreign policy in action [p 284]. To quell resistance to this agenda, the authors analyze the new toolkit of Canadian foreign policy in the region, including the redirection of development aid toward resources extraction and the use of Corporate Social Responsibility to obfuscate the class exploitation and ecological destruction that attend the internationalization of capital. Yet, if such policy tools fail, the Canadian state has increasingly shown support for authoritarian repression, including the 2009 military coup in Honduras. As part of the same agenda, it has also participated in joint military exercises with, and sold arms to, security services in Colombia, Peru, and Guatemala. In these ways, the blood of the state is inextricably linked to the blood of extraction. Gordon and Webbers analysis rests on sound theoretical reasoning and empirical research, and should become a seminal text on Canadas role in Latin America. As academics and activists continue to build a theory of Canadian imperialism, however, several questions must be asked. First, while the world economy and state system are still defined by hierarchy and domination, including the draining of the wealth and resources of poorer countries to the benefit of capital of the Global North [p 7], new configurations of economic and political power require fresh analysis. The rise of China and several other industrializing powers in Asia has dramatically shifted the structure of labour, production, and class formation in the world economy, and led to variegated patterns of capitalist development in Asia and around the world, including in Latin America. If North-South relations are shifting in such ways, how does the concept of imperialism remain relevant? For example, as Branko Milanovic has shown in his new book, Global Inequality (Harvard University Press, 2015), the winners of globalization are both the plutocrats of the North and the rising middle class of Asia, which has experienced real income gains over the past two decades, closely tied to market reforms in China under strong state direction. Milanovic also shows that inequality between nations has declined recently, and that inequality between individuals without regard to nationality has increased. In this context, Marxist analysis must pay close attention to diverse patterns of capital accumulation and class and state formation. The question of U.S. hegemony must also be addressed more directly. Across the field of international relations, there is currently a debate on U.S. decline and the prospect of multi-polarity. Gordon and Webber show that U.S. capital remains the dominant source of foreign direct investment in Latin America, but they do not engage issues of geopolitical and economic competition in the region. Related to this, how does Canadian foreign policy fit into the changing structure of power, both globally and in Latin America? Does it operate fully independently in a post-hegemonic region, or does it often dovetail with American objectives? The authors should address these issues in future work. The authors should also engage with the research of Canadian political scientists Laura Macdonald and J.Z. Garrod, who questions the thesis of Canadian imperialism in Latin America. In a recent publication, they argue that there is no longer a North-South divide in the world economy; that many mining companies headquartered in Canada are actually directed by Southern-based capitalists; that the notion of Canadian imperialism makes too strong a link between national mining firms and the state; that the global mining industry is now less nationally based and more integrated with transnational value chains; and that global mining firms use Canadian headquarters for propaganda purposes. For Macdonald and Garrod, then, imperialism is an unhelpful term for explaining Canadas role in the new extractivism. While Gordon and Webber clearly demonstrate the state-capital nexus, future research should look more closely at the organizational structure of mining capital in Canada and around the world. Finally, as part of building a left critique of Canadian corporate expansion, it is imperative to confront and debunk the mainstream theories of economic globalization more forcefully. The authors touch on this in the Introduction, but the text could have benefited from a more thorough critique of liberal and institutionalist theories of trade, investment, and multinational corporations. These issues aside, Blood of Extraction is a valuable addition to scholarship and activism around Canadas changing role in Latin America. As Gordon and Webber conclude, the only thoroughgoing framework capable of understanding both the drivers of Canadian foreign policy in the region and their consequences for local populations is one that situates Canada as a secondary imperialist power within a global system which systematically benefits capital from the Global North at the expanse of the people and the environment in the Global South [p 283]. Jerome Klassen is a Research Fellow with the MIT Center for International Studies. He is author of Joining Empire: The Political Economy of the New Canadian Foreign Policy , and co-editor of Empires Ally: Canada and the War in Afghanistan , both with University of Toronto Press. The Central American Angle Before Blood of Extraction , no book had approached the theme of Canadian imperialism in Central America in its entirety, and with good reason: Canadian influence has become so central to the politics of accumulation, repression, and resistance in the region that even tracing a mental map is a dizzying task. Gordon and Webber, in this hundred page section, achieve that mapping in a coherent narration that amounts to the most complete record composed to date. The three chapters, which cover Honduras, Guatemala, and the rest of the isthmus respectively, paint a picture of the expansion of Canadian capital at any cost, including the active pursuit of favourable political and legal conditions and a willful shrugging off of massive human rights abuses. The book is important for having collected information from every corner of news, industry, and activist publication, but its greatest contribution lies in the use of documents released through access to information requests in Canada. Here Gordon and Webber show the backroom involvement of Canadian officials and tycoons in ensuring the political conditions for the continued profit of mining companies. Blood of Extraction uses sets of briefings and emails to prove beyond any doubt that Canadians regularly exert influence over local political and legislative processes. In one example, Canadian government representatives are shown to be active in securing conditions for the consolidation of Honduras illegitimate post-coup government; one Canadian official even travelled to Brazil to directly pressure ousted president Manuel Zelaya to contain protests and support elections. Similarly, in discussing the lead-up to Guatemalas response to a ruling against Goldcorp by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, Gordon and Webber expose a flurry of meetings between officials from the Canadian and Guatemalan governments, Goldcorp, and the IACHR. The material accessed through information requests has left other researchers and activists with an unprecedented tool. Gordon and Webber cite the reference code for every accessed document in the books footnotes, providing the rest of us a guide to available material. Once a request for information has been completed in Canada, anyone can follow up and request access to the same documents using their corresponding codes. Where the initial search for information is a game of guesswork in the dark, the keys left in the back pages of Blood of Extraction make it easy for others to follow up in search of further answers. Blood of Extraction only falls short in its lack of information on the role of local elites. Granted, the stated focus is an exploration of the roles played by Canadians, but the book leaves readers with an impression of Canadian-led imperialism rather than mutually-beneficial alliances. Elites in each Central American country are heavily invested in their local extractive agendas, however, and also act transnationally across the region. Remilitarization is likewise driven first by domestic interests, but it has found a happy partner in the social conflict generated by Canadian mining. The case of Tahoe Resources San Rafael mine in Guatemala, for example, has been shown in Guatemalan and Canadian courts to involve not just local investors but kick-back schemes benefitting landowners and politicians, while also allowing for the creation of a new institution for counter-insurgent intelligence-gathering. At play here is much more than Canadian interests, and Blood of Extraction would only have been strengthened through a more detailed examination of the ties between Canadians and Central American economic, political, and military elites. This critique aside, the depiction of Canadian mining operations within the context of Central American political economies is outstanding, and the book will surely remain a cornerstone of critical work on the region for some time. Simon Granovsky-Larsen is an Assistant Professor of Politics and International Studies at the University of Regina. His research focuses on social movements and political violence in post-conflict Guatemala, and he is currently documenting ties between paramilitaries and extractive industries. Accumulation by Dispossession, Expanded Reproduction, and Class Transformations in Latin America Of the plethora of literature written in recent years on the contemporary dynamics of imperialism and the world capitalist system, Todd Gordon and Jeff Webbers Blood of Extraction stands out as a particularly thought-provoking and empirically rich contribution. In contrast to both mainstream liberal commentators who consider Canada a peaceful ally to Third World countries, and political economy commentators who once dubbed it the worlds richest dependency, the authors seek to demonstrate Canadas role as a major imperial force on the world stage. Contemporary imperialism is theorized as a series of political interventions by this imperialist state in the form of often militarized neoliberal policies designed to pave the way for the entrance of Canadian capital in Latin American countries, with the outcome of reinforcing uneven capitalist development between the countries of the North and those of the South. The particular dynamics of Canadian imperialism relate to the extraordinary expansion of Canadian mining corporations in Latin America, a process characterized as accumulation by dispossession, which has brought both ecological devastation and the dispossession of rural communities from their lands and resources. The authors describe in impressive detail how Canadian state has modelled itself as an active imperial agent operating in Latin America, aggressively facilitating the entrance of its mining corporations into territories through an array of strategies seeking to liberalize markets, prevent resource nationalism, protect foreign investments, reconstitute property regulations, weaken environmental protections, and contain or actively repress social opposition. For the purpose of this symposium, I would like to draw attention to some of the most significant contributions of the book to the current debate, and invite the authors to provide greater clarification on the implications of their analyses and observations. The first contribution is the application of David Harveys concept of accumulation by dispossession to the contemporary dynamics of extractivism in Latin America. Accumulation by dispossession refers to the increased adoption of extra-economic strategies for accumulation, including fraud, coercion, and predation as an ongoing feature of capitalist expansion in these territories in distinction to the normal process of capital accumulation. In particular, this is associated with what the authors call militarized neoliberalism, a dynamic which adopts varying characteristics in different countries, with key examples including Alvaro Uribes democratic security policy in Colombia and the war on drugs in Mexico, Central America, and Colombia. The key strength of this analysis is to demonstrate how the expansion of global capital into Latin America requires a parallel expansion of state and military power to open up territories to extractive capital, dispossess communities from their lands, and contain social protest. The authors focus on the political and military mechanisms through which Canadian capital creates the conditions for its expansion, including the incredible number of ways Canadian corporations, often with the help of the state, are appropriating communal lands and resources to subject them to the logic of global capital, is a commendable development for contemporary understandings of Marxs notion of primitive accumulation. Yet, granting there is something distinctly predatory about the contemporary dynamics of Canadian mining in Latin America, the implications of this notion require further clarification. The complexities of the processes involved are frequently bypassed, with problematic consequences for the application of the theoretical framework to the case studies. Normal Processes of Capitalist Development While the authors lay out the notion of accumulation by dispossession in the theoretical introduction, the remainder of historical and empirical analyses of the book presents an array of processes that make no clear differentiation between accumulation by dispossession and normal processes of capitalist development. Some examples include the relocation of production in the maquiladora and tourist sectors in Central America, which represent normal practices of capitalist cost cutting, or the growth of agribusiness displacing small and medium farmers, which is again a normal feature of capitalist competition. That is not to deny the brutality of these processes or the mechanisms of violence that are frequently invoked, but rather to state that these are very different dynamics than, for example, the dispossession of peasant and Indigenous communities from communal land or even the privatization of state industries. A further issue is that, in many of the cases of dispossession of communities, it would seem that capitalist social relations are already in place, rendering the usefulness of the notion of accumulation by dispossession unclear in these scenarios. The application of the notion of accumulation by dispossession could be clarified with a more systematic treatment of the theoretical concepts of the book in the empirical and historical analyses of the case studies. Another point that glares from the case studies is that the use of violence, predation, and fraud is by no means restricted to the contemporary phase of extractivism in Latin America, but rather would appear to be the modus operandi for capitalist development throughout the history of the region. As the authors point out, much of the contemporary militarization derives from the Cold War struggles, in which militarized interventions by the U.S. and domestic elites were simultaneously aimed at both containing the communist threat and opening up territories to capital accumulation. In this sense, the book raises many interesting questions about what is distinctly new about the contemporary mechanisms of accumulation by dispossession in Latin America, and the dynamics of continuity and change from those of the past, which would benefit from more detailed interrogation from the authors. A second issue I would like to raise is the focus on capitalism as a predatory or externally imposed force in Latin America. This paints a picture whereby Canadian imperial capital accrues wealth by exploiting and dispossessing the people of Third World, but it fails to deeply or systematically examine the internal transformations taking place in these countries, both in terms of the realignments in the state apparatus and shifts in class relations. The changing position of Latin America in the international division of labour is associated with a major reconfiguration in social relations inside these countries. These internal changes include the emergence of a capitalist class that is increasingly linked to transnational capital, whose structural power inside each country has been significant both in the configuration of neoliberal states and for the power struggles of progressive or radical governments who have supported the commodities consensus to a certain degree, but also engaged in a struggle over the distribution of the rent. Alongside this has been a massive expansion of the surplus rural labour force, as well described by the authors, but also the creation of a unionized stratum of the workforce oftentimes supportive of extractivism the so-called labour aristocracy which complicates the question of class organizing in extractivist economies. While the case studies offer glimpses of these processes at work, the implications in relation to the internal social transformations are insufficiently explored. In my view, this oversight is related to a theoretical framework that tends to over-emphasize capitalism as a top-down or external force, while the normal processes of capitalist development what Harvey calls expanded reproduction and class formation receive little theorization. To sum up, Todd Gordon and Jeff Webbers Blood of Extraction offers an insightful and challenging interpretation of an impressively wide range of key issues related to the dynamics of Canadian imperialism and extractive capitalism in Latin America today. It provides a fruitful basis for further debate and scrutiny that deserves a wide readership. Kyla Sankey is a Ph.D. candidate in the School of Politics and International Relations at Queen Mary University of London. Her research interests include Critical Development Studies, Latin American Political Economy, Labour, Social Movements and Rural Sociology. Her doctoral research explores the contemporary dynamics of the agrarian question and peasant social movements in Colombia. Extractivism, Socio-Ecology, and North-South Solidarity Blood of Extraction is a comprehensive study of Canadas economic entanglements with Latin Americas resource industries. By tracing Canadian capital investments and flows, the authors also sketch the influence of Canadian foreign policy upon Latin American state-making, arguing that transnational capitals root themselves in the nation-state opportunistically and flexibly. This idea of flexibility is crucial to understanding foreign investments and extractivism today; at the same time, the flexibility of capital, military might, and new forms of disposability also leave social movements in a precarious position in a moment of radical retrenchment of Leftist politics. Gordon and Webber trace the rotating door of capital/resource investments and arms/militaristic flows that overtly or covertly protect these interests. As the authors rightly point out, there is nothing new here. This embeddedness of capital and arms flows is part of the historic arc of resource extraction and long legacies of colonialist violence (especially around violence upon bodies, lands, collective ideals, and alternative economic systems). Whether it is Canadian influence in Colombia (through extractive industries such as oil and mining) or Canadian transnational mining companies in Peru (gold), the authors sketch the ways in which multinational capital in mining plays a major role in perpetuating civil war in Colombia and military and para-military terror in regions like Peru and Ecuador. In all cases, the long shadows cast by colonial violence (or the raping of lands, Indigenous women, and a way of life) come to the fore through resource extractivism tied to new forms of weapons trade and militarism. As Gordon and Webber articulate in the Colombian context, Once embedded in these environs, the violence that this capital requires as a regular feature of its accumulation process to clear the land to crush armed insurgents and to terrorize unarmed social movements opposed to extraction in their territories quickly dispels any illusions that Canadian companies might be in any sense neutral bystanders in quintessentially Colombian armed conflict. And here we see how the violence in the countryside is integrally linked to capital flows; violence enables extractive capitalism to expand, to deepen, and even to flourish. In all contexts of the Andes, the nefarious social-ecological impact of extractivism has left a trail of ecological, social, and communal destruction, which the authors refer to with the invocation of David Harveys concept of accumulation by dispossession. In all of the Andean regions, we see how hydrocarbon exploration, mining for minerals, and agro-industrial expansion of mono-cropping has exacerbated a process of capital accumulation outwards, leaving Canadian capitalists with massive profits, all the while leaving unmitigated ecological impacts to lands and to local and regional water supplies. These disruptions affect ways of life and local economies around small-scale farming and fisheries. In all cases, the question of legality and illegality and state and capital embeddedness has pushed the territorial bounds for resource-based extraction into national parks, forest preserves, and deeper into the Amazon. Many of these efforts to expand into natural parks have resulted in Indigenous uprisings but have not ultimately slowed the influence of U.S. and, in this case, Canadian resource investments. A few questions remain: a) how do we begin to create humanistic scales to measure these social, ecological, environmental impacts as capital investments are measured as net GDP growth for all these states? b) How do we capture in our analyses (beyond qualitative data) this trail of horror and destruction and measure the urgency of these problems? c) how do we use these new metrics to hold U.S. and Canadian resource capitalists accountable? Resource Extractivism and the Climate Crisis Resource extractivism and super-profitability of non-renewable fossil fuel industries is ever more concerning in an era of diminishing natural resources and the climate crisis. The Andean region as a result of glacier melt, population density, and mismanagement of water supplies is running out of water. Currently, in what is perhaps the worst drought the country has seen in 25 years, Bolivia is in a national state of emergency and under state-mandated water rationing in cities like La Paz. We will see more and more of these kinds of natural and man-made disasters in the coming years without a centralized and effective state apparatus to deal with such problems. Id like to turn toward the state of social movements in the region in a moment of rightward pendulum swing (from Colombia to Venezuela to Brazil). It is already clear that there will be resource extraction regulation will decrease, states will be controlled by non-renewable fossil fuel giants, and U.S. and Canadian foreign influence will fuel military and para-military initiatives in the region. We have already seen the increased and hyper-militarization of resource-based capitalism in places like Brazil and subsequent repressions of protests and resistance. So what does this mean for social movements in the region, for Indigenous peoples, and for alternative socio-ecologies? While sporadic resistance to mining is quite common in the Andes, no mass environmental movement has galvanized organized labour or united people across rural/urban divides or ethnic differences. But it seems like there will be a need to reconfigure movements across class, gender, race/ethnicity, and landlessness to work independently of the center-democratic Andean states (like those under Correa and Morales) and to map out a vision for sustainable alternatives and controls on foreign capital. But none of this seems feasible without a larger, more sustainable movement. Canadian and U.S. climate and resource-based movements have been at the forefront of anti-pipeline, anti-tar sands resistance, and its important to consider the ways in which this is the right moment for anti-fossil fuel movements to cut across these geographic divides. The time is ripe to attack these companies on our home ground and rethink our economic articulation with them. How and in what ways do our consumptive lives link back to these trails of destruction (politically, economically, and militaristically) in the Andes? What might North/South solidarity look like in this era? Nicole Fabricant is an Associate Professor of Anthropology at Towson University in Towson, Maryland. Her research and teaching interests include extractive industries and social movements in Latin America and the USA. She has written two books on Bolivia, Mobilizing Bolivias Displaced: Indigenous Politics and the Struggle over Land , and Remapping Bolivia: Resources, Indigeneity and Territory in a Plurinational State , with Bret Gustafson. She is part of the editorial board at NACLA Report on the Americas , and Latin American Perspectives . Hegemony, Primitive Accumulation, and Anti-Imperialism from Below: A Response Sincere thanks to all the contributors to this symposium. It is a rare and gratifying privilege to have such serious interlocutors read and comment on our work. Each of these careful and judicious interventions has prompted us to think more deeply and further refine the arguments we make in Blood of Extraction . U.S. and Chinese Power in Latin America Of the many important questions Jerome Klassen raises in his commentary, we are going to address two. First, the matter of the strength of U.S. hegemony in the region and how Canada fits into this broader picture. U.S. influence in the region needs to be understand in relation to other imperialist powers, such as China, and to Latin American countries themselves. Without question Chinas influence in the world has grown over the last three decades, as Chinese capital (whether private or state-owned) has expanded beyond Chinese borders in search of raw materials to feed its rapidly growing industrial base and in search of markets for its manufactured goods. In one reflection of this phenomenon, Chinese Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) has increased in Latin America, particularly in the extractive sectors. But as the latest report on FDI from the Economic Commission on Latin American and the Caribbean notes, in 2015 the U.S. accounted for over twenty-five per cent of FDI flows into the region. No country from outside the region has the scale of foreign investment stock in it that the U.S. does. Chinas importance to the region as an importer of raw materials grew dramatically during the commodities boom of 2003-2011. This demand in fact played an important role in what some critics have described as the reproduction of a problematic Latin American development path based heavily on the export of primary products to foreign markets, and on foreign investment to produce those products in the first place. The danger of this path of relying on a traditionally volatile global market in raw materials exports has became painfully obvious since Chinese demand slowed sharply beginning in 2012. Chinas trade influence has thus waned, while, at the same time, unable to extricate themselves from dependence on raw materials exports, many Latin America countries are now faced with slumping economies, low profitability, and heavy foreign debt liabilities. This is particularly true of Venezuela and Ecuador. So we should be careful not to overstate Chinas role in Latin America. Its economic influence is still relatively small compared to that of the U.S., and it has nowhere near the diplomatic or security weight that the U.S. does. In terms of U.S. influence vis-a-vis Latin America, it has declined to some degree over the last two decades, but it is wrong to characterize the region as post-hegemonic. The pink and red tide governments managed through the 2000s to establish greater political distance from the U.S. than in the past, creating Latin American financial and political institutions that exclude the U.S. and Canada, such as the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR), and the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America (ALBA). Venezuelan and Bolivian governments, in particular, gained sympathy from many Latin Americans for their denunciations of U.S. imperialism. Yet Mexico, the Central American isthmus, Colombia and Peru never withdrew from the orbit of direct U.S. political or economic influence. These ties have remained relatively strong. But even with the pink tide governments, serious cracks in their efforts at greater independence have appeared in recent years. Brazil, largest driver of economic autonomy from the U.S., and the largest economy in the region, is mired in a deep economic crisis; and the removal of Dilma Rousseff in a white coup this year, and her replacement with U.S. ally Michel Temer, has reinforced American power vis-a-vis Brazil. The rise of Mauricio Macri in Argentina added to the list of U.S. allies in the region, and the ongoing economic and political crisis of the Bolivarian project in Venezuela, also force us to cast a critical eye on claims of post-hegemony. Canadas Objective Independent Interests With respect to how Canada fits into the changing structure of power, again we want to be cautious not to conflate the decline in American power with the end of U.S. imperialism. Insofar as the U.S. remains a or the dominant imperial power in the world, and a longstanding ally and major trading partner of Canadas, American power is important to Canadian interests. However, Canadian foreign policy isnt reducible to what the U.S. does or wants, though their aims often coincide. Canadian capital has its own objective interests. Canadian foreign policy is designed to promote and defend those interests; and it is especially active and independent in one-to-one relations with countries in which Canadian investment interests are strong. At the same time, viewed from the perspective of Canadian state managers, it also makes sense for Canada to align itself with U.S. hegemony given the latters role in Latin America (and globally). Such cooperation serves Canadas self-interest. But when it comes to dealing with something like natural resources sector reform, such as a mining law, or supporting a particular investment project, Canada does so on its own initiative, whether or not its interests coincide with those of the U.S. in any given case. Militarism is one area where Canada is more explicitly aligned with and dependent upon U.S. leadership. Given the global scope of the U.S. military and, in relation to Latin America its deep connection with militaries throughout the region, Canada benefits from close cooperation. Canadas independent initiatives in the realm of militarism are small though not insignificant as we can see in the ties Canada has built with the Colombian military or funding security apparatuses in Guatemala and Honduras. Decline of the North-South Divide? Second, Klassen encourages us to engage the recent work of Laura MacDonald, and particularly her suggestions that there is no longer a North-South divide in the world economy, and that mining companies cannot be so easily identified with a nation, including in the case of Canada. As our response to the issue of U.S. influence in Latin America suggests, the claim that there is no longer a meaningful North-South divide in the world economy is wrong. Systematically investment capital that moves between these regions moves from North to South while profits move in the reverse direction. There are exceptions, but the broad trend remains. Nor is political intervention by countries of the South into the North remotely comparable to that of the North into the South. Even the largest Latin America economy, Brazil, cannot shape political outcomes or exert military influence in the U.S. or Canada in the way the latter countries, especially the U.S., do in Latin America, or in Brazil itself. Moreover, as we note in Blood of Extraction , there have been two violent coups in the Western Hemisphere since 2004: Haiti and Honduras. Canada played an active role in both of these. The North-South divide, while not exactly as it was thirty years ago, remains relevant. With regard to the complexity of identifying the nationality of capitalist firms, while foreign mining capitalists set up company headquarters and place themselves on the Toronto Stock Exchange because of Canadas permissive regulatory and tax systems for the extractives sector, the reason the systems have developed as they have in the first place is precisely because Canada has a strong mining sector with extensive international interests. Most mining capital that flows from Canada to foreign destinations, whether exploratory or for large projects, is still Canadian. We are careful to point out that by Canadian capital we mean capital that has a clear and identifiable Canadian owner, whether as an owner of a private company or as a majority or minority (with controlling influence) shareholder of a publicly-traded company. In this strict sense, as Bill Burgess and Paul Kellogg have also pointed out, the notion of Canadian capital remains centrally relevant to any serious understanding of Canadas national political economy as well as the international projection of Canadian capital. Some Canadian extractive companies establish foreign subsidiaries, it is true, but the subsidiary is still ultimately controlled by the Canadian parent. Subsidiaries are a business strategy for foreign operations, and a means to create legal distance from criminal practices abroad. In the garment sector, Canadian companies often subcontract to local capitalists, but the main investment capital, and thus the profits, are Canadian. Primitive Accumulation and Normal Capitalism Kyla Sankey makes two central criticisms in her incisive and penetrating commentary on our book. The first turns on a claim that we fail to make a clear differentiation between accumulation by dispossession and normal processes of capitalist development. In fact, we are careful to note in our introductory chapter that Harveys concept of accumulation by dispossession (his reworking of Marxs primitive accumulation) is perhaps rather too all-encompassing. Still, we agree in hindsight that we could have been more precise throughout the book in delineating where this process begins and ends, and in identifying where exactly Harvey stretches the concept beyond reasonable bounds. We would certainly not wish to suggest that the relocation of production in the maquiladora sector amounts on its own to accumulation by dispossession, as Sankey believes we argue. The theoretical ambiguity in our opening definition may have encouraged such a misreading. Where accumulation by dispossession was necessary vis-a-vis the growth of the maquiladora sector in Central America was specifically in the relatively recent wave of intensified de-peasantization and proletarianzation (particularly of women), such that a reserve army of labour was made available for factory exploitation. Such a labour force is never naturally occurring a given, static input for capital but has to be made and remade through various iterations across distinct moments of capitalist development. So, we thank Sankey for her observation and agree that our book would have benefitted from more precision on this score. However, when Sankey goes on to argue that in contexts where capitalist social relations are already in place the usefulness of the notion of accumulation by dispossession is unclear, we encounter an area of actual disagreement. From our perspective, the error here is in thinking of primitive accumulation as merely a one-off precondition for the introduction of capitalist social relations, after which normal accumulation assumes the mantle. We would insist, rather, that primitive accumulation remains a continuous feature of mature capitalist development due to the ongoing conflictive character of capitalist social relations. Once made, the job isnt over. Primitive accumulation doesnt recede to the past. It plays an integral role in the ongoing reproduction of capitalist social relations. Latin American Transformations The second criticism of Sankeys rests on the claim that our book fails to deeply or systematically examine the internal transformations taking place in these countries, both in terms of the realignments in the state apparatus and shifts in class relations. In particular, Sankey calls for greater attention to the role of a capitalist class in Latin American countries, which is increasingly linked to transnational capital, on the one hand, and the power struggles of progressive or radical governments who have supported the commodities consensus to a certain degree, but also engaged in struggle over the distribution of rent, on the other. Sankeys argument in this area parallels the one objection made by Simon Granovsky-Larsen in his perceptive commentary. He also thinks Blood of Extraction lacks information on the role of local elites, and leaves readers with an impression of Canadian-led imperialism rather than mutually-beneficial alliances. It would have taken us well outside the subject matter of our book indeed it could easily have required an additional book altogether to deal seriously with the complex transformations of class structures and state forms in Latin American countries in recent decades. Nonetheless, we agree that we that we did not take sufficiently into account the role of mutual (although asymmetrical) benefits, cooperation, and alliances between specific sections of Latin American capitalist classes and Canadian imperialism. Our argument would have been strengthened if we had spent more time unpacking the ties between Canadians and Central American [and South American] economic, political, and military elites, as Granovsky-Larsen points out. In future work, we may want to think about this more seriously through the theoretical prism of sub-imperialism, as well as Lenins links in the imperialist chain. On Sankeys point about the distinctiveness of progressive or radical governments, we actually pay significant attention to their contradictory relationship to Canadian imperialism, and their inconsistent relationship to rent distribution, especially in the extensive chapters on Venezuela and Ecuador. One of the novelties of our book was to treat Latin American history as deeply complex never reducible to a product of imperialism and to depict Latin Americans themselves as much more than merely passive victims. This was our intent, at least, with the focus on social movement struggle that runs through our text. Grassroots Anti-Imperialism We also wanted to think more thoroughly through the question of anti-imperialism, which too often tends to be reduced to the activity of left-governments. While these governments have sometimes come into conflict with Canadian imperialism, at other times they have worked together with Canadian capital and repressed dissident, radical sectors of their own populations. For us, the real frontlines of anti-imperialism in contemporary Latin America are grassroots socio-ecological movements, often indigenous and peasant-based. These movements sometimes find themselves in the uncomfortable and paradoxical circumstance of facing repression from their own anti-imperialist governments for confronting multinational mining capital directly. Lets end on the same note as Nicole Fabricants intervention, on the question of North-South solidarity. What forms might this assume? For us this means, first and foremost, building an uncompromising anti-imperialist, eco-socialist struggle within the Canadian state. Initial signals of what this should look like can be seen in the militant direct actions of the Idle No More indigenous movement, the struggle against the Tar Sands, and the anti-mining coalitions springing up around the country. Just across Canadas southern border, the recent heroism of the Standing Rock Sioux and the broader movement of solidarity against the Dakota Access Pipeline also points us in the right direction. Our anti-imperialism, following Jose Carlos Mariategui, must also be thoroughly and uncompromisingly anti-capitalist. We need to be sufficiently subtle in our analyses to be able, when necessary, to criticize leftist governments in Latin America that unfold the banner of anti-imperialism as a cover for extractive capitalism, in alliance with multinational capital. As we write these words, this has come to mean lending our solidarity with the Shuar revolt against mining expansion in their Amazonian territories in Ecuador and condemning Rafael Correas militarization of the region on behalf of Chinese mining imperialism. 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. William "Bill" Parker Cloyes passed away early on Friday, March 17, 2017 at his home in Maryland in the Asbury Solomons Island retirement community. His death was confirmed by his wife of 38 years, Dolores (Nelson) Cloyes. He was 95 years old. Bill Cloyes was born in Springfield, Massachusetts on December 8, 1921 in a paternal family that dates back to 1655. His grandfather, William Oscar Cloyes, was highly decorated for the major role that he played in saving the Union's Iron Clad Monitor "Montauk" during the Civil War. After the premature death of his father at the age of 47, Bill, aged five, and his brother, John Henry Cloyes, aged three, were moved to the Masonic Home in Utica, New York. In 1939, Bill Cloyes graduated from the Thomas R. Proctor High School in Utica, New York. In 1944, he graduated from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York, with a five-year Bachelor of Chemical Engineering degree. At Rensselaer, he was elected to Pi Delta Epsilon, the national journalism honorary fraternity. A member of the first US Naval ROTC unit at Rensselaer, Bill Cloyes served in World War II as a commissioned officer, beginning in 1942, and received several awards as a Lieutenant Junior Grade in the US Navy in the Pacific fleet, including the Presidential Unit Citation for extraordinary heroism. He was one of the officers instrumental in saving the USS Essex when the aircraft carrier was attacked by a Japanese Kamikaze on November 25, 1944. After the war, Cloyes began a career with NL Industries (formerly National Lead Co.) that spanned 36 years in various senior management positions, the first 17 of which were spent with NL's affiliate, Titanium Metals Corporation of America. Cloyes is recognized as a pioneer in NL's commercial production of titanium metal in the United States, the production and quality control of titanium extrusions for the Lockheed Aircraft SR-71 supersonic reconnaissance plane used by the US Airforce, and Titanium Metal's first titanium metal plant in Henderson, Nevada. He also expedited the construction and start-up of NL's rutile mine in Queensland, Australia, and its first magnesium plant near the Great Salt Lake in Utah. Bill Cloyes retired early, at the age of 62, devoting himself to a wide range of charitable causes and travel. Dedicated to ecological awareness and respect for the Earth's aquatic beauty, he and Dolores moved to Maryland in 2000, where they have focused on ornithological, ecological, and historical activities in Maryland's Chesapeake Bay area. Bill was also a founding contributor to the World War II Memorial Society. For more than two decades, he and Dolores traveled widely in the Caribbean, New Zealand, Australia, Spain, and throughout the United States, including attendance at USS Essex Naval reunions. Besides his wife, Dolores, and brother, John, a resident of Katy, TX, Bill Cloyes is survived by two daughters, Shirley Cloyes DioGuardi of Ossining, NY, and Gail Coles of Emmaus, PA; a son, John Cloyes of Princeton Junction, NJ; a stepdaughter, Wendy Brown of Kearny, NJ; a stepson, Rob Brown of Plainfield, NJ; eight grandchildren and one great-grandchild. Services will be private. In lieu of flowers, donations in Bill Cloyes' memory may be sent to Calvert Hospice, P.O. Box 838, Prince Frederick, MD 20678, and to Asbury Solomons Benevolent Fund, 11100 Asbury Circle, Solomons, MD 20688. Arrangements provided by Rausch Funeral Home, P.A., Lusby, MD. COLUMBIA, Md. (March 20, 2017)The Maryland Senate on Friday adopted the Maryland Health Insurance Coverage Protection Act to monitor congressional plans to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act that could cost the state billions to maintain current coverage.The intent of the bill, SB571 , offered by Sen. Thomas Mac Middleton and 31 other Democratic co-sponsors, is to study ways to prevent 400,000 Marylanders from losing health insurance and plan for a potential loss of $4 billion in federal Medicaid and Medicaid dollars that flow to the state each year.Sen. Jim Brochin, D-Baltimore County, was the only Democrat not to sign on as a co-sponsor.A plan released by U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan March 6 cuts $880 billion from the Medicaid program and $673 billion in premium subsidies to those who purchased insurance through the exchanges, according to Congressional Budget Office report released last week, page 6 Under Ryans plan, the American Health Care Act, the CBO estimated that 24 million Americans would become uninsured by 2026 from the loss of Medicaid funding and the eventual loss of federal subsidies available to those with incomes between 133% and 400% of the federal poverty rate.Middletons bill is expected to pass in a final vote this week. A cross-filed bill in the House is co-sponsored by all 91 Democrats and six Republicans but theres been no action on the bill since its hearing on March 10.The Act would set up an 11-member commission, including the Maryland attorney general, to complete a study on the potential impact to Marylanders and devise plans to mitigate the loss of Medicaid and Medicare funding.The commission would be authorized to convene workgroups over the next three years and report back to governor and legislature.The federal government currently subsidize 95% for Marylanders who became insured under the Medicaid expansion when the state fully implemented the ACA. This brings about $2.8 billion in annual Medicaid support in 2017 and the states share is just $70 million.The state also stands to lose its Medicare waiver, which is the only program of its kind in the country that allows hospitals to charge Medicaid and Medicare the same commercial rates charged to insurance companies, normally much higher than what Medicaid and Medicare reimburses in other states. The waiver also allows the state, not the federal government, to set the rates.The waiver brings $2.3 billion in additional funding to Maryland hospitals annually.When Maryland fully implemented the Affordable Care Act in 2013 the unprecedented expansion of Medicaid added 291,000 Marylanders to the Medicaid rolls by 2016, according to analysis by the Maryland Department of Legislative Services.This was accomplished by raising the income eligibility to 138% of the federal poverty rate for all individuals under 65 who were enrolled beginning January 1, 2014. Previously Medicaid eligibility had been restricted to low-income parents with children, the elderly and the disabled, and reimbursement rate was a 50-50 cost sharing arrangement with the federal government.Under the expansion, the federal government kicked in 100% of the cost of new Medicaid enrollees from 2014 through 2016. But that was scheduled to get a gradual trim to 90% by 2020 and remain in effect indefinitely. The state would pick up the other 10%.Marylands share to cover the Medicaid expansion in 2017 is around $140 million and the federal government will kick in around $2.8 billion, 95% of the total costs.The state costs were expected to grow to $350 million by 2021, with the federal match rising to $3.5 billion.But the Ryan plan would reduce federal government participation for new Medicaid enrollees beginning 2020 and set the cost sharing at 50-50, the traditional cost sharing split that existed before the expansion.If a 50-50 split were in effect the states obligation this year would have been $1.3 billion.Middleton said in floor debate Friday that theres a reasonable certainty the feds willhand back 50% of the costs.The Ryan plan would also affect the 143,000 Marylanders who qualified for subsidized premiums through the Maryland Health Benefit Exchange. The Ryan plan ends those subsidies, saving $673 billion in federal spending through 2026, according to the CBO report.Marylands exchange has received $137 million in state funding and $425 million in federal funds since 2011. The exchange has 67 employees with annual salaries approaching $8 million. President Donald Trumps motorcade on Sunday drove past more than a hundred protesters in West Palm Beach for the fifth time since he took office. Anti-Trumpers did the usual. They waved big signs screaming LIAR and NARCISSIST. They chanted the usual hymns: Hey hey, ho ho, Donald Trump has got to go, No hate, no fear, immigrants are welcome here. And they were on the north side of Southern Boulevard across from Dreher Park. This meant motorcade members -- including Trump and the reporters following him -- could see demonstrators 10-30 feet away as they rode westward towards Air Force One at 4 p.m. Ever since Trump was elected, enraged liberals have organized and regularly protested him and the Republican party, which he leads. In Florida, Republican congressmen have faced hundreds of furious constituents at town hall meetings. Florida Senator Marco Rubio has said he refuses to hold a town hall because he will be heckled. Anti-Trump protests happen almost every week when Trump visits his estate, the Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach. But the founder of the group that organizes anti-Trump protests told SFGN that Trump and his party will not be the only ones to face the heat. Some people are lulled into a false sense of security with their Democratic representatives, said Star Fae, the Lake Worth activist who founded South Florida Activism. People need to remember they need pressure too. Two Democrats who come to Faes mind are Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum and former Representative Gwen Graham, whose Congressional district covered Tallahassee. Gillum and Graham have both said they would run for governor in 2018. Fae wants to know if the gubernatorial contenders support setting up state-run universal healthcare. Floridas government would pay for healthcare costs, rather than private insurance. Such a plan would likely require raising taxes. Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) supported national universal healthcare when he ran against former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton last year for the Democratic presidential nomination. He lost, but many liberals like the idea, including Fae. It feels like were just fighting against losing ground, Fae said, referring to Democrats efforts to stop the GOP from repealing the Affordable Care Act, known also as Obamacare. We should be fighting for something better, she said. Fae would like Gillum and Graham to meet with South Florida Activism to find out where they stand on single-payer healthcare, along with other liberal causes. If they want to get [elected and] reelected, they need to represent the values we demand representation on, she said, referring both to the gubernatorial contenders and Democrats in general. A member of anti-Trump group Palm Beach Indivisibles, Ben McAlevey also said he would like Democrats to take a stronger stand on issues. Like Trumps Supreme Court nominee, Neil Gorsuch. I get that the Democrats cant prevent the hearings, but I sure hope [top Senate Democrat Chuck] Schumer throws down the gauntlet and says, Were gonna filibuster. Schumer is one of New Yorks senators. McAlevey also said he called up Floridas three-term Democratic Senator Bill Nelson earlier this month. McAlevey said when he asked Nelsons staff about his Senators position on confirming Gorsuch. And they gave me the ol Oh the Senator hasnt decided. Fae also mentioned she wants Nelson to be more vocal about his healthcare position. He is up for reelection in 2018. State Senator Randolph Bracy told the Florida Times-Union in February he is considering running against Nelson in next years Primary. The West Palm chapter of the Womens March co-hosted Sundays protest. Chapter Captain Alex Newell Taylor told SFGN she could not discuss specifics of what endorsements or political activities her group would do. This was because the Womens March Florida chapter was still doing the paperwork to set up its status as a 501(c)(4) nonprofit, she said. But once Womens March Florida does set up its nonprofit status, Newell Taylor said, Any politician we choose to endorse or support will have to be in line with our stated positions. When asked about those positions, she referred to WomensWayForward.org, a website by Womens March Florida. One of Womens Way Forwards documents states its support for safe and affordable healthcare for all, equal and fair treatment of immigrants, dismantling racism, and other issues taken up by the left. The Womens March chapter could make a rating system for candidates, Newell Taylor added. When it came to local elections held March 14, none of the major local liberal groups made endorsements. As for the next few weeks, local liberal groups plan to hold events in support of their issues. Fae said she would like her group to hold a die-in at Bethesda Hospital in Boynton Beach either later this month or early in April. People would pretend to be dead. Were gonna have someone dressed as a doctor saying, Sorry, cant treat you because you dont have insurance. On Sunday, The Guatemala-Maya Center in Lake Worth plans to hand out cards and inform immigrants in the city about their rights -- especially if federal immigration authorities come knocking. Members of South Florida Activism plan to help the Center, located at 430 North G Street. Also on Sunday in Lake Worth, members of the local groups plan to attend or take part in the annual PrideFest Parade, starting downtown at 11:30 a.m. On March 27 at 5 p.m., South Florida Activism plans to hold a rally in support of a proposed Safe City Ordinance for West Palm. Such an ordinance would indicate the city's refusal to cooperate with ICE (immigration) officials in their attempts to collect and deport innocent undocumented immigrants as part of the Trump administrations agenda, the event page states. The rally is scheduled to take place outside city hall at 401 Clematis Street. Le Collectif Cheikh Yassine a organise un certain nombre dactivites et de festivites pour les enfants de Gaza sous le theme La joie des enfants de Gaza pour lAid . Ces activites ont commence le premier jour de lAid et continue jusquau 4eme jour de lAid dans la bande de Gaza. Plusieurs activites, ont ete organisees parmi lesquelles : des competitions recompensees par des prix, des jeux, des animations et des chants presentes par un groupe ainsi que des distributions de cadeaux et daides financieres. We can't seem to find the page you are looking for. You may have typed the address incorrectly or you may have used an outdated link. Think youve got a pretty busy life? Try talking to Tim Wendelboe. The 2003 World Barista Champion and entrepreneur is redefining busy here in 2017. To wit, right now hes overseeing a cafe update to the eponymous coffee brand he manages in Oslo, helping move the roasting operations of that brand into a brand new roasting facility, and regularly traveling back and forth to Colombia to work on the farm he purchased there in 2015, Finca El Suelo. And hes preparing for his coffee to be served at Noma Mexico. And hes the next roaster in residency at the La Marzocco Cafe in Seattle, launching tomorrow. Everything is happening all at once, he tells me, with a certain winking understatement. Just one of the above projects would be enough to fell most mortals, but some live for the chaosor at the very least can make the most of it. At Noma Mexico, Wendelboes coffee100% sourced from Chiapaswill be part of chef Rene Redzepi & Co s multi-course tasting menu of traditional Mexican ingredients and natural wines from around the world, served in an outdoor restaurant setting described as nestled between the jungle and the Caribbean Sea. Tickets were priced at $600 USD and sold out in just three and a half hours. Meanwhile at Wendelboes upcoming La Marzocco Cafe residency, the roasters Oslo cafe menu has been painstakingly recreated, right down to the cupsyes, theyre shipping ceramics over from Oslo. That means delicately roasted Scandinavian-style coffees, including offerings from revered producers like Elias Roa and Marysabel Caballero. Fussy Seattle coffee drinkersyour Niles Crane typestake note: As in their Oslo cafe, there will be no soy on offer during Wendelboes takeover. Allergic to milk? Drink your coffee black. Somehow, somewhere in the middle of it all, Wendelboe spoke with Sprudge co-founder Jordan Michelman about these projects and more. They spoke digitally from Oslo, Norway and Portland, Oregon. This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity. Hey Tim, and thanks for taking a moment to speak with Sprudge. Tell us more about your plans for residency at La Marzocco Cafe in Seattle. Who will be overseeing the program? Stephanie Holm is there to train themshes there implementing the project, and shes our bar manager and store manager here in Oslo. Shes been with the company for six years. When did plans first get put in motion for this residency with the LM Cafe team? We started talking about it with La Marzocco before they even openedthat was last year. But I can be slow at answering emails at times, and so we really finalized the schedule in August of last year. Stephanie Holm will be overseeing the residency, but will you be able to see it for yourself? Unfortunately, no. Were moving the roaster out of my store right now into a new space, and things just dont happen if Im not here. I also have to focus more on my farm in ColombiaIll be there during our residency period, and were also doing Noma in Mexico during this time so I might have to go back there as well. Everything is happening all at once. I have many Noma questions but first let me askwhats up with the new roasting space? Andreas Hertzberg, who used to work for Solberg & Hansen, hes now the CEO of Nordic Approach, and he bought a building in east Oslo thats 10 minutes away from our store. In the first floor will be our new roastery, in the second floor our offices, and then in the third and fourth Nordic Approach will have their offices. It will be like a joint coffee building for Oslo. Will there be a cafe onsite? No, were just going to produce there. Were taking out the roaster from our cafe and putting in new seats. For this residency in Seattle, are you trying to recreate the Tim Wendelboe Oslo cafe experience in Seattle? Their cafe is very different compared to oursits huge, and that makes it difficult to replicate the atmosphere. But for drinks, were trying to do the drinks just as we do in Oslo. Well do an Aeropress black coffee menu with four different coffees. Well also offer an Aeropress taste flightideally it is for two people to purchase it and share, and they can taste it with some guidance from one of the baristas. We actually sent over the same cups we use for black coffee as we use in our cafe. And then for milk drinks, theyll be made the same way as we do in Oslo, where the biggest size is just an 8oz latte. I hope it will be well received. We try and make the coffees taste more like coffee so you have to add less milk. How do you prepare the team in Seattle for that conversation? Well, thats why Stephanie is there now, to really talk with the baristas and train them on how we talk about coffees to our guests. We arent going to serve an Americano because thats not the best way to represent our coffeewe feel its better to serve an Aeropress. Its a matter of trying to convince the customer why we do something our way. Its about explaining it and saying, This week its a little different, so perhaps try this and then we recommend something thats similar to an Americano. Also, Stephanie was tasting the milk alternatives, and we decided to just go with organic whole milk. So there will be no milk alternatives offered? No, unfortunately not. The reasoning is were trying to focus on the coffee flavor, so something like sweetened soy milk, it kind of disappears. Wed suggest our guests would try black coffee instead, and if a guest wants something sweet to drink, our roast style enhances sweet and is quite light, so its more approachable to taste. I would love to be a fly on the wall that first day. I would too! Lets hope that it goes well. We havent had any problems in Norway Well, Seattle is not Oslo. I know that. We dont have a big vegan scene here in Oslo, and we dont really have a big soy milk scene, except perhaps on the west side of Oslo where people think things like milk and soy are the worst things you can put in your body. I would argue instead that genetically modified soy milk might not be the best thing you can consume. Which coffees will you be serving in Seattle? Well have fresh crop from Finca Tamana in Colombia, as well as a Sidamo thats still tasting great, and we might have some Kenyan coffeewere running outbut theres some coffee from Nacimiento in Honduras that we won Nordic Roaster Forum with, and also some Java variety coffee from the Caballeros. Its a one-month residency so we might change some coffees out. How long does it take to ship roasted coffee from Oslo to Seattle? 4 days. But last week our coffee was stopped by the FDA, and I had to spend a week reasoning with them, but it was just released today. Thats what theyll use for the first week, then well ship every second week fresh coffee. We nitrogen flush so its not an issue with freshness. It actually benefits from not being so fresh. Will retail bags of this coffee be available for sale at the cafe? Yes, and were participating in the newly launched Espresso Subscription through La Marzocco Home as well. Which coffees will be served as espresso? Well do two different onesTamana espresso from Colombia, designed for milk drinks, with a sweet and heavy body, and then Hunkute from Sidamo, which is quite bright and floral and fruity. Those arent in demitasse but in cups that we prefer to drink from. So really this residency is about coming over, and doing what you do in Oslo for a month in Seattle. Thats what were trying to do, yes, and thats what (LM Cafe director) Amy Hattemer wanted us to do as wellto be as similar as possible to what we do in Oslo. Lets shift gearsyou were just in Mexico helping set up the Noma coffee service there, yes? Yes, I was there 3 full days, plus more in Chiapas. What coffees will be served at Noma Mexico? Were working with Jesus Salazar in Chiapas. We got a lot of samples sent, to try and find the best green coffee for Noma that I know they would be happy with. I cupped them here in Norway and didnt know any of the people, and had contacted a lot of different people in Mexico to try, but the coffees from Jesus really stood out, and I wanted to work with him. I visited him in Chiapas just a week ago, and we cupped through 30 different samples representing one bag lots each, and I selected the ones we needed for Noma. I tried a lot of great coffeesI found more great coffees than I neededand then spent the rest of my time working on roast profiles so we could create the consistency Noma needs. So all the coffee for Noma Mexico will be roasted there, and not in Oslo? Yes, everything is done locally. It makes more sense in terms of local stability. Who manages the roasting in Mexico? Jesus partner, Claudia Pedraza Salazar. We worked together during my visit, roasting all night actually, and I worked with her to help develop some roast logs, based on tasting the coffees the day after. The roaster they had was pretty easy to adjust so I think theyll be able to follow the logs quite well, and thats the idea. I will continuously be having the dialogue with Noma as well as with Jesus and Claudia, so I can stay involved from afar. What will drinks service look like at Noma Mexico? Several different drinks will be served, including a warm filter coffeethat one might not be very popular because it is very hot there, and the restaurant is literally on the beach. Well, I want to drink a hot coffee on the beach. Oh really? Well, we are also making drinks with ice, using hot coffees that we cool down before adding syrups. Im not sure if I should be telling you any of this, but theres one drink were making thats very refreshing, made with sour orange, honey, and a filter coffee thats cooled down, served in a glass. Almost cocktail style? Yeah. And then, of course, were doing espresso with a different Mexican coffee, one thats tasting like ripe berries, really really nice. Thatll be served on its own, plus there will be a cold version that I really cant talk about yet, but it tastes so good. There will be 4 drinks total. What kind of gear will Noma Mexico have for coffee? A La Marzocco Volcano grinder and Linea PB 2-group espresso machine. Were serving for 140 people a day plus the staff, and those chefs drink a lot of espresso, and they need a big machine. For filter, were using Hario V60 to brew on. Im curioussince youre working only with coffees from Mexico, will sommelier Mads Kleppe use only Mexican natural wines, like Bichi Wines? [Laughs] No, but a big part of the menu will be. Hes been working with some producers there for natural winesI tasted a few, and some of it is really good, but it wont be an 100% Mexican wine list. Some will come from France and so on, and hopefully they will arrive in timetheyve had some trouble with customs. Will you head back to Mexico to oversee the coffee programs launch? They really want me to go eat there. Theyre kind of insisting actually. I really dont have time for it but well see, and also if they need some help for coffee. Well see, but Im kind of hoping they dont. Well I know the whole thing will be a dogpile of thirsty American journalists, but if you need someone who knows coffee to come check it out, Id love to join you. [Laughs] Yeah, okay. I worked with Mads on the program and theyre well-trained, so Im confident itll be good. Itll be really great and Im happy with it. I have to sayI didnt expect to find some great coffees in Mexico. Every Mexican coffee Ive tasted in the past has been average in quality, but the coffees I found for this project were very good. Perhaps like in Brazil, Mexicos coffee reputation could be changing. Might this become a regular thing, for Tim Wendelboe to begin offering Mexican coffees? Im planning to get some bags sent to Norway so I can present some of our Noma coffees, and I will be sending them to 108 in Copenhagen. The volumes are very small but, in the future, hopefully its something we can improve on. What do you think has changed in Mexico, to help start overcoming the stigma around Mexican coffee quality? The biggest thing is simple, which is that people like Jesus Salazar are working to improve quality. Normally it just takes a couple of people to start working on it, just a couple of producers are needed to improve quality and show what is possible to their neighbors. Thats itthe coffees has probably always been there, and the ones weve bought are old varieties bought by long-held farms, so its just a matter of starting to work towards better quality. Jesus is doing that small scale for his own coffee shops, but the coffee scene in Mexico is very collaborative and working together to create something better. Anything else youd like to share? No, I should be going. Im going on a date with my wife tonight; we havent seen each other in a month. Have a lovely time and thank you. Tim Wendelboes residency at La Marzocco Cafe begins Tuesday, March 21st and concludes May 1st. La Marzocco Cafe is located at 472 1st Ave N in Seattle, WA with hours daily. Visit their official website for hours and more information. Jordan Michelman is a co-founder and editor at Sprudge Media Network, and a contributor at Willamette Week. Read more Jordan Michelman on Sprudge. Images courtesy of Tim Wendelboe. A recent barn fire claimed the lives of nine Standardbreds, including a mare with a two-day-old colt. According to a brief item on the website of Energy 106.7 FM, the tragic blaze occurred just outside of Grinnell, Iowa at the barn of Dan and Jeri Roland. The Grinnell Fire Department was alerted to the blaze at 3:17 a.m. on Thursday, March 16. Nine of the 10 horses inside the barn perished. A shot of the aftermath of the deadly March 16, 2017 barn fire just outside Grinnell, Iowa A shot of the aftermath of the deadly March 16, 2017 barn fire just outside Grinnell, Iowa According to a GoFundMe page that has been set up to help the Rolands, the barn was completely destroyed, and among the deceased horses were two pregnant mares that were due to foal within the week. The post on the GoFundMe page states that offers of free equipment and supplies have been coming into the family, but the Rolands have nowhere to put any of the items. Trot Insider will update this story when more information becomes available. Please join Standardbred Canada in offering condolences to the Rolands and the connections of the horses that tragically perished. (With files from Energy 106.7 FM and GoFundMe) Century Downs kicked off its 2017 season of live harness racing this past Saturday. The card was the first pari-mutuel program at the Calgary-area oval since the track invested in resurfacing the track. As an article on the Horse Racing Alberta website explains, Century Downs spent money and time during the offseason and added another three inches of surface to the track. The top dressing is now crushed limestone, and it is thought is that it will be a better surface for the horses. The article, written by Peter Watts, states that horsemen are likely to experiment a bit with shoes to see how their charges respond to the grip they are able to get on the track. The early evidence is that horses arent slipping and sliding on the track, which definitely helps with keeping horses sound. Given the resurfacing, the track will take some time to knit together and dry out. As well, Corner 3 has been re-graded in order to ensure that there is a constant four-degree banking from the inner rail to the outer wall. It wont make much difference off the start, Century Downs Racing Secretary Jackson Wittup told Watts, but it should make it possible for horses coming from off the pace to slingshot around the turn and challenge for the lead as they come to the stretch. And it means that the crown that was there in the middle of the track last year has now been removed and thatll be good. (With files from HRA) James Marston, 80, passed on January 6 in Scarborough, Maine, after a period of declining health. An avid participant in harness racing as an owner/breeder, Marston is responsible for the birth of Chocolate Sundae, who recently turned 40 years of age. To read more about Marston's life and participation in harness racing, please click here. Please join Standardbred Canada in offering condolences to the family and friends of James Marston. (USTA) Trainer/driver Ted McFadden, a resident of Dresden, Ont., passed away peacefully at the Chatham-Kent Hospice with his family by his side on Saturday, March 18 at the age of 67. Born in Chatham, son of the late Levi Jiggs (1993) and Gladys (Symes) McFadden (2017), Ted trained and drove horses at Dresden Raceway and raced all over Ontario and worked for Badder Bus Lines for many years. Beloved husband of Karen (Oliver) McFadden. Loving father of Larry McFadden (Terrie), Dana Goodall (Mike). Sadly missed by his grandchildren Gabe, Bailey, Derek, Brooke, Brady, and great-grandson Bennett. Also survived by many nieces, nephews, great nieces and great-nephews. Predeceased by his brother Jack McFadden (2006). The McFadden family will receive friends at the Badder Funeral Home & Reception Centre, 679 North St., Dresden on Tuesday from 2:00- 4:00 p.m. and 7:00 - 9:00 p.m. The funeral service will be held in the chapel on Wednesday, March 22, 2017 at 11:00 a.m. with Rev. Linda McFadden officiating. Interment Dresden Cemetery. If desired, donations to the Ontario Standardbred Adoption Society (c/o 9685 First Line, R.R. #1 Moffat, Ontario, L0P 1J0) or the Chatham-Kent Hospice would be appreciated. Online condolences and donations may be left at badderfuneralhome.com. Please join Standardbred Canada in offering condolences to the family and friends of Ted McFadden. Press Conference: #FreeSpeechBus Affirming Biological Sex and Criticizing Gender Ideology Launches in New York During U.N. Women's Conference NEW YORK, March 20, 2017 / Standard Newswire / -- A tour bus affirming biological sex and criticizing transgender ideology, known as the #FreeSpeechBus, will launch this week during the United Nations' sixty-first session of the Commission on the Status of Women. The text on the #FreeSpeechBus reads: It's Biology: Boys are boys And always will be Girls are girls And always will be You can't change sex. Respect for all. The #FreeSpeechBus's North American tour will begin with a press conference on Thursday, March 23 at 12:00pm Noon ET, outside the United Nations building on the steps of the Dag Hammarskjold Plaza. When: Thursday, March 23, 2017, 12:00 noon ET Where: Dag Hammarskjold Plaza, E 47th St, New York, NY, 10017 Who: Ignacio Arsuaga, Brian Brown, and Gregory Mertz The sponsors of the busincluding Ignacio Arsuaga, President of CitizenGO, and Brian Brown, President of the International Organization for the Familywill speak at the press conference. They will address the dangers posed by the promotion of "sexual orientation and gender identity" in education, legislation, and international instruments. An identical #FreeSpeechBus has been touring Spain over the past two weeks and has generated heated controversy for its message that "boys are boys and always will be," and "girls are girls and always will be." Spanish municipalities have censored and immobilized the European bus, and the hacker group Anonymous even launched an attack against CitizenGO's website in retaliation. Chelsea Clinton criticized the bus in a tweet, warning not to bring such as bus to the United States. "The Spanish #FreeSpeechBus has become an international phenomenon because proponents of gender ideology refuse to allow dissenting voices to be heard," said Ignacio Arsuaga, President of CitizenGO. "We are excited to launch this bold message of common sense in the United States on the occasion of the U.N. Commission on the Status of Women. We intend to firmly advocate for our ideals while respecting the dignity all individuals," he added. CitizenGO is a community of active citizens who work together, using online petitions and action alerts as a resource, to defend and promote life, family, and liberty. The #FreeSpeechBus will make stops in New York, New Haven, Boston, Philadelphia, and Washington D.C. over the next two weeks. Liberals freak out over Obamacare replacement law claim it would result in thousands of births of babies that should be aborted In 2008, Barack Obama said at a town hall event in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, that he didnt want his daughters to ever be punished with an unexpected child. Ive got two daughters, nine years old and six years old, Obama explained. I am going to teach them first of all about values and morals. But if they make a mistake, I dont want them punished with a baby. Punished with a baby? Why is the miracle of childbirth and the continuation of human life considered a punishment? Cathleen Decker is a columnist and political analyst for the Los Angeles Times. She covered her 10th presidential campaign in 2016, and has also covered seven races for governor and a host of U.S. Senate and local elections, according to her bio. But as Decker demonstrated in a tweet last week, years of experience as a columnist dont prevent you from saying foolish things. On March 13, Decker wrote, GOPcares ban on Planned Parenthood would result in loss of healthcare to many in rural/low income areas; thousands of births would result. In other words, it seems that Ms. Decker believes fewer abortions and more childbirths is a bad thing, rather than something that should be celebrated. Of course, this is not how the majority of Americans think. Even the most radical feminist might look at such a tweet and conclude that it does more harm to the pro-abortion argument than good. Indeed, several users on Twitter let Decker know that they werent happy with what she had said. Note the negative connotation to thousands of births would result, wrote one user. Another said, Your apparent horror at the thought of babies being born in low-income areas is telling, and not in a good way. Yet another Twitter user sarcastically wrote, The horror! Thousands of births! Of human beings! Who were conceived! Whether they choose to admit it or not, the liberals have a very different view of the sanctity of life than do conservatives. (RELATED: Read about how Donald Trump has banned federal funding of abortions). Through their support of abortion as a means to prevent inconvenient pregnancies, liberals demonstrate a lack of appreciation for the most innocent form of life. This lack of appreciation usually stems from the false notion that life inside the womb is nothing more than a clump of cells, and therefore the disposal of it is neither immoral nor unethical. One day, decades from now, our country will hopefully look back on the practice of abortion and be ashamed that there once was a time where innocent life had virtually no value. Sources: Twitchy.com LATimes.com AllGreatQuotes.com Submit a correction >> Calcutta needs a new start. The city which I call home has earned a bad name, but its reputational problems have more to do with the politics of India than economic fundamentals. The city, the second most populous in India after Mumbai, is the third largest city economy in India, presiding over a mostly prosperous agricultural economy and a strategic state. Yet, people don't tend to see it that way: India's geopolitical obsession with Pakistan and Kashmir keeps minds focused on its Western frontiers, and a succession of opposition party governments in West Bengal (the last time Congress ruled the state was in 1977) ensured that the state did not feature in the Central Government's list of priorities. But this is changing - there is increasing realisation of the geopolitical challenges and opportunities of the Indian East - and one would hope that this would bring about a change, if only gradual change, in Indian policy. But any conversation about change must be rooted in reality, not the shallow mythology that gets passed on as common sense. A good place to start is the back story: One may indeed notice the closed factories and slums in Kolkata, but an appreciation of Calcutta's, and Bengal's, post-independence history should correct some of the distortions that gets floated about Bengali character and enterprise. We must remember Kolkata had an industrial base once: This was one of the world's greatest Jute processing centres, which died a premature death when it was forcibly disconnected from its jute producing hinterlands of East Pakistan. East Pakistan, now Bangladesh, is one of the most fertile agricultural economies of the world, and while the country is hardly spoken about in India, it is one of the most populous in the world (just behind the usual suspects), with one of the highest agricultural productivities. One of the economic costs of partition was to yank Kolkata, which had an economy and a port closely linked to this hinterland, from its ecosystem. The other impact of partition was on Kolkata's population. Already a city with one of the highest population densities in the world, it was on the receiving end of the refugee crisis : In 1947, when Hindus left East Pakistan but Muslims felt safe and never left West Bengal in large numbers to offset the same. Unlike Delhi and Punjab, where a bloody population transfer actually happened, there was no land and houses left vacant by Muslims to swap with these new Hindu refugees. Partition, therefore, meant the creation of a new underclass in Kolkata: Radicalised and destitute, the new migrants would change the city forever. Independence and its economic shocks also meant a flight of the professional class. Kolkata's elite, educated and europeanised, was not land-based, unlike some other parts of the country (and those who were, lost their estates in partition) and a great wave of migration followed through in the 50s and 60s. The new democratic West Bengal, with its radical left - which was there because of the industrial development and whose ranks swelled with the new migrants and jobless workers - scared the Bengali 'gentlemanly capitalists', who promptly sent their sons and daughters away to Europe and America. There was internal migration too: The mobile technocrats moved from Kolkata nearer to the centres of power and commerce in Modern India. This is old history, but a conversation about Kolkata should start there. It is a convenient myth that West Bengal's, and Kolkata's, decline started in 1977, as the Communists took power and 'work culture collapsed'. This is indeed based on the implausible claim that all was well when Congress, the political party which ruled India most of its first 50 years, was in power. Yet, anyone in Kolkata would remember late 60s and 70s as a period of strife and decline, radical movements and police brutalities, and lawlessness on the street. Besides, it is just the Communist rule that blighted West Bengal and brought about Kolkata's decline does not explain why Communists kept winning elections for next 34 years, and why, when they finally lost power in 2011, nothing really changed. A more realistic assessment of Kolkata's decline, dating it back to the economic shocks of the partition - which Eastern Indian states disproportionately bore - is a good starting point. It allows one to go beyond the myth of the Bengali character (which does not hold up as Bengalis do just as well or as badly as any other communities) and look at the key economic issues - an unredeemed economic shock, a demographic and political transformation, flight of the professional class and destruction of an ecosystem - to understand the issue of Kolkata's decline. One does not need to stop at the economic and social impacts of the partition, though. The last seventy years have transformed Kolkata from an industrial city to a commodity economy, with the resultant changes in politics, culture and ideas. This is part policy - the city sits near one of the most mineral-rich areas of the world and serves as its main trading point - but partly this happened by default, creating new power structures and political priorities that work against any possibility of change. This is partly the reason Kolkata changed slowly, despite its good education system, young population and successful diaspora, to the growth of the global outsourcing industry in the 1980s and 90s, and missed the bus completely as new clusters emerged in Bangalore, Hyderabad and even in once-sleepy Bhubaneswar (as well as many other Indian cities). A second wave of refugees, from East Pakistan in 1971, duly arrived, brutalised by the Pakistani Army as it battled to undermine the nascent Bengali nationalism: Kolkata and its Bengalis were naturally sympathetic, but this imposed an economic cost; the Indian Government was delighted about the military opportunity and duly helped dismember Pakistan, but never really assessed the economic costs and provided appropriate economic support to the areas, in Bengal and Northeastern States, which had to take on those who came. This fed to resentment, which became the dominant theme of Bengali politics ever since, justifiably but self-destructively. This is what we want to reverse now, and create a new conversation. I talk here of the past, but not to mourn, resent or justify it, but to use it as a perspective - both to understand why the City is where it is today, and how possibly it can reinvent itself. This conversation starts with an acknowledgement: This is Kolkata's 'Ask Not' moment. For far too long, Kolkata's citizens looked to their government, a carefully cultivated colonial era habit, for development: It is important now to change the conversation and build self-sustaining ecosystems of innovation and development. Kolkata should draw its inspiration from all those Western cities, which were reduced to industrial wastelands because of globalisation but since reinvented themselves: Dresden, Eindhoven, Pittsburg and now Manchester come to mind. These cities offer valuable lessons: Their regeneration was privately led, supported by the government, no doubt, but built around ecosystems of private enterprise. Also, they did not seek to compete with established industrial centres in their geography, but sought to leverage the new developments in technologies and ideas and created new ecosystems. It may be very difficult for Kolkata to compete with a city like, say, Bangalore, because of the latter's track record and ecosystem of IT Service companies; however, focusing on different industries and newer ideas may allow Kolkata to create a different niche for itself. We are calling the initiative Kolkata 4.0. The 4.0 bit is indeed an allusion to the currently fashionable Fourth Industrial Revolution, which is about new industries and conversations. Exploring these possibilities and enabling these conversations is the objective of the Civil Society organisation that we are setting up now, with HQ in Kolkata (obviously) but networks in different cities. And, perhaps appropriately, Kolkata 4.0 would do four different things: First, it would create an apolitical platform for expatriates to connect with Kolkata's educational institutions and companies; Second, it would work on creating awareness about the strategic importance of Kolkata in particular and Bengal in general; Third, it would work with the government of West Bengal and Kolkata's civic administration and industrial promotion bodies to engage effectively with expats and potential global partners; and finally, it would create networks of positive engagement in different global cities to draw people into a conversation about economic opportunities and realities of the city economy. BY OLIVIA ROSE FORMER Premier Michael Misick says replacing the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) post with Financial Advisor to the Governor is merely a change of title, the powers remain the same. Misick in his comments on Monday March 13, alluded to public`s perception that the person who holds this position, intrinsically pulls the country`s purse strings. Following the recent announcement by the United Kingdom (UK) government to abolish the contentious post of Chief Financial Officer (CFO) from TCI`s Constitution, and appoint a Financial Advisor to provide assistance to the Governor in the exercise of his powers relating to Government finances, Misick took to Twitter to voice his opinion on the matter. The Former Premier in his Twitter rant said: "We need real change. Misick further is adamant that the Turks and Caicos Islands should follow in the footsteps of Scotland and seek an Independence referendum. Emphasizing that the will of the people is paramount in this decision he said: "Let the people decide. In retrospect, former Premier Rufus Ewing at the UK Overseas Territories Attorneys General four-day symposium last September, called the position of Chief Financial Officer (CFO) a flagrant violation of the Turks and Caicos Islands democracy. Ewing lashed out at the British for imposing a Chief Financial Officer (CFO) upon the country under the new 2011 constitution. He said it was sold to the people that the position would remain until such time that the Loan Guarantee was lifted after repayment of the UK guaranteed bond. Ewing at that time revealed his plan to introduce a CFO Repeal bill to the House of Assembly to forcefully demonstrate his Government`s will to remove the CFO. He said: "This Government upon assuming office took the stance as communicated in my letter to the UK Secretary of State in February 2013 that the position of CFO was a violation of the principles of democracy. "The responses received made it blatantly clear that we would be fighting an uphill battle against the UKs position and this administration made the decision to focus efforts on governing this country and aggressively embarked upon one of the most successful economic recovery strategies seen in modern times. "We deemed it essential to fortify ourselves to fight another day and relied on the guarantee of the UK Government that the position of CFO would be extinguished upon retirement of the UK Guarantee. Ewing reminded that his government has toiled arduously and the people have made tremendous sacrifice to achieve the economic recovery of the country. "We have retired our debt in February of this year and discussions had commenced with the Overseas Territories Minister and FCO from December last year as we demanded that the U.K. Government uphold its end of the agreement with the people of these islands. It was agreed in the Government`s discussion with the UK Government that there would be a six- month transitional period following the repayment of the bond, he added Several residents on the popular facebook page "Speak your Mind TCI also weighed in on the announcement, one person wrote: "The UK government attempted to water down the post, but it is still the same CFO in some respects. "If the Governor needs a financial advisor to assist with his special responsibilities in relation to institutions of good governance, the judiciary and the police, and to advise him on those related financial matters, than that is fine. "However, for that person to be working within the finance ministry gives the impression that the minister is not in charge of the country's finances. "If it is ever the case that person attempts to interfere directly in the affairs and or operations of the ministry of finance that would be highly irregular and undemocratic. "So I see the potential for conflict if the post holder is a power hungry person, who does not know the limits of their authority. "The Governor should clearly outline to that person what they can and cannot do, or they are asking for trouble. And there should be clear stipulations as to what that person can and cannot do. Another contributor pointed out that the actions of unscrupulous politicians placed the country in the predicament it currently faces. He said: "Do we need a CFO or Financial Officer? (Not necessarily) however " Lets remember why we are in this position. "We had politicians who were so happy living the big life and emptied the treasury when Hurricane IKE hit, lo and behold nothing was left and now we are fighting to get out of the situation that the former politicians put us in. By Delana Isles THE GOVERNORs office has confirmed that they are in the process of recruiting a financial advisor to replace the controversial position of Chief Financial Officer (CFO) when the post comes to an end on March 31. On Tuesday (March 14) David Moore, Head of the Governors Office, confirmed the news, which was initially reported by a sister publication in the TCI over the weekend. Moore said that the advisor has not been recruited as yet as they are still in the process of looking for someone. Asked which country they are looking to hire that individual from, Moore would only say it is an ongoing process and that, that person could be from anywhere. However, he was keen to point out that the new post and its responsibilities will be very different from that of the CFOs. "Initially the CFO had a wide range of powers, but the financial advisor will not have the same powers. It is just to advise the Governor on what is going on with the finances in the Turks and Caicos Islands, Moore said. The position of CFO has been held by Stephen Turnbull, who has held the controversial post since March 18, 2013. The position was enacted by way of a Chief Financial Officer Ordinance 2012 following a Constitution Order. It was first assigned to help the TCI Government to continue on its path towards sustainable public finances. The local media house that broke the story alluded to a document alleged to be a "Turks and Caicos Islands (Finance) Order 2017 that will come into force on April 1, 2017, when the role of CFO will be abolished and section 7 of the TCI Constitution Order 2011 is revoked and the CFO Ordinance repealed. This new Ordinance reportedly confers on the Governor powers to ensure that "reasonable funding is provided for specified matters, including those for which the Governor has a special responsibility under the Constitution, upholding the rule of law and judicial independence, and ensuring compliance with international obligations to which the TCI is subject. The media report stated that the official document from the United Kingdom states that the Turks and Caicos Island Government was "fully consulted in the preparation of the instrument and is content. Efforts by this publication to reach the Premier who is also the Minister of Finance to confirm this statement, all proved futile. The newspaper report further states that under the new law, the Minister of Finance - Premier Sharlene Cartwright-Robinson - "must ensure that appropriate facilities are made available to the financial adviser in order to enable the financial adviser to work within the ministry of finance, investment and trade. The article states: "According to the document in recognition of the progress that the Turks and Caicos Islands has made to restore TCIs public finances "from a point of near bankruptcy to a healthy surplus and delivery of strong economic growth, the United Kingdom does not consider that there is a continuing need for the office of the Chief Financial Officer. In 2012 when the CFO Bill was passed the Premier, who was at the time the leader of the opposition, had slammed it calling the high level of "meddling in the TCIs affairs allowed under it "unacceptable. She stated at the time: "I cannot accept this level of meddling to the extent that he is empowered to under this bill during an elected governments regime...it makes a nonsense of the functions and powers of a Minister of Finance, as he who holds the purse controls the priorities and policies by extension. "This in effect waters down not just the role of the elected Minister of Finance but also an elected government. According to her, the role of the CFO was one of establishing strong fiscal management systems through policies and laws. She said: "I did recognise his continuing role in the 2011 Constitution and expected that his role will become somewhat of an Advisor to the Governor and the government generally to ensure the systems are maintained. Last November, at the Joint Ministerial Conference meeting in London it was reported that the minister of the foreign commonwealth office, Baroness Joyce Anelay had committed to removing the position of Chief Financial Officer by the end of March 2017. THE trial of the four men charged with the April 10, 2016, robbery and shooting at the Sunny Foods supermarket in Providenciales has come to a temporary halt. Information reaching the Weekly News is that on Thursday (March 9) the case was adjourned as the presiding judge had personal matters to attend to. As such, the judge will resume sitting on Tuesday, March 21 in the Grand Turk Supreme Court. The trial is expected to resume with the defence presenting their case, as well as arguments by the three attorneys followed by Judge Joan Joyner's summing up to the jury. The brief adjournment will now see the trial lasting an additional two or three days before the jury deliver its verdict. The defendants in the trial are: 27-year-old Ewing George, who is charged with robbery, and inflicting grievous bodily harm; while the three others 33-year-old Reginald Presil, 32-year-old Fritzer Prevalus, and Wilbert Almonor, all face charges of conspiracy to commit robbery. The three charged with conspiracy to rob are Haitian nationals. The case against the men stemmed from an armed robbery and shooting of a local security official and ex-superintendent of police Alboin Williams outside of the Five Cays store in Providenciales last year. Witness accounts of the brazen daylight robbery stated that the assailants were waiting for Williams who is also the owner of Tag Security Services to exit the store with the bag of money he normally collects from that location. When he came out of the supermarket the men allegedly knocked him to the ground, grabbed the bag of money, fired three shots into Williams back and made good their escape. The men were arrested in June last year and were charged with the crime. George was arrested and charged later in the year. (DELANA ISLES) IANS As Reliance Jio moves to open up its prime membership from April 1, Bharti Airtel is seen to be the most aggressive rival to match its prices, a research report has said. Citi Research, a part of the Institutional Group, which also comprises the Citibank, says that all the incumbent telecom operators have moved to meet the Jio challenge, in various degrees, though Idea Cellular and Vodafone India have been behind Airtel in aggressiveness. "We visited exclusive outlets of Bharti, Vodafone and Idea in Mumbai to compare price plans with Jio's Prime offer. While all have responded, their plans don't appear to be marketed as aggressively and currently appear more as a tool to reduce churn," the report said. "Further, their reluctance to fully match Jio is likely due to the latter's intention to remain aggressive, combined with their concerns on revenue protection. Bharti, as market leader, is not only taking the lead to counter Jio but appears to be the most aggressive. It is followed by Idea and lastly Vodafone. Further tariff action would be contingent upon Jio's user traction," it added. As part of Jio's Prime Offer unlimited voice (off-net/on-net) and 2GB per month is given at Rs 149 and unlimited voice (off-net/on-net) and 1 GB data per day is available at Rs 303. In addition, the company is also giving freebies -- cashback and additional data on earlier payment for prime offer. Bharti Airtel is offering unlimited on-net voice and 300 MB per month for Rs 146 and unlimited off-net/on-net calls and 1 GB data per day for Rs 349. "Data was initially split equally between day and night time but now these limits have been removed. This plan, across incumbents, comes closest to Jio's Rs 303 offer," the report said. Idea Cellular is offering unlimited on-net voice and 300 MB per month for Rs 148 and unlimited off-net/on-net calls and 1 GB per day for Rs 348. Data is split equally between day and night time (11pm-6am). While Vodafone India is offering unlimited on-net voice and 300 MB per month for Rs 146 and unlimited off-net/on-net calls and 20 GB per month for Rs 345 but only 10GB of each month's allowance can be used in the same month. Therefore, from second month onwards, subscribers can use 20GB -- 10GB of the previous month and 10GB of the ongoing month. "Apart from the prime offers, Jio has also stated that it would offer 20 per cent more data allowance compared to incumbents' highest selling tariff plans," the report said. "The incumbents appear to be trying to stave off further rounds of price cuts and while we expect Idea and Vodafone would match Bharti in near future, our conversation with incumbents' highlight they are now in wait-and-watch mode; further reaction would depend upon Jio's user traction," it added. Disclaimer: Reliance Jio is owned by Reliance Industries, who also own Network18, the publisher of Firstpost and tech2. tech2 News Staff Media reports last week indicated that the European Commission was on the verge of making social networks amend their terms of service to comply with European Union (EU) regulations. EU consumer authorities and the European Commission have met with the representatives of Facebook, Twitter and Google to discuss proposed solutions. The European Commission has given the companies one month to finalise their proposals, after which the authorities will review them. The companies stand to face enforcement action if the final proposals are not satisfactory. The companies have agreed to amend unfair terms of service, as well as take measures to protect consumers from frauds and scams that are perpetrated through the social networks. The social networks have been directed to ensure that the users can sue the companies in their respective states of residence, and it is illegal for the terms of service to deprive users of the right to take the companies to court. The social media companies also cannot deprive users of mandatory rights, such as the right to withdraw from an online purchase. Social media companies cannot totally exclude themselves from the liability of providing adequate performance of the service. Sponsored content has to be easily identifiable as such, and cannot be hidden. The companies cannot change the terms of service without giving a notice period to users to withdraw from the contract if they choose to, and without providing clear reasoning behind the changes. The social media companies cannot have complete discretionary powers on the removal of content. The social networks have been ordered to establish a direct channel of communication with consumer protection authorities. The channel will be used to alert the social networks of scams and frauds on the networks. The networks are required to pull down such content as and when they become aware of the misleading content. Misleading discounts, fake promotions, free apps with hidden costs, are some of the kinds of content that the EU wants to protect its users from. Sale of counterfeit products through social networks has also been banned. tech2 News Staff Google is working on the second generation of its Pixel lineup as the company confirmed that the smartphone is coming this year. The rumours have already started going around with reports of Google dropping the 3.5-mm headphone jack. The latest rumour about the upcoming flagship comes as a report by Droid-Life. According to the report, Google may be working on a third smartphone under the codename 'taimen' to be launched as part of the Google Pixel 2 lineup. Google Pixel 2 (2017) Concept - 18:9 QHD+ Display - Dual-Camera - IP68 Certification - Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 pic.twitter.com/y2BkI6AjO9 Benjamin Geskin (@VenyaGeskin1) March 3, 2017 Droid Life points out that it has confirmed the existence of the source from multiple sources. There are no details about the lineup except the code names for other two smartphones, 'Muskie' and 'Walleye'. 'Muskie' is supposed to be the bigger 5.5-inch device while the other device, 'walleye' will be a smaller device with 5-inch screen size. The third smartphone 'taimen' might simply be called Google Pixel 2 XXL if the company follows the route of a screen size larger than 6 inches. This comes almost a month after it was confirmed that the upcoming Google Pixel 2 smartphones will be premium flagship devices instead of a mid-range or watered down versions of the powerful Pixel lineup. The smartphones are expected to come with Qualcomm Snapdragon 83X processors along with the rumoured Android O release. tech2 News Staff Idea Cellular has finally given Vodafone India the nod. Yes, sources have reported that Idea Cellular's board has approved of the Vodafone merger. From what has been reported so far, Vodafone India has insisted on retaining the CEO and CFO positions while Idea Cellulars Kumar Mangalam Birla will be the chairman. Report of the same come from MoneyControl confirming that the deal has been approved by Idea Cellular. As reported earlier by the Economic Times, Vodafone CEO Vittoria Colao had arrived in Mumbai this weekend to sort out issues related to the deal between the world's largest telecom service operator and India's Idea Cellular. Vodafone seemed pretty confident back then as well and so the approval has now followed. The telecom giant stuck to its demand to retain CEO and CFO positions in the merger entity and the from what we have learnt so far, a deal has been struck with Kumar Mangalam Birla being named as the chairman. As per the deal Vodafone will hold 45 percent in the combined entity while Idea promoters will hold a 26 percent stake. AB Group will have the right to buy 9.5 percent stake in the entity at Rs 130 per share reports MoneyControl. The same is expected to intensify the competition between operators in the country. Both telecom companies have yet to make a formal announcement about the merger, which is where the details of the same will become official. IANS The death of a British man when he was electrocuted while charging his iPhone in the bath, was accidental, a judicial probe has revealed. Richard Bull, 32, was found in the bath by his wife Tanya on December 11 last year. According to Coroner Sean Cummings, the death of Bull, which occurred when the iPhone fell into the water, was accidental. "These seem like innocuous devices, but they can be as dangerous as a hairdryer in a bathroom. They should attach warnings. This was a tragic accident and I have no reason to believe at all that there was anything other than it being completely accidental," Cummings was quoted as saying to the Guardian.com on Friday. Cummings said that he also intends to send a report to the phone's manufacturer, Apple, to warn about the potential dangers. While the postmortem examination reports revealed burns on Bull's right hand, the police noted that an extension lead was found running from the hallway into the bathroom. "If you have got any appliance attached to the mains electricity circuit, you have to be aware there is a danger there. You're risking death," Sheila Merrill, the public health adviser to the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, was quoted as saying to the BBC. "Electricity and water don't mix, but particularly with phones, people don't probably always think about it. It's not advisable to use them while they're plugged in, particularly in a bathroom situation," Merrill added. tech2 News Staff The Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus leaks are coming out at a constant pace with no signs of slowing down. Latest leaks involve new press images posted by prolific tipster Evan Blass on Twitter. The new photos show how Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus will look like in the three colour variants, 'Black Sky', 'Orchid Grey, and Arctic Silver. This is not the first time that we have seen the photos of the upcoming flagship but this is the first time we are seeing images of other colour variants in renders. Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus (top to bottom) in black sky, orchid grey and arctic silver (left to right) pic.twitter.com/ISo7W10sYV Evan Blass (@evleaks) March 19, 2017 According to previous leaks, the standard Galaxy S8 would feature a 5.8-inch screen while the larger smartphone tagged as the Galaxy S8+ would come with a 6.2-inch display. Both displays would feature a WQHD+ resolution of 2,960 x 2,400 pixels and would also come with dual-edge curved displays. Coming to the batteries, the S8 features a 3,000mAh unit while the bigger S8+ would feature a 3,500mAh unit. Other details are to do with availability. Ming-Chi Kuo has revealed that users in the United States, Japan and China will get the Galaxy S8 smartphones that are powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 chipset, while the European and Asian markets would get the Exynos 8895 chipset. Higher 6GB RAM versions are expected to only be available in South Korea and China and not in the international variants of the smartphones. The standard versions are to come with 4GB RAM. Additionally, Samsung is not going in for a dual lens, dual ISP format either. According to Kuo, Samsung thinks that the current day dual-camera ISP design is immature so both the S8 and S8+ will arrive with 12MP rear camera and an 8MP front-facing unit. As previously reported, the company may add a rear camera with embedded DRAM that can allow slow-mo recording up to 1000 frames per second. This is not the first time that a smartphone is equipped with embedded DRAM in the rear camera, as Sony has been using this in their cameras and other products. Sony launched its flagship Sony Xperia XZ Premium with the same embedded DRAM technology giving it the ability to shoot slow motion video up to 960 frames per second. Last but not the least, Kuo also claims that a new Type-C USB port (not present on the current model) will also allow the smartphone to be used in Desktop Mode. The Dex feature is supposed to offer a Windows Continuum like experience, that will let the user connect the phone to a display and use a mouse a keyboard emulating a desktop experience. tech2 News Staff Qualcomm has announced its latest smartphone platform called the Qualcomm 205 Mobile Platform at an event in New Delhi. The 205 Platform will be focussing on Qualcomm's entry level SoCs for emerging markets such as India, Latin America, South East Asia and so on. The idea behind the 205 Mobile Platform is to get 4G and VoLTE support to devices in the sub-$50 price tag (approx Rs 3000). Phones based on this platform will be seen in Q2 2017. Qualcomm 205 Mobile Platform comes with a dual core Cortex A7 chipset clocked at 1.1GHz, Adreno 304GPU and is built on the 28nm manufacturing process. The 205 SoC comes with a Snapdragon X5 integrated modem, LTE Cat 4 (150Mbps down/50Mbps Up), HSPA+, VoLTE support. It will also support dual-SIM configurations. While Qualcomm has had 200-series SoCs in the past, the focus with the 205 Mobile Platform is to enable low-cost handsets to support 4G VoLTE as well. Qualcomm has removed its Hexagon DSP to save up on die space. Also the 205 Mobile Platform is pin-compatible with the Snapdragon 208/210 so the chipset could be used on existing designs without any sweat. It can support up to 3MP rear camera, VGA front camera, VGA displays, integrated Wi-Fi at 802.11n standard, FM Radio, GPS, GLONASS, Beidou and more. According to Qualcomm, the 205 Mobile Platform and its associated software has been developed in India, keeping in touch with the 'Make in India' initiative. Qualcomm has partnered with OEM/ODM players such as Borqs, Flex, FIH/Megaphone, Reliance Jio, Micromax, TCL, TSM, LYF, Uniscope, among others. The Qualcomm 205 Mobile Platform is available for OEMs and ODMs from today and devices sporting it will start selling in the market from second quarter onwards. Speaking at the launch of the Qualcomm 205 Mobile Platform, Jim Cathey, senior vice president, Asia Pacific and India for Qualcomm Technologies said, "India and the South East Asia regions present growth opportunities in the telecom space with 4G adoption rising and continued adoption of feature phones. The launch of Qualcomm 205 Mobile Platform presents a unique opportunity for OEMs, operators and content providers to extend superior experiences to users by enabling data on feature phones." IANS Even if you have the very best Wi-Fi system available, you won't get more than 300Mbit per second speed in total. However, researchers now claim to have achieved Wi-Fi at a lightning speed of 42.8Gbit per second which is 100 times faster. The team from Eindhoven University of Technology in the Netherlands came up with a surprising solution to beat slow Wi-Fi: a wireless network based on harmless infrared rays. The capacity is not only huge (more than 40Gbit/s per ray) but also there is no need to share since every device gets its own ray of light, said lead researcher Joanne Oh. Oh managed a speed of 42.8Gbit/s over a distance of 2.5 metres. For comparison, the average connection speed in the Netherlands is two thousand times less (17.6Mbit/s). The Eindhoven system has so far used the light rays only to download; uploads are still done using radio signals. The system conceived in Eindhoven is simple and, in principle, cheap to set up. The wireless data comes from a few central 'light antennas', for instance mounted on the ceiling, which are able to precisely direct the rays of light supplied by an optical fibre. Since there are no moving parts, it is maintenance-free and needs no power. The antennas contain a pair of gratings that radiate light rays of different wavelengths at different angles. If you walk around as a user and your smartphone or tablet moves out of the light antenna's line of sight, then another light antenna takes over. Moreover, there is no longer any interference from a neighbouring Wi-Fi network, the researchers noted. The work of Oh is part of the wider 'BROWSE' project headed by professor of broadband communication technology Ton Koonen, and with funding from the European Research Council. hidden The Russian lower house of parliament, the State Duma, has approved a proposal to launch an investigation into U.S. media organisations that operate in Russia, it said in a statement posted on its web site late on Friday. The investigation, which will be conducted by the Duma's information policy, technologies and communications committee, will check whether CNN, the Voice of America, Radio Liberty and "other American media" are complying with Russian law. The statement said the Duma backed the move on Friday evening after Konstantin Zatulin, an MP from the pro-Kremlin United Russia party, proposed an investigation to retaliate for what he called a "repressive" U.S. move against Russian state-funded broadcaster RT. He said he was referring to an initiative by U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen, who has introduced a bill to empower the Justice Department to investigate possible violations of the Foreign Agents Registration Act by RT. Shaheen, a Democrat, cited a U.S. intelligence agency assessment that suggested RT was part of a Russian influence campaign to help Donald Trump win the White House last year. The Kremlin and RT have strongly rejected that allegation. Foreign media in Russia are overseen by the Russian Foreign Ministry, whose spokeswoman Maria Zakharova this week singled out Shaheen's demarche for criticism, quipping ironically that the senator should have included a clause drawing up a list of books for burning. The U.S. move also solicited the ire of Margarita Simonyan, RT's editor-in-chief, who on Wednesday told the daily Izvestia it had echoes of the activities of U.S. Senator Joseph McCarthy, who oversaw a campaign to expose people he regarded as communists in the 1950s. Reuters tech2 News Staff WikiLeaks released thousands of documents that detailed the capabilities of thousands of tools used by the CIA for compromising various types of consumer electronics, collectively designated as the Vault 7 leaks. The tools used undisclosed security holes known as zero day vulnerabilities to covertly take over smartphones, televisions and vehicle control systems. Tech companies scrambled to fix the security holes, but the leaks gave little details that the companies needed to identify and plug the security holes. Julian Assange offered to provide the tech companies with the necessary details through direct channels. The companies have reportedly received emails from WikiLeaks. They contain a document with conditions that the companies are expected to sign, before WikiLeaks starts disclosing the details of the zero days. The exact conditions are unknown, but apparently one of the demands is that the companies should fix the security holes within ninety days of being made aware of them, according to a report in Motherboard. https://twitter.com/wikileaks/status/841657897734033408 The offer puts technology companies between a rock and a hard place. Even without the conditions, gaining access to information about zero days from WikiLeaks is a legal quagmire. The documents and information available with WikiLeaks is highly classified information, and the possibility that other state sponsored actors, say from Russia, are not involved in the leaks cannot be entirely ruled out. Signing any agreement with WikiLeaks would only introduce further layers of legal complications. Apple said in a statement that the latest version of its software is safe from the vulnerabilities exposed in the Vault 7 dump. Microsoft asked anyone with information on zero days to contact its security team directly. The Vault 7 leak exposes the greater exposure to threats that the public around the world faces when security agencies hoard zero days. Last year, the ShadowBrokers also obtained a treasure trove of NSA tools. The information security community argued about the implications of state sponsored actors collecting zero days, and the potential repercussions of these tools finding their way into the hands of criminals. The Shadowbrokers tried to auction the security tools, but didn't find any buyers for the asking price, and only got rickrolled with a series of low value bitcoin bids. Chinese technology brand LeEco was recently in the news as it had reportedly laid off 85 percent of its Indian staff. Seniors including Atul Jain, COO of Smart Electronics and Debashish Ghosh, COO of Internet Applications, Services and Content had reportedly put down their papers. However, the company in an official statement had said that it won't exit from business operations in India. This seems likely, as the company has just introduced its new Super4 smart TV range in India. The range includes three models, the X40 which is a Full HD model and two UHD models, the X43 Pro and the X50 Pro. I got my hands on the 40-inch model, the Super4 X40 and took the sleek looking TV for a test drive. Build and Design: 7.5/10 LeEco has my approval when it comes to build quality. Not just their television range, even their smartphones have been good looking. The new Super4 X40 offers a very thin profile, just like its last series. It has a minimalistic design approach. The unique stand (basically like feet) has two parts that can be attached easily and come with handy screws that even require a screwdriver. The panel is super slim, and has a thickness of just 7.9mm. The back panel only occupies the lower half and if you include that,the thickness goes up to 32.7mm. The bezels are very slim, which doesn't come as a surprise as we've seen the previous generation having the same. The back panel cover is made of plastic, but it feels premium. The panel and the stands come with an aluminium finish and overall construction is strong and sturdy. Display: 7/10 This model comes with a 40-inch LED panel with a 1920x1080p resolution. It offers 5000:1 contrast ratio and refresh rates can go up to 60Hz. Now the panel looks great. Colours look good, in fact it offers 85 percent NTSC. But there is a big issue that I noticed. The TV is claimed to offer HDR. However the implementation is not done right. The HDR 'effect' is achieved by dynamic backlighting which is a bit annoying as it increases the contrast and blacks between frames. One can switch off the Dynamic Contrast Adjustment via the settings. The calibration is clearly an issue here. Honestly speaking, HDR with a 1080p panel doesnt make any sense anyway. Apart from the HDR issue, you can tweak the brightness, contrast and saturation and get a pretty good experience. I watched a couple of movies and I was quite happy with its capabilities. There are better panels out there, but this is not a bad panel at all. Keeping almost all picture settings around 50 percent felt quite apt. Audio: 7.5/10 The Super4 X40 features a stereo speaker system with two speakers placed at the back with Dolby Audio 16W sound output. I usually like to divide my audio tests into two sections, quality and level of volume. I was surprisingly satisfied, and in all fairness the sound is loud enough even if you use it in a large living room. As for the quality, I wasn't expecting much. I have mentioned in the past how slim LED TVs usually don't come with high-end speakers, and its fair. This one however is not bad at all. It offers a certain level of thump to it and audio is clear. There are a few audio presets as well that you can fiddle around. If you aren't in the mood to spend extra on a speaker system, then you wont be disappointed. User Interface: 6/10 I was disappointed to be greeted with the same OS that I saw on the Super3 series. The Android 6.0 Marshmallow based EUI 5.8 UI was impressive in terms of performance, but it lacked app support. There is no Google Play Store or Google Framework support, restricting you to the apps that are on its own LeTV Store. Forget Netflix, there isn't even the YouTube app available for the TV. If the company expects the consumer to have the knowledge of side-loading apps, then it is probably targeting the wrong audience. The UI is primarily divided into three tabs - Input, Live and App. The first tab is for the standard HDMI and AV inputs while the Live tab opens up Yupp TV which offers a bunch TV channels that are streamed online. The last tab shows all the applications installed, a browser, a file explorer, and some settings. You also get the Levidi app that offers LeEco's so-called package that it offered with the last generation. Somehow, I had no content on my unit. It seems that the company has stopped it's free offering of movies and videos which in any case was quite poor. Features and Ports : 7/10 Lets talk about the hardware. The TV is powered by a 64-bit Mstar 6A938 Smart TV chipset. The chipset features a quad-core processor with two ARM Cortex A72 cores and two A53 cores clocked at 1.7 GHz. This is paired to a Mali-T820MP3 GPU and 3GB of RAM. There is also 16GB of internal storage out of which about 9.2 GB is available to install apps. As for ports connectivity, the TV offers two HDMI ports, a USB 3.0 port, AV Input, optical audio, audio out, and an ethernet at the back. There is also separate a USB port on the top of the panel where you can connect a web camera accessory which is sold separately from LeEco. Apart from that there Bluetooth as well as Wi-Fi 2.4GHz and 5GHz support. This is pretty neat package and all ports are easy to access. Conclusion Considering how LeEco surprised me last year with its Super3 series, I have to give it to the company for making an attempt. It offers a neat and slim looking design and the overall build and construction is solid. While the HDR feature is gimmicky, the panel itself is not bad and has a good refresh rate. Just like last year, the UI and so-called free subscription package is an area where the company has clearly put in no effort. I wasn't completely disappointed by this TV, but then I wouldn't recommend this especially at Rs 46,990. There are more options in the market from Samsung and Sony both under the Rs 50,000, all offering smart features. There is also the LG 40UF670T which offers UHD resolution and better panel than this. Now why would you invest in a comparatively new brand if you can get almost all the features from a more reliable and established brand? It is a good alternative, but probably not advised as a first choice. Find latest and upcoming tech gadgets online on Tech2 Gadgets. Get technology news, gadgets reviews & ratings. Popular gadgets including laptop, tablet and mobile specifications, features, prices, comparison. The beginning of change? The UN rejected a report, compiled by one of its agencies, accusing Israel of Apartheid. The secretary-general of the United Nations (UN) on Friday rejected a report, authored by UN officials, that accused Israel of establishing an apartheid regime, prompting the resignation of the head of the agency that authored it. The report, compiled by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) and titled Israeli Practices towards the Palestinian People and the Question of Apartheid: Palestine and the Israeli Occupation, was produced by Princeton Professor Emeritus Richard Falk, the UNs former Special Rapporteur for Human Rights in Palestine, and American political scientist Virginia Tilley of Southern Illinois University. Both have a long history of anti-Israel activism. The report concludes, on the basis of overwhelming evidence, that Israel is guilty of the crime of apartheid, and urges swift action to oppose and end it. ESCWA is comprised of 18 Arab states. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for the report to be removed from ESCWAs website. Anti-Israel Agency Head Steps Down UN Under-Secretary-General and ESCWA Executive Secretary Rima Khalaf announced her resignation, saying she was pressured by Guterres to withdraw the report. It was expected, naturally, that Israel and its allies would exercise immense pressure on the UN secretary-general to distance himself from the report and to ask for it to be withdrawn, she said at a press conference in Lebanon. When Guterres instructed her on Thursday morning to withdraw the report, I asked him to review his position but he insisted on it, Khalaf said. Based on that, I submitted to him my resignation from the United Nations. A secretary-general cannot accept that an undersecretary-general or any other senior UN official that reports to him would authorize the publication under the UN name, under the UN logo, without consulting the competent departments and even himself, Dujarric said after Khalafs resignation. Its about senior officials dealing with a matter that implicates other parts of the system that they consult and they coordinate. It looks like there may be some light at the end of the tunnel that is the UN. The Trump administration threatened already to cut funding for the UN, which should be done regardless. For now, Nikki Haley's efforts appear to be paying off, as the UN's backing away from an anti-Israel declaration , and one of the anti-semites on the staff there has quit:This is definitely good news. Even so, the UN by all means needs to be put out of business and not be funded on taxpayer money. Labels: anti-semitism, dhimmitude, islam, Israel, political corruption, UN corruption, United States, White House Dont use Taiwan', Taipei frets ahead of Trump-Xi meeting A combination of file photos showing Chinese President Xi Jinping (L) at London\'s Heathrow Airport and U.S. President Donald Trump posing for a photo in New York City Reuters, Taipei : Taiwan's government, worried about being used as a pawn by China and the United States, said on Monday the self-ruled island must protect its own interests as concerns in Taipei rise ahead of an expected meeting of U.S and Chinese leaders. China has never renounced the use of force to take back what it deems a wayward province and has been pressuring Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen, who leads an independence-leaning ruling party, to concede Taiwan is a part of China. The United States is Taiwan's only major political ally and sole arms supplier, and weapons sales to Taiwan have repeatedly upset Beijing. "We call on the United States and China, when they improve relations, to not use Taiwan in their own interest or as a chess piece," Catherine Chang, Taiwan's minister in charge of China affairs, the Mainland Affairs Council, told reporters. Chang urged Beijing to communicate with Taipei "in order to maintain stability and peace in the Asia Pacific region." The comments come after U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson told Chinese President Xi Jinping on Sunday in Beijing that U.S. President Donald Trump anticipates a meeting "soon." At issue for Taipei is whether a Trump-Xi meeting will harm Taipei's interests as Washington begins considering a big, new arms package for Taiwan, a move sure to anger China. In Beijing, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said China's resolute opposition to U.S. arms sales to Taiwan was clear and consistent. "We hope the U.S. fully recognizes the high sensitivity and serious harmfulness of U.S. arms sales to Taiwan," she told a daily news briefing, adding that the United States should handle the Taiwan issue cautiously. There is contact between Taiwan and the new administration on the arms sale issue, but a specific request list has not been drawn up for this year, though there are pending requests from last year, defense ministry official Wu Pao-kun told lawmakers. "We should seek the greatest advantage in the interaction between the United States and China, to reduce the possibility of Communist China guiding and manipulating the U.S.-China-Taiwan relationship," said Peng Sheng-chu, chief of Taiwan's National Security Bureau. Peng, who was answering questions at a parliamentary session, did not elaborate on the steps Taiwan should take, but said the bureau's current intelligence showed a new communique that could hurt Taiwan's interests was unlikely to result from a Trump-Xi meeting. Sydney, Colombo Stock Exchange ink MoU Xinhua, Canberra : Sydney Stock Exchange (SSX) and Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to broaden mutual understanding and create new links between Australian and Sri Lankan businesses and capital markets. SSX and CSE are committed to the growth of their economies, especially in the environment of globalization and internationalization of capital markets. This agreement is intended to foster greater communication between both firms through staff exchange, training and the sharing of information relating to market development and dual listing opportunities. Tony Sacre, CEO of SSX, said the collaboration between SSX and CSE will "ensure an active and efficient market as well as enhancing the confidence and integrity of capital markets between Australia and Sri Lanka." "This is a good story, as our mission is to solidify a connection between Australian and Asian markets and the rest of the world. Sri Lanka has been an important trading partner for Australia, and this bond is a strong sign of the relationship only continuing to improve," he said. SSX and CSE will explore the possibility of collaborating regarding cross listing and trading of securities including stocks, bonds, ETFs etc. Vajira Kulatilaka, chairman of CSE, said the MoU marks an important development for the CSE, as CSE is looking to improve its avenues for cooperation and mutual development with peer international exchanges. "Our countries share a long history of economic cooperation and we are pleased at the prospect of working with the SSX to broaden investment opportunities for market participants both back home in Sri Lanka and here in Australia." Sydney Stock Exchange, originally Australian Pacific Exchange, is a part of the APX Exchange Group, a wholly owned subsidiary of the AIMS Financial Group, an Australian diversified financial services and investment group. Established in 1958, CSE operates the only stock market in Sri Lanka. More than 300 companies are listed in CSE. 6 Myanmar citizens arrested with Yaba Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) arrested eight persons including six Myanmar nationals along with six lakh Yaba tablets at Patenga of the city early on Sunday . The arrested Myanmar nationals are Nur Kabir, 40, Jamal Hossain, 45, Bashir Ahmad, 35, Jobi Ullah, 25, Bashi Ullah, 25 and Akter Hossain, 23 while the rest two Bangladeshi nationals were Ali Juhor, 38 and Shahjahan, 45. On secret information, a team of RAB-7 arrested them from Sluice Gate area of Charpara under Patenga Thana around 12:30am, said Lieutenant Colonel Miftah Uddin Ahmed, Commanding Officer of Rab-7. The arrested Myanmar nationals were currently residing in Kutu Palong refugee camp in Cox's Bazar, RAB sources said. Federer beats Wawrinka for fifth Indian Wells title Roger Federer of Switzerland lifts the trophy following his victory over compatriot Stan Wawrinka in the ATP Indian Wells Masters final match, in California on Sunday. AFP, Indian Wells : Roger Federer claimed a record-equalling fifth ATP Indian Wells Masters title on Sunday, continuing his career resurgence with a 6-4, 7-5 victory over Stan Wawrinka. Federer, sidelined some six months after knee surgery last year, returned to win his 18th Grand Slam title at the Australian Open in January. With Sunday's triumph in the all-Swiss final, Federer joined Novak Djokovic as the only men to win five Indian Wells titles, adding to those he won in 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2012. At 35, Federer is the oldest ATP player to win one of the elite Masters titles, supplanting Andre Agassi who was 34 when he won in Cincinnati in 2004. "It's been just a fairytale week once again," said Federer, who missed Indian Wells last year because of injury. "I'm not as surprised as I was in Australia, but still this comes as a big, big surprise to me, nevertheless, to win here again and beating the players that I did and the way I did. "I couldn't be more happy. It's an absolute, huge start to the year for me. Last year I didn't win any titles. I don't think I was in any finals except maybe Brisbane last year. The change is dramatic, and it feels great." The speedy progress means 10th-ranked Federer will have to reassess his 2017 goals. Prior to the Australian Open his aim was to get his ranking to as high as eighth by the time Wimbledon was over. "The goals are clearly changing after this dream start," Federer said. While Federer had won 19 of 22 prior meetings with Wawrinka-including a semi-final win in Melbourne-he noted that his compatriot would be no easy mark as he played his first tournament in America since winning the US Open in September. But Federer claimed a tightly contested first set with a break in the 10th game, pushing Wawrinka into a forehand error to end a tense rally for a set point, on which Wawrinka sent another forehand long. Wawrinka responded immediately with a break to open the first set-after Federer had held all 42 of his service games in the tournament to that point. He had saved the lone break point he faced-in his straight-sets thumping of Rafael Nadal in the fourth round-but sent a backhand long on break point to give Wawrinka the advantage in the set. Wawrinka then withstood two break points to hold for a 2-0 lead, which proved short-lived as Federer won the next three games to take a 3-2 lead. Finally Wawrinka found himself serving to save the match. A backhand into the net gave Federer a chance, and he seized it with a volley winner. "I've lost some tough ones against you, but when you played the final in Australia, I was your biggest fan," a choked up Wawrinka told Federer at the trophy ceremony. "So congratulations on your comeback and congratulations on today." Although he owns three Grand Slam titles, Wawrinka was playing in just his fourth Masters final and has won just one of the prestige events-beating Federer in the final at Monte Carlo in 2014. "It's a tough loss," he said. "In a way, I'm really happy to make the final. It's a great result on that, but you always want more." After fearing that knee trouble in the wake of the Australian Open would slow his season, Wawrinka was pleased to play at a high level. "After Australia, I wasn't in a good position," he said. "I was really, really struggling with my knee. I wasn't sure to be back here in that level that quick. "But I still lost the final," he said. "So it wasn't easy." UN facing famines, conflicts and now US funding cuts Lyndal Rowlands : In the midst of responding to the worst humanitarian crisis since records began, the UN is now faced with potential funding cuts from its biggest donor, the United States. On Thursday, U.S. President Donald Trump released "America First: A Budget Blueprint to Make America Great Again," the first such budget proposal of his presidency. The blueprint's biggest proposed cuts target the Department of State, which would lose 29 percent of its budget, and the Environment Protection Agency, which would lose 31 percent. Although details of exactly how the proposed cuts - which still require approval of U.S. Congress - would be made, are yet to emerge, funding for the UN and the USAID which both fall under the State Department is at risk. "If approved - and that's a big "if" - the Whitehouse's plans could slash several billions in UN funding," Natalie Samarasinghe Executive Director of the United Nations Association of the UK, told IPS. These billions of dollars of potential cuts come at a time when the United Nations is occupied responding to both acute and chronic crises around the world. "Some 20 million people are facing famine in Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan and Yemen," said Samarasinghe. "The number of people forced to flee their homes is now the biggest since records began," she said. "These are people for whom the UN is literally the difference between life and death," she said. "The total foreign aid of the U.S. is about one percent of the budget - not 10 or 15 percent as some people seem to think - it's one percent."-Michel Gabaudan Michel Gabaudan, President of Refugees International, told IPS that it is important to keep the United States contribution in perspective when assessing the potential cuts. "The U.S. contribution is critical, it is generous it is vital but it is not unduly high compared to other countries of the western bloc - who are the main funders of humanitarian aid - and we must this contribution in perspective." "The total foreign aid of the U.S. is about one percent of the budget - not 10 or 15 percent as some people seem to think - it's one percent." "The magnitude of the U.S. economy means that that one percent of money is critical to humanitarian relief and to development programs but if you compare this with what some European countries are doing, like Switzerland, like the Nordics, like the Dutch they are certainly giving more in terms of dollar per capita of their citizens," he said. Samarasinghe also noted that the proposed cuts are "still a relatively small amount compared to, say, fossil fuel subsidies." She said that it would be "politically challenging for European countries to pick up the slack, especially with elections looming in a number of countries." As an example, said Samarasinghe, a recent appeal from the Netherlands to fund reproductive health and safe abortions has not yet reached its $600 million target. That appeal was set up after Trump re-instated the Global Gag Rule, which removes U.S. funding from non-governmental organisations that carry out any activities related to safe abortion, regardless of the funding source. Meanwhile, Deborah Brautigam an expert on China in Africa told IPS that it is unlikely that China will increase its funding to the United Nations as the United States steps back, because China already feels "very comfortable" in its current position at the UN. This position includes a permanent seat on the UN Security Council and UN development policies, which align with China's priorities, such as industrialisation, said Brautigam who is Professor of International Political Economy and Director of the China Africa Research Initiative at Johns Hopkins University. Two UN agencies that receive the most funding from the United States are the World Food Program, which provides emergency food assistance, and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). However Gabaudan said that both the more immediate humanitarian aid as well as long-term development assistance are needed to address the world's crises: "The state department funds UNHCR and USAID funds development programs which tie the humanitarian aid with longer term issues," said Gabaudan. "Most displacement crises are protracted, people don't leave and get back home after a year or two," he said, as is the case with the Syrian conflict, which just surpassed six year on March 15th. The budget proposal also reinforces other aspects of the emerging Trump Republican administration policies, including sweeping cuts to environment programs and cuts to programs, which assist the poor in the United States. Nikki Haley, U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations said in a statement that the cuts reflected a desire to make the United Nations more effective and efficient. "I look forward to working with Members of Congress to craft a budget that advances U.S. interests at the UN, and I look forward to working with my UN colleagues to make the organisation more effective and efficient." "In many areas, the UN spends more money than it should, and in many ways it places a much larger financial burden on the United States than on other countries." However that financial relationship between the UN and the host of UN Headquarters is not unidirectional. According to the latest New York City UN Impact Report, the UN community contributed 3.69 billion dollars to the New York City economy in 2014. In response to the budget blueprint Stephane Dujarric, Spokesman for UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said that "the Secretary-General is grateful for the support the United States has given to the United Nations over the years as the organisation's largest financial contributor." "The Secretary-General is totally committed to reforming the United Nations and ensuring that it is fit for purpose and delivers results in the most efficient and cost-effective manner." "However, abrupt funding cuts can force the adoption of ad hoc measures that will undermine the impact of longer-term reform efforts," said Dujarric. Dujarric's statement also addressed aspects of the proposed budget, which claim to address terrorism. The proposal, which significantly increases spending on the U.S. military appears to favour a "hard power" militaristic approach over a "soft power" diplomatic and humanitarian approach. "The Secretary-General fully subscribes to the necessity to effectively combat terrorism but believes that it requires more than military spending," said Dujarric. "There is also a need to address the underlying drivers of terrorism through continuing investments in conflict prevention, conflict resolution, countering violent extremism, peacekeeping, peacebuilding, sustainable and inclusive development, the enhancement and respect of human rights, and timely responses to humanitarian crises." (Lyndal Rowlands is the United Nations Bureau Chief at IPS - Inter Press Service. Before becoming a UN correspondent in 2014 she worked as a researcher, writer and evaluator in the international development sector. She lives in East Harlem via Dili, Timor-Leste and Melbourne, Australia). Privatization of SOBs not solution to mismanagement THE continuous losses of State-Owned Banks (SOBs) prompted the government to consider privatising them all, expect one, said media report on Monday. Most State-Owned Banks are now sustaining on tax-payer-funded money. Finance Minister AMA Muhith discussed the government's thinking in presence of the Managing Directors of all seven State Owners Banks, Governor of Bangladesh Bank, and the Secretaries of Finance and Banking Divisions. They discussed the capital shortfall of five State-Run commercial banks and two State-Run specialised banks while the Finance Minister held the view that funding those banks from budgetary resources is slowing their recovery. Banks must operate on cost-benefit basis. Last year, six State-Owned Banks posted operating profits of Tk 2,010 crore, down 37 percent from a year ago. After provisioning and tax payments, these banks registered a net loss of Tk 511 crore for the year, which was Tk 125 crore in 2015. Two other State-Owned Specialised banks -- Krishi Bank and Rajshahi Krishi Unnayan Bank -- counted Tk 418 crore in losses last year, against Tk 167 crore in 2015. Privatising the State Banks has been a long-standing options and experts support the option saying banks must stay in business through competition. Last year, Mohammed Farashuddin, former central bank governor, and Sadiq Ahmed, former World Bank official called on the government to immediately privatise those banks and take drastic measures against public enterprises to stop them from bleeding the economy. But privatization has mixed results. Revenues received from sale of public equities were modest (roughly 35% of the target of Rs. 78,300 crores were realised in the period 1991-92 to 2002-03) from the sale of public companies in India. In the UK too there have been mixed results. While privatization has improved the service quality of some services like water distribution, it has also resulted in tremendous job losses for specific sectors. Privatisation failed to demonstrate that private companies are always more competent than State-Owned ones. It also failed to demonstrate that citizens would own shares. Rather the truth is that these banks will pass to the hands of wealthy and politically powerful people to give concentration of the national wealth to few hands. There is no guarantee that these banks will improve performance, rather capital flight may further grow in one hand and income gap between the rich and the poor will cause more socio-economic tension in the country. So many believe that the solution is not in selling these banks to the rich, but improving the bank management free from political control. So long political leaders will influence loan sanctioning and their rescheduling, the situation will not improve. We must say that the government should prove its competence to run banks instead of handing them over to powerful syndicates. Heavy clashes rock Damascus after surprise rebel attack Monitors say the rebel assault marks a shift in strategy near Damascus. Al Jazeera News : Heavy clashes rocked eastern districts of the Syrian capital on Sunday after rebel fighters launched a surprise assault on government forces, a monitor and state television said. Steady shelling and sniper fire could be heard across Damascus on Sunday as rebel factions allied with former al-Qaeda affiliate Jabhat Fateh al-Sham launched an attack on government positions in the city's east. The clashes centered on a government-held gap between two besieged opposition enclaves, the Jobar and Qaboun neighborhoods. The Ahrar al-Sham rebel group said fighters had "liberated" the area. Tahrir al-Sham - a umbrella group of rebels formed by Jabhat Fateh al-Sham last month - and the independent Failaq al-Rahman group also participated in the attack. Syrian state media said the military had repelled an attack by one group after "terrorists" infiltrated through tunnels in the middle of the night. Rebels detonated two large car bombs at 5:20am on Sunday close to the Jobar neighborhood. Tahrir al-Sham claimed responsibility for the attack. Rebels then advanced into the nearby Abbasiyn Square area, seizing several buildings and firing a barrage of rockets into multiple Damascus neighbourhoods, according to Rami Abdelrahman of the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Government forces responded with nearly a dozen air strikes on Jobar, he added. Al Jazeera's Mohamed Al Jazaeri, reporting from near Damascus, said that at least 15 civilians had been killed after government forces shelled residential neighborhoods in Eastern Ghouta, but that the fighting had since become less intense. "This advance is the largest for opposition groups in over a year and a half," Al Jazaeri said. "Military operations have not stopped in the area but it has calmed down. There remains sniper shooting from both sides and regime forces are shelling Jobar neighborhood, as well as other areas controlled recently by the opposition." Control of Jobar - which has been a battleground district for more than two years - is divided between rebels and allied fighters on one side, and government forces on the other. It is one of three pockets in the Syrian capital still in opposition hands. The recent fighting has resulted in rebel control of industrial areas in Al-Qaboun in addition to parts of Abbasiyn breaking a siege on the area and linking it to Jobar neighborhood, which is connected to Eastern Ghouta, Al Jazaeri said. Joshua Landis, an expert on Syria at the University of Oklahoma, told Al Jazeera that the offensive had taken the government by surprise and that its response was likely to be very significant. "I don't think it's going to change the trajectory of the war, which has been seeing the regime make important gains and the opposition getting increasingly restricted. But it shows the opposition is far from dead. It shows also that this new combination led by [Tahrir al-Sham] is very potent," Landis said. "The regime is going to realise that it cannot allow these two areas to linger there because they are beachheads for this Tahrir a-Sham group to make inroads into the Damascus area," he said, adding the government would likely withdraw some forces from areas such as Homs and Hama to refocus on Damascus. "It means that the fight is still on, there are many fronts to this war, and the opposition remains powerful." Syrian state TV aired footage from Abbasiyn Square, typically buzzing with activity but now empty except for the sound of shelling. Residents said artillery shells and rockets were landing in the heart of the city. The Observatory said rebel shells hit several nearby districts in Damascus, including Bab Touma, Rukn al-Din and the Abbasiyin area. Several schools announced they would close through Monday, and many civilians cowered inside in fear of stray bullets and shelling. According to the Observatory, the Faylaq al-Rahman group and the Fateh al-Sham Front - known as al-Nusra Front before it broke ties with al-Qaeda - were present in Jobar. "This neighbourhood is the most important front line because it's the closest rebel position to the heart of the capital," said Abdel Rahman. Government forces have long sought to push the rebels out of the district because of its proximity to the city centre in Damascus. But with Sunday's attack, Abdel Rahman said, "rebels have shifted from a defensive position in Jobar to an offensive one". "These are not intermittent clashes - these are ongoing attempts to advance," he said. Syria's war : Forced evacuations begin in Al Waer One rebel commander told the Associated Press news agency they launched the assualt from Jobar as a way to relieve allied fighters in the nearby districts of Barzeh, Tishreen, and Qabun from government attacks. "This is to relieve the pressure on rebels with the regime not stopping its bombardment and artillery shelling," said Abu Abdo, a commander from Failaq al Rahman. The attack on Damascus comes just days before a fresh round of UN-brokered peace talks in Geneva aiming to put an end to Syria's six-year war. Rebels and government troops agreed to a nationwide cessation of hostilities in December, but fighting has continued across much of the country, including in the capital. Rebels said the army had advanced in the last two days after weeks of bombardment and aerial strikes aimed at regaining control of strategic areas inside the capital, a few kms away from President Bashar al Assad's seat of power. The army had advanced towards a road between Qaboun and Barza, whose capture severed the links between the two besieged rebel districts where tens of thousands of people live. "Taking this road would isolate Barza and Qaboun completely and with a security belt around it," said Abu Abdullah, another fighter with Failaq al Rahman rebel group. The army and allied militias have been targeting the besieged Eastern Ghouta area, the biggest remaining rebel bastion around the capital, for months, making incremental gains. It has undertaken a relentless bombing campaign of residential areas to force rebels to surrender and agree to deals that push them out of these areas. KSA`s 90-day amnesty for illegal workers Staff Reporter : The Interior Ministry of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on Sunday launched "A Nation Without Violations" campaign to give residency and labour law violators 90 days to leave the country without penalties, Arab News reported on Monday. Prince Mohammed bin Naif, crown prince, deputy prime minister and minister of interior, urged violators to take advantage of the 90-day grace period, which becomes effective from March 29, to correct their status and make use of the assistance provided. The crown prince directed authorities to facilitate the procedures of people who seek to leave the country within the specified period and relieve them from all sanctions. Interior Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Mansour Al-Turki said that 19 government agencies will carry out the campaign. He said, the decision covers those who overstayed their Haj or Umrah visit, or any other type of visa. He said procedures will be finalized for violators with no residence or work permits who infiltrated the borders illegally. Travel permits will be issued for those individuals. The General Directorate of Passports and the Immigration Department completed preparations to facilitate the departure of violators. Al-Turki said residents with no identity cards or who overstayed their Haj visa must visit the nearest Passport Department to complete the procedures. He also urged citizens and residents not to employ individuals who violated their work or residency permits, or cover up for them. He urged people to report violators by calling 999. Once the grace period passes, penalties will be charged against violators who remain. Al-Turki said the same campaign was launched three years ago with more than 2.5 million violators departing under the programme. Marine Col. Saher Al-Harbi, spokesman of the Border Guard, said his department had returned thousands of illegal infiltrators who arrived via land and seaports. Earlier on January 3, the Saudi embassy in Dhaka withdrew the restriction on visas for male migrant workers. Saudi Arabia, Bangladesh's largest overseas labour market, made the announcement after it lifted a seven-year ban on recruitment of Bangladeshi male workers. Saudi Arabia, home to some 13 lakh Bangladeshi migrant workers, imposed the restriction in early 2008, alleging malpractices in the recruitment system. The decision led to a decline in labour migration from Bangladesh to the Middle East country. A total of 1.32 lakh Bangladeshis migrated to the oil-rich nation in 2008 but the number drastically dropped to 14,666 in 2009, shows official data. Since then, Saudi job market was beyond the reach of Bangladeshi male workers. Some male workers, however, got visas through their relatives or agencies by spending Tk 5 lakh to Tk 10 lakh each. Much ado .. ! No militant, no explosive found in Ctg raid Law enforcers raided two houses believed to be militant dens at Colonel Haat under Akbar Shah Police Station in Chittagong on Monday but none has been found. Staff Reporter : Law enforcers raided two houses believed to be militant hideouts at Colonel Haat under Akbar Shah Police Station in the Port city Chittagong on Monday evening. However, none has been arrested during the two-hour long raid. And no materials like explosive or ammunition have been recovered from the houses. Over two hundreds law enforcers took part in the raid. "We raided the building but did not find out any substance of threat," a police official said on the spot. Police said as part of the anti-militant drive across the country, the law enforcers conducted the raid. Based on confessional statements given by the suspected militants who were arrested in a raid titled 'Assault 16' by special joint forces at Premtala in Sitakunda upazila on Thursday morning, the law enforcers first cordoned off the houses, police said. Later, the law enforcers conducted the raid at the four-storey building named MMH Nibas in the area. A team of police, including a bomb disposal unit, and Special Weapon and Tactic Team members and a special squad of elite force Rapid Action Battalion cordoned off the two houses at about 4:00pm yesterday, Nazmul Ahsan, Additional Deputy Commissioner of Chittagong Metropolitan Police (West Zone) told journalists. "Being confirmed about the presence of militants, law enforcers cordoned off a house on Road-1 and another on Kattoli Ishan Mohajan Road in Colonel area," he said. Talking to journalists, Zakir Hossain Bhuiyan, Officer-in-Charge, Akbar Shah Police Station said acting on a tip-off, police cordoned off a house No. 40/41 in Akbar Shah at about 4:00pm. Earlier, on March 16, five people, including couple and their child, were killed in a suicidal bomb blast and police firing during a drive at a house in Premtala Chowdhury Para area of Sitakunda. Hanif was forced to sign cheque for Tk 6.7 lakh: Claims family Ashkona attack suspect dies after RAB detention: ASK seeks judicial probe Staff Reporter : Md Hanif Mridha, an Ashkona attack suspect whom the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) claimed to have died in hospital on Saturday after picking up by the law enforcers on February 27, family sources said. The 27-year old Hanif Mridha is a resident of Amragachhia village of Amtali upazila in Barguna, was basically a business man. Family sources claimed that Hanif had been picked up by law enforcers 22 days back and put pressure to sign in checks. But after the Ashkona incident, family members came to know that the law enforcers shown him fresh arrest in connection to the incident. "The law men forced Hanif to sign several pages of the cheque books of BRAC and Dutch-Bangla banks for a sum of Tk 670,000," they further claimed. According to the statement of the RAB, Hanif was detained from a bush beside Munmun Kabab shop in Khilkhet at 4:15pm on Friday when he was trying to flee as a RAB vehicle was going past the spot after the city's Ashkona RAB office attack. Hanif's wife Kulsum Begum on Sunday said that Hanif and his friend Sohel Hossain Mantu went to Barisal to join the religious congregation of Charmonai Pir (religious leader) on 24 February and returned to Dhaka on 27 February by launch. They got down from the launch at Kanchpur bridge in the capital and our family driver Jewel went there with our car to pick them up. But he saw about 7-8 people, who identified themselves as Detective Branch (DB) officials, whisking them off to the car." "While several others got in our car and instructed driver Jewel at gunpoint to run the car to the direction they showed. As our car reached Purbachal, they later dropped him and took away our car after beating our driver," claimed Kulsum. His friend Sohel, who is still missing, has furniture business in the capital's Gulshan-2, according to her. Hanif, a resident of Amragachhia village of Amtali upazila in Barguna, was involved in transport business, having three buses in the Turag transport service in Dhaka, she claimed. Hanif's brother Halim Mridha filed a General diary (GD) on March 4 with Siddhirganj Police Station in connection with the incident, she added. Halim told the reporter that a white-coloured car of RAB-1 and a white-coloured Hiace car came to their Rayerbazar residence around 9:30am on March 15. "RAB-1's white-car stood at the entry of Shah Ali's lane and the Hiace car was parked in front of the gate of our residence. Four to five people entered our house along with Hanif and told Kulsum in front of other family members, 'Your husband has assisted an unfair act'," claimed victim's brother. Halim said that the RAB member impersonators later asked his sister-in-law to bring Hanif's cheque books before them. "They forced Hanif to sign several pages of the cheque books of BRAC and Dutch-Bangla banks for an amount of Tk 670,000 in total," he claimed. Hanif's brother-in-law Rezaul Islam said, "One of the four-to-five people [who visited Hanif's house on 15 March] was in RAB uniform and was carrying arms. The nameplate attached with his uniform read 'Iqbal'. He said the other members of the team didn't introduce themselves. They went back along with Hanif. "They also took away a motorbike of Pulsar brand which was kept in the house," claimed Rezaul. The family members came to know through television news that someone called Hanif died in Kurmitola Hospital on Friday and then they rushed to the hospital. The family members confirmed the identity of Hanif after Airport police station's inspector (investigation) Ezaz Shafi showed them a photo of the body. Besides, Sohel's maternal uncle Md Babu said that Sohel, a man from the village of Chhoto Baizraat of Barguna's Taltali, used to live in Jatrabari's Dhalpur in the capital. Sohel's uncle said his nephew was still missing. Airport Station Police Inspector Ezaz Shafi said, RAB-1 members picked up Hanif from a bush beside Munmun Kabab shop near Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at 4:15pm on Friday. According to the death certificate, Hanif died of cardiac arrest, and the body was sent to Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) morgue for an autopsy on Saturday, the Inspector said. DMCH sources said the Airport police members brought the body of Hanif Mridha around 5:00am while four vehicles of RAB also accompanied. Earlier on Friday, a suicide bomber rattled the Ashkona RAB office, killing himself by detonating a bomb. RAB's Legal and Media Wing director Mufti Mahmud Khan said a young man was trying to enter the camp and when the RAB members challenged him, he detonated the bomb that was strapped to his body. The blast killed him on the spot and injured two RAB members. RAB-1's Lieutenant Colonel Sarowar Bin Quashem claimed that Hanif was taken to Kurmitola General Hospital after he felt chest pain while he was being taken to RAB office. He was said to have died at the hospital. Rights body Ain O Salish Kendra (ASK) on Monday demanded a judicial enquiry over the death of Hanif Mridha in RAB custody. The demand came in the backdrop of an allegation made by Hanif's family that he was actually picked up by a group of people claiming to be detectives in Siddhirganj area last month. "We demand a judicial probe into this matter," said ASK in a press statement signed by its acting executive director Nur Khan. Earlier on Friday, suicide bomber blew himself up near a temporary camp of the RAB in Ashkona Hajj Camp area of the capital in the afternoon. An attacker was killed and two RAB officials have been injured in the incident. Trump`s crackdown focuses on illegal immigrants in US Independent : Nearly 20 years ago, Mark Reed, then a top boss for the Immigration and Naturalization Service, sent agents into Nebraska to crack down on meatpackers hiring immigrants who were in the country illegally. Agents pored over records to ferret out forged documents or fake Social Security numbers, and thousands of workers, fearful of being caught without papers, fled the state. Reed thought the effort, Operation Vanguard, could become a national model to shut down a magnet for illegal immigration, and he said as much to Rep. Lamar Smith (R-Texas) during a congressional hearing on immigration while Vanguard was underway. "The neon light is on. It has been for decades, and that neon light is driven by jobs," Reed testified. "As long as those jobs are available, those people are going to come in." Smith thought otherwise. "Deportation is the strongest deterrent to illegal immigration," he said. Soon after that 1999 hearing, political blowback prompted the agency to halt Operation Vanguard, and officials turned their focus to apprehending immigrants and militarizing the Southwest border. In the years since, the government's strategy hasn't much changed. In the never-ending political and rhetorical war over illegal immigration, immigrants usually have received most of the blame, while businesses have gotten a relative pass - from enforcement and vitriol alike. "If you take hypocrisy and then put in a good dose of unintended consequences, you can see why we are in such a mess," Reed, now semiretired, said of immigration enforcement. Trump administration clears the way for far more deportations Trump administration clears the way for far more deportations For all President Trump's tough talk on deportations and building a wall on the Mexican border, his executive orders on immigration so far make no mention of targeting employers. Nor did he mention employers when, in his first address to a joint session of Congress, he renewed his pledge to build the border wall. Though Trump's rhetoric on illegal immigration is unusual compared with previous presidents, his basic approach to enforcement is not. In fiscal years 2009 through 2016, immigration officials deported more than 2.5 million people. During that same time, officials arrested 1,337 managers of businesses on charges that included illegal hiring, tax evasion and money laundering. "It's always been easier to go after the workers," said Doris Meissner, a former INS commissioner. "But is that any more than just counting numbers? Does that actually change the basic magnet effect of the jobs? No." For years, federal law did not bar the hiring of people in the country without legal status. That changed in 1986, when President Reagan signed the Immigration Reform and Control Act. The law, commonly called IRCA, granted residency to about 3 million people who were in the country without legal status, bolstered border enforcement and for the first time established penalties for hiring people who were in the country illegally. Hacking in BB again, no damage done Staff Reporter : The e-mail ID of Bangladesh Bank (BB) has been hacked and false mail sent to different commercial banks using the Central Bank's mail ID, sources said. Executive Director of BB Subhankar Saha told media that they have got a suspicious mail on Monday after the occurrence of the hacking incidence at Foreign Currency Division on March 14. All the sections of the Central Bank have already been informed not to open or forward any suspicious mail to anyone, he said. After the hacking the mail ID of Foreign Currency Division, many mails were sent to different commercial banks and financial institutions even also from other mail IDs of BB from 8:00 pm on March 14. But the hacker could not steal money or information from any banks of the country as BB has taken different cautionary steps. BB governor Fazle Kabir in a directive asked IT section of the Central Bank to go through the matter, Subhankar Saha informed. Besides, the Central Bank has also informed the matter to the Ministry of Finance. BB, in a letter to the Ministry of Post, Telecommunication and ICT sought help for detail enquiry of hacking incident. System Manager of ICT Operation wing of BB, Muhammad Ishaq Mia issued the letter on March 15. However, the government is yet to publish the enquiry report of US $100 million dollar stolen from the reserve of Bangladesh Bank. Meanwhile, the second hacking incident occurred again in the Central Bank. BD teacher Shahnaj honoured in Dubai among top global 50 DU Correspondent : Bangladeshi Primary School teacher Shahnaj Parvin was honoured among the top 50 for the Varkey Foundation Global Teacher Prize 2017 on Sunday. Shahnaj is a teacher of the Upazila Sadar Model Government Primary School at Sherpur upazila in Bogra. Shahnaj and other members of the top 50 received their accolades at the fifth Global Education and Skills Forum at Atlantis, The Palm Hotel in Dubai. Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid attended the function. Meanwhile, Canadian teacher Maggie MacDonnell collected the $1m top award for the Global Teacher Prize at the event. She received her prize from Crown Prince of Dubai Shaikh Hamdan Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, who is the patron for the award. Shahnaj was born in a remote village, where many children in Bangladesh dropout of school due to financial handship of their families. The dropout rate was reduced by Shahnaj's teaching methods that emphasized technology and multimedia applications. Who cause and who fight terrorism remains clouded: Govt no help The mystery behind the death of Hanif Mridha in RAB custody is only deepening while the nation is in deep trouble with fresh spike of abductions and militancy but the bitter truth is that there is none to hold the situation under control and take care of people's concern. Two killings in RAB action over the last two days is not only shocking to the nation; it is also raising question whether they are victims of misuse of power in arbitrary killing. Plainclothes people, some identifying them as RAB personnel are often blamed for such abduction and killing. But RAB as for one having most allegations against its members routinely disowns it. But what we want to say here is that disowning is not what people want to hear; our major concern is who will own their responsibility to give safety to people's life. The RAB is the one tasked with fighting terrorism but why young people get killed in questionable circumstances is the biggest question. Who can misuse RAB's name and continue to operate is yet another question. The biggest and most disturbing question is whether we have a government competent enough to fight militancy for peace and security. The death of Hanif, a city transport operator in RAB custody came as a new shock with opposite stories from victim's family in one hand and RAB's Public Relations Officer put it in a different context. Who is right and who is wrong - a clash of truth is totally confusing the nation while they want to know what is the real truth behind it. Meanwhile, killing of another young man at a RAB check post at Khilgaon on Saturday morning came as yet another case of death shrouded with mystery. RAB claimed he was riding a number plate less motorbike and carrying a bomb to attack the RAB check post. They fired shoots at and killed him. Yet again the mother of this victim claimed her soon was missing for sometime and his death came to her as a surprise. She wanted to know where the abductors held her son before making him a scapegoat. Hanif's family said he was abducted with one of his friends on February 27 when they were returning Dhaka from Barisal. Plainclothes people picked them from Kanchpur area as they left a launch and moving to board on Hanif's private car. But RAB disclosure said he was arrested from around Ashkona RAB barrack on suppression that he was linked to the suicide bomber who blew him outside the RAB barrack. RAB sources claimed in their custody Hanif felt pain in his chest and when they took him to nearby Kurmitola General Hospital doctors declared him dead. The family wondered how the general diary (GD) with Siddhirgonj Police Station they lodged on March 4 got lost with all entries from March 1. There is no trace of the diary to suggest that some influential quarters are at work to bury the case. They were then overtaken by yet another surprise on March 15 when several people in plainclothes went to Hanif's house and one of them wearing RAB uniform with 'Iqbal' by name to get Hanif signed two cheques for a total of Tk 6.70 lakhs. They went there in a white HiAce microbus and Hanif's neighbours confirmed the media to have seen the people claiming as members of law enforcement agencies. RAB's Spokesman Mufti Mahmud is not much helpful to clear the case. He said they have heard about the family claim. But it is known that criminal gangs are involved in such acts using identity of RAB in many cases. He said they are investigating the claim that one of the group members was wearing a RAB uniform with his name inscribed on the pocket. Hanif's neighbours in his village home under Amtoli Police Station in Barguna told police that he was a good man and locals in Dhaka also said he was a good person mainly involving in business. The family said he grew up from a tea boy and now own three buses running in Dhaka streets. Life cannot be cheap and unprotected in a free country for the government to be helpless. Only law enforcing agencies have full power and authority to fight militancy. The fear is who cause and who fight militancy remains clouded. The government is no help. 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. 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. CARBONDALE Ginger L. Rye's grandson was headed to her home on March 9, when a man allegedly fired a gun at another man, wounding him fatally. Her grandson, she said, was close enough to the shooting to come upon the 19-year-old JaVon T. Trott, of Johnston City, as he lay dying. Authorities have charged 22-year-old Jarrell Pullen, of Carbondale, with murder in that case. Authorities are still searching for him. "(My grandson was) pretty much in the line of fire," Rye said, "and it was just by the grace of God that he didn't get hurt." Fed up with the violence that makes it hard for her grandson and her 17 other grandchildren and great-grandchildren to enjoy the freedom of playing outside her home on the northeast side of Carbondale, Rye has taken matters into her own hands and encouraged others to pray and advocate for their community, then put action behind those prayers and advocacy. She has formed a group, loosely called "Women For Change," which intends to address violence and other concerns in the community, and restore the neighborhood back to the one she said she grew up in and nourished in, a neighborhood she loves. She said she and a handful of other women have met with Carbondale City Manager Gary Williams and other city officials to share their concerns. She said, at this point, about 30 women are a part of the group. They are fashioning statements on what they would like to see perhaps Neighborhood Watch patrols, a satellite police station and some other things, like the city committing to helping out financially with the Eurma C. Hayes Center to bring more safety and stability back to her neighborhood. After spending a career with the Office of State Guardian for people with disabilities, the retiree is back in Carbondale, she said, living in the same home in which she was raised. "If we don't speak out and stand up," Rye said, "we don't have any change." As the sun set Sunday evening, neighbors, passersby and others looked on at the group that met to pray in the parking lot of the Eurma C. Hayes Community Center, along Willow Street, a few feet from where Trott was shot. They also prayed along a stretch of Wall Street near East Main, and in front of the closed Carbondale City Hall. The gathering included several faith leaders, including the Rev. William Broadnax, of Encouraging Word Ministry, who prayed at the Eurma C. Hayes Center; the Rev. Burke Anthony Cawthon Sr., of Faith Temple Church of God in Christ, and the Rev. Ronald L. Chambers of Bethel AME Church, who both prayed at the Wall Street stop; and M Stalls-Goodwin and Rye herself outside Carbondale City Hall. Also gathering were Scott Martin, Fern Chappell and Maurine Pyle, all active in race-building and peace work in the Carbondale area. "Keep in mind, this is your change, as well as ours," Deborah Woods, a member of the organizing group, said at the conclusion of the City Hall prayer. In past years, community members have battled a perception that the northeast side of Carbondale is riddled with crime and violence. This past August, three men who reportedly came into the area to kill three other men wound up shooting and critically injuring Carbondale Police officer Trey Harris during a police chase of their vehicle. Past shootings have included the shooting death in 2011 of 20-year-old Deaunta Spencer, who was found shot dead in the 400 block of North Brush Street. City Manager Gary Williams said he met with members of the group this past week and suggested they create a neighborhood association. "We encouraged Ginger to organize a neighborhood association to represent the northeast side of Carbondale," Williams responded to emailed questions. "We reminded her that when a neighborhood has the collective voice of its residents, its much easier to have your voice heard. It also helps city staff to target resources to specific problems that the neighborhood has identified as important to them." "We have provided support to the Eurma Hayes by helping them maintain the building, i.e., clear trees, clean debris from roof, etc.," Williams said. "Weve also helped identify some potential tenants. We have been asked about locating a substation/satellite (police) office there. This is a policy decision which would require the support of Council." The group's next meeting is set for 10 a.m. Thursday, March 30, for what Rye is calling "coffee and dialogue." The meeting will be at the Eurma C. Hayes Community Center. Rye doesn't have any set agenda for that meeting. "If it takes a community to do it, we will do it," she said. For more information about Women For Change, call 618-203-9617 or visit its Facebook page at http://tinyurl.com/WomenForChangeFB. HARRISBURG Brian Burns day in court has again been delayed. The state filed a motion of election to allow for Burns kidnapping trial to be heard before his murder trial. The motion was granted by Judge Walden Morris March 16 during what was to be Burns final pretrial hearing in his murder case. Both Assistant States Attorney Jason Olson and Burns defense attorney, Bryan Drew, believed it was possible the March 22 trial date, originally scheduled for Burns murder trial, could be used for the kidnapping trial. However, late last week, the date was changed and an April 21 final pretrial in the kidnapping case was scheduled, with jury trial to begin May 10 in Judge Walden Morris Harrisburg courtroom. Burns, a prominent Harrisburg physician, was arrested in March of 2016 on two counts of first-degree murder and one count of manslaughter after it was alleged he murdered his wife, Carla Burns, and burned her remains. He was later charged with solicitation, conspiracy to commit aggravated kidnapping and attempt of aggravated kidnapping after it was alleged that while he was in jail, he attempted to contract the kidnapping of Saline County States Attorney Mike Henshaw. Henshaw, who initially did not plan to recuse himself from the case, later gave it to special prosecutor Matt Goetten of the Appellate Prosecutor's Office in Springfield. According to Judici, Burns murder trial does not yet have a jury trial date set. His final pretrial hearing in the case is scheduled for 9 a.m. May 19. 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 To the Editor: On March 8, Congressman Mike Bost wrote in The Southern Illinoisan's Guest View defending his reasons for not holding his own public town hall meeting saying those who want to meet are, "An activist group called 'Indivisible' (who) literally wrote the liberal playbook for how to upend town halls across the country." Not true. I am a member of I57 Indivisible and I have read the Indivisible Guide Book available online. It says be informed about the issues, speak respectfully yet demand answers, and that every constituent has right to meet with their representative in a public forum. Congressman Bost knows there are constituents whose views differ strongly from his and sitting down with us won't be a tea party. We are 12th District voters not "out-of-state protesters." As for me, I am a well-educated grandmother who does not deserve to be characterized wrongly as a "liberal activist" and denied a town hall meeting. The Congressman must know my name because I write and call regularly asking he take my views into consideration before voting as my representative. I still hope to meet with him in a pubic forum. I wrote recently asking him to vote against Trump's budget which, sadly for our country's future, is heavy on defense and anti-immigration spending and tragically deficient for the environment, science, education, the arts, public television, and health and human services. I hope wise heads and compassionate hearts prevail in a bipartisan Congress to disapprove Trump's budget. Let's talk it over, Mike. Kathy Belletire Marion Wildlife management workshop scheduled ST. MATTHEWS -- A wildlife management workshop is scheduled for Tuesday, March 28 at the Tri-County Electric Cooperative. The Calhoun County Clemson Extension office along with the South Carolina Farm Bureau is sponsoring the workshop, which will focus on farm pond, feral hog, quail, coyote and beaver management. The workshop will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. The electric cooperative is located at 6473 Old State Road. The cost for the event is $20. The cost is payable at the door by check made out to Clemson University or by cash only. Preregistration is required for lunch. The program's agenda is: 8:30-9 a.m. - registration 9-10:30 a.m. - pond management 10:30-noon - feral hog control Noon-1 p.m. - lunch and quail habitat management 1-2:30 p.m. - beaver management 2:30-4 p.m. - coyote management 4-5 p.m. - outdoor trapping demonstrations Presenters will be: Calhoun County Clemson Extension Agent Charles Davis; Clemson Extension Wildlife Specialist Dr. Corey Heaton; South Carolina Department of Natural Resources Quail Biologist Susan Sullivan; and SCDNR Furbearer Program Manager Jay Butfiloski. Individuals can preregister by emailing tkinsey@clemson.edu or by calling 803-874-2354 EXT 114. For more information, contact Charles Davis at cdvs@clemson.edue or 803-874-2354. Ext. 114. Amick honored as top Clemson ag alumnus William B. Amick of Neeses has been named recipient of the Outstanding Young Agricultural Alumnus Award by Clemson Universitys College of Agriculture, Forestry and Life Sciences and its National Agricultural Alumni Board. Amick, a 2012 Clemson graduate with a degree in applied economics and statistics and a minor in business administration, is a partner, adviser and registered representative with Amick and Associates in Columbia, where he develops business and wealth-management plans. An active community member, Amick in involved in the Lexington County Farm Bureau Young Farmer and Rancher Organization. He chairs the Youth and Education Committee of the S.C. Duck Stamp Program and plans and coordinates fundraising events for South Carolinas Ducks Unlimited that grosses more than $50,000 annually for the benefit of wetland conservation. Upon graduating from Lexington High School, Amick served as state vice president of the S.C. FFA Association and was chosen by the National FFA Organization to participate in the first International Leadership Conference held in China. While at Clemson, Amick successfully led the effort to secure university approval to establish the agribusiness major, which has attracted many outstanding students. He was also selected to participate in the Clemson -sponsored International Study Program to South Africa. Amick is presently serving as a member of the National Agricultural Alumni Board of the College of Agriculture, Forestry and Life Sciences at Clemson. The son of Blake and Dell Amick of Columbia, Amick was nominated for the Outstanding Young Agricultural Alumnus Award by John W. Parris of Columbia, director of the SC Agri-News Service and a charter member of Clemsons National Agricultural Alumni Board of Directors. USDA seeks grant applications for rural energy COLUMBIA USDA Rural Development is accepting grant applications until March 31 from rural businesses interested in energy-efficiency upgrades or the installation of renewable energy systems. For projects that generate renewable energy, such as solar panels, applicants may apply for a grant of up to $500,000. For projects that increase a business energy efficiency, such as installing energy efficient lighting or heating and cooling equipment upgrades, applicants may apply for a grant of up to $250,000. For both project types, grant money can cover up to 25 percent of the eligible project costs. Large-scale projects can apply for USDA financing through a REAP guaranteed loan throughout the year. For information, contact Rural Development Energy Coordinator Shannon Legree at 803-253-3150 or Shannon.legree@sc.usda.gov Farmers can nominate schools for STEM grants ST. LOUIS, Mo. The number of jobs with an emphasis in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) is expected to grow significantly over the next 10 years, according to the National Science and Math Initiative. To help K-12 educators enhance their STEM curriculum, the Americas Farmers Grow Rural Education program, sponsored by the Monsanto Fund, will once again provide farmers with the opportunity to nominate their Orangeburg County public schools for opportunities to receive $10,000 and $25,000 grants. In 2017, the Grow Rural Education program will award approximately $2.3 million to deserving schools. Since the program began in 2011, it has awarded more than $11 million to schools in rural communities across the United States. To qualify for a Grow Rural Education grant, farmers in eligible counties must nominate an eligible rural public school district to compete for a merit-based grant of either $10,000 or $25,000. Farmers can nominate their school district from January 1 to April 1, 2017. After the school district receives a nomination, the Monsanto Fund will notify the district and encourage administrators and teachers to design a grant that enhances STEM education in their district. Nominated school districts have until April 15, 2017, to submit a grant application describing their project. An advisory council composed of farmer leaders then reviews finalist applications and selects the winning school districts. To nominate a local school district for one of the Grow Rural Education grants, as well as a complete list of program rules and eligibility information, farmers can go to GrowRuralEducation.com. Local college presidents say a state borrowing package could help them upgrade their campuses to prepare students for jobs. The House Ways and Means Committee is currently putting together a bond bill for state building needs that will be considered by the General Assembly this year. I have no idea whether there will even be such (a bill passed), S.C. State President James Clark said. The universitys requests for funding under the bond bill, are no different from requests weve already made, he said. South Carolina State University, Orangeburg-Calhoun Technical College and Denmark Technical College are among the institutions with funding requests for maintenance, repairs, equipment and other items. Some of those needs could be funded under a bond bill. S.C. State has requested: $5 million for information technology. $5.7 million for campus-wide roof replacement. Nearly $8.5 million for renovations to Sojourner Truth Hall. $1.5 million for storm water infrastructure. Nearly $1.8 million for Student Center repairs. More than $13 million for maintenance needs. Clark said that the IT infrastructure is the most critical of S.C. States needs. We currently lag in our information technology infrastructure, Clark said. And that is core. That is at the core of todays operations. Assuming nobodys in the building, a building could fall down here and I can keep operating as a university, he said. But if my network infrastructure falls down and crashes, Im dead in water. I cant operate as an entity. Some of the schools tech is so old and outdated, the vendors no longer support that device, he said. OCtech is asking for: $10 million for maintenance, including renovations to a handful of buildings. $8 million to build an advanced manufacturing building. Nearly $1.9 million for equipment. Discussing the need for the advanced manufacturing building, OCtech President Dr. Walt Tobin said there is an increasing demand for technicians. And our anticipation of what the future demand might look like, just for this region of South Carolina, with the focus on aerospace and automotive, were trying to anticipate what the next job might look like, he said. Tobin said the most critical of all of OCtechs requests is the renovation of the existing nursing and health sciences building. The colleges maintenance request includes $4 million for the project, he said. When the new nursing building is built, hopefully by October of 18, with occupancy in the spring of 19, we will renovate the space that those programs are in now, he said. So when the nursing program leaves that building and goes into the new building, well renovate that space and expand some of the health science and nursing programs. Denmark Tech is requesting: Nearly $4.3 million for maintenance. $5.5 million for renovation of welding labs. Nearly $100,000 for equipment. The list thats currently in the House Ways and Means Committee represents the last administrations priorities, Denmark Tech Interim President Dr. Christopher Hall said. Since Ive been here at the college, Ive gone through inspecting all of our needs, our facilities, our equipment and what we will do in the future is update that list to include those programs ... like welding, mechatronics and our nursing labs, he said. Those programs are going to be the areas we need to strengthen for those high-paying, high-demand jobs for our students, Hall said. Welding, mechatronics and nursing labs will be the most critical requests in the future, he said, because those are going to be the fields that we have a lot of students going into, and upon completion of our programs, they will be able to go out and get employed almost immediately. All three presidents are mindful of the reality that the bond bill might not pass and funding will not be available. On the IT infrastructure, well just have to try to see if we can hold things together and put a piece here, there, Clark said. It wont be pretty. With more and more classes going online, a lack of funding for IT would be very bad, he said. Hall said, What I would end up doing is looking at our critical areas and prioritizing them (so) where with the funding I would try to redo 10 or 15 stations in the welding lab or the mechatronics lab. I would cut them down. If we can only improve or get two new stations for our students to train on, thats what well do. He said he would then implement a five-year plan to gradually upgrade the labs, working year-by-year. Without the funding, I think well just have to put some of these projects on hold, Tobin said. Weve got some time with the nursing building. Were still a year and a half away before that facility will open. Now we have what we call a plant fund that we use to fund maintenance and construction renovation projects. Well use some of that money to build the new building, but some of what we have left over will probably start the beginning of the renovations to the nursing and health science building, he said. Last month, President Donald Trump came to South Carolina and in a much-hyped event at Boeing in Charleston, proclaimed his America First policy that has been one of his constant themes since the first days of his campaign. He said that he was determined that the country will rely less on imports and more on products made right here in the U.S.A. This is our mantra: Buy American and hire American. Its a great slogan. The problem is that the complex realities of global trade do not match his simplistic rhetoric. And most importantly for South Carolina, Trumps saber rattling about trade wars, tearing up trade deals, imposing tariffs and getting tough with China could do real damage to our states economy, our jobs and ultimately to our families. Lets begin with a few facts, not Trumps version of alternative facts but real facts. First, the trade numbers. South Carolina is the third most dependent on foreign trade of any state yes, number three. According to 2015 U.S. Census Department data, 34.8 percent of our states economy is dependent on trade; thats $69.9 billion out of a total state economy of $201 billion. Only Louisiana at 35 percent and Michigan at 38 percent are more dependent on foreign trade. Second, international business. Today there are about 1,300 international companies operating in South Carolina. We have more international companies than we do public schools in the state. As a state, we rank number one in the country in the amount of direct foreign investment per capita. Third, the jobs. Today, about 25 percent of our states workforce is employed in these international companies. Thats 130,000 jobs out of a total of 580,000 statewide jobs that are based in companies that are at least 50 percent owned by foreign interest. Fourth, the trading partners. It may come as a shock to many South Carolinians but China is our biggest export partner; in 2015, we sent $4.4 billion in goods to China. Next came Germany with $4 billion in goods; $3.7 billion to Canada and $3 billion to the United Kingdom. And, next time you hear Trump talk about his wall with Mexico, remember that we in South Carolina sent Mexico $2.5 billion in goods manufactured in the Palmetto State. Fifth, the goods we export. Lets think about the big ones, the global brands. First is Boeing, where Trump made his speech launching their first Dreamliner 787-10 aircraft. There are 140 different countries supplying parts to the Dreamliner and if one were to list the countries most important to Boeing, its pretty much the list of Trumps favorite targets for insults: Mexico Their flagship airline is AreoMexico, an all-Boeing airline. If Trump follows through on his threat of a 20 percent border tax, expect to see Boeings rival AirBus move in trying to steal new plane sales, i.e. S.C. jobs. China China buys about 20-25 percent of Boeings output and if Trump makes good on his threats of a trade war with China, look for Boeing sales to fall and S.C. jobs to fall as well. Iraq This country is often the target of Trumps verbal wrath and they are also big customers of Boeing. The government has ordered 19 Boeing 737s and 10 787 Dreamliners for a total deal of $3.7 billion. Iran Boeing is currently trying to close a $16 billion sale of 80 planes with Iran. Trump has promised to rip up the US-Iranian nuclear agreement and he has made all sorts of other ominous threats about retaliation. And though Boeing is the most visible example of big-ticket global exports, the automotive sector is also vital to our state with over 250 companies, suppliers and vendors doing business here. Of the 400,000 cars produced annually by BMW in Greer, two thirds are exported to over 140 countries, principally through the port of Charleston. Volvo and Daimler Mercedes are gearing up for manufacturing and global exports as well. We are also the largest tire-producing state, making more than 90,000 tires a day at Michelin, Continental, Pirelli and other companies. About one third of these are exported. And add to all this the states agricultural businesses that export about $1 billion annually. I dont think Ive ever before quoted approvingly a Chinese president on much of anything but President Xi Jinping recently said something at a Swiss international trade conference that applies to us in South Carolina: We must remain committed to promoting free trade and investment through opening up and say no to protectionism protectionism is like locking oneself in a dark room. While wind and rain may be kept outside, so are light and air No one will emerge as a winner in a trade war. So, the next time you hear President Trump making ominous noises about a trade war, just remember, we in South Carolina may be the first casualty. The first of the year brings the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, Black History Month, Presidents Day, Women's History Month and other observances designed to focus on the lives of great Americans and noteworthy people in history. Put aside any political debate about whether special days and months are needed. Based on the lack of basic knowledge of U.S. and other history by an increasing number of students, they are. Perhaps every month should have a particular focus on history, particularly in today's schools. The sponsors of the annual Grateful American Book Prize agree. The purpose of the prize is stated in a quote from Noah Webster: "Every child in America should be acquainted with his own country. He should read books that furnish him with ideas that will be useful to him in life and practice." Yet only 12 percent of U.S. high school seniors are proficient in U.S. history, according to The National Assessment of Educational Progress. "We established the prize in 2015 because Dr. Bruce Cole, former chair of the National Endowment for the Humanities, and I were deeply concerned by the lack of knowledge among America's youth about the history of our country," according to David Bruce Smith, who co-founded the Grateful American Book Prize with Cole. "Time and again, authoritative reports were showing that in many cases middle school and high school students alike were unable to recall the simplest facts," Smith said. "Many could not identify the first president of the United States. Some did not know who Abraham Lincoln was, let alone that his Emancipation Proclamation freed the slaves." Now comes news that "improvements" in education and graduation rates across the country may have been "artificially propped up by dumbed-down standards," according to a recent article in a journal published by Intellectual Takeout, a non-profit organization promoting education. That suspicion was affirmed recently when Tennessee announced that many of its graduates had not fulfilled a number of the requirements for the diploma they received, according to Annie Holmquist, a senior writer at Intellectual Takeout. "And it wasn't just a handful, either. Fully one-third of Tennessee graduates had not completed all the required course work for a high school degree," Holmquist said. She pointed out that the deficiencies included, in particular, history. "If Tennessee is a microcosm of what's happening in the other 49 states, then perhaps this explains why only 12 percent of seniors are proficient in U.S. history and only 24 percent are proficient in civics," Holmquist said. "If school administrators are turning a blind eye and passing students through school without requiring them to take these subjects, then it's no wonder students know so little about their nation and how it works." Smith agrees. He said that "numerous scholars over the years have proved that in order to be a good citizen, a knowledge of history is required. In other words, we learn how to fulfill our responsibilities as citizens from the events and personalities who shaped our nation." Conceding that history class can be boring at times, he says the rationale for the prize was to encourage new and established authors and their publishers to produce works of historically accurate fiction and nonfiction that make history come to life for young learners. "We encourage parents and grandparents to actively encourage children to become lovers of history by providing them with such books," Smith said. Considering that so many of the figures from the past are under attack and being judged by today's standards, and that many of the tenets of our democracy are being questioned or are openly under attack, the time has never been more right to get young people interested. After all, it is true that we learn from the past by building on the successes and, hopefully, avoiding the failures. Orangeburg-Calhoun Technical College and the Center for Creative Partnerships presented the documentary Rosenwald on March 16 as part of their Community Cinema social justice film series. The film tells the story of Julius Rosenwald, the son of a Jewish immigrant who went on to build more than 5,300 schools across the south to improve education for African American children. From 1912 to 1932, roughly 500 Rosenwald schools and auxiliary buildings were built in South Carolina. Twenty-one were constructed in Orangeburg County alone, one of which was the original Felton Training School on the campus of South Carolina State College in 1925. In 2006, the Orangeburg Chapter of The Links Inc. adopted a program called Rosenwald Schools with the goal of placing historical markers at all 21 sites in Orangeburg County. The Links is a national organization of African American women with a membership of more than 10,000 dedicated to sustaining the culture and economic survival of African-Americans and other persons of African descent. Since the start of their efforts, four schools in the county have been able to receive these markers. One stands beside Dukes Gym on the S.C. State campus. Rosenwald was the president of Sears, Roebuck and Co. in 1908 and national philanthropist. Along with the construction of the Rosenwald schools, he also provided funds to Booker T. Washington to assist in the building of Tuskegee Institute in Alabama. My M.O. is to make films about under-known Jewish heroes, Aviva Kempner, director of the film, said. I would say Julius Rosenwald is right there on the top of being the most under-known until the films come out. The film premiered at the NAACP Convention in Philadelphia during the summer of 2015 and later screened at the Center for Jewish History in New York. Kempner was at the March 16 screening in Orangeburg to hold a discussion with the audience members afterward. The important thing is recapturing our history, she told the audience. This history is lost if we dont do it. Several people attending the showing were actual students at Rosenwald schools as kids. Gladys Moss, a 1952 graduate of the Bowman Rosenwald School, attended from first through 11th grades. I display my diploma proudly, Moss said. We had a wonderful school. Taught us a lot. Thank you for the film, she added. Joseph Sanders went through the ninth grade at Berkeley Training School in Moncks Corner in 1955. It produced a lot of great talent, he said. My goal is that every high school, college, junior high has a copy of this (film), Kempner said. Kempner was born in Berlin, Germany to a Holocaust survivor and a U.S. Army officer. Her accomplishments include the 1996 Guggenheim Fellowship, 2000 D.C. Mayors Art Award, 2001 Women of Vision award from D.C.s Women in Film and Video Chapter and 2009 San Francisco Jewish Film Festivals Freedom of Expression Award. Her Yoo-Hoo, Mrs. Goldberg and Partisans of Vilna won CINE Golden Eagles. Kempner writes film criticism and articles for a variety of publications including the Boston Globe, Chicago Tribune, and The Washington Post. Ellen Zisholtz, moderator for the discussion and co-president of the Center for Creative Partnerships, said it is her hope that communities can figure out ways to make a difference that would be better for everyone. The only way were going to make things better is if we all do it together, Zisholtz said. Dont separate based on things that dont matter like skin color, or religion, or anything like that. The Community Cinema project was started to provide social justice education through films. The first film presented was Zora Neale Hurston: Jump at the Sun in February. The films director, Kristy Anderson, and Hurstons great-niece, Lois Gaston, were on hand for an open discussion with the audience. The next film will be The Ipson Saga by Jay Ipson on Thursday, April 20. Ipson will be accompanied by Dr. Millicent Brown, a lifelong community advocate and spokesperson for economic, social and educational improvements in impoverished neighborhoods and communities of color throughout the South, the nation and the world. The film series is funded in part by OCtech and South Carolina Humanities and sponsored by Cox Industries Inc. The written content of this blog is copyrighted and may not be reproduced, printed or page saved in any form without my express permission. The views and opinions expressed herein are my own and they are intended for mature audiences only.With regard to images posted on this blog, I do not claim ownership over any images used herein unless otherwise expressly declared. These images remain the property of their respective owners. If you are the legitimate owner of any images used here and wish to have the images removed, please email me and I will remove them.Regarding links displayed within this blog, I am neither responsible, nor do I have control over the content of any external websites to which readers may be directed.All written content unless otherwise attributed, Copyright 2006 - 2022 by Christopher Flournoy. 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. Political instability, conflict and threat of terrorism, along with a possible oil price decline are the primary concerns of high net-worth individuals (HNWIs) in the GCC region, according to a new study. For both the global and regional economies, most HNWIs feel the investors are braced for worsening conditions or more of the same in 2017, said GCC Wealth Insight Report, prepared by the Emirates Investment Bank (EIBank), an independent private bank based in the UAE. However, over the next three to five years, there is a positive outlook, with a strong majority of HNWIs optimistic for the global economy (76 per cent) and the Gulf economy (75 per cent). In terms of asset allocation, the distribution of HNWIs wealth is broadly similar to previous years, with wealth most likely to be allocated to their own business (34 per cent). However, there does appear to be a continued shift since 2015 towards HNWIs having a greater share of their wealth in cash/deposits (27 per cent, up from 17 per cent in 2015) and away from real estate as an investment (15 per cent, down from 30 per cent in 2015). As in previous years, HNWIs from the GCC are focused on growing their wealth (80 per cent), rather than preserving it and there is a strong preference for regional HNWIs to keep their assets closer to home (72 per cent). Commenting on the Report, Khaled Sifri, CEO of Emirates Investment Bank, said: From a global perspective, 2016 was marked by heightened volatility across a range of markets and asset classes. This was certainly felt here in the GCC and, despite governments implementing structural reform plans and steady gains in the price of oil, liquidity remained relatively tight. It is, therefore, no surprise that this years GCC Wealth Insight Report shows that investors are expecting a flat or, possibly, declining economic performance in 2017 both at a regional and international level. It was particularly interesting to see 18 per cent of respondents say they had discontinued projects due to local economic conditions. However, over a three to five year horizon, there is a greater sense of optimism, with HNWIs expecting of a more favourable oil price and for the regions economies to show strength and growth. The report does suggest a bit more caution concerning the medium-term outlook compared to previous years but my view is that this is more realistic given the nature of the global economic and political climate, he said. "Emirates Investment Bank has helped its clients navigate through a number of business cycles. At the core of our advice to clients has always been the importance of investment diversification and focusing on long-term sustainable growth. If the world has learned anything from 2016, it is that nothing is certain and that an investor must always consider all possible outcomes, added Sifri. Sifri launched the report at The Palace Downtown Dubai at an event attended by the banks clients and peers. Sifri and Ranya Afifi, director of The Economist Corporate Network Menat region, then discussed on stage the key findings of the report and the implications for the region. Afifi said: There are a multitude of similarities between the perceptions of HNWIs and the multinational corporates operating in the region towards macro-driven challenges and operational risks affecting investment decisions. Both cohorts have been impacted the most by oil prices and ensuing tightening liquidity. Structural reforms are bound to impact investment decisions over the medium term. The Economist Intelligence Unit believes that in this transformational phase lies a plethora of opportunities for the private sector to lead the next phase of development in the GCC through PPPs, SMEs, transfer of knowledge, and developing home grown solutions for sustainable growth. The report, now in its fourth year, outlines the views of high net-worth individuals (HNWIs) from across the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) on local and global economies as well as the main elements that drive their investment decisions. For the purposes of this study, HNWIs are defined as individuals with $2 million or more in investable assets. Interviews with participating HNWIs were conducted face to face between September and December 2016, with the majority completed before the US election result and the fall of Eastern Aleppo in Syria. At a global level, HNWIs in the GCC remain pessimistic about the current condition of the economy. Almost half (47%) think that the situation is worsening and just 15% say the situation is improving. This is broadly in line with the results of our 2016 survey. Amongst the 47% of HNWIs who say the global economic situation is worsening, political instability, conflict and threat of terrorism (72%) is the most commonly cited reason for this, as it was in 2016 (53%). HNWIs have polarised views of the GCCs current economic situation, with a marginal increase in those thinking the economic situation is improving, from 17% last year to 20% this year, as well as an increase in negativity, with 44% say that it is worsening compared to 36% in 2016. One in three (36%) say it is staying the same (down from 47% in 2016). At a country level, the views of HNWIs on the economic situation in their own country vary significantly across the GCC. Views are most positive in the UAE (69% say economy is improving) and Qatar (42% say economy is improving), and least positive in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. HNWIs in Oman are most likely to feel that the economic situation in their country is worsening (75%). This pattern is consistent with 2016. Economic outlook There is a strong sense of optimism about the regional and global economy over the next five years. 76% of respondents are at least somewhat optimistic about the economic prospects for the global economy over the next five years. Despite this optimism, the outlook appears to be more cautious than in 2016 and 2015, with a continued fall in those who say they are very optimistic, and an increase in those saying they are somewhat optimistic. Amongst the 76% of HNWIs who are optimistic about the economic prospects for the global economy for the next five years, positive economic signs and stability (26%) is most frequently cited as the reason for this view. A similarly high proportion (75%) say that they are optimistic about the economic prospects for the Gulf region over the next five years slightly down compared to previous years. The proportion of HNWIs who say that they are very optimistic about prospects for the Gulf region shows a notable decline from last year (20%, down from 40% in 2016). Over half say they are somewhat optimistic about future prospects (55%, up from 43% in 2016). Investment decisions Regional HNWIs continue to prefer investing in their own business and remain focused on growth over preservation. Half of HNWIs (50%) say the global economic situation has changed their approach to investing, with the most commonly cited impact being a more cautious approach and preference for lower risk (42%). A similar proportion (49%) said that local economic conditions have changed their approach to investing and investment decisions. Amongst this group, the most commonly cited impacts are increased investment in new/ growing sectors (20%), and more caution when making investment decisions due to losses (20%). Almost two in ten (18%) say they have discontinued projects due to local economic conditions. Over a third of HNWI respondents say their investment decisions have changed a great deal due to movements in the price of oil (37%) and regional structural reform (37%). More than two in five (45%) HNWIs say that the geopolitical situation in the Arab region has changed their approach to investing and the investment decisions they make. The distribution of HNWIs wealth is broadly similar to previous years, with wealth most likely to be allocated to their own business (34%). However, there does appear to be a continued shift since 2015 towards HNWIs having a greater share of their wealth in cash/deposits (27%, up from 17% in 2015) and away from real estate as an investment (15%, down from 30% in 2015). Looking ahead, half of HNWIs say that they plan to increase their investment in cash deposits (51%) and their own business (50%) in the near future. Approximately a quarter of HNWIs say they plan to increase the share of their wealth in direct investment/private equity (28%) and gold/precious metals (28%). Preference for local investment remains, with the majority of HNWIs keeping investments closer to home, rather than being global investors, due to confidence in the stability and security of the local economy. However, we have seen an increase year-on-year since 2015 in global investors, principally driven by a desire for diversification and risk management. Meanwhile, 80% of HNWIs say that they are focused on growing their wealth, rather than preserving it. Amongst the 80% of HNWIs who are focused on growing their wealth, the main reasons cited for this are to provide reassurance and security for themselves and their family (33%) and to fulfil personal ambitions (28%). Other reasons mentioned frequently include continuing to work on more/larger projects and the expansion of businesses/activities, the report said. - TradeArabia News Service The DIFC Wills & Probate Registry (WPR), a public entity of the Dubai government, is set to take part for the first time in the International Property Show (IPS), which kicks off in Dubai, UAE, next month. The WPR provides legislative certainty that a persons assets based in Dubai and Ras Al Khaimah (UAE) will be distributed as set out in their registered wills. The DIFC is the first jurisdiction in the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region where one can register a will in English language under internationally-recognised common law. A major property event in the region, IPS will be held from April 2 to 4 at the Dubai World Trade Centre. The Dubai property market has been showing continuous growth year-on-year, yet only a small percentage of overseas investors and residents are choosing to protect their property assets through a DIFC Will, said the event organisers. At the show, the Registry aims to educate property owners and investors, both locally and globally, on how to safeguard their assets in Dubai and Ras Al Khaimah with a property will, it added. Sean Hird, the director of DIFC Wills & Probate Registry, said: "We are delighted to be participating in this years International Property Show. The date of the show coincides perfectly with the launch of our online property will, whereby property owners from around the world can easily register their DIFC will via the website and protect up to five properties." "We will be demonstrating this new online property will at the show, and will be on hand to answer any questions that property owners and investors may have," stated Hird. "The Registry is committed to supporting Dubais continued growth and development, as well as to providing asset owners with a solution that provides certainty and security. The online property will can now be accessed at www.difcprobate.ae and can be completed via smartphones, tablets or desktops within 30 minutes," he added. Registering a will with the WPR is one of the basic steps that eligible asset owners in Dubai or Ras Al Khaimah should take as part of their life planning. According to Hird, since its launch in 2015, the Registry has delivered over 2,100 wills to international investors and residents looking to protect their future. "To make the registration services simple and accessible to everyone, the Registry has recently partnered with Dubais largest Tasheel Service Centre for fast track Will registrations, as well as with a number of leading national and international banks to offer zero per cent payment plans for registration," he added.-TradeArabia News Service Dubai's United World Infrastructure (UWI), a global infrastructure investment and development company, has launched its new advisory offering that will allow it to work with cities across the Middle East and the world to measure and improve the happiness of residents. UWI said it has significant experience in the conceptualisation, design, investment, development and management of next-generation urban environments, having delivered $600 million of infrastructure projects and developed the city of Medini in Malaysia, a 2,300-acre city adjacent to Singapore. The company, which also has a strong presence in the US, said the move comes as part of the International Day of Happiness being celebrated on March 20. UWIs Happiness and Wellbeing Index measures happiness and well-being across nine domains, and is based on a review of several international indices including the World Happiness Report, Global Well-Being (Gallup Healthways), the Better Life Index (OECD), Gross National Happiness of Bhutan and Guidelines for Measuring Subjective Well-Being (OECD), said the company in its statement. Including its proprietary Happiness and Wellbeing Index the offering will empower city developers and municipalities with the information required to measurably improve the experience of its citizens and residents through infrastructure focused policies and development, it stated. "There is growing recognition at a global level that, in addition to macro-economic measures like employment and GDP (gross domestic product), well-being and happiness are critical factors when considering the success of a city," remarked Vafa Valapour, the principal at UWI. "Over the course of 18 months, we have been developing robust methods to measure happiness and well-being which we can use to inform and prioritise policy and development decisions," added Valapour.-TradeArabia News Service Abu Dhabi Executive Council has approved development projects worth Dh235 million ($64 million) as part of its plans to boost the infrastructure in the UAE capital, said a report. One of the major ones that has been given the go-ahead by the council is a Dh109-million ($30 million) project to develop the Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Road from the Falah intersection to the Qasr Al Bahr intersection, reported state news agency Wam. The project includes works within the Sheikh Zayed tunnel and several improvements to intersections with the aim of easing traffic, facilitating transport in the city, and increasing the efficiency of the citys road network to keep up with urban development, it added. Jassim Mohammad Buatabah Al Zaabi, the chairman of the Abu Dhabi Executive Committee at the council, also gave approval to link power generated by the Barakah Nuclear Power Plant to the emirates existing power grid at a cost of Dh63 million ($17.15 million), according to the Wam report. The project seeks to guarantee continuity of electric supply, and to build four 400 V overhead transmission lines at the Barakah plant and link them to the two main stations in Madinat Zayed and Bab 2. These will provide a link and supply to the Abu Dhabi General Transport Company network and control centre through the transmission of 5,600 MW from the overall power generated at the station. The committee also approved a project to develop the electricity distribution network in Ghayathi and Jebel Dhanna in Al Dhafra, Abu Dhabi at a cost of Dh41.5 million ($11.3 million), said the report. The project includes the supply and installation of electric cables over 89 km to reach the optimal use of power resources, and reinforce sustainable power efficiency in new housing units in Ghayathi and Jebel Dhanna, it added. Dubai-based global marine terminal operator DP World has announced strong financial results from its global portfolio for the 12 months ending 31 December 2016, which saw the company achieve net income of over $1 billion for the first time. On a reported basis, revenue grew 4.9 per cent and adjusted EBITDA ($2.263 billion) increased 17.4 per cent with adjusted EBITDA margin of 54.4 per cent, delivering profit attributable to owners of the company, before separately disclosed items, of $1.127 billion, up 27.6 per cent, and EPS of 135.7 US cents, said a statement from the company. On a like-for-like basis, revenue grew 1.3 per cent, adjusted EBITDA increased by 6.6 per cent with adjusted EBITDA margin of 52.6 per cent, and attributable earnings increased 6.2 per cent, it added. The company reported a revenue of $4.163 billion, a growth of 4.9 per cent supported by full year contribution of Jebel Ali Free Zone (UAE) and Prince Rupert (Canada). Like-for-like revenue increased by 1.3 per cent driven by a 2.3 per cent increase in containerised revenue. The group reported a volume growth of 0.4 per cent despite challenging markets. Containerised revenue per TEU (twenty-foot equivalent unit) grew 4 per cent and total revenue per TEU by 3 per cent on a like-for-like basis. The group raised $1.2 billion in a new 7-year sukuk transaction at significantly improved terms, refinancing $1.1 billion of the existing 2017 sukuk through a tender offer and extending the debt maturity profile. Furthermore, it raised 650 million 20- and 30-year multi tranche term financing placed with pension funds, insurance companies and financial institutions for London Gateway Port, and Canadian $603 million 7-year bank loan for the Canadian business. This further extends the debt maturity profile and reduces the refinancing risk of DP World. By the end of 2016, gross global capacity was at 85 million TEU, an increase of approximately 15 million TEU since 2012, and the gourp expects over 100 million TEU of gross capacity by 2020, subject to market demand. "We expect capital expenditure in 2017 to be $1.2 billion with investment planned into Jebel Ali (UAE), Prince Rupert (Canada), Berbera (Somaliland), Dakar (Senegal) and London Gateway (UK)," it said. Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem, group chairman and CEO, DP World, said: We are pleased to announce another set of strong financial results for 2016, as we delivered earnings in excess of $1 billion and above 50 per cent EBITDA margins for the full year for the first time. Encouragingly, our volumes have continued to grow ahead of the market with gross volumes growing 3.2 per cent vs Drewry full year market estimate of 1.3 per cent. This is pleasing given the significant challenges parts of our portfolio have faced, and once again demonstrates the resilient nature of our diversified portfolio, he said. Disciplined investment throughout the economic cycle has been one of the keys to delivering consistent growth and in 2016, we invested $1,298 million across our portfolio in markets with strong demand and supply dynamics, he stated. Bin Sulayem added: While 2017 is expected to be another challenging year for global trade, we have made an encouraging start to the year and we expect to continue to deliver ahead-of-market volume growth. Our aim is to continue our disciplined approach to capital allocation in markets with strong growth potential while adding complementary or related services to further diversify and strengthen our business. The board of DP World recommends increasing the dividend by 26.7 per cent to $315.4 million, or 38.0 US cents per share, reflecting the strong earnings growth in the year. The board is confident of the companys ability to continue to generate cash and support our future growth whilst maintaining a consistent dividend payout, he stated. Our significant cash generation and investment partnerships leave us with a strong balance sheet and flexibility to capitalise on the significant growth opportunities in the industry. Overall, we continue to believe that a portfolio which has a 70 per cent exposure to origin and destination cargo and 75 per cent exposure to faster growing markets will enable us to deliver enhanced shareholder value over the long term, he concluded. TradeArabia News Service Saudi Aramco launched today a contractors and suppliers relations centre in the Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Riyadh to facilitate the registration process and help contractors reach the company. The centre is part of Saudi Aramcos efforts to expand reach and communication with contractors and material suppliers, and to drive domestic value creation through its In-Kingdom Value Add (IKTVA) programme that aims at increasing local content in products and services, localising innovation and technology, and creating job opportunities for Saudis, said a statement. The company encourages various organisations in the kingdom to adopt similar programmes across the country, it said. Abdulaziz Al AbdulKarim, Saudi Aramco vice president for procurement and supply chain management, said: We are delighted by the opening of the centre in the Riyadh chamber. It will further enhance registration efficiency and communication with our valued partners. We strive to offer local contractors a wide array of opportunities to work with us, and we expect them to invest in increasing local content in their products and services. The company gives priority to local content, and through its IKTVA programme it encourages contractors and material suppliers to compete to achieve higher levels of localisation. IKTVA is a new way of doing business with Saudi Aramco that drives investments through contractors and material suppliers in localising products and services, developing local supply chains, training and employing Saudi manpower. The programme rewards contractors and material suppliers with significant achievements in localising goods and services, salaries paid to Saudis, training and development for Saudis, and supplier development spending. And this year, the company added a new factor to the IKTVA formula, which is the localisation of research and development, to foster the transfer of innovation and technology. The IKTVA programme is in line with the objectives of Saudi Vision 2030 and the National Transformation Program to encourage the private sector to produce products and provide services locally, and to decrease the reliance on imports, especially in the energy sector and the related industries. Saudi Aramco has achieved significant successes in localisation since the launch of IKTVA programme. Value of the companys spending on locally manufactured products reached SR10 billion ($2.66 billion) in 2016, which comprises an all-time high share of 43 per cent of total spending, a 14 per cent increase from the previous year, the statement said. - TradeArabia News Service Expenditure on outbound travel from the Middle East is expected to reach $165.3 billion by 2025, according to the World Travel and Tourism Council. Highlighting the buoyant outbound travel market, another report, issued by the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (2015 Tourism Highlights), which includes research teams from Frost & Sullivan and Insights Middle East, revealed a 9 per cent growth in the number of outbound travellers from the region in 2015, while the total estimated value of outbound travellers from the GCC in 2014 was $64 billion. The common denominator for both these reports is that the growth is being driven by international luxury travellers, which dovetails conveniently with the launch of International Luxury Travel Market (ILTM) Arabia, in collaboration with Arabian Travel Market (ATM). The new vertical luxury event takes place on the first two days of the four-day ATM (April 24 and 25) located in hall 1 of the Dubai World Trade Centre. ILTM Arabia will target high net-worth travellers from throughout the GCC and wider Middle East region, with buyers from the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Qatar expected to have a particularly strong presence. Alison Gilmore, portfolio director for ILTM, said: The Arabian outbound market is established and affluent, with a growing generation of individuals looking to spend their leisure time in the worlds finest places. This year we are inviting some of our closest partners to experience the new ILTM Arabia and explore the increasing business opportunities from the regions highest net worth travellers. Simon Press, senior exhibition director, Arabian Travel Market, said: Although low oil prices and sluggish economic growth at home might be stifling business confidence, the strength of the US dollar of which many of the GCC currencies are pegged to, means travelling overseas is invariably better value than it was in the past. The UAE for example witnessed a 19 per cent increase in outbound trips to Europe in 2013-2015. Research company Euromonitor International, says the number of outbound trips from the UAE alone increased by 5 per cent to 3.5 million in 2015, with those travellers spending $19.35 billion, up 10 per cent on 2014 - UAE residents travelled for longer and spent more in 2015. Only the most discerning luxury travel buyers from the region will be invited to the event including companies such as FSMagic and Quintessentially Travel. Buyers will be fully hosted by ILTM and attend one-to-one, pre-scheduled appointments with up to 25 international luxury travel brands a first for ATM and the proven successful ILTM portfolio format. Confirmed exhibitors at ILTM Arabia include Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts and Conrad Hotels & Resorts, Small Luxury Hotels of the World, The One Barcelona (Spain) and Velaa Private Island (Maldives). - TradeArabia News Service The Italian inspired LOlivo Ristorante at Rixos The Palm Dubai will be hosting Chef Giorgio Diana from March 22 30, where he will be demonstrating his cooking techniques and dishes that earned him the highest culinary honor at the age of 24. Chef Diana, whose roots lie in Cagliari Italy has harbored a passion for the culinary arts from childhood. He chose to attend culinary school in Italy and devoted himself to the field of cooking as he travelled to Germany to develop his knowledge. Chef Diana blossomed as chef de cuisine in multiple world-class hotels and debuted on the worlds spotlight when he joined Shanes Restaurant, Restaurant Acetaia and Restaurant Facile which are all Michelin Star establishments. Chef Diana has prepared an intimate six-course dinner menu for both seafood lovers and meat lovers paired with two glasses of wine from our sommeliers selection at just Dh250 ($68) per person. Whats more, guests staying at Rixos The Palm Dubai during this period get 10 per cent discount while those working in the hotel industry receive 20 per cent discount from the menu price. With more than 17 years of experience, a world-renowned cooking school and winner of an extensive list of awards, Chef Diana is a visionary in the field of gastronomy and looks forward to bringing his mastery to Dubai. The exquisite science of cooking has always excited me. The Mediterranean flavours I was exposed to as a child have stuck with me to date. I also really enjoy molecular gastronomy and it gives me great delight to serve my guests with unique and revolutionary dishes. said Chef Diana. - TradeArabia News Service Welcome to Transfigurations! This blog is intended to serve the orthodox Anglican community and the wider Christian community. We pray that all that is posted here will be faithful to the Scriptures as the inspired word of God, speak the truth in love, edify, bless and transform this local body of Christ, and be an impetus for revival, repentance, prayer and intercession! Have an event, trend or general energy happening youd like to see in the Energy Journal newsletter? Send it to Star-Tribune energy reporter Heather Richards at heather.richards@trib.com. Sign up for the newsletter at www.trib.com/energyjournal. This week in numbers Friday oil prices: West Texas Intermediate (WTI) $48.78, Brent (ICE) $51.76 Natural gas weekly averages: Henry Hub $2.98, Wyoming Pool $2.56, Opal $2.62 Oil price scare The spot price of crude remained under the $50 mark at the close of the week, a trend that began when the Energy Information Administration released its mid-week inventory report showing another increase in the stockpile. Trump's budget hits EPA hard President Donald Trump released a blueprint for his budget last week, and his suggestions for the EPA don't pull punches. The environmental agency that many in industry believe has become too strong would lose 31 percent of its budget under Trump's plan. Environmental advocates in Wyoming were worried, and state regulators concerned that the cuts would impact the state. Bankruptcy news Companies going under was regular news a year ago, when oil, gas and coal markets slid into an epic downturn. But the markets have stabilized since then. Though prices remain modest compared to historic norms, 2017 may be the end of the bankruptcy era Two operators in Wyoming are approaching an exit from Ch. 11, natural gas exploration and production company Ultra Petroleum and coal behemoth Peabody Energy. Analyzing Wyoming coal When most people think of Wyoming coal, it's the miners, the revenue or the coal companies are on their minds. But Powder River Basin coal has a number of niche industries attached to it, including the men and women who analyze practically every train of coal headed out of the Cowboy state, help producers meet federal regulations and offer testing for some new coal technologies. For decades the coal industry has depended on chemists like those at Standard Labs in Casper to test their coal. In other news The EIA reported the first February injection of natural gas since they've been keeping track of weekly storage. Warm winter weather led to higher than normal inventories for the late winter month. In another move that worried environmentalists, the new head of the Environmental Protection Agency delayed implementation of rule on chemical storage. The rule strengthened restrictions on how large amounts of hazardous chemicals are stored. It was initiated by former President Barack Obama after a 2013 explosion at a Texas refinery killed 15 people. The rule has been stayed until June. Wyomings firearms manufacturing industry, combined with high rates of weapons ownership, are among factors that resulted in the Cowboy State being ranked as second-most dependent on guns. The ranking came from WalletHub, a Washington, D.C., personal finance website. The term gun dependent may be inaccurate, at least for Wyoming. Anyone familiar with the Cowboy State knows its the mineral industry on which Wyoming is dependent. While there have been some longtime firearms companies in the state, many of its high-profile ammunition and accessories companies are new. Nonetheless, Wyoming is gun-friendly, said Ron Gullberg, spokesman for the Wyoming Business Council, which works to diversify the states economy. The economy is driven by energy, he said. If nothing else, I see plenty of room for growth in the firearms manufacturing industry. The WalletHub study weighed the size of each states firearms industry with the prevalence of guns and contributions from gun groups to members of Congress, among other measures. Each state and Washington, D.C., generated a score. The states with the highest score were considered most dependent on firearms, according to an explanation of the studys methodology. Wyoming was first in gun rights contributions to members of the states all-Republican congressional delegation: $21,564 per 100,000 residents. WalletHub obtained the data from the Center for Responsive Politics, said Jill Gonzalez, an analyst for the website, in an email. The Star-Tribune asked which members of Congress were obtaining the most money and from which gun rights groups. She did not answer the question. Wyoming ranked fifth in the nation in both gun ownership and firearms industry jobs per capita. Gov. Matt Mead is working to promote Wyomings outdoor culture, including with an open ranges initiative and shooting match competition, Gullberg said. The business council is also interested in attracting companies beyond gun manufacturing, including those that make and sell clothing and outdoor recreational equipment, Gullberg said. Wyoming residents are invited by the Wyoming Department of Health and other partners to share thoughts and ideas for addressing Alzheimers disease and other dementias at a series of statewide listening sessions. A task force is developing a state plan to address Alzheimers disease in Wyoming. WDH is joined on the task force by the Wyoming Alzheimers Association, University of Wyoming Center on Aging, St. Johns Medical Center and St. Johns Hospital Foundation and AARP. We see these listening sessions as a great opportunity to gain insight into the lives of those with Alzheimers disease or another form of dementia as well as the challenges faced by those who care for these individuals, said Linda Chasson, a WDH Aging Division program manager. Chasson noted the number of Wyoming residents living with Alzheimers is expected to grow from an estimated 9,100 individuals last year to 13,000 in 2025. Meetings in each community are scheduled from 3 to 5 p.m. March 21: Cheyenne, Laramie County Community College, Room 108 Clay Pathfinder Ballroom, 1400 East College Dr. March 22: Guernsey, Senior Center, Dining Room, 100 S. Wyoming Ave. March 23: Casper, University of Wyoming at Casper Campus, Rm UU322, 125 College Dr. March 24: Gillette, Campbell County Public Library, Wyoming Room, 2101 South 4J Rd. March 27: Rock Springs, Library, Ferrero Room, 400 C St. March 28: Lander, Fremont County Library, Meeting Rooms A&B, 451 N 2nd St. March 29: Ethete, Wind River Tribal College, Classroom C1, 533 Ethete Rd. March 30: Jackson, Teton County Library, 125 Virginian Ln. April 5: Worland, Washakie County Library, Large Meeting Room, 1019 Coburn Ave. April 6: Cody, Park County Library, Grizzly Room, 1500 Heart Mountain Rd. Interested residents who cant attend one of the listening sessions may share their thoughts via an online survey found at http://bit.ly/2nJQBwE. For more information about the listening sessions and Alzheimers disease, please visit http://bit.ly/2mxrvjR. For more information about the plan please contact Chasson at (307) 777-6103 or linda.chasson1@wyo.gov. 12-24 Club receives operations gift The 12-24 Club has received $60,000 from the McMurry Foundation for operations. "This grant will allow us to continue serving all who seek recovery from addiction every day," said director Dan Cantine. "The McMurry Foundation has supported our efforts for over 20 years. Just as important is their commitment to helping others. We are grateful for all that the McMurry Foundation has done for many." For more information about the 12-24 Club, call 237-8035 or visit www.1224club.org. 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. Caps 4 Kids March 22 The March gathering of Caps 4 Kids is 12:30 or 1 p.m., until mid-afternoon on Wednesday, March 22, at the Central Wyoming Senior Center, 1831 E. 4th St. All who knit or crochet are welcome for a few hours of crafting and socialization. A generous donation of yarn has been received. Come select favorite colors and make a few caps that will be donated next fall to the young and old. There are patterns available or you may use your own design. All sizes of caps are created. Please contact the Senior Center at 265-4678 for more information. They will forward your inquiry to a member of the group. School collects shoes March 25 Mount Hope Lutheran School is conducting a shoe drive from 9 to 11 a.m., on March 25, 2017. Mount Hope will earn funds based on the total weight of the shoes collected as Funds2Orgs will purchase all of the donated footwear. Those dollars will then help MHLS to purchase new playground equipment. Anyone may help by donating gently worn, used or new shoes, at Mount Hope Lutheran School, located at 2300 Hickory St. If anyone would like to donate and is unable to stop by on Saturday, March 25, an alternate drop box is located inside Lifetime Fitness, 300 Landmark Dr. All donated shoes will be redistributed throughout the Funds2Orgs network of microenterprise partners in developing nations. Funds2Orgs helps impoverished people start, maintain and grow businesses in countries such as Haiti, Honduras and other nations in Central America and Africa. Proceeds from the shoe sales are used to feed, clothe and house their families. One budding entrepreneur in Haiti even earned enough to send her son to law school. With Funds2Orgs, your shoes are given a second chance and could help a family in need. In the U.S. alone, over 600 million pairs of shoes are thrown away per year. A special thanks to Lifetime Fitness for their tremendous support. Scarves for Special Olympics Special Olympics Wyoming invites those who knit and crochet to make scarves for the Wyoming Special Olympics athletes to wear at State Winter Games in February 2018. Please use black, grey and white colors, approximately 6- by 60-inches in any pattern. The deadline to receive the scarves is January 2018. Please send scarves to Special Olympics Wyoming, attn. Scarf Project 2017, P.O. Box 624, Jackson, WY 83001. There is more information available at www.sowy.org/other-fundraisers. 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 it's 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. 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. 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. 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. Casper police continue to investigate a February shooting on North Jackson Street that killed a 46-year-old man. Investigators are waiting for the Wyoming State Crime Laboratory to analyze evidence taken from the home before announcing any updates in the investigation, Lt. Chris Hadlock said Monday. Testing the evidence and reviewing the results could take several weeks, he said. Two people were shot during the evening of Feb. 16 in their home in the 900 block of North Jackson Street. One of the victims, Brandon Machado, died of his injuries the next day. Authorities performed an autopsy on him, but results arent yet available. The woman, whose identity has not been released, was hospitalized and later released. Police found Machado and the woman injured inside the north Casper home after a third person called 911. No arrests have been made in the shooting, Hadlock said Monday. He declined to say if the two victims shot each other or offer details on the nature of the shooting. Police have repeatedly said that the shooting posed no danger to the community and that all the people involved have been identified. A Casper fire station could be yours, though the sale does not appear to include firemen. Fire Station No. 6 in Paradise Valley is one of four excess city-owned properties being auctioned as is to raise revenue and allow local developers to put them to productive use. The station, valued at $230,000, is being replaced with a new one right across the street, rendering the existing structure superfluous. Its an old block and metal building that Im assuming went up very fast, said Justin Smith, Casper Fire-EMS spokesman. Snow blows through the cracks. The other three properties are vacant pieces of land, including Wolf Creek Cemetery originally purchased as overflow for Highland Cemetery. But Casper City Planner Craig Collins said that as more people have chosen to be cremated rather than buried, Highland has been filling up at a slower rate than expected. The Wolf Creek site hasnt been needed. Its just a piece of land that was bought for the purpose of expanding the cemetery someday, Collins said. So, is a cemetery really a cemetery without human remains decomposing six feet under? Its probably a misnomer, Assistant City Manager Liz Becher acknowledged. The 31.8 acres on Caspers west side are valued at $345,000. Collins said the city has previously offered the land for sale and rejected all the bids as too low, though residential development has recently picked up nearby. The former cemetery site is southeast of existing housing, and Council recently approved several dozen new housing units just north of those homes in the Wolf Creek Nine Addition. Two other sites will be put on the auction block as well. 777 Bernadine St., composed of a few adjacent plots of city land near the Field of Dreams complex in north Casper, is valued at $145,000. And finally, a small parcel along Beverly Street and the Casper Rail Trail is for sale with an assessment of $30,000. Councilman Bob Hopkins joked that only a stop sign could fit on the plot, which is 5,238 square feet. I think its still a useable lot, said Collins. He believes the land was given to the city by the Wyoming Department of Transportation as part of Beverly Street improvements. The lot faces Lark Street and has several large trees. It is adjacent to a concrete wall and public utility boxes that face Beverly. Bids on the property must be received by April 12, and City Council must approve any sale. Collins said the four properties selected for sale were whittled from a larger list beginning last fall. He said there were no immediate plans to auction more properties, especially after the uproar over the rezoning of a small portion of Washington Park last month. Many local residents were angered by a proposal to rezone a small corner of the park to allow residential construction. While the rezoning would have been only a preliminary step toward a sale, and Council members insisted they had no intention to sell park land, significant public comment compelled the citys planning commission to reject the residential rezoning and actually slightly expand the park. City manager V.H. McDonald said at a recent meeting that he was thinking twice about creating a right of way for 13th Street near the fairgrounds where the road is technically paved through land zoned as a park. Maybe we should plat a street there, McDonald said. But after Washington Park, I dont know that we should. Collins said that there were other reasons, such as cost, to delay changing the zoning around 13th Street but that for now his office was not considering additional municipal properties for sale. Were going to see how this goes, Collins said. Becher said the goal of putting the properties up for auction is focused as much on allowing residents to purchase the land as on generating cash for city coffers. We know that theres interest out, she said. Sitting on a bunch of property has not been the citys mode of operation. The city is also selling an assortment of surplus equipment, including vehicles, Christmas lights and snow-making equipment. Bids for the equipment must be received by March 28. Details can be found on the citys website. KANDAHAR, Afghanistan An Afghan soldier opened fire Sunday inside a base in southern Helmand province, wounding three U.S. soldiers before being shot dead. Navy Capt. Bill Salvin, a U.S. military spokesman, said coalition forces killed the soldier to end the attack, but Col. Mohammad Rasoul Zazai, an Afghan army spokesman, said the soldier had made a mistake and had not fired deliberately. Several U.S. troops have been killed in Afghanistan in recent years in so-called insider attacks carried out by Afghan police or soldiers. In October, an Afghan man in a military uniform shot and killed a U.S. soldier and an American civilian contractor inside a military base in Kabul before being killed. Elsewhere in Afghanistan, Taliban insurgents attacked a district headquarters in Kandahar province using a suicide car bomb, said Samim Khpolwak, a spokesman for the governor. He declined to say how many people were killed or wounded. A security official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to release information, said six police officers were killed and five others were wounded in the assault, which was claimed by the Taliban. In southern Zabul province, an army operation killed 13 Taliban and wounded 11 others, said Gen. Sadiqullah Saberi. He said two Afghan soldiers were killed and three others were wounded by a roadside bomb during the operation. Two Taliban commanders were killed in an apparent U.S. drone strike in the Barmal district of the eastern Paktika province, said Mohammad Rahman Ayaz, spokesman for the provincial governor. Another 10 insurgents were killed in a separate drone strike in the Dand-e Patan district of neighboring Paktia province, said Gov. Zelmai Wessa. Claiming a commitment to transparency, the states largest electric utility on Friday detailed more than $10 million it spent in the last two years to directly and indirectly influence elections and gave to other organizations to lobby. But forget about getting any information about the 2014 race information one utility regulator claims will show whether Arizona Public Service and parent Pinnacle West Capital Corp. helped elect two of his colleagues. Like weve said over and over again, were moving forward, looking ahead, said APS spokeswoman Anna Stewart. Some of what the report shows is no surprise. The utility put nearly $4.2 million into an entity it created called the Arizona Coalition for Reliable Electricity. Its goal was to ensure that the five-member Arizona Corporation Commission that regulates utility rates remained an all-Republican affair, with the money spent to defeat Democrats Tom Chabin and Bill Mundell. APS and Pinnacle West had to go that route because Arizona law specifically forbids corporations from giving money directly to candidates. Separately, the companies put another $550,000 into Arizona Grassroots PAC, which worked to ensure that U.S. Sen. John McCain defeated challenger Kelli Ward in the Republican primary. Then there was another $575,000 given to the Arizona Republican Party. But the companies were clearly hedging their bets, also donating to the state Democratic Party but just $60,000. The report also lists $4.1 million given to something called the Market Freedom Alliance. According to its website, one of its issues is to promote demand charges, a method of getting more money out of electric customers who generate some of their own power. But the group has a grab-bag of other interests ranging from opposing minimum wage increases and various regulations to allowing wineries to ship their products from state to state and even opposing the trade practices of China. In a prepared statement, Stewart said the report, posted on the companys website, shows the companies are interested in being upfront with their spending. She said the disclosure goes beyond our legal requirement to provide additional information about our contributions. Stewart also said any political spending was justified, calling 2016 a challenging political year. She said APS faced out-of-state interests keen in taking advantage of Arizona electricity customers through ballot initiatives and at the polls. That reference to initiatives stems from a bid by SolarCity to get voters to adopt a law prohibiting demand charges. In essence, this is a charge added to the customers actual usage that factors in how much power is being drawn during any one-hour period. It can undermine any savings that would be seen by customers who generate their own power. SolarCity dropped its initiative when Republican lawmakers threatened to place a competing measure on the ballot. And in a settlement reached earlier this month, APS agreed to drop mandatory demand charges from its rate-hike case. The reference to the polls refers to the fact that SolarCity sought to put at least one Democrat on the five-member commission. That, however, still leaves open the question of 2014 spending. Commissioner Bob Burns issued a subpoena following financial reports that two outside groups, Save Our State Now and the Arizona Free Enterprise Club, together spent $3.2 million in that campaign to ensure the election of Republicans Tom Forese and Doug Little. APS officials refused to confirm or deny any of that money came from them, though they did say that the company has an obligation to defend itself against attacks by candidates who criticize it. APS and Pinnacle West will likely escape having to ever disclose the information. Earlier this week the other commissioners voted to stop providing commission funds to Burns in his legal battle to enforce his subpoena. Forese, who now chairs the commission, has said he believes Burns is obsessed with not just what happened more than two years ago but also with ensuring there is no more dark money going into future campaigns. My father is a retired Air Force pilot with more than 200 combat missions and 5,000 hours in the cockpit. He has always been my hero. Heroes come in many shapes and sizes. In the business world, the business owner is my hero, too. When someone starts a business, they usually leave the security of a good job. They walk away from paid holidays, vacation and sick leave. They sacrifice the security of a retirement plan, and abandon a predictable work schedule. They forsake a regular paycheck and the ability to save for a rainy day. All of that goes away when someone opens a small business. The business owner works long and hard, sometimes seven days a week, twelve hours a day. There is no set work schedule to plan a life around. Sometimes there is not even a paycheck to put food on the table. There is no retirement plan either. In fact, most business owners cash out their old 401K and invest everything in their business. There may be no savings to fall back on. Many business owners invest every penny in their business. A high percentage of new businesses fail, with most closing their doors during the first two years. The entrepreneurial spirit is one that never gives up. They often put everything on the line, multiple times before finally achieving success. When the business owner is successful, they create jobs for other people. They provide the comfort of a predictable paycheck and security of a retirement plan for their employees. They offer the luxury of paid holidays, vacations and sick time for their staff. They allow others to save for a rainy day. Adopt A Friend Name/Breed: Henry - Shepherd Mix & Peggy - Bully Breed Mix (Bonded Pair) Age: Henry - 7 years old/Peggy - 2 years old Qualities: Henry and Peggy have lived together in foster care and have become the best of friends. While we will adopt them out separately, it is our fervent hope that they be adopted together. Henry is a lovely boy and only wants companionship. He loves to play in water, is fully house trained and will make someone a wonderful companion. Peggy is full of fun and keeps Henry on his toes! Both are altered, micro-chipped, and up-to-date on all vaccines. Needs: No cats, please. Fee: $50 adoption fee for both. Contact: Jeanette at Lifeline of Oro Valley Rescue (LOVAR) - call or text to 520-979-2282 Meet: Please contact Jeanette to arrange a meeting with sweet Henry & Peggy at your convenience! We've collected a few front pages from newspapers.com to give you a look at some March 20 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. PHOENIX A judge has thrown out a challenge to a federal law that critics claim is racist because it places the desires and rights of Native American tribes over the constitutionally protected best interests of children. In an extensive ruling, U.S. District Court Judge Neil Wake said the Goldwater Institute had not proven that any children it claimed to represent were harmed because of the requirements of the Indian Child Welfare Act. And Wake said if there is a child who may be in danger, that claim can be handled by the state courts that are hearing that adoption or foster-care proceeding. Goldwater Institute attorney Timothy Sandefur called that disturbing, saying it amounts to saying he has to wait until children are actually harmed. The whole point of federal civil rights law is that we can go to a federal judge and get an injunction that prevents racist discriminatory law from being applied to children, he said. We shouldnt have to suffer the imposition of racist laws. We should be able to get a court to stop the government from imposing the separate and unequal standard on these children. The federal law at issue was adopted in 1978 amid concerns that state courts were severing parental rights and approving adoptions of Native American children who did not live on reservations. The Congressional Record shows that Congress was concerned these children were being increasingly adopted by non-Indian families. The Indian Child Welfare Act requires state courts, when placing for adoption Indian children who do not live on a reservation, to give preference to a member of the childs extended family. That is followed by priority for other members of the childs tribe and, ultimately, other Indian families. There also are provisions that Sandefur says require active efforts to reunite a Native American child with a family, something he said requires these children to be sent back to the parents that have abused them. According to the Goldwater Institute, that overrules state laws requiring courts to give prime consideration to the best interests of the child, regardless of whether that means placement with a tribal member or someone else. The lawsuit was filed in 2015 on behalf of two children with some Native American blood who currently are placed with non-Indian families where they have lived since they were infants. It claims the Indian Child Welfare Act gives tribes pretty much unfettered authority to decide placement of children with some native blood, even those who have never set foot on a reservation. The claim most immediately sought to protect these two children from being taken from their current homes. Other children were subsequently added to the claim. But the lawsuit also asked Wake to certify the complaint as a class action on behalf of every Native American child not living on a reservation and currently placed with a non-Indian family, barring application of the Indian Child Welfare Act in any of their cases. In Arizona alone, the lawsuit said there were more than 1,300 Native American children in out-of-home care in 2014. The federal government and tribes sought to have the case thrown out. They were joined by Dawn Williams, an assistant state attorney general. The federal law was enacted to remediate generations of forced assimilation, Williams wrote in her pleadings. She also said the lawsuit cites only nebulous speculative harm to the children at issue in this case. It was that argument that formed much of the basis for Wakes ruling. He said the lawsuit did not allege any facts showing that the foster-care placement of any child was delayed, or that any of the children were exposed to greater risk because of the federal law. Wake said the lawsuit sought a ruling on the law in advance of any injury. Any true injury to any child or interested adult can be addressed in the state court proceeding itself, based on actual facts before the court, not on hypothetical concerns, Wake wrote. Because Wake threw the case out on the grounds there was no basis for a lawsuit, at least not yet, he never addressed the question of whether the federal law amounts to illegal racism. Attorneys for both the state and the Bureau of Indian Affairs never disputed that the law provides disparate treatment in state courts for children of Indian blood versus non-Indian children. But they argued that the preference in placing a child with a tribal family does not amount to illegal racial discrimination. They said the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that classifications based on tribal membership like those in this law are political, not racial classifications. And they said such distinctions, particularly for sovereign entities like Native American tribes, are permitted. Tucson's unusual method of electing council members will remain. The U.S. Supreme Court this morning rebuffed a bid by a group representing Republican interests to void the system of nominating council members by ward but having them elected at large. The justices gave no reason for their ruling. This morning's action is the last word in the multi-year bid by the Public Integrity Alliance to have state and federal courts declare that the practice was an unconstitutional violation of the Equal Protection Clause of the U.S. Constitution. They argued it effectively gave some voters more power than others. But that contention was most recently rejected by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. "Tucson's hybrid system for electing members of its city council imposes no constitutionally significant burden on voters rights to vote,'' the appellate court concluded. "And Tucson has advanced a valid, sufficiently important interest to justify its choice of electoral system.'' Attorney Kory Langhofer who represented challengers charged that the practice illegally disenfranchises residents of any five particular wards who have no voice on who advances from the other ward to a citywide general election. That system, he argued to the high court, gives the city "a nearly unfettered ability to deny the right to vote in the primary election.'' But there clearly was a partisan interest in the legal challenge. Republicans hold a voter registration edge in one of the wards. But all six council members are Democrats, the result of the fact that they outnumber Republican on a citywide basis the basis for the final council vote. If the system had been voided and council members were elected by ward at the general election, that could have given Republicans a better chance of getting one or more members on the city's governing body. For Jason Sheals, owner of Fleet Appeal Power Washing, the letter from the Arizona Department of Transportation that he received in late February represented an existential threat to his business. That letter informed him that registration renewal for his work truck and trailer were blocked and would remain so until he dealt with two old traffic tickets one for no proof of vehicle registration and the other for failing to stop at a red light that dated back to 2004. Sheals said he remembered those tickets, but felt certain he had gotten both of them taken care of one way or another by 2006, though he concedes he has no records to back up that claim. So, on March 8, he paid nearly $800 to put the matter behind him and move on. There wasnt anything I could do except roll over, he said. Sheals was one of thousands of county residents to get such letters since last summer. In July, all Pima County justice courts started turning over nearly 180,000 delinquent cases to the states Fines/Fees and Restitution Enforcement FARE program, leaving just a fraction with their previous private contractor, Valley Collections. Forty-two percent of those cases were for civil traffic matters and, coupled with criminal traffic cases, traffic cases represent a majority of delinquent cases, according to interim Pima County Consolidated Justice Court Administrator Micci Tilton. The oldest delinquent case is from 1983. While an exact figure could not be made available, Tilton said that total delinquent fines certainly are in the tens of millions of dollars. Over the last seven or so months, ADOTs Motor Vehicle Division has issued 31,752 holds to county drivers and, as with Sheals, the prospect of not being able to renew registration a disincentive unavailable to Valley and other private debt collectors has gotten peoples attention. Over 12,000 people have contacted justice courts since last summer trying to resolve their cases, most of whom get on a payment plan or settle up completely like Sheals. The flood of calls has swamped Pimas justice courts, leading Tilton to bring on three additional full-time employees. However, Tilton expects the recent flurry of collection activity to slow down and level off in the not-so-distant future. Holds can only be issued after FAREs private contractor, LDC Collection Systems, has sent at least two notices. Early data on collection revenues suggests that the FARE system is bringing in more fine revenue. Excluding additional FARE fees, February saw around $470,000 in net collection revenues, $84,000 more than the same period the year before when all delinquent collection efforts were handled by Valley. That company had Sheals delinquent fines for about 3 years before they were turned over to FARE, which got hold of him in about six months. Tilton emphasized that FARE has not been in place long enough, nor is there is enough data, to say whether it is working better than previously used collection agencies. Any time you reshuffle the deck, and you resend all of these delinquent cases to a brand-new collection agency, theyre always going to have that success right up front, she said. However, the Tucson City Court administrator previously told the Road Runner that he has consistently had better luck with FARE, which the court switched to in 2003, than with private contractors. But beyond the effectiveness of FARE, Sheals thinks there is something fundamentally unfair about dredging up decades-old cases and pursuing them aggressively. He said he understands the courts attempt to recoup millions in unpaid fines, but believes that when old cases stretch beyond five years, it puts those on the receiving end of ADOT letters and registration holds at a disadvantage, as records get lost and addresses change. Fourteen years ago? Come on, he said, referring to his case, adding later: I dont even have the same bank from back then. Tilton says she appreciates the frustration and stress experienced by those who received letters like Sheals, whom she personally spoke to about his case, but told the Road Runner that she has high confidence that the old cases turned over to FARE are accurate. These cases are real. They happened and they were never resolved, she said. Tiltons court has previously contemplated an amnesty for old delinquent cases, but has yet to forgive any because its complicated to come up with a fair way to do so. If I have a traffic case that is 10 years old and Im paying my $25 a month, and you have your traffic case that is 10 years old and youre not paying it, is that fair to wipe your debt away? she added. Tilton did say that anyone who disputes their old fines has the right to file a motion to fight them in court, and she encourages them to do so. Judge Adam Watters, the presiding justice of the peace, said his colleagues are considering the length of time that has lapsed between the original infraction and notification from FARE or ADOT. If its been 15 years, and you get hit with this lightning bolt out of the blue that now says you owe $700, I recognize people saying, Wait a minute, where has this been? I thought I took care of this a long time ago, he said, but added later: We cant just give up on folks because for 10 years theyve dodged us. DOWN THE ROAD There will be daily delays on Arizona 86 near Sells starting Monday to accommodate a two-mile chip-seal project between mileposts 113 and 115. Crews will work from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily through Friday. Lane closures will be in effect, and a pilot car will be on site to guide drivers through the work area. Also, while work started March 20, there will be a kickoff event for the 13-month Phase 2 of the Grant Road Improvement Project on Friday. It starts at 10 a.m. on the south side of the road between North First and Park avenues. OPINION: "Im sure you will see, as I have, that for all the 'God talk' that Christian nationalists throw around, their attitudes and actions are starkly antithetical to the gospel of love and inclusion for all advocated by the Jesus they claim to believe in," writes Rev. Gary Nelson, a former conservative pastor in Payson. Help India! By Twocircles.net Staff Reporter In what appears to be a case of religious intolerance and discrimination, two Muslim students from Glocal University hired by a private company were fired within a month for allegedly offering Friday prayers in the office premise. Support TwoCircles Mohammed Kashif and Shamsher, two students from B.Tech (Civil) were hired as trainees on February 15 by Spatial Geotech Private Limited (SGPL) at their Noida office. Speaking with Twocircles.net, Kashif, 22, said, When we both joined, there were two more Muslims who were working in the company. We asked them where they offered Friday prayers, and they said no. So, all four of us went to our boss, Annu Gupta, and asked her if we could take some time off on Friday afternoons to offer the Jumma Prayers. She flatly refused the idea despite us saying that we would compensate for the time. After they were denied permission to visit a Mosque, the four decided to offer Zuhr prayers within the office premises. In the first week of March, according to Kashif, the four were called by Gupta and warned to not disrupt the office environment. At that time, I did not know she was talking about us offering prayers, he said. Subsequently, when they did the same in the following week, the two were again called to Guptas office and were shown a video of them performing the prayers. We were told to wait in the office, and by evening we came to know through our college placement cell that the two of us (Kashif and Shamsher) had been terminated from our jobs. I am pretty sure that this was due to our offering prayers in the office, as the same was told to us by Gupta when we were in her office, says Kashif. The two were not even given a termination letter and when they asked for a No-Objection Certificate from the company, even that was denied. A member of the Glocal University placement office confirmed to Twocircles.net that these two had been terminated, but said that the reason was cited as performance and not the religious prayers. In the telephonic conversation, however, the issue of offering prayers did come up, and Annu Gupta and the recruiting consultant Arjun Mishra did point out that this was not conducive to the office environment. He added, The issue of performance is difficult to believe since they had been there only for three weeks, and clearly, the offering of prayer did not go down well with the company, he said. When Twocircles.net contacted Annu Gupta for comments, she said that the companys response had been conveyed to the University and refused to add anything to the same. The recruitment agent flatly denied any case of religious discrimination and said, The two were performing below par and that is why we asked the placement division to send more students. He also said that the placement team had been told thrice about their incompetence, a charge which was denied by the placement officer. I have no such written communication from them, and this was not pointed to us earlier. Yes, they had asked for more students, but that was not because these two were not performing well. But what is even more startling is that the letter sent by Mishra to the placement division complained of these students being intoxicated at work. Unfortunately, even after the counselling and ample duration of time to learn and improve yourself, there has been no change in their performance. Their performance was still unsatisfactory and they were often found intoxicated at work, to the extent that they were so impaired that they were unfit to be entrusted with the employment duties. Kashif denied the claims, saying that he had never touched alcohol and that it was an insult to him and his faith. This is the first time I have heard this (about the contents of the mail). I am shocked beyond imagination and hurt at their allegationsI wanted some time to offer prayers, and instead, they accuse me of being drunk? The two students, who have been under immense stress since this incident, are currently looking for other jobs, but they say that they have been left mentally scarred by the event. I hope nothing like this happens ever again to another person, said a cousin of Kashif. He was just practising his faith. Since when has that become an issue? he asked. Help India! By Shafeeq Hudawi, Tweocircles.net Malappuram: Ayishumol has had little to do apart from praying to God and shedding tears ever since her two sons were taken away by the Police. When Twocircles.net met her at her residence at Tanur in Malappuram district, she was narrating the policy terror to a group of peoples representatives. Her two sons, Kasim, 38, and Faisal, 30, were arrested by the police following political violence which broke out in the area over the last week. Support TwoCircles Cadres of the CPI(M) and IUML locked horns on March 11 in Tanur and coastal hamlets surrounding Tirur in Malappuram district. These areas have been witnessing a political tussle between the two parties for last few years, but what made the latest such incident even more painful was the brutal attack by the police on local residents in Tanur. It is important to point out here that the clashes were not communal in nature, as the cadres of both the parties in these areas are Muslims. On March 11, following political clashes between the two parties, a team of police personnel from Tanur station arrived at Chappappadi to contain the violence. Around 2,000 police personnel from across the stations in Malabar and cadets from Malabar Special Police (MSP) were deployed soon after the incident. In an effort to bring the violence to an end, however, the police unleashed its own brutalities, leaving people stunned. The police was like a frenzied mob and some of them were drunk too. They misbehaved us by shouting derogatory words while we refused to open the door. Both Kasim and Faisal were not involved in that violence and they were sleeping when the police arrived, says Naseema, wife of Kasim. Everyone who came in the sight of the force became a target. Local residents including juveniles and old men were beaten. Vehicles were overturned and torched, says Sadiq Faizy Tanur, a cleric hailing from the locality. According to reports, about a dozen policemen were injured and this made the security forces even angrier. They were not familiar with the narrow lanes of the locality while they were chasing the local youngsters and middle-aged men. And some of the policemen got injured while they were overturning and thrashing the vehicles, said Sadiq. According to figures with IUML local leadership here, more than 100 houses were attacked by the police force while more than 200 vehicles were damaged. Ayishumols case was not the only one whose house came under attack by police that night. They didnt even spare my sick husband Basheer, who was sick. He was taken into custody and was brutally beaten by the police, says Maimoona at Chappappady. Basheer was sent back home after spending a day in custody, with an injury to his left shoulder. Maimoonas 20-year-old son Saheer was also arrested by the police. My son is not part of any political party. He was also taken by the police, Maimoona said, adding that police entered her house after breaking the back door. According to figures with Tanur police, a total of 34 persons, including one juvenile were arrested between March 11 and March 14, and all of them were sent to Kozhikode district jail. Pointing fingers to how cruelly the police behaved that night, Tanur municipal councillor Ashraf MP said that the five-kilometre stretch from Jamalpeedika to Ottumpuram was caught by the fear of a riot due to the frenzied approach of the police. The violence initially broke out at Chappappadi and Aal Bazar. But the police created a scary atmosphere at nearby localities too. Residents at Thaha Beach and Ottumpuram told Twocirlces that they are not allowed to come out of their houses after 7 pm. No violence erupted here. But, houses here too were raided and attacked by the police. Our youngsters are chased if they come in the way of police, said Ahammed Koya at Thaha beach. However, the police brutality drew heavy criticism during the all-party peace meeting held at Tanur under the leadership of Minister for Local Administration K T Jaleel of CPI(M) and local MLA V Abdurahman (IUML). Abdurahman said that the Revenue Divisional Officer had deputed to assess the losses and that the government will consider compensating the victims. We will not tolerate the repeated incidents violence at Tanur and surrounding areas. They will be contained at any cost. Action will be recommended against police officials if they are found guilty, he said. Help India! By Mohammed Zubeer Ahmed for Twocircles.net In the past few decades, the grand old party of India, Indian National Congress has been losing its ground among the people across the country. In the last four years, the demise has been on a rapid trajectory. It has been losing elections after elections, that to on a large scale. In the same period, BJP under the leadership of Narendra Modi has scripted the decisive victories. It is said the BJP could achieve these successive electoral triumphs based on the communicative leadership quality of Modi, organisational setup for BJP, a constant spread of developmental narrative, religious and cast polarisation and promotion of jingoistic nationalism. Among these all, the organisational setup had played the major role in all the victories. Support TwoCircles The party president of BJP, Amit Shah, who is considered to be the right-hand of Modi, has acted as the linchpin of the organisation, he has been effectively using the organisational setup of RSS and the party. Through this mechanism, the party president is ensuring the flooding of information of hope and vilification of opposition parties, with the help of all kinds of medias, that too on a regular basis. With a shot in the arm of electoral successes and recognition by the superiors, RSS and the party workers are found putting extra effort and are found reaching out to the voters. As Modi is always in a campaign mode, hence, he leaves no stone unturned to target the opposition parties in his speeches. That provides ample amount of campaign material for the party workers. In todays world of social media, the regular dosage of positive information seems to be working in building a narrative, in favour of a leader or a party. Being active on those platforms, Modi and his party are reaping the benefits. Contrary to this, the Congress party lacks the support of devoted cadre like that of RSS. It has a momentary organisational set-up, which gets operationalised only at the time of elections. Unlike Modi, Rahul Gandhi is not gifted with oratory skills, to single-handedly communicate with the masses. So far, the young leaders in Congress party have also not made a credible effort in filling this gap. With the changing times, the parties are expected to make the changes in their strategies for communicating with the voters and fighting elections. Surprisingly, the Congress is engrossed in old-style politics. It has a slender presence on social media platforms. As a principle opposition party, it is expected to act as an opposition on the streets, garner the support of the public and galvanise the lower level cadre of the party. Instead, its opposition is seen only in the parliament, under the glare of electronic media. Which in no way benefiting the party because its message is not getting conveyed to the public. Rather, the message of disruptive politics is going loud and clear to the public. Thus, to arrest the sliding of Congress party, serious reforms are needed in its functioning. This should begin with the total overhaul of organisational setup, from Rahul Gandhi to ward-level committees. Similarly, round the clock cyber cells should be activated, in the length and breadth of the party. And on a regular basis, these cells should be fed with campaign material, which helps in rejuvenating the party workers, and it may assist in building a simplified narrative, to be communicated to the general public. The local leaders in the organisation should be empowered, and through them, the organisation should be strengthened. The younger crop of leaders should be asked to shoulder the mantle of party responsibility. The Congress should concentrate more in highlighting the local issues because the national issues have been successfully appropriated by BJP, on the plank of nationalism. And it is a daunting task to build a convincing alternative narrative to nationalism. Many of these suggestions for Congress party are not new, From time to time, they have been part of basic observations made by several political analysts. Various news reports suggest these issues were also deliberated upon in the closed-door performance appraisal meetings. Pole strategist, Prashant Kishore is roped-in to effect some of these changes in the party. Which is not an end in itself because Prashant Kishore has only a supporting role to play in the organisation. The onus of mobilising the public, stimulating the energy of workers and strengthening of organisational setup totally rests on the shoulders of party leadership of all levels. It is the high time for the leaders of Congress party to wake up, otherwise, in the coming years the maker of the modern history of India, may become a relic of illustrious past. The author is Assistant Professor, Department of Political Science, Janki Devi Memorial College, University of Delhi. After a rewarding career in the computer industry, Sybil decided to try her hand at writing mysteries. Her short fiction has appeared in and , among others. Originally from the Pacific Northwest, she now lives in Southern California where she enjoys tole painting, studying ancient languages and spending time with friends and family. Find her at . Sybil Johnsons love affair with reading began in kindergarten with The Three Little Pigs. Visits to the library introduced her to Encyclopedia Brown, Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle and a host of other characters. Fast forward to college where she continued reading while studying Computer Science. It is doubtful that Brexit will be completed in two years' time, says Caroline Flint. Speaking on The Daily Politics today, the former Labour Europe minister said it is unlikely that the Government will organise a free trade deal with the European Union by April 2019. The Brexit process Her comments come in response to today's announcement that Prime Minister Theresa May will trigger Article 50 on Wednesday March 29th. She will make a statement to the House of Commons on Wednesday afternoon following Prime Minister's Questions to inform the House of her plans. After that, the Prime Minister will then write a letter to the President of the European Commission Donald Tusk to tell him the Government wishes to begin negotiations. The European Commission may be delegated with the task of managing Britain's EU exit. Brexit Secretary David Davis will lead the negotiations with the EU on behalf of the Government. But Jill Rutter from the Institute for Government Reform warned on The Daily Politics Parliament may not have time to legislate non-Brexit related legislation. This is due to the complexities of transferring EU law into British law. No Brexit in two years Former communities secretary Eric Pickles said he is pleased the Prime Minister is getting on with leaving the EU. But he added: 'Negotiating with the EU will be very complex. Not everything will be sorted out quickly.' Flint said a lot of work will be completed over the next two years. But she said we will 'only have headlines by two years.' The Labour MP said there will be six years of transitioning from the EU before Britain finally quits the bloc altogether. This may mean the UK will have to resort to temporary EEA membership, meaning we remain a member of the Single Market whilst being able to repeal the Common Agricultural Policy and Common Fisheries Policy. She added: 'It will not be over in two years' time. 'The Labour Party's position was absolutely the right one as we were concerned about the rights of EU nationals to reside in this country.' However, UKIP MP Douglas Carswell said he is optimistic Brexit will be completed in two years. He said the Government will be able to legislate the Great Repeal Bill and exit the EU at the same time. But Pickles said any meaningful negotiations may not commence until autumn this year. Delays to leaving Article 50 is the mechanism which allows a country that has decided to leave the EU to begin the process of exiting the superbloc under the 2007 Lisbon Treaty. This treaty was signed by former Labour prime minister Gordon Brown. Britain voted to leave the EU on June 23rd 2016. May has made Brexit her top priority since taking over from her predecessor, David Cameron, in July last year. But it has taken the Government nine months to prepare to leave the EU. This was due to no contingency plans being formed when Cameron was prime minister in the possible event of a Leave vote. Leaving the EU has also been delayed by challenges from businesswoman Gina Miller, who challenged the Government in the High Court and the Supreme Court. She wanted clarification over whether or not the Prime Minister can trigger Article 50 without parliamentary consent. The Brexit Bill was passed into after receiving Royal Assent last Thursday. Former Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne has been noticeably quiet since his removal from the cabinet last summer, but he has caused a stir with many after confirmation of his move into the Media industry. From May 2017, Osborne is to become editor of the London Evening Standard newspaper. Immediately, it has raised questions over his integrity and viability to continue his role as a Tory MP. Mr Osborne, who serves the Tatton constituency in Cheshire, will edit the free paper four days a week and insists he can maintain both jobs. Others in politics are unsure. Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn called the appointment a "joke," whilst former leader of the opposition, Ed Miliband joked on Twitter that he would "shortly be announced as editor of Heat magazine!" So, does George have to choose between the two? A busy man Osborne gets paid nearly 75,000 a year to serve the people of Tatton and according to reports, he could be paid 200,000 a year in his editor role with the London Evening Standard. However, these aren't the only roles he has at the moment. He holds four other jobs including a lucrative position as an adviser for the BlackRock Investment Institute. It is clear that he is a man in demand. Osborne has represented his constituency since 2001 and was a major part of David Cameron's Conservative government that first swept back into Downing Street in 2010 via a coalition, then by a majority five years later. Cameron's determination to hold an EU referendum though backfired for both. When Britain decided to leave the European Union last July, Cameron resigned as Prime Minister and Osborne was quickly discarded from his position by new PM Theresa May. Philip Hammond is the current Chancellor of the Exchequer in the post-Brexit era. Evening Standard figurehead The London Evening Standard was founded 189 years ago and its current headquarters are in Kensington in the capital. In October 2009, the paper became a free service, ending its almost two centuries of being a paid circulation tabloid. Immediately, readership figures were doubled as the business reacted quickly to the swift movement in how the average individual consumes its news in the 21st century. 63% of the business is owned by Russian Evgeny Lebedev, who was the one who broke the news of Osborne's move into the editor's chair for the paper. He will succeed Sarah Sands who is leaving to become editor of BBC Radio 4's flagship show; The 'Today' programme. Osborne wouldn't be a novice by any stretch. His early ambitions were to break into the world of journalism and he edited magazines whilst at Oxford University. However, he failed to get a place on The Times' trainee scheme following graduation and has since largely gone down the politics route. Lebedev is excited by the appointment, insisting that Osborne is "London through and through" and confident he is "the right person to build on the fantastic legacy of Sarah Sands." Sands has been the paper's editor since 2012. It looks like George Osborne's initial ambitions of succeeding in media are set to come true but it has certainly caused a talking point away from Brexit and Scottish referendum discussion. Whether he can juggle both positions will be an interesting side-story in the next few months. The government face another embarrassing moment as the United Nations (UN) have asked the UK to suspend work on Hinkley Point. Recently, the government have had to make a U-turn on a major policy after breaking a manifesto promise without even realising this. Furthermore, the Conservatives are under investigation for election fraud by the Electoral Commission and have recently admitted they have no plan in place, in case we leave the EU with no deal. French state controlled Energy won Hinkley Point C nuclear power station company EDF for 18 billion and is now under development in Somerset. A statement from the UN The UN Economic Committee for Europe (UNECE) has asked the UK government to suspend development of Hinkley Point. They are citing pending an environmental impact assessment. UNECE have recommended that the UK halt the development whilst they assess whether a notification under the Espoo Convention was necessary. According to the commissions website says the Espoo Convention is to assess the environmental impact of certain activities. Last year UNECE said that the UK had failed to discuss the impact of an incident at Hinkley on neighbouring country. The government are adamant that they have carried out all the necessary checks but it is the lack of communication with other nations that have caused UNECE to act in this way. Any incident would have an adverse effect on any neighbouring country. A statement for the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy said: The Environment Agency and Office for Nuclear Regulation have independently assessed the station design of Hinkley Point C for safety, security and environmental impact before granting approval. The project will continue to be subject to robust regulation from these bodies and it will have no significant adverse effect on the environment of any other country. A lacklustre government There was significant opposition to the deal from environmentalists, energy specialists and economists alike. The deal itself sells off possible valuable assets to France, who convinced China General Nuclear Power Corp. to take 33.5% of the project, to help with the costs. The deal and the response to the UN underlines the governments lacklustre approach to energy, inefficiency, and its boisterous attitude to global organisations. There is an essence of petulance from the government and shows a degree of unwillingness to work with global counterparts. Last week South Africa announced plans to lift the trade ban on rhino horn. The proposal has prompted a flood of reactions by the Twitterati on Twitter and this has been expressed through a range of emotions from anger to simply stunned. Edna Molewa, the Minister for Environmental Affairs plans to push through legislation that will allow the trade in rhino horn domestically and allow the export internationally of Rhino Horn for 'personal purposes'. This development comes in the wake of the CoP17 Cites meetings in South Africa last October, where the international community voted against lifting any rhino trade bans. Corruption, rhino horn stockpiles and altruism According to a petition being run on Change Org by the Global March for Elephants and Rhinos, "The South African Government has in the past been accused and found guilty of corruption at the highest levels. Informed conservationists fear that the implementation of the proposed permits for trade will be less than perfect. The South African Government has not even been able to release any official poaching figures for more than six months." The fears that controlled implementation of any trade will be inefficient has its roots in corruption, according to the Website and there is the allusion to the possibility that the rhino horn stockpiles may be one way to gather in cash for the government coffers. Altruism and trust are two factors that have long been a battlefield in the raging rhino debate and motives of the government of South Africa. There are conservationists who believe that the ban on rhino horn has not made any difference to the poaching of rhino. Those conservationists argue that the owners of rhino cannot sustain the protection of their animals without an income to support the population of rhino in private hands. Opponents believe that any kind of trade only encourages the poaching and worldwide demand. The two sides of the argument will probably never see eye to eye on this or agree to disagree. It is an emotional hotbed, but interesting to note on Twitter that the social media reaction seems to be mainly from those who oppose lifting the ban, What people are saying on Twitter about the rhino horn trade in South Africa From - South Africa's Plans To Legalize Rhino Horn Trade Are INSANE https://t.co/F9SoD2GJJz by #Lionheart0075 via @c0nvey (@kyuujihujinami) March 17, 2017 Swansea Paul calls for a boycott of South Africa Boycott South Africa, again! South Africa pushes forward on plans to legalize rhino horn trade https://t.co/TYLhs38Lrk via @TheWorldPost Swansea Paul (@dougalSW19) March 16, 2017 Bornfree USA may have put a finger right on the mistrust and doubt by posting "Bad news: South Africa may legalize domestic rhino horn trade . Legal trade would provide cover for ILLEGAL exports!" domestic . Legal would provide cover for ILLEGAL exports!" It is no wonder that there are some sarcasm and puzzlement to some of the reactions given that rhino are so near extinction: South Africa advances plans to legalize rhino horn trade, y'now, because they are so abundant https://t.co/vDfrykGKm3 via @TheWorldPost Mark Williams (@TalkerMark) March 14, 2017 Other Twitterati have expressed their feelings as "outrageous" and simply "wrong." Others are calling for aid to the country to be suspended. @SenJeffMerkley @SenWyden_GSPP Why are we giving aid to S Africa as they legalize rhino horn trade? Cut the aid now! Galin McMahon (@GalinMcMahon) March 14, 2017 What do think about the plans to lift the trade ban on rhino horn in South Africa? Leave your comments in the box below. "A Day Without a Woman" is a day designated by organizers when women have been advised to take the day off. Since all women will not be able to take the day off to strike, there are other ways to participate. Women are advised not to shop unless it is done in women-owned businesses. Also, women who can't strike are asked to be in solidarity by wearing red to symbolize love and sacrifice. The main purpose of the rallies is to bring attention to issues working women face compared to men. Some of these issues include unfair wages, promotions, security and harassment on the job. People will realize that life is inconvenient when women don't show up for work. Wednesday, March 8 The day off on Wednesday, March 8 was organized by the same people who planned the Women's March on Washington in January after President Donald Trump's Inauguration. The day focuses on getting recognition for women and respecting women's rights. The nation will see that women are valuable in the workplace, and they do a lot for the country while at the same time receiving lower wages than men and treated differently from men in a lot of other areas. The day coincides with International Women's Day. What will be the impact on the nation since women are taking the day off? Impact on the nation The Washington Post reported that rallies will be held around the country. When women don't show up for their jobs, every area of a person's life will be affected because women make up more than half of the workforce. Therefore, 53 percent of workers will be absent from their jobs. More than 75 percent of teachers will not be in the classroom. That's why some public schools are closed in Washington, DC, Maryland, North Carolina, Alexandria, Virginia, and other places. In the medical professional alone, 85 percent of obstetricians will be missing along with 75 percent of pediatricians, 57 percent of psychiatrists, and 58 percent of family doctors. Thirty-six million volunteers will take the day off. Some female restaurant owners and workers will go on strike. Think about other businesses where women work. Take notice to see how your day will be impacted without a woman working on March 8. Metropolitan Operas beloved Music Director Emeritus James Levine rightly dotes on Idomeneo, re di Creta (Idomeneus, King of Crete). Wolfgang Amadeus Mozarts 12th of 21 operas uniquely features three tenors, three sopranos and a bass. But way back in 1781 the 25-year-old composer must have had Metropolitan Opera Chorus in mind when setting 11 choral numbers for the ingenious scoresome just seconds long, others massive set pieces. Friday, March 17, Matthew Polenzani triumphed in the title role, and sopranos Ying Fang, Alice Coote and the searing Elza van den Heever jangled and tangled in a precarious love triangle. Operatic title role American tenor Matthew Polenzani with elegant vocalism and luxuriant lyrical legato gives a persuasive portrayal in this psychologically charged drama about the conflicted king who unwittingly swears to slay his own son, Prince Idamante. His specialtypassages sung as whispers that manage to reach the back rowhe brandishes as if a sword and with it cuts straight to audience members hearts and deeply stirs the emotions. Operas tangled web Though from enemy lands, Ilia and Idamante seem made for each other, but Elettra wants him for herself. Ilia, a captive princess of steel-strength sweetness, claims Idomeneo as adoptive father, forgiving his having killed her own father, King Priam, in battle. Likewise, she refuses to hold this against Idomeneos son. She is key to both mens redemption. The trio of sopranos assembled for these roles is stupendous. Operas unconventional convention For opera newbies, Prince Idamante requires a vigorous suspension of disbelief. Its a trouser role, played by a soprano made up as a man. Mozart wanted a particular vocal quality found nowhere in the male vocal range. A newcomer thus sees a man who sounds very much like a woman who woos one woman and flees from another. As Idamante, British mezzo-soprano Alice Coote is engaging. Her rich voice easily enfolds the intricate, mellifluous vocal line. Operas most unfortunate woman Poor Elettra! Things never go well for her in operas, whether Richard Strauss early success title character (Elektra) or here as Mozarts scornful, spurned, archetypal villainess. From a dysfunctional family, her stepfather killed her father, prompting her and her brother to murder their mother in revenge. From South Africa, the incandescent Elza van den Heever, the ever-regal Elettra, dispatches Act IIs aria and subsequent choral scene gently, with gorgeous legato phrasing and tender simplicity, but rages and roils to hair-raising effect in her ferocious Act I aria and in Act IIIs royal tantrum and meltdown, with classic twitching and flinching added as a fine touch to her vocal explosion and physical collapse. Operas full-fledged heroine As Ilia, Chinese-born Ying Fang is a real-deal soprano, with full, blossoming lyricism, a cookies-and-cream voice and an authentic trill, which she fortunately gets to display abundantly in this role. She shows savvy stage presence and acts with dramatic economy, even when not singing, appearing silently onstage during Elettras Act II aria and again in the ensuing trio, without upstaging her colleagues or drawing undue attention. The audience exuberantly rewarded her performance at curtain calls. Metropolitan Operas fearless leader The warmly applauded Maestro James Levine has conducted this opera 50 times at the Met. He deftly leads soloists and ensembles through sublimely lyrical and intensely dramatic passages. Metropolitan Opera Orchestra is at its best, from the rousing overture to the tiny details of the plush orchestrated recitatives. The mighty Metropolitan Opera Chorus runs the gamut of strength in aurally overwhelming numbers such as Oh voto tremendo! and the ethereal finesse of the hushed Placido e il mar, andiamo (Now that the seas calm, lets embark). Idomeneo, by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: two performances left; Metropolitan Opera, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, New York, N.Y. The month of March has been dominated by the allegations from Donald Trump accusing former President Barack Obama of Wiretapping his office in Trump Tower. While the president refuses to reveal any proof to back up his claim, the FBI has new information that continues to push back at the conspiracy. Trump debunked As media continued to press the White House over the growing scandal of potential Russian influence on the administration, Donald Trump was forced to change the narrative. Earlier this month, Trump took to his Twitter account and appeared to create a distraction in an attempt to deflect the media from his issues with the Kremlin. The president accused Barack Obama wiretapping his office, and spying on him during the 2016 presidential election. As expected, a statement by Obama denied any wrongdoing, and Trump has still not provided any credible evidence to validate his claim. As reported by the Washington Examiner on March 19, new information released by the FBI and the Department of Justice to House Intelligence Chairman GOP Rep. Devin Nunes shows that Trump's claim have no validity. GOP chairman: New evidence from FBI continues to show no wiretap on Trump https://t.co/ZO8OWh2CCG pic.twitter.com/k9L693R2Mf Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) March 19, 2017 Sitting down with Fox News host Chris Wallace, Devin Nunes revealed that the FBI had released new details about Donald Trump's wiretapping conspiracy, and nothing has returned in favor of the president. "A president doesn't go and physically wiretap something. If you take the president literally, it didn't happen," Nunes admitted. "Was there a physical wiretap of Trump Tower? No. There never was," he confirmed. Adding to his comment, Nunes explained that the information released by the FBI "continues to lead us in that direction." House intelligence committee members say documents from Justice Department, FBI offer no wiretapping evidence: https://t.co/oFt8smqgUa pic.twitter.com/YUWeWdK3y6 The Boston Globe (@BostonGlobe) March 19, 2017 Other leaks Despite no wiretapping taking place, Devin Nunes did express concern over other leaks that were occurring, most notably being retired Gen. Michael Flynn. Nunes noted that Flynn's name was likely leaked in relation to Russian interference by either a member of the FBI or the intelligence community as a way to harm the credibility of the new administration, which ultimately led to his resignation as National Security Adviser. Potential leaks have been a top concern for Donald Trump, who has often prioritize leakers over those in his own administration who have been caught in compromising situations. James Comey, the FBI director that voiced concern over Hillary Clinton's private email use a week before the election, is going to investigate Donald Trump and possible Russian electoral interference. Comey took the astonishing step on Monday of making a rare Public Announcement about the matter, highlighting the concerns many share over Trump's possible collusion with #Russia. Comey isn't one to hide from public notoriety; it was he who some critics claimed changed the course of the 2016 elections by announcing that Clinton's use of private email was in fact injudicious. Comeys latest proclamation before the House Intelligence Committee is ushering in a rocky political landscape in which Mr Trump is increasingly losing his footing. The president has insisted that the Russia murmurs are "fake news" and that it was a discomfiture created falsely by #political enemies eager to undermine his legitimacy and his presidency. Counterintelligence investigation Comey, in announcing the matter to the #Intelligence House Committee, has opened up a shocking new criminal investigation right at the center of the White House. In saying that his agents will pursue it no matter how long that takes, Comey is taking square aim at President Trump. The FBI director also discredited Trumps assertion that he was wiretapped by Obama during the 2016 presidential campaign, an unsubstantiated accusation that has distracted the public and had plenty of critics reacting in shock, something that could have served as a grand distraction to the pressing issue of #Russian election interference. Various media outlets such as The New York Times have reported on the possible presence of an investigation into #Russia communications with the Trump campaign, but until now the White House has dismissed those reports as biased and sought allies to rebut such claims. Public knowledge of the case Comeys testimony on Monday was the first time that the public heard of the case and it has been met with astonishment and a degree of shock. Indeed, this is the first time that a president has been investigated by the #FBI so early in his presidency. Also, the FBI unusually only discloses its inquiries in rare circumstances when they think it is the public's interest to know. This is one of those circumstances, Mr Comey told the press. Classed as a #counterintelligence investigation, one of the most challenging and time consuming cases of all, a federal investigation like this will surely act as a dampener to Trump's presidency and could hamper his administration for years. Russia had orders to hamper Hillary Clinton Back in January, US intelligence agencies determined that #Vladimir Putin, Russia's president, had personally established a clandestine directive to hamper Hillary Clinton's chances of winning the US election.This effort included hacking of governmental targets such as the Democratic National Committee and also the publication of humiliating emails through the website WikiLeaks. The FBI, according to Comey, were investigating the nature of any links between individuals associated with the Trump campaign and the Russian government," and they are researching whether there was any apparent coordination taking place between the campaign and Russias exertions to #interfere. Over the last week, there have been several stories that have made their way into the headlines. Whether it has to do with Donald Trump, the battle between the Democrats and Republicans, or the fight to protect free speech on college campuses, one host on Fox News always seems to have an opinion on the topics at hand. Judge's take Ever since the election of Donald Trump, the political tension in the United States has reached an all-time high. While the former host of "The Apprentice" has only been in office for two months, the gap between liberals and conservatives has only widened. Examples of this division could be seen following Trump's executive order that critics labeled a "Muslim ban," which restricted travel to seven, and later sixth in the revised order, Muslim-majority countries. Trump supporters praised the ban, while liberal critics labeled it as a racist and Islamophobic attack on Muslims. On college campuses across the country, a growing number of students have taken their political opposition and turned it into violence, attempting to ban and restrict free speech to anyone who doesn't hold liberal opinion. These issues, and more, were part of an opening rant by Fox News host Judge Jeanine Pirro on March 19. As part of her Fox News show on Sunday, Jeanine Pirro targeted liberals for allegedly "changing the rules" to fit their agenda. "The left is changing black letter law and journalistic standards and the constitution in order to satisfy their agenda," Pirro said, while adding, "They are simply intolerant of opinions that differ from theirs." "They burn buildings in their black ninja outfits at Berkeley to stop an invited guest from exercising his first amendment free speech," Pirro noted, in reference to Milo Yiannopoulos speech earlier this year. Not stopping there, Pirro then accused liberal students of "burn(ing) the constitution," and calling anyone they don't agree with a "racist," "stupid," or a "bigot." .@JudgeJeanine slammed the liberal left for "changing the rules" in order to push their political ideology. https://t.co/Hda0fFkyM0 pic.twitter.com/NiU0KbzW6W Fox News (@FoxNews) March 19, 2017 Travel ban defense At this point, Jeanine Pirro turned her attention to Hawaii Judge Derrick Watson who blocked the second version of Donald Trump's travel ban last week. "Hey Judge Watson, not for nothing, but Hawaii hasn't taken in one refugee from those countries," she pointed out, before attempting to make her case for why the executive order should be upheld. "Since I don't think Hawaii has a nexus or even standing with these countries, I recommend that all refugees, all 100 thousand of them, go directly to Hawaii," Pirro suggested. 'The Ninth Circus': @JudgeJeanine tears into Hawaii judge's travel ban ruling https://t.co/P52ZzpPaaP Fox News (@FoxNews) March 17, 2017 Pirro on Democrats The outspoken Fox News host then decided to target Donna Brazile, the former interim chair of the Democratic National Committee, who admitted this week that she had leaked a debate question to Hillary Clinton during the election. Jeanine Pirro mocked Brazile as a "good Christian woman" for finally admitting her previous lie, while referring to her as "demonic" and a "lying scheming Machiavellian Democrat." In closing, Pirro concluded that liberals were on the wrong side of the argument, and that conservatives are right "in more ways than one." After President Donald Trump released a proposed budget to eliminate the Community Development Block Grant program on Thursday, funding started pouring in for Meals on Wheels which is part of that program. While Trump's proposed budget could lead to a big drop in federal funding, people are stepping up to the plate and donating already. Just one day after the president's proposal was announced, the organization received $50,000 while it usually receives only about $1,000 in a typical day. As of last Saturday, online donations have increased to more than $100,000. This is a national jump that does not include what is donated locally. About the proposal The block grant funds only a small portion of Meals On Wheels. A network of 5,000 providers delivers meals to 2.4 million Americans, mostly seniors. According to the organization, one in six seniors need the free service because they cannot afford to pay. Much of the funding does not actually come from the federal government. Only 3.3 percent of it is federally funded, and the rest comes from other sources. Vague proposal Trump's proposed budget was vague, but it could affect the food delivery service across the country. While Trump's proposal is lacking in detail, what is known is that his budget could eliminate $3 billion in block grant program funding. The good news is that members of Congress from both parties have agreed to protect the program. The executive director of Meals on Wheels told CNN that people around the country have offered their help to Meals on Wheels since Trump's proposed budget for 2018 was released. This means that not only are people donating their money, they are also signing up to volunteer their time to deliver the meals. Directors say private donations do not replace the federal funding that the organization has been getting. Even though President Trump's proposal was vague and doesn't have details about how this will work, people are not taking any chances. They are offering to help now before it is too late to do anything to protect Meals on Wheels. Besides, the proposal might not be as bad as some people think it is. Since the start of the month, the biggest story in the news has centered around Donald Trump and his claim that former President Barack Obama found a way to wiretap his office in Trump Tower during election. Trump has yet to provide any evidence to back up his allegation. but that hasn't stopped the likes of Sen. Ted Cruz from defending him. Cruz on Trump During the 2016 presidential election, Donald Trump made it a habit to target and attack nearly all of his political opponents. Whether it was referring to former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush as "low energy," calling Florida Sen. Marco Rubio "Little Marco," or his constant attacks on Democratic nominee Hilary Clinton, the former host of "The Apprentice" routinely found a way to smear and takedown the opposition. However, Trump's biggest rival during the primary election was Ted Cruz. Trump went as far as to promote a false National Enquirer story that alleged Cruz had cheated on his wife with five women, while going as far as accusing his father of taking part in the plot to assassinate John F. Kennedy. Despite this, Cruz is now a big supporter of the president, and came to his defense during a March 19 interview on CBS' "Face the Nation." "I don't know what basis the President has for these allegations." -Sen. @TedCruz on Trump's wiretapping claims pic.twitter.com/udCedbtgC9 Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) March 19, 2017 Joining host CBS News host John Dickerson was Ted Cruz, who was asked if the American people can trust Donald Trump, especially after the wiretapping conspiracy. "Well, listen. I don't know what basis the President has for these allegations," Cruz admitted. "I will point out that this isn't as outlandish as everyone in the press suggests," he continued. "We do know that the Obama administration targeted their political enemies," Cruz noted, while adding, "We do know that the IRS, for example, targeted citizen's groups who spoke out in defense of the Constitution. Who spoke out against Obama." The senator from the Lone Star State referred to Trump's claims as "serious," but that worthy of looking into. Twitter reacts In response to Ted Cruz defending Donald Trump's credibility and wiretapping conspiracy, social media users were quick to fire back. "ALLIGATIONS? Don't you mean lying?" one Twitter user wrote. "He a compulsive liar who uses cable tv as his go to source. #insane" another tweet read. "Wonder if he can pry his lips off dt's ass long enough to hear himself?" another user on Twitter wrote. "Claims he made about your dad being in on killing JFK are big claims. Maybe we should check that out too? Come on Ted" an additional tweet read. @FaceTheNation @tedcruz This was in the context of Rafael Cruz/ JFK allegations . Wow, guy couldn't defend his family's honor. Josh De La Rosa (@JoshdelaRosa1) March 19, 2017 @FaceTheNation @tedcruz It's as outlandish & delusional as his accusing your father of being complicit in the Kennedy assassination... BILL STORM (@JUSTSAY221) March 19, 2017 Moving forward As Ted Cruz continues to get hammered on social media due to his newfound support of the president, Donald Trump has even more important things to worry about. In additional to defending his wiretapping allegations, the president is in the middle of a fight in Congress, where he wants to push through the newly released Republican health care bill, as well as his budget proposal. There will be a special viewer as FBI Director James Comey faces a public hearing of the #House Intelligence Committee today in relation to the allegations of Russian interference and also regarding the accusation that the Obama Administration wiretapped Trump Tower during the election campaign. Undoubtedly President #Donald Trump will be watching Comeys sworn testimony very closely because his replies will have a direct effect on the political future of the Oval Office. Election During the election campaign The Director of the FBI was a hero for the Republicans and a villain for the Democrats. His decision to publicly reopen the Bureaus investigation of the Democratic candidate Hillary Clintons use of a private email server when she was Secretary of State during the final stage of the campaign was seen by many as a deciding factor in Donald Trumps surprise win. The subsequent revelation that the Bureau was also investigating the allegations of Russian interference in the election in favour of Donald Trump gave rise to accusations by the Democrats that he had played a political role in the election at odds with the neutrality expected by his position. Despite these comments the incoming President confirmed Comey in his position but fate then played a hand as another issue arose that again put the Director in the unwanted public spotlight. Wiretapping Two weeks ago President Donald Trump sent a number tweets that alleged that the Obama Administration had ordered the wiretapping of Trump Tower during the election. This claim was immediately denied by a spokesman for the former President. Subsequently Comey asked the Justice Department to issue a statement that the alleged wiretapping had never occurred. Such a statement was never released. The accusations contained in the tweets have dominated the headlines since then and even involved Britain when White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer repeated a statement heard on Fox News that the British Secret Services had undertaken the wiretapping for President Obama. This is still cause of discomfort between the two long term allies. An increasing number of Republicans, including David Nunes, the Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee that Comey will today face, have stated their belief that there is no proof of such wiretapping. Oath Today Director Comey will face the House Committee in a public sitting and will have to answer questions on these matters. Amongst these questions will without doubt be queries by Democrats on the apparent difference of behaviour by the FBI Director between the investigation of Hillary Clinton and that of Donald Trump. The sitting will be difficult for the Director and since the testimony will be under oath Comey will be unable to avoid questions that are as much about the issues as they are about the perceived political role taken by the Bureaus Director in these investigations. Depending on what the Justice Department supplied the Committee as proof of the wiretapping allegations Comeys testimony has the real potential of further weakening public trust in the Oval Office by the Capitol and the public. Future At the time of writing only one thing is certain, with the testimony under oath and the documentation provided by the Justice Department the time of accusations and doubts are about to come to an end. The White House has had the opportunity to present proof of President Trumps accusations and there will be no more opportunity for doubts on this matter. As of today it will no longer be enough to label unpleasant questions as fake news. Answers must be provided and if they are not then there will be consequences legal and political. Depending on his replies, by the end of the day the Oval Office will consider James Comey a hero or a villain. His answers will decide which, just as they will also affect the White Houses immediate political future. It may well be the beginning of a long and difficult week for both the FBI and the Oval Office. As a result to his election victory #Donald Trump once again saw sales of his 1987 best seller The Art of the Deal climb the best seller list. The book was appropriate for a businessman facing customers for his products but it is inadequate for the realities of the Oval Office. As the week begins we must wonder if the President may have to write new chapters for the book. The Capitol Facing customers is easy; the businessman has to provide a package that will persuade the potential buyer to pay money for his products. This may take the form of bonuses, discounts or exchanges that will make the buyer feel he has come out ahead while the businessman makes as much money as possible. Political deals are much more subtle and the discounts and exchanges may not be sufficient in themselves to persuade Senators and Congressmen to approve proposed legislation. This week the Capitol will be in the process of examining, debating and eventually deciding whether or not to approve the various orders and the proposed budget signed by the Oval Office. These deliberations will look at their costs, the feasibility and ultimately the politicians will vote on their approval or defeat. The biggest hurdles facing President Trump will not be the opposition Democrats, but his own Republican colleagues. The true battle The very public debates on issues such as the repeal and replacement of Obamacare, the increased military spending, the construction of the border wall with Mexico and whether or not to approve the massive cuts in the budget to offset the increases in military spending will be a bitter battle between the Oval Office and the Capitol. The real battle will not be whether or not the President will be able to keep the promises that he made during the presidential campaign. The upcoming conflict will be whether or not the GOP Senators and Congressmen are willing to stake their political careers on a President that many of them have openly criticized. Town halls These politicians are the ones that will have to explain to their constituents the loss of services and their incapacity to afford the increase of health insurance premiums that will be the result from the repeal of the ACA. The heated town hall meetings around the country have made headlines and also forced some of the Congressmen and Senators to avoid attending these meetings. But ultimately the hesitant Republicans will be forced to take the bull by the horns and face their electors. While in November the midterms seemed far away, the very public protests to the proposals have forced the GOP to understand that the midterms are only next year. With a single seat majority in the Senate and ever spreading national dissent against the GOP and its President the Party risks losing the house majorities. Battle This is the true battle that the Oval Office faces in the future to all its proposals and Donald Trump will be forced to see that deals or discounts mean nothing to those who risk losing their political careers. The loss of a Senate majority will also put at risk the capacity of the GOP to appoint what they consider suitable Justices to the Supreme Court in the future. Thus the President will face the ire of Party leaders who will not want to put at risk their hopes of setting a new conservative agenda for the country. Donald Trump may well find that his book of how to make a deal is not sufficient for him to fight against the political reality that he never understood or respected but which will now decide the real future of his Presidency. The true test for any person is in his or her capacity to react to challenges and even to change over time as they face new realities. The country is now waiting to see whether or not the businessman will change and thus whether or not he will finally become a real politician. President Trump went on a Twitter rampage on Monday after James Comey, the head of the FBI, announced in a rare public outing that the FBI was investigating Trump's possible ties to Russian electoral interference. He tweeted in quick-fire succession on issues that focus on, amongst other things, Comey dismissing Trump and Russian collusion from last year. In a rather strenuous Twitter output 6 tweets in less than two hours President Trump posted C-span footage from 2016's House Intelligence Committee with his own words written: 'The NSA and FBI tell Congress that Russia did not influence electoral process.' The NSA and FBI tell Congress that Russia did not influence electoral process. pic.twitter.com/d9HqkxYBt5 President Trump (@POTUS) March 20, 2017 He also sought to discredit Comey by posting this tweet: 'FBI Director Comey refuses to deny he briefed President Obama on calls made by Michael Flynn to Russia.' He then tried to focus the public imagination on the sensitivity that ordinary individuals face with hacking, by posting this: FBI Director Comey admits Obamas White House had ability to unmask American citizens. https://t.co/gIo6it9NcQ President Trump (@POTUS) March 20, 2017 The FBI rarely announce counterintelligence investigations unless they impact the public. And now they have everyone's attention. And Trump's, it seems. With less than a month in office, Donald Trump is already facing his first major scandal as commander in chief. As expected, backlash quickly followed, and comedian Bill Maher didn't hold back his thoughts. Maher on Trump When it became clear that Donald Trump was going to become the new president, no one really knew what to expect. Trump then started to surround himself with controversial individuals in his administration, which only kicked into high gear following his inauguration last month. While Trump has only been in office for four weeks, he's created a constant cloud of controversy that has hovered over him, which peaked when retired Gen. Michael Flynn was forced to resign as National Security Adviser last week. Trump followed the scandal by increasing his attack on the mainstream media, which was on display during a Thursday afternoon press conference at the White House. These issues, and more, were highlighted during the February 17 edition of "Real Time with Bill Maher" on HBO. Starting off his show with his weekly opening monologue was Bill Maher. "We've come a long way from our first president who said 'I can not tell a lie'" Maher said. "It's not so fu**ing fun anymore," he noted, before referring to Donald Trump as "Agent Orange." "The intel agency are leaking like crazy because they are sending a desperate message," he added, while stating, "He's crazy and fu**ing nuts and they know it." "They have floated Sarah Palin as the Ambassador to Canada," Bill Maher went on to say, humorously noting that she would be "the first ambassador in history to require a security deposit." Maher then went on to rip into the White House. "They love these distractions, meanwhile they are doing this sh*t," the liberal comedian said, pointing out, "The senate confirmed Scott Pruitt to be the head of the EPA. It's less like public service and more like community service." Bill Maher went on to focus on Trump's press conference earlier this week, and didn't hold back. "What we have here is a mental patient who thinks he's Hitler," he said, while noting, "the YouTube kid who is high from the dentist, made more sense." Maher concluded his monologue in a more serious tone, as he warned viewers about the president. Moving forward As critics like Bill Maher continue to roast Donald Trump with each passing week of his time in the White House, it's likely that the president will not be happy about the criticism. Trump has made it clear that he's not a fan of the media, and the relationship doesn't look to be showing any signs of improvement. In an interview on Thursday, March 16, "Dancing with the Stars" professional dancer Maksim Chmerkovskiy said he was so scared when he had to rush his newborn son to the emergency room. Shai was just a few weeks old when he had a high fever. Maks told ABC News that he and his fiancee, Peta Murgatroyd, have already gone through a lot with their son who was born on January 4. Hospital experience The 37-year-old father said he was really scared to see his newborn so sick. He admits that he and Peta, 30, were not prepared for what they experienced in the emergency room. He said it was a shock because he didn't know in advance what happens to infants that small when they get sick. He freaked out when he saw a little IV hooked up to his son. Maks said he and Peta have become more diligent when it comes to caring for their baby. Both parents on 'Dancing with the Stars' Both Maks and Peta are rehearsing for Season 24 of "Dancing With The Stars" that premieres on Monday, March 20. They are excited about returning to the ballroom, but they are not excited about being away from their new baby. This will be the first time in a long time since both Maks and Peta have competed against each other. There is already talk about Maks and his partner, Heather Morris, who has had dance experience on "Glee." Besides, she was one of Beyonce's "Single Ladies" dancers. Some fans say Heather has an unfair advantage, but she contends that her previous dance experience was quite different from ballroom dancing. Peta is partnered with Nick Viall, 36, whose season just ended on "The Bachelor." When he and his fiancee Vanessa Grimaldi, 29, appeared together on "After the Final Rose" on Monday night they didn't act like they were happily engaged. They were vague about their future. This leads viewers to suspect that they won't be together very long. One reason is because Vanessa is a special education teacher in Montreal, and it seems that she prefers not moving to the United States. Vanessa showed up at the rehearsal with Nick and Peta. She seemed to have enjoyed the session because she got to meet Peta's son. Porters at work at a railway yard at Wengfu's plant premises in Guizhou province. [Photo/China Daily] Wengfu blazes a trail with frenetic expansion and big tech exports In 2007, China's Wengfu (Group) Co Ltd achieved what was then truly extraordinarythe State-owned phosphorus and chemicals manufacturer outplayed many European and US counterparts to win the bid for the then world's largest mineral-processing project in Saudi Arabia. That set the tone for its frenetic global activity ever since. It launched a number of projects in nearly 10 countries and regions covering northern and western Africa as well as the Middle East. Today, Wengfu is pressing ahead with more than 30 overseas projects in countries such as Vietnam, Indonesia, India, and Kenya, most of which make use of its technologies related to mining and processing. That's not all. Wengfu's senior executives said the company is now set to continue its overseas expansion into economies covered by the Belt and Road Initiative, which aims to connect Asia with Africa and Europe through an infrastructure and trade grid along the ancient Silk Road. In the past three years, China signed nearly 50 government-level cooperation agreements in the Belt and Road countries and regions, according to the National Development and Reform Commission, the country's top economic planner. Outbound investments in economies along the Belt and Road are worth over $50 billion, and have resulted in better-than-expected achievements, said He Lifeng, minister of the NDRC. Companies such as the Guizhou-based Wengfu can take some credit for that. The SOE is adopting diverse models of cooperation to gain a firmer foothold in foreign markets that lack the ability to mine or process natural resources like phosphorus, an essential mineral. From Wengfu's perspective, rich ores overseas need to be exploited further. Its overseas goal is consistent with the current domestic situation. The chemical producer has been largely reliant on domestic market so far. It made a profit all right last year, but it was small as the rebound in coal prices pushed up its already-high costs. Revenue remained around 40 billion yuan ($5.79 billion), according to Jin Gang, assistant general manager of Wengfu and a lawmaker who attended the annual session of the National People's Congress in Beijing earlier this month. By 2020, Wengfu plans to invest about $4.3 billion to spur growth, and part of the budget will be allocated to strengthen efforts in overseas markets, especially along the Belt and Road markets, he said. "Technology exports will remain our priority." Founded in 1990, Wengfu started operations in 2000. Since then, it has mastered its low-cost, high-yield phosphorus-mining technology, which helps extract 95 percent of the mineral from phosphate ore, after removing impurities. Jin said Wengfu's overseas strategy has evolved in the past decade from exporting raw material like phosphate fertilizers and processed products like iodine to transferring higher value-added technologies. Such a change dovetails with the government's endeavor to increase the share of high-value services in China's exports. The group also owns national-level laboratories and research facilities for post-doctoral researchers. This initiative has resulted in over 2,000 patents so far. Zhang Tao, CEO of Wengfu Engineering and Contracting Co, the subsidiary in charge of overseas business, said Wengfu's business tie-ups overseas vary with client needs, but its focus is fixed on giving full play to its technologies and professional services. For example, the company is in talks with some parties to finalize investment terms for building factories in countries and regions mentioned above. The latter will apply its world-class technology to extract anhydrous hydrogen fluoride or AHF at a lower cost. AHF is a chemical product extracted from phosphorus for industrial use. "Many markets have showed strong interest in such projects," Zhang said. "We will decide by evaluating the quality of mineral deposits, the investment environment and the market size. For other potential clients, we could tailor services as per their preferencelet's say, we may send our consultants or provide EPC (engineering, procurement and construction, a common form of contracting in the construction industry) projects." Wengfu faced its share of legal, cultural and religious challenges overseas. The only way out was to join forces, Zhang said. "Vicious competition always drags everyone down. Chinese companies need to beef up their respective advantages," he said. He cited Wengfu's collaboration with China Huanqiu Contracting and Engineering Corp, its one-time competitor, for the second phase of Saudi Arabia's project. "Our partner has more experience in networking and project management in Saudi Arabia, while Wengfu, a latecomer, used technologies to its advantage. It was a win-win for both of us." Thus far, Wengfu has implemented projects in partnership with many Chinese machinery producers and construction firms. Zhou Liqun, general manager of State-owned China Chengtong International Investment Co Ltd, said prudent risk management plays a key role in fulfilling the goal of overseas investment. "Chinese companies should avoid internecine competition," he said, referring to the irrational, competitive overseas investment frenzy among some domestic corporates. Although it has come a long way in global markets since the 2007 Saudi project, Wengfu feels it's still early days. According to Jin, Wengfu has reached a stage where greater emphasis is put on project quality and safe operations, rather than just earnings numbers. Workers from China Communications Construction discuss a project in Jeddah in Saudi Arabia. [Photo/Xinhua] Agreements signed for projects between Gulf country and China China and Saudi Arabia will continue to diversify economic cooperation and develop stronger trade ties in 2017, as their products are complementary and they have reached a consensus on both the "Saudi Vision 2030" strategy and the Belt and Road Initiative, economists said on Sunday. Eager to diversify its heavily oil-dependent economy, Saudi Arabia announced the "Saudi Vision 2030" growth strategy in 2016, which includes privatizing some State-owned companies and finding more new market growth points from non-oil related sectors. Long Guoqiang, vice-president of the Development Research Center of the State Council, said on the sideline of the China Development Forum that the Belt and Road Initiative is expected to help Saudi Arabia realize its growth plan, as it can efficiently boost regional infrastructure connectivity, people-to-people exchanges, investment and trade activities on an effective multilateral cooperative platform. The infrastructure, trade and services network proposed by the Chinese government in 2013 envisions a Silk Road Economic Belt and a 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, covering about 4.4 billion people in more than 60 countries and regions in Europe, Asia and Africa. Sang Baichuan, director of the Institute of International Business at the University of International Business and Economics in Beijing, said that even though oil trade lies at the heart of bilateral business ties, Saudi Arabia's surging demand for infrastructure improvementssuch as next-generation oil refineries, roads, airports and oil tanker and container portswill provide opportunities for Chinese project contractors and manufacturers. Their comments came after China and Saudi Arabia signed 14 agreements and memorandums of understanding to deepen cooperation in such areas as energy, investment, finance, culture and aerospace last week. Among these big-ticket cooperative documents, one is an MOU on production capacity and investment cooperation that has 35 big projects involving $65 billion. China exports mainly construction machinery, manufacturing equipment, steel, electronics, textiles, garments and household appliances to Saudi Arabia. Chinese-made passenger vehicles and trucks have also become popular in the region. In addition to crude oil, petrochemicals and fertilizer, Saudi Arabia's exports to China include marble, olive oil and sesame seed products. China became Saudi Arabia's largest trading partner by goods volume in 2015, and Saudi Arabia has been China's biggest crude oil supplier and largest trading partner in western Asia for years. Bilateral trade between China and Saudi Arabia amounted to $42.4 billion in 2016, data from the Ministry of Commerce show. More than 100 Chinese companies from both State-owned enterprises and private sectors are currently involved in energy, rail, port and telecommunication projects in Saudi Arabia. "Saudi Arabia is an important transportation and financial hub connecting Asia, Africa and Europe, which makes the country an ideal partner for the Belt and Road Initiative," said Gu Xuebin, vice-president of the Beijing-based Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation. To further enhance trade ties with the Middle East region, Vice-Minister of Commerce Wang Shouwen said China will also accelerate negotiations for a free trade agreement with the Gulf Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf this year, which certainly will offer more business opportunities between China and Saudi Arabia. The GCC is a political and economic union of six Arab states that border the Persian GulfSaudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and the United Arab Emiratessome of which are considered among the world's top fossil fuel-exporting nations. The two sides are now expected to exchange views on key FTA issues such as trade conditions, rules of origin, technical barriers to trade and economic and technological cooperation, said Wang. One of my friends felt quite upset recently when asked by an American whether there is Wi-Fi in China. Not only there is Wi-Fi in China, she said that like most Chinese living and working in the United States, she really felt lagging behind every time going back to China. Young people in major Chinese cities such as Shanghai and Beijing no longer carry a wallet, or cash or credit card when going out; they pay everything with the apps on their smartphones. China had a jump-start after the reform and opening-up since 1978. And of course, Chinese men no longer wear pigtails like when they were in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). A Pew Research Center report released last Thursday compared internet and smartphone use in China and India, two emerging economies. The finding is a steady climb in China as India lags. This is despite the fact that China has often been criticized in the West for internet censorship and India lauded as the largest democracy. The Chinese have consistently reported rates of internet and smartphone use that are at least triple that of Indians. That trend has continued through 2016, according to the Pew center, which began tracking advanced technology adoptions in the two countries since 2013. In the latest Pew poll, 71 percent of Chinese say they use the internet at least occasionally or own a smartphone, Pew's definition for internet users. The rate is only 21 percent in India. Meanwhile, 68 percent of Chinese say they owned a smartphone as of spring 2016, compared with 18 percent in India. The Pew report cited China's fast expanding middle class, per capita gross domestic product and Chinese investment in digital infrastructure as contributing to China's lead in this regard. Separate statistics show that in 2016, there were 207 million smartphone users in the US, accounting for 63.9 percent of its population. Meanwhile, 88.5 percent of people in the US are internet users. Americans traveling in Chinese cities might be surprised to find that every business from coffee shop to noodle shop to ice cream shop all provide free Wi-Fi service, even when sometimes a public restroom may not be available. Not providing free Wi-Fi is not only not cool, it affects business. This does not seem to be the case in the US, not in Washington and New York City. When I was riding the New York subway two days ago, I saw posters in the car celebrating the Wi-Fi connectivity in all 279 underground stations by Dec 31, 2016. That was indeed remarkable. When I arrived in New York City in 2009 on this job assignment, there was no cellphone signal in the underground subway system, not even in the stations. I was told then that a good excuse to tell the boss that you did not answer his phone was because you were in the subway. The same is true in Washington, where internet access is available only in Metro stations, not when the train starts running in the tunnels. As I was writing this journal on Sunday, the RCN cable and internet service in my building in Washington went out. In China, people take it for granted that cellphone signals are uninterrupted when they ride subways underground, thanks largely to their jump start in the digital age. US President Donald Trump talked a lot about his ambition to revamp infrastructure. I am not sure if internet access, such as making Wi-Fi connectivity in his hometown New York City's subway system available everywhere and anywhere, is part of the plan. (By the way, increases in weekly and monthly subway fares went into effect on Sunday.) To me, it should be just a piece of cake for a nation that is home to Silicon Valley, which has sent people to the moon and has spent $600 billion on the military every year. Contact the writer at chenweihua@chinadailyusa.com WASHINGTON - US House Republicans are working on changes to their healthcare overhaul bill to provide more generous tax credits for older Americans and add a work requirement for the Medicaid program for the poor, House Speaker Paul Ryan said on Sunday. Ryan said Republican leaders still planned to bring the healthcare bill to a vote on the House of Representatives floor on Thursday. Speaking on the "Fox News Sunday" television program, he said leaders were working to address concerns that had been raised by rank-and-file Republicans to the legislation. Republicans remain deeply divided over the healthcare overhaul, which is President Donald Trump's first major legislative initiative. It aims to fulfill his campaign pledge to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, popularly known as Obamacare, the signature healthcare program of his Democratic predecessor, Barack Obama. Democrats say the Republican plan could throw millions off health insurance and hurt the elderly, poor and working families while giving tax cuts to the rich. "We think we should be offering even more assistance than the bill currently does" for lower-income people age 50 to 64, Ryan, the top Republican in Congress, said of the tax credits for health insurance that are proposed in the legislation. Ryan also said Republicans were working on changes that would allow federal block grants to states for Medicaid and permit states to impose a work requirement for able-bodied Medicaid recipients. Trump told reporters in a brief conversation aboard Air Force One that he had meetings about healthcare reform in Florida at the weekend and that the effort to sell the proposal was going well. He has been wooing lawmakers to vote for the bill and won the backing of a dozen conservative lawmakers on Friday after an Oval Office meeting in which the president endorsed a work requirement and block-grant option for Medicaid. Trump is set to meet Ezekiel Emanuel, a health policy special adviser under Obama who helped shape the Affordable Care Acton, at the White House on Monday, along with Ryan and Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price. Block grants would give states a set amount of money to cover people on the Medicaid program and provide flexibility in spending decisions. However, there is no guarantee funding would keep up with future demands. While Ryan said he felt "very good" about the health bill's prospects in the House, a leading conservative lawmaker, Representative Mark Meadows, told the C-Span "Newsmakers" program that there were currently 40 Republican "no" votes in the House. Republicans hold a majority in the chamber but cannot afford to have more than 21 defections for the measure to pass. Meadows and two other Republican opponents of the bill, Senators Mike Lee of Utah and Ted Cruz of Texas, met at Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida on Saturday "negotiating with the president's team, trying to fix this bill," Cruz told CBS' "Face the Nation." North Carolina Republican Meadows said the changes being considered for the Medicaid program would not go far enough if they left it up to states to decide whether to put in place a work requirement. Price acknowledged the tough negotiations, telling ABC's "This Week": "It's a fine needle that needs to be thread, there's no doubt about it." The healthcare bill would face significant challenges in the Senate even if it were to pass the House. Senator Tom Cotton, a conservative Arkansas Republican, said the bill would not reduce premiums for people on the private insurance market. "It's fixable, but it's going to take a lot of work," Cotton said on CNN's "State of the Union." Moderate Republicans have also expressed concerns about the bill, and their worries are often not the same as that of conservatives. Speaking on NBC's "Meet the Press," Republican Senator Susan Collins of Maine worried the bill would harm older Americans, and shift Medicaid costs to states - something critics say a block-grant approach would only make worse. Collins said coverage issues must also be dealt with, citing a report from the Congressional Budget Office that said 14 million people would lose health coverage under the House bill over the next year and 24 million over the next decade. Affordability has been one of the bigger concerns that insurers and hospital groups have raised about the legislation. To the extent that a change in tax credits makes healthcare more affordable for some people, insurers and hospitals could stand to benefit. The BlueCross BlueShield Association emphasized the need for the replacement to be affordable when the draft of the healthcare bill was released earlier this month. The association represents BCBS insurers that cover the vast majority of the roughly 10 million people enrolled in 2017 Obamacare plans. Reuters Built by Italian immigrants in the 20th century, Bento Goncalves has long been known as the hometown of Brazilian wine. The town situated in the southern part of the country, 100 kilometers from Porto Alegre, capital city of State Rio Grande do Sul, has many wineries. In a subtropical zone with a mountainous landscape, the town is a perfect place to grow grapes. In history, this area attracted a great many Italian immigrants who inherited the skill of winemaking from their ancestors. The first three months of the year make up the hottest season in the beautiful town, as well as the harvest time for grapes. Trellises can be seen everywhere in the countryside, with mature grapes hanging on vines. Trucks carrying grapes and wine move down the roads. Giorgia Forest runs the sales department at Aurora Winery. She said there are various kinds of grapes in Bento Goncalves. "Great wine comes from great ingredients, so the grapes we harvest guarantee the quality of our wine," Forest said. She also pointed out that Brazilian winemakers, especially from the State Rio Grande do Sul, are looking to market their product to more countries of the world, among which China has been a main customer. "We started our business with Chinese clients in the year 2015. Although it is far from a long and permanent cooperation, we can foresee the potential of the Chinese market," Forest said. "The trading keeps increasing and accounts for 50 percent of our whole exports now," Forest said. "We managed to introduce several different kinds of wine covering all the price levels to China, which all got a positive response from the market. This is quite an inspiration for us; we now intend to dig more deeply." Due to an economic slowdown in Brazil, domestic consumption of wine has decreased recently. Wineries in south Brazil have to come up with new marketing ideas to maintain their business. In addition to Aurora, Miolo is another wine brand that enjoys a good reputation in Brazil. Its winery is not far from Bento Goncalves. According to Anderson Tirloni, export department manager of Miolo Winery, the company has been selling its wine to China for four years. It now has five shops in Shanghai, Guangzhou in South China's Guangdong province, Sanya in South China's Hainan province and other major cities of China. The wine is also available on Chinese online business platforms. A competition on safety knowledge will be held by the Chinese consulate general in San Francisco to raise the safety awareness among overseas Chinese students in the San Francisco consular district. In cooperation with Today Focus, a New York-based Chinese media company, the competition organizers will introduce two of 29 safety cases involving Chinese students every day from March 16 on the Today Focus app. Through studying real-life cases as well as experts' comments, the Chinese students in the San Francisco consular district, which covers Alaska, Washington, Oregon, Northern California and Nevada, can participate in the competition online from March 27. Winners will be awarded return air tickets between the US and China. An on-site competition will be held on April 30 for Chinese students in the San Francisco Bay Area. Further details about the competition are yet to be revealed. "The US has been a top choice for Chinese students who wish to study aboard," said Luo Linquan, Chinese consul general in San Francisco. "China has been the country sending the largest number of students to the US for seven consecutive years." According to the Open Doors report, more than 328,000 Chinese students were registered in the US universities for the 2015-16 year, up 8 percent from the previous year. The number of Chinese students represents 31.5 percent of all the total amount of international students in the US. In the San Francisco consular district, the number of Chinese students exceeded 43,000 during the last school year, up 13 percent year on year, according to Luo. "As more and more Chinese students are coming to the US, their ages tend to be younger and younger," Luo said. "These young students who live alone in a foreign country have a hard time adapting themselves to the strange environment. They also fall victim to crimes sometimes," he said. In recent years, Chinese students have been reported to get involved in traffic accidents, campus violence, public security incidents, or tuition fraud. The consulate has dealt with about 50 safety cases involving Chinese students in the past three years, according to Luo. Collaborating with local Chinese-American groups is part of the consulate's efforts to educate Chinese students about safety knowledge, such as issuing safety alerts on the consulate's website and launching a hotline to offer assistance and rescue service, said Luo. "But most importantly, the Chinese students need to raise their own awareness, learn the basic safety knowledge and know how to respond to emergencies," Luo said. Zhang Xiao, a Chinese student in the Bay Area, was invited to tell his own experience at the Chinese consulate on Thursday. He said he witnessed several accidents happen to his friends and classmates. liazhu@chinadailyusa.com 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. Deputy Prime Minister Trinh inh Dung has asked the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) and relevant agencies to study the possibility of applying safeguards to protect the domestic automobile manufacturing industry from looming zero-tariff car imports. Photo dantri.com.vn HA NOI Deputy Prime Minister Trinh inh Dung has asked the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) and relevant agencies to study the possibility of applying safeguards to protect the domestic automobile manufacturing industry from looming zero-tariff car imports. The move is also intended to boost the development of support industries for the domestic automobile industry as it copes with a persistent low rate of local content and high production costs. In a document sent to the MoIT this week, Dung asked the ministry to propose to Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc revisions of policies and mechanism to boost the support industry, especially for the big investors and leading automakers. Dung said a multi-sector working team should be set up to undertake a comprehensive evaluation of the domestic automobile market in correlation with regional and global markets. The evaluation must focus on opportunities and difficulties ahead of 2018, when the import tax on complete built-up units (CBUs) from ASEAN countries will be completely abolished. It should also provide a forecast of supply and demand in the country and the region, and an assessment of the capacity and development potential of local auto production, as well as domestic automakers ability to adapt to fierce competition given Viet Nams commitment to ASEAN to open its car market. The document tasks the finance ministry with co-ordinating with relevant agencies to tighten management of tariff value and origin of CBUs, which should meet the ASEANs criteria of origin, in order to ensure the right implementation of tax regulations and international commitments. Dung wanted the ministry to re-evaluate the special consumption tax level and registration fee on pick-ups, which then would be submitted to the Government and the National Assembly to supplement and revise. The ministry will have to check and study MFN (Most Favoured Nation) tariffs on components and auto parts for revision, if needed, commensurate with the Governments orientation on encouraging domestic auto part production. The MoIT and ministries of Transport and Science and Technology will design technical barriers appropriate to domestic regulations and international commitments to ensure no bad quality cars are imported to Viet Nam", according to the document. They should also protect the rights and interests of consumers and local automakers, simplify procedures and create favourable conditions for the automakers operation. Vu Thanh Tu Anh, Research Director at the Fulbright Economics Teaching Programme in Viet Nam, told Thoi bao Kinh te Viet Nam ( Viet Nam Economic Times) that in the mid-1990s, automobile producers like Toyota and Nissan promised to achieve a localisation rate of 40 per cent within 10 years. But so far, their localisation rate is about 10 per cent. This means the producers got incentives but what they have done for Viet Nam is not as much as the Government expected, said Anh. Meanwhile, the import of cars is already surging. Vietnam Customs reported that nearly 15,300 CBUs were imported in the first two months of this year, an increase of over 4,000 units compared with the same period last year, of which 60 per cent were cars with nine seats or less. The total value was estimated at US$309 million, with an average import price of about $20,200 each. VNS HA NOI The Vietnam Association for Supporting Industries (VASI) was launched in Ha Noi last Saturday, targeted at improving the capacity of domestic part suppliers and contributing to sustainable development of industries. VASI, established following the decision of the Ministry of Home Affairs last Thursday, aims to gather, connect and raise capacity for supporting industry businesses; contribute ideas to policymakers in supporting industry and relevant industries; seek and connect domestic markets; and boost exports. The associations establishment is part of key results of the EU-Vietnam Multilateral Trade Project, which is funded by the European Union and jointly conducted by the Supporting Industry Enterprise Development Centre (SIDEC), the Industrial Policy and Strategy Institute and the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT). The project was launched in June last year and will finish in June this year. The first congress of the association, which took place on the same day as the launching ceremony, voted 32 members to its executive board. Former deputy minister of industry and trade Le Duong Quang was nominated board chairman. Quang said the association would quickly strengthen its organisation, assign tasks for each board member and set up an action programme. VASI will become a link for businesses to develop co-operation, which is currently a weak point of Vietnamese part suppliers in general and the supporting industry in particular, Quang said. VASI will also take the initiative in connecting businesses with the market, co-operating with foreign organisations and increasing its members from the current number of 140, said Quang. MoITs Heavy Industry Department director Truong Thanh Hoai said the countrys manufacturing industry value had until now contributed some 14 per cent of GDP, while this figure was 26 per cent in Thailand and 36 per cent in China. The establishment of VASI is needed in the current context. It will reflect the reality on the ground for management bodies to perfect policies and drive forces to boost the supporting industry, Hoai said. According to a new statistics of the MoIT, there are more than 500 businesses participating in the supply chain of supporting industry products. The localisation rate of industrial products in Viet Nam is 50 per cent of other regional countries. This is seen as a stumbling block that slows down the countrys realisation of its industrialisation and modernisation targets. VNS THUA THIEN-HUE Authorities of the central province of Thua Thien-Hue have suggested increasing flight frequency on the Hue-Bangkok route, at a meeting held last week with Jetstar airline and travel agencies. Representatives of travel agencies supported the proposal, agreeing that the frequency should be increased to two flights a week immediately instead of the current two flights a month, as it would help fully exploit the tourism potential of Hue, a cultural heritage site. Jetstar reported that flights between Hue and Bangkok have an average occupancy of 70 per cent. The provincial Peoples Committee has asked concerned agencies and departments to create favourable conditions to enable more flights and has promised to introduce support policies for travel agencies and firms to promote tours so as to attract more tourists on the Hue-Bangkok route. VNS High-end and luxury housing continues to be an attractive segment in the national real estate market, with high demand and a good purchasing scale, experts have said. Photo canhohyco4.com HCM CITY High-end and luxury housing continues to be an attractive segment in the national real estate market, with high demand and a good purchasing scale, experts have said. A report from property market researcher CBRE said there would be many new high-end and luxury projects this year in Ha Noi and HCM City. Nguyen Hoai An, deputy head of the research and consultancy department under CBRE Vietnam, predicted that sales would be good this year in both cities. "Prestigious investors have developed the projects, which are expected to attract many high-income customers," An said. In Ha Noi, the number of high-end and luxury condos accounted for 30 per cent of the market in the last two years. Supply in this segment this year is expected to be over 25 per cent, An said, adding that projects in Tay Ho and Ba inh districts of Ha Noi would be in high demand. In HCM City, the supply is also predicted to be stable this year. Duong Thuy Dung, a senior official at CBRE HCM City, said that luxury and high-end projects were attracting customers because of their modern facilities. Dung said that consumers today were not only concerned about shelter, but also about the surrounding environment of their house or apartment. He said that prices this year would increase by 4-7 per cent against last year thanks to the projects central location. Recently, Phu My Hung opened sales for its new high-end project called Phu My Hung Midtown. Although the price is from VN5 billion (US$219,000) per condo, it has attracted many customers. Nearly 100 per cent of condos have been sold, according to the company. Earlier predictions by experts said the sale of luxury property would be stagnant this year, while low and medium-level segment would strongly develop. However, the high-end and luxury market as well as the condotel segment have seen good sales and are expected to further develop this year. Evan Huynh, chairman of the Viet Nam National Association of Real Estate Professionals, said that Ha Noi, HCM City, a Nang and Can Tho had potential. He said that many projects begun by the Sun Group, Vingroup FLC and CEO Group have met international standards. Evan said that investors would see success in the property market. Pham Huu Thang, deputy chairman of the Viet Nam Real Estate Association, said the condotel market had grown because of Viet Nams integration into the world market and the increasing number of visitors. He said the supply and sale of condotel projects had increased in a Nang and Nha Trang. The high-end segment as well as condotel and officetel projects in tourism cities have brought more choices for foreigners. "Along with investors, foreigners and professors working in the country are potential customers," Thang said. VNS Rolled steel being processed at Viet Y Steel JSCs Plant. VNS Photo Viet Thanh HA NOI Steel prices will remain stable on the domestic market this month but are expected to increase slightly soon, according to the Ministry of Industry and Trade. The ministry said in February that local steel prices, excluding value added tax (VAT), were similar to those of the previous month - VN9.9-VN10.6 million (US$434-$465) per tonne of common steel bars in the north, and VN10-VN10.7 million per tonne in the south. The price of rolled steel products stood at VN10-VN10.6 million per tonne in the north and VN10.2-VN10.9 million per tonne in the south. Those prices would remain intact this month due to high supply and stable demand, as well as stability of the global steel prices. However, those prices would likely increase 1-2 per cent because the local construction market would experience strong growth in major cities this year due to high housing demand, the ministry said. Increasing demand for public investment would also push up prices. The World Steel Association forecast that steel markets in Thailand, Malaysia, Viet Nam, Indonesia and the Philippines would grow 6 per cent due to demand for public investment and expansion of infrastructure, reported cafef.vn. Meanwhile, according to the Governments development plan for the steel industry by 2020, Viet Nam will lack 15-20 per cent of steel beams every year. The ministry said that in the first two months of 2017, the steel industry produced 838,700 tonnes of drawn steel, a year-on-year increase of 21.4 per cent; more than 1 million tonnes of rolled steel, a year-on-year surge of 35.4 per cent; and 722,200 tonnes of flat and angle bar, up by 7.1 per cent year-on-year. The Ministry of Industry and Trade said domestic steel production was able to meet the entire demand for steel ingots, steel beams and cold rolled steel at 7-8 million tonnes per year. But Viet Nam could not produce domestically hot rolled steel that is essential input material for many industries, such as cold rolled steel, galvanized steel, steel pipe, shipbuilding and manufacturing, with a high demand on 10 million tonnes per year. The nation still must import this product, resulting in a growing trade deficit and opening the door to cheap, low-grade imports to Viet Nam. The General Department of Customs reported that during the first two months of this year, the country imported 2.7 million tonnes of steel, spending $1.4 billion. The imports surged by 0.2 per cent in volume and 49.3 per cent in value. Average import price in the first half of February reached $538.4 per tonne of steel, a year-on-year increase of 56 per cent, and $378.7 per tonne of steel ingots, a year-on-year surge of 40 per cent. The Viet Nam Steel Association said cheap price of steel imports had presented local steel producers with difficult competition. To protect local steel producers, the association has proposed that the Government impose defence measures for some imported steel products. - VNS Customers transaction at a branch of VPBank. Photo vpbank.com.vn Compiled by Thien Ly Three joint stock banks, BIDV, Vietcombank and VietinBank, are now the countrys most valuable banking brands. However, despite being the countrys largest banks by far, their brand value in monetary terms is very low. For instance, for Vietcombank, it made up only 4 per cent of its total assets of around VN576.53 trillion (US$25.3 billion) by October 2016. It is slightly higher for Vietinbank and BIDV at 10 per cent and 11 per cent, respectively. The comparable figures are 25 per cent globally and 16-18 per cent in Southeast Asia. Why are Vietnamese banks unable to add value to their brands? The first and obvious reason is that they, including the major ones, have not paid much attention to investment in building their brands. They have only managed to grow in the last few years of their familiarity with the marketplace and relationships. Another reason is that Vietnamese banks still prioritise customers aged 40 and more thinking they have a stable income and accumulated savings. But it is young people who are familiar with and avid users of digital technologies, virtually a pre-condition for promoting brands. Experts urge Vietnamese banks to invest in building brands, especially if they want to expand abroad. Obviously, it will not be clever of the lenders to venture into other markets if they are completely unknown there. Changes to deposit insurance The State Bank of Viet Nam has just drawn up draft amendments to the Deposit Insurance Law as instructed by the Government. One of the proposed changes is increasing the maximum deposit amount that can be insured per customer from the current VN50 million to VN75 million (US$3,290). Like in most other countries in the world, Viet Nams deposit insurance policies have two main aims: to protect depositors and secure the banking industry. Public trust in the banking system is an important commodity and can be significantly improved through deposit insurance policies. However, the current limit per customer of VN50 million is not satisfactory for most depositors and also many experts who say it is too low. Accepting this criticism, the SBV intends to hike the limit by half. But this is not enough of an increase for the public and experts. Analysts said when the insurance premium limit of VN50 million was fixed, it was equivalent to five times the countrys per capita income just like in many other countries. It covered 80 per cent of deposits. But now the countrys current per capital income is over $2,000. This means that the deposit insurance limit this time needs to be much higher at at least VN200 million. Experts point out that the new limit is much lower than the 50,000 euro in Europe, $200,000 in South Korea and $250,000 in the US. They have called for raising the limit to VN150-200 million to achieve the purpose of deposit insurance: protecting depositors money. The experts also disagree with having a uniform limit for all banks, saying there is need of higher limits for weaker banks to really protect depositors. They also want the amended law to require lenders to declare their health to depositors to enable them to make informed decisions. The experts are also critical that only ong deposits are insured and not deposits in foreign currencies or valuable papers. They say that deposits in foreign currencies are trending upward because of the large amounts of foreign remittances from overseas Vietnamese and Vietnamese nationals working abroad. Thus, if banks refuse to insure foreign currency deposits, they would simply move to foreign banks. Foreign interest in cement On March 1, Holcim Vietnam was renamed Siam City Cement Vietnam Co Ltd after being acquired by Thailands Siam Cement City Public Co Ltd (SCCC). A few months ago, LafargeHolcim Group signed a deal to sell a 65per cent stake in Holcim Vietnam to SCCC for US$580 million. Holcim products will hereafter be marketed under the INSEE brand. Recently SCG Cement-Building Materials Co Ltd, a subsidiary of the Siam Cement Group (SCG), bought the shares of Vietnam Construction Materials JSC for $156 million. The significance of the Thai investors multi-million-dollar deals is that the Vietnamese cement industry remains very attractive to foreign investors though it is now mired in difficulties. Analysts said acquisitions were much cheaper for the Thai companies than building their own factories. Building a new factory in Viet Nam will cost $170-180 per tonne of cement produced. Acquisitions bring down the cost to $105-110. Besides, with their financial and administrative advantages, Thai companies can easily take on their Vietnamese rivals. A construction ministry official said it was inevitable that foreign companies would invest in the Vietnamese cement industry considering the enormous opportunities it offers them. The strong recovery in the real estate market and the resumption of many major construction projects are an important reason for the rise in demand for building materials. How do Vietnamese cement companies benefit from these M&A deals? According to the Viet Nam Association of Finance Investors, one of the many benefits is that Vietnamese cement companies will have access to massive resources to improve their technology and equipment and management and expand export markets by taking advantage of the distribution systems of their foreign investors. It said further that to attract foreign investors in the cement industry, the Government should remove the foreign ownership cap in the industry, which is now at 49 per cent. The Viet Nam Construction Association did not oppose the M&A deals by foreigners but nevertheless warned the Government not to allow foreign businesses to take advantage of the current difficult situation in the industry to take over domestic companies. That would affect the countrys interests, it said. The Viet Nam Materials Association concurred saying the Government should not let Vietnamese cement companies become a mere source of raw materials, energy and labour for foreign companies. It said local companies should be restructured to become competitive and take control of the market. VNS HA NOI India will lift its suspension of the import of some Vietnamese agricultural products, which was enforced on March 7. During a working session of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Embassy of India in Viet Nam last Thursday, the two sides agreed that India will resume the import of Vietnamese black pepper, cassava, cinnamon and dragon fruit. In return, Viet Nam will adjust its Decision No 558/QD-BNN-BVTV on suspension of the import of peanut (Arachis hypogaea), cassia seed (Cassia spp), cacao beans (Theobroma cacao), beans (Phaseolus spp), and tamarind (Tamarindus indica) from India due to high risk of Caryedon serratus Olivier beetle infection. The Vietnamese side will only return those batches of goods contaminated by beetles and allow the import of those batches not infected. Previously, on Wednesday, the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) sent a diplomatic note to India requesting the country follow international practices and lift its suspension of the import of some Vietnamese products. The ministry also asked the Vietnamese embassy in India to forward the above diplomatic note to Indian ministries and agencies concerned. The Vietnamese products affected by the suspension are coffee bean, bamboo toothpick, black pepper and cinnamon, as well as beans and dragon fruit. India announced the import suspension in early March. Upon learning the news, the MoIT held a meeting with the ministries of foreign affairs and agriculture and rural development to discuss solutions and address the issue at the earliest. Last Thursday, the Government Office also issued a document on the Prime Ministers instructions related to the issue. The PM required the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to work closely with the MoIT and relevant agencies to clarify the issue and propose measures to deal with it within this month. VNS HA NOI The governor of the State Bank of Viet Nam has set up a steering committee to boost financial technology, or fintech, in the country. As per decision 328/Q-NHNN, the committee will be in charge of developing programmes and plans and consulting with the governor to create a favourable ecosystem, including the legal framework, for fintech businesses to develop in Viet Nam. The 10-member committee will have deputy governor Nguyen Kim Anh as its director. This is among the governments first efforts to boost fintech in the country, which has a population of 90 million, mostly millennials, who can exploit the huge potential of an internet economy. Currently, there are just 30 fintech companies in the country, and a majority of fintech start-ups operate in the e-payment domain, such as 1Pay, 123Pay, VinaPay, One Pay and MoMo. The e-commerce sector in Viet Nam and Southeast Asia is expected to see a huge boom in the near future. Services offered by fintech companies are becoming more diverse, going beyond e-payments into fund-raising, remittances, e-lending and data management. VNS BINH THUAN The Binh Thuan Province Alliance of Dragon Fruit Production, Processing and Export Co-Operatives has exported a consignment of more than 163 tonnes of dragon fruit to the UAE. Vo Nhu Trieu, CEO of the alliance, said on Sunday the fruits had been grown to Vietnamese Good Agricultural Practice (VietGAP) standards. They were sold at VN25,000 (US$ 1.1) per kilogramme. The alliance seeks to expand dragon fruit exports to the UAE, a promising market, by improving quality, Trieu said. Binh Thuans dragon fruit is exported to 20 countries and territories, including exacting markets like the US and Europe. The south-central province, the countrys largest dragon fruit producer, has around 26,500ha under the fruit, which yield 500,000 tonnes a year. Around 10,000ha are farmed to VietGAP standards. VNS HA NOI Strategic investors may be able to sell their shares in a State-owned enterprise (SOE) three years after the firm is equitised, according to the finance ministry. The current time limit for strategic investors to sell their shares after SOE equitisation is set at five years. The change is part of the draft decree on transforming SOEs into joint-stock companies that has been developed and proposed to the Government, according to ang Quyet Tien, deputy head of the corporate finance department at the finance ministry. At the ministrys recent meeting, Tien said strategic investors would be able to buy stake in a SOE after the company completes its initial public offering (IPO) auction instead of negotiating the deal with the company in advance. The draft decree would also adjust some criteria to select the strategic investor for a SOE and provide appropriate policies to sell shares in the company to the strategic investor. For example, the strategic investors business must be making profits and there should be no accumulated losses for the last two years up to the date when the investor registers to purchase shares from the SOE. The strategic investor will have to compensate if it violates terms of the deal and the compensation must be signed by the legal entity of the strategic investor. The current time limit of five years has reduced interests and benefits for strategic investors, according to Nguyen Duy Long, an official at the corporate finance department at the finance ministry. The draft decree aims to improve the situation, ensuring benefits of strategic investors who buy shares in SOEs and provide financial and technical support for the firms upon their agreements with the owners. In addition, selling stake in SOEs to strategic investors through advance agreements before the IPOs may result in loss of the States capital in those companies due to the lack of transparency and publicity of the deals, Long said. VNS HA NOI Safeguard duty on monosodium glutamate imported into Viet Nam will be lowered from March 25, 2017 according to a decision issued recently by the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT). Safeguard duty of VN4,390,000 per tonne will expire on March 24. The new duty, set at VN3,951,899 per tonne, will be imposed from March 25, 2017 until March 24, 2018, the ministrys Decision 920/QD-BCT, dated March 10, states. Monosodium glutamate imported into Viet Nam has been subject to safeguard duty since March 25, 2016, and this imposition will last for four years. Safeguard duty rate will be gradually cut and slashed to zero ong per tonne from March 25, 2020. VNS HCM CITY With its knowledge and experience in agriculture, the Netherlands is eager to join hands with Viet Nam to improve the quality and efficiency of its agriculture, a business forum on Agriculture-Innovation in Viet Nam heard in HCM City on Monday. Dutch Vice Minister for Agriculture Marjolijn Sonnema said the Netherlands and Viet Nam are very similar countries, both with deltas and being major producers and exporters of agricultural products. She is leading a trade mission comprising 20 Dutch companies and knowledge institutions to Viet Nam from March 20 to 23 to explore business opportunities. In 2014 the two countries signed a Strategic Partnership Arrangement to create a framework for long-term co-operation in Sustainable Agriculture and Food Security. Many Dutch companies are operating in Viet Nam and many other Dutch companies and institutions intend to trade foods and exchange knowledge and technology with Viet Nam, Marjolijn said. Hopefully we can continue our trading tradition and make it even more beautiful by co-operating on knowledge and technology, which can help a lot to improve quality and efficiency in agriculture. Tom Kompier of the Dutch embassy in Ha Noi said the Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta plays an important role in Viet Nams agricultural production, but is facing challenges, including vulnerability to climate change, changes in river flows, sea-level rise, salinity, land subsidence and construction of upstream dams. Saving the delta from climate change, upstream developments and unsustainable practices is ultimately a question of agricultural development, which requires a large-scale transformation of current practices, major investment and providing farmers with knowledge of markets, he said. The forum also saw presentations on various topics such as possible high-yield crops in salty and dry soil like in the delta, sustainable pepper production in Binh Phuoc Province and demand for education in the agricultural sector. According to an executive of the East West Seed Company, the agricultural sector needs to increase production by 70 per cent to feed the world population, which is expected to increase to nine billion by 2050. At the event Dutch and Vietnamese companies signed four memoranda of understanding for co-operation in various sectors. Fabmax, which specialises in semi-conductor and related solutions, TU Delft, one of the worlds top-ranking engineering universities, and the Saigon Hi-Tech Park Labs signed an agreement to support the engineering team of SHTP Labs in the production and distribution of power FET devices in Viet Nam. Deep Arctic Water BV and Phuong Nam Landscape Co. Ltd signed an MoU for technology and knowledge transfer and the roll-out of sustainable, high-tech, affordable, scalable and cost-effective circular agro systems. Two other agreements were signed between Control Union and Institute of Organic Agricultural Economics and between TEN ID and IDV for introducing and certifying international standards in the agricultural value chain and helping the Mekong Delta shrimp industry achieve sustainability. Bilateral trade is growing steadily. In 2015 Viet Nams exports increased by 42 per cent and imports by 37 per cent. The Netherlands is Viet Nams second largest trade partner in the EU and the largest investor. VNS VINH PHUC Environmental services co-operatives have been operating for years in the northern province of Vinh Phuc, providing a cleaner living environment for residents. For example, in Binh Xuyen Districts Tam Hop Commune, the Tam Hop Environment Service Co-operative, founded in 2014, is equipped with two incinerators with a burning capacity of 15 tonnes of waste daily. According to Pham Van Chung, head of the Environment Office under the provincial Co-operative Alliances, the province now has over 200 environment service co-operatives that not only keep the environment green and clean, but also provide hundreds of jobs for local labourers. The alliance is now co-operating with a French non-governmental organisation to run a project of waste management in rural area in 25 communes. The project supplies equipment and training for the co-operatives workers in order to assist the communes to collect and treat waste in an effective and environmentally friendlyway, he said. Tran Thi Trieu, a resident in oi Chua Village, said that in the past, residents suffered strong smells because waste was only collected once a week. Since a co-operative was put into operation, the environment we are living in is cleaner, she said. The co-operative has 14 staff, including four engineers. Its incinerator has a daily capacity of 10 tonnes of waste, with the price equal to one fifth of an imported incinerator having the same capacity. It has sold 50 incinerators to surrounding areas, so far. The Chairman of the Peoples Committee of the commune, Ta Van Phong, said there was no waste piled up at the commune causing unpleasant smells since the co-operative was set up. Another well-run environmental service co-operative operates in Tho Tang Town of Vinh Tuong District. The Tho Tang Environment Service Co-operative, set up in 2009, collects about 15 tonnes of waste daily. Nguyen Van Minh, deputy head of the co-operative, said it had more than 20 workers, divided into six groups collecting waste in six residential areas of the town. Our workers come to the smallest alleys to collect waste so that our every road and alley are kept clean, he said. Le Van Long, chairman of the towns Peoples Committee, said it was often difficult to collect all the waste discharged in the town daily before the co-operative was established. At the end of the day, waste would pile up in many places, especially markets and roads," he said. That had completely changed now, he added. The Hoang Lau Environment Service Co-operative has been running since 2010 in Tam Duong Districts Hoang Lau Commune. It was designed to gather five tonnes of waste each day, helping the commune clean its environment under the Governments programme of building new rural area. Nguyen Kim Xuyen, head of the co-operative, said it equipped 20 garbage trucks for waste collecting in 12 residential areas every two days. VNS Nguyen Chi Sang, director general of the National Research Institute of Mechanical Engineering, speaks to Thoi bao Kinh te Viet Nam (Viet Nam Economic Times) about the need for workable policies How do you assess our industrial development, particularly in engineering? Looking back at the development of our industrial sector, Im sorry to say that its development level remains low, including that of the engineering industry. Our industrial development is beset by many limitations and inadequacies. Its growth and quality are unstable. Though the Party and Government have issued many policies and mechanisms to encourage development, their effectiveness is very limited. Why? In my opinion, there is a lack of consistency in the policies developed by Government agencies coupled with poor implementation by agencies and their officers. These are the main things preventing our industry from achieving its goals. What should be done to improve our national industry policies? Many foreign and Vietnamese experts agree that Viet Nam has many advantages, such as human resources and a golden population structure. However, in my opinion, a key factor for success is whether Viet Nam can master its own market or not. And in the forest of markets, at which one is Viet Nam aiming? Im confident that if we have good answers, Viet Nam will benefit. Let me give two examples from Viettel Telecom Corporation and Hoa Phat Steel Corporation. Thanks to the analysis of their clients, Viettel Telecom has offered various packages to cater for the different need of each group of clients. Such a policy has become a key factor in the corporations profit growth. Thanks to its good market analysis, Hoa Phat has also gained a foothold on the world market and become a strong competitor in the internal steel market. How about the localisation rate of the industrial sector? Let me give you a few examples to help you understand the true context of localisation. To build a thermo power plant, we need investment of more than $1 billion, or a cement plant will cost us several hundred million US dollars. According to our plan, from now till 2030 well build the thermo power plants with a total capacity of about 60 billion MW, at an estimated equipment cost of about US$70 billion. However, through market analysis, we know that equipment worth US$20-25 billion can be manufactured domestically. Domestic protection will benefit all Vietnamese enterprises as they become suppliers for the thermo power plant. In other words, if we successfully create a supply chain in our own country, sure Vietnamese enterprises will acquire capacities to become international suppliers. How can Vietnamese corporations become international suppliers? In my opinion, to make our industry competitive internationally, we have to know our industrys advantages on the international market. If we want to join the international market, we need good policies from the Government and investors, as well as correct assessments of the contractors requirements. It is unavoidable that in pioneering projects, investors will have to bear some losses due to Vietnamese contractors inexperience. But Im sure that from the second project on, Vietnamese contractors will gain experience and their performance will improve, and they will offer lower prices and be the winners in the next bid._VNS Deputy Prime Minister Samdech Vibol Panha Sok An. Photo khmertimeskh HA NOI Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc on Sunday sent condolences to his Cambodian counterpart Hun Sen over the passing of Deputy Prime Minister Samdech Vibol Panha Sok An. The 67-year-old Deputy PM, who also served as the Minister for the Office of the Council of Ministers, passed away on March 15. VNS President Tran ai Quang yesterday commended the military special forces unit for its efforts and achievements. VNA/VNS Photo Nhan Sang HA NOI President Tran ai Quang yesterday commended the military special forces unit for its efforts and achievements. Speaking at a ceremony to mark the Commando Arms 50th founding anniversary, the President urged the unit to focus on enhancing capacity and preparedness to combat schemes against the Government and Party, fight terrorism and safeguard sovereignty over the countrys seas and islands. Along with keeping a close watch on regional and international developments, the force should seek new and more effective combat methods in keeping with the changing nature of the threats, he said. The President reminded the force that it was also tasked with helping poverty reduction, economic development and natural disaster prevention and control. President Quang also underscored the role of the Commando Arm in ensuring a transparent and strong party organisation and implementation of the Party Central Committees resolution on party building, as well as the Politburos decree on following President Ho Chi Minhs moral example. At the ceremony, President Tran ai Quang presented a Military Order of Feat of Arms, first class, to the Commando Arm. Since its inception on March 19, 1967, the force was twice honoured with the title Hero Unit of the Peoples Armed Forces. On this occasion, it also received an Isala Order of Laos, and Angkor Order of Cambodia. VNS HA NOI President Tran ai Quang welcomed his Israeli counterpart, Reuven Rivlin, at the Presidential Palace in Ha Noi yesterday, saying the visit reflects Israels desire to deepen the friendship and co-operation with Viet Nam. Viet Nam hopes for the establishment of a Palestinian state co-existing peacefully alongside the State of Israel, he said. Viet Nam, he said, supports every effort made by the region, the world and the parties concerned to achieve comprehensive, fair, and sustainable solutions, based on international law and UN resolutions, leading to establishing "an independent and sovereign Palestinian State which peacefully co-exists with the State of Israel." He reiterated Viet Nams unswerving external policy of being a friend and a reliable partner of other countries and striving for peace, independence and development. Viet Nam highly values the development of friendship and co-operation with the Middle East countries, including Israel, and wishes to carry forward the effective and stable Viet Nam-Israel ties for the benefit of the two peoples, and for the sake of peace and friendship in the Middle East, Southeast Asia and the world, he added. President Rivlin, for his part, said this was his first visit to the country, whose people he admires for their determination to defend national independence and for their peace-loving spirit. Expressing pleasure with the progress of the co-ordination in trade, agriculture, science-technology and training, the two leaders set economic ties as a focus and science-technology as a priority pillar in the countries future co-operation. The two leaders agreed to increase two-way trade to US$3 billion in the coming years by accelerating negotiations and the signing of the Viet Nam-Israel Free Trade Agreement (FTA), facilitating trade ties between businesses and localities, and boosting investment in hghi-tech agriculture, human resources training, information technology, electronics, communications, and water treatment. The Israeli leader committed to assisting Viet Nam in treating and cleaning up soil contaminated with Agent Orange, the deadly defoliant used by American troops in Viet Nam. Host and guest also discussed ideas to push forward connections in the field of national defence and security, culture, education and tourism. They agreed to increase the exchange of visits and direct collaboration between ministries, agencies and localities. On regional and global issues of shared concern, the Presidents underscored the important role of co-operation in maintaining peace and stability in the world. The Vietnamese side reaffirmed its policy of settling disputes, including the East Sea dispute, by peaceful means and with full respect to diplomatic and legal processes in line with the basic principles of international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. After concluding their talks, the leaders met with reporters. President Quang said both sides lauded the signing of a co-operation agreement on technological innovation, research and development, which will support businesses in the field. The host welcomed representatives of nearly 30 Israeli firms accompanying Rivlin on his visits to Ha Noi and HCM City, and hoped that a number of partnerships will be reached. The Israeli leader, for his part, stated that his visit will lay a foundation for new partnerships to improve the living conditions of the two countries people, especially in high-tech agriculture, hi-tech water treatment and purification, education, health care, cyber security, and national defence and security. VNS HA NOI Viet Nam attaches importance to the friendship and multifaceted co-operation with Israel in the cause of peace and development, Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong said yesterday. Receiving Israeli President Reuven Rivlin in Ha Noi, the Party leader expressed satisfaction with the sound development of bilateral ties, particularly in trade, hi-tech agriculture and defence technology. Both sides should enhance bilateral collaboration by strengthening economic ties, encouraging investment partnerships, increasing delegation exchanges at all levels, and fostering co-operation between their parties, parliaments and peoples, he said. This would bolster mutual understanding and trust, and make bilateral co-operation more effective, he added. He reiterated Viet Nams foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, peace, co-operation and development, multilateralisation and diversification of foreign relations on the basis of equality, mutual benefit, and compliance with basic principles of international law. President Rivlin expressed his admiration for late President Ho Chi Minh and the Vietnamese people who fought heroically for national independence. He spoke highly of Viet Nams oi moi (Reform) achievements and its stature in the region and the world, voicing the belief that the country will obtain even greater achievements in national development and protection under the leadership of the Communist Party of Viet Nam. He informed Trong about Israels situation and the outcomes of his meetings with other Vietnamese leaders. Rivlin affirmed Israels willingness and resolve to intensify amity and affiliation between the two countries, especially in science and technology, agriculture, trade, security and defence, and education and training. He said the two sides should keep capitalising on opportunities and potential to augment bilateral ties in the time to come. VNS HA NOI Viet Nam is ready to work with the Republic of Korea (RoK) to effectively implement the bilateral free trade agreement (FTA), boosting their trade to US$70 billion, perhaps even $100 billion, by 2020. Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc made the remarks while meeting with RoK Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se, who is on an official visit to Viet Nam, in Ha Noi yesterday. The RoK is currently the top foreign investor, the second biggest ODA provider and the third trade partner of Viet Nam. Co-operation in diplomacy, security, defence, science-technology, agriculture, culture, and education along with locality-to-locality partnership has been increasingly intensified. Repeating the outcome of the recent phone talks with Acting RoK President Hwang Kyo-Ahn, the PM said the two sides agreed to effectively carry out co-operation mechanisms, especially the Viet Nam RoK FTA so as to bring economic and trade ties to new heights. Viet Nam is striving to build a development-facilitating and action-oriented Government, reform administrative procedures, improve the business climate, and promote national competitiveness. It will create the best possible conditions for foreign enterprises, including RoK firms, to do business, he noted. PM Phuc suggested RoK companies enhance investment in Viet Nam, particularly in infrastructure, renewable energy, and high technology. They were also recommended to import more goods that Viet Nam has advantages with, such as agricultural and aquacultural products, and assist the country in taking part in global supply chains. At the meeting, the host leader underlined that the Vietnamese Government and people treasure the strategic partnership with the RoK and want to reinforce all-round co-operation for the sake of the two peoples and for regional and global peace and stability. He also highlighted the need to increase exchanges in culture, education and, tourism and prepare for activities to mark the 25th founding anniversary of the diplomatic relationship later this year. For his part, Foreign Minister Byung-se said with their efforts, the two countries are completely capable of boosting bilateral trade to $100 billion in the near future, thus turning Viet Nam into the third biggest trade partner of the RoK, after the US and China. He applauded regular people-to-people exchanges, noting that Viet Nam accommodates the largest RoK community among Southeast Asian nations. The two sides should step up high-ranking visits on the threshold of the 25th anniversary of diplomatic ties, he said, adding that he looks towards an official visit to the RoK by PM Phuc in 2017. Aside from economy and trade, the RoK also wants to co-operate with Viet Nam in defence and security and to tighten connections in multilateral and global issues, the official said. Meet with Deputy PM Yesterday Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh also held talks with Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se to elevate the two countries strategic co-operative partnership to new heights. Minh said Viet Nam firmly pursues the diplomatic policy of independence, self-reliance, multilateralisation and diversification of international integration. He proposed the RoK actively promote high-level delegation exchanges and increasing cooperation with Vietnamese ministries and localities. He suggested embracing bilateral economic and trade links for stable, balanced and sustainable development, while implementing effectively the Viet Nam RoK free trade agreement and enacting measures to balance trade between the two countries, especially reducing Viet Nams trade deficit with the RoK. Minh asked the RoK to facilitate the entry of Vietnamese agro-forestry-fisheries into the RoK market and support the Southeast Asian nation to join the RoKs global production and supply chains, while encouraging Korean businesses to increase investment in infrastructure development, renewable energy, support industry, food processing, agriculture and seafood. He also proposed the RoK actively engage in the restructuring of State-run enterprises and the banking system in Viet Nam, maintain the provision of non-refundable aid packages and official development assistance (ODA) for Viet Nam, and soon reach the signing of the framework credit agreement in the 2016-20 period. During the talks, the two sides agreed to enhance co-ordination in regional and international multilateral mechanisms of the US, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), and the Mekong RoK, to promote the settlement of differences, including East Sea disputes via peaceful means and international law and respect for diplomatic and legal procedures as well as navigation freedom, security and safety. They also concurred to fully implement the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) and soon complete the Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC), contributing to the maintenance of peace, security, and development in the region and beyond. Foreign Minister Byung-se affirmed that the ministry will continue co-ordinating with Viet Nam to step up the implementation of high-level agreements in the most practical and effective manner, to lift the bilateral strategic cooperative partnership to new heights and in celebration of the 25th anniversary of their diplomatic ties. VNS HCM City Primary school teachers and students gathered in HCM City during the weekend for the National Traffic Safety Festival for primary pupils in the school year 2016-2017. The participants were selected through provincial traffic safety festivals and from provinces and cities that efficiently implemented traffic safety education. The festival was organised by Toyota Motor Vietnam in co-operation with the Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) and National Traffic Safety Committee (NTSC). The festival was aimed at educating the children and enhancing their traffic safety awareness. It featured two main events, one for teachers and the other for the children. Twenty teachers representing 10 provinces and cities -- Cao Bang, Lao Cai, Phu Tho, Bac Ninh, Hai Duong, ak Nong, Khanh Hoa, HCM City, Tra Vinh and Kien Giang -- participated. The festival also attracted 100 contestants (10 teams) representing the 10 provinces and cities. Besides the 100 official contestants, the festival also attracted over 1,000 primary school pupils from HCM City. The festival was held within the framework of the Toyota Traffic Safety Education Program (TSEP) implemented for the last 11 years. The programme has distributed more than 7.5 million traffic safety education handouts to all first graders, 47,000 sets of large-size traffic safety teaching books, over 83,000 VCDs and nearly 129,000 guide books for elementary school teachers. It has also successfully organised 32 seminars on traffic safety for nearly 4,300 key managers and teachers from many primary schools besides 76 provincial traffic safety festivals, nine national festivals. VNS HA NOI Health experts called for increasing community awareness on oral health and prevention of dental diseases at a meeting organised by the National Hospital of Odonto and Stomalogy (NHOS) on Monday. Speaking at the event held to celebrate the World Oral Health Day, March 20, NHOS director Trinh inh Hai called for paying more attention to dental and oral health of the community, especially children. Over 90 per cent of Vietnamese suffer from dental disease and 85 per cent of Vietnamese children have tooth decay. Many dental and oral diseases can cause nephritis syndrome or joint arthritis," Hai stressed. It would be very costly to provide dental and oral disease treatment for the whole community due to the countrys high prevalence rate. Therefore, preventive activities are the most important measure, Hai said. A pilot project has shown safe and effective results of using fluoridised salt to prevent dental decay of the community in mountainous Lao Cai Province since 2011. Expanding the project soon to all provinces and cities nationwide is an important measure in preventing dental and oral diseases for the 90 million people of Viet Nam, Hai said. He suggested dentists and relevant authorities expand the school dental programme to protect dental health of students and to maintain the fluoridised water supply progamme, which has achieved remarkable results in dental decay prevention in HCM City since the early 1990s. To mark the day, the health sector will undertake a series of activities nationwide with a focus on strengthening community awareness, especially targeting dental and oral healthcare of children. Dentists will provide free dental examination and consultation to the community, particularly at schools in tens of provinces and cities nationwide. Several hospitals will provide free surgery to children with cleft lip and cleft palate in the country. NHOS will also donate dental chairs, medical tools and material to 15 primary schools in Vinh Phuc, Son La, ien Bien and Lai Chau provinces. A survey by NHOS found that two-thirds of children aged between six and 14 have never undergone a dental check-up. Worse still, 100 per cent of primary school students are not in the habit of brushing their teeth three times a day. There is one dentist in Viet Nam for 25,000 people, whereas in developed countries the rate is one per 1,000-2,000 people. VNS PARIS The man shot dead at Pariss Orly airport after attacking a soldier was under the influence of drugs and alcohol at the time, a judicial source said on Sunday. Investigators are still trying to understand what motivated Saturdays assault by 39-year-old Ziyed Ben Belgacem, which led to a major security scare and the temporary closure of the capitals second-busiest airport. "Toxicology tests carried out on Sunday showed an alcohol level of 0.93 grams per litre in his blood, and the presence of cannabis and cocaine," the source said. Ben Belgacems father had insisted earlier Sunday that his son was "not a terrorist" and that his actions were caused by drink and drugs. Ben Belgacem, who was born in France to Tunisian parents, grabbed a soldier on patrol at Orlys southern terminal on Saturday morning. He put a gun to her head and seized her rifle, saying he wanted to "die for Allah". The attacker, who had also fired at police in a northern Paris suburb earlier that morning, was shot dead by two other soldiers after a scuffle. Ben Belgacems father insisted his son -- who had spent time in prison for armed robbery and drug-dealing -- was not an extremist. "My son was not a terrorist. He never prayed, and he drank," the father, who was in shock and whose first name was not given, told Europe 1 radio. Investigators were examining his telephone. The attack at Orly comes with France still on high alert following a wave of jihadist attacks that have claimed more than 230 lives in two years. The violence has made security a key issue in Frances two-round presidential election on April 23 and May 7. AFP BERLIN German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Japans Prime Minister Shinzo Abe issued a staunch joint defence of free trade on Sunday, as the United States pushes towards greater protectionism. "We want free and open markets," Merkel said in a speech in Hanover, a day before the worlds biggest computer trade fair, CeBIT, kicks off in the central German city. The event is partnered with Japan this year. "In these times of inter-connectedness, we want to link together our societies and work together in an equitable way. Thats what free trade is about," she said. She made no direct reference to US President Donald Trump, elected on a protectionist "America First" platform promising to slash trade deficits, but noted that the European Union and Japan are negotiating a free trade deal that may be reached this year. "At a time when we are arguing a lot over free trade, open borders and democratic values, its a good sign that Japan and Germany are not arguing" over trade, she said. Abe, who is in Hanover as part of a European tour, said that Japan "wants to be the champion upholding open systems alongside Germany". He said it was through connectedness that economies would grow, and called for a swift conclusion to the EU-Japan trade deal. But he added: "We must not create conditions by which wealth becomes concentrated among only some people." At a fraught G20 meeting in the German spa town of Baden-Baden on Saturday, the US challenged long-standing global principles surrounding free trade, refusing to renew past anti-protectionist pledges and threatening to reopen negotiations on World Trade Organization deals. Since taking office, Trump has withdrawn the US from a trans-Pacific free trade pact and attacked export giants China and Germany over their massive trade surpluses. AFP SEOUL North Koreas latest rocket engine test showed "meaningful progress" in its missile capabilities, Seoul said on Monday, as the nuclear-armed state steps up its controversial weapons development programmes. The Norths leader Kim Jong-Un oversaw the "successful" test of the powerful new rocket engine, state media said on Sunday, in a move apparently timed to coincide with a trip to Asia by new US Secretary State Rex Tillerson. It was the latest in a series of moves by Pyongyang, which have recently included the firing of four missiles to its east in what it described as practice for an attack on US army bases in Japan. "The latest test is believed to have made some meaningful progress in engine functions," Seouls defence ministry spokesman told reporters. "But we need more analysis on its exact propulsive power and applicable use," said Lee Jin-Woo. The Norths last ground test of a high-powered rocket engine -- which can be used in missiles -- was in September last year, and also observed by Kim. The weekends experiment came as the top US diplomat wrapped up his trip to Tokyo, Seoul and Beijing, having declared Washington would drop the "failed" approach of "strategic patience" with Pyongyang. In Seoul, Tillerson also warned that US military action against Pyongyang was possible. The North insists that it needs nuclear and missile weapons for self-defence against "hostile forces", including the US and its ally South Korea. It has conducted five nuclear tests since 2006 -- three under Kim Jong-Un -- and launched a number of missiles as it seeks to develop a weapon capable of reaching the US mainland. Expert opinions vary on how advanced the Norths missile capabilities are, but most agree it has made significant progress in recent years. AFP ROME Around 3,000 migrants were rescued off the coast of Libya on Sunday as they tried to cross the Mediterranean to Europe, the Italian coastguard said. "After some calm days, migrants are arriving in large numbers, taking advantage of a window of favourable weather," said a coastguard official. The rescue was undertaken in 22 separate operations coordinated by the Italian coastguard. One participant was the Aquarius, a humanitarian ship run by the NGO SOS Mediterranean and Doctors Without Borders (MSF), which said it saved 946 people, including 200 unaccompanied minors. An MSF video showed three young children smiling and dancing on the ship to the sound of drumming. The migrants rescued by the Aquarius had been found drifting on nine wooden and rubber boats. According to the Italian government, 16,206 people have been rescued in the sea by Friday -- compared to 11,911 by the same time last year. AFP HA NOI Israel wants to expand co-operation with Viet Nam in the fields of agriculture, space technology, and defense security, President Reuven Rivlin told Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc during their meeting in Ha Noi yesterday. The President said Israel attaches great importance to the co-operative ties with Asia, including ASEAN, adding that Viet Nam plays a crucial role in the bloc. Israel is keen on investment in education and hopes to share experience and promote co-operation with Viet Nam in this sphere, he added. He supports the collaboration between the two countries businesses and suggested the two sides push negotiations to reach the signing of a bilateral free trade agreement in the near future. PM Phuc urged to increase two-way trade to US$3 billion over the coming years, from the current level of $1.3 billion, via facilitating the entry of key products into the respective markets. The two sides should support enterprises to seek investment and promote trade and information exchanges on business policies and cooperation opportunities, he recommended. It is necessary to forge connectivity between chambers of commerce and industry and business associations, he said. The PM proposed Israel consider the provision of preferential credit packages for Viet Nam to implement projects on infrastructure building, poverty reduction, agriculture and rural development, human resources, and natural disaster risk management. Both countries need to push ahead with negotiations on the bilateral free trade agreement and pay attention to mutual benefits to create a long-term cooperation framework, he said. He suggested enhancing collaboration in science-technology and prioritising hi-tech agriculture and industry, referring to the successful co-operation in milk cow breeding in southern HCM City and central Nghe An Province. Viet Nam hopes Israel increases the transfer of hi-tech and environmentally friendly technologies to save natural resources and reduce production costs, he said. He asked the two sides to strengthen affiliation in defense security, particularly in the defense industry and cyber security. The PM called on Israel to work with Viet Nam to address continuing Agent Orange/dioxin contamination left over from the war. He also hopes Israel will provide more assistance in human resource training in the fields of its strength such as agriculture, information technology, telecommunications, and science-technology. Viet Nam wants Israel to consider the launch of negotiations on labour co-operation, and in the foreseeable future, receiving Vietnamese workers to work in agriculture and demanding sectors, he added. Hailing Israels start-up model, PM Phuc proposed Israel send experts to help Viet Nam in this field, especially at manufacturing facilities and universities. He also welcomed Israeli businesses to make investment in Viet Nam and hoped Israel will create favourable conditions for Vietnamese localities to cooperate with Israeli partners. Later the same day, President Tran ai Quang hosted a banquet for visiting Israeli President Reuven Rivlin and his entourage. VNS Next to the common cold, back pain is the second most common reason for people to visit a primary care physician. Physicians specializing in pain management have seen patients accessing their services at an increasing rate for a multitude of pain-related problems. The elderly are afflicted with wear- and tear-related issues to their joints and spines. Younger patients also seek their services for sports-related injuries and other recreationally or occupationally related injuries. As pain management has become a recognized specialty in the field of medicine, primary care physicians and providers are more readily referring patients for chronic pain issues. Pain management is getting more recognized, says Dr. Ashar Afzal, who, along with Dr. Frank Hawkins, provides full-time pain management through the Allen Hospital Center for Pain Medicine, located at 3630 W. 4th St. in Waterloo. I think theres a lot more research into the mechanisms, biology and pharmacology of how to effectively manage pain, Dr. Afzal adds. Pain is defined by the International Association for the Study of Pain as an unpleasant sensation associated with actual or perceived physical or psychological trauma. Dr. Afzal explains that pain is not always linked together with something that has happened physically, but with how a person perceives pain. 10 to 15 years ago, pain was actually recognized as the fifth vital sign, along with temperature, pulse, blood pressure and respirations. People have different psychological structures, Dr. Afzal comments. People perceive pain differently and manage pain differently. Pain and depression are very closely linked. We try to assess this as a contributing factor to their pain complaint. We then incorporate the use of antidepressant medications to primarily manage their chronic pain but potentially to have the added benefit of helping with their underlying depression. Dr. Hawkins says treating pain either acute or chronic begins with a thorough evaluation, and conducting a history of the pain location and its intensity, characteristics and possible precipitating events. A physical examination is performed to determine from where the pain may be originating. Diagnostic studies are then utilized, if available, to help confirm the diagnosis of the source of the pain. If we can determine the nature of what is causing the pain, then we can decide if the patient may need the assistance of physical therapy, chiropractic care, a psychological evaluation, injections, or medications. We might incorporate over-the-counter medications or prescription medications to help in their recovery, Dr. Hawkins adds. The ultimate objective is to help reduce their pain to allow them to recover and be more functional with less pain. We take patients from evaluation, to treatment, to hopefully positive outcomes, says Dr. Hawkins. With advancements in pharmacology that allow the medications to better target the pain receptors, Dr. Hawkins and Dr. Afzal incorporate the latest advancements in medication delivery. These medications may be delivered orally, topically, trans-dermally and spinally via pump technology. They also provide injection therapy to the spine and joints. Additional services include spinal cord stimulation and certain spine fracture management procedures. Drs. Afzal and Hawkins were both trained as anesthesiologists. Dr. Afzal completed a fellowship in pain medicine at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics and is board-certified in anesthesiology with a subspecialty certification in pain medicine. Dr. Hawkins became interested in pain management after completing his residency training in anesthesiology over 23 years ago. He incorporated this discipline into his clinical practice beginning in 1993. He is board-certified in anesthesiology and certified by the American Board of Pain Medicine. Dr. Afzal joined Cedar Valley Medical Specialists (CVMS) in 2002, and he, along with two other physicians, started the pain management practice for CVMS. Dr. Hawkins joined CVMS in 2004 and began practicing pain management along with Dr. Afzal in 2007. As the practice grew, it was no longer feasible to provide both anesthesiology services and pain management. They began practicing full-time pain management approximately four years ago. Both physicians express the advantages of practicing under the umbrella of a medical group such as CVMS and the relationship that they have with UnityPoint Health-Allen Hospital. Allen Hospital provides the support staff to allow the clinic to run efficiently. This includes the clerical staff, radiology technicians, medical assistants and nurses that provide exceptional care to the clinic's patients. We have the resources in regard to a referral network within CVMS and UnityPoint Health where we can have confidence that we are sending our patients to colleagues who we respect and who we are certain will provide the best care to our patients, notes Dr. Hawkins. Being under this umbrella of these organizations allows us to provide our patients with the quality care they deserve. CVMS also gives us an identity, Dr. Afzal adds. Cedar Valley Medical Specialists is a recognized name in the community and statewide. We are affiliated with an organization that has a highly trained network of physicians. We can rely on the resources it has, whether it be orthopedics, physical therapy, radiology or any other department that we may call upon to help us care for our patients. CEDAR FALLS The city may have finally caught a lifeline in its quest to raise the Cedar River flood control levee by three feet downtown, which means work could start later this year. The state of Iowa approved funding for the $6.6 million project 2 1/2 years ago, but the city is still awaiting federal regulatory approvals. City officials have been told they will be able to avoid one layer of the federal U.S. Army Corps of Engineers review process at the national level in Washington. It only has to be reviewed at the Corps regional and national levels at Rock Island, Ill., and Vicksburg, Miss., respectively. Review at Rock Island should be finished in about a month and is trying to assist Cedar Falls in anticipating and addressing questions the Vicksburg office might have. Were hoping we get the (construction bid) letting process started early summer, best case, said Matt Hosford of the city engineering division. We havent had a lot of best-case yet with this project. Late summer, early fall youll probably see some action on the project regarding construction, Hosford said. We figured it may take not quite two construction seasons; itd be completed by the end of the 2018 construction season. The state approved some $6.6 million for the project in March 2014. But the project, like others, is undergoing a federal review process established July 31, 2014. The situation caught the attention of U.S. Sen. Charles Grassley, who wrote a letter to Corps officials asking the process be expedited. City officials also made U.S. Rep. Rod Blum aware of the situation when he toured the city Sept. 24 after the most recent flood crested. It was second to only the 2008 flood, which almost overtopped the downtown levee. The city has relied on volunteer downtown sandbagging efforts and heavy military Hesco barriers to shore up its flood control. Legion events announced WATERLOO American Legion Post 138 at 728 Commercial St. has several events planned. Hamburgers, tenderloins, fish and soup will be served from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. today, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. On Tuesday, there will be bingo at 6:15 and 7 p.m. Open pool is planned, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Hot dogs, cheeseburgers and ham salad set for 11 a.m. Wednesday. The EZ Does It band will play from 6:30 to 10 p.m. Friday. A pepper tournament will begin at 10 a.m. Saturday. On Sunday, bingo is planned for 1:15 and 2 p.m. Kiwanis Club meeting slated WATERLOO The Waterloo Noon Kiwanis Club will meet at noon Tuesday at the Waterloo Elks Club. Lunch will begin at 12:10 p.m. Featured speaker will be Mike Knipp, executive director of Grin & Grow. Guests are welcome. For more information call President Bruce Jacobs, 215-8267. Libray will offer free tech classes DENVER The Denver Public Library will present two free classes for those wishing to brush up on their technology skills. A digital photo editing class will meet from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Tuesday. Participants can bring their cameras, flashdrives or laptops with their digital photos and learn tips for using free software to improve their digital photos. Excel, Beyond the Basics is scheduled for 6:30 to 8 p.m. April 4. This class is designed for those interested in learning how to use formulas and functions in creating spreadsheets. Both classes are free to attend and will be taught by Kim VanDeest. Call 984-5140 or email kplatte@denver.lib.ia.us to sign up. WATERLOO Police seized a pistol and arrested a Waterloo man following gunfire in a Waterloo neighborhood on Saturday night. Residents in the 600 block of Ankeny Street called the police at about 9:30 p.m. Saturday after hearing gunshots and seeing a person running north. No injuries or damage was reported, but officers found Anntwan Dayshawn Phillips sitting on a chair in front of 642 Ankeny St. Under the chair, officers found a loaded handgun, court records state. Phillips, 24, was arrested for carrying weapons, felon in possession of a firearm and public intoxication. He was released from the Black Hawk County Jail the following day. Phillips is allegedly barred from handling firearms because of a prior felony conviction, and court records show he was convicted of gang and weapons charges in a 2011 shooting. WATERLOO A Cedar Rapids man who was shot in the butt on March 7 allegedly told officials he was someone else when he was admitted to a Waterloo hospital. Police said 19-year-old Damarcus Bradley Northern told paramedics, police and hospital staff he was Jeremiah Taylor when he checked in to UnityPoint-Allen Hospital following the shooting in the area of Western Avenue and West Fourth Street. Waterloo investigators learned Northerns true identity after they put out a press release about the shooting that listed Taylor as the victim. And Waterloo police arrested Northern when he was released from the hospital on March 14 for providing false identification information. Court records show Northern also has a pending probation violation warrant in Linn County in connection with a 2016 conspiracy conviction and is awaiting trial on a Linn County harassment charge. Police said Northern was shot when he and others were walking in Waterloo around 10 a.m. March 7. He underwent surgery to have .22-caliber bullet removed from his colon, records states. Officers arrested 18-year-old Sahjit Phillips of Waterloo for willful injury causing serious injury and weapons charges after witnesses identified him as the shooter. Police found a .22 caliber handgun in a mailbox next to a door Phillips was attempting to enter moments following the shooting. Waterloo police also arrested William McNealy, 16, of Waterloo, for intimidation with a weapon for allegedly driving Phillips to and from the scene. Damarcus Northerns acquaintances Kutarius Northern, 21, of Marion, and Ka'Leck Travonnious Bolden, 18, of Cedar Rapids, were arrested for carrying weapons after officers found a stolen 9mm Ruger handgun in a purse. CEDAR FALLS Think big. Thats the challenge and the opportunity that has been passed along to University of Northern Iowa Center for Multicultural Education Director Jamie Butler Chidozie in her first month on campus. And with that green light, Chidozie has hit the ground running. This is an awesome opportunity to really do some meaningful and impactful things, Chidozie said. Its a different feeling here. Thats exciting, and so I think that really opens doors for the CME to take it in a different direction, while still honoring the past. The CME has been without a permanent director since 2015, with the retirement of Michael Blackwell, who upon leaving asserted the center had been marginalized and never got the opportunity to fulfill its potential. Since his exit, the university has taken strides with a strong push from students to emphasize diversity and inclusion across campus and literally redesigned the CME to be a more open and welcoming space on campus. That welcoming sentiment has only increased since Chidozies arrival Feb. 13. Jamie Butler Chidozie has brought with her an amazingly welcoming attitude and it has been immediately effective, said Gwenne Berry, UNIs chief diversity officer. Shes one of those people who wont wait for you to come see her or the center; she comes to you and invites you to the center. You can see that by the way students are so willing to work with her and trust her. Chidozies mantra in her years of diversity and inclusion work she most recently served as an assistant director of the Multicultural Center at Elon University in North Carolina she saw echoed in the vision at UNI. That is, student centered and community oriented. She has been on what she calls an outreach mission since coming to campus and working to tackle both aspects of the job meeting with student groups and getting out into the community. For the latter effort to engage the community, UNIs CME will hold an open house with Chidozie next week. The event will be from 3 to 5 p.m. Thursday at the Center for Multicultural Education on the UNI campus. The open house is free and open to the public, and no reservation is required. I hope to message that the center and me, specifically that we have an open-door policy, Chidozie said. We really want to engage students, faculty, staff and the community. Chidozie, an Indianapolis native, got her career started as an elementary school teacher but found herself drawn to multicultural education. She ultimately returned to Indiana University to get a masters degree in higher education student affairs to shift her attention to multicultural education full time. She says the work is both personal and a passion. Chidozie recognizes its a changing time on campus, and for CME specifically, but she said she feels its a collaborative effort and has the support of administration. There are so many people who are excited, who are genuinely excited about the change, Chidozie said. While her first month has been spent mostly listening to various groups on campus and across the community, Chidozie said more concrete changes are on the way. The CME staff is gearing up for a retreat to re-imagine and re-envision the mission statement of the CME to make it more inclusive. She also is getting input from students and working to implement a mentoring program, something students had asked for. Theres going to be a lot of good things coming from the CME; its going to be very different than what I think the campus and the community are used to seeing, Chidozie said. DES MOINES Small Iowa liquor distillers may soon be toasting a new state law that would permit them to sell their product on site. After years of pleading for changes to, in their view, level the playing field with their cousins in beer- and wine-making, small distilleries will be able to sell their product in single servings on site if legislation continues to advance through the Iowa Legislature. Its the bill that we need to get parity with the states around us, and it also puts spirits closer to a level playing field with beer and wine in the state, said Jeff Quint, owner of Cedar Ridge Winery and Distillery in Swisher. Its what weve been looking for. Small breweries and wineries have been allowed to sell their product by the glass on site, but state law prevents distilleries from doing the same. Distillers have spent the past few years lobbying state lawmakers to change that, but previous proposals did not garner sufficient support. This winter, the state formed a task force to examine the issue. The group was comprised of representatives from the beer, wine and liquor industries, plus the governors office, the state department that oversees alcohol regulations and the state economic development department. It met seven times over five months to hear from experts and discuss the states alcohol laws, many of which have been unchanged since Prohibition. One key result of the task forces work was proposed legislation that, for the first time in these past few years, is not opposed by any of the vested interests. The proposal would allow small distilleries to sell their product a cocktail, for example on site and allow large distilleries to have sample tastings and to sell two bottles per person per day. When people go to visit a winery or a brewery or a distillery, they do a tour, and then they want to have a taste, and then they want to buy a bottle, said Andy Anderson, an attorney for Templeton Rye in Templeton. If the bill is approved, the company plans to build a new distillery in Templeton. Its harder to do this if you cant do tasting, cant sell a couple of bottles. This bill really gives us this opportunity. The bill would provide double the relief for Quints business. Because Cedar Ridge is both a winery and distillery, it can sell neither spirits nor wine on site, even though other wineries can. Its been very restrictive for us, Quint said. Since Im both, I wasnt able to do that (sell wine by the glass). Garrett Burchett, owner of Mississippi River Distilling Co. in LeClaire, said he is thrilled with the proposal. Its a right step in terms of parity with other states and in terms of parity with wineries and breweries in Iowa, Burchett said. Previous legislative proposals have been opposed by the Iowa Wholesale Beer Distributors Association. The group, which represents the states beer distributors, raised concerns with proposals that in its view weakened the so-called three-tier system, a set of alcohol regulations that requires buffers between producers, distributors and retailers. The distributors association is not registered in opposition to the current bill, a change from years past. It is registered as undecided but has given no indication it will work to stop the bill in its current form. We have worked with the distillery industry since the Legislatures adjournment last year to find a solution that accomplishes what they asked for a way to promote their product to consumers at the manufacturing site and beer distributors desire to provide a narrow, accountable and long-term solution to the problem, Nathan Cooper, executive director of the distributors association, said in an email statement. From our perspective (the bill) is a reasonable way to accomplish those goals. Many industry officials and state legislators credited the task force with forging a bill they said contains compromises and forged consensus. Created by Gov. Terry Branstad to examine the issue, the task force was led by Steve Larson, director of the states Alcoholic Beverages Division, and Debi Durham, director of the state Economic Development Authority. I honestly think (the bill) has done as well as it has so far because of that (task force), said Robert Bailey, spokesman for the Alcoholic Beverages Division. A lot of recommendations that came out of the study group were added onto this technical bill. ... We saw through the whole process, we recognized the inequality there was in the manufacturer sector in Iowa. Beer had more (opportunities) and wine had more, and distillers were left with the short end of the straw, so to speak. The proposal still has a long legislative path to travel; it has passed two Iowa House committees but still must pass the full House, two Senate committees and the full Senate before heading to the governors desk for his approval. But industry officials and legislators last week expressed optimism the bill will pass based on one key fact: None of the vested parties is opposed to it. I think its a great bill. Weve been working on, I think this is the third year, and we finally have all the interested parties agreeing to this, said Rep. Guy Vander Linden, R-Oskaloosa, chairman of the House committee that approved the bill last week. Vander Linden also has worked on the issue in previous years. Sunshine Week was observed this past week. Certainly not by our mid-March Midwestern skies, no. Sunshine Week, for those who may not be familiar, is an annual national observance of laws and policies that promote transparency in government. It was started in 2005 by the American Society of News Editors. In honor of Sunshine Week, I will use this space to offer a few policies I believe would make Iowa state government more transparent and accountable to Iowans. And as a typical reporter, I will offer these policy wishes one day after Sunshine Week has ended. Deadlines, man. Near, if not at the top of the wish list is for legislators work emails to be public record. Presently, they are not. The Iowa Legislature is self-governed the state Constitution says each chamber controls the dissemination of records, and the Iowa Supreme Court upheld that in a key 1996 ruling. In a 2016 Sunshine Week report by The Associated Press, then-Iowa Senate secretary Mike Marshall said making lawmakers emails public record would almost certainly have a detrimental chilling effect on citizens constitutional rights and willingness to petition their elected officials. And lawmakers said the legislative process is sufficiently open and transparent to the public without opening up legislators inboxes. But making state lawmakers emails open to public scrutiny would add another level of transparency and accountability, especially in an era when so much communication happens electronically. It also bears noting state government agencies emails are subject to open records laws. And there are exceptions carved out that enable agencies to redact information if they believe it is sensitive to a constituent. I also believe Iowans would be better served if bill drafts were considered public record. The Legislature has determined early draft versions of bills, including such information as who proposed or crafted the legislation, is not subject to Open Records law. In 2014, the Wisconsin State Journal used bill draft records to show a multimillionaire business owner communicated with a state lawmaker to make suggestions and changes to legislation that would have capped child support payments for high-income parents. Such a bill would have enabled the business owner to avoid paying tens of thousands of dollars in child support. The bill was withdrawn shortly after the Wisconsin State Journal report was published. Thats just one example a really good one, in this reporters opinion of why more transparency of government records and communications is a good thing for everyone. Im realistic about such changes ever coming to the Iowa Legislature. Because the body is self-governing, it seems highly unlikely those rules will ever change. It would require a majority of legislators in two chambers to approve changes that would make their work and their communication open to the public. Iowas government transparency and accountability was given a D+ in a 2015 report produced by the Center for Public Integrity, a nonprofit, nonpartisan investigative news organization; and Global Integrity, which conducts research aimed at supporting open and accountable governance. Of course, Iowas rating was 11th-best in the country. Im not sure which is more depressing. Maybe that helps explain all the clouds this past Sunshine Week. The Republican pro-business legislative session continues to run over everything in its tracks, with home rule and even a municipal agency now tied to the rails. It has been breathtaking to watch Republicans plow forward, while Democrats sit on the sidelines, trying to earn per diem pay by helplessly complaining. A House bill would prohibit cities and counties from using their home-rule powers to set higher minimum wages (and ban plastic bags at grocery stores). Iowa is among 14 states still adhering to the federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour. The legislation could mean pay cuts for workers in counties where minimum wage increases have taken effect or were scheduled to do so: Johnson County is now at $10.10 per hour. Linn County is at $8.25, but with a phased-in plan to reach $10.25 in 2019. A Polk County increase to $8.75 in April soon would become moot. The Republicans also would prohibit state and local governments from project labor agreements or requiring some disclosures of company information because of complaints they unfairly favor union shops over non-union, discouraging bids and increasing costs. More than 85 percent of the private construction workforce in Iowa is non-union, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. PLAs have helped union shops procure contracts for major public projects state correctional facilities in Fort Madison and Mitchellville and, on a local level, Wells Fargo Arena. Perhaps the biggest attempt to upend local control would be replacing the Des Moines Water Works five-member board of directors appointed by the mayor with a regional board with representatives appointed by suburban communities. Those cities currently purchase their water from Des Moines without any ownership interest. The legislation would shift control of the Water Works assets, including three water treatment plants and a 1,500-acre park, to all municipalities on the new board. The measure is thinly disguised revenge for the Water Works lawsuit against upstream rural drainage districts that it maintained were responsible for high levels of nitrates in the Raccoon River. The Water Works claimed it spent $80 million to remove nitrates to meet federal Clean Water Act drinking water standards and spent $1.5 million in 2015 to operate its nitrate removal equipment However, the Iowa Supreme Court ruled in January that the Water Works couldnt collect damages from drainage districts in Sac, Buena Vista and Calhoun counties. A federal court ruled against it on Friday. Republicans deny a bill originating in the House Agriculture Committee was introduced at the behest of agriculture interests. But no clamor existed for change among Des Moines residents or its suburban clients whose state representatives didnt hatch the legislation. Even recognizing expenses incurred by agricultural interests in the case, the legislation puts publicly owned utilities on notice that potentially running afoul of major business interests could jeopardize their existence with assets seized and self-governance eroded. The Legislature could have made this power grab moot if it hadnt shirked its duty to address statewide water quality issues. Some legislators complained the problem is that the rule regarding unsafe nitrate counts is too low. High nitrate contents have been linked to the potentially fatal blue baby syndrome in infants less than six months, lesser levels to possible birth defects and cancer. Meanwhile, treating the water comes at a cost to residents throughout the state. Linn County passed a $40 million water conservation bond measure in November, which required the usually unattainable 60 percent vote but got an astounding 74 percent because people cant ignore the problem, even if the Legislature can. On its face, eviscerating home rule for Iowa cities and counties runs contrary to the traditional disdain Republicans have had for the federal government intruding upon states rights and local control. Perhaps that outrage was simply selective. The attack on the very existence of a locally owned and operated utility speaks of eminent domain run amok. In the private sector would a business be forced to relinquish control of its operation and its assets if it contested what it presumed to be an unfair increase in the cost of doing business because of the actions (or inaction) of a third party? 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Boza and I are walking the whole Tiny Russian Village again and taking pictures. It is nice to be able to walk and not sink up to your waist in snow. But, it is raining and raining now Just an image day! I am cooking pork chops and Boza is stuck in a nose sniffing the air mode. Me too in same mode. They smell delicious and soon will be done. Pork has dropped in price and is cheaper than chicken right now. And that is cheap in itself Hog farms going up all over Russia, we have two across the main highway now. They are huge and ship truck loads of hogs constantly. In fact I know of four hog farms in easy access of our area and they all are busy. Russia has assured itself of independence from outside influence Thank you Western Idiot Sanctions You made Russia wake up * * * * * Last summer the telephone pole you see wired up was almost falling down. I helped to fix it and this is what you do in the Tiny Russian Village. The electric company will wait until the pole falls over and kills someone. Then you have a mess and in Russia, no one files lawsuit and cares to sue. We take responsibility! Better world Russia Enjoy the images, I will take more and hope we have a sunny day soon WtR The Air Force released an industry invitation to participate today to evaluate the military utility of light attack platforms in future force structure.The invitation is part of a broader Air Force effort to explore cost-effective attack platform options. The live-fly experiment is an element of the Light Attack Capabilities Experimentation Campaign run by the Air Force Strategic Development Planning and Experimentation Office at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, and is currently scheduled for summer at Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico.This is an evolution of the close air support experimentation effort which we have now broadened to include a variety of counter-land missions typical of extended operations since Desert Storm, said Lt. Gen. Arnie Bunch, the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisitions military deputy.Industry members are invited to participate with aircraft that may meet an Air Force need for a low-cost capability that is supportable and sustainable. This spring the Air Force will analyze data received from vendors seeking to participate in the experimentation campaign and will then invite selected offerors to participate in a live-fly capabilities assessment this summer.The Air Force will host the live-fly experiment to assess the capabilities of these off-the-shelf attack aircraft. Industry participants will participate with suitable aircraft, which will be flown by Air Force personnel in scenarios designed to highlight aspects of various combat missions, such as close air support, armed reconnaissance, combat search and rescue, and strike control and reconnaissance.The live-fly experiment also includes the employment of weapons commonly used by other fighter/attack aircraft to demonstrate the capabilities of light attack aircraft for traditional counter-land missions.After 25 years of continuous combat operations, our Air Force is in more demand than ever, said Lt. Gen. Jerry Harris, the deputy chief of staff for strategic plans and requirements. Since we dont expect deployment requirements to decrease, we have to look for innovative and affordable ways to meet capability demands in permissive environments while building and maintaining readiness to meet emerging threats in more contested environments.The live-fly experimentation will include a number of mission events including medium altitude basic day and night surface attack, precision munition surface attack, armed reconnaissance and close air support.This is an experiment, not a competition, said Harris, emphasizing the event may not necessarily lead to any acquisition.Experimentation and prototyping are envisioned as potential pathways to identify new operational concepts and candidate capabilities which can be rapidly and affordably fielded. The Air Force is interested in using agile solutions by leveraging rapid acquisition authorities where appropriate, to meet anticipated needs.The results of the Light Attack Capabilities Experimentation Campaign will be used to inform requirements and criteria for future investment decisions.To view the industry invitation to participate on the Federal Business Opportunities website, click here ST. LOUIS, MO, March 20, 2017 /24-7PressRelease/ -- The St. Louis Symphony Volunteer Association (SVA) invites merchandise and food vendors from across the U.S. to participate in the 45th annual Gypsy Caravan on Memorial Day, May 29, 2017. This shopper's paradise will be open from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., rain or shine, at The Family Arena, 2002 Arena Parkway in St. Charles, Missouri. Gypsy Caravan is a nationally recognized fair that attracts more than 10,000 shoppers eager to find bargains and unique treasures galore as one of the largest vintage, craft and antique markets in the Midwest. Vendors come from more than 12 states with an incredible selection of antiques, collectibles, jewelry, furniture, fashions, crafts and much more. Proceeds from the event support St. Louis Symphony music education programs, reaching tens of thousands of students each season. There are 400 merchandise and food vendor booth spaces available both indoor and outdoor. For merchandise vendors, indoor spaces are 10"Wx12"D and outdoor spaces are 10"Wx18"D. For food vendors, 16'W x 18'D (size of two parking spaces) booth size is available outdoor only with an additional 8'W x 18'D space available for purchase. Multiple spaces may be ordered. The entire event space is handicap accessible. Spaces often sell out and are assigned on a first-come, first-served basis. If you would like to be located by another vendor, the contracts must be submitted at the same time. For Merchandise Vendors: A Missouri Sales Tax License Number (ID Number) is mandatory. To obtain an ID number, complete the MO Department of Revenue Form 2643S, available online at dor.mo.gov/forms/2643S.pdf. Vendors intending to offer sample food products must apply for a St. Charles County Government Temporary Food Facility License Application. There is a $50 fee attached to sampling prepackaged food. Tents, tables, chairs and hand-trucks are not available for rent through the SVA; vendors must bring their own items. Three (3) wristbands are included with the booth space fee. Additional wristbands are $10 each. Vendors who bring any vehicle(s) in or out of the exhibition area will be charged an access fee of $100 per vehicle. Vehicles must be parked within their booth space or designated parking area. Important Entry Dates (Contracts must be postmarked by the dates below) are: On-Time Entry: April 14, 2017; Late Entry: May 21, 2017; Last-Minute Entry: May 28, 2017; Event Set Up is May 28, 2017. Fees will vary depending on postmarked entry date: Booth Fees for Indoor Space: Arena Floor (12'Wx10'D)- On-Time: $220; Late: $270; Last-Minute: $320 Booth Fees for Indoor Space: Concourse (12'Wx10'D)- On-Time: $180; Late: $230; Last-Minute: $280; Booth Fees for Outdoor Space (10'Wx18'D)- On-Time: $110 ; Late: $160; Last-Minute: $210 For Food Vendors: Providing the SVA with a copy of Proof of Insurance is mandatory. Food vendors must prepare all non-prepackaged food onsite at the event and in accordance with the St. Charles County Health Department. Vendors must remain open for business from 7:00am until 4:00pm on Monday, May 29, 2017. Electrical service is NOT available at the event. Vendors needing electrical service must bring generators. Because of an exclusive agreement with Coca-Cola, only Coca-Cola products are allowed for sale on the campus of The Family Arena. Vendor may purchase ice from the St. Louis Symphony Volunteer Association at $5 for each 20lb. bag Four (4) wristbands are included with the booth space fee. Additional wristbands are $10 each Important Entry Dates (Contracts and full payment must be postmarked by the dates below) are: On-Time: April 1, 2017; Late: May 13, 2017; Last-Minute: May 29, 2017. These Booth Fees also vary depending on postmarked entry date; Outdoor Space (16'W x 18'D)- On-Time: $500; Late: $600; Last-Minute: $700 Additional Space (8'W x 18'D)- On-Time: $250; Late: $300; Last-Minute: $350 Both Merchandise Vendor and Food Vendor registration for Gypsy Caravan 2017 is still available. Vendors can either fill out and pay online via the form on the website or download the 2017 Merchandise Vendor Contract or 2017 Food Vendor Contract and return by mail with payment. About Gypsy Caravan Starting in 1973, Gypsy Caravan has raised more than $3.8 million in support of the St. Louis Symphony and its mission to enrich people's lives through the power of music. The SVA hosts the traditional Memorial Day event with the proceeds benefiting the STL Symphony and its free community and music education programs. For more information follow the STL Symphony on Twitter at @slso and #slsoGypsy or visit: http://www.stlsymphony.org/gypsycaravan. # # # "It seems elementary, but so many businesses forget this essential truth: the consumer has a choice." SYOSSET, NY, March 20, 2017 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Almost 35 million American households--more than 65 million adults--are unbanked or underbanked, reported the FDIC in a survey published in 2016. But one industry figure argues that consumers are being poorly served by the two labels, and by the financial services industry which persistently uses the terms. "These tens of millions of consumers aren't unbanked or underbanked," says Jay Guskind, President and CEO of Pay-O-Matic, New York City's largest provider of check cashing and alternative financial services to this market segment. "They're underserved, by banks that close down branches in their neighborhoods, or make it difficult or impossible to access the services these consumers need--transactional services such as cashing a check, buying a money order, sending cash via wire transfer or paying bills electronically. "They're underserved by traditional financial institutions that have made it clear that they no longer value their business." A visionary approach to the customer experience Guskind, who took the helm at Pay-O-Matic last October, brings a unique perspective to his position. After serving as regional vice president of stores for Lord & Taylor during the 1980s, Guskind moved to Citibank, where he served as retail banking director. At Citibank, Guskind introduced retailing operations, metrics and a customer-centric approach to branch management, helping reshape the model of retail banking. "We're now delivering the things consumers used to receive from banks: safe and convenient locations, a portfolio of in-demand services and a respect for the customer," says Guskind. "With 150 locations and stores in all five boroughs, plus Westchester and Long Island, Pay-O-Matic is more ubiquitous than most banks. And New Yorkers are coming to our stores for the outstanding customer experience they once expected from traditional financial institutions. "No matter which of our 150 stores you visit," continues Guskind, "we'll recognize you through our system, so we're able to assist you better and make you feel special. Our competitors aren't linked up like we are, and don't share data from store to store, so they can't offer that kind of experience." Helping move the industry into the modern era Guskind bristles at the perception still held by some that the check-cashing industry employs predatory practices. "It's a Rodney Dangerfield situation," he ruefully notes. "We don't get any respect. But times have changed, and so has check cashing. Pay-O-Matic is an alternative financial services company fulfilling a vital need for a growing customer base. We're working hard to reform the image of the industry. "Take a look at our stores," says Guskind. "We operate with complete transparency. The price for every one of our services is posted on the wall. At a bank, it's sometimes hard to know what you're being charged for. Our customers know exactly what they're paying for--and they really appreciate that transparency." Enhancing the customer experience at the store level Since taking the leadership role at Pay-O-Matic late last year, Guskind has outlined an ambitious agenda, starting with a strategic plan for renovating and improving the company's 150 stores. "We need to always be improving the experience at the point of contact," he says, recalling his tenure in retailing at Citibank. "We're expanding our hours, increasing the number of stores that are open 24/7," he continues. "And we're going to provide more omni-channel services to our customers. I want them to be able to initiate transactions on the phone or online, so when they walk into a store, it takes them 30 seconds instead of four minutes. "We're exploring new ways to help people manage their financial transactions--and their lives," states Guskind. "It seems elementary, but so many businesses forget this essential truth: the consumer has a choice. Our industry is highly regulated, so there's very little variation with regard to price or services offered. "Consumers are making their choice based on convenience and the customer experience," Guskind concludes. "We're pleased so many of our customers choose to walk past the storefronts of our competitors because they prefer to do business at a Pay-O-Matic store." Pay-O-Matic is New York's largest provider of check cashing services, handling more than 19 million transactions annually. Founded in 1958, Pay-O-Matic has grown to 150 stores throughout the New York metropolitan area, with 51 locations in Brooklyn, 42 stores in the Bronx, 33 locations in Queens, 20 stores in Manhattan and four locations on Long Island. Pay-O-Matic locations offer check cashing and a portfolio of convenient services including bill payments, money transfers, money orders and prepaid debit cards. Pay-O-Matic is a neighborhood financial services provider and a proud member of the community. For more information, visit www.payomatic.com # # # Mar 20, 2017 | By Tess Canadian mineral exploration and development company Mkango Resources Ltd. has announced a new partnership with British metals company Metalysis Limited. Through a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), both companies will seek to develop and commercialize rare earth metal alloys, which will be used for manufacturing 3D printed permanent magnets. Rare earth elements According to the companies, the 3D permanent magnets they plan to develop will be used to manufacture electric vehicles, as well as other green consumer products and technologies. Rare earth permanent magnets are an important part of many modern-day products, from hard drives and headphones to wind turbines. As we saw with ORNLs 3D printed permanent magnets, additive manufacturing allows for the magnets to be made more ecologically (reusing leftover magnetic metal powder), and in a wider variety of forms and structures. 3D printed permanent magnets even have the potential to outperform traditionally manufactured magnets (also evidenced by the Oak Ridge National Laboratory). Under the recently signed MOU, Mkango and Metalysis will combine their respective expertise on rare earth magnet performance characteristics and solid-state processes for manufacturing high-quality metal powders. Metalysis solid-state process is reportedly capable of generating high margins from the production of metal powders, which have applications in industrial metal 3D printing, for instance. The goals of the partnership are to establish a joint research and development program, as well as to open up a number of commercial possibilities, such as considering the United Kingdom as a possible future location for a manufacturing facility to exploit a commercialized technology. Currently, China is the dominant player in the rare earth permanent magnet industry, so Mkango is positioning itself to become one of the leading rare earth companies outside of China. William Dawes, Chief Executive Officer of Mkango, commented on the new partnership, saying: "We are very pleased to collaborate with Metalysis. It is a core part of Mkango's strategy to be at the forefront of research and technology in every step of the rare earths supply chain; positioning the Company as a future low cost, sustainable supplier of rare earths used in electric vehicles and other green technologies, which have entered a new phase of accelerating demand growth. The R&D programme will seek to enhance marketing flexibility, increase future margins and affirm the Company's competitive positioning. Mkango, which specializes in the exploration of rare earth elements, notably in Malawi, will contribute its share of R&D costs (for the first phase at least) through cash resources. U.K. based Metalysis Limited was responsible for 3D printing the first automotive parts from titanium metal powders back in 2013. Posted in 3D Printing Materials Maybe you also like: Mar 20, 2017 | By Tess The United Arab Emirates, which is aiming to become a world leader in the field of 3D printed construction, has announced an exciting step in realizing that goal: UAE-based construction company DuBox has unveiled the countrys first locally 3D printed concrete element. The 3D printed part will be on display at the inaugural Global Manufacturing and Industrialisation Summit (GMIS) in Abu Dhabi later this month. The 3D printed concrete element was realized by DuBox in partnership with the University of Eindhoven and Witteveen+Bos, a Dutch engineering consultancy firm. DuBox specializes in off-site construction and modular, single or multi-storey building designs. 3D printing is primed to help the company achieve efficient building processes, as well as its goal of providing simpler-safer construction. GMIS, where the 3D printed concrete component will be showcased, is organized by the UAE Ministry of Economy and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (Unido), and will be co-hosted by the Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development. The event, which is taking place from March 27 to 30, marks the UAEs first global gathering for the manufacturing community. There, business, government, and civil society leaders will meet to discuss and envision the manufacturing industrys future. DuBox, evidently, is expecting to be a part of the industrys future, offering modular and now even 3D printed construction. DuBox founder Chebel Bsaibes stated: Since 2009, DuBox has handed over 150,000 sq m of built-up environment introducing new technologies and techniques, disrupting the conventional process of the construction industryWe are paving the path for the construction industry to embrace the new smart industrial agethe fourth Industrial Revolutionby rapidly prototyping, testing, and commercializing innovative solutions. DuBox off-site construction "We are challenging and changing the way we build, he added. Our participation at GMIS is a perfect opportunity to present what we have achieved over the last five years and what we have planned for the next five years. GMIS 2017 has the stated goal of determining the manufacturing sectors role in the reconstruction of the global economy and the restoration of global prosperity. By bringing together some of the key players in the sector, GMIS ultimately wants to open a productive dialogue about the future of manufacturing. As concrete 3D printing is increasingly explored as a revolutionary new construction method, there is little doubt that it will be a hot topic at GMIS, especially with the presentation of the UAEs first locally manufactured 3D printed concrete structure. Who knows, perhaps this will mark a key step forwards for Dubais goal of having 25% of its buildings 3D printed by 2030. Posted in 3D Printing Application Maybe you also like: by Ashutosh Jogalekar Carl Woeses integrated view of biology should help temper the application of technology to biological understanding There seems to be no end to biologys explosive progress. Genomes can now be read, edited and rewritten with unprecedented scope, individual neurons can now be studied in both space and time, the dynamics of the spread of viruses and ecological populations can be studied using mathematical models, and vaccines for deadly diseases like HIV and Ebola seem to hold more promise than ever. They say that the twentieth century belonged to physics and the twenty first belongs to biology, and everything we see in biology seems to confirm this idea. There have been roughly six revolutions in biology during the last five hundred years or so that brought us to this stage. The first one was the classification of organisms into binomial nomenclature by Linnaeus. The second was the invention of the microscope by Hooke, Leeuwenhoek and others. The third was the discovery of the composition of cells, in health and disease, by Schwann and Schleiden, a direct beneficiary of the use of the microscope. The fourth was the formulation of evolution by natural selection by Darwin. The fifth was the discovery of the laws of heredity by Mendel. And the sixth was the discovery of the structure of DNA by Watson, Crick and others. The sixth, ongoing revolution could be said to be the mapping of genomes and its implications for disease and ecology. Two other minor revolutions should be added to this list; one was the weaving of statistics into modern genetics, and the second was the development of new imaging techniques like MRI and CT scans. These six revolutions in biology resulted from a combination of new ideas and new tools. This picture is consistent with the general two-pronged picture of scientific revolutions that has emerged through the ages: a picture consisting in equal parts of revolutions of ideas and revolutions of technology. The first kind was popularized by Thomas Kuhn in his book The Structure of Scientific Revolutions. The second was popularized by Peter Galison and Freeman Dyson; Galison in his book Image and Logic, and Dyson in his The Sun, the Genome and the Internet. Generally speaking, many people are aware of Kuhn but few people are aware of Galison or Dyson. That is because ideas are often considered loftier than tools; the scientist who gazes at the sky and divines formulas for the universe through armchair calculations is considered more brilliant than the one who gets down on her hands and knees and makes new discoveries by gazing into the innards of machines. However, this fondness for theory versus experiment paints a false picture of scientific progress. Machines and tools are not just important for verifying theories; they are more often used to discover new things that theory then has to catch up with and explain. In physics, the telescope and the particle accelerator have been responsible for some of the greatest revolutions in our understanding of nature; they havent just verified existing theories but uncovered the fundamental composition of matter and spacetime. In chemistry, the techniques of x-ray diffraction and nuclear magnetic resonance have not just opened new windows into the structure of molecules, but they have led to novel understanding of molecular behavior in environments as diverse as intricate biological systems and the surfaces of distant planets and galaxies. There is little doubt that new experimental techniques have been as or even more responsible for scientific revolutions as new ideas. As one example of the primacy of tool-driven revolutions, four of the six milestones in biology noted above can be considered to have come from the development or application of new tools. The microscope itself was a purely technological invention. The structures of cells, bacteria and viruses was made possible by the invention of new forms of microscopy the electron microscope in particular as well as new dyes which allowed scientists to distinguish cellular components from each other. The structure of DNA came about because of x-ray diffraction and chemical analysis. The minor revolution of imaging was made possible by concomitant revolutions in electronics and computing. And finally, the revolution in genomics has engendered by chemical and physical methods of rapidly sequencing genomes as well as powerful computers which can analyze this data. The application of all this technology has been a windfall of data which hides gems of understanding. The new science of systems biology promises to tie all this data together and lead to an improved understanding of biological systems. And this is where the problem begins. In one way biology has become a victim of its success. Today we can sequence genomes much faster than we can understand them. We can measure electrochemical signals from neurons much more efficiently than we can understand their function. We can model the spread of populations of viruses and populations much more rapidly than we can understand their origins or interactions. Moores Law may apply to computer chips and sequencing speeds, but it does not apply to human comprehension. In the words of the geneticist Sydney Brenner, biology in the heyday of the 50s used to be low input, low throughput, high output; these days its low input, high throughput, no output. What Brenner is saying is that compared to the speed with which we can now gather and process biological data, the theoretical framework which goes into understanding data as well as the understanding which come out from the other end are severely impoverished. What is more serious is a misguided belief that data equals understanding. The philosopher of technology Evgeny Morozow calls this belief technological solutionism, the urge to use a certain technology to address a problem simply because you can. Consider a field like cancer where gene sequencing has come to play a dominant role. The idea is to compare the genome sequences of cancer cells and normal cells, and therefore understand which genes are malfunctioning in cancer cells. The problem is that if you sequence a typical cell from, say, a lung cancer patient, you will find literally hundreds of genes which are mutated. It is difficult to distinguish the mutant genes which are truly important from those which just come along for the ride; the latter are a necessary part of the messy, shotgun process of cancer cell evolution. It is even more difficult to know which genes to target if we want to keep the cancer from growing. For doing this it is important to have a better theory for understanding exactly what genes would be mutated in a cancer cell and why, and what function they serve. While we have made strides in developing such theories, our understanding of the basic causal framework of cancer is far behind our capacity to rapidly sequence cancer genomes. And yet millions of dollars are spent in sequencing cancer genomes, with the expectation that someday the data alone with lead to a quantum leap in understanding. You look for the keys not where they are but where you can easily see them, under the bright light. A recent paper from the neuroscientist John Krakauer said the same thing about neuroscience. If biology is the science of the twenty first century, neuroscience is probably the cherry on that cake. No other field promises to deliver fundamental insights not just into major mental health disorders but into the very essence of what it means to be human. To understand the brain better, scientists and government launched the Brain Map Initiative a few years ago. The goal of this initiative can be stated very simply: it is to map every single neuron in the brain in space and time and to understand the connections between them. The belief is that understanding the behavior of neurons will lead to an understanding of human behavior. At the heart of the initiative are new methods of interrogating neuronal function, ranging from very precise electrical recording using advanced sensor techniques to studying an inventory of the proteins and genes activated in neurons by modern recombinant DNA technology. These methods will undoubtedly discover new aspects of the brain that were previous hidden. Some of them well lead to groundbreaking understanding. But we do not know whether they will allow us to understand human behavior. As one example, the paper by Krakauer talks about mirror neurons, a specific class of neurons that caused a great stir a few years ago. As their names indicate, mirror neurons in one brain fire when the same class of neurons is activated in another brain. These neurons have thus been proclaimed to be the basis of diverse human emotions, including empathy; understanding them is considered to be integral to understanding social behavior; delicate imaging studies can track their activation and deactivation. But as Krakauer notes, many experiments on mirror neurons have been done on monkeys, and in those cases, little attention if any is paid to the actual behavior of the monkey when the mirror neurons fire. Thus, we seem to know what is going on, but only at the level of the neurons themselves. We do not know what is actually going on in the mind of the monkey in terms of its behavior when the neurons are activated. To understand why these limitations of technology can hamper our understanding of complex biological systems, we must turn to one of the great philosophical foundation stones of science: the paradigm of reductionism. Reductionism was the great legacy of twentieth century science, and a culmination of everything that came before. It means the breaking up of complex systems into their simpler parts; the idea is that understanding the simpler parts will enable us to understand the whole system. There is little doubt that reductionism has led to spectacular successes in all of science. The entire edifice of twentieth century physics exemplified by relativity and quantum mechanics rose from the reductionist program of understanding matter and spacetime using its most basic components; particles and fields. Molecular biology similarly was created when biological matter started to be unraveled at the molecular level. Most of these advances became possible because powerful new technology like particle accelerators and spectrometers allowed us to break and study matter and living organisms at their fundamental level. But as science overturned one obstacle after another in its confident reductionist march, it became clear that all was not well with this approach. One of the first salvos in what came to be called the reductionism wars was from the physicist Philip Anderson who in 1972 wrote an article titled More is Different. Anderson did not deny the great value of reductionism in science, but he pointed out that complex systems are not always the sum of their constituent parts. More is not just quantitatively different but qualitatively so. Even simple examples illustrate this phenomenon: atoms of gold are not yellow, but gold bars are; individual molecules of water dont flow, but put enough of them together and you get a river which has features that are not directly derived from the molecules themselves. And consciousness may be the ultimate challenge to reductionism; there is absolutely nothing in a collection of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen atoms in a human brain that tells us that if you put enough of them together in a very specific configuration, you will get a human being who would be writing this essay. Rivers, gold bars, human brains; all these systems are examples of emergent phenomena in which the specification of the individual components is necessary but not sufficient to understand the specification of the entire system. This is top-down as opposed to bottom-up understanding. Why does emergence exist? We dont know the answer to that question, but at least part of it is related to historical contingency. The complexity theorist Stuart Kauffman gives a very good example of this contingency. Consider, says, Kauffman, the structure and function of the human heart. Imagine that you had a super-intelligent demon, a superfreak who could specific every single particle in the heart and therefore try to derive the function of the heart from string theory. Imagine that, starting from the birth of the universe, this omniscient superfreak could specify every single configuration of atoms in every pocket of spacetime that could lead to the evolution of galaxies, supernovae, planets, and life. He would still fail to predict that the most important function of the human heart is to pump blood. That is because the heart has several functions (making beating noises for instance), but the function of the heart about which we care the most is a result of historical accident, a series of unpredictable circumstances on which natural selection acted before elevating the pumping of the blood as the quintessential property of the heart. Some of the pressures of this natural selection came from below, but others came from above; for instance, the function of the heart was sculpted not just by the molecules which make up heart muscle but by the functions of the physiological and ecological environments in which ancient heart precursors found themselves. The superfreak may even be able to predict the pumping of blood as one of the many properties of the heart, but he will still not be able to determine the unique role of the heart in the context of the grand tapestry of life on earth. The emergence of the human heart from the primordial soup of Darwins imagination cannot be understood by understanding the quarks and cells from which the heart is composed. And the emergence of consciousness or the brain cannot be understood merely by understanding the functions of single neurons. Emergence is what thwarts the understanding of biological systems through technology, because most technology used in the biological sciences is geared toward the reductionist paradigm. Technology has largely turned biology into an engineering discipline, and engineering tells us how to build something using its constituent parts, but it doesnt always tell us why that thing exists and what relationship it has to the wider world. The microscope observes cells, x-ray diffraction observes single DNA molecules, sequencing observes single nucleotides, and advanced MRI observes single neurons. As valuable as these techniques are, they will not help us understand the top-down pressures on biological systems that lead to changes in their fundamental structures. The failure of reductionist technology to understand emergent biology is why technology will not save the biological sciences. I have a modest prescription to escape from this trap: create technology that studies biology at multiple levels, and tie this technology together with concepts that describe biology at multiple levels. For instance when it comes to neuroscience, it would be fruitful to combine magnetic recording of single neurons (low level) with lower resolution techniques for studying clusters of neurons and modules of the brain (intermediate level) with experiments directly probing the behavior of animal and human brains (higher level). The good news is that many of these techniques exist; the bad news is that many of them exist in isolation, and the researchers who study them dont build bridges between the various levels. The same bridge-building goes for concepts. For instance, at the highest level organisms are governed by the laws of thermodynamics, more specifically non-equilibrium thermodynamics (of which life is an example), but you will not usually see scientists studying collections of neurons taking into consideration the principles of statistical thermodynamics or entropy. For achieving this meld of concepts scattered across different levels of biological understanding, there will also need to be much closer multidisciplinary interactions; physicists studying thermodynamics will need to closely collaborate with geneticists understanding the translation of proteins in neurons. These scientists will in turn need to work together with psychologists observing human behavior or ethologists observing animal behavior; both these fields have a very long history which can inform researchers from other fields. Finally, all biologists need to appreciate better the role of contingency in the structure and function of their model systems. By looking at simple organisms, they need to discuss how contingency can inform their understanding of more complicated creatures. For a wholesome biology to prosper we need both technological and human interactions. But what we need most is an integrated view of biological organisms that moves away from a strict focus on looking at these organisms as collections of particles, fields and molecules. The practitioners of this integrated biology can take a page out of the writings of the late Carl Woese. Woese was a great biologist who discovered an entire new kingdom of life (the Archeae), and one of the few scientists able to take an integrated view of biology, from the molecular to the species level. He pioneered new techniques for comparing genomes across species at the molecular level, but he also had a broader and more eloquent view of life at the species level, one which he set down in an essay titled A New Biology for A New Century in 2004, an essay that expanded biology beyond its mechanistic description: If they are not machines, then what are organisms? A metaphor far more to my liking is this. Imagine a child playing in a woodland stream, poking a stick into an eddy in the flowing current, thereby disrupting it. But the eddy quickly reforms. The child disperses it again. Again it reforms, and the fascinating game goes on. There you have it! Organisms are resilient patterns in a turbulent flowpatterns in an energy flow. A simple flow metaphor, of course, fails to capture much of what the organism is. None of our representations of organism capture it in its entirety. But the flow metaphor does begin to show us the organisms (and biologys) essence. And it is becoming increasingly clear that to understand living systems in any deep sense, we must come to see them not materialistically, as machines, but as (stable) complex, dynamic organization. As the quote above observes none of our experiments or theories captures the science at all levels, and its only by collaboration that we can enable understanding across strata. To enable it we must use technology, but use it not as master but as indispensable handmaiden. We are all resilient organisms in a turbulent energy flow. We live and die in this flow of complex, dynamic organization, and we can only understand ourselves when we understand the flow. Bronchitis and pneumonia both affect the lungs and share some common symptoms, but they are different diseases that require different treatment. Here's how you can tell the difference. Bronchitis The less severe of the two, acute bronchitis is caused by inflammation of the bronchi, the branching tubes that deliver air into the lungs. (Chronic bronchitis is a different subject altogether.) The most common symptoms of bronchitis include: Coughing with clear, yellow or green sputum (the gunk you cough up) Fatigue Wheezing Runny, stuffy nose occurring before chest congestion begins Shortness of breath, usually following a coughing jag Discomfort in the center of the chest due to cough Mild fever Although yellow or green sputum is often thought to indicate bacterial infection, don't be fooled. "Over 80 to 90 percent of bronchitis in otherwise healthy people is viral, not bacterial, in origin, especially if the symptoms of bronchitis follow a cold," says Homer Boushey, M.D., a lung specialist and professor emeritus of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco. Viral infections cannot be treated with antibiotics. In fact, says Boushey, antibiotics will kill many of the healthy, protective bacteria in your body. "That leaves you more susceptible to disease-causing bacteria." Acute bronchitis will most often go away on its own within a week to 10 days, though your mucus-y cough will likely persist for several more weeks. "It's just a matter of the body cleaning up the mess," says pulmonologist Len Horovitz, M.D., of Lenox Hill Hospital in New York. "Most people recover just fine from bronchitis." Pneumonia An inflammation of the lungs, pneumonia has many of the same symptoms as bronchitis, including: Persistent fever (often high) Cough, often with yellow or green mucus Chills, which sometimes cause shaking Shortness of breath Sharp chest pain Confusion (which occurs primarily in older people) Though many of the signs may be similar, pneumonia is much more serious than acute bronchitis. It's more often caused by bacteria than by a virus, which means that antibiotics can be used to treat it. However, bacterial pneumonia can be a fast-moving disease that needs attention right away, says Boushey. "Don't wait too long to get treated," he warns. "If you come in with very advanced pneumonia, it may be too late. For people who come in right away, we have good treatments." When to see a doctor Older people do worse with respiratory infections (whether viral or bacterial), especially if they have other health problems such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, heart disease, diabetes, kidney disease or cancer. If you have symptoms, play it safe and see your doctor. "Any time you have a fever or a cough, you should go in," says Horovitz. "Any time you feel bad, you should go in, because you never know what you are dealing with. Don't wait until you are in extremis." Your doctor will listen to your lungs and, if necessary, take an X-ray of your chest, which will identify pneumonia infection. One number for each South Dakota football state championship matchup To prepare you for all seven matchups, here are some quick numbers to file away as you read up on all of these teams. Horizon Gold Limited (ASX:HRN) is an exploration company focused on its 100% owned Gum Creek Gold Project in Western Australia. The Gum Creek Gold Project covers approximately 724 square kilometres and hosts JORC 2012 Mineral Resources of 17.3 million tonnes averaging 2.25g/t gold for 1.25 million ounces of gold. It is located within a well-endowed gold region that hosts multi-million ounce deposits including Big Bell, Wiluna, Mt Magnet, Meekatharra and Agnew/Lawlers. Horizon believes there are multiple high priority drill targets and plans to undertake ongoing exploration and development studies with the aim of becoming a stand-alone gold producer. The scale-up and commercialisation of perovskite solar cells Presentation to GPVC 2017 Canberra, Mar 20, 2017 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Dyesol Ltd ( ASX:DYE ) ( DYSOY:OTCMKTS ) is pleased to provide the Company's latest Presentation to GPVC 2017. PRINCIPAL BUSINESS ACTIVITIES The Global Leader in the Development & Commercialisation of Perovskite Solar Cell Technology - Dyesol seeks to upscale and commercialise its 3rd generation PSC PV technology with the assistance of in-country government financial support and suitable local manufacturers and distributors in joint venture. - Dyesol is a disruptive technology enablement company with a multi-generation Technology Development Plan to bring successive generations of improved technology to the global PSC PV market. - Dyesol is currently engaged in prototyping with plans to pilot line in 2017/18. - Current commercialisation discussions are in Australia, Europe, UK, Turkey and China. - Dyesol has an independent Stratagem Freedom To Operate study that demonstrates global IP superiority. A Global Manufacturer of High Performance Materials (dye solar cell, perovskite solar cell , specialty chemicals & equipment): - Dyesol supplies to over 600 research based customers in over 60 countries, including Fraunhofer, Oxford University, CSIRO, Princeton, Wuhan University, KAUST, KIST, LG Electronics & Sungkyunkwan University. - Dyesol has the largest market share for the global supply of related specialty chemicals, including perovskites, mesoporous titania, inorganic hole transport materials & stabilising additives. - Dyesol also supplies equipment and laboratory solutions, including LED solar simulators. - Dyesol has excess capacity to scale materials production to commercial quantities for mass manufacture. DYESOL FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS & PROJECTS - Mini-MAD targeting high industrial efficiencies & LCOE of < A$0.08 by mid-2017. - Intense focus on staged de-risking of technology - MAD prototype 2016/17 & pilot line 2017/18. - Technical Advisory Board milestones ongoing - MPPT efficiencies and stability. - Further efficiencies improvement likely through technical break-throughs in new surface treatments and particle size optimisation. - Development projects in discussion in Australia, Turkey, China, Hungary and UK. - Solar profitability is heavily dependent on economies of scale and the Chinese government and manufacturers understand this: "China's National Energy Administration - which oversees energy policy - has apparently outlined a 100 GW installation target for solar by 2020 under the country's five-year plan for 2016-2020. However, analysts and industry experts view this number as being relatively conservative, and it's widely expected that the target will be much higher when the plan is officially announced." To view the full presentation, please visit: http://abnnewswire.net/lnk/9A6CZBA4 About Greatcell Solar Limited Greatcell Solar Limited (ASX:GSL) (OTCMKTS:DYSOY) is a global leader in the development and commercialisation of Perovskite Solar Cell (PSC) technology 3rd Generation photovoltaic technology that can be applied to glass, metal, polymers or cement. Greatcell Solar Limited manufactures and supplies high performance materials and is focussed on the successful commercialisation of PSC photovoltaics. It is a publicly listed company: Australian Securities Exchange ASX (GSL) and German Open Market (D5I). Learn more at our website and subscribe to our mailing list in English and German. To Increase Ownership in Online Education Services Melbourne, Mar 20, 2017 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Today, SEEK Limited ( ASX:SEK ) ( SKLTY:OTCMKTS ) announced that it has entered into binding agreements to increase its ownership interest in OES; a joint venture between SEEK and Swinburne University of Technology ("Swinburne"), from 50% to 80% by acquiring shares in OES from Swinburne. Investment Highlights: - SEEK to invest cA$118.5m to increase its ownership in Online Education Services ("OES") from 50% to 80% - Transaction enables greater flexibility to secure multiple education partners onto the OES platform - Expect the transaction to be cash EPS accretive in FY18 and strongly accretive over the medium to long-term - OES will be consolidated into SEEK Group Financial Statements Overview OES provides industry ready education qualifications online on behalf of education partners. Its first partner, Swinburne Online, has over 9,500 students currently enrolled. Students receive a qualification from Swinburne, established more than 100 years ago and now an internationally ranked university with more than 55,000 students both domestically and internationally. Since SEEK's initial investment in OES, the business has delivered excellent student outcomes alongside strong financial results, evidenced by: - Excellent student outcomes: 1,500 alumni since the first graduates in March 2014. Overall teaching satisfaction ranks 8.6 out of 10 - Strong financial results: FY14-FY16 Revenue CAGR of 37%, FY14-FY16 EBITDA CAGR of 33%, dividends paid to shareholders of $37m vs $10m of capital invested since inception OES's success to date is testament to the strong management team led by CEO Denice Pitt and the vision of Swinburne and SEEK to reimagine a better way to deliver world class online education. Strategic Rationale The strategic rationale for SEEK to increase its ownership stake in OES is: 1. Facilitate new education partners: Provides OES with greater flexibility to secure multiple education partners onto the OES platform, which will greatly increase its addressable market 2. Organic drivers: OES has meaningful organic growth opportunities via development of new programs, retention initiatives and international expansion. These opportunities are all expected to underpin growth in total students educated Commenting on today's announcement, Swinburne University Vice-Chancellor, Professor Linda Kristjanson said, "Through OES, Swinburne University has expanded its delivery of relevant, accessible and flexible courses and established itself as a leading provider of online education." "Swinburne will continue to invest in new teaching and learning platforms online as well as on-campus, enabling our dedicated academics to provide students with the new, multiple modes of learning they expect." Commenting on the transaction, Andrew Bassat, CEO and Co-Founder of SEEK said, "In just over 5 years, OES has established itself as a world class provider of online education. OES's success shows that public and private partnerships can provide great education outcomes that lead to meaningful employment outcomes for Australian students." "Much of OES's success can be attributed to the vision of Swinburne University of Technology and their world class capability in developing and delivering education that prepares students for successful careers. SEEK is looking forward to continuing its successful partnership with Swinburne University of Technology and alongside multiple other education partners." Other details - Transaction to be funded by SEEK's existing cash and bank debt facilities - Post transaction, ownership interests are as follows: SEEK 80%, Swinburne 20% - Following the investment, SEEK will have additional representation on the board of OES and OES will be consolidated into SEEK Group accounts, this includes consolidation of the underlying OES balance sheet which comprised total assets of $69m including cash of $60m as at 31 Jan 2017 About SEEK Limited SEEK Limited (ASX:SEK) (OTCMKTS:SKLTY) is a diverse group of companies, comprised of a strong portfolio of online employment, educational, commercial and volunteer businesses. SEEK operates across 18 countries with exposure to over 2.9 billion people and approximately 26 per cent of GDP. SEEK makes a positive contribution to people's lives on a global scale. SEEK is listed on the Australian Securities Exchange, where it is a top 100 company with a market capitalisation close to A$6billion and has been listed in the Top 20 Most Innovative Companies Globally by Forbes, and Number One in Australia. Beneficiation Piloting Successfully Completed Sydney, Mar 20, 2017 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Hastings Technology Metals Limited ( ASX:HAS ) ( 5AM:FRA ) ("Hastings" or "the Company") has successfully completed the crucial continuous beneficiation pilot plant for the Yangibana Nd-Pr Rare Earth project. HIGHLIGHTS - Beneficiation continuous pilot plant testing has successfully validated the simple and effective flowsheet of Yangibana flotation process - The pilot operation confirmed 70% TREO recovery at a final concentrate grade of 23% TREO. - Ongoing improvement through optimised flotation circuit chemistry to further improve recovery to >80% at a higher TREO grade. - Clear indication of progress from bench scale to commercial production. - Successfully generated bulk samples for downstream engineering equipment design testwork - Generated concentrate for next stage Hydrometallurgy pilot plant operation scheduled in March The Yangibana Nd-Pr Rare Earth project is located in the Gascoyne region of Western Australia. The Company plans to construct a processing plant to produce a Mixed RE Carbonate product, through the process of mining, beneficiation and hydrometallurgy. This beneficiation continuous pilot plant is the first step in pilot testing of the Yangibana Nd-Pr process flowsheet. Pilot Plant Summary The simple and effective flowsheet developed in the laboratory testwork program has been translated into a 150kg/hr pilot processing circuit, operating 24 hours per day continuously over 8 days (5 days plus 3 days after a weekend shutdown) at ALS Metallurgy in Perth. The flowsheet consisted of milling, rougher flotation, regrind and cleaner flotation stages. The flotation circuit selectively concentrates the rare earths-bearing mineral monazite into a final product that is less than 5% of the initial mass. The upgrade of TREO content from the run of mine (ROM) ore to final product is 18 to 20 times. Once fully commissioned, the pilot plant circuit confirmed laboratory performance at 70%TREO recovery to a 23% TREO concentrate grade (9.8%Nd2O3+Pr6O11). Average concentrate grade produced during the full pilot operation was 25% TREO. The flotation circuit uses commercially and readily available flotation cell equipment and chemical reagents. Specialist equipment vendors also attended the pilot operation to test the thickening and filtration performance of the concentrate and tailings and assess applicability to the engineering design. Work is continuing with other process equipment vendors. Data collected from this work will be incorporated into the detailed engineering study. As well as gaining operational insight from the 24-hour per day continuous operation the following samples were collected: - Full circuit metallurgical survey samples for validation of scale-up from laboratory results - Bulk samples for engineering design testwork, e.g. regrind mill sizing, thickener sizing, product filter sizing, tailing storage facility design and materials handling characterisation. - Final flotation concentrate, which will be used as feed for the upcoming hydrometallurgical pilot plant. The results will feed into the current engineering study and detailed design phase of the project. The concentrate produced from the beneficiation pilot plant will be further processed, on a continuous basis, in the hydrometallurgical pilot plant, in March and April 2017. Ongoing improvement testwork Further improvement testwork for the beneficiation circuit has been progressing in parallel to the pilot plant operation. Results indicate that, with minor modifications to the flotation circuit chemistry, compared to conditions that were used in the pilot plant, recovery can be further improved and concentrate grade increased. To view tables and figures, please visit: http://abnnewswire.net/lnk/O5QQE103 About Hastings Technology Metals Ltd Hastings Technology Metals Ltd (ASX:HAS) (FRA:5AM) is advancing its Yangibana Rare Earths Project in the Upper Gascoyne Region of Western Australia towards production. The proposed beneficiation and hydro metallurgy processing plant will treat rare earths deposits, predominantly monazite, hosting high neodymium and praseodymium contents to produce a mixed rare earths carbonate that will be further refined into individual rare earth oxides at processing plants overseas. Neodymium and praseodymium are vital components in the manufacture of permanent magnets which is used in a wide and expanding range of advanced and high-tech products including electric vehicles, wind turbines, robotics, medical applications and others. Hastings aims to become the next significant producer of neodymium and praseodymium outside of China. Hastings holds 100% interest in the most significant deposits within the overall project, and 70% interest in additional deposits that will be developed at a later date, all held under Mining Leases. Numerous prospects have been identified warranting detailed exploration to further extend the life of the project. Brockman Project The Brockman deposit, near Halls Creek in Western Australia, contains JORC Indicated and Inferred Mineral Resources, estimated using the guidelines of JORC Code (2012 Edition). The Company is also progressing a Mining Lease application over the Brockman Rare Earths and Rare Metals Project. Hastings aims to capitalise on the strong demand for critical rare earths created by the expanding demand for new technology products. Bear Head LNG TERMPOL Review Completed Perth, Mar 20, 2017 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Liquefied Natural Gas Limited ( ASX:LNG ) ( LNGLY:OTCMKTS ) (LNGL or the Company) is pleased to advise that Transport Canada's TERMPOL Review Committee has completed the review of Bear Head LNG Corporation Inc.'s (Bear Head LNG) TERMPOL report. The TERMPOL review process is a technical review of marine terminal systems and transshipment sites. It is a voluntary review of the proposed shipping route and marine terminal, but mandated under the separate environmental assessment process, and identifies navigational and marine transportation-related recommendations to support a safe shipping environment. "The TERMPOL Review is an important regulatory component that furthers Bear Head LNG's goal to be the leader in helping Nova Scotia realize the LNG opportunity, benefiting the province and community," said Greg Vesey, LNGL's Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer. "Bear Head LNG's commitment to safety and continuing engagement with local communities are reflected in TERMPOL's recommendations and observations as they pertain to the marine route, LNG carriers, marine terminal, tugboats and overall project marine activities." The TERMPOL Review Committee's decision follows a review of the information provided by Bear Head LNG's TERMPOL Report. There are recommendations and observations included in the decision. Bear Head LNG will address and comply with all recommendations throughout the life of the project. Bear Head LNG is proposing to build an LNG export facility on the naturally deep waters of the Strait of Canso in Point Tupper, Richmond County, Nova Scotia. The proposed facility will comprise an initial development of an 8 million tonne per annum facility, with the capacity and approvals for further expansion. "Bear Head LNG's focus is to provide overseas markets with access to North America's natural gas resources based on competitive economics," Greg Vesey noted. "Bear Head LNG is uniquely positioned to provide liquefaction services to Western Canadian, Northeast U.S., and offshore Nova Scotia resource owners desiring to sell natural gas to the global LNG market." Greg Vesey added, "With initial permitting complete, a premium location providing shorter sailing times to many major overseas markets, and through use of LNGL's patented OSMR(R) technology, a mid-scale, scalable, efficient and reliable technology that delivers the LNG industry's lowest full cycle cost, Bear Head LNG has significant competitive advantages over other projects." A summary of the TERMPOL report is available on Transport Canada's website at: http://www.abnnewswire.net/lnk/22XT4D6Y. The Document Publication number is TP 15352, which should be used when requesting a copy. It can take up to three business days for Transport Canada to send the electronic copy once a request has been made. About Bear Head LNG Corporation Inc. Bear Head LNG is wholly owned by Liquefied Natural Gas Limited. Bear Head LNG proposes to develop a liquefied natural gas export facility on the Strait of Canso, Nova Scotia, Canada. All required initial permits are now in place for Bear Head LNG to construct the LNG export facility. Canada's National Energy Board and the U.S. Department of Energy have granted export licenses for the facility. LNG produced at the facility will be transported by LNG vessels to overseas markets. About Liquefied Natural Gas Ltd Liquefied Natural Gas Limited ( ASX:LNG) ( OTCMKTS:LNGLY) (LNGL) is an ASX listed company whose portfolio consists of 100% ownership of the following companies: - Magnolia LNG, LLC (Magnolia LNG), a US-based subsidiary, which is developing an eight mtpa or greater LNG export terminal, in the Port of Lake Charles, Louisiana, USA; - Bear Head LNG Corporation Inc. (Bear Head LNG), a Canadian-based subsidiary, which is developing an 8 12 mtpa LNG export terminal in Richmond County, Nova Scotia, Canada with potential for further expansion; - Bear Paw Pipeline Corporation Inc. (Bear Paw), which is proposing to construct and operate a 62.5 km gas pipeline lateral to connect gas supply to Bear Head LNG; and - LNG Technology Pty Ltd, a subsidiary which owns and develops the Company's OSMR LNG liquefaction process, a midscale LNG business model that plans to deliver lower capital and operating costs, faster construction, and improved efficiency, relative to larger traditional LNG projects. AGY Signs MOU For Stage 2 Funding of Rincon Lithium Project Perth, Mar 20, 2017 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Argosy Minerals Limited ( ASX:AGY ) ( ARYMF:OTCMKTS ) ("Argosy" or "Company") together with its Strategic Adviser, Airguide International Pte Ltd ("Airguide"), recently held meetings in China with several interested parties to discuss their potential investment to fast-track Argosy's Rincon Lithium Project. Argosy's technical team and the Rincon Lithium Project are well known to key Chinese lithium industry participants. HIGHLIGHTS: - Executed Memorandum of Understanding with CCK Industrial Group Co., Ltd. - Potential investment to fast-track Stage 2 development of Rincon Lithium Project. - Ongoing discussions with other interested Chinese and non-Chinese parties. Argosy is pleased to advise that it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding ("MOU") with CCK Industrial Group Co., Ltd. ("CCK"), a Chengdu (Sichuan Province) based conglomerate with more than US$700 million in annual turnover; (http://en.cck-group.com/main.html). The MOU provides scope for Argosy and CCK to work towards a binding agreement whereby CCK may invest to facilitate the funding of Argosy's Stage 2 development works at the Rincon Lithium Project, located within the "Lithium Triangle" in Salta Province, Argentina. Under the MOU, the Company and CCK will now progress with further discussions with an aim to formalise an investment proposition for the Stage 2 funding. CCK were particularly attracted by Argosy's target to produce lithium carbonate equivalent (LCE) product in the short to medium term at the Rincon Project, for potential funding, off-take, partnership or other value-adding commercial agreements in consideration for Stage 3 development of the Project, and joint venture partner Pablo Alurralde's expertise and experience in processing and producing LCE product. Argosy Managing Director, Jerko Zuvela commented "We are delighted with CCK's interest to fast-track Stage 2 development works at the Rincon Project and continue our comprehensive development strategy toward production of LCE product." Following the recent meetings, discussions with other parties identified by Airguide are continuing in parallel with Argosy's negotiations with CCK. Argosy notes that any meetings or considerations in regard to any potential transactions are preliminary and there is no certainty that any binding agreement will be reached. The Company will update shareholders upon any further developments in this regard. About CCK Industrial Group Co., Ltd. Founded by Mr. Jian Xingfu in 1980, Chuan Kai Industrial Group Co., Ltd. (CCK Group) is a private joint-stock enterprise group composed of over ten holding companies and subsidiaries with more than 3,000 employees. CCK group takes manufacturing as primary business with diversified operation, and its main business scope includes: R&D of complete set of switchgears for power transmission and distribution for voltage up to 500kV; R&D and manufacturing of elevators, emergency and integrated power supply product; manufacturing of auxiliary engine of gas generator, and structure of reactor core and roof; installation of electric power project; import and export business; construction of real estate; chemical engineering and chemical fertilizer etc. Subsidiaries of CCK Group are: Chuan Kai Electric Co., Ltd., Sichuan Express Elevator Co., Ltd., Sichuan Cuntian Machinery Manufacturing Co., Ltd., Sichuan Ahaifa Electric Co., Ltd., Sichuan Jundan Chemical Co. Ltd., Sichuan Ximing Power Co., Ltd., Sichuan Chuankai Import and Export Co., Ltd.. Products manufactured by CCK have been well sold across the country, and international market for complete equipment of civil nuclear power has been being exploited actively. Its investment concerning power station (thermal power, hydropower) has been developed greatly, and its products and service have been widely accepted by many Asian countries. To view the release including Location map, please visit: http://abnnewswire.net/lnk/55F9XF03 About Argosy Minerals Limited Argosy Minerals Limited (ASX:AGY) (OTCMKTS:ARYMF) is an Australian company with a current 77.5% (and ultimate 90%) interest in the Rincon Lithium Project in Salta Province, Argentina, and a 100% interest in the Tonopah Lithium Project in Nevada, USA. The Company is focused on its flagship Rincon Lithium Project - potentially a game-changing proposition given its location within the world renowned "Lithium Triangle"; host to the world's largest lithium resources, and its fast-track development strategy toward production of LCE product. Argosy is committed to building a sustainable lithium production company, highly leveraged to the forecast growth in the lithium-ion battery sector. March 20, 2017 They Should Call It "Universitiepoo Of Arizona," Because They Treat The Students Like It's Nursery School This little ouchiepoo directive below is from a handbook, "Diversity and Inclusiveness in the Classroom," by Jesus Trevino, Ph.D., who goes by the puffed-up, "diversity"-flavored title, "Vice Provost for Inclusive Excellence." Trevino's title seems even more absurd when you see the directions for "Creating a safe space for students for engaging in dialogue about challenging topics..." -- using the word "ouch" if some other student makes some remark that gives you hurt feelz: Oops/ouch: If a student feels hurt or offended by another student's comment, the hurt student can say "ouch." In acknowledgement, the student who made the hurtful comment says "oops." If necessary, there can be further dialogue about this exchange. Oops? Ouch? Not, "Engage with the other student -- tell them that they said something you find offensive, and why" (which, by the way, by the time you're in college, no one should need to advise you). No, it's "You gave me an ouchie!" And then there's this "safe space" business, which it says, is "vital in promoting positive intergroup interactions." Remember when universities were about teaching students and helping them develop into people who could think and even debate a point? As Bre Payton at The Federalist notes: The guide, which is supposed to "maximize free speech in the classroom," appears to do the exact opposite. Rather than fostering a lively, academic debate, which is a major reason for higher education, the oops/ouch method seems to encourage students and professors to end a discussion the second someone doesn't like the direction it's headed. Or when mommy needs to change their diaper; whichever comes first. via @ClayRoutledge * Reutilization program saves millions of dollars Master Sgt. Bryan ONeill, a range section chief at the 177th Fighter Wings Detachment 1, Warren Grove Bombing Range in Burlington County, New Jersey, determined that he could utilize the Defense Logistic Agencys Reutilization Transfer Donation database of equipment to acquire pieces of demilitarized military equipment to create more realistic training environments for the units F-16 Fighting Falcon pilots and joint terminal attack controllers, as well as Army, Navy and Marine Corps service members who train at the range. Annually at the range, we have an explosive ordnance disposal cleanup week and we will assess what the current targets look like because after these things are hit and strafed by A-10s (Thunderbolt II) with 30 mm rounds and 20 mm rounds from F-16s, over a period of time, they dont look like tanks anymore, ONeill said. Once we determine the need to replace these things, I go to the RTD database to find equipment that has been turned in; everything from tanks to vehicles to CONEX boxesjust anything that can help us build a village or show that weve got heavy armored vehicles in a certain area. This just creates a more realistic target, rather than trying to build one out of wood, which wouldnt stand up very long to the BDU 33 or BDU 50 practice bombs hitting it at least once or twice. According to the DLAs public website DLA Disposition Services disposes of excess property received from the military to the tune of more than $2.2 billion worth of property reused each year for the past four years. Every dollar's worth of property reutilized equals a tax dollar saved. Were not looking for something thats in really good shape so a lot of times well look for the unserviceable assets that are left there that are really more for parts than anything else, ONeill said. We have gotten some sheet metal modular targets representing a tank, an armored personnel carrier and some surface to air missile batteries which looked realistic to an aircraft flying above. They were modular so you could replace the sheet metal after a hit but it was time consuming and costs money. The current sheet metal targets weve received are now no-drop targets. Theyre very high tech and they generate realistic heat signatures and radar signatures, but they cost close to $250,000, so its not cost effective to continue to put these things out there to have multiple target sets. Its nice to have two or three of them that are operational if the aircraft that are coming in are looking to do that type of training, but for the most part, if theyre going (to) come in and drop a bomb, theyre going to need to drop a bomb on something that were not worried about repairing so much. In an email correspondence to ONeill, a representative from DLA wrote, DLA has to pay taxpayer dollars to transport and pay taxpayer dollars to destroy and demilitarize required equipment such as APC, trucks, tanks and other vehicles and equipment per DoD (Defense Department) regulations. The use of these items for targets/training aids is a cost avoidance for both the taxpayer, DLA and a unit like the Warren Grove Range, and a win for the warfighter to have a valid, solid target to engage that is modern optics and sensor friendly. During the last fiscal year, five Air National Guard units saved a combined total of over $28 million by requisitioning property for use through the DLA Disposition Services Reutilization Program. ONeill reflected on his roots as an Army reservist with the 24th Military Intelligence Battalion in Staten Island, New York, and his training at Fort Dix, Kelly Reserve Center and the Base Realignment and Closures which led him to join the ANG in 2000. I joined the 108th Air Refueling Wing in Security Forces and shortly after attending technical school, and a few drills, 9/11 happened. I deployed overseas, had a tour at Andrews (Air Force Base) guarding Air Force One and then was offered an opportunity to do a 90-day tour at the National Guard Bureau. That 90-day tour turned into 10 years.five with SFS, five at A3, Operations, at the NGB Range program manager for all 14 ANG ranges. After 10 years, I couldnt wait to come back to NJ. When the supply position opened at WGR, I applied and got it. This is a great process, ONeill said. All of the ranges do it, sort of create a shopping list. Thats what is so neat about working at the range; you get to be creative with building what you need to build to make it the most realistic training for these Airmen. Pennsylvania Senate Bill 217 requires mandatory vaccines for your school children. No exception. When I was a youth, just a handful of vaccinations were typical. Current CDC recommendations are 40 doses of 14 vaccines by age 6 and 69 doses of 16 vaccines by age 18. The vaccine market is estimated to have ballooned to a $24 billion dollar industry with total legal immunity from being sued. What a deal. No claims to date on the $100,000 reward offered by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to any journalist who can find even one peer-reviewed study that shows that thimerosal (mercury) is safe in the amounts administered to children and pregnant women. I do however, give the CDC credit for openly admitting their vaccines include among other things, toxic metals (aluminum salts), thimerosal (mercury), formaldehyde, WI-38 found in the chicken pox and rabies vaccine (human fetal tissue cell lines), chemical cleansing agents (Triton X-100), toxic chemicals such as glutaraldehyde, dangerous bacterial strains (E.coli) and also the CDC information lists African Green Monkey kidney cells as a component in the ACAM2000 smallpox vaccine and others. Parents need to do their own independent research prior to blindly injecting any vaccine into their children or themselves. I am not suggesting there is zero benefit in any vaccine but surely the power of the decision to vaccinate or not, needs to remain with the educated parent, not the state. Contact your representative today to vote no on SB217. ROBIN FINK, Coudersport, Potter County PennLive.com editors picked five letters to the editor from the past week to include in a Sunday wrap-up. First among them was this one regarding a bill in the Pennsylvania State Senate that would end vaccine exemptions for schoolchildren. The writer is obviously well-informed about vaccine safety. Robin Fink makes it clear that vaccines carry risks. Fink writes about RFK Jr.s $100,000 challenge to the press to find any research that shows mercury in vaccines is safe and about the toxic ingredients in vaccines. Fink makes no statement telling parents not to vaccinate, but merely advises them to educate themselves. Finks letter calls for parents keeping the right to choose when it comes to vaccinating their children. It arguably makes a valid point. It also points to a lot more concerns than just the MMR vaccine and the one ingredient, thimerosal, in the flu vaccine. No matter how rational and sound Finks letter may be, I can see this attacked as anti-vaccine. No pro-vaccine advocate ever tells parents to do their own independent research. Instead, theyre told to talk to your doctor, because mainstream medicine has been schooled in the mantra, studies show no linkto any serious side effects. I hope parents in Pennsylvania take this letter seriously and retain the right to make decisions about their childs health. NOTE: Skyhorse Publishing's Tony Lyons is hosting a fundraiser for Robert Kennedy's organization, World Mercury Project on April 18th in New York City. The original date was snowed out in our wacky blizzard last week here in the Northeast. All proceeds to go staffing (great people we know and trust) and the work to get mercury OUT of Americans' lives. Tickets are a bit dear by most of our standards, we realize, at $250. Just like AofA - small donations add up quickly and mean as much, if you care to donate. Jenny and her husband Donnie Wahlberg are planning to attend (schedules permitting) and Mr. De Niro may also attend. We have some powerful people working on behalf of our kids. Let's thank them in any way possible - even with a kind comment. Below is an interview - let's face it, neither Robert nor Jenny need the incredible grief that comes with this fight - but they never quit on us, do they? Hope to see you at the event - for information email Kirsten Kim at Kkim@skyhorsepublishing.com. The event is April 18th, 6:30 - 8:30pm at Tony's home on the Upper West Side. And you'll find me co-hosting with Jenny next month. KIM Aiken, SC (29801) Today A mix of clouds and sun. Near record high temperatures. High near 80F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight Some clouds. Slight chance of a shower throughout the evening. Low 62F. Winds NNE at 10 to 15 mph. Anatolian Borders of Assyrian Empire Revealed Marmara University faculty member Professor Kemalettin Koroglu and the director of the Ziyaret Tepe (Tushhan) excavation, Cambridge University faculty member, Dr. John MacGinnis, revealed what they've discovered so far at the Ziyaret Tepe excavation. Including information, findings and visuals from the excavations in 2014, the book "Ziyaret Tepe (Tusshan) - Discovering the Anatolian Borders of the Assyrian Empire," was discussed at a panel at Soho House in the Beyoglu district of Istanbul recently. The book aims to provide more information on the cultural heritage of the Assyrian Empire, to raise consciousness, shine a light on the global history and relay the cultural richness of the region to future generations. Providing more information on the book, Prof. Koroglu noted that Tusshan is located on the Tepe Village close to the Bismil district of Diyarbakr and is on the south bank of the Dicle River, and is the largest mound among four other mounds in the region. "An international team consisting of members from America, Europe and Turkey performed great work here. There were people from their fields of expertise in the team," Koroglu said. He further said that despite archaeological excavations, their findings also demonstrated the eating habits of the people and animals in the region. The most crucial area is the garrison town, the city center belonging to the Assyrian period. There are large palaces and mansions on the top level of the city center while there are administrative buildings and warehouses in the lower city. The city is also surrounded by city walls. "The Assyrian King arrived and visited the city in 882 B.C. He announced the establishment of these garrisons with epigraphs he built. We also understand from a tablet that Tusshan was demolished in 611 B.C. This is a state that was alive between 882 and 611 B.C. The reason for the establishment of this state was to benefit from the touristic potential of the region and to support the capital region with this potential," Koroglu said. He further noted that the Assyrians had transferred all their outputs in arts, architecture and daily life to the region. They have established a small model of their capital at Tusshan. Therefore, the antiques, grave gifts and small objects used in daily life resemble the examples from Assyrian capitals. "We got the chance to discover and understand a state center for the first time here. Buildings with large backyards with floors covered with mosaics were unearthed. We found rich gifts buried under the floors of graves. In addition, we also found the first hints about the tradition of cremation in Assyrians," Koroglu further noted. In the excavations, the graves belonging to senior executives and palace workers buried in the backyards of Assyrian palaces were discovered. Plus, certain hints to before and after the settlement of the Assyrian empire were also revealed. There are traces of both settled cultures and also nomadic societies at Tusshan. Koroglu also highlighted the difficulties of preserving architectural artifacts made of clay. He said that especially under Turkey's conditions, clay artifacts that are preserved and can be displayed are rare. The best method for preserving a clay artifact is to document it, present it to the academic world and then after taking a few protective measures, bury it under soil and preserve it there, according to Koroglu. "This is exactly what we did at Tusshan. We would like to turn Diyarbakr into an outdoor museum. However, we need a much higher budget, arrangements and efforts to sustain it in order to achieve that," Koroglu noted. After stating how glad he was to be in Turkey and especially in Istanbul, Dr. John MacGinnis said an excavation was carried on an area of 25 hectares and once they began the excavation works, he realized how important this was. They unrevealed early structures such as the governor's palace, some residences of the elite and barracks, and they've tracked the entire history of the Empire from its emergence in the 9th century B.C. until its collapse. "The most outstanding finding was a clay tablet with a cuneiform that indicates that a language existed 2500 years ago which we didn't know before. The tablet contained names of 60 women who were brought to Tusshan on the table we found at the palace," MacGinnis said. Inside the Assyrian Palace Revealed in Fight for Mosul ( Khalid Mohammed/AP) The sunlight was swallowed in an instant a few steps into the tunnel's narrow mouth, after which the world was of purest black. So pitch and pressing was this darkness that it required a small effort of the mind to ward off the sense of suffocation as we descended. Only thin stabs of torchlight guided our path as the earthen walls narrowed about our shoulders. Somehow pathetic in the bowels of this subterranean labyrinth, the torch nevertheless revealed much more than merely the earthen depths of yet another Islamic State tunnel. Very soon, we discerned winged bulls and goddesses, cuneiform reliefs, bones and pottery and knew that we were stumbling not through an abandoned terrorist sanctuary but in the footsteps of ancient kings in a palace from the dawn of history. Situated beneath the ruins of the tomb of Jonah in east Mosul among the remains of Nineveh -- one of the greatest and oldest cities in the world -- the unearthing last month of this Assyrian complex is the most significant archaeological find in Iraq's recent history, causing excitement and fear in academics across the world. The existence of the palace, which dates to 700 years before Christ, was known to specialists but it had never been excavated due to the sanctity of its location, better known as Nabi Yunus. However, last month Iraqi archaeologists were led by locals to the mouth of a small tunnel beneath the rubble of Nabi Yunus, which had been blown up by Islamic State in June 2014 as part of its campaign to erase shrines from Iraq. The jihadists were driven from the area in January by advancing Iraqi troops in the battle to liberate the city. "And this is what we found," said Layla Salih, 40, one of Iraq's pre- eminent archaeologists, as she gestured in the light of her mobile phone at two magnificent lamassu -- winged bulls -- on either side of the kilometre-long tunnel network. "It is typical of the hypocrisy of the Daesh [Islamic State]," she explained, "that they destroy a site with explosive on video as they deem it un-Islamic, then dig beneath it to steal and sell the artefacts. But in a strange way it is the one positive thing to come out of all this. For their tunnelling for plunder has revealed a palace we would never have been allowed to excavate." Though every moveable artefact has been taken away by Isis for sale on the international antiquities black market, the larger structures. including cuneiform reliefs and lamassu, have remained, as their extraction would have caused the tunnels to collapse. The palace is believed to be that of the Assyrian King Esarhaddon (681-669 BC), youngest son of King Sennacherib, who expanded his royal quarters in Nineveh on an existing complex. Archaeologists had confirmed the site with official excavations around the perimeter of the palace gateway in 1952 and 1986. The chaos in the wake of the US invasion of Iraq in 2003 halted all official excavations and in 2005 as the security situation in Mosul deteriorated, Iraqi authorities reburied the gateway to prevent looting. Layla Salih explores part of the tunnel complex under Nabi Yunus, an ancient site long closed to archaeologists which was unwittingly opened by jihadists in search of treasure to sell. ( Aris Messinis/Getty Images) With mortar fire from the current battle with Isis going on overhead, Ms Salih located two huge alabaster lamassu, seven cuneiform reliefs of various sizes and three further reliefs portraying male and female figures. One, the first of its kind to be discovered in Nineveh, showed three female figures, most probably goddesses, in frontal study. Previous discoveries of Assyrian reliefs typically show figures in profile, and experts in ancient Assyrian artefacts and cuneiform readings say the frontal depiction and ancient script confirms the date of the palace to the reign of Esarhaddon. "These frontal female figures are unusual," said Paul Collins, curator of ancient near east at the Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archaeology, Oxford, "but by mid-7th century BC you do start getting more unusual Assyrian reliefs and an interest in representing female deities, goddesses and supernatural figures. I have seen some of the photographs, and the cuneiform inscriptions confirm the site as the palace of Esarhaddon." King Esarhaddon, whose father had sacked Babylon and slaughtered the city's inhabitants, boasting "with their corpses I filled the city squares", fought repeated wars throughout his rule and put his brothers' families to death. Aside from the muffled sounds of battle from Mosul's west bank above us as we explored the tunnels, other details within the underground complex echoed the violence of Esarhaddon's time in power. Beside one junction, our torches illuminated stained orange jump suits used by Islamic State to dress their prisoners. In that lonely place a body rotted somewhere, and the stench of decay was overpowering. "Could be a dead fighter, or a prisoner," Ms Salih explained. "We know the Daesh used their prisoners to dig these tunnels." Elsewhere we came perilously close to falling down an ancient well shaft which suddenly gaped from the ground at our feet, its walls lined with cuneiform inscriptions. An Iraqi army officer leaned forward and dropped a stone down the shaft to assess its depth. We listened for the moment it landed at the bottom of the well, but the rock plunged into the depths of silence, and we jostled backwards, unnerved. The site of the tunnel has been secured by Iraqi troops to prevent further looting, since Isis were driven from Mosul's east bank at the end of January. Now, the immediate concern for archaeologists is to document what lies in the tunnels, then support them from collapsing until the site can be properly examined. In the recent report of her findings to Iraq's State Board of Antiquities and Heritage, Ms Salih noted that the tunnels could collapse "within weeks", an event which could destroy not only Esarhaddon's palace, but the shattered remnants of Jonah's tomb and the layers of heritage caked beneath it. Unesco is in touch with Iraq's Ministry of Culture and experts from the British Institute for the Study of Iraq over the fate of the palace beneath Nabi Yunus, and a proposal has been sent to the Smithsonian Museum in the US for help in preserving the tunnels. Yet the battle for Mosul continues and, until the guns fall silent in the ravaged city, work is unlikely to start on saving an underground palace still in sniper range of Isis positions on the west bank of the River Tigris. The secrets of King Esarhaddon may yet be surrendered back to the Nineveh earth. March 20, 2017 BAGHDAD The capture of the shrine of the prophet Yunus in Mosul on Jan. 19 from the Islamic State (IS), whose fighters rigged the shrine and blew it up July 24, 2014, revealed the extent of the destruction inflicted by the militants, and on Feb. 28 archaeologists uncovered a palace beneath it, intact since 600 B.C. The palace highlights the significant historical value of the site, dating back to the Assyrian Empire, which began emerging hundreds of centuries before the Christian era. Sheikh Abdullatif Hemayem, head of the Sunni waqf (endowment), visited Mosul March 18 and announced that the waqf is planning to rebuild the shrine's mosque, raising concerns that the newly discovered palace will again disappear, perhaps forever. Faleh al-Shammari, director of antiquities in Ninevah, told Al-Monitor, Antiquities authorities had been aware of the palaces existence under the tomb of Yunus, but [lacking knowledge of the specific location] had never carried out excavations. IS also knew about it, so they dug tunnels into the tomb site on a large scale, revealing more features and unearthing more artifacts. However, these excavations were neither methodical nor scientific. The sole purpose was to rob and destroy the site. Zuhair al-Jabali, head of Mosul's supporting (isnad) local council, revealed in July 2014 that the Islamist group had stolen treasure dating to the Sargonic period (1920-1881 B.C.) buried under Yunus' shrine. Shammari added, The space surrounding and beneath the shrine offers many historical sites and valuable artifacts. He added, Excavation and preservation work will begin once stability is restored, and a budget will be allocated to that end. Competent agencies are currently clearing the rubble. Shammari went on to note, Assyrian inscriptions referring to King Esarhaddon were discovered. This discovery confirms a theory advanced by the renowned Iraqi archaeologist Benham Abu al-Soof, who argued that the ruins of fortresses belonging to the ancient city of Ninevah as well those of King Esarhaddons palace were buried beneath the hill on which the shrine had been built. With this discovery, the significance of this shrine now exceeds that of only being a destination for adherents of the Abrahamic religions. In Christianity, Yunus is known as Jonah and in Judaism as Yonah. His status as a prophet is recognized in the Quran. Iraq is, of course, home to many Mesopotamian historical sites. The rise of Islam ushered in a transformation of these sites into Islamic monuments. As a result, the products of many civilizations and religions literally overlap one another. A case in point is the temple of Shamash, a Babylonian temple believed to have been built sometime between 1792 and 1750 B.C. and later transformed into an Islamic monument. Another example is at the site of the ancient city of Borsippa (whose first era is dated 604-562 B.C.), some 15 miles from the ruins of the historic city of Babylon and where a large mosque was later built to commemorate the birthplace of the prophet Abraham. Despite being sacred, the tomb of the prophet Yunus was not spared destruction by IS, because it was deemed to promote shirk (polytheism or idolatry), according to the groups ideology. This same violation on Islamic teaching on monotheism led IS militants to destroy other centuries-old shrines and ruins. Destroying them is considered obligatory. IS justified the theft and trafficking of antiquities under the pretext of these items also being considered sacred and worshipped. A number of Iraqi historians and archaeologists said this month that IS had destroyed the majority of ancient artifacts in the Mosul Museum, Iraqs second largest museum, while plundering other valuables. Jaafar al-Talaafari, a Ninevah journalist, told Al-Monitor that residents revere Yunus' shrine as more than a religious monument, noting, In addition to its religious significance, the shrine is a touristic destination located on top of a hill that overlooks the city. Once on top, the visitor can enjoy a view from on high across the Mosul landscape. The fierce battle over Mosul between Iraqi security forces and IS militants has been raging since October. Amer Abdul Razzaq, an archaeologist and researcher at Dhi Qars Directorate of Antiquities, told Al-Monitor, Before embarking on any potential excavation activity, monuments destroyed by IS should be rebuilt and preserved. He added that excavating in Mosul has been sparse since the rule of President Saddam Hussein, as most work has been on hold. March 20, 2017 Key lawmakers in the House and Senate are racing to craft bipartisan Iran sanctions legislation before the nations largest pro-Israel lobby holds its policy conference starting this weekend, March 26. The annual gathering of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) offers an ideal environment for congressional action as thousands of eager activists descend on Capitol Hill on March 28. With barely a week to go, the relevant Senate panel remains deadlocked while its House counterpart hopes to shortly strike a deal, according to multiple sources in Congress and pro-Israel groups. The top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs panel, Rep. Eliot Engel, D-N.Y., told Al-Monitor last week he has confidence he can hammer something out with Chairman Ed Royce, R-Calif. Were still negotiating it, and like everything I do with the chairman Im hopeful well have a meeting of the minds, Engel said. It wont take forever. Meanwhile in the Senate, Democrats have yet to coalesce around a single vision that can get the backing of Foreign Relations Chairman Bob Corker, R-Tenn. The top Democrat on the panel, Sen. Ben Cardin, D-Md., is insisting that any sanctions bill preserve President Barack Obamas nuclear agreement, while his more hawkish colleague Robert Menendez, D-N.J., is publicly signaling that hes ready to make the necessary concessions to get a deal done. Cardin told Al-Monitor that hes pushing for a strong bill thats consistent with the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. He indicated that one remaining topic of dispute is how much leeway the Donald Trump administration and future administrations should have in waiving congressionally mandated sanctions. Congress can be directive, but youve got to give the president national security flexibility, Cardin said. The Senate bill is expected to contain non-nuclear sanctions that were included in last years compromise between Corker and Menendez, according to an official with a pro-Israel organization. That bill never made it out of committee after Cardin declined to endorse it, but Menendez says hes now willing to meet Cardin partway. As a matter of fact, I [told] Sen. Cardin today that I wanted to talk to him at length about how we ultimately come together, Menendez told Al-Monitor on March 15. And I have been talking to other Democrats on it. Im not ready to say were not going to reconcile whatever views we originally had. Ive obviously moved a little bit from last years piece of legislation in building broad bipartisan support. The bill may also incorporate several provisions related to Irans ballistic missile program that were included in legislation last year from Sen. Kelly Ayotte, R-N.H., who has since lost re-election. The missile issue remains a top priority for AIPAC and Congress, especially after Irans recent missile tests and the Trump administrations subsequent sanctions orders. The United States must integrate these sanctions into a comprehensive strategy toward Iran, AIPAC argued in a February policy memo. The administration must work aggressively to identify additional entities involved in Irans missile program and sanction those supporting these entities, including financial and transportation companies. The House bill, meanwhile, is expected to focus more specifically than its Senate counterpart on Irans human rights violations, the pro-Israel source said. The internal congressional politics have left AIPAC lobbyists discreetly pushing both parties to compromise and avoid a repeat of the highly partisan Iran deal debate of 2015. The organizations latest Iran-related legislative push was for renewal of the Iran Sanctions Act, which passed both chambers overwhelmingly late last year. Even if Congress cant compromise in time on Iran, AIPAC advocates will have other priorities to lobby for. These include legislation from Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., that empowers state and local governments to avoid doing business with entities that support the boycott campaign against Israel. AIPAC is also pushing Congress to adopt Defense spending legislation that sets aside $601 million for US-Israel missile defense. That bill cleared the House earlier this year but faces uncertain prospects in the Senate, where many Democrats are worried about Trumps budget priorities. March 15, 2017 Hundreds of Christian families escaped the city of el-Arish Feb. 24 after the Islamic State (IS) and its branch in Egypt, Wilayat Sinai, increased attacks on Copts there. It is believed to be the largest wave of collective displacement in Egypt since the June 1967 war. Coptic families have discretely been experiencing displacement since the Egyptian government declared a war on terrorism in July 2013, but Cairo and the media have taken an interest in this latest wave because it involves collective migration. No official census figures are available on the Coptic population in the Sinai. The murder of seven Copts in el-Arish in sporadic incidents between Jan. 30 and Feb. 23 triggered this most recent displacement. Rev. Boulos Halim, spokesman for the Coptic Orthodox Church, told Al-Monitor that an estimated 310 Coptic families are believed to have been uprooted through mid-March. The ultimate fate of the displaced is for the moment unknown, and their return to el-Arish is uncertain. The Evangelical Church in Ismailia was the first to open its doors to the displaced, who were temporarily lodged at the Youth Hostel in Ismailia. Social Solidarity Minister Ghada Wali visited them Feb. 25 and erroneously told them that they would be returning home in a couple of days. Consider yourselves on a trip, she said. Walis statement sparked anger among the displaced Copts. Samir Shukri who had fled el-Arish with his family told Al-Monitor, The minister knows nothing about the situation in el-Arish. Shukri refuses to return to the ravaged city because it remains unsafe. Some culprits will be arrested, and new bodies will litter the streets, Shukri asserted. They tell us el-Arish is safe, but then we discover that the stench of death is following us around. He was referring to a statement by authorities that they had killed the perpetrators who conducted a Jan. 9 attack at a checkpoint in al-Matafi, but it was later revealed that the dead alleged perpetrators had supposedly been kidnapped by security forces before the attack had occurred. The enigmatic episode has led the Christians to question the authorities' veracity and their own safety. Maher Zeki, a volunteer at the Monastery of Saint Anthony, which has welcomed 52 displaced families in Future City in the Ismailia governorate, said that he is betting on public solidarity to support the displaced. He noted that el-Arish residents do not want to return because of the death threats against them, so the only solution is for them to integrate into the areas in which they have sought shelter. The volunteers are ensuring the smooth flow of this process, he claimed. Zekis statement aside, Halim told Al-Monitor, The current situation of the Copts of el-Arish is temporary, until security and stability are restored in the city. The support offered is aimed at alleviating the suffering of these families. He denied that the church plans to help the displaced resettle permanently outside Sinai or to ask the state to help them do so. Bishop Beeman, the head of the Crisis Management Committee for the Orthodox Church, told Al-Monitor, The church awaits the return of its children to their land, houses, work and parish in el-Arish as soon as possible. But we want them to be safe and sound and to preserve their human dignity, the honor of our country and a dear part of Egypt. According to Halima, an assessment by the church March 12 revealed that Ismailia has welcomed 194 Coptic families from el-Arish, while the Port Said governorate has taken in 26 families. Other Christians have sought shelter in Asyut (21 families), Minya (6 families), Sharqia (10 families), Gharbia (8 families) and Cairo (45 families). Wali announced on March 11 that 200 displaced families would be lodged temporarily in Ismailia, Cairo, Asyut and Dakahlia governorates. Toward that goal, she designated 48 housing units in Future City for el-Arish families in the first phase of government efforts. A day later, she announced that additional units had been approved for another 48 families. The housing units are being rented from the Housing Ministry by the Social Solidarity Ministry. In a March 4 press statement, the Education Directorate in Ismailia had welcomed 129 students to schools in the governorate. Ulfa Salama, the spokesperson for the Social Solidarity Ministry, told Al-Monitor, The lodging of the displaced families is temporary. It is not a permanent settlement arrangement outside el-Arish. It is a step that the ministry took to grant the displaced families a sense of privacy and security, albeit temporarily. Salama also noted that the ministry will disburse financial assistance to those who have found refuge with family members outside el-Arish and will take care of families that do not have shelter, food, water or clothes. Mina Nasr, who was displaced from el-Arish, told Al-Monitor that the Kasr al-Dobara Evangelical Church is currently registering all displaced Coptic families, regardless of when they arrived. Those who register will be able to request housing and job opportunities in Ismailia and other governorates as well. Al-Monitor tried to contact Rev. Andree Zeki, head of the Evangelical Church, for data collected on displaced families, but was told to directly contact the evangelical church, which ultimately declined to respond. March 20, 2017 GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip In the context of the recent openness policy that Egypt has come to adopt toward the Gaza Strip, the Egyptian authorities allowed the entry of dozens of trucks loaded with construction materials and food through the Rafah crossing on March 9. For the first time since the siege on Gaza, Egypt allowed the entry of heavy construction trucks, namely concrete pumps. Ten years ago, Israel had banned concrete and several other substances in Gaza for being of dual use (civilian and military). The industrial sector in the Gaza Strip expects these deliveries to help finance the deficit in the construction field in the Gaza Strip, as the 2014 Israeli war on Gaza destroyed more than 65% of construction facilities. The trucks, however, have raised the ire of Israel, according to whom the deliveries damage its own interests given that Hamas could use the goods along with other construction materials to build attack tunnels into Israel. The Egyptian policy of openness toward the Gaza Strip came in the wake of the multiple visits made by leaders of the Hamas movement, which controls Gaza, to Egypt in early January. Several meetings were held with Egyptian officials with the aim of revisiting the tense relationship between the two sides. Tension had mounted after Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi rose to power in 2014 and Cairo accused Hamas of meddling in Egyptian affairs. Khalil al-Zayan, the director of public relations and media at the Palestinian Ministry of Transportation, told Al-Monitor that the trucks were destined for the private sector in the Gaza Strip. Contacts were established between owners of concrete companies in Gaza and Egyptian companies specialized in the manufacturing of such equipment to ensure the arrival of the trucks into Gaza. Israel had refused to allow the entry of such trucks into Gaza, and some are concerned that it would pressure Egypt into preventing the entry of heavy construction trucks into the enclave. Zayan expects the heavy construction and engineering equipment that Egypt allowed in the Gaza Strip to breathe new life into the industrial sector, which is ailing due to the Israeli siege imposed on the Gaza Strip since 2007, and the three Israeli wars during which a lot of equipment has been destroyed and reconstruction activities slowed down. Zayan explained that the entry of these trucks and equipment has been approved by the Ministry of Transportation in Gaza, which is offering multiple facilities, including the reduction of customs fees, to the Palestinian importers and companies as a contribution to the rehabilitation of the concrete constructions and factories. He hopes that Egypt will maintain this policy over the coming days. On March 6-8, trucks were allowed to pass through the Rafah crossing, which was the first time that heavy trucks from Egypt are allowed into Gaza. After the entry of these trucks, Egypt closed the crossing again amid expectations that it will reopen it in early April. Mohammed al-Assar, the head of the Federation of Industries in Gaza, told Al-Monitor that the construction sector in Gaza needs at least 20 concrete pumps and 40 concrete trucks to be able to fill the local market needs amid the large construction activity needed. He said that many owners of concrete companies are contacting heavy construction equipment companies in Egypt to place their orders after the Egyptian authorities recently allowed the entry of such equipment into the Gaza Strip. He noted that the price of one of those trucks exceeds half a million dollars, which is a very large amount compared to the prices offered in the European market ($100,000-$150,000 per truck). But as Israel bans Palestinians from importing those trucks, Gazans find themselves forced to buy them at a high price from Egypt. Assar added that the Federation of Industries contacted the Israeli authorities and the Palestinian Authority in Ramallah several times over the past years to request the entry of such equipment into Gaza. But Israel refused this, claiming Palestinian factions would use the materials brought in for the construction of tunnels. Ever since it imposed the blockade on Gaza, Israel set a long list of goods banned, including heavy trucks and cranes, which it considers dual-use material, for fear of the Palestinians using them in attacks against it. In this context, Ayman al-Buhaisi, the owner of Tahrir concrete factory in Gaza, told Al-Monitor, Thirty-three concrete factories have been affected for 10 years now because they cannot upgrade their equipment. He said the concrete pumps at his factory were made in 1988 and require constant maintenance, but he is not allowed to import any modern equipment. He added, It costs me over 30,000 shekels [$8,266] for the maintenance of one old truck. It will cost me the same amount to import a used truck in good condition from Israel like I did before the siege. Buhaisi noted that Israel also prevents the entry of spare parts, so he often uses parts found in old factories to fix his equipment. He said that although Egypt allowed the entry of only a small number of heavy trucks for the construction and industrial sector in Gaza, it has restored hope in the possibility of factory owners renovating their equipment. Maher al-Tabbah, an economic analyst and the director of public relations at the Palestinian Chamber of Commerce, believes that the modern equipment that came from Egypt to Gaza through the Rafah crossing will save owners the trouble of having to maintain old equipment that was supposed to have been out of service for years now, thus increasing the profits of these companies. Tabbah told Al-Monitor that Gaza is in need of hundreds of construction and industrial equipment in order to revive the economy after years under the blockade and the successive Israeli wars on Gaza. He said he expects larger quantities of equipment to enter into Gaza in the coming period, especially in light of talks about commercial exchange between Egypt and the Gaza Strip. Palestinian company and factory owners in Gaza wonder whether Egypt will continue to bring equipment into the Gaza Strip and contribute in resuscitating the Gazan economy, or whether it will eventually succumb to Israeli pressure and stop supplying it with such equipment. March 20, 2017 In June 2014, Mosul was seized by the Islamic State (IS), whose leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi soon afterward announced a caliphate from the citys grand mosque. Now the caliphate is seemingly coming to an end. Iraqi government forces took the eastern part of Mosul from IS on Jan. 24 after three months of fighting. On March 15, a spokesman for Iraq's Counterterrorism Service said 60% of the western part of Mosul is under the control of Iraqi security forces. The day before, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi had said the operation is in its final stage, pledging the defeat of IS. But military victory in Mosul is just the beginning of a more complicated phase for Iraq. Disparate forces have so far come together to pursue the common objective of expelling IS from Iraq. With the imminent achievement of this goal, many underlying and preceding power struggles will likely re-emerge. Moreover, it should be borne in mind that various external powers including Iran and the United States have become greatly involved in Iraqs security-related affairs and expanded their spheres of influence within the country since IS' 2014 onslaught. One key question is who will step in to fill the power vacuum in post-IS Mosul. Will the United States revert to its previous retreat from the Middle East, or will it opt to reassure its regional allies by keeping at least a part of its current forces in Iraq? Will Iran seek to establish a presence in northern Iraq, either directly or through its allies? After having withdrawn in late 2011, the United States has once again become militarily engaged in the country, deploying over 5,000 troops and special forces, and spending more than $10 billion on combating IS in Iraq and Syria. Meanwhile, the Popular Mobilization Units (PMU), composed mainly of Shiite militias, have gone through a process of state legitimization, becoming a part of Iraqs security forces. Given that Tehran supports large parts of the PMU both militarily and financially, the PMU presence in the Mosul operation has undoubtedly caused concern in Washington about the possible expansion of Irans influence in Iraq. While Iranian officials reject the notion that Iran supports the PMU with the purpose of increasing its regional clout and expanding its sphere of influence in Iraq, the support does indeed greatly serve Iranian interests. Thus, one of the key objectives of the United States in post-IS Mosul will likely be to seek to control and contain Iranian influence. In other words, the PMU may be on a collision course with the United States and its partners in northern Iraq. In this equation, it should be borne in mind that Iran directly ties the security of its borders to the security and stabilization of Mosul. Brig. Gen. Iraj Masjedi, a senior adviser to Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani, the commander of the Quds Force (the foreign operations branch of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps), has called the fight against IS tantamount to defense of the security and geopolitical situation of Iran. Masjedi Irans incoming ambassador to Iraq said March 9 in Tehran that the Islamic Republic will definitely support Iraq's territorial integrity. He further emphasized the importance of Iran's fostering Iraqi security forces after victory in Mosul and the defeat of IS in order to prevent the possible formation of other clandestine terrorist groups. He also expressed support for further security cooperation between Iran and Iraq, besides the ongoing military collaboration. In other words, Iranian officials see Iran's presence in Iraq as a matter of ensuring Irans own national security and not simply as part of a power struggle. Mohammad Sadegh Koushki, a prominent Middle East expert at the University of Tehran, told Al-Monitor that he believes Tehran does not have a clear-cut special plan for post-IS Mosul. He said, Iran did not get directly involved in the Mosul operation, as the Iraqi government had not asked for it. Iran has only supported the PMU indirectly in this operation, upon the official request of the Iraqi government. But the stability of Iraq is important for the Islamic Republic of Iran, because the future of Iran's security is tied to it. The exact number of fighters serving with active Shiite militias in Iraq is not clear. But there are estimates of between 100,000 to 120,000 militiamen, most of them organized under the banner of the PMU. Although the Iraqi parliament has passed legislation to make the PMU an official wing of Iraqis security forces, little is clear about the PMU's future role within the countrys armed forces. The United States is worried about the political influence of the PMU, as a large portion of it receives direct Iranian backing. PMU representative Karim al-Nouri said that taking into account the role of PMU militias in defending Iraq against IS, achieving long-term political goals is a legitimate demand on their part. The United States and Iran look at the Iraqi parliaments PMU legislation through different lenses. The Islamic Republic supports the Nov. 26 law. Rear Adm. Ali Shamkhani, the secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, said in a meeting with Iraqi Vice President Nouri al-Maliki in Tehran on Jan. 3 that the legislation was the result of the PMU's constructive performance. Shamkhani further emphasized that the PMU enjoyed a strategic potential in providing Iraq's future security. Meanwhile, the United States wants to play an active role in determining the future of the PMU and facilitating the demobilization or integration of the remaining PMU units into the Iraqi security forces in order to manage its power, as it might influence US interests in Iraq. The integration of the PMU into the existing security forces under the Defense Ministry and the Interior Ministry would prevent the buildup of strong institutions outside of the governmental structure, akin to the Iranian Basij. The United States is concerned that the PMU may turn into a Hezbollah-type proxy of Iran, potentially escalating regional rivalries by antagonizing regional powers such as Saudi Arabia and Turkey. Thus, the post-IS governance of Mosul and the contribution of each of the involved forces in the distribution of power appears likely to be the biggest challenge ahead. One of the possible scenarios is that Mosul will return to its pre-IS status, with the Iraqi central government assuming full authority over Ninevah province. Both Baghdad and Tehran support this scenario, although Sunni Arab communities and Kurds do not and believe that reverting to the previous situation will not solve security problems. Koushki said the favored US scenario is to turn Ninevah into a Sunni region like the Kurdistan region. He said the more serious US presence in Iraq in recent years shows that Washingtons purpose is to weaken the Iraqi central government and influence Baghdads political landscape. How Iran might respond to the latter remains unclear. The University of Tehran professor added, While Iran advocates Iraqs territorial integrity, it will support the decisions of the Iraqis. March 20, 2017 Reactions in Jordan are mixed over the release of Ahmed Daqamseh. Daqamseh, a former corporal in the Jordanian army, was convicted by a military court of murdering seven Israeli schoolgirls and wounding six others in the Island of Peace border area in the Jordan Valley in March 1997. He served a life sentence of 20 years under Jordanian law and was released March 12 to his family under tight security. He was given a heros welcome at his village of Idbir in northern Jordan, where he told reporters who were later barred from talking to him not to believe the lie of normalization with the Zionist entity and not to believe the lie of the two-state solution, adding, There is no state called Israel. Despite his heated anti-Israel rhetoric, there are those who believe that he is being used by Islamist and other activists as a political pawn. A number of parliamentarians hailed him as a hero, but there was no official comment from the government and news of his release received little coverage in mainstream media. Saleh al-Armouti, a leading Islamist Lower House deputy, told Al-Monitor, Jordanians will never forget the massacres committed by Israelis who were never put on trial and are in fact in leadership positions. He went on, Daqamseh was tried and served his sentence and he is now out as a hero. Israel remains an enemy and will always be viewed as an aggressor. Armouti was referring to Israels military operations in Gaza between 2008 and 2014, the economic blockade in place on the Strip and almost daily confrontations between Palestinians and Israeli soldiers in the West Bank that often result in Palestinian casualties. At the time of his trial, the motives for Daqamsehs shooting rampage were unclear. He was reported to have told the court that he fired his weapon at the schoolgirls after they mocked him while he was praying. The court decided that he was mentally unstable and sentenced him to life in prison. His release renewed public debate, and Jordanians took to social media, especially Facebook, to express their opinions. Some hailed him as hero but others stated that his crime was a disgrace to his military uniform and Jordanian values. But even those who attacked him were keen to underline their negative view of Israel, which they accused of killing Palestinians, especially women and children, and of usurping Palestinian rights. The 1997 carnage was a major embarrassment for the Jordanian government and condemned by the late King Hussein, who flew to Israel to pay his condolences to the bereaved families. But over the years, there were repeated calls by parliamentarians and Jordanian activists for Daqamsehs release. In April 2013, the majority of Lower House deputies signed a petition calling on the government to release him. Those who rallied on his behalf cited their objection to the peace treaty with Israel and to any form of normalization with what they call the Zionist entity. The online debate over Daqamseh emphasized the deep resentment that a majority of Jordanians feel toward Israel more than 22 years after Jordan and Israel signed a historic peace treaty. The public still views Israel as an enemy, and the powerful professional unions, which represent hundreds of thousands of doctors, engineers, teachers and journalists, have consistently objected to any kind of normalization between Jordan and Israel. Those accused of dealing with Israel risk losing their union memberships and even their jobs. A number of polls conducted over the years have found that a majority of Jordanians have a negative view of Israel. One of them, commissioned by the Israel Project and published in February 2012, showed 94% negative opinions of Israel among Jordanians. The same survey found a slight majority, 52%, believe that Jordan should cancel the peace treaty. Peace between Jordan and Israel has often been described as cold even as the two countries continue to quietly maintain high-level security coordination. Meetings between officials from the two governments are rare and are almost never reported on in the media. Israels crushing of the Palestinian intifada in 2000 and the siege of Yasser Arafat in Ramallah that followed, the wars on Gaza that killed thousands, the atrocities against Palestinians in the West Bank and near-daily provocations at Al-Aqsa Mosque have all contributed to Israels image as an enemy. Jordan has a unique relationship to the Palestinian cause. In 1950, the West Bank became part of the Hashemite kingdom. Jordan received successive waves of Palestinians following the Arab-Israeli wars of 1948 and 1967, and today it hosts more than 2 million UN-registered Palestinian refugees. With almost 50% of the population hailing from historical Palestine, an overwhelming majority of Jordanians remain firmly attached to the principle of Palestinian statehood. While the government supports a two-state solution, Jordanians remain divided on the issue of recognizing Israel. Islamists and leftists including socialists, Nasserites, Baathists and communists reject the notion entirely. In 2014, a Jordanian judge of Palestinian descent was gunned down by an Israeli soldier on the King Hussein Bridge as he was traveling from Amman to Nablus in the West Bank. The Jordanian public was indignant and the findings of a joint commission of inquiry into his murder have yet to be published. Thousands of Jordanians took to the street last October to protest the signing of a $10 billion deal between the local electricity company and an American energy company responsible for developing Israels biggest offshore natural gas field. Still the government defended the unpopular agreement, and a divided parliament failed to open debate on the deal last week, referring the matter instead to its energy committee. A survey by a local TV station, Roya, in November 2016 found that 71% of Jordanians were in favor of raising the price of electricity in return for canceling the gas deal with Israel. Despite the negative public sentiments, preserving the peace treaty with Israel goes deep into the heart of Jordans national security and abrogating it is not an option. Despite public rejection of any dealings with Israel, the two governments have signed a number of agreements on bilateral trade, water, free trade zones, the environment, energy, aviation and transportation since 1994. In 2014, Jordans exports to Israel were worth $412 million, while imports were valued at $110 million, although more recent figures show a slowdown in bilateral trade. While many newspaper commentators avoided writing about Daqamseh's release and its public impact, one columnist cautioned Israel against attempting to assassinate him. Mohammad Abu Rumman, wrote in Al-Ghad March 14, The safety of Daqamseh is the biggest concern for the government now, knowing how the Israeli mentality works when it comes to perceived enemies. He added, These are particularly tense times for Jordanians and Palestinians and a possible Israeli attempt against Daqamseh will have wide-ranging political and security repercussions. Amer al-Sabaileh, the director of a Jordanian strategic think tank, believes Jordanians will never accept normalization with Israel and that the peace treaty is a piece of paper between two political systems and not nations. He told Al-Monitor that the Daqamseh case has revealed the level of Jordanians' animosity toward Israel. The public reaction indicates that governments will never be able to convince people of the value of peace with Israel when it is committing atrocities every day, he said. March 17, 2017 On March 2, a military force affiliated with the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) led by former President Jalal Talabani seized the North Oil Company in Kirkuk province. The military force said the move was a warning for Baghdad to stop the export of the city's oil to other cities and to start establishing a refinery in the city. The military force halted the export of oil for a brief period. This event is linked to an agreement concluded Aug. 19, 2016, between the central government and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG). The agreement said that 150,000 barrels of oil will be equally exported from Baghdad and Erbil and that the proceeds will be shared. The agreement said that the KRG will export its oil through the Kurdistan pipeline to the Turkish port of Ceyhan and will refine the oil through its Kar Oil Company. However, the PUK did not applaud this agreement; Hero Ibrahim Ahmed, the wife of Jalal Talabani, sent a letter to Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi on Sept. 8, 2016, stating, The proceeds of the oil exported from Kirkuk are not being spent transparently and fairly in the Kurdistan region. These practices have denied Kirkuk its petro-dollar dues, which negatively affected the lives of the Kirkuk citizens. After the Baghdad government failed to respond to the PUK demands to stop the implementation of the agreement, Kurdish forces took control of the oil facilities in Kirkuk in an attempt to rearrange the oil accord by force, as per Kirkuk PUK member of parliament Mohamed Osman. Osman told Al-Monitor, The recent military action taken by a force affiliated with the PUK was supported by Kirkuks political parties. The governments in Baghdad and Erbil have deprived Kirkuk of its rights." He pointed out that the provinces administration and its sects wanted the payment of oil proceeds [that have been] withheld by the central government, the creation of job opportunities and the inclusion [of Kirkuk] in investment plans similar to other provinces. Osman pointed out that during his recent visit to Sulaimaniyah on March 7, Abadi promised that the PUK demands would be met. Changes on the ground are yet to materialize. The new agreement stipulates that the PUK will abandon its threat to close the pipeline after the Iraqi government increases the production capacity of the Kirkuk oil refinery to 40,000 barrels per day. However, the crisis will not stop at this point, given the historical conflict between the Kurdish PUK and Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) over control of the Kurdish region territory and its resources, according to Ihsan al-Shammari, a political science professor at the University of Baghdad. Shammari added, The real dispute is between the Kurdish parties, not with Baghdad, which has concluded an agreement to solve the Kirkuk oil issue with the Kurdish government in Erbil [controlled by the KDP led by Massoud Barzani]. With the [coming] end of the war with the Islamic State, differences began to surface more clearly. He added, The political crisis in the Kurdistan region is preventing the Kurdish parties from taking a unified position on the outstanding issues with Baghdad, particularly with regard to the disputed regions, oil and the general budget. The crisis experienced by the region since 2015 can be boiled down to the constitutional vacuum that was created with the end of Barzanis mandate, the fact that new presidential elections have not been held and the paralyzing of the Kurdistan parliament, which led to a major political dispute between the KDP (Erbil) on the one hand and the PUK and the Movement for Change (in Sulaimaniyah) on the other. The conflict is still going on. Shammari did not rule out that political parties in Baghdad can be quick to take advantage of the internal Kurdish differences. He is also expecting there to be conflicts not relating to oil but to the management of the areas liberated from the Islamic State (IS). The Kurdish parties do not seem ready to enter into a direct confrontation yet or to discuss a way to resolve the differences. Talabanis PUK party blames the central government for the oil agreement between Baghdad and Erbil. Meanwhile, Barzanis KDP party, which described the control of the North Oil Company as provocative, accused former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki of fabricating the Kirkuk oil crisis. KDP member of parliament Birwan Kilani said in a statement March 6, Maliki was and still is seeking to thwart and weaken Abadi and hand over Iraqi provinces such as Ninevah to IS in order to achieve political and personal interests and fuel sectarianism and nationalism. She pointed out that Maliki is seeking to divide and weaken the Kurds, ignite a civil war and lead them to shed blood in order to gain power in the next elections. Kilanis statement might be based on the strong relationship between Talabanis party and the Sulaimaniyah parties on the one hand and the Shiite circles in Baghdad on the other in light of Malikis visit July 19, 2016, to Sulaimaniyah. That visit stirred up a huge controversy among the Kurdish political parties, especially after Erbil accused Maliki of stopping the payment of Kurdistan staff salaries and imposing strict economic policies on the Kurds. It is worth recalling that Baghdad only concluded an oil sharing agreement on Kirkuk crude with Erbil due to the unstable security situation in the south of the province and due to IS control of Hawija and nearby areas. Should these be liberated, the central government would return to transporting Kirkuk oil for export from Iraq's southern ports and would again control the Kirkuk oil export and extraction process. This would be opposed by the KRG, which would seek to export the Kirkuk oil without going through the central government. March 20, 2017 As the war on the Islamic State (IS) is ongoing in Syria and Iraq and fierce battles between IS and the Egyptian army in the Sinai Peninsula continue, IS seems to be shifting its attention toward the Palestinian territories and Israel. On Feb. 26, Israeli newspaper Haaretz said that Israel had arrested in Israeli and West Bank cities 83 Arabs affiliated with IS in 2016, after they were caught communicating online with IS members abroad and planned to carry out attacks in Israel. Some were arrested before being able to head for Iraq and Syria where they would join the ranks of IS, while others were arrested once they came back from fighting with IS. On Jan. 9, the Palestinian Authority (PA) arrested 22 Salafists and jihadis in the West Bank, whom it suspected of planning to plant rigged cars targeting Israelis. Meanwhile, on March 11, the families of dozens of Salafist detainees arrested by Hamas in Gaza since December 2016 issued a statement calling on releasing their children and rejecting the arrest policy against them. Hussam al-Dajani, a political science professor at Al-Ummah University Open Education, told Al-Monitor, The Palestinian environment does not tolerate IS ideology. Most of those who follow such ideology leave the West Bank and Gaza and head to Iraq, Syria and Sinai. Some supporters who believe in IS principles and ideology have managed to attract additional followers into their ranks, despite the Palestinian security pursuing them. Dajani said, However, the siege imposed on Gaza is believed to have created a welcoming environment for extremist groups that can easily spread under the prevailing despair and poverty and attract the youth who make up the majority of Gazas population. In terms of individuals officially affiliated with IS, the group does not seem present in the Palestinian territories as much as it is in Sinai in Egypt, Derna in Libya, Raqqa in Syria and Mosul in Iraq. According to Abu Alaaina Ansari, a leader of the Salafist movement in the Palestinian territories, there are hundreds of IS supporters affiliated with Salafist groups in Gaza, such as Jund Ansar Allah, Jaish al-Islam, Jaish al-Ummah, Saifullah movement, Tawhid and Jihad Brigades, Suyuf al-Haqq Brigades and Mujahedeen Shura Council. However, the Palestinian security services do not have accurate figures in this regard. Speaking to Al-Monitor, Eyad al-Bozom, the spokesman for the Ministry of Interior in Gaza, denied the possibility of security services arresting individuals based on their ideology. We only arrest those who try to harm Gazas security. Palestinian society much like any other society is influenced by ideologies. But despite this, Palestinian armed factions make it their priority to unite their efforts in confronting the Israeli occupation, without triggering internal confrontations as happens in neighboring countries such as Egypt, Syria and Iraq. The Ministry of Interior aims to rehabilitate, not punish. Through security measures and efforts to raise awareness, we try to convince the youth not to follow extremist ideologies. The Palestinian Interior Ministry refuses to reveal details about its efforts in confronting Salafists in the Gaza Strip. Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar reported March 9 that security services in Gaza arrested dozens of Salafists, aged between 19 and 25, without specifying an exact figure. Some of those arrested were tried in military courts in Gaza in early March on charges of supporting IS and owning unlicensed weapons, but no final sentences were issued. On March 7-8, the Islamic University in Gaza held the International Conference for Science and Development, titled, The crisis of understanding and its relationship with the phenomenon of extremism and violence." Al-Monitor attended some of the conferences sessions where dozens of clerics, members of the Cabinet and the Palestinian Legislative Council, and university professors participated. Guest speaker Khalil al-Hayya, the deputy head of Hamas political bureau, called on resolving the phenomenon of extremism by finding a suitable environment to confront it. Youssef Farhat, a preaching and guidance manager at Gazas Ministry of Awqaf and Religious Affairs and head of the conferences preparatory committee, told Al-Monitor, The issue of extremism illustrated by IS is one of the most dangerous social troubles manifested in Islamic movements. The main reason behind [extremism] is the false interpretation of religious texts and dealing with them through uneducated means, resulting in a dangerous impact on Islam. He said, This leads to violence, which is not approved by Islam, due to the misunderstanding of jihadism in Islamic movements that adopt extremism. Hamas sought to address this phenomenon by holding intellectual dialogues with supporters of such groups. On another note, Israel accuses Palestinians who carry out attacks against it of being affiliated with IS. This happened with Fadi Qanbar, the perpetrator of the ramming truck attack in Jerusalem on Jan. 8, and Yacoub Abu Qian, who ran over an Israeli policeman in the Negev Desert Jan. 18. Meanwhile, IS claimed responsibility for a missile attack targeting the Israeli city of Eilat on Feb. 9. A Salafist from the West Bank who supports IS told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity, The group, which has hundreds of Palestinian supporters, believes that Hamas participation in the legislative elections in 2006 and its establishment of ordinances reflect blasphemous behavior. Hamas is committing a Sharia violation when it gives its resistance of the Israeli occupation a national Palestinian tone, instead of preaching about Islamic doctrine because religion orders Muslims to wage wars to establish a worldwide Islamic community that is not limited to a specific geographic area. Saleh Raqab, the former minister of awqaf in the Hamas government and a preacher who regularly holds dialogues with IS supporters in the hope of changing their minds, told Al-Monitor, The ideology adopted by IS and Salafist movements is commonly spread due to the political failure in Palestine. Palestinians in Israel are persecuted, especially with the new law to ban mosque prayer calls approved by the Knesset on March 8. In the West Bank, the PA arrests scholars and maintains security coordination with Israel. All horizons to resist the occupation are blocked. He added, Meanwhile in Gaza, supporters of IS and other Salafist groups accuse Hamas of failing to apply Islamic Sharia. In this regard, I have recently met with dozens of individuals held in detention centers in Gaza, some I succeeded in persuading to let go of their convictions others I couldn't. Although IS ideology is somewhat spread among Palestinians, a poll conducted in July 2015 by the Arab World for Research and Development revealed that an overwhelming majority of 93% of Palestinians believe IS does not represent true Islam and think the groups action are unjustified. A security official in the West Bank told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity, IS is not present in the West Bank as Palestinians believe it is a terrorist group. If there ever is any information about an individual affiliated with IS, they will be immediately arrested. So far, the group has failed to create a military cell here and we received strict instructions from high-ranking political and security officials in the PA to be as firm as possible in handling any signs of IS cells in the West Bank. March 20, 2017 Filli Boya Paint, one of Turkeys best-known brands of construction paints, produced a short video to celebrate International Womens Day. Indeed, it has become a tradition in the last decade that male-dominated sectors, such as the construction industry and car manufacturing, honor womens accomplishments in their field. This year's Filli Boya commercial was different, however. For starters, most of the speakers in the clip were middle-aged or elderly residents from rural areas. On top of that, the video gave voice to women and men from different regions of the country, identifiable by their attire. The ad was also intriguingly anti-government, but without mentioning the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) or President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. One part of the video references the notorious statement by AKP co-founder Bulent Arinc, who said women should not laugh out loud in public. The video ridiculed Arincs assertion, highlighting that this is not what people in Anatolia believe. A man in the video says, It would not be ok if women did not laugh. Then flowers should not bloom. The video also denounced physical and sexual violence against women and criticized efforts to legalize underage marriage. The AKP has long argued that the latter is an Anatolian tradition, and secular snobbish elites simply did not understand the customs and traditions of Turkey's small towns and villages. The clip stood as a stark reminder that this is not the case. At the end of the video, mention is made of the founder of modern Turkey, Kemal Ataturk, averring that people do not want to lose the rights they gained by the establishment of a republic. The video became an instant hit, and #FilliBoyaReklami (Filli Boya commercial) began trending on social media. Most viewers were impressed and applauded the company, but of course others were not so enthusiastic. Yasemin Varlik penned a column for ABC Newspaper asserting that the video represented an attempt to generate local and national resistance to the AKPs insistence on Wahhabi morals by using Anatolian voices. Finding this a matter of concern, one columnist asked, Why has such an honest and straightforward message been transmitted to the public by a paint company rather than all these political parties or nongovernmental organizations? Turkish media soon discovered and cheered the name behind the brand Gozde Akpinar, a mother in her mid-30s and owner of Filli Boya. Akpinars twitter account has a pinned tweet declaring her unapologetic stand against the approaching April 16 referendum that reads, For trees #no, for animals #no, for womens respectability #no, for freedom of having access to press #no, for science and scholarship #no, for children #no. AKP supporters unhappy about the commercial expressed their feelings in various ways. For example, Zekeriya Say penned a searing column for the ultra-right Yeni Akit calling for a national boycott of Filli Boya products. He argued that although Akpinars stand against the referendum is an individual matter, given that Germany initiated a no campaign abroad, it is significant that Betek Boya, Filli Boyas parent company that allegedly has German shareholders, has become part of the opposition. This criticism was promptly taken up by pro-AKP social media accounts to lambast Filli Boya for showing its true colors, accusing the company of being a representative of the German government and championing that its betrayal not be forgotten. As might be expected, criticism evolved into ad hominem attacks and ended with unfounded allegations leading to a social lynching of Akpinar. Images of fake tweets from her made the rounds on social media. False statements belittling the poor, hungry, working class and allegedly AKP voters appeared under her handle. Akpinar firmly denied the tweets, and no searches revealed evidence to contradict her. Damage was nonetheless done, as hundreds denigrated Akpinar, and she tweeted that she will be taking her case to court. The conservative satirical magazine Misvak shared a distasteful cartoon repeating and spreading the allegations in fake tweets. Filli Boya employees and thousands of tweeter users stood by Akpinar, applauding her for being a fair and brave employer. The video is not political per se or about the referendum, so why did it attract the ire of pro-AKP figures? It hit two crucial nerves that had already led to tensions in the run-up to the referendum being released through angry outbursts against the Dutch. First, the video celebrates Anatolian traditional values about women's place and belittles the AKP's fake and foreign Islamism. These have been particularly touchy issues for the AKPs referendum rallying, which relies heavily on the support of ultra-nationalists. Also, the AKP has been struggling in its appeals to pious Kurdish voters. Both Turkish ultra-nationalists and Kurds are deeply worried about Erdogans attempt to Arabize Anatolia. Second, but more crucial for the AKP, is that big business is quietly distancing itself from the party. Indeed, the AKP had begun a witch hunt even before the July 15 coup attempt, foremost against pro-Gulen enterprises. The Turkish Confederation of Businessmen and Industrialists, a pro-Gulen association, faced heavy government penalties and was promptly shut down after the attempted coup. Boydak Holding, a member of the Turkish Industry and Business Association (TUSIAD), the oldest and most prestigious big business network, quit the association in April 2016 following the arrest of senior members beginning in September 2015 for Gulenist movement connections. An economic historian who requested anonymity told Al-Monitor, As in Ottoman times, the idea with pro-Gulen businesses being seized by the government is considered normal, as their wealth is not perceived as private property. So even among the top business owners, the idea is that government provided the opportunities for these entities to become so rich so fast, and now the government is taking them over as punishment. However, of course, international fiscal markets view these reckless government interventions as a significant threat. Until now, big businesses had been complacent about AKP's policies. They are indispensable to the AKP's survival, but now one of them, led by a determined woman, stands publicly against the party. Can she prevail? Kadir Yildirim of Rice Universitys Baker Institute for Public Policy, while acknowledging the high risk for any business opposing the government, told Al-Monitor, Keep in mind that the only way the current Turkish government keeps its popularity high and maintains a competitive, authoritarian model is by upholding this prospering Turkey image. Any criticism that would challenge this narrative by the government poses a great risk. Yet, Erdogan has not used this opportunity to openly target Filli Boya in the last 10 days. To the contrary, on March 14, his wife held a reception for high-profile businesswomen. An economic historian requesting anonymity observed, [This is a sign] of the economic disaster Turkey is facing. Erdogan cannot afford to disturb another big business right before the referendum, not when youth unemployment has reached over 25%. Erdogans biggest ally small- and medium-size enterprises are failing to create jobs, exports are decreasing, and the US dollar is an issue more frequently discussed than the weather in coffeehouses. Filli Boyas International Womens Day commercial has unintentionally rocked the boats of complacent big businesses in Turkey. It may not be the last shake-up. March 20, 2017 Following President Recep Tayyip Erdogans March 10 visit to Moscow, which saw the signing of eight bilateral deals, Turkeys top economic columnist Tevfik Gungor Uras penned an article headlined We keep signing deals with Russia. In a rather sarcastic tone, he listed an array of deals and protocols signed between the two countries in recent years, questioning how much progress was actually achieved on the ground. According to analysts, the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) is scrambling for rapprochement and expanded ties with Russia as its international isolation deepens. This includes intensified efforts on military and diplomatic levels as well as in the economic field. One of the new protocols with Moscow involves the establishment of a $1 billion joint wealth fund. To what extent it will materialize remains to be seen, but the plan has one truly intriguing aspect: financing Turkeys Ronesans Holding. The company runs major construction operations in Russia and is also the builder of Erdogans lavish presidential palace, which the opposition says remains an illegal structure. Turkeys own sovereign wealth fund widely seen as an attempt to create a parallel budget and provide lifesavers to pro-government businesspeople under financial strain is still in the process of being shaped, but here it is already poised for another controversial venture. According to the deal, the joint fund between the Turkey Wealth Fund (TVF) and the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) would be created with contributions of up to $500 million by each side. TVF board Chairman Mehmet Bostan said the TVF and RDIF will work on profitable investment opportunities in both Turkey and Russia to contribute to the two countries economic growth and boost their prosperity levels. The RDIF, created in 2011 to support foreign direct investments in Russia, said in a statement that the deal with Turkey would help advance cooperation with Ronesans Holding. According to the statement, the joint fund will invest in various projects in Russia, and the implementation of joint projects with Ronesans Holding will create up to 2,500 jobs at the development stage and over 1,000 jobs at the operational stage. Erman Ilicak, the president of Ronesans, said, I believe this agreement holds a strategic importance for the economies of both countries. We are happy and proud to partner with RDIF. Nail Olpak, the head of Turkeys Independent Industrialists and Businessmens Association known as the business group behind the AKP regime stressed that normalizing economic ties with Russia was also of strategic value for Turkey, along with reconciliation on the political level. The $1 billion Turkish-Russian joint fund will clear the way not only for investments in Turkey and Russia but also for cooperation in third countries, Olpak, who was part of the business delegation accompanying Erdogan in Moscow, said. Ronesans Holding is the second largest foreign construction company operating in Russia. It has undertaken a variety of projects, ranging from shopping malls, business centers and high-rises to industrial facilities and power plants. According to the RDIF, the company is now involved in preliminary work on opportunities in developing health care centers and transport infrastructure, including bridge and toll road construction. The archives show that the cooperation between the RDIF and Ronesans dates to 2014. In December that year, Ilicak told Turkeys Hurriyet daily that his company had signed a $400 million partnership deal with the RDIF. Praising the RDIF as the worlds most successful investment fund, Ilicak said, We have invested $1.8 billion so far in real estate in Russia. With this deal, we will now invest another $3.8 billion. For the RDIF, this is a first. We have acquired the land and construction permits. Also, the RDIF will bring us together with foreign companies that want to invest in Russia. Yet the crisis over Turkeys downing of a Russian warplane in November 2015 stalled progress on many cooperation deals. Now the TVF is stepping in to revive the impetus. But why Ronesans? Does this have anything to do with the fact that the company was the builder of Erdogans presidential palace? The construction of the palace was highly controversial. Built on a protected site, it was several times challenged at the courts, and its cost still remains unclear. Ronesans contribution was said to be significant. According to Development Ministry data, the palace described initially as a prime ministers office, for Erdogan was not yet elected president was put on the public investments list in 2012, with its project cost estimated as 650 million Turkish liras (some $179 million). According to data by the Housing Development Administration, an agency attached to the prime minister, the construction of the palace was awarded to Ronesans as a project worth 595 million Turkish lira. As the construction proceeded, the Ankara branch of Turkeys Architects Chamber raised allegations that the real cost was much higher, drawing up its own calculation of materials used in the project. In November 2014, Finance Minister Mehmet Simsek said in parliament that the total cost of the project was more than double the estimated cost at 1.37 billion Turkish liras. A few months later, in response to a written question by an opposition deputy, Simsek said he did not have cost figures. Then, in the Development Ministrys investment program for 2015, the cost of the palace was put at 1.4 billion Turkish liras, up 115% from the original figure. As Turkey fast drifts away from transparency and accountability, among other democratic norms, the construction cost of Erdogans palace remains a mystery. In the meantime, reports of a private contribution by Ronesans have never been denied, which brings to mind an intriguing question: Is the support offered to Ronesans through the joint fund with Russia a way to repay the palaces debt? mill creek.PNG (MillCreekBrewingCo.com) Alabama residents will soon have more craft beer options. Mill Creek Brewing Co. said it has signed an agreement with Budweiser Distributors to deliver beer in Huntsville, Birmingham, Shelby County, and Montgomery in April. The Nolensville, Tenn., brewery will continue distribution in Mobile/Gulf Shores in May and Auburn and Tuscaloosa in August. The company's Landmark (Vintage Lager), Lil Darlin' (Citrus Wheat), Woodshed (IPA), and Silo (Farmhouse Ale) beers will be available on draft and in 12-ounce cans in Alabama. Mill Creek said all four beers are "flagship" releases. Alabama is the first out-of-state market for Mill Creek, which says it is the first Tennessee brewery to distribute beer beyond state lines within its first year of operation. The business, founded by six-year home brewer Chris Going, is located about 30 minutes outside of Nashville. Mill Creek has a 27,500-square-foot facility with a 30-bbl automated brewhouse, quality control lab, 7,500-bbl fermentation capacity and an in-house canning and kegging lines. The brewery added a taproom in February. Dogfish Head, a popular Delaware brewer, debuted in Alabama earlier this month. With the expansion, Dogfish Head now distributes in 35 states and Washington, D.C. Science Building.jpg A new science building on Gadsden State's Broad Street campus has been approved. (Gadsden State) The Alabama Community College System Board of Trustees has approved three construction projects for Gadsden State Community College, to be completed by 2019. The three projects are: A new science building on the college's East Broad Campus. Renovations to Allen Hall on the Wallace Drive Campus. An addition to the Cheaha Career Center on the Ayers Campus in Anniston. The community college system board has authorized issuing $25 million in limited obligation revenue bonds to fund the projects. "The new construction and renovations are consistent with Gadsden State's strategic plan, which we define as the 3 I's - instruction, infrastructure and institution," Gadsden State President Martha Lavender said. "Our plan focuses on not only quality educational programming and continuous improvement but also on addressing the infrastructure needs of aging facilities. Students learn best in an environment that is stimulating, conducive to learning and student-friendly." The new science building will be constructed on the corner of Wallace Drive and East Cardinal Drive, next to Gadsden State's One Stop Center. It will replace 50-year-old Browder Hall, located on the Wallace Drive Campus. Browder Hall has space and technology limitations as well as other age-related issues. "The new building will have over 57,000-square-feet of classrooms, laboratories, offices, an auditorium and a tornado shelter," Lavender said. "The science building brings a significant program to the East Broad Campus and essentially unifies the Wallace Drive and East Broad campuses." Renovations to Allen Hall, the oldest building on the Wallace Drive campus, include upgrading bathrooms, electrical, plumbing and heating/cooling systems. "Allen Hall will adequately and comfortably serve students in 22 classrooms and labs and two student gathering areas," she said. "In addition to improving instructional space, the renovation enhances energy efficiencies of the building." The addition to the Cheaha Career Center addresses the need for additional general education classes at the Ayers Campus in Anniston, which support Gadsden State's career technical and transfer programs. "We are adding eight classrooms, six offices and a 140-seat lecture hall that will double as a tornado shelter to the Cheaha Center," she said. The estimated timeline for completion of the projects is January 2019 for the Cheaha Center addition, April 2019 for the Allen Hall renovation, and August 2019 for the construction of the new science building. The board also recommended a special building fee of $12 per credit hour, effective for the fall semester. A man was killed and a woman injured in a Sunday-night crash in Walker County. Alabama State Troopers on Monday identified the fatality victim as George Jonathan Ambrose. He was 30. The accident happened at 7:35 p.m. on Tutwiler Road, about 10 miles south of Good Springs, said Senior Trooper Johnathan Appling. The 2002 Kia left the roadway, struck a tree and overturned. Ambrose and 24-year-old Tabitha Smith were both taken to UAB Hospital. Ambrose died at 5:15 a.m. Monday. Appling said it's still unclear who was driving the vehicle. The crash remains under investigation. Eight people are in custody in connection with the Friday escape of two Marion County jail inmates, but the two escapees remain on the run. Cory Dean and Zepplin Kennedy escaped around 1:32 a.m. Dean is a 22-year-old white male who was being held on seven burglary charges, criminal mischief, arson, and discharging firearm into unoccupied dwelling charges. Dean was last seen with gray short-sleeve shirt and gray sweatpants. Kennedy is a 20-year-old white male charged with 31 counts of possession of pornography and production of pornography with a minor. Kennedy was last seen with gray sweatshirt and white pants. The men were tracked by Alabama Department of Corrections K-9 Unit along with K-9 units with the Marion County Sheriff's Department throughout the weekend. Marion County sheriff's officials on Monday said they have received tips that the pair is no longer in Mississippi and have returned to Alabama. Sheriff Kevin Williams said investigators are confident they are in the Kennedy area in southern Lamar County. So far, he said, searches have been carried out at three different locations on Liberty Church Road in Kennedy. Eight people have been charged with aiding the fleeing ment - five of them in Lamar County, and three of them in Marion County. Those arrested in Lamar County are: -Victoria Parker, 22, Kennedy, Hinder Apprehension of Escapee -Danny Parker, 48, Kennedy, Hinder Apprehension of Escapee -Randy Parker, 49, Kennedy, Hinder Apprehension of Escapee -Leslie Fields, 45, Millport, Hinder Apprehension of Escapee - Billy Funderburk, 46, Millport,Hinder Apprehension of Escapee Those arrested in Marion County are: -Rachel Parrish - 42, Hamilton, Hindering Prosecution, Aiding and Abetting, and Obstruction of Government Operations -Thomas Elinberg, 41, Hamilton, Hindering Prosecution -Ashley Tucker, 27, Hamilton - Hindering Prosecution Parris was arrested Friday; the other seven on Sunday. Williams said he wanted to remind the community that it is not wise to help the escapees run from law enforcement. "If you are caught aiding and assisting the escapees, just as the individuals already arrested, you will be arrested and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,'' the sheriff said. Anyone with information is asked to call the Marion County Sheriff's Department at 205-921-7433. An escaped state prison inmate was captured early today in Fairfield. Demetrius Harris, 45, escaped from his assigned job site in Montgomery about 11:20 p.m. Saturday. Harris was assigned to the Frank Lee Work Release Center in Deatsville before his escape. Alabama Department of Corrections officials said Fairfield police received a tip on Harris' whereabouts about 1 a.m. Monday and took him into custody at a gas station. At the time of his capture, said ADOC spokesman Bob Horton, Harris was in possession of a stolen vehicle. Harris was taken to the Jefferson County Jail to be held until his return to state prison. He is serving a life sentence for first-degree theft of property on a 1999 conviction out of Montgomery County. Authorities said Harris has multiple burglary and theft of property conviction dating back to 1991. He will now face new charges for the escape and other offense. Brett Kirkham Arrested.jpg Brett Kirkham (Tuscaloosa County Jail) Brett Kirkham, the former Hueytown Middle School principal and human resources director for Jefferson County Schools, pleaded guilty Monday to federal child enticement and pornography charges. Kirkham, 40, of Tuscaloosa, pleaded guilty to two counts of a four-count federal indictment - enticing a person under the age of 18 and one count of possessing an image that involved a pornographic image of a minor who had not attained 12 years of age. The hearing was held in Tuscaloosa before U.S. District Court Judge Scott Coogler, court records show. A plea agreement also was entered today between Kirkham and the U.S. Attorney's Office. A copy of the agreement is not yet available. Kirkham remains in the custody of the U.S. Marshal's Office. In July a federal grand jury indicted Kirkham on four counts charging him with child enticement and receipt and possession of child pornography between 2008 and 2016. According to the federal indictment, Kirkham used a cellphone and computer to "persuade, induce and entice" the victims for sexual activity. One of the victims was born in 1997; the other in 1993. The allegations against Kirkham date back to at least 1996. Some of the pornography included images of "a prepubescent minor and a minor who had not attained 12 years of age,'' according to the indictment. Kirkham also has related charges pending in Tuscaloosa and Jefferson Counties. In June 2016, the month before the federal charges were revealed, state charges were announced against Kirkham involving one victim. He is charged in Jefferson County with one count of a school employee engaging in a sex act with a student and in Tuscaloosa County on one count of a school employee engaging in a sex act with a student and with possession of child pornography. Kirkham met with the victim on numerous occasions between Jan. 1, 2014 and Jan. 1, 2016 for the purpose of engaging in sex acts, according to the state charges. "The victim said they would meet at various locations throughout Hueytown," Hueytown Sgt. Mark Didcoct wrote in the arrest warrant affidavit. "The suspect was also the victim's former principal at Hueytown Middle School." In the Tuscaloosa County case, which involves the same victim, the arrest warrant says Kirkham did "engage in anal sex with minor between the ages of 16 -18" between Jan. 1, 2013 through Jan. 1, 2016. During those same years, according to the warrant, Kirkham possessed obscene matter "containing a visual depiction of a person under the age of 17 years engaged in any act of sad-masochistic abuse, sexual intercourse, sexual excitement, masturbation, genital nudity or other sexual conduct." Specifically, the records show, Kirkham had a photos of a male under the age of 17 "completely nude showing his genital area." Kirkham has been indicted on the charges in Tuscaloosa County and the case is awaiting grand jury action in the Bessemer Cutoff division of Jefferson County. Attorneys Joel L Sogol and Tommy Spina represent Kirkham. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jacquelyn Mather Hutzell and John B Ward are prosecuting the case. With a stained-glass window behind them, a lineup of speakers stepped to the front of the church and talked about the potential health benefits of legalizing plants that are currently outlawed in Alabama. "I smoke cannabis on a daily basis for my pain," said Janice Rushing, president of the Oklevueha Native American Church of Inner Light in Alabama. "If I did not, I'd be on pain pills." Her husband, Christopher Rushing, chief executive officer of Oklevueha Native American Church of Inner Light, says he also uses marijuana routinely. The Rushings founded the Oklevueha Church in 2015 and claim that it has a legal exemption for its members to smoke marijuana and ingest hallucinogenic mushrooms and peyote cactus. At a January forum with an audience of about 30 gathered at Unity Church in Birmingham, which allowed the use of its facilities, speakers discussed the potential benefits of marijuana and other substances for medicinal purposes. "I had an ungodly facial rash," said Sherrie Saunders, a former U.S. Army medic who is now a member of Oklevueha Native American Church in Alabama. "We made a cream that completely got rid of that rash," Mrs. Rushing said. Someone in the audience discussed a heart problem and sleep apnea. "That could be something that cannabis could help," Saunders said. She also said marijuana can ease manic bipolar disorder and Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome. "The medical establishment took away cannabis so they could sell us pills," Saunders said. Before marijuana was stigmatized as an illegal drug, Native Americans valued it as a natural herbal treatment for more than 90 percent of sicknesses, she said. "A woman in Nicaragua showed me how to cure cancer with cannabis," Saunders said. The woman had a son who was cured, she said. "I know why," Saunders said. "God and cannabis." The National Cancer Institute, in its overview of cannabis in treatment of cancer, makes no claims for curative powers, but acknowledges that cannabis has been used for medicinal purposes for thousands of years and that it "may have benefits in the treatment of cancer-related side effects." Chris Rushing stood in the pulpit and preached a sermon that mixed theology and a belief in natural, hallucinogenic plants. "That is God's way of turning our brain on," Rushing said. "These entheogens work like tools to open up spaces and pathways of the mind," Rushing said. "Yet it's illegal. We all walk around producing natural chemicals that do the same." Rushing said it does not make sense that pharmaceutical companies make large profits on harmful synthetic and dangerous drugs, while plant and herbal medicines are illegal. Rushing said the health benefits of marijuana, mushrooms and cacti are enormous. They can combat depression and cure people of addictions, he said. The Oklevueha Native American Church of Inner Light in Warrior has been licensed as a federally registered branch of the Oklevueha Lakota Sioux Nation Native American Church, Rushing said. The church has a religious exemption to use psylocibin mushrooms and peyote cactus, both of which have properties that augment traditional Native American spiritual beliefs and experiences, Rushing said. He calls their use in religious ceremonies a sacrament. All 120 members in the Alabama church carry photo identification, similar to a driver's license, that identifies them as members of a church that has a federal religious exemption to use natural drugs that are otherwise prohibited by law, he said. He believes all natural plants should be legal for medicinal use, including marijuana, peyote cactus and psylocibin mushrooms. Peter Hendricks, a clinical psychologist at UAB, spoke about his research on Jan. 21, 2017, at Unity Church in Birmingham. Researchers at UAB and other universities are studying the benefits of such natural treatments, including the use of psylocibin mushrooms in treating cocaine abuse. Peter Hendricks, a clinical psychologist at UAB, is currently doing research on the use of the active ingredient in psylocibin mushrooms. Hendricks spoke in May 2016 at a Homewood Public Library event sponsored by the church. He spoke again in January at the event at Unity Church in Birmingham. Hendricks said he only talks about his research at the church-sponsored events and does not endorse Rushing's church or whether its use of drugs is legal or not. The events give Hendricks a chance to advertise the research trials, which still need volunteers. Hendricks' research explores the use of mushrooms in weaning addicts off serious drug addictions. "I don't support criminalizing any drug use," Hendricks said. "People who have addictions are not helped by criminalization. If it were up to me, there would be more emphasis on providing treatment, less emphasis on punitive measures for people who are addicted." Rushing carries around with him documentation of court rulings such as a unanimous ruling in United States v. Robert Boyll in the U.S. 10th Circuit Court of Appeals, which found that a non-Native American who was arrested for possession and intent to distribute peyote had the same constitutional protections as Native American members of the church. Rushing said he was licensed in the church by James Warren "Flaming Eagle" Mooney of Utah, who won a court battle with the state of Utah. The Utah Supreme Court ruled in Mooney's favor in 2004, in State of Utah vs. Mooney's and Oklevueha Native American Church. The state had argued that Mooney was engaged in a criminal enterprise for distributing peyote and tried to seize the church property. The Supreme Court ruled that the Native American Church was entitled to the religious exemption. After the Jan. 21 forum at Unity Church, some in attendance expressed hope Alabama might soon follow in the footsteps of other states that have legalized marijuana. More than half of the states have decriminalized marijuana for medical uses and eight states have decriminalized marijuana for recreational uses. Some of them say the Oklevueha Native American Church of Inner Light in Alabama is helping raise awareness. "I think Chris' work is vital," said Jonah Tobin, founder of the Alabama Mother Earth Sustainability Alliance, or MESA. "People like him are part of that movement." A Greensboro teen was killed, and two other people injured, in a predawn crash Monday in Hale County. Alabama State Troopers identified the victim as Thomas Hayden Drake. He was 18. The crash happened at 3:30 a.m. on Hale County 51, about six miles south of Greensboro, said Senior Trooper Reginal King. Drake was driving a 2012 Infiniti G37 that veered off of the road and hit several trees. Drake was not wearing a seat belt and was pronounced dead on the scene. Two other people inside of the car - who have not been identified - were taken to DCH Regional Medical Center. The extent of their injuries weren't immediately available. King said the accident remains under investigation. Mohamed Tennari, a medical doctor, was visiting an electronics repair shop in the northwestern Syrian village of Sarmin to have a broken internet router fixed. The store was owned by family friend Waref Taleb. Tennari left the router with Taleb and returned the following day to collect it. Taleb did not charge him for the fix. These were the last exchanges the two Syrian friends would ever have. The next time Tennari saw Taleb was on March 16, 2015, a month or two later, following a chlorine chemical attack in Sarmin. This time, though, Taleb was on an operation table in the emergency room of the Sarmin field hospital. Tennari rushed into the emergency room to see Taleb, who was coughing, choking, foaming at the mouth, and barely clinging to life. That night, a helicopter had dropped a barrel bomb containing chlorine that exploded on Talebs home. We couldnt help him because he inhaled a lot of chlorine, Tennari, 36, recalled, who has been working as a doctor in Syria since 2007. OPINION: We must not let chemical weapons to become the norm Talebs family scrambled into their basement to hide. The noxious gas seeped into the ventilation ducts of their house and killed Taleb and his entire family his mother, wife, Alaa Alajati, and their three children Aisha, three, Sarah, two, and Muhammad, one. They all died. It was so bad that we couldnt save them, he added. [Taleb] was my friend and it was so sad. Tennari suspected it was the Syrian regime that dropped the toxic gas cannister. He estimated that he and his staff treated about 120 patients who had been exposed to chlorine that night. The Taleb family, however, were the only casualties. They were in the basement and the chemical material was going down. People must go high. Because they were in the basement they really got a lot of this material, the chemical material. Tennari described Taleb as a family man. He was friendly, quiet, [a] good person, he said. He had a nice family. He loved his family. On the anniversary of Talebs death two years later, that night of chaos and terror still gives the Syrian doctor chills. Helicopters were in the sky at all times and we hear sound at all times and we didnt know what second they would attack the hospital, Tennari said in between heavy sighs. We didnt know what to do. Patients were in chairs, on the ground, on the floor- everywhere. We didnt have enough time to stay with one patient. I was going from one patient to another patient every minute. It was so noisy. This is a fleeting, but not uncommon snapshot of the destructive role chlorine attacks have played and the fear the chemical has sown in the countrys civil war, which enters its seventh year this week. It is definitely very scary ifyou are a physician in a small hospital with dozens or hundreds of patients that are suffocating and you don't know what to do. The main reason chlorine was used in Syria was to cause panic and to force people to flee. by Zaher Sahloul, a former president of Syrian American Medical Society Chemical weapons have been a recurring footnote in the bloody narrative of Syrias civil war, which has robbed hundreds of thousands of lives, and displaced roughly 11 million more. But amid this troubling saga of chemical weapons use in Syria, it has been sarin nerve gas, and to a lesser extent mustard gas, that have punctuated this ongoing storyline. Following the 1,300 tonnes of sarin nerve gas and its precursors being removed from Syria, chemical attacks persist there nearly four years later, but most notably in the form of chlorine, which has emerged as the most heavily used chemical weapon in the war. We saw chlorine appearing as a weapon in Syria for the first time in 2014, said Ole Solvang, the deputy director of the emergencies division at Human Rights Watch. The challenge is there are so many horrific things going on in Syria, that this one issue tends to perhaps be overshadowed sometimes by other attacks that are going on. In February, Human Rights Watch and Solvang authored a report documenting at least eight instances of chlorine use by the Syrian regime in the battle for Aleppo between Nov. 17 and Dec. 13, 2016. The human rights watchdog verified the attacks through video footage analysis, phone, and in-person interviews, as well as by social media. The report indicated that the chlorine attacks killed at least nine people, including four children, and injured around 200 people. The attacks, according to the report, constituted war crimes. This is, of course, horrific because it is a violation of the Chemical Weapons Convention that Syria is a part of, Solvang explained. Its horrific for the victims, but also because it really undermines one of the strongest bans on any weapon in international humanitarian law and what were really concerned about is that the governments continued use of chemical attacks will undermine this ban and lower the threshold for other countries to also use it [chlorine]. INTERACTIVE: Syrias Civil War Map The Chemical Weapons Convention, which came into effect in 1997, is the first international treaty to prohibit the use, development, production, stockpiling and transport of chemical weapons. It is enforced by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, an independent and international treaty-based organisation. Following the sarin gas attack in Ghouta in August 2013 that killed more than 1,000 people more than 400 of them children according a United Nations Security Council report, Syria joined the convention as part of an international agreement and to subdue the Obama administrations threats of military action. It was the 190th country to sign on. So to what role has chlorine played in Syrias complex and long civil war? And what has been the human toll? Human Rights Watch have documented 24 chlorine attacks in Syria since 2014, of which 32 people were killed and hundreds were injured. However, Solvang acknowledged that this is likely a grave underestimate. Its a terrifying weapon to most people, Solvang said. Chlorine is a choking agent. Its greenish-yellow clouds of gas cause shortness of breath, wheezing, respiratory failure, irritation in the eyes, vomiting, and sometimes death. Chlorines effects are also largely psychological: the chemical triggers fear, shock, and panic in a way that other conventional weapons dont. In the case of Aleppo, Solvang suspects the regime strategically used chlorine to force a mass exodus of the city. Places that were relatively safe suddenly were not safe any more when chlorine started being used, Solvang said. When people were trying to hide and shelter from explosive weapons, regular rockets and bombs they would go into a basement because thats the safest place to be. Chlorine is heavier than air so it sinks into those basements, so those basements can become death traps. Solvangs statement, echoed the way in which the Taleb family died in Sarmin: overexposure to chlorine gas after mistaking their cellar as a safe haven. It is definitely very scary if you are a physician in a small hospital with dozens or hundreds of patients that are suffocating and you dont know what to do with all of that, said Zaher Sahloul, a former president of Syrian American Medical Society (SAMS), who is originally from Homs, but who now practices in Chicago. SAMS has also closely monitored chlorine attacks in Syria. The medical organisation has documented 109 chlorine attacks since the civil war began in 2011. The main reason chlorine was used in Syria was to cause panic and to force people to flee. And thats what it really did in most of the instances, Sahloul added. Sahloul, a pulmonary specialist, attended medical school with President Bashar al-Assad between 1982 and 1988 at Damascus University. He knew Assad personally. [Assad] was collegial, humble and talkative, Sahloul recalled of his former classmate turned president, who he now accuses of war crimes. No one expected him to oversee the destruction of his country, target hospitals and doctors and use extreme brutality against civilians including torture, siege, collective punishment, and chemical weapons. Chlorine was first used as a weapon by the Germans on French, British, and Canadian troops in World War I on the battlefield in Ypres. A decade later, the Geneva Protocol of 1925, the first constructive international laws banning the use of chemical weapons, was introduced. But despite its deadly effects, chlorine isnt classified in the same league as sarin or mustard gas. It exists in somewhat of a grey zone under todays international laws and is only regarded as a chemical weapon when its used maliciously. Chlorines complicated status on the spectrum of chemical weapons raises tough questions about the definitions of chemical warfare. For instance, why are some lethal chemicals internationally prohibited, while others arent? The difference between chlorine and sarin is [that] chlorine is readily available, Sahloul explained. Chlorine is used for many other beneficial ways, to clean water and so forth, in many industries but thats why the Syrian regime has been using it because its easily done and weaponised easily. Tens of millions of tonnes of chlorine are produced around the world each year. Its used to disinfect water supplies, in the manufacturing of pharmaceuticals, antiseptics, and drugs, in textile industries, the bleaching of paper, in the separation of metals such as gold, nickel, and copper from their ores, as well as such household chemicals like adhesives. Its widespread industrial use makes controlling and regulating its use as a weapon all the more problematic, which has allowed its use to persist in Syrias civil war. Chlorine is used on a daily basis in all countries. It can be easily produced, in all of our countries, [regardless] of the development of the country, the materials are available, said Ahmet Uzumcu, director general of the Netherlands-based Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), the international organisation that verifies the destruction of existing global stockpiles of chemical weapons. It creates panic, of course, and terror especially among civilians [but] the difficulty to eradicate it its not declarable so we cannot ask state parties to declare the chlorine stocks, added Uzumcu. I believe that it is very difficult to contain it. The OPCW, which led a fact-finding mission in 2014 to investigate chlorine attacks in Syria, were unable to confirm to Al Jazeera the exact numbers of confirmed attacks, but a press release on the missions stated there was compelling evidence that chlorine was used systematically and repeatedly. Kelsey Davenport, the director nonproliferation policy at the Arms Control Association, a non-profit organisation that promotes public understanding of arms control policies in Washington, DC, also echoed Sahloul and Uzumcus assertions on the problematic nature of containing chlorine as a chemical weapon. Chlorine is particularly a problem because it has so many uses for industrial purposes that dont have anything to do with weaponisation, she said. It can be very easy for organisations to get their hands on chlorine and the necessary ingredients to create chlorine gas, using sort of other mechanisms or justifications for industrial purposes. That makes it much more difficult to control and much more difficult to prevent groups from using, Davenport added. The precarious situation on the ground makes is even more difficult, if not impossible for governments and NGOs, to verify each attack, and who exactly is on the delivering end: the regime, rebel forces, or ISIL. Last August, the UN-led a joint investigation in Syria to pinpoint who is responsible for the flurry of reported chlorine attacks. The UN examined nine cases of alleged chemical weapons attacks. They found what they described as sufficient evidence of three instances of chemical weapons attacks between 2014 and 2015. Two of these were chlorine gas attacks on civilians by the Syrian air force. Another was a sulphur mustard gas attack by the Islamic State. Its hard its impossible to use the word verifiable, said Paul Walker, a chemical weapons expert and Director of Green Cross Internationals Environmental Security and Sustainability programme. Walker attributed the contrasting numbers of chlorine attacks recorded by NGOs, media, and governmental bodies like the UN to the dangerous conditions on the ground in Syria. By looking at newspaper reports, you know theres an average alleged attack with chlorine probably every month and probably for the last several years, he said. A ballpark figure is a dozen [chlorine attacks] a year. And I think thats a gross underestimate because its very difficult to verify these attacks when you cant get to the site in a reasonable amount of time, you cant gather forensics, [and] you cant necessarily interview victims. In response to the UN joint investigation, the United States imposed sanctions on 18 Syrian military officials in January, according to a Treasury Department statement. And just last month, the US, France, and Britain drafted a UN Security Council resolution that would have imposed further sanctions on Syrian military officials over the alleged use of chlorine. However, Russia and China vetoed it. Prior to the veto, the UN Security Council unanimously adopted Resolution 2209 on March 6, 2015, condemning the use of chlorine attacks in the civil war, threatening to take Chapter VII action which could include sanctions and ultimately military force if the attacks continue. But that was two years ago; the attacks have persisted, UN sanctions have fallen flat, and the international community hasnt been able to effectively halt Assads regime or the rebels use of chlorine. With the emergence of the US President Donald Trumps administration, which seems open to allowing Russia, Syrias ally, operate more freely in the country, Assads regime appears more insulated than ever. Military escalation against Assad, or the possibility his regime will be charged with war crimes in an international criminal court, at least in the near future, seems unlikely. The people and physicians, especially in Syria gave up on this issue, said Sahloul, the Chicago-based SAMS doctor, who has testified on chlorine attacks before the UN Security Council and the US House Foreign Relations Committee. Sahloul is frustrated by the international communitys perceived indifference and its inability to solve the chlorine problem, and he, too, is sceptical anything will be accomplished in the near future to hold Assads regime accountable. There was a lot of effort that at one point to document all of these issues, he added. There were testimonies in the [UN] Security Council, there were resolutions, there were attributions, and then investigation teams, and then nothing happened. I think at this point, people gave up on Syria and talking about these issues. Instead, Sahloul, appealed directly to Assad, his former classmate, to end the brutality of chlorine chemical attacks once and for all. I want him [Assad] to see the faces of the children who woke up choking in the middle of the night, he said, in reference to the chlorine attack that killed the Taleb family in Sarmin. I want him to imagine the panic in the faces of Taleb family in Sarmin [hiding] in a basement, when they were overwhelmed with the smell of bleach, and when their children Aisha, Sarah, and Muhammad started to suffocate; how they rushed to the field hospital and how they all ended up dead. For other Syrians, like Tennari, the Syrian doctor in Sarmin, who have seen the gruesomeness of a chlorine attack first hand, justice is already too late. Tennari still agonises over the loss of his friend Taleb, and his family, who were all killed by the toxic substance two years ago. Im praying to not be in this situation again: to see a friend choking in front of me and I couldnt do anything, said Tennari, who said hell continuing practising in Syria as long as the civil war continues. Im so sorry that we couldnt help [the Taleb family], Tennari said. I feel bad all the time when I remember that we couldnt help them and they died. I feel weak because of that. I wish that nobody would be in my situation and see what I see. Its horrific. I wish this war will finish one day. Dorian Geiger is a Canadian journalist and an award-winning filmmaker based in Doha, Qatar and Queens, New York. Hes a social video producer and a freelance features writer at Al Jazeera English. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram. PJD endorsed the kings choice for el-Othmani, but suggested it wont soften approach to talks with potential partners. Rabat, Morocco King Mohammeds appointment of a dovish figure from the Justice and Development Party (PJD) to replace Prime Minister and PJD leader Abdelilah Benkirane may not immediately end a five-month long political deadlock over cabinet formation, analysts say. On Friday, King Mohammed VI named the former foreign minister and PJDs second in command Saad Eddine el-Othmani, to replace Benkirane. The royal statement said the decision to remove Benkirane complied with the spirit and the wording of the constitution evoking his concern to overcome the current state of inertia five months after PJD won a parliamentary election last October. According to Abdelali Hamieddine, a prominent member of PJDs national council, coalition talks will resume within days. Hamieddine noted that PJDs national council cleared Benkirane of responsibility for the failure of the talks. Benkirane played a key part in helping PJD secure this string of election wins. Some wanted to strip PJD of one of its key strengths, now hes gone, Hamieddine said on Sunday. PJD has been running a coalition government since 2011. It won 125 seats in the 395-seat House. READ MORE: Are Morocco and EU heading towards a political impasse? Under Moroccos election law no party can win an outright majority in parliament making coalition governments a necessity. Despite five months of intense negotiations, the PJD failed to form a majority. Benkirane proposed to rebuild his outgoing coalition, an alliance comprising a range of parties including other Islamists, liberals and ex-communists. However, two of the junior partners in the outgoing coalition, National Rally of Independents (RNI) which has 37 seats, and Popular Movement (MP) with 27 seats, insisted on including smaller political parties. PJD called it an attempt to pervert the outcome of the ballot box, threatening to dilute its hold on government policies. PJD has made enough concessions, Hamieddine said. On Saturday, at the end of an emotionally charged meeting of its national council, PJD endorsed the kings choice for el-Othmani. It emphasised the urgent need to form a government in compliance with the kings instructions, the party also suggested that it will not soften its approach to talks with potential partners. (It has to be a) government that enjoys strength, harmony and efficiency and which takes into account the constitutional provisions and will of the people as it was expressed in the last parliamentary election, PJD said in a statement. Ahmed el-Bouz, a political science lecturer at Rabats King Mohammed V University, said Benkirane enjoyed an unprecedented popular following as he deftly used plain language to dissect Moroccos murky politics to the public without encroaching on the respect due to the king. He differentiated between the king and his aides. He also gave a voice to the role of prime minister and PJDs string of political victories has emboldened him and brought PJD closer to being the only political force the monarchy has to reckon with, el-Bouz said. The history shows the state has never lost a battle to a political party, he added. Leaders of the RNI and the Popular Movement welcomed el-Othmanis appointment and praised his personal qualities being a man of consensus as an asset that will help with a speedy formation of the government. But Hamieddine said that everything now hinges on the other parties. If they abandon their preconditions we can have a government within days. If they stick to them, the government will not see the light of day. READ MORE: Moroccos February 20 movement Demands still alive A career psychiatrist, 61-year-old el-Othmani was PJDs secretary-general from 2004 until 2008. Under el-Othmani, PJD now stands as strong as it was under Benkirane. The problem is not whether it is Benkirane or el-Othmani who is prime minister. Each one of them has his style, but the party line is one, Hamieddine said. In a show of support for the partys secretary-general Benkirane, PJDs national council decided to delegate to the partys General Secretariat all the necessary decisions to accompany el-Othmani during the new round of talks he is expected to conduct with potential partners. Ali Anozla, editor of the independent website, Lakome, said the recent developments do not bode for a quick end to the deadlock. The writing on the wall suggests we may well see a second phase of the deadlock This is a new episode in the process aimed at normalising PJD. It will be very difficult to find someone who can fill Benkiranes shoes, his charisma and communication skills. It may lose PJD some support, Anozla said in a telephone interview. Muzo, Colombia The struggle over land is Colombias oldest conflict. For decades the mines of Muzo widely known as the emerald capital of the world have produced great fortunes for their owners. In the so-called Green Wars during the 1980s, territorial disputes escalated into full-blown conflict as the countrys leading mining families fought over territory. In those days, the barequeros emerald seekers who dig through debris gathered by the thousands around the Muzo Valley, hoping that emeralds would arise from the dark soil to rescue them from extreme poverty. While the Green Wars are over, there is still a low-level conflict of assassinations and murders as rival groups vie for access to the gemstones. Although Colombian environmental laws now prohibit the dumping of leftover grit and rocks from mining excavation, some surplus debris continues to be dumped on land and rivers around the mines. A few dozen emerald seekers scour this debris, often using their bare hands. Others mine the area informally. The barequeros tend to live a tough existence in slums on the hillsides of surrounding mountains, without running water or services. When a barequero finds an emerald, they can either try to pay a carver to re-work and increase the value of the gemstone or, if the emerald already has a notable value, they will sell it to a merchant who trades the gems directly on the streets of the capital Bogota. In this system of both legal and informal activities, the wealth extracted from Colombian mines is very difficult to calculate. This also applies to the value of the emerald itself; its price is based on a series of characteristics such as colour, size, carve, and transparency and varies depending on whose hands hold them. It is easier to sell the emeralds on the market if they are already carved, but some buyers prefer the raw, uncut emeralds to oversee this delicate process themselves, before selling it on international markets. Around 95 percent of Colombian emeralds are destined for export. Colombia is a country with a largely poor population living on an incredibly rich soil. The right to exploit its resources is an ongoing struggle in which the weakest have to fight for survival. The decision of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Hindu nationalistic party, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to appoint hardline Hindu priest, Yogi Adityanath, as chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, Indias most populous state where the party secured a jaw-dropping victory on March 11 stunned admirers and detractors alike. While the response of his critics is more or less understandable, the reaction of supporters to the Yogis appointment, especially middle-of-the-road liberals drawn to the party for the hope that Modi generated, is most striking. Their dismay over the choice of chief minister stems from Adityanath being no benign Yogi. Instead, he is the undisputed mascot of rabid, vitriolic and abusive supporters of Hindu sectarianism. For the major part of his two-decade-long political career, the new chief minister has been BJPs enfant terrible and often remained unrestrained, even when party leaders wished to sheath their swords. Adityanath has violated party discipline in the past and established a separate vigilante group, Hindu Yuva Vahini. He put up candidates against the party in state elections in the past and in the recent elections. Despite this, his appointment provides perhaps the best indication of the BJPs future political strategy. Appointing a zealot Within hours of the Yogi being named chief minister, news websites strung together collections of his most divisive statements. Targets of his hatred are diverse, from Nobel Peace Prize recipient and Apostle of Peace, Mother Teresa, to the King of Bollywood, Shahrukh Khan. In October 2014, the Yogi spearheaded a campaign against Muslims claiming they had launched love jihad against Hindus by training Muslim youth to seduce Hindu girls. He asserted on his website that the latest holy war was a system where a girl surrounded with fragrance is enticed into a stinking world; where the girl leaves her civilised parents for parents who might have been siblings in the past; where purity is replaced with ugliness; where relationships have no meaning; where a woman is supposed to give birth every nine months; where the girl is not free to practise her religion; and if the girl realises her mistakes and wants to be freed, she is sold off. Modis liberal backers are disappointed because, in their assessment, the prime minister has wasted an opportunity to put the states economic development on overdrive. The fear is that Adityanaths appointment sends a signal to BJP cadre that the state government will prioritise Hindutva-centric promises in its election manifesto. With Adityanath becoming chief minister of India's most politically influential state, the fringe has become more mainstream than ever before in Modi's India. by These include imposing legal ban on the practice of oral divorce among Muslims, forming anti-Romeo police squads to prevent Muslim youth from wooing Hindu girls, shutting down mechanised abattoirs and illegal slaughterhouses, and, of course, speeding up processes to remove hurdles to build a temple deifying Lord Rama in Ayodhya, epicentre of independent Indias longest lasting political dispute and so on. These measures will add to the disquiet of already anxious Indian Muslims who comprise more that 14.2 percent of the population according to census figures of 2011. Fringe becomes mainstream In the biography of Modi, which I wrote before he became prime minister, a chapter was titled Janus The March Begins, denoting his two-faced personality. During his tenure as Gujarat chief minister, and even thereafter, he has been at ease proclaiming Indias development was his primary objective while promoting politics that sharpened social prejudice. In comments after the Yogi was inaugurated in office, Modi referred to Uttar Pradesh as Uttam Pradesh, the Hindi for finest state. It has been Modis tactical brilliance that he has kept both detractors and followers confused over which face to believe in: the emperor of Hindu hearts or the development man? In 2014, his first statement after entering parliament was to term it temple of democracy, a declaration that surprised most because he entered office with the image of a hardline Hindu nationalist and potentially authoritarian leader. Thereafter, he invited leaders from the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) nations to his inauguration ceremony. OPINION: BJPs Uttar Pradesh win A turning point for Modi? Yet, within weeks in important by-elections in Uttar Pradesh, he nominated Adityanath as the party campaigns spearhead. For several months, Modi looked the other way as cabinet colleagues used abusive language against adversaries, allied organisations organised controversial reconversion programme to bring Muslims back into the Hindu fold and when churches were desecrated. Former US President Barack Obama, during his visit to India in January 2015, reminded the need to uphold religious freedom and constitutional rights. Modi followed on this by holding a meeting with Muslim and Christian religious leaders. After the BJPs spectacular victory in Uttar Pradesh and other states, Modis victory speech was markedly humble and he promised to be more socially inclusive and accommodative towards critics. Power is acquired by majority, governments are run by consensus, he had declared to widespread applause. A few commentators, including me, appreciated this and wondered if the weight of the mandate had sobered Modi. Adityanaths appointment belies such optimism. Because of his dual-trait, it would be early to fear the demise of development-based governance in Uttar Pradesh. Critics, however, will conclude that a polarised India, where Muslims lead quasi-ghettoised lives, constantly under social suspicion and state watch is the New India that Modi promised. Modi can yet again turn his governments wheels towards developmental programmes, using the Yogi as a shield to ward off fringe forces. The trouble, however, is that with Adityanath becoming chief minister of Indias most politically influential state, the fringe has become more mainstream than ever before in Modis India. Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay is a Delhi-based writer and journalist with a special interest in Hindu nationalistic politics. He is the author of Narendra Modi: The Man, The Times. The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial policy. To achieve universal water security, we need to let politics and culture drive water planning as much as economy does. This March 22, World Water Day, we focus attention on global issues of water access. The statistics are not comforting. The poorest ninth of us about 800 million people do not have reliable access to clean drinking water. This is the starkest form of water insecurity the inadequate access of individuals and groups to fresh water. The explosive growth rates and technological advancements of the past several decades notwithstanding, we have been unable to provide a global minority numbering more than the entire population of Europe the most basic of physiological requirements. Policy experts often respond to water insecurity by focusing on the issue of physical scarcity, and calling for more water data particularly measurements and forecasts on water availability to improve water management. It is true that water managers probably could be more efficient if they had sounder estimates. The concept of water insecurity could, however, catalyse much more than a technocratic and managerial response. We should take the concept as invitation to root water access issues in particular historical, geographical, infrastructural, and political contexts. Water insecurity is an effect, rather than a cause, of sociopolitical domination and infrastructural exclusion. Take the example of gender. Analysts of water insecurity who are too fixated on physical scarcity tend to neglect the many contributions women make to household production, without which the larger workplace-centred economy could not exist. The World Health Organisation estimates that women shoulder about 65 percent of the burden of fetching water, the most fundamental economic activity for households without water access (PDF). This time and labour could have been devoted to other security-enhancing activities, such as education, farming, or earning a wage. A lack of water data did not cause this unfair distribution of water-provisioning work. Engrained structures of gender subordination distributed unpaid and time-and-labour-intensive jobs on to the backs of women. Without appreciating gender dynamics, water insecurity remains an overly abstract concept. Another key factor is spatial unevenness. Spatial unevenness A spatial approach to water insecurity reveals that water-insecure communities often reside in socioecological peripheries regions without sufficient access to water because of a lack of political power and infrastructural connection. Take, for example, the rivalry between Pakistan and India over the Indus river in northwest South Asia. Pakistan and India signed the famous Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) in 1960 with the mediation of the World Bank (PDF) . Experts regard the treaty as a model of good transboundary governance. However, central state elites arranged the IWT and they did not necessarily account for the needs of the many river-dependent communities residing within those states. Ethno-regional minorities in both countries have protested for decades that IWT failed to account for their needs. In Pakistan, the downstream province of Sindh feels that the upstream province of Punjab captured the lions share of IWT benefits and the associated construction programme, the Indus Basin Plan. The people of the disputed Kashmir have the strongest case for political exclusion. Most, if not all, of the Indian and Pakistani engineering and policy elites involved in the negotiations agreed it would be too problematic and messy to give Kashmiris a political voice. The Green Revolution of the 1960s, which relied on thirsty seeds, fueled increases in landlessness in both countries and transferred power and wealth into the hands of landed elites. These technological and political changes probably have much more to do with rural water insecurity than any physical scarcity of water. Listening to the masses This March 20-21, when the Indus Waters Permanent Commission meets in Lahore, the commissioners should remember that water insecurity is less about national per capita water availability and more about the concrete communities in the basin whose water insecurity reflects broader social-spatial exclusions. None of this means water data is not important to decreasing water insecurity. It does, however, mean that a sustainable solution must account for larger structures of domination and exclusion. For Pakistan and India, it means relying less on engineering expertise and more on popular consultation when adjudicating water issues. If the goal is to decrease deprivation and to equalise global life-chances, nothing is more practical than the democratisation of water planning, which means understanding water insecurity as an effect of deeper forms of social insecurity. by Historically, political establishments in both countries have mistrusted the impoverished masses, and have invested authority for water infrastructure planning in technocrats and experts. Governing elites and members of civil society must wean themselves off this centuries-old habit, and listen more carefully to environmental and livelihood movements often composed of the most marginalised populations. There are organised groups of fisherfolk in the Indus delta, poor irrigating peasants in the Punjabi heartland, and Kashmiris living in the highlands where dozens of new dams are planned, who should be at the centre of any process of negotiating the Indus. In other words, we need to find ways to let politics and culture drive water planning as much as economy and engineering does. Democratisation of water planning On the global scale, more capital needs to be available for the construction of new water infrastructures in the Global South. This does not necessarily mean a rush to build large new dams, but rather a context-specific analysis of what new infrastructures would benefit the most deprived peoples of the world, those who live predominantly in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, but also in pockets of racialised poverty in countries such as the United States. In some locations, new infrastructures may indeed mean new dams, while in others it may mean upgrading sewage pipes or a treatment centre. The point is that material infrastructure is necessary. We should meet the specific requirements of women, people residing in socioecological peripheries and other non-elite water users not as obstacles, but as imaginative challenges to our ideas about infrastructure and equality. OPINION: The tension-ridden hydro-politics of the Nile These recommendations may seem utopian and impractical. I accept the charge of utopianism, which is inherent to building a type of society not yet seen. I reject the accusation of impracticality. If the goal is to decrease deprivation and to equalise global life chances, nothing is more practical than the democratisation of water planning, which means understanding water insecurity as an effect of deeper forms of social insecurity. Majed Akhter is assistant professor of geography at Indiana University Bloomington. The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial policy. Trumps planned reforms on drone policy are problematic, but what he inherited from Obama was already concerning. Rupert Stone is an independent journalist working on national security and counter-terrorism. Donald Trumps presidency got off to a bloody start in January, when a special operations forces raid against al-Qaeda in Yemen killed numerous civilians and a US Navy SEAL. The raid was a disaster, but it did not deter the US from launching more attacks using drones and other weapons platforms. In one week earlier this month, the Trump administration conducted about 40 strikes in Yemen, including 25 on a single day. Added to that, there was a drone attack in Pakistan, the first in the country since May 2016. Barack Obama was much criticised for his dramatic escalation of drone strikes in non-battlefield settings such as Pakistan, Yemen, Libya, and Somalia. But Trump is already surpassing Obamas record. According to Micah Zenko, an expert on drones at the Council on Foreign Relations, Obama conducted one strike every 5.4 days; Trump has thus far averaged one strike or raid every 1.25 days. And now Trump may go even further, rescinding some of the constraints President Obama placed on targeted killing policy. Those constraints date back to 2013, when Obama announced a policy shift in a public speech at the National Defense University. At the same time, he issued classified guidance insisting that targets pose an imminent threat, that their capture is not feasible, and that there be near certainty civilians will not be injured or killed (PDF). In 2013, Obama also decided to transfer strike authority from the CIA to the military, which supposedly operates with greater transparency and has more respect for the laws of war. Loosening rules of engagement According to stories in the New York Times and Wall Street Journal, Trump might roll back these reforms, loosening rules of engagement and returning the drone programme to Langley. How much of a difference will this make? The looser rules on targeting are certainly concerning. Drones, while more accurate than other weapons systems, have killed plenty of non-combatants. While the Obama administration estimated that as many as 116 civilians had died in strikes between 2009 and 2015, the Bureau of Investigative Journalism puts the tally much higher, between 380 and 801 civilian fatalities in the same period. Civilian casualties are not just a moral and legal matter, but have strategic ramifications, too. The Stimson Center, in a major inquiry led by a bipartisan group of former government officials, concluded that targeted killing may cause blowback and become a potent recruiting tool for terrorist organisations (PDF). Other prominent figures, including General Stanley McChrystal, and a leaked internal CIA report have expressed similar concerns (PDF). OPINION: Drones have forever changed us Yemen exemplifies this problem most clearly. It has been reported that drone killings have driven many into the arms of al-Qaeda. Yemeni activists, such as Farea al-Muslimi, have warned that the strikes intensify anti-American feeling in their country. According to the Washington Post, al-Qaeda had about 300 operatives in Yemen in 2009. By 2012, after three years of intensifying US intervention, it had 700 or more. Obama shifted authority for drones to the military for a very good reason. It has been argued, including by former CIA Director John Brennan, that the agency should move away from paramilitary activities, which intensified after 9/11, and concentrate on its core mission of intelligence collection and analysis. The CIAs short-term, tactical focus has distracted it from major geopolitical issues, according to a report by the Intelligence Advisory Board. Little change in practice However, Trumps plans may change little in practice. Even after Obama moved strike authority to the military, the CIA still remained closely involved in the killing process. Agency personnel provided targeting information, and military drone operators pulled the trigger: it was a joint enterprise. Moreover, when Obama shifted drones to the Pentagon, the CIA still retained its control over strikes in Pakistan. Also, as law professor Robert Chesney wrote, it is unlikely that moving drones to the CIA will markedly increase secrecy. True, the agency operates under covert action legal authority, which bars administration officials from publicly admitting to drone strikes. It is unlikely that moving drones to the CIA will markedly increase secrecy. by This meant that the government could not even acknowledge the existence of the drone programme, although it had been widely reported in the press. But Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC), which conducts military drone strikes, is not a transparent organisation, either. JSOC was possibly even more secretive than the CIA before reforms improved congressional oversight of special operations forces. Some believe the military should conduct strikes because it has greater respect for the laws of war than the CIA. But that is far from obvious, as recent exposes of special operations abuses show. OPINION: Bugsplat The ugly US drone war in Pakistan Obamas changes to the drone programme were modest and incomplete, anyway. Signature strikes, where the US targets individuals without knowing their identity, continued in the last years of his administration. There is still no judicial review of targeted killing, where the courts can assess strikes after the fact, as in Israel. Obamas controversial policy of targeting US citizens has not changed under Trump. And the questionable domestic legal rationale used to justify non-battlefield drone strikes remains in place. Furthermore, there are still no internationally agreed rules on targeted killing outside conventional war zones. The Stimson Center report recommended that the Obama administration lead efforts to develop international norms governing the use of drones. But, despite some murmurings in the right direction, the White House had done little, Stimson concluded in a 2016 review. With more and more countries now developing armed drones, the lack of any overarching legal framework is potentially dangerous. So, while Trumps reforms are problematic, the programme he inherited from Obama was already concerning. Rupert Stone is an independent journalist working on national security and counterterrorism. The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial policy. Crisis deepens in worlds biggest beef and poultry-exporting nation as China and EU react to health certificate scandal. China has suspended meat imports from Brazil over its rotten meat scandal while the European Union has called for a partial ban, deepening the crisis in the worlds biggest beef and poultry-exporting nation. The allegations that major meat-packing businesses bribed inspectors to get health certificates and masked tainted meat as fit for consumption prompted the decision by China, which with Hong Kong is Brazils biggest meat-export market. Until it receives more information, China will not unload meat imported from Brazil, the Brazilian Agriculture Ministry said on Monday in an online statement. Also on Monday, the European Commission, the EUs executive arm, called on Brazil to immediately halt exports by four companies implicated in the scandal, the blocs spokesman Enrico Brivio said in Brussels. Chiles Agriculture Minister Carlos Furche said on Twitter that his government was also imposing a temporary ban on meat imports from Brazil. It said the ban would stay in place until Brazil confirmed that companies exporting meat to Chile had been correctly vetted. President Michel Temer sought to calm the situation, saying Brazils meat industry should not be judged by this one investigation. The agro-business for us in Brazil is very important and it should not be marred by a small nucleus [of bad actors], a small thing, he said, speaking to the American Chamber of Commerce in Sao Paulo. READ MORE: Police in Brazil raid meat-packing plants in bribery probe A day earlier, Temer called an emergency meeting with ambassadors of several countries. He assured them that national meats were safe and invited them to a Brazilian-style barbecue. At least 30 people have been arrested in the scandal, with Brazilian police raiding more than a dozen processing plants. A poultry-processing plant run by the multinational BRF group and two meat-processing plants operated by the local Peccin company were shut down, the Agriculture Ministry said. Major hit Brazilian meat is exported to more than 150 countries, with principal markets including Japan, Saudi Arabia and Russia. Sales in 2016 reached $5.9bn in poultry and $4.3bn in beef, according to Brazilian government data. The scandal came at a time when Brazil is struggling to exit its worst recession in history. Market analysis group Capital Economics warned the developing scandal over Brazils meat exports could plausibly derail the countrys economic recovery. Brazil is facing a potential loss of export revenues of about $3.5bn. Thats the equivalent of about 0.2 percent of GDP, Capital Economics said. The economic impact will depend to a large extent on how long any bans stay in place. There are some reasons for optimism here. Theresa May to begin two years of formal negotiations on Britain leaving the European Union at the end of the month. Britains government will begin the process of leaving the European Union on March 29, starting the clock on the two years in which to complete the most important negotiation for a generation. Britains ambassador to the EU, Tim Barrow, informed the European Council President Donald Tusk of the timing on Monday morning, the Department for Exiting the European Union said. The notification of triggering Article 50 of a key EU treaty will come in the form of a letter delivered to Tusk though it was unclear whether it would come through an actual letter or an electronic missive. We are on the threshold of the most important negotiation for this country for a generation, Brexit secretary David Davis said. The government is clear in its aims: a deal that works for every nation and region of the UK and indeed for all of Europe a new, positive partnership between the UK and our friends and allies in the European Union. READ MORE: How will Brexit affect the European Union? The 10 Downing Street office of Prime Minister Theresa May said she will make a statement in the House of Commons on the day Article 50 is triggered. The announcement came after May pushed through legislation to start the negotiations to start withdrawal a process set in motion by voters in a June 23 referendum. Britain voted by a 52 to 48 percent majority to leave the European Union the first member state ever to do so. May has said she wants to leave the European single market in order to be able to control immigration. The European Commission said it stood ready to help launch the negotiations. Everything is ready on this side, commission spokesman Margaritis Schinas said. The letter May sends next week will plunge Britain into a period of intense uncertainty. The country doesnt know what its future relationship with the bloc will look like whether businesses will freely be able to trade, students can study abroad or pensioners will be allowed to retire with ease in other EU states. Those things have become part of life since the UK joined what was then called the European Economic Community in 1973. WATCH: Brexit to affect Northern Irelands economy Its not even certain the United Kingdom will survive the exit intact. Scotlands nationalist first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, is seeking a referendum on independence within two years. Scottish voters backed remaining in the EU, and Sturgeon said Scotland mustnt be taken down a path that we do not want to go down without a choice. In Northern Ireland, which also voted to stay in the EU, the largest Irish nationalist party Sinn Fein has said it wants a referendum on splitting from the United Kingdom and uniting with the Republic of Ireland as soon as possible. The trigger for all this tumult is the innocuous-sounding Article 50 of the EUs Lisbon Treaty, a never-before-used mechanism for withdrawing from the bloc. It stipulates that the two sides now have until March 2019 to agree on a divorce settlement and if possible establish a new relationship between Britain, the worlds No 5 economy, and the EU, a vast single market containing 500 million people. With nationalism and anti-establishment, anti-immigrant sentiment spreading across Western Europe, the EU leadership in Brussels is anxious to avoid encouraging others in the 28-member bloc to bolt. Against the backdrop of trying to keep the UK together, May has a long wish list for the EU the closest possible trading ties, security cooperation, regaining control over immigration and restoring sovereignty in various policy areas. The EU has baulked at her demands, saying they amount to having your cake and eating it. Mays government acknowledges its opening position is bold, and is also preparing for the possibility of crashing out of the bloc with no deal. Another 43 people wounded in attack targeting commercial street in mainly Shia district of Iraqs capital. A car bomb exploded in the Iraqi capital on Monday, killing at least 21 people and wounding 43 others in a mainly Shia district in southwestern Baghdad. The attack as Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi met US President Donald Trump in Washington, DC targeted a busy commercial district of the Hay al-Amel suburb, according to police and hospital officials. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the explosion, which bore all the hallmarks of a suicide attack by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) group. The group is under assault in both Iraq in the countrys second city of Mosul, which ISIL seized in June 2014 and in neighbouring Syria. ISIL took vast swaths of Iraqi territory north and west of the capital in 2014. Iraqi government forces backed by the US-led international coalition have since retaken many cities, including Tikrit and Fallujah. But as ISIL has lost ground in Iraq, it has also retained the ability to stage regular attacks there. Iraqi troops are now closing in on Mosuls Old City, where some of the fiercest fighting is expected to unfold. The militarised federal police say they are some 500 metres from al-Nuri mosque, where ISIL leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi made a rare public appearance in July 2014, announcing a self-styled caliphate in Iraq and Syria. ISIL fighters on Monday captured an Iraqi police colonel and eight other officers in western Mosul after they ran out of ammunition during fierce early morning clashes. US president hosts the Iraqi prime minister at the White House, pledging support for Baghdad in battle against ISIL. Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has said he received assurances during talks with President Donald Trump and his administration of increasing American support as he presses his countrys campaign against ISIL. We have been given assurances that the [US] support will not only continue but will accelerate for Iraq to accomplish the task, Abadi said following talks with Trump at the White House on Monday. In a meeting on the 14th anniversary of the US invasion, Trump questioned whether the United States should have pulled combat troops out of the country. We should never ever have left, he said, after previously having supported the withdrawal. Trump told Abadi that he knew Iraqi forces were fighting hard against ISIL. Its not an easy job, Trump said. Its a very tough job. Your soldiers are fighting hard. I know Mosul is moving along. We will figure something out. I mean we have to get rid of ISIS, he added, using an alternate acronym for the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant group. Were going to get rid of ISIS. It will happen. Its happening right now. OPINION: ISIL after Mosul Insurgency and rivalry The Iraqi authorities launched an offensive in October to retake the northern city of Mosul from ISIL with the support of US-led coalition air strikes. Government forces retook the east side of Mosul in January before setting their sights on the more densely populated west of the city, the last major urban centre ISIL holds in Iraq. Currently, there are almost 5,000 US troops assisting coalition forces, providing air power, training and advice. That is down from a peak of more than 170,000 in 2007. Speaking at the United States Institute of Peace later on Monday, Abadi said that the Trump administration has a greater desire to be more engaged in the fight against terrorism than its predecessor. But he cautioned that the fight cannot be won solely with military action. There are better ways to defeat ISIL than military might alone, Abadi said. We have to be careful here, he said. We are not talking about military confrontation [alone]. Committing troops is one thing, while fighting terrorism is another thing. You dont defeat terrorism by fighting it militarily. Abadi also thanked Trump for removing Iraq from a travel ban affecting several Muslim-majority countries. After an appeal from Abadi, Trump decided this months revised order would not include Iraq because of its cooperation with the US. Both the initial January 27 travel ban and the revised version have been blocked by federal courts. I thank you for removing Iraq from the presidential order this was a positive response to the Iraqi request that betters the relationship with Iraq and the value of Iraq as far as Iraqi-American relations, Abadi told Trump. Directors of the FBI and NSA testify on two explosive issues dividing the United States. The directors of the FBI and NSA are set to break their public silence on potential ties between President Donald Trump and Russia, and on his explosive allegation that he was wiretapped by his predecessor Barack Obama. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director James Comey and Mike Rogers of the National Security Agency (NSA) will speak to Congress on Monday, publicly addressing for the first time two issues that have riveted the American public for weeks and have further divided the countrys two major political parties. They are both set to testify before the House Intelligence Committee at a hearing aimed at probing Russias interference in the 2016 election campaign. OPINION: Why is Russia so happy with Trump? Trump and his entourages possible ties with Russia under President Vladimir Putin have been the subject of much speculation since before Trump was elected on November 8. US intelligence agencies in January concluded that hackers working for Russia broke into the email accounts of senior Democrat Party members and released embarrassing messages with the aim of helping Trump defeat Hillary Clinton. Several congressional panels have launched investigations into Russias alleged interference, including the House and Senate intelligence committees, which have jurisdiction over the nations 17 intelligence agencies, as well as the House and Senate judiciary committees. The FBI is also probing Russian interference in the election. The question remains whether the FBI has opened a criminal investigation into possible ties between Trump campaign aides and Russian officials. Mondays hearing promises to be a very public showdown between the FBI and politicians, with the national security world certain to watch whether Comey drops a political bombshell. A congressional panel so far has found no evidence that Trumps campaign colluded with Russia, its chairman said Sunday. Moscow has denied involvement in the hacks, and Trump has denounced the tumult over alleged Russian connections as a total witch hunt. Straining relations Mondays hearing was also expected to address a second explosive issue: Trumps unsubstantiated accusations that the Obama administration wiretapped his phone at Trump Tower in New York during the campaign. Trump tweeted on March 4 that Obama had tapped his phone. Obama and an array of other officials have flatly denied the allegation. Obamas top intelligence official, James Clapper, has publicly called the claims false, and congressional leaders briefed on the matter have said they have seen no indication that the allegations are true. I hope that we can put an end to this wild goose chase, California Democratic congressman Adam Schiff, a House intelligence committee member, told NBC television on Sunday. What the president said was just patently false. And the wrecking ball it has created has just banged into our British allies and our German allies and its continuing to grow in terms of damage and he needs to put an end to this, Schiff said. The White House was forced to retract a charge repeated last week by its spokesman Sean Spicer suggesting that Britains intelligence services aided the Obama administration in the alleged wiretap. The claim has strained relations with one of Americas closest allies. Still, as recently as Friday, Trump repeated the claim in an aside during a White House press conference with Angela Merkel. As far as wiretapping, I guess, by this past administration, at least we have something in common, perhaps, Trump told the German chancellor, referring to a WikiLeaks report in 2015 that the US had monitored calls involving Merkel and her top aides for years. The issue of wiretapping first surfaced last month, when Trumps national security adviser Michael Flynn was forced to resign after it was revealed that he had misled top officials over his contacts with the Russian ambassador to Washington. Around the same time, The New York Times reported that US intelligence had intercepted calls showing that members of Trumps campaign had repeated contacts with top Russian intelligence officials in the year preceding the election. READ MORE: Russias booming Trumpomania House Intelligence Committee chairman Devin Nunes has said that the intelligence committee probe focuses in part on who revealed that Flynn had unreported private contacts with the Russians over the sanctions issue. Adding to the intrigue, Trumps attorney general Jeff Sessions recused himself from any Russia-related inquiries after it was learned that he had met twice with the Russian ambassador in the months before Trump took office, and had failed to disclose this during his confirmation hearing when asked a question about such contacts and speaking under oath. Domestically, the controversy over the wiretapping claim has pulled attention away from Trumps effort to push through other key items on his agenda, including the planned repeal of Obamas healthcare law, tax reform and his controversial travel ban. FBI Director James Comey addresses members of Congress over Trumps wiretap claims and allegations of Russian hacking. Top US intelligence officials, including the director of the FBI, say they have no information supporting President Donald Trumps claim that his predecessor Barack Obama ordered a wiretap of him during the 2016 election campaign. FBI Director James Comey appeared on Monday before a panel of Congress members looking into possible intelligence breaches, allegations of Russian hacking, and links between Moscow and Trumps campaign. With respect to the presidents tweets about alleged wiretapping directed at him by the prior administration, I have no information that supports those tweets, Comey told members of the House Intelligence Committee. READ MORE: Donald Trump stands by phone-tapping claims And we have looked carefully inside the FBI. The Department of Justice has asked me to share with you that the answer is the same The department has no information that supports those tweets, he said. Comey confirmed there is an active investigation looking into alleged Russian interference in the US election. Russia denies it attempted to interfere in the November 8 presidential vote. In a separate statement, the White House said on Monday: There is no evidence of Trump-Russia collusion and there is no evidence of a Trump-Russia scandal. Michael Rogers, director of the National Security Agency, said he has seen nothing on the NSA side. Rogers denied claims made by Trump spokesman Sean Spicer that British intelligence had spied on the Republican candidate, on behalf of President Obama. That would be expressly against the construct of the US agreement with allies on matters of intelligence, he said. Utterly ridiculous The high-stakes testimony in the House Intelligence Committee the first public hearing into both controversies came as Trump sought to steer the news focus by calling the Russia issue, which has been a cloud over his victory, fake news. Trump created controversy in early March when he tweeted without giving evidence that Obamas administration had wiretapped Trump Tower in New York City. The White House went so far last week as to suggest Britains GCHQ signals intelligence agency cooperated with Obama in the alleged surveillance. The charge riled the British government and GCHQ, a close ally of US spy agencies, sharply rejected it as utterly ridiculous. In his opening statement at the hearing, Republican Representative Devin Nunes issued a similar comment made by Comey, although he said other forms of surveillance of Trump and his associates have not been ruled out. Al Jazeeras Washington Editor James Bays said the statement by the intelligence officials are embarrassing for the Trump administration. Thats something they dont want to hear in the White House, he said. Mondays hearing, one of several by congressional panels looking into allegations of Russian meddling, could allow for the greatest public accounting to date of investigations that have shadowed the Trump administration in its first two months. US intelligence agencies concluded that Russia meddled in the campaign to help Trump defeat Clinton. The FBI has also been investigating ties between Russia and Trump advisers and associates during the campaign. The Senate Intelligence Committee has scheduled a similar hearing for later in the month. Donald Trump stands by phone-tapping claims On Monday, Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer called on Trump to retract his wiretapping claim immediately. By tweeting this claim and attempting to put unproven theories from the fringes of the American media into the mainstream, President Trump has severely damaged his credibility, which is essential to being president. President Trump owes the American people and President Obama more than just an explanation, but an apology. He should admit he was wrong, stop the outlandish tweets, and get to work on behalf of this country, Schumer said. At least 20 more people also injured in the incident near Kintampo town, according to police. At least 18 people were killed when a large tree fell into the pool they were swimming in at the base of a waterfall in Ghana, police said on Monday. The waterfall, near the town of Kintampo, was busy with weekend visitors, many of them high school students, when the accident happened on Sunday. Desmond Owusu Boampong, a local police commander, told Reuters news agency that 20 more people were being treated in a hospital. Another police commander said 22 were injured. My heart goes out to the families killed in the #Kintampo waterfall accident. Terrible disaster.#Ghana pic.twitter.com/5tdnXSld9x Benjamin P. Tetteh (@benjieluv) March 20, 2017 It was the upper part of one of the biggest trees that came crashing down on them. It was a horrifying scene as the area was engulfed in screams and shouts for help as we arrived, firefighter Kwaku Boateng said. It was a difficult operation because some untrained members of the public joined in a desperate attempt to help. We swung into action immediately with many of our men diving into the water. We used chainsaws and other cutting tools to chop the tree in pieces in order to free the victims, he said. Pictures in local media showed thick branches lying in a pool at the base of the waterfall. Other photographs showed bodies, some wearing bathing suits, placed in rows on the ground or piled into pick-up trucks. @Gidi_Traffic 20 students have died after trees fell on them at Kintampo waterfalls, a popular waterfall in Ghana,while they were swimming pic.twitter.com/adLd2jTogh AustynZOGS (@Austynzogs) March 20, 2017 The disaster occurred not long after a rainstorm in the area located in Ghanas middle belt Brong Ahafo region, which is known for heavy rains at this time of year. Ghanas Tourism Minister Catherine Afeku, heading to the scene to meet families of victims, said an investigation would be conducted. President Nana Akufo-Addo sent his condolences via his official Twitter feed. I have learnt with great sadness, the unfortunate incident that occurred at Kintampo Waterfalls yesterday. (1/2) Nana Akufo-Addo (@NAkufoAddo) March 20, 2017 A police report has implicated the brother of a former Sri Lankan president saying he directed a top secret death squad that targeted journalists and dissidents. The Criminal Investigations Department (CID) told the Mount Lavinia magistrates court on Monday that Gotabhaya Rajapaksa who was defence minister during the rule of his brother, Mahinda led a unit that is accused of assassinating former Sunday Leader newspaper editor Lasantha Wickrematunge. Testimony from the former army commander [Sarath Fonseka] shows that there was a special secret unit outside his authority and controlled by Gotabhaya Rajapaksa through the then-chief of national intelligence Kapila Hendawitharana, said the CID report, which was read out in court. This unit was operated outside the army command structure and was used to target journalists and other dissidents. Fonseka who led Sri Lankas successful military campaign against Tamil rebels in 2009 fell out of grace after he unsuccessfully challenged Mahinda Rajapaksa in January 2010 elections. Wickrematunges killing, which sparked an international outcry, drew attention to violence against Sri Lankas media during Rajapaksas tenure that ended in 2015 when he lost elections to an opposition alliance. In a written report to the court, CID said a new autopsy revealed that Wickrematunge had been stabbed to death and not shot as previously recorded in the original death certificate. Wickrematunges body was exhumed in September for a new forensic test after allegations that the original autopsy report had been falsified to deliberately mislead investigators. READ MORE: Army spies arrested over Lasantha Wickrematunge murder The Mount Lavinia Court ordered police to carry out further investigations and arrest any suspects involved. Speaking to AFP news agency after Mondays court hearing, a senior police officer said authorities were close to making more arrests over Wickrematunges murder, after five military intelligence officers were detained last month. Now that the cause of death has been firmly established, we can proceed with making further arrests, the officer said on condition of anonymity. Rajapaksa family Wickrematunge had accused Gotabhaya of taking kickbacks in arms purchases, including a deal to buy used MiG jet fighters, and was set to testify against him in court when he was killed. Rajapaksa and several members of his family are under investigation for large-scale fraud and murder during his 10 years as president, in which 17 journalists and media workers were killed. All deny any wrongdoing and, in turn, accuse the new government of a political vendetta. A retired army intelligence officer was found hanging at his home in October with a note claiming responsibility for Wickrematunges death. But police have said they do not believe the claim and are treating the officers death as a murder. Bigoted rhetoric and harassment targeting both religions since the US presidential election has drawn people together. They sat on either end of the Congressmens couch, one a Jewish healthcare executive whose parents fled Germany in 1936, the other the Kashmiri Muslim chairman of a well known American furniture chain. The men, Stanley Bergman and Farooq Kathwari, came to draw attention to an outbreak of hate crimes. But Bergman and Kathwari hoped their joint appearance would also send a broader message: that US Jews and Muslims could put aside differences and work together. What drove us was the growing prejudice that has emerged in the United States, Bergman said. What starts small, from a historical point of view, often grows into something big. The men lead the Muslim-Jewish Advisory Council, created last year by the American Jewish Committee and the Islamic Society of North America, amid a flowering of alliances between members of the two faiths. US Muslim and Jewish groups have been trying for years to make common cause with mixed success, often derailed by deep divisions over Israel and the Palestinians. Trump signs new Muslim ban on six countries But bigoted rhetoric and harassment targeting both religions since the presidential election has drawn people together. Jews have donated to repair mosques that were defaced or burned. Muslims raised money to repair vandalised Jewish cemeteries. Rabbis and imams marched together against President Donald Trumps travel ban targeting majority Muslim countries. I would never have thought I would see some people in conversation, or anywhere near each other. Then I saw people on Facebook standing next to each other at protests Muslims and Jews, said Aziza Hasan, executive director of NewGround: A Muslim-Jewish Partnership for Change in Los Angeles, which has run community relationship-building programmes for more than a decade. Yet despite this surge of goodwill, questions remain about whether these new connections can endure. The sense of vulnerability Muslims and Jews share, and their need for allies at a difficult time, have not erased tensions that in the past have kept them apart. This is a start and well see how it goes, said Talat Othman, a financial industry executive and Muslim-Jewish Advisory Council member, who offered an Islamic prayer at the 2000 Republican National Convention. We are hopeful. Jews and Muslims comprise the two largest non-Christian faith groups in the United States and have a long history of trying to work together. The chancellor of the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York, the flagship institution of Conservative Judaism, initiated a dialogue with Muslims in 1956, according to documents in the schools archive. Rabbi Jack Bemporad, a pioneer in Muslim-Jewish dialogue and founder the Centre for Interreligious Understanding in New Jersey, said his efforts started in the 1970s when he led a Dallas synagogue and local imams started attending his weekly Bible classes. US anti-fascists: We can make racists afraid again Over the years, many initiatives on improving relations between the two faiths were organised internationally by governments and peace groups, while some American synagogues and mosques attempted to build friendships locally. Some progress was made, yet relations were often derailed when violence, war and policy disputes erupted in the Middle East. In Los Angeles, Hasan said local discussions between Muslim and Jewish leaders would falter when participants from one faith would demand that those of the other condemn an action in Israel and the Palestinian territories. It would go back and forth, then eventually Jews asked Muslims to condemn something they couldnt so they walked away from the table, Hasan said. Then came the September 11 terrorist attacks, prompting a backlash against American Muslims, and efforts to create connections with Jews began moving at warp speed, said Rabbi Burton Visotzky, a Jewish Theological Seminary scholar and a long-time leader in Muslim-Jewish cooperation. Visotzkys outreach has ranged from a 2008 global interfaith meeting convened by King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia to serving at a soup kitchen alongside members of a New York mosque. Still, the deep divide over Israel and the Palestinians remained an obstacle. Some Jews and Muslims pledged to avoid any mention of the Middle East as they sought common ground. Others hit the issue up front, but their talks foundered. Yehuda Kurtzer, president of the Shalom Hartman Institute of North America, an educational organisation with extensive interfaith programmes, said US Muslims and Jews had become proxy warriors for conflicts thousands of kilometres away. At the same time, advocates for building ties between the faiths regularly encountered scepticism or outright hostility from within their own communities. Many Jews feel that Muslims around the world are a source of threat to Jews, then why be in dialogue? Kurtzer said. OPINION: In the US, we need a Muslim-Jewish alliance About six years ago, Bemporad organised a conference on Islamic and Jewish law, but the event was closed to the public, in part to avoid pushback against participants. We had to break the ice somehow, Bemporad said. We thought the way we did it, you could be free to say whatever you wanted. He said religious leaders working on such projects are much more open now. Still, the growth of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement against Israel and in support of the Palestinians has further complicated relations. The movement, known as BDS, is decentralised and its supporters use different strategies, but many backers say interfaith dialogue with Zionists undermines the Palestinian cause. It has become common for American Jewish organisations to draw a hard line against working with backers of BDS from any faith. Meanwhile, BDS activists consider it traitorous for Muslims to work with supporters of Israel. This issue came to the fore over the Shalom Hartman Institutes Muslim Leadership Initiative, which brings American Muslims to Israel to study Judaism and Zionism. Kurtzer said the first year of the programme was kept completely under the radar. When the participants became known in 2014, Muslims who took part were accused of allowing themselves to be manipulated and violating BDS. Among the participants was Rabia Chaudry, a lawyer specialist in countering extremism and a long-time supporter of Palestinian rights. She acknowledged the risks from participating in the programme, but said she did so hoping to find a new way forward. Last October, the Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago dropped plans to present her with an achievement award because of her work with the Shalom Hartman Institute. Chaudry, now a member of the Muslim-Jewish Advisory Council, said she was not angry. They felt terrible about it. They got even more criticism for rescinding it, she said. Trump effect Since President Donald Trumps election, members of both faiths seem more willing to set aside such differences as they work on civil rights and other issues, said Abdullah Antepli, who was the first Muslim chaplain at Duke University and is co-director of the Shalom Hartman Institutes Muslim Leadership Initiative. It is impossible to know definitively whether harassment based on religion has increased. The FBIs most recent data on hate crimes is from 2015. Still, the last year or so has seen some dramatic examples of bigotry, including the waves of phoned-in bomb threats to Jewish community centres around the country. Mosques in Florida and Texas were recently set on fire, and authorities were investigating whether the suspected arson attacks could be considered hate crimes. Its particularly a Trump effect, Antepli said. External forces make the Muslim and Jewish communities need each others friendship. When New York Arab-American activist and BDS supporter Linda Sarsour recently helped raise more than $150,000 for the damaged Jewish cemeteries, some Jews debated whether it would be ethical to accept the donation. But in a sign of changing attitudes, several mainstream Jewish leaders, who had worked with her previously, defended her. This new dynamic was evident at a recent New York vigil organised by the Sisterhood of Salaam Shalom, a national organisation that brings together Muslim and Jewish women. The gathering at the Jewish Theological Seminary was part of the organisations response to Trumps travel ban. At their vigil, they walked to the front of the room in pairs a Muslim and a Jew to offer readings and prayers in Arabic and Hebrew. After the ceremony, the women hugged and posed together for selfies. Theres a sense of immediate rapport and connection, said Donna Cephas, a national board member of the Sisterhood, which has added dozens of chapters in the past year. There is a significant yearning to be in community with people who stand for what we stand for. Conservative judge faces days of questioning over abortion rights, judicial independence and support for corporations. The Senate Judiciary Committee has opened its confirmation hearing for Neil Gorsuch, President Donald Trumps US Supreme Court nominee, with Democrats questioning whether he would rule against abortion rights while favouring corporations. The hearing on Monday comes 13 months after Justice Antonin Scalias death created a vacancy on the Supreme Court. If Gorsuch is confirmed which is widely expected he would restore a 5-4 conservative court majority. Republicans praised Gorsuch, a conservative federal appeals court judge from Colorado, as highly qualified for a lifetime appointment as a justice. Democrats used their opening statements to question his record in ruling for business over its employees and his closeness to Trump. Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal underscored the importance of judicial independence at a time when Trump has excoriated federal judges who have ruled against him on matters including two executive orders, put on hold by courts, to block people from six Muslim-majority nations from entering the United States. Blumenthal said it was not idle speculation to suggest the Supreme Court might be asked to enforce a subpoena against Trump, citing FBI Director James Comeys testimony before Congress on Monday confirming an ongoing investigation into alleged collusion between Trumps presidential campaign and Russia. Neutral and independent judges Gorsuch himself emphasised the need for neutral and independent judges to apply the law, warned against judicial overreach, and referred to the modest station we judges are meant to occupy in a democracy. If judges were just secret legislators, declaring not what the law is but what they would like it to be, the very idea of a government by the people and for the people would be at risk, Gorsuch said in comments in harmony with conservative criticism of unelected activist judges. Democrat Dianne Feinstein emphasised abortion. Conservatives have long opposed the landmark 1973 Roe v Wade ruling legalising abortion nationwide. Feinstein called that ruling and others since then buttressing abortion rights super precedents deserving special deference. A number of senators raised Gorsuchs ruling supporting a transportation firm that fired a driver for defying an order to stay in a freezing, broken-down truck Questioning of Gorsuch will start on Tuesday and could go on for days. Republican Chuck Grassley, the committees chairman, said the panel is likely to vote on the nomination on April 3, with the full Senate vote likely soon after. Democrats noted Gorsuch has the chance to join the court only because Senate Republicans last year refused to consider Democratic former president Barack Obamas nomination of federal appellate judge Merrick Garland. They contend Trumps party stole a Supreme Court seat by freezing out Garland. Several Senate Democrats have already announced plans to oppose Gorsuch and seek to block his nomination from coming to a final vote. But delay tactics by Democrats could lead Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to exercise procedural manoeuvres of his own to eliminate the 60-vote filibuster threshold now in place for Supreme Court nominations, and with it any Democratic leverage to influence the next Supreme Court fight. Republicans control the Senate 52-48. The filibuster rule when invoked requires 60 of the 100 votes to advance a bill or nomination, contrasted with the simple 51-vote majority that applies in most cases. Pyongyang reacts with disdain after US Secretary of State Tillerson warned all options are on the table. North Korea said on Monday that it was not frightened by US threats of possible pre-emptive military action to halt its nuclear and missile build-up. A spokesman for North Koreas Foreign Ministry slammed US Secretary of State Rex Tillersons recent talk of tougher sanctions, more pressure, and possible military action, and said the North would not be deterred in its nuclear programme. The nuclear force of [North Korea] is the treasured sword of justice and the most reliable war deterrence to defend the socialist motherland and the life of its people, the official Korean Central News Agency quoted the spokesman as saying. Trump says Kim Jong-un acting very, very badly Tillerson recently visited Japan, South Korea and China on trip that focused on North Koreas nuclear programme. On Friday, he signalled a tougher strategy that left open the possibility of pre-emptive military action. Let me be very clear: The policy of strategic patience has ended, he said after visiting the heavily militarised border between the rival Koreas. We are exploring a new range of diplomatic, security and economic measures. All options are on the table. A day earlier, in Japan, Tillerson had described the past 20 years of US policy towards North Korea as a failure and vowed a comprehensive policy review under US President Donald Trump. KCNA quoted the unidentified foreign ministry spokesman as saying the US should accept that North Korea is a nuclear-capable nation that has the will and capability to fully respond to any war the US would like to ignite. If the businessmen-turned US authorities thought that they would frighten [North Korea], they would soon know that their method would not work, he said. On Saturday, North Korea conducted a ground test of a new type of high-thrust rocket engine that leader Kim Jong-un called a revolutionary breakthrough for the countrys space programme. North Korea tests new high-thrust rocket engine North Korea has accelerated its weapons development, violating a number of UN Security Council resolutions without being deterred by sanctions. It conducted two nuclear test explosions and 24 ballistic missile tests last year. Experts say it could have a nuclear-tipped missile capable of reaching the US mainland within a few years. Trump told reporters on Sunday he held meetings on North Korea over the weekend and said Kim was acting very, very badly. China said on Monday that the situation with North Korea was at a new crossroads with two scenarios a deterioration to war or a diplomatic solution. Any chance for dialogue must be seized, as long as theres hope, Foreign Minister Wang Yi said in Beijing. Scandinavian country surges from fourth place in last years UN assessment all the way to top spot. A chilly climate is not keeping Norway from basking in the glow of being named the worlds happiest country on Monday. The Scandinavian country surged from fourth place in last years UN assessment all the way to the top spot, according to the World Happiness Report 2017. Other top countries on the list included Nordic neighbours Denmark and Iceland, as well as Switzerland. Among the 20 nations at the bottom of the rankings, five were in the Middle East and North Africa and five were in sub-Saharan Africa. The Central African Republic, which returned to the surveyed group, came in dead last at 155, with Burundi and Tanzania doing only slightly better. READ MORE: UAE names first minister of state for happiness Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg, who is facing a tough re-election battle in September, welcomed the report as a nice validation on a Monday morning. For many years, Norway has been behind Denmark in this ranking. Ive made a point of it in many dinner speeches in the Nordics. Now I must find something new! she said in a message on Facebook in Norwegian. But even if we top this statistic now we [must] continue to prioritise mental healthcare, to improve follow-up of children and young people because many are still struggling. The report found that all of the top four countries rank highly on all the main factors found to support happiness: caring, freedom, generosity, honesty, health, income and good governance. Rounding out the top 10 were Finland, in fifth place, the Netherlands (6), Canada (7), New Zealand (8) and Australia and Sweden tied for 9th. All in the top 10 were affluent, developed nations, though the report said that money was not the only ingredient for happiness. In fact, among the wealthier countries the differences in happiness levels had a lot to do with differences in mental health, physical health and personal relationships: the biggest single source of misery is mental illness, the report said. Income differences matter more in poorer countries, but even their mental illness is a major source of misery, it added. READ MORE: Why is Guatemala one of the worlds happiest countries? Another major country, China, has made major economic strides in recent years. But its people are not happier than 25 years ago, the report found. China ranked 79th in the study of 155 countries. The United States slipped to number 14 because of less social support and greater corruption the very factors explaining why Nordic countries fare better on the happiness scale. The World Happiness Report was released by the United Nations on the International Day of Happiness. It is the fifth such report since the first was published in 2012. Since then we have come a long way. Happiness is increasingly considered the proper measure of social progress and the goal of public policy, the report said. Pakistan has decided to reopen its crossing with Afghanistan as a goodwill gesture. Pakistans Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has ordered the immediate reopening of border crossings with Afghanistan, more than a month after they were closed. Pakistan sealed the Torkham and Chaman crossings on February 16, after a string of suicide attacks killed more than 130 people across the country, blaming the violence on Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan and other armed groups. The closure left hundreds of thousands of people and lorries carrying food and other goods to Afghanistan stranded at the two major crossings of Torkham and Chaman. We have taken this decision on humanitarian grounds, a statement from Sharifs office said on Monday. The statement said that, while the government had evidence that anti-Pakistan elements were present on Afghan soil, keeping the border closed was against the interests of ordinary people. We hope that the Afghan government will take all necessary steps to prevent the reasons why we undertook these steps [of closing the border] from recurring, it said. Pakistan had temporarily reopened the border crossings for two days in early March to allow visitors with valid visas on both sides to return home. Afghanistan has long blamed Pakistan for giving sanctuary to the Afghan Taliban and Haqqani Network leaders on its soil. Pakistan, though, accuses its northwestern neighbour of allowing Pakistani Taliban elements to operate in Nangarhar and other provinces. Pakistans Minister of Defence Khawaja Asif said the border was being used as a thoroughfare by Pakistani Taliban fighters. But Afghan ambassador to Pakistan, Omar Zakhilwal, argued that closing it served no purpose except to harm ordinary people and traders on both sides. The Torkham and Chaman crossings are major arteries for $1.5bn in trade and commerce between the two neighbours. The Torkham crossing alone is used by about 15,000 Afghans every day. US boycotts UN rights council as special rapporteur accuses Israel of the subjugation of Palestinians humanity. The UNs special rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories has decried how Israels illegal settlement enterprise has moved at an alarming pace this year. Michael Lynk pointed on Monday to announcements by Israel to build 6,000 new housing units in Palestinian areas, accompanied by high rates of demolition of Palestinian homes in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. He accused Israel of the subjugation of [Palestinians] humanity, and also cited a UN Security Council resolution in December that called the establishment of settlements in the West Bank a flagrant violation of international law. Lynk made the statements in a report presented to the UN rights council during the Geneva-based bodys mandated session on Israel, known as Agenda Item Seven. READ MORE: What did the UN apartheid report expose in reality? The US Department of State criticised the UN council on Monday for holding its Israel debate and vowed in a statement to vote against every resolution put forth under this agenda item. The United States also boycotted Mondays session saying the regular review showed the councils long-standing bias against Israel, which threatens the credibility of the body. Nikki Haley, US ambassador to the UN, denounced that Israel was the only country on the 47-member councils calendar. It is not Syria, where the regime has systematically slaughtered and tortured its own people, she said. It is not Iran, where public hangings are a regular occurrence. It is not North Korea, where the regime uses forced labour camps to crush its people into submission. It is Israel, the only democracy in the Middle East. A letter from US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson to advocacy groups, obtained by the AP news agency last week, said the US would not continue participating unless the council undergoes considerable reform. In the more than 230 country-specific resolutions at the council since it was founded 11 years ago, more than one-quarter have been focused on Israel, whose policies in Palestinian areas have raised rights concerns for decades. In agreement with Kurds, Russia to operate military base in Afrin and train YPG fighters in anti-terror combat. Russia is setting up a military base in northwestern Syria in agreement with the Syrian-Kurdish YPG armed group that controls the area and will train fighters, a YPG spokesman said on Monday. The agreement with Russia was concluded on Sunday and Russian troops have already arrived at the village of Kafr Jina, in the northwestern region of Afrin, with troop carriers and armoured vehicles, YPG spokesman Redur Xelil told Reuters news agency. The Russian presence comes in agreement between [the YPG] and the Russian forces operating in Syria in the framework of cooperation against terrorism and to help train our forces on modern warfare and to build a direct point of contact with Russian forces, Xelil said in a statement. It is the first [agreement] of its kind, he added. However, in a statement put out shortly after news broke of the alleged deal, the Russian Defence Ministry said there were no plans to create additional military bases in Syrian territory, but added that a section of its reconciliation centre was located in Aleppo province close to Afrin for the prevention of ceasefire violations. OPINION: The US must heed Turkish concerns in Syria The YPG announcement angered neighbouring Turkey. Ankara views YPG as an extension of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which is waging an insurgency inside Turkey aimed at gaining greater autonomy. Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus said it would not accept a region of terror in northern Syria, and the ethnic structure of the area should be kept intact. Turkey has launched a cross-border offensive along a section of the Turkish-Syrian frontier to prevent further gains by YPG, which controls swaths of northeastern Syria and the Afrin pocket of northwestern Syria. Turkeys troops pushed into Syria in August of last year in an effort to push Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) away from its border and to prevent Kurdish efforts to connect its two pockets of control in Syrias north. The YPG or the Peoples Protection Units is also allied to the United States in the fight against ISIL, and is playing a major part in the US-backed offensive against ISILs urban stronghold of Raqqa, further east. The agreement came into force today, Xelil said, declining to say how many Russian troops had arrived in Kafr Jina, the place where the base is being established. Kafr Jina has previously been shelled by Turkish forces from across the nearby frontier, Xelil added. The spokesman said that the YPG aims to expand its fighting force by nearly two-thirds to more than 100,000 fighters. The group had about 60,000 fighters at the end of 2016, he said, and has already formed 10 new battalions each comprising 300 fighters since the start of this year. The 10 new units and other new battalions to be formed this year will be trained in all forms of combat, weaponry and tactics, with the aim of turning the YPG into a more organised force that resembles a traditional army, Xelil said. A disciplined, cohesive military force, well-trained in different tactics of war is the true guarantee to defend us and to affirm our presence as a great nation that deserves dignity, said a YPG leaflet seeking recruits for the new battalions that has been circulated in the predominantly Kurdish regions of Syria, which is home to roughly two million Kurds. Each fighter will reportedly receive a monthly salary of $200, which is $20 above the maximum wage currently paid to YPG fighters. Aaron Stein, a senior fellow at the US-based Atlantic Council, told AFP news agency that Russia was now partnering with the Kurds as they had become an important player in Syria. The Kurds are now the most consequential non-state actor in Syria, alongside al-Qaeda They will have a huge say over the future of Syria, Stein said. No problem with the regime Syrian Kurdish groups established three autonomous administrations in Kurdish-dominated areas of northern Syria as Syrian state control collapsed in much of the country, setting up their own bureaucracies in addition to security forces. Officials say their revenue streams include taxes on agricultural produce, and income raised by selling oil from fields in northeastern Syria, though they say only enough is sold to meet local needs. The YPG commander Sipan Hemo told Reuters last week that the operation to storm Raqqa was due to start in early April, and the YPG would make up a quarter of the force that will take the city alongside allied Arab fighters. The Pentagon said no decision had been taken yet. READ MORE: Kurds and refugees behind Turkeys Syria offensive Xelil said the new battalions were not taking part in the operation to encircle Raqqa. He declined to say if the new training programme was supported by any foreign militaries. The YPG and its political affiliate, the PYD, along with other Syrian Kurdish groups, aim to deepen their autonomy through the establishment of a new system of federal government in the north. The Kurds, systematically persecuted for years by the Syrian state, say their aim is not independence. Hemo said the YPG aimed to fight terrorism everywhere in Syria, while its political priority was guaranteeing the rights of the Kurdish people in Syria legally, constitutionally. He also signalled a readiness on the part of YPG to reach a long-term accommodation with the Syrian government, saying there will be no problem with the regime once Kurdish rights are secured. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has stated his opposition to the regional federal model, which the dominant Syrian Kurdish groups say should be the solution to the Syrian war. Assad has vowed to take back all of Syria. Activists decry Florida state attorney ruling that 2012 death of schizophrenic inmate in scalding shower was accidental. Civil rights organisations have condemned a US state attorneys decision to close the case against prison guards who sent an inmate to a scalding shower, which witnesses and lawyers believe killed him. In June 2012, four guards trapped 50-year-old Darren Rainey, a schizophrenic, in a shower at Floridas Dade Correctional Institute for two hours He was found dead lying face up in the shower, his skin red and slipping off. Some prisoners said they heard Rainey scream out for help, saying the water was too hot, that they saw steam coming out of the shower, and that CPR was not performed. While a prison nurse said that Raineys body felt hot, she said a sergeant did perform CPR. On Friday, the office of Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle released a 101-page report saying Raineys cause of death was an accident. READ MORE: Is this the end of prison for profit in the US? The report concluded: Facts and evidence in this case do not meet the required elements for the filing of any criminal charge none of the correctional officers at Dade CI are criminally responsible for the death. In a statement sent to Al Jazeera on Monday, Howard Simon, American Civil Liberties Unions (ACLU) Florida executive director, said: Just because the state attorney found that the standards to secure a criminal conviction was not met does not mean that corrections officers did not do something horribly wrong. Changes need to be made in our corrections department to ensure that guards are held responsible when their actions, negligent or willful, result in the death of an inmate. Florida, a state that holds more more than 100,000 people behind bars, is home to Americas third largest prison system behind California and Texas. Raineys death utterly preventable Anger swelled after Rundles report was released. Protesters said on social media that they would gather outside the state attorneys office on Tuesday to demand her resignation, calling on those concerned to continue to phone Rundle for answers. Were fully aware of [the planned protest], a spokeswoman from Rundles office told Al Jazeera, refusing to comment further about Raineys death. Later on Monday, Rundle tweeted that due to the volume of calls she had established a hotline to answer your concerns regarding the death of Darren Rainey. According to Human Rights Watch, there are around 2.37 million people in American prisons, the largest reported incarcerated population in the world. Jail and prison staff throughout the US use unnecessary, excessive, and even malicious force against prisoners with mental disabilities, the group said in its 2016 annual report. Alex Friedmann, associate director of the Florida-based Human Rights Defense Center, told Al Jazeera that he was not surprised by the states decision to close Raineys case, but explained his death was utterly preventable. Florida specifically has a long and sordid history of prisoners being killed by guards, he said. There are systemic failures at every step, from preventing abuse, investigating, and holding them accountable. It was unlikely that Rainey who had been on hunger strikes had the mental health support he needed, Friedmann explained. Rainey was mentally ill. We have basically criminalised mental illness in the United States. People who commit crimes on the base of mental illness, we funnel them into prison, not mental health facilities. We have more people with mental health [issues] incarcerated, rather than in hospitals. We put them in prisons. They dont fare well in those environments. A grave injustice Rainey had allegedly wiped faeces over himself before the shower. Prisons arent mental health hospitals. They [prison authorities] tell you, we dont need to be dealing with it. When you put mentally ill people in these situations, these are the tragic results that happen, said Friedmann. One nurse at Dade Correctional Institute, Britney Wilson, said that prisoners were routinely disciplined with long showers, according to the state attorneys report. She observed that Raineys skin appeared red and wrinkled, the report said. Wilson told the [911] operator that Raineys body appeared to be burned. READ MORE: Is the US failing its inmates? Steve Wetstein, a member of the Stop Prison Abuse Now advocacy group, told Al Jazeera that it was a grave injustice that the case has been closed. Theres an awful lot of testimony that says the shower that he was placed into was used as a punishment realistically as a torture device, he said. I do think that he was murdered. Rainey had been serving a two-year sentence on a cocaine charge. I think there is a tremendous amount of abuse [in prisons]. Darren Rainey is not the only death that looks like a criminal act, Wetstein said. There are numerous other cases where someone has died and very frankly the system has just covered it up. In October, 14 human rights groups led by the ACLU called for a US Department of Justice investigation (DoJ) into Floridas prisons, urging intervention into abuse, neglect, torture and deaths of prisoners. According to the Orlando Sentinel, the groups letter cited 17 prisoners who allegedly died of neglect. The ACLUs Simon told Al Jazeera following the closure of Raineys case, it was imperative that a federal investigation into a pattern and practice of brutality in Florida prison continued. But Wetstein has lost some hope since the election of Donald Trump. To be very honest, we had infinitely more hope that federal charges might have been brought with the [Barack] Obama administration, Wetstein said, referring to the former Democratic president. Trump, a Republican, has said he is tough on crime and has vowed to give further powers to law enforcement. When Trump was elected, our opinion was its (the DoJ investigation) not going to happen. The change of administrations makes a big difference. With any Republican administration, I would not be hopeful. With this particular one, Im certainly not hopeful. Its worse if anything, said Wetstein. Follow Anealla Safdar on Twitter: @anealla Fierce bombing follows Sundays surprise rebel attack on government positions in the east of Syrias capital. Syrian government jets bombarded opposition-held neighbourhoods of Damascus on Monday a day after opposition forces launched a surprise assault. Rebel groups allied with former al-Qaeda affiliate Jabhat Fateh al-Sham attacked government positions in the east of the capital early on Sunday morning in a complex and co-ordinated operation. But forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad drove them back by nightfall, a war monitor said, and began a fierce bombing campaign on Monday morning. There have been intense air strikes since dawn on opposition-held positions in Jobar from which the offensive was launched, Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said. The government and allied forces have retaken the initiative and are striking the groups that launched yesterdays assault, he added. Abdel Rahman said it was unclear whether government forces or their Russian allies were carrying out Mondays raids on Jobar. READ MORE: Syrias Civil War explained The fighting killed at least 26 government soldiers or allied fighters and 21 rebels, Abdel Rahman said, but he did not have an immediate toll for Monday mornings raids. Al Jazeeras Mohamed Al Jazaeri, reporting from near Damascus, said at least 15 civilians had been killed after government forces shelled residential neighborhoods in Eastern Ghouta. Al Jazeeras Imtiaz Tyab, reporting from Beirut, said people in the old city reported walls reverberating with the ferocity of the governments bombardment, and that rebel activists had described the raids as relentless. We understand that since daybreak there have been around 30 air strikes in [Jobar], Tyab said, adding that there were reports of heavy rebel losses, although credible figures were not yet available. Opposition remains powerful On Sunday, opposition fighters seized several buildings in Jobar before advancing into the neighbouring Abbasiyn Square area the first time in two years that the opposition advanced so close to the capitals centre. Fighting raged close to the old city in Damascus and the advance linked Jober to Qaboun and other areas to the north which had been under government siege. Control of Jobar which has been a battleground for more than two years is divided between rebels and allied fighters on one side, and government forces on the other. OPINION: Implications for a Syrian transition under Assad Tahrir al-Sham an umbrella group of hardline rebels formed by Jabhat Fateh al-Sham last month and the independent Failaq al-Rahman group also participated in the attack. Tyab said the timing of the rebel offensive was significant, marking six years since the start of the Syrian uprising. I think it really was in the calculus of the rebels that they want to make it known that they are still going to resist the regime, that they are still going to fight, despite the very heavy losses that they have experienced, he said. Tyab reported that rebel fighters used car bombs, suicide bombs, and tunnels in their assault. We understand that some of these [rebel] fighters have been able to launch mortar shells inside the city itself. Syrian state TV on Monday quoted Russias ambassador to Damascus as saying one of the embassys buildings was hit with a shell during the clashes. Joshua Landis, an expert on Syria at the University of Oklahoma, told Al Jazeera on Monday that the rebel offensive had taken the government by surprise and that a significant response was inevitable. The regime is going to realise that it cannot allow these two areas to linger there because they are beachheads for this Tahrir al-Sham group to make inroads into the Damascus area, he said, adding the government would likely withdraw some forces from areas such as Homs and Hama to refocus on Damascus. It means that the fight is still on, there are many fronts to this war, and the opposition remains powerful. US president criticises North Korean leader hours after Pyongyang says it tested new type of high-thrust rocket engine. US President Donald Trump on Sunday criticised North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, saying he was acting very, very badly hours after Pyongyang tested a new type of high-thrust rocket engine. Trump made the comments to reporters as he departed his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, where he spent the weekend. Trump said administration officials had meetings over the weekend about North Korea, among other issues. Had meetings on North Korea. Hes acting very, very badly. I will tell you, hes acting very badly, Trump said. North Korean state media said Kim oversaw a powerful new rocket engine test at the Sohae Satellite Launching Ground. He emphasised that the whole world will soon witness what eventful significance the great victory won today carries, Pyongyangs KCNA news agency said. READ MORE: North Korea tests new high-thrust rocket engine Kim said earlier this year that the millitary was preparing to test an intercontinental ballistic missile. US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson was in China over the weekend on the last stop of a three-nation tour of Northeast Asia. North Korea has dominated Tillersons agenda, with Washington seeking new ways to scupper Pyongyangs nuclear ambitions. Previous efforts, including talks and sanctions, have failed. Opposition fighters launched brazen assault on the Syrian capital, seizing control of areas under government siege. For most of the past six years of the war in Syria, the capital has been shielded from the destruction and desperation in much of the country. However, rebels launched a surprise attack on government forces, making significant gains in the eastern part of the city. The advance on Sunday was launched from the Jobar neighbourhood, linking it to Qaboun and other areas in the north that have been under government siege. Syrian forces responded with air strikes, shelling, and sniper fire and the fighting came close to the Old City of Damascus. Is it a serious blow to the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad? And could the rebels become even stronger? Presenter: Hazem Sika Guests: Issam Al Reis spokesman for the Free Syrian Armys Southern Front Lina Khatib head of the Middle East and North Africa Programme at Chatham House Mamoun Abu Nowar retired Jordanian air force general and military analyst An Iraqi former secret agent searches for his teenage son who disappeared on a sinking refugee boat headed for Greece. Its been a year since Jamals youngest son vanished without a trace. Equipped with the skills he gained from Saddam Husseins secret service, Jamal must reconstruct his sons last known steps taken during the height of the refugee crisis. The search takes Jamal from Turkey to Greece but key information is shrouded in bureaucracy and ambiguity. And now the clock is ticking with an offer of relocation for the rest of his family to Europe. Will Jamals search for his son, Bakeer, get him the answers that can help his family to move forward? Filmmaker: Horia El Hadad Director of Photography: Fadi El Binni Video editor: Dima Gharbawi Shaibani Gainesville residents will have to wait five more months for the new Cade Museum for Creativity and Invention to open. The museum, which is dedicated to the inventor of Gatorade, Robert Cade, aims to teach math and science by using art and creativity. Although the facility will be complete in August, the museum will open in January 2018 in Depot Park, located at 200 SE Depot Ave., following a series of preview events, said Stephanie Bailes, the museums executive director. We wanted to make sure that we are doing the best that we can ... in the space that we have, she said. Thats why were taking our time to open. Until its grand opening in January, staff will install new exhibits, train employees and furnish two lab areas: the Creativity Lab, for innovative experimenting, and the Fab Lab, outfitted with 3-D printers and an original printing press, she said. Project manager Josh Blackford said construction is on schedule, despite the complicated design. Theres not a square corner in the building, he said. More than 90 percent of the buildings exterior will sport a custom-bent metal finish for a futuristic look, he said. You wont look up and say, Ive seen this before, Blackford said. Bailes said the staff chose to build in Depot Park because it connects Gainesville to the rest of the community. We want people to take these ideas back out into the community and share with their family and friends, she said. Cade programs Enjoy what you're reading? Get content from The Alligator delivered to your inbox Subscribe Now Fab Lab Fabricating materials with the use of computers, 3-D printers and scanners, laser cutters and hand tools. Creativity Lab Learning how to do science differently by mixing art and the humanities together. Larry King spent the morning of his 56th wedding anniversary roasting a nearly 41-pound pig. He and his wife, Carole, drove down from Mississippi to spend the weekend at his brother-in-laws annual St. Patricks Day party. Jim Ferrer has hosted a party at his house to celebrate the holiday for the past five or six years, he said, but the pig for Saturdays feast was a new addition. Everybody, or at least a lot of people, pretend theyre Irish on St. Patricks Day, said King, who is German. Irish flags hung from the roof of Ferrers house, along with pennants in orange, white and green. A 5-foot-tall inflated leprechaun stood grinning by the entrance. A large bounce house sat on the corner for neighborhood kids. Each square of the sidewalk in front of his home is painted with a green shamrock. Ferrer, the former assistant vice president of finance and planning at UF, hosts the party with his partner, David Nicholson. The couple has been together for 43 years. Ferrer said Nicholson is the main party planner. Nicholson used to plan other parties for Christmas and New Years. In New Orleans, he started a parade for St. Patricks Day and wanted to keep the spirit going when they moved to Gainesville. This is tradition now, Ferrer said. We lived in New Orleans, and we lived in Irish Channel, and its a big holiday there. So we wanted to bring that tradition over here. Throughout the day Saturday, about 200 people stopped by, Nicholson said. To feed the crowd, they prepared the pig along with 21 pounds of pulled pork King brought down from Mississippi. They also set up a keg of Killians Irish Red beer and had two volunteer bartenders serving wine. Nicholson said the party helps them meet other people in the neighborhood. He said they put up fliers and invited everybody around, even welcoming strangers. It becomes a mob, he said, but he likes it. Enjoy what you're reading? Get content from The Alligator delivered to your inbox Subscribe Now Youve got to bring the community up with you, Nicholson said. Ferrer said its nice to get to meet the new residents and see old friends. I think thats what makes this neighborhood special, is people talk to each other, because theyre walking their dogs, Ferrer said. Theyre not sitting behind closed doors. Contact Romy Ellenbogen at rellenbogen@alligator.org and follow her on Twitter at @romyellenbogen Larry King, 76, loosens a rack holding a roasted pig as Jim Ferrer, 66, makes a tent out of aluminum foil to keep it warm for a day-after-St. Patrick's Day party at the corner of Northwest 14th Avenue and Northwest 18th Street on Saturday. King and Ferrer roasted the pig for about four hours before serving it. After disappearing from an Ocala home a week ago, a 2-foot-long cobra has popped up on Twitter. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has not stopped searching for the multicolored suphan cobra since it escaped its enclosure at 905 NE Fifth St. at about 9 p.m. March 13. The nameless snake is owned by Brian Purdy, who is licensed to handle venomous reptiles. Purdys 15-year-old son, Mason, said the snake escaped when his dad was not home, under the watch of an apprentice who is not yet licensed to handle such dangerous creatures. Mason said he was the only other person at home when the snake disappeared. I was in the other room when I heard it happen I heard it drop, he said. I didnt know what got out, but I heard him say, Oh gosh. But on social media, using a parody Twitter account @OcalaCobra, the missing serpent has convinced 3,298 followers to tune into its snarky remarks to reporters and general Twitter users. Im free for the first time in my life & I just found this iPhone, so why not tweet? its Twitter bio reads. Mason, a freshman at Vanguard High School, said his family turned the house upside down looking for the cobra. He said FWC officers brought a search dog to his house in an effort to find the snake. Although many of Masons neighbors have been extremely understanding throughout the search process, he said others have panicked. Theyre definitely overreacting, he said. These things dont come at people to attack them. They get defensive, though, if theyre cornered. Mason said if the snake is found, his father will turn it over to the FWC. However, Mason said he doesnt think that will happen, because hes almost certain the cold-blooded creature died because of cold temperatures outside. Kurt Dotten, the Purdys next-door neighbor, also assumes the snake is dead. Enjoy what you're reading? Get content from The Alligator delivered to your inbox Subscribe Now Their bodies dont produce heat, so theyd only last about 15 minutes in temperatures below 40 degrees, Dotten, 32, said. Dotten searched around his house for hours after hearing the snake was missing. He said hes surprised so many people are upset about the situation. People around here are shooting guns, doing drugs, and theyre worried about a damn cobra? Dotten asked. When Kristen Jackson heard about a cobra on the loose in her hometown, she said thought it was a joke. The UF civil engineering freshman joked that she wouldnt be going home to Ocala as long as the venomous reptile was missing. When I found out it wasnt a joke, I got a little concerned, because the house is just a couple miles from one of the more popular parks that a lot of people, a lot of kids, go to, the 18-year-old said. Steve Johnson, a UF professor in the Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, said its possible the snake died in the cold. He also said its possible it slithered into a small, warm and confined nook in a nearby home. Johnson said there are many snake enthusiasts in Florida, and although it can be thrilling and fascinating to own a venomous reptile, its not necessary or safe. I dont think people need to be keeping cobras and other highly venomous snakes as pets, Johnson said. Thats my person- al opinion. I think it ought to be against the law. Its no secret the Affordable Care Act colloquially known as Obamacare wasnt perfect. It succeeded in helping those who werent insured, because of preexisting conditions or otherwise. There is an individual mandate, which attempts to decrease the costs brought on by emergency room visits, but it didnt address the ballooning costs of health care or the fact that the U.S. still has one of the highest numbers for health care spending per capita, according to the World Bank. Still, the Republican Partys health care plan takes us back almost a decade when those with preexisting conditions struggled to find an insurer to accept them and birth control didnt have to be covered. The U.S. was, and still is, spending more money on health care than in countries with a single-payer system, like Denmark and Canada. The health care debate was particularly difficult because, unlike fixing the school system or infrastructure, democrats and republicans were debating whether health care was a problem to be fixed at all. Obamacare didnt go far enough, but it still managed to benefit women by making insurance cover birth control. President Donald Trumps response to Obamacare is just a reaction it does not come up with any innovative ideas that fix the problem of paying for health care. Although Trump promised continued coverage for preexisting conditions, the lower penalties and higher premiums for older people mean the costs will no longer even out, according to a Steven Rattner opinion piece in The New York Times. With many politicians, like Floridas own Marco Rubio, hiding from their constituents to avoid going to town halls, its hardly surprising they are not in touch with what it means to be a regular American. Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, claimed in an interview with CNN that paying for health care is as simple as not getting the newest iPhone. As Californias lieutenant governor pointed out, skipping an iPhone upgrade will hardly make a dent in the average annual health care cost of $10,345. Having health insurance doesnt mean you can go to the doctor whenever you want you still must consider your deductible, which physicians are covered by your plan, and numerous other factors. The truth is that health care isnt like other goods or services. Most people dont shop around for the prices of an X-ray like they would for the price of a new car. If you ask for a price on a laptop, you expect a straight answer (without tax). In contrast, if you asked the front desk at the doctors office how much it would cost to get a hepatitis B vaccination, you would have to argue with them, and then wait for upward of 30 minutes while they figure out the price. People dont drive from doctor to doctor waiting for the lowest price. Cheapness in medical care evokes images of the TV series Botched, where patients often come in because they decided to get cut-rate plastic surgery that needs to be fixed. Choice sounds great on an individual level, where customers can decide exactly what level of coverage they want. But this is no more than a Band-Aid on the wound that is the American health care system. According to CNN, Americans pay two to six times more for their drugs than the rest of the world. Costs make health care inaccessible to many, and this will continue under the Republican Partys plan. Nicole Dan is a UF political science and journalism junior. Her column appears on Mondays. Youre in your late 20s or early 30s. Its time to get married. Its time to have children. Its time to build a better future for yourself and your family while contributing to society. To achieve this, youve decided to pursue a graduate degree, but UF has no plans to support graduate students with children. Childcare facilities at universities enable student parents to devote time to their academic and professional success. With the kids taken care of, parents can also earn income necessary to sustain their family. Baby Gator nursery, UFs on-campus childcare facility, has traditionally enrolled graduate-student parents children at a reduced rate. But Baby Gator is an auxiliary organization, which means they do not receive funding from UF to support their program. Due to rising operational costs and a stagnant state subsidy, Baby Gator is unable to cover the widening gap between child care costs and student-parent paid tuition. This decreased child care services available for student parents. Enrollment of graduate-student parents children decreased by 27 percent over the past four years. Baby Gator currently costs $7,500 to $10,000 per year, which is outside the means of even the most affluent graduate students. In some cases, this equals a graduate assistants entire annual stipend, and they are likely to wait a year or more for one of the 54 high-cost spaces Baby Gator currently has available. This approach to child care is well behind the times and puts UF at an institutional disadvantage. It negatively impacts our studies, teaching and careers, while also forcing students to put off child rearing during their healthiest and most fertile years. The lack of institutional support reflects a society where men work while women stay home. UF needs to move into the 21st century. In contrast to UF, other top 10 public institutions provide generous support to their student parents. The University of Michigan offers a maximum child care subsidy of up to $2,630 per child each semester, and the University of California, Santa Barbara, has a tiered tuition for child care services that reduces student parents cost to just more than half of that for faculty and staff. If UF wants to be ranked among such peers, why doesnt it support graduate students by offsetting the cost of child care in similar ways? Until recently, Floridas School Readiness Program, administered by the Florida education departments Office of Early Learning, provided significant child care subsidies for graduate-student parents. Under this program parents were not expected to pay more than 10 percent of their income for child care. But a new policy effective Dec. 18 excludes graduate students. Between the lack of funding at Baby Gator and the exclusion of graduate students from the Early Learning Coalition, there is no longer any affordable child care for graduate students at UF. Graduate-student parents seek to educate ourselves so we can provide better lives for our children. We don't see our low-income situation as permanent, but without help, many of us will not make it to graduation. Graduate-student parents often report that child care is critical for them to complete their studies. Graduate Assistants United at UF is urging the administration to make child care a priority for graduate parents. The contract for UF graduate assistants states that UF representatives from Human Resources and the graduate school have an obligation to meet with GAU to discuss research on child care. This clause has been in the contract since 2014, but the Childcare Research Committee has yet to meet. UFs administration needs to step up and support graduate-student parents. Baby Gator needs institutional support by way of more facilities and funding. They need financial support, either directed toward student parents in the form of subsidies or the program itself. UF must seek new contractual terms to guarantee graduate-student parents a successful academic career. To become a truly preeminent institution, on par with the very top public universities nationwide, UF must provide child care subsidies for its student parents. Rebecca Pethes is a UF counselor education graduate student. Michael Vincent is a UF doctoral candidate in musicology. Enjoy what you're reading? Get content from The Alligator delivered to your inbox Subscribe Now Jan Figel, Special Envoy for the Promotion of Freedom of Religion or Belief outside the European Union, visited Sudan from the March 14 to 17, 2017. The visit is to support cooperation in intercultural and interreligious dialogue, and to promote freedom of religion or belief and peaceful coexistence of different communities. The European Envoy met []http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Appa-sourceTheAfric... Dutch immigrant party: the future of Europe? Sons instructing their illiterate mother on how to vote. People casting proxy votes for their entire family. Mosques being put under pressure to support the partys candidates. Islamic propaganda leaflets at the entry of the polling station. A nation in the Middle East, you say? Wrong. Im referring to the recent elections in the Netherlands. Amid the establishments cries of joy over the defeat of Geert Wilders, another important story was all but brushed under the carpet: the migrant party DENK got three seats in parliament and became the biggest party in at least one district of the capital (Amsterdam). Of course three seats does not mean they will wield great influence, but their electoral success is seen as the beginning of a new trend. Migrants are turning away from their traditional benefactors in the European socialist parties, and forming political movements of their own. In Belgium we had the AEL (Arab European League), an Arab nationalist (!) party that formed a common electoral formation with the anti-nationalist Belgian communist party PVDA. This was probably the first Islamo-Marxist political party in the world. The AEL formation has disappeared, but a controversial politician of Turkish descent (Ahmet Koc) wants to create a new party based on the successful Dutch example. Apart from the irregularities during the election campaign and at the voting booth, the arrival of these foreign nationalist parties shows that large parts of the European immigrant communities have different opinions on matters of state as compared to their non-immigrant neighbors. Some examples: the earlier mentioned Ahmet Koc -- a big fan of the Turkish dictator Erdogan -- got kicked out of the local socialist party during the Turkish purges last summer for a tweet (literal translation): Allah, protect us from these traitors (referring to anti- Erdogan Turks.). This came from an elected official paid by the Belgian state (!). The Dutch DENK immigrant party received widespread criticism because it failed to condemn numerous violent migrant protests. During a recent diplomatic row between the Netherlands and Turkey, the DENK party refused to condemn the Turkish allegations that the Netherlands is a Fascist, Nazi country. In fact, DENK is seen by more conservative outlets as a franchise of the Turkish state with political influence in Europe. Their boycotting of conservative news outlets at their victory celebrations and refusal to participate in debates or interviews with radio stations that invite guests who criticize them (like the radio station NWL for inviting the anti-Islamist professor of Iranian descent, Afshin Ellian), shows how little they value free press and freedom of speech. Few will say these new immigrant parties have a positive influence on the integration of new citizens. The enormous surge of Islamism is not new to the better-informed audiences in the USA. (In our perpetual stream of good tidings from Europe: local Islamist militias have been training in urban warfare next to a Belgian nuclear plant.) But apart from religious extremism, the immigrant communities also import strong nationalist sympathies straight from the motherland, especially in the Turkish community. Belgian children of Turkish descent (sometimes the third generation living in Belgium) have held numerous pro-Erdogan rallies shouting Turkish nationalist slogans and the inevitable Allahu Akbar. An extreme-right Turkish nationalist movement called The Grey Wolves has openly campaigned in the city of Ghent to rally support for the upcoming Turkish referendum (in which Erdogan is expected to consolidate his dictatorial powers once and for all). In Austria, the defense ministry discovered that Austrian soldiers have illegally retained their Turkish nationality after enlisting. How many of these soldiers of dubious loyalty are active members of the Army is unknown. This surge in Turkish nationalism becomes especially frightening in light of some recent remarks. Erdogan called on Turkish-Europeans to produce more babies to increase Turkish influence in Europe, while the Turkish foreign minister predicted religious wars in Europe. Luckily for us, our legacy media is too busy painting Donald Trump as the resurrected Hitler to bother informing the public about these serious dangers to the stability of an entire continent. Advice to our American friends: visit while its still here! On November 19, 2003, Phyllis Chesler wrote a searing piece recounting the time when she addressed a women's "networking" conference of "mainly African-American and Hispanic-American womanists and feminists at Barnard College." Her son accompanied her to this conference. One of the organizers at the event inquired as to what Chesler's latest book was and was told "The New Anti-Semitism," because "Jew-hatred was a form of racism only it was not being treated as such by anti-racist 'politically correct' people." The silence that greeted Chesler concerning anti-Semitism should have been the first indication that things might go awry, as she was told that the conference was to be a forum about how "women sabotage each other and remain divided" in an effort to "come together." At the time, Chesler rationalized that perhaps she was a bit too "obsessed with The Jewish Cause, with Israel," and she reminded herself that she was "also connected to more than one issue." As she spoke about her other book titled Woman's Inhumanity to Woman, the vibes were good. The audience applauded and nodded in agreement. Things were going well. And then: A disembodied voice demanded to know where I stood on the question of the women of Palestine. Her tone was forceful, hostile, relentless, and prepared. I could have said: 'The organizers have specifically asked me not to address such questions.' I did not say that. I could also have said: 'I am concerned with the women of Palestine but I am also concerned with the women of Rwanda, Bosnia, Guatemala, who have all been gang-raped by soldiers who used rape as a weapon of war; I am concerned with the poverty and homelessness of women right here in America; I am concerned with the women of Israel who are being blown up in buses, at cafes, in their own bedrooms.' I did not say this. Instead, I took a deep breath and said that I did not respect people who hijacked airplanes or hijacked conferences or who, at this very moment, were trying to hijack this lecture. I pointed out that the subject of my talk was not Israel or Palestine. I did not want us to lose our focus. She grew even more hostile and demanding. 'Tell this audience what you said on WBAI. I heard you on that program.' Clearly, she wanted to 'unmask' me before this audience as a Jew-lover and an Israel-defender. I took the question head-on. 'If you're really asking about apartheid, let me talk about it. Contrary to myth and propaganda, Israel is not an apartheid state. The largest practitioner of apartheid in the world is Islam which practices both gender and religious apartheid. In terms of gender apartheid, Palestinian women and all women who live under Islam are oppressed by 'honor' killings, in which girls and women who are raped are then killed by family members for the sake of restoring the family 'honor;' forced veiling, segregation, stonings to death for alleged adultery, seclusion/sequestration, female genital mutilation, polygamy, outright slavery, sexual slavery. Women have few civil, legal, or human rights under Islam. Things became more heated thus, "the lightning rod of Palestine was enough to turn a very friendly audience quite hostile." As Chesler left the podium, she was approached by a young black woman who claimed to be "hurt" because Chesler had offended a "brown woman," and since Chesler was a "white Jew," this was "proof of a crime." Although the black women who had invited Chesler were supportive, none of them tried to stop what was happening. They did not try to "disperse the hostility or to address the issue." The lesson Chesler imparts is that "once the word Palestine is uttered," it is viewed as a "symbol for every downtrodden group of color which is resisting the racist-imperialist American and Zionist Empires." Also, it suddenly becomes a white-versus-brown issue. As she and her son were leaving the event, he reminded her that "[t]he Jew haters will never allow you into their wider, wonderful world. You can't go back." This brings me to why I introduced this piece in the first place. A few months ago, I wrote a piece asking why women in the National Council of Jewish Women would even think of sharing the platform with left-wing activists and anti-Semitic Muslims who share the same sentiments as those whom Chesler wrote about 15 years ago. Daniel Greenfield writes: The National Council of Jewish Women is one of those organizations whose letterhead keeps showing up on left-wing causes having nothing to do with Jewish issues. Lately it claimed to be concerned about anti-Semitism. Just not [to] the extent of breaking ranks with anti-Semites and refusing to participate in anti-Israel events and events with anti-Israel content. In response to Linda Sarsour's insistence that there was no room for Zionists in the 'Feminist' camp, the NCJW's response was disgusting and unsurprising. Nancy Kaufman, chief executive office of the National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW), said that 'while I truly hope women leading change doesn't turn into a cover for Israel bashing everyone is entitled to freedom of speech.' In terms of future participation, NCJW will 'navigate as we go along.' 'We will continue to have our voices be heard we're not going to tell anyone else that they can't have their voices be heard,' she said. Kaufman pointed out that while Sarsour's participation in the Women's March raised some discomfort among Jewish participants, the event maintained a tenor of inclusivity. She also pointed out that the Women's Strike platform decries anti-Semitism in the same paragraph that it singles out Palestine. Many of these groups were "underwritten by radical currency speculator George Soros who says Communist China's system of government is superior to our own and that the United States is the number one obstacle to world peace." Moreover, Gloria Steinem, feminist writer, activist, and organizer, said, "And remember, the Constitution does not begin with 'I, the president,' It begins with 'We, the people.'" Where the heck was she with Obama and his continual Is peppering every speech? Martin J. Raffel, who writes for the New Jersey Jewish News, states: Palestinian-American Linda Sarsour, one of the march's national co-chairs who has a well-known record of anti-Israel activism in New York City, did mention in her remarks that 'most of all, I am my Palestinian grandmother who lives in the occupied territories' wildest dreams. But apart from Sarsour's reference to the 'occupied territories,' the Palestinian issue was not raised in Washington, DC[.] Although there were reports that Jewish Voice for Peace activists intended to carry signs reading 'Resist Together From the United States to Palestine,' I haven't heard from anyone who saw one. This is good news. For those of us defending Israel against a campaign of delegitimization and Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS), the following sentence in the march's original mission statement had raised a yellow flag: 'We support the advocacy and resistance movements that reflect our multiple and intersecting identities (intersectionality).' In principle, intersectionality is not a pernicious concept. It simply refers to the concept that forms of oppression, such as racism, sexism, and xenophobia, are interconnected and need to be understood in relationship to one another. Yet, further in his article, he writes, "Besides Sarsour, Zahra Billoo, San Francisco director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), also spoke at the march. A BDS activist, Billoo is known for sharing extremist material on social media, e.g., 'Blaming Hamas for firing rockets at [Apartheid] Israel is like blaming a woman for punching her rapist.' There were other speakers with a history of problematic statements on Israel, as well." So which is it? While Raffel acknowledges that "Israel has a problem with Democrats and other progressives" and "antipathy to Trump is pumping renewed energy into the progressive movement, and those hostile to Israel will look for opportunities to advance their agenda," he still maintains that since the Israel-Palestine issue was not actually raised during the Women's March, American Jews "can derive a valuable lesson from this experience. By championing these just causes, [i.e., immigration and refugee policy, criminal justice reform, and the environment], American Jews will also protect Israel." So if no one brings up the issue, that means that the haters no longer advocate what they repeatedly say in any number of other forums? How naive and dangerous. Eileen can be contacted at middlemarch18@gmail.com. There is a growing consensus that if the American Health Care Act as proposed by the Republicans in the House and wholeheartedly endorsed by President Trump becomes law, the prospect of a single payer government run health care system will be virtually unavoidable. By refusing to fully repeal Obamacare and institute a viable free market alternative, the inevitable failure of the melange of Obamacare and Trumpcare will create a clamor for an alternative, which will be national health care. The high probability of this eventuality is reinforced as many left-wing and progressive groups are giddy over the prospect of their fondest wish coming true. The overriding strategy of Obama and the Left in passing Obamacare was to so disrupt the private health care insurance market and alter the delivery of health service that there would eventually be an extraordinary level of dissatisfaction by the citizenry. At that stage, the people would clamor for a solution which would be the Lefts century old dream of domination and control of the populace -- national health care -- as any possible return to a free market based system would be essentially impossible. The ascendancy of Donald Trump to the presidency was not only a cataclysmic and traumatic event for the Left but one that could have derailed their well laid plans for national health care. However, the establishment Republicans have confirmed, through their unwillingness to even attempt to repeal Obamacare and begin reconstituting a free market system, that the Left has succeeded more quickly than they had anticipated and, as an added bonus, they now have an unwitting ally to assume culpability for the failure of both Obamacare and Trumpcare. Further, the Progressives success with the public in a comparatively short timeframe has been remarkable. In a poll taken in May of 2016, 58% of Americans now favor a single payer government run health care system, while nearly the same percentage want a repeal of Obamacare. Surprisingly, in the same poll 41% of Republicans favor a single payer plan. That mindset is apparently also shared by Donald Trump who as recently as the 16th of January 2017 stated that he wanted guaranteed health insurance for everyone paid for by the government, if necessary. Thus his unquestioned support for the legislation on the table is not a surprise. What is the future of the American people under a single payer system? One need only look across the ocean to the United Kingdom. Over the past 25 years I have had, until recently, an office in the London area and have observed firsthand the National Health Service in a nation that has 18% of the population and 2.5% of the land area of the United States. I have watched over the years the never-ending budget crises and incessant degradation of care. When the government controls the financial purse strings and thus determines policy, and when it pre-ordains salary levels and establishes limitations on care, there is no profit motive. Accordingly, there is less incentive to enter the field of medicine, resulting a rapidly dwindling supply of doctors and nurses. Therefore, as demand from an ever growing and aging patient population increases, shortages and rationing are inevitable. A recent report by the British Medical Association stated that the NHS has reached its breaking point and that Pressure on all services is rising and care is increasingly being rationed. There is a rapidly dwindling supply of nurses and doctors as demand from patients increases. According to this report, the number of district nurses has declined 60% between 2000 and 2016. There is a shortage of doctors throughout the system but it is particularly acute in the Accidents and Emergencies departments of the hospitals as they are 3,000 doctors short in this one area alone. As a result, the NHS is looking at the possibility of conscripting hundreds of doctors from India and Pakistan. A report from the Patients Association found tens of thousands seeking routine surgeries had to wait on the average nearly 5 months and those requiring more major surgery, such as hip replacements, had an average wait time of nearly 4 months. Another study concluded that around 750 patients a month, one in 28, pass away due to inadequate care such as doctors making the wrong diagnosis, being prescribed the wrong medication or mistaken monitoring of a patients condition. According to an article in Forbes: Terminally ill patients are incorrectly classified as close to death so as to allow the withdrawal of expensive life support. NHS doctors routinely conceal from patients information about innovative new therapies that NHS doesnt pay for, so as not to distress, upset or confuse them. A quarter of those diagnosed with cancer are barred from receiving the latest drugs proven to extend life; if those people choose to seek those drugs on their own they are banned from any further treatment by the NHS. Britons survival rates for those diagnosed with cancer or heart attacks are little better than those of the former East European Communist countries. A recent study conducted by the University College London and Columbia University revealed that nearly ten percent of British patients died in the hospital as compared to 2.5% in the United States. This disparity is due in great part to post-operative neglect and inadequate care issues. From a personal standpoint, I have often passed by the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, considered among the best NHS facilities in the UK, and seen ambulances lined up waiting for the emergency room. On another occasion, when a business acquaintance fell and broke his arm, he was taken to the Accidents and Emergency room where he waited for over five hours before being seen by a doctor. And another four hours went by before his arm was x-rayed and placed in a cast. It was obvious the staff was overworked and the facility understaffed. Other experiences relayed to me by those I met throughout the United Kingdom over the years were similarly and uniformly appalling. On the other hand, just four miles from Chelsea and Westminster is the London Bridge Hospital, a private for profit facility wherein there are excellent doctors, numerous staff as well as first-rate private rooms and medical facilities. This is the two-tier system in the UK. One for the wealthy and Ruling Class and the other for everyone else. It would be no different in the United States when it adopts a single payer socialized medicine model. Regardless of ideology the American elites will take care of themselves. The degradation of care has already begun in the United States. After the passage of Obamacare what was a shortage of doctors rapidly evolved into a potential crisis. Today there is an estimated 30,000 doctor shortage; however, within seven years that shortfall will expand to nearly 100,000. The adoption of socialized medicine will further exacerbate this crisis. Funding and cost is another critical factor to consider in any single payer government run system. Presently 55 million Americans are covered under Medicare at an annual cost of $721 Billion. Another 71 million are enrolled in Medicaid and CHIP (Childrens Health Insurance Program). The cost to the Federal Government is $521Billion and another $309 Billion picked up by the states for a total annual expenditure of $830 Billion. Thus, nearly 200 million Americans are not enrolled in either government plan at present. With socialized medicine, they would be. Assuming the current per person expenditures of Medicaid and CHIP, it would cost over $2.3 Trillion per year (assuming the Federal Government picks up all the cost rather than splitting it with the States) to cover these 200 million citizens. Therefore, the potential cost to the Federal Government of universal single payer health care in a nation the geographic size and population of the United States would be: $3.8 Trillion per year (while the States save $309 Billion). The dedicated advocates of socialized medicine claim there would be savings in reduced paperwork and other efficiencies. However, no government entitlement program in the history of this nation has ever functioned efficiently and with lower than projected costs. Medicare, which serves less than 17% of the U.S. population, is essentially a single payer program beset with fraud, waste and abuse. And, as everyone knows, the government run Veterans Administration is a health care debacle. When looking at entitlement spending, Social Security (the current annual expenditures are $1.1 Trillion) has to be taken into consideration. Therefore, all the entitlement programs would cost $4.9 Trillion per year. In 2016 the total revenue to the US Treasury was $3.6 Trillion. Therefore, the cost of government run health care plus Social Security would create a deficit of $1.3 Trillion before interest, Defense or any other expenditures are taken into consideration (another $1.5 Trillion). Revenue (taxes) would have to be increased by 90% to cover all the spending. In a nation the size of the continent of Europe with 325 million people, there is no viable way that single payer government run health care will function without massive expenditures, overwhelming dislocation and mandated rationing. The United Kingdom, the size of the state of Wyoming with a population of 60 million, constantly careens from crisis to crisis while the vast majority of its citizens unduly suffer. Single payer health care is not the shiny object in the distance that will magically solve the nations health care issues regardless of the glib assurances and portrayals by the Left. It will be an unmitigated disaster for the nation and its citizens. The election of Donald Trump and a Republican Congress was not a mandate to accelerate this headlong plunge into oblivion and travail. In April 2008, I was in Monrovia, Liberia to determine if the company for which I was working wanted to take on the management of the airport, Roberts Field. After 15 years of civil war, the airport a former PanAm station where 707s and 747s stopped for fuel and food prepared by French chefs before traveling to South Africa or the Middle East was just returning to operation. As a Space Shuttle emergency landing strip, Roberts Field had the longest runway in Africa. During a two-week site survey, the director general of civil aviation asked our team of former pilots, a business development director, and architects and engineers to sit in on a couple of presentations to rehabilitate the old terminal building. Other former government buildings in and around Monrovia were also shells, as destitute Liberians had stripped bombed buildings for whatever they could sell to scrap yards. The two-story structure had been gutted down to the concrete floors and columns during the war. A Nigerian firm was first. The leader took one look at the six white people sitting around the conference table and challenged the director general's choice of evaluators. "African brothers should support African brothers!" The director general ignored the none too subtle and coded racist attack with "You can either give your presentation, or you can go." My team won the work, developed a master plan for the airport, and hired a U.S.-trained airport manager, and within a year, Delta Airlines began service between Monrovia and New York City, one of the former PanAm routes. During a 2010 Corporate Council on Africa convention in Washington, D.C., I delivered a 15-minute presentation on what it took to take Roberts Field, an airport that had been effectively dismantled and shut down, to a post-war "functional and safe" airport with Transportation Security Administration approvals for nonstop service between Liberia and America. Liberian president Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf was the first one off a Delta 767 in the first inaugural flight. After my presentation, over thirty representatives from African nations, from Angola to Zimbabwe, lined up to talk to me to see when I could visit their countries and see what we could do for their capital airports. Every country representative we met, from ambassadors to trade representatives, expressed a need and a desire for our services. Who wouldn't want a U.S. or European air carrier to service his country? I must have made it sound easy. (It was not.) We looked at other African airports. We racked and stacked them according to some not so arbitrary metrics primarily, how accommodating the government was. A significant part of the success in the Liberian airport was directly attributable to the personal involvement of the chief executive. Our program manager reported directly to President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf on a monthly basis. We were a welcome partner in the success of the airport. It was a necessary arrangement to control the rampant corruption at the airport that we had found during our site visit. I was in no hurry to make the embassy connection to seek official sponsorship and entry into Zimbabwe. However the situation was at their airport, I recommended to my leadership we reject any consideration of rehabilitating or managing Zimbabwe's airport primarily because of its land confiscation policies that targeted white people. The Obama administration had issues with the Zimbabwe government's confiscation policies, but only on the basis that "confiscation of white-owned farms is contributing to the growing hunger crisis in the region." Three thousand white commercial farmers in Zimbabwe were subject to a "fast track" seizure program to redistribute farmland to landless blacks. In our airport planning meetings, I learned that South Africa was contemplating a similar property confiscation law, and any consideration to evaluate their airports was also rejected. I had plenty of potential work to consider without trying to involve the company in a potential race war on another continent. Nothing says, "White people are not welcome here" like a racist law designed to use the power of government to take a white person's stuff. It was pretty sobering revelation that if you were Caucasian, the government of Zimbabwe (and soon South Africa) could unilaterally confiscate your property and everything in it or on it without compensation, solely for redistribution to blacks. Zimbabwe's law was an obvious "payback" law. The government of President Robert Mugabe effectively said, "You white people stole our land, we're taking our lands back, and now we're giving your land to landless black people. White people are persona non grata in Zimbabwe. Leave while you can." Government-backed land seizures were "chaotic and often violent" and resulted in numerous deaths and serious human rights abuses. With the passage of the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, how can anyone not see that the government of President Barack Obama channeled Robert Mugabe and effectively said, "The majorities have insurance, we're taking your insurance, and now we're giving your insurance to minorities and even illegal aliens"? "And we are going to charge the IRS to make you pay for it whether you like it or not." Obamacare was a racist-motivated, government-backed insurance seizure, just as if the government came into your house, cracked open your home safe, stole your insurance policy, and charged you many times what your policy used to cost. In Zimbabwe, the government led a racially driven land grab solely for redistribution to blacks. The South African black-majority government will also lead a racially driven land grab solely for redistribution to blacks. In America, Obama led a racially driven insurance grab solely for redistribution to minorities and illegals. Republicans in Congress should vigorously reject this racist-motivated law and repeal it with extreme prejudice. Mark A. Hewitt is the author of the espionage thrillers Special Access, Shoot Down, and No Need to Know. We are now talking about the GOP health insurance program. NBC News has the story of how Mr. Trump is convincing extra-pure conservatives to get on board Paul Ryan's plan: "I want to let the world know, I'm 100 percent in favor," Trump said before the meeting. "These folks and they are tough and they love their constituents and their county these folks were nos, mostly nos, yesterday and now every single one is a yes." Scott Walker brought nine members who were also opposed to the bill with him to the White House Friday morning and afterward said all of them are now on board, including Rep. Gary Palmer of Alabama, who voted against the bill Thursday in the House Budget Committee. The promised changes to the bill focus mostly on Medicaid and provide states with the option to block-grant the health care program for the low-income, giving a specific sum of federal money to states to implement their own programs. The bill currently would implement a structure that caps Medicaid funding based on population. Conservatives say this change gives states more flexibility. Opponents say it will severely limit the number of people who will have access to Medicaid because once the money runs out, it's over. The other change imposes optional work requirements for Medicaid recipients. While the program is optional, it provides incentives for states to implement it. A third change is the assurance that tax credits for people who purchase insurance in the independent market won't be used for abortion. Rep. Andy Barr of Kentucky is also now on board after the changes promised at the White House meeting. One senses some wins and losses on the conservative side. It used to be that a third gigantic health insurance program, on top of Medicare and Medicaid, was anathema, but now the GOP is fighting over which gigantic government program is better: Obamacare or the GOP plan. Ambiguities abound because of human nature. After eighty years of government programs, people like the programs, as expressed in this simple formula: Self-interest + government handouts = love for government. Extra-pure conservatives don't like any element in the formula. But do they believe they can smash it and convince people to walk away from a new government program that benefits them? The Conservative Media "Establishment" believe it. Their self-confidence, even with quasi-conservative Trump, is astounding. The Freedom Caucus believes it. But is it realistic to persuade people to reject the formula? Not after eighty years of the normal growth of government. It's in the air we breathe and the water we drink. Conservatives will simply have to live with the paradox and perhaps the internal contradiction of market-driven government programs. Does this mean conservatism has lost? It all depends on which conservatism one advances. So many conservatives campaigned on repeal and replace, not just repeal. The final results of the revolving wheel of fortune won't become obvious for years to come. James Arlandson's website is Live as Free People, where he has posted "Deconstructing Roe v Wade." The suppression by force of Dr. Charles Murray's planned address at Middlebury College, Vermont was an event so vile, so inimical to academic freedom and the governance of reason, that several prominent liberals have felt compelled to write in condemnation of it. Should we not voice gratitude for this reaction and commend it, reassured that there is hope of respectful discourse between the political camps after all? Conservatives, perhaps, live with a certain longing that a gesture of civility may emanate from the left, that there be respite from its daily contumely, a moment when it joins us in upholding the American constitutional tradition, even in defiance of its own adherents. If this is so, it is difficult to say whether we shall here prove more ungracious to the liberal critics of the Middlebury outrage or to conservatives wishing to take seriously their professions of chagrin. The event at Middlebury, like so many similar ones, was the result of a condition diagnosed with perfect lucidity by William F. Buckley, Jr. in Up from Liberalism (1959). I think it is fair to conclude that American Liberals are reluctant to coexist with anyone on their Right. Ours, the Liberal credo tells us, is an "open society," the rules of which call for a continuing (never terminal) hearing for all ideas. But close observation of the Liberal-in-Debate gives the impression that he has given conservatism a terminal audience. When a conservative speaks up demandingly, he runs the greatest risk of triggering the Liberal mania; and then before you know it, the ideologist of openmindedness and toleration is hurtling toward you, lance cocked. The tools of controversy are tough, as necessarily they must be. But I wonder when else, in the history of controversy, there has been such consistent intemperance, insularity and irascibility as the custodians of the liberal orthodoxy have shown toward conservatives who question some of the orthodoxy's premises? The Liberals' implicit premise is that intercredal dialogues are what one has with Communists, not conservatives, in relationship with whom normal laws of civilized discourse are suspended. The eminent justice of Mr. Buckley's observations overshadows a few insignificant anachronisms. When he speaks of liberals using physical violence against conservatives ("lance cocked"), Buckley speaks only metaphorically. And these days, liberals do not so often promise a "hearing for all ideas." We might say their hypocrisy waned as their penchant for tyranny grew. On this occasion, however, the New York Times' Frank Bruni ("The Dangerous Safety of College") Peter Beinart in the Atlantic ("A Violent Attack on Free Speech at Middlebury"), and Andrew Sullivan in New York Magazine ("Is Intersectionality a Religion?") have all written in condemnation of what happened at Middlebury. They stood up for "hearing all ideas," did they not? Referring to Mr. Bruni's piece, Dr. Thomas Sowell points out that Bruni, even while defending Murray's right to speak, "lent credence" to the calumny of Murray's "white national[ism]" (Dr. Thomas Sowell: "The real lessons of Middlebury College"). And indeed, Mr. Bruni tells us that Murray's "1994 book, 'the Bell Curve,' trafficked in race-based theories of intelligence and was broadly (and in [his] opinion, correctly) denounced." Bruni goes on to report that the Southern Poverty Law Center (a glistening monument to dispassionate equanimity) "labeled [Murray] a white nationalist." He considers it "fine, even commendable" that students should have stood with their backs to Murray, indicating their unwillingness to listen to him, so long as they let it go at that. Bruni does quote approvingly another author's observation that only by weighing Murray's arguments in The Bell Curve could he say with confidence that they were wrong and why. Mr. Beinart, on the other hand, will have none of that "marketplace of ideas" mush. The views Murray expressed in The Bell Curve are "odious" and his arguments "intellectually shoddy, racist and dangerous." The New Republic was wrong to publish excerpts from the book when it came out together with rebuttals from critics, for this "gave it a legitimacy it did not deserve" (emphasis supplied). Beinart cannot assure us enough that he is not at all different from the Middlebury thugs in his revulsion at views adverse to his own. "Like many liberals, I consider it bigoted to oppose gay marriage," he avows, and he sails on. "I consider it bigoted to support voting restrictions that disproportionately impact African Americans and Latinos [voter ID]. I consider it bigoted to deny trans students the right to use the bathrooms of their choice. [He considers it right to force females to share bathrooms with seriously misdirected males.] I consider it bigoted to claim that Islam is inherently more violent than Judaism or Christianity. I consider it unconscionable to oppose government action against climate change." Why, then, does Mr. Peter Beinart also oppose the forcible silencing of conservative speakers on campus? Does he wish to promulgate the bigoted and unconscionable? No, he offers a perfectly clear reason why universities should let conservatives show their faces: there's a bunch of them out there. "The point is this. What's considered morally legitimate at Middlebury differs dramatically from what's considered morally legitimate in large swaths of America" (emphasis supplied). Sorry, but that is not the point. The right of someone to express his views without physical obstruction does not depend upon whether enough voters share those views to upset Mr. Beinart's apple cart on Election Day. A minority of one before an audience of two still is allowed freedom to speak. Neither does any of this depend upon Beinart's metamorphosing notions as to which opinions are "legitimate." In contrast to a religious order, a university is not supposed to keep a register of views that are sanctioned ("morally legitimate") or excluded as heresy. Mr. Andrew Sullivan has all sorts of true and interesting things to say about Murray's excoriation and how it resembled a religious inquisition. He denounces the new leftist trope of "intersectionality," by which all supposed forms of oppression are linked. He affirms that "reason and empirical debate are essential to the functioning of a liberal democracy." But for all of that, he would have been "highly sympathetic" to the "protestors" shutting down Murray's talk "for a period of time," provided that they then "let it continue." Mr. Sullivan assures us that he is Charles Murray's friend, so Murray may discontinue any eBay searches for new enemies. And in the end, of course, everything is Donald Trump's fault. By adopting policies and taking positions that Mr. Sullivan really does not care for at all, and by denigrating such institutions as the mainstream media and the Washington bureaucracy, which should not be denigrated, according to Sullivan, the president perpetrates "an attack on reason itself." He does what the Middlebury goons did, except that his doing it is "significantly more frightening given his position as the most powerful individual on the planet." He is that powerful individual because a free people elected him, but Mr. Sullivan makes him out to be iniquity personified and a threat to "our way of life." To those who truly love ideas, rational argument, and the most important books containing them, it is a point of pride that opposed positions prevail or fall on the field of discourse words, not blows, not boycotts, not protests, not tantrums. Resorting to these latter hijinks would be a concession that one cannot defend his view by the use of reason and factual evidence. For intellectual activists like Bruni, Beinart, and Sullivan, the alarm about things actually reaching the point of violence on a university campus may be genuine enough, but they really are not adverse to more restrained extra-rational responses to ideas they hate. Their view of conservatives and conservative positions is not fundamentally different from that of the rabble who attacked Murray and his colleague. Let us take no solace in their lamentations over Middlebury. One of th favorite celebrations for the Iranian people is the Festival of Fire, which takes place on the eve of the last Wednesday before Nowruz. It's a prelude to Nowruz, which is the Iranian new year, and the first day of spring which begins on March 20. Participants celebrate by jumping over bonfires and fireworks as a symbolic purification for the oncoming spring and the Persian New Year. People gather by the fire, jump over seven small piles of fire and they say to the fire give me your handsome red color and take back my unhealthiness. The holiday is derived from the ancient Persian faith of Zoroastrianism and there are many different traditions practiced on this night in different cities. One is the buying of a special mix of sweets and nuts, which is done in most cities. It's considered a fun activity, and is done after the night's fire-jumping. It's similar to trick-or-treating in the West on Halloween night. This year, however, is just a little bit different. On Sunday, two days ahead of the annual Fire Festival, the mullahs Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, in response to an obviously made-up and ridiculous question, said that Fire Festival has no basis in our laws and it causes a lot of harm and corruption, therefore, it must be banned." But the people ignored this decree and the Fire Feast was celebrated across the country anyway. The Iranian press reported: In Tehran During recent days, firecrackers echoed across the city, and the state-run media continually broadcast the ridiculous fatwa of Khomeini and his affiliated mullahs on disapprobation of Fire Feast and calling it sinful. Police chief Hossein Ashtary threatened to seriously deal with the aggressors and violators of the people's rights. Tehran police Chief Hossein Sajedinia said: 'In case those who disturb the order cause inconvenience, the police will confront seriously.' (Tasnim News Agengy, March 14 ) Repressive forces had a dense presence with motorized patrols in the streets seeking to intensify the atmosphere of intimidation in the society Repressive forces, including state police and the so-called Guidance patrols were seen in various cities attempting to disperse the youth. However, people and the youth responded by ridiculing them and forcing these units to leave the scenes. According to National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) A local eyewitness said, "In some part of Tehran, local police officers went door to door warning residents that large celebrations were banned, However, many neighborhoods 'rocked' with bonfires and music later in the evening. The eyewitness said that the slogan Death to Khamenei; death to the principle of velayat-e faqih, was echoed throughout the city; Khamenei's picture set ablaze. Khamenei's photo were burned and there were clashes with police. The repressive organs, making attacks, during Fire Feast, were seen in different part of Tehran. It really did happen all over Iran. In Mashhad, northeast of Tehran and the second-most populous city in the country as well as the capital of Razavi Khorasan Province, youth threw Molotov cocktails at the headquarters of the repressive Bassij organ at Vakil Abad Boulevard. The youth of Shahr-e Kurd set up fire all across the city, tossed Molotov cocktails at police forces and clashed with them. In Isfahan, 340 Kilometer south of Tehran, Iran's most populous metropolitan area, the sound of explosions coulld be heard all over the city. In Baneh, people celebrated using grenades and firecrackers and fireworks. Repressive police forces did not get out of their vehicles for fear of the wrath of the youth. In Tabriz, the most populous city in Iran's Azerbaijani region in the north, a vehicle carrying the repressive security forces was targeted by the youths handmade grenades as well. In Shahr-e-Kord, the youth put fire on everywhere in the city and started clashing with the security forces using petrol bombs. In Rasht the largest city on Iran's Caspian Sea coast, people chanted Death to the Dictator and This year is the year of Fire burning the photos of Khomeini thus forcing the regimes mercenaries to leave the scene. However, the regime's officials failed to hide the main cause of their fear in this national celebration. Saad, a member of the regime's parliament said, 'The Fire Feast in recent years has turned from a traditional one to a dangerous ceremony.' One day after the celebration on March 15 Mohammad Sharafi, one of Irans Security Forces commanders declared that the suppressive forces arrested almost 1500 people during the Fire Festivities (State news agency of ISNA, March 15). Theses arrests indicate the authorities fearful reaction to Iranian youth who despite all the regimes threatening warnings turned the Fire Festivities into a scene of their confrontation with the despotic regime as well as an opportunity for expressing their revulsion of the regime. We are witnessing deliberate efforts to cripple America's ability to control its borders and stop ill intended immigrants and refugees from entering its gates. These efforts are advanced by the left-leaning, pro-Muslim media and social networks using newspeak to disseminate disinformation. Their success is the result of years of vigorously enforced political correctness. The weaponization of the language to distribute what President Trump calls "fake news" is nothing new. Under Barack Hussein Obama's presidency, relentless efforts were made to increase the number of illegal immigrants with unknown backgrounds into the country, as well as advancing and expanding the Islamic agenda in the United States and elsewhere. Claiming that Islam is the religion of peace and the Muslim Brotherhood is the political agent of "Islamic democracy" helped further confuse many Americans who knew little, if anything, about Islam, much less about "political Islam." Since "Islamic democracy" (an oxymoron) sounds innocent enough, many Americans were led to believe that the proponents of political Islam (redundant the religion of Islam dictates every aspect of life, including politics), would melt into the American pot, as immigrants and refugees, adherents of all other religions, have done for 241 years. Years of deadly attacks on innocent civilians "in the name of Allah" in Europe and in the United States; tremendous increases in drug trafficking and violence by gangs of illegal immigrants from South America; growing intimidation of free expression; the meteoric rise of "Black Lives Matter," which preaches, "Ending white privilege starts with ending Jewish privilege"; and censoring and rewriting American cultural history led Americans to elect a politically incorrect president in November 2016. President Trump was elected, in part, because he promised to fight radical Islam and stop illegal immigration. He promised to use "extreme vetting" to screen out ill intended refugees or immigrants. On January 27, days after taking office, he issued his first executive order, "Protecting the Nation from Terrorist Attacks by Foreign Nationals," suspending U.S. visas to Muslim refugees and travelers from seven out of fifty-odd Muslim-majority countries: Iran, Iraq, Syria, Sudan, Libya, Yemen, and Somalia. These had been identified by the Obama administration as Islamic terrorist-prone countries. Trump's E.O. was blocked by the judges at the 9th Circuit Court, who oppose the Trump agenda and deny the threat of Islamic terrorism. The government's appeal to reinstate the suspension failed. Trump's second E.O. on March 6, "Protecting The Nation From Foreign Terrorist Entry Into The United States," which omitted Iraq from the list and was modified to address some of the criticism of the first order, was also blocked by two federal judges, one from Hawaii and the other in Maryland, who also oppose the president and his efforts to better secure the nation, claiming, among many similarly unfounded allegations, that the president's E.O. violates the First Amendment, though that amendment applies only to American citizens. The government has filed its appeal. The left-leaning media have put newspeak into action. For example, "Immigrants are going hungry so Trump won't deport them," shrieked a Washington Post headline. Other media outlets had similarly misleading headlines, purposely using the word immigrants, which connotes legality, while omitting the adjective illegal, and alleging that the president is calling for a "ban" on Muslims in ordering suspension on travel from six Muslim radicalized countries. The president could have avoided these confrontations by merely following his promise to institute "extreme vetting" of all visa applicants to the U.S. Since ISIS has warned us that it is sending operatives to the U.S. under the guise of refugees, and radical Islamic terrorists could come from all destinations, every applicant should be "extremely vetted" to identify his or her intentions toward America and its people. Automated objective vetting systems are available on the market. Using them abroad to screen applicants in refugee centers and American consulates where visas are issued entails no extra manpower. Potential terrorists could be kept out with no extra spending and no unnecessary legal headache. The president can have his cake and eat it, too potential terrorists could be screened out with no extra spending or legal headache. Lawyers are trained never to ask a question of a witness if they don't already know the answer. But it is quite different in journalism at least in principle, if the principle is getting at the truth. But alas, in these days of fake news and fanatical dead-ender opposition to President Trump, those MSM TV networks committed to driving Trump from office might want to consider retraining for their talking heads. Make them more like lawyers, and avoid embarrassments like that suffered by CNN's Brian Stelter. Courtesy of Grabien, here is a disastrous interview in which the guest, Larry Johnson, confirmed the story that Judge Andrew Napolitano told on air about British intelligence passing along surveillance data involving the Trump administration. Here is the rush transcript: The Secret Service agent in charge of the Denver office, who declared on Facebook that she would be glad to go to jail over taking a bullet for President Trump (and just kept posting hate-Trump attacks after she was caught), has been permanently removed from her position, the Washington Examiner reported. She's still employed, however, and apparently has just been shuffled over to a do-nothing sinecure somewhere in the bowels of the Department of Homeland Security. At best, she might get a well deserved layoff, along with hundreds of thousands if not millions in severance pay. At worst, she will burrow in like a weevil as part of the Trump-hostile Deep State, working to undermine the president. Coming at a time when the Secret Service, in a report last week, showed yet more phenomenal incompetence by allowing an intruder to jump the White House fence and prowl around on the grounds it wasn't the first time one wonders about the loyalty of the entire agency, given that so many were hired during the Obama era and given that President Obama placed such a premium on left-wing activism in hiring. Worse still, in a story reported last week, another incompetent Secret Service agent allowed (or was that "allowed") her laptop to be stolen from her parked car. The stolen computer contained the ultra-sensitive floor plans of the Trump residence in New York. Having the floor plans is an assassin's bonanza. Courtesy of the Secret Service, in this case. Even more troubling, it comes on the heels of a foul cultural atmosphere of continuous threats to kill President Trump. These come not from marginal losers on the fringe, but from actual public figures. Last week, some gangsta rappa who calls himself Snoop Dogg made a pretty explicit video of himself shooting dead a figure that was clearly intended to represent his twisted and subliterate idea of President Trump. He's not the first celeb to threaten to kill Madonna was caught doing it earlier, too and none of these people has endured any sanctions, not even commercial sanctions, let alone a scared-straight visit from the Secret Service or, better yet, real charges. The will to enforce the law and defend our democracy and the people's democratic choice for president is no longer there. This is the Deep State at its worst. Can we trust the Secret Service if they go out of their way to protect this awful woman who wants her taxpayer-provided paycheck but not the responsibility of her job? Her claims to the contrary simply aren't believable, given that the decision to take a bullet is a split-second one, and once the deed is done, there is no going back. Trusting someone with that mindset in a matter of life and death is a fool's errand; the woman cannot be trusted. With that mindset and that willingness to propagandize that mindset on Facebook to win more converts, it's actually pretty close to a crime that cries out for a nail-hard response. Nope, her pension, not the president's personal security, such as we have seen in the current decision-making, comes first. It seems that the Deep State isn't just a Beltway game anymore; it's an actual threat to our republic. The Secret Service needs to be hosed out immediately. For many of us, the "happiest" place on earth is "home" wherever that may be. Of course, if you live someplace where the climate is mild, the scenery breathtaking, and the people friendly and open, you can consider yourself lucky. According to the Sustainable Development Solutions Network for the United Nations, the "happiest" country on earth is Norway. Norway? Say, what? It's true that is, if you accept the U.N.'s definition of "happiness." CNN: Happiness isn't just about money, although it's part of it. Real gross domestic product per capita is one of the key measurements, said the report. Others include generosity, a healthy life expectancy, having someone to count on, perceived freedom to make life choices and freedom from corruption, the report's authors argued. They said it's a better measure of human welfare than analyzing education, good government, health, income and poverty separately. "The World Happiness Report continues to draw global attention around the need to create sound policy for what matters most to people their well-being," said Jeffrey Sachs, the report's co-editor and director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University, in a statement. "As demonstrated by many countries, this report gives evidence that happiness is a result of creating strong social foundations. It's time to build social trust and healthy lives, not guns or walls. Let's hold our leaders to this fact." He just couldn't resist, could he? He had to get his little anti-Trump dig in there about the wall. Can't anybody, anywhere, post something without dousing it in politics? Sheesh. Norway rose to the top of the rankings despite declines in oil prices, demonstrating that what countries do with their money not just the increase in finances matters. "It's a remarkable case in point," said report co-editor John Helliwell of the University of British Columbia. "By choosing to produce oil deliberately and investing the proceeds for the benefit of future generations, Norway has protected itself from the volatile ups and downs of many other oil-rich economies." "This emphasis on the future over the present is made easier by high levels of mutual trust, shared purpose, generosity and good governance," added Helliwell, who is also co-director of the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research. "All of these are found in Norway, as well as in the other top countries." You know what's even more important than that? Homogeneity. Currently (for how much longer is up for debate), the vast majority of Norwegian citizens are white, are Christian, speak Norwegian, and are instilled with what we used to call before it became politically incorrect to do so the "Protestant work ethic." When everybody looks basically the same, worships at basically the same churches, speaks the same language, and understands the value of hard work, it makes it a lot easier to be happy. The world rankings are actually about what you'd expect: Denmark dropped to second place this year, followed by Iceland, Switzerland, Finland, Netherlands, Canada, New Zealand and Australia and Sweden (which tied for ninth place), according to the latest World Happiness Report, released Monday by the Sustainable Development Solutions Network for the United Nations. Denmark has won the title three of the four times the report has been issued, while Switzerland has won the title just once. The United States came in 14th place, dropping one place from last year. Other superpowers didn't fair better than Northern Europe either. Germany came in 16th place for the second year, while the United Kingdom moved up four spots to 19th place and Russia moved up seven spots to 49th place. Japan moved up two spots to 51st place, while China moved up four spots to 79th place. People in the Central African Republic are unhappiest with their lives, according to the survey of 155 countries, followed by Burundi (154), Tanzania (153), Syria (152) and Rwanda (151). Japan is no surprise at 51, considering its massive demographic problems. Communist China explains itself. But Germany is something of a surprise at 16. More than unhappiness with Muslim immigrants, Germany is still suffering the after-effects of reunification. Those who live in the east, formerly controlled by the communists, are still lagging in standard of living, quality of life, and economic opportunity. Of course, they had a long way to go to catch up to the west, but the German "miracle" does not appear to have completely taken effect. No doubt, this is dragging down Germany's ranking. Norway isn't as cold as you might think, but in my advanced years, it's plenty cold enough. Plus I don't like to eat a lot of fish. I'm sure Norwegians are happy in Norway, but I think I'm fine right where I am, thank you. White House explains why Donald Trump didnt shake Merkels hand Do you know why Donald Trump failed to shake hands with Angela Merkel, the German Chancellor, when they met in a Washington state room? The White House spokesman has explained. But before he gets to it, lets see if you can guess why Trump didnt extend the hand. a) His hands are too small and the full extent of his grip is one of Merkels fingers (see above) b) Hes rude c) His preferred greeting is to grab women by the p***y d) The last time he touched an East European woman he wet himself (and her) e) He didnt notice she was there Its e, albeit with a caveat he knew she was there but wasnt paying her enough notice to hear her ask for a handshake. White House press secretary Sean Spicer tells Germans Der Spiegel magazine: I dont believe he heard the request. We are now in the realms of what Sean Spicer believes. Facts are old hat. Belief is all. Germanys Bild newspaper calls it improbable that Trump didnt hear Merkel. It notes that Trump did not once look Merkel in the eye. Of course, had he have done, The Don would have turned to stone. Fact! We heard that Sean Spicer read it on a website and believes it to be true. So it is. In other news: Merkel: My lucky escape. Paul Sorene Posted: 20th, March 2017 | In: Politicians Comment | TrackBack | Permalink (ANSA) - Rome, March 20 - EU members must share the migrant burden, Premier Paolo Gentiloni said at an EU-Africa contact group meeting Monday. Migration from Africa to Europe "will not disappear by magic from one day to the next, and those who promise miracles risk confusing public opinion," he said, calling for "long-term work" and a common commitment. "The EU must take on the burden of the commitment, both in welcoming those who have rights and repatriating those who do no have rights; it's not just geography that decides who should commit on common ground," he said. Gentiloni called for a collective effort to combat the asylum-seeker crisis, which is seeing record numbers crossing the Mediterranean to Italy. "Europe and North Africa contact-group meeting," Gentiloni said via Twitter, "only a common commitment can make it possible to regulate migrant flows in the Mediterranean". Gentiloni told the EU-Africa contact group meeting on curbing central Mediterranean migrant flows that "Italy has greatly appreciated Europe's commitment to supporting Libya, an open path that must become a wider road". He said "in 60 years (since the Treaty of Rome), there have been many results, many expectations but also a few risks if we are not able to respond to some of the demands of our co-citizens. "Among these the demand to regulate migrant flows in the central Mediterranean is one of the strongest demands". Gentiloni told the contact group that "we must cooperate to stabilise Libya. "We have the political and diplomatic foundations in the accords we have reached and I think that we know just as well, and (Libyan Premier Fayez) al-Serraj is the first to know, how much this diplomatic agreement needs to be strengthened in terms of consensus for the accord in the country", Gentiloni told the group. "Stabilisation is needed as well as combating further risks of division which have manifested themselves in the last few days" in Libya, where factions are fighting the internationally recognised national-unity government in Tripoli. Fighting human traffickers on the central Mediterranean migrant route from Libya to Italy is a humanitarian fight, Gentiloni told the group. "We must combat the idea that this initiative has negative aspects on the humanitarian level, it is the exact opposite," Gentiloni said. "Cooperation between Libya and EU countries is needed to prevent and restrict the action of traffickers who are the negation of any humanitarian principle," he said. Interior Minister Marco Minniti, for his part, told the group that Italy will deliver a first batch of motorboats to Libya to patrol its coasts by the end of April or within the first two weeks of May. "The first of the 10 motorboats envisaged by the recent accord will be handed over," he said, adding that "90 sailors of the Libyan Coast Guard have trained aboard the (Italian flagship) San Giorgio and are now in the last stages of their training". "When they are ready we will hand over the first boats," Minniti said. Minnit also said that migrant camps to be set up in Libya will be set up alongside humanitarian organisations and will therefore "fully" respect all human rights. According to the most recent figures, migrant arrivals from Libya to Italy this year were 31.88% up over 2016 and 80.96% up on 2015, at a record of over 18,000. The latest arrivals, 1,500, are heading in an Italian ship to the Sicilian port of Agusta. (ANSA) - Rome, March 20 - Interior Minister Marco Minniti told an EU-Africa contact group on curbing central Mediterranean migrant flows Monday that Italy will deliver a first batch of motorboats to Libya to patrol its coasts by the end of April or within the first two weeks of May. "The first of the 10 motorboats envisaged by the recent accord will be handed over," he said, adding that "90 sailors of the Libyan Coast Guard have trained aboard the (Italian flagship) San Giorgio and are now in the last stages of their training". "When they are ready we will hand over the first boats," Minniti said. Minnit also said that migrant camps to be set up in Libya will be set up alongside humanitarian organisations and will therefore "fully" respect all human rights. (ANSA) - Rome, March 20 - Two journalists with State broadcaster RAI's Report show landed at Rome's Fuimicino airport early on Monday after being released by the authorities in the Republic of Congo. The pair were detained on Wednesday after travelling to the African nation for a report on alleged bribes paid by Italian energy giant Eni in Nigeria. They were taken from the their hotel by members of the Congolese security services after interviewing an Italian businessman. The reason given was that they did not have journalism visas. Their telephones, SIM cars, computers and cameras were confiscated. The foreign ministry had kept the fact that the reporters had been detained secret to help the diplomatic effort to secure their release. - Siracusa - An Italian Coast Guard ship, the CP 940 Dattilo, is expected to arrive at the Sicilian port of Augusta at 14:00 on Monday with 1,477 asylum seekers on board, sources said. The people were saved in seven separate operations in the Mediterranean. A group of 747 was rescued from one boat, another group of 82 were on a smaller boat and the other people were saved from five dinghies. An Italian Coast Guard ship, the CP 940 Dattilo, is expected to arrive at the Sicilian port of Augusta at 14:00 on Monday with 1,477 asylum seekers on board, sources said. The people were saved in seven separate operations in the Mediterranean. A group of 747 was rescued from one boat, another group of 82 were on a smaller boat and the other people were saved from five dinghies. - ROME - The Turkish diplomatic offensive against German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Germany is growing with increasingly heated tones, to which the German foreign minister responded: "Now a line has been crossed". Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan launched new attacks against the German chancellor, accusing her of supporting "terrorists", like the Die Welt correspondent, who will be tried for spying, and, which provoked the response of Berlin, to use "Nazi measures" against Turks in German. In addition, Ankara has convened the ambassador in Berlin, protesting over the fact that PKK flags appeared in a march of Kurds in Frankfurt. As if that wasn't enough, another front of tension has opened up, this time with Denmark, because some of its citizens have allegedly been threatened by Turkish authorities. Day after day, Erdogan is conducting its electoral campaign for the April referendum on presidentialism, full of confrontation with Europe. Starting with Germany and the Netherlands, marked as 'Nazi' countries for having banned rallies by Turkish ministers for the 'yes' vote, on the grounds of interior security. And that Ankara, on the other hand, has led a sort of 'war of religion' conducted against the Europeans to threaten Erdogan's authority, accusing him of not respecting democratic standards. EU must share migrant burden says Gentiloni First boats for Libya by mid-May says Minniti (ANSA) - Rome, March 20 - EU members must share the migrant burden, Premier Paolo Gentiloni said at an EU-Africa contact group meeting Monday. Migration from Africa to Europe "will not disappear by magic from one day to the next, and those who promise miracles risk confusing public opinion," he said, calling for "long-term work" and a common commitment. "The EU must take on the burden of the commitment, both in welcoming those who have rights and repatriating those who do no have rights; it's not just geography that decides who should commit on common ground," he said. Gentiloni called for a collective effort to combat the asylum-seeker crisis, which is seeing record numbers crossing the Mediterranean to Italy. "Europe and North Africa contact-group meeting," Gentiloni said via Twitter, "only a common commitment can make it possible to regulate migrant flows in the Mediterranean". Gentiloni told the EU-Africa contact group meeting on curbing central Mediterranean migrant flows that "Italy has greatly appreciated Europe's commitment to supporting Libya, an open path that must become a wider road". He said "in 60 years (since the Treaty of Rome), there have been many results, many expectations but also a few risks if we are not able to respond to some of the demands of our co-citizens. "Among these the demand to regulate migrant flows in the central Mediterranean is one of the strongest demands". Gentiloni told the contact group that "we must cooperate to stabilise Libya. "We have the political and diplomatic foundations in the accords we have reached and I think that we know just as well, and (Libyan Premier Fayez) al-Serraj is the first to know, how much this diplomatic agreement needs to be strengthened in terms of consensus for the accord in the country", Gentiloni told the group. "Stabilisation is needed as well as combating further risks of division which have manifested themselves in the last few days" in Libya, where factions are fighting the internationally recognised national-unity government in Tripoli. Fighting human traffickers on the central Mediterranean migrant route from Libya to Italy is a humanitarian fight, Gentiloni told the group. "We must combat the idea that this initiative has negative aspects on the humanitarian level, it is the exact opposite," Gentiloni said. "Cooperation between Libya and EU countries is needed to prevent and restrict the action of traffickers who are the negation of any humanitarian principle," he said. Interior Minister Marco Minniti, for his part, told the group that Italy will deliver a first batch of motorboats to Libya to patrol its coasts by the end of April or within the first two weeks of May. "The first of the 10 motorboats envisaged by the recent accord will be handed over," he said, adding that "90 sailors of the Libyan Coast Guard have trained aboard the (Italian flagship) San Giorgio and are now in the last stages of their training". "When they are ready we will hand over the first boats," Minniti said. Minnit also said that migrant camps to be set up in Libya will be set up alongside humanitarian organisations and will therefore "fully" respect all human rights. According to the most recent figures, migrant arrivals from Libya to Italy this year were 31.88% up over 2016 and 80.96% up on 2015, at a record of over 18,000. Migrants: Avramopoulos, keep Turkey accord alive Commissioner says Italy under pressure, but not alone (ANSAmed) - ROME, MARCH 20 - European Commissioner for Migration Dimitris Avramopoulos said the EU is doing its best to keep the migrant agreement with Turkey alive, in remarks at the conclusion of the meeting of the contact group on the central Mediterranean route, which met in Rome on Monday. "Last year, 10 to 12,000 people crossed the Aegean each day; this year we're at 40 to 50. The accord therefore works, and, even if the climate isn't positive after what's happened, we need to separate it from the rest of the political ups and downs," Avramopoulos said. The commissioner then recalled that there are three million refugees who live in Turkey and said he hoped that the accord can be replicated with Libya. "Italy under strong pressure, but isn't alone" "Italy is under very strong migratory pressure, with arrivals that have grown 50% this year compared to last, but Rome isn't alone," he said, assuring Brussels' support to Italy. "The challenge isn't European or North African, but global and shared. We can't leave Libya and Italy by themselves". Avramopoulos said 12.2 million euros have been allocated for the Libyan Coast Guard and 200 million euros have been set aside for financial support to stabilize the central Mediterranean, of which 90 million will go to Libya. Arabsat sponsors IRG workshop with the presence of many broadcasters in both public and the private sectors on Monday 20th March 2017 at the Address Hotel in Dubai. Khalid bin Ahmed Balkheyour President & CEO of Arabsat, said that Arabsat will showcase its latest agreements to promote its exclusive orbital position 26 East, such as our agreement with MBC Group, per which MBC has already begun to shift all its important channels to be broadcasted exclusively on Arabsat satellites, in addition to many other similar agreements. Balkheyour also saidthat Arabsat will showcase the capabilities of its newly successfully launched Satellite Badr-7 and the 6th Generation satellites that includes up till now 4 satellites, three of them are being manufactured (one planned to be launched by the end of 2017 and the other two will be launched in 2018), while the 4th Satellite 6-D agreement has been lately signed in a partnership with Taqnia Space. At a ceremony that took place during the Passenger Terminal Expo in Amsterdam, HIA was also named Best Airport in the Middle East for the third consecutive year and was awarded Best Staff Service in the Middle East for the second consecutive year. Qatar Airways Group chief executive, Akbar Al Baker said: We are delighted to congratulate our home and hub, HIA, on being ranked the Sixth Best Airport in the World by Skytrax. HIA opened within the last four years and climbed to the sixth position in the world airports ranking, a move which clearly demonstrates our continued commitment to delivering the highest standard of service to our passengers, who have graciously given us their vote of confidence. It is even more notable to receive these prestigious awards as we significantly grow the number of passengers served at HIA year on year, to 37 million in 2016. Scheduled to open in 2018, Istanbul New Airport is forecast to be one of the largest in the world, with a capacity of up to 200 million passengers once it reaches full operational capability. Turkish Civil Aviation regulations stipulate that all employees of the airport must complete specific training before the airport is granted its operating certificate. This means around 10,000 employees must be trained in 2017 and 2018. As further phases of the airport are opened up to 2023, the total number of employees requiring training could be as high as 100,000. We are honored to be able to work with HKU on preparing Istanbuls new airport for success. This will be the largest training project that IATA has ever undertaken. And we are determined to exceed Istanbul New Airports expectations for its capable and industrious employees. Turkeys vision and commitment to world-class air transport is clear to see and we hope this agreement marks just the start of a long and fruitful partnership, said Rafael Schvartzman, IATAs European regional vice president. The HKU Rector Professor Dr. Tamer Yilmaz said: "Since the day it was founded, Hasan Kalyoncu University has constantly expanded its vision with an innovative and entrepreneurial spirit. The most important task of a university is to offer education. However, it is also among the duties of a university to provide services that collectively benefit society. It is our honor to partner with IATA to carry out this training project aimed at raising qualified personnel for Istanbul's 3rd Airport, one of the world's largest airports. I hope that this protocol between Hasan Kalyoncu University and IATA will be beneficial and productive. " Serving multiple destinations across Iran, Zagros Airlines operates one A319-100 (leased from Khors), ten A320-200s (one of which is also leased from Khors), five MD-82s, and three MD-83s. YEREVAN, MARCH 20, ARMENPRESS. Ankara launched a new wave of anti-German rhetoric on Sunday, with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan calling out the German chancellor in a televised speech, Deutsche Welle reports. "When we call them Nazis, they (Europe) get uncomfortable. They rally together in solidarity. Especially Merkel," Erdogan said. "But you are right now employing Nazi measures," he said, addressing Merkel directly and using the unofficial, personal way of saying "you" in Turkish. Erdogan has previously accused both the Netherlands and Germany of acting like Nazis after the two countries prevented Turkish ministers from holding campaign rallies on their territory. In his Sunday speech, Erdogan accused Merkel personally of using Nazi methods against his "Turkish brother citizens in Germany and brother ministers." The row with Europe "showed that a new page had been opened in the ongoing fight against our country," he added. Berlin was decidedly not amused, saying that the Turkish president had "gone too far." Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel told the Passauer Neue Presse that he warned Ankara against continuing this "shocking" rhetoric. "We are tolerant but we're not stupid," Gabriel said. "That's why I have let my Turkish counterpart know very clearly that a boundary has been crossed here." YEREVAN, MARCH 20, ARMENPRESS. The UN member statesMarch 20 celebrate as the International Day of Happiness, reports Armenpress. The UN General Assembly declared March 20 as a Happiness Day in 2012. The UN calls on member states to celebrate this day through respective educational-information programs since search for happiness is the persons main goal. 193 representatives of the UN member states unanimously voted in favor of the decision to declare March 20 as International Day of Happiness. Armenia is ranked 53rd in the list of worlds happiest countries. According to the recent data of the analysis of New Economic Foundation, Armenia is 53rd in the list of 151 happiest countries in the world. Based on the research results carried out on the sidelines of the Happy Planet Index (HPI) Armenias happiness index is 46.0. The Happy Planet Index combines four elements to show how efficiently residents of different countries are using environmental resources to lead long, happy lives. Wellbeing: How satisfied the residents of each country say they feel with life overall, on a scale from zero to ten, based on data collected as part of the Gallup World Poll. Life expectancy: The average number of years a person is expected to live in each country based on data collected by the United Nations. Inequality of outcomes: The inequalities between people within a country, in terms of how long they live, and how happy they feel, based on the distribution in each countrys life expectancy and wellbeing data. Ecological Footprint: The average impact that each resident of a country places on the environment. Armenia is identified with relatively high average life expectancy duration. The happiest countries are Costa Rica, Colombia, Belize and El Salvador, and the unhappiest countries are Botswana, Chad, Qatar, Central African Republic and etc. YEREVAN, MARCH 20, ARMENPRESS. President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan attended the groundbreaking ceremony of the new Thermal Power Plant (TPP) in the vicinity of the Yerevan TPP in Erebuni administrative district. The ceremony, which was held on March 20, was also attended by minister of economic integration and reforms, Vice Prime Minister Vache Gabrielyan, minister of energy infrastructures and natural resources Ashot Manukyan, CEO of Renco, President of Armpower Giovanni Rubini, Ambassador of Italy in Armenia H.E. Giovanni Ricciulli and other officials. The Presidents Office told ARMENPRESS the Yerevan TPP combined steam-gas cycle unit (electricity station) has been designed with modern equipment and scientific experience, which, according to the responsibles and experts, guarantees the stations high efficiency and security. The participants of the event said the construction of the plant is an important step for the energy security and prosperity of Yerevan residents in the next decades. Minister Manukyan and Renco CEO Giovanni Rubini signed a joint memorandum during the groundbreaking ceremony of the new TPP, which was placed in the foundation with a capsule. The construction program of the TPP plans designing, developing, financing, constructing, using and technical maintenance of a combined cycle gas electricity station with 250 MW power and up to 53% total efficiency. According to officials, investments will be around 285 million USD. Construction works will last 26 months. 900 temporary jobs will be created solely during the construction period, and after the launch of the facility over 200 permanent jobs with high salaries will be available. Energy officials said the third 400 kV Armenia-Iran and Armenia-Georgia 400 kV new high voltage electricity line construction will be finished in 2019, and taking into account this new energy bloc will be available in 2019 as well, it will enable Armenia to provide the reliable and uninterrupted supply of electricity for neighboring countries. YEREVAN, MARCH 20, ARMENPRESS. President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan visited the Alex Textile Company on March 20. Accompanied by minister of economic development and investments Suren Karayan and executives of Alex Textile, the President toured the production plants of the company, reviewed the investments, works towards increasing the production capacities, launching new production units with modern equipment, volumes of exports and development programs of the company, the Presidents Office told ARMENPRESS. Alex Textile, one of the leading companies in Armenias light industry sector, currently provides 500 jobs. According to the executives, the number will increase to 2000 through expanding the volumes of the production. The companys management told the President the new production unit of the company which was founded in 2017 already employs 300 people. This year the company plans to launch new productions, creating an additional 600 jobs. YEREVAN, MARCH 20, ARMENPRESS. Alex Textile, a company of the light industry sector, produced 773.2 million drams worth of products last year an increase of 308% compared to the previous year, Albert Hovsepyan, an executive of the company told reporters during President Sargsyans visit to the production unit. Its already two years since we are operating. We produce socks. Our production is also exported to Russia and other countries, he said, adding they are planning to increase exports. The company plans to launch production of fabric, woven clothing and home textiles, with a total of 28 million Euros, Marat Movsisyan, director of the childrens clothing factory of the company said. He said they also plan to launch sweater production in early August of 2017. The executives of the childrens clothing factory said they produce over 1 million units of childrens clothing yearly, all of which is exported to Russia. Alex Textile is cooperating with the Russian Childrens World retail chain, which operates over 600 stores in Russia. The factory employs 300-350 people. YEREVAN, MARCH 20, ARMENPRESS. Armenia will present regional tour packages in the international tourism market, Zarmine Zeytuntsyan President of the State Tourism Committee, told a press conference in Armenpress, stating that already works are being done on this path. Our tour-operators are already presenting Armenia-Georgia tour package on ecotourism, adventure tourism. Recently 15 tour-operators from Georgia arrived in Armenia, our tour-operators as well are expected to visit Georgia soon. They will discuss the issue of forming joint tour packages, she said. She informed that in terms of having joint tour packages, active work is carried out with the Iranian side. Already Armenias tour-operators visited Iran, and Iranian tour-operators will visit Armenia in near future. We must promote having common tour packages, but the private sector must also be active in this context. The discussions with the Iranian partners are underway, I think the results will be visible, Zarmine Zeytuntsyan said. A serious information works must be done aimed at increasing the tourism flow both from Armenia to Iran and vice versa. There is a lack of mutual information. Money must be invested to advertise the country. For instance, we dont know enough of Iran, we know very little about Irans historical-cultural values. In Iran as well information on Armenia is lacking. Recently at a meeting with tour-operators in Iran I asked which one advertises Armenia, no company responded. Therefore, the Iranian market is important and interesting for us, multilateral works must be carried out on this path. Iran is a market of 80 million. If we manage to bring 1% of it to Armenia, it will be a major success, she said. Zeytuntsyan informed that the Thai market shows interest towards regional tour packages, mainly Armenia-Iran, Armenia-Georgia, as well as Armenia-Russia directions. The Tourism Committee is going to run a concrete policy on making that country a target market. Why did Soviets focus on Hemingway? He first caught their attention in 1935 by writing for the far left American journal New Masses. His article was an angry denunciation of the U.S. establishment for leaving a large group of veterans, at work on government relief, to die in the path of a hurricane that struck the Florida Keys that year. Then, during the Spanish civil war, he came into contact with Comintern agents, Soviet spies, and communist guerrillas. They intrigued and captivated him, all the more so because they were fighting for a cause that had ignited his passion: anti-fascism. That doesnt mean all is forgotten and forgiven, but some of the changes reflect how the industry has, at least sometimes, changed. Tony-winning actor BD Wong says that at the time, when Miss Saigon was in Londons West End, We said, surely the show will come to the United States, but the yellowface will never happen here, because thats the kind of thing that only happens in England now. Marsden Hartley was a major American painter, to my mind a great one. Robert Hughes called him the most brilliantly gifted of the early generation of American modernists, a judgment with which I increasingly incline to agree. Yet his work has never come close to receiving its due, and Marsden Hartleys Maine, which went up last week at the Met Breuer, is the first museum survey of his work to be seen in New York in nearly forty years. It isnt hard to see why Hartley isnt better known. He died in 1943, just before the abstract expressionists turned American art upside down. By then he had long since renounced abstraction to concentrate on painting the landscapes of Maine, his home state, working in a strong, at times almost rough-hewn style that islike certain difficult peopleeasier to love than to like. Clement Greenberg, always a shrewd observer of the American art scene, remarked in 1950 that Hartleys landscapes have an intensity and are animated by a desire to break through to a fresh and directer reality of pictorial feeling that bring them close somehow to the most recent abstract painting. I myself value them for their clumsiness and the sincerity of their failures almost as much for the rightness of their successes. There are and have been greater painters than Hartley, but few whose sentiment I value more. I myself would say awkward rather than clumsy, but otherwise Greenberg put his finger on it: Hartley was to Cezanne what Milton Avery, another chronically underappreciated American master, was to Matisse, and it is Cezannes deliberately, purposefully awkward way of portraying the visible world that shaped his later style more than that of any other painter. Such artists are rarely fashionable, whether in their own time or for long afterward. To be sure, most American scholars agree that Hartley was an artist of quality, and youll find at least one of his paintings hanging in most American museums, in part because his work is more affordable than that of his celebrated successors. (Thats why Mrs. T and I were able to acquire one of his little-known lithographs in 2006.) Many of the finest paintings and drawings in Marsden Hartleys Maine, for instance, are owned by such regional collections as Maines Colby College Art Museum, Arkansas Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, New Hampshires Currier Museum of Art, and the Saint Louis Art Museum. Nevertheless, opportunities to see and digest Hartleys work in bulk are vanishingly rare, which is part of what makes this well-curated, sensitively hung show so important. Its not a conventional retrospective, concentrating as it does on his paintings, early and late, of Maine and its people. To the extent that hes remembered today, its for the work that he did in between, especially during the time that he lived in Germany, where he turned out a series of emotionally charged abstract paintings that have long found favor with critics who have little use for the rest of his output. But Hartley, in his own opinion and in mine as well, was usually at his best when he painted Maine. Maine is a strong silent country, he wrote in 1939, and so I being born there am able to express it in terms of itself with which I am familiar. Accordingly, Marsden Hartleys Maine contains dozens of stirring canvases that show the state he loved in a wide variety of aspects. My four favorite pieces in the show, Winter Chaos, Blizzard (1909), Smelt Brook Falls (1937), Storm Down Pine Point Way, Old Orchard Beach (1941-43), and Mount Katahdin, Snow Storm (1942), are all reproduced here. None is like its companions save in subject matter, yet all are instantly recognizable as his work. To see them in a single day, along with many other paintings of like quality, was a experience I never thought Id have. Its possible that I wouldnt have come to love Hartley as passionately as I do had Mrs. T and I not spent so much time up north in recent years. Whenever I see one of his later paintings, Im put in mind of Maines endlessly varied, endlessly fascinating landscapes and seascapes. All the more reason, then, why I should have been so thrilled by Marsden Hartleys Maine. Nobody, not even Winslow Homer or John Marin, has had a richer appreciation of the stony, unyielding beauty of Maine, and I doubt youll ever get a better chance to see how much he made of it. * * * Marsden Hartleys Maine is on display at the Met Breuer, 945 Madison Avenue, through June 18. For more information, go here. The show then travels to the Colby College Museum of Art in Waterville, Maine, where it will be on display July 8-November 12. For more information, go here. A video preview of the show: In the latter portion of Benjamin Fulford's newsletter from , he described meeting high-level figures in Japan and Asia who revealed the secret religion or beliefs of some of the elite power players on Earth. Apparently, they worship the Black Sun, a negative solar deity that personifies the antithesis of the Creatora force of death, destruction and chaos instead of life, creation, and order. This is strikingly similar to the satanic Cabal mentioned by several other noteworthy researchers and insiders, such as and . In the '90s, Passio was recruited into the Church of Satan by Anton Lavey. Passio thought that Satanism was nothing more than a religion for personal empowerment, but he discovered it was much more insidious than that. And after attending Grotto meetings in the dead of night wherein member lawyers, doctors, and politicians spoke of their abject hatred for the unawakened masses and their continued desire to enslave and torture people, Passio had a change of heart. Parker is a Satanic ritual abuse survivor who was raised in a generational dark occult family. His father claimed to be an Atlantean warlock, and his mother a witch. Both his parents spoke of the religion of the Illuminati, the worship of the Black Sun by the elite, stretching back tens of thousands of years. Recently, and have claimed that the origin of this dark group traces back to a pre-Adamic period, some 55,000 years ago. Allegedly, a transhumanist cybernetic race of giants warred in the solar system's distant past, once occupying , now home to the asteroid belt. They after the destruction of their home planet and eventually fled to Earth in of Earth. Finally, , cannibalizing their motherships, and building several highly advanced civilizations. They interbred with the human elite on Earth at the time, forming what is known today as the Illuminati bloodlines. Whether or not this account is true remains to be seen, but could provide another link in the chain of the hidden history of Earth. According to Passio, the Black Sun represents the dark Lucifer archetype. Lucifer is known as the light-bearer in occultism, the personification of the bringer of truth, wisdom, and knowledge. This cosmic archetype is amoral, meaning it can embody both light and dark attributes. Anyone can make contact with this cosmic archetype, but the nature of the knowledge they seek, and ultimately how such information is used, determines if it is positive or negative, harmful or beneficial. And the dark elite of this world used various occult rites to make contact with negative forces who gave them knowledge of how to enslave humanity with expert skill. The Jesuits, in particular, devised several cruel methods of using child human sacrifice to create a heavily traumatized soul that would become a tool for the necromancers once the mortal coil had been shed. Using these specters as emissaries of darkness, insidious groups received intelligence from their dark overlords. According to some sources, there were legions of ghosts created over the centuries that fell victim to the dark occultists, who use them like etheric spies and mercenaries. Papal Bulls is one example of a Satanic rite that is intended to bind a soul of a child to a dark purpose. The Black Sun represents the dark Lucifer, the bringer of knowledge for those who seek pain, suffering, enslavement, and power. This archetype has been worshiped by many different elite groups, under many different names and guises, such as Moloch, Baal, Satan, Lucifer, and so on. And in the modern world, the average person worships the Black Sun via their materialistic immoral lifestyle. For example, a "consumer" in occult symbolism, is someone who has allowed their consciousness or spirit to devolve into a materialistic and egocentric zombie, one who doesn't care about truth, morality, and justice. Such people seeks to satisfy all their base desires, even if it means hurting others or turning a blind eye to harm. In this sense, the masses indulge in cravings of all sorts, deceived into worshiping death, destruction, and chaosall under the illusion of technological progressivism. Here the account provided by Fulford: by Benjamin Fulford All these world changes taking place as described above have their origins in a power shift at a very esoteric level of reality. We will try to summarize again briefly below the forensic trail followed by this writer that led to the black sun entity whose defeat has made all these changes possible. Years ago I was told by agents sent by then Japanese Finance Minister Heizo Takenaka that there was a plot to kill 90% of humanity in order to save the environment. Asian secret societies had heard the same thing when they wire-tapped a meeting at the Molech (Baal, Set, Satan) worshipping Bohemian grove. When they offered to help fight these Satan worshippers, I suggested to the Asians that the problem in the West has highly concentrated at the very top of the world power structure and that the average Westerner would be totally appalled at the idea of killing 90% of humanity. We came to the conclusion that the solution to the problem lay in targeting the very tip top of Western power. This led to Leo Zagami of the P2 Freemason lodge visiting me in Tokyo and inviting me to visit the P2 in Italy. There I was taken by Vincenzo Mazzara, a Cavalier of the Teutonic Knights, to a cathedral in Milan where there was a stained glass image of their god, the black sun. Mazzara told me it was a black hole in the center of the galaxy that communicated to them via the gamma wave spectrum. What I encountered at the cathedral was a black void of what can only be described as anti-life, an entity that feeds on the life force. Apparently for thousands of years this entity has given enormous power and wealth to a select few in exchange for having them feed it human and animal sacrifices. This is what I call the Satan worshipping Khazarian mafia. The vision of the future held by P2 members like Mazzara was one of total war and destruction on this planet, something they thought was inevitable. However, an incredibly powerful light-force entity confronted this black sun and threatened to delete the entire universe into zero and one of black and white unless it backed off. That is because the forces of darkness were getting so strong they threatened the entire structure of the universe. The entity backed off and fled this universe. This was seen as the Norway spiral event. The result is that while the universe before this event was like a top spinning out of control, it is now back in harmonic balance between opposite but mutually beneficial forces known as yin and yang or male and female. For this reason the entity known as Satan has ceased to be life destroying absolute evil but has instead transformed into a benevolent goddess working in harmony with the male aspect of the universe. Related Light Workers and The Lost Art of Transmuting Fear into Love -- The Path of Love vs. Path of Fear | Benjamin Fulford's Cannibalism Photos Response Because this entity fled the universe, the lesser evil entities that worked below it were no longer able to resist the forces of light. They have been systematically purged and soon the last of them will be finished off. At this point a quarantine that has been placed on this planet will be lifted and earth life will be free to expand into the universe, according to these esoteric sources. Since we are about to experience exponential expansion, it is very important that we set the initial starting parameters at the most optimal possible level. That is why we must now set up a transparent, democratic, meritocratic world federation combining the best practices of all cultures to preside over the human expansion into the universe. Of course seeing is believing and until we actually see and experience these changes personally, people must focus on improving the here and now of their real lives. Hopefully, the rest we shall see. If Fulford's claims are accurate, then it suggests there is a core aspect to dark occultism that has various sects and variants throughout the East and West. And almost all such insidious groups are aligned under the common banner of enslaving humanity. Or to put it another way, they are all interested in maintaining their illusory status as masters and elites via their suppression of the people. Fulford claims that some of these groups have turned the other cheek, and are now working to end the deplorable practices of the past. As a people seeking to gain knowledge and freedom therefrom, we would do well not to believe such things blindly. By all accounts, it appears that the war for freedom and truth has been raging for almost all of human historyat least over the past 10,000 years. The common thread is one of dependency, ignorance, and dogma in the enslaved massesthe foundation that makes tyranny possible. The elite maintains their power because the people believe in that false authority. And the price of such belief means the enslavement of all. Will this time in history be any different? Will we, as a people, set aside our differences and work together to take up our divine right and govern ourselves for the benefit of all? The hard truth that all generations must face is that all people are ultimately responsible for the welfare and prosperity of others. Whether we learn this lesson or not remains to be seen. But the opportunity to shift society into a golden age is within our grasp. - Justin The preceding text is a Stillness in the Storm original creation. Please share freely. About The Author _________________________ Stillness in the Storm Editor's note: Did you find a spelling error or grammar mistake? Do you think this article needs a correction or update? Or do you just have some feedback? Send us an email at Did you find a spelling error or grammar mistake? Do you think this article needs a correction or update? Or do you just have some feedback? Send us an email at sitsshow@gmail.com with the error, headline and url Thank you for reading. While Mayawati boycotted the oath-taking ceremony, Sharad Pawar called for a grand alliance to counter Modi. Lucknow/Mumbai/New Delhi: In the backdrop of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Yogi Adityanath taking oath as Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati on Sunday alleged that the saffron party wanted to contest the 2019 Lok Sabha polls not on its development plank, but by "polarising voters". "BJP wants to contest the 2019 polls not on the issue of development, but by polarising the voters. That is why they have made an RSS man the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh," she told reporters here. "I got the invitation but boycotted the oath-taking ceremony as the BJP has betrayed the backward castes and Brahmins by making him (Adityanath) the chief minister following the RSS agenda. Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan termed Yogi Adityanath as the symbol of "communal violence and intolerance", and criticised the BJP for his elevation. "Now we have Yogi Adityanath, who has charges against him for inciting communal tensions, being made the chief ministerof Uttar Pradesh. Yogi Adityanath has always been the symbol of communal violence, riots, intolerance and hatred," he said addressing a public meeting here this evening. "The politics that he (Adityanath) championed was meant for doing away with whatever communal harmony that was left in Indian politics," the Kerala CM said. Alleging that Adityanath had "spearheaded" a series of communal riots in 2007, Vijayan recalled that the saffron leader "had gone to the extreme of comparing (Bollywood actor) Shah Rukh Khan with Hafiz Saeed (Pakistani terrorist). He also spoke against Amir Khan and Mother Teresa." The CPI(M) leader said Adityanath had also asked those who were reluctant to practice 'Surya Namaskar' to leave country for Pakistan. He accused Adityanath of "triggering venomous communal campaign to bring Ayodhya issue back on top of the BJP's agenda." Vijayan said Adityanath has always maintained some sort of a "contempt towards the politics that has highlighted dalits, backwards and minorities." "(By) Making a person of such criminal background the Chief Minister of our largest state, the message BJP (wants to) send to the nation is that they will continue to try to capture power by resorting to communal riots. "Only a party which has sheer contempt towards secularism and democracy can elevate such a person to the office of Chief Minister," the Left leader alleged. The appointment of Hindutva posterboy Yogi Adityanath as the Uttar Pradesh chief minister will encourage communalism and put the unity and integrity of the country at risk, said senior NCP leader Tariq Anwar. "It is unfortunate that Yogi Adityanath has become the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh. He has a fundamentalist image. His appointment as the CM would encourage communalism and put the unity and integrity of the country at risk," said Anwar in a statement which appeared to be a doomsday prophecy. Anwar, a Lok Sabha member from Katihar and former union minister, said the BJP has now showed its true intentions andthe type of people it wants to promote by making Adityanath the UP CM. "With Adityanath as the UP CM, BJP wants to vitiate the atmosphere of communal harmony by imposing its ideology in the country," he said echoing his party supremo Sharad Pawar's fears. Talking to reporters earlier in Ahmedabad, Pawar had apprehended that with Adityanath becoming the UP chief minister, the communal politics would may get a boost. Asked about the opposition alleging that the EVMs were tampered with, he said, "This has now become an issue. Even developed nations have shelved the use of EVMs and have now adopted the ballot paper. The issue should be considered seriously." Pawar all like-minded parties need to come together to check the growth of the BJP as evident by its performance in the recent assembly elections in the five states. Modi tries to allay fears over appointment of firebrand Hindutva leader as chief minister. New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Sunday that the sole mission and motive of the Uttar Pradesh government would be development, in an apparant bid to allay apprehensions over hardline Hindutva mascot Adityanath Yogi taking over as the chief minister of the state. Noting that the BJP had formed governments in four out of five states that went to the polls recently, Mr Modi said, Our unwavering efforts to create a bhavya (great) and divya (brilliant) Bharat continue. Indias jan shakti (peoples power) is powering the rise of a new and transformed India. The Prime Minister expressed confidence that the new government will work for record development of Uttar Pradesh. Congratulations to Yogi Adityanathji, Keshav Prasad Mauryaji, Dinesh Sharmaji, and all those who took oath today. Best wishes for serving UP, Mr Modi tweeted Our sole mission and motive is development. When UP develops, India develops. We want to serve UPs youth and create opportunities for them, Mr Modi said. The Prime Ministers insistence on development being the only aim of the Adityanath Yogi government appears to be an attempt to allay apprehensions that some quarters may have over the hardline Hindutva mascot taking over as the chief minister of the state. I have immense confidence that this new team (led by Adityanath Yogi) will leave no stone unturned in making UP Uttam Pradesh the foremost state. There will be record development, Mr Modi said. In another tweet, the Prime Minister said, With the blessings of people and hardwork of our karyakartas, the BJP has formed governments in four out of the five states that went to the polls. Her name is withheld since the police have registered a case of human trafficking against the agents who had sent her to Riyadh. The woman, a native of Dholka town in Ahmedabad district, was rescued after the state Education Minister and Dholka MLA Bhupendrasinh Chudasama came to know about her plight and contacted state Home department officials, who in turn had informed the MEA. (Photo: Representational Image) Ahmedabad: A 45-year-old woman, rescued from Riyadh in Saudi Arabia last week with the help of the External Affairs Ministry, was brought back here on Sunday. The woman, a native of Dholka town in Ahmedabad district, was rescued after the state Education Minister and Dholka MLA Bhupendrasinh Chudasama came to know about her plight and contacted state Home department officials, who in turn had informed the MEA. She was allegedly tortured by a Saudi family with who she was working in Riyadh. The woman arrived at the Mumbai airport early on Sunday and was escorted here by the officials of the Women Crime Branch. "The unmarried woman who had gone to Riyadh for work currently resides in Ahmedabad with her sister. After her successful rescue in Riyadh, she landed in Mumbai today and subsequently brought back here by our officials," said the Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime Branch) J K Bhatt. Her name is withheld since the police have registered a case of human trafficking against the agents who had sent her to Riyadh. Chudasama had tweeted that he had learnt about her plight through a newspaper report. He had announced on March 14 that the woman has been successfully rescued and will be brought back. "After the matter came to light, we lodged a case of human trafficking against the agents who had sent her to Riyadh. We have arrested two of them so far," Bhatt said. India has made rapid strides to become the world's largest manufacturer and exporter of cut and polished diamonds, the PM noted. Mumbai: Prime Minister Narendra Modi today exhorted the Indian diamond industry to aim at becoming an international trading centre and "preferred destination for manufacturing" rather than only a cutting and polishing hub. "Our aim is to make India a preferred destination for (diamond) manufacturing. We are already a cutting and polishing hub. My intention is to make India an international diamond trading hub," Modi said, addressing golden jubilee celebration of Gem Jewellery Export Promotion Council here through video-conference this evening. India has made rapid strides to become the world's largest manufacturer and exporter of cut and polished diamonds, the PM noted. "From just USD 28 million in 1966-67, it has now reached USD 40 billion. Our aim is to transform India in one generation... Our aim is to make India a preferred destination for manufacturing," he said. In the past 50 years, the Prime Minister said, the gems and jewellery sector has accounted for USD 475 billion of exports despite not having domestic production of either gold or diamond. By giving employment to over 4.6 million people, the industry is a major contributor to the government's skill India initiative, Modi said. "Skill India initiative seeks to make sure that new attempts are made to ensure that the workforce has the necessary skills to contribute to the economy of the 21st century. The gems and jewellery sector employs 4.6 million people, out of this, 1 million are in the diamond industry alone. Thus the gems and jewellery sector is a prime example of the potential of Make-in-India and Skill India," Modi said. "This sector has come a long way from where it was. However, it is still far, far behind where it should be. Our strongest area is diamond cutting and polishing. In terms of the global value, our market share is much lower than it should be. Our future is much bigger than cutting and polishing. We have a lot of unexplored potential," he said. The man asked Fr Tomy Kalathoor if he was an Indian Hindu priest before attacking him. Kozhikode: In a suspected case of racist attack, a priest from Thamarassery diocese in Kozhikode was stabbed by a white man at the altar at Fawkner North in Melbourne, Australia. The priest was about to offer the Sunday Mass when the incident took place. The man asked Fr Tomy Kalathoor if he was an Indian Hindu priest before attacking him. Fr Abraham Kavilpura-yidathil, Public Relations Officer of Thamarassery diocese, said Fr Tomy, a native of Karimbu near Anakkampoyil, Kozhikode, was serving as vicar of St Mathews Parish in Melbourne for the last four years. The assailant, who approached the vicar just before the Holy Mass, said that he wanted to speak something in private with him. The vicar refused to oblige and told him that he could speak to him after the Mass. The assailant then suddenly took out a knife hidden in this cloth and stabbed the priest on the neck. The impact of the attack was reduced due to the thick clothes worn by the priest to protect himself from the cold, apart from the cassock and additional dress for the Holy Mass. The assailant escaped soon after the incident, Fr Kavilpurayidathil said. Meanwhile, Thamarassery diocese Bishop Remigius Inchananiyil spoke to Fr Tomy over phone. The priest was discharged from hospital after being administered first aid. The attacker had approached the vicar last Sunday and enquired if he was an Indian. Fr Tomy was ordained in 1994. He had served the diocese as vicar in various parishes of Adakkakkundu, Kallurutti, Chundathumpoyyil and Vettilappara, earlier. Bishop Inchananiyil and the Thamarassery diocese expressed extreme grief and protested against the attack on Fr Tomy. Reports from Melbourne said that police has taken one person in connection with the incident into custody. However, the police is yet to confirm whether it was a case of racist attack. Nazim Nizami, one of the two clerics, said a Pakistani newspaper Ummat in printed false statements of them being RAW spies Asif Nizami and Nazim Nizami, the Sufi clerics who have gone missing. (Photo: File) New Delhi: Giving hint towards Pakistan's conspiracy to convict innocent Indians, one of the Sufi clerics, who had gone missing in Pakistan, on Monday revealed that one of the papers in the neighbouring country had printed false news of them being Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) agents. Nazim Nizami, one of the two clerics, told the reporters that a newspaper Ummat in Pakistan printed false statements of them being "RAW spies". "There is a newspaper Ummat (in Pakistan) which has printed false statements (of the two clerics being RAW spies) and photos," Nizami told the media in New Delhi. The cleric thanked the Government of India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh for their efforts. The two clerics marked a safe arrival in India earlier on Monday. The duo will be meeting Sushma Swaraj later in the day. The two clerics surfaced in Karachi and told that they had gone to meet their devotees in interior Sindh, where there was no phone connectivity. The clerics, identified as Syed Asif Ali Nizami and his friend Nazim Nizami, belong to Delhi's Hazrat Nizamuddin Dargah. Syed Asif Ali Nizami is the head priest of the Dargah. The duo had travelled to Pakistan to visit their relatives in Karachi and then embarked on a pilgrimage to Lahore. One of them went missing in Karachi and the other in Lahore, reports claimed. The Indian authorities had raised the issue with the Pakistan Foreign Ministry seeking its help in tracing their missing citizens. From 2012 to 2016, 69 personnel lost their lives. From 2012 to 2016, the targets in building strategically important roads near the border with China fell short by around 79 per cent. New Delhi: It is another war in the treacherous and merciless terrain along the Indo-China border where the government is trying to build roads in a late effort to match Chinas excellent infrastructure. But now, the adversary here is mother nature. In a four-year period from 2012 to 2016, 69 personnel engaged in building roads have lost their lives over 17 men a year on average. A report of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) lists 21 deaths of officers and men from the General Reserve Engineers Force (GREF) and 48 casual labourers deployed in Indo-China Border Road (ICBR) works from April 2012 to March 2016. These deaths in military-transport and work site accidents clearly show the tough and hazardous working conditions of the GREF personnel. These strategically important roads, mainly built for the Army and the Indo-Tibetan Border Police besides civilians, are built in adverse topographic and climatic conditions and under sensitive security environments. From 2012 to 2016, the road building targets could not be achieved and the shortfall in achievement ranged to about 79 per cent. To resolve legal roadblocks like land acquisition, forest and wildlife clearance, and so on to build these strategic roads, the government constituted empowered committees. It has also allowed the divertion of forest land to build roads entrusted to BRO in areas falling within 100 km in aerial distance from the Indo-China border. While China has built roads that almost touch the Line of Actual Control (LAC), or the effective Indo-China border, most Indian road-heads peter off at least about 50 km to 70 km from the LAC. Of the 61 ICBRs that were planned to be completed by 2012, only 15 could be completed within the time frame. Out of the remaining 46 roads, only seven could be completed by 2016. Thus only 22 roads or 36 per cent have been completed despite incurring an expenditure of Rs 4,536 crore against the estimated cost of Rs 4,644 crore for all the 61 ICBRs. Among other grounds for the delay and non-achievement of targets like limited equipment, the BRO lists the extreme high altitude area and its associated problems, like rarified atmospheric conditions, hard rock, sudden spells of inclement weather, limited working season with road closure often for six months, and so on. Of the 61 ICBRs, 27 are in Arunachal Pradesh (1,788 km), five in Himachal Pradesh (117 km), 12 in Jammu and Kashmir (1,093 km), three in Sikkim (56 km) and 14 in Uttarakhand (355 km). In the past, lack of road connectivity in the Indo-China border had been part of a conscious government policy of not developing the borders with China so as to create a buffer area, but a new policy was finalised in 2007 when it was decided by the government to construct 73 strategically important roads to facilitate the brisk movement of troops in case of any aggression along the Northern and Eastern frontiers. Of these 73, 61 roads were to be completed by 2012. Nazim Ali Nizami rejected Pakistani media reports that they were in interior Sindh where there was no communication network. New Delhi: The two clerics of Delhis Hazrat Nizamuddin Dargah, who went missing in Pakistan last week, returned to Delhi on Monday. Syed Asif Nizami, head priest of the holy shrine, and Nazim Ali Nizami, his nephew, and senior cleric, thanked the Indian government and Pakistan for their safe return. Nazim Ali Nizami rejected Pakistani media reports that they were in interior Sindh where there was no communication network. We did not have visa for Sindh interior region, so how could we have gone there? We come from the school of Sufi which teaches peace and brotherhood, he told reporters, adding that during the interrogation they were asked about their visa and other immigration details, the cleric said. We were not among those who were involved in any illegal activities. We had gone to Pakistan to spread the message of love. Some people may not have liked our message. I will ag-ain go to Pakistan with gre-ater resolve, Nazim said. He also said a thank you to the Pakistan government for its cooperation extended by it to enable their safe return. Pakistani newspaper Ummat had in a report claimed that the two clerics worked for RAW and Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) movement. Upon their return, the missing clerics were given a warm welcome at Nizamuddin Dargah. Special prayers were also offered at the shrine to thank the almighty for their return. The duo had gone to Lahore on March 8 but went missing in the middle of last week following which India took up the issue with Islamabad. The main purpose of the visit of Asif to Pakistan was to see his 90-year-old sister in Karachi. On Saturday, Pakistan had conveyed to India that the clerics were traced and had reached Karachi. Ms Swaraj had taken up the issue with Pakistan Prime Ministers Adviser on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz and requested him to trace the clerics. The fresh controversy between the two countries comes ahead of the Pakistan National Day celebrations on March 23. Indian government representatives have attended functions at the Pakistan high commission in recent years on the day. (Photo: PTI) New Delhi: Pakistan on Monday summoned Indias deputy high commissioner after it alleged unprovoked firing by Indian troops along the Line of Control. Pakistans director general (South Asia and Saarc) Mohammad Faisal summoned J.P. Singh and condemned the unprovoked ceasefire violation on March 17 in Kotli area, the Pakistan foreign office reportedly said in a statement. While the MEA here did not issue any statement, New Delhis position in previous instances has been that Indian forces never start unprovoked firing but only fire, if at all, in retaliation to Pakistani firing. The fresh controversy between the two countries comes ahead of the Pakistan National Day celebrations on March 23. Indian government representatives have attended functions at the Pakistan high commission in recent years on the day. Adityanath is above caste, will prove his critics wrong, says Naidu. New Delhi: RSS did not interfere in the selection of Yogi Adityanath as Uttar Pradesh chief minister, M. Venkaiah Naidu, who was BJPs central observer for election of the state legislature party leader, said on Monday. Amid criticism over BJP going for Hindutva hardliner Yogi Adityanath as the Uttar Pradesh chief minister, Mr Naidu said it was the legislators who decided on the leader and that is the system in the party. He asked the Opposition to be graceful in defeat, accept the mandate of the people and give a fair opportunity to the new chief minister. It is the legislators under the Parliamentary party board that decide the leader. That is the system in the BJP. RSS never interferes or suggests any names (for the chief ministers post), Mr Naidu told agencies. The Union minister also maintained that after discussions with the elected MLAs, he had conveyed their views to BJP national president Amit Shah. Then, I had a meeting of the legislators. In that meeting, Yogi Adityanaths name was proposed by Suresh Khanna and nine others seconded it. All the legislators stood up and unanimously agreed to the name. So this is the decision of the MLAs of Uttar Pradesh which was approved by the central party, Mr Naidu said. His remarks come in the backdrop of allegations levelled by opposition parties such as BSP that BJPs wants to contest the 2019 polls not on the issue of development, but by polarising the voters. That is why they have made an RSS man the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, BSP supremo Mayawati said on Sunday. Adityanath took charge as the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh on Sunday after BJPs landslide victory in the state polls. Mr Naidu, who is a former BJP president, said that the chief minister has already declared that he would work with all sections of the society without any discrimination. Taking a dig at the Opposition, he said they are not able to digest the massive mandate given to the BJP. I appeal to them to be graceful in defeat and respect the mandate of the people and wait to see the performance. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that if Uttar Pradesh develops, then India develops and the focus is on saab ka saath saab ka vikas, the minister said. Adityanath knows the spirit of the Prime Ministers statement. Yogi Adityanath is above caste but, unfortunately, some people are attributing caste to him, Mr Naidu said. So it is very unfair on the part of anybody including our political rivals to criticise him without giving a fair opportunity to the newly elected chief minister, Mr Naidu said. Stressing that Adityanath would prove critics wrong, Mr Naidu said the poll result is a good sign that politics is becoming inclusive. After seeing what happened in the state elections, I feel caste and religion based politics will become a matter of the past.... Now people want development, inclusive development, he said. Gopal Ansal was jailed earlier in connection with the case related to a fire tragedy in which 59 persons died in Uphaar cinema. New Delhi: Gopal Ansal surrendered on Monday before Tihar jail authorities to undergo one-year jail term in the 1997 Uphaar fire tragedy case after the Supreme Court refused to grant him more time. A bench comprising Chief Justice JS Khehar and Justices DY Chandrachud and SK Kaul rejected the plea moved by the real estate baron seeking more time to surrender on the ground that he has moved a mercy plea before the President, and had asked him to surrender by this evening. "Ansal surrendered around 5-5:30 pm. He is currently lodged in the hospital at Jail No. 3 as he complained of some health issues," said a jail official. The bench said, "Sorry, we can't," when senior advocate Ram Jethmalani mentioned the matter and sought more time, telling the court that they have already approached the President with their mercy plea. The apex court also rejected the plea from the senior advocate seeking a direction for speedy disposal of his mercy plea, pending before the President, saying that it cannot interfere in it as it is an exclusive jurisdiction of the President. The apex court, on March 9, had dismissed Ansal's petition for parity with his elder brother Sushil Ansal, who was awarded jail term already undergone by him considering his "age-related complications", and directed him to surrender by today to serve the prison term. 69-year-old Gopal Ansal was in jail earlier for around four-and-a-half-month in connection with the case relating to the June 13, 1997 fire tragedy in which 59 persons had died in Uphaar cinema during the screening of Hindi movie 'Border'. Over 100 people were injured in the subsequent stampede. A bench headed by 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 the jail term already undergone and had asked Gopal to surrender in four weeks to serve the remaining jail term. Gopal had thereafter approached the apex court seeking modification of its order on the grounds of parity, saying he was 69-year-old and would suffer irreparable damage to his health if sent to prison. In its February 9 judgement, the apex court had upheld the fine of Rs 30 crore each imposed on both the convicts and said it should be utilised for setting up a trauma centre. Earlier, a two-judge bench of the apex court had on March 5, 2014 held Sushil and Gopal Ansal guilty, but differed on the quantum of sentence to be awarded to them after which the matter was heard by a three-judge bench. The Delhi High Court had on December 19, 2008 awarded one-year jail term to both Sushil and Gopal Ansal in the case while reducing the two-year sentence imposed on them by the trial court. Arrested UNC leaders set to be released, cases against all Naga leaders to close. Guwahati: The United Naga Council on Sunday announced the withdrawal of the 130-day-long economic blockade in Manipur with the states newly-elected BJP government agreeing to release free UNC leaders unconditionally and closing all cases on the blockade against Naga leaders. The decision to lift the blockade from Sunday midnight was taken at a tripartite meet with the state government, the United Naga Council (UNC) and the Centre on Sunday at Senapati district headquarters. In a joint statement, additional chief secretary J. Suresh Babu and UNC general secretary S. Milan said: The grievances of the UNC that led to the imposition of the economic blockade was recognised at the meeting. The government of Manipur agrees to start consultations with all stakeholders to redress the grievances. In the same joint statement, signed by all stakeholders at the meeting, the UNC said it would lift the blockade with immediate effect. The government of Manipur will unconditionally release arrested UNC leaders and all the cases against Naga tribal leaders and students leaders will also be closed, it said. Saying that the next round of tripartite talks would be held in a months time at the political level, the UNC also expressed appreciation of the initiative and new approach of the state government to address core issues. Union home ministry joint secretary Satyendra Garg also attended the meeting. The representatives of All Naga Students Union of Manipur and Naga Womens Union also attended the tripartite talks on Sunday. The UNC had imposed the economic blockade since November 1 last year to protest against the creation of seven new districts by the then Congress government in October 2016. The UNC had opposed the bifurcation of Sadar Hills districts. Soon after taking charge as chief minister last week, Mr N. Biren Singh had promised to fulfil Prime Minister Narendra Modis assurance that the ongoing economic blockade would be lifted soon. Almost an year ago the National Green Tribunal had ordered the closure of these two slaughterhouses, an official said. Allahabad: Two slaughterhouses were sealed by the authorities in Allahabad on Sunday night, a development that comes within hours of BJP leader Yogi Adityanath taking over as the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister. Almost an year ago the National Green Tribunal had ordered the closure of these two slaughterhouses, an official said. "We sealed one slaughterhouse each in Atala locality of the city and at Naini, on the outskirts, last night. The NGT had ordered closure of these in May, 2016", the district's Veterinary Officer Dheeraj Goyal said. He said the step was taken "following reports that though these slaughterhouses had been shown as shut on paper, business was running there as usual." Goyal said that the NGT had similarly recommended closure of another slaughterhouse in the area but as there have been no reports of illegal business, his department had requested the police to keep a watch. Significantly, the action was taken within hours of the swearing in of a new cabinet in Uttar Pradesh. In his first press conference at Lucknow, the new Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had asserted that his government will take steps to fulfil promises made regarding slaughterhouses by the BJP in the run up to the state assembly polls. The BJP had announced, in its manifesto titled "Lok Kalyan Sankalp Patra" that after coming to power it will take "stern steps for closing down all illegal slaughterhouses besides banning mechanized slaughterhouses". Party hopes to cash in on PM Narendra Modi wave ahead of 2019. New Delhi: Charged by the unprecedented and historic electoral victory in the high-stakes Uttar Pradesh polls, the BJP has decided not to let the moment slip away. The party leadership is all set to advance the Gujarat polls, which are otherwise due to be held in December this year. The BJP is looking at the option of holding the Assembly polls in Prime Minister Narendra Modis home state by June this year, sources said. BJP president Amit Shah, who has emerged as the most successful BJP chief ever, has yet again set up a goal and this time his mission statement is: UP mein 325, Gujarat mein 150. The Gujarat Assembly has a strength of 182, in which the BJP now has 123 seats. The BJPs mascot in Gujarat will again be none other than Mr Modi himself. The mission statement is likely to be accompanied by pictures of the Prime Minister along with Mr Shah. Party strategists feel there is a wave in favour of the Prime Minister and that the BJP needs to cash in on it. The party is aware of the mistake it made by delaying the elections in Delhi, a senior BJP leader said. The BJP seems to be in trouble in Gujarat with dalits and influential Patidar community rising against the saffron government. The Hardik Patel-led Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti has been at the forefront of agitations against the BJP government. JD(U) chief and Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar has also thrown his weight behind Hardik Patel. AAP supremo and Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal has been repeatedly visiting the state to make inroads. The AAP apparently wants to emerge as an alternative to the BJP on Mr Modis home turf. The Congress has also been regrouping and the party had bounced back by trouncing the BJP in the civic polls. After the crushing defeat in Uttar Pradesh, the Congress is yet again in disarray and the AAPs failure to win Punjab has dealt a severe blow to Mr Kejriwals ambitions to emerge as a national alternative to Mr Modi. But BJP leaders now feel that the partys massive wins in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand have changed the narrative and the BJP led by Mr Modi is again in the lead. The partys spin doctors believe if the elections are brought forward, the BJP will be in a position to sweep the polls in the state. Mr Shah has reportedly begun his work by holding a series of parleys and doing what he does best, that is to strengthen booth-level activities. That the party is now seriously considering advancing the elections became evident with Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani saying: We are prepared even if elections are held early. The chief minister had also said that the results in Uttar Pradesh indicated that the wind was blowing in the BJPs favour. The win in Uttar Pradesh is not a momentary outburst of peoples sentiments for the BJP, the wind is blowing in favour of the party as people have faith in Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Mr Rupani told the local media in Gujarat. They are enlisted in the Indian Army, the Police, the Railway Police Force and CISF, and faithfully serve our country right from when they are only two-months-old! We are talking of the pooch patrol that Bengaluru-based The Voice of Stray Dogs (VOSD) rightly christens patriot dogs. But what happens to them when they are out of service? This city-based non-profit is crowdfunding to bring home these tailwaggers so they can live a happy, retired life at their sanctuary, and people from across the world are pitching in for the #PatriotDogs campaign! From detecting explosives to tracking down terrorists and search-and-rescues, these heroes did it all. But at the end of their service, they were euthanised until recently, when the courts pulled the plug on the practice. The concern remains though. Since they arent cute, cuddly and ready for adoption, where will they go when they can no longer serve? Having added several tykes to their sanctuary last year, VOSD hopes to bring at least a 100 more this year. According the organisations founder, this campaign achieves a few things Awareness of what these dogs are, and what their contribution to India is, what we are doing for them and what we intend to do to create a dedicated facility for these dogs since they were not pets, says Rakesh Shukla, even as one from the Karnataka Railway Police joins them. Celebrities like ace shuttler Ashwini Ponnappa, actress Soha Ali Khan, Royal Challengers Bengalurus hard-hitter Chris Gayle and Prasad Bidapa have all thrown their weight behind this campaign. With expenses running up to Rs 2,000 to care for a senior dog each month, the campaign on Ketto.org has raised over Rs 4 lakh within the week and will go towards lifelong care with joint medication, and renal, liver and cardiac support that is required for each of them along with building an exercise/play area. Coming from an Army background Ive witnessed first-hand how the dogs employed in the defense and paramilitary forces serve and protect us. After spending a major part of their life in the service of the country, these dogs deserve to be taken care of. We cant let them down and let them live a life of misery in their old age, says Anil George, who feels like these pooches will feel right at home at the VOSD sanctuary. Although away studying at the University of Manchester in the UK, 21-year-old Aadya Avinash felt the need to pitch in. We have always been a particularly patriotic people, and this campaign sparks that patriotism within us (which I felt even from Manchester!) and encourages us to remember that we dont only owe our human soldiers, but our canine ones, too, she says, noting that the #PatriotDogs campaign is drawing attention to something thats unknown or overlooked. VOSD said it best the patriot dogs didnt choose to enlist in the military. But thats the thing about dogs they dont really get the chance to choose anything, they just always faithfully have our backs in every situation and we dont even realise it. And they deserve a happy retirement just as much as a soldier of our own species, she smiles in conclusion. According to sources, a decision on the impending changes in the party organisation can come into effect as soon as early April. New Delhi: After its drubbing in the Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, the Congress is planning a major rejig. There have been many voices from within the grand old party saying that the current system will certainly not work. Even Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi said that structural changes were the need of the hour for the party. Several suggestions and proposals are in the pipeline, but the question is when they will be acted upon. According to sources, a decision on the impending changes in the party organisation can come into effect as soon as early April. Currently, both Congress president Sonia Gandhi and vice-president Rahul Gandhi are abroad for the formers medical checkup. They will return by the end of the coming week. The change in the AICC setup is long pending, with at least three general secretaries expected to be changed. The Congress Working Committee (CWC), the apex decision making body of the party, will also have new members inducted into it, while some would be eased out. This time, the rejig will not be restricted to the central organisations. Several state unit chiefs are also expected to be replaced. A lot of emphasis will also be given to states going to polls in the next two years. The other idea which the Congress is working on is having a core group, which was in place during the UPA government, to decide on the short-term policies of the party. The ideas which are being worked upon are not new for the Congress, but it is the implementation which everybody is waiting for. The Congress has not seen a single win in any election in the last four years except in Punjab. This win is being attributed to Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh rather than the Congress as a party. With just a little more than two years left for the 2019 general elections, many in the Congress feel that if tough decisions are not taken soon enough, it will be too late. Agenda not finalised but India wont compromise on treaty. New Delhi: A 10-member Indian delegation arrived in Pakistan on Sunday to take part in a meeting of Permanent Indus Commission (PIC) beginning in Islamabad on Monday. The delegation comprises Indias Indus Water Commissioner P.K. Saxena, MEA officials and technical experts. Speaking to news agency PTI, a government source said India is always open to discuss and resolve concerns Pakistan have over its projects under Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) bilaterally. The source, however, reiterated that there will be no compromise on India exploiting its due rights under the 57-year-old pact. However, the agenda for the meeting, taking place nearly six months after India according to some reports then had decided to suspend talks on the pact in the wake of the Uri terror attack by Pakistan-based outfits, is yet to be finalised. Asked whether the delay in reaching consensus over agenda for the meeting will leave little time to resolve issues, the source replied in negative. We always go into such meetings with optimistic mindset. In the past too, there had been delays in finalising agenda for the meeting, yet solutions were achieved, the source added. To drive the point, the source recalled how Pakistans concern over Indias Uri-II hydroelectric project were resolved seven years ago through discussions. Pakistan had raised objections over designs of 240MW Uri-II project in J&K, saying these will deprive it of its water share under the pact. However, at a meeting in May 2010, the neighbouring country withdrew objections after Indian side provided details of these. Similarly, Pakistan has been flagging concern over designs of Indias five other hydroelectricity projects Pakal Dul (1000 MW), Ratle (850 MW), Kishanganga (330 MW), Miyar (120 MW) and Lower Kalnai (48MW) being built/planned in the Indus river basin, contending these violate the treaty. It approached the World Bank in 2016, raising issues over Kishanganga and Ratle projects in J&K. Following this the doctors at Sion Hospital lodged a complaint at Sion police station and the police arrested the three accused. Mumbai: In the weeks third instance of irate relatives of patients assaulting doctors in the state, a resident doctor of the civic-run Sion Hospital was allegedly assaulted late Saturday night by the relatives of a 60-year-old woman. The patient, Rekha Singh, a resident of Chembur, allegedly died of chronic kidney disease on Saturday. Unable to bear the loss, Singhs relatives allegedly beat up doctor Rohit Kumar Jain (29), in the presence of the hospitals security guards. Dr Kumar sustained minor injuries on his arms and head. Three relatives of the deceased patient were arrested in connection with the incident and later granted bail. The arrested accused were identified as Aakash Mahesh Siddhu, Aatish Jaiprakash Ghavri and Amit Jaiprakash Singh. According to sources attached to the Sion police station, Dr Kumar was attending to Singh, who was admitted in ward number 20 of the civic-run hospital. Singh was admitted late on Friday night for a chronic kidney disease. She was put on dialysis earlier in the day, but her condition was deteriorating rapidly. Singh succumbed to her disease on Saturday night at 10.05 pm, following which her family started blaming the doctors and the medical staff for not being able to save her. The police source added that Singhs family created a ruckus, following which the hospitals security staff were summoned. Dr Kumar, who is in his first year of a three-year residency programme at Sion Hospital, was beaten up by the patients relatives at 10.30 pm on Saturday night in the presence of the hospitals security guards. Following this the doctors at Sion Hospital lodged a complaint at Sion police station and the police arrested the three accused. Speaking to The Asian Age, N. Ambika, DCP zone-4, said, The police has registered an offence against the family of the deceased and they were arrested late on Saturday night. The arrested trio was produced in holiday court on Sunday. The accused were booked under various sections of the IPC. The accused were produced in court and were granted bail on grounds that the family got emotional and acted in a wrong manner. Court told all concerned agencies to submit monthly progress report. Mumbai: The Bombay high court recently said it will monitor the progress of road repair in the city every month. A division bench of Justice V.M. Kanade and Justice P.R. Bora was hearing a suo motu public interest litigation (PIL) regarding potholes. Recently Justice Kanade had called up a special hearing in the judges conference room so that high ranking officers from various departments could point out the steps taken by them in the repairing of pothole. Officers from Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), public works department (PWD), Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation Limited (MSRDC), Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC), Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) and the traffic police attended it. The hearing was also called to ensure that there is proper co-ordination between various agencies that are expected to maintain the roads. Another important reason the court called the hearing was to solve the problem of occurrence of potholes during every monsoon, which has become a common phenomenon for about the past 10 years. During the hearing, Sanjay Deshmukh, additional commissioner of BMC, had given a presentation before the court explaining who is responsible for maintaining which roads in Mumbai. He explained project works that have currently been undertaken and preventive measures to be taken prior to the monsoon. Mr Deshmukh also laid out measures to improve the condition of roads. While giving the presentation to the court, the BMC, PWD as well as traffic police had given assurances that they will complete a majority of repair work on roads, before monsoon. The court then made it clear that it would like to monitor the situation every month to see whether the time schedule given by authorities is being followed. The court also suggested that the traffic police should give notice in advance to the public at large that repairs would be undertaken at a particular road on a particular day, so that the public would avoid those roads. The court also said as long as the main stretch of the roads and main arteries connecting to cities are not replaced by new roads, occurrence of potholes will continue. While suggesting that BMC should examine the kind of material that is used in foreign countries for the repairing of potholes, the court also directed the state government to coordinate with BMC and other agencies so they can jointly repair the entire stretch of roads. Due to unavailability of bed in NICU the patient was referred to Wadia but the same problem was there as well. Mumbai: Another second year resident doctor, Dr. Sarang Dave, working in the trust-run Wadia maternity hospital was allegedly assaulted by a patients kin on Sunday in Parel due to the unavailability of beds in Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). Angry relatives of a baby with liver malfunction, who could not get admitted at Wadia, caught Dr. Dave by his collars and pushed him. The Asian Age has a copy of the complaint by the doctor while Wadia hospitals CEO Dr. Minie Bhodhanwala dismissed the news of the alleged attack as a rumour. Mr. Dave has complained to the Directorate of Medical Education & Research Mumbai (DMER). The incident occurred on Sunday morning wherein an infant was suffering from some liver malfunction and was referred to the state-run J. J. hospital. Due to unavailability of bed in NICU the patient was referred to Wadia but the same problem was there as well. As per Dr. Daves complaint letter to the DMER, around 8-10 angry relatives threatened and abused him saying, If no action is taken within 5 minutes, then you wait and watch what we do, after which all the responsibility of the patient will be on the hospital. A fearful Dr. Dave said, After this incident I am not in the state to work in such a fearful condition, hence I am leaving my duty till appropriate safety measures are planned and implemented. However, Wadia hospitals CEO Dr. Minie Bhodhanwala said, There is a rumour about a resident doctor being beaten up at Wadia hospital. However, the officials of the hospital have clarified that there is no such incident occurred in the hospital. The Indian security establishment must never forget Pakistans politico-military payback strategy against India. The Old Testament mentions that the philistine warrior giant Goliath was killed by David, the shepherd boy, with a stone thrown by a slingshot. Throughout the ages, popular sympathy, admiration and support have always been on the side of David. Similar is the case of the stone-pelting street mobs of pro-azadi supporters attacking Indian security forces in Srinagar and the Kashmir Valley. It is unlikely that they will be familiar with the David and Goliath story. But they are trying to create a similar parable about their confrontation with the security forces. The defence forces are attempting to disperse demonstrators organised inside the urban jungle of downtown Srinagar by jihadis of Lashkar-e-Tayyaba and Hizbul Mujahideen. In this contemporary replay of ancient biblical history, David will not win. This time around, the classic historical narrative will have to change. The War of Algerian Independence (1954-1962) is little known in India except perhaps in some intellectual circles. This is certainly a pity since this forgotten little war fought in Algeria between French Army paratroopers and the insurgents of the Front de Liberation Nationale (FLN) reiterated the David and Goliath theme. It had many lessons which retain a relevance to events currently unfolding in India, specially in areas like Kashmir, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand, where socio-political temperatures have been bubbling above the danger level for quite some time now. Of these, the problems in Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand are purely of indigenous Indian design and manufacture. They have been created by sustained mistreatment of indigenous people by a cruel and heartlessly exploitative trader-politician nexus and sustained by an equally egregious hierarchy of eminently corruptible public officials. This was precisely the case in Algeria as well, and led to the Arab revolt against the French. But Jammu and Kashmir is a different category altogether. The Kashmir problem has been created and developed entirely by Pakistan as part of its revenge for Bangladesh strategy. The Indian security establishment must never forget Pakistans politico-military payback strategy against India. Looking back on the long-forgotten war of Algerian independence, it is clear that one of the cardinal errors committed by France was in keeping the politico-military centre of gravity of that war in the European mainland, in metropolitan France. It should have shifted it to Algeria, centred on the regional capital city of Algiers, where the urban battlefield of the Battle of Algiers became the decisive theatre of operations. The Algerian situation is mirrored, to a certain extent, in J&K, where control and domination of Srinagar is essential for control of geopolitical developments in the entire state. Similarly, firm control of Jammu and Leh are equally essential for control of the sub-regional centres of gravity in a geographically trisected state, though the internal politics of each sub-region follow their own paths. Azadi is a totally Valley-centric sentiment; Jammu and Leh is not a part of it. Stone-throwing is essentially a Valley-based activity, whose targets are Central police and paramilitary forces, which are seen by Srinagar mobs as outsiders from India intruding into the Kashmiri heartland. Here the main issue must be clear at all times the mobs of stone-throwers rampaging on the streets of Srinagar, and attempting to interfere with the movement and operations of security forces, are separatists funded and supported by Pakistan. They have to be brought to heel. It will be better if the process of political dialogue and friendly persuasion work with the agitators. If not, then harsher methods will have to be used. Connected with street agitators in Srinagar demanding azadi are others who are beginning to make an appearance on various college campuses in other parts of the country as well. Those who exercise their own right of free speech to counter and oppose such demands are dubbed fascists the ultimate pejorative in students-speak. Terrorists and others wanted by the law cannot be allowed to escape under crowd cover provided by agitators. Attempts to do so will have to be prevented. Various student groups in India, particularly in Kashmir and other sensitive regions, have been prime targets for infiltration by hostile intelligence agencies, and their sponsored political groups. The aim is to create student unrest and disturbances on educational institutions. This is a new form of stealth attack confronting India a form of intellectual infiltration as dangerous in its own way as any physical infiltration across the Line of Control. And if some eggs are broken in the process of cooking, there should not be any regret, particularly if the eggs are bad. India is a democracy, often to a fault, where even the most outrageous and egregious freedoms are tolerated and accepted. But now the nation must be clearly told that this will no longer be tolerated. University students parading before television cameras daily in front of their institutions have to remove themselves and move to their places of work, normally lecture halls or laboratories. By its very nature, democracy is untidy and ill-disciplined. Unfortunately, it still remains the best method of governance available. It will have to suffice, until something better is devised. There does not seem any sign of that so far. The authorities had earlier suspended all Internet services and bulk messaging facility on mobile networks till 9 am on Monday Prohibitory orders under section 144, CrPC were imposed and Internet services suspended in many "sensitive" districts Internet services, which had been suspended in many "sensitive" districts of Haryana, were restored this evening after the Jats called off their proposed march to Delhi tomorrow. "Internet services, which had been suspended yesterday, were restored this evening," an official spokesman said here. The authorities had earlier suspended all Internet services and bulk messaging facility on mobile networks till 9 am on Monday, in order to prevent rumour-mongering. Liquor shops, which were to remain closed in the "sensitive" districts till 9 am on Monday as per the earlier orders, can now follow their regular timings, the spokesman said. Prohibitory orders under section 144, CrPC were imposed and Internet services suspended in many "sensitive" districts, including Rohtak, Jhajjar, Sonepat, Hisar, Sirsa, Bhiwani and Kaithal, as a precautionary measure in the wake of the Jats' earlier plan to gherao the Parliament tomorrow. The spokesman said the deputy commissioners of the districts concerned will take a decision on lifting the prohibitory orders shortly. The Jat leaders decided to call off their march towards Delhi after a four-hour meeting with Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar and Union ministers Birender Singh and PP Chaudhary in Delhi earlier in the day. The manager of South Supreme Airlines said he did not have any information except that there were 40 passengers and 5 crew members. The aircraft was completely burned out except for the tail, clearly bearing the insignia of local carrier South Supreme Airlines. (Photo: Facebook) Juba: A passenger jet carrying 45 people crash-landed in South Sudan's north-western city of Wau on Monday, leaving at least 14 people injured, government and airport officials said. "The weather is not good. Visibility was not good up to now and (the plane) was landing from the east to west then it just crashed (off) the runway. The pilot I think was not seeing the runway well," said Paul Charles, an engineer at Wau airport. Images circulating on social media showed thick black smoke billowing from the aircraft, which was completely burned out except for the tail, clearly bearing the insignia of local carrier South Supreme Airlines. "Right now we have the ambulance which has just come out from the airport and we have received 14 patients being rushed to hospital in stable condition," said State Information Minister Bona Gaudensio. It was not clear if the rest of the passengers were alive or dead. "There were 40 passengers and five crew (on board) that is all. I don't have any information," said Gabriel Ngang, the manager of South Supreme Airlines. He said the plane had taken off from the capital Juba. The lunch was also attended by the Heads of Mission of all Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries in Pakistan. Islamabad: Pakistan minister for water and power Khawaja Mohammed Asif reiterated on Monday that the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) was an international agreement which provided an amicable solution to serious water issues between Pakistan and India. Addressing a press conference here, Mr Asif who also holds the defence portfolio said secretary-level talks on Ratle hyderoelectric plant would begin on April 12 in Washington between the two countries. He expressed hope that things would move in a positive direction as a result of meeting between Permanent Indus Commissioners of Pakistan and India. He said outstanding problems relating to the Indus Basin would be discussed during the two-day meeting in Lahore. Mr Asif said the meeting would discuss the design aspects of Pakal Dul, Lower Kalnai and Miyar hydroelectric plants and flood data supply by India. He said dialogue relating to Indus Waters Treaty was suspended in 2015 and are now taking place after almost a two-year break. He said Pakistan has welcomed the readiness of India for talks at Indus Water Commissioners level. To a question, he said Pakistan was pressing for the implementation of arbitration courts decision on Kishanganga. Meanwhile director general of Saarc Dr Mohammad Faisal, summoned Indian deputy high commissioner J.P. Singh and condemned the ceasefire violation by Indian forces on March 17 on the Line of Control (LoC) in Kotli, resulting in the death of a 60-year-old woman. The deliberate targeting of civilians is indeed condemnable and contrary to human dignity and international human rights and humanitarian laws, said an official statement. The director general urged the Indian side to respect the 2003 Ceasefire Understanding, investigate this and other incidents of ceasefire violations, instruct Indian forces to respect the ceasefire in letter and spirit and maintain peace on the LoC. Also on Sunday, special assistant to the Prime Minister on foreign affairs, Syed Tariq Fatemi, said Saudi Arabia was a true and trusted friend of Pakistan. Mr Fatemi was speaking at a luncheon ceremony hosted in honour of the outgoing ambassador of Saudi Arabia Abdullah Marzouk A-Zahrani here, Mr Fatemi appreciated the contribution made by the outgoing Saudi ambassador in further strengthening the existing excellent bilateral ties between the two countries. He expressed the desire that the bilateral relations between the two countries would continue to grow in years to come. The lunch was also attended by the Heads of Mission of all Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries in Pakistan. The rescue was undertaken in 22 separate operations coordinated by the Italian coastguard. The migrants rescued by the Aquarius had been found drifting on nine wooden and rubber boats. (Photo: Representational Image) Rome: Around 3,000 migrants were rescued off the coast of Libya on Monday as they tried to cross the Mediterranean to Europe, the Italian coastguard said. "After some calm days, migrants are arriving in large numbers, taking advantage of a window of favourable weather," said a coastguard official. The rescue was undertaken in 22 separate operations coordinated by the Italian coastguard. One participant was the Aquarius, a humanitarian ship run by the NGO SOS Mediterranean and Doctors Without Borders (MSF), which said it saved 946 people, including 200 unaccompanied minors. An MSF video showed three young children smiling and dancing on the ship to the sound of drumming. The migrants rescued by the Aquarius had been found drifting on nine wooden and rubber boats. According to the Italian government, 16,206 people have been rescued in the sea by Friday -- compared to 11,911 by the same time last year. "When we call them Nazis they (Europe) get uncomfortable. They rally together in solidarity. Especially Merkel," Erdogan said. Berlin: Berlin on Sunday blasted Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in a spiralling diplomatic row, saying the strongman had gone too far in accusing Chancellor Angela Merkel of "Nazi" practices. "We are tolerant but we're not stupid," Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel told the Passauer Neue Presse newspaper. "That's why I have let my Turkish counterpart know very clearly that a boundary has been crossed here," he added, calling the Nazi comments "shocking". Erdogan had earlier Sunday accused Merkel personally of "employing Nazi measures" as new rows erupted between the NATO allies over a pro-Kurdish rally and last year's attempted military coup in Turkey. "When we call them Nazis they (Europe) get uncomfortable. They rally together in solidarity. Especially Merkel," Erdogan said in a televised speech. "But you are right now employing Nazi measures," Erdogan said referring to Merkel, pointedly using the informal "you" in Turkish. Julia Kloeckner, the vice-president of Merkel's CDU party, reacted angrily to the comments. "Has Mr. Erdogan lost his mind?" she said, telling journalists she was urging the EU to freeze "financial aid amounting to billions of euros" to Turkey. Tensions have been soaring in recent weeks after authorities in Germany and other EU states refused to allow some Turkish ministers to campaign on their soil for a 'yes' vote in next month's referendum on expanding Erdogan's powers. The split deepened this weekend after German authorities allowed some 30,000 pro-Kurdish demonstrators to rally in Frankfurt, many of them carrying symbols of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) -- which the European Union, like Ankara, regards as a terrorist organisation. Turkey reacted with indignation Sunday after Germany's intelligence chief said he was unconvinced by Turkish assertions that Erdogan's arch-foe, the US-based Islamic preacher Fethullah Gulen, was behind the failed coup in July. A 10-member Indian delegation led by Indus Water Commissioner P K Saxena arrived here yesterday to attend the the meeting. The delegation comprises of Ministry of External Affairs officials and technical experts. (Representational image) Islamabad: Indian and Pakistani officials will attend a two-day meeting of the Permanent Indus Commission (PIC) starting here today. A 10-member Indian delegation led by Indus Water Commissioner P K Saxena arrived here yesterday to attend the the meeting. The delegation comprises of Ministry of External Affairs officials and technical experts. The Pakistan side will be headed by Indus Water Commissioner Mirza Asif Saeed and he will be assisted by officials of Ministry of Water and Power and other experts. Sources said that Pakistan would highlight concerns about the three Indian hydro projects being built on the rivers flowing to Pakistan. They are 1000 MW Pakul Dul on Chenab, 120 MW Miyar, located across Miyar Nalla which is a right bank main tributary of River Chenab, and the 43 MW Lower Kalnai hydro project on Lower Kalnai Nalla, a tributary of river Chenab. Pakistan contends that the projects were violating the Indus Water Treaty of 1960, which has come under strain during the current tension between the two sides. Pakal Dul and Lower Kalnai are being built in Jammu and Kashmir at a cost of Rs 7,464 crore (November 2008 price level) and Rs 396 crore respectively. Miyar hydroelectricity project, located in Himachal Pradesh's Lahaul Spiti district, is estimated to cost Rs 1,125 crore. Today's meeting is the 113th session of the Permanent Indus Waters Commission which was established in 1960. The last meeting of the commission was held in 2015. Another meeting planned in September 2016 was cancelled due to tension due to Uri terror attack by Pakistan-based outfits. The law aims to protect marriages, families, mothers and their children while safeguarding legitimate rights, interests of Hindu families. Islamabad: In a landmark development, the bill to regulate marriages of minority Hindus in Pakistan became a law on Sunday after President Mamnoon Hussain gave his approval. With the President's nod, Pakistan's Hindus got an exclusive personal law to regulate marriages "On the advice of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, the President of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan has assented to the 'The Hindu Marriage Bill 2017'," a statement from the Prime Minister's Office said. The law aims to protect marriages, families, mothers and their children while safeguarding the legitimate rights and interests of Hindu families. "It is a consolidated law for solemnisation of marriages by Hindu families residing in Pakistan," the statement said. Prime Minister Sharif said that his government has always focused on provision of equal rights to minority communities residing in Pakistan. "They are as patriotic as any other community and, therefore, it is the responsibility of the state to provide equal protection to them," he said. The statement said the Hindu families will be able to solemnise marriages in accordance with the customary rites, rituals and ceremonies. According to the law, the government will appoint marriage registrars in areas convenient for the Hindu population for registration of their marriages. This law also provides for procedures relating to restitution of conjugal rights, judicial separation, void and voidable marriages, termination of Hindu marriage, financial security of the wife and children, alternate relief in termination of marriage and termination of marriage by mutual consent. The law provides the right to a separated person to marry again, entitlement of re-marriage for a Hindu widow at her own will and consent after stipulated time, legitimacy of child born out of void and voidable Hindu marriage. As per the law, Hindu marriages solemnised before commencement of this law shall be deemed valid and petitions under this law shall be presented before the family courts. The law also provides for punishments of imprisonment and fines up to Rs 100,000 or both for contraventions. All offences under this law could be tried in the court of a first class magistrate. It is the first law which would be applicable to entire Pakistan except Sindh province which has its own law to regulate marriages of Hindus. The law was unanimously passed on March 10 by the National Assembly which endorsed amendments made by the Senate in February. by Nirmala Carvalho The archbishop of Mumbai took part the meeting of the National Council of Dalit Christians. In India most Catholics are Dalits, 12 million out of 19 million. The Church has adopted new policies for greater integration. Mumbai (AsiaNews) - The Catholic Church in India is 100 per cent with Dalit Christians," Card Oswald Gracias, archbishop of Mumbai, told the National Council of Dalit Christians (NCDC) at a meeting held in Mumbai on Saturday in the presence of 45 leaders from various Christian denominations. "There were members of all the Christian Churches. It was an ecumenical meeting, Fr Z Devasagaya Raj, secretary of the Office of Scheduled Castes-Backward Classes of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of India (CBCI), told AsiaNews. By participating, Card Gracias once again personally fostered and promoted a culture of mercy towards all of Indias Christian Dalits." The cardinal assured those present that the Catholic Church hierarchy supported Dalit Christians in their quest for a solution to their problems. In fact, the bishops signed off on an action plan to help Dalit Catholics who represent the majority of the community, 12 million out of a population of 19 million. The archbishop stressed the importance in ensuring their "freedom of religion, through the recognition of the status of Scheduled Caste, which the Indian Constitution grants to disadvantaged groups. "God created us equal, Card Gracias added defending the dignity of every individual as a human person. Separation is due to man, and is the result of his selfishness. Men go so far as to justify injustice by distorting Christian teachings. God gives grace to all people, both Dalits and non-Dalits. He sends rain to both Dalits and non-Dalits. The Lord does not discriminate." In its new plan for Dalits adopted last year, the CBCI admitted for the first time that Dalits have been the victims of discrimination and abuse. The cardinal had addressed the issue some years ago. On that occasion, he expressed closeness to disadvantaged castes, saying With you, I am Dalit, and when you suffer so do I. At the time, he had called on the government to Christian and Muslim Dalits to the list of Scheduled Castes. "Their exclusion, he said, is a gross violation of the Constitution of India." In his view, anti-poverty programmes need to focus on education, and must start right with Dalit. Insisting that "It's unfair that the government should discriminate against Dalits only on the basis of religion, he noted that the Church "must promote religious vocations among the Dalits, so that they can lead to a transformation within the Church and society." The issue is that more important during Lent according to Card Gracias because this is a period of penance in which we have to transform our hearts, prepared to put into practice Gods love, and become merciful. For him, Even the small miracle of divine mercy illuminates our lives as well as inspires us to love our neighbour, and to give ourselves in what the Church calls spiritual and corporal works of mercy. Lastly, These works remind us that faith is expressed in concrete daily actions, which result in helping ones neighbours in body and in spirit: feeding them, visiting them, giving them comfort and education." US Secretary of State exchanges warm words with Chinas president, avoiding the most sensitive issues for the two countries. The meeting sets the stage for Xi Xinpings visit to the United States. Beijing (AsiaNews) US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson yesterday met Chinese President Xi Jinping ending in Beijing his visit to China. In a joint statement, the two sides said they are committed to a new course in the diplomatic relations between the two countries. Tillerson's visit ended an Asian tour that included Japan and South Korea, US allies worried about North Koreas nuclear threat and Chinas aggressive and expansionist policy in the South China Sea. Xi met Americas top diplomat a few hours after North Korea tested a powerful rocket engine, taxing again US-China relations. However, the two sides avoided the most sensitive issues, which had raised expectations about the US Secretary of States visit in East Asia. A few days ago, Mr Tillerson had threatened military action against North Korea. But yesterday he did not mention it, nor raise the issue of Taiwans status, or maritime disputes involving China. According to Chinese state media, Xi and Tillerson "exchanged warm words" during their meeting, pledging to improve understanding and cooperation at the international level. President Xi called the cooperation between the two powers "the only correct choice," stressing "the need to strengthen strategic mutual trust and increase mutual awareness." Diplomatic observers view Tillersons visit very positively, as paving the way for the first meeting between Xi and US president Donald Trump next month. The visit also sent a reassuring signal on US-China ties, after tensions erupted before and after Trumps election at the end of last year. At the time, the new president threatened to impose duties on Chinese imports, and accused Beijing of currency manipulation. He even questioned the One-China policy. The rally went off peacefully. Mavlyan Askarbekov, Aibek Myrza and Azamat Attokurov are among those arrested. People detained will be held for five days in difficult conditions. Bishkek (AsiaNews) Activists were arrested for taking part in a rally in support of human rights. The march was held on Saturday in the Kyrgyz capital, where hundreds of people filled the streets to protest peacefully against President Almazbek Atambayevs crack down on independent media. Among those participating were numerous journalists, rights activists and regular members of the public as well as MPs from the opposition Ata-Meken party, whose leader Omurbek Tekebayev is in jail on alleged corruption charges. Although the rally was peaceful, police stopped the protesters and arrested some people, including activists Mavlyan Askarbekov, Aibek Myrza and Azamat Attokurov. If somebody is counting on us getting tired and afraid, and that we will let them get away with this lawlessness, then they are wrong. History and truth are on our side, said rally organiser and activist Edil Baisalov. We have been through times that were one hundred times darker and one hundred times worse, he said. We have fought regimes that were one hundred times stronger and we have won, and we will win this time too. Adil Turdukulov, a freedom of speech advocate, said that the people detained during the march were sentenced to serve five days in jail. On Sunday, he wrote on his Facebook account that the detainees were complaining of appalling conditions in custody. There are 22 people in a space of 15 square metres, he wrote. There is one shared, outdoor bathroom for all of them. Many of the fellow prisoners are suffering from tuberculosis and are infested with lice. This is tantamount to torture. Meanwhile, President Atambayev slammed the media for trying to cause instability, calling his media detractors libellers and moral degenerates. Lately in Kyrgyzstan a bunch of allegedly independent journalists, media and politicians are in fact demanding impunity to slander and throw mud at people they dont like above all, the popularly elected president of Kyrgyzstan, Atambayev said. The Kyrgyz leader went on to talk about a campaign of lies, which has intensified since last summer. I would like to recall that the main responsibility and the right of journalists and the media is bringing to the people honest and truthful information, objective facts, not to create fake news, lies, and slander, he said. However, this line of argument is hardly convincing since Atambayev himself injected a degree of chaos into Kyrgyz politics when he had Tekebayev arrested and pushed for constitutional change. by C. T. Nilesh In Uttar Pradesh the new chief minister is Yogi Adityanath, a radical guru accused of numerous crimes. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has attracted the sympathies of the population despite the rupee ban. The Congress Party, usually supported by minorities and Dalits in distributing positions of power, failed to win support. New Delhi (AsiaNews) - The Hindus dominate politics in India. This is the most obvious result of the recent elections in five Indian states where the Hindu nationalist party of Prime Minister Narendra Modi was anointed as the prominent leader. He has managed to ingratiate himself with the sympathies of the population despite the rupee ban. He took the State of Uttar Pradesh, the most populous of the entire Union with over 200 million inhabitants, which will be led by Yogi Adityanath. The newly-appointed chief minister is a Hindu guru from the Gorakhnath monastic community, known for his radical positions against Christian and Muslim religious minorities. He is the subject of numerous allegations, including that of murder. The Congress Party has always supported the minorities and the Dalits, but has failed to attract consensus. Below the comment of an expert in India culture and politics. After the recent elections in five states of the Indian Union, the Hindu influence in politics has emerged with greater force. The Prime Minister Narendra Modi personally participated in the election campaign with success and consolidated his position as leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the national government, then rewarding his supporters with the prime minister in the local governments. Many expected that the recent demonetization of banknotes of 1000 and 500 rupees, which threw the Indian banking system into disarray, would cause an adverse reaction to the government. However, Modi has managed to present this as a move against the black market, and against the rich exporting their capital abroad. It seems that the people have believed it. The greatest success was in the most populous state of Uttar Pradesh, considered the stronghold of the Congress Party. Here in the last 20 years, the BJP had won only one victory. Modi was at the forefront of campaigning, speaking in more than 50 rallies against the discriminatory policy of the Congress Party castes and presenting himself as a champion of Hindu interests. But what is more significant is the success in the States of Goa and Manipur that have a significant Christian presence, which have determined that the previous government was inefficient. The only state in which the Congress Party maintained a majority is Punjab, where it was allied to the local Sikhs party. To please the Hindus, Modi said: "If a piece of land is given to the Muslims to build a mosque, even the Hindus should have a piece of land for the cremation of their dead. If the Muslims are given free electricity during Ramadan, it should also be granted during Divali ". These are the statements made by Modi during a rally against the policy of the Samajwadi Party accused of favoring Muslims. The conflict between Hindus and Muslims is always present in Indian politics, after the painful partition of the subcontinent between India and Pakistan. In Uttar Pradesh the population is roughly half Hindu, half Muslim. But the BJP has taken 312 of the 403 seats in the local parliament, and the Muslims have only 25 seats, the fewest ever. With this trend Hindus increase their representatives and other minorities decreased. The Congress Party has always attracted Muslim, Christians and low-caste minorities, promising them seats and influential places, but it seems that on this occasion they were not convincing. Now Narendra Modi has returned to Delhi as a recognized leader of the government and the BJP. Many expect a papal visit to India. Will Modi be able to turn it into another of his personal success? The victim, Pema Gyaltsen, was a farmer. His family beaten by police in Kardze. He is the 147 immolation since 2009. He called for the return of the Dalai Lama and for freedom in Tibet. Dharamsala (AsiaNews) - In protest against Chinese rule over Tibet and the return of the Dalai Lama, a young 24-year old Tibetan set himself on fire in Nyarong (Kham province), near the Tsoka monastery, in the Chinese region of Sichuan. The self-immolation occurred two days ago at 4 pm. It is the first of 2017, the 147th since 2009, since the beginning of this deadly type of protest. The young man (see photo) was named Pema Gyaltsen, known among friends and family as Pegyal and he was a farmer. Pema was the eldest of five children. His father's name is Wangyal and his mother Yullha. The young man had not attended any school and supported his family. His whereabouts is unknown. Some sources say that the police immediately took him away to a hospital in Chengdu (Sichuan) and is alive. Another says that the young man died from burns. At present no one knows where his body is. In a video that was shot on social networks Tibetans see Chinese police evict those present around the young man and women are heard screaming. A source says that in RFA "in the evening about 10 relatives of Pema Gyaltsen went to the police station of Kardze County" to visit him and to find out about him. But the police "beat them wi and imprisoned them for the night forcing them to stay standing." The next day, yesterday, they were released. Some of them could not even walk because of their beating. According to another source, before setting himself on fire the young man shouted for "the return of the Dalai Lama to Tibet and said that there is no freedom in the country." From exile, the Dalai Lama has often asked young people to save their lives and use it for a more constructive and less desperate form of protest. Avigdor Lieberman threatens to destroy the Damascus defenses, in response to the launch of the ground-to-air missiles at an Israeli fighter jet. Air raids targeted weapons convoys destined for the Lebanese Shiite movement Hezbollah. Israel's army chief: "In the light" of the events in Syria and Lebanon, ready "for any kind of scenario." Jerusalem (AsiaNews / Agencies) - Avigdor Lieberman, Israel's defense minister has threatened to destroy the Syrian defense system, following the launch of the ground-to-air missiles against fighter jets attempting to hit Hezbollah targets. "The next time the Syrians use their defensive system against our planes - said the Minister, one of the key figures in the right-wing government in Israel - we will destroy them without the slightest hesitation. On March 17, Israeli jets struck several sensitive targets in Syria. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the attacks focused on weapons reaching Hezbollah. In response, the Syrian army claimed responsibility for the downing of a jet and to have hit another A Damascus military source claims the Israeli aircraft were operating in the vicinity of the city of Palmyra, famous for its archaeological site from Roman times taken over several times ny jihadi militias of the Islamic State (IS). The government of Israel strongly denies Syrian statements; Damascus in the past had advanced similar claims, without providing official confirmation. This is the most serious confrontation between the two countries, since the war began in Syria in March of 2011. In April last year, Netanyahu had admitted, for the first time, Israel's attacks against dozens of convoys laden with weapons for Hezbollah in Syrian territory. The Lebanese Shiite movement in 2006 began a war with Israel and now fights alongside the Syrian government against rebel groups and radical movements. "Every time we find transfers of weapons from Syria to Lebanon - added Lieberman - we will act to stop them. On this there will be no compromise. " The minister pointed the finger at the Syrian leadership, the real "leaders" of this trade. "If we continue to allow this - he concluded - we will do all that is necessary," while avoiding "interfering" in the Syrian conflict or " of provoking a clash with the Russians." The Israeli army chief Gadi Eisenkot emphasized that Israel will continue to prevent "the transfer of advanced weapons to Hezbollah" and that there will be a "primary objective in the coming conflict, the Lebanese government." According to the senior officer "Hezbollah continues to arm themselves and to grow within the Lebanese borders. "In light of the changes taking place in Lebanon and in Syria - he concluded - the Israeli armed forces will be prepared for any kind of scenario." During the Six Day War of 1967, Israel conquered the majority of the Golan Heights, ripping part of the Syrian territory. In 1981 the annexation was declared by the Jewish state, but never recognized by the international community. The two countries, at least on paper, are still "at war", even though the borders have long remained calm. But the beginning of the Syrian war has changed the scenario. by Kamran Chaudhry For the first time in 19 years, Pakistan holds a census, but fails to acknowledge the existence of Sikhs, Parsees and Baha'is. Pakistan is the sixth most populous country in the world with more than 200 million people. Lahore (AsiaNews) Christians and Sikh religious leaders have issued an appeal to the Pakistani government to ensure that the first census in 19 years is accurate and complete. Some prominent minority leaders spoke to AsiaNews noting some errors in the censuss religious and demographic categories. In particular, there is no separate entry for Sikhs, Bahais and Parsees. For this reason, Sikhs leaders are organising demonstrations and protests in several districts. Although recognised, Christians are referred to by a derogatory term dating back to British rule. Pakistani authorities began the first phase of the census on 15 March with the second phase set for April and May. The results should be made public in late July. According to unofficial data, Pakistan is the sixth most populous country in the world, mostly Muslims, with a population that is expected to exceed 200 million people. Estimates put the number of Christians at around four million, whilst Sikhs are thought to be just over 20,000. Christian leaders recently urged people to take part in the census process, but also pointed out deficiencies in the model used. Sikhs complain that in column 6, which refers to religion, a person can only choose between Muslim, Isaai (a despised Urdu term from colonial times used for Christians), Hindu, Qadiani/Ahmadis, scheduled castes, etc. "This is a very important issue. The Sikh nation has been offended by the exclusion of a separate entry in the 2017 census, said Guru Nanak Ji Mission general secretary Kalyan Singh. The same error was made in the 1998 census. We urgently call on the prime minister, the chief justice, and the chief of the Army Staff to recognise our separate identity. For us, this census is incomplete." The Sikh leader went on to claim the "right to protest peacefully, like all other citizens of Pakistan. Our complaints are against the State. We call on all groups and intellectuals to put pressure. Knowing our exact number and our [territorial] distribution might help get quotas in the federal budget." Pakistan Minorities Teachers' Association (PMTA) Professor Anjum James Paul, a Catholic, wrote to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. In his letter, he says "Religious minorities in Pakistan have reservations on the violation of their right to equal citizenship and religious identity". The word 'Isaai' should be replaced with 'Masihi', and Hindus should be included among the scheduled castes". Over the weekend a Vatican delegation meets with the Egyptian president. Al Sisis "great esteem" for Pope Francis. The visit to the President, the Coptic Patriarch, the Grand Imam of Al Azhar. An ecumenical meeting and prayer for the martyrs next to St. Mark's Cathedral, where three months ago a bomb attack took place. Meetings with Catholics. The press broke the news, but without comment. The silence of the Salafis. Cairo (AsiaNews) - A Vatican delegation will meet with a delegation of the president Abdelfattah Al Sisi this weekend to finalize the program of the visit of Pope Francis. The visit, which was announced two days ago, will take place on 28 and 29 April. In honor and to ensure maximum safety, all the technical preparation has been entrusted to staff of the Egyptian president. Two days ago, in the official announcement of the visit, a statement which says that "Egypt warmly welcomes its valued guest and that looks forward to this visit as a message of peace, tolerance and dialogue between different religions of all mankind". President Al Sisi, who visited the pope at the Vatican in 2014, "has a great esteem for Pope Francis and admired his moral and spiritual stature, as well as his courageous positions on some international issues." From the information received from Fr. Rafic Greiche, spokesman for the Egyptian Catholic Church, the program will be very intense and is taking place in a period, after Easter, in which there are many meetings, prayers, feasts. This year the Orthodox and Catholic Easter fall on the same day. The first day, April 28, he will first visit President Al Sisi, then the Coptic Orthodox Patriarch Tawadros II and then the grand imam of Al Azhar Ahmed El-Tayyeb. It is very likely that in this last visit, the pontiff will also meet with university professors, Koranic doctors and other personalities of the Council of the Muslim scholars. Later the Pope, along with Tawadros, will preside an ecumenical prayer for the martyrs. The desire of Christians is to keep this moment in the seat of the Coptic patriarchate, near the cathedral of St. Mark and St. Peter's Church, where last December 11 25 worshipers were killed in an attack along with 50 wounded. But for the security apparatus has not yet given permission. The next day, April 29, will be entirely dedicated to meetings with Catholics. The papal rallies are planned together with the bishops, priests and religious as well as laity. For now, the Arab newspapers have given all the news of the visit of Pope Francis, but without comment, even by Salafis newspapers, generally critical of President Al Sisi and towards other religions. Yale Law School has retained its crown as the best law school in the US, a feat it has achieved every single year since US World and News Report began publishing its annual list 23 years ago. Stanford Law School also kept is spot at 2nd, which it shared with Harvard Law School last year. Harvard slipped to 3rd. Duke University and Pritzker School of Law at Northwestern University entered the top 10 this year with a tie at 10th. UC Berkeley exited the top 10, landing at 12th. The biggest jump was made by Rutgers Law School, advancing 30 spots to 62nd. Washington and Lee University improved its ranking by 12 spots to 28th. The University of Maine School of Law saw the biggest decline, falling 28 spots to 139th. Cleveland-Marshall College of Law and Washburn University School of Law each saw a 21-spot decline, landing at 106th and 127th, respectively. The publication uses criteria like selectivity, employment rate, bar passage, and peer assessment scores from law school deans to rank the schools. The top 10 are: 1. Yale Law School 2. Stanford Law School 3. Harvard Law School 4. University of Chicago Law School 5. Columbia Law School 6. New York University School of Law 7. University of Pennsylvania Law School 8. University of Michigan Law School 8. University of Virginia School of Law 10. Duke University School of Law 10. Northwestern Pritzker School of Law Related stories: Heres where the best-paid grads in the US went to law school Entry-level jobs growth at US firms may have ended By Ken Baldwin, Director, Energy Change Institute, Australian National University Mark Graham The Trump administration has just confirmed the appointment of Scott Pruitt, a known climate change denier, as head of the US Environmental Protection Agency. Elsewhere, in 2014 the government in Sweden misrepresented research on the state of the wolf population to justify hunting them. And in the United Kingdom in 2006, a parliamentary committee found that the government twisted science for political purposes. More recently, Nobel Laureate and Royal Society president Paul Nurse lamented politicians ignoring scientific evidence. Are we seeing a shift in the way that some politicians use or misuse scientific expertise? Science has evolved over many centuries to become an integral part of modern society, underpinning our health, wealth, and cultural fabric. Yet scientific evidence is often wilfully disregarded by politicians worldwide. They often cherrypick or ignore the science when it does not accord with their political agenda. We have seen alternative facts supplant scientific and other evidence bases in this post-fact era. While surveys continue to show that the vast majority of people still support and believe in the benefits of science, the recent politicisation of science has at best raised seeds of doubt, and at worst has polarised many peoples worldview. Perhaps politicians are simply reflecting a tendency for the people to allow their worldview to influence which scientific facts they believe. Perhaps there is a justification for excluding political appointees to public office who, like Scott Pruitt, are on record for denying the science that is crucial to their decision-making? After all, while they represent and reflect their electoral peers, politicians have the added responsibility of appointing people who make informed decisions and public policy based on sound evidence. So it is important now, more than ever, to reinforce with politicians the need to value and respect science in the development of evidenced-based policy. Science in the house In Australia, a key connection between science and politics is the annual Science meets Parliament event, which began in 1999, and which today is organised by Science and Technology Australia. This unique event brings together hundreds of scientists and the Australian parliament, and owes its success to the way in which it saturates parliament with science for two days. There are three key outcomes of Science meets Parliament that highlight its significance: Scientists both young and old convey the excitement and the benefits of science to parliamentarians, thereby helping to close the virtuous cycle that supports science in society Scientists, at the same time, develop an appreciation for the process of government, contributing significantly to their professional development Lasting networks are created between parliamentarians and scientists. They go beyond the meetings at Science meets Parliament, and enable scientific engagement with the parliament to extend more broadly, both geographically and throughout scientific and parliamentary careers. These linkages are the key to ensuring the ongoing contribution of science to government decision making, and thereby to enhancing the role of science in our society. Mark Graham In science, as in industry, it is also important to innovate continually in our governance processes. Without this, the political system cannot respond to the changing needs of the community. Engagement through events like Science meets Parliament is a key part of that evolution. Equally, individual scientists need to play a role in everyday life to communicate their science, whether to key decision makers or the wider community, in order to counter alternative facts. In schools, workplaces, community groups and at dinner parties, scientists should convey the consensus view of science even if it lies outside their immediate expertise. Any scientist with an informed perspective of the state of scientific knowledge on climate change, genetically modified foods, nuclear science or evolution can contribute to enhanced understanding in the wider community. Whether through Science meets Parliament or as individuals, all scientists have a role to play in countering those who seek to cherrypick and subvert the science that underpins our modern, evidence-based society. Ken Baldwin receives funding from the Australian Research Council. Originally published in The Conversation. By Peter Fisher, Adjunct Professor, Global, Urban and Social Studies, RMIT University Shutterstock/Michal Staniewski We live in a world that is both increasingly complex and automated. So just as we are having to deal with more complex problems, automation is leading to an atrophy of human skills that may leave us more vulnerable when responding to unexpected situations or when things go wrong. Consider the final minutes of Air France Flight 447, which crashed into the Atlantic in May 2009 after leaving Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, for Paris, France. Its flight recorder revealed utter confusion in the cockpit. The plane became tilted upwards at 15 with an automated voice repetitively calling stall, stall. Yet the pilots were reeling, one exclaiming: [] we dont understand anything. This is not the place to go into the ins and outs of that ill-fated flight, other than to note that any system designed to deal automatically with contingencies the majority of the time leaves a degraded skill base for the minority of situations the designers couldnt foresee. Speaking to Vanity Fair, Nadine Sarter, an industrial engineer at the University of Michigan, recalls a conversation with five engineers involved in building a particular aircraft. I started asking, Well, how does this or that work? And they could not agree on the answers. So I was thinking, if these five engineers cannot agree, the poor pilot, if he ever encounters that particular situation well, good luck. In effect the complexity of judiciously flying highly intricate high-tech airliners has been outsourced to a robot, with flight engineers to all intents and purposes gone from cockpits. Only older pilots and ex air force pilots retain those detailed skills. Back on terra firma, in an autonomous driving world there could be entire future generations with no practical experience whatsoever in driving and navigating a vehicle. Were already seeing an indication of what can go wrong when humans leave control to autonomous systems. An investigation into the fatal crash of a Tesla Model S with autopilot noted that the company provided information about system limitations to drivers. In that case, its still up to drivers to pay attention. But what chance would a person have of taking over any controls should things start to go wrong in their future fully autonomous vehicle. Would they even know how to spot the early signs of impending disaster? Losing our way? Driving this is a technological determinism that believes any and all innovation is intrinsically good. While emerging technologies may yet define what it is to be human, the challenge is to recognise the risk and what to do to make sure things dont go wrong. Thats getting harder as weve been adding to complexity, especially with autonomous driving of suburban trains, air taxis and delivery drones. System designers have been building bigger and more intertwined systems to share computer processing load even though this makes their creations prime candidates for breakdown. They are overlooking the fact that once everything is connected, problems can spread as readily as solutions, sometimes more so. The growing and immense complexity of an automated world poses similar risks. Danger points In hindsight, what is needed is an ability to cut networks free when there are failure points, or at least to seal off parts of a single network when there are failure points elsewhere within it. This islanding is a feature of smart electricity grids providing scope to split the network into fragments that are able to self-sustain their internal power demand. Modelling has shown that fewer connections can lead to more security. Could emergent complexity science help pinpoint where the danger points might lie in highly interconnected networks? Marten Scheffer and colleagues thought so. He had seen similarities between the behaviour of (his) natural systems and economic and financial systems. His earlier work on lakes, coral reefs, seas, forests and grasslands, found that environments subject to gradual changes like climate, nutrient load and habitat loss can reach tipping points that flip them into a sometimes irreversible lower state. Could bankers and economists grappling with the stability of financial markets learn from researchers in ecology, epidemiology and climatology to develop markers of the proximity to critical thresholds and system breakdown? In February 2016 this all came together in the form of a paper on complexity theory and financial regulation co-authored by a wide range of experts including an economist, banker, physicist, climatologist, ecologist, zoologist, veterinarian and epidemiologist. They recommended an online integration of data, methods and indicators, feeding into stress tests for global socioeconomic and financial systems in near-realtime. The former is similar to whats been achieved in dealing with other complex systems such as the weather. We can begin to see how our example of an autonomous driving world folds over into questions of network stability. Imagine a highly interconnected network of autonomous vehicles. Theres a clear need to know how to detect and isolate any potential failure points in such a network, before things go wrong with potentially tragic consequences. This is more than just protecting driver and passenger from any system failure in a single autonomous vehicle. Its time to think how we might use those multidisciplinary advances in understanding the stability of such large scale networks to avoid drastic consequences. Peter Fisher 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. Originally published in The Conversation. Logo courtesy of Enterprise Holdings As part of a $60 million program launched by the Enterprise Rent-A-Car Foundation to combat hunger in Europe and North America, social support agency Crosscare has received the first of six 20,000 euros annual donations to help fight food poverty in Ireland. The donation is part of Enterprise Rent-A-Car Foundations initiative called Fill Your Tank, which has been designed to celebrate the companys 60th global anniversary and its 20th anniversary in Ireland. As part of the initiative, the company will provide $60 million over the next six years to address food insecurity in the countries where it has wholly-owned business operations in Europe and North America. In Europe, the initiative is being carried out in collaboration with The Global FoodBanking Network (GFN), a nonprofit organization that accelerates the development and growth of food banks in more than 30 countries around the world. Through its partnership with GFN, Enterprise Rent-A-Car is investing a total of 120,000 euros to address hunger in Ireland through Crosscare over the next six years. This grant will help to increase Crosscares capacity to redistribute surplus food to people in need throughout the country and to supply the charitys cafes, according to the company. Crosscare is thrilled to be partnering with Enterprise to tackle food poverty in Ireland, said Conor Hickey, CEO of Crosscare. We are grateful for the very generous donation, which we will receive over the next six years. In the immediate term, the current donation will be used to purchase a refrigerated vehicle to help transport food to those most in need in Ireland. In the coming years we hope that, with GFN and Enterprises support, we can help thousands of people through the provision of essential food and support services. We are delighted to announce our partnership with Crosscare as food insecurity is prevalent in many communities across Ireland, said George OConnor, managing director of Enterprise Rent-A-Car Ireland. As an organization with 25 branches across the country, supporting the communities where we operate is a vital part of the Enterprise culture. In particular it is an honor to be able to make this donation on our companys 20th anniversary in business in Ireland and 60th anniversary globally. A man who rode a lawn chair suspended by 100 large helium balloons into the approaches of Calgary International Airport in a 2015 publicity stunt was described as unconscionably stupid by a judge who assessed $26,500 CAD in financial penalties but no jail time. Daniel Boria, 27, of Calgary, pleaded guilty to dangerous operation of an aircraft last December and was before Judge Bruce Fraser for sentencing and a tongue lashing on Friday. The stunt was unconscionably stupid, Judge Bruce Fraser said at the hearing. There was nothing fantastic, fun or exhilarating about it as the offender was quoted describing it. It was dumb and dangerous. Borias day in court didnt dampen his apparent enthusiasm for what he called the greatest story to tell for the rest of my life, and laughed off the gravitas with which Fraser and the local media appeared to view the case. Its pretty hard to take it seriously when you guys are asking me these questions based on me flying a lawn chair lifted by helium balloons, he told local media. Boria cooked up a scheme to parachute into the main arena of the Calgary Stampede, a rodeo and western festival held every July, to promote his cleaning business. When he couldnt find a pilot willing to violate a host of regulations to get him over the grounds, he came up with the balloon idea. After launch, the wind blew him away from the rodeo and toward the airport, where he was spotted by the crews of several airliners, and controllers estimated he reached 14,000 feet. He jumped without achieving his business promotion plan but he certainly drew attention to himself. He was dubbed the balloonatic in Calgary and was arrested and charged. After the sentencing, Boria continued to make light of his actions, saying he caused a little bit of danger but it was worth it for him. He was fined $5,000, ordered to pay a $1,500 victim impact fee and required to make a $20,000 donation to a veterans food bank and he clearly disagreed with the sentence. When you text and drive, they dont charge you as if you were to hit a whole bus of kids. A while ago I had a long, interesting discussion on the topic of preparing for inflight emergencies with a pilot whose day job was as a surgeon who trained surgeons. He had an interesting perspective on the subject based on how he taught aspiring cutters: He had them sit down and write down everything that could go wrong during an upcoming operation and then set out what should be done to deal with each anomaly. He asked whether flight instructors engaged in such a practice. My answer was equivocal; some flight instructors do the list-everything-that-can-possibly-go-wrong-and-what-shall-we-do-about-it exercise, but most do not carry it out in a formal manner. From early on, student pilots are taught to deal with emergencies in flight. They are introduced gently to the aeronautical bogeymen, with an understanding that the concept of floating around above the planet does generate a certain level of trepidation among most mortals. A balance is usually struck between reassuring the fledgling pilot that this endeavor has an adequate level of safety, forecasting gloom and doom, and teaching her or him how to parry the thrusts of ill fortune. Its A Start By the time someone is sent for the private pilot checkride the applicant is expected to know the emergency procedures in the appropriate POH, most of which are recited at some time or other and parroted during the oral portion of the exam. Once in the air, some form of engine-out emergency and forced landing will be wrestled with, and maybe dealing with a simulated fire in flight will be assigned. If a multi-engine airplane is involved, the many-motor student will spend a great deal of time flying around with one engine developing little, if any, power. He or she may even get to pump the gear down once and will probably talk about fires. Beyond that, not a lot else is usually explored. Once the desired rating is obtained, what do most of us do? We begrudgingly take a flight review every 24 months and try to keep it as short as possible, because it costs money and we want to get that check entered in the box so we can keep flying. We probably look forward to it about as enthusiastically as we do our flight physical. The comments raised by my surgeon friend kept nagging at me; are we practicing the right things? What can we do to increase our chances of becoming an old, garrulous bore in a nursing home rather than looking stupid in an NSTB accident report when it is published about 18 months after we die in an airplane? Practice the Wrong Thing We practice engine failures in twins for the purpose of a checkride, but the accident data indicate we are far more likely to hurt ourselves in a twin due to pressing on into deteriorating weather and flying into the ground. When it comes to non-fatal accidents, we are most likely to do damage to a twin during a landing-gear eventmalfunction of equipment or pilotthan we are to have an engine pack up. Even though engine failures are not at the top of the list of real-life problems on twins, we go through intensive, initial training for them, and talk endlessly about what wed do if one ceased operating; but, when it happens, as a group, we dont handle it very well. Far too many pilots go west a fairly short time after an engine goes south. What about singles? The big killer is controlled flight into terrain (I dont care how often I hear that phrase, it still just plain sounds weird); we push on into crummy weather and crash or hit something. We lose control when landing in crosswinds because we fly way too fast on final; we dont have a lot of engine failures, but if it does happen shortly after takeoff we have an alarming propensity to try to turn back for the airport, which kills a huge percentage of those who make that attempt. Im willing to bet large sums of money that every single pilot who killed himself by trying to turn back had been counseled not to do so during training and had practiced landing straight ahead at least once before getting certified. So, when we have to face the real worldand the real world is where we spend large sums of money to engage in our passion, flyinghow should we identify and practice emergencies in a way that gives us the best chance of dealing successfully with the risks we face, but without spending so much money in the process that we cant fly? Start With A List I like my surgeon friends approach, to sit down and make a list of everything that can go wrong; create a parade of horribles, as a law-school professor used to suggest. As you are reading this on your computer, why not open up your word processing program and start your own list? Does your list include being aware of the symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning. (I think that risk is far higher than we realize: After getting a good CO detector from Aeromedix, Ive observed that far more airplanes than I realized have CO in the cabin. Its not from the heater; its from engine exhaust being pulled into the tailcone and then flowing forward with the general airflow.) I suggest you think of things that will shake up a pilot who hasnt seen them before, such as getting cut off in the pattern when at fairly low altitude, a circuit breaker popping audibly, a controller speaking too fast to be understood and such a thing as a passenger suddenly becoming airsick during a time of heavy workload on the pilot. Because it doesnt cost us anything to think about flying when we are home with a fire in the fireplaceor at least somewhere that a Hobbs meter isnt running or theres no instructor sitting across the table keeping track of time its a very good time to think about emergencies and how wed handle each one. An amazing number of the things that can go wrong or just fluster us as pilots can be rendered ho-hum rather than omigawdimgonnadie by just sitting in a comfortable chair and thinking them through before they happen. Visualizing such things as being cut off in the pattern, having an alternator fail, a fast-talking controller or a circuit breaker popping loudly, lets you come up with a solution and store it in the memory banks. Its not a bad idea to look at the AOPA Air Safety Foundations Nall Report of General Aviation accidents to see the most common ways that pilots find to hurt themselves. If we consider those problems and outline solutions for ourselves, we are that much further along toward a happy ending when something does go wrong. It helps to have a copy of the POH or Owners Manual for the airplane we normally fly handy, as it may just have the best way for dealing with the emergencies we are considering, so its a good reference for the exercise. The reality is that how we handle an emergency depends upon whether weve ever thought about it before it happens. If weve considered it, were halfway home, because we know what we want to do and then its just a matter of doing it. Intellect vs. Skills When we start thinking about emergencies and how to handle them, we can split the potential crises into two general groups. First are the ones that we can visualize and deal with intellectually; they take no particular level of skill to handle. We deal with the fast-talking controller by assertively demanding that a transmission be repeated slowly, and we deal with an alternator failure by following the appropriate procedure to get it back on line or, if that doesnt work, to shed electrical load (deciding on what items to shut down) and then coming up with a suitable airport on which to land. The other type of emergencies require us to attain andthis is the big onemaintain a certain level of skill. Those are the ones we have to practice in the airplane (or simulator), usually with an instructor. Sitting on the couch and visualizing the engine failure on takeoff at 300 feet AGL is a great idea, but its also necessary to go out and practice it with some frequency, because the intensity with which the nose has to be shoved downward, against all of those urges to pull it up (while resisting the ones that are insisting we turn back toward the comfort of the airport), is something that just plain has to be practiced. We want to practice this stuff realistically and regularly, because we know in our heart of hearts that our skill level atrophies horribly fast. But, practice is expensive; so how do we find and maintain an acceptable level of competence for ourselves without going broke? I suggest that whether we are VFR or IFR pilots we schedule a session of dual every six months, and that we set up a standing appointment and keep it. Were going to fly anyway, so budget an extra hundred bucks or so every six months for that session. However, before we go, pull out that list of emergencies and go over it. Alone. Where we wont be interrupted and where we can give ourselves enough time to visualize what is happening and what we would do about it. Then go through the emergency section in the POH and visualize each problem and solution. Where is the circuit breaker we will pull? Where exactly is the fuel selector for that airplane and which way does it turn to the off position and do we have to move a tab or push down or do something else to get it to off? Go through the memory items on the you-gotta-do-it-right-now checklists. If the engine quits, make sure we know all of the items that we should do, the ones for just after takeoff as well as the ones at altitude. There are items that we have to commit to memory, because we wont have time to pull out the checklist. For most emergencies, once the memory items are completed there is enough time to pull out the checklist and take care of the other stuff. For those of us who fly more than one type of airplane, we have to find some way to make sure we know the critical differences in emergency procedures between them. There are some things that are pretty generic: For most airplanes in the event of an engine fire, an immediate action item is to shut off the fuel supply to the engine. After that, things may vary; most airplanes call for the cabin air and heater vents to be closed, but not all. In some airplanes the cabin air vents are to be opened in the event of some types of fire. What exactly is the procedure in the airplane you are going to fly today? For example, in the Cessna Corvalis 400, the engine failure checklist is different if it quits above 15,000 feet than for a failure below that altitude. Little differences in emergency procedures can loom very large when we dont know that they exist. Practice On Your Own Before we go for the session with an instructor, we can also notice that there are items on the emergency checklists that require some level of skill, but that we could probably practice on our own, such as landing with a flat tire. If its a main gear tire, we touch down on the other one, as we would in a crosswind, and hold the suspect tire in the air as long as possible. If its the nose gear, the nose is held up as long as possible. Practicing both of those situations is actually kind of fun. We might even experiment to find the minimum speed at which we can hold the nosewheel off the runway on landing and we may find that its lower if we land with the flaps up rather than with the flaps down due to the effect of flap deployment on the angle of attack of the tail. As pilots, we should know ourselves; and if we are willing to be honest with ourselves we can make an informed selection of those emergencies that we should be practicing in the airplane (or in a simulator, if we have that luxury). By and large they are going to be the ones that require skill maintenance, or the ones that frighten us a realistic concern. So, to keep the cost of that recurrent training down, it might be a good idea to talk over the syllabus we are going to follow with the CFI before the dual session. We will probably have a list of emergencies that is long enough that we cant do them all in one recurrent session and still remain financially solvent. As a result, if we practice half of them each six months its a heck of lot better than omitting some completely. Oh, yeah, another technique for getting ready for that review session is to go out and sit in the airplane when no one else is scheduled to fly it. Use the emergency checklist and walk through each of the emergencies, reaching for and physically moving the controls (dont just point at that prop controlpull it to feather) as we do so to help remind our bodies what they are going to do when it happens. We can work with our CFI to set up a true learning experience. We can do the flight when the weather is marginalsay, 3 to 4 miles visibilityso that we get a chance to see what its like when we have a risk of controlled flight into terrain, but we have that safety valve there in the right seat to help us experience the kind of weather that we would get into when we pushed VFR into deteriorating weather. Having experienced something gives us a better chance of getting out of it. We can divert to a small grass field and fly the pattern at 500 feet, close in so we dont lose sight of the runway. While we hope we are smart enough to cancel flights in crummy weather or land before it gets crummy, if we do screw up someday and have to divert when its for real, weve got a better chance of surviving than if were doing it all for the first time. Afterwards, the discussion we have with the CFI about decision-making in marginal weather will be more informed. Go to the nearby airport that isnt busy and practice power-off landings from a couple thousand feet up and see if we can hit a spot that weve selected on the runway. As an instructor, Im amazed at how many pilots blow that one on the first try. With the instructor we have a chance to prepare for the real-world in a safe environment; we can make that landing on the narrow taxiway (its legal, assuming it doesnt interfere with traffic and people on the ground) so we can see what its like if we have to do it someday because of a strong crosswind on the runway. After one or two of those six-month sessions, you may just improve your chances of living to enjoy the nursing home. Once you get there, give me a call Im hoping Im still around so I can come over and well see who can tell the more boring story of our flying days. Rick Durden is an aviation attorney, is a CFII and ATP with type ratings in the Douglas DC-3 and Cessna Citation and is the author of The Thinking Pilots Flight Manual or, How to Survive Flying Little Airplanes and Have a Ball Doing It, Vols. 1 and 2. An Italian company officially started building on Monday a new thermal power plan in Yerevan that will further diversify foreign ownership in Armenias energy sector. The company, Renco S.p.A, held a ground-breaking ceremony attended by President Serzh Sarkisian and other senior Armenian officials. Rencos chief executive, Giovanni Rubini, and Italys ambassador to Armenia, Giovanni Ricciulli, were also in attendance. In a statement on the ceremony, Sarkisians press office said the construction will take just over two years and cost around $285 million. The gas-powered plant will have a capacity of nearly 250 megawatts and use the most advanced technology of power generation, it said. Renco has done business in Armenia since the early 2000s. It has not been involved in the local energy sector until now, investing instead in luxury housing, hotels and office buildings. But the company has built, installed or operated power generation and distribution facilities in other parts of the world. Two new gas-fired plants have already gone on stream in Armenia in the last few years. One of them was built in Yerevan in 2010 with a $247 million loan provided by Japans government. The state-owned facility has a capacity of 242 megawatts. Incidentally, the new plant to be built by Renco will be adjacent to it. The other, more powerful thermal-power plant is located in the central town of Hrazdan. The Russian gas monopoly Gazprom inaugurated it in 2013. Hrazdan is also home to another thermal power plant. With an estimated capacity of over 700 megawatts, the aging plant produces the most expensive electricity in Armenia. It is expected to be decommissioned in the next few years. In a June 2015 report, the World Bank warned that the country will need an additional 250 megawatts of gas-fired capacity by 2020 to avoid a shortage of electricity. The new and more efficient Yerevan plant will presumably make up for that deficit. Natural gas is used for generating around one-third of Armenias electricity. The Metsamor nuclear power station and hydroelectric plants meet the rest of its energy needs. Gazprom and another state-run Russian energy giant, Inter RAO, have long had strong presence in the Armenian energy sector. But it has somewhat declined in recent years, even if the South Caucasus state remains heavily reliant on Russian gas and nuclear fuel. Inter RAO essentially pulled out of Armenia in September 2015 when it sold the old Hrazdan plant as well as the national electric utility to Samvel Karapetian, a Russian-Armenian billionaire. Local subsidiaries of Gazprom and another state-controlled Russian firm, RusHydro, currently account for up to one quarter of Armenian electricity production. The sector attracted the first major investment from the West in 2015 with the $180 million acquisition by the U.S. company ContourGlobal of Armenias largest hydroelectric complex. The U.S. government has repeatedly hailed that deal. Foreign forensic experts can participate in the ongoing inquiry into the death of an Armenian activist who was charged with aiding opposition gunmen las summer, the Investigative Committee said on Monday. The 49-year-old Artur Sargsian died at a Yerevan hospital March 16 hours after undergoing surgery there. He was set free on bail on March 6 following a 25-day hunger strike. The Investigative Committee launched an investigation into his death under a Criminal Code article that deals with negligent homicides resulting from inadequate medical aid. The law-enforcement body has not charged anyone yet. Hospital doctors insist that they did their best to save Sargsians life. Investigators conducted an autopsy on his body on Saturday after turning down a request from the activists relatives to postpone the examination so that foreign experts can also participate in it.A spokeswoman for the Investigative Committee, Sona Truzian, defended the refusal, saying that an objective and conclusive post-mortem cannot be conducted more than two days after a persons death. Truzian told RFE/RLs Armenian service (Azatutyun.am) that tissue samples from Sargsians body as well as his medical records can be examined by any foreign experts that would be chosen by the family of the man widely known as the Food Bringer. Sargsian drove his car through a police cordon to deliver food to armed members of a radical opposition group during their two-week standoff with security forces, which left three police officers dead. He surrendered to them on July 31 along with the remaining gunmen holed up in a police compound. Sargsian was released from custody in late December but was again arrested last month. Law-enforcement authorities investigating the standoff said he ignored their summons. Sargsian began a hunger strike immediately after his second arrest. Armenian opposition groups have blamed the authorities for his death, saying that he suffered from several chronic illnesses and should not have been kept in custody in the first place. Eduard Sharmazanov, the spokesman for the ruling Republican Party of Armenia (HHK), reacted cautiously to these allegations on Monday. Responsibility and guilt are different things, he told RFE/RLs Armenian service (Azatutyun.am). The inquiry will determine whether [the authorities] are to blame. Asked whether the authorities are responsible for Sargsians death, he said: In any country, the government bears responsibility for all positive and negative phenomena. Sharmazanov also reserved judgment on Sargsians audacious decision to deliver food to the besieged gunmen. The official said only that he continues to believe that the seizure of the police base in Yerevans Erebuni district was a terrorist attack. Meanwhile, around a hundred supporters of Sargsian continued to demonstrate in the Armenian capital on Monday to protest his death and demand the resignation of Prosecutor-General Artur Davtian. They also demanded criminal proceedings against those law-enforcement officials and judges who sanctioned Sargsians arrest. Riot police used force against the mostly young protesters after they again blocked a street in the city center. Traffic through other major streets was unblocked in a similar fashion when the protesters attempted to stage sit-ins there over the weekend. (Saturday, March 18) Andrey Areshev, a Russian political analyst, tells 168 Zham that Russias and Armenias top leaders have reached a high degree of mutual understanding. He notes President Serzh Sarkisians, Prime Minister Karen Karapetians and Defense Minister Vigen Sargsians recent trips to Moscow. As you know, these persons have a very serious role in the ruling Republican Party [of Armenia,] says Areshev. We also know that Serzh Sarkisian has made a statement to the effect that if the Republicans win the upcoming elections, then Karen Karapetian will continue to head the government. There are also other major players, notably Gagik Tsarukian, who has serious business ties to Russia. But as you know, a number of Armenian businessmen living in Russia issued a statement in January saying that they support the Armenian presidents and governments reforms. So I think that the Armenian authorities activities are on a positive track, Areshev goes on. He says that this fact is appreciated in Moscow, including in the context of the upcoming parliamentary elections in Armenia. Serzh Sarkisian was received well in Russia, writes Haykakan Zhamanak. Very well, actually. That manifested itself through all protocol nuances of an official visit, from [Sarkisians] motorcade to [his reception] in the Kremlins gilded halls and the [Russian] gesture of the return of a painting stolen from Armenia 25 years ago. The paper notes Russian President Vladimir Putins remark that Russia is sincerely interested in a stable, independent and dynamically developing Armenia. Putin also wished Sarkisians successes in the conduct of the upcoming Armenian elections and Armenias transition to a parliamentary system of government. This statement was construed in Armenia as an expression of support for Serzh Sarkisian in the upcoming elections in line with a stereotypical belief that ahead of every election Armenias government -- and sometimes opposition as well -- goes to Moscow in order to be crowned there, says Haykakan Zhamanak. This is an outdated interpretation, however. Russian analysts recent suggestions that Russia will not interfere in Armenias upcoming elections are closer to reality. Zhoghovurd reacts to Prime Minister Karen Karapetians claims that Armenian tanks and armored vehicles malfunctioned during the April 2016 war in Nagorno-Karabakh because of the poor quality of diesel fuel supplied to them. The paper says Karapetian has found himself in an awkward situation because both the Armenian Defense Ministry and the Office of the Prosecutor-General have denied his claims. Its hard to say for certain who is right, it says. Its also hard to say for certain that the prime minister is making such statements for publicity purposes or that law-enforcement bodies are covering up things. (Artur Papian) 20 March 2017 15:42 (UTC+04:00) Unfortunately, the Armenia-Azerbaijan, Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is very burning conflict, where the credibility of the UN is not at stake. Because, there are the resolutions of the UN, which are not implemented at all. What President Ilham Aliyev said about the implementation, the end of occupation, the role of OSCE is true. We have simply to implement what UN have already decided, former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Italy Franco Frattini told AZERTAC. Speaking about the role of the Baku Forum the former FM emphasized that the event is a great opportunity to talk about the burning issues of the world. Because no doubts, there are important developments in many regions. There are new policies from the global players. We are really in a very chaotic situation in Mediterranean region. We have unsolved crisis in Syria and Libya. The fact that we discuss all those issues are also important, because we and me as the European has the interest to discuss about the future of Europe. Franco Frattini also highlighted relations between Azerbaijan and Italy: There are really very close and fruitful relations between the two countries. I remember my first visit here many years ago. During my first visit, we talked about how we improve our economic cooperation. We decided to go ahead with the Trans Adriatic Pipeline project. President Ilham Aliyev mentioned this project in his speech at the inauguration ceremony. Now, we are following the schedule very well. On cultural relations Franco Frattini stressed the enormous efforts done by First Vice-President Mehriban Aliyeva: In all activities our cooperation is perfect, including the cultural relations. First Vice-President of Azerbaijan, Madam Mehriban Aliyeva comes very frequently to Rome. She promotes and organizes many cultural events in Italy and with Italy. She has done a lot of efforts in preservation of the world cultural heritage. We are particularly happy that she is now dealing with culture, youth, elimination of the poverty. We have fields what we have in common with Azerbaijan. -- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz Thank you for reading! Please log in, or sign up for a new account and purchase a subscription to continue reading. Bleubeard and I welcome you Art, including the journey, background techniques, sewing on both paper and fabric, new experiments, photos, failures, and successes will be shared on this site. I have removed my e-mail address until such time as I can get it to work again. Thank you for understanding. You can always leave a note on my blog and I will visit you. Please check out my Previous Collaborations link above to see what projects I have been involved in over the past 12 years. Current and ongoing projects only are shown below. Occasionally, Silent Sunday will showcase photos of my home, neighborhood, or community. A picture is often worth a thousand words. Feel free to drop by every second Thursday of the month for my Second Thursday Tutorials. They are interspersed with my other Tutorials found at the link page above. #NipasheNa Uhuru.In the citizen television interview between TV news anchors Lulu Hassan and Kanze Dena with President Uhuru Kenyatta in the statehouse, the president outline what the government has done in the counties in Kenya. The jubilee government has a mandate to facilitate every project in the country to enable the country's population to be sustainable.The President talked about youths unemployment. "The government has taken measures to control the unemployment. The only way that the government need to finish is by building enough infrastructure to every point in the country. This will enable everyone across the country to do business. That is why the government has taken initiative to distribute electricity everywhere." Said the head of state.About the current abusive presentation in political rallies, he said that everyone needs to do what he thinks is right and in line with the constitution. "National government projects are different from the county projects. So I'm only opening my state projects and have nothing like a bad intention to anybody. I'm the president of this country." said President Uhuru.About corruption, the president urged Kenyans to be patient because fighting corruption is done by the independent bodies like the anti-corruption commission. "It is not the state work to look for who is corrupt and who is not according to the constitution," he added.The president also talked about Jubilee party nominations. " I have no favourite candidate to pose to the people for elections. What I always tell people is to elect somebody to the parliament, and the candidate must be worth and can bring change in the community. Then according to the peoples' wish, I will work with that person. I will not interfere with Jubilee primaries." Says the president.Senator Mike Sonko allegations that the jubilee government has favourites candidates is all rumours. "We always work as a team so if for example Nairobi everyone wants to go the polls fine because it is their democratic right. I cannot dictate anything because it is not my mandate according to the constitution." He added." I felt so bad when the doctors were on strike but I did not have any mandate constitutional of talking to them. Because according to the constitution, the Doctors are under counties. Later, in December I took an initiative of inviting the young men to statehouse meeting within Christmas the period I held a meeting with the young men about the issue and we agreed to stop the strike and we talk about the matter while doctors are working but they refused." said the President.Starting from the next parliament, there will be few changes as proposed by the wages commission. The Salaries and remuneration commission came up with some recommendations that will make the country to sustain the wage bill. "The SRC will harmonise all salaries starting in September. They will reduce the salaries so that people will feel included so that we will have no strikes anymore. The political line wages from the President to the MCA need to be in line with the public service wages from Director to a tea maker in a public office." Said the president. Air Canada has extra cargo capacity thanks to its first freighters, but that didnt prevent a 23% fall in cargo revenue in the third quarter. Earlier in March Bay News 9 and Spectrum Networks held the 13th annual Salute to Everyday Heroes Luncheon to honor individuals profiled each week during the previous year for the difference they're making in the Bay area. Several heroes received special awards for going above and beyond. Event airing on Bay News 9 April 1 at 7 p.m., April 2 at 4 p.m. Bill Murphy hosts Everyday Heroes every Monday morning To nominate an Everyday Hero, visit baynews9.com/everydayhero During the event, airing on Bay News 9 April 1 at 7 p.m. and again on April 2 at 4 p.m., the heroes made their way on stage one by one to accept recognition they never expected to receive. Oh my gosh, I was shocked, said Callee Rose Connon, Bay News 9s Young Hero of the Year. This is a chance for Bay News 9 and Spectrum Networks to really recognize people who do good, who reach out, who see a problem and then figure out a way to solve it on their own, on their own time and often with their own money, said Alan Mason, Spectrum Networks News Group Vice-President South. For Everyday Heroes host Bill Murphy, the event is also a chance for a welcome reunion with cherished friends. "It's almost like 'old home week,' said Murphy. "My unofficial definition of an 'Everyday Hero' is someone who makes the world a better place in which to live, and they all do. They have different stories -- some are more dramatic than others -- but all of them make a contribution and they put perspective in everything, and inspiration, too." Wayne Washington, this years Volunteer Hero of the Year, is a comedian in Manatee County who uplifts his community with an organization he started called Straight Talk. I just want to let the young people know that you can achieve if you just keep dreaming and keep trying to be positive and doing the right thing, Washington said. Jessica Helmes, a veteran, received the Viewers Choice award for creating a social media support system for other veterans. It's humbling, Helmes said. It's very humbling. It means that the civilians and other community members know that theres a real need for the veteran community to get a support system. One thing in common for all of the event's honorees, as well as all the other "Everyday Heroes" gathered Wednesday. What they're doing isn't for fame to seek attention -- they just want to help those who need it most. Honestly, I would do it anyway, even if Im not honored, Connon said. You have heard the old saying, "practice what you preach. Its one many of us try to live up to, but one Bay area family is putting those words into action. Every Sunday around noon a long line forms at the street corner of Williams Park in St. Petersburg. Everyone there knows "The Family" is coming. "They call us 'The Family'," said Robert Meier, chuckling. "They don't really know our names. "The Family" is the Meiers. Robert, his wife Marisa and their five children. They pull up in their family mini-van packed to the brim with food. "It's a delicious meal," 11-year old Colton Meier said. Every Sunday around noon a long line forms at the street corner of Williams Park in St. Petersburg. (RaeChelle Davis, staff) Colton and his four sisters help their parents set up two old folding tables. Others help them carry the crates of food, plates, silverware and cups. After a quick prayer to bless each other and the food, they begin filling the plates high with burgers, cheese, rice and all the fixings. There is even a chocolate egg for dessert. The Meier family has been doing this each and every Sunday for nearly a year. "Here's a couple of things they told me over the year," Robert said. "'It's the best meal we get.' Because we cook it all at my house. Every Sunday we start cooking in the morning about 6 a.m. My wife did all the barbecuing today and so it's home cooked and it's made with real love just like you make for your family." Like any good mother, Marisa Meier is busy handing out clothing and shoes she gathered over the week to make sure everyone has what they need. "One of the ladies was saying, 'you know, there's meals during the week but not on the weekends,' Marisa said. She goes, 'sometimes I go two days without eating.' She was pregnant and she just had her baby." Marisa is talking about Martha Carlin who relies on the family's generosity. "I gave up my child for adoption so that I would not be a welfare mom. I can barely feed myself and I can't count on the help that I need," said Carlin. She said she has tried to find a job and has a high school education, but she has struggled because she has nowhere to live and the facilities for women like her are full. To say she is grateful for "The Family" is an understatement. "They bring meals to us. They bring us clothes. They bring us bedding. Everything that we need. So, I really appreciate them, Carlin said. Helping those in need in any way you can is what the Meiers hope their children will take away from this experience. Robert Meier, his wife Marisa and their five children. The Meiers stretch their family budget to afford the $200 a week they spend to feed nearly 150 people on Sundays. They are not affiliated with any church program and rely on themselves and occasional donations from friends or kind souls. Still, they always find a way. "Don't ever be afraid to find a way to reach out to the poor. They have a need. And you know God loves those who help the poor, so you're well-loved when you help." If you would like to donate food, clothing, shoes, or money to help the Meier family feed the homeless you can visit their website www.hotmealsforhomeless.org. They are saving money to buy a food truck that will help them take their meals around the Tampa Bay area to help more people in need of a good meal. Every day, thousands of drivers sit in bumper-to-bumper traffic on the Howard Frankland Bridge. But why? Daily traffic backups at Kennedy Boulevard exit NB Howard Frankland lanes near end of lifespan Have a Traffic Inbox story for Chuck? Click here A Bay News 9 viewer wants to know if the state has a plan to clear up that traffic situation. "This one lane seems to back up all the time," driver Mark Cram said of the Kennedy Boulevard exit. "I mean, I think it's the major cause for the backup on the Howard Frankland Bridge every afternoon and almost any time of the day," he said. Cram is one of 139,000 drivers who cross the bridge every day. If he's not on the bridge before 4 p.m., he says the delays are already back to the hump and many times to the Pinellas County side of the bridge. "It's everybody getting off at that Kennedy Boulevard exit, and most all of those vehicles to that one lane that goes north toward the (Veterans Expressway)." The fact that the ramp and interchange at the north end of the bridge were re-built in the last few years doesn't help. The ramps from southbound Interstate 275 to Interstate 4 and westbound I-4 to northbound I-275 are also single lane ramps. "I've wondered why they only left one ramp with all the expansion that's been done there in the past, and now what they're doing in Tampa," Cram said. It is similar to the situation drivers face in the downtown interchange. The ramps from southbound Interstate 275 to Interstate 4 and westbound I-4 to northbound I-275 are also single lane ramps. That area was scheduled for a re-do as part of the now-stalled Tampa Bay Express Project. Florida Department of Transportation spokeswoman Kris Carson says the north end of the Howard Frankland Bridge is on the FDOTs radar, but not for the near future. "The State Road 60 / I-275 interchange and the ramp coming off the Howard Frankland Bridge heading to the Veterans Expressway and the airport will have additional lanes in the future," Carson said. "However, we are only in concept development now." The northbound lanes of the Howard Frankland are reaching the end of their life span. Generally that's 50 years. It shouldn't be too long before those concepts the state is working on turn into concrete plans. The city managers for Madeira Beach and Treasure Island are finding their jobs vulnerable after voters elected a combination of five new commissioners in those Pinellas County beach towns last Tuesday. Madeira Beach city manager Crawford believes he'll be terminated Treasure Island city manager ready to offer resignation Election results signal shift away from redevelopment Madeira Beach voters elected three new commissioners, Mayor-elect Maggi Black, John Douthirt for District 4 and Nancy Oakley for District 3, who ran against major redevelopment projects that city manager Shane Crawford has spent more than two years spearheading. It proves that when public officials dont listen to their citizens, that this is what happens to them, said attorney Ken Weiss. It means a huge change for Madeira Beach and it means a huge change for Treasure Island. Crawford fears his job is in jeopardy, despite five years of flawless evaluations. From what Ive learned is theyre going to terminate my employment when theyre sworn-in on April 11, Crawford said. Im a little miffed. I gave a lot to the city. Mayor-elect Black did not return repeated calls by our publishing deadline, but commissioner-elect Douthirt was willing to go on the record. Douthirt said he has not made a decision yet whether or not to fire Crawford, and believes the voters should decide on the redevelopment projects. I think it should go out as a referendum to the voters. If the voters say give it to them at 10 stories or 11, or they say keep it at three to four, I think its whatever the voters (decide), said Douthirt. I dont think five people on the city commission should be making the decision for everybody in the city. Douthirt said he personally believes the new buildings should only be 2-to-3 stories high. Crawford said in hindsight they probably shouldve sent the redevelopment projects for a referendum. We shouldve heard from these people in 2014, then put it to a referendum, he said. If the referendum fails, what are Holton and Karns (the developers) going to do? Theyre going to sue the city for loss of profits and all sorts of other reasons. Crawford also warned the newly elected commissioners that if they clean house, they better have a plan in place or the city could be left in a bad situation. I dont know what theyre going to do here. Vince is leaving, my finance director. Im leaving. Chances are theyll probably fire the City Clerk, he said. Ive got employees left and right asking 'Should I jump ship?' Ive got people resigning off of the planning commission. I mean the wheels are going to fall off and I hope they have a contingency plan because they sure havent spoken to me about it. Crawford recently submitted a letter to the newly elected members of the commission addressing issues they will face should he be terminated. To read the letter, click HERE. Letter of Separation Treasure Island city manager Reid Silverboard is in a similar position after voters elected two new commissioners, Deborah Toth for District 1 and Ralph Kennedy for District 3. According to a letter of separation, Silverboard is going to offer to resign when those commissioners are sworn-in at Tuesdays public meeting. I believe that the City Commission is ready for a change in the Administration of the City to lead the organization, Silverboard wrote. It will be in both of our best interest to reach a mutually agreeable severance agreement. To read the Letter of Separation, click HERE. Silverboard has served as city manager for 10 years and is asking for a lump sum payment equal to 6 months of his salary to resign. Commissioner-elect Kennedy said the city probably needs a change in management. Attorney Weiss, who backed the Treasure Island group Stop Tall Buildings and has many clients in the Madeira Beach United group, said Silverboard was the moving force behind the proposed redevelopment. Given the fact that the citizens overwhelmingly rejected his proposal, I think its an appropriate time for him to find other opportunities, Weiss said. I dont think that if he voluntarily resigns that hes entitled to a severance package. Silverboard was on vacation and not available for an interview. Tricia Freeman's remains have been found in Levy County, according to officials. That announcement came Monday afternoon, almost a week after Freeman, 47, was killed in her Palmetto home. PREVIOUS STORY: Missing Palmetto woman murdered by daughter's boyfriend Palmetto Police Chief Scott Tyler confirmed that Freeman was murdered inside her home at the hands of her daughters boyfriend. Roy Nichols Jr., 26, and Kayla Coyler, 21, were arrested Saturday in West Virginia after they were suspected of stealing Freemans vehicle. Officials said Nichols admitted to killing Freeman after an argument. He is facing second degree murder charges. Coyler is being charged with accessory to murder. Police said Colyer helped Freeman dispose of her mother's body. This is a developing news story and more information will be provided as it becomes available. This story was last updated on: 5:50 p.m., Monday, March 20, 2017. Accused murderer Markeith Loyd is scheduled to have a competency hearing for next week as the accused said on Monday's hearing that Gov. Rick Scott showed "extreme prejudice" for removing Orange-Osceola State Attorney Aramis Ayala after she announced she would not use the death penalty in his case. "The governor don't know nothing about my case," said Loyd. "One more thing. I want it for the record. The governonr showed extreme prejudice. He didn't even want to sit down and talk to the State Attorney. He didn't know nothing about my case." At the beginning of the hearing, Ayala told Lauten she believes the governor overstepped his bounds in his order to remove her from the case and wants to file a motion to stay on the case. She wants to work alongside her replacement. Newly assigned special prosecutor State Attorney Brad King, whom the governor picked to replace Ayala, countered, saying he does not believe Ayala has the right to file a motion to stay on this case, because it is outside of her jurisdiction. On March 16, Ayala filed the case as one that would not be handled as a death penalty case. King says that filing would be irrelevant, but the judge argues it may be about timing and he will have to review the situation and will determine if Ayala will stay on. It was expected that King would announce if the death penalty will be used in Loyd's case on Monday, but that will be held at a different time, Lauten said. Another legal matter that was discussed was who would be able to help Loyd with his case. The Public Defenders Office said it wasn't not sure if it has conflicts of interest with defending Loyd. However, the judge determined that the Public Defenders office cannot represent Loyd because of a conflict of interest. In an interview with News 13, the Public Defenders office stated that the conflict is they are or have represented five individuals who are currently on the states witness list for the Loyd case. It was also discussed if an attorney from outside the Public Defenders office would represent Loyd as standby council. The office of the Criminal Conflict and Civil Regional Counsel stated it do not think it has a conflict of interest, but may. To also delay any immediate decisions, Lauten is considering appointing an expert to assess Loyd's competency to represent himself. Loyd chimed in, saying that he does not want a lawyer, but proper medical attention. He claims that his eye, jaw and nose are broken and he has a head injury. He claimed that he is not allowed the tie to do research for his case. Loyd also spoke out and said that Scott did not want to hear from Ayala about her views against the death penalty. "Only because she was a woman or a woman of color," Loyd said to Lauten. Loyd is accused of killing his pregnant ex-girlfriend Sade Dixon, trying to kill her brother and then killed Orlando Police Lt. Debra Clayton. In those cases, Loyd faces the death penalty, but last week the Democratic Ayala announced she would not pursue the death sentence in this case. However, Republican Gov. Rick Scott then pulled Ayala off the case and assigned King, who is the state attorney for the Fifth Judicial Circuit of Florida, which covers Citrus, Hernando, Lake, Marion and Sumter counties. Local legal experts say this big change so early on in this case will not disrupt much. Usually things run about the same in most counties so this shouldnt hold any back. The new state attorneys that are handling it should be able to fit right it and follow through on the case, Jaya Balani, attorney with NeJame Law. In relation to Dixon's death, Loyd is being charged with a list of felonies, including first-degree murder with a firearm, killing of an unborn child by injury to the mother and attempted first-degree murder. Loyd is also facing five charges in the killing of Clayton. No charges have been filed against Loyd in connection with Orange County Deputy Norman Lewis, who was killed while searching for Loyd after Clayton's death. Meanwhile, Ayala has since filed a motion to keep Loyd's case under her jurisdiction. "That's exactly where we are," Ayala said. "We're continuing to research this issue. I'm trying again to consider the families and what this is taking them through, however, because it is unprecedented, this type of governor's order." However, State Attorney King made it clear hes in charge. I would say that the filling of the Governors executive order divest Ms. Ayala of any jurisdiction to be a party in this cause. The Governor has appointed me," King said. There will be another hearing on Tuesday, March 28, to discuss the topics that were talked about in Monday's hearing. Gabina VOA is designed to be an infotainment youth radio show broadcasting to Ethiopia and Eritrea in the Amharic language. The show brings varied perspectives on issues concerning young people in the Horn of Africa region. Gabina in the Amharic language is a front row taxi ridesymbolic of the shows content as a fun ride that takes audiences from point A to point B. Gabina VOAs main goal is Enlightening young people, introducing them to cutting-edge technological innovations, exposing them to new processes and ideas so they can be productive, informed and self-governing citizens. Texas is home to four of the least healthy cities in the U.S., according to a new list from WalletHub. And the Lone Star State's best-scoring cities couldn't crack the top 20. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate A longtime elementary school teacher whose repeated sexual encounters with a 12-year-old student came to light following a high-speed chase in which she let the boy drive her SUV was sentenced Tuesday to 10 years in prison. Lucinda Rodriguez Caldwell, 41, choked back sobs as she was placed in handcuffs after asking state District Judge Lori Valenzuela for probation. Although the judge denied the request, she did retain jurisdiction of the case, leaving open the possibility that Caldwell could be released from prison on shock probation sometime in the next six months. I just want to say that I'm sorry for what I did and I apologize to the court, to (the child) and his family, and to my family, Caldwell said through tears during the brief sentencing hearing. I have lost so much because of what I did, and I ask the court to let me stay with my family and take care of my children, she said. Caldwell had been an educator for 16 years and was teaching fifth grade at Cable Elementary in the Northside Independent School District when she was arrested in July 2010 after the boy's father took him to police to report the sexual assaults. Earlier that morning, at about 3 a.m., the father had recognized the teacher's Ford Explorer outside his house after realizing that his son wasn't home, court documents state. The SUV sped off and the father pursued in his own vehicle for about 30 miles before both vehicles were pulled over in Hondo. The traffic officer didn't make an immediate arrest but returned the boy to his father and advised him to contact the San Antonio Police Department, according to court documents. Caldwell reached a plea agreement in October in which she agreed to plead no contest to indecency with child by exposure a third-degree felony instead of aggravated sexual assault of a child, which could have resulted in a sentence of up to life. Both sides also agreed to a 10-year sentence, with the stipulation that prosecutors would remain silent as Caldwell asked the judge to let her serve the term on probation. In addition, Caldwell agreed to surrender her teaching certificate. Neither Caldwell's accuser nor his family attended the hearing. We felt like we had a good case, but the family was worried about putting the young boy through the emotional ordeal of a trial, First Assistant District Attorney Cliff Herberg said of the plea agreement. We wanted to be respectful of the family's desires. After the allegations were revealed, the boy appeared to withdraw from friends and family, prosecutors said they were told by the family. Although the boy has since made progress, his father feared that testifying at a trial would cause setbacks, according to Adriana Biggs, chief of the white-collar-crimes division. Since the arrest, Caldwell and her two children have moved to Eagle Pass. Her husband testified on her behalf Tuesday, suggesting that her exemplary record as a teacher prior to the incident provided a more accurate portrayal of who she is. She was by all accounts a very good, dedicated teacher, added defense attorney John Carroll. The public humiliation and shame has been very difficult for her to deal with. ckapitan@express-news.net Twitter: @HearsaySA During a recent National Press Club event, Andrew Gurman, MD, American Medical Association president, said the GOP needs to "go back to the drawing board" on the American Health Care Act, the ACA alternative, according to The Hill. Here are three points: 1. Other leading organizations including representatives from the American Cancer Society, American Diabetes Association and American Heart Association expressed similar sentiments in opposition of the AHCA. 2. Dr. Gurman cited recent CBO figures that found 24 million Americans will lose their coverage under the AHCA by 2026. 3. With millions of Americans possibly left uninsured, Dr. Gurman reaffirmed the association's stance to make sure Americans maintain their coverage, The Hill reports. House Speaker Paul Ryan said on Fox News the American Health Care Act needs to provide more assistance for older Americans, Politico reports. Here's what you should know. 1. A recent Congressional Budget Office estimate claimed older Americans would pay higher premiums under the AHCA. 2. Secretary Ryan said on Fox News, that even though the bill provides "market freedom and regulatory relief," through HHS incentives for 50- and 60-year-old Americans, he believes the government should "be offering more assistance than what the bill currently does." 3. Speaker Ryan said the GOP is working to increase tax credits for low-income and older Americans, while also working to implement work requirements for able-bodied Medicaid recipients. Phoenix-based Banner Health is losing millions of dollars in Tucson, Ariz. However, company officials say the health system plans to offset the losses through a series of projects in the area, according to tuscon.com. Here are six things to know: 1. Banner Health lost $89 million in its Tucson operations last year and company officials expect to lose $45 million in 2017. 2. The health system has worked to restructure and eliminate various positions and has employed consultants to help devise strategies on cost-saving measures, according to tuscon.com. 3. The Arizona Republic obtained an email Banner executives sent to employees saying restructuring changes will impact corporate positions across several divisions, and the health system will eliminate the associate administrator position at some Arizona community hospitals effective March 31, 2017. 4. The health system has invested capital in new projects to expand its market share in Tucson and Phoenix including building a $98 million outpatient clinic that will house an ASC, a parking structure and a multispecialty health center. Banner expects to complete the project in 2018. 5. Banner Health is also underway with building a $426.7 million hospital at Banner-University Medical Center Tucson. The health system expects to complete the hospital in 2019. 6. Kathy Bollinger, executive vice president of Banner-University Medicine, told tuscon.com, these projects are helping Banner Health keep pace with the rapidly changing healthcare environment. She said, "You are not going to get better sitting and waiting." Blue Cross Blue Shield of Vermont, the state's largest insurance company, supported Green Mountain Surgery Center, which has been in a lengthy certificate-of-need battle with the local hospital association, according to U.S. News & World Report. Here are five notes: 1. An independent physician group filed the CON to build the ASC in Colchester, Va., nearly two years ago. 2. The Green Mountain (Vt.) Care Board is set to hear final arguments in April 2017. 3. The Vermont Association of Hospitals and Health Systems is heading the charge against the surgery center as the association claims the ASC would directly compete with Burlington-based University of Vermont Medical Center and affiliated hospitals. 4. A spokesperson for the Vermont Association of Hospitals and Health Systems previously said the ASC would offer duplicate services and therefore would increase costs. 5. A Green Mountain Surgery Center spokesperson said the ASC would offer services at a reduced cost, saying a colonoscopy would cost between $1,000 and $1,500, less than the price tag of a similar procedure at UVM Medical Center. Here are seven things to know for March 20, 2017. ACA enrollment falls 1.6M below Obama administration's projections For 2017, an estimated 12.2 million Americans bought ACA coverage, missing the Obama administration's projections by 1.6 million people. In the fall 2016, the Obama administration predicted ACA 2017 enrollment would total 13.8 million Americans. Trump's budget proposal slashes HHS spending by 17.9 percent Under President Donald Trump's budget proposal, healthcare industry funding will take a significant hit in overall spending. HHS will receive $69 billion under the president's plan, which is 17.9 percent less than what it currently receives. Texas bracing for Medicaid cuts If the American Health Care Act becomes law, it could largely affect Texas' Medicaid beneficiaries. The AHCA would leave some state funding streams' status undecided. Anne Dunkelberg, a spokesperson with the liberal-facing Center for Public Policy Priorities in Austin, Texas, said the future of the uninsured resident reimbursement fund is particularly concerning. Texas has the most uninsured residents throughout the United States. 65% of US patients see physicians receiving industry payments Berlin, Germany-based Springer published a survey assessing how many Americans see physicians who accept industry payments and how many patients are aware of this fact. Sixty-five percent of Americans see a physician who receives some form of industry payment. Healthcare management master's programs on the rise Healthcare management master's degree programs are rising in popularity.. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects 17 percent growth from 2017 to 2024, which is approximately 56,300 more jobs. IBS drug Viberzi increases fatal pancreatitis risk for gallbladder-less patients The FDA issued a communication claiming Viberzi a medicine used for patients with irritable bowel syndrome with diarrhea could increase pancreatitis risk in patients without gallbladders. Viberzi has increased pancreatitis risk resulting in hospitalization or death. New Hampshire Medical Society Council adds Dr. Kenton Allen The New Hampshire Medical Society elected Kenton Allen, MD, into its organizations. Dr. Allen is one of its young physician members. He will provide counsel on anesthesiology, perioperative and pain medicine throughout New Hampshire, while also engaging with state and federal policymakers. Austin-based University of Texas System appointed Marshall E. Hicks, MD, interim president of UT MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, effective March 21, 2017. Here are eight notes: 1. Dr. Hicks currently serves as division head of diagnostic imaging at MD Anderson, a role he has held since 2010. 2. He will appoint an interim diagnostic imaging division head while he fulfills the duties of president. 3. Trained in interventional radiology, Dr. Hicks is a past president of the Society of Interventional Radiology. 4. He has authored more than 100 peer-reviewed scientific articles. 5. He replaces Ronald DePinho, MD, who announced his resignation in early March via a video statement. 6. MD Anderson Cancer Center has faced financial turmoil over the past year. The center reported an operating loss exceeding $111 million for the combined months of September, October and November in 2016. 7. The center is trying to turn its financial situation around using a number of strategies, including planning to remove 1,000 jobs and putting its collaboration with IBM Watson on hold. 8. The University of Texas System board will launch a search for a permanent successor to Dr. DePinho soon. The search will focus on identifying "an established leader with proven skills in managing a large and complex health care organization, ideally with both clinical and research expertise," said UT System Executive Vice Chancellor for Health Affairs Raymond Greenberg, MD, PhD, in a statement. The Republican governors of Ohio, Nevada, Michigan and Arkansas on March 16 penned a letter to Congress stating their opposition to the American Health Care Act, the Republican plan to replace the ACA. In particular, they are against the provisions that would undo Medicaid expansion, reports Bloomberg. The letter, addressed to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Speaker Paul Ryan said the AHCA "does not ensure the resources necessary to make sure no one is left out, and shifts significant new costs to states," according to the report. They also said the bill "does not meet" goals previously described by President Donald Trump regarding state flexibility and ensuring coverage. The governors including Ohio's John Kasich, Michigan's Rick Snyder, Nevada's Brian Sandoval and Arkansas' Asa Hutchinson all head states that expanded Medicaid under the ACA. The governors provided the Republican congressional leaders an alternative proposal that would preserve Medicaid expansion and enable states that chose not to expand the program under the ACA to do so under the new law. They said states should agree to accept federal money to support expansion via per-person grants or through block grants. They also believe it should be up to the states to decide whether or not to implement working requirements and asset tests for low-income people who seek to enroll. Read the full report on Bloomberg here. Employee engagement is one of the more high-stakes buzzwords circulating the healthcare industry. The prevalence of disengagement throughout the American workforce warrants major concern from hospital and health system leaders. Gallup's latest State of the American Workplace poll revealed that just 30 percent of Americans are engaged in their work, meaning the bulk of American workers 70 percent are either not fully engaged or actively disengaged from their jobs. In healthcare, when we have others' lives and wellbeing in our hands, employees who aren't fully invested in their jobs pose a threat to patients, as well as to the organization's reputation and bottom line. Yet employee engagement remains a challenge for many health systems, and this issue is exacerbated by some of the differences between baby boomers, Gen-Xers and millennials, the latter of which comprise a growing class of the American workforce. As a baby boomer, along with many others at the executive level, I think it's critical that we work extra hard to understand how the younger generations think, what motivates them, how they behave and how they prefer to communicate. Leaders who remain fixed in their ways and refuse to accommodate the work styles of younger workers, particularly millennials, will fail to effectively engage them, and ultimately will not be able to retain them. Here are five tips for engaging a multi-generational workforce, particularly the growing group of millennials. 1. Show employees how they contribute to the bigger picture. People of all ages want to be more than a cog in the machine; they want to see and understand how their role contributes to the organization's overall goals. They want to know that each day they are making a meaningful difference in some way. This is true across many industries, but I think it's especially relevant in healthcare, where all providers share the same goals of providing high-quality care and improving the health of the community. As leaders, it's critical that we clearly articulate the organization's vision and goals. If you do this right, you'll attract the kinds of people who share a commitment to that vision. You must appeal to their hearts and their heads. 2. Provide feedback and recognition consistently. Although professionals from all generations benefit from candid feedback and appreciate praise, this is especially true for millennials. They seek close relationships with their managers and desire a continual feedback loop; performance reviews once a year will not suffice. And when it comes to feedback, praise and criticism are both important. Millennials want verbal confirmation when they are doing good work, and they also want to know right away when their performance is not quite at par. We've paid more attention to this at Northwell Health over the last few years and we've already seen significant gains in our employee engagement scores. We went from the 68th percentile for engagement nationally to the 85th percentile, and we're not done yet. 3. Make it clear how to move up in the organization. Employees, especially younger ones, want to develop their careers. They want to be in a place where they can grow intellectually and earn trust to take on greater responsibility. It's important to have clearly defined tracks to move up in rank. What's more, give employees the chance to try out other departments, clinical service lines and roles, even if they are lateral moves. No employee will stay at an organization where they feel they're heading for a dead end. At Northwell Health, employees who demonstrate passion for healthcare and express interest in developing their careers with us can qualify for a two-year training program that provides professional development and role-specific training, paving the way for upward mobility. 4. Commit to millennials as much as you ask them to commit to you. At Northwell Health, we have high expectations for all of our team members. In return, we promise to be as supportive and accommodating to them as possible. Millennials have different preferences when it comes to communicating, management and growth, but many of them are very smart and have a lot to contribute to the organization if the organization lets them. With this in mind, we created a millennial task force that is responsible for telling us what we should do differently to help them succeed. For example, the task force told us they were frustrated with the slow pace of communication on their teams. After hearing that feedback, we were able to develop new standards for communication and implement changes that helped people across the organization work together more effectively. 5. Don't just be a name be a face. I cannot emphasize how important it is to get out of the office. Attending organization-wide events and giving speeches is not enough. As leaders, we must show we care about employees enough to prioritize time with them. And moreover, we have a lot to learn from them. I am continually impressed with how bright many of these newly minted professionals are. Northwell Health hires about 150 new employees a week, and I meet with all of the new hires every Monday morning. There, they ask me any questions they'd like, and I also have the chance to ask them a little bit about themselves. In addition, I meet once a month with 30 to 40 of Northwell's millennial workers for breakfast. The breakfast is informal and gives me an opportunity to walk around and ask them questions about their career goals, what they hope to gain from working at Northwell, what they desire in a manager and, importantly, if they have any suggestions for how to improve the work environment. They are not shy, and I've gained some incredibly valuable insights from this cadre of employees. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, said he recently negotiated proposals outlined in the American Health Care Act with President Donald Trump's staff, Politico reports. Here are three takeaways. 1. The discussions took place at the Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Fla., he said Sunday on CBS' "Face the Nation." 2. Commenting on the discussions in the report, Sen. Cruz said: "I have got to tell you, I am spending night and day meeting with House members, meeting with senators, meeting with the administration. Just yesterday, I spent three hours at Mar-a-Lago with ... [Sen.] Mike Lee, [R-Utah], and [House Freedom Caucus Chairman] Mark Meadows, [R-N.C.], negotiating with the president's team, trying to fix this bill." 3. Sen. Cruz said the talks involved ways to lower insurance premiums, Politico reports. "If we lower premiums and, hopefully, lower them a lot that's a victory for the American people," Sen. Cruz said. "If premiums keep going up, that's a victory for insurance companies and lobbyists, but it's a loss for the people who elected us." The following healthcare mergers, acquisitions and general partnerships took place or were announced in the past week. 1. Quorum Health to divest Alabama hospital Quorum Health Corp., the 36-hospital spinoff of Franklin, Tenn.-based Community Health Systems, inked a definitive agreement to sell 60-bed Cherokee Medical Center in Centre, Ala. 2. VA Salt Lake City Health Care System considers ending contract with local hospital Officials at the VA Salt Lake City Health Care System said a potential lapse in the health system's contract with the Ely, Nev.-based William Bee Ririe Critical Access Hospital and Rural Health Clinic would not cause issues for veterans seeking care. 3. Trinity EMS terminates contract with Lowell General in favor of Steward Health Care Lowell, Mass.-based Trinity EMS declined to renew its medical directorship contract with Lowell (Mass.) General Hospital and, instead, signed a deal with Boston-based Steward Health Care. 4. Kaleida Health to become parent company of Upper Allegheny Health System State officials approved Buffalo, N.Y.-based Kaleida Health's proposal to become the parent company of Olean, N.Y.-based Upper Allegheny Health System and its member hospitals. 5. 4 things to know about St. Joseph Health's acquisition of Medical Specialties Managers Irvine, Calif.-based St. Joseph Health acquired Medical Specialties Managers, a physician practice organization based in Orange, Calif. 6. Mednax acquires 4th physician group practice of 2017 Fort Lauderdale, Fla.-based Mednax acquired Overland Park, Kan.-based Midwest Perinatal Associates, its fourth physician practice acquisition of 2017. 7. CHI Franciscan, Virginia Mason finalize clinical affiliation Tacoma, Wash.-based CHI Franciscan Health and Seattle-based Virginia Mason Health System signed a definitive agreement to form a strategic affiliation to benefit residents in the Puget Sound area. 8. Ardent Health Services completes acquisition of LHP Hospital Group Nashville, Tenn.-based Ardent Health Services successfully completed its acquisition of Plano, Texas-based LHP Hospital Group, making AHS the second largest private, for-profit hospital operator by revenue in the nation. 9. Montefiore-owned hospital partners with Scarsdale Medical Group Scarsdale (N.Y.) Medical Group and White Plains (N.Y.) Hospital signed a partnership agreement to promote coordinated care for residents in the community. 10. California hospital reopens under new name, ownership Thanks to new management, formerly shuttered Tustin, Calif.-based Newport Specialty Hospital opened its emergency department for the first time after nearly a decade in January. 11. Baptist Memorial partners with Priority Ambulance to improve transport services Memphis, Tenn.-based Baptist Memorial Health Care partnered with Knoxville, Tenn.-based Priority Ambulance to provide quicker, more efficient emergency transportation services between the health system's various locations. 12. Nashville Medical Group integrates with Ascension-affiliated physician group Nashville Medical Group signed a partnership agreement with Saint Thomas Medical Partners, a physician group practicing in middle Tennessee and southern Kentucky. 13. PinnacleHealth pursues affiliation with UPMC, inks deal to acquire 4 CHS hospitals PinnacleHealth, a three-hospital system based in Harrisburg, Pa., revealed plans to expand its network of acute care hospitals and partner with a bigger system. 14. CareView Communications receives purchasing agreement CareView Communications expanded its hospital membership through its recently launched group purchasing agreement. 15. Carolinas HealthCare, YMCA expand partnership Charlotte, N.C.-based Carolinas HealthCare System and the YMCA of Greater Charlotte expanded their existing partnership to offer a greater array of services to help residents in the area live healthier lives. 16. Avera Sacred Heart Hospital purchases South Dakota specialty hospital Yankton, S.D.-based Avera Sacred Heart Hospital acquired the 10-bed Lewis & Clark Specialty Hospital, also in Yankton. 17. Health Management Associates to acquire Seema Verma's consulting firm Health Management Associates, a New York City-based healthcare consultancy group, signed an agreement to acquire SVC, an Indianapolis-based consulting firm owned by Seema Verma, who was recently confirmed as administrator of CMS. 18. Michigan Medicine, St. Joseph Mercy announce joint venture St. Joseph Mercy Health system a member of Livonia, Mich.-based Trinity Health and Michigan Medicine in Ann Arbor will establish a joint venture giving both systems an interest in St. Joseph Mercy Chelsea hospital. 19. 7 Indiana hospitals, universities team up to create IU medical school Seven Indiana hospitals and universities partnered to boost residency options and economic development in the state through the construction of a new medical school. 20. Cone Health, Randolph Health to explore affiliation possibilities Asheboro, N.C.-based Randolph Health and Greensboro, N.C.-based Cone Health entered into a period of due diligence to explore possible affiliation models. 21. Americore Health deal to purchase Sonoma West Medical Center collapses Fort Lauderdale, Fla.-based Americore Health ended motions to acquire Sebastopol, Calif.-based Sonoma West Medical Center. 22. UnityPoint Health-Waterloo reaches tentative agreement to acquire bankrupt hospital UnityPoint Health-Waterloo (Iowa) reached a tentative agreement to acquire Marshalltown-based Central Iowa Healthcare, which includes a 49-bed acute care hospital, an outpatient center and four primary care clinics. Hudson Hospital and Clinic, a member of the HealthPartners family of care, is a well-respected and growing medical center located in far western Wisconsin about 15 minutes east of St. Paul, Minnesota and 30 minutes east of Minneapolis, Minnesota. Hudson Hospital and Clinic is comprised of a 25 bed critical access hospital with 24/7 emergency services, specialty clinics and a newer medical office building. Hudson Hospital and Clinic is known regionally for its healing, welcoming and sustainable environment, talented caregivers, community engagement, and providing exceptional health care. Hudson, WI is nestled in the St Croix River Valley and is home to unspoiled scenic recreational areas that can be savored and enjoyed year round. In less than thirty minutes, you can be in Twin Cities metropolitan area to enjoy major league sports, abundant shopping opportunities, concerts and theaters, and other varied cultural events. As the President, youll direct and coordinate the activities of Hudson Hospital and Clinic pursuant to the policies and oversight from the Board of Directors. You will report directly to the St Croix Valley Executive Leader who provides oversight for Health Partners St. Croix Valley Hospitals. As the leader of Hudson Hospital and Clinic youll be responsible for total Hospital and Clinic operations to include: Overseeing of care that is safe, equitable, timely, effective, efficient, and affordable in accordance with state, local and national requirements. Directing the Hospitals executive management team with links to and collaboration with various stakeholders to carry out the organizations short/long term goals, strategic planning, finance and fiscal control. Analyzing and resolving significant and complex problems which impact the effectiveness of Hudson Hospital and Clinic care system in collaboration and in alignment with the overall HealthPartners family of Hospitals and Clinics as well as the St. Croix Valley Hospitals and Clinics. Representing the Hospital in official contacts and planning efforts with community leaders, business leaders and various government officials. Ensuring a culture of accountability for achievement of organizational objectives, ensure the organizations ability to provide high quality health care in a cost effective and competitive environment and will control and manage the organizations Operating and Capital Budgets. Building and sustaining a an engaged culture within which staff and physicians can thrive The qualified candidate will have a Masters Degree in Hospital Administration, Business Administration or a healthcare related field. Will have ten years of senior management experience (Departmental Director or above), five of which are as a top level executive (Vice President or above). Additionally youll have extensive professional and technical knowledge of health care delivery systems, a sound knowledge of marketing, finance and risk assessment and well developed interpersonal skills that enhance your ability to establish and maintain effective relationships with a varied constituency of medical professionals, employees, board members, the general public, and community and government offices. Youll also be operationally adept in directing and managing a large organization with the ability to integrate and harmonize different managerial functions involved in the delivery of outstanding patient care. Apply at www.regionshospital.com, careers, search job ID # 42918. Equal Opportunity Employer The U.S. Department of Justice will investigate four insurers after a lawsuit alleged they submitted false Medicare claims to increase risk adjustment payments and kept overpayments from CMS, according to a Reuters report. The investigation includes Hartford, Conn.-based Aetna, Bloomfield, Conn.-based Cigna subsidiary Bravo Health, Woodland Hills, Calif.-based Health Net and Louisville, Ky.-based Humana, according to papers filed last week in a Los Angeles federal court. The insurers were included in the same lawsuit the DOJ joined last month concerning Minnetonka, Minn.-based UnitedHealth Group and its subsidiary WellMed Medical Management. The lawsuit alleged the payers used incorrect coding to increase Medicare Advantage risk scores. The allegations were originally presented by Benjamin Poehling, former finance director of UnitedHealthcare Medicare and Retirement. Mr. Poehling filed the U.S. False Claims Act lawsuit under seal in 2011 against 15 companies. He accused the payers of defrauding "hundreds of millions and likely billions of dollars," from Medicare, the lawsuit states. UnitedHealth has said it would contest the lawsuit. Humana spokesperson Tom Noland told Reuters the payer would work with authorities and that it has already reported the investigation with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Cigna did not respond to Reuters request for comment, and Aetna and Heath Net declined comment to the publication. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, based in the United Kingdom, updated guidance for lateral interbody fusion on March 20, 2017. Here are five insights: 1. NICE reported evidence proving lateral interbody fusion efficacy is "adequate in quality and quantity." 2. The agency supports the procedure's use, given standard arrangements are made for clinical governance, consent and audit. 3. NICE received peer-reviewed journal articles outlining 14 years of investigation into San Diego-based NuVasive's eXtreme Lateral Interbody Fusion procedure. 4. NICE updated its guidance based on a systematic literature review of more than 200 previously published studies on the XLIF procedure. The studies touch on XLIF's safety profile, rate of fusion and improvements in pain and disability. 5. NuVasive unveiled XLIF in the United States in 2003. The minimally invasive procedure is performed through the side of the body. Surgeons have performed more than 150,000 successful XLIF procedures to date. Johnson & Johnson CEO Alex Gorsky spoke to CNBC about the U.S. healthcare system from the China Development Forum in Beijing. Here are five key notes from the discussion: 1. Changes are necessary in healthcare, but there were some great aspects of the ACA Mr. Gorsky would like to see in revision plans going forward. The three key elements of the healthcare puzzle are providing quality, affordable and sustainable care. 2. The new healthcare plan must avoid allowing too many Americans to go uninsured and give people with pre-existing conditions access to health insurance, according to Mr. Gorsky. 3. President Donald Trump has criticized the pharmaceutical industry for skyrocketing drug prices, but Mr. Gorsky said the issue with healthcare pricing goes much further; pharmaceuticals represent 10 percent to 15 percent of the overall healthcare spend. 4. New advancements in the medical device and pharmaceutical industry have led to life expectancy improvement, and Mr. Gorsky feels companies should continue to have the ability to innovate. 5. One of the key challenges will be moving to episode-based care and creating partnerships between the fragmented healthcare stakeholders between providers and hospitals. John H. Noseworthy, MD, Mayo Clinic CEO, and James L. Madara, MD, American Medical Association CEO and executive vice president, participated in a fireside chat at Chicago-based healthcare company incubator MATTER, according to AMA Wire. Here are five key notes: 1. Drs. Noseworthy and Madara advised health tech startups to collaborate closely with physicians during the development process. Without physician insight, startups will likely miss the boat on the intricacies of physician needs. 2. Dr. Noseworthy spoke about Mayo's research powerhouse, filing hundreds of patents every year and committing $600 million to research annually. The clinic continuously partners with larger companies and startups, with 136 companies finding their start out of Mayo. 3 Dr. Madara highlighted the AMA's partnership with MATTER. The incubator's AMA Interaction Studio provides a setting for physicians to connect with entrepreneurs about technologies in the pipeline. 4. The AMA is also currently creating the Physician Innovation Network, which aims to create online communication between physicians and technology companies. 5. Dr. Noseworthy left the crowd with a critical piece of advice: Present physicians with data proving your technology will decrease their administrative burden and increase their joy. Female physician assistants earn less than their male counterparts, according to the 2016 AAPA Salary Report. Here are five things to know: 1. Male physician assistants earn a median base salary of $105,000 from primary clinical employers while female PAs earn $94,000. 2. Men earn the most after practicing as PAs for 15 years to 19, at which point their annual salaries are roughly $115,000. 3. Women earn the most after working as PAs for at least 20 years, when they earn roughly $110,000 annually. 4. Male PAs earn the most when working in surgical subspecialties ($110,000 median base salary) while female PAs earn the most when working in emergency medicine ($99,600 median base salary). 5. The authors recommend PAs seek accurate compensation information and come in ready to negotiate a contract to reduce compensation disparities. More articles on practice management: 2017 Residency Match Day hits record high with nearly 36k US & international applicants 5 highlights AAOS selects 1st female chair of board of specialty societies Meet Dr. Lisa Cannada AAOS names Dr. Kristy Weber second vice president 5 things to know Chuck Berry at the ABC in 1977, photographed by Terence Bowman Chuck Berry at the ABC in 1977, photographed by Terence Bowman Chuck Berry - who has died aged 90 - played to an audience of just 20 people during the Ulster Workers' Council strike. Berry died on Saturday at his home in Missouri, but his gig at the old ABC cinema in 1974 - now Jury's hotel on Great Victoria Street - will never be forgotten by one of the fans there that night, UTV news anchor Paul Clark. "I was a working journalist so the Ulster Workers' strike was my baptism of fire in broadcasting," recalled Clark, then aged 21. "I'd just started working for the BBC and nothing, but nothing, was moving in Belfast. "I was actually living in the BBC, broadcasting in Ormeau Avenue, on a camp bed." He added: "This was an icon coming to town. "I walked to the concert, but there was only 20 of us there. "It had been a sell out, but no one saw the strike being as effective as it was. "It was incredible to be sitting with that rock god playing in front of 20 people. "But he played as if he was in front of thousands." That night even the world famous Berry was not immune to the disruption caused by the loyalist general strike at the height of the Troubles. Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Previous Next Close Ulster Workers Council Strike. 28/5/1974 The Ulster Workers' Council Strike The Ulster Workers Council Strike in 1974 Crowds during the Ulster Worker's Council strike. 28/05/74 Crowds at Stormont during the Ulster Worker's Council strike. 28/05/74 / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Ulster Workers Council Strike. 28/5/1974 "He played for 60 minutes, I remember that," said Clark. "I remember him telling us that he always wanted a particular brand of speaker, as others hurt his ears. They couldn't get the speaker to Belfast, though, as nothing was moving. "Because he wasn't getting the brand he wanted he told us he charged extra to play." The set list was peppered with with genre-defining hits like Johnny B Goode and Roll Over Beethoven. "It was all there, it was rock n' roll history," said Clark. "He played everything." Making the evening even more unique, Berry played a solo show with no support band. "He could make that guitar talk and we felt immensely privileged." In 1977 Berry played the ABC Cinema again. Terence Bowman, a journalist at the time with the Mourne Observer in Newcastle, also took concert photos as a hobby. "He played two shows, one at 6pm and the other at 9pm," Mr Bowman said. "There was such a small audience for the first show he actually brought the audience up to the front of the stage and sang all his greatest hits. "The second show was packed out and people were hanging from the rafters. "It was nothing short of amazing, as Belfast was something of a wasteland for big acts. "In the 1970s the Troubles were affecting everything and it wasn't an easy life, but to go to concerts made a big difference." Yesterday tributes rolled in around the world for the rock legend. Beatles drummer Ringo Starr wrote: "Just let me hear some of that rock 'n' roll music any old way you use it I am playing I'm talking about you. God bless Chuck Berry." Bruce Springsteen tweeted: "Chuck Berry was rock's greatest practitioner, guitarist, and the greatest pure rock 'n' roll writer who ever lived. This is a tremendous loss of a giant for the ages." Pink Floyd star Roger Waters said: "Great man, among many other things he lit the fire under The Beatles and The Rolling Stones. He sort of unwittingly discovered little England and freed us." A new academy has been set up in Co Armagh to address major skills gaps in the construction sector. The National Construction Skills Academy (NCSA) in Portadown will provide tuition in trades including bricklaying, plastering, tiling and joinery. Last week a survey by recruitment Manpower said there was a growing number of jobs in construction in Northern Ireland, thanks to a boom in new commercial buildings. But a lack of skilled workers was driving up salaries in the sector. The NCSA said there were around 30,000 people employed in the Northern Ireland construction sector, compared to almost 47,000 in 2007. The academy is part of the same group as ITS, which provides health and safety training to construction, civil engineering and utilities firms. ITS managing director Brendan Crealey said he had set up the new venture in response to demand from his client base. "ITS has been providing health and safety training solutions for the construction industry for more than 15 years, delivering around 50,000 qualifications," he said. "We work with many leading building firms and they have been telling us a lack of training provision is a major concern for the trade. The economy is emerging from the downturn and annual growth rates of 1.6% in the construction sector are forecast over the next four years, while several major infrastructure projects are planned in the UK such as HS2 and a 15bn plan to improve roads in England. "With increasing workloads however, comes the need for additional labour and that is a gap we are aiming to fill." A large number of commercial building projects are being carried out in Belfast. Around 20 hotels are in the planning system and building work is now being done on around seven of them. At an industry event, MIPIM in the south of France last week, Titanic Quarter and Belfast Harbour announced it will start building a new office block, Olympic House, in Titanic Quarter. The Harbour is also working on the second phase of its City Quays project. Frankfurt is believed to be the favoured destination for Nomura due to the strength of Germany's financial regulator Japanese bank Nomura has narrowed down its hunt for a post-Brexit European subsidiary, with Frankfurt emerging as the front runner in the latest vote of confidence for the German financial hub. Nomura currently serves the bulk of its European clients through its regional head offices in London, but the Press Association understands it is considering fully licensing operations in Frankfurt to continue accessing the EU's single market for financial services after Brexit. The lender already has a branch in Frankfurt, though it is unclear how many London staff may be transferred once a final decision is made. The bank has around 3,000 staff across its Europe, Middle East and Africa operations - 2,500 based in London. A Nomura spokesman said: "Nomura has not made any final decision on either location or timings with respect to a new EU entity. "We have been actively planning since before the referendum took place to ensure that we meet the needs of our regional and global clients no matter what the final terms of the UK's exit from the EU are. "We will be fully prepared to provide a continued, uninterrupted service to our clients by the time the UK exits the EU in 2019." Frankfurt is believed to be the favoured destination for Nomura due to the strength of Germany's financial regulator, Bafin, which would be trusted with overseeing the complex financial instruments that the firms deals in as part of its investment banking operations. It means the bank may be joining Japanese firm Daiwa, which is also understood to be finalising plans for a new European base in Frankfurt, which would be launched with fewer than 100 employees and staffed by a mix of local hires and transfers from other locations including London and Japan. A Daiwa spokesperson said no decision on location has yet been made. Daiwa and Nomura were represented during a meeting between British Government ministers and Japanese executives, who warned at the end of last year that operations would leave London within six months unless passporting for financial services was secured. Germany has also received a vote of confidence from Lloyds Banking Group, which is expected to apply for a licence later this year that would convert its Bank of Scotland-branded branch in Berlin into an EU subsidiary. It is understood that few Lloyds jobs would leave London as a result of the move, as the 300-strong branch is already well equipped to serve European clients. Rival financial hubs across the EU including Dublin, Luxembourg, Amsterdam and Paris are still in the running to attract financial services, and a number of major banks including JP Morgan have yet to settle on a location. Chief executive Jamie Dimon has said that around 4,000 of its 16,000 UK staff could be shifted out of Britain depending on the outcome of Brexit negotiations. Professor Russel Griggs is to look at the fraud issue for Lloyds Banking Group Lloyds Banking Group has recruited Professor Russel Griggs to spearhead an investigation into whether it should compensate customers who became victims of fraud at the hands of former HBOS staff. The move follows the bank's pledge last month to carry out a review and "redress if appropriate" once it had assessed all customer cases which may have been affected by criminal activities linked to the former HBOS impaired assets office in Reading. Lloyds said Professor Griggs will " agree the scope, methodology and individual case outcomes of the review" to ensure fair outcomes. The bank has made the appointment following a consultation with the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). It comes after a group of corrupt financiers were jailed for carrying out a 245 million loans scam and squandering the profits on high-end prostitutes and luxury holidays. Consultant David Mills, 60, bribed Lynden Scourfield, 54, who looked after corporate customers at HBOS's Reading branch until 2007. Southwark Crown Court was told that Scourfield took bribes in the form of luxury holidays and sex parties in return for arranging loans which allowed corrupt financiers to profit from rip-off consultancy fees. The bank said Professor Griggs was chosen for the role because of his knowledge of small-and-medium-sized firms and his prior experience leading " high profile reviews of a complex nature". He was chair of the Confederation of British Industry's (CBI) UK SME council between 2007-2010 and was an independent external reviewer to SME appeals process in 2011, which ensured firms had a fair appeal after being refused credit. Lloyds said in February that it would assess customers managed or involved with Quayside Corporate Services (QCS) - a consultancy firm which was run by Mills. It added that it would also review cases referred by convicted former HBOS staff to QCS, as well as any new customer complaints. Updating on Monday, the lender said it had now written to the majority customers impacted by the HBOS scandal who will be included as part of Professor Griggs' review. Customers will also be able to give their views on the planned review as part of a series of upcoming meetings, the bank said. The review follows calls from MPs demanding Lloyds bosses provide ''proper compensation'' for defrauded businesses. The All-Party Parliamentary Group on Fair Business Banking said neither HBOS nor Lloyds, which took over the bank in 2009, had adequately investigated complaints from small business customers of Scourfield. Scourfield was jailed for 11 years and three months while Mills was given 15 years at Southwark Crown Court on February 2. Michael Bancroft, 73, was jailed for 10 years, Mark Dobson, 56, for four-and-a-half years, and John Cartwright, 72, for three-and-a-half years for their various roles in the fraud between 2003 and 2007. Mills's wife Alison, 51, also played a major role in the corruption and was sentenced to three-and-a-half years. A survey of 2,000 workers found that more than a third were negative about their work One in 10 people believe their work is "horrible", with many more saying it caused them to suffer stress, a new study shows. A survey of 2,000 workers found that more than a third were negative about their work, with one in seven associating their job with being unhappy. The report, published on the United Nations International Day of Happiness, said women were more likely to be anxious about work than men. Business consultants Lee Hecht Harrison Penna said its research suggested that workers in London were the happiest in the country, while the least happy were in the South West. Chief executive Nick Goldberg said: "With our working life and private life becoming increasingly integrated, negativity and unhappiness at work can easily spill over and become all consuming. "While it is encouraging to see that 38% of employees have only positive things to say about work, our research also shows that more needs to be done by both the employee and employer to improve workplace happiness. "Today marks a good day for employees to ask themselves if they are truly happy at work, and if not ask themselves why, and what steps they can take to address it." One in five of those questioned said their work caused them stress. The hugely-popular Grant Thornton Runway Run is back for a third year, with a record number of entries from the local business community expected for the 2017 event The Grant Thornton Runway Run is back for a third year, with a record number of entries from the business community expected for the race in June. Rugby legend Stephen Ferris helped Grant Thornton launch the event, in which around 500 runners will take to George Best Belfast City Airport for a 5k race. Grant Thornton has selected the Make A Wish Foundation as its charity partner for the 2017 Runway Run, part of a series of 5k runs hosted by the firm across Ireland. The race takes place on June 22. Care could swallow up as much as half the value of a house in some areas, the report warned An average stay in a residential home could swallow up as much as half of the value of your home, according to a study warning of a care cost postcode lottery. Royal London found that a typical stay of around 30 months in a residential home could equate to between 18% and 56% of the value of an average home, depending on where someone lives in the UK. And with care costs also varying across the country, someone entering residential care could typically face total bills of between 50,000 and 93,000, the research calculates. Debbie Kennedy, head of protection at Royal London, said: "These figures are a shocking reminder of the huge costs which growing numbers of us will face if we need residential care later in life. "Even an average stay in a care home can eat up half the value of your home, depending where you live in the country. "The whole system is a lottery and we need to find better ways of supporting people to cope with these large and unpredictable bills". People in the North East of England, where the average house price is just under 129,000, could face an average care home cost equating to 56% of the cost of their home. The typical weekly bill there would be 554 per week, bringing the cost of a 30-month stay to around 72,000, the analysis found. By contrast, people living in London could find that 30 months in residential care equates to 18% of the value of their property. The average house price in London is 484,000 and an average stay in a residential care home at 666 per week could cost around 86,600 in total. Sir Steve Webb, a former pensions minister who is now director of policy at Royal London, said urgent action is needed to address care funding. He said: "Successive governments have failed to grasp the nettle when it comes to care costs. "For over 20 years we have had a series of Royal Commissions, expert reports and policy papers, but little has changed. "With an ageing population, more and more of us will have loved ones needing long-term care, and we could see a large part of the value of our family home taken up in care costs." The pensions company's analysis looked at residential care rather than nursing care. It said the average stay in a nursing home tends to be significantly shorter than the typical stay in a residential care home, meaning the total bill for a nursing home is likely to be smaller. In Scotland, someone could face a residential care home bill of around 50,000. Royal London said the figure is lower than it could otherwise be as the government in Scotland will meet certain costs, and its calculations reflect this. Royal London used a range of data for its findings, including care home fee costs from healthcare researchers LaingBuisson and Office for National Statistics (ONS) house price figures. Baroness Altmann, also a former pensions minister, said: "The care crisis is far worse than the pensions crisis." She continued: "A range of solutions is needed, to help families prepare for care. "Incentives to help people prepare for care costs should have been introduced long ago, but we are still waiting for action. "Some people could use their pension savings, others their Isas, but many will have nothing other than the value of their homes." The Spanish actress will apparently star in the third series of American Crime Story. Penelope Cruz has been cast as Donatella Versace in a television series examining the 1997 assassination of designer Gianni Versace, according to reports. The Oscar-winning Spanish actress, 42, will play the designers sister in the third instalment of the award-winning anthology series American Crime Story, said reports in the US. Edgar Ramirez has already been cast as Gianni in the 10-episode series, while Darren Criss will play serial killer Andrew Cunanan, who shot the designer on the steps of his mansion in Miami. Entitled Versace: American Crime Story, the new series is expected to go into production in April. It will not air until after series two, which will focus on Hurricane Katrina and is slated to debut in 2018. The first series, The People V OJ Simpson, aired last year and picked up accolades at the Golden Globes and the Emmys. Gianni, 50, was shot dead on July 15 1997 at his home in Miami Beach, after returning from a walk. Cunanan committed suicide eight days later. Extra protection: children are more vulnerable to the effects of carbon monoxide poisoning than adults According to research, parents are more likely to buy plug covers than carbon monoxide alarms. But Lisa Salmon says mums and dads should think again. UK parents spend hundreds of pounds on safety features to protect their children, yet new research reveals a third of them fail to invest in a cheap device that could save their child's life. On average, parents spend 222 on safety items for their children, but they're almost twice as likely (78%) to buy a car seat as a carbon monoxide (CO) alarm, which costs from around 10 to 20. Research by the Carbon Monoxide Be-Alarmed! campaign has revealed a third of parents don't have a carbon monoxide alarm in their home, and those with children under 12 months are the least likely to have one (42%). In fact, stair gates, baby monitors, plug covers, cupboard and drawer locks and smoke alarms all came above CO alarms in the list of must-have safety items. Carbon monoxide is known as 'the silent killer' because it can affect people before they're aware there's a problem. Indeed, more than 50 people a year die from carbon monoxide poisoning, and another 4,000 are treated in hospital. CO Be-Alarmed! campaign spokesperson Lawrence Slade says: "Carbon monoxide is known as the silent killer because you can't see it, taste it or smell it, so an alarm can be life-saving." Children are more vulnerable to the effects of carbon monoxide poisoning, as Slade explains: "Being smaller, the carbon monoxide enters the bloodstream and is carried around the body much quicker." Unborn children are also particularly vulnerable to CO poisoning, as they depend on the mother's air supply, so if she inhales CO, they have no choice but to take in the poison, which can cause learning difficulties. "A CO alarm should be at the top of any parent's safety checklist," stresses Slade. The vast majority (91%) of parents polled said they had a smoke alarm before they had children, compared to just 55% who owned a carbon monoxide alarm. But why don't all parents install CO alarms? "I think it's lack of awareness more than anything," says Slade. "Carbon monoxide does fall under the radar as a threat in the home. "It's easy for parents to see when their child is going to hurt themselves on a sharp corner when crawling around, or playing with a plug socket, but carbon monoxide could be affecting them before they're even aware something's wrong." Carbon monoxide is produced when fuels such as gas, oil, coal and wood, which are used in many household appliances, including boilers, gas fires, cookers and open fires, don't burn fully. The gas is colourless and odourless, but when it's breathed in, it enters the bloodstream, mixes with haemoglobin and stops the blood being able to carry oxygen. This lack of oxygen causes the body's cells and tissue to fail and die. Early symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning include headaches, dizziness, nausea and breathlessness, which can sometimes be mistaken for flu or tiredness. Eventually, people suffering from CO poisoning will collapse and lose consciousness. "Other people in your house, flat or workplace may fall ill with similar symptoms," says Slade, "or your symptoms may go away when you go on holiday and return when you come back. "You may find you're getting headaches more frequently in winter, when the central heating is used more frequently." He also warns that even a neighbour's faulty boiler could lead to CO leaking into your house. The Co Be-Alarmed! campaign is urging people to follow a simple checklist - Do you have an alarm fitted? Have you tested it, and are the batteries working? Have you had a recent gas check? "It's important to install a carbon monoxide alarm in your home to alert you if there's a carbon monoxide leak," says Slade. "However, an alarm isn't a substitute for maintaining and regularly servicing household appliances." Parenting vlogger Anna Whitehouse, founder of Mother Pukka, is backing the CO Be Alarmed! campaign and says: "I'm a mum and my family is my priority. With a new arrival on the way, we've thought about nothing else other than all the safety features we need to buy again. "As any new parent knows, life gets turned upside down, and that's why it's so important to get your safety features sorted out early on and make sure your home is fitted with a CO alarm." For more information about how to stay safe, visit co-bealarmed.co.uk Pacemaker Press 17/3/2017 Police and student Safety representatives in the Holylands area of Belfast for St Patrick's day on Friday. Pic Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker Pacemaker Press 17/3/2017 Police and student Safety representatives in the Holylands area of Belfast for St Patrick's day on Friday. Pic Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker Pacemaker Press 17/3/2017 Police and student Safety representatives in the Holylands area of Belfast for St Patrick's day on Friday. Pic Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker Pacemaker Press 17/3/2017 Police and student Safety representatives in the Holylands area of Belfast for St Patrick's day on Friday. Pic Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker Pacemaker Press 17/3/2017 Police and student Safety representatives in the Holylands area of Belfast for St Patrick's day on Friday. Pic Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker Pacemaker Press 17/3/2017 Police and student Safety representatives in the Holylands area of Belfast for St Patrick's day on Friday. Pic Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker Pacemaker Press 17/3/2017 Churches in the Holylands area of Belfast for St Patrick's day on Friday. Pic Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker Pacemaker Press 17/3/2017 Police and student Safety representatives in the Holylands area of Belfast for St Patrick's day on Friday. Pic Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker Pacemaker Press 17/3/2017 Police and student Safety representatives in the Holylands area of Belfast for St Patrick's day on Friday. Pic Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker Pacemaker Press 17/3/2017 Police and student Safety representatives in the Holylands area of Belfast for St Patrick's day on Friday. Pic Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker Pacemaker Press 17/3/2017 Police and student Safety representatives in the Holylands area of Belfast for St Patrick's day on Friday. Pic Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker Pacemaker Press 17/3/2017 Police and student Safety representatives in the Holylands area of Belfast for St Patrick's day on Friday. Pic Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker Pacemaker Press 17/3/2017 Churches serve tea and Coffee in the Holylands area of Belfast for St Patrick's day on Friday. Pic Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker Pacemaker Press 17/3/2017 Police and student Safety representatives in the Holylands area of Belfast for St Patrick's day on Friday. Pic Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker Scenes in the Holyland area of Belfast on St Patrick's Day 2017. Scenes in the Holyland area of Belfast on St Patrick's Day 2017. Scenes in the Holyland area of Belfast on St Patrick's Day 2017. Scenes in the Holyland area of Belfast on St Patrick's Day 2017. Scenes in the Holyland area of Belfast on St Patrick's Day 2017. Pacemaker Press 17/3/2017 Police and student Safety representatives in the Holylands area of Belfast for St Patrick's day on Friday. Pic Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker Pacemaker Press 17/3/2017 Police and student Safety representatives in the Holylands area of Belfast for St Patrick's day on Friday. Pic Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker Pacemaker Press 17/3/2017 Police and student Safety representatives in the Holylands area of Belfast for St Patrick's day on Friday. Pic Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker Pacemaker Press 17/3/2017 Police and student Safety representatives in the Holylands area of Belfast for St Patrick's day on Friday. Pic Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker Police have been criticised for a shortage of arrests in the hard-partying Holyland area around St Patrick's Day. A total of 15 were made in and around central Belfast and the student district. The arrests, linked to the festivities in the city, were for a range of public order offences including disorderly behaviour, resisting arrest and assault on police. However, there was surprise that a vast policing operation in the Holyland did not result in more people being lifted. Police flooded the area in a bid to avoid a repeat of the disorder that marred the 2016 St Patrick's celebrations. Locals said up to three times as many officers were on hand compared to last year. Ray Farley from the Belfast Holyland Regeneration Association said he thought police had used kid gloves. "I do feel that there could have been a few more arrests made, for instance for street drinking offences," he said. "No matter what you say, people behave badly, but they are responsible for their own actions. "They know the score, they have been told by their universities not to behave in this way." Expand Close Ray Farley / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Ray Farley Mr Farley said it was time for the Holyland to return to what it was in the past. "We need to turn back the Holyland to what it was 30 years ago, which was a family, residential area," he argued. "It's always been a nice part of Belfast to live in, even during the Troubles, where it was a mixed community. "We would encourage universities and developers to create accommodation more so in the city centre, away from residential areas." Alliance MLA Paula Bradshaw said the police operation had resulted in less trouble than there had been in previous years, which was a bonus. "I wish to thank the police for their operation surrounding St Patrick's Day in the Holyland in particular," she said. "Their presence helped ensure non-student residents were left with the minimum of disruption, while allowing revellers to enjoy themselves without a repeat of last year's disgraceful scenes." PSNI Superintendent Melanie Jones said that alcohol had been the main factor in the 15 arrests. "Thankfully, there was no repeat of the disgraceful levels of behaviour that we saw in the Holyland last year," she said. "However, police and partner agencies responded to numerous reports of unacceptable anti-social conduct and young people drinking alcohol in the street. In fact, the majority of those arrested were under the influence of alcohol. "A significant police and partnership operation was in place to help ensure the celebration passed off in a largely peaceful fashion. "And, with the exception of a few, most people who attended the city centre parade, or who celebrated independently, did so in a good-natured and respectful fashion." She added: "In due course police, along with partner agencies, and in consultation with the local community, will review all of the planning for St Patrick's Day and its associated events and will take away whatever learning there is to improve the experience in future for residents and visitors alike." Unionist politicians are insisting that a return to direct rule is on the agenda if a political deal can't be brokered this week, despite comments from Taoiseach Enda Kenny ruling it out. The DUP, Ulster Unionists, and TUV all reacted angrily to Mr Kenny's remarks claiming that he and Prime Minister Theresa May had agreed that direct rule wasn't an option if the talks fail. Unionists asserted that the Taoiseach was totally wrong about what would happen if negotiations to restore devolution don't make progress before next Monday's crunch deadline. And they warned him that he couldn't dictate Northern Ireland's political future, which was a matter for the British Government alone. Downing Street also moved to distance itself from Mr Kenny's comments yesterday. A Government spokesman said that while it wanted to see devolution restored, and "was not speculating on any other outcome", maintaining political stability in Northern Ireland was its responsibility. Talks to save the power-sharing Executive at Stormont are set to intensify today, as the third and final week of meetings involving the parties, London and Dublin begins. Speaking in New York during his St Patrick's Day visit, Mr Kenny said that if the negotiations failed, Secretary of State James Brokenshire would then have to either call another Assembly election or restore direct rule. "I have spoken very clearly to the British Prime Minister and we are both agreed that there will be no return to direct rule from London," the Taoiseach said. "So I do hope that the Executive can be put in place, because this has implications for the peace process." Ulster Unionist chief negotiator Tom Elliott said he was shocked by Mr Kenny's remarks. "I have had extensive contact with the Secretary of State and the Northern Ireland Office in recent times," the MP said. "There has been no indication whatsoever that direct rule is not an option for Downing Street. "I don't know why Enda Kenny is making such spurious claims. "The political arrangements for Northern Ireland are not his concern anyway, they are purely a matter for the British Government." DUP MP Sir Jeffrey Donaldson said: "The comments from the Taoiseach are not in accordance with what we understand to be the UK Government's position. "As Downing Street has made clear, it is the UK Government that is responsible for the internal affairs of Northern Ireland and no one else." TUV leader Jim Allister accused Mr Kenny of attempting to portray himself as wielding far more political clout than is the reality. Mr Allister said: "Enda Kenny has been trying to create the impression that he has a controlling influence on our future. "It is not for him to say what the political arrangements for Northern Ireland will be. "Indeed, in quite a short time he won't even have a say over political arrangements in the Irish Republic, because he will no longer be Taoiseach." Mr Allister said the Government's current public position that there was no alternative to devolution was to be expected. "They want to ensure the maximum chances for a deal this week, so they can't say anything else. They don't want to readily talk about other alternatives," he said. "They are stressing that if a deal isn't reached there must be an election. That might or might not be the case. The law currently says that it is so, but the law can be changed quite quickly." Mr Allister said it was possible that Northern Ireland could continue in political limbo until the autumn. "Westminster is undoubtedly reluctant to go back to direct rule. But that doesn't have to happen immediately after the suspension of devolution, there are other options," he said. "The Stormont institutions could exist in a shadow form without full-blown direct rule. "With some sort of interim arrangements in place, they could limp on through the summer. However, financial reasons would dictate that the bull had to be taken by the horns come September." A woman has been arrested by police investigating the murder of UDA godfather George Gilmore. Detectives detained the 32-year-old in Carrickfergus yesterday. She was taken to Musgrave PSNI station for questioning. The arrest came after two men accused of Gilmore's murder appeared in court on Saturday. Brian Roy McLean and Samuel David McMaw are charged with shooting Gilmore dead last Monday. McLean (35) and McMaw (28) are also accused of the attempted murder of Kelvin Graham and Stephen Boyd on the same date. The pair are further charged with possession of a semi-automatic pistol and seven rounds of 9mm ammunition with intent. Around 30 supporters were at Belfast Magistrates Court for the short hearing. They were watched by more than a dozen heavily-armed police officers. Both of the accused looked relaxed as the charges were read to them by the clerk of the court and sat waving and nodding to friends as the hearing began. Defence solicitors for the pair said there were no bail applications to be made, but McLean's lawyer said he would apply for bail in due course. District Judge Bernadette Kelly remanded McMaw, of Starbog Road near Kilwaughter in Co Antrim, and McLean, of The Birches in Carrickfergus, into custody. As prison officers handcuffed the men and led them back into the cells the crowd in the public gallery stood and applauded loudly. It's believed that among those in the gallery was the current commander of the UDA in south east Antrim. Judge Kelly ordered that the court be cleared, with police officers and security staff escorting the supporters from the room. McMaw and McLean are due to appear in court again via video-link tomorrow. A Londonderry man will face a retrial charged with attending a terror training camp in Syria. Last month, Eamon Bradley was found not guilty of possessing grenades with the intent to endanger life in connection with his time in the Middle East warzone. The jury in Derry Crown Court was unable to return a verdict on three counts linked to allegations he attended a training camp and received instructions on the use of AK47 assault rifles, two other firearms and a grenade. After reviewing the outcome of the trial, Northern Ireland's Public Prosecution Service has decided Bradley, 28, from the Coshquin area of Derry, will face another trial on those three charges. The original trial was the first case of its type taken in Northern Ireland. Bradley was alleged to have been involved with a Syrian rebel group opposed to the government of President Bashar Assad and Islamic State. The prosecution case was based on interviews he gave to police after he was arrested in Northern Ireland over images of him apparently posing with guns posted on social media. A new trial date is due to be set when the judge and lawyers reconvene on April 3. Michelle O'Neill intends to meet the Prime Minister to voice her strong opposition to Brexit Theresa May will receive a very clear message that Northern Ireland opposes Brexit when she visits before triggering Article 50, Sinn Fein has said. The party's northern leader Michelle O'Neill said she intended to meet the Prime Minister to voice her strong opposition. Mrs May is expected in the region later this week ahead of formally starting the process of the UK exiting the EU next Wednesday. Her visit will coincide with the final week of crunch talks to form a new powersharing executive at Stormont. In Northern Ireland, 56% voted to remain in the EU in last year's referendum. A Sinn Fein demand for the region to retain special EU-designated status post-Brexit has been rejected by the Government. "The British Government are acting against the interest and the expressed wishes of a cross-community group of people here that want to stay in Europe," said Mrs O'Neill. "We will be making that message clear to Theresa May when she is here - apparently she is coming later in the week - we will make this message very clear to her, that this is not good, this is bad news for the people of Ireland." If Mrs May meets the main political leaders in Belfast, she will hear a different message from the Democratic Unionists. The region's largest unionist party campaigned for Brexit and has insisted the referendum was a UK-wide vote. Sinn Fein deputy president Mary Lou McDonald said there was an obligation on Irish Taoiseach Enda Kenny to represent the interests of the entire island and make clear to Mrs May that the wishes of the electorate north of the border had to be respected. Expand Close Michelle O'Neill intends to meet the Prime Minister to voice her strong opposition to Brexit / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Michelle O'Neill intends to meet the Prime Minister to voice her strong opposition to Brexit She said Mr Kenny had to "take a stand in the national interest". "This business of dividing Ireland north and south is over now with the advent of Brexit," she said. "We now all hang together or we will surely hang separately. "All of our interests are absolutely intertwined, we will be relying on each other to stand up for each other and to protect each other and, in a very special and particular way, that places a big, big obligation on the Taoiseach." If negotiations on restoring powersharing fail to reach consensus by next Monday, Northern Ireland could be facing another snap election. The last election, at the start of the month, was triggered by the collapse of powersharing amid a row between the DUP and Sinn Fein over a botched green energy scheme. The subsequent campaign laid bare a raft of other disputes dividing the main parties. Mrs O'Neill said the week ahead would be "crucial" for the fate of powersharing. She insisted Sinn Fein would not accept a return to direct rule from Westminster if negotiations fail. The Sinn Fein leader reiterated her belief that blame for the logjam lays with the UK Government, which she accused of failing to honour previous agreements. Enda Kenny will not delay his departure as Fine Gael leader - and could step down in May. That is the view of Fine Gael MEP, Sean Kelly, who also said Mr Kenny may step down first as party leader while remaining in place as Taoiseach for a short while thereafter. Mr Kelly, who is a first cousin of the Taoiseach's wife, Fionnuala, said the Taoiseach is a keynote speaker at a conference of Fine Gael's EU umbrella body, the Christian Democrat EPP group. This takes place in Dublin on May 11 next. "It is my hope he will be in office until that conference at least. Then I believe sometime after that he will step down as leader of the party, sometime in May possibly," Mr Kelly, also a former GAA president, told Independent.ie. The Killarney-based MEP said he did not believe that Mr Kenny would stay too long as Taoiseach once he had quit as party leader. Speaking to RTE Radio One's Morning Ireland, Mr Kelly said; "It was logical to me that there should be a time-span between somebody taking over as leader as a party and actually assuming the huge responsibility of being Taoiseach. Read more Read More "This is something that the Fine Gael parliamentary party might discuss because it should come as a decision of all, rather than maybe one. "Well, as you said, the Taoiseach is going to indicate shortly the timeline for his departure and I think then the election of the leader of Fine Gael is going to take place in a matter of weeks, that's going to be pretty demanding, exhausting for the candidates. "I think if they had a number of weeks, possibly months between that and taking over as Taoiseach it would give them time to think, reflect an come up with whatever they wanted to do themselves and have a sensible, almost transparent handover of power." Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Previous Next Close US President Donald Trump (left) and Irish Taoiseach Enda Kenny hold a bowl of Shamrock during the St Patrick's Day Reception and Shamrock Presentation Ceremony, at the White House in Washington DC, USA. Enda Kenny addresses staff at Bloomberg headquarters in New York Irish Taoiseach Enda Kenny (left) takes part in the St Patrick's Day parade in New York, USA. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Friday March 17, 2017. See PA story IRISH Kenny. Photo credit should read: Niall Carson/PA Wire PA WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 16: U.S. President Donald Trump (2nd L), House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) (L), Irish Taoisech Enda Kenny (3rd L) and Rep. Peter King (R-NY) (R) pose for photographers outside the Capitol after the annual Friends of Ireland luncheon March 16, 2017 in Washington, DC. Taoisech Kenny is in Washington to celebrate St. Patrick's Day. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images) Getty Images NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 16: (L to R) New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny march in the annual St. Patrick's Day parade on 5th Avenue, March 17, 2017 in New York City. The New York City St. Patrick's Day parade, dating back to 1762, is the world's largest St. Patrick's Day celebration. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images) Getty Images WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 16: U.S. President Donald Trump (C) and House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) leave the House side of the Capitol after the annual Friends of Ireland luncheon March 16, 2017 in Washington, DC. Irish Taoisech Enda Kenny is in Washington to celebrate St. Patrick's Day. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images) Getty Images WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 16: U.S. President Donald Trump (C), House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) (L) and Irish Taoisech Enda Kenny pose for photographers outside the Capitol after the annual Friends of Ireland luncheon March 16, 2017 in Washington, DC. Taoisech Kenny is in Washington to celebrate St. Patrick's Day. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images) Getty Images WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 16: U.S. President Donald Trump (L) and Irish Taoisech Enda Kenny (R) shake hands outside the Capitol after the annual Friends of Ireland luncheon March 16, 2017 in Washington, DC. Taoisech Kenny is in Washington to celebrate St. Patrick's Day. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images) Getty Images NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 16: (L to R) Cardinal Timothy Dolan, the Archbishop of New York, and Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny speak with each other during the annual St. Patrick's Day parade on 5th Avenue, March 17, 2017 in New York City. The New York City St. Patrick's Day parade, dating back to 1762, is the world's largest St. Patrick's Day celebration. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images) Getty Images WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 16: U.S. President Donald Trump (2nd L) confers with U.S. Speaker of the House Paul Ryan (L) (R-WI) following a luncheon celebrating St. Patrick's Day at the U.S. Capitol on March 16, 2017 in Washington, DC. Ryan and Trump continue efforts to find support in both the House and Senate for the American Health Care Act. Also pictured are U.S. Vice President Mike Pence (2nd R) and Rep. Peter King (R) (R-NY). (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images) Getty Images WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 16: U.S. President Donald Trump (2nd L) confers with U.S. Speaker of the House Paul Ryan (L) (R-WI) following a luncheon celebrating St. Patrick's Day at the U.S. Capitol on March 16, 2017 in Washington, DC. Ryan and Trump continue efforts to find support in both the House and Senate for the American Health Care Act. Also pictured are U.S. Vice President Mike Pence (2nd R) and Rep. Peter King (R) (R-NY). (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images) Getty Images WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 16: U.S. President Donald Trump (L) and Irish Taoiseach Enda Kenny acknowledge the press outside the West Wing of the White House March 16, 2017 in Washington, DC. Kenny and Trump are scheduled to attend the annual Friends of Ireland Luncheon at the U.S. Capitol. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) Getty Images WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 16: The vehicle carrying Irish Taoiseach Enda Kenny arrives at the White House before Kenny meets with U.S. President Donald Trump March 16, 2017 in Washington, DC. Kenny and Trump are scheduled to attend the annual Friends of Ireland Luncheon at the U.S. Capitol. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) Getty Images WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 16: (AFP OUT) U.S. President Donald J. Trump (R) holds a bilateral meeting with the Taoiseach of Ireland Enda Kenny in the Oval Office of the White House on March 16, 2017 in Washington, DC. Kenny is in town to celebrate St. Patricks Day. (Photo by Olivier Douliery-Pool/Getty Images) Getty Images WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 16: U.S. President Donald Trump awaits the arrival of Irish Taoiseach Enda Kenny outside the West Wing of the White House March 16, 2017 in Washington, DC. Kenny and Trump are scheduled to attend the annual Friends of Ireland Luncheon at the U.S. Capitol. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) Getty Images WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 16: U.S. President Donald Trump (L) greets Irish Taoiseach Enda Kenny outside the West Wing of the White House March 16, 2017 in Washington, DC. Kinny and Trump are scheduled to attend the annual Friends of Ireland Luncheon at the U.S. Capitol. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) Getty Images WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 16: (AFP OUT) U.S. President Donald J. Trump (L) holds a bilateral meeting with the Taoiseach of Ireland Enda Kenny (not pictured) in the Oval Office of the White House on March 16, 2017 in Washington, DC. Kenny is in town to celebrate St. Patricks Day. (Photo by Olivier Douliery-Pool/Getty Images) Getty Images WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 16: U.S. President Donald Trump (L) greets Irish Taoiseach Enda Kenny outside the West Wing of the White House March 16, 2017 in Washington, DC. Kinny and Trump are scheduled to attend the annual Friends of Ireland Luncheon at the U.S. Capitol. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) Getty Images US President Donald Trump shakes hands with the Taoiseach of Ireland Enda Kenny (L) during a meeting in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, March 16, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / SAUL LOEBSAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images AFP/Getty Images US President Donald Trump meets with the Taoiseach of Ireland Enda Kenny (L) in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC on March 16, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / SAUL LOEBSAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images AFP/Getty Images US President Donald Trump and Irish Taoiseach Enda Kenny meet for talks in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, USA. Niall Carson/PA Wire PA US President Donald Trump welcomes Irish Taoiseach Enda Kenny to the White House in Washington USA. Niall Carson/PA Wire PA US President Donald Trump welcomes Irish Taoiseach Enda Kenny to the White House in Washington USA. Niall Carson/PA Wire PA US President Donald Trump and Irish Taoiseach Enda Kenny meet for talks in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, USA. Niall Carson/PA Wire PA US President Donald Trump and Irish Taoiseach Enda Kenny meet for talks in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, USA. Niall Carson/PA Wire PA Enda Kenny and Mike Pence at the Ireland Funds Gala Dinner in Washington on the fourth day of the Taoiseach's visit to the US / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp US President Donald Trump (left) and Irish Taoiseach Enda Kenny hold a bowl of Shamrock during the St Patrick's Day Reception and Shamrock Presentation Ceremony, at the White House in Washington DC, USA. He has also suggested that the Taoiseach could stay on as type of Brexit ambassador who would oversee talks but said that was a matter for the new leader to decide. "What is important now is that the Taoiseach outlines his position, having come back from the United States. He will be there for the first Brexit meeting which is going to be crucial [and] which will give an opportunity to lay down the red lines for everyone involved," he said. The Taoiseach has caused some confusion and upset among Fine Gael TDs, senators and MEPs, at the weekend when he signalled he wanted to remain in office until a power-sharing government was re-established in Belfast and ground-rules for Brexit negotiations were put in place. This appeared to row back on a pledge last month by Mr Kenny that he would outline his departure plans on his return from a St Patrick's Day visit to the USA. The Fine Gael parliamentary party meet at Leinster House on Wednesday. But the issue is not expected to be dealt with at this meeting. However, several key Fine Gael figures have made it clear that they want the leadership issue settled "within weeks - not months." Housing Minister Simon Coveney warned that a ' no confidence' motion in Taoiseach Enda Kenny is "a non-issue". Mr Coveney insisted "nothing has changed" since the Taoiseach's successful visit to the United States last week and stressed that Fine Gael is "relaxed and content" for Mr Kenny to be given time to put the leadership succession process in place. The Cork TD is now running neck-and-neck with Social Protection Minister Leo Varadkar in polls over who is best placed to succeed Mr Kenny. Speaking in Cork where he announced 180 new jobs for Kings Laundry, Mr Coveney warned Fine Gael members there was no need for acrimony over the imminent leadership transition. But he warned anyone tabling a 'no confidence' motion in Mr Kenny will discover it will attract very little support within Fine Gael. "I think that is a non-issue - I don't think there is going to be a motion of no confidence. "I think if anybody were to put one forward it wouldn't be support by even a dozen people. "I don't think there will be a motion of no confidence - there is no need for one. "The party is very united behind Enda Kenny and very supportive of him." Mr Coveney urged party members to be patient with Mr Kenny. "I think they will wait for him to put in place a process, like he said he would, so we can manage this in a way that is good for the Government in terms of stability through an important period and also good for the party. "I think people should show a little patience to allow that process to take its course. "The party trusts Enda Kenny to manage this - I think that process will be outlined sooner rather than later." Mr Coveney said that the people who want to speed up the process are outside of Fine Gael. "The party is pretty content at the moment that Enda will put a process in place sooner rather than later. "I think, to be honest, the party are pretty relaxed about what is happening at the moment." The Cork TD stressed that many of those "talking up" the Fine Gael leadership are not party members. "I think others are commentating on it differently to what is happening within Fine Gael. "The vast majority of people that I have spoken expected that the Taoiseach would want to be at the first European (Union) leaders meeting after Article 50 is triggered (by the UK). "I think he has indicated he wants to do that and it is no surprise. "I don't think anything has changed fundamentally from before the St Patrick's Day visit - apart from the fact it was a very good visit (to the US)." Mr Coveney said it was a "good week" for the Taoiseach and for the country. "I think he will now follow through on his commitment to put in place a process by which we can manage a transition of leadership within both Government and Fine Gael. "We can do that in an orderly and professional manner. "I don't think there is anyone in the party pushing that time agenda in the way that is unreasonable. "Let's give the Taoiseach time and space to do what he said he was going to do. "I am certainly very comfortable that that will happen." 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. 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Some 250 staff are to be taken on by eShopWorld over the next three years as it officially opened its global headquarters at the Airside Business Park in Swords, Dublin. The company is investing 25 million euro on new recruits, software development and R&D taking its workforce to almost 400 by 2019. With offices in Dublin, Newry, the US, Singapore and the Netherlands, eShopWorld provides e-commerce solutions to clothing and sportswear brands. Chief executive Tommy Kelly said: "We are very pleased to be adding jobs and investment to fulfil demand from leading global brands. "Premium brands see our technology platform as a key pillar for growth and establishing long term sustainable relationships with brand loyal customers." Education Minister Richard Bruton attended the announcement. " Here is an innovative Irish company, established six years ago, which now employs 150 people and has a turnover of over 200 million euro," he said. Meanwhile, a linen supply and laundry firm is to hire another 100 staff at a new facility it opened in the middle of last year. Kings Laundry, which began life in Dublin 17 years ago, runs a major operation on a three-acre site at Little Island in Co Cork and is pressing ahead with expanding staff numbers ahead of schedule. A former student has called for defendants accused of sexual offences to be given anonymity after being acquitted of raping a 22-year-old woman who took her own life. Elgan Varney offered his condolences to the family of Keele University student Hannah Stubbs after the CPS offered no evidence against him during a hearing at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court. Hannah, who was studying physiotherapy, killed herself in August 2015 while police were investigating her claims against Mr Varney. In a statement read out by his solicitor, Hollie Alcock, Mr Varney questioned the timing of prosecutors' decision to drop the case four days before a trial was due to begin. Mr Varney, 33, formerly of Newcastle-under-Lyme, stated: "This is not a time of celebration for me - quite simply, I should never have been charged and put through this horrendous ordeal. "I will sadly never know the exact reasons for Hannah's actions. "My anger and frustration is directed at the police and the CPS who have had overwhelming evidence from the outset that no crime was committed." Mr Varney, whose QC described the aborted prosecution as "terribly disturbing and distressing" for all those involved, said he had been looking forward to the facts of the case coming out at trial. Calling for a change in the law to provide anonymity to those charged with but not convicted of sexual offences, Mr Varney added: "I fully believe that all sexual allegations should be investigated in a robust, fair and balanced manner and offenders should be brought to justice "However, in the current climate it's far too easy for innocent people to be falsely accused. "Police and CPS policy offers no protection to those wrongfully accused and many lives are left in tatters. "It is a problem that has to be acknowledged and not ignored for fear of putting genuine victims off reporting." Mr Varney claimed there was an "awful stigma" surrounding sexual allegations and said the impact of having his name in the media associated with abhorrent allegations, despite being innocent, had been nightmarish. He continued: "It impacts future prospects and you are never allowed to fully move forward when the fact that you have been accused is one click away on Google. "The pendulum has swung too far and fairness and balance needs to be restored so that the presumption of innocence is not completely eroded. "I'd like to finish by saying a big thank you to my family, my friends and everyone who has stood by me. Without you I don't think I would be here any more. "I hope I can now pick up the pieces of my life and be left to try and move forward in peace." The CPS said the case had been kept under regular review and prosecutors were no longer satisfied that there was a realistic prospect of conviction. Prosecutors have met with the family of the complainant to explain the reasons for the decision, a CPS spokesman said. In a statement, Hannah's parents, Paul and Mandy Stubbs, who live near Stafford, thanked friends, family and police for their care and support over the past 19 months. "Our overwhelming feeling is one of loss," they said. "And we don't want what happened to Hannah to define her life or our memory of the kind and loving person that she was. "Hannah had decided to study medicine, and later physiotherapy, after hearing a missionary doctor speak at our church about the 2010 earthquake in Haiti. "She was very good at what she turned her hand to, and could have achieved anything." Mr Varney was cleared by Judge John Fletcher of two counts of rape and one of sexual assault after prosecutor Karim Khalil QC said the decision not to continue the prosecution had been taken at the "highest level" of the CPS. An inquest into Ms Stubbs's death recorded a narrative verdict that she had taken her own life following post-traumatic stress. Defence counsel Ann Cotcher QC told the court Mr Varney had been "removed from his attempts at education" at Keele because of the proceedings against him. "This is an allegation that goes back to 2014," Ms Cotcher told the brief hearing. "The defendant was interviewed, as was the complainant, in March 2015, almost exactly two years ago." In his statement to the media, Mr Varney said: "My vocational choice has been put in jeopardy and my life during that time can only be described as an existence. "My family have suffered, my close friends have suffered and tens of thousands of pounds of public money was spent on this prosecution before common sense prevailed." Mr Varney, who was also studying physiotherapy, added: "I wish to acknowledge how tragic the complainant's untimely death was, and as someone who only ever cared about her I would like to send my sincere condolences to her family. "I know she was a troubled young woman, and it pains me that she made unfounded allegations that came about after I told her I didn't want to be in a relationship with her." A spokesman for the university said: "Based on today's outcome, we will be in conversation with Mr Varney over the coming weeks. "As is standard practice, any such discussion will be confidential between the university and the student." Detective Superintendent Tim Martin, of Staffordshire Police, said: "Each and every case is different and in this instance, information and the evidence gathered was submitted to the CPS who authorised charges to be brought. "Our priority at this stage is the welfare of the family involved in this tragic case and our thoughts remain with them at this difficult time." :: The Samaritans helpline can be contacted on 116 123. A one-year-old girl is fighting for her life as police question a man arrested on suspicion of her attempted murder and the murder of a boy believed to be her twin. Bidhya Sagar Das, 33, was wanted by police in connection with a "domestic incident" at a flat in Wilberforce Road, near Finsbury Park, north London, on Saturday night. Both toddlers were discovered with critical injuries at the address and were taken to an east London hospital, where the boy died in the early hours of Sunday morning. Das was arrested in the Hackney area at 7.15pm on Sunday following a major search by police. He was taken to an east London police station where he remains in custody. The girl, who has been operated on, remains in hospital in a critical condition, police said. Witnesses heard a woman shouting for help on the street outside at around 11.10pm on Saturday and later saw two children being carried out of the property. Mihai Manea, 29, who lives on the second floor of the white three-storey building, said the children were twins and lived on the top floor with their Romanian mother and Indian father. A woman living opposite the building, who gave her name as Gui Gui, said she opened the window to offer help after hearing a woman shouting. "I was watching TV," she said. "I heard someone was shouting. "She kept on shouting. I do not know what she was shouting. "I opened the window and I asked her 'Can I help you, can I call the police for you?' "She said, 'My kids'." She later saw two young children being carried out of the building, with one held very close to a member of the emergency services. The incident is believed to be domestic and enquiries continue, police said. Next of kin have been informed of the boy's death but formal identification and a post-mortem examination are yet to take place. Detective Chief Inspector Dave Whellams, of the Metropolitan Police, said: "This is clearly a tragic incident, and our thoughts are with the family of the two young children. "Despite the best efforts of medical professionals a baby boy sadly died in the early hours of this morning. A baby girl currently remains in a critical condition and is receiving specialist medical care. "Whilst we remain in the early stages of the investigation, a man has now been arrested. "I would still like to hear from anyone who may have any information regarding this terrible incident." Anyone with information should contact police on 020 8345 3775 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. A man has died after taking part in a 5km timed run. The 43-year-old collapsed on Saturday morning during the Forest Rec Park Run in Forest Recreation Ground, Nottingham - a weekly event, which provides time trials for all participants in the circuit. Fellow runner James Herbert, 33, said he was one of three people who performed CPR on the man, who had been running 30 metres in front of him when he fell to the ground. He said: "We'd just got to the top of the hill and he, all of a sudden, fell flat on his face. "Myself and two other runners - they were both doctors - ran over to him, flipped him over and started doing chest compressions." Despite paramedics arriving to continue resuscitation efforts, the man was taken to Queen's Medical Centre where he was pronounced dead at around 10.30am. Mr Herbert, a chemistry teacher who lives in Nottingham, said he had looked "the picture of health, apart from the fact he was in a really bad state". Nottinghamshire Police said the death is not being treated as suspicious and a report will be submitted to the coroner. Professor Stephen Hawking has said he is planning to travel into space on Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic. The 75-year-old physicist and cosmologist said he had not expected to have the opportunity to experience space, but that the Virgin boss had offered him a seat. Discussing the meaning of happiness on Good Morning Britain today, he said: "My three children have brought me great joy. "And I can tell you what will make me happy, to travel in space. "I thought no one would take me, but Richard Branson has offered me a seat on Virgin Galactic, and I said yes immediately." Professor Hawking also shared his views on US President Donald Trump and Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn in the interview. The scientist - who previously referred to Mr Trump as a "demagogue" - said he still admires America but fears he "may not be welcome" there any more. "The reaction to the election of Donald Trump may have been overdone, but it represents a definite swing to a Right-wing, more authoritarian approach", he said. "Everyday life in the United States continues much the same. "I have many friends and colleagues there, and it is still a place I like and admire in many ways. "I would like to visit again and to talk to other scientists but I fear that I may not be welcome." Professor Hawking said of Mr Corbyn: "I don't believe there will be much chance of Labour winning an election under him. "He doesn't come across as a strong leader, and he allowed the media to portray him as a Left-wing extremist, which he's not. It's no good having the right principles if you never get in power." But he added: "I will continue to vote Labour, it's the party that matters." Professor Hawking also warned that leaving Europe "threatens Britain's status as a world leader in science and innovation". Between the UDA-UVF feud of the summer and autumn of 2000 and the siege of the Holy Cross girls' primary school after that faction-fighting, a former loyalist activist despaired over the behaviour, thinking and strategy of the pro-Union terror gangs. "Have they any more feet left to shoot off?" he said when observing how loyalist paramilitaries in the early 2000s were disgracing themselves in the eyes of the world over feuding, drug dealing, general criminality and the blatant sectarian intimidation of young children. One interesting and relatively unreported development over the last decade or so since then has been how it appears that most working class loyalists seem to be learning from these past mistakes. While certain areas of Northern Ireland remain blighted by loyalist crime lords and their nefarious activities, there are far greater examples of how other loyalists have been playing a more positive role in helping out their own communities. Lisburn and the Old Warren estate in particular comes to mind here in terms of ex-UDA activists running projects aimed at integrating foreign immigrants (mostly Polish and other Eastern European families) into the local community through education and employment initiatives. The Old Warren experiment has been studied by many other community organisations from across Northern Ireland, even those which include their former republican enemies. Ironically, it almost lost its funding last year, but as a result of a publicity campaign to highlight their good work, the project managed to gain financial support from the Office of First Minister and Deputy First Minister. It would be a deeper, even bitterer irony if such a project was put at risk again due to the inability of the parties at Stormont to re-establish power-sharing. It must be equally depressing for those behind such projects within the working class loyalist community to witness the events in east Antrim, where factions of the UDA are tearing each other apart in what appears to the rest of the population as a bewildering, meaningless, internal power struggle. One man, George Gilmore, is dead and two others are facing murder charges in connection with his killing last week. There have been vicious assaults in bars, homes attacked, families driven from houses and so on. The current conflict in towns like Carrickfergus has echoes of the type of intra-loyalist violence that ripped to pieces areas like the Shankill Road in the first decade of this century, which left even the heartlands of working class unionism shattered and disillusioned. The re-emergence of loyalist factional fighting and its association with crime has also raised questions as to the validity of ceasefires and commitments to pursuing politics through solely peaceful means. Some commentators have even leapt to the conclusion that this internal power struggle is but the precursor for a general return to violence by loyalist paramilitaries. Such a view, however, is nonsensical and is one based on a misunderstanding of the origins of loyalist paramilitary armed campaigns. Despite the claims of some, there are very few, if any, loyalists itching to bring the guns out again in order to attack the wider nationalist/republican community. Even despite the Sinn Fein electoral advances in this month's Assembly election, you detect little sense within loyalism of any sense of existential panic about the state of Northern Ireland. Undoubtedly, many working class loyalists registered their disillusionment with established unionist parties, most notably the DUP, due to the RHI scandal by not turning up to polling stations on March 2. This resulted of course in unionists shipping seats to nationalism, and primarily their old adversaries in Sinn Fein. Yet, even with Sinn Fein demands for a border poll being amplified louder than before and the hysterical reaction of some sections of the southern Irish media to both Brexit and the Assembly election outcome (The Irish Times surprisingly being the worst offenders in terms of over-exaggerating their implications regarding a united Ireland), there is little chatter out there among loyalists that the Union is suddenly once more in mortal danger. Yes, there will be concern about the potential 'loss' of Scotland to the Union if Nicola Sturgeon and the SNP were to win a second independence referendum. Conversely, the thinking-wing of Ulster loyalism still takes comfort in consistent opinion polls that continually find a pro-Union majority in Northern Ireland. Those same loyalists are equally more conscious of the need for unionism in general not to alienate, by overt, traditionalist sectarian politics of the past, those sections of the Catholic population in the north of Ireland, including those who are cultural nationalists while quietly preferring to remain in the UK. They are far more aware of the necessity not to annoy or insult those liberal middle class Catholics/nationalists by way of evangelical Bible-bashing reactionary posturing than the DUP is. And even if there was to be a border poll (which the Secretary of State and the Prime Minister have both ruled out) this would hardly be a cause in thinking-loyalism's minds to bring whatever guns they have back out again. Aside from the total immorality of these murder campaigns in the past, how would reverting to naked sectarian slaughter help win over the 'quiet' pro-Union Catholics to the cause of remaining within the UK? Given, the disparate, decentralised, federal nature of loyalist terror groups' turf war disputes like the present squalid one in east Antrim will flare up from time to time with unacceptable loss of life and nothing but pain and misery for those who have to live among these feuding warlords. But the notion that these same organisations are poised to go back to 'war' on a grander scale is grossly exaggerated. From the Omagh massacre onwards to the Massereene shootings, as well as ongoing violent dissident republican activity, the loyalist terror groups have avoided until now falling into the trap of retaliatory violence. Of course, these organisations do not deserve any thanks for not killing people any more; they should never have done so in the first place. Nonetheless, the notion that they are spoiling to get back into a wider inter-communal fight is not only false, but also dangerous in its inaccuracy. Henry McDonald is co-author of UVF: The Endgame, and UDA: Inside The Heart Of Loyalist Terror. Officers guard the site where a militant blew himself up inside a makeshift Rapid Action Battalion camp in Dhaka, March 17, 2017. Bangladeshs Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) and other security units have seen an uptick in suicide bombings and other attacks in the past two weeks, raising fears that militants are regrouping and recruiting new members, officials and analysts said. Between March 6 and 18, suspected members of Neo-JMB faction carried out attacks on security forces while alleged members of Harkatul Jihad al Islami (HuJI) were linked to an attempted jailbreak. The recent orchestrated attacks demonstrate that the militants are regrouping with renewed violent strength. They are not eliminated; they went into hibernation following the death of their members in police raids after the Holey Artisan cafe attack, security analyst retired Brig. Gen. Sakhawat Hossain told BenarNews, referring to the deadliest ever terrorist in Bangladesh that took place last year. They will be trying their best to come up with bigger violent incidents in the future, he said. The recent cycle of violence began on March 6, when a suspect tossed Molotov cocktails at a prison van in an attempt to free HuJI founder Mufti Abdul Hannan, who faces execution. Police arrested the attacker at the scene. Over the weekend, the appellate division of Bangladeshs Supreme Court turned down Hannans appeal for a review of his death sentence for an assassination attempt in 2004 on the British High Commissioner that killed three people. The government is preparing for Hannans execution, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal told BenarNews. Kamal has linked the ongoing attacks to home-grown militants, dismissing claims by the Islamic State (IS) that it has a foothold in the country. We have evidence that the militants change their brands frequently. Sometimes they are JMB, sometimes Neo-JMB, sometime HuJI, sometimes Ansarullah Bangla Team and so forth, he told BenarNews. Neo-JMB Neo-JMB a faction of militant group Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) has grown stronger with more funding and bombing capabilities under new leadership following the deaths of then-leader Tamim Chowdhury and two other suspected Neo-JMB members in August 2016, a Bangladeshi counter-terrorist official told BenarNews. They have been adding fresh recruits with more hideouts in Dhaka, Chittagong and the countryside, said the official who requested anonymity. Officials have blamed Neo-JMB for the July 2016 siege at the Holey Artisan Bakery cafe in Dhaka, Bangladeshs deadliest ever terrorist attack that killed 20 hostages, mostly foreigners. IS claimed responsibility for the attack. Less than a week later, Neo-JMB attempted an attack on the countrys largest Eid congregation, but police killed an alleged militant. Two policemen and a civilian, however, died in that incident. Those incidents led RAB and other security units to carry out preemptive raids, killing at least 48 suspected militants since then. Recent attacks On March 15, police arrested a couple linked to Neo-JMB near their apartment in Sitakunda sub-district, Chittagong, after receiving a tip from their landlord. Based on information from the couple, police surrounded a nearby apartment where militants stockpiled grenades, explosives and bomb making materials. On Thursday, special weapons and tactical (SWAT) officers killed four suspected members of Neo-JMB, including a woman, during a raid at the second apartment. A small boy, believed to be the child of the female militant, died during the raid and at least one militant blew himself up. A fifth militant, identified as Tajul Islam Mahmud (alias Mama Hujur), one of seven regional HuJI leaders, was killed Thursday in a gunfight with police in Brahmanbaria district while other suspected militants escaped. On Friday, a suspected militant blew himself up at a makeshift RAB camp in Dhaka. Around 4:30 a.m. Saturday, RAB officers shot and killed another suspected militant carrying explosives when he tried to crash his motorcycle into a security check post in Dhakas Khilgaon area. Md Sakhawat Hossain, an additional deputy inspector general of police in Chittagong, told BenarNews that the suicide vests found in Sitakunda and the vest used at RABs compound in Dhaka were similar. Nur Khan, the executive director of human rights group Ain-O-Salish Kendra, told BenarNews that preventing suicide bombers is difficult. The militants will try to carry out big suicidal attacks costing the smallest number of their members, he said. Previously, police came under a bomb attack by alleged Neo-JMB militants in Chandina, Comilla as they were searching the Chittagong-bound bus on March 7. With the help of the local people, the police managed to capture two militants. A day later, police raided a house in Mirersharai sub-district and recovered 29 grenades, black overalls, machetes and black flags inscribed in Arabic. Kamran Reza Chowdhury in Dhaka contributed to this report. A resident of Lamongan, a regency in Indonesias East Java province, shows a photo from a relative who joined Islamic State in Syria, Feb. 27, 2017. For two years, the 52-year-old resident of East Javas Lamongan regency has dreamed of emigrating to the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, drawn as if by a magnet to the conflict zone. According to this father of two, who did not want to be named, violent practices carried out by the Islamic State (IS) group such as beheading non-believers and chopping off the hands of criminals are indeed taught in Islam. If we want to see how the Islamic Law is actually implemented, we have to go there, he said. Indonesia does not move forward because it does not implement Islamic law properly. At least 16 fellow inhabitants of Lamongan a relatively prosperous farming and fishing area on the north coast of Java have departed to join IS in the Middle East in recent years, according to locals. At least seven of them have died there, according to family members, village officials and media reports. The Lamongan man said he and some friends had started an underground group to talk about the situation in Syria, Iraq and Indonesia. They get information about IS over Telegram, the messaging app, and use it to coordinate their almost daily meetings. Most of the time were just napping and grilling fish, he confessed. Traveling to the Middle East has become difficult. All the routes are known. Lots of friends have been arrested, said the man, a manual laborer. Area spawned Bali bombers Before it became a hotbed of IS support, Lamongan had another distinction. It was the home of three brothers who carried out the Bali bombings that killed 202 people in October 2002, and was blamed on the militant group Jemaah Islamiyah, the Southeast Asian branch of al-Qaeda. Amrozi and Ali Ghufron were executed in 2008; Ali Imron is serving a life sentence. A network of radicals originating in Lamongan has extremist roots that run deep in the area and have changed over the years into pro-IS sentiment, according to the Institute for Policy Analysis of Conflict (IPAC), a Jakarta think-tank. The trajectory of an extremist network in Lamongan, East Java illustrates how support for local jihadi struggles has been transformed into support for ISIS, IPAC said in a report published in April 2015. One of the most important lessons of the Lamongan network is that pro-ISIS groups in Indonesia have emerged from existing radical networks that have never gone away. They may have morphed, realigned, regrouped and regenerated but they are not new, the think-tank added, using another acronym for IS. We cannot reject their request Under Indonesian law, it is not unlawful for people to emigrate in a quest to join groups like IS. As of August 2016, some 237 adults and 46 children from Indonesia had arrived in Syria or Iraq, according to the National Counterterrorism Agency (BNPT). Lamongan police said they do not have exact numbers for how many residents have left for what locals call Daulah Islamiyah, the Islamic State. They dont go openly. Some go to Malaysia first, then transit to Syria, Suratman, chief of police in Brondong sub-district, told BenarNews. Residents have two ways to leave the country to join the Middle East-based group, according to a village official in Brondong who declined to be identified. The first is by putting in paper work in which they claim to be migrant workers. As a village official, we cannot reject their request because it is our duty to serve people if they request a supporting letter, the official told BenarNews. The other way out is by claiming they want to study aboard the method used by Wildan Mukhollad, who died in Iraq in early February 2014. His brother acknowledged that his family encouraged and supported Widans dream of studying overseas. We chipped in to collect money because he said he wanted to go to Egypt, Abdul Latif Al-Haq said of his brother. Before he left, Wildan attended the al-Islam Boarding School in Tenggulun, founded by the late Ali Ghufron and Amrozi. Wildan Wildan was smart, his mother, Fadhillah, 65, told BenarNews in an interview at her home in Payman, a village in Solokuro sub-district of Lamongan. He was always in the top of his class. When he was at the senior-high school level, he left the al-Islam Boarding School to study at Al-Azhar University in Cairo, where his half-sister was studying at the time. But one day in mid-2012, he left his sister without telling her where he was going, his mother recounted. The youth made his way to Syria where he communicated with his family via Facebook, WhatsApp and Telegram, said his brother, Abdul Latif. When we heard the news about Wildans death, ISIS had not been known as it is now. Nobody knew about it. After he died, then the name of ISIS emerged in the media, Abdul Latif told BenarNews. The family believed that the young man was fighting against Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad in the Syrian civil war. Assad has been accused of war crimes in the conflict, which involves many factions of fighters including jihadist groups al-Nusra Front and IS. Why was my son called a terrorist? As a parent, I cannot accept this, Fadhillah said. You cannot say that. It is a fact that he joined ISIS. We have to admit it, Abdul Latif told his mother. The family has not received any official word of Wildans death. Only my heart says that the news is true. But if you get information that he is alive, please let me know, Fadhillah said. Fadhillah, a resident of Lamongan regency in East Java, shows a video of her son, Wildan Mukhollad, an IS fighter killed in the Middle East, Feb. 26, 2017. [BenarNews/Anton Muhajir] Wasius Seven members of another family a husband, wife, and five children departed Lamongan for the Middle East at different times since 2015. The family has broken apart since then, relatives said. The husband, Muammal, and one of his sons were captured by fighters with the al-Nusra Front, according to relatives in Indonesia. Another son, Wasius Shodri, reportedly was killed in battle; the oldest son was injured in action. A fourth son was deported by Turkish authorities when he was caught trying to cross into Syria. He is back in Lamongan. The family sold a home to finance the trip, according to the niece of Muammals wife, Tholiatun. Tholiatun visited her suddenly one day and asked me to sign a handwritten letter saying I allowed her to sell the family house, said Maghfiroh, the 27-year-old niece. The house sold for 80 million rupiah (U.S. $5,970). Maghfiroh has communicated with her aunt in Syria, and learned about the death of one of her cousins, through Telegram. When I knew she was in Syria, I was very sad because she was the only aunt I have. I consider Mak Tun like my own mother, as she took care of me since I was a child, Maghfiroh told BenarNews, using a nickname for her aunt. Rizal Rizal Amin is another son of Lamongan who died fighting for IS. Twenty years ago, he was infamous as the leader of one of three gangs in Brondong sub-district, with a reputation for drinking and brawling. But after his fathers furniture business went bankrupt, he changed. He became religious, and began diligently attending an exclusive Quran study group. Three years ago, he left. I heard he joined IS, said a neighbor, Heriyanto. He was one of our residents who died in Syria because of joining ISIS, a village administrator who declined to be identified told BenarNews. A 27-year-old man who lives in the same village has a similar story to Rizal. A construction worker who has worked in Malaysia, he recently stopped drinking and hanging out with his friends. He talks a lot about jihad, and dreams of hijrah to Syria. I am waiting for the readiness of my heart, and funding, he said. Doonloh Wae-mano (also known as Abdullah Wan Mat Noor) (inset) was selected as top leader of southern Thai rebel group Barisan Revolusi Nasional when its governing council met on Jan. 17 at the Al Dawah Islamiyah Madrassa (pictured) in Kelantan, Malaysia. Barisan Revolusi Nasional (BRN), the largest of the armed separatist groups in Thailands Deep South, appointed a new leader to replace Sapae-ing Baso who died two months ago, Thai security sources said Monday. At a meeting in Kelantan, Malaysia, the BRNs governing council (DPP) named Doonloh Wae-mano (alias Abdullah Wan Mat Noor), a former principal of a school in the Deep South who is wanted in Thailand on insurgency-related charges, as its new chairman. He takes over from Sapae-ing, the chairman of the council and spiritual leader of the rebel group who died at age 86 of complications from diabetes on Jan. 10, sources told BenarNews. Doonloh was promoted a week after Sapae-ings death to the chairmanship from the rank of secretary on the six-member council of the highly secretive BRN, which was established in 1960 and whose number of fighters stands today around 6,000, according to Thai military officials. The governing council, also known as the Al Shura, appointed Doonloh during a meeting at the Al Dawah Islamiyah Madrassa in Kelantan on Jan. 17, a Thai security official told Benar on condition of anonymity. The information could not be immediately confirmed on the rebel side. The meeting had a unanimous decision to appoint Doonloh Wae-mano (alias Abdullah Wan Mat Noor), the former secretary, as the new DPP chairman and Uztas Abdul Munir, the current leader of BRNs political wing, to be secretary as well, the official said. A spokesman for the militarys regional command in the Deep South, however, said he could not independently confirm the report. I heard about the possible appointment of Doonloh. It involves the peace talks and we will check it out carefully, Col. Pramote Prom-in, spokesman for Internal Security Operations 4 (ISOC 4), told BenarNews by phone. Thailands military government is trying to open formal peace talks with MARA Patani, a panel representing southern rebel groups and factions, including the BRN, but none of the people who sit on the BRNs governing council are represented on the panel, according to a list of BRN council members obtained by BenarNews. Late last month, Thai and MARA Patani negotiators agreed in Kuala Lumpur to a framework for a limited ceasefire in one of the districts in the Deep South. But since the two sides achieved the breakthrough on Feb. 28, at least 12 people have been killed in attacks by suspected insurgents in provinces across the region. Nearly 7,000 people have died since 2004 in violence associated with the separatist conflict in the predominantly Muslim and Malay-speaking southern border region. Of the same generation Doonloh, the new chairman of BRN, is a former headmaster of the Jihad Witaya School in Pattani one of the provinces in the Deep South who fled to nearby Malaysia 13 years ago after being charged with rebellion for allegedly training insurgents on his schools grounds, sources said. Thai authorities accuse Doonloh of training separatists who took part in looting more than 400 assault rifles from a military camp in Cho-Irong district, Narathiwat province, in 2004. Abdullah Wan Mat Noor [Doonloh] was appointed the DPPs Secretary in 2016, so he is as known a quantity as a shadowy insurgency that delights in the secrecy its inner workings can have. Since September 2016, he has been the BRNs number two, so it seems normal that he would be appointed chairman, Zachary Abuza, an expert on the Thai Deep South and professor at the National War College in Washington, told BenarNews. The BRN has lost two of its most prominent leaders in the past two years Jekumar Kuteh and Sapae-ing Baso who were headmasters at two of the most prominent Shaafi Islamic boarding schools (madrassas) in the Deep South and whose influence over students and teachers was very deep, according to Abuza. Of Doonloh, he observed, we dont know how broad based his support is, but Doonloh is of the same generation. I am still concerned about a generational change within the BRN that brings a more hardline leadership to the fore, Abuza added. Doonloh is a BRN hardliner whose ascension to the organizations top spot could threaten peace efforts between Thailand and MARA Patani, according to a source in Thai military intelligence. MARA Patani does not seem to be able to control militants RKK on the ground. Abdullah Wan Mat Noor is hardcore and he would likely not agree with the peaceful solution, the intelligence official who also requested anonymity told BenarNews. RKK is an acronym for a BRN combat unit known as Runda Kumpulan Kecil. Mexico was situated mostly in St. Stephens Parish & extended into the Parish of Middle St. Johns (containing 1450 acres more or less). This land had been purchased by Peter Porcher II from Blake Leay White. In 1796, Mexico became the home of Samuel Porcher (1768-1851), son of Peter Por Read moreHistorical account of the Mexico Plantation ein Google-Unternehmen Google-Dienste anzubieten und zu betreiben Ausfalle zu prufen und Manahmen gegen Spam, Betrug und Missbrauch zu ergreifen Daten zu Zielgruppeninteraktionen und Websitestatistiken zu erheben. 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Sofern relevant, verwenden wir Cookies und Daten auerdem, um Inhalte und Werbung altersgerecht zu gestalten. Wir verwenden Cookies und Daten, umWenn Sie Alle akzeptieren auswahlen, verwenden wir Cookies und Daten auch, umWahlen Sie Weitere Optionen aus, um sich zusatzliche Informationen anzusehen, einschlielich Details zum Verwalten Ihrer Datenschutzeinstellungen. Sie konnen auch jederzeit g.co/privacytools besuchen. At the same time, he claims, bridges and toilets on the track have fallen into disrepair and Australian-sponsored aid projects such as schools have no desks and clinics no medicines. According to former Australian Army major, Vietnam War veteran and NSW Liberal state MP Charlie Lynn, who for the past 25 years has run treks on the Kokoda Track, $65 million of Australian taxpayers money has been directed through a conga line of consultants to green-leaning and leftist development projects promoting Australian liberal values such as gender equity on the track. AUSTRALIAN-funded projects have removed mateship from the lexicon used in Papua New Guinea to describe the heroism of Diggers fighting the Japanese on the Kokoda Track, in what a prominent critic describes as politically correct revisionism to demilitarise the battlegrounds history in the lead up to its 75th anniversary. The reinterpretation of the World War II campaign, during which Australian troops started to turn the tide against Japanese forces, has been carried out under the Department of the Environment and the Department of Foreign Affairs. They are anti the military heritage of the trail, Mr Lynn told The Australian, adding that he believed Australias Kokoda Track effort should have been under the charge of Veterans Affairs. Now, they are starting to subtly rewrite the history of the track. Mr Lynn pointed to a departure from the four words traditionally used to sum up the Australian war effort on the track, a campaign waged with the assistance of PNG communities: Courage, Endurance, Mateship, Sacrifice. Each of the four words is engraved on one of the four marble pillars in the war memorial established by the Howard government at Isurava, the site of a major battle in August 1942. The power of that memorial is in the simplicity of the memorial and those four words, Mr Lynn said. By contrast, he observed, a set of new interpretative panels erected at Owers Corner at the entrance to the track drops the word mateship, and instead refers to friendship, which Mr Lynn said reflected a preference for gender neutrality. One of the panels speaks of how Australians, Papuans, and New Guineans served side-by-side in atrocious conditions. The Track has become a shrine to their courage, endurance and sacrifice, the panel says. It is an enduring reminder of the unity and friendship shared by the people of Papua New Guinea and Australia. Another section quotes a PNG man as having said Friend ... Ill walk with you with regard to the help he provided to Australian soldiers. Mr Lynn claims the line was selected to mimic the fake social media campaign Ill ride with you to combat supposed anti-Muslim sentiments after Sydneys Lindt cafe siege. A spokeswoman for Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said the signs at Owers Conner were part of a project managed by the PNG Tourism Promotion Authority, funded by the Australian Environment Department. The Foreign Minister had no role in the approval of the language used in the signs, the spokeswoman said. The word friendship has been chosen as this is understood by Papua New Guineans. Mateship is a uniquely Australian term and we will request both words are used as part of the new signage. The spokeswoman said the Ill walk with you line was simply a referral to the iconic image of the Kokoda campaign in which a blinded Australian soldier is being led by a Papua New Guinean, and had nothing to do with the Ill ride with you campaign. Mr Lynn said Australian authorities had employed Australian consultants at a cost of millions of dollars to undertake leftist social engineering projects such as a gender equity study of PNG women on the track, where more than 600 Australian fighting men were killed and 1,680 wounded during the campaign. Entitled A Gender Snapshot of the Kokoda Initiative, the 2014 study laments that indigenous women and children, more than half the population are neither visible nor heard in most existing literature on Kokoda war history. Most accounts of the war on Kokoda are Australian and male, thus bringing a specific lens Women are hardly mentioned. Mr Lynn said rather than get PNG villagers to do the work on the track, Australians were being flown in. Ms Bishops spokeswoman said this project twinned PNG rangers with the Australians. Mr Lynn claimed bureaucrats and consultants missed the point of what attracted Australians to Kokoda. They dont go up there to have a bloody environmental levitation, they are going there to walk in the footstep of the Diggers, he said. The result had been a decline of more than 50% in the number of trekkers over the nine years since the Department of Environment took charge of the Kokoda project. Ms Bishops spokeswoman did not directly respond to Mr Lynns claims of a deterioration of facilities on the track, but said: The Australian government is working with the Kokoda Track Authority to improve safety, including by upgrading roads, installing a weather station, improving the Kokoda airstrip and updating the VHF radio network along the track to improve communications. The New York State Senate's support for $8 billion in water quality investments would benefit the Finger Lakes region, state Sen. Pam Helming said last week. The key components of the Senate's plan includes a $5 billion bond act to fund water infrastructure projects and support for Gov. Andrew Cuomo's proposal to provide $2 billion over five years for water quality improvements. Senate Republicans are also pushing for the creation of the Drinking Water Quality Institute, which would set standards for unregulated contaminants and compile a list of contaminants that must be tested by public water agencies. "Clean water is our most valuable resource and no service is more important than providing access to clean, safe and reliable drinking water to all New Yorkers," Helming, R-Canandaigua, said in a statement. "This record funding commitment would help protect our most important commodity and make urgently needed upgrades to the system that delivers it; ensuring a healthier, cleaner and more enjoyable New York for generations to come." The $8 billion proposal was part of the Senate's one-house budget approved last week. It also included $300 million for environmental protection and the establishment of the Emerging Contamination Monitoring Act, which would require the state Department of Health to adopt contaminant threshold levels recommended by the Drinking Water Quality Institute. The Senate's spending plan also included funding for the water quality infrastructure program and grant programs that support water system improvement projects. Legislative leaders will negotiate a final state budget with Cuomo in the next couple of weeks. Cuomo's $2 billion plan is the major water infrastructure proposal in his executive budget. The state Assembly is on board with Cuomo's proposal, but didn't endorse the Senate's $5 billion bond act. For Helming, water infrastructure is a major issue. The 54th Senate District includes several Finger Lakes and parts of three counties Cayuga, Monroe and Wayne with access to Lake Ontario. For the communities I represent, clean water isn't just the foundation of life, it is the foundation of our livelihoods," Helming said. "These proposals will help to protect our lakes, which are the heart and soul of our region." Historic architecture can be significant for many reasons, such as its decorative detail, being the location of an important event, or being t Its been a long, dreary winter and while many of us cant physically escape the cold climate, our minds can venture to another location through the miracle of books. This months Book Report takes you away to other lands through two novels. For those of us who long to go someplace faraway and warm, Delia Ephrons Siracusa takes the reader along on a vacation with two couples to beautiful Siracusa, located on the Italian island of Sicily. Lizzie and Michael appear to be a great couple. Michael is a Pulitzer prize-winning author who is is having trouble with his latest novel, and hopes that he will find inspiration on this trip. Lizzie wants to visit Siracusa because her late father has told her wonderful stories of a beautiful place. Finn and Taylor are the other couple, who have brought their 10-year-old daughter, Snow, along. Finn and Lizzie used to be a couple a long time ago, and if the idea of traveling overseas with your ex and their spouse seems like a bad idea, well, it probably is. Taylor is very controlling, the kind of person who plans a trip down to the very last detail, leaving nothing to chance. She tries to control everything in Snows life, as well. Finn is more free-wheeling, a restaurateur who often goes off on his own to find a great little out-of-the-way dive bar. He begins to resent Taylor's way of doing things. Michael enchants young Snow with his wild storytelling. He is having an affair with a young waitress at his favorite restaurant back home, and she is beginning to become more possessive and demanding of Michael. The description of the scenery of Rome and Siracusa is so vivid, you can almost smell the sea air as you read. There are lots of great food scenes, and your sense of taste is engaged in the novel, as well. Something bad happens in Siracusa, and as the truth unravels, so do the marriages of the two couples. We see the story from the viewpoints of the characters, as they each take turns narrating. Siracusa is a seductive story, and youll find yourself lost in the story and scenery of this terrific book. I highly recommend it. Jenny Colgan takes us to small-town Scotland in The Bookshop on the Corner. Nina works as a librarian in the big city, until the day that her library is closed to make way for a media center. With no job, and a roommate who insists that Nina must get rid of all of the hundreds of books that are overtaking their apartment, Nina despairs of what comes next in her life. Books are her life, her friends, the one thing that brings her joy. Nina sees an ad for a big van and comes up with the idea of running a mobile bookshop. She has enough books to start an inventory, and with so many libraries closing, she has access to many more. She heads up to a remote town in Scotland, and meets with the man selling the van at the local pub. Its much bigger than she thought, and the owner scoffs at Nina, refusing to sell the van to her. The men who own the pub like Ninas idea because their library closed a few years ago, and there is no bookshop in town. They buy the van and call Nina to tell her the good news. They are crestfallen when Nina says that she is buying the van to sell books in her city, not in their small village. But when Nina discovers that her van is too big for the city and she cant get a permit, she reluctantly moves to the small village, only until she can figure something else out. She finds a beautiful place to rent from a recently divorced farmer, and slowly makes friends. Nina loves pairing people with books she knows they will enjoy, and soon she becomes a big part of this remote town. But will she find love with the Eastern European train engineer or the brooding farmer landlord? The Bookshop on the Corner is a lovely, light read that drops the reader into this remote part of Scotland. Its a delightful place to visit for a few hours as you lose yourself in Ninas story, and makes you long for small-town life. And if you are a book lover, this one is for you. I highly recommend it as well. The media world is changing more rapidly than ever before. Keep up! 1. Read all about it online Old-world printed newspapers, which we thank and salute for having given rise to the advertising industry we all know and love, are falling out of circulation at an increasing rate. Magazines, once the pride and joy of many an automotive campaign, are following suit. Projections show that within 20 years some markets might have such low print circulations that the two mediums will no longer serve as a mainstream media opportunity, but merely a quaint novelty. An article posted on Facebook (usually linking to the authors site) is not only hard to define between an online newspaper, an online magazine, or a blog; but neither its readers nor its advertisers show much interest in the classification anymore. 2. When last have you synched you iPod? Whilst most 40-somethings have only just figured how to transfer a lifetimes CDs (proudly copied to MP3) to a new iTunes installation, their younger 20-something counterparts struggle to grasp the concept of paying for, or even downloading, individual albums: knowing only a world of freely-available music through Youtube or streaming services like Spotify. 3. Fibre is our new umbilical cord Cord cutters (those who have decided to end their services with satellite or cable providers, only streaming TV through services like Netflix, Hulu, or HBO Now) are increasing and look like they will soon be overtaken by cord-nevers (people who have never had cable or satellite subscriptions). 4. Paradigm shifts in marketing effectiveness Digital media has introduced terms that are as dramatically new to seasoned marketers as the seismic industry-wide shifts they bring. Optimisation (the practice of using media measurement to improve efficiency of a campaign), once only possible three to six months after a campaign had ended, is now a constant delivery from the very moment the campaign begins. Whereas that optimisation was originally provided only through analysis by media-buying agencies, the media vendors (particularly from arch rivals Facebook Ads and Google AdWords) are providing this service themselves in a simple aim to improve their efficiencies and thereby steal share from each other. Targeting, or implementation-planning in old-world media speak, (the practice of specifying which times or spaces within a media type or channel) is, again, being provided by digital media vendors themselves leveraging the crushing data they gather from users every moment their lives. The level of sophistication in the Facebook Ads engine, for example, is so advanced that advertisers can select multiple creative treatments for multiple interest- or psychographic-based markets and allow the engine to serve the creative to the market most interested without specifying the interests or psychographics. That has motivated media- and advertising-agencies to revise their approach to the placement decision and creative decision respectively. Goal-setting, and the measurement of whether marketing has achieved those goals, which was previously something we could do only after exhaustive econometric modelling studies (so many of which returned the sad result of insufficient data to make a conclusion), has taken quantum leaps forward with direct attribution showing measurable metrics, like sales, originating along a digital path from a specific consumer interaction. 5. Who gazes out the window anymore? And, all the while, a boy from Pretoria Boys High is one of many innovators working on a self-driving car, which itself promises to turn another part of the media world on its head. Already we know that people who dont drive themselves (passengers in cars, taxis, trains and such) are significantly less likely to be gazing at outdoor billboards or listening to the car radio than drivers, but are more likely to be found engaged in their own digital devices. Take us a few years forward to a world of fully autonomous cars, particularly those without a steering wheel or two sets of facing seats, and the chances for the survival of outdoor billboards and in-car radio diminish completely. By the time we land on Mars, media and marketing is going to be a terrific space. Italist, one of the world's largest online shopping portals, dedicated to selling luxury goods from Italy's multi-brand independent fashion retailers, has launched in South Africa. Access to Italy's finest The site provides South African luxury shoppers with access to 150 luxury Italian multi-brand boutiques that stock over 750 worldwide luxury brands. It provides consumers with access to limited edition offerings that are almost impossible to find anywhere else, except in physical stores in a few cities in Italy. Italist CEO and co-founder, Diego Abba, says, Without leaving their homes, both men and women will now be able to shop at some of Italys most beautiful stores, which have only ever been accessible to South Africans who travel overseas and visit the boutiques on the streets of Italy. Shoppers will have access to a wide selection of exclusive products from brands such as Balenciaga, Bottega Veneta, Celine, Givenchy, Gucci, Missoni, to the most current designers such as Off-White, Golden Goose and Mary Katrantzou. Consumers can enjoy competitive prices on their purchases, which are priced the same as they would be when purchasing these goods from luxury boutiques along the streets of Italy, but with a better assortment and at lower prices than the rest of the world. One-stop luxury marketplace In creating Italist, we wanted to revolutionise the luxury shopping experience for everyone around the world, where they can conveniently browse and purchase premium goods through this one-stop marketplace. Seeing as South Africa and Africa has one of the largest potential e-commerce markets, coupled with the ever-growing love for designer products, we saw this as an opportunity to establish our presence in South Africa to fill the gap in the online market for luxury products. The platform also has a 24/7 customer support feature, where customers can be assisted live during the browsing and purchasing process. Since Italist launched two years ago, the brand has grown exponentially and is now available in more than 85 countries. This highlights both the sites credibility and the demand for an online marketplace for luxury goods, Abba concludes. Omnichannel' is not merely a business buzzword, it's the new retail reality. At the Seamless Africa conference that took place in Cape Town recently, Amanda Herson, e-commerce director for the Cape Union Mart Group, shared her thoughts on tackling the omnichannel beast. Andriy Popov via 123RF Her use of the word 'beast' is understandable considering that the Cape Union Mart Group houses five major retail brands Cape Union Mart, K-Way, Poetry, Old Khaki and Tread + Miller and boasts a collective of roughly 250 stores. Its tricky to always be where the customer is, she admitted. Customer focus Who wants a one-night stand with a retailer when they can have a relationship with them instead? Herson asked, not really needing an answer. The route to the modern customers heart is through offering a seamless shopping experience, only possible in todays always-on world with an omnichannel strategy in place. This strategy should be driven by customer focus. Omnichannel is about focusing on the customer, not so much the technology. Focus on the customer regardless of the channel. Be channel agnostic and customer centric. Paradoxically, Herson also urged that one must improve back-end systems (what customers don't see) to deliver well on what they do see. Omnichannel engagement Omnichannel retail rests on the quality of customer engagement. Leverage technology to listen to your customers and assist with engagement. Herson explained that the way brands speak to customers and how customers search has changed. Desktop search has flattened, while mobile search has soared. Marketing is also now more about conversation that shouting messages at the consumer. South African progress South African online shopping has taken a massive leap in the last few years, according to Herson. She thanked big e-commerce players like Takealot, and those with deep pockets, for making South Africans more comfortable shopping online. But while online has progressed positively, Herson believes in-store environments have largely remained the same. We need to invest in amazing in-store experiences, not just focus on online. These out-of-the-box experiences, she said, should encourage engagement with people and the stores products. In terms of payments, South Africa has leapfrogged other regions with its flexible payment options, but there is room for improvement. According to Herson, mobile checkout needs to catch up with to desktop checkout and in-store point-of-sales systems need to be overhauled to allow more payment flexibility. Company culture Citing a popular quote, Herson stated: customer service is not a department, its an attitude. Often treated by shoppers as shrinks and punching bags, Herson believes customer service employees to be the heart of the organisation deserving of appreciation and by her own practicecupcakes. While in-store and online teams work separately and often competitively, Herson suggested incentivising store staff to push online sales. But she also said that omnichannel integration goes much deeper than sales. Retailers need to work hard to build a culture of omni, not just in sales. As a strategic imperative, she said, all departments be it logistics , IT or other need to embrace omnichannel strategy. The days of separate online teams are over; they must be integrated. Failing fast Omnichannel, as with any new business strategy, will inevitably involve a great degree of failure. If the Cape Union Mart Group was to embark on its online journey from scratch, Herson said she would remember the following things: Online captures richer data, but know what to do with it! Data warehousing is becoming the holy grail. Omni is about constant testing. The groups first online sale was a near disaster, but the failure has been learnt from and the process improved. Hire great people and then empower them. Focus on department integration from the start. When implementing omnichannel, company culture comes first, incentives that motivate staff correctly come second, and lastly you need to be willing to fail fast. A member of Coal of Africa's (Coal) top management has been fined R350,000 for insider trading by the Financial Services Board (FSB) and was subsequently suspended by the company pending an internal investigation. The FSBs enforcement committee imposed the fine on Coals chief operations officer, Michiel Bronn, for contravening of section 78 (1) (a) of the Financial Markets Act, 19 of 2012. The matter was referred to the committee when it was established that on 15 May 2015, Bronn used information that the department of mineral resources had approved Coals application to obtain new order mining rights for the companys Makhado project. Coal's Makhado site. Source: Coal of Africa He also knew that a Stock Exchange News Service (SENS) announcement was due to be published on 18 May 2015 to inform the public about the granting of the rights. On the 15th, Bronn bought 117,000 Coal shares on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange at mostly 84 cents per share (cps). This was despite the fact that he had been specifically instructed by the chief executive officer not to trade in Coal shares until such time that the SENS announcement had been published. On 18 May 2015, when Coal published the announcement, the Coal share price increased from an opening price of 91 cps to a closing price of 122 cps. The enforcement committee determined that Bronn committed insider trading in circumstances where he had been made aware of Coals trading policy on various occasions. It also found that Bronns conduct in dealing with the case against him was less than frank and was often disingenuous, and therefore ordered that, in addition to the administrative penalty, Bronn must pay the costs incurred by the directorate in investigating his conduct and the costs associated with bringing the matter before the enforcement committee including the costs of constituting the panel that heard the case against him. Coal issued a statement saying it had all internal policies and governance processes in place. The company is in the process of reviewing the FSB findings. Founded in 2014, the Iota Project is a Tel-Aviv-based furniture company that works with women from local communities to produce furniture based on traditional craft. Meaning a little bit' in Latin, Iota was founded by Shula Mozes, a social entrepreneur who knew their was a social opportunity in the craft of knitting, and Tal Zur, an industrial designer with a background in textiles. From rugs of all different sizes to poufs, stools, benches, pillows and even swings, the products produced by Iota are handmade from bespoke yarns. Imbued with a tactile nature, their creations aim to make the traditional contemporary and alter the perception of what can be done using hand-based techniques. A social business first and foremost, Iota is deeply committed to sustainability and community support and demonstrates this by retaining local women without other employment in the production of their pieces. By providing these craftswomen with the option of working from home and rewarding them with fair pay, Iota are creating more than just a business; they are also developing a sense of community and empowerment. "I know there are many women, all over the world, who cannot go to work because they are unable to leave home - because they aren't allowed to, or because of cultural, religious, geographical reasons or because they have young children to care for," Mozes told Dezeen. "Many of these women are unskilled and feel insignificant." "We teach our communities of women skills of hand-knitting, we bring our yarns and designs to their homes, pay them fair and honourable wages, and enable them to take part in creating beautiful textile products. While the project currently only works with local Israeli women, Mozes and Zur hope Iota will eventually grow into an international community. The brand plans to make its Milan Design Week debut in April 2017 with a collection of petal-like poufs, stools and rugs. If we truly want to create value from our corporate social investment (CSI) efforts - the question we should be asking is, does employee volunteerism really move the needle on an organisations' efforts to connect with the communities around them and make the difference? Charlene Lackay, Group CSI: MMI Holdings Limited South Africans are generous, with both time and money. The 2014 World Giving Index stated that 4.5-million more South Africans volunteered their time to good causes in 2013 than in 2012 - a big leap from the 1.5-million people who volunteered in 1999, according to the Volunteer and Service Enquiry of Southern Africa. According to the Volunteering in Africa research report of 2013, South Africas rich history of voluntary service stems from the mass social movements during the apartheid era aimed at liberating those previously oppressed. Fast forward to today, this galvanisation of people is harnessed to promote the notion of mutual responsibility, captured in the use of concepts such as letsema and vukuzenzele, and ultimately, ubuntu. Service programmes in SA In the context of the 21st century, service programmes in the country include government, civil society organisations and the corporate sector, all playing different roles. Amongst a variety of methods of giving back, the corporate sector uses different methods to encourage employee volunteering. Corporate volunteerism has the potential to garner great benefits for communities while simultaneously creating business value in the form of increased employee engagement and consumer credibility. It does more than give organisations a presence in their community. It also creates real employee value by giving them an opportunity to directly make a difference on a personal level. There is a definite need (and in fact want) from most people to do something to positively impact the lives of communities in which they live and work. If we make provision for staff to accomplish this, the value created for both employees and the business is exponential. Formal CSI structures like foundations facilitating sustainable giving arent the only way to give back to communities. The governance requirements of giving through channels such as these can often impact response time to social issues. The idea of a front-line response team of volunteers on the ground has therefore become increasingly attractive. Effective employee volunteerism application Back to our question whether volunteerism has impact. For a start, we need to consider how volunteerism has always been viewed. The very essence of volunteerism is that it makes us feel good to do good. But, we need to apply the same set of rules for structured initiatives to employee volunteerism, to ensure that the gap between the needs of communities and the perception (and often misconception) of these needs by organisations is narrowed. Why should we paint a schools walls when what they need is an accountant to do their books? On the other side of the coin, NPO partners and beneficiaries should be clearer about the types of skills or expertise needed and remain in control of the activities taking place within their organisations, instead of indulging the Mandela Day requests of corporate funders. Sometimes, volunteerism requires people to use the skills they use daily to earn a pay cheque. Essentially providing the service that you provide in your workday, for free. This is the challenge as people see volunteerism as a form of escapism, which means that performing tasks such as helping an NGO build an online platform, creating PR campaigns or giving financial advice feels like 'work'. The difference comes in knowing that it is work that really makes a difference because you are empowering a community. Organisations should develop an approach to employee volunteering that provides options for participation on every skill level. Celebrate volunteer champions We encourage organisations to remember to celebrate their volunteer champions. The MMI Holdings Foundations annual Lesedi Awards ceremony recognises employees that have added value to individuals and communities through projects they fund or run themselves. I am proud to say that MMI volunteers continue to be a pillar of light and hope for many communities in South Africa, acknowledges Nicolaas Kruger, CEO of MMI Holdings. Given the many challenges we face here in South Africa, it is clear that companies have an important role to play over-andabove the day to day business activities. The MMI volunteers have taken on the responsibility of using their privilege to empower those less fortunate than they are. The bottom-line is that we want to support employees to do good - to be good citizens, whether they are doing it within company volunteer structures or in their own personal capacity. This in-turn creates an organisation that is a worthy, good corporate citizen, trusted by its staff and the communities in which it operates. Two news episodes of "Beyond the Front Page with Guy Cosentino produced by Cayuga Community College's Telecom/Media Department are scheduled for broadcast this week. At 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 21, on Time Warner Cable channel 12, Cayuga Centers Executive Director Edward Myers Hayes will be the guest, talking about the organization and its new capital campaign. Via Auburn Regional Media Access, the show replays on Time Warner 12 and 98 and Verizon FiOS channel 31 at 7 p.m. Thursday, March 23; 1:30 and 5 p.m. Saturday, March 25, and Sunday, March 26; 9 p.m. Monday, March 27; and 8 a.m. Wednesday, March 29. At 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 21, on Time Warner 12, the "Beyond the Front Page" guest will be Auburn YMCA Executive Director Chris Nucerino, who will talk about his organization's capital campaign, programing and parking concerns associated with the city of Auburn's planned new visitor center. Replays for that show on Time Warner's 12 and 98 and Verizon 31 are scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Thursday, March 23; 2 and 5:30 p.m., Saturday, March 25, and Sunday, March 26; 9:30 p.m. Monday, March 27; and 8:30 a.m. Wednesday, March 29. Previously announced episodes of "Inside Government with Guy Cosentino featuring Auburn City Manager Jeff Dygert and "Beyond the Front Page with Guy Cosentino featuring Cayuga County Community College President Brian Durant are being rescheduled after the interviews had to be cancelled due to Winter Storm Stella. These programs are also streamed live and archived on the Cayuga Communty College Telcom Departments YouTube channel, Media@Cayuga. Viewers should open YouTube in a browser or app and then enter Media@Cayuga in the search bar. The shows are rebroadcast starting at 10 a.m. each Saturday morning on the colleges radio station, WIN-89 89.1 FM. Suggested questions for any of the shows guests can sent to cozguytho@aol.com. In an effort to help raise awareness around the importance of having access to safe water and sanitation, WTM Africa has collaborated with international water development charity, Just a Drop ArkkrapolA via pixabay Just a Drops mission is to work with communities around the world by providing sustainable solutions through the construction of wells, boreholes, pipelines, hand pumps and latrines, and establish hygiene and sanitation programmes to make a real difference to peoples lives through one focus delivering safe water and sanitation to where its needed most. The partnership will begin at WTM Africa 2017 to highlight the events responsible tourism agenda by supporting Just a Drops This Bottle is a Lifesaver campaign, where people who give a R20 donation in exchange for a reusable water bottle will then be entitled to free water refills from various water stations around the site. The water stations will be highlighted on a special water map and the free refills will be available throughout the duration of WTM Africa. Fiona Jeffery OBE, founder and chair of Just a Drop says, Our This Bottle is a Lifesaver campaign is a very simple way to engage visitors to WTM Africa, whilst highlighting waters vital role in our lives. Keeping hydrated during a busy exhibition is important, so not only are we providing a valuable service, the funds raised will also go towards ensuring that poorer communities elsewhere in the world will be guaranteed a lasting, reliable supply of water something we take for granted. Just a Drop was founded by Fiona during WTM London in 1998, as a way of encouraging the travel industry to give back to communities around the world. The charity provides clean water and sanitation facilities to some of the poorest communities across Africa, Asia, and Latin America and aims to address the shocking statistic that a child dies every 90 seconds from a water-related disease. To support the This Bottle is a Lifesaver campaign, please visit Just a Drops stand located in the Main Galley way during WTM Africa from 19 - 21 April 2017 at the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC), Cape Town. Investors have lauded the launch of the Invest South Africa One Stop Shop (InvestSA OSS), saying it will go a long way in easing the way business is done in South Africa. We are very excited to be here. This one stop shop is going to make our lives easier. We are very fortunate that we come at a time of the InvestSA one stop shop which will make things much easier for us, said Derrick CM Huang, the Managing Director of BYD Company Limited South Africa Office. This, as President Jacob Zuma on Friday, 17 March 2017, officially launched the national InvestSA one stop shop for investors at the premises of the Department of Trade and Industry (dti). Speaking following a tour of the InvestSA office, President Zuma said government has taken a firm decision to make South Africa more investor friendly. Businesspeople have outlined the difficulties and hassles they face when wanting to establish new businesses, both local and foreign investors. The bureaucratic red tape has been stifling the growth of business. Businesspeople have had to visit many departments to obtain various licences. They have had to go to different offices for water, electricity and immigration services, such as visas, said President Zuma. The aim of InvestSA is to provide strategic guidance, reduce regulatory inefficiencies as well as to reduce red tape for all investors looking to invest in South Africa. Among the roles of InvestSA is to promote both foreign and domestic investment, said Trade and Industry Minister Rob Davies. Its a one stop shop, when you come physically to the premises you will be able to walk through the door, you will be able to interact with officials from InvestSA from the Department of Trade and Industry to find out what incentives are available, with the South Africa Revenue Service to ensure that your registration for VAT happens seamlessly among others. We offer investment information, we also offer after care services to investors, said the Minister. The President first announced the intention to establish the InvestSA approach and the one stop shop investor facilitation concept in August 2015 during the meeting of the Presidential Business Working Group. Work began then towards the establishment of the critical service. Through the InvestSA office, key government departments like the Departments of Labour, Home Affairs, and Environmental Affairs and agencies like the South African Revenue Service (SARS) and Eskom will be available to investors under one roof. In addition, government has directed officials to keep the service simple and short. An investor will make an appointment, meet with a government representatives to explain the services required and be guided by the representative. The one stop shop will provide a more coordinated, streamlined and professional service to those who wish to set up a business, said President Zuma. Self-service terminals Meanwhile, government has made progress in making it easier to start a new business with self-service terminals in banks, among others, having being rolled out by the Companies and Intellectual Property Commission (CIPC) for company registrations. It is expected that by June this year self-service terminals will be rolled out to all provinces. These will be accessible to small businesses in rural areas. Through the automation, company registrations for local South Africans can now be registered within a day, which was previously five to seven days. Foreign registrations will now be fast tracked, improving turnaround times through a dedicated channel by the CIPC located at the InvestSA One Stop Shop. The above is based on fully completed applications. The Department of Home Affairs has also partnered with banks for the roll out of Smart IDs and Passports with a turnaround time of five working days, said the President. President Zuma urged the business community to make use of the services of InvestSA, adding that the South African government takes investment promotion seriously. Unlock economic growth potential Let us unlock the economic growth potential of our country by making it easier to do business in South Africa, South Africa is an attractive destination and government is further committed to improving the investment climate and ease of doing business, said President Zuma. Government will also open three provincial one stop shops later in the year. These will be known as InvestSA KZN, InvestSA Gauteng and InvestSA Western Cape. Other provinces will open their one stop shops over a three year period. Minister Davies also announced that investors did not need to physically come to the premises of the dti to access the one stop shop. They can also find information online by visiting www.investsa.gov.za. World Bank reform As part of continuous improvement, InvestSA will coordinate inter-governmentally with the World Bank on a reform memo over a period of three to five years to improve South Africas Ease of Doing Business Rankings. We want to be reviewed by the World Bank and we are convinced that our rankings will improve considerably, said the Presidency. Meanwhile, Corporate Affairs Director for Nestle South Africa Ravi Pillay congratulated government on InvestSA. This is a major achievement from an industry point of view. Congratulations [to government] and we look forward to its good execution, he said. Police Minister Nkosinathi Nhleko has noted a decision by the North Gauteng High Court to set aside the appointment of General Berning Ntlemeza. On Friday, 17 March 2017, the North Gauteng High Court set aside the decision by the Minister to appoint Ntlemeza as the National Head of the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI) also knows as the Hawks. The Minister respects the courts decision and will be studying the full judgement prior to giving any further comments on the matter, the Ministry of Police said. The ruling followed an application by lobby groups the Helen Suzan Helen Suzman (HSF) Foundation and Freedom Under Law (FUL), which argued that Ntlemezas appointment was irrational and unlawful. Ntlemeza was appointed head of the Hawks in September 2015. He was acting in the position since December 2014 following the suspension and eventual resignation of General Anwa Dramat. Meanwhile, the Portfolio Committee on Police said it will apply for a special committee meeting to discuss the matter. We will obviously study the judgement, but have in the meantime resolved to ensure that we apply for a special Portfolio Committee meeting, which will be held during the recess period on Friday, 7 April 2017, to discuss the matter in detail, Committee Chairperson Francois Beukman said. The Committee will be calling the Minister of Police to this meeting to explain what remedial steps will be taken in dealing with this ruling, as well as plans to address deficiencies in the appointment process. Beukman said it was imperative for the executive authority and the appointing authority to deal with the matter at hand as a matter of priority. It is critical that the matter is addressed as a matter of priority, as we cannot allow a vacuum in the leadership of the DPCI, he said. The committee said it will closely monitor further developments, in this regard. The Academic and Non-Fiction Authors' Association of South Africa (ANFASA) has recently awarded 24 South African authors with substantial grants, as part of the ANFASA Grant Scheme for Authors (AGSA). South Africans need to tell their stories, in all their forms and, since the AGSA scheme started, over 90 writing grants have been awarded. Now in its tenth year, with support from the Royal Norwegian Embassy, AGSA was able to distribute over R518,000 in writing grants, more than has been distributed in any one year before. The grant scheme is primarily funded by the Royal Norwegian Embassy, as well as the SAMRO Foundation, which donates R50,000 each year to fund two grants for books about music. AGSA provides a grant of R20,000 to R25,000 for research and writing, which can to be used by the author to take leave to work on a manuscript, or to travel to conduct research. These grants usually do not cover the cost of publishing the manuscript, however in 2016, ANFASA awarded a further R20,000 towards the production costs of two of the winning manuscripts. Awarded grants The Volkswagen Community Trust has opened its first literacy centre at Ntlemeza Primary School in Uitenhage, with the aim to provide structured literacy support to learners, teachers and parents. Thomas Schaefer, chairman and MD of VW Group SA and Themba Kojana, head of department for the Eastern Cape Dept of Education. "At Volkswagen we strive to make a real difference in the community, that is why we support Early Childhood Development and are so committed to the VW Community Trust Legacy Literacy Programme," said Thomas Schaefer, chairman and managing director of Volkswagen Group South Africa. Volkswagen has spent over R600,000 at Ntlemeza to date, this includes a revamp of the Grade R Classrooms, the establishment of literacy centre and a brand-new netball court. Going forward, Volkswagen will be responsible for all the operational costs of the centre. The literacy centre will ensure that all at-risk learners at Ntlemeza Primary school are identified early and then given daily structured support by well-trained volunteers and literacy practitioners. Six volunteers have been contracted to the centre already and their work is already showing results. At the handover of the centre, Themba Kojana, Head of Department for the Eastern Cape Department of Education, commended the partnership between Volkswagen, Shine and the education department and committed R7.9-million to Ntlemeza Primary School for security, bathroom, electrical and building renovations. Legacy literacy programme In September 2015, the VW Community Trust (VWCT) launched the legacy literacy programme with the Minister of Basic Education Angie Motshekga, where Volkswagen made a commitment to ensure that all learners in Uitenhage are functionally literate by the time they reach Grade 3. Being functionally literate means that a learner can read and write with meaning at a reasonable pace. As part of this goal, VW consulted with key NGOs in the sector, universities and academics, the department of education, parents, teachers, School governing bodies and the community at large on the best way to approach this task. Research indicates that more than 60% of South African children cannot read for meaning by the end of Grade 3, so in 2016, Volkswagen working with Rhodes University and Professor Lily Pretorius (a renowned expert in the field of early literacy development) designed and conducted a baseline survey in seven schools in KwaNobuhle, Uitenhage. This resulted in Volkswagen's five key focus areas, namely: Focus on the Learner through paired and shared reading Focus on the Teacher through mentorship and guidance Focus on the Parents and Caregivers by offering Family literacy workshops Focus on the Infrastructure through the Show of Hands Project - Employee Volunteerism Project Focus on key Stakeholders through Literacy Conference and quarterly stakeholder meetings "We realised that the only way to overcome the key challenges in Education is through collaboration, partnership and commitment to these five focus areas. That is why VWSA spends 80% of our CSI Budget in Education," said Schaefer. The Aspiring Innovators Programme will take place at the Gartner Symposium/ITxpo 2017, profiling African technology startups to an audience of over 1000 CIOs and senior IT executives, as well as the broader IT community, through the media. The goal of this programme is to both support the African startup technology community, as well as provide Symposium delegates access to new local technology providers. Selected by a team of Gartner research analysts, the startup companies have the opportunity to profile their solutions in front of an audience who are actively looking for new partners and solutions. The Aspiring Innovators are also afforded a chance to engage one-on-one with senior IT decision-makers who visit their stands. We are pleased to have MTN Business back for a third year as the corporate sponsor of the Aspiring Innovator Programme. The selected innovators will join MTN Business on the ITxpo floor to showcase and discuss their solutions with Symposium delegates. MTN Business continued support for this very important initiative allows talented startups the chance to effectively reach important target markets, which would otherwise take significant time, effort and cost, explains Jeffery Mann, Symposium chairperson. Gartner Symposium/ITxpo 2017 The Gartner Symposium/ITxpo 2017 will take place in Cape Town from 18-21 September 2017. Delegates will learn how to take advantage of digital opportunities to transform their organisations and evolve their own IT leadership to drive change and become central to the new digital business world. Who can apply? Gartner is looking for early-stage startups* that meet the following criteria: Your company is based in Africa Your company has fewer than 50 employees and less than R20 million annual revenue Your product or solution supports B2B or corporate B2C use cases (we are not looking for purely consumer products) Your product or solution is in production or beta, with at least two customers Your company was not chosen for any previous Aspiring Innovator Programmes Apply by sending your contact details, a company CV and a short description of why your product is innovative to moc.rentrag@srotavonnIgniripsa by 14 April 2017. *Subsidiaries of, or products developed by large companies are excluded, as are Gartner clients and prospects. JERUSALEM, Israel: Intel's $15-billion purchase of Israeli firm Mobileye could help fuel the country's rise in the driverless car industry - not as a builder of vehicles, but as the brains behind them. Monday's deal, the largest ever in Israel's tech sector, could help boost trade despite the fact no commercial cars are assembled in the country. The self-styled "startup nation" has no real tradition of auto manufacturing: an ignoble previous stint in the 1960s and 70s produced the fibreglass Sussita car, parts of which, according to legend, were edible for camels. But the rise of new technology including driverless cars has opened space for the tech-savvy country to excel. Google buys Waze In 2013, Google paid more than $1 billion (900 million euros) for Waze, an Israeli crowd-sourced app that plots the quickest journeys in real time, followed by Monday's $15 billion Mobileye deal. The company makes advanced driver assistance and accident avoidance systems for car manufacturers, and has already collaborated with Intel and BMW on self-driving car technology. It was founded in 1999 but Yossi Vardi - considered one of the fathers of Israel's high-tech startup scene - said the automobile industry's growth in Israel really began in 2007 when General Motors established a research and development centre. "It surprised everybody that a company like General Motors would go to Israel to source innovation and technology." In the last three years, Vardi said, Honda, Ford, Volkswagen, Volvo and others have followed suit. Making driving more efficient dolgachov via 123RF Most Israeli companies in the field don't involve production, but ways to make driving more efficient. Among them are Otonomo, which provides in-depth data on car usage; Argus, one of the market leaders in protecting cars from cyber hacking; and VocalZoom, dubbed "Siri for cars." Elan Zivotofsky, general partner at the OurCrowd equity platform that invests in a number of companies working on autonomous cars, compared it to smartphones, laptops and other sectors where Israeli technology is heavily used but the final products are still made elsewhere. "Israel is not going to be in the business of building cars," he said. "Israel is in the business of building some of the most important core elements that will enable autonomous driving." Vardi said the country's military experience, with some of the world's most advanced monitoring, laser-guiding and other technologies, place it in a good position. "When you drive a car, you cannot stop the car and wait 15 minutes for the computer to process. It has to be immediate," Vardi said. "This kind of talent you find in the military - in aeroplanes etc." Impact of Mobileye The impact of Mobileye could be significant, said Yaniv Feldman, editor-in-chief of the Israeli Geektime tech blog. There are dozens of companies in the sector and Feldman reckons Israel is already one of the leading players in autonomous driving behind the United States and China. In 2016, around $70 million was invested in automotive tech in Israel, he said, but that will increase by "somewhere between 25 to 40 percent." "We will probably start seeing much more activity in the space and investor interest rising," he told AFP. None of the other companies were as advanced as Mobileye, though, he added. Noticing change Aquarius Engines, an Israeli firm that claims to have developed a radically improved combustion engine, is currently seeking $10 million in a second round of funding. Chairman Gal Fridman said they had already noticed a change. "Since Mobileye happened, our phone is ringing all the time," he told AFP. "Until now, when I came and told (car companies) I was an Israeli developing an engine, it was a bit odd as the country has no history of automobiles," he said. "Now, after Waze and Mobileye, we have more credibility, I think, and doors will open easier." Source: AFP Well, the AMPS funeral is over and several concerned bodies are making progress on instituting something with which to replace it. The Marketing Association of South Africa (MA(SA)), The Advertising Media Forum (AMF) and the Association for Communication and Advertising (ACA), have been encouraging the industry to cooperate with them in putting together a new marketing research currency to replace the now-discontinued All Media and Products Survey (AMPS). The general consensus is that we need a single-source survey to replace AMPS and one which is independent. Or, in other words: not controlled by a group of media owners. Personally, I think this is admirable and I hope that the industry gets the funds together because the current research being released to the industry is very much designed for the media owners and not for the rest of the industry. This is hardly surprising, after all, if you are paying for something, you are only going to pay for what you need, and the rest of the industry needs to either find another way forward or live with what they get. I personally think that in the next two to three years we will have pretty much what we had before SAARF was unbundled but at twice the cost and the data will be collected by several bodies instead of one (which will become a bit of a concatenation headache on its own, I would think). I guess you could call that the price of progress. We used to have a model that was envied by the world, and we sadly have moved to a model that's just ho-hum now we're the same as the rest of the world. On the plus side, some egos were scrubbed and polished up along the way. I will also be very interested to see how the new surveys currently being released by the media owner bodies match up to this new survey. That in itself could cause quite an interesting bun fight in the industry, especially if this survey's results differ greatly from the data released by the media owner bodies which is what usually happens when goalposts are shifted a bit. Any queries about the new data released have been squashed very quickly by any means possible and the general line of "Everything is stable, everything is finally correct and everything is better", along with the constant slating of SAARF's data, tends to make me feel that the people shouting how great everything is now, don't quite believe their own message. Perhaps they do protesteth a little too much sometimes. The sad reality is the days of having independent, affordable research for the entire industry controlled by the entire industry is something of the past, I'm sorry to say. Sometimes progress is essential and there are casualties I suppose that's normal and we will, I'm sure, claw our way back to where we were, but I wonder at what cost? By the way, the Broadcast Research Council will be hosting the re-launch of BRC TAMS in early April. Let me know if you need any more info: az.oc.srewerb@sirhc. *Note that Bizcommunity staff and management do not necessarily share the views of its contributors the opinions and statements expressed herein are solely those of the author.* Further work was needed to understand the effect and consequences of mandatory audit firm rotation that the Independent Regulatory Board for Auditors (IRBA) has decided on, EY Africa CEO Ajen Sita and PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) CEO Dion Shango said. They told members of parliament's finance committee during a public hearing on the IRBA decision that SA did not have a known crisis of the independence of its auditing profession, so should not rush into changing the system. "The work is simply too important for our country to get wrong," Sita stressed, noting that there had not been any audit failure in the past 20 years that could be attributed to a failure of independence. "The World Economic Forum's assessment of South African audit standards and capital markets as being number one in the world for the last seven consecutive years is testament to the fact that existing regulations and practices are already working," he added. Shango argued that mandatory audit firm rotation would not achieve the outcomes that the IRBA believed it would and would further constrict an already over-regulated market and concentrate it further. It would also not increase auditor independence nor enhance audit quality. Sita said safeguards already existed in regulations and in audit firms to ensure the independence of auditors in relation to their clients. For example, all audit partners cannot serve their clients for longer than five years and their audit opinions are subject to an independent review. "Audit partners, family members and those in their chain of command are barred from owning shares or having any other form of financial interest or business relationship with their audit clients, thus removing any self-interest threats," Sita said. Audit committees of public companies had a statutory duty to assess the independence and quality of their choice of auditor and make a recommendation to their shareholders. "Disempowering the audit committee from making its own choice due to a forced rotation opens up a new risk in the topic of directors' liability - an example of unintended consequence." Sita argued that mandatory audit firm rotation did not address independence as a new audit firm could be less independent than the previous one. Regarding market concentration, Sita noted that the four largest auditing firms audited 66% of the companies listed on the JSE. But it was important to note that the largest 20 listed companies had operations in the rest of the world and needed a firm with a similar global reach. The experience in other countries that introduced mandatory audit firm rotation was that it had failed in many of them, either increasing costs to the economy or being suspended in its entirely as was the case in Indonesia, Brazil and Argentina. Furthermore, Sita believed that mandatory audit firm rotation would compound the loss of critical talent from the industry. Transformation should be addressed by other means. For example, the current education model that required a 12-15 year cycle for graduates to become partners should be changed. Shango noted that mandatory audit firm rotation would put audit quality at risk as it would mean the loss of the firm's cumulative knowledge of the company's business. He agreed with Sita that the IRBA decision would rob audit committees of their power to choose auditors and their ability to discharge their oversight responsibilities. He said "less intrusive" measures should be found to strengthen auditor independence. Henk Heymans, a partner of RSM SA, a member of RSM International, a global network of audit, tax and consulting experts, also strongly opposed the IRBA decision. He did not believe mandatory audit firm rotation would have a significant effect on the business of his firm and other medium-sized audit practices. Heymans said there was not any empirical evidence that he was aware of that supported the belief that mandatory audit firm rotation contributed significantly to audit quality. "It is too soon to embark on a project of such magnitude with such huge potential unintended consequences," Heymans said. Not enough research had been undertaken to show that mandatory audit firm rotation was necessary. Association for the Advancement of Black Accountants of Southern Africa president Gugu Ncube told MPs that the association did not believe that mandatory audit firm rotation would achieve the IRBA aim of auditor independence and enhanced audit quality or contribute to transformation, which the IRBA needed to address urgently. "A review of 26 reports by regulators or other representative bodies from around the world reveals that 22 conclude that mandatory audit firm rotation is not beneficial and four are in favour thereof. A majority of a sample of 33 academic studies did not support mandatory audit firm rotation therefore an alternative means to ensure increased perceived auditor independence should be pursued," Ncube said. SYRACUSE Since 2012, the Animal Alliance of Greater Syracuse has participated in a court watch program, following animal abuse cases in Onondaga County. And over the years, AAGS Secretary Karen Antczak said the nonprofit has seen the same people come to court, people who continue to abuse animals. "What we see is repeat offenders," she said, noting that the county sees between two and six animal abuse cases a month. "Either they're being brought in again for animal abuse or in the course of their court case it comes out that they had another dog that died of starvation or something like that. ... So there is recidivism there." But now the Onondaga County Sheriff's Office has announced an initiative to create an animal abuser registry, something the community hopes will prevent repeat abuse. On Monday, March 20, Sheriff Eugene Conway discussed the proposed registry, which would require convicted animal abusers to provide their name, date of birth, address and photo similar to the sex offender registry in New York state. That information would then be posted on the sheriff's website to allow animal shelters, pet sellers and others to ensure an animal adopter is not a convicted abuser. "This registry is being created in support of those who work tirelessly to keep animals from falling into the hands of those who abuse animals," Conway said. "While New York has criminalized the cruel treatment of animals, animal abuse and cruelty continues to occur in Onondaga County and elsewhere." Conway said the registry was inspired by Niagara County, which established its own animal abuser registry in 2015. Onondaga County Legislator Dan Liedka said he and Legislature Chairman Brian May have adopted the language of Niagara County's law and submitted a proposal to Onondaga County for vetting. Then, if approved by the county Public Safety Committee in April, the registry would transition to the floor of the Legislature in June. "We're hoping to fast track this and have it in place by summer," Liedka said. "And I'd be shocked if somebody was opposed to this." While New York City and several downstate counties have similar registries, Onondaga County's would be the first of its kind in central New York. But Conway said he had been in talks with some surrounding counties to encourage the creation of a statewide registry. "This should be a statewide registry and I will do everything I can in my position as a sheriff ... to lobby state representatives," he said. "We need to create a statewide registry to help eliminate confusion and have all the language standardized." In Cayuga County, Sheriff David Gould said he has spoken with Conway about the animal abuser registry and would not be opposed to creating a similar registry in the future. "We haven't done anything yet because we're a smaller county ... but I think every county should have it," Gould said in a phone interview with The Citizen on Monday. "I'm going to give it some time a few months maybe to see how things go. And if it works out, we'll probably adopt a similar registry here (in Cayuga County) down the road." "Those on the registry would be forbidden from possessing, owning, adopting or purchasing an animal for a defined period of time," Conway added. "And there would be punishment for failing to register, failing to keep updated information on the registry and further penalties if they try or do acquire an animal." In addition to preventing animal abusers from re-offending, Antczak said another benefit of the registry is identifying and preventing potential human abuse, something that has often been linked with animal abuse. "There is a known fact that people who do violence to animals also are abusing humans and vice versa," she said. "So if someone is abusing an animal, that is a red flag for potential abuse of children, partners and the elderly. "I think overall it's trying to tighten the safety net for the vulnerable in our community and that includes the animals," Antczak added. "It's a great first step in identifying abuse and tightening the laws." LAGOS, Nigeria: Nigeria's second largest airline Aero Contractors has laid off two-thirds of its workforce to save costs and prevent it from going under, a government agency official has confirmed. The company said in a letter to employees that it was "constrained to place [them] under redundancy because of operational challenges" that had hit its finances. In all, more than 1,000 of the 1,500-strong workforce will lose their jobs, Jude Mwauzor, a spokesman for the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON), told AFP. AMCON acquired Aero Contractors in 2011 because of mounting debts and a lack of aircraft to service its routes. The government agency last month also took over the country's main private airline, Arik Air, to prevent it from going bust because of spiralling debts. "Too many workers doing nothing" "The management did not want to continue to live a life of lies. It had to rationalise to save the airline because there were too many workers doing nothing," Mwauzor said. "The airline does not have the funds to be paying redundant staff. Our position is that the management has to stabilise Aero and return it to efficiency and profitability," he said. In the letter, the management said it hoped that by reducing operational costs it would be able to beef up its fleet for passenger flights and helicopter services for the oil industry. It used to have seven planes but currently only operates two while the others are undergoing servicing and maintenance checks. Manageable, committed workforce The layoffs "will also enable Aero to have a more manageable and committed workforce in line with international best practices of 50 to 60 personnel to one". Huge monthly salaries "will eventually kill the airline" if nothing was done, it added. Last year Aero suspended flights for four months because of funding problems linked to the lack of foreign currency caused by recession. That has left airlines unable to pay fuel suppliers and in some cases landing charges at airports outside the country. Arik, which has a 60% share of domestic flights in Nigeria, was taken over because it was unable to repay loans totalling 135 billion naira ($429 million, 400 million euros) by the end of 2016. Foreign creditors had also seized several of its aircraft. Source: AFP Climate change, severe drought, water scarcity and the invasion of Fall armyworm sees Africa's food security under threat, but technology tools are available to help solve the continent's food security problems. Lawrence Kandaswami, Managing Director, SAP South Africa says: "Smart farming solutions will become the cornerstone of global food production over the next decade. By using cloud-based computing, big data, analytics, and IoT devices, and bringing together key industry players, we are able to deliver new innovations across the entire agricultural ecosystem to boost food production in a sustainable manner." Africa faces enormous challenges to food security In 1950 Africas population of 229 million people accounted for just 9% of the worlds population. In 2015, less than three generations later, Africas 1.16 billion people account for 16% of the globes 7.3 billion people. By 2050, Africas population will have more than doubled to 2.4 billion people. In addition, two-thirds of Africa is arid or semi-arid, and 38% of people in sub-Saharan Africa live in a water-scarce environment. "This creates enormous challenges in terms of food security. In fact, the Africa Union Commission recently highlighted the fact that, at current growth rates, by 2050 Africa will only be able to feed 13% of its population with its own resources. There is an urgent need for a radical overhaul of agriculture and food production on the continent." Battling a plague of Fall armyworms African farmers are currently battling a plague of Fall armyworms, a type of caterpillar that eats crops before turning into a moth. The Fall armyworm outbreak could not have come at a worse time for Southern Africa, as the region has also recorded two years of record drought that has already affected more than 40 million people and reduced food supply by 15%. "The sheer speed and scale of the infestation are likely unprecedented. According to the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organisation, it took only eight weeks for the pest to spread to six African countries where there are suspected infestations, namely South Africa, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Zambia, Namibia, and Mozambique. And since it targets maize - a primary food staple in many of the affected areas - the region's food security has been put at tremendous risk." Mikhail Kochiev via 123RF Adapting modern tech to rural Africa According to Kandaswami, crop production in Africa is greatly dependent on a large number of small-scale or subsistence farmers, for whom access to technology can be problematic. "However, we have shown how modern tech can be adapted to the rural African farming context with great success. Ghanas StarShea scheme, for example, connected over 3,000 women farmers to the global Shea nut supply chain using software combined with simple feature phones. This enabled buyers to procure directly from small-scale farmers in economic quantities while the farmers saw their incomes increase by as much as 60% in six months." SAP's Smart Farming solutions are built on a number of key technologies, including the S/4HANA Cloud Platform, big data analytics, IoT (especially mobility and telematics) and applications that provide the capabilities required to drive more efficient and effective agriculture. "There is a huge volume of data across the agricultural value chain. Collecting and processing this data in our in-memory platform and making the key insights available in a cloud-based model makes it possible to deliver greater value, increase production, reduce risks and lower costs. This opens the door to a wide range of software applications: for example, we are able to calculate the optimal fertiliser quantities for an area based on soil type, moisture content, humidity data, seed type, hours of sunshine and forecast weather. The ability to store and process this amount of historic data and to build complex models that optimise the relationships between these factors helps to improve yields while minimising input costs." Precision farming the cornerstone of sustainable agriculture For Kandaswami, precision farming will be the cornerstone of sustainable agriculture. "Precision Farming is the only lasting and effective way to feed an African population that will require food production to increase by 200% in 2050. With Zero Hunger being the second goal of the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals that were adopted at the UN Sustainable Development Summit 2015, the responsibility rests on all of us to ensure Africa is able to feed its growing population in the years and decades to come. Through the use of technology driven by a digital transformation imperative, we are confident that the continent's food security can be secured for the generation to come." Home Affairs Minister Malusi Gigaba says individuals visiting, transiting and residing in the territory of a country are entitled to the protection of the host country. By virtue of their presence in a territory, they may also make various claims on the host State, and thus destination countries are entitled to know who a prospective visitor is, and what their needs, circumstances and intentions are before they enter a countrys territory, he said. Potential future citizen Speaking on Friday at the International Migration Conference at the Sandton Convention Centre, Minister Gigaba said when governments manage migration, they do so in the awareness that they are not merely considering entry of a temporary resident, but also a potential future citizen. People also become citizens of other countries through naturalization. International migration is not just about the affluent strata of the economy, it is a development issue. The desire to control immigration was a strong motivator in the decision of British voters to leave the European Union, 56 years after first applying to join its predecessor, the European Economic Commission, in 1961. Anti-immigrant sentiment has, and is, continuing to play a significant and troubling role in the politics of countries, which have hitherto been seen as exemplars of openness and regional integration, he said. New policy framework needed Minister Gigaba told delegates at the conference that there is an urgent need to develop a new and enduring policy framework and programme for the management of international migration in order to harness its positive benefits, while minimising the risks. The new framework must meet both the current and our future challenges, he said. The Minister has identified the development of a new international migration policy as one of his top priorities during his term of office. This policy review seeks to lay a solid policy foundation for South Africa to manage international migration securely and effectively, in line with the National Development Plan. In the 2014/15 financial year, the Department of Home Affairs submitted the Discussion Paper on International Migration to the Minister for approval. The Discussion Paper served as a basis for drafting the Green Paper, which was submitted in the 2015/16 financial year and approved by the Minister on 29 March 2016. The Green Paper has been used as a basis for drafting the White Paper on International Migration, to be submitted to Cabinet for approval by 31 March 2017. Right to entry reserved Home Affairs Deputy Director General: Immigration Services, Jackie McKay, said as sovereign State, South Africa has defined borders that are recognised by approximately 200 states. SA reserves the right to determine who is allowed entry into the country and under what conditions. The new Whiter Paper on International Migration affirms SAs sovereign right to determine the admission and residence conditions for foreign nationals, in line with its national interest, he said. According to McKay, SA urgently needs a robust, progressive vision of the benefits of well-managed international migration. This vision must be based on the crucial contribution inward and outward migration and will make to growing our economy and to the transformation of Africa, he said. Namibian delegate at the conference, Justino Okkae, told SAnews that the conference is important to address the many problems faced by Africans when migrating to other countries. We need to sit down and agree on the way forward to protect our people from the frustrations they are experiencing daily, he said. According to the World Bank, there are 250 million international migrants in the world, 3% of the worlds population. The National International Migration Conference is, among others, attended by Ministers of Home Affairs from Zimbabwe, Namibia, Lesotho and Swaziland, ambassadors as well as international experts and practitioners invited to share international experience on the management of international migration. By next year the African Reputation Index (AFI) should have a country or countries from Africa to add to the data set. The plan is to start in West Africa, probably Ghana. This follows the launch of the inaugural African Reputation Index (AFI) by Magna Carta Reputation Management Consultants recently in Sandton. scanrail via 123RF We started in South Africa because it is an area we know well. Now we will take it to the continent, says Katherine du Plessis, data analyst at Magna Carta Reputation Management Consultants. The plan is also to expand beyond the sectors in the South African study. Just as in South Africa we will look at the types of industries in each country, as they will differ from market to market, says Moliehi Molekoa, business unit head at the company. With little or no consensus about what corporate reputation is, coupled with related difficulties in measurement, Magna Carta decide to define corporate reputation in South Africa and Africa. We use the definitions for reputation from the United States (US) and Europe with little research on how reputation plays out in this country and beyond our borders. Once they undertook the journey on defining reputation locally and on the continent, they also developed a tool to measure corporate reputation. The research was undertaken by Yellowwood. Together the two companies hosted focus groups comprising South Africans from all backgrounds and conducting in-depth interviews with industry influencers. The result was the definition of reputation as: the perception that people in general hold of a company. If you want to be sustainable, you need to take your reputation management seriously. Asked why another Index, Kalay Maistry, business unit head, explains that they were looking for innovation and new technologies, as well as to add more value for their clients. The ARIs point of departure is very different to other Indexes of this kind which normally use trust as their point of department. We have used the stakeholder as ours. She also adds that too often Indexes such as this are lumped together with the Middle East and Europe. Yet we are very different to these regions. The Index proves the newest innovation around reputation and not only provides companies and individuals with a tool to enable the appropriate response, but also allows for high level planning for reputation management, Sechaba Motsieloa, newly appointed CEO of Magna Carta Reputation Management Consultants, told attendees at the media and client launch. If you want to be sustainable, you need to take your reputation management seriously, he adds. The survey uses focus groups and in-depth interviews to obtain data. Respondents rate companies in different sectors on a series of 44 reputational drivers that are then grouped into nine reputational attributes. The sectors will vary from country to country. Subscribe to daily business and company news across 19 industries SUBSCRIBE MARCELLUS Matilda Joslyn Gage, a pioneering suffragist and abolitionist born in 1826 in Cicero, spoke to a group of about 25 community members at the Marcellus Free Library on Sunday, answering questions about her contemporaries and her life's work. The reenactment, portrayed by living-historian Renee-Noelle Felice, is one of several performances taking place this month, as part of a celebration of 2017 being the 100th anniversary of women getting the right to vote in New York. "I always wonder when I come to this century what you do or don't know," Gage said, opening the reenactment. "Women are often portrayed as pawns ... but women often affected history and made it." Gage recalled applying to the Geneva College of Medicine and having the door "firmly shut in my face" because the school only allowed men. Her application, however, allowed several women to attend the school in later years, but Gage warned that the doors shutting off opportunities for women do "not swing magically open" and that women's rights activists cannot get complacent. "If one is a woman, one must be constantly vigilant because those doors can close again at any moment," she said. In addition to advocating for Native Americans' rights, pushing to end slavery and working closely with Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton in the women's rights movement, Gage also believed religion in the mid-1800s was one of the primary hinderances to advancing women's role in society. "I was of the opinion that what held women back more than anything else was the church," Gage said on Sunday. "I believed that religion should liberate people it should not enslave them." Gage held several executive roles at the National Woman Suffrage Association, of which several prominent suffragists were members. But the suffrage movement, Gage acknowledged, was not always for liberating everyone, and, in many cases, did not involve many black people or abolitionists. "We were as bigoted a group as any." Gage's magnum opus, "Woman, Church and State," which she finished writing in 1893, made the argument that Christianity held women back from gaining equal rights and, in arguments that mirrored Frederick Douglass's, that religion was used as a means to create hierarchical and unfair systems. Gage died in 1898 in Chicago. Her house, which has been transformed into a museum and tourist attraction, is in Fayetteville, where she lived for much of her life. "Mine was the only home in Fayetteville that did have a stop in the underground railroad," she said. Nada Odeh, a graduate student at Syracuse University who attended the reenactment on Sunday, said she is currently writing a paper comparing the William Seward House in Auburn and with the Matilda Joslyn Gage home. "I was really interested to see how her house is a reflection of her thoughts," Odeh said, mentioning the small areas of the home that Gage used to hide former slaves. Felice, speaking out of character after the performance, said she has been doing living history for about 20 years and is very interested in Gage's life. She said Gage's work on behalf on many different disenfranchised groups takes is as relevant as it was during the 1800s. "I think Mrs. Gage's work is not finished at all," Felice said. Additional living history events with Gage will be held at the Manlius Library on Tuesday at 1 p.m. and March 28 at 2 p.m. at the Fayetteville Free Library. A Waterloo woman is facing charges after allegedly attempting to smuggle drugs into the Seneca County Correctional Facility. Christina A. Strally, 38, of 17 1/2 E. Williams St., has been charged with tampering with physical evidence, a class E felony, and two misdemeanors seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance and second-degree promoting prison contraband. According to the Seneca County Sheriff's Office, Strally was being held as an inmate at the jail when she attempted to smuggle a narcotic drug into the facility. A corrections officer noticed the drug and seized it from Strally. Police said Strally then forcibly retrieved the drug from the officer and swallowed it. Authorities say Strally wasn't injured, but was monitored by medical staff. Strally, who was arrested Friday, was issued an appearance ticket and is scheduled to appear at 10 a.m. April 21 in Romulus Town Court. The deceased adults are Ma Aung May Tin, Ma Aye Than Myint, Ma Khin May Than, Ma Sandar Nway and the two missing children are Maung Phyo Min Paing and Maung Tun Say Kay. The bodies of the two children were found in the river three hours after the incident took place, Kyaukphyu Township Police confirmed. The passengers were travelling to a novitiation ceremony of their relative in Ka La Bar Taung Village under U Kinn Village Group in Kyaukphyu Township when the boats engine caught on fire on the river near Danyawaddy naval base in Kyaukphyu. Kyaukphyu Myoma Police Station confirmed that the ferry boat was owned by U San Tun Kyaw from Ka La Bar Taung Village. Fifteen passengers seven male and eight female were onboard and six people have died. On March 14, International Day of Action for Rivers, Karen Rivers Watch held a demonstration on the bank of the Salween. Members of the Ee Tu Htat and Uweklo internally displaced persons (IDPs) camps attended the event, which was held near Uweklo village. We want the elders of the KNU who will be elected at the 16th congress to reject dam projects. If the new Karen leaders change their minds [to allow the dams] the decision will neglect the needs of the local people and leave us very worried, said Sa Tu Tu Sten, one of the event leaders. The three-week KNU Congress, which is currently meeting in Hpa-An district, will elect leadership and establish a four-year agenda. But neither of the two anticipated frontrunners, the current chair, General Mutu Say Poe and vice chair Padoh Naw Zipporah Sein, have expressed much support for large-scale, foreign-funded hydropower developments. However, General Mutu Say Poe has said smaller projects intended to benefit local villagers could proceed if they have the support of residents. At least two major hydropower dams and several smaller projects have been planned for Kayin (Karen) States portion of the Salween River, Southeast Asias longest undammed river. China is pushing to develop the 1,3000 megawatt Hat Gyi dam in Kayin State. The project, which is expected to flood two forest reserve areas, would export the electricity generated to Thailand. Sa Tu Tu Sten said that the Myanmar and Thai governments should not be discussing hydropower dams in areas of armed conflict since disagreements over who controls the natural resources can fuel further fighting and threaten the peace process. According to some analysts and observers, tensions over the giant Myitsone hydropower dam in Kachin State helped propel the end of the Kachin Independence Armys ceasefire and resumption of fighting in 2011. The Karen Rivers Watch blamed the Hat Gyi dam for provoking fighting between the Tatmadaw and the DKBA last year. Sa Tu Tu Sten added that large hydropower projects also risk fueling further displacement in a state that has already seen tens of thousands of villagers expelled from their homes and land. At the March 14 demonstration, IDPs of all faiths joined in prayers to protect the people from any disadvantageous dams. Wed like to demand the soon-to-be elected Karen leaders to decisively defend the local people and take responsibility to rule out the dam projects, said Naw The Nae, chair of the Karen Womens Organization chapter in the Ee Tu Hta IDP camp. Lieutenant General Saw Baw Kyaw Heh, vice commander-in-chief of the Karen National Liberation Army the KNUs armed wing, said last year that a pragmatic approach must be taken toward hydropower dams. I cannot demand myself that the dam projects do not go ahead. But as we are an organization to protect the Karen people, we must proceed in activities that are in accordance with the wishes of the Karen people, he said. Edited by Laignee Barron Inspectors in Mon State are visiting farms in all of the states 10 townships to inspect operations and train farmers in safe poultry handling practices, such as minimizing human cross-contamination of bird populations. The push comes after the H5 and H9 strains of the Avian Flu, also known as Bird Flu and Avian Influenza, were discovered in birds at a designated poultry zone near the Sagaing city of Monywa. A Poultry farm in Mawlamyine Township (Photo: MNA) A Poultry farm in Mawlamyine Township (Photo: MNA) We are educating farmers about the importance of bio-security, especially in preventing the spread of Bird Flu. We tell them how to use medicinal sprays and vaccinate birds, and how to minimize contact between poultry and other species, including humans, said Dr. Aung Than Win, head of the Livestock Breeding and Veterinary Department. He added that local authorities have been instructed to be vigilant to any unusual poultry deaths in their jurisdictions, and to report any such deaths to the department. Dr. Chit Thein, the leader of the department in Mawlamyine, formerly known as Moulmein, said that officials would begin inspecting poultry brought into the state capital from other states and regions. Poultry farmers and industry groups fear what the flu could do to their stocks, but also worry that preventative measures could be onerous. Ko Nyo Min, the leader of a state livestock industry group, argued that the threat comes from outside of Mon State: the problem is not infected chickens in the state. The real danger is from birds imported illegally from Thailand. He said that poultry and eggs are smuggled from Thailand two or three times a month, avoiding inspection at the border. Still, the large number of birds in Mon State presents a challenge to prevention efforts. The Livestock Breeding and Veterinary Department reports more than 200,000 laying hens and 900,000 meat chickens in Mon State, as well as 200,000 laying ducks and 150,000 meat ducks. Avian Flu has only been detected in Mon State once, when infected birds were found simultaneously at Mawlamyine and Thanbyuzayat farms in 2007. craigslist: thailand jobs, apartments, for sale, services, community, and events craigslist provides local classifieds and forums for jobs, housing, for sale, services, local community, and events 1. Stability of the state, community peace and tranquility, prevalence of law and order 2. National Reconsolidation 3. Emergence of a new enduring state constitution 4. Building of a new modern developed nation in accordance with the new state constitution [sic] Those objectives were completely feasible but for a long time remained incomplete. It took the ruling military elites over 22 yearsfrom when they seized power in 1988 until 2010to finally engage with the process, a delay they put up to serving the peoples interest. The idea of a public or peoples interest has always been central to the political discourse in Myanmar where it is used by both representatives of the central state and leaders of the many armed ethnic groups fighting against it. The former claims to serve the public interest while the latter challenges that claim, arguing that the central state neglects the interests of the countrys minority ethnic peoples. The discourse emerged from the failures of imperialism and colonialism, ideologies which specifically ignored the will of the Myanmar people and empowered some only with the aim of obstructing others. General Aung San, Myanmars independence leader, brought the country to self-governance under the banner of serving the peoples will in a confederated national system. He challenged the ruling elites with the imperative that the peoples will always prevail, a notion that the entrenched interests could not abide. They killed General Aung San on July 12, 1947 and with him the political alliances he had built. For many, Aung Sans association with the Tatmadaw (Burmese military) only reinforced their view of the institution as the savior of a nation adrift. Since independence Myanmar has experienced a multitude of political ideologies, from the revolutionary communist, socialist and democratic movements of the late 1940s to the popular pro-democracy uprising of 1988. But in the modern era only democracy survives as an enduring ideology, often led by veterans of 1988. Forty-one years after her fathers assassination Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, took up his mantle of confronting the ruling elites, now the very Tatmadaw her father founded. Beginning in 1988 she and others embarked on 25 years of non-violent struggle for social, political and institutional change, which saw the killing of protesting students and monks, the wholesale displacement of communities and the creation of hundreds of thousands of refugees. The Tatmadaws central role in Myanmar was cemented soon after independence. In his important 1957 book The Union of Burma, Hugh Tinker showed how the chaos of the first decade of Myanmars independence dramatically empowered the military visa-vis other poles of power in the young country. Even as Myanmar was celebrating its independence, much of the country was falling away from the central government to a variety of ideological and ethnic rivals. With Communist, Chinese Nationalist, Karen, and Muslim insurgents threatening the very viability of the state, the Tatmadaw was given enormous power and a huge share of the national budget. When the situation stabilized after four years of intense conflict, the Tatmadaw had already positioned itself as a national defense force that needed to remain powerful to prevent any future lapse into disorder. While in those early years the Tatmadaw did make important contributions, the result was a military so powerful that it would eventually seize complete control of the country. Myanmar is still reckoning with the role that the Tatmadaw has in the current political transition and the accompanying social and political changes. Seventy-two years after the Tatmadaw was formed by the Thirty Comrades in Bangkok, it must establish its legitimacy in the modern era. Leaders of the countrys armed ethnic groups continue to contest the central states authority as they demand a federal system with broad self-determination for minority groups, and neither they nor the central state has fully accomplished its goals. The 72nd anniversary of Armed Forces Day will be celebrated on March 27 as a symbolic event, even as the commitments that the Tatmadaw has made to the country remain uncompleted: national political and social unity; the continued cohesion of the union; the legitimacy of the elected government; the emergence of a modern, developed nation that engages all of its people; the emergence of a well-disciplined democracy; and the maintenance of a highly capable military that can safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity. Any progress that the Tatmadaw did eventually show towards fulfilling these commitments came on the heels of internal and external challenges to its legitimacy. The militarys leading role in national politics has been contested by the armed ethnic organizations that resist the central state from countrys peripheries. But while these insurgencies have challenged the Tatmadaws legitimacy, they have not seriously threatened the viability of the state for some time. In the 1990s International pressures had similar effects. Efforts by Western countries in the United Nations Security Council offered a rebuke to the Tatmadaw but failed to enlist China and Russia in effectively pressuring Myanmar to change. It was not until 2005 that international political will began to coalesce around a more aggressive policy on Myanmar. In 2005 a group of human rights advocates commissioned a report by the international law firm DLA Piper Rudnick Gary entitled A Threat to the Peace. The report accused the military regime of gross human rights violations including the displacement of civilians, the torture and imprisonment of opponents (including 1,100 political prisoners of which 13 were former members of parliament), the widespread conscription of child soldiers and forced laborers, and the refusal to honor the 1990 election which the military-aligned party had lost. It called for the UN to intervene. The report, which is often called the Havel-Tutu report for its two most prominent proponents, proved a turning point. The year after its publication the UN Security Council added the situation in Myanmar to its permanent agenda. Shaken, Myanmars military elites began to question the permanence of the status quo they had enjoyed. They moved slowly, holding dialogues with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and her colleagues in 2007 and early 2008. But real changes did follow. Political prisoners were released and a semi-democratic constitution was adopted. By 2010 Myanmar had its first democratic elections under the new constitution as ruling elites displayed to the world their newfound interest in the peoples will. While much has changed since the mid-2000s, the Tatmadaw still has an outsized role in the nations governance. Under the constitution it drafted in 2008, the military maintains one quarter of all seats in parliament and military leaders have made it clear that they see a special role for the Tatmadaw in national life. In a 2015 BBC interview, former president Thein Sein explained what he saw as the militarys role in the country; The military has two tasks. One is to fight for the country in case of war. If theres no war they will serve the interest of the people. Serving the interests of the people means being involved in national politics. Senior General Min Aung Hlaing has similarly referred to the Tatmadaws role in protecting the peoples interest since his appointment as Commander-in-Chief in 2011. Since 2010 these notions of the Tatmadaw representing the public good have been challenged by the newly constituted government which, as a representative institution has an even stronger claim to know the peoples will. The current arrangement has been characterized by shared decision making between the elected and appointed members of parliament and the cabinet, with some direct participation by a fledgling civil society. Because the Tatmadaw has refused to fully relinquish the immense power it once had, many of the abuses raised in the Havel-Tutu report continue, despite the veneer of a representative system. The countrys armed conflicts seem little closer to resolution than they did in 2005, and the many accompanying human rights abuses continue to go un-monitored. A culture of impunity, especially for military elites, pervades the country, rendering moot any claims they have to representing a public interest. Those claims will be nothing more than propaganda unless until elected parliament is given full purview over government, including the ability to appoint all cabinet ministers. After 22 years of cease-fires and peace negotiations between armed ethnic leaders and the ruling military (and now civilian) elites, there is now a genuine will for peace, national unity and a true peoples democracy (as it is called in Myanmar). What these will look like, though, in a modern Myanmar embracing liberalism and social and ethnic identity politics, remains to be decided. The popular narrative of the countrys past (and thus where it may go in the future) is incomplete, and has been dominated by elite opinions. But in a new Myanmar that has embraced freedom of discourse, it is time for the country to debate its direction out in the open. The 2015 election manifesto of the ruling National League for Democracy declared that the party would work towards a peaceful, prosperous and durable Union through solidarity with all ethnic groups, and resolve problems between ethnic groups through dialogue based on mutual respect. Unless military and civilian leaders commit to these principles, the search for peace will come to naught. After an historic Union Peace Conference in 2016, a follow up conference has been scheduled for March of this year. The peace that may emerge from the process would be the national realization of all the peoples wills. It is the challenge of a lifetime for military and civilian leaders, as a host of new issues join the old. 72 years after the formation of the Tatmadaw and 69 years after Independence, Myanmar continues to face questions of legitimacy, unity and strength. The way forward is to eschew the idea that any one segment of societyneither the Tatmadaw, nor armed ethnic leadersbest serves the peoples interest. Only a broad, engaged society made up of racially, ethnically and religiously diverse constituents, can truly claim to represent the public will. NLD is spending precious political capital to impose the name General Aung San on a new bridge connecting the Mon State capital Mawlamyine to Bilukyun Island. Despite broad opposition in the state, including protests at the bridge, NLD members of parliament voted overwhelmingly this week for the new name. Mon activists plan to hold another protest on Sunday, and say they will continue to fight until the name is dropped. Protesters gathering to oppose the proposed name change (Photo: MNA) Protesters gathering to oppose the proposed namechange (Photo: MNA) In many ways, the bridge conflict is not even about the name. Underlying the fight is a test of the NLDs campaign promise to be responsive to the demands of its constituents, especially those from minority ethnic groups who overwhelmingly supported the party over ethno-nationalist alternatives. Many voted for the NLD out of a belief that a single, united party could challenge the military-establishment more effectively than a splintered ethnic coalition. The NLD promised to spend its energy reforming the country rather than squabbling for power. Now, though, the broad mandate that voters handed the NLD in 2015 seems to have made the party complacent. How else can one understand the bridge vote? To begin with, there is no lack of civil infrastructure in Myanmar, also known as Burma, named for General Aung San. Practically every town in the country has an Aung San or Bogyoke (major general) street running through it, often anchored at one end by a statue of the general gazing out over traffic. Furthermore, NLD has little to gain by identifying with General Aung San; the party is led by his enormously popular daughter, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. NLD already has a monopoly on legitimacy-by-association and one more bridge will not change that. The complete lack of even passable rationalizations is insulting to Mon observers, for whom the issue feels immediate. They have been clear that they are not trying to attack the memory of General Aung San, but say that in a country dominated by majority Burman institutions, they want their culture represented too. The bridges name, they argue, should reflect the Mon character of the area, and the people who will use the bridge. As the standard-bearers of Myanmars pro-democracy movement, NLD enjoys enormous support throughout the country. But it risks going the way of other post-colonial freedom-fighting parties like the Indian and African National Congresses, both of which continue to ride the legacies of their great leaders (Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela), while offering little in the way of meaningful governance. In Myanmar other minority ethnic groups are taking note of the move, and several plan to send representatives to upcoming protests. And while the NLD will not lose its national credibility to the bridge controversy overnight, similarly tone-deaf decisions around the country will cost them votes and allies in future, important fights. In a country like Myanmar where ethnic identity runs so deep, ethnic political parties are ready to pick up disaffected NLD voters. Even the enormously unpopular Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), considered a lackey of the establishment, has sought to exploit the issue by strongly denouncing the vote in parliament. For the NLD, the work of reforming the country is enormous, and wasting political capital on pyrrhic, symbolic fights is deeply irresponsible. To be clear, even with a majority in parliament, NLD is in a very difficult position. Many of the politically unpopular decisions it makes spring from its tenuous and limited power, and it must make calculations about conceding some fights to win others. But it is in cases like the bridge fightwith nothing to be gained and much to be lostthat NLD must show voters it is listening. If they do not, it is very likely another party will. 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 U.S. State of Secretary Rex Tillerson, left, chats with China's President Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. (Lintao Zhang/Pool Photo via AP) (Lintao Zhang/AP) While his boss was goading China over Twitter, new Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has been trying to build a constructive and results-oriented relationship with the leadership in Beijing. And though his warnings about the possibility of eventual military action over North Korea have raised hackles here, Tillerson received a warm welcome from Chinas president on Sunday. You have made a lot of active efforts to achieve a smooth transition in our relationship under the new era, President Xi Jinping told Tillerson as the men sat down for talks in the Great Hall of the People. And I also appreciate your comment that the China-U.S. relationship can only be defined by cooperation and friendship. But some critics say Tillerson has bent too far, handing Beijing what Chinese news media reports are calling a diplomatic victory. After meeting Chinas Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Saturday, Tillerson voiced Chinese catchphrases about the relationship, including the avoidance of conflict and confrontation and the need to build mutual respect and strive for win-win cooperation. U.S. and China vow to cooperate to rein in North Korea Play Video 1:51 During Secretary of State Rex Tillersons first official trip to China, the two countries vowed to work together on reining in nuclear-armed North Korea. (Reuters) The phrase mutual respect is key: In Beijing, that is taken to mean each side should respect the others core interests. In other words: The United States should stay away from issues such as Taiwan, Tibet and Hong Kong and in principle almost anything Chinas Communist Party deems a vital national security concern. Increasingly, that also appears to include Chinas territorial claims in the contested waters of the South China Sea. Several Chinese foreign policy experts called the comments very positive and in line with a concept Beijing has long advocated what it calls a new model of great power relationships, which would put the two nations on a roughly equal footing. The thing we did was bringing the kids to library as early as they could walk and made them love books, this is the best tip I could give Governments Economic Stimulus Programme (ESP) is bearing fruit after generating about 18 790 jobs since its launch in 2015, a government official has said. Although the programme has attracted bouts of criticism,Vice President Mokgweetsi Eric Masisi says to date over 300 citizen companies have been awarded tenders for the ESP projects with a total of 18 790 directly employed as at the end of January 2017. Our expectation is that more will be employed in this coming financial year, said the optimistic Masisi last week while officially opening the Botswana Stock Exchange (BSE) 2nd Listing Conference. The Botswana government launched the ESP in 2015 to cover the backlog of government projects that were affected by the economic recession. Since the worldwide economic slowdown of 2008, Botswanas economy has experienced slower growth and uncertainty. To address this challenge government put in place both austerity measures and mitigation interventions to cushion the effects of continued global market volatility. Hence the introduction of the ESP.Through the programme, projects that were deferred during the recession will be brought forward and added to projects that are being implemented this financial year. Five areas have been identified in building construction and road construction, tourism development, agriculture production and manufacturing.Meanwhile Masisi said due to the weak recovery of the global commodity prices, this have in turn put pressure on government strategic business sectors. He said the depressed global commodity prices have led to the liquidation of BCL and Tati Nickel Mines as well as the closure of many mining companies leaving many people jobless.This also has adversely affected the countrys economy and the economies near those mines. Masisi however said all hope is not lost as there are prospective investors that have shown keen interest in the BCL Mine. There are also three mines that are due to start operations during 2017, revealed the VP. Masisi said the golden old days are slowly coming back as the world has witnessed an upsurge of diamond sales during the last two quarters. Three journalists from INK Centre for Investigative Journalism who were allegedly arrested, detained and threatened in Mosu by security agents have roped in Human Rights Lawyer Dick Bayford in a looming litigation against government. The journalists were allegedly working on a story to investigate claims of corruption regarding the construction taking place at President Ian Khamas home in Mosu. The trio, Joel Konopo Managing Partner at INK Centre, Ntibinyane Ntibinyane and Kaombona Kanani, was arrested last week Wednesday. Konopo confirmed in an interview with Botswana Guardian that they met Bayford this week regarding their last weeks ordeal. He said they are however still waiting for Letlhakane police to finish their investigations after they reported the matter to the Police Station. We want to give the police time to do their investigations. We have made statements at Letlhakane Police Station regarding the issue of threats and the issue of motor vehicles registration numbers, which the agents kept on changing making us suspicious. After completion of the investigation then our lawyer will express his interest into the matter by contacting the police, said Konopo. He explained that they are considering litigation because if the threats continue unchallenged they pose a threat to the countrys media industry. Konopo mentioned the issue of a Sunday Standard Newspaper reporter, Edgar Tsimane who has fled the country fearing for his security. He said there are other cases of intimidation against journalists that have not been challenged. Konopo also dismissed claims by Government through its Spokesperson Dr. Jeff Ramsay that the trio was detained after they sought to trespass into a restricted area. In a statement, Dr. Ramsay said the trio wanted to enter a restricted area that is the private property of President Khama, without any authorisation or prior communication. But Konopo countered saying in fact they were stopped by the security agents about five (5) Kilometers away from Khamas residence. He wondered how one would conclude that a person wants to trespass when they are such far away from the purported area of trespassing. Botswana Media and Allied Workers Union (BOMAWU) also expressed shock at the arrest, detention and threats leveled against the trio. Its Secretary General, Victor Baatweng said they are utterly disturbed by the incident as it violates the very foundation of a free media. He stated that the union extends its solidarity to the three reporters and wish to encourage its members to continue with their noble role of informing members of the public on any issues of public interest including suspected corruption acts by the powers that be. Baatweng called on journalists not to fear anyone but report fairly and professionally as they have always done. The ruling Botswana Democratic Party(BDP) has hitherto been associated with internal cohesion, peace and stability while the opposition was associated with instability emanating from incessant fights for party positions. In a paper written by Professors Batlang Seabo and Professor Zibani Maundeni of the University of Botswana(UB), the BDP has in the past survived factionalism due to its better management of internal differences while the opposition lacked the wherewithal to deal with internal disputes. The divisions among the opposition have, in many instances, assumed factional dimensions leading to splits even as early as 1962 of the Botswana Peoples Party (BPP) which was then hardly two years old. The Botswana National Front (BNF), on the other hand, spilt several times in the 80s. The BDP suffered its one and only split in 2010. Indications are that the impending chairmanship and presidency races, could prove to be an existential threat to the 55-year-old party which has been in power since 1965 as the protagonists assess the gains of the positions they want to contest, settle scores with their opponents and form and re-form alliances. In the present situation, matters are not helped by the fact that, while in the past the Vice President automatically became the President in the event a vacancy occurred, this time around, the passage of the Vice President, Mokgweetsi Masisi to the position of President is not guaranteed because, three candidates have declared their intent to become President Ian Khamas successor. Professors Maundeni and Seabo, say automatic succession ...has helped to eliminate the succession struggle. In addition, the fact that the Vice President succeeded to the Presidency, also minimised policy reversals or changes that could have sparked factions to form in defence of the old order. Unlike in the past when BDP functionaries fought over wards, constituencies and controversial decisions by their leader President Ian Khama, this time around, what is ultimately at stake is a much bigger prize hence the high stakes. A member of the BDP central committee members confessed that the current situation in the party is a matter of great concern to the party leadership. This was after a physical fight at a BDP elective regional congress in Francistown last week. The tension in the party is unprecedented. It is worse than what prevailed in the BNF before its split in 1998. It is also worse than the tension levels in the run-up to the Kanye congress after which the party experienced a split in the party resulting in the birth of the Botswana Movement for Democracy(BMD), said the party official. Another BDP functionary posited that, if he had his way, a compromise would be reached among the presidential aspirants, Robert Masitara, Nonofo Molefhi and Vice President, Masisi to avoid what is likely to be a debilitating fallout in the party. However, another BDP activist feels that, compromises are not good for democracy. Hopefully, the BDP rank and file as well as leadership are mature enough to handle a high-profile election such as a presidential one. Contests are part of democracy. We should run an exemplary internal election as the ruling party. We have been in existence for over 50 years and people expect a lot from us, he said. The BDP has used compromise deals before to manage heightened factionalism. In a paper entitled Management and Mismanagement of Factionalism in Political Parties. 1962-2013, Seabo and Professor Maunden make the point that, at the height of the Kwelagobe and Merafhe factions, ...compromise deals also enabled Kedikilwe and Kwelagobe to dominate the chairmanship and secretary generalship of the party without giving it the power to veto government policies. As a result, compromises led to a win-win situation in which the anti-corruption faction controlled the government and the Kedikilwe-Kwelagobe faction controlled the party. Thus, it was not just incumbency but good management as well that held the BDP together despite factionalism that threatened to tear it apart, say the academics. The Professors, however, acknowledge that the BDP have not always used compromises to resolve their factional wars. For instance, between November 2004 and May 2005, the BDP was working on a compromise deal whose intention was to set central committee elections aside. The compromise deal collapsed, say the Professors adding that the collapse of the deal led to heightened factionalism in the party when the party held its elective congress in 2009 in Kanye. The Kwelagobe faction vanquished its rival and was in a good position to formally control the party. However, in a move to regain control by the Merafhe-Nkate faction, President Khama appointed into other central committee positions members who predominantly belonged to one faction which had lost. Factional feuds worsened as some members of the Kwelagobe camp decried bad leadership of Khama who they perceived to be intolerant of divergent views, added Professor Maundeni and Seabo. What followed, they say, was a season of acrimony leading to the suspensions, expulsions and resignations of key party members and the birth of the BMD. Asked whether he thinks the BDP should consider a compromise arrangement for both the chairmanship and presidency of the party, Seabo advised that, the BDP is in a Catch 22 situation. It is clear that compromises have worked for the party in the past and if there are possibilities to compromise in the interest of the party, there is nothing wrong with the party opting for that option. Up until 2010, compromise solutions seemed to be workable for the BDP. They may want to explore that possibility and avoid a full-blown conflict, said Seabo who however argues that the practice could at the same time offend some of the members who might feel that they have been denied the opportunity to choose their preferred leaders in a democratic set-up. Such people may rebel against the party and this could hurt it politically. The party must therefore tread carefully, he said. Seabo believes that the BDP, which boasts of running a democracy, should rise to the occasion and be a role model not only to the opposition parties here with respect to conflict management but to other countries as well. The party and its leadership will hopefully not repeat the mistakes of 2009 where intolerance took centre stage. They must transcend all forms of intolerance and promote internal democracy, advised Seabo. The Opposition coalition deal remains on shaky grounds. The marriage between Botswana Congress Party (BCP)and Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) might have been declared done and sealed but the four opposition parties involved are not lying on the same bed. Botswana Movement for Democracy (BMD) has emerged as a suspect behind the controversial additional four constituencies demand made by Botswana Peoples Party (BPP). Four opposition parties Botswana Congress Party (BCP), BMD, BPP and Botswana National Front (BNF) have formed a united front with the aim of ending Botswana Democratic Partys five-decade rule. The four parties unveiled their new movement, UDC, after BCP joined the other trio that had been working together. Following the announcement of the new UDC, excitement filled many little knowing that what had transpired behind closed doors was not what has been portrayed publicly by the leadership. The allocation of constituencies, which has been a thorny issue, is refusing to set the UDC free. It is alleged that the decision by the BPP Central Committee at its recent meeting to push for an additional four constituencies was masterminded by BMD. BPP has been allocated four constituencies. Sources say that the acrimonious relationship between BCP and BMD, which dates back to 2011 when the first attempt for coalition between opposition parties failed, is the root cause. BMD is said to be bitter that BCP has been given more constituencies and is trying with all it has to reduce the BCP numbers. BCP has been allocated 17 constituencies within the 40 allocated to UDC. In terms of the constituency allocations, the UDC president Duma Boko revealed that inside the UDC, the BNF gets 22 constituencies, BMD 14 and the BPP four (4) constituencies. Information passed to this publication shows that of the additional four constituencies demanded by BPP, three belong to BCP being Francistown West, Nata-Gweta and Mmadinare while one belongs to BNF being Gaborone South. In all these constituencies, the BPP did not field a candidate in the previous elections. What also raises eyebrows is that the BPP has not asked for a constituency from the BMD. And it is known that the BMD has all along been skeptical about us joining the UDC. They just want to dilute the BCP influence. Why cant the BPP request to be allocated from the 40 constituencies of the UDC and leave our 17 constituencies alone? We have compromised and given the Tati East which was to be given to the BCP, said a senior BCP official who preferred anonymity. It is alleged that the BMD hatched the plan so that it would become the biggest victor in the end. A source who was also part of the constituency allocation negotiating team suspects that should the BPP emerge victorious the constituencies would likely be handed over to the BMD under a provision of the agreement. The source wondered why BPP chose the constituencies that it had not fielded a candidate in nor seconded the BDP in the last election? BPP did not field a candidate in Mmadinare, Gaborone South and Nata-Gweta while it came third under the UDC ticket in Francistown West. A provision has been made that where a party that has been allocated a particular constituency is not able to identify a suitable candidate, it will be expected to approach the other parties for assistance in that regard. The provision allows for trade-offs where necessary between the parties (BCP, BMD, BNF and BPP). It is suspected that the BMD intends to exploit this provision and use its presence and numbers in those constituencies to persuade BPP to trade-off those constituencies. BMD Vice President Wynter Mmolotsi has described as an insult the insinuation that the BPP leadership would make that demand under pressure from BMD. We are not in a position to undermine the leadership of the BPP. That is an insult to the leadership of BPP and the party in general. BPP has more experience than the BMD especially in opposition politics and we respect that, said Mmolotsi adding that as the BMD they would not be party to a matter where the BPP integrity is being belittled.BCP Information and Publicity Secretary Dithapelo Keorapetse told this publication that everything that had to be communicated to the media regarding UDC was done during the unveiling of the new project. He explained that any other issues arising subsequently are internal matters that cannot be shared with a third party. For his part BPP President Motlatsi Molapisi and his deputy Mbaakanyi Lenyatso could not be reached for comment. Political Analyst Anthony Morima says if the constituencies are genuinely demanded by the BPP this would be an own goal for the opposition as prospects of winning in 2019 are negative. Morima stated that looking at the history of the BPP no one really recalls when the party last won a Parliamentary seat. He explained that even if the BPP was to say that they would be relying on support of other partners, it is unlikely that those partners would vote them because of other dynamics. The analyst argues that the BPP should rather be concentrating on taking advantage of the new UDC to rebuild itself. The earmarked partnership between government of Botswana and potential BCL mine investor - Emirates Investment House (EIH) is beginning to bring dividends even before the two could sign the final agreement that will enable the transaction to be made. The latest from United Arab Emirates (UAE) is that EIH together with UAE Chamber of Commerce in cooperation with the Ambassador of Botswana to UAE, Lesetedi Manyapedza are planning to sell the country to potential investors who have not been aware of what this country offers, by hosting a Botswana Week in Abu Dhabi during the second week of April. The Sheiks have always made it crystal clear that their intention is not just to buy the BCL assets, but to also use Botswana as an African base to invest in several multibillion dollar-spinning projects. Speaking to BG News in an exclusive telephone interview, EIH chairman, Dr Abdulla Mangoosh reiterated his organisations famous tagline that dealing with UAE rulers and their businesses directly will help Botswana to transform from a mineral-backed to trade-backed economy. He said EIH sees Botswana as central to the region and an opportunity to turn it into place of unique competence for industry, trade and agriculture. That is why we signed MoU with government of Botswana to flow investment from UAE to Africa, through Botswana. He said EIH has shown its commitment to the MoU with Botswana by progressing discussions with the Minister of Mineral Resources, Green Technology and Energy Security, Advocate Sadique Kebonang to a signed agreement. Dr Mangoosh confirmed that due diligence is ongoing at BCL Group operations and will be completed over the next six weeks. This due diligence is necessary to meet EIH internal requirements, but is just confirmatory; EIH will proceed with the investment, he promised. He said that in line with the MoU signed between EIH and government of Botswana, EIH is collaborating with the UAE Chamber of Commerce to organise a "Botswana Week in Abu Dhabi". This is being organised with cooperation of the Ambassador of Botswana to the UAE, Lesetedi Manyapedza. He said the opportunity is a major shot in the arm for Botswana's investment attraction strategy Mangoosh revealed that the invite list will include but is not limited to all the key ministries for industries that are targeted and parastatals under their control as well as local business people. Dr Mangoosh said, We will ensure that the event is big as the plan is to sell Botswana like never before in all key sectors such as mineral marketing - diamonds, food, tourism, beef industry and manufacturing. " The idea, he said, is to cooperate with Botswana to link the country with UAE. The UAE is central to the world, and Botswana will be directly linked to the trade Hub. "We are hopeful, that we can contribute to the development of Botswana, to make a difference!" Francistown High Court Judge, Bashi Moesi has dismissed Uyapo Poloko, a death-row inmates quest that his conviction be set aside and he be liberated. Poloko had sought to be acquitted and granted his liberty. Moesi said the accused was convicted of murder, attempted murder and robbery by Justice Modiri Letsididi He said that Poloko received death penalty for murder and was sentenced to 12 years and 10 for attempted murder and robbery respectively. The law is that once the court has handed conviction, it becomes functus officio. Its duty has been done, it lacks competence to revisit the matter, Moesi said as he dismissed Polokos application.Poloko was convicted for the murder of Vijeyadeyi Kandavaranam on January 2010 at Ntshe location in Francistown and attempting to kill her husband, Balasingnam Kandavaranam. He also stole two Nokia cellphones and P3500 during the offence. He was working for the Kandavaranams who were also senior citizens from India who were selling their belongings at the time in preparation of relocating to their native land. The judge found that Poloko was sold a car for P3500 by Kandavaranams but that out of greed he came back to attack the couple with the intention to claim back the money that he had earlier paid. That was when he found Balasingnam in the garage and strangled him. The man lost consciousness and Poloko thought that he was dead and went into the house where he subsequently strangled Balasingmans wife to death. He then made away with the cash and the two cellphones belonging to the couple. In his Judgement, Letsididi said that the accused used violence when he committed the offence. He was neither drunk nor provoked when he committed the offences. He was also not acting in self-defence. The aggravating factors in these matters also heavily weigh against the accused. He was motivated by greed and cruelty to commit the crimes, Letsididi said. He also said that the crimes were committed in a brutal and ruthless manner because he strangled the deceased. He said that strangulation by nature causes slow and painful death. Letsididi also added: In all circumstances I am unable to find any extenuating circumstances in the conviction of murder. Francistown West Member of Parliament Ignatius Moswaane and his Francistown East counterpart, Honest Buti Billy allegedly connived over the weekend at the ruling partys regional congress to foil James Kgalajwes ambitions to get to parliament. Just before the weekend regional congress, a BDP insider informed Northern Extra that the former Mayor, Kgalajwe was flexing his muscles to challenge Billy in Francistown East, hence his decision to contest for the Francistown regional chairmanship as a stepping stone to parliament. Although Kgalajwe refuted the allegations, Billy will not leave anything to chance and has allegedly formed an alliance with Moswaane to frustrate Kgalajwes ambitions. Asked about the recent entente, Moswaane admitted having formed an alliance with Francistown East MP to foil Kgalajwe who is aligned to Vice President Mokgweetsi Masisis camp ahead of the July BDP congress. Moswaane pointed out that Kgalajwe and his team have long been tested hence their decision to join forces and vote for a youthful team which has never been tested. I can confirm to you that I am with Billy in the Nonofo Molefhi camp and there was no way we were going to give the Kgalajwe team any chance at all. We decided to give Badumetse Medupi and Douglas Letsholathebe a green light to represent us at the BDP July congress. We are fighting for the integrity of BDP and no one is going to stop us in our ambition to vote for our chairman and president of choice, Moswaane said. Francistown East legislator said that the weekend BDP congress had nothing to do with Kgalajwe as he has long decided to team up with Moswaane before Kgalajwes ambitions to challenge him in the next general elections were known. He said if Kgalajwe is a member of the Masisi faction, there was no way Francistown was going to endorse him as the whole region unanimously agreed to shift their weight behind Molefhi. Its all about the integrity of BDP not about Kgalajwe becoming a Member of Parliament. If he harbours such ambitions, he should wait for the right time rather than try to use party positions to win a vote. Under every democratic rule, people are free to contest for their positions of interest, hence there is nothing wrong for Kgalajwe to have a dream of representing Batswana at Parliament level, Billy said. The Central Police Station in Francistown is investigating a case in which a Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) elective congress for the Francistown region degenerated into a violent affair over the legitimacy of certain delegates. The congress was held at Donga Junior Secondary School last Saturday.The incident took place at about 4 pm. We should have started at 2 pm but could not because there was this lengthy argument over delegates from a ward in Monarch. One of the BDP members, Otto Masogo protested the legitimacy of delegates from Monarch north ward in the Monarch township, said a source who witnessed the fight which took place inside the hall where the delegates congregated. Masogo stays in the ward and was concerned that no ward meeting had been called in accordance with the constitution to choose delegates to the congress, said the source who indicated that, so bad was the situation that the secretary general, Botsalo Ntuane, who was in town, had to be called into the hall. By then, Masogo had already called the police and accompanied them to the station to lodge his assault case. When approached, a reluctant Masogo could only confirm that he was assaulted by a group of boys who stay in Monarch, saying he felt constrained to say much before the matter was reported to the relevant party structures. Eyewitnesses say the group of boys are close to the area Member of Parliament (MP), Ignatius Moswaane and are linked to the group that beat up another senoir BDP activist, Ford Moiteela last year. For his part, Moswaane claimed that he did not witness any fight. I only witnessed Masogo being escorted out of the hall because he was drunk and disorderly. As far as I am concerned, the party should charge him with disrupting the congress. He had no business being there in the first place because he was neither a delegate nor an observer, said Moswaane adding that he was not aware that Masogo had been assaulted. Neither is he in a position to identify those he saw assisting Masogo leave the hall. Regional chairman Baemedi Medupe, said that the matter had not yet been reported to his committee. Ntuane was not available for comment as his phone was off air at presstime. A ceratin Ketsile Matota, also claimed that the same group assaulted him after he had gone to Donga secondary school after learning about what had happend to Masogo. Masogo is a friend of mine. After hearing that he had been beaten, I went to Donga secondary school to check on him only for somebody I hardly knew attacked me, said Matota who added that one of his ears and one of my eyes have been injured. Matota, who knows his assailant only as Robert, said he reported the matter to the police on Sunday. Station Commander, Superintendent Lebalang Maniki confirmed that his office had received Masogos complaint. We are still investigating the matter and have neither charged nor arrested anybody as yet, he said. Former Francistown City Mayor Peter Ngoma had his mayoral ambitions boosted over the weekend when his newfound team floored the camp aligned to Vice President Mokgweetsi Masisi. A Botswana Democratic Party councillor who preferred to remain anonymous told this publication that Ngoma is tipped to be elected the city mayor once Sylvia Muzilas term ends just before the winter season. He said that Ngoma had initially aligned himself to the Kgalajwe-led faction only for the specially-elected councillor to decamp just days before the Francistown regional congress. Ngoma decamped following a vigorous recruitment drive by Francistown West Member of Parliament Ignatius Moswaane who was at one point the Mayor of the city before he graduated to parliament. Buti Billy who was also once a mayor convinced Ngoma to join their camp in order for him to be elected the city mayor and it is not surprising that Ngoma was seen a week before the Francistown regional congress dining with Billy, the source revealed. He continued that since the camp aligned to Nonofo Molefhi won at the just-ended regional congress, it will be easy for Ngoma to ascend to the mayoral position since he will be backed by majority of BDP councillors as well as opposition with whom he enjoys a lot of support due to his long experience and popularity within the council chambers. Northern Extra has it on good authority that many BDP councillors are currently aligned to the Molefhi camp which assures Ngoma a ticket to clinch the mayoral position from Muzila. When contacted, Billy confirmed his recent meetings with Ngoma but pointed out that their meetings had nothing to do with Ngomas ambitions to contest for the mayoral seat. People must know that Ngoma and myself are both from the same party and there is absolutely nothing wrong for the councillor to pay me a visit at my place. Whether he is interested in the mayoral position or not will not stop him from paying me visits since we are long-time friends who grew up together. If he is interested in the mayoral position, it is his democratic right and how he goes about it should be nobodys business, Billy said in support of Ngoma. For his part, Ngoma said that councillors nominate candidates for mayor and that if they pick him as a candidate he will have no choice but to accept. For people to vote for one as a mayor, councillors will caucus behind my back and build a strong team to back me up and I will not be surprised if they pick my name since I once held the position satisfactorily for nine years. If its their choice to have me, then I will be grateful for their gesture of confidence towards me, Ngoma said. A Pak missile system being test fired. A file photo BEIJING (PTI): China plans to scale up its defence cooperation with its "all-weather" ally Pakistan to co-produce ballistic missiles, in an apparent retaliation to India developing the nuclear-capable Agni V missile that has a range of over 5,000 km covering whole of China. Declining to react to Chinese official media reports that Beijing plans to co-produce ballistic and cruise missiles with Pakistan, besides mass production of military aircraft, Chinese Foreign Ministry however said Beijing stands for "strategic balance" in South Asia. "On Pakistan army chief's visit to China, the Pakistan military has released information about the meetings between him and his Chinese counterpart," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying told media briefing in Beijing. "From the news release, we did not see anything about the agreement about ballistic missiles," she said while answering a question about a report in the state-run Global Times that China plans to step up its defence cooperation with Pakistan, including ballistic and cruise missiles besides joint mass production of a multi-role combat aircraft. On his first visit to China, Pakistan's army chief Qamar Javed Bajwa held talks with Fang Fenghui, chief of the Joint Staff Department under the Central Military Commission of China on March 16. Bajwa also called on Chinese Executive Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli, Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission, Gen Fan Changlong and Commander of the People's Liberation Army Gen Li Zhuocheng and discussed regional security, economy, defence cooperation and other issues of mutual interest. This is the first time the official media mentioned about the likely cooperation between the two all-weather allies on the co-production of ballistic and cruise missiles. Pakistan is heavily reliant on its defence needs from China. "What I can tell you is that China and Pakistan maintain normal defence exchanges and relevant cooperation," Hua said. Asked whether China is open to the idea of working closely with Pakistan on developing missiles specially in the light of the 1998 UN Security Council resolution 1172 which called on India and Pakistan to stop testing ballistic missiles, Hua said all the UN members have the obligations and responsibility to observe the UN resolutions. The non-binding UNSC resolution passed in the backdrop of nuclear tests by India and Pakistan in 1998 called on both the countries to cease testing of ballistic missile capable of carrying nuclear warheads. "Our position on the strategic balance on the South Asia is consistent," she said without elaborating. Last December reacting to India's successful test firing of Agni-V missile, Hua referred to the particular UNSC resolution. "On whether India can develop this ballistic missile that can carry nuclear weapons, I think relevant resolutions of the UNSC have clear rules," she had said. "We have always believed that safeguarding strategic balance and stability in South Asia is conducive for the peace and prosperity of countries in the region," she said. The reference to the strategic balance in South Asia apparently meant the military balance between India and Pakistan. Agni-V, the 5000 km range intercontinental ballistic missile was widely regarded as a strategic missile meant for China as it can reach almost all parts of Chinese mainland. It is not clear whether the Global Times report about China's plans to co-produce missiles with Pakistan was a retaliatory move by Beijing in response to Agni-V test. Bajwa's talks with his counterpart will consolidate and deepen military exchanges between China and Pakistan, while new cooperation on military techniques might also be discussed, said Song Zhongping, a military expert who served in the Second Artillery Corps (now known as the PLA Rocket Force). Weapon exchanges, including the mass production of FC-1 Xiaolong which in Pakistan called JF-17 Thunder, is a lightweight and multi-role combat aircraft developed jointly by the two countries, will be furthered after the meeting, Song said. China's authorisation to Pakistan to produce ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, anti-aircraft missiles, anti-ship missiles and main battle tanks in Pakistan is also on the agenda, he said. The talks will consolidate and deepen military exchanges between China and Pakistan, while new cooperation on military techniques might also be discussed, Song said. The military cooperation between China and Pakistan will be further enhanced especially in weaponry and anti-terrorism sectors, the report said. The two sides also vowed to ensure the safety of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), an important part of China's Belt and Road initiative. Pakistani Ambassador to China Masood Khalid said that Pakistan has deployed over 15,000 troops to protect the CPEC, and the country's navy has raised a special contingent for the protection of the Gwadar Port. Recent report in Beijing said China itself is increasing the strength of its Marine corps from 20,000 to one lakh, some of whom would be deployed in Gwadar and Djibouti, where China is building a logistics military base. As Pakistan faces frequent threats from terrorist forces such as the Taliban and al-Qaeda, military support is necessary to ensure a safe environment for the regions where there is a huge investment from China, Song said. The two countries agreed to enhance anti-terrorism cooperation at the meeting, vowing to resolutely strike against terrorist forces, including the East Turkestan Islamic Movement active in Xinjiang which is the connecting point of the CPEC. China blames East Turkistan Islamic Movement for the violent attacks during the past few years. NEW DELHI (PTI): Defence Minister Arun Jaitley has asserted that India's armed forces are fully prepared to meet any challenge while cautioning the opposition parties against giving the impression that they are unprepared due to lack of procurement. Making an intervention in the Lok Sabha on Friday during a debate on the demands for grants of the Defence Ministry, he rejected the opposition charge that the government had ignored the needs of defence forces and not allocated adequate budget, saying it had signed 147 procurement contracts worth over Rs 2.96 lakh crore in three years. He cited contracts to procure weapons and equipment for all three wings of the forces -- including 155 mm ultra-light howitzer guns and BRAHMOS missiles for the Army, deep sea rescue missions for the Navy and Apache attack helicopters for the Air Force -- to make his point. "This impression should not go that procurement is not happening... our Army is not prepared. Our defence forces are fully prepared to meet any challenge," he said, adding that the matter of preparedness of defence forces should be bipartisan and not politicised. He also rejected the charge that the ambitious 'Make in India' scheme had "failed" in the defence sector, saying 134 proposals worth over Rs 4.45 lakh crore were signed and 100 of them were aimed at "Buy and Make in India." "In self-critical analysis, we should not exaggerate... The government has worked to speed up the procurement process and make it more transparent," he said. He said there were twin challenges of resources and process facing the sector. Jaitley, whose main portfolio is Finance and has been given charge of the Defence Ministry after Manohar Parrikar resigned to become the Goa Chief Minister, however, also pointed to resource constraints. It is easy to say that more resources should be allocated to the defence sector, which of course should be done, he said while noting that major parts of the central budget are given to states, diverted for subsidised welfare schemes for the poor and to pay interests on debts. Large part of defence budget is spent on paying salaries and pensions, Jaitley said responding to opposition parties' criticism. Defence, he insisted, remained the top priority for the government and said that resources from other departments will be used to meet any emergency challenge. Jaitley said the government has been constantly trying to increase the size of the "revenue cake" so that more resources could be diverted for various sectors including defence, in an apparent reference to the measures against black money and the move to expand the revenue base. "The size of the entire revenue cake has to increase" and a more resourceful state would be able to spend, primarily on defence, he said. Responding to Scindia's claim that it was the UPA government which decided to implement OROP, he said allocation of Rs 500 crore by the then government was a "nominal lip service" and noted that the government has spent thousands of crore in executing it and will incur recurring expenditure. Two installments of the OROP (One Rank One Pension) arrears have been paid and the third one is going to be given, he said. About defence procurement, the Minister said efforts are made to speed up the process and ensure more transparency. If there is lack of transparency, then there would be concerns about trust which could lead to a larger issue, he added. As the Minister was speaking, Deputy Speaker and AIADMK leader M Thambidurai alleged that the government was diluting the federal system as a result of which the revenue base is also becoming small. Thambidurai also said that Goods and Services Tax (GST) would reduce the states' revenue base further. In response, Jaitley, who is also the Finance Minister, said the state (Tamil Nadu) government and the party (AIADMK) have a different position on GST. Various efforts of the government, including the GST, would help in ending tax evasion, the Minister noted. KATHMANDU (PTI): Indian Army chief General Bipin Rawat will arrive in Kathmandu on a four-day official visit to Nepal on March 28 during which he is scheduled to call on the country's top leadership and hold talks on stepping up bilateral defence cooperation. Rawat will meet President Bidya Devi Bhandari, Prime Minister Prachanda, Defence Minister Bal Krishna Khand and his Nepali counterpart General Rajendra Chhetri during his visit from March 28 to 31. "This will be a regular visit as there is a practice of paying visit by the chief of the Army Staff of Nepal and India to each other's country shortly after assuming the post," Nepal Army spokesperson Tara Bahadur Karki said. A special function will be organised at the President's Office where Bhandari will confer the honorary title of Nepal Army Chief on Rawat. The army chiefs of both the countries exchange their honorary titles to mark their special relations. Rawat, who became the chief of the Indian Army on December 31 last year, will also visit the Indian pension paying camps in Pokhara and Muktinath areas, where Nepal Army has established its high-altitude military warfare training centre. NEW DELHI (PTI): India and Russia have signed two key agreements for long-term maintenance and technical support for Russian-made Su-30MKI fighter jets of the Indian Air Force. Currently, the IAF operates around 230 Su-30MKI fighter jets and as per the agreements, Russian defence majors United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) and the United Engine Corporation (UEC) will render technical support and provide maintenance services and spares for the fleet for a period of five years. The pacts were signed on March 17 between India's Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and the two Russian companies in the presence of Defence Minister Arun Jaitley and Russia's Industry and Trade Minister Denis Manturov. Speaking on the occasion, Manturov said Russia will provide critical support for maintenance of Russian-origin aircraft and military platforms. "Along with the work on the programs of licensed production, repair and upgrade of Su and MiG planes, the United Aircraft-Building Corporation is carrying out work with HAL on jointly developing the FGFA (Fifth-Generation Fighting Aircraft)," he said. United Aircraft-Building Corporation President Yuri Slyusar said his company will ensure proper maintenance of the frontline fighter fleet of the IAF. "We believe the pact will allow the United Aircraft-Building Corporation to considerably increase the efficiency of providing after-sale services for the jets," he said. The agreements were signed at a conference on India-Russia Military and Industrial Cooperation. The conference is aimed at addressing issues relating to life-cycle support and maintenance of Su-30MKI aircraft, Mi-17 helicopters, MiG-29K jets, T-90 tanks and aircraft carrier Vikramaditya. NEW DELHI (PTI): India and Mauritius on Saturday held talks on expanding bilateral defence and security cooperation to effectively deal with the threat of terrorism. Ways to explore defence ties figured during talks between Defence Minister Arun Jaitley and his Mauritian counterpart Anerood Jugnauth. Ties between India and Mauritius are on an upswing in a range of areas including trade, defence and security. India has close defence relations with Mauritius, particularly in the area of maritime security. The Indian Navy has been closely engaged with the National Coast Guard of Mauritius to protect common interests in the Indian Ocean region. NEW DELHI (PTI): India has asked Russia to adopt a liberal approach in sharing technology for components of major defence platforms saying it was critical to keep them in operational readiness as most of its weapons systems are of Russian-origin. Calling for deeper bilateral engagement in defence production, Defence Minister Arun Jaitley said Russia should at least facilitate manufacturing of parts and sub systems which are needed in large numbers and where the requirement is recurring in nature. "Since most of our defence platforms and weapons systems are of Russian origin, their maintenance and life-cycle support is extremely important for us for our defence preparedness," Jaitley said on March 17 while addressing a conference on India-Russia Military and Industrial cooperation. It was his first public engagement on matters relating to defence after assuming charge of the key Ministry earlier last week for a second stint. Two agreements were signed at the conference between India's Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) and Russia's United Aircraft Corporation and United Engine Corporation for long term supply of spares and technical assistance for Sukhoi 30MKI aircraft for five years. Jaitley said manufacturing of key components for Russian origin military systems in India was important to ensure that the armed forces do not lose critical time in repairing and maintaining these equipment. It has been a long-standing grievance of armed forces that supply of critical spares and equipment from Russia takes a long time affecting maintenance of military systems procured from that country. Jaitley said India's FDI policy for defence is one of the most liberal in the world and weapons manufacturers from both the countries should join hands, eying the global supply chain besides the domestic market. "Russian companies can be natural partners for Indian companies as most of our defence equipment and inventory are of Russian origin," he said. On export of military systems, he said though India is presently not a member of Wassenaar export control regime, it was hopeful of membership soon. "Our export control processes and technology security mechanism are robust and as strict as required in the interest of national security. I think there is a tremendous scope for collaboration (between defence firms of the two countries) so that they are part of a global supply chain," he said. Russia's Minister for Industry and Trade Denis Manturov said his country is ready for sharing technology with India, including for production of military aircraft, warships and weapons systems. He said Russia is ready to set up centres of competence across India for maintenance of Russian-origin platforms. The conference was aimed at addressing issues relating to life-cycle support and maintenance of Su-30MKI aircraft, Mi-17 helicopters, MiG-29K jets, T-90 tanks and aircraft carrier Vikramaditya. Asking Russian companies to either ensure technology transfer or form joint ventures with Indian firms, Jaitley said though India is the largest importer of defence equipment globally, it is not a label the country is happy with. The Defence Minister referred to joint production of Su-30 jets and BRAHMOS missile system as success stories in high-end technical collaboration between the two close partner countries. Jaitley said 'Make in India' for defence production is not only aimed at requirements of India's armed forces but also for encouraging Indian companies to be part of the global weapons supply chain. He said the Government had significantly liberalised foreign investment in defence sector and more steps are underway to promote indigenous development of military platforms. "Many of the defence platforms, particularly Russian platforms made in India under license production, have very high import content because these components are sub-systems and are still imported. "We need to review this trend and increase indigenous content of our defence capital procurement," Jaitley said. He said Russian companies may identify some of the military systems for global export from India for which they can set up joint ventures with Indian companies. "I think there is a tremendous potential for collaboration between Indian and Russian companies for export," he said. It is the first such conference having participation of large number of Indian and Russian companies along with government representatives from both sides. About 150 representatives from Russia participated at the two-day conference. NEW DELHI (PTI): The US has topped the list of foreign countries with which India has signed contracts for procurement of weapons and military platforms in the last two years, followed by Israel and Britain. In reflection of rapid transformation in India's arms procurement, Russia was in the fourth place in terms of number of contracts signed during the period. Replying to a question in Lok Sabha, Minister of State for Defence Subhash Bhamre said a maximum of nine contracts were signed with American companies while seven pacts were signed with Israeli firms, five with Britain and four with Russian defence majors. The number of contracts signed with Germany and Sweden were three each followed by France with two. The minister said 94 contracts involving Rs 82,979 crore have been signed with Indian vendors for capital procurement of defence equipment in the last three financial years. He said the Defence Production Policy promulgated by the government aimed at achieving substantive self-reliance in the design, development and production of weapon systems and platforms. Bhamre said in order to promote indigenous design and development of defence equipment, a new category of procurement 'Buy (Indian-Indigenously designed, developed and manufactured)' has been introduced in DPP and the same has been accorded top-most priority for procurement of capital equipment. "The 'Make' Procedure has been simplified with provisions for funding of 90 per cent of development cost by the government to Indian industry for design, develop and manufacture of defence equipment," he said. He said industrial licensing regime for Indian manufacturers has been liberalised and most of the components, parts and sub-systems have been taken out from the list of defence products requiring industrial licence. "This has reduced entry barriers for new entrants in this sector, particularly SMEs. The initial validity of Industrial Licence has been increased from 3 years to 15 years with a provision to further extend it by 3 years on a case to case basis," he said. Issues related to level-playing field between Indian and foreign manufacturers, and between public sector and private sector have also been addressed. "These include Exchange Rate Variation (ERV) protection for all Indian vendors, removing anomalies in customs/ excise duty etc," Bhamre said. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 20/03/2017 (2058 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Choosing Family offers a glimpse into the lives of three sets of individuals, all of whom are working to forge relationships that defy the same social pressures they face as members and allies of the transgender community. While one couple is left to fill roles abandoned by others, another exercises their right to share love how they please, and a third individual sacrifices part of the present for her future. At some point, each has seen their livelihood threatened by their connection to Brandon but it is also these ties that have allowed them to find what they are looking for. This is the second of three parts. Part III will run on Tuesday. They, like, like us? The sentence is half statement, half question, mutated by bewilderment. Alex Antoneshyn/For The Sun Corinne Mason, right, and Rune Breckon embrace in a neighbourhood near their new home in Winnipeg in this August 2016 photo. We have a dog and a baby belly, and like, straight white people? Theyre interested in us on the street, Corinne Mason laughs, her voice lifting slightly with puzzlement at the thought of appearing sympathetic to Caucasian heterosexual cisgender individuals. Its not just the intermittent ignorance of this demographic that makes Mason different. Shes a queer cisgender activist who teaches Brandon University students exactly what that means and, as a feminist, how to respect it. For the sake of clarity, a cisgender individual is defined as a person whose sense of personal identity and gender corresponds with the sex they were born with essentially the opposite of a transgender individual. That she and her genderqueer partner, Rune Breckon, were mistaken as part of the world that so often and so easily dismisses their own people was an unfortunate development of their pregnancy. Granted, they may be safer because of the perceived normalness their family now displays, but the misrecognition cleaves a hollow between them and others in the LGBTTQ* community. It stings to go unnoticed by other queers on the street. To each blissfully and ignorantly conventional pair, Mason thinks: You have no idea what it took to make this baby and also how this babys going to rock your world. She, Breckon and their child have lived in Manitobas capital city, Winnipeg, for just under a year, but the family saw its start in the provinces second-largest centre, Brandon. With a population of nearly 49,000, the Wheat City pales in size to Winnipegs 705,000, but trumps it in prevalence of conservative attitudes. It is only the familys history, Masons job at Brandon University, a few friends and some uncomfortable memories that keep them connected to the Wheat City. As activists who worked for safer public spaces in Brandon and had been living together there for less than two years, Breckon and Mason were familiar with the discrimination that existed in the Prairie city but as a queer couple trying to conceive a child in early 2016, they found themselves the target of it. Admittedly, many of the professionals the pair came across were kind, but most were unknowledgeable. Physicians often spent the majority of an appointment quizzing Breckon about their body and transition (despite the decade that has passed since) while Mason, who would become the gestational carrier, went largely unacknowledged. One doctor offered Breckon a hysterectomy, and another referred to the couple as women and lesbians. In another instance, Mason had called a midwives group to inquire about their experience with queer and trans individuals for reassurance her family would be in safe hands. Lacking exactly this, the group turned to the Sexual Education Resource Centre in Brandon for the LGBT co-ordinators help. Unfortunately, Breckon had been filling the part-time SERC position Brandons gay-for-pay job, the couple says since their move to Brandon in the fall of 2014. The midwives had asked for help from the very person whom they were supposed to service, but didnt know how. Soon, their professional lives began to encroach on their personal time. Although Breckon and Masons jobs placed the pair as educators in the community, the partners found themselves working beyond required hours. For Breckon, their part-time job at SERC morphed into an overtime week, and there was no time of day others believed it was inappropriate to approach Mason for questions or help. Fearful of harassment and proposition, the couple began to avoid public spaces. Mason had been in Brandon for less than three years, and Breckon two, when takeout and TV became their date night. Still, the pressure of holding an entire city accountable to its gender and sexual minority population grew. As they did in their private lives, Breckon and Mason often witnessed acts of discrimination and injustice in Brandons public sphere. The only difference between the two realms was that there were more individuals and institutions to be held accountable within the community. Many times, the couple felt tokenized, as though their place on a board or committee was simply the check mark in a box labelled diversity. It seemed their usefulness didnt extend to Breckons capacity as SERCs LGBT co-ordinator, or Masons career in womens and gender studies. And regardless of formal qualifications, both had become experts in their own experiences. Breckon had been living both the triumphs and consequences of identifying as transgender since the day they came out over a decade ago, while Mason, no less a part of the LGBTTQ* community as a queer woman, understood the restraints often placed on gender and sexuality in society. Each had the education and experience to make valuable contributions to Brandons community, yet Breckon says they werent taken seriously. That they were being half-heartedly told to fix a problem of which they were occasionally victims was the seed of an idea, sown with the sweat of the couples exhaustion and concern for the future. Rune and I are really resilient, but our child didnt have to be. Pregnant in early 2016 and facing a future that didnt only include themselves, the couple feared bringing home all of their stress to a child who was otherwise oblivious to the worlds difficulties. If I was exhausted after a day of work and I came home to a kid, (I) wouldnt want my kid to sense or feel any of the bullshit shall I say that I experienced while working in and for the community, Breckon says. But Winnipeg didnt receive any serious thought until Mason miscarried that spring. I couldnt create a living thing in my body because I was not living in that moment. I was just reacting to everything that was happening around me, she recalls. Just try again, said caregivers at the hospital. Youre young, you can just try again. You cant say that to queer and trans people because thats not whats happening in our world, Mason says. To anyone needing assistance, Breckon adds. Were not just having sex To just tell people to try again? asks Mason. I dont think would feel good to anyone whos miscarried, but (it) has a particular sting when youve spent thousands of dollars trying to get pregnant in the first place and have gone through so much discrimination along the way. Mason and Breckon had endured the medical blunders and social ignorance at what they thought was their own expense, but the miscarriage proved the pervasiveness of social rejection in rural Manitoba. Though they knew their community would be losing two of its largest defenders, Breckon and Mason left at the realization it wasnt big enough to support them through this time. They left Brandon a revitalized, though still hushed, LGBTTQ* community for a well established and welcoming one in the bigger city last July, expecting an addition to their family once again. The physical move completed, the only indicator of burgeoning change for Breckon and Mason was her expanding stomach. By the fall, it had become ritual for the couple to turn to the Internet each week for an estimate of how their baby was growing. With the webs help, they could see which fruits and vegetables were of comparable size to their child, or an animation of the two-thirds-formed fetus. The move to Winnipeg was an attempt to improve their chances of surviving the phobias that had plagued Brandon and it proved successful at first. The hunt to find a trans-friendly doctor, which took two years in Brandon, lasted only one month in the capital city. They werent denied a rental unit because of their queerness and, shortly after moving, the partners found three midwives who operate with feminist values. Theres a rainbow sticker on the door, lauded Mason. And we didnt have to give them that rainbow sticker cause, by the way, thats how people in Brandon have rainbow stickers. In Winnipeg, Mason and Breckon are two of many facing the same hardships and working toward the same cause. They say the city is no less phobic, but that theres a larger community with the power to offset negativity. They have no fear of new initiatives being dismissed as too big-city. But the move didnt mean they had escaped it all. In Week 30 cabbage territory the couple hosted a baby celebration in the city they had newly started to call home together. Some partygoers were from the capital city, while others, like Ed and Kathy introduced in Choosing Family Part I were from Brandon, from which the couple had fled. The party went smoothly, but was an example of how public outings carried the potential to manifest some of North American societys greatest gender expectations. Throughout her pregnancy, Mason had been prey to been-there-done-that moms full of advice, while Breckon got a slap on the back and a Way to go, man. Your jobs over. Others wanted to place money on whether the baby would be a boy or a girl, but this was an opportunity to learn that the baby wasnt going to be gendered publicly and also the difference between gender and genitals. If a person said to Breckon, You and Corinne must be really excited to be mom and dad! Breckon gently reminded them: Yes, were excited to be parents, placing emphasis on the gender-neutral label. In addition to a dozen other ways, these moments in their pregnancy were a lesson in how to handle future conversations with a child. Their current network in Winnipeg may be bigger and the list of resources longer than it was in Brandon, but the two know itll still take effort to counteract societal teachings with their own. Theres also less concern that their child will grow up the black sheep surrounded by traditional families. Unlike their own raisings, The Kid Peanut Nugget Little Baby will grow up in a diverse environment that celebrates differences. Their child will be raised with the knowledge, skill sets and experiences of not one or two people, but dozens who are cultured in the power of community. Choosing to build queer family, intentionally building these kinds of connections with people who (you) are not necessarily blood or biologically connected to means that our structures are so solid, says Mason. They have to be. They have to be solid for us to survive. Their child may face confrontation about the way their world works, but will be better equipped for it by parents who have spent their lives learning the same skills. According to Breckon, each attack or cruel word or daggered gaze inflicted on them or Mason can be seen as an opportunity. Although perhaps painful, each situation is a learning-lesson moment from which the skills used to handle it can be taught to a loved one. In a previous conversation about how they met online, Mason had turned to Breckon: How did I find you on the Internet? At the end of August, just nine weeks from the due date, the same adoration was present when they spoke about the things theyd do with their child. Breckons arm rested on the back of their partners chair, and Masons hands on her belly. Theres not pressure on queer and trans people to have children. In fact, theres pressure on queer and trans people not to have children, Mason says. Intentional parenting means that just the same way you choose your partner every single day in world that tells you that choice is not OK thats not the right choice or you could be making a different, more easy, more acceptable choice the same goes for children. It is a thing youve actively chosen over and over again every single day, even when the world tells you that its not an OK choice. Special to The Brandon Sun Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 20/03/2017 (2058 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Women should have free access to the abortion pill, formally named Mifegymiso, Manitoba New Democrats unanimously declared on Saturday. Brandon-based Manitoba NDP provincial council member Lonnie Patterson brought the successful resolution forward during the partys convention in Winnipeg. Women in rural or northern Manitoba have to go to a hospital that provides the surgical service, where if the pill were available, these folks wouldnt have to travel away from their home to access this choice, Patterson said. Were not talking about whether women are having the right to have (an abortion), were talking about access. Patterson drafted the resolution alongside longtime womens health advocate and St. Johns MLA Nahanni Fontaine, who has been fighting for greater abortion pill access for years. Fontaine has brought up the abortion pill in question period a few times, and last November put forward a resolution that Pharmacare must cover the price of the pill, which has now risen to about $350. These efforts have yet to find traction by way of actual change, so she intends on pushing forward, newly reinforced by Manitoba New Democrats unanimous support. The abortion pill is an absolute game-changer in respect to reproductive health for women, and its a game-changer in respect of access; the ability to terminate a pregnancy in the privacy of your home, she said. Its something that I really, really believe in, and that Manitoban women, and all Canadian women, need full access to. Health Canada approved the abortion pill in 2015 for up to seven weeks gestation, but it has been slow to make an appearance on the Canadian health-care scene. Its Canadian debut was in January. However, access since that time has been limited. There are federally and provincially imposed limitations, and while Fontaine said that she recognizes the federal impositions might be tougher for the provincial levels of government to tackle, they can still make the pills free of charge as well as draft legislation that broadens access wherever possible. For a means of abortion that has already been available in 60 countries for up to three decades, its bizarre to see Manitoba dragging its feet in 2017, she said. Its also strange to see the provincial government fully fund surgical abortions, but not the more cost-effective abortion pill. If you strictly want to look at cost-savings, the abortion pill is, again, a game-changer, she said. The provincial governments delayed action due to studies or consultations only serves to prolong the distribution of the proven abortion pills through Manitoba, she said. Fontaine has pledged to continue bringing up this issue in the Manitoba legislature. While the Manitoba New Democrats are unanimous in their support for broader access to the abortion pill, its unlikely that everyone in Westman is in agreement. Last year saw the Brandon University anti-abortion club Students For Life fight with university leadership in order to retain their official club status. They were unavailable by press time on Sunday. This was far from the only resolution brought forward during last weekends Manitoba New Democrats convention, which found more than 550 delegates participate. Included in these resolutions was agreement to end tuition at post-secondary institutions, which is in keeping with what the Brandon University Students Union has been advocating for during recent Brandon University Board of Governors meetings. As for the upcoming leadership race, Manitoba New Democrats failed to receive the required two-thirds majority for resolutions related to how they elect a leader, meaning the status quo delegated convention system would remain in place. Patterson hopes to see whomever is elected as leader finally make good on the last elections lost opportunity by lending a new face and slate of ideas to the leadership role. tclarke@brandonsun.com Twitter: @TylerClarkeMB Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 20/03/2017 (2058 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. A student who used his grandmothers anti-anxiety medication to cope with bullying was Tasered outside a Brandon high school after he overdosed and began acting bizarrely. Defence lawyer Philip Sieklicki said his young client took more and more of the drug, Clonazepam, because he felt it wasnt easing his anxiety. Im told that his grandmother takes only one drop at a time he took the entire bottle, Sieklicki said in court. Clonazepam is used to treat seizures and panic disorder. The teen was sentenced on Thursday for possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose, and for resisting police. The incident didnt appear in the Brandon Police Service media releases from that time. However, details were shared in court on Thursday during sentencing. In this particular case, the Brandon Sun has chosen not to name the student. While he was an adult at the time, authorities agree his actions were out of character and has turned his school life around with the help of counselling. Having returned to school following a suspension, he is doing much better in school. Crown attorney Brett Rach said that on Oct. 4 at 4:20 p.m., the students mom called police to state she was picking up her son from Crocus Plains Regional Secondary School as it was believed he was high on a drug. After taking the drugs, his teacher believed the pupil to be drunk and he became aggressive, so police were called. Police found the student by the school, at the corner of Maryland Avenue and First Street. He was highly agitated, showed police his middle finger and swore at them. He pulled out an object and unfolded what was believed to be a knife (following the incident, police learned it was a screwdriver). The student made stabbing motions with the object and told police to come and get him. Police repeatedly warned him to drop the knife or hed be Tasered. Police did, in fact, fire the Taser, but it failed to stop the student, who pulled the probes out of his chest. Still armed with the screwdriver, he then ran around and stopped vehicles and punched their hoods. He tried to get into two or three occupied vehicles that were stopped in traffic, and removed his shirt. Officers pepper-sprayed the student in the face, but he still kept hold of the screwdriver. They Tasered the teen again and finally subdued him. It was then that police found the knife was a bicycle tool equipped with a flathead screwdriver. The teen later explained that he had taken his grandmothers medication to deal with anxiety from bullying. An immigrant, he felt he was being bullied because he couldnt speak English. While his English skills have since vastly improved, he appeared in court with the assistance of an interpreter. Given the circumstances, Rach joined Sieklicki in asking the court to impose a conditional discharge that would give the teen a chance to maintain a clean record. Judge John Combs made it a one-year discharge. ihitchen@brandonsun.com Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 20/03/2017 (2058 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. When it comes to the business implications of Prime Minister Justin Trudeaus promise to legalize marijuana, Rick Macl plans on getting in on the ground floor. Last weekend found the local cannabis advocate open Brandons latest head shop, Growers n Smokers, at 223 18th St. North. Where other head shop owners might beat around the bush, Macl isnt one to bite his tongue when it comes to his businesss true intentions. His shop is about the promotion of cannabis, marijuana, pot or whatever other word one prefers. Tim Smith/The Brandon Sun Rick Macl, owner of Growers n Smokers on 18th Street North, stands behind the counter in his marijuana supply shop on Saturday after opening the store on Friday. Understandably averse to the idea of going to prison, Macls promotion of cannabis is limited by the confines of the law, which means his shop does not sell any actual cannabis, focusing instead on its related paraphernalia. The business will change as the laws allow, and Macl has a two-year plan to transform his shop into a cannabis dispensary as soon as legally possible. Until then, hes focusing on the sale of equipment that will allow those legally allowed to grow marijuana at home to do so. A self-described poster boy for ADHD, Macl can talk your ear off when it comes to subjects hes passionate about, and cannabis is most certainly one of these subjects. Although he admits to illicit recreational smoking in the past, it wasnt until about six years ago that he began recognizing its medicinal properties. Promoting these properties has since become one of his lifes callings. Around that time, he was playing with his son on the floor when he heard a popping sound. He tried to get up off the floor and found that he was unable to, paralyzed from the waist down. His paralyzation was thankfully only temporary, and he was able to become mobile enough to visit a doctor who informed him that a bulging disc in his back had been pushing on nerve endings, which hed later receive surgery to correct. Macl was prescribed Oxycontin to deal with the associated pain, which he took for more than a month until he reached a breaking point. Glued to his couch in a dazed state, he remembers getting up from his couch to do something and promptly forgetting what that something was. Returning to the couch, he remembered what that something was, got up and then forgot, again. Repeating this process about five times within approximately 10 minutes, he realized the zombie-like state Oxycontin had put him into. The next day, he returned to his doctor and told him, verbatim: Youre killing me with this stuff. Im done! He was then prescribed cannabis, at which point a weight was lifted off his shoulders. He was a whole new version of himself, and considered himself normal again. Over the subsequent six years, he investigated different strains with varying levels of THC (the psychoactive component of cannabis), CBD (a component with different health benefits), and terpenes (flavours) until he found the best products to meet his health needs. Now, he wants to help others, with Macl considering Growers n Smokers an educational hub for his visitors a one stop shop. Theres a big educational gap in our health-care system at this time, he said, noting that while few doctors do prescribe cannabis, they rarely identify which strains might assist with different ailments. Theres a vast difference between strains, with some beneficial and others detrimental depending on ones condition. This, Macl said, is an important area of education he intends to fill. Until hes able to sell cannabis himself, he plans on linking customers with Health Canada-approved, and therefore legal, cannabis suppliers, with his personal favourite being Alberta-based Aurora Cannabis Enterprises Inc. Using intel from clients, hes also compiling a list of doctors willing to provide patients with cannabis prescriptions. So far, he has nailed down six, including four in Brandon. Only its second day of operations, Growers n Smokers was already boasting a steady stream of clients on Saturday. Most of the people who came in the businesss door had grey hair on their heads, and many of them carried the same passion as Macl, including one older gentleman whod been smoking cannabis for decades and balked at the idea of doctors more readily prescribing Oxycontin than they do marijuana. He had to drive out to Alberta to get his prescription, while Oxycontin is much more readily prescribed. Things should change by this summer, Macl said, optimistic that Trudeau will follow through on his election promises to legalize marijuana, which might allow him to take the next step with his business. Setting up Growers n Smokers on this premise might have been a gamble, but Macl is maintaining his optimism that itll be a winning one. tclarke@brandonsun.com Twitter: @TylerClarkeMB Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 18/03/2017 (2060 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Division Scolaire Franco-Manitobaine will be consulting parents in Brandon on Tuesday to gauge the need for a francophone school on Brandons west side. Adding a school within Brandons perimeter was put in DSFMs five-year plan a few years ago, said Bernard Lesage, chair of the commission Scolaire Franco-Manitobaine. After looking at some numbers at Statistics Canada and also seeing a rapid increase in our numbers at Ecole La Source in Shilo, we thought it would be a good idea to start looking at maybe opening a new school in Brandon, Lesage said. DSFM has already heard from parents in Brandon expressing the need for an additional fully French school. Some of the parents find that to enrol your child at Ecole La Source makes for a long trip on the school bus, Lesage said. The division has a few options for what type of school to plan on, including the possibility of a kindergarten to Grade 8 school, as well as a kindergarten to Grade 12 school that would become the central school for the region. Were going to first of all consult with the parents, then have this conversation with the school board to see what the most appropriate way to move forward, Lesage said. The Brandon School Division has been faced with increasing demand from parents wanting to enrol their children in French immersion schools. The division introduced the lottery system last January for Ecole Harrison as a solution to parents lining up, in some cases overnight and in frigid temperatures, for kindergarten enrolment. There is a high demand in Brandon School Division for places in French immersion school. Thats been a constant pressure for quite a few years, said Peter Buehler, president of Brandon Teachers Association. If the (DSFM) is exploring starting a school in Brandon, they must believe there is a demand for it that they might be able to satisfy We need space period, whether its for French language instruction or English language instruction. The province is aware that a new school is in DSFMs five-year plan, Lesage said, but they would still need to approach the Public Schools Finance Board once with a more concrete idea of what is needed. Consultations will be held on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. in Room 2 at the Victoria Inn. edebooy@brandonsun.com Twitter: @erindebooy A Beatrice man was arrested in Iowa on drug distribution charges Friday following an investigation. Sheriff Kevin Aistrope, of the Fremont County Sheriffs Office in Iowa, said in a press release that on Friday the Fremont County K-9 Unit was conducting a narcotics investigation in Hamburg, Iowa, around 15 miles southeast of Nebraska City. The press release stated the investigation led to the arrest of 20-year-old Brayden Murrison, of Beatrice, for delivery of a controlled substance and possession of a controlled substance. Murrison was transported to the Fremont County Law Enforcement Center where he is being held on a $6,000 bond. A Cork club hurler caught bringing over 750,000 of cocaine into Dublin Airport from Brazil has been jailed for five years, writes Fiona Ferguson. Cian Leahy (26) wrote a letter of apology to the court in which he described how during his time on remand in Cloverhill Prison he had seen the damage done by drugs and said he was grateful that the cocaine he was transporting never hit the streets. Leahy of Waterloo House, Blarney, Co Cork, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to possession of cocaine for sale or supply at Dublin Airport on June 27, 2016. He has five minor previous convictions. Judge Martin Nolan noted Leahy's shame and remorse for his actions. He said Leahy must have known he was participating in a serious crime but noted in mitigation he was unlikely to re-offend. Judge Nolan imposed a five year sentence which he backdated to when Leahy went into custody. Garda Nicola Duffy told Karl Finnegan BL, prosecuting, that Leahy, who had travelled from Brazil via Paris, was stopped by customs officials acting on confidential information and a search of his suitcase revealed packages concealed in the lining of four rucksacks. The total amount of cocaine discovered weighed 10.9 kilograms and had a value of 763,000. Leahy initially told gardai he had been in Brazil on holidays and was approached by a man in a bar who asked him if he wanted to make some extra money. He later revealed the purpose of the trip had been to transport the cocaine and it was not a chance meeting. He was to be paid 10,000. He told gardai he thought he had been asked because he had no convictions and did not look like he was involved in drugs. He said the money was for his family and told gardai his father was ill and might require surgery. Gda Duffy agreed with Tom Creed SC, defending, that gardai were aware from their own intelligence who was involved in sending his client out to Brazil. She agreed Leahy was effectively a courier and took responsibility for his own role. Mr Creed handed in a psychiatric report and psychologist's report. He said that Leahy was a psychologically vulnerable and easily lead young man with a tendency to be impulsive and unlikely to consider the consequences of his actions. He has struggled with depression. He said Leahy had moved around a lot as a young man but settled in Blarney where he became an accomplished hurler. He represented Cork at underage and minor level and won an All Ireland Medal at intermediate club level. Mr Creed handed in a number of references on his client's behalf which described Leahy as a pleasant, helpful and kind young man who was also a dedicated hurler. He said Leahy had carried out charity work in prison and raised money for several organisations. Counsel handed in a letter from Leahy himself which outlined his sincere apologies and said this would be the last time he would be before the courts. Update 2.52pm: The man who was injured in an incident in the seaside village of Fountainstown just after midday today has died, Gardai have confirmed. Investigations by Gardai and the Health and Safety Authority are underway. There were almost 500 notifiable incidents in HSE hospitals last year, which included deaths, sexual assaults and medical errors writes Jessica Casey. Internal HSE documents recorded incidents including multiple deaths due to misdiagnosis and medical error, sexual assaults, and deaths and serious injuries linked to falls and patients absconding from a healthcare facility. The details released to the Irish Examiner under Freedom of Information show there were 483 serious incidents recorded at HSE hospitals, mental health facilities and social care settings between September 2015 and December last year, a rate of more than one incident daily. More than a fifth (21%) of these incidents involved a patients death, as the HSE confirmed 106 patients died. However, the HSE said this does not necessarily mean these deaths resulted from the incidents concerned, as it may have resulted from other factors including illnesses or diseases. The documents detail: 155 deaths or serious disabilities occurred as a result of a fall while in a healthcare facility or during a clinical intervention from a healthcare professional, including in the community setting, pre-hospital care and the Ambulance Service; 18 incidents where a patient died or suffered a serious disability after receiving the wrong diagnosis; 22 unexplained deaths or serious injury in mental healthcare facilities; Five incidents where a patient died or suffered a serious injury due to a medication error; One incident where a patient died or suffered a serious disability after being restrained; One incident where a patient died or suffered a serious disability due to the administration of incompatible blood or blood products; This is the third and final bullet There were also 62 recorded infant deaths, which includes stillbirths and neonatal deaths from birth up to seven days. Serious incidents, many of which result in death or significant injury, are classified by the HSE as serious reportable events (SREs). The serious incidents include: 15 reported sexual assaults on the grounds of a healthcare service facility; 11 cases of foreign objects, such as swabs, needles, or instruments other than micro-needles, unintentionally left in a patients body after surgery; Four patients who had no known medical problems died after surgery or other interventional procedures; One person was given the wrong formulation or route administration of chemotherapy; One person had surgery performed on the wrong body part; One person had the wrong surgical procedure performed; Four incidents of death or serious injury after a patient absconded from a healthcare facility. Irish Patients Association chairman Stephen McMahon said he believes tens of thousands of preventable errors are happening within our healthcare system. The numbers of preventable funerals and injury run into the thousands and we have no handle on what is happening in the community, nursing homes (or) general practice, Mr McMahon said. Im deeply concerned that far more people die or are injured as a result of preventable error and this does not get the same degree of attention as road vehicle accidents, he added. The HSE said excellent care and outcomes are most often the result of many of its interventions. A spokesperson said: Every year the health service has millions of interactions with patients and service users. But modern health care also carries significant risks and, at times, things do not go to plan. Adverse events and patient harm can and do happen. While there will always be risks in the delivery of healthcare, it is essential that all safety incidents are reported, managed and investigated. This arictle first appeared in the Irish Examiner. A Sinn Fein Deputy has published a Dail motion which will be debated this week, calling for a Truth Commission to establish the facts about Ireland's mother-and-baby homes. Donnchadh O Laoghaire said that the revelations of recent weeks at Tuam, and subsequent reports, have shocked and angered Irish people. The head of the FBI has denied there is any truth to series of tweets from Mr Trump which declared the Republican candidate's phones had been ordered tapped by then-president Barack Obama during the campaign. Mr James Comey said: "I have no confirmation that supports those tweets, and we have looked carefully inside the FBI." The same was true, he added, of the Justice Department. James Comey He also disputed allegations that British intelligence services were involved in the wiretapping. Mr Comey was the latest US government official to reject Mr Trump's claims, made without any evidence, that Mr Obama had wiretapped his New York skyscraper during the campaign. Devin Nunes, a California Republican and chairman of the House intelligence committee, also rejected the assertion earlier in the hearing. Mr Comey was testifying along with National Security Agency director Michael Rogers. Mr Trump took to Twitter before the hearing began, accusing Democrats of making up allegations about his campaign associates' contact with Russia during the election. He said Congress and the FBI should be going after media leaks - and maybe even Hillary Clinton - instead. "The real story that Congress, the FBI and others should be looking into is the leaking of Classified information. Must find leaker now!" Mr Trump tweeted early on Monday as news coverage on the Russia allegations dominated news bulletins. Mr Trump also suggested, without evidence, that Mrs Clinton's campaign was in contact with Russia and had possibly thwarted a federal investigation. US intelligence officials have not publicly raised the possibility of contacts between the Clintons and Moscow. Officials investigating the matter have said they believe Moscow had hacked into Democrats' computers in a bid to help Mr Trump's election bid. The hearing, one of several by congressional panels probing allegations of Russian meddling, could allow for the greatest public accounting to date of investigations which have shadowed the Trump administration in its first two months. The top two representatives on the committee said documents the Justice Department and FBI delivered late last week offered no evidence that the Obama administration had wiretapped Trump Tower, the president's New York City headquarters. But the panel's ranking Democrat said the material offered circumstantial evidence that American citizens colluded with Russians in Moscow's efforts to interfere in the presidential election. Mr Schiff said: "There was circumstantial evidence of collusion; there is direct evidence, I think, of deception. ''There's certainly enough for us to conduct an investigation." Mr Nunes said: "For the first time, the American people, and all the political parties now, are paying attention to the threat that Russia poses. "We know that the Russians were trying to get involved in our campaign, like they have for many decades. They're also trying to get involved in campaigns around the globe and over in Europe." The Senate Intelligence Committee has scheduled a similar hearing for later in the month. Though Mr Comey would not discuss specific evidence, he went far beyond his testimony from a hearing in January, when he refused to confirm or deny the existence of any investigation exploring possible connections between Trump associates and Russia, consistent with the FBI's long-standing policy of not publicly discussing its work. His appearances on Capitol Hill since then have occurred in classified settings, and he has made no public statements connected to the Trump campaign or Russia. Any lack of detail from Mr Comey would likely be contrasted with public comments he made last year when closing out an investigation into Mrs Clinton's email practices and then, shortly before election day, announcing that the probe would be revived following the discovery of additional emails. Patrick Roy Riley, 69, of Plymouth, died on Monday, March 20, 2017 at the Good Samaritan Society, Beatrice. He was born Nov. 1, 1947 at in Oskaloosa, Iowa. Memorial services will be held at 1 p.m. on Saturday, March 25, 2017 at St. John Lutheran Church, Beatrice, with Pastor Greg Gabriel, officiating. No visitation, but a register book is available at the Harman-Wright Funeral Home. Casual attire is requested and anyone that would like to ride their motorcycle is welcome to bring it to the service. Tumut real estate agent Lorraine Wysman has sold nearly as many properties in Talbingo since Thursday as she normally does in a year. Speculators began targeting the tiny southern NSW town after Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull announced a potential $2 billion expansion of the Snowy Hydro scheme. Tumut Regional Chamber of Commerce president Lorraine Wysman says the town is excited about potential growth from the Snowy hydro scheme expansion. Credit:Jay Cronan Ms Wysman, who is president of the local business chamber, said she had sold five properties in the village of 241 people since the announcement. "I've got staff who live there and they can't believe it," she said. Gerry Harvey's retail operation Harvey Norman has no explanation for why its shares tanked badly on Monday. The company was responding to a please explain notice from the ASX after its shares dropped more than 8 per cent on Monday - wiping hundreds of millions from its market cap - with no obvious explanation for the rout. In a statement to the ASX, Harvey Norman said it was not aware of any information which could explain the recent trading. Gerry himself should be looking for an answer given his personal wealth was down more than $100 million on the day. He even tried to shore up the share price, buying two million shares for $8.7 million and posting a notice to the ASX within hours. Medibank has hit back against claims it misled and deceived consumers by secretly changing some of its policies, saying it has "always been very clear with members". The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission is suing the former government-owned entity in the Federal Court over misleading and deceptive conduct. It alleges Medibank changed the conditions of some of its policies without telling its members in an effort to boost profits ahead of its 2014 float on the stock exchange, leading to consumers being stung with unexpected out-of-pocket costs. But the country's biggest health insurer told the court on Monday that it never misled members and always disclosed the risk of out-of-pocket costs in communication to customers, as per legal requirements. There has been a lot of discussion lately about the rhetoric in our country. National news networks roll footage of contentious meetings between public officials and those they represent. People yelling at one another and calling names has sadly become commonplace. On the other hand, my experiences in the Third District have made me even more proud to be a Nebraskan. Over the past couple weeks, I have hosted mobile offices in Chadron and St. Paul to answer questions and hear Nebraskans thoughts firsthand. I also spoke at a public meeting in Scottsbluff hosted by the Western Nebraska Cattlemen. In each of these gatherings, we discussed issues from health care to tax reform to trade. Those attending have been engaged citizens wanting to share their concerns and opinions. You may have heard the expression our country is run by those who show up. I am always open to hearing from those who make the effort to be part of a productive discussion. Though there has certainly been some disagreement in my public meetings, in the end Nebraskans have expressed their appreciation for the opportunity to be heard. I appreciate their willingness to share their thoughts with me as well. My interest in politics arose from conversations with my grandfather, and I credit him for instilling in me a desire for constructive, respectful debate. We often disagreed on political topics, but we had a tradition of watching the evening news together and talking about it afterward. He taught me how essential it is to hear all sides of an issue and listen to what others have to say. Public meetings are an important part of my role as a representative hearing your stories, receiving direct feedback, and sharing what I am working on every day in Congress. I am in the process of planning Farm Bill listening sessions in mid-April, as well as additional mobile offices in the coming months. With Congress in session in Washington, D.C. more days this year and 65,000 square miles of the Third District to cover, I unfortunately cannot be everywhere I would like to be at once. To serve more Nebraskans, members of my staff also host numerous mobile offices and provide the feedback to me directly. My congressional caseworkers hit the road often as well to host Caseworker in Your Community events for Nebraskans who need help dealing with a federal agency on issues such as Social Security, immigration, or veterans affairs. On March 22, Caseworker in Your Community events will be held in Ainsworth, Brewster, and Ord. Caseworkers can also be reached daily by calling my Grand Island office at 308-384-3900. In addition to in-person public meetings, I appreciate the opportunity to engage with Nebraskans through telephone town halls when I am in Washington, D.C. These forums allow me to connect with thousands of Nebraskans across the Third District for live question and answer sessions. If you would like to be included on future telephone town halls, please send me a note through my website at AdrianSmith.house.gov or call my Washington, D.C. office at 202-225-6435. To make sure you receive details about my upcoming public events, as well as events hosted by my staff, I encourage you to sign up for my e-newsletter at AdrianSmith.house.gov/Newsletter. Thank you for engaging with me in the political process. The plan being floated by Barnaby Joyce to pay a share of gas royalties to farmers is a thoroughly bad idea and would lead to division and bitterness in rural communities ("Joyce's push to dismantle CSG bans", March 18-19). The idea ignores the fact that a gas field, particularly where fracking is involved, does not just affect the farmers who have the wells on their properties. The experience of communities such as Gloucester and Narrabri is that gas exploration and extraction has a huge impact upon the whole community. Gas extraction has the potential to adversely affect both underground and surface water over a wide area and leads to the industrialisation of rural areas. It also adversely affects other local industries such as tourism and can completely change the character of the affected town. If implemented, such payments would cause bitterness, jealousy and huge division between the farmers being paid on the one hand and other farmers and the rest of the community on the other. Joyce needs to consider whether his idea is really in the best interests of the rural communities he claims to represent. It seems more designed to simply further the interests of the mining companies. John Watts Gloucester Once something has proven to be as environmentally disastrous as coal seam gas extraction and banned accordingly, that should be the end of it. For good. Bribing farmers to accept the destruction of their (our) land, aquifers and atmosphere because the government has failed to take advantage of traditional gas extraction supply and royalties is despicable. Why is only prime agricultural land and groundwater of any importance to Barnaby Joyce? Do the environmental services, habitat and wildlife provided by natural landscapes, aquifers and ecosystems have no relevance to the National Party? Those of us who appreciate the natural world, or what is left of it, are utterly sick of fighting the same battles over and over because some dinosaur of a politician can see a short-term spike in votes and revenue at the expense of the pesky environment. CSG extraction should be stopped once and for all. George Lemann Glenquarry Barnaby Joyce is putting another nail in the coffin of the National Party and shows that his party has been effectively wedged by its alliance with the Liberals (not to mention his friendship with powerful miners). Farmers who are opposed to CSG are not just concerned about money, they are worried that the rivers they rely on will be poisoned, that river walls and beds could be cracked and streams and waterways will dry up and be lost forever. Throwing a few dollars at farmers is the kind of short-term policy we have come to expect from this bunch, where considerations of the true long-term costs are dismissed in the pursuit of the policies of the pro-mining lobby groups. Anthony van den Broek Erskineville Just when you thought it couldn't get any worse, our political masters dig deeper into the slime. Barnaby Joyce's barefaced ploy to tempt farmers to put greed before what they know and feel is right is disgusting and needs to be called out for what it is an attempt to bribe. To risk poisoning our arable land is a decision totally in opposition to the future of our children and our country and must be opposed with everything we have. Peter Leonard Tweed Heads South For years I have harboured the fear that gas companies would one day realise all they need do is offer rural landholders a far more reasonable 10 per cent of each CSG well's gross earnings. Most of the land in their sights supports cattle farms. With these farmers struggling to net $100 an acre a year, an income boost of as much as $100,000 would be a temptation few could resist. Our rural landscape would be forever blighted. Sadly, that time is upon us. Tony Snellgrove Midginbil Stamp duty plan ignores elephant in the room Let me get this straight. We cut stamp duty on houses so people can afford to buy them and then slug them with an annual fee which they probably can't afford while paying a mortgage ("Stamp duty plan slashes $40,000 from $1 million house", March 18-19).Why aren't we addressing the elephants in the room, which are negative gearing and foreign investment? Surely we could cut stamp duty for domestic home buyers without making them pay land tax, and at the same time make it less attractive for investors competing with home buyers.This would free up the supply and make houses more affordable for home buyers. Margaret Grove Abbotsford Killing stamp duty on house purchases producing a saving of up to $40,000 would be of little consequence to the average young couple in Sydney where there is a median house price of $1 million, and owning their own home remains just a dream. Richard Harris Valery Removing stamp duty will cost home buyers hundreds of thousands of dollars, not save them tens of thousands. By way of example: if I have $240,000 saved, I can buy a $1 million place with $40,000 going on stamp duty, my remaining $200,000 paid to the vendor and $800,000 borrowed from the bank at an 80 per cent loan-to-value ratio. Remove stamp duty and my $240,000 savings now allow me to borrow $960,000 at 80 per cent LVR and spend $1.2 million on a place. With no change to housing supply and exponentially more purchasing power for buyers' savings, this would see a further surge in house prices, which would severely diminish, not enhance, first home buyers' prospects. Craig Selman Willoughby Language of toxic sludge I share Garry Linnell's pain ("Going forward, let's bite the bullet", March 18-19). My workplace is awash with meaningless corporatese. Being a government department has not saved it if anything, the public sector is now the main wellspring for this toxic sludge.The latest offering emerged last week when I read that new employees would no longer receive orientation to the organisation. No, they would now be "onboarded".As Linnell observes, we should not be complacent about this trend, particularly in the political realm. The use and misuse of language has always been a weapon of choice for those who wish to deceive, distract and dissemble. George Orwell summed this up beautifully when he said that words can "fall upon the facts like soft snow, blurring the outlines and covering up all the details....[and] give the appearance of solidity to pure wind." Michael Hinchey New Lambton Snowy plan has a catch Where will the Prime Minister get the water to turn Turnbull's turbines ("Power play", March 18-19)? I am a former Snowy area journalist and to my knowledge the Snowy's main storage, Lake Eucumbene, hasn't been full since the 1970s and at times since then has dropped nearly to below operating level. Lakes Jindabyne and Tantangara also struggle for enough water each year and the all-important winter snow volumes are declining. No more dams are planned so it will be interesting to see where next year's Snowy Mk II feasibility study plans to source the water for what appears to be a quickly conceived political kneejerk project. Graham Pike Jamberoo Could our innovating leader or any of his party, explain why it is better to dig tunnels and use last-century technology to store power, when batteries can be installed where power is needed without erecting mains to the Snowy? It is now 2017 not 1950 and batteries could be working before next summer. Bob Phipps Allambie Heights Any suggestion the Snowy Scheme was a "Menzian vision" is wrong. It was actually a Chifleyesque vision of the Labor government, which planned and commenced the scheme. Andrew Macintosh Cromer Children lose as experts go Kevin Farrell's stand on classroom behaviour is strong and principled (Letters, March 18-19). Unfortunately, the wisdom and experience of experts like him are often lost on a teacher's retirement. As the scholarship holders from the 1970s are finally leaving the workforce, schools are being left with the less experienced (though enthusiastic and well-trained) teachers and administrators. Other retired professionals, such as engineers, are frequently retained as consultants in their field. In the teaching service the knowledge and skill base built over a lifetime is often completely severed. The losers are always the children. Janice Creenaune Austinmer PM at his best at Leak service I attended the service for Bill Leak at the Sydney Town Hall ("Leak snatched from the jaws of PC jackals", March 18-19). It was an inspiring event balancing warmth, humour, art, a string quartet and moving speeches from Leak's two sons. Barry Humphries was as irrepressible as ever, witty and scathing in his condemnation of the scourge of political correctness, but what really struck me was the speech from our Prime Minister. At his best and Malcolm Turnbull was at his very best he was sincere, articulate, intelligent and impressive. On the issue of free speech one can only hope that his actions will match his words. John Dale Camperdown The increasingly tedious accusation of "political correctness" is so often made by people who resent how far our society has progressed in addressing age-old inequities and injustices of gender, race, welfare or power. People who want to continue being sexist or racist or enjoying other advantages of birth or position, unquestioned. People who cannot think of credible arguments against the ethical position that offends them, and so resort to the ad-hominem "PC" attack. Bill Leak's funeral brought them out in droves. Jeffrey Mellefont Coogee Time for the 'Ted M test' After reading the heartfelt homage by Elizabeth Farrelly to one of our nation's most venerable living politicians, how about considering a possibly more subtle addition to the Australian journalists' official lexicon regarding politicians' integrity and their perceived trustworthiness ("The need for independents in politics as vital now as ever", March 18-19)? Move over "pub test" and make room for the "Ted M test". Cleveland Rose Dee Why Sympathy over sale It was interesting reading about Rob and Ruth Peters and noting the sympathetic manner in which their plight was treated ("Foreigners forced to sell family home after 14 years", March 18-19). I wonder would the same sympathy be offered to them if they were Asian or Arabic. I suggest not. At least they have been able to benefit from the surge in Sydney prices and will be able to return to Canada well ahead financially. Mary Lawson Marrickville Gruelling record What these riders are doing is really inspiring ("It's the Hunger Games on wheels", March 18-19). Peter Heal did the same in 2009. Unsupported, he rode from Cottesloe Beach to Bondi Beach in 11 days, 17 hours. Rolf Muller Concord A belly-full I guess if one has a significant beer belly one can truly say "Je suis Coopers", David Park (Letters, March 18-19). Poet Henry Lawson once wrote: "Beer makes you feel the way you ought to feel without beer". Many Australians would agree, particularly at the end of a hot summer's day. But in 2017 there's a serious economic side to beer that needs genuine attention from Australian governments the significant potential for jobs growth in the craft beer industry. Australia's annual consumption of beer has been declining in recent years. A push to change Australia's race hate laws is effectively dead on arrival, with key Senate crossbenchers indicating they will block any major reform. The Liberal Party is bitterly divided over changes to section 18c of the Racial Discrimination Act, which makes it illegal to offend, insult, humiliate or intimidate a person on the basis of their race, colour, national or ethnic origin. A fierce and long-running debate is expected to come to a head at party room meeting in Canberra on Tuesday. In an extraordinary case of timing, the Coalition will debate removing protections in Australia's race hate laws on what is also the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull's ministry and then cabinet met on Monday night to discuss removing "offend" and "insult" from the act and replacing it with the word "harass", as well as other measures. A friend of mine, Janine*, works in the finance industry. She earns good money, is ambitious, and a feminist. When she had her daughter six months ago she was entitled to the government paid parental leave, but when that dried up after 18 weeks, she was earning nothing. And, because she is staying at home for the 12 months unpaid leave from her employer she is entitled to, she was staring down the barrel at about 8 months of earning nothing while performing the daily grind of child-rearing. Janine and her husband do not share money. They have a joint account for bills and household expenses, but they have never shared disposable income. To prepare for having a baby, Janine saved money so she would be able to afford to have coffee and go out with her friends and buy clothes that would fit and go to the gym once her daughter was born. I don't mean Janine and her husband saved up. I mean Janine saved up her money, while her husband carried on, and carries on, as normal. Scrolling through the various mum groups on social media, it seems Janine's lack of equal access to family funds is quite normal. Just last week Vanessa* posted in one of these mum groups about her ingenious ways of saving money on the weekly grocery shop so she could "keep it for a rainy day and spend it on little luxuries for myself like a cup of coffee and piece of cake!" Vanessa's husband transfers $200 each week into the joint account to be used on food shopping for their family of five. A man accused of stabbing three people in a random attack at a gym on Sydney's northern beaches on Monday night is then believed to have carried out two armed robberies at service stations just hours later, police say. Police are now hunting for the "agitated and aggressive" man, described as having a full beard and aged in his mid to late 20s, who allegedly attacked the men in the gym at Brookvale before driving to Newcastle in a stolen vehicle and robbing the service stations. Members of the public who see the man or the stolen black BMW he was driving have been advised not to approach him, but to call triple zero immediately. Police say the man's alleged rampage began in Brookvale just after 8pm on Monday, when he entered the Vision gym on Pittwater Road where four men were working out with a trainer. Brisbane has copped a drenching and the wet weather is likely to continue, with "hit and miss" showers and thunderstorms set to dump more rain around the region in coming days. Brisbane had received 54mm of rain by 4pm on Monday, far from the most rain south-east Queensland received, with 95mm of rain recorded at Upper Springbrook by the Bureau of Meteorology. Pedestrians run for shelter from the rain in the CBD. Credit:Jorge Branco And bureau meteorologist Janine Yuasa said SEQ could expect more rain, which would ease towards the end of the week. "In the coming couple of days in particular, tomorrow and maybe Thursday as well, we're looking at falls of up to 10mm fairly likely across Brisbane and the greater south-east Queensland area," Ms Yuasa said. Mr Wellington said everyone worked harder with a minority government. "Sometimes they don't get everything they want... It puts pressure on everyone to work harder, the opposition works harder," he said. "There's a better capacity for the compromise, of finding that middle road, than a government that has a massive majority they just say we're going to steamroll this through, we don't have to consult, we don't need to listen to other people's views." A spokesman for Ms Palaszczuk said the government's commitments to Mr Wellington were delivered or well advanced. Here is a list of the demands and where they stand: Opposition to asset sales Delivered: The Palaszczuk government regularly voices its opposition to asset sales. Commit to the 'Fitzgerald principles' of accountability and, as 'a principle' not use 'any urgency motions to bypass or truncate the committee system'. In cases where this arises, the crossbench will be consulted first Partially delivered: Two bills were not sent to committee for consideration. The first was the Magistrates Amendment Bill 2015, introduced in May 2015. It was seen as essential to pass quickly because it would retrospectively validate decisions of acting magistrates who had sworn the incorrect oath on their swearing-in since 2013. Opposition and crossbench MPs were consulted. The second was a 2015 bill to restore community objection rights in relation to mining projects and was considered urgent by the government so it could apply to the New Acland mine stage three project. The government was also criticised for forcing an amendment to an LNP bill to introduce compulsory preferential voting in 2016, which did not go to a committee for review. Reintroduce the $1000 donation disclosure threshold. Work with Electoral Commission of Queensland to develop a 'real-time online system of disclosure' Delivered: A real-time political donations portal is online and every donation of $1000 or more needs to be declared. Advertise 'as a priority' for a new Crime and Corruption Chair Delivered: The government advertised for a replacement crime watchdog chair in March 2015. Alan MacSporran was confirmed as the new chair in July 2015. Amend the Parliament of Queensland Act to ensure membership of the Committee of the Legislative Assembly includes a member of the crossbench Delivered: Labor amended section 81 of the Parliament of Queensland Act in May 2015. Appoint all directors-general on a merit basis. Review all Queensland Health contestability processes. Restore its previous policy of employment security and no contracting out provisions Delivered: The government has committed to merit-based selection for directors-general of line agencies. The Public Service Commission has been leading a process for merit-based appointment of all directors-general roles. All directors-general positions have now been finalised. Health Minister Cameron Dick reviewed contestability processes in Queensland Health and has closed the contestability branch. Reinstated employment security provisions for public servants. Establish a commission of inquiry into organised crime and an inquiry into political donations Partially delivered: Michael Byrne QC held a commission of inquiry into organised crime, leading to $3.2 million for Taskforce Orion and $69.9 million to fight serious organised crime in the 2016 budget. The government is still looking at how to initiate a public inquiry into the links, if any, between donations to political parties and the awarding of tenders and contracts. In terms of a political donations inquiry, Mr Wellington said the government could not direct the Crime and Corruption Commission to do an inquiry, but the audit office had conducted investigations. Mr Wellington said due to other changes made, the pressure for an inquiry into political donations was no longer there, like it was after the previous government. Open Community Cabinet meetings to the public Delivered: The government has also introduced "governing from the regions", with meetings with the public, community groups and businesses, and town hall meetings. Provide more resources to independent members in minority governments Delivered: The government provided two extra staff for Mr Wellington - an additional electorate officer and a policy officer. The government has also provided an extra electorate officer and policy officer for each Katter's Australian Party member and an extra policy adviser for member for Mount Isa Robbie Katter. Crossbench MPs also have access to briefings from the Premier's staff and the public service on policy issues or proposed legislation or motions, and policy advisors are available to brief crossbenchers. Seek to review travel allowances for MPs in large electorates Delivered: The Queensland Independent Remuneration Tribunal decided in October 2015 to increase the travel allowance for Band 3 electorates by $16,000 per annum. Look at adopting a bill of rights for Queensland Not delivered yet: A parliamentary committee investigated the possibility of a Human Rights Act but it was unable to agree on whether it would be desirable. However, the government expects to introduce legislation mid-2017, a spokesman for Ms Palaszczuk said. Reinstate the right to object and appeal to mining developments for communities, residents and individuals Delivering: The government has reinstated the right to object to developments without harsh financial penalties, community objection rights for environmental authorities for projects assessed by the Co-ordinator General were restored, and the Mineral and Other Legislation Act will restore community and landholder rights in relation to mining projects. Scrutinise the Acland mining approval processes Delivered: Review into approval process of the New Acland Mine completed and released publicly in May 2016. Review subcontractor payment laws Delivering: New laws will ensure security of payment for subcontractors and from January 1, 2019, every construction project over $1 million will have to operate a project bank account. Not dump dredge spoil in the Caley Valley wetlands Delivered: In March 2015, the government announced a new plan for the disposal of dredge spoil from the expansion of the Abbot Point port. Review awarding of road maintenance contracts, particularly in relation to the Sunshine Coast Delivered: Independent consultant PGL Financial was appointed to conduct the review. Equitable allocation of responsibility for infrastructure charges, particularly in relation to Caloundra South Delivering: In November 2016, a tripartite infrastructure agreement for the Caloundra South Priority Development Area was signed between Economic Development Queensland, the Sunshine Coast Regional Council and Stockland and other works are being done. Review Halls Creek development Delivering: The draft SEQ Regional Plan includes Beerwah East as a greenfield growth site, with Halls Creek identified as a potential future growth area, although that does not imply any part of the area will be made available for urban development in the future, the spokesman said. Mr Wellington said a review of the planning scheme was being held: "A lot of the concerns that were raised have been clarified." Have Building Queensland create a cost-benefit analysis of the Sunshine Coast rail duplication Delivering: The duplication is one of the government's priority infrastructure projects for federal funding submitted to Infrastructure Australia and Building Queensland is leading the development of a business case. Mr Wellington said the duplication also needed federal funding. "I've never held a shotgun to the government's head, the government is working through it in a sensible way and there are some, I believe, some affordable solutions that the government is able to fund in this year's budget." Reinstate Nambour Rail Station funding upgrade as a priority project Delivering: Subway and platform works at Nambour station have begun and are expected to be completed late March 2017. A midwife dismissed a Queensland mother's request for a caesarean because "women say a lot of things when they're distressed with pain", an inquest has heard. Nixon Tonkin died shortly after being delivered at Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital in June 2014 at 38 weeks' gestation. The inquest into his death heard on Monday that a midwife dismissed mother Simone Tonkin's request for a caesarean while she was being induced. "Women say a lot of things when they're distressed with pain," she said. The teenager who jumped into a croc-infested river in far north Queensland has explained he "was just trying to prove a point" as he recovers in Cairns Hospital. 18-year-old Lee De Paauw recounted his close call with a croc, telling Nine News he thought "f--- ... I'm gone for sure" when the crocodile first latched onto his arm on Sunday morning. It all started just before 2.30am, when Mr De Paauw leapt into the Johnstone River at Innisfail to impress English backpacker Sophie Paterson, who he had just met. "I started tell them about how backpackers are more likely to get eaten by a crocodile than Australians, so we decided to go down to the river and test the theory," he said. Union leader John Setka has declared that the Heyfield timber mill dispute in Gippsland is "fixable", and warned that if the mill closed it would be "a catastrophe". "There are not insurmountable things to fixing it," he said. Speaking to The Age before hundreds of timber workers marched from Trades Hall to Parliament House in Melbourne, the CFMEU leader urged the government to make more forest available for the industry. "I'd like the state government to free up some more forest and there's no reason they can't do that, there's no adverse effect to anyone," he said. Residents and hotel operators in the seaside town of Queenscliff are fighting a council's plan to build holiday cabins on one of the state's most prominent sites, overlooking the entrance to Port Phillip Bay. Queenscliffe Shire Council has won support from the Turnbull government for a $3 million plan to build eco-cabins on parkland beneath Queenscliff's 170-year-old lighthouse. David Connoley and other members of the Queenscliff Community Association on the site the local council wants to build eco-cabins. Credit:Jason South The cabins would be built on the little-used land surrounding the lighthouse, an area known as Shortland's Bluff. But a local community association and hotel and bed-and-breakfast operators in the historic seaside town say the plan will ruin what should be prime parkland, and damage local holiday accommodation operators. Labor is preparing for a possible byelection in the western suburbs, amid speculation an audit of former speaker Telmo Languiller over entitlements will pile further pain on the Andrews government. On Tuesday, Parliament's internal auditors are due to hand over a report into the controversial second residence allowance. The audit was triggered by revelations in Fairfax Media that Mr Languiller and his then deputy, Don Nardella, had claimed more than $140,000 after moving their homes away from their western suburbs electorates to the Bellarine Peninsula. Mr Languiller has stood down as speaker over his decision to claim the second residence allowance designed for rural MPs who have to come to Melbourne while he lived in Queenscliff, away from his Tarneit electorate. Melton MP Mr Nardella quit the Labor caucus after refusing to pay back $113,000 he claimed to live at Ocean Grove. The family of a teenage girl who was allegedly raped in Geelong is pleading with Premier Daniel Andrews to protect child victims from further trauma in court. Amy*, then 14, was allegedly raped in the Geelong suburb of St Albans Park in the early hours of November 1, 2015. Amy with her parents Sandy and Tony. Credit:Darrian Traynor Three men brothers Kevin Andrew Wild, Allan Mark Wild and Brodie Mark Wild were charged with multiple counts of rape and related offences, and committed to stand trial. They pleaded not guilty to all charges. But last month Amy, now 16, and her parents decided she was too distressed to undergo a court appearance and made the agonising decision to discontinue the trial. A discontinuance of prosecution does not amount to an acquittal. Amy was 14 when she was allegedly raped in the Geelong suburb of St Albans Park. She had no idea that bringing her alleged attackers to justice would be so difficult. At her meetings with police and lawyers she was shocked to discover what lay ahead. The challenge eventually proved too much and led to her discontinuing the trial. Now 16, Amy explains why. After the initial shock, I knew I wanted to see justice served. But being 14 at the time I was so naive about how the legal system worked. I definitely knew it wouldn't be easy, but it turned out to be one of the most horrible and traumatic times ever. The upcoming trial consumed my life. I could think of nothing but having to recount the most disgusting and horrific memories over and over again. It was agonising. I couldn't stand the thought of being interrogated and drilled for days on end. Not to mention the sterile and serious atmosphere where everyone wore clean-cut suits and spoke in legal terms I didn't understand. I felt so out of place, so uncomfortable. I tried to be strong in front of all these adults, but I was on the verge of tears the majority of the time. And a courtroom is no place for a child. It was just the lawyers and me, I felt so intimidated. A postie became the unsuspecting victim of a police pursuit after the offender allegedly kicked him off his motorbike and used it as a getaway vehicle. Police pursued a stolen car, after receiving reports a vehicle was being driven erratically in the Frankston area, about noon on Friday, a police spokeswoman said. A postie suffered some minor injuries after an offender involved in a police pursuit allegedly knocked him off his motorbike. The offender then dumped the car on Beach Street, got out and started running, before he found a postman on his motorbike, who was doing his afternoon mail deliveries. "After running a short distance, the offender then pushed a postman off his motorbike, stealing the motorcycle and fleeing," the spokeswoman said. Police are searching for a thief who stole a man's identity before obtaining 10 iPhone 7 handsets in his name. The incident began in late January, when a man, believed to be aged in his 20s, stole a black Mitsubishi Triton ute from a construction site in Surrey Hills. Police believe this man can assist with their inquiries into the theft of a vehicle and subsequent deceptions. Credit:Victoria Police The thief stole a wallet from inside the ute, containing the owner's ID, which he then used to create a fake Victorian driver's license. Investigators believe that a week later, on February 7, the thief used the fraudulent license to set up a phone plan at a store in Highpoint Shopping Centre in Maribyrnong, through which he obtained an iPhone 7. 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. Justin Lee Collins' ex-lover has broken her silence about the "campaign of abuse" she was subjected to by the TV comic. It's been five years since the explosive court case where Bristol's funnyman was convicted of verbally abusing Anna Larke. However, Anna has told the Sunday People he has still NEVER apologised to her face. Secret recordings played to the court during a trial exposed the extent of his controlling behaviour. The 43-year-old told the national newspaper how it has taken her years to slowly piece her life back together after dating Collins for seven months. She suffered post traumatic stress disorder after the 42-year-old harassed her until she feared violence, lost her sense of self-worth and was forced to quit her PR career. Anna said she's decided to speak out to help other victims even though she is still haunted by what he put her through. She suffered horrific flashbacks some triggered by songs from Rock of Ages, the musical he starred in And she's devastated that while Collins has been forging ahead with his career she has only just found the strength and confidence to do some free PR work for her brother in the last few weeks as she continues to battle her PTSD. The 43-year-old said "I still have nightmares about Justin, the most despicable man I have ever met. "He ruined my life, turning me from a really confident person into a robot. I don't know how he sleeps at night. He apologised to me by text. He sent me messages saying 'I'm so sorry my darling I hurt you' and all this stuff before the case. Collins also said sorry in a 2014 newspaper interview, insisting: "I apologise unreservedly. But at that point of my life I was a troubled soul." Anna says: "I accepted his apology at the time, but said I wondered how he slept at night." For years it has gnawed away at her that he hadn't the decency to say sorry in person which she feels would give her closure on her ordeal. Something went wrong, please try again later. Invalid email Something went wrong, please try again later. Want the top crime stories from Bristol? Sign up for our new email updates on Crime & Punishment Police are hunting for a dark-coloured Land Rover after a man was left in hospital in an apparent hit and run in Bedminster on Sunday night. A man in his 40s was walking his dog at the junction of Breach Road and Duckmoor Road, near Ashton Gate stadium, at around 8.15pm on Sunday when he was hit by a vehicle which failed to stop. Police are appealing for any witnesses, or if anyone knows more about what happened to get in touch. We were called to a report of a fail to stop collision on Breach Road, Bristol, last night at 8.30pm, a police spokesman said. A man in his 40s was hit by a car and suffered head injuries as a result. He was taken to the Bristol Royal Infirmary where he remains. The vehicle involved is believed to be a dark-coloured Land Rover. Our inquiries are continuing but anyone with information is asked to contact us on 101 and quote log number 1003 of yesterday, March 19, he added. It is understood the man was walking a dog at the time, which ran off and is still missing. The family of the man involved have taken to social media to appeal for witnesses, and to ask for help to find their dog. 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. A man has been jailed after he sexually abused a toddler in the back of a van and got a teenage girl to film the sick abuse. Kristopher Jane, from Keynsham, was jailed for 22 years by a judge in Cambridge and the 17-year-old girl who filmed the abuse was sentenced to four years detention too. The 31-year-old pleaded guilty to a string of sickening abuse charges, which involved a toddler and an older child, and included him recruiting a 17-year-old girl to join in with the abuse. Jane, from Warwick Road, Keynsham, was filmed sexually assaulting the distressed little girl by a 17-year-old from Wisbech in Cambridgeshire, who cannot be named for legal reasons. Police in Cambridgeshire were alerted in September last year by a concerned member of the public, and the following day officers in Bristol arrested him at his home in Keynsham. It was only when detectives seized his mobile phone and examined it did they discover the true horror of his crimes. His phone contained a total of 2,325 pictures and videos of indecent images of children. Most sickeningly, the majority some 1,332 were graded by specialist officers as category A the most severe. 435 were category B and 558 category C. It also transpired that between 2012 and 2014 Jane had been sexually abusing a teenage girl in his home county of Bristol, said a spokesman for Cambridgeshire police. The 17-year-old girl was arrested on September 24 at her home address in Wisbech and interviewed by police. Examination of her mobile phone revealed footage of a toddler being sexually abused by a man, believed to be Jane, along with a number of still images of the same nature. There was also images and videos of an older child being sexually assaulted by someone believed to be the 17-year-old defendant, he added. Jane pleaded guilty to a total of 12 charges. He admitted four separate charges of assaulting a child under the age of 13 by penetration, another of sexual activity with a child under the age of 16, one of causing or inciting a child under the age of 13 to engage in sexual activity and another of engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child under the age of 16. Five more charges related to making indecent images or videos of children. Detective Constable Leah Meftah, from the Child Abuse Investigation and Safeguarding Unit (CAISU), said: Jane is a very dangerous individual who has a clear sexual interest in young girls. The victims have been very brave in talking to us about what happened to them and I would like to thank them for this. I hope knowing Jane is behind bars for the next 22 years brings some comfort to the girls and will help them in moving on from their ordeal. The 17-year-old girl pleaded guilty to two counts of assaulting a child under the age of 13 by penetration, two others of taking indecent photographs of a child under the age of 18 and two more of distributing those images. The pair were also made subject of sexual harm prevention orders (SHPO); Janes is for life, the 17-year-old girls will remain for 10 years. Archived Results for Monday, March 20th, 2017 Older Page 1 Something went wrong, please try again later. Invalid email Something went wrong, please try again later. From things to see and do, to in-depth features of those who make up our thriving, eclectic and buzzing city - with the BristolBuzz, get your weekly dispatch of what's going on in Bristol city centre straight to your inbox Three new speed cameras are being installed in the Bristol region this month in response to worries from residents about speeding drivers and road safety. They will be painted yellow and become operational in April. The cameras are being installed on the A37 at Temple Cloud, the A39 at Farmborough near Bath and at Lansdown Lane in Weston, Bath. Temple Cloud (A37): The camera replaces one which was removed a number of years ago due to vandalism. It will be installed in the 30mph limit to help reduce speeds, improve the safety of pedestrians crossing at the traffic signals and to make traffic turning in and out of Temple Lane safer. Farmborough (A39): As part of a package of measures to reduce the speed of traffic on the A39 through the village, a new safety camera will be located next to the junction with The Street and the entrance to the school. Additional work includes widening of the existing footpath, and centre hatching road markings to narrow the road width throughout the village. The A39/Timsbury Road junction kerb will be realigned to reduce the speed of vehicles entering Timsbury Road. During the next year, Bath and North East Somerset council will also install safety cameras on the A362 in Writhlington and bring the existing camera on the A37 in Pensford back into use. Lansdown Lane, Weston, Bath: This camera will be installed within the 20mph speed limit as part of measures to improve the safety of residents, in particular children and adults who walk to Weston All Saints Primary School. Cabinet Councillor Anthony Clarke said: The council is committed to doing all it can to make sure people feel safe when out in their local communities and in particular around schools. We have therefore been working with police, schools and local community groups to address their concerns and hope that these new cameras will slow traffic down and reduce accidents in these locations. When we receive a request to install a speed camera from a local community, we always consider it carefully and look at the supporting evidence to ensure it is needed and will make a difference. Avon and Somerset Polices deputy head of road safety, Chief Inspector Kevan Rowlands said: Drivers who choose to exceed the speed limit can expect to be caught and prosecuted. Our message is loud and clear drivers should assume that all roadside fixed cameras are operational and to drive accordingly. We believe the static cameras can be operated in a cost-neutral way and that reactivating them for use alongside our mobile camera vans, will help in making our roads safer. Revenue raised from the cameras will be used to fund their maintenance and enforcement. Police and Crime Commissioner Sue Mountstevens said: I know from speaking to people how important road safety is to them and many have been pressing to have the cameras in their communities turned back on for some time. Im delighted I can now tell them they are back on. These static cameras will complement the work of the mobile speed enforcement vans and motorbikes that already work across Avon and Somerset. Together they send a powerful message to drivers that speeding is being taken seriously and will not be tolerated. Drivers caught exceeding the speed limit within a certain threshold will be offered the opportunity to attend a speed awareness course as an alternative to a fine and penalty points by the police. We have more newsletters Something went wrong, please try again later. Invalid email Something went wrong, please try again later. Get the latest news from Bristol Courts straight to your inbox Police called to reports of a vulnerable woman lying in the city centre found a man who appeared to have just had sex with her. Concerned passers-by raised the alarm when they spotted the woman in a raised flower bed in front of Broad Quay House. When officers arrived at the scene Jason ODriscoll stood and did up his jeans, Bristol Crown Court heard. Police then saw the almost unconscious woman with her eyes in her head and blood running down her legs, and ODriscoll was arrested. The 41-year-old, of Bakers Road in Charlieville, County Cork, denies both oral and vaginal rape in March last year. Kerry Barker, prosecuting, said ODriscoll left Prism nightclub with a friend in the early hours with a mate. He told the jury four men who came to Bristol for a reunion later noticed a couple in the area of a raised flower bed in front of Broad Quay House. Mr Barker said: They were kissing and the man had his hand up the womans skirt. Their behaviour seemed pretty uninhibited and the woman appeared drunk. The couple moved out of sight. Witnesses then saw the woman lying on the flower bed with a man standing above her, the court heard. Police called in quickly arrived and found ODriscoll with the woman, Mr Barker told the jury. He said: A PC Jones called Mr ODriscoll and he stood up, doing up his jeans. The woman was on the ground, almost unconscious, with her eyes rolling back in her head and blood running down her legs. The police thought this woman was drunk, so drunk she was not capable of consenting to sex which had obviously taken place. While ODriscoll was arrested police took the woman to hospital as they couldnt get an ambulance, the jury was told. She was found to have multiple grazes to her legs and a wound to her right knee which contained glass. An intimate examination found she had suffered injuries to her genital area. She told police she chatted to ODriscoll before he made her give him oral sex before she was hit on her private parts and he had vaginal sex with her. She recalled telling him no before she blacked out. ODriscoll was taken to Patchway custody suite and told police he chatted with the woman, one thing led to another and they had sex in public. A back calculation found at the time of the alleged assaults the woman would have been well over twice the alcohol limit for driving. The case continues. 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 Prime Minister Theresa May will trigger Article 50 on Wednesday, March 29, starting the historic process of the UKs departure from the European Union (EU). The move allows the UK to formally begin negotiating its exit, meaning the country could be out by March 2019. It comes nine months after Britain voted to leave the EU with a 52 per cent majority in a landmark referendum last June. (Image: Christopher Furlong/Getty Images) Brexit Secretary David Davis told Sky News: "Last June, the people of the UK made the historic decision to leave the EU. "Next Wednesday, the Government will deliver on that decision and formally start the process by triggering Article 50. "We are on the threshold of the most important negotiation for this country for a generation. The Government is clear in its aims: a deal that works for every nation and region of the UK and indeed for all of Europe - a new, positive partnership between the UK and our friends and allies in the European Union." (Image: Jonathan Brady/PA Wire) The UKs permanent representative to the EU, Sir Tim Barrow, notified the office of EU President Donald Tusk this morning. May, who was visiting Wales on Monday, intended to visit Northern Ireland and Scotland before the formal notification was sent by letter, Downing Street said. Speaking during her visit to Swansea after the date was announced, May said: I am very clear that I want to ensure we get the best possible deal for the United Kingdom that works for everyone across the United Kingdom and all parts of the UK when we enter these negotiations. I have set out my objectives. These include getting a good free trade deal. They include putting issues like continuing working together on issues like security at the core of what we are doing. We are going to be out there, negotiating hard, delivering on what the British people voted for. In Brussels, a spokesman for the European Commission said: "Everything is ready on this side. We are waiting for notification." We have more newsletters 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 Easter Eggs have been part of tradition for more than a century, with the first one being made right here in Bristol back in 1873. The eggs we see filling supermarket shelves today are a far cry from early Easter eggs, which would have been made from bitter, dark chocolate and intricately decorated. And the Easter egg looks set to change yet again for 2017, with big brand companies dropping the word Easter from their branding. This has left plenty of people feeling angry and as though tradition is being lost. Both Cadbury and Nestle, some of the UKs biggest brands, have already dropped the Christian festival name from its packaging, and its expected more will follow suit. Cadbury and Nestle, Britain's best-known chocolate brands. have quietly dropped the name of the Christian festival from branding. Video Loading Video Unavailable Click to play Tap to play The video will auto-play soon 8 Cancel Play now Many of the treats are now being branded simply as egg or chocolate egg, as highlighted by The Meaningful Chocolate Company. What used to be called the Cadbury Easter Egg Trail Pack now simply reads Egg Hunt Pack. The label on the Quality Street Easter egg, made by Nestle, now reads: Large Milk Chocolate Egg with Quality Street inside. While the Milkybar Easter Egg is now labelled simply as Milkybar White Chocolate Egg. A spokesman for Nestle told the Telegraph: Chocolate eggs have been synonymous with Easter and the Easter story since the beginning of the last century and the association is now an automatic one. There has been no deliberate decision to drop the word Easter from our products and the name is still widely used at Nestle. Cadbury did not respond to requests for comment. Members of the community are welcome to volunteer or donate Latest News NAB extends $1,000 grants to flood-impacted customers Members of the community are welcome to volunteer or donate Mortgage stress hits Australian households Learn seven ways to ease the interest rate burden, says broker Amidst much uncertainty around how broker remuneration structures will be changed, Cynthia Grisbrook, chair of the Mortgage & Finance Association of Australia ( MFAA ), has very clear views on what the next phase should look like.The MFAAs position is it has to be balanced, it has to be fair and it has to be equitable, she said on a panel at the Australian Securities & Investments Commission (ASIC) Annual Forum 2017 in Sydney yesterday (20 March).On the panel, Grisbrook was joined by Brett McKeon , managing director of aggregator Australian Finance Group AFG ), Erin Turner, head of campaigns & policy at consumer advocacy group CHOICE, and Anthony Waldron , executive general manager of broker partnerships at National Australia Bank ( NAB ).Being three days into the consultation process, Turner said there was no easy answer on what the final commission structure would be.I do think it needs to address the clearly identified problems with standard commissions, Turner said. Product strategy conflict, lender choice conflict any solution needs to address those two conflicts and it probably needs some standardisation.Grisbrook pointed to Paragraph 432 in ASICs Review of Mortgage Broker Remuneration which states that trail commission is beneficial as well as Paragraph 439 which states that trail does not directly lead to poorer outcomes for consumers.This indicates that ASIC is not seeing any systemic problems in there, Grisbrook said. What any tweaking to the standard structure means though will require consultation over the next few months with members, aggregator partners and lenders, she added.Waldron said there have been numerous commission structures which have waxed and waned throughout the industry over the years.It talks in the report about LVRs. It talks about paying, not just on the total loan facility, but on drawn down amounts. I think those are the types of discussion were going to see and the report itself hints at where those discussions should start.However, there is a need to represent and be fair to all the work that is done by the broker community, he said.Panel moderator Stephen Sedgwick, head of the retail banking remuneration review by the Australian Bankers Association (ABA), added that all stakeholders in the debate would not disagree that competition in the sector needs to be preserved.The issue is to find a less conflicted remuneration model that fairly remunerates the broker. One issue for me is that a payment that is related to value of the loan necessarily reflects the inherent complexity of the work required to do that. Maybe part of the debate can be around the fact that this complexity tends to rest with the borrower and not necessarily the loan size. Its not an easy issue to resolve this one. Renewable-energy advocacy group trying to push Republicans to back taxpayer investments in wind, solar, and other alternatives to traditional power Part of the array of turbines at the Amazon Wind Farm. (CJ photo by Don Carrington) They would be more likely to support candidates pushing legislation for home or business owners to finance energy efficiency upgrades. They were in favor of providing consumers more electricity options. They would support legislators who support third-party energy sales directly to consumers instead of utilities controlling a monopoly. North Carolina's electricity rates are falling because of lowering fuel costs, primarily the decreasing cost of natural gas. The cost of the renewable mandates - the REPS rider as well as the Demand Side Management/Energy Efficiency rider - are increasing. If fuel costs weren't falling, North Carolina's electricity rates would be rising due to the riders. Two highly regarded Republican political consultants told an audience of state lawmakers, lobbyists, and renewable-energy entrepreneurs Tuesday they should consider government intervention into the renewable energy market a "slam dunk" conservative issue that wins at the ballot box.said Dee Stewart.Stewart and fellow GOP consultant Paul Shumaker, principals of the Raleigh-based consulting firm Strategic Partners Solutions , presented results of a new renewable energy poll conducted on behalf of Conservatives for Clean Energy at the City Club Raleigh.Conservatives for Clean Energy is an advocate for wind and solar energy, calling renewables a free-market competitor to traditional fossil fuels.The poll asked if respondents would support increasing the mandate forcing public utilities to buy renewable energy from 12.5 percent of their power mix to 25 percent by 2021. Twenty-five percent is the national average for states with Renewable Energy Portfolio Standards.During a post-event interview, Stewart defended that concept of short-term, government-led investment in private markets for long-term gain.Stewart said.Stewart said.because renewable energy has deep bipartisan support, Shumaker said.He told lawmakers they must make decisions that put them in position to be leaders managing the policy issues that will shape the futureThat strategy isas voter ideology continues to shift statewide from very conservative toward the political center due to an influx of unaffiliated voters from out of state who support clean energy initiatives, Shumaker said.State Rep. Nelson Dollar, R-Wake, said his district polls 70 percent in support of renewable energy issues, which became part of his 2016 primary election against challenger Mark Villee.Dollar said.Among findings of the poll, which surveyed 600 likely general election voters, is that Republicans are more likely to support a candidate who supports policies encouraging development of more fossil fuel energy such as oil and coal. Democrats and unaffiliated voters were more likely to oppose such a candidate.Majorities of Republicans and unaffiliated voters would be more likely to support a candidate who would back increased access to natural gas through new pipeline development. A majority of Democrats would be less likely to support such a candidate.Overall, 83.2 percent of poll respondents said they would support a candidate encouraging solar, wind, and waste-to-energy technologies. Subsets showed 79.1 percent of Republicans, 86.7 percent of Democrats, and 82.3 percent of unaffiliated voters responding that way.Large majorities said:"The main takeaway from this poll is this: When consumer costs aren't part of the discussion, North Carolinians favor renewable energy sources," and more options, said Jon Sanders, director of regulatory studies at the John Locke Foundation.Sanders said.One poll question references 34,000 jobs created by the renewable industry, but Sanders said research by economists at the Beacon Hill Institute found renewable energy policies would create a net loss of nearly 3,600 jobs by 2021. Others have taken issue with the job creation claims as well.Sanders pointed out the "tightrope that the special-interest poll tries to walk" in asking for the No. 1 cause of rising electricity rates in North Carolina, and offering only a handful of possible responses.Strong pluralities selected "higher profits" and "lack of competition." Only 10.3 percent blamed renewable mandates.But, Sanders said,to which he offered a rebuttal:Sanders said the only time the poll offered any hint that renewable energy sources cost more than fossil fuel occurred in the campaign context of Donald Trump's energy policy versus Hillary Clinton's. The poll found that respondents favored Clinton's position over Trump's by 51.8 percent to 28.5 percent.Sanders said.In last year's edition of this poll, Sanders noted, only 2.5 percent of respondents said government leaders' stand on energy was the issue they were most angry about. Election Day 2022: The stakes are high with all eyes on Pennsylvania Pennsylvania voters on Election Day will make decisions that could reshape the future of both the commonwealth and nation. Event, sponsored at Duke's Sanford School by Common Cause, was light on policy proposals to reduce gerrymandering in North Carolina and elsewhere North Carolina's legislative and congressional districts are ensnared in several court fights, and a conference sponsored by Common Cause examined a host of issues surrounding those battles.But the conference, at Duke University's Sanford School of Public Policy in early March, focused on raising public awareness of perceived problems surrounding gerrymandering - and encouraging even more lawsuits - rather than discussing strategies to persuade lawmakers to enact "fairer" districts.The conference, "Redistricting Reform: Mapping Our Future," brought in experts from politics and academia to look at various angles of the issue from a nationwide perspective, with little talk about North Carolina.said keynote speaker Tom Ross, former University of North Carolina system president who is now serving as a Terry Sanford Distinguished Fellow at Duke.But before tackling that problem, the bigger issue is few people understand redistricting or care about it, speakers said.said Celinda Lake, president of Lake Research Partners, a Democratic public opinion and political strategy research firm.With a lack of voter knowledge, it's crucial that information is presented in a nonpartisan manner - a tough bid in today's political climate."The messaging does have to take account of more than just criticism of 'evil Republicans' in this state or other states," said Mitch Kokai, senior policy analyst for the John Locke Foundation, which for years has backed nonpartisan redistricting reform. "The system is bad and it needs to be replaced."Whether North Carolina is - as the pollster Lake put it, "in trouble" - has been debated for decades . The debate has intensified since Republicans took control of the General Assembly in 2010 and redrew both the legislative and congressional districts.One area that was barely explored during the conference was the notion that elections have consequences, and that the political party that wins a majority of legislative seats may have a legitimate claim to draw election maps to their favor, so long as they don't violate legal or constitutional mandates.Challenges to North Carolina's legislative and congressional districts continue in the courts , and Common Cause - the conference's host - is a plaintiff in the lawsuit challenging the latest congressional maps.Court challenges have taken two legal paths. Either they try to prove that majority parties draw districts in ways that put partisan advantage over the principle of one person, one vote - partisan gerrymandering - or that they illegally attempt to limit the representation of racial or ethnic groups in legislative bodies - racial gerrymandering.On the former front, even though federal courts have not defined when partisan gerrymandering goes so far as to disenfranchise voters, a League of Women Voters' lawsuit relies on a controversial new concept: the " efficiency gap ," a statistic that recently prompted a federal court to throw out legislative districts in Wisconsin.Measuring the efficiency gap means tallying the number of "wasted votes" on each side. For the winners in a district, that's the total votes beyond what was needed for victory. For the losing side, it's the total number of votes cast. Then, for each party, you divide the wasted votes by the total number of votes cast. That yields a rough measure of vote efficiency for each party.Simon Jackman, a professor at the Australian National University's School of Politics and International Relations, told conference attendees North Carolina has an "efficiency gap" of -0.19, which, given the current political situation, represents "a profound disadvantage for Democrats."Jackman called North Carolina's efficiency gap "egregious" and that he's eager to have judges consider its impact on voters.Jackman said.While the efficiency gap is supposedly an objective standard by which to prove partisan gerrymandering, critics have noted the gap fails to account for voters' shifting preferences and the changes in issues from one election to the next. It also doesn't take note of candidates who win support from voters across party lines.Meantime, other panelists sought to make the case that racial gerrymandering is alive and well in North Carolina.Allison Riggs, a staff attorney focusing on voting rights and environmental justice for the Southern Coalition for Social Justice, said her organization approaches redistricting litigation with "an unapologetically racially focused lens.Riggs said. "When we see changing tactics, it's always with an eye toward harming communities of color. We weave that into our narrative so that the court understands this is a cynical use of the Voting Rights Act.During his keynote speech, Ross acknowledged that while North Carolina has been aciting a Washington Post story that described the state as theAs that comment drew laughter, Ross' comments quickly took on a dark tone, warning that gerrymandered districts were a threat to democracy itself.Ross said.Which it's why it's urgent that gerrymandering be fixed, Ross said. But before students want to know how to fix it, he said, they want to know whom to blame.Ross said.Ross' message of bipartisan blame echoed the message JLF's Kokai believes should be sent to voters.Kokai said. State Senator Steve Santarsiero (D-10) presented a check to Yardley Borough Police Chief Joseph Kelly for $68,600 for the purchase of a new police vehicle and motorcycle during a visit to the station. Our police put themselves on the line every day to keep our community safe, said Sen. Santarsiero. Dating back to when I was a Lower Makefield Township Supervisor more than... Campus News Iranian New Year celebration to welcome refugees, immigrant families Persian-style dancing, prizes for the best costumes and extraordinary food will be plentiful at the March 31 celebration of Naw Ruz, the Iranian New Year, presented by UB's Gender Institute and the Coalition for the Advancement for Moslem Women. By BERT GAMBINI During this era of social unrest, fear and anxiety, we want to create events that are celebratory and community-building that help people connect more with a sense of friendship, joy, music, dance and food as a way of building resilience. UBs Gender Institute and the Coalition for the Advancement for Moslem Women will mark the start of the Iranian New Year with a Naw Ruz celebration of food, dancing and music on March 31. The event, which will take place from 5:30-8:30 p.m. at the Unitarian Universalist Church, 695 Elmwood Ave., Buffalo, is free and open to the public; organizers welcome all refugees and immigrant families, including those from Iran, Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Somalia, Sudan and Libya. Naw Ruz, sometimes referred to as the Persian New Year, coincides with the vernal equinox. People from many faith traditions have been celebrating the secular holiday for thousands of years. During this era of social unrest, fear and anxiety, we want to create events that are celebratory and community-building that help people connect more with a sense of friendship, joy, music, dance and food as a way of building resilience, says Kari Winter, professor of transnational studies and director of the Gender Institute. The Naw Ruz celebration is co-sponsored by The Sisters, a group comprised of faculty, professional women, students, refugees and immigrants who has been holding regular meetings ever since the Gender Institutes October 2016 symposium titled Honor, Systems of Masculinity, and Violence against Women: Responses and Solutions. After that symposium, some of the participants wanted to continue our conversations, including several UB faculty, graduate students and undergraduates who want their research to be complemented and strengthened by engagement with immigrants and refugees in daily life, Winter says. Led by Nadia Shahram, founder of the Coalition for the Advancement of Moslem Women, The Sisters began hold social potluck meetings at the Family Justice Center in Buffalo. The professional women in the group also have taken turns hosting dinner meetings in their homes and have been collecting new and used items for donation to those in need. The event at the Unitarian Universalist Church will happen near the end of the 13 days in which the Iranian New Year is traditionally celebrated. Well have Persian-style dancing, prizes for the best costumes and extraordinary food prepared by cooks from Iran and India, Winter says. And, weather permitting, some of the dancing will take place outside, visible on the street from Elmwood. Winter says the inaugural Naw Ruz celebration fits nicely into the local tradition of hosting various cultural and ethnic festivals. One of the things that most human beings can relate to in understanding how diversity enriches our lives is when they have the opportunity to sample different cuisines, to hear different kinds of music, to see different kinds of fashion and to experience the wealth of different cultures, she says. Its one of those things where variety is literally the spice of life. Wienerberger is continuing its ongoing sponsorship of the Guild of Bricklayers competitions in 2017. The sponsorship, which has been in place for a number of years, will see Wienerberger donate to a series of regional competitions, along with the national final. Wienerberger has been the lead sponsor of the Guild of Bricklayers competitions for a number of years, and for the 2017 competition Wienerberger will donate more than 60,000 bricks over the duration of the competition. The Guild is a national organisation, founded in 1932, with the aim of promoting and maintaining the highest standards of craftsmanship in brickwork. The 2017 competition commenced on 15 March with the West Midlands regional round, and will travel the UK before culminating with the final competition in Derbyshire on 21 June. Richard Brown, wall category marketing manager at Wienerberger, said: Supporting the next generation of skilled tradespeople is a core aim for us here at Wienerberger. Were very proud to be able to encourage young workers within our industry to reach their peak, and the high standard of workmanship we see in these competitions typifies this. The level of skill and dedication demonstrated by these students is very impressive and is a testament to the quality of tuition on offer from the colleges. Were sure that the 2017 competition will be another great spectacle and we wish everyone involved the best of luck. Election Day in New Jersey: Who's running for the House, how to vote elections Gov. Roy Cooper's first veto would block a bill to restore party labels to N.C. judicial elections. Cooper's office announced the veto of House Bill 100 Thursday afternoon.The governor announced the veto with a prepared statement.the statement continues.Amy Auth, spokeswoman for Senate leader Phil Berger, R-Rockingham, responding to the veto, referred to several legal actions the governor has joined against the legislature.Auth said in a statement.Auth said.The Republican-led General Assembly can override Cooper's veto with votes from three-fifths of the members present and voting in both the N.C. House and Senate. The bill's vote history does not offer a clear sense of whether that will happen.H.B. 100 originally cleared the House with a 65-51 vote. Sixty-four Republicans and one Democrat voted "yes," while six Republicans joined 45 Democrats in voting no. That margin (56 percent voting yes) falls short of a three-fifths majority.But changes to the bill in the N.C. Senate boosted House support for H.B. 100. During its final vote on the Senate's version of the bill, the House approved the measure with a veto-proof 74-43 majority. Two Democrats joined 72 Republicans in supporting the measure. Just one Republican joined 42 Democrats in voting no.Senators approved H.B. 100 with a veto-proof 32-15 majority. Dr. Annie Lowrie Alexander, the first licensed female doctor in North Carolina Dr. Charlotte Hawkins Brown, educator and founder of the Alice Freeman Palmer Memorial Institute Lillian Exum Clement, the first woman to serve in the North Carolina General Assembly Tabitha Ann Holton, the first licensed female lawyer in North Carolina Harriet Morrison Irwin, the first woman to patent an architectural design Mary Jane Patterson, from Raleigh, the first African-American woman to receive a bachelor of arts degree in the U.S. Eliza Jane Pratt, the first female to represent North Carolina in the U.S Congress Today, women make up 51 percent of the population in North Carolina. Contact: Ford Porter Ford Porter govpress@nc.gov RALEIGH: Governor Roy Cooper has declared March 2017 Women's History Month in North Carolina. This year's national theme is Honoring Trailblazing Women in Leadership and Business.Gov. Cooper said.North Carolina also celebrates the 54th year of the Governor's Council for Women and Youth Involvement this year. The Council for Women and Youth Involvement is an advocacy agency within the Department of Administration that provides guidance to the Governor and legislature on issues impacting women.The Council actively supports women across North Carolina. Examples include domestic violence education, acting as a resource for local women's commissions and councils, and supporting programs providing self-sufficiency development for women and families in transition.In celebration of Women's History Month, the Council will sponsor the Women's Commission of North Carolina Inaugural Luncheon on March 30 in Raleigh.Secretary of Administration Machelle Sanders said.Some prominent women in North Carolina's history include:For more information on Women's History Month events and activities, visit the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources website. China raporteaza cel mai mare numar de cazuri noi de covid-19 din ultimele sase luni 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. China has been the worlds number one buyer of industrial since 2013, and last year surpassed Japans total of operating . And as the country battles rising wages, the automation trend is only going to accelerate. Daiichi Sankyo made its fourth attempt in the Delhi High Court on Monday to secure the assets of (and their affiliate companies), after claiming that the former Ranbaxy promoters had made false statements in earlier affidavits tendered before the court. The affidavits in question had been submitted by the Singh brothers in line with directions issued on a petition seeking the enforcement of a Rs 2,562 crore Singapore arbitral award in favour of the Japanese pharma major. Senior advocate C A Sundaram, appearing on behalf of Daiichi began the Monday's proceedings by highlighting a Rs 1,500 crore discrepancy between the figures in the Singh brothers' affidavits and those provided in auditor reports of their holding company, RHC Holdings, submitted after a March 6 order made by the court. "Even today, there is no fair disclosure. The reports submitted by the auditors are completely different to the (Singh brothers') affidavits. They have committed purgery," said Sundaram in support of Daiichi's stance. After eight months of hectic parleys, Britain's Vodafone Group's Indian subsidiary and Aditya Birla Group's Idea Cellular have taken a step closer to a mega merger that would create a new market leader better able to contest a brutal price war with 42 per cent market share. Idea Cellular on Monday approved the merger with Vodafone and Vodafone Mobile Services Limited. Kathy Manos Penn nbsp;That's the title of a Wall Street Journal article by Oliver Kamm. Horrors! For a dyed in the wool grammar geek and word nerd, this article was hard to take. In fact, I was downright grouchy about it. The premise? "If people say it, it's the right way to speak." That's a bridge too far for me. I can agree that some rules should die a natural death, like the prohibitions against split infinitives and ending a sentence with a preposition. Those rules result in some pretty stilted sentences, but Mr. Kamm begins to lose me when he asserts:Sorry, using a double negative is acceptable? I can't go there. He also thinks that using a plural pronoun to reference one person is fine, as inHis rationale is that if most people do it, then it's proper:It is possible, of course, for us to make errors of grammar, spelling or punctuation. But it is not possible for everyone, or the majority of educated users of the language, to be wrong on the same point at the same time. If it is in general use, then that is what the language is.I'm a former English teacher, but I don't think I'm a snob, nor do I believe, as the author says, thatI still believe folks should know when to use me instead of I but don't consider them ignorant when they occasionally mess up. Because grammar and vocabulary are my obsessions, I want my writing to be near perfect, but I don't hold everyone else to the standards I set for myself. Even I-do you hear the joking tone-sometimes allow a grammatical error to get by me in my writing.I wholeheartedly agree with the author that writers and speakers must consider their audience, but how will you adjust your style for the letter that accompanies your college application or resume if you're not well grounded in proper English to begin with? How will you speak well so that you put your best foot forward in a job interview?I believe that those who work in corporate America and many small businesses should strive to adhere to proper English, as we're judged by how we speak and write. Sending out emails filled with grammatical errors or using poor grammar when speaking up in meetings will create unfavorable impressions. How much your credibility is damaged will depend on your particular work environment, but the damage can be substantial. Just as we form judgments about people based on how they dress, we do the same for how they write or speak. Mr. Kamm may believe,but the reality is we all are.Does the fact that many people I know make the mistake of using mute in place of moot make the substitution correct? If you follow the author's line of thinking, I guess it does. Why, he even disses Strunk & White's The Elements of Style, which was the standard style guide for any college writing assignment...at least in the dark ages, when I attended college.I'm on my soapbox and close to climbing down, but first, I have a final point to make: Neither my parents nor my siblings graduated from college, but we kids were raised to value speaking and writing proper English. My degree in English may give me a slight edge, but my sisters are just as much sticklers for proper English as I am. If that trait makes us pedants or snobs, so be it. With size of operations growing steadily, is looking to tap into expat airline executives as it increasingly finds it difficult to hire skilled professionals at home. Over the last one year at least four executives from foreign major airlines have joined the airline in crucial positions. The on Monday asked motor vehicle manufacturers to give full details of the stock of pre-BSIV vehicles with them. The Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM), which is their umbrella association, will collect data from various manufacturers and present them to the court. The order covers two-wheelers, four-wheelers and commercial vehicles. Vodafone India had started the process for its merger with Aditya Birla Group company Idea Cellular by approaching the department of telecommunications (DoT) even before Vodafone Group Chief Executive Officer Vittorio Colaos plane touched down at Mumbais Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport. Vodafone last week approached the DoT for approval for its proposed merger with Idea. The approvals sought were for regulatory clearances under the central governments mergers and acquisitions guidelines, sources said. Idea on Monday announced its approval for the amalgamation of Vodafone India and its wholly owned subsidiary Vodafone Mobile Services with the company subject to approvals by shareholders, creditors, the Securities and Exchange Board of India, the Reserve Bank of India and other government authorities. Experts described the merger as a game changer in the battle against new entrant Reliance Jio. The combined entity would possess the most spectrum available with a telecom company even after the two companies shed their incremental air waves in some circles, an expert said. Idea and Vodafone will have to discard incremental spectrum in the 900 MHz and 2,500 MHz bands in the Gujarat, Maharashtra, Haryana, Kerala and Uttar Pradesh (West) circles so that the combined entity does not breach holding caps imposed by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai). It is a win-win situation for both companies and sends out a message to the competition that there is a consolidated player. The merger would also bring some stability to the sector, said Rajan S Mathews, director-general, Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI). Mathews added the merger opened up avenues for both entities to raise funds from the market. The Vodafone-Idea merger means Bharti Airtel will have to relinquish its position as the countrys biggest telecom company. On February 23, Bharti announced the acquisition of Telenor India in a no-cash deal, which will see the Norwegian company leaving the country because its business had become unsustainable. Bharti will take over the outstanding amount for the spectrum Telenor had acquired and also its contracts for tower leases and infrastructure. Facing intense competition from cash-rich Reliance Jio, the Aditya Birla Group and British telecom giant Vodafone Plc on Monday announced the merger of their Indian wireless telephony businesses, creating the largest telecom operator in the country. In a news conference in Mumbai, Vodafone Group Plc Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Vittorio Colao and Aditya Birla Group Chairman Kumar Mangalam Birla said the merger would create a new champion of digital India. It would launch new services soon. As the first step of the merger, Birla-owned Idea Cellular and Vodafone India would merge their operations at a swap ratio of 1:1. Then, Birlas holding companies would buy a 4.9 per cent stake from Vodafone at Rs 110 per share, investing close to Rs 3,900 crore. This will increase Ideas stake to 26 per cent and bring down Vodafone Plcs stake to 45.1 per cent. The Birlas would have the right to acquire another 9.5 per cent stake from Vodafone in the next four years, so that both partners eventually hold an equal stake in the company (about 35.5 per cent each). ALSO READ: Stay cautious on Idea, advise analysts Till the Birlas buy the additional shares, Vodafone Plc would have restricted voting rights on these shares. India was earlier the jewel in our crown. Now with this merger, we have got a bigger jewel, Colao said, adding: This is our Make in India initiative. At present, Vodafone and Idea together have a customer base of 400 million. Their joint revenue share is likely be 41 per cent, after the merger is complete at the end of 2018. Bharti Airtel, which used to be the biggest market player till now, will be a distant second, with 268 million customers in India. Revenue-wise, too, Airtel would be on the second spot with a market share of 35.6 per cent, along with Telenor. Airtel and Telenor are planning to merge their operations. ALSO READ: Vodafone goes defensive with its India play The importance of spectrum ownership cannot be denied. The entity formed by the merger of Vodafone and Idea would have 1,850 MHz; Bharti has 1,489 MHz and disruptive entrant, Jio, has 1,169 MHz. Vodafone CEO Colao said the pending tax demand would not impact the merger, as it was against the Vodafone group. The firm is embroiled in a $2.5-billion tax dispute with the tax authorities in the country, over its purchase of Hutchison India operations in 2007 for $11.2 billion. The matter is currently under arbitration overseas under international laws. According to the agreement between Vodafone and Idea, the implied enterprise value for Vodafone is Rs 82,800 crore. Idea Cellulars value is Rs 72,200 crore, excluding its 11.2 per cent stake in Indus Towers. The merger ratio of 1:1 was based on Ideas undisturbed share price of Rs 72.5, based on the 30-trading day average price as on January 27, when Vodafone and Idea first confirmed they were contemplating a merger. Since then, Ideas stock had shot up on speculation that it would fetch a far higher valuation. According to the merger plan, in the next four years, the Birlas have the right to acquire an additional 9.5 per cent stake from Vodafone, at Rs 130 per share, implying that the merged entitys equity value would be Rs 94,600 crore. ALSO READ: Vodafone approached DoT before announcing Idea merger Investors of Idea Cellular, however, were not happy with the transaction; its shares closed with a 9.55 per cent fall at Rs 97.6 a share after the deal was announced. Birla said the investors reaction was a knee-jerk one. He was confident that like other Birla group mergers and acquisitions, investors would gain in the long run. Analysts said the consolidation in the telecom sector, triggered by Jios $25-billion (about Rs 1.7 lakh crore) investment, was likely to continue. Consolidation is a much-anticipated and welcome development in this beleaguered sector. It will help bring in operational efficiencies and improved quality of services for customers. The regulatory regime will have to ensure that benefits of effective competition continue to be availed by customers, said Arpita Pal Agrawal, partner and leader Telecom, PwC India. Before the transaction is completed, Vodafone and Idea also plan to sell their standalone tower assets and Ideas 11.15 per cent stake in Indus Towers to reduce leverage in the combined company. Vodafone will also explore strategic options for its 42 per cent stake in Indus Towers. Colao said Vodafone would sell its entire stake or a part of it, depending upon offers it gets. On the management of the merged entity, Birla said he would chair the board of the company. It would have six independent directors and three directors (including the chairman) from each promoter. The CEO and chief operating officer of the merged entity would be decided jointly at a later date, though the chief financial officer would be appointed by Vodafone. The brand names of both Idea and Vodafone would be retained. The merged entity would save an estimated $2.1 billion a year on operating costs and capital investments after four years. Asked whether or not the merger would result in lay-offs, Birla said the new company would create more opportunities for both companies and there will not be any job cuts. Morgan Stanley, Robey Warshaw, Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Kotak Investment Bank, Rothschild and UBS advised Vodafone Plc and Vodafone India. British telecom giant plc would be hoping to bring an end to the problems it has faced since it bought Hutchison's stake in the company a decade ago. Xiaomi, the country's second largest smartphone company by volume, is gearing up to take on market leader Samsung with new handsets, wider offline distribution and more production capacity. The Delhi Police on Sunday said traffic restriction here have been scaled down after the Haryana Jat leaders decided to postpone their protest in the capital but security arrangements will be kept in place to handle any untoward incident. The police on Saturday said traffic on several Delhi roads will be closed on Monday, and asked the Metro to curtail its services to neighbouring Haryana and Uttar Pradesh in a bid to prevent the entry of protestors here. "The traffic restrictions for March 20 have been scaled down. All roads will remain open to normal traffic. Commuters are, however, requested to avoid areas in New Delhi as certain security checks will still be in place," Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Garima Bhatnagar said. The are demanding reservation for the community in government jobs and educational institutions, among other things. They had threatened to lay siege to Parliament on Monday. Special Commissioner of Police (Operations) Dependra Pathak said three-tier security right from the city's borders to the New Delhi area will remain. It will help monitor the security situation. "As we know that the agitation has been called off, restrictions, particularly on the Metro, local trains, buses and other public transport, have been eased and these will ply normally. But security arrangements already made at border in central Delhi and New Delhi area will remain. "Police presence will be ensured. We are continuously monitoring the situation," the officer added. Time and again fatal accidents raise questions on the safety features of luxury cars. The latest to hit the headlines is the sad demise of former racing champion Ashwin Sundar and his wife Niveditha. The couple was charred to death on Saturday as their car caught fire after it hit a roadside tree, according to police. After the drubbing in Uttar Pradesh, today discussed with its candidates the reasons behind the loss in the just-concluded Assembly elections. Most of those who attended the meeting were of the view that the party must raise issues directly related to the common man and farmers and "continue its struggle on the ground in view of the changed scenario in the state", the party said in a statement. The statement on the meeting, which came a day after state unit chief Raj Babbar defended party vice president Rahul Gandhi over the electoral rout in UP, did not make any reference to the leadership issue. "A review meeting of the candidates, who had lost the recently-concluded Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, was held today at the UPCC headquarters. "The meeting was convened by UPCC chief Raj Babbar, and was attended by Rajya Sabha MPs Sanjay Sinh and PL Punia among others," the party release said. UPCC spokesperson Virendra Madan, said, "In the meeting, the candidates (who had lost the elections) put their points before the UPCC chief. Some of the candidates also sought a separate meeting with Raj Babbar to put their views." Yesterday, Babbar, who had offered to resign after the defeat, had said Rahul was not responsible for UP result and the party had won three of the five state elections under his leadership. The Congerss, which had joined hands with the Samajwadi Party, won just seven of the 100 seats it contested in the 403-member UP Assembly. " has won three of the five states where elections were held and this goes on to prove that Rahul Gandhi was successful in his mission," Babbar had said at an event, where seven newly-elected party MLAs were felicitated. Babbar, however, took responsibility for the poor showing, saying, "As president of the state party unit, I take all the responsibility for the defeat." He reiterated the party's stand that in Goa and Manipur, the Congress had lost to money and muscle power of the BJP, even after winning the polls. The Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission will hold a special teleconference meeting on Wednesday, March 22, to consider special watercraft rules at Canyon Ferry and Tiber reservoirs. The rules proposed would require watercraft leaving the reservoirs to get inspected and, if necessary, decontaminated. Boaters who recreate primarily on Tiber and Canyon Ferry reservoirs, however, may be eligible to participate in a Local Boater Program to bypass recurring inspections. The program will allow watercraft owners to complete an educational course on aquatic invasive species and sign an agreement with Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks pledging to only use the boat at either Canyon Ferry or Tiber reservoir. Should the owner want to use the watercraft at another waterbody, as part of the pledge, the owner would be required to get the watercraft decontaminated. These proposed rules are part of Montanas response to the discovery of aquatic invasive mussels in Montana. Last fall Tiber Reservoir tested positive for the invasive mussels and Canyon Ferry had one suspect test. Ensuring mussels stay contained to the two reservoirs is a key component of the Joint Mussel Response teams plan for the coming year. The commission meeting will start at 9 a.m. Audio will be available at FWP Headquarters and all regional offices and where the public will also be able to comment. For agenda and cover sheet, go to the FWP website at fwp.mt.gov; under Quick Links click "Commission. While the Prime Minister's idea for the key post in Uttar Pradesh is making waves, his choice to lead the securities market has started work. Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) Chairman Ajay Tyagi has begun his tenure by laying out an agenda for the commodities derivatives market, the latest addition to the regulator's portfolio. A security person stands guard as voters wait in a long queue to cast votes at a polling station during the last phase of assembly polls in Tengoupal, Manipur. Photo: PTI The five-month-long economic blockade in Manipur was lifted tonight after successful talks among the Centre, the state government and the Naga groups. The blockade was imposed by the United Naga Council on November 1 to protest against the creation of seven new districts by the erstwhile Okram Ibobi Singh-led Congress government in the state. The blockade on two national highways -- NH-2 and NH-37 -- has led to steep rise in prices of essential commodities and severely affected the normal life in the state. It had become a major issue in the recently held assembly polls in the state. Appreciating the "first step of the newly formed government" led by the BJP, Manipur Governor Najma Heptulla said the lifting of the blockade "will usher in an era of peace and prosperity" in the northeastern state. Chief Minster Biren Singh said the lifting of the blockade was "just the beginning" and that his government was trying to fulfil the promises Prime Minister Narendra Modi had made to the people of the state. "Our effort is to make it (lifting of blockade) successful. It is just the beginning. The word was given by honorable Prime Minister Modiji to the people of Manipur during the election campaign. We are trying to fulfil his words," he told channel NDTV. Earlier in the day, a joint statement, issued after the tripartite talks held at the Senapati district headquarters, stated that there would be "unconditional release of the arrested UNC leaders and all cases related to the economic blockade against the Naga tribe leaders and student leaders will be closed". It had said that the blockade would be lifted from midnight today. The statement was signed by Joint Secretary Satyendra Garg of the Union Home Ministry, Additional Chief Secretary (Home) J Suresh Babu and Commissioner (Works) Radhakumar Singh of the Manipur government and UNC general secretary S Milan and All Naga Students Association president Seth Shatsang. The tripartite talks were held first on February 7 in Imphal for ending the blockade, but they had failed to make any headway as the UNC refused to allow the seven new districts to be carved out. The stakeholders had earlier met in Delhi on February 4 and the Centre had expressed hope that the blockade would end soon. The joint statement said the next round of tripartite talks would be held within a month at political level. The finance ministry is unlikely to sign on to the proposal for a bad (debt) bank, going by its response to some of the line ministries on similar proposals. The latest of those is the one to form a special purpose vehicle (SPV) to house Air Indias (AIs) debt. The finance ministry argues that debt of any entity must largely be serviced from its own resources, instead of expecting the government to pay for these. While the government is AIs owner, the suggestion for it to take a haircut on behalf of the airline does not find favour. AI has proposed to house a major portion of its Rs 45,000 crore of debt in an SPV, to cleanse its balance sheet. A third of the loans were raised to finance the cost of aircraft acquisition; the rest are for working capital. The loan overhang and the cost of servicing it at Rs4,000 crore a year cripples the airlines ability to set aside money for investment in route expansion or upgrading of services. The proposal is leant to have got the support of the civil aviation ministry. Finance ministry officers have made their position clear through informal discussions with the aviation ministry. The ministry has said such bailouts will create a precedent for other stressed entities. AI is running a large operation and the ministry feels there is enough room for it to clear out its debt. AIs proposal is similar to the one suggested for public sector banks to house their bad debts. HDFC Chairman, Deepak Parekh and Chief Economic Advisor Arvind Subramanian have also supported the setting up of one or more bad banks, to pull out non-performing loans from state-owned lenders. Subramanian has used the term twin balance sheet problem to describe the issue. The bad debts cripple the ability of these banks to commit fresh credit to companies, while the companies which have run up the debt, starved of fresh investments, are unable to raise resources to service the debt. However, the finance ministry is reluctant to commit resources for this. It has also discouraged two other ministries, road transport and railways, from suggesting SPVs to house the debt of companies which have invested in these infrastructure sectors. There have been several rounds of discussions with the banks, between Railways Minister Suresh Prabhu and Roads and Shipping Minister Nitin Gadkari. Both ministers have been advised by the banks to suggest to the finance ministry to give the nod for an SPV, to get rid of the debt of companies that have invested in these sectors. In this connection, the finance ministry has praised the National Highways Authority of India in renewing of toll charging. Collections were put in abeyance at the 370 toll plazas in the country after demonetisation was announced on November 8, since road users suddenly did not have the cash to pay these. But, by the first week of December, toll collection had recommenced at all plazas. The finance ministry says this saved many of the road projects from slipping into the substandard assets category, which could have added to the pressure on banks. It has argued that this model shows appropriate pricing of the services will ensure projects will not need government-funded bailouts. After Cabinet approval on the merger of five associate with the State Bank of India, the Government has decided to merge (BMB) with the country's largest lender. "BMB will be merged with State Bank of India (SBI) to ensure greater banking services outreach to a larger number of women, at a faster pace," an official statement said here. The erstwhile Planning Commission had supported Sri Venkateswara University, Tirupati to evaluate the UGC Career Oriented Courses on employability of the students in South India. The university submitted its report in 2014 to NITI Aayog. The report, inter-alia, reveals that the list of courses organised by colleges are market oriented, need based, able to promote skills in the areas concerned and career oriented. However, the Report further recommends that vocational training on par with regular education should be provided through career oriented courses to increase the coverage of students. University Grants Commission (UGC)s scheme titled Introduction of Career Oriented Courses in Universities and Colleges aims at introducing career and market oriented, skill enhancing add-on courses at undergraduate level which have utility for jobs, self-employment and empowerment of the students. Career oriented courses under this scheme follow a progressive approach and involve field work/project work/practical training activities so as to make the course useful in upgrading the skill sets of students. Further, the syllabi of courses are prepared by the universities/colleges keeping in view the subject specific academic needs and market requirements to make the courses relevant. Besides this scheme, the UGC also implements three other career oriented schemes viz. Community Colleges, B.Voc Degree Programme and Deen Dayal Upadhyaya KAUSHAL Kendras to improve the quality of skill oriented education for ensuring employability of students and making them industry ready. Concessions under APTA The Asia Pacific Trade Agreement (APTA, formerly the Bangkok Agreement) is an Agreement signed since 1975. The current membership of APTA consists of six countries, namely, Bangladesh, China, India, Lao PDR, Republic of Korea, and Sri Lanka. Three Rounds of tariff concessions have already been exchanged among the member countries till 2003. The tariff concessions being granted to APTA member States, on Margin of Preference basis, are being expanded under the fourth round of exchange of tariff concessions. The APTA Ministerial Council in its meeting held on 13th January, 2017 has formally approved the implementation of the fourth round of exchange of tariff concessions. APTA is a preferential treaty based on Margin of Preference. Concessions on tariff lines offered by China and Korea, inter-alia, cover certain textiles and chemical products, which are likely to benefit the Indian exporters. Some of items on which concessions have been offered by China and Korea include certain organic and inorganic chemicals, knitted and crocheted fabrics, and articles of apparel and clothing accessories etc. This information was given by the Commerce and Industry Minister Smt. NirmalaSitharaman in a written reply in Lok Sabha today. The Minister of State for Science and Technology & Earth Sciences, Mr. Y. S. Chowdary, has said that biotechnology will be the leader among the knowledge based industries of the 21st century. He said producing affordable products will be major issue for India. He called for efforts to set up a proper ecosystem with sustainable systems, particularly in hubs of rural India. The Minister was speaking after inaugurating the 5th Foundation Day of Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC), Department of Bio-Technology at New Delhi today. . . Mr. Y. S. Chowdary, further said that Research and innovation has been one of the key areas emphasized by the Prime Minister. Globally, BIRAC has been hailed as one of the most effective government measures to create an enabling environment for research and development to flourish in a country. We aim to develop India into a global innovation hub by 2020 and BIRAC has paved the way to deliver on that mandate." . . The 5th Foundation Day themed Impacting the Biotech Innovation Ecosystem was presided over by and attended by a large number of dignitaries from the scientific and industry sectors both from within the country and oversees. . . BIRAC is a not-for-profit public sector enterprise, set up by the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Government of India which acts as an interface agency to support emerging biotech enterprises to undertake strategic research and innovation, to address nationally relevant product development needs. Through the course of five years, BIRAC has supported over 618 projects, 850 start-ups, entrepreneurs, biotech companies and organizations and 20 incubators across the country, resulting in over 66 products and technologies and 120 Intellectual property rights being generated. . . BIRAC supports entrepreneurs and start-ups at different stages of innovation from the ideation stage to managing intellectual property rights and finally to the commercialization of products. Different initiatives of BIRAC target different stages of the innovation ecosystem from ideation stages to proof-of-concept and late stage validation to product development. BIRAC has 9 flagship schemes that are supported by funding from the Department of Biotechnology, and manages 7 collaboratively funded programs with international partners, such as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Nesta, the Wellcome Trust and USAID, among others. Social Innovation is a key focus for affordable and accessible product development. . . Dr. K. Vijay Raghavan, Secretary, Department of Biotechnology and Chairman, BIRAC said that Innovation and research must be directed toward addressing the most pressing problems of society. Were proud that BIRAC and the Department of Biotechnology are spearheading this effort in the biotechnology domain. Since its inception in 2012, BIRAC has created nearly two dozen incubators across the country and supported over 350 start-ups. We firmly believe that social entrepreneurship is the key to creating an inclusive society and our government is committed to providing all the necessary support. . . The science and technology sector will play a key role in the governments Start-Up India Action Plan. The DBT, in line with the Start-Up India Action Plan has undertaken a number of initiatives centered on the three pillars of an ideal innovation ecosystem funding, mentoring and capacity building, and the infrastructure to translate scientific research into commercial products. To this end, BIRAC implements its mandate through a wide range of high impact initiatives, providing access to risk capital through targeted funding, facilitating technology transfer, and supporting intellectual property management and handholding schemes for biotech firms to make them globally competitive. . . Dr. Renu Swarup, Senior Adviser, Department of Biotechnology and Managing Director, BIRAC said that through initiatives such as Start-Up India and the Science and Technology for Harnessing Innovations or SATHI, the government is ushering in supportive policies and removing regulatory barriers to create an atmosphere of innovation and entrepreneurship in the country. The world as a whole stands to gain with Indian innovators stepping up and changing the way we address the grand challenges we face today. We are proud that BIRAC has created an enabling environment for the biotechnology industry to prosper. . . The BIRAC Foundation will be followed by the Grand Challenges India Meeting to be held from 21st to 24th March, 2017 which will have the participation of BMGF, Wellcome Trust, USAID and Grand Challenges Innovators from Brazil, Canada, Bangladesh, Korea, South Africa, Kenya, Switzerland. . . KSP/nb National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has plan for an investment of Rs.75000 Crore towards development of about 3000 kms National Highways in the State of Andhra Pradesh. 18 works amounting to Rs. 4466 crore including 11 works amounting to Rs.1872 crore in the Rayalaseema region have been sanctioned by the Ministry under NH(O) and NHDP Phase-IV during 2016-17 for development of National Highways in Andhra Pradesh. Ministry allocated Rs. 700 crore under NH (O) and Rs. 1310 crore under NHDP Phase-IV during 2016-17 in the State of Andhra Pradesh. . . This information was given by Minster of State for Road Transport and Highways, Shri Mansukh l. Mandaviya) in a written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha today. . . India-EU Free Trade Negotiations India- European Union Broad-based Bilateral Trade and Investment Agreement (India- EU BTIA) negotiation started in 2007 and after sixteen rounds of negotiations (the last being in 2013), EU withdrew from the negotiations due to some outstanding issues. Four rounds of stocktaking meetings of India- EU BTIA negotiation have been held since January, 2016 - on 18th January, 2016 (in New Delhi), 22nd February, 2016 (in Brussels), 15th July, 2016 (in New Delhi) and 9th November, 2016 (in New Delhi) in order to proceed with the negotiations. India is committed to an early and balanced outcome of the India- EU BTIA negotiations. This information was given by the Commerce and Industry Minister Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman in a written reply in Lok Sabha today. German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe called for a concerted effort to defend free trade, expanding the list of economic powers joining together to counter the US shift toward protectionism. Marlisa Keyes Follow Marlisa Keyes 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 Matt Fiske is a modern-day alchemist. He isnt turning rock into gold, but darn close. The resident potter with the Red Lodge Clay Center mixes disparate personal interests - geology, technology, art history and ceramics - with finely ground stone he sources during rock hound expeditions to make glazes that fuse art with science. I like to go digging for minerals, Fiske said. Im a huge rock nerd. Fiskes scientific approach to art has expanded his education and landed him in pottery studios in China, South Korea and several in the United States, including a long-term residency in Montana that began in July 2016. Combined with his curiosity, the artists willingness to immerse himself in pottery processes and document the details via a blog earned him a full-ride masters scholarship in ceramics to Utah State University. Fiske is the first art major to receive a STEM scholarship from USU, according to the universitys website. At Utah State, Fiske learned how to use a scanning electron microscope to examine materials and glazes at nanoscale; he then scanned and printed the images for his final show. While science permeates his work, the outcome of his experiments transform the deceptively simple lines of Fiskes favored utilitarian kitchenware into elegant art. His pottery is inspired by the Sung Dynasty pottery he learned to make during a trip to China. The glazes Fiske creates vary in look, depending on the minerals. His pottery is a physical catalogue of glaze recipes. Celadon blue glaze flows like molten glass from the top of delicate cups, ending in drips that resemble ice cream melting from a cone. Iridescent hematite in a hares foot oilspot glaze glimmers like gold leaf in the interior of a bowl. And multiple layers of what looks like microscopic stacked ice give a multidimensional effect inside another dish. Montana magic Scoring a coveted fellowship at Red Lodge Clay Center fired Fiskes imagination for five years. Montanas world class pottery center and studio, plus its geology and fishing, were a strong lure, he said. Theres something amazing to me about exploring the place that I am in. Fiske didnt stray far from Red Lodge, though. He took hikes along Rock Creek and fished the stream that runs through the 100-acre property where 10 years ago Red Lodge Clay Center Executive Director David Hiltner and his wife, textile artist Maggy Hiltner, built the Red Lodge Clay Studio. The studio is located six miles north of Red Lodge on Two Bridges Road. His jaunts included searches for new minerals to test, and Fiske is just beginning to make pottery with his finds. His private studio space resembles a rock shop. Small dishes, numbered to distinguish the ground minerals inside, sit on a table along with chunks of rock and gallon-size plastic bags of red clay. Fiske reaches up to take a rich brown cup from a shelf in his private studio space and turns it slowly. Like his earlier work, the glaze shimmers on the surface like molten glass. Its only ingredient - plain red clay dug from a Montana road cut. Minerals prospected at mines also go into Fiskes glazes. From a corner, he pulls out a bucket and sifts a hand through a mixture of green rock and sand, then holds out a small container. The cup is rustic and elegant; different than his other work. Streaks of blues and greens originating from the buckets copper ore cover the surface, contrasting with granite pebbling. After a visit to the Carbon County Historical Society and Museum, he was given a box of coal samples bored from Red Lodge. Customers at Red Lodge Clay Center are drawn to Fiskes pottery; fascinated by its backstory, he said. People want the new Montana glazes, said Fiske. Even Fiske is mystified by his own interest in making glazes from the soils of the places he inhabits. What is it about it that makes it so cool? Perhaps it is a simple answer, he said. Whether hes shoveling buckets full of iridescent vesicular basalt from a quarry near Paul, Idaho, or topaz amber at Topaz Mountain in Juab County, Utah, the contents become a tangible representation of the area. The sorcerers stone A self-described pyromaniac, Fiske experiments with the effect of fire on ceramics. Hell use a hammer to bust off a hunk of rock, toss it in a small ceramic dish and cook it in a kiln. If anything remains when the dish cools, Fiske runs additional tests. Not knowing the outcome is what makes creating glazes interesting, Fiske said. Im constantly collecting new samples, testing stuff. It wasnt always that way. As an undergrad at Indiana University, Fiske let his lack of knowledge about minerals, geology and potential outcomes impede him from experimenting with glazes. Then one day, he changed his thinking, perhaps influenced by a high school teachers earlier encouragement to play with commercial glazes. Somewhere along the line, I just started testing, Fiske said. Its a lot like baking cookies. Its just a recipe. Fiskes college instructors reminded him that his glaze studies and kiln experiments were immaterial without solid fundamental pottery building skills. When he sits down at his wheel in Red Lodge, Fiske revisits forms he prefers to make. By doing so, his work has improved. The forms have changed and gotten better, Fiske said. Taking shape The kitchen is a useful starting point when deciding what pottery forms to make. It is a view developed after a fellow college classmate said it seemed Fiske didnt use his ceramics. I wasnt paying attention to the actual living with stuff. You need to take these home and use them, Fiske said. Fiske now makes utilitarian, simply-shaped dishes: gin and tonic cups, tea bowls, dessert plates and colanders. Making pottery is also about community; bringing friends together to share a meal and drinks. I use handmade pots every day. That informs what I make, using them in the kitchen. His favorite dish is a cup, a vessel which most potters make. The small, easily portable size and inexpensive price are also popular with customers. I drink whiskey out of it, he said. To Fiske, cups are the most intimate of kitchenware. There are so few things that we put to our mouth. The death of over the weekend at the age of 90 has led to an outpouring of respect for a man widely recognised as one of the most important founding figures of rock and roll. His place in the music canon is undoubtedly deserved, and is likely to be enduring. On February 21 2017, a man committed suicide in Mexico. The 25-year-old had recently been deported from the United States, and he threw himself off a bridge in Tijuana, Baja California, just kilometres from the US border. European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker is not worried about other EU countries leaving the bloc after Britain because Brexit will make them see it is not a good option, he said in a newspaper interview. Asked by Bild am Sonntag newspaper if other member states would follow Britain's example in quitting, Juncker said: "No. Britain's example will make everyone realise that it's not worth leaving." He added: "On the contrary, the remaining member states will fall in love with each other again and renew their vows with the ." The EU's 27 leaders plan to declare "Europe is our common future" during a meeting in Rome next week to mark 60 years of the bloc. Juncker said Britain would need to get used to being treated as a non-member. "Half memberships and cherry-picking aren't possible. In Europe you eat what's on the table or you don't sit at the table," he added. Juncker said more countries would join the EU in future, although not during his time in office, which runs until 2019, because none of the candidates fulfils the conditions yet. (Reporting by Michelle Martin; Editing by Ruth Pitchford) The fiscal 2018 price for President Trump's border wall is in: $2.6 billion. That's a cost to U.S. taxpayers, not a cost many people any longer think will be picked up by the Mexican government. British PM Theresa May. The notification to leave the European Union comes nine months after the majority of UK's citizens voted for breaking away Prime Minister will file divorce papers to leave the European Union (EU) on March 29, launching two years of complex negotiations that will pit the UKs desire for a trade deal against the blocs view that Britain must not benefit from Brexit. Shares of turned volatile after the company said its board has approved the scheme of amalgamation of Vodafone India and its wholly owned subsidiary Vodafone Mobile Services with the company. Idea Cellular Vodafone merger news on Monday morning brought telecom stocks back in focus, with the BSE Telecom index outperforming the by rising 0.8% as compared to 0.4% fall in the S&P BSE Sensex. The benchmark indices on Monday continued to trade lower tracking muted trend seen in Asian markets, while back home losses in the stock of Idea Cellular pulled the Nifty index down. Despite the merger with Vodafones India operations which will create Indias largest telecom company, the rough ride will continue for some more time for shareholders at Idea Cellular. Investors should tread with caution, as the sector has been one of the biggest wealth destroyers. And Idea isnt significantly different from a long-term investors perspective. The stock, which listed in March 2007 at Rs 85 is currently hovering at around Rs 98 a compounded annual return of under three per cent (over its IPO price of Rs 75 a share) that fails to beat inflation. The merger will take at least a year and a half to complete and both companies will operate as independent entities till this goes through. Analysts believe the pricing pressure the industry is going through will continue for at least the next two to three quarters, putting pressure on Ideas financials. It reported a net loss of Rs 383 crore in the December quarter; operating profit margin fell by a little over 500 basis points year-on-year, to 25 per cent. Tirthankar Patnaik, India strategist at Mizuho Bank, believes it would take another six to 12 months for pricing to settle; only then would it make sense to take a view on this sector. Not surprising, then, that the stock, which had spurted 30 per cent since January, fell nine per cent on Monday. Analysts ascribe this to profit-booking after the sharp run-up and the muted near-term outlook for the sector. The market was also unhappy with the merger valuation, which pegs the per-share value at Rs 72.50 for Idea. While Idea will face major headwinds over the next few quarters, a section of analysts believe investors could make money over the longer term if the merger benefits are as planned. They say the company had not been performing well, barring its eight leadership circles, and would face immense operational pressure. This would have led to further straining of the balance sheet. So, gains from the merger will be multifold. It would help the combined entity to report profit in each of the countrys 22 circles, given the subscriber base, spectrum capacity and access to subscribers in metro cities. Further, the annual capital expenditure requirement, at Rs 15,000 crore (Rs 7,500 crore each for Idea and Vodafone) is expected to come down by about 20 per cent, leading to savings in cash. Given the overlap in spectrum capacity, the merged entity can transfer a chunk of the voice capacity to serve its data network. More, the merged entity is looking at having a combined 3G/4G data capacity which is 25 times more than the current levels over the next three years. Giving it enough ammunition to fight the other two big players, Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel. There will also be huge cost savings, pegged at $2.1 billion (Rs 13,700 crore) annually, a major boost to operating profits when the merger (synergy) benefits start flowing from 2020. Though the combined debt would be over Rs 1 lakh crore and net debt to operating profit at 4.4 times on a trailing 12 months period, this is expected to come down to three times. The reduction will be aided by the synergies and the sale of standalone towers of Idea and Vodafone, as well as Ideas 11.15 per cent stake in Indus Towers. While the combined entity stands to gain, the consolidation should help bring back pricing power to the sector. Says Kunj Bansal, investment head at Centrum Wealth Management, The consolidation will lead to only three big players in the telecom sector. As a result, hopefully, after a year of intense competition, the industry will regain its pricing power. Tread carefully Selection of the next Billings city administrator will be helped along by members of the public. A City Council committee thats getting the process started for selecting a successor to Billings longtime city administrator, Tina Volek, voted 5-0 Monday to recommend to the full City Council appointing two residents from each of the citys five wards to help evaluate job applicants this summer and recommend a group of semifinalists to the full council. Voleks contract expires Sept. 30, although she said Monday she is prepared to work a bit longer than that if the person selected to lead Montanas biggest community cant begin in September. Public input "will be a great way to build public trust, said Mayor Tom Hanel, a committee member along with council members Larry Brewster, Angela Cimmino, Dick Clark and Chris Friedel. It will give them some say into whos going to lead our city. Billings is in very, very good position, and I feel we will get good interest in this position, Hanel added. Citizens have been a big part of Billings success, and I think they would appreciate having some say during the selection process. The council used a similar approach in which each council member selects a resident of their ward, with Hanel having the 11th pick, in this instance during its city administrator search in 2003. The idea, Brewster told the committee, is that you know the people in your ward. While the council hopes to have Voleks successor in place before her contract runs out, council members noted its one of the most important decisions they will make, and that diligence is a must. I dont want to push (the process) any faster than we have to, Clark said. I want to hire the right person. Complicating the selection process is the fact that three council members Hanel, Cimmino and Rich McFadden are term-limited this year and cannot run for re-election. Brewster said it will be important during the selection process to receive input from candidates running to succeed the three term-limited council members. When the council rolls over, he said, it can make it tough for the new administrator. The committee also discussed administrator salaries in other large Montana cities. At $155,000 annually, Volek is not the top-earning administrator in the state. That honor, according to salary figures given to the committee, goes to Bozemans Chris Kukulski, who earns $148,499 in salary and an additional $12,000 in housing allowance. Missoulas Dale Bickell earns $130,000. Greg Doyon of Great Falls earns $132,694. The committee is reviewing the current city administrators job description and is scheduled to make any changes during its next meeting, at 4 p.m. March 27 at a site to be determined. Committee members will also evaluate by their next meeting a notice of request for proposals to select a consultant to help guide the selection process. Shares of tyre companies were trading higher in the range of 1% to 3% on the bourses after media report suggests that the Commerce Ministry to meet on March 28, to discuss anti dumping duty. Expressing displeasure over the appointment of Hindu hard-liner Yogi Adityanath as the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Monday said that 'development' for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is a mere slogan and that after winning the throne of the politically crucial state, the saffron party is now showing its real face. Owaisi said that at the time of 2014 general elections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi promised to put an end to communal politics, but by putting Adityanath at the helm of Uttar Pradesh, he has proved that his main agenda is to distort the diversity prevalent in the nation. "When Narendra Modi became the Prime Minister he assured that he will put an end to communal politics. But looking at the current scenario it doesn't seem so. The BJP is again showing its new real face. Development is a mere slogan. The BJP is only trying to end the secularism and diversity of the nation," Owaisi told media. However, Adityanath after taking oath as Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh yesterday, said he will not indulge in any discrimination against people and will work for "sabka saath, sabka vikas". His detractors have been accusing that the newly appoint Uttar Pradesh chief is a 'Hindutva icon' and that will be vindictive in his governance. Adityanath ruled that Uttar Pradesh has lagged behind on the development front in the last 15 years that the BJP was out of power and promised to take effective steps to ensure that the state makes progress under. "My government is committed to lok kalyan (welfare of the people) without any discrimination against anybody," Adityanath said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Afghan Taliban have hinted out their readiness to take part in a meeting that Russia is likely to host next month on peace and reconciliation in war-ravaged Afghanistan. Russia has extended an invitation to 12 countries for consultations in Moscow on April 14. Pakistan, China and Russia had initially started the process of informal consultations and expanded it to six-nation talks in mid-February with the participation of Afghanistan, India and Iran. Invitations would also be sent to the US, some Central Asian states and the EU for next month's meeting. Taliban officials say it is possible the group may participate in the Moscow meeting, if invited. "Our response would be positive if we get a formal invitation," The Express Tribune quoted two Taliban officials as saying. Initially, Afghanistan disagreed with Moscow for floating the idea of inviting the Taliban political representatives from the Qatar office. However, Afghanistan later said that it would welcome Russia's diplomatic efforts for peace and stability in the war-torn country. The understanding between Kabul and Moscow came during the recent visit of Afghanistan's National Security Adviser Hanif Atmar in Moscow on March 17. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Amid reports that Donald Trump's administration is preparing a large shipment of advanced weaponry for sale to Taiwan, China has reiterated its opposition to the same while calling upon the U.S. to adhere by one- China policy. "China's position in opposing the arms sale is consistent and clear. We hope that the US can fully recognize the high sensitivity and severe harmfulness of such arms sale, remain committed to the one China policy and the principles of the three China-U.S. joint communique, stop selling arms to Taiwan," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying told a press briefing. She also urged Washington to handle the Taiwan question with prudence, and preserve China-US relations and peace and stability across the Taiwan Straits. China sees Taiwan as part of its territory awaiting reunification. According to reports, the Trump administration is crafting a big new arms package for Taiwan that could include advanced rocket systems and anti-ship missiles to defend against China. The package is expected to be significantly larger than one that was shelved at the end of the Obama administration. The United States has been Taiwan's most powerful ally and its main arms supplier, even though the two sides do not have official diplomatic ties after Washington switched recognition to Beijing in 1979. Earlier, U.S. President Donald Trump incensed China by receiving a congratulatory telephone call from Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-Wen on December 2. He then questioned the USA's acceptance of the 'One China' policy, which goes back to the establishment of diplomatic ties in 1979 and which is the very foundation of bilateral relations. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Shiv Sena on Monday came down heavily on its ally Bharatiya Janata party (BJP) and dubbed the freshly constituted saffron government in the Goa as "corrupt alliance". Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut told ANI that Goa has a temporary government. "Goa has a temporary government. It's a corrupt alliance. The BJP here had been completely rejected by people during polls," said Raut. Earlier on Thursday, former defence minister and newly-appointed Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar established victory in the Goa Assembly as 22 MLAs stood in his support. 16 MLAs opposed Parrikar's candidature as the Chief Minister, while one MLA was absent. The Supreme Court had ordered a floor test as the Congress challenged his appointment, citing Goa Governor Mridula Sinha did not follow the procedure as dictated by the Constitution. Despite the BJP ending up second behind the Congress in a split mandate, Parrikar had claimed the support of 22 legislators, two more than the halfway mark in the 40-member Assembly. The Congress won 17 seats but was not able to prove majority. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Days after Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh banned the use of red beacon atop government vehicles, Union Minister Uma Bharti on Monday expressed dissent over the decision, saying that delaying flights and stopping traffic for ministers is not a big issue. "If any minister is going for his duty, then red beacon and stopping traffic is fine and even a flight can get delayed by five to seven minutes if minister is going to attend crucial meet because it might result in loss of crores of Rupees," Bharti told media here. However, Bharti further said that if a minister is going for any personal visit, then this privilege should not be given to them. In its first cabinet meeting, chaired by Singh, the newly formed Punjab government decided to completely shun the VIP culture by removing the red, yellow and blue beacons from their official vehicles. "My cabinet has decided to rid the state of VIP culture. All beacon lights to be removed from vehicles of Ministers, MLAs and bureaucrats," Singh had tweeted. Soon after the decision beacons were removed from the vehicles of the Chief Minister and other members of the council of ministers yesterday itself. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A Hizb-ul-Mujahideen terrorist was apprehended by the Bandipora police and the counter insurgency unit 27 RR in the Jammu and Kashmir on Monday. According to reports, one AK-27, a magazine and twenty live bullets have been recovered from him. Further details on the same are awaited. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Idea Cellular on Monday announced that the board has approved its merger of Vodafone India Limited (VIL) and its wholly-owned subsidiary Vodafone Mobile Services Limited (VMSL) with itself, thus paving way for the creation of India's largest telecom entity. As per minutes of the meeting held earlier today, Vodafone will hold 45 percent in the combined entity. Idea promoters will hold 26 percent in the combined entity. Vodafone will own 45.1 percent of the company after transferring a stake to the Promoters of Idea for Rs. 38.74 billion in cash, post completion of the amalgamation. The merger will facilitate VIL and VMSL's entire to be vest in the company, excluding VIL's 42 percent share in Indus Towers. The merger will come into effect after new shares are issued in Idea to Vodafone and would result in Vodafone deconsolidating Vodafone India. The merger is said to increase competition in the telecom space where players are in a tussle to increase revenue and subscriptions. The two parties believe that the merger will enhance pan India 3G/4G footprint, thereby accelerating the Narendra Modi-Government's 'Digital India' initiative. Furthermore, it is believed to help in leveraging customer affinity towards the two brands in the telecom spectrum. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) In what may spark a fresh controversy, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Subramanian Swamy on Monday said the two Indian clerics, who had gone missing in Pakistan, were working against the nation. "They are lying in order to defend themselves and get sympathy. They are saying that they were portrayed as Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) agent. We can't trust them. We have independent information that they are working against the nation," Swamy told ANI. Earlier in the day, hinting towards Pakistan's conspiracy to convict innocent Indians, one of the Sufi clerics, said that one of the papers in the neighbouring country had printed false news of them being RAW agents. Nazim Nizami, one of the two clerics, told the reporters that a newspaper 'Ummat' in Pakistan printed false statements of them being "RAW spies". "There is a newspaper Ummat (in Pakistan) which has printed false statements (of the two clerics being RAW spies) and photos," Nizami told the media here. The cleric thanked the Indian Government, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh for their efforts. The two clerics, Syed Asif Ali Nizami and his friend Nazim Nizami, marked a safe arrival in India earlier today. The two clerics surfaced in Karachi and told that they had gone to meet their devotees in interior Sindh, where there was no phone connectivity. The clerics belong to Delhi's Hazrat Nizamuddin Dargah. Syed Asif Ali Nizami is the head priest of the Dargah. The duo had travelled to Pakistan to visit their relatives in Karachi and then embarked on a pilgrimage to Lahore. One of them went missing in Karachi and the other in Lahore, reports claimed. The Indian authorities had raised the issue with the Pakistan Foreign Ministry seeking its help in tracing their missing citizens. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Indus Water Commission talks between India and Pakistan will begin in Islamabad on Monday. Disputed projects such as Miyar, Lower Kalnai, and Pakal Dul will be on the agenda of the 113th Indo-Pak Indus Water Commission conference. Indian Indus Water Commissioner P.K. Saxena is leading the 10-member delegation in two-day meeting between Pakistani officials. The two countries held the Indus Water Commission last time in May, 2015 in New Delhi. The Permanent Indus Commission is a bilateral commission of officials from India and Pakistan, created to implement and manage goals of the Indus Waters Treaty 1960. It comprises the Indus Commissioners from both sides and discusses technical matters related to the implementation of the treaty. Pakistan has firmly stated that it will not accept any alterations or changes to the IWT after India had said that it is ready to engage in further consultations with Islamabad on the matter of resolving current differences over the Kishenganga and Ralte projects under the treaty. Pakistan has raised objection to the building of the Kishanganga (330 megawatts) and Ratle (850 megawatts) hydroelectric plants by India, saying that it violates the provisions of the treaty. The Bank had earlier asked both the countries to consider alternative ways to resolve their disagreements over the Indus Water Treaty Dispute 1960. The Bank had said that it was temporarily halting the appointment of a neutral expert as requested by India, and the Chairman of the Court of Arbitration, as requested by Pakistan, to resolve issues regarding two hydroelectric power plants under construction by India along the Indus Rivers system. The treaty which was signed in 1960 by Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and Pakistan President Ayub Khan gives India control over the three eastern rivers of the Indus basin, the Beas, the Ravi and the Sutlej while Pakistan has the three western rivers, the Indus, the Chenab and the Jhelum. As per the provisions in the treaty, India can use only 20 percent of the total water carried by the Indus River. The Indus Waters Treaty 1960 is seen as one of the most successful international treaties and has withstood frequent tensions between India and Pakistan, including conflict. The treaty sets out a mechanism for cooperation and information exchange between the two countries regarding their use of the rivers, known as the Permanent Indus Commission which includes a commissioner from each of the two countries. It also sets out a process for resolving so-called "questions", "differences" and "disputes" that may arise between the parties. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) About half the nations physicians more than 400,000 doctors officially sounded the medical alarm on climate change Wednesday and the effect its having on their patients. Among the health care providers present for the launch of the Medical Society Consortium on Climate and Health in Washington, D.C., were Hardin physicians Lori and Rob Byron. Rob Byron, an internist retired from the Indian Health Service who nowadays divides his time between St. Vincent Healthcare in Billings and Bighorn Valley Health Center in Hardin, spoke during the event as part of a six-member panel announcing the new movement. During his brief remarks, Byron filling in for another presenter whose flight was cancelled by a snowstorm said a marked increase in Montana wildfires has led him to urge his patients suffering such diseases as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) to spend more time indoors during summer and early fall months. Theres an increased likelihood of hospitalization following a flare-up of their diseases, Byron said. Lori Byron said that physicians followed up their announcement by fanning across Capitol Hill out to lobby congressional staffers. Congressional aides were impressed with the number of physicians whove joined the consortium, she said. People kind of raised their eyebrows when they heard that number. Physician groups are taking action to ensure that studies arent immediately shelved, she said. The American Public Health Association has declared 2017 the Year of Climate Change and Health, taking to social media to encourage people to tell their health-related stories. The voices of Americas medical societies have the potential to help reframe the dialogue putting human health and well-being front and center in the conversation, the consortium states on its website, www.medsocietiesforclimatehealth.org. Many indicated their own personal interest and nearly all indicated they would like to see their societies educate policymakers about these harms and risks. We have felt this is a public health issue for some time now, Rob Byron said Friday. Doctors and public health workers have been reluctant to speak up, so it was good to be among others who feel this is important. Almost all of the 11 professional medical societies that are part of the new consortium have very strong statements on climate, he said, but up until now statements have been the extent of it. The big work is still to come, he said. A lot of people dont see climate change as an important issue, so we hope to stir people to action. Its not about Montana or the U.S., and its not about me or you. This is everybody worldwide, and now is the time to do something before it gets too late. His wife, a pediatrician, said that parents of children with asthma no longer want their children to be handed an inhaler and told, Take this. They want to get involved politically. Another consortium presenter, Molly Rauch, policy director for the million-member Moms Clean Air Force, said parents are hungry for the information the consortium can provide them. We want to know how climate change affects our families, even if there is no prescription you can offer us, she said. By launching this consortium and sharing information with parents, you are providing information we want and helping moms and dads everywhere become better parents. Asserting that Indus Water Treaty is in interest of both New Delhi and Islamabad, Pakistan's Water and Power Minister Khawaja Asif urged both the countries to respect it. "To respect this agreement [the Indus Waters Treaty] and find a solution through it is in the interest of both countries," the Dawn quoted Asif as saying at a press conference on Monday. He said the talks would focus on three power projects with varying capacities of power generation: Pakul Dal (1,000MW), Miyar (120MW) and Lower Kalnai (48MW). "We are working to make changes to the design of the project that are in Pakistan's interest and which are in accordance with the treaty," he said. The remarks come as Indus Water Commission talks are being held between India and Pakistan in Islamabad. Disputed projects such as Miyar, Lower Kalnai, and Pakal Dul will be on the agenda of the 113th Indo-Pak Indus Water Commission conference. Indian Indus Water Commissioner P.K. Saxena is leading the 10-member Indian delegation in two-day meeting between Pakistani officials. Pakistan's Indus Water Commissioner Mirza Asif Beg is leading the Pakistani delegation. The two countries held the Indus Water Commission last time in May, 2015 in New Delhi. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman has warned that the country will destroy Syria's air defense system if it fires an anti-aircraft missile at Israeli aircraft again. "The next time the Syrians use their air defense systems against our airplanes, we will destroy all of them without thinking twice." CNN quoted Liberman as saying on Israel public radio on Sunday. His threat comes after Syria fired anti-aircraft missiles at Israeli military jets overnight Thursday into Friday. The Syrian military said the jets struck a military site near Palmyra, while Israel says they targeted a weapons shipment to Iran-backed Hezbollah. Syria claims their missiles downed one Israeli jet and hit another, which Israel rejected as "absolutely untrue." Meanwhile, the military actions did not go unnoticed both in the Middle East and further afield as in a sign of Russia's displeasure with the strike, Moscow summoned Israel's ambassador to Russia, Gary Koren, less than 24 hours after it happened. It is the first time in recent years that Moscow has summoned Israel's envoy over a strike in Syria, and it comes one week after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited to reaffirm coordination between the two sides over Syria. The two countries established coordination last year to avoid conflicts in Syrian airspace, ostensibly to allow both countries to operate freely. Israel has long focused on stopping the transfer of weapons from Syria to terror groups. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Patiala House Court on Monday deferred the students' plea against the police move to conduct lie detector test on them to March 27. Earlier, the Delhi police had issued notice to the students and asked them to appear before it for a lie-detector test. After receiving the summons, as many as nine students had opposed the police's move. Earlier in February, the Delhi Police was pulled up by the Delhi High Court over their slow progress in the case and was asked to explore other prospects of probe like polygraph test of other persons connected with the disappearance of Ahmed as all other leads in this case have not yielded any good result. "The student had gone missing in October 2016; it is February now. Nearly four months have gone by and none of the leads are going anywhere. We asked for a polygraph test as the other leads have not yielded any results," the court observed. The High Court was hearing an application by one of the nine students, who are suspects in the case, seeking recall of the High Court's order dated December 14 and December 22, 2016. The application had alleged that by means of these two orders, the court was regulating the manner of investigation which was prejudicing the probe and violating their rights under Articles 21 and 22 of the Constitution. The applicant had also challenged a notice issued to him by the Delhi Police to appear before the trial court on Friday to give consent for lie-detector test. The Delhi Government's counsel opposed the application, stating that the same student had moved a similar plea through another lawyer earlier and the High Court on January 23 disposed it off by asking the student to come forward. Earlier, the Delhi Police had conveyed to the high court that it has not been able to carry out lie-detector tests on nine "suspect" students, as none of them responded despite multiple notices. A habeas corpus plea was moved by Najeeb's mother, Fatima Nafees, who sought direction to trace her son who has been missing since the intervening night of October 14-15. Najeeb, 27, a first year M.Sc. student, went missing from his JNU hostel, allegedly after a row with members of RSS student wing Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP). (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Resenting Pakistan atrocities against the Baloch people, a protest was staged outside the Pakistan Embassy here yesterday against activist Zahid Baloch's extrajudicial abduction. Carrying various posters stating 'Baloch students are missing', 'release abducted Baloch women', the protesters were seen chanting slogans such as 'stop Baloch genocide'. Zahid Baloch is ex-chairman of the Baloch Student Organisation (Azad) (BSO). He was abducted on March 18, 2014 in the premises of Balochistan University. Earlier on March 15 this year, armed men kidnapped Balochistan Higher Education Secretary Abdullah Jan from Pakistan's Quetta. Citing police sources, the Dawn reported that unidentified gunmen picked up the official from Quetta's Sabzal Road area when he was on his way to work. Chief Minister Sanaullah Zehri took notice of the kidnapping and directed the Inspector General of Police to ensure his immediate recovery. A search operation was launched in various parts of Quetta to recover the Secretary. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Supreme Court on Monday asked the Kerala water authority to ensure that the sewer water does not enter Padmanabhaswamy Temple. The apex court also ordered the temple authority to repair the temple's statue and roof for its upkeep. Earlier on December 8, 2016, Kerala High Court had also banned women from to wearing salwar kameez and churidars inside the temple. As per the traditions of the temple, women devotees have to wear a mundu (dhoti) over their waist if they are attired in salwars or churidars. On November 30, temple executive officer K.N Satheesh had allowed women to visit the temple wearing ' churidar'. The decision was protested by a certain section of the temple authority and common devotees as well. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Day after Indian catholic priest Father Tomy Kalathoor Mathew was attacked in a church in Australia, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj took cognizance of the matter saying that the former was taken to the hospital and Indian Consulate officials were in touch with police authorities there. "There was an attempt on the life of a church priest of Indian origin Father Tomy Mathew in Australia by a citizen of Italian origin," she tweeted. In a series of tweet she further said the Indian Consulate officials met Father Mathew in the hospital and are in touch with the police authorities. "Our Consulate is in touch with the Police authorities and will keep us informed of the progress of the case," she tweeted. Swaraj further informed that the police have arrested the attacker and charged him with attempt to murder. In an apparent hate crime, Father Mathew was attacked while leading the Sunday mass in a Melbourne church, according to media reports. The man has been charged for stabbing Mathew in the neck, moments before the priest was due to give the 11 a.m. Italian-language mass on Sunday. He has been charged with intentionally and recklessly causing injury and bailed to appear in the Broadmeadows Magistrates' Court on June 13. The attack was described as "appalling" by the Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Monday registered a preliminary inquiry into Narada sting operation case that purportedly showed Trinamool Congress (TMC) leaders taking bribes. As per sources, the CBI also seized laptop and spy cam used by the Narada News in their string operation. The investigative agency also named West Bengal Chief Minsiter Mamata Banerjee, MPs, police officers and ex-MLA in its preliminary enquiry. Earlier on March 17, the Calcutta High Court ordered a CBI probe into bribery allegations against top TMC parliamentarians and ministers. Reacting to the court's order, Mamata said that she will appeal against the court order in a "higher judiciary". "I will not comment on this, we will approach to the higher judiciary," Mamata said. Coming to the rescue of her ministers, Banerjee said, "Everyone knows this that the sting was published from the Bharatiya Janata Party office. Earlier in April 2016, the court had formed a three-member committee to probe the controversial tapes. Narada News, led by its editor-in-chief Matthew Samuel, had earlier released three sets of videos of its sting operation, where top TMC leaders were allegedly seen accepting bribes from journalists posing as businessmen. The ruling party had dismissed the tapes as 'doctored' and said the 'dirty tricks departments' of its political opponents were behind the 'smear' campaign. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Giving hint towards Pakistan's conspiracy to convict innocent Indians, one of the Sufi clerics, who had gone missing in Pakistan, on Monday revealed that one of the papers in the neighbouring country had printed false news of them being Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) agents. Nazim Nizami, one of the two clerics, told the reporters that a newspaper 'Ummat' in Pakistan printed false statements of them being "RAW spies". "There is a newspaper Ummat (in Pakistan) which has printed false statements (of the two clerics being RAW spies) and photos," Nizami told the media here. The cleric thanked the Indian Government, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh for their efforts. The two clerics marked a safe arrival in India earlier today. The duo will be meeting Sushma Swaraj later in the day. The two clerics surfaced in Karachi and told that they had gone to meet their devotees in interior Sindh, where there was no phone connectivity. The clerics, identified as Syed Asif Ali Nizami and his friend Nazim Nizami, belong to Delhi's Hazrat Nizamuddin Dargah. Syed Asif Ali Nizami is the head priest of the Dargah. The duo had travelled to Pakistan to visit their relatives in Karachi and then embarked on a pilgrimage to Lahore. One of them went missing in Karachi and the other in Lahore, reports claimed. The Indian authorities had raised the issue with the Pakistan Foreign Ministry seeking its help in tracing their missing citizens. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Newly appointed Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Monday directed all the government officials to read the 'Sankalpatra' released by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and implement it efficiently. The move came during the first meeting held by Adityanath with senior officials of all departments in Lok Bhawan. Deputy chief ministers of the state Keshav Prasad Maurya and Dinesh Sharma were also present in the meeting. Meanwhile, the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister also directed the officials to provide details of their movable and immovable properties and income tax within 15 days. Adityanath yesterday requested his cabinet ministers to refrain from making statements that might hurt people's sentiments. "CM has requested cabinet ministers to refrain from making unnecessary statements which can hurt someone's sentiment," Uttar Pradesh minister Shrikant Sharma told the media here. The Chief Minister said that all the promises mentioned in the manifesto would be fulfilled and the government would work for all sections of the society without any discrimination. "Our Government will work for the welfare of the people. We will work for all the sections of the society without any discrimination. Special efforts will be made for the welfare of the poor, Dalits and backward classes," he said while addressing the media here. Adityanath assured that their government would also work towards the betterment of the law and order situation in the state. Adityanath, a five-time Lok Sabha MP from Gorakhpur, yesterday sworn-in as the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister while Keshav Prasad Maurya and Dinesh Sharma took oath as deputy chief ministers of the state. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) With the battle against triple talaq gaining momentum day by day, senior Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar on Monday said he awaits the verdict from Supreme Court for all Muslim women and wishes for improvement. "My concern is towards to the 10 lakh Muslim women in the country who face issues regarding the triple talaq. I'm totally against it and hope that Supreme Court comes out with a positive verdict," Aiyar told ANI. Aiyar further asserted that apex court should prohibit the word 'triple talaq'. "I totally disagree and wish that apex court puts a ban on the word and act against triple talaq," said Aiyar. Earlier this week, over a million Muslims from across India had signed a petition to end the controversial divorce practice of triple talaq. The petition was started by the Muslim Rashtriya Manch (MRM), an Islamic organisation affiliated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), adding that the positive response to the petition has been linked with the Bharatiya Janata Patry's recent success in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections. Several women have filed a petition before the apex court seeking the quashing of the triple talaq practice. The Central Government has also told the top court that it is against gender injustice and for equality between men and women under the Constitution. However, the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) defended the practice, saying it is better to divorce a woman than kill her. Last year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi asserted that he favoured the discontinuation of 'triple talaq', stating that "lives of Muslim women cannot be allowed to be destroyed by triple talaq." He also targeted the opposition for 'politicising' the issue and supporting a gender discriminatory practice to appease their vote banks. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Following the recent scuffle with Sunil Grover, Kapil Sharma on Monday took to Facebook and said that the two had "an argument" and it was the first time in five years that he shouted at the former. He also added that it's their family matter and they would resolve the issue pretty soon. He wrote, " Hi.. good morning friends .. was celebrating my best time n suddenly I heard a news about me n sunil paji fighting.. first of all see where it is coming from.. what r the intentions behind this.. if I fought with him in the flight then who saw it n informed u.. is he trustworthy..? Some people enjoy these kind of stuff.. we eat together .. we travel together.. I meet my brother once in a year.. n spending almost everyday with my team.. specially sunil .. I love him.. I respect him.. yes I had a argue with him.but r we not normal people..?I shouted at him first time in 5 years .. itna to chalta hai bhai." "We will sit n talk that where is the problem.. I love him as a artist as a human being.. he is like my elder brother.. why so much negativity all the time.. I respect our media.. there r some other serious issues which we need to focus. Is me n sunil's issue is so important n realted with the security of my country ..? We spend a lot of time together rather then our families .. n sometime it happens in family.. its our family matter.. we will sort this out.. zyada maze mat liya karoo. OK now m tired typing .. n one more thing.. I m going for the final schedule of Firangi. Hahahahaha.. sorry again promotion.. thank u so much for ur love n blessings... keep smiling n stay happy always :)) love u all (sic)," added 'The Kapil Sharma Show' host. Kapil and Sunil reportedly had a fight as they were flying down with their team to Mumbai from Australia after a show. Apparently, the 'Kis Kisko Pyaar Karoon' actor got drunk and belittled Sunil and also physically assaulted him. There are rumours that Sunil, a key actor, has decided to quit the show following the spat. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Monday met the two Sufi clerics, Syed Asif Nizami and Nazim Ali Nizami who had gone missing in Pakistan. Meanwhile, one of the Sufi clerics, said that they went Pakistan to spread the message of peace and love and will again visit there. "We went there spread the message of Nizammuddin Dargah of peace and love. There are people who disagree with this message of peace and love. They said they had gone to the interior province of Sindh. We did not. We don't have the visa for that place. We are thankful to the Indian government because of whom we are here. Negative people in Pakistan don't want us to go there again but we will go there again to spread the message if peace," Nazim Nizami told media here. Earlier in the day, hinting towards Pakistan's conspiracy to convict innocent Indians, Nizami said that one of the papers in the neighbouring country had printed false news of them being RAW agents. The cleric told the reporters that a newspaper 'Ummat' in Pakistan printed false statements of them being "RAW spies". "There is a newspaper Ummat (in Pakistan) which has printed false statements (of the two clerics being RAW spies) and photos," Nizami told the media here. The cleric thanked the Indian Government, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Swaraj, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh for their efforts. The two clerics, who belong to Delhi's Hazrat Nizamuddin Dargah, marked a safe arrival in India earlier today. The two clerics surfaced in Karachi and told that they had gone to meet their devotees in interior Sindh, where there was no phone connectivity. The duo had travelled to Pakistan to visit their relatives in Karachi and then embarked on a pilgrimage to Lahore. One of them went missing in Karachi and the other in Lahore, reports claimed. The Indian authorities had raised the issue with the Pakistan Foreign Ministry seeking its help in tracing their missing citizens. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Syed Asif Nizami, one of the two Indian clerics who had gone missing in Pakistan, on Monday said they were not troubled and kept safely in a VIP room. "We went to the shrine of Baba Farid Ganj and Data Darbar to offer prayers. We were kept in VIP rooms and were not troubled. I was taken to a place quite far from Karachi, with my face covered. I was offered food and they prepared tea for me," Asif Nizami told ANI. He further said that he was asked about the details regarding his identity. "They asked about my details and about Dargah too. The Station House Officer (SHO) took my details," he added. Earlier in the day, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj met the two Sufi clerics, Syed Asif Nizami and Nazim Ali Nizami. Meanwhile, one of the Sufi clerics said that they went Pakistan to spread the message of peace and love and will again visit there. "We went there spread the message of Nizammuddin Dargah of peace and love. There are people who disagree with this message of peace and love. They said they had gone to the interior province of Sindh. We did not. We don't have the visa for that place. We are thankful to the Indian government because of whom, we are here. Negative people in Pakistan don't want us to go there again but we will go there again to spread the message if peace," Nazim Nizami told media here. The two clerics, who belong to Delhi's Hazrat Nizamuddin Dargah, marked a safe arrival in India earlier today. They surfaced in Karachi and told that they had gone to meet their devotees in interior Sindh, where there was no phone connectivity. The duo had travelled to Pakistan to visit their relatives in Karachi and then embarked on a pilgrimage to Lahore. One of them went missing in Karachi and the other in Lahore, reports claimed. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat on Monday asserted that their government would soon make it compulsory for ministers to provide details of their properties. "During BJP government, it was compulsory for ministers, MLAs to provide details of their properties annually. I will implement it again in my state too," said Rawat at a press conference. Rawat also stated that currently Uttarakhand is undergoing loss and he is keen to check on the new sources of income for the state. "Uttarakhand presently is in loss and debt. We will check unnecessary expenditure and discuss on new sources of income for uplifting the state," said Rawat. Further Rawat claimed that his government will be effectively look into matters related to Gauvansh Sanrakshan (Beef-Ban). "Law on Gauvansh Sanrakshan, which was brought during our government, will be effectively implemented and worked on," said Rawat. Rawat took oath as the ninth Chief Minister of Uttarakhand on March 19. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief Amit Shah, Union Ministers Rajnath Singh, Jagat Prakash Nadda and Uma Bharti were among the several dignitaries, who attended the swearing-in ceremony that held yesterday. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Three soldiers and 11 militants were killed during a clash at a military base in Afghanistan's Uruzgan province, a top official said on Monday. "Several armed militants stormed the army base in Tirin Kot district late Sunday night," the official told Xinhua news agency. The militants were from the Taliban terror group, he said. The attackers were also believed to have taken control of the base for hours before additional forces arrived early Monday. Soldiers were also captured by the militants in/vt the attack, a provincial official said. "The additional forces are trying to secure the base and they launched a search operation to locate and rescue the captured soldiers," he said. --IANS ksk/vt (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) At least 47 people were killed in fierce clashes between Syrian security forces and militants in capital Damascus, a war monitor reported on Monday. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said the victims comprised 26 security personnel and 21 militants, including two who blew themselves up in suicide car bombings, Efe news reported. Several factions took part in the clashes, including Tahrir al-Sham (the armed alliance that includes the former Syrian branch of Al Qaeda), Ahrar al-Sham and al-Rahman Legion. Tahrir al-Sham announced on Sunday the beginning of an offensive in the Damascene neighbourhood of Jobar, in the northeast and near the old part of the city. Warplanes carried out 10 strikes on Monday in Jobar, which is also the target of artillery shots. On March 15, at least 31 people were killed in a suicide bomb attack at the main court complex in the centre of Damascus, the BBC reported. Later that day, another suicide bomber attacked a restaurant in the district of Rabweh, injuring more than 20 people. March 15 marked the sixth anniversary of the beginning of the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad, which has caused more than 321,000 deaths. --IANS ksk/dg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Shiromani Akali Dal, which was ousted from power in Punjab in the just-concluded assembly elections after ruling the state for a decade, on Monday "accepted the verdict of the people" of Punjab "in all humility and honesty". At a meeting of the Akali Dal core committee, which was attended by party President Sukhbir Singh Badal, former Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and other top leaders here, a resolution of the party said: "The people had appreciated the agenda of development and good governance and that resulted in the party getting the second highest percentage of votes all across the state." The party, however, took stock of its loss in the recent assembly elections. Party General Secretary Harcharan Singh Bains said the party felt that "conspiracies were hatched to render Punjabis and Sikhs leaderless by targeting the SAD. But we will continue to seek inspiration form the great Gurus and fight all such conspiracies... all over the world." "The party has undertaken an honest introspection about the shortcomings and other reasons that may have led to the decline in popular support," he said here. "We will support every decision of the government which is good for Punjab and its people. But we will steadfastly and vehemently fight against any decisions that go against the interest of the state and the people," Bains said. The meeting called upon the new Congress government in the state headed by Chief Minister Amarinder Singh not to use committees as a "smoke-screen to hide behind for inaction on its promises". "It should have announced waiver of debt for farmers as all the data was already available with the government. It should have announced a cabinet approval for a recruitment drive to fulfil its promise of 30 lakh jobs. "The new government could have fulfilled all its promises at the first cabinet meeting... (as) these were made only after seeing that the government treasury is in a healthy shape to meet these promises," the spokesman said. The core committee said the 120-point agenda of the Punjab Council of Ministers is nothing but "a rehash of decisions already in force and implemented by the previous government". Defending party President Sukhbir Badal, the resolution said: "The party is proud of its President's visionary and courageous leadership and his indefatigable zeal and energy for taking Punjab forward. The steps initiated under his leadership... will be appreciated more and more in times to come." Bains said the meeting also took strong notice of acts of vendetta and repression against Akali workers by goons of the ruling Congress party. "The meeting urged the government to cry a halt to such unseemly confrontation and repression or be prepared to face the Akali resistance. The SAD will not take such excesses lying down... But we hope that the government would not encourage the acts of repression and violence and spoil the peaceful atmosphere," he said. --IANS js/lok/dg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Amid allegations of medical negligence and fleecing of patients, the Apollo Gleneagles Hospital authority on Monday promised West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to rationalise tariffs if needed and admitted its level of care has deteriorated. "I think from the past one and half year, the level of care has not been what it had been. If we have to rationalise our tariffs, we are quite happy to do it," Apollo Hospitals Group vice chairperson Preetha Reddy told the media after the meeting. Reddy promised to work with the regulatory commission set up by the state government to monitor private hospitals. "The Chief Minister has set up a commission. We will be working with them. The CM was extremely gracious and pointed out certain facts, which I think is something all hospitals have to look into. And patients have to be treated well. "Patients coming to the Emergency have to be given the level of care which they need," she said. Reddy pointed out that the hospital had treated almost nine million people from the state and would continue to do so. Apollo Gleaneagles is facing a police probe following the death of Sanjoy Roy, a resident of Dankuni in Hooghly district who was critically injured in a road accident. Roy died on February 23 at the state-run SSKM Hospital after being shifted from Apollo. Later, his relatives and friends accused Apollo of "inadequate treatment" even while raising a huge bill and refusing to allow him to be shifted to SSKM unless they paid up the full amount. They alleged the hospital delayed his discharge and relented only after they submitted fixed deposit certificates. A six-member health department team set up to probe the allegations against the leading private city hospitals found "overall negligence" and multiple other anomalies like improper billing, multiple charges and evidence of not following proper medical procedure during treatment. Police have so far questioned a number of doctors and senior officials of the hospital in connection with the death. During a meeting with representatives of private hospitals and nursing homes last month, the Chief Minister said that the most allegations, particularly related to exhorbitant charges, were against Apollo. --IANS ssp/soni/mr (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Rabat, March 20 (IANS/MAP) The 24th conference of the Arab Inter-Parliamentary Union (AIPU) kicked off on Monday here in Morocco. Held under the theme "consolidation of Arab joint action", the two-day meeting will be marked by the election of a new President of the AIPU and the discussion of the Union's working plan for 2017. The participants will also discuss the current situation in the Arab world as well as the challenges facing Arab countries. Founded in 1974, AIPU is an Arab parliamentary organisation composed of parliamentary groups representing Arab Parliaments with the aim of strengthening joint Arab action. --IANS/MAP sm/bg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Monday said that Australian Police have arrested the attacker of the Indian priest, who was stabbed in Melbourne, and charged him with attempt to murder. "Our Consulate officials met Father Mathew in the hospital. The police have arrested the attacker and charged him with attempt to murder," Sushma Swaraj said in a tweet on Monday. "Our Consulate is in touch with the police authorities and will keep us informed of the progress of the case," she tweeted. Father Mathew, a Catholic priest from Kerala, was attacked by an Italian on Sunday when the former was leading the Sunday mass in a Melbourne church. He was immediately rushed to the hospital. Speaking on the reason for attack, the minister said: "The attacker had a problem with Father Mathew presiding over the church." --IANS rs/nir (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Some Montana lawmakers want to make voting more expensive for counties and less convenient for voters. County clerks and election officials from across Montana, once again, asked the Legislature to let voters request absentee ballots for every election without requiring them to file paperwork every two years. Besides complying with voters wishes, HB287 would save the counties money. Counties would no longer have to mail letters again and again to everyone on the absentee list to ask if they want to stay on the list for another two years. Voters who want to be on the list would no longer be deleted simply because they forgot to sign and return the card again. The bill is sponsored by Rep. Bryce Bennett, D-Missoula. Under present law, next January, Yellowstone County will have to mail about 67,000 letters to people on the absentee list asking them to sign, stamp and return a form if they want to keep getting mail ballots for every election. Extra postage It is disturbing that some members of the Senate State Administration Committee indicated confusion about absentee voting law in their discussion before killing it last week. Sens. Doug Kary, Nels Swandal, Gordon Vance, Ryan Osmundson and Dee Brown rejected the bill. As one committee member said: Its not too much for voters to sign a card every two years. Not too much for counties to spend thousands of dollars on unnecessary postage and mailing? Not too much for each county to completely delete and re-enter their absentee ballot list every other spring? In Yellowstone County, the list recently had 67,000 names. Thats most of the voters in our county. Not too much for voters who for whatever reasons dont return the card and have to make a trip to their elections office or polling place to vote even though they preferred a mail ballot? U.S. House election A second common-sense election bill is set for hearing Thursday in House Judiciary Committee. Senate Bill 305, sponsored by Sen. Steve Fitzpatrick, R-Great Falls, at the request of counties and their election officials, would allow counties to hold the May 25 special U.S. House election with mail ballots for all voters, avoiding the cost of staffing polls on Election Day. The bill passed the Senate, but is expected to run into more opposition in the House. State GOP Chairman Rep. Jeff Essmann, R-Billings, and Secretary of State Corey Stapleton oppose the all-mail ballot election. SB305 will save Montana counties up to $700,000 altogether, according to estimates from counties. Yellowstone alone will save about $50,000. SB305 provides all Montana voters with several options for casting their special U.S. House ballot: Stamp and mail the ballot. Deliver the ballot to the county election office during business hours any day before the election. Give the ballot to someone known and trusted to deliver to the election office. Deliver the ballot to the county office on May 25 between 7 a.m. and 8 p.m. Bring the ballot to another Election Day drop-off location staffed and secured by election judges between 7 a.m. and 8 p.m. SB305 would require Yellowstone County to have four such drop-offs and to equip each with machines for disabled voters to cast ballots. SB305 will save taxpayer money, it makes voting secure and convenient for all. It will encourage the highest voter turnout, as mail ballot elections have been proven to do in the 30 years they have been used securely and successfully in Montana. Republican and Democratic county commissioners are supporting SB305. Those Republicans opposed to this bill are attempting to reduce turnout while totally disregarding the burden that election costs place on county taxpayers. We call on legislators of both parties to support SB305 for better voter access and lower costs. The Malappuram Lok Sabha by-election got into top gear on Monday with IUML leader P.K. Kunhalikutty filing his nomination and CPI-M's M.B. Faizal launching his campaign from the home of legendary Communist E.M.S. Nampoothirpad. The seat fell vacant following the death of Indian Union Muslim League leader E. Ahamed. Kunhalikutty, 65, has been a legislator since 1982 and the Industries Minister of Kerala for more than 14 years. On Monday morning, he reached the house of the party's supreme leader Panakkad Hyderali Shihab Thangal here to seek his blessings before driving towards the office of the Malappuram District Collector. "The people in Malappuram are fully behind me. Hence my victory will not be an issue at all," Kunhalikutty said after filing his papers. Faizal arrived at EMS' home and sought the moral support of the Communist veteran's family. EMS was the country's first Communist Chief Minister. "I feel absolutely confident. The performance of the 10-month-old Pinarayi Vijayan government is what I will be banking on," said the young Faizal, a member of the Malappuram district Panchayat and a leader of the Democratic Youth Federation of India, the CPI-M youth wing. Kunhalikutty got a major boost when his old UDF colleague K.M. Mani, whose Kerala Congress (M) severed ties with the UDF last year, extended support to him. Mani will take part in the IUML leader's election rally. The BJP, which secured 64,000 votes in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, got a shocker on Monday when Vellapally Natesan, the patron of BDJS, a BJP ally, accused the BJP of ignoring the allies while announcing its candidate. "There was no consultation with the allies. Hence, the BDJS will not have any responsibility to support the BJP candidate," Natesan told reporters. The late Ahamed won the seat by over 1.94 lakh votes. The IUML is aiming to take up the victory margin to over 2 lakh votes. --IANS sg/mr/bns (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The British Parliament could be burdened with scrutinising up to 15 new bills for Britain's exit from the European Union (EU), a new report has warned. UK-based think tank, the Institute for Government (IFG) in its report, "Legislating Brexit" issued on Sunday, said legislation will be needed to establish new policies on areas such as customs and immigration, the BBC reported. The extra measures will place "a huge burden" on the Parliament and government departments, the think tank said. In the report, the IFG said that with the average Queen's Speech announcing only 20 new bills, the introduction of 15 Brexit bills before the UK even exits the EU "will leave very little space for non-Brexit related legislation". The report comes as Prime Minister Theresa May travels to Swansea on Monday with Brexit Secretary David Davis, where she will talk about the "precious union" of the UK. May will meet First Minister of Wales Carwyn Jones, as well as local businesses, as she tries to show she is including all areas of Britain in negotiations with the EU. The report anticipates the new bills will be in addition to the Great Repeal Bill, which will scrap the 1972 European Communities Act that paved the way for the UK to enter the then-European Economic Community, ending the legal authority of EU law. "The legislation required for Brexit will leave little parliamentary time for anything else -- and making a success of it will require a large volume of bills and secondary legislation to be passed by Parliament against a hard deadline," the BBC quoted Hannah White, IFG's director of research, as saying. "It will be a challenge for both the government and Parliament to do all this while still ensuring full scrutiny and leaving room for the government's domestic policy agenda." The Queen gave Royal Assent to the European Union (Notification of Withdrawal) Bill last week, clearing the way for Prime Minister May to start talks to leave the EU. The Bill allows the premier to notify Brussels that the UK is leaving the EU, with a two-year process of exit negotiations to follow. May says she will trigger the process by the end of the month. --IANS ksk/vt (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Border Security Force (BSF) has ordered a court of inquiry into the killing of three tribals in firing by its troopers in Tripura last week, officials said here on Monday. "A court of inquiry has been ordered by the BSF into the incident. Senior BSF officials outside the Udaipur (southern Tripura) sector would conduct the court of inquiry," BSF Deputy Inspector General Hardeep Singh said. "Appropriate administrative actions have been initiated to prevent recurrence of such incident in future," he said. Three tribals, including a woman, were killed and two others were injured in BSF firing in southern Tripura's Chittabari village along the India-Bangladesh border on March 17. The probe order came after Kolkata-based BSF Additional Director General (Eastern Command) R.P. Singh visited the tension-ridden border areas and held a series of meetings with top Tripura government officials on Sunday and Monday. "The BSF's Additional DG along with other senior officials on Monday held meetings with Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar and discussed the incident. Sarkar asked the BSF officials to take apt steps against the accused BSF personnel," a Tripura Home Department official said. Tripura Chief Secretary Sanjeev Ranjan and Director General of Tripura Police K. Nagaraj were also present in the meeting. Earlier, the BSF said in a statement that its troopers were trying to stop smuggling of cattle to Bangladesh on Friday when they were attacked by villagers with sharp weapons and batons. The troopers then opened fire, killing three persons. However, locals told the police that three BSF men tried to molest a young tribal woman and when the villagers resisted, they opened fire. Tripura shares a 856-km border with Bangladesh, a portion of which is still unfenced. --IANS sc/lok/vt (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) BJP MP Subramanian Swamy on Monday said the two Indian clerics who returned to Delhi after reportedly going missing in Pakistan were involved in anti-India activities. Syed Asif Ali Nizami and his nephew Nazim Ali Nizami, both clerics of Delhi's Hazrat Nizamuddin Dargah, flew back to the Indian capital. While Nazim Ali has trashed Pakistani media claims that they had links with the Indian intelligence agency Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), Swamy claimed to have "independent information" that they were working against New Delhi's interests. "They are lying ... to get sympathy," Swamy told the media. "We have independent information that these two were working against the country." Nazim Ali said they had gone to Pakistan to meet Asif Ali Nizami's sister in Karachi. --IANS and/mr (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Two Indian clerics who reportedly went missing in Pakistan returned here on Monday amid some confusion over what really happened to them in that country. Syed Asif Ali Nizami and his nephew Nazim Ali Nizami, both clerics with Delhi's revered Hazrat Nizamuddin Dargah, flew in from Karachi and later met External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj. They rubbished reports charging them with links with the Indian intelligence agency Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) -- an allegation that apparently got them into trouble in Pakistan. Saying they had left for Pakistan on March 8, Nazim Ali Nizami said: "We had gone to meet my aunt who is 90 and lives in Karachi. My uncle met his sister after 26 long years." He said a Pakistani Urdu newspaper "Ummat" printed "fake pictures" about them and alleged they were agents of RAW and the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM). Consequently, the two were detained and questioned by Pakistani authorities, Asif Ali Nizami's son Syed Sajid Ali told the media here. "Father told us they were detained on the basis of the newspaper report which claimed they were spying in Pakistan at the behest of RAW. They were allowed to go after the interrogators realised the charges were false." After they reached Delhi, the clerics visited the Hazrat Nizamuddin dargah -- built in the memory one of the most revered Sufi saints, Hazrat Khwaja Syed Nizamuddin Auliya in the heart of Delhi. The Sufi shrine is visited by tens of thousands of Muslims and non-Muslims alike including from Pakistan. After a warm welcome by family members, neighbours and devotees, the clerics met Minister Sushma Swaraj, who had taken up their plight with top Pakistani officials after it became known that they were missing. The clerics refused to divulge details about their meeting with Sushma Swaraj. Nazim Ali, however, said they would go to Pakistan again. "We went to Pakistan to spread the Nizammuddin Dargah's message of peace and love. I often go to Pakistan but my uncle this time went their to meet his sister. "But elements who are against peace and love have made false allegations against us. They claimed we had gone to Sind. But how can we go there when we did not have visa for Sind? "I will keep going to Pakistan to spread love and peace," he added. Meanwhile, Bharatiya Janata Party leader Subramanian Swamy claimed to have "independent information" that the clerics were working against India. "We have independent information that these two were working against the country," he told the media. Communist Party of India leader D. Raja added: "There needs to be a proper investigation into all the revelations and the matter must be raised with the Pakistani government." --IANS and/ps-bns/mr (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Congress on Monday demanded a discussion in the Rajya Sabha on the conduct of Goa Governor Mridula Sinha in relation to the invitation to the BJP to form the government in the state. Governor Sinha invited the Bharatiya Janata Party to form the post-poll government in the state despite the Congress emerging as the single-largest party in the assembly, Congress members said. Raising the matter in the upper house, Congress senior leader Digvijay Singh said that the matter should be discussed as he had already submitted substantive motion on it. "As suggested, I have submitted substantive motion (on it)," he told Deputy Chairman P.J. Kurien. Kurien then told him that the matter was being "examined" by the Chairman and he would be informed about it. To this, Singh said: "This is well taken. I understand. But the urgency (of the matter) is lost". "We request you to kindly look into it. The role of Governor is totally unjustified and has gone against the Constitution and democracy," said the Congress leader, who as the Congress General Secretary was in charge of the party affairs in Goa. Singh said that it has been a practice that in case of fractured mandate, the single-largest party is called to form the government. "It's a murder of democracy," he added. To this, Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad reacted sharply and urged the Chair to get the term "murder of democracy" expunged from the record of the Rajya Sabha proceedings. The Congress was supported by Janata Dal-United and the Communist Party of India-Marxist on the issue. Speaking on the issue, Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad said that it should be taken up for discussion after lunch. Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said that since the matter was with the Chairman, it should be left to him to decide about it. --IANS sk/sm/vt (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Congress said on Monday that party's central leadership will review its performance in the assembly polls and introspect on reasons for the party's defeat in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand. Party leader P L Punia said that party's Uttar Pradesh unit has already embarked on the exercise and discussed reasons for the party's performance with all candidates who had contested. He said a review at the national level will be done on return of party vice-president from his visit abroad. "Congress party at the state level has already carried out the exercise and reviewed (the performance) with each and every candidate. I think at the national level, the review will take place once our senior leader Rahul Gandhiji is back from abroad," Punia said. has gone abroad to join his mother and party president Sonia Gandhi, who is outside the country for health checkup. The Congress won only seven of 105 seats it contested in alliance with the Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh, the country's most populous state that sends the largest number of MPs to Parliament. had talked of structural and organisational changes after the result of assembly polls to five states. While Congress badly lost in Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh, it emerged as the single-largest party in Goa and Manipur, but could not form the government in the two states. It won a decisive mandate in Punjab. Congress leaders from Uttar Pradesh have suggested various reasons for the party's debacle in the state including delay in stitching alliance with the Samajwadi Party and both parties fielding candidates on some seats. Responding to a query on a reported poster outside the Uttar Pradesh Congress announcing a reward for searching poll strategist Prashant Kishor, Punia said no one in the party is looking for him. "I do not think anybody from the Congress party is looking for him. Election is over and I think everything is now settled. People keep on playing such games. We have nothing to do with that," Punia said. Actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui, who will be seen playing role of a contract killer in his upcoming "Babumoshai Bandukbaaz", thinks murderers can be romantic at heart also. When asked if he will be seen romancing in the film, the "Gangs of Wasseypur 2" star said: "Why not? Contract killers can also be romantic." Nawazuddin was speaking at the poster shoot of "Babumoshai Bandukbaaz" on Monday. "Romance can be done in many ways. Every person has their own way to express romanticism," he added later. "My role is of contract killer 'Babumoshai'. He is different so his expression of love is different too. In 'Gangs of Wasseypur 2', my role was of a shy person who asked for permission to hold his girlfriend's hand. Here 'Babumoshai' is fearless. He romances on the basis of the gun," he told the reporters here. The action thriller film directed by Kushan Nandy features Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Bidita Bag, Tahir Raj Bhasin, Prosenjit Chatterjee, Roopa Ganguly, Tota Roy Chowdhury and Biswajit Chakraborty. Nawazuddin was also asked about his thoughts on nepotism in Bollywood, he said, "I don't think nepotism exists in Bollywood otherwise I could not have been in this position today. Good work and talent may take the time to get recognised but always earns respect." --IANS iv/lok/ahm/ (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Demonetisation will lead to narrowing of the divide between the rich and the poor, Minister of State for Finance Arjun Ram Meghwal said on Monday. Replying to a debate in the Lok Sabha on supplementary demands for grants, the minister said the note ban will eventually lead to increase in Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Quoting Bhimrao Ambedkar, the minister said political equality without social and economic equality means nothing. "Why did you not work towards bringing social and economic equality," Meghwal said targeting the opposition Congress. "This programme of demonetisation will do it," he said. The minister then said the divide between the rich and the poor was increasing when other parties were in power, and post-demonetisation it is being reduced. He said demonetisation brought transparency, which will lead to increase in GDP. "Post-demonetisation, with digital transaction, everything will be counted, consumption will rise, investment will rise, export will rise and GDP will also rise," he said. Talking about the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections, he said: "You have seen the results in the elections... They are saying demonetisation was not an election issue... why not? It was a major issue... People gave their verdict." He also took a jibe at the opposition parties in Uttar Pradesh and said: "The results were such because you were nurturing one section and depriving the other." --IANS ao/lok/dg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) South African all-rounder Jean Paul Duminy has decided to give the upcoming 10th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) a miss, citing personal reasons, IPL franchise Delhi Daredevils confirmed on Monday. Duminy, who led the Daredevils in the 2015 edition, before passing on the baton to former India pace spearhead Zaheer Khan, had been a regular with the Delhi squad since 2014. Delhi Daredevils chief executive Hemant Dua confirmed that Duminy will be unavailable for the tournament owing to personal reasons. "We respect JP's decision. We are naturally very disappointed to not have JP in our midst this year, but as a franchise we clearly understand his position. At this stage, we can only confirm that we will look for a replacement at an appropriate time," Dua said in a statement. Duminy, on his part said he was hopeful of joining back the squad in the future. "It has been a very difficult decision for me to make, but it was for purely personal reasons. I am grateful for the support and understanding from the franchise. It has been an absolute privilege to have played for and led a talented mix of players. I certainly hope to play a part for the franchise in the near future," he said. --IANS tri/dg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) As president of the Associated Students of the University of Montana, it is my privilege and responsibility to represent over 11,000 students. Unfortunately, the fight for affordable, accessible higher education for Montanas families is becoming more challenging. The Legislature has proposed an $11.8 million cut to the Montana University System that our students and our campuses simply cannot afford. Whether you attend UM or Dawson Community College, MSU or Montana Tech, these cuts make higher education less accessible and add to the significant financial burden students and families already face. An $11.8 million shortfall would likely mean slashing courses and cutting staff and instructors. This will mean added time to graduation and added expense for students before they can earn a degree. It would also result in double-digit tuition increases for every college and university student across Montana. At a time when students are working multiple jobs and graduating with an average of $27,504 in student loan debt, Montana families and students simply cant afford a cut this drastic. According to the Montana Bureau of Business and Economic Research, every dollar spent on higher education leads to three dollars generated in state tax revenue. More than 80 percent of students in our university system will be working and living in Montana a year after graduation. Every single state dollar that goes to higher education is a smart investment in Montanas economic future. As we look for sensible solutions to balancing the states budget, such a blow to Montanas system of higher education threatens to have an impact that stretches far into the future. There is another option. Rather than eviscerating the budget for higher education and shifting the cost onto students, our legislators should ensure that we have adequate revenue sources. The governor has proposed a means to do so by adding a top tax rate for incomes over $500,000 (the top 1 percent of households), which would raise $37 million over the biennium. With this much-needed revenue, we can protect state investments that are critical for our future. Currently, someone making $18,000 a year pays the same top tax rate as someone making $1 million a year. Continuing to provide big tax breaks for corporations and the super wealthy costs our state millions, and comes at the expense our students, our infrastructure, and our states long-term prosperity. Keeping tuition affordable is critical to ensuring that Montana students can afford to finish school and achieve their potential. We want to be able to stay in Montana after graduation. We want to be able to contribute to our local economies, to buy a house, to start small businesses, and to contribute to our states success. In the next 10 years, Montana will face a worker shortage of more than 100,000 workers. The Montana University System supplies our state with trained, quality workers. Montana needs nurses and scientists, educators, accountants, writers and computer programmers. Limiting access to higher education is a step backward that harms Montanas workforce and economy, gives Montana students less opportunity for in-state employment, and narrows the hiring pipeline for Montana businesses. There are better options. It is not fair to students, families, or our states economy to make deep, debilitating cuts to higher education while the super wealthy and large out-of-state corporations get tax breaks. We hope that the Legislature will seriously consider solutions that bring more revenue into Montana as they contemplate cuts. That is the responsible way to balance our budget. Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday met Myanmars de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi and donated $300,000 for the Muslim minority Rohingya community, which has been the victim of an escalation of violence that has left dozens dead and thousands displaced. The closed-door meeting between Duterte and Suu Kyi took place at the presidential palace in Naypyidaw, the capital of Myanmar, and was later opened for the press when the visiting President made his financial contribution, according to Philippines broadcaster ABS-CBN. As she accepted the donation, the Nobel Peace Prize laureate underlined the spirit of solidarity among the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean), to which both countries belong, reported Efe news. Asean is a regional bloc that also includes Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand have already contributed humanitarian aid to the Rohingya community. Duterte also met Myanmar's President Htin Kyaw in the presidential palace. His visit was aimed at increasing bilateral cooperation, particularly in the area of trade and investment. The Philippines President was scheduled to arrive in Bangkok late on Monday for a two-day visit. --IANS soni/dg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A Yazidi woman who was kidnapped and taken as a sex slave by the terror group IS has demanded investigation from the Iraqi government and the UN and asked for justice, a media report said. Nadia Murad, along with her counsel, international human rights lawyer Amal Clooney, described her ordeal in an interview to CNN's Fareed Zakaria on Sunday. It began in 2014 after Islamic State militants arrived at her village in Sinjar, Kurdistan, she said. "Early morning on August 3, 2014, they attacked us," she recalled. "Nearly 6,500 women and children from the Yazidi were abducted and about 5,000 people from the community were killed during that day," Murad told Zakaria. "For eight months, they separated us from our mothers and our sisters and our brothers, and some of them were killed and others disappeared," she said. Murad's mother and six of her brothers and stepbrothers were executed. She, along with other unmarried women, was taken as a sex slave and passed around various IS militants, the CNN interview said. At one point, she told the UN Security Council in 2015, as punishment for a failed escape attempt, she was gang raped until she passed out. All of this, she said, was considered legal under the IS rule -- which dictates that Yazidis, because they do not practice Islam, can be taken as slaves on religious grounds. "They sold girls, girls that were underage, because IS considered that permissible under Islamic law," Murad said. "They came not just to attack certain people, but they came for all Yazidis." The violence against the Yazidi community continues to this day, said Clooney, who represents Murad. More than 6,000 Yazidis are believed to remain in captivity, some of them from Murad's own family, Clooney said. It's time, she said, to bring the IS to justice for committing some of "the worst crimes of our generation." "We know that there's a military campaign going on where the IS is being taken on on the battlefield. What we want is to see IS members also in a courtroom," Clooney told CNN. --IANS in/ (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari on Monday called for strengthening of the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) to ensure speedy construction of roads. "The road sector is moving very fast. We have solved the problem of land acquisition. Also, budget and financial arrangements are not a problem anymore. However, we are suffering due to slow decision making, and red-tapism in the banking system," Gadkari said while speaking at the Growth Net summit here. "If we want to convert a BOT (Build-Operate-Transfer) in to EPC (Engineering Procurement Construction), there is no response (from the government departments concerned. So we will have to strengthen the power of the NHAI, like (involving) Finance Secretary in its board. Our proposal is with the government. The cabinet will take a decision," Gadkari said. Gadkari said his government has decided to increase the network of the national highways from the existing 96,000 km to two lakh km. "By the end of March, we will be able to sanction projects worth Rs 15,000 crore. But I am not satisfied. I want to move faster," he said. Gadkari, however, cleared that building waterways and their promotion was the first priority for his ministry. "We have decided to turn 111 rivers into waterways. We will be able to transport material like cement to north-eastern states using waterways in the Ganga river via Bangladesh, which will be quite cheaper (compared to road transport)," Gadkari said. He added that the government has planned to stress on promotion of green transport. "I have decided to make all MRTS (Mass Rapid Transit System) projects in the country electric-operated," he said. --IANS spk/lok/bg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) persons on duty at sensitive places in Haryana will get body protectors and helmets to ensure their safety during violence, a top officer said on Monday. Director General of Police K.P. Singh, who was in Fatehabad town to enquire about police personnel and persons injured in a clash with Jat protestors on Sunday, said people also required protection during mob violence. Singh said rioters involved in the attack were being identified. "The video footage of the incident is available and the faces of anti-social elements are clearly visible," he pointed out. He said para-military forces in the area assisted the police force that was under attack. The officer met the injured at the Fatehabad Civil Hospital. Over 20 people, including 18 police personnel and three media persons, were injured when Jat protestors moving towards Delhi on tractor-trolleys clashed with the police after being stopped for carrying sharp-edged weapons in Fatehabad district on Sunday. Singh announced that the entire expenditure of treatment of the injured media persons would be borne by the district administration and they would also be given financial assistance of Rs 5,000 each. "They would also be honoured at the state-level Independence Day celebrations on August 15." He said the media persons would also be compensated by the district administration for the loss suffered by them due to damage caused to their cameras and mobile phones and also for the cash snatched by the rioters. "At times, both the police and the media have to work in difficult circumstances. We appreciate the bravery and courage with which the media persons and the police personnel faced the rioters. "Had the police not acted wisely, many precious lives could be lost," he said, specially praising the women police personnel injured in the incident. He said the police personnel would be honoured for courage. --IANS js/mr (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Iraqi government forces battling the Islamic State retook control of more areas in the old city centre of western Mosul, while an international airstrike on the IS positions killed six leaders of the extremist group in the city, the Iraqi military said on Sunday. The commandos of the Counter-Terrorism Service (CTS) fought heavy clashes against the IS militants during the day and freed the neighbourhood of Nablus in west of the old city centre and raised the Iraqi flags over some of its buildings, Abdul-Amir Yarallah from the Joint Operations Command (JOC) said in a statement, Xinhua reported. The elite CTS special forces are also fighting the IS militants in several nearby neighbourhoods, as they have been advancing closer to the western edge of Mosul's densely populated old city centre, where hundreds of thousands of civilians are believed to still be trapped under the IS rule. Meanwhile, the progress by the federal police and Rapid Response brigades, the elite Interior Ministry units, was slowed by bad weather and fierce resistance of the IS militants in the newly-freed Bab al-Toub neighbourhood and adjacent areas. Also in the day, the US-led international coalition conducted an airstrike and killed six IS leaders in Souq al-Shaareen area in the IS-held city centre in western Mosul, locally known as the right bank of the Tigris River, which bisects Mosul, the JOC statement said. Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, who is also the commander-in-chief of the armed forces, announced the start of an offensive on February 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 the 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. --IANS ahm/ (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Italian Coast Guard have rescued more than 3,000 migrants in the Strait of Sicily over the weekend, officials said on Monday. Forty-eight rescue operations were conducted over the weekend, Coast Guard officials told Efe news. However, the numbers were set to rise as two new operations were ongoing on Monday, the Coast Guard said. The actions were part of the European Union collaborative maritime rescue programme, dubbed EUNAVFOR Med. One ship belonging to Italian Coast Guard, the Dattilo, rescued 1,477 people alone. Another vessel, commanded by the SOS Mediterranee NGO and Doctors Without Borders (MSF) saved another 946 late on Saturday. At least 15,852 migrants have been rescued from this body of water so far in 2017, signifying a 67 per cent increase for the same period year-on-year. The Italian government estimated that 250,000 migrants would attempt to make it to the country's shores this year. --IANS ksk/dg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) People in Rohtak protest in front of Home Minister Rajnath Singh residence in New Delhi on Saturday, Feb 20, 2016 PTI The that threatened to cripple normal life in Delhi on Monday has been postponed, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar and Jat leader Yashpal Malik announced here on Sunday. The decision followed several rounds of parleys in Delhi between the government and prominent Jat leaders spearheading the community's agitation in neighbouring Haryana. A relieved Delhi, however, still remained on alert with restrictions on exit in place at four Metro stations. Special Commissioner of Police Dependra Pathak said security arrangements at the borders, in New Delhi area and other places will remain intact and that the security situation will be monitored closely. "The police presence will be there. We are continuously monitoring the situation so that if any situation is precipitated, we are able to handle it," he said. The Jat community, which have been demanding reservation in government jobs and educational institutions, among other things, resumed their agitation on January 29. Apart from Khattar, Union Ministers Birender Singh and P.P. Chaudhary -- both Jats -- threw their weight from the government's side to persuade the Jat leaders to postpone their agitation in support of their demands and grievances. Khattar said both sides have reached a consensus on five points, including initiation of the process of reservation for the Jats in central government jobs, reconsideration of cases lodged against Jat agitators since 2010 and permanent jobs to next-of-kin of those killed and those maimed during the 2016 February agitation in Haryana. Besides, the government will also give monetary compensation to the injured and institute probe against officers accused of high-handedness during the Jat stir, he said. "All this will be done in a time-bound manner. Our government is committed to the welfare of the Jats," the Chief Minister said. Union Minister of State for Law and Social Justice P.P. Cahudhary said that the process for Jat resrevation in central government jobs will start after the Chairperson and other members of the National Commission for Backward Classes have been appointed. Malik said the Jats will not undertake the proposed march to Parliament on Monday. However, he said, token dharnas at some places in Haryana would continue for the time being. Khattar, who was to visit Lucknow to attend the swearing-in of Yogi Adityanath as Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh on Sunday, called off his visit to be available for parleys with Jat leaders in his state. The protest call had set alarm bells ringing in Delhi as Parliament is in session. There were apprehensions that normal life would be severely hit in the national capital, apart from the fact that students were to sit for board exams on Monday. After the Jats called off Parliament march, the Delhi Metro announced it will run normal services on Monday but there will be no exit from Patel Chowk, Central Secretariat, Udyog Bhawan and Lok Kalyan Marg stations in the heart of the capital on the Yellow Line on Monday. Police had on Saturday asked the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation to curtail its services to Haryana and Uttar Pradesh in a bid to foil the entry of Jats into Delhi. Subsequently, the Delhi Metro announced it will suspend services to Haryana and Uttar Pradesh and close 12 important stations from Sunday night. The administration had imposed prohibitory orders in 15 districts of Haryana, including Rohtak, Sonipat, Jhajjar, Bhiwani, Panipat, Hisar, Kaithal, Charkhi Dadri, Fatehabad, Jind and Sirsa. The Jat leaders were earlier in talks with a panel of government officers, but these had remained inconclusive. Violence during the agitation last year had left 30 people dead and over 200 injured. Government and private property worth hundreds of crores of rupees was damaged. The entered the 50th day on Sunday. Actress Khushbu Sundar might land a pivotal role in superstar Rajinikanth's yet-untitled next outing, to be directed by "Kabali" fame Pa. Ranjith, a source said. Khushbhu and Rajinikanth, in their heyday, have starred in Tamil films such as "Mannan", "Pandian" and "Annamalai". "It's true that Khushbhu is being considered for one of the leading roles. The makers have even initiated talks. However, she hasn't officially signed the project yet. One of the reasons being a Telugu project with Pawan Kalyan and she fears the dates for the both the projects will clash," the source told IANS. To be produced by Dhanush, the project is expected to roll from May. Tipped to be a story set against Mumbai backdrop, the makers are in talks with Vidya Balan for the leading lady's role. --IANS hp/rb/vt (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Chief Minister of Punjab Amarinder Singh on Monday said the state government will take legal opinion on whether his minister Navjot Singh Sidhu can continue to work on TV. "We will have to ask our Advocate General to give us an opinion... whether a person who is a minister can do what he wants to do. It will depend entirely on what legal position is," Amarinder Singh said in an interview on India Today TV. He was responding to a question on Sidhu's decision to continue working on TV even after becoming a minister in the state. He said he will continue to be part of the popular TV programme, "The Kapil Sharma Show". Speaking on his relationship with Sidhu, the Chief Minister said: "I have always had a very warm relationship with him and his family. They are Patiala family. The families have known each other a long time. "It is only in the political field we have been rivals in last couple of years." "I am sure we will get on well... he has given me a lot of respect, I don't expect any problems from him at all," he added. --IANS rs/lok/bg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Two Indian clerics, who had gone missing in Pakistan, returned to Delhi on Monday, family members said. Syed Asif Ali Nizami, 80, and his nephew Nazim Ali Nizami, both clerics of Delhi's Hazrat Nizamuddin Dargah, landed at the Delhi airport on Monday morning and later went to their home. "Both have reached home and are safe and sound. We had a talk and they were quite excited after coming back. We thank the Ministry of External Affairs and the central government for ensuring their safe return," said Syed Sajid Ali, son of the 80-year-old cleric. The duo on their arrival visited the Hazrat Nizamuddin Dargah and were warmly welcomed by the people. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Sunday had announced that she had spoken to the duo, they were safe and would be arriving on Monday. She had also raised the matter with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's Adviser on foreign affairs Sartaj Aziz Pakistan. On a visit to Data Darbar in Lahore, the two clerics went missing on March 15. Subsequently they were reported to have been found in a remote village of Sindh province with no cell phone connectivity. Local media reports, citing unnamed sources, said both clerics were traced to Karachi's Nazimabad neighbourhood in rural Sindh where they had apparently gone to "meet their followers, where there was no communication network", which is why they could not inform their relatives about their whereabouts. --IANS and/in/vt (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Warm weather brought flooding to northeastern Montana over the weekend and at least one waterway reached record depths. Big Muddy Creek near Antelope peaked at 17.84 feet Monday morning. That depth is more than five feet above the flood stage of 12 feet and represents a new flood standard. The streams previous record flood depth was 17.37 feet, set on April 14, 1982, said Tanja Fransen, meteorologist at the National Weather Services Glasgow station. Before the weekend flooding, Big Muddy Creek was between 5 and 7 feet deep. The Poplar River also flooded in Roosevelt County, covering some roads with water. It rose from about 3.5 feet to a peak of roughly 15.5 feet around noon on Saturday. I always say no two floods are the same, and this has proven me correct, Fransen said. She said the flooding was caused by a combination of factors. A previous thaw in February resulted in heavy slush on the waterways, and a subsequent cold snap created a thicker layer of ice than the one that preceded the warm-up. Culverts were filled with heavy ice and slush. The problem was compounded by the high level of soil saturation ahead of the winter. Now that its thawing out, the ground is not absorbing runoff. Ice on the Poplar River also began breaking up with the recent warm weather. An ice jam formed near Poplar where the river feeds the Missouri River because the latter waterway is still frozen. Fransen said flooding was reported on several major roadways, including Highway 2 in Roosevelt and Valley County, Highway 248 and Highway 13 north of Wolf Point. Conditions improved on the state highways over the weekend but have deteriorated on secondary roads. Were not totally out of the woods yet, but we should start with some improvement in the next 24 hours, Fransen said. Bainville, which sits in a large flat valley formed by an ancient river bed, was surrounded by water over the weekend as runoff made its way to the nearby Missouri River, said Dennis Portra, the town's mayor. Portra said the flooding closed roads on the edges of town. Water approached homes as it rose and multiple temporary dikes were constructed to prevent property damage. In one case, high water prevented a family from accessing their home over the weekend. However, the house wasnt threatened by water. Things have gone pretty well, Portra said. We have a tremendous amount of water, but I think were going to come out all right. BJP's Lok Sabha member Kirit Somaiya on Monday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi is the man from French soothsayer Nostradamus' prophecy, who will take India to new heights. Speaking in the Lok Sabha on the supplementary demands for grants, Somaiya said: "The prediction that Nostradamus made that a leader will emerge in the east, and will take India to new heights, Modi is that leader." Nostradamus, a famous 16th century soothsayer is said to have predicted several historic events, including the rise of Hitler and the collapse of the World Trade Centre in 2001. Similar statements were made earlier by other Bharatiya Janata Party members, including Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju who had shared the prophecy on his Facebook page. Somaiya also took a dig at the opposition for raising demonetisation issue in every debate. "When we were debating budget, they raised demonetisation. Even today (Monday) they raised it... Talking about demonetisation, they suffered devaluation so badly that one will have to search for Congress in Uttar Pradesh," Somaiya said. --IANS ao/ksk/vt (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Punjab Police has arrested a 35-year-old woman for allegedly killing her husband and then packing his body into a large suitcase to dump it. The suitcase was found from the couple's luxury BMW car. The accused, Seerat Kaur, who is closely related to a former Congress legislator, was arrested from Mohali town, 10 km from here, Mohali police officials said on Monday. Seerat has been booked for the murder of her 40-year-old husband Ekam Singh Dhillon. She allegedly used a 0.9mm pistol to shoot him in the head late on Saturday night. The couple had been married for 12 years and have two children, aged 10 and six years. Their relations had become strained in the past few years. The couple had shifted to the house in Phase 3B1 of Mohali only 15 days back. Ekam was into property dealing. The murder came to light on Sunday when Seerat allegedly tried to take away Ekam's body in a large suitcase in their car to throw it into an irrigation canal. The victim, who was six feet three inches tall, was bundled inside the suitcase with blood coming out of his body. "She sought the help of a local auto-rickshaw driver in keeping the suitcase in the car. As they were doing so, the auto driver found blood trickling out of the suitcase on his fingers. He left the place and informed the police," a Mohali police officer said. Before the police arrived on the scene, Seerat had fled as she apparently could not find the keys of the car on time. Ekam's father, Jaspal Singh Dhillon, refused to cremate the body after post-mortem examination on Monday, saying that the Punjab Police officers were not dealing with the murder case properly owing to Seerat's political influence. He and other family members of the deceased alleged that he (Ekam) was under stress over the past few months due to strained relations with Seerat. --IANS js/nir (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Legendary actor Michael Caine, 84, says he now fears dying of cancer and feels his "days are numbered". Caine has cut down on drinking alcohol and banned sugar, salt and gluten from meals, reports independent.co.uk. "I know my days are numbered and that's the main worry," Caine told The Sun newspaper. "I've had to cut back on the drinking and I'm always looking up what's the best thing against cancer, so I'll eat that or do this or not do that. "I'll probably drop dead talking to you but you know I've lost 13 kg just because I want to see my grandchildren. They're twins of six and a boy of seven. I'd like to get to 17 for the boy," he added. Caine praised his wife Shakira, 70, for helping him get out of the habit of heavy drinking. "Without her, I'd have been dead long ago. I used to drink a bottle of vodka a day and smoke several packs of cigarettes," he said. Caine, whose acting career spans over five decades, will be seen in "Going in Style", which will be released next month. --IANS sas/rb/bg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) North Korea on Monday blasted the US administration for pressurising Pyongyang with threatening remarks when US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson visited Asia recently. Tillerson said on Friday at a joint press conference with his South Korean counterpart Yun Byung-se in Seoul that all options were on the table to resolve the Korean Peninsula's nuclear issue, including diplomatic, security and economic measures, Xinhua reported. Tillerson said that a so-called "strategic patience" policy toward Pyongyang has ended, referring to the US foreign policy in the past decade under which Washington had refrained from having talks with Pyongyang before its sincere efforts at denuclearisation. The top US diplomat indicated a need for tougher UN Security Council sanctions on North Korea's nuclear programme and other weapons of mass destruction. "Pyongyang has the will and capability to fully respond to any war the US would like to ignite," said an unnamed spokesman for foreign ministry of North Korea in response to those remarks in a statement released by the state-run news agency KCNA. "What matters is that neither Obama nor Tillerson knows the reason why the DPRK had to have access to nuclear weapons and why it is dynamically bolstering up the nuclear force," said the spokesman. He called the nuclear weapons of the DPRK "treasured sword of justice" and the "most reliable war deterrence to defend the socialist motherland and the life of its people." Tillerson began on Wednesday his first three-nation Asian tour that took him to Japan, South Korea and China. --IANS ahm/ (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Investigation Agency (NIA) on Monday issued fresh notice to televangelist to appear before it in a case where he stands accused of promoting enmity between groups on religious and racial grounds. Through the notice, the agency has asked the 51-year-old Islamic preacher to appear at NIA headquarters in the capital on March 30. The agency had earlier this month issued the first notice to Naik, asking him to appear before it on March 14, which the self-exiled preacher avoided. An NIA official said that the notice was served at Naik's Mumbai-based Jasmine Apartments in Mazgaon area. Naik first shot into the limelight when his name cropped up during the investigations into the terror strike at an upscale restaurant in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on July 1. One of the terrorists involved in that attack allegedly claimed to have been inspired by Naik's speeches. The NIA later filed cases against Naik under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act for allegedly promoting enmity between groups on religious and racial grounds, and raided over a dozen offices, residential premises, his Peace TV offices and other locations, besides freezing a bank account of his NGO. Naik, who is believed to be staying in Saudi Arabia to evade arrest after his activities came under scanner, is the founding trustee of the Islamic Research Foundation (IRF), IRF Educational Trust and the Islamic Dimensions Trust. Besides, Naik has close connections with Peace TV channel, Harmony Media Pvt. Ltd., Longlast Constructions Pvt. Ltd., Right Property Solutions Pvt. Ltd., Galaxy Multichannel Network Pvt. Ltd., Majestic Perfumes Pvt. Ltd., and Alpha Lubricants Pvt. Ltd. The Enforcement Directorate has also lodged a money-laundering case against Naik and his NGO. "X-Men" star Nicholas Hoult is dating Playboy model Bryana Holly. The 27-year-old British actor has been spotted "looking really loved-up" with the bikini model, a source told The Sun, reports dailymail.co.uk. The source said: "Nicholas and Bryana have been getting close for months now. At first they spent a lot of time in Los Angeles together and even took a trip away to go hiking up the mountains. Bryana has also started flying over to London a lot so she can see Nicholas." Holly has been previously linked to Brody Jenner and Leonardo DiCaprio. On the work front, it's a hectic year for Hoult. The "Mad Max: Fury Road" actor has five new films set for release. "He is very busy with work so it's hard to get their schedules to match - but when they can see each other they do and they are having a great time together," said the source. The source added: "They've been spotted looking really loved-up, going to gigs and movies together and relaxing at Soho House. Bryana used to flaunt her relationships, always sharing selfies with Ashton (Irwin) and appearing on Brody's reality shows with him. But she's happy to be more low-key for Nick, which is a great sign." --IANS sug/rb (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) North Korea on Monday denounced the "anti-terror war" by the US as an excuse to intervene in the sovereignty of other countries. The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said the "anti-terrorism war" of the US is "state-sponsored terrorism and a new version of war of aggression against the anti-US countries for realising the imperialists' ambition for world domination". "The US has wantonly infringed upon the sovereignty and territorial integrity of other countries while escalating the 'anti-terrorism war' worldwide," said the news agency. It further said "the strategy and purpose of the US 'war on terrorism' was to train terrorists and steadily spread terrorism on one hand and perpetrate military intervention in sovereign states under the signboard of combating terrorism on the other", Xinhua news agency reported. "The US forces, which were deployed mainly in Europe during the Cold War era, are being reorganised, centring around Asia in the new century," KCNA said. --IANS soni/dg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Monday directed senior officials of the state to prepare a roadmap for "good governance and transparency" for all departments. Presiding over a meeting of the officials, Yogi handed them the Bharatiya Janata Party's vision document -- Sankalp Patra -- for the 2017 state assembly elections, and asked the bureaucrats to study the document and ensure its "speedy and complete implementation". Officials present at the meeting told IANS that the "maiden meeting with the new CM was good" though it had its "share of anxious moments". They pointed out that they knew very little about the new Chief Minister, who is known for his firebrand Hindutva-oriented . Yogi also asked policemen to ensure that law and order situation in the state improved within a week. He referred to the late-night killing of a BSP leader in Allahabad and directed the Director General of Police (DGP) to bring the guilty to book. The Chief Minister was slated to attend a high tea hosted by Governor Ram Naik at Raj Bavan for the new ministers. Earlier in the day, Yogi moved into the official Chief Minister's residence at 5, Kalidas Marg. But before he moved in, seven priests from the Gorakhnath temple in Gorakhpur, of which Yogi is the presiding priest, propitiated the gods -- performing a "Shuddhi Hawan" and "Vastu Puja" -- before a "Kalash" was placed as a sign of house warming. A priest also made the auspicious 'Swastik' symbols on both sides of the tall gate of the heavily guarded CM's residence, which was occupied by former Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav for well over five years. The sprawling bungalow will now be home to the 44-year-old Chief Minister, who is a bachelor, and some of his companions of many years, who, an insider said, would take care of the "routine puja-paath". Before moving into the 5, Kalidas Marg, the Chief Minister spent the night at a luxury suite in the state's VVIP Guest House, where many senior officials visited him and sought directions. Prominent among those who visited him included Chief Secretary Rahul Bhatnagar, Director General of Police Javeed Ahmad, senior Indian Police Service officer Sultan Singh and Surya Kumar Shukla. --IANS md/nir/vt (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Pakistan Foreign Office on Monday summoned Indian Deputy High Commissioner J.P. Singh to lodge a protest over the death of an elderly woman allegedly due to firing across the Line of Control (LoC) on March 17. A 60-year-old female resident of village Thandi Kassi died when Indian troops resorted to "unprovoked" firing in Kotli district along the LoC. The protest was also lodged over an incident of cross-border firing on Sunday when two children, aged nine- and 14-years-old, were injured, the Foreign Office said in a statement. The Indian Deputy High Commissioner was summoned by the Director General (South Asia and Saarc) and handed a demarche. Incidents of cross-border firing were reported with frequency in the last months of 2016 as tensions simmered between Pakistan and India over the Kashmir issue. Exchanges of fire have been reported sporadically since the new year began. --IANS ahm/ (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Medical services in 17 government hospitals in Maharashtra were severely hit on Monday after over 4,000 resident doctors went on a mass Casual Leave to protest growing incidents of attacks by patients' relatives. In the absence of any concrete measures by the government on their security, the resident doctors are likely to go on mass leave for a second day on Tuesday, the Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors (MARD) said. There have been at least five attacks on resident doctors in one week, including two in the past 24 hours, said Indian Medical Association (Youth) state President Sagar Mundada. "We met Mayor Vishwanath Mahadeshwar but we have not got any concrete assurances on our physical safety while on duty," Mundada said, hinting at continuing the agitation on Tuesday. Late in the evening, the BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) announced a series of tough measures to curb violence against medicos, including limiting the number of relatives who will be permitted to accompany patients. Henceforth, only two relatives of any patient shall be allowed with special passes and those found without passes shall be prosecuted, said Additional Municipal Commissioner I.A. Kundan. Earlier, while admitting that it was the duty of the civic body to ensure security, Mahadeshwar urged the medicos to resume duty by evening failing which the civic body would consider taking action against them. In this context, the BMC will ask for additional armed forces from the Maharashtra State Security Force which will be deployed in the hospitals. And entry points of each hospital would be designated for different types of patients. MARD President Yashowardhan Kabra said the sudden spate of attacks on medicos had left shattered them and "it was difficult to work under such life-threatening conditions". "There have been attacks on medicos in Mumbai Sion and Wadia hospitals after which our members decided to go on individual action of availing CL," Kabra told IANS. Simultaneously, the MARD is filing an affidavit in the Bombay High Court to highlight how its orders on doctors' security and related aspects have allegednly not yet been implemented by the state government. "In fact, last Friday we had planned a day's mass bunking which we cancelled after assurances from the government. "But that same night medicos were attacked in Sion Hospital followed by another attack yesterday," Kabra said. In Mumbai, the government hospitals hit were KEM, Sion LTMG, Nair and Sir JJ Group where a large number of resident doctors work. Their counterparts in Kolhapur Government Hospital continued to work but sported black bands. Several thousands of patients were deprived of medicare in the absence of resident doctors though senior doctors and others were handling serious or emergency cases. --IANS qn/mr (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) MISSOULA The states largest provider of workers compensation insurance would be eliminated or privatized under two bills soon to be introduced by prominent Senate Republicans. The semi-public Montana State Fund provides coverage to more than 26,000 businesses, about three-quarters of which are small and pay $5,000 or less in annual premiums. It is a nonprofit public corporation with a board of directors appointed by the governor and confirmed by the Senate, although it operates independently. It is the only provider of last resort in Montana, meaning it cannot turn away customers who private companies might not cover because of high risk levels, such as farmers and loggers. In exchange for that promise and because of its nonprofit status, the fund does not pay premium, property or income taxes like private insurers. Montana long has ranked among the most expensive states for workers compensation insurance in the country, a fact many businesses see as a deterrent to growth. The question at the heart of the proposals: Would rates drop if private companies did not have to compete with the tax advantages given to the Montana State Fund? Sen. Eric Moore, R-Miles City, believes so. He has proposed eliminating the Montana State Fund. Existing claims would be administered by the state and paid for by a trust created with the funds assets. Youll have more competition. Youll have more consumer choice, Moore said of his bill draft LC144, which will be assigned a number and likely have a hearing before the Senate Business, Labor and Economic Affairs Committee this week. Senate Majority Leader Fred Thomas, R-Stevensville, has instead suggested converting the Montana State Fund into a private company that would still be required to operate as provider of last resort. He is unsure who will carry LC993 once the draft measure is ready for introduction. If passed, the bill would require state officials to study details of a transition over the next 20 months so the appropriate legislation can be introduced in the 2019 session. The purpose of the bill is to finalize the evolution of the state of workers compensation in Montana, Thomas said, tracking the history of the state fund from a government bureau that really went bad to a well-run operation today. You finalize that evolution by turning it into a mutual insurance company thats separate from the state. Tangled in the debates soon to unfold at the Capitol are longstanding grievances against the fund real or perceived held by legislators and a Miles City insurance company paying lobbyists more than $40,000 to push for elimination of its top competitor. Montana has operated some kind of state fund for a century. The Montana State Fund, or New Fund, was formed by the Legislature to handle all new injured worker claims after the so-called Old Fund fell short of the money needed to cover its liabilities by more than $500 million primarily the result of funding raids by legislators. The Old Fund continues to administer all claims filed before 1990 with the support of state tax collections, although a 2003 raid of its reserves to plug budget holes destabilized the fund again. The Montana State Fund was given seed money by legislators to start operations, but paid that back. It does not receive state funding and uses the premiums it collects to operate. If stock markets are strong or the costs incurred by injured workers are lower than projected, any excess revenue each year is returned to customers in the form of dividends and might trigger rate decreases. Last week, the fund announced an overall rate reduction of 5 percent. Some legislators, including Moore and Butte Democrat Sen. Jim Keane, argue that Montana State Fund keeps too much money in reserves and spends too lavishly, such as the $27.6 million to construct a new Helena office for its nearly 300 employees. Keane also questions why the fund pays dividends at the end of the year rather than lowering the rates at the start. They say those choices might result in rates being higher than they should be. Theres been a push in other states to get rid of state funds and have private companies do it, Keane said. In law, what the injured workers get is covered in law. Whether its State Fund or a private insurer, they still have to get those benefits. Montana State Fund officials deny the assertions of mismanagement, noting their reserve levels are based on the recommendations of three actuaries. President Lanny Hubbard said the board of directors voted to oppose Moores bill and will hold an emergency meeting this week to decide whether to support Thomas proposal. Its difficult to say much about the two bills that arent actually bills yet with changes being made by the minute, he said. But both proposals will be disruptive to the Montana market in the immediate future. An early version of Moores bill would have swept some of assets of the dissolved State Fund into the general fund rather than put it into a trust to administer claims. That potentially would have resulted in legislators having another $200 million or more to use to fill gaps in the current budget. Moore said that provision has since been removed and, like other state trusts, could only be tapped by legislators with a super majority vote. Moore said his primary interest is to start a conversation about what Montanas workers compensation market should look like. As a rancher, he admits he is still learning some of the details but was urged to carry the bill by Keith Brownfield, a constituent who owns Victory Insurance. The company has spent more money than other insurance groups this session to push for Moores bill, at least $40,570 according to the latest lobbying disclosure filing in early February. Measured by the value of direct premiums, Brownfields company is the largest private workers compensation insurer in the state, holding about 4 percent of the market. Other provider groups might actually do more business but have it divided between multiple companies, which makes it difficult to tally. Montana State Fund reported $177,018,072 in direct premiums, or more than 60 percent of the states market. They would automatically be placed in the position of having all the business they could write, Hubbard said, calling Moores bill an attempt by Brownfield to kill off his competitor. In 2011, Victory Insurance sued several competitors, including Montana State Fund, arguing they violated the Unfair Trade Practices Act by making false, derogatory comments about the company to prospective customers. They lost in district court and the ruling was affirmed by the Montana Supreme Court. Brownfield denies having any ulterior motives for his support of Moores bill. He did say Montana State Fund was a monopolistic oligopoly whose tax advantages means they can sell rates lower than private insurers who must play by different rules. Victory doesnt have an ax to grind. Were a business. Business doesnt have much time for that, he said. Thats a distraction from the evidence thats overwhelming that states with private markets are more efficient and cheaper, he said. Were trying to point out the obvious for the public good. The merits of the proposals by Moore and Thomas are likely to be debated this week at the bills first public hearings. But Senate leaders from both parties question whether there is enough time left in the session to fully vet the proposals. Not knowing all the specifics of the bills, its Day 55 (of 90). Day 55. Im serious as a heart attack. These two guys want to do bills that need three months of looking over, said Minority Whip Tom Facey, a Missoula Democrat who has served four terms on the business committee that reviews workers compensation changes. Senate President Scott Sales said he generally supports the concept of privatizing Montana State Fund as proposed in Thomas bill, but he was willing to consider Moores proposal. Historically speaking, the Legislature has not made really good decisions late in the session on big issues, the Bozeman Republican said, referencing the 1997 bill carried by Thomas to deregulate Montanas electricity market seen by many as rushed to implementation. And so I would be very cautious before we make a change of this magnitude without really having a firm grasp on what either of these bills do. Its a big issue. It affects a lot of people. Pope Francis on Monday begged forgiveness for the church's failures during the 1994 Rwandan Genocide in which close to one million ethnic Tustis were killed. The papal statement followed Francis' meeting with Rwandan President Paul Kagame and First Lady Jeannette Kagame at the Vatican, reported Efe news. The Pope acknowledged that several members of the Catholic Church in that country "succumbed to hatred and violence, betraying their own evangelical mission". In the statement, the Pope "expressed the desire that this humble recognition of the failings of that period, which unfortunately disfigured the face of the church, may contribute to a 'purification of memory' and may promote, in hope and renewed trust, a future of peace". The Catholic Church in Rwanda had in November 2016 issued an official apology for its role in the genocide and Pope John Paul II made a similar call for forgiveness in 2000. The church became implicated in 100-day genocide when several of its officials were found to have helped aid and plan the programme of ethnic-cleansing led by extremist Hutus against Tutsis and moderate Hutus. --IANS soni/dg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) It was a spectacular celebration. The beating of drums, sprinkling of colours, group songs, dancing continued well after dusk. As I watched from my window, a thought crossed my mind: Why had we not been invited? Ours is the only Muslim home in the colony, but a pride of place has always been accorded to us in all celebrations, including Holi. We have inherited this knack of integration from our elders. The Mahant of Shiv Sharan Das temple in Lucknow always made special "bhang"-free "thandai" for my father on Holi. I called up the President of the Residents Welfare Association (RWA) to register my protest. He was vacationing at Corbett Park. There had been deaths in the neighbourhood; RWA had therefore not organised a Holi celebration. It was private initiative -- some friends had come together for the festivities. We know them well, but they probably did not include us in their list of revellers because they thought we may not be in the celebration mode or in depression at the turn of political events. Such are the ogres imagination conjures up. Yes, one is afflicted by deep anxiety, but Narendra Modi's extraordinary victory is only a fraction of the problem. The anxiety is accentuated by the context in which is unfolding. Spaces for open discussion -- political, social, economic and cultural -- are shrinking. In any case they are all in the hands of philistinism and propaganda. This afflicts not all of the media, but a large chunk of it. A creeping voicelessness therefore is our anxiety. I was with family in Mustafabad, my village near Rae Bareli, where my sister keeps a television with its tube burnt out -- no images only sound. It is surrealistic. We heard the election results in stupefied, stunned silence. My cousin Asghar broke the silence. "The state of the Muslims in the country is just like your television, Suraiya -- blind but noisy." Suraiya asked: "How have the Muslims fared?" Asghar: "They have helped the BJP win and now they are terrified at the outcome: Khuda ko aihle Jahaan Jub banaa chuke to, Firaq Pukar uthe ki, isi ne Hamein banaya tha. (After men had completed making their God. Look, they screamed, it is He who made us)" Juggle around with this couplet and you get a fair idea of how Muslims are themselves responsible for the rise of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). First they help strengthen the BJP, then they cry: We are afraid. Suraiya was angry. She sought my intervention. "Why blame the Muslims?" she asked. I said: "Asghar is right. Blindfolded by their myopic mullahs, Muslims have since Partition followed false Gods." Asghar chipped in: "The headline story one day was: Mayawati to field 100 Muslim candidates. The media lapped it up. The 100 Muslim candidates became a chant, mornings, afternoons, evenings." Next headline: Akhilesh-Rahul Gandhi alliance will attract Muslim votes. Will Rahul repel Muslim votes because of Congress inaction during the demolition of Babri Masjid? Will Akhilesh be able to neutralise Muslim anger against the Congress? Muslim, Muslim, Muslim. Do you think this "Muslim, Muslim" incantation is honeyed music even to the most moderate Hindu? It is custom-made for Hindu consolidation. Suraiya asked: "Which party then should the Muslims have supported?" There was silence. "None," I said. "What do you mean?" Suraiya persisted. "The only role at this juncture for Indian Muslims in India's electoral is to enable Hindu consolidation. This may not occur to the Muslim voter, but this is the consequence of his ." Basically, the Muslim is not at fault. The Congress is -- from the very beginning. When it agreed with Lord Louis Mountbatten and Mohammad Ali Jinnah to Partition the country on religious lines, it had diluted its own stand on the two-nation theory -- Hindus and Muslims constituted two separate nations. Once you created Muslim Raj (Pakistan), India had glided seamlessly from British Raj to Hindu Raj. I have argued this case in my book: "Being the Other: The Muslim in India". A fair bargain could have been struck with the Muslim even at that stage, avoiding all the hypocrisy about secularism. The leaderless Muslim, mesmerised by Nehruvian blandishments, pitched his tent in the Congress park as its permanent vote bank. In the 1980s, V.N. Gadgil, General Secretary of the Congress, took me into confidence. "Muslim appeasement is beginning to rankle with the Congress' Hindu base." This "appeasement" was exposed by the Sachar Committee Report in 2005. Successive Congress governments had brought Muslim socio-economic status down even below the Dalits. Some appeasement. After the Muslim vote defected en masse from the Congress following the demolition of Babri Masjid in 1992, a seering truth has settled in the Muslim mind. The Congress had cheated the community from day one. So he left the Congress but having done so, where should he go? Rank casteist parties -- Samajwadi Party (SP) and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) -- opened their doors. In a daze, the Muslim walked in as an enabler of casteist power. There was nothing in it for him. And now, Congress, SP, BSP are all fallen icons, piled up in a lifeless heap. Where should the Muslim go? Suraiya's was the last word. "Are you saying we should not complain about the BJP's anti-Muslim plank? They were open on where they wanted to take the nation? Our plaint should be registered against parties which pretended to protect our interest but knowingly or unknowingly facilitated the BJP's Hindu Rashtra? With rampaging hatred against Pakistan, unsettled conditions in Kashmir, it is custom-made to target us as the Other against which Hindu consolidation will progress." Had "Hindu Raj" been accepted at the outset, she added profoundly, the excruciating process of welding "Hindu Rashtra" from the caste pyramid would have been avoided. The Muslim was used as a foil in this process. This hurt. (A senior commentator on political and diplomatic affairs, Saeed Naqvi can be reached on saeednaqvi@hotmail.com. The views expressed are personal.) --IANS naqvi/mr/sac (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) President Pranab Mukherjee on Monday greeted the people of Iran on the eve of Nowruz and said he was looking forward to further strengthening relations between both the countries. In a message to the President of Iran Hassan Rouhani, Mukherjee said, "On the occasion of Nowruz, I extend warm greetings and best wishes to you, the government and the friendly people of Islamic Republic of Iran." Nowruz is Iranian New Year also known as Persian New Year which falls on the occasion of the spring equinox when the sun crosses the equator. This festival usually occurs on March 21. Mukherjee said the close friendship and cooperation between India and Iran were built on historical, civilisational and cultural ties spanning more than two millennium. "In modern times, our bilateral relations are defined by close and multifaceted cooperation in diverse fields." "We look forward to developing our mutually beneficial partnership to greater heights in the coming years," the President said. --IANS am/lok/bg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Major Rohit Suri of the Parachute Regiment was conferred the second highest peacetime gallantry award Kirti Chakra by President Pranab Mukherjee here on Monday for successfully leading the army team that carried out cross-border surgical strike last year. Suri, who was the mission leader of the team which was tasked to carry out the operation against the hideouts of the terrorists across the border, ensured the execution of the task by "his exemplary leadership and courage beyond the call of duty" and eliminated four terrorists in close-quarter combat, an official release said. Member of the same team, Naib Subedar Vijay Kumar of the Parachute Regiment was presented the Shaurya Chakra for gunning down two terrorists. Corporal Gursevak Singh of the Indian Air Force (Security), who was killed while fighting terrorists at the Pathankot air base in January last year, was posthumously conferred the Shaurya Chakra. The Gallantry Awards and Distinguished Service Decorations were presented by the President at a Defence Investiture Ceremony held at Rashtrapati Bhavan in the presence of Vice President Hamid Ansari, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Finance and Defence Minister Arun Jaitley. The President awarded 13 Shaurya Chakras, which include six posthumous awards. Posthumous winners of the third highest peacetime gallantry award are: Ashu Singh, a Chief Mechanical Engineer who died while trying to control a fire onboard aircraft carrier INS Viraat last year; Naik Shinde Shankar Chandrabhan who died in an operation against terrorists in Kupwara; Captain Tushar Mahajan, Lance Naik Om Prakash and Captain Pawan Kumar who died fighting terrorists hiding in a Pampore building in February 2016. The President also presented 22 Ati Vishisht Seva Medals, one Bar to Ati Vishisht Seva Medal, three Uttam Yuddh Seva Medals and 15 Param Vishisht Seva Medals. Param Vishisht Seva Medal winners included Lt. Gen. Praveen Bakshi, head of Eastern Command of the Indian Army, and Lt. Gen. Manoj Kumar Unni, Director General Armed Forces Medical Services. The surgical strikes on terrorist launchpads across the Line of Control were conducted in September last year following a militant attack on an Indian Army camp in Uri district of Jammu and Kashmir that left 19 jawans dead. --IANS ao-spk/lok/nir (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Relatives of four of the five workers from Telangana who died in a fire in Abu Dhabi will leave for the UAE on Tuesday to give DNA samples for identification of bodies. Five workers from Telangana were killed in the accident in a labour camp Reem Island on October 19 in Abu Dhabi. They were working for Gulf Dunes Landscaping & Agricultural Services Co. The body of Pitla Naresh of Kamareddy distruct was identified and the mortal remains were brought to India in January. The bodies of Rakesh Thota, Prakash Malavath, Abhilesh Gandla and Naresh Muchindla where charred beyond recognition. The Indian embassy in the UAE had asked the NRI department in Telangana to prepare a close relative each of the deceased for journey to Abu Dhabi to give DNA samples. The state government prepared the passports of the four relatives of the deceased apart from two family members as accompanying escorts. Necessary arrangements have been made to facilitate the travel of the six persons. The NRI department said visas and air travel tickets were arranged for them. The officials of the Indian Embassy will receive them at Abu Dhabi where they are likely to stay for a week before returning to India. --IANS ms/mr (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) South Korea's former President Park Geun-hye will deliver a message before being questioned by the prosecution this week over a string of corruption allegations, her lawyer said on Monday. "Park Geun-hye has prepared a message. She will deliver it as she heads to the prosecutors' office," her lawyer Son Bum-kyu told the media. However, he declined to elaborate, Yonhap News Agency reported. Park, the country's first democratically elected leader to be ousted, is set to undergo questioning at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office on Tuesday morning. The former President has been named a criminal suspect for allegedly abusing her power and colluding with her longtime friend Choi Soon-sil in extorting money from local conglomerates. Park has so far rejected a direct investigation as the nation's president is immune from criminal prosecution. The Constitutional Court's decision to oust her earlier this month stripped her of the privilege. --IANS ksk/vt (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Around a thousand people have signed a petition seeking protection for independent journalist Sandhya Ravishankar, who is under threat for exposing the sand mafia in Tamil Nadu, a rights body said on Monday in a statement. "Magsaysay award winners, musician T.M. Krishna, social activist Aruna Roy and Professor Lakshmanan are among those who have signed a petition started by friends of Sandhya concerned about her safety following the threats to her," a statement from a consortium of several civil societies working for transparency and judicial accountability in the country said. The Chennai-based journalist in a series of articles written for the online new website Wire.in had exposed the "illegal sand mining" racket rampant in the state. In doing that, she also detailed the rise to the top of ace mining-baron S. Vaikundarajan -- "country's largest miner and exporter of rare earth minerals". After Ravishankar targeted Vaikundarajan, she began to get abusive, anonymous calls, threatening her of dire consequences. However, she hasn't found herself alone and is getting support from civil society members, who have voiced their concern by being signatories to a petition started by her friends. "Sandhya through her extensive series of articles has raised some of these vital questions. Threats to her are an attempt to quell all awareness and discussion on the very subject of sand mining mafia, and is not merely an isolated attack on an individual. "Moreover, the nature of the threats indicate how social media is falling prey to the hands of anti-social elements, who use this to target women freely," social activist Aruna Roy said in the statement. Environmentalist Nityanand Jayaraman exhorted police to do an exemplary job and inspire confidence in public by acting against those threatening Ravishankar. "If poets, artists, thinkers and independent-minded journalists are silenced, a country loses its conscience. At a time when kleptocracy is in the spotlight in the state, the brazen threats by the beach sand mafia assume increased significance. The police should act in a manner that inspires public confidence," he said. In the petition launched on March 17, Ravishankar said she was called a "fake" and "corrupt" journalist after her articles, and her contact number was also revealed on Facebook and Twitter account by "anonymous trolls supporting Mr S. Vaikundarajan". Since receiving threats, she has lodged complaints with Press Council of India, the Indian Women's Press Corps, The Editor's Guild, the Chennai police and the Cyber Crime Cell. --IANS vn/sm/dg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Supreme Court on Monday sought data on unsold vehicles which are Bharat Stage-III (BS-III) emission norms-compliant as the Environment Pollution Control Authority (EPCA) sought to enforce a government notification prohibiting the sale of such vehicles from April 1. Asking the Society of Indian Automobile Manufactures (SIAM) to get the figures of unsold BS-III emission norm-compliant vehicles from the automobile manufacturing companies, the bench headed by Justice Dipak Misra said it would decide on their pleas to allow the sale of BS-III vehicles beyond March 31 after examining the figures. Senior counsel Harish Salve who is amicus curiae in the matter told the court that the 2015 notification clearly barred the sale of BS-III vehicles beyond March 31 and automakers were given enough time. The court sought data on the unsold BS-III vehicles after automobile manufacturers opposed the EPCA plea for the enforcement of curbs on the sale of BS-III vehicles from April 1 this year. The EPCA had cited 2015 notification of the Road Transport and Highways Ministry backing its plea. The ministry had in August 2015 said vehicles not conforming to BS-IV emission norms would be barred from being manufactured or sold after April 1. However, the Society of Indian Automobile Manufactures and the automobile manufacturers contended that they could not be barred from selling their BS-III norm-compliant vehicles as they were permitted to manufacture them till March 31. The manufacturers contended that the 2015 notification only said that they would start manufacturing BS-IV emission norm-compliant vehicles from April and they were permitted to manufacture BS-III vehicles till March 31. The court fixed the next hearing for March 24. --IANS pk/lok/dg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Monday ordered to reopen the Pakistan-Afghanistan border with immediate effect. The Prime Minister said that the decision was taken as a goodwill gesture as the countries enjoy "religious, cultural and historical ties", reported Dawn newspaper. Pakistan sealed the Torkham border crossing with Afghanistan for an indefinite period in the aftermath of a bombing at the Lal Shehbaz Qalandar shrine in Sindh province last month. At least 72 persons were killed in the blast. The border crossing was sealed for all kinds of trade and commercial activities due to security concerns. However, earlier in March, Pakistan temporarily opened the border crossings at Torkham and Chaman to allow stranded Afghan nationals to return to their country. The border crossings remained open on March 7 and 8 "in order to provide an opportunity to those nationals of Afghanistan who had come to Pakistan on valid visas and wish to return to their country", a press release by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had stated. The newly-built Pakistan Gate on the Torkham border was opened in August 2016, albeit without a formal ceremony. Clashes between Pakistani and Afghan security forces over the construction of the border gate last year left four soldiers dead on both sides, said the report. --IANS soni/vt (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Monday said that strategic ties with Washington won't prevent India from raising issues concerning Indians and Indian Diaspora with the US. Replying to a question in the Rajya Sabha on hate crimes against Indians in the US, she said that for the Modi government, the interests of Indians preceded strategic partnership with any country. "Strategic partnership does not mean we will ignore the interests of the Indians (living in US)," she said in reply to a question raised by CPI's D. Raja. "For us, strategic partnership is secondary. The safety and security of Indians and people of Indian origin is primary. Have no doubts that we would keep silent because we have strategic relations with a country." Addressing concerns raised by members as to whether a trend in hate crimes was emerging in the US, Sushma Swaraj said New Delhi was "closely monitoring" the situation. "Till date, the US authorities are saying these are sporadic incidents. But we are watching if a trend is emerging. We are sure the US authorities would not let it become these hate crimes a trend." In last few weeks, at least three incidents of attacks on Indians in the US have been reported. On February 22, Srinivas Kuchibhotla, a 32-year-old Indian engineer, was shot dead by a US national, Adam Purinton, in a bar in Kansas. On March 2, Harnish Patel, a US national of Indian origin, was shot dead by unknown individuals in Lancaster, South Carolina. On March 4, Deep Rai, also a US national of Indian origin, was shot by an unknown person near Seattle, allegedly after being asked to leave the country. "The government has taken up this issue with the US government at very high levels and conveyed our deep concerns. We have called for necessary measures to ensure the safety and security of Indian Diaspora and expeditious investigation into these incidents," she said in her statement earlier. She pointed out that President Donald Trump said on February 28 that the US "stands united in condemning hate and evil in all its forms". "Several Senators and Congressmen have also expressed their condolences and regret over the tragic incidents. They have been deeply appreciative of the contribution and role of the Indian community in the US. "I would like to reassure this House and the members that safety and security of Indian Diaspora abroad remains a top priority for this government. "We are in a continuous dialogue with the US government. Close contacts with the local Indian community groups are being maintained through our embassy and consulates to address any emergent issues," she said. --IANS mak-sk/mr (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Following a father's YouTube SOS that his daughter was being mistreated by her in-laws in Pakistan, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Monday said the Indian High Commission had met the victim and was ensuring her safety and return to India. Sushma Swaraj tweeted that she received a YouTube message from Mohammad Akbar that his daughter Mohammadia Begum, an Indian national, was married to a person in Pakistan "and was being ill-treated by her in-laws". "Our mission sent a Note Verbale requesting the safety, security and well-being of Mohammadia Begum," she said. "Our High Commission officials met Mohammadia Begum and she expressed her desire to return to India." As the Hyderabad woman's passport had expired last year, Sushma asked the Indian High Commission to renew her Indian passport and facilitate her return to India. Meanwhile, Mohammedi Begum (the name on her passport) spoke to her mother Hajara Begum over phone and informed that her husband Muhammad Younis beat her up and locked her in a room after Indian High Commission officials met her. The 44-year-old broke down while narrating the ill-treatment at the hands of her husband and in-laws. The mother advised her to have patience and wait for the help from the High Commission. Hajara Begum said Younis had been abusing her daughter. "He even tells the children to keep themselves away from her as she is a Hindustani and all Hindustanis are Hindus." Younis has even threatened that he will not allow her go back to India alive. He reportedly married another woman, a Pakistani. Hajara Begum said her daughter had turned very weak due to physical and mental torture and needs immediate medical help. Mohammedi Begum and Younis have five children -- three sons and two daughters. The youngest son is nine-year-old and he was born in Pakistan while the other children were born in Muscat, Oman. "If the children come with her that will be good but my appeal is that she should be brought home immediately," said Hajara Begum. It was on March 16 that Sushma had sought a report from India High Commissioner Gautam Bambawale. Mohammedi Begum's father Mohammed Akbar, a cycle mechanic, had earlier sent an e-mail to Sushma Swaraj in January seeking her help in bringing back his daughter. He alleged that Muhammad Younis, who concealed his actual nationality and claimed to be from Oman, married her in 1996. The 'nikah' was performed over telephone through some agent and Begum joined Younis, a mechanic, in Muscat. After 12 years of marriage, Begum got a shock when Younis, who had lost his job, disclosed that he was a Pakistani. Mohammedi Begum had visited Hyderabad in 2012. Her father said this was her only visit to India in 21 years. --IANS ms/lok (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Members of British band The Dire Straits Experience, after their debut India tour, are enthused to find out more about the music of the country. They performed in Gurugram on March 17 and in Bengaluru on March 19 as part of 100 Pipers 'Play for a Cause', an initiative that will this year focus on helping to provide sustainable drinking water to villagers in Rajasthan. Original Dire Straits band mates Chris White and Chris Whitten were here, supported in the lead by Terence Reis, Tim Walters, Simon Carter, Danny Schogger and Paul Geary to perform hits like "Money for nothing", "Walk of life, "Brothers in arms", "Sultans of swing", "Romeo and Juliet" and "Tunnel of Love". Chris White spoke about wanting to visit the Akshardham Temple in Delhi, but could not manage time for it. However, he said he is still eager to visit the place and will definitely plan it the next time he comes to the country. The band members were amazed to see the love for their music in India, and they were encouraged to discover more about the Indian music scenario. Chris White, in fact, said he would try and seek help to list the works of great musicians in the country. He also spoke of how the "power of music is incredible and it brings together people across nations and cultures". --IANS rb/bg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Prime Minister Theresa May will trigger Britain's exit from the European Union on March 29, a government spokesperson said on Monday. Downing Street said Britain's ambassador to the EU, Tim Barrow, notified the EU of May's intention verbally. "The Prime Minister will deliver her letter triggering Article 50 to President (Donald) Tusk on Wednesday (March 29), and deliver a statement to announce the move," a No.10 spokesperson said. He said that May expected negotiations to "start promptly". Once Article 50 is invoked it will be up to the EU to come back with an early response expected within 48 hours, reported the Independent. The invocation of the Lisbon Treaty article will formally begin Brexit negotiations. The move will begin a two-year negotiating period during which the EU and Britain will try to agree the terms of Brexit and reach a separate deal on the shape of their future relationship. The period can only be made longer by way of a unanimous vote of all European countries' governments. If no deal is reached by the end of the period, Britain will crash out of the EU with no deal and revert to World Trade Organisation rules. Brexit Secretary David Davis said: "Last June, the people of the UK made the historic decision to leave the EU. Next Wednesday, the government will deliver on that decision and formally start the process by triggering Article 50." "We are on the threshold of the most important negotiation for this country for a generation. "The government is clear in its aims: a deal that works for every nation and region of the UK and indeed for all of Europe - a new, positive partnership between the UK and our friends and allies in the European Union," he said. --IANS soni/dg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Federation of All India Farmers Associations (FAIFA) on Monday urged the Health and the Finance ministries to levy low taxation on tobacco crops under the new GST regime as it will affect the economic condition of the farmers. The livelihood of nearly 4.6 crore farmers depends on the tobacco crop, which already sees imposition of high taxation due to the health problems caused by it. "GST is a once in a lifetime opportunity for the government to remove anomalies in tobacco taxation in India and bring a fair relief to the tobacco farmers without compromising on its tobacco control goals," said Murali Babu, General Secretary, FAIFA in a statement. "The last prevailing taxation framework has been taking away livelihood of FCV (Flue-Cured Virginia/Traditional) tobacco farmers and has promoted smuggling of cigarettes which has reached alarming levels," he added. Apart from Health Minister J.P. Nadda and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, FAIFA, which represents millions of farmers growing commercial crops, has written to the Prime Minister's Office, Ministry of Agriculture and Ministry of Commerce and Industry. According to FAIFA, while most industry segments are cheering and eagerly waiting for an early roll-out of GST, the FCV tobacco farmers are concerned that it should not spell doom for their livelihood. The farmers have urged the government not to discriminate against the tobacco growers under GST. "GST is an opportunity to remove tax arbitrage in tobacco taxation and disincentivise illegal and contraband products which have been flooding the Indian market. GST is also an opportunity to remove discrimination among various classes of tobacco farmers. There should not be any discrimination among cigarette, bidi, chewing tobacco farmers," said Babu. This labour-intensive crop which provides livelihood to 4.6 crore farmers and farm labour besides retailers and bidi workers etc. has been witnessing a continued onslaught in terms of punitive and sustained increase in taxation and impractical regulations over the past few years now. FAIFA said that for the first time in independent India, 22 FCV farmers have committed suicide in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Karnataka. According to the FAIFA General Secretary, the suicides of tobacco farmers were a result of the excessive increase in the excise duties levied on tobacco products. Stating that no other country in the world has a huge and widespread dependence on the tobacco crop for livelihood, FAIFA said the ongoing distress of the farmers and others dependent on tobacco for their livelihood makes it very important for policy makers in India to strike a balance between the country's excessive cigarette taxation and regulations and the livelihood of people. "The socio-economic importance of tobacco and its employment-generation capacity should not be overlooked while framing tobacco taxation and regulatory policies in India," said Babu. --IANS rup/sm/dg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) US President Donald Trump will host Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi at the White House on Monday. As he left Iraq for the US on Sunday, Abadi said Iraqi forces were close to ridding the country of the Islamic State (IS) and that he would talk to the US administration about the final steps needed, CNN reported. "We are in the last chapter, the final stages to eliminate IS militarily in Iraq," he said in a video statement. Abadi said he hoped the US and other allies would continue to offer economic assistance to Iraq, which he said faced a financial crisis as a result of the war against the militant group. Trump last week announced a $54 billion increase in US defence spending. If approved by the Congress, over $3 billion of the additional money would be allocated to the fight against the IS, including $2 billion for a flexible fund that would allow the Pentagon to decide how to utilise resources in support of the new counter-IS strategy. Iraq was removed from the revised version of Trump's travel ban order, following intensive lobbying from Baghdad at the highest levels, a senior US official told CNN. The pressure from the Iraq officials included a phone call between Trump and Abadi on February 10 and an in-person conversation between Abadi and Vice President Mike Pence in Munich, Germany, on February 18. --IANS soni/vt (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Human Resource Development (HRD) Minister Prakash Javadekar assured Parliament on Monday that the process of faculty recruitment in universities has begun and all vacant posts will be filled up in one year's time. "The question which was pending for the last 10 years is solved... we are tracking it every month and the recruitment is on... and all recruitment of ad hoc teachers and permanent posts will be done in one year's time," Javadekar informed the Lok Sabha during Question Hour. He said recruitment is being monitored, and through a mechanism that they have devised, all vacancies will be notified and kept on the recruiting agency's portal which will be revamped every 15 days. The vacancy information will also be made available on UGC website through a link, he said. "We are doing everything to fill up the posts, and I can assure you that I will report you the progress in days to come," the minister said. --IANS vn/sm/dg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Actress Aditi Rao Hydari on Monday said working with ace filmmaker Mani Ratnam in forthcoming Tamil romantic drama "Kaatru Veliyidai" was very nourishing. At the film's audio launch here, Aditi told media: "It's a very special film. My life-long dream to work with Mani Ratnam has come true." She went on to add that to work with the "Roja" filmmaker was like "taking a booster shot of vitamin". "It was nourishing," she added. On a funny note, she also said that Ratnam can't get rid of her and that she would love to collaborate with him again. Paired with Karthi, she plays a doctor in the film. Produced by Sri Thenandal Films, the film is slated for release on April 7. --IANS hp/rb/bg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Reaffirming its commitment to 'Make in India' after logging $1 billion in revenue in the country last year, Chinese smartphone-maker Xiaomi on Monday announced its second manufacturing unit in partnership with Taiwanese electronics major Foxconn in Andhra Pradesh. With the new manufacturing plant also at Sri City, in Andhra Pradesh, more than 95 percent of Xiaomi's smartphones sold in India will be manufactured in the country. Xiaomi will now have a combined production capacity of one phone per second during operational hours. "We are present in 20 markets globally but India tops in terms of volume and is also the fastest growing market for us. All eyes are on this market and we will continue to do what we are doing and provide great after sales service and experience for our users," Manu Jain, Vice President and Managing Director, Xiaomi India, told IANS. The company also launched Rs 5,999 Redmi 4A smartphone powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 425 processor paired up 2GB of RAM. Xiaomi entered India in July 2014 and quickly announced plans to establish its first manufacturing plant. The first plant went live in August 2015 and by March 2016, over 75 percent of its phones were being manufactured in India. The plant has also helped create employment for more than 5,000 people from over 100 surrounding villages. More than 90 percent of the workforce employed are women. The new phone with 5-inch-HD display features 13MP rear camera, 5MP front facing camera with Beautify mode and houses 3,120mAh battery. Consumers can buy Redmi 4A starting March 23, 12 p.m. onwards exclusively on Mi.com and Amazon. "With this new plant and our latest Redmi 4A, we are truly excited to be playing a role in enhancing the quality of life for people in India and being a part of the fabric of the country," added Jain. --IANS anuj/na/vt (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) So what did Samajwadi Party senior leader Mulayam Singh Yadav whisper to Prime Minister Narendra Modi when the two met at the swearing-in of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath? Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders feigned ignorance, but Mulayam Singh sat next to Information and Broadcasting Minister M Venkaiah Naidu, and the two chatted the entire length of the oath taking ceremony of the new Uttar Pradesh council of ministers. According to sources, Mulayam Singh told Naidu that it was a mistake for his son Akhilesh Yadav to strike an alliance with the Congress. Apparently, Mulayam Singh told the senior BJP leader it was in protest that he addressed only three public meetings and largely kept himself away from his partys election campaign. Mulayam Singh, who is known to have a phenomenal memory remembering faces and names of political workers, also kept telling Naidu about the background of the ministers being sworn in and expressed satisfaction that the new council of ministers will have at least one Muslim face. The BJP and its allies didnt field a single Muslim among their 403 candidates for UP assembly. Possibly because the party is apprehensive that Prime Minister Narendra Modi might lose his support base among the educated middle class, senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders on Monday claimed that the PM had no role to play in the choice of as the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh. Sen. Heidi Heitkamp, D-N.D., says shes been weighing federal agency heads nominated for President Donald Trumps administration with as open a mind as possible, though one pick she voted for could be a concern if a confirmation hearing promise isnt upheld. Heitkamp discussed the new administrations agency heads, the recent federal budget proposal and her legislative priorities during a Friday meeting with the Tribune editorial board. Heitkamp has crossed the aisle to vote with Republicans on some of Trumps nominees thus far, including former Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt who was tapped to lead the EPA. Pruitt had been a major critic of the EPA during the Obama administration, suing the agency more than a dozen times. Heitkamp said one key reason she voted for him was his promise, during confirmation hearings, to maintain the Renewable Fuel Standard Program, which mandates an increased use of ethanol to be blended into the countrys fuel supply annually. I will regret (my) vote on Pruitt if he breaks his promise, Heitkamp said. Another shes still weighing is U.S. Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch. After meeting with him recently, she said she found him to have a very sharp legal mind and a strong resume. Hes currently on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit. She didnt disclose whether at this point shed vote for him, but hopes there is a fair up-or-down vote on him following confirmation hearings. Heitkamp said he should get a vote and that there should not be a repeat of the Merrick Garland nomination by former President Barack Obama, which was shelved by Republicans for several months prior to Novembers election. Two wrongs dont make a right, Heitkamp said. The stalling of Garlands nomination by Republicans until after the election, effectively killing his nomination, angered Democrats in Congress who called such efforts unprecedented. As for her priorities in Congress, Heitkamp said its critically important to plug away at crafting a new Farm Bill. The hope is to have a new bill passed in 2018; the current bill was passed in 2014 after expiring in 2012. Heitkamp has said since last fall she expects strong bipartisan cooperation in the Senate on crafting legislation but that debate over conservation, food stamps and other items could slow efforts in the House. The 2014 bill provided funding for North Dakota farmers to utilize conservation practices on their land. Research dollars will also be important for North Dakota while the state navigates through a budget crunch. How a new Farm Bill may look at this point is unknown given the budgetary priorities of the new administration. Regarding the proposed 21 percent cuts to the U.S. Department of Agriculture budget released by President Donald Trump, Heitkamp expects there to be bipartisan resistance to such deep cuts. Shes also concerned over other proposed cuts, such as a proposed 31 percent to the EPA and 5.6 percent cuts to the Department of Energy. Heitkamp said shes concerned about the impact it could have on various grant programs for infrastructure and clean coal technology. Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut on Sunday said that BJP leaders had claimed in the past that their party, as a policy, was against the creation of deputy chief minister's post. It has now created the same post in Uttar Pradesh, he pointed out, speaking to PTI. "Shiv Sena never demanded the post (during the talks between two parties for alliance in Maharashtra). The issue of deputy chief minister came up during meetings with BJP leaders where they said it was BJP's policy decision not to create such a post," Raut said. In Uttar Pradesh, the Yogi Adityanath's government which was sworn in on Sunday has two deputy CMs. Love him or hate him, is what the democratic process produced. A five-term Lok Sabha MP, BJP leader Yogi Adityanath, who was sworn-in as Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh on Sunday, has often been quoted as a symbol of communal strife and intolerance by the Opposition. He is hailed as a fiery Hindutva mascot by his supporters. In the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, led the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to a famous victory on the back of a narrative that articulated the hopes and aspirations of the youth. For the 2019 polls, the Modi government believes that as part of its pro-poor focus, it should roll out schemes that help empower women, which the party hopes to cultivate as its dedicated support base. In a major haul, Crime branch of Rajasthan police today seized 1,000 cartons of liquor having an estimated worth of Rs 50 lakh being smuggled to Gujarat from Haryana. Acting on a tip-off, police stopped a container truck which was coming from Narnaul of Haryana, at check-post near Daulatpura toll plaza in Harmada police station area. During the search, 1,000 cartons of liquor were found. When the driver could give any satisfactory reply, we seized the liquor and container, DCP (crime), Vikas Pathak said. Naurang Yadav (40), the driver of the container, who is a resident of Neemrana, was arrested and booked under the Sections of Excise Act, Pathak added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) : Two persons wanted in connection with the murder of a Dravida Viduthalai Kazhakam worker surrendered before a Judicial Magistrate Court here today. Saddam Hussain, resident of Podanur in the city, arrived at the court this morning with his advocate and surrendered. His advocate claimed there was no proof of the involvement of his client in the murder. Hussain decided to surrender since his name was on the list of suspects along with five others, he said. Another man Shamsuddin, hailing from Karumbukadai, surrendered before the same court in the evening, police said. One Asrath, also of Podanur had already surrendered before the court on March 17 in connection with the murder of Farooq the previous night. Both Saddam and Shamsuddin were remanded to 14 days judicial custody and ordered to be produced on April four. The murder was reportedly the result of Farooq's anti religious, anti-God posts in the social media for the last few months. Meanwhile, the Federation of Muslim Organisations, Jamaaths and Parties requested police to probe the real reason behind the murder. "There are some doubts arising in the minds of people about the murder. Anti-religion posts alone could not be the reason behind it. Police should unveil the mystery behind the murder, Federation convener Inayatulllah told reporters here. Representatives of about 10 organisations like Indian Union Muslim League, Manitaneya Makkal Katchi, Tamil Nadu Muslim Munnetra Kazhaka, Popular Front of India, SDPI, Students Islamic Organisations comprised the Federation. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A 28-year-old man was allegedly beaten to death by a mob on suspicion of committing theft at a haystack godown in northwest Delhi's Swaroop Nagar. The incident happened last night and the mob allegedly dumped his body in an open field at Vijay Chowk area near Swaroop Nagar, police said. Shankar lost consciousness due to the thrashing and he was dumped in the field. The incident came to light at 7.15 am today after a passerby discovered the body and called the police control room. The victim was sent to a nearby hospital where doctors declared him dead. Shankar lived with his family at C-block in Jahangirpuri and was unmarried and jobless. Nobody from the mob informed police about the man's death. Instead of taking the injured man to a hospital, the attackers tried to destroy the evidence by dumping the body some 400 metres away from the place where the man was mercilessly thrashed. It has also been found that the attackers attempted to change Shankar's clothes after his death, police said. If these allegations are found to be true, the accused might also be charged with destruction of evidence along with murder charges. The involvement of five persons was established when during the probe they met a local security guard, Jai Kumar, and learnt that he had witnessed the mob lynching. Kumar told police that he was returning home after work when he saw a group of five to six men beating up a man. "The attackers had pinned down Shankar and were thrashing him. Around a dozen men were standing and watching the thrashing as spectators. The guard was scared seeing the thrashing and neither informed police nor made an attempt to rescue the man," said a senior police officer Police is probing whether Shankar was a thief. They are yet to establish the exact sequence of events that led to his murder. Few persons have been detained in connection with the murder and the fact that he was lynched by the mob has been confirmed, said the officer. "Shankar was allegedly caught red-handed stealing iron plates and other items from the godown. It has been learnt that similar thefts had taken place in the area and the accused suspected it to be the handiwork of Shankar," said the officer. Police is verifying his antecedents to find out if he was previously involved in any crime. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Four people were killed today when a cement factory collapsed in east China's Fujian Province, authorities said. The accident occurred when a shed in Zhongda cement factory in Kuiyang township, Nanjing County, Zhangzhou City collapsed, trapping four workers, said the county publicity department. Three people died at the scene and another in hospital, state-run Xinhua agency reported. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) World donors pledged more than USD 75 million today to an historic UNESCO-backed alliance to protect cultural heritage sites threatened by war and the wave of ideological-driven destruction carried out by Islamic State group militants. French President Francois Hollande, speaking at a donors' conference in Paris' Louvre Museum, passionately called on more countries to contribute to the newly-created heritage alliance and help push it past its "ambitious" USD 100 million goal. IS militants have stolen or destroyed a host of cultural artifacts, including the ancient Syrian town of Palmyra, the Mosul museum in Iraq and the 13th century BC Assyrian capital of Nimrud, which is also in Iraq. "At Bamiyan, Mosul, Palmyra, Timbuktu and elsewhere, fanatics have engaged in trafficking, looting and the destruction of cultural heritage, adding to the persecution of populations," Hollande said. In coordination with UNESCO, the International Alliance for the Protection of Heritage in Conflict Areas (ALIPH) aims to prevent heritage site destruction, fight trafficking of stolen artifacts and pay for restoration. But it also seeks to create a global network of sites in which artifacts endangered by fighting or terrorism could be temporarily stored for safekeeping. "The first emergency is Iraq. We will need to carry out a precise inventory of the damages to monuments, museums and libraries. But there are other critical situations. Mali, Afghanistan, Yemen and Syria," he added. Hollande suggested today that a Group of Seven culture ministers meeting in Florence next week could be used to get further donations. Seven countries and one philanthropist pledged a total of USD 75.5 million at the conference, which was held in an ancient Middle Eastern sculpture-clad wing of the Louvre. France pledged the most at USD 30 million, with support forthcoming from Arab countries including Saudi Arabia (USD 20 million), the United Arab Emirates (USD 15 million), Kuwait (USD 5 million) and Morocco (USD 1.5 million.) Luxembourg pledged USD 3 million, and private donor Thomas Kaplan promised USD 1 million. Switzerland pledged a further USD 8 million in operational and administrative costs to help set up the fund's first headquarters in Geneva. Italy, meanwhile, said it would provide an ALIPH task force that includes military personnel and conservation experts. Germany, China and Mexico said they would help by storing the heritage objects threatened by war in national museums, and lobby countries to do the same. The first concrete steps to creating ALIPH came about in a meeting between Hollande and Abu Dhabi's powerful crown prince, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, in the Emirati capital in December. "This achievement is truly historic," said Mohamed Al Mubarak, the crown prince's special representative. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) More than 9,000 ad-hoc posts of teachers in Delhi University will be regularised within a year, the government said today. Human Resource Development Minister Prakash Javadekar told the Lok Sabha that part-time employment is not the policy of the central government and it wants to make the teachers' appointment permanent. "Our policy is permanent employment. Therefore, in the Delhi University case, where there were more than 9,000 ad-hoc posts, we have made it compulsory and there was a court case also. Now, the solution is that within one year, all these posts will be made permanent and not temporary," he said during Question Hour. The minister said even those who were appointed part-time teachers or temporary or ad-hoc teachers, they are paid regular salary of Assistant Professor. "So, there is no discrimination and we want to fill up these posts and we have taken many measures to fill all these vacancies," he said. Javadekar said the HRD ministry has been monitoring the teachers recruitment process regularly and it is a continuous process. "As far as the Delhi University is concerned, now we have solved the problem which was pending for 10 years and we are tracking it every month," he said. The minister said new recruitment in Delhi University is on and all posts of ad-hoc teachers will be made permanent within one year and the procedure is being followed in all 41 universities in the country. "We have created a special mechanism by which we are monitoring recruitments and now we are mandating that all vacancies should be notified in every 15 days and that will be reviewed by universities and that will be available on the UGC website also," he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) At least nine people, including three security officials were injured today in a roadside bomb explosion in Egypt's restive North Sinai province, officials said. The incident took place near one of the famous hotels at Al-Bahr street in Al-Arish city, they said. The roadside bomb went off and hit an armored vehicle carrying police personnel. Three officers, three conscripts and three civilians suffered injuries, they added. Ambulances and security officials rushed to the site of the incident and transferred the injured and cordoned the area. The officials said that the attackers belonged to the Sinai-based militant group Ansar Biet el-Maqdes. However, no group announced its responsibility of the incident. North Sinai has witnessed many terrorist attacks since 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, 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.) BEACH -- Patricia Jane Lynch, 85, Beach, died March 18, 2017, at the Eastern Montana Veterans Home, Glendive, Mont. Services will be held at 10 a.m. Wednesday, March 22, at St. Pauls Lutheran Church, Beach. Further arrangements are pending with Silha Funeral Home, Beach. Tempers flared again in the ongoing battle between fierce rivals India and Australia with pacer Ishant Sharma and young opener Matt Renshaw getting involved in a heated exchange on day five of the third Test here. Sharma set up Renshaw brilliantly to dismiss the left-handed Aussie opener in the second innings after a heated verbal exchange between the two opponents. Noticing some activity near the sight-screen, Renshaw had pulled out from the batting crease and a livid Sharma ended up throwing the ball in his follow through. The ball landed away from Renshaw but the incident led to some exchanges between Sharma and him. Also jumping in was Steve Smith and the umpire sought immediate intervention of Indian skipper Virat Kohli to defuse the situation. Following a couple of minutes delay, Sharma finally resumed his over and charged Renshaw with a short-pitched delivery that hit the youngster's thigh pad and climbed straight up to hit the chin through the gap of the helmet grill. He followed it up with a bouncer that swung past Renshaw from a middle stump line and the opener looked under pressure. Finally the big breakthrough moment came in for India when Sharma cramped Renshaw for room with a full length delivery that trapped the left-hander right in front of the stumps. Sharma enjoyed an animated celebration and capped off the brilliant over with another nasty blow to Shaun Marsh. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Home-share booking site Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky today met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and discussed its plan to attract more travellers from Airbnb community to India. "Today, I had the pleasure to meet Prime Minister Modi and discuss bringing more visitors from the Airbnb community to India. Nearly 9 million people visit India every year, and we think we can help India eventually double this number," Airbnb CEO and Head of Community Chesky said in a Facebook post. In doing so, Airbnb hopes to create hundreds of thousands of host entrepreneurs, including 50,000 over the next 2 years, he added. "We aim to distribute travel to a variety of destinations in the country for heritage and spiritual visits, and also help provide housing for the many festivals in India," Chesky said. 10 years from now, India will become one of the largest communities worldwide, and "I couldn't have imagined a better visit than this one," he added. India is a truly magical place, and with a major emphasis on community and family, it is perfect for fostering Airbnb's mission to create belonging anywhere, Chesky said. Airbnb yesterday launched Trips in Delhi to help users experience unique features about destinations across the country. "Trips is the most significant development in the history of Airbnb. We're expanding beyond accommodation, but taking the same people-focused approach to the entire trip," Chesky had said on the launch. "You can now experience local communities here through the passions of the people who live here. Whether you want to experience couture fashion or artisanal coffee making, you can become nearly anything in this transformative land," Chesky said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Under pressure from fellow insurgents and escalating airstrikes by the US-led coalition, Syria's al-Qaida branch is stepping up violence against President Bashar Assad's strongholds with precise, high-profile attacks, including a surprising breach of the capital in the most serious infiltration in years. Sunday's attack, in which insurgents used tunnels they control in northeastern Damascus neighborhoods to hit government positions, appears to have caught the Syrian military off guard. It was a grim reminder that the fighting is far from over, despite significant advances by Assad's forces against rebels across the country in the past year. The government dispatched some of its elite forces to halt the offensive, which began shortly before sunrise with two suicide bombers from an al-Qaida-linked group. The bombers, a Saudi and a Syrian, detonated their explosives-laden trucks against army positions on the eastern edge of the capital amid a barrage of artillery shells that landed in the heart of Damascus. Dozens of insurgents penetrated the city's defenses and captured several blocks northeast of Damascus, triggering fierce clashes that lasted for hours before the fighters were pushed back to where they started. Insurgent groups repeatedly have tried to break Damascus' defenses in recent years. Syria's al-Qaida's branch has used suicide bombers targeting government security installations since the early days of the conflict. Sunday's incursion, however, was the most serious since 2012, when rebels captured several Damascus neighborhoods before being crushed by government forces. It was the latest in a series of stepped-up attacks claimed by the al-Qaida-linked Levant Liberation Committee. The gains, though short-lived, came against the backdrop of months of steady rebel losses to government forces across the country. It appeared to be an attempt by al-Qaida to mount sophisticated attacks against high-value targets to portray itself as the main force capable of fighting the government. "Every time they can successfully carry out one of these, then it bolsters their case within the armed opposition," said Sam Heller, a Beirut fellow at the US-based Century Foundation. The Levant Liberation Committee, the latest spinoff from Syria's al-Qaida branch, has claimed several other high-profile attacks in government-controlled areas recently. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Adopting a zero-tolerance policy against drugs and corruption, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh today directing the police to go after the big fish among drug peddlers, gangsters and criminals. Two days after his council of ministers decided to come down heavily on drugs and other mafias, as well as corruption, in the state, Amarinder made it clear to the district and police officials that his government would follow a zero tolerance policy against drugs, corruption, mafia and crime. Chairing his first meeting with officials after taking over the reins of Punjab's governance, he warned against any laxity on this count. The government would hold top officers of the district administration directly accountable for any cases of corruption, illegal mining, illegal transport, registration of false cases, non-registration of FIRs, traffic violations, street crimes and bootlegging, the chief minister told the meeting, taking a no-nonsense approach. He directed the officers to lead from the front and carry out raids/measures under their personal supervision to eliminate drug and mining mafias within the next four weeks. Amarinder sent out a strong warning to the police on the issue of drugs, saying that Police Commissioners, Senior Superintendents of Police, Sub-Divisional Police Officers (DSP Sub-Division) and SHOs would be held directly accountable for supply and sale of drugs in their jurisdiction. He said he was personally aware of complaints of corruption against field officers of various ranks, including DSPs and SHOs, in handling of drug cases in the past which is unpardonable. He warned of swift and severe punishment if any such case came to his notice in the future. Reiterating his commitment to the elimination of drug mafia and drug control as his government's first priority, the chief minister said the government has a zero-tolerance policy for drugs smugglers/suppliers/traders/peddlers. Therefore, any laxity or nexus or complaints of corruption on part of the district administration (civil/police officers or any other officer from any government department) would be viewed very seriously, and severe punitive action would follow, he warned. Identifying prevention of terrorist crimes as another key priority of his government, Amarinder directed all CPs and SSPs to make all-out efforts to trace previous cases of terrorist crimes, such as the Maur bomb blast on January 31 and the killings of leaders of the RSS and other organisations and sects in Jalandhar, Ludhiana and Khanna. Emphasising his government's full commitment to the maintenance of communal harmony in the state, and to prevent any sacrilege in any place, the chief minister said top officials would be held responsible for any such incidents in their respective areas. He directed the officials to ensure immediate installation of CCTV cameras through community participation and engagement, and custody management of sacred religious books where no CCTV cameras are installed. He further directed the officers to take all measures for the prevention of organised crimes by criminal gangs active in the state, directing them to crack down on such gangs in a big way, without delay. Referring to the false cases and FIRs registered under the previous regime, Amarinder said while the Commission of Enquiry which the cabinet had decided to establish would do its work, he expected the officers to ensure that there is no registration of false cases and free and fair registration of cases is ensured. While there would be no vendetta, such things must end immediately, he asserted. Assuring them of full support of his government to ensure a safe and secure Punjab, Amarinder made it clear that he expected the highest standards of public conduct, propriety, punctuality and discipline from the officers, whom he described as the "brightest and best in our young team". Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh today directed the state police to immediately withdraw personnel from "non-essential" duties and deploy them on "streets" for the security of people. In a bid to streamline the system's functioning and promote welfare of personnel, the state government also asked the Commission of Police and Senior Superintendents of Police to carry out a manpower audit. Addressing administrative and police officers here, the Chief Minister said his government had decided to implement "sweeping" police reforms, in-line with the Supreme Court's directives and the promises made in the Congress's poll manifesto. An official spokesman said a State-Level Review Committee (SLRC), being headed by the DGP (Law and Order), is already in place to review the security being provided to various 'protectees'. The committee will carry out a comprehensive review of the security being provided to constitutional, public functionaries, officials and individuals, he said. It will submit its recommendations on the security cover being provided to each of the 'protectees' to Punjab DGP Suresh Arora by March 24, the spokesman said. Amarinder directed the Divisional Commissioners, Deputy Commissioners, CPs and SSPs to immediately carry out an exercise to rationalise the boundaries of police stations. They have been asked to send their proposal to the Home Department within two weeks, the spokesman said. The Chief Minister said his government had decided to carry out territorial restructuring of police stations and sub-divisions to increase efficiency. Amarinder also directed officials to end the 'Halqa In-charge' system in the state. Steps should be taken to ensure fixed working hours for police personnel, especially for those at police stations and posts, the Chief Minister said. Pointing out that his government had decided to implement a fixed schedule for the police, except in the case of emergency, to improve working conditions and allow them to look after their families, Amarinder said the welfare of personnel was one of his key electoral promise and he was committed to implementing it. To "ensure" and "restore" the rule of law in the state, the Chief Minister said he believed in giving a free-hand to his officers, but expected time-bound accountability and results. He made it clear that there would be no interference of any kind in day-to-day administration, in the working of police stations and core policing functions, such as investigations and traffic enforcement. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Bihar government today announced a probe into reports of agricultural loans raised in the names of farmers, by some banks, without their knowledge. Finance minister Abdul Bari Siddiqui said that the Commissioner of Magadh will investigate the matter. Speaking at the state Legislative Assembly he said, based on reports of the probe, necessary action would be initiated with the help of senior officials of the banks concerned. He also informed that the probe will be completed by a fortnight. Siddiqui was answering a starred question by JD(U)'s Binod Prasad Yadav regarding surfacing of cases of raising fake bank loans by some corrupt bank officials and some middlemen in Chitawkala village within Sherghatti block of Gaya district. The questionnaire drew attention of the minister that some hapless farmers were served notice by State Bank of India, Sherghatti branch for recovery of loans which they never applied for. The state Finance minister said that it is true that in some cases it has been found that middlemen with the help of some corrupt bankers duped illiterate farmers by taking loans in their names. Some other MLAs also highlighted such cases in other areas where poor farmers were cheated. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Tilka Manjhi Bhagalpur University (TMBU) here today cancelled the law degree of former Delhi Law Minister and AAP MLA Jitender Singh Tomar. The decision to cancel Tomar's degree was taken by Senate members of the University, Vice Chancellor Chemendra Kumar Singh told PTI. Chancellor and Bihar Governor Ramnath Kovind had authorised the University Senate, highest decision making body of the university, to take a decision on law degree of the former Delhi minister after University's Examination board had on September 21 last year send a recommendation to him in this regard. The university committee had earlier found the migration certificate of the former Law Minister of the Arvind Kejriwal government wrong and on the basis of it had recommended cancellation of the Law degree. The controversy relates to the acquisition of Law degree by Tomar on the basis of a doubtful enrolment at Biswanath Law College in Munger in the academic session 1994-95. He had claimed to have passed the law examination in 1998-99. Tomar was arrested and later released on bail in 2015 in the Law degree issue and had to resign from the Kejriwal ministry. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The constitution amendment bill seeking extension of military courts in Pakistan was today presented in the National Assembly. The bill was presented by Minister for Law and Justice Zahid Hamid and the final vote on the amendment is expected to take place tomorrow. The amendment bill seeking extension of military courts for two years to try hardcore terrorist involved in heinous crimes, was moved after all major political parties including the opposition Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) last week agreed to support the amendment, the Dawn reported. Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) Chairman Mahmood Khan Achakzai and Awami Muslim League (AML) leader Shaikh Rasheed criticised the federal government over, what they said, was its failure to curb terrorism in the country without seeking the military's assistance. "Has the country reaped any benefits from the establishment of the military courts in the last two years?" Achakzai asked. "You cannot govern a country in this manner," he added. Rasheed said if justice is not served then people will be forced to take matters in their own hands. Pakistan Peoples Party's Naveed Qamar, also the former defence minister of Pakistan, lamented the state of affairs in the country, saying he does not believe things will improve in the next two years even if the military courts are revived. "The need to re-establish military courts in the country is evidence of how the federal government has failed," said Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf's Shah Mehmood Qureshi during the NA session. "Was the government not aware that the mandate over military courts will expire after two years?" the PTI leader asked. However, he said that there is consensus that military courts will not be made a permanent part of the Constitution. Military courts were disbanded on January 7 after a sunset clause included in the legal provisions under which the tribunals were established expired. The government and the opposition had struggled to reach a consensus on reviving the courts despite frequent discussions. The primary concern of critics was 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. Proponents say the courts act as an "effective deterrent" for those considering violent acts. The court are run by the military officers and operate in secrecy due to fear of backlash by militants. But their operations have prompted the rights bodies to raise questions over fair trial of accused. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) British telecom major Vodafone and Aditya Birla group-run Idea Cellular today announced the merger of their Indian operations, creating the largest mobile operator by customer and revenue market share. The merged entity, which will come into force over the next two years, will be headed by Kumar Mangalam Birla as Chairman. Vodafone will have its nominee as the chief financial officer, its CEO Vittorio Colao said here at a press meet, which was also attended by Birla. The all-share merger for both partners excludes Vodafone's 42 per cent stake in Indus Towers and will be effected through issuing new shares in Idea to Vodafone and result in Vodafone deconsolidating Vodafone India. Vodafone will own 45.1 per cent in the new company after transferring 4.9 per cent to the Aditya Birla group for Rs 3,874 crore in cash concurrent with completion of the merger. Idea will hold 26 per cent of the combined entity while the rest will be owned by public shareholders. Idea and Vodafone said the merged entity will be jointly controlled by Vodafone and the Aditya Birla group as per shareholders' agreement. With 204.68 million customers, Vodafone enjoys market share of 18.16 per cent. Idea has 16.9 per cent with 190.51 million customers as of December 2016, according to Trai data. Airtel, with a market share of 23.58 per cent and a customer base of 265.85 million, leads the market both in terms of revenue and customer base. According to CLSA report in January, the merged entity will have revenue of over Rs 80,000 crore, translating into a 43 per cent share by revenue and 40 per cent by active subscriber base with around 400 million customers. The combined venture will account for over 25 per cent of the allocated spectrum and will have to sell about 1 per cent (worth Rs 5,400 crore) to comply with spectrum cap norms. "The merger pegs implied enterprise valuation of Rs 82,800 crore (USD 12.4 billion) for Vodafone India and Rs 72,200 crore (USD 10.8 billion) for Idea," according to an exchange filing by Idea. The companies had a net debt of Rs 1.07 trillion as of December 2016. The Vodafone chief, who ruled out any chance of the lingering tax dispute with the government to affect the merger process, also said both the companies will have three representatives each on the board of the new company. Colao also said the merger makes possible synergies of USD 10 billion. He also added that both the brands, considering their strengths, will continue to operate separately. Indicating Vodafone's intention of gradually exiting the country, Colao and Birla said over a period, both companies will have equal stakes in the merged entity. Birla said the fund for picking up 4.9 per cent of Vodafone stake for Rs 3,874 crore will come from the promoters, and not from Idea. He also ruled out any major downsizing at Idea post merger. The scheme of amalgamation includes Vodafone India (VIL) and its wholly-owned subsidiary Vodafone Mobile Services (VMSL) merging with the new company. Vodafone will keep its 42 per cent consideration in Indus Towers out of the merger process. The turnover of Vodafone India is Rs 5,025 crore and that of Vodafone Mobile Service is 40,378 crore. Idea's turnover is Rs 36,000 crore. The net worth of VIL is 12,855 crore, VMSL's Rs 3,737 crore and Idea Rs 24,296 crore. The Birlas will have the right to acquire more shares from Vodafone under an agreed mechanism with a view to equalising the shareholdings over time, said a joint statement by the two companies. The merger will result in substantial cost and capex synergies with an estimated net present value of around USD 10 billion after integration costs and spectrum liberalisation payments, with estimated savings of USD 2.1 billion annually from the fourth year of the merger. Vodafone India will be deconsolidated by Vodafone and reported as a joint venture post-closing, reducing Vodafone Group's net debt by around USD 8.2 billion. Colao said that to help the Birla group increase the shareholding in the combined company after four years, Vodafone will sell shares over the following five-year period. Until equalisation is achieved, the voting rights of the additional shares held by Vodafone will be restricted and votes will be exercised jointly under the terms of the shareholders' agreement. The AB group will have the right to buy 9.5 per cent in the entity at Rs 130 per share. Given the present spectrum holding, revenue and subscriber base, both the companies need to work on synergy to comply with rules. As per the merger and acquisition rules, an entity should not hold over 25 per cent spectrum allocated in a telecom circle and 50 per cent of spectrum allocated in a particular band in a service area. The merged entity should also not have more than 50 per cent revenue and subscriber market share. European brokerage CLSA recently said the merged entity will breach revenue market share, subscriber and spectrum caps in five markets. The combined entity is expected to cross the spectrum cap in 900 Mhz band in Maharashtra, Gujarat, Kerala, Haryana and UP West and in 2,500 Mhz band in Maharashtra and Gujarat. The BJP-led government today won the floor test in Manipur Assembly with a voice vote. There was no division of votes in the exercises which saw the lone TMC MLA also supporting the Nongthombam Biren Singh government. The BJP has 21 MLAs in the 60-Member house. It has the support of four MLAs of Naga Peoples' Front (NPF), four of National Peoples' Party (NPP), the lone MLA of Lokjanshakti Party and Independent MLA Asab Uddin besides a Congress legislator who was inducted also in the Council of Ministers. Lone Trinamool Congress MLA T Robindro Singh also extended support to the BJP-led government although his party's central leadership alleged that he had "not consulted the party" over it. "I have extended support to the BJP after consulting the party's central leadership. I have neither violated the party's order nor have done anything against its interests. Whatever the party had asked me to do, I have done that," Singh told PTI. The TMC legislator argued that had he violated the party line he would have faced disciplinary action. "But that the party did not do any such thing means it stands by me," Singh said. TMC vice president Mukul Roy said, "After winning the election, Singh was in touch with the Congress as we had told him that if the Congress is in a position to form the government and need our support we will extend our support." "But the Congress failed to get the numbers and Singh, without discussing the matter with us, went to meet the BJP leaders and accompanied them to the Raj Bhawan," he said. Asked why the party has not taken any disciplinary action against him, Roy said, "We can take disciplinary action anytime, but we do not want to create a situation where he faces life risk." Earlier in the day, Yumnam Khemchand Singh of the BJP was elected as the new Speaker of the House. He was also elected by voice vote against Congress candidate Govindas Khonthoujam. Manipur Governor Najma Heptulla on March 15 had appointed N Biren Singh as the first BJP Chief Minister of the state. A three-day Budget session of the Assembly will begin tomorrow with the address of the Governor. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) I recently had the opportunity to meet, in Washington, D.C., David Friedman, President Donald Trump's nominee to be America's next ambassador to Israel. I was impressed by this brilliant and passionate man, an observant Jew, a fluent Hebrew speaker (he read my necklace that has my name, Star, in Hebrew), who has the values crucial to our important Israeli ally. This is critical to re-establish American leadership in the Middle East. Friedman is a successful bankruptcy lawyer, son of a rabbi, with a long relationship to and deep knowledge of Israel. Friedman was cleared by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee by a 12-9 vote, with only one Democrat, Bob Menendez of New Jersey, supporting him. In all likelihood, because of the Republican majority in the Senate, Friedman will get confirmed. But most Democrats will oppose him. Why the partisan politics regarding this good man? Democrats don't like Friedman's past positions opposing the creation of a Palestinian state and his support of Israeli settlements. According to Senate Foreign Relations Committee Democrat Benjamin Cardin, Friedman's positions undermine his credibility to be a "facilitator for a level playing field negotiation for a two-state solution." The driving distance from the border of the Palestinian state that Cardin wants to Tel Aviv is about the same, around a half hour, as from Capitol Hill to the border of Cardin's state of Maryland. I wonder if Cardin would be anxious to have a half hour from his border an independent nation with a history of violence and terrorism that as of today still refuses to recognize the legitimate existence of his home. Freedom House in Washington, D.C., a nonpartisan group that rates freedom in countries around the world evaluating political rights and civil liberties has just issued its 2017 report. It grades countries from 1 to 7, 1 being most free. Israel is among the freest nations in the world, receiving a grade of 1.5. The Palestinian Authority received the lowest possible grade, 7, dropping from a 6 rating of last year. Not only is the Palestinian Authority an ongoing security threat for Israel, it embodies none of the values Americans cherish. Yet, in a Gallup poll of a few weeks ago, 82 percent of Republicans expressed more sympathy for Israel than for the Palestinians, compared with only 47 percent of Democrats. If most Democrats are not more sympathetic to a nation that shares American values than one that does not, what exactly is the Democratic Party about? More perplexing, Democrats blindly support creating another undemocratic Muslim state to add to the massive problems we already have in that region. After sitting through her first session of the U.N. Security Council, our new U.N. ambassador, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, noted, "The Security Council is supposed to discuss how to maintain international peace and security. But at our meeting on the Middle East, the discussion was not about Hezbollah's illegal build-up of rockets in Lebanon. It was not about the money and weapons that Iran provides to terrorists. It was not about how we defeat ISIS. It was not about how we hold (Syrian president) Bashar al-Assad accountable for the slaughter of hundreds (of) thousands of civilians. No, instead, the meeting focused on criticizing Israel, the one true democracy in the Middle East." According to U.N. Watch, in 2016 the U.N. General Assembly adopted 20 resolutions against Israel and only six resolutions on the rest of the world combined, with three on Syria, one each on Iran, North Korea and Crimea. American foreign policy, particularly in the Middle East, is badly in need of a wake-up call. Our ally Israel, one small and lonely democracy in a hostile Middle East, is badly in need of clear, America support. David Friedman is the right man to represent America in Israel, and I look forward to his confirmation. Delhi Daredevils' South Africa star Jean-Paul Duminy has withdrawn from the upcoming 10th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). Duminy led Delhi Daredevils in the 2015 edition. He had been a regular with the Delhi Daredevils squad since 2014. Delhi Daredevils chief executive Hemant Dua confirmed that Duminy will be unavailable for the tournament owing to personal reasons. "We respect JP's decision. We are naturally very disappointed to not have JP in our midst this year, but as a franchise we clearly understand his position. At this stage, we can only confirm that we will look for a replacement at an appropriate time," Dua was quoted as saying in a media release. On his part Duminy was disappointed to miss out on the forthcoming edition. "It has been a very difficult decision for me to make, but it was for purely personal reasons. I am grateful for the support and understanding from the franchise. It has been an absolute privilege to have played for and led a talented mix of players. I certainly hope to play a part for the franchise in the near future. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The CPI(M) today demanded that West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee be brought under the purview of CBI investigations into Narada and Saradha scams. The party also demanded that the Trinamool Congress leaders, allegedly involved in Narada scam, be arrested immediately. CPI(M) state secretary Surya Kanta Mishra voiced the demand at a rally organised by the party's North 24-Parganas district committee outside the CBI office here in Salt Lake. Mishra also observed that the CBI should be proactive in the investigation into the scams. "We demand that the CBI should be more proactive. It should immediately arrest the TMC leaders involved in Narada and Saradha scam. The Chief Minister should also be brought under the purview of the investigations as it is her party leaders and state cabinet ministers who are found to be involved in it," Mishra said at the rally. He said, "Now, the TMC is saying it was donation to the party fund. But when the (Narada) tapes first came out, it had said the tapes are fake and fabricated. That means they are now contradicting their own statements." Mishra alleged that the Trinamool "extending help" to the BJP to form government in Manipur was a glaring example of a "covert pact" between the two parties. "We hope the political match-fixing between Didibhai (Mamata) and Modibhai will not have an impact on the CBI investigation and the probe agency will be allowed to work freely," he said. The Calcutta High Court had last week ordered a preliminary inquiry by the CBI into the Narada sting operation in which several Trinamool Congress leaders were purportedly seen accepting money. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) In an apparent racist attack, an Indian-origin Catholic priest was stabbed in the neck at a church in Melbourne by a man who called him unqualified to say mass as he was an Indian, prompting the Indian consulate to take up the matter with the police. A man armed with a knife approached Tomy Kalathoor Mathew, 48, in the church foyer moments before the Italian- language mass at St Matthew's Parish in Fawkner yesterday. Reacting to the incident, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj tweeted that Indian Consulate officials met Father Mathew in the hospital and are in touch with the police authorities. "The Police have arrested the attacker and charged him with attempt to murder. Our Consulate is in touch with the Police authorities and will keep us informed of the progress of the case," she further said. It's believed that the offender told the priest that because he was Indian, he must be a Hindu or a Muslim and therefore unqualified to say mass, local media reported. "There was some shouting and a lot of movement at the back of the church and then I saw Father Tommy coming to approach me. He waved me over and asked me if I could look at his neck because he said 'I've just been stabbed'," said Melina, one of the parishioners. A 72-year-old man from Fawkner was arrested and charged with intentionally and recklessly causing injury. He was bailedto appear in Broadmeadows Magistrates' Court on June 13. "At this stage, we believe the incident is isolated. There's nothing to suggest he's a danger to anyone else," Detective Senior Constable Rhiannon Norton told reporters. Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne spokesman Shane Healy described the incident as "appalling". "People should never be treated like this. This fellow is doing wonderful work for his parishioners and this is really a blight on the great work that many, many Catholic priests are doing," he said. Father Mathew suffered minor upper-body injuries and remains in a stable condition at The Northern Hospital. Swaraj said, "Father Mathew was immediately taken to the hospital. The attacker had a problem with Father Mathew presiding over the church." Vicar General Monsignor Greg Bennet said the priest was doing well in the hospital and wanted to get back to work soon. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Two senior postal department officials, including a Director, were arrested in Ahmedabad today by the CBI for allegedly exchanging demonetised currency notes to the tune of Rs 70 lakh in violation of norms. CBI sources said Director Manoj Kumar and Senior Superintendent of Posts Sanjay Akhade were arrested after it surfaced during a probe that old currency notes to the tune of over Rs 70 lakh was exchanged by them. Agency Spokesperson R K Gaur said here today that a case of criminal conspiracy, cheating and corruption has been registered against three postal officials and unknown others on a complaint from the Postal Department. "It was alleged that during inspection of Navrangpura HO Post Office, it was revealed that an amount of Rs 6.59 lakh (approx) was found exchanged unauthorised on November 9, 2016 (a non-functional day for public dealings in banks) as the currency notes of 100, 50, 20 and 10 denomination decreased to the tune of above amount as compared to the closing figures of November 8, 2016 (the day demonetisation was announced)," he said. The FIR further alleged that there was contradiction in reporting of exchange and Withdrawn Old Series (WOS) notes, in the records of Navrangpura HO, SSPO's City Division and record of entry made in the excel sheet of the actual forms available in the branch, he said. "Searches were conducted at nine premises in and around Ahmedabad which led to recovery of incriminating documents. A cash of Rs one lakh (approx) from the residence and Rs 1.66 lakh (approx) from Office in new currency was recovered from the premises of Director, Postal Services," he said. Gaur said both the arrested accused were produced today before the Special Judge, CBI Court, Mirzapur, Ahmedabad. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Centre today refused funds to the Uttar Pradesh Academy of Administration and Management, a premier training institute for bureaucrats, for the promotion of the Right to Information Act (RTI). The institute that provides training to officers selected through state public service commission had sought Rs 1.5 lakhs for awareness generation for RTI and Rs 75,000 to meet the administrative contingencies. The Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), which acts as nodal authority for implementation of the transparency law, declined the request saying "funds are not available under component concerned." The DoPT, however, approved Rs 8.5 lakhs to the academy to train 850 officers at state, division and district levels for handling RTI matters. A sum of Rs 10 lakh was also sought by the academy to provide training to 1,000 officers. "As per the budget availability, the number of participants has been reduced from 1,000 to 850. Accordingly, Rs 8.5 lakh is being released for this purpose," a DoPT order said. The grant is under the centrally-sponsored scheme 'Improving Transparency and Accountability in Government through Effective Implementation of the Right to Information Act.' The scheme, launched in August 2010, is aimed at contributing towards more accountable and transparent government, as well ensure "effective implementation of the RTI Act." The transparency law empowers citizens to seek time-bound response to their queries related to governance. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) China's Defence Minister General Chang Wanquan will this week visit Nepal, where he will discuss bilateral military cooperation and the 'One Belt, One Road' initiative, an ambitious project viewed with suspicion by India. Gen Chang, who leads the 2.3-million-strong People's Liberation Army (PLA), the world's largest, will reach Kathmandu on March 23 from Sri Lanka, leading a 19-member delegation. He will discuss the OBOR initiative, the Maritime Silk Road, and military cooperation with Nepal, sources at the Defence Ministry here said. The visit comes ahead of the Indian Army chief Gen Bipin Rawat's four-day official visit to Nepal from March 28. Gen Rawat's proposed trip has been described as a "regular visit" by the Nepal Army spokesperson and the army chiefs of India and Nepal exchange their honorary titles to mark the special ties. Gen Rawat will meet President Bidya Devi Bhandari, Prime Minister Prachanda, Defence Minister Bal Krishna Khand and his Nepali counterpart Gen Rajendra Chhetri during his stay in the landlocked country, where India and China vie for influence. India has some concerns over the OBOR, which includes a maze of projects connecting China with Euro-Asia and is floated by Beijing as a connectivity and economic project. The Chinese defence minister's three-day visit to Nepal coincides with the first joint military exercise between the Nepal Army and the PLA scheduled later this year. Gen Chang will receive a briefing on the joint exercise and also visit Nepal Army's Kathmandu Valley unit. The delegation accompanying him will discuss the ideas floated last year by then Nepalese Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli during his visit to China. A possible support to Nepal Army from China is also on the cards for discussion. Gen Chang is visiting Nepal at the invitation of Defence Minister Bal Krishna Khand extended during his trip to China in October, Defence Secretary Shreedhar Sapkota said. The Chinese delegation will also meet the Nepalese president, the prime minister and Home Minister Bimalendra Nidhi. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A Kerala-based layman's outfit has come out with a demand that nuns be allowed to perform the sacrament of confession for women and minors instead of priests. Kerala Catholic Reformation Movement, which stands for reforms in the church, held a sit-in dharna outside the Bishop House in Kochi yesterday to press their demand. Indulekha Joseph, a member of the outfit, said they were raising the demand in the wake of the "increasing" instances of sexual abuses allegedly involving Christian priests. The stir was attended by a number of people, including women and senior citizen, in front of the Major Archbishop's House at Marine Drive in Kochi. The participants at the dharna held banners with slogans 'Let nuns perform the sacrament of confession of women', 'women are afraid of confession booths of priests' and so on. Joseph also claimed that Bible "does not say anywhere that the sacrament of confession be done by priests only." The Kerala Catholic Bishop Council dismissed the protest by the group, saying there was no need for a discussion on the issue right now. "The agitation is just to get media attention and also without understanding the core principles of Holy Bible," Fr Varghese Vallikatt told PTI. He said the protesters should take church matters with much more seriousness and study the Bible. "We are not rejecting the issue raised by them with contempt. But, there is no seriousness in their demand. They should approach the church matters seriously and study Bible," he added. The stir comes in the wake of the recent incident of the rape of a minor girl allegedly by a Catholic priest in Kottiyoor in Kannur district. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The two Sufi clerics, who went missing in Pakistan last week, today thanked the governments of India and Pakistan for their safe return here but remained tightlipped on what led to their disappearance. Nazim Ali Nizami, one of the clerics, did reject Pakistani media reports that they were in "interior Sindh where there was no communication network". "We did not have visa for Sindh interior region, so how could we have gone there? We come from the school of sufi which teaches peace and brotherhood. There are good and bad elements and those who go against the teachings they have to suffer humiliation," he told reporters, without elaborating further. When asked as to why they were "interrogated", Nazim said they were asked about their visa and other immigration details. Both Nazim and Syed Asif Nizami, who is the the head priest of Hazrat Nizamuddin Dargah, "thanked" the Indian and the Pakistani governments for their return to the homeland. "We thank Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and well-wishers from all religions who prayed for our return," they told reporters. The two are likely to meet Swaraj today. Amir Nizami, son of Syed Asif Nizami, alleged that the duo were "taken away" based on a report in a local Urdu daily which claimed that they had links with Indian intelligence agency RAW. Asked if Pakistan spy agency ISI was involved in the episode, he refused to comment but made it clear that "no force was used" against them. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Congress today raised the issue of rising farmer suicides and asked the Centre to take concrete steps and targeted measures to reduce the pain of farmers by waiving their loans. Reminding Prime Minister Narendra Modi of his promise made to farmers of Uttar Pradesh ahead of elections, Congress spokesperson P L Punia said the same has not been announced yet even though the first UP Cabinet has met. He urged Modi to not only fulfil promises made by him to 66 lakh farmers of UP by waiving their farm loans but also come to the rescue of distressed farmers across the country who are forced to commit suicide. "We wish to recall the promise made by Prime Minister Modi to farmers of Uttar Pradesh that their loans will be waived in the first Cabinet meeting. Though the meeting has taken place, no such decision has been taken. "The way Prime Minister was saying, it seemed all groundwork has been carried out and only a decision would be taken at the first Cabinet meet," he said. Punia said though Congress had not made any promise in 2006 to farmers, still it waived Rs 77,000 crore of loans. Citing the latest report of National Crime Records Bureau 2015, he said 12,602 people involved in the farming sector (comprising 8,007 farmers/cultivators and 4,595 agricultural labourers) have committed suicide in 2015. "This is a sad commentary on the status of our 'Annadata - the kisan', who are forced to undergoing hardship and tribulations under the present BJP government at the Centre," he said. Noting that there is of widespread distress among the farmers of the country, Punia said, "we urge upon the government to take concrete steps and targeted measures in case of specific regions in order to reduce the pain and sorrow which our farmers are going through." He urged the Agriculture Minister to take substantial measures for drought-prone regions and take corrective measures for the same. "We all heard the CM's press conference after it's first Cabinet meeting and but no decision was announced. "We urge upon the Prime Minister to not only fulfil the promises made to the 66 lakh farmers of Uttar Pradesh, but to come to the rescue of the distressed farmers, forced to commit suicide in the entire country," he said. Punia highlighted that though the government is flashing 6 per cent agricultural growth, there is a "yawning gap" between growth numbers and the actual reality. "The farmers are unable to get financial aid from the present government. Left with no other option and also due to the central government's insensitive crony-capitalist approach, the farmers are being trapped by private money lending sharks," he said. From Kashmir to Kanyakumari, from Tripura to Maharashtra, he said the Indian farmer is facing acute adversity and farmers from South India are reeling under severe drought this year. He said a large group of farmers from Tamil Nadu are protesting here at Jantar Mantar displaying skulls and bones of their brethren farmers who have committed suicide. Quoting NCRB figures on farmer suicides, Punia said, Maharashtra (4,291), Karnataka (1,569), Telangana (1,400), Madhya Pradesh (1,290), Chhattisgarh (954), Andhra Pradesh (916) and Tamil Nadu (606) reported the maximum number of farmers' suicides during 2015, which accounted for 87.5 per cent of suicides in the country. He said for the first time in decades, that farm suicides in the North East have also risen four times in just a year. "We had never heard of farm suicide deaths from the North East, but according to NCRB data, northeast has seen more than four-fold jump in farmers' suicides from 21 in 2014 to 95 cases last year," he said. On the question that UP Chief Minister has banned red beacons on cars for VIPs, Punia said the new Congress government in Punjab was the first one to take a decision to do away with red and blue beacons. "It is a good decision and I think rest of the country must follow it," he said. US President Donald Trump today accused the Democratic party of making up allegations about his campaign's links with Russia and the Russian interference in the presidential poll, saying federal investigators should now instead probe the media leaks of classified information. "The Democrats made up and pushed the Russian story as an excuse for running a terrible campaign. Big advantage in Electoral College & lost!" Trump said in a tweet, trashing the Democratic party's allegations about Russian meddling in the November 8 polls that brought the real-estate tycoon to power. The Trump campaign's possible links with top Russian officials, which Trump has vehemently denied, was one of the main election issue and dominated the cycle since his election and even after his inauguration on January 20. Trump campaign's alleged links with Russian President Vladimir Putin have been the subject of intense debate and even more of speculation since his election. Trump's taking aim at the Democrats came as FBI Director James Comey testified before the House Committee on Intelligence, where he said the federal agency was probing the allegations of Russian meddling in the presidential elections and the possible collusion between Trump campaign and Russia. In a series of tweets before Comey's hearing, Trump said the "real story" the Congress and the FBI should be looking into was leaking of classified information to the media. "The real story that Congress, the FBI and all others should be looking into is the leaking of classified information. Must find (the) leaker now!" he said. Trump also referred to statements by former spymaster James Clapper - the Director of the National Intelligence - that the Trump campaign had no collusion with the Russians. "James Clapper and others stated that there is no evidence POTUS (President of the United States) colluded with Russia. This story is FAKE and everyone knows it!" Trump said. "What about all of the contact with the Clinton campaign and the Russians? Also, is it true that the DNC would not let the FBI in to look?" he said, suggesting without evidence that his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton's campaign may have some connections with Russia. US intelligence agencies have not raised the possibility of contacts between Clinton campaign and Russia publicly. They, however, had in January took the unusual step, stating they believe Russian hackers broke into the accounts of senior Democratic leaders with the aim of helping Trump in the polls. Meanwhile in another tweet, the US president continued his fight with the mainstream media slamming CNN for conducting an opinion poll. "Just heard Fake CNN is doing polls again despite the fact that their election polls were a WAY OFF disaster. Much higher ratings at Fox," Trump said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Retirement body EPFO had over Rs 9,700 crore to be paid as interest to subscribers by March 2016, the government said in Parliament today. As per the consolidated annual accounts of the EPFO, till March 31, 2016, Rs 9,737.46 crore are available to be credited to the subscribers' account, Minister of State (independent charge) for Labour and Employment Bandaru Dattatreya said in the Lok Sabha today. He was responding to a question on undistributed interest lying in the EPFO account. The closing balance in interest account of the EPFO was Rs 45,135.25 crore as on March 31, 2016. Dattatreya said the ministry is taking several steps for speedy settlement of claims and a campaign is on till the end of this month to bring in more workers under the Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO). Under the campaign that started in January this year, an employer either already covered or yet to be covered can enrol employees who remained un-enrolled for any reason between April 2009 to December 2016. EPFO had 17.14 crore subscribers under the Employees' Provident Fund (EPF) as on March 31 last year. The labour minister said as many as 12.21 lakh accounts were pending for an update as on March 31, 2016. He also informed the House that the claim settlement process has eased and settlements are done in 20 days. Online transfer claim portal (OTCP) has been introduced for seamless transfer of claims, he said, adding that National Electronic Fund Transfer (NEFT) has been set in motion for payments. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A Delhi court today dismissed the anticipatory bail plea of former 'Bigg Boss' contestant Swami Om, who along with his associate is accused of molesting and threatening a woman, saying the allegations against him were grave and he could hamper the investigation. Special Judge Sanjeev Aggarwal declined the relief to Swami Om, saying he could intimidate witnesses and that no ground for anticipatory bail was made out at this stage. "Considering the grave and serious allegations against the accused and considering his past involvement and the fact that there are chances of intimidation of the witnesses as well as hampering of investigation by him, no ground for anticipatory bail is made out at this stage. The application is dismissed," the court said. It noted Swami Om was involved in four other cases and that the anticipatory bail plea of co-accused Santosh Anand Swami has already been dismissed by the court. The court passed the order on the anticipatory bail plea filed by Swami Om who has alleged that he has falsely been implicated in the case as he has been advocating Indian culture and that anti-social elements wanted to stop his "social activity". Denying the allegations against him, the accused had said that on February 7 when the alleged incident took place, he spent his day in different offices of Delhi Police seeking security. The court, however, rejected his plea of alibi saying that prima facie it does not appear to be plausible as the IO informed it that he had checked the visitor's register of the office of the DCP (Central district) and there was no entry of the accused on February 7, when the alleged incident took place. Regarding the CCTV footage of the DCP office, the IO said it has been automatically deleted for that period and it is not possible to retrieve it, the court noted. The call detail records of Swami Om's mobile phone also showed his location in the afternoon at Rajghat deport here, the place of alleged occurrence, it said. The court said the victim has reiterated the contents of her complaint in her statement recorded before a magistrate where she named Swami Om along with others as those who abused her in filthy language, molested her and tried to drag her in a room with an intention to rape her. Advocate A P Singh, who filed the plea, argued that there was no possibility of the accused tampering with evidence if granted anticipatory bail and he would not misuse his liberty. As per the FIR lodged at IP Estate police station, the woman was allegedly wrongfully restrained by Swami Om, a former contestant in TV reality show 'Bigg Boss', 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 would 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 Anand had ripped off her clothes on February 7. The woman 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. Private sector Federal Bank would go slow on physical branch expansion across new geographies and would rather adopt the digital transformation to increase business, its MD and CEO Shyam Srinivasan said. "Our bank has a network of 1252 branches across the country. At the moment, we are not giving priority to increase brick and mortar branches", Srinivasan said. He said that the bank would rather deploy more customer relationship managers at its existing branches to acquire accounts. The bank today launched three digital initiatives namely in the fields of instant account opening using Aadhaar number, e-payment system without a physical POS machine, and UPI-based merchant transactions. Srinivasan said the bank was expected to garner one per cent of the country's credit book by the end of March 2017. He said during the demonetisation period starting November 2016, the bank's credit growth was 32 per cent. Till March end, the expected credit off was 25 per cent. Srinivasan said the bank might need capital in 2018 to support growth. Federal Bank has got the approval to open representative office in Bahrain and in the Dubai International Financial Centre. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Telangana government today said it had made arrangements for the travel of six persons whose relatives perished in fire in Abu Dhabi last October. Their visit to the UAE capital was necessary to identify four bodies which were burnt beyond recognition, an official release said. The identification would be done through DNA tests. The relatives of four victims would leave for Abu Dhabi tomorrow. The incident had taken place at a labour camp of a company in Abu Dhabi in October last year. The body of fifth victim, who was identified, was brought to India in January. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) : The recent killing of a fisherman, allegedly by the Sri Lankan Navy, had its echo in the Tamil Nadu Assembly today with Fisheries Minister D Jayakumar and Leader of Opposition M K Stalin, engaging in a heated debate on the issue. The fisherman, Britjo, was shot dead while fishing off Katchatheevu. Stalin, referring to the killing of Britjo on March 6, said retrieving Katchatheevu islet was the solution to the problems faced by fisherfolk. Stalin, who had given a calling attention motion on the issue, listed several other incidents of arrests and impounding of boats of Tamil fisherman by the island nation. When Jayakumar said the islet was ceded in 1974, Stalin sprang to his feet to make a point and found support from DMK and Congress members. Stalin said he wanted to make a clarification since the Minister referred to the year 1974, when DMK was in power. He said despite Tamil Nadu government's opposition, the islet was ceded and added that the then Chief Minister M Karunanidhi had written to Indira Gandhi, who was the Prime Miister, against the move. The move was also opposed in Parliament by DMK MP Era Sezhiyan and protests were held in Tamil Nadu. Intervening, Jayakumar said people knew who 'betrayed' the state on the Katchatheevu issue and sought to know if DMK had moved the court to retrieve the islet when former Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa had filed a petition in the matter. Recalling his recent visit to Delhi where he had met Union Ministers, he said the problems faced by Tamil Nadu fishermen had been taken up. He said the Centre was requested to take steps to ensure that fishermen were not harassed by Sri Lanka and also to implement a special package for them to take up deep sea fishing. The Fisheries Minister said the Centre had given an assurance that steps would be taken to bring back the fishermen's boats stranded in Lanka. It had also assured that Rs 500 crore would be provided annually for deep sea fishing and the state had been asked to give a matching grant. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) : The Alumni Association of a women's Government college today launched a free breakfast scheme for girls from rural and semi-urban areas and pursuing courses in the institution get nutrition on all working days. "The reason for the girls not being able to eat breakfast at home is that most of their parents are daily wage earners or farm workers in rural and semi urban areas and do not have the economic resources to feed the girls," Association Secretary Dr Rajiny said. Dr Rajiny,who is Assistant Professor in the Department of Home Science at Bharatidasan Government College for women,told PTI that the alumini hit upon the plan when they noticed girls turning up at college without having breakfast and some of them even fainting in class. She said the scheme now benefits around 225 girls of vulnerable and very poor families and include those who have lost their mothers or fathers and are reeling under poverty. Dr Rajiny said per capita expense was around Rs 12 and breakfast is provided on all working days (Monday to Friday). She said poverty and starvation should not stand in the way of the girls getting education and added that Lt Governor Kiran Bedi was all praise for the initiative when the project was explained to her. The Association would soon launch its website to establish links with former students, Dr Rajiny said. She said the Association, which has been registered under the Societies Act, has mobilised funds from former students, donors and philanthropists. A former Principal of the College and alsoa builder here were among those who contributed Rs one lakh each to the Association, she said. The scheme was formally launched today at the college by Welfare Minister M Kandasamy. The college, started here in 1969, was the first women's college in the Union Territory.Earlier it was affiliated to University of Madras. After a Central University was opened here in 1985, the college alike other institutions became an affiliated college of Pondicherry university. It has since become an autonomous college. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The body of a 17-year-old girl was found hanging from a tree at a village here, police said today. The victim's father had lodged a complaint at the Khanpur Police Station against two persons, residents of the village, after three-days his daughter went "missing", they said. The minor girl's body was found last evening in a decomposed state. She had gone missing on March 13, police said. The postmortem report has stated strangulation as reason for death , Circle Officer Chitranjan Chauhan said. The matter is being investigated. No one has been arrested yet, he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The West Bengal government is planning to determine the number of street children and their character, according to the state minister for Child Development Sashi Panja. The minister said that there was a need to define whom to call street children and the government was looking for an organisation to evaluate their number. Panja told PTI on the sidelines of a programme organised by Padmasree awardee educationist Sister Cyril and CINI, "It is a fluctuating figure as some of the children have no home and stay on road while some others have their home in slums but mostly stay outdoors." Also there are families living on the side of railway tracks, she pointed out. She said the government was contemplating to enroll some NGOs for the exercise. "Our concept is work of security of girl child on streets but the move to allow vulnerable girs in local schools is welcome. Let's hope the schools will agree," Panja said. Asked if shelterless girls and their families could be accommodated in the compounds of highrises, she said, "We have to consider certain aspects including the consent of the residents of such apartments." Sister Cyril, an eminent educationist and consultant of Sarva Siksha Missi who had been with Loreto Day School for 32 years, said girls living in streets were always at great risk. "We take the street girls to our school in Loreto Sealdah. While in the Loreto Day School in Sealdah 240 street children are sheltered, in all the six Loreto schools in the city the number is around 700-800," Sister Cyril said. About the proposal to allow girls of pavement to local school buildings in city during night hours, from 7 pm to 7 am, Sister Cyril said, "I think it is an excellent idea if the local population agrees." Chairman, Kolkata Primary School Council, Kartick Chandra Manna said, "We are in the process of vulnerability mapping in certain pockets of the metropolis where girls on footpath faced maximum danger." He identified pockets Tiljala, Topsia and the Park Circus stretch under the bridge. He said as a pilot scheme the Sarba Sikhsa Mission advocated the concept of starting the safe shelter project in a school with 8-9 girls and persuade schools in other parts to allow their premises. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Rajasthan Disaster Management and Relief Minister Gulab Chand Kataria today said the government will provide grant to farmers whose crops were damaged in the recent rainfall. Kataria, who was speaking in the Assembly during Zero Hour, said the rainfall damaged crops in Jodhpur, Jaisalmer, Bhilwara, Hanumangarh, Jaipur and Alwar and the government will release grant for the damages after preparing an assessment report. During the Question Hour, Food and Civil Supply Minister Babu Lal informed the House that 4.40 crore people are listed as beneficiaries of the National Food Security mission. Replying to a question, Industry Minister Rajpal Singh Shekhawat assured the House that the government will order a probe into the alleged irregularities in land acquisition for phase III of Sitapura industrial area here. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Stating that the "Guest Control Order" for curbing expenses in marriages is for the society's welfare, the Jammu and Kashmir government today sought people's feedback to make necessary changes in it. "The Guest Control Order is not a gospel truth which cannot be changed. It is in a evolutionary phase," Minister for Food and Civil Supplies Zulfkar Ali Ali said here and sought feedback from people to make necessary changes in it. "If suggestions seem genuine, they would surely be incorporated in the order to make it better," he assured. The Minister said people have to understand that 'Guest Control Order' is an initiative taken for their welfare, and making its implementation a success would help to make a better society. Shrinking the big fat Kashmiri wedding and other opulent functions, the Jammu and Kashmir government had recently issued the "Guest Control Order" to impose curbs on expenses, the guest list and dishes to be served on such occasions. It had also put a ban on the use of amplifiers, loud speakers and fire crackers at such events in the state. The order will be implemented from April 1. Under criticism from civil society and some political organisations over the said order, Ali said the government has no intention to interfere in someone's religious belief, it is for the welfare of everyone from Hindu to Muslim to Sikh or Christian. BJP state unit chief Sat Pal Sharma (MLA) had said," The decision is interference in the religious affairs of the Hindus and it should not be implemented hastily." The Jammu and Kashmir National Panthers Party had stated that the rule defied all logic and rationale and was a "violation of fundamental rights". Speaking at an interactive session with the representatives of various civil societies, the Minister said that people from all quarters have been complaining about the menace of extravagant expenditure on social functions, especially marriage ceremonies. He said there were many instances when some people have come to him to seek some financial assistance to organise the marriage functions. "Concept of marriage is to bring joy in the family, not to give sleepless nights to the parents," he said. "Due to societal compulsions, majority of the families are forced to exhaust all their savings only to follow the trend set by some affluent," he said, adding 'Guest Control' is a respite for the majority population who suffer in the race to match the elites." The Minister assured that the order by no means would facilitate or support 'Inspector Raj'. He said, "people need to introspect themselves for whose rights are getting trampled when loud music is played late in night, and a patient in next house is not able to get the much needed rest." The minister questioned who would secure the future of a student when "we do not let him concentrate on his studies by playing loud music and cracking loud crackers." Seeking support from the civil society, Zulfkar Ali said "We all have to work together to weed out evils from the society" and asked the leaders of the civil societies to make a conscious effort to raise awareness among masses. He said those who try to oppose the government order would be dealt by the law accordingly. Responding to the demand by various civil society leaders to decrease the guest number, the Minister acknowledged that he is well aware that the number was quite large. According to the 'Guest Control Order', the number of guests to be invited on the marriage of daughter including baraat should be restricted to a maximum of 500 and on that of son, it should not exceed 400. The Minister said the order was finalised so that the interests of everyone from catering business to banquet hall owners are taken care off. However, he said to fix the system "a step at a time needs to be taken...Rushing to correct everything in one go would only harm instead of doing any good. FARGO An executive at Sanford Health said immigration restrictions imposed by President Donald Trumps administration could prevent filling critical gaps in care by keeping out some doctors from foreign countries. Sanford has seven physicians who, if they returned to their home countries, might not be unable to return to their jobs under travel restrictions announced by the administration. The travel ban has not been allowed to take effect because of a federal judges ruling. Another 14 physicians now in training who are waiting to join Sanford could be caught up in a six-month suspension of paperwork for visas that would enable them to work in the United States. Sanford has rushed to file the paperwork for a group of physicians up to 50 could be entangled in the six-month processing hiatus to get in ahead of an April 3 deadline for the six-month suspension, which the administration is imposing to allow officials to catch up on a paperwork backlog. These foreign physicians fill critical gaps in shortage areas and rural areas, said Cindy Morrison, Sanfords chief marketing officer. The expedited paperwork processing is allowed under an option called premium processing, which calls for employers to pay about $1,255 for each case to speed up the visa application review. Without the premium processing, weve waited as long as seven or eight months to process visas enabling foreign doctors to work in the U.S., Morrison said. Because of a requirement that the visa applications must be made six months before they would be needed, some physicians in training are not yet eligible to file applications, and therefore will be delayed, Morrison said. Sanford has identified two such cases. Both of these physicians are specialists, so we likely will have a gap, she said. In fact, most of the 14 foreign physicians Sanford plans to hire this summer are in hard-to-fill medical niches. These are mostly specialists, Morrison said. The specialists include neurologists, pulmonologists, hematologists, pediatric intensivists, interventional cardiologists and neurologists, gastroenterologists and physical medicine and rehabilitation. Essentia Health declined to provide details about how the immigration restrictions might impair physician staffing. But Essentias top executive said maintaining and improving access in rural areas is a challenge that the health system meets by recruiting physicians and other health professionals, including doctors from abroad. Essentia would not be able to meet our obligation to our patients without colleagues who were born outside the United States and have dedicated their expertise and service to our communities, Dr. David Herman, Essentias chief executive officer, said in a statement. The visa waiver program for physicians has existed for many years, probably at least two decades, and many of the foreign doctors end up staying permanently and becoming citizens, Morrison said. These are people that have been parts of the communities for years, she said. They come from all over the world. Sanford, which has a service area of 150,000 square miles centered in the Dakotas, employs about 1,400 physicians, and hires about 100 physicians each year, Morrison said. Indian-Americans, particularly Hindus and Sikh, have become victims of Islamophobia and xenophobia in the US, the community members said as they held an awareness rally against hate crimes in front of the White House seeking President Donald Trump's intervention in the matter. "Hindus have been recently affected and victimised (in the US) as a result of Islamophobia. It does affect our community as well," Vindhya Adapa, 27, a Virginia-based corporate lawyer, told PTI outside the White House yesterday. Adapa along with a few dozen Indian-Americans representing various Indian-American groups from in and around the Greater Washington Area held a peaceful demonstration in view of the recent surge in hate crimes against the community. "A recent example of that is recent shooting and murder of an IT personnel in Kansas, who was mistaken for being an Arab and a Muslim. I do think that the current political climate is eventually going to target all communities including Hindu-Americans," said S Sheshadri, a young Indian-American doctor and Adapa's friend. "We are here today to raise awareness against hate crimes particularly against people of Indian origin. This is not necessarily a protest against the Trump Administration. We are here to seek bipartisan support against the hate crimes that has been happening recently against Indian-Americans," Adapa said, urging the President to acknowledge and condemn what is happening. "I would say what is happening against the Indian-American community is a result of xenophobia, Islamic phobia and the anti-immigrant statements that have come out from the Administration," she alleged. "A lot of Sikh people and Hindu people are mistaken for being Muslim, for being Middle eastern," she said, adding that the way to tackle that is to spread awareness about these different communities. In a petition memorandum submitted to President Trump, the recently established Coalition of Indian American organisations of the USA, which organised the event, urged him to intervene in the matter and take steps to punish the culprits under federal hate crimes law. It also urged the President to allay the fears of the Indian-American community and show his support, and take remediation steps to eliminate the hate. "A message should go out to the people of this country from the administration that no citizen should take the law into their hands and it will not be tolerated by the government," said the petition. The peaceful protest was organised in the aftermath of a series of hate crime incidents against Indian-Americans. (Reopens FGN 3) Indian engineer Srinivas Kuchibhotla, 32, was killed and his colleague Alok Madasani and an American, Ian Grillot, were injured in a shooting by a Navy veteran who told them "Get out of my country!" at a bar in Olathe City, Kansas last month. A 43-year-old Indian-origin convenience store owner, Harnish Patel, was shot dead outside his home in Lancaster County, South Carolina on March 2. A day later a 39-year-old Sikh was injured by a partially masked gunman, who shouted "Go back to your own country!" and shot him outside his home in Kent, Washington. An Indian-origin girl was racially abused on a train by an African-American in New York on February 23. He reportedly called her inappropriate names and yelled "Get out of here!" when she was travelling in a commuter train. On March 10, a 64-year-old Florida man tried to set an Indian-owned convenience store on fire because he thought the owners were Muslim. "Indian-Americans and the Indian Diaspora are in distress and are concerned for the safety of their families as the racially motivated hate crimes have been perpetrated against them across the countries in form of gun violence, vandalism, and oral harassment shouting 'Go back to your country'," the petition said. "We have assembled here together to register our protest against recent hate crimes against Indian-Americans. The White House and the new President should acknowledge that the contribution of the Indian-American community," said Shreekanta Nayak, a community leader from Maryland. Puneet Ahluwalia,who was a member of the Trump Campaign's Asian-American Pacific Islanders Advisory community, said that it is time to show solidarity with the Indian-Americans in the country. "We really want to appreciate what President Trump said condoning hate and violence. As a proud Republican, a proud American, I want to support my community members in raising awareness and bringing attention to the crimes or ignorance of a lot of people who are attacking Indian Americans and other minorities," Ahluwalia said. The government has decided to dispose of safely the hazardous waste from the Union Carbide factory in Bhopal, the Rajya Sabha was informed today. "The government has decided to take the necessary remediation measures including the safe disposal of identified quantity of hazardous waste of the erstwhile Union Carbide India Ltd (UCIL) in Bhopal," Environment Minister Anil Madhav Dave said in a written reply. He said trial incineration of 10 tonnes of actual UCIL waste was carried out at common hazardous waste treatment, storage and disposal facility (TSDF) in Pithampur in Indore from August 13-18, 2015 under the supervision of the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the Madhya Pradesh Pollution Control Board and the Environment Ministry. "The CPCB has reported that all the monitored parameters of the incinerated waste complied with the prescribed parameters of common hazardous waste incinerator as prescribed under schedule -I of the Environment ( Protection) Rules, 1986 notified under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986. "Ambient air quality around incinerator was found to be within the National Ambient Air Quality Standards for monitored parameters namely, PM10, SOx, NOx, arsenic, lead and benzene," he said. Thirty-two years ago, a gas leak at the Union Carbide had killed and maimed thousands of people in Bhopal. According to media reports, the government is planning for a complete disposal of about 332 tonnes of toxic waste, dumped in the Bhopal factory, through the tender route. The incineration of 10 tonnes of Union Carbide waste was a pilot project initiated by the Ministry, reports said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Madras High Court today declined to exempt Chennai Police Commissioner S George from appearance before it, saying the report over which he was summoned has been filed without its knowledge. The bench of Justice S Vaidyanathan directed him to be present in the court on March 27. The bench had on March 18 asked George to appear before it today for not complying with its August 22 order seeking a status report on the cases pending before the Central Crime Branch up to 2011. When the matter came up for hearing today, the government counsel requested the judge to dispense with the personal appearance of the police officer, saying the report has already been filed. The judge, however, refused to take note of the report, saying it was not there in the case bundle when he perused it on Friday last. The cause list for today, however, showed the report has been filed, he said. Stating that there were 'blacksheep' within the court itself, the judge directed the registry to ascertain who inserted the report without his knowledge. The government counsel also submitted that the police had inadvertently filed the report before the first Additional Sessions Court without informing its Chennai's commissioner or the high court. The officer had no intention to violate the court orders, the counsel pleaded adding he has high regard for the judiciary. Rejecting the explanation as an 'afterthought' aimed at avoiding the police commissioner's appearance, the judge said, "Such excuses are given for avoidance of the appearance." He then ordered George to appear in the court on March 27. "Let him appear in court and offer his explanation... Nothing wrong... If he too says the police did not keep him informed (about filing of the report in another court), we will order appropriate action in that regard." Incidentally, George has been summoned to appear in the high court in another case also. Justice N Kirubakaran has directed the CoP to appear in the court on March 22 in a contempt petition for failure to provide protection to a petitioner as ordered by the court. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) In a landmark judgement, the Uttarakhand High Court today accorded the status of "living human entities" to the Ganga and Yamuna, two of India's most sacred rivers. Exercising extraordinary jurisdiction vested in the court, a division bench of Justices Rajeev Sharma and Alok Singh of the High Court said, "Holy rivers Ganga and Yamuna have been declared to be treated as a living human entities." Agreeing with advocate MC Pant, the court cited the example of river Whanganui in New Zealand which has been given such status. Giving the "legal status" of living humans to the holy rivers, the court ordered that the Director, Namami Gange project for cleaning and rejuvenating the river, the Chief Secretary and the Advocate General of Uttarakhand will act as the "legal parents" of the holy rivers and work as a the human face to protect, conserve and preserve them and their tributaries. These officers will be bound to "uphold the status" of the two rivers and also promote their "health and well being", the court said. The matter related to mining and stone crushing along the banks of the Ganga. On a PIL filed by Haridwar resident Mohammad Salim, the court ordered the Dehradun District Magistrate to remove encroachment from the Shakti canal of the Ganga at Dhakrani within the next 72 hours. It ordered that the DM be suspended if he failed to comply with the directive. The petitioner contended that though the holy rivers connect the two states of Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh, there is "no effective distribution of properties attached to their tributaries between them". The court also ordered the authorities to work out the division of various properties between the neighbouring states under Uttar Pradesh Re-Oganization Act, 2000, a matter pending since the inception of Uttarakhand in the year 2000. The court also directed the government to form a Ganga Management Board within the next eight weeks in accordance with an earlier order of the court in December 2016. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The HDFC Bank today conducted a cyber crime training workshop for Patna police in order to update the skill sets of law enforcement authorities and enhance their ability to tackle economic offences in banks. "With the help of real life examples and case studies, we endeavour to equip law enforcement authorities with appropriate skill sets to tackle economic offences in the banking space, said Zawed Nawaz, Regional Manager - Risk Intelligence & Control, HDFC Bank. The training is a part of HDFC Bank's secure banking initiative, aimed at engaging with all its key stakeholders to improve security in banking across different channels to prevent cyber crime, a HDFC statement said. Over 50 police officers attended the seminar in Patna including higher officials. The programme covered various aspects of investigating economic offences in the banking space, such as how to identify and deal with skimming scams, vishing, phishing, data counterfeiting, identity theft, e-commerce trends, retail assets fraud, SIM duplication and email threats among others, the HDFC statement said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Princess Diana said her honeymoon with Prince Charles was a "perfect opportunity" to catch up on sleep, according to a letter the British royal wrote to her personal secretary in 1981. The letter is included in a rare batch of correspondence between Diana and the Royal household which is set to be auctioned in Gloucestershire next month. Charles' marriage with Diana was doomed from the start as letters sent by the Princess reveal she spent her honeymoon "catching up on sleep", The Telegraph reported. Writing to her personal secretary Jane Parsons, Diana wrote, "The honeymoon was a perfect opportunity to catch up on sleep...." The couple married at St Paul's Cathedral in July 1981, before separating 11 years later in 1992 and finally divorcing in 1996. Diana was fatally injured in a car crash on August 31, 1997, in the Pont de l'Alma road tunnel in Paris. The letter in which she talks about her honeymoon is written on Royal Yacht Britannia crested paper and is dated August 15, 1981. The 25 lots up for auction include a typed list of wedding gifts, dried flowers from the Princess's wedding bouquet, letters written during the couple's honeymoon on the Royal Yacht Britannia, and following the birth of Prince William, as well as thank you letters, Christmas cards, photographs and invitations to numerous Royal events. A typed tally of correspondence received after the birth of Prince William includes details of 4,500 baby presents and records that 24,000 thank you letters were sent out by ladies in waiting. Letters to "everyone in the office" give thanks for her 21st birthday present and record her "gratitude at having such a wonderful collection of people looking after us". The Princess also hopes the staff are not left "exhausted, overworked and underpaid" after the birth of the new baby prince. Thanking Parsons and other staff for the gift of a silver photo frame, the Princess says, "Recently I seem to have endless pictures of William, so it's lovely to think I'll be able to frame one of them for our bedroom." A letter on Kensington Palace crested paper dated July 5, 1983, shows how pleased Princess Diana was to see her young son when she returned from the Royal tour of Australia. She tells Parsons, "William recognised us instantly, which was a relief as sometimes children resent their parents leaving them! It's marvelous to be home again and hopefully we won't have to do any more travelling this year... (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Indian-Americans will honour a 24-year-old American who was injured while trying to intervene during a racially-motivated shooting in Kansas that left an Indian techie dead and another injured. Ian Grillot was injured when he tried to intervene in the shooting by a Navy veteran targetting Indians at a bar in Olathe, Kansas last month. Srinivas Kuchibhotla, 32, was killed and his colleague Alok Madasani was critically injured in the shooting. Grillot will be honoured as 'A True American Hero', at the 14th annual gala of Indian House Houston here on March 25. "Without all the prayers and positive support from everybody, I wouldn't be doing as well as I am right now. It's been a blessing to be alive. I am looking forward to attend India House Gala event on March 25, in Houston, TX. You guys are wonderful and I thank you all for such a support," Grillot said. The annual Gala is the main fundraising event of the India House, with all proceeds going to the day to day community programmes and expansion of India House. "We are privileged to honor Ian Grillot at our biggest event of the year. We invite all Houstonians to come, celebrate Ian's true American spirit and support India House's annual fundraising event," said Jiten Agarwal, Board Member and 2017 Gala Chair of India House. Guests of honour this year include many dignitaries including India's Ambassador to the US Navtej Sarna, former US Ambassador to India David Mulford, former US Assistant Secretary of State Nisha Biswal, Mayor Sylvester Turner, Harris County Judge Ed Emmett and Master Chef Vikas Khanna. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The government is all set to come up with the country's first-of-its-kind dictionary which aims to bring uniformity in sign languages used by hearing and speech impaired people across the nation. The Indian Sign Language (ISL) dictionary, which is being developed by the Indian Sign Language Research and Training Centre (ISLRTC), has so far compiled 6,032 Hindi and English words and their corresponding graphic representation of the signs which are used in daily life. The dictionary is being developed in both print and video format. "A comprehensive Indian Sign Language Dictionary is the need of the hour to facilitate communication between the hearing and speech impaired and create a basic database for further policy making," Union Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Thaawarchand Gehlot said today. "Presently, the sign languages in a diverse country like India vary from region to region. Because of this, people from a region face difficulty in communicating with those in the other region," he said at the inauguration of a two-day national conference titled 'Empowering Deaf through Indian Sign Language'. This dictionary will help bridge the communication gap, Gehlot said. Awanish K Awasthi, the joint secretary in the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities under the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment said once the dictionary is compiled, around 50 lakh hearing impaired people and 20 lakh speech impaired people in the country will get an uniform language. "It will contain graphic representations of popular signs used by the hearing impaired and will also include regional variations. Apart from that, it will have legal, technical and medical terms," Awasthi said. "It will promote the use of sign language for hearing impaired students at schools and colleges. It will also enable government officials, teachers, professionals, community leaders and the public at large to learn and use sign language," he said. The government is also developing a directory of interpreters as the hearing and speech impaired people mostly depend on them to communicate. "It will enable the public utility organisations like banks, hospitals, airports, courts and others to utilise the services of interpreters," Awasthi said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Indian tyre manufacturers are actively seeking supply of natural rubber from South-East Asian producers due to slowdown in domestic production and increase in demand, industry officials said today. India's rubber industry is also expected to do hedging and risk management on Singapore Commodity Exchange (SICOM), prices set by which are used as a benchmark for rubber export from South East Asia. "More Indian tyre manufacturers and rubber consumers have been reaching out to South-East Asian rubber producers to secure supply," said Tan Tee Yong, Director for Rubber Commodities at Singapore Exchange (SGX), the parent group of SICOM. He noted that Indian rubber-linked companies have set up offices in the midst of Singapore's global rubber trading hub, led by major producers. "The supply gap in natural rubber is expected to widen due to a slowdown in production in Kerala, and there are limited opportunities for further rubber plantation area expansion in that state," said Lekshmi Nair, Head of Economics and Statistics at the International Rubber Study Group (IRSG). Noting the growth in demand driven by industrial developments, she said, "The expected mature rubber area expansion in the non-traditional rubber growing states in the North and North-East is not sufficient to meet the future domestic demand requirements". "The rubber industry in India will continue to rely increasingly on import, especially on South-East Asian producers, for the domestic demand requirement," said Nair. India's dependence on rubber supplies from international market will grow further, added Nair, pointing out that India currently imports more than 50 per cent of its rubber requirement. For synthetic rubber, the deficit is likely to remain despite increase in domestic production, she said ahead of the World Rubber Summit scheduled for March 22-23 in Singapore. With increasing import demand for natural rubber, both Indian and International tyre companies are more likely to position in futures trade as the supply/demand gap is expected to widen in the future. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A 17-year-old Indian-American boy has been arrested in North Carolina in connection with killing his mother, in a rare incident of matricide which has sent "shock waves" among the community. Arnav Uppalapati was arrested by Cary police on Friday after more than a year for the death of his 51-year-old mother Nalini Tellaprolu who worked at Duke Medical Center. Tellaprolu was strangled on December 17, 2015 with a plastic bag over her head. Friends of the family were shocked when the police charged Uppalapati with her murder. "It's very devastating. There's never been an incident where a son has taken the life of his own biological mother. It really sends shock waves," Satish Garimella, a Morrisville town councilman of Indian descent, was quoted as saying by the local 'The News&Observer'. Uppalapati was 16 when he reported coming home from school and finding his mother's body in the garage with a plastic bag over her head. Her feet were in the back seat of a car. She may have been beaten before she was strangled, the report said, citing the autopsy report. Uppalapati was a person of interest in the case from the outset, said Wake County District Attorney Lorrin Freeman. One telling clue were early reports that indicated there were no signs of a forced entry into the family's two-story, USD 450,000 home at the Upchurch Farms subdivision, Freeman said. "We're shocked as a community. This was not something we expected to hear. She focused all of her energy on her kids," said Padma Tummala, a long-time friend of Tellaprolu. "I still don't believe it. This is completely out of the blue," said Vijay Javvadi, another family friend. It wasn't clear how police finally broke the case or what motive played a role. Police said in a statement that Uppalapati would be tried on a class B1 felony charge, which is punishable by a maximum sentence of life in prison without parole. Tellaprolu's death was ruled a homicide by the Medical Examiner's Office. Her body was covered with bruises and scratches on her face, neck, torso and arms. There were minor blunt force injuries, and the cartilage in her neck was fractured, the report said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) An Indian journalist, currently on a globe-trotting journey, was allegedly mugged in Chile by a drug addict who fled with his mobile phone and money. The scribe, Vishnudas Chapke (33), told PTI he was robbed near Laja Falls (Salta Del Laja), located along Pan-American highway - around 150 km from the Chilean city of Chillan on February 25 when he was seeking a lift on way to Argentina. Vishnudas, who escaped the attack unscathed, has requested the Chilean embassy here to help locate the robber and his phone. "He (the attacker) put a knife on my stomach and ran away with my bag containing mobile, around 200 US dollars and passport. "Some locals helped chase him in a vehicle. Scared, he dropped the bag at some distance. Luckily, I could get back at least my passport," Vishnudas said in a complaint lodged with local police. Vishnudas, in Buenos Aires at present, has shared a copy of the complaint with PTI. The journalist has been circumnavigating the globe by land, hitchhiking and using other low-cost ways to spread awareness on global warming, for a year now. Originally hailing from Maharashtra's Parbhani, Vishnudas said he reached Argentina via Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, China, Australia and Chile, covering an estimated distance of 46,000 kms until now. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A senior army officer said today that Israel had fired its Arrow missile at a Syrian rocket which posed a "ballistic threat" during clashes over the weekend. Israeli warplanes struck several targets in Syria on Friday, drawing retaliatory missile fire, in the most serious incident between the two countries since the start of the Syrian war six years ago. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the air strikes targeted weapons bound for Lebanon's Shiite militant group Hezbollah, and that Israel would do the same again if necessary. Syria's military launched anti-aircraft missiles at the attackers and said it had downed an Israeli plane and hit another as they carried out pre-dawn strikes near the desert city of Palmyra. Israel denied any of its aircraft was hit. Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman on Sunday threatened to destroy Syrian air defence systems "without the slightest hesitation" if they fired on Israeli planes in future. During the sortie, Israel threw its Arrow interceptor into the fray to take out what the officer said Monday was believed to have been a Russian-made SA 5 missile. "It was a ballistic threat focused on the state of Israel," he said, speaking in English to foreign media on condition of anonymity. "Our mission is to defend the state and the people of Israel," he added. "That was exactly the case last week." Former prime minister and defence minister Ehud Barak has questioned the wisdom of the Arrow launch, saying it may have escalated tensions with Syria in too public a manner. Missile fragments fell in Jordan, which borders both Israel and Syria, without causing casualties. But the Israeli officer said today that the Syrian missile, weighing "tonnes and carrying hundreds of kilos of explosives" had posed a threat that could not have been ignored. "Try to imagine the meaning if this kind of threat would hit the cities and towns of Israel," he said. Launching the Arrow, jointly developed by the United States and Israel, was "a correct and effective solution", he added. Russia's foreign ministry today said it had summoned Israel's ambassador over the strikes and "expressed concern". Israel and Syria are still technically at war, though the border had remained largely quiet for decades until 2011 when the Syrian conflict broke out. Iranian-backed Hezbollah has been fighting inside Syria in support of President Bashar al-Assad against rebels. While Israel has largely avoided getting sucked into the conflict directly, it has repeatedly struck Syrian territory, particularly targeting alleged Hezbollah weapons convoys. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Jharkhand Advocate General Vinod Poddar has been chosen for 'National Law Day award' for his expertise in constitutional law, an official release said here today. A high-profile jury has chosen Poddar for this prestigious award, it said. The release said that Adish C Agarwal, president of International Council of Jury (ICJ) and chairman of All India Bar Association (AIBA) informed Poddar about his being chosen for the award. Poddar will get the award at the International Conference of Jurists function on March 25 in Mumbai, the release said. The function is organised by ICJ, AIBA and Indian Council of Jurists, the release said. Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das congratulated Poddar and said the award brought fame for the state. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A BSP leader was shot dead in a remote part of the district last night, triggering tension in the area. 60-year-old Mohd Shami was gunned down by assailants close to his residence in Mauaima police station area, 40 kms from the city, according to Senior Superintendent of Police Shalabh Mathur. Following te incident, his supporters squatted on the Allahabad-Pratapgarh highway demanding immediate arrest of the culprits and adequate security to his family members. The SSP said Shami had been a five-time president of the Mauaima block. He was allegedly involved in a number of criminal cases, many of them relating to heinous offences like murder and dacoity. According to BSP sources, Shami had joined the party last year soon after losing the panchayat polls, ending his long association with the Samajwadi Party. He had also contested the assembly polls in 2002 on an SP ticket from Kunda against controversial independent MLA Raghuraj Pratap Singh alias Raja Bhaiya who went on to become a minister in the previous Akhilesh Yadav government in Uttar Pradesh. He was also said to be involved in a feud with local leaders of the BJP and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, the sources claimed. Adequate deployment of police has been made in the area to keep the situation under control and Shami's supporters who were squatting on the highway have been dispersed, the SSP said, adding that a search was on to nab those named in the FIR lodged by Shami's family members. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Lok Sabha Deputy Speaker M Thambidurai today met the protesting farmers from Tamil Nadu at Jantar Mantar here and assured them that he would help them raise their demands with Union ministers Arun Jaitley and Uma Bharti. The farmers have been staging a protest in the national capital for seven days. They are demanding a Rs-40,000 crore drought relief package from the Centre for Tamil Nadu, loan waiver, besides other reliefs. "Demands of the farmers are synchronous to that of the Tamil Nadu government. So, we will get appointments and make them meet the Union Finance Minister and Water Resources Minister in a day or two," Thambidurai told reporters. The AIADMK leader requested the farmers to call off their protest. "It is worrying to see the farmers in such a situation. We told them to trust us in solving their issues and call off the protest," he said. However, the farmers asserted not to call off the protest until their demands were met. "We have trust in the leaders of the state government. But, we are not willing to call of the protest until the Centre satisfies our demands, said Iyyakannu of the Desiya Thenninthiya Nathigal Inaippu Vivasayigal Sangam, who is leading the protest. CPI National Secretary D Raja and CPI(M) MP T K Rangarajan too visited the farmers and offered their support. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Over 120 tiger deaths were reported last year while 31 people lost their lives in incidents involving attacks by the wild cats in 2015-16, the Rajya Sabha was informed today. Environment Minister Anil Madhav Dave said in a written reply that out of the 31 people, who died of tiger attacks in 2015-16, the highest toll of 18 was reported from West Bengal. Elaborating further, the minister said 419 human deaths were reported in 2015-16 due to elephant attacks, with the highest 92 being in Assam. Dave said of the 121 tiger deaths reported in the country in 2016, 31 were confirmed cases of poaching including seizure and 48 were due to the natural and other causes, while 42 cases are still under scrutiny. Similarly, in 2015-16, 12 elephant deaths were reported due to poaching, while one died of poisoning and 46 of electrocution. The minister said no specific study has been conducted across the country on the reasons of wild animals venturing into the human habitats. The minister, however, added as per the expert opinion and reports, reasons which can be attributed to the loss of human lives due to the attacks by wild animals include the loss, degradation and fragmentation of wildlife habitat due to increase in human population and resultant encroachment into their areas by people. This, in turn, results in scarcity of the space and food for the wildlife, he said. "Some species like rhesus macaques and nilgai have actually benefited from human modification of the natural habitats (open garbage dumps and increase in agriculture)," the minister said. He added the other reasons included "disruption and encroachment of the traditional movement corridors due to the developmental and habitat alteration and change in traditional land use patterns," he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A man has been arrested in China's northeast Heilongjiang province for allegedly stealing 80 fossilised dinosaur eggs, state media reported today. The man, surnamed Wang, visited a dinosaur egg collector in Zhejiang province twice on the pretext of purchasing eggs. With the help of three accomplices, he stole 80 eggs on January 9 before fleeing to Shanghai. The group divided the eggs and Wang took 27 of them, Xinhua agency reported. Wang surrendered before the police which later caught the other three suspects, the report added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray will not address the party rally on the occasion of Gudhipadwa this year as he is going abroad. The development came days after the closure of a selfie-point by the party leader Sandeep Deshpande at Dadar in Central Mumbai in the wake of MNS' debacle in BMC elections. However, a party official said the festival celebration could be organised at local level with cultural processions and other events to mark the beginning of the Hindu new year, on March 28. In a private meeting with his party officials, Thackeray informed them that he would not address 'Gudhipadwa' rally this year, as he will be flying out of country during that period. The MNS has been pushed to the margins of the state politics, following successive defeats it has suffered at the hustings. In the BMC elections held last month, the party won only seven seats in Mumbai, which it considers its turf. When asked if the poll debacle was the cause behind cancellation of the event, MNS officials said the electoral mandate has not affected the morale of the party. The MNS had started celebrating Gudhipadwa on a large scale two years back. The party typically organises cultural processions to mark the event, while Thackeray delivers a speech in evening on the occasion. The closure of the photo spot at Shivaji Park in Dadar, where youths gathered to take selfies, was developed by Deshpande in his civic ward when he was leader of his party in BMC. He decided to close it after his wife lost the election in the ward on February 21. Deshpande had cited lack of funds for maintenance as the reason for discontinuing the selfie point. Such selfie-points were set up by city corporators ahead of the civic polls to connect with voters, especially youngsters. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The family members of a British woman, found dead on a south Goa beach last week, suspect the roles of more than one person in killing her, says the lawyer representing the victim's family. Deputy Superintendent of Police (Canacona) Sammy Tavares, however, maintained that it's a "handiwork of a single person," ruling out the role of a gang behind the crime. 28-year-old Briton Danielle McLaughling was found dead last Tuesday at an isolated stretch between Agonda and Canacona beaches. Police has arrested one Vikas Bhagatm, 23 in connection with the case. "The family members of Danielle say she was a strong girl and would have been able to defend herself from any attack by a single person," Vikram Varma, the lawyer representing the family of the British woman told PTI. "The preliminary theory of the police is based on a confession and needs to be substantiated with forensic evidence," he said. "As the police has not concluded its probe, I would not rule out the possibility of more persons being involved in the crime," said Varma, who was also assisting Fiona Mackowen, the mother of Scarlett Keeling, another British girl who was found dead in Goa in 2008. "Petty criminals often work in gangs and do have substantialskills in misleading people as well as the police. I do hope they do not succeed in this case," he said. Tavares, meanwhile, said, "The police is conducting a thorough investigation in the case. It is a handiwork of a single person. There is no possibility of a gang doing it. We have gathered enough evidence." The officer said the pieces of evidence, collected by the police, will ensure conviction of the accused in this case. In a related development, the police has issued a no-objection certificate to the British embassy to fly Danielle's body to her native place. "They are yet to fly the body back to the native place. The formalities are going on to do so," Tavares said. The autopsy, conducted by a panel of doctors from Goa Medical College and Hospital, confirmed that Danielle was strangulated to death. The forensic examination had also confirmed that she was sexually abused before she was murdered. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Bhupendra Singh today hailed state's intelligence network as the "most capable" in country and said it ensured a swift action in connection with the "last three terror activities." "Terrorism is a challenge for entire country. The way Madhya Pradesh has taken tough measures against it swiftly, no other state has done so. "Because of information network of the intelligence agency, the state successfully took tough measures against the last three terror activities in the state. The intelligence network in Madhya Pradesh is the most capable in country," Singh said in the Legislative Assembly. He was replying to a call attention motion raised in the House by the Congress MLAs Govind Singh and Ram Niwas Rawat on recent terror activities in state. "In the Bhopal-Ujjain passenger train blast near Jabdi station, the three accused behind it were caught within five hours which is a record in the country. Ten persons were injured in an IED explosion on board the passenger train earlier this month. "Similarly, in the SIMI jailbreak case of October 30-31 night last year, all eight activists were gunned down swiftly," the Home Minister said. He also referred to the arrest of fifteen persons so far in connection with a spy ring. "In the case of spying registered by R S Pura police station in Jammu-Kashmir, two accused Satvinder and Dadu were arrested. Madhya Pradesh ATS found that for providing secret strategic information, money was being paid through a bank in Satna district of the state (MP), following which action was taken and 15 persons were arrested," Singh said. He said an illegal racket of routing international calls via the Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) through GSM exchange was also busted in the state and the ATM cards used for transferring money were seized. Singh assured that state government will not spare anyone involved in such activities and will not allow such designs to flourish in the state. He denied the Opposition's charge that timely action was not taken by the government to curb these activities. Singh said the law and order situation is good in Madhya Pradesh and people are living fearlessly. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings (NCLH) is expecting India to become its top market in Asia in terms of flight cruise passengers this year. NCLH operates the Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises brands. "We see great potential in the Indian market, which is witnessing a double digit growth. The company is expecting to witness double digit growth from the Indian market for the next 10 years," NCLH India country Head Manoj Singh told PTI. In Asia, he said, India is NCLH's number two market after Japan, adding "we expect India to supersede Japan this year." NCLH today showcased its newly refurbished cruise ship Norwegian Star. Singh said majority of NCLH's bookings are from the north and the west, falling between 35-45 years category. "Most of our booking comes from the western and the northern region in terms of volume....Volume is less from the eastern region, they are more high-end or premium," he said. The company considers China a separate market from Asia, because of the itinerary and preference, Singh said. Overall, he said, NCLH's top five markets are the US, followed by the UK, Europe, Australia and Asia. When asked which itinerary is preferred by travellers from the sub-continent, Singh said Indians mostly book for the Mediterranean or the Alaska cruises. Mostly it is the travellers from US and UK who prefer the cruises which include India, he said to another question. "We have always viewed this region as a hotbed for growth and have planned to roll out some new offerings in the coming months. One of those offerings include Norwegian Cruise Line's Norwegian Joy, which had been developed especially with the Chinese market in mind....We plan on introducing this new ship in July 2017," Singh said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Nepal Police today fired tear gas shells and baton charged workers of a pro-Hindu party in Kathmandu, injuring more than a dozen of them when they were protesting against the poll watchdog's decision to remove "Hindu state and monarchy" clauses from the party's statute. The Rashtriya Prajatantra Party (RPP), a partner in the ruling coalition of Prime Minister Prachanda's government, had staged a protest outside the Election Commission's office against the decision it took on Friday to remove the clauses. The EC has said the clauses contradict the constitutional provisions of a republican system and secularism. The pro-Hindu party has termed the decision "unconstitutional" and said it will challenge it in court. RPP's chairman and Nepal's Deputy Prime Minister Kamal Thapa led the protest outside the EC's office when the clashes between the police and the party cadres erupted. Police baton charged the workers and fired tear gas cells to disperse the agitators. More than a dozen RPP cadres were injured. Some policemen too received injures, officials said. Former RPP chairman and senior party leader Pashupati Shamsher Rana and other lawmakers were among those injured, party sources said. As part of their protest against the EC's decision, RPP leaders and cadres have staged protest outside District Election Offices in several parts of the country. The party on Saturday decided to launch street protests and seek "constitutional remedy" against the EC decision. The decision to remove the clauses from the statue of the RPP has come as the party was seeking to register the organisation to participate in the local body polls scheduled for May 14. The RRP has been campaigning for reinstatement of Nepal as a Hindu State after the country was converted into a "secular" nation through a parliament declaration in 2008, when monarchy was abolished with the success of the multi-party People's Movement. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The NIA today issued a second notice to controversial Islamic preacher Zakir Naik asking him to appear before it on March 30 in a case filed against him under an anti-terror law. The agency had early this month issued the first summons to him asking him to appear on March 14. Officials said Naik has been summoned at the National Investigation Agency's headquarters here. The notice has been sent to the Mumbai residence of 51-year-old Naik, who is believed to be staying in Saudi Arabia to evade arrest after his activities came under scanner following accusations that he had inspired some of the terrorists who attacked a cafe in Dhaka last year. An FIR against Naik and his associates was registered by the NIA in November last year. The physician-turned-preacher has been booked for allegedly promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony. Sections of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) have also been slapped on him. In the FIR, the NIA alleged that Naik incited Muslim youths to commit unlawful and terrorist acts, the official said. The Centre had declared Islamic Research Foundation (IRF), an NGO based at Dongri in south Mumbai, an unlawful organisation under the UAPA. The Delhi High Court had recently upheld the decision to immediately ban IRF saying the organisation and its president and members were indulging in "unlawful activity". Besides the IRF, Naik is also founding trustee of the IRF Educational Trust and the Islamic Dimensions Trust. The speeches of Naik are banned in the UK, Canada and Malaysia. Naik has rejected all allegations of involvement in terror-related activities and opposed ban on the IRF. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) 'Mohabbat ka silsila jari rahna chahiye' (efforts to build peace and amity must continue) -- said one of the two clerics from Hazrat Nizamuddin Dargah, on returning home from Pakistan where they had gone missing under mysterious circumstances. Despite the hardship faced in the last few days, the two clerics from Delhi's iconic shrine, are filled with anything but acrimony. "Whatever we faced during this time, should not mean that India and Pakistan should have another reason to feel bitter about each other. In fact, the efforts to build peace and amity must continue even more," Sufi cleric Nazim Ali Nizami told PTI in an interview. Ali Nizami and 80-year-old Syed Asif Nizami, 'Sajjadanashin' of the holy shrine were given a warm reception at the Nizamuddin mausoleum, where special prayers were offered to "thank the almighty" for their return. "We are Sufis and Sufism teaches us the message of love ('paigam-e-mohabbat'). We had gone to Pakistan to spread that message. Some people may not have liked our message. But, I will again go to Pakistan, and go there with greater resolve," he said. reports had claimed the two clerics were detained by Pakistan's spy agency ISI over suspicion of their links with India's external spy agency RAW and Muttahida Qaumi Movement in that country. Pakistani newspaper Ummat had in a report claimed that the clerics worked for RAW and MQM, an organisation of Muslims who migrated from India to Pakistan after partition and has often been locked in confrontation with the establishment there, a charge strongly rejected by the cleric. "The main purpose of the visit was to visit shrine of Baba Farid and and Data Darbar. I keep visiting Pakistan but my uncle (Asif) was visiting after 26 years to meet his nearly 90-year-old sister in Karachi," Ali Nizami said. Ali Nizami said "aman-chain ki taraf kadam badhne chahiye, (We must work towards peace and amity)" and more and more people should visit each other from both sides of the border. He appealed to both India and Pakistan to increase people-to-people contact as part of peace-building efforts. "I would even appeal to both New Delhi and Islamabad to increase the number of visas so that more and more people can travel and know each other," he added. The two clerics had gone to Lahore on March 8 but disappeared in the middle of last week following which India took up the issue with Islamabad. They were offloaded from Karachi-bound Shaheen Airlines on March 14 at the Allama Iqbal International Airport, Lahore, the Pakistani sources had said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The head priest of Hazrat Nizamuddin Dargah, who along with another cleric had gone missing in Pakistan for days, returned home today with their disappearance still shrouded in mystery amid reports they had been picked up by the ISI. 80-year-old Syed Asif Nizami, the chief priest of the sufi shrine and his nephew Nazim Ali Nizami flew back by a Pakistan International Airlines flight and met External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, who had taken up their case with Pakistan Prime Minister's Adviser on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz. Though the two clerics did not divulge much about what happened during this period, Asif Nizami, however said, he was blindfolded and taken to some undisclosed place. "I was sitting at the Lahore Airport, carrying my boarding pass when suddenly some people came and told me there were some details lacking in my passport. "When the flight was about to depart, I was asked to accompany them. I felt helpless. Soon 8-10 people surrounded me and I was taken out through another gate," he said. Asif Nizami said they "put a cloth over my head and took us somewhere." He, however, said the stay was "comfortable" and the room he was kept in had bed, pillows and an AC. Union Ministers of State M J Akbar and V K Singh, besides Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar were present when the clerics met Swaraj. Both the clerics briefly met reporters here but did not throw much light on their disappearance last Wednesday. While Asif Nizami had gone missing from Karachi airport, his nephew Nazim disappeared from Lahore airport before broke on Saturday that they had been traced. However, Sajid Nizami, son of Asif Nizami, alleged that the duo was "taken away" after a report appeared in a Karachi-based Urdu daily which claimed they had links with Indian external intelligence agency RAW. On reports that both of them could not be contacted as they were in interior Sindh where there was no communication network, Nazim Ali Nizami strongly rejected the claim. "We did not have visa for Sindh interior region, so how could we have gone there? The reports that we could not be contacted because of network issues is totally false," Nazim told reporters. On whether they were detained by Pakistani authorities, Sajid said, "Yes". When asked if ISI was involved in their disappearance and whether they were harassed, Sajid said "no force or coercion was used" against them. After meeting Swaraj, Nazim Ali Nizami thanked the Indian government, particularly the minister, for their safe return and said they had gone to the neighbouring country with a message of peace and love. "We were not among those who were involved in any illegal activities. We had gone to Pakistan to spread the message of love and peace. Some people may not have liked our message. I will again go to Pakistan with greater resolve," he said. Nizami also thanked the Pakistan government for the cooperation extended by it to enable their return. Pakistani newspaper Ummat had in a report claimed that the clerics worked for RAW and Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) movement, an organisation of Muslims who had migrated to Pakistan from India during partition. The MQM has been often locked in confrontation with the Pakistani establishment. The two clerics were given a warm welcome on their return to the dargah and special prayers were offered to "thank the Almighty" for their safe return. Two two clerics had gone to Lahore on March 8 but went missing last week following which India took up the issue with Islamabad. The main purpose of the visit of Asif to Pakistan was to see his 90-year-old sister in Karachi. On Saturday, Pakistan had conveyed to India that the clerics had been traced and had reached Karachi. Some Pakistani media reports had said the two had been in "interior Sindh where there was no communication network" and that was why they could not inform their relatives about their whereabouts. Earlier, Pakistani sources had said they were in the custody of Pakistan's intelligence agency over their alleged links with MQM. When asked as to why they were "interrogated", Nazim said they were asked about their visa and other immigration details. "We thank Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and Swaraj and well wishers from all religions who prayed for our return," Nazim said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Two top US spymasters on Monday trashed President Donald Trump's allegation that his Trump Tower was wiretapped on the orders of his predecessor Barack Obama, saying there is no evidence to support the claim. "With respect to the president's tweets about alleged wiretapping directed at him by the prior administration, I have no information that supports those tweets, and we have looked carefully inside the FBI," FBI Director James Comey told the powerful House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. Responding to a question from the members on Trump's allegation, Comey said the Justice Department had also looked for evidence to support Trump's allegation that his Trump Tower in New York - the headquarters of his presidential campaign - was wiretapped but could not find any. "The Department of Justice has asked me to share with you that the answer is the same for the Department of Justice and all its components, the department has no information that supports those tweets," Comey said, noting that no US president can unilaterally order a wiretap. Admiral Michael Rogers, Director of the National Security Agency and Commander of US Cyber Command, also spoke on the same lines asserting he has seen no evidence of wiretapping as alleged by Trump through his tweets. Trump has alleged that Obama had ordered wiretapping of the Trump Tower in the run up to the November 8 presidential election. His accusation had led to a huge uproar in the US and an Obama aide had to come forward to reject the charge. Trump's allegation had also triggered a diplomatic row with Britain recently, as Trump and aides cited a discredited report by an American television network that Obama asked a British intelligence agency to tap him. The British government had objected to the claim and the Trump administration had assured London that the White House will not use the allegations again. Soon after Comey's Congressional hearing, Democrats demanded that Trump apologise to Obama. "President Trump owes the American people and President Obama more than just an explanation, but an apology. He should admit he was wrong, stop the outlandish Tweets, and get to work on behalf of this country," said Senate majority leader Charles Schumer. "The FBI director has now confirmed what members from both parties in both the House and the Senate have said: 'President Obama did not order a wiretap on Trump Tower'. No matter what else happened, there are no ifs, ands, or buts about it - President Obama wiretapping Trump Tower did not happen," he said. "By tweeting this claim and attempting to put unproven theories from the fringes of the American media into the mainstream, President Trump has severely damaged his credibility, which is essential to being president. He needs to retract his claim immediately," Schumer alleged. The "Terminator" franchise will no more expand and no further movies will be reportedly made. Executives from Paramount studios have decided not to make another film, which starred actor Arnold Schwarzenegger in the titular role, reported New York Daily . "It is over for 'The Terminator' and Arnold. The studio has taken the sequel off the production slate completely, meaning there is no preproduction or any plans for another sequel. The talent had been offered long term deals, but this is not happening," an insider said. However, it is being said another company could buy the rights to the franchise but, given that Arnold turns 70 later this year, that is deemed unlikely. "It would need an independent production company to think about making this, and asking Arnie back at age 70 to play that again may be a tough ask," the source added. Its last sequel, "Terminator Genisys" released in 2015. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) US President Donald Trump has said that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un was "acting very, very badly", hours after Pyongyang conducted a ground test of a new type of high-thrust rocket engine. "He is acting very very badly," Trump told reporters after he held meetings on North Korea with his national security staff at his Florida residence. Trump returned to the White House last night. "Today, President Donald J Trump held meetings regarding North Korea and China," the White House said in a brief readout of his meetings of the day. It said the President also met with military personnel. In brief interaction with reporters at Mar-a-Lago, Trump said that over the weekend he held meeting with his officials on North Korea. North Korea conducted a ground test of a new type of high-thrust rocket engine on Saturday at the Sohae launch site, according to the Korean Central Agency. It said Kim called the test "a great event of historic significance" for North Korea's indigenous rocket industry. In the last few weeks, the Trump administration has ramped up its rhetoric on North Korea. The US alleges that these tests have been carried out in violation of the UN Security Council resolution. Trump's remarks came as Secretary of State Rex Tillerson headed back home from a three-nation - Japan, South Korea and China - trip wherein Pyongyang dominated his deliberations. During his three-nation Asia trip, Tillerson not only denounced North Korean tests but also said that the US is open to any pre-emptive strike against Pyongyang. A top Republican lawmaker supported Tillerson's remarks. "The closer that the North Korean regime gets to being able to deliver a nuclear weapon, we're going to have to be in a position to take some type of preemptive strike. We hope that it doesn't come to that," Chairman of the House Select Committee on Intelligence Congressman David Nunes told Fox . In Japan, Tillerson said that the diplomatic and other efforts in the past 20 years have failed and thus there is need for a different approach. "In the face of this ever-escalating threat, it is clear that a different approach is required. Part of the purpose of my visit to the region is to exchange views on a new approach," he said. A day later, Trump used tweeter - his favorite social media platform - to slam North Korea. "North Korea is behaving very badly. They have been playing the United States for years. China has done little to help," said the US President. Kathleen Stephens, a former US Ambassador to South Korea, said that all these indicates that the US is toughening its stance against North Korea. Senator Bob Corker, Chairman of the powerful Senate Foreign Relations Committee, too has supported Tillerson on North Korea. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The recent oil spill in Chennai has resulted in death of a particular variety of fish and Oilve Ridley turtles apart from affecting the other marine life, the government today said. In a written reply in Rajya Sabha, Environment Minister Anil Madhav Dave said that field investigations have been carried out by the National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management (NCSCM), under his Ministry. "The Total Petroleum Hydrocarbon (TPH) in seawater increased due to the oil spill. The rocky shore and flora and fauna close to the spillage area were directly affected. "Mollusk species such as mussels and rock oyster were found to be clogged with oil. Crabs, star gazer fishes and Olive Ridley turtles were also affected. Death of star gazer fishes and Olive Ridley turtles and loss of bivalve species - mostly green mussel and rock oyster has also been reported," he said. On January 28, two shipping vessels had collided outside the Kamarajar Port at Ennore, resulting in rupture of a ship and oil spill. The seawater had blackened and some turtles were found dead near the north Chennai shoreline following the incident. The government is aware of the likely threat to marine life resulting from Chennai oil spill. He said the steps taken to improve marine life in the Bay of Bengal and along the entire coast of the country include implementation of the Coastal Regulation Zone Notification 2011, issued by the Environment Ministry and setting norms for discharge of effluents into marine environment. "In so far as removal of Chennai oil spill is concerned, the clean-up operations have led to recovery of marine life. The crab species found in burrows have reappeared on beaches," he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Another person wanted in connection with the murder of Dravida Viduthalai Kazhakam (DVK) worker, Farooq, surrendered before a Court here today, police said. Saddam Hussain, a resident of Podanur here, arrived at the Judicial Magistrate court along with his advocate, to surrender, since his name was in the list of suspects. There was no proof about the involvement of Saddam in the murder case, his advocate said. Since police suspect his involvement along with five others, he decided to surrender before the Court, he added. Saddam is likely to be remanded to judicial custody, police said. One Asrath had already surrendered before the court on March 17 in connection with the murder. Farooq, was found murdered on the night of March 16, with deep cuts on neck and abdomen. He was done to death reportedly by a four-member gang in protest against his repeated posts in the social media against God and religion. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) JAMESTOWN The budget for the North Dakota Department of Human Services is being considered in the Senate Appropriations Committee, but a high decrease of funds in some areas of the budget could negatively impact behavioral health services in the state, according to a department official. Dr. Rosalie Etherington, North Dakota State Hospital superintendent and chief clinics officer for the Department of Human Services, testified in favor of the departments executive budget to the Senate Appropriations Committee on Wednesday. House Bill 1012 proposes an overall increase to the Department of Human Services budget but additional cuts to the State Hospital and human service centers budgets than those included in the departments executive budget. It would reduce behavioral health services across the state when there is already a shortage, Etherington said. People would go without care or be undertreated. The bill also proposes cutting 51 full-time equivalents (FTEs) in the department, including 11 from the State Hospital and Sex Offender Treatment and Assessment Program, Etherington said. The hospitals staffing formula determined that the cuts would require the hospital to close an eight- to 10-bed patient care unit, she said. According to Etheringtons testimony, it takes the State Hospital, on average, 142 days to hire a nurse, 545 days to hire a psychologist and 905 or more days to hire a psychiatrist. The hospital has psychologist and psychiatrist vacancies at 50 percent and registered nurse vacancies at 17 percent. Vacancies have required contracting with out-of-state specialists, Etheringtons testimony said. The forensic psychologist shortage is most critical, with three long-term vacancies, according to Etheringtons testimony. The positions are necessary for court-ordered criminal responsibility, criminal competency and sex offender evaluations, she said. Rep. Chet Pollert, R-Carrington, is the chairman of the House Appropriations Human Resources Division Committee, which considered and amended the budget in the House. Pollert said as a whole, the Department of Human Services received an increase to its total budget due to increases in the baseline budget to long-term care facilities, such as nursing homes, and also the Developmental Disabilities Division of the department. But there are cuts to the human service centers and State Hospital. North Dakota is in a tight budget crunch because of the drops in revenues from oil and agricultural commodity prices, so we are forced to make some very tough decisions, Pollert said. The DHS has the ability to transfer dollars in its $3.5 billion budget between all of its divisions, so the department can address shortfalls in different areas, Pollert said. Some services will probably be reduced, but a 4 percent reduction and some transfer authority amongst divisions can make the reductions minimal, he said. Rep. Jim Grueneich, R-Jamestown, said in an email that the budget is a work in progress and until the Legislature knows what the final budgets will be it is premature to comment. Sen. John Grabinger, D-Jamestown, a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, said he is still going through the budget information provided by the department. Grabinger said nothing stuck out as a drastic cut, but something may come up as he analyzes the information. There is absolutely a shortage of behavioral health care services in the state, but the departments focus has been on aging and long-term care services, Grabinger said. Budget breakdowns The human service centers combined budget decreases by $5.6 million, from $201.4 million in 2015-2017 to $195.8 million for the 2017-2019 budget in the Houses proposal. The department-wide FTE allocation proposed by the House would result in a 21-FTE reduction through the human service centers, including the South Central Human Service Center in Jamestown, but a loss of behavioral health employees would reduce client services and delay child services, Etherington said in her testimony. The State Hospital budget decreases by $3 million, from $70.6 million in 2015-2017 to $67.6 million in the 2017-2019 budget proposal from the House. The State Hospitals proposed executive budget includes the loss of one FTE security officer because of the closing of one sex offender unit. There was also a decrease in temporary salaries and overtime because with more FTEs being hired there was less overtime and temporary staff costs at the hospital. The department-wide FTE allocation results in the reduction of nine nine FTEs from the State Hospital, which could lead to the closure of an inpatient unit, reducing the psychiatric hospital bed shortage and further burdening community treatment providers and private psychiatric hospitals, Etheringtons testimony said. A decrease in the hospitals operating expenses would require eliminating the University of North Dakota psychiatry residency program and reduce preventative maintenance of infrastructure, she said. The Sex Offender Treatment and Assessment Program budget decreases by $900,000 from $13.1 million in 2015-17 to $12.2 million in the 2017-2019 budget proposal, Etherington said. There was already a decrease of 10 FTEs in the program because of increased community discharges and placement to the hospital community transition center, allowing closure of one of the programs units, according to Etheringtons testimony. The department FTE allocation would result in two additional FTEs reductions for the program, which would result in reduced nursing care hours for medically fragile sex offenders and community readiness services for the Community Transition Center at the State Hospital. Across the board, removing the Fair Labor Standards Act overtime funding would cause problems, according to Etheringtons testimony. Removing the overtime funding from the human service centers would limit staff hours, resulting in service reductions and loss of revenue, according to Etheringtons testimony. A decrease in overtime pay at the State Hospital would limit the hospital from paying staff from picking up additional shifts when the minimum staffing levels are struggling to be met, she said. In the Sex Offender Treatment and Assessment Program, a decrease in overtime funding could lead to inability to pay staff for working additional shifts, an inability to meet minimum staffing requirements and put accreditation in jeopardy, Etherington said. Etherington said in the departments opinion, it brought forward a sound budget. However, she said she understands that lawmakers have a difficult job to balance needs. Overall, too strict cuts to the budgets of the State Hospital and human service centers would have a negative impact for behavioral health services across the state, Etherington said. Etherington said she cant know for sure what would happen, but high budget cuts to behavioral health services in other states have caused rates of higher hospitalization, higher incarceration, higher homelessness and illnesses left untreated. Opposition today attacked the government for its demonetisation move, burgeoning NPAs and failing to provide succour to farmers, saying financial support for various schemes for the welfare of poor have been slashed in the Union Budget. Participating in the resumed discussion on the General Budget, the House also saw a BJP member rebutting the opposition charges saying adequate monetary support has been given to welfare schemes like MGNREGA and Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana. Resuming the debate, BJP MP Shankarbhai Bhegad welcomed the initiatives announced by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in the 2017-18 budget for the welfare of the people and said the government has announced plans to electrify all villages by 2019 and every village in the country will be provided drinking water facility. He said adequate funds have been allocated for housing schemes for the poor, Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana, MNREGA, Ujwala scheme among others. He also referred to the utility of cow dung and urine for organic farming and appealed for protection of cows. SP member Naresh Agarwal targetted Jaitley for meeting with capitalists but not the farmers before finalising the budget. Highlighting the farmers' plight, he said "the farmers are not getting minimum support price today. They promised that GDP would grow but it is declining now. If GDP goes down to 6 per cent, then youth will come on the streets." Referring to massive victory of BJP in Uttar Pradesh, he said "it was the PM's victory and not that of the BJP." In an apparent reference to Yogi Adityanath's elevation as Chief Minister of the state, Agarwal said "we had seen the political image, we have to see the administrative image. We have given six months time to the new government before commenting on its performance." Expressing concern over growing non-performing assets (NPAs) of banks, he said "the government should inform how much promissory notes were issued by RBI before demonetisation and how much have been returned. Whether any black money has returned to the country." Agarwal also questioned the government on the issue of farm loan waiver, asking how can the loans of nationalised banks be waived off. He also referred to a statement of State Bank of India CMD that farmers' loans cannot be waived off and the situation will further deteriorate if they are. (Rpting with corrected slug) Agarwal said the government should not export wheat or sugar but instead encourage farmers to grow more crops. Ridiculing the committee on minimum support prices being headed by an IAS officer, the SP MP said "an IAS officer is not in a position to know the condition of farmers. Rather two farmers should be in the MSP committee to decide the minimum supporting price for any crop." On the petroleum policy, he said when crude oil price was falling, petrol and diesel was being sold at Rs 70 and Rs 60 per litre respectively. Jharna Das Baidya (CPI-M) said the government had failed to provide adequate monetary support to various schemes meant for the welfare of poor in the Union Budget. "This Budget has no place for women, poor, weaker sections of society and the oppressed. This Budget belongs to the rich," she added. Tiruchi Siva (DMK) attacked the government on the demonetisation initiative, saying it has failed to achieve any of its intended purposes from the exercise. He said only the poor had suffered during the drive which has now impacted the whole economy of the country. "No country in the world has taken such a serious step. The Finance Minister should now tell us as to how much black money has been unearthed due to the exercise," he demanded. He said though the intention of the government might be good for undertaking the step, the implementation part was a "mess" and attacked the government for pushing cashless transactions by taking a hasty decision. "So many people in the country do not have cellphones or internet connection. How are they supposed to do cashless transactions? It's too hasty a decision," Siva said. He also asked the government to revive public sector undertakings instead of divesting stakes in them. He sought more schlorships to students from the SC/ST communities. R Vaithilingam (AIDMK) sought the release of Rs 2,500 crore by the Centre to mitigate the impact of "severe drought" in Tamil Nadu. He asked the Centre to take up interlinking the rivers in order to get rid of water scarcity in the region for all times to come and sought the constitution of the Cauvery Management Board so that Tamil Nadu gets its share of water. He also urged the Finance Minister to release adequate funds for developing fisheries in Tamil Nadu. In a goodwill gesture, the Border Security Force (BSF) today handed over a 50-year-old Pakistani national who had inadvertently crossed into Indian territory yesterday, back to his country. BSF troops at the Noorwala border outpost in Ferozepur sector had apprehended a Pakistani national on March 19 as he inadvertently crossed the international boundary and entered Indian territory near a border security fence, a BSF official said today. Official said Pakistan Rangers were contacted today and the Pakistani national was handed over to them on humanitarian grounds. BSF official said so far five Pakistanis in year 2017, who had inadvertently crossed into Indian territory, were handed over to Pakistan Rangers by Border Security Force, Punjab Frontier. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A murder suspect killed a Palestinian policeman today in a shootout at a refugee camp in the West Bank, the official Wafa agency reported. The shooting broke out in the densely populated Palestinian refugee camp of Balata, in the Israeli-occupied city of Nablus, when police went to arrest suspects, Wafa said, quoting officials. Police spokesman Adnan al-Damiri identified the policeman who died as Hassan Ali al-Hajj and said he was shot dead by Ahmed Abu Hamada, also known as "Zaabur". Abu Hamada, who was wounded in the gunfight, was wanted by for murder, the possession of weapons and trafficking, as well as opening fire on police, said Damiri. Police had gone to arrest him and other wanted criminals, but he refused to surrender and began shooting at the security forces. The governor of Nablus told Wafa that a second policeman was slightly wounded in the shootout. The suspect was eventually arrested, said Wafa. Balata - the largest Palestinian refugee camp in the West Bank home to 30,000 people - saw an uptick of violence last year when Palestinian security forces launched raids to seize illegal weapons. There are frequent clashes between police and armed men who are holed up in the camp. One of the men, Hatem Abu Rizeq, 30, recently told AFP he does not "trust Palestinian security forces" and those like him tracked by the authorities are constantly in fear of being "executed". Some analysts say Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas regards the camp as a support base for his political rival Mohammed Dahlan, who lives in exile. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Congress government in Punjab will adopt zero tolerance towards drug menace and corrupt practices, while all the misdeeds of previous SAD-BJP regime will be probed, state cabinet minister Sadhu Singh Dharamsot said today. The government will probe the alleged scam worth crores in the disbursement of scholarships to Scheduled Caste and Backward Classes students and anyone found involved in scam will be dealt with severely, he told reporters here. Dharmsot, the minister for SC/BC welfare and Forest Department had come here to pay obeisance at historical Gurudwara Fatehgarh Sahib after becoming minister. To a query, he said Chief Minister Amarinder Singh has great concern about the closer and shifting of industrial units particularly in Mandi Gobindgarh. He said soon the Chief Minister will meet the industrialists and come out with new industrial policy to restart the industry in Mandi Gobindgarh. He said soon his department will initiate a campaign to boost the rural economy as well as to make clean and green rural environment through sapling plantation campaign on one third panchayat land by involving MNREGA workers. Dharmsot added that it will help in creating eco-friendly environment and generation of employment for MNREGA workers. Each MNREGA worker will be allotted 200 saplings to look after, he said. Later he visited historical dera of Late Sant Baba Ajit Singh Hansali Wale and paid obeisance. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A day after the clash between jat protestors and police here, the Haryana police today warned of stern action against "miscreants" while agitating leaders of the community blamed "irresponsible officers" and sought action against them. Claiming that anti-social elements carrying arms had mixed with Jat agitators, Haryana DGP K P Singh said that action will be taken against the "miscreants" responsible for the clash in which around 35 persons including an SP and a DSP were injured. Singh alleged that the miscreants had also indulged in "some mischief" with women cops on duty. A case had been registered against some persons by name while several others were unidentified, the DGP said. The police, he said, had video footage of the incident and had already identified some persons behind the attack. He claimed that the state police had inputs that anti-social elements, armed with weapons from some villages of the adjacent district of Hisar, would reach the 'dharna' at Dhani Gopal Chowk and would try to disturb the situation. It was on the basis of this input, the police tried to stop them by putting barricades and asked them to visit the 'dharna' site without weapons and stones, he said. But they did not listen and attacked the police, DGP Singh claimed. However the All-India Jat Aarkashan Sangarsh Samiti (AIJASS) which is leading the protests accused "some irresponsible police officers" of using force against "peaceful protesters" and demanded action against the "erring cops". "Some irresponsible officers used force against peaceful protesters in a wrong manner which should be probed by a committee of the government," AIJASS president Yashpal Malik demanded. He said the community members were proceeding peacefully towards Delhi, when "some police personnel and officers, under a well-planned strategy attacked the protesters." Malik said the community members will lodge a complaint with the police against their officers who used force to stop the Jats from moving towards Delhi. Besides, an application will also be submitted to the National Human Rights Commission on the issue, he said. He said the symbolic sit-ins by the Jats at various places in Haryana would continue. Meanwhile, the Jats' protests at different places in the state continued for the 51st day today. Besides quotas, the Jats have been demanding release of people jailed during last year's agitation, withdrawal of cases slapped during the protests and government jobs for the kin of those killed and injured while taking part in the stir. Eighteen police personnel, including an SP and a DSP, were among 35 injured yesterday when the Jat protesters clashed with police on being prevented from marching towards Delhi. Two women cops were among those injured. The protesters also allegedly set afire two police buses during the clash that took place in Dhani Gopal village on Sirsa-Hisar-Delhi national highway. Telecom equipment company on Monday unveiled 205, a chipset to be used for making 4G feature phones that are expected to be priced below $50 or Rs 3,500 a unit. "India and South Asia regions present growth opportunities in the telecom space with rising 4G adoption and continued adoption of feature phones. "The launch of 205 is a chipset for 4G feature phones which provides opportunity for OEMs, operators and content providers to extend experience of 4G on feature phones," Qualcomm Technologies Senior Vice President Jim Cathey said here. The US-based firm said that it has partnered with many vendors including Reliance Jio, Micromax, Borqs, Megaphone, Flextronics who plan to sell their 4G feature phones in India. "Careers (telecom operators) will look at migrating their 2G customer to 4G because maintaining 2G is becoming more expensive. There will be devices (4G feature phones) in market in second quarter in sub-USD 50 range," Qualcomm Technologies Vice President for Product Management Kedar Kondap said. The chipset will enable phones to come with 4G modem that will support download speed of up to 150 megabit per second, access to 2G, 3G and 4G network. Besides, it will support 3 megapixel front and rear camera, dual SIMs, High Definition video streaming, VGA display and Linux based operating system. "We are using India as launch platform but there are other regions who are interested. The chipsets have been already shipped to various vendors in many countries," Kondap said. Though memory size of 4G feature phones would be small, there would be native application on feature phone to support digital payments and other basic utilities, he said. Around hundred men and women were arrested after they were allegedly found in objectionable positions during raids on hotels on railway road in Bazariya area of the city today, police said. About 14 police officials concerned, including a DSP, of the area have been transferred post the raids and an inquiry launched against Station House Officer (SHO) of G T Road Kotwali, officials said. Acting on a tip-off, the raids were conducted under supervision of deputy superintendent of police Saloni Agarawal and SHO of Mahila Thana Aarti Soni in the hotels suspected to be running sex racket. The programme of the raids was not shared with the local police station and its officials, senior superintendent of police Deepak Kumar said. During the search of the rooms the girls and youths were found in objectionable conditions and all of them were held, the SSP said. He added that 50 couples have been detained by Kotwali police and they will be produced in court tomorrow. DSP Inderpal Singh (Circle Officer city 1st) and chowki in charge along with one dozen police personnel have been shifted from there and an inquiry has been constituted against SHO Kotwali Parshuram, SSP Kumar said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A number of villages in Rajasthan are opting to impose a ban on the sale of liquor in their areas with two of them even voting to shutdown such shops in their neighbourhood. Eighty-eight per cent of votes were registered in Rozda village of Amber tehsil yesterday to have liquor shops shut in the area after the villagers of Kanchwali panchayat in Rajsamand district carried out a similar exercise for prohibition last year. Following the voting yesterday, other villages near Rozda have also expressed interest to join the campaign. "Following the massive voting against liquor shops in Rozda, Sarpanch and other elected members of the nearby panchayats have desired to hold similar elections in their areas," Uttam Kumar Sharma, spokesperson of an NGO named 'Sharab Sangarsh Samiti' said. He said that people are also supporting the cause on social media and the decision to shut liquor shops came after almost a year-long protest by the villagers. "Villagers in Rozda continuously protested for 354 days. We met the administration officials but finally had to move the High Court, which directed the authorities to hold the voting," Sharma said. Rozda village Sarpanch Jairam Kumawat said, "We are for a complete liquor ban in state and the work for that has begun. People's representatives from neighbouring villages have started seeking support. If people do not want liquor shops then elections can be held under the norms of the Excise Act." Other villages that are willing to join the campaign are -- Khodabisal and Mehaswala Kalan in Amber tehsil, Aalisar in Govindgarh tehsil, Khanipura and Jalsu panchayat in Mundota tehsil, Sharma said. The Supreme Court had ordered a ban on all liquor shops on national as well as state highways across the country in December last year and made it clear that licenses of existing shops will not be renewed after March 31, 2017. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The State Election Commission today said in the Orissa High Court that no rules governing the elections should be altered midway once the poll process begins. SEC counsel Pitambar Acharya objecting to the recent amendment to Odisha Zilla Parishad Election rules argued that the Supreme Court had repeatedly observed that the government should refrain from interfering with the election process once it commenced. Even the courts should not interfere either, he stated. "The settled law is that no government or court should interfere with the election process when it is halfway through," the SEC counsel said. The Panchayati Raj department of the state government on March 8 this year amended the Election Rules of 1994 by incorporating a new clause just four days before the scheduled elections for the post of presidents of Zilla Parishads fixed on March 12. An elected zilla parishad member of Sundargarh district had approached the High Court challenging the state government's move. A division bench, headed by Chief Justice Vineet Saran, has posted the case for next hearing on Thursday. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Seized drugs worth Rs 12. 38 crore was today set ablaze in Mizoram, an official said. The drugs were torched at the instance of Rev. Lalzuithanga, chairman of the Mizoram Kohhran Hruaitute Committee (MKHC), conglomerate of 14 major churches. The drugs were seized by the Supply Reduction Service (SRS), the anti-drug squad of the central committee of the Young Mizo Association (YMA) in co-ordination with the state Police and the Excise and Narcotics department. The seized drugs included 6.162 kilos of heroin and 2,84,600 tablets of Methamphetamine, J. Lalsailova, convener of the SRS and treasurer of the central committee of the YMA said today. Lalsailova said that the Methamphetamine tablets were seized during 2015-2016 while the SRS had recently seized heroin and Ganja (Cannabis) in large quantities. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Senior advocate and noted constitutional expert Anil Divan passed away here this morning following a fatal asthma attack. Divan, 86, leaves behind his wife Smita, two sons Shyam and Vivek, both lawyers, and daughter Gauri, who is a doctor. Family sources said Divan was suffering from persistent asthma but had no other serious health issues. He had even appeared in the Supreme Court before Holi vacations. Divan, a former president of the Bar Association of India, was sitting with his family at home when he suffered the attack. A Doctor was called in but he could not be revived and died at 8:15 AM. Divan was associated with several organizations and was one of the founders of NGO Centre for Public Interest Litigation (CPIL), and a member of the Committee on Judicial Accountability, a group of lawyers who work for improved accountability of judges. He had appeared in many important cases, including the blackmoney matter, in the Supreme Court where he represented senior advocate Ram Jethmalani. In a message to its members, Supreme Court Bar Association Secretary Gaurav Bhatia said, "With profound grief I regret to inform the sad demise of Shri Anil Divan, Senior Advocate, and father of Mr Shyam Divan, Senior Advocate, who left for heavenly abode. It is a great loss to the SCBA and the legal institution." Advocate Ranvir Singh, who has been working with Divan for the past many years said, "It's a great personal loss to me as we had a long association of more than 17 years and it is an equally great loss to the Bar. He leaves behind a formidable legacy having fought cases of seminal importance in public law." A staunch believer in the independence of the judiciary, Divan had appeared in the apex court in the matter challenging the National Judicial Appointments Commission (NJAC) Act. He had regularly appeared for Karnataka in the Cauvery river water dispute for decades. He was also recently appointed by the Supreme Court as amicus curiae to oversee the appointment of BCCI administrators along with senior advocate Gopal Subramaniam. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Congress MP Pratap Singh Bajwa today suggested creation of a volunteers' force comprising youth from villages along the international border in Punjab to provide a second line of defence to check terror activities. Raising the issue of terror attacks including at the Pathankot Air Base in the Rajya Sabha, Bajwa said the strech of NH-44 falling in Punjab has come to be known as a "highway of terror". He suggested that village volunteer force comprising youths from the villages in Punjab along the international border with Pakistan should be created to provide a second line of defence against cross border infliteration of terrorists. There are about 1,000 villages along the border with Pakistan in Punjab (Pathankot to Fazilka) having a population of 250-500 per village. "My suggestion to Government of India (is that) we must create a village volunteer force from Zero Line to 5 kms of the border," he said during the Zero Hour. Bajwa said able-bodied persons in the age group of 18-40 years from these villages could be provided training by the Border Security Force or the army. "We can train the youth and provide them weapons.... About 25-30,000 youth can act as second line of defence behind army and BSF," he said. He also suggested that the obsolete armoury of the first and second World Wars lying in the state could be put to use through the village volunteer force. The volunteers, he suggested, could be provided with an honorarium of Rs 5,000 to Rs 10,000 and said that the Centre should take the border with Pakistan very seriously. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Union Minister Jitendra Singh today hailed the lifting of economic blockade in Manipur, claiming the move is in line with the promise Prime Minister Narendra Modi had made ahead of the state assembly polls. "The Prime Minister had committed to people of Manipur last month that soon after the BJP government takes over (in the state), the blockade will be lifted. "And it has been lifted, living up to the Prime Minister's commitment," the Minister of State in PMO said. The five-month-long economic blockade in Manipur was lifted last night after successful talks among the Centre, state government and Naga groups. The blockade was imposed by United Naga Council on November 1 protesting creation of seven new districts by erstwhile Okram Ibobi Singh-led Congress government in the state. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Japanese conglomerate Softbank has appointed its most experienced e-commerce veteran Kabir Mishra to the Board of e-commerce firm to support the company. "Softbank has appointed its most experienced e-commerce veteran Kabir Mishra to the board of to support the company," a source privy to the development told PTI. This decision comes in the wake of Softbank-backed online merchant Snapdeal's hoping to hit profitability in the next two years as it undertakes a number of steps, including layoffs and moving away from non-core activities. The company had laid off 500-600 employees across verticals even as Co-Founder Kunal Bahl admitted to making mistake in growing much before it could figure out right economic model. Kabir has for many years been closely involved in managing Softbank's investment in Alibaba in China, the source said. Kabir has also played an anchor role in managing Softbank's investment in Indonesian e-commerce major Tokopedia and had extensive involvement in South Korean firm Coupang, where Softbank invested USD 1 billion in June 2015, the source added. Snapdeal, earlier this month, had announced shutting down of its consumer to consumer marketplace Shopo. As part of the revival plan, the company will reorganise into "a lean, focussed and entrepreneurial one" by combining teams, reducing layers, eliminating non-core projects and strengthening focus on profitable growth. "Sadly, we will also be saying really painful goodbyes to some of our colleagues in this process," Bahl wrote, in an email shot off to his employees, without giving the actual number of layoffs. Snapdeal, which faces intense competition from Amazon and Flipkart, had last reported an employee strength of 8,000. Bahl and Rohit Bansal also had announced that they will take a 100 per cent salary cut, and also said many senior leaders had "offered to take a significant cut in their compensation." The e-commerce firm today announced the appointment of Jason Kothari as the Chief Executive Officer of its digital payment platform FreeCharge and a commitment to invest an additional USD 20 million in the e-wallet firm. British Prime Minister Theresa May will begin the official process of the UK's exit from the European Union (EU) on March 29, her spokesperson announced today. The UK's ambassador to the EU, Sir Tim Barrow, formally informed EU Council president Donald Tusk of the date this morning. "We said it would be by the end of March and thought it would be helpful to say when it will happen. We want negotiations to start promptly. We expect it will be a two-year process and we are confident that is what we will achieve. So Britain will exit the EU on 29 March 2019," the Downing Street spokesperson said. The UK expects to receive a response to Barrow's notification from the EU Council within 48 hours, he added. The move comes nine months after Britain voted 51.9 per cent to 48.1 per cent in favour of Brexit in a referendum on June 23, 2016. Talks on the terms of the UK's departure and future relations with the EU are not possible until the UK formally notifies the EU it is leaving. May has already announced that she will make a statement to the House of Commons shortly after invoking Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty. If all goes according to the two year negotiations set out in the official timetable, Brexit should happen in March 2019. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Haryana Governor Kaptan Singh Solanki today said the progress of the country lies in the progress of farmers and to realise the concept of a 'New India' we have to take them along. He was speaking at the prize distribution and closing ceremony of the three-day '2nd Agri-Leadership Summit' at Surajkund in Faridabad district. If everyone takes one step forward, the country would take 125 crore steps forward and the 21st century would belong to India, Solanki said. The government has taken a unique initiative for ensuing the progress of the farmers by way of organising the summit in which not only the farmers but all others engaged in the agriculture and allied activities were invited, the Governor said. Apart from giving away awards to the progressive farmers, the Governor also gave away cheques of insurance money to the farmers under Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana. Speaking on the occasion, Union Minister of Steel Birender Singh emphasised on the need for a "new mindset" for ensuring the progress of farmers. Refereeing to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision to double the income of farmers by 2022, he said the target would be achieved with various initiatives being implemented. However, Singh said, "This achievement would not be adequate to make the farmers prosperous, equal to an industrialist or a trader." While laying emphasis on bringing a change in the economy for the benefit of the farming community, he suggested that the currency given to farmers in lieu of sale of crops should be different and its value in the market be three-folds as compared to normal currency. "Farmers could save Rs 10,000 in first year, Rs 12,000 to Rs 15,000 in second year and reach up to Rs 25,000 savings in the fourth year of cultivation, but an industrialist in Faridabad could reach a turnover of up to Rs 4 crore in four years. There is a need to understand this difference," he said. The Union Minister said the real progress of farmers could be possible only with the "transformation in the economic system of the country". Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare Purshottam Rupala assured all kinds of help of the Central government for the benefit of the farmers. He said that 30 per cent farmers have been brought under the ambit of PMFBY in the first year of its implementation. This coverage would be increased to 40 per cent by 2017 and 50 per cent by 2018. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Top Chinese and Indian firms have participated in a business forum held in a key industrial hub in eastern China to introduce them to investment opportunities in India in sectors like renewable energy and infrastructure. Officials from top Chinese companies took part in the India-China Business and Investment Forum organised in Zhenjiang, a city having a population of 3.17 million and GDP of USD 5.5 million in Jiangsu province. Zhenjiang is located in the Yangtze River Delta transport corridor between Shanghai and Nanjing economic regions. Its main industries include advance equipment manufacturing, bio- technology, pharmaceuticals, IT, and space technologies. The objective of forum was to introduce the investment opportunities available to Chinese companies in India in sectors like renewable energy, smart cities, power sector, urban transportation and infrastructure, as part of the 'Make in India' initiative, the Indian Consulate in Shanghai said. A delegation of 30-plus Indian companies comprising CEO's of top companies such as Larsen & Toubro, TCS, Reliance, Adani Group, Jet Airways, Tech Mahindra, and several legal firms and banks like UBI, Canara and Axis made presentations across sectors like infrastructure, banking, IT, urban transportation and legal guidelines, for setting up businesses in India, the consulate which organised the event said in a statement today. Consul-General Prakash Gupta, led the Indian delegation and gave an overview of the investment climate in India. He called on the companies operating from Zhenjiang to make full use of the opportunities available to Chinese firms in India. A new website (www.Chinaindia360.Com) will be providing all necessary information to potential Chinese investors. Indian and Chinese companies held a series of B2B meetings during the event which generated significant business leads for the participants, according to the statement. Zhenjiang city leadership is expected to lead an investors' delegation to India in April or May this year to explore tangible investment opportunities in the upcoming Special Economic Zones in the country, it said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) President Donald Trump is preparing for his first meeting with Iraq's prime minister as the American leader shapes his policy for defeating the Islamic State group. Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi's first visit to Washington since Trump's inauguration comes before Trump hosts a 68-nation meeting geared toward advancing the fight against the militant group. Trump campaigned on a promise to dramatically ramp up the assault on IS and has vowed to eradicate "radical Islamic terrorism." So far, he has not indicated a dramatic change of course. Like President Barack Obama, Trump has not suggested any sharp increases in troop levels or in airstrikes against militant targets, looking to avoid giving off the image of an invading force. During al-Abadi's visit to Washington last year, the Iraqi premier worked to drum up greater financial and military support as he faced the daunting task of rebuilding cities destroyed in the fight against the Islamic State group. He also sought greater assistance to help the country confront a humanitarian crisis, with more than 4 million people displaced in the fighting. As he departed Baghdad for the Monday afternoon meeting at the White House, al-Abadi declared in a video statement, "We are in the last chapter, the final stages to eliminate IS militarily in Iraq." But as Iraqi forces come closer to recapturing the city of Mosul it's militant group's biggest stronghold in Iraq the extent to which the Trump administration is willing to commit to efforts to rebuild Iraqi cities, many of them in ruins from the fighting, remains to be seen. Trump's budget proposal would cut by roughly 30 per cent funding for the State Department and the US Agency for International Development. Both contribute significantly to peacekeeping missions and development programs. How Iraq will be impacted by Trump's approach isn't known. Previous administrations have asserted a need for maintaining assistance to Iraq to counter the influence of neighboring Iran. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Around two crore poor families have been provided with new LPG connections, taking to 19 crore the total number of families having gas connections in the country, the government told the Rajya Sabha today. As many as three crore more gas connections will be given to the poor in the next two years as the attempt of the government is to bring to an end the use of traditional means of cooking still used by poor people, said Power Minister Piyush Goyal, who also holds the charge of New and Renewable Energy Ministry. He said the government had promised to provide 5 crore new LPG connections at subsidised rates and of these, two crore have already been given. "There are 19 crore households who have LPG connections in the country. As per 2011 census, there are around 24.66 crore households in the country and 65.9 per cent of such households have LPG connections....We are making efforts to provide LPG connections to the poor sections and hope that people using traditional means of cooking to come to an end in the next 4-5 years," he said. Replying to supplementaries, the Minister said despite industrialisation and a number of steps being taken, why does Maharashtra have 42 per cent of people still depending on firewood or why do four-and-a-half per cent of the people have to depend on crop residue. "It certainly is an area of concern which is sought to be addressed through wider dispersal of LPG cylinders in the State of Maharashtra," he said. He added that Mumbai is also looking at expanding the use of piped gas supply to households. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Two top United Naga Council (UNC) leaders who were arrested for their alleged involvement in the over four-month long economic blockade in Manipur were released today. UNC president Gaidon Kamei and its Information and Publicity secretary Sangkhu Stephen Lamkang were released by a court here today as the government withdrew the charge sheet against them. Both the UNC leaders were released and have reached their homes, official sources said. Both the UNC leaders were arrested by Manipur police for their alleged involvement in the indefinite economic blockade. The over four month long economic blockade in Manipur was lifted after successful talks among the Centre, the state government and the Naga groups yesterday. The blockade was imposed by the United Naga Council on November 1 to protest against the creation of seven new districts by the erstwhile Okram Ibobi Singh-led Congress government in the state. The joint statement issued after the talks, held at the Senapati district headquarters, yesterday said that there would be "unconditional release of arrested UNC leaders and all cases related to economic blockade against the Naga tribe leaders and student's leaders will be closed. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Gopal Ansal surrendered today before Tihar jail authorities to undergo one-year jail term in the 1997 Uphaar fire tragedy case after the Supreme Court refused to grant him more time. A bench comprising Chief Justice J S Khehar and Justices D Y Chandrachud and S K Kaul rejected the plea moved by the real estate baron seeking more time to surrender on the ground that he has moved a mercy plea before the President, and had asked him to surrender by this evening. "Ansal surrendered around 5-5.30 PM. He is currently lodged in the hospital at Jail No. 3 as he complained of some health issues," said a jail official. The bench said, "Sorry, we can't," when senior advocate Ram Jethmalani mentioned the matter and sought more time, telling the court that they have already approached the President with their mercy plea. The apex court also rejected the plea from the senior advocate seeking a direction for speedy disposal of his mercy plea, pending before the President, saying that it cannot interfere in it as it is an exclusive jurisdiction of the President. The apex court, on March 9, had dismissed Ansal's petition for parity with his elder brother Sushil Ansal, who was awarded jail term already undergone by him considering his "age-related complications", and directed him to surrender by today to serve the prison term. 69-year-old Gopal Ansal was in jail earlier for around four-and-a-half-month in connection with the case relating to the June 13, 1997 fire tragedy in which 59 persons had died in Uphaar cinema during the screening of Hindi movie 'Border'. Over 100 people were injured in the subsequent stampede. A bench headed by 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 the jail term already undergone and had asked Gopal to surrender in four weeks to serve the remaining jail term. Gopal had thereafter approached the apex court seeking modification of its order on the grounds of parity, saying he was 69-year-old and would suffer irreparable damage to his health if sent to prison. In its February 9 judgement, the apex court had upheld the fine of Rs 30 crore each imposed on both the convicts and said it should be utilised for setting up a trauma centre. Earlier, a two-judge bench of the apex court had on March 5, 2014 held Sushil and Gopal Ansal guilty, but differed on the quantum of sentence to be awarded to them after which the matter was heard by a three-judge bench. The Delhi High Court had on December 19, 2008 awarded one-year jail term to both Sushil and Gopal Ansal in the case while reducing the two-year sentence imposed on them by the trial court. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) It was not right to give Sri Lanka more time to address the issue of accountability over the alleged war crimes committed during the civil war, Northern Province Chief Minister CV Wigneswaran said today. The Sri Lankan government has sought two more years from the UN Human Rights Council to deliver on the accountability mechanism. Wigneswaran said "the UN must see first what good the government has done so far". "Without doing that and granting time for some political reason does not see correct to me," the Tamil leader said. The northern and eastern parts of Sri Lanka are the traditional homeland of the ethnic Tamil people where an almost three-decade-long separatist war was fought by the LTTE which ended in 2009 during the tenure of former president Mahinda Rajapaksa. Highlighting the issues not addressed by the government, Wigneswaran said missing persons' relatives were still to receive justice. "Allowing the missing persons' protest for 28 days was wrong. The report on the missing has not been published so far. The government is in the mentality of safeguarding the military men linked to the disappearances," Wigneswaran said. The northern provincial council last week had resolved that the government had not taken adequate measures to fully implement the Resolution 30/1 that it co-sponsored at the UNHRC Session in September 2015, especially with regard to the accountability, establishment of a Commission for truth, reconciliation; nonrecurrence of oppression, return of lands to its rightful civilian owners and an office of reparation. The council calls upon the UNHRC and the International Community to ask Sri Lanka to agree to an International accountability mechanism, ratify the Rome Statute as recommended by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) investigation on Sri Lanka (OISL) Report of September 2015 and offer the Tamils a political solution with the Mediation of the UN. Earlier this month, the UNHRC had criticised Sri Lanka's "slow" progress in addressing its wartime past and reiterated its earlier call for hybrid court of international and local judges to investigate allegations of rights violations. The Tamils insist on having foreign judges and investigators claiming lack of confidence in the local judiciary. According to the UN, up to 40,000 civilians were killed by security forces during Rajapaksa's regime that brought an end to the conflict. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Chinese handset vendor Xiaomi has partnered Foxconn to set up its second manufacturing unit in India at Sri City in Andhra Pradesh. Xiaomi had entered India in July 2014 and started local manufacturing just over a year later. The new facility will be exclusive to Xiaomi, while the older one may see Foxconn making handsets for other vendors too. While the company declined to comment on the investment details, it said Xiaomi will be able to make "one phone per second in India". "While I cannot disclose the exact capacity, I can tell you that we will be able to manufacture one phone per second whenever the lines are running. The two factories combined will provide employment to about 5,000 people, 90 per cent of which are women," Xiaomi India Head Manu Jain said. The move will help Xiaomi meet about 95 per cent of its demand in India from these two facilities. However, it will continue to import accessories, ecosystem products and its premium product, Mi5 from China. According to research firm IDC, Xiaomi had a 10.7 per cent share of the Indian market, putting the company just behind Samsung (over 25 per cent share) at the end of December quarter. "The smartphone market in India will grow from 110 million units per annum to 200 million plus units, in 3-5 years, Jain added. The company has also launched a new device - Redmi 4A - that will also be manufactured at the Indian facilities. Priced at Rs 5,999, the 4G-enabled Redmi 4A will help the company compete aggressively in the sub Rs 7,000 category that is primarily dominated by Indian players like Micromax. It features a high capacity battery, Qualcomm Snapdragon 425 processor and a 13MP camera. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) By Andrea Hopkins OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canada's finance minister will give an update on the deficit when he presents the federal budget on Wednesday, hoping to flesh out plans to spend the way to growth without drawing the wrath of debt-rating agencies and businesses struggling to compete. Analysts say key questions about debt and potential tax increases remain, although the annual fiscal blueprint is not expected to have the splash of last year, when the new Liberal government unveiled a stimulus budget centered on infrastructure spending and much bigger deficits than it campaigned on. If the ratio of debt to gross domestic product gets too high under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Finance Minister Bill Morneau, Canada could lose its AAA credit rating, although the nation remains on stronger fiscal footing than most of its peers. Rising bond yields will also boost the cost of servicing Canada's debt, projected to rise to C$642 billion ($480.36 billion) this year. Tax increases are a big unknown. Businesses fear higher capital gains taxes would harm competitiveness just as U.S. rivals benefit from a break in taxes and regulation under U.S. President Donald Trump. "The issue of competitiveness has become more urgent following the U.S. election ... so I will be looking for concrete plans to bring more business to Canada and keep Canadian business at home," said Manulife Asset Management senior economist Frances Donald. Recent signs of long-awaited strengthening of economic growth probably came too late to help Morneau trim yawning annual deficits but could give him more room to reinstate a fiscal cushion, or prudence fund, spent last fall to help trim the budget gap to C$25.1 billion this year. Morneau has not said when the government hopes to return the budget, balanced under the previous Conservative government, to the black. Instead he has pointed to a projected narrowing of the debt-to-GDP ratio to just over 30 percent by 2022 as investment in infrastructure, innovation and job training boosts growth. Uncertainty about trade policy of the United States, Canada's largest export market, has increased speculation that Morneau might delay some policy changes until the fall fiscal update, when the impact of Trump's policies are clearer. "The tone seems to be that a lot of policymakers here are waiting to see what happens with fiscal policy south of the border before they make any major decisions," said BMO Capital Markets senior economist Robert Kavcic. ($1 = 1.3365 Canadian dollars) (Additional reporting by Leah Schnurr; Editing by Lisa Von Ahn) (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) (Adds dropped letter in name William, paragraph 5) By Jeremy Gaunt LONDON (Reuters) - Americans angry with their lot elected the anti-establishment Donald Trump despite a U.S. economy running at an annual rate of around 3.5 percent and unemployment at a meagre 4.6 percent. Britons believing they were being left hanging voted to leave the wealthy European Union trading bloc regardless of an economy gaining a relatively solid 2.2 percent year-on-year and joblessness steadily falling to 4.9 percent at the time. In the Netherlands this past week, economic growth rising to 2.3 percent year-on-year and unemployment at just 5.3 percent helped the centre-right win, although it did not stop the anti-establishment, anti-European Union Geert Wilders from coming second - albeit faring less well than some had expected. So what of France, the next big test of populist ire with its presidential first round coming on April 23 and the run-off on May 7? It is not in nearly as good shape. "The recent (French) data shows improvement. Investment intentions have picked up. The labour market has improved," said William De Vijlder, group chief economist for BNP Paribas. But, he added: "Do people look at the overall unemployment rate or do people look in certain cities look at factories that were once full, but no longer are?" The gist here is that voters are more likely to cast their ballots on how they feel rather than on what the numbers say the economic case is. Hence, the shock to Britain's elite in the Brexit referendum that great swathes of northern England felt left behind, or to America's chattering class that rust-belt voters in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Michigan were not happy. In France, which will drop some key data in the coming week, the numbers have been looking better, but not exactly robust. GDP turned up on a quarterly basis in last year's third quarter but was only running at around 1 percent year-on-year. Unemployment dipped in December - but to 10 percent. By contrast, consumer confidence has recovered somewhat from the years of euro zone financial crisis. But the subsection on how consumers see their future financial situation - a strong indicator, according to De Vijlder - remain negative, if off its previous deep lows. TEST TO COME So to some extent the French election is being played out against a completely different economic background to the three countries where anti-establishment sentiment has triumphed or at least risen. Whether this helps far-right National Front candidate Marine Le Pen or a centrist reformer like Emmanuel Macron remains to be seen. It certainly does not look to be helping the current Socialist administration. But it does mean that the economic data in March and April may have at least a tangential impact on the result. The coming week brings flash purchasing manager indexes for France, Germany and the euro zone as a whole. French business activity jumped in February. Another climb could add to the idea that the economy is at least improving. It will be a week later before consumers give their latest soundings. In the meantime, last month's euro zone and German PMIs were pretty strong. Another set along the same lines will suggest the recovery is showing signs of sustaining itself. The coming week will also provide some more evidence of whether Britons really are shrugging off the potential impact of Brexit or beginning to sense things may not run as smoothly as before. Tuesday sees the Confederation of British Industry's latest trends report and Thursday the release of British retail sales data for February. (Editing by Tom Heneghan) (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) By Devidutta Tripathy and Sankalp Phartiyal MUMBAI (Reuters) - Britain's Vodafone Group and Idea Cellular agreed on Monday to merge their Indian operations in a $23 billion deal, creating the country's biggest telecoms business after the entry of a new rival sparked a brutal price war. The combined entity would have almost 400 million customers, overtaking market leader Bharti Airtel to account for about 40 percent of revenue of the world's second-biggest mobile phone services market by users after China. The deal shows how India's mobile industry is being transformed by the launch of Reliance Jio Infocomm's 4G mobile broadband network last year. Built at a cost of more than $20 billion by India's richest man, Mukesh Ambani, Jio has offered free services for months. That has forced India's three biggest operators - Bharti, Vodafone and Idea - to slash prices and accept lower profits, and sparked a wave of consolidation. Vodafone, the world's second-largest cellphone operator, had previously sought to leave joint ventures it did not control but Chief Executive Vittorio Colao said the group had to be realistic in such a challenging market. "This improves the industry structure and it also equips us and Idea to be much more competitive in the future," he told reporters. "I have no doubt that the Indian market will remain competitive but nothing can be free forever and we will be in a better position." The two companies, which said in January that they were in talks, will have to shed spectrum in some areas to meet India's rules, although Colao said it would be "small". The deal is expected to close in 2018. Shares in Idea rose as much as 14.3 percent after the but then fell 10 percent to 97.70 rupees as traders said the implied deal price for Idea was well below the stock's closing price of 108.10 rupees on Friday. Vodafone shares were up 0.7 percent at 1415 GMT. Idea said the rough deal price worked out at 72.5 rupees per share, adding that this figure was for illustrative purposes and was not the actual price. DEAL CONTOURS Under the deal, Vodafone will own 45.1 percent of the merged entity, after it transfers about 4.9 percent to promoters of Idea or their affiliates for 38.74 billion rupees ($592.15 million) in cash, Idea said. Aditya Birla Group, the majority owner of Idea, will own 26 percent while other shareholders will own the remaining 28.9 percent. Aditya Birla and Vodafone eventually aim to own an equal share of the joint venture, with a combined enterprise value of $23.2 billion. Vodafone, which will cut its net debt by about $8.2 billion with the deal, has endured a tumultuous ride since it entered India in 2007, with a high-profile tax battle and a long-delayed Indian listing. The South Asian country contributes more than 10 percent of its revenues. Colao said on Friday the pending case, with India demanding more than $2 billion in taxes, will not affect the deal, which needs regulatory approval. Investors have welcomed Vodafone's move to address its most difficult market, with the deal enabling the British company to reduce leverage and gain additional financial flexibility which could help it to invest more in Europe. "This looks like a good deal for Vodafone shareholders based on hugely sensible strategic logic, which values Vodafone India at a premium to our valuation, and opens the door to significantly greater synergies than we had anticipated," analysts at Berenberg said. The deal does not include Vodafone's 42 percent stake in Indus Towers, a joint venture between the British group, a unit of Bharti Airtel and Idea. But Vodafone and Idea said they will look to reduce their tower assets exposure, including selling their stakes in the joint venture. Analysts have said Jio's entry is the catalyst for mergers and exits of some foreign players. Bharti Airtel is in the process of buying Telenor's India operations, while two smaller players controlled by Malaysia's Maxis and Russia's Sistema are merging their operations with Reliance Communications' wireless unit. "Consolidation is a much anticipated and very welcome development in this beleaguered telecom sector," said Arpita Pal Agrawal, a partner and telecom analyst at PwC India. ($1 = 65.4050 Indian rupees) (Writing by Rafael Nam and Devidutta Tripathy; Additional reporting by Kate Holton in LONDON Swati Bhat in MUMBAI and Samantha Kareen Nair in BENGALURU; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman and Louise Heavens) (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar talks to the press following a floor test to prove his governments majority on March 16, 2017. The Bharatiya Janata Party government resuming charge must deal with challenges on the unemployment, law and order, pollution, illegal mining and public health fronts. Verdant Goa has been a tourist magnet for decades. With mining having stalled, tourism has become Goas largest employerone in 10 Goans works in this sector. However, lately, Goa has been in the news for frighteningly violent crimes against tourists, including rape and murder. Indias smallest state reported 26 crimes against foreign tourists in 2015, the fourth-highest after Delhi (113), Maharashtra (36) and Uttar Pradesh (32). Crimes against tourists remain high even as the state recorded a 9.4% drop in rape cases and 8% in murder cases overall in 2015, according to data from the National Crime Records Bureau. This is just one of Goas many pressing challenges, which the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government must face as it resumes power over the state following the recent assembly elections. The party has its task cut out for the next five years: Improve oversight of its mining industry, spruce up infrastructure particularly with a view to managing burgeoning tourism and generating employment, enhance public health performance, and support all of these by restoring growth to pre-mining ban times. TO READ THE FULL STORY, SUBSCRIBE NOW NOW AT JUST RS 249 A MONTH. Already a premium subscriber? Key stories on business-standard.com are available to premium subscribers only.Already a premium subscriber? LOGIN NOW MONTHLY 249 Select ANNUAL 1799 Select Best Offer SMART ANNUAL 1499 1799 Opt for auto renewal and save Rs 300 Select What you get on Business Standard Premium? 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. Preferential invites to Business Standard events. 5 ARTICLE PACK PAY AS YOU GO 150 /for 5 articles * Terms 1. Lorem Ipsum is dummy Text 2. Lorem Ipsum is dummy Text VIEW ALL FAQs Subscribe to Business Standard Premium Exclusive Stories, Curated Newsletters, 26 years of Archives, E-paper, and more! Invalid email. Please include '@' in the email address Insightful news, sharp views, newsletters, e-paper, and more! Unlock incisive commentary only on Business Standard. Download the Business Standard App for latest Business News and Market News . The merger of Vodafone and Idea Cellular will not threaten jobs of employees working in Vodafone India, Vodafone Group CEO, Vittorio Colao has assured. Colao highlihted the company's commitment towards "creating greater professional opportunities" for its Indian staff in an email to employees in India after the merger announcement. The board of directors of Idea Cellular at its meeting held today approved the "scheme of amalgamation of Vodafone India Limited (VIL) and its wholly owned subsidiary Vodafone Mobile Services Limited (VMSL) with the company", Idea said in a regulatory filing. Colao in his email wrote, "I can assure you of the group's commitment to the success of the merger and to creating greater professional opportunities for our Indian colleagues". On the success of the mega merger, he wrote, "I count on all of you to focus on strengthening Vodafone India in the coming months and in winning in the highly competitive Indian environment". Colao said that he was confident of the fact that the deal would provide golden oppurtunity for "Vodafone India teams to take part in building a truly impressive company". "We will have the opportunity to create a very strong management team, thanks to the combined expertise of both companies, he said. The report further quoted the CEO saying that the combined entity would "benefit from the strength of both brands, based on an identity and brand strategy, which will be defined in detail in closing". About the merger, he said that it would create a very solid and strong leader in India with a long-term, vision and commitment to bring world-class 4G networks to villages, towns and cities across India. Vodafone India has 17 circles with 4G capability, covering 90 per cent of the company's total revenues and 94 per cent of mobile data revenues. Also, it has the the largest voice and data traffic usage within the Vodafone Group. According to the deal, Vodafone would acquire 45 per cent of the combined entity while promoters of Idea would sell 26 per cent stake. After the announcement, the shares of Idea Cellular soared over 14 per cent on Monday. Kumar Mangalam Birla will be the new chairman of the merged entity, while Vodafone will appoint the CFO. "For Idea shareholders and lenders who have supported us thus far, this transaction is highly accretive, and Idea and Vodafone will together create a very valuable company given our complementary strength," said Kumar Mangalam Birla, Chairman, Aditya Birla Group. Although the government is yet to come out with specific rules and guidelines to regulate the online sale of drugs, internet pharmacies are gaining popularity in the country. According to sources from leading net-based drug distribution companies, the industry has been growing significantly - at over 30 per cent - after the government expressed its intention to allow online sale of drugs and bring in a framework for regulating e-pharmacies. Sources said the concerned committees and industry stakeholders are discussing the guidelines at various levels. "We have generated over five lakh prescription orders since our launch in August 2015, and this has been growing month after month," said Pradeep Dadha, Promoter of Chennai-based Netmeds, a leading internet pharmacy. Netmeds' operations are currently spread across 800 cities in the country, and over 60 per cent of the orders are from tier II and III cities, mainly in Tamil Nadu. It is estimated that there are around 30-40 pharmacies in the online space - Netmeds, 1mg, PharmEasy and Medlife, to name a few - and they have together invested roughly Rs 500 crore to Rs 800 crore in the past two years. It is estimated that these companies have garnered 1-2 per cent of the Rs 83,000-crore Indian drug market that predominantly runs on the 100-plus-year-old traditional drug distribution system consisting of five lakh odd retail shops, wholesalers and C&F agents. Some of these companies have also raised funds from private equity companies. Last year, Netmeds received an investment commitment of $50 million (Rs 325 crore) from healthcare-focused global PE firm OrbiMed. Dadha said his company was also planning to enter into the B2B wholesale business in drug distribution, once the Goods and Services Tax (GST) gets implemented across states. As per the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940 and Drugs and Magic Remedies and Objectionable Advertisement Act, 1945, drugs under Schedule H and X (prescription drugs) cannot be dispensed without a prescription from a registered qualified medical professional, and should be dispensed only by a qualified registered pharmacist. Prescription drugs or drugs having any curative properties cannot be advertised as well and attracts jail term, fine, or both. Industry professionals and public in India have voiced their concerns on the safety aspects related to the online sale of drugs. As the uncertainty over the H1-B grows, Infosys has decided not to apply for H-1B visas for junior employees, a report in The Economic Times said. The US will start accepting applications for H-1B work visas for the fiscal 2018 from April 3 amid the uncertainties surrounding the visa programme, the most sought after by Indian IT firms and professionals. "The company is not applying for visas for employees with under four years of experience. We are talking to clients about offshoring more work to India, and the work done by junior employees can be brought to India," the report quoted an executive from Infosys. The company had not raised visa requests for systems engineers and senior systems engineers, among the lowest rungs in the Infosys corporate ladder, the report said. Unlike previous years, the official announcement by US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) did not say till when it would continue accepting the H-1B petitions. Foreigners looking for jobs at technology companies in the US will now have to go through a longer visa approval process after the Trump administration announced it will temporarily suspend expedited applications for H-1B visas. Earlier, USCIS had said that starting April 3 it will suspend "premium processing" for up to six months. Under this expedited procedure, applicants can be eligible for visa approvals within 15 days, instead of a regular review period that can last for up to a few months. The H-1B non-immigrant visa allows US companies to employ graduate-level workers in several specialized fields, including information technology, medicine, engineering and mathematics. The H1B visa is a non-immigrant visa that allows US companies to employ foreign workers in speciality occupations like IT, Medicine, engineering and mathematics. Technology companies, particularly, depend on it to hire tens of thousands of employees each year. The United States currently caps H-1B visas at 65,000 a year, with an additional 20,000 allowed for those who have earned advanced college degrees in the United States. The visa is valid for three years but can be extended for an additional three years. In the last few years, the department has received enough petitions to fill in the Congressional mandated 85,000 H-1B visas. (with inputs from agencies) Britain's Vodafone Group and Idea Cellular agreed on Monday to merge their Indian operations to create the country's biggest telecom in a bid to contest a brutal price war sparked by the new rival Reliance Jio . The combined Vodafone-Idea group would have almost 400 million customers, or 35 per cent market share, with an implied enterprise value of Rs 82,800 crore ($12.66 billion) for Vodafone and Rs 72200 crore for Idea . With the entry of Mukesh Ambani-owned Reliance Jio and its free data, voice plans, telcos have lined up attractive plans to counter competition. ALSO READ: No job threat to Vodafone employees after merger with Idea Cellular, says Vodafone CEO Reliance Jio, which has offered free data and voice calls since September 1, 2016, crossed the 100 million subscriber mark within six months of its launch. Hence, challenges have been manifold for the incumbent operators. From April 1, 2017, its services will be chargeable and telcos have been busy unveiling plans to prevent the Ambani-owned telco from eating into their subscriber base. ALSO READ: Airtel's 30GB free data: Here's how you can claim it Here are the offers Idea Cellular and Vodafone India announced recently to compete with Jio. But with the merger, the two companies may be better placed to make even bigger offers. Vodafone Vodafone's Rs 356 per month plan offers a combo of 1GB day and 1GB night data plan for 28 days. For Vodafone customers there is no membership required to avail the offer. Vodafone is offering 28 GB data at Rs 342 or Rs 346, which are part of Welcome Back Offers. Under the Rs 346 offer, 10 Gb data, voice calls of up to 300 minutes per day are available. Under the Rs 342 offer, 28 GB of data per month with (fair usage policy) FUP of 1 GB per day. Customers who recharges with these plans can continue with the same for the next 11 months. ALSO READ: BSNL leaves Airtel, Jio far behind in data race; offers 56GB in just Rs 339 Idea Cellular Idea Cellular offers a Rs 348 plan under which the user gets unlimited voice and 500 MB of data per day for 28 days. Idea Cellular users will have to check if they are eligible for the offer on the MyIdea app since the offer is for consumers with low data usage. This offer might not be available for all Idea customers. Idea also introduced a new pack which offers 14 GB of 4G data along with unlimited calls for Rs 345/month to compete with Jio Prime's Rs 303/month. ALSO READ: Vodafone, Idea are ready for the big fight with Reliance Jio on its own turf Apart from the above offers, these telcos are likely to make the plans more attractive post the merger when synergies of operations and cost cutting come into play. The merger will entail sharing of spectrum, towers which will lead to a decrease in costs, enabling the combined entity to announce more attractive plans in the near future. The Vodafone-Idea merger has finally taken place and the outcome is the emergence of the biggest telecom player in a market that has witnessed unprecedented turbulence in recent months. The merger can be seen as a direct result of Reliance Industries Chairman, Mukesh Ambani's foray into the telecom sector with the launch of Reliance Jio in September last year. Many analysts believe Reliance Jio's entry has disrupted the telecom sector, which was already reeling under intense competition, even though customers have benefitted. Jio's aggressive pricing has forced all incumbent telecos to cut their data rates in a bid to prevent their customers from switching to Jio. Now, the Vodafone-Idea merger could mean more good news for the customers as this new entity is likely to compete hard with both Bharti Airtel and Reliance Jio, possibly ending-up offering more freebies and great data rates to the customers. The major possibilities with this new entity in the telecom sector can be narrowed down to three outcomes: Another tariff-war: After the introduction of Reliance Jio induced tariff war, only Airtel was seen as a potent competitor with adequate funds to counter Jio's investments. This merger, however, will put the combined entity at par with Airtel and Reliance Jio in terms of investment capability, which can result in another massive battle for lower tariffs. That means Vodafone and Idea users can expect data rates that match and in a few instances beat Reliance Jio and Airtel's plans. No underdog: After the launch of Jio, both Idea and Vodafone were being seen as underdogs of the telecom sector. This merger will turn around the situation in a rather drastic way. The companies will be able to save a substantial amount of investments by shedding excess cell sites or deploy them again and increase profits. This new vantage point will enable 'VoDea' (Vodafone-Idea) to not only jump into the tariff-war head-first but also take bigger risks. Stability: The merger's outcome won't be immediate but the consolidation can lead to greater stability in the telecom industry. In fact, in a conference in Barcelona, Airtel Chief Sunil Bharti emphasised on the consolidation of telecom companies for a more stable and progressive service. According to him, larger entities will be able to bear the market fluctuations better and also invest in advanced technologies, ultimately resulting in better services. What does it mean for consumers? The first two outcomes might seem to be a challenge for the telecom sector but the users will benefit off the volatility, similar to what happened after Jio introduced its free data plans. This however, might not benefit the users in the longer run. Investors will look away once companies stop generating heavy profits which will either monopolise the market further or just result in bad service quality. The third outcome will be more ideal in terms of the telecom sector's health in general. To summarise it all, this new development might lead to another major tariff war in the coming months but the long term effect will only be noticable after at least a year. Other key points related to Idea-Vodafone merger Until now, Airtel was the leading player in the country with 265.85 million subscribers. Vodafone and Idea, prior to the merger had 204.69 and 190.52 million subscribers respectively. However, the new Vodafone-idea combined entity will boast a strong subscriber base of 395 million will command around 40 per cent of the revenue market share. SALT LAKE CITY (AP) A group backed by business leaders said this week they plan to move ahead with a push to get Utah voters to raise the state income tax to generate an extra $750 million annually to address a teacher shortage, crowded classrooms and other school needs. Officials with the group Our Schools Now said they appreciate an extra $120 million lawmakers put in the new budget toward enrollment growth and teacher pay this year, but said its not enough. They plan to start gathering signatures this summer for a ballot initiative that would ask voters in 2018 to raise the individual income tax rate 7/8ths of a percentage point. That would raise the rate to 5.785 percent, up from 5 percent. The group has powerful, well-funded backers, including Zions Bank CEO Scott Anderson, Questar CEO Ron Jibson and Gail Miller, whose family owns the Utah Jazz. Legislators who oppose the effort but fear it could end up before voters next year instead passed a law this year that will require the initiative to let people know that the initiative amounts to a 17.5 percent increase. Utahs Republican legislators and Gov. Gary Herbert have not supported the proposal, saying raising Utahs income tax rate would hurt the states ability to compete for companies looking to open offices or relocate. Utahs rate is already slightly higher than the rate in their neighboring state and rival, Colorado, and much higher than Nevada and Wyoming, which dont have any income tax. But the Republican governor appeared more open to it on the last night of the legislative session. In an interview with The Associated Press, Herbert said that while hes concerned about consequences to Utahs economy, the tax increase is an option on the table and would create new revenue in one fell swoop. It ought to be considered. And I would encourage them to continue to move ahead, said Herbert, adding the ballot initiative is keeping pressure on legislators to look at tax policy. During the recently completed legislative session, GOP legislators offered an alternative to generate more funds for education: Broadening the tax base. That could include taking steps to ensure sales tax is collected from online purchases and scaling back tax exemptions and credits. Lawmakers toyed with the idea of passing major tax reforms but couldnt get a plan together before their short, 45-day session ended on March 9. Theyve instead pledged to spend their off-season this summer studying Utahs tax policies to see what improvements can be made. While legislators do that, Our Schools Now organizers this summer will start gathering the 113,000 signatures they need to have by April 2018 to get on the ballot next fall, according to campaign manager Austin Cox. The extra money Utah legislators sent to schools this year include $116 million to increase basic per-student funding, known as the weighted pupil unit (WPU). The changes would raise that amount to $3,311, up from its current level of $3,184 a 4 percent increase generally celebrated by Utah legislators, the governor and education officials. Our Schools Now said the boost is great, but that the state needs more long-term solutions to help with a teacher shortage and Utahs place among the lowest per-pupil K-12 education funding in the country. The organization said the tax increase would generate roughly a 26 percent increase every year in the weighted pupil unit. Andrew Lesky is taken out of 1st District Court following his sentencing on Tuesday. Lesky was sentenced to 30 years to life in prison for aggravated assault, illegal possession of a firearm, and two counts of aggravated kidnapping. LOGAN A judge has ordered Andrew Lesky to face three new felony charges, alleging the former Idaho man lied while under oath during the two-and-a-half-week jury trial for assaulting his ex-girlfriend and her then boyfriend. Lesky appeared in 1st District Court Monday morning for a preliminary hearing. Prosecutors claimed Lesky told the jury that he didnt purchase or have a gun when he confronted the victims in October 2014. They also charged the 45-year-old lied about when his relationship with the victim began. During Mondays hearing, state attorney Spencer Walsh showed video footage, first from the trial where Lesky apologized to the jury for lying about meeting the victim in 2012, when he was actually in prison at the time. The second video was from the defendants sentencing, where he told the court he should have never bought or brought a gun to the victims home on the night of the assault. During the October trial, the victims described how Lesky approached them while they were outside their Logan apartment. He brandished the handgun and told the couple to go inside. When they refused, he pulled out a knife and attempted to stab the man, cutting his clothing. A jury of five women and three men found him guilty. He was later sentenced to prison. Lesky still faces a list of other charges, including burglary, a second-degree felony, aggravated assault, damaging the jail and theft, all third-degree felonies and 17 misdemeanors. During Mondays preliminary hearing, Judge Brian Cannell said prosecutors had presented substantial evidence to show Lesky had lied. He set a one-day jury trial for May 24 and ordered the defendant back to court April 25, for a final pre-trial conference.

will@cvradio.com When he moved into his new position as Executive Director of the Center for Persons With Disabilities at Utah State University in January, Dr. Matthew Wappett understood the potential for change in his professional world. He served as associate director of the Center on Disabilities and Human Development at the University of Idaho. With apparent changes ahead in health care and insurance systems in this country is there a way to know how it will affect the disabled? Thats the $20 million question, said Dr.Wappett. Its really hard to tell. The Presidents budget shows significant cuts across the board to social services. Many such programs touch and support people with disabilities and their families. So we have some concerns there. The big question becomes, how many of those will be implemented and seen through. He said the same is true with proposed changes to the Affordable Care Act like the Medicaid Block Granting to states and some other programs that would have significant impacts on people with disabilities. What its all going to look like, we dont know. Part of our job here, and a big focus for me, is watching these policies that provide advocacy and education when we can so that, hopefully, it doesnt have as big an impact as it could. Dr. Wappett said assistive technology is an important issue to him and he hopes the CPD can remain engaged in keeping abreast of innovations within what has been a very creative assistive technology unit at USU. Right now 70 to 80 percent of the funding for services to people with disabilities comes from the federal government and any changes have a huge impact down the line and across the country. A new human services structure, the Sorensen Legacy Building, is under construction on campus and will house the CPDs clinical programs, co-housed with many of the other clinical programs from USUs College of Education. Our outreach, policy and research divisions will remain in our current home which is right next door. We will be divided, but we will be very close, said Dr. Wappett. What must be resisted are efforts to obliterate or relativize the kernel, which for Pieper is more or less the Christian West. The words Christian and West mean much more for him than the geographical space of Western Europe. For one thing, West is that which is distinct from the dominant cultures of the Middle East. But above all, Pieper regards the Christian West as a distinct set of philosophical and religious commitments. Core to this tradition, he argues, is that which is sacred because it takes its origins from a Divine utterance. Thus the Christian West concerns Revelation, of which, he specifies, the Hebrew Scriptures are a central part. There is no Christian West, Pieper emphasizes, without the Jewish canon. At the same time, the kernel also contains what is frequently described as the wisdom of the ancients. On one level, this wisdom, found in the Platonic dialogues, for example, consists in the Greek emphasis on rationality. But, Pieper observes, the very same wisdom was understood by Plato as knowledge which has come down from a supra-human source, a theios logos, a divine saying. Acknowledging the compatibility of reason and revelation is not conservative; nor is it, for that matter, liberal or Progressive. Piepers point is that splitting reason from revelation (or vice versa) is the antithesis of what it means to be Western. This is why, to Piepers mind, Islam can only be foreign to the Wests unique synthesis of faith and reason. The politically incorrect character of this argument does not detract from its saliency. In a 1957 article, Pieper even said that modern Turkeys secularization was essentially artificial precisely because that countrys religious-philosophical design could never really accommodate such a development in a manner similar to that of the Christian West. At a distance of 60 years, that argument seems even more on point than ever. March 5 marked the start of official campaigning for Armenias parliamentary elections, scheduled for April 2, after which a parliamentary system will replace the current presidential one. Yet these elections are unlikely to bring about any significant changes in either the economic and social spheres or in Armenias pro-Russian foreign policy, given the dominant position of the ruling Republican Party of Armenia (RPA). The opposition running for election is fragmented and short of resources, and will compete in an election system favoring the RPA. BACKGROUND: The April polls will launch the final phase of the transition of Armenia's political system, from the current presidential to a parliamentary one prescribed by the constitutional amendments adopted in 2015 (see the 12/29/15 Issue of the CACI Analyst). President Serzh Sargsyan will remain in office for almost one more year to fulfill his five-year term, but there will be no more direct presidential elections, and from 2018 executive power will belong to the government led by the prime minister, with an almost equally powerful minister of defense. The new election code adopted after the constitutional amendments has arguably made ballot stuffing and other fraud, which has been widespread during previous elections, less likely. However, the design of the election code skews the playing field in the RPA's favor. Before the constitutional referendum, promises were given that a parliamentary system would allow political parties to play a more important role. However, several observers have noted that smaller parties are in fact strongly disadvantaged and have little chance to overcome the five percent threshold on their own. Simultaneously, limitations have been introduced on the number of parties that could form a bloc, while the threshold for blocs is seven percent. The previous mixed system of proportional representation and majoritarian vote in single-member districts has been replaced with one that combines national and district party lists. The latter encourage candidates from larger parties to compete also with each other in order to promote the party's rating, creating confusion among the voters. Whereas each single-member district previously had one wealthy government-affiliated businessman or a proxy running; the new system favors the inclusion of several government candidates as well as local gang leaders, who are capable of buying votes or intimidating voters, in the district lists. One of the intermediate results is that even before the deadline for registration of party lists on February 16, the amount offered for vote buying grew fourfold compared to previous elections, and has continued to grow afterwards. IMPLICATIONS: Five parties and four blocs have been registered, although one of them, the Communist Party, is irrelevant. The RPA's national list is led by Defense Minister Vigen Sargsyan. Considering his only achievement so far promoting the "nation-army" concept (see the CACI Analyst, 01/12/17) and imposing a new tax to finance it, a "patriotic" agenda will likely be the key issue of RPA's campaign. RPA's potential partners are the nationalist Armenian Revolutionary Federation Dashnaktsutyun (ARF) and the Armenian Renaissance (formerly the Country of Laws Party). Both have repeatedly used the same tactics: leaving the ruling coalition approximately one year before an election, adopting an ostensibly critical attitude towards the government, and then joining forces with the RPA in the next legislature. Both also share a loyalist pro-Russian attitude. One the other side of the spectrum is the Free Democrats Party, currently the only party advocating Armenia's departure from the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) and developing relations with the West. The Way Out bloc, formed by three parties Bright Armenia, Civil Contract, and The Republic was the only entity using a mechanism resembling primaries to form a candidate list. Although some parties in the bloc previously supported developing relations with the West, they have downplayed this agenda in order to make a larger coalition possible, resulting in a somewhat inconsistent approach towards both EEU membership and association with the EU. The bloc formed by the Armenian National Congress (ANC) and the People's Party of Armenia is running on a platform formulated by ANC's leader, former president Levon Ter-Petrossian. He announced a "peace now" program at a party congress in December 2016, arguing that a compromise with Azerbaijan, including the return of several regions adjacent to Nagorno-Karabakh to Azerbaijani control, must be reached as soon as possible. Unsurprisingly, this proposal revived the habitual accusations of being "unpatriotic" and "defeatist" from different sides of the political spectrum, as most political actors favor maintaining the status quo in the conflict, or advocate recognizing the independence of Nagorno-Karabakh. As most critics of Ter-Petrossian's approach attack him personally instead of formulating counterarguments on the issue, there is little room for debate. Another bloc has been formed around Gagik Tsarukyan, who was forced to abandon his political ambitions two years ago (see the 03/18/15 Issue of the CACI Analyst). Since then, Tsarukyan has been forgiven and even received decorations from President Sargsyan. Tsarukyan's return to politics began, evidently with Sargsyan's approval, in fall 2016. Reminiscent of the Soviet practice of "initiatives from below," activist groups praising Tsarukyan's generosity during previous election campaigns started advocating for his return. Culminating in a televised speech in January, the campaign once again elevated Tsarukyan to the chair of the Prosperous Armenia Party (PAP). He then formed the Tsarukyan bloc, in which several fringe parties joined the PAP and gained access to Tsarukyan's financial resources, though without significant representation on the candidate list. Former Defense Minister Seyran Ohanyan, who has been a vocal critic of the government after his resignation in October 2016, has joined the Unity Party formed in 2016 by former Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan and other former members of PAP. Ohanyan has even admitted that the country has political prisoners something that government officials have been denying vehemently. After attempts to find other partners, including a short-lived alliance with the pro-Russian Democratic Party led by a Soviet-era Communist Party leader and a former dissident who served four prison terms in the USSR, they formed a bloc with the Heritage Party. Given the latter's previous opposition activities, its readiness to join two former officials who share responsibility for the bloodbath of March 1, 2008 (10 people were killed as the army was illegally deployed against opposition protests against alleged electoral fraud) became a shock for many observers. Some prominent members of the Heritage Party who opposed the alliance became targets of a smear campaign and summarily left the party. Before the official beginning of campaigning on March 5, the Ohanyan-Oskanyan bloc became the main target of RPA's propaganda machine. One reason is that the bloc leaders, and especially Ohanyan who radically changed his official rhetoric after losing his post, are considered traitors by the RPA. Another important reason is that the bloc is most probably backed by the ambitious former president Robert Kocharyan, whose financial and media resources would make it the most dangerous competitor for RPA. Moreover, the ARF and Armenian Renaissance could also change sides and jump on the bandwagon, should Kocharyan come to be perceived as a likely winner. The RPA has already dealt with another "traitor" former Prime Minister Hovik Abrahamyan. He remained the deputy chair of RPA after his resignation in September 2016. However, in January Abrahamyan paid a short visit to Moscow and then left his party leadership position and made some critical statements. The party establishment reacted harshly, suggesting that an investigation into the origins of Abrahamyan's assets could be launched, whereby Abrahamyan abandoned his ambitions. CONCLUSIONS: As suggested previously, considering the RPA's financial and administrative resources, the likely outcome of the elections is a formal multi-party parliament with a de facto strongman rule (see the 12/29/15 Issue of the CACI Analyst). Aside from the parties and blocs that adopt oppositional rhetoric only for the campaign period, the others lack resources, as well as the willingness to overcome personal conflicts. It has been habitual for the ANC, Free Democrats, and the Way Out bloc to accuse each other of making deals with President Sargsyan. Their ability to pass the threshold remains questionable. The populist rhetoric of the Ohanyan-Oskanyan and Tsarukyan blocs, combined with available campaign resources, will likely make them relatively successful. This is true especially for Tsarukyan, as he got the president's endorsement specifically in order to split the dissatisfied electorate. These blocs are also unequivocally pro-Russian in their foreign policy preferences. The RPA, seeking maximum external legitimacy, may also seek to persuade the U.S. and the EU to be "pragmatic" and to avoid strong criticism of the shortcomings during the campaign and the voting process. Prime Minister Karen Karapetyan's lavishly repeated traditional mantras about the fight against corruption and other issues during recent meetings with American and European ambassadors could serve that goal. AUTHORS BIO: Armen Grigoryan is an Armenian political scientist, the author of several book chapters, journal articles, and policy papers. His research interests include post-communist transition, EU relations with Eastern Partnership countries, transatlantic relations, energy security, and conflict transformation. Image source: kremlin.ru, accessed on March 19, 2017 SEATTLE, WASH. - More than 1,000 Court Appointed Special Advocates, or CASAs, gathered at the Sheraton Seattle for the 2017 National CASA Conference. Among the attendees were three Alabama CASA Network employees, two Alabama CASA Network Board of Directors members, and representatives from four local CASA programs in Alabama. In addition to networking opportunities, training workshops, and keynote addresses from notable celebrities, CASA celebrated its 40th anniversary in its city of origin. As the network reflected on the past four decades, they also focused on the conference's theme: Building Brighter Futures for America's Abused and Neglected Children. This national network of 77,000 advocates serving over 250,000 children included more than 100 workshops, institutes, and planning sessions throughout the three-day conference. Additionally, National CASA's State, Urban, Rural, Suburban, and Tribal leadership councils had the opportunity to meet throughout the duration of the conference. Alabama CASA staff sits on both of National CASA's State and Rural leadership councils. Maggie Blaedow, Alabama CASA Network Executive Director, said, "I look forward to bringing my staff to the national conference each year. We know that the children we serve need us to bring only the best practices when it comes to ensuring their safety, and this conference allows us to collaborate with the best and brightest child welfare advocates from around the country." CASA Founder, Judge David Soukup addressed the CASA network on the second day of the conference and challenged CASA employees, Board members, and volunteers to keep serving the vulnerable children in the communities they serve. After retiring from the bench, Soukup joined his local CASA program as a volunteer. He shared about a time when he was serving as a CASA on a case and after court one day, the young boy he was serving pulled the hand of his child welfare worker and asked her to, "Please come meet my best friend, David." This illustration echoes the many that were shared throughout the conference, and that continue to resound among the walls of family court courtrooms throughout the country. Alabama CASA Network Board member and Lee County CASA volunteer, Todd Crutchfield, was a first time attendee of the national conference. He said, "The CASA National Conference added great value and perspective as both a local volunteer and State Board member." The 2018 National CASA Conference will take place in Boston, Mass. Alabama CASA Network plans to represent Alabama in even greater numbers next year. Texas Taco Grill is open in Vestavia Hills, AL at 633 Montgomery Highway. The restaurant is the childhood dream of two friends of 43 years, Max Beasley, Manager, and Executive Chef Denis Gavlik. It will serve made from scratch gourmet tacos, house made salsas, guacamole and queso. It will be open daily for lunch and dinner Monday - Thursday 11:00 a.m. - 8:30 p.m., and Friday -Saturday 11:00 a.m. - 9:30 p.m. Co-owners Beasley and Gavlik have been friends since 1974 when they met in 6th grade in Houston, TX. Beasley, originally from Florence, AL invited Gavlik to visit him in Florence during Summer Vacation while they were in high school. They went fishing on the Tennessee River daily and Gavlik fell in love with the Alabama landscape. They both vowed then that they would someday like to retire in Alabama and now that dream is coming true - except for the retirement part. Beasley has been back in Alabama for a few years and Gavlik recently took the leap and moved to Birmingham two years ago. When the two friends connected they recognized a need for truly gourmet, authentic Texas style tacos. So instead of retiring they decided to open a new restaurant. "It's taken us well over a year to find the right location for our concept, and to get open," said Beasley. "We wanted to make sure we were in the right spot and believe the space we are operating in Vestavia is it. We will have a family friendly atmosphere with both indoor and outdoor dining and while we are still working on finalizing our menu we believe the price point for our tacos will be a good value to families looking for fresh food and fun night out." Beasley has been an entrepreneur and business owner in Texas for more than 20 years and Gavlik has a 29-year career in the food service industry, most recently as an Executive Chef for Sodexo and owning his own catering company. For more information visit Texas Taco Grill on Facebook and visit our website at texastaco.com. Ken Martine Atanga W. Musa Some unidentified men have set ablaze the vehicle of the Principal of Government Bilingual High School, Nkambe in Donga Mantung Division, North West Region. Ken Martin Atanga Principal of GBHS Nkambe was taken aback when he received calls that his car was on fire. It was on Friday night on March 17, 2017 on the campus of the institution. No one has claimed responsibility for the damages but locals suspect those spearheading strike action and general call for school boycott could be at the origin. It is alleged that Mr Atanga has been instrumental in ensuring that students resume classes especially as end-of-year examinations are approaching. It is believed his collaboration with the government irritated some youths who had to commit the act. However these are just speculations as Police have opened investigations to trap down the culprits. The burning of the vehicle of the Principal of GBHS Nkambe comes barely a week when stores at the Food Market in Bamenda were set on fire Monday Morning leaving dozens of traders in distress. School is yet to resume in the English sub system of education in the two Anglophone regions of Cameroon despite calls by Government htrough Prime Minister Philemon Yang. By Wilson MUSA Tete a Tete between Paul Biya and Sergio Mattarella P R C Cameroons Head of State, Paul Biya, has told the Italian President Sergio Matterella that despite ongoing crisis in the two English speaking regions of Cameroon, most Cameroonians love to live together. The President was speaking on day one of his three day State visit to Italy where he is meeting his Italian counterpart to discuss bilateral ties between the two countries. President Paul Biya said the government is already engaging in dialogue to break the deadlock in the current crisis but insisted that the Government is only doing so within the ambit of the Constitution. During his speech, Paul Biya also talked of acts of terrorism, illegal immigration, durable development and climate change. To him, the bilateral ties enjoyed by Cameroon and Italy could greatly change the situation in favor of peace and unity. The President is being accompanied in his mission by: The Minister of External Relations,Le Jeune Mbella Mbella Minister of the Economy, Planning and Regional Development, Louis Paul Motaze, Minister of Public Works, Emmanuel Nganou Djoumessi, The Minister of Higher Education, Jacques Fame Ndongo, Ministers of Special Duties at the Presidency of the Republic; Hamadou Moustapha and Victor Arrey Mengot Minister Delegate in charge of the Budget at the Ministry of Finance, Elung Paul Che, Deputy Director of the Civil Cabinet, Joseph LE,Special Advisers; Luc Sindjoun and Joseph Fouda. By Wilson MUSA | BY Ricki Green | AKQA has today announced the call for entries to the official Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity global student competition, Future Lions, by inviting those willing to look Beyond whats expected to create the future. Future Lions discovers tomorrows most innovative talent, and over the past decade has launched the careers of over 70 of the worlds best creatives. The brief: Connect audiences to an idea from a global brand in a way not possible three years ago. There are no boundaries or restrictions on which industries or media are chosen. The deadline for entries is 12 April 2017 at 18:00 BST. For the fourth year in a row, Google is the official partner of the Future Lions competition. To learn more about the 2017 Future Lions competition and how to enter, please visit futurelions.com. Says Sam Kelly, managing director, AKQA: The future has an entrepreneurial mindset and an imagination with no boundaries. Future Lions encourages those to go beyond the realms of the impossible. The five winning ideas will be celebrated on stage at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity on 21 June 2017 in the Debussy Theatre at Les Palais des Festivals. The winners will receive the prestigious Future Lions trophy, and full access to the festival. | BY Ricki Green | Fresh from SXSW, The Royals creative partner Nick Cummins is inspired to be more patient. For the sake of the work. This was one of the messages that came through to me personally at SXSW this year. As a creative partner in an independent agency, I have a voice inside my head constantly telling me the work isnt happening quickly enough and the agency isnt growing as fast as that voice would like. My good friend Michael Nieling from Ocupop even has a name for his voice. To clarify, I have only met him twice so I cant really say he is a good friend, but after hearing him speak three times in five years, I somehow feel like he is. Michael wasnt the only one talking about patience and balance at SXSW last week. Gary Vaynerchuk, who owns an agency along with a wine company and a cult following, is frenetic but also talked about how the problem we have today is the expectation of instant success. We live in a world where it is all about how quickly you can reach a million followers or whether you will be able to sell your company to Google in the next two years. Film maker Casey Niestat, who actually has over six and a half million YouTube followers, talked about how long it took him to get to where he is today and about being weary of purely focusing on success. He attributes his success to what he calls the Tarzan method know where you would like to get to and grab any vine that may get you slightly closer to your destination. Dont get me wrong, all of these people are hustling. Theyre not sitting around waiting for success they are driven and action-orientated, but they arent obsessed with the end result and the time it may take them to get there. It feels to me like patience has almost become a dirty word. If you are being patient you arent working hard enough, you dont care enough, youre old fashioned and will get left behind. And I think this is creating a big problem for agencies and their clients. People arent thinking before they act or respond. We all feel like we need the answer now, right now and creatively that is dangerous. It leads to ill-formed answers and expected solutions. Isnt it more exciting when you ask someone, how are we going to fix this? And they say, Im not sure, let me give it some thought and get back to you, rather than making a solution up on the spot. If someone has the solution straight away it is likely to be a first thought and predictable; it may even be wrong. Instant solutions, brought about by our collective impatience, put clever well thought out, unexpected, well-crafted work at risk. So whether you are an agency leader or a client, be patient. Because the work will always be better if you focus and spend the time doing it right. NY Times Headlines: A Study in Contrasts | Main | International Law Expert Says Gaza Not Occupied November 13, 2014 Where's the Coverage? Joint Chief Chairman Declares "Israel Went to Extraordinary Lengths" to Protect Gaza Civilians Discussing Operation Protective Edge at a forum at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in New York City, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Martin Dempsey stated: I actually do think that Israel went to extraordinary lengths to limit collateral damage and civilian casualties. [] In this kind of conflict, where you are held to a standard that your enemy is not held to, youre going to be criticized for civilian casualties. To their credit, Reuters reported this speech and The Volokh Conspiracy, a blog affiliated with though not under the editorial control of The Washington Post, ran a piece. It was covered in niche publications as well as the Jewish and Israeli press, but none of the major news outlets reported this remarkable admission. Especially since it was already published by Reuters, it would have been easy for news media to report on Americas top general stating unequivocally that Israel went to extraordinary lengths to prevent civilian casualties in Gaza. But they didnt. The Times of Israel wrote:: Dempsey listed Israel Defense Forces measures such as the roof-knocking? and the dropping of warning leaflets as part of their attempts to protect civilian lives. The IDF is not interested in creating civilian casualties. Theyre interested in stopping the shooting of rockets and missiles out of the Gaza Strip and into Israel,? Dempsey argued. The American general recounted that an American delegation visited Israel three months ago to learn lessons from the conflict, to include the measures they took to prevent civilian casualties and what they did with tunneling.? Dempseys statements stand in stark contrast to a recent Amnesty International report accusing Israel of displaying callous indifference? in attacks on family homes in the densely populated coastal area. Naturally, the Amnesty International report critical of Israel was widely reported in such major outlets as The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, USA Today, Time Magazine, Newsweek, The Guardian and many more. Yet, when it comes to something positive - and true! - about Israel Wheres the coverage? Posted by SC at November 13, 2014 09:31 AM I wrote to the Public Editor of the NY Times, pointing out the hypocrisy of their giving major play to anecdotes from Amnesty International, while refusing to cover General Dempsey's statements. I also pointed out to them that according to Google News, there were 4200 articles on General Dempsey's statements, INCLUDING AL-JAZEERA. I asked them if the NYT was that far to the left of Al-Jazeera that they refused to print the words of someone who actually knows what war is. I typically get a response from the NYT Public Editor, but not this time. Posted by: Harry Pierson at November 15, 2014 09:42 AM It is a disgrace that the NY Times failed to even mention Martin Dempsey's statement about Israel's serious efforts at minimizing civilian damage in Gaza. I hope your account of this matter is sent to the editors of the Times. Posted by: Thomas Kaplan at November 15, 2014 01:17 PM when the times admits biased omitions or additions have you asked for their motivation? Posted by: mishel greenberg at November 17, 2014 01:54 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 | BY Ricki Green | Swinburne University of Technology has announced a world-first strategic partnership with Adobe, a leader in creative and marketing solutions. As part of the partnership, Swinburne will roll out Adobe Marketing Cloud, the most comprehensive set of digital marketing solutions, to spearhead Swinburnes digital transformation. Swinburne will also broaden the breadth of its digital advertising technology major and minor curriculum to incorporate the Adobe Marketing Cloud platform. Adobe Marketing Cloud, will underpin Swinburnes strategic vision to gain a deeper understanding of current and prospective students, and alumni. Harnessing the power of Adobe Marketing Cloud, including platform integrations with Adobe Creative Cloud, Swinburne can effectively design, plan, execute, manage and optimise cross channel marketing campaigns that deliver personalised and engaging customer experiences. In Australia, digital skills shortages are increasingly impacting the workforce. An estimated 100,000 ICT workers will be in demand over the next five years, yet the number of graduates with ICT qualifications has declined significantly since the early 2000s.* As part of a world-first educational partnership with Adobe, Swinburnes digital advertising technology major and minor, which can be undertaken as part of a Bachelor of Business, Arts or Media and Communications, will incorporate the Adobe Marketing Cloud platform. This includes training materials and accredited teaching practices, allowing students to immerse themselves in digital technology whilst directly addressing the digital skills gap. Employing workers with digital skills is needed across a diverse range of sectors and professions. National Australia Bank (NAB), which implements a number of key Adobe programs, is also working closely with Swinburne, seeking to recruit graduates directly from the Universitys digital advertising technology major. Says Todd Copeland, acting EGM NAB Digital: There is fierce competition in the industry for the best available talent. Given our integration of Adobes platforms, the design of this major offered by Swinburne aligns to our needs and strengthens the pathway of talent flowing through who are able to really hit the ground running. The program, which was first piloted in Semester 1 2016 has fast become a popular track for Swinburne, with 40 students undertaking the major in 2016. Students enrolled in the major are trained to undertake study in areas including digital analytics, search marketing, social media marketing and video marketing Says Swinburne professor Scott Thompson-Whiteside, executive dean of the Faculty of Health Arts and Design: Swinburne is excited to pave the way in the teaching of digital technologies through our partnership with Adobe. We are committed to providing our students with a cutting-edge education and preparing them to take leading roles in an ever evolving workforce. Working with Adobe will help us achieve these goals and give our students the digital skills and confidence to succeed. The partnership represents a significant step for Adobe in digital education. Adobe actively works with universities, governments and other stakeholders to adequately address the skills needs of todays students. Says Tony Katsabaris, Adobe APAC senior director of public sector and education: At Adobe, we understand the importance that digital technologies can play in enhancing long term employability or equipping students for participation in digital economy. A major of this calibre that promotes digital skills development is truly paramount. We look forward to working with Swinburne to redefine the digital curriculum that will benefit both students and employers. In parallel, we are delighted to partner with Swinburne to help create exceptional experiences for its customers and students across all touchpoints. | BY Ricki Green | Ferrero Australia has launched its latest campaign which makes its new Tic Tac Berries flavour unmissable, visually, but also through scent. Implementing 25 giant scented Tic Tac boxes which emit the new Tic Tac Berries flavour. The aim is to entice shoppers on passing by to try the exciting new product. Working in Partnership with PHD, oOh!media and The Mix Agency, the boxes will be distributed in proximity to Woolworths & Coles entrances across NSW, VIC and QLD. The campaign will run for a 2 week period. The slow release capsules burst at different times so the fragrance will last for the entire campaign period. The largest of the Tic Tac boxes will reach 1890mm x 1140mm and the expected scent radius is up to 2 metres surrounding the panel. The giant boxes are transported in flat to Reed Pacific whereupon they apply the patented micro-encapsulated SureScent technology that allows the berry fragrance to release the ambient scent to the shoppers in the vicinity. Says a spokesperson from Ferrero: Ferrero is excited by this opportunity to communicate our new Tic Tac flavour in a more sensorial way, enticing consumers to try our new berry flavour. Ferrero along with PHD are always looking for media innovation that brings the core idea of our brand campaigns to life and this OOH execution delivers this 100%! Says Melissa Haggerty, business director: This campaign really ignites the playful fun that is core to the Tic Tac brand. I believe it is one our consumers will love and will put a smile on our shoppers faces. Blair Hamilford, commercial director sales retail said launching the new Tic Tac Berry Flavour via ShopaLites is an innovative and creative to stand out and help drive sales. Says Hamilford: Shoppers cant miss the giant 3D Tic Tac packs, and the scent will stimulate their taste buds, influencing them to buy a pack at the supermarket nearby. | BY Ricki Green | Zenith Australia has today announced the promotion of Megan Kay to general manager of Zenith Melbourne. In her new role, Kay will be responsible for the leadership of the Zenith Melbournes clients, staff and operations and reports to Scriven. Kay joined Zenith in 2015 and previously led the media and production team for the Victorian Government account. Kay has more than 24 years experience in media. Her career began in 1992 at Nowland Robinson Perrett and Leeds Media & Communication Services, before she joined Starcom as business director. She moved into media research for Fairfax Radio Monitoring and was also Victorian sales manager at NewsLifeMedia, before returning to agencies as group business director at Havas/Huckleberry Agency. Says Nickie Scriven, CEO, Zenith Australia: We are delighted to reward Megans great work at Zenith with a much deserved promotion to lead the Melbourne office. We have begun the year with great momentum and our role as the ROI agency has resonated with clients. Megans strong background in media and her depth of experience across a range of clients makes her a valuable asset to Zenith. | BY Lynchy | When Singapores first liberal arts college called for a communications agency to create a mascot that embodied its Colleges virtues, it turned to Hakuhodo Singapore. With an aim to redefine liberal arts and science education for a complex, interconnected world, Yale-NUS College had run an intensive multi-agency pitch, Hakuhodo Singapore impressed with its vibrant mascot design, a well-thought through rationale and attention to detail. The Yale-NUS College Mascot Halcyon emerged as a representation of the blue-eared kingfisher species found in rarity in Singapore. The orange-and-blue mascot, colours of Yale-NUS, found ready acceptance as it also encapsulates the core identity of a young academic institution in quick and confident ascension, ready to take on the world. Tanner Nagib, Regional Client Service Director & Digital Director at Hakuhodo Singapore said, As an integrated advertising and communications agency, it is our responsibility to go beyond what the brief entails. What started out as a mascot design brief quickly turned into an opportunity for Hakuhodo to develop materials that reflect the Colleges ethos and identity that infuse elements of youthfulness, creativity, curiosity and an adventurous spirit. NY Times Misleads on David Friedman and Two-State Solution | Main | CBS Article is Not Objective on Israels Security Barrier March 20, 2017 Washington Post Notes Jordanian Terrorist Hailed as a Hero A Washington Post dispatch highlighted the release of Jordanian terrorist Ahmed Daqamseh, who was imprisoned for murdering seven Israeli schoolgirls in 1997. Post reporters Ruth Eglash and Taylor Luck offered readers an important look at the rapturous reception that greeted Daqamseh upon his release on March 11, 2017 (Freed 20 years after slaying of 7 Israeli schoolgirls, Jordanian is hailed as hero,? March 13, 2017). The Post provided readers with a look at Daqamsehs horrendous crimes and the grieving that followed. On March 13, 1997 Daqamseha Jordanian solideropened fire on a group of Israeli schoolchildren who were visiting the Jordanian border site of Neharayimknown as the Island of Peace?for a field trip. He murdered seven Israeli schoolgirls and wounded six others. Eglash and Luck noted the disappointment and pain of one of the survivors of the massacre, Hila Levy, who is now 33 years old. Levy remarked, We knew he would be released sometime soon, but it still hurts.? Daqamseh has been celebrated for murdering the seven schoolchildren. The Post pointed out that, in Jordan, supporters of Daqamseh, whom the Jordanian military court deemed mentally unstable at the time, hailed his release and called him a hero.hundreds of relatives and supporters greeted Daqamseh at his family home in the northern village of Ibdir, 60 miles north of Amman, the capital.? Eglash and Luck said the murderers name trended on Twitter among Arab users where he was called a model? and hero.? Indeed, in Jordan, Daqamseh has been adopted by the opposition movement, led by Islamists and nationalist,? both of who have repeatedly called for his release. The Post reported that following his release, Daqamseh told Al-Jazeera, Dont believe the lie of normalization with the Zionist entity. Dont believe the lie of the two-state solution. Palestine united is from the ocean to the riverthere is no state called Israel.? The Washington Post should be commended for highlighting the grotesque celebration of anti-Jewish violence and the rejection of Israels right to exist that permeates Arab society. However, The Posts report was not without fault. For example, it uncritically quoted a Jordanian shopkeeper named Mohammed Youssef, who justified the celebrations of Daqamsehs release with the spurious claim that Israelis kill Palestinians by the hundreds every month, and no one is brought to justice.? This accusation, of course, is false. As CAMERA has highlighted (see, for example Wheres the Coverage? Joint Chief Chairman Declares Israel Went to Extraordinary Length to Protect Gaza Civilians? Nov. 13, 2014), various military officials and inquires have noted Israels judicious use of force. Army Gen. Martin Dempsey, then serving as the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has stated: The IDF is not interested in creating civilian casualties.? By contrast, self-avowed enemies of the Jewish state purposefully target civilians, including schoolgirlsand are praised in many sections of Arab society for their efforts. Posted by SD at March 20, 2017 02:22 PM it is very hard to believe in the intrinsic goodness of the Jordanian people when they can celebrate the man who gunned down in cold blood seven children. The girls, average age 13, were on a school trip to what was called the Island of Peace which was named in celebration of the Peace Treaty between Israel and Jordan. King Hussein of Jordan humbled himself and came to Israel to the homes of the bereaved to apologise. Where is his son, King Abdullah II, at this time? His silence in the face of the celebration of evil speaks volumes. Posted by: Pamela Joyce Levene at March 22, 2017 01:43 AM 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 Monday, March 20, 2017 at 1:10AM EchoStar XXIII Mission from SpaceX/Flickr The town of Canso on the eastern shore of Nova Scotia will be home to Canadas first spaceport. Its owned by private Canadian space corporation Maritime Launch Services (MLS) and they plan to begin building the facility by 2018. The area was selected after assessing 14 different areas because of its low population density and that rockets launched from the spaceport will fly over a large body of water. The company is seeking federal and provincial approval before they can begin construction on the site. The spaceport will be a purely commercial venture between MLS and a Ukrainian firm. MLS wants to start launching as soon as the year 2020 and have as many as eight launches per year by 2022. These initial missions will be involving the Ukrainian-built Cyclone 4M rockets. It isnt known if MLS will let other private space companies or Canadas own space agency to use the spaceport. But if it does, itll help save them the trip of sending their rockets to Virginia. Source: Engadget She says that since graduating her rise has been "stratospheric" and she has conducted orchestras in Britain, Europe, Australia and New Zealand. In her 30s, she has never felt discriminated against while on the podium conducting in what is still a male-dominated field - "It doesn't matter whether you're male or female" - but says that the hoped-for gender balance when female conductors like Simone Young and Marin Alsop came to prominence a couple of decades ago has not yet come to pass. But she sees herself and other women conductors as role models for others in what she hopes will be a more equitable future. The trial for Maged Mohommed Ahmed Al-Harazi heard his daughter and son, then aged seven, told relatives they saw blood on their father's shirt and his son had seen him wash a knife the night of their mother's death in March 2015. Your digital subscription includes access to content from all our websites in your region. Access unlimited news content and The Canberra Times app. Premium subscribers also enjoy interactive puzzles and access to the digital version of our print edition - Today's Paper. 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 ... tuckermoore.JPG Moss Point native Carlos Moore was welcomed back to his roots on Thursday as he opened a joint law office with fellow attorney Charles Tucker. (Myya Robinson) MOSS POINT, Mississippi--- Success has come full circle for Moss Point native Carlos Moore, as he has returned to his roots to expand his law practice. Tucker and Moore, attorneys and counselors at law, officially opened their doors to their newest facility with a special ribbon cutting ceremony Thursday through the Jackson County Chamber of Commerce. Per Moore, the feeling of returning home was something he has dreamed of doing. "It's a good day," said Moore. "It's a great day. Out of all the grand openings I've had in the other cities, this is the one that is most special to me. Coming back home is full circle." Charles Tucker and Moore have law offices residing in Grenada, Clarksdale, and Jackson, Miss. Offices outside of Mississippi include Memphis, Maryland, Virginia, Washington, D.C., and Queens, N.Y. Moore and Tucker recently merged their firms, creating various services their clients can utilize. The firm handles a plethora of cases such as catastrophic injury, wrongful death, police brutality, civil rights, employment law, family law, criminal defense, bankruptcy, social security, and real estate. "Our overriding philosophy is to have big city talent, yet have small town values," said Moore. "He is from the biggest city in the country, so we have big city talent. With my small town values, growing up in one of the smaller areas such as Moss Point, I really learned a lot. I think it meshes well together, so we are able to serve the most elite individual to the common Joe. It's a full service firm." Moore certainly hasn't shied away from high profile cases as he is currently involved in litigation against Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant concerning the confederate battle emblem on the Mississippi flag and its continuous representation as the state's flag. "The state needs to have a flag that speaks to all of us being equal, and not one race being subservient to others," Moore said. Moss Point city officials are excited about the firm setting up shop in Moss Point. Several city officials, including the mayor, attended the event. "I worked with him a little bit while I was in the legislature in Jackson, so I know the quality of his work. I know his character," Broomfield said. "Whatever the City of Moss Point can do to enhance what you're doing, we believe in having positive partnerships, please call on us. Welcome home. We wish you the best." In addition to city officials, school district officials, retired teachers, home church members, and Moore's family were all a part of the event. "I'm just one proud mama," Carolyn Moore said. "I really am, and of course I can't help but be happy about this office being at home." "My parents always instilled in me, especially my mother, that I was not better than anyone," said Moore. "I definitely wasn't any worse. I was always equal. So coming up, I always believed that I could do anything. If anybody else could do it, I could do it too. Her constant saying was that if you think you can, you can. If you think you won't, you won't." Tucker and Moore firm is located at 4125 Main Street, Moss Point. JACKSON COUNTY, Mississippi -- Investigators are searching for a person of interest after a homeowner found a man's body inside a freezer early Monday morning. Acccording to Jackson County Sheriff Mike Ezell, the body was found shortly before 6:30 a.m. at a residence on Althea Street in the Virginia City area of the Latimer community in northwest Jackson County. The victim was a tenant in the home, according to multiple reports. Ezell said the victim's car is missing. Ezell is expected to address the media about the case at 3 p.m. Monday. The homeowner, Michael Woods, told WLOX he found the body after walking in the house and noticing a "horrible smell" and he immediately walked outside and called the JCSO. Woods said he hadn't seen the man -- whose identity has not been released -- in three weeks. Detectives are also examining a neighbor's outdoor surveillance footage for any clues as to what may have happened. 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. Considered the most important region of Ecuador and commonly called La Sierra, Ecuadors Highlands are formed by 11 provinces along the Andes mountain range, its great natural and cultural diversity includes paramos, cloud forests, lakes, active volcanoes, hot springs, indigenous markets, cities, towns and colonial haciendas. The Highlands are is home to cities of great historical and cultural importance as Quito, Cuenca, Loja and Riobamba, as well as the indigenous markets and artisan centers like Otavalo, Latacunga, Quisapincha, Cotacachi, Chordeleg, and much, much more. It is also home to spectacular lakes and lagoons like Quilotoa, Cuicocha, San Pablo, Mojanda, and Yahuarcocha, among others. And the highlands would not be complete without impressive mountains and snowcapped volcanoes. The most well known is Cotopaxi, but other notable volcanoes include Chimborazo, Tungurahua, Cayambe, and Illinizas. The cities of the highlands offer a very developed tourist infrastructure, which allows to find a wide selection of hotels, restaurants, centers of diversion and varied activities to realize. Visitors can choose from a luxury suite on a 400-year-old hacienda or a hotel well-known brand hotel to a backpacker hostel. The region is divided into 11 provinces, but the most visited are Pichincha, Azuay, Chimborazo, Tungurahua, Canar, and Inbabura. Imbabura The northern most province of the Sierras is home to numerous stunning lakes. It is also one of the most diverse regions of Ecuador, which a variety of different demographics, adding to the rich culture of its major city, Otavalo. Here youll find one of Ecuadors most famous markets, which offers a variety of hand-crafted indigenous goods. The main attractions of the province are: Cotacachi Cayapas Ecological Reserve, San Pablo Lake, Yahuarcocha Lagoon, Otavalo City, and Ibarra City. Pichincha Home to Ecuadors Capital, Quito, Pichincha is one of the most well-known provinces in mainland Ecuador. Here travelers can fly into Quitos Mariscal Sucre International Airport, which offers flights to the main cities of the country. Pichincha has many attractions nearby, 80% of which can be reached in no more than an hour. The main attractions of the province include: Pichincha Volcano, Quito Cultural Heritage of Humanity, Cayambe Volcano, Cotopaxi Volcano, La Mitad del Mundo, Cerro Puntas Sangolqui, Antisana Volcano, Cochasqui, Cerro Atacazo, Quitoloma, Pico Corazon, Volcan and Reserva Pasochoa , Mindo Nambillo Rainforest Reserve, and Pululahua Geobotanical Reserve. Tungurahua Another central province, Tungurahua has incredible attractions such as the Tungurahua volcano, the thermal springs of the city of Banos de Agua Santa, and the Llanganates National Park, with its legend of the hidden treasure of the Incas. Chimborazo Taking its name from the volcano Chimborazo, this provinces is in central Ecuador and is home to the Avenue of Volcanoes. The major city, Riobamba, is surrounded by 4 volcanoes and peaks: Chimborazo, Altar, Cubillines, and, more to the north, the Tungurahua volcano, which offers spectacular tourist opportunities. In 2011, an iconic railway route was inaugurated: La Nariz del Diablo, famous for the scenic Devils Nose Train. It also travelers to the coastal city of Guayaquil. The main attractions of Chimborazo include: Sangay National Park (north-western entrance), the Devils Nose Train, Chimborazo Volcano, Colta Fauna Reserve and Lagoona, and the Lagoons of Ozogoche. Canar Further south is Canar, home to the Azogues bus terminal which offers services to the main cities of the country and one of the best places to see archaeological ruins, such as the Inca ruins of Ingapirca. It is also known as the cradle of the Sombrero de Panama, a name that it shares with Montecristi, in Manabi. It is a nice and quiet place with access to the western part of Sangay National Park. The main attractions of the province include: Sangay National Park, Azogues, Laguna Culebrillas, Ingapirca, Cerro Cojitambo, Biblian, Balneario de Yanacu, El Tambo, and the Waterfalls of Deleg. Azuay At the very end of the Sierras is Azuay, home to the city of Cuenca. The Mariscal Lamar airport in Cuenca offers flights to Quito, Guayaquil and Lago Agrio. The Cuenca bus terminal offers services to the main cities of Ecuador and nearby cities. Azuay is rich in metallic and non-metallic minerals. The main attractions are: Cajas National Park, Cuenca Cultural Heritage of Humanity, Tomebamba River, Chordeleg, Gualaceo, and the famous Ingapirca Ruins. Whichever region of Ecuador you choose to visit you are likely to have a remarkable travel experience you will remember forever. Ecuador offers a great diversity of Regions that invite travelers from all around the world with unique experiences grounded in the countrys natural and cultural diversity. If you are looking to visit Ecuador you can enjoy the beauty of the country with a variety of Ecuador tours or learn all the tips and tricks to planning your next vacation, please subscribe to our Tours4fun Newsletter below for exclusive deals. The major subjects in the Karnataka II PUC exams got over with today as students fought through the Chemistry paper with their best. Receiving a mixed response, the Chemistry exam was an average paper for most students. Out of the 657 students registered for the exam, 639 of them attended it in an exam centre at Jayanagar. How did Karnataka II PUC Chemistry exam go? The difficult sections in Karnataka II PUC Chemistry exam that students gave were section A and part D. Although a lot of them felt that it was the part A that was the spoiler, few others had difficulty in answering the part D questions. "Inorganic questions were difficult. The other sections were kind of okay," said a student Padmini. For Mythilee, another student, part D was difficult and another few questions that involved diagrams were time-consuming. Part A was considered difficult by all students as it is a part where it is mandatory to attempt all the questions, unlike other sections where unknown questions could have been left out in choice, opined students. Chemistry Paper Analysis Part A This was the toughest part of the paper that students struggled to attempt. It comprised ten one mark questions that included definitions and equations. Part B This part had two marks questions on the graph, definitions and distinguishing between solids. Students felt it quite easy. Out of eight questions in total, students were given choice to answer any eight. Part C This consisted of eight 3 marks questions with a choice to answer any five. A major amount of this part were based on equations and this part was comparatively easier to other parts. Part D After part A, part D was reportedly difficult. It had five marks questions in two sections. Most of the questions were problems and equations. Karnataka II PUC Physics Exam Paper Analysis Lancers International School has become Gurgaon's first educational institution to be included in the IARC'Centre for United Nations chapter. Benefit of inclusion in IARC The move will expose students of Lancers International School to plethora of extra-curricular activities such as United Nations- led Olympiads global UN activities through the school chapter volunteer opportunities in UN initiatives related organizations and an opportunity to implement UN initiatives on campus It will also offer the privilege to students to avail benefit of certification courses based on Agenda and Focus Areas of Centre for UN. It will also help students to comprehend their course curriculum better and gain an international perspective of their courses of study. Other Universities with Centre for UN Crescent University,Chennai, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh,Bharti Vidhyapeeth University, Pune, Punjabi University, Patiala and KIIT University, Bhubaneswar are among other educational institutions that are a part of Centre for United Nations chapter. What the management has to say: "Lancer International School is proud to be a part of Centre for United Nations chapter. Our institution strongly believes in the UN agenda for peace and sustainable development and is looking forward to champion actively for the cause," said Mr. Rohit Mann, Director, Lancers International School. Activities entitled to be conducted As a member of Centre for United Nations Chapter,Lancers International School would be authorized to conduct activities such as lectures, panel discussions, film screenings and the like. The school would also have access to MY United Nations portal which is a repository for research and promotional material related to Agenda and Focus Areas of Centre for UN. What IARC Centre for UN Chapters Head has to say Utkarsh Mehta, the Project Head (International) for IARC' Centre for UN Chapters said, "We congratulate Lancers International School management's visionary decision of bringing international UN initiatives to their students through the Centre for UN chapter. This is how we will realize the UN agenda of Creating the Future We Want in India and the world". About the initiative The initiative would also offer host of benefits to chief mentors and chief coordinators of Center for United Nations Chapter. It will enable chief mentors to hold a key position in any international campaign and contribute to policy-making to United Nations. Similarly, Chief Coordinator will be entitled to hold a key position in school and gain exposure to the working of UN and other international agencies. About Centre for United Nations Centre for United Nations is listed as a major group organization with UNCSD. Its agenda is closely aligned with UNGA declaration A/RES/66/288, Sustainable Development Goals and Paris Agreement. Its focus areas include sustainable energy, sustainable development, gender justice, ecology and environment, climate change to name a few. Learning outcomes assessment to be conducted by HRD ministry in October When the Toyota Raize came into the picture early this year , it commanded the kind of attention that made you think of it as possibly just ... The Alexandrov Red Army Ensemble is one of Russia's best performing arts ensembles with a special focus on the men's choir. Over the years, they have traveled around the world numerous times, delivering vocal music and dance to hundreds of thousands of people in different countries. The most impressive was their men's choir, packed with incredible talent and beautifully powerful voice, and full of passion and energy. Unfortunately, on December 25th, 2016, 64 members of the Alexandrov Ensembled died when the plane they were traveling on crashed by accident, on their way to Syria to perform for the Russian troops fighting ISIS in the front line. Last Friday evening some of the Russian musicians in the Washington DC area held a charity concert in the Russian embassy to remember those performing artists who died in the accident. My wife and I, being Russian music enthusiasts, were in attendance. It was our first trip to the Russian embassy, and Russian soil, since we have never been to Russia. The atmosphere there was not really somber or dignified. It was rather a little festive, despite heavy security presence. It seemed that people were really celebrating the lives and legacy of those being membered, the joy they had brought to others, and the beautiful memories they left. We enjoyed Vodka, wine, Russian delicacies, and, pleasant conversations with a nice Russian couple, before the concert. The concert was fantastic. The talented Russian musicians, joined by a Mexican born violinist, performed songs of Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninoff, Borodin, and others. It was our first experience of Russia, and a very nice one. Some pictures taken that evening at the event. And, one of my favorite Russian songs - Farewell of Slavianka Discover Dubais cool new homegrown fashion brand: La Come Di Patches, appliques and pins are aplenty in the current fashion market, used often to decorate jeans and denim jackets. A circular pink iron-on patch scripted with "Habibi" in a font reminiscent of the Barbie logo, however, is something you dont see every day. Newly launched Dubai-based apparel and accessories brand La Come Di is disrupting the market with fresh new ideas that give a tongue-in-cheek, cultural spin to wardrobe basics. "The idea for La Come Di started over some shisha and mint tea on a hot summer night," says co-founder of the brand, Elisa Arienti. "We simply wanted to create something that would add to the city we live in, mixing culture and design into something tangible, not just design for the sake of design." Arienti, originally Italian, studied art direction in Italy and has been living in Dubai for four years. She met La Come Di co-founder, the Palestinian Feras Sobh, whom she worked with at her adverting job at the time. Sobh has a degree in visual communications, and has lived in the UAE for more than ten years. Last February, they both quit their full-time advertising jobs to start La Come Di, a name that translates directly to "the like of" in Italian. "We liked how it sounds like "comedy" in English, with a pretentious La in front of it. That attitude carries itself through and represents the youths versatility of style and character," explains Arienti. After working for over a year to develop their products, the brand launched with not one, but three spring/summer 2017 collections on its newly established e-commerce portal earlier this month. Karak Opera is a street style-inspired collection incorporating pop culture graphics relevant to the region. Comic-style illustrations of locals sipping Karak Chai and eating Chips Oman are splashed across T-shirts and laptop cases. The Plastique collection features playful icons (pizza slices and palm trees, for instance) in print and applique form on cotton and denim T-shirts, tunics and kimonos. A pack of fries is branded with a fantasy franchise logo reading "Habibi burger", and a pack of matches features the text, "Cmon Habibi, light my shisha". The labels Dolce collection, meanwhile, is characterised by bold stripes and icons of sailboats, hot air balloons and vintage cars. Prices are affordable when compared to other regional brands tops cost around Dh200, while pins and patches are priced at around Dh50. La Come Di ships worldwide with traceable delivery options from FedEx, and accepts Visa, MasterCard and PayPal payments. While the focus is on maintaining a stable online platform to supply to international customers, the brand founders have their eye on expanding local presence too. "We love the idea of having an online store that sells all over the world, but on the other hand we definitely want to expand in our sunny hometown and bring La Come Di to markets and local funky shops," says Arienti. http://www.queeniebridesmaid.co.uk/red-bridesmaid-dresses-uk http://www.queeniebridesmaid.co.uk/black-bridesmaid-dresses-online One of the hottest topics on every economists lips is the rising price of housing in the United Kingdom. At last count, the average home price in Great Britain was 220 000. For roughly the same price, however, you could also acquire a book on the history of the Americas. This would be no ordinary history, however: Ibrahim Muteferrikas edition of the Tarikh al-Hind al-Gharbi ul-musemma bi-Hadis-i nev, or The History of the Western Indies, also known as the New Hadith is the first book by a Muslim about the Americas, and among the first Ottoman Turkish books printed in Istanbul. The Tarikh is an exceedingly rare item. Of the 500 copies that were produced by Ibrahim Muteferrika in 1730, only 17 are known to exist around the world. The British Library is lucky enough to be one of only a handful of institutions in Europe and North America to have two copies of the work. One, at shelfmark Or.80.b.11, contains twelve of the thirteen original black and white woodcut illustrations, as well as the two colour woodcut maps of the world. The other, at shelfmark Or.80.b.7, contains all thirteen black and white illustrations, but neither of the two maps. Both copies are lacking the celestial chart and the chart that are contained in the copy at the Bibliotheque nationale de France in Paris. On the left (BL Or.80.b.7), flora and fauna of Hispaniola, including the mermen and their splendid pearls, brought back to Europe by a man named Castellon, as well as the tree with fruit like women (BL Or.80.b.11) The Tarikh is a unique publication for reasons that are far more profound than the paucity of surviving copies. It is not an original creation, but rather based upon the 16th century manuscript of the same name believed to have been authored by Emir Mehmet ibn Emir Hasan el-Suudi in 1591. Nevertheless, the fact that it was a printed work, rather than a handwritten one, established Ibrahim Muteferrika as a pioneer in Ottoman Turkish cultural history. Between the issuance of an imperial ferman on commercial activities related to certain of printed Arabic, Persian and Turkish books and writings (Neumann, p. 229) and the 1720s, printing was conducted only by the Jewish and Christian communities, whose works were in non-Arabic scripts. The 17th century saw the importation of Ottoman Turkish works printed in Europe, but both the typography and the language of the content itself were the subjects of derision. The Arabic script requires that some but not all letters be attached to those that follow them (to their left), and this characteristic bedevilled European typesetters and those who sought to sell presses to Ottoman clients. At best, the technology created comical mistakes or miscomprehension. At worst, the resulting errors in holy texts led to charges of blasphemy and the befouling of Gods word (Sabev, pp. 107-9). The first page and the end of the chapter on the History of the Western Indies. The text begins in Persian, with an explanation of the real nature of these fantastical images and descriptions, and ends in Ottoman Turkish with information about the culinary delights of the islands (BL Or.80.b.7) The man who appears to have broken this deadlock was known as Ibrahim Muteferrika. He is believed to have been a Transylvanian Christian who converted to Islam and migrated to the Imperial capital of Istanbul at the end of 17th century, possibly to escape religious persecution at the hands of the Hapsburgs (Erginbas, pp.63-4). His personal history is an apt analogy for the printing press that he popularized: a Christian European invention that was imported and nativized to the Ottoman Empire, ultimately serving to further, rather than harm, the cultural development of the Well-Guarded Domains. Ibrahim Muteferrika printed numerous different titles at his workshop in Istanbul, many of which are currently held in the British Library. Apart from the Tarikh al-Hind al-Gharbi, the Library also holds copies of his Tarih-i seyyah der beyan zuhur-i Agvanian (758.e.9), Tercume-yi shah- Cevheri (758.k.7), Takvim ut-tevarih li-Katip Celebi (Or.80.a.8) and Usul ul-hikem fi nizam ul-umem (758.e.1). Many of these are secular histories or manuals of geography. They demonstrate a concern for steering clear of religious and moral controversy regarding the content of his works and the effect of typography on the text. Some were even presented as serving in the interests of Islam, because of the importance of education holy warriors on the geography of neighbouring regions (Sabev, p. 109). In spite of this, the mere presence of depictions of flora and fauna was enough to raise the ire of some zealots, who sought to destroy his books. On the left, the famed Chagos tree, the juice of whose fruits is reputed to cure illnesses. On the right, images of native agriculture in South America, including the usage of oxen-like animals to plough fields (BL Or.80.b.7) Why would someone want to destroy a history book of the Americas? One particular reason might be the sheer number of woodcut illustrations of the people, animals and plants of the Western Hemisphere. Some of these images feature semi-nude members of indigenous communities, while others provide readers with an idea of the wondrous plants and animals to be found in the Americas. Much like Durers rhinoceros, these illustrations are as much representations of Europeans imaginations as they are accurate depictions of the flora and fauna they claim to be. Whether or not graven images are permissible under Islamic law, and, if not, how strictly this prohibition was enforced, are issues of great debate among scholarly communities. What is clear from the Tarikh, however, is that they did appear in the first Ottoman Turkish-language printed publications; and that they likely made the works more controversial than they would have otherwise been. A map of the world, including California as a green island in the top left quadrant of the map. The Sea of Peru is also listed as being along the coast of Central America, while the Gulf of Mexico is labelled the Sea of Mashigho. (BL Or.80.b.11) Even more spectacular than the illustrations, however, is the world map included in one of the copies held at the British Library (Or.80.b.11). One of its most striking features is the depiction of California as an island separated from the mainland of North America by a channel of water. Given that the southern tip of this island extends to the middle of Mexicos Pacific coastline, it is fair to assume that Ibrahim Muteferrikas mapmaker did not know that the Gulf of California had only one outlet to the Pacific Ocean. The map is plagued by various inaccuracies: the St. Lawrence River is too deep and the Gulf of Mexico too shallow; the Great Lakes are merged into one, while North America seems to be in various pieces. Nevertheless, it is difficult to contain ones awe at the manner in which the world as we now picture it thanks to satellite imagery and enhanced modeling came together in the minds of cartographers and dreamers from 1492 onwards. The varied history of the books as items of pleasure and prestige are recorded through the ownership stamps and marginalia of their readers. On the left (BL Or.80.b.7) is a poetic exhortation to readers about the content of the books, while the right-hand image (BL Or.80.b.11) is the ex libris of Shaykh Tirabi (1210 AH/1795 CE) It should also not be a surprise that these maps are of particular interest to collectors: a reason why so many copies of the Tarikh are incomplete, including one of those held at the British Library (Or.80.b.7). The Tarikh al-Hind al-Gharbi ul-musemma bi-Hadis-i nev is not a roof over your head, or a little corner to call your own, but, just like a home, it has served as a symbol of identity and personality for various owners. The presence of various signs in the works held at the Library marginalia, ownership stamps and the like bears witness to this fact. The names of individuals and libraries through whose hands these volumes passed tell as much of a story as the text itself. So too, do the poetic messages scrawled on the opening pages of the work; a testament to the way the written word, in whatever its form, has given rise to dreams and imagination for centuries on end. Further reading Neumann, Christoph K. Book and Newspaper Printing in Turkish, in ed. Eva Hanebutt-Benz, Dagmar Glass and Geoffrey Roper, Middle Eastern Languages and the Print Revolution: A Cross-Cultural Encounter (Mainz: Gutenburg Museum, 2002), pp. 227-248 Sabev, Orlin, Waiting for Godot: The Formation of Ottoman Print Culture, in ed. Geoffrey Roper, Historical Aspects of Printing and Publishing in the Languages of the Middle East (Leiden: Brill, 2014), pp. 101-120. Erginbas, Vefa, Enlightenment in the Ottoman Context: Ibrahim Muteferrika and his Intellectual Landscape, in Roper, Historical Aspects, pp. 53-100. If you want an Aston Martin with four doors, thatll be the Rapide right? Yes, thats right. But its not the only one. At least, its not the only one Aston Martin makes even if it doesnt carry the same badge. Were referring, of course, to the Taraf the first Lagonda made in decades. And one has just popped up for sale in Dubai. Lagonda, for those unfamiliar, is an additional brand that David Brown acquired in 1947 and merged with Aston Martin. Its snaked in and out of obscurity in the decades since, last seeing production in the form of the wedge-like Aston Martin Lagonda sedan in the 1970s and 80s. Aston set about reviving the name about a decade ago, and revealed an unfortunately poorly received crossover concept at the 2009 Geneva Motor Show. That project was ultimately shelved, eventually replaced by the luxury sedan you see here. Called the Taraf, the sedan is based on the same VH architecture that underpins the DB9, Vanquish, Rapide pretty much everything that Aston has made up until the new DB11. It also packs that same long-serving 6.0-liter V12, but tasked with motivating an exclusive luxury sedan. The idea was to sell the Taraf exclusively in the Middle East, but availability was eventually broadened to other markets as well. That does not appear to have increased production, though: according to Alain Class Motors, which has this example listed for sale, the original plans for no more than 200 examples was ultimately lowered to 120, but only 48 have been built to date. That makes this a rather exclusive vehicle indeed, and it can be yours for the right price. The dealer isnt listing just what that price is, exactly, but the Taraf originally retailed for about $1 million, and this one only has 683 miles on the odometer. Photo Gallery Despite a new-generation of hypercars from Aston Martin and Mercedes-AMG being just around the corner, Porsche says it wont accelerate the development of a successor to the 918 Spyder to compete. While speaking with Motoring at the Geneva Motor Show, Porsches global chief Oliver Blume said that a new hypercar is a long way off. We will have something in the future, but not in the near future. Special models like the 918 Spyder normally we launch every 10 years. The 918 Spyder we launched in 2015. Now we are 17. Its not time to talk about this. Its something about which we can talk in five years, he said. It is reported that both the Aston Martin Valkyrie and Mercedes-AMG Project One will arrive before the end of the decade. After 2022, an all-electric successor to the McLaren P1 will then add a third contender to this new generation of hypercars. However, if Porsche sticks with its historical timeline, a 918 successor may not launch until 2025 meaning we shouldnt expect to see three brand new hypercars launch almost simultaneously like the P1, LaFerrari and 918 did. Nevertheless, Blume said he welcomed the arrival of Mercedes and Aston Martin and the competition they will add to the segment. We love to have competition because we are coming from motorsport. Competition helps you to be better, even better than the competition, and therefore for us its very important to have a good management and innovations, and at the end have the car with the best driving performance, best driving dynamics and thats our competition. We are happy about the competition. PHOTO GALLERY Space tourism looks poised to develop into a bigger and bigger industry in the coming years, but for now, most of us are grounded to Planet Earth. That doesnt mean you cant drive its surface with a touch of astronautical inspiration, though. What we have here is a 2000 Cadillac DeVille one of more than 100,000 that GM sold that year. But this one just happened to have been owned by one John Glenn. John who, you ask? John Glenn! Youve never heard of John Glenn?! He was the first American to orbit the Earth and one of the countrys first astronauts, for crying out loud! He was also a highly decorated Marine Corps pilot, and went on to serve as a United States Senator for a quarter-century, representing his home state of Ohio. When he wasnt riding some rocket ship to the stars, Glenn liked driving Cadillacs, and bought this one at the turn of the millennium shortly after he retired from Congress, and two years after his last trip to space aboard the shuttle Discovery at the age of 77. The DeVille would later be rebranded as (and replaced by) the DTS, which remained in production until 2011 (when it was effectively replaced by the XTS). It was one of the last models to use Cadillacs Northstar engine in this case a 4.6-liter V8 that produced all of 275 horsepower. These days Cadillac gets nearly that much power (albeit much less torque) out of the 2.0-liter turbo four thats the base engine in the XTS. Glenn ordered his in DHS trim and painted in a shade called Bronzemist, with nearly $7,500 in options, including an infrared night-vision system that clearly spoke to his aviation roots. He kept the car until 2006, when he sold it to its current owner, who pledged to take care of it as long as Glenn was alive. Sadly the astronaut-turned-statesman died this past December at the ripe old age of 95, so the Caddys now going up for grabs. Auctions America value the car between $50,000 and 75,000, and has it consigned for the upcoming sale in Fort Lauderdale in a couple of weeks from now. So if you want to drive around like an American hero, heres your chance. Photo Gallery BBC America announced the return of the Top Gear America, the US spin-off of the original Top Gear. The new Top Gear America will be hosted by veteran actor William Fichtner, world champion Antron Brown and British motoring journalist Tom Wookie Ford. While most of us know Fichtner from movies like Armageddon, Black Hawk Down and The Dark Knight, it turns out that hes a major car enthusiast. Browns title on the other hand says it all; hes a three-time NHRA Top Fuel Division world champion. As for Tom Ford, you should remember him from shows like Fifth Gear and BBC Americas Mud, Sweat and Gears. Hes also the associate editor of UKs Top Gear magazine and a contributor to The Sunday Times. We are big fans of the mix of cars, credibility and charisma that adds up to the winning formula for Top Gear, and couldnt be happier that BBCA is now the home for the franchise in the US, with Top Gear America joining the original show on our network, said Sarah Barnett, President of BBC America. Bill, Antron and Wookie are serious gearheads who never take themselves too seriously. It will be quite the trip. The new season will be divided in eight hour-long episodes and will debut on BBC America later this year. PHOTO GALLERY Ever since it was officially presented in Geneva three years ago, the Volkswagen T-Roc Concept has served as a topic for many reports. In keeping with the SUV boom, the German automotive giant will give customers what they want, and following the launch of the Tiguan Allspace and Atlas, the time has come for a smaller VW SUV. Gunning for models like the Jeep Renegade and Nissan Juke, the Volkswagen T-Roc will hit the assembly lines with optional AWD in a few months time, according to AutoNews, arriving in the European market as early as this August. The decision is official and the automakers chiefs have also agreed to launch it on this side of the pond as well in 2019, following the companys 650 local retail partners verdict. It was only yesterday that we decided on an additional SUV for 2019, said the VW brand chief Herbert Diess last week, who also confirmed that the small SUV will go on sale in both North and South America. Diess comment comes approximately one year after the former VW dealer chairman, Alan Brown, told the same publication that the T-Roc is extremely popular, and it would be a pity if it doesnt get the production volume that it deserves. Everybody loves T-Roc, everybody. The only concern is whether its going to be priced outside of market, where it wouldnt do the volume that it deserves to do. Details such as where Volkswagen will assemble the T-Roc are still undecided, but there are three possible scenarios the Chattanooga plant, the Puebla facility in Mexico, or importing it from their European factory in Portugal. PHOTO GALLERY Its an idea that Moore has been developing for years. Wolfwalkers tells the story of 11-year-old Robyn Goodfellow, a young apprentice hunter who comes to Ireland with her father to wipe out the last pack of wolves. Her life changes though after she saves a native girl, Mebh, which leads to her discovery of the Wolfwalkers and transforms her into the very thing her father is tasked to destroy. As he has done with earlier works, Moore uses Celtic folklore as a window into our contemporary world. Thematic undercurrents of wilderness versus order, and mans impulse to control nature, are key to the world of Wolfwalkers. Visually too, Moores new film retains a connection to his other films. Firstly, through his commitment to hand-drawn animation. Drawing isnt simply a defiant aesthetic choice in our cg times, but integral to how Moore wants to tell his stories. We are hoping to show how the characters feel with great acting, movement and facial expressions, but also with how they are drawn, he explained to Cartoon Brew. As our characters moods and emotions change, the linework can become more expressive. Moore will co-direct the film with longtime collaborator Ross Stewart, who was the art director of The Secret of Kells, and co-directed with Moore the Cartoon Saloon sequence in the anthology feature The Prophet. Since we came up with the idea many years ago it felt natural that we would co-direct this film together, Moore said. Moore and Stewart have spent time developing a graphic language that reinforces the themes and values of their story through the visual design of the film. As seen in scenes from the trailer, the Puritans and English army are rendered in an ascetic woodblock style, while the wolfwalkers and wolves exhibit a freer, more expressive line style. When we see the world from the point of view the wolves, its animated in charcoal with a very limited palette and color only where there are scents, Moore said. In contrast to the block print style in Kilkenny we have a much looser look to the forest lots of ink splats and loose watercolors and scribbly pencil lines. Taking inspiration from block prints and artwork of the period, Wolfwalkers will be set in Kilkenny, Ireland, in the mid-1600s around the time of the English civil war. Moore and his crew havent had to travel far to research the film: modern-day Kilkenny is where their studio Cartoon Saloon is located. The small Irish town still has retained its historic character throughout the centuries. Its interesting to imagine how places we see everyday might have looked back then, Moore observed. Since the folklore and history we are drawing from is local its a really nice way for the crew who are not from here to connect with the city. The studio created this mini-film for Cartoon Movie that shows their crew exploring local surroundings both man-made and natural: Will Collins, who wrote Song of the Sea, is writing the script for Wolfwalkers. Ross and I have lots of story meetings with Will as we work on the visuals, said Moore. They inform each other for sure. Certainly many visual concepts and ideas influence the script, and vice versa. To date, Cartoon Saloon has received some development financing from the Irish Film Board and the E.U.s Creative Europe program. The studio is still putting together financing for the production of the film. Moore, who is a co-owner in Cartoon Saloon, is optimistic and believes that the budget will be in place by the end of this year, allowing full production to begin in early 2018. In the meantime, another studio co-owner, Nora Twomey, is wrapping up production on her first feature, The Breadwinner. That film, set in modern-day Afghanistan, is expected to release before the end of 2017. Photo: Contributed Microsoft promised to release the next big update for Windows 10 this spring, and it looks like we can expect it to start rolling out soon. The update is free for current Windows 10 users. Whats changed? This version is called Creators Update and includes enhancements for gamers. The rest of us can look forward to potentially useful improvements, too, including the Privacy Dashboard, which puts all (most?) of the privacy settings in one place. This should make it easier to manage your privacy. See this article for more information on the Privacy Dashboard. Yes, things are simplified, but it appears choices are more limited. Windows Updates has been overhauled again. Windows 10 Pro, Education, and Enterprise users will be able to defer updates, just like in the good old days of Windows 7. Windows 10 Home users still wont be able to do that. However, well all benefit from the new Windows Update platform which makes updates smaller and therefore faster to deliver. If you like Cortana, youll probably like the enhancements in Creators Update. Apparently, unfamiliar with The Rule of Holes (When you get to the bottom, stop digging.), Microsoft has chosen to monkey around with the Start Menu again. This time, theyve added the ability to create folders on the Start Menu and put tiles into the folder. Creators Update also offers better control of Themes, and easier access to the area where you can change how things look. Settings has been rearranged again, and apparently, its harder to get to the old Control Panel now. Microsofts Edge browser will be improved to make it more like a real browser. Whats new? Microsoft is betting heavily that 3D is a thing. The Creators Update includes apps that allow you to capture and work with images in 3D. At some point, although maybe not right away, Edge is supposed to support 3D viewing. 3D viewing of what, exactly, is not clear to me yet. There will be e-books in the Microsoft Store. If you didnt know you had a Microsoft Store on your Windows 10 computer, I cant say I blame you. Click on the shopping bag icon to go to the Store and get apps. You can get e-books after your Creators Update. But youll be reading the e-books in the Edge browser. On touch screen devices, you already have a virtual keyboard. Creators Update adds a virtual track pad. Can I get this right now? Almost right now. But hold your horses. If youre using Windows 10 now, you might have already noticed a link in your Windows Update. Clicking on the link will take you to a Microsoft web page where you can sign up for the Windows Insider program. Insiders have early access to Creators Update. The Windows Insider program is not for average computer users. It is for geeks. You should not run software that is still being tested on a computer you cant afford to ruin. If youre comfortable taking that risk, you can get early access to Creators Update. Non-Insiders will start seeing this update the last week in March or the first week in April. If you are a typical Windows user and youre using a typical computer to do typical things, I suggest installing this update when it shows up for you instead of trying to force it to install early. This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet. Photo: BC Ferries People who like to book their ferries to and from Vancouver Island ahead of time may start saving some money no foolin. The fare will be going up from $54.80 to $55.80 next month for cars heading onto major BC Ferries routes, but people who tend to book their spot ahead will be paying the same as before or less, due to some reductions to the reservation fees. Reservation fees for trips booked seven days or more in advance will be dropping from $15 to $10, while those booking less than seven days in advance will pay $17 instead of $18.50 and those booking on the day of travel will pay $21 instead of $22. With the fare increase and the reservation fee decreases, that makes travel $4 cheaper for those booking seven or more days ahead and $0.50 cheaper for those booking less than seven days ahead. Costs wont change for those booking their trip on the day they travel. The changes affect the three main routes, between Swartz Bay and Tsawwassen; Tsawwassen and Duke Point; and Horseshoe Bay and Departure Bay. The remaining 24 routes will not see any changes. BC Ferries says tariff increases are necessary to cover operating and capital costs. The company says it replaces an average of one ship per year. with files from CTV Vancouver Photo: CTV UPDATE: 2:15 p.m. A young man was calm and co-operative at a hospital emergency room just hours before he was killed by transit police officers in Surrey the doctor who treated him told a coroner's inquest on Monday. But a bus driver who saw 23-year-old Naverone Woods on the same day described him as screaming and agitated before she closed the doors as he ran towards her bus on Dec. 28, 2014. Police have said Woods, a resident of Hazelton in northern B.C., was distraught when officers were called to a grocery store that morning. He was shot by officers during a confrontation and died shortly after arriving at the hospital. The Independent Investigations Office, which investigates serious cases involving police, cleared officers of any wrongdoing in May 2016. The coroner's service holds an inquest into every police-involved death in an effort to make recommendations aimed at preventing similar fatalities. Dr. Craig Murray told the coroner's jury on the first day of testimony that Woods came into Surrey Memorial Hospital around 2 a.m. on Dec. 28, saying he had fallen and hurt his knee. "Behaviourally, he was calm, co-operative and appropriate," said Murray. Murray said Woods told him he had been drinking alcohol and using a variety of drugs earlier that week, and mentioned having a seizure earlier in the day. "I have a very strong suspicion that the seizure was due to alcohol or drug use," Murray said. He testified that he told Woods to stop using drugs, gave him painkillers and discharged him around 5 a.m. The jury watched surveillance footage that showed a young man wearing a grey hoodie and an orange baseball cap making his way through a transit station before he jogged toward a bus and crashed into its closed doors. The video then showed the man pacing and running around the area, at times clutching his head in his hands, or gesturing wildly. Friends and family were visibly emotional as the video played, crying and comforting one another. Photo: Google Maps DriveBC reports that Highway 99 will be closed in both directions due to construction 16 km north of Lillooet from 7:00a.m. to 11:00a.m. and 1:00p.m. to 5:00p.m. Monday to Saturday. The closure is starting March 20 through March 31. Outside of the full road closure periods, the site will maintain single-lane, alternating traffic. The number of state voucher programs has expanded in the past five years, but the rules often restrict which students can receive public money for private schools, a new report shows. The Education Commission of the States this month released its 50-State Comparison: Vouchers , detailing which states have voucher programs and the requirements for each. The commission, a non-partisan research group, focused solely on state-funded programs that allow students to use public dollars to go to private schools. The report leaves out other voucher-like programs, including education savings accounts, which are often lumped into such discussions. A total of 14 states, plus Washington D.C., have voucher programs that fit the commissions criteria. See Education Weeks video explainer of the different types of school choice options. In the past five years, four states launched voucher programs for the first time: North Carolina, Arkansas, Maryland, and Mississippi. Including those states, a total of nine new programs were started in six states, as some have more than one, said Micah Ann Wixom, a commission policy analyst who worked on the report. Some states, such as Wisconsin, expanded vouchers beyond previous geographic boundaries. Within those programs, students often must meet specific requirements, such as disabilities or family income. Mississippi has a program for students with dyslexia. The Autism Scholarship Program is available in Ohio. (Correction: A previous version of this blog post had the incorrect number of Ohio voucher programs.) I dont think thats well understood outside the education world that voucher programs typically do have requirements of some kind, Wixom said. Indiana has the most expansive voucher program, and includes more middle-income familiesan expansion that occurred largely under then-Gov. Mike Pence, now the vice president. Education Weeks Lisa Stark recently took a close look at how Indianas voucher program is working. The commission decided to do its comparison of voucher programs to update a 2012 report , which covered voucher, scholarship tax credits, and individual tax credit and deductions. Weve certainly seen a heightened degree of interest in the last couple of years, especially since the (presidential) campaign and election, Wixom said. Theres always been an interest, but its certainly been heightened. A few highlights from the report: Nine states and the District of Columbia require voucher recipients to take a state assessment or national standardized test. Eleven programs in nine states have programs for students with disabilities. Four states and the District of Columbia have household income requirements. Contact Sarah Tully at stully@epe.org . Photo: Wikipedia David Rockefeller was the last of his generation in a famous American family that taught its children that wealth brings great responsibility. Even as children, he and his siblings had to set aside portions of their allowances for charitable giving. That lesson lasted throughout his life; to mark his 100th birthday in 2015, Rockefeller gave 1,000 acres of land next to a national park to the state of Maine. Rockefeller died Monday in his sleep at his home in Pocantico Hills at age 101, according to his spokesman, Fraser P. Seitel. He was the grandson of Standard Oil co-founder John D. Rockefeller and the youngest of five sons and one daughter born to John D. Rockefeller Jr. He was also the guardian of his family's fortune and head of a sprawling network of family interests, both business and philanthropic, that ranged from environmental conservation to the arts. Unlike his brothers Nelson, the governor of New York who hungered for the White House and was briefly vice-president, and Winthrop, a governor of Arkansas, David Rockefeller wielded power and influence without ever seeking public office. Among his many accomplishments were spurring the project that led to the World Trade Center. And unlike his other brothers, John D. 3rd and Laurance, who shied from the spotlight and were known for philanthropy, David Rockefeller embraced business and travelled and spoke widely as a champion of enlightened capitalism. "American capitalism has brought more benefits to more people than any other system in any part of the world at any time in history," he said. "The problem is to see that the system is run as efficiently and as honestly as it can be." Rockefeller graduated from Harvard in 1936 and received a doctorate in economics from the University of Chicago in 1940. He served in the Army during World War II, then began climbing the ranks of management at Chase Bank. That bank merged with the Manhattan company in 1955. He was named Chase Manhattan's president in 1961 and chairman and CEO eight years later. He retired in 1981 at age 65 after a 35-year career. In his role of business statesman, Rockefeller preached capitalism at home and favoured assisting economies abroad on grounds that bringing prosperity to the Third World would create customers for American products. He parted company with some of his fellow capitalists on income taxes, calling it unseemly to earn a million and then find ways to avoid paying the taxes. He didn't say how much he paid in taxes, and he never spoke publicly about his personal worth. In 2015, Forbes magazine estimated his fortune at $3 billion. Photo: Instagram Internal government documents say a new infrastructure bank could free up billions in new money for social services Canadians regularly use provided the new experimental institution meets its lofty financing goals. The presentation, prepared for the economic growth council advising Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his cabinet, shows transit and water projects going through the bank could mean more federal dollars for social infrastructure like child care, recreational facilities and seniors' centres. The documents suggest social infrastructure funding could increase by one-third if the bank meets its target of leveraging $4 in private investment for every $1 from the federal government. The documents, obtained by The Canadian Press under the Access to Information Act, illustrate the government's thinking on how money could move around within the government's long-term infrastructure program to meet the Liberals' economic and political goals. Sources say Wednesday's budget will unveil more details of how easily the money will flow and outline more clearly where the funding for the bank will come from. Concerns have persisted that the funding would come out of existing pots of money that have already been earmarked for cities and provinces. Photo: The Canadian Press UPDATED: 2:40 p.m. It's now been revealed that the FBI had two political bombshells ready to drop during the last U.S. election. One, it unloaded on Democrats two weeks before election day. The other it held onto until two months into Donald Trump's presidency. It dropped Monday. In an announcement sure to shake the foundations of the 2016 election, the FBI announced that it has been investigating possible criminal collusion between the Russian government and associates of the Trump campaign since July. FBI director James Comey revealed it while testifying to Congress. He's the same FBI director who three times during the campaign commented publicly about an investigation into Hillary Clinton's emails. The news came in a five-hour hearing that concluded with the Republican committee chair stating the politically obvious: this shadow will linger for a while, creeping over the Trump White House. "The longer this hangs out here, the bigger the cloud is," Republican Devin Nunes said as the hearing ended. "There's a big, grey cloud that you have now put over people who have very important work to do to lead this country. So the faster you can get to the bottom of this, it's gonna be better for all Americans." Comey replied: "I understand." His revelation fanned a low-level fire crackling for months in the U.S. capital over why the Putin government intervened in the U.S. election; what its motives might have been; and whether the Trump team knew about it. Late last July, Comey said, the agency began investigating contacts between Trump associates and the Russian government which is believed to have stolen emails from the Democratic party and leaked them through intermediaries Wikileaks and Guccifer. The investigation will include whether crimes were committed. It's unclear how long the probe will take. And law-enforcement officials wouldn't say a word about which Trump associates were targeted in the probe. Comey declined to say whether his agency had questioned Michael Flynn, Trump's just-fired national-security adviser; Paul Manafort, his fired campaign manager; or Roger Stone, his longtime friend who admits he had back-channel communications with Wikileaks. The White House moved to cut ties to all of them. Trump spokesman Sean Spicer played down the importance of Flynn, calling him "a volunteer of the campaign." Manafort, he said, played "a very limited role for a very limited amount of time." Photo: Facebook A Canadian man accused in a massive hack of Yahoo emails posed an "extremely high flight risk" in part due to his alleged ties to Russian intelligence agents, law enforcement officials allege in documents filed with an Ontario court. In an application for Karim Baratov's arrest, U.S. authorities describe the 22-year-old Hamilton resident as an alleged "hacker-for-hire" paid by members of the Russian Federal Security Service, known as the FSB. They argue in the documents that Baratov allegedly has the money to leave Canada and the ability to destroy evidence related to his alleged activities while on the run. "Given the serious nature of his conduct, the public impact of his hacking-for-hire conduct, his substantial earnings as a result of the unlawful hacking, and his ties to foreign intelligence officers with nation state resources at their disposal, he should be arrested on an urgent basis and detained," the documents say. "Even assuming that Baratov does not receive assistance from his known and unknown Russian government conspirators, he possesses the skills and financial resources to flee justice," the documents say, noting that Baratov does not appear to have any "legitimate employment." Baratov, who is of Kazakh origins, was arrested under the extradition act in the community of Ancaster last Tuesday. U.S. authorities said on Wednesday that he and three others two of them allegedly officers of the FSB were indicted for computer hacking, economic espionage and other crimes. Baratov's lawyer, Amedeo Dicarlo, has said the allegations against his client are unfounded. Baratov appeared briefly in a Hamilton court by video link on Friday. A bail hearing has been scheduled for April 5. Photo: Contributed The blue sky and dry streets means a return to dusty conditions for Vernon. The Ministry of Environment, in collaboration with the Interior Health Authority, has issued yet another dust advisory for Vernon due to high concentrations of matter in the air. Conditions are expected to persist until there is a change in the current weather. The ministry says persons with chronic underlying medical conditions should postpone strenuous exercise until the advisory is lifted. Exposure is particularly a concern for infants, the elderly and those who have diabetes, and lung or heart disease. More information can be found online. Photo: The Canadian Press President Donald Trump's son Eric Trump and his wife Lara Yunaska President Donald Trump is about to become a grandfather for a ninth time. Trump's son Eric announced on Twitter Monday that he and his wife Lara are expecting their first child. The baby boy is due in September. Eric Trump, who lives in New York, wrote "it's been an amazing year" and said that he and his wife were "blessed" by the pregnancy. Eric, 33, and his brother Don Jr. are now running the Trump Organization after the president said he cut ties with his business to take office. The two brothers and their sister Ivanka are from Trump's first marriage to Ivana Trump. Don Jr. has five kids while Ivanka has three. Photo: The Canadian Press Two soldiers take aim at suspected Islamic extremist Ziyed Ben Belgacem, top left, as he holds a soldier Video of a suspected Islamic extremist at Paris' Orly airport shows a soldier caught by surprise when an attacker drops a shopping bag and grabs her from behind. The Associated Press has obtained security footage of Saturday's attack, which caused panic and shut down the French capital's second-biggest airport. It shows the attacker grabbing the soldier around the shoulders as her companion patrols slightly ahead. He has dropped his shopping bag, which authorities said contained a flask of gasoline. Holding a revolver loaded with birdshot, he pulls her backward. For a few moments, almost no one reacts. One passenger rolls a suitcase past the hostage soldier and the second soldier continues on his way. Then, suddenly, people start backing away in a mass as the attacker pulls his hostage toward them. Yelling that he wanted to kill and die for Allah, according to the Paris prosecutor, Ziyed Ben Belgacem can be seeing trying to wrestle away the soldier's assault rifle. Belgacem was shot dead within three minutes during the standoff as he approached the small cluster of people. No one was injured at the airport. Earlier Saturday, a police officer was shot in the face with birdshot when officers stopped Belgacem for a traffic violation. Authorities say Belgacem, a 39-year-old Frenchman, had a long criminal record of drug and robbery offences. Autopsy toxicology tests found traces of cocaine and cannabis in Belgacem's blood, according to the Paris prosecutors' office. He also had 0.93 grams of alcohol per litre of blood when he died Saturday, the prosecutors' office said. That is nearly twice the legal limit for driving in France. In an interview Sunday with French radio Europe 1, a man identified as the suspect's father said that Belgacem wasn't a practicing Muslim and drank alcohol. The issue of vehicular cellphone usage continues to be a problem that refuses to go away even though a $368 fine lurks if you are caught. Doubtless there are some legal and/or constitutional issues involved with my idea, but I honestly feel that confiscation and destruction of a cellphone would be a much more effective tool for dissuading people from this dangerous activity. By all means, keep the fine intact, but add to it bye-bye phone time. A tire iron or a drive-over would do the trick. True, its easy to get a new phone, but replacing contacts and other important data would be time consuming and a right royal pain in the you know what. Groan! How about the powers that be stop sucking around the edges on this issue and give it some teeth. Gordon Boothe Photo: The Canadian Press Justin Trudeau may still be a big draw on the international circuit, but his cardboard stand-ins have fallen flat. Global Affairs has instructed diplomatic missions in the United States to stop using life-size cardboard cut-outs of the prime minister to promote Canada. The order follows the revelation last week that prime ministerial replicas turned up at an event last June organized by the Canadian consulate in Atlanta and earlier this month at a Canadian music festival in Austin, Tex. The Canadian embassy in Washington also rush-ordered a cut-out of its own for use at Canada Day celebrations last year, at a cost of $147.79, including $72.80 for next-day delivery. The embassy has not explained whether the cardboard Trudeau was ever actually used. Regardless, it will now have to go into storage. "We are aware of instances where our missions in the United States had decided to purchase and use these cut-outs," Global Affairs spokeswoman Natasha Nystrom told The Canadian Press in an email. "The missions have been asked to no longer use these for their events." It's not clear if the missions ever had departmental permission to use the cardboard cut-outs. According to emails obtained by the Conservatives through the Access to Information Act, the Washington embassy's interest in using a cardboard likeness was sparked by word that the Atlanta consulate had put one on display at a pre-Canada Day event last year. UPDATED After five years leading New Orleans Recovery School District, Patrick Dobard is leaving to become the CEO of the New Schools for New Orleans, a city-based non-profit that helps to fund and start charter schools. Dobard will be replaced by Kunjan Narechania, an assistant state superintendent of education in Louisiana. The change in leadership comes as the Recovery School District, which took over the management of the vast majority of the schools in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, is set to return governance of the schools to the Orleans Parish School Board. State legislators passed a bill last year that would create a unified school system in the city by July 1, 2018. (See Education Weeks special report on the transformation of New Orleans school system since Hurricane Katrina. ) As head of the RSD, Narechania will help see through the unification of the two school systems, help Title I schools with their school improvement plans under the new Every Student Succeeds Act and oversee charter authorization across the state and monitor charters and private schools, according to Chiefs for Change. (Narechania was part of the groups Future Chiefs program, an initiative aimed at grooming a diverse crop of state and district education leaders.) At the New Schools for New Orleans, Dobard will work with Maggie Runyan-Shefa, who will become the organizations COO, to recruit and develop high-quality school options for students and families, deepen NSNOs work on educator talent, and ensure our organization is running effectively, the organization said in an announcement Thursday. Runyan-Shefa is now a co-CEO, with Michael Stone. Stone will become president and will work with Dobard on topics such as funding and policy, the group said. Danielle Dreilinger, of NOLA.com and the Times-Picayune, has an excellent summary of Dobards tenure and his role in changing the citys school system. Photo 1: Kunjan Narechania, center, will lead New Orleans Recovery School District as the district gets ready to sunset and return oversight of most of the citys schools to the Orleans Parish School Board. She will also oversee Title I school improvement. -- courtesy Chiefs for Change. Photo 2: Patrick Dobard, former superintendent of Louisianas Recovery School District, addresses students at Joseph S. Clark High School in New Orleans, on Jan. 31, 2012. -- photo by Bill Haber/AP An artificial separation The Ottoman Empire penetrated the Balkan peninsula in 1453, reaching the outskirts of Vienna in the north in 1683. The Ottomans shaped how politics evolved on the European continent by the example it set in southeastern Europe and the eastern Mediterranean corner at the gates of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Turkey was then largely separated from the European narrative after the decline of the Ottoman Empire and the Congress of Berlin of 1878. Shared influences were not considered the most valid subjects during the eras that followed, including the superpower confrontation between the Soviet Union and the United States. It was the end of the Cold War and the birth of the European Union that helped put an end to this ahistorical separation. The EU offered new generations one superb gift that of multiple identities. One could be Dutch, Muslim and European all at once. Turkey was also a valued member of NATO and, as early as in the 1970s, it had taken part in the alliances Mediterranean working groups. According to new archival sources from 1972 that I have consulted, Turkey offered perspectives on defence matters in the North African region, specifically relations between Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia and Libya. These included, among other serious matters, the use of chemical weapons. Trusted exchanges of expertise helped to bring the state closer to Europe in diplomatic terms. There was experience and a pattern for functioning together which only few have known about until now. Popular history books written at the dawn of the new millennium described the history of the Balkans from a new premise of the positive effects of the Ottoman Empire. It was an inclusivist, multinational empire that granted individuals group rights based on their religion. Our view on the long history of Turkey changed. Today, the inclusivity perspective based on a history of shared interactions has been lost, although there is no a clear idea what would replace it. A European Turkey is no longer the projected answer. Since 1999, many inside the Turkish government have placed the blame on Turkeys prolonged EU membership negotiations following its application, which was first submitted in 1987. The negotiations are said to have finally ceased, frustrating the Turkish leadership. Others speak of radical Islamophobia against Turkey. Yet the answer to the complicated questions facing the current European perspective on Turkey are also not as simple as prejudice. A powerful, feared and not-so-reliable ally In reality, Europe is stuck with a set of escalating and all-consuming problems in the Mediterranean: a struggle for democracy in Serbia and Macedonia, the raging civil war in Syria and a collapse of the state in Libya. In these regions, Turkey and Russia are powerful players, often not aligned with European foreign policies, even sometimes adding more obstacles to it. Instead of supporting EU integration in the Western Balkans, Turkey is pursuing its own commercial interest. And it seems that Turkey will not prevent but enable Russian military presence in Libya. The EU cannot afford to have the geopolitically crucial Turkey as its enemy Ankara can exaggerate all three of the EUs foreign policy difficulties. This situation leaves Europe to question the nature of the relationship. How can a member be part of policy groups inside NATO and share intelligence while at the same time be evidently working against its partners interests? Since the end of the Cold War, Turkey has not developed towards strong democracy. Turkish civil rights have diminished. The Arab Spring drew even the youngest generations attention to the fact that unlike Eastern Europe, the Mediterranean area has not yet fully achieved its own wave of democratisation. This means every political deal and interaction European leaders make with Turkey can be questioned and judged harshly. In the minds of many it is not nearly enough to emphasise how Europe will be a partner to the Syrian people once war is over. In a global world this seems cynical when war in place of democracy should never have happened in the first place. There have been many powerful and constant European voices, including Finish Nobel Peace Prize laureate and politician Martti Ahtisaari and former Italian minister of Foreign Affairs Emma Bonnino, who have spoken and acted in advocacy of Turkeys EU membership. There has never been a complete lack of sympathy even at the very highest levels of European power structures for the European-Turkish project. But what has transpired is a persistent confusion about what the different EU states positions on Turkey are. In personal conversations I have had with European heads of state in charge of leading foreign policy, it has become clear to me that, on occasion, some of them even have not always been certain what their states actual stance on Turkey is supposed to be. The strained relationship threatens a refugee crises across the Mediterranean and an escalation of conflicts in Syria and Libya. And the situation could prevent Europe from gaining a deeper understanding of Turkeys powerful position in the Middle East and Northern Africa. Its worth remembering that this region was deeply influenced by the Ottoman Empires Tanzimat reforms. After the end of World War II, when post-colonial North African states were reflecting on their political futures and reforming, they considered the Ottoman renewal as setting an important precedent. Ottoman reforms of the judiciary and state planning became a historical reference in the Arab world. The French Revolution and the European Enlightenment were not the only references that counted across the Mediterranean then. Neither are European examples the only ones that count today. What should Europe do with Turkey? During the current age of populism, the European Unions strongest assets are its democracy and its openness. European leaders must not question or deny citizens their multiculturalism. The conversation should now focus on Europes commitment to civic values, civil leadership and womens rights. The answers to the number of questions concerning the Mediterranean are not found in terms of adversarial or friendly relations. That is the language of populism. Diplomacy instead involves day-to-day work on those political problems, which seem impossible or unlikely to be solved. It is not the flashy street fights or spectacles we have seen in recent weeks. Working groups tackling the complex political questions involving Turkey and Europe can be convened inside the European Union, with or also without Turkeys involvement. Such a group would widen resolutions and initiatives that have in recent years come from only few EU countries, such as Germany and the Netherlands, and could find solutions as well as consensus for the EU. Europe has numerous former as well as current diplomatic heavyweights in office who could lead such an initiative, including Swedish former foreign affairs minister Carl Bildt, Italian ex-Prime Minister Enrico Letta and former Finland president Tarja Halonen, among many others. Europe should therefore use its experienced leaders and not leave them on the sidelines of its work. The most basic questions for a working group on European-Turkish relations to ask today are how Turkey has influenced Europe and how they can build a future together. Rinna Kullaa, Tenure Track Professorship in Global History, University of Tampere This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article. The pain in the voice of constable Esakki Muthu was palpable. Esakki Muthu has lost his "son" Pluto in an (Improvised Explosive Device) IED blast. The impact was borne by Pluto. Muthu and the CRPF have not forgotten this brave heart, who gave his life and saved the lives of four others. Pluto led the life of a dedicated combatant of the 229 Battalion of the force and sacrificed himself in the selfless service of the nation. Commandant Viswanath terms the services of these combatants as 'important' and says, "These dogs add strength to the kind of operations we handle in the jungles." Pluto was an Infantry patrolling dog of the 229 BN. Viswanath is the commanding officer of this battalion and has more than 1200 personnel under him handling the crucial task of countering insurgency in the area. Pluto, a Belgian shepherd, had succeeded in sniffing out the IED but it abruptly exploded when it pressed the planted explosive. There was no physical impact on handler, Esakki Muthu, but it has left an emotional scar on him. Muthu, while speaking to ANI, said, "He was like my son. He was not even fully grown up as an adult. It saved my life. I did not cry this much when I lost my father in 2006." According to the CRPF officials, it is rare for a sniffer dog to get killed this way. It got killed after the dog unexpectedly hit the pressure IED planted by the outlawed CPI (Maoist) in restive Bijapur district, south Chhattisgarh. The IED blast occurred at Murdanda village in Basaguda about 350 km south of Raipur when the "trained" dog, part of a patrolling team of CRPF's 229 battalion was out on a search operation in Bijapur. The brave-heart was accorded the status of 'martyr' by the force and it was laid to rest with full honour and gun salute. Pluto is the second canine after 'Aminka', who has lost its life. Aminka was killed on 18 January, 2017 in Jharkhand's Latehar. First of its kind memorial is being made in the name of Aminka in Jharkhand's Latehar. Both dogs were two of the top class battle-hardened 'Belgian Malinois' infantry patrol canines of the country's largest paramilitary force. Both of them were course toppers at their training academy at Taralu near Bengaluru. The incident of Pluto's death occurred on 21 January, 2017 when 35 personnel of 229 Battalion, along with Pluto and its handler, went out for road opening duty at the site of road construction from Murdanda camp towards Timapur. While the Road Opening Party of the 229 Battallion was sanitising the area, an IED with pressure mechanism exploded at about 0850 hrs. It was placed under soil in bushes with pressure mechanism and Pluto was identifying the suspected place of IED. During tracing of the IED, dog Pluto accidentally stepped on the pressure mechanism of the explosive which was placed under soil resulting in blast and the canine lost its life. Pluto was trained at Dog Breeding and Training School, Taralu, Karnataka. The CRPF understands well the importance of these four legged soldiers and had established Dog Breeding and Training School at Taralu, Bengaluru in August, 2011. The importance of the canine soldiers is emphasized well by Commandant Viswanath. "While we are working in the life and death situation these dogs add strength as face to face encounter we are trained to handle but what takes a toll is the battle of unknown. It is here that our Canine wing which acts as a force multiplier," he said. He added that for men on ground, the presence of dogs also acts a psychological hedge and adds to the layer of security. But, he rues that this huge contribution of dogs like Pluto is not visible to the outside world. But to the dog handlers, it leaves an emotional scar. Muthu was handling Pluto when it sacrificed itself. The loss of Pluto in front of his eyes left him shattered. "I was mentally disturbed. Pluto was just 1 year 4 months old. He was my son to me. This incident left such a void that I was not feeling like working and I left for leave within few days." On asking to take up assignment of dog handling again he replied to never do it again. "Dogs in these difficult operational areas are a necessity. But, I will not be able to do this duty again. In my incident only, if Pluto was not there then our Unit would have lost at least 3-4 jawans. Pluto has given me the second life." Aminka, a female Belgian Shepherd (Malinois) bitch was born at DB & TS Taralu on 1 March, 2014 from own breeding stock. Aminka had undergone training in Batch No. 10 with its two handlers Constable Prasanna Kr. Sahoo and constable Prakash Kumar Samal. After completion of , the dog was deployed in 207 CoBRA since 12 May, 2015. While on duty on 17 January, 2017 at BurhaPahar, Latehar, Jharkhand Aminka got martyred in an IED blast while performing search in Ops duty. Dog handler Constable Prakash Kumar Samal has also sustained minor injury in the incident but was safe. There are nine canine soldiers which have served the force and the country have been decorated with highest recognition of the force, Director general Commendation Disc. The Dog Breeding and Training School at Taralu, Bengaluru has trained 15 batches of dogs by now. The Passing Out Parade of the dogs and handlers of the 16th batch took on 17 March, 2017 in the presence of the senior officials of CRPF, Civil Police and Central and State Government officials. These 16 dogs are set to be taking up the challenging task of counter-insurgency operations primarily in the LWE areas thus playing a crucial role in saving lives of troops and civilians. A dog generally retires at the age of eight which can be extended if found suitable by a board of officers. They also are prematurely retired if they don't perform well or fall ill. Even after the retirement, the dogs are looked after by the concerned unit till they die. The unit spends an amount of Rs 10, 000 per month for their feed, treatment and kit. In a short span of time, the institute has trained and deployed 245 dogs in fields. Pluto and Aminika have added to the glorious list of dogs which brought laurels to DBTS and the CRPF. The passing-out parade on 20 March, 2017 was attended by senior officers from CRPF, police, central and state government officials. Principal DBTS Deputy Commandant Sunil tells ANI, "I don't get emotional to hear of the loss of our four legged soldiers because it also means that while performing their duty they contributed towards not just saving lives of the others in the Unit but have also done a service to the nation. In fact, with the gradual training module I become more confident of these silent soldiers that they will earn laurels for their respective units. " These dogs accompany the jawans of various units involved in handling the Insurgency, Left Wing Extremism and in the counter terrorism operations. In the recent years, the CRPF have lost its 28 jawans in the 50 kilometers stretch between Bijapur and Sarkeguda. But with the contribution of canines this has come down in the recent years. One month depression, his wife called, CO counseled (it saved so many lives) Master Trainer Sandeep Pandey said, "The formal training of these dogs starts once they complete three months but the separation from mother is done after they are 28 days. This period is spent in socialization by which pups are socially exposed, are exposed to controlled explosion. On achieving the 3 months of age, two handlers are assigned with each dog and the crucial training from here lasts for 40 weeks. The dogs are trained in two trades, tracking and Infantry Patrol." During the training, dogs are trained IED detection, agility, obedience and assault (to attack on enemy, criminal, anti-social). Infantry Patrol leads to training in indicating ambush from distance with the smell of human body, gun oils. In the recent past, Dog Hugo of the 94 battalion caught two Naxals along with their weapons. During this training, the handlers get emotionally attached as these innocent animals get totally dependent upon them for their every need and repose their unflinching trust in their handlers. The CRPF, with its approximate 240 operational battalions, is the world's largest para military force. Being the leading designated counter insurgency force of the country, it is deployed in all the hypersensistive theatres of the country with almost 86 battalions in Naxal affected areas, 35 battalions in Northeast and 60 battalions in Jammu and Kashmir. Each battalion fighting the Maoists in Jharkhand has at least six-eight sniffer dogs, mostly Belgian Shepherds. These sniffer dogs move in the jungles with the forces and sniff for explosives and hunt the ultras holed up in the woods. The CRPF is having total 693 dogs out of which 337 Labrador, 271 Belgium Shepherd Malinois, 59 German shepherd. 26 Belgium Shepherd (pups) are undergoing training. -ANI If you have just started your journey in an online casino or are looking for a new site to play,... Design thinking is a classroom strategy that can facilitate 21st century skills while allowing students to take action on topics they are passionate about says Sanjli Gidwaney, Director, Design for Change , USA. We are living in an ever-changing world, and it is sometimes difficult for young people to find their place and make sense of it all. While they hope to do good, its hard for them to know where to begin. As educators, parents, and adults, its important that we create space for youth to think deeply about what they care about, encourage them to ask tough questions, and to take action in a meaningful way. But how do you put it into practice? How do you get from theory to the actions taken by fifth graders in North Carolina when they help refugees settle into their new homes and access healthy food, or when you see third graders shut down drug houses in Texas, or when you watch high school students combat the 70 percent high school drop-out rate on their Native American reservation in South Dakota? This transition from theory (or intent) to action does not happen in a bubble. It requires commitment and passion on the part of both adult supporters and young people. It requires time, tools, trust, and the creation of intentionally planned opportunities and experiences. When all these pieces come together, young people can be empowered to do good in extraordinary ways. There are many great resources out there to catalyze young people to do good, but as a general framework, one of the most powerful tools is design thinking. Design Thinking Overview Design thinking is a methodology and framework pioneered by notable design firm IDEO and the renowned Stanford Design School. It is a user-centered approach to solving problems: The needs of the person youre solving the problem for is at the heart of everything you do. They are involved in telling you about the problem, brainstorming a solution, and helping you implement it. As a methodology, it can be used in all aspects of life, especially to catalyze young people to do good. For more information on the design thinking process, specifically how it relates to k-12 education, check out Design Thinking for Educators Toolkit . Here you will find a host of resources, videos and worksheets to jump start design thinking in the classroom. Another resource for educators is the PBS Kids Design Squad website with ready to go lesson plans and activities for students. Design thinking, as it relates to global competence, encourages curiosity and engagement with real world problems. Young people can use design thinking to determine problems theyd like to solve in their community, work in teams, brainstorm solutions, investigate ideas, and critically analyze the ones theyd like to. In doing so, they learn how to incorporate multiple perspectives and effectively communicate their ideas to others. Design thinking embraces failure and encourages the iteration of solutions while creating opportunity to learn key 21st century skills. It also helps young people connect what they are learning to a larger context. In this way, they can see the role they have to play as contributing members of society, not only in their immediate surroundings, but also in the world. Feel The first stage of design thinking is to understand the issues you care about. This can sometimes be tricky for younger students, and even adults, as they dont always know the answer. Start by asking students to draw a map of their community, school, or program, identifying bright spots, where they feel good, happy, and safe, and cold spots where they feel unhappy, scared, or unsafe. Ask them to pick an area or issue they are most interested in exploring, either a bright spot to advance in new ways or a cold spot they want to fix. This step is critical because if young people are not working on issues they care about, it is difficult for them to learn and be engaged. Example In Dallas, third grade students used the mapping exercise and identified a drug house in their community which made them feel unsafe when they walked to school. This prompted students to share their knowledge with the local police department, and collectively work together to shut down the drug house. Once they identify an area of focus, ask them to find out as much information as they can about it. Encourage them to interview stakeholders who are affected or even part of the problem. Practice the art of asking good questions and conducting interviews by having them interview each other or their family members. (Use the following Scholastic article as a guide on how to teach children the art of stakeholder interviews.) In doing so, they will gain knowledge about the stakeholder group as well as themselves. In light of this new information, they will be forced to face their own long-standing assumptions and stereotypes. It is important to admit, acknowledge, and normalize these feelings and remind them, it is not bad to have assumptions, so long as we know when we are making them and the impact they can have. Example Project Third grade students from the United Nations International School (UNIS) in New York, being an international school community, used the Design for Change program to help their peers in Brazil. They started by exchanging letters with peers living in the favelas of Brazil. They learned about their hopes, dreams, and the issues they faced, along with the UNs Millennium Development Goals. They felt children in Brazil were not having their needs met: many of them could not go to school or play in a safe place. UNIS students wanted to solve the problem of their friends not having a safe place to play. Imagine Once students have decided on the issue theyd like to address, they need to identify possible solutions to solve the problem. The best way to kick start this process is by introducing rapid brainstorming. Divide students into groups and give each a stack of sticky notes, chart paper, and markers. Each group should write their problem statement (for example: Refugees face many challenges when resettling in Raleigh, NC. They have limited access to resources such a healthcare, education and good nutrition. This problem is made worse by intolerance and lack of understanding in our community.) on the top of chart paper and then try to come up with 100 possible solutions to address the chosen problem in three minutes. To do this, each group member writes possible solutions on sticky notesone per noteand then posts them onto the chart paper. Students might also choose to invite stakeholders identified in the previous stage to join them in the brainstorming process. This exercise encourages students to explore all kinds of wild and crazy ideas without judging or second-guessing their ideas and those of others. Next, students will begin to group related solutions together, creating headings for each group to organize their thoughts. Once the groups have been identified, students will evaluate the ideas or sticky notes in each grouping based on the type of impact they would like to have: bold, fast, long lasting, easiest to implement etc. To facilitate this process you might consider downloading the Yes, And activity and Accessing Resources activity from the Design for Change USA web portal. Once all the groups have been evaluated, students will identify a single solution or a combination of solutions to move forward with. They may choose to debate and discuss in hopes of arriving at a consensus about which solution to implement. This activity is not only exciting and energizing, it also encourages students to practice articulating their ideas, brainstorm and think critically, all while learning how to work with othersnecessary functions for success in their daily lives. Example Project At UNIS, students brainstormed many possible solutions including sending supplies books, and food, but they felt those options were short-term in nature after speaking with their partner organization in Brazil. They continued to engage their friends in Brazil realizing there was no community center in favela where they could play. Do The next stage is all about taking great ideas and turning them into action. As a class, create a master schedule of activities with accompanying deadlines. Then have each group create a separate action plan and schedule of activities for their group specifically, noting the different responsibilities of each group member. For example, if they wanted to host an event or fundraiser, they need to think about the resources they will need, the time it will take to plan and host, the location of the event, the cost, and desired impact or goal, as well as what contingency plans they might need. They might need to revisit their ideation stage to iterate or tweak their solutions. Design thinking is not as linear a process as it might seem at first glance. Students will find themselves jumping back and forth between stages until they figure out what works. During this stage, encourage students to check in with the stakeholder community and reflect on their project ideas and implementation. They might consider interviewing the user community. This stage allows and embraces failures, which are learning opportunities that let students learn how to fail fast, fail often, and fail forwardpart of the beauty of design thinking. Example Project UNIS students decided to raise funds to build a community center for their friends in Brazil. They were very excited until realizing how challenging fundraising can be. They needed to revisit their plan of action, turning the set back into an opportunity. They enlisted the help of their supporters, recognizing they needed people with various skills and at different levels of authority to champion for themand so they made every effort to share their story and meaningfully connect with folks who could help. While it was easy to give up, they persisted, overcoming several other challenges with grit and a positive attitude. In the end, students organized a highly successful fundraiser. Share The design thinking process culminates in the sharing of all the hard work done by the students. Ask students to create a short video, presentation, or slide show about their experience through each design thinking stage. Ask them to share this at a gathering or event to inspire others to become involved. Students can even submit their projects to other organizations to be featured on their website, expanding the reach of their story. Sharing can happen both offline via conferences or parent teacher events, or it can happen online through social media. As part of this stage, students can solicit advice from the stakeholder group to determine if they have met their intended goal. During this stage, students have the opportunity to bring attention to their social change project and use it as a vehicle to spark even more good. This gives students the chance to exercise their communication and digital literacy skills, and the chance to inspire others. It also gives them an opportunity to reflect on the changes theyve brought to their community. This article from Edutopia , suggests several ways to encourage young people to reflect on their work for personal growth and for the advancement of their project or task. Example Project Students at the UNIS school shared their project in several meaningful ways. They first shared with a notable tech entrepreneur, Adam Pisoni, founder of Yammer, and then with the school board and parent association and on social media. Students from younger grades were so inspired, they organized a gala fundraiser, involving the entire school and outside communitythe Brazilian Ambassador was even presentand raised over $15,000. They also created a documentary film about their project. Using the design thinking process can result in lifelong skills. Design thinking recognizes the designer in everyoneand the validity of multiple perspectives. When we transition from designing for someone to designing with someone, we can truly solve problems effectively. This shift in thinking can be used in all aspects of both in personal and professional life. Follow Design for Change , and the Center for Global Education on Twitter. Images of UNIS students working on their Brazil project courtesy of author. One page from the Los Angeles Unified School District dashboard shows the status of available indicators and thier change over time. The blue wheel indicates very high performance, or in this case a very low suspension rate. The orange wheels indicate middle of the road performance. The state does not yet have complete data for the indicators marked n/a. California released its multiple-indicator accountability dashboard last week. Criticism started about 30 minutes later. Check that. The criticism started before the release and was just repeated afterward. The new dashboard troubles some because it broadens the concept of accountability and school success from a single numberthe states discarded Academic Proficiency Indexthat was largely a mashup of standardized test scores on math and language arts. In its place, the State Board of Education debuted multiple indicators of academic achievement and added in school climate, student engagement and other priorities. The criticism was immediate and largely a rehash of things that had been said before during the numerous hearings about the dashboard design. See John Fensterwalds reporting on the dashboard rollout and initial criticism and his story about the Parent Revolution alternative that is also endorsed by Teach Plus and the Center for American Progress. Heres my take. Dumb numbers create more harm than good. But people love em. The day the dashboard came out, I listened as NPRs Marketplace program announced that the Dow was up. They even played Happy Days... in case the listener missed the significance. Problem is that this particular number, the Dow-Jones Industrial Index, is a very bad indicator of the state of the economy, and it tells the individual investor nothing about how to improve his or her portfolio. Indeed, a rising or falling Dow can send false messages: cause panic when none is warranted and create confidence when it should be sending warnings. Smart investors drill down, follow trends, and look for changes in fundamentals. But people love the Dow, and journalists who know better continue to report it. You might make an argument that the State Board of Education could have saved itself a lot of grief by keeping the old API and inserting the multiple indicator system underneath it. But I am persuaded that the old system had to go. Period. It had done some very bad things to California education as school systems narrowed their curriculum to the subjects covered by the standardized tests and the kinds of questions asked on the tests. Accountability Dashboards Are Learnable, Teachable. I bought a car recently. It had a dashboard. Ive seen car dashboards before so this one wasnt entirely novel, but it was new and a bit confusing. There are little switches to change the readouts, and there is a lot more information on my newish car than there was on the 1995 model that it replaced. I change cars about as often as the state changes accountability systems. Guess what. The people at the dealership anticipated my confusion problem. Before I drove away, I spent an hour in a tutorial with a guy who had the job title genius. He walked me through all the vehicles electronics, including ways I can tweak the displays and even change the cars performance. The genius also has an 800 number. I need to call for a refresher course. Any new indicator system confuses people. But they learn, and providers of TV sets, software, refrigerators, microwaves all learn from customer experience. Maybe thats why the state calls this version of the dashboard a field test. But the state needs to get much better at what designer Tim Brown calls rapid prototyping : quickly calling together groups of practitioners and community members to work with the new data and possible alternative ways of arranging it. I think there is learning to be had. There are aspects of the Parent Revolution alternative dashboard that seem clearer to me, and there will be no shortage of organizations that will take the states data and convert it into other configurations. Good on them. Moveover, the state is actually helping display data rather than hiding it, as some critics allege. The California Department of Education has released an online resource that allows users to search by school or district. EdSource has taken those data and created a searchable and sortable database that allows comparison among schools and districts on all listed indicators . Kudos to them. Anyone with 15 or 20 minutes to spare can drill down on the indicators they value and create a comparison group for the schools or district they want to examine. That looks like the democratization of accountability that the state had in mind when it passed the Local Control Funding Formula and the attached accountability legislation. Old Data Are Useless and Misleading I went to the doc on Saturday. Great foot pain. Gout? Right symptoms for it, but blood tests came back negative. Broken toe, infection? Try an X-ray, maybe antibiotics. Lets just treat the symptom, says the physician. Come back if things dont get better; then well be looking at something more serious. The doctor based his diagnosis and prescription on that days results, not the two-year old readings he already had in his system. And the medical system had a testing and diagnosis system that provided new tests and feedback within an hour. I join the school administrators who are appalled at getting score cards based on data from two years ago. The states whole testing and reporting system will crash and burn if it cant create rapid turnaround. Accountability or Privatization? Inevitably, a state accountability system serves two, not entirely compatible ends. The system should signal when a school is in sufficient trouble that it requires drastic intervention. The old NCLB-era system was built entirely out of negative incentives, except for the highest-ranking schools where realtors touted the test scores. Low scoring schools, or mediocre ones, that were improving were often tagged with the failing school label. The new system tries to remedy that, maybe too much. But the systems critics need to understand and take responsibility for pushing the intervention button too quickly. The new system provides a great deal more data about how and where to intervene. In other words, its a smart (or at least smarter) system rather than a dumb one. And turning accountability into another political shouting match and questioning others motives, benefits no children. All the parties to this political dust up are missing the privatization challenge from Betsy DeVos and the Trump Administration. The worse public schools can be made to look the easier it is to make private alternative look attractive. For the civil rights organizations that want equity and a robust public school system, dipping an oar in the water in favor of continuous improvement is the best way forward. Angelina Jolie stands strong with her decision to return to the public eye by committing to humanitarian work. Last week, the 41-year-old emphasized her advocacy for the United Nations by making a compelling speech in Geneva. According to E! Online, the actress shared details off her recent trip to Cambodia with her six children where she publicly opened up about her divorce from Brad Pitt and launched the screening of First They Killed My Father. Directed by Angelina Jolie herself, the drama movie uses a childs perspective to demonstrate a true-life story of the Khmer Rouge genocide in Cambodia. According to the Oscar winner, the main goal of the film is to appeal to Cambodians and aid them in sharing their voice about the trauma experienced by the country during this period when nearly two million people died. Furthermore, Angelina Jolie wrote an op-ed about for The New York Times, sharing her sentiments over refugee policy. She also tackled womens rights as she gave her first lecture at the London School of Economics. Angelina Jolie raised her interest in humanitarian work as she filmed Lara Croft: Tomb Raider in Cambodia. This resulted to multiple field tasks all over the world until the United Nations appointed the actress as a goodwill ambassador for the UNs High Commissioner for Refugees in 2001. Despite having to deal with accusations that she was the reason behind the separation of Pitt and Jennifer Aniston, Angelina Jolie remained focused on humanitarian work, directing her efforts towards relieving impoverished areas. In an interview with Forbes, Angelina Jolie referred to her work as "twofold: I have all that gossip in my life that has gotten so out of control. And my work in Washington and with the U.N. gets people to focus on other things." As she balanced her acting career, family and humanitarian efforts, Angelina Jolies marriage began to experience a great deal of difficulty. Nonetheless, after news came that the actress filed for divorce from Pitt in September 2016, she traveled to Jordan- her fourth trip to the country- and visited the refugee camps in an attempt to explain the Syrian crisis. Following the highly publicized split, Angelina Jolies first appearance had been the time when she recorded a clip for the International Criminal Court as she showed her advocacy for a child safety policy. In an interview with BBC World News, the mother-of-six shared how she wanted her humanitarian work to impact her children. Everything I do I hope is that I represent something, and I represent the right things to my children, and give them the right sense of what they're capable of, and the world as it should be seen, Angelina Jolie said, while adding: "Not through the prism of Hollywood or through a certain kind of life, but really take them into the world, where they have a really good sense and become rounded people." canon-solutions-america-logo-140rgb.jpg Highlights of the Top Ranked School Districts in Each Category (categories based on student enrollment): Houston County School System, Ga. (12,000 students or more) Mt. Lebanon School District, Pa. (3,000 12,000 students) Arp Independent School District, Texas (up to 3,000 students) 2016-2017 Digital School Districts Survey - Top Ten-Ranking Winners - Congratulations! Selected Survey Findings and Trends - School districts investing in tools for next generation digital learners, launching STEM academies and encouraging the innovative use of drones, solar panels and robotics clubs and camps earned top rankings in the annual Digital School Districts Survey.Now in its 13th year, the Digital School Districts Survey Awards recognize exemplary use of technology by school boards and districts. The awards are presented by the Center for Digital Education at the National School Boards Association annual conference each spring.Technology is an essential tool for the transformation of education in our country, said Dr. Kecia Ray, executive director for the Center for Digital Education. The Digital School Districts Survey helps districts measure progress toward transformation and I'm proud to recognize these districts and the work that is represented in their award. Congratulations to all of the award winners and great thanks to all who participated in the survey.The school boards in these districts are recognized for utilizing technology solutions to make their work as a board more transparent and their district operations more efficient, said Thomas J. Gentzel, Executive Director & CEO, National School Boards Association. Their accomplishments demonstrate that innovative approaches can be embraced by any district, regardless of its size or location.The Digital School Districts Survey top-ten rankings are awarded to the school boards/districts that most fully implement technology benchmarks in the evolution of digital education, as represented in the survey questions. All U.S. public school districts are eligible to participate.CDE thanks Canon Solutions America for underwriting the 2016-17 survey and for their support of school districts across the nation.Houston County firmly believes participating in online testing and utilizing technology in the classroom is paramount to preparing students for college and career. Toward that end, the district will administer all but one high school assessment online this year. The district has invested in network infrastructure and classroom technology tools/devices over the past five years to help their schools support next generation digital learners. The district also recently added approximately 3,500 computers to over 100 labs as well as 53 portable interactive boards..Mt. Lebanon School District made technology a cornerstone of its Mt. Lebanon High School renovation/new construction project. The vision was to build 21st century learning spaces that incorporate technology seamlessly into all spaces. Toward that end, the district used "zone boxes to save space and reduce cooling requirements while pushing fiber-optic cables to classrooms. The solution enables maximum flexibility at minimum cost for each room. In addition, the high school was able to take advantage of the new technology infrastructure and labs/classrooms in the new science wing to launch both a STEM Academy and a Global Studies Academy last year.Arp Independent School District has dedicated a significant amount of time, energy and funding to rebuilding their STEM and Career and Technical Education (CTE) courses and on programs that allow students to gain post-secondary skills and certifications, including expanded Robotics, Computer Programming and PC Tech programs. Drones were introduced to the curriculum maker-space to allow students to monitor construction progress on a new junior high building, while an after-school Robotics Club and a Robotics Summer Camp were added to jump start interest in coding and robotics.For more information on the top-ranked districts, see our article . View the full list of school districts honored below.The National School Boards Association (NSBA) is the leading advocate for public education and supports equity and excellence in public education through school board leadership. NSBA believes public education is a civil right necessary to the dignity and freedom of the American people, and all children should have equal access to an education that maximizes his or her individual potential. The association represents state school boards associations and their more than 90,000 local school board members throughout the U.S. www.nsba.org The Center for Digital Education (CDE) is a national research and advisory institute specializing in K-12 and higher education technology trends, policy and funding. CDE provides education and industry leaders with decision support and actionable insights to help effectively incorporate new technologies in the 21st century. Learn more at: www.centerdigitaled.com. CDE is a division of e.Republic, the nations only media and research company focused exclusively on state and local government and education 1st Houston County School System, Ga.2nd Wilson County School District, Tenn.3rd Roanoke County Public Schools, Va.4th Colorado Springs School District 11, Colo.4th Richmond County Schools, Ga.5th Fullerton School District, Calif.5th Osceola County School District, Fla.6th Rock Hill Schools, S.C.7th Flagler County Public Schools, Fla.7th Rowan-Salisbury Schools, N.C.7th Township High School District 214, Ill.8th Northwest Independent School District, Texas8th Savannah-Chatham County Public School System, Ga.9th Clark County School District, Nev.9th Fayette County Public Schools, Ga.9th Pinellas County Schools, Fla.10th Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, N.C.10th Cherokee County School District, Ga.10th Virginia Beach City Public Schools, Va.1st Mt. Lebanon School District, Pa.2nd Jefferson City Schools, Ga.3rd Encinitas Union School District, Ca.4th Lakeville Area Public Schools, Minn.4th Oconomowoc Area School District, Wisc.4th St. Charles Parish Public Schools, La.5th Charlottesville City Schools, Va.6th Coppell Independent School District, Texas6th Sauk Rapids-Rice School District #47, Minn.6th Williamsburg-James City County Public Schools, Va.7th Center Grove Community School Corporation, Ind.7th Monroe County Schools, Ga.8th Bergenfield Public School District, N.J.8th Henry County Public Schools, Va.9th Austin Public Schools #492, Minn.10th Marietta City Schools, Ga.10th Rome City Schools, Ga.1st Arp Independent School District, Texas2nd Lindop School District 92, Ill.3rd Coxsackie-Athens Central School District, N.Y.4th Lenoir City Schools, Tenn.5th Allendale Public Schools, Mich.6th Cedar Bluffs Public Schools, Neb.6th Pike Road Schools, Ala.7th Chickamauga City School District, Ga.7th West Platte School District, Mo.8th Blue Ridge School District 18, Ill.8th Pewaukee School District, Wisc.9th Jasper County Charter System, Ga.9th Payson Unified School District, Ariz.10th Greeneville City Schools, Tenn. 83% The school district's board goals are posted online. 56% Annual progress on the school district's board goals is posted online. 85% District academic gains (District Report Card) information is posted online. 79% District graduation rates are posted online. 86% The district's budget information is published online. 68% The district's technology plan is posted online and accessible by the public.The districts governance plan for student data includes the following: 86% The district tracks student data longitudinally. 75% The district has a data governance policy that ensures security and privacy of data. 63% The district integrates data from multiple sources to create teacher/management dashboards.1 - Personalized Learning2 - Digital Content and Curriculum3 - Professional Development / Skills Training for Integrating Technology in the Classroom4 - Mobility (one-to-one and BYOD)5 - Networking Infrastructure Upgrades6 - Online Testing7 - Common Core/ State Standards8 - Student Data Privacy including Policies9 - Cybersecurity Policy, including Acceptable Use of Technology10 - Technology for Physical Security10 - Cybersecurity/ Data Security Tools Facebook 93% Twitter 92% (up 11 percent since last year) YouTube 75% (up 12 percent since last year) Instagram 43% LinkedIn 30% Pinterest 18% Snapchat 9% 88% of districts have a mobile device policy in place. 56% of districts provide a mobile appFor questions, contact Janet Grenslitt, Director of Surveys and Awards, Center for Digital Education, jgrenslitt@centerdigitaled.com This week, Rick is off talking about his forthcoming book, Letters to a Young Education Reformer. Letters wont be officially released until late April, but you can learn more about it here and order an advance copy here . While Rick is away, weve got an illustrious line-up of guest stars. This week, Jessica Sutter, president of EdPro Consulting and a doctoral candidate at the University of Maryland, College Park, will be guest-blogging. Dear Young Education Reformer, My career path in education has been a winding road. I never intended to become a teacher. I didnt expect to be a reformer. But Im proud of the 18 years I have spent in the work so far, and I have many mentors to credit for advice that has kept me dedicated to improving educational opportunities for all children. I skipped many of the traditional gateways en route to this work. I joke with folks that I drank the Teach for America Kool-Aid, but I didnt get the t-shirt. I started my education career as a two-year teacher in an under-served urban community in Chicago. I kept teaching for another five years, in Los Angeles and then Washington, DC, and went on to graduate school later than many of my colleagues. As a former teacher in a PhD program, my summer as an Education Pioneers fellow featured many unfamiliar concepts like Gantt charts and decks. Fortunately, my EP posse included gracious business school students who helped me get hip to all the consulting lingo I needed to knowa sort of dime-store MBA, if you will. My circuitous professional route and experiences have also shaped the advice I have to offer you here. Be excellent and humble, all at once. I went to Loyola College, a Jesuit college in Maryland, where I was taught many things, both in and out of my liberal arts coursework. One teaching has stuck with me for the nearly 20 years since I graduated, however. Loyola called upon its students to see themselves as men or women for and with others. For and with. The call is a difficult one to respond to, for it requires that you not always be the expert in your work, but that you walk as a fellow traveler alongside those whom you would seek to help. The first part of the call demands excellence; the second part demands humility. It echoes Socratic conceptions of wisdom: being wise requires acknowledging ones own fallibility and being reflective on all which you do not, and cannot ever, know. This combination is not an easy one to realize, but it is essential for the work of education reform. You should strive to become excellent at your work. Read all that you can. Attend talks. Network with experts who can help you find solutions to whatever intractable education problem you are trying to solve. As you strive for this excellence, though, remember for whom it is you are doing the work. If you are seeking to provide better educational opportunities for children, listen to children and their parents. If you are trying to create tech-enabled solutions that improve classroom instruction, hear what teachers need and be responsive. Do not do these things as a pro forma exercise. Get to know the people you seek to help because they are your experts in this work. If you are about reforming systems for people, you will get much farther if you do work with, rather than to, the folks you hope to help. Be excellent and humble, all at once. Internalize the Stockdale Paradox In my second teaching gig, as a founding teacher at KIPP: LA Prep, my principal regularly referred to bits of wisdom from Jim Collins Good to Great in staff meetings. One snippet that resonated with me is the concept of the Stockdale Paradox . Admiral John Stockdale was a POW in Vietnam and credits a paradoxical line of thinking for his survival during a period of captivity that claimed the lives of many of his fellow soldiers. The paradox of his thinking was this: He confronted the brutal facts of his current reality, while simultaneously retaining faith that he would prevail, regardless of the difficulties. In much of your work within education reform, you will encounter times when you look up and realize that the situation you face is an utter mess. Some of these messes will be left behind by other reformers, perhaps folks who were short on both excellence and humility. On more than one occasion, the messes will be of your own making. The budget was cut in half but the project needs to move ahead as planned. A school leader engaged in fraud and 1800 students suddenly need new schools as a result of the schools impending closure. Your policy recommendations were carefully derived from data, but you never consulted the official whose political realities mean they plan to move in a very different direction. Despite all of these unpleasant realities, you will need to persist with a mindset that you will succeed. Children are depending on youso, to be trite, failure is not an option. Our place in the work of education reform is wholly unlike that of a soldier in captivity, but lives surely depend on the work that happensor fails toin American education. Build your mental strength to fight battles that seem unwinnable but that matter morally. Persist. Carefully consider the inverse relationship of influence and impact My last piece of advice is one I wish someone had given me. It is something I think about daily, as I contemplate the work I did as a teacher and the work I still have to do in the next 25 years of my career. In the work of reform, you can have influence and impact. But it will be impossible to have 100 percent of both. During my seven years teaching middle school, I taught somewhere between 40 and 70 children a day, depending on the school. Teaching gave me a daily opportunity to impact the lives of children profoundly, often in ways that would take years to become apparent. After leaving a classroom, I worked in several local education policy roles and now consult with schools and districts. I administered grants for millions of dollars in public funds and helped shape a variety of policy decisions in school systems. Policy work expanded the reach of my influence, but simultaneously diluted my impact, and necessarily took me farther away from the students I got into this work to help. Our system values policy work at a higher salary scale than teaching. It carries a certain prestige. Both were certainly factors in my decision to leave the classroom. The people I have met outside of schools have offered me opportunities to learn and grow professionally in ways that I might not have had from within a school. But, I have also been honored to meet teachers-of-the-year, teaching innovation fellows , teacher bloggers, and teacher ambassadors at the US Department of Education . I didnt know such opportunities existed while I was teaching. If I had, perhaps I would have stayed. I never felt under-valued as a teacher, I simply didnt understand how I could have the kind of impact I wanted on education from inside the walls of my own classroom. After more years out of the classroom than in, I can say thismy work with students likely had a greater impact on the future than any policy decision I have had the privilege to be part of. My oldest students are now in their early 30s, my youngest in their early 20s, and, thanks to wonders of social media, I get glimpses into their adult lives. Some completed college, some went straight to work. I was their civics teacher, so when I see them voting in elections, using their voices to champion or protest government policies or social movements, or I see them standing up for their former classmates who are marginalized by virtue of their lack of citizenship, I like to think that they remember what they learned as fifth and eighth graders in my classroom. I think sometimes about returning to a classroom. Im still not sure where I can best leverage my talents to help increase educational opportunities for children. I am certain, though, that teaching is an act of reformas much, if not more, as any policy or advocacy role out there. The impact of excellent teaching will last for generations, often longer than any particular policy. Consider this, too, as you find your place in our work. Thanks to Rick for offering me space to share some thoughts this week. Jessica Sutter Last month in this blog, I wrote about an item in Ohio Governor John Kasichs budget proposal that would require teachers to job shadow at a local business in order to renew their licenses . Now two House Democrats are saying he should have to do some job shadowing of his owninside Ohio public school classrooms, reports The Columbus Dispatch . The bill would require the governor to spend 40 hours each year observing the work of teachers, administrators, cafeteria workers, and custodians in public schools with varying report card scores. After each school visit, he would have to submit a report to the legislature entitled How to Make All Ohio Schools A-Rated Institutions. Rep. Kent Smith and Rep. Brigid Kelly, both Democrats, introduced the bill. The governor has a blind spot when it comes to local communities, Smith told The Columbus Dispatch, referring to Kasichs experience in state and federal government, as well as in the private sector. The idea of the legislation is to send the governor back to school. Kelly argued that job shadowing in schools would give the governor an opportunity to see first-hand the challenges teachers and staff face. Its a much different experience to be in a situation and be talking to people impacted by policy that you promote or oppose, Kelly told The Columbus Dispatch. Teachers balked at the governors proposal to pin license renewal on the completion of a business externship. While some, including Ohio Federation of Teachers president Melissa Cropper, acknowledged the ideas merits, but preferred that the idea come as a recommendation and not a requirement. Local business leaders sitting on the governors workforce board first suggested the idea. The overall goal of the externship is to help familiarize teachers with the jobs available to their students in the hope that teachers might better prepare students for future careers. Kasichs spokeswoman, Emmalee Kalmbach, did not take kindly to what she saw as legislators playing tit for tat with an idea the governor hopes will ultimately help young people land the high-paying jobs available in the state. While the governor is focused on ensuring that Ohio students are prepared for the rapidly changing workforce of the digital economy, its more than disappointing that some look first to play partisan politics, she said. Maggie MacDonnell, a teacher in a remote village in Quebec, Canada, has won the 3rd annual Global Teaching Prize , sponsored by the Varkey Foundation. For the past six years, MacDonnell has taught middle and high schoolers in the Salluit villagethe second-northernmost Inuit indigenous community in Quebec. It has a population of about 1,300 and can only be reached by air. The tiny village is plagued with high teenage pregnancy rates, high levels of sexual abuse, drug and alcohol use, and young adult suicidesthere were six such deaths in 2015. Witnessing the funerals of my students is one of the hardest things Ive ever gone through, and I never want to be in that position again, MacDonnell said in a video made by the foundation. As an educator, I build programs that cultivate resilience, hope, and build self-belief in my students. These programs teach students life skills, from cooking to mechanics, that are based around the importance of acts of kindness. MacDonnell has secured funding for an in-school nutrition program, where students prepare healthy snacks for fellow students, as well as funding for a hot meals program for the community. MacDonnell has also established a partnership with the communitys day-care center, so her students can learn on-the-job training for early-childhood education. She also established a fitness center to give her students an outlet for their stress MacDonnell was awarded the $1 million prize on Sunday in Dubai. French astronaut Thomas Pesequt announced her name in a video message from the International Space Station. She told the Associated Press after her win that she plans to use the prize money by establishing an environmental stewardship program to reconnect youth with their cultural traditions. Last year, a Palestinian teacher won the award for her efforts helping youth who experience trauma through an emphasis on play. The inaugural prize went to a veteran teacher and author from Maine who advocates the importance of giving students the freedom to develop a love of readingshe wrote several books about the reading-workshop instructional model, in which students select their own books and have time for independent reading and discussion. Post updated Debbie Reynolds is fascinated by space. And she wants her middle school students to be, too. The veteran science and STEM teacher has tried to bring the textbook to life through simulations and experimentsand now, shell have a firsthand story watching a rocket be launched into space to share with her students. Reynolds, who teaches in Pittsburgh, will be at the Orbital ATK mission launch this week in Florida. Orbital ATK, a NASA commercial cargo provider, will be targeting its seventh commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station on Monday. [Update 3/20, 5 pm EST: Since publishing, NASA moved the launch date from this Friday to next Monday, March 27.] The spacecraft will carry more than 7,600 pounds of science research, crew supplies, and hardware to support science experiments at the stationincluding an advanced plant habitat for studying plant physiology and the growth of fresh food in space, and an antibody investigation that could increase the effectiveness of chemotherapy drugs for cancer treatment. Reynolds was one of 50 people selected as part of the NASA Social program , which invites NASA followers to attend mission launches or get behind-the-scene opportunities. This mission launch will be livestreamed through NASA Television and its website, and Reynolds told Education Week Teacher that she plans to capture her perspective through social mediapossibly Facebook Live or live-tweeting so her students can tune in and feel involved. Reynolds was also one of 36 U.S. science teachers who were selected to attend the Space Educator Expedition Crew Program in Houston last month, where she took part in educational sessions led by NASA scientists, did hands-on activities to get ideas to bring back to the classroom, and learned about new technologies being used in space. Reynolds also spoke to several astronauts, including Nancy Currie-Gregg, who has participated in four space shuttle missions. Currie-Gregg shared her background story with the teachers, which Reynolds relayed to her students in hopes of inspiring them. I said, look, her parents didnt even graduate from high school, and shes now an astronaut and has flown in multiple missions, Reynolds said. Im trying to make it relevant for my students. You might be someone going up in space, you might be someone on the ground designing these things, you might be up there doing computer programming. At the conference, the teachers did a hands-on activity called Ship the Chip to simulate what engineers have to think about when they send cargo to space. The teachers had to package a Pringles chip in a way that it wouldnt break in transit. Then, the teachers shipped their chip from Houston to their classroom. Reynolds said her class was excited to open the chip, which wasnt broken at all. Then, they had to work together to create their own shipping container for another Pringle, which is being shipped to a classroom in Canada. This is just a Pringles chip, but heres what astronauts have to do every day, Reynolds said. I try to do hands-on with my students as much as possiblethey need to be able to collaborate and problem-solve. That is also the goal behind the science simulator at her school. Harrison Middle School is one of seven schools across the country with a Dream Flight Adventures simulator , which the school received through a grant. Students are placed into missions, like being launched into space, going inside a volcano, or traveling under the ocean. People call it a Disney ride, she said. We try not to make it seem like a game, because we dont want the kids to devalue the educational part of it. The students all have jobs on each mission during the simulator"But all of the tasks are connected to each other. No one can be in a silo, Reynolds said. They have to work together for the ship to run. For teachers who want to take advantage of these opportunities for their own classroom, Reynolds first advice is to get on social media. Thats how I learned about all these [NASA] programs that Im going to. I learn about free tools Ive used in my classroom on social media , she said. I was blown away by whats out there and whats free for me to use in my classroom. Also, Reynolds recommends that teachers tap into their local NASA agency for educational materials, as well as Smithsonian museum websites. Reynolds said her enthusiasm about space has rubbed off on her students, who are excited about their teacher getting to see a mission launch in person. At the beginning, they were like, why are you so excited about space? Reynolds said, laughing. She told her students: You dont even know whats all out there! Image of the NASA commercial cargo provider Orbital ATK courtesy of NASA/Tony Gray & Kevin OConnell. More on NASA and Education: Can You Shoot Someone Attacking a Cop? Law enforcement officers are tasked with the ever-so-important job of keeping the public safe from crime. However, a cop's job isn't easy, and can quickly escalate into situations where an officer's life is in real, immediate danger. But when a cop has been overtaken by a suspect, is the public allowed to return the favor and defend a cop? Can a private individual intervene with lethal force, such as by shooting a cop's attacker? The answer to this question really is situational. Apart from the potential of pulling a Frank Drebin, the same standards that apply when defending a private individual are likely to apply. Depending on state law, stand your ground laws may or may not apply, or there may be a heightened standard for when deadly force is legally permissible in the defense of others. In the Media A recent news story about a private individual shooting and killing a man attacking an officer in Florida provides a clear example, though one that may not be applicable in every state. It is also worth noting that, even in Florida, only after reviewing the matter did the district attorney decide not to press charges against the private citizen. Here's a summary of the recent incident: After a brief high speed chase, the suspect pulled over, got out, and allegedly pulled the officer out of his vehicle and began attacking him. The officer was pinned on the ground by a suspect, who was sitting on top of the officer, and allegedly banging his head against the ground. An armed private citizen with a permitted concealed weapon witnessed the alleged attack and came to the officer's aid. According to one report, the officer was screaming for the citizen to shoot his attacker, and allegedly the attacker was reaching for the officer's gun when the citizen opened fire. Criminal Charges and Civil Liability Generally, when a person steps in to defend another, they are assuming liability for their actions. Even if the person being defended is a cop, a defender will not always be able to walk away without any liability. Typically, their use of force must be proportional to the threat. Additionally, the defender must have a reasonable basis for their perception of the threat. While the above example shows a shooter that clearly had a reasonable basis, if an officer is just arguing with another, or isn't clearly in need of assistance, a reasonable basis may not be so clear. Stepping in, particularly if you have a gun, could result in your own injury, as well as potential criminal charges or civil liability. Additionally, in some jurisdictions, these actions might be considered an imperfect self-defense, which could lessen charges, but not provide a full defense to liability. Related Resources: Ninth Circuit Splinters Over Trump Travel Ban Rehearing A three-judge panel in the Ninth Circuit upheld an order blocking President Trump's first travel ban last month. The administration subsequently reissued a new executive order replacing the first and voluntarily dismissed its appeal to the earlier injunction. That should be the end of that debate, right? Not exactly. One Ninth Circuit judge wanted the court to rehear the case en banc and vacate the panel opinion, despite the dismissal. Last week, the Ninth declined. But in doing so, the judges revealed a sharp split in the circuit. First, the Dissents The Ninth announced last Wednesday that a majority of its active judges had declined to reconsider the panel ruling en banc. At that time, Judges Stephen Reinhardt and Jay Bybee issued a concurrence and dissent, respectively, with more filings promised in the future. The panel mistakenly grafted due process caselaw from the domestic sphere onto executive action affecting aliens outside U.S. borders, Judge Bybee argued in his dissent. The proper standard, he says, was established in Kleindienst v. Mandel: immigration determinations may stand in the face of constitutional challenges so long as there is a "facially legitimate and bona fide reason" behind them. Once that bar has been met, courts cannot "peek behind the facial legitimacy" of the order to look at whether the now-President's campaign statements revealed anti-Muslim animus or any other objectionable motive. Then Friday rolled around, and the rest of the filings came tumbling in, Judge Alex Kozinski's chief among them. Judge Kozinski took on two "peculiar" features of the panel opinion. First, the panel's holding was based largely on due process concerns. But, Judge Kozinski argues, "the vast majority of foreigners covered by the executive order have no due process rights." Second, despite ruling on due process, the panel "says all too much" about the Establishment Clause, Judge Kozinski writes. In stating that Trump's past statements regarding a "Muslim ban" could reveal a non-secular intent behind the travel ban, the panel "made this evidentiary snark hunt the law of the Ninth Circuit." Such an approach will "chill campaign speech" and "mire us in a swamp of unworkable litigation." The panel's holding is, Kozinski says, "spreading like kudzu through the federal courts," noting that the district court in Hawaii turned to Trump's past statements when halting the new ban. And the Concurrences Judge Kozinski's dissent is significant, since it tackles the main issue tripping up the most recent travel ban: the Establishment Clause and what evidence court's can consider when finding Establishment Clause violations. While the Ninth's earlier opinion was grounded on due process concerns, a ruling from a district court in Hawaii last Wednesday, two days before Kozinski's dissent was released, held that a "reasonable, objective observer" would recognize that the ban disfavored Islam "in spite of its stated, religiously-neutral purpose." It based that conclusion on the "significant and unrebutted evidence of religious animus" shown in the president's past statements. Judge Stephen Reinhardt, concurring, called Kozinski's dissent a "diatribe," one which seeks to "decide the constitutionality of a second Executive Order that is not before this court." "Peculiar indeed!" he exclaimed. Judge Marsha S. Berzon, as well, couldn't help but notice that Judge Kozinksi "expressed at some length his unhappiness with the invocation of the panel's Establishment Clause analysis in a recent district court order," thereby "venturing an opinion on an appeal not before us." The dissenting judges, she argued, were jumping the gun. "We will have this discussion, or one like it," Judge Berzon concludes. "But not now." The Ninth might not have the first word in that discussion, however. Last week, the DOJ filed a notice to appeal a Maryland district court ruling that also blocked the ban. That move could shift the legal battle over to the Fourth Circuit. Related Resources: Genres : Opera Plot Synopsis This sparkling opera buffa is a premiere from the 2016 Donizetti Festival of Bergamo, with the part of Pasquale in Neapolitan dialect. It is the story of two rich merchant brothers from Lisbon, who are used to weighing everything against their barganing power. Also the marriage of Pasquale's niece Isabella is a ""bargain"" to them: she must marry another merchant, so as not to break with family tradition. The gags among the various characters are hilarious - especially those between the two brothers, who have competely different characters - creating an almost surreal atmosphere. Olivo, interpreted by Bruno Taddia, is teh real protagonist: as Isabella's father, he portrays a gruff, inflexible man, and does so with self-assurance and ease but never over the top. No less convincing is Filippo Morace as his brother Pasquale: istrionic and exhilarating as a na ctor, musically precise, and excellent in his Neapolitan dialect performance. Laurea Giordano, also thanks to her physique du role, is perfect as Isabella, the heartbroken girl torn between love for the young Camillo and obedience towards her grouchy father. After a few weeks of Donald Trump's presidency, only 37 percent of Americans are happy with it. It's the worst in 72 years of polling for a fresh president, reports Mary Papenfuss. Barack Obama's rating at this point in his presidency was 60 percent. HuffPost Pollster's aggregate, which combines publicly available polling data, currently puts Trump's approval rating slightly higher at 44 percent, with 53 percent disapproving. It's not clear which of several issues may have torpedoed the president's numbers. With so much to work with, how can any one thing be given credit? The appearance of being a loser ties it all together, though, like a nice rug in room furnished with junk. CNN reports that FBI director James Comey is today expected to publicly rebut Trump's claim that Barack Obama, in cahoots with British intelligence, "wire tapped" him during the election campaign. It's a moment of political theater that could end in humiliation for Trump, with Comey expected to say that there was no wiretapping, debunking allegations that Trump has repeatedly refused to withdraw. The hearing could also shed light on the state of FBI investigations into the extent of Russian meddling in the election campaign. Republicans hope Comey will state that there is no evidence of collusion between Trump aides and officials from Moscow, a move that could begin to break up a cloud of Russian intrigue that has stifled the early weeks of the administration. It is Comey, though! Since everyone's happy to cast him as kingmaker whenever he asks them to, who knows where whim will take him today? William "Bill" Hall, former operator of the Town and Country Restaurant in North Chattanooga, died March 15, 2017, in Panama City, Fla. A native of Chattanooga, TN, graduate of the McCallie School and Emory University, Bill spent his life as an entrepreneur in the hospitality and real estate industries. With the Town and Country Restaurant in Chattanooga, Town and Country Residences in Panama City, and PoFolks Restaurants in Panama City, Bill was a distinguished member of the community, and generous to all who knew him. He is survived by his wife of 36 years, Jay; son, Bill, Chattanooga, TN; daughters Jan Cox (Don) Panama City, FL; Jill Acosta (Joe) Meridian, MS; step-son Dr. Chuck Cluxton (Tali) Panama City, FL; Scott Cluxton, Jupiter, FL; sister Jean Lawson (Longview, TX); long-time business partner Peter Sostheim; 11 grandchildren, 11 great-grandchildren, and numerous nieces and nephews. He is preceded in death by his parents, Herman and Foreste Hall, sister Margaret Harris, and beloved daughter, Amy Hall. A celebration of his life will be held on Saturday, March 18, at Grace Presbyterian Church at 4 p.m., with his grandson, Pastor Adam Mabry and Rev. Dr. Gary Cecil officiating. Visitation will precede the service beginning at 2 p.m. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to The Science and Discovery Museum of Northwest Florida and The Panama City Center for the Arts. Arrangements are by Kent-Forest Lawn Funeral Home and Cemeteries. The leaders of Blue1647 have launched their own Kickstarter-like platform to help entrepreneurs and organizations from underserved communities crowdfund their projects. Three entrepreneurs began campaigns this month on the BlueFund Rewards platform, founded by Emile Cambry Jr. , co-founder of the entrepreneurship and tech innovation center, and Tracy G. Powell, a senior adviser at Blue1647. Advertisement "Rewards are good for the space we want to help early, early stage businesses, folks who can't go to their grandmother or mother for a loan, saying 'I need $10,000 or $20,000 to get started,'" Powell said. He said the initiative is the result of seeing organizations talk about the need for businesses and programs in communities, but rarely coming though with funding. Advertisement "There's a lot of conversation around diversity and venture capital, but the money is never leaving their pockets," Powell said. "It's about us supporting our businesses raising money for our own community, doing it ourselves. No begging." Eligible projects range from tech startups to neighborhood bakeries. "If you have a great idea that benefits the community, that's the kind of project we want to be able to provide an opportunity to raise capital." Cecil Wilson, the 20-year-old founder of task-running service Goffers, said he's grateful for the chance to share his startup on the site. "For a platform like this to be built to give us that spark that we need to go to infinity and beyond I thank you for that," Wilson said at BlueFund Rewards' launch event Friday night. "I haven't met my financial goal yet, but I already feel like a winner." The first batch of campaigns include: Wilson's Goffers , a platform to connect people with tasks such as grocery shopping, heavy lifting and plumbing to individuals and small businesses that can fulfill requests. Seeking $10,000. , a platform to connect people with tasks such as grocery shopping, heavy lifting and plumbing to individuals and small businesses that can fulfill requests. Seeking $10,000. Hit Partner , a mobile app that matches tennis players with skilled hitting partners. Seeking $15,000. , a mobile app that matches tennis players with skilled hitting partners. Seeking $15,000. TawiaDesigns, which provides shoes designed in Chicago and handcrafted by local artisans in Morocco, Ghana, and Kenya. Seeking $10,000. A team from Blue1647 shepherds companies through a 120-day process, with workshops and guides on website presentation, video, social media management and familiarizing their networks with the concept of crowd funding to improve chances of success, Powell said. The 90-day training period is followed by a 30-day campaign. Like Kickstarter, BlueFund projects only get the money if they reach their goals. Advertisement The site takes a 7 percent cut from each successful campaign, with 5 percent going to BlueFund, which will feed the money back into programming, Powell said. The other 2 percent pays for credit card transaction fees. Powell said he and Cambry came up with the idea last March, starting with the Liberty Project by Todd Belcore, Cambry's collaborator in the Chicago International Social Change Film Festival. The Liberty Project, designed to coalition build and use film, training and advocacy to give "Americans back their freedom," raised $15,736 on its $10,000 goal. Powell said the next cohort is expected to be all women entrepreneurs. He and Cambry are still determining whether to start regular training in monthly or quarterly groups; but ready-to-go projects can join the platform at any time, Powell said. The group has also applied to establish an equity funding platform, he said. Cheryl V. Jackson is a freelance writer. Twitter @cherylvjackson Justin McDowell was 17 when he and a confederate shotgunned their way into a downstate Allendale, Ill., home, held a couple and their infant daughter at gunpoint and stole $300 and the keys to the family's black Chevy Impala. Like so many youth felonies, it was a stupid, tragic act. When McDowell was arrested a year later in 2002, he was working episodically for little money, laying foundations beneath double-wide trailer homes. He had no plans to return to school. The judge gave him 36 years. By the time McDowell is eligible for parole in 2020, having served half his sentence, he will have cost Illinois taxpayers more than $396,000 the cumulative price of his incarceration. Will it prove an efficient investment for a state experiencing a severe budget crisis? It ought to, given McDowell's evolving eagerness over the past seven years to pursue an education and turn his life around. But for the Centralia Correctional Center inmate, now 33, the question remains open as it does for most of the more than 40,000 men and women currently incarcerated in Illinois prisons. Advertisement Last March, McDowell lost an important building block toward reconfiguring his life when Kaskaskia College summarily, indefinitely and reluctantly suspended the in-prison degree program it had administered at Centralia since 1983, and in which McDowell was enrolled. At the time, McDowell was more than halfway toward earning an associate's degree in general education. He previously had completed a six-month vocational tech program in construction management, earning straight A's. "He'd been on a waiting list for almost two years, trying to get into that course," Steve Mandrell, his Kaskaskia professor, recalled. Mandrell found him so impressive, he later hired him as a teacher's aide. Kaskaskia ended its program because the Illinois Department of Corrections, as a result of the state's ongoing budget crisis, had stopped payment on its three-year, roughly $1.2 million contract with the school. According to George Evans, Kaskaskia's dean of career and technical education, McDowell was one of approximately 1,400 prisoners the school has educated over the years. Advertisement The rehabilitative cost of ending post-secondary education opportunities for prisoners such as McDowell is substantial. "I went and talked to him the day before I left (my teaching position at Centralia)," Mandrell recalled. "He was telling me how wrong it was to not be able to complete his degree. He said, 'There may be something I can do as far as a job, and this is going to hinder that.'" But there is an accompanying, steep price the rest of us pay. As of July 2015, McDowell was one of about 41,000 men and women interred in Illinois correctional centers, at a combined, annual taxpayer cost of close to $1 billion. According to a 2015 Illinois Sentencing Policy Advisory Council study, about 97 percent ultimately will be released, through parole or completion of sentence including those convicted of violent crimes. It is not unusual for a murderer to get 40 years and win parole after serving 20. The same study found that 19 percent of those released recidivate within a year, 48 percent in three years. IDOC paroled about 30,000 prisoners in 2013, according to an NBC report. That means roughly 14,400 could possibly return to prison. The cost of housing, feeding and caring for a single prisoner varies among the state's 25 correctional centers, but averaged around $23,000 a year in the 2013-2014 fiscal year. Based on all those figures, the taxpayer cost of housing people who recidivate, alone, is more than $331 million annually. Factor in court costs, law enforcement costs and the social and economic losses suffered by new victims of parolees' crimes, and the Illinois Sentencing Policy Advisory Council study estimated in 2015 that the total cost of recidivism in Illinois over the next five years would be $16.7 billion. The best chance to break the recidivism cycle, a 2013 Rand Corp. study commissioned by the Justice Department found, is by offering prisoners access to a college-level education. According to the study, those who took classes while incarcerated were 43 percent less likely to recidivate. Yet Illinois' in-prison college programs are disappearing at an alarming rate. Around the time Kaskaskia ended its program, and for the identical reason, Richland Community College did the same. Danville Area Community College eliminated its vocational offerings. Advertisement Evans, the Kaskaskia dean, can't find the logic in it. "Over a three-year study, the highest recidivism rate we had was 10 percent in our culinary program," he said. "The lowest was 6 percent in the electronics program. Compare that to the 51.2 percent of those receiving no training whatsoever. Look at the (potential) savings. That has been presented numerous times to the DOC. It has fallen on deaf ears." As the community college programs neared their end, the students prisoners began a letter-writing campaign, to the IDOC, to their state legislators, to the governor. "The governor's office was flooded with letters from inmates," Evans said. "The inmates filed grievances. We had gang members who came in and said, 'I got kids. I was a punk (when I was arrested), and my goal here is to make sure I never come back here.' It did no good. They (state and prison officials) just do not take education seriously. They may say that they do, but don't when it comes down to it." A year has passed since Mandrell last taught at Centralia. He still worries about the effect the program's dissolution has had on McDowell. "My class was the first college course he took," Mandrell said. "About halfway through, it's like he softened up. Before, he was very negative you know, 'I'm never going to be able to get a very good job, because I've got this on my rap sheet.' Then he started talking positive. 'You know, if I can do this, then I know I can make a living. I know I can go back into society and be productive.'" Ron Berler is the author of "Raising the Curve: Teachers, Students A True Portrayal of Classroom Life." Felony Franks Jim Andrews in front of its original store on Western Ave. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune) Felony Franks, the hot dog stand that employs ex-offenders, is re-opening in Oak Park Thursday. The original restaurant at 229 S. Western Ave. opened in 2009 and became irresistible for local media "Food so good, it's criminal" made for nice visuals on the six o'clock news. Advertisement But it also attracted less-than-favorable headlines. Chicago 2nd ward Ald. Robert Fioretti opposed granting the restaurant a sign permit, saying it would draw attention for the wrong reasons. "I'm all for hiring ex-offenders, but why give more stigma to the fact?" Fioretti told the Wall Street Journal. "We're here to assimilate people into our society and not have them stand out like a sore thumb." Advertisement A federal judge eventually intervened and allowed the sign nearly two years after the restaurant applied for the permit and the city settled with the restaurant. But by then, business was slowing down, and the restaurant shuttered in 2012. Thursday, the restaurant re-opens at a strip mall at 6427 W. North Ave. in Oak Park. Like the workers they hire, the restaurant is seeking a second chance after years of fighting the legal system. kpang@tribpub.com Twitter @pang Chance the Rapper and his ex-girlfriend reached an agreement in their child support case that was presented to a Cook County judge Monday. "This case ended quickly because of the unusually high level of cooperation between the parents putting their child's best interest first," said Enrico Mirabelli, attorney for Kirsten Corley. Advertisement The case between Corley and the rapper, born Chancelor Bennett and raised on the South Side, dates to February 2016, five months after Corley gave birth to their daughter. She filed a petition to establish paternity and set child support. MOST READ ENTERTAINMENT NEWS THIS HOUR Advertisement The pair agreed to a parenting plan in June 2016 that hinged on them living together, but they are now in the process of establishing separate residences. Tanya Stanish, an attorney for Bennett, said the new agreement covers child support and parenting time for the 18-month-old girl. "Overall, I'd say they did a good job and worked well together and came to a fair resolution for everyone," Stanish said. Corley and Bennett were not in court Monday. In an interview with Complex magazine posted online last week, Bennett said he's considering moving in with his parents. His father, Ken Bennett, is a senior adviser at Choose Chicago, the city's tourism arm. His mother Lisa worked for the Illinois attorney general's office. Bennett also told Complex he is considering selling his next project. The 23-year-old rapper has made a name as an independent artist. "I think I might actually sell this album. That's, like, a big step in itself. I kind of hate the fact that I can't chart, really. I can chart, but the way they have the streaming (expletive) set up is weak as (expletive). It's unfair," he said. Though Judge Abbey Fishman Romanek last week ordered financial information in the case to be kept confidential, Bennett has been tweeting about his financial relationship with Apple Music. Bennett said Friday the digital music platform paid him $500,000 and financed a TV commerical for exclusive rights to "Coloring Book," which dropped in May. He announced a $1 million donation to Chicago Public Schools earlier this month, just weeks after winning his first Grammy Awards. Advertisement "So long as the parties continue to cooperate with each other, it's my hope they will never have to go back to court again," Mirabelli said. RELATED STORIES: Chance the Rapper's Apple deal still independent, in control Judge: Financial information in Chance the Rapper case stays confidential Chance the Rapper writes $1 million check to CPS as a 'call to action' Stephen Colbert, Chance the Rapper team up to reimagine 'Arthur' theme Advertisement Who had a better year: Chance the Rapper or Kanye West? Watch the latest movie trailers. The indie comedy "Landline" filmed in Wrigley Field and featuring Cubs great Ryne Sandberg is set to premiere Sunday at the Music Box Theatre, just two weeks before the Cubs' home opener. Writer-director Matthew Aaron plays a public relations executive who gives up his cellphone and WiFi connection after losing a promotion to a recent college graduate with a penchant for technology. Comedian Tom Arnold and Betsy Brandt ("Breaking Bad") also star. Sandberg plays himself. Advertisement MOST READ ENTERTAINMENT NEWS THIS HOUR The movie, which filmed around town in June, is scheduled to premiere at 7 p.m. Sunday ahead of a weeklong run at the Music Box that's set to start March 31. The flick also is slated to be released via video on demand platforms April 4. Advertisement The Cubs' home opener against the Los Angeles Dodgers is scheduled for April 10. RELATED STORIES: Ryne Sandberg, 2 other Cubs greats expected at Game 2 in Cleveland Former Cubs star Ryne Sandberg buys house in Lake Bluff for $1.1 million Photos: Cubs great Sandberg films indie comedy scene at Wrigley Field Watch the latest movie trailers. On Thursday, it was announced the Tyra Banks was returning to "America's Next Top Model" -- a show she created -- after a one season hiatus. Over the show's 23 cycles (seasons), there have been numerous judging panel and format changes, including a short-lived fan voting system, and the introduction of male models. But the one constant has been Banks; even last season when Rita Ora was host, Banks served as executive producer and appeared in the premiere and finale. Advertisement With Banks returning as host and main judge, here are some suggestions to make Cycle 24 the best one yet (and win back some of the waning ratings). MOST READ ENTERTAINMENT NEWS THIS HOUR Advertisement 10. Keep Ashley Graham Graham, who was a judge in Cycle 23, is an actual working model and fits the "body positivity" messaging Banks has promoted throughout the series. She's popular and opinionated; we're not sure Banks would share the spotlight. 9. Bring back Nigel Barker The model turned photographer would bring back his behind-the-lens expertise to the panel (he sat on the panel for 17 seasons -- longer than any other judge). He's also very opinionated and would challenge Banks. 8. Mix up the photographers In Banks' last season as host (Cycle 22), Erik Asla was photographer for twelve photo shoots -- nearly all of them. Perhaps it's because Banks was busy with multiple shows and needed a local, reliable photographer. Perhaps it's because Asla is her partner (and baby daddy). Cycle 15 featured noted fashion photographers like Matthew Rolston and Patrick Demarchelier, which would help re-legitimize "Top Model." 7. Focus on the models As much as every reality show tries to create drama, "ANTM" has always been most interesting when the models are in action. The more time on set, the better. Advertisement 6. Cut the product placement Cycles 21 and 22 felt like one big commercial for Tyra Beauty, Banks' make-up line. As a businessperson who is constantly bragging about her "degree from Harvard Business School," trying to coin terms (see below) and hawking her own products, Banks of all people knows what it means to be a model and have a brand in 2017. She should consider keeping the show's "contestant-as-brand" bent (models with strong traditional portfolios, social media presences, and on-camera/messaging skills), and share some of her own insights. Too much self-promotion (i.e. Heidi Klum on "Project Runway") feels forced and takes the focus away from the contestants. 5. Bring back the overseas trip An overseas trip may be out of the question, given Banks' busy shooting schedule with "ANTM" and "America's Got Talent" (Cycle 22's exotic destination was ... Las Vegas). A trip would give the contestants exposure to international fashion markets (Rome and Seoul were former destinations). If the "Real Housewives" can manage a trip each season, "Top Model" should be able to. Advertisement 4. More spiders and other creepy crawlies Who can forget the tarantula shoot from Cycle 3? Or the snake shoot from Cycle 1? Bring back actual fashion shoots that focus on beauty, instead of say, music video challenges (in which there were TWO last season). 3. Drop the guys Cycle 23 returned to the all-girls format (Cycles 20-22 featured male models). Since modeling is still dominated by women, an all-girls cycle would keep the competition level high (in seasons with men, it felt like the genders would only compete among themselves). Cast models with the physical requirements to actually work (no gimmicks like only casting short models). Cycle 23's contestants were some of the most model-esque of the series ("Australia's Next Top Model" has strict requirements, and its winners work for many top fashion brands). 2. Limit the Tyra-isms. Advertisement As mentioned before, Banks loves to make up her own words almost as much as promoting her own products. While mastering facial expression and body movement are critical to modeling, they can be taught without the overuse of terms like "smize" and "tooch the booch." 1. Bring back the theme song One of Banks' products we wish would come back is the theme song which she whispers, "Wanna Be On Top? RELATED STORIES: Why does 'Roadies' appear to think sexual assault is funny? Sharing Netflix or HBO Go passwords is now technically a federal crime 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 few quicker ways to ruin a vacation than for your luggage to end up in a different city than you are. And while nearly every traveler has a story of waiting around a terminal while employees hunt for his or her misplaced bag, the truth is U.S. airlines are doing better than ever at taking care of passengers' luggage. Advertisement Through a combination of new technologies that allow bags to be tracked in nearly real-time and a renewed focus on the basics of handling luggage, airlines last year reported the lowest rate of mishandled bags those lost, damaged or delayed since the Department of Transportation began keeping track in 1987. "Providing a safe, on-time, reliable experiencethat includes great hospitality, that includes if they check a bag that it arrives with them on time, it includes the service on board the airplane. It's an all-in experience," said Steve Goldberg, senior vice president of ground operations and provisioning at Southwest Airlines, which has cut its rate of mishandled bags 25 percent over the last two years. "It's not just someone's bag, it's someone's belongings." Advertisement Industrywide, U.S. airlines mishandled 2.7 bags per 1,000 customers last year, beating the previous record of 3.09 from 2012. Compared to a decade ago, U.S. airlines are mishandling 60 percent fewer bags while serving slightly more passengers. The improvements come at a time when airlines are investing record profits back into their operations. In a consolidated industry where four carriers control 80 percent of domestic traffic, it's no longer enough for airlines to compete on price and schedule alone, shifting focus to things like on-time performance and bag handling. The rise of baggage fees also has led passengers to check fewer bags or stick to a single carry-on, leaving fewer bags for airlines to mishandle on a per-passenger basis. Among major carriers, Delta Air Lines leads the way, with a mishandled bag rate of 1.81 per 1,000 passengers, trailing only smaller carriers like Virgin America, JetBlue and Alaska Airlines. The Atlanta-based airline made headlines last year when it was the first U.S. carrier to roll out radio frequency identification, or RFID, technology for bag tracking at airports around the country. The small chips, which are used in myriad ways across many industries, are embedded in luggage tags, allowing them to be automatically scanned as they pass behind check-in, through the bowels of the airport and out to the aircraft. In addition to saving on the time-consuming manual scanning of bags, the technology provides Delta with reams of data to better optimize its operation, said Bill Lentsch, Delta's senior vice president of airport customer service and airline operations. "With barcode scanning, you only capture nine out of every 10 scansthere is some unreliability," said Lentsch, who added that the company's $50 million investment in the technology has reduced its mishandled-bag rate by about 10 percent. Advertisement "It also gives us confidence that we have such an accurate tracking of our bags that we can proactively communicate to the customer the status of their bag." It's those real-time updates that have proved to be one of the biggest crowd pleasers from the latest technology push around baggage handling. Anxious travelers on many airlines can now check their smartphones to see that their luggage made it to the same plane they're on. Also, push alerts can guide them to the appropriate luggage carousel without having to crowd around a terminal display board. The increased visibility of bags throughout their journey also helps airlines when something goes wrong, allowing them to reroute luggage more quickly when a flight is canceled or a passenger misses a connection. "When you have one of those typical Texas thunderstorms that shuts down operations at the airport, we end up with a lot of bags and a lot of customers going in a lot of different directions," said Mark Matthews, American Airlines' director of customer planning operations. "Having that data available allows us to have a better idea of where that bag was last touched." American finds itself last among the major carriers for rate of mishandled bags, at 3.38 per 1,000 passengers. That's still half of its rate from a decade ago, and is at least partly explained by the company's ongoing integration with US Airways after the 2013 merger. American introduced a live bag-tracking function for its app in 2015, but still largely relies on manual bag scans by employees to track luggage. Advertisement The airline handles about 400,000 bags per day, Matthews said, with each bag getting an average of six to eight scans per one-way trip. At Southwest, manual scanners are still the tool of choice for tracking bags, although the airline recently tested new types of tracking technologies in Los Angeles at the end of 2016. In the meantime, the airline has been focusing on the basics, Goldberg said like verbally confirming a passenger's destination to make sure a tag is correct and tucking the tags into bags so they don't come off during transit. "It really came down to making sure our people had the right tools and the right staffing to do the job at hand," Goldberg said. "We try to keep things simple for our customers and for our employees. It's a fairly simple process that can get complex with the complexity of the network and the amount of places we connect people." As technology around bag tracking continues to improve, passengers should continue to have new options, including print at home luggage tags and self-service bag drops at the airport. Eventually, trackers that interact with airlines' baggage handling system could be built into luggage, according to a 2016 report on baggage trends from air transport technology company SITA. U.S. airlines will also face a new challenge in 2018, when the Department of Transportation revises its metric for mishandled bags. Instead of measuring the number of mishandled bags based on passenger volumes, the DOT will instead measure against the number of checked baggage. Advertisement This will effectively cut out passengers who travel with only a carry-on which can't be mishandled from the overall calculation, providing what the DOT said will be a more accurate picture of overall performance. Town Hall meetings are out of fashion for certain Republican congressmen who have spent the start of 2017 dodging Democratic Party activists. But Cardinal Blase Cupich got an altogether warmer reception when he used a nationally broadcast town hall this weekend to tell recent immigrants, "the church stands with you." Advertisement Organized by Telemundo, the meeting at the Church of the Immaculate Conception in Chicago's Brighton Park neighborhood gave the cardinal a chance to showcase his fluent Spanish. "From this immigrant nation's early days, the church has accompanied those who sought refuge from persecution, fled poverty and war in their homelands and came here, seeking to trade their labor and loyalty for citizenship," Cupich told a church packed with first- and second-generation immigrants, according to a translation provided by the archdiocese. Advertisement "Priests and religious came with these immigrants, sometimes on the same boats, so they could provide comfort in the familiar language and traditions of their home countries," he said. Cupich who has previously urged all those studying to become priests to learn Spanish has put himself at the forefront of the battle to protect Chicago's status as a sanctuary city since the election of President Donald Trump, who has vowed a crackdown on illegal immigration. Cupich last month instructed Chicago priests and Catholic schools not to admit immigration officers onto parish properties without a warrant. Speaking to Chicago Inc. on Monday, the cardinal said it was important for him to speak to worshippers in "their language of prayer." "Many Latino kids who speak English quite well, because Spanish was a part of their upbringing, that's the language they pray in," he said. Cupich said that though his grandfather was just a teenager when he emigrated from Croatia to the U.S. in the early 20th century, other relatives came in their 20s and spoke "broken English." In the Nebraska parish where they worshipped, "the homilies were all given in Croatian," he said, adding that the church made them feel at home in a strange land. Daywatch Weekdays Start each day with Chicago Tribune editors' top story picks, delivered to your inbox. > And asked what he thought of Americans who demanded immigrants immediately speak English upon arrival in the U.S., he said, "There's nothing wrong with being bilingual or trilingual, because it shows that you are able to communicate with more people ... otherwise, why are we teaching languages in our schools?" Cupich declined to comment on what he believes are the president's personal views about immigration, but on Sunday made pointed remarks about the current political climate. "The truth that every human being, documented or undocumented, is made in the image of God and (is) deserving of dignity and respect is at the core of our faith," he said at the town hall event. "Because of that truth, I am here today to assure you that we stand with those made fearful by the hatred expressed and threats made during the past year toward immigrants and refugees." Advertisement The cardinal also quoted Pope Francis' words of support for U.S. immigrants from 2015, and added, "We will speak out against prejudice and discrimination, we will provide the services, support and comfort we can and advocate and work for justice until it is achieved. "The church today, as it was for my grandparents, is a place where you can feel at home. You are our family." kjanssen@chicagotribune.com Twitter @kimjnews In Illinois coffee shops and theaters, scientists and science fans gather to plan a march. At government offices they fret about the appointment of Cabinet leaders who hold skeptical views on climate change. And in labs they worry about the freeze on their research projects. The regional science community has felt apprehension since the early days of Donald Trump's presidency concerns that further crystallized Thursday with the release of the administration's budget proposal. Trump seeks deep cuts to the Environmental Protection Agency and other areas of federal government that rely on scientific research. Advertisement Now, motivated by the tenor of the Trump era, the science community is trying to educate the public about how science affects their lives and is planning a Chicago pro-science march to coincide with the national March for Science on Earth Day. "Our concern in the current climate is that we will have scientists who are silenced or aren't able to continue to do the work they're doing," said Nicole Cantello, who represents EPA employees as chief steward of the American Federation of Government Employees Local 704. Advertisement Research for many studies, including those done in collaboration with nongovernmental groups, has been put on hold because the White House wants to review the EPA's scientific research to make sure it aligns with the administration's views and priorities, Cantello said. "What will become of the studies that they're doing and the work they're doing?" Cantello said. Last week, the leaders of several Illinois environmental groups held a news conference to sound the alarm about possible drastic cuts to Great Lakes restoration programs. Representatives from the Sierra Club Illinois, Alliance for the Great Lakes and others said the kinds of cuts being discussed are troubling and will have harmful consequences to the region. "The overall approach is that we think that the Trump administration and what they're promoting out of Washington is really out of step with what the American people want," said Kady McFadden, deputy director of Sierra Club Illinois. Since Trump took office, the regional branch of the Sierra Club has seen an increase in membership, donations and inquiries about how to make a difference, McFadden said. While targeting issues of national scope, such as the potential budget cuts to Great Lakes programs, the group is trying to focus on state and regional issues that may have local allies. "We're trying not to spend the next four years in defensive mode," McFadden said. Others in the science community in Illinois have been putting their energy into a movement for a science march in Chicago. The organizers want to make sure that scientific thought, research, curiosity and exploration are recognized and appreciated. The March for Science Chicago is scheduled for April 22. Within days of its creation, the group's Facebook page had thousands of followers and encouraging comments, most voicing a desire to attend. Others offered organizational expertise and other forms of support. The event page now has more than 11,000 people expressing interest. Advertisement "The science community has woken up and realized we have to tell people about what we do so they understand it," said Monica Metzler, one of the event organizers. Metzler, a self-described "policy wonk" attorney who is the executive director of the Illinois Science Council, said much of the impetus for the march came as a response to the Trump administration's moves with the EPA. "I've been wonderfully encouraged by all of the people who say they care about science," Metzler said. "And I hope that can continue and it's not just viewed as a one-off, one-day event they do to get outside on a Saturday. I hope that people really recognize the importance of science, what it is and what scientific research brings to our community." The organizers said interest in the march has been helped by Chicago's deep and varied scientific community. Metzler said northern Illinois has an active, enthusiastic science base from universities to international corporations to small businesses and to people who simply enjoy exploring science subjects as a hobby. Andrea Poet, director of programs and public relations at the Chicago Council on Science and Technology, said her organization believes publicly funded science is a pillar of democracy. Poet said her group has seen the local science community trying to be more vocal in recent weeks. "It's pushed it to the point where scientists don't necessarily want to be political about what they're doing, but they feel the need to be a little more public and ... more of an advocate for science and facts and reason, and getting those into the public conversation," Poet said. "They feel a need to stand up for what they do." Advertisement Organizers are striving to make the march nonpartisan and apolitical. While they will not be able to control the sentiments of participants, the organizers are choosing to focus on touting the importance of scientific thought and research and its value to the city and community. "People are concerned on both sides of the aisle for various reasons, and we want to make sure all of those voices are heard," said event organizer Adam Arcus, a 31-year-old former engineer who works as a consultant. Arcus, who volunteered at the Museum of Science and Industry as a kid, was immediately struck by how many people were passionate about creating the march. Social media lit up with testimonials from people about how science affects their personal and professional lives. Daywatch Weekdays Start each day with Chicago Tribune editors' top story picks, delivered to your inbox. > "They know it matters," Arcus said. Planning the march essentially has become a second job for Arcus, Metzler and Monica Zabinski, another organizer, as they steer the planning committees, work with city officials, drum up donations and arrange speakers. "It's been overwhelming," Metzler said, "in a positive way." Advertisement They were buoyed by the success of the Women's March in Chicago in January, when hundreds of thousands of people rallied in Grant Park, a throng so large the formal march portion of the event was unable to be held. "We hope that's our problem," Arcus said. poconnell@chicagotribune.com Twitter @pmocwriter Updated March 22, 2017 8:59 a.m. A brazen midmorning shooting outside the bustling Cook County criminal courthouse on Monday left a 21-year-old man critically wounded and at least one regular to the sprawling Southwest Side complex rethinking his safety. "These guys don't have any boundaries," said defense attorney Stuart Goldberg, who pulled into a parking lot next to the crime scene minutes after the shooting. Police said the 21-year-old victim was walking on his way to the Leighton Criminal Court Building at 26th Street and California Avenue when he was hit by shots fired from someone in a white van at about 9:25 a.m. Two off-duty Chicago police officers pursued a man and made an arrest, authorities said. Police said a gun was recovered. The victim was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital in critical condition with six gunshot wounds to the groin area, officials said. The man has a history of misdemeanor arrests and is currently on probation after pleading guilty last year to aggravated fleeing, but he did not have a court date Monday, said his attorney, Jayne Ingles. "I don't know why he was there," she said. Crime scene tape marked off an area of California Avenue in front of a Popeye's chicken restaurant across 26th Street from the courthouse. Witnesses said police and an ambulance quickly converged on the area after the shooting. The spray of gunfire startled attorneys arriving for morning hearings. Goldberg said he was running a little late when pulled into a small privately owned lot next to the Popeye's and found police swarming the area. Investigators found a shell casing near the spot where Goldberg would have parked his black Rolls-Royce Phantom. Goldberg said the shooting has made him "reassess" his safety when visiting the courthouse. A food truck vendor who has worked outside the courthouse for some 30 years said Monday that he was making tacos for a customer and thought he heard a bus backfire on California Avenue. "Then somebody said, 'Oh somebody's shooting,'" said the vendor, who declined to give his name. It's the second shooting this month involving a victim coming or going from the massive courthouse and jail complex. On March 6, Kamari Belmont, 23, was killed several blocks south of the Cook County Jail after being released because prosecutors failed to give him a timely trial on a murder charge. Police are investigating whether Belmont was targeted by a rival gang after two friends picked him up from the jail and drove south on California Avenue. The Leighton courthouse was briefly locked down last summer after a shooting nearby, longtime attorneys who work in building said. In other shootings: Advertisement A man was shot to death in the Roseland neighborhood Monday afternoon. Jason Barrett, 24, was shot in the chest about 4:15 p.m. by someone who stepped from a silver SUV near 113th Place and State Street and opened fire, police said. He was taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center in critical condition and later pronounced dead, police said. About 2:35 a.m. Tuesday in the Back of the Yards neighborhood, a 29-year-old man was shot in the right leg while he was a rear passenger in a van that was traveling south in the 5200 block of South Carpenter Street, police said. His condition was stabilized at Holy Cross Hospital. Advertisement A nearby resident, holding a plate of food, watched from across the street as officers taped off the van that had stopped near the intersection of Carpenter and 54th streets. The 51-year-old man said he was surprised he didn't hear any gunshots early Tuesday. He quickly recounted a handful of past neighborhood shootings that have taken place in recent years. "It's wild over here," he said. "It's these young boys with guns now. I don't know who's giving it to them, but they need to quit it." About 7:55 pm. Monday, a boy, 17, was shot in the hip in the 5900 block of West Diversey Avenue in the Belmont Central neighborhood. Police earlier said the attack occurred in the 6000 block of West Wellington Avenue. His condition was stabilized at Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center, police said. Earlier, a 35-year-old man was shot in the 6800 block of South Keefe Avenue in the Park Manor neighborhood. Police said a man exited a vehicle and shot the 35-year-old about 1:45 p.m. after demanding his property during a robbery. The gunshot victim drove to Saint Bernard Hospital and Healthcare Center seeking treatment for his wound, police said. Chicago Tribune's Elvia Malagon contributed. Firefighters on the scene of a fire at The Elephant Thai restaurant, 5348 W. Devon Ave. on Sunday, March 19, 2017, (Jeremy Gorner/Chicago Tribune) No injuries were reported in a Northwest Side fire that broke out at a Thai restaurant in the Edgebrook neighborhood Sunday night, officials said. Firefighters responded to the Elephant Thai restaurant at 5348 W. Devon Ave. around 8:30 p.m. after smoke was seen coming from the one-story building, officials said. Advertisement "It started in the grease chute,'' said Cmdr. Curtis Hudson, a spokesman for the Chicago Fire Department. The fire was extinguished by about 9:10 p.m. The department sent extra equipment because the restaurant is connected to two businesses on either side. The fire spread to a nearby beauty salon and a vacant business. Advertisement Chicago Fire Deputy District Chief John Shehan said he knows the eatery was closed Sunday because it is one of his favorite restaurants. "I know the owners," he said. "A lot of damage to their place. They are going to be out of luck for a while." Chicago Tribune's Jeremy Gorner contributed. If you see a low-flying helicopter hauling what appears to be a giant, mechanical Hula-Hoop near Lake Michigan's shoreline this week, there's no need to panic. It's only Illinois' latest science project. Starting as soon as Wednesday, a helicopter will be carrying a large electromagnetic array from Kenosha to the Illinois-Indiana state line as the Illinois State Geological Survey hopes to shed light on a question that's plagued Chicago-area beachgoers for decades: Where has all the sand gone? Advertisement "In some areas, there's not enough sand and, in other places, there's too much," said Diane Tecic, program director of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources' Coastal Management Program. "What we realized is we don't have all the information that we need to make decisions and find actual solutions that are going to work (to fix this issue)." The coastal flyover will use specialized equipment imported from Denmark to diagram the landscape of the lake floor. By using electromagnetic signals, researchers will not only be able to get a clearer picture of Lake Michigan's profile, but also better understand its composition. Advertisement "That's a really important baseline," state geologist Ethan Theuerkauf said. "This particular technology will tell you not only where sand is, but the thickness of those deposits." Over the past two centuries, man-made infrastructure along Lake Michigan such as piers and harbors has disrupted the natural, southward drift of sand from Wisconsin to Indiana, the process that formed the Indiana Dunes over thousands of years. By disturbing this coastal dynamic, beaches in some areas have begun to disappear while sand has built up in other areas. From dredging harbors to importing sand for beaches, this issue has cost coastal communities in Illinois roughly $3 million a year, according to a survey conducted by Chicago-based nonprofit Alliance for the Great Lakes last year. "The more that I've gotten into this, the more you realize the complexity of the issue," Tecic said. "There are number of different things making it a challenging issue. There's not an easy answer. For a long time, people would say, 'Put in a jetty,' or 'Nourish a beach,' not understanding that we're a part of a big, regional system." This research, funded by the DNR through a $233,000 grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, hopes to be among the first studies to examine how sand deposits along the lake floor have changed over time. The study will be the first in more than two decades, when the Geological Survey measured differences in sand thickness at several stretches of Lake Michigan by manually measuring with a metal rod between 1974 to 1994. That study found that the lake bed was getting deeper by up to 4 inches annually in some areas in Illinois. Experts like Tecic have some theories as to what the project might find. Waukegan Harbor has notoriously trapped sand over the years, requiring the Army Corps of Engineers to dredge the channel each year and dump much of the sediment south of the harbor. Tecic said preliminary evidence suggests there may be a large mound of sand due south of the harbor, resulting from a "dead zone," an area without much wave action, or an abnormal current that isn't carrying the sand toward southern parts of the lakefront. This research will also aim to explore another pressing issue, called lake bed downcutting. In areas where there is no longer sand covering the lake bed, waves have carved into the primarily clay bed, a process that is irreversible. The deeper shoreline creates the opportunity for larger, more violent waves to exacerbate beach erosion, according to Theuerkauf. But researchers will have to wait about a year for the voluminous amount of data to be analyzed. However, snapshots of the information could be published sooner, Theuerkauf said. Daywatch Weekdays Start each day with Chicago Tribune editors' top story picks, delivered to your inbox. > Developed in Denmark in the early 1990s, the technology implemented in this scientific research has been used in Canada and Europe for mining projects. In November, the equipment was also used to survey Yellowstone National Park in an attempt to learn more about the park's intricate underground waterways that provide the means for its renowned geysers and hot springs. Advertisement In the past, the Army Corps viewed sand as a nuisance when it built up along coastal infrastructure, dumping it far offshore. With the helicopter making passes between the beach and up to 1,500 feet offshore, this could be the first study to determine whether the sand has dispersed or whether there's a large deposit that can be reclaimed. For over a year, coastal communities have come together to air problems stemming from shifting sands as well as brainstorm possible solutions. In areas like Illinois Beach State Park in Zion, beaches have lost hundreds of feet due to large waves from violent storms and rising lake levels. In other communities, such as Waukegan, sands have clogged harbors, stalling boating commerce and carrying hefty price tags to remove sand each year. "We need to work on understanding our coastline," Tecic said. "We have really important recreational assets, natural habitats and economics along Lake Michigan. And all of that is threatened by the way the sand is moving." Though exposure to high amounts of electromagnetic waves can be harmful to people and animals, the electromagnetic field generated from the array is comparable to what we see in everyday life. Flying at around 150 feet above the ground, the array emits less of a magnetic field than a plasma TV, according to the state Geological Survey. tbriscoe@chicagotribune.com twitter @_TonyBriscoe A Chicago police officer collects shell casings at the scene of a shooting that left three people injured in the 3200 block of West Maypole Avenue on March 19, 2017, in the East Garfield Park neighborhood. (Alyssa Pointer / Chicago Tribune) Two people were killed and 16 others were wounded in Chicago over the weekend, a relative lull in a year that has seen almost as much gun violence as last year at this time, according to data compiled by the Tribune. The toll was slightly lower than the 20 or more shooting victims the city has typically seen over weekends this year. As of early Monday, 645 people had been shot in the city this year, 31 fewer than over the same period last year, the data show. The number of homicides totals 124, eight fewer than this time last year. During this past weekend, two people were fatally shot on the South Side and 16 other people were wounded across the city. Advertisement Ishmael Jackson, 23, was shot behind a brick bungalow in Englewood on Saturday night, police said. He was hit in the back and pronounced dead at Stroger Hospital. A 27-year-old man was wounded in the same shooting, and his condition was stabilized at Stroger. Advertisement On Friday, Titus Jackson, 17, was shot to death in an alley in the 7100 block of South Washtenaw Avenue in the Marquette Park neighborhood, police said. He had been hit in the leg, chest and buttocks. On Sunday, about 5:30 p.m., three people were shot in the 3200 block of West Maypole Avenue in the East Garfield Park neighborhood. A 17-year-old boy was shot in his foot, an 18-year-old man was shot in his ankle and a 22-year-old man was shot in the leg, police said. Welcome to Clout Street: Morning Spin, our weekday feature to catch you up with what's going on in government and politics from Chicago to Springfield. Subscribe here. Topspin Ald. Ameya Pawar, a Democratic candidate for governor, said hes willing to discuss term limits for state officials but doesnt think the debate is worth holding up a state budget. Pawar limited himself as an alderman to two terms, and he's serving in his second now. In speaking on WGN-AM 720, when asked if he thought Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner had done anything correctly, Pawar voiced support for term limits for governor and legislative leaders. But we need to also then discuss if we want term limits for rank-and-file legislators. Do we want powerful politicians that we elect or do we want powerful bureaucrats? Pawar asked. Its not a panacea. Its certainly not a panacea that creates new jobs. Its a political move. Its a public policy change one thats worth debate but certainly not one thats worth holding up a budget over, he said. Rauner has made term limits on Illinois politicians among the issues he has viewed as a prerequisite for his support for raising taxes as part of resolving the states historic budget impasse. The Northwest Side alderman has modeled his progressive agenda on Franklin D. Roosevelts Great Depression-era economic and social programs known as the New Deal. Automation and trade have gutted lots of local economies, and we need to talk about that. And we cant let another generation of people wither on a vine and expect them to hear Democrats and expect them to vote for Democrats, Pawar said. Its my job to go out and talk to everybody. Im going to go to every county in the state, all 102, and go have a conversation whether theyre red counties or blue counties, he said. I dont believe you write people off based on who they voted for in the last election. And as the leader for the entire state, you dont pit people against one another. You go and hear them out and make decisions to invest in communities and bring them together. Pawar acknowledged the wealth of businessman Chris Kennedy, who has entered the race, and potential candidate J.B. Pritzker, who has launched an exploratory committee. But he said it was more important to have foot soldiers. The alderman said he plans on largely raising small donations while fielding volunteer supporters. He said he has volunteers committed in 61 counties across Illinois. Pawar has raised $71,310 in his campaign fund for governor, including $40,300 deposited Friday, state campaign disclosure reports showed. (Rick Pearson) What's on tap *Mayor Rahm Emanuel's schedule wasn't available. Advertisement *Gov. Rauner is scheduled to appear at Atlas Tool Works in Lyons in the early afternoon and at the Governor's Conference on Travel and Tourism in the evening. *Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza will appear before the City Club of Chicago. Advertisement *Spring has sprung. From the notebook *Hoop dreams: The University of Illinois isn't in the big tourney, but it is part of the hoops field in the National Invitational Tournament. The Fighting Illini play Monday night at home against the Boise State Broncos. Of political note, the president of Boise State is Robert Kustra, a former state lawmaker and Illinois lieutenant governor under Gov. Jim Edgar. Kustra, by the way, has a doctorate from the University of Illinois. The Kustras will be cheering their team on from Idaho. (Rick Pearson) *The Sunday Spin: On this week's show, Chicago Tribune political reporter Rick Pearson's guests were Mike Gelatka of the Illinois Gaming Machine Operators Association, Democratic governor candidate Ald. Ameya Pawar, and Tribune reporter Hal Dardick. Listen to the full show here. What we're writing *State Sen. Daniel Biss expected to announce Democratic governor bid Monday. *Rauner asks state Supreme Court to get involved in fight with union. Advertisement *Emanuel challenges Trump budget proposal on its values, priorities. *City tabs overtime costs for Cubs playoff run at $19.3 million. *Durbin, Davis to introduce anti-violence bill to address childhood trauma. *Emanuel names new leader for City Colleges of Chicago. *Congressman calls for 'transparent' investigation of train derailment. *Protesters gather for rally at Daley Plaza to spotlight immigrant issues. Advertisement What we're reading *'Biking while black': Chicago minority areas see the most bike tickets. *As aging anchors retire, Chicago stations hope viewers stay for familiar faces. *Sarcastic Chris Collins on NCAA apology: 'It makes me feel great.' *RIP Chuck Berry and Jimmy Breslin. Follow the money Advertisement *The Illinois Campaign for Political Reform gives its weekly campaign donation update, including an ongoing look at the big-money mayoral races. *Here are the contributions to Ald. Pawar mentioned in our lead item. *Track Illinois campaign contributions in real time here and here. Beyond Chicago *Confirmation hearings for Judge Neil Gorsuch start Monday. *The chairman of the House Intelligence Committee says documents show no evidence of Trump Tower wiretapping. *Health care changes and Medicaid in the Midwest. Advertisement *West Mosul battle looks to be deadliest yet for Iraqis. State Sen. Daniel Biss waits to take the podium during Democrat Day at the Illinois State Fair in Springfield on Aug. 20, 2015. (Erin Hooley / Chicago Tribune) State Sen. Daniel Biss formally announced his Democratic candidacy for governor Monday, assailing a broken system he says favors his political opponents and contending that powerful House Speaker Michael Madigan has been a force in Springfield for "too long." "We have a political system where billionaires and machine politicians are the ones who are listened to. That's the system we have to change," Biss, who has represented Evanston for six years in legislature, said in a 25-minute Facebook Live video. Advertisement "We have to build a movement of the people because the question fundamentally is, 'Who do politicians feel obligated to listen to?' In Illinois, the public has set very low expectations and we can understand why," he said. Biss' indictment of Illinois' system of government covered a wide swath, including not only Madigan and Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner but also Democratic rival businessman Chris Kennedy and prospective Democratic primary candidate J.B. Pritzker. Advertisement Asked directly in a Facebook question about Madigan, who is Rauner's chief political nemesis, Biss sought to create some distance from the House speaker, who also chairs the state Democratic Party. "I've been clear for a long time that Madigan's been there too long," Biss said. Madigan has been speaker for 32 of the past 34 years. Biss noted that he early on sponsored a measure to limit how long a legislative leader can serve. At the same time, Biss said focusing on clashing personalities in Springfield such as Madigan and Rauner helps obscure the need for a comprehensive plan to restore Illinois' economy and finances. Biss' effort to inoculate himself against Madigan was the result of the largely Rauner-funded state Republican Party's efforts to associate Democrats up and down the ballot, including candidates for governor, with the veteran House speaker a move intended to tarnish the public's view of Madigan. Rauner on Monday dismissed Biss as "part of the system." "We need big changes in Illinois, big changes," Rauner said when asked to respond to Biss' candidacy. "We need to grow more jobs, bring down our property taxes, properly support our schools and get term limits and fair maps. This is what we need. And folks who come from the system, are part of the system that helped create the problem, are not going to be the solution." Biss, a former University of Chicago mathematics professor, last year ran a political action committee that sought to link Rauner to President Donald Trump. On Monday, Biss criticized Rauner for refusing to speak out against Trump's attempts to curb immigration, to ban abortion and to repeal the Affordable Care Act. In staking out a populist progressive tone, Biss backed changing the Illinois Constitution to allow the imposition of a graduated income tax, which would require the wealthy to pay higher rates. He also spoke of the need to change Illinois' property tax-dependent system of financing education and providing economic help to impoverished neighborhoods and communities. Advertisement Biss and Chicago Ald. Ameya Pawar now find themselves each courting the more progressive wing of the Democratic Party divide, both without the personal resources of those more on the party's establishment side such as Kennedy or Pritzker. Kennedy got in the race last month, and Pritzker has formed an exploratory committee to consider a bid. "I'm not the millionaire or billionaire in this race," Biss said in describing his effort as "a campaign for the rest of us." Biss reported more than $1.3 million in his campaign fund at the start of the year. A bid for governor would prevent him from seeking re-election to his state Senate seat next year. But it is questionable whether Biss will enjoy support from organized labor, a traditional Democratic ally. In 2013 he co-sponsored legislation to alter public employee pensions to reduce the state's massive pension debt. The plan was later struck down by the Illinois Supreme Court. Chicago Tribune's Kim Geiger contributed. rap30@aol.com Advertisement Twitter @rap30 Democratic state Comptroller Susana Mendoza kept up her attacks on Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner on Monday, saying he has failed to fulfill his duties and has left Illinois "in the midst of the worst fiscal crisis in its history." And Rauner again accused Mendoza and other Democrats of working toward a government shutdown to "force a tax hike." Advertisement The two officials have been locked in an acrimonious public back-and-forth since Mendoza beat Rauner-appointed Leslie Geissler Munger in a special election for comptroller last fall. The comptroller nodded to that dynamic early in her remarks to the City Club of Chicago on Monday. "I'm guessing some of you it's a full crowd so I'm thinking maybe some of you bought your tickets because you thought you might see some fireworks or something," Mendoza said. "Maybe you thought I'd show up to criticize the governor. But I have no intention of doing that." Advertisement She said instead she would give Rauner credit "for some of the positive things he's accomplished." Then, Mendoza pulled out a sheet of paper with "this page intentionally left blank" printed on it. Mendoza went on to hammer Rauner, saying he has failed to offer a full state budget and has caused the financial mess that has left some health care providers and other vendors unable to provide essential services. Illinois has operated without a comprehensive spending plan since July 2015 as Rauner and Democrats who control the General Assembly remain locked in a historic stalemate. At a separate event later, Rauner reiterated his theory that Mendoza is trying to use the state checkbook she controls in the budget battle. "The comptroller is working with others to create a crisis," Rauner said. "It's clear they're working to create a crisis, shut down the government, cause a crisis and then force a tax hike or more stopgaps that'll force a tax hike later without any changes. That's what's going on." And the governor said Democrats were to blame for the logjam at the Capitol. "Why can't we get the Thompson Center sold? Why can't we get the managed lanes done?" Rauner said, referring to his proposals to sell the State of Illinois Building in the Loop and to create new toll lanes on a congested portion of the Stevenson Expressway. "Why can't we get a property tax freeze? Everything that I've recommended has overwhelming support by Democrats in the state as well as Republicans." Rauner said Democrats should offer their own ideas if they don't like his. Talking to reporters after her speech, Mendoza said to expect more jabs for now. Advertisement "He needs to stand up and protect the most vulnerable people in this state," she said. "I don't have high hopes that he's going to do that. It certainly has not been his record to date. But, you know, I'm not going to be quiet while this is going on. While he continues to dig a deeper and deeper hole for our state, my job is to stand up and be a voice for all these people across the state of Illinois who are suffering. And he may not like that I'm exercising my vocal cords as much as I am lately, but I'm going to continue to speak up, and even be louder about ringing this bell of alarm." In addition to becoming one of Rauner's loudest public critics, Mendoza controls the state's checkbook. That puts her in a position to make things tougher for the governor at a time Illinois doesn't have enough cash to pay everyone owed money. Last week, she suspended $27 million in funding the governor wanted to use to upgrade the state's technology systems. Mendoza asked why money should go to computers when social service providers have gone months without money from the state. jebyrne@chicagotribune.com kgeiger@chicagotribune.com Twitter @_johnbyrne Twitter @kimgeiger Chinese President Xi Jinping, left, and U.S. State of Secretary Rex Tillerson during a meeting at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Sunday. (Thomas Peter / Pool Photo) Reporting from Beijing Secretary of State Rex Tillerson capped his Asia trip Sunday on a note of collaboration as leaders tried to reset the tense, uncertain relationship between China and the new Trump administration. President Xi Jinping called talks with Tillerson "productive" and said he believes ties can "move ahead in a constructive fashion in the new era." Advertisement Tillerson met Xi at the conclusion of his six-day Asia tour, where he sought to pressure China on North Korea's nuclear ambitions and defuse one of the biggest security threats facing the Trump administration. He told Xi, during a meeting at the Great Hall of the People on Tiananmen Square, that President Trump places a "very high value on the communications that have already occurred" between the two leaders and looks forward to enhanced understanding with a potential future visit. Advertisement But in a sign of the challenges that remain, hours before the discussion, North Korea defiantly announced it had tested a rocket engine that its state media said had "historic significance." The test came a day after Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi pushed back against a stronger U.S. line on North Korea and reiterated the country's desire for talks. A Chinese paramilitary police officer stands guard in front of the plane U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson boarded at the airport in Beijing on Sunday. (Thomas Peter / Associated Press) Xi emphasized to Tillerson the need for more coordination on "regional hotspots," according to a statement from China's Foreign Ministry. On Thursday in Tokyo, Tillerson called for a "new approach" to dealing with North Korea. The next day in Seoul, he declared "all options" on the table, including a military strike. By Saturday in Beijing, he softened his tone and spoke of working with countries to bring North Korea to a place "we can begin a dialogue." China, as North Korea's largest trading partner and only major ally, holds the greatest leverage over its reclusive neighbor. But Beijing has refused to cripple the country's economy out of fears of a refugee flood across the border and the loss of a buffer zone between South Korea and U.S. troops stationed there. It has been a very positive relationship built on nonconfrontation, no conflict, mutual respect and always searching for win-win solutions. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson Tillerson's visit the first on Chinese soil by a high-level official under Trump gave little indication of the new administration's policies toward a country the president attacked throughout his campaign. "It has been a very positive relationship built on nonconfrontation, no conflict, mutual respect and always searching for win-win solutions," Tillerson said Saturday, echoing Xi's comments at a 2014 meeting with President Obama. Advertisement But expectations for the visit were relatively low. "The willingness to deliver on both sides is quite limited," said Shi Yinhong, director of the Center for American Studies at Renmin University in Beijing. "Words are cheap." A State Department spokesman suggested the half-hour meeting between Xi and Tillerson touched on disagreements. "Both President Xi and Secretary Tillerson agreed there are opportunities for greater cooperation between China and the United States," the spokesman, Mark Toner, said, "but acknowledged there are, and will be in the future, differences between the two countries." The meetings were almost more telling in what wasn't discussed at least not publicly. Trump, during his campaign, branded China a currency manipulator, accused it of "raping" the U.S., and pledged steep tariffs. Now that nation, in the face of an increasingly protectionist America, has arisen as a leading proponent of global trade. A day before the arrival of Tillerson, the former chief executive of Exxon Mobil, the Saudi Arabian king and his thousand-person entourage signed $65 billion worth of economic and trade deals with China. Advertisement And in the same compound on Saturday as Tillerson's meetings with Chinese officials, Apple CEO Tim Cook gave a resounding endorsement of globalization. Tillerson also made no mention of climate change, a priority in the partnership between China and the previous administration. Obama and Xi last year committed the world's two largest economies to a Paris climate deal intended to reduce greenhouse gases. Trump has threatened to pull out of it. His budget proposal lacks funding for domestic and international global warming efforts. "Just months ago, China and the United States were unified as leaders of the pack combating global climate change," Annie Leonard, executive director of Greenpeace USA, said in a statement. "China has since far surpassed its previous climate ally, leaving the United States woefully behind the rest of the world." Tillerson did bring up human rights, surprising some analysts, who didn't view the issue as a priority for the administration despite Xi's widespread crackdown on human rights activists and lawyers. This month, Tillerson abandoned precedent and skipped the launch of an annual human rights report that detailed Chinese abuses. And he's threatened to pull the U.S. out of the United Nations Human Rights Council unless it undergoes reform. Tillerson broke with decades of tradition by allowing only one reporter from a conservative outlet to accompany him on his trip, a move that triggered concerns about the message it sends to China about press freedoms. The State Department said the decision was prompted by a desire to save money, although news organizations pay their own way on such trips. Advertisement Tillerson laid the foundation for a Florida summit between Xi and Trump in early April, where the two will probably iron out policies in greater detail. Officials also discussed the recent deployment of a U.S. antiballistic missile system in South Korea; China's controversial claims to the South China Sea; and Taiwan, which Beijing views as its territory. Trump initially suggested using Taiwan as a bargaining chip in the relationship with China. But he has since backed down and affirmed long-standing U.S. policy that the democratic island is part of a united China a major victory for the Communist nation, which considers the issue unassailable. Tillerson needed to "undo the damage that was done during the campaign and the first days of the administration," said Susan Shirk, chair of the 21st Century China Center at UC San Diego and a former deputy assistant secretary of State under the Clinton administration. "The great uncertainties are what the U.S. position actually is." Meyers is a special correspondent. Times staff writer Tracy Wilkinson in Washington contributed to this report. ALSO Advertisement Trump doubles down on unproven wiretap claim by making a joke about Germany's Angela Merkel China pushes back on tougher U.S. approach to North Korea South Korea's upcoming presidential election could reshape its relations with North Korea and the U.S. UPDATES: 12:55 p.m.: This article has been updated with comment from the State Department. This article was originally posted at 8 a.m. WASHINGTON When bioethicist and oncologist Ezekiel Emanuel met with President Donald Trump at the White House on Monday, the session revealed publicly what has been happening privately for months: A trusted ally of former President Barack Obama and chief architect of the Affordable Care Act is trying to help steer how Republicans take it apart. With the administration and GOP leaders in Congress working to rewrite the landmark 2010 law - and Democrats displaying little appetite for negotiating with them - Emanuel appears to be one of the only members of his party with a seat at the table. Advertisement Monday's meeting was Emanuel's third in-person conversation on health policy with Trump since the November election. According to one person familiar with the session, who spoke on condition of anonymity about the private discussion, it took place in the Oval Office and lasted about 40 minutes. Among the others also attending were Vice President Pence, House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price, the president's son-in-law and senior adviser, Jared Kushner, and the White House National Economic Council director, Gary Cohn. Details of the conversation were not immediately available. But White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer confirmed the meeting took place - only days before Ryan hopes to bring the bill to a House vote. Advertisement "Obviously, [Emanuel] and the president have some differing views on the best way to make health care affordable and accessible," Spicer told reporters afterwards. "But the president also strongly believes that the health and well-being of the American people shouldn't always be a partisan issue," he said, noting that Trump also has talked about drug prices with Democratic Rep. Elijah Cummings of Maryland. In an interview on Sunday, Emanuel recalled how during the ACA's drafting, Democrats held ongoing discussions with shifting groups of Republican lawmakers, even though no GOP members of the House or Senate ultimately supported the legislation. Now, however, such bipartisan discussion of the future of federal health-care law "doesn't seem to be happening," said Emanuel, who chairs the University of Pennsylvania's Department of Medical Ethics and Health Policy. "I may be the only person on the Democratic side who, for crazy reasons, they've agreed to talk to." This role is a dramatic turnabout for the prolific health policy expert who served as a top adviser in the Obama White House from 2009 to 2011 and was demonized at the time by many Republicans. In his 2014 book Reinventing American Health Care, Emanuel wrote that "beginning in 2020 or so, the ACA will increasingly be seen as a world historical achievement, even more important for the United States than Social Security and Medicare has been. And Barack Obama will be viewed more like Harry Truman - judged with increasing respect over time." While Emanuel is partisan, he also is pragmatic, and he has consistently maintained that the sprawling law needs improvement. He has argued that it should be altered to further expand insurance coverage, contain health costs, improve the health plans' affordability, and address the inconsistent caliber of health-care delivery in the United States. Following the election, the president-elect phoned Emanuel and said they would meet in January after the inauguration. Emanuel replied that they needed to talk sooner, because, if Congress repealed and replaced the ACA, it would "tank" Trump's presidency, Emanuel recalled. In mid-December, officials for the presidential transition announced that Emanuel would visit Trump at Trump Tower. Then last month, he met with the president at the White House. Along the way, he also has discussed health-care matters periodically with several of Trump's top advisers. Advertisement "I take the president seriously when he says he wants to get everyone in the country covered," Emanuel said Sunday - a goal that could be an even bigger challenge under the Republians' American Health Care Act. A forecast last week by the Congessional Budget Office estimated that the legislation would lead to 24 million more uninsured Americans by 2026. In 2018 alone, the CBO projected, the number of people without health coverage could increase by 14 million. "There are ideas out there that are bipartisan, and I'm pushing those ideas," Emanuel said. They include the idea of automatically enrolling Americans in coverage with a minimum set of benefits. "It's not administratively simple, but it's got appeal." The conversations between the two men carry political risks for both sides. Emanuel's brother, Rahm, is the mayor of Chicago and a one-time Obama chief of staff who has clashed repeatedly with Trump over how best to address gun violence in that city. And the doctor has himself come under Republican fire before. Former GOP vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin once called him "Orwellian" for an op-ed in which he noted that many medical professionals support the idea of providing care to younger rather than older patients when resources are very scarce. Emanuel, who opposes physician-assisted suicide and voluntary euthanasia, countered that critics had taken a single piece of his voluminous works of writing out of context. He has been an outspoken critic of the U.S. health-care system; his 2014 book's full title continues as "How the Affordable Care Act Will Improve Our Terribly Complex, Blatantly Unjust, Outrageously Expensive, Grossly Inefficient, Error Prone System." Under the ACA, he helped usher in changes to how health care is delivered, from accelerating the adoption of electronic medical records to making preventative health services more affordable. Advertisement As a tenured professor who does not hold elected office, Emanuel has considerably more freedom than many other prominent Democrats. Even as he talks with the White House, he rejects the current House GOP legislation. It would leave many Americans without insurance who are currently covered without insurance, he said Sunday, and it fails to address the factors driving up health care costs. "In its present form, the bill is totally unacceptable to Democrats, myself included," he said. But Emanuel is accustomed to intellectual combat. In another of his books, he recounted what it was like to grow up with his equally ambitious and accomplished brothers (the other one, Ari, is a prominent Hollywood agent), who helped turn family dinners into verbal sparring matches. The bitter fight over the origins of the ACA taught him the danger of declaring victory - or defeat - too early, he says: "One thing you recognize is, it's not over til it's over." Homeland Security officials on Monday unveiled the administration's first list of law enforcement agencies that refused to detain jailed immigrants beyond their release dates so that the federal government could take them into custody and try to deport them. Federal officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity in a conference call with reporters, said local agencies, including some in Maryland and Virginia, failed to honor 206 detention requests from Jan. 28 to Feb. 3. President Trump in January ordered Homeland Security to issue a weekly list of crimes committed by noncitizen immigrants and to identify agencies that refused to hold those people in jail on civil immigration-violation charges until federal agents could pick them up. "These numbers will continue to go up," a Homeland Security official said. "There is a clear public safety issue here that will only be further illuminated as we go forward." Advocates for immigrants say it is unconstitutional for local police to detain someone for a civil deportation proceeding when the judge in their criminal case has ordered them released. "This is part of an overall strategy to try to scare jurisdictions into becoming deportation agents," said Cody Wofsy, a staff attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union's Immigrants' Rights Project. "And the truth is that jurisdictions have the legal right to refuse to become entangled with the federal immigration enforcement system." Trump has threatened to withhold federal funding from what are called sanctuary cities, where local law enforcement agencies do not cooperate with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement bureau, but officials said they hoped such jurisdictions would start cooperating with federal agents instead. Officials identified 118 such agencies in the report Monday, though they cautioned it was preliminary. The National Immigration Law Center (NILC) estimates that 600 jurisdictions limit their cooperation with ICE, in most cases because they do not want immigrants to fear the police or be deported for minor traffic offenses. Avideh Moussavian, a staff lawyer at NILC, said police often cooperate with federal law enforcement agencies on criminal matters but emphasized that immigration violations are civil, not criminal. "They've created this totally false narrative that somehow local law enforcement is obstructing their work because they're not holding people when the local law enforcement authorities have no basis for holding that person any longer," Moussavian said. Homeland Security officials cautioned that the report offered only a snapshot of a week's worth of detainers - requests from ICE to a law enforcement agency to hold an immigrant for up to 48 hours after they are released on bail so that immigration agents can take them into custody and seek to deport them. The report did not identify the alleged criminals affected by the declined detainers, but officials said many had been arrested for serious crimes, including aggravated assault and homicide. A Washington Post analysis, however, showed that fewer than half of the people had been convicted of a crime. Most detainers were issued for citizens of Mexico, followed by Honduras. Some local law enforcement agencies suggested Monday that the agency's methodology is flawed. More than 60 percent of the declined detainers were from Travis County in Texas, which on Feb. 1 adopted a policy limiting its cooperation with ICE. Maj. Wes Priddy, of the Travis County Sheriff's Office, said the agency does detain criminals convicted of serious crimes for immigration officials. But he said his department does not turn over people awaiting trial. "We do honor ICE detainers. But we do it selectively and in a manner which we can abide by our policy," Priddy said, adding that in the past, immigration officials have deported people before trial, depriving defendants of their day in court and, in some cases, denying closure to crime victims. "We want to make sure that justice is served on the local level as well." Patrick Lacefield, a government spokesman in Montgomery County, Md., which also has a declined detainer on the list, said officials in the county cooperate with ICE and have nothing in their records matching what the federal officials have on their list. "We looked in our records, and we don't have either a detainer received on that date or a detainer declined on that date," Lacefield said. "If we had a name of who it was, we could do a more thorough search. On the face of it, it doesn't really support the information that they have." Jessica Vaughan, director of policy studies for the Center for Immigration Studies, said the report suggested that ICE may not be effectively tracking detainers it files with local agencies. Some detainers were issued as far back as 2010 or 2014 but were logged as declined just a few weeks ago, apparently because ICE had not tracked them before then. At the same time, Vaughan said, the list is an attempt to pressure localities to change their policies and inform the public that sanctuary cities sometimes release serious criminals. When he signed the Jan. 25 executive order intensifying deportation efforts, Trump said jurisdictions put U.S. citizens at risk by releasing criminals who should be deported and who, in some cases, commit additional crimes after being released from jail. Demonstrators protest outside the office of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on March 16, 2017, in Chicago, Ill. (Scott Olson / Getty Images) The Hawaii judge who brought a national halt to President Trump's new travel ban last week has rejected the government's request to limit his ruling. In a short filing in his Honolulu court on Sunday, U.S. District Judge Derrick Watson told federal lawyers who protested against the broad scope of his ruling that "there is nothing unclear" about his order against the ban. Advertisement The Department of Justice had filed a motion late Friday asking Watson to scale back his decision that found the travel ban to discriminate against Muslims to match a narrower ruling against it issued by a federal court in Maryland. On Wednesday, Watson ordered a stop to Trump's 90-day ban on travel into the U.S. by citizens of Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen, and a 120-day pause on refugee resettlement from any country. The judge also stopped the government's attempt to cap refugee resettlement and the compiling of a series of government studies and reports on how refugees and foreign visitors to the U.S. are vetted. Advertisement In their Friday motion, government lawyers had asked Watson to revise his ruling to say it did not apply to the refugee ban or to the government studies and reports. Federal lawyers did not abandon their argument that Trump's executive order is constitutional but said the judge should limit his ruling to the six-country ban. "The motion, in other words, asks the court to make a distinction that the federal defendants' previous briefs and arguments never did. As important, there is nothing unclear about the scope of the court's order. The federal defendants' motion is denied," Watson wrote on Sunday. If Watson had granted the request, the Hawaii ruling would have largely matched a Maryland federal court order against the travel ban that was issued on Thursday by U.S. District Judge Theodore D. Chuang. The Maryland judge declined to rule against the pause and cap on refugees. The Department of Justice has appealed Chuang's decision to the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond, Va. It could also appeal last week's Hawaii ruling to the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco. The original travel ban, signed Jan. 27, was blocked in federal district courts and the 9th Circuit. The new ban, signed March 6 and scheduled to go into effect March 16, was modified in an attempt to pass court muster. Changes in the new version included deleting Iraq from the list of countries whose travelers would be blocked and removing preferential treatment of refugees who were religious minorities. President Donald Trump is a reckless bully with authoritarian leanings and a craving for attention. Kim Jong-un is a reckless bully with dictatorial powers and a craving for attention. Oh yes, and both have fingers on nuclear triggers. That's why so many national security experts of both political parties struggle to think of a scarier pair. It's not just that Kim's outlaw North Korean regime has accelerated its nuclear weapons capacity and delivery capability, or that Kim sees nuclear weapons as his insurance policy against adversaries. Advertisement It's also that Trump has displayed little appreciation of history or knowledge and a compulsion to show that he's tough. Trump has called Kim a "madman," one of the few things he has gotten right about North Korea. Dealing with him, though, requires measured patience and smart diplomacy not Trump's forte and a reliance on alliances and relationships that he has dismissed. Advertisement On his current Asia trip, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said that diplomacy with North Korea hasn't worked and that there'd be a "new approach." That sounds like just talk. More important, Defense Secretary James Mattis impressed Asia experts during his visit last month to Japan and South Korea, in essence assuring the allies that U.S. commitments were unchanged despite Trump's "America First" oratory. There are few Asia specialists in this slow-to-form administration. But if Trump listens to Mattis and H.R. McMaster, his national security adviser, there will be a sense of relief in Tokyo, Seoul and Washington about the approach to North Korea. Let's hope the president doesn't revert instead to his penchant for relying on gut instincts or his nationalist Svengali, Steve Bannon. Trump did advocate a greater nuclear presence in Asia during the 2016 presidential campaign. He declared that China has "total control" over North Korea and has hinted that he's going to tell China's President Xi Jinping to bring the North Korean dictator to his knees or else. But China doesn't have anything close to total control over Kim Jung-un. It has contempt for his recklessness and alarm at his nuclear development. Above all, Beijing fears collapse of the regime, which would bring millions of refugees pouring across the border and possibly created a unified Korea that isn't a strategic buffer for China. The Chinese want to tamp down Kim, but their interests aren't the same as America's. "China's influence is limited, but it has practical leverage if it chooses to use it," said Tony Blinken, deputy secretary of state in the administration of President Barack Obama. For example, the Chinese did suspend coal imports from North Korea that accounts for about a third of its exports in line with a United Nations resolution. But the "or else" Trump has suggested he could punish China on trade won't scare Beijing. The dilemma on what to do is compounded by political instability in South Korea, whose hard-line President Park Geun-hye was just thrown out of office in a corruption inquiry. A new leader will be elected in May, possibly someone more inclined to compromise over relations with the North. A fear expressed by some experts is that Trump, who fancies himself a masterful negotiator, would agree to offer less resistance to China's ambitions in the South China Sea in exchange for a promise by Xi to bring more pressure on North Korea. The other fear is that the megalomaniac North Korean dictator could goad Trump into a mano-a-mano exchange that starts on Twitter and ends who-knows-where. Advertisement Economic sanctions are hurting North Korea. Cyber attacks may temporarily impede its nuclear-weapons program. And to China's consternation, the U.S. is deploying an anti-missile system in South Korea. But over a quarter century, with Republican and Democratic administrations alike, neither carrots nor sticks have effectively constrained the outlaw regime. With no good solution, the least bad approach would be to try to negotiate some interim agreement in cooperation with China, Japan and South Korea that freezes North Korea's nuclear weapons programs, with guaranteed verification, in return for lifting some economic sanctions while seeking a longer-term deal. There is a parallel: the nuclear treaty Obama negotiated with Iran, which Trump called the "worst deal" in history. Washington Post Albert R. Hunt is a Bloomberg View columnist. He was the executive editor of Bloomberg News, before which he was a reporter, bureau chief and executive Washington editor at the Wall Street Journal. Related articles: China urges U.S. to be 'cool-headed' as it seeks to check North Korea Advertisement Waking up to the North Korean nuclear nightmare Anxiety grows over North Korea's arsenal: 'Danger now is miscalculation' Would an impulsive Trump hit the nuclear button? Let's start with what we know: There can be little doubt that the Russian government attempted a multipronged operation last year to try to influence our presidential election. All 17 members of the U.S. intelligence community agree on that, and such unanimity on anything from so many government agencies in the intelligence world or elsewhere is rare. It is also clear that the goal of the Russians' operation was to increase the likelihood that Donald Trump would be elected. This is not a partisan statement, especially if you look at it from Russian President Vladimir Putin's perspective: Candidate Trump's positions on Russia were very much more favorable to Moscow than were those of his opponent, Hillary Clinton (see also: NATO, Crimea, Eastern Ukraine). Personal antipathy between Putin and Clinton also probably played a role. What else do we know? We have seen a series of data points linking the Trump campaign to the Russian government before the election. We know Michael Flynn, erstwhile national security adviser and active member of the Trump campaign, visited Moscow at the behest of RT, a Russian media outlet controlled and funded by the Kremlin and notorious for spreading propaganda. We know RT paid for the trip and also compensated Flynn. We know that Flynn sat at the head table with Putin during an RT event. We know there are as yet unproven allegations of connections between Paul Manafort, Trump's former campaign chief, and Russia (possibly via a Russian intelligence officer and a Russian oligarch/organized crime figure). We know there are outstanding questions regarding Trump's personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, as to whether he traveled to Europe for meetings with Russians (which he has denied). And more recently, it has come to light that Trump adviser Roger Stone was in contact with hacker Guccifer 2.0, who claims to have been involved with the breach of Democratic National Committee servers. Advertisement The steady drumbeat regarding some kind of contact between the Trump camp and Russia, coupled with the assessment of the IC, has caused Congress to begin investigating. The House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, led by Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Calif., will hold public hearings this week, while various other committees indicate they plan to investigate, as well. But figuring out the connections between the Russian government and the Trump administration won't be possible if we leave it up to Congress. For such a serious and politically fraught matter, we need an independent investigation. Advertisement Then-President-elect Donald Trump with then-Trump National Security Adviser designate Lt. General Michael Flynn, right, at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Fla., on Dec. 21, 2016. Flynn resignedin Februaryamid escalating controversy over his contacts with Moscow. (Jim Watson / AFP/Getty Images) Even if only one of the data points pointing toward contact between the Trump campaign and the Russians is accurate, a serious probe is required. This is not a matter of looking into a misguided policy that was pursued illegally (like Iran/Contra), a possible intelligence failure resulting in thousands of American deaths (the 9/11 attacks) or the gross politicization of intelligence for political means (whether Iraq had weapons of mass destruction before the 2003 U.S. invasion). For the Trump campaign or any of its representatives to be in any way coordinating with the government of Russia during the campaign constitutes a threat to a primary pillar of American democracy: free and fair elections. That Russia meddled in U.S. presidential elections is bad enough; cooperation or collusion between a candidate and a foreign power particularly Russia, a serious adversary in an attempt to win would be unprecedented in modern times. The gravity and inherently political nature of the situation are precisely what make investigation by congressional committees ill-advised. I have seen both the House and Senate committees on intelligence in action during my time working in the CIA's Office of Congressional Affairs. As a longtime intelligence officer and member of the Clandestine Service, I was impressed with the committes' attention to security and secrecy. Members and staffers enjoyed access to incredibly sensitive programs and information, and in some cases the professional staff had a better understanding as to what was going on during briefings than I did. I cannot recall a time during my tenure when either a staffer or a member leaked classified information. But that's not the issue. The real problem is the politics that are baked into the congressional oversight system. Because members of Congress are involved, party politics inevitably comes into play. Take, for example, the investigation into the CIA's enhanced interrogation techniques, undertaken in 2009 by Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), then chair of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. The result was a unilateral report issued by the panel's Democrats. Republican members never agreed with how the investigation was run, and they refused to participate. And then there was the controversy over whether Senate staffers had tried to access information the CIA had not cleared for them, the subsequent CIA search of computers used by the staffers to determine this (which the committee believed was an illegal hack) and the ensuing distrust on both sides. While the "Torture Report" dealt with a sensitive topic involving American values, the possibility of a presidential election corrupted by a foreign power is incredibly more incendiary. At the end of the day, the "Torture Report" decided nothing and caused no change that had not already occurred inside the CIA, and the results of the report remain contested. I doubt if most Americans outside of Washington can recall the results of Feinstein's work or whether anything decisive happened in its wake. This cannot happen with the investigation into possible Russian ties to the Trump campaign. Allegations of torture quite correctly caused our democracy to take a hard look at what our intelligence services have been asked to do by an administration. But allegations of a candidate cooperating with an adversarial foreign power to win a presidential election strike at the very heart of our system. The seriousness of these allegations means we cannot leave the investigation to any politician who has a vested interest in the outcome, as both Republicans and Democrats do. Members and staffers on the oversight committees simply cannot act in a truly bipartisan fashion. This fact is a product of the hyper-partisanship present in politics right now. At a different time in our history, I might have believed a politician who said, "This issue is critical and needs to be dealt with in a bipartisan fashion." In today's political vocabulary, that translates into, "This issue is critical, and if you are from the opposing party you need to get behind us on this." Already there is evidence that the investigations by the intelligence oversight committees are becoming political. The issues associated with Flynn are being called "a tangent" by Nunes, even as a better understanding of Flynn's activities while in Russia is critically important. President Trump has made allegations that his campaign was subjected to surveillance last year, and despite there being no evidence of this, Nunes has agreed to include the claims in the investigation, thereby stretching the committee's resources - and, more important, the nation's attention span. The 9/11 Commission tried to get to the root cause of how thousands of Americans could be killed in the United States by terrorists. Those attacks were horrible, but politically, everyone in power in Washington agreed on who the enemy was and that nothing like the attacks should never happen again. It was, truly, a bipartisan matter. The much more insidious possibility of Trump's cooperation with Russia to win the election should be of the same kind of bipartisan concern, investigated by an independent commission, too. If that doesn't happen, and the results of the oversight committee's work is simply a shoulder shrug, grave damage will have been done to the bedrock of our democracy. Washington Post Advertisement Steven L. Hall retired from the CIA in 2015 after 30 years of running and managing Russian operations. Related articles: Donald Trump, Kim Jong-un and the threat of nuclear war Have populist politics reached 'peak' Trump? What Trump and Bannon's 'America First' agenda could look like Sean Spicer's defense of Trump's wiretap claim is dangerous for America There's a lot to like about Chicago's snazzy 606, the 2.7-mile greenway that slices through the Northwest Side, built on what used to be an elevated freight rail line. Runners, cyclists, skateboarders and strolling families wend their way over the Bucktown, Wicker Park, Humboldt Park and Logan Square neighborhoods, passing by hydrangea and tufts of sedge, comfortably aloft over the cacophony and congestion of city streets. Some of the trail's neighbors, however, aren't that enamored with one aspect of the 606: The price of real estate around it has shot up. Longtime residents complain that the trail's popularity and aesthetic have accelerated gentrification in their neighborhood, which is sending home prices and property taxes soaring. Advertisement According to a report by the Institute for Housing Studies at DePaul University, housing prices along the trail west of Western Avenue rose 48 percent from 2013, when construction on the trail began, to 2016. In neighborhoods just east of the trail, housing prices have gone up nearly 14 percent in that time. Two local aldermen, Proco "Joe" Moreno, 1st, and Roberto Maldonado, 26th, have conjured up a way to power down the rate of gentrification along The 606. They're proposing an ordinance that would raise demolition fees for developers in neighborhoods along The 606, making it much more expensive to raze old housing in order to build pricier homes. The ordinance also would charge developers a "deconversion" fee when they transform multifamily housing along The 606 into single-family housing. Money raised by the ordinance would go into a fund that would help improve the existing housing stock for homeowners and tenants living there now. Advertisement "If the developers are really willing to buy existing properties and want to demolish them to build higher-end new properties, making it almost impossible for neighborhood people to afford them, they will have to pay a premium demolition fee," Maldonado told the Tribune's Corilyn Shropshire. Maldonado and Moreno have yet to lay out how much they would charge for "deconverting" multifamily housing, or how much higher they would raise demolition fees. And they haven't detailed what specific areas along The 606 the ordinance would cover. It doesn't matter. We think this ordinance should be shelved. Does Maldonado really think that ramping up demolition fees would deter a developer who's angling to make a killing on a teardown? If the price is right, an old two-flat's going to get demolished and replaced by something in the seven-figure range, no matter what demolition fee is charged. And what about longtime homeowners who want to cash in on their neighborhood's transformation? A house is more than a home it's an investment, and homeowners have every right to reap the payoff from their years of improvements, upkeep and mortgage payments. Gentrification has posed a dilemma for American cities for as long as there have been cities. Indeed, there's something unsettling about seeing a neighborhood with an enduring identity and feel gradually morph into something tonier and shinier, a transformation that changes the neighborhood's character. But cities aren't static entities, frozen in time. They evolve, principally because their neighborhoods evolve. People move in and out, businesses and shops come and go. It's a process as natural as evolution itself. Should mayors and city councils ensure that affordable housing doesn't get lost in these neighborhood transformations? Of course. The trick is to craft the right solution. For example, we like the idea of tying affordable housing into "transit-oriented development" projects that encourage use of mass transit by situating near train stations buildings with retail space, high-density housing and limited parking. A portion of the apartments can be set aside as affordable housing. Managing a city's evolution is inherently a balancing act. On one side of the scale, public officials can react smartly to changes in a neighborhood's character and affordability. On the other side of the scale, they can let economic development naturally occur. That is, if gentrification around The 606 risks driving away residents, the aldermen can generate more transit-oriented development and other creative strategies. But blocking investment that seeds a neighborhood's growth and prosperity isn't the way to make the balancing act succeed. Join the discussion on Twitter @Trib_Ed_Board and on Facebook. Advertisement Related articles: Aldermen want to 'put a brake' on gentrification along The 606 Gentrification in Pilsen: Is the neighborhood getting whiter? Sorry, lower-income residents, those apartments near the 'L' aren't for you 'Biking while black': Chicago minority areas see the most bike tickets Questions about Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election have evolved into a cluster of allegations wiretaps, national security leaks, British spying in America. ... It's all so unwieldy as to defy conventional scandal-mongering: The cluster doesn't even have a name, a la Watergate, Whitewater or Benghazi. In a televised congressional hearing Monday, FBI Director James Comey made progress in condensing the narrative. Comey confirmed the real and serious focus of the investigation. Comey told members of the House intelligence committee that the FBI is investigating Russian efforts to monkey with the election. Here was riveting testimony, though lacking details or, of course, a conclusion. Comey said the investigation includes looking at any possible links between people associated with the Donald Trump campaign and the Russian government, "and whether there was any coordination between the campaign and Russia's efforts." Advertisement Comey's kicker: "As with any counterintelligence investigation, this will also include an assessment of whether any crimes were committed." What about some of those other allegations orbiting the investigation that have been promoted by the White House? Recall that Trump rattled the windows recently with a series of outlandish tweets from Mar-a-Lago accusing President Barack Obama of wiretapping him at Trump Tower during the run-up to the election. He cited no evidence. As a follow-on, White House spokesman Sean Spicer repeated an unsubstantiated report that if Obama subordinates weren't directly responsible for bugging Trump, it may have been their friends in British intelligence. The Brits blew a gasket, calling the allegation "utterly ridiculous." Advertisement In their testimony Monday, Comey and National Security Agency Director Mike Rogers rejected those possibilities so swiftly that the president should be embarrassed for dwelling on his accusations. Comey said, "I have no information that supports those tweets, and we have looked carefully inside the FBI." The Department of Justice had the same answer, Comey added. Rogers was asked about the White House's additional supposition that maybe British intelligence was responsible? He scoffed, saying it would expressly violate intelligence-sharing agreements that have been in place for decades among the U.S., the U.K. and several other allies. Rogers also said: "I've seen nothing on the NSA side that we engage in any such activity nor that anyone ever asked us to engage in such activity." A few sober, carefully constrained statements by Comey and Rogers won't put an end to the circus. There's too much politics and not enough facts. Comey made clear he wouldn't discuss details of an ongoing investigation just acknowledging its existence is unusual enough. Leave it to the pols, then, to grandstand their way through Monday's hearing. Some Democrats want to go after Trump's tax returns. Some Republicans want to focus on whether government officials broke the law by leaking information to reporters, since a part of this mega-story involves the question of how former national security adviser Michael Flynn's pre-inauguration phone calls with the Russian ambassador came to light. The White House won't let go either: "Must find leaker now!" Trump tweeted Monday morning. Spicer said much the same Monday afternoon. Their actions amount to a carnival sideshow meant to deflect attention. Trump's obsession damages his credibility as America's leader. The part of this spectacle that matters the most is the part Comey is focused on: whether Russian attempts to help defeat Hillary Clinton involved collusion with anyone associated with Trump's campaign. It's a question that, for now, has no answer. But this is a real investigation, and it should go where the facts lead. This probe may not politically help Democrats hoping to embarrass Trump and Republicans who want accusations of collusion debunked. But it is what's best for this country. Join the discussion on Twitter @Trib_Ed_Board and on Facebook. Related articles: Comey's testimony leaves Trump looking desperate, childish and vulnerable Regarding the Tribune editorial, "What Trump's budget blueprint gets right," to see how hard it will be for the administration to defund or cut back some federal programs, consider the history of the seven-member United States Board of Tea. This board was established in 1897 to taste and rule on whether to permit the importation of various teas. Since the Food and Drug Administration had subsequently taken on this function, in a 1970 presidential address President Richard Nixon pointed out the needless duplication, and legislation was introduced to eliminate the totally redundant board of tea tasters. Advertisement The exertions of neither the Nixon nor the Carter administrations could kill it. President Bill Clinton tried unsuccessfully in 1993, before the board was finally done away with in 1996 a full 26 years after the Nixon administration had proposed it. This was a tiny expense only about $200,000 annually with a tiny constituency, yet the board managed to cling to life for a generation as its supporters filed lawsuits and threatened to obtain writs of mandamus. President Ronald Reagan noted that "a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this Earth." That accuracy of that observation will be tested once again during the upcoming budget deliberations. Advertisement Bob Foys, Chicago Chicago motorists will get a longer grace period before getting hit with a $100 red light camera ticket, following a new city-commissioned study about the controversial program. Monday's report by the Northwestern University Transportation Center recommended that Chicago extend the "enforcement threshold" when cars are given tickets from 0.1 seconds to 0.3 seconds after the light turns red. A city Transportation Department spokesman said that the longer grace period, which will go into effect immediately, will cut the number of tickets issued by about 29 percent and result in an expected revenue loss of $17 million this year. Advertisement The city also plans to remove red light cameras at six intersections, while adding them to five others, including the first two locations in the Loop. The $300,000 study, paid for by the city, pointed to the existence of a "dilemma zone" faced by drivers forced to make a split-second decision on whether to stop or continue through an intersection after the light changes. The study said the change would not affect safety. Advertisement "You could have a law-abiding person who intends to stop and who is unable to come to a complete stop," said Hani Mahmassani, director of the center, who led the study team which included traffic safety experts from across the country. He said most cities have longer grace periods than a 10th of a second. The city said the new standard is on par with New York City and Philadelphia. "We want to emphasize that extending this enforcement threshold is not an invitation to drivers to try to beat the red light," said Rebekah Scheinfeld, city transportation commissioner. She said that it instead gives well-intentioned drivers "the benefit of the doubt." The study also recommends the city continue with the red light camera program, which has been tainted by a bribery scandal exposed by the Chicago Tribune. The Northwestern report found that red light camera enforcement resulted in a 19 percent reduction in serious side-angle and turning crashes, a 10 percent reduction in injury-producing crashes and a measurable "spillover effect" that improved safety at other intersections without cameras. As a result of the study's findings, the city also plans to remove cameras from six intersections which have racked up a lot of tickets, but not brought the hoped-for reduction in crashes. Those intersections are 95th Street and Stony Island Avenue; Western Avenue and 71st Street; Western and Pershing Road; Grand and Oak Park avenues: Irving Park Road and Kedzie Avenue; and Peterson Avenue and Pulaski Road. The city intends to put cameras at two Loop locations Wacker Drive and Lake Street and Michigan Avenue and Jackson Boulevard as well as at Dearborn and Grand avenues; Pershing Road and Martin Luther King Drive and a complex cluster of intersections on the Far Northwest Side that include Central Avenue, Foster Avenue, Northwest Highway and Milwaukee Avenue. The city's 151 intersections with cameras currently include two locations just north of the Loop at LaSalle and Kinzie streets and Columbus Drive and Illinois Street, according to Transportation Department spokesman Mike Claffey. Claffey said the city must schedule public meetings to discuss the proposed removals and installations. The study compared before and after crash data at 85 intersections where cameras were installed in 2008 and 2009 with crash data for 103 intersections without cameras. Mayor Rahm Emanuel recently reinstated the red light camera vendor Redflex Traffic Systems Inc. The firm, which was suspended four years ago after it was caught bribing its way into City Hall, agreed last month to pay the city $20 million to settle a lawsuit over the scheme. Advertisement The Tribune exposed the bribery plot in 2012, after obtaining internal documents that found the company was paying a high-level transportation manager named John Bills $1,500 or more for each of the 384 cameras he ordered installed throughout the city. Bills was convicted last year at a federal trial and is serving a 10-year prison term. Also sentenced to prison were former Redflex CEO Karen Finley and a Redflex consultant, Martin O'Malley. The Tribune also exposed problems with the red light camera program, including enforcement practices that tagged thousands of drivers during unexplained surges at malfunctioning cameras. Emanuel shut down dozens of cameras while running for re-election, promising to improve oversight. The Tribune also commissioned a traffic study that showed that nearly half the cameras installed under Bills' watch were placed at intersections that never had many crashes in the first place. The study by researchers at Texas A&M University's Transportation Institute also found that rear-end collisions at those intersections rose 22 percent because of the cameras. The Northwestern study found a 14 percent increase in rear-end crashes, but Mahmassani noted that turning and right-angle crashes are more common and more severe. He said that the longer grace period for issuing tickets after the light turns red should reduce some rear-end crashes. The city is in the process of preparing a "Vision Zero" action plan to eliminate traffic deaths and serious injuries, working with multiple agencies including the police and health departments. The plan will use a variety of policies, including camera enforcement, the city said. The red light camera program has raised more than $600 million in fines. Advertisement mwisniewski@chicagotribune.com Twitter @marywizchicago Asign warns motorists of the presence of a red light camera in Chicago. The fight over red-light cameras has landed in the Illinois Legislature, where lawmakers who say the recording devices are dishonest and fail to make driving safer are pushing to ban them in communities across the state. (AP Photo/M. Spencer Green) (M. Spencer Green / AP) Dear Readers, I am a Chicago red light camera, and everyone hates me. I mean everyone. The people who accelerate through the yellow at Belmont and Sheridan and end up with not only a hefty fine, but also a grainy photo in the mail that looks like they're being blackmailed. The taxpayers who have to foot the $40,000 bill for the over 400 tickets racked up by CTA drivers in the last two years. And especially by my ex: Redflex Traffic Systems Inc., the red light camera vendor that's being forced to shell out $20 million to settle their $2 billion bribery scandal which involved paying off a (former) high-level city transportation manager. Who also hates me. Advertisement It's pretty lonely being a red light camera, despite the fact that we're literally everywhere, all the time, constantly up your butt and in your business, not giving a hoot about what you're late for or where you're going. And then, one day, everything changed. Kellyanne Conway, White House counselor and chief matchmaker, introduced me to the love of my life: the microwave. Advertisement Finally! There was someone out there who could understand me! Someone else who sees everything ... and yet ... is so unseen. Someone else who is just a normal piece of technology that has somehow magically morphed into a Big Brother force of evil, destined to ruin lives and surveil all. Who can make hot dogs wrapped in a wet paper towel explode. Just like my heart. And don't even get me started on how hot a microwave is! Hot like burnt popcorn and tongue-scorching reheated pizza! Man, how badly I want to get a bun in that oven! I have a microwave Cinnabon clone recipe I found on Pinterest that I'm dying to try. So my question to you, dear readers, is how do I make my move? Just assume the microwave already knows how I feel, because she's all-knowing? Or do I suggest an IRL meeting? And where's the best place for a first date? Abt Electronics in Glenview? Or New York's Trump Tower, where the alleged spying occurred? I look forward to hearing your responses to my romantic quandary. Time is of the essence, as I'd really like to arrange for my own long-term partnership before a CIA-infiltrated Samsung swoops in and steals my girl. Sincerely, A Chicago Red Light Camera Liz Kozak (@LizKoz) is editor-in-chief of The Second City Network. Get more from The Second City at secondcity.com. A Sugar Grove man was charged with DUI after Aurora police said his vehicle became airborne and eventually hit a tree and a utility pole. Albert Rodriguez, 33, of Sugar Grove, is charged with numerous counts of aggravated drunken driving, no insurance, driving on a suspended license and other traffic violations. Advertisement Aurora police said the incident took place at 3:47 a.m. Friday in the 300 block of Florida Avenue. According to police, an officer witnessed Rodriguez leave the parking lot of the Northgate Shopping Center and travel westbound on Florida Avenue at a high rate of speed. He then allegedly disobeyed a stop sign as he entered the intersection of Florida Avenue and Pennsylvania Avenue. The car went out of control and became airborne, police said. When it landed, the vehicle left the roadway and struck a tree. It continued on, striking a utility pole and breaking it off at ground level, police said. Advertisement The vehicle then rolled and came to a rest on its roof in the front of a home, according to police. Rodriguez was taken to an Aurora hospital for treatment of his injuries. Erika Wurst is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News Outlined in red, is land now owned by the Illinois Department of Corrections - the former Joliet Correctional Center on Collins Street - which the Forest Preserve District of Will County would like to own in a partnership with the Joliet Historical Society and Joliet Park District. It shows potential trails and fields that could be developed. (Susan DeMar Lafferty / Daily Southtown) It was bacon and eggs with a side order of legislative issues Monday morning as leaders of the Forest Preserve District of Will County served up their concerns to eight state officials. Topping their legislative agenda at the biennial breakfast: acquisition of the former Joliet Correctional Center, which was abandoned by the state in 2002, groundwater monitoring and reinstatement of suspended state grants. Advertisement The former prison the oldest prison in the state has caught the eye of diverse groups, including the forest preserve district, the Joliet Historical Society and the Joliet Park District. Ralph Schultz, chief operating officer of the forest preserve district, said the prison site, 176 acres on Collins Street between Rosalind and Woodruff Road offers cultural aspect with "gigantic limestone structures" that "stir the imagination" and are some of the oldest structures in the area. Advertisement Of particular interest to the forest preserve district are the 135 acres of open space on the other side of Collins Street. Attending Monday's legislative breakfast, hosted by the Forest Preserve District of Will County, were (from left) state Rep. Al Riley, D-Olympia Fields, and Rep. Margo McDermed, R-Mokena, with forest Commissioners, Suzanne Hart, R-Naperville, Don Moran, D-Romeoville, and Ray Tuminello, R-New Lenox. (Susan DeMar Lafferty / Daily Southtown) Here, there are opportunities for ball fields and trails in the middle of an economically depressed, underserved area, Schultz said. The Collins Street Task Force has been working with state Sen. Patrick McGuire and state Rep. Larry Walsh Jr., to get answers from the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency on how much contamination is on the site from a shooting range, and if it can be reasonably remedied. According to Schultz, IEPA first has to ensure the site is not contaminated, then it would require legislation to transfer the ownership to the forest preserve district from the Illinois Department of Corrections. "It should be an easy clean-up," said Brent Hassert, Will County's legislative lobbyist. But it has yet to be determined how much contamination there is and who will pay for it, he said. The interested groups hesitate to take on a financial burden, and currently, the state has no money, Hassert said. "It is such a unique facility. There are phenomenal opportunities here," he said. Currently, there is no legislation proposed to transfer the land to the forest preserves or other groups. Advertisement Schultz said he knows it is a long-term project. The forest preserve district would like to acquire the site, and hold onto it until it can be developed, he said. He compared it to the Old Plank Road Trail, which took 20 years to develop from Joliet to Park Forest, and involved numerous government agencies and groups. "This is one area where we can be bipartisan. It has to do with opportunities. There are a lot of things you can do with that property. I would like to see that area developed," said state Rep Al Riley, D-Olympia Fields. Daily Southtown Twice-weekly News updates from the south suburbs delivered every Monday and Wednesday > In other legislative matters, forest preserve officials sought support for two bills, sponsored by state Rep. Margo McDermed, R-Mokena, and Rep. Emily McAsey, Bolingbrook, that would require ground water protection and monitoring at all clean construction or demolition debris operations and at all uncontaminated soil fill operations. Schultz said he wants assurances that the debris being dumped is not contaminated. Hassert said there is "stiff opposition" to these measures. Advertisement Finally, Schultz said the suspension of state grants, including the Open Space Land Acquisition and Development (OSLAD) grants, "took a real toll" on the forest preserves and park districts in developing sites and trails. Forest officials also were keenly aware of all the issues facing legislators, including the lack of a state budget. Commissioner Suzanne Hart, R-Naperville, told state leaders, "When the dust settles, don't forget about us." slafferty@tribpub.com Twitter @SusanLaff An 80,000-square-foot building that would house an eight-screen movie theater is planned for Orland Park's Main Street Triangle. (HANDOUT) An upscale eight-screen movie theater operated by a new entrant in the Chicago market is planned to anchor the next phase of Orland Park's Main Street Triangle development, the village announced Monday. Cinepolis USA, which currently has no theaters in the Chicago area, would occupy the upper floor of a two-story, 80,000-square-foot building proposed by Bradford Real Estate Cos., according to the village. Bradford would pay the village $1 million for just under 2 acres of land north of the village's parking garage and east of the Ninety 7 Fifty on the Park apartments and invest $20 million in constructing the building, which would have a pedestrian walkway cutting through the building at ground level. Advertisement The Village Board, at its meeting Monday night, was expected to approve a letter of intent with Chicago-based Bradford, which has developed several locations in the Chicago area for Mariano's, including Orland Park and Frankfort, as well as a Walmart Supercenter in Evergreen Park. The theater would have a restaurant and bar, and customers would be able to order items to have them delivered to their seat, according to the village. Advertisement Headquartered in Texas, Cinepolis USA has 16 theater locations in states including California, Florida, New Jersey and New York. Its Mexico-based parent, Cinepolis, has more than 500 theater locations in Mexico, South America, Spain and India. The name Cinepolis means "capital of cinema," according to the company's website. Cinepolis USA opened its first U.S. location in California in 2011, and the company previously announced plans to open theaters this year in Dallas and Dayton, Ohio, with a goal of opening a minimum of five theaters each year over the next four years. The village said the company also is planning a theater in Arlington Heights. The first floor of the building Bradford is planning would be occupied by specialty retail and restaurant tenants, according to the village. Daily Southtown Twice-weekly News updates from the south suburbs delivered every Monday and Wednesday > Orland Park is in negotiations with possible tenants for that space, as well as a restaurant space on the ground level of the adjacent parking garage, and expects to make announcements in the coming months, according to Karie Friling, the village's director of development services. Site plans and engineering plans for the Bradford project would have to be approved by the village, and the village's Plan Commission also would have to sign off on the development, she said. The village anticipates construction of the building to get underway later this year and be completed sometime next year, Friling said. The village anticipates the property would generate $520,000 a year in property taxes, with the theater generating sales taxes of $175,000 a year. According to the village, the project would create more than 200 construction jobs and 75 permanent jobs. Once the property Bradford plans to buy is spoken for, there will be a little more than 7 acres remaining in the Main Street Triangle available for development, including parcels to the west of Ninety 7 Fifty and property north of 142nd Street on the west side of LaGrange Road, Friling said. Advertisement mnolan@tribpub.com Twitter @mnolan_j Margaret Lindsay,left, of Highland Park, a co-chair of We the People Making Our Voices Heard, talks to the crowd as Ryan Siegel gets ready to ask a questions. (Steve Sadin / Pioneer Press) Deerfield's Christ United Methodist Church designed their new program, "We the People Making Out Voices Heard," to educate community members on current issues and help them find a way to take action. Trevor Gervais was one of the guests invited to speak to the more than 125 people who attended the first session on March 15. Gervais spoke about how to share your views on immigration with elected officials. Advertisement At the end of his presentation, Gervais gave the crowd three suggestions. He said they should connect with someone new before they left, know who their officials are and "get out of your comfort zone" to take action. Kristen Snowden of Highland Park called herself a neophyte when it came to organizing and wanted further guidance about what to do. Gervais made those in attendance an offer. Advertisement "Come up here when we're done," Gervais said. "Give me your names and your issues and I'll help you organize. I can't just come here and give you ideas how to organize. I'll help you do it." After Pastor Brian Roots ended the formal session, he invited the group to stay and chat over cookies. A crowd gathered around Gervais to talk about issues and give him their contact information. "More than 25 people signed up to organize in their communities," Gervais said after talking to those interested. "We'll meet in the coming weeks to determine the specific focus but everyone was interested in finding ways to build power in their own communities through civic engagement." Gervais was joined by Karyn Davidman, a case worker in the office of Rep. Brad Schneider (D-Deerfield) and Jennifer Gong-Gershowitz, the director of the immigration law practice at the Highland Park-Highwood Legal Aid Clinic. Gong-Gershowitz told the crowd about the fears those with immigration issues who both live and work in Highland Park and Highwood have. She said her work at the clinic has increased exponentially since November's presidential election. "There is no one word answer. It's something of an earthquake. Would (President Donald) Trump follow through on his rhetoric? We've never seen an environment as anti immigration as this one," Gong-Gershowitz said. "Children came in the day after the election and were afraid," she added relating what she heard from school administrators. Ryan Siegel of Highland Park suggested people lobby their towns to become sanctuary cities. He said there are only a few in Illinois and he wants to see more. Gong-Gershowitz said towns have to be careful not to risk the loss of federal funds if Trump acts on some of the statements he has made. "There are pros and cons," Gong-Gershowitz said. "Chicago has the resources if the Trump administration is going to cut funding. Their corporation counsel is in a position to respond." Advertisement Siegel said declaring communities like Highland Park and Deerfield sanctuary cities gives a welcoming and comforting message to immigrants. He said there is strength in numbers that can be gained through organizing. "It can be a problem if there only 170," Siegel said. "Thousands of them through a common effort will make a difference." Not everyone wanted to concentrate on immigration. One person wanted to know how to organize against gun violence in the face of the strong effort of the National Rifle Association to support gun rights. "You have to be as good at organizing as they are," Gervais said. Steve Sadin is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press. There were a lot of "aah" moments at the YWCA's Cinderella's Closet and one belonged to Chantelle Wimms and her mom, Marietta, when the Streamwood High School senior tried on a light chocolate-colored ball gown. "It's like a Cinderella (dress), it's nice and puffy," Marietta said. "It is gorgeous." Advertisement "I didn't expect it to look so good, but I tried it on and it looked perfect," Chantelle said. The two realized at the same time she had the perfect prom dress. "It was one of those mother-daughter moments," she said. Marietta Wimms got a bonus feel good moment because the dress was a fraction of what it would have cost at a store or online, where Chantelle saw similar dresses selling for $400. The YWCA Elgin has a suggested donation of $15 for each dress. Advertisement Promgirl.com estimates prom can cost between $175 to $2,100 a total that includes prom tickets, hair, make-up, gown, flowers, limo, tux rental. Dresses cost between $100 and $400, depending on the store, the site stated. Cinderella's Closet offers gently used prom dresses at the suggested donation cost. The YWCA accepts gowns throughout the year and creates a boutique every March staffed by Fairy Godmothers who help teens find the perfect dress. There are also seamstresses, such as Cindy Munoz, of Chintas, who do quick, onsite alterations. Munoz offered teens a discount if the dress needed more work. It was her first year participating in Cinderella's Closet. "It's awesome," said Munoz, who has been sewing for 40 years. "I like working with the girls. This year's event featured new vendors, including Marin Salon and Spa, 1970 Larkin Ave in Elgin. Deisy Marin demonstrated make-up techniques on Kenia Rivera, her model for the day. It was the first year the salon participated and teens were asking a lot of questions. "The girls want complete make overs," from make-up to hair to nails, Deisy Marin said. It is a lot different than when she and her sister, Angie, went to prom less than 10 years ago. "When we went to high school, it was I'll do your hair and you do mine," Deisy Marin said. Deisy Marin credits YouTube with the trend. "We definitely understand it can be overwhelming for girls who don't have resources," she said. The salon was offering discounts for girls who booked that day for their prom make-over, she said. One of the Fairy Godmothers was Gwen Guy, who helped Abby Liss, of Aurora, look through racks of dresses to find some to try on Saturday. "I love it, I love the experience," Guy said. "The joy when they find the dress is unbelievable," Guy said. "It brings tears to your eyes." Advertisement Girls who could not attend may see their guidance counselors for a referral to get a dress by appointment, said Alana Freedman, director of marketing and events for the YWCA Elgin. The YWCA also accepts donations throughout the year, she said. Gloria Casas is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News. A question asked last week to School District U46 board candidates on adopting policy showed sharp contrasts remain in the district's burgeoning dual language program. During a Thursday evening public forum, the five candidates board members Donna Smith, Cody Holt, Veronica Noland and challengers Enoch Essendrop and Melissa Owens were asked a question which dove into the topic of policy, with an emphasis on the school board's handling of dual language and equity programs. Advertisement Holt and Essendrop disapproved with the growth of the dual language program, which will begin its expansion from elementary schools into the middle schools next school year. Essendrop said dual language contradicts his "American society" approach to public education. "That policy encourages people to linger and continue being foreigners," he said. "We need to help assimilate people into our American culture." Advertisement Over the past year, the school board has approved framework, instructional resources and learning material for dual language programs the other being Spanish in five District U46 middle schools. One of the opponents of the adoption has been Holt. On Thursday, Holt said approvals like dual language from majority boards with "left wing ideologies" have made K-12 education costlier for U46 and its residents. "We must keep the tax burden low on our local taxpayers," said Holt. The benefits of a dual language program outweigh the costs, countered Owens. "That is a program and policy that offers our students the best possible way to both learn their second language and offer an enhancement for our students that are English speaking at considerable savings for the taxpayers. We are accomplishing two things at once." Smith, the school board's president, said dual language has long been gestating in the U46 area. Prior to joining the school board in the early 2000s, Smith was on the U46 citizens' advisory council, where talks of teaching students two languages at once existed. Nothing came of it then because of finances, she added, but the opportunity finally arose in recent years. When asked about the dual language program, Noland said it was time to move on regarding the topic. The board's job is to accept what has been approved by the majority of members, but also understanding the fact the policy or measure may come up again down the road. "I don't believe in not supporting a policy that has passed," she said. "That doesn't support our employees, that doesn't support our community." Thursday's forum was held at Gail Borden Public Library, hosted by the Elgin area League of Women Voters. raguerrero@tribpub.com Sarah Austin twirled in a coral Morgan & Co. prom dress as her father examined closely, checking for revealed skin as fathers do. "I really like it," Sarah said as her dad, Geoff, nodded while checking out the backless gown. Advertisement The Riverside father and daughter have been through this drill for the past couple weeks as Sarah has been looking for a prom dress. Sunday's excursion was a success with Sarah finding a dress to her liking and Geoff finding the cost free to his liking. Sarah was one of nearly 40 teens to leave York High School on Sunday afternoon with her prom dress in hand as part of the York Parent Teacher Student Association's sixth annual Say 'Yes' to the Prom Dress event. Advertisement The event allowed high school-aged girls to browse and select one gently used dress, plus shoes or a purse, that had been donated by the community. Natalie Perez and her mother, Olga Moody of Elmhurst, look over the selection of dresses. (Steve Johnston / Pioneer Press) After seeing dresses running from $300 up to $700, Geoff Austin was thrilled his daughter was able to walk out of the free event with her dress in hand. "I think it's fantastic, very economical," Austin said. He said his daughter heard about the giveaway via Facebook and said she wanted to give it a try. Austin was happy that his daughter found something that worked for her. Too many of the dresses at formal shops were too revealing for his liking. "A lot of those dresses are made for women," Austin said. "They are way too sexy." His daughter saw the practical side of the dress giveaway. "I'm happy we're not spending $200 for something I am going to wear one time," Sarah said. Advertisement Marie Gall, chairman of the event, was disappointed that from the more than 500 prom dresses on hand, only 38 were taken during the two-hour event. Jenna Burger of Elmhurst looks through the prom dresses. (Steve Johnston / Pioneer Press) "While those in attendance were pleased with their selections, only a small percentage of York girls attending prom chose this option for their evening wear," Gall said. Gall, who plans to oversee the event for two more years while she still has a student at York, said feedback from attendees will help shape future events. She said longer hours, attendees being allowed to take more than one dress and more coupons from local businesses are all potential changes. The idea started with the school's home economics class, where sewing was done. "So they would take a (prom) dress and make it new and they did a fashion show," Gall said. "It was a really big deal. It was awesome." Gall said after the first couple years of the dress giveaway, there were thoughts of discontinuing the event because it was not getting a big turnout and it was hard to find storage for the leftover dresses. Advertisement "My hope is that we will be able to continue it and that we'll continue to be able to get the donations and keep (the styles) updated," Gall said. "The problem is people don't like to give up their dresses, like they have this sentimental attachment through college even." Elizabeth Dopp of Elmhurst checks out a rack of dresses during the Say Yes to the Dress event. (Steve Johnston / Pioneer Press) Ashley Riggs of Wheaton had her young neighbor, Hailey Eaves, in tow as they were out for a day of shopping. They walked out of York with a gray Cinderella's Gowns prom dress for Eaves. "I love it," Riggs said. "I had a lot of prom dresses. It is nice they figured out a way for someone else to use them." Eaves said she looks forward to coming back and donating the dress for someone else to use next year. Kevin Beese is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press Members of the Franklin Park and Stone Park police departments are hosting a benefit for an officer diagnosed with a terminal illness. The event takes place from 5 to 8 p.m. March 25 at the Underpass Lounge, 9400 Grand Ave. Advertisement Robert "Beaver" Andris III has been a police officer since 1983. He began his career in Franklin Park, earning the nickname Beaver from other members of the department due to an "eager beaver" approach to his responsibilities as an officer, said Russ Klug, president of Franklin Park Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 47. The nickname has stuck. In 2010, Andris retired from Franklin Park but continued serving as an officer in nearby Stone Park. When Klug joined the Franklin Park police department in 2003, Andris was already established there. Advertisement "He's just an amazing, all-around guy. He'll do anything for anybody, give you the shirt off his back, even if it's the last shirt he's got," said Klug. "He's dedicated his life to serving the people and taking care of everyone else, well before he thinks of himself." Klug and Andris ended up working together for seven years before Andris went to join the Stone Park police. Toward the end of last year, Andris started showing symptoms of being ill, said Klug. "Back on Nov. 16, Bobby was on duty and driving around doing his normal daily routines," said Klug. "And he started having some memory issues. Things like he couldn't remember how to get back to the police station. We sent an ambulance out to him at the time, thinking he may have had a stroke." He said Andris was examined and diagnosed with glioblastoma, which according to the American Brain Tumor Association's website is usually highly malignant. "Because glioblastoma can grow rapidly, the most common symptoms are usually caused by increased pressure in the brain," according to the website. "He was told it's inoperable and that the only thing that can fight it is chemotherapy or radiation," said Klug. "He met with the doctors, and after he discussed it with his family told them he wasn't going to do chemotherapy." Andris has been married to his wife Debbie for the past 25 years. Andris and his wife also live with three grandkids from before Debbie's marriage to Andris. Andris also has one daughter from a previous marriage. Because of the illness and the ongoing cost of care, some former and current officers from Franklin Park and Stone Park set up a GoFundMe effort at www.gofundme.com/bob-needs-your-help. As of the afternoon of March 20, more than $15,800 had been raised. The March 25 benefit will feature an open bar, food, and prizes that will be raffled off. Tickets are $50 and can be purchased at the door the day of the event. The proceeds will go toward the financial support of Andris and his family. The event is hosted by both the Stone Park and Franklin Park FOP lodges. Advertisement For more information about the March 25 event or to purchase advance tickets, contact Klug at 847-344-4320. Alex V. Hernandez is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press. Cara Spitzner, who teaches fourth grade, didn't cry, but she was indeed surprised to see reporters, TV cameras, parents, former students and officials from Golden Apple spill into her classroom Monday. (Annemarie Mannion/Chicago Tribune) Carrying a box of tissues, principal Pattii Waldo of Ogden Elementary School in La Grange was prepared for tears to flow when one of her teachers was informed that she had earned the highly prestigious Golden Apple Award. Cara Spitzner, who teaches fourth grade, didn't cry, but she was indeed surprised to see reporters, TV cameras, parents, former students and officials from Golden Apple spill into her classroom Monday. Advertisement "I'm overwhelmed. I don't know what to say. There are so many people in here," said Spitzner as her students clapped. The award is bestowed by Golden Apple, a nonprofit organization that works to inspire, develop and support teacher and school leader excellence in Illinois. Advertisement Ten finalists, including Spitzner, were selected from a pool of more than 600 nominations, and represent fourth- to eighth-grade teachers. Susan Camasta, a member of the selection committee, spent time in Spitzner's classroom to determine if she deserved the award. "She was so in command of her classroom," Camasta said. "It was so friendly and warm, but they did what she said." A former student, Agatha Driscoll, who is now in sixth grade at the school, said Spitzner is a wonderful teacher. "She's just super forgiving and kind and you always knew she wouldn't let you down," Driscoll said. "Her lessons were out of this world," added Emma Schultz, a fifth-grader. "It wasn't straight curriculum. She'd go out of the curriculum to make sure we knew it." As teachers, Spitzner said previously she works to develop the whole child. "We focus on soft skills confidence, perseverance and seeing a mistake as something they can recover from," Spitzner said. Advertisement As an example, Nancy Nega, chairman of the selection committee, said Spitzner gathers her students in a daily huddle before they go to recess. "They're very caring about each other," Nega said. One of the parents who nominated Spitzner for the award was also on hand for the ceremony. Beth Fouliard of La Grange Park said she appreciated how Spitzner learned about her son's interests and then went out of the way to help him develop them. "She contacted the Shedd Aquarium because he was passionate about fish," Fouliard said, adding that her son got to email with a staff member there to learn more about working in aquatic sciences and also got a behind-the-scenes tour. As one of the winners, Spitzner will receive $5,000 and a free sabbatical to further her professional development at Northwestern University. Advertisement Spitzner said previously she would like to improve her teaching skills, especially in the area of writing instruction. Waldo is thrilled that Spitzner is being recognized. "I'm elated," she said. "Cara is so deserving. She's a wonderful teacher." amannion@tribpub.com Twitter @triblocalam. New Jersey-based NRG Energy donated solar panels for the roofs of seven Waukegan schools, including these at Washington Elementary School, said a spokesman for the company that donated the design and engineering work, the equipment, the installation and 20 years of maintenance. (NRG) The nearly 2,200 solar panels installed on the roof of seven Waukegan schools are generating power, said a spokesman for the company that donated the design and engineering work, the equipment, the installation and 20 years of maintenance. The final touches are being done on the monitors that will sit in each school's lobby, showing how much energy is being generated and other statistics, New Jersey-based NRG Energy spokesman David Gaier said. Fact sheets and presentations that teachers can use in the classroom are also being provided to the schools. Advertisement The panels installed at Cooke Magnet School; Hyde Park, Washington and Whittier elementary schools; and Juarez, Benny and Webster middle schools can generate a maximum of 681 kilowatts, or enough energy to power 540 homes, Gaier said. The energy is expected to offset between 18 and 36 percent of the district's energy's costs for a potential savings of $50,000, he said. Advertisement "We're happy to have the system up and running," Gaier said. The company, which also owns a coal-fired generating plant on Greenwood Avenue in Waukegan, had approached the district about the proposal, valued at $3 million, in spring 2015 after being directed its way by the city of Waukegan. The project stalled over the summer of 2015 but was revived last year. The original proposal had discussed installing solar panels at up to 11 facilities, which could have generated $70,000 in annual energy savings with 800 kilowatts generated. The final choices of buildings were made after NRG and the district looked at roofs that would be best situated structurally and in terms of the amount of sunlight they receive, district spokesman Nick Alajakis has said. They also did take into account any future roof repairs that may be needed. According to Alajakis, the district is also starting the process of evaluating bids in another solar project it's investigating the construction of a solar panel farm at the former Yeoman Creek landfill site. The school board approved going out to bid in January, a process designed to bring in proposals from various companies that would outline what the solar farm would look like, how much energy it would generate, what the company would provide in terms of maintenance and security, and what the project would cost. The total costs of the various bids are unclear at this point as the bids might include proposals on upfront installation costs, maintenance agreements and revenue-sharing arrangements for the energy produced. The district opened the dozen or so bids it received last week and is now evaluating the bids with the help of a third-party consultant to see which firm is the most qualified, Alajakis said. He added that the goal is to bring a recommendation to the board in May or June with construction to start in December and wrap up in the spring.. Advertisement emcoleman@tribpub.com Twitter @mekcoleman Citizenship costs An article said there is a form that illegal immigrants can fill out to say who will get their children, homes, cars and businesses should they be deported. Their property will still belong to them even if they are deported. Isn't it amazing that immigrants can come here and start businesses, but never pay taxes or become legal? It costs money to become legal. This is what legal immigrants are upset about. They had to spend their life savings to become citizens. These illegal immigrants just walked in, set up shop and then cry that they lived here for 30 years and raised their families here. Why didn't they apply for citizenship in all that time? They didn't do it because it would have cost them money. Sorry, the door swings both ways. Advertisement Obey the laws Any sheriff or police chief who refuses to obey the laws on the books because of their political beliefs should be voted out of office. It's time we get back to law and order and keep this country safe. Advertisement Felons should lose freebies You want to save this country billions of dollars? Here's my plan. If you are living in Section 8 housing on public aid and you're convicted of a felony, you lose your right to all the freebies. Why should the rest of the country obey the laws, work for a living and pay taxes, while the deadbeats don't work? If you want to gangbang, you are putting everyone who lives in your household at risk. Things need to change, and they need to change now. Scamming the system I'm outraged. Nothing like going to your local gas station to grab some lottery tickets and maybe a can of soda while you see people sitting at the poker machines and spending money. Then they go to the register, spend Link money to buy food and then go to the parking lot where they get into their Mercedes. Why are people who have money to gamble and buy an expensive car given a Link card? They are scamming the system. Enough is enough. This must stop. Equal insurance for all I have a suggestion for health insurance. Why doesn't everyone in the United States have the same kind of insurance that politicians have? Give us the same kind of insurance that Speaker of the House Paul Ryan has so we won't have to differentiate between the rich and the poor. Lake County News Sun Twice-weekly News updates from Lake County delivered every Monday and Wednesday > Irked about illegal immigrants I don't know how to put it any more clearly. Illegal is illegal. The story on the front page shows people who are scared about deportation. If you come into this country illegally, you take your chances. We should not have public employees quelling the fears of people who are illegal. The overwhelming opinion is that the people know that being illegal is wrong. Advertisement Pension problem This is about the caller who talked about schools closing early this year. The reason there is a huge shortfall of hundreds of millions of dollars in the Chicago Public School system is because the Chicago school system has come up with its own funds for paying teacher pensions. Just about everyone south of Interstate 80 gets their pensions paid for by the state. This is unfair to those who live within the Chicago public school system. Twitter @NewsSun Editor's Note Talk of the County is a reader-generated column of opinions. If you see something you disagree with or think is incorrect, please tell us. Call us at 312-222-4554 or email talkofthecounty@tribpub.com. For a continuously updating blog of Talk of the County comments, go to newssunonline.com/talk. Take away the cars They talk about saving billions of dollars by 2026. You know what the best way to do that? Take away the cars, drivers and bodyguards from the politicians. They can drive to work just like normal people. They don't need a car paid for by the taxpayers. They are not cheap vehicles. They are the most expensive. Take away the cars, and we will save billions. Advertisement Wondering in Waukegan I live in Waukegan. I read about the people running for the school board. I want to know which ones will consider how to pay for the services they are proposing. Which ones really care about the citizens of Waukegan? Advertisement Stand up for unions I read the comment about unions ruining Illinois. The caller doesn't know what he's talking about. Unions aren't perfect, but they make sure workers get pensions, insurance, decent wages and people who will fight for their rights. Without unions, you have nothing. You have people like Gov. Rauner, who are businessmen and will give you nothing. As far as Wisconsin, the governor there has businesses that back him. Look at that state. They have businesses, but their school system is bad. Land of Oz Kellyanne Conway, Sean Spicer, Steve Bannon, oh my. And who is the man behind the curtain? It's the Tweeter Extraordinaire. Automated voter registration Illinois is trying to get automated voter registration. It passed the Senate committee. It's just another Democratic voter fraud scheme. There are no safeguards. It's a joke what lengths Democrats will go to. Democrats have run roughshod over Illinois for decades. Michael Madigan and his cronies need to go. Lake County News Sun Twice-weekly News updates from Lake County delivered every Monday and Wednesday > Why wait? What's with these Democrats? Is there no limit to their inability to understand even a little bit of common sense? They are against the travel ban initiated by President Trump because they reason there has not been a repeat of 9/11...yet. How dumb is that? The commander-in-chief's most important responsibility is to keep Americans safe. In this particular case, from terrorists who are coming here pretending to be refugees or could not be vetted. Why must we wait for another catastrophe as grave and as serious as 9/11 before we act? It is like waiting for gangbangers who force themselves in our homes to harm or kill us before we take some measures to prevent it from happening. That is so amateurish or worse. If these Democrats spend their time looking for ways to protect and to improve America, the U.S. surely will rise faster from the mess Obama left it in. Advertisement A little law enforcement We have no idea who the new mayor will be, but I hope that he/she will go back to basics in the city. Enforce the parking and traffic laws, enforce codes that are on the books, including the sign and noise ordinances. A little enforcement will go a long way toward increasing the quality of life in this town which continues to head downhill. Twitter @NewsSun Editor's Note Talk of the County is a reader-generated column of opinions. If you see something you disagree with or think is incorrect, please tell us. Call us at 312-222-4554 or email talkofthecounty@tribpub.com. For a continuously updating blog of Talk of the County comments, go to newssunonline.com/talk. A competitive mayoral race in Mundelein will see voters choose between incumbent Mayor Steve Lentz, Village Trustee Holly Kim and former Plan Commissioner Ray Ladewig. All three attended a March 14 forum at Mundelein High School that was organized and moderated by students in Advanced Placement American government and politics classes. Advertisement Kim is a marketing manager for an ambulance accreditation agency. She was first elected to a four-year term as village trustee in 2013 and would be off the board if she loses the election. "This is a great opportunity for Mundelein to be head and shoulders above our neighboring communities," Kim said. "My background is in tech and innovation." Advertisement "I'm also the only candidate up here who speaks Spanish," she added. Lentz said he works for OptionVue Systems International, Inc. as an instructor of stock market trading techniques. He was elected a village trustee in 2009 and won a three-way mayoral race in 2013. "It's been a pleasure to serve this term as mayor of Mundelein," Lentz said. "It takes a certain fire in the belly to go after it and seek consensus on the board. I do have that fire in my belly for another term. I think you can look around town and would agree that it's really looking very good and things are happening." Ladewig owns Ray's Bike and Mower located on Hawley Street near Prospect Avenue. He said he worked in sales in the steel manufacturing industry until 2010 when he started his own shop in his hometown. "Mundelein is where I call home. I was born here. I went through the school system here. My dad was an architect and there are still a few of his buildings here," Ladewig said. "I love this town and I have a passion for seeing it succeed. I own a business here and have flexible hours." Efforts to create a downtown and the use of tax subsidies were both big topics among the candidates. Lentz referenced the pending sale of village-owned land across from the Village Hall where Mega Realty plans to build 27,000 square feet of retail space with 130 residential units in the above five floors. "We're talking to the developer now, we're talking about plans, and we're going to get into the numbers soon," Lentz said. "They say you should measure twice and cut once, and I'm going to measure three, four, five times. I want that project to be just outstanding and kick off that plaza area." Advertisement Lentz said he wants his next four years to focus on that building and major planning for other vacant land. Kim said professional village employees create those plans and many of them are in motion regardless of who wins the mayoral election. She said she wants to make tweaks that allow for a small business incubator where the village could subsidize rent or other quick resources for start-up businesses that only have a few employees. "When they do better and they hatch out of that incubator, they're usually very loyal to the town that helped them," Kim said. Similarly, Kim said attracting more business offices will help create and sustain the restaurant scene residents want, and she wants to add that idea into the village's long-term land use plan. Ladewig's ideas for downtown came during a dialogue about what to do with the foreclosed Oak Creek Plaza near Townline Road and Route 45. "If anybody comes to our village and says they want to build something and it's on our perimeter, I want to say thanks for your interest in our village but we have limited resources in our staff and we want to build an actual downtown," Ladewig said. "I want to use their time wisely to focus on the downtown and not anywhere else." Advertisement Wal-Mart's plans to buy most of the plaza were first announced in 2012, but the current owner went into foreclosure a few years ago and filed for bankruptcy in court last year. Lentz said he's been told the ownership dilemma should be resolved soon and Mundelein needs to be ready. "Here's the thing, whoever wants to go in there is going to want some sort of incentive package to do some of the reconstruction, some of the public infrastructure that needs to be built," Lentz said. "The question is, who's going to be the mayor that's going to lead the charge in making that happen?" Prior to going into foreclosure, the previous owner requested a subsidy to help relocate a creek before finalizing a deal with Wal-Mart. Mundelein offered a similar package more than a decade earlier, but the work was never done. Lentz said Kim voted against that creek relocation subsidy, and that she voted against buying a parking lot at Park Street and Seymour Avenue. He accused her of preventing progress. "I'm not a big fan of just giving them money because we have it, just to give it to them," Kim said. "That's probably why there were 'no' votes. Those were all regarding different negotiations, and if I thought the bill was too high then I voted no." Advertisement However, Kim said she's interested in tax sharing with other communities. She said if neighboring towns can't accommodate a business, they should also pitch Mundelein and in return get a portion of new tax revenue if the company opens in Mundelein. Wal-Mart was originally part of a larger project on Route 60 across from Target, but the plan died after residents from nearby Ivanhoe sued Mundelein in 2007 over perceived procedural problems. Lentz said Ladewig voted against the Wal-Mart application when he was a member of the Plan Commission. "I have no plans to bring a Wal-Mart to Mundelein. I know that's not going to resonate well with some people." Ladewig said. "People say we need the tax dollars, but you have to ask yourself at what cost?" Ladewig said Wal-Mart typically destroys downtowns, and because his plan is to put all resources into developing, allowing Wal-Mart into Mundelein would be counterproductive. All three candidates were asked to address their own and each other's controversies. Advertisement In January 2015, Lentz called for a hearing to review Ladewig's conduct as a member of the Plan Commission. It was later revealed that Ladewig was under scrutiny for comments he made about village employees in a letter he submitted to a local newspaper. Kim said Ladewig had rights to free speech because his letter didn't identify himself as a plan commissioner. Ladewig said he's still interested in performance monitoring, but he doesn't hold ill-will toward Lentz for having fired him. In a 2015, Lentz praised democracy for allowing more civic involvement in problem solving, and then outlined a "moral crisis" facing the country because of a Supreme Court decision on gay marriage and the out-of-wedlock birth rate. Kim said Lentz choose a bad venue for his free speech. Lentz said he was pressed for time when he wrote the speech but said he clarified portions during a subsequent event. This summer, Lentz leveraged criticism against Kim for several forums she organized on constitutional issues. The topics included discussions on the rights of individuals when pulled over by police and how to use freedom of speech to organize a successful protest, issues that Lentz said were disrespectful to Mundelein police. Although Kim said other organizations in Mundelein have since held similar forums and the state passed a law requiring classes on similar topics, Lentz said the mayor plays a vital role in the organization's morale and her credibility is damaged. Advertisement "To dwell on controversies that have happened, my gosh that's history," Ladewig said. "I'm a positive person. Let's focus on the positives that we can all do together." Early voting began on March 20 and the election will take place April 4. rkambic@pioneerlocal.com Twitter @Rick_Kambic The success of the upcoming switch from a block schedule to an eight period school day and the possible fiscal ramifications that state and federal decisions will have on Mundelein High School are top concerns for several of the five candidates running for four open seats on the District 120 Board of Education. Three incumbents, including Sara Davalos, Laura Mellon and Tami Forman, are running for seats on the board in the April 4 election along with Laura Vogt, a Diamond Lake District 76 board member, and Thomas Ouimet. Advertisement Mellon, who is finishing up her first four-year term on the board, said any cuts to the district's state funding or a potential property tax freeze "will impact us." Mellon, who works part-time at the Lake County Center for Independent Living and the Mundelein Park District, said she's also concerned about how potential policies that may be implemented by the current presidential administration could affect the high school district. Davalos, a production supervisor who has served on the district board for the past six months, wrote in an email that she's not yet aware what challenges the board will face in the coming years but expressed faith in the district's chief financial officer, Andrew Searle. She wrote that he is "very proactive on prioritizing the needs of the school." Advertisement Forman, who is finishing up her first term on both the board and as a Fremont Township Trustee, said she's concerned that the Trump administration may implement a voucher system. "The voucher system, if the government enacts that, we'll have to deal with students pulling out of our school or students coming from other schools." She said she's also concerned about the district's ability to provide a supportive environment for transgender students. When it comes to the district's finances, Forman, whose five children graduated from Mundelein High School, said she's also pleased with Searle's work. She said "the current school board works very, very well together and make sure we don't spend more than we have and we've been very, very fortunate that way." Vogt, a District 76 board member for the past eight years, said decisions at the state and federal level will affect the high school to some degree. She said the board should work within the district's budget, but she's not opposed to seeking a referendum if the high school found that it couldn't meet the needs of students with the revenue it receives. "Illinois definitely has a substantial tax rate and we get a fair amount to work with for our students and will do the best we can with what we get," she said. "I've always felt our school is a diamond in the rough," said Ouimet, a Mundelein graduate who runs a company that manages law firm data. He said future funding levels concern him, but he added that he's in favor of making "Mundelein High School a great school to compete against (schools) in wealthier communities." Still, he said, if the district were to ask voters for more money "it better be for something that is really needed." Instituting metrics to measure the success of the school's switch from a block schedule to an eight period day is also a top priority, said Ouimet, a father of five and member of the Mundelein Economic Development Commission. Advertisement "This was a big concern in the community, why are we changing the schedule when we were doing very well with it," he said. "In the end, it will be fine, but we need to have those metrics in place and monitor it and make sure the decision was a good one." Vogt, whose three children will attend the high school next year, said she expects the transition to the new schedule to take some time. She also said the district should "monitor closely" what happens in the next three years to see if students are benefiting from the change. Davalos wrote that she thinks adjustment to the new system will come in time, but that ultimately students will gain academically from the schedule change. "I think it's going to be a little bit of a transition, but I really have a lot of faith in the staff and students," Mellon said, referring to the schedule switch. "They are really adaptable." Forman said she's OK with the schedule change. She said she's extremely proud of the district's newly opened multi-million dollar, 52,000 square-foot STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) addition and would like to see the programs offered through the facility continue to grow. Advertisement Vogt, a part-time preschool teacher, said she wants the high school to use the addition "to the best of our ability" to make sure students learn about and are aware of a wide range of STEM careers. The school should work toward steering children in the direction of career paths "in line with what will be demanded and needed in the coming years," Mellon said. "Staying ahead of the curve will be the thing to worry about." Davalos wrote that the high school should strive to "prepare students for the world of technology." Ouimet said he'd like to see the high school expand its performing arts offerings because participation in arts extracurriculars also helps children "flourish in academics." All candidates in the race for board of education said they believe the high school district was headed in a positive direction. "I think the high school is on a great path," Forman said. "They are getting better and better every year." Advertisement Lee V. Gaines is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press. Prosecutors have dropped criminal charges filed in 2014 against a Naperville man who was accused of keeping police at bay for five hours outside the factory in Bartlett where he worked. Prosecutors from the DuPage County state's attorney's office opted not to pursue a felony charge of criminal damage to property against Mark H. Armorer, 28, according to DuPage County Circuit Court records. Companion felony charges of disorderly conduct/making a false 911 call and tampering with a security, fire or life safety system were dismissed two years ago, records showed. Advertisement A recording at a telephone number for Armorer declared he was not accepting telephone calls Monday. Armorer, who most recently lived in the 1300 block of Old Dominion Road on Naperville's far east side, was arrested Oct. 2, 2014, following an incident at Rana Meal Solutions, at 550 S. Spritzer Road in Bartlett, where he worked as a security guard. Bartlett police said more than $10,000 damage was caused to doors, walls, furniture and a security camera inside the plant that morning. A fire alarm also was set off, police said. Advertisement Police said a fellow employee told police the suspect was carrying a suspicious-looking object. Police who recovered the object found it to be benign. Since the arrest, Armorer completed the Mental Illness Court Alternative Program, or MICAP. Judge Bruce R. Kelsey, who presided over Armorer's case, on Friday allowed him to withdraw his May 2015 plea of guilty to the property damage charge, court records indicated. Prosecutors, in turn, opted not to pursue that charge, effectively closing the case, according to records. wbird@tribpub.com Thrash metal icons Anthrax, from left: Charlie Benante, Joey Belladonnna, Scott Ian, Frank Bello and Jonathan Donais. The band will perform with special guests Sworn Enemy March 31 at the Arcada Theatre in St. Charles. (Photo courtesy of Anthrax) Even though the band recently marked it's 35th anniversary, members of Anthrax wanted to make sure they looked to the future when recording their latest album. "The last thing you want to do is ride on your laurels. Yeah we know you made a record 30 years ago that people (expletive) love. But let's make a record 30 years from then that people still love," drummer Charlie Benante said. "I think that was the vibe with this record. Let's make a collection of songs that are just as killer as the one we did 30 years ago. Let's not just throw in some songs. Let's make every song special. That's the way it's got to be. We worked pretty hard on it, and I think it shows." Advertisement The thrash metal maestros will perform songs from their most recent release, 2016's "For All Kings," along with favorite hits when they perform at 8 p.m. March 31 at The Arcada Theatre in St. Charles. Joining Anthrax will be special guests Sworn Enemy. The band's stop in the Chicago area comes just one week after the release of a limited-edition "For All Kings" 7-inch box set. Benante said the idea for the collector's edition came up while working on the original packaging of the album, which debuted at No. 1 on Billboard's Hard Rock Chart when it was released in February 2016. Advertisement "We always wanted to do something down the line that would be really special and cool," Benante said. "(We said) let's do something that's really cool and highly collectible. And let's make vinyl a big part of it. But let's not just make normal vinyl. Let's make every single different color and let's make every single cover special." The box set includes 10 7-inch vinyl discs each a different color and with different artwork -- featuring 20 songs. Those include the original 11 album tracks, covers of The White Stripes' "Black Math" and Kansas's "Carry On" and "Voice of the People," a bonus track previously released only in Japan. The set also contains six demos from "For All Kings." "Some of the demos just really show the growth of the song," Benante said. Among those is the epic "Blood Eagle Wings," a favorite of Benante's that other band members weren't quite sure about at first. "In my head I hear it the way it's going to be. Let's give this a pitch because it can be really, really great," Benante said he told them. "Sometimes you kinda just got let it go and let the song be the song it wants to be. As this song started to take shape, everybody in the band started to feel, this song is becoming a monster. I just knew it inside when I heard it, it was going to be one of those tunes." Appropriately, the working title for the nearly eight-minute song was "Epic," because of it had that type of feel to it, Benante said. "I just took that whole epic approach. When Cecil B. DeMille was going to direct 'The Ten Commandments,' his working title was going to be 'Epic,'" he said. "I just put that title on it, because this song just had an epic feel to it." The video Anthrax made for the song, which the band didn't appear in, "was pretty bloody and pretty gruesome, and I just felt, perfect," Benante said. Advertisement Anthrax went into the studio to record "For All Kings," its 11th studio album, with more songs than ever. While recovering from surgeries for carpal tunnel syndrome, Benante used the time to come up with foundation riffs and ideas for new songs that the band worked with during writing sessions. "I just happened to have more time on my hands at that time And I just got into a groove and was writing and writing and writing. At a certain time I felt so good about it, I went 'my goal is to write 20 songs,'" Benante said. "I (want) 20 killer songs. No throwaways. That was my goal." Of those, there were four that weren't realized, he said, but the band will probably revisit at some point. Benante, who is originally from New York but for the past decade has lived in the Lake Zurich area, serves as the band's archivist and historian. "I've always tried to keep something, whether it be one of this or two of this. Like now I've been working on the 'State of Euphoria' anniversary edition, which is going to be a lot of cool stuff," he said. "There's going to be a lot of behind the scenes of that record. Now I'm just compiling a lot of the pictures and stuff like that to give insight on that record." Asked the band's secret to longevity, Benante said it is difficult to believe it has been three and half decades since the band first started. Advertisement "It's hard to put everything into years, decades, because it just sounds like, 'oh my God. How did this fly by this fast without me knowing it?' The funny part about this whole thing is I don't feel it as if it has been that long," he said. "It still feels kinda new. Not new, but it still feels interesting and exciting at times. Don't get me wrong, there's days it feels like it's been that long. But for the most part, when you're being creative being creative is exciting. It adds a whole other element to why you do it. Just being inspired by something, being exciting by something that's what I think keeps me young." One new creative endeavor for the band is the recent release of its own craft beer, "Wardance." In 2014 and 2015, Anthrax worked with two distilleries to create its own small batch bourbon: "Indians" and "The Devil You Know." Enjoying that process, the band decided to create its own pale ale. "We just wanted to do something that we all loved and not just slap a sticker on it," he said. . "We knew what type of beer we wanted to go with for this one," said Benante, who also has his own line of coffees. "We met in Brooklyn and did the taste test, and we all gave the thumbs up. We wanted to tweak it just a little bit here and there, but for the most part the main body of it was there. We tweaked it a little bit and boom, that was it, let's do it." The band is hoping to have Wardance available at its March 31 concert at The Arcada, Benante said. "I'm also trying to do something our friends out here in Kuma's Corner (in Chicago) and Kuma's restaurants," he said. "I want to try to get the beer in there as well." Advertisement While that was fun, the most exciting part for Benante was determining the beer's packaging. "How the can would look," he said. "We wanted it to be striking so that when people see it, it was something like, where, well, (expletive), I can't throw the can out because the can is so beautiful. Whatever was on the inside, that was great. We wanted the outside to be just as great." Kathy Cichon is a freelance reporter for the Courier-News. Anthrax When: March 31 Where: The Arcada Theatre, 105 E. Main St., St. Charles Advertisement Tickets: $69-$99 Information: 630-962-7000 or www.arcadalive.com A Des Plaines man was ordered held without bond on Monday for allegedly shooting another man during a confrontation outside of a Niles bar early Sunday, but the alleged shooter's lawyer said he was acting in defense of a relative and himself. Alen Hurem, 26, was charged with attempted murder following his arrest at around 5 a.m. Sunday, shortly after the shooting, authorities said. Advertisement Officials said an officer on patrol saw a commotion outside of the bar along North Milwaukee Avenue at about 4 a.m. and then, as the officer approached, saw a man pull out a gun and shoot another man in the chest. The officer drew his weapon and ordered the gunman to the ground, but the suspect fled, prosecutors said. They said the gunman ran a short distance, approached an Uber driver and asked for that man's phone and then fled again when the man refused, eventually throwing his weapon under another car. Advertisement Following a police manhunt, authorities said they located the gunman whom they later identified as Hurem nearby a short time later. Officials said they also recovered a 9mm handgun from under the vehicle and also recovered a 9mm casing from the crime scene, which police said was near Chasers Sports Bar and Grill. Prosecutors also said, in addition to the police officer, there were multiple other witnesses to the shooting, which they said was captured by a security camera. They said Hurem did not have a valid firearm owner's ID card or a concealed-carry permit. The man who was shot, identified by authorities as a Lincolnwood resident, sustained a bullet wound to the upper chest and was in stable condition in the hospital on Monday, according to prosecutors. They said Hurem and the man who was shot did not know each other. Hurem's public defender noted in court Monday that police are still investigating what led to the shooting, and the defense attorney suggested Hurem's alleged actions might have been justified. The public defender said Hurem had been assaulted by at least one other person in the crowd and that a female relative of Hurem's had been the victim of a sexual crime before the shooting and was in the hospital Monday for treatment of related injuries. Despite those claims, Judge Michael Hood ordered Hurem held without bond. "It's a violent crime," the judge said. "He is a danger. He shot somebody in the chest." Authorities said Hurem works for a limousine company and that he had a prior burglary conviction, for which he was sentenced to two years of probation. Brian L. Cox is a freelance reporter. "She Kills Monsters," by playwright Qui Nguyen, was this spring's Ridgewood High School Drama Club IHSA sectional entry for group interpretation in the Illinois High School Association state tournament. The 30-minute Norridge group interpretation features 16 cast members representing all four grades. The group interpretation was shown during class to students at Ridgewood High School. Showings took place before the school's performance at the sectional competition, which took place at Reavis High School in Burbank. Advertisement "I love creating with the kids," said James Smith of Elmwood Park, director of drama at Ridgewood High School. The "She Kills Monsters" script was adapted to fit the 30-minute or under time requirement for Ridgewood's group interpretation. Advertisement "Group interpretation is a 30-minute [no intermission] piece, which involves a unit set, uniform costumes and pantomime, and there's a mix of off-stage and on-stage focus, which is kind of a unique feature," Smith said. "It's very minimalist. It's really cool and a unique piece of theater." Mia Triantafillou, 17, of Norridge is Agnes (center left) during a Ridgewood High School Drama Club performance. (Karie Angell Luc / Pioneer Press) Performers tell the story on a multi-level tiered platform. "It [dramatic arts] showcases our diversity and our certain skills sets," said Chris Uhle, Ridgewood High School principal, who attended a March 16 performance in the school's band room. The play's story is about a woman named Agnes Evans, who loses her sister and family in a car accident. While cleaning out her younger sister's room, Agnes discovers a notebook that leads to playing a Dungeons and Dragons game. In the process, Agnes makes discoveries about her sister Tilly. Agnes works through her grief as she learns about herself. Agnes experiences early adulthood knowing her immediate family members are not there to hold her hand if needed. Grief is a lifelong challenge. James Smith of Elmwood Park, director of drama at Ridgewood High School, welcomes students to a morning performance on March 16. (Karie Angell Luc / Pioneer Press) Mia Triantafillou, 17, is the monster slayer Agnes. "In the mourning process, I'm still heartbroken," said Triantafillou, who learns about Tilly's personal choices. "Even though there are LGBT rights in the show, I think that, yes, it's one of the themes of accepting who you are and your family no matter what, but it's more [about] that connection with my sister [Tilly] and what I had to go through to get over the mourning." The audience learns that Tilly was bullied by peers. Cheerleaders are identified as a bullying source. Advertisement "I, as an older sister [as Agnes] never knew that," Triantafillou said, of Tilly's suffering. "I didn't know my little sister was being bullied all this time because I didn't understand her. I never took the time to understand her while I had the chance and took all my time for granted." Valerie Gale, 14, a freshman, is Tilly. Grace Piton of Norridge appears as Farah the Faerie during a Ridgewood High School Drama Club performance on March 16. (Karie Angell Luc / Pioneer Press) "Never take your family for granted because you never know what could happen tomorrow," Gale said, of the lesson. "Don't be afraid of who you are, and stand up for what you believe in," said Julian Irizzary, who plays Steve. Bullying is addressed among high schools, agreed the student theater players, adding that systems are ideally in place nationally and are at Ridgewood High School to stop bullying. "It should be a conversation everywhere," said Kenneth Claypool, who plays Chuck. "Even adults can get bullied." Advertisement Playing the roles of siblings are from left, Valerie Gale, 14, and Mia Triantafillou, 17, on March 16 at Ridgewood High School. (Karie Angell Luc / Pioneer Press) Demetrios Giannopoulos, 17, a junior, also wears the white vested uniform but with a red tie. Females wear a red neck scarf. Both genders wear tan pants. "You've got to be able to stand on your own two feet," Giannopoulos said, of what he hopes the audience will glean. "Even if the water might be chest high, you've got to be able to wade right through it." Karie Angell Luc is a freelance photographer and reporter for Pioneer Press. An 18-year-old recent high school graduate is running against a group of four candidates, with the five vying for four open seats on the Ridgewood Community High School District 234 Board of Education. Salvatore Biondo, a first-year student at Concordia University Chicago in River Forest who graduated from Ridgewood last year, is running against three incumbents, including Michael Straughn, Christopher O'Leary and Paul Draniczarek, in the April 4 election. A former Norridge School District 80 board member and longtime volunteer at Ridgewood, Laura McGready, is also running for a seat on the board. Advertisement Draniczarek said the group of incumbents plus McGready are not officially running as a slate "but we are working together" and all four names are on the same campaign sign. "We feel that, as a group, this is a good group," he said. "We would like to see all four people elected." Advertisement All candidates for the board say they think the district is moving in a good direction, but Draniczarek, McGready and Straughn expressed concern about the impact a decision about school funding in Springfield would have on the school's annual revenue. Straughn, vice president of Chicago-based WaterSaver Faucet Co. and a District 234 board member for the past eight years, said "really, the financial aspects of education and the state of Illinois is not good." One school funding proposal on the table in Springfield could cost the high school district $500,000 in state funding, he said. "I think money is always going to be a challenge," said McGready, a retired accountant for United Airlines. "Right now, they are operating very well, and they have a reserve. And I don't expect that to change, though we all know funds are drying up more and more from the state." Biondo said, as far as fiscal challenges are concerned, he'll have a better handle on the issue if he's elected. The Norridge native is studying education at Concordia and hopes to one day be a physical education teacher with a specialization helping children with special needs. "I'm very passionate about Ridgewood and Norridge and the whole community," Biondo said. "It came to me one night, why can't I run for school board? I'm old enough to do it, and I can give my knowledge that I'm learning now to the students at Ridgewood." O'Leary, who was appointed to the board two years ago, said he was inspired to apply for a seat on the elected body because, growing up in Norridge, he didn't attend the community's public high school, instead graduating from St. Patrick High School in Chicago. "For the last 10 or 12 years, I've seen the school change and improve dramatically," he said. O'Leary, who works as an industrial sales engineer and has served on the boards of the Norridge Harwood Heights Little League and Norridge Youth Association, said the District 234 board is "one of the best boards I've been on." He said he'd like to see the high school district's enrollment continue to grow. Advertisement "I think we need to really focus on letting everybody know we, too, can send our students to top colleges and universities," O'Leary said. A father to three Ridgewood graduates, Draniczarek, an accountant and 12-year District 234 board member, said the district is going "in the right direction, and I want to continue to see it do that." Draniczarek said he's heavily involved with district budgeting and contract negotiations and he's "happy to say our finances have gotten better over the time I've been on the board." To be a board member, Draniczarek said one must be able to "take a hard look at spending" balancing both the needs of students with what the budget can accommodate. McGready, who co-teaches a leadership class at the district and is involved with its technology committee, said board members are also beholden to taxpayers and need to "listen to their needs and balance them with what we feel are the needs of students." She said she feels "very passionately" about the school her son graduated from and has been involved with Ridgewood in some capacity for nearly a decade. Straughn, a father to a Ridgewood graduate and a current student, said the group of candidates running together "don't necessarily agree on everything, but we agree in principle on what's best for the students and how we can afford it." Advertisement Biondo said the job of the board is to "make sure every student is receiving the best education they can." "Since I've been through the system, I have the best knowledge of what students now need and how they can be successful to move onto college and past college," he said. O'Leary said he hopes the district's voters realize the value of experience when they head to the polls next month and the wealth of experience he, McGready, Draniczarek and Straughn bring to the board. "That's not saying anything against the age of the individual running against us, but it really takes a lot of time that we invest and we're all extremely dedicated," O'Leary said. Lee V. Gaines is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press. Emily Chwa, of Northbrook and a Glenbrook North High School student, walks the runway at the North Suburban Prom Fashion Show on March 19 in Glenview. (Karie Angell Luc / Pioneer Press) It was a rainbow of colors and a festival of school spirit at the fifth North Suburban Prom Fashion Show this past Sunday in Glenview. Students from Glenbrook North High School in Northbrook, Glenbrook South High School in Glenview, Deerfield High School in Deerfield and Loyola Academy of Wilmette took part in the fashion show. Advertisement A red carpet runway served as the catwalk at Youth Services of Glenview/Northbrook at 3080 W. Lake Ave., where the gym accommodated fans and photographers at the McLennan Center for Youth's PotashCorp campus. Approximately 200 people attended the ticketed event, which had a raffle, and roughly $2,000 was raised to assist Youth Services programming, said Amy O'Leary, YSGN executive director. Advertisement "Youth Services is thrilled to host the North Suburban Prom Fashion Show this year and the funds will support our efforts to foster the social and emotional well-being of children in the northern suburbs," O'Leary said. "This event has been a fun and meaningful way to partner with our community and raise much-needed dollars." More than 60 high school-aged models, mostly girls, wore formalwear on loan from Men's Wearhouse of Deerfield and Lord and Taylor at Northbrook Court. Elizabeth Arden Red Door Spa in Deerfield provided hair and make-up. "It's so awesome," said Ben Zhao, 18, of Northbrook, a Glenbrook North senior and event chair. "We're supporting a great cause." Kamryn Abraskin, 18, of Northbrook, also a Glenbrook North senior, also served as chair. "It's just a great way to get people involved in the community while students have fun," Abraskin said. Emily Sedlak, Julianna Gordon and Louis Gordon, all of Northbrook, were co-chairs. In previous years, the annual fashion show headlined at the North Suburban YMCA in Northbrook. The Sunday afternoon 2017 event was the first time the show took place at Youth Services of Glenview/Northbrook. The Northbrook Family Network, a partner on the previous fashion shows, ceased operation, said Bob Lozaro, the show's event coordinator. Advertisement "We're happy to be working with Youth Services of Glenview/Northbrook," Lozaro said. The student committee chose Youth Services to be the recipient of the proceeds from the show, he said. "It's the youth supporting the youth," Lozaro said. Northbrook Village President Sandy Frum and Glenview Village President Jim Patterson spoke at the fashion show. "This is a great event that supports Youth Services," Frum said. "They do things that we'd have to do if they weren't around." "You're in for a fun afternoon," Patterson said, adding the event provided an inclusive fashionable opportunity, "where everybody's in and nobody's out." Advertisement The look of prom aligns with what's in season for 2017 wedding wear, said Joe Tagorda of Chicago, Men's Wearhouse assistant store manager, who said bow ties and vests are popular requests. Dressing appropriately is vital because "it makes an impression," Tagorda said. Backstage, Dalton DuPre, 18, of Northbrook and a Glenbrook North senior, adjusted the bow tie of fellow model Cole Marrinan of Northbrook, also a Glenbrook North student. "You gotta look out for the boys," DuPre said with a smile. "It's all about looking good." Prom, typically taking place in the weeks before graduation, has a tradition of prom proposals. How one is asked to the big dance is often as creative as the dressy pomp. Student Dylan Rose took the opportunity at the fashion show to drop to his knee on the runway in a prom proposal to Falyn Mellul. Both are Glenbrook North students and had already planned to go to prom together. Advertisement "She said yes but I didn't get a kiss," Rose said later. Mellul said her actual prom dress would be in a different color from the one she modeled at the event. "I'm going to say yes to the dress in pink," Mellul said. Karie Angell Luc is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press. Red light cameras at Route 83 and 22nd Street continue to be a hot issue in Oakbrook Terrace, with a pending lawsuit filed by the village of Oak Brook to have the cameras removed. And the cameras are a top issue for challengers in the April 4 election for both mayor and for 2nrd ward alderman. Advertisement Incumbent Mayor Tony Ragucci is being challenged by the chairman of the city's Planning and Zoning Commission, Arnulfo Rufo A. Noble. Paul Esposito is uncontested for 1st Ward alderman, but longtime incumbent Frank J. Vlach is being challenged in the 2nd Ward by Jessica Kopka. Advertisement Incumbent City Clerk Michael Shadley is being challenged by David Mekhiel. Noble has used the back of his campaign signs to express his opposition to the red light cameras and has promised to make getting rid of them as a priority, if elected. "The red light cameras were installed purely for financial reasons; it's not about safety," he said. Kopka agreed, saying she believes the cameras would increase the number of accidents and hurt local businesses. Ragucci previously said red light cameras were sought to improve safety and not to generate revenue from violation tickets. Vlach said he supports the red light cameras. "Safety is always very important, and I don't agree it's bad for business," he said. Noble, who supports a two-term limit for the Oakbrook Terrace mayor, said he believes the city is top-heavy with administration. Advertisement "I don't think, for a city of our size, that we need a police chief and deputy police chief, a city administrator and an assistant to the mayor and city administrator," he said. "We need to take a look at ways to reduce costs, and administration is one of those ways." Ragucci had a different take. "Our city is in great financial shape and we have the right number of people doing the jobs that are needed and called for to continue to make this city safe, sound and flourish for the future," he said. cfieldman@pioneerlocal.com Twitter @chuckwriting Oakbrook Terrace election Advertisement Candidates for mayor Name: Arnulfo Rufo A. Noble Age: 69 Profession: Retired accountant Education: Bachelor's degree, management, San Beda College, Manila, Philippines Family: One daughter Advertisement Civic involvement: Chairman, Oakbrook Terrace Planning and Zoning Commission; Oakbrook Terrace treasurer, 1987-1992; Oakbrook Terrace Park Board member, 2005-2007; president, Batangas Club of the Midwest, a Filipino American Association in Chicago Area, 2013-2015; member, Seniors Club of Oakbrook Terrace, 2007-2011 Name: Tony Ragucci Age: 61 Profession: Former police officer Education: Criminal Justice, College of DuPage; University of Illinois Police Institute Family: One daughter Advertisement Civic involvement: Oakbrook Terrace mayor since 2009; Oakbrook Terrace Police Pension Board 2007-2009 Candidates for alderman 2nd Ward Name: Jessica Kopka Age: 31 Profession: Dental hygienist Education: Associate degree, dental hygiene, College of DuPage Advertisement Family: Married to Kenneth Civic involvement: Volunteer, DuPage County Health Department Dental Clinic, various west suburban schools Name: Frank J. Vlach Age: 83 Profession: Retired industrial engineer Education: Bachelor's degree in commerce, Loyola University Advertisement Family: Married to Verna; one son and one daughter Civic involvement: Alderman, 2nd Ward, Oakbrook Terrace, for the past 12 years; former member, Oakbrook Terrace Planning and Zoning Commission; member, former secretary/treasurer, Oakbrook Terrace Senior Club; volunteer for homeless program, Ascension Church Avi Lessing, director of original production "Crossing Austin," talks to the audience March 18 at the Little Theatre at Oak Park and River Forest High School, 201 Scoville Ave. The play examines the history and relationships to the border between Oak Park and Chicago's west side neighborhood. (Caitlin Mullen / Pioneer Press) As he reflected on his role in "Crossing Austin," Jalen Reese said it's caused him to question present-day race relations and his own mental borders. "We're integrated, but are we comfortable with it?" Reese wondered March 18 after a performance. Advertisement Reese was part of the cast of the Oak Park and River Forest High School production, "Crossing Austin," which was running March 17-20, and examined the history and relationships with the border between Oak Park and Chicago's westside neighborhood through various fictitious scenes. More than a couple hundred people filled the high school's Little Theatre on March 18 for an hour-long production; a rough map of streets that run through the village Austin Boulevard, Lake Street, Ridgeland Avenue covered the stage. Advertisement The original production was researched, written and produced by students, who pored over newspaper articles and conducted interviews on the history of the relationship between Austin and Oak Park and how it plays out today, said Avi Lessing, an English faculty member who directed the play. Lessing said it's a production that examines borders and inspires further thought, whether the boundary be Austin Boulevard or the U.S.'s border with Mexico. "I think it's a really important time to be reflecting on issues of power, race and relationship," Lessing said. Many cast members were new to the theater experience, and Lessing said it was fascinating to watch and respond to students who've never acted before. At the beginning of the play, pink and blue pieces of paper were laid to illustrate the white and black populations in 1973 in Oak Park. Later, those pieces were changed to reflect how the numbers had evolved, with a larger black population in the village. The production's first act portrayed the efforts of the Oak Park Regional Housing Center to address the issue of "white flight," the community's response to those efforts and thoughts on Oak Park from black teens living in Austin. "Integration is complicated," one character commented to another during the play. Many tongue-in-cheek lines or pointed statements brought laughs or cheers from the audience. The vignettes portrayed thought-provoking and heady situations, like Austin teens attempting to steal a bike in Oak Park in the 1970s, and a residency officer making an early home visit to verify the living situation of a new OPRF student and former Austin resident in 2017. Advertisement "Look, if he can't stay out of Austin, he can't stay at this high school," the residency officer told the student's grandmother, whom he's living with. Reese said the residency officer scene was based on his experience, having recently moved from Elgin to live with his grandmother in Oak Park. Another scene from the play illustrated some of the complicated feelings about Austin in 2017, with a group of girls unwilling to go to a friend's house in Austin. "You don't think I'm afraid sometimes myself?" she responded. Post-performance, Lessing encouraged audience members to share their thoughts with each other, and they did so animatedly. "One of the reasons to do a play like this is to open it up to conversation," Lessing told the audience. Advertisement As audience members offered their reactions, Teresa Powell, Oak Park's village clerk, said she moved from Austin to Oak Park 42 years ago, just after the commitment to integration was made. "It's so cool to see your feedback to us," she told the cast and crew. Michael Joseph, originally from New York and an Oak Park resident come June, said he observed the same border relationships with the Harlem neighborhood in New York City. People hear about such issues, he said, but experiencing it through a play is beautiful. "I personally love the fact that you did this," Joseph said. "You guys did an amazing job." Assistant director Cameron Bayer said she'd like to see the production spark further conversation about race relations. Cast member Ted Lowenthal mentioned a recent social media debate about segregation within the high school's theater program and its relevance to the production. "There's been tension; there's been animosity," Lowenthal said, but feedback on "Crossing Austin" has been good. Advertisement Cast member Jae Brown said the students were nervous about the community's reaction to the production. "It was really difficult to perform it and let it go," said cast member Veronica Rooney. Etta Carol Fuller, mother of cast member Eva Fuller, had witnessed the show for the second night in a row, and said the depths of the play's realism had struck her. "We can all do better, and these young ones will lead the way," Fuller said. Caitlin Mullen is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press. Overall crime continued to decline in Park Ridge last year, according to statistics recently released by the police department. The department's annual report for 2016 indicates that criminal incidents decreased by 12.8 percent in comparison to the previous year. The combination of violent and property crimes has been on a decline for the past several years, statistics have shown, with overall crime totals dropping by 23.9 percent since 2012, according to the department. Advertisement The city's crime rate, which is calculated based on criminal incidents and total population of the city, was down 3.9 percent in 2016, data indicates. "If you look at our numbers, we're really a safe community," said Park Ridge Police Chief Frank Kaminski. Advertisement Theft, which accounts for the most prevalent crime in Park Ridge, declined by 6.4 percent in 2016, while burglaries decreased by 11.8 percent, according to the annual report. Other crimes that experienced declines included assault and battery (down 17.7 percent), domestic battery (down 29.2 percent) criminal damage to property (down 11.6 percent) and criminal damage to vehicles (down 29.6 percent), the data shows. At the same time, vehicle thefts reportedly doubled from seven to 14 in 2016. At least six of those thefts were tied to a 14-year-old boy and involved cars that were left unlocked with keys inside and, in nearly all cases, had their engines running. Kaminski told the Park Ridge City Council on March 13 that many of the property theft crimes experienced in the city can be prevented if citizens secure their homes, cars and valuables. "I can't tell you how many times we take a report where something has been left open and unattended," he said. "I think if people helped us out with those things, we would reduce the crime rate more so." Robberies also increased in Park Ridge in 2016, doubling from four in 2015 to eight last year, the annual data shows. Kaminski said the robberies largely occurred at businesses that are open 24 hours and that such hours of operation make them an "easy target" for thieves. He also cited Park Ridge's close proximity to expressways. "A lot of times, you'll see people come off the expressways, hit places, and they're gone on the expressways," Kaminski said. Advertisement Officers are visiting these businesses at night to establish a presence there, the police chief said. Kaminski also encouraged residents to report anything suspicious or out of the ordinary. A call to police from a resident reporting a suspicious visitor to his home recently led to the arrest of two Chicago teenagers who are suspected of burglarizing multiple homes in Park Ridge, police said. "Actually calling and not being afraid to call is really important," Kaminski said. There were no murders reported last year, but three aggravated battery/assaults were reported, as was one rape, the statistics show. Arrests for marijuana possession dropped by nearly 36 percent, which police say is due to the Cook County's State's Attorney's Office decision not to prosecute cases in which a person is found in possession of 10 grams or less of marijuana. The city of Park Ridge issues local ordinance citations for possession of marijuana, but these are not compiled among criminal offenses in the department data, said Julie Nistler, police records supervisor. Advertisement Arrests for possession of drug paraphernalia dropped 64.3 percent last year, while arrests for DUI and other alcohol violations also declined, according to the annual report. Traffic stops increased by 3.5 percent, while the total number of accidents reported 1,523 increased just slightly, according to the data. Reported accidents have been on the rise since 2012. That year, 1,229 total accidents were reported to police. jjohnson@pioneerlocal.com Twitter: @Jen_Tribune Valparaiso police are asking for the public's help in locating a man who robbed a north side Walgreens pharmacy at gunpoint for Oxycontin pills. Police said the robbery occurred at 9:33 p.m. Saturday at the drugstore, 1903 Calumet Ave. Advertisement A man entered the store and approached the pharmacy counter. He then jumped the counter, displayed a black handgun and demanded Oxycontin from pharmacy employees, Sgt. Michael Grennes, public information officer for the department, said in a release. The man got the drug and then fled the store on foot, heading southwest, a release said. A police K-9 was used in an attempt to track the suspect once he left the store without success. Advertisement The Porter County Sheriff's Department assisted on the scene. Witnesses described the man as about 5 feet 10 inches tall, with blue eyes, in his mid 20s to early 30s, with a medium build. He was wearing a dark colored jacket over a hooded sweatshirt. His face was wrapped in a multi-colored scarf and he was wearing dark rimmed glasses. Anybody with information on the robbery is asked to call the Valparaiso Police Department at 219-462-2135 or text a tip to TIP411 (847-411) and enter the key word "Valpo" as the first word in the message filed before sending the tip. Amy Lavalley is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune. More than a dozen Northwest Indiana groups have joined Indivisible Guide, a national movement tearing a page from the tea party's playbook on political activism to rally against President Donald Trump and his administration. One group, Indivisible NWI, drew hundreds of area residents March 4 to the Ironworkers Local 395 in Portage to question longtime U.S. Rep. Pete Visclosky, a Merrillville Democrat, and learn how to organize against what the group called "the Trump agenda." Advertisement "I think it means there are a lot of people who are passionate and who want to change what they see happening on a national level and in their local community," said Highland's Jessica Haug, one of the Indivisible NWI founders. "I think they see this Trump administration is scary to people. The guide tells you how to reach members of Congress step by step in an effective way." That guide is called the Indivisible Guide, an online guidebook compiled by former Congressional staffers on how to influence members of Congress. What began as a simple Google document exploded into a burgeoning movement, and that movement has sparked new political activism in places like Gary, Schererville, Highland and St. John. Advertisement In the Portage union hall meeting, Visclosky spoke of his positions on health care reform, alleged Russian interference in last year's national elections and civil rights, issues the members said interested them when Indivisible NWI members polled them. Following the guide's direction, the recent Indivisible NWI group followed Visclosky's comments with break-out sessions on field organizing, legislation, marketing and communications and legal maneuvering. The grassroots movement is modeled after the national tea party's rapid ascension leading up to the 2010 mid-term elections, Haug said. Locally, tea party members organized into cells across the region and flooded elected officials' town hall meetings, often peppering officials with tough questions, especially on the Affordable Care Act. Visclosky, who already has held a dozen town hall-style meetings this year, took the brunt of the criticism from tea party members, who effectively disrupted meetings then. "I do see a new sense of excitement at the moment," he said. "I just suggest that everyone please take the high road, because if you had been to some of those forums around 2010, you know I never even got started because everyone shouted me down for an hour, and there was no exchange of ideas." Indiana State Rep. Chuck Moseley, D-Portage, who is no stranger to being in the political minority, said the Indivisible NWI turnout was encouraging for all of the new faces filling the hall. "Being able to see it for myself firsthand, is very exciting," Moseley said. "That tells me folks who normally have not become engaged have decided that now is the time, and, if they're going to take their country back, they're going to have to be informed." David Anderson, whose wife is an Indivisible NWI member, said he attended the meeting to see what the group plans to do locally. Advertisement "I think I have to get more involved," said Anderson, a millwright from Lowell. "I can't sit by and watch these things happen on a national and local level any more. I've always heard, 'Think global, act local', and it makes sense to me, if I can effect some kind of change on a local level or community level. "The voter turnout is so low in this country, it's really discouraging. If we can round up a few hundred or even more voters even in our county, I wonder what kind of effect would that make." Michael Gonzalez is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune. Lean more: For more information on the Indivisible Guide and locally affiliated groups, go to Indivisibleguide.org. Habitat for Humanity to host construction clinics Habitat for Humanity of Porter County will host "how-to" construction clinics for women volunteering in the 10th annual National Women Build Week. Advertisement Clinics offered include How to Frame for Walls and Roofs, 11 a.m. Saturday; How to Install Exterior Siding, 11 a.m. April 1; How to Install Roofing Shingles, 7 p.m. April 7; How to Finish Interior with Paint and Trim, noon April 22; and How to Install Insulation and Drywall, 11 a.m. April 29. All clinics will be at Lowe's Home Improvement of Portage, 6221 U.S. 6. More information is at 219-531-0359. Applications for the 2017 Purdue Alumni Club of Northwest Indiana scholarship must be postmarked by March 25. Advertisement Purdue scholarship deadline nears The Purdue Scholar Award is available to current Purdue students who have completed their freshman year at any of the Purdue campuses and are continuing on to their sophomore year. The applications and information are available on the Purdue Alumni Club's website, www.purduealumni.org/nwindiana/scholarships . For any questions contact the Purdue Alumni Club of Northwest Indiana at 219-779-8012 or email them at pcnwi@purduealumni.org. Open registration at adult learning center The Crown Point Adult Learning Center, an affiliate of the Center of Workforce Innovations, has open registration from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., 1-4 p.m., and 5:30-7:30 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays at 122 N. Main St. for those seeking to attain their high school equivalency or learn English as a second language. Skill training also is available in welding, certified nursing assistant, CDL, entry-level manufacturing, emergency management technician, pharmacy technician and hospitality. More information is at 219-314-9904. Indoor garage sale April 1 in Hammond Advertisement Mayor Thomas McDermott and Hammond Parks and Recreation will host an Indoor Garage Sale from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. April 1 at the Jean Shepherd Community Center, 3031 J.F. Mahoney Drive, Hammond. Admission is $1 per person and concessions will be available. Booths are available to rent for $35. More information is at 219-554-0155. Wedding dance classes offered in Valparaiso Valparaiso Parks will offer dance lessons from 6:15 to 7:30 p.m. April 3-May 8 at the Fred Astaire Dance Studio, 2759 W. Morthland Drive, Valparaiso. Dances include the Nightclub Two Step, Rumba, and traditional slow dance. Cost is $78-resident/$90-nonresident per couple, or $43/$55 per individual for the six-week session. Register at the Valparaiso Parks office, 3210 N. Campbell St., by phone at 219-462-5144 or online at valpoparks.org. Hospital offers community programs Community Hospital has a variety of upcoming presentations, classes and seminars. Exercise is Medicine The MedFit Way, for those with chronic conditions, such as diabetes, heart disease or obesity, 6:30-7:30 p.m. March 29 at the Community Hospital Fitness Pointe, 9950 Calumet Ave., Munster. Freedom From Smoking, led by a registered nurse and American Lung Association smoking cessation facilitator, 4-6 p.m. April 3-May 15 at Community Hospital Fitness Pointe, 9950 Calumet Ave., Munster. Cost is $25, which is returned upon completion of the program. Taking Care of Baby, baby care basics, 6-8:45 p.m. April 3 at the Community Hospital Medical Office Building, 800 MacArthur Blvd., Suite 30, Munster. Weight Loss Solutions ... What's Right For Me, comprehensive medical, endoscopic and surgical weight management options, 6-8 p.m. April 4 at the Community Hospital Medical Office Building, 801 MacArthur Blvd., Munster. Baby and Me Exercise Class, for new parents and their baby 6-weeks old through crawling, 11 a.m.-noon April 5 at the Community Hospital Fitness Pointe, 9950 Calumet Ave., Munster. Advertisement Registration is required for all programs at 219-836-3477 or 866-836-3477. Staff reports The Porter County Public Library Board refined plans for the new Valparaiso library parking lot at their March 15 meeting, but they still don't have a date for the construction that'll double the number of spaces. It will probably begin in late summer now that they've ironed out final details and would affect parking for a while, Director James Cline said. Advertisement The bungalow at 105 N. Michigan Ave. will still remain, as the board decided last year, and there'll be trees separating it and the house to the north for the new parking, which will also be moved further from them, the plans show. Resident Kevin Crawford said that the Michigan Avenue entrance and exit between the library building and the house took too much land from the house's property. Advertisement He said he'd rather have just an entrance or exit on what's now the existing alley known as Library Lane, sparing the old growth tree on the right of way between the sidewalk and the street. The board approved planting a replacement tree as close to the current one as soon as possible, and decided against moving a NIPSCO pole that would be in the center of the Michigan entrance and exit. It'll cost too much to put the pole's transformer underground, according to Landscape Architect Michael Reese of Troyer Group, the project planners. The parking lot will also have a Franklin Street entrance and exit off Library Lane, allowing the alley to remain for city access, and there'll be no more Chicago street exit. The project will cost about $300,000 to $400,000, Reese said. The board decided in February to not include the existing west parking lot into the project, Board President Deb Porter said. Cline said they want to wait until after The Skillman Corp. runs its assessment of all five library buildings because the Board could decide on putting a drive-up book drop on the west side. Skillman Senior Vice President Scott Cherry presented a formalized plan to the board after Reese spoke, outlining a study that wouldn't exceed $14,000, plus $1,000 for reimbursable expenses like blueprint copies. Advertisement The roughly 3-5-month study would include recommendations of needs and cost estimates for the updates, from replacing boilers and carpet to improving phone, electric and mechanical systems, Cherry said. James D. Wolf Jr. is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune. Patricia Harada was first elected to the Oakton Community College board of trustees in 2011. She is not seeking reelection in the April 4, 2017 election after serving one six-year term. (Oakton Community College ) A longtime Oakton Community College trustee is one of two on the college's board who aren't seeking reelection April 4. After nearly three decades as an Oakton Community College trustee, Northbrook resident Jody Wadhwa decided to step down because of what he called decreased hearing loss. Wadhwa is joined by Patricia Harada, of Wilmette, who also is giving up her seat on the board. She is exiting after serving only one term. Advertisement There are four candidates on the ballot vying for the two seats. Wadhwa, 82, has served five, six-year terms, after joining the board in 1987. He said a loss of hearing which he attributes to his age is his principle reason for stepping down, though he "loves the college" and "enjoyed serving." Advertisement "I can only hear about 60 percent of what's said at the meetings now, which is frustrating," said Wadhwa. "It's time to give someone else a chance." Wadhwa's many contributions to the college during his tenure have included introduction and endowment of The Illinois Community College Trustees Association's Gandhi/King Peace Scholarship. The annual essay contest provides a $500 scholarship to the student who best articulates the peaceful messages of Mahatma Gandhi and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Oakton College President Joianne Smith spoke highly of Wadhwa and his longstanding service on the board. "Jody's departure is a tremendous loss to the college community," Smith said. "He is absolutely committed to the success of our students." Jody Wadhwa first joined the Oakton Community College board of trustees in 1987. He is not seeking reelection in the April 4, 2017 citing issues with hearing loss. (Oakton Community College) In addition to being a generous donor to Oakton's educational foundation, Smith said Wadhwa has been a mentor to many the college's students who are from India. "I can't tell you how many of our Indian students would refer to him as 'Uncle Jody,'" said Smith. Wadhwa came to the U.S. from his native India in 1956. Harada was elected to the board in 2011 and has served a single six-year stint. Advertisement "I'm leaving for no particular reason other than I served out my term," Harada said. "I am honored and privileged to have served and I'll miss my fellow trustees." Harada chaired the transition team that oversaw the succession in 2015 of former Oakton College President Margaret Lee to Smith. "I was very happy to serve in that capacity during the transition," Harada said. Smith reiterated that both of the out-going trustees would be missed. "Oakton Community College has always had a good board of trustees and we're very grateful for all their contributions," she said. Martha Burns of Evanston, Carmina Cortes Gonzalez of Des Plaines, Travis Zimmerman of Northbrook and Paul Kotowski of Skokie are all running for a seat on the board of trustees in next month's election. Advertisement Early voting in Cook County runs March 20-April 3. Libby Elliott is a freelancer. Chef Juan Perez is partners with Peter Burdi in the Japanese restaurant, Nabuki, one of three restaurants in Hinsdale Burdi owns. (Kimberly Fornek/Chicago Tribune) On a busy Friday night, Rae Mugnolo and a fellow diner sat at the sushi counter in Nabuki and enjoyed a combination of avocado and mango with yellowtail called "Hamachi loves me." On the other side of the counter, head chef Juan Perez and three other chefs rolled sushi non-stop, preparing entrees, such as tuna tartare and crabby tuna. Advertisement "It's always lively here," Mugnolo said. If instead of Japanese cuisine, diners are craving chicken Marsala, rigatoni and other Italian dishes, they can go a few doors down to il Poggiolo Ristorante. Or if Mexican is preferred, across the street Cine is serving fajitas and tampiquena. Advertisement And all three restaurants are co-owned by the same person, Peter Burdi of Burr Ridge, who did not start out in the restaurant business. Before becoming a restaurateur, Burdi worked in retail, domestic violence court and flipping real estate. Burdi grew up in Westchester and went to St. Joseph High School. After graduating from Northern Illinois University with a degree in political science, he planned to join his parents' clothing business. Their store, Burdi Clothing on Walton Street near Rush Street, sells high end men's clothing. Peter Burdi of Burr Ridge had planned to go into his family's clothing business, but instead owns three restaurants in downtown Hinsdale. (Kimberly Fornek / Pioneer Press) They opened another store in Chicago, which Peter was going to run. "Around Christmastime, I got held up twice within a week by the same guy," Burdi said. The first time the man took clothing. The second time he wanted cash. The robber threw a few bullets at him, Burdi said, and told him the next time he would put the bullets in his head. "After that, we closed the store," Burdi said. "I wasn't going back." A year later, he started law school. Once he passed the bar, he started working for the Cook County State's Attorney at the Daley Center and in the courts at 26th and California. Advertisement "It was great," Burdi said. Peter Burdi of Burr Ridge in front of Cine, a Mexican restaurant he opened in 2012, his third in Hinsdale. (Kimberly Fornek / Pioneer Press) Until he was assigned to the domestic violence division, where time after time he saw battered women who would not press charges against their abuser. They had no place else to go, except to return home with their spouse or boyfriend. "It was so sad," Burdi said. "That's what burned me out." He decided to start a law practice that specialized in real estate closings. He also started investing, with a partner, in residential and commercial properties throughout the Chicago area. In 2008, when the market crashed, he found himself owning the two-story building at 8 E. First St., which at the time, held a stationery and framing store. Having paid "a lot" for the building, Burdi said, he wanted a more profitable use for it. He decided to open an Italian restaurant and turned to a friend, Jeremy Kleiner, who already owned restaurants in Chicago. Together they opened il Poggiolo. Burdi had expected his partner to operate the restaurant, but Kleiner was busy with his other ventures and hired a general manager. Burdi was left to oversee it. Advertisement "I had to figure out the restaurant business," Burdi said. "It was trial by fire." Peter Burdi of Burr Ridge in Nabuki, his Japanese restaurant in HInsdale, which recently expanded. (Kimberly Fornek / Pioneer Press) He and the restaurant did well enough that Hinsdale resident Clay Naccarato approached him about opening a sushi restaurant. They bought the building a few doors to the east, and opened Nabuki six years ago. Last fall, the restaurant expanded into an adjacent vacant store to have more seating and a place for private parties. For his third restaurant, Burdi wanted to offer contemporary Mexican food. "I thought there was definitely a market for it," Burdi said. He opened Cine, Spanish for cinema, in the former Hinsdale Theater on First Street in November 2012. Burdi did not plan to open three restaurants on the same block. Advertisement "It just happened," he said, but it has proven very convenient. It's easier to share resources, such as staff. For example, chef Saul Maya works at both il Poggiolo and Cine. Burdi said he can visit all three restaurants in 20 minutes. He stops at each one everyday. "I eat lunch at one of the restaurants every single day," Burdi said. One lesson he learned early on is the importance of providing excellent customer service. "I thought it was all about the food," Burdi said. "Great food is always important, but customer service is key. Customers want the host to know who they are. They want the bartender to know the cocktails they want. They come in because of (chefs) Juan and Saul." His wife, Dana, does marketing and social media for the restaurants.. Advertisement Burdi also has an interest in Beer House in Yorktown Center, a bar specializing in craft beers, that opened in July 2013. For the time being, however, he has no plans to open any new restaurants. "Real estate is back. I'm rehabbing and selling properties, I'm kind of busy with that," Burdi said. Juan (Peter) Perez (foreground), chef and partner in Nabuki restaurant, and his team prepare sushi on a busy Friday night. (Kimberly Fornek / Pioneer Press) kfornek@pioneerlocal.com Twitter @kfdoings Burdi's Hinsdale Trio Advertisement il Poggiolo Address: 8 E. First St., Hinsdale Phone: 630)-734-9400 Website: www.ilpoggiolohinsdale.com Nabuki Address: 18 E. First St., Hinsdale Advertisement Phone: 630-654-8880 Website: nabukihinsdale.com Cine Address: 29 E. First St., Hinsdale Phone: 630-590-5655 Website: www.cinehinsdale.com 2022 election guide: Here are Pueblo County's top races, ballot issues Here's what you need to know about the local candidates and ballot questions in the 2022 election, as well as how to vote in Pueblo, Colorado. Namibia has received 87,125 U.S. dollars from the latest round of funding from UNESCO's International Fund for Cultural Diversity. Ndapewoshali Ashipala with the Museums Association of Namibia (MAN) told Xinhua on Thursday the core objectives of the Fund is to support diversity of cultural expression and the emergence of creative industries in developing countries. Ashipala said the Namibian project, which will run for 21 months starting March this year, is being facilitated by the MAN that is working in partnership with Namibian musician Shishani and the Namibian Tales band. Furthermore, the project will work with local musicians in the San community to promote traditional music internationally. "We seek to showcase the wealth of San community, musical traditions through an exchange and collaboration with our acoustic quartet 'Namibian Tales'. We look forward to crafting new sounds with ancient songs and exploring together new ways to connect different musical traditions," said Shishani. Hilma Kapuka, Museum Development Officer, said the project would not only help market the sounds of Namibia internationally, but also be an important step towards creating an archive of Namibian music. Eminent Chinese director Zhang Yimou started filming his new movie project in Beijing on Saturday, having recruited a stellar cast including Deng Chao and Wang Qianyuan. Cast members Deng Chao, Hu Jun, Wang Qianyuan, Guan Xiaotong and Wang Jingchun along with director Zhang Yimou, CEO of Le Vision Pictures Zhang Zhao and Ellen Eliasoph, President and CEO of Village Roadshow Pictures Asia attend the launch ceremony of the film "Ying" in Beijing, March 18, 2017. [Photo / China.org.cn] The storyline of the new film, entitled "Ying" (literally translated as "Shadow"), is being kept secret. Zhang polished the script over a period of three years, while the preparations for filming occupied one year before the cameras started rolling. Village Roadshow Pictures Asia and Le Vision Pictures are co-producing it. During a public appearance at the Loyola Marymount School of Film and TV in Los Angeles last month, Zhang mentioned he was working on a then-untitled historical drama focusing on the Three Kingdoms period in Chinese history, which refers to a 60-year span in the 3rd century, when the Kingdoms of Wei, Shu and Wu dominated what areas of today's central, southern and eastern China. It has been reported that "Ying" focuses on the Kingdom of Shu. Actors Deng Chao, Hu Jun, Wang Qianyuan, Guan Xiaotong and Wang Jingchun along with Zhang Yimou, CEO of Le Vision Pictures Zhang Zhao and Ellen Eliasoph, President and CEO of Village Roadshow Pictures Asia showed up at the launch ceremony of the film in Beijing last Saturday. It was announced that actors Zheng Kai and Wu Lei are also involved in the project, while top actress Gong Li is also rumored to be joining later. Filming will last two months at the Han City Studio, Zaoyang City, Hubei Province. Zhang Yimou's last significant Chinese-American co-production "The Great Wall" has so far been a colossal disappointment, receiving mixed reviews and making only US$44.75 million in the North American market and US$170 million in China. The Hollywood Reporter suggested in one of its reports that the studios involved may suffer a total loss of more than US$75 million. Workers from China Communications Construction discuss a project in Jeddah in Saudi Arabia. [Photo/Xinhua] China and Saudi Arabia will continue to diversify economic cooperation and develop stronger trade ties in 2017, as their products are complementary and they have reached a consensus on both the "Saudi Vision 2030" strategy and the Belt and Road Initiative, economists said on Sunday. Eager to diversify its heavily oil-dependent economy, Saudi Arabia announced the "Saudi Vision 2030" growth strategy in 2016, which includes privatizing some State-owned companies and finding more new market growth points from non-oil related sectors. Long Guoqiang, vice-president of the Development Research Center of the State Council, said on the sideline of the China Development Forum that the Belt and Road Initiative is expected to help Saudi Arabia realize its growth plan, as it can efficiently boost regional infrastructure connectivity, people-to-people exchanges, investment and trade activities on an effective multilateral cooperative platform. The infrastructure, trade and services network proposed by the Chinese government in 2013 envisions a Silk Road Economic Belt and a 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, covering about 4.4 billion people in more than 60 countries and regions in Europe, Asia and Africa. Sang Baichuan, director of the Institute of International Business at the University of International Business and Economics in Beijing, said that even though oil trade lies at the heart of bilateral business ties, Saudi Arabia's surging demand for infrastructure improvementssuch as next-generation oil refineries, roads, airports and oil tanker and container portswill provide opportunities for Chinese project contractors and manufacturers. Their comments came after China and Saudi Arabia signed 14 agreements and memorandums of understanding to deepen cooperation in such areas as energy, investment, finance, culture and aerospace last week. Among these big-ticket cooperative documents, one is an MOU on production capacity and investment cooperation that has 35 big projects involving $65 billion. China exports mainly construction machinery, manufacturing equipment, steel, electronics, textiles, garments and household appliances to Saudi Arabia. Chinese-made passenger vehicles and trucks have also become popular in the region. In addition to crude oil, petrochemicals and fertilizer, Saudi Arabia's exports to China include marble, olive oil and sesame seed products. China became Saudi Arabia's largest trading partner by goods volume in 2015, and Saudi Arabia has been China's biggest crude oil supplier and largest trading partner in western Asia for years. Bilateral trade between China and Saudi Arabia amounted to $42.4 billion in 2016, data from the Ministry of Commerce show. More than 100 Chinese companies from both State-owned enterprises and private sectors are currently involved in energy, rail, port and telecommunication projects in Saudi Arabia. "Saudi Arabia is an important transportation and financial hub connecting Asia, Africa and Europe, which makes the country an ideal partner for the Belt and Road Initiative," said Gu Xuebin, vice-president of the Beijing-based Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation. To further enhance trade ties with the Middle East region, Vice-Minister of Commerce Wang Shouwen said China will also accelerate negotiations for a free trade agreement with the Gulf Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf this year, which certainly will offer more business opportunities between China and Saudi Arabia. The GCC is a political and economic union of six Arab states that border the Persian GulfSaudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and the United Arab Emiratessome of which are considered among the world's top fossil fuel-exporting nations. The two sides are now expected to exchange views on key FTA issues such as trade conditions, rules of origin, technical barriers to trade and economic and technological cooperation, said Wang. Porters at work at a railway yard at Wengfu's plant premises in Guizhou province. [Photo/China Daily] In 2007, China's Wengfu (Group) Co Ltd achieved what was then truly extraordinarythe State-owned phosphorus and chemicals manufacturer outplayed many European and US counterparts to win the bid for the then world's largest mineral-processing project in Saudi Arabia. That set the tone for its frenetic global activity ever since. It launched a number of projects in nearly 10 countries and regions covering northern and western Africa as well as the Middle East. Today, Wengfu is pressing ahead with more than 30 overseas projects in countries such as Vietnam, Indonesia, India, and Kenya, most of which make use of its technologies related to mining and processing. That's not all. Wengfu's senior executives said the company is now set to continue its overseas expansion into economies covered by the Belt and Road Initiative, which aims to connect Asia with Africa and Europe through an infrastructure and trade grid along the ancient Silk Road. In the past three years, China signed nearly 50 government-level cooperation agreements in the Belt and Road countries and regions, according to the National Development and Reform Commission, the country's top economic planner. Outbound investments in economies along the Belt and Road are worth over $50 billion, and have resulted in better-than-expected achievements, said He Lifeng, minister of the NDRC. Companies such as the Guizhou-based Wengfu can take some credit for that. The SOE is adopting diverse models of cooperation to gain a firmer foothold in foreign markets that lack the ability to mine or process natural resources like phosphorus, an essential mineral. From Wengfu's perspective, rich ores overseas need to be exploited further. Its overseas goal is consistent with the current domestic situation. The chemical producer has been largely reliant on domestic market so far. It made a profit all right last year, but it was small as the rebound in coal prices pushed up its already-high costs. Revenue remained around 40 billion yuan ($5.79 billion), according to Jin Gang, assistant general manager of Wengfu and a lawmaker who attended the annual session of the National People's Congress in Beijing earlier this month. By 2020, Wengfu plans to invest about $4.3 billion to spur growth, and part of the budget will be allocated to strengthen efforts in overseas markets, especially along the Belt and Road markets, he said. "Technology exports will remain our priority." Founded in 1990, Wengfu started operations in 2000. Since then, it has mastered its low-cost, high-yield phosphorus-mining technology, which helps extract 95 percent of the mineral from phosphate ore, after removing impurities. Jin said Wengfu's overseas strategy has evolved in the past decade from exporting raw material like phosphate fertilizers and processed products like iodine to transferring higher value-added technologies. Such a change dovetails with the government's endeavor to increase the share of high-value services in China's exports. The group also owns national-level laboratories and research facilities for post-doctoral researchers. This initiative has resulted in over 2,000 patents so far. Zhang Tao, CEO of Wengfu Engineering and Contracting Co, the subsidiary in charge of overseas business, said Wengfu's business tie-ups overseas vary with client needs, but its focus is fixed on giving full play to its technologies and professional services. For example, the company is in talks with some parties to finalize investment terms for building factories in countries and regions mentioned above. The latter will apply its world-class technology to extract anhydrous hydrogen fluoride or AHF at a lower cost. AHF is a chemical product extracted from phosphorus for industrial use. "Many markets have showed strong interest in such projects," Zhang said. "We will decide by evaluating the quality of mineral deposits, the investment environment and the market size. For other potential clients, we could tailor services as per their preferencelet's say, we may send our consultants or provide EPC (engineering, procurement and construction, a common form of contracting in the construction industry) projects." Wengfu faced its share of legal, cultural and religious challenges overseas. The only way out was to join forces, Zhang said. "Vicious competition always drags everyone down. Chinese companies need to beef up their respective advantages," he said. He cited Wengfu's collaboration with China Huanqiu Contracting and Engineering Corp, its one-time competitor, for the second phase of Saudi Arabia's project. "Our partner has more experience in networking and project management in Saudi Arabia, while Wengfu, a latecomer, used technologies to its advantage. It was a win-win for both of us." Thus far, Wengfu has implemented projects in partnership with many Chinese machinery producers and construction firms. Zhou Liqun, general manager of State-owned China Chengtong International Investment Co Ltd, said prudent risk management plays a key role in fulfilling the goal of overseas investment. "Chinese companies should avoid internecine competition," he said, referring to the irrational, competitive overseas investment frenzy among some domestic corporates. Although it has come a long way in global markets since the 2007 Saudi project, Wengfu feels it's still early days. According to Jin, Wengfu has reached a stage where greater emphasis is put on project quality and safe operations, rather than just earnings numbers. Europe can reduce the risk of encountering an economic "black swan" by cooperating more with China, according to analysts at the China Development Forum. "The immediate black swan is in Europe," Joseph Stiglitz, a Nobel laureate and economist at Columbia University in the United States, said at the three-day forum, which was to end Monday. Black swan refers to an unexpected incident that has a major effect on financial markets and economies. The debt situation in the EU, notably Greece and Italy, for example, is expected to have a black swan effect. "Many (European) countries have lower GDP than before the (financial) crisis, and for many countries, the downturn is much worse than the Great Depressionunemployment is unacceptably high and youth unemployment in countries like Spain and Greece is as high as 50 percent," Stiglitz said. Greece may encounter another debt crisis next year, according to Christopher Pissarides, a Nobel laureate and economist at the London School of Economics. The EU hopes to establish a bank union to ward off risks, but this is yet to happen, he said. Stiglitz said the lack of a bank union has led to capital outflows. "Europe knows what needs to be done," he said, "but politics are still not strong enough to create the institutions to make it work." Zhao Jinping, director of research on foreign economic relations for the State Council's Development Research Center, said, "Despite the recent mild recovery of the global economy, the European economy faces new uncertainties and risks." Cooperation with China can help Europe to avoid potential crises, he said, calling on them to join hands to safeguard the existing multilateral global economic governance regime and to accelerate free trade talks to boost globalization. The two sides can also cooperate under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative, which will create opportunities for enterprises from China and Europe, Zhao added. Wu Xiaohui, chairman of Anbang Insurance Group, agreed that deepening cooperation would lower the possibility that Europe will experience a black swan event. "China and Europe have advantages when it comes to bilateral cooperation," he said. "While Europe has a branding advantage, China excels in processing and production. The combination ... can produce a great atomic effect." Chinese direct investment in Europe last year totaled 35.1 billion euros ($37.7 billion), up by 76 percent year-on-year, according to Rhodium Group and the Mercator Institute for China Studies. You are here: Home Yixiang Textile Company [File photo] China's top environment regulator has urged local authorities to bring those responsible for violence against law enforcement agents in eastern Anhui Province to justice. On March 12, four law enforcement officers were attacked and injured while gathering evidence of unauthorized production at a textile company in Dangshan County, the Ministry of Environmental Protection (MEP) said Sunday. The company did not pass environmental impact assessment, the MEP said, calling for a fast investigation and "severe punishment" for the violent obstructors. Its violation of environment laws should also be dealt with strictly, MEP added. The watchdog will keep its zero tolerance for breach of law and high pressure of law enforcement, according to an official with the MEP's Bureau of Environmental Supervision. British Prime Minister Theresa May leaves 10 Downing Street for Prime Minister's Questions (PMQs) at the parliament in central London, Britain, on March 15, 2017. (Xinhua/Han Yan) On March 14, Britain's Parliament passed the Brexit bill, allowing Prime Minister Theresa May to start negotiations for the U.K.'s exit from the European Union (EU). These are likely to begin in the last week of March. With people in various countries wondering what the impact of this move will be, Chinese also need to ponder this question. Soon after the majority "yes" vote was announced in the Brexit referendum in June 2016, the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson expressed the following position: First of all, China respects the choice of the British people; second, China has always looked at the China-U.K. and China-EU ties from a strategic height; and third, China would be happy to see an early conclusion of the negotiation process as a prosperous and stable Europe is in everyone's interest. Politically, Brexit might strengthen the bilateral relationship between the U.K. and China. Having parted company with the EU after a fairly long "marriage", the British need to strengthen ties with others, including China, an emerging power moving towards the global center. In early February 2017, commenting on the news Prime Minister May would visit China this year, the Foreign Ministry spokesperson said: "China will follow the developments of the Brexit negotiations closely, and hopes that the two sides will reach a win-win conclusion." As a matter of fact, Mrs. May is the first European leader to announce an intention to attend the Belt and Road forum in Beijing this May, showing that her government attaches importance to the "global comprehensive strategic partnership in the 21st century" between the two countries. This partnership was established when Chinese President Xi Jinping visited London in October 2015. To date, China has set up different types of partnership with more than 70 countries, but the one with the U.K. alone uses such words as "global" and "21st century." Needless to say, no matter when Brexit becomes reality, the special partnership between China and the U.K. must be nurtured with great care. It should not be forgotten that high level exchanges of visits between the two sides were frozen for one-and-a-half years when David Cameron, then leading the country, received the Dalai Lama in May 2012. Bilateral ties were not normalized until Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and British Foreign Secretary William Hague held a telephone conversation in June 2013. On that occasion, Hague said the U.K. "respects the sovereignty and territorial integrity of China and recognizes Tibet as part of China. Britain does not support 'Tibetan independence'." He also acknowledged that "Britain has been fully aware of the sensitivity of Tibet-related issues and is willing to properly handle China's concerns." Cameron then visited Beijing in December 2013. Hong Kong is another issue where the U.K. should show respect for China's sovereignty. It is certain that, after Brexit, the U.K. may continue to have close relations with its former colony. However, it must avoid any action that would damage China-U.K. relations or the "one country, two systems" policy applied successfully in Hong Kong since 1997. Economically speaking, the impact of Brexit may be mixed. On the positive side, it is likely that economic relations between China and the U.K. will be intensified. No matter whether it involves a soft or hard "divorce," the U.K. will surely try very hard to consolidate or even expand its position in the Chinese market. According to the EU Lisbon Treaty, no member is allowed to sign a free trade agreement (FTA) with any third party bilaterally, as the EU has sole competence in this regard. After quitting the EU, it's possible that the U.K. can negotiate such an FTA with China, making it China's largest trade partner with a FTA. So far, China has concluded 14 FTAs with 22 countries, none as big as the U.K. Brexit might mean a weak pound, and that's good news for Chinese tourists and parents who send their offspring to study in British universities. However, Brexit might generate some unwelcome repercussions. First of all, it might tarnish the investment environment, discouraging for Chinese companies. Second, the U.K.'s position as an international financial center might be affected, and this could lessen Chinese desire to push forward internationalization of its currency. Other places like Frankfurt and Paris could overtake London in financial cooperation. Beijing always says a strong and united Europe is good for China as well as for the world. Therefore, indirectly, the impact of Brexit on China is not a blessing. It is believed that Brexit will downplay the EU's position on the world stage, a counter-productive outcome for the emerging multilateral world order. Hopefully, European integration process will continue to proceed although Eurosceptics are on the rise over there. The writer is a columnist with China.org.cn. For more information please visit: http://www.china.org.cn/opinion/jiangshixue.htm Opinion articles reflect the views of their authors, not necessarily those of China.org.cn. The United States recently released data suggesting that the trade deficit with China accounted for 47 percent of its overall foreign trade deficit in 2016. Armed with this information, some Americans appear prepared to launch a trade war with China. But it would be based on paradoxical logic, as a large part of the so-called huge Sino-US trade deficit should actually be covered by the US-ROK and US-Japan deficit. Leaving aside the question of the accuracy of the deficit figures published by the US, even if the numbers are correct, they need to be critically assessed. Let us look specifically at the Sino-US trade deficit, at how most of it comes into being. Take as an example, the Taiwan-based contract electronics manufacturer, Foxconn, which owns the Apple mobile phone production lines in the mainland and exports the mobile devices to the US. An imported Apple phone is worth $200, and so according to the US statistics, all of the 200-dollar deficit has been counted on the Chinese mainland. However, so far, the Chinese mainland is not equipped to produce most iPhone components. The display is imported from South Korea, the body is imported from Taiwan of China, and the sensor, camera and other components are imported from Japan. All that China has provided may simply be the battery. In terms of the overall price of an entire mobile phone, that may account for less than 10 dollars. And then taking the assembly as China's added value into account, it may come to about $1 for each device. In other words, from China's perspective, in exporting a single iPhone to the US, China's share of the product and service only add up to 11 dollars, which means China should receive an $11 surplus from the US. Whilst the US figure is $200, nearly 20 times greater. This situation holds for most of China's exports to the US. For example, according to US data, China exported $130-billion-worth mobile phones, tablets, laptops and related accessories to the US in 2015, accounting for almost one-third of all exports to the US. However, the vast majority of these products' accessories came from South Korea, Japan and Taiwan province. As a result, China's trade with South Korea and Japan has suffered huge deficits in these years. China's trade deficit with South Korea was $55.2 billion in 2014 and $46.9 billion in 2015. In 2016, China's trade deficit with Japan was 110 billion yuan, or almost 16 billion US dollars. Also in 2016, the mainland trade deficit with Taiwan was 653.97 billion yuan, almost $100 billion. A large part of the electronic components exported from Taiwan to the mainland are from Japan and South Korea. Just by taking these figures into account, the so-called US trade deficit with China can at least be reduced by nearly 150 billion US dollars in 2016. This is the reason behind the enormous difference in the trade deficit calculated respectively by China and the US. If Washington decides to wage a trade war with China using only trade figures as an excuse, then that is simply irresponsible. Today's pattern of trade and the global division of labor has been created single-handedly by the US, who is now the world's largest developed country and once was the initiator and leader of economic globalization. This division of labor has allowed production factors in various countries to be combined effectively, so as to provide the whole world with products at the lowest cost and the best quality. Undoubtedly the biggest beneficiaries are American consumers. As a part of this global labor division, China has provided American consumers with a large number of inexpensive products of high quality, especially for those belonging to middle and lower social groups. But for China itself, still limited by the realities of developing countries, even though the volume of trade is huge, China's profits remain very limited. China makes most money from low cost mass assembling, tasks that US workers don't want to do. If the US really disregards these facts and launches a trade war with China, the result will be lose-lose. The global trade system will be broken disastrously once the two largest countries engage in a trade war. Against the current uncertainty of global economic recovery, the consequences will be a direct threat to the unstable world economy, as well as national economic stability in various countries. In fact, after the US dollar became the international reserve currency in the 1970s, the US has long been in a trade deficit situation. And as long as the reigning status of dollar exists, this situation will not be changed. If Washington sincerely wants to end the trade deficit, the first thing they need to do is to work jointly with other countries to figure out a more rational global monetary system. When the other countries' demand for dollars gradually disappears, US trade will naturally turn balanced. Flash Rwandan women have been called upon to fully embrace financial savings culture by opening accounts in banks and micro financial institutions as a way of improving their socio-economic livelihoods. Nadine Umutoni, permanent secretary in Rwanda's ministry of gender and family promotion, told reporters on Sunday that Rwandan women had not embraced financial savings culture that hinders their social and economic livelihood. "Many women manage day-to-day finances on behalf of their family using bank accounts in their partners' name or joint accounts. Women should take responsibility for their own financial affairs by also having a bank account in their names," she said. Umutoni said that many Rwandan women fund household expenses from their salaries, believing they can rely on their partner's investments and savings for their future. "Embracing a savings culture will enhance financial inclusion and accelerate growth," she added. According to statistics from the National Bank of Rwanda, the number of women who access to financial services has increased from 36.1 percent in 2012 to 63 percent in 2016. The Rwandan government has continued to champion financial inclusiveness with the creation of the National Investment Trust, promotion of agent banking, mobile money savings and banking insurance, among others. Flash A contingent of the guard of honor of the three services of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) on Sunday participated in a rehearsal of Pakistan's 77th national day parade in the country's capital of Islamabad. The 90-member contingent has come to Pakistan to feature in the parade on the invitation of the Pakistani side. The final parade will be held on March 23 at Shakarparian Parade Ground in Islamabad. The parade is being organized by joint staff headquarters, which oversees the three armed forces of Pakistan. The Pakistan Day commemorates March 23, 1940 when a resolution was passed in Lahore, now Pakistan's eastern city, to demand a separate homeland for the Muslims of the British Indian Empire. Seven years after the resolution was passed, the British Indian Empire was divided into two states, India and Pakistan. During the rehearsal, Pakistani armed forces parade was followed by the exhibition of military hardware, cultural floats and air show. According to a handout released by the Pakistan army's mouthpiece Inter Services Public Relations, the guard of honor of the three services of the PLA is participating in any parade in Pakistan for the first time. Talking to media on the occasion, head of the Chinese contingent Major General Li Jianbo said "We selected the best personnel and trained them hard for the Pakistan Day parade. We have come here to convey a message of friendship to Pakistan on behalf of the Chinese people and the Chinese army. We sincerely hope that Pakistan will progress day by day and its army will be stronger and stronger." The Pakistan Day parade remained suspended for a period of eight years until it was restarted in 2015 after Pakistan visibly achieved successes against militancy in the country. Special security measures have been put in place in Islamabad and its neighboring garrison city of Rawalpindi. Saudi Special Force's contingents and Turkish Janissary Military Band are also participating in the parade. Flash The Embassy of Pakistan in collaboration with China World Peace Foundation will organize an exhibition celebrating the Art, Culture and Heritage of Pakistan. The exhibition will be held from 22-28 March at the Zhengyangmen Administration Museum. The exhibition will showcase the art work of one of Pakistans most accomplished artist Jimmy Engineer. It will exhibit around 100 paintings of Engineer on the themes of Pakistans history, architecture, landscape, independence as well as peace and harmony. The exhibition will also include fifteen sketches of Jimmy Engineer on Chinas political leadership and prominent personalities of Chinese history. The art exhibition is being held to celebrate the 70th anniversary of Pakistans Independence and the 66th anniversary of the diplomatic relationship between China and Pakistan. Flash Chinese Premier Li Keqiang's five-day official visit to Australia starting Wednesday is expected to boost the development of China-Australia relations and cooperation, and push forward free trade and regional integration. It will be his first visit to the Oceanic state in the southern hemisphere in his capacity as Chinese premier. After that, he will visit New Zealand. TO ALIGN DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIES Li is expected to seek cooperation spaces for common growth with Australia, in accordance with China's updated economic outlook and blueprint from the just concluded "two sessions" -- the annual gatherings of National People's Congress and Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. With an extensive common ground and huge potential in cooperation, Australia has been an important economic and trade partner of China. Meanwhile, China has for years ranked top among Australia's trade partners, as its largest exports market and source of imports and investment. The two sides have seen deepening economic and trade ties as a result of a free trade deal since December 2015. Liu Qing, head of the Asia-Pacific department at the China Institute of International Studies (CIIS), believes the Chinese premier's visit will bring more opportunities to China-Australia cooperation. "The two countries have highly complementary economies and development strategies," he said, expecting to see an alignment between the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative and Australia's ambitious development plan for its north. Australian Trade Minister Steve Ciobo said recently that Australian businesses have a keen interest in and want to be part of the Belt and Road Initiative. TO SAFEGUARD FREE TRADE RESULTS China and Australia share extensive consensuses on and appeals for the enhancement of free trade and globalization amid worldwide uncertainties, including a sluggish economic recovery and a surge in protectionism in some Western countries. This is especially so after the United States withdrew from the Trans-Pacific Partnership talks in January, dealing a blow to free trade to the great disappointment of Australia and some other countries in the region. At the crucial moment for the future of globalization, Li's visit to Australia will convey a positive message to the world, that is, China and Australia will jointly safeguard the results of free trade, tackle protectionist challenges, and push forward regional integration and globalization, said Ruan Zongze, vice president of the CIIS. China has made it clear it will remain an advocate for globalization and free trade, and is willing to work together with other countries to improve global economic governance. Ruan attributed Australia's growth for 26 years in a row partly to its close economic and trade ties with China. Particularly, he added, after the two countries reached a bilateral free trade deal, convenience in trade and investment between the two countries has generated more business opportunities for their businesses and brought tangible benefits to the two peoples. TO BOOST REGIONAL INTEGRATION, STABILITY Cooperation between China and Australia, both advocates and driving forces for free trade in the Asia-Pacific, is expected to inject fresh energy into not only globalization, but also regional integration. During Li's stay in Australia, China and Australia are also expected to reach agreements on a series of regional issues. Both countries are members of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, of the East Asia Summit and of the Group of 20 major economies. They are also parties to the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) negotiations. Wang Zhenyu, CIIS associate research fellow, suggested that both countries make use of the existing mechanisms to increase dialogues and coordination, enhance connectivity in the Asia-Pacific and promote comprehensive cooperation in various fields through economic and trade cooperation with a goal of lifting regional integration to a new height. China and Australia have the same aims in safeguarding regional security and stability, Wang added, saying both countries will continuously explore new spaces for cooperation in dealing with climate change, poverty relief and reduction, technical assistance, people-to-people exchanges and combating terrorism, among others, and play a constructive role in tackling regional issues. At the insistence of the United States, finance ministers and central bank governors from the world's biggest economies ended a G20 meeting in Germany on Saturday without agreeing on resisting protectionism and supporting free trade. The usual sentence "We will resist all forms of protectionism" was omitted from their communique. This marks a step backward and underscores the anti-globalization stance of the US Donald Trump administration, which bodes ill for the countries that rely on open markets to maintain growth amid the backdrop of the global economy's slow recovery. However, it will not reverse the trend of globalization as the trade in goods already accounts for almost half of the global GDP. China, which joined the World Trade Organization in 2001, is the biggest victim of trade protectionism, with 119 trade remedy probes totaling $14.3 billion launched against it by 27 countries and regions last year, a jump in value of 76 percent year-on-year, according to China's Ministry of Commerce. Now it faces even more protectionist policies given the "buy American" rhetoric of Trump and his threat to levy new tariffs on goods from China. This makes China, the world's largest exporter, a natural opponent of protectionism and defender of free trade. President Xi Jinping described protectionism as locking oneself in a dark room to avoid danger in his speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, in January. His assertion that no one will emerge as a winner in a trade war is a view shared by the leaders of many countries. Xi also said that efforts should be made to develop an inclusive economy in which opportunities and benefits are shared by all to create a win-win globalization. China is working with other nations to fight protectionism. Xi once again expressed China's commitment to free trade ahead of the G20 meeting when speaking by telephone with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, and they vowed to fight for free trade and open markets together. There is still room for optimism, as US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said at the G20 meeting that Washington had no desire to fight "trade wars" with other countries, which will lead to a lose-lose situation for all. And as a country that has benefited from globalization as it has opened ever wider to the outside world, China will not shut its doors now. BEIJING - Chinese companies have outperformed their Asian counterparts in digital transformation, according to a report by a leading software developer. About 91 percent of Chinese mainland respondents used software development strategy DevOps and about 88 percent Agile. In other Asian countries the figures were 88 percent and 86 percent respectively, according to a report by CA Technologies. Agile and DevOps are two of the most popular tools to help companies to upgrade their IT infrastructure. Digitalization is expanding into other industries like banking, manufacturing and telecoms, according to Martin Mackay, CA Technologies president and general manager responsible for the Asia Pacific and Japan (APJ) region. Despite high awareness of digitalization tools, only 33 percent of Chinese respondents used them throughout the company, the report showed. Other than technology and investment, Martin pointed out that the biggest challenge for companies in digitizing is culture, with a flat corporate culture easier to digitize than a hierarchical one. "It's not that the IT department wants to change, but that the business is changing, and you have to adapt to changes faster than your competitors," said Nick Lim, ASEAN and Greater China vice president with CA Technologies. "China is a key market for us and we will continue to grow business here as ongoing economic upgrades mean more companies in China will go digital," Lim added. China opposes the many forms of trade protectionism and supports free trade, Vice-Premier Zhang Gaoli said on Sunday, amid rising anti-globalization sentiment around the world. The country will also stick to its stance of economic opening-up and further improve the business environment for foreign investors, Zhang told the China Development Forum. "China is willing to work with other countries to oppose various forms of trade and investment protectionism," he said. "We should unwaveringly push forward economic globalization. We cannot halt our steps because of temporary difficulties." Zhang said world policymakers should make the globalization process more inclusive by putting more emphasis on equality. "The world economy is in a deep adjustment, growth is weak and trade protectionism is rising," he said. Government officials, scholars and entrepreneurs from around the world who are participating in the three-day forum in Beijing expressed their concerns about worsening trade protectionism dampening the prospects of the already weak global economic recovery. Many of them expressed concern about Donald Trump now being in a position to pursue his tough talk on trade as US president, and the United Kingdom starting its two-year process of leaving the European Union. "My main concern is that the policies of both the US and the UK for 2017 will further push the world away from free trade, thereby reversing globalizations momentum, which has been so good for the entire world," Christopher Pissarides, a Nobel laureate and economist at the London School of Economics, said at the forum on Saturday. China has called for cooperation among all countries to safeguard free trade. In January, President Xi Jinping defended globalization at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. "China is, given its size of economy, the best hope for reversing the effect of the potential black swan by promoting globalization," Pissarides said. A black swan is a metaphor for an unexpected event that has a major effect. China will further open up its economy and provide a more favorable business environment for foreign investors, Zhang told the forum participants. "China will push for a higher-level economic opening-up," he said. Zhang urged the nation to continue to restructure its economy, shifting focus to innovation, strategically emerging industries, and advanced manufacturing. The country must safeguard financial security and "put prevention of financial risks higher on its agenda". He warned against the trend of funds flowing into the real estate sector and said if it is not well managed, there could be a problem with asset bubbles. "China is undergoing a challenging transition to a slower-growing, consumption-driven economy," said Charles-Edouard Bouee, global CEO of the Munich-based consulting firm Roland Berger. China now faces the challenges of a declining labor force and an aging population, so it needs to resort to innovation to achieve sustainable growth, he said. "China will have to boost its innovation capacity that can improve productivity by developing new products and services that address new, domestic consumer needs, and by fostering process innovation that makes manufacturing more efficient to compete on a global level." Contact the writers at xinzhiming@chinadaily.com.cn Investors check stock prices at a securities brokerage in Fuyang, Anhui province. [Photo/China Daily] Although the battle between the management team of China's largest property developer China Vanke Co and its major shareholder Baoneng Group has come to an end, experts said regulators should perfect systems to prevent chaotic market transactions. Baoneng Group Chairman Yao Zhenhua is no longer chairman or a board member of Foresea Life Insurance, the insurance company said in a statement on March 13. Foresea Life is a subsidiary of Baoneng Group. The China Insurance Regulatory Commission in February barred Yao from the insurance industry for 10 years for irregular market operations. The CIRC said that Foresea Life violated regulations and provided false information on its capital increase. The move came after Xiang Junbo, chairman of the CIRC, pledged to punish speculative and illegal activities by the insurers in February and Liu Shiyu, chairman of the China Securities Regulatory Commission vowed in the same month to "capture big crocodiles" in the country's stock market. Hong Hao, chief strategist at BOCOM International, said that regulators have carried out severe moves to crack down on illegal activities, and they should work to preempt disorderly market transactions. Hong said: "Now it's difficult to liquidate Vanke's shareholding without causing market volatility. The shareholdings of Baoneng Group will still have voting power and potentially can still influence board decision." Baoneng Group was the largest shareholder of Vanke and held 25.4 percent shares, according to the latest information disclosure of Vanke. Vanke released a statement in March saying that it would have a board meeting on Friday to discuss and approve its financial report of 2016 as well as the election of the board of directors. Securities Daily said Baoneng Group may have four seats at most on the board. Hao Yansu, director of the School of Insurance at the Central University of Finance and Economics, said China should perfect systems and confirm which big share purchase moves (purchasing no less than 5 percent of an A-share listed company) are allowed. Wang Guojun, an insurance professor at the University of International Business and Economics in Beijing, said China's investment channels are limited, so insurers will regard investing in the A-share market as a good way. Wang said: "I believe most big share purchase moves are positive for the market and welcomed by listed companies." On Tuesday, Chen Wenhui, vice-chairman of the CIRC, said the regulator was studying the detailed regulations that obliged insurers to register with it when they wished to acquire shares of listed companies. Wang said this is a good way for the CIRC to regulate insurers' capital market participation. During the 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-20), China is emphasizing supply-side reform and long-term prosperity brought about by economic restructuring. With the annual China Development Forum held in Beijing from March 18 to 20, senior executives of multinational companies from a variety of sectors share their insights into the country's new five-year plan and how their companies expect to adjust or improve their strategies in China. Q1: What business opportunities do you see as China pushes the Belt and Road Initiative? Have you participated or do you plan to participate in any projects under the initiative? How do you think infrastructure investment can contribute to global growth? Q2: How do you expect the Chinese economy to perform this year? How would you comment on the business environment for foreign companies? Do you plan to increase investment or expand your presence in the Chinese market? Q3: China will continue to carry out supply-side reforms this year. What do the reforms mean for business and how will you adjust your business strategy in China accordingly? Q4: How do you think China's effort to upgrade its manufacturing capability and boost innovation will spur vitality and competitiveness of the economy? What business opportunities will likely emerge in this process? Kurt Bock, chairman of chemical company BASF. [Photo provided to China Daily] A1 The Belt and Road Initiative is all about connecting people, resources and ideasthe three core elements that create business opportunities for both local and multinational companies. For the chemical industry in particular, the Belt and Road approach has the potential to create a wide variety of indirect opportunities. This is because solutions from the world of chemistry play an important role in enabling faster and more sustainable construction, greater energy efficiency, and better infrastructure. So far, BASF has not been directly involved in individual projects, but we see the strength of the initiative in creating the foundation for growth, by enhancing the economic development of Asia and establishing closer ties with other regions. A2 GDP growth and chemical demand in Asia-Pacific are expected to continue to outpace other regions. China in particular continues to drive global chemical production, despite the recent slow-down. As the Chinese economy adjusts to more stable growth rates, businesses can continue to take advantage of the huge base as the driver of regional and global economic growth. In particular, the emphasis on sustainable development in China's 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-20) creates enormous opportunities for us at BASF, since we can provide solutions to reduce energy consumption, enable cleaner water and higher standards of living, to name just a few examples. Sustainability will become a major differentiating factor in the chemical industry. Innovations in chemistry will enable innovative solutions in downstream industries. We have been in China for 130 years. With major investments in Nanjing, Shanghai and Chongqing, as well as numerous sites around the country, BASF is the largest foreign investor in China's chemical industry. We currently operate 26 major wholly-owned subsidiaries, have seven major joint ventures and maintain 26 sales offices in China, posting sales of over 5.9 billion euros ($5.42 billion) in 2016 and employing more than 8,800 people. A3 We have seen overcapacity in some areas of our industry. We hope that the reform efforts of the 13th Five-Year Plan, as well as the awareness of economic headwinds and the need to upgrade environmental standards, will lead to a faster opening up of the economy, de-regulating areas where foreign business is constrained. At BASF, we are committed to further strengthening our local production and innovation in China. At the same time, we strive to improve our efficiency and portfolio in response to market needs. A4 China has been evolving very quickly from an exporter of raw materials and low-end products to a producer and consumer of innovative high-tech products. For example, in the chemical industry, the number of chemical patents from China now accounts for about 50 percent of all chemical patents worldwide. BASF is investing in line with this transformation. In 2012, we inaugurated our Innovation Campus Asia Pacific in Shanghai with the vision of innovating in China for Asia and the world. The Innovation Campus forms an integral part of our global network of 10,000 research and development professionals. We develop specific solutions with advanced materials and systems to support growth industries such as automotive, construction, coatings, personal care and footwear. We further expanded our local R&D capabilities to include formulation and chemical processing and engineering, and invested 90 million euros in an expansion project. Shanghai is also now the headquarters of our global research platform Advanced Materials & Systems Research. Chris Townsend, president of MetLife Asia. [Photo provided to China Daily] A1 The Belt and Road Initiative is a re-imagining of the historic trade routes using modern transportation modes and digital connectivity to globally impact economic growth. The initiative will facilitate investment and trade, as well as infrastructure development, which will significantly improve not only economies but people's lives. Infrastructure projects under the Belt and Road Initiative will become increasingly attractive to long-term investors such as insurance companies, particularly as capital markets deepening in China, combined with continued government support. Such projects will ultimately result in more job creation, stronger growth and greater wealth, as well as stronger demand for goods and services. A2 We have a positive outlook for the Chinese economy this year. Although economic growth is likely to be slower than we have seen in previous years, China's growing middle class, along with its rapid adoption of new technologies and broad economic reforms will underpin the country's growth moving forward. In a similar vein, we have a positive outlook for the insurance sector, due to the government's promotion of industry reforms to enhance competition and address growing concerns about the aging population, health, and retirement, coupled with the advancements in and convergence of fintech, insurtech and medtech. At MetLife, we are therefore keen to grow our business in China to meet the increasing needs and preferences of China's citizens. We bring best practices, innovation and proven risk management models to the table, with the core aim of delivering optimal insurance solutions and long-term financial security to our customers. A3 The restructuring of China's economy is critical to ensure the country's long-term sustainability and transition to a higher-income, services-based economy. This requires significant economic reforms, including in the insurance sector, where the government is encouraging strong and responsible growth to strengthen the social safety net, and enhance financial security for Chinese citizens. These reforms present a great opportunity for insurance firms, including MetLife, who bring risk management practices, as well as carefully-designed solutions to meet the health, wealth, and retirement needs of Chinese citizens. A4 MetLife is supportive of China's efforts to boost innovation across all areas of the economy, from manufacturing to services. In financial services, the government has been promoting digital innovation to enhance the financial security of Chinese citizens, and this has yielded positive results in terms of fostering more competition among businesses and providing more options for consumers. Digital insurance in particular has emerged as an effective way to reach and serve the vast number of Chinese consumers who have limited access to the insurance products and services they need. It also drives changes within the life insurance industry by advancing innovation in products and services, and increasing the use of data analytics to develop solutions that better match customers' preferences. This presents tremendous opportunities in the industry in terms of potential new service models and offerings to meet the growing needs for products centered on health, wealth and retirement. MetLife has a strong track record of digital innovation. We are expanding our digital capabilities to better serve Chinese consumers, by leveraging our long history and experience with product design and development combined with a strong risk-management culture. MetLife welcomes financial reforms, such as deleveraging, and the use of other levers that protect the best interests of Chinese citizens and enable steady economic growth. Vincent Lo, chairman of Shui On Land. [Photo provided to China Daily] A1 The Belt and Road Initiative is a development strategy that not only benefits China, but also the over 60 countries along the routes and ultimately across the world. The strategy aims to foster regional collaboration to build a community of common destiny, while helping to transform China's role from being the factory of the world into becoming a global economic hub in the 21st century. Infrastructure investment is a catalyst for a country's growth, especially for developing economies. The McKinsey Global Institute recently estimated that over the next 15 years the world needs to spend $57 trillion on infrastructure to realize global economic growth ambitions. Around the world, infrastructure investment has always played a leading role in economic development, from the roads and aqueducts of ancient Rome to the British railway boom in the mid-19th century. Basic infrastructureroads, railways, airports, energy generation and supply, water supply, sanitation, and so onunderpins sustainable development and economic transformation of emerging economies. A2 We are confident that urbanization and the emerging middle class will provide strong support for China's economy. The economy is increasingly driven by the services sector, which has ample room for further growth and development. China, with a huge consumer market and a rapidly growing middle-class consumer base, will remain an attractive destination for foreign investors. According to Credit Suisse, China added 2.9 million people to its middle-class population each year from 2000 to 2015, and the middle-class population reached 109 million in 2015. Under the national Made in China 2025 strategy, the country intends to attract more investment into modern logistics, industrial design, creative industries, smart manufacturing, green manufacturing and higher value-added production. Foreign companies investing in these industries will be granted the same treatment as domestic companies. At Shui On Land, we aspire to be a leading innovative property developer in China, and will continue to invest to capture business opportunities and grow our presence in the market. A3 Supply-side reform is an effective vehicle with which to resolve the issue of excess capacity. With the closure of inefficient plants, more bank credit can be allocated to profitable enterprises and ventures. The central government has made significant progress in destocking and reducing overcapacity. For instance, steel production capacity was cut by 65 million metric tons and coal output by 290 million tons in 2016. For the property sector, the market is experiencing a diverging trend. While there is oversupply in many third- and fourth-tier cities, the supply in first- and second-tier cities has remained generally tight. Our prime target markets are the first- and leading second-tier cities such as Shanghai and Wuhan, Hubei province. A4 The Central government released its Made in China 2025 strategy in 2015 with the aim of transforming China from a manufacturing giant into a world manufacturing power. The plan is to accelerate research and development investment and to build industrial clusters in 10 key strategic industries. The goal is to make China largely self-sufficient, raising domestic content in core components and materials for strategic industries. In this process, many business opportunities will arise as smart cities and communities emerge. There will likely be growing needs for products related to clean tech, smartphones, smart home appliances and robotics, as well as huge demand for products related to the healthcare and pharmaceutical industries. Ajay Banga, president and CEO of MasterCard. [Photo provided to China Daily] A1 China's Belt and Road Initiative has the potential to enable China to play a bigger role in global trade. Today's modern interconnected economy is profoundly different from the days of the original Silk Road. To fully realize their potential, countries and companies will look for a holistic approach to trade, where both China and its partners can benefit in an open market. Having a common language of business, driven by norms and standards, helps facilitate this holistic approach and creates greater connections among more groups. I touched on this during my comments to the China Development Forum two years ago and we continue to use that as a guide in working with our partners and customers today. Trade in the 21st century is fast moving, with fast-changing information and ideas. That's where MasterCard's global network and data expertise can deliver valueenabling speed, efficiency, transparency, accuracy, safety and security, and better business insights in trade and cross-border commerce. A2 China is a large and dynamic market. We are encouraged by the recent State Council decision to implement regulations that will allow companies like MasterCard to establish domestic switching operations. We are looking at China for the long term. Over the past 30 years, we have made significant investments that allow us to focus on delivering value to the Chinese consumer today, while building toward those long-term growth prospects that benefit everyone. A3 A key theme of this reform is quality over quantity and innovation is an essential part of this. It starts with our work with financial institutions, the government and other partners. We believe that our rich technology assets and insights, as well as our global scale, can add significant value to China's efforts to become a vibrant, modern, globally-connected economy. A4 I think the impact will be quite significant. For our business, safety and security of data and personal information is a key area of risk, but also business opportunity. Properly tackling safety and security in the digital age will require innovation. It will require public and private partnership. It will require global standards. It will also require governments and businesses to pay special attention to individuals and small and medium-sized enterprises. SMEs could be impacted in the short-term by changes to financial policies. They play a big role in driving entrepreneurship and innovation, and they are in a far stronger position to do this when they are digitally connected and have the right know-how and tools. MasterCard has the ability to work. Curbing short-term financial risks and asset bubbles is good to help ensure long-term stability. Businesses like ours thrive on stability. In the past 30 years, MasterCard has played a leading role in importing global best practices to help grow China's payments industry. We have now entered a new era in this journey, helping Chinese banks grow and compete in overseas markets. Opening up financial and capital markets furtherwhich we see as a positive developmentwill attract more innovation and expertise to China, while increasing China's connections with the rest of the world. This policy direction will ultimately support the growth of Chinese businesses, as the payment industry has demonstrated. Vice-Premier Zhang Gaoli delivers a speech on Saturday at the opening session of the three-day China Development Forum in Beijing. [Photo/China Daily] Minister pledges prudent policy to curb property speculation China will continue to deepen its supply-side structural reform to address economic imbalances while holding the bottom line to contain risks in the financial and property markets, the head of the top economic planner said on Sunday. He Lifeng, minister of the National Development and Reform Commission, warned about the tendency of capital abandoning real economic activities and engaging in financial speculation, as well as excessive funds flowing into the property sector. "The excessive capital has resulted in surging housing prices in some key cities and pushed up the costs for the real economy," he said in a speech at the China Development Forum in Beijing. Policymakers will use prudent monetary policy, targeted industrial policy and better regulatory coordination to properly dispose of nonperforming assets and to ensure systemic financial risks are avoided, the minister said. He also vowed to strictly control excessive credit from flowing into the property sector, saying that the government will make efforts to ensure the stable and healthy development of the market by using tailored policies and a long-term mechanism. In addition, he said, China will continue to cut excess industrial capacity, dispose of loss-making "zombie" companies, and reduce corporate burden and leverage as part of the ongoing supply-side reform to address economic imbalances. Kristalina Georgieva, chief executive of the World Bank, said at the forum that China's supply-side structural reform is an important and timely move. "The reform is essential to accelerate growth and create jobs," she said. "It is timely because the effort to stimulate growth is becoming more pressing ... as stagnant global trade, low investment and heightened policy uncertainties made 2016 another difficult year." She added that more than 30 percent of global growth last year came from China, which was a major achievement. Jose Vinals, chairman of Standard Chartered, said it was wise for the Chinese authorities to lower their growth target for this year to around 6.5 percent, as it will create more leeway for the reform to focus on internal economic rebalancing. "Accepting lower growth in the short term, but rebalancing the economy with a better policy mix such as less expansionary monetary policy and more expansionary fiscal policy, will lead China into a more sustainable growth prospect," he said. "All of the reforms, including reining in corporate leverage, reforming State-owned enterprises and putting more weight on the new economy industries, will pay off in the future high growth." Denis Depoux, Asia deputy president and senior partner of Roland Berger Strategy Consultants [Photo by Wu Xiaobo/chinadaily.com.cn] As China continues to transform its economy, many companies in the traditional sectors are seeking help to transform their business, according to a senior executive of Roland Berger Strategy Consultants. "A lot of them are concerned about the transformation of the Chinese economy, especially those in the commodities sector, construction materials and chemicals," said Denis Depoux, Asia deputy president and senior partner of the global consultancy firm, during an interview with China Daily website on Saturday. Faced with increasing competition and overcapacity, there are demands for restructuring, modernizing facilities, and having more added value to fit into the transformation of the Chinese economy, he added. The Munich-based firm has experience helping companies adapt and become successful in tough environments. The following is an edited excerpt from the interview. Q: The business landscape is always changing. How does Roland Berger spot business trends and adjust your services accordingly? A: We see the trends coming because we see what our clients are concerned about. They are concerned in a way, but they also see many opportunities. A lot of them are concerned about the transformation of the Chinese economy, especially those in the commodities sector, construction material and chemicals, etc. In view of increasing competition and overcapacity, they need restructuring, modernizing facilities and having more added value, having more customized production. So they come to us to improve their manufacturing facilities or to improve supply chain, to simply fit in the transition of the Chinese economy. We see a lot of this. And this is still in the old sectors. In the old sectors, the clients also see a lot of opportunities. They see the opportunities of overseas acquisitions. Some State-owned enterprises are looking for acquisition targets to internationalize their business and to generate overseas revenue. We see a lot of this in our international work. Now of course, we see a lot of new topics due to customer demand. In the last year, we've done a dozen assignments looking at car sharing, bike sharing, and even apartment sharing. Q: What are the major areas Roland Berger focuses on as China proceeds with the supply-side reform? A: Our motto is navigating complexity. Everything we do has to do with solving complex problems. It can be any kind of complexity. It can be technological complexity or restructuring complexity. One of the services we are asked a lot about these days is supporting large Chinese companies from the old traditional sectors to transform into something different, to diversify into new businesses, to enter financial services, to enter consumer businesses. We are very strong in auto, energy, chemicals, consumer goods and digital. So we have those vertical competences. But the critical foundation really is transformation. How you make companies successful in tough environments. Q: Could you share your insights on the energy sector where you have rich experience? A: What is going on here (in the energy sector) is very impressive. In the year 2016, the power sector liberalization accelerated. As for as I know, nationwide there are 6,000 power retail companies established to sell directly to business consumers. If people would be skeptical of the reform, I think the energy sector is a perfect example of the determination of the Chinese government to make it right and to make it quite fast. And I think this is serving the objective of the supply-side structural reform. I think China's goal of eliminating 150 million tons of coal production this year is massive. For the gas sector, gas is still expensive. I think some reform could help to make gas cheaper. BEIJING - Despite murmurs of prospect clashes between the world's two trade giants, drumbeats for a China-US trade war are increasingly muted when both sides underscore closer win-win economic cooperation. As the new administration of the United States sent its first cabinet-level official to China for a visit, the messenger echoed a sequence of rapport-building gestures made on the Chinese side. Visiting US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said, in his talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Saturday, it is necessary for both countries to have closer cooperation and coordination to face the changing international situation. The significance of intensifying Chinese-US economic cooperation is also emphasized by both Chinese Finance Minister Xiao Jie and US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin when meeting on the sidelines of the G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors Meeting in Germany on Saturday. Both sides believe cooperation is significant not only to both countries but also to the world's economic growth. China and the United States should treasure the hard-won achievements of bilateral economic cooperation, the finance ministers agreed. As Premier Li Keqiang put it earlier this month, China does not want to see a trade war between the top two economies, and if there were a trade war, it would be foreign-funded companies, particularly US firms, that would loose out. If there is any lingering temptation to escalate trade frictions, remember that neither side would emerge triumphant from damaging a closely interwoven relationship that has benefited the two nations over the past four decades. Official data showed bilateral trade surged from $2.5 billion in 1979 to $519.6 billion in 2016, an increase of over 200 times. The China-US relationship is based on mutually-beneficial trade, experts agreed at the ongoing China Development Forum 2017, which will end on Monday. Bilateral economic ties serve as the ballast and engine for China-US relations, according to former US secretary of the treasury Henry Paulson, adding that both countries had benefited from the nearly $600 billion trade relationship. Over the past decade, US exports to China grew at an average annual rate of 11 percent, while imports from China rose 6.6 percent each year on average. The United States is more dependent on Chinese imports, not the other way around, according to Zhou Mi, a researcher with the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation affiliated to the Ministry of Commerce. China, equipped with a complete industrial system, could not be substituted by any other country in providing the products to the Untied States, Zhou said. As Sino-US relations become more complex and important than before, more dexterity is needed to seize the opportunities amid huge challenges, Paulson said. China and the Trump administration need to establish a dialogue mechanism as soon as possible, he said, citing the role of the China-US Strategic and Economic Dialogue in win-win cooperation. His view was echoed by Charlene Barshefsky, a former US trade representative, who said both China and the United States bear the responsibility to build mutually-beneficial bilateral ties and ensure an open global market. As a matter of fact, China and the United States are closely intertwined through their trade relations, said Peter Nolan, director of Cambridge University's Center of Development Studies. Made-in-China products have benefited American families, who could buy quality goods at lower prices, Nolan said. Bilateral trade was also credited for creating some 2.6 million jobs and contributing $216 billion for economic growth in the United States in 2015, according to an Oxford Economics report. Commerce Minister Zhong Shan warned earlier that a trade war between China and the United States is not in line with the interests of the two countries and would bring nothing but harm. Cooperation is the "only right choice," and the two countries should work to enhance cooperation and manage any differences, Zhong said, stressing the role of economic and trade cooperation as a "ballast" and "propeller" in bilateral relations. BADEN-BADEN - Chinese Finance Minister Xiao Jie on Saturday met with US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin. The two sides have called for enhancing the economic cooperation between the two countries. The meeting took place on the sidelines of the G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors Meeting in Germany's southwestern city of Baden-Baden. Both sides emphasized the great significance of intensifying the Chinese-US economic cooperation, not only to both countries but also to the world economic growth, saying that China and the United States should highly treasure the hard-won achievements of bilateral economic cooperation. In addition, the two sides agreed to further strengthen communication, to stick to the connotation of bilateral economic cooperation and to make it more effective and pragmatic. It is the first meeting between Xiao and Mnuchin. BADEN-BADEN - China will work actively with parties concerned to push forward the financial cooperation among the BRICS countries and make more achievements, China's finance minister and central bank chief have said. They made the remarks on Friday at the BRICS summit for finance ministers and central bankers held in Germany's southwestern city of Baden-Baden. China's Finance Minister Xiao Jie noted that the BRICS, comprising of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, have been coordinating constantly and deepening cooperation in the financial sector, and made major contributions in promoting growth for BRICS and world economy and improving global economic governance. Xiao said the BRICS in recent years have made landmark achievements like establishing New Development Bank, Contingent Reserve Arrangement, offering vital platforms for enhancing and deepening the financial cooperation among BRICS countries. In 2017, China will work to further promote the existing cooperation mechanisms of the BRICS, and meanwhile explore cooperation in fields of public-private partnership, boosting convergence of accounting standards on bond-issuing and related auditing, and taxation, in a bid to lift the current financial cooperation to a new level, Xiao said. China's central bank governor Zhou Xiaochuan, on the same day, said the BRICS should further step up cooperation under the framework of the Group of Twenty (G20), especially in fields of international financial architecture, inclusive finance and green finance. Zhou suggested the BRICS could discuss topics on improving network layout of the financial institutions and services, and promoting currency swap and settlement in local currencies, in a bid to boost pragmatic financial cooperation and prepare for the coming BRICS state leaders' summit in Xiamen, China in September. BEIJING - There is a factory in Southwest China's Chengdu city, which, should you want to visit, has a one month waiting list. The attraction? A successful realization of China's ambitious industrial evolution plan "Made in China 2025." Siemens Electronic Works Chengdu is the the German manufacturer's first overseas model digital plant, featuring machines and products communicating with each other in real time and automated processes. The result: exceptional levels of productivity and quality. Siemens decided last year to increase its total investment into the Chinese endeavor to over one billion yuan ($145 million) by 2019, a move which will be positive for the wider Chinese manufacturing chain. China's goal is for "Made in China" products to be synonymous with innovation and quality by 2025, and it deserves the greatest respect for aiming to complete this transformation by 2049, Joe Kaeser, president and CEO of Siemens, said during the China Development Forum (CDF) 2017. China's government understands that multinational companies have the potential to play a vital role in the renewal of its economy, but multinationals must also understand that China needs reliable partners, partners who think long term and do not sidestep the challenges ahead, Joe pointed out. Many foreign manufacturers rushed to open factories in China, to capitalize on the cost effectiveness of "Made-in-China." However, now they are exploring smart manufacturing as the nation transitions from the world's factory to world laboratory. China will improve policies designed to turn China into a manufacturer of quality, and adopt a variety of supportive measures related to technological upgrading, the government work report for 2017 pointed out. The Made in China 2025 blueprint was introduced in May 2015, listing several tasks for high-tech manufacturing, including boosting innovation, fostering Chinese brands and service-oriented manufacturing. In early March, a lengthy report from the European Union (EU) Chamber of Commerce claimed that China's support for high-tech manufacturing would lead to lesser treatment for foreign companies, while allowing government-subsidized homegrown players to compete unfairly. "The strategy and its related policies are applicable to all businesses in China -- domestic or foreign," Miao Wei, minister of industry and information technology, said at a press conference on the sidelines of the just-concluded annual parliamentary session. To boost domestic manufacturing, the EU, the United States and Germany have all released similar plans in recent years, Miao said, hoping for more bilateral and multilateral exchanges and cooperation in the area. The world's second largest economy is transforming from "Made in China" to "Made by China." Numerous measures have been rolled out to digitalize and modernize, which will result in many opportunities, especially for European firms, wrote Charles-Edouard Bouee, CEO of international consulting firm Roland Berger. Companies should focus on opportunities afforded by the dynamic Chinese market, instead of thinking about taking protectionist moves, Charles added. China's manufacturing sector is still in the medium stage of industrial modernization, with big differences in automation and digital capabilities among different sectors, regions and companies, leading to different market demands, according to a report released by CDF organizer the Development Research Center of the State Council and Bosch Group. This calls for bespoke solutions, where we can offer expertise. China is Bosch's largest market outside Europe and cooperation is win-win in nature, because we can also get insights and ideas from our Chinese partners, according to Werner Struth, board member of Bosch Group. With China well on track to boost its global competitiveness through "Made in China 2025," the widespread application of digital technology could further accelerate progress in energy efficiency and productivity, according to ABB CEO, Ulrich Spiesshofer. Few countries are better positioned than China to embrace the digital revolution with the world's most Internet users, largest digital retail market and most machine-to-machine mobile connections, Ulrich added. The challenge is to integrate Chinese enterprises into the digital economy by connecting their robots, machines and plants to the industrial Internet and we could provide such information as well as digital know-how, Ulrich said. North American lobsters are showing up on dinner tables for Chinese New Year. Provided to China Daily China's appetite for lobsters is continuing to rise, driving imports from the United States to a historic high, Bloomberg reports. Most Chinese had barely heard of American lobsters until 2010, when the value of imports jumped 250 percent to about $7.4 million. Last year, China imported more than $108 million worth of lobsters from the United States, a 14-fold jump from 2010, and recorded a historic high. "We've opened new markets in Asia, which is booming," Dave Cousens, president of the Maine Lobstermen's Association, said. In 2016, China imported more than 14 million pounds of American lobsters, an increase from the 13.1 million pounds brought in 2015. Stephanie Nadeau owns The Lobster Company, in Arundel, Maine, a key player in the export business, and she believes one of the factors driving the consumption of lobsters in China seems to be the growth of the country's middle class. China's middle class now numbers around 240 million, or 18 percent of the total population. However, this figure could jump to 400 million by 2020, according to a report by China Economic Weekly. Also, American lobsters tend to be cheaper in China than other seafood such as geoduck clams and spiny lobsters, Nadeau added. In the new year, China's consumption of lobsters has not shown a slowdown. The United States exported 1.7 million pounds of lobsters to China in January, with a value of $14 million. Agencies contributed to this story. Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) President Jin Liqun (L) speaks with a guest during the China Development Forum (CDF) 2017 in Beijing, March 19, 2017. [Photo/Xinhua] The head of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank voiced support on Monday for globalization, saying that countries can benefit from the process with effective domestic reforms and correct policy choices. AIIB President Jin Liqun warned that globalization has suffered a setback because of the lack of shared benefits and the polarization of the world's haves and have-nots. "There is an urgent need to improve global economic governance. This is going to bring about shared benefits and ensure that no country is left behind," Jin said in a speech at the China Development Forum in Beijing. The three-day event ended on Monday. The AIIB chief said that globalization has enabled many countries to adopt "pro-market measures" and achieve "huge gains" in economic efficiency and prosperity. "I think we are all winners of globalization. ... I absolutely deny that there are losers," he said, adding that countries that are not doing well in the process need to "fix" their policies to benefit from globalization. Jin's comments were seen as the latest evidence of China's effort to defend globalization and call for greater policy coordination among governments to foster growth and support free and fair trade. At their G20 meeting in Germany over the weekend, financial ministers and central bank governors did not mention anti-protectionism or their traditionally strong support for free trade in their statement, which disappointed some observers. "It is a clear example that the world is losing the support for globalization," said Stephen Roach, a senior fellow at Yale University's Jackson Institute for Global Affairs. Roach lauded China's call for greater coordination among countries, saying that globalization is not about one country leading or dominating but rather about commitment from a large number of countries. He said governments should build much more broad-based, responsive and long-term safety nets to fund programs that deal with the costs of globalization. "I don't think there are any winners (in the trend of anti-globalization). The only winners are the politicians who get power from the backlash," he added. Lou Jiwei, chairman of the National Council for Social Security Fund and former finance minister, also expressed disappointment with the G20's failure to mention anti-protectionism in the meeting statement. "Anti-globalization measures cannot stop the trend of globalization. It will only reduce the benefit of the people and undermine the fiscal basis to improve income distribution," Lou told the participants at the China Development Forum. Paul Romer, chief economist and senior vice-president of the World Bank, said there is no reason to be pessimistic about China's economic prospects amid rising trade protectionism and economic nationalism, since the country survived the shock of the global financial crisis in 2008. Romer added that China and the United States should try to manage their bilateral economic relations well and keep the consensus in favor of free trade, which he said is in the interest of both sides. Wealth does not necessarily translate into influence. This can be seen from two sub-lists of the Hurun Global Rich List 2017 released on March 7. The top 10 entrepreneurs on China's social media Sina Weibo are not all from the richest families in the country. Let us take a look at those who not only have the deepest pockets, but also wield influence on social media. No 10 Jiang Nanchun Sina Weibo followers: 8.25 million Employees work on a Cadillac CTS on the production line at General Motors' plant in Lansing, Michigan, the United States. [Photo/Agencies] President of the United States Donald Trump is laying out an explicit quid pro quo for automakers: He'll cut them a break on environmental standards and wants more hiring in return. "You need to come back and give us big numbers in terms of jobs," Trump told the chief executive officers of General Motors, Ford Motor and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV on Wednesday. The Obama administration's decision to preserve its fuel economy rules "would have destroyed, or further destroyed, the auto industry". Carmakers will now get another year to dispute the fuel mileage and emissions standards, which will be further scrutinized by the Environmental Protection Agency and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The companies cried foul over the EPA failing to collaborate with them and expediting a review of the requirements in the final days of Obama's term. Trump's move to nullify the ruling of Obama's EPA marks a victory for carmakers including GM, Toyota Motor and Volkswagen, which argued the standards are out of step with market realities. Low gasoline prices have spurred record demand for SUVs and pickups, and dragged on demand for electric vehicles and fuel-sipping passenger cars. GM seized on Trump's announcement, made during a stop through Detroit's suburbs, by saying it will add 220 new jobs at a transmission plant and retain another 680 workers in the state. Some positions will be filled or preserved by workers laid off at an SUV factory. The hires were planned before Trump took office, spokesman Pat Morrissey said. GM's 'Peanuts' "I told them 'that's peanuts'," Trump told a crowd of workers, referring to GM's job announcement. "We're going to have a lot more. They're going to be building new plants, expanding their plants. My administration will work tirelessly to eliminate the industry-killing regulations, to lower the job-crushing taxes and to ensure a level playing field for all American companies and workers." During the meeting with executives, Trump also reiterated a demand that Toyota make cars in the US in an exchange with Jim Lentz, CEO of Toyota Motor's North American operations. Footage on the White House's official YouTube account showed Trump saying, "You've got to build those new plants here." Toyota will work with the Trump administration to "support policies that help grow our economy, reduce the impact on the environment and serve the best interest of consumers," Kayo Doi, a Tokyo-based company spokeswoman, said in an emailed response to a request for comment following the meeting. Jeeps, Rams The lower fuel economy standards could lead Fiat Chrysler to invest more in Jeep SUV and Ram pickups produced in the US, CEO Sergio Marchionne told Bloomberg Television. The Obama administration's attempt to short-circuit the review of fuel economy rules was "offensive," he said. Electric-vehicle maker Tesla Inc's stance mirrors the Obama administration's - that the mileage and emissions standards are attainable. "The recent success of auto manufacturers in responding to the growing demand for electric vehicles is proof that the nation's current fuel economy standards are practical, achievable and having their intended effect," a spokesman for the automaker led by Elon Musk said in an emailed statement. Carmakers will make their case on the fuel economy standards to new EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt, who's downplayed how much humans contribute to climate change. The agencies will restore the original timeline the Obama administration and auto industry agreed to, which was to determine by April 2018 whether standards for 2022 through 2025 are feasible. "We still support the direction the program is taking us, although some adjustments might be necessary," said Tom Stricker, vice-president of product regulatory affairs for Toyota in North America. Factors including cheap gasoline prices have changed since the rules took effect, which is "the exact reason both sides agreed to a midterm review in the first place". Automakers agreed in 2011 to fuel economy standards set by the US Transportation Department and greenhouse gas emissions rules decided by the EPA and California's Air Resources Board. They call for companies to boost the fuel economy of their fleets to an average of more than 50 miles per gallon by 2025. BLOOMBERG SAIC Volkswagen's car booth attracts visitors at last year's auto show in Beijing. [Photo/China Daily] Positive 2016 sales results have given Volkswagen Group new momentum, thanks to its speedy expansion in the Chinese market. But, the automaker also reported shrinking profits as heated competition dragged down market prices. Despite its ongoing diesel emissions issues, the carmaker set a new record for deliveries in 2016. It exceeded expectations by shifting 10.3 million vehicles worldwide, including 4 million sales in China, a 12.2 percent increase on the previous year. "Last year was a challenging yet remarkably successful year for us," said Matthias Muller, CEO of Volkswagen, at the 2016 annual financial statement presentation in Wolfsburg, Germany, on Mar 14. He added: "In 2016 we set our course for the biggest transformation in the history of the company, while at the same time performing better in our operating business than many thought possible. Volkswagen is back on track." In order to accomplish its long-term goal of becoming one of the world's leading providers of sustainable mobility, the group launched its 'Together - Strategy 2025' future program in 2016. Sales of Volkswagen models rose 14 percent in China to 3 million units in 2016. Audi sales edged up 3.6 percent to 591,554 units and Skoda sales increased by 12.6 percent to 317,100 units. Meanwhile, luxury cars continued to post strong growth. Porsche sales went up 12.5 percent to 65,200 units during the same period. Jochem Heizmann, president and CEO of Volkswagen China, said: "China's auto sales growth in 2016 has exceeded our expectation and long-term plan." Although it posted sales revenues of 217.3 billion euros ($234.11 billion), the German company saw a minor decline in its Chinese joint ventures, which were impacted negatively by exchange rate effects. An auto analyst at an international consultancy firm, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said: "Volkswagen was slow in bringing its SUVs to the world's largest market, where customers have been turning to SUVs over the past several years." The Chinese SUV market surged by 45.7 percent to post nearly 9.2 million sales in 2016, growing three times faster than the overall passenger car market expansion rate. But only two SUV models carrying Volkswagen badges are currently on the Chinese market, the Tiguan, which is locally produced by SAIC Volkswagen, and the imported Touareg. SAIC Volkswagen is also offering its Yeti model, a third SUV model carrying the volume Skoda brand, which is also localized. In contrast, FAW-Volkswagen Automobile's Audi division stepped on the accelerator in SUV production by launching its Audi Q7, Q5 and Q3 models. It is set to localize the compact Q2 model for younger generations in Guangdong province, while a Q plant is under construction for the next generation Q5. "SUVs have higher prices than the sedans on the same platform. The market has accepted and settled into this pattern, so the segment generates much more substantial profits for a carmaker," said the analyst. The premium brand's achievement set another annual record for the premium segment in China, while the Audi Q5 topped the premium midsize SUV market. At 59.3 billion euros, Audi's 2016 sales revenue exceeded the previous year's figure by 900 million euros. The automaker witnessed its global sales rise by 3.6 percent year-on-year to around 1.9 million automobiles in 2016, maintaining a worldwide demand increase for the seventh year in a row since 2009. "The Audi division has its own management system that runs well as a department under FAW-Volkswagen," said the analyst. Three Chinese incubators and two foreign companies agreed to establish an international business incubator in Beijing, as part of their effort to transform existing technologies and effect technology transfers. Their new venture, Beijing International Co-Incubation, aims to provide monetary and technical support, as well as international market opportunities, for companies from Canada, South Korea and China. It was jointly established by China International Economic Cooperation and Investment Inc, Beijing Zoom Technology Incubator Co Ltd, 898 InnoSpace, the Ontario Science Center and Zeta Plan Investment Co Ltd. "Universities and research institutes generate innovation while the market brings entrepreneurship. Technology transfer is the integration of scientific achievements and entrepreneurial resources," said Chen Dongmin, former director of the Office of Science and Technology Development at Peking University. He was speaking at a seminar. "Since innovative ideas can be introduced, there is no national boundary for this integration," Chen said. "Incubators play an important role in the process since they provide a space to reach consensus on the commercial environment, culture, protection of IP (intellectual property) and the enterprise's credit in different countries." Beijing Zoom Technology Incubator Co Ltd, one of the founders of Beijing International Co-Incubation, introduced overseas technologies and applied them in different industries, which Chen believes is a good example for incubators to follow. The company had three incubators in China, 10 overseas offices in Silicon Valley, Boston, Tel Aviv, and Berlin, and hardware accelerators to serve Sino-US and Sino-Italian technology transfers, according to Sang Chunhua, CEO of Zoom Technology Incubator. "We need to find new growth points to pursue further development, while lack of innovation is one of the biggest challenges we may face in the next five years," Zhou Tianyong, an economics researcher at the Party School of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said in his remarks while launching the book The Revolution of Growth. The State Council released a plan to promote the commercialization of research findings in May 2016. According to the plan, it expects to build 100 national technology transfer institutes and 10 demonstration regions for the commercialization of research findings, and cultivate 10,000 professional intermediary agents for technology transfers. Chris Cheung, director of the EUSME Center, said European small and medium-sized enterprises show great interest in China. Cheung said: "A Chinese company invested 10 million euros ($10.63 million) to found a joint venture with a Slovenian company that focuses on technological innovation in electric automobile engines. A Spanish company asked about the price of technology transfer for its controlling software for wind power generation factories. And a Germany enterprise is looking for customers in Chinese coal and electricity plants to apply their emission reduction technology." Zheng Yiran and Xu He contributed to this story. Copyright 1995 - . All rights reserved. The content (including but not limited to text, photo, multimedia information, etc) published in this site belongs to China Daily Information Co (CDIC). Without written authorization from CDIC, such content shall not be republished or used in any form. Note: Browsers with 1024*768 or higher resolution are suggested for this site. License for publishing multimedia online 0108263 Registration Number: 130349 Registration Number: 130349 China has recruited a team of specialists in traditional Chinese medicine, including China's first Nobel laureate in medicine, Tu Youyou, to help find solutions to the rising threat of antimicrobial resistance. AMR happens when microbes evolve to become resistant to previously effective medicines. Studies show the growth in resistance could be responsible for 10 million deaths a year worldwide by 2050, according to the Review on AMR, a global report commissioned by the British government. Antimicrobials are medicines active against a range of infections, such as those caused by bacteria (antibiotics), viruses (antivirals), fungi (antifungals) and parasites (including antimalarials), the report explains. Western medicine is struggling to combat the problem, while the overuse of antibiotics and other antimicrobials is worsening the situation, said Cao Hongxin, head of science and technology at the State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine. He said the Chinese team, led by Wang Guoqiang, vice-minister of the National Health and Family Planning Commission, will look into how TCM can be used as part of a comprehensive and dynamic approach to halt the progress of AMR. "Traditional Chinese remedies are free from drug resistance and could provide alternative solutions," Cao said, adding that TCM works to kill harmful microbes, reduce their replication, as well as to enhance immunity. Tu Youyou, the pharmacologist who won the Nobel Prize in 2015, discovered artemisinin, an antimalarial drug derived from sweet wormwood, which has been used in TCM since ancient times. She has worked with China's top TCM research institute for decades. Huang Liuyu, director of the People's Liberation Army's Institute for Disease Prevention and Control, praised the efforts to develop more TCM remedies that work on infections. "TCM substitutes can lower the use of antibiotics and thereby delay the development of antibiotic-resistant microorganisms," he said. Traditional treatments are more complicated in terms of ingredients and are less likely to develop drug resistance, he said, although he added, "It's usually antibiotics from Western medicine that work stronger and faster in curbing bacteria without drug resistance." Huang said AMR occurs naturally over the time through genetic mutations but overuse of antimicrobials speeds up the process. Half of the antibiotics used worldwide each year are used in China, with 52 percent of that used to treat livestock, according to the Review on AMR. President also invites Donald Trump to Beijing in meeting with top US diplomat President Xi Jinping tells visiting US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson that the nations should enhance exchanges at all levels. They met on Sunday at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. [Photo/Xinhua] President Xi Jinping called Sunday for improving high-level exchanges and proper handling of sensitive issues between China and the United States while stressing that cooperation is the only correct choice for both countries. Xi, speaking as he met with US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson in Beijing, also extended an invitation for US President Donald Trump to visit China. Important opportunities remain to further develop China-US relations, Xi said. The president said he has maintained sound communications with Trump, and they have agreed that the two countries could be good cooperative partners. "President Trump and I have spoken to each other twice on the phone and exchanged three letters. Both he and I believe that we need to make joint efforts to advance China-US cooperation," Xi said. "We believe that we can make sure the relationship will move ahead in a constructive fashion in the new era. I am confident that as long as we do this, our relationship can surely move in the right direction." Xi said he hopes both sides stick to the consensuses reached by the two presidents, enhance exchanges at all levels including high-level ones, expand cooperation on bilateral, regional and global issues, and properly handle and control sensitive issues. Xi stressed that the China-US relationship is important not only for the two countries, but also for the world. He called on the two countries to enhance strategic mutual trust and enhance understanding. The common interests between the two nations are weightier than their disagreements, and cooperation is the only correct choice, he said. The president pointed out that China-US relations should be handled in a long-term and strategic manner to expand cooperative areas and achieve win-win results. The two countries should respect each other's core interests and major concerns, and maintain the stability of China-US relations. This is Tillerson's first visit to China since he assumed office last month. Tillerson said Trump places a "very high value on the communications that have already occurred" between the two presidents. He said Trump "looks forward to enhancing better understanding and an opportunity for a visit in the future. We know through further dialogue we will achieve great understanding that will strengthen ties between China and the United States, and set the tone for our future relationship of cooperation." The US side is ready to develop relations with China based on the principle of no conflict, no confrontation, mutual respect and win-win cooperation, Tillerson said. Ruan Zongze, executive vice-president of the China Institute of International Studies, said that the meeting has sent a signal to the world that China-US relations will continue to focus on cooperation. Stephen Orlins, president of National Committee on US-China Relations, said that the positive momentum during Tillerson's visit could lay the foundation for a meeting between Xi and Trump. It's never too old to practice yoga. A 73-year-old from Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, has been offering free classes in local residential communities for two years, attracting many enthusiasts.Le Mingchao started practicing yoga when he was 63, and immediately fell in love with the workout. He got the senior yoga teaching certificate in 2014.[Photo/VCG] Police officers inspect confiscated drugs worth 30 million yuan ($4.3 million), including 1.7 metric tons of methcathinone, in Nanning, the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, in January.Song Bingjia / For China Daily In a development that echoes TV's Breaking Bad, some Chinese chemistry professionals have begun producing and selling illegal substances. Zhang Yi reports. The manufacture and distribution of illegal narcotics is undergoing a transformation in China. While a large part of the problem remains the involvement of criminal gangs and street thugs who control the localized trade, the emergence of sophisticated labs and international distribution networks set up by white-collar entrepreneurs is presenting a new challenge for the authorities. At present, the most abused illicit drug in China is methamphetamine, also known as "ice". In 2015, methamphetamine was available at about 50 to 100 yuan ($7 to $14) per 0.1 gram, according to the Beijing police authority. At the end of the same year, there were 2.3 million registered drug users in the country, official data show. In June last year, Wang Hua, a chemistry graduate who attended the prestigious Peking University in Beijing, was arrested for producing methcathinone, a highly addictive stimulant drug known by street names such as "meth cat", "jeff", or "bathtub speed". In 2005, the recreational drug, which produces a similar effect to methamphetamines or amphetamines, was included in the list of controlled substances by the China Food and Drug Administration. In April 2014, in a move that has echoes of the global TV hit Breaking Bad, Wang quit his job at a pharmaceutical company in Shanghai and set up his own company in Huanggang, Hubei province. The 30-something put his cousin in charge of methcathinone production and asked his wife to purchase the raw materials and liaise with buyers. Wang was found to have mailed 630 kilograms of methcathinone, stashed in the tubes of light-emitting diodes, to buyers overseas through courier services. The Hubei police seized 55 receipts for sales between Oct 1, 2015, and June 8 last year, which generated an estimated profit of more than 10 million yuan. Third generation Wang is just one in a long line of chemistry professionals who are producing new psychoactive substances, also known as NPS, a type of illicit narcotic regarded in China as "third generation" drugs. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime defines the new drugs as "substances of abuse, either in a pure form or a preparation, that are not controlled by the 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs or the 1971 Convention on Psychotropic Substances, but which may pose a public health threat". The NPS are easily synthesized in labs, rather than being obtained via natural sources such as opium poppies, which means production costs are far lower, said Hua Zhendong, deputy director of the Ministry of Public Security's drug-testing laboratory. The lack of regulation has led to these new narcotics becoming known as "designer drugs", "legal highs", "herbal highs", "bath salts", "research chemicals" and "laboratory reagents". The new drugs mimic the effects of controlled substances, such as cannabis, amphetamines or heroin, and are sometimes traded alongside them as the makers exploit loopholes in drug control legislation. Education experts gathered in Beijing on Sunday to discuss an upcoming new guidebook on parenting in China. The 60,000-word book is set to contain 40 lessons on topics ranging from learning methods to mental health. It is being compiled by a group of education specialists with support from the TAL Foundation, which was set up by K-12 tutorial service provider TAL Education Group in 2013 to boost educational equity in China. Shen Xianzhang, vice-president of TAL Education Group, said the book was being compiled to provide guidance on how to be an effective parent, adding: "we hope it will assist parents in providing their children a better family education." Last year, nine departments including the All-China Women's Federation, the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Culture, jointly released a five-year plan for boosting what was termed "family education". President Xi Jinping also stressed the importance of family education during Spring Festival. Wang Ling, one of the book's authors and a member of the parent cooperation committee affiliated with the China Association for NGO Cooperation, said effective parenting involves mastering a number of disciplines including education, health and psychology. Huang Haoming, director general of the China Association for NGO Cooperation, said education starts at home. "No matter how society changes, attention should always be paid to family education," he said. The People's Liberation Army Honor Guards take part in a rehearsal for the annual Pakistan Day parade in Islamabad, on March 19, 2017. [Photo by Wang Qi/For China Daily] The People's Liberation Army Honor Guards will take part for the first time at the annual Pakistan Day parade in Islamabad on Thursday, Xinhua News Agency reported. At the invitation of General Qamar Javed Bajwa, Chief of Army Staff of the Pakistan Army, the PLA Honor Guards have sent 90 of its members to Islamabad while 72 of them will participate in the event, the report said. The guards took part in a rehearsal on Sunday and were warmly welcomed by locals, Xinhua noted. Pakistan Day, also known as Pakistan Resolution Day or Republic Day, is a national holiday in Pakistan to commemorate the Lahore Resolution of March 23, 1940, and the adoption of the first Constitution of Pakistan. The PLA Honor Guards, formed in 1952, take part in every significant national event and welcome ceremony for foreign leaders in China. They have also performed parades in Mexico, Italy and Venezuela. Riders scan ofo bikes in Xi'an, Shaanxi province. [Photo/China Daily] A 31-year-old Beijing man is suing one of the country's biggest bike-sharing companies amid claims he was injured by a faulty bicycle in what is believed to be the first court case of its kind in China. The man, surnamed Feng, said he rented one of Ofo's bikes at about 9 pm on Jan 28 near the subway station at the Communication University of China. He claims a faulty brake caused him to fall off the bike after about 100 meters, leaving him with six broken teeth, a fractured nose and facial abrasions. Feng said Ofo is responsible for the upkeep of their vehicles and is asking for 20,000 yuan ($2,900) compensation to cover his medical fees, lost wages, transportation costs and mental anguish. Beijing Chaoyang District People's Court has accepted the case, which is under further investigation. According to Xinhua News Agency, Ofo now has 15 million users in 40 cities. Dai Wei, founder and CEO of Ofo, said the company expects to have 20 million bicycles on the streets of at least 200 cities by the end of this year. A spokesperson for Ofo told China Daily that the company is investigating the case, but declined to release any more details. China plans to strengthen water pollution controls on the Yangtze River, focusing especially on the protection of drinking water sources, the country's top environment authority said on Monday. Along the Yangtze River, China has built 52 water quality monitoring stations at the provincial level, which could help the 11 provinces and municipalities involved conduct joint monitoring on 126 sections along its main stream and channels, according to the statement from the Ministry of Environmental Protection. These provinces have also listed 32,000 zones on the main stream and channels where fisheries are forbidden, and another 160,000 existing fish farms will be shut down or relocated, said Zhang Bo, head of water quality management department under the ministry. The ministry conducted a special inspection on drinking water sources along the river in October, which has exposed 399 issues, and all of the issues have been transferred to governments for further investigation and treatment, Zhang said. In the 126 cities along the river, the ministry has drawn 319 drinking water sources, which require special protection, the ministry said. In a bid to reduce water pollution in the river, the central government has issued a plan on environmental protection, which forbids any chemical industrial zones to be built in coastal regions within one kilometer of the river, Zhang said. Workers excavate the Minjiang riverbed in the Pengshan district of Meishan, Sichuan province, on Monday trying to find relics from Zhang Xianzhong's sunken boats. [Photo by Huang Zhiling/chinadaily.com.cn] More than 10,000 cultural relics that sank to the bottom of the Minjiang River in Sichuan province nearly 400 years ago have been found in the Pengshan district of Meishan, Sichuan province, since an archaeological dig started in early January. The items include gold, silver and bronze coins, jewelry, iron swords, spears, rings, earrings and hairpins. They provide proof that the river is where Zhang Xianzhong fought against a local general in 1646 and left countless treasures in his sunken boats, according to the Sichuan Provincial Cultural Relics and Archaeology Research Institute. Zhang (1606-46) was a leader of a farmers' uprising in the late Ming dynasty (1368-1644). A native of Shaanxi province, he captured Chengdu, Sichuan, and declared himself emperor in 1644. Two years later, Zhang deserted the city, planning to move to neighboring Hubei province. Local chronicles show that Zhang and his troops were ambushed on the Minjiang River by Yang Zhan, a Ming general who set Zhang's boats on fire. About 1,000 boats sank. From the 1950s to the 1990s, silver washed up on the shores of the Minjiang River, believed to come from Zhang's boats. Building a water diversion project for Pengshan, then a county, in 2005, excavators found a hollowed-out log with seven silver ingots from a site about 2.5 meters below the surface of the riverbed. In 2011, workers found substantial amounts of gold and silver items and coins while digging sand for construction purposes. The discovery prompted people wishing to strike it rich to search for treasure in the river course. In October last year, police in Meishan announced that after a more than one-year investigation, they had found 10 gangs of illegal relic diggers and nine illegal relic trading networks involving 70 people who had traded more than 300 million yuan ($44 million) worth of relics from the riverbed. Their illegal activities forced archaeologists to act, starting the first underwater archaeological venture in Sichuan, said Liu Zhiyan, head of underwater archaeology at the Sichuan Provincial Cultural Relics and Archaeology Research Institute. Dykes were built to surround an area about 1,000 meters long and 100 meters wide in the Minjiang River in Pengshan. Water in the area had been drained away before the archaeological dig started on Jan 5. Hundreds of meters of the riverbed were exposed as archaeologists dug five meters down to retrieve the relics. "The gold and silver coins we found had words related to Zhang Xianzhong," Liu said. There is one month to go before the flood season arrives. It is hoped more items will be found before the archaeological digging finishes in April, he said. Premier Li Keqiang leads a meeting of overseas enterprise representatives including Stuart Gulliver, CEO of HSBC (left), and former US Treasury secretary Lawrence Summers, during the China Development Forum in Beijing on Monday. Wu Zhiyi / China Daily China will open doors wider to investment, overseas enterprises told at forum China firmly promotes trade liberalization and investment by safeguarding multilateral trade as a main channel for economic growth and by building an open and transparent regional free trade framework, Premier Li Keqiang said on Monday. The nation's economy has become deeply integrated with the global economy, and the country will further open up to foreign investors, the premier said. In the process of globalization, all countries should use their advantages and tackle trade frictions and differences through dialogue and negotiations, he added. Li spoke to more than 100 overseas representatives from the world's top enterprises, research institutions, international organizations and media as part of the 2017 China Development Forum in the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing. The three-day forum ended on Monday. The premier took questions from participants such as former US Treasury secretary Lawrence Summers on free trade, market openness, the internet industry and innovative development. China's doors will open wider to foreign investment by further lowering the access threshold in such sectors as services, manufacturing and mining, Li said. Procedures will be further simplified for overseas applicants who seek to start businesses in China, he added. All enterprises registered in China will be treated equally, and foreign investors are welcome to start businesses in the country, especially in China's less-developed central and western regions, Li said. The premier has reiterated the significance of free trade and investment access as protectionism rises amid a sluggish recovery of the world economy since the 2008 financial crisis. Li has made similar points during domestic tours, such as the China Big Data Industry Summit in Guizhou province in May, as well as on overseas trips, including his visit to the UN headquarters in New York in September and to Latvia, where he attended the fifth leaders' meeting between China and Central and Eastern European Countries in November. Chen Fengying, a global economy researcher at the China Institute of Contemporary International Relations, said the premier's remarks were a follow-up to what he said in the Government Work Report on March 5. The premier's interaction with overseas representatives could disclose where China will further reform and open up and how it can achieve that while transforming its economy, Chen added. "His remarks are expected to inject confidence into foreign investors, who now are more interested in cooperating with China than before, when facing rising protectionism and sentiment against globalization," she said. File photo: Rock and roll legend Chuck Berry performs during the Bal de la Rose in Monte Carlo, Monaco on March 28, 2009. [Photo/Agencies] American musician Chuck Berry, also known as "father of Rock'n'Roll", was found dead at his home in St. Louis, Missouri on Saturday, according to local police. He was 90. "The St. Charles County Police Department sadly confirms the death of Charles Edward Anderson Berry Sr., better known as legendary musician Chuck Berry," a post on the St. Charles Country police Facebook page said. Police said first responders arrived at Berry's home around noon Saturday and found the man unresponsive. Berry could not be revived despite the best efforts of the responders and was pronounced dead at 1:26 pm (1816 GMT), the police said. Emerging in the 1950s as one of the first star guitarists and lyricists, Berry was the author and performer of the rock'n'roll classics like Johnny B. Goode, Sweet Little Sixteen and Roll Over Beethoven. Related: Frenchman eager to lead esteemed Russian ballet Simon plans US tour to promote biodiversity Inner Mongolia holds intl argriculture expo By Zhao Xiao (chinadaily.com.cn) Updated: 2017-03-17 Organic strawberries and eggs exhibited during the expo in Hohhot, Inner Mongolia autonomous region on March 16. [Photo/Xinhua] The 20th Inner Mongolia International Agriculture Expo was held in Hohhot on March 16, attracting over 860 agricultural businesses from across China and aboad to exhibit their brand-new technologies and products. With an exhibition area of 30,000 square meters, the expo included green agricultural products, water-conserving irrigation systems, seedlings and flower pots, aerial inspection equipment for planting, husbandry equipment, livestock and dairy products. A portable, movable and soilless plant wall is exhibited during the agriculture expo in Hohhot on March 16. [Photo/Xinhua] The 2017 Shandong Province Cultural and Tourism Products Exposition, jointly hosted by the Shandong Provincial Department of Commerce and Shandong Tourism Development Committee, opened on March 7 in Tokyo, Japan. Displaying the province's profound cultural deposits and abundant tourism resources, the two-day expo was held to promote communication and cooperation between Shandong and Japan in the fields of tourism and culture. Some 100 enterprises and related departments took part in the Expo, showcasing products with distinctive Shandong features such as traditional handicrafts, paintings, calligraphy, books, kites, paper-cuts, clay sculptures and woodcarvings. A documentary photography exhibition on the representative tourist destinations of Shandong also took place during the expo. Shandong has developed 10 tourist destination brands attracting people across the globe -- Oriental Holy Land, Fairyland Coast, Mount Tai in Peace, Capital of Ancient Qi State, City of Springs under the Heaven, The Grand Canal Bathed in Confucianism, Hometown of Water Margin, Yellow River Estuary, Affectionate Yimeng and China Dinosaur City. Over 200 distinguished guests from China and Japan attended the opening ceremony, during which the Shandong-Japan Economic and Cultural Organization Union was officially established. According to the Shandong Provincial Department of Commerce, Shandong province and Japan enjoy a long history and geographical advantages in commercial and cultural communications. The expo helped to promote Shandong culture and tourism as well better bilateral understanding. The cultural products showcased at the Expo, including remarkably true to life traditional handicrafts from Weihai, Qufu and Jiaodong Peninsula, drew large numbers of Japanese. The expo also featured on-the-spot performances by folk artists. A still image captured from the website of BBC. [Photo/bbc.co.uk] ON TUESDAY, THE FIRST DAY OF THE 2017 LONDON BOOK FAIR, the UK publisher Harper Collins Publishing signed a contract to translate and publish the math textbooks of Shanghai Century Publishing Group used in Shanghai primary schools. Beijing Youth Daily comments: The news reminds us of the 2015 BBC program Are our kids tough enough? The documentary followed the fortunes of five Chinese teachers using Chinese teaching methods on a trial basis in a UK middle school. It seems the United Kingdom and many parts of the Western world are interested in Chinese teaching methods. But many wrongly view Chinese-style education as tireless repetition and spoon-feeding students concepts that they do not understand. This is not the case. Chinese-style education has its own methods that have proven successful, and the textbook project and teacher exchange programs will help Westerners get a more comprehensive image of it. However, although some uphold Chinese education as being better than that in Western countries, it is also not without its problems. It lacks respect for children's creativity and is too exam oriented. So the publishing deal is not a case of Chinese education defeating the West, as some have claimed. It's a sign of China and the UK deepening their cooperation in education, with both Chinese and UK educators gaining deeper insights into the advantages and disadvantages of their respective teaching methods. Trade ministers of the United States and 11 other Pacific Rim countries attend a press conference after negotiating the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade agreement in Atlanta, the United States, on Oct 5, 2015. [Photo/Xinhua] Some people are still debating whether China would join the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement despite the Foreign Ministry recently making it clear that Beijing has not changed its stance on the TPP even after the United States' withdrawal from the economic grouping. The two main impressions the Chinese people have about the TPP are: It is the previous US administration's design to "contain" China, and the US President Donald Trump believes it would be drain on the US economy and therefore has "abandoned" it. And that the TPP could be an economic burden on China, if were to join it, is precisely why many Chinese people are worried; some even believe that by joining the TPP, China could fall into the "trap" of US diplomatic strategy. While negotiating economic arrangements such as the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership and the Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific, China has been promoting inclusive growth in the Asia-Pacific region. So it is possible that China will cooperate with the TPP for that purpose, but that does not mean it might join the economic bloc. Of course, there is a possibility of coordination between the RCEP and the TPP. As the two main cooperative arrangements in the Asia-Pacific, the RCEP and the TPP are not at odds with each other. Several signatory countries to the TPP, including Japan, Australia and Singapore, also support the RCEP. It shows the two arrangements are not zero-sum games. Besides, the RCEP and the TPP both aim to promote economic and trade cooperation in the Asia-Pacific, though their rules and access conditions are different. If they are opposed to each other, the result would be economic disintegration in the Asia-Pacific, which would not be beneficial to any of the parties. As the largest trade partner of many countries and regions in the Asia-Pacific, China is rather influential in the region and one cannot imagine any cooperative economic or trade arrangement without China. Therefore, many of the countries and regions in the Asia-Pacific prefer not to choose between the TPP and the RCEP; all they want is to avoid being isolated or excluded from the future economic groupings. That is in accordance with China's call for openness and inclusiveness. By promoting the RCEP, China does not intend to build a closed economic circle; instead, it has an open attitude toward TPP members and welcomes them to participate in the RCEP and FTAAP. But since the TPP's earlier leadership excluded China from its plans, Beijing lacks a detailed understanding of TPP regulations and its members' interests. And China needs to better understand other economies' interests and primary concerns, in order to get their support to develop a more inclusive Asia-Pacific cooperation arrangement. Still, the chance of China joining, let alone leading the TPP, is small, because some of the rules are not in accordance with its interests. But China is ready to hear out TPP member countries' concerns to help pave the way for an early agreement on free trade in the Asia-Pacific. The author is secretary-general at the Center of International Security Studies, China Foreign Affairs University. President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, greets National People's Congress deputies from the PLA during the two sessions in Beijing on Sunday. Li Gang / Xinhua The military should boost integration with civilian sectors, and use scientific and technological innovation to modernize its weapons and equipment, said Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, at a meeting with the People's Liberation Army delegation to the annual session of the country's top legislature on March 12. Such strategic thinking points out the direction of high technology-based modernization of the PLA, and offers scientific theoretical guidance for its development. Since the 18th National Congress of the CPC in late 2012, China has taken faster and bigger steps toward scientific and technological innovation. For example, China has become the leading player in quantum communications, high-speed railways and other high-tech fields. Its aerospace and deep-sea exploration technologies are also among the most advanced in the world. Moreover, China's booming scientific and technological development has made it a powerful magnet for talents. According to the Ministry of Education data, the total number of Chinese going abroad for studies last year was 544,500, while the number of those who returned home after completing their studies overseas was 432,500, which means the ratio between outgoing students and incoming talents declined to 1.26:1 in 2016 from 1.46:1 in 2012. Last year also saw more than 440,000 overseas studentsup 35 percent from 2012landing in China for higher studies. In fact, China has become the largest destination for foreign students in Asia since the 18th CPC National Congress and 80 percent of the overseas Chinese students have chosen to return home after completing their studies. The considerable rise in China's economic and scientific and technological strength, along with its strong reserve of scientific and technological talents, has laid a solid foundation for boosting the development of the PLA. The time is also ripe for the PLA to strengthen its combat capability, by integrating military and civilian technologies. Of course, some top-level policy designs and strategic planning are needed to facilitate this integration. The CPC Central Committee has drafted a series of plans and made strategic decisions on the implementation of innovation-driven development and military-civilian integrated development strategies. And to ensure it is smoothly implemented, the idea of military-civilian integrated development should be made a part of the country's overall strategic planning and, based on the 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-20) for army building, dovetailed with national strategic planning. Only after that, the authorities should strategize paths, key tasks, targets and areas for breakthroughs. Defense science and technology, and weapons and equipment should be a key area of the integrated development of military and civilian sectors, and an important signifier of the overall development level. And for boosting China's military combat capability through military-civilian integrated development, we must cultivate and apply innovative and advanced technologies to modernize the PLA, in order to ensure foolproof national security, and maximize the use of civilian technologies for military purposes to form a multi-dimensional, coordinated and military-civilian integrated development pattern. China has been modernizing its military, developing defense weapons and equipment, and building new types of combat forces for which it needs to expand and improve the channels to cultivate talents, as well as make full use of both civilian and military education resources, introduce more multi-faceted talents and expand the pool of military talents. It also has to break the institutional barriers blocking military-civilian integrated development, especially in the scientific and technological fields, to facilitate the convergence of strong scientific and technological forces for the development of the PLA. The author is an associate professor at the PLA Navy's Dalian Warship College. President Xi Jinping tells visiting US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson that the nations should enhance exchanges at all levels. They met on Sunday at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. [Photo/Xinhua] United States Secretary of State Rex Tillerson's first visit to China has two purposes among others that are equally importantarranging for a meeting between the Chinese and US presidents, and maneuvering further consensus on responding to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's nuclear/missile stunts. A meeting between Xi Jinping and Donald Trump would serve the imperative need for ironing out bilateral ties ruffled repeatedly by the disruptive, sometimes confusing, postures of the recently inaugurated Trump team. Both the lingering sense of uncertainty regarding China-US relations and the dangerous state of affairs on the Korean Peninsula call for one. Xi and Trump have talked twice on the phone, providing a timely sense of clarity when suspicions threatened to mislead policy choices. But talking face to face will certainly be more conducive to the kind of constructive interaction the relationship badly needs at this critical crossroads. Xi chose to focus on the "important opportunities", rather than the broadly perceived, potentially inflammable challenges, facing bilateral ties on Sunday when meeting Tillerson. And while Xi accentuated that the countries "have every possibility to become very good cooperation partners", Tillerson assured Xi of the Trump administration's commitment to the principles of "no confrontation, no conflict, mutual respect, win-win cooperation". Besides anchoring the recently volatile relationship, a meeting between the two leaders would provide a clearer sense of direction. Not to mention Beijing and Washington need face-to-face dialogue at the highest level to coordinate stances and actions on the Peninsula issue. With Tillerson declaring the "policy of strategic patience has ended" and a military response is an "option on the table", Beijing's call for Pyongyang to suspend nuclear/missile activities in exchange for Washington to halt joint military exercise with the Republic of Korea may not ring a bell with either of them. Things appear especially difficult for Beijing because, while it tries to continue playing the "switchman" in the risky task of what Foreign Minister Wang Yi described as preventing the imminent head-on collision between two "accelerating trains", the US president has just repeated his accusation that Beijing has "done little to help" in stopping Pyongyang. Ironically though, Washington is asking Beijing to help alleviate its own security concern while putting Beijing in harm's way. While rushing the Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense system, which Beijing identifies as a security threat, into the ROK in disregard of Beijing's protests, Washington is reportedly plotting a new, bigger arms sales package to Taiwan. Clearly the two leaders still have plenty to straighten out when they meet. Officers from a local law enforcement department tell citizens about methods to identify pirated books and discs at a square in Yuquan district, Hohhot on March 14. [Photo/nmgnews.com.cn] A COMPANY called Keshi Shiguang Optical Technology in Zhengzhou, Central China's Henan province, reportedly organized unqualified teams to do eyesight tests for pupils in hundreds of primary and secondary schools in the city and surrounding areas, tricking the pupils and their parents into buying ortho-k contact lens, which might harm the wearers' health. An editorial on thepaper.cn comments: On Wednesday, International Day for Consumer Rights and Interests, China Central Television covered the case among others. The local authorities took immediate action and closed the company. The local government is rather efficient. However, the closing of the company is far from enough. The company did illegal business in a special way: They held lectures in primary and secondary schools, and organized unqualified staff to do eyesight "tests" for the pupils. What role did the school officials play in the process? Did any of them help the illegal business to cheat pupils? It would be very serious if the school officials helped the company in its illegal business activities, because that might mislead parents and pupils into believing the company had official support. In other words, the school officials who helped the illegal business, if there were any, were abusing parents' trust in them. That's why many local education departments ban companies from holding commercial activities on campus and prohibit school officials from getting involved. It is time for higher authorities to probe the case in Zhengzhou and find out whether any school official was involved in the process. Jia Qingguo, member of the 12th national standing committee of the CPPCC, dean of the School of International Studies at Peking University,was doing interview with China Daily website.[Photo by Wang Yuxi/chinadaily.com.cn] China must re-define its national interests under the new circumstances it faces domestically and internationally, urges Jia Qingguo, dean of the School of International Studies at Peking University. In an exclusive interview with the China Daily website, Jia explained that given that Chinas overall national strength is increasing, its foreign policy strategy will need to respond to new challenges. There has been unbalanced regional development with extraordinary achievements in some aspects, while other vulnerable areas need to be improved. This imbalance means China may face conflicts when defining what is really in the national interest and adjusting and managing foreign relations with other countries on that basis. Jia suggested a thorough review of all previous foreign policies to retain the ones suitable for new circumstances and refine the outdated ones. In that process all kinds of resources should be drawn on, especially advice from think tanks. Actively explaining and communicating Chinas foreign policies to the international community would also help, he said. As for the development of think tanks, Jia was keen to make the point that its important to define the subject range and limits of these think tanks suggestions and advice so their experts and advisors can function better. Also, having clear lines of responsibility is vital; the institutes must be accountable for the authenticity and objectivity of the information and viewpoints they provide. As a member of the 12th national standing committee of the CPPCC and a CPPCC member for 15 years, Jia has delivered numerous proposals that have influenced policy-making. He also reflected on some of his unsuccessful proposals. He said that if implementation of a proposal requires efforts of several government departments its understandable to have to wait to see it realized. While some of his previous proposals were really practical and detailed-oriented, after years substantial progress still hasnt been achieved. Take one example. I once proposed that all the manufacturers that produce mobile phone data cables should make the cables meet one standard, so whatever brand and type of cellphone consumers use, they would use the same data cable, which would definitely make life much easier. It would also reduce environmental pollution. I referred to a report published years before, which predicted that China would produce 400 million cellphones every year in the near future. If the standardized data cables could be produced, obviously it would save wastage and pollution. According to Jia, many European countries have already finished this standardization while in China it has not yet occurred. When recalling a proposal about educational reform he submitted last year, Jia suggested that a better division of powers between the Ministry of Education and universities may help universities improve innovation. The authorities might think about how to better allocate funding for private and public universities. In some countries, funding from government is allocated based on how many students are enrolled at any given institution, so it doesnt matter if its public or private. Jia also believes that aside from adjustments to strategies and policies at a national level, universities should be given more freedom in such areas as discipline processes and teaching administration. Wang Yiming, the deputy director of Development Research Center of the State Council (DRC), was delivering speech during the annual bond forum. China's economy may bottom out in 2017, Wang Yiming, the deputy director of Development Research Center of the State Council (DRC), has told the annual bond forum. Wang suggested the macro-policy must be consistent over the whole year, while fiscal policy could incorporate more positive and effective moves. In the short term, he believed there still lacked solid grounds to lower the deficit ratio. According to Wang's analysis several combined factors will facilitate the bottoming process. Investment growth, such as in the manufacturing industry, which accounts for one third of aggregate investment, has shown signs of recovering from a low point. The growth rate of infrastructure spending, which accounts for one quarter of total investment, is predicted to be 16-17 percent for the coming year. These observations support a projection that overall investment will stabilize in 2017. Another positive sign is that substantial progress has been made around cutting over-capacity last year, which directly impacted corporates earning performance. At the same time, the producer price index (PPI) edged up after sliding for 51 consecutive months, maintaining positive over four months till December 2016. Wang argued that of particular importance is new technologies and new business models ability to improve capacity of traditional industries still considered to be key growth momentums, instead of over-emphasizing the potential of entirely new industries to replace them. One point that shouldn't be overlooked is the volume of new industries and their proportion of the gross economy is still limited, only accounting for less than 10 percent. He suggested the emphasis should still be on traditional industries adopting innovative mechanisms and restructuring assets to make these industries alive again. To cope with the coming bottoming out this year, Wang determined that fiscal policy should be even more active and efficient, which means the deficit ratio wouldnt be lowered, at least in the short term. Monetary policies must remain prudent, with good signs that the proportion of bonds as direct finance amid social financing has increased, and the regulators also loosening loan-to-deposit ratio limits. Wang advised caution to prevent financial risks, such as curbing the assets bubble, with priority on lowering corporates debt ratio. Corporate debts already amount for more than 100 trillion yuan and accounted for 170 percent of GDP. The solutions he put forward focus on three aspects: supporting corporates to process debt and equity swap legally in a market-based manner, accelerate equity financing and tighten up restrictions on corporate debt. The World Bank kept its forecast for China's economic growth rate for 2017 at 6.5 percent, saying that the economy will continue sustainable growth as it is transitions from manufacturing to services, despite reemerging concerns for property markets, according to Xinhuas report. Wang also mentioned his advice to turnaround the property market, the core of which lay in increasing land supply effectively and starting property tax collection to help local authorities rely less on land revenue. Wang delivered his message during the annual bond forum hosted by China Central Depository & Clearing Co., ltd (CCDC), a national non-bank financial institution responsible for registering, trusting, trading and clearing business around government and corporate bonds, which is solely state-owned and financed by nine institutes like Peoples Bank of China (PBOC), Chinas Central Bank, and Ministry of Finance. Colombia's Cartagena is a popular destinations among tourists. The country boasts rich nature and culture that include coastline, islands, rainforest and heritage sites. [Photo provided to China Daily] For most Chinese tourists, Colombia represents picturesque scenery, Latin American culture and the magic realism of Nobel Prize winner Gabriel Garcia Marquez. They can actually do a tour called Gabo's Route to places where he lived and join gastronomical tours to taste the dishes he mentions in his books. Last year, the Colombian government reached a peace deal with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, ending a more than five-decade armed conflict. This makes it safer to travel to the country, and some areas are being opened to tourists for the first time in decades. Colombia is very keen to boost its tourism sector and attract more Chinese travelers in the post-conflict era. To better reach the Chinese market, ProColombia recently unveiled its official WeChat account to offer Chinese travelers information about the country's tourism resources and culture. An influx of visitors from China helped bolster New Zealand's accommodation sector in January, as New Zealanders headed overseas for the holidays. Total guest nights in commercial accommodation had a modest rise of 1.1 percent year on year in January, the government statistics agency said Monday. Nights spent by overseas guests were up 6.9 percent to a record 2 million, offsetting a 2.7-percent drop in domestic guest nights, according to Statistics New Zealand. "The decline in domestic guest nights this January coincided with greater numbers of Kiwis traveling overseas for their holidays," business indicators senior manager Neil Kelly said in a statement. Figures from the agency last month showed overseas visitor arrivals in January were up 11 percent year on year, hitting a new January record of 381,100. The strong increase had coincided with the Chinese New Year, with Chinese visitor arrivals up 32.4 percent to more than 54,000. In the January year, Chinese visitor numbers were 13.8 percent up to 422,256, keeping China's rank as New Zealand's second biggest visitor market after Australia. Flood survivors receive water after rivers breached their banks due to torrential rains, causing flooding and widespread destruction in Huachipa, Lima, Peru, March 18, 2017. [Photo/Agencies] LIMA - Carrying bottles, buckets and other containers, thousands of residents of Lima are in the streets in search for drinking water, as restrictions or cuts have affected Peru's capital for the fifth straight day. A visible evidence of the magnitude of the crisis is that the pool of Peru Square, right next to the presidential palace, was emptied by hundreds of people. Other public fountains have similarly been turned empty, despite the hundreds of tanker trucks delivering water across the city. The shortage of water is due to to landslides of mud and stone that have fallen into the Rimac river and other tributaries on which the capital relies. The solid residue has overwhelmed the city's La Atarjea treatment plant's ability to process it into drinking water. "We cannot deliver turbid water, water with earth. Doing so...would cause permanent damage," said Rudecindo Vega, President of Lima's water utility, SEDAPAL, to explain the situation to the press. However, supplies of bottled water have practically disappeared from stores due to high demands, while certain people have taken advantage of the situation and selling water at a highly inflated price. The situation has become critical in Lima's more populous areas and suburbs where water, unsafe to drink and normally stored in cisterns to be used in parks, has been taken. Prime Minister Fernando Zavala has called on residents to take extreme care of the limited water and to ration its use, while expressing hope the strong rains will stop and SEDAPAL can begin processing water again. While it seems contradictory, Peru has a great many sources of drinking water. However, access to it does not reach its 30 million residents. Eight million Peruvians do not have drinking water and are obliged to rely on tanker trucks, usually not receiving enough for basic sanitary requirements. The latest report by the Operations Center for National Emergencies on Saturday night showed that the death toll nationwide has climbed to over 70, with 170 injured and nine missing. 72,115 people have lost their homes, 567,551 people have been affected and 119,084 buildings have been damaged. These numbers are likely to rise as more remote areas of Peru rapport in and with rain set to continue into April. This file photo shows that Scotland's First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon (R), greets Britain's new Prime Minister, Theresa May, as she arrives at Bute House in Edinburgh, Scotland, Britain July 15, 2016. [Photo/Agencies] LONDON - Prime Minister Theresa May will visit Wales on Monday as part of a plan to engage with all the nations of the United Kingdom before she formally launches Britain's departure from the European Union. May is due to trigger Article 50 of the EU's Lisbon Treaty, beginning two years of formal divorce talks, by the end of this month, and her office said she would be visiting Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland to hear people's views. Last year's Brexit referendum exposed splits that could threaten the unity of the UK, with Scotland and Northern Ireland delivering pro-EU majorities but finding themselves outvoted by the English and Welsh, who were in favour of leaving the bloc. In a sharp challenge to May, Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said last week she would be pushing for a fresh independence vote after having been met by "a brick wall of intransigence" in London when seeking for Scotland to have its own Brexit deal. May rebuffed that, saying now was not the right time. Northern Ireland's largest Irish nationalist party Sinn Fein has also said it wants a referendum on splitting from the United Kingdom "as soon as possible" to unite with the Republic of Ireland. On Monday May and Brexit minister David Davis will meet with Welsh First Minister Carwyn Jones and business representatives to discuss how Wales can make the most of opportunities offered by Brexit, her office said. "From my first day ... I made clear my determination to strengthen and sustain the precious union. I have also been clear that as we leave the European Union I will work to deliver a deal that works for the whole of the UK," May said in a statement before the visit. "I want every part of the United Kingdom to be able to make the most of the opportunities ahead and for Welsh businesses to benefit from the freest possible trade as part of a global trading nation." Reuters WASHINGTON - US House Republicans are working on changes to their healthcare overhaul bill to provide more generous tax credits for older Americans and add a work requirement for the Medicaid program for the poor, House Speaker Paul Ryan said on Sunday. Ryan said Republican leaders still planned to bring the healthcare bill to a vote on the House of Representatives floor on Thursday. Speaking on the "Fox News Sunday" television program, he said leaders were working to address concerns that had been raised by rank-and-file Republicans to the legislation. Republicans remain deeply divided over the healthcare overhaul, which is President Donald Trump's first major legislative initiative. It aims to fulfill his campaign pledge to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, popularly known as Obamacare, the signature healthcare program of his Democratic predecessor, Barack Obama. Democrats say the Republican plan could throw millions off health insurance and hurt the elderly, poor and working families while giving tax cuts to the rich. "We think we should be offering even more assistance than the bill currently does" for lower-income people age 50 to 64, Ryan, the top Republican in Congress, said of the tax credits for health insurance that are proposed in the legislation. Ryan also said Republicans were working on changes that would allow federal block grants to states for Medicaid and permit states to impose a work requirement for able-bodied Medicaid recipients. Trump told reporters in a brief conversation aboard Air Force One that he had meetings about healthcare reform in Florida at the weekend and that the effort to sell the proposal was going well. He has been wooing lawmakers to vote for the bill and won the backing of a dozen conservative lawmakers on Friday after an Oval Office meeting in which the president endorsed a work requirement and block-grant option for Medicaid. Trump is set to meet Ezekiel Emanuel, a health policy special adviser under Obama who helped shape the Affordable Care Acton, at the White House on Monday, along with Ryan and Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price. Block grants would give states a set amount of money to cover people on the Medicaid program and provide flexibility in spending decisions. However, there is no guarantee funding would keep up with future demands. Northern Illinois University says it plans to cultivate more financial talent for China. "We all know that the growth of the economy in the world, a big part of it will come from Asia, from economies like China,"said Balaji Rajagopalan, dean of the College of Business of Northern Illinois University, in the city of DeKalb, the United States. "So we are excited to bring in students who are going to be part of an economy that is growing significantly now and will continue to grow for many years." The university signed a memorandum of understanding with the Hentane Group, a Chinese education group that specializes in financial training, on Friday. Zhang Xiaobin, chairman of the Hentane Group, said Hentane will form a strategic partnership with the university and will be responsible for enrolling students for its MBA program. "Hentane has focused on providing training services in the finance and taxation sector in China for a long time. I believe this collaboration will succeed in cultivating financial talent for China." The MBA program will take 40 Chinese students a year, about 10 percent of its MBA numbers. The MBA program has a pronounced practical slant, Rajagopalan said. It would help Chinese students work on industry projects, connect them with industries leaders and provide them with the opportunity of being problem solvers. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi made a successful visit to Australia a month ago. But if Wng Yi's trip concluded with a broad consensus to support globalization, tap the potential of the two countries' economic complementarity, and enhance trust and win-win cooperation, and created a friendly and welcoming atmosphere for the imminent visit of Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, Australian Minister of Foreign Affairs Julie Bishop's "unusually pointed message to China" in her recent speech in Singapore seemed to purposely seek to create a counter-effect. In her speech entitled "Change and uncertainty in the Indo-Pacific: Strategic challenges and opportunities", Bishop called on the United States to stay in the Indo-Pacific and assume leadership for peace and prosperity, labeling China a "non-democracy". The Australian foreign minister has delivered the wrong message in the wrong place at the wrong time. You have just said goodbye to your guest from a neighboring country and are about to welcome an important guest from the country that you have invited to visit, but before greeting your new guest you go and say things bad about the country the guest comes from. That is not the hospitality that East Asia countries are used to. That is not diplomacy. Bishop's labeling of China as a "non-democracy" is neither appropriate nor acceptable. Her standards are problematic. If she knows the history of China, she would know that China has been pursuing democracy at least since the May Fourth Movement. The People's Republic of China was established through the democratic process, and that democratic process has never stopped and is still being continued through reforms. Yes, China's democracy may not be identical to that of Australia. But, China's democracy is based on China's own situation. The only viable democratic path for China is the one that suits the reality of China and its development stage. Democracy remains one of the core values of China. And while labeling China a "non-democracy", Bishop seems ignorant of the tremendous benefits that "non-democracy" has created and which Australia has benefited from. This so-called non-democracy contributes over 30 percent of the world's economic growth and serves as the single strongest driving force for the global economy. This so-called non-democracy has undertaken the lion's portion of the global endeavor to eliminate poverty and continues to contribute to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals by lifting over 10 million people out of poverty each year, creating an ever increasing middle-income population that enjoys overseas trips to countries such as Australia, a growing demand that is yet to be fully catered to. This so-called non-democracy is in fact a beneficiary of the rule-based international order and sees no reason for sabotaging it. China benefits from economic globalization and speaking at Davos in January, President Xi Jinping upheld both globalization and the relevant multilateral institutions at a time when they were battling headwinds. The contribution of this so-called non-democracy has not been deservedly recognized in the current rule-based order and its institutions. It waits patiently and observes the rules as always. Even though still not granted market economy status as promised, it still serves as a role-model for following WTO rules. This so-called non-democracy was responsible and bold enough to sign and ratify the Paris Climate Agreement despite the fact that it has all reasons not to as a developing country. And having signed and ratified it, it will not retreat from its commitment. This so-called non-democracy thinks of and serves the neighborhood when able to and it has initiated the Belt and Road Initiative in pursuit of greater connectivity along with relevant institutions and facilities. This so-called non-democracy exercised the utmost restraint in managing a regional dispute, more than any other democracy would likely demonstrate in the same situation. If any self-proclaimed democracy says this is not enough, I challenge it to do the same. But while China acts, it is continually told it should do this and that just because it is not a democracy of a style preferred by others. While China upholds the rule-based order, it is insinuated that rising China may lead to regional tensions as it is a "non-democracy". Such ill-founded naming and shaming is nothing but an attempt to isolate China from the regional community and sow discord in the region, especially in the South China Sea. The South China Sea was fairly calm before 2010. However, the calm was disturbed by the seemingly justified claim of having "the right to continue to sail and fly through the shipping lanes". That right has never been challenged or changed. Australia, and especially its foreign minister, have played a considerable part in disturbing the calm by urging China to abide by the "rule-based order". China will never be so naive as to swallow the bitter pills that have been prescribed. Jointly, Australia's words and deeds have contributed to hindering the process of East Asian economic integration, which is in the fundamental interests of Australia as well as the whole regional community. Fortunately, China and the members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations have agreed on a dual track solution to settle the disputes in the South China Sea and so calmed the unnecessary tensions. Once again, the Australia foreign Minister wastes no time in telling her ASEAN neighbors other stories. To be sure, the ASEAN people are sophisticated enough to understand who means what. This attempt at alienation is doomed to be another fiasco. There is only one thing that can justify the Australian foreign minister's pride and prejudice (definitely not sense and sensibility). That is anxiety. Anxiety at a time of "change and uncertainties". She was calling on the US to stay in the Indo-Pacific. In fact, the US has never left. The foreign minister's sensitivity to the existence of US in the region only testifies to how unstable the current regional architecture is. The closely-knit economic network of the region calls for a comprehensive security framework to go with it. The incongruity between the production network and exclusive security network has put Australia on an ever simmering pot. In fact, many visionary thinkers in Australia have been calling for change. Yet, the Australian administration seems to have not heard these rational voices. The region has called for collective leadership to sail safely through the storms of anti-globalization, protectionism, distrust and mistrust. Yet, some Australian friends are lingering on the perception of single leadership and supremacy. Hence, the paranoia that a rising China may grab that leadership. Alas. While China has freed herself of ideology in engaging friends internationally, our Australian friends are still struggling in the quagmire of the democracy versus non-democracy debate. While China shows its openness and inclusiveness by regarding the US as a shared friend with Australia, Australian is trying to drive a wedge in that friendship. While China is inviting Australia to seize the opportunity to expand cooperation to protect globalization and its supporting institutions, promote regional economic integration and comprehensive security, and stimulate even greater momentum in bilateral economic partnership, our Australian friend asks: "Are you a democracy?" All these have proved it is high time to exchange views at a higher level. The much-needed annual regular Prime Ministerial meeting has been devised to solve the problem of the strategic questions of trust and cooperation, and peace and prosperity. This time, it is the turn of Australia to prove that the opportunity of this top-level design for bilateral relations is fruitful and worth the while and that the comprehensive strategic partnership is not just a matter of terminology. The author is an associate research fellow with the China National Committee for Pacific Economic Cooperation. Hong Kong-based developer Far East Consortium International has unveiled plans for a 200 million pound($247.4 million) residential development in Manchester. FEC will erect four buildings - one with nine floors, a 17-floor block, a 22-level tower and one with 41 floors. Together, they will comprise 754 new homes bordering Manchester's Angel Meadow Park. Once one of the United Kingdom's most infamous 19th century industrial slums, Angel Meadow has been transformed during the past two decades, and FEC's project promises to rank among the most significant aspects of the area's regeneration. Gavin Taylor, FEC's regional general manager, said: "Our plans are to build over 700 new homes of mixed tenure across the four plots, while bringing new commercial and leisure uses to street level, and bringing the park itself into the heart of the community." The high-rises will contain one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments designed by UK-based 5plus Architects. The designs are being shared during a public consultation process that will last until April 7, after which a planning application will be submitted to Manchester City Council. Construction is expected to start at the end of the year, with the first homes due to be finished in 2019. Jon Matthews, director of 5plus Architects, said: "Angel Meadow Park is a much-cherished amenity and by developing new homes around it, we hope to see the area thrive." FEC was founded in 1972 by Hong Kong entrepreneur Deacon Chiu. His son David Chiu now chairs the consortium, and his daughter Winnie Chiu is president of hotelier Dorsett Hospitality International, an FEC subsidiary. The Chiu family operates under the so-called "Chinese wallet" strategy, in which developers acquire and improve hotels and real estate in areas that attract large numbers of Chinese tourists and residents. FEC's overseas portfolio includes property in Australia, Malaysia, Singapore, the UK wand New Zealand. Manchester has the third-largest proportion of Chinese residents in the UK, behind Cambridge and London's Tower Hamlets neighborhood, according to the 2011 census. Sixty-four thousand Chinese tourists visited the north of England in 2015, up from 35,000 in 2014. Direct flights between Beijing and Manchester began last year. Chinese entities have invested in several infrastructure and real estate projects in Manchester in recent years. LONDON - The British Prime Minister Theresa May is going to trigger the Article 50 on March 29, formally starting the country's exit from the European Union (EU), the government spokesman said on Monday. Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May speaks at the Conservative Party's Spring Forum in Cardiff, Wales, March 17, 2017. [Photo/Agencies] The move, which comes nine months after a referendum, will officially start the two year process of negotiations about Britain's EU exit.The spokesman said that Britain's Ambassador to the EU Tim Barrow informed the European Council earlier on Monday that Article 50 would be triggered next Wednesday.May is expected to make a statement to the House of Commons shortly after invoking the Article 50. Maggie MacDonnell, who teaches at the Ikusik School in Salluit, a remote Inuit village nestled in the Canadian Arctic, won this year's Varkey Foundation Global Teacher Prize on Sunday. She was awarded the prize at the Global Education and Skills Forum in Dubai. All the candidates were picked from more than 20,000 nominations and applications from 179 countries by the London-based foundation. For the first time, a Chinese teacher Yang Boya, a psychology teacher at The Affiliated Middle School of Kunming Teachers College in Yunnan province, has been honored as a top 10 candidate for the annual prize. "The nomination process created a means for more than 20,000 teachers to feel valued and revitalized and to have their professional commitment validated," MacDonnell said on stage after being awarded. "On a personal note I would like to invite my students to share in this award, as I have won this not for them but with them,"she added. After completing her master's degree, MacDonnell sought out opportunities to teach indigenous communities in Canada and for the last six years has been a teacher in the Canadian Arctic. Due to the harsh conditions, very high turnover rates are seen among teachers, which is a significant educational barrier in the Arctic. Many teachers leave their post midway through the year or apply for stress leave. The Inuit region of Nunavik faces major gender issues where teenage pregnancies are common and gender roles often burden young girls with heavy domestic duties. Also, in areas of high deprivation, isolation and limited resources, teenagers often turn to drinking and smoking as forms of escape and release. MacDonnell's whole approach has been about turning students' "problems"into "solutions. She has created a life skills program specifically for girls, leading to a 500 percent improvement in girls' registration. MacDonnell has also dramatically improved school attendance by getting her students involved in running a community kitchen, attending suicide prevention training and hiking through national parks to understand environmental stewardship. She also established a fitness center that has become a hub for youth and adults in the local community. It is helping to relieve stress, bringing young people to grow stronger physically and mentally and bringing the whole community together in a profound and lasting way. She has also been a temporary foster parent in the community, offering her home to some of her own students. "Teachers owe responsibilities to many people to students, to parents, to the community, the school board. But in the end, as all great teachers know they are ultimately responsible to something far greater. They are responsible to the future and for the world that will be shaped by the children they teach,"Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in a special congratulatory video message. Now in its third year, the Global Teacher Prize was created to recognize exceptional teachers who make outstanding contributions to the profession. The winner receives $1 million. Sunny Varkey, founder of the Varkey Foundation, said, "I hope her story will inspire those looking to enter the teaching profession and also shine a powerful spotlight on the incredible work teachers do all over the world every day. In a video message broadcast into the ceremony, Prince Harry paid tribute to the work of teachers around the world: "In addition to reading, writing and arithmetic, the very best teachers go beyond the pages of textbooks to teach young people about determination, aspiration, resilience and compassion. The other nine finalists for the Global Teacher Prize this year were: Raymond Chambers, a computer science teacher from Brooke Weston Academy in Corby, Northamptonshire, UK Salima Begum, Headteacher at Elementary College for Women Gilgit, Pakistan David Calle, from Madrid, Spain, the founder and creator of the Unicoos educational website Wemerson da Silva Nogueira, a science teacher at the Escola Antonio dos Santos Neves in Boa Esperanca, Brazil Marie-Christine Ghanbari Jahromi, a physical education, mathematics and German teacher at Gesamtschule Gescher school, in Gescher, Germany Tracy-Ann Hall, an automotive technology teacher at Jonathan Grant High School in Spanish Town, Jamaica Yang Boya, a psychology teacher at The Affiliated Middle School of Kunming Teachers College, China Michael Wamaya, a dance teacher from Mathare, Nairobi, Kenya The British government will send a letter to the European Commission on March 29, saying the country intends to leave the European Union. Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May speaks at the Conservative Party's Spring Forum in Cardiff, Wales, March 17, 2017. [Photo/Agencies] A spokesman for British Prime Minister Theresa May told reporters the letter will trigger Article 50 of the Treaty of Lisbon, and a maximum of two years of negotiations on the way to Britain's departure from the EU. Reporters were told that the UK's permanent representative to the EU, Sir Tim Barrow, had a discussion with representatives from the office of Donald Tusk, the president of the European Commission, in which he informed them about the letter and when it might arrive. "There will be a letter, she will notify President Tusk in writing, and the prime minister has already confirmed she will give a statement to parliament as well," he said. "More details will be given in due course." The letter will start an unprecedented process, the outcome of which no one can predict. It was preceded by a referendum in the UK in June, through which voters chose to leave the EU by 52 percent to 48 percent. May was expected to announce the date on which she would send the letter last week, but she appeared to have been surprised by a call from Nicola Sturgeon, the Scottish first minister, for a referendum on Scottish independence, leading to speculation that May did not wish to appear cavalier about the future of the union. Tusk is expected to take 48 hours to reply to May with an approximate timetable for negotiations. The first date on the agenda is likely to be an extraordinary summit involving the 27 countries that will remain in the EU. This is likely to take place before summer. The negotiations will encompass a multitude of issues, including the UK's payment of an exit fee for costs it has already committed itself to. Reports have suggested the fee could be as high as 60 billion euros ($64.5 billion). Major issues will also include freedom of movement, the rights of EU nationals in the UK and UK nationals in EU member states, Britain's access to the European Single Market, security, and environment co-operation. At the end of the process, May has said the UK Parliament will have a chance to vote on the Brexit deal, as will all the parliaments of EU member states. May, who was visiting Swansea on Monday, intended to visit Northern Ireland and Scotland before the formal notification letter is sent, Downing Street said. The writer is a freelancer for China Daily UK. A UK trade delegation is to use Cunards iconic cruise liner, the Queen Mary II, as a tool to promote trade when it visits Shanghai at the end of this month. A worker passes by the ocean liner Queen Mary II in a dock at Blohm&Voss shipyard in Hamburg, Germany, June 14, 2016. [Photo/Agencies] British government ministers and representatives of the maritime industry have timed their visit to coincide with the ships East Asian tour, and the vessel will be used both as a backdrop and a meeting place. The UK government delegation will be headed by Shipping and Ports Minister John Hayes and Trade Minister Mark Garnier. With them will be representatives of Maritime UK, a trade group that promotes the UKs maritime industry. David Dingle, Maritime UKs chairman, said: The UK and China are two of the worlds leading maritime powers, and this trade mission is designed to further strengthen relations between our two countries, delivering benefits for both markets. Representatives from various UK maritime companies will meet their opposite numbers from China to explore future deals and cooperation. After their talks in Shanghai, Dingle and Hayes will visit Hong Kong for talks with the Hong Kong Shipowners Association. JUBA - A plane belonging to a small South Sudanese airline crash-landed at the airport in the northwestern town of Wau on Monday, injuring several passengers, witnesses said. "No one died but there are a number of injured people right now," one of the local aid workers near the scene of the crash told Reuters. Forty-four passengers were on board the plane belonging to South Supreme Airlines, officials at the carrier told journalists. "About 17 to 18 people injured in the incident were taken to hospital," said James Dimo Deng, a journalist in Wau, told Reuters. Officials could not immediately be reached for further information. AP Following a record-breaking sale for Christie's at Asian Art Week in New York, the British-based auction-house is now offering the first Chinese ceramics and art online sale of the year. Collectors with an interest in Chinese art will have the opportunity to get their hands on pieces from the Indianapolis Museum of Art at the Art of China online spring sales event. Going under the virtual hammer will be a group of more than 30 Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) porcelains from the museum. Among the highlights are a large reverse-decorated blue and white dish from the Kangxi period (1662-1722) and a 19th-century celadon-glazed "garlic-mouth" vase. A large reverse-decorated blue and white dish of Kangxi Period (1662-1722), property from the Indianapolis Museum of Art. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn] This spring edition event, with another two coming up later in the year, follows the success of the Chinese Ceramics from the Metropolitan Museum of Art online sale in 2016, which attracted buyers from around the world. The auction giant is hoping that this year's sale performs just as well after global customers continue to show interest in highly decorated porcelains in the Asian market and the demand for well-provenanced pieces. Last summer the Art of China online sale totaled $683,750. Samantha Phillips, Christie's global head of online sales, Asian Art, said: "Pieces with museum provenance always attracts buyers. There is a small section on this sale, about 30 lots, mostly porcelain and some general Chinese works of art." Phillips added that each sale is sourced and curated by specialist teams from London, New York and Paris and that some of Christie's online prices were "at a level which people are comfortable with." She said: "The market is always shifting and tastes change but our online sales are encouraging new collectors in this field to acquire great works of art at all price levels. It will also be exciting to see how these new buyers at Christie's may start to form their own tastes and collections." Phillips added: "Christie's is a trusted brand, and pieces in our online sales are covered by the same warranty as our live auctions. The general trend we are seeing is that clients across online sales will return, and half of those will go on to bid in our live auctions." Online auctions are also a way to highlight a good piece that might be overlooked at events such as New York's Asian Art Week, where thousands of lots are available. Phillips said these pieces would then be better suited for an off-season sale where a piece could stand out more. Online bids for the Art of China start on Tuesday until March 29. Nowruz is the Iranian, or Persian, New Year and it begins this year on March 21. It is celebrated in areas that were once part of the Persian Empire and in places where people from those areas have later settled. The festival is at least 3,000 years old, and is celebrated from Albania to parts of northwestern China, although it is most widely observed in Iran and Central Asia. Like most New Year festivals, it is a time for families to gather, exchange gifts and visit one another. It is preceded by CharshanbeSuri, which takes place in the week before Nowruz. The evening event features fires, which people jump over, and fireworks. Celebrants prepare for Nowruz by cleaning houses and buying new clothes. Many wear new clothes on Nowruz, and Parsis (or Zoroastorians) wear gold and silver costumes. One feature of the celebrations in Iran is the Haft Seen, a decorated table, where family members wait around for the exact beginning of Nowruz the spring equinox, when the sun is directly over the equator and the north and south hemispheres receive equal amounts of light. Nowruz, which literally means new day, will then continue for 11 days. In Afghanistan, the festivities include buzkashi tournaments. Buzkashi is a Central Asian sport in which horse riders try to deposit a goats carcass in a goal. In China, Nowruz is celebrated in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region by Uygur, Tajik, Salar and Kazakh ethnic groups. Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott (C) watches as China's Minister of Commerce Gao Hucheng (2nd L) and Australian Minister for Trade Andrew Robb (2nd R) sign a trade agreement during an official signing ceremony in Canberra June 17, 2015. [Photo / Agencies] China and Australia signed a free trade agreement on Wednesday after a decade of negotiations, covering areas including a simplified review procedure for investments, most-favored-nation status and easier market access to service sector. Under the agreement, 85.4 percent of goods traded between both sides will cut tariffs to zero immediately. About 97 percent of Australian exports to China will be tariff free following the designed timeline step by step. There will include many agricultural products such as beef, dairy and wine. Australia will eventually reduce tariffs to zero on all goods imported from China. China's major exports to Australia are machinery, telecommunication equipment, computer, furniture and garment product, and its main import from Australia are iron ore, coal, gold, copper, education-related travel services and agricultural products, according to the Customs data. Official figures show trade volumes between China and Australia jumped from $88.1 billion in 2010 to $136.9 billion in 2014. Australia had $9.4 billion trade surplus with China last year. Australia's service businesses, such as education, tourism, telecommunications, healthcare and financial services, will gain more market access into China, either by partnering up with Chinese companies, or in certain situations being able to access those markets directly. Private Chinese investment under $830,000 will not be subject to the approval of Australia's Foreign Investment Review Board. There also will be an Investor State Dispute Settlement mechanism under the agreement. China was Australia's largest export market for both goods and services in 2014, accounting for nearly a third of total exports, and a growing source of foreign investment. Eager to seek more new market growth points with close trade partners together, China also signed its largest bilateral free trade agreement in terms of volume with South Korea earlier this month. Under the deal, China will remove tariffs on 91 percent of all products from South Korea within the next 20 years, while Seoul will eliminate tariffs on 92 percent of all goods in the other direction. FTA signals new era in trade ties The China-Australia Free Trade Agreement (FTA), agreed upon by President Xi Jinping and Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott last November, is set to start a new era in trade ties between the two countries. Under the FTA, Australia will eventually reduce tariffs to zero on all goods imported from China, and China will remove tariffs on the vast majority of Australian goods. It will also include opening-up of numerous service sectors, a simplified review procedure for investments, most-favored-nation treatment, favorable market access rules and market transparency. AUCKLAND -- Two of the major cities of China and New Zealand on Monday launched a project to drive high-tech start-up collaborations between the two countries. The cooperation will see the InnoHub innovation incubator, based in Guangzhou, capital of southern China's Guangdong province, invest up to NZ$20 million ($13.52 million) into its counterpart in Auckland, New Zealand's largest city and home to a third of the population. The investment would help Auckland's GridAKL support Chinese-New Zealand start-up companies in the information technology (IT) sector, Auckland Mayor Len Brown told Xinhua in an exclusive interview at the Tripartite Economic Summit of leaders from Guangzhou, Auckland and the US city of Los Angeles Monday. "Primarily most of it is there as a fund to encourage IT companies who are engaged in business between Auckland and Guangzhou, so it's to encourage the ability to commercialize new ideas and new technology coming out of Auckland and Guangzhou, to build a high-tech relationship between the two cities," Brown said. "One of the big growers in Auckland is film animation and we're global leaders in the industry." He cited Auckland-based Flux Animation, which has signed a series of agreements with companies in Guangzhou, as indicative of the possibilities of the cooperation. However, he said, no companies had yet emerged from the cooperation as it was still too new. The China-Australia Free Trade Agreement (ChAFTA) has been a game changer for Warren Randall. "I would go as far as saying that it has been the most significant market change we have seen in the wine sector in the last 39 years," said the chairman of Randall Wine Group, the biggest private grape grower and winemaker in Australia. "For years our biggest competitor in the Chinese wine market has been Chile," he told China Daily Asia Weekly from his vineyard in the Barossa Valley, South Australia. "Chilean wines have zero import duties while we had to compete with duties of 14-20 percent on packaged and bulk wines. "Since (ChAFTA) came into effect on Dec 20 last year, we have seen two cuts (in import duties) and by 2018 there will be no import duties which will put us on the same playing field as Chile." The Randall Wine Group currently exports 10-15 percent of its total production to China. But come Jan 1, 2018, when the final duty is removed, Randall said he expects the export figure to be around 40-45 percent. "The Chinese love our (Australian) wines, but in the past the duties had made our products very expensive. What the FTA has done is level the playing field and made us competitive. "China is an enormous market and with the ChAFTA it gives us greater access to that market. At the same time, it allows us to expand our business and employ more people here in Australia." Since ChAFTA came into effect, there have been two rounds of tariff cuts on Australian exports to China. The agreement removes barriers to trade in goods, services and investment; it also strengthens Australia's cultural, social and political relationship with China. More than 86 percent of Australia's goods exports to China will now enter duty free; this percentage will rise to 93 percent after four years, and 96 percent when the agreement is fully implemented. For lobster producers, however, the benefits of the agreement have yet to filter through. Andrew Lawrie of Sky Seafoods in South Australia said: "We have not noticed any change (due to ChAFTA) but it is still early days." Sky Seafoods exports almost 100 percent of its southern rock lobsters, with most of it going to China. "There is huge demand in China for our lobsters. The only problem we have is keeping up with that demand." China is Australia's largest market for southern rock lobsters. New ventures show how some Australian businesses are already responding to the new opportunities in China. One such move is the partnership between vitamin and health supplement manufacturer Blackmores and Bega, the dairy company, to produce infant formula for the China market. Managing director for Asia at Blackmores, Peter Osborne, said the company is "strongly supportive" of ChAFTA as it will deliver "significant benefits for Australia and Australian companies doing business with China". "Blackmores exemplifies the position that China can take in an Australian business's Asia and global growth strategy," he said. "Since launching in China in 2012, Blackmores has established itself as a high-quality premium natural health brand with Chinese consumers," Osborne said. "Through the establishment of a wholly owned foreign enterprise in Beijing, and branch offices in Shanghai and the Shanghai Free Trade Zone, we have rapidly expanded our presence in the market." Looking at the world through the eyes of the Web Staff members walk into a wind and solar energy storage and transmission power station of State Grid Corporation of China, in Zhangjiakou of Hebei province, March 18, 2016.[Photo/Agencies] Last week, the Australian government blocked State Grid Corporation of China and Cheung Kong Infrastructure Group's bid to lease Ausgrid, a major New South Wales state power grid, on national security grounds. The two Chinese companies had bid $7.7 billion to lease the grid for 99 years. Although the Chinese companies can appeal against the move in a week, they are not likely to succeed in leasing Ausgrid because the Australian federal government can use "national security" again to veto their bid, as it had done to the SGCC bid for Transgrid in the same state in November. Australia's Federal Treasurer Scott Morrison declined to detail the security issues involved, saying: "The issues are real. They're matters obviously of national security interest to the Commonwealth and elaborating on those obviously would not be in the national interest either." Some security analysts have even alleged that a Chinese-controlled Ausgrid could be shut down because of cyberattacks, and their views have been widely reported by the Western media. As the world's largest electricity utility company, SGCC has been successfully managing the power grid in China as well as many other projects around the world, including those in the Australian Capital Territory, Queensland, South Australia and Victoria. And it was the most competitive bidder for Ausgrid because of its efficient management and service capacity. But these facts are not enough for the analysts to abandon their China-phobia. Instead, the analysts abandoned rational thinking to connect a Chinese world-class company's project in Australia with a hacker attack in Ukrainepurportedly by Russia-linked hackerswhich US officials called a nightmare scenario because of their selfish interests. How will Morrison and those analysts explain the ousting of SGCC from the Transgrid bid in November and granting it to an investor group whose 40 percent stakes are controlled by investors from the Middle East, a region which the West often associates with terrorism? According to KPMG, China has invested about A$70 billion ($54 billion) in Australia since 2009, and replaced the US as the largest investor in Australia in 2013. Chinese investments have gone into Australia's strategically important sectors such as mining, agriculture and infrastructure, and helped boost the country's economy and improve its people's livelihoods. The $7.7 billion bid for Ausgrid could have been spent on Sydney's rail and road infrastructure. New South Wales Treasurer Gladys Berejiklian said she respected the federal government's decision, but emphasized: "There will be no delays to our infrastructure pipeline." The turning point in Australia's attitude toward Chinese investments came in October when China's Landbridge Group leased the Port of Darwin for $506 million for 99 years. The deal was criticized by some Australian strategy experts and US officials but supported by the local governor. Northern Territory Chief Minister Adam Giles said the criticisms are aimed at instilling fear among Australians against China, especially because the Chinese company "has submitted a full application to the Foreign Investment Review Board of Australia regarding its desire ... and also consulted heavily with the Department of Defense." Even if the Sino-Australia Free Trade Agreement, the result of nearly 10 years of hard negotiations, comes into effect two months later, Chinese investments in Australia will remain a contentious issue because Canberra chose to side with Washington against Beijing in the South China Sea dispute. After the Tansgrid farce, Australia rejected Chinese consortiums' bid to purchase two pastures early this year. Australia's decisions, to a large extent, have been influenced by the US' reaction. In the process, fair play has been fallen prey to a partisan game. But if Australia continues to see its largest investor and trade partner as a threat to its national security, China has enough reasons to take countermeasures. The author is a writer with China Daily. liyang@chinadaily.com.cn Mutual trust is a precondition that ensures the smooth development of China-Australia ties, and the two countries should respect each other's core interest and major concerns, President Xi Jinping said when meeting with Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull on Sunday. They met on the sidelines ahead of the G20 Leaders Summit in eastern China's Hangzhou city. China and Australia are expected to further implement their bilateral free trade agreement, explore cooperation in fields such as energy and resources, agriculture and husbandry, food processing and infrastructure construction, Xi said. Australia hopes to further provide a fair, transparent and understandable policy environment for foreign investors, which also serves the interest of Australia itself, Xi said. The two countries should work on expanding joint research and development regarding fields such as food, agriculture, mining and oceanic science, and they should reinforce cooperation to fight corruption, find fugitives and illegal assets and fight terrorism, Xi added. China is ready to reinforce coordination and collaboration with Australia through mechanisms such as the United Nations, G20, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, Xi said. Turnbull said the two countries enjoy a long-standing friendship and the comprehensive strategic partnership enjoys widespread support within Australia. The Australian side is dedicated to implementing the bilateral free trade agreement, is ready to deepen bilateral economic and trade relationship, and continues to welcome Chinese investment in Australia, Turnbull said. A soup dumpling in China. [Photo/China Daily] New Zealand government scientists are to start studying what food the Chinese eat and why. A new research program would look at the factors - including attitudes, behaviors and lifestyles - that motivated Chinese consumers to buy food that improved their health, the government's Food and Plant Research institute said Tuesday. The research would allow New Zealand companies to create new products that appealed to the market, research leader Roger Harker said. It would support the development of products with scientifically-validated health and wellness benefits tailored for the Chinese market in the key health areas of metabolic health, gastrointestinal health, immune health and infant nutrition. The research would look at four aspects of consumer behavior: what health and wellness meant for Chinese consumers; the role of social media and other factors in influencing buying behavior; how to convert intentions into actions when developing new consumption habits; and the profile of the future Asian consumer of New Zealand's health and wellness products. "Asia, and particularly China, has the potential to be a huge market for New Zealand's future food and beverage products," said Harker. "By building a better understanding of the kinds of products that appeal to the consumer, as well as how they make their purchasing decisions, we can support the development of products in this space that will be viewed as more acceptable in these markets," he said. "The role of social media and online purchasing of food is becoming part of everyday life for younger Chinese consumers. Successful companies are trusted and experts at listening and communicating with consumers via these networks - we need to constantly improve our ability to gather consumer insights from this online community." The research was being funded by the government through a program to develop "high value nutrition." Chinese-owned VDL Farms set to export dairy products to Ningbo, Beijing and other cities next year China's quest for higher-quality food is taking a big swing to the south. In fact, 5,300 miles (8,500 kilometers) down to Tasmania, the dairy-hungry nation's newest source of fresh milk. Businessman Lu Xianfeng plans to begin early next year flying fresh milk to his home city of Ningbo, in eastern China, from the island state where he owns Australia's largest dairy operation. Lu's Moon Lake Investments Pty bought the 191-year-old Van Diemen's Land Co for A$280 million ($214 million) in March, giving him access to 25 dairy farms and enough milk to fill an Olympic-size swimming pool every nine days. A share of that will be flown to Ningbo every week, Sean Shwe, Moon Lake's managing director, said in Hobart, where the China-bound bulk deliveries will depart. While countries as far away as the Czech Republic and Chile sell milk to China, Moon Lake is counting on gaining an edge with milk from Tasmania's far northwest coast which boasts "the cleanest air in the world". The volume of milk shipments to the world's most-populous nation has jumped an average of 126 percent a year since 2010, creating a $333 million market dominated by the European Union, according to Chinese customs data. Chinese consumers, ruffled by past food scandals, see imported milk as a safer alternative to domestic supplies, the US Department of Agriculture said in May. Moon Lake has already forward-sold more than 15 million yuan ($2.2 million) of milk from its Van Diemen's Land dairies, which it calls VDL Farms. "This is an exciting venture for our company, VDL Farms and potentially for all Tasmanian producers of fresh, perishable produce such as seafood, fruit and vegetables," Shwe said in a statement. About 10 million liters of milk a year from VDL dairies will be trucked to Hobart for processing by Lion Dairy and packaged under the "VAN Milk" brand, a nod to the dairy operation's ties to Van Diemen's Land Co, according to the statement. Moon Lake is in advanced talks with airlines and airports to begin weekly round trips from Hobart to Ningbo starting in the first quarter of 2017, with a view to increasing the frequency to two-to-three times a week in a year, and adding Beijing as a destination, the company said. The new air freight route will mark the return of international departures from Hobart International Airport after a regular passenger service to Christchurch, New Zealand, was canceled in the 1980s. Initially, fresh milk will be sold in 1-liter and 600-millimeter cartons, with plans to add yogurt and other dairy products, Moon Lake said in the statement. "It is great for VDL and the Northwest Coast community as it moves the farms from ones that previously just produced milk and watched it leave through the farm gate, to ones that now produce a high-quality, value-added export product, giving them more security and certainty about prices," Shwe said. The milk exports will be a boost for Tasmania, Australia's smallest and least-populated state, where an unemployment rate of 6.5 percent lags the national rate of 5.6 percent, and its citizens are more dependent on welfare than in any other state. "VAN Milk" will represent the first sale to China of Tasmanian milk by a wholly owned Chinese company. Having direct stakes in food-producing companies gives Chinese firms an advantage over Australian competitors when it comes to selling into China, according to Michael Harvey, a senior dairy analyst with Rabobank International in Melbourne. "The advantage is being able to navigate some of the complexities in the market," he said. Milk from Down Under "is held in high regard, so there is a strategic priority in China to source the product from Australia", he said. After Germany, Australia is China's biggest supplier of liquid milk, including UHT products, shipping 61,184 metric tons of the product, worth A$62 million, last year, Chinese customs data showed. China's dairy farms are located mostly in the country's central and northern areas, where the climate is more suitable for raising cattle. Weak cold chain logistics have made it difficult to ensure the milk's freshness when it reaches major markets in northeastern and southern China. On top of that, the discovery of contaminants from melamine to mercury have made Chinese consumers wary of the local product. That's slowed the increase in milk consumption in China, which averages about 33 kilograms per person a year - less than a third of the global mean, according to the USDA, which said in May that "milk consumption has plenty of growth potential". Moon Lake said it plans to increase milk production at its VDL Farms by 80 percent within five years. VDL currently produces 7.66 million kilograms of milk solids a year from about 30,000 cows, which graze on 7,000 hectares. Once "VAN Milk" is established in Ningbo and Beijing, Moon Lake wants to take it to Shanghai, Hangzhou and other Chinese cities. Moon Lake's owner Lu, 46, is also executive chairman and the largest shareholder of Ningbo Xianfeng New Material Co, a builder of sunscreen fabrics and shades. "We've chosen Beijing and Ningbo for the initial marketing push because Ningbo is Lu's hometown and he has established networks to sell the product," Shwe said. "Also, the city has among China's highest average incomes and is less saturated with Western products than, say, Shanghai," Shwe added. A customer chooses products imported from Australia and New Zealand in Qingdao, Shandong province.Yu Fangping / For China Daily (China Daily USA 11/18/2016 page20) A truck loaded with cows imported from New Zealand at a port in Qingdao, East China's Shandong province, May 3, 2016. [Photo/VCG] China and New Zealand have agreed to start first round talks to upgrade their bilateral free trade agreement in the first half of 2017, adding service trade, e-commerce and agricultural cooperation, the Ministry of Commerce said on Monday. Other issues including market competition policies, trade technical barriers, customs procedures, trade facilitation measures and rules of origin will also be negotiated next year, the ministry said in an online statement. Eager to further diversify their trade categories, the governments of China and New Zealand established a joint evaluation mechanism in March 2015 to upgrade the current free trade deal. The bilateral trade agreement was signed in 2008. It focused on liberalizing trade, and relatively little attention was paid to services, improving infrastructure facilities and investment, and details of trade policy. Upgrading the agreement will help develop a modern service sector and increase financial cooperation between the two countries, said Zhang Jianping, director of the International Economic Cooperation Institute of the National Development and Reform Commission. China is now New Zealand's top trading partner. Bilateral trade was worth $12.82 billion in 2015, up 1.2 percent on a year-on-year basis, according to the General Administration of Customs. Unlike free trade agreements between China and Australia and China and South Korea signed in 2015, Zhang said the existing China-New Zealand FTA lacks "advanced articles" on services and investment. In addition, exports from New Zealand account for 70 percent of China's dairy imports, and China now stands to benefit from the China-Australia free trade agreement by getting cheaper products in the same category. "Australia's agricultural goods, such as beef, rice, wheat, wool and cotton, will not be levied with tariffs by Chinese customs. This has fueled New Zealand's enthusiasm to upgrade its agreement with China," said Zhang. Liu Chenyang, a researcher at the APEC Study Center at Nankai University in Tianjin, said New Zealand, therefore, is keen to talk about dairy products as part of the upgrade, and there are a number of issues both sides will work through together. Tourism is another key area of competition between New Zealand and Australia. One million Chinese people traveled to Australia as tourists in 2015, and 400,000 traveled to New Zealand, 42 percent more than the year before, the China National Tourism Administration said. "Structural changes similar to those being made in China are also taking place in New Zealand, as well as globally," said Liu. WELLINGTON - Producers of organic food can expect a boost in exports with the signing of a certification agreement between New Zealand and China, New Zealand's Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) said Thursday. The Mutual Recognition Arrangement for Certified Organic Products would support the growth of the organics industry in New Zealand and provided greater assurance for consumers, MPI director plants food and environment Peter Thomson said in a statement. "New Zealand consumers can have increased confidence in organic food imported from China because MPI has assessed the Chinese system and found it to be robust," said Thomson. "This new arrangement and the assessment required to conclude it, provides MPI with knowledge and confidence in the supply of organic produce from China." Exports of organic produce to China were worth NZ$27 million ($18.89 million) and were likely to grow with the reduction in compliance costs and the certainty the arrangement provided New Zealand exporters of organic products. "Our organic sectors should experience growth, not only with increased export and import opportunities but also a wider range of organic ingredients available for processed foods that would be available for sale domestically and for export," he said. The arrangement, which takes effect from mid-2017, excluded aquaculture, apiculture, and textiles. With a newly elected US president pledging to dump the TPP, Beijing's next move has become a prime topic of discussion Will China take advantage of Donald Trump's decision to effectively scuttle Asia's biggest-ever trade deal? The US president-elect announced on Nov 21 that on the first day of his presidency he will withdraw the United States from the Trans-Pacific Partnership. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who had expended considerable political capital getting the deal passed against opposition from his own farmers, has said TPP will be effectively "meaningless" without the US. The 11 other members, aside from the US, had almost all signed up because it offered a closer trade relationship with the world's largest economy. President Barack Obama had come close to turning the TPP - which covers 40 percent of the global economy - into the physical embodiment of his "pivot to Asia" strategy, which critics say was designed to contain China's power in the region. A major question is whether China will now move into the vacuum and attempt to build its own trade partnership with other Asian countries for which it is already, in most cases, the largest trade and investment partner. This could mean breathing new life into RCEP - the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership - which was launched at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit in Cambodia in 2012. It is seen as a China-led grouping and one that also notably excludes the United States. There might also be an attempt to finally realize the Free Trade Area of the Asia Pacific, or FTAAP, the roadmap for which was put in place at the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation, or APEC, forum in Beijing in Nov 2014. It is seen as more of a long-term initiative. With a more protectionist US as one of its potential members, it may lose momentum. Kerry Brown, professor of Chinese studies and director of the Lau China Institute at King's College, London, believes Trump's TTP decision does play into China's hands. "It depends on how China deals with this. It is not an easy space to fill because it will have to propose its own free trade proposals, and that will be complicated. It can, however, now do this in a way it couldn't do before the announcement was made," he says. The academic, however, believes it is a spectacular "own goal" for the US. "It means that after 10 years of effort, America is withdrawing from developing an economic zone that was largely in its own interests and would not have included China," he says. That the US would not stick with the TPP, which was signed by all its members (including the US) in February, was not a surprise. Even the Democratic presidential candidate, Hillary Clinton - who, when Secretary of State had called it the "gold standard" of trade treaties - made a U-turn during her campaign. Hugh White, professor of strategic studies at the Australian National University and once a foreign policy adviser to former Australian prime minister Bob Hawke, does not believe she would have changed her mind had she won the election. "It is very unlikely she would have done that," White says. "She would have found it difficult to get it through Congress, given strong opposition on her own Democrat side as well as all the Republicans who would have denied her." Trade minister Steven Ciobo announced his backing of the RCEP approach within hours of Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull speaking to Trump following the US election, signaling the country had its sights set on the China-led grouping. White, author of The China Choice, which deals with the politics of the South China Sea region, says the whole episode looks like a retreat by the US. "It is such a striking demonstration that America's resolve to remain strong in Asia is not as strong as what everybody keeps saying it is," he says. He is also unclear whether China will now take up the mantle and create trade blocs that deliberately exclude the US, since that might not be in its ultimate interest. "China wants to see the US as a full economic partner in Asia, but it wants itself to be the primary strategic power in the region. It may believe in the end that the economic relationship is more important than the strategic." Leading foreign policy expert Shi Yinhong, a professor of international relations and director of the Center on American Studies at Renmin University of China in Beijing, does not believe - even if there were a change of heart in Washington - that China and the US would be comfortable together in any new trading bloc. "There would be a danger, from China's point of view, of the US gradually gaining greater influence over the other members because it has a bigger economy and a high technological level," Shi says. Stephen Roach, former chairman of Morgan Stanley Asia and author of Unbalanced: The Codependency of America and China, also thinks it unlikely that China will suddenly conjure a new body in the wake of Trump's decision. "It is unrealistic to think that all of a sudden some new arrangement will be cobbled together to exclude a country like the US, which is in a political position to start raising objections to existing trade deals, let alone new ones," Roach says. "China has got a whole load of other issues to deal with, not least managing its own domestic economy and its own relationships in the South China Sea, before it can assume a strong leadership role in the region." Roach, however, believes the pivot to Asia strategy, which was so much the central plank of Obama's foreign policy, is in tatters. "It was the crux of the pivot, and without TPP it would have exclusively been done on military terms, which would have created more tensions. I think the pivot without TPP now rings hollow," he says. Many are concerned that with the UK's Brexit decision, and now with the election of Trump on a distinctly protectionist agenda, the world is moving to a new era that has echoes of the 1930s. Shi of Renmin University insists there is no direct parallel. "Then, Hitler was already in place, we had a militarist government in Japan, and the protectionism was much more severe than anything we are seeing today," he says. "I do think the current situation, however, is worse than at any time since the end of the Cold War, with nativism and nationalism prevailing almost everywhere in the world. We have all these strongmen saying they want to make our nations great again." Roach, who is also a senior lecturer at the Yale School of Management, thinks trade deals are a difficult sell in a world consumed by populist election outcomes. "The votes in the UK and now the US, and those coming up in Italy and France, are all a significant large piece of sand in the gears of liberalization and globalization," he says. He also cannot conceive that Trump's protectionist agenda will work in practice because the US and China are now completely dependent in each other: "China depends on the US for its markets, and the exports to these markets are a key driver of the economic growth that produce such fabulous results for China. And the US needs China to provide low cost goods for income-constrained American consumers. We also need China's surplus savings because we don't save and it is hard to grow without saving." He believes the lack of savings in the US will make it even more reliant on China if Trump pursues a fiscal expansion policy to invest money in infrastructure. "If there are to be larger deficits under the Trump administration, the US weak savings position will probably go into negative territory somewhere around 2018 or 2019. If we turn protectionist at a time when we need even more savings from abroad, that has enormous potential consequences." Brown at King's College believes the TPP decision or protectionist rhetoric will not affect the overall relationship between the US and China. "There has been so much work done on the relationship, and the vast majority of those involved in it will carry on as normal. It would take a huge amount of effort for any individual to shift the tramlines an inch, never mind totally changing them," Brown says. Paul Cheng, the former chairman of NM Rothschild & Sons in Asia and author of On Equal Terms: Redefining China's Relationship with America, says the TPP might be replaced by a more deal-making approach across Asia by the US. He is encouraged by the expected appointment of American investor Wilbur Ross, who spent 24 years in Rothschild's New York office, as commerce secretary in the new administration. "Wilbur is a guy who really knows where to pick value. It's a skill that can be really useful. I know that he was highly regarded by the Rothschild family." ANU's White thinks Trump's TPP decision is likely to lead to a major rethink as to whether trade deals are the way forward. "There is real question as to whether these regional, multilateral or even bilateral trade agreements of various sorts are really the best way to go in terms of global trade," he says. "The big steps made in global trade were perhaps made when we had these global multilateral deals under organizations like GATT (General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade), the forerunner of the World Trade Organization. These might be now preferred in future." andrewmoody@chinadaily.com.cn Trade proposals in pipeline Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Formed in 2005 with Brunei, Chile and New Zealand and Singapore. The US joined in 2008. It now has 12 members, including the original four, plus Australia, , Canada, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Peru, Vietnam and the US. China was not a member. It's absence was seen as part of the US "pivot to Asia" strategy. The TPP has tough regulatory standards on labor, environmental protection, intellectual property and government procurement. President-elect Donald Trump signaled in November that the US would withdraw from the agreement in January. RCEP (Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership) Formed in 2012. Includes the 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN: Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam, plus six regional trading partners - China, Japan, South Korea, Australia, India and New Zealand. The RCEP excludes the United States and is seen as China-led since it is the largest economy in the grouping. Free Trade Area of the Asia Pacific (FTAAP) Still on the drawing board. First discussed at the Asia Pacific Economic cooperation summit in Hanoi in 2006. The roadmap for its eventual realization was announced at the APEC Summit in Beijing in November 2014 and given further impetus by a keynote speech by Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Lima Summit in November. Both the US and China could play a leading role in the FTAAP, although this seems less likely with US President-elect Donald Trump's position on TPP. There's nothing flashy about Bill English. Critics say the former finance minister and farmer who became New Zealand's prime minister on Monday is downright boring. But English hopes his steadiness and experience in handling the economy will prove reassuring when New Zealanders go to the polls next year. For the past eight years, the 54-year-old has played the role of dependable deputy to the more charismatic John Key. And it seemed it would stay that way heading into the 2017 election, until Key shocked the nation last week by resigning. English was chosen as the new leader by the conservative National Party caucus after two other candidates for the job withdrew last week. A practicing Roman Catholic, English is more conservative than Key on social issues. He is opposed to abortion and euthanasia, although he said on Monday that he's changed his mind on gay marriage, which he voted against when it was legalized in New Zealand three years ago. Bill English, New Zealand's prime minister "Just seeing the impact it's had with couples, I think it doesn't erode marriage," he said. "In some ways, it's an affirmation of the concept." English said he won't use his new role to try to influence policy on such issues, which are often left to the conscience of individual lawmakers rather than voted on by party affiliation. In some ways, English embodies the qualities that many New Zealanders value, casting himself as a down-to-earth rural bloke, a father-of-six who believes in hard work and steps into the limelight with some reluctance. But his history is more complicated. He studied commerce and then literature at university, graduating with an honors degree. He did work briefly as a farmer but has been a politician for most of his career, after he was first elected to Parliament 26 years ago. He rose to become leader of his party in 2001 and led them to a disastrous defeat in an election the following year. The National Party gained just 21 percent of the vote, its worst-ever showing. After he was replaced as leader in 2003, it seemed his star had faded. But he learned from that defeat, he said. This time, he has his economic record to highlight. After becoming finance minister in 2008, English helped the nation weather the global downturn and has since helped return annual GDP growth to more than 3 percent and unemployment to below 5 percent. (China Daily 12/13/2016 page11) SYDNEY - Almost a year on from the China-Australia Free Trade Agreement (ChAFTA), it is clear that the landmark deal is helping to underpin the bilateral relations amid an increasingly uncertain world. Speaking in Parliament just before the summer recess, Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said the national interest is best served by developing strong relationships with major allies and partners, particularly on the economic front, such as the ChAFTA. "China is Australia's largest trading partner and the China-Australia Free Trade Agreement will play an important role in diversifying our bilateral trade and investment, bringing substantial benefits to both countries," Bishop told Xinhua. "Greater economic cooperation between our two countries will deepen political and other ties and create a stronger platform for future strategic and security cooperation." The future is indeed very bright for the two economies that are natural, highly complementary economic partners, Chinese Ambassador to Australia Cheng Jingye said. As more dividends from the ChAFTA come to fruition and greater synergy is being built between China-proposed Belt and Road initiative and the Northern Australia development strategy, China-Australia investment and business cooperation will be surely taken to a new high, Cheng said. ChAFTA's growing contributions to China-Australia ties form a bright spot in the past year that has been hit by uncertainty from events such as Brexit. Chafta rewards rebuke anti-globalisation After entering into force on December 20, 2015, more than 85 percent of Australia's goods exports to China (by value in 2015) now enter duty free or at preferential rates thanks to the agreement, and that percentage is expected to continue to rise in the coming years. Australia's imports from China have also grown by 7.9 percent between the 2014/15 and the 2015/16 Australian financial years to account for 18.4 percent of all imported goods, far ahead of second placed Japan at 13.6 percent, Australia-China Relations Institute at the University of Technology, Sydney (UTS) deputy director and professor of economics James Laurenceson told Xinhua. Despite the value of Australia's exports declining due to global pressures on key commodities over the past two years, services exports have surged 20 percent in the 12 months to June 30, 2016. Currently, Australia's education sector ranks third, while tourism exports rank fifth for a combined A$35 billion ($26.14 billion) revenue boon. As China's middle class grows, those two sectors in particular are expected to grow further. In the year to September 2016, Chinese inbound tourists accounted for 1.1 million arrivals, up 22 percent on 2015, spending a staggering A$9.1 billion ($6.80 billion). "China is expected in the 2017/18 year to overtake NZ as our largest source of tourist arrivals and some numbers might even suggest that's already happened," Pricewaterhouse Coopers (PwC) Asia practice leader Andrew Parker said. "So whichever way you look at it, Chinese tourists are an extremely important component of (the Australian) economy." Further gains Tourism offers the best advertisement for Australian goods and services into the Chinese market. With Air China and other Chinese airlines increasing services into Australia, there's no doubt merchants are eyeing more customers. What's better news for newcomer to the Chinese market Kooks Wine, China surpassed Britain and the United States to be Australia's largest market for wine in 2016. Kooks, a social enterprise that contributes at least one percent of turnover to a charity or social program, is eyeing to export their Wild Reserve label - which features the face of a Giant Panda - into Chengdu in 2017. "From a wine point of view, it's more of an entry level, starting point to meet with the Chinese demand for value pricing," Kooks director Chris Tucker told Xinhua, adding that at least one percent of sales turnover in China will go towards protecting endangered animals. Relationship for the longer term While there are concerns in the Asia-Pacific over uncertainty, Parker, like Bishop, argues that "the best security bet we have is a strong economic relationship with our largest trading partner." "In fact, the economic growth that's happening in the whole southeast Asia corridor, much of it with Chinese and Japanese money now being invested into those regions, is actually a good thing for those economies but it's also a good thing for Australia," Parker said. "And so the investment that China is making in infrastructure in the region ... at the end of the day, that infrastructure is absolutely vital to the economic development of the countries concerned, and that economic development is absolutely in Australia's interests to see that it happens." WELLINGTON - One of China's big four commercial banks is giving New Zealand dairy giant Fonterra a funding facility valued at 1.5 billion yuan ($216.27 million) so it can grow its business in China. Bank of China New Zealand said Thursday it had signed a landmark agreement with farmer-owned cooperative Fonterra for a multi-currency bank facility, including a Chinese currency component. Chief executive David Lei Wang said annual trade between New Zealand and China had almost tripled to NZ$23 billion ($16.33 billion) since the bilateral free trade agreement was signed in 2008, and Chinese banking services had played an important role in fostering cross-border transactions and investment. "We see great opportunities in developing more renminbi products and tapping into China's debt capital markets on behalf of New Zealand financial institutions and government agencies," Wang said in a statement. Fonterra chief financial officer Lukas Paravicini said the new debt facility underlined the cooperative's continued focus on building an integrated business in China. "Bank of China has strong liquidity in renminbi and its local presence and knowledge offer us additional benefits in the rapidly developing Chinese financial markets," Paravicini said in the statement. "Having local funding arrangements is a natural extension of our activities in China." The Bank of China facility did not mean Fonterra was taking on more debt; rather it offered the cooperative alternatives in renminbi funding sources. "There is no change to our existing strategy of growing our business in China. This is simply a better way to organize the funding of that strategy," said Paravicini. Fonterra is New Zealand's largest company and the world's largest exporter of dairy products. It has three dairy farm centers in China and is aiming to produce 1 billion liters of fresh milk a year by 2018. BEIJING - New Zealand's latest investigation into Chinese galvanized steel is "discrimination" and will not help solve problems in the NZ steel industry, the Ministry of Commerce (MOC) said on Tuesday. The remarks came after the New Zealand government began an anti-subsidy probe on Monday into galvanized sheet steel from China. Wang Hejun, head with the trade remedy investigation department with the MOC, said that the products involved only account for 2.5 percent to 4 percent of New Zealand's domestic market, causing no harm to the domestic industry. New Zealand's imports of galvanized steel from China have remained around 4,000 tons, worth $3.2 million. By contrast, imports from other sources have doubled in the past two years. Investigating such a small amount of Chinese products while ignoring imports from other sources is discrimination, he said. It will not help to solve the problems in New Zealand's steel industry and will hamper Sino-New Zealand trade, Wang added. China has been New Zealand's biggest source of manufactured goods for years, and now China's imports from New Zealand are growing steadily. Wang said faltering global recovery and shrinking demand are cause of the difficult situation of the steel industry worldwide, and called on all countries to cooperate during tough times. Protectionism is not the answer for New Zealand's steel industry and will only deal a further blow to international trade, he said. China hopes New Zealand will use trade remedy measures in a prudent and restrained way and work with China to resolve trade issues through dialogue and communication, he said. Richard Taylor (center) demonstrates how to turn an audience member into a Hobbit character within 30 minutes. [Photo provided to China Daily] When Sun Lijun visited Wellington-based Weta Workshop in New Zealand 10 years ago, he was impressed by a prop of a sophisticated bow that felt like a real metal bow. The visit thus has pushed the vice-president of Beijing Film Academy to work actively on film-related joint projects of China and New Zealand. In the past few years, the Beijing academy has sent students to work and get trained at Weta Workshop every year. The workshop is known for its productions of props, weapons, makeup and visual effects for film franchises like The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. Sun says China is short of such kind of talent in its film market. The situation in China is that they spend a lot on buying software and systems from Hollywood, but few are able to make full use of them, resulting in a big waste and little change for China's film production. At the opening of a visual arts show on Dec 13, in Wuzhen, East China's Zhejiang province, Sun and his peers launched a project to cooperate with the New Zealand company. Every year, they will send some young Chinese eager to study the craft at Weta Workshop, and fund their works. Richard Taylor, the owner of Weta Workshop, says he has been in China doing manufacturing for Chinese movies for eight years. "We want to work for more Chinese movies," says Taylor, adding that his team also has worked with the People's Liberation Army Academy of Arts since President Xi Jinping visited New Zealand in 2014. SYDNEY - Australia New Zealand (ANZ) Banking Group Ltd will pocket $1.323 billion once it offloads its 20 percent stake in Shanghai Rural Commercial Bank (SRCB) to China COSCO Shipping Corp and Shanghai Sino-Poland Enterprise Management Development Corp. "The sale reflects our strategy to simplify our business and improve capital efficiency," ANZ deputy chief executive officer Graham Hodges said in a statement to the ASX on Tuesday. China COSCO Shipping and Shanghai Sino-Poland Enterprise Management Development Corp will each obtain an equal 10 percent stake in SRCB for a total of 9.190 billion yuan ($1.323 billion). The sale, representing a price-to-book ratio of 1.1 times SRCB's net assets, is to be completed by mid-2017 following regulatory approvals. The banking giant has been making large changes in Asia following its ambitious expansion plan that carried mixed results under former chief Mike Smith, notably the selling of its retail operations to Singapore's DBS Bank at the end of October last year. ANZ has denied it is taking a complete withdrawal from Asia to focus on its domestic footing after loosing market share to its larger rivals, saying it is eyeing three full service markets for institutional customers outside Australia and New Zealand. "This sale will allow us to focus our resources on our Institutional Banking business in Asia," Hodges said. "This includes a significant commitment to China over the past 30 years with 100 percent ANZ-owned branches in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chongqing, Chengdu, Hangzhou, and Qingdao serving our institutional clients." The relationship with SRCB provided the platform for ANZ to gain its full banking licence in China in 2010, while also supporting the expansion of its Chinese branch network. ANZ obtained its 20 percent stake in SRCB in 2007. ANZ will use the sale's proceeds to increase its tier one capital ratio by approximately 40 basis points, the bank said. By 10:20 local time (AEDT), ANZ's shares were 1.12 percent higher at 30.76 Australian dollars, in line with gains on the broader benchmark index. A woman chooses toys from Australia in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province. [Photo by Long Wei/For China Daily] Up to 98.5 percent of Chinese products exported to Australia will enjoy zero tariffs, after the two countries implemented the third round of tariff cuts on Jan 1 under a bilateral free trade agreement, the Ministry of Commerce said on Thursday. Ministry spokesman Sun Jiwen said China's automobile parts, home appliances, steel and garment products and Australia's agricultural and dairy products such as mutton, beef, fruit, wine and cheese would be major beneficiaries of the deal. "Even though the free trade deal only came into force in December 2015, it has had positive effect on bilateral trade," Sun said. Sun added that the use of preferential tariffs would be an effective example to show to other trading partners, especially in the current global business environment. The volume of bilateral trade amounted to 637.34 billion yuan ($93 billion) between January and November in 2016, down 1 percent on a year-on-year basis, data from the General Administration of Customs showed. Hu Yingzhi, deputy negotiation commissioner at the ministry, said the FTA would help speed up negotiations on other FTAs, including China-Israel FTA and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership this year. Under the FTA, Australia will eventually reduce tariffs to zero on all goods from China, and China will remove tariffs on the vast majority of Australian goods. The Australian government has also established a new mechanism to encourage Chinese companies to invest in the country. Investments from China below A$1.07 billion ($781 million) do not need to be examined by Australia's Foreign Investment Board. "The China-Australia FTA came at a critical time when many economies took measures such as trade investigations on specific Chinese products or moving factories to Vietnam to compete with China," said He Jingtong, a professor of trade policy at Nankai University in Tianjin. Contact the writers through zhongnan@chinadaily.com.cn WELLINGTON - One of the world's biggest asset finance and leasing companies, China-based HNA Group, has purchased its first foothold in New Zealand. ANZ Bank New Zealand Ltd, one of New Zealand's biggest commercial banks, said Wednesday that HNA had agreed to buy its asset finance business, UDC Finance, for NZ$660 million($461.47 million). ANZ New Zealand CEO David Hisco said the purchase price represented a price-to-book ratio of 1.6 times of net assets of NZ$424 million ($296.46 million) as of September 2016. UDC Finance, which specializes in asset-based finance to New Zealand businesses for plant, vehicles and equipment, was performing well, Hisco said in a statement. "HNA is well placed to invest in specialist asset finance products and systems which will help UDC expand further in the future," said Hisco. "UDC's highly diversified portfolio offers significant growth opportunities in Australasia and supports HNA Group's disciplined approach to expand our core tourism, logistics and financial services businesses," HNA Group Vice Chairman and CEO Adam Tan said in the statement. Founded in 1993, HNA Group has evolved from a regional airline based on China's Hainan island into a global company with over $90 billion of assets and almost 200,000 employees across North America, Europe and Asia. The UDC sale was subject to closing steps and regulatory approvals, and completion was expected late in 2017. Editor's Note: China's top leaders wrapped up the three-day Central Economic Work Conference on Dec 16. At the tone-setting meeting, policymakers mapped out policy stances for the country's economic development in 2017. China Daily analyzes the tasks and challenges China will face in 2017, to provide an insight into how the world's second-largest economy will tackle thorny restructuring and reform challenges. Supporting a multilateral trading system is the most effective way of beating sluggish global economic recovery, weak trade and investment activities, a lack of growth momentum and the growing backlash against globalization, according to senior commerce ministry officials. Commerce Minister Gao Hucheng said since joining the World Trade Organization in 2001, China's export volumes and industrial upgrading had notably increased. Even though the nation has been confronted with various trade remedy investigations of its exports, ranging from high-end iron and steel products to photovoltaic panels and wind turbines, it has promoted the multilateral trading system while also signing a number of free trade agreements with partner countries, he said. Between January and Dec 21, 2016, rising trade protectionism saw China subjected to 117 trade remedy investigations, worth an estimated $13.98 billion34.5 percent and 71.5 percent year-on-year increase, respectively, data from the ministry show. In order to restore the country's earning ability, more free trade agreements are in the pipeline with countries such as Israel and the member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council, while talks with Pakistan, Sri Lanka and the Maldives are also set to be accelerated this year. By the end of last year, agreements had either been established, or were being negotiated, between China and 25 countries and regions along the routes of the Belt and Road Initiative. The initiative, comprising the Silk Road Economic Belt and 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, was proposed by President Xi Jinping in 2013 and aims to boost connectivity and trade across Asia, Africa and Europe. Officials have also indicated that talks will be accelerated this year on the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, a proposed free trade pact between 16 economies including Australia and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. "The RCEP is usually viewed as a rival trade bloc to the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement promoted by the United States," said Zhang Jianping, director of the Commerce Ministry's Research Center for Regional Economic Cooperation. "But in fact, it was proposed by the ASEAN and has been pushed forward by countries such as Indonesia. "As it can effectively improve regional trade flows, China immediately responded to the proposal. It is an open platform and we have no intention of isolating any country in terms of conducting trade activities." Trade liberalization is further being pursued with the plan for a Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific, which China promoted at the 2014 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Economic Leaders' Meeting in Beijing. If the FTAAP is achieved, it would cover 40 percent of the world's population and 60 percent of the global economy, making it the biggest trade pact by goods volume, according to a case study by the National University of Singapore. Zhang Shaogang, director-general of the Department of International Trade and Economic Affairs at the Ministry of Commerce, said that besides the trade in goods, other cross-border e-commerce activities to be promoted by the joint efforts of governments and companies in the Asia-Pacific region in 2017 include a digital-based trade platform, a green supply chain and database development. China's current push to stimulate growth by focusing on supply-side structural reform, which aims to cut low-end industrial capacity while increasing high-tech production, is also important, according to Zhou Liujun, director-general of the ministry's department of outward investment and economic cooperation. "Its efforts in this area can bring economic benefits to many countries that are striving to get their struggling economies back on track," he said. Yu Jianlong, secretary-general of the China Chamber of International Commerce, predicted that the global trade environment will remain challenging this year, as both the European Union and the United States are undergoing dramatic political changes. There are also some disputes over the pace and scope of trade liberalization, according to Tu Xinquan, a professor at the University of International Business and Economics in Beijing. "The conditions of every country are different, and the capacity to adopt a policy of liberalization and benefit from it also varies," he said. "After all, liberalization is a policy orientation that will revert if progress is not achieved. Liberalization that is too slow or stagnant means recession in reality." WELLINGTON - New Zealand is working on a "Plan B" to the 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal and China's involvement is possible, Prime Minister Bill English said Monday. United States President Donald Trump's decision to withdraw from the still-unratified TPP would not necessarily stop the other 11 nations working on a modified version of the deal, English told Radio New Zealand. New Zealand passed legislation late last year allowing the government to ratify the agreement, which was signed in Auckland in February last year. English said the Trump administration's "America first" trade policy was "not in our interests and we would argue it's not in America's interests in the long run either, but they've made a pretty clear policy decision." "So we're working on Plan B. It was promising that last week the Prime Minister of Japan, when he was in Australia, made quite a positive statement about trying to proceed with a version of the TPP without the US in it, if it comes to that," said English. "We don't believe it's dead, but Plan B could be a bit tricky." Asked if it was possible the TPP could be scrapped and replaced with something else, possibly involving China, English said, "That's possible." "There are other vehicles for China if they've got an interest in free trade in the Asia-Pacific, but the TPP's a fairly original, a fairly unique kind of trade agreement and there are real benefits in it for New Zealand if we can just get everybody organized," said English. New Zealand Trade Minister Todd McClay would probably visit Washington "before too long" and begin talks with his counterparts in other TPP countries over the next couple of months about an alternative to the current agreement. Artists from the Liaoning Dance Troupe perform at the Happy Chinese New Year gala, Auckland, Jan 20, 2017. [Photo/Chinaculture.org] A Happy Chinese New Year gala was held in Auckland, New Zealand, on Jan 20. About 700 government officials, representatives and locals from China and New Zealand attended the event. Artists from the Liaoning Dance Troupe performed a series of Chinese folk dances and traditional music, especially the "Two-people show", or Er Ren Zhuan, which originated in Northeast China. Established in 1956, the Liaoning Dance Troupe has created a large number of folk dances and dramas with distinctive local features. The artists intended to let people in New Zealand know more about the culture and customs in Northeast China through their performances during the Happy Chinese New Year celebrations. China and Australia agreed on Tuesday to upgrade economic cooperation and diversify trade amid the turmoil and fears raised by growing protectionist sentiment, especially in the United States and the European Union. In a meeting with Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Tuesday evening in Australia's capital, Canberra, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull assured Wang that, as a country that has benefited from free trade, Australia will make joint efforts with China to resolutely oppose protectionism. Wang noted that Australia is an important member of the China-US "joint friends circle", and that Australia can continue to be an ally of the US while also being a comprehensive strategic partner of China. Earlier Tuesday, Wang told reporters that he and his Australian counterpart Julie Bishop agreed to boost free trade and make bilateral trade more diverse and sustainable than its current heavy reliance on minerals. Tuesday's meetings took place in the shadow of growing protectionist sentiment, symbolized by US President Donald Trump's "America First" policy and similar political sentiments in Europe. Citing the benefits of the China-Australia free trade agreement signed a year ago, Wang vowed to take a "firm stand" against protectionism. "At a time when we face an international situation that is full of uncertainties, we agree to send a clear message that it is important to firmly commit to an open world economy," he said. He added that it is also important to steer economic globalization toward greater inclusiveness and broader shared benefits in a more sustainable way. Bishop said Australia is committed to ensuring the free trade agreement with China continues to grow. She said the countries plan to cooperate more on tourism, regional infrastructure, innovation and energy. Despite the "economic transition and uncertainty around the world", Bishop said, "Australia reassures China that we are a reliable partner and that we will continue to place a strong trade and economic relationship as one of our highest priorities." Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said at a regular news conference on Tuesday that China and Australia have the "strong political will" to advance bilateral ties. On Sunday, Premier Li Keqiang and Turnbull sent their congratulations to the China-Australia Year of Tourism 2017, which was officially launched in Sydney, Xinhua News Agency reported. Li said he was happy to see that China and Australia have become popular tourism destinations for each other, with the total number of two-way arrivals between the two countries reaching nearly 2 million last year. Turnbull added that China has become Australia's most valuable source of tourism, with 1.2 million Chinese tourists visiting Australia last year. In a related development, Alibaba Group, the Chinese e-commerce giant, launched its headquarters for Australia and New Zealand operations on Saturday. Jack Ma, the group's founder and executive chairman, told 300 of the country's business and political elite that Australia's clean environment was its next "gold mine". Ma also emphasized the dangers of protectionism. "If trade stops, war starts," he said at the launch ceremony. The company's headquarters for the region in Melbourne is intended to help businesses based in Australia and New Zealand share their products with global customers, the Australian Associated Press reported. anbaijie@chinadaily.com.cn Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs Julie Bishop meet on Tuesday at Parliament House in Australia's capital, Canberra.Mick Tsikas / Australian Associated Press (China Daily 02/08/2017 page3) New Zealand's Prime Minister Bill English (L) meets with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Auckland, New Zealand, Feb 9, 2017. [Photo/Xinhua] New Zealand is keen to make joint efforts with China to support free trade and boost globalization, the country's Prime Minister Bill English said on Thursday while meeting with visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. The prime minister spoke highly of President Xi Jinping's speech at the 2017 annual meeting of the World Economic Forum, adding the speech delivered important and positive messages to the world. He also vowed to launch upgraded negotiation of the bilateral free trade agreement and cooperate with China in sectors including infrastructure, humanities, tourism, education, science and technology, and judicial enforcement. New Zealand boasts several No.1s in ties to China, including the first Western country to support China's joining the World Trade Organization and China's launch of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) and the Belt and Road Initiatives, English said. The New Zealand leader also welcomed Chinese enterprises to invest in his country. The Chinese foreign minister said the China-New Zealand relationship is a model for cooperation between countries with different sizes and social systems. Wang said China and New Zealand are both advocates and practitioners of free trade. New Zealand is among the close partners from the West that meets the benefits of New Zealand and its people, Wang said. Noting that the year 2017 marks the 45th anniversary of the establishment of China-New Zealand diplomatic relations, Wang said that the two countries could boost high-level exchanges, consolidate mutual trust and implement the strategic partnership. "Hand in hand, we should protect the international trade system, build the open economy and try to start the upgrade in negotiation of the free trade agreement," the Chinese foreign minister said. He also expressed the wish that the two countries would join hands in connecting the Belt and Road Initiatives with New Zealand's infrastructure schemes. Chinese tourists take photos in front of the Sydney Opera House, which is lit up red to welcome in the Lunar New Year in Sydney in February last year.[Photo/Agencies] A record 1.2 million Chinese tourists visited Australia in 2016, according to statistics released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics on Monday. Jessica Noack from the ABS Migration Analysis and Reporting Team said there had been "phenomenal growth" in the number of visitor arrivals from China over the past 40 years, explaining that in 1976, just 500 Chinese tourists visited Australia. "China has almost caught up with New Zealand as the most popular source country for visitors to Australia," Noack said in a statement released on Monday. "After China, visitors from Vietnam had the highest growth rate over the past 40 years, growing from 100 in 1976 to 70,500 in 2016. United Arab Emirates had the next highest growth rate, increasing from 100 in 1976 to 40,900 in 2016, while visitors from South Korea grew from 1,200 in 1976 to 286,000 in 2016." Noack said that while New Zealand remained the source nation with the highest number of visitor arrivals to Australia in 2016, with more than 1.3 million, the ABS expects China to take over first place in the not-too-distant future. "In 2016, New Zealand was still our top source country. After New Zealand and China, the most popular sources of travelers in 2016 were the United States (714,700), the United Kingdom (709,600) and Singapore (443,600)," Noack said. According to the ABS, 38 percent of all short-term trips were made to New South Wales, where Sydney is the state capital, followed by Victoria (Melbourne) with 25 percent, and Queensland (with tourist towns Brisbane, Gold Coats and Cairns) accounting for 22 percent. More Australian restaurants, cafes and wineries should offer Chinese language menus to capture a larger slice of the immense Chinese outbound tourist market, the deputy CEO of Restaurant and Catering Australia (RCA) told Xinhua on Wednesday. RCA's Sally Neville said she has noticed that some Australian restaurants were offering Mandarin menus in an attempt to draw more Chinese tourists into their businesses. Neville said savvy Australian retailers should begin to follow suit, following a revelation that a record number of Chinese tourists visited Australia in 2016. On Tuesday, the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) said a record 1.2 million Chinese tourists visited Australia in 2016, making China Australia's second-largest inbound tourism market behind New Zealand. "In destinations where there are already significant numbers of Chinese tourists, the recognition of their contribution is already seen. It's clear there is a (place) for translated menus," Neville told Xinhua. Neville said she would encourage Australian restaurants, particularly tourist hotspots, to implement more strategies to draw a greater proportion of the not only 1.2 million Chinese visitors already visiting Australia, but of the overall 125 million Chinese visitors who visit overseas countries each year. "Tapping into the increase in demand from the Chinese will make Australia a preferred location for Chinese visitors which will convert to spending," she said. "The 1.2 million visitor figure is great, but there are 125 million outbound Chinese tourists each year, so ideally Australia will become better at attracting them and gain more than our fair share of that number." Australia's University of Newcastle recently announced the setting up of a scholarship program supported by China's Jack Ma Foundation. The foundation will give $20 million to fund a first-of-its-kind scholarship program, marking the largest philanthropic commitment in UON's history and the Jack Ma Foundation's first philanthropic contribution in Australia. Alibaba founder Ma was joined by New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian, UON Chancellor Paul Jeans and others at the announcement in Newcastle. As a teenager, Mamet Ken Morley and his family, who were on a tour with the Australia-China Friendship Society in Ma's hometown, Hangzhou. Ma and Morley remained close friends until Morley's death in 2004. "I am very thankful for Australia and the time I spent there in my youth," Ma says. "The culture, the landscape and most importantly its people had a profound positive impact on my view of the world at that time." He says the foundation was delighted to honor the experience and the special relationship he had formed with the Morley family. "Alibaba was built by young people and we are committed to lifting up and empowering students so they can reach their dreams and ambitions." In its initial year, The Ma& Morley Scholarship Program will support 30 new UON scholarships, 20 scholarships to support students throughout the duration of their degree, including access to a unique and comprehensive engagement and enrichment program, and 10 one-off scholarships to support educational exchange, internship or immersion activities. When the program reaches full capacity, it will support 90 students per year. The university's vice-chancellor, professor Caroline McMillen, said the scholarship program would have a transformational impact on the lives of students and shape the next generation of leaders. Morley's son David, who still lives in Newcastle and attended the announcement event, said the family was really happy to see that Ma remember his Newcastle connection and to be honoring their dad's egalitarian values through the scholarships. "This scholarship program will exemplify the shared values between Mr Ma and Mr Morley, and aims to develop the next generation of globally aware and socially conscious Australian leaders," McMillen says. The first round of the program will be advertised in mid-2017 for students who would commence their first year of an undergraduate degree at UON in 2018. Qantas' new service to Beijing took off on Jan 26. The new service aims to help power the Australia-China travel boom and marks the Australian airliner's next step in its Chinese growth strategy. Beijing is Qantas' third destination in China, in addition to Shanghai and Hong Kong. The new service gives the capital's residents a direct gateway to Australia. It represents a huge opportunity for the Australian tourism industry and companies doing business in China under a Free Trade Agreement, an official with Qantas says. Flights to Australia on the new route are timed to connect with Qantas' domestic network to popular onward destinations such as Melbourne, Brisbane and Hobart, as well as the airline's Tasman services to Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Queenstown. Meanwhile, Qantas will be working with Tourism Australia and Destination NSW to draw more Chinese to visit. It will also sell the route with its joint venture partner China Eastern. Flights operates to Beijing Capital International Airport Terminal 3, using a 235 seat Airbus A330-200 aircraft. Overall, the service adds 3,300 seats to the market per week. The 12-hour route takes Qantas' long history of serving China into a new era, says Qantas' CEO Alan Joyce. "It's the perfect time for Qantas to fly to Beijing. The China-Australia Free Trade Agreement is hitting its stride and China is on track to become the number one source of visitors to Australia within the next year or so," says Joyce. "What's really exciting is the potential we see for the future. We now have the Qantas Group's biggest ever network in Greater China, and our goal is to make our Beijing route a flagship corridor for tourism and trade." The new Beijing service is part of Qantas' growth strategy for China and the broader Asian region, increasing its total capacity on routes to Asia by seven per cent. Together with its partners China Eastern and China Southern, Qantas customers can now choose from 130 weekly return flights between Australia and China, plus close to 256 connecting services to domestic destinations within China. The Jetstar Group of airlines offers more than 30 return flights a week into eight Chinese cities from Singapore and Vietnam. The route launch follows the beginning of Melbourne-Tokyo Narita flights before Christmas and the announcement of a new Jetstar service between Melbourne and Ho Chi Minh city, to begin in May 2017. yangfeiyue@chinadaily.com.cn Beijing is Qantas' third destination in China, in addition to Shanghai and Hong Kong. Provided To China Daily (China Daily USA 02/16/2017 page9) CANBERRA - The sale of fresh Australian produce boomed over the Chinese New Year period, with tech-savvy Chinese buyers using online retailers to plug the gap left by supermarket closures over the busy holiday period. Online shopping giant JD.com reported a sharp increase in sales of online goods over the holiday period, with the sale of imported goods such as Australian beef, cherries, and kiwifruit increasing by up to 14-fold. JD.com told Australia's News Corp that, in the long term, it expects "a continued boom in imported food sales as Chinese palates become more sophisticated, and customers become increasingly aware." Meanwhile JD.com's competitor, Alibaba said Chinese consumers often bought foreign goods online during the New Year period as local businesses often closed so that employees could spend time with family. "Since many supermarkets in China are closed during the holidays, a lot of confectionery products and fresh produce through our online supermarket proved popular, including crackers, nuts, candies, cherries, kiwi, apples, fresh vegetables, and dumplings," a spokesperson told News Corp. Recent statistics released by China's Agriculture Ministry showed that while the total value of agricultural imports into China fell in 2016, the sale of livestock and other goods such as wheat - often from Australia - had bucked the trend. Imports of wheat grew 13.5 percent, while rice and vegetables grew by 5.5 and 2 percent respectively, while livestock imports jumped by almost 15 percent to be worth more than $23 billion. Specifically, pork imports rose 110 percent, beef imports rose by 22.4 percent and milk powder grew by 15.2 percent. Wu Xiubo [Photo provided to China Daily] Chinese actor Wu Xiubo has been appointed Tourism Australia's Ambassador for the 2017 China-Australia Year of Tourism. The appointment was announced by Steven Ciobo, the Australian minister for trade, tourism and investment, on Feb 21. The Chairman of the China National Tourism Administration, Li Jinzao, was present. The China-Australia Year of Tourism celebrates the close relationship between the two countries and recognizes the importance of the China market for Australia's tourism industry. Steven Ciobo (left), the Australian minister for trade, tourism and investment and Chinese actor Wu Xiubo. [Photo provided to China Daily] "This year promises to bring Australia and China closer and provide more opportunities for further engagement, be it in tourism and travel or more broadly in trade, sport and culture or social and academic exchanges," says Ciobo. "China is Australia's most valuable tourism market, with the potential to be worth more than $13 billion by 2020. Last year, 1.2 million Chinese visited Australia. We anticipate this will grow during the China-Australia Year of Tourism and will continue to grow afterward." Recent initiatives to support two-way tourism between the two countries include the trial of the 10-year visitor visa; the open aviation market services arrangement which removes all capacity restrictions for airlines on both sides; and a new Beijing to Sydney service by Qantas Airways which was launched in January. Related: China's Kris Wu to play NBA Celebrity All-Star Game Trailer of Book of Love A ballerina performs The Red Detachment of Women in Melbourne, Australia, Feb 15, 2017. [Photo/Chinacultture.org] The Red Detachment of Women was performed by dancers from the National Ballet of China in Melbourne, Australia, from Feb 15 to 18. Cheng Jingye, Chinese Ambassador to Australia, and many Austrian officials attended the first night of the dance drama on Feb 15 along with more than 2,300 audience members. The dancers gave a total of four performances during their stay in Melbourne. By Jing Shuiyu in Beijing and Xie Chuanjiao in Qingdao, Shandong | China Daily | Updated: 2017-02-22 07:51 China's outbound direct investment into Australia surged 56.1 percent year-on-year to $3.68 billion in 2016, exceeding the growth rate of the country's overall ODI, the Ministry of Commerce said on Tuesday. The investment mainly flowed into sectors including real estate, leasing and commercial services and transportation, said Vice-Minister of Commerce Wang Shouwen. The growth rate of China's ODI in 2016 was 44.1 percent. Wang made the remarks at the first China-Australia Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade in Beijing. Wang said that in addition to investment levels, the two countries' trade structure had also been further optimized since the signing of a free trade agreement two years ago. "The FTA between China and Australia provides both sides with new mechanisms and platforms for economic and trade cooperation," the minister added. Trade between the two countries amounted to 712.38 billion yuan ($103.52 billion) in 2016, up 0.9 percent on a year-on-year basis, according to data from the General Administration of Customs. A number of Chinese airlines increased direct flights between different Chinese locations and Australian cities, and the number of Chinese tourists to Australia exceeded 1.3 million in 2016, up 17.9 percent year-on-year. On Monday, the first shipment of 1,195 cattle from Australia arrived at Qingdao port in Shandong province. After slaughtering and processing, beef will be available at supermarkets soon. "The China-Australia FTA came at a critical time when many economies took measures such as trade remedy investigations on specific Chinese products or moved factories to Vietnam to compete with China," said He Jingtong, a professor of trade policy at Nankai University in Tianjin. Cheng Yu contributed to this story. Contact the writers at jingshuiyu@chinadaily.com.cn and xiechuanjiao@chinadaily.com.cn (China Daily 02/22/2017 page13) Australia has been gaining popularity among Chinese visitors, who have surpassed New Zealanders to become the top spenders. [Photo provided to China Daily] The Land Down Under is set to significantly up the number of Chinese visitors since the China-Australia Year of Tourism began on Feb 5. That's following recently introduced enticements for Chinese to visit Oz, such as increased flights, 10-year visas and a Chinese-language online visa-application system. "The China-Australia Year of Tourism will go a long way in promoting bilateral exchanges in tourism and other fields," China National Tourism Administration chair Li Jinzao says. China is Australia's most valuable inbound-tourism market. Australia's tourism authority estimates its value may exceed AU$13 billion ($9.96 billion) by 2020. Australia has been gaining popularity among Chinese visitorsjust over a year ago, they surpassed New Zealand to become the top spenders Down Under, to the tune of $21 million a day. Last year, 1.2 million Chinese visited the Land Down Under. They spent over $9 billion, up 18 percent compared with the previous year. "We anticipate this will grow during the China-Australia Year of Tourism and will continue to grow afterward," says Australia's minister for trade, tourism and investment, Steven Ciobo. Australia has also launched initiatives to expand two-way tourism arrivals. It began offering 10-year multi-entry visas to Chinese on a trial basis, allowing for up to three-months per stay. Chinese visitors no longer need to visit visa centers, thanks to the new Chinese application website. A recent agreement removes all capacity restrictions for both sides' airlines. New Zealand Ambassador John McKinnon said his country is particularly interested in how free trade and climate change are reflected and discussed in the upcoming annual meeting of China's top legislature and political advisory body. In an exclusive interview with China Daily, McKinnon said he expects the two countries to upgrade the existing free trade agreement, which was signed and took effect in 2008 to boost bilateral trade. New Zealand was the first developed economy to sign such an agreement with China. The annual meeting of the National People's Congress and the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference will kick off later this week as one of China's most important political events. The New Zealand-China relationship is very strong and is characterized as a comprehensive strategic partnership as announced by President Xi Jinping and former prime minister John Key in 2014, McKinnon said. "One of the most important ways we've been building on the partnership is to look at how to upgrade the free trade agreement. Since then, there's been a huge growth in the trade between our two countries. And that is continuing and now we are reaching new areas such as services, e-commerce and many other such aspects of trade," he said. On the two sessions, the ambassador said: "There are two areas that are particularly of interest to us. One is following on from President Xi's speech at Davos when he presented China's strong position on globalization, international trade and an open economy. These are things we very much welcome and we will be interested to see how they are reflected in Premier Li Keqiang's Government Work Report and also in the subsequent discussions at the congress." He said the second area covers climate change. A few weeks ago, Zhang Yong, vice-chairman of the National Development and Reform Commission met with New Zealand's Deputy Prime Minister Paula Bennett in New Zealand during the first ministerial-level dialogue on climate change. "They discussed a number of areas of interest. That will be the focus of our follow-up discussions between officials and between our leaders," the ambassador said. "Like many others, I am particularly interested to see how the National People's Congress responds to them." *M*ake what you will of this. In the modern era of partisan polarization, which can be dated back to the election of Ronald Reagan in 1980, only the presid... In 2016, Chinese investors spent A$2.4 billion purchasing residential land in Australia, accounting for 35 percent of all Australian real estate trade, according to Knight Frank, a global real estate consultancy company. That's an increase of 9.4 percent on the previous year. Knight Frank's report said the amount of real estate bought by Chinese consumers was seventeen times greater than in 2012. In 2012, the average area of trading plots was 1,200 square meters, with every plot having 103 living units. In 2016, the number had risen to 502 units with an average area of 21,000 square meters. Interest isn't limited to real estate companies, reports the Paper. In June 2016, Bank of China paid $95 million to buy an office building in Sydney. China's New Hope Group, which is involved in the agriculture and food sector, has also established its Australia and New Zealand headquarters in Sydney. "We are going to build a 43-floor landmark in northern Sydney", said a New Hope official. "The two safe ports, Sydney and Melbourne, are still the first choice for Chinese investors, and that trend will continue. China will focus on other cities in Australia when competition for real estate becomes too fierce", said Lin Rongjie, managing director of Cushman & Wakefield's Research Department in China. "The three most popular cities in Australia among Chinese investors are Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane", said Yang Dong, general manager of an investment company in Shanghai. SYDNEY - A world-renowned British economist said on Wednesday that Australia is in an excellent position to capitalise on China's growth. Jim O'Neill, former Goldman Sachs chief economist, spoke candidly to the Australian Financial Review, about the need for Australia to capitalise even further on the opportunities China's growth presents while in the country for a two-day business summit. O'Neill noted that although Australian banks comprised a high percentage of the market capitalisation,when combined with the high cost of housing and the subsequent debt attached could be a risk, he still has a positive outlook on the economy. "It seems to be, notwithstanding the housing threat, Australia is in a really good position." O'Neill said. Long a believer in the potential of the emerging BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India, China) markets, O'Neill maintains that China remains the strongest performer of those economies, with other Asian nations trying to catch up to the growth China has achieved. "The other big juggernauts coming up behind China are in this part of the world as well, India and Indonesia." O'Neill said. O'Neill predicts a bright future for the Chinese economy, and stressed that the effective strategy to shift from "old" economic drivers, manufacturing and pollution, towards a service based economy would lead China into an even greater future. "It's (China) heading towards another decade where GDP will double again," O'Neill said. "This era of China's growth, which I like to call the new China, is all about the rise of the consumer and they don't have any debt." As a member of the British House of Lords, O'Neill also touched on Brexit, and maintained that China could be a crucial factor in assisting the transition for Britain into a post-EU economy. "If the UK was particularly focused and successful on trade with China, India and Indonesia, then we would cope with Brexit." O'Neill said. Australian businessman Vaughn Barber says he enjoys his lifewith his wife and daughterin Beijing. [Photo provided to China Daily] Vaughn Barber believes good business is built on trust. And, to that end, he wants to serve as a bridge between Chinese and foreign companies. "It is something I can do to contribute uniquely," says Barber, 46, global chair of KPMG global China practice. Over the years, his firm has helped Chinese State-owned and private companies conduct overseas mergers and acquisitions in sectors such as energy and power, mining, financial services, manufacturing and infrastructure. When he was at school in Brisbane, Barber's father had suggested that he connects with China in the future. Learning Chinese would give him an advantage, he says his father told him then. "That decision I made with his advice when I was so young has actually changed the course of everything," Barber says. Barber's learning of Chinese allowed him to come to China on a scholarship for a year's study in 1987. The program, started by the Australian government, included language training in the first half of the year and attending classes with local Chinese students later. Barber also got chances to visit different cities here. "After being in China, I understand better that money makes the world go around, and having a good understanding about business is important," he says. Barber became a chartered accountant after college and worked in Australia for three years. He joined KPMG Hong Kong in 1996 as an assistant manager and became a partner in 2000. He moved to Beijing in 2011 and continues to work with Chinese outbound investors. During his years in Hong Kong, Barber had many opportunities to visit the mainland. So he was asked to work out of Beijing to help foreign companies aiming to enter the Chinese market at the time. However, Barber noticed that more Chinese companies were looking to acquire important assets overseas by then. "I said: 'No, my role is to advise Chinese companies going into the world,'" he recalls, explaining that he had realized it was an area KPMG needed to focus on. From 2007, Barber, who combined his accounting skills with communication in Chinese, began leading a team in Hong Kong that provided tax advise to Chinese companies going abroad. After moving to Beijing, he became head of the China outbound investment business for KPMG and chair of its "global China practice" in 2016. His team has been following China's economic policies closely, such as the development goals stated in the 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-20). When the Chinese companies were seeking overseas investment opportunities earlier, his company published reports to help Australia understand Chinese investors better, as well as help Chinese companies understand the global markets better. When KPMG started its "global China practice" in 2013, it was more about supporting Chinese foreign investors, he says. "But also we think that we need to help foreign companies understand the opportunities and the changing environment (as projected) in the 13th Five-year Plan and beyond, and how they can engage in the Belt and Road Initiative." In the past years, Barber and his team have made efforts to help their in-house colleagues around the world understand China better. For example, they carried out an internal online education campaign called China Confident Program, to give teams information about Chinese culture, history, business practices and the economy. The program was designed by some bilingual members in the company like Barber who have lived in China for a while. "When they (Chinese companies) go into new markets, they need to work with our local teams because they need the best advice. So we worked together with the local team," he explains. Barber says requests for the program have been made by KPMG teams especially in countries that are seeking to engage with China-related businesses effectively. But he says that China's profile tends to differ from other countries and misunderstandings about China still exist in a few places. "China has a role to play, too. More communication coming this way will improve the situation," he says, adding good company behavior and people-to-people interactions are important. Barber is frequently seen at seminars organized by the Chinese government, speaking on how Chinese investors can do more worldwide and on China's economic development. While trying to provide advice based on his own expertise, Barber believes participating in such forums also helps him better understand the country's development. "You can't wear the glasses coming from outside China and apply that to China. You need to understand the context, which requires an investment of time and also requires you to live here," he adds. Barber, who lives with his wife, a Chinese he met in Hong Kong, and their daughter, says he is accustomed to life in Beijing and spends most of his spare time with family and friends. "I enjoy my life here. It's a cosmopolitan place," he says. Since his first trip here in the 1980s, Barber has witnessed China change really quickly. The quality of life is much better today and China is more open and confident, he says. "It's also why it's important to engage foreign companies. There are opportunities, and by participating constructively, you contribute to the process of opening-up reform and the livelihood of normal people." Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop warned on Monday of a disastrous outcome if a trade war breaks out between the United States and China. Bishop said China and the US cannot afford to wage a trade war. "I believe that both sides have too much at stake for there to be a trade war," she told Bloomberg News in Singapore, as quoted in a story by the Australia Associated Press. "The United States has issues with China, China has issues with the United States, but I believe they can be resolved by high level consultation and discussion and I hope that we see that," she said. Zhong Shan, China's new minister of commerce, said last Saturday that Sino-US economic and trade cooperation is very much in the interest of both countries. "A trade war does not meet the fundamental interests of the two countries, neither the two peoples. It will be a disaster for the global economy," he told a press conference in Beijing. Observers have warned that a US trade war with China is a trade war with Asia, due to the close interdependence of the Asian economies, where China is often a country's top trade partner. Bob Carr, Bishop's predecessor, made similar comments last week. He told Sky News on March 7 that it was imperative Australian diplomacy efforts be directed toward persuading the Trump administration out of "anything that reeks of a trade war with China". "This is the touchstone, this is the key issue: trade. And it's one where Australia has a big stake. If Trump accepts the advice of extremists and mavericks, he's appointed to trade positions then there will be an attempt to block Chinese imports," Carr said. "That is going to lower the rate of Chinese economic growth, it's going to affect all Asian economies and it's most certainly going to affect the Australian economy," Carr added. China is Australia's top trade partner, absorbing a third of Australia's exports. Japan and the US are respectively Australia's No 2 and No 3 trade partners. Carr did not name "the extremists and mavericks" he was referring to. Experts have expressed concerns over the protectionist sentiments expressed by Trump's new director of the National Trade Council Peter Navarro and his nominee for US trade representative, Robert Lighthizer. During the presidential campaign, Trump threatened high tariffs on Chinese exports and to name China a currency manipulator, but he has since softened his tone on those issues. David Dollar, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, pointed out the inconsistent views by Trump's economic and trade officials. "Usually that means within a year, some start winning, some start losing, some leave probably," he told China Daily. "I do think if the Trump administration does any major protectionist measures against China, I am sure that China will retaliate in a major way. And that will be quite bad for our two economies," he said. "I think a real trade war is unlikely." chenweihua@chinadailyusa.com (China Daily USA 03/14/2017 page2) Premier Li Keqiang will make official visits to Australia and New Zealand starting next week as a major effort to boost economic ties with the two Oceanian countries. The visits will be the first such trips to the two countries by a Chinese premier since 2006. At the invitation of Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and New Zealand Prime Minister Bill English, the premier will visit the two countries from Wednesday to March 29, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told a news conference on Friday. In Australia, the premier will also attend the fifth annual meeting of the Chinese and Australian prime ministers, Hua added. China has maintained frequent high-level exchanges with these two important trading partners in Oceania, both of which enjoyed trade surpluses with China last year. In April last year, Turnbull made his first visit to China since taking office, just one week before former New Zealand prime minister John Key's sixth trip to Beijing. In September, Premier Li met with Turnbull when both leaders attended the East Asia Summit in Laos. In 2008, New Zealand was the first developed economy to sign a free-trade agreement with China, while the China-Australia Free Trade Agreement took effect in December 2015. In a previous interview, New Zealand Ambassador to China and Mongolia John McKinnon said he expected the two countries to upgrade their existing free trade agreement to boost bilateral trade. Chen Fengying, a global economy researcher at the China Institute of Contemporary International Relations, said Australia and New Zealand carry out the free trade agreements as China's key trading partners in the Asia-Pacific region. The two Oceanian countries can complement the Chinese economy, since they export dairy and woolen goods to meet China's need for high-quality agricultural and animal husbandry products, Chen said. "The trade and economic ties between China and Australia have become increasingly closer in recent years, which has positively contributed to a relationship featuring mutual benefits and win-win cooperation," said Su Hao, a professor of Asia-Pacific studies at China Foreign Affairs University. Han Feng, a researcher at the National Institute of International Strategy of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said China and Australia have great potential for aligning their industries and strategies. "China could help to renovate Australia's outdated infrastructure facilities with its leading expertise, while learning from the Oceanian country's advanced technologies in transportation, telemedicine and distance education," Han said. Contact the writer at huyongqi@chinadaily.com.cn (China Daily 03/18/2017 page1) News / Local by Staff Reporter Some 200 villagers who lay claim to the Majingwe Wildlife Conservancy in Mwenezi have engaged a lawyer to fight National Parks and Wildlife Authority which they allege is trying to wrestle their project from them.Majingwe Wildlife Conservancy Chairman John Magovanyika confirmed the wrangle in an interview with The Wildlife Authority is reportedly trying to bring in an investor to hijack their project.Magovanyika said that the villagers were allocated Majingwe Farm by Government during the fast track land reform programme in 2002 and they have offer letters to it. He said they realised that the farm had wild animals and they subdivided it, creating one section for wildlife, another for their cattle and another for tilling."We then invited the National Parks Department to come and help us make an animal count and manage the wildlife section since we didn't have the relevant knowledge. They joined us but now they are jealous because the project has grown and they are threatening to evict us from the farm and bring what they call an investor," said Magovanyika.The villagers have since engaged Chinawa Law Chambers to handle their case and the law firm has since written to the Ministry of Rural Development, Promotion and Preservation of National Culture and Heritage in Mwenezi to intervene in the matter.Mwenezi District Administrator Rosemary Chingwe confirmed the wrangle and referred questions to the National Parks Department.Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority Masvingo Regional Manager Luke Njiva confirmed the wrangle but said that it was being handled at the national headquarters. The letter by the lawyers was also copied to the CEO, Mwenezi Rural District Council."After inviting the National Parks, it is now seeking to remove the community from the farm and handing it to someone they are referring to as an investor. The community ordinarily is resisting this," reads part of the lawyer's letter to the Minister.Magovanyika said the villagers are not going to allow their conservancy to be taken over."We are not going anywhere, we are waiting for the Government and the Police to come and evict us. We are the real owners of Majingwe Farm and the Parks Authority should stay away from us. They now see that our project is flourishing and they want to evict us, but that is not going to happen," he added.Masvingo Mirror News / Local by Staff Reporter A Guinea Fowl High School English teacher who harassed a form two pupil by giving her too high marks or low marks, verbally abused her and excluded her from lessons has been given a two-month jail term or a fine of $200 after being convicted of the charges laid against her.Thandiwe Ncube (48) appeared before Gweru Magistrate Musayiwona Shotgame and she pleaded not guilty to the charges.Passing sentence Shotgame considered that Ncube was a first offender but he said that it will not leave out the fact that the accused is entrusted to protect the child she abused.It is the State case that in January last year the complainant fell ill and as a result could not go to school. The mother of the complainant went to explain the situation to the teacher but Ncube allegedly failed to understand and started victimising the pupil.Ncube insulted the complainant and told her that she will make her life miserable through unspecified means.At times Ncube would give her lower marks, refuse to mark her school work and capture her results.The court further heard that Ncube would withdraw the pupil from class discussions and learning groups which had a bad impact on her performance in exams. (Photo : NATO) British Army fighting vehicles arrive in Germany en route to Estonia. Advertisement The first 120 men of an 800-strong fighting force from the British Army arrived in Estonia on March 17 -- the eve of the 3rd anniversary of Russia's annexation of Crimea -- to deter Russia from repeating this scenario with an invasion of Estonia and the two other Baltic States. The lead force from the 5th Battalion The Rifles Battlegroup (5 RIFLES) arrived at Amari Air Base in Estonia along with their weapons and equipment. The entire unit consists of 800 British fighting men armed with FV4034 Challenger 2 main battle tanks; AS90 150 mm self-propelled guns and Warrior infantry fighting vehicles. Like Us on Facebook Advertisement Estonian defense minister Margus Tsahkna greeted the British soldiers at Amari after they were flown in from RAF Brize Norton, Oxfordshire. 5 RIFLES will be based at the town of Tapa, some 130 km from the Russian border. Fighting vehicles from British Army's 20 Armored Infantry Brigade have arrived at the port of Emden, Germany for transport to Estonia They will take part in exercises alongside the Estonian Defense Forces, the unified armed forces of Estonia. The Estonian military is a defense force consisting of Land Forces, Navy, Air Force and the Estonian Defense League, a paramilitary organization. The British troops will also take part in regional drills coordinated with other NATO contingents deployed to Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland. The UK also has 150 troops in a US-battle group based in Poland. The deployment is the biggest of its kind from the UK since the Cold War. British Secretary of State for Defense Sir Michael Fallon described the deployment of 5 RIFLES to Estonia as a "defensive deployment" to deter Russian aggression in the Baltics. Fallon said action in the Baltics was needed "because of the increased Russian aggression that we've seen and the need to reassure our allies on the eastern side of NATO." He said the deployment isn't intended to "provoke or escalate" Russian aggression, but is in accordance with NATO's wishes to deter the threat posed by Russia. Advertisement TagsEstonia, British Army, Russia, Crimea, th Battalion The Rifles Battlegroup, Challenger 2 main battle tanks, Sir Michael Fallon (Photo : Russian Navy) RFS Kazan and her crew. Advertisement The Russian Navy's submarine fleet celebrated its 111th anniversary as an armed service on March 19, a day set aside in Russia as "Submariner's Day." The anniversary marks the day in 1906 where Russian military submarines were organized into a separate branch of the Imperial Russian Navy. Like Us on Facebook Advertisement From a submarine detachment that first consisted of 11 submarines and 2 submarine tenders formed in 1911 as part of the Baltic Fleet, Russia's submarine force as of January 2017 consisted of 72 diesel-electric and nuclear-powered submarines, most of which are deployed to the Northern Fleet and Pacific Fleet. Of this total, 13 are nuclear-powered Ballistic Missile Submarines (SSBN); 18 are nuclear-powered Attack Submarines (SSN); 9 are nuclear-powered Guided Missile Submarines (SSGN) firing cruise missiles armed with nuclear warheads and 23 Attack Submarines (SS). The first Russian attack submarine, named Delfin (Dolphin) or Destroyer 113, was only built in 1903. It's interesting to note the first Russian submarines were designated as destroyers or semi-submarine vessels. Russian submarines began being called submarines only in 1906. In 1958, the Soviet Navy received its first nuclear-powered submarine, Leninsky Komsomol. It became the first Soviet submarine to reach the North Pole underwater and to surface there. Over 50 other nuclear submarines being built during the next decade. Russia today continues to upgrade its submarine fleet, commissioning new nuclear-powered and diesel-electric vessels and developing new armaments for these ships. The State Armament Program 2020 provides that Russia receive eight new Project 955 Borey-class nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines and eight new Project 885 Yasen-class nuclear-powered multipurpose attack submarines. Russia's non-nuclear submarine fleet is also expected to be upgraded soon. Construction of submarines with an anaerobic power plant is scheduled to begin in 2018. After being delayed for years due to a chronic lack of money, two new submarines will enter service with the Russian Navy submarine fleet in 2018. The Russian Navy announced the RFS Kazan (K-561), a Sverodvinsk-class nuclear-powered multipurpose nuclear attack submarine (SSN) built under Project 885M, and the RFS Knyaz Vladimir (or Prince Vladimir), a nuclear ballistic missile submarine (SSBN) and lead ship of the fifth generation Project 955A Borey II-class, might be delivered to the navy in 2018. RFS Knyaz Vladimir and the RFS Kazan will floated out in 2017, said Russian Navy Deputy Commander-in-Chief Vice-Admiral Viktor Bursuk. The Knyaz Vladimir and the Kazan will enter navy service in 2018, a year later than planned. It was expected both submarines will be delivered to the Navy in 2017. Advertisement TagsRussian Navy, submarine fleet, Submariner's Day, Soviet Navy, RFS Kazan, RFS Knyaz Vladimir (Photo : Getty Images) A tank holding Ethanol, a fuel additive, is seen at a fuel tank farm in the Global Petroleum facility April 27, 2006 in Boston, Massachusetts. Advertisement China is the first country in the world to establish a production line that converts coal into ethanol, which is the main chemical ingredient in alcohol, according to the Chinese Academy of Sciences. The facility, which started its operation in January, is expected to yield over 100,000 metric tons of pure ethanol annually. The project, which was developed by the academy's Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics and Shaanxi Yanchang Petroleum Group, is situated in Xingping, Shaanxi province. Like Us on Facebook Advertisement China already produces around 7 million tons of ethanol annually; however, Liu Zhongmin, deputy director of the institute, said that the figure is not enough to meet China's industrial and energy needs. In fact, the country plans to open another production line by the end of the decade, producing an overall annual capacity of 1 million tons per year. "Most countries produce ethanol using foods like corn or sugar cane, but this is not a viable option for China because of its massive population," Liu said. "By turning our abundant coal resources into ethanol, the technology will safeguard energy and food security." Liu also stressed that such coal-to-ethanol production line project could make China's industrial market and energy structure more environment-friendly. Meanwhile, Zhu Fang, deputy director of information and marketing for the China Petroleum Chemical Industry Federation, raised doubts of ethanol's ability to transform China's energy structure, China.org reported. He stressed that ethanol fuel could no longer be cost-effective compared with crude oil since oil prices are dropping. Other than alcoholic beverages, ethanol is also used to produce other products ranging from plastics to detergents. It could also serve as an alternative to harmful ingredients like methanol. Moreover, Liu also noted that a sufficient supply of ethanol would make ethanol-fueled vehicles more viable. Advertisement Tagschina, coal, Ethanol, renewable energy (Photo : French Navy) The Landing Helicopter Dock Dixmude of the French Navy.. Advertisement The Republic of China (Taiwan) seems to be seriously considering building its own aircraft carrier -- more specifically a carrier called a landing helicopter dock that can deploy the F-35 stealth fighter -- as part of a build-up of the Republic of China Armed Forces (ROCAF) to deter an invasion from mainland China. Like Us on Facebook Advertisement The Republic of China Navy (ROCN) recently revealed plans for a proposed helicopter carrier, which in technical terms is called a "Landing Helicopter Dock" amphibious assault ship or LHD. ROCN revealed the LHD it has in mind might displace 22,000 tons; be capable of reaching 30 knots (55 km/h) and be 220 meters long. For air defense, the helicopter carrier will be armed with a surface-to-air missile system, and for engaging surface targets, an OTO Melara 76 mm gun. The capacity to accommodate large helicopters means Taiwan's planned LHD will also be able to deploy vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) warplanes such as the Lockheed Martin F-35B Lighting II Joint Strike Fighter; the McDonnell Douglas AV-8B Harrier II VTOL jet and the Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey tiltrotor multi-mission aircraft. The LHD will be protected by electronically scanned array radar and an advanced sonar system. The deck of the warship will be able to accommodate at least six large helicopters at the same time. Taiwan media reported senior ROCN officers as saying the specs are the navy's vision, but whether or not the LHD gets built is a matter of political will on the part of Taiwan's leadership. Taiwan, however, has the technology and the money to build the LHD, said Mei Fu-hsing, director of the Taiwan Strait Security Research and Analysis Center. He said an amphibious helicopter dock landing ship isn't "necessarily unaffordable." "Look at the price of the Mistral Class the French originally planned to sell to Russia, the size and naval vision of the plan is almost the unit price of about 700 million ($800 million or NT$25 billion), but also that included the cost (astronomical) of building in France," explained Mei. "We have already successfully built a vessel for to about NT$17 billion, and a next generation patrol ship cost will cost even higher than this. Yes, a LHD is definitely affordable." He noted that building the LHD is mostly a matter of political will. "If the military and the government does have the ability to put forward a rigorous, professional, complete and irrefutable argument to support the construction of the project, and persuade the public, and overcome the political resistance to the question of public opinion and chatter, it will be impossible to succeed." The LHD Taiwan has in mind is similar to the Wasp-class LHDs operated by the U.S. Navy and the French Navy's Mistral-class LHDs also operated by the Egyptian Navy. These warships are built with a full flight deck similar to an aircraft carrier and can operate attack and utility helicopters - and now vertical or short take-off and landing warplanes. The U.S. Navy has eight active Wasp-class LHDs. Of the five Mistral-class LHDs, three are in service with the French Navy and two with the Egyptian Navy. The two Egyptian ships were originally built by France for the Russian Navy, but the sale was rescinded by France following Russia's invasion of the Crimea in March 2014. Advertisement TagsRepublic of China, Taiwan, Landing Helicopter Dock amphibious assault ship, LHD, Republic of China Armed Forces, Republic of China Navy, Lockheed Martin F-35B Lighting II Joint Strike Fighter, Mistral-class LHD, French Navy, Egyptian Navy (Photo : Getty Images. ) Israels Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrived in Beijing on Monday to strengthen strategic and economic ties with China. Netanyahu has arrived barely days after Saudi Monarch successfully completed his maiden to China. Advertisement Barely days after Saudi monarch completed his maiden visit to China, Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrived in Beijing on Monday. The timing of both leaders visit appears to be more than conspicuous in the wake of China's growing interest in the Middle Eastern region. Like Us on Facebook Advertisement Netanyahu was welcomed at the historic Great Hall of the People by Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, who openly praised Israel's tremendous advancements in the field of science and technology. Li clubbed Jewish and Chinese people among "great peoples of the world." Meanwhile, Netanyahu spoke about the "great deal of convulsion" going on in the rest of the world as well as in the Middle East region. He then sought China's full cooperation amid the existing socio-political challenges. "And I would like to have the opportunity to exchange views with you and to see how we can cooperate together for the advancement of security, peace and stability, and prosperity," he said. The Israeli leader also claimed that LI conveyed him that China has no vested interest in the Palestinian issue and wants the conflict to be resolved according to the United Nation's resolution. Traditionally, China has shown least interest in the Israel-Palestine conflict owing to its lukewarm Middle East foreign policy. It maintains very friendly and cordial ties with Israel as well as Palestine. However, China may show greater interest in the Israel-Palestine conflict in coming years given that its Middle Eastern foreign policy is going through a major revamp. Last year, Chinese President Xi Jingping took a very bold step in this direction by paying historic visit to several Middle Eastern countries, including Saudi Arabia. He, however, chose to leave Israel out of the tour itinerary. Traditionally, the Middle Eastern region has been fraught with violence and political tension due to decade-long Israel-Palestine conflict. Almost all Muslim countries in the region including Saudi Arabia do not share any diplomatic relation with Israel in protest of its continued occupation of Gaza Strip, West Bank and Jerusalem. Advertisement TagsIsrael, Israel and China, Benjamin Netanyahu, Saudi Arabia, china (Photo : Xinhua) Xi Jinping with PLA senior officers at ongoing the 12th National People's Congress in Beijing. Advertisement Chinese President Xi Jinping again called for deeper military-civilian integration and emphasized science and technology innovation as the key to upgrading the technological capabilities of the People's Liberation Army (PLA). Xi said efforts should be made to provide greater science and technology support for the PLA. He claims significant progress in combat readiness has been achieved since the 18th CPC National Congress in late 2012 when historic breakthrough in national defense and military reform were made. Like Us on Facebook Advertisement Xi is also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC). "We must have a greater sense of urgency to push for sci-tech innovation and advancement with greater determination and efforts," said Xi. He called for enhanced top-level design and strategic planning in promoting military-civilian integration in national defense technology and military equipment. He also batted for strengthening military and civilian cooperation in training high-quality military personnel. Xi urged the PLA to speed-up the transition to better quality and performance with the intensive application of advanced technologies in army building. He pointed out that civil technologies should better serve military purposes. In addition, efforts to improve the training system of military personnel should also be strengthened to foster a large number of high-quality military talent. Enhancing scientific and technological attainment of officers and men should be a basic requirement for the PLA. He noted that the CPC Central Committee's decision to establish a central commission for integrated military and civilian development aims to reinforce centralized and unified leadership. Efforts should be made to remove institutional barriers and work out "perfect policies for military and civilian integration." Last January, Xi called for building a stronger PLA, and ensuring the PLA's fighting power in the event of a war, by creating a new commission to integrate the work of military and civilian experts. Xi was made head of the newly formed Central Commission for Integrated Military and Civilian Development, a new organization experts say is vital for China's national defense. The commission will decide and coordinate affairs on civil-military integration, which will be under the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee. Civil-military integration is important in building China's national defense in peacetime, said Li Daguang, a professor at the National Defense University of the People's Liberation Army. "Building national defense depends heavily on the masses. Public support is of great importance to our military." Some local governments have promoted civil-military integration, but the new central commission will provide uniform orders, he said. Advertisement TagsXi Jinping, People's Liberation Army, science and technology innovation, Central Commission for Integrated Military and Civilian Development News / Local by Staff Reporter Poll watchdog, the Election Resource Centre (ERC), on Friday shot down suggestions of using national identification cards, a system they dismissed as "not just stone age, but unworkable" insisting Biometric Voter Registration (BVR) system is the way to go. The Government of Zimbabwe late last year gave the country's election management body, the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC), permission to carry out voter registration using a new system-Biometric Voter Registration- moving away from the traditional manual system. However, there has been a false start to the new system which is now clouded with confusion, as some stakeholders are now recommending that the system must be thrown away, but the chairperson of the Commission, Justice Rita Makarau, who has won the support of the civil society on the system, says the Commission has dealt with a few recommendations from worried stakeholders and will go ahead with BVR which will start in May this year. The ERC, a think tank and advocacy institution on elections and democracy, has explained some of the dangers and demerits of using national identification cards. "...it must be pointed out that allowing people to vote on the basis of their IDs is totally impractical and would have highly adverse consequences," Tawanda Chimhini the ERC Executive Director said. "The proposition that persons should be allowed on production of their IDs is a recipe for electoral chaos. The electoral commission would be unable to determine the number of ballot papers to print," Chimhini said adding, "The proponents of ID voting argue for printing of ballot papers equivalent to the population of the country. This is highly dangerous as large numbers of extra ballot papers could be misused for ballot fraud." The ERC said the proposed system (use of IDs) will allow the Registrar-General to play a key role because it is his office that issues ID cards, "yet this office is widely viewed as being politically partisan and manipulative." At each polling station, the organisation said, the electoral officers would have to note down the ID particulars of each voter so there is a record of persons voting at that station which is painstaking. "This would be laborious but it could also lead to suspicions that voting will no longer be secret as people may well be misled that the ID details will enable people subsequently to trace how a person has voted," Chimhini said. The organisation said the system of allowing people to vote wherever they like would allow people to be bussed into a constituency which a party wants to win in order to flood that constituency with voters who have no connection with that constituency. Voter registration remains a hot potato in Zimbabwe with stakeholders expressing concerns citing it as one of the problems around the holding of free, fair and credible elections in Zimbabwe. (Photo : PLARF) DF-16 on its TEL. Advertisement The Republic of China (Taiwan) doesn't need to acquire the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system to protect itself from missiles fired at it from mainland China, argues a United States think tank specializing in issues affecting Taiwan. There are anywhere from between 1,000 to 2,000 missiles operated by the People's Liberation Army Rocket Force (PLARF) aimed at Taiwan from positions along the coastal mainland provinces of Guangdong, Fujian and Zhejiang. Like Us on Facebook Advertisement THAAD might not be a suitable defensive system for Taiwan, argues Randall Schriver, president and chief executive officer of the Project 2049 Institute. This American think tank focuses on security issues and public policy in the Asia-Pacific region and Central-Asia, with a special emphasis on Taiwan. Schriver was a former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State responsible for issues relating to Taiwan, China and Hong Kong. He pointed out the U.S.has sold MIM-104F (PAC-3) Patriot surface-to-air missile (SAM) systems to Taiwan to protect against Chinese missiles launched from mobile launchers or from coastal installations. He also noted that since Taiwan's defense needs were different from those of Japan and South Korea, THAAD might not be the most suitable for Taiwan. Taiwan's Minister of Defense Feng Shih-kuan publicly opposes the acquisition of THAAD, saying this will embroil Taiwan in the messy dispute involving South Korea, the U.S. and China. Some Taiwanese pundits, however, believe THAAD will be an extra card against China and that the defense ministry should argue in its favor. The missile threat confronting Taiwan is massive and was illustrated during the recent Chinese lunar new year when PLARF conducted a series of training exercises involving its short range ballistic missiles (SRBMs) and medium range ballistic missiles (MRBMs) such as the DF-16. Separate PLARF brigades conducted combat drills involving deploying and practice firing of a wide variety of ballistic missiles. Among the missiles tested were the DF-11, an SRBM with a range of 300 km and carrying an 800 kg high-explosive warhead; the DF-15 SRBM with a range of 600 km and a 500 kg high explosive warhead; the DF-16 MRBM with a range of 1,600 km and a 1,500 high explosive warhead and the DF-21C MRBM with a range of 2,500 km and a 500 kiloton nuclear warhead. The brigades practiced different combat scenarios, including countering satellite reconnaissance and electronic jamming. The missile crews also practiced multiple maneuvers such as rapid loading; redeployment and launch sequence. Advertisement TagsRepublic of China, Taiwan, Terminal High Altitude Area Defense, THAAD, People's Liberation Army Rocket Force, PLARF, Randall Schriver, Project 2049 Institute, MIM-104F (PAC-3) Patriot surface-to-air missile (SAM) system Chris Floyd Published: 20 March 2017 Hits: 14851 To mark the anniversary of the onset of the launching of the horrific war crime against Iraq, Im reprinting a piece I wrote a month after the invasion. The question examined here is still being asked of our leaders; and regardless of party or ideology or even Nobel Peace Prizes they all keep giving the same answer. The Karamazov Question Variation on a theme by Dostoevsky They have put too high a price on harmony; we cant afford to pay so much for admission. And therefore I return my ticket. Ivan Karamazov, The Brothers Karamazov, Book Five, Chapter Four: Rebellion. A man appeared in the doorway of the Oval Office. He wasn't noticed at first in the bustle around the desk of the president, where George W. Bush was preparing to announce to the world that the "decapitation raid" he had launched on Baghdad a few hours before was in fact the beginning of his long-planned, much-anticipated invasion of Iraq. A woman fussed with the president's hair, which had been freshly cut for the television appearance. A make-up artist dabbed delicate touches of rouge on the president's cheeks. Another attendant fluttered in briefly to adjust the president's tie, which, like the $6,000 suit the president was wearing, had arrived that morning from a Chicago couturier. As for the president's $900 designer shoes which, as a recent news story had pointed out playfully, were not only made by the same Italian craftsman who supplied Saddam Hussein with footwear, but were also the same size and make as those ordered by the Iraqi dictator they had been carefully polished earlier by yet another aide, even though they would of course be out of sight during the broadcast. In addition to all of this activity, the president's political advisors and speechwriters were also making last-minute adjustments to the brief speech, while giving the president pointers about his delivery: "Keep your gaze and your voice steady. Project firmness of purpose. Confidence, calmness, character. And short phrases, lightly punched. Don't worry, the breaks and stresses will be marked on the teleprompter." It's little wonder that no one saw the man as he advanced slowly to the center of the room. He stood there silently, until the sense of his presence crept up on the others. One by one, they turned to look at him, this unauthorized figure, this living breach of protocol. He was, in almost every sense, non-descript. He wore a plain suit of indeterminate color; his features and his skin betrayed no particular race. He had no badge, no papers; how had he come to be here, where nothing is allowed that is not licensed by power? Then, more astonishing, they saw his companion: a two-year-old girl standing by his side. A mass of tousled hair framed her face; a plain red dress covered her thin body. She too was silent, but not as still as the man. Instead, she turned her head this way and that, her eyes wide with curiosity, drawn especially by the bright television lights that shone on the president. A Marine guard reached for his holster, but the man raised his hand, gently, and the guard's movement was arrested. The aides and attendants stepped back, then stood rooted, as if stupefied, their ranks forming a path from the man at the room's center to the president's desk. The president, brilliant in the light, alone retained the freedom to move and speak. "Who are you?" he asked, rising from his chair. "What do you want?" The man put his hand tenderly on the back of the girl's head and came forward with her. "I have a question for you, and an opportunity," the man replied. "I've heard it said that you are righteous, and wish to do good for the world." "I am," said the president. "I wish only to do God's will, as He in His wisdom reveals it to me. In His will is the whole good of the world. What is your question, what is your opportunity? Be quick; I have mighty business at hand." The man nodded. "If tonight you could guarantee the good of the world peace and freedom, democracy and prosperity, now and forever; if tonight, you could relieve the suffering of all those who labor under tyranny and persecution, all those who groan in poverty and disease; if tonight, you could redeem the anguish of creation, past and future, now and forever; if tonight, you could guarantee such a universal reconciliation, by the simple expedient of taking this" here the man suddenly produced a black pistol and held it out to the president "and putting a bullet through the brain of this little one here, just her, no one else: would you do it? That is my question, this is your opportunity." With firmness of purpose, the president grasped the pistol and walked around the desk. With confidence, calmness, and steady hand, he pressed the barrel to the girl's head and pulled the trigger. Her eyes, which had grown even wider with her smile at the approach of the nicely dressed man and his rosy cheeks, went black with blood in the instant shattering of her skull. Her body spun round from the force of the shot once, twice, three times in all then fell, her mutilated head flailing wildly, in a heap on the floor of the Oval Office. At that moment, the man faded, like a dream, into nothingness. The aides and attendants, unfrozen, stepped back into their tasks. The room was again a whirl of activity, like a hive. The president the dematerialized gun no longer in his hand strode confidently back to his chair. He winked at a nearby aide and pumped his fist: "Feel good!" he exulted. The speech went off without a hitch. The hair was perfect, the voice steady, the phrases short and lightly punched. No one saw the blood and bits of brain that clung to the president's $900 designer shoes; they were, of course, out of sight during the broadcast. First published in The Moscow Times on April 20, 2003. Attendees at the February event in Masaya pray for one another. This year, some 22,000 are estimated to have attended the two-day event. More than 450 received Jesus as Lord, and more than 70 were baptized. Churches belonging to presbyteries of the Korean Presbyterian Church Abroad (KPCA) in the New York region have once again hosted a revival event in Masaya, Nicaragua for the first time in three years, from February 25 to 26. Some 22,000 Masaya area residents attended the conference over the two days. The churches had organized the revival events seven consecutive years from 2008 to 2014, leading countless people to Christ. This year's event, like the previous ones, featured pastoral seminars, teaching seminars, medical and dental screenings, nail art, personal evangelism, eye exams, intercessory prayer, and hair services, among other activities. A mission team comprising of 70 members of churches in various regions such as New York, Chicago, and South Korea, ministered to the people in Masaya with one heart and as one team. The team included church members from Yale Korean Presbyterian Church of New York, Sansung Church in Busan, and Korean Presbyterian Church of Westchester, among other churches. Attendees traveled from not only the nine cities located in Masaya, but also outer cities, and 227 buses were mobilized to bring attendees to the event. The first day saw some 12,000 in attendance, while the second day drew about 10,000. A total of 454 individuals received Jesus as their Lord during the event, and 73 people were baptized. "I want to express my gratitude from the deepest place of my heart to those who have served through prayer, offering, and physical presence," said missionary Dong-Hong Lee. "The phrase that I can still hear ringing in my ear, 'Masaya para Cristo,' will be my rallying cry for missions and is the path that I will have to tread." press@cdaily.co.kr - Copyright , #KPCA A bus attack in northern Kenya during which Muslims shielded Christians from al-Shabab militants is the subject of a fictional film adaptation that focuses on religious integration and coexistence. Watu Wote, Swahili for All of Us, is based on the militant ambush of a Mandera bus in December 2015. Gunmen sprayed the bus with bullets, killing two passengers. But when they asked the 62 Muslims to identify the Christian passengers, the Muslims refused, telling the militants to kill everyone or leave. Salah Farah, a teacher who was shot during the incident and died weeks after, became a symbol of unity. We were touched by the story that in a situation like this one humanity could win, said Katja Benrath, the films director and a student at Hamburg Media School in Germany. In this life-threatening moment, people stood up for each other not caring about the religion of the next person because they wanted to save and shield human beings, Benrath said. That message is especially important during this time when Muslims are being viewed with suspicion or fear, she added. While in Kenya, the producer said she encountered many Christian-Muslim friendships. Although the three German students filming the 20-minute documentary conducted their research in Mandera, the film was shot in other regions with a similar landscape. Even when we travelled to Mandera and talked to people, they showed respect for each other and were aware that they needed one another to build a strong community, Benrath said. Sheikh Abdullahi Salat, chairman of the Garissa County Supreme Council of Kenya Muslims, welcomed the film. It is very positive development, said Salat. Once it is released, it should be distributed and showed across the country to boost Christian-Muslim relations. The Rev. John Musyoka, a Roman Catholic priest in Mandera, said the film will help change the narrative that Muslims are terrorists. Anything that works to advance further this positive gesture is very welcome, he said. The film is due for release next month. Fredrick Nzwili is an RNS correspondent based in Nairobi Courtesy: Religion News Service Publication date: March 20, 2017 Having warned journalists and Christian leaders to stop speaking out about anti-Christian violence in Nigeria, the government this week also ordered the cancellation of a day of prayer and national mourning for slain Christians, sources said. Christian leaders here said the day of prayer and mourning planned in churches across the country and abroad on Sunday (March 19) in memory of Christians killed by Muslim Fulani herdsmen and others has been suspended on orders of the Nigerian government and security agencies. They said they have been under pressure and threat by government and security officials to cancel the program on claims that it would breach national security. The Rev. Dr. Musa Asake, general secretary of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), said in a statement on Wednesday (March 15) that leaders had no other option than to suspend the program indefinitely. CAN wishes to inform all Christians, both at home and abroad, that based on credible reports of concern, it has decided to suspend the Christian Day of Mourning formerly scheduled to take place globally on Sunday 19th March, 2017, Asake said in the statement. We took cognizance of the preparations that various Christian groups have made to participate in the program, which was designed, in all honesty and sincerity, to mourn the death of thousands of Christians murdered by religious insurgents. The suspension of the program was due to misunderstanding, misinterpretation and subsequent security concerns, he said. All Nigerian Christian assemblies are urged to have a normal Sunday worship on 19th March, 2017 but suspend any action on the Day of Mourning. Christians should be careful and watchful, the statement added. In the meantime, we are all urged to remain steadfast and resolute in the grace of God that Nigeria shall overcome the present distress and peace shall prevail all over the nation, the statement concluded. Security agencies and the Nigerian government have recently threatened Christian leaders for speaking out against incessant attacks by Muslim Fulani herdsmen on Christian communities in central states such as Benue, Plateau, Kaduna, Nasarawa, and Niger, and by the Islamic extremist Boko Haram group in northeastern Nigeria. Earlier this month CAN President Samson Olasupo Ayokunle told the bodys National Executive Committee the failure of security agencies to arrest and charge the assailants in southern Kaduna has allowed the crisis to continue. He decried that killings have continued despite curfews, police presence and other security agencies in the area. Recently, a Redeemed Christian Church of God building was burnt down in Dei- Dei, here in Abuja, very early in the morning, he reportedly said. What shall we do to these continuous provocations without any visible action by the law enforcement agents? On March 6, advocacy group Jubilee Campaign noted at a press conference in Geneva, Switzerland that a rising Fulani militancy has succeeded Boko Haram as the foremost violent threat in Nigeria. At a press conference at the 34th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council, panelists said the alarming increase in militarization in north and central Nigeria has resulted in the death of 4,000 people in the past three years. The rising militia is made up of members of the Fulani ethnic tribe. Therefore, they are referred to as the Fulani militants, Jubilee said in a March 8 statement. These militants have launched systematic attacks on farming communities that are predominately Christian. During their attacks, they kill villagers, raze homes, and destroy farmland. Many times, they then move in to occupy the attacked village. Mark Jacob, former attorney general of Kaduna state, said at the event that Nigeria needed outside help because the government has proven unwilling to protect its citizens. We keep complaining, the government appears to be uninterested in what we are saying, and that is why one of the reasons we are here is to ask for intervention, Jacob said. If you would like to help persecuted Christians, visit http://morningstarnews.o rg/resources/aid-agencies/ for a list of organizations that can orient you on how to get involved. If you or your organization would like to help enable Morning Star News to continue raising awareness of persecuted Christians worldwide with original-content reporting, please consider collaborating at http://morningstarnews.org/don ate/ ? The Christian company Lees Mortuary will be selecting scholarship recipients to provide financial support to undocumented Korean students. The company aims to encourage and support those Korean students who have suffered particularly due to the recent anti-immigrant executive orders. Those who wish to apply can do so by submitting letters of recommendation from pastors and other community leaders, as well as an essay written in Korean introducing the applicants dreams and current situation, to hr@leesmortuary.com. The application period is from April 1 to May 30, and recipients will be selected by June 5. Awards will be given on June 10 at Lees Mortuarys headquarters in Orange. The company has prepared $10,000 to give scholarships of $500 to 20 students. I wanted to show that even a small Korean business like ours has the desire to participate in the pain of undocumented students, and to support and encourage them, said Dong Joo Lee, the CEO of Lees Mortuary. The mortuary, which was established in 1966, provides services in Los Angeles, Orange County, Atlanta, and Chicago, and also offers funeral services at the homes or churches of the deceased. | While federal judges and lawyers argue over whether President Donald Trumps revised executive order on travel amounts to a Muslim ban, evangelical experts on Muslim missions express concerns over how popular the proposal is in Americas pews. The Pew Research Center has found that self-identified white evangelicals were twice as likely as Americans overall to support the policy (76% vs. 38%), which temporarily halts the refugee program and restricts entry from several Muslim-majority countries. They are also, according to PRRI, the only religious group in America that has grown more supportive of a Muslim ban. As Muslim migrants flee unstable and violent homelands, the mission field that was once half a world away is making its way to more and more American communities. Last year, the United States admitted about 39,000 Muslim refugees, a record high. This is the best chance weve had in human history to share the love of Christ with Muslims, according to David Cashin, intercultural studies professor at Columbia International University and an expert in Muslim-Christian relations. But survey after survey indicates that white evangelicals are the least excited about their new neighbors. They show the highest levels of support for restrictions on Muslim immigration and the most skepticism toward Muslim Americans. Because of these attitudes, Cashin said, we could miss the opportunity. White evangelicals are also the least likely to know a Muslim, and their views often conflict with how Muslims in the US and abroad describe their beliefs. I think there is some fear on behalf of a lot of evangelicals, said Michael Urton, associate director ... Group gives Protestants competition for souls, but also an ally on religious freedom. | Image: Alexander Aksakov / Getty [Update: On April 20, Russias high court banned Jehovahs Witnesses as extremists.] Jehovahs Witnesses have never held much clout in Russia, where the Orthodox Church dominates both the religious and political landscape. But a government lawsuit now threatens any future for their faith in public life. The door-to-door evangelists have historically served as a bellwether for religious freedom for other minority groups. In Russia, that includes evangelicals, who remain ambivalent over whether to defend the rights of Witnesses as a fellow non-Orthodox faith. Last week, the Justice Ministry submitted a Supreme Court case to label the Jehovahs Witnesses headquarters an extremist group. This would allow Russia to enact a countrywide ban on its activity, dissolving its organization and criminalizing its worship. The court will convene to rule on the case in April. Considering that the religion of the Jehovahs Witnesses is professed by hundreds of thousands of Russian citizens, [liquidation] would be a disaster for rights and freedoms in our country, said Yaroslav Sivulsky, a representative of the targeted Jehovahs Witnesses headquarters, to Forum 18. The ban would impact about 175,000 followers in 2,000 congregations nationwide. Without any exaggeration, it would put us back to the dark days of persecution for faith. Though both groups have been restricted and punished by Russias recent anti-missionary law, evangelicals cant necessarily expect the same treatment. No one else is in a comparable position to that of the Jehovahs Witness community, Alexander Verkhovsky of the SOVA Center for Information and Analysis told Forum 18 last ... In Pentecostalism's early years it was not unusual to see women preaching, pastoring, and leading. In 1916 Maria B. Woodworth-Etter declared, "God is calling the Marys and the Marthas today all over our land to work in various places in the vineyard of the Lord; God grant that they may respond and say, 'Lord, here am I. Send me.' My dear sister in Christ, as you hear these words may the Spirit of God come upon you, and make you willing to do the work the Lord has assigned to you." Following the example of their Holiness predecessors like Phoebe Palmer, and the Salvation Army's Catherine Booth, women ministered prominently at the beginning of Pentecostalism. "Fit men and women" Charles Fox Parham established Bethel Bible College in 1900 in Topeka, Kansas, to "fit men and women to go to the ends of the earth to preach." Agnes Ozman, the first to experience Spirit baptism, was an evangelist training for the mission field at Parham's school. Parham ordained women and commissioned them to ministry, and these women assisted Parham in his evangelistic campaigns. He often left women in charge when he moved on to the next meeting. Women also participated at the Azusa Street Mission in Los Angeles. The Apostolic Faith featured testimonies, articles, and reports of women evangelizing, pastoring, and going out as missionaries. At one point, at least six of Azusa's twelve-member credentials committee were women. In addition to approving and supporting numerous independent ministries, Pentecostal denominations issued ministerial credentials to women. The Church of God (Cleveland, Tennessee) began in 1909 to acknowledge "women who engage in the ministry of the Word" by granting them evangelists' licenses. By 1913, 12 percent of its ministers were women, with the percentage ... News / Local by Staff Reporter The cash-strapped government is begging the international community for $200 million in aid to repair the country's infrastructure which was damaged by floods.The heavy rains have killed almost 250 people leaving about 2,000 people homeless, and displaced around 900 people.About 72 dams are also reported to have burst because of the floods.In a meeting with foreign diplomats accredited to Zimbabwe on Monday, Finance Minister Patrick Chinamasa said preliminary estimates indicate that the country would need between $188 million to $200 million."We are going to mobilize $35 million ourselves as government towards that effort. We've tried to take care of the immediate humanitarian needs such as food, blankets and sanitation," Chinamasa is quoted saying by the Source."Our damage is worse than experienced in other (SADC) member countries. The damage is extensive, it affects social institution's, clinics, hospitals, schools it affects the entire road network."United Nations (UN) Resident representative Bishow Parajulisaid it was critical to ensure that the spread of infectious diseases was contained."What is critical at this stage is to prevent infectious diseases such as diarrhoea which has started resulting in typhoid in some areas cholera." Press Conference: #FreeSpeechBus Affirming Biological Sex and Criticizing Gender Ideology Launches in New York During U.N. Women's Conference NEW YORK, March 20, 2017 / Christian Newswire / -- A tour bus affirming biological sex and criticizing transgender ideology, known as the #FreeSpeechBus, will launch this week during the United Nations' sixty-first session of the Commission on the Status of Women. The text on the #FreeSpeechBus reads: It's Biology: Boys are boys And always will be Girls are girls And always will be You can't change sex. Respect for all. The #FreeSpeechBus's North American tour will begin with a press conference on Thursday, March 23 at 12:00pm Noon ET, outside the United Nations building on the steps of the Dag Hammarskjold Plaza. When: Thursday, March 23, 2017, 12:00 noon ET Where: Dag Hammarskjold Plaza, E 47th St, New York, NY, 10017 Who: Ignacio Arsuaga, Brian Brown, and Gregory Mertz The sponsors of the busincluding Ignacio Arsuaga, President of CitizenGO, and Brian Brown, President of the International Organization for the Familywill speak at the press conference. They will address the dangers posed by the promotion of "sexual orientation and gender identity" in education, legislation, and international instruments. An identical #FreeSpeechBus has been touring Spain over the past two weeks and has generated heated controversy for its message that "boys are boys and always will be," and "girls are girls and always will be." Spanish municipalities have censored and immobilized the European bus, and the hacker group Anonymous even launched an attack against CitizenGO's website in retaliation. Chelsea Clinton criticized the bus in a tweet, warning not to bring such as bus to the United States. "The Spanish #FreeSpeechBus has become an international phenomenon because proponents of gender ideology refuse to allow dissenting voices to be heard," said Ignacio Arsuaga, President of CitizenGO. "We are excited to launch this bold message of common sense in the United States on the occasion of the U.N. Commission on the Status of Women. We intend to firmly advocate for our ideals while respecting the dignity all individuals," he added. CitizenGO is a community of active citizens who work together, using online petitions and action alerts as a resource, to defend and promote life, family, and liberty. The #FreeSpeechBus will make stops in New York, New Haven, Boston, Philadelphia, and Washington D.C. over the next two weeks. home World Daughter of American pastor jailed in Turkey pleads to Trump for help Jacqueline Brunson, the daughter of American pastor Andrew Brunson, is pleading to President Donald Trump for help in securing the release of her father who is being held in a Turkish prison due to his alleged ties to a terrorist organization. "We really, really want to get this case, my father's case, to President Trump," Jacqueline told Fox News. "We really feel it would be helpful to have the president's support and have him personally arguing for my father's case to get him back home safely to his family," she added. Brunson was detained along with his wife in October in the Turkish coastal town of Izmir, where he had served as pastor for two decades. Republican Oklahoma Sen. James Lankford, who has been working behind the scenes to secure Brunson's release, said that the couple showed up at the police station for a routine visa check, but they were detained after they were suspected of being part of a terrorist plot. Lankford noted that Brunson's wife was later released, but the pastor was transferred to a prison facility. According to the senator, Turkish authorities accused Brunson of helping Kurdish refugees, which were considered by the government as an insurgent group. The authorities also claimed that the pastor attended a conference sponsored by Islamic preacher Fethullah Gulen, who was accused of leading the 2016 military coup against the government. Jacqueline, who is currently studying in North Carolina, contends that there is no evidence to back up the accusations against her father. "In it all, he's remaining faithful. He's saying, 'God I don't understand what is happening, I don't know how much longer this can last. I don't know what is going to happen in the end.' What he is saying, is, 'God I'm still choosing you to follow despite everything,'" she said. Last week, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said that the government will consider speeding up Brunson's trial. The prime minister told American journalists that his office is not in direct control of judiciary matters, but he expressed frustration that the U.S. has not extradited Gulen to Turkey. The Obama administration refused to turn over Gulen, who currently lives in Pennsylvania, to Turkish authorities, saying they must provide clear evidence of his involvement in the coup plot. CeCe Heil, an attorney with the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ), which is assisting Brunson's legal defense, said that the lawyers have reviewed all of the pastor's contacts and meetings leading up to the coup, but they have found nothing that could be considered suspicious. She expressed her concern that the pastor will be a hostage for Gulen, but Yildirim said that the idea was "nonsensical." home World Pakistan urges Facebook, Twitter to help in crackdown against blasphemy online The Pakistani government has said that it has asked social media companies such as Facebook and Twitter to remove content deemed insulting to Islam. The interior ministry has claimed that Facebook has agreed to send a team to Pakistan to address the government's concerns about blasphemous content on the website. "Such content has been posted on social media websites for years. I am surprised that no other Muslim country raised the issue till now," Interior Minister Chaudhary Nisar said at a press conference in Islamabad on Thursday. "We will take any steps necessary to make sure that our message against such content gets across to those websites as well as the rest of the world," he added. Earlier that day, the Pakistani National Assembly passed a resolution condemning blasphemy on social media and unanimously approved a proposal to create a committee of parliamentary leaders to monitor blasphemous content, according to Dawn news website. Nisar's statement came after Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif expressed his support for a crackdown against blasphemous content on social media. "The blasphemous content on social media is a nefarious conspiracy to hurt the religious sentiments of the entire Muslim ummah," Sharif was quoted as saying in a statement posted on his party's official Twitter account. Nisar stated that he has asked government officials to liaise with the FBI and the social media websites on a daily basis. "Facebook and other service providers should share all information about the people behind this blasphemous content with us," Nisar said. Facebook has not issued any public comments about a delegation being sent to Pakistan but said in a statement that it viewed government requests with care keeping in mind "the goal of protecting the privacy and rights" of its users. Critics have said that the latest move is just a way to crackdown on dissent. A petition has been filed in the Islamabad high Court against five activists, accusing them of running pages on Facebook that had posted content deemed to be blasphemous. The men were abducted in early January and were accused of blasphemy in a vast social media campaign during their three-week disappearance. However, no evidence has been shared directly linking the men to the Facebook pages in question. Ahmed Waqas Goraya, one of the abducted activists, has since spoken publicly about being "tortured" by the military during his disappearance. Shaukat Siddiqui, the judge hearing the case in Islamabad, recently asked the government to take steps to "eliminate" blasphemous content, even if it involves "blocking entire social media." 'Beauty and the Beast' director wishes he could 'rip pages out of the Bible' "Beauty and the Beast" director Bill Condon has taken his disrespect for God and Christianity to a whole new level when he said during a recent interview that he would like to destroy pages from the Bible. When the director was asked what he does whenever he gets inside a hotel room, he answered vandalism of the Bible. "I wish I could say I'm like Ian McKellen and immediately go rip pages out of the Bible, but there don't seem to be Bibles in the hotel rooms I stay in these days," he told Passport Magazine. Condon was apparently taking a jab against the evangelical community for coming up with petitions urging Christians to boycott the new Disney live-action remake of "Beauty and the Beast" starring Emma Watson and Dan Stevens. Condon first upset Christians when he told Attitude Magazine in its April 2017 issue that there would be an "exclusively gay moment" in the film, referring to a scene featuring Josh Gad as LeFou. "LeFou is somebody who on one day wants to be Gaston and on another day wants to kiss Gaston," Condon said then. "He's confused about what he wants. It's somebody who's just realising that he has these feelings. And Josh makes something really subtle and delicious out of it. And that's what has its payoff at the end, which I don't want to give away. But it is a nice, exclusively gay moment in a Disney movie." One petition, which was created by One Million Moms, slammed Disney for pushing the LGBT agenda on families. "This is the last place parents would expect their children to be confronted with content regarding sexual orientation. Issues of this nature are being introduced too early and too soon. It is extremely common yet unnecessary," the petition reads. It has over 63,000 signatures. Another was created by Life Site News, and it has over 133,000 signatures. Its message to the studio reads: "Children's movies are no place for promoting a harmful sexual political agenda, one that offends the deeply held beliefs of countless parents and families." Bible links to huge statue of Egyptian pharaoh found in Cairo An ancient colossus discovered in a working-class district of Cairo might be the work of a Pharaoh who ruled in biblical times, scholars believe. The eight-metre tall figure was originally thought to be of Ramses II, one of Egypt's most famous pharaohs, who ruled around 3,000 years ago. It was found by workmen in a muddy ditch on the site of an ancient temple. But because of an inscription found on the statue reading 'Strong Arm', Egyptian scholars now believe it may be of a later pharaoh, Psammetich I, who ruled from 664 to 610 BC and Psammetic ruled at a very interesting time in biblical history. When Psammetich took over as Pharaoh, Egypt was under the control of the savage Assyrian Empire. But he was a powerful ruler who succeeded in uniting Upper and Lower Egypt and freeing it from Assyrian domination. One of the Judean kings who may have had dealings with Psammetich was Mannasseh, the son of the godly King Hezekiah, who reigned probably from 687-642 BC. He was an appalling ruler who brought back the worship of pagan gods and persecuted prophets; he even practised child sacrifice. The biblical account of his reign is in II Kings 21:118 and II Chronicles 32:3333:20. He is also mentioned in Jeremiah 15:4 as the cause of judgment on Judah for his crimes. Mannasseh was one of the allies of the Assyrians in their war against rebel Egyptians. It was in the wake of this war that Psammetich succeeded in unifying the country and regaining its independence. Psammetich's reign also overlapped with the prophets Zephaniah and Jeremiah, who also prophesied during this time of international instability. But his greatest influence on Judah may have come the year after his death in 610 BC. The following year the godly Josiah, who had succeeded his father Amon as a child after Amon had reigned only two years, led the army of Judah out to war. Josiah had discovered the book of the Law, restored Temple worship and 'walked in all the way of David his father, and turned not aside to the right hand or to the left' (2 Kings 22:2). But when Psammetich, the mighty warrior whose prestige would make anyone think twice about going up against him, died, he thought he stood a chance of defeating his successor. Pharoah Necho II led an army to help support the Assyrian against the Babylonians, and had to pass through Judah to do it. Perhaps sensing an opportunity to be free of Assyrian control, Josiah tried to prevent him. They met at Megiddo, where the Judeans were defeated and Josiah killed (2 Kings 23:29). His death ushered in a period of decline under weak and foolish kings that was to lead to the extinction of the kingdom and exile in Babylon. Psammetich is not mentioned in the Bible, though some scholars believe he is the 'cruel master' mentioned in Isaiah 19:4. But his reign was the backdrop to some of the key events of Israelite history. Burundi Archbishop is Archbishop of Canterbury's new man in Rome An African Archbishop is to be the Church of England's new 'ambassador' to Rome. Archbishop Bernard Ntahoturi, former head of the Anglican Church in Burundi, has been appointed as the representative of the Archbishop of Canterbury to the Vatican and director of the Anglican Centre in Rome. The move comes at a time of warm relations between the two churches with Pope Francis becoming the first pontiff to visit the Anglican church in Rome, praying side-by-side with an Anglican bishop. Archbishop Ntahoturi succeeds David Moxon who retires in June. A former presidential chief of staff to Jean-Baptiste Bagaza, Ntahoturi was imprisoned for three years after President Bagaza was overthrown in a military coup in 1987. After he was released in 1990 he became Provincial Secretary of the Anglican Church of Burundi from 1992 to 1997 before being consecrated Bishop of Matana Diocese. He went on to become Archbishop Primate of the Province of the Anglican Church of Burundi in 2005. Fluent in four languages already, Ntahoturi said he was looking forward to learning Italian. 'I am honoured and delighted to be chosen for this role, and am looking forward to continuing the work of the dedicated men who have held this post before me,' he said. 'I would like to strengthen those areas, especially in peace building, where the Anglican Church and the Roman Catholic Church can work together for a common witness so that the world may believe and God glorified.' Archbishop Justin Welby said he was 'personally delighted' by the appointment. 'The appointment of a former Primate to this post for the second time running demonstrates the importance I attach to developing the increasingly close relationship between the Anglican Communion and the Roman Catholic Church. 'Archbishop Bernard has played an immensely valuable role in the life of the Anglican Communion for many years both as a bishop and more recently as a Primate. He also brings extensive ecumenical experience in Burundi, in the Anglican Communion and in the life of the World Council of Churches. I wish him every blessing in his new role.' Christian pastor who found one of world's biggest diamonds to launch own mining venture The Christian pastor who found one of the largest diamonds ever discovered has handed it over to the government to support his country's development. Pastor Emmanuel Momoh gave the the 706-carat stone that he found in the Kono region of Sierra Leone to President Ernest Bai Koroma. The diamond, thought to be worth as much as $62 million, will be used to 'advance' the people of Sierra Leone, according to AP. In a subsequent interview, Momoh also told AFP that he will receive a share of proceeds from the sale and hopes to use this to invest in his own mining venture. An earlier AFP story explained the financial breakdown. Momoh is among thousands of people in Sierra Leone who regularly go 'artisanal' mining, panning for diamonds and other gems in the open-cast mines of the West Africa nation. His diamond is the largest found in Sierra Leone since 1972, according Africa Today. Explaining his gift to his country, Momoh said: 'I believe the government can do more, especially at a time when the country is undergoing some economic challenges.' He cited public transport and services such as electricity power supply as among those needed in Sierra Leone. Although he will still receive his share of the profits, by turning it over to the government rather than smuggling it out of the country, he has ensured that a substantial part of the sale profits go to help his own people of Sierra Leone. Mines and Mineral Resources Minister Minkailu Mansaray thanks Momoh for his 'gift', found by Momoh in a village called Yakadu, in an area that has suffered from both civil war and the 2013 Ebola crisis. Sierra Leone was traumatised for years by a civil war financed by the sale of 'blood diamonds'. More than 120,000 people are believed to have lost their lives. The 706-carat diamond has been locked up in Sierra Leone's central bank in Freetown. The largest diamond ever, 'Sergio', a black diamond weighing 3167 carats, was found in Brazil in 1893. The famous Cullinan diamond found in South Africa in 1905, at 3,106 carats, was cut into separate stones with two now in the sceptre and crown of the British Crown Jewels. An 813-carat diamond sold for 51 million at auction in London last summer. The present government is taking a firm line against illicit diamond trading. Donald Trump's Supreme Court nominee could be in place this week Donald Trump's nomination for the Supreme Court could be in place by the end of this week if he survives a tough grilling by the Senate. Democrats are expected to question the conservative candidate on issues such as abortion, euthanasia, transgender bathrooms and Trump's controversial travel ban. Although Gorsuch is well respected and will have the support of all 52 Republican senators, he needs to win support from eight Democrats to be appointed. Bad blood hangs over the process after Republicans blocked Barack Obama's nominee, leaving one place empty on the nine seat panel. If successful Gorsuch would fill the vacancy left by renowned conservative Justice Antonin Scalia's death last year. A Colorado appeals court judge, Gorsuch would tilt the influential court's lean back to a conservative 5-4 bias. The 49-year-old has shown a strong conservative track record with a particular dispensations towards religious liberty rights. In two landmark cases, Hobby Lobby Stores v. Sebelius and Little Sisters of the Poor Home for the Aged v. Burwell, Gorsuch ruled that the employers and organisations were allowed exemptions from Obama's Affordable Care Act's contraception mandate on the grounds it violated their religious beliefs. But Democrats also accuse him of ruling in favour of business interests. Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer said last week: 'Judge Gorsuch may act like a neutral, calm judge but his record and his career clearly show he harbours a right-wing, pro-corporate special interest legal agenda.' It is unclear whether Democrats will actually block his appointment with their options limited and Republicans threatening to change the rules to allow Gorsuch a safer passage. But his nomination has drawn widespread praise from conservative Christians. Russell Moore, president of the Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, hailed Gorsuch as an 'exceptional choic'. In a statement he said: 'I heartily support President Trump's excellent appointment. I look forward to Judge Gorsuch's voice on the Court for decades to come and pray that he will be an articulate and stalwart advocate for religious liberty and human dignity at all its stages.' Christian author and Kairos Company CEO Johnnie Moore went further and praised Trump for not only fulfilling 'his most important promise to the evangelical community in this selection, he has gone over and above by repeatedly doubling down on those issues most important to the community during his first 10 days as president.' Moore added: 'His endorsement of, and the administration's participation in the March for Life, coupled with his prompt attention to the Mexico City ruling were precursors to tonight's very good news. 'Should this nominee be confirmed, Scalia's legacy will live on for at least another generation. Evangelicals are ecstatic.' News / Local by Staff Reporter A POLICE officer stationed at CID Law and Order Bulawayo, Sergeant Givemore Nkomo (37) was arrested in Victoria Falls for allegedly attempting to smuggle firearms into Zambia.Nkomo of Bulawayo's Pumula suburb was intercepted at Victoria Falls Border Post with a rifle and a revolver which he intended to handover to someone across the border.He was off-duty at the time of his arrest.Nkomo travelled to Victoria Falls with the two guns and two temporary firearm permits which were all registered in the name of Mr David Butcher, a former magistrate in Matabeleland who is now based in the United Kingdom, Chronicle reported.The permits were issued on December 28, 2016 and would expire on March 29. 2017.Nkomo is said to have been hired by Butcher to give the firearms to his son who was expecting him on the Zambian side."Nkomo travelled from Bulawayo to Victoria Falls Border Post with two firearms, a rifle and a revolver which he intended to handover to Mr Butcher' son."He was intercepted at the gate of the Border Post. He was searched and the guns were discovered. Police arrested him for possession of firearms in an unsecure manner," a source is quoted saying..It is alleged Nkomo told investigators that he had been asked by a friend, who is the owner of the firearms to deliver them."Nkomo alleged that Mr Butcher called him from the United Kingdom asking him to transport the firearms to Victoria Falls and hand them over to his son from Zambia."He picked the firearms from someone in Belmont area in Bulawayo," said the source.Police Officer Commanding Victoria Falls District, Chief Superintendent Jairos Chiwona confirmed Sgt Nkomo's arrest and said he was off duty on the day.Investigations are in progress. How can Christians show love to a selfish person? Some people are easier to love than others, but God told His followers that they must love all even those who are selfish and difficult to deal with. Pastor Rick Warren of Saddleback Church acknowledges that this is not easy to do because love can be absolutely exhausting. "Don't let anyone fool you. The kind of love that really makes a difference in this world will zap everything out of you," he wrote on his website. Warren said there are people who are very demanding and selfish, and who never reciprocate love. People who have to deal with them may constantly be tempted to throw in the towel and just say, "I'm done. No more." But while this is a perfect natural and human response, Warren said it's not the standard of love God requires in the Bible. 1 Corinthians 13:7 says: "Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance." To achieve this, Warren said Christians need to get refuelled. "To give the kind of persistent love that God wants you to give, you have to refuel your love tank. Look around at society, and you'll see it's littered with debris from relationships that have crashed and burned because people didn't refuel their love," he said. "How do you refuel your love tank? You start by letting God love you," the pastor continued. "When you're worn out, tired, and can't imagine showing love to anyone else, remember that God loved you so much that he sent his Son to die for you. Now that's real fuel." As for God's love, Warren said it's immeasurable because it "extends across the entire world and includes everyone He has created." He knows some people are apprehensive to accept His love because they feel they are unworthy, and therefore try hard to prove their self-worth before accepting His gift of salvation. But Warren assured everyone that God never made a person that He didn't love, and all they need to do is "understand how much you matter to God." HTC updates: HTC may be about to announce the HTC 11 HTC Taiwan posted a photo on its Facebook page, teasing that "spring is coming" on March 20. The social media page did not elaborate but simply indicated that the company could be preparing for something special on Monday. There are rumors that this refers to HTC's flagship, the HTC 11. At the Mobile World Congress 2017 in Barcelona held earlier this month, HTC already launched the HTC U Ultra. However, because it still carries the Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 processor, it is speculated that the recently launched device is not yet the company's flagship. There are also other reasons to believe why HTC may still have a bigger card to play under its sleeves. Earlier this year, Tbreak was able to meet and interview HTC's President of Smartphones and Connected Devices Chialin Chang. When asked if the HTC U Ultra is the only flagship for the year, Chang revealed, "Every time there is a brand new CPU with power that we can leverage, we're always at the forefront doing that. Some people are talking about the timing [of our release] but timing was determined 9 months ago. This is the best CPU out there. When the next flagship CPU comes, HTC will be one of the very first tier doing that." He added that they are looking into "two months of leadership" prior to the release of the next flagship CPU. Chang continued, "But that will be in another period of time not at MWC. Not for us or any other player. I can tell you that for sure. When the new CPU comes, HTC will have another flagship." With these statements, it is highly possible that Chang is referring to a different HTC device that will come with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835. The said processor is the latest in the market. Also, other industry players will only receive the said chipset from the manufacturer around May. The timing and specifications Chang revealed in the interview seem to hint a new HTC device is coming mid-year. Jeffrey John: Pressure mounts on Church in Wales after allegations of homophobia Pressure is mounting on Welsh bishops after they were accused of homophobia by a senior gay cleric on Sunday. Dr Jeffrey John, Dean of St Albans Cathedral, narrowly missed out on being appointed Bishop of Llandaff, despite strong support from local church figures. Senior bishops in the Church in Wales then blocked him after 'a number of homophobic remarks' were made against Dr John in the appointment process. He was told bishops were 'just too exhausted' to deal with the problems they believed his appointment would cause. Dr John's own cathedral issued a statement on Monday condemning the decision amid calls on bishops to reconsider. 'The fact that it appears Jeffrey's sexuality and civil partnership have been used against him in the selection process is wholly wrong and it is only right that the bishops in Wales review the process before making an appointment,' it read. An LGBT pressure group, One Body One Faith, added to the pressure by accusing the Church of 'unjust and discriminatory behaviour'. They called on bishops to apologise to Dr John and reconsider his name in the appointment process. 'The bishops' behaviour is a very clear example of the instability and inconsistency of the institutional practices of this Anglican church in the way it treats LGBTQ+ people. 'The open integrity of Jeffrey John causes them more psychological disturbance than gay clergy who are closeted or semi-closeted, certainly far more than a heterosexual man who was divorced and remarried, and they have been unable to act with professional and pastoral integrity themselves.' Prominent General Synod member and human rights campaigner Jayne Ozanne also joined the criticism. She told Christian Today: 'Jeffrey is already a bishop in many of our eyes he has been the "chief pastor" to those of us who have felt discriminated against and vilified for the sake of our sexuality, and has led and taught us how to respond in grace. 'His treatment at the hands of the Church both in England and Wales has been despicable, and is one of the clearest examples yet of the high levels of institutional homophobia. He has constantly been told privately one thing while another story has been given publicly, I therefore salute his courage and dignity in bringing matters into the open, so to avoid the use of "confidentiality" as a cloak for injustice and deception.' It comes after Dr John was strongly supported by locals in the area and won more than half of the votes in the initial election body, Christian Today revealed. But his sexuality and long-term civil partnership to fellow Anglican priest Grant Holmes meant he was barred by a handful of opponents meaning he failed to secure the two-thirds necessary. The decision was then passed to senior bishops in the Church in Wales who asked for views across dioceses. Dr John said despite local church leaders being 'unanimous' in support and hundreds writing to back him, the bishops ignored their views and barred his name from the new shortlist. Details of the appointment process were leaked to Christian Today and One Body One Faith praised the source saying they exposed 'shameful and homophobic behaviour' in the Church. 'Far from showing a lack of integrity or faith in the process, what they have exposed is just the tiny tip of an iceberg in terms of injustices which are meted out to 'rank and file' LGBTI+ people by bishops on a weekly basis, behind closed doors, and under the cloak of "confidentiality". 'Such behaviour lack of accountability and transparency is shameful and homophobic. It does not belong in the processes of any organisation and certainly not a Christian church.' The pressure is growing after Dr John made the highly unusual move or writing publicly to a senior Welsh bishop following his rejection to accuse the Church of homophobia. 'The only arguments adduced against my appointment in particular by two of the bishops - were directly related to my homosexuality and/or civil partnership namely that my appointment would bring unwelcome and unsettling publicity to the diocese, and that it might create difficulties for the future Archbishop in relation to the Anglican Communion,' he wrote. 'To ride roughshod of the very clearly expressed, unanimous view of a diocese in this way is extraordinary, unprecedented and foolish,' he told Bishop Davies. 'You decided, arbitrarily, to ignore the submissions that you had asked for, and to declare that those who were discussed at the Electoral College were now, in fact, no longer to be considered. This is a clear and ludicrous breach of process, and a further insult to the people of the diocese, and very many others who took the trouble to contribute their view. 'I trust there will now be an open and honest examination of this process in the light of day, and that you will not attempt to appoint a bishop for Llandaff until it is complete.' A Church in Wales spokeswoman strongly denied allegations of homophobia. 'At the recent meeting of Electoral College no one candidate secured the necessary two-thirds majority to be elected Bishop of Llandaff,' she said. 'The appointment will now be made by the Church's bishops. After a process of consultation they have drawn up a shortlist of names which is confidential. However, the Bishops strongly deny allegations of homophobia.' The spokeswoman added that neither homosexuality nor participation in a civil partnership were a bar to any candidate being either nominated or elected as Bishop of Llandaff. Thousands of Christians flee Myanmar to escape persecution amid fighting between rebels and government troops Tens of thousands of Christians in Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, have been forced to abandon their homes and take refuge in foreign soil to escape the long-running campaign of persecution by the government. More than 100,000 Christians from Myanmar are now in Malaysia as refugees, according to a report by TRT World, Turkey's national public broadcaster. "Myanmar isn't safe for us. They killed people, sent people to jail because of religion," the news agency quoted a Christian refugee as saying. The Christians in Myanmar belong to ethnic and religious minorities who have been fighting for greater autonomy in the states where they live. They have been resisting the military's efforts to assimilate them into the majority Burmese culture ever since the Southeast Asian nation achieved independence from British rule in 1948. The conflict has not abated even with the election victory of Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy in November 2015, ending nearly 50 years of military rule, and the election of Htin Kyaw as president and Myanmar's first civilian leader in March 2016. Htin Kyaw is a close ally of Aung San Suu Kyi, who is barred from the post by the constitution, but has said she will lead the country anyway, according to the BBC. Fighting has even escalated between ethnic rebel groups and government troops, forcing more Christians and other non-Buddhist minorities to flee, according to reports. Despite a ceasefire agreement during the election campaign period, the Myanmar military continued its attacks against ethnic minorities in Kachin and Shan State, according to Open Doors USA. Aside from attacks by government forces, Christians in Myanmar also have to contend with persecution led by radical Buddhist monks. These monks, Open Doors says, have successfully helped introduce laws for the "protection of race and religion," creating tough hurdles for conversions and religiously mixed marriages. Of Myanmar's current population of 54.8 million, there are an estimated 4.4 million Christians who live in states along the country's borders with China, Thailand and India, together with other ethnic minorities. Some of the ethnic minorities have formed their own armies to resist government troops who are known to attack even without any provocation. Military attacks include landmine explosions, rape of women, indiscriminate killing of people and forced displacement, The Christian Post reported based on a report filed by the World Evangelical Alliance's Religious Liberty Commission. Myanmar is ranked 28th on Open Doors' 2017 World Watch List of countries most hostile to Christians. Trump blasted for failing to protect persecuted Christians Donald Trump is being urged to step up his support for persecuted Christians and other religious minorities as a year passed since the US' genocide declaration. Persecution watchdogs highlighted the lack of progress after the anniversary of John Kerry, then US-secretary of state, declared ISIS crimes a genocide on March 17 2016. Nadia Murad, a victim of sexual enslavement by ISIS and Nobel Peace Prize nominee, said: 'The genocide is still going. The minorities in our area still face a real danger. Iraq will be emptied of Yezidis, Christians, and other minorities. 'The US government should step in and take practical steps against this genocide. Since the genocide has been recognised, no significant steps have been taken and not a lot has changed.' A statement from Alliance for Defending Freedom on Friday said: 'To date, no ISIS militant has been tried for genocide, crimes against humanity, or war crimes, nor has the United Nations issued an official designation of genocide.' Kelsey Zorzo, the group's UN Counsel accused the US of failing to act. 'No person or group should live in fear of being killed, tortured, or oppressed because of their religious beliefs,' she said. 'Recognising and condemning the ongoing genocide of Christians, Yazidis, and other religious minorities was an important first step. 'As a signatory to the Convention on Genocide the US is obliged to act fast to stop the genocide and prosecute the perpetrators. It has been an entire year since the designation. The US and the international community have failed to act.' She added: 'The UN is apparently waiting on Iraq's approval before it takes action, but this has been the case for over six months and there is no authorization in sight. Victims are suffering. Evidence is being lost and destroyed. The investigation into crimes committed in Syria is mainly focused on the civil war, not ISIS. Not a single ISIS militant has even been under investigation for genocide or other international crimes. We are hopeful that the US will take the lead in finally bringing ISIS to justice.' ADF International was joined by In Defence of Christians (IDC) in putting pressure on Trump's administration. 'The United States proclaimed the truth about the crimes that Christians, Yazidis, and Shiites have suffered at the hands of ISISbut words are not enough,' a statement from IDC read. 'One year later, nearly all of the survivors of the ongoing genocide remain uprooted from their communities, either as refugees or internally displaced persons.' Democratic Congresswoman Anna Eshoo, who joined Republican Jeff Fortenberry in applying the pressure that led to the declaration warned: 'It is history is repeating itself. I think when the pages of history are written about our day and our time, what would be the most honorable part of that history is that we responded to it, that we rose up and that we did something.' 10 things to know about Edgar Degas A closer look at an artist widely regarded as the French Impressionist par excellence, from his love of drawing to his private passion for sculpture, his fascination with dancers and horses to his experiments with photography 1 His father wanted him to become a lawyer Hilaire-Germain-Edgar De Gas (18341917) was born in Paris, France, in 1834. He was the eldest of five children of Augustin De Gas, a wealthy banker, and Celestine Musson De Gas, a Creole woman from New Orleans, who died when Degas was 13. Just days after having completed his schooling in 1853, Degas registered as a copyist at the Louvre, where he made studies of Greek and Roman sculptures. Augustin appreciated his sons artistic talent, but he wanted his son to become a lawyer. Degas duly enrolled in law school, but soon dropped out. Open a larger version of this image Edgar Degas (1834-1917), La Coiffure (La Toilette), circa 1892-95. Pastel on joined tracing paper laid down on card laid down on board. Sold for $6,990,000 on 11 November 2021 at Christies in New York 2 Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres was a formative influence In 1855, Edgar Degas entered the famed Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris. He also attended drawing classes at the atelier of painter Louis Lamothe, a student of Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres. It is likely that through Lamothe Degas met Ingres in 1885. As a student, Degas frequently enlisted his immediate family as subjects. His drawings of family members, which reflect Ingres deep influence, helped Degas explore the placement of figures against the dark ground frequently seen in his early oils. Throughout the 1850s, his sister Therese was one of his favoured models. He also painted many portraits of his brother Rene. 3 His teachers encouraged him to copy the Old Masters at the Louvre This became a key component of his early practice. Degas made numerous copies of works by Michelangelo, Raphael and other Renaissance artists, but contrary to convention he usually concentrated on a detail, a secondary figure, or a head, so as to focus on the psychological aspects of human expression. 4 In 1859, Degas turned his attention to painting historical pieces While his notebooks from this time contain studies for numerous compositions, Degas ultimately completed only five large-scale historical paintings. In one of these, Alexander and Bucephalus (1861), Degas drew upon the life of Alexander the Great. The influence of the Old Masters is evident not only in terms of subject matter, but also the opulent colours and dense brushwork. The work is now in the National Gallery in Washington D.C. Open a larger version of this image Edgar Degas (1834-1917), Chanteuse de cafe concert, 1879. Pastel over monotype on joined paper laid down on board. Sold for $1,950,000 on 11 November 2021 at Christies in New York 5 Degas developed his deep love of drawing at Lamothes atelier, which taught drawing from the live nude In July 1856, Degas travelled to Italy, where he remained for three years. In Rome, he participated in public drawing classes at the Academie de France, making a rigorous study of the body and its musculature. It is perhaps ironic that Degas is generally considered the Impressionist artist par excellence. Though he would exhibit with the Impressionists, he considered himself a Realist above all, and strongly rejected the Impressionist label throughout his life. Open a larger version of this image Edgar Degas (1834-1917), Repasseuse, circa 1870-72. Pastel and charcoal on paper laid down on board. Sold for $1,180,000 on 11 November 2021 at Christies in New York 6 Degas was also a sculptor, but did not make pieces for public consumption In fact, few people apart from Degas close friends knew of his work in wax and cast bronze. The only sculpture Degas ever exhibited publicly was The Little Fourteen-Year-Old Dancer, which was included in the 1881 Impressionist exhibit in Paris. In a radical break from 19th-century academic conventions, the wax figure was outfitted with a real tulle skirt, beribboned wig, shoes and stockings. The piece deeply offended contemporary critics like Elie de Mont, who wrote, I dont ask that art should always be elegant, but I dont believe that its role is to champion the cause of ugliness. Others called it repulsive, vicious, and a threat to society. It was not shown again until 1920. When Degas died in 1917, more than 150 wax sculptures were discovered in his studio. Most are now in the National Gallery of Art, in Washington D.C. 7 Dancers were frequent subjects in his art, particularly the dancers of the Paris Opera If the ballet was the height of fantasy and aspiration, Degas looked at that world with a realists eye. The so-called opera rats whom he used as models, including the model for The Little Fourteen-Year-Old Dancer, were generally poor or working-class girls, and were frequently preyed upon by the Operas wealthy male patrons. Degas captured his subjects behind the scenes: stretching, or simply waiting backstage. Ingres was far from enthused by Degas paintings of dancers, saying of them, We see wretches disfigured by their efforts, red, inflamed with fatigue, and so indecently strapped-up that they would be more modest if they were naked. Open a larger version of this image Edgar Degas (1834-1917), Danseuse sur une pointe, circa 1877. Pastel and pen and brush and sepia ink over pencil on paper laid down on card. Sold for $1,950,000 on 11 November 2021 at Christies in New York 8 Degas interest in the nude figure, particularly the female nude, persisted throughout his career Perhaps most of all, it was in his nude studies that he introduced new ideas and deepened his artistic practice. His paintings of women in the bath or at their toilette constitute a major theme in his work. Like his dancers, Degas female nudes were not idealised but, as Joris-Karl Huysmans described, real, living, undressed flesh. Sign up today The Online Magazine delivers the best features, videos, and auction news to your inbox every week Subscribe Open a larger version of this image Edgar Degas (1834-1917), Apres le Bain, 1883. Pastel on joined tracing paper laid down on card laid down on board. Sold for $2,790,000 on 11 November 2021 at Christies in New York 9 Degas began to develop problems with his eyesight in the 1870s It was partly for this reason that he took up sculpture and, later, photography. In addition to leading him to take up new mediums, his deteriorating condition had significant effects on his painting: colours became bolder and brighter, brushstrokes grew rougher and scenes blurrier, almost abstract. Degas even used his hands to apply paint. Degas came to appreciate photographys capacity to provide a sharper perspective, although he only shared his photographs with a small circle of friends and family. Sadly, fewer than 50 of his photographs survive. But those we do have reveal his interest in experimentation and his aesthetic affinities for Symbolism, as reflected in photographs in which his subjects seem to emerge from darkness. 10 Horses and horse racing were also key subjects for the artist, who was fascinated by the study of movement Degas produced some 45 oil paintings of horse races, in addition to sculptures, pastels and studies of horses. Rather than document the race itself, his oils focused on the moments just before its start, when both horse and rider were filled with nervous energy. An exclusive look inside the archives of a photographer whose sumptuous images of rock stars, supermodels and film legends encapsulated an era On 6 April, one of Ritts most celebrated photographs will be among 25 offered at Christies as part of a special auction to benefit the Elton John AIDS Foundation. Described by Sir Elton John as one of the greatest Herb Ritts photographs of all time, Backflip, Paradise Cove, 1987 captures its subject mid-flight, with the Pacific coast of Ritts native California as backdrop. The print that is being offered in our 6 April sale is one that Ritts owned personally and hung in his home. As a photographer, said Herb Ritts, youre trying to get to one moment with one frame that may eventually speak to your generation. After shooting close to two million rolls of film before his death in 2002, Ritts did just that, creating some of the most iconic images of his era for clients including Madonna, Calvin Klein, Vogue and Rolling Stone. The landscape was one that Ritts returned to throughout his career, along with the expanses of the southern California desert. Seen through a lens, Ritts explained, each could abstract into light and texture and line and shade a quality revealed to striking effect in photographs of German actress and model Tatjana Patitz, photographed in the desert for British Vogue in 1988. For Mark McKenna, President of the Herb Ritts Foundation, the Vogue images were of a quality comparable to Ritts later fine art prints. He wasnt stuck on it being for the fashion section of British Vogue he was capturing something that was of beauty to him. Ritts himself saw little boundary between his editorial shots and fine art, commenting, I like to push things, even in my commercial work. Over the course of his career, Ritts approach to photography became almost as legendary as his final images. They talk about a photographer, a shoot and a subject like its a dance, says McKenna. Herb really did make it like a dance... he wanted people to have fun with the day. He allowed there to be a collaboration between him and the subject; he wanted something fresh and new and innovative. The Mamiya Medium Format camera Ritts used for much of his work became, says McKenna, an extension of his body. In the course of his brief career, Ritts captured images whose impact endures. Each time you click a frame youre recording something, he reflected. 'Sometimes you'll hit on something that will live on. 5 minutes with... An early Hockney print that hung in his local chip shop Christies Prints specialist James Baskerville on a previously unknown impression of Fish and Chip Shop to be offered in London presented in gratitude by a teenage Hockney to the couple who kept him from going hungry Throughout the 1960s, regulars at The Sea Catch, a fish and chip shop in Bradford, England, would have been familiar with the lithograph above the deep-fat fryer. But they may not have known that it was an original work by one of the countrys greatest living artists. The precarious placement of the 1954 work by Bradford-born David Hockney, aptly titled Fish and Chip Shop, would certainly have raised alarm bells among art collectors had they been aware of its existence. The piece was gifted by the artist in the 1950s to the shops proprietors John Hayden and Janet Smith, and has never been sold at auction or displayed in a gallery. Christies Prints specialist James Baskerville explains that Hayden and Janet Smith greatly admired Hockney, and the lithograph hung in the shop until it closed some time around 1970 after which they hung it in their home. Open a larger version of this image David Hockney (b. 1937), Fish and Chip Shop, 1954. Lithograph in colours, 14 x 13 in (36.8 x 33.7 cm). Sold for 18,750 on 29 March 2017 at Christies in London For Baskerville, news of the existence of this impression came as a complete surprise. I came back to my desk one day and had a message from a colleague, he recalls. She said, James, you had a phone call from a gentleman who has a Hockney Fish and Chip Shop. He said his grandparents were the subject of the picture. Unfortunately, we didnt have his contact details and there was no way of reaching him, but my colleague had given him my email address, so we had to just wait patiently. Luckily for Baskerville, the prints owner was persistent. Two months later I received an email from him. He was based in the Midlands. When we saw Fish and Chip Shop, it was quite magical, Baskerville reveals. It is one of three prints that Hockney made in 1954. The other two are a self-portrait and Woman with Sewing Machine, which is an image of his mother. This print is one of David Hockneys earliest one of the first prints he made while studying at Bradford School of Art in 1954, aged 16 or 17, Baskerville points out. The quintessentially British subject is intimate because its the owners together with Hockney, inhabiting the same space. Here, Hockney is looking to the French masters of lithography, such as Bonnard and Vuillard especially Vuillards interior scenes, says the specialist. They have the same atmospheric quality. As a penniless student, Hockney would head to the fish and chip shop at the end of the day and ask for any leftovers Bradford was hardly the epicentre of the art world in the mid-1950s, but it was here that the young David Hockney first studied the Old Masters, and where his art teachers encouraged him to visit London galleries. [Bradford art students] had to scrimp and save to make the trips. They would go down on the train and then sleep on the Circle Line and wait until the galleries opened, Baskerville explains. As a penniless student, Hockney would head to the fish and chip shop at the end of the day and ask for any leftovers. He presented this work as a way of thanks, although Hayden and Janet Smith couldnt have imagined what a significant gift it would turn out to be. Open a larger version of this image David Hockney (b. 1937), Kaisarion with All His Beauty, 1961. Etching and aquatint in black and red. Plate 493 x 278 mm, Sheet 703 x 503 mm. Sold for 13,750 on 29 March 2017 at Christies in London This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Most of us here in Houston and Texas likely celebrate Taco Tuesday with a pronounced gusto on the day after Monday and just before Wednesday, but a national taco chain based in Wyoming is the legal trademark holder of the phrase. Taco Johns owns the trademark to Taco Tuesday in 49 of the 50 states, excluding New Jersey. Of course here in Texas it could be argued that every day is Taco Tuesday but thats neither here nor there. WAKE UP: Breakfast tacos: Where to get them in Houston The company has been known to send cease-and-desist notices to those who might use the phrase during the usual course of business. Dont worry, you can advise your children your family wont be getting sued for your weekly taco party at home. You dont need to change it to Weekly Crispy Tortilla Filled With Meat Day or anything of the sort. Just dont open any restaurants. A representative for Taco John's confirmed this to Chron.com recently and pointed us to the United States Patent and Trademark Office's online database. MARK IT: Texas taco expert makes the case for tacos as the official dish of Texas Taco Tuesday has been registered to Taco Johns since 1989. Its number 1,572,589. Another taco company owns the trademark rights to the phrase in New Jersey since they got to it first in 1982. Another company in California has the trademark pertaining to packaged taco seasonings. Taco Johns began as a taco stand at a rodeo in Cheyenne, Wyoming in 1968, just a few years after Taco Bell stuck out its shingle in 1962. There are now nearly 400 locations in 25 states, mostly in the Midwest. The chain is best known for its tacos, hefty burritos and potato oles which are crunchy potato bites, like tater tots. GET OUT!: Alleged food sins that some of us commit daily Chain lore states that an owner of a Taco Johns location in Minnesota began using the phrase in the early 80s in an effort to find something catchy to boost sales on a slow Tuesday. There is an advertisement from the era promoting two hard shell tacos for just 99 cents, years before even Jack in the Box was doing it. The company continues to fight the good fight to keep the phrase from becoming generic, but some call it bullying over a phrase that is already ingrained in the public lexicon. If they do not continued to defend the trademark, then it will be deemed generic. Lawyers argue that common words can be protectable when theyre used for a specific purpose, and Taco Johns does use the phrase for business. The phrase in this case isnt used to describe the tacos themselves. There exist five live trademark claims to Sunday Funday and at least one to Margarita Mondays if you were curious. National Taco Day remains October 4, by the way, as it has always been since 2009. Craig Hlavaty is a reporter for Chron.com and HoustonChronicle.com. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate An intense pressure and sense of warmth are vacillating back and forth from my forehead and the healer's palm as he holds his hand over my face. The waves of energy pulsating from his hand are supposed to be entering my spirit as the "Light of God." Juan, the healer, is soft-spoken as he shows me the bows, the prayers and the proper way to hold my folded hands during the ceremony. Which is helpful because this is my first time "receiving the Light" at Sukyo Mahikari Spiritual Development Center in the Heights. The spiritual practice is of Japanese descent and has made its way to over 70 countries and 13 states in America. But this small, brick building on Allston Street is the only place in Texas to find practitioners of the art. Nathan Hudgins, director of the center, said that most Heights residents are probably not aware of its existence in the neighborhood even though it's been there since 2010, and before that on W. Alabama for 18. Most of the people they welcome are members of dojos - or "place of the way" - in other states. Hudgins, who is originally from Atlanta and grew up Catholic, said when he stumbled upon Mahikari in college it felt right to him. "It takes Eastern philosophy and things I've studied about mysticism and put it together and mirrored my own feelings," said Hudgins. "The purpose of Light is to purify and awaken spiritually, it has the same effect as meditation overall." Inside the building there is a small temple in front of the open space where the ceremony is performed. Hudgins said anyone can come in to receive Light to experience it without becoming a member. "It's more like a yoga center, we have a practice, we have a monthly special ceremony and a teaching based on what the leader in Japan, or 'head guru', has said," he said. Similar to yoga-goers, Hudgins said the practice doesn't require one to denounce their religion, nor does it conflict with any faith. In fact, he said, many people who come find that it helps them be a better Catholic, Christian or atheist. The reason the practice is not well-known in most parts of the U.S. is because it is considered a "New Religion," created after World War II. It was established in 1959 by Kotama Okada, a former military leader in Japan. "God's Light and Universal Principals for All Humanity," by Sidney E. Chang, is a foundational text in the practice and describes an illness Okada suffered that caused an extreme fever, after which he is said to have received a revelation from God. "If people continue to focus on material progress at the expense of human values, such as altruistic love and respect for other people, then society would begin to show signs of collapse by the end of the twentieth century," said Okada. It has since found a niche in Japan's inclusive religious climate. "When the name Mahikari is mentioned most Japanese immediately think of the holding of a hand over a person or object. The purpose of this rite is to cleanse the recipient of any possible "clouding." In particular the influence of troubling spirits, and thus help restore the recipient to his or her proper position before Su God, Mahikari's supreme deity. Although the philosophy behind it remains mostly unknown to the general public," said Peter Knecht is his paper "The Crux of the Cross: Mahikari's Core Symbol," (1995) in the Japanese Journal of Religious Studies. But the practice has caught fire in Latin American countries. In Brazil, a country settled by various ethnic groups and produced a diverse population, officials have proclaimed February 27 as Sukyo Mahikari day. Two female members of the center in the Heights have been practicing the ceremony for decades and both were introduced to it in their home countries. One is from Colombia and Lupe Romero is from Venezuela. For her, the calling was dramatic. "It relieved me of my mental disease of depression," she said. "I was crying and shouting, crying and shouting." Her family became worried and convinced her to go to the hospital. "Doctors don't treat your spirit, they treat your body. After the hospital, I kept asking, 'Why am I still depressed?'" Finally, her aunt laid hands on her and showed her the art of giving Light. "Everything changed when I started. I became calm, I stopped crying, shouting and my life became my life, I became Lupe again," she said. Members believe that there are certain points along the body they can focus the Light on, and help move toxins or stagnant energy out of. Through helping people become more humble, more thankful and more empowered to help people, the group believes they can create a better society. Locally, Hudgins takes the youth group to parks and public places to give Light and help bless the area. They plan on going to Donovan Park on Heights Boulevard soon where car break-ins and muggings have been reported. News / National by Stephen Jakes A National People's Party spokesperson Jealousy Mawarire has said the ruling Zanu PF's Anti Joice Mujuru propaganda has gone extra miles to a point where they try by all means to vilify her.This was after a political commentator Ngqabutho Mabhena wrote a letter to NPP leader Joice Mujuru about her hardtalk show on BBC."The recent visit by Dr Joice Mujuru to London shook the foundations of Zanu-PF hegemony triggering some panic in the disintegrating former liberation party," Mawarire wrote."The amount of fake news and contrived statements attributed to Mujuru by spooky Zanu-PF media zealots give testimony to the fact that Mujuru touched some raw nerve, is on course to dismantling the hitherto perceived notion that Zanu-PF is invincible and is laying bare the excesses of a regime built and perfected around a dictator called Robert Mugabe."He also stated that some Herald columnist has even gone to the extent of alleging that the interviews that Mujuru had with Tim Sebastian of Deutsche Welle and Stephen John Sackur of BBC Hard Talk were stage-managed to expose the human rights excesses of the Mugabe regime while absolving Mujuru of culpability in human rights abuses that occurred in Zimbabwe in the early eighties and in 2008 when Mugabe lost to Morgan Tsvangirai in the first round of the presidential election."We gather state media journalists, especially those at the Herald, have been instructed to generate at least two negative stories on Mujuru everyday for 13 days from the day the Hard Talk interview was aired," he said."However, Zanu-PF is not limiting its anti-Mujuru propaganda to its official news outlets that the generality of our people have since discredited but has invaded the social media, a new, unregulated public sphere where rules, professionalism, accuracy and integrity matter very little, if at all. For a regime known for being corrupt, playing against rules, even in elections, the social media becomes attractive for propaganda purposes and outright disinformation."He said of particular note was a so-called "Open letter to Joice Mujuru", written and circulated on social media by one Ngqabutho Nicholas Mabhena who claims to be a socialist, may be a fascist, schooled in Marxism-Leninism, long discredited philosophies that created some of the worst dictators and psychopaths this world has come to know and endure."I will not delve into detail on its contents since it's premised on a statement falsely attributed to Dr Mujuru which is not only fake news but a clearly contrived and inaccurate foolish reading of events surrounding the 2008 presidential election defeat of Zanu-PF," he said."Mabhena claims Dr Mujuru confessed' to rigging Tsvangirai in one of her public addresses in the UK. Nothing can be further from the truth. I accompanied Dr Mujuru on all her engagements in London and made sure everything that she said was captured on video both for public dissemination and for our own records. There is nowhere she said she took part in rigging Tsvangirai, not because of anything, but because she was never part of the Zanu-PF mafia responsible for rigging elections."Mawarire said anyone who has a sound mind and a bit of memory would know that Tsvangirai won the 2008 elections partly because of the role that Zanu-PF members aligned to Mujuru played to ensure their supporters voted for Zanu-PF MPs and Ward Councillors but voted Tsvangirai for President.He said if that is not true, then what is bhora musango?"If one of the sins that Mugabe accuses Dr Mujuru and the late General Solomon Mujuru was engineering his defeat in 2008 through "Bhora Musango", and Mugabe came out publicly on this while addressing a group of Zaoga church members at ZEGU in Mazowe last year, does it make sense to allege Dr Mujuru was involved in rigging Tsvangirai who had benefitted from bhora musango?" he said."You can easily see that the statement attributed to Mujuru that she rigged Tsvangirai is meant to hold her responsible for the subsequent violence that the country witnessed in the run-up to the presidential run-off election on June 27 2008 and Mabhena does not make it a secret. It was carefully crafted to ensure that while Mujuru can distance herself from Gukurahundi which was orchestrated by Mugabe, Emmerson Mnangagwa and Sydney Sekeramayi who headed key security ministries then; her admission to having rigged Tsvangirai would make it very difficult for her to distance herself from the subsequent violence that followed that electoral theft."He said that it is a poor attempt at dragging Mujuru into the well-documented cases that Mugabe's regime committed is not even a secret."What is, however, interesting about many who have attempted to make a strong argument that Mujuru took part in the planning of some genocidal attacks on Zimbabweans by Mugabe, is the often disingenuous assumption that Mugabe is not a dictator and therefore consults with his cabinet and vice presidents on every decision he makes," he said."Suddenly, Zimbabweans are oblivious to the fact that Mugabe unilaterally decided to sent soldiers to the Democratic Republic of Congo, withdrew Zimbabwe from the Commonwealth and makes unilateral decisions even to pay civil servants bonuses when his Minister of Finance is against the idea. Surely such type of a leader is a dictator and dictators should be held accountable for their decisions and any attempts at spreading culpability by seeking to drag deputies is clear political cowardice."He said it is oxymoronic to admit Mugabe is a dictator then attempt to blame his deputies for what he does."Every Zimbabwean knows cabinet does not sit in Mugabe's absence. Zanu-PF officials know that the Politburo and Central Committee do not sit if Mugabe is away. If that is his type of administration, surely the buck stops with him. He has to be accountable for every missing person, for every mysterious death including that of General Mujuru. Mugabe is accountable for every one of the estimated 20 000 lives lost in Matabelelalnd and Midlands Provinces and not even his professed "madness" should be an excuse," he said."Mujuru, on the other hand, is on record, several times, chiding Zanu PF youths for unleashing violence on political opponents. At a rally in Hwange, where she was thanking the people of Matabeleland North for supporting her nomination for the post of Vice President of Zanu PF in 2004, Mujuru spoke about her non-violent character which she said was not going to embarrass those that had chosen her to lead them." A surgeon at Houston Methodist Hospital and her husband have been found dead Sunday in a reported murder-suicide in Richmond. Sherilyn Burroughs, a 47-year-old kidney and liver transplant surgeon as well as providing treatments for liver and Crohn's disease, is believed to have been killed by her 60-year-old husband, Daniel Burroughs. Officers reportedly went to the Burroughs' home about 10 a.m. Sunday after one of Sherilyn Burroughs' relatives called police to alert them to concerning comments being made by the her husband. "A family member out of state called because he had called her making some vague strange comments so police came out here to try to make contact and were unable to do so with him or her," according to a news report from Fort Bend County Police detective David Williams. "It was just some comments about that he was going to harm his wife or that he may already have done so." According to police reports, Daniel Burroughs would not allow SWAT team members inside the home, prompting officers to force their way inside about 3:30 p.m. After using a battering ram to open the front door, officers reporting hearing a single gunshot upstairs, where they found Daniel Burroughs dead from a shotgun blast. Sherilyn Burroughs was reportedly found in the bathroom. Police believe she was killed by her husband the night before and her body was left on the floor. The deaths have been ruled a murder-suicide by investigators. The couple had a three-year-old daughter. Police said she is currently staying with grandparents, and they did not know whether she was home at the time of the deaths. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Former President George H.W. Bush is remembering his longtime friend David Rockefeller, a member of a famous American family that taught its children that wealth brings great responsibility. Rockefeller died Monday in his sleep at his home in Pocantico Hills at age 101, according to his spokesman, Fraser P. Seitel. Bush praised Rockefeller as "our wonderful friend," and lauded his work as a philanthropist. "He was an avid and able collector of art, but most of all David had a gift for making and keeping friends. On that note, Barbara and I will surely miss our annual visits with him in Maine," Bush said in a statement. Rockefeller was the grandson of Standard Oil co-founder John D. Rockefeller and the youngest of five sons and one daughter born to John D. Rockefeller Jr. He was also the guardian of his family's fortune and head of a sprawling network of family interests, both business and philanthropic, that ranged from environmental conservation to the arts. Unlike his brothers Nelson, the governor of New York who hungered for the White House and was briefly vice president, and Winthrop, a governor of Arkansas, David Rockefeller wielded power and influence without ever seeking public office. Among his many accomplishments were spurring the project that led to the World Trade Center. Unlike his other brothers, John D. 3rd and Laurance, who shied from the spotlight and were known for philanthropy, David Rockefeller embraced business and traveled and spoke widely as a champion of enlightened capitalism. "American capitalism has brought more benefits to more people than any other system in any part of the world at any time in history," he said. "The problem is to see that the system is run as efficiently and as honestly as it can be." NEW HIRES: Logistics firm bringing 200 jobs to Houston Rockefeller graduated from Harvard in 1936 and received a doctorate in economics from the University of Chicago in 1940. He served in the Army during World War II, then began climbing the ranks of management at Chase Bank. That bank merged with the Manhattan company in 1955. He was named Chase Manhattan's president in 1961 and chairman and CEO eight years later. He retired in 1981 at age 65 after a 35-year career. Rockefeller was estimated to have met more than 200 rulers in more than 100 countries during his lifetime, and often was treated as if he were a visiting head of state. Under Rockefeller, Chase now known as JPMorgan Chase was the first U.S. bank to open offices in the Soviet Union and China and, in 1974, the first to open an office in Egypt after the Suez crisis of 1956. ROCKEFELLER'S NATURE: 10 must see spots in Acadia National Park Rockefeller maintained the family's patronage of the arts, including its long-standing relationship with the Museum of Modern Art, which his mother had been a fervent patron of. His private art collection was once valued at $500 million. The Rockefeller estate at Kykuit, overlooking the Hudson River north of New York City, is the repository of four generations of family history, including Nelson's art and sculpture collection. One of the major efforts of Rockefeller's later years was directed at restoring family influence in the landmark Rockefeller Center, most of which had been sold in the 1980s to Japanese investors. He eventually organized an investor group to buy back 45 percent of the property. His philanthropy and other activities earned him a Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor, in 1998. Rockefeller and his wife, the former Margaret McGrath, were married in 1940 and had six children David Jr., Richard, Abby, Neva, Margaret and Eileen. His wife, an active conservationist, died in 1996. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate She went by "Bones Marie" and plastered her Facebook page with pictures of stacks of cash, bragging that she didnt need a job. On Monday, a Harris County judge tripled the bail for 19-year-old Denise Marie Coronado after prosecutors accused her of forcing a 14-year-old runaway into sexual slavery. She could face up to life in prison if convicted of compelling prostitution of a minor. "Its alleged that the runaway, a 14-year-old, was abducted," said Assistant District Attorney JoAnne Musick. "She had multiple men brought in to have sex with her while her captors collected the money." BACKGROUND: 19-year-old woman charged for allegedly forcing teen runaway into sexual slavery After hearing the allegations, and that Coronado had been arrested in the past for possession of marijuana and assault, state District Judge Nikita Harmon raised Coronados bail from $30,000 to $100,000. Ruben Perez, the chief of the district attorney's special crimes division, said the case is part a renewed focus on sex trafficking. "We're not going to tolerate human traffickers, pimps or pimpettes enslaving our kids, enslaving our people in our county," he said. "We have a cadre of lawyers willing to prosecute these people and we're ready." Coronado, who appeared in court in an orange jail uniform after being arrested last week, did not speak during the brief hearing. Musick said the 14-year-old girl was abducted and taken to a house in a wooded area where she was raped by a man who has not been identified while Coronado watched. Days later, the teen was taken to a motel and photographed in lingerie. Those photos were posted on Backpage.com, a website that prosecutors said is known for promoting illicit acts such as prostitution. Prosecutors said she was forced to have sex with 26 men over the course of a week before she escaped. She was threatened, then burned with a cigarette in order to get her to comply, prosecutors said. SHOCKING CASE: Baytown man sentenced for forcing teenager into prostitution She eventually got control of a cell phone and contacted her family with a Facebook message that she needed help but did not know where she was. They tipped off police who tracked the phone during the sporadic times it was on. Days later, she escaped with help from two passers-by who took her to another motel. With the phone on continuously, police were able to find the teen. Musick declined to give other specifics on the escape or name the motel where the teen was being held, saying the investigation is continuing. After Monday's hearing, Coronado's court-appointed attorney pointed out possible inconsistencies in the victim's statement to police. "If this young girl is actually being held against her will, why was she allowed access to a telephone and able to get on Facebook?" said Joe David Wells. "If she was kidnapped, why did she go to another hotel instead of going home?" He said the unidentified man who is accused of abducting and raping the 14-year-old may have also been coercing Coronado. "I have a feeling that, in the end, there might be two victims here and not just one," he said. "Remember, my client is a teenager, also." Coronado has prior charges in Harris County of possession of marijuana under two ounces, assault of a family member and assault causing bodily injury. She pleaded guilty to the marijuana charge and to assault of a family member. She remains in the Harris County Jail. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate An openly gay student will start as Texas A&M University's student body president in April. Bobby Brooks, a junior from Belton studying economics, will lead A&M's student body, a milestone for the rural campus better known for its love of tradition than for its embrace of progressive social issues. "I was an Aggie from the first day that I was born, there was no choice about it," Brooks told The Battallion, A&M's student paper. "My sexuality was a non-issue in terms of selecting Texas A&M as a university because I knew what this university could offer." STUDENT BOOST: TSU enrollment jumps after partnerships with community colleges He ran on a platform of improving diversity issues at A&M, boosting student services, keeping costs low and improving relationships with faculty members. Brooks' appointment is significant as gay, lesbian and transgender students have faced intolerance at Texas A&M over the decades. The university's Gay Student Services won the university's official recognition in 1985 only after a nine-year legal battle. This fall, for the first time since at least 2011, Texas A&M University was not included in the Princeton Review's annual ranking of unfriendly universities for LGBT students. TOP RANK: Texas graduate schools score well in U.S. News and World Report "It's nice to be able to see yourself in an elected position, like the campus is progressing," said Caleb Armstrong, a 22-year-old senior from Houston who serves as president of LGBTQ Aggies, a student support group. Brooks won 4,214 votes in February elections coming in second to a candidate later disqualified from an expense report violation. A governing student body upheld that decision earlier this month, allowing Brooks to serve as president. >>>Scroll through the gallery to see which Texas universities have grown the most After being missing for nearly a week, a young woman from Irving has shown up in Portland, Texas, about 400 miles away on the Gulf of Mexico. Tori Golka, 24, was reported missing March 13 after she was supposed to pick up her 3-year-old son in Grapevine but never made it, Grapevine police said in a Facebook post. She had been at her boyfriend's apartment in Grapevine earlier that day, police said. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate The phrase "Don't mess with Texas" isn't just a suggestion. It's a fact. And the Waco Police Department proved this when an internet troll tried to mock their profession. Twitter user rg2pdml tweeted a photo of a Waco police officer looking down at his phone with the caption, "@WacoPolice I hope you guys have good benefits this looks like a rough job." AMERICAN CRIME: Alabama man sentenced to prison for murdering man who sexually abused his daughter Within a few hours, the Waco Police Department had a response for the Twitter user. Sgt. W. Patrick Swanton personally wrote the response to the commenter and defended the officer, who works directly for him. "He was on personal vacation time taking off to work a part-time job to make ends meet," Swanton wrote in a lengthy Facebook post. "He is also our U.S. Marshal task force representative and is continuously on his cell helping to track the worst of the worst criminals, yes even when he is 'off-duty.' He arrests numerous felons every month keeping our entire community safe from some extremely bad guys." Swanton continues to explain that the officer is likely texting his loved one to let them know he is OK. "You see for us...we never know when we may have to answer that final call," he writes. "Do we have a rough job, you bet we do but wouldn't trade it for any other one out there!!" TEXAS SEARCH: Missing Texas woman leaves trail after mysterious cell phone ping Both Facebook users and Twitter users blew up the post with praise and shares. "Unless you or a loved one works in law enforcement, you have no idea what it's like and have no place to judge them," Lee Gerow commented. Another user tweeted back at the original post saying, "So you've never used your phone while at work? Get real!" The Waco PD Facebook post quickly went viral and was shared over 7,700 times in seven hours. AUSTIN -- The Texas Health and Human Services Commission has opened an internal investigation into the bungled privatization of a program that transports poor Texans to medical appointments. The probe by the commission's inspector general, Stuart Bowen, will examine why officials gave lucrative contracts for administration of the program to companies and nonprofit organizations that did not provide cost information and, in some cases, scored poorly on the state's own rating system. The privatization effort led to a dramatic reduction in Medicaid recipients served by the program, a large increase in complaints and a tripling of the per-ride cost to the public, among other issues, according to a report released by the nonpartisan Legislative Budget Board in January. Overall, the privatization has cost Texas taxpayers an estimated $316 million more than would have been spent if the state still was running the program. Commission head Charles Smith disclosed the investigation in a legislative committee hearing late last week, saying he had ordered it after a Houston Chronicle story on the program. "As a result of the newspaper story, I asked for (additional information about the awarding of the contract). I got that chronology on March 8, read it, looked at it and went, 'this needs to be referred to the OIG for an investigation.'" At least one of the entities that received a contract is now the subject of a criminal investigation, Bowen added. The disclosures did little to assuage the concerns of state lawmakers, who used the House General Investigating and Ethics Committee hearing to express frustration about the privatization effort and the commission. Smith and other commission officials also faced heated questions about other issues. Committee chairwoman Sarah Davis, R-West University Place, pressed officials for answers about the Heidi Group, an anti-abortion organization recently reported by the Associated Press to have fallen short on its promises to use $1.6 million in funding to promote women's health. Lawmakers also asked about why many large commission contracts were missing from a database run by the Legislative Budget Board, as recently reported by the Texas Tribune. Smith also confirmed a Dallas Morning News report saying that a Child Protective Services employee had been placed on paid leave while officials probe a potential conflict of interest involving a pending contract and a family member. According to the Austin American-Statesman, the employee is Frianita Wilson, the wife of former commission Inspector General Doug Wilson, who resigned in a 2014 contracting scandal. The lawmakers spent much of their time drilling into the Medicaid Transport Program. Republican Giovanni Capriglione of Southlake questioned how some of the contracting decisions were even possible. "I don't know what damning is, or the worst possible grade you can get on an exam, but 'not demonstrating even a basic understanding of medical transportation' when you're bidding to be a medical transportation company seems to be a company that should not have been evaluated," said Capriglione, quoting the Chronicle story. "How does this happen?" Rep. Chris Turner, D-Grand Prairie criticized Smith for not ordering the internal investigation sooner and for extending the contracts last year -- even after the Legislative Budget Board had made the commission aware of issues. Smith said he personally did not know about the problems before extending the contracts and said the extension was done to "synchronize" the agreements with upcoming procurements for Medicaid managed care organizations. "The OIG is doing the investigation," he said. "When that comes out, then I believe we can determine what to do going forward." Tomi Lahren, the 24-year-old conservative host of the show "Tomi" on The Blaze, has fiercely criticized the feminist movement. In her trademark fast-talking rants, the commentator has called modern-day feminists selfish, man-hating "snowflakes" and said that "real women don't wake up and skip work to march for abortions." Lahren, an avid Trump supporter, has been called incendiary. It is not unusual for her appearances to incite outrage from the left. But over the weekend, her words provoked fury from an unlikely segment of Americans: the right. WHITE RACISM: Critics call Tomi Lahren 'F-ing crazy' for racism claims Appearing on "The View" on Friday, Lahren admitted that she supports abortion rights, saying it would be hypocritical of her to believe the government should decide what women should do with their bodies. "You know what? I'm for limited government, so stay out of my guns, and you can stay out of my body as well," Lahren said. Even the show's hosts appeared shocked to hear her. Across social media, antiabortion advocates said it was impossible for Lahren to be both conservative and in favor of abortion rights. They criticized her interpretation of the Constitution and called her out for seemingly contradicting previous remarks about abortion. Some claimed, as they have before, that by rising to prominence so young she lacked an understanding of political philosophy and ideology. UNDER THEIR SKIN: Tomi Lahren trashes her 'intolerant left' Twitter trolls But the provocative commentator defended herself, tweeting Saturday, "Listen, I am not glorifying abortion. I don't personally advocate for it. I just don't think it's the government's place to dictate." "I speak my truth," she added on Twitter. "If you don't like it, tough. I will always be honest and stand in my truth." "Conservatives don't have to exist in a monolith and share the same brain on every issue," Lahren tweeted. "It's okay." CRYBABY MOMENT: Conservative wunderkind rips Trump inauguration boycotts Lahren's viral monologues on her nightly show for the Blaze, created by conservative media personality Glenn Beck, have landed her appearances with Bill Maher and Trevor Noah, lured nearly 4.3 million followers to her Facebook page and invited praise from President Donald Trump himself. Trump was so taken by one of her recent appearances that he called her to thank her for her "fair coverage" of him. A native of South Dakota and a daughter of military and ranching families, Lahren is the self-proclaimed voice for Middle America and conservative women who feel underrepresented and overlooked by the mainstream media. Trevor Noah called her "the least woke, most awake person" he's ever seen. Though she's made her name with incendiary monologues, Friday's interview was not the first time Lahren has opened up about more complex, or even moderate, political views. SHOCKING TWIST: You might actually agree with Tomi Lahren's latest rant In a segment about three months ago regarding Lena Dunham's controversial comments on abortion, Lahren admitted that abortion is not her "top issue," and said the abortion rights movement avoids "sounding like straight-up baby killers" by acknowledging that abortion is a difficult choice. "Boy wouldn't it be nice if taxpayers didn't have to shell out our hard-earned dollars to pay for the wishful abortions of people like Lena Dunham? Wouldn't it be nice if Planned Parenthood weren't allowed to wheel and deal fetal tissue from abortions it performs?" Those remarks made Friday's admission, and previous ones, confusing for some. In a New York Times profile in December, she said she favored abortion rights and does not object to same-sex marriage. She declined to call herself spiritual, joking that "spiritual sounds like you worship the grass" but said she believed in God and prays every night. She also criticized organized religion as being "about hierarchy, power, control and greed" yet moments later said, "The institution of religion is important." Before joining the Blaze, on a show called "The Scramble" that she hosted through her college journalism program, she led panels on many issues with a more moderate stance, including a discussion she moderated about climate change, which she said was an agreed-upon scientific consensus. (She has, in more recent segments on her show, blasted the idea of climate change, calling it simply "bad weather.") "I have moderate, conservative, and libertarian views," she tweeted over the weekend. "I'm human. I will never apologize, to anyone, for being an independent thinker." Conservative writers and social media accounts blasted her explanation for her abortion rights stance and criticized her with headlines such as "Flip-flop." On the conservative blog the Resurgent, Peter Heck compared Lahren to other young stars who grapple with a "meteoric" rise to fame, in a culture that "bizarrely worships youth and beauty." "There's a reason why it usually doesn't end well when someone who lacks any meaningful or serious understanding of political philosophy and ideology is thrust in front of a camera and promoted as a conservative spokesman," Heck wrote. "They are pitifully unprepared to exercise the disciplines of reason and discernment." He went on to criticize Lahren's "constitutional" defense of why she supports abortion rights. "The great conservatives have always understood that the intrinsic worth of the individual was the foundation point of all we believe and espouse," Heck wrote. "Without the right to life, there is no liberty, and there is no happiness to pursue." One of the most surprising responses was from that of the Blaze founder, Glenn Beck, who tweeted out Heck's article on the Resurgent. He went on to say on Twitter, "Rule another label out. I am NOT a 'constitutional.' I believe in LIFE, liberty and property. Just an old fashioned 'constitutionalist.'" This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate The number of reported cases of improper relationships between teachers and students is growing at an alarming rate and needs to be addressed by the Legislature. In the past five years, there have been 893 investigations into inappropriate relations between educators and students in Texas, the Austin American-Statesman reports. Last school year alone, 207 cases were reported to the Texas Education Agency, several from Bexar County. Just this month, an East Central High School English teacher became the latest local educator to resign following allegations of an inappropriate relationship with a student. RELATED: Texas student accused of blackmailing teacher after alleged sexual relationship Legislation making its way through the Legislature this session would ensure teachers who are involved in such relationships cannot quietly resign and find work in another district. The 1,000-plus school districts across the state each have their own policies for dealing with the problem. In many districts, teachers who engage in improper relationship with students are allowed to keep their teaching certificates, and fewer than half face criminal charges. In an effort to avoid lengthy and expensive lawsuits, school districts often allow teachers accused of sexual misconduct to resign, and then districts provide a neutral reference to unsuspecting future employers. RELATED: Houston-area teachers who lost their license due to sex scandals An Austin American-Statesman investigation into the cases reported to TEA found that between January 2010 and December 2016, 686 teachers in Texas lost their teaching licenses following allegations of an impropriety with a student. Only 308 of those teachers were charged with a crime. The Austin American-Statesmans database shows 63 San Antonio-area educators lost their teaching certificates during that period. Only 24 were charged with a criminal offense. This month, the Texas Senate unanimously approved Senate Bill 7 by Sen. Paul Bettencourt, R-Houston, which addresses the festering student-teacher relationship problem on multiple levels. It allows a teacher to be charged over an improper relationship even if the student attends another school district. The legislation also expands the responsibility for reporting beyond the superintendents to include school principals. RELATED: Alexandria Vera, former middle school teacher impregnated by 13-year-old sentenced to 10 years If approved, the bill would make failure to report an incident a Class A misdemeanor. That charge could be enhanced to a felony if it is determined during the trial that a superintendent or principal tried to conceal the incident. Importantly, it does not allow passing the problem from one school district to another. Under Senate Bill 7, administrators could have their educator certificate revoked if they assisted someone who had engaged in sexual misconduct in gaining employment at another school. The widespread use of social media platforms that allow students and teachers to easily communicate outside the classroom is seen as a major factor in the rise of inappropriate teacher-student relationships. The proposed legislative changes would require that school districts adopt, implement and enforce local policies on electronic communications between teachers and students. Stricter regulations and enhanced penalties alone are not going to eliminate the problem. They will, however, go a long way toward ensuring violators dont continue to game the system by resigning and going to work in another school district. 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. News / National by Stephen Jakes The ruling Zanu PF has been blamed for making efforts to steal the 2018 elections through the take over of the procurement of the Biometric Voter registration kits .Also the opposition Renewal Democrats of Zimbabwe Leader Elton Mangoma has come under fire for seemingly endorsing the move."It is with deep regret that pseudo-politicians who carry the opposition tag like Elton Mangoma have decided to be featured in the Herald Newspaper to lend credibility to the charade of subverting people's wills through discrediting BVR, something that has never been done before," said an opposition supporter."It is even more laughable as to where he got the chutzpah to speak authoritatively on the subject. Hardly before the BVR kits have been procured, the agents of doom have already seen that technology will sound the death knell to their rigging ways. They now rope in tired old voices of Simbi Mubako and Mangoma to create a fictitious need for disallowing Bio Metric Voting. It is not lost on the populace that the Voters Roll has always been the ruling party's personal database for subjugating people's collective right to freely choose their leaders."He said dead people, centenarians and eight year olds found themselves voting in large numbers across the country, ostensibly for the ruling party."Now, bio-metric registration will ensure that only a living, sane, and eligible person will be captured. That doesn't bode well with Zanu Pf. They now cite ruralism as an excuse. Where in Zimbabwe today don't we have cellphone/ internet coverage? The genuine opposition has to make sure that BVR goes ahead with no interference," he said."The same way people have rejected unconstitutional constitutional amendments should suffice for this. As for Elton Mangoma and his delusional reasoning it is unfortunate. This idea of tampering, skullduggery, manipulation and scaremongering has always been there, as well as rigging. Zanu Pf has vehemently argued over the years that it doesn't rig, and it is worthy noting why they are developing cold feet."He said technology cannot be rigged and it goes through complex fail safe systems, servers and administrators."That way you have a guarantee that any glitch in the system is arrested and isolated. Zanu doesn't want a system it cant manipulate hence their clarion call to stifle BVR. It will not work. I pity politicians in the opposition who side with the myopia of old dinosaurs in Zanu Pf who still believe in rigging," he said."The country is tired of them. We will go BVR no matter what. It seems their preferred suppliers have failed to make the grade in the procurement process hence their capitulation. One week they have found money to procure kits, the next they don't want the system. Its not a shame to admit we are broke. We cannot afford to buy the kits, but are too stubborn to accept reality. Let UNDP procure them and let the end games begin." 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. Ridge View to keep on sharing The Galva-Holstein and Schaller-Crestland School Districts have reached a tentative agreement that will likely reflect Schaller-Crestlands consolidation to a single... Pipeline company sought to limit required safeguards for soil Navigator CO2 Ventures wanted to reduce its obligations to sample and restore topsoil for the construction of its proposed carbon... Hyderabad Mar 20 : On the eve of her birthday, Rani Mukerji went live through Yash Raj Films Facebook account to meet and greet her fans on social media. The actor was welcomed with a lot of love, but a constant question about her Bollywood comeback kept popping up every now and then, during the entire chat. Answering to it, Rani said, My next film is Hichki. I hope I will be able to perform well and make you guys happy. Please bless me with good wishes. Rani added that after giving birth daughter Adira, her life changed overnight. I have worked for over 22 years in the industry but that was different me. Now, after having a daughter, I am starting off a new life in the career aspect too. Rani says she is nervous about her comeback but also feels fortunate that she got the opportunity to portray strong women characters on screen through her films. I feel really lucky and fortunate to be able to play so many characters on screen. It is always exciting to play or be different people. As Rani, I play what I am but its always inspiring to be other people because I portray so many powerful women on screen, who eventually inspire me and others too. People were very keen to know why she does not debut on social media, to which Rani said that she respects her personal life and her husbands decision to keep their lives unaffected by the digital media, My husband is a private person and I respect his privacy otherwise I would love to share with you whats happening in my life, how Adira is growing up. Till the time, he doesnt allow, I cant do that. Rani also spoke about the plot of her upcoming film, Hichki. She said the film is based on a positive premise which is why she decided to take it up. During the Facebook interaction, she revealed the film will go on floors next month.Ranis last outing as an actor was Mardaani, which released almost two years ago. The film saw the actor in the role of a police inspector and to get into the shoes of her character, Rani also learned some defence moves. News / National by Staff reporter FOR a Bulawayo man it seems to be the end of a "good" relationship with his son-in-law after he sued him for insulting him by referring to his mother's privates.Elias Moyo from Entumbane said each time he met his son-in-law Antony Mhodi he would threaten to assault him before resorting to obscenities.As a result of his violent behaviour Moyo said he was living in fear of his son-in-law.Moyo lodged the harassment complaint at the Bulawayo Civil Court where he was seeking a protection order against Mhodi."Antony Mhodi is my son-in-law and is customarily married to my daughter. He is in the habit of threatening me and my family. He insults me with vulgar language. On numerous occasions he has also threatened to hit me with an empty beer bottle."Whenever I meet him especially at the shops he would confront me while armed with some sharp objects. As if that is not enough he insults me by referring to my mother's privates," said Moyo.Moyo said his son-in-law's violent behaviour was psychologically and emotionally disturbing him.Mhodi, however, avoided humiliation of a trial by not coming to court to respond to his father-in-law's accusations.In his ruling presiding magistrate Sheunesu Matova ordered Mhodi not to physically assault and verbally harass or threaten his father-in-law. Jimmy Breslins book on the impeachment of Richard Nixon begins at the end: in the Federal Courthouse in Washington, DC, where five of the men behind Watergate were standing trial. After a tense wait, the jury reached a verdict, and reporters ran through the empty hallways to secure a place in the courtroom. It was the first day of 1975, four months after the President of the United States had resigned. The court was called to order, and a clerk prepared to read the verdict. The five defendants who would have ruled a nation in their way, standing so that a clerk could tell them of their future, Breslin wrote. Three were proclaimed guilty, among them Nixons Chief of Staff, H.R. Haldeman, and his Attorney General, John N. Mitchell. This type of American ceremony has no richness to it, Breslin went on. Dark tragedies are played out in flat, harsh civil-service surroundings. But How the Good Guys Finally Won is no tragedy. True, its a book about towering, talented, unscrupulous men brought down by an obsession with power. More than that, though, its the story of good guysthe politicians, lawyers, and reporters who helped topple the President and his men. In this sense, Breslins book was very different from the meticulous catalog of wrongdoing that Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein first published in The Washington Post. Jimmy Breslin argued that in times like these, stories of wrongdoing are by themselves insufficient. The unexpected optimism in Breslins book can be a guide for journalists today. Breslin, who died on Sunday at the age of 88, was writing about a cynical time when corruption crept into the highest offices in the land. In 1974, as the branches of government squared off against one another, pundits worried about a constitutional crisis. There are some who fear the same in 2017. Now, as then, journalists find their profession consumed by the dogged search for wrongdoing. Investigations into apparent corruption and alleged collusion have started to climb up the political ladder, though it remains unclear how high theyll go. Jimmy Breslin argued that in times like these, stories of wrongdoing are by themselves insufficient. The essential role of investigative journalism in exposing the Watergate scandal can hardly be overstated, and Breslin had little to add to the facts of the case. But his book ran against the grain when it pushed the villains to the margins. In the end, all convicted criminals are boring, he wrote. I dont want to hear them, or hear much about them again. What he said next reads like a call to action for journalists today: For there were too many decent people, people with honesty and dignity and charm, who were an important part of the summer in 1974 in Washington, the summer in which the nation forced a President to resign from office. In a time when the loudest voices in Washington must have seemed hoarse from all the shouting, How the Good Guys Finally Won gave voice to a quiet American faith in the institutions of government. Sign up for CJR 's daily email Most of Breslins book focuses on Thomas Tip ONeill, a congressman from Cambridge, Massachusetts, who was House Majority Leader at the time. This decision may have been as much the result of good fortune as good journalism: Breslin spent much of 1974 reporting from ONeills office. He has a large bulbous nose that is quite red, Breslin wrote. Large blue eyes sometimes seem to be sleepy-slow and have led a thousand victims into thinking they were on the verge of winning. ONeill seems at times an unlikely hero, but in this case, the unlikely hero is easy to like. Breslin portrayed ONeill as a master of the political gamea man who understood that, in Breslins words, If people think you have power, then you have power. If people think you have no power, you have no power. ONeill knew how to wrangle votes, and relied on others to wage the fight for impeachment in the courts and in the press. He was not a firebrand or a revolutionary. In fact, Breslin saw ONeills role as bureaucratic, in a way. Somewhere in Washington there was a squealing, grinding sound, Breslin wrote of the early stages of the impeachment process. The hugest wheel in the country, bureaucracy, was starting to turn. This focus on the human side of bureaucracy may be the books most timely insight. How the Good Guys Finally Won suggested that inside the drab and amorphous domain we call the national bureaucracy, theres an almost endless supply of heroes and villains. Breslin wrote about people, not policies, even in the city where our nations policies are made. This will come as no surprise to those who have read Breslins newspaper columns, in which his many protagonists included a cop, a gravedigger, an AIDS victim, and a murderer. Breslins book and career serve as a reminder that we write, ultimately, about people. Under President Trump, of course, journalists must write about policy, and when we see wrongdoing, our obligation is to report it. But Breslins bookand his careerserves as a reminder that we write, ultimately, about people. The best defense against accusations of fake news may be for readers to see their own lives, their own heroes, reflected in our journalism. How the Good Guys Finally Won does not always live up to its own ideals. For a book about unsung heroes, it said surprisingly little about the women who helped take down Nixonfor instance, Katharine Graham, publisher of the Post, and Judy Hoback Miller, a key source whom Woodward and Bernstein called the bookkeeper. Breslin allowed an odious quote from Meade H. Esposito to introduce Elizabeth Holtzman, who won a seat in the House when it was 97-percent male, and who was central in Nixons impeachment hearings. (And I hear this girl, shes got all kinds of young girls running around for her. Indians. Freaking squaws, Esposito apparently told Breslin.) In 1990, a female colleague who was Korean-American accused Breslin of sexism; his racist response earned him a two-week suspension from Newsday. But perhaps journalists today can succeed where Breslin faltered. As he pointed out, we need optimistic narratives to carry us through a time of pessimism. We need stories not only of crisis and scandal, but also of the quiet, stubborn, sometimes thankless work of civil servants and ordinary citizens. Breslin described those figures well: People who worked for their country, rather than against it. People who are so much more satisfying to know, and to tell of. Has America ever needed a media watchdog more than now? Help us by joining CJR today Daniel A. Gross has written for The Washington Post, Smithsonian, and the website of The New Yorker. His audio stories have aired on NPR's All Things Considered, the BBC World Service, and 99% Invisible. He can be found on Twitter @readwriteradio. A court held Japans government and a utility liable on Friday for neglecting tsunami safety measures at the Fukushima nuclear plant and ordered them to pay more money to dozens out of the thousands of people who fled radiation released during the March 2011 disaster. The ruling is the first from about 30 lawsuits filed by thousands of evacuees and could set a precedent for the other cases. About half of the 150,000 people forced to leave their homes still cannot return, six years after a massive earthquake and tsunami destroyed the plant and caused reactor meltdowns. The Maebashi district court ordered the national government and Tokyo Electric Power Co. to pay damages ranging from 70,000 yen ($620) to 3.5 million yen ($31,000) to 62 plaintiffs, or 38 million yen ($336,000) altogether, in addition to the compensation TEPCO has already paid them. The rest of the 137 plaintiffs in the case were not awarded additional compensation. The court said the disaster was preventable and that TEPCO ignored safety steps despite knowing of the tsunami risk, while the government failed to oversee the utility. Even though TEPCO deserved severe blame because of its negligence, that does not lighten the governments responsibility, the court said, adding that they should split the cost of the damages. The court upheld the plaintiffs argument that TEPCO could have foreseen a massive tsunami as early as 2002, when a government panel predicted a 20 percent chance of a magnitude 8 earthquake triggering a tsunami along the Fukushima coast within 30 years. TEPCO also ignored another chance to implement safety measures in 2008 when a government study group warned of a major tsunami triggering a power loss at the plant. At the Fukushima plant, the reactor buildings were not watertight and backup power generators were stored in the basement. The tsunami that swept into the plant on March 11, 2011, knocked out the reactors cooling system and destroyed the backup generators that could have kept it running and kept the nuclear fuel stable. In the ruling, Judge Michiko Hara said TEPCO should have moved the generators to higher floors. Government, parliamentary and private investigations have blamed complacency over safety, inadequate crisis management skills, a failure to keep up with international safety standards, and collusion between regulators and the nuclear industry. The government and the utility have argued that a tsunami as high as what occurred could not have been anticipated and the accident was unavoidable. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga and TEPCO President Naomi Hirose told separate news conferences that they will respond after examining the ruling closely. The Maebashi lawsuit was filed in 2013 and sought a total of 1.5 billion yen ($13.2 million) in damages for the 137 plaintiffs. The court decided on a lower amount because of the compensation already paid. The varied amounts for the plaintiffs were based on family makeup and whether they were forced to evacuate from the no-go zone or left voluntarily. Katsuyoshi Suzuki, a lawyer for the plaintiffs, welcomed the decisions acknowledgement of the defendants liability, including the government for the first time. But he said he was dissatisfied with the level of compensation that the court awarded. For the suffering and sorrow of the people who had no choice but leave their homes, the amount is way too small, he said. Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Changes in response time, the way research is conducted and the sources of bad faith have all impacted how coverage is evaluated, according to a panel discussion conducted by the American Bar Associations Trial and Insurance Program Session. The program was held recently at the Arizona Biltmore Resort in Phoenix, Ariz. To coincide with its 25th anniversary, panelists discussed the way coverage dispute handling and evaluation has changed during that time. Jill Berkeley, a Chicago-based partner and chair of Neal Gerber & Eisenbergs Insurance Policyholder practice group, said that coverage evaluation has evolved from assessing basic issues to the importance of strategic thinking. She also noted the increased pressure to respond immediately to coverage questions, despite the necessity to sometimes mull complex issues. Research is a necessary and time-consuming component of any coverage evaluation. The ability to access research, even if it was available electronically, could still be time intensive because it couldnt be accessed via every device, said Tampa-based attorney Lisa Oonk. She recalls that when she began in the business, a firm she worked in used a teletype machine to communicate with Lloyds of London. With email, there is no need to wait days or hours for a response, she added. Oonk also noted the increased expectation that communication should be instantaneous. Boston-based insurance coverage counsel Barbara ODonnell, with the firm of Zelle McDonough & Cohen, said that bad faith has changed significantly in the 25 years since the committee began. She explained there has been significant changes in statutory penalties, excess judgments and attorneys fees relating to bad faith lawsuits. In addition, the potential sources of bad faith have widened, she said. Jurisdictional awareness, including the careful consideration of statutory requirements as they relate to claims handling, the burden of proof, potential penalties and recoverable remedies are now all considered important in case evaluation, she added. Robert Westerfield, a senior partner with Bowles & Verna in Walnut Creek, Calif., said that the biggest change in practice is the initial choice of law while the reasons why a policyholder files bad faith lawsuits remains unchanged. Bad faith allegations offer the plaintiff the opportunity to broaden discovery, providing a chance to try the case in front of a jury. In the past 25 years, hes seen less cases where insurers refuse to defend insureds and noted there have been major changes to Californias statutory penalties related to bad faith. The panelists also discussed reservations of rights (ROR), allocation and privileged communication. According to Berkeley, in the past, there was more emphasis placed on how to write an ROR letter. She explained that more thought now goes into analyzing its impact on the case and whether it could have an impact on the defense. In terms of allocation, the insurance policy language, relating to indemnity and defense costs, needs to be reviewed, Berkeley said, and attention needs to be paid to determine how both are allocated as well as whether all of the primary policies have to be exhausted prior to triggering excess policies. Oonk said that defense costs arent subject to the allocation rule, though a couple of cases have applied time on risk for defense costs for uninsured time periods, if the insured can prove that it couldnt buy any more coverage. According to Westerfield, in recent years, issues dealing with privileged communication have put claims adjusters in the precarious position of having to be deposed. When insurers assert privilege, it prevents them from explaining any part of their evaluation at trial. He added that claim adjusters cant be prepped for deposition because counsel cant show them documents deemed privileged. News / National by Staff reporter SEX next door!A Gwanda man caught enjoying sex with his neighbour's wife in her matrimonial bed has been instructed to buy a new one because the man and his wife should not use it again because of its history.He won't get off that easily, he was also fined two cows, two goats and $500 by Chief Nhlamba of Mhlutshwa village.Thulani Ndlovu and Patricia Moyo had been seeing each other behind Philani Mabuza's back. News spread across the area and one villager told Mabuza who then set a trap.He pretended to be travelling to South Africa on a particular day only to return home at 10:30pm to find his wife and lover in action on his bed.Ndlovu bolted out of the house undressed with his privates swinging like a pendulum but Mabuza didn't have the energy to chase after him. The seemingly cool Mabuza didn't ask anything. He just took his side of the bed and dozed off. In the morning Mabuza reported the matter to the village head."I handled an issue of infidelity involving Thulani Ndlovu and Philani Mabuza's wife Patricia Moyo. Moyo and Ndlovu admitted that they were caught indulging in sex. Mabuza said he still loves his wife and demanded a fine from Ndlovu for sleeping with her," said Chief Nhlamba. The cost of federal flood insurance is expected to rise for thousands of Houston, Texas, homeowners as Congress looks to overhaul a program thats billions of dollars in debt. The National Flood Insurance Program provides coverage to more than 300,000 homes in Harris and Galveston counties. But its $24.6 billion in debt and Congress has a September deadline to change and renew it, the Houston Chronicle reports. The program was created because private insurers alone couldnt bear the risk of catastrophic losses. The U.S. Government Accountability Office notes in a recent report, however, that the federal initiative offers rates that do not fully reflect the risk of flooding. Ed Schreiber, Houston region president for Bancorp South GEM Insurance Services, which sells federal flood policies, said changes need to be adopted quickly. We have a product whose pricing hasnt been able to support the losses, he said. Ruth Escamilla, a sales executive for Bancorp South GEM, said homeowners outside a flood plain can pay about $450 for full coverage, getting $250,000 for structural damage and $100,000 for contents. A Harris County homeowner living inside a 100-year flood plain without some protective measures such as a raised foundation can pay about $3,200 a year for flood insurance. A person living near the coast in Galveston can pay up to $8,000. The rates are only going to get worse as time goes on, Escamilla said. Theyre taking away more of the subsidies, so that were going to be more and more responsible for the floods. One priority for reforming flood insurance is to deal with properties that flood repeatedly. Harris County has 9,700 repetitive loss properties, or homes for which two or more flood insurance claims of more than $1,000 have been filed within 10 years. There are an additional 1,965 severe repetitive loss properties ones that have claimed more than $5,000 of flood insurance on at least four separate occasions, or has filed at least two claims that amount to more than the structures worth. A small percentage of structures are responsible for a large percentage of claims (statewide), Texas Floodplain Management Association executive director Roy Sedwick said. Investigators said Friday that a preliminary report on the train-bus crash that killed four Texas tourists should be ready within two to three weeks. Meanwhile, Biloxi, Miss., Mayor Andrew FoFo Gillich on Friday added a seventh railroad crossing to a list the City Council will vote on closing Tuesday. However, it wont be the Main Street crossing where a CSX Transportation train slammed into the tour bus. Instead its on a Delauney Street, a side street that Biloxi Chief Administrative Officer Mike Leonard told WLOX-TV is among the most dangerous crossings. It doesnt get a lot of traffic, but its at a point where trains are usually moving pretty fast right through the middle of the city here, Leonard said. National Transportation Safety Board spokesman Peter Knudson said in a news release that board investigators concluded work in Biloxi and have returned to their normal offices. He also said investigators interviewed the bus driver Wednesday. The board is asking any witnesses, or anyone with pictures, video or other relevant information to contact Pete Kotowski, the investigator-in-charge by emailing witness(at)ntsb.gov. Biloxi had already been planning to close six of its 29 railroad crossings in the city before the train hit the Echo Transportation bus, killing four and injuring dozens. The bus was filled with senior citizens who were on a tour of Gulf Coast casinos and other sights. Most crossings slated for closure are within a block of another crossing. Biloxi has said it chose low-traffic streets that dont run in front of public facilities. Cost of the work isnt known yet. Biloxi wants to build two new railroad crossings, but Gillich said CSX wont allow any more crossings unless the city closes existing ones. Biloxi officials want CSX and the Mississippi Department of Transportation to pay for connector roads. They also want the railroad and the state to make the humps leading to crossings less steep. CSX likes to say the only safe crossing is the one that doesnt exist, Leonard said. So, were going to try to make some crossings not exist, but were also aware that before we close a crossing, weve got work to do. Some worry about decreased mobility, though. They need to put lights on them. They need to keep them safe. But closing them? I dont think its a good thing, said Timothy French, who crosses the railroad tracks every day for his business. A survivor told The Associated Press that the bus got stuck on the humped crossing. CSX has said changing street grades is up to Biloxi. Following the collision, Biloxi installed additional signs at Main Street and other crossings that have low ground clearance, where long buses and trucks have gotten stuck on the tracks because of the grade of the road. Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. EUCLID, Ohio -- Investigators are searching for three men in connection with a Friday armed robbery at a Euclid credit union. The robbers, who have not been identified, took an undisclosed amount of cash from Eaton Family Credit Union on Babbitt Road near Shore Center Drive, the Cleveland Division of the FBI said. The FBI on Monday released security photos of the three robbers. Witnesses believe the robbers are in their late teens, the FBI said. The robbers entered the bank just before 10 a.m. Two were armed with handguns, and one jumped over the teller's counter to take the money, the FBI said. No one was injured during the robbery. Reward money is available to anyone with information leading to the identification and prosecution of the robbers. Tipsters can remain anonymous and call the FBI at 216-522-1400 or the Euclid Police Department at 216-731-1234. Mark Chuparkoff Mark Chuparkoff, 44, pleaded not guilty to grand theft, forgery, tampering with records and money laundering charges that accuse him of stealing $75,000 from a Southwest Ohio couple. (Cuyahoga County Sheriff's Department) CLEVELAND, Ohio -- A grand jury indicted a disgraced lawyer on theft and money laundering charges that accuse him of forging court records to keep a client's $75,000 settlement for himself. Mark Chuparkoff, 45, of Copley pleaded not guilty last week to stealing money from a Butler County restaurant owner and his wife, according to court records. Chuparkoff, whose practice was incorporated in Columbus but had an office in Akron, was charged in Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court because he accepted the settlement check in Cuyahoga County, prosecutors say. Chuparkoff represented a restaurant owner and his wife who sued a Southwest Ohio UrgentCare for malpractice in 2009, prosecutors say. After years of appeals, the UrgentCare offered the couple a $75,000 settlement in 2015, according to prosecutors and court records. The attorney forged the restaurant owner's signature on a court document he filed Dec. 23, 2015 to accept the payout, which came in the form of a check made payable to Chuparkoff, prosecutors say. He deposited the money into his account, but never told the restaurant owner or his family about the settlement, prosecutors say. When investigators contacted the couple last year, they said they assumed the case was dismissed, prosecutors said. The charges are the latest fallout in Chuparkoff's legal career, whose law license was suspended indefinitely in 2016 after the Ohio Supreme Court's Disciplinary Counsel found he posed "a substantial threat of serious harm to the public." The statement came after the court's disciplinary arm investigated more than a dozen complaints filed against him by clients across the state. Chuparkoff took money to represent victims throughout Ohio, and never carried out the work he promised to do on their cases, the court found. One of Chuparkoff's victims, a Wickliffe police officer, reached out to Chuparkoff for consultation on filing an age discrimination and wrongful termination. The counsel said it interviewed several people during the investigation and suspects that Chuparkoff may have been having "a problem with alcohol or gambling," according to court records. Chuparkoff's license was suspended for 30 days in December 2015 after he failed to pay court-ordered child support. To comment on this story, please visit Monday's crime and courts comments page. Joshua Gaspar Joshua Gaspar pleaded not guilty Monday to a re-indictment of aggravated vehicular homicide charges in the September crash that killed State Trooper Kenneth Velez. (Cory Shaffer, cleveland.com) CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The man accused of hitting and killing a state trooper last year pleaded not guilty Monday after a grand jury reindicted him. Joshua Gaspar remains free on bond on aggravated vehicular homicide and driving under the influence charges in the death of Ohio Highway Patrol Trooper Kenneth Velez. Judge Robert McClelland kept conditions of Gaspar's bond in place, including random drug and alcohol testing and driving restrictions. Prosecutors earlier this month sought a new indictment that included specifications that would add five years to any prison sentence if Gaspar is convicted. Gaspar previously pleaded not guilty in the case and his attorney, Jon Sinn, has vehemently denied the charges. Gaspar was released from the Cuyahoga County Jail last month after posting bond and getting a warrant cleared up in Alabama. Gaspar on Sept. 15 was driving about 78 miles per hour on I-90 when he swerved to avoid a car stopped in his lane, according to prosecutors. He drove off the road and hit Velez, who was shooting radar on the highway, investigators said. Prosecutors have said Gaspar took a dose of methadone 14 minutes before the crash, and was driving on a suspended license. Sinn previously said Gaspar took a prescribed dose of the drug while battling an opioid addiction. While free on bond, Gaspar posted a message onto the pro-law enforcement Ohio Going Blue Facebook page in support of law enforcement. Gaspar called Velez's death a "tragic accident." To comment on this story, please visit Monday's crime and courts comments page. COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Ohio Health Department Director Rick Hodges is resigning his post for another job. Gov. John Kasich's office announced Monday that Hodges is leaving after three years "to pursue new opportunities outside of the administration." Chief legal counsel Lance Himes will step in as acting director. Hodges' resignation is effective March 31. Hodges is best known as the defendant in the landmark court case legalizing same-sex marriages nationwide, Obergefell v. Hodges. Cincinnati widower James Obergefell, one of the plaintiffs, sought to be listed on his husband's death certificate; the couple had wed in Maryland. As head of the health department, Hodges was named as the defendant. Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine defended the state's 2004 same-sex marriage ban in court. Hodges previously served as director of the Ohio Turnpike. "Rick has been a valued member of our team since the beginning of the administration and has enthusiastically and adeptly taken on big challenges at both the Turnpike Commission and at the Department of Health. I appreciate his service and wish him and his family well in this new chapter of their lives," Kasich said in a statement. Hodges' qualifications for the 2014 appointment was questioned by Democrats and abortion rights advocates who thought Hodges would close more abortion clinics. State law requires the department director be a physician or have significant public health experience. Hodges was not a doctor but had served as the director of marketing for the Fulton County Health Center and as the director of the Community Hospitals of Williams County in the 1990s. As a backstop, the medical director position was created, and Kasich appointed state epidemiologist Dr. Mary DiOrio. Himes has been an attorney with the department for more than 10 years, focusing on environmental health and compliance issues. He was named general counsel in October 2011. News / National by Staff reporter Local Government minister Saviour Kasukuwere has insisted that urban tollgates are a necessary evil, vowing to go ahead with construction of the plazas, despite fierce resistance by motorists.This comes as Transport minister Jorum Gumbo has distanced himself from the proposed urban tollgates, saying if they are to be put in place, they are the responsibility of Kasukuwere's ministry.Kasukuwere admitted that not enough had been done for the public to understand the motives behind urban tolling. News / National by Stephen Jakes MDC-T legislator James Maridadi has taken government to task over the issue of allowing the Chinese business people to bring i their products for sale and later smuggling all the cash back to their country considering they have no bank accounts in Zimbabwe."I would like to ask the secretariat of Parliament to bring me some exhibits that I have. Can you kindly bring the exhibits that I want to show to the House the dishes and all the other things so that when I debate, I put my debate in context. One small dish, one large dish, transistor radio, a thread, binder and outer blanket were laid on the table," he said.Maridadi said the President (Robert Mugabe) spoke about two issues and spoke about the economic downturn."He said Government was working hard to ensure that the economy can start working again and for very obvious reasons. The President then spoke about the need for Zimbabweans to shun corruption. Madam Speaker, I want to talk about those two issues, the need for Zimbabweans to shun corruption and the need for the economy to grow. There are issues that I want to highlight here which militate against the growth of this economy. The last time I spoke about this, I brought exhibits of blankets and I spoke to that. Today I have some exhibits and some documentary evidence here that I have which are militating against the growth of this economy," he said."There are people that are operating in this economy that are not following regulations that are stipulated by Government. What I have before this House are two dishes. These two dishes are imported into this country by a company that I have put tabs on. When this dish (small) comes through the border, it is cleared at $0.02. This one here (big) clears at the border at $0.04. That is the duty that they pay. I went to buy this one here (small dish) for $6 and I bought this one here (big dish) for $13. They are imported from China. In China Madam Speaker, they pay the correct amount but when they come to Zimbabwe, they do not pay the correct amount. I am talking about $0.02 and $0.04 and I have the evidence here."Maridadi said he have another item which is a transistor radio."This radio declares at the border $1.20 and it is sold in Zimbabwe for $14. Let me go on to the next thing. I have here what is called a quilting kit. A quilting kit consists of a liner, binder and the outer blanket. When these things are imported into Zimbabwe, there is the binder, liner, the outer blanket and the thread. It is called a quilting kit. When you put these together, you then come up with a blanket. This blanket here in Zimbabwe sells for about $20. A blanket which is manufactured in Zimbabwe is sold for $30 for a double. Companies in Zimbabwe like Waverly do all the manufacturing from lint to a complete blanket. The lint will lead to this outer material, it will also lead to this inside material and it will lead to this binding cloth and to a complete blanket, a double of which will sell for $30," he said."When these quilting kits come into Zimbabwe, what they declare at the border is $0.40. A local company which is manufacturing blankets cannot compete with a company that is importing a quilting kit for $0.40 and sell a blanket because they can even sell it for $3 and still make a profit. Actually, this material here, when it is being imported into Zimbabwe must declare $2.93 per metre at the border but this whole set is declaring $0.40 at the border. That is the level of prejudice to this Government."Maridadi said this Chinese Company would not able to do this if they are not protected by senior people in Government."The document that I have here Madam Speaker will tell you what has been imported into this country. The Chinese Company I am talking about here is called Yufan Import and Export Trade Company. It does not have a bank account. I wonder how they are then able to pay for these things in China if they do not go through the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe because they must essentially go through the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe. They must submit an application to the RBZ and say we need so much to be able to import these items into the country but I do not know how they do it because they do not go through the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe," he said. News / National by Online` - 3rd suspect Prince Dube 40yrs old Zimbabwean who was responsible for cloning police vehicle According to an article on MyBroadband Four suspects arrested for CIT Robbery at OR Tambo - Cas39/03 /2017- 1ST suspect was picked up at Soshanguve.* France Manaka a 30yrs old security officer at Guard force who is working where the money is kept at the voltSuspect address: 20 makhulong str. Tembisa.- 2nd suspect arrested Mnisi with SA ID no. 7801265634083: - a 39 yrs G4S security officer. #Address :- no.9 Leopard str. Elandsfontein- Address: 42 norkem park- 4th suspect is Thando Soshaqione 39 years old #address : 121 malik str. Blue Valley estate. Suspect was found in posession of Lamborghini worth five million and undisclosed amount of money was discovered- 5th suspect Tshepo Thokune was arrested this early morning. He is working as perimeter guard at OR Tambo Int airport That outcome after a two-day meeting failed to reach a compromise, indicated a victory for Trump's representative, Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin, and a defeat for nations like Germany who sought a strong defense for free trading principles. "I think generally it's a concern to reduce all kinds of free trade," he said, responding to a recent meeting of G-20 finance ministers, which saw the world's largest economies drop a pledge to keep global trade open. Volkmar Denner, CEO at Bosch, told CNBC at the China Development Forum on Sunday that having free trade is beneficial to all countries and industrial players. The chief executive of German manufacturer Bosch said the reduction of free global trade is a concern, and that it will be very difficult for President Donald Trump to recover U.S. manufacturing jobs, lost over the decades to low-cost locations. Speaking about German chancellor Angela Merkel and finance minister Wolfgang Schaeuble, Denner said it was likely the two leaders will be disappointed with the outcome. "I think they have promoted, personally, free trade, and therefore I think they most probably will be disappointed because Germany is a country that's relying heavily on export. And since we are (a) strong industrial nation, we rely on good relations (with) all the countries we do trade with," he said, adding that the difficulty of realizing free trade agreements in the current environment is becoming a concern for German industry. The Trump administration has put emphasis on having "fairer" trade deals with other countries, vowing to renegotiate existing agreements like the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) with Mexico and Canada. Since taking office, Trump also pulled the U.S. out of a key 12-member Pacific trade deal. That trend, Denner said, is a big concern for Bosch, which has an extensive presence in the U.S. through manufacturing and R&D facilities. "So far we consider the NAFTA region as one region economically. If this is changed, especially in the relation between the United States and Mexico, this of course is a burden for us and we urgently need to know what the real regulations will be in terms of taxes or whatever...we need clarity," he said. Trump has also underpinned his "America First" message by urging U.S.-headquartered manufacturers to consider moving jobs back to their home country and threatening to impose penalties on those planning to shift jobs abroad. Denner said the administration's emphasis on recovering manufacturing jobs lost to low-cost overseas locations was understandable, but the road will likely be tough. "The policy that we have been following in Germany, I always considered to be a better one because we really are proud to manufacture goods and we have done a lot to keep manufacturing inside the country competitive, although we also have very high wages," he said. Denner added that Germany kept itself competitive by driving innovation and high-tech manufacturing. But, he acknowledged, the situation in Germany is different to the U.S. "To turn this around for the United States, having lost so many manufacturing jobs over time, I think will be very, very difficult." Many critics have said one of the countries that can benefit tremendously from a more protectionist stance from the U.S. is China Chinese leaders have slowly drummed up their support for more free trade globally. On China, Denner said that market had the second largest number of Bosch employees after Germany with more than 60,000 employees as well as 45 manufacturing sites and 23 technical centers, and that he was very positive on the country. "We have a very, very strong local footprint and this helps us to enjoy significant growth. We didn't publish the official numbers yet, but (last year) we had double digit growth of our sales in the country, so it's very favorable," he said, adding that Bosch's strategy in the mainland is to bring new technologies into the country. Denner said he did not see a lack of access to the Chinese market, a common criticism against Beijing from foreign companies, but added certain Chinese regulations such as restrictions imposed on moving local profits out of the country were headed in the wrong direction. The U.S. has to push for sustainable improvements to health care, according to the CEO of Johnson & Johnson . Congressional Republicans unveiled a broad plan for replacing Obamacare on Mar. 6, which was met with harsh resistance from various factions, including medical service providers who said the bill would probably cause many patients to lose insurance and raise healthcare costs. For J&J CEO Alex Gorsky, the U.S. saw some "good news" for health care under Barack Obama's presidency and the key will be to make smart revisions going forward, he told CNBC from the China Development Forum in Beijing. "Whether you take the new plan, the old plan, we are going to have to make changes," he said. "The challenges are that we still have a lot of other issues to take care of how are we going to make sure that we continue to make some of the important improvements to health care, from a quality, from an affordability and from a sustainability point of view," he said. "And I think that's what we're going to have to work on, to bring forth the next round." watch now A days-old agreement between a major Saudi company and one of China's largest enterprises represents "the next level" of strategic collaboration between the two countries, according to the Saudi firm's CEO. Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC), a manufacturing company involved in chemicals and more, signed an agreement Thursday with Chinese state-owned Sinopec Group for new joint projects and potentially increased investment in an existing joint venture. Speaking with CNBC on Saturday morning at the China Development Forum in Beijing, SABIC CEO Yousef Abdullah Al-Benyan explained that deal. "I think it does not really represent a shift (in how Saudi businesses approach China), but it brings it to the next level of strategic collaborations between you know Saudi Arabia and China and specifically SABIC and Sinopec," he said. Chinese Premier Li Keqiang (2nd-L) meets with Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud (2nd-R) at Great Hall of the People on March 17, 2017 in Beijing, China. Lintao Zhang/Getty Images One of the key components of the deal, he explained, is a desire to expand the two firms' technological and innovative collaborations. Benyan called that dimension "very important" because of Chinese politicians' desire to "move from low product productions to mid- and high-end through technology innovations." "I think we would like to capture that to be part of this growth in China," he said. "And at the same time, Sinopec has also found SABIC is a very good gateway to go into the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in terms of investment and opportunity." Benyan said that now is a good time for Chinese companies to be looking at investing in Saudi Arabia because of his government's "Saudi Vision 2030" plan to diversify its economy. "They have been very clear that they want to improve the business environments in Saudi Arabia. They want to open up for serious business to come, they are changing their regulations, they are bringing more incentive programs, they have been more strong on governance and transparency," he said. "And I think this will attract a lot of people to take an opportunity, to take this really 2030 vision and really grow with it as well." watch now But Bini Smaghi, a former member of the ECB's executive board, expressed doubts about the viability of a rate hike before the conclusion of European quantitative easing. That commentary had moved markets as it seemed to conflict with ECB guidance delivered only days prior. Speaking with CNBC at the China Development Forum in Beijing, Bini Smaghi refuted a suggestion made by ECB policymaker Ewald Nowotny, who said Thursday the central bank would decide at a later date whether it would first raise rates or conclude its bond-buying program. Europe is fortunate to have Angela Merkel , China is resilient but challenged, the U.S. could get left behind economically and the European Central Bank is unlikely to raise rates before ending its bond-buying program, Societe Generale Chairman Lorenzo Bini Smaghi said in a wide-ranging interview Saturday. "I think it's going to be difficult. I think the difference is that we have negative rates in Europe," he said, contrasting the ECB's domain to the situation faced earlier by the U.S. Federal Reserve. "And I think to some extent if you bring negative rates back to zero this would be less dramatic," he added. "I'm not expecting this to happen very soon. Although once you go back to zero I think the important thing is to taper rather than raising rates." On the subject of European politics, Bini Smaghi said the wave-making nationalistic factions, like the one led by French presidential candidate Marine Le Pen, will ultimately fail to break apart the union. "I think in the end, France and other countries have too much to lose from Europe falling apart. I think most French people are in favor of the euro, in favor of Europe," he said. "I mean, Europe has to deal with many challenges, immigration, terrorism, the economy, which is growing too slowly." "I think it's a question also of politicians, mainstream politicians trying to work more on delivering for the people. That's what is really disappointing. The continent, he said, was "lucky to have" German Chancellor Angela Merkel in her dealings with leaders in Poland, Turkey and the U.S., where she just visited President Donald Trump. As for the world's largest economy, and the Trump administration behind its helm, Bini Smaghi said he is seeking clarity. "I think the U.S. needs to know what they want to do, I mean if they really want to go down a protectionist route, I think this really hurts American business," he said. "The U.S. is 20 percent of the world economy. If they close down, the rest of the world will develop without them. I think they just need to realize that." , which is already projected to overtake the U.S. in economic weight in coming years, "seems quite resilient" but it still faces some economic management issues, according to Bini Smaghi. "They have challenges because they have a large pot of savings that cannot really get out of China because of capital controls. So if it is invested, or in China, there's a risk of, you know, up and downs in the stock markets. If they open the capital accounts and then there is a risk of depreciation of the . If they want to counteract that, reserves go down," he said. "So there are some trilemmas, I would call, that they have to solve." Follow CNBC International on Twitter and Facebook. China is backing globalization for one very simple reason, according to Allianz CEO Oliver Bate: The country absolutely needs it. The financial services giant's CEO spoke with CNBC Saturday on the sidelines of the China Development Forum in Beijing, and he addressed the apparent rise of China as free trade's global champion at least rhetorically. "The interesting thing is it's not because people are nice. People are rational and intelligent: They need," Bate said. "As China is moving to an economy that more and more depends on global trade in an active role not just as an exporter of pieces, but of goods and services and as they go into other countries, it gets a lot more dangerous because the country doesn't have the experience and how to operate in different cultures and other environments." "As they move forward they need partners because, when the dragon shows up in a small country or vis a vis a small company they want to invest in, people get scared," he said. "And I think they will look to partners to help them on that journey, while we, in other parts of the world are trying to blame globalization for problems that have nothing to do with globalization. They're just due to bad management." As for China's economic management, Bate struck a strongly bullish note on the business prospects within Asia's largest economy. "This market is really, really exciting because not just is the economy growing still 6.5 percent - 7 percent, the insurance industry is just starting," he said. "Despite the fact that it has been growing very very strongly and even in some provinces you had 200 billion in premia, it's going to grow double digits and it's going to grow faster as people amass enough wealth to start now to protect it." President Donald Trump will need "creative diplomacy" to resolve the issue of North Korea's nuclear aggression, warned former U.S. Ambassador to China Max Baucus. Beijing, a long-term ally to Pyongyang, is a key player in this situation, so Chinese engagement remains a crucial tool at Washington's disposal, Baucus, a Democract who served under President Barack Obama, told CNBC on Monday. While Beijing has helped on international sanctions, mainland officials haven't gone as far as they can to curb Pyongyang's nuclear ambitions for fear of risking instability on the Korean Peninsula, Baucus said. "If the Peninsula becomes unstable and (North Korean leader) Kim Jong-un goes, South Korea will take control and become another country on China's doorstep under U.S. influence." But if Trump plays his cards right, he can convince Chinese President Xi Jinping to do more, Baucus said. U.S. lawmakers from both parties said on Sunday they had seen no proof to support the claim by Republican President Donald Trump that his predecessor Barack Obama had wiretapped him last year, adding pressure on Trump to explain or back off his repeated assertion. Several Republicans last week urged Trump to apologize for the allegations he made in a series of tweets on March 4. The maelstrom also caused tension with key U.S. allies and threatens to distract Republicans from campaign promises on health care and taxes. "I don't know the basis for President Trump's assertion," U.S. Senator Susan Collins, a Republican, said on NBC's "Meet the Press." "I do believe he owes us that explanation." Collins said she supported Trump as president, but she wouldn't side with him if he "misstated what the facts are." FBI Director James Comey is expected to be asked about Trump's claims when he testifies at a rare public hearing on Monday about alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election. Russia has denied the assertion it was involved in hacked emails and other attempts to influence the race. Representative Adam Schiff, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee holding the hearing, called Trump's claims "patently false" and said he expected Comey to say as much on Monday. Sir Martin Sorrell is arguably the most important advertising executive in the world. As CEO of the WPP Group, he oversees a global marketing machine that he's assembled for more than 30 years. His group's companies include J Walter Thompson and Ogilvy & Mather, Young & Rubicam, and more than 100 others, and clients include two of every three Fortune Global 500 companies. When Fortt Knox sat down with him for its most recent podcast, he spoke about his childhood, his career, and the pivotal choices he made. He didn't disappoint. Here are some of the best lessons: It's Never Too Late Sorrell was CFO at then-upstart ad firm Saatchi & Saatchi, when he decided to quit and build his own company. At the time, he was 40 years old. In an era when Mark Zuckerberg, Evan Spiegel and the Google founders are starting companies in their teens and early 20s, that might sound like a late start, but Sorrell doesn't see it that way. "I thought it would be good to have a go. I'd made a little bit of money, and borrowed 250,000 pounds [around $310,000 in today's exchange rate]," he said. "Forty in those days used to be a pretty critical age. Because you think of yourself starting work when you're about 20, you come out of college, and finishing when you're 60. Now, of course, here I am at 72 still going." Then again, Sorrell doesn't seem to follow the calendar most people do. Today he's the father of an infant daughter, his fourth child. Grocery business Albertsons held preliminary talks to merge with Sprouts Farmers Market , Bloomberg reported on Sunday, citing people familiar with the situation. Bloomberg said the early stage discussions took place in recent weeks and involved a plan to take Sprouts private. Doing so would add the natural and organic foods-focused business to the Albertsons suite of supermarket brands, which includes Safeway, Vons and Shaw's. Albertsons is backed by private equity firm Cerberus Capital Management. Representatives for Albertsons and Sprouts did not immediately respond to requests for comment, while a spokeswoman for Cerberus declined to comment. Shares of Sprouts spiked to a four-month high on Thursday and Friday amid a surge in stock options trading. FBI Director James Comey testifies before the House Intelligence Committee hearing into alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 U.S. election on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., March 20, 2017. At the outset of a pivotal week in Washington, FBI Director James Comey delivered a political gut-punch to President Donald Trump Monday and the news possibly could get worse for the president in the days and weeks ahead. In sworn testimony before the House Intelligence Committee, Comey said there was no evidence to Trump's claims that Barack Obama wiretapped him and Trump Tower, as the current president alleged in a series of tweets earlier this month. And he confirmed that his agency was investigating the 2016 Trump campaign's links with Russia's effort to intervene in the presidential election. More from NBC News: Comey: 'No information' to back Trump's claim Obama wiretapped him Gorsuch told class 'many' women manipulate maternity leave: Student Neil Gorsuch presents himself as consensus builder at SCOTUS confirmation His confirmation of that investigation was "historic," as NBC's Ari Melber declared on MSNBC, even as the director declined to discuss details. So, in the span of an hour, the head of the FBI debunked Trump's explosive charge that Obama tapped his phones: @realDonaldTrump Terrible! Just found out that Obama had my "wires tapped" in Trump Tower just before the victory. Nothing found. This is McCarthyism! And he contradicted Trump's tweets from earlier in the morning that allegations of possible ties between his campaign and Russia were "fake news": @realDonaldTrump James Clapper and others stated that there is no evidence Potus colluded with Russia. This story is FAKE NEWS and everyone knows it! Comey's testimony also threatened to overshadow what could be a political win for him -- the mostly smooth confirmation process for his Supreme Court nominee, Neil Gorsuch. Monday's back-to-back revelations from Comey could complicate matters for Trump's team and agenda in at least three key ways. One: Confirmation that the FBI is investigating Russia's contacts with the Trump campaign will only heighten Democratic calls for a special prosecutor, especially after Attorney General Jeff Sessions recused himself from federal inquiries involving the 2016 campaign. "The Department of Justice and Trump administration must allow Director Comey's investigation to move forward without any interference, meddling, or political pressure of any kind whatsoever," Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said. Two: Comey's testimony could lead to additional hearings. The Republican political operative Roger Stone, who congressional Democrats allege might be at the center of contacts with Russian operatives, tweeted during Comey's testimony that he wanted a chance to respond. @RogerJStoneJr It's only fair that I have a chance to respond 2 any smears or half truths about alleged "Collusion with Russians" from 2day's Intel Hearing Three: The Comey claim that there is no evidence to support Trump's assertion that Barack Obama wiretapped him - undercutting the president's credibility - could hurt the Trump as he tries to twist Republican arms in the health-care debate. House Republicans are set to vote Thursday on the GOP plan to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, and they can afford only 21 GOP defections to pass the legislation. Per NBC News' count, 17 House Republicans are opposed or leaning against the bill. The White House dismissed the impact of Comey's testimony, especially his confirmation of the FBI's investigation. "Nothing has changed. Senior Obama intelligence officials have gone on record to confirm there is no evidence of Trump-Russia collusion and there is no evidence of a Trump-Russia scandal," a senior administration official told NBC's Hallie Jackson. "Obama's CIA director said so. Obama's Director of National Intelligence said so. We take them at their word." "Investigating it and having proof of it are two different things," White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer added about the allegations. Republican members on the House Intelligence Committee also did everything possible to change the subject about Comey's revelations, focusing their questions about leaks of classified information. And it's still possible that House Republicans pass their Obamacare repeal/replace legislation, giving Trump a boost to his agenda. But the timing of Comey's twin announcements on Russia and Trump's wiretapping claim couldn't have come at a worse time for the White House. News / National by Thobekile Zhou A rare photograph of President Robert Mugabe in 'casual wear' has surfaced online.Mugabe aged 93, currently in Mauritius was photographed wearing an untucked white shirt.The photo (above) shows Mugabe who in recent years has almost always been seen in public dressed in western designer suits.Mugabe made his fourth foreign trip in 19 days, this time to Mauritius. Since March 1, the 93-year-old has visited Singapore, Ghana, Swaziland and now Mauritius.Said ZBC on its website on Sunday: "President Robert Mugabe has arrived in Port Louis, Mauritius to join other heads of state and government, captains of industry and intellectuals for the inaugural African Economic Platform (AEP).""President Mugabe was warmly welcomed at Ramgulan International Airport by the Prime Minister of Mauritius, Mr Provin Jugnauth, several ministers from the government of Mauritius, and representatives from the African Union (AU)," the report said.Do you think the president might have forgotten to put on his jacket? Dawn breaks behind the Houses of Parliament and the statue of Winston Churchill in Westminster, London, Britain June 24, 2016. The U.K. government told the European Union Monday that it will trigger Article 50 on March 29, officially kicking off the process to exit the bloc. This means that U.K. and EU officials will have until the 29th March of 2019 to agree on how the U.K. will leave the Union and how they will trade in the future. But such negotiations will be complex and the two-year deadline might not be enough. As a result, U.K. officials have already approached the World Trade Organization to see what they can do in case they cannot reach a deal within the two-year deadline. "British officials have worked with a number of people in the Secretariat, including Director-General Roberto Azevedo, who have explained a wide range of WTO rules including things like independent schedules in goods, services and agriculture and how these schedules could come into being," Keith Rockwell, spokesman for the WTO, told CNBC via email. "They have also explained Article 24," he added. Article 24 refers to the section of the WTO agreement on tariffs and trade that allows trading partners, in this case the EU and the U.K., to implement an interim agreement while they are negotiating a new trade arrangement. This would mean that the EU and the U.K. could continue discussing Brexit beyond 2019 and for as long as necessary. The article states that any interim agreement should include a schedule for a new free-trade area "within a reasonable length of time" but it doesn't determine what is reasonable. According to Politico, this could last for 10 years and still be considered "reasonable" pushing Brexit until 2029. "Importantly, both the UK and the EU would have to agree on this," Keith pointed out. It is in the EU's interest to ensure good trading relations with the U.K., but according to an international official, who didn't want to be named due to the sensitive topic, in Brussels there is one clear mandate for the negotiations: "Brexit has to be worse economically than staying in the EU." Such an approach could have an impact on agreeing on an interim deal. It's not the first time that a "transitional" deal has been mentioned but this has always been followed by other controversies. "My view is that it will take longer than (the two years)," the Irish finance minister, Michael Noonan, told CNBC on Monday. "I think that everybody now even though they haven't stated it openly areI would envisage a transition period," he added. Though it would give more time to both negotiating sides, EU officials claim that the U.K. would have to continue paying into the EU budget and being subject to rulings from the European Court of justice during that time but these are two of the reasons why Brexiters want to leave the EU rapidly. "An interim deal is what many people involved in the Brexit preparatory talks have been suggested, and not just for trade. There will need to be a longer time for the U.K. to dismember itself from the EU and a transition deal can include all exit issue plus trade," Fredrik Erixon, director of the European Centre for International Political Economy told CNBC via email. He added that the U.K. is likely to get away with a 10-year deal at the WTO. "I don't think there are many countries that would have anything critical to say of such a deal as they would be helped by it," he added. Follow CNBC International on Twitter and Facebook. Brazilian President Michel Temer eats barbecue in a steak house in Brasilia after meeting with ambassadors from countries that import Brazilian meat Brazil's President Michel Temer has told foreign trading partners that they should not lose their appetite for steak in an effort to temper concerns after the country's lucrative meat industry was thrown into turmoil over a corruption scandal. President Temer met on Sunday with foreign diplomats and executives from Europe, the U.S. and China to say that his government was confident about the quality of Brazilian meat after a series of raids on Friday suggested that some of the country's top meat producers had been selling rotten meat for years. "The federal government wants to reiterate its confidence in the quality of our national product," commented President Temer. "This standard of excellence is that over time it has opened the doors of more than 150 countries, with permanent audit, monitoring and risk assessment." Brazil is the world's largest producer of red meat and relies heavily on exports to Europe, China and the U.S., which provide a $12 billion boost each year to the country's embattled economy. However, Friday's investigation, which culminated in the closure of three meat-packing plants and deeper probes into a further 21, has thrown the health of the industry into question. Of the 21 under investigation, six ship to international markets. It is claimed that managers within the firms bribed health inspectors and politicians to obtain government certificates for their products. So far, 30 senior civil servants have been suspended and are under investigation for corruption. Among the accused are JBS, the world's largest beef exporter, and BRF, the biggest poultry producer. Both companies have denied the allegations. "We will not tolerate deviations and acts of corruption. We are taking aggressive measures against servers and companies and sharing information with the Federal Police and the Public Prosecutor's Office," Eumar Novacki, executive secretary of the case within Brazil's Federal Police force said on Friday. Agricultural production employs 6 million people in Brazil and is home to more than 4,800 meatpacking businesses. Follow CNBC International on Twitter and Facebook. Brexit will be a "huge burden" to both the U.K. government and parliament, which could render these bodies ineffective at addressing other issues, warned a report by the U.K.-based think tank the Institute for Government (IfG). The IfG suggests that up to 15 new bills, in addition to the Great Repeal (Brexit) Bill, could be required to secure the U.K.'s future beyond its exit from the European Union. These will be announced at the annual Queen's Speech in May, and could address topics such as agriculture and trade. The Queen's Speech forms part of the ceremonial start to the parliamentary year and outlines proposed legislation. The IfG's report argues that as roughly 20 bills are outlined in the speech, the predicted high proportion of those to be related to Brexit leaves little room to address other, perhaps domestic, issues. The IfG also suggests that the legislative upheaval that Brexit is likely to catalyze could lead to the government using different routes to make changes to U.K. law, which could mean that such legal amendments are not subject to parliamentary scrutiny. "The legislation required for Brexit will leave little parliamentary time for anything else it will be a challenge for both the government and parliament to do all this while still ensuring full scrutiny and leaving room for the government's domestic policy agenda," Hannah White, IfG director of research, said in a statement. But Andrew Hood, a lawyer at Dechert specializing in EU law and former legal adviser to previous U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron, told CNBC via telephone that the potential 15 additional bills, "minimizes the cliff-edge fear that people have." Hood added that U.K. parliament only has a "certain bandwidth," meaning that domestic issues could be "put on the backburner," but the significance of Brexit meant that it ought to take priority. He suggested that new U.K. immigration law could be an area to be foregrounded. In response to the report, a U.K. government spokesperson said in a statement sent to CNBC that: "We've been clear that where there could be significant change, for example in areas such as customs or immigration, there will be primary legislation." It detailed that: "Parliament will have every opportunity to debate and scrutinize the Great Repeal Bill during its passage." Follow CNBC International on Twitter and Facebook. Britain and Germany are set to sign a new defence co-operation deal after the UK launches Brexit, as Theresa May attempts to reinforce claims that she is not turning her back on Europe. The British prime minister is seeking to emphasise Britain's big contribution to European security to gain goodwill among her 27 EU partners amid concerns that the Brexit negotiations could prove very tough and might even break down. The UK defence ministry said it was working with Germany "on a joint vision statement on future co-operation" while the German defence ministry confirmed it was working on joint projects. "Independent of the effects of Brexit, Great Britain remains a strong partner and ally in Nato and also bilaterally," it said. More from Financial Times: Comey confirms FBI probe on Russian meddling into US election Trump denies Russian collusion as Comey heads to Capitol Hill Travel companies predict US immigration policies will deter tourists Areas of co-operation are expected to include work on cyber security, training and maritime patrols. This year, for example, Britain's new Wildcat helicopter will be deployed from a German frigate in the Mediterranean. Sir Michael Fallon, UK defence secretary, has been talking to some EU countries about building up military links in a move to reassure them that Britain is committed to European security and the Nato alliance. German chancellor Angela Merkel is equally determined that Britain's European defence and security role is highlighted as a benefit for other states and a signal that the UK can expand some forms of European co-operation even after Brexit. Berlin is also anxious to demonstrate its growing defence responsibilities in the wake of Donald Trump's complaints that most of the US's European partners and especially Germany spend too little on their defence and rely too much on the US. The US president confronted Ms Merkel directly with his criticisms at Friday's tetchy summit between the two leaders in Washington. Although Germany lags behind Britain and France in military significance, the political symbolism is significant in the light of Brexit and of the US reviewing its overseas military role. London and Berlin see it as particularly important to show a common front in eastern Europe, where Nato states feel threatened by Moscow in the wake of the Ukraine crisis and big increases in Russian forces on the country's western borders. Britain is leading a new Nato deployment in Estonia and Germany is leading one in Lithuania, with Canada and the US doing the same in Latvia and Poland. Meanwhile, the UK and Germany are engaged in the fight against Isis in Syria and Iraq: the RAF is flying bombing missions and Germany is providing reconnaissance aircraft, and training in Iraq. While Mr Trump has pledged his "100 per cent" backing for Nato, he remains determined to squeeze bigger financial contributions, above all from Germany. In Washington, Ms Merkel repeated a pledge to lift overall German defence spending from 1.2 per cent of GDP to 2 per cent, in line with Nato commitments. But she failed to satisfy Mr Trump, who tweeted after the meeting that "Germany owes vast sums of money to Nato" and the US "must be paid more for the powerful, and very expensive, defence it provides to Germany!" German defence minister Ursula von der Leyen hit back on Sunday saying there was no "debt account in Nato" and that the 2 per cent target was, in any case, not limited to Nato spending but covered other purposes such as EU-based defence co-operation and UN missions. Hony Capital, a Chinese private equity firm that says it has about $10 billion under management, is in a potentially tight spot as Beijing implements capital controls and anti-globalist rhetoric grows more popular throughout the world. But John Zhao, Hony Capital's CEO, struck a positive note in a Saturday interview with CNBC at the China Development Forum, pointing to the guidance of China's leadership. "If you listen to President Xi [Jinping], he made a remarkable speech at Davos and he is advocating globalization, addressing some of the problems past globalizations had cost," he said. "And if you listen to that blueprint, it's all about more trade, more globalization." Yet Beijing itself has clamped down on capital outflow, and Zhao offered a frank assessment of that situation. "Immediately it has some setbacks: When the money doesn't flow, the deal stops," he said. "I think a lot of these adjustments are really meant for better development. But then, as a tactician you need to be aware of that, so the money flow restriction has had an impact to the deals and things have slowed down, and we'll just see what happens." As Chinese investors look to diversify their holdings, Manulife could benefit. Earlier this month, the Canadian giant became the first financial institution to secure an investment company wholly foreign-owned enterprise (WFOE) licence in China, which allows it to launch investment products on the mainland via a wholly-owned local subsidiary. "We have investment products that are manufactured around the world, allowing people access to global investment opportunities, and we'll be able to sell them to qualified institutional investors here in China," CEO Donald Guloien told CNBC at the China Development Forum in Beijing. Many local investors are trying to internationally diversify, he said, so there's healthy demand for those products, which will cover everything from equities to fixed income to agriculture. Even as leading experts worry over China's economic problems like high levels of leverage and debt, Guloien said he remains confident. A key criticism leveled against both Facebook and Google is that the companies are not doing enough to arrest fake news on their platforms. "They've always maintained they were sort of digital engineers standing there with their digital spanners, trying to tighten the nuts on their digital pipes and not being responsible for the content that was going through the pipes," said Sorrell. Sorrell, whose company owns ad agencies such as the Grey Group and Ogilvy & Mather, was speaking to CNBC at the sidelines of the China Development Forum, where he said the two tech giants have to exert more control over ad placements on behalf of brands, and take more responsibility for it. Facebook and Google 's runaway success in capturing large stakes in the digital advertising market comes with responsibilities and they need to do more when curating how advertisements are placed on their platforms, according to WPP Group CEO Martin Sorrell. "They can't just say look we're a technology company, we have nothing to do with the content that is appearing on our digital pages," Sorrell said. He added that, as far as placing advertisements was concerned, they have to be held to the same standards as traditional media organizations. Another concern is that sometimes advertisements are automatically placed alongside objectionable and inappropriate content within those platforms that brands do not have control over. "The big issue for Google and Facebook is whether they are going to have human editing at this point ... of course they have the profitability. They have the margins to enable them to do it. And this is going to be the big issue how far are they prepared to go?" Sorrell said, adding they needed to go "significantly far" to arrest these concerns. A failure to address such issues could see Facebook and Google potentially take hits on ad revenue if brands stop advertising on their platforms. For example, French advertising firm Havas recently pulled all its ad spend from Google and its video platform, YouTube. The Guardian reported that Havas took the step after talks with Google broke down because the tech giant couldn't provide specific reassurances, policy and guarantees over the filtering and classification of video or display content. Havas' decision came after the UK government joined organizations including the Guardian, BBC and Transport for London in pulling advertising from Google and YouTube, the Guardian report said. Sorrell said blanket withdrawals from advertisers across these digital platforms will not solve the problem. Instead, he urged for greater cooperation with the tech giants. "I think the most constructive way of doing it is getting Google and Facebook to understand the problem, which I think they do, and to get them to step up to control it just like any other media right now would in a traditional sense," he said. Former Morgan Stanley Asia Chairman Stephen Roach said Monday that the G-20 financial leaders' dropping their traditionally strong support of free trade was "disturbing" and reflected rising protectionism in the U.S. "It's pretty disappointing when you get finance ministers from leading countries in the world who, out of the blue, are unable to validate the commitment to anti-protectionism which is the underpinning globalization," Roach, a senior fellow at Yale University's Jackson Institute of Global Affairs, told CNBC from the China Development Forum in Beijing. "That's an obvious reflection of the shifts in the political winds in the United States and indicative of a U.S. economy that is backing away from multilateralism," Roach said. "It was a disturbing meeting." Finance ministers and central bank governors of the world's 20 biggest economies were unable to follow through with their commitment to endorse free trade in the G-20 communique, as the new Trump administration seeks to put "America first." Instead of "globalization as a force that is bringing us together, (Trump) feels it is a force that is punishing American middle-class workers," Roach explained. The economist explained that point with the example of an Apple iPhone having parts from over 50 countries in a "world that is linked through global supply chains." watch now The world has exhausted all options for dealing with North Korea and the situation cannot be resolved until there's a change in the regime's direction, or a change in the regime, former United States Defense Secretary William Cohen told CNBC Monday. "There are no good options that are available right now, we've tried them all. I've been, over the years, involved in the six-party talks in seeing if we could find a way to work together, but it's always one step forward, two back," Cohen said at the sidelines of the China Development Forum in Beijing. "That would be the most difficult issue to resolve. I think that's the most dangerous issue we have facing us today. Kim Jong Un seems dedicated to being even more provocative, more aggressive," he added. A sales assistant watches TV sets broadcasting a news report on North Korea's nuclear test, in Seoul, January 6, 2016. Kim Hong-Ji | Reuters Geopolitical tensions heightened in recent weeks after North Korea launched ballistic missiles into the Sea of Japan and tested a new type of high-thrust rocket engine. The potential deployment of a U.S. anti-missile system in South Korea saw China retaliating against Seoul. However, Cohen, who is chairman and CEO of the Cohen Group, said President Donald Trump has put together a good national security team. People such as Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson are people who could offer good advice in dealing with the North Korea situation, he said. watch now It is then up to Trump on whether he would act on the advice he is given. "If you look at the people you've put in there, mostly people in the military in the national security team, that's good, because the military men are the last ones that want to go to war So I'm encouraged, I think we need to give President Trump some time, and again this is new for him, he's had no government experience. So things that you could say in the past don't go over quite as well in that Oval Office," Cohen said. On U.S.-Russia relations, Cohen, who once expressed concerns about Trump, said the situation would not improve until the president clarifies his companies' financial ties with Russia. There's a cloud hanging over the Trump administration saying, 'What is the nature and basis of this bromance?' William Cohen former United States Defense Secretary, on Trump and Putin watch now The world economy has never recovered its growth trajectory since the global financial crisis, but globalization is the booster that everyone including the United States now needs, the World Bank's chief executive Kristalina Georgieva told CNBC. Speaking from the China Development Forum in Beijing, Georgieva acknowledged that inequality which critics say is caused by globalization has increased. However, she argued, an interconnected world benefits both developing and developed countries. "Well, we have learned from our decades of experience that open economies create better opportunities for people in the developing countries, but also for people in the rich world. They have access to cheaper goods. They have a chance to actually export more when the purchasing power in the rest of the world is going up," she said. An employee walks outside the World Bank headquarters in Washington, United States. Win McNamee | Getty Images She noted that in countries where help is given to people who lost their jobs to either exports or automation, anti-globalization sentiment is of a lower degree. It is for that reason that the world should not "just throw our arms in the air in desperation" against globalization, even when there is loud discontent that has resulted in protectionist sentiment around the world, said Georgieva. Instead, countries should work out a solution in a more "mutually respectful manner." "The lesson we should draw is that if there is a problem, let's concentrate on the problem and what is the best solution for it. Rather than deciding that yes, we should throw the baby out with the bathwater," she added. watch now News / National by Staff reporter President Robert Mugabe has castigated the continued interference by some super powers that are using non-governmental organisations to meddle in internal affairs of African countries.He was speaking at the first-ever continental economic summit, the African Economic Platform (AEP), which has been officially opened amid calls for Africa to unite and consolidate the values of the OAU founding fathers.President Mugabe joined several other African heads of states and government, captains of industry and intellectuals at the platform that is seeking to promote economic transformation and integration among African countries.Addressing the delegates in a plenary session, President Mugabe castigated the continued interference by some super powers that are meddling in Africa through non-governmental organisations." we have in our systems today so much interference by outsiders sometimes direct but now very commonly through what they call NGOs. NGOs hundreds of them in one country you get numerous, hundreds of them, there is hardly any country, no there is no country in Africa without NGOs none! None, none at all."We have not been left to ourselves to do our own things, to develop ourselves indigenously no! We have tried but in spite of these inhibitions sometimes they have come to us by way of sanctions," said President Mugabe.President Mugabe said despite the illegal sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe for embarking on the land reform programme, the country has soldiered on."We have had sanctions for more than 15 years imposed on us Zimbabwe for no other reason than the fact that we got our land back from the settlers from the British government. You see, so the resource that we got which is land! Very crucial has cost us quite a lot. Nevertheless we try our best within SADC," he said.President Mugabe says African countries are not interacting or freely trading with each other because of various inhibitions.He says intra-Africa trade is suffering while countries prefer to do business with Britain and the USA which is detrimental to African development."Our inhibitions to interact with each other, freely trade with each other have been of the fact that we think in some cases that co-operating with outsiders is not beneficial and co-operating with each other, trading with each other is avoided."..avoided regionally and the consequences are that we don't develop intra-trade within our regions, no! We still want country by country to trade perhaps with Britain and America and so on, that inhibiting our trade," said Cde Mugabe.President Mugabe said there is need for countries to unite and move together if Africa is to achieve economic development."It was thought by our co-founders that if we put ourselves together politically and form a big union we may be able to serve our people better, hence the formation of the OAU which was formed in 1963," he said.The AEP meeting is a demonstration that Africa is now taking concrete steps towards economic transformation and integration making it imperative for every country on the continent to be part of the process as it takes off.The summit is focusing on economic transformation and integration on the continent. Following is the transcript of a CNBC interview with Andrew N. Liveris, CEO, Dow Chemical Company. The interview was broadcast on CNBC on 20 March 2017. All references must be sourced to a "CNBC Interview". Interviewed by Geoff Cutmore, Anchor, CNBC at China Development Forum 2017. Geoff Cutmore: So let's start Andrew by just asking you how good or otherwise you feel about the growth momentum that the Chinese economy has right now. Andrew N. Liveris: Look, the growth momentum in China is based on their pivot of a few years ago almost as President Xi came into power that discusses domestic sector growth economy rather than an export reliant economy. I'd say a few years in, it's going as well as they wanted. And for Dow surpassing our expectations because the other pivot that's occurred here is the obvious one of the environment. I mean when they hit the food safety issues a few years ago when they hit the, you know, the issues of water and clean water in their riverways, if you look at the air and the air pollution especially in places in the urban centres like Beijing, they've accelerated their notion in the 13th five year plan speaks to it of putting in place sustainable growth. So, sustainable growth, if you put the technologies and the products, these are domestic sector purchases, these are companies being born all over China. SMEs to reform state-owns that are needing these technologies and that will create new types of growth. They call it high quality growth. So instead of high volume only, high quantity that's high quality. GC: The government has been trying to restructure and reform, part of that has been down to the environmental story. But some of it has also been about access capacity around the state owned enterprises. They've also been slowly opening the door in some sectors of the economy where there has been limited access. Are you concerned at all that under the pressure they feel now from the American administration some of those progressive moves get rolled back or suspended? AL: So that's, that's a very big question, has several big bite sized chunks. Let's go one by one and I'll give you the Dow view. The reforms as it relates to excess capacity in.. let's call it me two product lines that the state owned enterprises have been primarily involved in. They used to call those pillar industries. In essence those cutbacks, those factory shut downs mostly for environmental reasons but really because of structural capacity reasons - oversupply, they're not low on the cost curve here they're higher on the cost curve. Very few of those commodities do they have some sort of competitive edge. Those are being welcomed. Those are being, in fact Dow never participated in building petrochemicals here. We've built in places like Saudi Arabia or the United States that are much lower on the cost curve. And so the pivot from restructuring the structure of the supply side to working the demand side and then really look at the demand side as I said earlier as a domestic sector quality demand side to change the skills they need for the digital age to put in place efficient transportation smart cities and better food supply. All those technologies are innovation driven so low cost integration commodity, as a base fine they've got enough building on top of that an innovation centric economy through investment here in China like Dow has done. We have a very large R&D center, our second largest in the world is right here in China. We have got 750 Chinese scientists working towards all these environmental drivers but also domestic drivers working with Haier to give them a more efficient washing machine so it uses less water and takes out bacteria; working with Nippon paints and take out pollutants in indoor air quality; and many other building projects and materials projects that I can quote. Those sorts of growth drivers are right in the sweet spot of technology driven companies. Now as it relates to the US administration and the back and forth that's begun and I want to emphasize the word begun. It's begun because what? The inequity perceived in global distribution of wealth is not just unique to emerging countries it's very much in the centrepiece of developing countries and the United States. You know what President Trump got elected on was very simple and that is the income distribution of the US economy as it became more and more of a service sector economy, the factory workers, the displaced workers of America didn't have a job to look forward to. And the conundrum there is there's a half a million science based jobs open in the United States as we speak. So what the issue is isn't really China-centric. The issue really is US-centric. How do I rekindle manufacturing the United States? Not by taking it away from someway but rekindling it in the United States. Now will that manifest itself into a discussion on trade? Absolutely. What's fair trade look like? You said it in your question. Access. Are all US companies being able to access the Chinese market equitably according to whether they are important whether they are local. No. So what does fair trade look like? And is it in fact what we used to have in trade agreements? That's a discussion that's opening up. I call that healthy. I, as a global company want to access the Chinese market, the US market, the South American market, every market on the same standard. GC: So you don't think you get that access in China? AL: Well so over all the years that we've been operating here we could never do a petrochemical complex without making it a joint venture. Technology transfer had to occur in China's first manifestation of economic growth. Now that they've got their own technology they need it less. Service sector countries, companies can't access this market. The financial services insurance companies, health sector, sector companies. So those you know access issues on investment, not necessarily on trade of goods are importing. China has been pretty good under WTO standards. We can import pretty much everything here as a manufacturer from elsewhere but to invest here - we didn't have equal access. GC: But do you not feel conflicted that you are now perceived to be part of Donald Trump's drive for "America first" when your business makes two thirds of its revenue from the rest of the world? AL: The question is flawed because I am not part of anyone's drive to make America first. I'm part of President Trump's activity to rekindle manufacturing so it's not a zero sum game. And that is fundamental, is the answer to your question. This is not a zero sum game. We all know that. People who trade in the global system, we know what has to happen here and to satisfy a population's feeling of inequity, globalization hasn't been fair. Think about it this way, America pretty much since World War 2 has been a consumption economy. In essence you can import pretty much anything to America and sell it in America in any environment retail or in the channel you want. To invest in America, there hasn't been any incentive to invest other than the market. So whether you're an importer or an investor if you're a consumption economy, the American economy is the best in access. Every other economy is an investment economy. Even Europe has protections around investment. So I would say to you there is a recalibration going on globalization. Think of it as not consumption but investment. I want to be part of that conversation. So I get a better answer for the Dow chemical company. GC: You have a very nuanced view on this strategy. The problem is that people read the headlines and they see the fact that Steve Mnuchin was unprepared to put an anti protectionist language in the G20 communique that sends a terrible message doesn't it? To anybody that believes that free trade lifts income levels for everybody? AL: So people elect governments, governments do what they have to do to protect their people. We should not judge why the democratic process elects this or that. Dow is 120 years young. We work with every government. And I've been CEO for a dozen years. I work with every government in the United States, every government around the world. Including this one here. So I am not afraid of headlines. It's the body of work that goes below the headlines. That's more important behind every statement, there's a body of work that has to happen. And I would say very important to the US government is job creation in the manufacturing base of America. And if you look at the raw data, America has lost that battle the last three decades. It wants to regain footing. Now there are some advantages - entrepreneurial, best universities in the world, energy, low cost energy. The petrochemical chemical sector that I belong to, investing 180 billion dollars as we speak, Dow 7 billion dollars. So we are not starting from zero. So what businesses like ours have to do is help with the body of work together to get America what it needs investment and growth and job creation for the new age not yesterday's era the new era. And then grow from there off of a flat level playing field. I'm all for that in any country. GC: But I mean not to get too theoretical about this but Ricardian comparative advantage is all about trade happening to the advantage of both parties. And if you can manufacture at a lower cost somewhere else trying to bring those jobs back to America is trying to reverse the rules of economics isn't it? AL: Yeah, and we're not going to spend an awful lot of time at this point because it's a one or two hour interview probably. But please remember what's happened to the world based on technology the industrial age 4.0 the fourth industrial revolution is creating this another, another pressure it's enormous on job creation. It's in essence the digitization of industries not just digitization of communication or even digitization of e-Commerce which everyone in the in the world probably understands somewhat if you're an online shopper or for sure use a smartphone. But the digitization of manufacturing has begun. And companies like Dow are digitizing. That means we're not creating the same sort of jobs we used to create. So the war on human capital and the war on job creation has moved and the governments that get that, when they rebuild their manufacturing sectors to this new economy have to look at skills, look at their education system and they have to look at many things that other countries might do and build them all together like Germany and apprenticeship programs. Many of us have become universities in our own right because the universities are not giving us what we need. So when you look at competitive advantage think of it in the context of the technology age. And what we haven't done to prepare our kids and frankly the displaced workers out there mostly in Western economies we can't protect them. We have to skill them, we have to help them get these new skills to deal with robotics and automation and the Internet of Things and the digitization of every factory floor and in by so doing we create an ecosystem of new jobs. And I mentioned earlier half a million of these jobs are opened in the United States as we speak. Me? Yeah. We're not going to get there overnight but we can make that happen faster if (we) cooperate with governments and get them into the right programs. GC: But let's just bring this back to a human level, look we understand the points that you're making and I'm sure as you've explained them to people that you've spoken to here as you've gone into some of the details perhaps their eyes widened and they've gone, now I start to see some of the reasons why you're involved. But you must also be getting some pressure here I would imagine. A little bit of blowback particularly from the Chinese who see you now as being a party to an administration that's had relatively harsh language towards this government. AL: Look, I've been coming to China since the 70s. One thing I know about the Chinese culture in the Chinese people and Chinese leadership, they never overreact. They are patient and they seek to understand. The meetings I've had frankly have been nothing like you describe. They've been more... Well, now that you're inside discussing this and understanding it the way you're understanding it. Tell me a lot more about it and how does it apply to the relationship. And I'm getting that sort of question. And you know I won't push back on the label you're giving me. Remember I'm a global CEO. You said those statements earlier. GC: And you're in a unique position of having helped both administrations. You were also involved with President Obama's administration. As you compare the approaches of the two, how do you feel what Trump is doing is more effective in terms of rolling back some of the red tape and the barriers to you doing business? AL: Yeah the distinction is interesting because the three pillars of activity are almost the same. The work products on what are the technologies of the future? What are the policies to encourage them? How do we get the workforce skilled? The emphasis in this administration is the last two. The workforce skilling and training and finding national programs that make sense as recent as yesterday, two days ago in the United States. We had a meeting on that when the German chancellor visited. How did we learn from Germany and then most importantly the point you made? How do we take out these headwinds to enable manufacturing to invest in this country in the US again? Just to give you one step. The average regulatory cost to a US manufacturer is a small medium and large, is roughly $19,500 per employee per year. The average cost to all other sectors is less than half of that at $9,900. So the manufacturing sector has his added burden at double the rate of every other sector. So just working on that alone. Forget everything else that gets done would immediately enable the policy environment to have an effect on investment. There are many other things I could talk about but those two areas, regulatory and training, those two areas our emphasis points on this administration. GC: On the regulatory, and I am going to wrap it up here because I know you need to go off. Let me just ask you then about the process here to finally get this deal over the line with DuPont, because it's felt torturous I think to me looking from the outside. So it must have felt even tougher for you on the inside here. You're talking now about a second quarter closure of this. How frustrating though has this regulatory process been? AL: So antitrust regulatory, regulators around the world whether they be the EU or China or in the US any time too big businesses get together, you know, we were expecting that there would be some of this. It's taken much longer in Europe than we imagine, because there was a very decent thesis put out by the regulator that we had to respond to that it had never been raised before. And also the context of the deal changed. The other deals that happened pretty much right after us, changed the context of our deal. No matter which way you want to say it you couldn't just look at our deal and say well I'm looking at those other two coming along. So that created a series of delays. You mentioned a second quarter. So first half is what we said. I'm very confident we're going to get there. In fact first half is what we're all planning on. We have put in place now all the programs to get us ready for day one. We're gearing up down DuPont are getting ready to create this new company that will then have three companies spun out of it. The regulatory remedies for sure have been frustrating. I've used a line which I'm going to use on you three months of delay in the context of $30 million of new value fine. GC: But couldn't Europe do with a little bit of Trump va va voom when it comes to getting these things to run a bit faster? AL: There are plenty of people commenting on what the EU is like and what there isn't and including from the US right now. My experience with the EU is 27 nations trying to the EU 27 trying to make a decision on pretty much anything is dramatic, but its own bureaucracy rate. So yeah, could it have been easier and simpler? For sure. But look, I see a finish line. So you know what. Whatever it took to get from there to that finish line - fine. I'm a big boy. We know how to get this done. This deal is phenomenal, when it's day one I can look at it and say that's all memory, faded memory. The 19 finance ministers of the euro area met in Brussels Monday to discuss the Greek bailout program. However, the group is faced with problems of its own. The current president of the Eurogroup, Jeroen Dijsselbloem, is at risk of losing his seat after a general election in the Netherlands last week, where his Labour Party saw a significant setback. As a result, Dijsselbloem is unlikely to keep his role as Dutch finance minister and could therefore leave the Eurogroup. "As you know my mandate runs until January. The formation of a new coalition government in the Netherlands may take some months so whether there's a gap between the arrival of a new minister and the end of my mandate is too early to say," Jeroen Dijsselbloem, the acting finance minister of the Netherlands told reporters in Brussels. "If there is a gap in time between those two then it's up to the Eurogroup to decide how they want to proceed and I think I should discuss it with the ministers in the coming months," he said as he arrived for a meeting with the other 18 ministers. During this time, ministers are set to discuss "what solutions they would prefer." The Dutch politician is popular among the group and is a strong advocate of further integration in the euro zone. The Irish finance minister, Michael Noonan, said Monday that Dijsselbloem has been a "very good president" and the Belgian minister, Johan Van Overtveldt, stressed that Dijsselbloem has done "a great job." On Monday, Dijsselbloem told the German Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung that the European Stability Mechanism (ESM) -- which is the bailout fund of the euro area -- should become a European version of the International Monetary Fund. However, until now, every president of the Eurogroup was a sitting finance minister, which could mean that once the Netherlands elects a new minister, Dijsselbloem will no longer head the euro's finance ministers meetings. Nonetheless, a new precedent could be set. Some European officials have been discussed for some years the idea of a permanent president to the Eurogroup. Johan Van Overtveldt, the Belgian finance minister, said Monday that he's "totally prepared" to discuss such possibility. Furthermore, the Spanish minister, Luis de Guindos, who previously ran against Dijsselbloem to lead the group, denied that he is a candidate to the seat. His name resurfaced as a potential replacement to the Dutch man following the elections in the Hague. Speaking to reporters in Brussels, ahead of a scheduled meeting, de Guindos said that "in principle, he is not a candidate to anything." Follow CNBC International on Twitter and Facebook. European markets closed down on Monday afternoon as investors focused on the potential impact that trade barriers could have on global growth. The pan-European STOXX 600 ended 0.17 percent lower with most sectors and major bourses in negative territory. Oil and gas stocks led the losses as oil prices moved lower after increased pressure on the commodity from U.S. drilling activity in an already bloated market. Brent was trading at $51.73 a barrel, down 0.06 percent, while U.S. WTI stood at $48.41 per barrel, 0.8 percent lower. Britain's Tullow Oil was trading close to the bottom of the European benchmark after announcing plans last week to raise 607 million ($750 million) in order to reduce a debt burden. Its shares provisionally closed 2.3 percent lower. Hugo Boss shares dropped 4.7 percent on Monday on news the German clothier had reportedly failed to attract an investment from Belgian investment firm Groupe Bruxelles Lambert . Unilever is reportedly preparing a 6 billion ($7.44 billion) sale of some of its food brands, according to U.K. newspapers on Saturday. Its shares moved 0.36 percent higher. Meanwhile, in the U.S. markets were trading mostly higher as money managers digested comments from U.S. Federal Reserve officials that showed some divergence within the central bank regarding rate hikes. The Nasdaq composite hit a fresh all-time high in mid-morning trade before holding about 0.1 percent higher. Minneapolis Fed President Neel Kashkari told CNBC on Monday that he voted against a rate hike last week because he wanted to see more inflation in the U.S. FBI Director James Comey on Monday publicly refuted President Donald Trump's claim that the Obama administration wiretapped Trump Tower before the 2016 election, saying neither he nor the Justice Department have evidence to back the president's explosive tweets. "With respect to the president's tweets about alleged wiretapping directed at him by the prior administration, I have no information that supports those tweets. And we have looked carefully inside the FBI. The Department of Justice has asked me to assure you that the answer is the same for the Department of Justice and all its components," Comey testified before the House Intelligence Committee. It marks perhaps the strongest rebuke yet of Trump's allegations, which the bipartisan leaders of both the House and Senate intelligence committees said they have not seen evidence to support. National Security Agency Director Michael Rogers, who also testified Monday, said the U.S. did not ask Britain to spy on Trump. In defending Trump recently, White House press secretary Sean Spicer cited a Fox News analyst who alleged the key ally did so, prompting an angry rebuff from the intelligence agency GCHQ. The White House has defended Trump's tweeted accusations even amid rebuttals from top congressional leaders and a key foreign ally. Despite Comey's public statement on behalf of the FBI and Justice Department, Spicer said that Trump has no plans to back away from the claim and suggested that all information may not yet be available. Trump himself did not back down from the accusation as recently as Friday. "On wiretapping by this past administration, at least we have something in common, perhaps," Trump told German Chancellor Angela Merkel during a joint press conference. The NSA allegedly monitored phone calls involving Merkel and her aides, straining relations with Trump's predecessor, President Barack Obama. Following Comey's rebuttal, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., called on him to "retract his claim immediately." The White House and its allies in recent days have attempted to change the interpretation of Trump's explosive tweets from earlier this month. In four separate statements on Twitter, Trump said he was the target of a wiretap. In two, Trump put quotes around the term, which Spicer said means he may not have meant it literally. Still, in one of those tweets, Trump called it a "fact that President Obama was tapping my phones in October." Terrible! Just found out that Obama had my "wires tapped" in Trump Tower just before the victory. Nothing found. This is McCarthyism! 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! I'd bet a good lawyer could make a great case out of the fact that President Obama was tapping my phones in October, just prior to Election! How low has President Obama gone to tapp my phones during the very sacred election process. This is Nixon/Watergate. Bad (or sick) guy! Spicer argued on Thursday that Trump referred to "broad surveillance," not a physical wiretap. He contended that reporters have focused too much on the president's accusation, which he made without citing evidence, and not statements denying that Trump campaign officials had ties with Russian officials. James Comey, Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), pauses during a House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence hearing concerning Russian meddling in the 2016 United States election, on Capitol Hill, March 20, 2017 in Washington, DC. FBI Director James Comey warned the House Intelligence Committee on Monday he would not be able to share all of the information he has about Russian meddling in the U.S. presidential election. "Our ability to share details with the Congress and the American people is limited when those investigations are still open, which I hope makes sense," Comey said. "We need to protect people's privacy. We need to make sure we don't give other people clues as to where we're going. We need to make sure that we don't give information to our foreign adversaries about what we know or don't know." Although the FBI's practice is to avoid confirming the existence of ongoing investigations, it made an exception in this case because it views doing so as being in the public interest. Comey said he has been authorized by the Justice Department to confirm that the FBI is investigating Moscow's efforts to interfere in the November election, in which Donald Trump clinched a surprise win and emails from Democrats were leaked online. The FBI is investigating whether people associated with Trump's campaign coordinated with Russia. "Because it is an open, ongoing investigation and is classified, I cannot say more about what we are doing and whose conduct we are examining," Comey said. While the FBI has briefed some congressional leaders and committee members in detail about the investigation, Comey stressed that he would not go into detail about what he shared during those discussions at the televised committee hearings. He acknowledged his inability to go into detail is "extremely frustrating" to some people but warned people to avoid reading into it. "Please don't draw any conclusions from the fact that I may not be able to comment on certain topics," he said. "I know speculating is part of human nature, but it really isn't fair to draw conclusions simply because I say that I can't comment." Here are the questions that Comey declined to answer in full. President Donald Trump's proposed spending on Social Security and Medicare could have detrimental consequences for future generations, former Sen. Bob Kerrey told CNBC on Monday. The Democrat former senator from Nebraska said the U.S. will see an $80 billion increase in spending on the two programs. "We geezers vote in large fractions. It is a lot easier to screw young people than older people because they don't vote and we do," the 73-year-old Kerrey said on "Squawk Box." Kerrey's comment came after Trump's first budget proposal requested to spare big social welfare programs such as Social Security and Medicare from any cuts. Conservatives had been clamoring for reforms to those programs to save money. Trump vowed to protect them as he campaigned for president last year. The plan also included a 10 percent increase in military spending next year, funding to deport undocumented immigrants and build a wall on the border with Mexico. Kerrey, who also served one term as governor of Nebraska, was a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1992. Reuters contributed to this report. President Donald Trump will not be able to improve relations with Vladimir Putin until the Republicans "follow the money" to better understand Washington's ties with Moscow, according to a former U.S. Defense Secretary. President Donald Trump delivers remarks U.S. President Donald Trump delivers remarks at the American Center for Mobility, a test facility for driverless car technology for American Manufactured Vehicles in Ypsilanti Township, Michigan, U.S. March 15, 2017. Relations between the U.S. and Russia have been strained by claims that people connected to the Trump administration have had inappropriate relations with Russian counterparts and that Moscow may have helped Donald Trump win the U.S. general election. Prior to that, relations had already faltered after Russia annexed Crimea in 2014. Former U.S. Defense Secretary William Cohen told CNBC Monday that any ties between the two countries will continue to be strained by uncertainty. "President Trump will find it hard to move ahead with Republicans in the Senate saying 'Wait a minute, we want to investigate, we want to follow the money, and we want to look at Mr. Manafort and others.'" U.S. lobbyist and consultant Paul Manafort is currently under investigation by the FBI, CIA and National Security Agency. As well as working on several U.S. Republican campaigns, Manafort has worked as an adviser on the Ukrainian presidential campaign of Viktor Yanukovych, whose direct ties to Russian president Vladimir Putin was one of the reasons for his ouster in 2014. But the issue isn't limited to Google, point out several advertising agencies. "We've made a public commitment to doing better and are making improvements in three areas: raising the bar for our ads policies; simplifying advertiser controls and adding safer defaults; and increasing investment in enforcement to act faster," Google's EMEA President Matt Brittin said during Advertising Week Europe on Monday, apologizing for the incidents. Pivotal downgraded Google's parent company, Alphabet, from buy to hold on Monday as a result. The stock broke its 9-day win streak that day. Media buying agency Havas recently pulled its ad dollars from YouTube and Google Display Network in the U.K., after a The Times of London report showed ads for several high-profile brands and charities were running next to neo-Nazi and jihadist content on Google-owned platforms. Other companies, including L'Oreal, Marks & Spencer, McDonald's and Audi have also indicated they may do so as well, according to analysts at Pivotal. A recent controversy involving Google has brought to light a growing concern companies have across the Internet: Advertisers often don't know exactly where their ads are running. In particular, the contrast between TV advertising -- where advertisers know exactly what content their ads are playing during -- and digital video is stark. "It's really the introduction of video that has made brand safety top of mind for advertisers," Ben Winkler, chief investment officer for advertising agency OMD , told CNBC. "TV isn't just about video. It's about ultra-high quality content and context. Digital can't quite deliver on that yet. Advertisers expect a higher level of brand safety from video, especially if they're expected to spend TV money there." This could turn into a significant problem for Google and Facebook , which together will account for about 60 percent of the $83 billion U.S. digital ad budget in 2017, according to eMarketer. "Appearing next to bad or unwanted content has always been a problem, especially as ad networks and exchanges (ad tech platforms that sell ads) grew and as more and more websites emerged," Matt Borchard, media director at media agency Noble People, told CNBC. "The sheer size of the Internet means there is a small fraction that is premium, a lot that is mediocre, and a small amount that is truly awful, especially for advertisers. This isn't a Google issue, it's a digital network/exchange/inventory issue." Borchard previously said adjacency is also a problem with Facebook videos, as companies do not have much control over what content their ads appear in-between or on. But OMD's Winkler argues the ad adjacency problem is more pronounced for YouTube than Facebook because ads run in between back-to-back videos. OMD has found that people associate commercials with content when they appear in a linear format, meaning a bad video could taint a company's image. However, people don't associate negative posts in Facebook's news feed with nearby ads. For example, a person may see a negative statement from a friend, but understands that the next post in their feed -- which might be an advertisement -- has no association with that statement. In Noble People's experience, some money is moving out of digital video and digital display advertising, but it's not going back to TV. "Instead, it's usually distributed across a variety of channels: video on demand, streaming services like Hulu, audio ads like radio, streaming radio and podcasts, outdoor or print," said Brochard. Another source at a big buyer disagrees and says there's no significant outflow of money from digital right now, but advertisers are starting to press for better solutions. Meanwhile, big publishers stand the most to gain if advertisers begin to have doubts about Google and Facebook, so it's no surprise they're jumping on board. Robert Thompson, the CEO of Times of London publisher News Corp , condemned the whole digital ad industry in a statement sent to CNBC today: "Ad fraud is being perpetrated ad nauseam. It is rife throughout the digital world, and is facilitated by some ad agencies, which themselves make money from artificial audiences and pretend page views," said Thompson. "Advertisers need to go back to basics to protect their brands from serious damage and to protect themselves from being involved in potentially criminal activity, whether it be supporting extremist groups or funding hardcore pornography." The Al Salibi family is new to Erie, Pennsylvania, having arrived six months ago. Over dinner of chicken, yogurt and bread, the Al Salibi family told the terrifying story about the day soldiers in their native Syria stopped their son Mahmoud, now 19, at a checkpoint. He was questioned and asked to show ID. "It was OK. He wasn't taken away," Ali Al Salbi said through an interpreter. More from NBC News: Tillerson's Beijing visit was a home run for China: state media 7 seemingly unhealthy things that are actually good for you Neil Gorsuch seeking 'illegitimate seat' on court, Feingold says But that moment convinced the Al Salibis they had to get out. "There was no security whatsoever," Al Salibi said. That was 2012. Now five years later, the family of six is settling into a new modest home in Erie, Pennsylvania. They've been in America about six months. "It's a good place," he said, adding that whenever he tells people in Erie he's a refugee, they smile and say, "Welcome." The Trump administration is fighting to roll up the welcome mats. The president's immigration order, if it goes into effect, would stop any refugees from entering for 120 days. In addition, Trump has capped at 50,000 the total number of refugees who would be allowed in this year. That's less than half of the 110,000 level that President Barack Obama had set. In 2016, more than 84,000 refugee resettlements happened in the U.S., the largest number during the Obama years. Erie has embraced so many refugees that this Rust Belt city that's seen more prosperous times has one of the highest concentrations in the U.S. of people who've fled persecution. As many as 700 refugees annually have been arriving here in recent years from Syria, Iraq, Bhutan, Congo, among other countries. In fact, the Mayor's office says refugees make up some 18% of the city's population of about 100,000. Two agencies, Catholic Charities and the International Institute of Erie, are tasked with greeting the new arrivals. "I think it's kept U.S. alive. I think it has kept U.S. moving forward," said Paul Jericho of the Multi-Cultural Community Resource Center. Jericho has been helping refugees resettle since Vietnamese families started arriving during that war in the 1970's. He agency helps find jobs, homes, English classes, and everything else families new to this country need. Opinion / Columnist On the 15th of March in Gwanda MRP sent its officials led by Cde Ngqabutho Mpofu, the party's Organising Secretary for Matabeleland South at Red cross Hall where there was a meeting organised by (wild). The women empowerment civic group had invited the local municipality top brass including the Gwanda mayor Knowledge Ndlovu.The aim was to bring the top brass to the community to answer some unanswered questions from the concerned residents of Gwanda, especially women. Wild deals with women empowerment. The meeting commenced at around 10am and ended at around past 2pm.During the meeting a lot of questions were raised, the residents were furious that the municipality borrowed $51 000 from Agribank meant to repair the roads which they were granted, but they diverted the money to buy a vehicle for the town clerk."We attended the meeting so that we get the opportunity to hand over the petition demanding the municipality to repair busy main road which is dangerously damaged. The petition had signatures of the concerned Gwanda residents. I personally handed over the petition to the mayor and I had an opportunity to address delegates present.I told them that the local council led by Zanu has failed to repair roads and management in general. The other issue that I raised is that tariffs are now too high at $17 per month excluding water bill yet there are no longer street lights despite the fact that we are paying our bills. We are also suppose to pay lighting levy". Mpofu said.In Gwanda the moment you connect water meter they start charging you including lighting levy, sewage, refuse bin & postage even if you haven't finished building the house.Meanwhile when Mthwakazi Republic Party came into the political scenes in Zimbabwe the Shona dominated media houses and it's Shona analysts were quick to discredit the party. However, the historical background since the inception of MRP has proved such analysts of doom wrongly.Indeed to sobre analyst of events, MRP has proven to be the revolutionary political movement so loved and appreciated by the people of Mthwakazi. There is no political party as old as history itself in Matebeleland that has presented the real crisis of Matebeleland like MRP.ZANU PF leader has not come open about the issue but the reactions portrayed by the state media inclusive of Chronicle and Sunday News testifies to that reality.Firstly, Sunday News has for several times portrayed the doomed analysis about MRP using doomed analyst who writes about hearsay concerning the leadership of MRP and it's philosophical ideologies. Such moves clearly indicates that it is a directive from ZANU PF.Mpofu went on to say, It is true that MRP is not the first organisation to talk about restoration , however one cannot take away the fact that MRP is the only party to establish structures within Mthwakazi in partnership with the communities. Mthwakazi Republic Party is indeed the anthill for Mthwakazi freedom."I further support the move by Mthwakazi Republic Party to contest within the Mthwakazi borders for parliamentary and council elections.Infact we are ready to work for MRP and vote for it. You cannot claim to be a political party without the back up of the people. Every struggle has to be legitimised through an electoral processes. The decision taken by the party indicates that the movement have the technocrats with proper revolutionary skills""At last our people have found a movement which caters for the people's interests. Whether one likes it or not MRP is moving from one glory to another. It's strength comes from its dedication to reveal the truth at whatever cost and it's radicalism to stop the Shona aggression."Who ever thought there would be a party at home that would publicly denounce Shonalisation and hegemony?.. " Mpofu said in excitementMay the spirit of MRP spread across the rest of Mthwakazi.Junior Mpofu Matabeleland South Provincial executive member.Mthwakazi Republic PartyZimbabwe Government inducing pain on citizens at Border posts.It has come to our attention that the Ministry of Industry and commerce in conjunction with Zimbabwe revenue Authority "Zimra" and other government department are fleecing our people thousands of dollars unnecessarily. The Zimbabwe Government is causing untold suffering to cross border traders and other citizens who would have travelled outside the country on return. Coming back into the country from a visit is now a scary thing.The MRP information department yesterday asked citizens to share their experiences at the hands of Zimra and the response was overwhelming on both whatsapp and Facebook.ISSUES RAISEDMinistry of Industry and Commerce According to the new statutory instrument 64 which prohibits importation of certain goods into the country, one has to obtain a so called import license at a cost of $30-00 valid for only one trip which also forbids you from importing certain products. Most ordinary citizens are not aware of this process they end up being victims of this unnecessary procedure.When you bring in your goods without this license Zimra automatically confiscate those products to their warehouse and you pay for storage per day per item until you collect. Once your goods are confiscated you are then asked to go either to Harare or Bulawayo "EMhlahlandlela" to the Ministry of Industry and commerce to buy the license, before going back to the border to pay duty and storage fees.That process only applies to certain products, which means if for example you had building materials they confiscate them without compensation and becomes of the state yet there is no proper documentation in process.Therefore there is no guarantee that those goods confiscated at the border will actually reach the state without those Zimra officials working in cahoots with state security at the border illegally benefiting.Citizens mostly from Matabeleland who spoke to MRP said the government should with immediate effect transfer the issuance of those import licenses from Harare and Bulawayo to the border posts to allow a one stop border facilitation everything should be done at the border.The government must continuously update citizens through the media billboards and any necessary methods possible any information pertaining border processes. The government must understand that ordinary citizens are struggling because the economy is bad.The cost of travelling to either Bulawayo or Harare just to get a so called import license and back to the border to collect your goods, which you would have initially paid for to transport is unnecessary and a total worst of citizens hard earned resources. Why not do everything at the border? Government must understand that it's not everyone who imports goods for sale, and it's not everyone who have access to information. It is certainly not everyone who lives in Harare or Bulawayo, there are people who stay in Victoria Falls, Hwange, Plumtree, Tsholotsho and have no accommodation in Bulawayo. So when you confiscate their goods at Beitbridge see how much pain and inconvenience you are causing to innocent citizens?Mthwakazi Border Posts- our citizens complained bitterly that only Shona people are manning all our border posts. Zimra and immigration officials' especially at Beit Bridge border post are some of the worst tribalists Zimbabwe has. Most of Harare bound buses cross the border with undeclared goods yet Bulawayo bound buses are searched sometimes twice and our people are made to pay hefty bribes in order to gain their freedom to travel home safely.Zimbabwe Republic Police officers are also doubling up as Immigration and zimra officials. Is it in the police's jurisdiction of work to ask travelers to produce passports and proof of declarations on high ways far from the border? Are they insinuating that they don't trust zimra and immigration officials at the border? A trip from Jo'burg to Bulawayo normally take between 8 to 12 hours is now made to take up to 18 to 24 hours because of many unnecessary road blocks.Our people also complained that the R320-00 being charged for illegal cross borders is too much and fuels corruption at the border. Ordinary People don't have such kind of money, they end up opting in bribing officials from R50 to R150 half the price of the official fine. Since the Zimbabwean government is guilty of sending its citizens to other countries because of human Rights abuse and mismanagement in the country, returnees must either pay R100 fine or better still freely come back to their country.MRP takes serious people's concerns and very soon we may be forced to demonstrate against all this illegal activities of a clueless government, destroying people's dreams and future. The rot at the border post must be cleaned immediately. Ministry of Industry officials at Mhlahlandlela are Shona and they are supposed to save our people how do they help them? We are tired of being ruled by tribalists, Gukurahundists, and thieves. We are tired of nepotism, regionalism and corruption, we now want self-determination.FOR PEACE AND JUSTICE IN OUR LIFE TIME.MRP secretary for information and publicity. Astrophysicist and television host Neil deGrasse Tyson launched a rallying cry on Twitter, changing President Donald Trump's "Make America Great Again" slogan to "Make America Smart Again." In the message chain that elicited tens of thousands of retweets, Tyson warned about the potential effects of a lack of investment into climate change, education, health and science, concluding with a twist on Trump's infamous slogan: "We all want to Make America Great Again. But that won't happen until we first Make America Smart Again," said the tweet, sent to Tyson's 7.01 million followers. Tweet 1 The sequence also contained a tweet harboring a thinly veiled warning on the dangers of groupthink: "The very best way to support and feed your delusions: Surround yourself with people whose world views match yours exactly." TWEET TWEET TWEET TWEET TWEET TWEET Although the messages did not explicitly mention Trump or the 2018 U.S. budget proposal unveiled on Thursday, Tyson's tweets follow his pledge to refrain from making public criticisms of the administration until he had seen some policy proposals. The areas highlighted by Tyson over the weekend were among those seeing the most severe proposed base discretionary funding cuts for 2018, including education with a proposed 13.5 percent drop, health and human services with a proposed 16.2 percent drop and the Environmental Protection Agency, staring down the barrel of a more than 31 percent tumble in proposed funding. Forget buying that new car, opt for a scarf and gloves and head to Norway if you want to achieve true happiness, a new report suggests. Renowned for its good public services and political stability, Norway can now also claim pole position as the happiest country on earth, having risen in the ranks to surpass Denmark and claim first place in this year's World Happiness Report. The study, which measures social factors alongside economic data, points to the limitations of financial factors in achieving happiness. Therefore, Norway vaulted ahead despite its economy being hit by the plummeting oil price, meanwhile happiness in the U.S. continues to wane despite incomes increasing. "This report gives evidence that happiness is a result of creating strong social foundations. It's time to build social trust and healthy lives, not guns or walls. Let's hold our leaders to this fact," said Jeffrey Sachs, director of the Sustainable Development Solutions Network, which produced the report in association with the United Nations. Norway sped ahead from fourth place last year to steal the top spot in the annual rankings, which combine economic, health and polling data on approximately 3,000 respondents in each of more than 150 countries. It is joined in the top five by fellow Nordic states Denmark, Iceland, Finland and central Europe's Switzerland, which averaged a comparable happiness level of 7.5 out of 10. The Netherlands, Canada, New Zealand, Australia and Sweden were also placed in the top 10. Norway (7.53) Denmark (7.52) Iceland (7.50) Switzerland (7.49) Finland (7.46) Netherlands (7.37) Canada (7.31) New Zealand (7.31) Australia (7.28) Sweden (7.28) Israel (7.21) Costa Rica (7.07) Austria (7.0) U.S. (6.99) Ireland (6.97) The U.S.'s happiness has slipped over the past year, however, the report suggests. Despite rising wages, overall happiness has fallen from 13th position globally to 14th, pointing to a need for a more comprehensive approach from government, the report suggests. "The predominant political discourse in the United States is aimed at raising economic growth, with the goal of restoring the 'American dream' and the happiness that is supposed to accompany it. But the data show conclusively that this is the wrong approach," said Sachs, in a section of the report entitled "Restoring American Happiness". Income per person has increased roughly three times since 1960, but measured happiness has not risen indeed, it has dipped over the past decade from 7.5 out of 10, to 6.8 out of 10. "The United States can and should raise happiness by addressing America's multi-faceted social crisis rising inequality, corruption, isolation, and distrustrather than focusing exclusively or even mainly on economic growth, especially since the concrete proposals along these lines would exacerbate rather than ameliorate the deepening social crisis." The comments follow a recent speech by Helen Clark, head of the UN Development Program (UNDP), in which she spoke out against the "tyranny of GDP (gross domestic product)", arguing that quality of growth is more important. The U.S. ranked just ahead of Ireland, which took 15th place, and was followed by Germany in 16th, the U.K. in 19th and France in 31st. However, economic factors remain a certain contributor to achieving social cohesion and overall happiness, the report finds. The ten bottom spots were taken by some of the world's poorest countries, with happiness levels averaging approximately 3 out of ten. These included Yemen, South Sudan, Liberia, Guinea, Togo, Rwanda, Syria, Tanzania, Burundi and Central African Republic. Follow CNBC International on Twitter and Facebook. watch now Singapore-listed Ezra Holdings has filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Protection in the United States, with the oilfield services firm becoming the highest profile victim regionally of a crippling fall in oil prices since highs above $100 a barrel in 2014. Ezra Holdings is one of the largest offshore marine services providers in Asia, but the business has struggled to overcome a series of headwinds that cast doubt over its ability to operate as a going concern. The filing comes after months of demands from its patient but unsympathetic creditors, and wasn't a surprise to investors or analysts who watch the space. Vessels pass an oil refinery in the waters off the southern coast of Singapore. Edgar Su | Reuters "Oversupply of offshore supply vessels along with the influx of newly built vessels resulting in low competitive charter rates compounded the financial difficulties of Ezra's business divisions," said Robin Chiu, the company's chief restructuring officer, in a court filing. The decision to file for bankruptcy comes just weeks after its associate, EMAS Chiyoda-Subsea, also filed for Chapter 11 in the United States, underpinning the concerns in the sector. "The Ezra Chapter 11 filing is intended to optimize the scope and extent of the restructuring options available and to protect the interests of all stakeholders of the company, including its creditors and shareholders, from hostile actions that could harm the company and its stakeholders by diminishing the group's value," it said in a statement to the SGX. Ezra was once a $2 billion company, competing with great success for lucrative offshore contracts. But its market value has seen an aggressive decline in recent months, as investor worries over its debt and liabilities continued to mount. Its shares have fallen around 80 percent this year alone. Experts who spoke to CNBC say nervous investors sensed that its contracts were getting cancelled or delayed and the turnaround wasn't progressing as fast as it should. By February, Ezra acknowledged its deteriorating outlook and warned the market that it faced a going concern issue, further testing the confidence of key stakeholders. It attempted to stop the losses with a self-imposed trading halt in mid-March. But in a further worrying sign, it also disclosed guarantees on nearly $900 million in liabilities and loans for its troubled Emas Chiyoda Subsea stake. "Ezra is one of the bigger sized companies here, so it was a bit of a concern that it's facing problems," said Daryl Liew, managing director and head of Portfolio Management at REYL. "Whenever you lever up and you have such high debt levels leading into a time when (oil) prices are taking a big fall, it's always going to be an issue." Two other entities under the group, Emas IT Solutions Pte Ltd (EMIT) and Ezra Marine Services Pte Ltd (EMS), were also included in the filing. The future of its other two other listed entities on the Singapore Exchange, Emas Offshore Limited (EOL) and Triyards, is still unknown. Ezra said it would hold a meeting as soon as "reasonably practicable" to carry out a "transparent restructuring process" with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court. Assessing the exposure Ezra management has been working to stabilize the firm, even as a slew of actions from creditors piled on fast. The 20 largest creditors are owed around $600 million, according to court filings. It is understood the company owes more than $270 million to Singapore's largest lender DBS Group Holdings and $184 million to the second largest bank, Oversea-Chinese Banking Corp. , its two largest creditors. It also owes about $108 million to a Singapore affiliate of HSBC, according to a Reuters report. "Our exposures to Ezra Holdings were moved to non-performing in the third quarter, and suitable provisions have been made," DBS said in a statement to CNBC. OCBC repeated that it has been stress testing this sector since the third quarter of 2015. "We have pro-actively reviewed several related accounts for close monitoring, and assisted customers to reschedule and restructure their loans," said Koh Ching Ching, head, Group Corporate Communications, OCBC Bank. watch now "Specific provisions were created, and additional general provisions were made for the potential further deterioration in the oil & gas portfolio. We are however unable to share details of specific customer loans." It is believed the company has estimated assets of between $500,000 and $1 billion, against estimated liabilities of between $100 million and $500 million, according to reports. Analysts said Ezra was likely to require more equity to survive, and a potential restructuring could include a debt-for-equity swap and a potential debt extension. "The Ezra Chapter 11 Filing is intended to optimize the scope and extent of the restructuring options available and to protect the interests of all stakeholders of the Company (including its creditors and shareholders) from hostile actions that could harm the Company and its stakeholders by diminishing the Group's value," the company said. "The moratorium afforded under the Ezra Chapter 11 Filing stays claims against the Ezra Chapter 11 Entities and enforcement actions against their assets." Bank of Singapore Chief Economist Richard Gerram said the bankruptcy of such a major firm reflects the on-going challenges in the sector. "The banks raised provisioning against bad loans so presumable they've been putting a bit of money aside for this kind of eventuality," he told CNBC's The Rundown. "We've been family cautious on oil." SGX responds House Speaker Paul Ryan appeared to bow to pressure from seniors groups on Sunday, admitting for the first time that his health care bill doesn't do enough for those in their 60s and would have to be revised to give them more help. There's been no shortage of organizations throwing their weight against Ryan's American Health Care Act since it was released on March 6 including Planned Parenthood advocates, Democrats in Congress, and House conservatives who think it doesn't go far enough. But seniors groups, long considered among the most powerful interest groups on Capitol Hill, have also led the charge in denouncing the AHCA. For instance, the AARP has denounced Ryancare for eating into the Medicare trust fund, sunsetting the Medicaid expansion, and jacking up premium rates for older Americans. More from Vox: Netflix and Marvel's Iron Fist is an ill-conceived, poorly written disaster Under President Trump, Stephen Colbert has never been angrier and his show's never been better Nancy Pelosi was right: Democrats had to pass the bill so people could find out what's in it It looks like their message is getting through. Last Wednesday, Ryan announced that his beleaguered bill would need to undergo some changes and "incorporate feedback" from his members ahead of its vote on the House floor this Thursday. But it wasn't clear until Sunday that the change would take the form of more financial assistance for seniors rather than, say, moving the bill in an even more conservative direction, as some House Republicans have demanded. House Speaker Paul Ryan holds up a copy of the American Health Care Act during a news conference with House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (L) and House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Greg Walden, March 7, 2017. House Speaker Paul Ryan told the National Review's Rich Lowry he has been hoping to reform health care for the poor since his frat-party days. "So Medicaid, sending it back to the states, capping its growth rate, we've been dreaming of this since I've been around since you and I were drinking at a keg. ... I've been thinking about this stuff for a long time," Ryan said. "We're on the cusp of doing something we've long believed in." Lowry quipped that "I was thinking about something else [at keg parties]. He was thinking about reforming Medicaid." Ryan didn't immediately respond to a CNBC request for comment. A video of the discussion was posted on YouTube on Friday. The American Health Care Act, which Republicans rolled out earlier this month to replace Obamacare, would cost their health insurance by 2026, the Congressional Budget Office found last week. President Donald Trump has endorsed the plan, but nearly have said they have "serious concerns" about it. Ryan, 47, holds a bachelor's degree from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, where he was a member of the Delta Tau Delta fraternity. Rubin's company, Essential Products, is reportedly planning to release a new high-end smartphone this spring, and SoftBank planned to market the phone in Japan, the Journal said. But Apple subsequently agreed to commit $1 billion to SoftBank's Vision Fund, a move that "complicated" SoftBank's investment in Essential Products, the Journal reported Monday. Andy Rubin, a co-creator of Android, lost out on a $100 million investment from SoftBank as Apple deepened ties with the Japanese investor, people familiar with the matter told The Wall Street Journal. Apple did not directly block the deal, the Journal said, though Rubin's premium phone would be released ahead of the highly anticipated 10th anniversary iPhone. The deal was "nearly complete," sources told the Journal. Rubin was the CEO of Android, which Google bought in 2005 to form the basis of its smartphone operating system. At Google , Rubin's leadership of its smartphone business helped turn Android into the world's most widely used smartphone platform. Rubin left Google in 2014 to start various projects, including an incubator for hardware start-ups. He has not publicly discussed Essential or its plans. The deal's fallout highlights the growing influence of SoftBank's Masayoshi Son, who made a splashy announcement last year to invest $50 billion in the U.S., aiming to create 50,000 jobs. For more on the story, see the full article at WSJ.com Opinion / Columnist Martin Luther King Jnr, was once quoted as saying; morality cannot be legislated, but behaviour can be regulated. Judicial decrees may not change the heart, but they can restrain the heartless. It is quite obvious that those in the corridors of power across the Limpopo cannot come up with a legislation on the morality of some rogue South Africans, but they can craft stiff pieces of legislature that can restrain the toy-toying, good-for-nothing savages and ignorumases, from their murderous activities in the future.Excuse my outburst, but it is scientifically proven that keeping a lid on your anger or suppressing it after receiving an insult or unjustified attack was unhealthy, that is why I am venting it on South Africans. In fact, I feel spotlighting absurdities in our society is a giant stride towards removing them, although I might seem harsh and careless in the way I am expressing it.What makes most intelligent people passionately loathe those uncivilised malignant and restive nincompoops who inherited a bloody history from the previous regime, is not only their iniquitous and macabre attacks on foreigners, but their lack of foresight.Unfortunately or luckily, history has a knack of repeating itself. In the early 80s, after Zimbabwe attained its independence, Mozambique was being ravaged by civil war while South Africa was reeling under aperthiad, and both nationals sought refuge and asylum in Zimbabwe respectively.However, both Mozambicans and South Africans were political refugees, but Zimbabweans are now economic refugees all over the world after Zanu-PF ran down a once vibrant economy to nothing. Zimbabweans labeled Mozambicans "Makarushi." Whatever that deragatory name meant, I never had time to find out. Unfortunately, two decades later it was Zimbabweans flocking into Mozambique and South Africa after a historic economic meltdown, and before they settled down in South Africa, they in turn had already earned a derogatory name-Makwerekwere. The same might happen to South Africans.So one thing South Africans should bear in mind is, with a corrupt leadership, a wobbly economy and a seemingly disorganised opposition, South Africa is sitting on a ticking time bomb and an economic downturn is almost inevitable. At the moment, they are still hypnotised by the few crumbs falling from the habitually fibbing politicians' tables, oblivious of what the future holds for them.These African gangsters with breathtaking arrogance masquerading as "duly elected" presidents, have milked and bled the once plethoric continent dry, while barefooted and hungry citizens praise sing them as they extemporize their impractical overrated policies and misconstrued nationalism.Most countries in Africa have had their own share of free-for- all plundering by inconsiderate leaders, and South Africa is not being spared.When South Africans bludgeon, burn and loot their African brothers and sisters' businesses on frivolous accusations of stealing their jobs they are barking the wrong tree. The truth is instead of falling over each bootlicking and hero worshipping their African National Congress (ANC) leadership, to curry favour from them in return of a few economic dregs, they should confront them on their failure to transform their lives during their two decades in power.Although apartheid bequeathed to South Africa a patchwork of mixed and mutually mistrusting citizens, with unwavering will power they can make their country a biblical paradise, and an envy of many.But if they choose not to notice how their country is being ruined by their very own leaders, by the time they wake up from their deep slumber, those willing to work will be job hunting in neighbouring countries as illegal immigrants and will definitely face their Nemesis. I wonder what demeaning names they are likely to inherit in foreign countries.South Africa, like her Zimbabwean counterpart and other countries governed by revolutionary parties, has to deal with clueless youths stuck with medieval ideas who cannot be trusted, and antediluvian war veterans completely out of date, because if it comes apart the regional economic and political effects would be so enormous.Hence there is need to seriously consider creating a tolerant society, where foreigners are no longer regarded as a source of evil. Whether South Africa achieve that depends not only on their momentary return to sanity, but their subsequent willingness to accept that the history of human civilisation and co - existing is but a moment in the aeon Creation. The British physicist Stephen Hawking fears he will not be welcome in the United States because of his criticism of how President Donald Trump is treating the country's scientists. Hawking made his comments in a recorded interview for ITV's "Good Morning Britain." "Trump was elected by people who felt disenfranchised by the governing elite and a revolt against globalization. His priority will be to satisfy this electorate who are neither liberal nor that well informed," he said. "The reaction to the election of Donald Trump may have been overdone, but it represents a definite swing to a right-wing, more authoritarian approach." A worker waits as a shipping container is unloaded from the Hapag-Lloyd Holding AG Prague Express cargo ship onto a truck in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Just as the United States looks to take a more protectionist tilt, Brazil is talking up its push towards free trade. At this weekend's meeting of G-20 finance ministers, Brazil was one several nations to point out dangers of anti-globalization a message crafted largely for listeners in the United States. The country's finance minister, Henrique Meirelles, said in an interview with The Wall Street Journal that, "we had adopted during the last years some protectionist measures for some sectors of the economy, and the net result was not positive." "At the end of the day, the products became more expensive and Brazilbecame less competitive," he told the newspaper. "In Brazil, we are moving toward a more open trade policy." The Latin American giant is attempting to recover from an economic recession which hit under the 13-year leadership of the populist Workers' Party. That control ended last year when President Dilma Rousseff of the Workers' Party was impeached. Her successor, President Michel Temer, has called for greater openness on trade. Ease of Doing Business ranking Source: World Bank "Doing Business in 2017" survey, JPMorgan Asset Management. "As a result of many years of a wary attitude to trade, the comments you hear from Brazilian officials today have a different flavor, a more open flavor," said Alejo Czerwonko, emerging market strategist at UBS Wealth Management. "The new rhetoric toward more trade openness in Brazil is important," he said. But, "Brazil remains a relatively closed economy. Opening up takes time." Other analysts agree. "There are very many different models and in Latin America specifically, Brazil is learning from the countries Mexico, Colombia and Chile," said Gabriela Santos, global market strategist at J.P. Morgan Asset Management. As for any lessons on how protectionism might affect U.S. growth, "it's much too early for us to speculate," Santos said. "Looking forward, the shift in tone is important but you also have to see the implementation of change." Workers sit on the pavement near a construction site in Beijing, China, on Wednesday, March 2, 2016. The world's second-largest economy has many challenges ahead, both external and domestic. At the China Development Forum in Beijing, former U.S. Treasury Secretary Larry Summers said he believes Chinese policymakers are struggling most with capital outflows and an overheating property market. Meanwhile, People's Bank of China Governor Zhou Xiaochuan said in a March news conference that China's corporate debt levels are too high, but it will take time to bring them to more manageable levels. President Donald Trump has also not been easy on China, from accusing the Asian nation of "currency manipulation" and stealing American jobs. This week for CNBC's Trader Poll, we want to know what you think China's biggest challenge is. President Donald Trump on Monday denied he colluded with Russia in the 2016 U.S. election, lashing out at Democrats ahead of a public hearing on the investigation into Moscow's alleged influence on the contest. In a series of tweets, the president cited former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper's statement this month that no evidence of collusion between Trump and Russia existed. Trump alleged that Democrats "made up and pushed the Russia story" to deflect from the presidential election loss and argued that finding people who leaked information about his associates is "the real story." The denials come ahead of a rare public House Intelligence Committee hearing on the probe into Russian meddling in the election, which will feature testimony from FBI Director James Comey and National Security Agency Director Michael Rogers. The U.S. intelligence community has accused Moscow of trying to influence the election, saying it initially wanted to derail then-candidate Hillary Clinton and then developed a preference for Trump. The Trump administration has denied that the president's campaign cooperated with Russia before the election. Comey's and Rogers' testimony may cast more light on any ties. Trump blamed Democrats on Monday for stirring concerns about Russia, but top Republican lawmakers John McCain, Lindsey Graham and Marco Rubio, among others, have publicly said they want to find out more about Russia's role in the election. The top Republican and Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee differed in public statements on the evidence of collusion Sunday. Chairman Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Calif., told Fox News that he saw no information to show collusion. However, Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., told NBC's "Meet the Press" that he saw "circumstantial evidence of collusion" and direct evidence of "deception." Accusations of Russia connections have dogged the Trump administration since he took office in January. His first national security advisor, Michael Flynn, resigned last month following revelations that he misled White House officials about whether he discussed sanctions on Russia in conversations with Sergey Kislyak, the Russian ambassador to the U.S., before Trump took office. The Obama administration brought those sanctions in response to the alleged meddling. Attorney General Jeff Sessions then recused himself from any investigations into the Trump campaign following accusations that he misled senators about his contact with Kislyak during his January confirmation hearing. Sessions, a former senator and Trump campaign advisor, admitted that he met with the ambassador during the campaign but said he did so in his capacity as a lawmaker. President Donald Trump must clarify the reasons behind his friendship with Russia President Vladimir Putin in order to start repairing relations between Washington and Moscow, former Defense Secretary William Cohen told CNBC on Monday. "There is a cloud hanging over the Trump administration saying what is the nature and the basis of this bromance (with President Putin)?" Cohen asked when speaking at the China Development Forum in Beijing. Tensions between Russia and the U.S. have been strained since Russia annexed Crimea in 2014, with Washington imposing sanctions on Moscow. Despite hopes from both administrations that relationships could be improved as a result of Trump's election, many observers feel the ties have regressed to levels of hostility not seen since the Cold War. Cohen argued that the healing process between the two countries could only begin once Trump adopted a transparent approach when it comes to his financial affairs. "The president should be asked three questions: Number one, what do you own? Number two, what do you owe? And three, to whom you owe it? And if you resolve those issues, then you remove the cloud (as) we all want a better relationship with Russia," Cohen said. A U.S. judge formally approved Peabody Energy's plan to emerge from bankruptcy late Friday after the coal producer struck a settlement with the U.S. government over legacy environmental claims at a gold and metal mining subsidiary. Under a last-minute deal with the U.S. Department of Justice, Peabody agreed to create a $43 million trust to manage environmental liabilities stemming from its dormant Gold Fields Mining subsidiary, according to court papers. "This is a great day for Peabody and, more importantly, our multiple stakeholders who benefit from the many products and services we provide," Peabody spokesman Vic Svec said on Saturday. St. Louis-based Peabody, the world's largest private-sector coal producer, owns mines in Australia and the United States and supplies the global market with the metallurgical coal used in steelmaking and the thermal coal used to generate electricity. Peabody expects to exit bankruptcy in early April with about $2 billion of debt amid dramatically improved short-term prospects for its business versus a year ago, when it sought Chapter 11 protection with more than $8 billion of debt. In the environmental settlement, the Department of Justice was negotiating on behalf of the Environmental Protection Agency, the Interior Department, five states and seven Indian tribes. The parties filed claims worth billions of dollars, which Peabody disputed but said it agreed to settle to avoid drawn-out litigation. Peabody agreed earlier in March to cover about $1 billion in future coal mine cleanup costs with third-party bonds. The company is financing its reorganization plan through a $1.5 billion stock sale, consisting of a $750 million rights offering available to bondholders and a $750 million private placement of preferred equity for institutional investors. It was still in talks over a settlement with four individual investors who filed a lawsuit alleging that Peabody and other parties in the bankruptcy case violated their fiduciary duties by blocking individuals from the lucrative private stock sale. It was unclear on Saturday whether the settlement would apply only to the four investors who filed the lawsuit or to all individual owners of the same unsecured bonds. At least one investor, Mark Gottlieb, told Reuters he had not been included in the deal. Lawyer David Kovel, who filed the lawsuit for the four investors, declined to comment. U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Barry Schermer, who oversaw Peabody's bankruptcy, denied a request on Friday by a group of dissenting bondholders to stay the Chapter 11 confirmation while they prepared an appeal. Both Democrats and Republicans grumbled about partisanship during the Senate confirmation hearing of Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch. Judge Neil Gorsuch arrives for the first day of his Supreme Court confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee in the Hart Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill March 20, 2017 in Washington, DC. Members of the Senate Judiciary Committee used their opening statements to reflect on better days where judicial appointees were measured by merit and not their ideological leanings. Sen. Lindsey Graham said he voted for the confirmation of Barack Obama's nominees, Elena Kagan and Sonia Sotomayor, because they were both highly qualified and led "exemplary lives." Graham argued that Gorsuch is "every bit as qualified." The South Carolina Republican said he has yet to hear a Democrat prove that Gorsuch is not suitable for the job. Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley, chairman of the committee, said Gorsuch's record demonstrates "an unfailing commitment" to the "constitutional order and the separation of powers." Judicial independence is one of the ideals that "enlivens [Gorsuch's] body of work," Grassley said in his opening statement Monday. While Republicans called on Democrats to put country above party and confirm Gorsuch, the Democrats similarly accused the GOP of partisanship in their refusal to confirm Obama's nominee Merrick Garland. Ranking member Sen. Dianne Feinstein began her opening statement by slamming the GOP for their "unprecedented treatment" of Garland, who was denied a confirmation hearing. Feinstein, a Democrat from California, described Garland as a mainstream moderate nominee. "For those of us on this side, our job is not to theoretically evaluate this or that legal doctrine or to review Judge Gorsuch's record in a vacuum. Our job is to determine whether Judge Gorsuch is a reasonable mainstream conservative or is he not," Feinstein said Monday. Other Democrats on the committee echoed Feinstein's comments, repeatedly bringing up how Republicans stymied Garland's nomination. Democrats also raised concerns about how a conservative majority on the Supreme Court would allegedly favor big businesses at the expense of individuals. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse spent much of his opening statement characterizing what he called a "5 to 4 rampage" or "5 to 4 shopping spree" in which conservative judges ruled in favor of business interests. The Democratic from Rhode Island highlighted the landmark Citizens United decision which nullified federal laws nullified federal laws limiting corporate and union contributions to political campaigns. Gorsuch served as an appeals judge for the 10th Circuit in Colorado. At 49, he is among the youngest Supreme Court nominees ever and could have a strong presence on the court for decades. Even before President Donald Trump made his choice, senators set the stage for the second straight year of partisan clashes over the seat, left vacant by the death of Justice Antonin Scalia. Trump has said Gorsuch, who cites Scalia as an inspiration, "has outstanding legal skills, a brilliant mind, tremendous discipline and has earned bipartisan support." Conservatives have praised Gorsuch for what they say is the application of the theory of judicial overreach on religious issues, such as when he ruled in favor of Hobby Lobby, a company that opposed parts of the Affordable Care Act that compelled coverage of contraception. In statements praising him after the nomination, key Republican lawmakers also highlighted what they called his close reading of text of the law. CNBC's Jacob Pramuk contributed to this report. [The stream is slated to start at 7:30 p.m., ET. Please refresh the page if you do not see a player above at that time.] President Donald Trump heads to Kentucky on Monday for his second campaign-style rally in the last week. The Louisville event will likely feature the bravado and off-the-cuff remarks that characterized his rallies as a candidate and since he won the presidential election in November. Trump will likely have a lot to say amid a packed news week for the White House. FBI Director James Comey for the first time Monday confirmed that the agency is investigating alleged Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. election, including any possible "links" between the Trump campaign and Moscow. In an extraordinary House Intelligence Committee hearing, Comey also gave the strongest rebuke yet to Trump's explosive claim that the Obama administration wiretapped him ahead of the election. The White House defended Trump following the hearing, saying "nothing has changed" after the testimony from Comey and National Security Agency Director Michael Rogers. Trump will also likely address efforts to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act as he and House Republican leaders try to rally support ahead of a planned Thursday House vote. Opinion / Columnist Tsvangirai told his supporters that political change was imminent and that even President Robert Mugabe now realised that "they (Zanu PF) can no longer stand in the way of the will of the people".President Mugabe has remained in power for the last 37 years because he rigs elections. If there is going to be any hope of stopping him rigging elections then we must implement the democratic reforms designed to stop the vote rigging. Tsvangirai has done absolutely nothing to stop Zanu PF rigging elections even when he had the golden to do so during the GNU.Zanu PF blatantly rigged the 2013 elections because no reforms were in place. Tsvangirai acknowledge the need to implement the reforms after the horse had bolted, after Zanu had rigged the 2013 elections but vowed never to contest any future elections without implementing the reforms first.MDC-T's own secretary general, Douglas Mwonzora, has acknowledged that only 5% of the electoral reforms the party has been demanding have been implemented to date. How Morgan Tsvangirai expects the coming elections to be free and fair with only 5% of the reforms in place beggars belief!If there was any doubt that Zanu PF would rig the 2013 elections, there can be no doubt of that happening in 2018. None!The 2018 elections are not about President Mugabe or his Zanu PF thugs; we all know that they are corrupt, incompetent and murderous tyrants with a knack for rigging elections. The elections are not about Morgan Tsvangirai and his coterie of fellow opposition leaders; we all know that they are corrupt and incompetent and they are contesting flawed elections for the sake of winning those few seats Zanu PF gives away as bait to the opposition has Senator David Coltart readily admitted in his recent book."The worst aspect for me about the failure to agree a coalition was that both MDCs couldn't now do the obvious withdraw from the elections," explained Senator Coltart."The electoral process was so flawed, so illegal, that the only logical step was to withdraw, which would compel SADC to hold Zanu PF to account. But such was the distrust between the MDC-T and MDC-N that neither could withdraw for fear that the other would remain in the elections, winning seats and giving the process credibility."Boycotting the 2018, to force the implementation of the of the democratic reforms, is more than obvious now, it is an absolute necessity.The 2018 elections are really a test of the Zimbabwe people themselves to see just how naive and gullible they are. With no reforms in place there is no way the elections are going to be free and fair but are the people so naive and gullible to still believe otherwise! Canadas annual silver dollar marks the 150th anniversary of the nations Confederation. An allegorical Canada rises to face the future on the reverse of the coin. Canadas robust commemorative coin program in 2017 celebrating the 150th anniversary of Confederation continues from the Royal Canadian Mint. The latest entry into this outpouring of offerings is the annual Proof silver dollar. The 2017 silver dollar features a bold, modern allegory of the nation of Canada, created by Canadian artist Rebecca Yanovskaya. Connect with Coin World: Sign up for our free eNewsletter Like us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter In the foreground, an allegorical representation of Canada rises up as a strong, majestic, bold woman; she has a youthful appearance, given Canadas status as a relatively young nation. As described by the RCM, Canada is the picture of grace and a vision of strength in her protective armor; and yet, she carries no weapon a symbolic nod to Canadas historic peacekeeping role and the nations efforts to bring peace throughout the world. Her brow is wreathed in a garland of poppies, much as the lyrics to O Canada affirm in French. How $75 worth of Thomas Jeffersons silver helped launch the U.S. Mint: Inside Coin World: On the morning of July 11, 1792, Thomas Jefferson took a historic two-block stroll through the streets of Philadelphia carrying $75 worth of his own silver. Facing out as though looking to the future, Canadas gaze is calm and steady while her arms are open wide, ready to embrace what challenges and triumphs lie ahead. In one hand is a symbolic representation of the British North America Act, which represents the birth of the Dominion of Canada 150 years ago; in the other hand is a single feather that pays tribute to those who helped forge the nations path: the First Nations peoples and the Fathers of Confederation. A fur cape is a further reminder of First Nations traditions, as well as the importance of the fur trade in Canadas early history. Thirteen rays of light one for each province and territory shine down upon Canada, while the waves at her feet represent the oceans that surround the nation of Canada. Canadian banners link air, land and sea, while in the background, Mount Logan (Canadas tallest peak) represents the diversity of the landscape, and alludes to the ability of Canadians to rise to challenges yesterday, today and tomorrow. Strong, wise and hopeful, Canada embodies the ideals and aspirations of a nation that has proudly come into its own since its creation in 1867, according to the RCM. The image of Canada is the visual embodiment of a nation that is today celebrating its 150-year journey, while looking ahead to the future. Connect with Coin World: Sign up for our free eNewsletter Like us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter The Susanna Blunt effigy of Queen Elizabeth II appears on the obverse of the silver dollar. The .9999 fine silver dollar weighs 23.17 grams, measures 36.07 millimeters in diameter and has a mintage limit of 30,000 pieces. It retails for $59.99 Canadian. Selectively gold plated $1 A special gold-plated version of the Proof silver dollar is available only as part of the annual silver Proof set. In addition to the special annual large dollar, the 2017 Silver Proof set features the classic circulating coin designs, including the coins showing the beaver, caribou and polar bear. These designs will not be used for circulating coinage in 2017 but will return in 2018 after being replaced for the Confederation anniversary with one-year type designs. All coins in the Silver Proof set are composed of .9999 fine silver. The Loon $1 and Polar Bear $2 coins each feature selective gold plating, while the 5-, 10-, 25- and 50-cent coins are plain. The Susanna Blunt effigy of Queen Elizabeth II appears on the obverse of the coins in the Proof set. The Silver Proof set is presented in a genuine leather book-style case that offers a way to showcase the coins. The set has a mintage limit of 20,000 and retails for $234.95 Canadian. Distributor Talisman Coins offers the individual coin and set at fixed prices in U.S. funds. The dollar is priced at $44.95 and the set is offered at $164.95. To order, visit the distributor website. The Pobjoy Mints latest building-shaped coin celebrates Americas Capitol. The copper-nickel dollar from the British Virgin Islands honors a building that was designed by a native of the Islands. The Capitol Building coin is protected by a faux leather pouch in red, white and blue representing the American flag. Americas Capitol building now appears on a coin from the British Virgin Islands. Unlike many modern noncirculating legal tender coins, the subject actually has a connection to the issuer; the designer of the Capitol, William Thornton, was born in the British Virgin Islands. The Pobjoy Mint has issued the copper-nickel dollar to celebrate the building and its designer, and the coin continues Pobjoys periodic series of coins shaped like buildings and objects. This latest edition is shaped like the building it commemorates. Building an American icon The United States Capitol is located on Capitol Hill; it is the headquarters of the U.S. Congress and the seat of the legislative branch of the U.S. federal government in Washington, D.C. Capitol as a word has a Latin origin that is associated architecturally with the temple to Jupiter Optimus Maximus on Capitoline Hill, one of the seven hills of Rome. Connect with Coin World: Sign up for our free eNewsletter Like us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter A competition was held in the spring of 1792 with a prize of $500 to see which architect could propose the best design for the United States legislative structure. A late entry from amateur architect William Thornton was the source of the iconic shape that we see today. Thornton, born in the British Virgin Islands, was well traveled and had gained inspiration for the frontage of the building from the east front of the Louvre and the Paris Pantheon. The first cornerstone of the Capitol was laid by George Washington in 1793 and construction of the 16-acre building continued until 1800. Upon completion, the dome wasnt as grand as we see it today; it was rebuilt in the 1850s to stand three times as tall as the original, and it weighs 4,041 metric tons. The interior of the Capitol is as impressive as the exterior and has strong ties with the art world. The hallways are lined with lavish murals, paintings and a massive frieze that combine to tell the history of the United States. It also houses the National Statuary Hall collection, which comprises 100 statues, one of which is a bronze statue of King Kamehameha that weighs 6,804 kilograms. A private subway from the Capitol transports senators to the neighboring congressional office buildings. How $75 worth of Thomas Jeffersons silver helped launch the U.S. Mint: Inside Coin World: On the morning of July 11, 1792, Thomas Jefferson took a historic two-block stroll through the streets of Philadelphia carrying $75 worth of his own silver. The obverse of the Capitol dollar features the Pobjoy Mints exclusive effigy of Queen Elizabeth II. The Capitol Building coin is protected by a faux leather pouch in red, white and blue representing the American flag. The copper-nickel dollar measures 41 millimeters wide and 55 millimeters tall, and weighs 35.4 grams. It has a mintage limit of 5,000 pieces and retails for $24.95. To order, visit the Pobjoy Mint website. U.S.-England among World Cup matches to screen at The Blue Note Over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, The Blue Note will be an oversize sports bar. On a windy, snowy night in Dover, N.H., about 15 people gathered in an old converted mill, staring at computer screens and furiously tapping at their keyboards. The group some students, some programmers, and at least one part-time dishwasher and data entry clerk were braving the snowstorm and volunteering their time to try to keep scientific data from being lost. It was one of dozens of data rescue events spread out in cities from Toronto to Los Angeles, and Houston to Chicago. These events, many on university campuses, have been going on since December, bringing together software programmers, librarians and other volunteers who are trying to safely archive scientific data from government websites. Sharon Gaudin Lauren Moore, a front-end web developer and digital marketing manager, had to learn back-end coding skills to help with the DataRefuge effort. "It's kind of overwhelming, but I'm getting the hang of it," she said. "There's loss of data with any administration," said Daniel Pontoh, a data entry clerk, dish washer and a student at Great Bay Community College in Portsmouth, N.H. "We just know how fast that loss of data could happen with this administration." There is more concern since President Donald Trump took office. His administration has stated that it doubts the reality of climate change and has proposed deep cuts to the budget of the Environmental Protection Agency and the nation's top weather and climate agency, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). [ To comment on this story, visit Computerworld's Facebook page. ] Scientists fear losing critical studies and long-term research in such wide-ranging areas as ocean temperature change, greenhouse gas emissions, changes in polar ice caps, gun violence and animal treatment in research facilities. References to climate change were removed from the Whitehouse.gov website on Inauguration Day. And the Trump administration reportedly told the EPA to remove online educational resources and links to climate-change data. Some fear the data will be intentionally lost or altered. Others want to make sure the data is available in more than one location, especially more than one government website, since budget cuts could mean server space and upkeep of these data sets might no longer be a priority. "We're most concerned that data might be taken offline and public accessibility will be gone and it'll only be available as [Freedom of Information Act] requests," said Margaret Janz, a data curation librarian at the University of Pennsylvania. "Our goal is to make trustworthy copies of data so it will be available to the public and suitable for research. ... This data should never have been in just one place." Naomi Waltham-Smith Margaret Janz, a data curation librarian at the University of Pennsylvania, is on the planning committee for the DataRefuge effort. Janz is on the planning committee for DataRefuge, one of the organizations working to archive scientific data that has been sitting on government websites. DataRefuge, which is a joint project between the Penn Libraries and the Penn Program for Environmental Humanities, was put together in November after the presidential election. The group, working with the Environmental Data and Governance Initiative, helps organize data rescue events. DateRefuge has held about 30 data archiving events, each one bringing in about 100 attendees, according to Janz. The New Hampshire event, which was held March 10, was one of the smaller turnouts. The organizers are also working on ways to keep their community engaged for the long haul. "Deleting data is like burning books," said Matt Jones, a software developer at Massachusetts-based Yieldbot, was archiving data at the New Hampshire event. "I'm passionate about data and information.... I don't believe in throwing anything out. All data is relevant to somebody." Volunteers with DataRefuge don't hack into sites nor do they steal the data. They are working to make copies of data that's in the public domain. The volunteers receive training and then work during the events, sometimes continuing the effort at home. Part of the work being done is called seeding, where participants nominate URLs to be stored in the Internet Archive, a San Francisco-based nonprofit, public digital library. If the archive's web crawler can extract the necessary data from a nominated page, it will. Sharon Gaudin Matt Jones, a software developer, archives data at a DataRefuge event in Dover, N.H. If the page is too complicated say it has 100 different files or is highly interactive -- for the web crawler to work, then the seeders will note that and volunteers will get to work "harvesting" the information. Using scripts and tools built with either the programming language Python or R, the harvesters will go through those pages manually, collecting data sets, such as weather maps or GIS files, that they need to save. At the New Hampshire event, volunteers were divided into two groups one using Python and one using R. Then they got to work harvesting from complicated pages. Event organizers couldn't say how much data was harvested at that event, but at an earlier DataRescue event that was held at the University of New Hampshire in February, about 40 people volunteering one night were able to seed about 1,100 pages that could be harvested by the web crawler. At both the UNH and the Dover, N.H., events, they were working to save data from the EPA website. Volunteers said when they went through the EPA sites, they found instances where pages or data sets already had been removed. The EPA did not respond to a request for comment on whether scientific data on its site has been removed or altered. Both NASA and the NOAA, however, said data has not been removed. Lauren Moore, a front-end web developer and digital marketing manager with Durham, N.H.-based Blue Truck Studios, said she is passionate about protecting decades worth of scientific research and has had to learn back-end coding skills to help with the DataRefuge effort. "It's kind of overwhelming, but I'm getting the hang of it," said Moore, who volunteered at the recent New Hampshire event. "It's definitely worth it to learn a new language and do the work." Clarice Perryman, a National Science Foundation fellow and a graduate student in earth sciences at the University of New Hampshire, said it's worth it to volunteer what little free time she has because she's concerned about protecting scientific research. "The websites are deep, and the web mapping is not great. You need people to go in and figure out where things link together," Perryman said. "Regardless of political context, environmental data loss is a big issue Public access to that flow of information is important, especially when you have politicians saying climate change isn't real and issues with water aren't real. "It's about integrity," she said. Daniel Mannarino, a programmer with IBM, was helping with training at the New Hampshire DataRescue event. He said saving scientific data isn't a matter of politics. "Things can get lost perfectly innocently," he said. "We need data to actually stick around otherwise you're doing everything from scratch and there just aren't enough resources to do everything from scratch. Science is standing on the shoulders of giants, so you have to make sure the shoulders are still there or we're lost." It has been about two months since the Trump administration took office, but DataRefuge volunteers say it's not too late to keep trying to save as much data as they can. "There just hasn't been a chance for it all to be changed yet," Perryman said. "The White House took all mention of climate change off the [WhiteHouse.gov] website on Inauguration Day But If the data is so great and so deep that we're having a hard time archiving it all, it's probably so deep that they're having a hard time getting to it all. Maybe we're getting to it faster than they are." Dr Mahendra Reddy, Fiji Education Minister, chief guest at launch of GOPIO Fiji chapter The Global Organisation for the People of Indian Origin (GOPIO) launched its Fiji chapter in a ceremony on Sunday. Fiji Minister for Education and the Arts Dr Mahendra Reddy was the chief guest on the occasion. The identity of human groups is something which has remained intact over time, he said. "This is what binds the individual to their family, community and the global society at large," Dr. Reddy said. Suman Kapoor, GOPIO International Coordinator for Oceania, said the organisation has brought a sense of friendship and community spirit among Indian communities across the globe and its purpose was to set up a network for them to air their concerns, needs and interests. by taking up their issues to various governments and international agencies. GOPIO has worked closely in the past with the Indian Ministry of External Affairs and had recently urged the Indian government to relax the rules on exchanging old Indian Rupees for the new currency. "Indians who left India to earn their living should not be deprived of their hard-earned money because they were not in the country to deposit the demonetised notes when banks were accepting the notes," Thomas Abraham, chairman of GOPIO International, said. "This is a major issue for the diaspora Indians and it can be easily resolved, there is no need for the government to separate out NRIs from PIOs, we are all (overseas Indians) diaspora Indians," said GOPIO International president Niraj Baxi. Nadhim Zahawi is a member of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee and MP for Stratford On Avon. A week ago, we were dealt the apparently shocking news that the leader of the Scottish National Party would like Scotland to be independent, and is willing to take advantage of any situation to make this happen. Nicola Sturgeon came forth after much consideration and decided that, yes, the solution to the current situation will be the solution that she has been advocating for decades. What a surprise! The First Ministers apparent reasoning is that the voice of Scotland is being ignored, and therefore the only option available to them is to tear apart our United Kingdom, and forge their own way in the world. Didnt we go through all of this less than three years ago? Back in 2014 the Scottish people, rightly in my view, rejected the utopian dreams of the Yes campaign, and clearly said they wanted to stay as part of the United Kingdom, come what may. In 2016, the Scottish people subsequently did vote to continue within in the European Union but their vote was for the United Kingdom to remain, not Scotland. Their votes were counted and listened to in the exact same way as the other millions of remain votes around the United Kingdom, whether they were in Belfast, London or Stratford upon Avon. However, more people in our country voted to leave, and that is what we must do. The SNP likes to talk about the united voice of Scotland that is being ignored by the nasty Tories. But why does the 1.6 million people in Scotland who voted to stay in the EU suddenly and automatically outweigh the two million people who voted to remain in the United Kingdom just a few months before, and the 57 per cent of Scots who say they dont want a second independence referendum? The Scottish Nationalists are willing to seize on any circumstances to drive our nations apart. The fact that it is they who are ignoring the voice of the many more Scots who voted No to independence is easily ignored. Only the SNP gets to decide what the voice of Scotland is. The reason, they claim, that the smaller EU Remain vote should overrule the larger independence No vote is because the previous referendum was stolen from them after the No campaign made clear to voters that, if Scotland became independent, it would automatically leave the EU. This isnt made any less true because the UK subsequently voted to leave in a referendum where everyones vote counted the same, and in which almost 40 per cent of Scotland voted to leave too. Sturgeon has now tried to portray a choice between a hard Tory Brexit and an independent Scotland that would become part of the EU. It should be clear that an independent Scotland would be outside of the EU, whether the UK has left yet or not. Scotland would need to reapply, run no more than a three per cent budget deficit (reducing their currently deficit of 9.5 per cent would require austerity in Scotland on a level never considered by the apparently evil UK Government), and joining the Euro. I would argue that would be a catastrophically poor choice for the people of Scotland to make, in exchange for giving up their largest single market of the UK in favour for the EUs. But thats not the real question: more important is whether now is the time to listen to Nicola Sturgeons request. The Prime Minister was correct; now is quite clearly not the time. The first issue is the one I alluded to at the start Scotland had a once in generation vote just two and a half years ago. As the Prime Minister said, politics in not a game, and it would be an insult to the people of Scotland, and the rest of the UK, to continue asking this question every few years, every time the SNP finds a grievance to play up. If theres a referendum in 2019, and the SNP loses again, will we just have another one in 2022? Will we keep asking until the SNP gets their way? But more important is the flawed choice she has set out, between a hard Tory Brexit and an independent Scotland. Nicola Sturgeon is claiming that all will be clear in late 2018 or early 2019, and the Scottish people will be able to make an informed decision on the best route to take. On the contrary, it is quite clear that it would be impossible to make a fully informed decision within the SNP timescale; which is probably why they wish to use it. We cannot have a referendum when all that is known is what legal deal has been agreed. The First Minister appears to believe that all will be clear at this point, but that is not how the world works. Even without a transitional deal, we will not honestly know the true impact of our new relationship immediately after signing up to it. These things take time, businesses and individuals will need to survey the new landscape and adjust, economies will adapt, new opportunities will be created. This is the largest issue with the choice Sturgeon is trying to create. She makes the classic Remainer mistake of supposing there will be a fixed outcome for Brexit in her view, a hard Tory Brexit. Apparently, there will be a point at which nothing will change again. We have left the EU therefore our trade policy is X, our immigration policy is Y, our environmental policy is Z, for ever. But that is entirely to misunderstand Brexit. Brexit is about taking control of these issues, not setting policies in stone. These policies will change from government to government, and perhaps from year to year like all other policies have before. Its just the people of the United Kingdom will decide what they are. A post-Brexit Government in 2020 run by May will be very different to a post-Brexit Government run by Jeremy Corbyn: Brexit is about control, not creating permanent unchangeable outcomes. Brexit will happen, and people will start to see how it works in practice. The structural outcome will be put in place, but the political outcome is likely to be ever changing. If at some point after this the Scottish people do overwhelmingly decide they want a referendum, then this discussion should be opened again. But right now, Sturgeons timetable has been rightly rejected. Brexit will monopolise the work of the executive until 2020 and well after. Most voters dont follow what happens in Westminster and Whitehall, but last years EU referendum, and its aftermath, has left many with a sense of how sweeping the change will be. There is an entirely new department, DexEU, whose existence is admittedly temporary, but will none the less be with us for a good while yet. Another invention, the Department of International Trade, is more permanent. But there is much more to Brexit than dismantling and reassembling the Whitehall lego. All departments will be affected by the effects of leaving the EU, whether that in question is the Treasury, mulling its future freedoms in relation to VAT; or Work and Pensions, with its coming flexibilities over benefits for migrants and others; or International Development, which will no longer be required to channel funds through EU budgets, or any of them by the repatriation of procurement policy. As we write, Theresa May is en route to Cardiff, opening her mini-tour of the devolved governments, and will be probed, among much else, about which returning powers will be held at what level: how much and what sort of devolution will there be? The most spectacular example of all is perhaps to be found at Defra, where Andrea Leadsom will be peering ahead towards independence day. Richard Ali posed some prominent questions recently on this site: do we want a New Zealand model of little or no support or a Norwegian model of high levels of support designed to keep farmers on the land? he wrote. Do we want lower or higher levels of state regulation? Do we want to pursue a policy of international trade or one of autarky? What sort of countryside do we want to see, and who should pay? One might reverse Lord Denning, and say that Brexit is like an incoming tide. It flows into the estuaries and up the rivers. It cannot be held back. But while voters have a rough sense of the implications of Brexit for the executive; they probably have less of its coming effect on the legislature. Many will have heard of the Great Repeal Bill, the purpose of which is the opposite of what its name suggests in other words, not to abolish the sway of EU law in Britain, but to reinforce it. The Governments logic is that this is necessary as a temporary measure. It is intended, as the Prime Minister has put it, to give maximum certainty as we leave the European Union. The same rules and laws will apply to them after Brexit as they did before. Any changes in the law will have to be subject to full scrutiny and proper Parliamentary debate. Getting this measure through Parliament will be a tougher proposition than passing the recent Article 50 Bill. MPs will be tempted to try to unpick bits of EU law that they and others particularly dislike. The ball of twine that is the Bill risks coming apart. At any rate, the Bill will keep MPs busy. Then there is the question of measures other than the European Communities Act that enshrine the primacy of EU law. Furthermore, Brexit will need other Bills before we actually leave the EU. Yesterdays Sunday Express had a useful list for starters. There will be at least seven of them: the paper listed measures affect migrant benefits, reciprocal healthcare, road freight, nuclear safety, emissions trading and the transfer of spending from EU funds to Government departments. One Minister suggested that there could be as many as 15. Other areas would include agriculture, tax, trade and customs, fisheries, data protection and sanctions, the paper reported. In short, Conservative MPs have a mass of voting to look forward to including, of course, on a mass of Henry VIII clauses integral to the repeal bill. The Tudor monarch is about to experience his biggest revival since Wolf Hall. All well and good, you might well say: thats what theyre there for. And you would be right. MPs will be trooping through the lobbies long and late into the night. Yes, that includes you, George Osborne! All this will have at least three consequences. The first is that even more lobbyists will make their way to Westminster than previously, rather in the spirit of those grizzled prospectors of old panning for gold in the southern Appalachians, in anticipation of powers returning to Parliament. David Cameron once warned that lobbying is the next big scandal waiting to happen. He may have been out by only a few years. The second is obvious. However long and late Parliament sits, there is only so many hours in a day. Time allocated to Brexit-related Bills will, on the whole, be time not allocated to others. May is going to have to scale back her plans for legislation. She has already been doing so for some time. Cameron was forced to retreat in the Commons over Sunday trading, academisation, disability benefits, tax credits and more. The Prime Minister prefers White and Green papers to trail the way, most notably on housing. The final point arises from the Budgets NICs cock-up. Even a small backbench revolt can play havoc with the Governments plans. And there is more than a handful of Tory MPs who bear May no particular goodwill. The Prime Minister doesnt want this Parliament to be defined by Brexit. But she has little choice. This being so, she might as well make a virtue of necessity and relate as much as possible to the biggest change of course Britain has taken since it joined the Common Market, endorsed by the biggest-ever electoral mandate. If the matter to hand is her grammar school plans, for example, she and other Ministers should relate it to the need to improve our education system as we prepare for the challenge of Brexit. If it is her proposal to simplify technical qualifications, this should be applied to the challenge of improving skills at a time of rapid change. If it is her quest to improve productivity, this again should be set in the context of Britains new challenges. This context was underplayed in the Budget as it has been elsewhere. CORNWALL, Ontario A 40-year-old Cornwall man was arrested on March 19, 2017 and charged with assault, assault with a weapon, assault cause bodily harm and overcome resistance (choking). It is alleged between 2013 and 2014 the man assaulted, choked and struck his common-law wife with a stick. It is also alleged during one of the incidents the woman suffered a broken tooth. Police were contacted and an investigation ensued. During the investigation the man was located by police, taken into custody, charged accordingly and held for a bail hearing. His name was not released as it would identify the victim in the matter. BREACH CORNWALL, Ontario Cody DHeilly-Labelle, 29, of Cornwall was arrested on March 17, 2017 and charged with breach of recognizance for failing to sign in at police headquarters as directed. It is alleged the man failed to sign in on March 13, 2017 and an investigation ensued. On March 17, 2017 the man attended police headquarters to deal with the matter. He was taken into custody, charged accordingly and held for a bail hearing. WARRANT CORNWALL, Ontario Kimber Lee Long, 22, of Cornwall was arrested on March 18, 2017 on the strength of a warrant. It is alleged in November, 2016 the woman failed to sign in with police and failed to meet with her bail supervisor as per her conditions. During the course of the investigation it was also learned the woman moved from her last known address without notifying a change of address. A warrant was then obtained for her arrest. On March 18, 2017 members of the Cornwall Community Police Service assumed custody of the woman from Ottawa Police Service as they had the woman in custody on the strength of Cornwalls warrant. She was transported to Cornwall and held for a bail hearing. IMPAIRED, OVER 80 CORNWALL, Ontario Jasmin Paschek, 40, of Cornwall was arrested on March 18, 2017 and charged with impaired operation of a motor vehicle and over 80. It is alleged on March 18, 2017 the woman was operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol in the area of First Street and Pitt Street. She was taken into custody during a traffic stop, charged accordingly and released to appear in court on March 28, 2017. ASSAULT, ROBBERY CORNWALL, Ontario A 35-year-old Akwesasne man was arrested on March 19, 2017 and charged with assault and robbery. It is alleged during an argument with his girlfriend on March 19, 2017 the man punched her in the face and left the area with her purse. Police were contacted and an investigation ensued. During the investigation the man was located by police, taken into custody, charged accordingly and held for a bail hearing. His name was not released as it would identify the victim in the matter. WARRANT CORNWALL, Ontario Cody Burelle, 19, of Cornwall was arrested on March 19, 2017 on the strength of a warrant. It is alleged the man breached his probation conditions a warrant was issued for his arrest. On March 19, 2017 the man was located by police, taken into custody on the strength of the warrant and released to appear in court on April 25, 2017. BREACH Cornwall, ON Cody DHeilly-Labelle, 29 of Cornwall was arrested on March 17th, 2017 and charged with breach of recognizance for failing to sign in at police headquarters as directed. It is alleged the man failed to sign in on March 13th, 2017 and an investigation ensued. On March 17th, 2017 the man attended police headquarters to deal with the matter. He was taken into custody, charged accordingly and held for a bail hearing. WARRANT Cornwall, ON Kimber Lee Long, 22 of Cornwall was arrested on March 18th, 2017 on the strength of a warrant. It is alleged in November, 2016 the woman failed to sign in with police and failed to meet with her bail supervisor as per her conditions. During the course of the investigation it was also learned the woman moved from her last known address without notifying a change of address. A warrant was then obtained for her arrest. On March 18th, 2017 members of the Cornwall Community Police Service assumed custody of the woman from Ottawa Police Service as they had the woman in custody on the strength of Cornwalls warrant. She was transported to Cornwall and held for a bail hearing. IMPAIRED, OVER 80 Cornwall, ON Jasmin Paschek, 40 of Cornwall was arrested on March 18th, 2017 and charged with impaired operation of a motor vehicle and over 80. It is alleged on March 18th, 2017 the woman was operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol in the area of First Street and Pitt Street. She was taken into custody during a traffic stop, charged accordingly and released to appear in court on March 28th, 2017. ASSAULT, ROBBERY Cornwall, ON A 35-year-old Akwesasne man was arrested on March 19th, 2017 and charged with assault and robbery. It is alleged during an argument with his girlfriend on March 19th, 2017 the man punched her in the face and left the area with her purse. Police were contacted and an investigation ensued. During the investigation the man was located by police, taken into custody, charged accordingly and held for a bail hearing. His name was not released as it would identify the victim in the matter. WARRANT Cornwall, ON Cody Burelle, 19 of Cornwall was arrested on March 19th, 2017 on the strength of a warrant. It is alleged the man breached his probation conditions a warrant was issued for his arrest. On March 19th, 2017 the man was located by police, taken into custody on the strength of the warrant and released to appear in court on April 25th, 2017. BREACH Cornwall, ON Cody DHeilly-Labelle, 29 of Cornwall was arrested on March 17th, 2017 and charged with breach of recognizance for failing to sign in at police headquarters as directed. It is alleged the man failed to sign in on March 13th, 2017 and an investigation ensued. On March 17th, 2017 the man attended police headquarters to deal with the matter. He was taken into custody, charged accordingly and held for a bail hearing. WARRANT Cornwall, ON Kimber Lee Long, 22 of Cornwall was arrested on March 18th, 2017 on the strength of a warrant. It is alleged in November, 2016 the woman failed to sign in with police and failed to meet with her bail supervisor as per her conditions. During the course of the investigation it was also learned the woman moved from her last known address without notifying a change of address. A warrant was then obtained for her arrest. On March 18th, 2017 members of the Cornwall Community Police Service assumed custody of the woman from Ottawa Police Service as they had the woman in custody on the strength of Cornwalls warrant. She was transported to Cornwall and held for a bail hearing. IMPAIRED, OVER 80 Cornwall, ON Jasmin Paschek, 40 of Cornwall was arrested on March 18th, 2017 and charged with impaired operation of a motor vehicle and over 80. It is alleged on March 18th, 2017 the woman was operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol in the area of First Street and Pitt Street. She was taken into custody during a traffic stop, charged accordingly and released to appear in court on March 28th, 2017. ASSAULT, ROBBERY Cornwall, ON A 35-year-old Akwesasne man was arrested on March 19th, 2017 and charged with assault and robbery. It is alleged during an argument with his girlfriend on March 19th, 2017 the man punched her in the face and left the area with her purse. Police were contacted and an investigation ensued. During the investigation the man was located by police, taken into custody, charged accordingly and held for a bail hearing. His name was not released as it would identify the victim in the matter. WARRANT Cornwall, ON Cody Burelle, 19 of Cornwall was arrested on March 19th, 2017 on the strength of a warrant. It is alleged the man breached his probation conditions a warrant was issued for his arrest. On March 19th, 2017 the man was located by police, taken into custody on the strength of the warrant and released to appear in court on April 25th, 2017. BREACH Cornwall, ON Cody DHeilly-Labelle, 29 of Cornwall was arrested on March 17th, 2017 and charged with breach of recognizance for failing to sign in at police headquarters as directed. It is alleged the man failed to sign in on March 13th, 2017 and an investigation ensued. On March 17th, 2017 the man attended police headquarters to deal with the matter. He was taken into custody, charged accordingly and held for a bail hearing. WARRANT Cornwall, ON Kimber Lee Long, 22 of Cornwall was arrested on March 18th, 2017 on the strength of a warrant. It is alleged in November, 2016 the woman failed to sign in with police and failed to meet with her bail supervisor as per her conditions. During the course of the investigation it was also learned the woman moved from her last known address without notifying a change of address. A warrant was then obtained for her arrest. On March 18th, 2017 members of the Cornwall Community Police Service assumed custody of the woman from Ottawa Police Service as they had the woman in custody on the strength of Cornwalls warrant. She was transported to Cornwall and held for a bail hearing. IMPAIRED, OVER 80 Cornwall, ON Jasmin Paschek, 40 of Cornwall was arrested on March 18th, 2017 and charged with impaired operation of a motor vehicle and over 80. It is alleged on March 18th, 2017 the woman was operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol in the area of First Street and Pitt Street. She was taken into custody during a traffic stop, charged accordingly and released to appear in court on March 28th, 2017. ASSAULT, ROBBERY Cornwall, ON A 35-year-old Akwesasne man was arrested on March 19th, 2017 and charged with assault and robbery. It is alleged during an argument with his girlfriend on March 19th, 2017 the man punched her in the face and left the area with her purse. Police were contacted and an investigation ensued. During the investigation the man was located by police, taken into custody, charged accordingly and held for a bail hearing. His name was not released as it would identify the victim in the matter. WARRANT Cornwall, ON Cody Burelle, 19 of Cornwall was arrested on March 19th, 2017 on the strength of a warrant. It is alleged the man breached his probation conditions a warrant was issued for his arrest. On March 19th, 2017 the man was located by police, taken into custody on the strength of the warrant and released to appear in court on April 25th, 2017. BREACH Cornwall, ON Cody DHeilly-Labelle, 29 of Cornwall was arrested on March 17th, 2017 and charged with breach of recognizance for failing to sign in at police headquarters as directed. It is alleged the man failed to sign in on March 13th, 2017 and an investigation ensued. On March 17th, 2017 the man attended police headquarters to deal with the matter. He was taken into custody, charged accordingly and held for a bail hearing. WARRANT Cornwall, ON Kimber Lee Long, 22 of Cornwall was arrested on March 18th, 2017 on the strength of a warrant. It is alleged in November, 2016 the woman failed to sign in with police and failed to meet with her bail supervisor as per her conditions. During the course of the investigation it was also learned the woman moved from her last known address without notifying a change of address. A warrant was then obtained for her arrest. On March 18th, 2017 members of the Cornwall Community Police Service assumed custody of the woman from Ottawa Police Service as they had the woman in custody on the strength of Cornwalls warrant. She was transported to Cornwall and held for a bail hearing. IMPAIRED, OVER 80 Cornwall, ON Jasmin Paschek, 40 of Cornwall was arrested on March 18th, 2017 and charged with impaired operation of a motor vehicle and over 80. It is alleged on March 18th, 2017 the woman was operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol in the area of First Street and Pitt Street. She was taken into custody during a traffic stop, charged accordingly and released to appear in court on March 28th, 2017. ASSAULT, ROBBERY Cornwall, ON A 35-year-old Akwesasne man was arrested on March 19th, 2017 and charged with assault and robbery. It is alleged during an argument with his girlfriend on March 19th, 2017 the man punched her in the face and left the area with her purse. Police were contacted and an investigation ensued. During the investigation the man was located by police, taken into custody, charged accordingly and held for a bail hearing. His name was not released as it would identify the victim in the matter. WARRANT Cornwall, ON Cody Burelle, 19 of Cornwall was arrested on March 19th, 2017 on the strength of a warrant. It is alleged the man breached his probation conditions a warrant was issued for his arrest. On March 19th, 2017 the man was located by police, taken into custody on the strength of the warrant and released to appear in court on April 25th, 2017. BREACH Cornwall, ON Cody DHeilly-Labelle, 29 of Cornwall was arrested on March 17th, 2017 and charged with breach of recognizance for failing to sign in at police headquarters as directed. It is alleged the man failed to sign in on March 13th, 2017 and an investigation ensued. On March 17th, 2017 the man attended police headquarters to deal with the matter. He was taken into custody, charged accordingly and held for a bail hearing. WARRANT Cornwall, ON Kimber Lee Long, 22 of Cornwall was arrested on March 18th, 2017 on the strength of a warrant. It is alleged in November, 2016 the woman failed to sign in with police and failed to meet with her bail supervisor as per her conditions. During the course of the investigation it was also learned the woman moved from her last known address without notifying a change of address. A warrant was then obtained for her arrest. On March 18th, 2017 members of the Cornwall Community Police Service assumed custody of the woman from Ottawa Police Service as they had the woman in custody on the strength of Cornwalls warrant. She was transported to Cornwall and held for a bail hearing. IMPAIRED, OVER 80 Cornwall, ON Jasmin Paschek, 40 of Cornwall was arrested on March 18th, 2017 and charged with impaired operation of a motor vehicle and over 80. It is alleged on March 18th, 2017 the woman was operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol in the area of First Street and Pitt Street. She was taken into custody during a traffic stop, charged accordingly and released to appear in court on March 28th, 2017. ASSAULT, ROBBERY Cornwall, ON A 35-year-old Akwesasne man was arrested on March 19th, 2017 and charged with assault and robbery. It is alleged during an argument with his girlfriend on March 19th, 2017 the man punched her in the face and left the area with her purse. Police were contacted and an investigation ensued. During the investigation the man was located by police, taken into custody, charged accordingly and held for a bail hearing. His name was not released as it would identify the victim in the matter. WARRANT Cornwall, ON Cody Burelle, 19 of Cornwall was arrested on March 19th, 2017 on the strength of a warrant. It is alleged the man breached his probation conditions a warrant was issued for his arrest. On March 19th, 2017 the man was located by police, taken into custody on the strength of the warrant and released to appear in court on April 25th, 2017. BREACH Cornwall, ON Cody DHeilly-Labelle, 29 of Cornwall was arrested on March 17th, 2017 and charged with breach of recognizance for failing to sign in at police headquarters as directed. It is alleged the man failed to sign in on March 13th, 2017 and an investigation ensued. On March 17th, 2017 the man attended police headquarters to deal with the matter. He was taken into custody, charged accordingly and held for a bail hearing. WARRANT Cornwall, ON Kimber Lee Long, 22 of Cornwall was arrested on March 18th, 2017 on the strength of a warrant. It is alleged in November, 2016 the woman failed to sign in with police and failed to meet with her bail supervisor as per her conditions. During the course of the investigation it was also learned the woman moved from her last known address without notifying a change of address. A warrant was then obtained for her arrest. On March 18th, 2017 members of the Cornwall Community Police Service assumed custody of the woman from Ottawa Police Service as they had the woman in custody on the strength of Cornwalls warrant. She was transported to Cornwall and held for a bail hearing. IMPAIRED, OVER 80 Cornwall, ON Jasmin Paschek, 40 of Cornwall was arrested on March 18th, 2017 and charged with impaired operation of a motor vehicle and over 80. It is alleged on March 18th, 2017 the woman was operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol in the area of First Street and Pitt Street. She was taken into custody during a traffic stop, charged accordingly and released to appear in court on March 28th, 2017. ASSAULT, ROBBERY Cornwall, ON A 35-year-old Akwesasne man was arrested on March 19th, 2017 and charged with assault and robbery. It is alleged during an argument with his girlfriend on March 19th, 2017 the man punched her in the face and left the area with her purse. Police were contacted and an investigation ensued. During the investigation the man was located by police, taken into custody, charged accordingly and held for a bail hearing. His name was not released as it would identify the victim in the matter. WARRANT Cornwall, ON Cody Burelle, 19 of Cornwall was arrested on March 19th, 2017 on the strength of a warrant. It is alleged the man breached his probation conditions a warrant was issued for his arrest. On March 19th, 2017 the man was located by police, taken into custody on the strength of the warrant and released to appear in court on April 25th, 2017. BREACH Cornwall, ON Cody DHeilly-Labelle, 29 of Cornwall was arrested on March 17th, 2017 and charged with breach of recognizance for failing to sign in at police headquarters as directed. It is alleged the man failed to sign in on March 13th, 2017 and an investigation ensued. On March 17th, 2017 the man attended police headquarters to deal with the matter. He was taken into custody, charged accordingly and held for a bail hearing. WARRANT Cornwall, ON Kimber Lee Long, 22 of Cornwall was arrested on March 18th, 2017 on the strength of a warrant. It is alleged in November, 2016 the woman failed to sign in with police and failed to meet with her bail supervisor as per her conditions. During the course of the investigation it was also learned the woman moved from her last known address without notifying a change of address. A warrant was then obtained for her arrest. On March 18th, 2017 members of the Cornwall Community Police Service assumed custody of the woman from Ottawa Police Service as they had the woman in custody on the strength of Cornwalls warrant. She was transported to Cornwall and held for a bail hearing. IMPAIRED, OVER 80 Cornwall, ON Jasmin Paschek, 40 of Cornwall was arrested on March 18th, 2017 and charged with impaired operation of a motor vehicle and over 80. It is alleged on March 18th, 2017 the woman was operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol in the area of First Street and Pitt Street. She was taken into custody during a traffic stop, charged accordingly and released to appear in court on March 28th, 2017. ASSAULT, ROBBERY Cornwall, ON A 35-year-old Akwesasne man was arrested on March 19th, 2017 and charged with assault and robbery. It is alleged during an argument with his girlfriend on March 19th, 2017 the man punched her in the face and left the area with her purse. Police were contacted and an investigation ensued. During the investigation the man was located by police, taken into custody, charged accordingly and held for a bail hearing. His name was not released as it would identify the victim in the matter. WARRANT Cornwall, ON Cody Burelle, 19 of Cornwall was arrested on March 19th, 2017 on the strength of a warrant. It is alleged the man breached his probation conditions a warrant was issued for his arrest. On March 19th, 2017 the man was located by police, taken into custody on the strength of the warrant and released to appear in court on April 25th, 2017. BREACH Cornwall, ON Cody DHeilly-Labelle, 29 of Cornwall was arrested on March 17th, 2017 and charged with breach of recognizance for failing to sign in at police headquarters as directed. It is alleged the man failed to sign in on March 13th, 2017 and an investigation ensued. On March 17th, 2017 the man attended police headquarters to deal with the matter. He was taken into custody, charged accordingly and held for a bail hearing. WARRANT Cornwall, ON Kimber Lee Long, 22 of Cornwall was arrested on March 18th, 2017 on the strength of a warrant. It is alleged in November, 2016 the woman failed to sign in with police and failed to meet with her bail supervisor as per her conditions. During the course of the investigation it was also learned the woman moved from her last known address without notifying a change of address. A warrant was then obtained for her arrest. On March 18th, 2017 members of the Cornwall Community Police Service assumed custody of the woman from Ottawa Police Service as they had the woman in custody on the strength of Cornwalls warrant. She was transported to Cornwall and held for a bail hearing. IMPAIRED, OVER 80 Cornwall, ON Jasmin Paschek, 40 of Cornwall was arrested on March 18th, 2017 and charged with impaired operation of a motor vehicle and over 80. It is alleged on March 18th, 2017 the woman was operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol in the area of First Street and Pitt Street. She was taken into custody during a traffic stop, charged accordingly and released to appear in court on March 28th, 2017. ASSAULT, ROBBERY Cornwall, ON A 35-year-old Akwesasne man was arrested on March 19th, 2017 and charged with assault and robbery. It is alleged during an argument with his girlfriend on March 19th, 2017 the man punched her in the face and left the area with her purse. Police were contacted and an investigation ensued. During the investigation the man was located by police, taken into custody, charged accordingly and held for a bail hearing. His name was not released as it would identify the victim in the matter. WARRANT Cornwall, ON Cody Burelle, 19 of Cornwall was arrested on March 19th, 2017 on the strength of a warrant. It is alleged the man breached his probation conditions a warrant was issued for his arrest. On March 19th, 2017 the man was located by police, taken into custody on the strength of the warrant and released to appear in court on April 25th, 2017. CORNWALL, Ontario At a meeting of the United Counties Council on Monday, March 20, the Eastern Ontario Health Unit (EOHU) explained that they would be reducing their office space in four of their locations. "We are downsizing our offices to cut down on occupancy costs, but we are in no way reducing our services," said Dr. Paul Roumeliotis, the EOHUs Medical Officer of Health. "We will be investing more in mobile technology and I see this as us being in the community more rather than less." The EOHU will be reducing its office space in Winchester, Alexandria, Hawkesbury and Rockland. Dr. Roumeliotis explained however, that the location of some of these offices will remain essentially the same. "For instance, in Winchester we rent our space at the Winchester Hospital, we will still be doing that, we will just be asking for a smaller room," he said. Mayor Eric Duncan, the Councillor for North Dundas, asked if these cuts will solve the cost issues coming from occupancy. "Will you be looking for money in a year from now for money for a new building in Cornwall," he asked. Dr. Roumeliotis said that the cost of building a new building would not fall on the counties. "Our building in Cornwall is old, but I have good news," he said. "If we are building a new building, all of that money will be funded from the Ministry (of health). For the first time ever, the Health Units are being treated by the Ministry like hospitals." It was then brought up that if the EOHU was looking for a new building, then maybe they should be looking to move to a new community entirely. "If they serve all of SD&G, maybe they should move to a more central location for their main office, like Monkland or Finch," said Councillor Chris McDonell. Councillor Duncan pointed out however, that the EOHU owns the land next to their current location on Pitt St. in Cornwall, so it would be unlikely that they would be looking for new real estate. Close Dr. Wilson Compton of the National Institute on Drug Abuse confirmed that illicit drug consumption among teenagers drastically dropped. Aside from drugs, alcohol and marijuana consumption and also declined. The United Sates has been facing teenage drug consumption over the years. Dr. Wilson Compton of the National Institute on Drug Abuse opened up to the NPR's Scott Simon as they discussed the drug decline among American teens in 2017. A study conducted by the University of Michigan revealed that the numbers of drug consumption went down. Around 50 thousand students from the eighth to the 12th grade were involved in the study. The drug consumption decrease includes opioids, prescription drugs, heroin, and drugs containing fentanyl, according to NPR. Aside from secretly using illicit drugs, Dr. Wilson also pointed out that these children are no longer misusing prescribed opioids. Despite the remarkable drug abuse reduction, it was explained that 12 graders are still inclined with illicit drugs consumption compared to their younger peers. The 12 graders, however, reduced their tobacco and alcohol consumption. Marijuana consumption, meanwhile, is till on the rise. Dr. Wilson explained that teens are under the impression that marijuana is less lethal compared to opioid, heroin, and those containing fentanyl. Marijuana legalization also plays a vital role when it comes to teenage pot consumption, as it gives them easier access. One of the factors that Dr. Wilson pointed out that caused the drug consumption decline is education. Informing teenagers of the possible consequences of drug abuse led them to think and embark on a more cautious decision involving drugs. Dr. John mentioned that constant reminders from parents, teachers, and authorities have a positive impact on the teens. Aside from the constant reminders, it was also mentioned that smartphone are starting to grab the teens' attention, as reported by the Telegraph. It was mentioned that American teenagers are getting less fond of drugs and alcohol as they are more inclined with their gadgets. See Now: What Republicans Don't Want You To Know About Obamacare Trotsky and the Wild Orchids (1992) Richard Rorty (Reprinted from Philosophy and Social Hope, Penguin Books, 1999). [3] If there is anything to the idea that the best intellectual position is one which is attacked with equal vigour from the political right and the political left, then I am in good shape. I am often cited by conservative culture warriors as one of the relativistic, irrationalist, deconstructing, sneering, smirking intellectuals whose writings are weakening the moral fibre of the young. Neal Kozody, writing in the monthly bulletin of the Committee for the Free World, an organization known for its vigilance against symptoms of moral weakness, denounces my 'cynical and nihilistic view' and says 'it is not enough for him [Rorty] that American students should be merely mindless; he would have them positively mobilized for mindlessness'. Richard Neuhaus, a theologian who doubts that atheists can be good American citizens, says that the 'ironist vocabulary' I advocate 'can neither provide a public language for the citizens of a democracy, nor contend intellectually against the enemies of democracy, nor transmit the reasons for democracy to the next generation'. My criticisms of Allan Bloom's The Closing of the American Mind led Harvey Mansfield a recently appointed by President Bush to the National Council for the Humanities a to say that I have 'given up on America' and that I 'manage to diminish even Dewey'. ( Mansfield recently described Dewey as a 'medium-sized malefactor'.) His colleague on the council, my fellow philosopher John Searle, thinks that standards can only be restored to American higher education if people abandon the views on truth, knowledge and objectivity that I do my best to inculcate. Yet Sheldon Wolin, speaking from the left, sees a lot of similarity between me and Allan Bloom: both of us, he says, are intellectual snobs who care only about the leisured, cultured elite to which we [4]belong. Neither of us has anything to say to blacks, or to other groups who have been shunted aside by American society. Wolins view is echoed by Terry Eagleton, Britain 's leading Marxist thinker. Eagleton says that 'in [Rorty's] ideal society the intellectuals will be "ironists", practising a suitably cavalier, laid-back attitude to their own belief, while the masses, for whom such self-ironizing might prove too subversive a weapon, will continue to salute the flag and take life seriously'. Der Spiegel said that I 'attempt to make the yuppie regression look good'. Jonathan Culler, one of Derrida's chief disciples and expositors, says that my version of pragmatism 'seems altogether appropriate to the age of Reagan'. Richard Bernstein says that my views are 'little more than an ideological apologia for an old-fashioned version of Cold War liberalism dressed up in fashionable "post-modem" discourse'. The left's favourite word for me is 'complacent', just as the right's is 'irresponsible'. The left's hostility is partially explained by the fact that most people who admire Nietzsche, Heidegger and Derrida as much as I do most of the people who either classify themselves as 'postmodernist' or (like me) find themselves thus classified willynilly participate in what Jonathan Yardley has called the 'America Sucks Sweepstakes'. Participants in this event compete to find better, bitterer ways of describing the United States . They see our country as embodying everything that is wrong with the rich post-Enlightenment West. They see ours as what Foucault called a 'disciplinary society', dominated by an odious ethos of 'liberal individualism', an ethos which produces racism, sexism, consumerism and Republican presidents. By contrast, I see America pretty much as Whitman and Dewey did, as opening a prospect on illimitable democratic vistas. I think that our country a despite its past and present atrocities and vices, and despite its continuing eagerness to elect fools and knaves to high office is a good example of the best kind of society so far invented. The right's hostility is largely explained by the fact that rightist thinkers don't think that it is enough just to prefer democratic societies. One also has to believe that they are Objectively Good, that the institutions of such societies are grounded in Rational First Principles Especially if one teaches philosophy, as I do, one is expected to tell [5] the young that their society is not just one of the better ones so far contrived, but one which embodies Truth and Reason. Refusal to say this sort of thing counts as the 'treason of the clerks' as an abdication of professional and moral responsibility. My own philosophical views views I share with Nietzsche and Dewey a forbid me to say this kind of thing. I do not have much use for notions like 'objective value' and 'objective truth'. I think that the so-called postmodernists are right in most of their criticisms of traditional philosophical talk about 'reason'. So my philosophical views offend the right as much as my political preferences offend the left. I am sometimes told, by critics from both ends of the political spectrum, that my views are so weird as to be merely frivolous. They suspect that I will say anything to get a gasp, that I am just amusing myself by contradicting everybody else. This hurts. So I have tried, in what follows, to say something about how I got into my present position how I got into philosophy, and then found myself unable to use philosophy for the purpose I had originally had in mind. Perhaps this bit of autobiography will make clear that, even if my views about the relation of philosophy and politics are odd, they were not adopted for frivolous reasons. When I was 12, the most salient books on my parents' shelves were two red-bound volumes, The Case of Leon Trotsky and Not Guilty. These made up the report of the Dewey Commission of Inquiry into the Moscow Trials. I never read them with the wide-eyed fascination I brought to books like Krafft-Ebing's Psychopathia Sexualis, but I thought of them in the way in which other children thought of their family's Bible: they were books that radiated redemptive truth and moral splendour. If I were a really good boy, I would say to myself, I should have read not only the Dewey Commission reports, but also Trotsky's History of the Russian Revolution, a book I started many times but never managed to finish. For in the 1940s, the Russian Revolution and its betrayal by Stalin were, for me, what the Incarnation and its betrayal by the Catholics had been to precocious little Lutherans 400 years before. My father had almost, but not quite, accompanied John Dewey to [6] Mexico as PR man for the Commission of Inquiry which Dewey chaired. Having broken with the American Communist Party in 1932, my parents had been classified by the Daily Worker as Trotskyites', and they more or less accepted the description. When Trotsky was assassinated in 1940, one of his secretaries, John Frank, hoped that the GPU would not think to look for him in the remote little village on the Delaware river where we were living. Using a pseudonym, he was our guest in Flatbrookville for some months. I was warned not to disclose his real identity, though it is doubtful that my schoolmates at Walpack Elementary would have been interested in my indiscretions. I grew up knowing that all decent people were, if not Trotskyites, at least socialists. I also knew that Stalin had ordered not only Trotsky's assassination but also Kirov 's, Ehrlich's, Alter's and Carlo Tresca's. (Tresca, gunned down on the streets of New York , had been a family friend.) I knew that poor people would always be oppressed until capitalism was overcome. Working as an unpaid office boy during my twelfth winter, I carried drafts of press releases from the Workers' Defense League office offGramercy Park (where my parents worked) to Norman Thomas's (the Socialist Party's candidate for president) house around the comer, and also to A. Philip Randolph's office at the Brotherhood of Pullman Car Porters on i25th Street. On the subway, I would read the documents I was carrying. They told me a lot about what factory owners did to union organizers, plantation owners to sharecroppers, and the white locomotive engineers' union to the coloured firemen (whose jobs white men wanted, now that diesel engines were replacing coal-fired steam engines). So, at 12, I knew that the point of being human was to spend one's life fighting social injustice. But I also had private, weird, snobbish, incommunicable interests. In earlier years these had been in Tibet . I had sent the newly enthroned Dalai Lama a present, accompanied by warm congratulations to a fellow eight-year-old who had made good. A few years later, when my parents began dividing their time between the Chelsea Hotel and the mountains of north-west New Jersey , these interests switched to orchids. Some 40 species of wild orchids occur in those mountains, and I eventually found 17 of them. Wild orchids are uncommon, and [7] rather hard to spot. I prided myself enormously on being the only person around who knew where they grew, their Latin names and their blooming times. When in New York , I would go to the 42 nd Street public library to reread a nineteenth-century volume on the botany of the orchids of the eastern U S. I was not quite sure why those orchids were so important, but I was convinced that they were. I was sure that our noble, pure, chaste, North American wild orchids were morally superior to the showy, hybridized, tropical orchids displayed in florists' shops. I was also convinced that there was a deep significance in the fact that the orchids are the latest and most complex plants to have been developed in the course of evolution. Looking back, I suspect that there was a lot of sublimated sexuality involved (orchids being a notoriously sexy sort of flower), and that my desire to learn all there was to know about orchids was linked to my desire to understand all the hard words in Krafit-Ebing. I was uneasily aware, however, that there was something a bit dubious about this esotericism this interest in socially useless flowers. I had read (in the vast amount of spare time given to a clever, snotty, nerdy only child) bits of Marius the Epicurean and also bits of Marxist criticisms of Pater's aestheticism. I was afraid that Trotsky (whose Literature and Revolution I had nibbled at) would not have approved of my interest in orchids. At fifteen I escaped from the bullies who regularly beat me up on the playground of my high school (bullies who, I assumed, would somehow wither away once capitalism had been overcome) by going off to the so-called Hutchins College of the University of Chicago. (This was the institution immortalized by A.J. Liebling as 'the biggest collection of juvenile neurotics since the Children's Crusade'.) Insofar as I had any project in mind, it was to reconcile Trotsky and the orchids. I wanted to find some intellectual or aesthetic framework which would let me in a thrilling phrase which I came across in Yeats 'hold reality and justice in a single vision'. By reality I meant more or less, the Wordsworthian moments in which, in the woods around Flatbrookville (and especially in the presence of certain coralroot orchids, and of the smaller yellow lady slipper), I had felt [8] touched by something numinous, something of ineffable importance. By justice I meant what Norman Thomas and Trotsky both stood for, the liberation of the weak from the strong. I wanted a way to be both an intellectual and spiritual snob and a friend of humanity a nerd recluse and a fighter for justice. I was very confused, but reasonably sure that at Chicago I would find out how grown-ups managed to work the trick I had in mind. When I got to Chicago (in 1946), I found that Hutchins, together with his friends Mortimer Adler and Richard McKeon (the villain of Pirsig's Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance), had enveloped much of the University of Chicago in a neo-Aristotelian mystique. The most frequent target of their sneers was John Dewey's pragmatism. That pragmatism was the philosophy of my parents' friend Sidney Hook, as well as the unofficial philosophy of most of the other New York intellectuals who had given up on dialectical materialism. But according to Hutchins and Adier, pragmatism was vulgar, 'relativistic', and self-refuting. As they pointed out over and over again, Dewey had absolutes. To say, as Dewey did, that 'growth itself is the only moral end', left one without a criterion for growth, and thus with no way refute Hitler's suggestion that Germany had 'grown' under his rule. To say that truth is what works is to reduce the quest for truth to the quest for power. Only an appeal to something eternal, absolute, and good like the God of St Thomas, or the 'nature of human beings' described by Aristotle would permit one to answer the Nazis, to justify one's choice of social democracy over fascism. This quest for stable absolutes was common to the neo-Thomist and to Leo Strauss, the teacher who attracted the best of the Chicago students (including my classmate Allan Bloom). The Chicago faculty was dotted with awesomely learned refugees from Hitler, of which Strauss was the most revered. All of them seemed to agree that something deeper and weightier than Dewey was needed if one was to explain why it would be better to be dead than to be a Nazi. This sounded pretty good to my 15-year-old ears. For moral and philosophical absolutes sounded a bit like my beloved orchids numinous, hard to find, known only to a chosen few. Further, since Dewey was a hero to all the people among whom I had grown up, scorning [9] Dewey was a convenient form of adolescent revolt. The only question was whether this scorn should take a religious or a philosophical form, and how it might be combined with striving for social justice. Like many of my classmates at Chicago , I knew lots of T. S. Eliot by heart. I was attracted by Eliot's suggestions that only committed Christians (and perhaps only Anglo-Catholics) could overcome their unhealthy preoccupation with their private obsessions, and so serve their fellow humans with proper humility. But a prideful inability to believe what I was saying when I recited the General Confession gradually led me to give up on my awkward attempts to get religion. So I fell back on absolutist philosophy. I read through Plato during my fifteenth summer, and convinced myself that Socrates was right virtue was knowledge. That claim was music to my ears, for I had doubts about my own moral character and a suspicion that my only gifts were intellectual ones. Besides, Socrates had to be right, for only then could one hold reality and justice in a single vision. Only if he were right could one hope to be both as good as the best Christians (such as Alyosha in The Brothers Karamazov, whom I could not and still cannot decide whether to envy or despise) and as learned and clever as Strauss and his students. So I decided to major in philosophy. I figured that if I became a philosopher I might get to the top of Plato's 'divided line' the place 'beyond hypotheses' where the full sunshine of Truth irradiates the purified soul of the wise and good: an Elysian field dotted with immaterial orchids. It seemed obvious to me that getting to such a place was what everybody with any brains really wanted. It also seemed clear that Platonism had all the advantages of religion, without requiring the humility which Christianity demanded, and of which I was apparently incapable. For all these reasons, I wanted very much to be some kind of Platonist, and from 15 to 20 I did my best. But it didn't pan out. I could never figure out whether the Platonic philosopher was aiming at the ability to offer irrefutable argument - argument which rendered him able to convince anyone he encountered of what he believed (the sort of thing Ivan Karamazov was good at) or instead was aiming [10] at a sort of incommunicable, private bliss (the sort of thing his brother Alyosha seemed to possess). The first goal is to achieve argumentative power over others e.g., to become able to convince bullies that they should not beat one up, or to convince rich capitalists that they must cede their power to a cooperative, egalitarian commonwealth. The second goal is to enter a state in which all your own doubts are stilled, but in which you no longer wish to argue. Both goals seemed desirable, but I could not see how they could be fitted together. At the same time as I was worrying about this tension within Platonism and within any form of what Dewey had called 'the quest for certainty' I was also worrying about the familiar problem of how one could possibly get a noncircular justification of any debatable stand on any important issue. The more philosophers I read, the clearer it seemed that each of them could carry their views back to first principles which were incompatible with the first principles of their opponents, and that none of them ever got to that fabled place 'beyond hypotheses'. There seemed to be nothing like a neutral standpoint from which these alternative first principles could be evaluated. But if there were no such standpoint, then the whole idea of 'rational certainty', and the whole Socratic-Platonic idea of replacing passion by reason, seemed not to make much sense. Eventually I got over the worry about circular argumentation by deciding that the test of philosophical truth was overall coherence, rather than deducibility from unquestioned first principles. But this didn't help much. For coherence is a matter of avoiding contradictions, and St Thomas 's advice, 'When you meet a contradiction, make a distinction,' makes that pretty easy. As far as I could see, philosophical talent was largely a matter of proliferating as many distinctions as were needed to wriggle out of a dialectical comer. More generally, it was a matter, when trapped in such a comer, of redescribing the nearby intellectual terrain in such a way that the terms used by one's opponent would seem irrelevant, or question-begging, or jejune. I turned out to have a flair for such redescription. But I became less and less certain that developing this skill was going to make me either wise or virtuous. Since that initial disillusion (which climaxed about the time I left [11] Chicago to get a Ph.D. in philosophy at Yale), I have spent 40 years looking for a coherent and convincing way of formulating my worries about what, if anything, philosophy is good for. My starting point was the discovery of Hegel's Phenomenology of Spirit, a book which I read as saying: granted that philosophy is just a matter of out-redescribing the last philosopher, the cunning of reason can make use even of this sort of competition. It can use it to weave the conceptual fabric of a freer, better, more just society. If philosophy can be, at best, only what Hegel called 'its time held in thought', still, that might be enough. For by thus holding one's time, one might do what Marx wanted done change the world. So even if there were no such thing as 'understanding the world' in the Platonic sense an understanding from a position outside of time and history - perhaps there was still a social use for my talents, and for the study of philosophy. For quite a while after I read Hegel, I thought that the two greatest achievements of the species to which I belonged were The Phenomenology of Spirit and Remembrance of Things Past (the book which took the place of the wild orchids once I left Flatbrookville for Chicago ). Proust's ability to weave intellectual and social snobbery together with the hawthorns around Combray, his grandmother's selfless love, Odette's orchidaceous embraces of Swann and Jupien's of Charlus, and with everything else he encountered to give each of these its due without feeling the need to bundle them together with die help of a religious faith or a philosophical theory - seemed to me as astonishing as Hegel's ability to throw himself successively into empiricism, Greek tragedy, Stoicism, Christianity and Newtonian physics, and to emerge from each, ready and eager for something completely different. It was the cheerful commitment to irreducible temporality which Hegel and Proust shared the specifically anti Platonic element in their work that seemed so wonderful. They both seemed able to weave everything they encountered into a narrative without asking that that narrative have a moral, and without asking how that narrative would appear under the aspect of eternity. About 20 years or so after I decided that the young Hegel's willingness to stop trying for eternity, and just be the child of his time, was [12] the appropriate response to disillusionment with Plato, I found myself being led back to Dewey. Dewey now seemed to me a philosopher who had learned all that Hegel had to teach about how to eschew certainty and eternity, while immunizing himself against pantheism by taking Darwin seriously. This rediscovery of Dewey coincided with my first encounter with Derrida (which I owe to Jonathan Arc, my colleague at Princeton ). Derrida led me back to Heidegger, and I was struck by the resemblances between Dewey's, Wittgenstein's and Heidegger's criticisms of Cartesianism. Suddenly things began to come together. I thought I saw a way to blend a criticism of the Cartesian tradition with the quasi-Hegelian historicism of Michel Foucault, Lan Hacking and Alasdair Maclntyre. I thought that I could fit all these into a quasi-Heideggerian story about the tensions within Platonism. The result of this small epiphany was a book called Philosophy and the Mirror of Nature. Though disliked by most of my fellow philosophy professors, this book had enough success among nonphilosophers to give me a self-confidence I had previously lacked. But Philosophy and the Mirror of Nature did not do much for my adolescent ambitions. The topics it treated the mind-body problem, controversies in the philosophy of language about truth and meaning, Kuhnian philosophy of science were pretty remote from both Trotsky and the orchids. I had gotten back on good terms with Dewey; I had articulated my historicist anti-Platonism; I had finally figured out what I thought about the direction and value of current movements in analytic philosophy; I had sorted out most of the philosophers whom I had read. But I had not spoken to any of the questions which got me started reading philosophers in the first place. I was no closer to the single vision which, 30 years back, I had gone to college to get. As I tried to figure out what had gone wrong, I gradually decided :hat the whole idea of holding reality and justice in a single vision had leen a mistake that a pursuit of such a vision had been precisely what led Plato astray. More specifically, I decided that only religion only a nonargumentative faith in a surrogate parent who, unlike my real parent, embodied love, power and justice in equal measure could do the trick Plato wanted done. Since I couldnt imagine becoming religious, and indeed had gotten more and more raucously [13] secularist, I decided that the hope of getting a single vision by becoming a philosopher had been a self-deceptive atheist's way out. So I decided to write a book about what intellectual life might be like if one could manage to give up the Platonic attempt to hold reality and justice in a single vision. That book - Contingency, Irony and Solidarity argues that there is no need to weave one's personal equivalent of Trotsky and one's personal equivalent of my wild orchids together. Rather, one should try to abjure the temptation to tie in one's moral responsibilities to other people with one's relation to whatever idiosyncratic things or persons one loves with all one's heart and soul and mind (or, if you like, the things or persons one is obsessed with). The two will, for some people, coincide as they do in those lucky Christians for whom the love of God and of other human beings are inseparable, or revolutionaries who are moved by nothing save the thought of social justice. But they need not coincide, and one should not try too hard to make them do so. So, for example, Jean-Paul Sartre seemed to me right when he denounced Kant's self-deceptive quest for certainty, but wrong when he denounced Proust as a useless bourgeois wimp, a man whose life and writings were equally irrelevant to the only thing that really mattered, the struggle to overthrow capitalism. Proust's life and work were, in fact, irrelevant to that struggle. But that is a silly reason to despise Proust. It is as wrong-headed as Savonarola's contempt for the works of art he called 'vanities'. Singlemindedness of this Sartrean or Savonarolan sort is the quest for purity of heart the attempt to will one thing gone rancid. It is the attempt to see yourself as an incarnation of something larger than yourself (the Movement, Reason, the Good, the Holy) rather than accepting your finitude. The latter means, among other things, accepting that what matters most to you may well be something that may never matter much to most people. Your equivalent of my orchids may always seem merely weird, merely idiosyncratic, to practically everybody else. But that is no reason to be ashamed of, or downgrade, or try to slough off, your Wordsworthian moments, your lover, your family, your pet, your favourite lines of verse, or your quaint religious faith. There is nothing sacred about universality which makes the shared [14] Automatically better than the unshared. There is no automatic privilege of what you can get everybody to agree to (the universal) over what you cannot (the idiosyncratic). This means that the fact that you have obligations to other people (not to bully them, to join them in overthrowing tyrants, to feed them when they are hungry) does not entail that what you share with other people is more important than anything else. What you share with them, when you are aware of such moral obligations, is not, I argued in Contingency, 'rationality' or 'human nature' or 'the fatherhood of God' or 'a knowledge of the Moral Law', or anything other than ability to sympathize with the pain of others. There is no particular reason to expect that your sensitivity to that pain, and your idiosyncratic loves, are going to fit within one big overall account of how everything hangs together. There is, in short, not much reason to hope for the sort of single vision that I went to college hoping to get. So much for how I came to the views I currently hold. As I said earlier, most people find these views repellent. My Contingency book got a couple of good reviews, but these were vastly outnumberedby reviews which said that the book was frivolous, confused andirresponsible. The gist of the criticisms I get from both left and right is pretty much the same as the gist of the criticisms aimed at Dewey by the Thomists, the Straussians and the Marxists, back in me 1930s and 1940s. Dewey thought, as I now do, that there was nothing bigger, more permanent and more reliable, behind our sense of moral obligation to those in pain than a certain contingent historical phenomenon - the gradual spread of the sense that the pain of others matters, regardless of whether they are of the same family, tribe, colour, religion, nation or intelligence as oneself. This idea, Dewey thought, cannot be shown to be true by science, or religion or philosophy at least if 'shown to be true' means 'capable of being made evident to anyone, regardless of background'. It can only be made evident to people whom it is not too late to acculturate into our own particular, late-blooming, historically contingent form of life. This Deweyan claim entails a picture of human beings as children of their time and place, without any significant metaphysical or biological [15] limits on their plasticity. It means that a sense of moral obligation is a matter of conditioning rather than of insight. It also entails that the notion of insight (in any area, physics as well as ethics) as a glimpse of what is there, apart from any human needs and desires, cannot be made coherent. As William James put it, 'The trail of the human serpent is over all.' More specifically, our conscience and our aesthetic taste are, equally, products of the cultural environment in which we grew up. We decent, liberal humanitarian types (representatives of the moral community to which both my reviewers and I belong) are just luckier, not more insightful, than the bullies with whom we struggle.' This view is often referred to dismissively as 'cultural relativism'. But it is not relativistic, if that means saying that every moral view is as good as every other. Our moral view is, I firmly believe, much better than any competing view, even though there are a lot of people whom you will never be able to convert to it. It is one thing to say, falsely, that there is nothing to choose between us and the Nazis. It is another thing to say, correctly, that there is no neutral, common ground to which an experienced Nazi philosopher and I can repair in order to argue out our differences. That Nazi and I will always strike one another as begging all the crucial questions, arguing in circles. Socrates and Plato suggested that if we tried hard enough we should find beliefs which everybody found intuitively plausible, and that among these would be moral beliefs whose implications, when clearly realized, would make us virtuous as well as knowledgeable. To thinkers like Allan Bloom (on the Straussian side) and Terry Eagleton (on the Marxist side), there just must be such beliefs unwobbling pivots that determine the answer to the question: Which moral or political alternative is objectively valid? For Deweyan pragmatists like me, history and anthropology are enough to show that there are no unwobbling pivots, and that seeking objectivity is just a matter of getting as much intersubjective agreement as you can manage. Nothing much has changed in philosophical debates about whether objectivity is more than intersubjectivity since the time I went to college or, for that matter, since the time Hegel went to seminary. Nowadays we philosophers talk about 'moral language' instead of 'moral experience', and about 'contextualist theories of reference' [16] rather than about 'the relation between subject and object'. But this is just froth on the surface. My reasons for turning away from the anti-Deweyan views I imbibed at Chicago are pretty much the same reasons Dewey had for turning away from evangelical Christianity and from the neo-Hegelian pantheism which he embraced in his 20s. They are also pretty much the reasons which led Hegel to turn away from Kant, and to decide that both God and the Moral Law had to be temporalized and historicized to be believable. I do not think that I have more insight into the debates about our need for 'absolutes' than I had when I was 20, despite all the books I have read and arguments I have had in the intervening 40 years. All those years of reading and arguing did was to let me spell out my disillusionment with Plato my conviction that philosophy was no help in dealing with Nazis and other bullies in more detail, and to a variety of different audiences. At the moment there are two cultural wars being waged in the United States . The first is the one described in detail by my colleague James Davison Hunter in his comprehensive and informative Culture Wars: The Struggle to Define America. This war between the people Hunter calls 'progressivists' and those he calls 'orthodox' is important. It will decide whether our country continues along the trajectory defined by the Bill of Rights, the Reconstruction Amendments, the building of the land-grant colleges, female suffrage, the New Deal, Brown v. Board of Education, the building of the community colleges, Lyndon Johnson's civil rights legislation, the feminist movement, and the gay rights movement. Continuing along this trajectory would mean that America might continue to set an example of increasing tolerance and increasing equality. But it may be that this trajectory could be continued only while Americans' average real income continued to rise. So 1973 may have been the beginning of the end: the end both of rising economic expectations and of the political consensus that emerged from the New Deal. The future of American politics may be just a series of increasingly blatant and increasingly successful variations on the Willie Horton spots. Sinclair Lewiss It Cant Happen Here may become an increasingly plausible scenario. Unlike Hunter, I feel no [17] need to be judicious and balanced in my attitude toward the two sides this first sort of culture war. I see the 'orthodox' (the people who think that hounding gays out of the military promotes traditional family values) as the same honest, decent, blinkered, disastrous people who voted for Hitler in 1933. I see the 'progressivists' as defining the only America I care about. The second cultural war is being waged in magazines like Critical Inquiry and Salmagundi, magazines with high subscription rates and low circulations. It is between those who see modern liberal society as vitally flawed (the people handily lumped together as 'postmodernists') and typical left-wing Democrat professors like myself, people who see ours as a society in which technology and democratic institutions can, with luck, collaborate to increase equality and decrease suffering. This war is not very important. Despite the conservative columnists who pretend to view with alarm a vast conspiracy (encompassing both the postmodernists and the pragmatists) to politicize the humanities and corrupt the youth, this war is just a tiny little dispute within what Hunter calls the 'progressivist' ranks. People on the postmodernist side of this dispute tend to share Noam Chomsky's view of the United States as run by a corrupt elite which aims at enriching itself by immiserating the Third World . From that perspective, our country is not so much in danger of slipping into fascism as it is a country which has always been quasi-fascist. These people typically think that nothing will change unless we get rid of humanism', 'liberal individualism', and 'technologism'. People like me see nothing wrong with any of these -isms, nor with the political and moral heritage of the Enlightenment - with the least common denominator of Mill and Marx, Trotsky and Whitman, William James and Vaclav Havel. Typically, we Deweyans are sentimentally patriotic about America willing to grant that it could slide into fascism at any time, but proud of its past and guardedly hopeful about its future. Most people on my side of this second, tiny, upmarket cultural war have, in the light of the history of nationalized enterprises and central planning in central and eastern Europe, given up on socialism. We are willing to grant that welfare state capitalism is the best we can hope for. Most of us who were brought up Trotskyite now feel forced [18] to admit that Lenin and Trotsky did more harm than good, and that Kerensky has gotten a bum rap for the past 70 years. But we see ourselves as still faithful to everything that was good in the socialist movement. Those on the other side, however, still insist that nothing will change unless there is some sort of total revolution. Postmodernists who consider themselves post-Marxists still want to preserve the sort of purity of heart which Lenin feared he might lose if he listened to too much Beethoven. I am distrusted by both the 'orthodox' side in the important war and the 'postmodern' side in the unimportant one, because I think that the 'postmoderns' are philosophically right though politically silly, and that the 'orthodox' are philosophically wrong as well as politically dangerous. Unlike both the orthodox and the postmoderns, I do not think that you can tell much about the worth of a philosopher's views on topics such as truth, objectivity and the possibility of a single vision by discovering his politics, or his irrelevance to politics. So I do not think it counts in favour of Dewey's pragmatic view of truth that he was a fervent social democrat, nor against Heidegger's criticism of Platonic notions of objectivity that he was a Nazi, nor against Derrida's view of linguistic meaning that his most influential American ally, Paul de Man, wrote a couple of anti-Semitic articles when he was young. The idea that you can evaluate a writer's philosophical views by reference to their political utility seems to me a version of the bad Platonic-Straussian idea that we cannot have justice until philosophers become kings or kings philosophers. Both the orthodox and the postmoderns still want a tight connection between people's politics and their views on large theoretical (theological, metaphysical, epistemological, metaphilosophical) matters. Some postmodernists who initially took my enthusiasm for Derrida to mean that I must be on their political side decided, after discovering that my politics were pretty much those of Hubert Humphrey, that I must have sold out. The orthodox tend to think that people who, like the postmodernists and me, believe neither in God nor in some suitable substitute, should think that everything is permitted, that everybody can do what they like. So they tell us that we are either inconsistent or self-deceptive in putting forward our moral or political views. [19] I take this near unanimity among my critics to show that most people even a lot of purportedly liberated postmodernists still hanker for something like what I wanted when I was 15: a way of holding reality and justice in a single vision. More specifically, they want to unite their sense of moral and political responsibility with a grasp of the ultimate determinants of our fate. They want to see love, power and justice as coming together deep down in the nature of things, or in the human soul, or in the structure of language, or somewhere. They want some sort of guarantee that their intellectual acuity, and those special ecstatic moments which that acuity sometimes affords, are of some relevance to their moral convictions. They still think that virtue and knowledge are somehow linked that being right about philosophical matters is important for right action. I think this is important only occasionally and incidentally. I do not, however, want to argue that philosophy is socially useless. Had there been no Plato, the Christians would have had a harder time selling the idea that all God really wanted from us was fraternal love. Had there been no Kant, the nineteenth century would have iad a harder time reconciling Christian ethics with Darwin 's story about the descent of man. Had there been no Darwin , it would have 3een harder for Whitman and Dewey to detach the Americans from their belief that they were God's chosen people, to get them to start standing on their own feet. Had there been no Dewey and no Sidney Hook, American intellectual leftists of the 1930S would have been as buffaloed by the Marxists as were their counterparts in France and in Latin America. Ideas do, indeed, have consequences. But the fact that ideas have consequences does not mean that we philosophers, we specialists in ideas, are in a key position. We are not here to provide principles or foundations or deep theoretical diagnoses, or a synoptic vision. When I am asked (as, alas, I often am) what I take contemporary philosophy's 'mission' or 'task' to be, I get tonguetied. The best I can do is to stammer that we philosophy professors are people who have a certain familiarity with a certain intellectual tradition, as chemists have a certain familiarity with what happens when you mix various substances together. We can offer some advice about what will happen when you try to combine or to [20] separate certain ideas, on the basis of our knowledge of the results of past experiments. By doing so, we may be able to help you hold your time in thought. But we are not the people to come to if you want confirmation that the things you love with all your heart are central to the structure of the universe, or that your sense of moral responsibility is 'rational and objective' rather than 'just' a result of how you were brought up. There are still, as C. S. Peirce put it, 'philosophical slop-shops on every corner' which will provide such confirmation. But there is a price. To pay the price you have to turn your back on intellectual history and on what Milan Kundera calls 'the fascinating imaginative realm where no one owns the truth and everyone has the right to be understood . . . the wisdom of the novel'. You risk losing the sense of finitude, and the tolerance, which result from realizing how very many synoptic visions there have been, and how little argument can do to help you choose among them. Despite my relatively early disillusionment with Platonism, I am very glad that I spent all those years reading philosophy books. For I learned something that still seems very important: to distrust the intellectual snobbery which originally led me to read them. If I had not read all those books, I might never have been able to stop looking for what Derrida calls 'a full presence beyond the reach of play', for a luminous, self-justifying, self-sufficient synoptic vision. We shouldn't expect movies to completely represent reality. Superhero movies don't work too good otherwise, and no one needs to think about how Tom Cruise's hair color hasn't changed since 1986. But even knowing that, it's still sometimes fun to imagine what some science fiction or fantasy settings would look like in the real world. 7 Lightsaber Duels Would Be Over In Seconds, Possibly Kill Everybody Along with space battles, alien creatures, and angst-filled whining, one of the key ingredients of the Star Wars saga is the lightsaber duel. An amalgam of Samurai duels and coke-fueled disco aesthetics, the lightsaber fight is a cultural icon, as evidenced by every child who's ever whacked a sibling with a broomstick while yelling about the Force. Lucasfilm Or (sigh) ... four broomsticks. While the movies portray lengthy, intense lightsaber duels, real-life lightsaber battles would probably end faster than a prom night's lovemaking. According to a sword-fighting instructor, because of the lightsaber's "incredible cutting ability and instant lethality" fights would be over almost immediately. As soon as someone made a move, they'd either be victorious or leave themselves vulnerable to being laser-sworded to death. The exciting, prolonged fights we see in the movies don't make sense because "you aren't there to injure the weapon." Think about how fast a point is scored in a fencing match. Fights would have way less frantic slashing and a lot more inaction, each fighter trying to mind-fuck their opponent into fractionally dropping their guard. Proactively From the Sea; an agent of change leveraging the littoral best practices for a paradigm breaking six-sigma best business case to synergize a consistent design in the global commons, rightsizing the core values supporting our mission statement via the 5-vector model through cultural diversity. Channel programs News Ciber Agrees To Sell Infor Practice Unit Rick Saia Share this Solution provider Ciber, on the hook to repay $28.2 million to a lender by the end of the month, has agreed to sell its Infor practice to a software vendor partner, the company announced Monday. The intended buyer, Infor, focuses on industry-specific business applications built for the cloud. Ciber said in its statement that it has been an Infor Alliance Partner since 2012. The Infor practice offers implementation, integration and upgrade services related to Infor software to customers in North America and Europe. Employees from Ciber's Infor practice will transition to Infor when the transaction closes. "The sale of our Infor practice reflects a fundamental decision to hone our business to a focused IT staffing foundation with complementary integrated business consulting and application development management capabilities in a synergistic digital transformation offering," said Ciber President and CEO Michael Boustridge in the statement. "We are working to provide a seamless transition and great continuity and service to our affected customers and our employees." [RELATED: Ciber CFO: Without A Significant Deal, Our Ability To Continue Going Is In 'Substantial Doubt'] Ciber did not disclose the sale price for its Infor practice. Late last week, Ciber CFO Christian Metzger said the solution provider No. 43 on CRN's Solution Provider 500 is facing an uncertain future if it cannot repay $28.2 million to Wells Fargo by the end of March. "Without a transaction sufficient to address the company's financial situation, the company expects to conclude that there is substantial doubt about the company's ability to continue as a going concern," Metzger wrote in a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Friday afternoon. Ciber told the SEC that it had failed to strike a deal by March 15 that provides funds sufficient to cover its 13-week cash forecast, which was one of the conditions of a March 3 agreement with Wells Fargo. That agreement stipulated that Ciber would be in default if it could not meet any of the conditions imposed by Wells Fargo. As of Friday, Greenwood Village, Colo.-based Ciber was continuing to negotiate with Wells Fargo around its credit facility, Metzger said, and was also in discussions with other lenders regarding financing that would be used to repay Wells Fargo and potentially provide other working capital. But there aren't currently any binding commitments for new financing, Metzger told the SEC, and Ciber can't provide any assurance that the company will be able to obtain alternative financing or resolve its issues with Wells Fargo. Technology management solution provider Ameri100 announced earlier last week that it had offered to buy Ciber for $0.75 per share, a substantial premium over Ciber's March 10 closing stock price of $0.28. Ciber announced Tuesday that it was carefully reviewing and considering Ameri100's offering to determine if it was in the best interest of the company and its stockholders. Ciber stock was up a little today - to $0.50 a share - in early trading after it released news of its agreement with Infor. Ciber has seen double-digit sales declines in recent quarters. As part of its effort to pay off a $39.7 million loan from Wells Fargo, it has been selling off parts of its business, including its Netherlands and Norway businesses to ManpowerGroup last year for $25 million and $7 million, respectively; its Spanish operations, also to ManpowerGroup, last month for $7 million; and its German and Danish businesses to German IT company Allgeier, also last month, for $8.8 million. Ciber was named the Infor Partner of the Year in 2014 and 2015. Since 1995, Ciber has been an Infor (formerly Lawson) alliance partner, providing services for a variety of industries including healthcare and life sciences, public sector and education, discrete manufacturing, retail and consumer products, and process manufacturing. 2017 will be the year of cyberwarfare, according to Paul Laudicina, chairman emeritus of A.T. Kearney. In 2017, the scale of cyberattacks will increase, and a major economy will suffer a crippling attack on its critical infrastructure, predicts the A.T. Kearney Global Business Policy Council's Top 10 Year-Ahead Predictions for 2017. The management consulting firm states that the most likely targets are globally connected economies that have internet-enabled infrastructure and geopolitical foes, such as Germany, Japan, South Korea, the United States, and the Gulf Cooperation Council countries. Camarillo, Calif., March 20, 2017 Homework may be an outdated notion. Holding underperforming students back a grade may set them up to fail. Maybe students shouldnt be grouped according to age. Long-held concepts in education will be challenged during CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI)s 9th Annual Conference for Social Justice in Education. Educators, administrators, parents and the public is invited to participate in the conference, which is free and will be held Saturday, April 1 from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Grand Salon on the CSUCI campus. A light lunch will be served and parking will be provided. Were trying to talk about doing the right thing, said Assistant Professor of Educational Leadership Charles Weis, Ph.D. Its reflecting on what were doing in school that may not help kids. Like retention, when we hold kids back in school, there is a better chance they will drop out. And homework. It has a very small effect and we should be doing things that have a large effect. The theme of this years conference is First Do No Harm: Challenging Laws, Policies and Practices that Undermine Social Justice in Education. The keynote speaker for the conference is David Berliner, Ph.D., who is no stranger to questioning the status quo. His address is titled: Myths (and Lies) that Deceive the Public and Harm American Public Education. Berliner is Regents Professor of Education Emeritus at Arizona State University and has taught at the Universities of Arizona and Massachusetts, at Teachers College and Stanford University, and at universities in Canada, Australia, The Netherlands, Denmark, Spain, and Switzerland. Berliner, who has won numerous awards, is a member of the National Academy of Education, the International Academy of Education, and a past president of both the American Educational Research Association (AERA) and the Division of Educational Psychology of the American Psychological Association (APA). He has authored more than 200 articles and publications, the most recent entitled: 50 Myths and Lies that Threaten Americas Public Schools. It was co-authored with Gene V Glass and students, and published in March, 2014. He is fascinating and he is a contrarian, Weis said. For 30 years, he has been asking educators to question our common practices and beliefs and makes us ask ourselves are we helping our students learn? Hell also tick off some people. He will challenge what we think we know. Berliners keynote address will kick off the conference, after which participants will break into groups to discuss the subjects that most interest them, and network with colleagues and parents. Weis, who is one of the organizers of the event, says he hopes each participant is inspired to act to make the educational system the best it can be. To RSVP to the event visit: go.csuci.edu/soju. # # # About California State University Channel Islands CSU Channel Islands (CI) is the only four-year, public university in Ventura County and is known for its interdisciplinary, multicultural and international perspectives, and its emphasis on experiential and service learning. CIs strong academic programs focus on business, sciences, liberal studies, teaching credentials, and innovative masters degrees. Students benefit from individual attention, up-to-date technology, and classroom instruction augmented by outstanding faculty research. CI has been designated by the U.S. Department of Education as a Hispanic-Serving Institution and is committed to serving students of all backgrounds from the region and beyond. Connect with and learn more by visiting CI's Social Media. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate BRIDGEPORT Sandra Williams had her eye on a space within the Arcade mall for over a year before she was offered a lease. Its beautiful and its historic, Williams said of the downtown building. I just love the atmosphere. The Bronx resident said she had looked at spaces in New York City first but discarded other options when she saw the inside of the Arcade. She opened her store, La Signature Cheesecakes, recently in a space formerly occupied by a cupcake shop. Despite the number of businesses that have tried and failed to make their business work within the renovated building, Williams said she is confident her business will thrive. Its not your ordinary cheesecake, she said. From Oreo cheesecakes to mango pies and the popular red velvet desserts, Williams said she is always coming up with new recipes and adding to her offerings. The oversized slices cost $6 each or entire cheesecakes can be purchased starting at $16 for a 6-inch cheesecake. Although she has been baking for years, Williams began coming up with her own cheesecake recipes less than two years ago. I was sowing seeds (by) giving them away and people started placing orders, she said. People were like, Where is your bakery? Monica Ropiza, who works at the nearby Dunkin Donuts, said she stopped in recently and bought a whole cherry cheesecake. It was so good, it didnt last very long, she said. Im going to come here all the time, Ropiza said. Another customer and downtown employee, Mark Bogues, said hes seen businesses come and go in the Arcade over the last six years, including a pharmacy, grocery store and restaurant. But he said hes convinced Williams has a model that will work. Bogues said hes tried three different varieties of her cheesecakes and loved them all. I do believe her business will survive and thrive here, he said. Although the cheesecakes were the reason for pursuing a business, Williams also specializes in wedding and birthday cakes and accepts orders for all kinds of designs. In the display cases in her shop, Williams often has other dessert options, as well, including a variety of cupcake flavors. More recently, she added a daily lunch special to her food offerings, which were limited at first to chicken and beef patties. Williams, who is from Jamaica, said those were so popular she began to receive customer requests for Jamaican cuisine. She now offers one lunch option a day, like curried chicken, barbecue chicken or curried goat, served with rice and beans or steamed vegetables. Williams said she has asked customers to order in advance so she can make sure to have enough food available. Williams, who runs the business with her daughter, Kaydene, said she has been looking to hire an employee. Sometimes it gets real busy in here, she said. She said she has found that putting a sign outside the mall building advertising her business, which has no outside signage, has drawn customers in. The very first day I opened it was flooded and it has not ceased, Williams said. ktorres@hearstmediact.com; 203-330-6227 TRUMBULLA Westfield Mall food court employee was arrested Sunday after allegedly threatening a food court customer with a cooks cutlery. According to police, the confrontation began at around 5:50 p.m. when Kevi Gonzalez, 20, of Bridgeport, informed customers at the Sarku Japan Restaurant that there was no more food left. When customers complained, he began yelling and swearing at them, Trumbull Police Lt. Keith Golding said in a statement citing witness accounts. An argument ensued with one customer when Gonzalez retreated to the kitchen, and returned wielding a large butchers knife, challenging the customer to a fight. Gonzalez was arrested at the scene and charged with breach of the peace and threatening. He was released after posting a $5,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in court on March 29. To connect the dots between Donald Trump and Russia starts and ends with Connecticut. Trumps one-time campaign chairman Paul Manafort, who cut his teeth as a political fixer in the state, is once again a prime person of interest in a deepening probe into Russias interference in last years presidential election. Under questioning Monday from Connecticut Democrat Jim Himes, of the House Intelligence Committee, the FBIs embattled director James Comey was pressed about whether Manafort ever registered as a lobbyist for a foreign government. Manaforts previous clients include the pro-Russian former president of the Ukraine, for whom he reportedly funneled $2.2 million to a pair of major Washington, D.C., lobbying firms. That activity, compounded with U.S. intelligence findings that the Russians meddled in the election, has fueled questions of Trumps legitimacy as president. I think the facts would show that he never did register, Himes said. It perhaps should come as no surprise that the Republican platform, which was drafted at the Republican Convention in July of 2016, underwent a pretty significant change with respect to the American response to Russias illegal invasion of Ukraine and their aggression in that country. It appears from our standpoint that we had perhaps somebody who should have registered (as a foreign agent) pulling the strings there. Comey, a former constituent of Himes when he resided in Westport and was general counsel for the worlds largest hedge fund, Bridgewater Associates, said he could not discuss Manafort or any other individuals who might be in the crosshairs of the FBI. He did confirm that there is an ongoing investigation into whether Trumps campaign colluded with the Russians efforts to influence the outcome of the election. But the FBI chief further declined to say whether his agency is participating in a Ukrainian anti-corruption probe centering on Manafort. I can say generally we have a very strong relationship in cooperation with criminal and national security areas with our Ukrainian partners, Comey said. A request for comment was left Monday for Manafort, a New Britain native. Himes said after the hearing that he will push for Manafort to appear before Congress, in addition to Trump confidante Roger Stone, a Norwalk native, who Himes said had an uncanny ability to predict what would appear in Wikileaks during the campaign. I would certainly put Paul Manafort at the top of that list, Himes said of future witnesses. The White House distanced itself Monday from Manafort, with Press Secretary Sean Spicer saying during his daily press briefing that Manafort played a very limited role for a very limited amount of time. Trump enlisted Manafort last March to sew up the GOP nomination and quash the Never Trump movement in the party. Manaforts run as Trumps campaign chairman ended in August with role being reduced and then his resignation. Stone said he was tied up with a television interview and not immediately available for comment Monday. Both Comey and National Security Agency Director Mike Rogers said during Mondays blockbuster five-hour committee session that there was no evidence that Russia hacked into the election databases of key battleground states. The NSA and FBI tell Congress that Russia did not influence electoral process, Trump tweeted from his official presidential account during the hearing. Himes read the tweet to Comey and Rogers. So thats not quite that accurate that tweet? Himes said. This tweet has gone out to millions of Americans, 16.1 million to be exact. Weve offered no opinion, have no view, have no information on potential impact because its never something that we looked at, Comey responded. Comey drew the ire of Democrats last fall when he announced the FBI was reopening its probe of Hillary Clintons use of a private email server as secretary of state. Now, hes likely to be on Trumps bad side, having told Congress Monday that Trumps allegation that President Barack Obama wiretapped Trump Tower during the campaign is unfounded. We dont have any information that supports those tweets, Comey said. nvigdor@hearstmediact.com; 203-625-4436; http://twitter.com/gettinviggy This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate A former state GOP treasurer who was accused of bathing with a 5-year-old boy will avoid jail time after pleading guilty to a child endangerment charge. Gary Schaffrick, 53, the former state Republican party treasurer, sparked controversy inside the party in 2016 when he continued to perform duties while fending off police claims that he bathed naked with the boy and gave the boy candy to sleep in his bed. Schaffrick, of Bristol, was sentenced Wednesday to a 10-year suspended jail sentence and five years of probation after pleading guilty to one count of risk of injury to a minor, according to his lawyer. His charges stemmed from a stint of babysitting the boy, who was the child of a relative, in 2015. His guilty plea does not include admission to those specific acts or an apology to the family, Schaffricks Bristol-based lawyer, Jodi Zils Gagne, said. Essentially, he disagreed with the prosecutor ... but recognized the risks of going to trial, Gagne said. He was charged on March 8, 2016 and announced his resignation on March 28. But the charges didnt mark the end of Schaffricks political career. In April of 2016, he was chosen as one of two Connecticut Republicans to help organize the partys national convention. That choice received criticism from state party insiders who noted that the same week Schaffrick was serving the national committee, former GOP House Speaker Dennis Hastert had been sentenced for paying hush money to a child rape victim. Schaffrick earned around $4,000 for logistics and record keeping work after his arrest, according to Federal Election Commission records. Despite the payments, state party leaders said at the time that they had severed ties with Shaffrick. Hes not an employee, CT GOP chief J.R. Romano told the Post in August 2016, after the GOP convention. Hes no longer at the party. According to Romano, Schaffrick had also served as a member of the 72-member Republican State Central Committee. Romano did not respond to a request for comment. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 5 1 of 5 Autumn Driscoll / Autumn Driscoll Show More Show Less 2 of 5 File Photo / ST Show More Show Less 3 of 5 4 of 5 Contributed photo / Contributed Photo Show More Show Less 5 of 5 SHELTON-Tonight residents get to discuss politics while munching on pizza during the monthly meeting with state legislators.Like Pizza? State Sen. Kevin Kelly and State Reps. Ben McGorty and Jason Perillo will host a politics and pizza discussion 6 p.m. tonight at Caloroso, 100 Center Street. Brazilian patients prefer Cuban doctors Submitted by: Juana South America Health and Medicine 03 / 16 / 2017 Brazilian Health minister Ricardo Barros admitted in Brasilia on Tuesday that local patients prefer to be treated by Cuban doctors working with the More Doctors program rather than by Brazilian physicians, as they stressed the strong commitment of the islands professionals. The Cuban doctors are all day at the order of the people; they work from eight to six, including Saturdays and Sundays and this particular attention makes the More Doctors program be favored by 95 percent of the people, said the minister at the Municipal government of the locality of Curitiba. Cuba joined the More Doctors program in 2013 at the request of the Dilma Rousseff government and with the participation of the Pan-American Health Organization. Some 11 400 Cuban doctors have worked in 3 356 Brazilian municipalities since 2013. They contributed to benefit 40 million people, particularly low income families. (acn) Havanas first luxury hotel furniture made by Cuban enterprise Submitted by: Juana Las Tunas Business and Economy 03 / 20 / 2017 LUDEMA Furniture enterprise took over the production of about 3,500 articles from 171 assortments destined for the Manzana Kempinski Havana Grand Hotel, Cuba's first five-star plus luxury tourist facility. Luis Cruz, general secretary of the union's bureau of that entity, told ACN that the Ministry of Industries was assigned the responsibility for furnishing the building, which will soon open its doors in the vicinity of Havanas Central Park. He mentioned that LUDEMA had experience working for tourism facilities such as Habana Libre hotel, but this demand was a major challenge due to the extremely high quality of this facility. We had a preparation process that began in late 2015 and included the visualization of videos on the execution of high standard furniture; in addition to the guide of LUDEMA design group, said Cruz. The Ministry of Industries guaranteed top quality raw material for the preparation of pieces designed for areas such as the lobby and the rooms, he noted. As result of that experience and the training the workers obtained, we are able to respond to the country's future needs in terms of furniture production, the official added. Cruz announced that they had submitted the necessary documentation to take over the furniture of the Packard Hotel, which is being built in this city, and that they are currently working on supplying the keys north of Villa Clara and Varadero resort. According to executives of the Almest Real Estate Company, who are in charge of the construction of the Manzana Kempinski Havana Grand Hotel, 80 percent of the furniture was made by the national industry, and due to their quality they expect to continue working together. (acn) 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 ... Five Somerset County soccer and volleyball teams begin PIAA playoffs Three Somerset County volleyball teams and two girls soccer squads open the PIAA playoffs on Tuesday. Here is a look at all the first-round matchups. Money talks. And, not before time, it is telling the internet behemoths: clean up your act. Over the past few days, advertising companies representing the countrys biggest consumer brands and banks have suspended their contracts with Google, as it has become clear the company has failed to prevent those advertisements attaching to disgusting videos preaching race hatred and virulent anti-Semitism. The BBC has also found itself unwittingly linked commercially (via its advertising contract with Google) to some of the most poisonous people on the planet. BBC programmes including The Last Kingdom were promoted via Google on videos posted by Wagdy Ghoneim, an Islamist preacher banned from this country for inciting hatred. The BBC has also found itself unwittingly linked commercially (via its advertising contract with Google) to some of the most poisonous people on the planet. An advert for the BBC show the Last Kingdom was played before a video of neo Nazis National Rebirth of Poland This has been good business for Google it meets its commitment to advertisers to attract more clicks and good business for the likes of Mr Ghoneim, who receives his share of the commission. Be clear, though, what this means. It means that you, as a BBC licence-fee payer, are unwittingly funding those who want to destroy Western civilisation. Similarly, public information adverts paid for by the British taxpayer have popped up on such websites. Last week, a government spokesman said: It is totally unacceptable that taxpayer-funded advertising has appeared next to inappropriate content. That message was conveyed very clearly to Google. Luridly Google claimed it removed nearly two billion bad ads last year and prevented adverts on more than 300 million YouTube videos. YouTube was bought by Google for $1.65 billion in 2006, and since then has more than paid that back in advertising revenues. However, an investigation by The Times has laid bare the companys true negligence or insouciance. Dominic Lawson says that Mark Zuckerberg wants the power of being the planets biggest publisher, without any of the responsibilities It revealed that YouTube failed to remove six luridly anti-Semitic videos even after the paper reported it to them within the 24 hours mandated by EU regulations. The German government has now threatened to fine firms such as YouTube and Google up to 40 million for breaches of its laws about hate speech. (Holocaust denial is illegal in Germany and punishable by imprisonment.) Facebook, meanwhile, is now the worlds largest media company. But its founder Mark Zuckerberg continues with the convenient pretence that its just a technology business. This man with a personal fortune of more than $55 billion wants to enjoy the power of being the planets biggest publisher, without any of the responsibilities traditionally assumed by reputable publishers. In effect, he has found a uniquely profitable means to monetise pornography and vile abuse, while evading legal and regulatory sanctions. If a defamatory statement appears in the Mail, this newspaper is liable as publisher for any damages a successful plaintiff gains through litigation; but these giant publishers of the worldwide web take the (vast) profits with none of the risks. Alternatively, the internet companies say their relationship with the material published on their sites is more akin to the Post Offices relationship with the letters sent round the country: that they are merely enabling distribution and cannot be held responsible for the contents. But they are not at all the same. The Post Office gains its revenue just from distribution. But companies such as Facebook and YouTube say to businesses: We have a wonderful system which directs your ads to the right viewers, to promote your brands. So when it suits them to say that what they do involves targeting ads in a precise fashion, they do so and make countless billions of dollars in profit from this (at the expense of traditional media companies such as TV stations and newspapers, which take full responsibility for what they present to the public). The other claim made by Facebook is that it is impossible for them to spot more than a small minority of the worst videos and posts themselves, because the sheer volume of material submitted rules out more than cursory invigilation. In fact, Facebook does have a motley team of moderators, as was revealed in an investigation by the website Gawker. But checking is outsourced to countries such as Morocco, the Philippines and Mexico. According to one such Moroccan moderator, who supplied his terms and conditions to Gawker, these people are paid little more than $1 a hour. A pittance for what one such contractor described as All the mess/dirt/waste/s*** of the world flow towards you and you have to clean it. Misery Not that well cleaned, one might add: but Facebook hardly sets high standards. Its advice to those poor $1-an-hour moderators includes the following guideline: Crushed heads, limbs etc are OK as long as no insides are showing. Lovely. Facebook is now being sued in Northern Ireland by the family of a girl of 14 after compromising pictures of her were posted and re-posted by someone determined to cause her misery. The company insisted it could only react when her family found out and complained: that it was not able itself to identify and block the re-publication of the image from another account. Yet as long as four years ago, Facebooks policy director, Simon Milner, told a House of Commons committee investigating the social media: We use photo DNA, a piece of technology created by Microsoft and we use it to scan every photo uploaded to Facebook. But if every photo has its own DNA as unique as a fingerprint it suggests Facebook can easily know whenever an abusive image it has previously pulled pops up again. In other words, companies such as Facebook and Google have the technology and, God knows, the money to do a vastly better job in cleaning up the internet. What they dont like is that it will involve extra costs and reduce revenues. But if they dont do it now, they will find it being done to them. Islanders' dark secrets must never be forgotten Heroine: Louisa Gould, who sheltered a Russian PoW while Jersey was occupied by the Germans and died in the gas chambers after she was discovered Forget the impenetrable and inaudible fantasy of SS-GB, the Nazi drama on BBC1. Another Mothers Son, opening this week, is a film based on the unarguably true story of Louisa Gould. This was the woman who, when the Channel Islands were under German occupation between 1940 and 1945, sheltered an escaped Russian prisoner of war. Gould was betrayed by a neighbour and deported to the concentration camps: she died in the gas chamber of Ravensbruck. This film will bring back terrible memories for some Channel Islanders who remember the German occupation. Full-scale resistance was out of the question: the Wehrmacht were there in force, while the islanders were unarmed and had been abandoned by the British Government. But uneasy questions remain. The rate of illegitimate births soared, the result of what might be described as wholesale intimate fraternisation with the occupier. And the authorities on the islands were assiduous in handing over the names and addresses of the handful of remaining Jewish residents to the Nazis all of whom perished. They justified this on the grounds that any dissent would cause more trouble than it was worth. But the same people protested strongly at the Nazis strictures against Freemasonry because many of the islands leading families were themselves masons. Victor Carey, the then bailiff of Guernsey, was the most obsequious of those authorities. He publicly referred to the Allied Forces as the Enemy and offered a 25 reward to any islanders who informed on resisters. Remarkably, Carey was knighted by George VI within months of the liberation of the Channel Islands. Many in British intelligence thought Carey should have been executed for treason, not honoured. Westminster, though, decided it was better to pretend everyone on the islands had been a hero. But no one talked about Louisa Gould. Lilly Van Der Meer is the cherubic youngster making bold moves on Australian soap Neighbours. But the 17-year-old, from Melbourne, said she has battled 'covert bullying' at school. 'It was discreet bullying I was in a group of girls and we were really happy and then it changed and I wasn't good enough to be in their group any more,' Lilly told Perth Now. Lilly Van Der Meer, 17, was bullied in high school and wants other girls to know about the 'discreet' ways young women are slighting each other The Neighbours actress (second from the left) with her Supre girl gang team on the launch of their latest anti-bullying campaign The young starlet was bullied by a bunch of girls at her high school but now promotes 'believing in yourself' as the way to avoid the taunts getting you down 'Id walk into class and do a performance and they wouldnt clap for me but theyd clap for everybody else.' A study of 20,000 teenagers commissioned by Supre and Headspace revealed that a third of young girls experience this kind of bullying. 'It got to the point where I broke down and cried to my teacher and one of the girls walked in and saw me, and from then on every time Id walk past her shed be like, "Dont cry, Lilly",' the actress went on. Lilly, who is an ambassador for Supre, said that the easiest way to handle being bullied is to 'believe in yourself.' 'I didnt think I was being bullied seriously, even though I was, I was blinded by the facade of it all,' she told Perth Now 'Just keep following your dreams and doing what you want to do. After high school, youll probably never see those people again,' she tells young girls 'I didnt think I was being bullied seriously, even though I was, I was blinded by the facade of it all. 'Just keep following your dreams and doing what you want to do. After high school, youll probably never see those people again,' she said. As for dealing with online trolls, the actress - who has been touted as the next Margot Robbie - said to delete the comments they make on social media. 'I didnt really understand how people could sit there, behind computer screens, and write something so awful when they didnt know you.' This May, Guala 'Lala' Bayles hopes to leave Australia for the first time. But the 17-year-old from Brisbane is not going to be leaving the country for a holiday. Instead, she will be fighting to become the first Aboriginal woman to win the Annual World Supermodel Pageant in China. 'I want to show the world the beauty of my heritage,' Ms Bayles told Daily Mail Australia of her modelling ambitions. 'I want to be a representative of that unique Aboriginal look.' Brisbane-born model, Guala 'Lala' Bayles, 17 (pictured), is going to represent Australia in the Annual World Supermodel Pageant in China in May If she wins, Ms Gayles (pictured) will be the first Aboriginal model to win the pageant; she spoke to FEMAIL about this 'I want to show the world the beauty of my heritage,' Ms Bayles told Daily Mail Australia of her modelling ambitions - 'I want to be a representative of that unique Aboriginal look' The 17-year-old from Brisbane first got into fashion at a young age, when she would pore over magazines and catwalk images throughout childhood. 'I did my first catwalk show in Brisbane at age 15 and never looked back,' she said. 'Since then, it's been my dream to be one of Australia's most successful supermodels.' After winning the Aboriginal Model Search in Australia last year, Ms Bayles has enjoyed a gilded time in her chosen field of work. 'I moved to Sydney quickly after finishing school and have been so lucky to have had bookings pretty much ever since,' she said. The 17-year-old from Brisbane first got into fashion at a young age, when she would pore over magazines and catwalk images throughout childhood - she later walked a catwalk at age 15 'Since then, it's been my dream to be one of Australia's most successful supermodels,' Ms Gayles said (pictured on the catwalk) 'I moved to Sydney quickly after finishing school and have been so lucky to have had bookings pretty much ever since,' she said When it comes to her idols, Ms Bayles looks up to her grandfather; she explained that when she started out, many other models weren't representing what she wanted to put into the industry When I first started, I'd look at lost of models and they'd have blonde hair and blue eyes. They weren't representing what I want to put into the industry at all When it comes to her idols, unlike many of her modelling contemporaries, Ms Bayles looks up to her grandfather: 'When I first started, I'd look at lost of models and they'd have blonde hair and blue eyes. They weren't representing what I want to put into the industry at all. 'Instead, I looked up to my grandfather, because he was a representative of an Indigenous person who followed his dreams. I'm incredibly humbled and privileged to have these opportunities.' 'This is a tough industry. I've been doing it for three years and I'm only just making it,' Ms Bayles said of her working ethos as a model for the past few years 'In my time, I've woken up at 4am for shoots and have spent many years mentally and physically preparing myself' With regard to advice for other aspiring models, Ms Bayles said you need to surround yourself with positive people and positive energy 'Most importantly, if you want it to happen, know that you've got to do it yourself,' was her piece of advice Ms Bayles will head for China on May 21 to compete in the Annual World Supermodel Pageant. She is currently fundraising on GoFundMe, with an aim of raising AUD $6,000 to put towards flights, accommodation and entry fees for the competition. 'It's so surreal to see that people have donated to me and I'm hugely grateful,' she said. 'This is a tough industry. I've been doing it for three years and I'm only just making it.' With regard to advice for other aspiring models, Ms Bayles said it pays to work hard. 'In my time, I've woken up at 4am for shoots and have spent many years mentally and physically preparing myself. 'Surround yourself with positive people and positive energy and you will get what you deserve. Most importantly, if you want it to happen, know that you've got to do it yourself.' You can donate to Guala Lala Bayles on GoFundMe here. You can also follow her on Instagram here. If you thought a spring episode of Countryfile would be as fluffy as hatching chicks, you'd be wrong; last night's show sparked a social media firestorm after Brexiteers accused the BBC of carrying a 'pro-Remain narrative'. The popular Sunday night wildlife show, presented by Tom Heap, infuriated some viewers after interviewing a strawberry farm owner who revealed that his business would fail 'catastrophically' without migrant workers. Herefordshire grower Anthony Snell told Heap, 52, that his company was a British success story which could be derailed if migration restrictions are introduced.' Scroll down for video Herefordshire strawberry grower Anthony Snell told Countryfile presenter Tom Heap that his soft fruit business would be in 'serious trouble' without migrant workers...comments that enraged some Brexiteers on Twitter One viewer accused the BBC on Twitter of making the show feel like a 'party political broadcast' for the Remain campaign. Another, suggested the Sunday night wildlife programme had been 'weaponised' to carry an anti-Brexit narrative Reaction: Social media was quickly awash with angry comments suggesting the BBC was using the show as an 'undermining' tool He explained: 'This isnt anything to do with migration or immigration, this is just seasonal workers coming over here, working hard, benefiting our economy and then going home.' However, the interview saw hundreds of comments being posted on social media accusing the BBC of being 'pro-Europe' and not offering an impartial stance on the issue of immigrant workers. Among the disgruntled people venting their spleen was @calder_anthony, who penned: 'Even on #countryfile the BBC can't accept that we voted for Brexit! Start supporting Britain!' While the Brexiteers were out in force, others defended the BBC's editorial, with one viewer writing: 'So many deluded Brexiteers moaning about a well balanced piece on @BBCCountryfile. If the facts and truth hurt.' During the visit to the Herefordshire farm, Henson asked the fruit producer, who employs up to 300 workers during from February to late summer: 'Put simply, would this farm on anything like this scale if you didn't have these workers? The soft fruit producer replied: 'No, there's absolutely no doubt that we would be in serious trouble if we didn't have these workers. We would be out of business, it would be catastrophic.' The soft fruit producer said a change to immigration laws could be 'catastrophic'. The company employs up to 300 people from February to May every year And on the debate goes: The remainers also chimed in, poking fun at the Brexiteers It isn't the first time the corporation has been accused of political leaning over Europe; Boris Johnson hit out at the BBC last year saying it was 'shamelessly anti-Brexit'. The Foreign Secretary told delegates at the Tory conference in October that the way the Corporation had reported on the EU referendum result was 'infuriating'. In the back-handed compliment, he said: 'No matter how infuriating and shamelessly anti-Brexit they can sometimes be, I think the Beeb is the single greatest and most effective ambassador for our culture and our values.' An estate agent who hit the headlines after winning the hearts of two young unruly girls who were left 'infatuated' as he valued their mother's property, has said hes proud to be a pin-up for his profession. Dan Stevenson, 26, captivated thousands across the country when he posed for a cute picture with the two little girls Elsie, three, and Marnie, 19 months. They asked him to cuddle them, join them on the sofa to watch Peppa Pig - and one of them even told him about her 'biggest poo yet'. Mortified mother Lorna Hayward, 36, was quick to praise his heroic efforts on Facebook group The Motherload but could not disguise her embarrassment as she signed the post off with: 'Poor Dan. Poor poor Dan. Gonna just pour myself a pint of wine'. Her words sparked an internet frenzy as thousands of mums launched a desperate bid to #FindDan. Now MailOnline can reveal that single Dan, from Dublin, who has been inundated with attention, was simply doing 'what he always does when confronted with temperamental children. Mother-of-two Lorna, from London, took to Facebook group The Motherload to praise estate agent Dan for putting up with her two 'infatuated' girls when he came to value their flat Dan Stevenson, pictured above with his cousin, said he is relaxed with children because he lived with his young cousins when he first moved to London six years ago: I walked in and they were having their dinner, I just started talking to them about what they were having and the next thing they were asking me to pick them up. They are just hilarious and I just went with it' Dan, who works for Purplebricks Estate Agent, has been hailed a hero, had his picture liked and shared by more than 25,000 people, and caused The Motherload's website to crash Speaking from his office in south-west London, he said: When I went round to see Lorna I wasnt really expecting anything but the kids were amazing. I walked in and they were having their dinner, I just started talking to them about what they were having and the next thing they were asking me to pick them up. They are just hilarious and I just went with it. The Kent-based singleton admits he is enjoying his new status as the internets favourite estate agent - and wants to change people's view of his profession. Do I like being an estate agent pin-up, yes of course I do! Its a bit mad though because Im trying to do my work and all this is going on but its really funny. Im trying to change peoples perceptions of our trade. 'Im pretty good with kids because I lived with my little cousins when I first came over from Ireland and I pride myself on giving the best possible customer service. I can understand why some people dont like estate agents, theres no smoke without fire, but there are so many good ones now. Were taking over.' Lorna's post in full 'This is Dan. He just valued our flat. I had warned him, that arriving in my only available slot of the day at 5pm was risky. Nevertheless he rocked up. 'In the last hour Dan (who is a complete stranger) has had both my daughters request cuddles, can he hold their hands, if he would watch Peppa with them, does he like cheese, if he was staying the night, and the finale Elsie walking out of the toilet announcing she had just done her biggest poo yet it was a bit spiky though, so please can you wipe my bum. 'Poor Dan. Poor poor Dan. Gonna just pour meself a pint of wine.' Advertisement Wholesome Dan, whose parents now live in the rural Irish county of Sligo, reveals his gentlemanly approach to being an estate agent extends to all areas of his life. Im on Tinder but I dont really use it because its kind of weird that you havent really met them. Lorna later texted Dan, who is single and has since been inundated with date offers, to warn him that his pictured had had gone viral. Now Dan, who works for Purplebricks Estate Agent, has been inundated with date offers, had his picture liked by more than 25,000 people, and caused The Motherload's website to crash. Lorna said she had tried to warn the estate agent that turning up at 5pm was 'risky' and he had been put through his paces when his 'little fans' requested cuddles and asked 'can he hold their hands' Mother-of-two Lorna, a blogger from Wandsworth, London, is a mother to Elsie and Marnie. She later called estate agent Dan to warn him about his 'new internet fame' The viral frenzy sparked by Dan's 'epic' visit has caused some mums to comment that he 'broke the internet' much like Kim Kardashian's infamous Paper magazine cover. Mother-of-two Lorna, from Wandsworth, said she had tried to warn the estate agent that turning up at 5pm was 'risky' and he had been put through his paces when his 'little fans' requested cuddles and asked 'can he hold their hands'. Lorna, a parenting blogger, said the 'grand finale' came when Elsie 'walked out of the toilet announcing 'she had just done her biggest poo yet it was a bit spiky though, so please can you wipe my bum'. She then posted a picture of Dan posing with Elsie, three, and Marnie, 19 months, alongside a lengthy account of her evening, explaining that she was off to pour herself 'a pint of wine'. The viral frenzy sparked by Dan's 'epic' visit has caused some mums to comment that he 'broke the internet' - prompting comparisons to Kim Kardashian's infamous Paper magazine cover Wholesome Dan, whose parents now live in the rural Irish county of Sligo, reveals his gentlemanly approach to being an estate agent extends to all areas of his life. Im on Tinder but I dont really use it because its kind of weird that you havent really met them. Hundreds of women took to The Motherload's Facebook page to hail Dan a 'total star'. The next morning, Lorna woke up to find hundreds of notifications on her phone and noted that the #FindDan hashtag was sweeping the internet. Lorna explained: 'I have honestly not been able to catch up with all the comments, and I cannot believe the number of like-minded muthas who seem to all relate to or find my epic hour with Dan so hilarious. 'I thought it was only right that I texted what I thought was Dans number to let him know about his new internet fame and all that. Then Dan called me.' Overnight celebrity: After Lorna's post, hundreds of women took to The Motherload's Facebook page to hail Dan a 'total star' and comment that he had 'crashed' its website She added: 'Dan seemed rather unfazed and told me that he had an email from the CEO of Purple Bricks last night saying how he had seen a post and photo about Dan on a mum site. 'Dan seemed pretty chuffed at that. I also felt it was only right, and fair to the dedicated fans of Dan, to ask if he was single. The answer is YES. Soz Dan, I think youre about to get a LOT of attention. (Poor bugger).' Kate Dyson, CEO and founder of The Motherload, told FEMAIL: 'The Motherload website and community is a great network of brilliant mums who come together to discuss the highs and lows of parenting in a supportive, non-judgemental way. 'We absolutely loved watching #FindDan unfold, with nearly 2.5k likes on the post, and hundreds of comments as our 23,500 members sought to find Dan and bring him into the fold! 'Our members love to celebrate the 'carnage' of parenting and this was a prime example of the brilliantly funny posts that we have on The Motherload Community Group.' It's an affluent town known for its chic independent shops and immaculate Georgian terraces. But it appears the historic spa town of Tunbridge Wells also has a much less savoury aspect to its reputation. According to the Infidelity Index, 1,146 of its residents are having an affair - a whole 2.20 per cent of its population - meaning it takes the crown for the most adulterous town in the UK. Revealed: A map showing the top 10 most adulterous towns in the UK. The Index, compiled by Illicit Encounters - the UK's leading dating site for adulterers - mapped the location data of its 1.1 million members against each town's adult population to find the most adulterous towns, cities, and London boroughs in the country The Index, compiled by Illicit Encounters - the UK's leading dating site for adulterers - mapped the location data of its 1.1 million members against each town's adult population to find the most adulterous towns, cities, and London boroughs in the country. Affluent Guildford retained second place with 1,303 adulterers - 2.1 percent of the population. Wrexham came in third with 1,027 adulterers - 1.89 percent of the town's residents. In fact, many of the top cheating towns were in well-off areas in the south of England, including Ashford in fifth place and High Wycombe (which came first in last year's ranking) in seventh. Top 10 adulterous cities in the UK 1. Gloucester - 7.46 percent (10,178) 2. Peterborough - 7.36 percent (14,271) 3. Bath - 7.35 percent (7,366) 4. Exeter - 6.97 percent (8,870) 5. Lichfield - 6.90 percent (6,952) 6. Oxford - 6.70 percent (11,276) 7. Newcastle upon Tyne - 6.11 percent (18,038) 8. Inverness - 6.01 percent (3,806) 9. Portsmouth - 6.00 percent (14,277) 10. Nottingham - 5.93 percent (18,923) Advertisement If you're looking for a solid relationship, then Barry in Wales is the place to go. It's home to just 88 adulterers, a meagre 0.18 percent of its adult population. The results show a shift from last year, when Brentwood was ranked the most faithful - with the town finishing 102nd out of 140 - with 0.56 percent of the adult population cheating. The town of Livingston - in eighth place overall - was the cheating capital of Scotland, with 1.74 percent of its adult population cheating. While in Northern Ireland, Newtownabbey - which ranked 28th place overall - was home to the most adulterers. Craigavon, which is also the second least adulterous town overall, was found to be the most faithful in Northern Ireland - just 168 people (0.19 percent) are having affairs. London as a whole is one of the nation's most faithful cities - the fifth most faithful - with just 1.47 percent of its adult population cheating. It's most adulterous borough was Islington with as many as 11,778 people cheating (5.94 percent of its adult population) The Index also looked at cities, with Gloucester found to be the most adulterous, with a whopping 7.46 percent of its adult population having affairs. Glasgow is the least adulterous, with just 0.56 percent of its adult population cheating. Peterborough, with 7.36 percent of its adult population, comes in second, with Bath (7.35 percent) rounding off the top three. London as a whole is one of the nation's most faithful cities - the 5th most faithful - with just 1.47 percent of its adult population cheating. But some boroughs fared better than others. Islington is the most adulterous borough, with as many as 11,778 people cheating (5.94 percent of its adult population). Ealing was the most faithful, with just 1.7 percent cheating (5,979). 'People have had affairs since the dawn of time, but the last decade in particular has seen a large spike,' Christian Grant, a spokesperson for the site, said. 'The site has grown exponentially, and it's thanks to the turbulent economy and increase in house prices that has left many people financially crippled, unable to divorce should their marriage hit the rocks. 'So, they seek the only other viable alternative that they have: an affair. It's cheaper than a divorce, and it's safer than ever before. He may be younger than their children but one of Britains brainiest children has been hired by a university to help adults with their sums. Yasha Asley, 14, is employed by the University of Leicester - where he is also a degree student - to run tutorials. He became the youngest ever student at the University and is now the youngest ever employee. Yasha Asley, 14, is employed by the University of Leicester - where he is also a degree student - to run tutorials Yasha was interviewed and offered the paid job when he was just 13years old beating adult applicants. Admin staff had to apply to Leicester city council for special permission to employ him because he was so young. The weekly tutorials Yasha runs are for adult students who need help and support solving problems following lectures. Proud Yasha said: I am having the best years of my life. I love going to university and I love my new job helping other students. No more school uniform for me thank you very much. Yasha, who has been dubbed a human calculator, is now in his final year and plans to start a Phd when he finishes his course. Yasha says he is having the best years of his life and loves his new job. He's also happy he doesn't have to wear a school uniform anymore The child genius attended a state primary school before winning his place to study degree level maths at just 12 years old in 2014. He was the first child in the world to achieve an A grade in maths A Level scoring 100 per cent and 99 per cent in two of the six papers when he was just 8 years old. He passed more A levels in maths and statistics aged 9 and 10. The child genius attended a state primary school before winning his place to study degree level maths at just 12 years old in 2014 After finishing year 6 at primary he went straight to University. Of his achievements, Yasha said: I love maths because it is an exact science. It is the only science where you can prove what you say is correct. It is so easy and an enjoyable subject to study. Of his achievements Yasha said: I love maths because it is an exact science. It is the only science where you can prove what you say is correct' Proud father Moussa Asley, 53, who raised him single-handedly at their home in Leicester, said his son had been made welcome by staff and students alike. Mr Asley, who drives his son to lectures every day, said: I am just so proud watching him flourish and grow doing something he loves. He is so good at understanding problems and explaining them in a clear way he is perfect for the job. They may be at loggerheads politically, with the thorny issue of Brexit and the Scottish referendum pushing them ever further apart, but Theresa May and Nicola Sturgeon at least agree on one thing - having short hair. In the last week, both the Prime Minister, 60, and the Scottish premier, 46, have unveiled new, shorter styles. At the Liberty Stadium in Swansea this morning - just days before Article 50 is triggered on March 29th - the Prime Minister showed off her latest look, ditching the choppier 'brop' - halfway between a bob and a crop - she's sported for much of the year for a sleeker style. Looking every bit the stylish stateswoman, a coiffured May finished the look with a string of pearls and a smart brown jacquard suit. Theresa May, who has revealed that she'll trigger Article 50 before the end of the month, showed off a new do in Swansea today, having traded in her 'brop' for a smoother reversed bob Scottish SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon, whose vowed to push for another Scottish referendum, unveiled a choppier style last week, flicking her usually soft fringe to one side North of the border, Nicola Sturgeon, who's pledged to fight for another referendum on Scottish independence, has also been busy experimenting with her looks. At the SNP Spring conference in Aberdeen last week, some suggested Ms Sturgeon had 'done a Clare Balding' after gelling her cropped hair to one side and adopting a spikier look. Sturgeon's make-over got mixed reviews from Twitter users; Carol Murphy said: 'Nicola appears to have had a spray tan and a new hair do...And has adopted a cuddly-wuddly attitude. Well unless you're a Tory obviously.' Heather Walker added: 'Sturgeon's hair though? She's gone all Clare Balding.' Today though, the Scottish premier reverted to her more commonly seen style, with a soft fringe and more gentle styling. The coiffured evolution of Theresa: The PM as she looked back in July 2016 on her first day at Downing Street. Right, more recently, May has favoured the brop - a choppier bob that retains some length at the back Bye bye brop! Soft, layered and full of movement, the brop - halfway between a bob and a crop - frames and flatters the face...but clearly May wanted a fresh look as she prepares to lead the UK out of Europe Fifty styles of May: The PM certainly enjoys a visit to the hairdressers and is said to use a salon close to her Oxfordshire home. Pictured above: May showing off a light grey bob while she was serving as the Home Secretary For Theresa May, famous for her love of heels, her hair has gently evolved since she took the keys to Downing Street last July. Unlike Sturgeon, the changes in May's style have been subtle, with no dramatic image change, more a gentle evolution. Of the PM's latest style, Natalia Maxwell Ager, Artistic director at Malcolm Murphy Hair says her latest look is all about defining May's cheek bones. She explains: 'The style is almost like the graduated bob in reverse. Although the back is fitted in at the neck unlike the usual graduated bob we have seen in the past on people like Victoria Beckham, the sides of Theresa's hair are shorter. Feeling spiky: Making her closing speech at the SNP Spring Conference in Aberdeen last week, Sturgeon looked like she meant business with the edgier style Today though, Ms Sturgeon reverted back to her favoured softer style, reinstating her fringe. The SNP leader has kept her hair out of the headlines with a sensible short cut for much of her political career 'This can work well - if the cut is of a high standard - at giving the face a sharper structure and defining the cheek bones.' And the colour? Going au naturel is a winner, says Maxwell Ager: 'Colour-wise, she has chosen to keep it natural and I think it works well for her. 'The coolness of the tones in her hair's colour compliment her complexion and the silver helps to bring out the blue in her eyes.' After years of experimenting with stiff, manly crops and rigid, blow-dried bobs May has clearly been getting some good advice since becoming PM. Mrs May is said to have her hair cut at a local hairdressers near her home in Sonning, Oxfordshire, but often styles it herself. One wonders, however, if her recent Annie Leibowitz fashion shoot for US Vogue had anything to do with the more modern, softer styling of her hair. She spent last week in the blazing Malawian sun but Sophie Wessex was treated to traditionally British weather on her first engagement back in the UK. Never one to let bad weather put a dampener on her mood the Countess of Wessex looked in high spirits as she arrived at Stansted Airport on Monday. As she stepped out on the runway of the airport Sophie, 52, was approached by officials who greeted her with umbrellas. Sophie Wessex braved the drizzle this afternoon to visit the the Orbis flying eye hospital at Stansted airport on Monday However, the wife of Prince Edward declined it choosing to brave the rain for her engagement today. The mother-of-two spent her day touring Orbis, the flying eye hospital situated at the London airport. The portable hospital flies a team of elite eye care specialists to developing countries where they share skills and techniques with local medical teams. Fittingly, the royal arrived in her own mode of aviation this afternoon, touching down in Stansted in her private helicopter to visit the facility. The royal is never one to let bad weather put a dampener on her mood and looked in high spirits this afternoon Sophie declined the offer of an umbrella as she arrived at the airport this afternoon With the weather less than desirable Sophie ditched her colourful wardrobe of last week in favour of a pair of navy blue skinny trousers, showcasing her shapely pins. Keen to keep out the March chill the Countess opted for a black roll neck jumper and a cream wool coat for her engagement today. She added a touch of glamour to her ensemble with a pair of patent navy court shoes and an elegant pair of pearl earrings. The Countess of Wessex enjoyed a tour of the hospital which flies eye specialists to developing countries During her tour of the aircraft Sophie took a moment to explore the cockpit even having a play on the control panel The mother-of-two seemed to be full of questions as she toured the aircraft today During her tour of the aircraft Sophie took a moment to explore the cockpit even having a play on the control panel. Sophie's appearance ties in with her engagements last week where she spent four days touring Malawi. On Wednesday she visited the Mchesi Primary School before heading to an eye unit to learn about how smartphones are helping to diagnose vision conditions. Sophie visited the southeast African country in her role as Vice Patron of The Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Trust to see the work being done to end avoidable blindness and champion youth leadership. Sophie acts as Vice Patron of The Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Trust to see the work being done to end avoidable blindness and champion youth leadership With the weather less than desirable Sophie ditched her colourful wardrobe of last week in favour of a pair of navy blue skinny trousers, showcasing her shapely pins After leaving the primary schoolchildren, Sophie made her way across Lilongwe to the Lions Sight First Eye Unit at Kamuzu Central Hospital, where she helped carry out tests on patients using a smartphone. Sophie listened to experts from the Commonwealth Eye Health Consortium, which links specialist teams across the Commonwealth to strengthen services in developing countries. Because of the work being carried out, Malawi will meet the World Health Organisation (WHO) criteria where the eye condition trachoma is no longer a public health problem early, two years ahead of the target of 2020. While all of their friends were going on trips of a lifetime following their weddings, two single men decided to take their own fabulous vacation with each other with a jokingly romantic twist. One of the two American men, who goes by 'ignoreeverythingido' on Imgur, said his friends were all getting married and having babies, so he and another single friend celebrated their bachelor status with a 'homiemoon' this year. Driving home the joke, the duo took a series of pictures that spoof the famous pictures by Murad and Nataly Osmann, who go by @followmeto on Instagram. Scroll down for video Travel buds: Two American men went on a 'homiemoon' this year to celebrate their bachelor status Just the dudes: They said their friends were all getting married and having kids, so they took a guys-only trip Funny: They also took a series of pictures with one of the men romantically leading the other Murad and Nataly's gorgeous travel photography has inspire scores of copycats, especially in couples who try to recreate their pictures. The twosome travel the world, and Murad takes pictures from behind Nataly, who is always seen facing away from the camera and pulling Murad along. The two homiemooners took similar pictures, made comical by the fact that they are two hairy-armed heterosexual men. Original: The images spoof famous ones by Murad Osmann, whose wife Nataly is often seen leading him around the world A long time together: The guys have been friends for 15 years The photographer said 'we like to refer to each other as heterosexual life partners' Together, they traveled to Thailand and documented their journey with the @followmeto-inspired images. In the first, one of the men with a large backpack strapped to him leads his friend down the jet bridge to the plane. They take similar pictures on Tonsai beach, at the Sunday night market in Chiang Mai, in Bangkok, at an elephant sanctuary, and in front of beautiful temples. Seeing the world: In Thailand they saw lots of temples and went to Bangkok and an elephant sanctuary So clever: The funny spoof images have earned attention on Imgur What the? At the Sunday night market in Chiang Mai, a woman can be seen giving them a curious look In the Chiang Mai market, a woman can be seen on the left side of the frame, giving the hand-holding duo a peculiar look. At the animal sanctuary, a man to the side also seems quite confused by what is going on. 'We like to refer to each other as heterosexual life partners,' the poster joked, adding that they have been friends for 15 years. Just three months earlier she was happily to recline on the sofa in Downing Street in leather trousers and casual trainers, surrounded by middle class trappings such as a John Lewis table lamp and a reed diffuser. But in her very latest photoshoot which appears in the April edition of US Vogue the prime minister Theresa May cut a much more authoritarian figure, showing the world that she is confidently in charge of the country as we prepare to quit the EU. Clad in a Tory blue L.K. Bennett coat and dress, estimated to have cost 550, and showing off her new sleek bob, the 60-year-old struck an almost regal figure as she gazed unflinchingly through Annie Liebovitz's lens. Tellingly, she chose Chequers - the Prime Minister's country residence - where she was pictured in front of a 17th century painting called 'Master Frankland, Second Son to William Frankland' in a wood panelled room, looking every inch the lady of the manor. Theresa May proved she's fully settled into her role as Prime Minister and is ready to take the country out of the EU in her shoot for US Vogue at Chequers, where she looks every inch the confident lady of the manor The Prime Minister cut a much more casual figure last December as she posed for The Sunday Times magazine at Downing Street in leather trousers and trainers In another shot, the politician couldn't help injecting a sense of her more edgy personal style into the shoot, wearing a coat and jumper from the cult London shop Egg for a snap that shows her taking a country walk with her husband Philip. The shop in Belgravias Kinnerton Street owned by Maureen Doherty, formerly of Issey Miyake, attracts the most refined tastemakers from all over the world to examine its wares. The low key brand does not have a Twitter or Facebook account or even a label on its clothing, and the exterior of its shop looks rather like a garage, although the price tags are anything but subtle with a white shirt costing almost 500. Its founder does not follow trends, but designs the clothes she likes, which she displays on the walls of her boutique like an art installation. Theresa May wearing and Egg coat and a Sine for Egg sweater on a walk with her husband Philip The Prime Minister also played it safe in main portrait in Tory blue L.K. Bennett dress With a coat from the brand costing around 450, it could prompt further accusations of being out of touch, similar to the outcry when the Prime Minister wore 1,000 Amanda Wakeley leather trousers. But she dismissed such controversy in her interview, saying she's not surprised by it. 'Look, throughout my political career, people have commented on what I wear. Thats just something that happens, and you accept that. 'But it doesnt stop me from going out and enjoying fashion. THERESA IN VOGUE: THE STYLIST'S VERDICT Naomi Isted Fashion Presenter & celebrity Stylist says that the Prime Minister has got it exactly right for her first appearance in the fashion bible. 'The first image is simply stunning. Theresa looks every inch the power figure in her tailored LK Bennett coat and dress,' she said. 'There's an air of unstated confidence. The styling, location and her character shining through make her also look slightly regal. 'The second image is quite a contrast as it has a much more relaxed, at home in the English countryside feel to it. 'The styling does remind me a little of the Duchess of Cambridge's shoot with Vogue. 'Of course though Theresa loves to add an element of edge with her favoured knee high boots. 'A similar traditionally English country feel, which one could expect for such a powerful, British leading lady. 'The styling shows both sides to her life: her career as our prime minister and the contrast - a softer side with a glimpse into her home life.' Political style blogger Laura Emily Dunn added: 'Like we saw with her choice of a scarf by fashion student Megan Ferris and a faux fur snood by fashion entrepreneur Louison d'Or, May is choosing lesser known brands, showing her fashion fierce nature and eye for a bold, powerful piece. Our Prime Minister is a forward thinking individual, and she is empowering women of all ages to take a fashion risk whatever their profession.' Advertisement 'And I also think its important to be able to show that a woman can do a job like this and still be interested in clothes. Her photoshoot was organised by editor-in-chief Anna Wintour, with some suggesting the PM's choice of the US version of the magazine was designed to raise her profile on the other side of the Atlantic. It is a magazine which is close to the Prime Minister's heart, and she chose a lifetime subscription as her luxury item when she appeared on Radio 4's Desert Island Discs in 2014. The clothing at Egg in Belgravias Kinnerton Street is displayed on the wall like an art installation The postergirl of YouTube, whose real name is Zoe Sugg, has more than 11m subscribers and is the fastest-selling debut novelist since records began. Pictured at Cineworld Leicester Square on November 17, 2016 Zoella has been named the most powerful YouTube star in Britain - beating her brother and boyfriend to the top spot. The postergirl of YouTube, whose real name is Zoe Sugg, from Brighton, has more than 11m subscribers and is the fastest-selling debut novelist since records began. She recently added to her empire, said to generate 50,000 a month, by releasing a range of merchandise including hoodies, T-shirts and a calendar. After starting out in 2009 offering beauty tips from her bedroom, Zoella has a waxwork in Madame Tussauds and a bestselling range of beauty products. In second place on Heat Magazine's Hottest Influencer List was rapper and comedian KSI. Zoella's boyfriend Alfie Deyes came tenth. Dan Middleton, 25, who earns up to 1.75m a year blogging about video games, came fourth, and beauty expert Tanya Burr, 27, was fifth. The rankings were compiled by market research firm Fizziology and based on social reach and a calculation of social, cultural and political influence. Alfie Deyes,(left) and Joe Sugg (right) are seen at the UK Premiere of Joe & Casper Hit The Road USA at Cineworld Leicester Square on November 17, 2016 Her brother Joe, who has over 7m YouTube subscribers, recently joined his sister to create the range of hoodies and phone accessories Zoella's net worth is estimated to be 1.24m, according to Heat. Her recently launched merchandise range, wittily named Sugg Life, includes TheRewind calendar, which costs 12.99, and sees Joe and Zoe recreate one of their favourite childhood photos each month for a year. HOW ZOELLA HAS RAKED IN THE CASH Here is a list of Zoella's businesses - Zoella Beauty, first on sale at Superdrug in September 2014 Girl Online, released on November 25, 2014 and two sequels, Girl Online: On Tour, October 2015 and Girl Online: Going Solo, November 2016 Zoella released her own lifestyle range of cushions, cups and notebooks A Homeware range, Sugg Life, launched with her brother, Joe, in December 2016 Advertisement The phone cases, which cost 9.99, come covered with cartoon versions of the siblings, whilst the 14.99 T-shirts and 19.99 hoodies are emblazoned with the brand name. The collection came after Zoella unveiled her Lifestyle range. The proud 'home bird', created pillows, notebooks, coffee cups, keyrings and candles. Miss Sugg grew up in Lacock, Wiltshire, the daughter of a beautician mother and a property developer father. After finishing her A-Levels at the local Corsham School - she took art, photography and textiles - the 24-year-old started an apprenticeship at an interior design company. Miss Sugg pictured with blogger boyfriend Alfie Deyes, with whom she bought a house in the Brighton area The phone cases, left, which cost 9.99, come covered with cartoon versions of the siblings, whilst the 14.99 T-shirts, right, and 19.99 hoodies are emblazoned with the brand name Posters, left, are 9.99, whilst TheRewind calendar, which costs 12.99, right, sees Joe and Zoe recreate one of their favourite childhood photos each month for a year Soon her YouTube channel, set up in 2009, became her full-time job, with more than six million subscribers and 12 million hits on her vlogs per month. HEAT'S TOP TEN LIST 1 Zoella, 26 2 Ksi, 23 3 Joe Sugg, 25 4 Dan Middleton, 25 5 Tanya Burr, 27 6 Caspar Lee, 22 7 Iskra Lawrence, 26 8 Louise Pentland, 31 9 Dina Torkia, 27 10 Alfie Deyes, 23 Advertisement Other career highlights including being signed by Radio 1 and representing the charity Mind as its digital ambassador. Zoella was also selected, along with brother Joe and boyfriend Alfie, to take part in Bob Geldofs re-release of the Band Aid single. Penguin Random House, the publisher behind her book Girl Online, agreed to sign Zoella after its CEO Tom Weldon was told by his 13-year-old goddaughter that the book would be a huge best-seller. In the end, Girl Online outsold the likes of JK Rowling and Dan Brown with 78,000 copies in its first week on sale in 2014. Prosecco is the nation's favourite fizz - so much so, that you can get sweets, lip balm and even crisps flavoured like the Italian sparkling wine. Now a shimmery gold nail varnish claims to be the first Prosecco-flavoured polish. Made with real Prosecco, the sparkly nail varnish claims it gives you all the smells and flavours of a crisp glass of fizz without the sore head the next day. But beauty and health experts have warned against buying the lickable polish - saying it's unhygienic and that it will encourage nail biting. Groupon says it has made the world's first Prosecco-flavoured nail polish - but beauty experts have warned of the dangers of licking unclean nails and encouraging nail biting The zero-calorie polish, which can only be won in a free prize draw on Groupon's website, needs to be applied differently to other nail polishes, as a thin layer should be applied first and then allowed to dry for 15 minutes. Only then can you have a lick to enjoy the taste of the sparkling wine. More layers can then be added afterwards. But skincare and health expert Lisa Franklin said she would warn against anyone using the polish. 'Apart from encouraging bad behaviours like nail biting, edible polishes tend to be full of artificial flavourings and sweeteners,' she said. The polish is said to contain a 'finely milled edible pigment', which when shaken well, is supposed to mimic the appearance of bubbles 'Moreover our hands and fingernails harbour the most bacteria found on the human body, so actively encouraging them to be continuously in one's mouth is far from good advice.' What's in the Prosecco-flavoured nail polish? Ingredients: Alcohol; Shellac E904, Artificial Prosecco flavouring, propylene glycol, Sodium saccharin, Prosecco, Colour; E555 Potassium Aluminium Silicate, E171 Titanium Dioxide, E172 Iron oxide. Safety and allergen information: Extremely flammable. Do NOT DRINK. Keep out of the reach of children. Keep away from heat/sparks/open flames. Manufactured in a facility that also handles milk, soya, nuts, sulphites & wheat Store in cool dry place away from direct heat and sunlight. Advertisement Aphrodite Paphitis, head of beauty at the prestigious Paul Edmonds salon in London, agreed and added: 'With the bacterial content in your mouth it may discolour or affect the efficacy of the nail varnish and potentially lead to the discolouring of varnish, split nails, and a lifting up of the varnish - especially where the ends may not have been sealed properly upon application. 'This is assuming you even have clean fingers to begin with - licking them may not be advised. 'If you like biting your nails and happen to love the flavour of Prosecco it could be bad news, but if you don't like the flavour of Prosecco then it could be a good deterrent and lead to healthy nails.' As well as artificial Prosecco flavouring, real Prosecco, and alcohol, the polish created by The Robin Collective also contains chemicals such as titanium dioxide and potassium aluminium silicate. It comes with a flammable warning - as well as instructions not to drink the whole bottle in a fit of thirsty desperation. Jon Wilson, MD at Groupon UK, said: 'We know how popular prosecco and manicures are with our customers. 'Manicures in particular are a popular activity for mum and daughters to do together, so creating something that combined both of these things ahead of Mother's Day seemed like a brilliant and novel idea.' A man is being worshipped as the reincarnation of a Hindu God after a mystery condition left him just 23 inches tall. Manpreet Singh, 21, is the same height and weight as a six month old baby and is believed to be one of the smallest people in the world. Currently undiagnosed, his condition remains a mystery. But now locals in Punjab, India, consdier him a deity and visit him daily to be 'blessed'. Undiagnosed: Manpreet Singh, 21, is the same height and weight as a six month old baby Religious experience: The 21 year-old man is considered the reincarnation of a Hindu God Mr Singh was born a healthy baby boy, but his parents Jagtar Singh and Manjeet Kaur say his growth suddenly stopped when he was six months old. Sadly, doctors have never examined him properly as his family have never been able to afford medical treatment. Jagtar said: 'We don't have money to pay for his treatment.' Additionally, Mr Singh is unable to talk and walk - he stopped moving his legs when he was three. But his family insist that he still brings joy to his fellow villagers. 'We have taken him to many doctors since his birth but around 5-7 doctors told us that he is suffering from thyroid and he can be treated,' his mother said. 'But we have given him a lot of medicines and there is no difference.' Manpreet, who is completely dependant, photographed with his mother at their home Cessation: Interestingly, he was born as a healthy baby boy but growth stopped at six months Family ties: The local celebrity pictured with his parents Jagtar Singh and Manjeet Kaur She added: 'Among his relatives, as well as those who come from outside, he is considered to be like a God. Whoever he blesses will get their wish fulfilled. 'People don't bully my son for being short. We don't feel bad about him. We all worship him. People love him a lot. People come to worship him everyday.' Interestingly, Mr Singh has two siblings, both of whom normal height. His 19-year-old sister Jaspreet stays home to take care of him. However, the family want him to become famous so that they can get enough money for his treatment. Medical intervention: Local GP Doctor Hemraj performs a checkup on Manpreet Siblings: The 21 year-old has two siblings, including his 19-year-old sister Jaspreet, who is his primary carer Light load: Manpreet sits on a weighing machine which shows his weight as 7.46 kilos 'We have consulted a lot of doctors but they also don't have any hope. But if by any chance there is a possibility, I could not be happier,' his father said. Doctor Hemraj, a local practitioner, believes the rare condition has something to do with the thyroid. 'People come to me who are suffering from fever or a cold, I take care of them. But this is a different case, I have seen it for the very first time,' he said. 'Today science has developed so much that nothing is impossible. His treatment is also possible.' Status-driven: His parents are hoping that his profile will generate money for medical help Pressure on the government to crack down on polluting diesel vehicles was mounted today as the House of Commons launched a super-inquiry into pollution. No fewer than four select committee panels have combined to examine the latest scientific evidence on how Britains filthy air is worsening health and spoiling the environment. The Environmental Audit Committee, Environment Food and Rural Affairs, Health and the Transport Committees will hold four sessions to scrutinise government plans to curb urban pollution. Crackdown: Government's plans to curb urban pollution will be scrutinised over four sessions The government has been told by the High Court that its plans to reduce air pollution do not go far enough, following a legal challenge from an environmental pressure group. At the heart of the air pollution crisis are diesel vehicles which produce excessive levels of polluting gases especially nitrogen dioxide compared to petrol engines. Successive UK governments who wanted to cut Britains carbon dioxide emissions triggered a dash for diesel. Spurred by tax incentives, motorists rushed to buy diesel cars with the percentage of diesel cars on the UKs roads rising from 14 per cent in 2000 to more than 50 per cent now. But because diesels can produce four times as many nitrogen gases, such as nitrogen dioxide and higher levels of particulates, another type of pollutant, than petrol cars, this has worsened Britains air quality. Government estimates say air pollution is a public health emergency, causing 40,000 early deaths in the UK, and costing the economy 27.5 billion a year. Target: Diesel vehicles are a key focus because they produce excessive levels of gases Wollaston MP: 'Our joint inquiry will include an examination of the scale of the harm caused' Dr Sarah Wollaston MP, Chair of the Health Committee said: Poor air quality is affecting on the health of millions of people across the U.K. because of the impact of invisible particulates and other pollutants. Our joint inquiry will include an examination of the scale of the harm caused and the action necessary to tackle it. MPs will examine whether revised Government plans required by the courts to be published by 24 April will go far enough to cut pollution, not only to meet legal limits but also to deliver maximum health and environmental benefits. AIR POLLUTION CRISIS Air pollution which plagues the UK threatens the human rights of children, a United Nations expert has warned. There is an urgent need for the Government to protect children and other at-risk groups from the air pollution 'crisis' which causes serious health problems, special rapporteur on hazardous substances and wastes Baskut Tuncak said. The Government has repeatedly been taken to court over its failure to meet EU standards on air pollution and has admitted it might not meet the rules in London and some other cities until 2025. Advertisement The UK areas exceeding nitrogen dioxide limits are greater London, the West Midlands urban area, Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire urban area, Teesside, The Potteries, Kingston upon Hull, and Southampton. Mary Creagh MP, Chair of the Environmental Audit Committee said: The UK courts have twice found that the Government has failed to deal with our air pollution problem properly. Now, ministers will face unprecedented scrutiny in Parliament to ensure they finally step up to the mark to ensure adults, and children in particular, do not have their health damaged by filthy air. The European Commission has also threatened enforcement which could see the UK pay millions of pounds in fines if the Government does not within two months take steps to bring 16 UK zones within legal pollution limits. Louise Ellman MP, Chair of the Transport Select Committee said that the committee will look how best to cut polluting vehicles, and boost cleaner ones. She said: The UK economy depends on an efficient and flexible transport system but emissions from vehicles are a significant problem and the standards that governments have relied on have not delivered the expected reductions. We will be asking what more can be done to increase the use of cleaner vehicles as well as to encourage the use of sustainable modes of transport. Tougher rules on tests would cut the rate of serious mistakes by foreign doctors by up to 50 per cent, a study found. Doctors who qualify in a country outside the EU are twice as likely as those who qualified in Britain to receive a sanction for malpractice, such as a warning, suspension or being struck off. But this figure could be reduced with stricter limits on the number of times international doctors are allowed to resit language skills and competency tests before practicing, York University researchers have found. Greater risk: Doctors who qualify outside EU are twice as likely to be suspended or struck off Lead researcher Dr Paul Tiffin said failing the relatively simple language skills multiple times could show a doctor was not up to a high enough standards to work in the UK. Complaints about doctors who resat the tests several times were often about non-clinical issues that could have sprung from misunderstandings or a failure to understand subtle cultural differences, he added. All doctors from outside the EU who want to work in Britain must sit an English language and a clinical skills test to show they have the skills needed to work in the NHS. Previously, those who failed have been able to resit the Professional and Linguistic Assessment Board (PLAB) tests multiple times. From September, a limit of four resits is being imposed by the General Medical Council (GMC). The tests were also made tougher last year. The numbers are small but just one incompetent doctor can cause a disproportionate amount of problem Dr Paul Tiffin The study examined the test results of more than 27,000 doctors between 2006 and 2012 before the new tests were introduced. It found about 60 per cent passed first time but those who did not were much more likely to receive fitness to practice sanctions later. The studys authors predicted that if doctors were only allowed to practice in the UK if they passed the tests first time, the number of sanctions for malpractice would have been halved and would be in line with the level for British-trained doctors. But they noted this would have led to a shortage of specialist doctors in the country. In-depth study: Researchers at University of York examined test results of 27,000 doctors Only 0.8 per cent of international doctors received sanctions over the period studied, but this compared to 0.4 per cent of those who qualified in the UK. The researchers found doctors who failed the language skills part of the test multiple times were most likely to be complained about. Of these, those who resat the skills test several times were most likely to go on to receive official sanctions. THE MEDIC WHO RELIED ON A TRANSLATOR Italian urologist Dr Alessandro Teppa worked in UK hospitals from 2012, but his English was so poor he could not speak to patients without an interpreter. Italian urologist Dr Alessandro Teppa worked in UK hospitals from 2012 The Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service last week extended for 12 months his nine-month suspension, warning he posed significant risks to patients. Dr Teppa, currently in France, plans to improve his English and return to the NHS next year. Bulgarian surgeon Dr Ludmil Veltchev pointed to instruments in theatre as he did not know the names. The locum, who worked in UK hospitals for two years, was suspended for 12 months after colleagues complained. One at Southend University Hospital, Essex, said his understanding of basic language was exceptionally poor. Dr Veltchev has since left Britain. Polish heart doctor Tomasz Fryzlewicz treated NHS patients for eight years until staff at Princess Alexandra Hospital, Harlow, reported serious concerns over his poor English, which they feared could harm patients. He failed three language tests and was ordered to work under supervision. The hospital fired him. Advertisement The report, published in the journal BMC Medicine, found banning doctors from resitting the skills test more than three times would have led to the rate of sanctions dropping by 8 per cent. Dr Tiffin said the GMCs new limit of four resits would not have substantially reduced the rate of sanctions in this group of doctors because very few took the tests more than three times. He added: Our findings suggest that further limiting the number of resits permitted may help protect patients from malpractice. The numbers are small but just one incompetent doctor can cause a disproportionate amount of problems. He suggested that language ability was a good early indicator as to whether or not a doctor was good enough, adding: If you have got doctors sitting tests that are relatively easy and they are taking them three or four times, obviously theres an issue there and they are more likely to run into problems later. Charlie Massey, chief executive of the GMC, said the study was based on the old test and that the new limit of four resits would soon be introduced. He added: We feel this new rule, in conjunction with the test itself being more robust, strikes the right balance between protecting patients and making sure the UK medical workforce continues to receive a steady supply of appropriately-qualified new doctors. Once in the UK these doctors, like all others, are subject to regular checks to show they remain safe to practise, through annual appraisals with their employers and through revalidation. Doctors from inside the EU do not have to take the PLAB tests because EU rules say they contravene freedom of movement laws. Previous studies have found doctors from EU countries were twice as likely to be struck off, suspended or given a warning compared to those from the UK. The Royal College of Surgeons has called for the Government to use Brexit to introduce safety and language checks for doctors, dentists and nurses from the EU. Poison centers are being flooded with calls over children accidentally taking prescription opioids, a new study has found. Scientists say that US Poison Control Centers receive an average of 32 calls a day from pediatric exposure to the narcotics. While that rate is steady since 2000, experts warn they are now seeing a worrying spike in toddlers taking buprenorphine, a medical substitute for heroin. Research showed that the majority of exposures (60 percent) occurred in children younger than five years old - many of whom were hospitalized. Meanwhile, although preschoolers are unintentionally taking the opioids, they are seeing an increase in teenagers consciously and aggressively going after the drugs. Poison control centers received an average of 32 calls a day between 2000 and 2015, a new study has found The study, conducted by the Center for Injury Research and Policy and the Central Ohio Poison Center at Nationwide Children's Hospital, looked at figures from the National Poison Data System. The centers receive phone calls through the Poison Help Line and record information about the product, route of exposure, individual exposed, exposure scenario and other data. Researchers found that poison control centers received more than 188,000 calls to US Poison Control Centers for pediatric exposure to opioids from January 2000 through December 2015. This averaged to 32 calls a day, or one every 45 minutes. The number and rate of exposure to most opioids has been steadily decreasing since 2009. But the one notable exception was buprenorphine, a medication primarily used to treat people for addiction to heroin and other narcotics. TEENS REPLACING DRUGS AND ALCOHOL WITH SMARTPHONES Research suggests teenagers might be so glued to their smartphones, tablets and televisions that they no longer have time for drugs and alcohol. Experts believe that technology can provide young people with a similar kick to experimenting with drugs. Results from the annual Monitoring the Future study found that teenagers' use of drugs, alcohol and tobacco in the US has declined significantly and rates are at their lowest since the 1990s. Considerably fewer teens reported less illicit drug use - other than marijuana - in the past 12 months than at any time since 1991, according to the report. The proportion of secondary school students in the US who used any illicit drug in the prior year fell significantly between 2015 and 2016. Anti-drug campaigns are largely deemed a failed enterprise which has led researchers to believe that phones are now giving teenagers so much stimulation they are less likely to seek out drugs and alcohol. Advertisement Pediatric buprenorphine exposures continue to climb with almost half (47 percent) resulting in admission to a health care facility. 'The buprenorphine, honestly, it's striking,' study author Rick Spiller, from Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, told Daily Mail Online. 'You have to be trained to prescribe this because it's explicitly prescribed for opioid addiction. 'It's in a pill or film form that you let dissolve on your tongue and kids think it looks like orange candy, tastes like orange candy so they take it. But in these young children, it's capable of fatalities. The researchers found that the majority of exposures - 60 percent - occurred in children younger than five years old, followed by teenagers. The medications leading to the most calls were hydrocodone, oxycodone, and codeine, all narcotic pain killers. The reason for and the severity of the exposure varied by age. Among the children younger than five years old, the opioid exposures occurred at home and were unintentional. But for the teenagers, more than two-thirds of the exposures, out of a total of about 50,000, were intentional. Over the 16-year study period, there was a 50 percent increase in the rate of prescription opioid-related suspected suicides among teenagers, particularly with girls. Teens also had greater odds of being admitted to a health care facility and experiencing serious outcomes than younger children. The researchers say that parents need to be aware of these trends among teens, given that 70 percent of teenagers that use prescription medication without a prescription get them from friends or family. 'It might be a good idea to keep the medication in a locked box where it would be impossible to get into or where children don't just find it on the counter,' Spiller said. 'You just get it out and take it when you need it.' The researchers are calling for prescription opioids to be packaged more frequently in blister packs or single-dose packaging instead of having the entire prescription filled as loose pills in one prescription bottle. For patients who have no obvious physical cause for their symptoms, trying to get a diagnosis or effective treatment can be a nightmare. It's a common problem: in as many as one in five cases, doctors find no explanation for a patient's symptoms or for their severity. Though the symptoms are real, patients can end up being told it's all in their mind. This will ring all too true for many with conditions such as chronic fatigue, fibro-myalgia (characterised by widespread pain and fatigue), irritable bowel syndrome, unexplained chest pain or interstitial cystitis (not caused by infection). For patients who have no obvious physical cause for their symptoms, trying to get a diagnosis or effective treatment can be a nightmare Not only do these problems, known as functional disorders, cause misery, but they cost the NHS a fortune. Treating medically unexplained symptoms cost 3.1 billion a year, more than stroke or heart disease. But research suggests these different diagnoses are all types of a single illness, bodily distress syndrome (BDS) a new condition that's just been included in the draft of the next World Health Organisation's International Classification of Diseases, the diagnostic bible for doctors. A study in the British Journal of General Practice last year, based on 1,400 patients, found around 17 per cent would meet the criteria for BDS. The term is used to describe medically unexplained symptoms, and recognises illness has roots in the body and mind, paving the way for new treatments for many patients who may have been told symptoms were 'in their heads'. 'There is increasing awareness that we have to treat the whole person and BDS is a recognition of that,' says Dr Alastair Santhouse, a consultant psychiatrist at the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust. 'The fact is disorders do not have to be either physical or psychological: just because we have physical symptoms doesn't necessarily mean the cause is physical. 'With tension headache, the pain is reduced with paracetamol, but we also know it's reduced if we treat the underlying stress. 'Many patients with bodily symptoms don't get a physical explanation and, therefore, often feel it is seen as being 'in the mind' and perhaps is taken less seriously. Recognising we need to look at conditions holistically will move us away from the fallacy that if there is no obvious cause, symptoms must be imagined.' One theory is that people with BDS have an increased sensitivity to bodily signals, and the brain's filtering system, which screens out unimportant messages, stops working properly: it's these signals that become the symptoms. Conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome are costing the NHS a fortune. They are known as functional disorders and cost 3.1 billion a year, more than stroke or heart disease Anxiety may partially trigger this. Patients then pay extra attention to the signals, becoming more anxious; this anxiety leads to more severe physical symptoms, which add to the worry in a vicious cycle. The symptoms, which are real but have no measurable physical basis, become the problem. Dr Lene Toscano, from Aarhus University Hospital in Denmark, which carries out pioneering work on BDS, says: 'In effect, the symptoms are the disease, yet patients can be told they are imaginary or it's a mental problem. 'Treating the condition as though it were 100 per cent physical or 100 per cent psychological will not help them get better.' The Aarhus team found there is an overlap in symptoms between different disorders: a patient with fibromyalgia, who experiences widespread pains, may suffer fatigue, while someone with chronic fatigue syndrome can have muscle aches. Experts have found there is an overlap in symptoms between different disorders: a patient with fibromyalgia, who experiences widespread pains, may also suffer fatigue Professor Per Fink, who leads the research clinic for functional disorders and psycho-somatics at Aarhus, says: 'Grouping such patients under BDS would help them understand the symptoms and treat them.' Cognitive behavioural therapy, which aims to change a patient's behaviour by altering the way they think, can help. He says BDS can also be treated with exercise and antidepressants (which is thought to change the way in which the symptoms are experienced in the brain so they are less bothersome). Professor Peter Whorwell, a gastroenterologist at the University Hospital of South Manchester, says: 'I'm sure there's a strong interaction between mind and body in functional disorders, but that applies to most diseases. 'We do need new approaches to managing functional disorders. 'However, including the word 'distress' in the title is a backward step, as it implies a strong psychological component, and these patients are sick of being told it is all in their head.' The experience of Territorial Army serviceman Dhanesh Kumar has exposed the exaggerated claims of the Delhi traffic police over the availability of high definition CCTV cameras in VIP areas. Police are yet to trace the speeding Honda CRV SUV that crashed into his bullet near the rear gate of the Subroto Park Air Force Station on the Dhaula Kuan-Airport Road, despite six months having passed since the 39-year-old suffered the grievous injuries. The incident happened despite the 14 CCTV cameras installed in the area. The cameras captured the footage of the vehicle, but shockingly, the number plate of the car was not legible in those clips. A 39-year-old suffered grievous injuries after a speeding Honda CRV crashed into his bullet It took two months for Dhanesh who suffered several fractures, including a head injury, to recover. The accident took a heavy toll on his job too. With the car still untraceable, he is not even in a position to claim motor accident compensation. Though the police promptly registered a First Information Report (FIR) under Section 279 (rash driving) and 338 (causing grievous hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others) of the Indian Penal Code, it could not move an inch further. Not HD quality: The cameras captured the footage of the vehicle, but shockingly, the number plate of the car was not legible in those clips The 'untraceable report' handed over to Dhanesh by the Station House Officer of the Delhi Cantonment police station states: 'You are hereby informed that in spite of our best efforts, there is no clue about the culprit in this case. 'The case has been sent as untraced on January 19, 2017. In future, if any clue comes to light in this case, the same will be reopened for further investigation.' The Delhi traffic police have often been claiming that it proposed to install specially designed, world-class number plate CCTV cameras. These cameras, used in most big cities worldwide, are built specifically to capture vehicle registration plates/number plates in day or night, even when the car has full beam headlights on. 'If this is the case in VIP area, then what could be the condition in the other parts of Delhi? The cameras turned out to be totally useless and purpose of the same would not be served if they cannot read number plates. 'If the promised high definition cameras are not installed there, then where else do the traffic police plan to fit them?' asks Dhanesh. The Delhi Police has installed a total of 4,064 CCTV cameras in the city, but nearly 2,000 are said to be defunct (file pic) It is to be noted that earlier Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung had directed then Commissioner of Police, Alok Kumar Verma, to urgently resolve the issue of defunct CCTV cameras in the city. At least 50 per cent of the CCTV cameras installed by the Delhi Police across the Capital are reportedly non-functional. During a law and order meeting, Verma had told Jung that many times CCTV cameras were damaged due to digging of roads. He had also pressed that there was a need for some long-term measures, including placing the cables in conduits, which could be laid down across gantries, Metro pillars and flyovers. The Delhi Police had installed a total of 4,064 CCTV cameras in the city. Of them, nearly 2,000 are defunct. According to cyber crime experts, image morphing crimes are on the rise (picture for representation only) A class-12 student of South Delhi was shocked to find a pornographic video bearing her likeness online. The link was shared by an anonymous user on a chat platform demanding she pay money to delete it. Preliminary investigation revealed that her picture was copied from a social media site and was later morphed to extort money. According to cyber crime experts, such crimes are on the rise. Jilted lovers or grieved acquaintances have been known to commit this crime for revenge, but now organised gangs commit such crimes as they consider this as a source of easy money. Victims in such cases refrain from filing complaints as they do not want to make it more public. Organised gangs commit such crimes consider morphing and blackmail crimes as a source of easy money (picture for representation only) 'We are investigating a case where a girl, who had limited friends on Facebook and WhatsApp, became a victim of photo stealing and morphing. 'We found that she had a secured profile and her images could not be accessed by anyone but her friends. 'Detailed investigation revealed that online tools, like photo extractor, can easily steal secured images,' explained Kislay Chaudhary, a cyber crime expert who is assisting several state governments in cases related to cyber crime. Despite the fact that victims often pay Rs 1-7 lakh, perpetrators do not delete links online. Many fall prey to extortion, in fear of social stigma. 'Cyber criminals initially focused only on financial frauds. Stealing and morphing pictures are new. Criminals upload morphed pictures on porn websites and then demand money to delete the link. 'Once they get the money, they deactivate their social media account to avoid getting caught,' said a senior officer in crime branch of Delhi Police. Mail Today had earlier reported that several Facebook profiles and pages are engaged in copying pictures of girls from Facebook albums only to misuse them. Indian hackers found out that the followers of some such pages with explicit content are equipped with cameras and smartphones. Mail Today had earlier reported that several Facebook profiles and pages are engaged in copying pictures of girls from Facebook albums only to misuse them. In addition to stealing pictures, the followers flash them in public and send them to the administrators of these pages. Last year, a foreign national contacted cyber security experts in India, complaining that an Indian youth had been blackmailing her with some morphed pictures of hers and demanding $100 (Rs 6,779 approx) per month. Investigators tracked him to Kurukshetra and found nearly 1,800 photographs on his mobile phone that he used to blackmail his targets. The man was eventually let go as the victim did not lodge an official complaint. During interrogation, the accused revealed that he used a free mobile application to morph the pictures and then used it as a tool to extort money from the victims. According to experts, such crimes have become a way to 'earn easy bucks'. Cyber crime experts also claim that there are people who sell pictures of Indian girls to international criminals, who further use it on international porn sites and sex chat networks. 'There are many websites and web tools available for professional editing. But basic morphing can be easily done on free mobile app available on play store,' said a senior police officer. Delhi has seen a steady rise in complaints related to such cases, but there have been a few breakthroughs as well. 'To crack such cases we need the IP address of the criminal and details of his log to track him down. 'It can be only furnished by the service providers. 'We repeatedly write to them and pursue the matter but reply from their end is rare,' senior officer of Delhi Police Cyber Crime Cell said. China has once again registered its irritation with India over the attendance of exiled Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama at a Buddhist conference supported by the Indian culture ministry. Indian and China have often clashed over the visibility of the spiritual leader with China considering him to be a dangerous separatist. However, the Nobel Peace Prize-winning Dalai Lama, who fled into exile in India after a failed uprising against Chinese rule in 1959, denies espousing violence and says he only wants genuine autonomy for his remote Himalayan homeland. Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama speaks at a Buddhist event entitled, 'Art of Joyful Living' in Bhopal, India The Dalai Lama opened the conference last Friday in eastern India. 'Recently, India ignored China's solemn representations and strong opposition and insisted on inviting the 14th Dalai Lama to attend an international Buddhist conference organised by the Indian government,' Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said. The Dalai Lama also shared the stage with Indian government officials and gave a speech, she told a daily news briefing. Indian and China have often clashed over the visibility of the Dalai Lama 'China is strongly dissatisfied and resolutely opposed to this,' Hua added. 'We urge the India side to clearly recognise the anti-China separatist nature of the Dalai clique, abide by its promises on the Tibet issue, respect China's core interests and avoid further disturbances and harm to China-India relations.' The Dalai Lama and Indian Culture Minister Mahesh Sharma inaugurated the conference on Friday, the Indian culture ministry said in a statement. Buddha's teachings were especially relevant in a world facing violence, Indian President Pranab Mukherjee said on Sunday in a closing address to the conference, held at Rajgir in the eastern state of Bihar. In December, Mukherjee hosted the Dalai Lama at his official residence with other Nobel prize winners, the Tibetan leader's first public meeting with an Indian head of state in 60 years. Next month, Indian federal government representatives will meet the Dalai Lama when he visits a sensitive border region controlled by India but claimed by China, despite a warning from Beijing that it would damage ties. China has ruled Tibet with an iron fist since it was 'peacefully liberated' by the People's Liberation Army in 1950. China denies any repression in Tibet and says its rule has brought development to a once backward and poverty-stricken region. (Reporting by Ben Blanchard; Additional reporting by Sanjeev Miglani in New Delhi; Editing by Clarence Fernandez) I want to invest in a venture capital trust before this tax year is up but Im struggling to find anywhere to put my money. Many of my preferred VCTs have closed already or are only accepting funds from existing shareholders. Where should I put my investment before 5 April, and are the VCTs that are still raising money this tax year any good? VCTs are provided with considerable tax perks by HM Revenue & Customs, making them popular with investors who have maxed out their pension contribution allowance Jason Hollands, of wealth management firm Tilney BestInvest, replies: By way of explanation for readers who are unfamiliar with them, venture capital trusts are stock exchange-listed companies that invest in small, unquoted or AIM-listed businesses that have to meet a detailed range of criteria set out by the Government to be eligible for such backing. In return, to incentivise investment into these businesses, which are inherently higher risk, VCTs are provided with considerable tax perks by HM Revenue & Customs. Investment into new shares issued by a VCT provides UK resident individual taxpayers with a juicy 30 per cent income tax credit, which means a 10,000 investment will see 3,000 knocked off your tax bill - though the shares must then be held for at least five years. Dividends and capital gains are also tax-free. Hollands: Many VCTs have hit their fund raising targets well ahead of the tax year end and now closed Recent reductions in the amount that higher earners can put into pensions each year and an additional cut to the overall lifetime allowance for pensions has fuelled a lot of additional interest in VCTs this year, with those impacted by these pension restrictions now looking at alternative tax-efficient investments. That said, the supply of VCT offers to invest in is always limited, as VCTs will only raise money that they are comfortable they can find a home for. This is further restricted by their investments having to meet all of the criteria set out by the Government. These criteria have tightened further over the last couple of years, with new restrictions placed on the age of the businesses that VCTs can invest in. Limited capacity at a time of increased interest from investors has meant that many VCTs have hit their fund raising targets well ahead of the tax year end and now closed. STILL OPEN FOR BUSINESS Downing 4 VCT - Healthcare Downing 4 VCT - Generalist Pembroke VCT B Shares Elderstreet VCT Triple Point Income (Correct as of March 20, 2017) The good news is that there is still time to invest but you need to hurry. It isnt just the 5 April tax year-end deadline you have to contend with but also a very limited supply of VCT share offers to actually invest in. At the time of writing, there are half a dozen VCT share offers which still remain available for new investment. Overall these are good quality VCTs that simply started raising money later in the day than some of those which have already closed - rather than weak offers that have been unpopular. Hollands' pick for the the risk averse For those wanting a more cautious approach, the Triple Point Income VCT is an attractive option. This plans to invest in ventures with very predictable income streams to generate dividends after three years. While it isnt aiming for stellar returns, the combination of 30 per cent income tax relief and a regular future dividend may appeal to more conservative investors. An example of an area it is interested in is food production where it is exploring an opportunity to grow salad crops in controlled environments close to supermarket distributions centres so that items like fresh lettuce leaves can be grown to fit standard package sizes, reducing waste. Hollands' pick for the more adventurous investor At the more exciting end of the spectrum for those willing to take more risk is Elderstreet VCT, which invests primarily unquoted companies, many of which are in the technology, manufacturing and retail sectors. Its largest holdings include Lyalvale Express, which makes shotgun ammunition, and software firm Access Intelligence. A late surge saw the FTSE 100 close at a record high for the third day in a row. The index finished just 0.07 per cent or 4.85 points higher at 7,429.81 as sterling weakened following news that Article 50 would be triggered at the end of the month. Dixons Carphone was the biggest riser, up 2.6 per cent, or 7.9p, to 309.6p while insures Direct Line and Admiral both rose 1.7 per cent. Primark-owner Associated British Foods also performed strongly, thanks to a positive rating by analysts at Goldman Sachs. The company, which is also responsible for brands such as Kingsmill bread and Twinings tea, soared 1.6 per cent, or 43p, to 2659p after analysts raised their price target to 3000p from 2750p, saying strong growth at its Primark stores should drive profits. However, other fashion brands were not so lucky. Online retailer Asos dipped after Goldman analysts downgraded its shares to neutral from buy despite a strong share price performance. Shares have risen 13.9 per cent since being added to Goldmans buy list in November 2016 but the firm said the retailer, which has a strong foothold in the UK, still has space to grow in less mature markets. Shares fell 0.6 per cent, or 38p, to 5886p. Nostrum Oil & Gas plunged 5.8 per cent, or 27.3p, to 442.6p after a High Court injunction blocked its chairman from dealing with his shares in the company. Frank Monstrey, chairman of the oil and gas exploration firm, has been stopped from voting and exercising his rights through his Claremont Holdings vehicles. Claremont has a 13 per cent stake in Nostrum & Gas. According to Claremont, the court order is in relation to ongoing proceedings at the High Court brought by Kazakhstans BTA Bank against its former chairman Mukhtar Ablyazov, who is accused of embezzlement. However, Claremont said neither Claremont Holdings Ltd nor Claremont Holding CV are defendants in the proceedings and no substantive claim has been made against them. Ablyazov fled Kazakhstan to the UK and was granted political asylum in 2011 after the Kazakh government acquired a stake in the bank in 2009. He is accused of stealing pension assets and personal savings of citizens as well as loans received from foreign financial institutions, and is fighting extradition to Russia. It is unclear how the High Court ruling links to Claremont, but both Claremont Holdings Ltd and Claremont Holdings CV said they will apply to the court as soon as possible to have the order discharged. Things are looking up for Russian steel producer Evraz. The metal maker, which is part owned by billionaire Chelsea FC owner Roman Abramovich, has been upgraded from neutral to a high-risk buy by analysts at Citigroup who believe demand for Russian long steel exports will pick up off the back of rising prices in China. As Evraz is operating under capacity, it is expected to enjoy a sizeable volume rise of 0.5m tons in 2017 as global markets tighten in reaction to China, while its coking coal arm should get a boost as Russian prices catch up with the rest of the world. Shares leapt 6 per cent, or 13.1p, to 231.5p. Chemical company Elementis edged up slightly after it revealed it has sold its struggling US colourants business. The firm said it decided to sell the division to US firm Chromaflo for an undisclosed sum and close its production facility in New Jersey after reviewing its product portfolio. Shares were up 0.6 per cent, or 1.8p, to 290.1p. Brick maker Michelmersh soared after posting steady full-year results and doubling its dividend. Shares in the firm rose 6.6 per cent, or 3.75p, to 61p. FBI Director James Comey is expected to officially undercut President Donald Trump's claims that he was wiretapped by the Obama administration during testimony before Congress on Monday, according to ABC News. Citing people who are familiar with Comey's thinking, the FBI director will likely make US law enforcement's most public rebuke to date of Trump's allegations. Comey is set to testify at a rare public hearing on Monday about alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election. US lawmakers from both parties said on Sunday they had seen no proof to support the claim by Trump, adding pressure on the president to explain or back off his repeated assertion. Several Republicans last week urged Trump to apologize for the allegations he made in a series of tweets on March 4. The maelstrom also caused tension with key US allies and threatens to distract Republicans from campaign promises on health care and taxes. FBI Director James Comey (above) is expected to be asked about President Donald Trump's claims that he was wiretapped by the Obama administration when he testifies at a rare public hearing on Monday about alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election 'I don't know the basis for President Trump's assertion,' US Senator Susan Collins, a Republican, said on NBC's 'Meet the Press.' 'I do believe he owes us that explanation.' Collins said she supported Trump as president, but she wouldn't side with him if he 'misstated what the facts are.' Representative Adam Schiff, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee holding the hearing, called Trump's claims 'patently false' and said he expected Comey to say as much on Monday. The two top lawmakers on the House Intelligence Committee - Chairman Devin Nunes (left), a Republican from California, and Adam Schiff (right), the top Democrat - said on Sunday they have seen no evidence to support Trump's claim that he was wiretapped by Obama The Justice Department on Friday delivered documents to congressional committees to help clear up whether the Obama administration spied on Trump. Russia has denied the assertion it was involved in hacked emails and other attempts to influence the race, but Schiff says the material offers circumstantial evidence that American citizens colluded with Russians in Moscow's efforts to interfere in the presidential election. 'There was circumstantial evidence of collusion; there is direct evidence, I think, of deception,' Schif said. 'There's certainly enough for us to conduct an investigation.' Mike Rogers, the director of the National Security Agency, is also slated to testify along with Comey. Intelligence officials have said that Russia was behind the theft of Democratic National Committee emails last summer. Republican Senator Tom Cotton (above) also said Sunday they had seen no evidence that the Obama administration had placed Trump under surveillance at Trump Tower The US government later concluded that the Russian government directed the DNC hack in an attempt to influence the outcome of November's presidential election. 'For the first time the American people, and all the political parties now, are paying attention to the threat that Russia poses,' committee Chairman Devin Nunes, a Republican from California, said. 'We know that the Russians were trying to get involved in our campaign, like they have for many decades. They're also trying to get involved in campaigns around the globe and over in Europe.' Nunes said the committee will also examine whether the Russians were trying to sow doubt in the US electoral system or whether they were trying to help Trump get elected to the White House. 'We need to get to the bottom of that,' Nunes said. Nunes and Schiff were among a number of lawmakers who said on Sunday's news shows they had seen no evidence that the Obama administration ordered wiretaps on Trump during the campaign. 'Was there a physical wiretap of Trump Tower? No, there never was,' Nunes said. 'The information we received Friday continues to lead us in that direction.' Nunes added: 'There was no FISA warrant I am aware of to tap Trump Tower.' FISA stands for the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which requires investigators to seek a warrant from a secret court to wiretap a foreign suspect. Republican Senator Tom Cotton of Arkansas also said Sunday they had seen no evidence that the Obama administration had placed Trump under surveillance at Trump Tower, the Manhattan high-rise that houses Trump's residence, business office and campaign office. The president repeatedly insisted last week that Obama had Trump Tower put under surveillance late last fall. Trump's claims widened to two of the US's staunchest allies. He repeated an unsubstantiated claim that Britain's cyber intelligence organization conducted the surveillance at Obama's behest, a claim the agency GBHQ flatly denied; and mentioned during German Chancellor Angela Merkel's first visit to the Trump White House the Obama administration's monitoring of Merkel's cellphone, a bruising incident in German-US relations. 'What the president said was just patently false,' Schiff said of the Trump Tower allegations, 'and the wrecking ball it created has now banged into our British allies and our German allies and continuing to grow in terms of damage. And he needs to put an end to this.' Nunes spoke on 'Fox News Sunday;' Schiff and Collins appeared on NBC's 'Meet the Press;' Cotton was on CNN's 'State of the Union.' Ex-Fox News host Andrea Tantaros is accusing her former bosses of retaliating against her by 'interfering with her ability to make money', and illegally spying on her - after she sued the network for sexual harassment. Last August, Tantaros, 37, sued Fox News, its former CEO Roger Ailes and various other network executives for $50 million, claiming they ran the network like 'a sex-fueled, Playboy mansion-like cult, steeped in intimidation, indecency and misogyny'. Specifically, she accused Ailes and The O'Reilly Factor's Bill O'Reilly former Massachusetss Senator Scott Brown, among others, of making 'unwanted sexual advances', adding that network executives condoned the harassment and even participated in a smear campaign against her. The company has yet to reach an agreement with Tantaros - who was suspended from work in April 2016 - but she claims that she turned down a 'seven figure settlement' from Fox before filing her lawsuit. Ex-Fox News host Andrea Tantaros is accusing her former bosses of 'interfering with her ability to make money', and spying on her - after she sued the network for sexual harassment Now, in court transcript obtained exclusively by DailyMail.com, Tantaros' lawyers are making the case that Fox is engaging in 'post-employment retaliation' against the former The Five host, interfering with her ability to make money. Her lawyers said in court on March 13 that the network 'tortiously interfered with Ms. Tantaros' agreement with her speaking agency, who represents numerous other Fox talents and can only represent them with Fox's permission.' The transcripts also state that Fox has interfered with the sales of her new book, which apparently was not 'approved by Fox' - a breach of her contract. The network fired back saying Tantaros, 'is not a victim, she is an opportunist' who is only trying to ride the coattails of Gretchen Carlson's case against Ailes and Fox. Early on in the hearing, Fox's lawyers argued for the case to be heard in arbitration - as per Tantaros' employment contract - rather than in court, which is what Tantaros' lawyers wanted. But the judge eventually sided with the network. Interestingly, Tantaros' lawyer said in proceedings that he was told by the U.S. Attorney's office about an 'ongoing criminal investigation of Fox relating to all of these allegations, not just Ms. Tantaros, but all of the sexual harassment allegations'. Specifically, she accused Roger Ailes (right) and Bill O'Reilly (left), among others, of making 'unwanted sexual advances', adding that network executives condoned the harassment He believes the investigation is about Fox entering into 'agreement after agreement' with victims of sexual harassment and says that those agreements are not reported in Fox's SEC filings because their strategy is to keep the victim employed after they settle, so nothing gets released to the press. He said: 'I believe I have a racketeering case here based upon that and the extortion of my client. 'There is a very strong case law that suggests in this case you will lose your job if you report sexual harassment, which gives rise to a pattern of racketeering activity which this Court can look at, and then there are other claims. TANTAROS' ORIGINAL LAWSUIT DEMANDS FIRST CAUSE OF ACTION: SEXUAL HARASSMENT - Tantaros seeks no less than $5 million in damages for lost income and mental anguish as a result of the unwanted sexual harassment from Roger Ailes. SECOND CAUSE OF ACTION: RETALIATION - Tantaros seeks no less than $5 million in damages for lost income and mental anguish for being subject to 'adverse actions' by all defendants in the case when she reported being harassed by Ailes. THIRD CAUSE OF ACTION: SEXUAL HARASSMENT - Tantaros seeks no less than $5 million damages for lost income and mental anguish and punitive damages of $10 million for the 'illegal conduct perpetrated by Fox News and Ailes' and for acting with 'with malice and reckless indifference to [her] rights. FOURTH CAUSE OF ACTION: RETALIATION - Tantaros seeks no less than $5 million damages for lost income and mental anguish and punitive damages of $10 million for Fox News and the defendants adverse reactions which 'were a direct result of her having engaged in protected activity at Fox News and were reasonably likely to deter her from engaging in protected activity.' FIFTH CAUSE OF ACTION: RETALIATION - Tantaros seeks no less than $3 million damages and punitive damages of $6 million for Fox News and the defendants interference with the promotion of her book. Advertisement 'I have compelling evidence through confidential sources that Fox was involved in electronic surveillance of my client on her private communications.' This is the latest in the legal battle between the former Outnumbered host and Fox News. Tantaros joined Fox in 2010 as a political correspondent and a year later in 2011 was named as one of the co-hosts of the popular Fox News show The Five. She claims in her original lawsuit that she was told to wear skirts while appearing on air because 'Roger wants to see your legs.' Things took a turn in 2014, however, when Tantaros was moved off The Five and on to the less watched Outnumbered. It was while she was hosting Outnumbered that Tantaros claims that former Massachusetts Senator Scott Brown began to sexually harass her after appearing on the program. 'Brown made a number of sexually inappropriate comments to Tantaros on set, including, and in a suggestive manner, that Tantaros 'would be fun to go to a nightclub with,'' claims the lawsuit. 'After the show was over, Brown snuck up behind Tantaros while she was purchasing lunch and put his hands on her lower waist. She immediately pulled back, telling Brown to 'stop.''' Despite complaining, the network continued to book Brown on the show claims Tantaros. Brown has denied the claims being made by Tantaros. He told DailyMail.com: 'I have already put out a statement and appeared on air and Twitter. I am neither a party, nor a defendant. 'She alleges that this happened on the air and in the cafe. In front of almost 75-100 people? Never happened. 'As a survivor of sexual abuse, I would never contribute to that type of discourse. I am only hearing about it now, a year later. Never contacted, reprimanded or fired. As a matter of fact, signed a new contract with a raise and work more than I ever have. Fully deny.' Former Massachusetts Senator Scott Brown began to sexually harass Tantaros after appearing on the program Outnumbered, according to the host, but he denies the allegations Tantaros' move to Outnumbered came after a meeting with Ailes in which Tantaros claims the former CEO told her to turn around 'so I can get a good look at you.' Tantaros claims that because she refused to do this she was demoted to a less-watched news program. She also claims that Ailes once asked her to perform 'the twirl' for him; said 'come over here so I can give you a hug'; and told her 'I bet you look good in a bikini.' O'Reilly meanwhile invited Tantaros to his Long island home to stay with him, telling her it would be 'very private' she claims in her lawsuit, also telling her that he could 'see [her] as a wild girl' and that she had a 'wild side.' Tantaros said that she and her agent told Shine, Scott, and Brandi about numerous examples of Ailes's alleged harassment. 'Ailes did not act alone,' claimed Tantaros in her lawsuit. 'He may have been the primary culprit, but his actions were condoned by his most senior lieutenants, who engaged in a concerted effort to silence Tantaros by threats, humiliation and retaliation.' Israel has threatened to 'destroy' Syrian air defence systems 'without the slightest hesitation' after Bashar al-Assad's army fired missiles at jets carrying out airstrikes. Warplanes hit several targets in Syria on Friday, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying the strikes targeted weapons bound for Lebanon's Shiite Hezbollah movement. But Israel's Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman says forces loyal to Syrian dictator Assad fired missiles at some of their jets during the raids. 'The next time the Syrians use their air defence systems against our planes we will destroy them without the slightest hesitation,' Lieberman said yesterday. Israel has threatened to 'destroy' Syrian air defence systems 'without the slightest hesitation' after Bashr al-Assad's army fired missiles at jets carrying out airstrikes (file picture) Syria's military said it had downed one of the Israeli planes and hit another as they were carrying out the pre-dawn strikes near the famed desert city of Palmyra that it recaptured from jihadists this month. The Israeli military denied that any planes had been hit. The Syrian government has made similar claims in the past. An Israeli army statement said 'several anti-aircraft missiles' were fired following the raid but that none hit their targets. One missile was intercepted by Israel's Arrow air defence system, Israeli media reported. It was the most serious incident between the two countries since the Syrian civil war began six years ago. Israel says forces loyal to Syrian dictator Assad (pictured) fired missiles at some of their jets during the raids. In April 2016, Netanyahu admitted for the first time that Israel had attacked dozens of convoys transporting weapons in Syria destined for Hezbollah, which fought a 2006 war with Israel and is now battling alongside the Damascus regime. Israel does not usually confirm or deny individual raids, but it may have been led to do so this time by the circumstances of the incident. Israel seized most of the Golan Heights from Syria in the 1967 Six-Day War and annexed it in 1981, in a move never recognised by the international community. Israel and Syria are still technically at war, though the border had remained largely quiet for decades until 2011 when the Syrian conflict began. Dalton Lampley was arrested following the police chase At least six people were injured when a garbage truck driver traveled the wrong way on an interstate highway and struck several other vehicles during a police chase in Kentucky. Dalton Lampley, 23, of Calvert City, was arrested after the vehicle had sped east down the westbound lanes of Interstate 24, near Paducah in McCraken County. Police say he was on methamphetamine at the time. State Police Trooper Jody Cash said that some of the injuries were believed to be life-threatening. Several cop cars were involved in the chase which took place on Friday afternoon. The pursuit continued into Calvert City and ended near the intersection of Highway 1523 and Highway 62. The truck was finally brought to a halt after it hit tire-deflating strips set by an officer. Scroll down for video The truck, which had been traveling the wrong way down an interstate highway, was brought to a halt by spike strippers The vehicle was dragged into a ditch by a flat tire before crashing into a guard rail and coming to a halt In a post on the McCraken County Sheriff's Department's Facebook page Sheriff John Hayden said: 'Placing spike strips in front of a fleeing vehicle is extremely dangerous, and even more so in front of an suspected 50,000 lb truck running at you at 70-plus mph. 'McCracken Sheriff's Capt. JT Coleman risked his life today to successfully spike strip that out of control 50,000lb rocket. 'Capt. Coleman got out of his patrol car in the path of the truck that was recklessly weaving from shoulder to shoulder and threw a set of spike strips out into the roadway, successfully getting four tires on the right side of this truck.' The driver attempted to carry on but was eventually pulled into a ditch by the flat tires before hitting a guard rail and coming to a stop. Lampley was arrested on multiple counts including driving under the influence, possession of a controlled substance, fleeing or evading police and resisting arrest. A cop car covered in mud following the pursuit of Lampley last Friday McCracken Sheriff's Capt. JT Coleman, pictured, was praised for risking his life to stop the garbage truck He was taken to Marshall County Hospital for treatment of minor injuries before being remanded in Marshall County Jail. Paducah Police Chief Brandon Barnhill said seven passenger vehicles and a tractor-trailer were hit by the truck. Five people were taken to local hospitals while one was airlifted to Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Industry expert is calling for mandatory health star ratings on all food packaging with companies reportedly avoiding putting low ratings on poor-performing products. Food companies are accused of selectively choosing the products that display the health star ratings on Australian supermarket shelves with an expert claiming they are confusing customers. Applying the health star rating system is voluntary, but a 2016 Heart Foundation study showed fewer shoppers believed the system's ratings were credible and reliable. Museli bars from Carman's showed the health star ratings on some great performing products but left the display off the coconut-flavoured Oat Slice - which scored a 1.5 stars, but the company said it plans to roll out the Health Star Ratings on all products in the future As shown on its website Kellogg's has shown health star ratings on some packaging including the LCM's Oaty Bubble Bars but have left it off the Split Stix. A Kellogg's spokesperson said all future products will display a health star rating The ratings system uses a scale from 0.5 to 5 stars with the higher rating the healthier option. While a low star rating does not necessarily mean unhealthy food, the more stars generally means the healthier choice. Executive manager of Obesity Policy Coalition Jane Martin said consumers have a hard enough time picking healthy choices compounded by companies reportedly selecting the products that receive a star rating. 'If the star system isn't being used comprehensively across all products it makes it harder for consumers to make healthier choices,' she told The Sydney Morning Herald. 'The system's been around for 2.5 years and companies know how it operates. Consumers are being kept in the dark.' Despite the Split Stix not displaying a rating on the packaging, the Kellogg's Oaty Bubble Bars showed a healthy 3.5 stars The industry advocate took issue with Kellogg's LCM products with the Split Stix product having a 0.5 star rating - 1.0 star rating for the chocolate flavour - but failed to show the stars on the packaging. Despite the Split Stix not displaying a rating on the packaging, the Kellogg's Oaty Bubble Bars showed a healthy 3.5 stars. 'Kellogg recently changed the packaging of its LCM Split Stix to include a free book promotion, and it didn't use the opportunity to add health stars,' she told the publication. A Kellogg's spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia the company had chosen its new products that all carry health star ratings and were rolling them out. 'We've spoken regularly with advocacy groups including OPC about health stars since the system was introduced by the Government.' 'All of our cereal packaging carry health stars and our rollout on snacks has coincided with our new products that have been launched since Special K Bliss Bites, Nutri-Grain Edge Bars and LCMs Oaty Bubble Bars.' The LCMs Split Stix Choolatey did not show its 1.0 health star rating on the packaging Kellogg's also said it had made all health star rating information available for all products on its website. Muesli bars from Carman's showed the health star ratings on some great performing products but left the display off the coconut-flavoured Oat Slice - which scored 1.5 stars, according to the publication. A Carman's spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia they were focusing on the Country of Origin label requirements - that are mandatory - and that they will be rolling out the Health Star Rating System on all its products over time. 'We originally applied the Health Star Rating system in our breakfast range where it now applies to all products. We have commenced within our snacks range.' 'Carman's intends to roll out the health star rating system across its entire range however a time frame for this has not been put in place as the system is currently under review and changes to it may be made. This therefore includes our Golden Coconut Oat Slice.' The Health Star Rating system was developed by the government in tandem with industry, public health and consumer groups. The voluntary system was introduced in 2014 and will undergo a review process in 2019. The rule of law, freedom of speech and democracy are more important to Australia's national identity than race or culture, a government statement will say. The multiculturalism statement will call on Australians to be self-reliant, while encouraging people to pledge allegiance to the nation and speak English. The policy, which was released early to The Australian, is in stark contrast to former prime minister Julia Gillard's statement in 2011, which spoke of Australia's commitment to new immigrants. The rule of law, freedom of speech and democracy are more important to Australia's national identity than race or culture, a government statement will say The government statement, which will be released today, will list Australian freedoms such as freedom of speech. It will also refer to 'white Australia', not just indigenous people and other ethnic minorities in the country. Calling for 'integration', it will add that speaking English and taking pride in Australia are 'critical' to social cohesion. 'Our commitment to freedom is fundamental,' it says. 'We support freedom of thought, speech, religion, enterprise and association.' It will continue: 'Regardless of cultural background, birthplace or religion, everyone in Australia or coming to Australia has a responsibility to engage with and seek to understand each other, and reject any form of racism or violent extremism. 'We take responsibility for fulfilling our civic duties. Practices and behaviours that undermine our values have no place in Australia.' The policy is in stark contrast to former prime minister Julia Gillard's statement in 2011, which spoke of Australia's commitment to new immigrants The document will also refer to terrorism and the importance of keeping Australia safe. It says that secure borders help keep Australia 'an open, inclusive, free and safe society'. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said: 'We are defined not by race, religion or culture, but by shared values of freedom, democracy, the rule of law and equality of opportunity.' We are defined not by race, religion or culture, but by shared values of freedom, democracy, the rule of law and equality of opportunity. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull The statement will hail the 'positive story' of multiculturalism in Australia, assistant minister for multicultural affairs Zed Seselja said. He added that the statement was 'overwhelmingly positive' about Australia's cultural diversity. 'There are some people, of course, who don't obey laws,' the senator told ABC Radio. 'So, of course, and we should always reaffirm, that there are certain things that are unacceptable.' 'We want to see that continue and this sets out some of the direction of the government sees going forward,' he said. The Migration Council Australia said the statement affirmed the economic and social importance migrants play in shaping the nation. 'The affirmation of our settlement framework and the imperative for governments to support newly arrived migrants to become self-reliant and active members of the Australian community is warmly welcomed,' CEO Carla Wilshire said. Julia Gillard's statement on the matter in 2011 had called for inclusion and welfare for new immigrants. A Washington boy has started a school fundraiser to help his ailing friend and fellow student afford a service dog. Spencer Hensley, 11, sent a handwritten letter to his principal Lisa Rowan at Edgerton Elementary School in Puyallup, Washington, requesting permission to sell bracelets on campus as a fundraiser for his friend, Connor McKenna. 'Hed done his research on why Connor needs this, and he had a plan,' Rowan told The News Tribune. 'I was touched. It was the first time somebody said "I want to do a fundraiser for a student."' Scroll down for video Spencer Hensley, 11, (left) sold handmade bracelets (pictured) to raise funds for his friend, 12-year-old Connor McKenna's (right) service dog. Hensley raised $1,000 in six weeks Connor McKenna (pictured) was diagnosed in October with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome, the rare syndrome causes him to have blurred vision and faint unexpectedly Hensley sold the bracelets at Edgerton Elementary School (pictured) in Puyallup, Washington So, Rowan agreed, and Hensley raised $1,000 in six weeks for McKenna, who was diagnosed in October with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome. The rare syndrome causes the 12 year old to faint unexpectedly due to reduced blood volume to the brain while standing up. McKenna's mother, Heidi, spends all day with him in case an episode occurs. She said he has fainted at least 15 times since October. In November, Heidi McKenna started a YouCaring page to raise money to buy a service dog for her son, since insurance doesn't cover the $30,000 price tag. 'If he's going down to the side or backwards, the dog watches for those cues and will try to help break the fall so that he doesn't hit his head every time he faints,' McKenna told CBS 10. WHAT IS POSTURAL ORTHOSTATIC TACHYCARDIA SYNDROME? Postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS) is a form of dysautonomia, an umbrella term for various conditions in which the autonomic nervous system malfunctions. According to Dysautonomia International, POTS is estimated to impact between one and three million Americans. A hallmark symptom includes an increase in heart rate by at least 30 beats per minute within 10 minutes of assuming an upright position. Other patients suffering from POTS experience palpitations, light-headedness, chest discomfort, shortness of breath, weakness, blurred vision, fainting, migraine-like headaches, reddish purple blotches on the legs, chronic fatigue and sleep disturbances. Symptoms can range from fairly mild to so severe that they are detrimental to a patient's quality of life. Advertisement 'They can sense the change in his heart rate and his blood pressure, and sometimes they can predict his episodes up to 15 minutes beforehand,' she said. Because of his illness, Connor McKenna can only attend a few hours of school a day - as long as his mother is by his side. Instead of that kind of constant supervision, McKenna and his mother believe a service dog will allow him to return to school full time. The Puyallup School District has already approved a service dog for him. 'That way I can start living more of a normal life, even though it wouldn't exactly be normal. I would be able to have a little more independence,' McKenna told CBS 10. And see his friends again. McKenna and Hensley have known each other since third grade. Hensley found out the McKennas were raising money for a service dog at Connor's birthday party in November. Hensley's father, who was recently paralyzed during a surgery, made bracelets as a part of physical therapy, and suggested the idea to his son. The sixth grader and his friends spent lunch, recess and at the work places of family members selling the bracelets. Although this fundraiser has closed, the McKenna family is still accepting donations through their YouCaring page. So far, they've raised $15,025. Once they have reached their goal they will be placed on a waiting list for a service dog, which could take three months to five years, Heidi McKenna said. James Draper, tied up and assaulted a frail elderly couple in their home in Dartford, Kent before ransacking their property making off with expensive jewellery and a 60,000 car A vicious hooded thug who tied up a frail elderly couple in their home with tea towels and tights during a terrifying knife-point raid before driving off in their 60,000 Jaguar car has been jailed for 11-and-a-half years. Evil James Draper, once convicted of prison mutiny, and a teenage accomplice smashed through several glass windows to confront the petrified husband and wife aged in their 80s in the kitchen at the rear of their rural, secluded property. Both were forced to the floor by the intruders who were covering their faces. The 86-year-old woman's hands were bound, while her husband, aged 83 was tied at his hands and ankles and dragged by his feet across the kitchen floor, a court heard. Draper, brandishing a 6in knife he had taken to the property, repeatedly demanded to know the whereabouts of a safe during the night-time break-in in September 2015. A rare Rolex Oyster watch worth 12,000 was also snatched from the elderly man's wrist. Prosecutor Caroline Moonan told Maidstone Crown Court that Draper and his 16 year old accomplice repeatedly demanded the couple did not move and did not look at them. On finding a firearms certificate in the house, they also demanded the whereabouts of a shotgun although it was not taken. The gated property in Wilmington near Dartford, Kent, was then ransacked. Draper, brandishing a 6in knife he had taken to the property, repeatedly demanded to know the whereabouts of a safe during the night-time break-in in September 2015, Maidstone Crown Court heard The pensioners had lived there for more than 40 years and saw their many possessions being mindlessly smashed, said Miss Moonan. With their victims still tied up, the raiders eventually fled in the couple's 60,000 Jaguar XFR, having also stolen expensive and sentimental jewellery together with cash and bank cards. None of the property, including the car which had been bought to replace another Jaguar stolen during a burglary at their home just eight weeks earlier, was ever recovered. The terrified couple were left tied up, with the woman, who suffers from a wartime spinal injury inflicted when a church she was in was hit by a V2 bomb, laying face down in agony on the floor. Miss Moonan said the raiders threatened they would return within half an hour and ripped the phone from the wall. But, despite their fear, the husband managed to free himself and untie his wife before they fled outside into the dark street. She said: 'They were concerned about leaving the house but decided the best thing to do would be to leave together. 'They went into the road but the husband, because of a spine disorder he already suffered from, couldn't get any further than that. So his wife ran down the road and flagged down a passing motorist.' They both suffered bruising but did not need hospital treatment. In a moving victim impact statement, the wife described how she was subjected to 'vile and disgusting' language and pushed onto the floor, while her husband was dragged around 'like a ragdoll' as Draper threatened to stab him. She said the raid had destroyed their lives and they no longer wanted to live in their family home. The elderly woman, who told police she talked to herself throughout her ordeal so as not to break down, wrote: 'This is by far the worst and most serious incident to happen to us and has left us petrified on a daily basis. 'We have worked hard for our home and possessions but don't want to be there anymore. I imagine every second I'm going to hear a smash and those men will be back in my house shouting at me. None of the property, including the car which had been bought to replace another Jaguar stolen during a burglary at their home just eight weeks earlier, was ever recovered 'This burglary has changed our lives forever. I won't let my husband leave me in the house alone anymore and he appears to have lost interest in everything and walks around like a zombie. He doesn't appear to care and shuts himself off. 'They just smashed things for no reason. They just destroyed our possessions. This was just mindless vandalism. I cannot understand how two young men can behave that way. 'These men just destroyed everything and ruined our lives within minutes. We are frightened on a daily basis and just not the same people. This will haunt us for the rest of our lives.' DNA matching 36-year-old Draper was later found on the ligatures used to tie up the couple and he was arrested in July last year. With their victims still tied up, Draper and a 16-year-old accomplice eventually fled in the couple's 60,000 Jaguar XFR, having also stolen expensive and sentimental jewellery together with cash and bank cards He told police he had not expected the couple to be home and committed the burglary for financial gain. But he refused to say where he had disposed of the stolen car and jewellery or how much he had received. Draper, of Magpie Hall Close, Bromley, Kent, admitted aggravated burglary. His previous convictions include mutiny and false imprisonment of a jailer following riots at Rochester Prison in Kent in October 2001. Jailing him on Friday Judge Martin Joy said it was an appalling offence and 'one of the worst of its kind'. He said: 'The facts of this case are horrific and were described quite rightly as an utter nightmare. It was at night, violent steps were taken to prevent the reporting of the offence and the victims, after 40 years in that house, feel compelled to leave their home.' Judge Joy imposed an extended sentence as he found Draper to pose a danger to the public. This means he must serve two-thirds of the jail term before being considered for release by the Parole Board. Draper, of Magpie Hall Close, Bromley, Kent, admitted aggravated burglary. His previous convictions include mutiny and false imprisonment of a jailer following riots at Rochester Prison in Kent in October 2001 Once released, he will have to serve an extra five years on licence. Draper wrote a letter to the court in which he said he 'wished he could turn the clock back'. Investigating officer, Detective Constable Rob Hemsley said: 'This was a terrifying ordeal for the two victims, who were left traumatised to the extent that they now wish to leave their home of more than 40 years. James Draper displayed scant regard for their welfare and is clearly a dangerous man who belongs behind bars. 'The forensic evidence captured at the scene of the crime was absolutely vital in this case and has resulted in two serious offenders being brought to justice. 'The probability of the DNA on the tea towels belonging to anyone other than Draper was one in one billion, which demonstrates the importance of carrying out such tests.' An ailing war veteran who has lived in Australia for a decade is set to be deported to Britain because his health issues will 'result in a significant cost' to the taxpayer. James Bradley, 92, served in World War II with the British Royal Navy and moved to Australia with his wife Peggie in 2007 to be close to his family. At the time, the elderly couple passed a mandatory health test and were placed in a queue for permanent parent visas, The Sydney Morning Herald reported. But seven years later - suffering from the early stages of dementia and confined to a wheelchair - Mr Bradley's condition was deemed likely to 'result in a significant cost to the Australian community' and his visa was denied. Scroll down for video James Bradley, 92, served in World War II with the British Royal Navy and moved to Australia in 2007 to be close to his family. He is set to be deported because his health issues will 'result in a significant cost' to the taxpayer. Here he is pictured with his granddaughter Karis Town, nine Mr Bradley (left) and his wife Peggie (right) passed a mandatory health test in 2007 and were placed in a queue for permanent parent visas 'Considering my background, I think I've been treated shabbily,' Mr Bradley told the paper. 'I've waited in a queue for permanent residency for 10 years, only to be rejected. I'd like to be able to spend whatever time I've got left here in Australia with my family.' Mr Bradley's 91-year-old wife Peggie also had her visa rejected because the couple came to Australia on a joint ticket. The Bradley family is begging the Department of Immigration to overturn the decision. Mr Bradley is pictured as a young man in his Navy uniform Suffering from the early stages of dementia and confined to a wheelchair - Mr Bradley's condition is now deemed likely to 'result in a significant cost to the Australian community' and his visa has been denied 'Have a heart - allow him to stay,' Mrs Bradley said speaking to Ten News. 'He served his country during the war. Not just for Britain but for Australia and for all humanity and mankind.' The couple's daughter, Sharon Bradley-Town, has written to Immigration Minister Peter Dutton begging for the decision to be overturned. 'He worries terribly about what will happen to him and to Peggie... when he is gone. He could not survive deportation,' she wrote, according to the Herald. A spokesperson from the Department of Immigration and Border Protection said Mr and Mrs Bradley's appeal is being considered A spokesperson from the Department of Immigration and Border Protection told Daily Mail Australia Mr and Mrs Bradley's appeal is being considered. 'The Assistant Minister can confirm that a request for Ministerial Intervention has been received and is being actively considered. 'It would be inappropriate to confirm further details, including individual circumstances, relating to this case.' Ride services company Uber Technologies Inc has been thrust deeper into turmoil with the departure of company president Jeff Jones, a marketing expert hired to help bolster its reputation Uber's president, Jeff Jones, has resigned saying the company's values did not align with his own. The resignation comes six months after the company's second in command joined the organization. An Uber spokesman announced Jones had quit on Sunday, as the San Francisco firm continues to deal with the backlash from a sexual harassment scandal. In a statement, Jones said: 'The beliefs and approach to leadership that have guided my career are inconsistent with what I saw and experienced at Uber, and I can no longer continue as president of the ride-sharing business .' Jones's role was put into question earlier this month when Uber launched a search for a chief operating officer to help run the company alongside Chief Executive Travis Kalanick. Jones had been performing some of those COO responsibilities. He joined Uber from Target, where he was chief marketing officer and is credited with modernizing the retailer's brand. 'We want to thank Jeff for his six months at the company and wish him all the best,' a spokesman for Uber said in an emailed statement. Jones is the latest in a string of high-level executives to leave the company. In February, engineering executive Amit Singhal was asked to resign amid a sexual harassment allegation stemming from his previous job at Alphabet Inc's Google. Earlier this month, Ed Baker, Uber's vice president of product and growth, and Charlie Miller, Uber's top security researcher, departed to join rival Didi, China's larger ride-hailing company. Engineering executive Amit Singhal, (left), was asked to resign amid a sexual harassment allegation stemming from his previous job at Alphabet Inc's Google and earlier this month Ed Baker, Uber's vice president of product and growth, stepped down Uber, while it has long had a reputation as an aggressive and unapologetic startup, has been battered with multiple controversies over the last several weeks that have put Kalanick's leadership capabilities and the company's future into question. 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 that is being led by former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder. 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. Kalanick was caught on camera shouting 'bulls***' at driver Fawzi Kamel who confronted him at the end of a Super Bowl Sunday ride in San Francisco for lowering the prices of black car rides. Kalanick swiftly addressed it in a memo to staff which DailyMail.com obtained. 'To say that I am ashamed is an extreme understatement,' he began his apology, later admitting that he needs 'leadership help' and to 'grow up'. The footage showed Kalanick yelling at driver Fawzi Kamel who said he'd 'bankrupted' him Following President Trump's controversial travel ban, taxi drivers protested by refusing to make pick ups from LaGuardia Airport in New York City from 6-7pm that night. Uber announced around 7.30 that night that they would not be instituting surge prices for travelers wishing to travel to and from the airport. Under fire: Travis Kalanick, billionaire and chief executive officer of Uber Technologies Inc. Responding to what was seen as blatant opportunism, social media responded by drumming up support for a trending hashtag DeleteUber, and overall, 200,000 users did. Earlier this month Uber confirmed it had used a secret technology program dubbed 'Greyball,' which effectively changes the app view for specific riders, to evade authorities in cities where the service has been banned. Uber has since prohibited the use of Greyball to target local regulators. Uber is also facing a lawsuit from Alphabet Inc's self-driving car division that accuses it of stealing designs for autonomous car technology known as Lidar. Uber has said the claims are false. Jones joined Uber in August and was widely expected to be Kalanick's Number 2. Jones was tasked with overseeing the bulk of Uber's global operations, including leading the ride-hailing program, running local Uber services in every city, marketing and customer service, and working with drivers. Melbourne residents were treated to a loud early morning wake-up call on Monday and they weren't impressed. Twitter was alight with disgruntled residents who reported hearing a ship's horn blaring for at least half an hour. The 5am wake-up call, which came from the city's port and reverberated right around the area, gave rise to many bleary eyed workers. Disgruntled Melbourne residents took to Twitter on Monday after being woken up by a loud ship horn 'To the ship that is in the port and decided to sit on his horn for 30 minutes at 5am... F you, Trying to sleep,' one frustrated resident said. Another chose to vent their anger by suggesting half of the city's residents could hear the horn. 'Has half of Melbourne been woken up by this ship horn? It's out of control,' they wrote. One pleaded with the ship's captain to immediately turn off the horn. Twitter users suggested half of Melbourne's residents could hear the horn The loud horn could be heard coming from the Melbourne port (pictured) 'I wish the captain of what ever ship is in Hobson Bay / the Yarra / port of Mlbourne would stop with its fog horn.' Although on Facebook, some parents made light of the situation by suggesting the horn could be the perfect way to wake-up sleepy children. 'The sound of a ship horn doesn't seem so bad. I would like one of these to wake up the kids. Where can I get one?,' one person said. Victoria Police said the frustrating sound was from a ship's emergency horn, although it was a false alarm. A 72-year-old man has been charged over the brutal attack on a Catholic priest at a Melbourne church. The Fawkner man is accused of stabbing Tomy Kalathoor Mathew, 48, in the neck moments before the priest was due to give the 11am Italian mass on Sunday at St Matthews. The man was charged with intentionally and recklessly causing injury and will appear in the Broadmeadows Magistrates' Court on June 13. Reverend Tomy Kalathoor Mathew (pictured), 48, was stabbed in the neck at St Matthew's Parish in Melbourne as he was about to begin Italian mass The offender has been taken to hospital for assessment, police say. The attack was described as 'appalling' by the Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne. 'This is appalling behaviour and people should never be treated like this,' Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne spokesman Shane Healy said. He added: 'This fellow is doing wonderful work for his parishioners and this is really a blight on the great work that many, many Catholic priests are doing.' Rev Mathew was taken to a nearby hospital in a stable condition. Vicar General Monsignor Greg Bennet said the priest was doing well in hospital and wanted to get back to work soon. He said: 'His thoughts are only for his parishioners.' The attacker allegedly yelled 'you are Indian, a Hindu or Muslim, you cannot say mass... I will kill you,' church officials told the Herald Sun. Rev Mathew leading mass at the parish where he was stabbed by an unknown man They began to argue and the man allegedly produced a kitchen knife from his pants and stabbed Rev Mathew in the neck in front of dozens of parishioners. Several people tried to restrain the attacker, but he broke free and fled the scene. He was later seen on Minona Street, where he escaped some worshipers who pursued him. Later on Sunday evening, the man was arrested in connection with the stabbing The alleged attacker was seen hanging around the church last weekend but has not attended any services. Rev Mathew has been the parish priest of St Matthew's since late 2014 and was well-liked by congregation members, who were shocked by the attack. The attacker allegedly told him 'you are Indian, a Hindu or Muslim, you cannot say mass... I will kill you,' before arguing and stabbing him in the neck Rev Mathew was not seriously injured in the brazen attack but was rushed to hospital after his flock gave him first aid inside the church Advertisement A 107- year-old mansion in Fort Worth, Texas, has been put on the market and is expected to sell for upwards of $8million. The Baldridge House was built in 1910 by a banker Earl Baldridge, who hired architecture firm Sanguinet & Staats to build a three-story limestone mansion. At the time the town was primarily used for the cattle market, but the home soon became a landmark due to its double-height limestone columns, intricately carved wood paneling. Balrdige also built in a secret basement vault with an ornate steel door that was originally used to store gold bars. The Baldridge House was built over a three-year-period starting in 1910 by a banker called Earl Baldridge, who hired architecture firm Sanguinet & Staats to build a three-story limestone mansion The couple have owned the home for nearly 10 years and Peters estimates that they spent some $4.5million on the renovation, including half a million dollars just on landscaping Though it has been over 100 years since the mansion was first built, all of its exquisite features remain, including the vault door, which today opens to a media room. The Baldridge House was registered as a Texas landmark in 1978. Paun Peters, president of Western Production Company, bought the house in 2007 when it had fallen into a state of relative disrepair. 'It had been foreclosed on by the bank. The previous owner was a personal injury lawyer who'd won a big case, started spending money like crazy, and then his case was overturned on appeal,' Peters told Bloomberg. He and his wife had been looking for an empty lot to build on when they found that the mansion was for sale. The Baldridge house is 14,000 square feet and has a gym on one of the three floors The enormous wine cellar in the home is pictured. When the town was primarily a cattle depot, the home stood out due to its double-height limestone columns, intricately carved wood paneling and secret basement vault with an ornate steel door that was originally used to store gold bars The house is made up of six bedrooms which still boast the early 20th century style. Entering the home, a marble foyer leads to a large entry staircase, a formal dining room with a coffered ceiling, a wood paneled office, a wine cellar, multiple living areas, and a basement guest suit with its own kitchen, living area, and breakfast room The Baldridge House was registered as a Texas landmark in 1978 Peters explained that the pair 'lusted' for the house, and that his wife 'always dreamed of having herself in there and walking around on one of those balconies'. They bought the 1.5-acre lot for about $3million, and after two years his wife was finally able to use the balconies. The house was livable, but Peters explained that the previous owners started projects and did not finish them. The couple have owned the home for nearly 10 years and Peters estimates that they spent some $4.5million on the renovation, including half a million dollars just on landscaping. Peters said that they added things like fountains and colorful, foreign plants, and that they had an almost 'unlimited budget'. 'We even got in Italian cypress trees from California,' he told Bloomberg. He said that he was unfazed by the fact that the renovation cost more than double what it was estimated, and that it was 'justified' in retrospect. The home has significant outdoor space. The Peters spent more than half a million dollars on landscaping alone They bought the 1.5-acre lot for about $3million but did not live in it until they put in about two years worth of work Mrs Peters lusted after the home before buying it, and said that she always saw herself walking on the balconies An ornate gazebo is on one of the mansion's many back-yard balconies One of the home's selling points if the unique steel-doored secret vault in the mansion's basement. At one time it held gold bars, but now it is where the entertainment center is After more than eight years living in the home, the Peters' are putting the property on the market with an affiliate of Christie's International Real Estate. The asking price is $8million. They have decided to move because Peters's company sold its oil-producing properties and want to find a place in Dallas closer to where their two daughters live. The home is 14,000 square feet and has six bedrooms across the three floors. Entering the home, a marble foyer leads to a large entry staircase, a formal dining room with a coffered ceiling, a wood paneled office, a wine cellar, multiple living areas, and a basement guest suit with its own kitchen, living area, and breakfast room, reported Bloomberg. The property also has a pool, multiple terraces, a cabana, an outdoor pizza oven, and two significant garages. The couple put nearly $3.5 million of work into the house, which was over double the expected $1.8million The back yard of the house, which is on 1.5 acres, has multiple terraces, a cabana and an outdoor pizza oven Chicago Actors To Perform Benefit Cabaret Show For The ACLU By Chicagoist_Guest in Arts & Entertainment on Mar 20, 2017 7:44PM Lee Wichman, a Chicago actor and psychotherapist, felt hopeless and anxious the day after the 2016 Presidential election. He wondered what he could do to help causes he believed in. I had a lot of patients, especially women, who were sobbing through their sessions, said Wichman whose client list includes a lot of other actors and people in the arts. It was near the holidays and many of them were afraid to go home because they had relatives who voted for Trump. He wanted to take action that not only was meaningful in its impact on womens rights, gay rights, immigration rights and the environment, but he also wanted to help people feel empowered. Inspired in part by a John Oliver segment that encouraged people to fight back and listed key organizations, such as Planned Parenthood and the ACLU, that would be threatened under the new administration, he formed an idea. A group of actors could use their talents, both on stage and off, to start a movement that raises money and awareness for the causes. He pitched the idea to a few friends, and was delighted to learn many of them wanted to take part. Then he started a Facebook group that quickly ballooned to more than 1,000 members. In January Chicago Actors Call to Action held its first event, raising about $2,000 for Planned Parenthood in Chicago, a fitting beneficiary timed with the Womens March. In February, Black History Month, a show in Hyde Park raised a similar amount for the South Side Chapter of the NAACP. The benefit, the professionalism, the talent all were second to none, said Rose E. Joshua, president of the South Side Chapter of the NAACP. In addition to the money raised, the event was important to our communications and awareness efforts. On Monday CACTA will stage its third event at La Taberna Tapas to benefit the ACLU of Illinois. It will feature Irvine Welsh, author of Trainspotting and Porno, on which T2: Trainspotting is based, discussing the U.S. as an immigrant nation, as well as many other Chicago performers. The show is meant to support efforts for immigrants and the LBGTQ community in particular, but the all of the efforts of the ACLUthe nations oldest civil rights organizationas well. Its inspiring to see Chicagos acting community come out in support of social justice issues, said Monique Hanson, development director for the ACLU of Illinois. The series of monthly events they put together shines a spotlight on the values our communities share which are threatened on a daily basis in the current political climate. The show will be hosted by Avi Roque, a Latinx, gender non-conforming performer. It will feature: monologues from In To America, a show written by William Massolia from the Griffin Theater Company, that tells the story of immigrants from Jamestown until the present day, opening March 18; and performances by Isabel Quintero, who recently starred in In the Heights with the Porchlight Music Theater at Stage 773, Ross Lehman, Donica Lynn, Ronald King, Bifrom Griffin and Coco Sho-Nell. Beyond monthly fundraisers planned for environmental awareness in April, gay and trans rights in June, and others, Wichman hopes CACTA will become a resource to provide action such as phone banks, canvassers, and volunteers while serving as a resource for other arts organizations looking to contribute. Central to that mission is to hold the events in neighborhoods around the city and make the organization diverse and inclusive, something that has proven a challenge. Some groups have said that not only do we want to make we really want to help them,they also want to make sure we arent going to hurt them, said Wichman, whose acting credits include playing Sigmund Freud in The Seven Per-Cent Solution at City Lit Theater. People who have been persecuted have probably experienced a lot of well-intended people who are unintentionally doing more harm than good. Thats already changing, though. Every show we do gives us more credibility and each one gets better and broader in its inclusiveness. The Chicago Actors Call to Action will perform a benefit cabaret show in support of the ACLU Monday, March 20, at La Taberna Tapas, 1301 S. Halsted St. A bodyboarder who was bitten on the bottom by a three-metre shark claims he was able to fight it off by punching it several times. Spanish tourist Gonzalo Mompo Fernandez was surfing at wave hotspot The Farm in Shell Cove, in southern NSW, when a monster shark attacked him. Mr Fernandez said the predator - described as being two or three metres long - followed him as he surfed a wave and bit him through his wetsuit on Sunday evening. Gonzalo Mompo Fernandez was bodyboarding at the popular surfing spot at Killalea State Park when he was bitten by the shark The shark pierced through Mr Fernandez's wetsuit as he fended it off with punches The 30-year-old was able to fight off the shark by punching it several times as it attempted to circle him. Pictures of Mr Fernandez's wetsuit show the frightening puncture marks where the shark had bitten through and pierced his skin. Mr Fernandez was with a group of other tourists at the Killalea State Park surfing spot when the shark attacked. 'We were paddling for a wave, or just going over the lip of a wave, and then the shark's come up the back and tried to grab hold of his arse,' Jordan Hirst, who was with Fernandez at the time, told the Illawarra Mercury. Another man was also surfing near Mr Fernandez and spotted the shark. 'I turned around and looked to the closest surfer, five metres from me the other way. I asked him if he was thinking what I thought,' the man said. Mr Fernandez posed with the wetsuit showing the puncture marks from the unknown shark 'His first words were "let's stick together" so we did and caught the set waves... all the way to shore. Then we found the guy by the parking lot jumping with adrenaline... what a lucky escape.' Killalea State Park posted news of the attack on Facebook. 'There were several who witnessed the incident and to be honest the man was glad to be back in the land by the look on his face,' the post said. The shark left minor grazes on the bodyboarder's leg and he did not require medical attention. Mr Fernandez had only been in Australia for two days when the incident occurred. The type of shark is unknown however several Facebook users have claimed the bite marks look like the work of a wobbegong, which is a species of carpet sharks. Diana Lindsey Aragon, 27, complained that Austrend co-owner Denzil Rao forced her to quit because she got pregnant A mother-of-two has complained to the ombudsman after her former employer forced her to resign when she got pregnant. Diana Lindsey Aragon, 27, from Perth, a former sales rep for Austrend foods, says boss Denzil Godfrey Rao pressured her into signing a resignation letter in July 2016. Ms Aragon claims Rao had stopped paying her after she got pregnant for the second time in quick succession and made her sign a pre-prepared letter in order to access $16,000 in back-pay. The Fair Work Ombudsman is now prosecuting Rao on behalf of Ms Aragon. Austrend and Rao refused to make a comment when contacted by Daily Mail Australia on Monday. She says her issues with the Austrend manager and part-owner started back in early 2015 when she announced she was expecting her first child. According to court papers seen by The West Australian, Ms Aragon says she was issued with a warning letter for poor sales figures despite getting a pay-rise for beating her targets just months before. She claims she was forced to work up until the baby was due, before starting 18 weeks of maternity leave in July. Ms Aragon fell pregnant in 2015 and then again the following year before she claims Austrend forced her to take unpaid leave Ms Aragon says while on leave she contacted the company to say she wanted to return part-time once the leave was over, but the request was refused. She claims she was told to stay on leave until April before returning full-time, but discovered in March that she was pregnant again. Ms Aragon informed the company that she would need more maternity leave from September 2016, the court papers say, but she was told she would have to take unpaid leave until after the baby was born. When she rejected this offer, Ms Aragon claims she was summoned to the Austrend office where she was presented with the resignation letter and told to sign it. She says she signed the letter in order to access $16,000 in back-pay, but immediately went to the Fair Work Ombudsman to lodge a complaint. This is not the first time Rao has been accused of treating women unfairly in the workplace. In July 2016 Ms Aragon claims she was ordered into her company's offices and forced to sign a resignation letter in order to claim $16,000 she was owed in back-pay Last year another sales representative, Maree Hayes, successfully sued the company for more than $4,000 after she was unfairly fired while on long-term sick leave. Ms Hayes suffered a non-work injury in January which meant she was unable to perform her job for 12 to 16 weeks, King & Wood Mallesons reports. She provided Rao with a medical note, but he tried to pressure her into resigning. When she refused, she claims he stopped responding to her emails, and failed to provide her with a date to start work again after she informed him that she was well. The Fair Work Commission found in Ms Hayes favour and Rao was forced to pay her $4,230, with $401 in pension payments she had accumulated. The hearing for Ms Aragon's case is due to start in Perth Federal Court on Monday. Ivanka Trump and Donald Trump Jr were spotted laughing and strolling the streets of Aspen enjoying their family spring break. After lunch at the trendy Ajax Tavern the group browsed the local shops with Ivanka picking up some items in Club Monaco. Donald Junior was joined by his wife Vanessa on the crisp 62-degree Sunday afternoon. Ivanka is all smiles as she shops in Aspen with Donald Trump Junior and Vanessa Trump The Trump children took an Aspen vacation in 2015 months before their father announced he was running for president Ivanka Trump met with German Chancellor Angela Merkel Friday where they discussed in a meeting how companies can better train workers Vanessa and Donald Trump Junior jetted off to Aspen Saturday from LaGuardia The ever-busy Trump children were seen checking their phones periodically on the vacation Ivanka wore a chic black tracksuit during the family outing and sported reflective sunglasses. Both Trump children were spotted periodically checking their phones after a busy week. On Friday, the First Daughter met with German Chancellor Angela Merkel where she joined in on a conversation on how companies can better train workers. Unlike his sister, Donald Trump Junior said at a GOP fundraiser that he has 'basically zero contact' with President Trump. Ivanka moved to Washington, DC, when her husband Jared Kushner was appointed senior adviser to the president. Donald Jr and Eric are based in New York City. Secret Service agents were also spotted in Aspen where Ivanka, Donald Junior and Eric Trump spent the weekend with their families. There are an estimated 100 Secret Service agents present to look after the first family. The Trump children took an Aspen vacation in 2015 months before their father announced his candidacy for president. There are an estimated 100 Secret Service agents present to look after the first family Secret Service agents stand guard in Aspen while the first family enjoys their vacation Family bonding: Donald Junior, Vanessa and Ivanka Trump dined at Ajax Tavern on Sunday Eric, Ivanka and Donald Trump Junior all went to Aspen this weekend. It is not clear what Tiffany Trump's plans were After a lunch at the Aspen hot spot, the trio hit the streets of the ritzy area for a shopping spree It is not clear what Tiffany Trump's plans were this weekend. Saturday, Donald Trump Jr shared a clip of him jetting off to a weekend in Aspen from LaGuardia in New York City. He wrote in the post his children were helping with the takeoff, suggesting they were in the cockpit with him: 'Kai and Donnie helping fly Trump Force One. Little takeoff action at LGA this evening. Family spring break.' The Secret Service has denied paying $12,000 to an Aspen ski resort ahead of President Donald Trump's children's visit, despite a telling contract showing up on a federal website. The Secret Service has denied paying $12,000 to an Aspen ski resort ahead of the Trump family visit There was a heavy Secret Service present while the Trumps enjoyed their afternoon of shopping Sergeant Shawn T Anderson, 43, was fatally shot while investigating an alleged rape A Louisiana sheriff's deputy was fatally shot on Saturday while investigating an alleged rape, police said. Sergeant Shawn T Anderson, 43, and another sheriff's deputy struggled with an unidentified man at 11pm Saturday inside Classic Cuts hair salon at 1962 O'Neal Lane in East Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Anderson was shot an indeterminate number of times and taken to nearby Ochsner Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead, NOLA.com reports. At Classic Cuts, a bullet hole was visible Sunday in the shop's window. 'Our hearts are broken as we grieve for one of our brothers,' said Sheriff Sid Gautreaux in a statement. The suspected shooter was wounded during the incident and taken to an area hospital for treatment, where he remained Sunday, said Trooper Bryan Lee, spokesman for Louisiana State Police Troop A. Anderson was a decorated officer who served nearly 18 years in several divisions within the East Baton Rouge Sheriffs Office. His efforts earned him repeated awards and recognition. Last year he was lauded for delivering a baby on the side of the road. In June 2010, Anderson received an award for saving the life of a woman who threatened to jump off a bridge, The Advocate reports. Anderson and another sheriff's deputy struggled with an unidentified man at 11pm Saturday inside the Classic Cuts hair salon in this East Baton Rouge, Louisiana, strip mall Anderson (right) was a decorated officer who served nearly 18 years in several divisions within the East Baton Rouge Sheriffs Office. His efforts earned him repeated awards and recognition Last year Anderson (pictured) helped deliver a baby on the side of the road He was also recognized for his role in serving more than 60 high-risk warrants with no injuries or shots fired as part of the SWAT team. Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards tweeted about the incident: 'Such a tragic event last night in Baton Rouge. Donna & I are praying for the family of the @EBRSheriff killed in the line of duty,' he wrote. State police are investigating Anderson's death. The East Baton Rouge Sheriffs Office is no stranger to tragedy. Brad Garafola, a member of the East Baton Rouge Sheriffs Department, was one of three officers fatally shot in Baton Rouge in a July 2016 "ambush-style" attack. The father of Grand Tour star Richard Hammond today spoke of his relief after his son survived a second 'horror crash' while filming for the TV series in Mozambique. The 47-year-old, who sustained brain injuries after a 288mph rocket car accident in 2006, toppled off his motorcycle and banged his head while riding through a 'remote' part of Mozambique. Alan Hammond said he spoke to his son on the phone this morning with the TV presenter reassuring him that he had fully recovered from the terrifying incident. Alan, 73, said: 'Richard called this morning and he said everything is fine. He has fully recovered and is all okay. 'He does have a habit of getting involved in things like this, but then that is his job.' Drama: The Grand Tour presenter Richard Hammond, pictured left filming for Top Gear, was knocked out cold after falling from his motorbike this month. His father Alan, right, told MailOnline his son 'does have a habit of getting involved in things like this, but that is his job'. Lucky to be alive: Hammond sustained brain damage in a 288mph crash, pictured, while filming for Top Gear in 2006 Recovery: Hammond with his partner Amanda Etheridge at Cheltenham last week, after his Mozambique crash Post: Hammond called it a 'slight shunt' and said: 'I can confirm that yes, I fell off a. bike, many times, in fact and yes, I banged my head and everything else. But life goes on (sic)' Former Top Gear presenter Hammond, who sustained brain injuries after a 288mph rocket car accident in 2006, toppled off his motorcycle and banged his head while riding through a 'remote' part of Mozambique. The star confirmed he fell off his motorcycle and banged his head but is 'fine' and reassured fans he wouldn't quit by saying: 'Life goes on'. In a blog post, he wrote: 'It's true, I did fall off a motorbike whilst filming recently for The Grand Tour in Mozambique. I banged my head, yes, along with pretty much everything else apart from my left thumb, which remains un-bruised. Can't tell you more yet about the how and why of it; that's all for later in the year on the show. As for injuries; well put it this way, I don't think I can get a book out of it.' Hammond was filming for the new series of The Grand Tour with Jeremy Clarkson and James May. It is not known if he was wearing a helmet during the filming but co-star Clarkson said he was 'hurt quite badly'. Speaking from his home in Ross on Wye, in Herefordshire, Mr Hammond said his son told him he had a 'nasty accident'. 'I don't know all the full details but from what I have been told Richard was knocked out for quite some time. It was a nasty accident but he told me he has fully recovered,' said Mr Hammond. The accident is thought to have taken place within the last fortnight. Hammond did not call his parents at the time to tell them about the accident but rang to warn them it had been leaked to the media. 'The main thing is Richard has fully recovered and he is fine,' said Mr Hammond. Hammond's younger brother Nicholas also confirmed that he had spoken to Richard about the accident. Track record: It is his 'second horror crash' in 11 years and this time came after falling from a motorbike while filming in Mozambique It is understood Hammond, centre, has fully recovered and is 'back to jokes and banter' with co-presenters James May, left, and Jeremy Clarkson, right Hammond was driving a jet-powered Vampire dragster, pictured, when the front-right tyre burst leading the vehicle to spin out of control The subsequent crash, pictured, left him with serious head injuries and he was in hospital for five weeks He was eventually allowed to leave Leeds Infirmary and was airlifted from the hospital, pictured 'All I can say it is not something like the last time. I have spoken to him briefly and he is fine' he said. In the latest crash Hammond reportedly lay unconscious on the road but when asked if he needed to go to hospital Clarkson said: 'We don't do hospitals'. In 2006 Hammond nearly died after crashing a jet powered car at 288 mph and slipped into a coma during an attempt to break the British land speed record for the BBC show. He was driving a jet-powered Vampire dragster, pictured, when the front-right tyre burst leading the vehicle to spin out of control during a stunt at Elvington airfield near York. Hammond suffered serious head injuries and he was in hospital for five weeks before returning home to his wife Mindy and their two daughters, Isabella and Willow. The TV presenter, nicknamed 'Hamster', later told how he struggled 'mortally with depression' and spoke regularly to a psychiatrist following the incident. Despite the brush with death it did not put Hammond off from taking part in other hair raising stunts for Top Gear. His fellow presenters were said to be shaken when Hammond came off his bike in a remote part of the African country. A source told The Sun: 'Richard was travelling quite fast when he came off. It caused instant horror on set. There was a lot of concern. 'If his injuries had been serious it wouldn't have been easy to get medical attention. It's very remote there and facilities are basic.' The insider added the trio were 'shaken' by the incident considering Hammond's previous crash, although it is understood he did not need to go to hospital. It is believed the motorbike accident will feature on the show when it is released later this year. Hollywood is like 1930s Germany for conservative-leaning actors who are made to feel like pariahs by liberal luvvies, the American comedian Tim Allen told Jimmy Kimmel on Friday. In his incendiary remarks, Allen went on to claim that Republicans were likely to get beat up for expressing views which contradicted the liberal view of the world. Youve gotta be real careful around here, said Allen, 63, who is best known for his 1990s sit-com Home Improvement. Tim Allen accused Hollywood of hypocrisy, telling Jimmy Kimmel that those who support Trump are bullied by liberal luvvies You get beat up if you dont believe what everybody believes. This is like 30s Germany. I dont know what happened. If youre not part of the group, You know what we believe is right, I go, Well, I might have a problem with that. The remarks to late night chat show host Jimmy Kimmel are unlikely to win the comic any friends in the Democrat-dominated acting world. Allen, who provided the voice of Buzz Lightyear in the Toy Story animations, also described attending President Donald Trumps inauguration in January - an event that was boycotted by entertainers including Celine Dion and British stars Elton John and Charlotte Church. Allen expressed support for Mr Trump during the 2016 presidential campaign. He said the billionaire businessman might be able to do the stuff that really needs fixing. Mr Allen compared Hollywood to 1930s Germany - a totalitarian period where opinions outside the Nazi orthodox were greeted with violence and persecution Allen said at the time: Give that guy the roads, bridges, infrastructure, power grid just have him fix that s*** for four years. Hes good at that. And hes a businessman so he understands how debt load works. And following the election he remarked: What I find odd in Hollywood is that they didnt like Trump because he was a bully. But if you had any kind of inkling that you were for Trump, you got bullied for doing that. And it gets a little bit hypocritical to me. The 1930s in Germany was the period in which the Nazi Party gained power, with Adolf Hitler appointed Chancellor in 1933. The decade saw the establishment of totalitarianism and the removal of political opposition in the run-up to the start of the Second World War. Nicola Sturgeon yesterday conceded she could be willing to wait until after Brexit for a second Scottish independence referendum after Theresa May told her now is not the time. The First Minister had called for a vote between autumn 2018 and spring 2019, but she backed down after the Prime Minister took a firm stance against her proposal. Her humiliating climbdown came yesterday as the SNP was accused of being in a muddle over whether they would be able to keep the pound or not post-independence. Nicola Sturgeon yesterday conceded she could be willing to wait until after Brexit for a second Scottish independence referendum after Theresa May told her now is not the time In an interview on ITVs Peston on Sunday programme, Miss Sturgeon admitted there may be room for discussions about the timing of the proposed referendum. However, asked whether a date in 2021 would be acceptable, she replied: I dont think that is reasonable. Im up for a discussion within reason, but this is not a timetable that should be determined by what is convenient for Theresa May any more than it should be determined by what is convenient for me, she said. It should be determined by what is right for the Scottish people and I think when the terms of Brexit are clear, but before it is too late for us to choose a different path, is what would be best for the Scottish people. Miss Sturgeon yesterday admitted that she does not know which currency an independent Scotland would use. She told Sky News Sophy Ridge on Sunday that it would keep the pound because it is our currency as much as it is the currency of anywhere else. But she also insisted she would apply for full membership of the EU, which would mean Scotland would be pressed into adopting the euro. The First Minister had called for a vote between autumn 2018 and spring 2019, but she backed down after the Prime Minister took a firm stance against her proposal The starting point for consideration is that Scotland would use the pound, she said. Former first minister Alex Salmond yesterday suggested Scotland might ditch the pound and establish its own currency. But he faced embarrassment after he dismissed as a collective myth his promise before the 2014 independence referendum that there would not be a rerun for a generation or even a lifetime. During an interview on BBC Radio 5 Live yesterday, Mr Salmond claimed he had not used the phrase once in a lifetime to describe the vote and insisted he had instead said it was the opportunity of a lifetime. However, footage showed he did use the once in a lifetime phrase. Speaking to the BBCs Andrew Marr Show on the Sunday before the September 2014 vote, Mr Salmond said: In my view this is a once in a generation - perhaps even a once in a lifetime - opportunity. Sydney socialite Elizabeth 'Lizzie' Buttrose has had the charge of making threats to 'injure' her adult son withdrawn. The niece of media doyenne Ita Buttrose had pleaded not guilty to 'threatening injury' to Andrew Spira, 18, following an incident at her home in Sydney's eastern suburbs last year. In Waverley Local Court on Monday, police said Mr Spira had withdrawn his complaint and the matter had been withdrawn. Sydney socialite Elizabeth 'Lizzie' Buttrose (pictured outside court on Monday) has had the charge of making threats to 'injure' her son withdrawn The niece (pictured outside court on Monday) of media doyenne Ita Buttrose had pleaded not guilty to 'threatening injury' to Andrew Spira, her son Police said Mr Spira (pictured with his mother) had withdrawn his complaint and the matter had been withdrawn Buttrose, dressed in a black pencil skirt and shirt, was supported by her fiance Zoran Stopar. Mr Spira was not present in court. Court documents allege Buttrose 'did threaten injury to Andrew Spira on account of a thing lawfully done to Andrew Spira as a witness in judicial proceedings'. The alleged offence was said to have occurred sometime between 12.01am on August 27 and 2.35pm on October 13 last year. An Apprehended Violence Order was taken out by police on Mr Spira's behalf against his mother, but was also withdrawn on Monday. Buttrose, dressed in a black pencil skirt and shirt, was supported by her fiance Zoran Stopar Peers who rarely turn up to Parliament would be kicked out of the House of Lords under plans to slash numbers by more than 200. Those with the worst attendance records would be removed along with most of those over the age of 80, reducing the total by a quarter. The small number who have serious criminal records or have broken expenses rules would also be evicted. Tory peer Lord Blencathra recommends reducing the number of peers in the House of Lords from 809 to 600 by 2020. He plans to bar members with a serious criminal record In total that would reduce the number from more than 800 to just 600 bringing it in line with the House of Commons. The plans, which were drawn up by Tory peer Lord Blencathra, a former home office minister, are being considered by a committee looking at how to reduce the size of the upper chamber. There are 809 peers currently entitled to attend the House of Lords, making it the second biggest chamber in the world, after China. In a 30-page paper, Lord Blencathra warns this number is too high and is bringing the chamber into disrepute. He recommends cutting it to 600 by 2020. Peers who failed to attend 30 per cent of sitting days in the last Parliament or over the last three sessions would be removed under the plans. Peers who failed to attend 30 per cent of sitting days in the last Parliament or over the last three sessions would be removed under the plans Those who have served time in prison for fraud, perverted the course of justice or abused expenses rules would face retrospective expulsion. This would remove seven peers including Lord Archer and expenses cheat Lord Hanningfield. Last night Lord Blencathra told the Daily Mail: Whilst the House of Lords works and this week did its duty by not opposing Brexit, it has too many peers entitled to attend. On average about 550 turn up regularly and my proposals would allow us to remove those peers who attend very infrequently and make little contribution. That would bring us down to about 600, possibly even lower, which is a good first step to restoring the reputation of the Lords. Labour last night said it was gearing up for a snap general election as early as May 4 as Theresa May came under pressure from senior Tories to secure her own mandate for Brexit. Labours election co-ordinator Andrew Gwynne said the party had been put on a war footing in case the Prime Minister decides to use polling day for the local elections in May to hold a general election as well. Despite the Tories double-digit lead in the opinion polls, Mr Gwynne insisted Labour would back the Commons motion needed to sanction a snap poll. Labour last night said it was gearing up for a snap general election as early as May 4 as Theresa May came under pressure from senior Tories to secure her own mandate for Brexit He added: It would be very difficult not to because if the Government wants to dissolve parliament, wants a general election, we dont want the Tories to be in Government, we want to be in Government, we want to have that opportunity to put that case to the British people. Mrs May, who has said repeatedly that she does not favour an early election, has just seven days to decide whether to change course and order a snap election. Under electoral law, the last day Mrs May could move the writ for an election on May 4 would be March 27, the day on which she is expected to formally trigger Brexit. Tory sources last night confirmed that her parliamentary aide George Hollingberry has discussed the idea of an early election with Tory chairman Sir Patrick McLoughlin and chief whip Gavin Williamson. But they insisted he was merely passing on messages from Conservative MPs who believe she should exploit Labours weakness and go to the polls now. A Government source said: The Prime Minister has made her position on this very clear. The position has not changed. Some senior Tories are urging Mrs May to clear the decks for an election before the Brexit talks begin. Former Conservative leader Lord Hague warned earlier this month that Mrs Mays slender Commons majority could make it difficult to pass the legislation needed to take Britain out of the EU. We have a new Prime Minister and Cabinet facing the most complex challenges of modern times: Brexit negotiations, the Trump administration, the threat from Scottish nationalists, and many other issues, he said. Former Conservative leader Lord Hague warned earlier this month that Mrs Mays slender Commons majority could make it difficult to pass the legislation needed to take Britain out of the EU There is no doubt that they would be in a stronger position to take the country through these challenges successfully if they had a large and decisive majority in the Commons and a new full term ahead of them. Tory MPs also point out that an election would give the PM the opportunity to secure her own mandate for policies such as the launch of a new generation of grammar schools, which could otherwise be blocked by the House of Lords. And allies point out that a snap election would not derail Brexit talks, which are not expected to begin in earnest until June. But one Government insider said a snap election risked making the PM appear opportunistic. The source added: Youve got a Prime Minister who has just told Nicola Sturgeon that now is not the time to be causing instability and uncertainty by staging another referendum it would be pretty hard to square that with suddenly announcing a snap election that would be bound to be seen as opportunistic. Staging an early election is also massively complicated by the terms of the Fixed Term Parliaments Act, which was passed by the Coalition government. The legislation means that an election cannot be held without a vote in the Commons backed by two-thirds of MPs. The alternative would be for ministers to propose, and win, a vote of no confidence in their own Government - but Jeremy Corbyn would then be given a fortnight to try to put together an alternative government. One minister described speculation about an early election as total cr*p, saying the technical difficulties and political risk were too great. Anti-Semitic Flyers Found On UIC Campus For Second Time In A Week By Stephen Gossett in News on Mar 20, 2017 2:12PM Even after the university announced an investigation into anti-Semitic flyers being posted on campus earlier in the week, more such flyers were found distributed at the University of Illinois at Chicago over the weekend. The latest batch of flyers (see below) were found in a UIC library on Saturday, just four days after posters that read Ending white privilege starts with ending Jewish privilege" were discovered on campus. Flyers found on Saturdaywhich were shared with Chicagoist by UIC student and Rohr Chabad House president Eva Zeltserfeatured statements such as, But when you question the 6 million they put you in jail in 17 countries, in reference to the Holocaust, and The largest Concentration Camp in the world today is owned and operated by Zionists, which compares Gaza to Auschwitz. Some of the flyers also included the hashtag phrases #BlackLivesMatter, #WeAreAllMuslim and #StandWithPalestine. One was tacked on a bulletin board for everyone to see, Zeltser said. Kofi Ademola, an activist with Black Lives Matter Chicago, denounced the flyers as racist and said they misrepresent the BLM movement. "Weve noticed a disturbing new trend where people have been using language from social justice circles to hide their racist agenda," Ademola said in part in a statement to sent to Chicagoist. "These posters placed all over UICs campus are just another example of such an occurrence... What their saying and how theyre framing their assertions are divisive, inflammatory and based in falsehoods." Earlier in the week, UIC Chancellor Michael D. Amiridis and other university officials emailed an announcement to students and staff in response to the first posting of flyers. "Such actions do not reflect the values we hold as a community. Acts that invoke hatred or violence toward members of our community will not be tolerated on our campus, the announcement read. "As we investigate this recent event, we strongly encourage all members of our university to exercise their right to free speech in a manner that recognizes these principles and avoids prejudice or stereotypes," the email added. A UIC official referred us to their original statement upon request for comment and an update on the investigation. The statement from Black Lives Matter read in full: A 43-year-old man has died on the weekly Parkrun after he collapsed suddenly in front of other runners. The runner fell face-down on Saturday morning during the Forest Rec Park Run in Forest Recreation Ground, Nottingham, which has hundreds of others taking part. Fellow runner James Herbert, 33, said he was one of three people who performed CPR on the man, who had been running 30 metres in front of him as he fell. A 43-year-old man has died on the weekly Parkrun after he collapsed suddenly in front of other runners at the Forest Recreation Ground in Nottingham (pictured, file image) He said: 'We'd just got to the top of the hill and he, all of a sudden, fell flat on his face. 'Myself and two other runners - they were both doctors - ran over to him, flipped him over and started doing chest compressions.' Despite paramedics arriving to continue resuscitation efforts, the man was taken to Queen's Medical Centre where he was pronounced dead at around 10.30am. Mr Herbert, a chemistry teacher who lives in Nottingham, said he had looked 'the picture of health, apart from the fact he was in a really bad state'. Nottinghamshire Police said the death is not being treated as suspicious and a report will be submitted to the coroner. It took place at the regular Parkrun, events that take place every Saturday morning in hundreds of locations across Britain. Organisers of the Nottingham event today issued a statement to members on their Facebook page, which has been liked by more than 1,000 people They are run by volunteers and runners can run for free, with their efforts times by officials on the course. Organisers of the Nottingham event today issued a statement to members on their Facebook page, which has been liked by more than 1,000 people. They said: 'You may be aware a parkrunner collapsed at Forest Rec yesterday. Several parkrunners attempted to resuscitate him, as did an ambulance crew. However we are very sorry to have to report the sad news that all efforts were unsuccessful. 'Our thoughts and deepest sympathies are with friends and family for their loss. 'We would also like to acknowledge and thank all those who assisted yesterday.' High schoolers charged: Henry Sanchez, 18 (pictured) and Jose Montano, 17, have been charged with raping a 14-year-old female classmate at a Maryland high school bathroom Two teens who were arrested for allegedly raping a 14-year-old girl at their high school had recently arrived from Central America, reports suggest. Police in Maryland arrested Jose Montano, 17, and Henry Sanchez, 18, after the young girl told school officials the pair had forced her into a bathroom stall and raped her. Sanchez is now facing deportation proceedings as he had a pending 'alien removal' case against him, according to the Washington Post. He is believed to have entered the US illegally from Guatemala seven months ago. Immigration and Customs Enforcement won't report on Montano's immigration status as he is a minor. Montano arrived El Salvador about eight months ago. Sanchez was held without bond in court on Friday. Montgomery County Assistant States Attorney Rebecca MacVittie called him a 'substantial flight risk'. Montgomery County Police announced the arrests on Friday, saying that the alleged assault happened the day before at Rockville High School. According to investigators, the victim was walking in a school hallway at around 9am when she ran into the two teens. Montano asked the freshman to walk with them and to have sex, but the girl turned them down, according to a press release from the Montgomery County Police Department. Video courtesy of WJLA Alleged attack took place inside a boys' bathroom at Rockville High School during school hours The 17-year-old boy repeated his request, then forced her into a boys bathroom and into a stall, where he and Sanchez proceeded to rape her. They reportedly took turns holding her down while repeatedly assaulting her and she cried out, and was eventually able to escape the bathroom. The teenage girl later reported the alleged attack to school officials, who immediately called the authorities. Despite their age, both the boys were placed in the ninth grade. Investigators with the Special Victims Division arrested Montano and Sanchez on campus that same day on charges of first-degree rape and two counts of first-degree sexual offense. Montano is charged as an adult, but police have not released his booking photo. On Friday, Rockville High School sent a letter to parents addressing the incident and the arrests, according to WUSA. 'Ensuring a safe, secure and welcoming learning environment for all of our students is our top priority. Our staff remains vigilant in the monitoring of our school each and every day,' the note said in part. Gboyinde Onijala, a spokeswoman for the Montgomery County Public Schools, said that staff at Rockville High will increase monitoring of the hallways and bathrooms. The school has one school resource officer. International Development Secretary Priti Patel will announce plans to divert foreign aid money after criticising how large charity organisations operate. Grants of up to 50,000 each will be offered through a new fund to boost family-run charities working overseas. Miss Patel has previously hit out at profiteering bosses of big charities who receive six-figure salaries while spending foreign aid money. International Development Secretary Priti Patel will announce plans to divert foreign aid money to help family-run charities working overseas Only charities with an annual income of less than 250,000 can apply for the grants, with the fund able to give out 4million over the next two years. In a speech today, Miss Patel will say: I believe smaller organisations are a crucial part of the Great British offer on international development. And it is often your organisations that make some of the most direct connections with the people were trying to help and those wanting to help them. Miss Patel had previously called for the Department for International Development, which she has run for nine months, to be abolished. Miss Patel says only charities with an annual income of less than 250,000 can apply for the grants. She will say today: 'Smaller organisations are a crucial part of the Great British offer on international development.' But this morning, she will give her most robust defence yet of its spending of aid money. She will say: Its never been clearer to me that at times of crisis the world looks to Britain not just for our support but for our leadership. This leadership is underpinned by our commitment to overseas development, a commitment which allows us to move with unrivalled speed and scale when faced with the unprecedented humanitarian emergencies were seeing now. Marks and Spencer last night pulled its advertising from Googles YouTube as part of a growing boycott over its failure to remove extremist content. The high street chain became the latest in a string of household names to suspend its marketing on the site because of concerns adverts are inadvertently funding terror groups. Ministers last night faced demands to take action against the internet giant after the Mail found neo-Nazi videos remained on YouTube despite repeated warnings. Vile: Masked figures marching in a recruitment video for the banned far-Right National Action, which has only just been taken down from YouTube Fears about Googles political influence also mounted after it emerged the firms bosses have met ministers at least once a month since the 2015 general election. M&S yesterday followed HSBC, Lloyds, RBS, McDonalds, LOreal, Audi, the BBC, O2, the Royal Mail and Dominos in pulling its advertising from YouTube. Waitrose, Barclays, Vodafone and Sky are understood to be considering similar action. YouTube hands 6.15 of advertising revenue for every 1,000 views to those who post videos, meaning household names have unintentionally been funnelling cash to terror groups, neo-Nazis and homophobes. Many videos generate millions of hits. In a bid to halt the advertising exodus, Google has admitted it can and must do more, and has promised to make changes in the coming weeks to give brands more control over where their ads appear. But an M&S spokesman said yesterday: In order to ensure brand safety, we are pausing activity across Google platforms whilst the matter is worked through. Google does not actively look for hate content on YouTube, instead waiting for users to flag it up. This has enraged many firms, which have found their brands promoted alongside terrorist videos. The advertising boycott comes as the close links that Google has built with the top of Government are revealed today. Theresa May, David Cameron and Culture Secretary Karen Bradley are among 13 ministers who have held dozens of meetings with the internet giant since the election. The extent of the cosy relationship between Google and Whitehall will spark fresh concerns over the scale of the firms political clout. In the 17 months between May 2015 and September last year, ministers held at least 27 meetings with the web company. Data for the past six months has yet to be published. Marks and Spencer last night pulled its advertising from Googles YouTube as part of a growing boycott over its failure to remove extremist content Mrs May met Google in July 2015, when she was home secretary, while the firm attended a business roundtable with then prime minister Mr Cameron that October. Internet safety minister Baroness Shields a former Google managing director met with her old firm seven times, which included discussions on online extremism. Baroness Shields, who was made a peer by Mr Cameron, is one of dozens of Google executives who have been through a revolving door between the tech company and Government.The firm has hired at least 26 Whitehall staff, including No 10 aides, in the past decade. Its staff have also headed in the oopposite direction. Nigel Huddleston left his job as the search engines industry head of travel after being elected as a Tory MP in 2015. Rachel Whetstone, a former aide to ex-Tory leader Michael Howard and friend of Mr Cameron later worked for Google as head of international communications. She is also married to the former PMs ex-strategist, Steve Hilton. We must do more to give brands more control over where their ads appear The Tories lavished 312,000 on Google ads in the run-up to the election. Google chairman Eric Schmidt spent five years as a business adviser to Mr Cameron and previously gave the keynote speech at the Tory conference. According to marketing experts, extremists have made 250,000 from adverts for household brands and public bodies hosted on Google. The search giant has earned around 120,000. One of the biggest earning hate preachers is the Egyptian cleric Wagdi Ghoneim, who is banned from visiting the UK. His YouTube channel has netted him around 65,000. The boycott of YouTube started on Friday, when ministers suspended all government advertising on the video- sharing platform until it could all but guarantee public money would not fund hate content. Officials learned that adverts for public bodies such as UK Aid and the Metropolitan Police had been running alongside YouTube videos containing extremist material. Hate videos still appear on YouTube after MPs' warnings Google failed to take down neo-Nazi videos from YouTube despite repeated warnings, prompting MPs to demand that the Government takes action against the internet giant. Recruitment videos for banned far-Right group National Action remained on the site until last night despite a promise by Google to remove its offensive material. While they were finally taken down after the Daily Mail contacted Google, other offensive films, including one showing how to tie a hangmans noose, remain online. Alarming: A video on how to tie a noose, viewed more than 700,000 times, yet Google has refused to take it down because it is 'instructional' One National Action film, which included details on how to join the racist movement, said: Will you fight for your people? We will not stop until the alien has been driven out. Remember stranger whose land you are in, because there are men and women who will fight to keep it pure. Britain is ours, the rest must go. In a second video, the group said: We continue the battle for the final victory of our race. PRIVACY FEARS OVER NHS DEALS Google has struck up deals with four NHS hospitals to share the data of millions of patients. The hospitals concerned are in London. The contracts are with Googles artificial intelligence firm DeepMind, which is using technology to improve treatment of certain conditions. Plans include developing an app to diagnose a potentially fatal kidney condition, and advanced radiotherapy for head and neck cancers. The most controversial contracts involve the Royal Free and Imperial College Healthcare, where millions of files have been handed over to DeepMind without patients knowledge in a move privacy campaigners say is inexcusable. The deal with the Royal Free, struck up in 2015, is still being investigated by the Information Commissioners Office over possible breaches of privacy. Phil Booth, of medConfidential, said: DeepMind claims their deal with the Royal Free and Imperial is a direct care project ... yet they continuously fail to answer any privacy or transparency questions. Mistakes were made, and the only people who refuse to admit error are Google. DeepMind said they strongly contest allegations that the deals were inexcusable. Advertisement On Tuesday Google chiefs assured the home affairs committee they would work harder to remove offensive material and agreed content by National Action should be taken down. But committee chairman Yvette Cooper wrote to the firm on Friday after the groups videos remained available. She wrote: The committee should not have to make further complaints to you to ensure that all videos from this proscribed organisation are now properly removed. Last night after the Mail found two National Action clips were still accessible, Miss Cooper said she would ask Home Office minister Sarah Newton and Solicitor General Robert Buckland to take action against the firm in a committee hearing tomorrow. Miss Cooper said: How many times does this need to be raised with them before Google get their act together? National Action became the first far-Right group to be banned under terrorism laws in December by Home Secretary Amber Rudd, who described it as a racist, anti-Semitic and homophobic organisation that glorifies violence and promotes a vile ideology. In her letter to Google vice president Peter Barron on Friday, Miss Cooper said it was astonishing the firm had not removed the content, adding: The lack of social responsibility Google is showing towards hate crime on YouTube is extremely troubling. The two National Action videos were last night finally taken down. A Google spokesman said: We have clear policies against inciting violence or hatred and remove content that is illegal or breaks our rules when made aware of it. But other clips were found on YouTube showing images relating to self-harm, eating disorders and suicide. Google removed some of the content when alerted by the Mail, but refused to take down a video, which has been watched more than 700,000 times, demonstrating how to tie a hangmans noose because it was instructional. Alarmingly, dozens of users commented on the video claiming they intended to use it to commit suicide. Stephen Buckley, of mental health charity Mind, said it is vital to recognise the huge danger of websites promoting self-harm, suicide and eating disorders. A teenage hospital patient has pressured the NSW government into making parking up to ten times cheaper, after he received more than 70,000 signatures on a online petition. Gidon Goodman, 14, has a rare blood disorder and has been a long-term patient at Sydney Children's Hospital, where he said his parents spend $200 a week in parking. Premier Gladys Berejiklian announced the government would re-negotiate with the owners of public hospital car parks to slash prices, meaning carers will only pay 10 per cent of current fees. Scroll down for video Gidon Goodman, 14, pressured the NSW government into making parking up to ten times cheaper, after he received more than 70,000 signatures on a online petition Premier Gladys Berejiklian announced the government would re-negotiate with the owners of public hospital car parks to slash prices, meaning carers will only pay 10 per cent of current fees Ms Berejiklian congratulated Gidon on Monday, saying the petition showed that sometimes governments needed 'a nudge' to act. 'We were aware of everything families were struggling through,' she said. 'But when you hear it from the mouth of a child going through it and really wanting to support his family who are supporting him, it does bring that back to home.' Gidon started collecting signatures eight months ago as his parents were paying 'crippling' parking prices when taking him for treatment. He said he never imagined the petition would attract so much attention and was 'unbelievably proud' of the result. 'It's going to help a massive amount of people, going into the hundreds of thousands,' he said. 'I think it really shows democracy in action. 'It shows the government can listen to people when they speak out.' Under the changes, carers who visit a hospital more than twice a week will be able to apply for a concession card which will entitle them to cheaper parking Under the changes, carers who visit a hospital more than twice a week will be able to apply for a concession card which will entitle them to cheaper parking. The government will need to negotiate with about 30 car park operators, but Health Minister Brad Hazzard said he had 'no doubt' they would cooperate. The negotiations appear to be receiving bipartisan support, after Opposition health spokesman Walt Secord said car parking problems constituted the third largest source of complaints he received. He said he would have to see the 'fine print' of the announcement, but hoped the policy would be fair and meet community expectations. The move is predicted to cost the state $11million in consolidated revenue. An American diplomat has been expelled from New Zealand after the US Government refused to waive his diplomatic immunity during a police investigation, according to reports. The attache, identified in local media as father-of-two Colin White, is believe to have been kicked out of the country after police asked to question him regarding an incident that left him with a broken nose and a black eye. Foreign Minister Murray McCully called the crime that was under investigation 'serious' according to TVNZ, who identified White. The family man was a technical attache and worked closely with the Government Communications Security Bureau spy agency, reports suggest. Colin White (left) reportedly had a black eye and broken nose after an incident in Lower Hutt White (right) was asked to leave New Zealand after the US government would not waive his diplomatic immunity for police questioning, local media has said White, who was born in Alabama, left the scene in Lower Hutt suburb of Tirohanga near Wellington before police arrived Sunday. There were no arrests and no one was held in custody in regards to the incident. White was then forced to leave the country when the police asked the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to intervene. The ministry then asked the United States to withdraw him from New Zealand. White worked at the US embassy in Wellington with his wife. White and his wife worked at the US Embassy in Wellington. He was a technical attache The US State Department defines immunity as a 'principle of international law by which certain foreign government officials are not subject to the jurisdiction of local courts and other authorities for both their official and, to a large extent, their personal activities.' Basically, diplomats are fairly immune to foreign investigations and prosecutions. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade however will waive immunity if the ministry requests 'if there are allegations of serious crimes' according to the Guardian. The embassy told TVNZ: 'We take seriously any suggestion that our staff have fallen short of the high standards of conduct expected of US Government personnel.' Colin still could hypothetically be charged for the incident at home in the United States but it is not clear what the charges would be. The DailyMail.com has contacted the State Department for comment. A former Tory parliamentary candidate has accused the Kremlin of trashing her reputation by casting doubts over her SAS training. Azi Ahmed had told how she turned her back on an arranged marriage at the age of 26 to train with the elite squad as an experiment. The 45-year-old Tory activist chronicled her attempt to join 21 SAS, the reserve regiment of the unit, in her book Worlds Apart: A Muslim Girl with the SAS. At just 4ft 11in and weighing 7st, she told how she completed an eight-mile run and almost drowned in a river during training in the Brecon Beacons. A former Tory parliamentary candidate, Azi Ahmed, 45, who claimed to have been in training to join the SAS reserves has attacked the Kremlin for attempting to trash her reputation Miss Ahmed wrote: I was undergoing gruelling training to join the Army. And not just any regiment, either, but the most elite of all the SAS, who were preparing me to become one of their first female reservists. But last month Russia Today, a state-funded broadcaster, published an online article disputing some of her claims and she faced a torrent of online abuse. Now Miss Ahmed, who stood in Rochdale in the 2015 election, has questioned why the article appeared on the same day Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon whom she introduced at last years Tory conference announced a crackdown on Russian cyber attacks. Miss Ahmed, who believes the article was an attempt to discredit Sir Michael, continued to be abused on social media yesterday, with one comment saying: You are a deceitful b**** ... Now **** off you lying lizard. Russia Today quoted former paratrooper Alfie Usher, who said SAS sources told him Miss Ahmed had at most gone through a pre-training beat-up course involving no live firing or battle camp. But last month Russia Today, a state-funded broadcaster, published an online article disputing her claims leading to a torrent of online abuse Yesterday Miss Ahmed, who served with the Territorial Army from 1999 until 2002, said: Ive never claimed to have carried the same weight as the men, Ive never written anything about live firing ... I never did it. But a passage in her book tells of overhearing other recruits describing her as a tick in the box. It went on: How dare they? I was going through the same s*** as them. Carrying the same weight; I was half the size they were ... and not once had I moaned. The Manchester-born internet entrepreneur, who hopes to stand in the 2020 election, yesterday said the military scrapped the experiment before she completed training and that it was never explicitly confirmed she would become an SAS reservist. She said the most hurtful thing about the online abuse has been that it has come from Army people, especially as she is donating the proceeds from her book to veteran charity, Care After Combat. One Nation wants airport security screenings to target immigrants from the Middle East, accusing the federal government of prioritising political correctness over Australian lives. The Senate on Monday is debating legislation to strengthen aviation security by allowing random screening of airport workers with access to passenger aircraft as well as their vehicles in airside areas. 'According to the government a law-abiding Christian Australian from Toowoomba is considered equally likely to be an airport security threat as the killer of Curtis Cheng,' One Nation's Malcolm Roberts told parliament. The Federal Government is treating 'Christian Australians' equally to people like the killer of Curtis Cheng, Malcolm Roberts said Senator Roberts called on the government to target Muslims and immigrants at airport security Senator Roberts said a 'surprising' number of airport workers were Muslims or other recently arrived immigrants. He tried - but failed - to amend the legislation to force targeted rather than random screening, prioritising people profiled as members of high-threat groups. Both the government and opposition rejected the changes, copping a barrage of insults from Senator Roberts. 'To those senators for whom folding like umbrellas in the face of every squawking minority has become a way of life, we urge you to take the next evolutionary step and join the ranks of the vertebrates,' he said. One Nation's Pauline Hanson has long been vocal about her attitude on Islam in Australia 'Only One Nation has the guts to say the things that need to be said and to do the things that need to be done.' Senator Roberts said it was 'absurd' the legislation, which cleared parliament on Monday morning, pointed out that all people had the right to be treated equally. 'Genuflecting to the political correct nonsense' meant resources would be spread too thinly and potential terror threats would be missed, he said. Cabinet minister Fiona Nash said airport workers would be afforded the same protections as passengers to ensure they were not subject to discrimination based on their race or religion. The new measures would be rolled out at Australia's highest risk airports over the next year, she said. Never one to shy away from controversy, Ken Livingstone is set to give his former Labour colleagues an unwanted ear-bashing. Uncharacteristically, the ex-London Mayor has endured a low profile over recent months ever since being suspended by Labour for bringing the party into disrepute after MPs accused him of anti-Semitism and making offensive comments about Hitler supporting Zionism. This week, however, he brings his case to a disciplinary panel in the hope of being readmitted to the party he joined when he was a teenager. Never one to shy away from controversy, Ken Livingstone is set to give his former Labour colleagues an unwanted ear-bashing His lawyer will be the flamboyant Michael Mansfield QC, who is best-known for representing Harrods then boss Mohamed Fayed at Princess Dianas inquest, helping to overturn the convictions of the Birmingham Six and working for the family of murdered black teenager Stephen Lawrence. Joke of the week After the Governments U-turn on increasing NI contributions for the self-employed (which broke a manifesto promise), this 2015 document has been moved to the fiction section in the Commons library. Advertisement Although nicknamed Mr Moneybags for his high hourly rates, the barrister has done much pro bono work (cases taken on for free) and is not charging Livingstone a long-time friend. Im told Mansfield will demand that the two-day hearing should be conducted in public. Despite being committed to transparency and openness, this wont go down well with Labour bosses who fear the case will air basketfuls of the partys dirty washing. The all round good sport! Although Philip Hammond didnt enjoy last week after his humiliating Budget U-turn, his Tory colleague Nicholas Soames was in exceptionally high spirits. He told friends he relished putting Their Lordships back in their basket over their failed Brexit challenge, and was excited about the horse racing at the Cheltenham Festival and the Ireland v England rugby match. The only hiccup for the bon viveur MP was Cheltenhams new alcohol limit which stops anyone buying more than four alcoholic drinks at a time. So dull, said Churchills grandson. More proof that Labours troubles are like a soap opera. Tracy Brabin, one of its Yorkshire MPs who was a Coronation Street actress, will question former EastEnders and Corrie star Michelle Collins in Parliament on Wednesday in an inquiry into access to careers in the performing arts. It should get more attention than Jeremy Corbyn floundering during Prime Ministers Questions. Lord (John) Prescott tweets about the former Tory Chancellors controversial new job as editor of the London Evening Standard: I had two Jags. George Osborne has got six jobs. A former reporter on BBC2s Newnight is putting on a play about global revolutions called Why Its Kicking Off Everywhere. The work by Paul Mason (whos so far to the Left that he wants Jeremy Corbyn replaced by an authentic Socialist leader) is one of a series of programmes for BBC Arts and is being produced in partnership with Arts Council England. I wonder: would the BBC ever commission a pro-Brexit play? Mandy's doomed Corbyn coup Going one better than some Labour MPs who are talking of a soft coup to replace Jeremy Corbyn as party leader, Lord Mandelson is engaged in a full-scale hard coup attempt. Going one better than some Labour MPs who are talking of a soft coup to replace Jeremy Corbyn as party leader, Lord Mandelson is engaged in a full-scale hard coup attempt I work every single day, in some small way, to try to forward the end of his tenure in office, he told the Jewish Chronicle. But doesnt Mandy realise his efforts will backfire because one of the key reasons Corbyn was elected was because he symbolised a rejection of the smug and mendacious Blair era? A spear fisherman who went missing off the Queensland coast was killed by a huge crocodile, police believe. Warren Hughes, 35, was reported missing north of Innisfail on Saturday and police have now found a body that appears to have been attacked by a crocodile. Officers believe the beast responsible may be a four-and-half metre long crocodile that rammed a police boat last night, the Cairns Post reported. It is not clear of the croc is the same one that almost ripped a teenager's arm off on Sunday morning. A spear fisherman who went missing off the Queensland coast was killed by a huge crocodile, police believe (file picture) Police have been given the authority to kill the aggressive saltwater crocodile after it was seen behaving as if it was protecting food. Mr Hughes' abandoned dingy was found anchored off Palmer Point, south of Cairns, at about 6pm on Saturday. A vast air and sea search was launched and a man's body was found at 8am on Monday. Queensland Police would not confirm whether the body was that of Mr Hughes. Wildlife officers from the Department of Environment and Heritage Protection are now hunting down the crocodile. The possible crocodile attack came just hours before a teenager almost had his arm ripped off after leaping into the Johnstone River, Innisfail. Lee De Paauw, 18, punched a crocodile after he was dared to jump into a river on Sunday British backpacker Sophie Paterson (left and right), 24, dared the teenager to jump into crocodile-infested waters Lee De Paauw, 18, was dared to jump into the crocodile infested waters by British backpacker Sophie Paterson. Moments later, a four-metre long crocodile attacked him and tried to drown him in a 'death roll'. Mr De Paauw, who lives nearby, freed himself by punching the reptile in the face. It is not known if the same crocodile was involved in both attacks. The Devastating, Long-Term Toll Violence Takes On Chicago Kids By Stephen Gossett in News on Mar 20, 2017 8:10PM Getty Images / Photo: Scott Olson Like a steady drip, the tally of shootings in Chicago ticks up by the day. As it does, the raw data regularly makes its way to the national media stageand, at times, even as a mention in the presidents tweets. But the figures alone barely begin to tell the story of the long-term trauma that kids suffer when exposed to such violence. Health experts are more and more coming to terms with the psychological and physical toll that exposure to violence takes on childrenand that toll is quite devastating. Life expectancy, brain development, long-term psychology and more are all "dramatically" impacted by trauma, like that which many kids in Chicago's hardest-hit areas face, according to Colleen Cicchetti, executive director at the Center for Childhood Resilience at Lurie Children's Hospital. Researchers have recently expanded upon the groundbreaking research of Adverse Childhood Experiences studies from the last 10 to 15 years. People who have suffered more than four traumatic events under the of 18events which range from parental separation to having an incarcerated household memberhave "dramatically increased" likelihoods of both mental and physical trauma. For example, the likelihood of a suicide attempt jumps of 10 times; and the likelihood of being an intravenous drug user jumps up 12 times, Cicchetti said. You're also twice as likely to develop physical issuesranging from cancer to stroke to cardiovascular diseaseif you top four traumatic events. "Early childhood experiences are impacting health in a big way," Cicchetti said. As such studies were replicated beyond inter-familial events, looking at community violence and beyond, researchers also charted changes in brain development caused by trauma. "The neural pathways and some of the cognitive capacity is impacted," Cicchetti said. Among the most notable is the impact caused by an extended fight or flight response. Kids who suffer that prolonged survival mechanism are not only psychologically affected, but they also suffer physiological shutdowns. The body's natural immunization is weakened. The child has a harder time staying not getting sick. Hormonal changes are impacted. And neural pathways can be altered. That leads to a state of "hyper-arousal" in the brain, according to Cicchetti. There's also a vicious-circle pattern, which means exposure to violence at young ages can fuel trauma in later generations, according to Gene Liebler, the Executive Director of our Behavioral Health department at La Rabida Childrens Hospital. "In the overwhelming majority of these cases, the parent is coming in with trauma history, too," Liebler said. That trauma then affects the person's ability to function as an adult and as a caregivera cycle which can play out in the neighborhood at large, too. "We see the same things in communities. Kids that are traumatized in communities stay in the communities, and it never really ends. When parents are trying to handle their own history of trauma, they dont have ability to provide to care. So much energy is bound up in one;s own history of harm." Cichetti was one of the doctors who helped draft a new bill that announced on Sunday by Sen. Dick Durbin and US Rep. Danny Davis (D-IL) and members of the Illinois health community. The Trauma Informed Care for Children and Families Act would allocate existing funding toward child trauma programs and help expand training for front-line educators on how to work with children who have been left unable to properly regulate emotion due to trauma exposure. As it stands, there's no good funding mechanism to get mental health services to schools, the bill's proponents argueat a time when the research has made it increasingly clear just how damaging exposure to violence is, especially for young people. Commercialism has been nibbling into Easter for years but something snapped inside me when I read that we are now being told that Easter is the second Christmas With their genius for devaluing the English language, the marketing people at Sainsburys are promoting their Easter essentials. These are 51 products without which (if we are to accept that word essential) you and I will be incapable of celebrating Easter. The items range from Sainsburys hummus to Mr Kipling lemon fancies, Bassets Jelly Baby Bunnies to daffodil-decorated paper napkins. Hear that, Britain? Without your Sainsburys Italian Antipasto selection (2.38 per 100g), your Crosta & Mollica Rosemary Linguette and a Cake Angels Disney Frozen Enchanted Cupcake Activity kit, plus so much more, your Easter will be a dud. Wash out. Pah! Go forth and multiply our turnover figures, saith the Lord Mammon. And lo, the people meekly did as they were commanded. Commercialism has been nibbling into Easter for years arguably centuries, if you count medieval pilgrimages but something snapped inside me when I read that we are now being told that Easter is the second Christmas. No less an authority than the editor of Good Housekeeping magazine, Carolyn Bailey, was wheeled out to declare that Easter crackers are becoming de rigueur in all aspiring homesteads. Are customers really already rushing to buy these items? Or is this just a PR effort by the supermarkets to bully us into thinking that Easter crackers and Easter presents and all sort of other Easter purchases are a social imperative? We feel people now want that extra touch to finish off the table, she said. This year weve seen more people buying gifts and decorations for Easter, including crackers which are normally bought for Christmas. Easter is becoming like a second Christmas. So quoth one our pre-eminent prophets of bling. Sure enough, Waitrose claims to have seen a 63 per cent rise in the number of Easter crackers it is selling. Good grief. But do we really believe that 63 per cent increase figure? Sixty three per cent of what? And are customers really already rushing to buy these items? Or is this just a PR effort by the supermarkets to bully us into thinking that Easter crackers and Easter presents and all sort of other Easter purchases are a social imperative? We should resist this shameless sales hype. We should do so for reasons of taste and self-respect, but also something deeper. The day Easter becomes another Christmas will be the day Anglicanisms sea walls are breached and our civilisation is washed away. I say so not out of some miserly concern for the pennies and pounds. Nor do I oppose the promotion of Easter out of a Cromwellian distaste for an uplifting Spring festival which in pre-Christian Britain was called Eostre and celebrated the Teutonic goddess of dawn. The pagan precedence of our Christian Easter is still evident in the way some people climb hills on Easter morning to see the rising sun do its Easter dance. Oliver Cromwell and his 17th-century Puritans tried to stop Easter being celebrated just as they cancelled Christmas on the grounds that every day in their lives was holy and there was thus no need for designated holy-days, the original meaning of holidays. And yet, like a desiccated spoilsport, I inveigh against Easter crackers? I need to explain myself. Christmas marks the arrival of the infant Christ. When you first visit a new-born child, you will usually take a present a babygro or cuddly toy or whatever. The Three Wise Men of the Magi may have gone several better than a Mothercare rattle when they presented the infant Jesus with gold, frankincense and myrrh, but the principle was the same. Easters story is more complex. Yes, it marks a rebirth (which is why we give Easter eggs, representative of new life) but it is pre-shadowed by the most sombre of times Easters story is more complex. Yes, it marks a rebirth (which is why we give Easter eggs, representative of new life) but it is pre-shadowed by the most sombre of times. In Holy Week, which immediately precedes Easter, we contemplate the story of Christs arrest, trial and Crucifixion. Good Friday, just two days before Easter Day, is the bleakest of days. We remember the suffering of Christ on that awful cross. This is not some form of fake news, by the way. Even secularists concede that Jesus Christ lived and was crucified on the orders of the Roman governor Pontius Pilate. Christs mother, Mary, will, indeed, have watched her son writhe with pain. And if we take the eyewitness textual evidence of the New Testament at its word, we can think of the heavens darkening as Christ succumbed to death and a storm breaking over Jerusalem that terrible day, symbolic of Gods fury. On Good Friday, church altars are stripped bare and services are conducted with long silences allowing us to confront the idea of death. A Good Friday church is as cold and stark as a tomb. I find that terribly moving. In such a week, do we want jingles on telly urging us to hurry out to buy our Easter essentials such as special crackers? In crackers, you will normally find a paper hat a crown, if you like. On Easter Day, there is only one person who wears a crown. And the joy of Easter is something more cerebral than can be encapsulated in any flimsy cracker. The late poet John Betjeman wrote this about Easter: The last years leaves are on the beech; The twigs are black; the cold is dry; To deeps beyond the deepest reach The Easter bells enlarge the sky. That phrase to deeps beyond the deepest, for me, describes the Easter experience. I suspect that may be true even for those who claim not to be spiritual. Churchgoers, admittedly, are in a minority in heathen 21st-century Britain. Millions of youngsters have been left uneducated about Easter. Their teachers are either too indolent to bother or they are in hock to Left-wing multiculturalist dogma which regards Christian teaching as some sort of insult to minorities. As a result of that mad, culturally suicidal philosophy, Christianity has been repressed and eclipsed while Islam (foreign, ergo good, so far as the self-hating multicultural lobby is concerned) has been encouraged. The BBCs last two heads of religious broadcasting have been Muslim. Says it all about the Beeb, really. Millions of youngsters have been left uneducated about Easter. Their teachers are either too indolent to bother or they are in hock to Left-wing multiculturalist dogma which regards Christian teaching as some sort of insult to minorities Millions of British children do not know the point of Easter. Some allegedly think it marks the Easter Bunnys birthday. One survey of children aged six to ten found that 25 per cent thought Easter was an anniversary of the invention of chocolate. Less than half knew it was a celebration of Christs resurrection. This is not just a disgrace in terms of failing religious observance. It is sheer, shameful ignorance of history and culture. In school, my children have been taught as much about Buddhism and Islam and Hinduism as they have about Christianity. Given such gaps in public knowledge, would it then not make sense to encourage the commercialisation of Easter? A box of Easter crackers might at least encourage discussion of the Easter message. No, I still disagree. We should let our Easter customs spring from family and local tradition, not from the shops or plastic packaging. For me, in childhood, Easter was the day our mother filled the house with flowers daffodils and Easter primroses. The sight of so much colour after Lents penitential season was dazzling. Something similar goes on near us at Hereford Cathedral where they mark the arrival of Easter with numerous vases of lilies. The scent is remarkable and quite unmatched by anything a supermarket cracker or a bag of Easter essentials could offer. Millions of British children do not know the point of Easter. Some allegedly think it marks the Easter Bunnys birthday. One survey of children aged six to ten found that 25 per cent thought Easter was an anniversary of the invention of chocolate For a friend of mine, childhood Easters were always about creating home-made, moss-strewn models of Christs tomb, using a large pebble to represent the stone that was rolled across the face of the cave where the body was placed. Or how about the great English tradition of Mystery plays, which has seen a heartening revival in recent years? A few years ago, our village church mounted just such a production. What it lacked in West End polish it more than compensated for with its communal spirit and a pride in both our dramatic and our Biblical heritage. In such intangibles lies the spirit of Easter. It gains its potency not from tinsel or presents or Jelly bunnies or any number of Easter crackers. I return to that line from John Betjeman, deeps beyond the deepest, the penumbral gubbins within us, possibly part-rooted in pagan relief at the arrival of Spring yet also given substance in the Christian story of hope after obliteration. Sorry, but that is all you need for an Easter essential. Keep your crackers for Christmas. Sean Spicer says President Trump didn't shake German Chancellor Angela Merkel's hand during their meeting on Friday because he didn't hear requests from photographers. In a video that went viral over the weekend, Trump appears to snub Merkel's request to shake his hand. But on Sunday, the press secretary insisted that the President's failure to respond to her gesture wasn't deliberate. He told Germany's Der Spiegel that Friday's incident was a misunderstanding, and insisted it was not meant as an insult. Scroll down for video In a video that went viral over the weekend, Trump appears to ignore German Chanellor Angela Merkel when she asks to shake his hand Trump did not shake Merkel's hand, and in a video he appeared to have little reaction to the Chancellor's request 'I do not believe he heard the question,' he told the paper. The press gathered at the Oval Office on Friday to take photos and video of the two world leaders meeting. In a video, she leaned toward Trump and could be heard asking him 'Do you want to have a handshake?' Trump did not shake Merkel's hand, and in an incredibly awkward video he appeared to have little reaction to the Chancellor's request. When the video hit the internet, people immediately went onto social media to characterize the action as a rejection of Merkel's request. Some people either assumed that he did not shake her hand because he didn't respect her, and others wondered if it was because she is a woman. Pictures and video show that the President did shake hands with Merkel when she first entered the White House and met. When the video hit the internet, people immediately went onto social media to characterize the action as a rejection of Merkel's request Trump earned unfavorable words from the German press after his meeting with Merkel, with Der Spiegel calling him 'an unsophisticated yet self-absorbed political neophyte' in comparison to the 'experienced' chancellor. Tabloid Bild carried a picture of the world leaders sitting awkwardly next to each other, while also pointing out how 'unusual' it was that Merkel found herself seated next to Trump's daughter Ivanka - who has no official role in the administration. It said the German leader appeared 'irritated'. Weekly news magazine Der Spiegel, which previously ran a controversial cartoon of Trump beheading the Statue of Liberty, also picked up on the awkwardness between the two leaders, declaring that 'Merkel and Trump do not work'. 'There are two politicians who could hardly be more contradictory', the news magazine added. President Donald Trump, however, defended the seemingly chilly summit with Angela Merkel on Twitter Saturday, insisting it was a 'great meeting' - and immediately blasting Germany for owing what he said were 'vast sums of money' to NATO. He claimed that all reports criticizing their meeting were 'fake news' - the day after giving the German chancellor a lecture on immigration but no Oval Office handshake or warm words about her country. President Donald Trump defended his chilly summit with Angela Merkel on Twitter Saturday morning, insisting it was a 'great meeting' despite many reports to the contrary, but did put the country on blast about NATO 'Despite what you have heard from the FAKE NEWS, I had a GREAT meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel,' Trump tweeted Saturday morning. 'Nevertheless, Germany owes vast sums of money to NATO & the United States must be paid more for the powerful, and very expensive, defense it provides to Germany!' Advertisement This is the heart-breaking moment friends and relatives of the Sydney mother and son killed in a tragic head-on collision said their final farewells after a moving memorial service. Occupational therapist Julie 'Jules' Bullock, 49, and her schoolboy son Hudson, 7, were both killed in the accident on the Hume Highway about 8.30am on March 7. Mrs Bullock's daughter, Sienna, survived and is recovering in the care of her father, Darren, and family. The lost mother and son were celebrated by at least 200 mourners at an overflowing memorial service at Camden, in the city's south-west, on Monday morning. In a stirring eulogy, Mr Bullock said: 'Goodbye my friends Hold each other tight. We will all cuddle again one day'. This is the heart-breaking moment friends and relatives of Sydney mother Julie Bullock and son Hudson, who were killed in a tragic head-on collision said their final farewells He embraced his adult children as his loved ones' coffins - painted white and pale blue - were placed in hearses parked out the front of St Johns Anglican Church in the centre of town. The funeral service was told how Mrs Bullock, described as dedicated to helping children, would light up any room she walked into with her 'sunshine' and laughter. The ceremony heard stories about Hudson from his peers at Wollondilly Anglican High School in messages read out by the school's principal. The little boy would stand up to people when they were being 'mean' and was described as kind, polite and keenly intelligent. His relatives remembered the boy as 'The Prof', or the professor. Darren Bullock, the father of Hudson and husband of Julie arrives with a handwritten note Conrad Bullock stares upon the coffin as it sits in the hearse A guest kisses the white coffin as it sits in the hearse Maddison Bullock is comforted by a mourner at the funeral of her step mother Julie Bullock and brother Hudson Maddison Bullock plants a loving kiss on the lid of the coffin In a stirring eulogy, Mr Bullock said: 'Goodbye my friends Hold each other tight. We will all cuddle again one day' Maddison Bullock (right) walks hand in hand with a guest holding a large teddy bear Mrs Bullock was behind the wheel driving her twins in her Mazda 4WD to Wollondilly Anglican College in Tahmoor at the time of the fatal crash Ms Bullock, 49, and her schoolboy son Hudson, 7 (left), were both killed in the accident on the Hume Highway about 8.30am on March 7. Mrs Bullock's daughter, Sienna (right), survived and is recovering in the care of her father Mrs Bullock's husband is seen being consoled by a friend after arriving A funeral guest is seen wiping a tear from her face as a crowd gathers The local community has rallied around the family, raising more than $38,000 to help the Bullocks on donation website GoFundMe for medical and funeral bills The crowd of mourners are seen at St. John's Anglican Church (pictured) Long lines of cars are seen parked outside of the church on Monday Mrs Bullock was behind the wheel driving her twins in her Mazda 4WD to Wollondilly Anglican College in Tahmoor at the time of the fatal crash Mrs Bullock was behind the wheel driving her twins in her Mazda 4WD to Wollondilly Anglican College in Tahmoor at the time of the fatal crash. The other woman involved in the crash, Tina Vilbert, reportedly also had twins who had previously attended the school. Ms Vilbert, whose Holden Astra slammed into the car, survived the accident. Mrs Bullock's father, Rodney Andrews, and friend Mandy from the Camden Women's Church also paid tribute at the ceremony and guests were shown a photographic slideshow of the mother and son's lives. The local community has rallied around the family, raising more than $38,000 to help the Bullocks on donation website GoFundMe for medical and funeral bills - a stunning sum that blew organisers away. Conrad Bullock, Ms Bullocks stepson steps out of the white limousine Conrad Bullock (right holding the water bottle) is comforted by a guest as his sister Speaking to ITVs Peston on Sunday, Matthew Taylor said there needed to be a new deal for the self-employed Ministers should launch a fresh crackdown on the gig economy, the Governments jobs tsar suggested yesterday. Matthew Taylor, who is in charge of a review of modern employment, said bosses must be told they cannot control their workers unless they are prepared to employ them. He said the Government needed to address cases in which firms both want control but not to provide those workers with entitlements and rights. Mr Taylor, the former head of Tony Blairs policy unit, is undertaking a report for ministers due to be published in June. His comments suggest his review will call for the Government to do more to stop companies exploiting large numbers of self-employed or agency workers. The gig economy can refer to parcel carriers delivering packages to online shoppers and app-driven services such as Uber and Deliveroo, which rely on large networks of self-employed contractors. Their status means they are not entitled to earn the national living wage or receive benefits such as sickness and holiday pay. Speaking to ITVs Peston on Sunday, he said there needed to be a new deal for the self-employed. He said: One of the issues weve got to look at is this question of the kind of boundary between people who are self-employed and dont therefore get any employment rights and people who are workers who do. I think that there is an issue here, and the issue is if you are subject to control if as an individual in the relationship with the person whos hiring you, they control your work, they control the basis upon which you work, they control the content of your work, that looks like the kind of relationship where the quid pro quo should be that you respect that persons employment rights and entitlements. He added: I think we need to focus on this question of control and we need to say to firms, If you want to control your workers you will have to respect their rights and provide entitlements too, but if you really dont want to control them, thats fine, then theyll be self-employed. The gig economy can refer to parcel carriers delivering packages to online shoppers and app-driven services such as Uber and Deliveroo He also said he was disappointed Chancellor Philip Hammond dropped the 2billion National Insurance raid, saying politics had taken precedent over policy. He said: Im disappointed in the sense that I think it was a sensible policy. Im also kind of slightly disappointed because you know theres always a kind of battle isnt there between politics and policy. And I kind of hoped the policy would win this time because it was essential policy, but in the end the politics won. He said the Tories had made it into an unsustainable policy because of the pledge, and that he hoped that lessons would be learned from guaranteeing more and more. He added: It is irresponsible for people to take power for five years, for governments to take power for five years tying their hands on some of the most important tools theyve got to respond to economic change. Asked if he would support an increase at the next General Election, he said that there needs to be a more level playing field so that what were taxing is not different types of employment but labour as a whole, so we dont privilege particular forms of employment. He added: We need a new deal for the self-employed, which is we need a fairer tax system but we also need stronger rights and we need to support self-employed people in providing better for themselves. He said it was up to Theresa May if she wanted to implement any of his proposals in his review due in the summer. A Yazidi woman from Iraq who was held captive for months as a sex slave by ISIS spoke about her harrowing ordeal Sunday on CNN alongside her lawyer, famed human rights advocate Amal Clooney. The international human rights lawyer and the wife of actor George Clooney is trying to bring attention to the plight of Nadia Murad and other Yazidi women who are routinely abused at the hands of the militants. Clooney appeared on Fareed Zakaria's CNN show on Sunday alongside Murad, who recalled a harrowing ordeal that began when ISIS gunmen arrived in her village in Iraqi Kurdistan nearly three years ago. 'Early morning on August 3, 2014, they attacked us,' Murad said. 'Nearly 6,500 women and children from the Yazidi were abducted and about 5,000 people from the community were killed during that day. For eight months, they separated us from our mothers and our sisters and our brothers, and some of them were killed and others disappeared.' Amal Clooney (above), the international human rights lawyer and the wife of actor George Clooney, is using her newfound celebrity to bring public attention to the plight of Yazidi women who are kidnapped and taken as sex slaves by ISIS Clooney appeared on Fareed Zakaria's CNN show on Sunday alongside Nadia Murad (right), who recalled a harrowing ordeal that began when ISIS gunmen arrived in her village in Iraqi Kurdistan nearly three years ago Murad told Zakaria (left) that her mother and six of her brothers and stepbrothers were executed by ISIS. The group also took Murad and other unmarried women as sex slaves and passed around by a number of ISIS men Murad said that her mother and six of her brothers and stepbrothers were executed by ISIS. The group also took Murad and other unmarried women as sex slaves and passed around by a number of ISIS men. Murad recalled that she was once gang raped until she passed out as a punishment for attempting to escape ISIS captivity. 'They sold girls, girls that were underage, because ISIS considered that permissible under Islamic law,' Murad said. 'They came not just to attack certain people, but they came for all Yazidis.' Clooney, who is representing Murad and other Yazidi women with similar stories, says the time has come to not only wage military war against ISIS, but also a legal one Clooney is seen during a March 9 appearance at the United Nations, where she urged governments to begin war crimes investigations against ISIS ISIS has long claimed that they are permitted to take Yazidi women under their rule as sex slaves because the Yazidis do not practice Islam. Murad was abducted and held by Islamic State fighters for three months in 2014 in Mosul. She told her story to the UN Security Council in December 2015 and since then has been campaigning for justice. Clooney, who is representing Murad and other Yazidi women with similar stories, says the time has come to not only wage military war against ISIS, but also a legal one. She noted that there hasn't been a 'single prosecution against ISIS in a court anywhere in the world for the crimes committed against the Yazidis ... for any international crimes.' Clooney addressed the issue during an appearance last week before the UN Security Council. She urged the 15 governments that comprise the council to begin collecting evidence of war crimes. An Iraqi Yazidi woman sits with her children at the Bajid Kandala camp near the Tigris River in Kurdistan's western Dohuk province, where they took refuge after fleeing advances by ISIS on August 13, 2014 'ISIS is not a local threat, it's a global threat,' Clooney said. 'So, my message to the UN was, this is a global threat. It needs a global response.' 'And part of that response must be a judicial one. It cannot be only on the battlefield.' 'You can't defeat ISIS on the battlefield alone, because you have to also deal with future recruiting.' 'And I think trials and exposing the brutality of ISIS and trying to make a dent in some of their shiny propaganda by showing that it's not a holy war and showing what they're really doing to children, to women, is one way to help that,' she said. 'ISIS has set up a whole bureaucracy involving the slave trade where they've set up committees, they've set up courts, so there are documents, there's DNA, there are mass graves, and nobody is actually collecting this evidence,' she said. 'And if it gets lost, it means we can never have trials and we can never have justice.' Clooney says that the Security Council is ready to authorize an investigation into ISIS war crimes, but it can only do so if the government of Iraq makes an official request. 'There's already a resolution drafted and ready,' she said. 'And if Iraq just sends the letter, then there will be a vote. And from all of my conversations, including with the Russian ambassador and the United States ambassador and others, it seems that there's actually broad support in the Council.' 'So, this actually should move forward. It's in line with the Iraqi government's interests, because they're going after ISIS.' Louise Harris, 24, is a Cambridge-educated wannabe popstar from Harpenden who has compared the Just Stop Oil campaign to that of the Irish rebels' fight for independence from the British and once said she was like a prisoner of war. This morning she cried on the gantry over Britain's busiest motorway as she declared: 'You might hate me for doing this. I'm here because I don't have a future.' But despite her warnings about the future of the planet, her Facebook page shows her posing next to a 2009 Fiat Punto, which runs on unleaded. Just Stop Oil opposes petrol cars so much its members smash petrol stations to prevent people refueling and blockade refineries. She also appears to be at the wheel - or a passenger - in the same car in a number of other social media posts, including this year when she has been taking part in Just Stop Oil protests, despite it running on petrol. Miss Harris compared her yellow Punto to the vehicle made famous by The Inbetweeners, because it has a red door. In one post where she stands next to her Fiat she says: 'I am officially Number 1 fan of this show f**k you other wannabes. Unfortunately it DOESN'T have a tape deck'. Today Miss Harris was among 23 people arrested by the Met Police and colleagues at Surrey, Essex and Hertfordshire, after shutting down the M25. The demonstrator - who posts songs on YouTube including a slickly edited music video called 'Dating me is like a Cambridge term'. The lyrics include: Dating me is like a Cambridge term. By the fifth week you are completely burnt out emotionally destroyed and suicidal'. Advertisement A riot erupted at a Guatemala prison for juveniles and adults on Sunday, and authorities said two jail monitors were killed and several other people suffered injuries. Several juveniles at the Central Correctional Stage II prison in San Jose Pinula tried to climb over the facility's barbed wire in an attempt to escape during the riot, during which several fires were started. The National Civil Police confirmed that two monitors were dead at the jail, which is located about 12 miles (20 kilometers) east of the capital, Guatemala City. The incident came two weeks after unrest at a state-run shelter for children resulted in a fire that killed 40 girls. During a riot at Centro Correccional Etapa II prison in San Jose Pinula, Guatemala, on Sunday evening, several juvenile delinquents tried to escape. The National Civil Police (PNC) announced that there are 47 young people from the 'Barrio 18' gang in the facility who were demanding that they be allowed to receive food parcels and cook their own meals During the riot, the young people reportedly took seven facility monitors as hostages, who were beaten and had their radio transceivers taken away Twenty-six members of the Barrio 18 gang are requesting the presence of the Office of the Inspector General of Colombia, as well as judges, to solve their situation. Pictured above, several juveniles try to climb the barbed wire to escape the prison As the juvenile delinquents climbed the facility's fences, riot police surrounded the property to stop them from fleeing the area Firefighters carry a woman who fainted outside a reformatory for youth and men, Centro Correccional Etapa II, where a riot and fire broke out in San Jose Pinula, Guatemala, on Sunday Officials said inmates also started a fire in part of the prison, and police threw tear gas canisters seeking to regain control Officials said inmates also started a fire in part of the prison, and police threw tear gas canisters seeking to regain control. During the riot, the young people reportedly took seven facility monitors as hostages, who were beaten and had their radio transceivers taken away It is believed that the prisoners involved in the riots were juveniles. The National Civil Police (PNC) announced that there are 47 young people from the 'Barrio 18' - one of Central America's most notorious gangs - in the facility. Riots broke out after inmates demanded that they be allowed to receive food parcels and cook their own meals. They also demanded that fellow gang members from other jails be transferred to Central Correctional Stage II prison. At least two people have died in the riot at the prison. The National Civil Police confirmed that the two killed were jail monitors Firefighters surround a man's body inside a reformatory at the correctional facility that sits just 12 miles outside of Guatemala City Volunteer firefighters told local media that the monitors who were killed had been beaten, but the cause of death had not been determined Riot police stand guard outside the correctional facility in San Jose Pinula, east of Guatemala City. Several people were believed to be injured Personnel from the public prosecutor's office came to the scene to work with police and inmates to stop the riots on Sunday The inmates set mattresses alight and climbed to the roof of the facility in attempts to escape, according to the BBC. Twenty-six Barrio 18 members had requested the presence of the Office of the Inspector General of Colombia, as well as judges, to solve their situation Witnesses said that inmates from Barrio 18 threatened to kill members of rival gang Paisas if they didn't take part in the riots. Volunteer firefighters told local media that the monitors who were killed had been beaten, but the cause of death had not been determined. Hours after the riot on Sunday, smoke could been seen billowing from parts of the prison facility. Policemen place the body of a guard killed after a riot by underage inmates in a pickup truck, outside of the correctional facility on Sunday Red Cross paramedics carry a guard injured after a riot by underage inmates at the Guatemalan prison on Sunday evening Witnesses said that inmates from Barrio 18 threatened to kill members of rival gang Paisas if they didn't take part in the riots. Pictured above, police stood guard outside the Guatemalan City after the riot was over Policemen appeared to surround the San Jose Pinula facility in an attempt to keep everyone inside following the riot Sunday The inmates set mattresses alight and climbed to the roof of the facility in attempts to escape. Pictured above, police stand guard outside the prison following the riots Rioters demanded that fellow gang members from other jails be transferred to Central Correctional Stage II prison. Pictured above, policemen stand guard at the facility following the riot Real Housewives of New Jersey star Kim DePaola spoke out on Instagram for the first time since she and her son landed in the center of a double murder investigation. Two bodies were found in DePaola's burned out Audi in Paterson, New Jersey, on Friday. It was driven primarily by her adult son Chris. She wrote on Instagram: 'I am humbled by the outpour of love and support during this very difficult time. My son and I are both safe. Our deepest condolences go out to the victims' families during this truly horrific tragedy.' The men, who have not yet been named by authorities, had been shot in the head and charred beyond recognition. On Sunday, it was revealed that the Audi S Line is owned by DePaola who is best known as Kim D, the Bravo show's villainous recurring guest star. Two bodies were found in a car owned by Real Housewives of New Jersey star Kim DePaola(left with co-star Teresa Giudice in 2013) on Friday. The vehicle belongs to her adult son Chris (right) who lent it to a friend while he was out of town Kim DePaola thanked her fans for their support after two dead bodies were found in her car The vehicle was driven primarily by her adult son Chris who lent it to friend Aaron Anderson last week while he was out of town, according to TMZ. No one had heard from 27-year-old Anderson on Friday when fire fighters discovered the car ablaze on East 28th Street. Police had to cut the roof off the vehicle to pull the bodies from inside, NBC New York reported. Sources said they could not immediately identify the victims' gender or race because they were so badly burned. Courtesy ABC 7 Fire fighters had to cut through the roof of the Audi S Line to pull the bodies out. The car went up in flames almost immediately after witnesses heard two gunshots The car was found ablaze in Paterson, New Jersey on Friday. Both victims were burned beyond recognition DePaola is a recurring guest star on the Bravo show. She is seen above filming a 2009 episode with Jacqueline Laurita and Teresa Giudice She is best known as Kim D and was vilified during the show's fourth season in 2011 (above) for implying co-star Melissa Gorga (far left) had once worked as a stripper Witnesses told how they heard two gun shots before the car went up in flames. Police in Paterson have not released the victims' identities. DePaola did not respond to requests on Sunday morning. The boutique owner earned a reputation as one of the show's trouble makers after finding herself in the middle of more than one scandal concerning its main cast. During the show's explosive Season 4 finale, she was blamed for suggesting co-star Melissa Gorga had once worked as a stripper. A former Marine fell to his death in a tragic mining accident - leaving behind his wife and two young sons. Nathaniel Beesley, 32, had been working at the Savage River mine in Tasmania when he fell to his death on Friday. He and his wife, Katie, had moved from England to start a new life on Australia's Sunshine Coast just a few months before he died. Mr Beesley, a former Royal Marine who completed two tours of Afghanistan, was taking on the work to provide for his family while he awaited a transfer to the Australian Army, according to a GoFundMe page set up by a family friend. A Marine fell to his death in a tragic mining accident, leaving behind a wife and two sons It has amassed almost $15,000 in donations in just a day. Josephine Gladwin, who set up the page, wrote: 'An amazing father to two young beautiful boys, words cannot express the heartache. 'His dream for them was to make a life in Australia. 'A UK Royal Marine with two tours of Afghanistan, Nathaniel was taking other work to provide for his family, whilst awaiting transfer to the Australian Army when his life was cut short leaving an enormous void.' The 32-year-old had recently moved to Australia from the UK with his wife and two sons He was taking on the work at the mine to provide for his family while he awaited a transfer to the Australian Army She added: 'An incredible friend to so many, his loss is devastating and we hope to raise funds to show our support to his young family and help in some small way through this terribly sad time.' WorkSafe Tasmania is investigating the circumstances behind the death, the Sunshine Coast Daily reported. It was the fourth mining-related death on the state's west coast since 2013. Australian Workers Union assistant secretary Robert Flanagan said it was understood that Ms Beesley was working in the north pit of the mine when he fell. Mr Beesley (pictured with his wife Katie) was a UK Royal Marine who completed two tours of Afghanistan 'It's the union's understanding that the contractors were engaged in scaling operations in part of the mine's operations, he told ABC. 'Scaling operations are undertaken to ensure that loose material can't be dislodged from a work area. 'Any workplace fatality is a tragedy and the union's thoughts are clearly with the family and friends of the deceased worker and we continue to endeavour to ensure that workplaces are as safe as possible.' Donald Trump's job approval rating has hit a new low at 37 per cent, rounding out a difficult week for the president Donald Trump's job approval rating has hit a new low at 37 per cent, rounding out a difficult week for the president. According to the most recent statistics from Gallup, disapproving sentiments of Trump's performance have been steadily declining throughout the last month. The ratings come in the wake of his administration struggling to garner support for the American Health Care Act which was published last week. The Gallup polls are based off of daily surveys with about 1,500 individuals who are asked about their feelings regarding Trump's presidency. They estimate their margin of error is plus or minus three percentage points. Amongst Jewish Americans, the site reports an even lower approval rate of just 31 per cent. According to the most recent statistics from Gallup, disapproving sentiments of Trump's performance have been steadily declining throughout the last month The Trump administration announced on March 6 their new healthcare plan which would replace Obamacare, which the president touted as a failure. House Speaker Paul Ryan said: 'The American Health Care Act is a plan to drive down costs, encourage competition, and give every American access to quality, affordable health insurance. 'It protects young adults, patients with pre-existing conditions, and provides a stable transition so that no one has the rug pulled out from under them.' Republicans, however, have received criticism over many aspects of the legislation, which will go to a vote on Thursday. Comedy film "Father and Son" starring comedian Da Peng and veteran actor Fan Wei will debut in the Chinese film market during the hot summer time. Actors Da Peng and Fan Wei pose for a photo at a press conference held to promote their new film "Father and Son" in Beijing, March 19, 2017. [Photo / China.org.cn] The film is directed by Yuan Weidong, executive director for Tsui Hark's critically acclaimed "Flying Swords of Dragon Gate," and stars Da Peng (Dong Chengpeng), Fan Wei, Qiao Shan, Wu Junmei, Zhang Tian'ai and veteran Hong Kong actor Simon Yam. Da Peng is also the executive producer of the film. Producers dubbed "Father and Son" a "super comedy" at a press conference held in Beijing on Sunday. Its producer Wanda Pictures general manager Jiang Defu added that audiences "laughed from the beginning to the end" during its own internal test screening. "Father and Son" will clash with other blockbusters in summer including Derek Kwok's Monkey King alternative adaptation "Wu Kong," Lu Zhengyu's gourmet comedy "The One" and Yang Lei's fantasy film "Legend of the Naga Pearls." But Da Peng joked and said that while Qiao Shan will star in "Wu Kong," Fan Wei will star in "The One" and Zhang Tian'ai and Simon Yam will star in "Legend Of The Naga Pearls," "If you want to see them all and me, you will have to see 'Father and Son'." Da Peng's last comedy film "Jian Bing Man" (2015) grossed 1.16 billion yuan (US$168 million) and became one of the top grossing comedies ever in the Chinese film market. Producers believe that "Father and Son" will surpass the success of "Jian Bing Man." Da Peng and Fan Wei will also head to the 11th Asian Film Awards to be held in Hong Kong on March 21 where Da Peng is nominated for best supporting actor for his role in Feng Xiaogang's "I Am Not Madame Bovary" and Fan is nominated for best actor for "Mr. No Problem." The producers of "Father and Son" send their best wishes for them to win at the event. "Father and Son" will be released in Chinese theaters on July 21, 2017. A mother and makeup-artist-to-the-stars has complained that a Sydney bar refused to let her in because of her tattoos. Gordana Poljak, who has worked with the likes of Russel Crowe and Cate Blanchett, says she tried to attend a friend's birthday at Coogee Pavilion on Saturday when she was barred from entering. Miss Poljak, the former wife of TV presenter Mike Willesee, said two security guards and the manager told her she couldn't come in because of her visible inkings. Gordana Poljak, a A-list makeup artist and mother, has complained after she claims she was barred from entering the Coogee Pavilion on Saturday because of her tattoos Miss Poljak said two security guards stopped her before a 'rude' manager told her there was a no tattoos policy at the venue In a Facebook post she accused the 'rude' manager of 'persecuting' her because of her tattoos, before calling on her followers to boycott the venue. Miss Poljak said she regularly attends the Coogee Pavilion and was there as recently as two weeks ago when she was allowed inside without a problem. She said security did agree to allow her in on Saturday, but said she would have to sit downstairs in the family area, and could not join her friends upstairs. She added that no warning sign had been displayed about tattoos, and the manager could not produce any document stating the bar's policy on them. Miss Poljak said she regularly drinks at the bar and had been there just two weeks ago and was been allowed in with no issues Miss Poljak claims she was 'persecuted' for having tattoos, though New South Wales does not recognise discrimination against people with visible inkings The rejection was particularly galling because she had worked hard to make arrangements for her son so she could attend, she said. According to New South Wales law, a venue can refuse entry to any patron without providing a reason, as long as they do not violate discrimination legislation. Unlawful discrimination includes targeting someone because of their age, race, sex, disability, sexuality, or due to their marital or domestic status. She told News.com.au: 'I was dressed nicely, my hair was up. It's not like I looked like I was going to beat someone up or do drugs in the bathroom. The Pavilion is owned by Merivale which is currently run by Justin Hemmes (left and right) and owns a string of bars and restaurants across the city Miss Poljak said she was told she could go inside the venue (pictured) but only if she sat downstairs in the family section 'I'm a regular, I love it there. We've never had any trouble but this time they treated me like s***. 'I don't care if people don't like my tattoos. I get it all the time, but to actually be turned away from a venue... I should not be cricitised for having neck and hand tattoos.' Coogee Pavilion is owned by company Merivale which controls a string of bars and restaurants and is run by Justin Hemmes. The company had not responded to Daily Mail Australia's request for comment by the time of publication. The French backpacker stabbed in the neck during a bush trek with a friend has returned to Australia to continue his holiday. Maxime Michel, 21, was hiking at Belair National Park in January when he was allegedly stabbed in the neck by 23-year-old Adelaide man Antoni James Barresi. Mr Michel was with his friend, Thibaut Guillou, who told his friend to run because he was in shock after he was slashed in the neck. Scroll down for video Maxime Michel, 21, was allegedly stabbed in the neck by Antoni James Barresi when he was hiking in Belair National Park Antoni James Barresi (pictured middle right) was arrested and charged with attempted murder 'He just [got] the knife and he stabbed me first one time in the neck I didn't realise what was happening,' Mr Michel told 9NEWS. 'I saw the eyes of my friend Thibaut were really scared and he just said "run" to me.' The pair claim they had met Mr Barresi in an Adelaide hostel the previous night. Mr Guillou was able to flee and grab help after he witnessed the incident - with the alleged offender Mr Barresi arrested shortly after. Despite the event friend Thibaut Guillou (left) and Maxime Michel (right) have returned to Australia to finish their holiday Despite the horror event - and a scar to go with it - Mr Michel and his friend have returned to Australia to finish their trip. Mr Michel said he was not going to let one incident ruin his holiday. 'I can't blame all of Australia for one guy,' Mr Michel said. There have long been rumors of a sexual relationship between actress Joan Crawford and one of her mother's husbands, and that alleged affair took center stage on Sunday night's episode of 'Feud.' After another day on the set of 'Whatever Happened to Baby Jane' Crawford (played by Jessica Lange) and Bette Davis (played by Susan Sarandon) get together for a few after-work drinks, which quickly turns into a devastating trip down memory lane. It is while talking about her mother's decision to kick her out of the house and send her to a convent when she was 12 that Crawford reveals she lost her virginity at the age of 11, a statement that delights a smiling Davis. 'Who was the lucky cub scout,' asks a gleeful Davis. There have been rumors of a sexual relationship between actress Joan Crawford and one of her mother's husbands, and that alleged affair took center stage on Sunday night's episode of 'Feud,' which stars Susan Sarandon (left) as Bette Davis and Jessica Lange (right) as Crawford 'My mother's second husband Henry Cassin,' Crawford coolly replies, while taking a drag on her cigarette. 'He was a lovely man. Meant the world to me. We called him "Daddy Chasen, but he really wasn't my daddy,' Crawford goes on to say of Cassin, who was 38 at the time of the alleged affair. 'And we weren't blood relatives, so it wasn't incest, but he was kind and gentle and he loved me.' Crawford then looks directly at Davis and tells her: 'I led him into it.' Prior to revealing that the man who took her virginity was her stepfather, Crawford explains to Davis why she was so sexually active at such a young age. 'In the desert that was my childhood I was grateful for any sort of genuine affection to feel cherished,' says Crawford. And after Crawford has finished sharing her story, an emotional Davis looks at her frequent foe and tells her while fighting back tears: 'You were just a child. Your father should have kicked him out.' Joan Crawford (seen in the above photo from circa 1944) reportedly lost her virginity at the age of 11 to her stepfather Henry Cassin, who was 38 at the time Crawford's father had already left her mother months before she was born Lucille Fay LeSueur, and she was still a baby when her mother married Cassin and moved the actress and her brother to Lawton, Oklahoma. Cassin ran an opera house in the area, and Crawford's birth name was eventually changed to Billie Cassin. The Cassin family packed up and left Lawton in 1916 however after Cassin was accused of embezzlement. He as acquitted of all charges in the case but blacklisted by members of the community it was claimed over the years, and that is still believed to be the reason behind the move by almost all of Crawford's biographers and those who have written about Hollywood's Glen Age. There are a few however who believe the inappropriate relationship between Cassin and his stepdaughter also played a part in the relocation to Kansas City, Missouri, where Crawford was enrolled at St. Agnes Academy. Soon after, her mother and Cassin split and Crawford enrolled as a work student, picking up jobs at the school to pay for her own education. Cassin married Crawford's mother Anna Bell Johnson when she was still a baby, and the actress and her older brother Hal called him 'Daddy' Meanwhile, some biographers claim Anna's second husband, Harry Hough, sexually assaulted Crawford (seen above when she was a young child) when she was 13 by fondling the teenager Cassin ran an opera house in the area, and Crawford's birth name was eventually changed to Billie Cassin There are a few however who believe the inappropriate relationship between Cassin and his stepdaughter also played a part in the relocation to Kansas City, Missouri, where Crawford was enrolled at St. Agnes Academy Crawford would never return home again for any extended period of time, and at 19 made her stage debut in the chorus line of the musical revue 'Innocent Eyes' in Detroit. There have also long been rumors of Crawford staring in a few soft-core pornographic films while still in Detroit. That very same year she was offered a contract with MGM for $75-a-week after arranging a screen test, getting the news while at her mother's home on Christmas Eve. She accepted and after borrowing $400 from her mother for travel set out for Hollywood, and never looked back. The 'Feud' scene appears to taken almost entirely from the 2002 work 'Joan Crawford: The Essential Biography,' which was written by Lawrence J.Quirk and William Schoell. The 'Feud' scene appears to taken almost entirely from the 2002 work ' Joan Crawford: The Essential Biography,' which was written by Lawrence J.Quirk and William Schoell The two men wrote that later in life Crawford began to speak about her relationship with Cassin, admitting the reason she and her mother had such a tempestuous relationship was because she played a role in her divorce. 'Anna had discovered that her husband had been having sex with her daughter - and doing it since [Crawford] was 11,' wrote the men. Crawford's relationship with her mother was never that same after that day according to the authors, who wrote that Anna blamed Cassin but still believed her 'precocious' daughter to be partially responsible. Quirk and Schoell claim that Crawford herself echoed her mother's assessment, and told friends that she was the one who set out to 'entice' Cassin into a sexual relationship. Crawford was also hoping to get pregnant with Cassin's baby by the time her mother had learned about the pair according to the book. The book also claimed that when Anna did finally catch the two in a 'compromising position' her husband was quick to blame the schoolgirl for luring him into sex. No other major Crawford biographies write about this incident with as much detail as Quirk an Schoell, although most make no mention of the alleged affair at all, describing the relationship between Cassin and Crawford as one of the few positive associations the actress had in her life and in no way sexual. Meanwhile, some biographers claim Anna's second husband, Harry Hough, sexually assaulted Crawford when she was 13 by fondling the teenager. A 36-year-old man shot and killed his eight-year-old daughter just before turning the gun on himself and committing suicide, police in a coastal town of California said on Sunday. The tragic incident took place at approximately 3:15pm at Capitola Mall in Capitola, California, which is located approximately 70 miles south of San Francisco. Police said that the father and daughter, believed to be from nearby Watsonville, were inside a parked car next to Macys department store, according to SFGate.com. Just moments before the shootings, the girls mother called police to warn that her husband was at the mall and that he was suicidal. Scroll down for video A 36-year-old man shot and killed his eight-year-old daughter just before turning the gun on himself and committing suicide inside a car parked near the Capitola Mall in Capitola, California, police said on Sunday. The mall is seen in the above stock image Police said that the father, mother, and daughter had been shopping together at the mall when during the course of their visit he began to make threats to kill himself. After the woman called police, officers arrived at the mall. She then directed them to the parked car. Courtesy of KGO-TV When the officers reached the car, they found the father and daughter with gunshot wounds. Paramedics were summoned to the scene, but they could not resuscitate the father and daughter. The identity of the father and daughter have yet to be released. Fareed Zakaria launched a foul-mouthed rant belittling Donald Trump's presidency on Friday night. On CNN Tonight with Don Lemon, the foreign affairs journalist and host repeatedly said that the President excels in 'bulls***ting'. When Lemon asked him if he thinks the President 'really believes that he was wire tapped, Zakaria responded: 'I got into trouble in the campaign for saying something about the president that I still think is true. 'I think the President is somewhat indifferent to things that are true or false.' Scroll down for video During Friday's episode of CNN Tonight with Don Lemon, the foreign affairs journalist and host repeatedly said that the President excels in 'bulls***ting' Zakari later explained that President Trump does this, then has his administration take the fall for it - either with Sean Spicer trying to explain it away, or Rex Tillerson being asked to comment on what he thinks about it all Then he really got into it. 'He has spent his whole life bulls***ting. He has succeeded by bulls***ting. He has gotten the presidency by bulls***ting. 'It's very hard to tell somebody at that point that bulls***t doesn't work, because look at the results right? 'But that's what he does - he sees something, he doesn't particularly care if it's true or not, he just puts it out there. And then he puts something else out. 'When pushed on it, he doesn't take responsibility: "I wasn't saying that, I was just quoting somebody else."' Zakari later explained that President Trump does this, then has his administration take the fall for it - either with Sean Spicer trying to explain it away, or Rex Tillerson being asked to comment on what he thinks about it all. He was specifically referring to the President's claims about the former administration wire-tapping Trump Tower. His blatant honesty and repetitive use of profanity caused a stir on Twitter. People couldn't believe that he'd just gotten away with saying s*** four times in a row on live television His repetitive use of profanity caused a stir on Twitter. People couldn't believe that he'd just gotten away with saying s*** four times in a row on live television. The word is generally banned from broadcast television, but not uncommon on paid cable channels. During the interview he also talked about Trump's relationship with Angela Merkel, saying that he used to like the German Chancellor when she was popular. He explained that the moment that Merkel started losing popularity, he 'does what he always does' and kicked her while she was down. When asked later on in the interview if he thought the President was a pathological liar, he said he thinks that there is 'something pathological about it,' in that he can't stop. A Chicago couple is closing their music store after claiming that they were bullied because of their outward support of Donald Trump. Suzanne Monk and her husband Alexander Duvel, who own 'Worlds of Music Chicago' have said that next month their shop will close its doors after receiving a tirade of hate online. Monk says that the internet 'bullying' began after she was vocal about her disappointment that a Trump rally in Chicago was cancelled last summer. Suzanne Monk and her husband Alexander Duvel, who own 'Worlds of Music Chicago' have said that next month their shop will close its doors after receiving a tirade of hate online Monk says that the internet 'bullying' began after she was vocal about her disappointment that a Trump rally in Chicago was cancelled last summer Monk attended the rally at the University of Illinois - Chicago and posted to Facebook about her presence there, according to Fox Insider. Afterwards, she said, many random users began to make incendiary comments on her photos and statuses. She said: 'We drew some attention from the left, and they outed us at that point as Trump supporters. 'Since that point we have been receiving online threats, ratings wars - just called every name in the book.' The situation which she has called 'tragic' led she and her husband to decide to move their store entirely online to stop negative comments that affected their business being posted. The couple have created a GoFundMe page with the goal of $30,000 to help make up for the business they've lost. Meanwhile, the murder rate in Chicago for 2016 was the most deadly year in the city's history - with 4,331 shooting victims with 762 murders. The situation which she has called 'tragic' led she and her husband to decide to move their store entirely online to stop negative comments that affected their business being posted Duvel, however, says that he doesn't intend to let the closing of his shop stop him from doing his work with exotic instruments. 'I do a lot of really really amazing repair work on a lot of exotic instruments. I plan on very much continuing all of that wonderful part of what we do to serve our community,' he said. He continued: 'I teach, i'm definitely a very, very sincere performer of live music, ethnic musical instruments.' Duvel, however, says that he doesn't intend to let the closing of his shop stop him from doing his work with exotic instruments For both, it was a difficult experience of feeling like they weren't accepted by a community which they've called home for decades. Duvel said: ' Friends made me feel like i was becoming a liability to them because they couldn't associate or recommend my shop and business, simply because of their peer group being so seriously anti-Trump that even associating with me would be a problem.' The 'bullying' led Monk to write a letter to the editor of Crain's, a weekly Chicago business newspaper. She said: 'People I've had in my home have turned around and decided we're white supremacists, we're xenophobes, not of any evidence just that we voted for Donald Trump.' Watch the latest video at video.foxnews.com Australian mother Sara Connor will not appeal her four-year jail sentence for killing a Bali policeman as she is too scared of a harsher penalty. Her lawyer Erwin Siregar said the 46-year-old was angry and traumatised by the guilty verdict and strongly rejected their advice that she appeal to the Indonesian High Court. She is worried about the system here and is scared that if she appeals they will give her a longer sentence, he told Daily Mail Australia. Australian mother Sara Connor will not appeal her four-year jail sentence for killing a Bali policeman as she is too scared of a harsher penalty Connor (R) was last Monday convicted of the fatal assault in company of policeman Wayan Sudarsa Connor was last Monday convicted of the fatal assault in company of policeman Wayan Sudarsa, who was beaten to death by her British boyfriend Daniel Taylor while she sat on his back. Prosecutors appealed the Denpasar District Courts four-year jail term last week, believing it was too lenient as it was only have the sentence they asked for. Connor could counter-appeal to get the verdict thrown out or sentence reduced. Mr Siregar said her five-person legal team met with Connor at Kerobokan jail for just seven minutes on Monday ahead of the 5pm local time deadline for her to appeal or accept the sentence. Mr Siregar said her legal team explained she had a good chance at getting her conviction overturned on appeal, but she was adamant about not taking the risk Prosecutors have no plans to appeal the six-year sentence handed to Connor's boyfriend, David Taylor (R) We explained to her that she should appeal because she is not guilty, but she is very angry at the sentence and doesnt trust the system at all, he said. She thought she would be not guilty, but she got four years so she is I think shocked about that and angry with us [for not getting her acquitted] and wont listen. I think four years is a good sentence for her, but it looks like she doesnt agree. Mr Siregar said her legal team explained she had a good chance at getting her conviction overturned on appeal, but she was adamant about not taking the risk. He said she heard stories from other inmates about them appealing light sentences and being hit with much longer ones, and was scared that could happen to her Connor will spend four years inside the notorious Kerobokan Prison for killing Bali police officer Wayan Sudarsa He said she heard stories from other inmates about them appealing light sentences and being hit with much longer ones, and was scared that could happen to her. I think we had a good chance of winning in the High Court if she appealed but it is up to Sara and she told us she doesnt want to, Mr Siregar. Connor will no longer be represented by her current lawyers unless she signs a new power of attorney by 5pm, as their agreement will have expired. Mr Siregar said he did not expect to continue as her lawyer, but hoped she would find another one before the prosecutors appeal. Taylor accepted his six-year sentence, which satisfied the prosecutors, and has already started serving it - minus the seven months since the pair were arrested. Roman Polanski, pictured in October 2016, wants to return to the U.S. to visit his wife Sharon Tate's grave. He faces charges relating to a 1977 sexual assault case Roman Polanski's attorney implored a judge Monday to signal how the fugitive director would be sentenced if he returned to Los Angeles to resolve his long-running underage sex abuse case. Superior Court Judge Scott Gordon heard arguments in the four-decade-old case but gave no immediate indication of how he would rule, saying he would issue a written order. He has 90 days to do so. Polanski's lawyer, Harland Braun, said he was trying to find a solution for a unique case, while a prosecutor said the Oscar winner was trying to get special treatment and dictate how the case proceeds from afar. Braun said that between his previous jail time served in Los Angeles and the roughly 10 months he spent in a Swiss jail in 2009, Polanski has 'done nearly eight times the sentence he was promised,' the Los Angeles Times reported. Scroll down for video Polanski's attorney Harland Braun, pictured, asked a Los Angeles judge today to signal how the fugitive would be sentenced if he returned to the U.S. Prosecutor Michele Hanisee, pictured, said that Polanski needed to appear in court in order to resolve the charges and that he should not receive 'different treatment' just because he is a 'wealthy celebrity' Judge Scott Gordon is presiding over the case and has 90 days to issue a written order about it Deputy District Attorney Michele Hanisee said Polanski, 83, who fled on the eve of sentencing in 1978, needed to appear in court to resolve the charges and urged the judge to reject what she called an attempt to give a 'wealthy celebrity different treatment than any other fugitive.' Braun also said that Polanski would return to the U.S. if he knew he would be sentenced under his original plea deal. Polanski's attorney argued the case should be closed - as Polanski says he wants to return to the United States to visit the grave of his former wife, Sharon Tate. Braun has asked Judge Scott Gordon to unseal testimony in the case and also signal whether the Oscar winner would face any additional time if he were to return to Los Angeles for sentencing. Monday's hearing was the first on Polanski's criminal case in seven years and features an entirely new set of eyes on the case. Polanski, pictured in Lyon, France, fled the United States on the eve of his 1978 sentencing for raping the then-13-years-old Samantha Geimer. His lawyer argues that Polanski has already served enough time for the assault and is asking a Los Angeles judge to close the case Polanski's lawyer, Braun, previously wrote in a letter to the court: 'Mr Polanski is 83 years old and wishes to have this matter resolved without prolonged and costly litigation on various matters involved in the sordid history of this prosecution.' Braun added: 'Mr Polanski intends to return to Los Angeles to both conclude this litigation and visit Sharon Tate's grave,' Bloomberg reports. Sharon Tate was murdered by Charles Manson's gang in 1969. The case dates back to 1977, when Polanski plied a 13-year-old girl with champagne and half a sedative before raping her at Jack Nicholson's house. The victim, Samantha Geimer, has said she forgives the director and believes the case should end. In February, she told TMZ: 'I'm all for the truth getting out. He's apologized. I forgive him. I know that he's sorry and he didn't mean to hurt me. 'And he's admitted what he did. He went to jail. I'm not going to carry a bunch of resentment. And much worse things have happened to people, so I feel like bad things happen.' Sharon Tate, pictured with Polanski at their wedding in 1968, was murdered by Charles Manson's gang in 1969 Polanski's attorney wrote: 'Mr Polanski intends to return to Los Angeles to both conclude this litigation and visit Sharon Tate's grave.' Pictured: A modelling shot of Tate She added that she believes details of her case are being kept under wraps because both the district attorney and the court want to 'cover up their own misconduct.' Polanski has long contended he is the victim of judicial misconduct because a now-deceased judge in the case suggested in private remarks that he would renege on a plea bargain and sentencing agreement that called for no more time behind bars for the director. Samantha Geimer, who was assaulted by Polanski at the age of 13, has said she forgives the director and believes the case should end Prosecutors however argue Polanski is trying to dictate terms in the case from afar without risking further time behind bars. Since fleeing, Polanski's movements have been restricted to his native Poland, France and Switzerland. Both Poland and France have rejected bids by U.S. authorities to extradite Polanski, and he spent more than 300 days in jail and on house arrest during the Swiss proceedings. Polanski's lawyer contends that is enough to warrant Polanski being sentenced to time served. Hanisee, however, wrote in a court filing last week that Polanski is 'once again, trying to dictate the terms of his return without risk to himself. '(The) defendant wants answers - but will only show up if he likes the answers,' she wrote. Braun has based many of his arguments on a 200-page Polish court decision issued in 2015 that that the attorney states questioned 'the integrity and honesty of many of the judges who over the years were involved in the Polanski case.' Geimer said: 'He's admitted what he did. He went to jail. I'm not going to carry a bunch of resentment. And much worse things have happened to people, so I feel like bad things happen' The Polish ruling was affirmed by a court this December and follows a Swiss court's 2010 refusal to extradite Polanski. The Swiss said that the U.S. did not provide requested documents. On Friday, Braun filed a motion asking that Polanski be sentenced without being present in court, a request that has been denied by previous judges and upheld by a California appellate court on the ground that the director remains a fugitive. Hanisee wrote that the Polish decision relies on some flawed understanding of the U.S. judicial system and is not relevant in the Los Angeles court. Both sides agree the case that Polanski's case has a bizarre legal history, although Braun attributes that to judicial misconduct while Hanisee attributed much of the recent drama to the director's 'repeated requests ... for secret hearings and special treatment.' She pointed to a 1996 meeting between prosecutors, Polanski's former lawyer and a Los Angeles judge in which a deal was apparently reached for the director to be sentenced to time served, but would have to appear for a public court appearance. Braun denies Polanski wanted a secret hearing. Regardless, no transcript of the meeting with the judge exists. Among the requests Gordon will consider on Monday is a motion by Polanski to unseal testimony from retired Deputy District Attorney Roger Gunson, who originally handled Polanski's case. Gunson gave the testimony over three days in 2010 in case he was unable to testify at any future proceedings in the case. Braun has said the testimony could assist in resolving the case. Polanski won an Academy Award for best director for his 2002 film 'The Pianist' and was nominated for 1974's 'Chinatown' and 1979's 'Tess.' Norway, one of the richest nations in the world, has overtaken Denmark as the happiest country on Earth and it may not come as a surprise that the saddest countries are among the world's poorest. The league table was published by the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) today to mark World Happiness Day, an initiative which was launched by the United Nations in 2012. Australia was listed as the ninth happiest country in the world, the United States came 14th in the list, while Britain came in at number 19. Norway is officially the happiest nation in the world after overtaking Denmark (file photo) The happiest 20 countries in the world 1 - Norway 2 - Denmark 3 - Iceland 4 - Switzerland 5 - Finland 6 - Netherlands 7 - Canada 8 - New Zealand 9 - Australia 10 - Sweden 11 - Israel 12 - Costa Rica 13 - Austria 14 - United States 15 - Ireland 16 - Germany 17 - Belgium 18 - Luxembourg 19 - United Kingdom 20 - Chile Advertisement The rankings are based on income and life expectancy figures, along with how people rate social support, personal freedom, corruption and generosity. Jeffrey Sachs, the director of the SDSN, said: 'Happy countries are the ones that have a healthy balance of prosperity, as conventionally measured, and social capital, meaning a high degree of trust in a society, low inequality and confidence in government.' Countries in sub-Saharan Africa, along with Syria and Yemen, are the officially saddest countries out of 155 named in the report. But the report's author, John Helliwell, an economist at the University of British Columbia, said happiness was not simply equated with wealth. He said: 'It's the human things that matter. If the riches make it harder to have frequent and trustworthy relationship between people, is it worth it? The material can stand in the way of the human.' Studying happiness may seem frivolous, but serious academics have long been calling for more testing about people's emotional well-being, especially in the United States. In 2013, the National Academy of Sciences issued a report recommending that federal statistics and surveys, which normally deal with income, spending, health and housing, include a few extra questions on happiness because it would lead to better policy that affects people's lives. The top 20 happiest countries tend to be among the wealthiest in the world, with the exception of Costa Rica It is probably no surprise to find Syria, which is in the midst of a brutal civil war, towards the bottom of the table of happiest countries Latvia (at 54) has seen one of the most dramatic rises in happiness since the annual reports began in 2012. The table controversially includes the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (61), a state recognised only by Turkey, ahead of Cyprus (65) Denmark was the happiest nation last year but has been overtaken by Norway, with. Iceland, Switzerland and Finland filling out the top five. Meik Wiking, chief executive officer of the Happiness Research Institute in Copenhagen, had nothing but kind words for the Norwegians: 'Good for them. I don't think Denmark has a monopoly on happiness. 'What works in the Nordic countries is a sense of community and understanding in the common good,' he said. The impoverished and war-torn Central African Republic was officially the saddest country in the world, joined at the bottom by Burundi, Tanzania, Syria and Rwanda. Venezuela and the Central African Republic have slipped the most over the past decade but Nicaragua and Latvia have got significantly happier since 2012. Happiest people in the world: Mail Online journalist Paul Hutchinson with Norwegians Stine (left) and Anneline (right) in the city of Trondheim Happiness, sponsored by The Smurfs: Bizarrely the United Nations launched International Day of Happiness in New York at the weekend with singer Demi Lovato (pictured, far left) sharing a stage with the UN's Cristina Gallach (centre) , actors Mandy Patinkin (right) and Joe Manganiello (far right) and a couple of Smurfs The rankings are based on six factors - per capita gross domestic product, healthy life expectancy, freedom, generosity, social support and absence of corruption in government or business. 'The lowest countries are typically marked by low values in all six variables,' said the report, produced with the support of the Ernesto Illy Foundation. Mr Sachs said more countries should follow the United Arab Emirates, which has appointed a Minister of Happiness. 'I want governments to measure this, discuss it, analyse it and understand when they have been off on the wrong direction,' he said. A teenager has been killed after he was gunned down in a brutal shooting outside a block of flats. The 18-year-old, named as David, suffered a gunshot wound to the head during the attack on an estate in Barking, east London, at about 7.10pm yesterday. A man aged 20 has been arrested in relation to the incident and the Metropolitan Police has launched a murder investigation. A murder investigation has been launched after an 18-year-old was fatally shot on this estate in Barking, east London The suspect remains in custody while he is quizzed by detectives. The boy is said to have attended Dagenham Park School. His former football coach Lee Owen, 43, from Dagenham, who ran the team Cobra FC, said: 'I'm devastated. He was such a lovely lad. 'He was so quiet and unassuming. It was a total shock. He joined the club when he was about 11 or 12. It is so upsetting. I just can't believe it.' A spokesman said: 'Local officers, firearms officers and the London Ambulance Service (LAS) attended the scene and found a man believed to be aged 18 with a gunshot wound to the head. 'He was taken by the LAS to an east London hospital where he was pronounced dead at 10.25pm.' A post-mortem is yet to take place, but the victim's family has been informed. Anyone who witnessed the incident or has any information is asked to contact detectives on 101 or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. A promotional event by the University of Hertfordshire (UH) at the British ambassador's residence in Beijing on March 17 highlighted the importance of mutual benefits for the university and its Chinese partners. Julie Newlan, pro vice-chancellor of the University of Hertfordshire. [Photo / Courtesy of UH Beijing Office] In a press briefing, UH Pro Vice-chancellor Julie Newlan said, "We have our philosophy that both benefit. We are enormously dedicated to working with the Chinese universities and that's why our relations are good." UH is a comprehensive university providing the highest graduate employability of over 96 percent across the U.K. last year. Newlan attributed the success to the university's teaching approach to inspire an entrepreneurial spirit among its graduates. Known as the birthplace for the world's first jet airliner for commercial use, the Comet, UH maintains its tradition as a university with strong technical research and development capabilities, offering cutting-edge technologies of aerospace, pilot studies, automotive simulators and wind tunnels. Felix Zhu, associate dean of Engineering at UH, said every Formula One Grand Prix team in the world hires at least one graduate from the university's engineering school. Its strong engineering capabilities has enabled the UH to extend its cooperation with Chinese counterparts, as exemplified by their latest partner China University of Petroleum (CUP) in Qingdao and Dongying of Shandong Province. In their exchange program, the students from the computing and engineering schools of CUP will be admitted two years ahead of graduation to UH, located close to London. "We are both highly competitive in the engineering sector," said Wang Tianhu, president of the College of Distance Education, CUP, "and that is the major reason for us to choose UH when searching for overseas partners." Wang said the increasing exchanges among students and faculty with UH in a close-knit community with shared labs and academic achievements will accelerate the internationalization drive of CUP. Last year, UH recruited about 400 Chinese students and the figure is expected to expand this year. Stuart Smith, UH's head of international cooperative programs, said the arrival of Chinese students not merely entails changes in the class make-up, but also bring in the Chinese language, culture and festive celebrations to the benefit of British students. Creative arts could be another sector that witnesses the UH's endeavor to look for appropriate partners among Chinese universities. The British university has been cooperating with the Tianjin Academy of Fine Arts (TAFA) where, each year, around 40 Chinese students are provided with access to the school of creative arts in UH The school's educational conceptions fit well with the percepts of TAFA, said Li Zhiqiang, a national-level artist and a professor at TAFA, adding: "Artists should give priority to thoughts rather than techniques as the latter should always serve the needs of the former." Li also emphasized that in spite of differences, the exchange between the two schools are based on mutual respect for each other's distinctive history and culture. A policewoman has fought back tears as she described the moment she saw a three-year-old girl in her cot with 'her whole head on fire'. The girl's drug user father Edward John Herbert had also told his neighbour he burnt his daughter at their Perth home because she was 'too beautiful'. The man is on trial in the Western Australian Supreme Court accused of setting alight his daughter and dousing her autistic seven-year-old sister with petrol at Doubleview, in Perth's north, in August 2015. Edward John Herbert is accused of setting alight his daughter, 3, and dousing her sister, 7 Herbert admits his intention to kill, but has pleaded not guilty to five charges on account of being unsound of mind. Constable Stephanie Bochorsky was off-duty at the time and watching television at her neighbouring home when she heard an altercation between Herbert and his partner. The constable told the court on Monday that when she asked the woman if she was OK, she replied: 'No, he's setting the kids on fire!' Const Bochorsky ran into the house and smelt petrol. 'Her whole head was on fire,' she said, as she took a moment to compose herself. Edwards has pleaded not guilty to setting alight one daughter and dousing another with petrol The officer covered the girl in a blanket to put out the flames and saw Herbert pouring petrol over the older child in her bed. Const Bochorsky told Herbert to get away from the children, but he did not respond and remained there, which she described as weird. 'My main concern was to get the flames extinguished,' she said. The policewoman dragged the older girl out of the bed and bolted out of the house. Prosecutor Amanda Forrester said in her opening address of the judge-alone trial that the three-year-old, who had burns to 13 per cent of her body, was permanently scarred from the life-threatening injuries she suffered. Ms Forrester said Herbert was a cannabis user and drinker, who was behaving strangely leading up to the incident, with his moods changing from happiness to anger. A policewoman described seeing a three-year-old girl's set on fire (stock image) His partner said in her court statement that before the attack he seemed to be talking to himself and she was scared. 'I was trying to keep him calm as I was in fear for my life,' she said. She said at one point that night he told her: 'The werewolf is coming at 12 o'clock.' Later, he said: 'That's it bitch, I'm going to kill you.' He then told her he would burn the children instead. Edward John Herbert is on trial for setting his daughter alight in her cot (stock image) The woman said when she saw her burnt daughter she could 'smell burning flesh' and the girl appeared to be in shock, screaming and crying. A neighbour said in his statement that when he rushed into the house with a fire extinguisher, after the girls had been rescued, he found Herbert drinking beer in the kitchen. When he confronted Herbert, he replied: 'They're my kids to do whatever the f*** I want.' Herbert also told the neighbour he burnt his daughter because she was 'too beautiful'. He then lunged at the neighbour with a knife, but the man hit him on the head with the fire extinguisher. The trial continues. The Marine Corps has issued a longer and more detailed social media policy after being battered by a nude photo-sharing scandal. Former and current female Marines have reported their photographs and those of women in other services being posted on social media pages without their consent. Investigators are also looking into threatening and obscene comments Marines wrote accompanying the images. Marine Corps Commandant General Robert Neller speaks during a news conference at the Pentagon The new policy lays out the professional and legal ramifications for service members culpable of online misconduct. Among the coming changes - a requirement that all Marines sign a statement acknowledging they have read and understand the new guidelines. The adjustments are designed to give leaders more leeway in prosecuting or punishing offenders. 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 a 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 month, 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. President Donald Trump didn't wait for the media to reach its own determination about the House Intelligence Committee's public hearing with FBI Director James Comey tweeting out his own spin about testimony that Russia 'did not influence' the election process. The White House sent out seven tweets from Trump's official '@POTUS' account while the high stakes hearing was going on, cherry picking the most helpful comments from the FBI boss prompting Comey to push back on one claim when questioned about it. When he got asked about the White House Twitter claim later in the hearing, Comey said it wasn't his intention to say Russia didn't influence the election because 'thats not something that was looked at.' 'Weve offered no opinion, have no view, have no information on potential impact because its never something that we looked at,' he said. FBI Director James Comey and National Security Agency Director Michael Rogers, right, prepare to testify on Capitol Hill in Washington, Monday The White House sent out tweets from Trump's @POTUS account about the hearing 90 minutes into the event, while Comey was still getting grilled by lawmakers about Russian election interference and other matters after Comey confirmed in public that the FBI was investigating possible links between Trump associates and Russia. In another headline-making statement, Comey said he has 'no information' that supports Trump's tweets that President Obama directed wiretapping of Trump at Trump Tower. But Trump had different information to put out. 'The NSA and FBI tell Congress that Russia did not influence electoral process,' Trump wrote Monday. He attached a video clip NSA Director Admiral Michael Rogers, who was questioned by the Republican chairman of the Intelligence panel, Rep. Devin Nunes. Nunes asked Rogers a series of questions about whether Russian cyber actors 'changed vote tallies' in swing states that handed President Trump his victory. Asked about whether hackers changed the vote in Michigan, Rogers responded: 'No I do not, but I would highlight we are a foreign intelligence organization, not a domestic intelligence organization. 'We are probably not the best organization to provide a more complete answer,' he said. 'How about the state of Pennsylvania?' Nunes asked. 'No sir,' Rogers responded. He provided the same answer for Florida, Wisconsin, North Carolina, and Ohio. Rogers then confirmed he had no evidence to suggest any voters were changed. President Trump tweeted out video clips of favorable testimony during Monday's intelligence hearing on Russia Trump tweeted out a section of testimony where NSA head Michael Rogers got asked whether Russia had 'changed vote tallies' in swing states. He said they hadn't A series of tweets from Trump's @POTUS account cherry-picked Comey's testimony One tweet said Comey admitted the Obama administration had the ability to 'unmask' U.S. citizens, without proving who leaked the information The election hacking that the intelligence community has described publicly does not accuse Russia of successfully hacking into swing state election offices to manipulate the vote. Instead, the officials have concluded that Russia engaged in a campaign to try to influence the election through propaganda and hacks of Democratic individuals and institutions. Since Trump tweeted about the hearing while it was still going on, the witnesses got asked about the president's tweets later and didn't exactly back them up. 'It certainly wasnt our intention to say that today because we dont have any information on that subject,' Comey said, asked about Trump's tweet that there was no influence on the election process. 'Thats not something that was looked at,' he added. Rep. Jim Himes (D-Conn.) asked Comey whether Trump's tweet was accurate. 'Its hard for me to react to that,' Comey responded. 'Weve offered no opinion, have no view, have no information on potential impact because its never something that we looked at,' he said. Another Tweet from Trump's official @POTUS account said: 'FBI Director Comey says classified leaks to the media have been unusually active recently,' and included a clip of the FBI boss's testimony. The tweet was not signed 'DJT,' which according to the Twitter page means the president didn't write it himself. Another @POTUS tweet read: 'FBI Director Comey admits Obamas White House had ability to unmask American citizens.' According to a declassified Intelligence Community report: 'We assess Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered an influence campaign in 2016 aimed at the US presidential election. Russia's goals were to undermine public faith in the US democratic process, denigrate Secretary Clinton, and harm her electability and potential presidency. We further assess Putin and the Russian Government developed a clear preference for President-elect Trump.' The January assessment stated that the intelligence community didn't believe vote tallying equipment got targeted or compromised. In another tweet, Trump wrote: 'FBI Director Comey refuses to deny he briefed President Obama on calls made by Michael Flynn to Russia.' It featured a clip of questioning by Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.), who asked Comey whether he briefed President Obama on 'any calls involving Michael Flynn,' Trump's former National Security Advisor who got fired following revelations about his Russia ties. Comey said he wouldn't get into that case 'or any conversations I had with the president.' Comey said repeatedly during the hearing that he wouldn't confirm information about conversations with the president or confirm anything that might reveal classified information. He also refused to confirm a White House meeting that New York GOP Rep. Pete King asked him to confirm, in a line of questioning meant to ferret out potential leakers. In a third tweet, Trump tried to keep the focus on leakers of classified information, rather than disclosures about his circle's alleged Russia contacts. 'NSA Director Rogers tells Congress unmasking individuals endangers national security,' Trump wrote. FBI Director James Comey, left, accompanied by National Security Agency Director Michael Rogers testifies on Capitol Hill FBI Director James Comey testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington, Monday before the House Intelligence Committee hearing on allegations of Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election Comey confirmed Monday that the bureau is investigating possible links and coordination between Russia and associates of President Donald Trump as part of a broader probe of Russian interference in last year's presidential election. The extraordinary revelation, and the first public confirmation of an investigation that began last summer, came at the outset of Comey's opening statement in a congressional hearing examining Russian meddling and possible connections between Moscow and Trump's campaign. He acknowledged that the FBI does not ordinarily discuss ongoing investigations, but said he'd been authorized to do so given the extreme public interest in this case. 'This work is very complex, and there is no way for me to give you a timetable for when it will be done,' Comey told the House Intelligence Committee. Under questioning from the committee's top Democrat, Rep. Adam Schiff, he also publicly contradicted a series of tweets from Trump that declared the Republican candidate's phones had been ordered tapped by President Barack Obama during the campaign. 'I have no confirmation that supports those tweets, and we have looked carefully inside the FBI,' Comey said. The same was true, he added, of the Justice Department. He also disputed allegations that British intelligence services were involved in the wiretapping. Comey was the latest government official to reject Trump's claims, made without any evidence, that Obama had wiretapped his New York skyscraper during the campaign. Rep. Devin Nunes, a California Republican and chairman of the House intelligence committee, also rejected it earlier in the hearing. Comey was testifying along with National Security Agency Director Michael Rogers. Trump took to Twitter before the hearing began, accusing Democrats of making up allegations about his campaign associates' contact with Russia during the election. He said Congress and the FBI should be going after media leaks and maybe even Hillary Clinton instead. 'The real story that Congress, the FBI and others should be looking into is the leaking of Classified information. Must find leaker now!' Trump tweeted early Monday as news coverage on the Russia allegations dominated the morning's cable news. Trump also suggested, without evidence, that Clinton's campaign was in contact with Russia and had possibly thwarted a federal investigation. U.S. intelligence officials have not publicly raised the possibility of contacts between the Clintons and Moscow. Officials investigating the matter have said they believe Moscow had hacked into Democrats' computers in a bid to help Trump's election bid. Monday's hearing, one of several by congressional panels probing allegations of Russian meddling, could allow for the greatest public accounting to date of investigations that have shadowed the Trump administration in its first two months. The top two lawmakers on the committee said Sunday that documents the Justice Department and FBI delivered late last week offered no evidence that the Obama administration had wiretapped Trump Tower, the president's New York City headquarters. But the panel's ranking Democrat said the material offered circumstantial evidence that American citizens colluded with Russians in Moscow's efforts to interfere in the presidential election. 'There was circumstantial evidence of collusion; there is direct evidence, I think, of deception,' Schiff said on NBC's 'Meet the Press.' ''There's certainly enough for us to conduct an investigation.' Nunes said: 'For the first time the American people, and all the political parties now, are paying attention to the threat that Russia poses.' 'We know that the Russians were trying to get involved in our campaign, like they have for many decades. They're also trying to get involved in campaigns around the globe and over in Europe,' he said on 'Fox News Sunday.' The Senate Intelligence Committee has scheduled a similar hearing for later in the month. Though Comey would not discuss specific evidence, we went far beyond his testimony from a hearing in January, when he refused to confirm or deny the existence of any investigation exploring possible connections between Trump associates and Russia, consistent with the FBI's longstanding policy of not publicly discussing its work. His appearances on Capitol Hill since then have occurred in classified settings, often with small groups of lawmakers, and he has made no public statements connected to the Trump campaign or Russia. Any lack of detail from Comey on Monday would likely be contrasted with public comments he made last year when closing out an investigation into Clinton's email practices and then, shortly before Election Day, announcing that the probe would be revived following the discovery of additional emails. Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has accused Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel of using 'Nazi measures' as a war of words threatens to spiral out of control. In a speech broadcast on television yesterday Erdogan said: 'When we call them Nazis they (Europe) get uncomfortable. They rally together in solidarity. Especially Merkel. 'But you are right now employing Nazi measures,' Erdogan said, referring to Merkel. 'Against who? My Turkish brother citizens in Germany and brother ministers,' he added, in a reference to Turkish politicians who had planned to hold campaign rallies among Turkish nationals in Germany in the run-up to the referendum on constitutional changes. Germany's Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel said Erdogan had gone too far and described his comments as 'shocking'. Relations between Turkey's President Erdogan (right) and Germany's Chancellor Merkel (left) are at their lowest ebb Mr Gabriel told the Passauer Neue Presse newspaper: 'We are tolerant but we're not stupid. That's why I have let my Turkish counterpart know very clearly that a boundary has been crossed here.' Tensions between Ankara and the European Union have worsened dramatically in the run up to a referendum in Turkey on April 16 which proposes to give President Erdogan even greater powers. Critics say it will erode democracy and create a virtual dictatorship. Germany and the Netherlands have both refused to allow Turkish ministers to enter their countries to campaign for a 'yes' vote among Turkish nationals. President Erdogan told a rally yesterday (pictured): 'When we call them Nazis they get uncomfortable. They rally together in solidarity. Especially Merkel.' Erdogan and the Turkish press have reacted furiously, with the nationalist daily Gunes depicting Merkel on its front page in Nazi uniform with a Hitler-style moustache. The newspaper described her as 'Frau Hitler' and called her an 'ugly aunt'. Julia Klockner, the vice-president of Merkel's CDU party, reacted angrily to Erdogan's comments. She said: 'Has Mr Erdogan lost his mind?' and urged the EU to freeze 'financial aid amounting to billions of euros' which has been promised to Turkey as part of a deal to tackle the migration crisis. A Turkish pro-government newspaper has depicted German Chancellor Angela Merkel on its front page in Nazi uniform On Thursday Turkey's interior minister Suleyman Soylu threatened to 'blow the mind' of Europe by sending 15,000 refugees a month into the EU. The landmark deal signed by Ankara and Brussels last March has substantially lessened the flow of migrants from Turkey to Europe but Mr Soylu warned Europe not to 'play games' or 'ignore Turkey'. Germany is home to 1.4 million Turkish voters and Erdogan's speech yesterday seems to have been provoked by a rally in Frankfurt by those urging a 'no' vote in the referendum, where protesters brandished the insignia of the outlawed PKK Kurdish rebels. Referring to the incident, Erdogan's spokesman, Ibrahim Kalin said: 'Germany put its name under another scandal.' The Turkish foreign ministry accused the German authorities 'of the worst example of double standards' for allowing the pro-Kurdish protest while preventing Turkish ministers from campaigning in Germany. Ankara also reacted with indignation after Germany's intelligence chief said he was unconvinced by Turkish assertions that US-based Islamic preacher Fethullah Gulen was behind the failed July coup aimed at overthrowing Erdogan. Kalin said Europe was seeking to 'whitewash' Gulen's group, while Defence Minister Fikri Isik said the comments raised questions about whether Berlin itself was involved in the putsch. 'The fact that the head of German intelligence made such a statement will increase doubts about Germany and give rise to the question 'was German intelligence behind the coup?',' he said. Erdogan has repeatedly accused Germany and the Netherlands of acting like 'Nazis', and claimed Merkel is 'supporting terrorists'. The mocked-up image took up most of the front page of the daily tabloid Gunes A New Zealand zoologist charged by police after it was alleged he tossed a quokka into the ocean had claimed he 'placed it on the jetty before it jumped into the water'. According to The West Australian Bevan Denis Hames, 37, pleaded guilty to animal cruelty today and was granted a spent conviction with a $2000 fine. The man, who is from Christchurch, had said he was trying to prove the quokkas were good swimmers when he placed the animal into the water from a jetty near Rottnest Island, where he was attending a wedding. The marsupial managed to swim to the shore near the Rottnest Hotel late Friday evening when it was found unharmed by a ranger. A New Zealand man has been charged after police alleged he threw a quokka into the ocean It was initially alleged Mr Hames threw the quokka into the water from the jetty however Mr Hames' lawyer Nick Terry today claimed that his client, who has a degree in zoology from Canterbury University, has knowledge of marsupials and placed instead of threw it into the ocean. He told the court Mr Hames did not have any intention or knowledge that he was in the wrong, and was apologetic over the ill-treatment of the animal citing his client had 'proven passion for animals and animal welfare'. Mr Hames rejected claims he had thrown the quokka into the water, insisting he placed it onto the jetty when the animal jumped from his hands. ABC reported Mr Hames had wanted to show his friends that quokkas swam in a similar style to doggy paddle after he had told them they were surprisingly good swimmers. The man defended his actions at the Perth Magistrate's Court saying he 'placed' the animal into the water rather than threw, as police alleged It was accepted by the court Mr Hames believed the animal would not be harmed by putting in water nearby the shoreline and his actions were not done in an 'experimental' way. The court heard once the charges had been made, Mr Hames had been sent threatening emails and the ordeal had been 'devastating' for his family. Over the weekend at the first court hearing a second man was also found to be reprimanded over the event as police fined a 38-year-old from Noosa Heads in Queensland $200 for allegedly assisting to catch the quokka that was put into the ocean. The cute animals are often an easy target for malicious behaviour Although the cute animals are often admired for their adorable faces and gleeful character there have been a series of worrying incidents of cruelty against the furry marsupials. Last week, 21-year-old Corey Douglas of Perth was fined $3000 for recording footage of his friend allegedly chasing and kicking a quokka around a tree at Rottnest in February. The case against Harrison Angus McPherson, his co-accused, is currently ongoing. In 2016 another man was filmed forcing a quokka to drink a vodka UDL which could have killed the animal and two French tourists chose jail over paying a $4000 fine in 2015 for trying to torch a quokka. In a separate incident the same year a teenager was ordered to pay $2500 for kicking a quokka two metres up into the air. Murdered British backpacker Danielle McLaughlin was gang-raped before she was murdered with a broken beer bottle, according to her family's lawyer. In a dramatic development, Vikram Varma today insisted that prime suspect Vikat Bhagat could not have acted alone. Mr Varma, who is representing her family, told MailOnline: Danielle was 58 tall and she was really strong. This fellow Bhagat, he does not look strong and muscular. I doubt he had the strength to overcome Danielle on his own. If she was intoxicated there would have been no need for the terrible injuries she suffered. Court appearance: Vikat Bhagat, 23, is the chief suspect in the murder of Danielle McLaughlin. Today he appeared in court on 20 separate charges of theft against tourists as the lawyer for Danielle's family said they believe she was gang raped before she was killed 'Too skinny': Vikat Bhagat is not strong enough to have overcome Danielle McLaughlin on his own, according to her family's lawyer. He believes she was attacked by a gang of men Returning home: Danielles body is expected to be repatriated today. A British coroner will arrange for her body to be returned to her family in Donegal, Ireland. Danielle McLaughlin's familys lawyer Mr Varma, who also worked on the case of Scarlett Keeling, said: There has to be more than one person involved. I have no doubt.' Pictured: Mr Varma with Fiona MacKeown, the mother of Scarlett, the 15-year-old murdered in Goa in 2008 He spoke as Bhagat, 23, appeared in court on 20 separate charges of theft against tourists. Danielle, 28, was strangled and her face was slashed with a broken bottle during the terrifying attack in Palolem, south Goa, last week. Bhagat has allegedly admitted to police that he killed Danielle McLaughlin following hours of drinking at a festival, last Monday night. But he denies raping her, claiming the pair were involved in an on-off relationship, police have told MailOnline. The familys lawyer Mr Varma, who also worked on the case of Scarlett Keeling, the 15-year-old murdered in Goa in 2008, continued: Bhagats story is that he was alone with Danielle which is doubtful. There has to be more than one person involved. I have no doubt. He would not have been able to overpower Danielle on his own. I have a feeling that it was more than one person but we have to verify everything with evidence. I believe Danielles attackers took her to another place other than the place where the body was found. Tourist 'thief': The chief suspect in the murder of Danielle McLaughlin, Vikat Bhagat, was today accused of a string of separate offences against tourists after he was marched into Canacona Police Station Justice: As Vikat Bhagat was marched to a police station to face 20 separate charges of stealing from tourists, friends of Danielle warned police not to jump to conclusions and asked for more witnesses to come forward Bleak: Danielle, 28, was strangled and her face was slashed with a broken bottle during the terrifying attack in Palolem, south Goa. Pictured: The spot near where Danielle was murdered Bhagats clothes had blood on them and Danielles clothes were found close to his house. But these small criminal gangs operate in groups of four to six people. They share the spoils of their exploits. They are very loyal to each other. The lawyer is now urging Goa Police to keep searching for the other attackers. We are not satisfied with an arrest and a confession. We are looking for a conviction. We want the police to continue their investigation and to keep gathering evidence and not be satisfied with only a confession. The police are planning to lay charges within a month. But we need to verify things. We dont want the police to rely solely on Bhagats confession before taking the case to trial. Appeal: Vikat Bhagats distraught mother Surekha came to the court house for the hearing and appealed to police to let her see her son when he was returned to custody. Her request was refused Defence: Vikat Bhagat has allegedly confessed to the killing but denied rape as the pair were in a consensual 'on-off' relationship. Pictured: Vikat's mother trying to see her son The forensic report will take two or three weeks to complete. If the vaginal swabs reveal there is sperm from more than one person then that is clear evidence that Danielle was attacked by more than one man. Danielles best friend Nicole Farren also urged local people to come forward with all the information they have to bring Danielles abusers to justice. We understand there is a lot of pressure on you the local people to protect criminals operating in the area who have a lot of power, she said. Sometimes it is time to stand up and take a stand and say No, Enough is Enough. Speaking at a memorial service for Danielle on Sunday she added: We understand that there have been cases of tourists who have been murdered in the past which were quickly solved by the police. But after the trial that these criminals have been acquitted. We sincerely hope that this will not happen in the case of our Danielle. We want justice for Danielle, she deserves justice. Mr Varma spoke out as Bhagat appeared in court in Goa on separate charges. March for peace: Danielle's childhood friend Nicole Farren, from Ireland, pictured centre in the striped top, and Sheridan Smith, from Australia, in the orange top and sunglasses, took part in a justice march for Danielle yesterday Witness call: Danielles best friend Nicole Farren, pictured above, urged local people to come forward with all the information they have to bring Danielles abusers to justice. We understand there is a lot of pressure on you the local people to protect criminals operating in the area who have a lot of power, she said Speaking at a memorial service for Danielle on Sunday, Nicole Farren, pictured above in striped top, added: We understand that there have been cases of tourists who have been murdered in the past which were quickly solved by the police. But after the trial that these criminals have been acquitted. We sincerely hope that this will not happen in the case of our Danielle. The murder suspect is accused of 20 offences in addition to the brutal sexual attack and killing of the 28-year-old adventurer in Palolem, Goa, last week. The 23-year-old made a brief appearance at the Canacona Court House today to face charges of theft. He is accused of stealing laptops, mobile phones, cash and jewellery from four tourists, including one holiday maker from the Netherlands, in 2015. Bhagat faces a further 19 cases of robbery and theft in the beach resorts of south Goa. None of these cases involve violence. His face covered with a white scarf and wearing blue polka-dot shorts, a black t-shirt and flip-flops the suspect was moved the short distance from Canacona Police station to the court house in a police car. World traveller: Danielle McLaughlin, 28, was strangled and her face was slashed with a broken bottle during the terrifying attack in Palolem, south Goa, last week Conviction: The lawyer for Danielle's family is now urging Goa Police to keep searching for the other attackers. We are not satisfied with an arrest and a confession. We are looking for a conviction' Bhagats distraught mother Surekha came to the court house for the hearing and appealed to police to let her see her son when he was returned to custody. Her request was refused. Mr Varma has praised the bravery of Nicole Farren, Miss McLaughlins best friend, who has come to Goa to repatriate Danielles body. He said: Danielles friend Nicole wants to know the details of the case from the legal perspective. Danielles body is expected to be repatriated today. A British coroner will arrange for her body to be returned to her family in Donegal, Ireland. Despite his failed attempt to woo a British backpacker by jumping into crocodile infested waters, an 18-year-old man said he's still head over heels. Lee De Paauw almost had his armed ripped off by a monster three-metre long crocodile after jumping into infested waters in Innisfail around 2.30am on Sunday in an attempt to win over glamorous tourist Sophie Paterson. The foolhardy teenager was lucky to get away with his life, punching the huge reptile in the face after it sunk its jaws into his arm and tried to drown him in a 'death roll'. Despite his heroics, Miss Paterson was not impressed, telling her admirer: 'Being attacked by animals doesnt really do it for me.' But that hasn't stopped Mr De Paauw, who told 9News he's still smitten with Miss Paterson. Scroll down for video Despite his failed attempt to woo a British backpacker by jumping into crocodile infested waters in Queensland, 18-year-old Lee De Paauw (pictured), said he's still head over heels British backpacker Sophie Paterson (pictured), 24, dared a teenager to jump into crocodile-infested waters 'She is beautiful, caring, and kind.' 'I did not know there was a crocodile there. I just done it for Sophie.' Miss Paterson, 24, was having drinks with Mr De Paauw in the early hours of Sunday morning when she dared him to jump into the Johnstone River in the far north of Queensland. The teenager, who lives nearby, foolishly went for it - only to be attacked by a huge saltwater crocodile that was lurking in the creek. Mr De Paauw almost had his armed ripped off by a monster three-metre long crocodile after jumping into infested waters in Innisfail around 2.30am on Sunday Despite Miss Paterson telling the teenager she was not impressed, Mr De Paauw said he's still head over heels with the 'beautiful, caring and kind' tourist. 'I did not know there was a crocodile there. I just done it for Sophie,' the teenager said Speaking to the Fitzy & Wippa radio show from his hospital bed, Mr De Paauw explained why he leaped into the water. 'Being dared, I jumped off the jetty and I was swimming back around to the stairs to get out. 'I was about to pull myself back up when the croc grabbed my arm and dragged me back out and started rolling me. 'I hit it in the nose and it loosened its grip. I got another hit in and it was right in its eye. It dropped me then.' Miss Paterson told 9News she saw a lot of bone and blood during the 'horrendous' attack that she likened to the movie Jaws. A surprisingly chipper Mr De Paauw added that it would all be worth it if Miss Paterson came on a date with him. 'Hopefully that girl buys me a drink,' he said, adding that he had her number. Miss Paterson (pictured) told 9News she saw a lot of bone and blood during the 'horrendous' attack that she likened to the movie Jaws Luckily for the plucky teenager, Miss Paterson was also on the show. But that was where Mr De Paauw's fortune ended, with his backpacker crush saying she was not impressed by his antics - adding that there was no chemistry between them. 'He's too young for me,' she said. 'Being attacked by animals doesnt really do it for me.' Miss Paterson and Mr De Paauw shared a short conversation on air, but it was a little awkward. The radio hosts suggested the British tourist pay the teenager a visit in hospital, but she did not seem up for it. 'Being attacked by animals doesnt really do it for me,' Miss Paterson said The teenager leaped into the Johnstone River (file picture) but almost immediately started 'splashing and screaming' Miss Paterson had earlier told the Courier Mail that Mr De Paauw had boasted of how he could swim in the water over drinks at a nearby hostel. 'He was talking about the local creek saying "I can swim out" and so we said, "go on then", but we didn't think he would do it,' she said. 'He sort of made this claim "I'll swim out and back". At first we just said "don't be so ridiculous" and didn't think he was going to go through with it. The teenager leaped into the water but almost immediately started "splashing and screaming". Miss Paterson, from Yeovil, Somerset, watched in horror as the teenager wrestled himself free from the crocodile and hauled himself out of the water, covered in blood. 'There was blood everywhere and he just wouldn't stop screaming. I thought he had lost his arm because of how bad it looked,' she said. Mr De Paauw was rushed to hospital, where doctors were able to save his arm. Brenton Gangemi, owner of local wildlife cruises Snapping Tours, said he believed the culprit croc was a three-and-a-half to four metre male saltwater crocodile (file picture) Paramedic Neil Noble said it was fortunate Mr de Paauw was able to escape the reptile's grip before he drowned in a 'death roll'. 'Reports from the scene are he was dared to jump into the water, which he did and unfortunately that area is well known for its crocodile population,' Mr Noble said. 'We're just very grateful that he's survived this incident because it could have turned out to be quite fatal.' Brenton Gangemi, owner of local wildlife cruises Snapping Tours, said he believed the culprit croc was a three-and-a-half to four metre male saltwater crocodile that had been frequenting the area recently. Mr Gangemi said the man could also have been attacked by a bull shark as they were common in the river. Saltwater crocodiles are one of Australia's most dangerous land animals and have been responsible for eight confirmed fatal attacks in Queensland since 1985. In May 2016 New Zealand-born photographer Cindy Waldron died after she was dragged under water by a 4.3m saltwater crocodile while walking with a friend at Thornton Beach, north of Cairns. A man has been fined for trying to smuggle more than 4200 insects, 27 spiders and seven scorpions on to a flight from Perth to Abu Dhabi. The Czech national was boarding a flight last month when his bags were searched by Australian Border Force officers who seized the insects. ABF says the insects were housed in plastic boxes, ziplock bags and plastic bottles. Scroll down for video A man has been fined for trying to smuggle more than 4200 insects, 27 spiders and seven scorpions on to a flight from Perth to Abu Dhabi The Czech national was boarding a flight last month when his bags were searched by Australian Border Force officers who seized the insects ABF says the insects were housed in plastic boxes, ziplock bags and plastic bottles The insects were assessed by the WA Museum, which found the insects were Australian species protected under the state's Wildlife Conservation Act Most were packed in wood shavings infused with ethyl acetate except for a few moths and butterflies, which were housed in wax paper envelopes in a plastic box. The insects were assessed by the WA Museum, which found the insects were Australian species protected under the state's Wildlife Conservation Act. The man, who ABF officers say had a likely history of collecting and exporting insects across the world, was arrested and fined $2000. The body of a missing spear fisherman who police believe was killed by a huge crocodile has been found after a two-day search. Warren Hughes, 35, disappeared on Saturday after diving from his dinghy off Palmer Point, near Innisfail, just hours before an 18-year-old was attacked in a nearby river. His body was pulled from the water nearby about 8am on Monday and police siad he suffered injuries consistent with being mauled by a large crocodile. The body of missing spear fisherman Warren Hughes, 35, who police believe was killed by a huge crocodile has been found after a two-day search '(His family) are obviously dealing with a horrendous incident. They are coping as best they can,' Sergeant Doug Godden said. Officers believe the beast responsible may be a 4.5-metre long crocodile that 'aggressively' rammed a police boat on Sunday night as they search for Mr Hughes. 'It headed straight for the vessel. They had to backtrack fairly quickly to avoid colliding with it,' said Matt Brien from the Department of Environment and Heritage Protection. 'It seemed to have something in its mouth.' His body was pulled from the water nearby about 8am on Monday and police siad he suffered injuries consistent with being mauled by a large crocodile (file picture) It could also be the same one that almost ripped teenager Lee de Paauw's arm off on Sunday morning after he jumped into crocodile-infested waters as a dare by British backpacker Sophie Paterson who has was infatuated with. Moments later, a four-metre long crocodile attacked him and tried to drown him in a 'death roll', before he freed himself by punching the reptile in the face. Mr Hughes' abandoned dingy was found anchored near where he disappeared at about 6pm on Saturday, sparking a vast land and sea search. Police have been given the authority to kill the aggressive saltwater crocodile after it was seen behaving as if it was protecting food. 'It's an aggressive animal and so we'll do what we need to do to remove it. We may capture it through conventional means, but lethal force is an option,' Dr Brien said. Lee De Paauw, 18, punched a crocodile after he was dared to jump into a river on Sunday British backpacker Sophie Paterson (left and right), 24, dared the teenager to jump into crocodile-infested waters However, he said renewed calls for a crocodile cull following the attacks weren't warranted. 'The question is: If you did cull, could you remove all the crocs? And the answer is no, you can't. They can travel hundreds of kilometres over a few days,' he said. Katter's Australian Party Queensland MP Shane Knuth wants to introduce a controlled cull, and would introduce legislation in May. It would include a bounty system, as well as allowing indigenous groups to run croc-hunting safaris. 'Once we were able to even fish beside our waterways, that is now a risk. So we really need to make a decision on whether we're going to look after the interests and safety of people, or back the crocodiles,' he said. The White House is 'peddling falsehoods' with claims that GCHQ helped Barack Obama spy on Donald Trump, a former UK ambassador to Washington has warned. Sir Peter Westmacott said the US administration was playing a 'dangerous game' and risked providing a 'gift to our enemies' by damaging intelligence-sharing. The diplomat urged Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson to raise the issue when he visits Washington later this week. The warning came after White House press secretary Sean Spicer sparked a row by citing a Fox News analyst's claim that Mr Obama had used UK listening agency GCHQ to bug Trump Tower. Sir Peter Westmacott said the US administration was playing a 'dangerous game' by repeating claims about GCHQ Mr Trump, seen arriving in Palm Beach on Friday, has said his press secretary was merely repeating claims by a Fox News analyst The claim brought a rare public denial from GCHQ which described the suggestion as 'utterly ridiculous'. Downing Street said it had secured an assurance that the allegation would not be repeated. But at a joint press conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Friday, Mr Trump said only that Mr Spicer had just been quoting retired judge Andrew Napolito who he described as a 'very talented legal mind'. 'We said nothing,' he said. 'I don't make an opinion on it,' Sir Peter, who retired last year, said senior US officials were well aware the president was playing a 'dangerous game' which revolved around Mr Trump's 'famous reluctance to admit mistakes' combined with his suspicion of intelligence agencies. He warned it risked undermining a relationship that was 'critical' to US-UK efforts to counter a range of threats including terrorism, Russian aggression, Chinese cyber-attacks, and the nuclear threat from North Korea. The allegation that Barack Obama used GCHQ to bug Trump Tower has been dismissed as 'utterly ridiculous' 'The intelligence relationship between Britain and America is unique and precious. It is based on unquestioned mutual trust, between operatives and politicians on each side of the Atlantic,' he wrote in the Guardian. 'That is something both countries have taken for granted since the Second World War. 'Gratuitously damaging it by peddling falsehoods and then doing nothing to set the record straight would be a gift to our enemies they could only dream of.' Sir Peter's comments will be seen as underlining the strength of feeling among the British intelligence and diplomatic communities at the actions of the White House. VW 'back on track' thanks to record deliveries in 2016 [File photo by Chen Boyuan / China.org.cn] Positive 2016 sales results have given Volkswagen Group new momentum, thanks to its speedy expansion in the Chinese market. But, the automaker also reported shrinking profits as heated competition dragged down market prices. Despite its ongoing diesel emissions issues, the carmaker set a new record for deliveries in 2016. It exceeded expectations by shifting 10.3 million vehicles worldwide, including 4 million sales in China, a 12.2 percent increase on the previous year. "Last year was a challenging yet remarkably successful year for us," said Matthias Muller, CEO of Volkswagen, at the 2016 annual financial statement presentation in Wolfsburg, Germany, on Mar 14. He added: "In 2016 we set our course for the biggest transformation in the history of the company, while at the same time performing better in our operating business than many thought possible. Volkswagen is back on track." In order to accomplish its long-term goal of becoming one of the world's leading providers of sustainable mobility, the group launched its 'Together - Strategy 2025' future program in 2016. Sales of Volkswagen models rose 14 percent in China to 3 million units in 2016. Audi sales edged up 3.6 percent to 591,554 units and Skoda sales increased by 12.6 percent to 317,100 units. Meanwhile, luxury cars continued to post strong growth. Porsche sales went up 12.5 percent to 65,200 units during the same period. Jochem Heizmann, president and CEO of Volkswagen China, said: "China's auto sales growth in 2016 has exceeded our expectation and long-term plan." Although it posted sales revenues of 217.3 billion euros ($234.11 billion), the German company saw a minor decline in its Chinese joint ventures, which were impacted negatively by exchange rate effects. An auto analyst at an international consultancy firm, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said: "Volkswagen was slow in bringing its SUVs to the world's largest market, where customers have been turning to SUVs over the past several years." The Chinese SUV market surged by 45.7 percent to post nearly 9.2 million sales in 2016, growing three times faster than the overall passenger car market expansion rate. But only two SUV models carrying Volkswagen badges are currently on the Chinese market, the Tiguan, which is locally produced by SAIC Volkswagen, and the imported Touareg. SAIC Volkswagen is also offering its Yeti model, a third SUV model carrying the volume Skoda brand, which is also localized. In contrast, FAW-Volkswagen Automobile's Audi division stepped on the accelerator in SUV production by launching its Audi Q7, Q5 and Q3 models. It is set to localize the compact Q2 model for younger generations in Guangdong province, while a Q plant is under construction for the next generation Q5. "SUVs have higher prices than the sedans on the same platform. The market has accepted and settled into this pattern, so the segment generates much more substantial profits for a carmaker," said the analyst. The premium brand's achievement set another annual record for the premium segment in China, while the Audi Q5 topped the premium midsize SUV market. At 59.3 billion euros, Audi's 2016 sales revenue exceeded the previous year's figure by 900 million euros. The automaker witnessed its global sales rise by 3.6 percent year-on-year to around 1.9 million automobiles in 2016, maintaining a worldwide demand increase for the seventh year in a row since 2009. "The Audi division has its own management system that runs well as a department under FAW-Volkswagen," said the analyst. Advertisement Terrified locals have been violently lashed by Sharia law 'enforcers' for spending time with people who are not their wives or husbands in Indonesia. The public caning, which took place in Banda Aceh province, saw several citizens whipped in front of a huge crowd. Masked enforcers carried out the punishments as part of their duties as algojo, which translated from Indonesian means 'the executioner' and the person responsible for carrying out the death penalty. An Acehnese woman receives lashes from an executor known as 'algojo' while being whipped in public for violating sharia law in Banda Aceh, Indonesia on March 20, 2017. The woman received 25 lashes for having a sex outside of marriage An Acehnese woman gets whipped for spending time in close proximity with a man who is not her husband, which is against Sharia law, in Aceh on March 20, 2017 An Acehnese woman is spoken to by a sharia police officer during a pause in punishment while she is whipped in public for violating sharia law in Banda Aceh, Indonesia An Acehnese man looks down as he is whipped in public for violating sharia law in Banda Aceh, Indonesia, March 20, 2017 epa05859186 An Acehnese man looks down as he is whipped in public for violating sharia law in Banda Aceh. The man received 25 lashes for having sex outside of marriage Some of the masked men are paid professional executioners, and all adhere to an intimidating dress code of a black robe with a gold trim, beige or light-coloured eye mask and white gloves. Previously, the enforcers have been seen to wear a pink trim to their black robes, but their footwear appears to be their own choice. They have been seen to wear black boots, running shoes and in the most recent lashings which occurred on Monday, one enforcer was spotted wearing what looked like hotel-issue white slippers. Punishments were handed out to women and men having sex outside of marriage for which they received 25 lashings. One man was caned for gambling and both men and women were lashed for spending time with somebody who is not their husband or wife. The punishments are not consistent with previous cases, with women caned 100 time for having sex outside of marriage just 10 days ago. An Acehnese woman receives 25 lashes from an executor known as 'algojo' for having a sex outside of marriage An Acehnese man gets whipped for spending time in close proximity with a woman who is not his wife, which is against Sharia law Recent barbaric beatings in Banda Aceh In the past year, MailOnline has reported on the troubling rising trend of public lashings carried out in Aceh, Indonesia: March 1, 2016: Woman whipped 50 times for spending time alone with a man at the age of 19. March 24, 2016: Young woman carried from the stage on a stretcher after being lashed for sex outside marriage. August 1, 2016: Another woman is lashed for going on a date in Aceh. August 15, 2016: Elderly man caned for breaking Sharia law. September 11, 2016: Man and a woman lashed for having an affair and among the gathered crowd is the mayor of Banda Aceh. October 17, 2016: Muslim woman screams out in pain on stage after being lashed 23 times for standing too close to her boyfriend. October 31, 2016: A woman, 20, caned in public for getting too close to a man she wasn't married to. November 28, 2016: Man and a woman lashed 100 times each for adultery. February 2, 2017: Enforcer lands 26 beatings across the back of a woman for having sex outside of wedlock. February 10, 2017: Woman collapses in pain on stage as she is being caned. February 27, 2017: Man collapses on stage as he is being whipped for having sex outside of marriage. March 10, 2017: Woman lashed 100 times for having sex outside marriage and child molester receives 120. Advertisement The beatings occurred in Aceh, which is the only province in the country which implements Sharia law in full. The province began implementing Sharia law after being granted autonomy in 2001 an attempt by the government in Jakarta to quell a long-running separatist insurgency. Islamic laws have been strengthened since Aceh struck a peace deal with Jakarta in 2005. People are flogged for a range of offences including gambling, drinking alcohol, gay sex or any sexual relationship outside marriage. More than 90 per cent of the 255million people who live in Indonesia describe themselves as Muslim, but the vast majority practice a moderate form of the faith. The brutal and public beatings have become more prevalent this year with a number of reported incidents of those being punished collapsing in pain on stage. Back in September 2014, Aceh approved an anti-homosexuality law that can punish anyone caught having gay sex with 100 lashes. After a three-decade-old separatist movement, a peace agreement signed in 2005 granted special autonomy to Aceh, at the northern tip of Sumatra, on condition that it remained part of the sprawling archipelago. As part of that deal, Aceh won the right to be the only Indonesian province to use Islamic sharia law as its legal code. Anybody caught engaging in consensual gay sex is punished with 100 lashes, 100 months in jail or a fine of 1,000 grams of gold. The law also set out punishment for sex crimes, unmarried people engaging in displays of affection, people caught found guilty of adultery and underage sex. Religious police in Aceh have been known to target Muslim women without head scarves or those wearing tight clothes, and people drinking alcohol or gambling. Over the past decade, the central government has devolved more power to regional authorities to increase autonomy and speed up development. Engaging in homosexual acts is not a crime under Indonesia's national criminal code but remains taboo in many conservative parts of the country with the world's largest Muslim population. An Acehnese man gets whipped for spending time in close proximity with a woman who is not his wife, which is against Sharia law An Islamic enforcer, known as 'the executioner', draws back his cane to whip a man accused of having sex outside of marriage A man holds his arm as he is whipped for having sex outside marriage in Banda Aceh, Indonesia, which is ruled by Sharia law Woman covers her face while being escorted by sharia police officers before being whipped in public for violating sharia law in Banda Aceh Previous lashings have resulted in men and women collapsing in a heap due to the pain of caused by the whipping. Although there were no signs that any of those caned on Monday collapsed, the punishments handed out appeared to be more lenient than in the past. Just 10 days ago, men and women received 100 lashes for having sex outside marriage. In the same public humiliation, a child molester was whipped 120 times for his crime. Kim Jong-Un has threatened to reduce the US 'to ashes' with nuclear weapons if American fires 'even a single bullet' at North Korea. Pyongyang said it would use its 'invincible Hwasong rockets tipped with nuclear warheads' to defend its territory as tensions with South Korea continued to escalate. It comes as Seoul insisted North Korea's latest rocket-engine test showed 'meaningful' progress and as an an analyst said the secretive state had taken a dangerous step towards its goal of developing a rocket that could hit the United States. Kim Jong-Un has threatened to reduce the US 'to ashes' with nuclear weapons if American fires 'even a single bullet' at North Korea. He is pictured yesterday inspecting the ground jet test of newly developed high-thrust engine at the Sohae Satellite Launching Ground in North Korea Pyongyang said it would use its 'invincible Hwasong rockets tipped with nuclear warheads' to defend its territory as tensions with South Korea continued to escalate. Pictures show rocket engine tests yesterday The statement, from Kim Jong-Un's Foreign Office, was released earlier this month before the latest tests. It said: 'The Korean People's Army will reduce the bases of aggression and provocation to ashes with its invincible Hwasong rockets tipped with nuclear warheads and reliably defend the security of the country and its people's happiness in case the US and the south Korean puppet forces fire even a single bullet at the territory of the DPRK.' Last night, the North's KCNA news agency said its new rocket engine would help the state achieve world-class satellite-launch capability, indicating a new type of rocket engine for an intercontinental ballistic missile. The North's announcement of a successful engine test came as U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson was in Beijing at the end of his first visit to Asia for talks dominated by concern about North Korea's nuclear and missile programmes. 'Through this test, it is found that engine function has made meaningful progress but further analysis is needed for exact thrust and possible uses,' Lee Jin-woo, deputy spokesman for the South Korean defence ministry, told a regular briefing. It comes as Seoul insisted North Korea's latest rocket-engine test showed 'meaningful' progress and as an an analyst said the secretive state had taken a dangerous step towards its goal of developing a rocket that could hit the United States. Kim Jong-UN is pictured, centre, with his officials yesterday State-run North Korean media reported that leader Kim Jong Un had hailed the successful test of a new high-thrust engine at its rocket launch station (pictured) as 'a new birth' of its rocket industry State-run North Korean media reported that leader Kim Jong Un had hailed the successful test of a new high-thrust engine at its rocket launch station as 'a new birth' of its rocket industry. Lee said the test featured a main engine supported by four supplementary engines. However, he did not elaborate on the progress the test showed the North had made, nor comment on whether the engine could be used for an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), saying the South Korean military was conducting analysis. U.S. President Donald Trump told reporters he held meetings on North Korea at the weekend at his Florida resort. While he did not refer specifically to the rocket-engine test, he said Kim Jong Un was 'acting very, very badly'. A South Korean analyst said the test was an ominous development. 'This was a comprehensive test for the first-stage rocket for an ICBM, and that is why it was dangerous,' said Kim Dong-yub, an analyst at Seoul's Institute for Far Eastern Studies. 'It appears that North Korea has worked out much of its development of the first-stage rocket booster.' North Korea has conducted five nuclear tests and a series of missile launches in defiance of U.N. sanctions, and is believed by experts and government officials to be working to develop nuclear-warhead missiles that could reach the United States. North Korean leader Kim said in January his country was close to test-launching an ICBM. That would put parts of the United States in range. Last week, Tillerson issued the Trump administration's starkest warning yet to North Korea, saying in Seoul that a military response would be 'on the table' if it took action to threaten South Korean and U.S. forces. North Korean leader Kim said in January his country was close to test-launching an intercontinental ballistic missile. That would put parts of the United States in range The United States has long called on China to do more to rein in its ally, North Korea. China resents being pressed to do more, saying the problem is between North Korea and the United States, although it too objects to the North's nuclear programme. No formal agreements were announced during Tillerson's visit to China although the two sides said they would work together to try to make North Korea take 'a different course'. China has called for a dual-track approach on North Korea, urging it to suspend its tests and the United States and South Korea to suspend military exercises so both sides can return to talks. Beijing has also been infuriated by the deployment of an advanced U.S. anti-missile system in South Korea, which it says will both harm China's own security and do nothing to ease tensions. China says the system's powerful radar will extend into the country's northeast and potentially track Chinese missile launches, and maybe even intercept them. Russia also opposes the system, for the same reasons. Shoppers are being fined for going into a Tesco Express after the store changed how vehicles access the car park - forcing them to cross a bus lane. At least two people are known to have received the 60 penalty charge after the Tesco branch in Holderness Road, Hull, changed their rules two weeks ago. Previously, drivers could turn freely into the entrance without receiving a fine as it was located on a T junction, where a break in the bus lane allowed shoppers to safely access the car park. Shoppers have been receiving fines for crossing a bus lane before entering a Tesco Express in Holderness Road, Hull. The bus lane is in operation from 7am to 9.30am The map above shows the route shoppers now have to take when driving in to the store, which means they have to veer in to a bus lane, or hold up traffic before turning across the penalty zone and into the car park The shop previously had the entrance on a T junction and the exit on to a bus lane (as seen above), however, this has now been switched around However, as the entrance and exit points have been swapped around by the shop, drivers are finding themselves being caught on camera for entering the bus lane before going into the shop. The bus lane is in operation from 7am until 9.30am from Monday to Saturday. The MailOnline understands the reason people are being fined is because they are moving into the bus lane 'too early' before driving into the entrance. Mail Online has contacted Tesco to find out why the entrance and exit have been switched around. Gemma Norris, 32, told the Hull Daily Mail that she has received a fine which she is appealing. There is now a 'no entry' sign on the previous entrance to the Tesco Express shop A Tesco van is seen crossing the bus lane to enter the shop. It is not known if it got a ticket for the manoeuvre She said: 'If I lose my appeal it's not going to be worth the packet of biscuits and the Aero I went in for. 'I know it's operational at that time but you can't access the entrance without moving into the bus lane. I'm not paying the fine regardless. The entrance has been like that for two weeks, so it's long enough to sort this kind of thing out.' What is the policy on PCNs in Hull? If a motorist enters a bus lane, they will be fined 60. But if the charge is paid in 21 days it is reduced to 30. Drivers can also appeal the PCN. Advertisement Maggie Bruce said she had been 'put off' from using the supermarket. 'I saw it and thought I'd probably just accidentally gone in the lane...but now you can check online and I'm glad I did because I realised I'd literally just driven along the left hand side of the road to go left into the Tesco, and it was a bus lane.' Wendy Cotton, a Hull-based driving instructor from RED Driving School, gave advice to motorists about how to safely enter the shop. She said: 'Bearing in mind we arent aware what is deemed too early to turn into the bus lane, the safest way to complete the turn and not be penalised is to continue to drive in the right hand lane with your left signal on, slow down on the approach, be careful to check the left hand land is clear, then turn 90 degrees into the car park. 'Motorists should bear in mind that traffic will be coming more quickly as it is flowing more freely, plus the bus lanes are only operational for two hours a day.' A spokesperson for Hull City Council said: 'We are aware of the issues in the area and have taken steps to ensure that discretion is applied based on the merits of each individual case. 'Motorists can appeal a fine online at www.hullcc.gov.uk. Customer Service Centres can also assist residents in raising an appeal.' A spokesperson for Tesco said: We are sorry that a few customers have experienced problems accessing our store and are actively working with the council to encourage them to find a timely resolution to the issue. Questions have been asked in court about why only one man was charged over a baby shower brawl at a Sydney Chinese restaurant. Junchi Ma was captured on camera being involved in a melee that erupted at the Zilver eatery, in Bondi Junction, in February 2016. Dramatic footage shows a chair flying through the air only moments before a four-minute brawl erupted between the tables. Junchi Ma (pictured in the yellow and black shirt) was punched by a stranger at his table The video shows a stranger approaching Ma at a circular table and standing over him before he is unexpectedly punched. Despite that, Ma was the only person charged over that brawl, even though another man attacked him while another threw soup. Ma, who comes from Pymble on Sydney's Upper North Shore, had initially declined to respond violently as another man picked up and threw a chair. His defence barrister Eidan Havas appeared in Sydney's Downing Centre Local Court on Monday to ask why his client was the only person charged, despite the fact he was attacked. Footage at the Zilver restaurant shows a chair being thrown moments before the brawl The baby shower erupted into a brawl that last for four minutes in the Zilver restaurant He told the court Ma was working on his third university degree and had no criminal record, Seven News reported. 'The evidence went really well today,' Mr Havas said outside court. The prosecution rejected Ma's claim of self defence. The case returns to court on Tuesday. Twenty students have been killed while swimming at a waterfall after trees crashed down on top of them during a storm in Ghana. The high school pupils were in a river close to Kintampo waterfalls yesterday, a popular tourist destination in the Brong-Ahafo region of the country. But tragedy struck when a brewing storm caused trees to topple and fall on the teenagers while they were in the water. Twenty students have been killed while swimming at a waterfall after trees crashed down on top of them during a storm in Ghana Ghana National Fire Service spokesman Prince Billy Anaglate said the 'unusual incident' happened on Sunday afternoon. 'They were swimming in the river when there was a storm, a windy atmosphere that had uprooted some of the trees and they had fallen on some of them - those who were apparently swimming,' Anaglate said. He said 18 students died at the scene while two others died in hospital. The spokesman said 11 more were receiving treatment, including one of the school administrators in charge of the trip. 'We extend our condolences to the families of the dead and pray for the injured,' said the country's tourism minister Catherine Abelema Afeku in a statement. Accidents ranging from deaths caused by mass flooding to petrol tanker explosions happen sporadically in Ghana because of lax regulations and disregard for rules. Public toilets in Beijing are deploying facial recognition technology to stop tissue paper thieves. At the Temple of Heaven, a popular tourist site, toilet users have to stand in front of the smart paper machines with a high definition camera to have their faces recognised, according to Huanqiu, a publication affiliated to the People's Daily. Each toilet user can only get a piece of paper measuring 60 cm (24 inches) to 70 cm (28 inches) each time. If they wish to get more paper, then they are required to wait for nine minutes. Toilet users are required to remove their hats and sunglasses to have their faces recognised Six machines have been installed in the toilets to stop tourists from taking paper to use at home. Users are required to remove their hats and sunglasses to have their faces recognised. Following a screenshot photo of their faces, an automatic roller is then activated to provide the user with tissue paper. If the same person appears within a short time, the device will refuse to roll out paper. Watching you: A toilet user reads the instructions for use of the smart paper machine The machines are installed in three public toilets so far. The Temple of Heaven management said it is a pilot scheme to see if visitors are accepting of the new technology, The Beijing News reported. The new toilet facility has attracted thousands of comments on Weibo, China's microblogging platform. 'Probably they should not provide tissue papers for free in the first place,' one user 'smiling crab' noted. 'This smart paper machine will be vandalised very soon,' another user 'coke N' said. 'From now on toilet users will be embarrassed to take tissue paper,' one user 'vintage lover' commented. Eurosceptics have reacted with fury after Jean-Claude Juncker boasted that no-one else will want to leave the EU after they see how harshly Britain is punished. The European Commission chief crowed that the 'example' of the UK would ensure the survival of the Brussels club. He also threatened that Theresa May will have to accept demands from the EU for a divorce bill. But his bullish stance was derided by Brexiteers who branded him 'out of touch' and accused him of living in a 'fool's paradise'. No 10 played down the intervention, pointing out negotiations were yet to begin. EU commission president Jean-Claude Juncker said the 'example' of Britain would ensure other countries did not leave the bloc There May, pictured on a visit to Wales today, has announced she will trigger Article 50 and begin Brexit on March 29 European Council president Donald Tusk has confirmed he will provide an initial response to Article 50 within 48 hours The combative comments by Mr Junker mark the latest escalation in tensions between Britain and the bloc as the PM prepares to invoke Article 50. Mrs May announced today that she will take the historic step of triggering the two-year process for breaking away from Brussels next Wednesday. The Prime Minister has informed the EU that it can expect the letter formally invoking Article 50 to begin the divorce proceedings on that date. Mrs May will make a statement to the Commons the same day. There are fears the looming negotiations could quickly turn nasty - with Downing Street insisting the PM is ready to 'walk away' if there is an attempt to punish us for leaving. Brussels negotiators are preparing to present the UK with a divorce bill of up to 50billion to settle what they regard as our share of liabilities. Mrs May has made clear she is ready to walk away from Brexit talks if the EU tries to punish the UK for leaving However, the government is set to take a tough line after receiving advice that there is no legal obligation for us to pay up. Asked by Bild am Sonntag newspaper whether he was concerned other member states will follow Britain's example in quitting, Mr Juncker said: 'No. Britain's example will make everyone realise that it's not worth leaving.' He added: 'On the contrary, the remaining member states will fall in love with each other again and renew their vows with the European Union.' Mr Juncker also said Britain would need to get used to being treated as a non-member. 'Half memberships and cherry-picking aren't possible. In Europe you eat what's on the table or you don't sit at the table,' he added. But Tory MP Peter Bone told MailOnline: 'It is like the dying words of the leader of an empire as it collapses. 'The trouble is of course the European elite have ignored the wishes of their people for so long. 'He is out of touch, living in a fool's paradise. The problem of Brexit is entirely a problem for the EU.' ARTICLE 50: WHAT HAPPENS NOW Theresa May's letter to Donald Tusk next week will start a two-year process to leave the EU. The Article 50 procedure has never been used - and its author never intended it to be. It means the precise process, including whether Britain can negotiate its future relationship while agreeing the divorce, is unclear. Mrs May's letter could include an outline of Britain's negotiating position. Among the first things to happen will be a response from the EU within 48 hours that is expected to set its guidelines for talks. An initial emergency EU summit is then expected to held within weeks. After an initial rush, negotiations will be centred on the regular summits every two months, with feverish activity expected behind the scenes. EU history would suggest a major summit toward the end of the process in which nothing is agreed until everything is agreed. After the deal is struck, it will still need to be agreed at least by the European Parliament and the Westminster Parliament, and probably in many of the 27 EU nations too. Advertisement Mrs May's official spokesman said: 'We have said many times we are at the start of the negotiations, and let's see how it unfolds.' The EU is holding a summit this week to mark the 60th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome. Mrs May will not be attending in order to avoid overshadowing the event and aggravating tensions. The 27 states are expected to declare that 'Europe is our common future' in a show of unity. European Council president Donald Tusk confirmed today that he will issue the club's initial response to Article 50 within 48 hours of the notification. Downing Street today played down the prospects of the process running on for longer than two years - which would require unanimous consent from all 27 remaining members. Asked whether the UK would definitely be out of the bloc by March 29, 2019, the PM's spokesman said: 'We have said we expect this to be a two year process. 'We are confident that is what we will achieve.' The PM held talks with Welsh leaders today amid a furious battle with Nicola Sturgeon over the Scottish First Minister's demands for a second independence referendum. The SNP chief is seeking to exploit the pressures of pushing through Brexit to destroy the union. Welsh nationalists are also jumping on the bandwagon to demand concessions and new powers from Westminster - although calls for independence have much less support there. Mrs May vowed: 'From my first day on the steps of Downing Street, I made clear my determination to strengthen and sustain the precious Union. 'I have also been clear that as we leave the European Union I will work to deliver a deal that works for the whole of the UK. CCTV footage has captured the astonishing moment a monk steals an iPhone and stashes it in his robe. The incident unfolded in Chumporn Province in Thailand where two men are said to have walked into a shop asking for donations. It is common practice for monks to do so in the country, but the two men were impostors wearing the traditional robes and swiped the phone from behind the counter. Scroll down for video The moment the man posing as a monk reaches over the counter to swipe the iPhone The man looks over his shoulder inside the rice shop owned by Orati Kongmun in Thailand The two men masquerading as monks are greeted by a worker at the shop in Thailand The thief at the counter of Orati Kongmun's rice shop where he stole her iPhone The pair of burglars walked in to Orati Kongmun's rice shop to request donations. Members of staff, not suspecting anything untoward, went upstairs to call their boss who was helping workmen with a broken air conditioning unit. The grinning crook stands at the counter Unbeknown to them, one of the two monks had taken Miss Kongmun's iPhone and slipped it into his robe. The act was caught on camera, and the shopkeeper has been left furious by the theft of her phone. 'That phone is so important to my business as I keep all my customers' contact details on it as well as my accounts,' she said, offering a 5,000 Thai baht (120) reward to anyone who can help catch the men. Police are hunting for the pair of fake monks, who are thought to have obtained their robes from one of a number of shops selling the garment. Miss Kongmun added: 'I am so angry about this and am offering a reward please contact me at anytime, day or night if you know who these people are.' This baby ends up in fits of uncontrollably giggles every time his Boxer best friend gives him tummy tickles. When nine-month-old Graham Wahrhaftig, from Brookfield, Illinois, starts to cry his mother Katie knows exactly how to cheer him up. She calls on the family dog Jeeves who begins to nestle his snout into the upset infant's tummy before rustling around non-stop until Graham starts to giggle. Nine-month-old Graham Wahrhaftig (pictured) ends up uncontrollably laughing every time his Boxer best friend gives him tummy tickles His mother Katie calls on the family dog Jeeves to nestle his snout into the upset infant's tummy before rustling around non-stop until Graham starts to giggle The two-year-old Boxer carries on with the belly rubs until his best friend is in a much better mood. Ms Wahrhaftig said: 'I was so happy Jeeves stopped Graham crying, nobody makes him laugh like his best friend. 'At this point, they can play this game on a dime and even give each other cues letting the other know it's time. 'They do just about everything together but bath time is their favourite. Jeeves follows us around to diaper changes and feedings.' Ms Wahrhaftig adopted Jeeves in February 2016, when she was five months pregnant with Graham, after losing her previous Boxer Yoshi to heart disease. The two-year-old Boxer carries on with the belly rubs until his best friend is in a much better mood Ms Wahrhaftig adopted Jeeves in February 2016 when she was five months pregnant with Graham, after losing her previous Boxer Yoshi to heart disease She said: 'I had a lot of anxiety bringing Jeeves into our family when I was five months pregnant. We were worried he wouldn't like the new baby. 'I worked hard to make sure Jeeves felt like a part of things and was still an important part of our pack. 'When I first saw them interact like this, I knew they loved each other and it made me so happy.' Nearly half of Canadians want to deport people who are illegally crossing into Canada from the United States, an opinion polls shows. A similar number also disapprove of how Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is handling the influx, according to the Reuters/Ipsos opinion poll released on Monday. About 41 per cent of those polled said the border crossers could make Canada 'less safe', underlining the potential political risk for Trudeau's Liberal government. The increasing flow of hundreds of asylum-seekers of African and Middle Eastern origin from the United States in recent months has become a contentious issue in Canada. Nearly half of Canadians want to deport people crossing illegally from the U.S., according to a Reuters/Ipsos opinion poll released on Monday Many illegal migrants say they had been living legally in the U.S. and had applied for asylum there, but fled to Canada out of fear of being caught up in Donald Trump's immigration crackdown. There has been broad bipartisan support for high levels of legal immigration for decades in Canada, but Trudeau has come under pressure over the flow of the illegal migrants. The poll, which was conducted between March 8-9, found 48 per cent of Canadians said they supported 'increasing the deportation of people living in Canada illegally'. When asked specifically about the recent border crossings from the United States, the same number - 48 percent - said Canada should 'send these migrants back to the U.S.' Another 36 percent said Canada should 'accept these migrants' and let them seek refugee status. In the U.S., 50 percent of adults supported 'increasing the deportation of illegal immigrants,' according to a separate Reuters/Ipsos poll that was conducted during the same week in the United States. In the Canadian poll, support for deporting the border crossers was strongest among men, adults who do not have a college degree, people who are older and those with higher levels of income. The increasing flow of hundreds of asylum-seekers of African and Middle Eastern origin from the United States in recent months has become a contentious issue in Canada Many illegal migrants say they had been living legally in the U.S. and had applied for asylum there, but fled to Canada out of fear of Donald Trump's immigration crackdown 'There are so many people in the world who want to come in and go through the right channels,' said Greg Janzen, elected leader of a Manitoba border municipality that has seen hundreds of border crossers. 'That's what's p***ing most people off. These guys are jumping the border.' Forty-six percent of Canadians feel the influx would have no effect on safety, while 41 percent said it would make Canada less safe, according to the poll. 'Refugees are much more welcomed when we have gone and selected them ourselves as a country, as opposed to refugees who have chosen us,' said Janet Dench, executive director of Canadian Council for Refugees. Of those polled, 46 percent disagreed with how Trudeau was handling the situation, 37 percent agreed, while 17 percent did not know. In January, a separate Ipsos poll found that 59 percent of Canadians approved of Trudeau, while 41 percent disapproved. Trudeau's office declined to comment on the poll, as did the opposition Conservative Party. Brian Lee Crowley, head of the Macdonald-Laurier Institute public policy think-tank, said the number of illegal migrants could spike as the weather warms. 'If people become convinced there's a large uncontrolled flow of illegal immigrants, I think that will be a very serious political issue for the government,' he said. Nearly half of Canadians also disapprove of how Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is handling the influx, according to the poll The Reuters/Ipsos opinion poll was conducted on March 8-9 and released on Monday The poll, which was conducted between March 8-9, found 48 per cent of Canadians said they supported 'increasing the deportation of people living in Canada illegally' Canadian authorities dismiss the idea they are being lax. Dan Brien, a spokesman for Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale, said: 'Trying to slip across the border in an irregular manner is not a 'free' ticket to Canada'. He said that all asylum-seekers were detained. 'If they are found to be inadmissible without a valid claim, deportation procedures are begun,' he said. According to a separate Ipsos poll in Canada, 23 percent of Canadians listed immigration control as among the top national issues in March, up from 17 percent in December. It ranks behind healthcare, taxes, unemployment and poverty as top concerns. The Canadian government set an immigration target of 300,000 for 2017, or just under 1 percent of the population, the same level as 2016. It reduced the 2017 target for resettled refugees to 25,000 from 44,800 in 2016, a year when it welcomed 25,000 refugees from Syria. The Reuters/Ipsos poll was conducted online in English and French throughout Canada. It included responses from 1,001 people who were at least 18 years old. Individual responses were weighted according to the latest population estimates in Canada, so that the results reflect the entire population. The poll has a credibility interval, a measure of accuracy, of 4 percentage points. A middle school in Qingyuan, Guangdong province, is amending a set of rules that restrict a wide range of interactions between male and female students, after images of the document were uploaded online that touched off a heated debate. The rule, formulated by the administration of Qingxin District No 1 Middle School, prohibits male and female students from going in and out of the school canteen together, getting food for each other at the canteen, using a meal tray together or feeding each other. The rules, dated March 8, also say that no student may carry personal belongs, such as bag or jacket, for another student of the opposite sex. Giving or accepting a gift from a member of the opposite sex is banned, along with lingering on school roads, playgrounds and in dormitories. Physical contact of any kind between male and female students, including hugging and kissing, are "strictly prohibited". Students of the opposite sex will fail their comprehensive quality assessment and receive serious warnings if they are seen riding a bicycle or motorcycle together, or if one sits on the lap of the other on a bus. Their parents will be notified and talked to by the school authorities. Punishments for violating the rules range from verbal admonishment to demerits and even expulsion. The rules were formulated to regulate the behavior of male and female students during puberty, and to target abnormal campus interaction - behaviors outside the boundaries of traditional morality - as well as frivolous or uncivilized conduct, according to the text. They were meant for internal discussion and have not been implemented yet, the school administration said. The administration admitted that the wording of the rules needed to be improved. The Qingxin district education bureau said the school will make the rules public after they've been amended. Such rules are unnecessary and discriminatory, according to Xiong Bingqi, deputy dean of the 21st Century Education Research Institute. Any school rule should comply with the education law and safeguard students' rights, including the right to interact with others, he said, adding that students should be guided, not put under restrictive rules. In the case of behaviors deemed inappropriate, the students involved should be educated, he said. "Many schools make rules to focus students' attention solely on study, as well as for the convenience of school management, neither of which serves students' development needs during puberty," he added. If rules are thought to be necessary to deal with certain special circumstances, they should be discussed by parents for broader understanding and input, he said. Lying in agony on a jagged mountain with his spine shattered, this brave thrill-seeker took a selfie during what he thought could be his final moments alive. Niall McCann, 35, took pictures of his own horror paragliding crash after he smashed into the side of a 2,900ft peak in the Brecon Beacons, Wales. Unable to move his legs, he was left bloodied and battered with a gaping wound in his head and his back broken in five places. On the edge: Lying in agony on a jagged mountain with his spine shattered, this brave thrill-seeker took a selfie during what he thought could be his final moments alive He told himself he'd had a good life, raised his camera above his head and took selfie on the side of Pen-Y-Fan. But minutes later he was being rescued by a helicopter squad and 19 days on he was walking again against all odds. Mr McCann was speed-flying when he broke five vertebrae in the horrifying smash, one of which was 'completely obliterated.' He said: 'I had been speed flying for two-and-a-half years and on the day of the crash the weather was perfect for it. 'Speed flying is basically a version of paragliding. You run off the top of a mountain in your parachute and then take off and enjoy the spectacular views. 'I'm guessing that further down the slope the wind must have come up from a different angle to where I took off. Stranded: Mr McCann was speed-flying when he broke five vertebrae in the horrifying smash. He is pictured lying on the side of the mountain Recovery: Mr McCann was speed-flying when he broke five vertebrae in the horrifying smash, one of which was 'completely obliterated' Miraculous: Despite being told he could be in a wheelchair for the rest of his life, he made a rapid recovery and stood up 19 days later 'The wind pushed my wing more than I expected and I ended up facing the cliff. 'I was only 10 or 15 seconds into my first jump of the day when I crashed into the mountain.' I remember telling myself that I'd led an awesome life Mr McCann's brother Finn, 30, an expert mountaineer, managed to reach him within just eight minutes and call the emergency services. Mr McCann, of Cardiff, said: 'To my great surprise I came to a stop. The parachute was wrapped around me but I tried to get up and sort myself out. 'I told my brother to hold off on calling the emergency services because I thought I might be able to walk. Unfortunately my legs wouldn't work.' A mountain rescue team was immediately dispatched to the Brecon Beacons and a coastguard helicopter flew Mr McCann to the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff. Doctors told him and his distressed wife Rachel, 32, a clinical scientist, he may never walk again and could be confined to a wheelchair. Shattered: This is the X-Ray of Mr McCann's back which shows how he smashed his spine in five places Rescue: A mountain helicopted squad was immediately dispatched to the Brecon Beacons Recovery: Mr McCann (in the grey t-shirt) at the top of Pen-Y-Fan just four months after the accident, with some of the people who saved his life He said: 'I remember telling myself that I'd led an awesome life and I had a stock of amazing memories. There was no point in me crying about it.' Doctors recommended Mr McCann be moved from the trauma ward in Cardiff to the orthopaedic ward at University Hospital Llandough. And just 19 days after suffering his horrendous injuries, he mustered strength to stand up then promised himself that he'd walk the entire length of Llandough's corridor - the longest in Europe. And after just 38 days in hospital he achieved it. The accident happened in May last year and in August Mr McCann walked back up the mountain - and was met at the summit by some of the people who saved his life. Bad news: Doctors told Mr McCann and his distressed wife Rachel, 32, a clinical scientist, he may never walk again and could be confined to a wheelchair. He is pictured before Daredevil: The accident happened in May last year and in August Mr McCann walked back up the mountain. He is pictured before the accident Speedgliders run off the top of a mountain in their parachute and then take off and enjoy the spectacular views. Mr McCann is pictured before the accident Kate Matthew, pictured arriving at a Nursing and Midwifery Council hearing with her partner in Cardiff, has been struck off A nurse has been struck off for faking Botox prescriptions worth 3,300 from the NHS to use in her private beauty business. Kate Matthew, 35, photocopied blank prescriptions signed by a doctor for the Botox for luxury facial treatments in her personal business after her NHS work. The mother-of-two got six prescriptions by using the photocopied signature of a doctor she met on a course, a disciplinary hearing in Cardiff was told. She used the Botox for her private business - Kate Matthew Medical Aesthetics - specialising in lip fillers, eyebrow raises and face lifts. The nurse was moonlighting from her NHS work as a health visitor for the Aneurin Bevan University Health Board based in Newport, South Wales, when she carried out the fraud. But she was snared when a pharmacy got in touch with the doctor with a query over one of the prescriptions. An investigation was then launched - and Matthew, of Cwmbran, Gwent, admitted she could have put 'lives at risk' if her private clients had medical conditions. Fakery: Matthew (pictured) got six prescriptions by using the photocopied signature of a doctor she met on a course, a disciplinary hearing in Cardiff was told Deception: The mother-of-two used the Botox for her private business - Kate Matthew Medical Aesthetics - specialising in lip fillers, eyebrow raises and face lifts Presenting officer Bryony Dongray told the Nursing and Midwifery Council hearing: 'The doctor received a letter from a private pharmacy. 'Having no idea what the prescription was in relation to the doctor contacted the pharmacy. The doctor had written blank prescriptions in good faith. 'These prescriptions were photocopied and reused on six occasions.' Matthew was confronted by a pharmacist the next time she tried to get a new prescription. She paid for the Botox by credit card but avoided paying a 30 'signature fee' to the doctor for each prescription. Matthew told the hearing she did not initially confess what she had done to police because she was 'in denial'. Matthew (pictured) was moonlighting from her NHS work as a health visitor for the Aneurin Bevan University Health Board based in Newport, South Wales, when she carried out the fraud Matthew was snared when a pharmacy got in touch with the doctor with a query over one of the prescriptions. Giving evidence at the hearing, she said: 'I was in so much worry and denial. My head was all over the place. I was just in denial. 'I didn't want to admit to it. I was ashamed. My judgement was so clouded at the time it was like information overload.' Avoided jail: Matthew was given an eight month prison sentence suspended for 18 months at Cardiff Crown Court last year Asked how her dishonesty affected the profession, she said: 'The public trust in our profession and our code of conduct is for us to be trustworthy. 'The public rely on us and they trust us and by being dishonest it was deceiving.' Matthew told the hearing she 'cut corners' and put clients at risk. She said: 'I could have put their lives at risk. They could have been on medication that I was not aware of. They could have had a reaction.' The hearing was told she eventually pleaded guilty to six counts of fraud six weeks before she was due to go on trial. Matthew was given an eight month prison sentence suspended for 18 months and ordered to carry out 200 hours unpaid work at Cardiff Crown Court last year. But she is still planning to continue her private practice in a 'managerial role' and will hire a nurse to carry out cosmetic procedures. She was struck off indefinitely from working as a registered nurse by the fitness to practice hearing in Cardiff. Monica French, chair of the NMC panel, said it would 'mark the importance in maintaining public confidence'. She said: 'A member of the public would be concerned to hear that a registered nurse's fitness to practice had not been found impaired following a conviction which led to a custodial sentence as severe as yours.' Samata Ullah has admitted membership of ISIS, being involved in terrorist training, and preparation of terrorist acts An extremist who stored his secrets on USB sticks disguised as cufflinks is facing jail after admitting being an ISIS terrorist. Samata Ullah, from Cardiff, admitted membership of ISIS and confessed to being involved in terrorist training and preparation of terrorist acts. Then 34-year-old was a key member of a group calling itself the 'Cyber Caliphate Army' and gave other members of ISIS advice on how to communicate using sophisticated encryption techniques. When his home was raided last October, Ullah was found with 30 metal cufflinks from a batch he had bought on a Chinese website, using the name Cardiff Trader. One of them was loaded with an open-source computer operating system known as Linux, which is popular with computer programmers. Police also discovered that Ullah had a PDF version of a 500-page book titled 'Guided Missile Fundamentals' and another called 'Advances in Missile Guidance, Control, and Estimation.' Ullah, a British national of Bangladeshi origin, had recently resigned from his job as an insurance worker. Ullah used USBs hidden inside cufflinks, like those pictures, to store terrorist information He had also been making instructional videos in which he wore gloves and used a voice modification system to hide his Welsh accent. At an Old Bailey hearing, Ullah pleaded guilty to five terror offences including possession of an article for terrorist purposes on or before September 22 last year. It can be disclosed that Samata Ullah, 34, from Cardiff, South Wales, was the subject of an international manhunt by British and American security services. Ullah had a PDF version of a 500-page book titled 'Guided Missile Fundamentals' and another called 'Advances in Missile Guidance, Control, and Estimation.' The first was a manual used by the US to train rocket engineers until the 1970s and the second explained the mathematical algorithms behind missile guidance systems used to tack and intercept a moving target. In one message, Ullah wrote: 'Ask the brothers in Turkey and Dawlah [Islamic State] whether the book would be useful for them. I have bought a copy and I want to scan all 500 pages and send it to them so that they can start learning the basics of rocket design. 'It can also be translated into Arabic to form the basis of our future weapons programs.' He was arrested in a raid in this street in Cardiff when police seized computer equipment In another message, he wrote: 'We should also [try] recruiting people from Turkish and Pakistani defence companies as Turkey and Pakistan already have the technology needed to destory or jam drones and planes - but that takes stealth as you don't want to approach them saying, 'hi, we are ISIS, do you want to work for us?'' After today's court hearing, Scotland Yard's anti-terror Commander Dean Haydon said: 'Just because Ullah's activity was in the virtual world we never underestimated how dangerous his activity was. 'He sat in his bedroom in Wales and created online content with the sole intention of aiding people who wanted to actively support ISIS and avoid getting caught by the authorities. 'This is just the sort of information that may have helped people involved in planning devastating, low technical level, attacks on crowded places as we have seen in other cities across the world. 'This conviction is a success, but we need to keep succeeding, which makes it important that we all remain vigilant and people act at the earliest opportunity by calling us confidentially if they are concerned about any suspicious activity.' This is the moment an elephant crouched down to scratch her bottom on an old termite mound - before her adorable young calf copied her. The one-year-old African elephant rolled over on to its side for a rub on the mound after watching its mother do the same thing in Amboseli National Park, Kenya. The huge 30-year-old mother had to coax her year-old baby off the mound so she could finish her scratching before the pair rejoined the rest of the herd. Scratching that itch: An elephant was seen rubbing its bottom on an old termite mound in Kenya The African elephant, a 30-year-old female, was able to scratch herself on the tough mound in Amboseli National Park, Kenya, before being interrupted by her calf Teacher and wildlife photographer Jeff Sink was running a safari trip when he spotted the mother and child pair. Mr Sink, of Chino Hills, in California, USA, said: 'The elephant in question is a female who is around 30 years old and she has her young baby by her side, who I believe is around a year old. 'The baby first laid down atop the mound and then the mother had to coax it off the mound so that she could give herself a great butt scratching. 'These are African elephants and the herds at Amboseli are some of the largest remaining herds in the world.' He added: 'Amboseli is in southeast Kenya right on the border with Tanzania and its source of year-round water is from Mount Kilimanjaro. 'The snows create a permanent marsh where the elephants flock and live in an ideal environment - except for the constant threat of poaching. The huge 30-year-old mother had to coax her year-old baby off the mound so she could finish her scratching before the pair rejoined the rest of the herd Teacher and wildlife photographer Jeff Sink was running a safari trip when he spotted the mother and child pair 'The elephants live on the sides of Mount Kilimanjaro and stay in the forests at night eating up to 200 pounds of food per night. 'When the sun rises they come down the mountain and merge into incredible herds of up to 500 elephants before proceeding to the marsh to drink and play. 'As the day begins to wane they begin to march back to the mountains. 'On the way they throw dust up in the air and onto their backs as a way to minimise annoyances from bugs. 'The elephants have their favourite old termite mounds where they stop and give themselves a good scratching. 'I've never seen elephants just sit atop of a mound and scratch their butts like these elephants did. 'I was only 30ft away from the elephants and it was amazing to see.' A 911 call about a man who was 'shooting up the place' led to a high speed chase that ended with an officer fatally shooting the suspect in central Florida, police say. The man, 45, who has not yet been publicly identified, was killed by police on Sunday evening in Deland, Florida, a town of about 27,000 roughly 40 miles north of Orlando. The events unfolded around 5pm outside a law firm in an unassuming office park next to the municipal airport, the Daytona Beach News-Journal reported. A woman called police to report that the husband of one of the law firm's employees was 'shooting up the place.' The caller stated the man was distraught about marital issues, had been drinking, and was possibly suicidal. The incident began at this office park in Deland, Florida, when a 911 caller reported a drunk man firing shots at the building, where his wife apparently works When deputies arrived, the man fired shots at the building and the officers, said Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood. A reporter for the News-Journal confirmed seeing bullet holes in the building's exterior. The man then jumped in a black Mercedes and sped away, police said. He led deputies on a chase that exceeded 100mph, according to police. The chase ended in a horrific crash roughly a mile away, when the Mercedes slammed into a white pickup truck that was pulling out of a Lowe's parking lot, throwing it into the air. The couple in the truck walked away from the crash. The man eventually got out of the car. Officers and deputies say it appeared he reloaded his gun. Chitwood says the man ignored requests to drop his gun. Two deputies and one DeLand police officer fired. The names and race of those involved weren't immediately released. Theresa May is due to trigger the formal two-year process of leaving the EU on Wednesday next week Theresa May will take the historic step of triggering Brexit on March 29, Downing Street announced today. The Prime Minister has informed the EU that it can expect the letter formally invoking Article 50 to begin the divorce proceedings on that date. They are scheduled to run for two years - making March 29, 2019 the date that Britain will be out of the EU. Mrs May will make a statement to the Commons the same day, No10 said. The news comes as tensions escalate with Brussels ahead of the looming negotiations. There are fears the talks could quickly turn nasty - with Downing Street insisting Mrs May is ready to 'walk away' if there is an attempt to punish us for leaving. EU Council president Donald Tusk today confirmed he would provide an initial response within 48 hours, detailing the EU's draft negotiating guidelines. Asked whether the UK would definitely be out of the bloc by March 29, 2019, Mrs May's spokesman said: 'We have said we expect this to be a two year process. 'We are confident that is what we will achieve.' The two-year timeframe set out by EU treaties can only be extended with unanimous approval from all the remaining 27 EU member states. The UK's representative in Brussels, Sir Tim Barrow, has informed European Council president Donald Tusk's office about the plan. The PM is in Wales today as part of a pre-Brexit tour as she battles efforts to exploit our departure from the EU to break up the UK. She is pictured with First Minister Carwyn Jones EU Council President Donald Tusk confirmed he would present draft Brexit guidelines within 48 hours of Article 50 being invoked Brexit Secretary David Davis said: 'Last June, the people of the UK made the historic decision to leave the EU. Next Wednesday, the Government will deliver on that decision and formally start the process by triggering Article 50. ARTICLE 50: WHAT HAPPENS NOW Theresa May's letter to Donald Tusk next week will start a two-year process to leave the EU. The Article 50 procedure has never been used - and its author never intended it to be. It means the precise process, including whether Britain can negotiate its future relationship while agreeing the divorce, is unclear. Mrs May's letter could include an outline of Britain's negotiating position. Among the first things to definitely happen will be a response from the EU within 48 hours that is expected to set its guidelines for talks. An initial emergency EU summit is then expected to held within weeks. After an initial rush, negotiations will be centred on the regular summits every two months, with feverish activity expected behind the scenes. EU history would suggest a major summit toward the end of the process in which nothing is agreed until everything is agreed. After the deal is struck, it will still need to be agreed at least by the European Parliament and the Westminster Parliament, and probably in many of the 27 EU nations too. Advertisement 'We are on the threshold of the most important negotiation for this country for a generation. 'The Government is clear in its aims: a deal that works for every nation and region of the UK and indeed for all of Europe a new, positive partnership between the UK and our friends and allies in the European Union.' The PM held talks with Welsh leaders today amid a furious battle with Nicola Sturgeon over the Scottish First Minister's demands for a second independence referendum. The SNP chief is seeking to exploit the pressures of pushing through Brexit to destroy the union. Welsh nationalists are also jumping on the bandwagon to demand concessions and new powers from Westminster - although calls for independence have much less support there. Mrs May vowed: 'From my first day on the steps of Downing Street, I made clear my determination to strengthen and sustain the precious Union. 'I have also been clear that as we leave the European Union I will work to deliver a deal that works for the whole of the UK. Meanwhile, Jean-Claude Junker has ramped up tensions by insisting no other countries will want to leave the EU after they see how badly Britain is punished. The European Commission President voiced confidence that the 'example' of the UK would ensure the survival of the Brussels club. EU commission president Jean-Claude Juncker said the 'example' of Britain would ensure other countries did not leave the bloc He also threatened that Mrs May will have to accept demands from the EU for a divorce bill. POST-BREXIT UK-GERMANY DEFENCE DEAL TO BE AGREED Britain and Germany are to sign a new defence agreement after Brexit talks begin. The new bilateral arrangement will cover joint work on cyber security, training and maritime patrols. The agreement, between two senior Nato allies, is intended to underline Britain's continued commitment to European security despite the vote to quit the EU. The MOD told the Financial Times: 'Independent of the effects of Brexit, Great Britain remains a strong partner and ally in Nato and also bilaterally.' New cooperation is already underway. A UK Wildcat helicopter is due to operate from a German frigate in the Med this summer. Advertisement Asked by Bild am Sonntag newspaper he was concerned other member states will follow Britain's example in quitting, Mr Juncker said: 'No. Britain's example will make everyone realise that it's not worth leaving.' He added: 'On the contrary, the remaining member states will fall in love with each other again and renew their vows with the European Union.' Mr Juncker also said Britain would need to get used to being treated as a non-member. 'Half memberships and cherry-picking aren't possible. In Europe you eat what's on the table or you don't sit at the table,' he added. The EU is holding a summit this week to mark the 60th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome. Mrs May will not be attending in order to avoid overshadowing the event and aggravating tensions. The 27 states are expected to declare that 'Europe is our common future' in a show of unity. MARCH 29: COCA COLA IS INVENTED, WARS OF THE ROSES ENDS... AND IT'S SIR JOHN MAJOR'S BIRTHDAY March 29 is the birthday of former PM John Major Theresa May has chosen March 29 as the day she will trigger Article 50 to start leaving the EU - meaning if all goes to plan it will be the date we finally leave the organisation. The PM has chosen to wait until after an EU summit to celebrate the Treaty of Rome is held this week in order to avoid inflaming tensions. There were also concerns that waiting until the very end of her schedule of launching Brexit by the 'end of March' could have meant it being reported on April Fool's Day. Any date has many historical parallels and March 29 is no exception. It is the date Coca-Cola was first brewed in a back yard in Atlanta in 1886. The date was recorded as the bloodiest in England's history in 1461 with the decisive battle in the Wars of the Roses. In 1982, it was the day the Canada Act was given Royal Assent - ending any role for the UK Government in the Canadian constitution. And in an extraordinary coincidence, it is also the birthday of arch Remainer and former Tory Prime Minister Sir John Major. He was born in 1943. Sir John faced a huge rebellion among MPs over the Maastricht Treaty in the 1990s - notoriously branding restive backbenchers including Iain Duncan Smith 'b*****ds'. Advertisement Brexit legislation will dominate parliamentary time for years, says think-tank As many as 15 new Parliamentary Bills may be needed due to Brexit, the Institute for Government (IFG) has warned. The IFG said such an emphasis on legislation related to legal EU withdrawal means the Government's domestic agenda will take a hit. IFG's research director, Dr Hannah White, told BBC Radio Four's Today programme: 'The estimates we have heard are something between 10 and 15 Bills required in the next two parliamentary sessions. Normally, there are about 20 in a Queen's Speech. 'So, that's roughly the capacity that there is in government to draft these Bills and, in terms of parliamentary time, to pass them. 'So, that takes a big chunk out of the Government's capacity to legislate. And its other priorities, its domestic priorities, will take a hit in the next couple of sessions. 'There will have to be some really tight prioritisation in Government to work out what else is going to be done aside from the Brexit legislation.' Dr White said the Bills, dealing with issues such as immigration procedures, would be on top of the Great Repeal Bill, which will incorporate EU law into British law. Prime Minister Theresa May has stated she intends to trigger the Article 50 process, which begins two years of withdrawal negotiations by the end of this month. Marine A's mother today revealed how she shed tears of joy when his murder conviction was quashed and she now hopes to her son will be home for Mother's Day. Frances Blackman's soldier son Alexander Blackman was jailed on her 74th birthday for shooting dead a Taliban insurgent during a battle in Afghanistan. But last week his murder conviction was quashed and there are hopes he could be released after a sentencing hearing on Friday having already served three years in prison. Mrs Blackman, 77, is now hoping her youngest son could be freed from HMP Erlestoke in Wiltshire and will be home in time for Mother's Day, adding: 'That would be the best present ever.' She also revealed that her 'affectionate' son has been teaching other prisoners English and maths, working in the library and studying for a degree during his three years in jail. Much loved: Frances Blackman's soldier son Alexander Blackman was jailed on her 74th birthday for shooting dead a Taliban insurgent - and she says his release this week would be the perfect 'Mother's Day' present Family: Mrs Blackman says her son's wife Claire (left after he won his appeal) 'deserves a medal' for her campaign to free her husband from prison, where he has been teaching prisoners English and maths while studying for a degree And she revealed how her son has never got over the tragedy of how a traffic jam stopped him getting to see his father before he died. The incident came just before his ill-fated tour of Afghanistan in 2011 and caused him to miss some of his pre-deployment training, which was part of the new evidence presented to the five judges who quashed his murder conviction last week. Mrs Blackman said she burst out crying when she heard the news delivered by Court of Appeal judges on Wednesday. Happy day: Mrs Blackman, a volunteer at her local food bank, says tears of grief have turned to joy after her son won his legal battle Yet having shed many tears for her son in prison, they were finally tears of joy. Mrs Blackman, a volunteer at her local food bank, said: 'My daughter phoned up and said it was on TV. 'And there it was and I was crying. Tears were streaming down my face. I've shed quite a few tears the past few years but these were tears of joy. 'Then I went down to the food bank and told them all. The lady there said 'you look better. You look so much less stressed'. They have all supported me. I'm just so happy. ' She went on: 'I prayed for him to keep strong and keep safe and to give him hope and finally it's happened. 'I've tried to keep positive but every now and then I've thought, 'will I still be here when he comes out?' I've got my health but you never know.' Mrs Blackman, from Brighton, East Sussex, clutched photos of her son as she spoke of her heartache over the last few years. It was on her 74th birthday that Mrs Blackman, a widow, was dealt the blow that her son would serve a minimum ten years in jail for murder. Support: Claire Blackman, wife of Marine A with her parents Pauline and James Warner (left) and Marine A's mother Frances Blackman (right) at a demonstration for his murder appeal in Parliament Square Knowing the sentencing was imminent, her daughter had insisted she was not alone on the day. She had been driving herself to her daughter's home in Southampton, Hants, when the news came on the radio. She said Christmases and birthdays have been tough since, adding: 'You can't just take his birthday present to prison.' Sgt Blackman, 42, was an exemplary serviceman prior to September 15 2011, when he shot and killed a wounded Taliban insurgent while on patrol in Helmand Province, Afghanistan. She revealed her pride of his time in the marines, adding: 'He might be 6ft 3in but he is still my little boy. 'Alexander would always give me a cuddle. He was always affectionate. When he got his first job he said he was going to pay for everything from then on. 'He was a lovely boy. When he joined the Marines at the age of 23 I was worried of course but I supported him. 'His dad had been signed up before as a tank driver and he was so proud. Brian was so proud when Alexander went up in rank. 'It would have broken Brian's heart to know what happened. Alexander really struggled with his dad's death. He was stuck in the traffic after there was an accident near the Palace Pier and he couldn't get to the hospital in time to see him. It always ate him up, that.' She says she has watched the video of the incident, which was captured on a fellow marine's body camera, and paid tribute to her son's wife Claire. She said: 'Claire deserves a medal. It can be hard for a mum to give up their boys to another woman but when you see what she has done for him you can't have any doubt how much she loves him. 'I really hope that when he gets out they take some time for themselves.' She believes the military failed in their duty of care to her son, as supporters have accused to brass of being responsible for the circumstances leading to his actions. Support: Claire Blackman, wife of Sergeant Alexander Blackman, (centre) on the steps of The Royal Courts of Justice with her legal team and friends including Frederick Forsyth (centre right) and Jonathan Goldberg QC (far right) However, she says her son, who served six tours of Afghanistan in five years, would do anything to look after his men. She said: 'I was shocked that he did what he did. I watched the documentaries. But I firmly believe he felt he was looking after his troops. 'He promised the mums of the other Marines that he would look after their sons. I think that's what he was doing, looking after his troops. 'If he had a padre or someone else of senior rank with him to talk to I'm sure this wouldn't have happened. It's life and death. 'Every time they went out on patrol they didn't know if they were going to be blown to pieces. 'Every step could have been their last step. You are living on your nerves. Alexander would have put himself in danger rather than anyone else.' During his time in jail Sgt Blackman has been trying to keep his spirits up, studying for a degree, working in a library and teaching other prisoners English and maths. His mother said he treats prison 'just like another tour, just this time he's not getting shot at'. He will be sentenced for the lower charge of manslaughter on Friday and if the sentence is six years or less, he could be released immediately, having already served half that. The kidnapping victim who bravely escaped her captor by jumping from the trunk of her car has spoken out about the terrifying incident. Brittany Diggs, 25, has been identified as the victim from last Tuesday's dramatic kidnapping escape in Alabama. In an interview with the Today Show, the nursing student said she was kidnapped at gunpoint by a man who forced her to drive to Birmingham and threatened to kill her if she didn't withdraw cash from her bank accounts and ATM card. Eventually he took control of the car itself, locking Diggs up in the trunk of the vehicle. Scroll down for video Brittany Diggs was kidnapped at gunpoint last week and escaped by using her insulin pump to find the latch inside the trunk she was locked inside Surveillance footage shows the incredible moment Diggs popped the trunk and then rolled out while her captor was driving away from a gas station 'The whole time he's driving, he's, like, just, he's yelling at me from the front seat, "You're lying. I know you have something. Give me your money,"' she said. She said he also threatened to kill her if he didn't get any money. It was while her captor was stopped at another gas station, trying to get more money out of her accounts, that Diggs came up with the idea to use the light on her insulin pump to illuminate the trunk and help her find the inside latch. 'I just got the bright idea to use my insulin pump light, which is not a bright light, but it was bright enough to see,' Diggs said. 'So I had to put it right on top of it to look and see for the latch.' She then waited for her captor to get back into the car so she could escape at the right moment. 'I'm holding the latch like this, waiting for him to get back in the car. He gets in [and] he's yelling ... and I feel the car reversing, and he's pulling out pretty fast, so I'm, like, "Oh shoot - I better get out of here,"' she said. Surveillance video shows the moment that Diggs rolled out of the back of the car just as her captor was speeding off. She then bolted into the gas station and frantically asked for help. Owner Yosef Al Sabah recalled the startling moment to WVTM. The 25-year-old nursing student says her captor stopped at the gas station to try to get money out of her bank account He says if the card failed again that he would killer her. Above, video shows her escaping the car After getting out of the car, Diggs sprinted into the gas station for help The owner of the store helped her find a place to hide before calling police Above, a frightened Diggs(right) hides in the store while the owner gets help The man who kidnapped Diggs remains at large. She is speaking out in hopes of aiding in the investigation 'As he was leaving, I saw the trunk popped up and a woman jumped out of the trunk and came inside the store. I let her inside a safe place and locked the door and called the police,' he said. The man who kidnapped Diggs remains at large, but her car was later recovered. Diggs was so traumatized by the incident though that she doesn't want to car back, and she hasn't slept in her old apartment since. She says she's speaking out about the kidnapping in hopes of helping to track down her captor. 'I try to put it in the back of my head so I can just get through the day, but that was the scariest thing that I've had to do. It was just a lot because I'm not from here, I don't have the support system down here besides my roommate. I just felt like it was a lot,' she said. Diggs' car has since been recovered, but she says she doesn't want to drive it anymore. She is also looking for a new apartment Her friends have started a Go Fund Me page to raise money for her to relocate. 'Brittany jumped with nothing to lose but also nothing to come back to,' a friend wrote on the page. 'This stranger took everything from her.' So far, the fund has raised over $5,000. Anthony Rickard, the stepson of murdered Melbourne mother Karen Ristevski (pictured), called a family member a 'f*****g maggot' in a social media rant on Sunday. The stepson of murdered Melbourne mother Karen Ristevski has called a family member a 'f*****g maggot' in a social media rant the latest in a series of puzzling outbursts made by the alleged ice addict. Anthony Rickard has made numerous accusations since Mrs Ristevski, 47, went missing from her home on June 29 following an argument with her husband and 'number one suspect' Borce. Her body was discovered in bush land near Mount Macedon in February after an extensive search and investigation. Mr Rickard, who has previously denied murdering Mrs Ristevski but admitted they had not previously seen eye-to-eye, targeted a close family member in his latest post on Facebook on Sunday. He claimed a family member who told him he 'wouldn't amount to anything' when he was 12-years-old was a 'f*****g maggot'. Mr Rickard (pictured) claimed a family member who told him he 'wouldn't amount to anything' when he was 12-years-old was a 'f*****g maggot' He continued, slamming the family member and others for being 'f*****g fake dogs' He continued, slamming the family member and others for being 'f*****g fake dogs.' Daily Mail Australia is unable to publish Mr Rickard's entire post because of legal reasons. Mr Rickard urged his stepmother's killer to come forward in Facebook posts on social media following the discovery of her body. 'As much as u have hurt me Karen I would never wish any harm to you,' he wrote. 'God bless u Karen I forgive u for all the pain.' In another Facebook comment, Mr Rickard said: 'All that I've done I'm sorry for all you have done to me I forgive I wish u were living it up overseas ur the only person who showed me true love and will always have a place for u in my heart u were my one true soulmate xxx rest in piece Karen.' Mrs Ristevski was last seen leaving her home on Oakley Drive in Avondale Heights in Melbourne's northwest following an argument about money with her husband on June 29 Her body was discovered in bush land near Mount Macedon in February after an extensive search and investigation Officers searched for the missing mother for almost nine months before her body was found wedged between two logs Mrs Ristevski was last seen leaving her home on Oakley Drive in Avondale Heights in Melbourne's northwest following an argument about money with her husband on June 29. Mrs Ristevski's husband Borce was named by his lawyer Rob Stary as the chief suspect in his wife's disappearance. Officers searched for the missing mother for almost nine months before her body was found wedged between two logs, near where a local man claimed he saw two people resembling Borce and his brother, Vasko, in the days after she vanished. The man, Dean, told police and revealed to Herald Sun he saw the two men bogged in a small white truck about 200 metres from where her body was found. 'From their appearance I knew they were from Serbia, Macedonia, the Balkans. They certainly had an accent,' he told said. Mr Rickard urged his stepmother's killer to come forward in Facebook posts on social media following the discovery of her body Mrs Ristevksi started her own boutique fashion business, Bella Bleu, which still operates today Ms Ristevski's phone reportedly pinged a tower in Gisborne - about 11 kilometres from the site - on the day she went missing Dean said he thought it was 'rather strange' to drive in the area in a car let alone a truck. 'I had a conversation with one of them ... [he] had that half-shaved, goatee sort of look.' Businessman Gary Salt also revealed his chilling encounter with a stranger carrying a shovel on the outskirts of Mount Macedon. Mr Salt said he had been on his way home from a party in December when his headlights illuminated a man walking out of the scrub near where Ms Ristevski's body was found. Mrs Ristevski is pictured with her 21-year-old daughter Sarah Borce (pictured with Karen) has always maintained his innocence in his wife's disappearance and death Police suspect Mr Ristevski has been advised not to speak on the phone and provided with information on methods used in homicide investigations (media are pictured as detectives leave Mr Ristevski's home) Mr Ristevski visited his lawyer after his wife's body was found (Mr Ristevski is pictured arriving at the building and ignoring questions from media) 'So where did you bury the body, mate?' Mr Salt had jokingly asked the stranger from his car window, The Age reported. Borce Ristevski's mother, who has not been named, publicly defended her son following the discovery of her body. There is no suggestion Borce or his brother Vasko have any connection to Mrs Ristevski's death. No arrests have been made and no charges have been laid. Ms Ristevski was born in New Zealand and moved to Australia with her family towards the end of primary school. She attended Deer Park High School in Victoria, worked at a law firm and later started her own boutique fashion business, Bella Bleu, which still operates today. When police knocked Nikki Gemmell's door to deliver the terrible news that her mother had killed herself, she soon came to realise investigators were trying to figure out whether she had anything to do with the death. Gemmell said her immediate instinct when police showed up was to ask about her mother - but she was puzzled when she saw an officer was writing down every word she said. 'Why are they taking such careful note of what I'm saying?' Gemmell recalled thinking in Monday night's episode of ABC's Australian Story. Scroll down for video Nikki Gemmell has told of her mother's death on ABC's Australian Story. She thinks her mother Elayn committed suicide because she couldn't cope with her chronic pain Elayn, left, and daughter Nikki Gemmell in a personal photograph shown on ABC's Australian Story 'It gradually dawned on me that perhaps they were seeing if I was implicated in the whole thing too.' Her mother, Elayn, had chosen to take her own life because she'd had enough of her chronic pain. But she chose not to tell her daughter of her plan to end her life, Gemmell thinks, because she didn't want to implicate her. Her grief and shock led her to investigate the topic of euthanasia - electing to end one's own life in order to put an end to suffering. Euthanasia was legal between 1995-1997 in the Northern Territory, and the Victorian parliament is set to hold a conscience vote on the issue this year, the ABC has reported. Gemmell broke down while speaking to a doctor who treated her mother before her tragic death at her own hand But Gemmell believes her mother saw no other opportunity than to end her life alone at home. 'Mum's death was horrifically lonely and bleak because she couldn't tell anyone what she was going to do for fear of implicating all of us - her family and her friends. So, she did it entirely alone,' Gemmell said. Gemmell has written in her Australian column about her burgeoning advocacy for euthanasia. In a column published on Saturday, she wrote: 'When youre thinking about possible changes to Australias euthanasia laws, perhaps consider my beautiful Elayns bleak and lonely and despairingly secret death. Because it could have been so very different.' For confidential support, call the Lifeline 24-hour service on 13 11 14 or beyondblue 1300 22 4636. Flash More than 200 police officers and police support staff in London took part in a major exercise Sunday on the River Thames to test their response to a terror threat on the British capital. London's Metropolitan Police along with emergency services, carried out the first joint major live-play exercise on the river while thousands of people look on. A spokesman at Scotland Yard more than 200 Met police officers and staff took part in the exercise, code named "Exercise Anchor". The scenario involved a group of terrorists hijacking a passenger pleasure boat on the Thames and taking a number of hostages, to travel up the Thames to Central London to carry out a terrorist attack. It was designed to test the response and command and control protocols of emergency services, working with maritime partners, in dealing with this kind of situation in a marine environment. The exercise tested the Met's processes right from an emergency call handler receiving the initial call through to getting victims and suspects safely off the vessel once secure. This included intelligence officers identifying and locating the threat, 'command and control' structures put in place and officers deployed to deal with and confront the threat. It also tested how different agencies on the river work together in this kind of scenario. Counter Terrorism Specialist Firearms Officers (CTSFOs) were deployed during the exercise alongside the Met's Marine Policing Unit and intercepted the "suspect" vessel, boarding and securing it. The coordination of search and rescue teams was then put to the test with a "dummy" body falling into the river, challenging those responding in how to rescue the person in the midst of an ongoing terrorist incident. Police officers used marine-trained search dogs on board the vessel. The Met spokesman said an official review of London's preparedness to respond to a terrorist attack last October recommended that security measures on the river be strengthened. The current terrorism threat level in Britain remains at severe meaning that an attack is "highly likely" with members of the public urged to remain vigilant. The parents of a 13-year-old girl were relieved when she turned up in north Longon after they pleaded for her to come home following a day out with friends. Alice Brindley had been in Cambridge for the day and was supposed to catch the train home on Sunday evening. But instead of boarding a service to Stowmarket, Suffolk, she got on a train to Islington, London. Alice, from Ixworth Thorpe, Suffolk, was traced to Islington in north London on Monday night. Alice Brindley, pictured yesterday, went missing after failing to return home from a day out Alice's parents had launched a desperate search to find her after she went missing Her father Paul Brindley, 52, wrote on Twitter: 'Can everyone please retweet my lovely little girl has gone missing any help to find her would be greatly appreciated to bring her home.' He also posted a selfie took of herself just hours before she was last seen. Mr Brindley, who is an executive Director for ExCeL London, said Alice had been with two friends who she had known the two friends for years. But he said each friend was under the impression Alice was travelling home with the other. He said his daughter, who attends 3,700-a-year independent school Finborough School, had never done this before in the past. Her mother Sarah, 48, added: 'She's just a teenager who can get grumpy but doesn't go off to London without telling anyone. 'We're just desperate for her to come home. We want her to know we love her very much and there's nothing we want more than to know she's safe.' Her mother had posted this heartbreaking message online on Sunday after Alice disappeared Mr and Mrs Brindley say Alice was supposed to return home on by around 6pm on Sunday The couple believed Alice had travelled to London as they managed to trace a call she made to a friend from a payphone at Islington train station. A spokesman for Sufflok Constabulary said: 'Police inquiries into her whereabouts had been taking place over the past 24 hours, and as a result of these Alice was found in Islington this evening, Monday 20 March. 'She is now being brought home by Suffolk Constabulary officers. 'Police would like to thank members of the public and the media for their assistance with this appeal.' The lawyer for troubled AFL premiership player Ben Cousins says he is ready for rehab after spending a month in prison, and denies tapped phone calls in which he told his father he didn't want to quit drugs are damaging. The former West Coast captain had a full beard and was wearing a T-shirt when he pleaded guilty in Armadale Magistrates Court on Monday to 11 offences, including aggravated stalking, breaching a violence restraining order and drug possession. Cousins' lawyer Michael Tudori said his client had a very long and entrenched drug addiction, and had previously been reluctant to address his problem. Former West Coast Eagles AFL player Ben Cousins pictured outside court in Perth in December. He pleaded guilty Monday to offences including drug possession and stalking Cousins is pictured in January as he arrived in court in Perth. His lawyer said he is ready for rehab after spending a month in prison The court heard Cousins' phone calls to his father Bryan Cousins, pictured, were tapped in prison and in one conversation, he said he did not mind 'dressing this up as a rehab' He said four weeks in prison had been sobering for Cousins and a rare opportunity had now come up for a spot in a residential rehab program, which he was willing to do. 'He's ready and willing to enter a residential rehabilitation program,' he said. If the Brownlow medallist enters the program, it will last at least six months. But the police prosecutor said they were seeking a prison sentence. The court heard Cousins' phone calls were tapped in prison and in one conversation, he said he did not mind 'dressing this up as a rehab'. Cousins told his father he could quit whenever he wanted. 'I have a bit of gear and it makes me feel normal,' he said. 'I'm not going to stop. I don't want to stop.' Mr Tudori said those calls were made earlier in his prison stint and he no longer felt that way. Magistrate Stephen Wilson said the matter would be better dealt with in the drug court and said the psychological report could be passed on there. Cousins is pictured during a game between Richmond and Port Adelaide in Melbourne, 2010 Ben Cousins posing with his Brownlow Medal in 2005. The former AFL player retired in 2010 Cousins, who appeared frustrated as he buried his head in his arms, was remanded in custody to appear in Perth Magistrates Court next Monday. His mother was in court and he looked at her a few times during proceedings, but she refused to speak to reporters as she left. Outside court, Mr Tudori said Cousins was disappointed with the setback and wanted to start the road to rehab. Mr Tudori denied the phone calls were damaging, saying they were made when he was still craving drugs. 'I'm very concerned that he'll lose his (rehab) opportunity,' he said. Mr Tudori said he had noticed his client was now speaking better and was no longer agitated. When Cousins was arrested, he allegedly had eight grams of meth and told officers he had a high tolerance. The VRO was taken out by his former partner Maylea Tinecheff, with whom he has two young children. A Liberal senator has joked about cutting the ABC's funding after accusing its journalists of having a 'centre-left bias'. Zed Seselja taunted Tony Jones, the host of the ABC's Q&A program, a day after One Nation leader Pauline Hanson called for the national broadcaster to be cut back. 'We have already cut your funding,' Senator Seselja said on Monday night. Scroll down for video Liberal assistant minister Zed Seselja joked about the ABC's funding already being cut Q&A host Tony Jones after being taunted by the Liberal senator about the ABC budget cuts While the ABC's operations funding was cut from $920 million to $849 million in last year's May budget, the Canberra-based senator declined to say if more cuts were planned in 2017. However Senator Seselja, who is also the assistant minister for multicultural affairs, expressed concern about the ABC's perceived left-wing bias. Q&A audience member Edwin Nelson had asked if the public broadcaster was more concerned about homosexual marriage and feminism than problems with multiculturalism. 'Certainly, there's a perception that that's the case,' Senator Seselja said. Looking right, Liberal senator Zed Seselja says ABC journalists have a 'centre-left bias' One Nation leader Pauline Hanson told her Facebook followers she would cut the ABC 'We shouldn't pretend that there's no bias that comes into play even from very professional journalists who are doing their best. 'We all have a world view that shapes the way we look at the world and even when we are doing our level best to be right down the centre and fair and impartial.' His comments come a day after Pauline Hanson called for the ABC's funding to be cut off and SBS to be privatised in a Facebook live video chat. 'I'd cut out the ABC. I'm sick and tired of them with their leftist attitude. They are so left, and the SBS,' she said. YouTube has sparked a major row with the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities after their new 'strict' settings filtered out their videos. Victims claim the internet giant's new rules to protect users is an attempt to make them 'look straight'. More than 100,000 people have tweeted with the hashtag #YoutubeIsOverParty since the new controversial filters were imposed. YouTube says its restricted mode uses 'community flagging, age-restrictions, and other signals to identify and filter out potentially inappropriate content.' But many containing the words gay and bisexual do not appear in searches and some pop videos from stars including Taylor Swift, Katy Perry and Miley Cyrus are also filtered out. Irish vlogger Melanie Murphy has 500,000 subscribers but her posts about being bisexual vanished from search results. Upset: Irish vlogger Melanie Murphy has 500,000 subscribers but her posts about being bisexual vanished from search results - and showed the difference (left is unfiltered, right is under the new settings) Contrast: Gay-hating videos like these are not filtered out by the new stricter YouTube settings In a furious tweet showing how her videos were missing she said: 'With the click of a button YouTube's restricted mode makes me appear straight. It's just really upsetting.' She added: 'Even the LG(B)TQ+ animation I created with that is *extremely* kid friendly, is hidden'. Rowan Ellis, who describes herself a 'feminist and queer perspective', is a UK Youtube Ambassador but accused them of being 'anti-LGBT' And yet extremist videos including several called 'why God hates gays' and 'things I HATE about gays' are not filtered out. Rowan Ellis, who describes herself a 'feminist and queer perspective', is a UK YouTube Ambassador but accused them of being 'anti-LGBT'. She said 40 of her videos go missing in searched because YouTube is 'filtering out a hell of a lot of LGBT content', adding: 'This is something which goes far beyond a mistake that YouTube might have made that they're going to draw attention to and fix later.' British YouTube star Neonfiona has revealed that her video: 'Coming Out To My Family & Other Bi Stuff' has been filtered out even though it does not mention sex. Because she is bisexual she has made content about her partners but ones about her girlfriend vanish but others about her boyfriend remain when you search for her videos. She tweeted: 'LGBT+ content not safe for kids?', adding: 'It's just any and all LGBT+ titles being flagged.' British YouTube star Neonfiona has revealed that her video: 'Coming Out To My Family & Other Bi Stuff' has been filtered out even though it does not mention sex Pride in London, which organises the annual LGBT pride festival and parade each year is also unhappy. Spokesman Matthew Hemes said: 'YouTube is an incredible space giving LGBTQ+ contributors around the world a platform to be heard. 'We are concerned that around 25 per cent of Pride in London's video content is hidden when using YouTube's 'Restricted Mode'. YouTube has responded to the complaints but is still struggling to solve the problem. They claim say their new stricter rules are to prevent people seeing videos that deal with 'more sensitive issues', especially children. YouTube has responded to the complaints but is still struggling to solve the problem A spokesman said on Twitter: 'We are so proud to represent LGBTQ+ voices on our platform they're a key part of what YouTube is all about. 'The intention of restricted mode is to filter out mature content for the tiny subset of users who want a more limited experience. 'LGBTQ+ videos are available in restricted mode, but videos that discuss more sensitive issues may not be. 'We regret any confusion this has caused and are looking into your concerns. 'We appreciate your feedback and passion for making YouTube such an inclusive, diverse, and vibrant community.' Four Calais hoteliers who filled their rooms with up to seven UK-bound migrants at a time were today facing prison sentences of up to five years. Their trial in Boulogne-sur-Mer comes as the French authorities battle to keep the northern coastline free of asylum seekers who want to get to Britain. More than 50 border police officers raided four hotels in Calais - the Pacific, the Citadel, the Bel Azur and the Tudor - on February 7. The Bel Azur hotel in Calais was one of the four hotels raided by French border police The four managers were arrested and accused of 'assisting in the stay of illegal aliens within an organised gang'. They were allegedly working with a network of Albanian people smugglers who offered a guaranteed passage to England for between 5,000 euros (4,300) and 10,000 euros (8,600) per person, depending on the form of transport used. It is alleged that lorries, vans and private cars were used and those who had paid the fee stayed in the hotels while they waited to be smuggled into Britain. The hoteliers - a mixture of French and Algerian nationals - have been held in custody, and all deny the charges against them. Calais remains a key transit point for migrants trying to get into Britain, even after the dismantling of the notorious Jungle camp last year (file photo) Prosecutors claim the would-be asylum seekers were kept in filthy conditions in the budget hotels, with often with up to seven people in rooms with only one bathroom. The arrests came as hundreds of migrants began returning to Calais following the closure of the Jungle refugee camp last October. Around 8,000 men, women and children from countries as varied as Afghanistan, Eritrea and Syria were displaced to other parts of France when the shantytown was razed. But police estimate there are up to 400 migrants now hiding in Calais and around 15 a day are arriving. After more than two decades of Calais being at the centre of Europe's migrant crisis, the French are determined to maintain a zero tolerance approach to new arrivals. Security has been stepped up around the Channel Tunnel, and in the port area, where ferries head to the South Coast ports of England night and day. The four defendants first appeared at the Boulogne Correctional Court on February 10, and their trial is set to begin this afternoon. All four were originally place in pre-trial detention, although two were released on bail last week. Last year the Mayor of Calais, Natacha Bouchart, blamed the UK's 'black market economy' and 'cushy benefits system' for the thousands of migrants in her town. She said: 'Calais is a hostage to the British. The UK border should be moved from Calais to the English side of the Channel because we're not here to do their jobs.' A Russian teenager who was 'blinded by rage' killed then beheaded a friend who had sexually assaulted his girlfriend, say police. Nikita Rasskazov, 16, killed 19-year-old Artyom Shustov, then took his head in a plastic bin bag to show his girlfriend, Olena Matsneva, to 'prove' his love for her. The Russian - known for being 'very calm' - has confessed to murder, during which he stabbed Shustov with a kitchen knife before beheading him in a park in Komsomolsk-on-Amur in eastern Russia. He said that he deeply regrets the gruesome act, for which he faces up to ten years in jail. Nikita Rasskazov (pictured), 16, has confessed to killing 19-year-old Artyom Shustov in Komsomolsk-on-Amur, Russia A 14-week probe by the Russian Investigative Committee, equivalent of the FBI, found that his girlfriend, 17-year-old Olena Matsneva, had told Rasskazov how at a party Shustov had molested her after she refused to have sex with him Matsneva told Rasskazov that Artyom Shustov (pictured) and another male friend had touched her breasts and genitals as she was held by another young woman A 14-week probe by the Russian Investigative Committee, equivalent of the FBI, found that his girlfriend, 17-year-old Matsneva, had told Rasskazov how at a party Shustov had molested her after she refused to have sex with him. She told Rasskazov that Shustov and another male friend had touched her breasts and genitals as she was held by another young woman. This left Matsneva 'humiliated', but she did not report the alleged sexual assault to police. Prior to the killing, Matsneva had posted a 'spooky' picture of herself and Shustov, believed to be from the party where she complained about the sexual attack. Rasskazov said he had not intended to kill or behead his friend, but wanted him to apologise to his girlfriend for the sexual assault. Rasskazov said he had not intended to kill or behead his friend, but wanted him to apologise to his girlfriend for the sexual assault. The talk turned into a fight, Rasskazov became 'blinded by rage' and beheaded his friend The teen said he decapitated Shustov (pictured above), picked up the severed head by the hair, and put it in a plastic bag which he stashed in his backpack The altercation took place at a park (pictured above) in Komsomolsk-on-Amur in eastern Russia The talk 'turned to quarrel and then a fight', and the 16-year-old stabbed his older friend to death. Then 'blinded by rage' he decapitated Shustov, picked up the severed head by the hair, and put it in a plastic bag which he stashed in his backpack. He disposed of the rest of the body in bushes and hid the head overnight in his wardrobe with his bloodstained clothes. The next day, he took the head to show his girlfriend, who was 'distraught' over the killing. Rasskazov was trying to 'prove his love' to Matsneva by showing her the severed head, according to The Siberian Times. Prior to the killing, Matsneva had posted a 'spooky' picture of herself and Shustov, believed to be from the party where she complained about the sexual attack The alleged sexual assault by Shustov (pictured above) left Matsneva 'humiliated', but she did not report it to police. A photo of Shustov's chest tattoo also appeared on Matsneva's social media account After showing Matsneva the severed head, Rasskazov then threw it into a local river. Because he is under 18, Rasskazov faces a maximum ten-year sentence if convicted. Matsneva's mother, who has not been named publicly, has spoken of how her daughter was in love with Rasskazov. 'My daughter literally blossomed when she began to date with Nikita,' she said. 'She was very worried if they quarrelled. 'He often visited our house, and was a very calm and quiet guy. I even wondered why my daughter chose Nikita rather than another lad. She said that Nikita was the best.' The Victorian coroner is investigating the deaths of two young children who were unintentionally left in cars. The first case Judge Sara Hinchey will examine involves a mother who thought she had dropped off her 22-month-old son at child care. The inquest, which starts on Wednesday, will look at possible physiological reasons behind someone inadvertently leaving a child in a car. Noah Zunde was found in the back seat of his family's car outside a childcare centre in Kyneton on February 19, 2015. The mother of 22-month-old Noah Zunde (pictured) was severely sleep deprived when she inadvertently left her son in the back of the family's hot car in 2015, an inquest will hear He had been inside the car for seven hours when his mother discovered he was not in the centre, where she believed she had dropped him off. The inquest will look at opportunities to prevent similar tragedies from occurring. At least five children have died in Victoria after being left in motor vehicles in the past decade, according to coronial records. Monash University associate professor in psychology Matthew Mundy will be the only witness called to give evidence on Wednesday. He has provided the coroner with two expert reports about the potential role that physiology and cognitive neuroscience of the human memory system may have played in the lead-up to children being unintentionally left in cars. Noah Zunde (pictured) was found in the back seat of his family's car outside a childcare centre in Kyneton, Victoria He had been inside the car for seven hours when his mother discovered he was not in the centre (pictured), where his mother believed she had dropped him off The family had moved to the small town to raise their young son Dr Mundy says evidence suggests Noah's mother was severely sleep deprived and affected by other factors, which contributed to a memory failure sometimes referred to as 'forgotten baby syndrome'. Noah's mother arrived at the childcare centre to pick up her son and was confused he was not there, his report says. A childcare worker later said: ''I am 100 per cent sure she believed she had dropped him off that morning.' Dr Mundy said the belief she had dropped off her son appears to be a case of false memory whereby an older long-term memory of a previous daycare drop-off had 'filled in the blank'. Men feel the same way about their businesses as fathers feel about their children, experts have said. A study by Finnish university researchers have found that when entrepreneurs look at their company's logo, they feel the same surge of pride as fathers do when they look at their children. The scientists, Marja-Liisa Halko, Tom Lahti, Kaisa Hytonen, and Iiro P. Jaaskelainen, discovered that 'entrepreneurial and parental love seem to be supported by brain structures associated with reward and emotional processing as well as social understanding', according to their journal Human Brain Mapping. A study by Finnish university researchers have found that when entrepreneurs look at their company's logo, they feel the same surge of pride as fathers do when they look at their children There were similar activation patterns in the brains of the fathers and the business owners when they showed them photographs of their own children and their own businesses To conduct the study, the scientists used 21 fathers and 21 entrepreneurs, asked them questions about their children and businesses. They then showed them images of their own children, their business logos and then photographs of other children and logos while scanning their brains,. They found that there were similar activation patterns in the fathers' and entrepreneurs' brains when they were showing them images of their children and logos. However, they added that both fathers and entrepreneurs have a tendency to be overconfident about the success of the future of their child or business compared to another child or business, and put their child or business needs ahead of their own. They added that both fathers and entrepreneurs have a tendency to be overconfident about the success of the future of their child or business compared to another child or business 'Entrepreneurs rated their company and fathers rated their child significantly better than average on the chances of success, and there were no statistically significant difference between the groups. 'Both entrepreneurs and fathers reported that they set the needs of their company/child before their own needs more frequently than "often".' But an anonymous blogging neuroscientist, who writes under the name Neuroskeptic, told The Times they weren't convinced the affections the fathers and entrepreneurs felt were the same. 'The data showed widespread brain activity decreases in fathers viewing pictures of their own children versus pictures of other children...A problem with the methodology is that all of these differences might have reflected familiarity rather than emotional attachment.' The widow of Dirty Dancing star Patrick Swayze was a juror in a police shooting trial in Florida who became the one dissenting voice resulting in a mistrial, DailyMail.com has learned. Lisa Niemi Swayze, Patrick Swayze's widow, was a juror on a police shooting lawsuit in Florida, and she became the one dissenting voice that caused the mistrial in a federal court Lisa Niemi Swayze, 60, who moved to Boca Raton and married a well-known jeweler in 2014, was among nine jurors selected in February for the one-month federal trial to decide whether Palm Beach County Sheriff's Sgt. Michael Custer used excessive force when he gunned down unarmed civilian Seth Adams in 2012. While federal jurors are not identified in court papers that are made available to the public, two sources intimate with the trial confirmed that former actress was one of those hand-picked to serve. Niemi starred in several movies with her famous late husband including One Last Dance in 2003. She was one of the few in the jury pool who had not heard of the well-publicized incident, according to one of the sources. Niemi, nursed nursed her husband of over 30 years Swayze, through his fatal bout of pancreatic cancer until he passed away in 2009 at age 57 Seth Adams, 24, was shot four times and killed in May 2012 by a Florida police officer who was parked on his property late at night. The officer claims he was trying to break up a burglary ring After a month of testimony and legal arguments Niemi, who nursed Swayze through his fatal bout of pancreatic cancer until he passed away in 2009 at age 57, became the one hold-out juror who caused last week's mistrial. She was the only one on the panel who believed Custer acted in good faith when he pumped four bullets into Seth Adams, then 24, on May 17, 2012 in Loxahatchee, Florida. Adams drove into the parking lot of his family's tree nursery late at night and found Custer in plain clothes and parked in an unmarked sheriff's car. An argument ensued and Adams was shot while trying to retrieve a cell phone from his pickup truck. Adams' family claimed Adams caught Custer in an embrace with his mistress after evidence of a second parked car surfaced. Palm Beach Sheriff's Office's (PBSO) lawyers have argued Custer was on the job trying to break up a burglary ring, and believed Adams was reaching for a gun when the shots were fired by Custer. They also deemed the shooting 'justified' after an investigation. Most court observers, and those on the jury, disagreed with the official line. 'Eight jurors were in agreement within an hour of the start of the deliberation that Custer used excessive force and violated Adams' civil rights,' one of the sources, who asked to remain anonymous, tells Dailymail.com. Lisa married jeweler-to-the-stars Albert DePrisco in a lavish ceremony at President Donald Trump's private club Mar-a-Lago 'But Lisa kept saying she believed Custer's testimony that he thought Adams went into his car to get a gun. 'The eight spent almost 13 hours trying to convince her to change her mind, but she wouldn't do it.' The jury discussed awarding Adams' father and mother 'between $5 and $10 million' in damages from Custer and the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office. Instead, a mistrial was declared by U.S. District Judge Daniel Hurley. A second trial could start later this year with another jury. Meanwhile, one of the sources said Adams' family lawyers are so shocked Niemi didn't consider clear evidence of official wrongdoing that they are now poring over records to attempt to tie Niemi with the office of Sheriff Ric Bradshaw - who declared the shooting justified - and show a conflict of interest. 'They're looking at campaign contributions, parties, the whole nine yards,' the source said. Niemi didn't respond to several calls requesting comment. Within hours, Sheriff Ric Bradshaw (left) deemed the shooting 'justified'. The officer in question is Sgt. Michael Custer (right) Records show Niemi bought a beachfront condo in 2013 in Boca Raton. A year later, she married jeweler-to-the-stars Albert DePrisco in a lavish ceremony at President Donald Trump's private club of Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach. Since then, Niemi has been sharing time between Boca and Los Angeles but she is a full-fledged resident of Florida, as her driver's license and selection to a local jury show. The case caused controversy from the time Sheriff Bradshaw declared the shooting 'justified' hours after hearing about it. Throughout the proceedings, Judge Hurley chastised Bradshaw's agency for the 'shoddy' and 'disgraceful' way that PBSO Internal Affairs investigated the shooting. PBSO lost key evidence, including the cell phone that Custer was using the night of the shooting. His on-board computer was destroyed by mistake and Adams' attorneys found a slug from Custer's gun at the scene months after PBSO forensics sleuths combed the area. An argumentvetween Custer and Adams ensued and Adams was shot while trying to retrieve a cell phone in his pickup truck President Donald Trump's Supreme Court nominee told a group of students last year that companies need to protect themselves from women looking to take advantage of maternity benefits. Jennifer Sisk, a former student of Judge Neil Gorsuch's, informed the Senate Judiciary Committee about a class discussion in which the federal judge and law professor argued that companies can and should ask women interviewing for jobs about their pregnancy plans. Gorsuch 'implied that women intentionally manipulate companies and plan to disadvantage' them, Sisk said in a letter to lawmakers last week. President Donald Trump's Supreme Court nominee, Neil Gorsuch, told a group of students last year that companies need to take steps to protect themselves from female employees looking to take advantage of maternity benefits His comments were based on a hypothetical case involving a female lawyer with massive student debt who was applying for jobs. The ethics course instructor asked students to debate whether the woman should tell the firms she was applying to that she intended to start a family with her husband, Sisk says. Jennifer Sisk, a former student of Judge Neil Gorsuch's, informed the Senate Judiciary Committee about a class discussion in which the federal judge and law professor A 'lively' student discussion ensued. Finally, Gorsuch interjected and asked students to give a show of hands if they knew someone who had used a company for maternity leave and quit the practice right after. Only a 'small handful' of students indicated that they did, Sisk says in the letter that was published online by the New York Daily News. Gorsuch told them, 'C'mon, guys,' and contended that 'many' women game the system in the way that he described. 'Judge Gorsuch outlined how law firms, and companies in general, had to ask female interviewees about pregnancy plans in order to protect the company,' Sisk says. At least one student told the judge that employers are barred from asking women about pregnancy. 'However Judge Gorsuch informed the class that that was wrong,' Sisk claims. Employers can and must ask 'in order to protect themselves against female employees,' she says that Gorsuch argued. The Wellesley grad repeatedly notes in her letter to judiciary senators that Gorsuch directed his comments at women - not men planning families. He made it 'very clear' that this was a question 'that only women had to answer for,' Sisk tells them. The Senate Judiciary Committee begins its hearings today on Gorsuch's nomination to the high the court. The conservative judge is opposed by liberals, specifically because of how they expect him to rule on social issues Sisk says she brought her concerns to the attention of the University of Colorado School of Law immediately after the discussion and shared her frustration in a Facebook group for female lawyers. 'It concerned me that a man educating female lawyers would be discounting their worth publicly,' Sisk, a former Senate staffer, said in her letter. 'Now it concerns me that a man who is being considered for our highest court holds views that discounts the worth of working females.' The Senate Judiciary Committee begins its hearings today on Gorsuch's nomination to the high the court. The conservative judge is opposed by liberals, specifically because of how they expect him to rule on social issues like abortion. A justice on the US Court of Appeals for the 10th, Gorsuch ruled in favor of craft store Hobby Lobby when it challenged the contraception mandate in Obamacare on religious grounds. Gorsuch has not participated in a major ruling on abortion, but Democrats are aiming to cast his views on that issue and others as outside the mainstream. Sisk, a registered Democrat living in Colorado, asked senators to consider the incident that took place in her April 2016 ethics class during their deliberations, as well. 'His values shared during that class were concerning and should be explored further during his confirmation hearings for the United States Supreme Court,' she wrote, Flash Pakistani President Mamnoon Hussain on Sunday signed a bill that allows minority Hindu families to solemnize marriages in accordance with the customary rites, rituals and ceremonies, the president house said. The parliament had passed the "The Hindu Marriage Bill 2017" last week to regulate marriages of Hindus. The government will appoint marriage Registrars in areas convenient for Hindu population for registration of their marriages. This law also provides for procedures relating to restitution of conjugal rights, judicial separation, void and voidable marriages, termination of Hindu marriage, financial security of wife and children, alternate relief in termination of marriage and termination of marriage by mutual consent. Hindus will now fill a document that is similar to Muslims' "Nikahnama" and will be signed by a Hindu pundit and registered with the relevant government department. The document has columns for particulars of the bridegroom -- his name and father's name, date of birth, date and place where the marriage is solemnized and temporary address. Moreover, this law also provides the right of separated person to marry again, entitlement of re-marriage by a Hindu Widow at her own will and consent after stipulated time, legitimacy of child born out of void and voidable Hindu marriage. As per this Law, Hindu marriages solemnized before commencement of this law shall be deemed valid and petitions under this law shall be presented to the Family Courts. The law also provides for punishments of imprisonment and fines up to one hundred thousand rupees or both for contraventions. All offences under this Law shall be non-cognizable and non-compoundable and shall be triable by Court of Magistrate First Class. The bill after its assent will be enacted as Law of the Land aiming to protect the marriage, the family, the mother, and child and also to safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Hindu families. It is a consolidated Law for solemnization of marriages by Hindu families residing in Pakistan. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif who had advised the president to sign the bill has said that the government has always focused on provision of equal rights to minority communities residing in Pakistan. "They are as patriotic as any other community and, therefore, it is the responsibility of the state to provide equal protection to them", the prime minister said in a statement. Police have released CCTV images of a man they want to speak to after a toddler was assaulted on a train. The assault happened on board the 4pm Virgin East Coast service between Edinburgh Waverley and Peterborough on Sunday February 12. British Transport Police released images of a man who they say may have information after the toddler was assaulted. Police want to speak to this man after a toddler was assaulted on a train in Scotland The man is described as white, around 5ft 10ins, in his late 30s and of a large build. He has short black spiked hair and was wearing glasses, a black and white polo shirt, dark-coloured jacket, a thick metal chain around his neck, dark grey jeans and white trainers. Police say he had a tattoo on his right arm and spoke with a north east English accent. Investigating officer Pc Joss Froggatt appealed for anyone who recognises the man to contact British Transport Police. A police spokesman said: 'It is believed he may have information after a toddler was assaulted on board a train service at Edinburgh Waverley Railway Station. 'The male is described as white, around 5ft 10ins, in his late thirties and of a large build. 'He has short black spiked hair and was wearing glasses, a black and white polo shirt, dark coloured jacket, a thick metal chain around his neck, dark grey jeans and white trainers. This male has a tattoo on his right arm and has a North East English accent.' The intense nationwide manhunt for a 50-year-old married teacher and his 15-year-old student on Monday entered its second week, with authorities in Tennessee expressing growing concern about the armed suspect's intentions towards the child. Authorities believe high school freshman Elizabeth Thomas, of Maury County, Tennessee, was kidnapped on March 13 by her former health sciences teacher Tad Cummins, who they say may have begun planning the abduction sometime after the two were allegedly caught exchanging a kiss at Culleoka High School in late January. According to an Amber Alert update issued by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation on Saturday, over the past week, they have received only 250 tips from 24 states, suggesting that Cummins, who is said to be short on cash, has been keeping Thomas out of view by having them sleeping in his car, or laying low in a rural area. Fears for missing teen: Authorities searching for ex-teacher Tad Cummins, 50 (left), and his student Elizabeth Thomas, 15 (right), are concerned about the armed suspect's state of mind and intentions towards the child 'Having now been on the run for more than five days, Cummins may have taken her, frankly, anywhere,' the news release read. There have been no sightings of either Cummins or Thomas since last Monday, when investigators were able to place the teenager in the area of Decatur, Alabama. Neither one has had any contact with relatives or used their credit or debit cards. On Sunday night, Maury County Sheriff Bucky Rowland told the station WKRN there is evidence that Cummins had been making plans to 'live off the grid.' TBI's latest update notes that the ongoing investigation into the disgraced high school teacher has revealed 'a troubling pattern of behavior.' It goes on to say: 'Nothing investigators have learned about Cummins or his intentions for the young girl since issuing the AMBER Alert calms the imminent concern for Elizabeths well-being. In fact, it only heightens it.' Cummins, who is married and has children and grandchildren, is believed to be in possession of two handguns and only limited resources. What scares us about Mr. Cummins is he's sort given up his life at this point, Rowland told ABC News. The girl is just 15. As the search for the runaways continues, with a $1,000 reward now being offered for information leading to Cummins' capture, more details have been emerging about Elizabeth Thomas' troubled home life. WKRN has reported that Thomas' mother, Kimberly Thomas, was charged with four counts of child abuse and neglect in January 2016 and has had no contact with five of her 10 children in over a year. At the vigil on Saturday, Thomas' family members pleaded for her return. The teen's father Anthony Thomas (left) said Tad 'stole my daughter from me' while her sister choked back tears Thomas (pictured) was last pinpointed in Decatur, Alabama, on Monday at 3.06pm, but the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said there have been 'no credible sightings' since At a vigil for his daughter on Saturday night, Anthony Thomas said: 'What Tad did, he stole my daughter from me, but Maury County is a big community. He didnt just steal from me, he stole from the whole community. But he remained hopeful, saying: 'We are going to get her back. Please help us bring her home.' Her sister cried at the somber gathering and said Thomas completed their family. She had a message for the 15-year-old and said: 'I want you to come home, because we all love you. I want to see you again. ' Cummins, who faces charges of aggravated kidnapping and sexual contact with a minor, has been added to the state's 'Top 10 Most Wanted' list. The former health teacher at the Culleoka Unit School allegedly met Thomas through the local chapter of HOSA, an international student organization that promotes career opportunities in the health care industry. Cummins was suspended in February after he was caught kissing the young student, and has since been fired. Authorities in Tennessee released surveillance video from a gas station showing the final sighting of the married teacher who filled up his SUV before disappearing with Thomas. Surveillance footage shows teacher Tad Cummins filling up his silver Nissan Rogue at a gas station near a Shoney's in Columbia, Tennessee, on the day he vanished with a student The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation released these photos on Friday showing Cummins in the weeks before he vanished with the teenager Authorities released a photo of the car Cummins is said to be driving with plates 976-ZPT Video from the Shell gas station near a Shoney's in Columbia shows Cummins pulling up in his silver Nissan Rogue at 8.35am last Monday morning. The 50-year-old is seen getting out of his car and filling up, before driving off about four minutes later. Thomas was last seen being dropped off at the same Shoney's eatery by her friend at 8am. Her parents reported her missing later in the day. Thomas was last pinpointed in Decatur, Alabama, on Monday at 3.06pm, but the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said there have been 'no credible sightings' since. 47-year-old Sherilyn Burroughs (pictured), a Houston surgeon, was found dead in her home on Sunday afternoon after police raided her home following a stand-off with her 60-year-old husband, Daniel A 47-year-old woman and her husband have been found dead in what police believe was a murder-suicide. Sherilyn and Daniel Burroughs, 60, were found in their two-story mansion in Richmond, Texas, on Sunday after a SWAT team raided the property. Sherilyn was a surgeon at Houston Methodist Hospital, where she specialized in kidney and liver transplants, as well as liver disease and Crohns disease treatments. Officers went to the Burroughs' home about 10am on Sunday after one of Sherilyn's relatives called the police to alert them to concerning comments being made by the 60-year-old. 'A family member out of state called because he had called her making some vague strange comments so police came out here to try to make contact and were unable to do so with him or her,' Fort Bend County Police detective David Williams told KPRC. 'It was just some comments about that he was going to harm his wife or that he may already have done so.' Sherilyn (left) was a surgeon at Houston Methodist Hospital (right), where she specialized in kidney and liver transplants, as well as liver disease and Crohns disease treatments Police cars were seen outside the Houston mansion on Sunday afternoon following the SWAT raid Williams went on to say Daniel Burroughs would not allow a SWAT team inside the massive home in a well-off area of Richmond, prompting officers to force their way inside about 3:30pm. They used a battering ram to push through the front door, and shortly after doing so a single gunshot was heard upstairs. When the officers made their way upstairs, they found Daniel Burroughs dead on the bedroom floor from shotgun blast. Sherilyn Burroughs was found in the bathroom. Police believe she was killed by her husband the night before and her body was left on the floor. Police officers are seen standing at the front door of the home. The five-hour raid ended when a SWAT team used a ram to force its way inside Police were first called to the mansion (pictured) on Sunday morning after a relative of Sherilyn told officers she was concerned Daniel was going to harm his wife The deaths have been ruled a murder-suicide by investigators. 'What we have is a husband-wife situation. It looks like he took her life sometime Saturday evening and then died of a self-inflicted gunshot would today,' Williams said. Neighbors told Fox26 they were shocked by the incident, and that they never expected anything like that to happen in their neighborhood. The couple had a three-year-old daughter. Police said she is currently staying with grandparents, and they did not know whether she was home at the time of the deaths. The brother of slain gangland kingpin Walid 'Wally' Ahmad has been charged with murder after he was dramatically arrested at Sydney airport. Mahmoud 'Brownie' Ahmad, 34, was picked up by New South Wales Police homicide squad detectives on Monday night after arriving from an international flight. He was taken to Botany Bay police station and charged over the murder of Safwan Charbaji, 32, who was fatally wounded outside a smash repair business last year. It is the first time he has been back in Australia after fleeing to Lebanon just days after the brazen gangland gunfight outside the panel beater in south west Sydney. Scroll down for video Facing a media pack after touching down in Sydney from Qatar, Mahmoud Ahmad covered his face with handcuffed hands and a black Adidas hoodie Brownie Ahmad is the brother of slain gangland kingpin Walid 'Wally' Ahmad (pictured), who was killed in a spray of bullets in western Sydney last year Mahmoud 'Brownie' Ahmad (pictured), 34, has been charged with murder after being arrested at Sydney airport Charbaji's death was later linked to the murder of convicted killer Walid Ahmad, 40, who was killed in a spray of bullets on the rooftop car park of Bankstown Central shopping centre weeks later. Hundreds of mourners turned out for Walid Ahmad's funeral in May last year, with friends and family chanting 'Allahu akbar' as his body was carried in a white coffin into Lakemba Mosque in Sydney. Facing a media pack after touching down in Sydney from Qatar, Mahmoud Ahmad covered his face with handcuffed hands and a black Adidas hoodie pulled over his head. But Ahmad has denied involvement in Charbaji's murder, previously telling Fairfax Media while in Lebanon that he had 'nothing to clear up' with authorities. 'Tell the cops to get their facts right first ... I'm not running or hiding so f*** off. They can talk s*** as much as they want,' he told the publication. Ahmad was was taken to Mascot police station and is expected to be charged with an outstanding warrant for murder. He will appear in Waverley Local Court on Tuesday. Ahmad was charged with the murder of Safwan Charbaji (pictured), 32, who was fatally wounded outside a smash repairs business last year Shocking footage captured the moment paramedics tried to resuscitate Walid Ahmad after he wa A law lecturer has left his Tesco security guard brother homeless and facing a 200,000 lawyers' bill after winning a court battle against him over a 750,000 flat. Cambridge-educated Filip Saranovic, 29, and his 'ill-educated' older brother, Nikola Saranovic, 41, bought the flat in Hampstead, London, in June 2014 with money given to them both from their mother. Supermarket worker Nikola, his wife Bojana and their four-year-old daughter, simply viewed the flat as 'a home for the family for the foreseeable future'. But brother Filip, who already owned two other flats, regarded his brother as 'lazy' and had other ideas, wanting the property to be quickly sold, with a view to making a decent profit from a development project. After a conflict of ambitions for the property - and an argument over a contract signed in a coffee shop - the family has fallen apart. And now a judge at Central London County Court has ruled in favour of Filip to force the sale of the flat. Cambridge-educated Filip Saranovic (left with his wife Nevena), 29, and his 'ill-educated' older brother, Nikola Saranovic (right with his wife Bojana), 41, bought the flat in Hampstead Pictured is the 750,000 Hampstead flat at the centre of the court battle Following discussions held in their local Costa coffee, the brothers signed a legal document which - unknown to Nikola - gave Filip the power to force the sale of the flat a year later and turf his big brother's family out. When Nikola realised what had happened, a court battle ensued, during which Judge Michael Berkley found that Nikola 'had no express knowledge' of the sale clause, and had 'relied on' his lawyer little brother 'to explain that important part of the transaction to him'. But he went on to find that Filip had 'done nothing wrong' and that Nikola - 'not a details man' - hadn't taken enough care over what he was signing. Judge Berkley has now told the supermarket guard that he and his family must get out of their home so it can be sold, within two months. Nikola is also facing the 200,000 costs of failing to stop his brother's bid to make him and his family move out. Filip had lived up to the 'duty of candour' he owed his brother and was entitled to expect Nikola to take independent advice before signing, ruled the judge. The court heard that the brothers were given the money they bought the flat with by their mother, Katarina, following the death of their father. The lives of the two siblings have taken very different directions, with Filip, ending up lawyer having studied for a masters at Cambridge University and Harvard. He now lectures at the University of Southampton in maritime law. Cambridge-educated law lecturer Filip Saranovic and his wife Nevena outside Central London County Court Nikola meanwhile keeps an eye out for shoplifters at his local Tesco. Whilst Nikola was looking at the flat as a secure home, Filip's 'primary' reason for buying it was a lucrative plan to develop a number of garages attached to the building. Prior to the purchase of the Hampstead property, Filip had a document drawn up, stating that his brother could live in the flat rent free and that his own share of the flat would be capped at 367,500. What Nikola didn't know was that the deed included a clause whereby either brother could force the sale of the flat a year after the purchase. Martin Young, representing Nikola, told the court that 'up until 2014 the brothers shared a good relationship,' but they fell out when Nikola realised the 'devastating' impact the deed he had signed could have on his family. The family has now 'fallen apart' over the flat, the court heard, with Katarina regarding Filip's wife, Nevena, as 'a gold digger'. Mr Young said: 'What Nikola wanted all along was to keep the home that he thought would be his for as long as he wanted it. 'Filip knew that Nikola was relying on him to know the nature of the document he was signing. He thought the flat was going to buy a home for him and his family for the forseeable future.' He told the judge that while Filip owns a flat in Cambridge and another in Southampton, Nikola's family has 'no other secure home'. He claimed that Filip didn't need the money from the flat immediately, and accused him of 'misrepresentation'. Jonathon Upton, defending Filip, however, said he had behaved perfectly properly and Nikola should have taken greater care. He said: 'Nikola didn't ask anyone to explain (the deed) to him. He didn't read the covering letter. He didn't take any care.' Judge Berkley, explaining the 'sorry events of this family dispute', said: 'The parties fell out in September 2014, Filip says because Nikola was not making enough effort to find a "proper" job and showed no signs of moving out.' Filip had accused his brother of 'being lazy' over the proposed garages development and obliging him to seek the sale order by 'not joining in' with the plan. 'Nikola, Bojana and Katarina were genuinely shocked and dismayed that Filip acted as he did,' the judge said, adding that the 'falling apart of the family has been a distressing and emotional time for all concerned'. 'Nikola is not as dynamic as Filip and it would have been plain that he was content to live in the flat - he thought the flat was going to be a home for him and his family for the forseeable future. 'Filip's primary purpose was the development of the garages.' Nikola's case was that he was 'naive' and 'ill-educated' and 'simply signed what he was told to sign without questioning it'. And the judge found that he had 'reposed trust and confidence in Filip' to give him a 'basic explanation' of the document he was signing. Nikola was 'willing to sign whatever Filip told him to sign, provided that he had the basic impact explained to him'. The family has now 'fallen apart' over the flat, the court heard, with Katarina regarding Filip's wife, Nevena, as 'a gold digger' The judge added: 'I find that Filip chose not to explain the detail of the express power of sale and in particular the fact that either party could elect to sell the property against the other's wishes after a year. 'I cannot find anything that Filip did wrong. It is very unfair and inequitable to say that Filip asserted undue influence in anything that he did. 'It was only right that both brothers should have a right to force a sale of the flat in the event of them "falling out or simply going their separate ways". 'It is a perfectly ordinary power to include in a document of this sort - Nikola is clearly not a details man.' Filip would otherwise have been entitled to no rent, and no share of any increase in the flat's value, indefinitely. The power to force a sale was mutual and, without it, 'this transaction would have been very unfair to Filip,' said the judge. 'Nikola assumed it would be his home for as long as he wanted to stay there, but that could not mean that Filip's interest would simply lie languishing.' The judge made an order for sale of the flat, with marketing to begin in one month to allow Nikola and his family some time to 'adjust to the idea' of leaving their home. Mr Young said of the legal costs of the case: 'It's 200,000 which Nikola is going to be liable for'. Judge Berkley agreed to consider a written plea that Nikola's legal costs bill should be reduced. A young couple are paying thousands of dollars a month for a $450,000 flat that is so infested with mould they can't even live in it. Lucy Woolfman and her partner Rita Di Cesare bought the apartment in a brand new block in inner-city Sydney off the plan in 2009, intending to live there for a year then rent it out. But soon after they moved in, it was clear serious structural defects made their home uninhabitable and kicked off a nightmare that still has no end in sight. A young couple are paying thousands of dollars a month for a $450,000 flat that is so infested with mould they can't even live in it Water pours down the bare concrete walls whenever it rains and the sodden apartment is now home to mould so toxic it makes anyone living there sick Seven years later they have sunk tens of thousands of dollars into rentals and legal fees while the developer and strata fight over whose fault it is. 'It would be worth double now if they fixed it years ago like they should have. Instead it has ruined my life. Its all so incredibly depressing,' she told Daily Mail Australia. Water pours down the bare concrete walls whenever it rains and the sodden apartment is now home to mould so toxic it makes anyone living there sick. When I lived there I would wake up with a stuffy nose, sinus pains and difficulty breathing,' she said. Lucy Woolfman and her partner Rita Di Cesare bought the apartment in a brand new block in inner-city Sydney off the plan in 2009, intending to live there for a year then rent it out Seven years later they have sunk tens of thousands of dollars into rentals and legal fees while the developer and strata fight over whose fault it is 'We had health inspectors come in and they said its uninhabitable because the toxicity levels are very high and we cant be here. 'They even said our stuff was contaminated and I had to throw out 80 per cent of my belongings. The flat is so damp the carpets, flooring, wall cladding and even parts of the ceiling were stripped away. Since moving out in 2011, Ms Woolfman spent five years crashing on friends' couches and for the past year has paid $350 a week for a tiny studio over the road. Soon after they moved in, it was clear serious structural defects made their home uninhabitable and kicked off a nightmare that still has no end in sight The flat is so damp the carpets, flooring, wall cladding and even parts of the ceiling were stripped away I've run out of friends to live with and couches to sleep on. Ive probably stayed with everyone Ive ever known in Sydney,' she said. The studio I'm in now is so small, its literally got a bed and a microwave and a TV, you cant move around in it.' Ms Woolfman is seeking $200,000 for lost rent, out of pocket expenses for her studio and storage, plus $30,000 to fix the flat and $30,000 to remove the mould. The strata and developer Ceerose are in a bitter legal battle over whose fault the building defects are. 'We had health inspectors come in and they said its uninhabitable because the toxicity levels are very high and we cant be here,' Ms Woolfman said The water that runs down the walls makes it all the way to the building's car park The building's insurance company CGU refuses to settle with Ms Woolfman unless Ceerose contributes to the payout before their own dispute is resolved. Ms Woolfman and her partner are unable to sue Ceerose because they took a $5,000 payment promising not to take legal action against it. The couple rejected a $76,000 offer from CGU last week because it wouldn't come close to covering their costs. Weve tried to settle because were not unreasonable, we dont want to go to court, we just want it over and done with,' Ms Woolfman said. Weve exhausted our savings and lived on the kindness of strangers for years and are now in a very difficult position. 'They even said our stuff was contaminated and I had to throw out 80 per cent of my belongings,' she said Toxic mould on furniture that had to be thrown away after sitting in the apartment The matter will be heard at the NSW District Court on May 15, but the couple need $120,000 to pay the experts and fees to bring the case forward - money they don;t have. Im angry and Im so hurt that theres still no justice. Were not asking for a lot, just enough to fix the flat and cover our out of pocket,' she said. 'Theyre making out that we are asking for millions, but were not. The developer just signed a $260 million deal in the city and they wont even give us enough to cover legal fees its insulting and hurtful.' Ms Woolfman has not been able to live with her partner since 2010 and works flat out as a freelance make-up artist just to stay above water. Its very, very stressful to have to live like this, not be able to live with my partner. All of my money goes on legal fees, its very difficult,' she said. Ms Woolfman is paying $130 a week to store what possessions she still has in a secure facility Ms Woolfman is seeking $200,000 for lost rent, out of pocket expenses for her studio and storage, plus $30,000 to fix the flat and $30,000 to remove the mould Its put a massive strain on my partner and our relationship and finances. Theres nothing good thats come out of it. All the lawyers weve talked to agree the company is liable. We are hoping the insurance company will come to the table and realise how badly it is affecting us.' Ceerose director Eddie Doueihi, on the other hand, has little sympathy for the couple as he considers the matter closed with the 2013 agreement. 'We gave her money to fix her unit and now shes trying to extort $200,000 of lost rent. If she decided not to use that [$5,000] to rectify the unit, thats not my problem,' he told News Corp. The building in Alexandria, Sydney, where the couple's apartment is located He said most of the defects were fixed and she had denied his company access to the flat to carry out further works. 'Weve never left a defect not solved, he said. But I cant fix something if I cant get access. She wont speak to us,' he said. Ms Woolfman countered that she didn't deny him access in previous years and representatives repeatedly failed to show up at agreed times. 'We will not meet with him now, it has been eight years, he does nothing but talk and actions speak louder than words,' she said. A shocked mother fainted when she saw her daughter for the first time in nine months. Zandra Patten, 64, from Cornwall, fainted and said she thought she was going to die when her daughter Lucy, 25, surprised her in London after 9 months away. Miss Patten had been travelling Asia, Australia and the United States for the best part of a year with her boyfriend but decided to make a trip back to the UK in secret. Zandra Patten could not cope with the excitement when daughter Lucy (pictured left and right) surprised her for her birthday. The shocked mother fainted when she saw her daughter for the first time in nine months She even texted her mother that morning, sending pictures claiming that she was still in Nevada. However, she was in fact in London, where her mother was visiting to celebrate her visiting. Miss Patten hid in her mother's hotel bathroom and jumped out to surprise her. But Mrs Patten was so shocked she fainted. Her daughter shouted, 's**t, she's fainted', as she attempted to catch her surprised mother. Hard line Philippines president Rodrigo Duterte has branded European lawmakers 'crazies' for questioning his deadly war on drugs. The 71-year-old spoke in English as he asked 'why do you have to f**k with us?' after the European Parliament passed a resolution condemning 'the high number of extrajudicial killings' in his war on drugs. Duterte fired his broadside in a late-night speech Sunday in Myanmar and vowed again that all traffickers in his country will be killed. 'I don't get these crazies. Why are you trying to impose on us? Why don't you mind your own business,' said Duterte, who frequently uses swear words and other abusive language against his critics. Hard line Philippines president Rodrigo Duterte (pictured) has branded European lawmakers 'crazies' for questioning his deadly war on drugs Since taking office in the middle of last year Duterte has overseen a ruthless campaign to eradicate illegal drugs which he says are threatening to turn the Philippines into a narco-state. Police have reported killing more than 2,500 people, while rights groups say there have been more than 5,000 other deaths linked to the drug war. Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have said Duterte may be overseeing crimes against humanity, with police allegedly running anonymous death squads. Duterte has insisted he has not asked his security forces to break the law, although on other occasions he has called for millions of addicts to be killed and vowed to pardon police officers found guilty of murder. At the speech to a gathering of the Filipino community in Myanmar's capital Naypyidaw, Duterte warned that many more people would be killed in his drugs crackdown. 'More people will die. I said I will not stop. I will continue until the last drug lord in the Philippines is killed and the pushers (are) out of the streets,' he said. Reacting to criticism that the operation targeted the poor, Duterte said he must 'destroy' small-time street peddlers as well as the big-time drug lords. In its resolution, the European lawmakers also called on the UN Human Rights Council to launch a probe into Duterte's drug war, and expressed 'deep alarm' at his plans to bring back the death penalty. Duterte insisted foreign critics did not understand the Philippines. The 71-year-old spoke in English as he asked 'why do you have to f**k with us?' after the European Parliament passed a resolution condemning 'the high number of extrajudicial killings' in his war on drugs To illustrate his theory on the clash of cultures, Duterte referred to a recent Time magazine cover article on gender and sexuality and compared it with what he insisted was blanket Filipino opposition to same-sex marriage. 'That's their culture. It does not apply to us. We are Catholics and there is the civil code which says that you can only marry a woman for me (and) for a woman to marry a man,' he said. 'You stay where God assigned you. Do not mix us all up.' Duterte insisted he would not be cowed by warnings from foreigners that he may face prosecution over his drug war. He boasted about calling then-US president Barack Obama a 'son of a whore' last year in response to criticism of the killings, as he repeated his unsubstantiated allegation that the US Central Intelligence Agency was plotting to kill him. 'They miscalculated me. They thought they would scare me with a jail threat and then they would put Obama in front of me. I told them, 'What is it to you?'' Duterte said. 'Now I am even famous because I called their leaders sons of whores, you are all sons of whores.' Duterte was set to meet Myanmar's de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi on Monday afternoon, before having high tea with the army's commander-in-chief, Min Aung Hlaing. His visit coincided with the 60th anniversary of ties between the two countries. Duterte will head to Thailand on Monday evening. A 15-year-old girl who was allegedly raped after she passed out at a party only learned of the attack when footage was posted on social media days later. The girl, who is a private school student, was allegedly sexually assaulted after she fell asleep at a party in Bellevue Hill in Sydney's east earlier this month, according to The Daily Telegraph. The accused rapist, who was a student at The Cranbrook School, allegedly assaulted the girl as his 15-year-old friend reportedly recorded it on his mobile phone. A 15-year-old girl was allegedly raped by a former student of The Cranbrook School (pictured) in Sydney's eastern suburbs after she passed out at a party The accused rapist allegedly assaulted the girl as his 15-year-old friend reportedly recorded it on his mobile phone. Teachers at Cranbrook (pictured) reported the video to police after hearing students talk about it Police were alerted to the incident after the footage was posted to social media and seen by at least 50 teens. Teachers at The Cranbrook School reported the video after hearing the students talk about it. The 15-year-old boy has been charged with filming a young person committing a sexual act on another young person without their consent, producing child abuse material on a mobile phone and distributing that material on social media, according to the Daily Telegraph. He pleaded not guilty to the charges on Monday and was told by magistrate Jeffrey Hogg not to 'approach, threaten, stalk, harass or intimidate the alleged victim or damage any of her property'. The alleged rapist is expected to meet with officers to be interviewed on Tuesday. The teenager is no longer at a student at Cranbrook, according to the Daily Telegraph. Angela Merkel's meeting with President Trump last week provided an especially awkward moment that has since been turned into a meme. The German chancellor gave the president some serious side-eye when he suggested that they had something in common because they had both been wire-tapped by President Obama. 'As far as wiretapping, I guess by this past administration at least we have something in common, perhaps,' Trump said to Merkel at Friday's presser. Scroll down for video Angela Merkel's side-eye to President Trump has been turned into a meme that's going viral While the NSA did bug Merkel's phones, Trump's claims that he was wire-tapped during the campaign have been so-far unfounded. Merkel struggled to contain her skepticism when Trump uttered the statement on Friday, looking at him incredulously in a moment that has since gone viral. One Instagram user captioned a picture of Merkel: 'That moment when you realize you are now the leader of the Western World.' 'Angela Merkel is every smart woman who's ever had to treat a moronic man as an equal,' another user wrote. Trump was referring to a long-term effort by the NSA to bug Merkel's phones, going back as early as 2002 - before she was even elected chancellor. President Obama was reportedly informed about the operation n 2010, and let it continue. But the White House assured the German chancellor in 2013 that Mr Obama knew nothing about it and that the monitoring had stopped. Mr Trump also recently claimed that he had been bugged by Mr Obama while he was running for president. He heard of those claims while watching Fox News, and they have not been verified by the intelligence community. On Monday, FBI Director James Comey testified before Congress that his department has found no evidence to support the president's claims. The moment a man fleeing police tried to escape by climbing onto the top of a semi-truck on a busy highway has been captured on camera. Footage of the incident was recorded after an unidentified driver crashed his SUV into the median strip of the I-94 in Minnesota. The woman filming the video from the driver's side of her car can be heard narrating what is unfolding in front of her during the short clip. Scroll down for video The moment a man was confronted by police after climbing on top a semi-truck in an attempt to escape them on a busy highway has been captured on camera 'So, this guy, umm, crashed his car into the middle of the thing, it's still going, his tires are spinning,' she said. 'He's trying to get anyone to give him a ride, and stopping traffic everywhere. He must be drunk or on drugs. 'I'm a little scared,' she added, before the man was seen sprinting passed her car as a cop followed him. 'Oh my god, s*** is going to get real,' she is heard saying. The video started by showing what is said to be the man's crashed car in the middle of the median strip (left), before he was then seen in the clip attempting to stop traffic (right) and get a lift The man continued to be seen in the video trying to stop traffic (left) for a few more seconds, before he took off running (right) as a police car approached 'Oh god. He's going to try to get in that truck. Oh, he's hopping up on the truck. 'He's climbing on top of that truck. Oh my god, he's seriously on top of this f***ing truck right now.' The driver then handed her phone to a passenger in the front seat, who continued filming through the rear window. The man sprinted to a nearby truck in the video and began to pull himself up the side of the cab (left), before he eventually clambered his way on top of the vehicle After the man got on top of the truck he appeared to lay down in an attempt to hide (left), but an officer was able to see him and circled the truck to stop him escaping (right) A police car was seen pulling up next to the truck, as the would-be escapee was on top of the semi. The woman then starts to drive away just as the officer runs around to the other side of the truck while the man was seen trying to clamber down. The person who posted the video online claimed the incident took place on the I-94 in Minnesota, near Alexandria. A group of American tourists chanted 'build the wall' in front of horrified Mexican honeymooners during an evening cruise in Cancun earlier this month. The group was on board the Captain Hook Pirate Ship on March 3 along with other revelers. They were all getting off the boat at the end of the show when they burst into the chant, shocking the other customers. Peruvian Anaximandro Amable Burga was on board the boat with his Mexican wife Sully. A group of American tourists chanted 'build the wall' as they disembarked the Captain Hook Pirate Ship in Cancun on March 3 The newlyweds were horrified by the outburst which they said left them feeling as though they'd been 'spat on in their own house.' Locals said it was just one of a spate of similar incidents to have taken place across tourist resorts in the area. Describing the incident, Mr Amable told Facebook friends: 'After the show, a group of Americans, maybe under the influence alcohol, maybe not, started singing "Build the wall". His wife told friends they were 'stunned' and did not know how to react. 'The whole thing seemed surreal,' she said. Newlyweds Sully and Anaximandro Amable said they were 'stunned' by the outburst The Yucatan Times, a local newspaper, said it was one of several similar incidents in Cancun in recent months. 'This situation is far from being an isolated incident, and it adds to the growing number of complaints from tourism sector workers, who point out that in recent days many Spring Breakers have been offensive, rude and haughty towards Mexican people,' it said. One former resident said he had moved from the nearby Isla Mujeres to Europe to avoid the annual onslaught of badly behaved Spring Breakers. President Trump is pushing ahead with plans to build a border wall to plug illegal immigration into the US. The promise was at the heart of his election campaign and inspired the 'build the wall' chant at rallies. It has also been heard in high school cafeteria fights. Hispanic students at Royal Oak Middle School in Detroit said they were scared when others began chanting it and pounding their fists on lunch tables in November. Construction efforts along the border have been beefed up since Trump took office. Workers are seen above on March 15 carrying out improvements FBI Director James Comey stated unequivocally on Monday that he has 'no information' to back up President Donald Trump's claim that President Obama wiretapped Trump Tower. He made the statement at a dramatic hearing of the House Intelligence Committee - and also told it that there had been an active counter-intelligence investigation into claims of collusion between the Trump cmapaign and Russian intelligence since last July. Flanked by Admiral Mike Rogers, director of the National Security Agency he gave the damning verdict on the tweets which have dominated Washington for two weeks shortly after the beginning of the hearing. The twin disclosures from the FBI director lit a fire under the White House - prompting a furious defense of the original tweet, and for the president to use his Twitter account to highlight the parts of Comey's evidence which were in his favor. Asked if the president would now apologize for his tweet after Comey, who spoke for the Department of Justice as well as the FBI, and the director of the NSA, discredited it, Press Secretary Sean Spicer said there would be no apology. Scroll down for video FBI Director James Comey took the unusual step of confirming the existence of a counterintelligence investigation today at a House hearing on Russia meddling in the 2016 election Trump's @POTUS account meanwhile went after the Obama administration for the leaking of Michael Flynn's name and pre-inauguration conversations with the ambassador from Russia. Pushing on: President Trump, who welcomed Iraqi prime minister Haider al-Abadi to the Oval Office, will not apologize for his original incendiary tweet 'We started a hearing. It's still ongoing,' Sean Spicer said nearly four hours into the Comey grilling. 'I think there's a lot of areas that still need to be covered. There's a lot of information that still needs to be discussed.' The White House official said the House is still at the beginning of its investigative process and there will be more hearings. He predicted once again that the president would be vindicated in the end. Trump's @POTUS account meanwhile went after the Obama administration for the leaking of Michael Flynn's name and pre-inauguration conversations with the ambassador from Russia, pointing the finger again at the former president. With respect to the president's tweets about alleged wiretapping directed at him by the prior administration, I have no information that supports those tweets James Comey, FBI Director 'FBI Director Comey refuses to deny he briefed President Obama on calls made by Michael Flynn to Russia,' one of the POTUS tweets said. The statement, repeated later by Spicer, was an attempt to link the Obama White House to illegal leaking that officials acknowledged at today's hearing hurt national security. Flynn's links to Russia emerged just before the inauguration, and led to his resignation for lying to Vice-President Mike Pence. Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, had questioned Comey at the start of the blockbuster public hearing, asking whether Trump's tweet alleging that he had his phone tapped was a 'true statement.' Schiff read the entirety of the quote from Trump's tweet, including Trump's claim that 'this is McCarthyism.' 'Director Comey, was the president's statement that Obama had his wires tapped in Trump Tower a true statement?' Schiff asked the FBI director. 'With respect to the president's tweets about alleged wiretapping directed at him by the prior administration, I have no information that supports those tweets,' Comey said. Comey went further, stating that the Justice Department had asked him to share that the answer is the same for the DoJ and 'all its components,' he said. The Department also 'has no information that supports those tweets'. Comey also took the unusual step of confirming the existence of a counterintelligence investigation at the House hearing on Russia meddling in the 2016 election. He said the FBI is looking at possible links and coordination between President Donald Trump's 2016 campaign and the Russians. The investigation includes an assessment of potential crimes that were committed. Because the investigation is ongoing, and it deals with classified information, Comey said he could not share additional details about who the target of the probe is and what conduct is under scrutiny in a public setting. 'I know that is extremely frustrating to some folks, but it is the way it has to be,' he said. He later said that it had been launched in July but lawmakers had not been informed of it because of its 'sensitivity'. And yet, Spicer told reporters on Monday afternoon, 'It's clear that nothing has changed.' Senior Obama intelligence officials have gone on record to confirm that there is no evidence of a Trump Russia collusion. The Obama CIA Director said so, Obama's Director of National Intelligence said so, and we take them at their word Sean Spicer, White House Press Secretary 'Senior Obama intelligence officials have gone on record to confirm that there is no evidence of a Trump Russia collusion. The Obama CIA Director said so, Obama's Director of National Intelligence said so, and we take them at their word.' In response to Comey's assertion that aspects of the Trump campaign apparatus were being probed, Spicer said the media was making assumptions about that might mean. No White House officials are being investigated to his knowledge, Spicer said. He put as much distance as possible between individuals who are already known to be under scrutiny - although not FBI investigation - and the president as possible, calling one of them, Carter Page, a 'hanger on.' The other two are Roger Stone and Paul Manafort, and Spicer launched a concerted operation to distance them both from the White House. Roger Stone remains a friend of the president's, but he hasn't been affiliated with the campaign since 2015, Spicer said. Former campaign manager Paul Manafort was with Trump for eight weeks and did not play a 'lasting role' in the president's victory, an even clearer snub. 'So my point is to suggest now, that if you look at the final three months of the campaign, where none of the individuals in question that Democrats brought up over and over today, were affiliated with the campaign, to suggest that somehow shows some high level collusion is a bit of the stretch to say the least,' Spicer said. Republicans on the committee are using the hearing to try to establish the source of leaks to news publications about the communications between Trump associates and Russian officials, like Flynn. Comey and National Security Agency Director Mike Rogers (right) arrive to speak during the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence hearing on Russian actions during the 2016 election campaign Legislators also pushed Comey to explain the intelligence community's assessment that Russian hacking was meant to hurt Hillary Clinton and help Trump win the election. He said that one only had to use 'logic' to arrive at the conclusion that Russian President Vladimir Putin did not want the former secretary of state to win. KEY MOMENTS FROM THE HEARING ON PRESIDENT TRUMP'S CLAIM THAT FORMER PRESIDENT OBAMA WIRETAPPED HIM: 'With respect to the president's tweets about alleged wiretapping directed at him by the prior administration, I have no information that supports those tweets, and we have looked carefully inside the FBI. The Department of Justice has asked me to share with you that the answer is the same for the Department of Justice and all its components.' - Comey 'Let me be clear: we know there was not a wiretap on Trump Tower. However, its still possible that other surveillance activities were used against President Trump and his associates.' - Committee Chairman Representative Devin Nunes ON THE FBI INVESTIGATION OF RUSSIA'S INTERFERENCE: 'I have been authorized by the Department of Justice to confirm that the FBI, as part of our counterintelligence mission, is investigating the Russian government's efforts to interfere in the 2016 presidential election and that includes investigating the nature of any links between individuals associated with the Trump campaign and the Russian government and whether there was any coordination between the campaign and Russia's efforts.' - Comey ON UNVERIFIED CLAIMS THAT OBAMA ASKED BRITAIN'S GCHQ TO EAVESDROP ON TRUMP: 'That would be expressly against the construct of the Five Eyes (intelligence-sharing) agreement that's been in place for decades. ... I have seen nothing on the NSA side that we engaged in any such activity.' The claim 'clearly frustrates a key ally of ours.' - Rogers ON LEAKS OF CLASSIFIED INFORMATION: 'Numerous current and former officials have leaked purportedly classified information in connection to these questions. We aim to determine who has leaked or facilitated leaks of classified information so that these individuals can be brought to justice.' - Nunes ON THE U.S. INTELLIGENCE JUDGMENT THAT RUSSIA FAVORED TRUMP OVER DEMOCRATIC OPPONENT HILLARY CLINTON: 'I think that was a fairly easy judgment for the community. Putin hated Secretary Clinton so much that the flip side of that coin was he had a clear preference for the person running against the person he hated so much.' - Comey ON WHETHER RUSSIAN INFLUENCE DETERMINED THE ELECTION OUTCOME: 'We will never know whether the Russian intervention was determinative in such a close election. ... What does matter is this: The Russians successfully meddled in our democracy and our intelligence agencies have concluded they will do so again.' - Ranking committee Democrat Representative Adam Schiff Advertisement 'That was a fairly easy judgement for the community, Putin hated Secretary Clinton so much, that that the flip side of that coin was he had a clear preference for the person running against the person he hated so much,' Comey stated. Also at issue in the hearing was whether the FBI has any evidence to support Trump's claims that Obama spied on him - Comey says he didn't. Pressed on whether he personally engaged in any type of 'McCarthyism,' Comey responded with a joke. 'I try very hard not to engage in any -isms of any kind, including McCarthyism,' he said. 'I'm not going to try and characterize the tweets themselves; all I can tell you is that we have no information that supports him,' Comey said. Schiff also tried to get Comey to comment on Trump's question about whether it was 'legal' for a sitting president to be 'wiretapping a race for president prior to an election. Trump had written that it was: 'turned down by a court earlier' and called it 'a new low.' Then he went about trying to establish whether it was even possible for President Obama to order such a wiretap. Asked whether it would be legal for Obama to have authorized such a tap, Comey responded: 'I'm not going to characterize or respond to the tweets themselves. I can tell you in general, as [NSA director] Admiral Rogers and I were just saying, there is a statutory framework in the United States under which courts grants permission for electronic surveillance, either in a criminal case or in a national security case, based on a showing of probable cause.' He continued: 'Carefully overseen, it's a rigorous, rigorous process that involves all three branches of government. And it's one we've lived with since the late 1970s. That's how it works.' 'No individual in the United States can direct surveillance of anyone. It has to go through a application process. Ask a judge. The judge can then make the order.' Schiff followed up: 'So Obama could not unilaterally order a wiretap of anyone?' 'No president could,' Comey responded. Then, Schiff tried to push Comey on Trump's claims that Obama's unsubstantiated activity approximated Watergate, asking about the 'graveman' of the situation. 'The gravamen of it was an abuse of power including break-ins, unlawful wiretaps, obstruction of justice. Sort of the cycle of criminal conduct,' Comey said, noting that he had studied Watergate. Then Schiff who in his introductory remarks called Trump's tweets a 'slanderous accusation' tried to make his own Watergate analogy. 'But there is evidence is there not, of a break-in of the Democratic headquarters by a foreign power, using cyber means?' he asked the FBI director. 'Yes there was,' Comey responded. Comey was tight-lipped when Schiff and other lawmakers tried to get him to comment on the investigation of Trump campaign alleged Russia ties. Asked about informal Trump advisor Roger Stone's prediction that it would soon be Clinton campaign chair John Podesta's 'time in the barrell' in advance of the release of his hacked emails, Comey said: 'I believe that's correct chronology.' How Stone could have known Podesta's emails would be released is something Comey said he could not comment on. Trump said in one of the messages that Obama 'was tapping my phone' The FBI director got questioned about Trump informal advisor Roger Stone's prediction that Hillary Clinton campaign chair John Podesta's 'time in the barrel' was coming in advance of the leak of his hacked emails. 'I believe that's correct chronology,' Comey responded Ranking member Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) speaks during the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence questioned FBI Director Comey about unproven accusations of wiretapping and alleged Trump camp Russia ties 'I try very hard not to engage in any isms of any kind, including McCarthyism,' FBI Director James Comey said when asked about President Trump's charge that President Obama engaged in 'McCarthyism' Stone has denied knowing the emails were coming out, although he admitted to Twitter communications with Guccifer 2.0, who published hacked emails and is believed to be a front for Russian intelligence. Comey would not comment on anything regarding potential collusion in the election, other than to say it was being investigated. The law enforcement officer preemptively asked lawmakers not to draw any conclusions about his inability to share details or make comparisons to his willingness to talk about already concluded investigation - a subtle acknowledgement of his testimony before Congress after the FBI finished its probe into Clinton. Comey and Admiral Mike Rogers, head of the NSA, also warned leakers within the intelligence community that their conduct is illegal and will be met with serious consequences if they are caught. 'If I become aware of any such conduct, there is no place for you on this team. It is unacceptable to citizens of the nation,' Rogers said. Comey said leaking is a 'serious, serious crime' and he too has stressed that 'it simply cannot be tolerated.' Trump's White House had asked the panel to investigate both the leaking and the wiretapping allegations as part of its review of Russian interference in the election. A Feb. 14 New York Times article alleged that Trump campaign operatives were in constant contact with the Russians - prompting an outcry from the Trump White House. Not only was the information in the article false, it said, the charges were based on government information that should not have been shared with journalists. Two days later, the Washington Post reported that Flynn was dishonest about his talks with the Russian ambassador. Flynn told the FBI, and before that, the vice president, that he did not discuss sanctions with Sergey Kislyak. Routine surveillance of Kislyak called Flynn's account into dispute. The Post first reported on those conversations on Feb. 9. Flynn was subsequently dismissed, not for the contact, but for his deceit, Trump said. Comey and Rogers revealed Monday that dozens of intelligence operatives would have had access to the classified information. Rogers said 19 individuals, other than himself, within the NSA could have done the leaking. The attorney general, director of national intelligence, FBI director, and other Justice Department employees have authorization, as well. Comey was unable to define the scope of access within the FBI but acknowledged that former AG Loretta Lynch and Sally Yates, the acting AG Trump fired early in his tenure, were among those who would have access to technology that unmasks the names of individuals in conversation with foreign operatives. The White House sicked on that claim, with Spicer later telling reporters that 'certain political appointees in the Obama administration had access to the names of unmasked U.S. citizens' like Flynn. 'Not only was General Flynn's identity made available. Director Comey refused to answer the question on whether or not he'd actually briefed President Obama on his phone calls and activities,' Spicer said. Aside from that acknowledgement - that any number of people could be behind the leaking - testimony fell broadly along the lines that lawmakers expected, and politicians used their time to highlight aspects of the investigation that cast doubt on claims made by the other side. House Intelligence chief Devin Nunes gave swift opening remarks before passing the baton on to Schiff, who delivered nearly 15 minutes of remarks reviewing the allegations against Trump associates and the Russian government. Schiff, the top Democrat on the panel, had accused Trump of leading Congress on a 'wild goose chase' in a Sunday interview on NBC's Meet the Press. The Justice Department complied on Friday with a demand from the committee to turn over evidence relating to Trump's claims that Barack Obama wiretapped him. It sent copies of the materials to a companion committee in the Senate, as well. Schiff says he received a classified briefing on the documents Friday after most lawmakers had left town. 'Once again, no evidence to support the President's claim that he was wiretapped by his predecessor,' he said. Making reference to a colleague's claim that legislative bodies need to 'get to the bottom' of Trump's allegations, Schiff said: 'We are at the bottom of this.' 'There is nothing at the bottom,' he added. On Sunday, and again Monday, Nunes also acknowledged that the FBI provided no evidence on Friday of a warrant to wiretap Trump Tower. The only electronic surveillance his committee knows of, Nunes said, was the monitoring of calls between Flynn and the Russian ambassador. 'There was no FISA warrant that I'm aware of to tap Trump Tower,' the California Republican stated on Fox News Sunday.' TIME TO APOLOGIZE? Republican Rep. Will Hurd says Trump needs to tell Barack Obama he's sorry for claiming that he spied on him He also said: 'Was there a physical wiretap of Trump Tower? No, there never was. The information we received Friday continues to lead us in that direction.' 'If you take the president literally, it didn't happen.' Will Hurd, a Republican on the panel, said in a Sunday morning appearance that he believes it's time for Trump to apologize for the incredible assault on the former president. 'It never hurts to say you're sorry,' Hurd, a former undercover CIA operative, told ABC's George Stephanopoulos. 'It's not just sorry to the president, but also to the U.K. for the claims or the intimation that the U.K. was involved in this, as well.' Trump's White House on Thursday brought British intelligence into the saga when it referred to a report on Fox & Friends that claimed Obama had the GCHQ spy on Trump for him. The British government immediately slapped down the claim, made by Fox's Judge Andrew Napolitano. White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer nevertheless repeated it as he read off a list of news reports on Thursday that purportedly supported the president's claim that Obama spied on him. Britain's spy service shredded the charge. A GCHQ spokesperson said the claims were 'nonsense.' 'They are utterly ridiculous and should be ignored,' its press officer said in a statement. Admiral Rogers backed that today, asked directly if he agreed with GCHQ's statement, he replied that he did. A man who grabbed a woman from behind, threatened to slit her throat and repeatedly raped her during a 'nightmare' two-hour ordeal will spend at least 10 years in jail. Mark Adrian Shandley raped the woman in February 2016 in an attack prosecutor Gavin Silbert QC has described as 'every woman's worst nightmare'. 'I can't help but agree with that assessment,' Victorian County Court judge Richard Maidment said on Monday. A man who grabbed a woman from behind, threatened to slit her throat and repeatedly raped her during a 'nightmare' two-hour ordeal will spend at least 10 years in jail (stock image) The judge sentenced Shandley to 13 years and six months in prison, with a non-parole period of 10 years for the 'despicable' attack. Shandley had earlier pleaded guilty to nine charges, including abduction, rape, and making threats to inflict serious injury. The 29-year-old woman was walking along a road in Shepparton and texting a friend on February 18, 2016 when Shandley grabbed her from behind and held a machete to her throat. Shandley, then 44, pushed her into an adjacent orchard before dragging her into his nearby car as the woman begged him to let her go. Shandley drove a short distance, stopped the car, and repeatedly raped the woman. During the two-hour ordeal Shandley threatened to slit the woman's throat if she did not stop screaming, and bound her arms and legs. 'You showed her no mercy until after you had obtained your sexual gratification,' Judge Maidment said. 'To say that your conduct was utterly despicable is an understatement.' Judge Maidment said Shandley 'showed no semblance of humanity' to his victim. Victorian County Court judge Richard Maidment sentenced Shandley to 13 years and six months in prison, with a non-parole period of 10 years for the 'despicable' attack 'Snatching her off the street from behind and subjecting her to that conduct ... is offending conduct of a very high order,' he said. 'You showed a callous disregard for the physical and mental consequences of your conduct towards the victim.' Shandley was also sentenced for threatening to kill his former partner, and reckless conduct endangering serious injury after he rammed his car into her vehicle. He threatened her and used his car to attack her in Shepparton a day after the rape. Shandley had become enraged after seeing his ex with a new boyfriend, the court heard. A 10-year-old boy has died after he was shot by another child while visiting his father's home for his sister's birthday party. The tragic incident occurred inside a third-floor apartment in Newark, New Jersey, after the boy had travelled from Pennsylvania with his mother to attend the family party. It was at this party that a child managed to get their hands on a gun and accidentally shoot the 10-year-old to death. The 10-year-old boy is understood to have been shot inside this apartment in Newark Family had gathered at the apartment for the birthday party of the 10-year-old boy's sister Police were called to the address on South 19th Street at 1.20am on Saturday morning where they arrived to find the boy with a gunshot wound to his chest. He was rushed to University Hospital where medics desperately tried to resuscitate him, but he was pronounced dead. Nobody has been arrested or charged over the death as police continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding the incident. There has been no confirmation yet as to who fired the weapon and officers spent Sunday interviewing the family and those inside the apartment at the time of the shooting, according to ABC. The boy has been named locally as Josiah Coleman by a man identifying as his grandfather Clarence Coleman. He told NJ.com he knew as much as anybody else with regards to how the boy was killed. A former student has called for defendants accused of sexual offences to be given anonymity after being acquitted of raping a 22-year-old woman who took her own life. Elgan Varney, 33, offered his condolences to the family of Keele University student Hannah Stubbs after the CPS offered no evidence against him during a hearing at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court. Speaking outside the court today, he described carrying the burden of suspicion for almost three years after the allegation was made in 2014 as a 'horrendous ordeal.' Miss Stubbs, who was studying physiotherapy, killed herself in August 2015 while police were investigating her claims against Mr Varney, who was studying the same subject at the university. Scroll down for video Elgan Varney has been acquitted of raping Hannah Stubbs, 22, in 2014 after CPS offered no evidence against him The former private school student, one of five siblings, was found by her parents at their country home six months after she claimed to have been attacked. Soon after, her mother notified friends and family with a heartfelt Facebook message, describing her daughter as 'our beautiful girl' who died 'following a long period battling depression'. She added: 'We wanted to give her the world, but now God has given her heaven.' In a statement read out by his solicitor, Hollie Alcock, Mr Varney questioned the timing of prosecutors' decision to drop the case four days before a trial was due to begin. Parents of Hannah Stubbs speak of 'kind and loving' daughter In a statement, Miss Stubbs' parents, Paul and Mandy Stubbs, who live near Stafford, thanked friends, family and police for their care and support over the past 19 months. 'Our overwhelming feeling is one of loss,' they said. 'And we don't want what happened to Hannah to define her life or our memory of the kind and loving person that she was. 'Hannah had decided to study medicine, and later physiotherapy, after hearing a missionary doctor speak at our church about the 2010 earthquake in Haiti. 'She was very good at what she turned her hand to, and could have achieved anything.' Last year, the couple who are committed Christians, ran the London Marathon in their daughter's memory, raising 4,722 for charity International Needs, which helps people suffering poverty and disease across the world. Advertisement Mr Varney formerly of Newcastle-under-Lyme, stated: 'This is not a time of celebration for me - quite simply, I should never have been charged and put through this horrendous ordeal. 'I will sadly never know the exact reasons for Hannah's actions. 'My anger and frustration is directed at the police and the CPS who have had overwhelming evidence from the outset that no crime was committed.' Mr Varney, whose QC described the aborted prosecution as 'terribly disturbing and distressing' for all those involved, said he had been looking forward to the facts of the case coming out at trial. Calling for a change in the law to provide anonymity to those charged with but not convicted of sexual offences, Mr Varney added: 'I fully believe that all sexual allegations should be investigated in a robust, fair and balanced manner and offenders should be brought to justice 'However, in the current climate it's far too easy for innocent people to be falsely accused. 'Police and CPS policy offers no protection to those wrongfully accused and many lives are left in tatters. 'It is a problem that has to be acknowledged and not ignored for fear of putting genuine victims off reporting.' In a statement read out by his solicitor, Hollie Alcock, Mr Varney questioned the timing of prosecutors' decision to drop the case four days before a trial was due to begin Mr Varney claimed there was an 'awful stigma' surrounding sexual allegations and said the impact of having his name in the media associated with abhorrent allegations, despite being innocent, had been nightmarish. He continued: 'It impacts future prospects and you are never allowed to fully move forward when the fact that you have been accused is one click away on Google.' The CPS said the case had been kept under regular review and prosecutors were no longer satisfied that there was a realistic prospect of conviction. Mr Varney added that he will 'never know the exact reasons for Hannah's actions' Prosecutors have met with the family of the complainant to explain the reasons for the decision, a CPS spokesman said. Defence counsel Ann Cotcher QC told the court Mr Varney had been 'removed from his attempts at education' at Keele because of the proceedings against him. 'This is an allegation that goes back to 2014,' Ms Cotcher told the brief hearing. 'The defendant was interviewed, as was the complainant, in March 2015, almost exactly two years ago.' A spokesman for the university said: 'Based on today's outcome, we will be in conversation with Mr Varney over the coming weeks. 'As is standard practice, any such discussion will be confidential between the university and the student.' Detective Superintendent Tim Martin, of Staffordshire Police, said: 'Each and every case is different and in this instance, information and the evidence gathered was submitted to the CPS who authorised charges to be brought. 'Our priority at this stage is the welfare of the family involved in this tragic case and our thoughts remain with them at this difficult time.' Before going into higher education, Miss Stubbs had been a student at St Dominics Priory, a top Catholic school, where fees cost up to 3,400 per term. Following the alleged rape, Miss Stubbs needed medical treatment and did not return to her physiotherapy course. Both Ms Stubbs and Mr Varney were students at Keele University. His defence counsel said he had been 'removed from his attempts at education' at Keele Mr Varney was cleared by Judge John Fletcher of two counts of rape and one of sexual assault after prosecutor Karim Khalil QC said the decision not to continue the prosecution had been taken at the 'highest level' of the CPS. An inquest into Ms Stubbs's death recorded a narrative verdict that she had taken her own life following post-traumatic stress. Relations between Nicola Sturgeon and Theresa May plumbed new depths today as the SNP complained it was not told first of the Prime Minister's Article 50 plans. No 10 announced this morning it had told EU Council President Donald Tusk to expect formal notification of Brexit next Wednesday, March 29. SNP Brexit Minister Michael Russell immediately complained the Joint Ministerial Council - set up as a liaison between Westminster and the devolved governments - was not told first. The new row comes after an extraordinary week of constitutional wrangling between Mrs May and Ms Sturgeon that looks set to culminate in a new Scottish independence referendum battle only one of them can win. Relations between Nicola Sturgeon and Theresa May, both pictured today, plumbed new depths today as the SNP complained it was not told first of the PM's Article 50 plans Less than an hour after news of Mrs May's plans emerged, Mr Russell tweeted: 'Thank you BBC News for letting JMC members like me know Article 50 is to be triggered next week. 'Gov UK somehow forgot to inform us.' Mrs May has been insisting for months she would invoke Article 50 before the end of March, which falls next Friday. Her official spokesman confirmed the detailed timetable today for the first time. SNP MP Stephen Gethins complained the unheralded announcement 'shattered beyond repair' the the UK-wide approach to Brexit. He said: 'For nine months since the EU referendum, there has been no attempt by the UK government to seek a meaningful discussion or agreement with the devolved administrations. 'Scotland is at a hugely important crossroads and we cannot be in a position where we drift for the next two years without as much as a clue as to the impact leaving the EU will have. 'That is why it is more crucial than ever that the Scottish parliament is able to give the people of Scotland a fair, legal and informed choice on the direction this country takes.' Less than an hour after news of Mrs May's plans emerged, SNP Brexit Minister Michael Russell tweeted a complaint he had to learn of Mrs May's plans on the news Scottish Labour leader Kezia Dugdale is in Westminster today to brief Labour MPs on the latest independence fight. She said: 'Nicola Sturgeon wakes up every single day thinking of ways to engineer another referendum because leaving the UK is the only thing that matters to her. 'It isn't improving education in Scotland, it isn't lifting children out of poverty, it isn't giving us a health service fit for the 21st century. It's independence - she is a nationalist and that will always come first. 'But the will of the Scottish people was very clearly expressed in 2014; 85 per cent of our fellow citizens voted in the first referendum, and they voted by a very clear majority to remain in the United Kingdom.' Ms Dugdale added: 'In 2014 this country was divided more than at any time in our recent history. 'Families argued, colleagues fell out, and communities were split down the middle. 'We don't want to go back to that. Those who voted to leave the UK and the majority who voted to remain in the UK don't want to back to the divisions of the past. 'Scottish Labour believes that together we're stronger, and the party I lead will never support independence.' Detectives have renewed an appeal for witnesses after raiders stole art worth 2.5 million from the home of a former Tory MP and cider magnate. Esmond Bulmer, 81, of the Bulmers cider dynasty, and his wife Susan, 75, were on holiday in Barbados when intruders broke into their sprawling mansion. They allegedly threatened to pour bleach over house-sitter Deborah Branjum and tied her to a banister before making off with the valuable haul. Some of the gang fled with the paintings while others loaded the boot of the Bulmers Mercedes with a safe containing 1 million of jewellery. Esmond Bulmer, 81, of the Bulmers cider dynasty, and his wife Susan, 75, were on holiday in Barbados when intruders broke into their sprawling mansion All but one of the 15 paintings taken have been recovered. The outstanding painting is Sir John Laverys After Glow Taplow (pictured) Sir George Clausen's Apple Blossom (pictured left) was among the paintings stolen and later returned with the help of private investigators, as was a piece by Edward Poynter (shown right) Fifteen well-known artworks, jewels and silverware - including an ornate mirror and a pair of silver candelabra - were stolen in the March 2009 raid. The traumatised house-sitter, then 47, was found at the property near Bruton, Somerset, 18 hours after the raid. Police have arrested 11 men in connection with the aggravated burglary. They all remain on bail pending further investigation. The latest arrest, which came in February, was a 42-year-old man from Small Heath, Birmingham. He was arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to commit fraud and conspiracy to handle criminal property. Previously arrests have been made in the Gloucestershire, West Midlands, London and the South East in connection with the heist. Retrieved: George Frederick Wattss Endymion, said to be worth 1million, was one of the pieces stolen Some of the gang fled with the paintings while others loaded the boot of the Bulmers Mercedes with a safe containing 1 million of jewellery, including these diamond earrings (left) Eight years on, Avon and Somerset Constabulary have renewed their appeal for witnesses and information. All but one of the 15 paintings taken were recovered by private investigators. The outstanding painting is Sir John Laverys After Glow Taplow. The jewellery and the silverware have great sentimental value to the owners. Mr Bulmer is thought to have made 84 million when he and his family sold their stake in the familys Hereford-based Bulmers cider-making business. After getting the art back in 2015, Mr Bulmer, who was MP for Kidderminster from 1974 to 1983, said he was 'thrilled'. His wife added that she believed the police who visited them thought they were rich poshos whod get the money back from the insurance company anyway. Police are appealing for jewellers and antique and second-hand shop owners who may have been offered the items to come forward. Anyone able to help should call the Operation Shine investigative team via 101, quoting reference Op Shine 3559609. Advertisement She spends her days bossing men around in Britain's corridors of power - and Theresa May has now revealed that nothing changes when she gets home to her husband. The Prime Minister said she wears the trousers in the relationship in a rare interview that has lifted the lid on married life inside Number 10, where she lives with her husband Philip. Opening up on her personal life in an interview with Vogue, she has revealed that Philip, 59, cooks a 'very good mushroom risotto' and even does the dishes afterwards. Painting Philip as the perfect husband, the Tory leader described him as 'very supportive' and talked of how their bond had 'developed over time'. Theresa May has posed for a fashion shoot with photographer Annie Leibovitz for US Vogue magazine. In this photo, taken at the Prime Minister's Chequers country residence, she wears an L.K. Bennet coat and dress She is pictured in a 450 Egg coat, a 470 Sine for Egg sweater and black boots walking in the countryside with her husband. She praised Philip in the interview she gave to the magazine, revealing he makes an excellent mushroom risotto Although Mrs May did admit that she and Philip argue about the same things other couples do, such as what to watch on TV, with Philip preferring history documentaries, and she opting for crime drama. She said: 'I think we argue about the same things that most people argue aboutlike, who has the remote? And what were watching tonight. His history program? NoNCIS!' Although the interview comes days before the release of a new book, in which she claims that she does most of the cooking, despite working gruelling 75-hour weeks as Prime Minister. Speaking to Sky News presenter Sophie Ridge for her new book, The Women Who Shaped Politics, she revealed: 'I do the cooking, because I enjoy cooking, and Philip puts the bins out. 'He's got one or two recipes that he can rustle up for himself. Life as a political husband does mean that you've got to learn to do a bit of cooking for yourself.' She opened up on her marriage to Vogue journalist Gaby Wood after posing for celebrated portrait photographer Annie Leibovitz at her country residence Chequers in a shoot for the April edition of US Vogue. Mrs May, the vicar's daughter who fought her way to the top of British politics, gave a wide-ranging interview in which she also revealed the truth behind her holding hands with Donald Trump. Commenting on the famous photo taken outside the White House, she said: 'I think he was actually being a gentleman. We were about to walk down a ramp, and he said it might be a bit awkward.' Mrs May spoke about the pictures of her and Donald Trump holding hands, saying the US President was 'being a gentleman' Theresa May, at home in the 995 Amanda Wakeley leather trousers that sparked criticism from other MPs after she wore them in a photo shoot for the Sunday Times IN HER OWN WORDS On comparisons with Thatcher 'There can only ever be one. Im Theresa May. I do things my way.' On holding hands with Donald Trump 'I think he was actually being a gentleman. We were about to walk down a ramp, and he said it might be a bit awkward.' On married life 'I think we argue about the same things that most people argue aboutlike, who has the remote? And what were watching tonight. His history program? NoNCIS!' On the 955 leather trousers 'Throughout my political career, people have commented on what I wear. Thats just something that happens, and you accept that. But it doesnt stop me from going out and enjoying fashion.' Advertisement Her photoshoot was organised by editor-in-chief Anna Wintour, with some suggesting the PM's choice of the US version of the magazine was designed to raise her profile on the other side of the Atlantic. The Tory leader, 60, is pictured in an L.K.Bennet coat and dress sitting in front of a 17th century painting called 'Master Frankland, Second Son to William Frankland'. Another photo shows her in a long red coat and grey sweater, both from the exclusive Egg boutique, walking through a wintry landscape with husband Philip, who she praised in her interview. Vogue is a magazine which is close to the Prime Minister's heart, and she chose a lifetime subscription as her luxury item when she appeared on Radio 4's Desert Island Discs in 2014. She has been well-known for her love of shoes ever since she walked on stage at the 2002 Tory Party conference wearing a pair of Leopard print kitten heels. And during her tenure as Home Secretary, Debenhams said 'the Theresa May effect' was driving customers to seek out increasingly bold shoe designs. In December last year, she sparked a row in Downing Street after wearing 955 Amanda Wakeley 'bitter chocolate' leather trousers during a similar photoshoot for the Sunday Times magazine. Her choice of clothes was criticised by Conservative MP Nicky Morgan, who said she had never spent that much on a piece of clothing apart from her wedding dress. Speaking about the episode in her latest interview, the Prime Minister said: 'Throughout my political career, people have commented on what I wear. That's just something that happens, and you accept that. One of Mrs May's first widely-covered speeches came during the Conservative Party Conference in 2002 She has continued to push the boundaries during her time on the front benches. She is pictured in Parliament in 2007 'But it doesn't stop me from going out and enjoying fashion. And I also think it's important to be able to show that a woman can do a job like this and still be interested in clothes.' At the time her Vogue shoot was announced in January, it was suggested Mrs May and her team had chosen US Vogue over the UK version to make a greater impression on newly-elected president Donald Trump. It was also noted that the deputy editor of the British edition is Emily Sheffield, the younger sister of Samantha Cameron, wife the Prime Minister from whom Mrs May took over. Photographer Ms Leibovitz's work stretches back to her days as a photographer for Rolling Stone magazine in the early 1970s, when she captured the last official image of John Lennon and Yoko Ono just five hours before he was killed. The 67-year-old photographer, who commands fees of up to 150,000 a day, has also taken official pictures of the Queen, including one for her 90th birthday last year. Margaret Thatcher, the UK's only other female leader with whom Mrs May is often compared, was photographed four times for British Vogue. Asked about the comparisons with Mrs Thatcher, Mrs May told Vogue: 'There can only ever be one Margaret Thatcher. I'm Theresa May. I do things my way.' South Korea has faced backlash in China following the installation of US anti-ballistic missile THAAD. Anger at South Korea has intensified over the past couple of weeks with even a Chinese kindergarten joining in with anti Korea rhetoric by getting its students to promise not to buy South Korean snacks. Seoul says that the missile shield is imperative to protect itself from North Korea however China argues that the shield threatens the country's security. The students can be heard in the video promising not to eat South Korean snacks Anger: Security and police have been deployed to some stores amid fears of attacks People in China have been mass boycotting South Korean owned companies such as Lotte supermarket following the installation of the US' THAAD missile defence system. THAAD known as Terminal High Altitude Area Defense is an anti-ballistic missile interceptor. It is designed to hit missiles as they zoom down towards earth, reports the Diplomat. It belongs to the US however they signed an agreement with Seoul to provide land for the system. China has repeatedly denounced THAAD as a threat to its security, with a foreign ministry spokesman saying "the consequences entailed will be borne by the US and the Republic of Korea". A member of staff is the only person that can be seen at a Korean supermarket in Shanghai Empty shelves are seen at a Lotte Mart in Beijing following calls to boycott the company Video footage shows the school children thought to be kindergarten students sitting together in a group. The children can then be heard saying that they will not eat South Korean snacks. The children say: 'Boycott Lotte' While the school warns them: 'We have to buy less snacks from Lotte to support the boycott.' From the beginning of March, protests have been held outside Korean establishments. In Jilin province, people were seen holding Chairman Mao posters as they called for the boycott of Korean goods to continue. Shares in South Korean companies in China have suffered with also reports of Beijing telling tour operators to stop selling trips to the country. On March 14, footage emerged of a woman sabotaging products in a South Korean supermarket. The video was posted to a live streaming website and showed the female shopper smashing up boxes of instant noodles, ripping open packaging and swigging from a carton of fruit juice before putting it back on the shelf. Flash The site where a Chinese couple were killed in an attack in Antananarivo, Madagascar. [Eastday.com] China has urged Madagascar to immediately take effective measures to protect the safety of Chinese citizens and their property following two attacks against Chinese citizens in Antananarivo, Madagascar's capital. The Chinese Embassy in Madagascar confirmed on March 19 that a Chinese couple were robbed and seriously wounded at their home in Antananarivo at night in late February, and another Chinese couple were killed in a local hotel at night in mid March, Chinanews.com reported. Immediately after the two attacks against Chinese citizens, the Chinese Embassy in Madagascar has made solemn representations to the authorities of Madagascar, urging them to punish the robbers and killers according to law, and to take effective measures to protect the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese citizens and their safety and property. The Chinese Embassy in Madagascar also warned Chinese citizens to enhance their vigilance, raise their self-protection awareness, and avoid doing such things as going out at night, visiting high-risk places including casinos, and carrying or storing at home large amounts of cash. It also warned its citizens to solve the problems peacefully by means of law in the case of disputes. At the same time, the Chinese Embassy in Madagascar has released the emergency telephone number of local police, the local Chinese consulate telephone number, and the global emergency telephone number of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Currently, there are about 50,000 Chinese in Madagascar who are mainly engaged in trade, the catering industry and traditional Chinese medicine clinics. Similar attacks against Chinese have also happened in the country prior to the latest two cases. Members of a Romanian 'crime academy' gang have been jailed for a total of 47 years for plundering more than 3million worth of jewellery in a series of heists. The six-man gang struck across the country, taking 400,000 worth of watches in just one raid on a Beaverbrooks branch in Stoke-on-Trent. They cycled to the raids to avoid detection and even cordoned off stretches of road as part of their 'forensic' levels of preparation. A Romanian crime gang set up camp and cycled to jewellers across the country armed with sledgehammers. Pictured, Ioan Bucuresteanu (left) and Silvu Acatrinei The gang also pitched tents several miles from the scene of their crimes and buried their excrement in a bid to avoid their DNA being picked up. Four of the gang - all originally from Romania - were each jailed for eight years and two months for conspiring to commit burglaries. They were Vasile Daniel Cardos, 26, of Halesowen Street, Rowley Regis, and Bogdan Costel Neagu, 24, Silvu Ioan Acatrinei, 20, and Andrei Florin Tifui, 28, all of no fixed address. Ioan Bucuresteanu, 24, also of no fixed address, was sentenced to eight years for the same offence. Six men were jailed for 47 years today for offences, including a 644,900 raid on a store in Milton Keynes, committed between November 2015 and September 2016. Pictured, Vasile Cardos (left) and Andrei Tifui The gang smashed at the doors of the branch with sledgehammers until they broke in The gang was caught on CCTV smashing their way into the intu Potteries shopping centre The sixth gangster, Ioachim Karp, 19, of no fixed address, was jailed for six years and six months for aggravated burglary and conspiracy. Stoke Crown Court heard their 'meticulously-planned' reign of terror took in 11 raids between November 2015 and September 2016. Stores at the Bicester Village designer outlet in Oxfordshire and a jewellers in Stratford-upon-Avon were among those hit. After the sentencing hearing, Det Chief Insp Ricky Fields, of Staffordshire Police, said the group torched cars and tyres to distract the authorities and tied industrial cables across roads to slow down police responding to their burglaries. Watches, rings and necklaces were stolen in a series of 11 raids. Pictured, Bogdan Costel Neagu (left) and Ioachim Karp Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court heard how the targets included Beaverbrooks in Hanley's intu Potteries shopping centre He linked them to the so-called Romanian Crime Academy, which provides a strict code for its members and trains techniques such as avoiding being followed as well as understanding forensic evidence. Mr Field said: 'This was a highly-organised Romanian crime group who, thanks to great partnership working between all forces, we were able to bring to justice. 'Police officers across the country have worked tirelessly and diligently to achieve this result in court.' A seventh man is due to be sentenced on March 28. The six-man gang struck across the country, taking 400,000 worth of watches in just one raid (pictured) on a Beaverbrooks branch in Stoke-on-Trent Offenders drove a Ford Mondeo into the Bluewater shopping centre (pictured), parked up and set the car alight during one raid Martha Stewart is mourning the loss of her younger brother, who died suddenly last week. George Christiansen, 65, died of a suspected heart attack at his home in Fairfield, Connecticut after feeling unwell. Stewart's longtime spokeswoman Susan Magrino issued a statement to the New York Post about the death. Martha Stewart's (left) younger brother George Christiansen, 65 (right), died suddenly of a suspected heart attack last week 'Martha lost her youngest brother, George, suddenly and unexpectedly earlier this [past] week. The family requests that you respect their privacy during this time of sorrow,' the statement reads. Stewart, 75, was reportedly very close with her younger brother, and his wife Rita worked in Stewart's office. Christiansen was a contractor and his company Pequot Remodeling helped renovate Stewart's old home Turkey Hill. Stewart and her younger brother (left and right) were reportedly very close In the book 'Being Martha: The Inside Story of Martha Stewart and her Amazing Life,'' Christian spoke about their childhood, growing up in New Jersey. 'It was all about going and finding a piece of land and living off of it, learning how to get back to nature. Listening to banjos, listening to folk music, discovering Leadbelly and the Mamas and the Papas. 'We used to have the greatest evenings with a bunch of hospitable people. Martha would make pies and other things for the occasions.' Stewart was the second oldest of six children, and Christiansen is the second of her younger siblings to die. Her younger sister Laura Kostyra Plimpton died in 204 at the age of 59 after suffering a massive brain aneurysm. Plimpton worked at Stewart's company for more than 25 years. Darren O'Flaherty (pictured in court) is accused of shooting dead an Irish father after a petty pub row on the Costa del Sol A British fugitive living under a false identity on the Costa del Sol shot dead an Irish father-of-two after a petty pub row with another stranger, a court heard today. Wanted Darren O'Flaherty, 42, went home to change his clothes and look for a gun before returning to murder innocent holidaymaker John O'Neill and shoot at other expats in an indiscriminate orgy of violence, a state prosecutor alleged. The events leading up to the killing of 'gentle giant' plasterer Mr O'Neill, from Coolock, north Dublin, were retold to a nine-strong jury at a criminal court in Malaga where O'Flaherty is standing trial. The father-of-five from Liverpool - dressed in a white shirt, black tie and black trousers - sat impassively in handcuffs in the dock beside a translator as Rosa Romero told jurors he had shot his victim with the intention of ending his life at Coco's Bar in the popular resort of Benalmadena. Romero said: 'He gave his victim absolutely no chance of defending himself when he killed him and under Spanish law that makes this a murder and not a simple homicide. 'The trigger was a petty row with a different man. 'Our main evidence is the CCTV footage at the bar which doesn't show the victim being killed but on which you can hear the killer shot.' Romero said that at one point O'Flaherty's .38 revolver had failed when he pointed his gun at a father and his disabled son during the July 28 2010 attack. Telling the jury O'Flaherty was living in a nearby flat rented using a false passport in the name of William Anthony Doyle, she added: 'He wasn't a tourist who had come here to have a good time. Wanted Darren O'Flaherty, 42, went home to change his clothes and look for a gun before returning to murder innocent holidaymaker John O'Neill (pictured with his partner and shoot at other expats in an indiscriminate orgy of violence, a state prosecutor alleged 'He was a man who hid his identity because he was wanted in the UK and was living here under a false name. 'He has never wanted to cooperate with the authorities. His reaction the day after his crime was to send a neighbour to try to recover his mobile phone which he realised he'd dropped in the bar and then flee the country.' Mr O'Neill, who was on his first foreign holiday with his family including his son Jake, then three, and daughter Jasmine, then nine months, had attended a sunshine wedding the day before his life was ended. He collapsed and died at a bus stop 50 yards from the bar in front of partner Maxine Sutcliffe after suffering a fatal wound to his stomach. Bar manager James Walsh, who had thrown O'Flaherty out earlier that night after a row, and waiter Max Boon narrowly cheated death after the Briton shot at them but missed. The suspect was held on a European arrest warrant while celebrating his birthday at a Chinese restaurant in north Wales in August 2013. He was extradited to Spain in February 2015 to await trial after serving prison time in the UK for his role in a knifepoint hold-up. O'Flaherty declined to take the witness stand after opening speeches by his lawyers and the state prosecutor, telling the court through his translator that he wouldn't answer any questions. His defence team, led by Cristina Carrillo, said he was drunk and high on drugs the night of Mr O'Neill's death and had only a 'hazy recollection' of what happened so would retain his right to silence. Lawyer Oscar Chicarro, who spoke on his behalf in court, said his client had a psychological illness which had affected him along with the drink and drugs he had consumed. He said: 'His reaction was over the top but his intention was not to kill Mr O'Neill or the others in the bar that night, just to frighten them.' Prosecutors want O'Flaherty caged for 17 years if found guilty of the 40-year-old Irishman's murder. O'Flaherty, from Liverpool - dressed in a white shirt, black tie and black trousers - sat impassively in handcuffs in the dock beside a translator as Rosa Romero told jurors he had shot his victim with the intention of ending his life at Coco's Bar (pictured) in the popular resort of Benalmadena They are also calling for a 12-year jail sentence for each of two attempted murders he is charged with, plus an additional one year and six months for illegal firearms possession and the same prison sentence if convicted of using fake documentation to rent his flat. They are also seeking 200,000 Euros (70,000) compensation for Mr O'Neill's children. His defence lawyer told the jury he should be cleared of murdering Mr O'Neill because under Spanish law jurors who felt he had committed wrongdoing could convict him only of the lesser charge of homicide - and his mental health problems and drunkenness reduced his criminal responsibility. The charge of homicide in Spain is a halfway house between manslaughter and murder and carries a ten to 15-year prison sentence. Mr O' Neill's aunt Peig Dowdall described her nephew after the killing as 'a gorgeous, big soft guy, always with a smile on his face.' She added: 'He was just in the wrong place.' Speaking on the anniversary of her partner's murder, Maxine said: 'The last year has been devastating. There aren't words to describe what we went through. 'It was like you were living a nightmare and you didn't know when it was going to end and how. 'But the worst thing is, we're still going through it, every second of every day.' Recalling the moment she realised her 'best friend' had slipped away, she added: 'I looked and I saw him lying on the pavement. 'I was running over to get to him but the police pushed me back. I told them I just needed to hold his hand but they said no.' The defendant's dad, who did not give his name, said outside court: 'We are truly very sorry about what happened.' O'Flaherty is pleading not guilty. The trial, expected to last for around three days, continues tomorrow when Maxine Sutcliffe is due to give evidence by video-conference from Ireland. Piled high with 500lbs of spaghetti, 150 gallons of sauce and 50lbs of cheese, the world's biggest pasta bowl made its annual appearance for St. Joseph's Day celebrations. The whopping bowl of pasta, spanning eight feet in diameter, was more than enough to feed hungry New Orleans spectators on Friday. In addition to the noodles, meatless gravy and mounds of cheese, the dish also contained sardines, pine nuts, fennel and raisins, in honor of St. Joseph's Day. It marked the 47th year the Italian American St. Joseph Society has done the massive spaghetti feast, as New Orleans, a port city for immigrant Sicilians, paid homage to the saint. Scroll down for video Weighing in at 500lbs of spaghetti, 150 gallons of sauce and 50lbs of cheese, the world's biggest pasta bowl made its annual appearance for St. Joseph's Day celebrations in New Orleans on Friday The pasta's recipe reflects the traditional Sicilian recipe of Pasta con Sarde, which includes breadcrumbs to symbolize sawdust and pay homage to the saint's background as a carpenter The spaghetti was dumped into the giant bowl, the world's biggest bowl to contain a load of pasta, and had buckets of meatless gravy poured in, according to WGNO. The pasta's recipe reflects the traditional Sicilian recipe of Pasta con Sarde, which includes breadcrumbs to symbolize sawdust and pay homage to the saint's background as a carpenter. The world's biggest pasta bowl isn't to be confused with the world's largest bowl of pasta, which focuses on the amount of noodles. That record belongs to Czanieckie Makarony, Gmina Miejska Krakow and Magillo Restaurant, of Poland, who cooked up 17,417lb of spaghetti in October 2015, according to Guinness World Records. It took 40 chefs and more than 19 hours to get the record-breaking dish ready for more than 10,000 hungry people. Video footage of a man stabbing a driver in the leg twice on a Chinese bus has emerged online. The male passenger attacked the driver on March 17 after he was told by the man to stop smoking. The driver was sent to hospital for treatment and local policemen arrested the suspect a day later, confirming that he had a previous criminal record. The passenger got angry as he was told by the bus driver that he was not allowed to smoke The incident took place in Wuhan city, central Hubei province on March 17, reported Sohu News. The suspect, Zhang Weihua, 35, was reported to be smoking two cigarettes on the bus. The 39-year-old bus driver, surnamed Luo, gave Zhang a verbal warning before stopping at a station near Tienehu Avenue. The surveillance camera at the driver's seat shows the moment Zhang attacked the driver and stabbed Luo's right leg with a pocket knife. Passengers reported the case to the police and took Luo to the nearby Union Hospital by taxi. Doctors confirmed two cut wounds on Luo: one on his right thigh and one on his right shank. Suspect, Zhang Weihua (left), ran away after stabbing the driver (right) twice on his right leg Police arrested the suspect after interviewing roughly 200 neighbours around the local area Luo's mother arrived the hospital and told reporters that her son had been working as a bus driver since he quit the army in 2009. 'He has a good personality and I don't understand how this can happen. But I need to thank the good samaritans for sending him to the hospital,' the mother said. Policemen at Caidian Branch, Wuhan Public Security Bureau said the suspect disappeared after the attack. They interviewed 200 neighbours around the area and located the suspect the following day. Officials arrested Zhang while he was working at a food stall on March 18. It is reported that Zhang has previous criminal records of causing bodily harm with intent. He is now being held in custody for further investigation. A migrant hunter who has had a bounty put on his head by ISIS has now bought himself a helicopter gunship to help patrol on the look-out for 'potential jihadis'. Dinko Valev, 29, made a name for himself last year after posting internet videos of himself chasing down immigrants who fled into Bulgaria from neighbouring Turkey and war-torn Syria. The former semi-professional wrestler was shown chasing terrified migrants through woodlands along with other armed vigilantes. Dinko Valev (pictured left) has now got his hands on a helicopter gunship (right) which he is threatening to use in his anti-migrant patrols The films showed women and children forced to cower on the forest floor while the men were made to lie on their stomachs with their hands tied behind their backs. But he became a hero to some Bulgarians and the government in Sofia has reportedly given him their support and helped him acquire two military amphibious troop carriers. Now he has got his hands on a military helicopter, believed to have formerly belonged to either the Bulgarian or Russian air force. Bulgaria's populist President, Rumen Radev, is a former Major General in the Bulgarian air force. Dinko Valev's private army of vigilantes also have two amphibious troop carriers (one of which he is pictured sitting on) It is unclear if Valev will fly the chopper himself but he wrote: 'We are ready to go' next to a video clip of him with the machine. It is unclear if the helicopter, which has a large machine gun at the front and rocket housings on either wing, is actually operational. Valev, who lives in Yambol, close to the Turkish border, has claimed every refugee is a potential jihadi and last year ISIS reportedly put a $50,000 (38,000) bounty on his head. Critics say Valev is a racist thug but his supporters say he is defending the country's borders Valev claims every refugee is a potential jihadist and once described his hunts, saying: 'I would describe it as simply a sporting activity. You can't describe sportsmen as violent.' Six months ago he used social media to show off his brand-new 180,000 Mercedes S-Class Coupe and thanked his 'supporters' for making it possible. Valev has shrugged off an investigation by prosecutors for inciting racial hatred, which could put him in jail. State prosecutors in Yambol and nearby Sredets are reportedly investigating complaints that Valev and his men encouraged discrimination against migrants. He is also being asked to explain how he has apparently become hugely wealthy on the back of his manhunt expeditions. The European Union is temporarily halting some imports of Brazilian meat amid an investigation into sales of rotten products and bribery allegations. Spokesman Enrico Brivio told reporters on Monday that companies involved in the scandal would be temporarily barred. Authorities say companies used chemicals to improve the appearance and smell of expired meats. The EU is temporarily halting some imports of Brazilian meat. Pictured, a man delivers sides of beef to a butcher shop in Brasilia, Brazil Spokesman Enrico Brivio told reporters on Monday that companies involved in the scandal would be temporarily barred. Pictured, experts prepare to analyse seized animal meat The spokesman did not cite companies by name or specify how long the suspension would last. The decision is a blow to Brazil, one of the world's largest exporters of meat. On Friday, police issued 38 arrest warrants involving the giant meatpackers JBS and BRF. President Michel Temer called an emergency meeting on Sunday with ambassadors of several countries. Brazil's President Michel Temer (pictured) led a meeting on the rotten meat scandal with the ambassadors to countries that import Brazilian meat yesterday Authorities say companies used chemicals to improve the appearance and smell of expired meats. Pictured, confiscated meat prodcuts at a supermarket in Rio de Janeiro He assured them that national meats were safe and invited them to a Brazilian style barbeque. Brazil is the world's biggest beef and poultry-exporting nation and the row is especially unwelcome when the country is struggling to exit its worst recession in history. Market analysis group Capital Economics warned the 'developing scandal over Brazil's meat exports could plausibly derail the country's economic recovery.' Brazil is the world's biggest beef and poultry-exporting nation and the row is especially unwelcome when the country is struggling to exit its worst recession in history Brazilian meat is exported to more than 150 countries, with principal markets also including Japan, Saudi Arabia and Russia 'Brazil is facing a potential loss of export revenues of about $3.5 billion. That's the equivalent of about 0.2 percent of GDP,' Capital Economics said. 'The economic impact will depend to a large extent on how long any bans stay in place. There are some reasons for optimism here.' Brazilian meat is exported to more than 150 countries, with principal markets also including Japan, Saudi Arabia and Russia. Total meat exports amount to about seven percent of exports and 0.7 percent of gross domestic product. Google today apologised for allowing adverts to appear alongside offensive videos on YouTube as more big firms including M&S and HSBC pulled their advertising. The UK Government has suspended its marketing on YouTube after some public sector ads appeared next to videos with homophobic and anti-Semitic messages. And Google's European boss Matt Brittin said today he was sorry for 'advertisers who might have been affected by their ads appearing on controversial content'. Google's European boss Matt Brittin (pictured today at the Advertising Week Europe event in London's West End) has apologised for allowing adverts to appear alongside offensive videos But the apology did not go far enough for home affairs select committee chair Yvette Cooper who said the company must do more to filter out extremist content. Britain is Google's second biggest market after the US, generating 6billion mainly from advertising in 2016, or nearly 9 per cent of the firm's global revenue. And, speaking during the annual Advertising Week Europe event at Picturehouse Central in London's West End, Mr Brittin said sorry for the company's failings. He told the conference: 'I would like to apologise to our partners and advertisers who might have been affected by their ads appearing on controversial content.' Mr Brittin said Google was committed to doing better and would simplify advertiser controls, add safer defaults and increase investment to enforce its ad policies faster. But Labour MP Miss Cooper, who has accused the company of 'profiting from hatred' in recent days, said the apology 'doesn't go far enough'. She told The Guardian: 'It isn't enough for Google to respond only when their advertising revenues take a hit. 'They are one of the biggest and most powerful companies on the planet. They can afford to do far more, far faster to deal with illegal and hate-filled content online.' Vile: Masked figures marching in a recruitment video for the banned far-Right National Action, which has only just been taken down from YouTube Last night, Marks & Spencer pulled its advertising from YouTube as part of a growing boycott over its failure to remove extremist content. The chain became the latest in a string of household names to suspend its marketing on the site because of concerns adverts are inadvertently funding terror groups. Ministers are facing demands to take action against the internet giant after the Daily Mail found neo-Nazi videos remained on YouTube despite repeated warnings. WHO HAS PULLED THEIR ADVERTISING FROM YOUTUBE? UK Government M&S HSBC Lloyds RBS McDonald's L'Oreal Audi BBC O2 Royal Mail Domino's Advertisement Fears about Google's political influence also mounted after it emerged the firm's bosses have met ministers at least once a month since the 2015 general election. M&S yesterday followed HSBC, Lloyds, RBS, McDonald's, L'Oreal, Audi, the BBC, O2, the Royal Mail and Domino's in pulling its advertising from YouTube. Today, Brian Wieser, a senior analyst at Pivotal Research Group, said: 'Google faces a hostile industry of media owners in Europe... and we expect they will be all too happy to highlight future brand safety failings.' He added: 'Overall, we think that the problems which have come to light will have global repercussions as UK marketers potentially adapt their UK policies to other markets and as marketers around the world become more aware of the problem. WPP, the world's largest advertising firm, said today that it is talking to clients and media partners such as Google to find ways to prevent brands from being tarnished. Founder Martin Sorrell said: 'We have always said Google, Facebook and others are media companies and have the same responsibilities as any other media company. 'They cannot masquerade as technology companies, particularly when they place advertisements.' Google's apology today did not go far enough for home affairs select committee chair Yvette Cooper (pictured) who said the company must do more to filter out extremist content Publicis, the world's third largest advertising firm, said today that it was clear Google had fallen short of meeting advertising standards and that the French company was reviewing its relationship with Google. Google said on Friday it worked hard to remove ads appearing on pages or videos with hate speech, gory or offensive content but with 400 hours of video uploaded to YouTube every minute it did not always get it right. It isn't enough for Google to respond only when their advertising revenues take a hit Yvette Cooper, home affairs select committee chair A Google UK spokesman said it would look again at the way it defines incendiary commentary and hate speech to raise the bar on videos and sites allowed for advertising. On Friday, Google executives were called in to face questions from the advertising industry and Britain over the issue. A Government spokesman said today: 'It is totally unacceptable that taxpayer-funded advertising has appeared next to inappropriate internet content - and that message was conveyed very clearly to Google. 'The Cabinet Office has told Google it expects to see a plan and a timetable for work to improve protection of government adverts to ensure this doesn't happen again. YouTube advertising remains on hold while that work is carried out.' HOW THE YOUTUBE ROW HAS DEVELOPED OVER THE PAST WEEK Monday: Google apologises to its 'partners and advertisers who might have been affected by their ads appearing on controversial content' Sunday: Marks and Spencer becomes the latest in a string of big names to suspend its marketing on YouTube Friday: The BBC and the Cabinet Office are among a host of organisations to pull their adverts from YouTube Friday: Havas, whose clients include O2 and Royal Mail, is claimed to be the first major global advertising company to announce that none of its budget will go to Google or YouTube Friday: Home affairs select committee writes to Google asking for an explanation after Government adverts were placed on 'hate-filled sites' Thursday night: An investigation published by The Times claims that rape apologists, anti-Semites and hate preachers are among those receiving payouts from publicly subsidised adverts on Google's YouTube Advertisement YouTube hands 6.15 of advertising revenue for every 1,000 views to those who post videos, meaning household names have unintentionally been funnelling cash to terror groups, neo-Nazis and homophobes. Many videos generate millions of hits. In a bid to halt the advertising exodus, Google has admitted it 'can and must do more', and has promised to make changes 'in the coming weeks to give brands more control over where their ads appear.' But an M&S spokesman said yesterday: 'In order to ensure brand safety, we are pausing activity across Google platforms whilst the matter is worked through.' Google does not actively look for hate content on YouTube, instead waiting for users to flag it up. This has enraged many firms, which have found their brands promoted alongside terrorist videos. The advertising boycott comes as the close links that Google has built with the top of Government were revealed today. Prime Minister Theresa May, her predecessor David Cameron and Culture Secretary Karen Bradley are among 13 ministers who have held dozens of meetings with the internet giant since the election. The extent of the cosy relationship between Google and Whitehall has sparked fresh concerns over the scale of the firm's political clout. In the 17 months between May 2015 and September last year, ministers held at least 27 meetings with the web company. Data for the past six months has yet to be published. Mrs May met Google in July 2015, when she was home secretary, while the firm attended a business roundtable with then prime minister Mr Cameron that October. Marks and Spencer last night pulled its advertising from Google's YouTube as part of a growing boycott over its failure to remove extremist content Internet safety minister Baroness Shields a former Google managing director met with her old firm seven times, which included discussions on online extremism. Baroness Shields, who was made a peer by Mr Cameron, is one of dozens of Google executives who have been through a 'revolving door' between the tech company and Government. The firm has hired at least 26 Whitehall staff, including No 10 aides, in the past decade. HOW PROGRAMMATIC ADVERTISING WORKS 1) Internet user clicks on an extremist website or YouTube video. 2) Users internet address sent to advertising exchanges - the most profitable is Google run DoubleClick. 3) Advertising agencies hired by companies bid on the exchange to place an advert on the site or video. In most cases, the advertiser has no idea where the advert will be placed. 4) Advertisers are supposed to be able to blacklist extremist websites, but this relies on video creators honestly and accurately categorising their uploads, which in the case of extremist content is extremely rare. 5) A slice of the advertisers fee is paid to the person or group who created the website or uploaded the video. Advertisement Its staff have also headed in the opposite direction. Nigel Huddleston left his job as the search engine's industry head of travel after being elected as a Tory MP in 2015. Rachel Whetstone, a former aide to ex-Tory leader Michael Howard and friend of Mr Cameron later worked for Google as head of international communications. She is also married to the former PM's ex-strategist, Steve Hilton. The Tories lavished 312,000 on Google ads in the run-up to the election. Google chairman Eric Schmidt spent five years as a business adviser to Mr Cameron and previously gave the keynote speech at the Tory conference. According to marketing experts, extremists have made 250,000 from adverts for household brands and public bodies hosted on Google. The search giant has earned around 120,000. One of the biggest earning hate preachers is the Egyptian cleric Wagdi Ghoneim, who is banned from visiting the UK. His YouTube channel has netted him around 65,000. The boycott of YouTube started on Friday, when ministers suspended all government advertising on the video- sharing platform until it could all but guarantee public money would not fund hate content. Officials learned that adverts for public bodies such as UK Aid and the Metropolitan Police had been running alongside YouTube videos containing extremist material. One of Vladimir Putin's biggest critics, Russian politician Alexei Navalny, has had bright green liquid thrown over him during a visit to Siberia. Navalny, who wants to stand against Putin in next year's presidential elections, laughed off the attack today, tweeting: 'I will be opening a headquarters in Barnaul as if I am from the film The Mask! Cool. Even my teeth are green!' In the Hollywood film Jim Carrey stars as timid clerk, Stanley Ipkiss, who transforms himself into a belligerent superhero when he dons a special green mask with magical powers. Navalny has had to take eyedrops after some of the liquid got in his eyes but he is otherwise unharmed and the liquid will wash off his skin in a few days Navalny (pictured, left) was able to laugh off the attack and joked about how he looked like Jim Carrey's character in the movie The Mask The green liquid sprayed in Navalny's face has been identified as a common Russian antiseptic which remains on the skin for days but will eventually wash off. The mystery assailant sprayed it on him when he went to shake the man's hand and then fled in the confusion. Kevin Rathrock, web editor of the Moscow Times, later tweeted: 'Navalnys sister in law and nephew have painted their faces green in solidarity. I smell the beginnings of a whole movement.' Navalny, 40, is travelling around Russia opening campaign headquarters although a criminal conviction for fraud bars him from running in next year's election. Navalny was able to laugh at the attack but it could have been much worse His supporters claim the charges were politically motivated. He is widely followed on social media and in 2011 he urged people to vote for anyone but Putin's United Russia, which he called the 'party of crooks and thieves', a term that has stuck, much to Putin's chagrin. Navalny was jailed in July 2013 for embezzlement in the city of Kirov but few independent observers believe the trial was untainted by political bias. Having swelled to 20,000 members in just two decades the MS-13 gang has gained notoriety for the brutal way members eliminate their enemies. The mob's habit butchering victims with machetes and shooting rival gang members in the head points to a chaotic and scatter-gun approach, but there is a level of sophistication behind their operations in the US. It has been revealed MS-13 is organized around five separate ranks, with secret coded messages shared every day on social media in a complex chain of command ruled by chiefs in El Salvador. Foot soldiers for the gang must seek permission, sometimes from head honchos inside prison, to carry out executions. But despite the business-like organization of the group, there is not always big money at stake - members must pay as little as $10 to join in the first place. Inmates of the Central Penitentiary in Honduras, most of which are members of the MS-13 gang An unidentified member of the MS-13 shows his tattoos in the unit where he is kept imprisoned in the National Penitentiary in Tamara, 20 miles north of Tegucigalpa Alleged members of the MS-13 gang lay on the ground during a raid in El Salvador in 2012 A member of the anti-gang squad secures an alleged member of the MS-13 gang as they are presented to the media after a raid operation in San Salvador, El Salvador A member of the anti-gang squad gestures in front of alleged members of the MS-13 gang The new information has come light amid three new murders by MS-13, who have a number of branches known as 'cliques' spread over 46 states. A history of the MS-13 The MS-13 is the first and only criminal organization in the United States to be named as 'transnational' by the FBI and operates on the motto of 'Kill, Rape, Control,' Massachusetts Attorney Carmen Ortiz said. The group was started nearly 20 years ago in Los Angeles after millions of immigrants from El Salvador came to the United States after a violent civil war left over 100,000 dead. The gang has since spread all over the country, and are known widely as the best killers - due to their exceedingly brutal weapon of choice, a machete. Advertisement A 34-year-old was lured to woods in Maryland where he was killed and dumped in a shallow grave, in similar circumstances to a 22-year-old who was shot in the face and an 18-year-old who was stabbed and stoned to death under a bridge. From the reports of their deaths, detectives have been able to piece together more details of how the gang operates. There are at least five ranks in MS-13, and the top brass are known as 'shot-callers'. The shot-callers are the men who give permission to newer and younger members to carry out violent acts against rivals. These range from beatings to murder and from racketeering to rape. Rod Rosenstein, the top US attorney in Maryland, told the Washington Post: 'Its not the military, but the local cliques are structured in the sense they have an understanding of whose permission is needed to carry out certain actions of the gang.' Two known MS-13 gang members, formerly of El Salvador, Miguel Alvarez-Flores, right, and Diego Hernandez-Rivera appear in court MS-13 gang members charged in Houston over 'murder and kidnap' Authorities released the facial reconstruction image of one of the pair's alleged victims in a bid to identify her Two members of MS-13, based in Houston, were charged on suspicion of killing one teenager and kidnapping of another, authorities said. Gang leader Miguel Angel Alvarez-Flores, 22, who also goes by 'Diabolico,' and 18-year-old Diego Alexan Hernandez-Rivera, who had a Satanic shrine in their Houston apartment, laughed, smiled and waved in court as they faced charges of aggravated kidnapping and murder. Prosecutors said the two kidnapped a 14-year-old girl after she left school around February 2, holding her in an apartment where she was raped by a gang member. Another girl kept at the apartment, named only as Genesis, was found shot dead in the head and chest on February 16, and has not yet been identified. Authorities released the facial reconstruction image of one of the pair's alleged victims in a bid to identify her. Miguel Alvarez-Flores, 22, and Diego Hernandez-Rivera, 18, were in court last year where they smiled and waved at cameras The girl - aged between 15 and 25 - was found dead on the morning of February 16. She was also shot in the neck and torso. Police said Rivera had confessed to leading the woman to a remote area and shooting her. Advertisement The gang operates by targeting children as young as eight in urban areas heavily populated with Central American immigrants. They use a complex system of identifying at-risk youths, usually who have difficult home lives, to target, exploit, and turn them into killers. Those who become part of the gang must first be 'jumped in,' which includes a savage beating for 13 seconds by all members of the gang. New members must also prove themselves worthy by 'getting wet', or committing crimes on behalf of MS-13. This was where Noe Coreas-Meija found himself two years ago. He was one step below becoming a fully-fledged member, or a 'homeboy'. In order to prove himself, he took part in the murder of Denis Montufar-Bautista, 18, in December 2015, according to the Washington Post. An alleged member of the MS-13 gang covers his face The federal prosecutor said in the case: 'Individuals who had advanced to the final level before being jumped in were called "chequeos" or "cheqs". 'Chequeos underwent a probationary period during which they were required to commit crimes on behalf of MS-13 to achieve trust and prove their loyalty to the gang.' Montufar-Bautista was found floating in a creek with injuries caused by rocks being thrown at him as well as stab wounds. He was thought to have been an associate of MS-13, but the gang's court system found that he had breached the group's code of conduct. The teenager was sentenced to a beating and he told the police about being roughed up. Involving the authorities is a massive no-no in the world of MS-13 and he was dead days later. At weekly meetings, homeboys, chequeos and senior members bring the money they have earned for the gang over the previous seven days through criminal activity. Sometimes, this can be as low as $10. The shot-callers, usually based in El Salvador, are kept abreast of the latest comings and goings through social media messages or cell phones. With many serving time, the chiefs use phones smuggled into prison. A man is walked in handcuffs to the back of two black vehicles by the FBI and law enforcement Flash The Afghan intelligence agency has captured a key Taliban fighter expert in making land mines and bombs in the country's eastern province of Laghman, said the National Directorate for Security (NDS) on Monday. "The Special Operation Force of NDS have recently launched an operation in Kala Kot, a village in surrounding areas of Mehtarlam city, capital of Laghman and detained a member of Taliban outfit named Sultan Mohammad," the intelligence agency confirmed in a statement, without revealing the exact date of the raid. The security forces also seized one AK-47 rifle, 20 rounds of landmines and a handful of ammunition following the raid. The captive tried to plant the mines at locations in the city, some 90 km east of the Afghan capital, according to the statement, adding that the timely arrest of the man has foiled several terror attacks and saved the city from tragedy. The Afghan security forces have beefed up security operations against militants recently, as spring and summer known as fighting season, are drawing near in the Central Asian country. Cem Bora, 11, died in the fire in Lancaster An 11-year-old boy has died in an 'unexplained' house fire. The body of Cem Bora was found at an address in Coniston Road, Lancaster, following a blaze which broke out at about 4.50am on Sunday. Emergency services were called to the property to reports that three people were trapped inside. An 18-year-old man and a 12-year-old boy had escaped before firefighters arrived. The 18-year-old was taken to Royal Lancaster Infirmary, with his injuries not thought to be serious. The 12-year-old is being treated at Liverpool's Alder Hey Hospital, where he is described as 'extremely poorly', although police say his condition is thought to be stable. It is understood that Cem, also of Coniston Road, was sleeping at his friend's house at the time of the fire. An 18-year-old man and a 12-year-old boy had escaped the blaze in Coniston Road (pictured) before firefighters arrived Detective Superintendent Steve Pemberton said: 'This incident has taken a young boy from his family, and our thoughts, first and foremost, are with them. I can only send them our deepest condolences at this devastating time. 'We are currently treating the fire as unexplained and our joint investigation with Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service is very much ongoing. 'We would now like to thank the local community for their patience while we remain at the address, where we are expected to have a scene on for several more days.' Anthony Collinssplatt, pictured in his younger years, was found dead in the boot of his Nissan Micra, parked in the garage of his Pavullo, Italy, home on March 10 A 77-year-old British man with only one leg and one arm has been found dead with his throat slit in the boot of his car in Italy. Anthony Collinssplatt had a deep cut in his throat, blood on his right hand and his artificial arm and leg were missing when police found his body in the boot of his Nissan Micra, parked in the garage of his Pavullo home on March 10. His body was first discovered by his friend and cleaner, who has not been named publicly. Police initially thought Collinssplatt, who lived in Italy for more than 35 years before his death, could have cut his own throat before climbing into the boot, but the force has now launched a murder investigation. Local media reports said that traces of blood were found in his kitchen, but no other parts of the home, which is near Modena. Officials are still looking for a weapon that would have caused the deep gash in Collinssplatt's neck. Collinssplatt moved to Italy after getting a job at the Cambridge Institute language school and managed an English Language school in the 1970s and '80s. He lost a leg during a car accident while studying at Exeter University and later lost an arm in a horse-riding incident. Both happened before he moved to Italy. His prosthetic limbs were not found when Collinssplatt's body was discovered, but a crutch he often used was found on the ground near the vehicle. Police are questioning Collinssplatt's former students and looking into his bank accounts. Collinssplatt had a deep cut in his throat, blood on his right hand and his artificial arm and leg were missing when police found his body. His home in Pavullo Collinssplatt lived in Italy for more than 35 years. His home was in Pavullo, Italy, near Modena His best friend, Tim Keates, who also lived in Pavullo, said that Collinssplatt would visit family in England once a year. While Collinssplatt never married, he lived with an Italian woman for several years and had a close relationship with the woman's son, Keates told The Guardian. 'He loved his life in Italy very much,' he said. 'He came to teach at the language school and when the boss of that school went back to the UK and never returned, he got the job of managing it.' Keates said that he doesn't believe that Collinssplatt would kill himself. Though his home showed no sign of a break in, Collinssplatt would leave his door open because of his dog, Keates said. 'The police are baffled; obviously they're keeping an open mind about it, which they have to,' Keates said. 'But I think they are investigating the possibility of there having been an intruder.' An Army veteran who served two tours in Afghanistan has been ordered deported back to Mexico after he was convicted of delivering two pounds of cocaine. A federal immigration judge in Chicago ordered Miguel Perez, Jr., 38, to be deported on Sunday, because of a non-violent drug conviction in 2010. Perez is being held pending an appeal, and his family has called upon lawmakers to intervene on behalf of the father-of-two. 'I feel terrible, because my son, right now, is a soldier with no nation no Mexico, no U.S.A., but my son fought for this country not for Mexico now, he's not a national?' Perez's mother Espranza Perez, told WGN. Scroll down for video Miguel Perez, Jr., 38, is facing deportation to Mexico, despite his permanent resident status and his service in the Army, after he was convicted in 2010 for delivering cocaine in Chicago His family is pleading with government officials to keep Perez in 'the only country he has ever known.' His parents Miguel and Esperanza Perez (pictured) are U.S. citizens Video courtesy of WBKO: Perez has lived in America since he was eight years old and served two tours in Afghanistan for the United States Army before he was put on the deportation list for his offense. Now his family, community and other soldiers are asking U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth and Dick Durbin to pass a bill that would allow Perez to stay in 'the only country he has ever known'. 'Its a complicated case, we dont want dangerous people to remain in this country, but we ought to have our eyes wide open,' Durbin told WGN. 'Heres a man who risked his life for this country, maybe he can pay his price for what hes done wrong here, and still get a chance to stay here.' Speaking out for her son, Esperanza Perez, who is an American citizen, said: 'He's more American than most of us standing here, because he did pick up arms to defend this country.' Perez's two children, an 18-year-old daughter and a 12-year-old son, are U.S. citizens. His attorney has filed an appeal to Board of Immigration Appeals. and Perez will remain in the country as the appeal plays out. The decorated veteran joined the Army on his 23rd birthday on April 17, 2001, he told The Chicago Tribune. He relayed to the paper that he told the recruiter he wanted to enlist because he was grateful for the life America had given his family, some of who were given political asylum during the Mexican Revolution, and now it was his turn to give back. His first tour was in 2002 and then his second was in 2003. While serving in the Army, he was injured in an explosion and sustained a brain injury, according to ABC 7. Perez also lost much of his hearing, suffers sever headaches and post traumatic stress after his time in the military. He told the Chicago Tribune he enjoyed the rush he felt during combat and turned to cocaine to maintain that same high, which led to him failing a drug test and his early discharge. While Perez was in prison he learned that his service in the military did not earn him citizenship status and he was put into Immigration and Customs Enforcement in September 2016 His PTSD led him to self medicate, turning to alcohol and drugs, a downward spiral that eventually led to his arrest when he handed a laptop case full of cocaine to an undercover police officer in 2008. While in prison he learned that his service in the military did not earn him citizenship status. After seven years in prison he was put into Immigration and Customs Enforcement in September 2016. His lawyers are arguing that Perez should be allowed to remain in the United States because the danger he would face if he was returned to Mexico and because he served in the military. Chris Bergin, Perez's attorney, said: 'Being removed to Mexico, where he would be at risk of being killed being separated from his whole family and the only country he has ever known, seems to be a punishment that does not fit the crime.' Jeremy Fleming, pictured, has been announced as Britain's new 'chief spy' after being named head of the GCHQ A spy chief who led MI5's preparation's for the London Olympics has been named as Britain's new chief spy. Jeremy Fleming will succeed Robert Hannigan as director of the GCHQ, often referred to as 'Britain's listening post'. His appointment was announced on Monday by Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, who said he is a 'dedicated public servant whose work over two decades in the intelligence services has helped to keep our country safe'. Congratulating the incoming director, Mr Johnson said the 'skill and ingenuity of the UK intelligence community are critical to defending Britain from cyber attacks, terror plots and other activities that threaten us and our allies'. Mr Fleming, a career MI5 officer who is currently deputy director-general at the service, will be in a public-facing role for the first time once he takes up his new post around Easter. The 49-year-old said: 'It is a great privilege to be asked to lead GCHQ. The organisation has a distinguished past and an increasingly important role to play in keeping Britain safe in the digital age. 'From managing cyber risks posed by nation states to preventing terror attacks, keeping our children safe online and supporting our Armed Forces, the exceptional men and women of GCHQ operate on the new frontline of global challenges.' He paid tribute to Mr Hannigan, who announced he is to step down after two years as director in January, saying he has 'led GCHQ through the transformation of some of our most important national security capabilities'. Mr Hannigan said: 'I'm delighted that the Foreign Secretary has appointed Jeremy Fleming to be the new director. I've known Jeremy for many years and he is a good friend and colleague. 'He comes with deep intelligence experience and expertise.' Mr Fleming first joined the government from the private sector in 1993, rising through the ranks to become one of MI5's most senior officials. Often called 'Britain's listening post', the GCHQ works to defend Britain from cyber attacks and terror plots. Pictured is its headquarters in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire His career at the agency included leading its preparations for the London 2012 Olympics. The appointment comes after GCHQ was sensationally drawn into claims Barack Obama used British intelligence to spy on Donald Trump. The allegations drew a rare public denial by the agency, which described them as 'utterly ridiculous'. US National Security Agency director Admiral Mike Rogers also denied claims the organisation asked GCHQ to spy on Mr Trump. GCHQ has seen its activities take on particular significance in recent years as terrorists use increasingly sophisticated technology to avoid detection. Mr Fleming will also oversee the agency's efforts to counter the threat from hackers amid mounting concern over the danger posed by cyber attacks. Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, pictured, announced Mr Fleming's appointment today and described him as a 'dedicated public servant whose work over two decades in the intelligence services has helped to keep our country safe' And he will be expected to continue a transparency drive launched after GCHQ came under intense scrutiny following revelations by former US intelligence contractor Edward Snowden. The appointment, which was signed off by Prime Minister Theresa May, was made following a recruitment process chaired by National Security Adviser Sir Mark Lyall Grant. Sir Mark said Mr Fleming had emerged from a 'strong and competitive field as the outstanding candidate'. He added: 'He is a national security professional of the highest standard, who is widely respected across the national security community, in the UK and overseas.' A career MI5 officer, Jeremy Fleming has been working in Britain's counter-terrorism sphere for more than 20 years. Mr Fleming replaced Robert Hannigan, pictured, who has been in charge of the GCHQ for the past two years But despite rising through the ranks to become a senior figure, he has, like the vast majority of intelligence personnel, had no public profile to speak of. Until now. On Monday, Mr Fleming emerged from the shadows as he was named as the next director of GCHQ, taking over as head of the agency next month. After joining government from the private sector in 1993, he went on to gain significant experience in national security and intelligence. This included work relating to international and Northern Ireland-related counter-terrorism, counter-espionage, cyber and protective security. In 2005, Mr Fleming joined the Board of MI5 with responsibility for technology. Two years later, he was seconded to the Home Office to be director of strategy for the newly formed Office for Counter Terrorism, leading on the revision of the Government's counter-terrorism strategy, CONTEST. On returning to MI5, also known as the Security Service, he became the director for intelligence collection, overseeing a significant uplift in digital capabilities. He was promoted to assistant director general in 2011 and led MI5's preparations for the London 2012 Olympics. In April 2013, Mr Fleming was appointed deputy director general at the agency, with responsibility for its core operational work. According to a Government biography, he has 'played a lead role in shaping the organisation to disrupt the changing face of the threat from terrorist groups and hostile state actors'. He is also highly respected internationally at a time when intelligence agencies are grappling with a string of global threats. Police are investigating after a tourist recorded the moment armed robbers stormed a jewellery store in Spain, leaving the owners embracing in the doorway. The men reportedly made off with jewellery and watches worth more than 875,000 from the store in the shopping centre in Gran Canaria, in the Canary Islands. Those inside the store were held at gunpoint by the men, one of whom was wearing a motorcycle helmet during the raid. It is thought they entered the shop with either an axe or hammer. After leaving the store, the men sped off on a motorbike parked outside. Two armed men broke into a jewellery store in Gran Canaria and made off with 875,000 worth of jewellery and watches The tourist who was recording the footage then approached the store to check on the employees inside. A man and woman were seen hugging in the doorway following the traumatic event which happened around 8pm. Local reports said the robbers threatened a security worker at the shopping centre with a gun before turning their attention to the jewellery store. Shop owner Alfonso Viera said: 'A good looking man entered in the shop and held the entrance door, pulled out the gun and pointed it at the security guard and threatened the shop employees. 'Then another person went into the shop with a hammer and broke the glasses of the shop and managed to steal the jewellery in just one minute and 20 seconds. It was a very fast and professional robbery.' Police are investigating. A man and a woman shared an embrace after the incident at the jewellery shop A 4-year-old boy has died after police in Minnesota say he accidentally hanged himself inside a thrift store dressing room. Ryu Pena was with his family at Again Thrift & More in Mankato on Saturday evening when, according to investigators, the child slipped into a changing room and got his hooded sweatshirt caught on a hanger that was mounted on a wall. Paramedics who were called to the scene on North Victory Drive at around 5.40pm rushed the toddler to an area hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Angel: Ryu Pena, 4, is pictured with a pair of angelic wings photo-shopped behind his back after he accidentally hanged himself on a hooded sweatshirt in Minnesota Tragic struck while Pena was with his family at Again Thrift & More in Mankato (pictured) Officials say the toddler, pictured left and right with his mother, somehow slipped inside a dressing room, where his sweatshirt got caught on a wall-mounted hanger, causing him to suffocate to death. Law enforcement officials say Ryu apparently suffocated after his sweatshirt got snagged on the hook, reported KARE11. As of Monday afternoon, no charges have been filed in connection to Pena's death. Mankato Police Commander Daniel Schisel has characterized the fatality as a 'tragic accident,' in which no foul play was suspected, reported the Minneapolis Star Tribune. According to the description of a GoFundMe campaign that was started by a relative on Sunday, Ryu was best friends with his older sister, Glory, and he had only recently became a big brother to baby Rolando Jr, who is now four months old. The childrens mother, Denise Gonzalez, is originally from Texas but currently lives in St James with her family. According to her Facebook page, the mom-of-three works in sales at a local car dealership. No foul play: Investigators have characterized the fatality as a 'tragic accident' and no charges have been filed in Ryu Pena's death Gonzalez's sister-in-law, Jessica Cuevas, wrote of the deceased child on her GoFundMe page: Ryu was such a sweet boy, with a gorgeous smile, an [sic] a unique little personality.' Photos of Ryu posted on social media show a bright-eyed, happy little boy with a wide, toothy grin on his face. As of Monday, the fundraiser has drawn nearly $3,500 in donations to help pay for Ryu's funeral expenses. The thrift shop where the tragedy occurred is operated by the Minnesota Valley Motion Council - a non-profit organization that helps low-income families. An MVMC representative on Monday declined to comment on the child's death 'out of respect for the family,' according to a brief email sent to the Daily Mail. A five-year-old boy has died after being strangled by the family dog. John Bruno of Warrington, Pennsylvania was playing outside last Wednesday afternoon when his dog, a 1-year-old hound mix, started pulling on his scarf until he passed out. Bruno's mother was inside at the time and when she looked outside to check on her son, she found him face down on the ground with the dog continuing to pull on the garment. Five-year-old John Bruno died on Saturday, three days after the family dog strangled him by pulling at his scarf Bruno is pictured above in a family photo with a dog. It's unclear if the dog in the picture is the dog responsible for the tragic accident She rushed outside and brought him in, but he was already unconscious and unresponsive. She then called for help, and the was taken to Doyleston Hospital, before later being transferred to Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. It was at the Children's Hospital that he died on Saturday. The official cause of death was a ligature strangulation, according to a spokesman for the Philadelphia Medical Examiner's Office who spoke with Philly.com. The death was ruled accidental. A friend set up a Go Fund Me account to help raise money for the family's funeral costs. '[John's] smile and boundless energy was electric. He loved Ninja Turtles, Pokemon, Superheroes and being silly. Above all else John loved his mom, dad, and big sister,' the site stated. Lakeisha Regina LeGrand, 31, was arrested Sunday on suspicion of aggravated battery A Florida mother of four tried to disfigure her husband by throwing bleach in his face, police say. Lakeisha Regina LeGrand, 31, was arrested Sunday in Orlando on suspicion of aggravated battery causing permanent disfigurement. LeGrand's dispute with her husband of eight years came after she 'recently discovered she is gay' and began dating a woman while still living with him, according to an Orange County Sheriff's Office arrest affidavit cited by News 6. The husband does not like the woman LeGrand is dating and has asked her not to bring the girlfriend around the married couple's eight children, police said. On Sunday, LeGrand left the house for a while with the children. The husband left separately and returned later that day. LeGrand, pictured left and right, had 'recently discovered she is gay' and begun dating a woman while still living with her husband of eight years and their four children When he got back to the home, he said he spoke with the children, who told him they'd been left in the care of LeGrand's new girlfriend. He confronted his wife, accusing her of ignoring his wishes that her new girlfriend not be involved with their children. Police say LeGrand became violent, yelling and throwing boxes, demanding the husband 'Go back where he came from.' LeGrand is from New Jersey and her husband is from Georgia, according to information on Facebook. The dispute took a nasty turn when LeGrand asked one of the children to get her some bleach, the affidavit said. When the child refused, LeGrand allegedly grabbed a bottle of bleach from the closet, unscrewed the lid, and splashed it in the husband's face. The extent of the husband's injuries is unclear. Aggravated battery is a second degree felony with a maximum prison sentence of 15 years. A high school senior asked his best friend's little sister with Down syndrome to be his prom date in a heartwarming 'promposal'. Shaedon Wedel, a senior at Newton High School in Newton, Kansas, asked Carlie Wittman, 15, to attend his last prom with him on Friday. Although Wittman has Down syndrome, she was just like any other freshman girl and eagerly accepted the offer from her older brother's best friend. Wedel, 18, showed up to the teenager's doorstep with flowers, Doritos and a shirt that read: 'I know Im NACHO your typical Dorito but I'm going to be CHEESY and ask: will you go to prom with me?' Scroll down for video High school senior Shaedon Wedel (left) asked his best friend's little sister, 15-year-old Carlie Wittman (right) who has Down syndrome, to be his prom date in a heart-warming moment on Friday. Wedel attends Newton High School in Newton, Kansas Wedel, 18, showed up to the teenager's doorstep with flowers, Doritos and a shirt that asked the excited freshman student to go to prom. Wedel said people with Down syndrome 'deserve everything that everyone else does too' As Wittman sees what's unfolding, she excitedly says: 'Oh my gosh, oh my gosh!' Doritos are Wittman's favorite snack, something that Wedel knew she would love after knowing her for the past seven years. He said to KWCH12: 'She's brought nothing but joy to my life. Anyone who's ever around her, she makes them laugh, she always has a smile on her face. She's amazing.' Speaking of Wittman's Down syndrome, Wedel added: 'They deserve everything that everyone else does too.' The shirt read: 'I know Im NACHO your typical Dorito but I'm going to be CHEESY and ask: will you go to prom with me?' He told Yahoo Style the plan was originally for him and Wittman's older brother Carson to take the high school freshman to prom together. Wedel said: 'My best friend Carson and I were planning to take Carlie to prom together at the beginning of this school year. 'As [Carson] met his girlfriend throughout the year, we decided that I would just be the one to take Carlie.' Wedel said he Wittman are planning on going in the same prom group as her older brother and his girlfriend. He said: 'It will be an absolute blast. I just want her to have the Cinderella princess prom that she has been saying she wants.' The sweet 'promposal' was captured and posted online. It has since has gone viral with more than 110,000 retweets and liked more than 480,000 times. Wedel said of his prom date: 'She's brought nothing but joy to my life. Anyone who's ever around her, she makes them laugh, she always has a smile on her face. She's amazing' Wedel has seen a flood of support and said:'I have been receiving direct messages on Twitter for the past couple of days, receiving almost nothing but positive comments. 'Of course, there are the remarks saying I did this for the attention. That did not cross my mind previous to posting or even asking her to prom. 'I believe the attention will spread the awareness that people with disabilities deserve and need that same attention that others get. I am thankful for all the positivity that has come out of this.' An aggresssive vulture managed to steal a jackal's dinner of a springbok carcass in South Africa. The wild animal, that is of the same family as the dog and the wolf, found the body of the animal first and was eating when the vulture swooped to the ground. The plucky jackal put up a fight against the large bird and bared its teeth before attacking. A vulture chased away a jackal in South Africa and took the springbok carcass the animal was guarding for itself Pictured, the lappet-faced vulture starts to spread his wings in an aggressive manner as the obstinate jackal tries to pull his prize away from the bird The jackal pounces at the vulture, who has fully extended its wings in a fight for the carcass It pounced at the lappet-faced vulture, who extended its wings in a threatening manner, dwarfing the jackal. The canny animal tried to drag its prize away from the vulture, but the taloned bird managed to scare it away. The incredible fight was captured by photographer Toy Engel at the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park in South Africa last month. The incredible fight was captured by photographer Toy Engel at the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park in South Africa last month The small jackal growls and barks at the vulture, who is trying to scare the animal away from the meat The lappet-faced vulture is known for its broad shoulders and its powerful beak, which is capable of tearing off strips of meat from animal bones. The type of the species found towards South Africa have mostly brown feathers, instead of black. Lappets refer to the folds of skin that gather around its neck. Jackals are commonly found in the grasslands and are targeted by large birds of prey like eagles. The lappet-faced vulture is known for its broad shoulders and the folds of skin that gather around its neck BURLINGTON The southeast Wisconsin city of Burlington is at its state-imposed liquor license quota, and its getting creative allowing new businesses in need of licenses to continue to locate in the city. If we start attracting restaurants, which the community wants to have more variety of, they will not come here without a spirits license, Burlington Mayor Jeannie Hefty said. Hefty has been spearheading an effort to buy up unused liquor licenses from communities that border Burlington, because the city is at its 21-license capacity. Thus far, Spring Prairie in Walworth County has preliminarily agreed to sell one, while the Racine County Village of Rochester heard a presentation from Hefty at a recent village meeting. Hefty said she has also reached out to and has had preliminary discussions with the citys other two neighbors, Lyons in Walworth County and the town of Burlington in Racine County. Debbie Collins, Spring Prairies clerk-treasurer, said the town has agreed to sell a license to Burlington for $12,500, above the minimum allowed sale price of $10,000. The license is one of Spring Prairies reserve licenses, which business owners have to pay municipalities $10,000 to use and only come into play when municipalities are at quota. The town of Spring Prairie does not have a business district so to speak, Collins said. We dont have any bars. I can count on one hand how many official businesses we have. Collins said the money will be put toward the cost of a roadside mower the town purchased recently. The board looked at it and said theres really no reason not to do this, she said. The situation in Rochester is more tentative. Hefty spoke to the village board on Monday, and the board discussed her request but didnt take any action, according to Rochester Clerk-Treasurer Betty Novy. They have to think about it because obviously once you transfer it, its gone, Novy said. Now youve reduced your quantity of available licenses. Novy said the next time the village will consider the issue will be at its April 10 Finance Committee meeting, where she anticipates committee members will take action one way or another. Theres no immediate need for licenses in the village, but theres no way to know if its something youll regret down the line, Novy said. Hefty added that Burlington is a few dozen residents from qualifying for an additional license, which it could get if its population increases when the 2016 Census results come out in the fall. A former British soldier accused of shooting an unarmed man in Northern Ireland in 1974 is suffering from kidney failure and will soon be spending five hours a day in hospital, his defence have claimed. Dennis Hutchings, now 75, has appeared in court accused of the attempted murder of John-Pat Cunningham, who was 27 when he was shot dead in June 1974 while fleeing an Army patrol. Mr Cunningham, who had learning difficulties, was not armed when he was shot in the back close to Benburb, a village on the border between counties Armagh and Tyrone. Dennis Hutchings (left), now 75, has appeared in court in Northern Ireland accused of the attempted murder of John-Pat Cunningham (right), 27, in Northern Ireland in 1974 Hutchings appeared in Armagh Magistrates' Court after a new investigation was launched in 2013 after a request from the Director of Public Prosecutions in Northern Ireland. Today the court heard from a retired member of the Royal Military Police, who said he seized Hutchings' self-loading rifle after the shooting because the defendant told him it had been used. Alan Mews told the court he had received a radio call from the operational unit and asked to attend the scene. He said he entered a field with a local priest. 'I walked 200 yards then I saw the body of John-Pat Cunningham. I had a conversation with the priest then returned to the vehicle. Hutchings (pictured, left) and his defence team argue that the shooting was lawful as Cunningham was seen as a threat to the patrol 'I spoke to the soldiers involved and took possession of a self-loading rifle along with a magazine from Colour Sergeant Hutchings.' Earlier the court was told that Hutchings is suffering ill health. Hutchings, outside Armagh Courthouse, where he is accused of attempted murder Requesting breaks throughout proceedings, a defence lawyer said: 'He is not a well man. He has kidney failure. In a matter of months he will be on dialysis. He will be in hospital for five hours every day.' A defence lawyer said Hutchings acted lawfully at all times and Mr Cunningham had posed a threat. He said the Army patrol thought Mr Cunningham was in possession of a concealed weapon. The lawyer said: 'Mr Hutchings was on lawful duty that day charged with keeping the peace. 'We know that Mr Cunningham was acting suspiciously. We know that Mr Cunningham failed to obey a lawful order to stop. 'All we know is that the patrol stopped a man who was acting suspiciously. They thought he had a concealed weapon. He failed to follow orders to halt. He was shot.' The judge is to decide on Tuesday if Hutchings will be returned for Crown Court trial. Hutchings, who appeared to be in good spirits as he entered court on Monday, is also facing a charge of attempting to cause grievous bodily harm to Mr Cunningham. A mother accused of staging the death of her 16-week-old daughter sat stony faced in an ambulance and didn't ask how her child was, a court heard. Rosalin Baker, 25, strapped the body of baby Imani to her chest and took her on the number 25 bus, raising the alarm 20 minutes into the journey. PC Georgia Ross told the Old Bailey how Baker sat emotionless and didn't speak as paramedics treated Imani. Rosalin Baker, who is accused of staging the death of her 16-week-old daughter, sat emotionless in the back of an ambulance as paramedics performed CPR on the baby. Pictured in court sketch with boyfriend Jeffrey Wiltshire, 52, also accused of murder The Old Bailey heard how Baker sat on her phone and didn't cry once. She told a police officer: 'I cant go through this again. I lost another baby last year' Baker and boyfriend Jeffrey Wiltshire, 52, are alleged to have battered the child to death at his bedsit in Manor Park, east London. The officer said: She was sitting in the back of the ambulance. Paramedics were still giving her CPR and she was staring at the floor.' She was on her phone. It appeared she was texting someone. I couldnt see, but I could see her fingers moving. Baker strapped Imani to her chest and took the dead baby on the number 25 bus, where she raised the alarm 20 minutes into the journey. Prosecutors say the baby could have been dead for hours. Pictured, the bus route She didnt once ask how the baby was. Passengers tried to help after Baker raised the alarm some 20 minutes into the journey until the ambulance arrived. PC Ross added: There was no emotion. She wasnt crying, she was staring at the floor and had her phone in her hand. She was very calm. I asked if she wanted to sit down. She said, no. She was just standing there staring at the ground. She wasnt crying, the officer continued. She did say, I cant go through this again. I lost another baby last year. Imani was pronounced dead at 11.30am and a postmortem examination revealed she had died from brain injuries, having suffered a fractured skull, broken wrist and at least 40 rib fractures. Baker and boyfriend Wiltshire, of Manor Park, east London, deny murder and causing or allowing the death of a child Prosecutors say she could have been dead for hours before Baker topped up her Oyster card at the newsagents before boarding the bus at just after 9.30am. Baker and Wiltshire, both of (16A) Morris Avenue, Manor Park, east London, deny murder and causing or allowing the death of a child. The trial continues. Holidaymakers caught the gruesome moment a fully-grown python dislocated its jaw and swallowed a hyena whole. Jos Bakker was on holiday in Kenya when he came across the rare sight of the rock python ingesting the large African carnivore. Mobile phone footage captures the gruesome moment an enormous rock python in a Kenyan reserve swallows a fully grown hyena. The incident is said to be the first of its kind recorded on film The epic encounter was seen on the side of a road in the Masai Mara reserve. Researchers in the area were alerted to the incident and tracked down the kill. National Geographic captured the video of the snake as it began the slow process of digesting its giant meal. National Geographic found the snake as it began the slow process of digesting its giant meal Researcher Mike Kowalski said it was very rare that a python would tackle prey as dangerous to it as a large hyena, whose jaws would easily be able to crush its skull Mike Kowalski, one of the researchers who found the snake, said it was very rare that a python would tackle prey as dangerous to it as a large hyena, whose jaws would easily be able to crush its skull. 'To my knowledge there has been no precedent for this in terms of documentation,' Kowalski told National Geographic. Bakker told video website Storyful that he couldnt believe his eyes. Iraq's prime minister joked today during his first meeting with Donald Trump that his country did not help Barack Obama spy on the Republican when he was running for president. 'We had nothing to do with the wiretapping,' Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi told Trump as they posed for photos in the Oval Office. Abadi was making reference to the White House's charge that British intelligence could have surveilled Trump for Obama. Iraq's prime minister joked today during his first meeting with Donald Trump that his country did not help Barack Obama spy on the Republican when he was running for president Abadi was making reference to the White House's charge that British intelligence could have surveilled Trump for Obama FBI Director James Comey was still in the host seat on Capitil Hill when Abadi arrived at the White House to hold talks with Trump and his administration about the fight against ISIS Both Trump and his spokesman, Sean Spicer, have claimed that's not what the White House press secretary meant to imply when he read aloud a report accusing Britain's GCHQ of colluding with the previous administration to tap Trump Tower. Rather, he was providing a general list of news reports that backed up the president's allegations. Trump told a reporter Friday, as he took questions from the press alongside German Chancellor Angela Merkel, that questions about the Fox News report should be directed to that station. He did not apologize for his press secretary's conduct. 'All we did was quote a certain very talented legal mind who was the one responsible for saying that on television. I didnt make an opinion on it,' Trump said. The US leader also joked that he and Merkel had the wiretapping in common, 'perhaps,' given that the Obama's administration is known to have monitored her calls. Spicer reportedly apologized to Kim Darroch, the British ambassador to the United States, and promised not to use the report as a supplement again. He denied that characterization of his call with Darroch on Monday, saying in his daily briefing that he merely offered 'an explanation.' 'That was it,' he asserted. The GCHQ had called the Fox News claim 'nonsense' and 'utterly ridiculous' in a statement. As Abadi and Trump convened for their first in-person talks, the president was taking a drubbing on wiretapping in a hearing on Capitol Hill. FBI Director James Comey told House Intelligence lawmakers that he had no information to substantiate Trump's tweets about Obama. What's more, the law enforcement official affirmed that the bureau is investigating Russian interference in the 2016 election, including 'the nature of any links between individuals associated with the Trump campaign and the Russian government.' Spicer downplayed Comey's testimony on both the wiretapping and the investigation in an on-camera news conference that came four hours into the all-day spectacle. 'We started a hearing. It's still ongoing,' he said. Defense Secretary James Mattis (far left) Vice President Mike Pence (left of Trump) and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson (right of Trump) joined the president, Abadi and Iraqi officials for a discussion in the Cabinet Room about destroying ISIS Comey was still in the host seat when Abadi arrived at the White House to hold talks with Trump and his administration about the fight against ISIS. Vice President Mike Pence, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, Senior Advisor Jared Kushner, National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, Defense Secretary James Mattis and White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus joined Trump, Abadi and Iraqi officials for a discussion in the Cabinet Room on Monday afternoon following a private chat between the two heads of government in the Oval Office. Trump said in Cabinet Room remarks that Obama should not have removed troops from Iraq in 2011. 'Certainly we shouldnt have left. We should never ever have left,' the current president said of his predecessor. 'A vacuum was created and we discussed what happened.' Abadi is doing a 'good job,' he said, and Iraq's soldiers are 'fighting hard,' even though ISIS has not yet been decimated. 'We will figure something out. I mean we have to get rid of ISIS. Were going to get rid of ISIS,' the president stated. The US government is barring passengers on Royal Jordanian Airlines flights from bringing laptops, iPads, cameras and other electronics in carry-on luggage on certain U.S.-bound flights starting Tuesday, the airline said in a tweet on Monday. The airline said cellphones and medical devices are excluded from the ban. Everything else would need to be packed in checked luggage. It is unclear what other countries and airlines the ban will apply to, how long it will be in place or what prompted it. The US government is barring passengers on Royal Jordanian Airlines flights from bringing laptops, iPads, cameras and other electronics in carry-on luggage on certain U.S.-bound flights starting Tuesday The airline has since deleted their Twitter post announcing the ban but many shocked social media users documented the initial message. Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly phoned lawmakers over the weekend to brief them on aviation security issues that have prompted the impending electronics ban, according a congressional aide briefed on the discussion. The aide was not authorized to speak publicly about the issue and spoke on the condition of anonymity. A U.S. government official said such a ban has been considered for several weeks. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity to disclose the internal security discussions by the federal government. David Lapan, a spokesman for Homeland Security Department, declined to comment. A U.S. government official said such a ban has been considered for several weeks. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity to disclose the internal security discussions by the federal government 'We have no comment on potential security precautions, but will provide any update as appropriate,' Lapan said in an email. The Transportation Security Administration, part of Homeland Security, also declined to comment. Royal Jordanian said the electronics ban affects its flights to New York, Chicago, Detroit and Montreal. An aviation security expert said the policy would raise other safety issues. The airline said cellphones and medical devices are excluded from the ban. Everything else would need to be packed in checked luggage 'There would be a huge disadvantage to having everyone put their electronics in checked baggage,' said Jeffrey Price, a professor at Metropolitan State University of Denver. He said thefts from baggage would skyrocket, as when England tried a similar ban in 2006, and 'some laptops have batteries that can catch fire and it's easier to detect it when it's in the cabin rather than burning in the hold.' However, there are also advantages to screening items in checked baggage instead of as carry-on luggage. Most major airports in the United States have a computer tomography or CT scanner for checked baggage, which creates a detailed picture of a bag's contents. They can warn an operator of potentially dangerous material, and may provide better security than the X-ray machines used to screen passengers and their carry-on bags. New York's attorney general is positioning himself to be top independent watchdog of the Trump administration. State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman has hired on Howard McMaster, a top-flight public corruption prosecutor, to focus specifically on President Donald Trump, the Wall Street Journal reports. McMaster was until recently the public corruption ace in fired U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara's office, where he helped put powerful Democratic state House Speaker Sheldon Silver behind bars on felony corruption charges. Scheiderman spokesman Eric Soufer confirmed the hire and said McMaster would work on civil and criminal investigations, including potential litigation against the Trump administration. State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman (pictured) has hired on Howard McMaster, a top-flight public corruption prosecutor, to focus specifically on President Donald Trump With Trump in control of the executive branch, including the federal Department of Justice, and Republican majorities in the House and Senate, a network of Democrat state attorneys general has emerged as a significant legal watchdog to his administration. State attorneys general were behind the lawsuits that obtained court orders blocking Trump's controversial 'Muslim' ban. New York's Schneiderman was among them, joining Washington state's AG in a multi-state lawsuit against the second immigration ban. Schneiderman was also one of the prosecutors who took Trump to task over Trump University, in a civil suit filed in 2013. Trump settled that suit and others for a combined $25million shortly after his election in November. He was also quick to pounce when the Washington Post in September revealed that the Donald J. Trump Foundation was not registered to solicit donations in New York, and promptly sent the foundation a 'Notice of Violation' letter. That investigation is ongoing, and Trump has said he plans to dissolve the foundation. But the jewel Schneiderman is eyeing for his prosecutorial crown is said to be a case against Trump for violating the U.S. Constitution's Emoluments Clause, which prohibits officeholders from accepting payments from foreign governments. That's supposedly where McMaster, with his expertise in public corruption, could come into play. Schneiderman revealed last month at a state attorneys general conference that his office was planning to investigate possible conflicts of interest in the Trump administration, including potential emoluments violations, the Huffington Post reported. 'Certainly, my office is looking at anything that's passed on to us and doing our own research,' Schneiderman said at the time. 'We've had meetings with people discussing these matters already.' But he said it was 'premature to say one way or another how this is going to proceed.' In the Filipino capital of Manila, the life of a drug dealer is more dangerous than it would be in most other countries. After President Rodrigo Duerte promised to 'slaughter' anyone involved with the illegal substances, 7,000 dealers have been killed in the city. On some nights, as many as 20 are killed on the streets. In Manila, the capital of the Philippines, 7,000 drug dealers have been killed in the last eight months. As many as 20 are killed in a night on the streets. Pictured, policemen investigate the death of a woman, who was shot down by an unidentified man Police officers have a list of people who are suspected of being involved in drugs. Pictured, suspects with their hands tied in plastic straps walk past houses during a raid by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency Filmmaker Livvy Haydock (left) went on patrol with policemen sent to investigate suspected dealers for a BBC documentary on Rodrigo Duterte's war on drugs. She is pictured standing next to a cutout of the Philippines leader Filmmaker Livvy Haydock went on patrol with policemen sent to investigate suspected dealers, for a BBC documentary on Duerte's war on drugs. She saw the dead body of a dealer, whose wallet had been emptied with a note placed inside, which read: 'Sorry I destroyed my life because of drugs, sorry Im a pusher.' But not all of the killings have been committed by official police officers. More than 4,000 suspects have been killed by masked vigilantes during Duterte's brutal war on drugs. Haydock is pictured at a Funeral Home in Manila The summary executions have created a climate of fear around communities involved in drugs. Since the killings began 790,000 people have sworn to never get involved in drugs again. Pictured, a PDEA agent checks the identities of suspects during a raid Masked vigilantes have killed more than 4,000 people involved in drugs, after Duerte told people to 'go ahead and kill'. Ms Haydock spoke to a vigilante who told her he had killed 12 people recently. Writing in the Mirror, she said: 'He told me that the police were providing the vigilantes with names of those to be eliminated.' Officially, police knock on the doors of suspects who are named on a list. They are asked to take a drugs test and if it comes back positive, they are marked on the list. The killings have created a climate of fear around drug culture in the country and police are giving targets the choice to surrender or die. Since the executions began some 790,000 have sworn never to get involved in drugs. Pictured, a police officers shows saches of crystal meth, or 'shabu'. One dealer told Ms Haydock selling drugs was the only way to provide for her family A dealer told the filmmaker selling crystal meth was the only way she could feed her family. But the Ms Haydock also discovered that it wasn't just dealers who were being targeted in the killings. Some vigilantes are targeting people they hold grudges against and explain the death away as part of Duerte's war on drugs. President Duerte holds an 80 per cent approval rating in the country after he encouraged the public to 'go ahead and kill'. Pictured, a PDEA agent escorts suspects inside a public cemetery Human rights activists have been trying to investigate how and why the suspects are killed, even though Duerte has threatened their safety for doing so. Pictured, morgue workers carry an unclaimed body and victim of a killing One family claimed that their son Yanis, 20, was shot, even though he wasn't involved in drugs. President Duerte is often called the Donald Trump of the Phillipines and holds an 80 per cent approval rating in the country. When Ms Haydock approched his spokesman and sister Jocelyn, she said: 'If they elected a president like him and thats the way they want it done, thats the way it will be done.' Journalists in the Philippines have taken to patrolling the streets at night in an attempt to find out more about these executions. Human Rights activists are also trying to uncover more about the killings, even though Duerte has also threatened their safety for doing so. Deadliest Place to Deal is available on BBC iPlayer from 10am on Wednesday Three men were stabbed at a gym before their alleged attacker fled in a stolen BMW and robbed two service stations at knifepoint. Police say the alleged attacker fled the fitness centre in Brookvale in Sydney's Northern Beaches on Monday night in a stolen BMW. The man, described as 'agitated and aggressive', is believed to have then carried out two armed robberies at service stations in Newcastle, NSW Police said. Three men were taken to Royal North Shore hospitalised after they were stabbed at a gym on Pittwater Road in Brookvale in Sydney's Northern Beaches The alleged attacker fled the scene in a stolen BMW and has been connected to two armed robberies in Newcastle later on Monday night (scene at the gym pictured) A manhunt is underway and the alleged attacker has been described as armed and dangerous (scene at the gym pictured) The first occurred at Sandgate about 9.45pm when a man threatened a female worker, 38, with a knife and smashed the cash register. He forced the register open and fled with the cash in the stolen BMW. About 15 minutes later, at 10pm, a man walked into a second service station on Maitland Road and placed two chocolates on the counter. As the 24-year-old employee opened the till the man jumped onto the counter and produced a knife while demanding cash. Emergency services are pictured at the scene in Brookvale after three men were stabbed shortly after 8pm on Monday A distressed woman is pictured speaking on the phone at the scene of the stabbing The employee complied and the man ran from the store and fled the service station with the stolen cash and car, police said. Officers responding to the armed robbery saw the stolen vehicle leaving the service station and pursued; however it managed to evade police. The man is described as Caucasian in appearance, about 168cm tall. He has a full beard and is aged in his mid to late twenties. He was described as wearing black shorts and a light coloured t-shirt. No-one was injured during the robberies. A crime scene was established at both service stations as police from Newcastle City conduct further inquiries. The man allegedly punched one of the men before producing a knife and stabbing three of the men (scene pictured) One of the men was taken straight in for surgery. All three, aged 26, 29 and 31, are now in a stable condition The gym on Pittwater Road in Brookvale, Sydney's Northern Beaches, is pictured on Monday night The registration plate of the vehicle and description of the man matches that from the triple stabbing at the gym on Pittwater Road. In that incident, he entered the gym about 8pm and approached four men and a trainer. The man allegedly punched one of the men before producing a knife and stabbing three of the men, who were all taken to Royal North Shore Hospital. One of the men was taken straight in for surgery. All three, aged 26, 29 and 31, are now in a stable condition. The trainer managed to escape injury. Police are appealing for anyone who may see the vehicle, a black BMW with NSW registration DKK 39Q, or has any information that may assist the investigation, to contact either Newcastle City or Northern Beaches police. Police are urging members of the public not to approach him, as he is believed to be armed with a knife, but to call triple zero immediately. A paraglider broke his back and fractured his skull in a terrifying accident but still managed to walk out of the Brazilian bush and hitch a ride to his hotel. Thomas Antalffy, from London, remembers circling through the air in a freefall towards the floor before waking up the next morning covered in blood. Friends and colleagues on his expedition called the police when he did not return to the hotel in Valadares, Brazil, that night on February 23. Thomas Antalffy, from London, suffered horrendous injuries in a paragliding accident - but still managed to take a selfie (right) and hitch a ride back to his hotel But the next morning when he awoke, he managed to hail his 20kg kit bag to the highway and flag down a truck to take him back to the hotel. He did not realise that he had broken his scapula and numerous vertebrae, cracked his skull, and blood was pressuring his brain, until days later when he went to hospital. 'I remember one shoulder hurting, but other than that I didn't feel any pain. I even took a selfie,' Mr Antalffy told CNN. The 54-year-old Hungarian entrepreneur had travelled to Brazil from London with other enthusiasts for a planned two-week trip. His friends thought that he had sustained only minor injuries when he returned to the hotel, around a week into the trip. He went to the hospital, which was under pressure from a yellow fever outbreak, and returned to the hotel heavily sedated. His wife Anita Dangel, who had stayed home in London, was unable to reach him as he slept for nearly two days and eventually got hold of the hotel to find out what had happened. He asked her to come to his aid, which convinced her that something was seriously wrong as he does not like to ask for help, she said. 'That was a red light for me. He's so independent; if he can do something on his own, he will,' she told CNN. Doctors suggested they fly to a bigger hospital in Belo Horizonte, but they instead opted for a six-hour ambulance ride - a decision which saved his life. 'When we got here and they did a head scan, the doctors told us it was a miracle. He would have died if we had tried to fly with so much pressure on his brain,' added Mrs Dangel. Mr Antalffy is still recovering three weeks later but the couple hope to fly home at the end of the month. A clip from a 911 call on Saturday reveals that Chuck Berry was having a heart attack prior to his death. The rock'n'roll legend died on Saturday, March 18, at the age of 90 in his home near St Louis, Missouri. St Charles County Police confirmed that they responded to a 'medical emergency' and the 911 call reveals that they found Berry unconscious and barely breathing around 12.40pm on Saturday, and by 1.26pm he was pronounced dead. Scroll down for video Rock and roll legend Chuck Berry died at his home in Missouri, US, at the age of 90 St. Charles County Police Department on Saturday announced that Berry had died at his home in Missouri However, his death will be listed as natural causes, and no autopsy will be performed. In the clip obtained by TMZ, police dispatcher refer to Berry's home as the 'new big looking house' on the block. A police spokesman said: 'St. Charles County police responded to a medical emergency on Buckner Road at approximately 12.40pm today. 'Inside the home, first responders observed an unresponsive man and immediately administered lifesaving techniques. 'Unfortunately, the 90-year-old man could not be revived and was pronounced deceased at 1:26 p.m. 'The St. Charles County Police Department sadly confirms the death of Charles Edward Anderson Berry Sr., better known as legendary musician Chuck Berry. The guitarist (pictured) was known for a number of hits, including Maybellene and Roll Over Beethoven Berry leaves behind his wife Toddy and four children. He was one of the pioneers of rock and roll music and was born in St. Louis in October 1926. He came along at a time when much of the United States remained racially segregated, but it was hard for young audiences of any color to resist a performer who delivered such a powerful beat with so much energy and showmanship. 'Everything I wrote about wasn't about me, but about the people listening,' he once said. Berry released his first album, After School Session, in May 1957. He went on to record a further 18 studio albums. His 20th album, Chuck, is to be released later this year. His first number one, My Ding-a-Ling, topped the charts in 1972. Berry said he performed his signature bent-knee, head-bobbing 'duck walk' across more than 4,000 concert stages. Judge Steve Gibbs said Monday that now that Wade Newell is the new Chippewa County district attorney, he no longer has one boss but instead answers to all county residents. Newell, looking into the audience, corrected Gibbs. I have an ultimate boss, which is my wife, Newell joked before a filled courtroom to see him take the oath of office. It was Gibbs selection by Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker to succeed retiring Judge Roderick Cameron that left the DAs position open. Walker went on to appoint Newell to the position. Ive known Wade for over 20 years, said Gibbs, including while Gibbs was a defense attorney and then serving as district attorney. Wade has chosen a prosecution area that is very difficult, Gibbs said, adding Newell takes on sexual assault cases where prosecutions have a heavy burden of proof. Wade has had a great success in winning and securing convictions, Gibbs said. Gibbs said DAs need to seek impartial justice, dealing with defendants and others fairly and with respect. He advised Newell to be humble and to lead the district attorneys office by example. Hire good staff but not too good so they will run against you, Gibbs joked about the elective office. George Osborne (Con, Evening Standard Newsroom) arrived in good time to hear agitato exchanges about his newspaper job. Alas, he was not wearing a green eyeshade or the sort of shirt-sleeve clips once favoured by Fleet Street deskmen. Anyway, a real journalist would have arrived late, collar askew, breathlessly to ask colleagues have I missed any decent lines? Labour (and, one hears, Downing Street) are steaming about editor Osborne. VERY cross. George Osborne (Con, Evening Standard Newsroom) was not wearing a green eyeshade or the sort of shirt-sleeve clips once favoured by Fleet Street deskmen. Pictured in parliament today There has been envious grumbling about Six Jobs George and the spondoolicks being hosed at him by the Evening Standards owner. Mr Osborne, sitting two rows behind ministers, looked prosperous and pleased with life. He allowed a smile to curl under his nose like the trail of a decent Havana. Speaker Bercow ruled that blatant rudeness about the ex-chancellor would not be tolerated. Mr Osborne adopted a Zen-like tone. He said: Parliament is enhanced when we have people of different experience take part in our robust exchanges' This was meant to be a discussion about the official committee which advises recent ministers on their business interests. Two members of that committee, Ladies Browning (Con) and Liddell (Lab) sat upstairs, watching. Two duchesses in a Reliant Robin. The attack on Mr Osborne was opened by Andrew Gwynne, Labour frontbencher. Mr Gwynne may be many things but polymath is not one of them. Were he not an MP, it is unclear what he could do to scratch a living. The attack was opened by Andrew Gwynne, Labour frontbencher. Mr Gwynne wailed that Mr Osbornes behaviour did a disservice to MPs who spend every hour of their days fighting for their constituents interests Yet he has raised Mancunian moaning to an art form and expressed indignation that Theresa May had not herself hastened to the Chamber to answer his urgent question. Laughter. Mr Gwynne wailed that Mr Osbornes behaviour did a disservice to MPs who spend every hour of their days fighting for their constituents interests. He spoke of the tragic low-standing of this profession. Mr Osbornes extra job was impossible to defend. Paymaster-General Ben Gummer said Mr Gwynne would be missing Jeremy Corbyn's 'away day' for the Shadow Cabinet 'with every single cell of his body' Paymaster-General Ben Gummer, 16 going on 65, treated Mr Gwynnes Mancunian lament with exquisite politeness. He quite understood why Mr Gwynne had chosen to absent himself from Jeremy Corbyns away day for the Shadow Cabinet, also being held yesterday. I know he will be missing that with every single cell of his body, oozed the droll Gummer. This infuriated Roger Mullin of the SNP, who raged in Scots dialect that humour was misplaced on such a vital matter. Labour heckler to this bristling Pict: Smile! Mr Osborne adopted a Zen-like tone. MPs should count themselves lucky to have him, he murmured, adding: Parliament is enhanced when we have people of different experience take part in our robust exchanges and people who have held senior ministerial office continue to contribute. He regretted that the Standards deadline had passed, so these comments would not make the last edition. Forced joviality from some Hon Members. Stephen Pound (Lab, Ealing N), in what may have been a cunning pitch for a Standard column, said he wrote one called Pound Notes for the Left-wing fortnightly Tribune. Mr Osborne regretted that the Standards deadline had passed, so these comments would not make the last edition Mr Osborne, sitting two rows behind ministers, looked prosperous and pleased with life. He allowed a smile to curl under his nose like the trail of a decent Havana. Pictured meeting Evening Standard staff on Friday Cheryl Gillan (Con, Chesham & Amersham) said the Administration select committee would investigate the Osborne affair er, once it was back from an overseas freebie. Helen Goodman (Lab, Bishop Auckland) compared Mr Osborne to Cardinal Wolsey. Mr Gummer sprang to Wolseys defence. Oliver Letwin (Con, W Dorset) pointed out Mr Gwynne had a second job as Labours elections supremo. Cue sarcastic mutterings. Liz McInnes (Lab, Heywood) fretted that Mr Osborne would contravene the EU working time directive. Michael Gove (Con, Surrey Heath), another newspaper scribe, said proprietors should be free to appoint whom they wished as editors. Hint hint. Tom Tugendhat (Con, Tonbridge & Malling) nonchalantly thought it was quite normal for an MP to own land or write a book. Could Labours scuttle-jawed Education spokesman, Angela Rayner (pictured), write a book? With words? David Winnick (Lab, Walsall N) feared the public would think all MPs were on the make. Wes Streeting (Lab, Ilford N), wet as celery, said Mr Osborne had no qualifications to be an editor. I often wonder if little Wes trained as a ladies hairdresser before entering Parliament. For Lucy Powell (Lab, Manchester C), as ever, it was all about the North. And Tom Tugendhat (Con, Tonbridge & Malling) nonchalantly thought it was quite normal for an MP to own land or write a book. Could Labours scuttle-jawed Education spokesman, Angela Rayner, write a book? With words? FBI Director James Comey has confirmed in public that the FBI is investigating links between Trump campaign associates and the Russian government a stunning disclosure that law enforcement was probing whether there are ties between the Trump campaign and election hacking that may have helped the president win. Comey announced the information which has been reported for weeks but had lacked official public confirmation during a high-stakes hearing conducted by the House Intelligence Committee. Although he said he wouldn't reveal classified information about the investigation, Comey backed up an intelligence community conclusion that the Kremlin wanted Donald Trump to win the election. 'I think that was a fairly easy judgment for the (intelligence) community,' Comey said. 'Putin hated Secretary Clinton so much that the flip side of that coin was he had a clear preference for the person running against the person he hated so much. FBI Director James Comey confirmed publicly that the FBI is investigating 'the Russian government's efforts to interfere in the 2016 presidential election and that includes investigating the nature of any links between individuals associated with the Trump campaign and the Russian government Comey dropped his bombshell by confirming the investigation at the top of a public hearing Monday, where he fielded questions from Democrats about Russia and from Republicans about potentially felonious leaking of classified information that ended up in the press. 'I have been authorized by the Department of Justice to confirm that the FBI, as part of our counterintelligence mission, is investigating the Russian government's efforts to interfere in the 2016 presidential election and that includes investigating the nature of any links between individuals associated with the Trump campaign and the Russian government and whether there was any coordination between the campaign and Russia's efforts,' said Comey. Comey declined multiple efforts by lawmakers to get him to reveal whether specific individuals were being looked at as part of the probe, and explained that normal procedure is not to even confirm the existence of an investigation. 'I know that is extremely frustrating to some folks, but it is the way it has to be,' he said. He noted that the existence of an investigation doesn't mean charges will be brought. Top panel Democrat Adam Schiff of California spoke at length about a list of Trump campaign Russia ties, after pointing to what he called 'circumstantial evidence' of collusion with Russia over the weekend. 'In early July, Carter Page, someone candidate Trump identified as one of his national security advisors, travels to Moscow on a trip approved by the Trump campaign. While in Moscow, he gives a speech critical of the United States and other western countries for what he believes is a hypocritical focus on democratization and efforts to fight corruption,' Schiff said, before bringing up the 'dirty dossier.' 'According to Christopher Steele, a former British intelligence officer who is reportedly held in high regard by U.S. Intelligence, Russian sources tell him that Page has also had a secret meeting with Igor Sechin, CEO of Russian gas giant Rosneft. Sechin is reported to be a former KGB agent and close friend of Putin's. According to Steele's Russian sources, Page is offered brokerage fees by Sechin on a deal involving a 19 percent share of the company.' 'According to Reuters, the sale of a 19.5 percent share in Rosneft later takes place, with unknown purchasers and unknown brokerage fees,' Schiff said. 'Also, according to Steele's Russian sources, the Trump campaign is offered documents damaging to Hillary Clinton, which the Russians would publish through an outlet that gives them deniability, like Wikileaks.' Comey and National Security Agency Director Mike Rogers (right) arrive to speak during the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence hearing on Russian actions during the 2016 election campaign 'The hacked documents would be in exchange for a Trump Administration policy that de-emphasizes Russia's invasion of Ukraine and instead focuses on criticizing NATO countries for not paying their fare share policies which, even as recently as the President's meeting last week with Angela Merkel, have now presciently come to pass,' he added. Then he brought up Russia contacts by former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort and unofficial Trump advisor Roger Stone. 'On August 8th, Roger Stone, a longtime Trump political advisor and self-proclaimed political dirty trickster, boasts in a speech that he 'has communicated with Assange,' - a reference to WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange' 'and that more documents would be coming, including an 'October surprise.' 'In the middle of August, he also communicates with the Russian cutout Guccifer 2.0, and authors a Breitbart piece denying Guccifer's links to Russian intelligence. Then, later in August, Stone does something truly remarkable, when he predicts that John Podesta's personal emails will soon be published. 'Trust me, it will soon be Podesta's time in the barrel. #Crooked Hillary,' Schiff said. White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer ripped the idea of collusion. 'Senior Obama intelligence officials have gone on record to confirm that there is no evidence of a Trump Russia collusion. The Obama CIA Director said so, Obama's Director of National Intelligence said so, and we take them at their word,' Spicer said. House Intelligence Chairman Devin Nunes said: 'For the first time the American people, and all the political parties now, are paying attention to the threat that Russia poses.' But Nunes said after the hearing he had 'no idea' who some of the names dropped by Democrats were and that the one real crime that had committed had been the leak of classified information to the press. 'I say that theres been one crime thats been committed and thats the leaking of someones name,' Nunes said after the hearing. 'They brought up many characters today. I don't even know who those people are. They have no affiliation. When I say they the Democrats brought up all these cast of names. I don't know who they are,' Nunes told reporters. Like Spicer, he dismissed Manafort, who got brought in to steady the campaign and shore up its delegate operation after the firing of original campaign manager Corey Lewandowski. 'Manafort I know, because I know for a short time he worked on the convention, but I don't know the other people,' Nunes said. 'This work is very complex, and there is no way for me to give you a timetable for when it will be done,' Comey said. Former Hillary Clinton advisors jumped on the news. 'Russia probe that Comey confirmed was, as best we can tell, in effect before Nov 8. Fair to ask why he didnt think voters deserved to know,' tweeted former campaign spokesman Brian Fallon. Comey revealed in the final days before the election the existence of a renewed look into Hillary Clinton's emails. Then two days before the election he said the investigation, which probed disgraced ex-Rep. Anthony Weiner's emails, hadn't turned up anything to change the outcome. A devout Christian woman has been jailed after going on a massive spending spree and luxury round-the-world cruise when nearly $100,000 was mistakenly put in her bank account. Wendy Baulch, 54, was wrongly paid $93,458 by a discount chemist on New Year's Eve 2014, but failed to pay any of it back. Instead the unemployed mother-of-four blew more than $60,000 of the money on cash withdrawals and luxury cruises. Wendy Baulch, 54, has been jailed after going on a massive spending spree and luxury round-the-world cruise when $100,000 was mistakenly put in her bank account Baulch was wrongly paid $93,458 by a discount chemist on New Year's Eve 2014, but failed to pay any of it back Fraudster Baulch lived a life of luxury on the cruise liner (pictured), up until her arrest after getting off in Sydney Baulch, from Brisbane, had just $5,000 to her name when the huge sum of money was accidentally deposited in her bank account by Pharmacy4Less, The Courier-Mail reported. Judge Gary Long said it 'must have been obvious' the transfer was a mistake, but just three days later Baulch used the money to pay for a 36-day round-the-world cruise. THE SPENDING SPREE December 31, 2014: $93,458 is mistakenly paid into Baulch's account. Later that day: Baulch withdraws $90,000 and deposits it into other accounts that she holds. January 3, 2015: Baulch books 36-day cruise from Miami to Sydney. January 5: Baulch boards MS Amsterdam in Miami, after flying from Brisbane via Los Angeles. Later in January: Baulch withdraws $15,000 in spending money while on the ship. February 10: Baulch is arrested after disembarking cruise in Sydney. February 11: Cruise from Sydney to Yangon, Burma, departs without Baulch, who had booked herself onto the ship before she was caught. Advertisement The court heard she withdrew $90,000 from her account before moving it into other accounts and credit cards in her name. She then flew from Brisbane to Los Angeles before catching another flight to Miami, where she boarded the Sydney-bound MS Amsterdam liner. Baulch withdrew a further $15,000 spending money while on board the ship, the jury was told. But her life of luxury came to an abrupt end when she was arrested as she disembarked from the ferry in Sydney on February 10, 2015. The court also heard the former hotel and motel manager had already booked another cruise by the time she was arrested, with the mother making plans for a 30-day trip from Sydney to Yangon, in Myanmar, leaving the next day. Prosecutor Michael Gawrych said Baulch had spent the majority of the money, but added the bank had frozen $28,892 which would be handed back to the pharmacy. The unemployed mother-of-four blew more than $60,000 of the money on cash withdrawals and luxury cruises Baulch is pictured leaving a police watchhouse with her suitcases after being apprehended in February 2015 Baulch flew from Brisbane to Los Angeles, before catching another flight to Miami, where she boarded the Sydney-bound MS Amsterdam liner (pictured) Baulch withdrew a further $15,000 spending money while on board the ship (pictured) Her barrister, Bruce Mumford, said his client had spent the money on 'items of indulgence', The Courier-Mail reported. He added she was 'always going to be detected' as she had not hidden her identity when making bookings and moving the money between her accounts. Baulch pleaded guilty to one count of fraud and was sentenced to 18 months in jail, suspended after three months. Mr Mumford said Baulch had been studying the Bible at Nazarene Theological College while on bail and she planned to work for the Salvation Army on her release. A mother and son who fell 'madly in love' after meeting each other for the first time 18 years after the son was given up for adoption has pleaded guilty to incest. Monica Mares, 37, and Caleb Peterson, 20, of Clovis, New Mexico, were arrested in February 2016 after a neighbor alerted police to their incestuous relationship. As jury selection for a trial began on Wednesday, the pair accepted a plea deal that would give them three years probation each, half of that supervised. They also must stay away from each other for a year and a half, according to WCMH-TV. SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO INTERVIEWS Mother and son Monica Mares, then 36, and Caleb Peterson, then 19, of Clovis, New Mexico, claim to be 'madly in love'. But they face up to 18 months in prison if found guilty of incest Mares and Peterson are seen above in their booking photos from February 2016. Mares is pictured on March 11 and Peterson on February 26 Mares and Peterson public with their affair last year in a bid to raise awareness of Genetic Sexual Attraction. This photo was taken before the court ordered them to stay away from each other The couple was charged with incest a fourth-degree felony in New Mexico - following a February 25 incident in which an argument with a neighbor led to the neighbor reporting them to authorities. They were arraigned and appeared jointly in court in April and released on $5,000 under the condition of staying away from each other. Mares was also not allowed to see any of her other nine children. It's unclear who was taking care of them. The couple could have received up to 18 months in prison but District Attorney Andrea Reeb, who prosecuted the unusual case, said that the pair had no criminal record and treatment was more important in these cases. Mares, a mother of nine, gave birth to Peterson (pictured as a baby) when she was 16 years old. He was adopted shortly thereafter Previously, however, the couple have stated that nothing will stop them from having a sexual relationship. In August, the controversial couple, who connected on Facebook eighteen years after a 16-year-old Mares gave up her son, who was then called Carlos, went public with their story in an effort to raise awareness of Genetic Sexual Attraction (GSA) relationships In exclusive individual interviews with Daily Mail Online, held separately so they wouldn't breach their no-contact order, they told how they are willing to risk everything to be together. GSA is defined as sexual attraction between close relatives, such as siblings or half-siblings, a parent and offspring, or first and second cousins, who first meet as adults. In exclusive interviews given to Daily Mail Online last year, before the pair didn't know they would be spared incarceration, Mares said of her eldest son: 'He is the love of my life and I don't want to lose him. My kids love him, my whole family does. Nothing can come between us not courts, or jail, nothing. 'I have to be with him. When I get out of prison I will move out of Clovis to a state that allows us to be together.' Incest is a crime in all 50 states, but the specifics of the laws and punishment vary greatly from state to state. Mother-of-nine Mares said she would even give up the right to see her other children if she was asked to choose between them and her lover. The couple first embarked on their love affair towards the end of 2015. Mares was just 16 when she gave birth to Peterson - whose pre-adoption name was Carlos - and he was adopted as a baby. Mother-of-nine Mares said she would even give up the right to see her other children if she was asked to choose between them and Peterson Mares saw Peterson for the first time in 18 years on Christmas 2015 when she picked him up at his adoptive father's house in Texas after the pair got in touch over Facebook The then-36-year-old, who didn't raise Peterson, saw him for the first time in 18 years last Christmas when she picked him up at his adoptive father's house in Texas and brought him to her home after the pair got in touch over Facebook. The couple soon developed romantic feelings for each other and their relationship became sexual a few weeks later. 'The first time I met my son in person I was so happy and excited I gave him a big hug,' Mares said. 'I went to go pick him up at his dad's house in Texas. 'He gave me a call and asked me to pick him up, I got butterflies in my stomach. The couple has vowed to fight for their right to have a sexual relationship and are appealing to the public to donate to their legal fund. These photos were taken before they were forbidden to see each other by the court 'I met him outside and I knew it was him when he came towards me. He was crying and he gave me a hug. 'It was almost love at first sight but first it was mother love. He gave me a mother hug. 'He came home in the truck and came to live with me and we were both happy as mother and son.' Mares said that at first nothing happened but she then started getting these 'crazy' feelings. She said it felt different because she didn't raise him as her child yet after all these years he came back to her. 'It felt like I met somebody new in my life and I fell in love with him,' she explained. She continued: 'At first I told him, "I'm sorry I don't know how you are going to react to this. I'm your mom and you're my son, but I'm falling in love with you". 'And he said: "You know what I am too. I was scared to let you know". He was falling in love with his mom and I was falling in love with my son. 'We talked about it and we took off to the park. I said, "Would you ever date your mom?" And he said: "would you ever date your son?" And I said, "Honest truth yes I would".' Mares said Peterson was the best thing that has happened to her in the past 19 years and wanted to be with him for the rest of her life. Mares (pictured in undated family photographs) didn't raise Peterson, whose pre-adoption name was Carlos Mares says Peterson (pictured above as a baby) is the best thing that has happened to her in the past 19 years Peterson said he made the first move and kissed his mother while they were spending time together one day At the time, she said she understood that she risks losing all her children and going to state prison but they both want to fight for their right to love. 'Caleb is willing to go through the same thing. Whatever it takes to be together,' she said. At first the couple lived happily together in Mares' mobile home with her two youngest children Uriah and Joseph keeping their relationship a secret from the world. Mares' youngest son even began calling Peterson 'dad'. But their unusual arrangement imploded when police were alerted to the situation. The couple live separately in Clovis, New Mexico. Pictured above is Peterson's home in the small town Mares said the potential of imprisonment and having her children taken away was all worth it to love the man she loves even if he's her son. 'It is every bit worth it,' she said. 'If they lock me up for love then they lock me up. There is no way anybody could pull us apart, and I really do love him. 'It hurts he is far away. It hurts really bad. I wish I could see him, talk to him, but I can't risk it.' At first, lived happily together in Mares' mobile home (pictured above) with her two youngest children Uriah and Joseph. Mares' youngest son even began calling Peterson 'dad' Because the court has ordered Peterson and Mares to stay away from each other, Mares is not legally allowed to stay at this address next to her son's home Peterson said he started falling love with his mom about a week after meeting her - but claims as he grew up with an adopted parents he never really saw Mares as his mother. 'I never had anyone cook me meals or give me anything,' he said. 'I never got anything my entire life and she went out of her way to make me happy and after about a week or so I started having feelings for her and I guess I fell in love. 'It went beyond a mother-son relationship I never really viewed her as my mom. In certain aspects I do but mostly I don't. Because the couple are not allowed to be in contact, as a sign of his love and commitment, Peterson left a rose for Mares on the bench at the park in Clovis where the couple first expressed their love for each other 'I never thought I was crazy for having these feelings because I didn't see her as my mom, it was more like going to a club and meeting a random person. It didn't feel wrong, it felt normal.' Peterson claimed it was him who made the first move not his mom. He recalls: 'We were hanging out just talking and I looked at her and she looked at me and I kissed her. 'It was a real kiss it had feelings behind it, there was a spark that ever since then it just stayed. Mares later collected the rose from the Clovis park bench and held it close to her heart 'Honestly I never thought we would get into trouble for our relationship. We were both consenting adults - when it comes down to it. 'She's adult I'm adult I can make my own decisions. I never thought it would blow up into something like this.' As well as legal trouble, the couple met opposition from friends, neighbors, family members and the wider community. Mares has been attacked outside her home and subjected to death threats. She said: 'I've been having a lot of trouble from the people in Clovis. They call me incest. Mares says other moms she knows don't understand what she's going through but says her kids have said they will love her no matter what. But Prosecutor Andrea Reeb, District Attorney for the Ninth Judicial District in New Mexico, says she expected Mares will face jail time - but she ended up getting three years probation But with a torn look on her face, she added: 'But if I had to choose between my son and all my other kids I'd chose him.' Peterson added: 'My dad walked out on me because of it. 'There's a lot of negative comments I read on Facebook and things - people say it's disgusting, it's gross, she's your mom but it doesn't hurt me or affect me at all. 'If they were in my situation or if they were to find out that somebody they loved was actually related to them then they'd be saying the exact opposite.' Peterson admits that sometimes he wonders if he should have done things differently - if only to spare his family the pain. Peterson said that he is willing to wait for his mom if she's jailed, despite the risk of further prosecution In the interview, Peterson said even if the judge offered to spare him jail if he stopped all contact with his mother, he would refuse. He also vowed to wait for his mom if she was given jail time. 'Sometimes the easy way isn't the best way,' he said. 'Sometimes we have to make that life decision that's going to change and affect everything but when it comes down to it, it's worth it. 'I will wait for her if she gets a jail sentence and I don't. For me it's not about patience it's about commitment. 'If I'm committed to something I follow it through that's the kind of person I am. 'If I love her enough and I'm crazy enough to stay in Clovis for her and crazy enough to face all the courts for her then waiting a bit of time to have the rest of my life being happy then I'm willing to do that.' President Donald Trump stayed on message Monday night, resisting the temptation to weigh in on the day's congressional testimony about his wiretapping controversy. In a cavernous Kentucky arena, with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell just a stone's throw away, Trump instead called for a renewed dedication to dismantling and replacing Obamacare the goal that has threatened to split an otherwise largely united Republican Party. The health care bill winding its way through Congress, Trump said, 'is our chance to end Obamacare and the Obamacare catastrophe.' The largest crowd to see Trump in person since his inauguration estimated at north of 18,000 cheered approvingly, even after booing McConnell loudly when he took the stage as a warm-up act. McConnell, who has represented Kentucky in the U.S. Senate since 1985, pledged his support for 'our great new president who's going to give us the chance to fix this healthcare mess left behind by Barack Obama.' U.S. President Donald Trump took the stage for a rally at the Kentucky Exposition Center in Louisville, Kentucky on Monday More than 18,000 fans screamed and cheered despite a day of dispiriting news at the White House after FBI Director James Comey confirmed that there's an ongoing investigation into alleged ties between the president's campaign aides and Russians Trump returned Monday to his political roots the energy of a sternum-rattling arena crowd who love him as he took his Obamacare replacement message on the road Trump, too, seemed committed to the messy legislative process that will give right-wingers and moderates alike their chances to pick through House Speaker Paul Ryan's bill and dictate what the result looks like. 'We're going to negotiate, and it's going to go to the Senate, and back and forth,' the president said Monday. 'And the end result is going to be wonderful, and it's going to work great.' McConnell accompanied Trump on Monday aboard Air Force One. Kentucky's junior senator, Rand Paul, was conspicuously missing. Paul has said he will try to derail the American Health Care Act if it doesn't include a host of features that the president has promised will appear in 'phase two and three,' the next steps in a longer process dictated by congressional rules. A House vote may come as soon as Thursday. Then come the Senate's fireworks. Despite the dustup Paul has created, Trump paid him a compliment in front of his constituents who applauded the mention of his name in a way McConnell didn't enjoy. 'I happen to like, a lot, Senator Rand Paul. I do. I like him. He's good. He's a good guy,' Trump said. 'And I look forward to working with him so we can get this bill pased in some form so that we can pass massive tax reform, which we can't do until this happens.' Trump clobbered Democrats and the 'fake news' media, and weighed in on a litany of issues including tax reform, law enforcement, veterans health care, Pentagon spending, North Korea, illegal immigration, terrorism, 'clean coal' and jobs McConnell got more tepid applause even after Trump implored his rally crowd 'to give him a nice hand because he's on our side. You've got to take care of your people, right?' 'Are we going to be okay?' he asked McConnell, who sat offstage. 'Everything's looking good? Health care's looking good?' Trump blasted Democrats in the House and Senate for what he called 'disastrous' impacts on the U.S. health care system stretching over the past seven years. 'They ignored the public, they ignored the voters, and they jammed a massiave health care takeover right through Congress,' he recalled. 'It's time for Democrat leaders in Washington to take responsibility for he disaster they and they alone created.' The president also blamed the 'fake news' media his favorite evergreen whipping-boy for keeping public sympathies on Obamacare's side. 'If they told the truth about Obamacare, it would be so wonderful for the people of this country because it would sail right through our plan would sail right through,' he said. Monday's rally, organized by his presidential campaign organization and not by the White House, included mention a laundry list of Trump's pet issues. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell was booed loudly on Monday, until Trump implored his fans to give their own senator a round of applause President Trump tweeted this aerial photo or unknown origin, showing what appeared to be some of the snaking line on a lawn past the furthest reaches of the Kentucky Exposition Center parking lot Tax reform, respect for law enforcement, veterans health care and a defense buildup 'We need it! A lot of bad actors out there, right?' competed for space in his teleprompter-aided speech with North Korea, illegal immigration, terrorism, 'clean coal' and jobs. 'We are going to be a rich nation again,' Trump pledged. Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, a major fly in the ointment for the GOP's chances of replacing Obamacare, was nowhere to be seen at his home-state Republican rally, but Trump gave him a gracious shout-out 'You just worry about your basketball team. I'll take care of the rest.' The University of Louisville men's team lost Sunday night to the University of Michigan in a championship tournament game they were favored to win, ending their season prematurely. The president stayed on message more than he was accustomed to during the campaign, even in the face of loud protesters. There were a total of seven on Monday night, including a trio who wore 'Black Lives Matter' t-shirts. Trump, in mid-thought about Kentucky native Henry Clay a former Speaker of the House and U.S. secretary of state didn't skip a beat as police escorted them out. The first interruption came from a woman who dangled a black 'anti-fascist' flag over an upper-deck balcony, and then tussled with two Trump fans who grabbed at it and ultimately won the tug-of-war. She threw her middle fingers skyward, yelled 'F**k you! F**k you!" and turned away in disgust as police took her out. Trump continued his sentence, praising the Electoral College, and didn't acknowledge her at all. Throngs of Donald Trump supporters stood in line Monday some for more than 12 hours as the queue to see the president stretched more than a half-mile Trump fashionistas in Kentucky sported 'Trumplican' cartoons and custom shirts designed to look like the 'wall' the president has vowed to build on America's southern border While the president steered clear of commenting on FBI Director James Comey's blockbuster House testimony about wiretapping allegations he has leveled against former president Barack Obama, he did weigh in on the activities of the Senate Judiciary Committee nine hours earlier. A man, who appears to be wearing a miner's uniform, waits for Trump to speak Trump said Neil Gorsuch, his Supreme Court nominee, ' will uphold and defend the Constitution of the United States.' 'I urge members of both parties to swiftly approve his nomination. He is an outstanding man from an outstanding family with an unbelievably wonderful wife. They should approve.' Half of Monday's story was about the crowd of screaming fans who came out in droves to see Trump. A line snaked around the expo center, reaching more than a half-mile in length. DailyMail.com walked the entire length of the queue from front to back and recorded video showing the throngs of supporters, the first of whom arrived 14 hours before showtime. The footage was shot while Trump was still 600 miles away at the White House, more than three hours before he was set to speak, and hours after his administration suffered a body blow on Capitol Hill. There was a queue stretching for around half a mile before Trump's appearance at the Louisville, Kentucky, arena This family came in matching LEGO shirts also promising a 'YUGE' wall (made of colored bricks!) Reflecting on Trump's infamous slap at Hillary Clinton during a 2016 presidential debate, these besties wore shirts declaring: 'I am NOT a nasty woman' The more than half-mile long snaked around the Kentucky Exposition Center, and started with a woman named Lynette who arrived at 5:30 a.m. for an event slated to begin at 7:30 p.m. One man decided to show up to the rally as the man himself FBI Director James Comey told the House Intelligence Committee that he knows of no evidence to support Trump's March 4 claims on Twitter that Barack Obama's administration wiretapped him at Trump Tower. He also testified that there is an ongoing investigation into allegations of ties during the presidential election season between Trump campaign aides and individuals in Russian intelligence. Trump backers, though, were in high spirits. None wanted to talk about the brewing controversies. Instead they indulged in an unmistakably ebullient campaign atmosphere. Hundreds at a time shouted 'Trump! Trump! Trump!' As the line grew longer and longer, others chanted 'Lock her up!' a reference to former Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. One wore an outfit painted to look like a brick wall, a hat-tip toward his pledge to build a border wall between the U.S. and Mexico. A family in line wore matching shirts showing a LEGO Trump building a brick wall with the message: 'It's gonna be YUGE.' Others dressed in gear identifying them as 'Trumplicans' and 'Proud Members of the Basket of Deplorables.' Monday's rally, the second in as many weeks, takes place against a backdrop of a U.S. flag and twin sigs reading 'Promises Made' and 'Promises Kept.' The Trump presidential campaign not the White House sponsored the event, which filled an expo center that has hosted the NCAA Final Four basketball tournament six times. About 45 minutes before Trump was to appear, arena managers opened up upper-deck sections that had been roped off, accommodating a new crush of audience members. A family was spotted jumping out of their car in a white tiger enclosure at Beijing Wildlife Park yesterday. According to China News, a report stated in People's Daily Online, a family of five got out of the car in a bid to take a closer look of the tigers. This comes just nine months after a woman was mauled to death in another nearby wildlife park. On this occasion, there were no injuries reported. The family was first spotted violating the rules at a waterfowl area and was told to get back in Dangerous! The family was out of their white SUV in the white tiger enclosure yesterday Beijing Wildlife Park told reporters that staff members initially noticed the family outside of their vehicle at the waterfowl area. They were then spotted soon after walking around the white tiger enclosure at around 10.20am yesterday. The family were reported to contain two adults and three children. Staff members and the park's duty manager arrived at the scene some two minutes later and told the family to get back into the car. It took some persuading to make the family get back into their SUV. Beijing Wildlife Park released a statement yesterday confirming the incident and claiming that no injuries were reported. A spokesperson said visitors are allowed to open windows but not allowed to get out of their vehicles. Beijing Wildllife Park said visitors are only allowed to open windows in the enclosure area Staff members explained to reporters that there is a trench in most of the animal enclosures to keep a distance of at least 8 meters (26 ft) between visitors and the animals. They also said the trench is about 10 meters (33 ft) deep and there is also an electric fence to make sure animals stay away from the visitors. Just nine months ago, a woman was mauled to death by a tiger after she stepped out of her car at a Beijing Badaling Wildlife Park. Web users on Weibo, a Chinese equivalent to Twitter, criticised the parents for not learning a lesson from previous accidents. One web user said: 'Can you please stop trying to be a hero in front of your children? This is putting your life at risk!' 'Nini_o_p' posted: 'Lucky the tigers are safe! Follow the rules please!' Beijing Police Department commented online to remind the public that 'tigers are not vegetarians'. Professor Stephen Hawking says he fears he may not be welcome in Donald Trump's America. The physicist and cosmologist claimed the US has become more 'authoritarian' and, in a possible attack on Mr Trump, joked that people who boast about their IQ are 'losers'. But the 75-year-old also admitted that the liberal hysteria over Trump's election had been 'overdone'. His views came in a wide-ranging interview with Piers Morgan on ITV's Good Morning Britain, in which Professor Hawking also criticised Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and warned against a so-called 'hard Brexit'. Prof Stephen Hawking, pictured, has spoken out about Donald Trump's US presidency, claiming the country has become more 'authoritarian' Commenting on the US election, Professor Hawking said: 'The reaction to the election of Donald Trump may have been overdone, but it represents a definite swing to a right-wing, more authoritarian approach. 'Everyday life in the United States continues much the same. I have many friends and colleagues there, and it is still a place I like and admire in many ways. I would like to visit again, and to talk to other scientists. But I fear that I may not be welcome.' Professor Hawking also said that 'people who boast about their IQ are losers'. Morgan said that the comment was a possible jibe at Trump, who has previously claimed his IQ is 'one of the highest'. Professor Hawking warned against possible moves in the US to force government scientists to get White House approval for announcements, saying it could have a 'chilling effect on science'. He called on Donald Trump to get rid of Scott Pruitt, the man he installed at the US Environment Protection Agency. Professor Hawking called on Mr Trump to change his view on climate change and science Labour supporter Professor Hawking criticised the party's leader Jeremy Corbyn who he said 'doesn't come across as a strong leader' Pruitt said last week he does not believe carbon dioxide is a primary contributor to global warming. Professor Hawking said today: 'Climate change is one of the great dangers we face, and it's one we can prevent. It affects America badly, so tackling it should win votes for his second term. God forbid.' Turning to British politics, Professor Hawking said of Jeremy Corbyn: 'I don't believe there will be much chance of Labour winning an election under him. 'He doesn't come across as a strong leader, and he allowed the media to portray him as a left-wing extremist, which he's not. It's no good having the right principles if you never get in power.' But he added: 'I will continue to vote Labour, it's the party that matters.' Host Piers Morgan also questioned Professor Hawking about Brexit. Professor Hawking also said he is planning to travel into space on Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic The scientist, who was opposed to leaving the EU, said if the referendum decision must be implemented 'it shouldn't be a hard Brexit as the right wing of the Conservative Party want'. 'That would leave us isolated and inward-looking,' he said. 'Instead, we should retain as many links as possible with Europe and the rest of the world, particularly China.' Professor Hawking also revealed he is planning to travel into space on Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic. He said he had not expected to have the opportunity to experience space but that the Virgin boss had offered him a seat. Discussing the meaning of happiness, he said: 'My three children have brought me great joy. And I can tell you what will make me happy, to travel in space. 'I thought no one would take me but Richard Branson has offered me a seat on Virgin Galactic, and I said yes immediately.' During conception, around 55 million sperm are released, racing for the ultimate prize of fusing with the egg. Until now, the complex rhythmic movement of the sperm on its journey has remained a mystery to scientists. But a new study has come up with a mathematical formula for the movement, which researchers say could help to treat male infertility in the future. Scroll down for video A new study has come up with a mathematical formula for the movement of sperm, which researchers say could help to treat male infertility in the future (artist's impression) THE RHYTHMIC MOVEMENT OF SPERM By analysing the movements of the sperm, the researchers were able to come up with a relatively simple mathematical formula. The formula removes the need for complex and expensive computer simulations that are currently needed to understand sperm's movement. The researchers found that the sperm is able to make contradictory movements, such as moving its head backwards, to propel itself towards an egg. The whip-like tail of the sperm has a particular rhythm that pulls the head backwards, countering some of the friction that is created due to their tiny sizes. Advertisement Researchers from the Universities of York, Birmingham, Oxford and Kyoto found that the sperm's tail creates a characteristic rhythm that pushes the sperm forwards, while the head is pulled backwards and sideways. Successful fertility relies on how sperm moves through fluid, but until now, the details of this movement have been difficult to study. Dr Hermes Gadelha, from the University of York's Department of Mathematics, said: 'In order to observe, at the microscale, how a sperm achieves forward propulsion through fluid, sophisticated microscopic high precision techniques are currently employed. 'Measurements of the beat of the sperm's tail are fed into a computer model, which then helps to understand the fluid flow patterns that result from this movement. 'Numerical simulations are used to identify the flow around the sperm, but as the structures of the fluid are so complex, the data is particularly challenging to understand and use. 'Around 55 million spermatozoa are found in a given sample, so it is understandably very difficult to model how they move simultaneously. 'We wanted to create a mathematical formula that would simplify how we address this problem and make it easier to predict how large numbers of sperm swim. 'This would help us understand why some sperm succeed and others fail.' By analysing the movements of the sperm, the researchers were able to come up with a relatively simple mathematical formula. The researchers found that the sperm's tail creates a characteristic rhythm that pushes the sperm forwards, while the head is pulled backwards and sideways (artist's impression) MALE INFERTILITY The most common cause of infertility in men is poor quality semen, the fluid containing sperm that's ejaculated during sex. Possible reasons for abnormal semen include: - A lack of sperm - Sperm that isn't moving properly - Abnormal sperm Many cases of abnormal semen are unexplained. There's a link between increased temperature of the scrotum and reduced semen quality, but it's uncertain whether wearing loose-fitting underwear improves fertility. Advertisement The formula removes the need for complex and expensive computer simulations that are currently needed to understand sperm's movement. The researchers found that the sperm is able to make contradictory movements, such as moving its head backwards, to propel itself towards an egg. The whip-like tail of the sperm has a particular rhythm that pulls the head backwards, countering some of the friction that is created due to their tiny sizes. Dr Gadelha said: 'It is true when scientists say how miraculous it is that a sperm ever reaches an egg, but the human body has a very sophisticated system of making sure the right cells come together. 'You would assume that the jerky movements of the sperm would have a very random impact on the fluid flow around it, making it even more difficult for competing sperm cells to navigate through it, but in fact you see well defined patterns forming in the fluid around the sperm. The researchers now hope to create a model for predictions on larger numbers of sperm. They also believe that it will have implications for new innovation in male infertility treatment (stock image) 'This suggests that sperm stirs the fluid around in a very coordinated way to achieve locomotion, not too dissimilar to the way in which magnetic fields are formed around magnets. 'So although the fluid drag makes it very difficult for the sperm to make forward motion, it does coordinate with its rhythmic movements to ensure that only a few selected ones achieve forward propulsion.' The researchers now hope to create a model for predictions on larger numbers of sperm. They also believe that it will have implications for new innovation in male infertility treatment. The search is on for a unique group of people with a rare genetic mutation that may offer a cure for pancreatic cancer. Scientists are hoping to find special individuals whose immune systems provide a powerful defence against one of the deadliest forms of the disease. The multi-million pound research is based on a study which found that a mutant mouse had an astonishing ability to shrug off aggressive cancers. Scroll down for video Scientists at King's College London are hoping to find individuals whose immune systems may provide a powerful defence against pancreatic cancer, one of the deadliest forms of the disease (stock image) THE RESEARCH Later this year the LIfT (leukocyte infusion therapy) team plans to begin the hunt for people with cancer-killing granulocytes and test their cells using techniques which are still being developed. The starting point will be to seek young individuals with no history of cancer in their immediate family. If the work progresses as hoped, around 20 trial patients will be recruited to receive weekly injections of cells for around five or six weeks while they are carefully monitored. Ultimately, the goal is to create a cell bank that can be used to treat or even cure cancer. Advertisement Researchers from King's College London are working to find people who share a similar genetic predisposition to having a heightened immune system. The bold plan is to use white blood cells from these people - who make up a tiny fraction of the population - to develop a potential cure for pancreatic cancer in the next four years. The disease has one of the highest fatality rates of any cancer, with only 3.3 per cent of patients surviving five years after diagnosis. With adequate funding, the team hopes to launch a first clinical trial as early as next year. Early research indicates that the same approach could work for other solid cancers, such as those affecting the prostate, breast and bladder. Alex Blyth, is chief executive of LIfT BioSciences, the British biotech company pioneering the treatment in partnership with King's College London. Mr Blyth, whose mother died from pancreatic cancer in 2014, said: 'This could be game-changing. 'Currently 97 per cent of patients with pancreatic cancer today will be dead in five years, and that hasn't really changed in 40 years. 'It's a tragedy. That's why we've made it our number one priority.' The bold plan is to use white blood cells (artist's impression pictured centre) from these people - who make up a tiny fraction of the population - to develop a potential cure for pancreatic cancer in the next four years (stock image) SUPERMICE The project developed from the discovery in 1999 of a mutant mouse with an almost miraculous ability to ward off aggressive cancers. Scientists at Wake Forest University in the US found that the 'supermouse' passed on its cancer-beating powers to 40 per cent of its offspring. When white blood cells from these mice were injected to normal mice, they too became cancer-resistant. Later it was discovered that some humans - a fraction of the population - also possessed super-active anti-cancer immune cells. In mouse experiments, their cells, boosted in the laboratory by a secret process, eliminated 100% of prostate and sarcoma cancers, which grow in bone and soft tissues. Advertisement Later this year the LIfT (leukocyte infusion therapy) team plans to begin the hunt for people with cancer-killing granulocytes and test their cells using techniques which are still being developed. The starting point will be to seek young individuals with no history of cancer in their immediate family. If the work progresses as hoped, around 20 trial patients will be recruited to receive weekly injections of cells for around five or six weeks while they are carefully monitored. Ultimately, the goal is to create a cell bank that can be used to treat or even cure cancer. Another part of the project aims to produce 'immortalised' cell lines that can be grown continuously in the laboratory. One question the scientists want to answer is precisely how many super-active cancer killers there are in the general population. The proportion is likely to vary according to the type of cancer, but they could be as rare as one in 1,000 or even one in 10,000. Cancer of the pancreas (arist's impression pictured centre) has one of the highest fatality rates of any cancer, with only 3.3 per cent of patients surviving five years after diagnosis (stock image) The project developed from the discovery in 1999 of a mutant mouse with an almost miraculous ability to ward off aggressive cancers. Scientists at Wake Forest University in the US found that the 'supermouse' passed on its cancer-beating powers to 40 per cent of its offspring. When white blood cells from these mice were injected into normal mice, they too became cancer-resistant. It was a surprise because the cells formed part of the innate or natural immune system, not the adaptive part which responds to externally introduced pathogens. The white blood cells were of the 'granulocyte' type, basic cleaners that mop up invaders by engulfing them. Later this year the LIfT team plans to begin the hunt for people with cancer-killing granulocytes and test their cells using techniques which are still being developed (stock image) At the time the cells were only thought to be effective against bacteria and fungal organisms. In mouse experiments, their cells, boosted in the laboratory by a secret process, eliminated 100 per cent of prostate and sarcoma cancers, which grow in bone and soft tissues. Mr Blythe added: 'It's a cell therapy, essentially taking cells from people who have a high-functioning innate immune system and transferring them to people with a lower level of cancer-killing activity. 'On average, cancer patients have much lower activity in their granulocytes, a family of white blood cells that has consistently been overlooked. 'It wasn't even recognised that they killed cancer cells until recently.' Real-life RoboCops will be patrolling the streets of Dubai alongside police from May. And the multi-lingual crime-fighting robots will make up a quarter of the city's police force by 2030, according to officials. The android, which is equipped with face recognition technology, will be used by members of the public to report crime and pay traffic fines. Scroll down for video Robot police officers will patrol Dubai from May. Pictured is a prototype at the GITEX annual computer and electronic trade show at the Dubai World Centre held in October 2016 REAL-LIFE ROBOCOP Real-life RoboCops will be patrolling the streets of Dubai alongside police from May. The android, which is equipped with face recognition technology, will be used by members of the public to report crime and pay traffic fines. The robot police officer has the ability to scan faces from 20 metres away and bears a touchscreen on its chest which members of the public can use to contact the police. It also has a microphone which feeds directly to the Dubai Police call centres. Advertisement Brigadier Abdullah Bin Sultan, director of the future shaping centre of Dubai Police, told Gulf News: 'We are looking to have more robots in future to handle policing. 'By 2030, we are keen to make robots around 25 per cent of the total police force. The announcement was made at the 11 Best Police Practices Forum held in Dubai. Addressing the forum, Major-General Abdullah Khalifa Al Merri, Dubai Police commander-in-chief, said: 'We hope to achieve our goals to be have a smart police. 'Police robots have been tested by some police forces in the world and we are planning to have them in future.' The robot police officer has the ability to scan faces from 20 metres away and bears a touchscreen on its chest which members of the public can use to report crimes. It also has a microphone which feeds directly to the Dubai Police call centres. 'We planned for a security system for the future of the city to tackle future crimes,' he said. 'By 2025, Dubai will be one of the best five cities in the world on security level.' He added that 50 per cent of police buildings will be self-powered by 2030 and that the police plan to build a DNA data bank. The robot is equipped with an innovative touchscreen tablet on its chest which members of the public can use to report crimes 'By 2030, there will be no mysterious or unknown crimes in Dubai and the police will have the biggest DNA data bank in the country,' he said. Brigadier Khalid Nasser Al Razouqi, general director of the smart services department at Dubai Police, added: 'We are looking to make everything smart in Dubai Police. 'We are aiming to implement many smart police mechanisms, including the smart police station and robots, and adopt artificial intelligence. 'By 2030, we will have the first smart police station which won't require human employees.' The multi-lingual crime-fighting robots will make up a quarter of the city's police force by 2030, according to officials A prototype robot was first unveiled at the GITEX annual computer and electronic trade show at the Dubai World Centre in October, 2016. Earlier prototypes of the robots have been developed with the aim of offering assistance to tourists on the streets and in shopping malls in Dubai. Dubai Police, IBM's supercomputer, Watson, and Google have all contributed to the unique design of the robot police officer. Dubai Police, IBM's supercomputer, Watson, and Google have all contributed to the unique design of the robot police officer Wisconsin has fallen behind other states in efforts to reduce the tons of climate-altering carbon dioxide that billows from smokestacks of coal-burning power plants. As the economic recession and cheap natural gas helped the U.S. cut emissions by 18.1 percent from 2000 to 2014, a dozen states notched decreases more than double Wisconsins 12.7 percent rate. Many factors affect a states emissions from access to fuels and hydroelectric power to population density and geographic size. The willingness of political leaders to push power companies to use more solar and wind power also plays a role. Recently, Wisconsin has lagged by this measure even as the cost of renewable energy has fallen, said Greg Nemet, a UW-Madison La Follette School of Public Affairs professor who specializes in energy policy. In 2000, the state was one of the first in the Midwest to set a standard for the amount of electricity from renewable sources utilities sold; that 2 percent requirement was increased to 10 percent by a nearly unanimous state Legislature in 2005. Since then, more than two dozen states have set higher bars while Wisconsin has done nothing further, Nemet said. Its a pretty unambitious policy compared to what has been done by other states that found it was easy and cheap to do, so they reached for more, he said. In 2017, only one of the 29 states with a renewable energy standard has a lower requirement than Wisconsin, according to data compiled by the U.S. Department of Energy. Republican Gov. Scott Walker, state Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald, R-Juneau, and Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, didnt respond to requests for comment. Lowering solar, wind costs Burning coal to generate electricity is the largest source of carbon dioxide, one of the greenhouse gases climate scientists agree is causing the Earth to heat up. Walker has claimed former President Barack Obamas carbon-cutting Clean Power Plan would be like a buzzsaw to the nations economy. Republican Attorney General Brad Schimel has gone to court with other states attorneys to block it. And President Donald Trump has vowed to undo the rule. But the states three largest electrical providers have their own plans to reduce roughly the same amount as would be required under the federal plan. Thats because existing government policies like the 2005 state renewable energy standards and federal tax credits that encourage use of those energy sources increased demand for wind and solar, which in turn led to lower costs, said Nemet and Keith Reopelle, senior policy director for Clean Wisconsin. Those lower costs, along with investors who see a future in clean energy and customers who want electricity that wont cause a climate change disaster, have made renewable sources attractive to many power companies, they said. Building on reductions in emissions accomplished under the 10-year deadline the 2005 law set for increasing renewable energy, Alliant Energy, We Energies and Madison Gas and Electric plan by 2030 to reduce carbon emissions 40 percent from 2005 levels. Alliant Energy, which has customers in both Wisconsin and Iowa, reached the 30 percent mark last year, said spokeswoman Annemarie Newman. At a high level, our plans were never predicated on the Clean Power Plan, Newman said. By adopting the long view, we avoid the uncertainty of having our plans upended by changing climate policies, (and we) also take advantage of clean energy opportunities, for example adding more wind power its low fuel costs help keep rates stable for customers. The Clean Power Plan remains important to hold companies to needed reductions, and force better behavior by utilities that havent set adequate goals for themselves, Reopelle said. In the same way, if the state would join others that have set strong standards for renewable energy, then all Wisconsin electrical users could be assured that they are using cleaner energy over time, he said. The Wisconsin Public Service Commission also plays a role in how much the states utilities contribute to climate change. In recent years, the commission approved electric rate increases that were structured in ways that Nemet said undermined demand for solar power. In 2014 and 2016 the commission boosted the fixed monthly charges on consumers bills, while constraining or even decreasing charges for the amount of electricity used. The utilities said higher fixed charges were needed to cover costs of things like poles and wires that benefit all customers no matter how much power they use. But opponents said the change would hurt people who dont use much electricity including those who invest in things like solar power panels, energy-saving appliances and insulation because they would pay the higher fixed rate even though they used less electricity. Madison Gas and Electric had wanted to increase its $10.50 monthly fixed rate to $67 over three years while slicing the 14 cents per killowatt-hour usage charge to 3 cents during winter months, with a similar cut in summer months. In 2014, the commission majority instead approved nearly doubling the fixed rate along with a less pronounced reduction for power used. Two Walker appointees voted in favor of the plan. The third commissioner, who had been appointed by Democratic Gov. Jim Doyle before Walker was elected in 2010, voted against the change, saying it still penalized customers who used lesser amounts of power. Similar changes to the rate structure were approved for We Energies that year and for Alliant in 2016. After years of studying cosmology, Professor Stephen Hawking is finally planning to travel into space himself. Sir Richard Branson has offered the famous physicist a place on board his Virgin Galactic spacecraft. Speaking on Good Morning Britain, Hawking said he did not hesitate in saying 'yes.' Prof Stephen Hawking has revealed he has been offered a dream trip to space on Virgin Atlantic. Speaking on Good Morning Britain, Hawking said he did not hesitate in saying 'yes' to Richard Branson's offer VIRGIN GALACTIC: THE CRASH In October 2014, SpaceShipTwo - a plane designed to run the first ever passenger flights into space - split into pieces as it fell to Earth over California's Mojave Desert. The vehicle broke up after the co-pilot unlocked the craft's tail wing breaking system early, which led to a sudden increase in aerodynamic forces as it passed through the sound barrier. Investigators at the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said no safeguards were built into system to overcome the error of the co-pilot. Advertisement The physicist and cosmologist, 75, said he had not expected to have the opportunity to experience space but that the Virgin boss had offered him a seat. Discussing the meaning of happiness on Good Morning Britain, he said: 'My three children have brought me great joy. 'And I can tell you what will make me happy, to travel in space. 'I thought no one would take me but Richard Branson has offered me a seat on Virgin Galactic, and I said yes immediately.' While a date for the voyage has not yet been announced, Virgin Galactic hopes to carry people into space on commercial missions in the near future. Richard Branson, who owns Virgin Galactic had suggested that he might be able to complete a flight in 2009, but the plan has been thrown off by a range of problems and disasters. In October 2014, SpaceShipTwo - a plane designed to run the first ever passenger flights into space - split into pieces as it fell to Earth over California's Mojave Desert. The vehicle broke up after the co-pilot unlocked the craft's tail wing breaking system early, which led to a sudden increase in aerodynamic forces as it passed through the sound barrier. This isn't the first time that Branson has offered to take Stephen Hawking into space. Sir Richard Branson's firm has designed SpaceShipTwo, pictured, to take 'space tourists' on short flights into space without going into orbit In 2014, Hawking told MailOnline that he had been offered a place on board the Virgin Galactic, but feared that his doctors wouldn't allow him to go. Speaking exclusively to MailOnline, he said: 'I would love to go to the moon, or to go into space. 'I was due to go into space with Virgin Galactic, courtesy of Richard Branson, but I fear the doctors won't allow it. It would be a good way to go.' Professor Hawking said he did not think he would ever get to space but 'accepted immediately' after Sir Richard, pictured, offered him a seat on Virgin Galactic Watch out Siri, there is a new virtual assistant in town. Samsung has unveiled its intelligent interface that will live in the firms highly-anticipated Galaxy S8 smartphone set to launch next week. Unlike the other AI assistants on the market, Bixby is specifically design to make using your phone even more seamless and intuitive. Scroll down for videos New leaks claiming to be the Samsung Galaxy S8 have surfaced that show a handset coated with a glossy black finish and is said to have been made with parts from the factories that are building the device (pictured is render suggested to be Samsung Galaxy S8) SAMSUNG'S BIXBY Users can make apps Bixby-enabled, which will let Bixby support almost every task that the application is capable of performing using the conventional interface. Any task a human user can do via touch commands, the AI will have the ability to do as well. Samsungs voice assistant will also understand the current state of the app and if there are issues, can intervene at any time. It is also designed to weave various modes of interactions including touch or voice at any context of the application, whichever they feel is most comfortable and intuitive. This means users can begin a task with touch commands and prompt Bixby to complete it with a voice command. The AI assistant is able to work regardless if the given information is incomplete or imprecise. Advertisement Bixby will be our first step on a journey to completely open up new ways of interacting with your phone, shared InJong Rhee, CTO of Samsung Mobile and the architect behind Bixby, in a blog post. At the launch of the Galaxy S8, a subset of preinstalled applications will be Bixby-enabled. This set will continue to expand over time. Our plan is to eventually release a tool (in SDK) to enable third-party developers to make their applications and services Bixby-enabled easily. The Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus are set to be unveiled during a press conference on March 29th two smartphones that have been greatly talked about for months. For many Samsung customers, the Galaxy S8 is not just the firm's next phone, but a chance for the smartphone maker to redeem themselves for the Galaxy Note 7 fiasco - 2.5 million devices were recalled after reports that some were exploding. And as the launch day approach, Samsung seems to become more and more excited. The South Korean firm officially announced its take on the virtual assistant, which is said to be fundamentally different from other voice agents or assistants in the market. Unlike Apples Siri, Microsofts Cortana, Amazons Alexa and Google Assistant, Bixby is setup to help users navigate their smartphone. This includes making the handset easier to use by replicating the functions of apps with voice commands. BIXBY RUMORS Bixby could be used for a wide variety of functions in a similar way to Apple's Siri. One rumor suggests Bixby will have visual search capabilities to analyze the image, identify objects and performing optical character recognition on visible text. Once activate, a search tool will appear allowing users to search for specific objects or use optical character recognition to process any text you point the phone at. It will be equipped with a high degree of interconnectedness to other applications. For example, the technology will show you where to buy an object in and image and can also complete the transaction for you. Users activate AI by pushing an extra button on the left - just under the volume controls. Advertisement For many Samsung customers, the Galaxy S8 is not just the firm's next phone, but a chance for the smartphone maker to redeem themselves for the Galaxy Note 7 (pictured) fiasco. Bixby will live inside the upcoming smartphones set to launch March 29 Samsung shared in a blog post that Bixby offers a deeper experience thanks to proficiency in these three properties: completeness, context awareness and cognitive tolerance. In regards to the first property, users will have the power to make their apps Bixby-enabled, which will let Bixby support almost every task that the application is capable of performing using the conventional interface. Any task a human user can do via touch commands, the AI will have the ability to do as well. The firm hopes this setup will eliminate errors that occur when users do not know what is possible and not possible through voice commands. Samsungs voice assistant will also understand the current state of the app and if there are issues, can intervene at any time which is what the firm refers to as cognitive awareness. SAMSUNG GALAXY S8 The latest leaks claiming to be the Samsung Galaxy S8 were unearthed by Slashleaks. The images show a smartphone in a clear casing with a curved edge-to-edge screen. The bezels are also very thing bezels and the home button has been removed. However, the images suggest that the fingerprint scanner has been relocated to the back on the handset - and it could be designed with an iris scanner. Its also speculated that the Samsung Galaxy S8 will have a headphone jack and a USB-C connector. Advertisement Samsung shared in a blog post that Bixby offers a deeper experience thanks to proficiency in these three properties: completeness, context awareness and cognitive tolerance (pictured is artist impression of Galaxy S8) It is also designed to weave various modes of interactions including touch or voice at any context of the application, whichever they feel is most comfortable and intuitive. This means users can begin a task with touch commands and prompt Bixby to complete it with a voice command. In regards to the last property, cognitive tolerance, the virtual assistant is able to work regardless if the given information is incomplete or imprecise. The Samsung Galaxy S8 handsets are designed with an extra button on the left side, underneath the volume controls, that when pushed, activates Bixby. Having a button on the side lets users easily call upon the AI with one hand, unlike Apples Siri. And the handsets will not be its only home, as Samsung shared the AI will be added into smart appliances. MOBILEFUN LEAKS CASES A video from MobileFun gives users a glimpse at what could be the cases for the Samsung S8 and the S8 Plus. The leaks suggest that both smartphones will be similar in height to the Galaxy S7 family, but the S8 Plus could be the widest handset the firm has yet to make. There are three cutouts on the bottom that Hart believes is a speaker, a jack for the headphones and the stylus. The cases shows what could be dual speakers. It appears that both the S8 and the S8 Plus will be designed with wireless charging, as the charging port cutouts are missing, and will be come with the S Pen. The power button has been relocated to the same side as the volume buttons, leaving one side empty for a cleaner look. Advertisement In the future you would be able to control your air conditioner or TV through Bixby, Rhee explained. Since Bixby will be implemented in the cloud, as long as a device has an internet connection and simple circuitry to receive voice inputs, it will be able to connect with Bixby. As the Bixby ecosystem grows, we believe Bixby will evolve from a smartphone interface to an interface for your life. Advertisement A stunning image of London taken by the commander of the International Space Station has been beamed back to Earth. The Nasa astronaut captured the snap while orbiting the planet at a distance of 250 miles (400km). The dazzling lights of the city at night shine brightly, despite the vast distance. Famous landmarks like Tower Bridge, Wembley Stadium and The O2 in Greenwich can be seen in the shot. Texan astronaut Robert Shane Kimbrough has shared an image he took of the UK's capital city, capturing the bright lights and several landmarks while orbiting the planet at a distance of 250 miles And large green spaces like Hyde Park stand out as dark patches among the street lights and illuminations of the city. The photo was captured by Nasa's Robert Shane Kimbrough as the space station passed over the UK on Sunday night. The 49-year-old Texan, a former United States Army officer, posted image on Twitter with the caption: 'Good evening London from @Space_Station!' It has since been retweeted over 1,800 times and been liked by more than 6,000 people. Famous landmarks like Tower Bridge, Wembley Stadium and The O2 in Greenwich can be seen in the shot. And large green spaces like Hyde Park stand out as dark patches among the street lights and illuminations of the city Former United States Army officer Robert Kimbrough, 49, tweeted the image on Sunday. It has since been retweeted over 1,800 times and been liked by more than 6,000 people He also posted a picture of Ireland taken by Thomas Pesquet on Friday, just in time for St Patrick's Day. In a message on the site, he said: 'Happy #StPatricksDay Spectacular #Dublin, Ireland captured by @thom_astro from @Space_Station. Enjoy the #StPatricksFest Parade down there!' Since arriving at the station, Mr Kimbrough has posted a series of incredible images of cities and locations around the world, as well as views of space. A picture of Ireland taken by French astronaut Thomas Pesquet on Friday, March 17, just in time for the feast of St Patrick. Mr Kimbrough used the image to wish his Twitter followers a happy St Patrick's day A view of the city of Dubai in the United Arab Emirates taken aboard the International Space Station, with the man-made Palm Island clearly visible just off the coast in the top left Mr Kimbrough was selected by Nasa in 2004 and completed his first spaceflight in 2008. He spent almost 16 days on the STS-126 space shuttle mission to expand the crew living quarters on the International Space Station (ISS). The Georgia Institute of Technology masters graduate is now the commander of the station and is leading the 50th expedition to the ISS, although he himself has been aboard the station since Expedition 49. The view of blizzard Stella, a powerful storm which battered parts of the Northeast United States last week, was captured aboard the space station on March 15 Since arriving at the station, Mr Kimbrough has posted a series of incredible images of cities and locations around the world, as well as views of space. He captured this snap of the moon as it appears aboard the space station on March 10 Expedition 50 began upon the departure of Soyuz MS-01 on October 28, 2016, and will be concluded upon the departure of Soyuz MS-02 in April 2017. Mr Kimbrough was joined by Russian cosmonauts Sergey Ryzhikov and Andrei Borisenko, who came aboard the station on Soyuz MS-01. They were later joined by French astronaut Thomas Pesquet from the European Space Agency, Russia's Oleg Novitskiy and America's Peggy Whitson - who at age 56 became the oldest woman to fly into space - bringing the total number of people on the station to six. SpaceX has identified several sites on Mars that could one day support human settlement. The firm is working with NASA to pinpoint the possible landing sites for its Red Dragon spacecraft the precursor to its proposed interplanetary transport system and for future manned missions. At a presentation in Texas this weekend, Paul Wooster of SpaceX revealed one site in particular appears to be a promising candidate, with a flat terrain and access to ice. Scroll down for video The firm is working with NASA to pinpoint the possible landing sites for its Red Dragon spacecraft the precursor to its proposed interplanetary transport system and for future manned missions A SOFT LANDING The Dragon 2 capsule is designed to land on any surface in the solar system, SpaceX says. It uses jets to land itself, the same system SpaceX is developing for its booster rockets. Once the rockets bring the craft close to Earth, four extendable legs allow it to land. Advertisement The Red Dragon program is expected to launch in 2020, eventually followed by Elon Musk's 'interplanetary transport system' that would take humans to Mars in just 80 days. The scientists with SpaceX and NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory are searching for regions with large amounts of ice near the surface with hopes this could one day support human colonies, according to SpaceNews. And, the sites must be at a low elevation and sit close to the Equator, to optimize solar power and thermal conditions. This has narrowed the search down to four locations in the northern hemisphere that are, at most, about 40 degrees from the equator Deuteronilus Mensae, Phlegra Montes, Utopia Planitia, and Arcadia Planita. Of the four, Arcadia Planita is thought to be the most promising, as images captured by the high resolution imaging science experiment (HiRISE) instrument revealed the others to be rockier than previously thought. The team at JPL has been finding that, while the areas look very flat and smooth at CTX resolution, with HiRISE images, theyre quite rocky, Wooster said in the presentation, according to SpaceNews. Thats been unfortunate in terms of the opportunities for those sites. In regards to Arcadia Planitia, however, theyve found basically few or no rocks, and a polygonal terrain, which he compares to the landing site of NASAs Phoenix spacecraft in 2008. These sites have potential to one day sustain a human settlement on Mars, but the firm is also staying open to the possibility of sending the craft to other locations on the planet for cargo missions. The adapted Red Dragon would include a robotic arm, extra fuel tanks and a central tube that houses a rocket-powered Mars Ascent Vehicle (MAV) and an Earth Return Vehicle (ERV) In a series of posts Musk showed the mission - here, the craft can be seen approaching the surface Earlier this year, SpaceX chief, Elon Musk, announced that he was 'planning to send Dragon to Mars as soon as 2018.' Now, the firm has admitted it won't make that date - but is aiming for 2020. SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell revealed the new timeline at a press briegfing for the company's recent launch from NASA's historic launch pad 39A. 'We were focused on 2018, but we felt like we needed to put more resources and focus more heavily on our crew program and our Falcon Heavy program,' she said. 'So we're looking more in the 2020 timeframe for that.' ELON MUSKS'S 'INTERPLANETARY TRANSPORT SYSTEM' Last year, Elon Musk unveiled his most ambitious project yet - an 'Interplanetary Transport System' to take mankind to Mars in 80 days and build a sustainable human colony of a million people there. 'What I want to achieve is make Mars seem possible, to show that we can do it in our lifetimes, and you could go,' he said at the International Astronautical Congress in Mexico. Elon Musk said the Interplanetary Transport System (ITS) would be powerful enough to fly between Mars and Earth outside of its orbital period of 26 months if there was an emergency (artist's impression) However, he warned the trip was likely to be dangerous - and said candidates for the first missions 'must be prepared to die'. The Interplanetary Transport System will use a giant rocket booster with a 39 foot (12m) diameter and 49 engines, and a special shuttle with a 56 foot (17m) diameter, making the entire rocket stack 400 feet (122m) high. They will launch with empty fuel tanks and refuel in orbit. Once on Mars, they would make more methane fuel for the return journey. Advertisement Red Dragon is a precursor for SpaceX's ambitious Mars plans, which company founder Elon Musk unveiled at the International Astronautical Congress in Mexico in September. Those involve the development of giant reusable launch vehicles and spacecraft to carry up to 100 people at a time from Earth to Mars. Shotwell said work on those concepts has been a lower priority as it works on near-term programs such as its commercial lunches, and plans to launch manned versions of the Dragon, also from Pad 39A, carrying astronauts to the ISS. Touchdown! Once the rockets bring the craft close to Earth, four extendable legs allow it to land. 'We need to finish the work that we're doing right now,' she said, referring to development of commercial crew and Falcon Heavy. 'Then you'll start to see a shift in development teams at SpaceX.' 'A year or so is when we'll start to shift focus, that's my guess,' she said. Musk says the unmanned spaceship to the red planet could become a regular cargo route running every 26 months. Kingsnakes are the strongest constrictor snakes in the world, researchers have found. Their coil is so strong that they can kill and eat other snakes up to 20 per cent bigger than themselves. The pressure of their squeeze is so strong that they could even stop blood flow in humans and prevent the heart from pumping. Scroll down for video Typical constriction coil postures in a kingsnake, Lampropeltis getula (pictured A), and a ratsnake, Pantherophis guttatus (Pictured B). Both snakes were constricting similarly sized mice. Researchers found that kingsnakes wrap around their food like a spring in a 'curly fry pattern' whereas rat snakes didn't always coil in the same way Normally in the animal kingdom, predators are larger than their prey, and predators avoid predation unless the prey is significantly smaller in size. However, kingsnakes are able to capture, constrict and eat other snakes larger than themselves but that are also constrictors, such as ratsnakes. Kingsnakes are commonly found in forests and grasslands in North America and mostly eat rodents, eggs and birds - but a quarter of what they eat is other snakes. To study the secret behind the kingsnake's ability to kill prey larger than itself, researchers based at Missouri Southern State university and the University of Louisiana at Lafayette studied the muscle cross-sections of six different species of snakes. After analyzing 36 dead snakes, they found that all snakes had similar muscle mass. The researchers also measured the pulling force of 98 live snakes by trapping them in a strap and measuring the force with which they pulled back. Coiled California kingsnake (Lampropeltis californiae) eating a rat. Constrictors like the california kingsnake can kill and eat prey 20 per cent bigger than themselves However, the researchers found that the snakes all pulled back with the same force, indicating that they all had a similar ability the escape. But where researchers found a big difference was in the snakes' constriction pressure forces. To measure this, the researchers put pressure sensors made of water-filled bulbs inside dead mice, which they fed to 182 snakes. To make the mice seem alive, the researchers wiggled them to make it look like they were moving. The snakes wrapped themselves around the mice and squeezed them like they would live prey. This experiment revealed that kingsnakes constricted the mice with twice as much pressure as rat snakes. The researchers also found that kingsnakes constrict with an average pressure of 20 kilopascals - more than a healthy human's blood pressure. A California kingsnake laying in the sun. Kingsnakes are commonly found in forests and grasslands in North America and mostly eat rodents, eggs and birds - but a quarter of what they eat is other snakes The kingsnake's stronger coil is as a result of how they use their muscles. The researchers found that most of the kingsnakes they observed wrapped around their food like a spring in what lead researcher Dr David Penning called a 'curly fry pattern.' The researchers wrote in their study that future research is needed to find out if muscle structure and physiology plays a role in the kingsnake's stronger coil. Artificial intelligence (AI) has written screen plays, composed music and now, the technology has learnt to rap. Robbie Barrat, a 17-year-old from West Virginia, taught a bot to write its own rap lyrics by feeding it more than 6,000 Kanye West lyrics. The digital MC was developed using open-source software and a laptop, and after a week of rearranging West's lyrics to make new songs, the AI is now able to create original raps. Scroll down for videos Robbie Barrat, a 17-year-old from West Virginia, taught a bot to write its own rap lyrics by feeding it more than 6,000 Kanye West (pictured) lyrics. The digital MC was developed using open-source software and a laptop Although AI systems are usually created for research, Barrat's is a result of a dare his high school programming club debated if it was possible for AI to perform tasks better than humans, reports Dave Gershgorn with Quartz. And within a week, Barrat had a rapping robot. Barrat told Quartz that he taught himself to code, as he lives on a rural farm in West Virginal, many miles away from the nearest tech hub, and used open-source software and his own Linux laptop to complete the project. Although he is learning how to use Google's TensorFlow, Barrat used PyBrain to train the neural network. LYRICS TO AI MADE RAP SONG They steal your whole sound, that's a Real World Challenge You an addict of cheating but I took the charge Stop running up my money tall, height advantage Ohhhhh, ohhhh; ohhh you too much to handle in one package Not now but right now, you know... I had to go downtown Shorty come and fix you up like bobby brown Then he help me get my back up in this part of town I can make you come and fix you up like bobby brown Driving in the sky, you got a new crib to hold down Sh**'s about to go and put my mack berry down ... So dangerous, but it's all terrific I done wore designers I won't get specific It seem like fine hoes is hard to get some traffic He claim her heart colder than the music Man I wish I had to play in traffic You know when I heard it's the way we was magic When see me with a spit like a paraplegic Wonder why it so hard not to play in traffic Really Doe got a hell of a romantic Lifestyles of the egotistic ... The Delorean parked in front of that wack sh** The doctor don't wanna hear that official sh** I'm in pajamas but I just want my credit If this party ain't got it I'm killing this sh** There's only one girl on my Brad Pitt Keep it up some god damn it I'm killing this sh** And I'm feeling smooth as the chorus hit My homie called me like I owe her sh** But I need a girl who barely bra fit Me and Common is back on my Brad Pitt Man, you don't get caught up with stupid sh** Then she cut from a girl who barely bra fit How it feel to wake up with on some silly sh** I wish you could get is a whole city lit That's where I see they got it I'm killing this sh** Yeah you got a Benz and they ain't done sh** Reality is catching up with stupid sh** Maybe that'll work when you check, they ain't done sh** ... I use it as always n****, as always Made her sit in that mother***** sideways Oh girl your silhouette make me pull the toys I wonder where they want her to Ruby Tuesdays Tell me what we at a ring from Tiffany's Yeah, tonight I see you in my home gym When we die, the money should've changed him I'm on TV talking like it's all in my home gym And see Penthouse 3 where a n**** from my team He nicknamed me K-Rock so they abbreviate him I don't even want to talk some sense in him Welcome to the most and they ain't expect from him The next generation will be assaulting him Advertisement 'Originally it just rearranged existing rap lyrics, but now it can actually write word-by-word,' Barrat said. Barrat told Quartz that he also taught a neural network to write piano melodies and is attempting to teach on how to create abstract art. A separate AI was also fed thousands of song lyrics to compose its own but this one has a more nostalgic tone to it. Flow Machines, a system Sony taught to make music by feeding it 13,000 samples from different genres, released a catchy pop song called 'Daddy's Car' in October. Another song was also composed by the AI called 'The Ballad of Mr. Shadow', which is a mashup of American songwriters such as Irving Berlin, Duke Ellington, George Gershwin and Cole Porter. 'At SONY CSL Research Laboratory, we have created two entire pop songs composed with Artificial Intelligence, thanks to Flow Machines,' shares SONY CSL Researcher Laboratory in a statement. 'Flow Machines software learns music styles from a huge database of songs.' 'Then, exploiting unique combinations of style transfer, optimization and interaction techniques, it can compose in any style.' The parts written by Flow Machines is deemed the 'lead sheet', which defines the song's tune. Barrat told Quartz that he taught himself to code, as he lives on a rural farm in West Virginal, many miles away from the nearest tech hub, and used open-source software and his own Linux laptop to complete the project - another AI composed music that sounded like the Beatles Benoit Carre, the human composer, was asked to arrange the entire song, which he began by selecting a style and then created the melody and harmony with a system called FlowComposer. Once the tune was set, Carre used another system called Rechord to match some audio chunks from audio recordings of other songs to the generated lead sheets. Then he finished the production and mixing of both songs. Sony says 'Daddy's Car' and 'The Ballad of Mr. Shadow' are just the beginning and expected to release a full AI-written album sometime next year. Flow Machines, a system Sony taught to make music by feeding it 13,000 samples from different genres, released a catchy pop song called 'Daddy's Car' in October Another song was also composed by the AI called 'The Ballad of Mr. Shadow', which is a mashup of American songwriters such as Irving Berlin, Duke Ellington, George Gershwin and Cole Porter (pictured) The final music videos for each song uses a serious of computer generated shapes and colours that move along with the melody. Researchers are teaching AI different art forms, such as writing poetry and screenplays, as one recently wrote a unique script that was transformed into a short film. In June, Sunspring debuted a short film is barely nine minutes long and is strangely captivating as it gravitates between dark and cryptic to outright hilarious, and written by an AI named Benjamin. To produce the film, director Oscar Sharp and collaborator Ross Goodwin, an NYU AI researcher, fed dozens of scripts to a long short-term memory (LSTM) recurrent neural network that has named itself Benjamin. Sony says 'Daddy's Car' and 'The Ballad of Mr. Shadow' are just the beginning and expected to release a full AI-written album sometime next year. The final music videos for each song uses a serious of computer generated shapes and colors that move along with the melody Benjamin's training included everything from 2001: A Space Odyssey and Blade Runner to Eight Legged Freaks, and even Silver Linings Playbook. Then, they gave it a set of prompts from the film challenge to guide the story. During its training, Benjamin (originally named Jetson) learned to predict which letters tend to follow each other, and then which words and phrases were often seen together, Ars Technica explains. This type of AI is better than others at predicting entire paragraphs, rather than just a few words, and can generate original sentences. Advertisement It is an incredible glimpse of a trip on the red planet. A Finnish filmmaker has revealed a stunning three minute video painstakingly made from NASA images from the red planet. Jan Frojdman transformed images from HiRISE, a camera aboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, into a video using over 33,000 reference points - and did it without the aid of AI software. Scroll down for video The stunning video reveals the incredible landscapes on Mars. This oval mesa is a remnant of a geological unit that once covered this area, similar to the mesas and buttes in Monument Valley, in Arizona and Utah. This is a small remnant of a much larger unit of similar material that caps Ganges Mensa to the west. As can be seen in the sides of this small mesa, this remnant consists of a layered stack of rock. Prior to the massive erosion that left this a high-standing mesa, a more gentle phase of erosion created the small hills and whorls on the upper surface of the mesa. 'There is a feeling that you are flying above Mars looking down watching interesting locations on the planet,' he explained. 'There are really great places on Mars! 'I would love to see images taken by a landscape photographer on Mars, especially from the polar regions. 'But I'm afraid I won't see that kind of images during my lifetime. The powerful HiRISE camera has snapped 50,000 spectacular, high-resolution stereo images of the Martian terrain from the planet's orbit, creating anaglyphs that anyone can view in 3D using special glasses. However, Frojdman decided to improve them by turning them into video. Instead of using automated softweare, he decided to make the video painstakingly by hand. 'It has really been time-consuming making these panning clips,' he admitted. 'In my 3D-process I have manually hand-picked reference points on the anaglyph image pairs. 'For this film I have chosen more than 33.000 reference points! 'It took me 3 months of calendar time working with the project every now and then.' Mars has extremely large temperature changes from winter to summer compared to the Earth. It gets cold enough to freeze carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere during the winter, but this ice is unstable when the warmer summer arrives and forces it to sublimate (transform directly back into a gas) away. Near the South pole though, it stays cold enough for some of this seasonal ice to stick around all year and even accumulate from year to year. This image shows a portion of this permanent carbon dioxide ice cap. This slab of ice is a few meters (about 10 feet) thick and is penetrated by the flat-floored pits shown here. The quasi-circular pits in the center of the scene are about 60 meters (200 feet) across. The distinct color of the pit walls may be due to dust mixed into the ice. For most of the year these walls are covered with bright frost, but they defrost and show their true colors at the end of the summer. The colors in this film are false because the anaglyph images are based on grayscale images. 'I have therefore color graded the clips,' he admits. 'But I have tried to be moderate doing this. 'The light regions in the clips are yellowish and the dark regions bluish. The clips from the polar regions (the last clips in the film) have a white-blue tone.' To create the panning 3-D effect, he stitched the images together along his reference points and rendered them as frames in a video. Finnish filmmaker Jan Frojdman transformed images imagery into a dynamic, three-dimensional, overhead view of the Red Planet 'There might be software that does this work, but I haven't found it,' Frojdman told Wired. The surface of the red planet may be a desolate land with little geological activity now, but it is filled with fascinating bumps and scratches from frozen poles to deep basins, all hinting at a geologically active past. This complicated area contains various types of channels, pits and fractures. We can determine the relative ages of the pits and channels based on which features cross-cut others. Older channels appear smooth-edged and shallow. Younger channels and pits are deeper and more sharp-edged, as well as less sinuous than the shallower channels. Changing landscapes: This images show a 'Transition Boundary' between the Isidis Basin and Libya Montes regoing on the Martian surface Earlier this months a team at Nasa has released more than 600 images of Mars, showing a range of gullies, dunes, craters, geological layering and other features. Each feature teaches us something new about the history of our mysterious neighbour, which used to be covered with oceans, ice sheets and erupting volcanoes. The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has been circling the red planet, capturing pictures using its High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera, since 2006. Now the team behind the orbiter has published hundreds of new images. Hyblaeus Dorsa, one of the ridges on the planet, is shown The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has been circling the red planet, capturing pictures using its High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera, since 2006. The team behind the orbiter, led by Nasa's Jet Propulsion Lab in Passadena and the University of Arizona, has now published hundreds of new images taken by the instrument. Among the images are hundreds showing one of its most fascinating features: craters. There are hundreds of thousands of impact craters on Mars, caused by encounters with other objects such as asteroids, but only some of them have names. Other craters were formed in different ways, through volcanic activity, for example. Some of these craters have provided clues to the most fascinating history of the Martian surface. Other craters were formed in different ways, through volcanic activity, for example. Some of these craters have provided clues to the most fascinating history of the Martian surface. Concave fagged features in the Tempe Fossae region, a group of troughs in the Arcadia quadrangle of Mars, shown Among the images are hundreds showing one of its most fascinating features: craters. This picture shows a crater in the Chryse Planitia region, a relatively smooth, circular plain. Some think the plain is an ancient impact basin, in the north equatorial region of Mars The surface of Mars is a well worn place in the solar system, heavily pounded by countless meteor impacts. And some of these craters are hundreds of millions of years old. So it's unusual for there to be a completely fresh impact on the surface. A recent impact site is pictured Mesa-Forming layered materials pictured. A mesa is an elevated area of land with a flat top and sides that are usually steep cliffs Mars is now a frozen desert, but geological studies of rocks by previous missions to the surface have suggested the planet used to be warmer and wetter. The polar caps on the planet spend much of their time, during the pole's winter, in continuous darkness. When the poles are again exposed to sunlight, the frozen carbon dioxide sublimes into gas, creating enormous winds that sweep off the poles as fast as 250 mph (400 km/h). The caps at both poles are mainly made of water ice. Frozen carbon dioxide accumulates as a thin layer about one metre thick on the north cap in the northern winter only, while the south cap has a permanent dry ice cover about 26 feet (8 metres) thick. Both polar caps have spiral-shaped troughs (pictured), which analysis of ice penetrating radar has shown are a result of spiralling winds. The polar caps on the planet spend much of their time, during the pole's winter, in continuous darkness. When the poles are again exposed to sunlight, the frozen carbon dioxide sublimes into gas, creating enormous winds that sweep off the poles as fast as 250 mph (400 km/h). The south polar residual cap is pictured Cerberus Fossae (pictured) is a long fracture system in the southeastern part of Elysium. The system has acted as a conduit for the release of both lava and water onto the surface of the planet. Mars is now a frozen desert, but geological studies of rocks by previous missions to the surface have suggested the planet used to be warmer and wetter The total volume of ice in the south polar cap, including nearby layered deposits, is around 380,000 cubic miles (1.6 million cubic km). Both the north and south polar caps have spiral-shaped troughs (south pictured), which analysis of ice penetrating radar has shown are a result of spiralling winds At one point, Mars was covered with oceans, ice sheets and erupting volcanoes that created the mountains that tower over the planet. Some of these remain, like Olympus Mons - the largest-known volcano in the solar system, measuring 15 miles (24 km) high. Olympus Mons, the solar system's biggest volcano, three times higher than Mount Everest, is thought to have had its last major eruption as recently as 25 million years ago. At one point, Mars was covered with oceans, ice sheets and erupting volcanoes that created the mountains that tower over the planet. Some of these remain, like Olympus Mons - the largest-known volcano in the solar system, measuring 15 miles (24 km) high. Olympus Mons (pictured) is the solar system's biggest volcano, three times higher than Mount Everest Groundwater moving beneath a massive tectonic rift zone helped carve some of Mars' deepest basins. A study published earlier this year claimed these basins may have been habitable, suggesting that life once existed on the red planet. A valley in the Northern Hellas Planitia, pictured Billions of years ago Mars might have been home to even larger volcanoes. Evidence collected by Nasa's Curiosity rover earlier this year showed these ancient volcanoes might have been a lot more powerful than we had thought. Curiosity's instruments found a substance called tridymite - a kind of crystal that only forms on Earth as a result of extremely hot, silcic volcanoes. The tridymite was found in the Gale crater, a crater that spans 96 miles (154km) in diameter and holds a mountain rising from the crater floor. Silicic volcanism is a highly explosive form of volcanic activity, which happens as tectonics plates move from the Earth's outer shell into the Earth's mantle and force water into the molten depths. The plates melt into magma, which is ejected out into the surface in a powerful eruption. There has been no evidence found for plate tectonics on Mars so far, so how the silcic volcanism occurred is a mystery. Coprates Chasma, is a major trough in the Valles Marineris canyon system, pictured. Evidence collected by Nasa's Curiosity rover earlier this year showed these ancient volcanoes might have been a lot more powerful than we had thought Isidis Planitia, pictured, is a plain inside a giant impact basin on Mars. Groundwater moving beneath a massive tectonic rift zone helped carve some of Mars' deepest basins. A study published earlier this year claimed these basins may have been habitable, suggesting that life once existed on the red planet Groundwater moving beneath a massive tectonic rift zone helped carve some of Mars' deepest basins. A study published earlier this year claimed these basins may have been habitable, suggesting that life once existed on the red planet. The discovery could help future exploration missions decide where to look for evidence of Martian life. 'The temperature ranges, presence of liquid water, and nutrient availability, which characterize known habitable environments on Earth, have higher chances of forming on Mars in areas of long-lived water and volcanic processes,' said lead author Alexis Palmero Rodriguez. Sand dunes are among the most widespread features on Mars, serving as unique indicators of the interaction between the atmosphere and surface. On a planetary body, dunes accumulate where a supply of sand-sized grains exists or may be abraded, is carried downwind by winds, and is subsequently deposited where these winds weaken below the threshold for sand transport. Dunes can be preserved in rock over time. This means the deposits can reveal insights into the evolution of Mars' atmosphere from a more hospitable realm to the harsh, dry climate there today. As a result, the study of dune processes contributes to both atmospheric and sedimentary science. It might look more like bacteria growin in a petri dish, but this picture actually shows frosty dunes on Mars' surface. Sand dunes (pictured) are among the most widespread features on Mars. Dunes form where a supply of sand-sized grains exists or may be abraded then carried downwind by winds The surface of Mars is also covered with narrow, deep channels known as gullies. Martian gullies carved into hill slopes and the walls of impact craters were discovered several years ago. Exactly how these gullies formed is not fully understood - previous research had suggested the structures were a result of flowing liquid water, because water makes similar structures on Earth. Polar ice caps were discovered on the planet four decades ago, and erosion patterns on the surface strongly suggest rivers and oceans may have existed there in its early years. With low gravity and a thin atmosphere, it was thought that this water largely evaporated out into space, instead of falling back down, as it would have done on Earth. But new research shows water is not behind the Martian gullies, instead suggesting they could be created by carbon dioxide freezing and thawing. INDIAN SPACE PROBE SNAPS NEW IMAGES OF THE RED PLANET India's space agency has released a new series of beautiful images, beamed back from its Mars orbiter, revealing our closest planetary neighbour in all its glory The spotlight surrounding research on Mars is often on the US, European and Russian space agencies. But while it may be overlooked, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) remains one of only three national space programmes to have reached the red planet to date. To celebrate its achievements, the space agency has released a new series of beautiful images using data beamed back from its Mars orbiter, revealing our closest planetary neighbour in all its glory. India's Mars Orbiter Mission, called 'Mangalyaan', reached the red planet in September 2014. Since then it has been taking measurements, collecting data and capturing images from orbit. Last month, ISRO released its first full year's data from the orbiter covering the period up to September 2015 with its incredible images beamed back in a stream of pixels. Advertisement THE EXOMARS TIMELINE Launch: 14 March Mid-course correction: 28 July SchiaparelliTGO separation: 16 October 2016 TGO manoeuvre: 17 October 2016 Orbiter insertion into Mars orbit: 19 October 2016 Schiaparelli entry, descent and landing: 19 October 2016 Aerobraking: JanuaryNovember 2017 Science phase begins: December 2017 Advertisement A spacecraft designed to search the atmosphere of Mars for clues of life on the surface of the red planet successfully blasted off in March this year. The ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) launched from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan aboard a heavy lift Proton rocket on 14 March to begin a seven-month, 300 million-mile (483 million km) journey to the red planet. It is due to analyse Mars' atmosphere to search for low levels of gases such as methane that may betray the presence of alien life on the planet's surface. ExoMars 2016 is the first phase of an historic 1.2 billion (924 million) joint European-Russian mission to search for biochemical 'fingerprints' of past or present life high above Mars and on its surface. Scientists believe the probe has the potential to find 'very strong evidence' of alien life when it arrives at Mars on 19 October. Scientists hope to land the ExoMars rover in Oxia Palus, a plain located on the north east of Mars. However, any new data won't be shared until the end of next year at the earliest, because the probe has to spend a year decelerating so it can graze the atmosphere at a slow enough speed. In 2018, a robotic probe built by Lockheed Martin for Nasa, the Mars InSight mission, will set off for red planet. Advertisement While Manchester may not be the first destination that springs to mind when you imagine glamorous swimming spots, the northern powerhouse is home to the best hotel pool in Britain, according to a new accommodation ranking. King Street Townhouse, which offers guests a dip overlooking Manchester's dramatic skyline, was crowned alongside other nationwide gems by guests in an awards ranking based on reviews and feedback from patrons. The accolades were dished out across 25 categories, including the best view, the best pool, the best spa, the most romantic hotel and the most family friendly. King Street Townhouse, which offers guests a dip overlooking Manchester's dramatic skyline, was crowned Best Pool in the LateRooms hotel awards Nature fans should head to Royal Victoria hotel Snowdonia, Llanberis, above, for the Best View Winners included Hotel Indigo Birmingham, which was singled out for offering its patrons the UK's Best Rooftop Bar The awards - LateRooms.com's 2017 Simply The Guest Awards - were assessed by using guest reviews and feedback from customers who had stayed at the properties. Winners included Hotel Indigo Birmingham, singled out for offering its patrons the UK's Best Rooftop Bar; Madingley Hall, Cambridge, which won the title of the Best Budget hotel and Qbic London City, which was named the Best Business Hotel. Nature fans should head to York Holiday & Cycle Shop, York, for the Best Countryside Hotel and Royal Victoria hotel Snowdonia, Llanberis, for the Best View. Hotel Anacapri Limited, Falmouth, took the title for the Best Beach Hotel while Crieff Hydro Hotel and Leisure Resort was praised as the UK's most Family Friendly Hotel. Anyone looking for a romantic hideaway can find it in Southport at The Vincent Hotel and Spa, which came top in this category. Four-star Bedford Lodge Hotel & Spa, Newmarket, won high acclaim from its pampered patrons who named it the Best Spa Hotel in the UK. Guests were impressed enough with The Bonham Hotel, Edinburgh, to label it the Best Boutique Hotel. While stylish holidaymakers were wowed by the design and ambience at The Principal York, York, naming it the UK's best hotel interior. Guests were impressed enough with The Bonham Hotel, Edinburgh, to label it the Best Boutique Hotel Stylish holidaymakers were wowed by the design and ambience at The Principal York, York, naming it the UK's best hotel interior Crieff Hydro Hotel and Leisure Resort was praised as the UK's most Family Friendly Hotel LateRooms.com spokesperson Sandra Perkins commented: 'One of the first things many people look at when booking a hotel is the reviews of others, which is why the Simply The Guest Awards are such a valuable industry accolade. 'The guest experience is one of the most important, not to mention independent, measures of how well a hotel is performing. 'To be recognised as the best in one of the Simply The Guest Award categories reflects the dedication and emphasis the hotel places on guest experience across a range of areas from customer service to the breakfast served.' The ability to triumph over adversity - it's an admirable character trait. And certainly one possessed by the people in these amusing snaps, rounded up from across the world. One pictures a trio of hungry British tourists in America who got caught in a flood and used inflatable rubber rings to float their way to a fast food joint. And whichever Canadian got snowed-in and responded not by digging themselves out but instead fashioning a beer cooler out of the white stuff surely deserves a medal. Another example of a hero with a comic disregard for the severity of the situation includes a man posing in front of his wrecked house with a sign that reads: 'For sale, price reduced, some assembly required.' Because sometimes, the best thing to do when life gives you lemons is to laugh, lean back and enjoy the view. Where there's a will: The uploader of this image says it depicts his brother, who got caught in a flood while visiting America but found a relaxing way to get to a fast food jaunt nevertheless When the flood comes: Perhaps these men had been eagerly awaiting the perfect opportunity to take this remote-control cruise ship on its maiden voyage for quite some time Ingenious: His car may have taken a beating, but just as long as this driver can still smoke, everything is A-OK Thumbs up: Say what you will about this very American homeowner, but he's definitely seeing the funny side to his house being trashed Booze prevails: The chap on the left has turned his cumbersome crutch into a mobile bar, and (right) the Canadian who got snowed-in and fashioned a beer cooler surely deserves a medal No worries: This victim of a flood in Texas simply moved the contents of his living room onto the roof of his partially-submerged house and kicked back to admire the view One man's trash: Whoever came up with this Frankenstein of a vehicle is the king of re-purposing He came prepared: The student who shared this image of someone taking a nap during a lecture captioned it 'this guy in my class gave zero f***s today' Smart: Morgan Freeman once gave a truly spectacular excuse when quizzed about falling asleep during an interview (left) and (right) - that's one way to cover an ex's name This uploader explained: 'My cousin's girlfriend just went through a long divorce. At least there was this cake...' 'Tis but a scratch: A bashed-in car with a touch of elegance, thanks to the Shakespeare line written across it Flirt: This patient shared his snap with the caption 'Hello ladies. May I interest you in some oxygen, or maybe some saline' Artful: And this character turned his broken arm into an opportunity for an Iron Man cast Cheers: Meanwhile this chap simply took advantage of the fact that having a sling enabled him to stow more beer bottles When life gives you lemons: Make like an amphibian and don a set of flipper feet? Stunt: This supermarket employee, pictured here posing as a murder victim, explained of it, 'Only one good thing can come of spilling red wine' Secretive British street artist Banksy's hotel next to Israel's separation wall welcomed its first guests on Monday, two weeks after its surprise launch. The Walled-Off Hotel in Bethlehem is only four metres from the controversial wall which cuts through the occupied West Bank, and all the rooms face it. The nine rooms, which Banksy described as having the 'worst view of any hotel in the world', range from $30 for a bunk bed in one room to $965 per night for the presidential suite. Street artist Banksy opened the Walled-Off Hotel next to Israel's controversial separation wall in Bethlehem on March 3 Men sit in the Walled Off Hotel, which was decorated by street artist Banksy after it was opened for guests to do check-in Waiters and waitresses stand in the Walled Off hotel. Paul Smith from Bristol, where Banksy is also said to be from, said he flew in especially to visit the hotel. 'It's bizarre - I feel like I am in a painting,' he said Guests, who will each put down a $1,000 deposit to ward off theft of the dozens of new Banksy works on the walls, began arriving in the early afternoon. Paul Smith from the British city of Bristol, where Banksy is also said to be from, said he flew in especially to visit the hotel. He said: 'It's bizarre - I feel like I am in a painting.' He said he didn't much care for some of Banksy's recent work but was excited by this project. He added: 'I feel like this means something - coming here and making the effort and putting something into the economy.' Toan Nguyen from Australia said he waited a long time online to get a bed. 'I was in Israel for the last three weeks and by chance I heard about the hotel,' he said. Street art by Banksy shows a dove with a bulletproof vest near his hotel in the occupied West Bank town of Bethlehem Manager Wissam Salsaa said they were nearly totally booked for the next three months. 'We have arrivals today from six different countries, including the US and UK, and I think most of our clients are flying just to stay here,' he told AFP. He rejected criticism the prices were unaffordable for many Palestinians, saying they had nearly 50 staff to pay and any profits would go back into the community. He said: 'Everyone that came here thinks this is the most amazing project for letting the voice of the Palestinians be heard.' The hotel was announced unexpectedly at the beginning of the month and the artwork, Banksy's largest new collection in years, has been donated to the local community, the hotel's website says. The artist closely protects his identity and was not in attendance at the launch. Elton John played by video link at a launch party for staff and local residents. The West Bank wall is one of the most striking symbols of Israel's 50-year occupation, and has become a major focus for demonstrations and artwork - including by Banksy. Israel refers to it as the security barrier and insists it is crucial for keeping out would-be attackers, but an advisory opinion by the International Court of Justice declared it illegal in 2004. The hotel's website encourages guests to explore the possibility of painting on the wall, while a graffiti supplies store with 'everything you need to make your mark' was preparing to open next door this week. An Israeli soldier and Palestinian protester fight with pillows in one room of British street artist Banky's hotel in Bethlehem The Israeli barrier is seen through the Walled Off hotel. The West Bank wall is one of the most striking symbols of Israel's 50-year occupation A receptionist receives guests in the Walled Off hotel. The hotel's website encourages guests to explore the possibility of painting on the wall, while a graffiti supplies store with 'everything you need to make your mark' was preparing to open next door this week Tourists are allowed to visit even if not staying, with a few mulling around inspecting a gallery selling Palestinian art and a museum highlighting the history of the region In the hotel, staff in red waistcoats served Walled-Off Salads and afternoon tea in the lobby, while a self-playing piano performed classic pop hits. Tourists are allowed to visit even if not staying, with a few mulling around inspecting a gallery selling Palestinian art and a museum highlighting the history of the region. Bea Kaufmann, a German living in the Israeli commercial capital Tel Aviv, said she had come with friends as she thinks it is 'important to see the other side' of the conflict. The rooms themselves have a deliberate faded luxury, with typical Banksy touches. Above a bed in one room, an Israeli soldier and Palestinian protester fight with pillows, while a television supposedly showing CNN is cracked and backwards. In the presidential suite, a working jacuzzi is fed from a leaking water tank similar to those that adorn the roofs of many Palestinian homes. Banky's Walled-Off Hotel is only four metres from the controversial Israeli wall which cuts through the occupied West Bank - and all the rooms face it Pictured is a statue of a chimpanzee bell-boy and a doorman at the entrance In the presidential suite, a working Jacuzzi is fed from a leaking water tank similar to those that adorn the roofs of many Palestinian homes Banksy has a long history in the Palestinian territories. In February 2015, he allegedly sneaked into the Gaza Strip through a smuggling tunnel and painted three works on the walls of Gaza homes destroyed in Israeli air strikes during the previous year's conflict. In 2007, he painted a number of artworks in the West Bank town of Bethlehem, including a young girl frisking an Israeli soldier pinned up against a wall. In 2005, he sprayed nine stencilled images at different locations along the eight-metre-high (27-foot) wall. They included a ladder reaching over the wall, a young girl being carried over it by balloons and a window on the grey concrete showing beautiful mountains in the background. His works, like elsewhere in the world, have become tourist attractions. DURAND Tw<itle="http://elections.wi.gov/sites/default/files/Statewide%20Results%20All%20Offices%20%28post-Presidential%20recount%29.pdf" href="http://elections.wi.gov/sites/default/files/Statewide%20Results%20All%20Offices%20%28post-Presidential%20recount%29.pdf">ithttp://elections.wi.gov/sites/default/files/Statewide%20Results%20All%20Offices%20%28post-Presidential%20recount%29.pdf" href="http://elections.wi.gov/sites/default/files/Statewide%20Results%20All%20Offices%20%28post-Presidential%20recount%29.pdf">le="http://eles.wi.gov/sites/default/files/Statewide%20Results%20All%20Offices%20%28post-Presidential%20recount%29.pdf" href="http://elections.wi.gov/sites/default/files/Statewide%20Results%20All%20Offices%20%28post-Presidential%20recount%29.pdf">ns.wi.gov/sites/default/files/Statewide%20Results%20All%20Offices%20%28post-Presidential%20recount%29.pdf" href="http://elections.wi.gov/sites/default/files/Statewide%20Results%20All%20Offices%20%28post-Presidential%20recount%29.pdf">ctions.wi.gov/sites/default/files/Statewide%20Results%20All%20Offices%20%28post-Presidential%20recount%29.pdf" href="http://elections.wi.gov/sites/default/files/Statewide%20Results%20All%20Offices%20%28post-Presidential%20recount%29.pdf">e="http://elections.wi.gov/sites/default/files/Statewide%20Results%20All%20Offices%20%28post-Presidential%20recount%29.pdf" href="http://elections.wi.gov/sites/default/files/Statewide%20Results%20All%20Offices%20%28post-Presidential%20recount%29.pdf">title="http://elections.wi.gov/sites/default/files/Statewide%20Results%20All%20Offices%20%28post-Presidential%20recount%29.pdf" href="http://elections.wi.gov/sites/default/files/Statewide%20Results%20All%20Offices%20%28post-Presidential%20recount%29.pdf">title="http://elections.wi.gov/sites/default/files/Statewide%20Results%20All%20Offices%20%28post-Presidential%20recount%29.pdf" href="http://elections.wi.gov/sites/default/files/Statewide%20Results%20All%20Offices%20%28post-Presidential%20recount%29.pdf">a title="http://elections.wi.gov/sites/default/files/Statewide%20Results%20All%20Offices%20%28post-Presidential%20recount%29.pdf" href="http://elections.wi.gov/sites/default/files/Statewide%20Results%20All%20Offices%20%28post-Presidential%20recount%29.pdf">a title="http://eledefault/files/Statewide%20Results%20All%20Offices%20%28post-Presidential%20recount%29.pdf" href="http://elections.wi.gov/sites/default/files/Statewide%20Results%20All%20Offices%20%28post-Presidential%20recount%29.pdf">default/files/Statewide%20Results%20All%20Offices%20%28post-Presidential%20recount%29.pdf" href="http://elections.wi.gov/sites/default/files/Statewide%20Results%20All%20Offices%20%28post-Presidential%20recount%29.pdf">ctions.wi.gov/sites/default/files/Statewide%20Results%20All%20Offices%20%2residential%20recount%29.pdf" href="http://elections.wi.gov/sites/default/files/Statewide%20Results%20All%20Offices%20%28post-Presidential%20recount%29.pdf">8post-Presidential%20recount%29.pdf" href="http://elections.wi.gov/sites/default/files/Statewide%20Results%20All%20Offices%20%28post-Presidential%20recount%29.pdf">enty-six-year-old Rosa Jimenez and her husband, Manuel, 36, used to do the grocery shopping together. They would take the kids and make a day of it. But lately, Manuel goes alone. Imagine if they (immigration authorities) picked us up there. I wont take the risk of them taking my children, Jimenez says, bursting into tears as she sits in her kitchen on a recent afternoon. The couple always planned on one day returning to Mexico when they came to the United States to find work on farms; she arrived 10 years ago, he has been here for 15. But negative depictions of immigrants by the president and the open hostility the family has experienced since the election accelerated those plans. Now living with their two young children on a Pepin County dairy farm in northwestern Wisconsin where Manuel works, the couple who asked that their real names not be used because of their immigration status are making plans to leave their life in Americas Dairyland and go back across the border, much sooner than they had expected. They are among the estimated 51 percent of all dairy workers in the United States who are immigrants. A significant portion more than three-fourths of the workers at some dairy farms according to workers, farmers and industry experts are undocumented after entering the country illegally or overstaying visas. Like the Jimenez family, some now live in fear of deportation because of vows by President Donald Trump who in November used a strong showing in rural areas to become thefirst Republican presidential candidate to carry Wisconsin since 1984 to crack down on undocumented immigrants. Its unclear how many immigrants working on dairy farms in Wisconsin are here illegally. Dairy producers in Wisconsin increasingly struggle to recruit and maintain the immigrant workforce on which the states $43 billion-a-year dairy industry relies, Wisconsin Public Radio and Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism found in interviews this month with farmers, workers and industry experts. Farmers say deporting immigrants working here illegally could harm Wisconsins signature industry, which ranks second in the nation for milk production and first for cheese. Milking cows can be a dirty, physically demanding job that includes long, irregular work hours; farmers say few Americans are willing to do it. Buffalo County dairy farmer Nora Gilles says her farm is 100 percent reliant on immigrants. Losing them would be her worst nightmare, she says. We definitely wouldnt be able to farm. I mean you just couldnt do it without them. Because you cant get anybody else that wants to work, says Gilles, whose farm has about 1,000 head of cattle. Worker shortage John Holevoet, director of government affairs for the Dairy Business Association, which represents dairy farmers and milk processors, says the supply of immigrant workers has been tight for several years. Anxiety and peoples desire maybe to return home or leave the state or whatever else, well, that doesnt help when youre already facing what would be an already challenging labor market to begin with, he says. But it has become even more challenging since the election, University of Wisconsin-Extension agent Jennifer Blazek says. The agriculture labor market tended to be more fluid and flexible, and I think recent political events have restricted that fluidity because of the fear its caused, says Blazek, who is a dairy and livestock agent for Dane County. Blazek said that immigrants are not moving to different parts of the country, following jobs as they used to. Its risky to move, especially to places you arent familiar with ... plus you have the added risk of being visible because immigrants often look different than established residents and stick out. She added: Some immigrants have expressed a desire to move back to Mexico, if they have that ability, to leave the current negative climate surrounding immigration and immigrants. Gilles and her brothers, co-owners of the farm, have had to raise pay in recent years by several dollars to a starting wage of about $10.50 an hour just to keep immigrant workers from leaving for higher pay at another farm. Pay has gone up over a dollar just in the past few months. Meanwhile, the flow of workers has slowed. The number of immigrants entering the United States from Mexico has been in a slump since the recession. In fact, in 2015, more people returned to Mexico than came into the United States, according to the Pew Research Center, which tracks Hispanic trends in America. U.S. Customs and Border Protection reported that the number of people caught illegally attempting to cross the U.S.-Mexico border was down 40 percent from January to February, a period when apprehensions normally increase by 10 to 20 percent. Adding to foreign workers uncertainty is ramped-up immigration enforcement like the 287(g) program, which enables local police to act as immigration enforcement; and broadening the scope of priorities for agencies like Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to include immigrants charged with low-level offenses. Plans to build a wall on the southern U.S. border have created additional anxiety. Gilles says immigrant dairy workers used to show up every week at her farm looking for work. But not anymore. I think weve been short two or three people for like a year. Constantly, were just always short, she says. Theyre not coming here like they were. The decreasing number of immigrants means farmers like Gilles have to work harder to attract them and keep them from leaving for better paying jobs at nearby farms. Just in the last year, turnovers been crazy, just crazy. And I think thats everywhere, I dont think its just here, she says. Everybody that I know is emailing or calling, Do you have anybody extra? I dont know if its out of fear, or if its just that theres less coming I mean theyll drop you and go somewhere else for a little bit more money. Jimenez says workers understand their value to the industry. Yes we need the work, but the farmers also need us because there are farms where 20, 25 or 30 people work, and nobody has papers, she says. Imagine if they got rid of all of them, if they did a raid and took everybody. What are the farmers going to do? The cows will die. Workers face ugly remarks Jimenez says she has also noticed a change in the way her family is treated in the community. There have always been racist people. Thats nothing new. Theyve always been there. But its like now people feel more free to be offensive or do things that arent right, Jimenez says. In a recent incident, Manuel was filling up his tank at a gas station when a group of men dressed in hunting gear stopped to insult him. His wife declined to repeat the remarks, which she described as ugly. Can you imagine what could happen to us? Im scared that well go out to eat somewhere and a crazy person will show up and shoot us or something like that because it can happen. Because people who are racist go to the extreme, Jimenez says. Recently, when President Trump addressed members of Congress, Jimenez watched as Trump acknowledged the father of a high school boy shot dead by a Latino undocumented gang member in California. She objected to the implication that immigrants are criminals. We just want them to let us work in peace, and to not be treated like criminals or terrorists because were not, she says. We arent rapists either. We are just people who want to work. Need for workers increasing On a recent morning, Guillermo Ramos is in the barn of Gilles farm, where he has worked for 17 years. The air smells of feed and manure. Walking between two rows of cows that poke their heads out of metal headlocks to chew feed, he surveys the animals and the tags pinned to each of their ears, searching for a number that corresponds to the one on his clipboard. Finally, he sees what hes looking for. Taking a syringe filled with salmonella vaccine, Ramos steps forward into a mound of hay and plunges it into the cows thigh. The 40-year-old, Mexican-born farm manager started off here as a milker before working his way up to inseminating cows, administering medications and trimming hooves. Like many other workers on dairy farms in Wisconsin, Ramos entered the United States illegally. After crossing the U.S.-Mexico border in 1999, he eventually traveled to Wisconsin, where he heard dairy farms were in need of help. That need continues to grow, Ramos says. When I got here, I saw a farm that had 275 cows. Now they have 1,500. How many Mexicans, how many illegals, work there? Around 15. When we started it was just two Mexicans. Thats how the farm started. Ive seen these farms grow with illegal labor. Although many people dont like it, or they dont want to accept it, its the truth. Statistics show the size of Wisconsin farms has grown rapidly in recent years. In 2003, there were about 16,000 farms. Today there are about 9,300. But the number of cows about 1.3 million remains roughly the same, which means farms are bigger and need a reliable workforce to run them. But lately, Ramos has begun to question if he will be able to stay. Right now with the political situation, were scared. You cant say, Nothings going to happen! Because it happens. Even if you dont want to accept it, its happening. We live in fear, especially those of us who have families. Regarding the rhetoric that immigrants are stealing jobs, Ramos says he and others like him are just doing work Americans dont want to do. In 17 years, I have never seen a U.S.-born worker come here and say to my boss You know what? Im looking for a job. I want to milk cows. In 17 years. Work draws immigrants For years, manual labor jobs in agriculture, construction and the service industry have drawn Mexican and Central American men and women to the United States. Many risk extortion, kidnapping and death crossing the U.S.-Mexico border for higher wages. Dairy farms need a consistent year-round workforce to milk cows three times daily, seven days a week and often provide benefits such as paid vacation, housing and health insurance. New employees in the United States are required to fill out an I-9 form and present documentation to verify their identity and authorization to work in the country, but as long as a new hires documents appear to be genuine, farmers are not required to further inspect their authenticity. While farmers who grow seasonal crops such as blueberries and sweet potatoes can apply to bring workers from other countries temporarily under the H-2A visa program, there is no such program for year-round employment in agriculture, which makes it difficult for dairy employees to work and reside in the United States legally. In a 2010 federal survey,85 percent of Wisconsin farmers with herds of 500 or more cows said the United States should create a guest worker program for the dairy industry. A national survey in 2014 of dairy farms conducted by Texas A&M University and commissioned by the National Milk Producers Federation predicted severe losses for the industry if the flow of immigrant workers were to completely halt. According to researchers, eliminating immigrant labor in the dairy industry would reduce production by 23 percent or 48 billion pounds of milk. The number of farms, currently at around 58,000, would decrease by 7,011. Retail milk prices would increase by 90 percent, meaning a $3 gallon of milk would cost consumers nearly $6, according to the study. Without immigrants, U.S. economic output would also decrease by $32 billion, eliminating 208,208 jobs in the dairy industry and other businesses that rely on it, researchers predicted. Crackdowns could shut down farms John Rosenow, a farmer in Buffalo County, confirms that if his foreign-born employees were deported, or decided to look for work elsewhere, Americans would lose their jobs too, because the farm would be forced to shut down. If ICE came in here and checked my employees and found that they were undocumented and those 10 people left, my next option of course is to close down and try to find a market for my cows and sell out. And I wouldnt be able to farm anymore and it would just about kill me. I have no choice. I mean the cows have to be milked. I know no other source of labor. Rosenow says some dairy farmers in his part of the state are already talking about preemptively selling their cows while there is still a market for them. Before the election, there was a lot of discussion. Everybody was concerned about immigration reform, but most of the farmers that I talked to (said) I cant vote for Hillary (Clinton), I just cant. Now that Trumps elected, they say that they have hope and that he didnt really mean what he said. And so well see. Amy, a dairy farmer in Clark County, says 80 percent of her workers are immigrants; she voted for Trump despite his stance on immigration. She feared Clinton would have implemented heavy regulations and high taxes that could put her farm out of business. Amy asked that her last name not be used because she feared her business could be targeted by immigration officials. I have to hope that theyre going to look at all sides and come to a compromise because I believe that Donald Trump is a businessman and hes not dumb, she says. He knows how much immigrant labor there is in our country and what it (mass deportation) would do to our country. Tim OHarrow, a dairy farmer in Oconto Falls, says the biggest issue he worries about every day is having enough people to milk his 1,500 cows. This will put us out of business if we keep going down the road were going. Ill lose everything Ive worked for for 45 years, OHarrow says. The reality is, we dont have a backup plan. This country cannot produce enough food to feed its own people without foreign labor, he adds. It isnt just dairy. Its workers in slaughterhouses, its workers picking fruit. Its all aspects of food is being supplemented by foreign labor. Because American citizens will not, will not do the work. It isnt a matter of how much money. Its a matter of they will not do it. This story is part of Wisconsin Public Radios State of Change: Water, Food And The Future Of Wisconsin project. It was jointly produced by WPR and the Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism. The nonprofit Center (www.WisconsinWatch.org) collaborates with WPR, other news media and the UW-Madison School of Journalism and Mass Communication. All works created, published, posted or disseminated by the Center do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of UW-Madison or any of its affiliates. They've endured scandal after scandal involving their son Matthew Newton. And Bert and Patti Newton are reportedly at 'breaking point' because of rumours Matthew and his fiancee Catherine 'Cat' Schneiderman have split. According to New Idea, the beloved Australian showbiz couple are 'devastated' about the rumoured split because of Matthew's 'tendency to go off the rails'. Scroll down for video Pressure: Bert and Patti Newton are reportedly at breaking point within their own marriage due to break-up rumours surrounding son Matthew and his fiancee Catherine 'Cat' Schneiderman 'They've been pushed to breaking point,' an alleged source close to the Newton family told the magazine. 'They've always worried about Matthew and his tendency to go off the rails,' they continued. 'But now that those fears are starting rise again, Bert and Patti are certainly stressed,' they added. 'They've always worried about Matthew and his tendency to go off the rails,' the source said Matthew, 40, is rumoured to have been 'dumped' by Cat, 24, because she allegedly feared he used her family's connections to advance his profile in New York City. Her father is political heavyweight Eric Schneiderman, the Attorney General of New York. A reported friend of Cat's told the publication Matthew's relationship with Eric 'troubles' her and she's worried Matthew was only with her due to 'her family name'. The friend also alleged Matthew 'really wanted' Eric at the Tribeca Film Festival screening of his new film From Nowhere and 'didn't care' if Cat was there. Connected: Cat's father is political heavyweight Eric Schneiderman, the Attorney General of New York Matthew appeared to have finally found happiness with Cat after several violent incidents against former fiancees Brooke Satchwell and Rachael Taylor. 'I have always prayed for a happy ending, and I think it has arrived,' his father Bert told The Herald Sun last year. Friends of the family are reportedly hoping Matthew and Cat can work things out for his parents' sake, according to New Idea. Lovebirds: Dubbing Bert and Patti 'Aussie royalty', an alleged pal says their loved ones want to see the couple, who have been married 43 years, 'smiling and happy' Dubbing Bert and Patti 'Aussie royalty', an alleged pal says their loved ones want to see the couple, who have been married 43 years, 'smiling and happy'. Bert was sent home from hospital on Monday after being diagnosed with pneumonia. According to The Morning Show the beloved TV host is 'on the mend' with 'Patti there at his bedside pretty much the entire time he was in hospital.' Tender loving care: Bert was sent home from hospital on Monday after being diagnosed with pneumonia Karlie Kloss has posed for the April issue of Vogue Australia and the photos from the shoot are a glamorous love letter to Australia. In one image, the 24-year-old is photographed at the famous skate bowl at Sydney's Bondi Beach, wearing what appears to be a play suit or super-short zebra print shorts with a matching top that bares a hit of her midriff. The beauty flaunts her impossibly long legs in the flattering outfit, and a pair of zebra print shoes completes the all-matching look. Bondi babe: Karlie Kloss has posed for the April issue of Vogue Australia and the photos from the shoot are a glamorous love letter to Australia In another snap, the model laughs as she poses with a local man in the water, the swell reaching her bare calves. She dons a green, black and white animal print one-shoulder dress with sheer panels that reveal a glimpse of cleavage. A matching puffy sleeve is worn on her other arm, making for a very 1980s inspired look. Karlie's spiral curls and long, burgundy tassel earrings complete the retro vibe of the image. Lucky fella! In another snap, the model laughs as she poses with a local man in the water, the swell reaching her bare calves Retro! Karlie's spiral curls and long, burgundy tassel earrings complete the retro vibe The American model was in Australia in February to open for the David Jones Autumn/Winter fashion show and was enamored with the country, posting a series of Instagram snaps of local sights. She posed for a glamorous photo by Sydney Harbour, wearing a Marilyn Monroe-inspired white cold shoulder shirt and pleated skirt combo. Karlie also ensured she'd gotten to as many of Sydney's famous beaches as possible while in town. Happy times: Karlie posed for a glamorous photo by Sydney Harbour, wearing a Marilyn Monroe-inspired white cold shoulder shirt and pleated skirt combo Beach babe: Karlie visited Bondi Beach, Rose Bay and Tamarama in Sydney Sunny daze: Karlie took in a spot of paddle boarding at Sydney's Rose Bay during her trip The model ticked off Bondi Beach, paddle boarding at Rose Bay and taking in some rays at Tamarama. Taylor Swift's bestie wasn't above having some true blue tourist experiences, taking a double-decker tourist bus around the city too. They've remained notoriously tight-lipped about their newborn son. But despite Billie Faiers and fiance Greg Shepherd's discretion, it seemed as though her step-father Dave Chatty had let the baby's name slip on Saturday night, when he boasted about 'Wetting Arthur's head'. Just 12 days after the couple welcomed their second child, Greg and his father-in-law Dave hit the town with TOWIE star mate Harry Derbidge, seemingly in celebration. Scroll down for video Oops: Billie Faiers' stepdad Dave Chatty (right) appeared to let the name of Billie and Greg Shepherd's (left) newborn boy slip on Sunday night when they 'wet the baby's head' 'Wetting head,' Greg confirmed on Instagram, with a drink in hand and a group of male friends hugging him. 'Wetting Arthur's Head Who's Out? (sic)' Billie's step-dad Dave wrote, beside a picture with Nelly's 'Uncle Sam'. A representative for Billie Faiers has been contacted by MailOnline for comment. Dave is Sam and Billie's mum Sue's husband, who - although new to Instagram - has 17 followers including Billie's fiance Greg. Keeping quiet: Billie (picture here in her latest throwback pregnancy shot) has so far kept quiet on details about her baby's name Wetting the baby's head: Greg confirmed that he was out wetting the baby's head on Sunday night, via the caption on his Instagram post Is it the name? Billie's stepdad then appeared to hint that the baby's name was Arthur, in a similar post about the night out The group appeared to be sharing a few drinks, in the absence of Sam's boyfriend Paul Knightley, who Dave specifically called out on Instagram for the lack of attendance. 'Oi where's my other son in law @paulknightley7' he wrote, taunting the stay-at-home dad, who's father to Sam's son baby Paul. One week after the birth of Billie and Greg's second child - they are already parents to three-year-old Nelly - they have not shared so much as one snap of the child. Party time: Greg was surrounded by pals as the group headed into Brentwood Who's out? Greg rounded up the troops for a big night out in Essex on Sunday Announcing their baby joy, Billie shared one picture of Greg carrying the baby in a car seat, without the face showing. She simply captioned it: 'Welcome to the world our beautiful baby boy we love you more then words can describe , you are truly perfect in every way ... 07/03/17' They have also kept the name a secret, prompting speculation of a magazine shoot in the coming weeks. Keeping quiet: The couple have yet to release any further details about their baby boy, born on Tuesday 7 March Big sister: Billie and Greg's daughter Nelly became a big sister when the baby boy was born Billie's celebrations have been tragically cut short after news that her and Sam's beloved great Grandmother, Margot, passed away aged 90 on Wednesday. A spokesperson for the family confirmed the tragic news to Now Magazine in a short statement. We can confirm that Samanthas great Grandmother passed away this morning, we ask that Samantha and her family are given privacy at this very sad time. On Sunday Night Melissa George gave a tearful interview outlining her domestic violence allegations. The 40-year-old Australian actress claimed she was violently attacked by French entrepreneur Jean David Blanc, 49, at their penthouse apartment in Paris last year. But despite an emotional plea, asking Australia to 'help her', some have taken to social media to voice their disgust, slamming her for 'hypocrisy'. On Sunday Night Melissa George gave a tearful interview outlining her domestic violence allegations. But despite an emotional plea, asking Australia to 'help her', some have taken to social media to voice their disgust, slamming her for 'hypocrisy' After the interview aired, negative comments flooded Facebook and Twitter. One user wrote: 'Melissa George wanted Oz to 'shut up' now she needs out help? Domestic violence is unacceptable. So's hypocrisy. SHE is an accomplished actor with international acclaim. Just don't mention the other 'a' word 'Angel from Home and Away.' Another wrote: 'I'm sorry Melissa George has been a victim of DV but I stopped caring about her years ago after she behaved like a spoilt brat.' Adding to the fire, another said: 'Care factor ZERO... her arrogant attitude to Australia in the past, now she wants help?!!! Pfttttt.' One user wrote: 'Melissa George wanted Oz to 'shut up' now she needs out help? Domestic violence is unacceptable. So's hypocrisy. SHE is an accomplished actor with international acclaim. Just don't mention the other 'a' word 'Angel from Home and Away.' Another wrote: 'I'm sorry Melissa George has been a victim of DV but I stopped caring about her years ago after she behaved like a spoilt brat.' Adding to the fire, another said: 'Care factor ZERO... her arrogant attitude to Australia in the past, now she wants help?!!! Pfttttt.' The 'behaviour' the comments refer to is when the actress wasn't on such good terms with the network, infamously throwing a hissy fit after a 2012 The Morning Show interview brought up her Home And Away days. In 2012, Melissa was claimed to be furious when The Morning Show hosts Larry Emdur and Kylie Gillies played clips of her soap star days and asked her about her time on Home And Away. News Corp reported that the actress had threatened to walk off set if her time on Home And Away was mentioned. 'She kept saying she's had so many bigger roles since Home And Away that it was offensive to talk about it - she even said she'd send Seven an invoice because she inadvertently promotes it through the media,' a source told The Daily Telegraph. Another wrote: 'I'm sorry Melissa but this Aussie isn't going to get involved.' Unsympathetic: 'Now she wants Australians to help her?' One woman was left dumbfounded Melissa broke her silence about the incident in an interview with The Sydney Morning Herald, explaining she wasn't going to come back to Australia for a while because of the stress local media interviews caused her. 'I don't need credibility from my country any more, I just need them all to be quiet. If they have nothing intelligent to say, please don't speak to me any more,' she said. 'I'd rather be having a croissant and a little espresso in Paris or walking my French bulldog in New York City.' Ms George, 40, said Mr Blanc,49, stood over her after 'repeatedly' striking her in the face and body and said: 'Now you're a real actress' However during the Sunday Night interview, horrific photographs showing Melissa's bruised face after her ex-partner allegedly slammed her head into a metal coat rack during an argument were released. She also claimed Jean sent her text messages claiming she was 'destroying' their youngest son by breastfeeding him and had hired private detectives to 'disturb' her. Jean firmly denies the allegations of violence. Last month, both he and Melissa were convicted of assault over the incident - a judgement both parties are appealing. Scroll down for video Ms George said she had marks around her wrists, bruising on her back (right) and hip (left), a broken inner lip and a huge lump above her eye as a result of the alleged attack STATEMENT FROM JEAN-DAVID BLANC I wish to answer once and for all to the inaccurate information given by Melissa George. The Paris Court decision consisting of a shared custody of our young children was based on very long and various social workers investigations as well as psychologic examinations. This decision was ruled by the Judge who considered only the best interest of our children. That does not prevent Mrs George from working, as she's free to come and go to sets all over the world as she always did. As regards to our childrens interdiction to leave French territory without my prior authorization, this decision, also ruled by the Judge, is the result of Melissa George's attempt to secretly leave the country with our children without my consent, which led me to file a criminal complaint for kidnapping attempt. Regarding the supposed violence against Melissa George, I strongly contest it and have thus filed an appeal against the judgment, which is not final. I have always maintained that I had been attacked first and was only trying to protect myself. Melissa George was found guilty and charged for these offences. Advertisement Melissa claimed Jean - the millionaire father of her two boys Raphael, 3, and Solal, 1 - was emotionally and physically abusive during their five-year romance. The former Home and Away star claimed the alleged violent encounter happened on September 7 after Mr Blanc came home early in the morning and woke her up by watching television loudly, prompting a heated argument. 'It started with him on top of me with my arms locked above my head. I used my feet to get him off me... I wet the bed. I wet the floor,' Melissa told Sunday Night. 'I just went into a crazy moment of like, "I'm in deep sh**.'' And so I just tried to fight for myself which made him more angry, which made me more angry. 'He pushed me into the door, and then struck my face and I hit the wall and fell on the floor and I was out.' After leaving to go to the bathroom, she claimed Jean grabbed the back of her head and smashed it into a metal valet when she threatened to call the police. 'That's when I scratched him. I tried to fight for my life... I had blood in my mouth. I was really full of adrenaline and sad and sick and vomiting.' Allegations: Melissa's tell-all interview follows claims she was assaulted by her ex-partner Jean-David Blanc in Paris last September 'He... struck my face and I hit the wall and fell on the floor and I was out': Ms George claims she was knocked unconscious by Mr Blanc. The pair were both charged with assault after a judge ruled it impossible to determine who started the fight Joint custody: The pair alternate full weeks looking after their children Raphael, 3, and Solal, 1. Ms George is unable to take her boys outside of France without express written permisson from Mr Blanc She attempted to find her passport as a way of identifying herself and then stumbled outside after calling an Uber. The Uber driver who picked up Melissa on the night revealed her terror when she entered his car. Owais Atique, 22, accepted her request for an Uber ride at 2.24am but almost drove off when he saw her because he thought she was drunk. Owais revealed that when he saw the blood stains on Melissa's white blouse, he helped her into his Audi. 'She was crying, just crying, and saying, "I am scared, I am scared, please go he will find me, I'm scared",' he told Sunday Night. He added that Melissa also said: 'He hit me.' The driver said he had wanted to take the actress to a hospital, but she wanted him to take her to a police station. Pointing to his head, Owais said: 'She was bleeding here. She was in a lot of pain. It's horrible, I was crying too.' Melissa said she had marks around her wrists, bruising on her back and hip, a broken inner lip and a huge lump above her eye as a result of the alleged attack. 'The worst part was my neck. My neck wasn't able to move, turn left, right, up or down,' she told Sunday Night. The Uber driver who picked up Ms George on the night of the alleged attack revealed her terror when she entered his car 'Big risk': The actress admitted she had 'no other choice' but to speak out, amidst reports she's facing kidnapping charges after she hoped to leave France with her two sons Speaking to Channel Seven reporter Steve Pennells, Melissa described an alleged contract she was given after her relationship with her husband became official. 'I got given a contract by a lawyer in Paris that said that in case of a separation, we must fight in France,' she said. '(The contract said that) if we have boys, they must be circumcised, they must be brought up in the Jewish religion ... And I said to him, I'm not signing this. I'm not a business. So I didn't sign it, and to this day I still never signed that contract.' Facing charges: Melissa (pictured) and her ex were seen separately outside a Parisian court in October, where Jean-David Blanc appeared on charges of domestic assault Melissa also claimed she received text messages from Jean saying: 'You're destroying my baby by breastfeeding him... You need to put your boobs in a bag.' She said she suspected Jean was hiring private detectives to follow her around Paris, 'planting' people to 'disturb her'. 'I get very paranoid. More jumpy and paranoid. There's a few people that just are planted to disturb me, that I see. I see the same people all the time,' she said. Daily Mail Australia has contacted a lawyer for Jean David Blanc for comment. The couple first met in 2011 at a BAFTA after-party and welcomed their first son Raphael in February 2014 and their second son Solal in November 2015. Custody battle: Melissa and her former lover are embroiled in a custody battle, with the French entrepreneur refusing to allow the pair's son Raphael and Solal to leave France Baywatch is hitting the silver screen in a matter of months. But it seems there may be a few scenes not yet in the can after Dwayne Johnson stopped traffic by playing with an enormous beach ball during a shoot in Los Angeles on Saturday. He looked like he was having a great time as he jiggled the enormous inflatable as thrilled onlookers took snaps on the mobile phone cameras. Ball's up: Dwayne Johnson juggled a gigantic inflatable during a shoot in Los Angeles Saturday The 44-year-old was looking suitably Rock-like in the trendy Venice area in a pair of swimming shorts, flip flops and black bodywarmer. He was joined at the beach by leggy Samantha Hoopes, who in a skimpy bikini bore a passing resemblance to his Baywatch co-star Kelly Rohrbach, who plays CJ Parker in the cinematic reboot. Of course, this is the role indelibly marked in the minds of viewers of the original show, as it is the part that made Pamela Anderson famous. If they were filming some extra scenes it would not be the first time, as Kelly crammed her curves into one of the franchise's famous red swimsuits in October to record some extra beach scenes. Loving it: The artist formerly known as The Rock was having a great time Simply the bust: He was joined on the shoot by chesty model Samantha Hoopes Stopping traffic: Drivers got an eyeful as the busty beauty partook in her game with Dwayne in Venice Meanwhile the jolly actor, who competes as The Rock when wrestling, jokingly revealed he would grab a potential boyfriend by the throat and 'squeeze the life' out of him if his 15-year-old daughter Simone was to bring him home. Speaking in a Q&A session, he said: 'If Simone came to me and was like, "Listen Dad, I'm dating someone." I'd be like "OK cool, well bring him in." 'Then he comes in, "Hello, what's your name?" "Hi my name is..." [interrupts the conversation] Right there. What that is, is the throat I'm grabbing, that means I'm choking the life out of this boy, and then he goes down. Simone's not in the room right now because she was escorted out. 'You're fighting for your life. Stay down there. And that's how I would react.' He also said he would claim it was a 'fair shake' that went awry after an accidental slip of the hand. The People's Champion: The former wrestler looked thrilled as the crowd recorded the event Heel-y impressive: His sidekick partook in the fun while wearing towering stilettos While his EastEnders character Phil Mitchell is used to saying his trademark catchphrase 'leave it out'. It appeared soap star Steve McFadden was doing anything but as he was lauded with female attention while making an appearance at Aruba nightclub on Saturday night. The 57-year-old actor looked world's away from his on-screen tough guy image as he welcomed kisses from female admirers in the Redcar venue. Scroll down for video Leave it out: Steve McFadden was lauded with female attention while making an appearance at Aruba nightclub on Saturday night Posing for pictures with bevvy of beauties, the father-of-four dressed casually for his PA as he slipped into a pair of chinos, jacket and white T-shirt. The actor beamed from ear to ear while he was snapped welcoming a number of sweet pecks on his cheeks from the young nightclub goers. Steve appeared to enjoy every moment of his time at the venue as he took to the mic at one point to get revellers into the spirit of the night's proceedings. The acclaimed TV star has been touring the UK of late as he visits the nation's nightclubs for a number of planned appearances. Sealed with a kiss! The 57-year-old actor looked world's away from his on-screen tough guy image as he welcomed kisses from female admirers in the Redcar venue The Maida Vale native stopped by Bolton for a Saint Patrick's Day event on Friday night, while he is set to visit Sheiks Bognor Pier venue on May 6. His surprise appearance comes after it was reported late last month that he had become embroiled in a backstage feud with co-star Danny Dyer prior to his sudden departure from EastEnders. According to The Sun, the 39-year-old had clashed with the Steve on set, and allegedly even told friends he wanted to punch Steve - causing a tense environment for the rest of the cast. However a BBC spokesperson told MailOnline: 'As previously stated, Danny is an extremely popular member of cast and respected by everyone on the show.' What a thrill: Steve appeared to enjoy every moment of his time at the venue as he took to the mic at one point to get revellers into the spirit of the night's proceedings Shock: His surprise appearance comes after it was reported late last month that he had become embroiled in a backstage feud with co-star Danny Dyer (pictured above) prior to his sudden departure from EastEnders A source told the paper that Danny, who has recently embarked on a short break from filming due to personal issues, had revealed he wanted to punch Steve on set - before going on to blast Ross Kemp, who plays brother Grant Mitchell. The insider revealed: 'EastEnders might be trying to paint a picture of harmony, but it couldn't be further from the truth.' 'It's Steve who has more support. A lot of people find Danny a nightmare to work with.' The pair have worked together for three years on the soap, after Danny joined the cast as new Queen Vic landlord Mick Carter in 2013. Kate Hudson is definitely ready for summer. On Sunday, the 37-year-old star stepped out with a mystery man for a lunch date at Cafe Vida, a 'healthy Latin food' restaurant in the upscale Pacific Palisades area. The star showed off her beach-ready body, wearing leg-baring side-split pants and a crop top that put her taut tummy on display. Beach ready! On Sunday, Kate Hudson, 37, showed off her beach-ready body, wearing leg-baring side-split pants and a crop top that put her taut tummy on display Who's that? The star stepped out with a mystery man for a lunch date at Cafe Vida, a 'healthy Latin food' restaurant in the upscale Pacific Palisades area The Golden Globe winner tossed her highlighted blonde tresses into a low-maintenance high bun and went sans makeup for the casual outing, rocking a pair of yellow reflective aviator shades instead. The sportswear designer rocked a tiny gray crop top - foregoing a bra - which she tied up to make even shorter. Flaunting her rock-hard abs, Kate paired the t-shirt with the Faithfull The Brand Montero Pants Del Rio Stripe ($135), a pair of side-split pants that put her shapely pins front and center. Health nut: The fitness-loving star grabbed a yellow juice after lunch from Juice Crafters, still trailed by the handsome dark-haired friend, who opted for a carrot-based orange juice Those abs! Kate's stomach looks better than ever, so of course she had to tie up her shirt to flaunt them! Going bare: Hudson chose to forego a bra for the outing The fitness-loving star grabbed a yellow juice after lunch from Juice Crafters, still trailed by the handsome dark-haired friend, who opted for a carrot-based orange juice. In February, Kate told her friend Ellen DeGeneres that she will not use dating apps on the comedienne's talk show. She explained: 'So, you look at a guy, he's hot, and then you see his profile and you're like, "Maybe I'll text him or maybe we'll match," and then you start texting and then it just goes away. 'Like, all your girlfriends seem to maybe go to lunch and then its like, "What happened to that guy you met on Raya or Bumble and whatever else?"' Details: Flaunting her rock-hard abs, Kate paired the t-shirt with the Faithfull The Brand Montero Pants Del Rio Stripe ($135) 'I just think, why dont you just meet a guy in Starbucks? Why dont you just go up to someone and why doesnt a guy have the guts to come up and say, "Hey, Im so-and-so. How about we hang out?"' The outing comes after Kate joined her mother Goldie Hawn on Saturday for a friend's baby shower. The star wore a pretty floral Zimmerman havoc floating dress with a Stella McCartney purse and brought the mother-to-be some pretty flowers. The outing comes after Kate joined her mother Goldie Hawn on Saturday for a friend's baby shower Busy bee: Up next for Kate is the bio-drama Marshall, set to premiere in October 2017 Up next for Kate is the bio-drama Marshall, set to premiere in October 2017. The film follows the story of the first African-American Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshal on one of his first cases. Kate stars as Eleanor Strubing. She's kept a low profile since her ex Jeremy McConnell was arrested on suspicion of assault days after she shared an image of her heavily bruised legs. Attempting to put her legal drama behind her, Stephanie Davis made a rare appearance on Snapchat as she cuddled up to her newborn son Caben-Albi in a darling social media clip. The 24-year-old opted for a black and white filter for the short video as she listened to a rendition of Bob Dylan's Knocking On Heaven's Door by The Voice UK contestant Mo from Saturday night's Quarter Finals. Scroll down for video Bonding: Stephanie Davis made a rare appearance on Snapchat as she cuddled up to her newborn son Caben-Albi in a darling social media clip Looking in post-pregnancy bliss, she appeared besotted by her baby boy as he enjoyed his slumber in her arms. The former Hollyoaks actress sported a bird patterned tee for their time together while her raven-coloured locks were pulled off her face to display her glamorous beauty look. Focusing on his snooze for the majority of the clip, she showcased half of her face as the camera panned over her little one, before she looked at the camera. Capturing the moment, she wrote alongside the clip: 'My Angel' with a blue heart emoji as the music acted as a lullaby for the tot. Lullaby: The 24-year-old opted for a black and white filter for the short video as she listened to a rendition of Bob Dylan's Knocking On Heaven's Door by The Voice UK contestant Mo from Saturday night's Quarter Finals Her appearance on social media comes after she took to Instagram to post an image of her three-month-old son shortly after it was revealed that Jeremy had been arrested on suspicion of assault just days after she shared an image of her heavily bruised legs. Caben looked incredibly sweet in the snap as he smiled for the camera, while Stephanie gleefully penned a caption gushing over her bundle of joy. Stephanie was reportedly 'shaken' after calling the police on Jeremy at the home she shares with their baby son Caben-Albi, a source told MailOnline. Mellow yellow: Stephanie shared a rare snap of her son Caben Albi on social media in the midst of her and ex-boyfriend Jeremy McConnell's legal woes One newspaper named the alleged victim as Stephanie, following pictures she posted of her bruised legs. Merseyside Police confirmed to MailOnline that were called to a property regarding an incident that happened on 9 March. Despite remaining silent on the issue, she took to Instagram on Sunday to simply share a snap of her adorable son as he gurgled happily. Seemingly shirking her woes, she added a loving caption reading: 'My Ray Of Sunshine... Love waking up to this little face... Makes me smile... What Sundays are all about.' The stunner: The former Hollyoaks actress took to Instagram to post an image of her three-month-old son shortly after it was revealed that Jeremy had been arrested on suspicion of assault just days after she shared an image of her heavily bruised legs Just a day earlier he posted a snap of the tot's freshly decorated bedroom as she moves on from a tumultuous seven day period. Captioning her latest shot, she gave no mention of her ex-boyfriend while crediting family member for helping to assemble her son's furniture. 'Cabens wardrobes and Cot up in his new room,' she wrote: 'Still lots to do but it finally feels like home. Thankyou to my dad for helping all today with Building Everything hope your backs not to sore. Just to finish it off now.' Onwards and upwards: Stephanie has posted a snap of son Caben freshly decorated bedroom as she moves on from a tumultuous seven day period Celebrity Big Brother star McConnell was released after being questioned by police but according to new reports his arrest has consequently led to to MTV bosses weighing up his involvement with reality show Ex On The Beach. A spokesperson for MTV has declined to comment to MailOnline; McConnell's rep also refused to comment. A source claimed that bosses are 'considering dropping Jeremy from the lineup,' telling The Sun: 'Jeremy has been called by EOTB regarding the assault allegations against him. Whilst there is still an ongoing investigation with the police regarding this, MTV are considering dropping him from the latest series.' The Irish model and reality star was set to come face-to-face with Stephanie's ex-boyfriend Sam Reece - who is allegedly in talks with the show - for the first time. Unlikely to cross paths: Stephanie's ex boyfriend Sam Reece (pictured) had reportedly been set to face Jeremy on the dating show's new series 'MTV bosses are considering dropping Jeremy': Stephanie's ex was released by police on Thursday following his arrest but the investigation is still ongoing McConnell had struck up a romance with Stephanie on Celebrity Big Brother early last year when she had still been dating the First Dates star. Reports that he will no longer appear on Ex On The Beach come after he was released on Wednesday following his arrest. A spokesperson for Merseyside police told MailOnline on Thursday: 'A 27-year-old man arrested earlier today on suspicion of assault and criminal damage has been released pending a disposal decision.' The comment follows an earlier statement which explained McConnell had voluntarily attended a police station. That was then: A police spokesperson confirmed the news while a representative for Jeremy explained: 'Jeremy denies any wrong doing, however he is fully cooperating with the police in their investigations' (pictured entering the Big Brother house in January 2016) Shock: The investigation comes after Stephanie stunned followers on Snapchat with a picture of her bruised legs. She made no reference to the marks, simply writing: 'Trying to relax' Cute: Stephanie gave birth to Caben-Albi, her only child with Jeremy, in January Naming Stephanie as the victim, The Mirror claims McConnell allegedly began 'behaving oddly' during a visit to the home where Stephanie lives with son Caben-Albi. A spokesperson for Merseyside Police had told MailOnline: 'Merseyside Police can confirm a report was received of an assault at a property (in Liverpool) on Thursday (9 March). Officers were contacted on Sunday, 12 March and an investigation into the incident is on-going. At this time no arrests have been made.' Meanwhile, a representative for Jeremy explained to MailOnline: 'Jeremy denies any wrong doing, however he is fully cooperating with the police in their investigations.' The claims come a mere few days after his ex posted shocking pictures of her bruised legs on Snapchat. Though she did not mention how she received the marks, she simply wrote: 'Trying to relax.' Investigating: Police say they were called to a home in the city on March 9. It is alleged Stephanie made a statement The actress went on to 'like' a tweet from a concerned fan, who wrote: 'What the hell has happened to your legs love?' Another message liked by Stephanie read: 'Jesus love, them bruises. Hope youre OK.' McConnell is said to have relocated to Liverpool in recent weeks to be closer to his ex-girlfriend - who split from last year - and their two-month-old son Caben-Albi. It was reported earlier in the week that his auntie had died in his native Ireland, just days after his father's death - leading to claims he has jetted back to Ireland to deal with his grief. Tough times: A spokesperson for Merseyside Police told MailOnline: 'Merseyside Police can confirm a report was received of an assault at a property (in Liverpool) on Thursday (9 March)' Sources told The Sun: 'Jeremy has temporarily left Liverpool where hes been renting a flat nearby Stephanies home to be with close friends and family in Ireland. He needs the support of loved ones during this tough time and has headed home so he can have space to properly grieve. 'Its been an incredibly stressful for Jeremy... As a result his relationship with Stephanie has become strained again but hopefully some time apart will do them both good.' McConnell has always been candid about his tragedies, having discussed his triple loss when he first appeared on TV on MTV's now-defunct reality show Beauty School Cop Outs, with his father and sister being his only remaining family members. Moved: Sources told The Sun: 'Jeremy has temporarily left Liverpool where hes been renting a flat nearby Stephanies home to be with close friends and family in Ireland' The Dublin native had already been through incredible heartbreak, having previously opened up about his mother, brother and sister passing away within months of each other when he was a teenager. He said: 'When I was 15 I was at my cousin's and my mum fell asleep. I got back about two hours later and she was gone she had a brain haemorrhage. Shortly after that my brother broke his neck in a motorbike accident. After that, my sister had a heart attack she suffered with epilepsy. All in the space of 15 months. 'Of course I miss them, I loved them dearly, but I think that's what levelled me out a bit I express myself the way I want to. I just grew up really fast.' Married at First Sight's shy cowboy may become a dad if his wife Susan has her way, this week's TV Week magazine reports. Susan, 37, is said to be keen to start a family with her 34-year-old husband, who already has two children from a previous relationship. The magazine claims that the 'idea of having a family with Sean' is 'enough to give Susan butterflies'. Soon to be a family? Married at First Sight's shy cowboy may become a dad if his wife Susan has her way, this week's TV Week magazine reports The mining truck driver has reportedly been chatting to Sean's kids on Skype to get to know them ahead of a proper meeting. Susan says that she babysits friend's and cousin's children 'every second night' and that Sean's relationship with his brood has inspired her. 'Seeing Sean have such a respectful relationship with his beautiful children is just amazing. It makes me love him even more,' she says. Initially Sean was concerned that Western Australian Susan couldn't handle life on his farm but that appears to be turning around. No more drinks for you! The magazine claims that the 'idea of having a family with Sean' is 'enough to give Susan butterflies' The news comes after co-star couple Nick and Sharon are 'expecting a baby'. Pictures have surfaced of Sharon shopping for baby clothes in New Idea magazine while according to Woman's Day, an onset insider says one of the MAFS couples has already 'passed their first trimester and are keen to share their news.' 'They are beyond excited,' the insider added. Romantic dates: The pair have bonded with Sean taking Susan on a hot air ballooning date Loves his kids: The mining truck driver has reportedly been chatting to Sean's kids on Skype to get to know them ahead of a proper meeting Baby on board! The news comes after co-star couple Nick and Sharon are 'expecting a baby' Meanwhile, Sean has refuted rumours that he was a 'paid actor' on the reality program. 'I'm not an actor and I never have been,' he told Who magazine. The Queensland farmer explained: 'I went on Married At First Sight for the right reasons, to find love. Some others [on the show] might not be as genuine but I think the audience can spot the difference.' Not acting: Meanwhile, Sean has refuted rumours that he was a 'paid actor' on the reality program Loved up: The Queensland farmer explained: 'I went on Married At First Sight for the right reasons, to find love' Staying together: Initially Sean was concerned that Western Australian Susan couldn't handle life on his farm but that appears to be turning around It comes after New Idea magazine claimed that Sean's profile on the talent site originally stated that he 'Starred in Married at First Sight Season 4 and is 'a natural actor according to the producers'. That line was no longer on the profile, however the rest of the post, which lists Sean's availability as an actor, remains. 'Sean was bored of life working in the mines, and he had been trying to get into acting for a while,' a 'well placed source' reportedly told New Idea. Jane Fonda isn't the type to be shy about a kiss and tell. The lifelong activist stopped by Ellen this week, looking as youthful as a woman half her age, where she talked about her four-time costar Robert Redford. On set, the 79-year-old stunner explained how she still gets lost in the 80-year-old heartthrob's eyes after all these years, while also revealing she thinks the star is a 'good kisser'. Scroll down for video Stunning in her seventies! Jane Fonda looked like a woman half her age as she stopped by the set of Ellen to talk about her new film with Robert Redford as well as the return of Grace and Frankie They work well together! The 79-year-old dished on her dreamy co-star, 80-year-old Robert Redford. Above you can see an image of the duo from back in 1967 At Ellen's Los Angeles studio, the actress and activist wowed in a zebra striped maxi dress as she talked about her most recent collaboration with Hollywood veteran Robert Redford. The pair recently reunited for their fourth film together, Our Souls At Night, where they play lovers Addie Moore and Louis Waters in the drama. Jane and Robert make super co-stars, expect for one little hitch. 'The only problem with working with Bob is that I just look into his eyes and kinda fall into his eyes and forget my dialogue,' explained Golden Globe winner. Kissing and telling! The actress and activist opened up about even sharing what it's like to smooch the lifelong Hollywood heartthrob They've got chemistry! The Hollywood veterans have worked on four films together over the course of over four decades. Above you can see the pair in 1967's Barefoot In The Park Ellen then projected images of their past collabs, which Jane stared at wistfully, again lost in Redford's handsome visage. Asking what it's like to pucker up to the Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid star is, Fonda gave a dreamy sounding response. 'Is he a good kisser?' asked Ellen, to which the New York native replied with a simple 'Yes.' One little problem: The Golden Globe winner loved working with the Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid star - except for when his dreamy eyes would make her forget her lines Projects upon projects! The fitness oriented star also shared a clip of her Netflix series Grace & Frankie In addition to promoting her reunion with Redford, the fitness oriented star shared a clip of her Netflix series Grace & Frankie. Fonda plays the high strung Grace Hanson alongside Lily Tomlin's Frankie in the buddy comedy, which returns for its third season March 24 on Netflix. The Ritesh Batra directed romance Our Souls At Night is set for release later this year. We are fortunate to have groundwater as one of Wisconsins most abundant resources. We think of groundwater as pristine, but we must be aware that community water systems and private wells are vulnerable to surface contamination and give them the protection they deserve. Much of Wisconsin has a geology called karst, limestone or dolomite bedrock filled with cracks and fissures. These fractures are great for maintaining groundwater levels, because they allow a lot of rainwater and snowmelt inflow to recharge the supply. The downside is that pollutants can get into groundwater with similar ease. Water-quality issues are determined by multiple factors: flawed agricultural practices allowing manure runoff; development patterns that damage water quality; industrial runoff; extreme climate events including floods and droughts; high-capacity well drawdown effects; geologic deposits of harmful chemicals; aging infrastructure; failing septic systems; and the de-funding of protection programs that were meant to help regulate water quality and public health. We need to curb each of these to the maximum extent possible to maintain water purity. A steadily increasing number of waterborne illnesses has been documented in Wisconsin. A 2007 study found human enterovirus deep in two Madison municipal wells; the depth of this contamination was a shock. Powerful evidence, including this study, led former Gov. Jim Doyle to promote regulations in 2009 that required treatment of all municipal drinking water systems. In 2011, the Republican-controlled Legislature rescinded these regulations. The DNR and EPA still strongly recommend that communities treat and disinfect drinking water with chlorine or ultraviolet light, both of which kill bacteria and viruses. In 2012, microbiologists Mark Borchardt and Susan Spencer, then working with the Marshfield Clinic Research Foundation, conducted research in 14 Wisconsin communities that were not disinfecting their community water systems. The two-year study closely linked the presence of viruses in tap water with acute gastrointestinal illnesses among residents in these areas. To this day, despite the well-documented research, 56 Wisconsin municipal water utilities, supplying almost 65,000 people, are vulnerable to the dangers of non-disinfected water. Just last month, Assistant Professor Christopher Uejio at Florida State University published a study in the Hydrogeology Journal linking the impacts of climate change, including excessive downpours and surface water runoff, with water-borne illness. He collaborated with the Wisconsin Department of Health Services and Childrens Hospital of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Campus. Using sophisticated, climate change computer modeling, they examined the rate at which children ages five and under would be at risk for gastrointestinal illness in the future. Wisconsin was chosen as the site of the study because of its unique geology and underlying hydrology characteristics that make it more susceptible to groundwater contamination. The study compared northern Wisconsin cities that treat their drinking water with others that dont to determine to what extent increasing rainfall is linked with increased illness. The results sounded an alarm about untreated water. Most people may not realize this, Dr. Uejio declared, but there are about 20 million people in the country who access drinking water that isnt treated. These households are particularly vulnerable to rainfall events and contamination events where disease-causing pathogens can get in their drinking sources. Dr. Uejios results should support public policy to better protect public health. Climate change has become a politicized issue, but what is happening on the ground is not political. Children, the elderly, those who suffer from immune diseases and the economically disadvantaged are most vulnerable. The technology to address polluted drinking water is available, but the political will to assure protection for all Wisconsinites is missing. There are an estimated 1.7 million Wisconsinites currently drinking water from their unregulated private wells, and nearly half of those private wells, studies suggest, have one or more contaminants at levels above health standards. Across the state, private well owners are finding that their water contains pathogens (viruses and bacteria), human-produced contaminants including nitrates, pesticides, molybdenum and strontium, as well as natural contaminants such as arsenic and radium. Wisconsin has gone backward in recent years when it comes to the enforcement of clean-water laws. Our citizens will suffer unless our elected leaders in Madison take action. Let your representatives know that they must protect Wisconsins water supply, water quality and our citizens health. Ineffective government is compounding what our children and grandchildren will face in a world increasingly short of clean drinking water. You can also attend the League of Women Voters Upper Mississippi River Region Inter League Organizations Annual Meeting and Conference 2017, Navigation Tools for Uncertain Waters, at Western Technical Colleges Lunda Center May 6 (http://www.lwvumrr.org). Elle magazine have hinted that Pia Miller was 'difficult' to work with as she appears on the cover of the magazine's April issue. According to an accompanying feature for her photo spread, the stunning 33-year-old 'displayed a zealous level of control' when it came to the production of her shoot. 'The shoot concept and this accompanying interview were more difficult to agree on than most international cover stars in this magazine's history,' reads the cover story. Scroll down for video Particular: According to the accompanying feature for her photo spread, Pia Miller 'displayed a zealous level of control' when it came to the production of her ELLE shoot 'From the earliest planning stages, she displayed a zealous level of control one that extends across her career and the way she's publicly perceived,' the article continues to state. The Chilean-born star and her team reportedly declined to have her sons Isaiah, 13, and Lennox, 10, appear in the spread with her as well, as a male model pose with her. 'Her fierce protectiveness of her privacy and her family goes some way towards explaining why it was never a sure thing that Miller would appear in these pages,' the writer described. 'The shoot concept and this accompanying interview were more difficult to agree on than most international cover stars in this magazine's history,' reads the cover story According the magazine, Pia arrived at her interview with the renowned publication with two assistants who sat 'patiently at a table nearby'. Meanwhile, Pia addressed her Elle feature via her Instagram account on Sunday. She expressed gratitude towards photographer Simon Upton, wardrobe stylist Rachel Wayman, hair stylist Richard Kavanagh and makeup artist Peter Beard and thanked them for their 'well thought out and perfectly executed craft'. She then wrote in an compacting caption: 'Warning! This article may encourage other women to be incredibly strong-minded, real, fiercely protective (of their children and privacy) and exhibit a "zealous level of control" of the way (theyre) publicly perceived.' Here's to my fellow women, Never apologise for standing your ground and portraying your true self,' she added. 'From the earliest planning stages, she displayed a zealous level of control one that extends across her career and the way she's publicly perceived,' it continues She's the Australian actress who's landed a starring role in movie Fifty Shades Darker. And Bella Heathcote looks to be tying the knot with long-term partner Andrew Dominik, 49. Just weeks ago, the 29-year-old was pictured stepping off a plane at Sydney airport with what appeared to be a huge diamond sparkler on her fourth left finger. Welcome home! Fifty Shades Darker actress Bella Heathcote arrived back in Sydney a few weeks back sporting what appears to be an engagement ring Wedding bells? Bella Heathcote looks to be tying the knot with long-term partner Andrew Dominik, 50 The couple have been together for six years and the New-Zealand born screenwriter is 20 years Bella's senior. Before dating Bella, Andrew was engaged to actress Robin Tunney and they broke off their engagement in 2010. Bella has worn the ring on various occasions. On Monday she uploaded a picture of herself pictured with buddies Phoebe Tonkin and Lilly Collins where she is seen holding up plastic glasses where the ring is clearly visible. There it is again! On Monday she uploaded a picture of herself pictured with buddies Phoebe Tonkin and Lilly Collins where she is seen holding up plastic glasses where the ring is clearly visible Meanwhile, her arrival back home in Australia comes after Bella revealed she was nervous about taking up the role in the hit franchise. In a recent interview with InStyle Australia, she revealed how aware she was of fans' high expectations for her character, Christian Grey's ex-lover. 'I was nervous, to be honest, about the fans,' Bella said. Nervous: Her arrival back home in Australia comes after Bella revealed she was nervous about taking up the role in the hit franchise 'I was worried that I'd disappoint them, or not live up to the idea that they had in their minds of who she should be.' Bella's big break on television came in 2009 when she was cast as Amanda Fowler on hit show Neighbours. The state of their marriage has been the subject of tabloid speculation recently. But on Sunday, Cheryl Hines and Robert F. Kennedy put on a loving display at the premiere of the actress's new film Wilson. The couple, who wed in 2014, posed for photos with their arms around each other and smiled and laughed as photographers clicked away at the event held in NYC. Scroll down for video Marriage rumors: On Sunday, Cheryl Hines and Robert F. Kennedy put on a loving display at the premiere of the actress's new film Wilson in New York City The former Curb Your Enthusiasm star chose a bright red frock with asymmetrical hem and long sleeves. The frock had flounces at the cuffs and hem and Cheryl, 51, added matching open-toe heels. She carried a beige clutch and sported a pair of diamond drop earrings. Lady in red: The former Curb Your Enthusiasm star chose a bright red frock with asymmetrical hem and long sleeves, with flounces at the cuffs and hem, and matching open-toe heels Rumors: The couple, who wed in 2014, have been plagued in recent weeks by speculation that their marriage is shaky Changes: Hines, 51, and Kennedy, 63, have listed their Malibu mansion for sale and Kennedy resigned from his position at environmental group Riverkeepers in New York after 30 years Kennedy, 63, wore a charcoal check suit with a white shirt and a patterned tie. The attorney and environmental activist resigned March 10 from Riverkeepers, a Hudson River nonprofit with which he had been involved for 30 years. Kennedy said that he could no longer continue as a leading board member and chief prosecuting attorney for the environmental group due to the effect on his family of commuting weekly from his home in California to New York City. His decision seemed to coincide with the couple's decision to list their spectacular Malibu mansion for sale for $6.45 million. The estate was purchased not long after Kennedy sold his home in a New York City suburb following the 2012 suicide of his second wife, Mary Richardson Kennedy, the mother of four of his six children. She is once again dating a professional clotheshorse. And Paris Hilton only had eyes for model Chris Zylka as they partied the weekend away. The couple gazed lovingly at each other in a snap she shared on her Snapchat page on Sunday. A model boyfriend: Paris Hilton only had eyes for model Chris Zylka in a picture she shared on Snapchat on Sunday In another thrilling image they posed up with a friend, while another showed her with the time 11.11pm overlaid on the screen. Chris is the latest model to fall under the spell of the wealthy blonde, as she previously dated toyboy catwalk star River Viiperi, 25, from 2012 until 2014. She had previously shown off her new man Chris, who also works as an actor, at an event in Hollywood on Thursday. While she flaunted her figure in a crystal encrusted frock she only had eyes, and lips, for The Leftovers favourite at the TAO LA Grand Opening. The pair put on a very public display of affection, kissing at the celebrity laden affair. Three's a crowd: But that did not stop the pair from posing up with a pal Party time: The dynamic duo were having a fun night out together Glam: She also shared a snap of herself dressed to the nines on Instagram On Twitter she boasted: 'Amazing night with my love at the grand opening of #TaoLA' Paris was dressed to the nines with her blonde hair cascading in loose curls over her shoulders. She accessorized with a flashy statement diamond choker. Her beau, who had a small role in The Amazing Spider-Man, was more casually clad in a black T-shirt, a black zip-up hoodie, matching pants and black sneakers. Very public display of affection: Paris and Chris couldn't keep their lips off each other at a Hollywood event on Thursday What's her secret? The 31-year-old gazed lovingly at the megarich hotels heiress Keeping her close: The Leftovers star kept his arm around the the blonde beauty The pair, who came out as a couple on social media last month, basked in the glow of new love as they walked into the venue arm-in-arm. Paris and Chris were celebrating the Tao Group's launch of TAO Asian Bistro at the Dream Hotel in Hollywood, along with the opening of the Beauty & Essex restaurant and lounge, Avenue nightclub and Luchini Pizzeria. They joined a slew of celebrities at the event including Katie Holmes, 38, Cindy Crawford, 51, and husband Rande Gerber, 54, actor Wilmer Valderrama, 37, DWTS pro Cheryl Burke, 32, rapper Flo Rida, 37, Alec Baldwin's model daughter Hailey Baldwin, 22, Ashlee Simpson, 32, and husband Evan Ross, 28, to name a few. Sparkling star: The actress-turned-DJ wore a crystal encrusted, semi-sheer dress and a blingy diamond choker Glitter girl: Paris showed off her fabulous figure as she stood next to her beau, who was seated and enjoying a drink Meanwhile, Paris and Chris have been almost inseparable in the last few weeks. They have just returned from a romantic getaway to an exclusive nature-centered resort in Tulum in Mexico. The hotels heiress shared Instagram snaps from the beachside paradise, close to impressive ancient Mayan ruins. They've been married for nine years. And Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi are often seen out together, enjoying quality time together away from their busy careers. The longtime couple were recently spotted exiting popular celebrity haunt Craig's in West Hollywood. Scroll down for video Dining out: Portia de Rossi revelaed her very slender figure as she dined with wife Ellen DeGeneres at celebrity haunt Craig's in West Hollywood last week Casual: The self-described vegans left the restaurant dressed casually with makeup free faces The self-described vegans left the restaurant dressed casually with makeup free faces. Portia, 44, revealed her very slender figure in loose linen pants, an unbuttoned navy blue long-sleeved shirt and white cardigan. She had her bob-style haircut pulled away from her face and appeared to be chewing on a toothpick as she walked out of the eatery. Low-key: Portia had her bob-style haircut pulled away from her face and appeared to be chewing on a toothpick as she walked out of the eatery Her talk show host wife wore a denim shirt with rolled up sleeves paired with cargo pants with an oversize watch and her wedding band. The lovebirds have been together since they officially started dating after attending VH1s Big In 04 Awards show in December 2004. On May 16, 2008, after the California Supreme Court overthrew the ban on same-sex marriage, Ellen announced on her show she and Portia were tying the knot. Wedded bliss: On May 16, 2008, after the California Supreme Court overthrew the ban on same-sex marriage, Ellen announced on her show she and Portia were tying the knot Three months later, on August 16, the ladies wed in front of their mothers and 17 guests in an intimate ceremony at their Beverly Hills home. Life & Style magazine recently reported the pair has allegedly been seeing a therapist to strengthen their relationship. 'Part of their therapy is to go on more date nights,' the insider claimed. 'Thats why theyve been seen out and about more together lately.' Jessica Chastain was picture perfect in a sleeveless crushed velvet dress in New York on Sunday. The actress, 39, was the star of a special screening of her new film The Zookeeper's Wife. Her frock featured a v-neckline and was cinched at the waist showcasing her lithe figure. Picture perfect: Jessica Chastain showed off her natural beauty as she attended a special screening of her film The Zookeeper's Wife in New York City on Sunday night Chastain added a pair of shiny gold heels that picked up on the golden highlights in her naturally reddish blonde hair. Her long hair was casually styled in loose curls that fell around her shoulders. She added a touch of rosy lip color and blush and wore stylish earrings. Simply stylish: The actress, 39, wore a sleeveless crushed velvet dress with a v-neckline and that was cinched at the waist showcasing her lithe figure In the film, that's based on a true story, she plays Antonia Zabinski who saved hundreds of animals and people after the Nazi occupation of Poland at the start of the Second World War In The Zookeeper's Wife, Chastain plays Antonia Zabinski who, in real life, saved hundreds of animals and people after the Nazi occupation of Poland at the start of the Second World War. Earlier this month, she made a special appearance at the premiere of the film in Warsaw along with Belgian actor Johan Heldenbergh who plays her husband Jan Zabinski. The movie is directed by New Zealand filmmaker Niki Caro, who found fame with the acclaimed 2002 film Whale Rider. They're the unorthodox group of friends featured on Real Housewives Of Sydney. And while Athena X is undoubtedly the most adventurous when it comes to her personal style, the remaining ladies also take their fashion seriously. During Sunday night's episode, the group of seven traveled to the beautiful Whitsunday islands, showing off their flamboyant individual glamour. Scroll down for video Fashion flair: During Sunday's episode the group of seven traveled to the beautiful Whitsunday islands, showing off their flamboyant individual glamour Hosted at the Coral Sea Resort in Airlie Beach, the reality stars appeared as a bright ensemble when they posed for photos overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Lisa Oldfield wore a patterned frock with a dark brown matching belt and platform sandals, her hair in its signature bob style. Athena 'X' Levendi slicked her blonde locks back in the Queensland heat and chose a long animal print cover-up with wedges. Hosted at the Coral Sea Resort in Airlie Beach, the reality stars were a bright ensemble as they posed for photos overlooking the Pacific Ocean Matty Samaei selected a turquoise and green long-sleeved gown with oversize gold earrings and a bright red lip. Former pop star Melissa Tkautz donned a mini-dress while Victoria Rees chose a more subdued cream dress and beige heels. Beauty queen Nicole O'Neil went a different route, standing out in pastel colours while former model Krissy Marsh wore a tight orange dress with gold stilettos. Flamboyant: The cast's wardrobe choices were just as dazzling as they hit the beach, with Athena leading the charge in a flowing cover-up and oversize gold necklace The cast's wardrobe choices were just as dazzling as they hit the beach, with Athena leading the charge in a flowing cover-up and oversize gold necklace. Matty and Victoria chose different shades of animal print while Krissy selected a royal blue short cover-up. Blonde beauty Melissa selected a bejeweled mini cover-up over her multi-hued cut-out swimsuit, while Nicole wore a modest black swimsuit and white fedora hat. Pardon my back: The ladies hit the beach in different swimsuits however most of them chose black as their preferred colour Other ostentatious get-ups featured in the episode included Athena's nautical-inspired outfit, complete with a white sailor's hat and collar. There were a number of emotional scenes with Lisa particularly, who said she was on the 'verge of a nervous breakdown' due to issues with her husband David Oldfield. The 41-year-old also proclaimed to almost drown while snorkeling near the resort, which the other ladies claimed was 'another attention-seeking exercise'. She's just wrapped up her final performance in her first ever Broadway play. And Cate Blanchett, 47, has taken full advantage of her rare downtime. The Australian beauty was spotted arm-in-harm with hubby Andrew Upton, looking stylish and weather appropriate in an over-sized trench coat as the couple took a stroll through snowy New York City. Scroll down for video Arm-in-arm: Cate Blanchett and her hubby Andrew Upton were spotted walking arm-in arm through chilly New York City after the actress wrapped up her first ever Broadway performance Cate and Andrew both rugged-up to fight the chilly New York weather. The actress layered her thick Luvon by Liu Lu trench over the top of a brown undercoat and navy shirt, casually resting a beanie atop her luscious blonde locks. A stunning leather handbag rested on her hips, the thick gold chain-work encircling the enclosure adding a distinct touch of elegance. Her screenwriter husband was dashing in a well-tailored grey goat and navy wide-brimmed hat, he looked in deep throught as his academy award-winning wife clutched his arm. Stylish: The 47-year-old and her husband - who adapted the play she starred in - both looked stylish in trench coats and lace-up leather shoes, with Cate adding a touch of flair with horn-rimmed glasses The theater-industry heavyweights looked to be wearing near-identical leather lace-up shoes, with Cate opting for light brown pants that were cuffed at the ankle. The Blue Jasmine star contrasted her understated outfit with horn-rimmed sunglasses with peach-coloured frames, squinting as she strolled along. In addition to her hubby, she kept warm with an espresso from popular New York company Madman. With her upcoming films Thor: Ragnarok, Jungle Book and Oceans Eight all in post-production, the beauty is believed to be heading to her home country of Australia. Happy to be heading home? With her upcoming films Thor: Ragnarok, Jungle Book and Oceans Eight all in post-production, the beauty is believed to be heading to her home country of Australia Perhaps a surprise to many, Cate wrapped up her first ever Broadway run on Sunday, playing the same character she portrayed in the Sydney Theatre Company version in 2015. It was her hubby Andrew who actually adapted the play from an Anton Chekhov work. The political play, originally set in 1880's Russia, was updated by Andrew to the nineties in Russia, when Vladamir Putin is coming to power. Last week, she joined The Present co-star Richard Roxborough in celebrating the unveiling of their caricatures are the world-famous Sardi's Restaurant in New York. Unveiling: Last week, she joined The Present co-star Richard Roxburgh in celebrating the unveiling of their caricatures are the world-famous Sardi's Restaurant in New York Michael Turnbull's infamous Rolex is back. The fake timepiece he attempted to pass off as genuine during his time on The Bachelorette was worn proudly on his wrist on Saturday. Michael wore the replica watch to a business seminar hosted by none other than Hollywood star Arnold Schwarzenegger at Melbourne's Crown Towers. Scroll down for video Pulling the wool over our eyes: The fake timepiece he attempted to pass off as genuine during his time on The Bachelorette was worn proudly on his wrist on Saturday Scroll down for video The 35-year-old took to Instagram to share a picture of himself from the day, as he posed proudly in front of the media wall. He captioned the snap: 'It was an honour to be officially the skinniest guest at the Arnold Schwarzenegger business seminar today.' Michael, who finished runner-up on season one of The Bachelorette, wore a black shirt and jeans to go with his replica watch. 'Regardless whether it's fake or real, it was given to me by someone very special': Michael told A Current Affair at the 2015 Melbourne Cup that the watch deemed to be a replica Rolex holds sentimental value Hashtag Rolex: Michael has flaunted the luxury item on Instagram and on the reality show Michael's watch and the lifestyle he claimed to lead first came under fire two years ago, when a Channel Nine programme investigated him. Refusing to say whether the watch was genuine, Michael told A Current Affair at the 2015 Melbourne Cup: 'Regardless whether it's fake or real, it was given to me by someone very special.' 'It means so much to me,' he said about the timepiece. 'And I will continue to wear that Rolex for as long as I live.' Prized item: The 35-year-old previously said he would continue to wear the watch 'for as long as I live' Straight to the experts: Like Daily Mail Australia who uncovered the story, the Channel Nine news program spoke to an experienced watchmaker who also claimed it to be a fake Claim to fame: Michael came in as the runner-up to Sam Frost's heart on the Channel Ten show In October 2015, Daily Mail Australia spoke with a well-known and established watchmaker in Sydney to confirm the authenticity of Michael's prized item. 'It's a fake and it's an ugly fake,' the expert had said. 'Rolex don't make ugly, and that's ugly.' After glancing at the watch shown in Michael's Instagram photos, the watch professional, who boasted 13 years' experience working with Rolex, said his was an easy replica to spot. 'Without a better picture or seeing it in person sometimes it can be hard to tell but that is 100 per cent fake,' he said. With genes like his, how could Presley Gerber not go into modeling. The 17-year-old son of supermodel Cindy Crawford and businessman Rande Gerber was seen shooting an ad campaign for his dad's tequila company, Casamigos Tequila in Malibu on Sunday. At one stage during the beach-themed shoot, the handsome student was spotted wearing a grey sweatshirt with his famous mom's name emblazoned across the front. Shout-out to mom: Presley Gerber was seen wearing a sweatshirt emblazoned with his supermodel mom's name on it during a photo shoot in Malibu And while he still may not be old enough to legally drink, Presley was more than happy to work the camera to help promote his dad's alcoholic business venture with George Clooney. Dressed in ripped jeans, and alternating between a colorful Hawaiian shirt, left open to reveal a fitted white singlet, another colorful striped shirt, and a blue hooded jacket, the blonde-haired babe was photographed wielding a surfboard with his dad's company logo on it. Other shots saw him riding a bike along the Malibu boardwalk, with the ocean behind him, and sitting in the back of a white pick-up truck. Ride on: The 17-year-old was seen peddling a bike down the boardwalk in Malibu during a photo shoot for his dad's tequila company Subtle: The up-and-coming model was seen brandishing a surfboard with his dad's tequila company's logo written on it Beach babe: 'I never even thought about it for a second, and I never really liked being in front of a camera,' he said of modeling But the up-and-coming model says he never envisioned a career for himself in front of the camera. 'I never even thought about it for a second, and I never really liked being in front of a camera,' he told W magazine in July last year. Ultimately, it was the jet-set lifestyle which won him over though. Feeling board? The high school student was seen waiting patiently between shots during a beach photo shoot on Sunday Surfer dude: Presley was seen riding a bicycle along the beach while wielding a surfboard under one arm 'But then I did it and the first few times it was like, eh, its alright,' he added. 'Then I started traveling and coming to New York a lot, and I love it here, and then I got to go to Milan, so Im starting to like it a lot more.' And while he may be content with his modeling career for now, Presley admits he has long-term plans which may eventually see him following in his father's footsteps. 'Im hoping to go to business school, so Ill see where that takes me if I even go,' he said. WASHINGTON When Donald Trump recently laid a wreath at the tomb of Andrew Jackson, the 45th president was sending a message by choosing a hero. It is difficult to imagine that this selection was the result of vast reading in presidential history. Rather, it was the appropriation of Jackson as depicted on the $20 bill the long-haired, steely-eyed, bad-assed disrupter. The end of the effete, philosophical founding generation. The embodiment of a populism that venerated and served the people. The avatar of American nationalism. This was, in fact, the way Jackson was viewed by many contemporaries, both supporters and detractors. He was the original, and prototypical, testostero- president. He took on the British, the national bank, the Congress, the early secessionists with a determined application of will and power. He consistently pressed the boundaries of executive authority. George Washington had viewed swagger as a moral failure. Jackson made it an American political virtue. His movement, quite literally, broke china at the White House. It essentially created the idea of congressional party loyalty. It devalued civility. In all these ways, we still live in Jacksons America. Jackson was a large, complex figure (the best starting point to learn about him is Jon Meachams American Lion, which is brilliant in everything except its reverence for its subject). But it would be typical of Trump to admire Jackson, not only for his virtues, but for his vices. Jackson was the first president who made dueling, gambling and horseracing a part of his public persona. He was prickly, demanding and mercurial. He was no stranger to sexual scandal. His opponents regarded his presidency as unimaginable, until he beat them. But Jacksons vices were not merely personal. Many of the founders had been internally conflicted slaveholders. Jackson was not one for psychic struggle. Meacham recounts that Jackson once authored an Advertisement for Runaway Slave that offered $50 for the return of the slave and ten dollars extra, for every hundred lashes any person will give him. Such attitudes were not disqualifying in Jacksons America. And much of Jacksons reputation depended on being a frontier Indian fighter. This was a president who once earned the Indian nickname Sharp Knife. In a battle against the Red Stick Creeks, Jackson set about to exterminate them (his words). Hundreds of fighters and civilians were killed trying to flee across the Tallapoosa River. By one account the river ran red with blood. A sharp knife indeed. Jackson was also one of the nations leading advocates of Indian removal, which amounted to the ethnic cleansing of Creeks and Cherokee across the lower South. His Indian Removal Act was a signature legislative achievement, opening up tens of millions of acres for cotton cultivation. These efforts culminated soon after Jacksons presidency in the Trail of Tears, on which 4,000 Cherokee men, women and children died of hunger, cold and disease during their forced expulsion to the west. This is close enough to genocide to spark a continuing debate over application of the word. Why consider this ancient history (which is not really so ancient to the Cherokee)? Because Trump, in visiting the Hermitage, has invited us. Jackson was wrong badly, culpably wrong on the largest issue of his time: the dignity and value of people of color. The tragedy of Jacksons life, admits Meacham, is that a man dedicated to freedom failed to see liberty as a universal, not a particular, gift. There is no refuge in the argument that Jackson merely reflected the values of his time. Jacksons opponent in two elections, John Quincy Adams, viewed slavery as the great and foul stain upon the North American Union. Henry Clay called Indian expulsion a foul and lasting stain upon the good faith, humanity and character of the nation. And Jacksons reputation will always bear those indelible marks. These issues are directly applicable in our politics. Like Jackson, Trump has become the champion of poor, voiceless, white Americans. But does he view liberty as a universal gift? His dehumanization of migrants and Muslim refugees would indicate otherwise. And there has been talk of expulsion as well. Is American identity really related to ethnicity? Does American nationalism require the identification of internal enemies? Does putting America first always involve the organization of resentments and a search for scapegoats? No American hero is perfect. But it is hard to summon one who didnt see the evil of the Middle Passage and the Trail of Tears. And this makes Trumps choice of heroes a self-indictment. The biggest renovation reality show is set to return to Australian screens in a matter of weeks. And production on Channel Nine's The Block appeared to be underway in Melbourne's Elsternwick on Monday. Construction removalists and trucks were at the site putting what appeared to be two run down houses on the vacant property. Scroll down for video New site: Production on Channel Nine's The Block appeared to be underway in Melbourne's Elsternwick on Monday Workers were at the site on Friday, fencing up the property and preparing it for foundation work, according to a report by the Herald Sun. The Nine Network reportedly paid $10 million for the suburban lot in the 'up-market enclave.' Last year the show was rumored to be eyeing the notorious Gatwick Hotel in St Kilda. Handy host: Scott Cam is expected to return as host of the renovation show Work underway: Construction removalists and trucks were at the site putting what appeared to be two run down houses on the vacant property Run down: At least two old run down properties were spotted being moved onto the lot Getting to work: Construction and removalist workers were seen fencing up the property Ratings gold: The Nine Network reportedly paid $10 million for the suburban lot in the 'up-market enclave' The hotel has been the site of four murders, including 34-year-old Arthur Karatasiosis - who was stabbed to death in the foyer in 2006. But after a deal fell through, the show's producers were reportedly left to look for other options. Filming for season 13 begins on April 27, and the show is set to go to air in the latter half of this year. Hard work: Construction workers are pictured at the site Suburban land: Last year the show was rumored to be eyeing the notorious Gatwick Hotel in St Kilda. The hotel of nightmares: The hotel has been the site of four murders, including 34-year-old Arthur Karatasiosis - who was stabbed to death in the foyer in 2006 No deal: But after a deal fell through, the show's producers were reportedly left to look for other options 'Up-market enclave': Filming for season 13 begins on April 27, and the show is set to go to air in the latter half of this year Filming for season 13 begins on April 27, and the show is set to go to air in the latter half of this year. Rumors are swirling that the upcoming season will feature an elimination round similar to Season 5. Last season's host Scott Cam is believed to return as host. Producers of the show are likely to have passed the shortlisting stage after calling for: 'Long term couples, family teams and enduring friendships,' to apply for the show. New season: The new season is expected to premiere later this year Popular reality show: Last year's season of The Block was a huge hit for Channel Nine Hit show: The program attracted its highest finale ratings since 2014 Last year's season of The Block was a huge hit for the network, attracting its highest finale ratings since 2014. Young engaged couple Will Bethune and Karlie Cicero took out the winner's title, after selling the property for $2,600,000, with a profit $715,000. The Nine Network has declined to comment. Winners: Last season of the show was won by Will Bethune and Karlie Cicero Creating a dream home: The engaged couple sold the property for $2,600,000, and made a profit of $715,000 Actor Robert Blake appeared to confirm his marriage as he was spotted in Beverly Hills on Sunday, strolling arm-in-arm with Pamela Hudak, just days after filling out a marriage application at their local court house. The 83-year-old Baretta star was infamously tried for the 2001 murder of his second wife, Bonnie Lee Bakley, and was sensationally acquitted by a jury in 2005. During the walk, he was congratulated by a TMZ photographer about his 'marriage' to which he responded with a nod seemingly in approval. Blake and Hudack smiled as they strolled through the streets of the Californian celebrity enclave on Sunday, both wearing hats and sunglasses. Planning to wed: Baretta star Robert Blake, 83, and bride-to-be Pamela Hudak were spotted enjoying a Sunday stroll arm-in-arm in Beverly Hills Blake and Hudak have reportedly known one another for decades and even dated briefly back in 1991, something that Hudak revealed while testifying on Blake's behalf while he was on trial for the killing of Bakley. Bakley, the mother of Blake's daughter Rosie, was found shot dead in the passenger side seat of the actor's car after dining at an Italian restaurant in LA's Studio City neighborhood. They had only been married for a year at the time of her death. Following his acquittal in the criminal case, Blake was later found liable for the wrongful death of his wife by a jury in a civil suit brought by Bakley's three children. He was ordered to pay $30million in compensation and three months later, he filed for bankruptcy. Set to be his third wife: The veteran Hollywood actor was sensationally acquitted in 2005 of murdering his second wife Bonnie Lee Bakley in 2001 after they dined at an Italian restauran Love interest: Hudak (left) testified on Blakes behalf during his murder trial for the killing of Bakley (right), the mothger of his daughter Rosie one year after they wed Crime scene: Bakley was shot in the head while sitting in a car waiting for her husband who had returned to the restaurant to collect a gun he had mistakenly left there After repeated attempts to appeal the civil verdict, the actor was eventually able to get the amount reduced to $15million. The actor also owes millions in unpaid legal fees for his defense in the case, and a tax lien was filed against his property by the state of California in 2010 for over $1million. And in 2016 he revealed that he is currently suffering from incontinence and has to wear 'rubber underwear' after being stopped on the street in Beverly Hills. He is with Hudak in a video of his reveal, which was obtained by Radar Online, but claimed that she was his nurse. 'What would a beautiful woman like this want with a busted up old 82-year-old wreck of a cowboy?' asked Blake, before detailing his bowel struggles. Acquittal: Blake didn't hide his joy after he was found not guilty of his wife's murder at his 2005 murder trial. He was later found liable for Bakley's wrongful death in a civil suit 'That's what happens when you get old and you have to have a nurse with you so you don't have an accident,' said Blake, while staring directly into the camera. Hudak, who Blake introduced as Lelo DesFraga', stood by the actor giggling throughout the interview. The conversation eventually moved away from Blake's incontinence to his claim that he would soon be flying to New York City and auditioning for a role on Broadway. It is unclear if he ever made it to that audition, which he claimed was to play one of the cowboys in a stage adaptation of the Annie Proulx short story 'Brokeback Mountain.' That story was famously made into a motion picture back in 2005, starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger as the two lovesick cowboys. She's become a household name after her 'marriage' to Andrew Jones unraveled in dramatic fashion on the current season of Married At First Sight. But Cheryl Maitland's off-screen antics have also captured the public's attention. The 25-year-old hairdresser made headlines last month after a video emerged of her snorting white powder off her bikini-clad breasts. Scroll down for video New image: On Monday, a third topless photo of Cheryl Maitland emerged, showing the MAFS star sitting at a table showing off her ample assets Now, a new topless photo of Cheryl has emerged - the third to be leaked in a matter of weeks. In the new image, the star sits at an outdoor setting with her ample assets fully exposed, while appearing in mid conversation. Cheryl wears heavy makeup around her eyes, and her brunette locks are worn loosely and straightened. The star's plump pout is also noticeable. It seems the image was taken at a party, with drinks and a packet of cigarettes seen on the table. Party: One of the previously leaked images showed Cheryl forgoing a top. It's unknown whether the new image was taken on the same ocassion, as both pictures seems to show the star wearing racy black lingerie and a garter Cheryl has previously revealed to The Herald Sun that she once worked as a topless waitress, but told the publication she no longer works in that industry. 'For a brief time I was a topless waitress but that's now well and truly in my past,' she said, despite reports that the topless images were only a few months old. It is unknown whether the photo was taken on the same date as one of the prior images- with both pictures seemingly showing her wearing racy black lingerie with a garter. 'Well and truly in my past': Cheryl told The Herald Sun she once worked as a topless waitress The second topless photo to emerge showed Cheryl laughing as she stands on a hotel balcony in broad daylight with another topless pal. The star tilts her head back with laughter, seemingly without a care in the world. Cheryl frequently shares racy images to Instagram which show her flaunting her fantastic physique and very busty assets. She has previously told NW that she had undergone a boob job after being teased at school. 'I hit puberty really late, and as a result, I was teased for many years for my lack of bust,' she told the magazine earlier this month. Hitting headlines: A video showed Cheryl snorting white powder off her breasts 'Out of context': Cheryl said she had 'no regrets' about the video 'So when I finished school I thought, I want to do this for myself and feel more comfortable in my skin, so I had a breast augmentation,' she continued to explain. In the interview, the star also addressed her plump pout. 'I love full lips, it's a look I like and I think it looks good. I don't do it for anyone else but myself. It's my body, I can do what I want with it as long as it makes me feel good,' Cheryl said. Busting out! Cheryl frequently shares snaps that show off her ample assets, which she revealed are surgically enhanced The topless photo drama came after a short clip showed Cheryl snorting white powder off her breasts. After the video went viral, the star told OK! that she had 'no regrets' and that the clip was 'taken out of context'. Cheryl's off-screen drama was mirrored by the rocky relationship she had with her 'husband' Andrew on the hit reality show. The pair voted to leave the show and end their marriage experiment last week, after Andrew made disparaging comments about his 'wife' during a boy's night. Advertisement She has been seeking love during her prolonged stint on Celebs Go Dating. And Jorgie Porter proved any man would be lucky to have her as she lived it up at the Le Royal Meridien hotel during a recent trip to Dubai - showing off her phenomenal physique in the process. The 29-year-old former Hollyoaks star slipped into a stunning white bikini, designed by Lipsy, which helped enhance both her super perky cleavage atop her incredibly taut abs for her trip along the sun-drenched shores. Scroll down for video A bit of all white: Jorgie Porter proved any man would be lucky to have her as she lived it up at the Le Royal Meridien hotel during a recent trip to Dubai - showing off her phenomenal physique in the process Jorgie soared to fame on Hollyoaks after scooping the role of Theresa McQueen in 2008, although she departed the Channel 4 programme last year - leaving her open to a stint on I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here. Her white bikini top boasted a padded top which helped give her perky cleavage an extremely generous boost while the halterneck strap featured a silver adornment just above the body of the garment. The Trafford-born beauty also flashed her incredibly taut abs as her low-slung bottoms sat far down on her hips while drawing further attention with the matching adornments to her top. She wore her blonde tresses in long lengths with a sweeping fringe while adding a designer touch to the barely-there getup with her stunning sunglasses which partially concealed her make-up free face. Feeling playful? The 29-year-old former Hollyoaks star slipped into a stunning white bikini which helped enhance both her super perky cleavage atop her incredibly taut abs for her trip along the sun-drenched shores Giving a boost: Her white bikini top boasted a padded top which helped give her perky cleavage an extremely generous boost while the halterneck strap featured a silver adornment just above the body of the garment Jorgie's journey to finding love on the E4 dating show had been smoother than most - until she unexpectedly decided things weren't going to work out with her date James. The pair had instant chemistry and were falling fast - until her feelings began to cool during a visit to his hometown of Bournemouth, where his over-eager friends put her off. James acting awkwardly when invited him to be her plus one at a celeb event was the last straw for Jorgie, who called time on their short-lived romance. Playing around: Jorgie soared to fame on Hollyoaks after scooping the role of Theresa McQueen in 2008, although she departed the Channel 4 programme last year - leaving her open to a stint on I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here Stunner: Her white bikini top boasted a padded top which helped give her perky cleavage an extremely generous boost while the halterneck strap featured a silver adornment just above the body of the garment Things haven't been going too well for her since, with the petite blonde going on a cringe-inducing date with boxer Kelvin, who forgot her name. Meanwhile, Celebs Go Dating receptionist Tom has teased he is hopeful some of the stars on the dating agency's books will find love. 'I'm wildly optimistic about Ferne McCann and I'm also feeling very hopeful about Perri Kiely,' the lovable lad told Star magazine. He was less than impressed with axed star Stephen Bear, however, who he called a 'misfit'. Tom said: 'Sometimes I enjoyed his mischievousness, but at other times it was a bit exhausting.' Beaming beauty: He was less than impressed with axed star Stephen Bear, however, who he called a 'misfit'. Tom said: 'Sometimes I enjoyed his mischievousness, but at other times it was a bit exhausting' Doing her thing: She wore her blonde tresses in long lengths with a sweeping fringe while adding a designer touch to the barely-there getup with her stunning sunglasses which partially concealed her make-up free face He's been sworn to secrecy on the plot of Broadchurch. And whilst Charlie Higson was able to bat away questions about the series during his appearance on Monday's Good Morning Britain, the actor accidentally let an obscenity slip during the chat. Leaving Susanna Reid and Piers Morgan red-faced, the 58-year-old actor was forced to apologise after saying the word 'a**e'. Scroll down for video Oops: Charlie Higson was able to bat away questions about Broadchurch on Monday's Good Morning Britain, but the actor accidentally let an obscenity slip during the chat Discussing his change of pace from doing comedy work to the drama of Broadchurch, he explained: 'It was very difficult doing this as I couldnt fall back on any of the tricks we do in comedy - donning a wig and a padded a**e...' Jumping in, Piers was quick to announce: 'I dont think we can say that!' As Charlie said 'I apologise', Susanna warned 'Shall we use the word bottom?' Cheeky! Leaving Susanna Reid and Piers Morgan red-faced, the 58-year-old actor was forced to apologise after saying the word 'a**e' Charlie stars as Ian Winterman in Broadchurch - the estranged husband of Trish (Julie Hesmondhalgh) - who has been raped by an unknown attacker. With the identity of the sexual predator unknown, viewers have speculated if Ian could be to blame for the sickening attack. Discussing the secrecy around the identity of the attacker, Charlie sighed :'Its impossible to do an interview about it as it can be picked apart!' Let slip: Discussing his change of pace from doing comedy work to the drama of Broadchurch, he explained: 'It was very difficult doing this as I couldnt fall back on any of the tricks we do in comedy - donning a wig and a padded a**e...' Tame: As Charlie said 'I apologise', Susanna warned 'Shall we use the word bottom?' Pushing further, Susanna asked: 'Who knew at the beginning who was to blame?' Squirming, Charlie responded: 'Those who needed to know were told in advance.' But the interview ended on a hilarious note, as Piers asked the star what he would do on his last day on earth. Deadpan, Charlie quipped: 'If it was my last day Id go to a desert island with my two favourite people... you two', before admitting he would rather be stranded with a host of tarantulas than Piers. She jetted to Singapore to perform at the Make The Future festival. But it wasn't all work for Pixie Lott as she stripped down to her bikini to cool off in an infinity pool at her resort. Taking to Instagram on Sunday, the songstress, 26, showed off her phenomenal figure as she shared snaps in her skimpy two-piece. Scroll down for video A Lott on show! Taking to Instagram on Sunday, Pixie Lott, 26, showed off her phenomenal figure as she shared snaps from Singapore in her skimpy two-piece Flaunting her impeccably toned abs and cleavage, the All About Tonight hitmaker donned a sexy crop top style bikini top adorned with netting. Gazing away from the lens with her golden locks slicked back from the water, she sizzled in the saucy snap which she captioned: 'Good morning sunshine'. She shared another snap from the day, kneeling to show off her peachy posterior in her high-waisted bottoms. Life's a peach: Pixie - who is in Singapore for the Make The Future festival - shared another snap from the day, kneeling to show off her peachy posterior in her high-waisted bottoms Pixie shared more snaps in her bikini on Friday as she relaxed in the balmy climes. But the starstruck performer was prepared for the blistering heat as she donned bold cherry coloured chic sunglasses. She shared the picturesque photographs on Instagram saying, 'Singapore swimzzz.' (sic) She added with another picture, 'So happy to be back in Singapore singing for the #makethefuture festival tomorrow.' She's not wearing a Lott! Pixie strips to skimpy mesh bikini as she rocks wet look at poolside on Thursday before she was set to perform at the Make The Future festival in Singapore today Stunning: The fairy-like songstress rocked the wet look as she emerged from the water with her sun kissed golden tresses drenched Her risque snaps come as Pixie arrived in style in Milan, Italy with her model fiance Oliver. The 26-year-old pop songstress looked incredible in a heavily fringed white coat, which she teamed with a pair of skinny jeans. Despite the cold Italian weather, Pixie ensured to dress for style in the statement outerwear. All eyes on her! The chart-topper looked incredible in a heavily fringed white coat as she stepped out in Milan, Italy at the end of last month The Mama Do hitmaker teamed the striking number with a white figure-hugging top which boasted a subtle razor cut neckline. A pair of funky pink and orange trainers complemented her ankle-grazing jeans. The former Strictly Come Dancing contestant sported a subtle slick of make-up, which consisted of blush-infused cheeks - placing more emphasis on her trendy over-sized spectacles. Fringe benefits: Despite the cold Italian weather, Pixie ensured to dress for style in the statement outerwear Hunk: The singer was joined by her model fiance Oliver Cheshire who looked handsome in a cool red, white and a black bomber jacket, which he paired with jeans and white trainers Style queen: The Mama Do hitmaker teamed the striking number with a white figure-hugging top which boasted a subtle razor cut neckline With her glamorous centre parted blonde locks blowing effortlessly in the wind, Pixie looked the picture of happiness as her other half closely followed. Oliver, who has been dating Pixie for six years, looked handsome in a cool red, white and a black bomber jacket, which he paired with jeans and white trainers. The pair showed no signs of jet-lag despite partying the night away in the British capital on Friday. Walking the walk: A pair of funky pink and orange trainers complimented her jeans Stunner! The former Strictly Come Dancing contestant sported a slick of make-up, which consisted of blush-infused cheeks - placing more emphasis on her trendy over-sized spectacles Details: She accessorised with a chic gold handbag which featured a nautical strap Mane attraction: With her glamorous centre parted blonde locks blowing effortlessly in the wind, Pixie looked the picture of happiness as her other half closely followed Energy: Pixie cradled a cup of coffee to give herself a much needed caffeine boost The beautiful twosome were at the American-themed cocktail bar to celebrate Pixie's sister Charlie-Ann's birthday. The two sisters enjoy a close relationship, with Pixie serving as maid-of-honour at Charlie-Ann's wedding in 2013. The popstar was clearly determined to spoil her sister on her birthday and posted a picture of the two enjoying brunch at a Zizzi restaurant earlier in the day. Busy twosome: The pair showed no signs of jet-lag despite partying the night away in the British capital on Friday Happy birthday! She posed with her sister Charlie-Ann as they enjoyed brunch on the morning Pixie captioned the image: 'Birthday brunch with my favourite girlllll @lottcharlieann at our fave @wearezizzi' (sic) The sisters looked casual in the snap with Charlie-Ann wrapped up in a cosy cardigan with a fur trim. Pixie wrapped her arm around Charlie-Ann as they posed for the picture, clasping glasses of champagne. Perhaps the sisters discussed plans for Pixie's upcoming nuptials over their bubbles. She's currently enjoying a getaway in Dubai with her personal trainer beau Ryan Libbey. And Louise Thompson showed off her sensational figure yet again in another racy snap posted on Instagram on Monday. The Made in Chelsea star, 26, showed off her assets in the extreme plunging swimsuit, featuring cut-outs at the midriff. Scroll down for video Sizzling: Louise Thompson showed off her sensational figure yet again in a plunging swimsuit The brunette beauty captioned the snap: 'The question I keep asking myself. Why don't I live in a hot country ? I look and feel a lot healthier'. Showing off her tanned complexion, Louise wore her long tresses swept to one side in loose waves. Looking glamorous as ever, she finished off the look with lashings of mascara and a rose-tinted lipstick. Gym buff: Ryan posted a shirtless snap to his Instagram followers that showed off his muscular physique and washboard abs Sexy snap: The reality star also displayed her enviably taut abs in a nude bralette, while promoting a new shampoo and hair conditioner Earlier in the day, Louise had posted another snap of herself in a patterned one-shoulder swimsuit, once again showing off her enviably toned figure. The reality star also displayed her taut abs in a nude bralette, while promoting a new shampoo and hair conditioner. Meanwhile, Ryan posted a shirtless snap to his Instagram followers that showed off his muscular physique and washboard abs. Glam: Louise had posted another snap of herself in a patterned one-shoulder swimsuit, once again showing off her toned figure No rest: Showing the hard work that goes into maintaining their incredible physiques, Ryan also shared a snap of himself and Louise in their gym gear Showing the hard work that goes into maintaining their incredible physiques, he also shared a snap of himself and Louise in their gym gear, captioning the snap: 'Taking Rocky Balboa out for a workout.' On Sunday, Ryan posted a sizzling photograph of themselves, which showed Louise in a khaki bikini featuring a cleavage-baring keyhole. But while the duo looked picture perfect, he poked fun at his stunning other half, writing: 'She looks like a 10/10 but she just farted'. '10/10': Ryan had earlier posted a photograph of themselves, which showed Louise in a khaki bikini featuring a cleavage-baring keyhole Stunning: The 26-year-old Made In Chelsea star looked phenomenal in the snap in which she wore a sexy keyhole bikini, while her beefcake beau gazed down at her - perhaps in shock, or even disgust, given his alarming revelation in the caption 'Whooping it up': Earlier in the day, she struck a playful pose in a monochrome string bikini with her toned arms raised and her hands entwined in her natural chocolate tresses in a snap titled 'As my dad would say "whooping it up" in Dubai Earlier in the day, Louise struck a playful pose in a monochrome string bikini with her toned arms raised and her hands entwined in her natural chocolate tresses in a snap titled 'As my dad would say "whooping it up" in Dubai. The confident beauty's taut tummy and enviable pins were fully on display with the clear azure waters and white sand of the United Arab Emirates clearly visible in the background. Showing an exceptional eye for detail in her beach attire, the ebony and ivory theme continued down to her on-trend sliders. Changing the pace for the second social media snap, a beaming Louise is seen enjoying a leisurely breakfast, with iced coffee and croissants. The good life: The petite beauty looked none the worse for wear despite the seven hour flight and chilled out with an iced coffee and croissants Hiding her eyes behind charcoal aviators, the glowing star looked effortlessly chic in an eggshell blue coat with a lightweight vest top. Giving her outfit the Chelsea edge was a jade snakeskin bag. Not to be outdone in the pose-off, Ryan channelled his inner David Gandy for a moody shot on the beach, and revealed an unusual nickname for his petite love. He said: 'Touched down in Dubai with my chipmunk @louise.thompson' Keeping his look beach fresh, he donned dark Ray-Bans, teamed with a white polo shirt, black shorts and navy boat shoes. Giving her a run for her money? Louise's muscular beau Ryan also had a go at striking a modelesque pose on the beach with skyscrapers perfectly framing the shot Louise has been enjoying being back in the city for the first time since she jetted out to Dubai with her Made In Chelsea co-stars back in 2012 to celebrate her 22nd birthday. She had already put on a very racy display as she posed in a plunging swimsuit on Friday. Louise showed off her toned pins in the black halterneck jumpsuit in an Instagram snap to her 969,000 followers. Racy: Louise has also posed in a plunging swimsuit while on holiday in Dubai on Friday But she appeared to make a dig at her former MIC co-stars, captioning the picture: 'Beach + skyscrapers. I can't get over this place. 'It's been 5 years since I was last in Dubai (filming with Made in Chelsea) but I wanted to revisit with a fresh perspective and better company. 'Plus I'm seeking refuge to recover from the removal of 4 x wisdom teeth! and the ensuing chipmunk face.' Blooming lovely: The 26-year-old flashed her abs as she posed in a lacy floral bustier as she posed for a selfie last week This time around, Louise put on a typically stylish display, accessorising the daring one-piece with a stylish green tote, black pom-pom loafers and a pair of large shades. The reality star shared another sexy Instagram snap last week, in which she looked incredible in a pretty push-up rose bustier. Displaying her rock-hard abs and wearing her hair in tousled waves, she posed with a can of fake tan, a couple of months after her brother Sam poked fun at her constant posts. Another day, another bikini: She recently took the opportunity to show off her svelte figure - this time in a bikini adorned with dollar bills while on holiday in Sri Lanka Louise captioned the image with the words: 'Been keeping my holiday tan topped up with my new favourite @utanandtone Turbo Tan. 'This tan is great because it's free of nasty chemicals and parabens which is important to me. The colour is really dark yet natural.' Her followers quickly bombarded Louise with compliments and fashion requests. Beachy: Louise ran her fingers through her wet hair in yet another swimsuit snapshot One wrote: '@louise.thompson the best thing in this photo is that bra top and the way your curvy bits fill it. Brava! x'. Another fashion-forward fan added: 'Woah I want the bra and bod!' She has honed her already petite figure into a flawless muscle machine over the past year. Meanwhile, her artfully posed slew of bikini snaps in recent weeks has prompted her brother Sam to tease her mercilessly via Instagram, even revealing how she achieves the perfect 'selfie'. The cheeky Made In Chelsea star even posted a snap showing the lengths his sister and her beau Ryan Libbey will go to share the snaps. Sam used an Instagram Story to show how a professional photography and lighting team appeared to be involved in setting up some of his sister's snapshots. It featured one image from beside a pool with two figures, who appear to be the couple, sat in front of a professional camera. Louise enjoyed an idyllic trip to Sri Lanka in January, where she has spent much of the holiday stripping off to show off the figure Ryan has helped her hone. Secret's out! Hilariously, her co-star brother Sam recently decided to out the lengths the couple will go to in order to share their self-promoting, body-baring snaps - with the results including a professional photographer and lighting team Still going! Louise shared a series of artistically posed images on the romantic break for two The genetically-blessed pair shared images on their respective social media accounts with Ryan teasing Louise for stealing screen time. He added a caption on the shot reading : 'Trying to get some camera time on my own before the misses takes over, again!... She caught me red handed though...' The ripped couple have posed in a number of images - often with both in front of the camera leading to questions over who was snapping. This is the second time Sam has laid into the couple on this holiday alone, as he recently enlisted the help of his co-star girlfriend Tiffany Watson to replicate his sibling's picture, in which Ryan scooped her up with one hand. Louise, who has undergone a massive body transformation of late after hooking up with her personal trainer beau, litters her social media accounts with sponsored posts, often publicising fashion brands. Life's a beach! Louise posted another snap on Instagram recently of the couple enjoying 'tans, tummy feeding and top knots' on their Sri Lankan break Top joker: Yet Sam, who frequently mocks his sister on social media, took to his Instagram story to share an image from beside a pool with two figures who appear to be the couple sat in front of a professional camera Ouch! This is the second time Sam has laid into the couple on this holiday alone, as he enlisted the help of his co-star girlfriend Tiffany Watson to replicate his sibling's picture, in which Ryan scooped her up with one hand While the brunette beauty wins thousands of likes on the posts, hilarious Sam opted to swoop on his sister's penchant for promotion by mimicking her snaps near-exactly - much to her chagrin. The funnyman recruited Tiffany to help him rib Louise's self-satisfied snap, which she posted on Monday from her New Year Maldives getaway. Louise posed in a powerful shot in which Ryan made a seemingly effortless move to launch the brunette reality star into the air with just one hand, while the caption read: 'We're gonna crush 2017'. Eek! The couple were seen stumbling around on the grass as Sam tried and failed to lift her into the air - with great difficulty Agh! Slimline Tiffany seemed outraged that she could not be erected with ease, as she gasped: 'Can you really not lift me?' before they eventually managed a feeble imitation of her the original snap Hilarious Sam, who recently enjoyed a romantic break in Morocco, shared a video which opened with the image of Louise and Ryan before transcending into a slip with Tiffany. The couple were seen stumbling around on the grass as Sam tried and failed to lift her into the air - with great difficulty. Slimline Tiffany seemed outraged that she could not be hoisted with ease, as she gasped: 'Can you really not lift me?' before they eventually managed a feeble imitation of her the original snap. Don't hurt yourself: It looked as though Sam was at risk of dropping his girlfriend Who wore it best? Sam raided his sister Louise's wardrobe for a third time as he continues to mock her Instagram poses At the start of the year, Sam raided his sister wardrobe for a third time as mocked her Instagram poses by teaming a slinky lace minidress with an eye-catching statement necklace for the amusing snap. Remaining straight-faced for the comical picture, Sam was unable to match Louise's impressive plump pout. He leaned against the same fireplace from his sister's snap, with an abstract art piece hanging above his left shoulder. The cheeky chappy wrote beside the image: 'Just being strong and independent in our misspap loungewear... for discount use Louise's code: I'm a k**b' Taking the mickey: Sam took the mickey out of his sister Louise, as he uploaded a picture of himself wearing the same feminine sequined frock Recycled: Louise shared a stunning shot clad in a lace grey dress last week, but little brother Sam couldn't resist mimicking the shot He previously slipped into some festive sequins to imitate the brunette beauty, 26. Doing a convincing impression of his big sister, Sam even flicked his head back with vigor to create the same flirty pose as Louise. Captioning the picture in the tiny white minidress, Sam wrote: 'Me and @louise.thompson slaying in sequins.' In a nod to Louise's penchant for fashion promotions, he name-dropped the brand, adding: 'Rocking our #motelrocks And you guys thought last week was a one off! Louise.....YOU'RE A BELLPIECE' The public takedown began earlier this month when Sam playfully attacked Louise's 'barrage' of Instagram posts by posting a shot of his own. Moving on: Louise didn't let being mocked deter her from sharing more snaps, taking to the photo-sharing site just hours later to post another shot of herself, this time clad in her lingerie Somehow getting hold of one of his sibling's ensembles, he expertly mirrored a snap she'd uploaded the week before, complete with the same accessories and sultry pout. He quipped: 'After the past months barrage of @louise.thompson instagrams...I think it's time I took some serious p**s! 'So here we go! Gliding into 2017 wearing our Lacey #axparis dresses.' Adding insult to injury, Sam's post garnered a whopping 36,700 likes, whilst Louise's original post only received 15,800. Before seeing the huge amount of likes he had amassed, Louise commented: 'OMG, you freak !!! If you get more likes than me @samthompsonuk.' Fuming: Louise jokingly labelled Sam a 'freak' after seeing the post Luckily, Louise later saw the funny side, commenting on his post: 'I guess you're going to get endorsed by ladies frocks now?' And whilst she may have been joking, fans seemed to suggest this could be the case, with one quipping: 'I saw Louise's post and loved the dress. Now I love it even more.' Other fans then hunted down Louise's original post, merely to tease that Sam had 'worn it better'. But she didn't let it deter her, taking to the photo-sharing site just hours later to post another shot of herself, this time clad in her lingerie. Last month she announced she was expecting her first child with fiance Jason Statham later this year. But Rosie Huntington-Whiteley showed no signs of a burgeoning baby bump as she smouldered in a new campaign for footwear brand, UGG. In the stunning photos, the 29-year-old British beauty manages to obscure any glimpse of her stomach, despite stripping down a bikini for the beach shoot. Scroll down for video A look only Rosie could pull off! British beauty Rosie Huntington-Whiteley smoulders in new campaign photos for footwear brand UGG, with the pregnant star wearing a bikini teamed with Ugg boots The shoot, which took place in Malibu, was styled by fashion icon Rachel Zoe, with 29-year-old Rosie covering her torso in several pictures with a tassled blanket. However, the campaign photos may have been taken before the blonde beauty started showing, as Rosie reveals no signs of a baby bump in another photo in which she lies back on a bed. The star poses with her two beloved Daschunds, Dolly and Peggy, with one of the canines sitting squarely on Rosie's flat stomach. Before the baby bump: It seems the pictures may have been taken before Rosie announced her baby news, as she displays no signs of pregnancy as she poses with her beloved Daschunds The model and actress showed off her long legs as she kicks them into the air, and goes without pants in the image. In several other shots, Rosie wears a billowing floral dress as she lazes by the seaside. Other photos reveal Rachel, who is one of Hollywood's most in-demand stylists, putting the finishing touches on Rosie's outfits. British beauty: Rosie looks effortlessly beautiful in the new campaign shots Ready for a new role: Rosie is a model and actress, and will become a mother later this year after announcing her baby news last month After the shoot, Rachel stated that, 'Styling Rosie... was a dream come true. Weve known each other for years and just inherently get each other. There is a huge admiration both personally and professionally which made the shoot so much fun'. The 46-year-old stylist also took to Instagram, to share selfie of the pair that showed them blowing kisses to the camera. Stylish duo: Rachel said that styling Rosie was 'a dream come true' And Rosie also shared several of the UGG shots with her 7 million Instagram photos. 'Had such a fab day in Malibu shooting the campaign with @rachelzoe and team UGG!' Rosie wrote. Finishing touches: Rosie managed to nail the unusual look with a helping hand from Rachel Famous friends: Rosie and Rachel make for a stylish pair Meanwhile, Rosie and Jason chose to announce their pregnancy news with a similar beach shot. Rosie posed in a bikini against a tropical backdrop with the caption, 'Very happy to share that Jason and I are expecting!! Lots of love Rosie x Photo by @jasonstatham' The couple have been dating since 2010, and Jason popped the question with a dazzling 243,000 engagement ring. Baby news: Rosie announced her news with a stunning beach photo One story tells the tale of a meek and beautiful captive taken prisoner by a beast, the other a reality star famed for her sensational figure and saucy on-screen antics. And despite the stark differences, Olivia Buckland still managed to draw comparisons from Beauty And The Beast protagonist Belle as she posed braless in an entirely sheer top for a sizzling social media snap on Saturday. The 22-year-old Love Island star penned a caption reading: '21st century Belle', as she likened herself to the cartoon character due to the strategically placed roses placed over her nipples - in a feeble inspiration from Belle. Scroll down for video Ahem... Olivia Buckland managed to draw comparisons from Beauty And The Beast protagonist Belle as she posed braless in an entirely sheer top for a sizzling social media snap on Saturday Olivia looked simply sensational in the snap, which she shared as part of her Olive's Outfit hashtag - after turning into something of a fashion and beauty blogger since her stint on the ITV2 show last year. In the sizzling shot she showed off her incredibly perky cleavage from beneath the black mesh which was adorned with intricately embroidered roses all over. She pulled her very best pout in the shot, while also showing off her flawless make-up complete with a slick of plum lipstick and highlighter beneath her eyes. The Essex-born beauty a caption on the Instagram shhot reading: 'Roses in all the right places #BelleOnAcid .. bodysuit game - @motelrocks #OlivesOutfits #motelrocks (obvs this can be worn with a bra too....)' Belle? The 22-year-old Love Island star penned a caption reading: '21st century Belle', as she likened herself to the cartoon character due to the strategically placed roses placed over her nipples - in a feeble inspiration from Belle Sizzling: Olivia looked simply sensational in the snap, which she shared as part of her Olive's Outfit trend - where she has turned into something of a fashion and beauty blogger since her stint on the ITV2 show last year Additionally Olivia, who is engaged to her Love Island co-star Alex Bowen, added a caption on her Twitter version of the post, reading: 'Tale as old as time..#21stCenturyBelle @motelrocks'. Her fans were distracted from her comparison due to the sheer admiration of her stunning form as users wrote: 'How the hell do you get your boobs to just stay... Omg I'm totally straight but your boobs are incredddible girlll!!!... Just cos her boobs fit in this top doesn't mean she's had her boobs done...' And while she was lavished with praise, as usual with social media she was also criticised by trolls writing: 'fake boobs do stay, I'm pretty sure hers are fake sorry if not ... Just cos her boobs fit in this top doesn't mean she's had her boobs done'. Hit back: Additionally Olivia, who is engaged to her Love Island co-star Alex Bowen, added a caption on her Twitter version of the post, reading: 'Tale as old as time..#21stCenturyBelle @motelrocks' When Olivia left Love Island, she garnered a legion of social media followers and often took to Instagram to share pictures of her sizzling body - which often led to claims of Photoshop and digital wizardry. Yet Olivia has always blasted the suggestions, as she hit back at followers by claiming she lost weight after Love Island atop having a tattoo on her waist, which provides the illusion of a more slender physique. In a recent interview with MailOnline, she finally put the rumours to bed as she said: 'It sounds stuck up but I don't have a reason to, I don't need to Photoshop. Sexy: Yet Olivia has always blasted the suggestions, as she hit back at followers by claiming she lost weight after Love Island atop having a tattoo on her waist, which provides the illusion of a more slender physique 'I go to the gym, I eat well, I work hard for my body. I'm naturally blessed, I can't keep sticking up for myself. It's just a case of eat well, go to the gym, just try and be happy for people rather than jealous of people. 'The reason I respond to trolls is because I don't like people thinking they can speak to anyone in that way. I don't want girls to sit there and think they can take it if they're being trolled or people are being nasty. 'You have to stick up for yourself and I want to get that message across. If they wanna say I've photoshopped, I should take it as a compliment really. I've got an amazing camera which makes my skin look nice but I'd never Photoshop.' She's been on a three week holiday, celebrating her 25th wedding anniversary with her husband Steve Smith. And returning to her eponymous morning chat show on Monday, after her lengthy break, Lorraine Kelly told Good Morning Britain hosts Susanna Reid and Piers Morgan all about the trip. Mostly of note was the -29C Antarctic dip she did in her bikini, which was actually broadcast live on the show. Scroll down for video 'There were a lot of bemused penguins at that point,' Lorraine quipped. 'But it was fantastic, it really was!' Piers reminded viewers that Lorraine was celebrating her anniversary, to which the 57-year-old TV presenter explained the secret to her long marriage. 'He still makes me laugh, he makes me happy. Hes my pal. I do love him!' she said. Lorraine Kelly reveals all about her icy Antarctic dip last month in her bikini... as Piers Morgan can't help but compliment her on her beach body Lewd: Piers couldn't help but make a slightly cringe-worthy remark at this point, saying - 'I think weve seen what makes him happy; its that bikini' Freezing: She later elaborated on how she had to keep her hat and gloves on for the polar dip, given the below freezing conditions of the waters Piers couldn't help but make a slightly cringe-worthy remark at this point, saying: 'I think weve seen what makes him happy; its that bikini!' She later elaborated on how she had to keep her hat and gloves on for the polar dip, given the below freezing conditions of the waters. Lorraine isn't shy about her love for health and fitness - potentially why she felt brave enough to strip down to her swimwear on live TV. Brave: Lorraine Kelly, 57, stripped down to her bikini to wade into -29C icy Antarctic waters live on television as she celebrates her 25th wedding anniversary with husband Steve Smith What a love: Talking to camera, while wearing a furry hat and very warm looking coat, Lorraine said: 'This is a first for me, this is Antarctica... and I'm going in' Talking to camera, while wearing a furry hat and very warm looking coat, Lorraine said: 'This is a first for me, this is Antarctica... and I'm going in.' Suddenly removing her red jacket, she faced her back to the camera as she ran into the freezing waters, while wearing a colourful printed bikini. While her husband was no doubt behind the camera, Lorraine proved she had no fear as she went straight in while giggling. What a woman! Suddenly removing her red jacket, she faced her back to the camera as she ran into the freezing waters, while wearing a colourful printed bikini Having a blast: While her husband was no doubt behind the camera, Lorraine proved she had no fear as she went straight in while giggling Understandably keeping her hat and gloves on, the early morning presenter seemed fearless during her 8:55am video link. 'Cheeky Lorraine, well done!' Christine said in shock as the camera panned back to her. According to the Sunday Post, Lorraine's pilgrimage to Antarctica is to follow in the footsteps of her hero, explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton. You've gotta do what you've gotta do: Understandably keeping her hat and gloves on, the early morning presenter seemed fearless during her 8:55am video link She said: 'Ive always been fascinated by explorers and in Shackletons day Antarctica was like going to the moon. 'He was a remarkable man and Ive been an admirer since childhood. Im heading to Antarctica, Elephant Island and South Georgia, following the route of Shackletons Endurance Trans-Antarctic Expedition. 'Steve will be filming for my show and Ill be writing about the journey. I will, of course, be visiting his grave, raising a glass and toasting "the boss".' She gave birth to her first child, Jonathan Rosebanks Shulman, last March. And Anne Hathaway took a well deserved break from parenting duties as she enjoyed a relaxed solo shopping spree in Los Angeles last week. The Oscar-winning actress, 34, looked effortlessly chic in a low-cut striped top and billowing black skirt as she made the most of the sunny Californian spring weather. Scroll down for video Dressed to impress: Anne Hathaway took a well deserved break from parenting duties as she enjoyed a relaxed solo shopping spree in Los Angeles last week Opting for a Parisian look, the mother-of-one donned a chic black skirt, cutting off just below her knees. Shielding her eyes from the beaming sun, Anne donned a pair of black-tinted sunglasses while topping her brunette locks with a cream straw fedora. Ever the fashionista, the Devil Wears Prada actress toted her belongings in a simple straw handbag, perfectly matching her hat. Fun in the sun: The Oscar-winning actress, 34, looked effortlessly chic in a low-cut striped top and billowing black skirt as she made the most of the sunny Californian weather Loved up: The actress recently opened up about her marriage to actor Adam Shulman, admitting his love has 'changed her' Showing off her natural beauty, Anne shunned all traces of make-up as she enjoyed her rare break from film sets and mummy duties. The actress recently opened up about her marriage to actor Adam Shulman, admitting his love has 'changed her'. Talking to the US edition of ELLE magazine, Anne explained: 'He changed my ability to be in the world comfortably. I think the accepted narrative now is that we, as women, don't need anybody. 'But I need my husband. His unique and specific love has changed me,' she continued. First glimpse: On International Women's Day, Anne shared the first photo of her son in an Instagram post, showing the little boy watching his mom speak out for women's rights The actress, who has been married to Shulman for four years, recently appeared at the UN for International Women's Day to fight for paid parental leave in the US. She said she became passionate about the issue after her son Jonathan Rosebanks was born and revealed she 'can't believe we don't already have it.' Anne continued: 'When [my son] Johnny was a week old and I was holding him and I was in the ninth level of ecstasy, I just all of a sudden thought, "Mommy guilt is invented nonsense". 'We're encouraged to judge each other, but we should be turning our focus to the people and institutions who should be supporting us and currently aren't.' Anne is set to star in the all-female reboot of Ocean's Eight - set for release in 2018 - alongside the likes of Sandra Bullock, Cate Blanchett, Helena Bonham Carter and Rihanna. She was reportedly spotted catching up with ex Cameron Cranley recently. But on Sunday, Georgia Love, 29, stepped out solo at the Virgin Australia Melbourne Fashion Festival. The Bachelorette star looked radiant in a bell-sleeved bold-print dress that showed off her shapely pins. She paired the navy and white satin number with tan-coloured open-toe boots and a pink designer purse. Her luscious locks were straightened and worn loosely and her flawless makeup consisted of bronzer, mascara and pink lipstick. Georgia's beau Lee Elliot, 35, was nowhere in sight as she mingled with fashionistas at the event. On Monday, an unconfirmed report claimed the Channel Ten presenter was recently seen leaving an event with ex Cameron in Sydney. The two former flames were spotted together leaving the State Theatre after the premiere of Beauty and The Beast on March 9. A source told New Idea when they saw Cameron and Georgia together, they thought that Lee was not too far. 'But when I looked around, it was just the two of them and they were very close to each other.' They added: 'It's understandable if they just bumped into each other in the cinema, but when I saw them leave together, laughing and smiling from ear to ear it made me think there was more to it - but also does Lee know?' Premiere night: Georgia was spotted with The Bachelorette runner up and former flame Cameron Cranley Dinner date: A source said that the two cosy together, and seen laughing and smiling from ear to ear Flying solo? The source added that Georgia's boyfriend Lee Elliot was nowhere to be seen at the event This sighting comes after a Georgia and Lee reportedly had a blazing row, with the Bachelorette storming out mid dinner at Sydney's Da Orazio recently. In a previous interview with Daily Mail Australia, Cameron said the two made an amazing and beautiful couple. 'But when I'm not with them I couldn't tell you, I can't really comment [on whether they have broken up],' he said. Still good mates: Cameron explained that he doesn't find his friendship with Lee awkward, despite having dated the same girl The men have proven to have a great friendship with one another, even sharing pictures of their outings on Instagram. Cameron explained that he doesn't find his friendship with Lee awkward, despite having dated the same girl. 'For me it's literally hanging out with one of my best mates and his girl who I happen to know quite well,' he explained. Daily Mail Australia has reached out to Georgia Love and Cameron Cranley for comment. Advertisement She became a self-made millionaire as the founder of a webcam girl business. And Chloe Khan proved she could easily work for her own company as she slipped down to a barely-there white bikini while draping her frame in a stunning body chain during her trip to Dubai on Sunday. The 25-year-old former X Factor contestant showed off every inch of her stunning form while her eye-popping assets were barely contained in the swimwear while also adding her trademark touch of bling with the body chain. Scroll down for video Ahem: Chloe Khan proved she could easily work for her own company as she slipped down to a barely-there white bikini while draping her frame in a stunning body chain during her trip to Dubai on Sunday Chloe looked phenomenal for her trip, where she showed off her incredible figure, complete with taut abs and her heaving cleavage - the result of surgery taking her up to an eye-watering 32HH. It seemed the stunning star was determined to turn heads, as she opted for swimwear several sizes too small for her own bust - making for an extremely distracting display. The bottoms to the two-piece were as scanty as they top, with tie sides and a low-slung front meaning her taut abs, honed by hours in the gym, were on full display for all to see. Drawing further attention to her cleavage was the glimmering chain hanging along her chest while wrapping around her waist in a dainty style - perfect for showing all her best assets. Oh my: The 25-year-old former X Factor contestant showed off every inch of her stunning form while her eye-popping frame in the swimwear while also adding her trademark touch of bling with the body chain A bit of all white: Chloe looked phenomenal for her trip, where she showed off her incredible figure, complete with taut abs and her heaving cleavage - the result of surgery taking her up to an eye-watering 32HH Clearly having no intention of enjoying a dip in the ocean, Chloe's hair was perfectly styled into huge bouncy waves while cascading down to her waist in length. Her make-up was typically flawless, if extremely heavy-handed, as she wore heavy strips of false eyelashes paired with lashings of eyeliner and a full face of foundation - a bizarre addition for a trip to the beach. Proving her attention to detail, she sported a slick white manicure and pedicure which stood out boldly against her deep bronze skin tone. Stunner: It seemed the stunning star was determined to turn heads, as she opted for swimwear several sizes too small for her own bust - making for an extremely distracting display Oh my: Proving her attention to detail, she sported a slick white manicure and pedicure which stood out boldly against her deep bronze skin tone Chloe is no doubt delighted to be able to exhibit her newly shaped nose after her bandaged feature had caught attention before she jetted off to - which now appears to have fully healed. The cosmetic surgery fan reportedly underwent a second nose job to rectify sinus and breathing problems last month. A source told The Sun Online: 'Chloe recently underwent recent nose surgery to fix a deviated septum which was causing her severe sinus and breathing problems. It wasnt for vanity reasons. Her nose is still very swollen and she is in the early stages of recovery.' All white: Chloe is no doubt delighted to be able to exhibit her newly shaped nose after her bandaged feature had caught attention before she jetted off to - which now appears to have fully healed She's the doting mother of two sons - Leighton, four, and Zachary, who celebrates his ninth birthday on Tuesday. And Stacey Solomon, 27, has revealed that after she got into an car accident, she now lives in constant fear of dying and leaving her offspring behind - to the point that she has now developed 'health-induced anxiety'. Speaking on Monday's Loose Women, she got emotional as she said of her constant health checks: 'It definitely got worse when I had the boys. Before that it would come and go, but then it got stronger. I'd look at them and think, how would they survive.' Scroll down for video Anxious: Stacey Solomon revealed that she has 'health-induced anxiety' during an appearance on Monday's edition of Loose Women Opening up to her fellow panellists on the ITV chat show, she said: 'I have more checks than usual... I have health induced anxiety... I have tests done so I know what to look out for and what to be aware of. 'Its not something I think is normal, its just me and my own anxieties... People MOT their car every year, why not your body? Id rather have no car and be healthy. Thats all that matters.' Stacey, who revealed that she's also tested her genes in an effort to decipher what illness she may be more likely to develop, got choked up as she recalled the accident that triggered her persistent fear of death. Constant fear: The mother-of-two confessed that she constantly worries about dying and leaving her two sons behind Check-ups: As a result of her fear, she often goes for health check-ups to ensure all is well Opening up: The former X Factor contestant held back tears as she spoke with fellow panellists (l-r) Ruth Langsford, Linda Robson and Jane Moore Accident: She also spoke about a road accident she got into while visiting the US with her sons New love: Stacey - mother of Leighton, four, and Zachary, who celebrates his ninth birthday on Tuesday - has been in a relationship with actor Joe Swash since 2015 The ex factor: The TV personality shares son Zachary with ex-boyfriend Dean Cox and Leighton with former fiance Aaron Barnham. She said: 'The boys were with me. It was a freak accident. I was driving in America and we went past a burger stand, and the burger stand had a metal fork going into the ground. 'The wheel arch caught the fork without (me) seeing, because it was a high-up car and it just flipped the whole car over and we were all just upside down.' Getting emotional, she added: 'It was horrible, I cant remember a lot of it.' Bring your mother to work day: During the broadcast, she was joined by her mother Fiona Chilling out: She relaxed backstage before she came out to speak about her famous offspring Rebel: On the show, Fiona spoke candidly about her daughter's days as a rebellious teen Naughty! It was revealed that Stacey played truant from school and was given detensions Old school: Stacey's school photograph was projected onto the background screen Couldn't do it without you: Doting Stacey said she was 'lucky' to have Fiona as her mother Floral: Fiona looked trendy on the show, wearing floral heels with floral embroidered jeans Theme: She kept the theme going, stepping out in a sleeveless floral button-down blouse During the show's broadcast, she was joined her her mother Fiona, who recounted her daughter's days as a rebellious schoolgirl who played truant and got into detention. 'I got to a stage where I thought, what have I done, I must have been a terrible mother,' said Fiona as she sat beside her daughter Stacey. 'In the end, we took her out of school and sent her to live with her nan.' As for how Stacey has turned out now, the matriarch said: 'Shes been through a lot and how shes handled it is incredible... She's got a warm heart and sometimes thats to her downfall as she gives too much to everyone.' Rendition: Stacey then performed a rendition of Louis Armstrong's What A Wonderful World Feeling emotions: Her mother held back her emotions as her daughter put on the performance Perfect: Stacey wowed the panellists and the audience with her pitch-perfect performance All eyes on me: They all turned in their seats to watch the mother-of-two belt out the song Family first: At the end of her performance, Stacey gave her mother an affectionate hug Moved: Her mother was visibly moved after listening to the former X Factor contestant sing She's got a big heart: During the show, Fiona had spoken of Stacey's warm and caring ways Former X Factor contestant Stacey tugged at the audience's heartstrings as she said to her mother: 'I've been taught by the best. I'm very lucky to have you, mum.' Stacey then almost brought her mother to tears as she broke into an impromptu rendition of Louis Armstrong's enduring classic What A Wonderful World, after which she presented her with a bouquet of flowers and gave her a hug. The TV personality, who has been in a relationship with actor Joe Swash since 2015, shares son Zachary with ex-boyfriend Dean Cox and Leighton with former fiance Aaron Barnham. Say it with flowers: Stacey also presented her mother with a large bouquet of flowers Round of applause: The pair enjoyed another embrace as they live studio audience applauded Simply the best; Stacey cooed to her mother that she'd been taught about life by 'the best' Her work is done: After the show's broadcast, Stacey was seen leaving ITV's London studios Casual: She stepped out in a grey knitted tracksuit, while she wore her hair in a high ponytail Co-worker: She was accompanied by colleague Linda, who carried a dress dress on a hanger And one more thing...: The pair enjoyed a long chat as they stood by Linda's waiting car When they're not enduring scandal's about their son Matthew, they are often facing reports their marriage is in crisis. But on Tuesday, Patti Newton, 72, hit back at rumours she and husband Bert had split, calling the suggestion 'ridiculous.' While Bert recovered at home after being hospitalised over the weekend, Patti spoke to Confidential to set the record straight. 'It is just ridiculous': Patti Newton hit back at claims she as husband Bert have split, claiming that 'it's either Nicole and Keith, Bec and Lleyton' or them The mother-of-two joked about the claims, stating 'It's either Nicole (Kidman) and Keith (Urban), Bec and Lleyton (Hewitt) or Bert and myself, so we are in very good company.' She added: 'I should take it as a complement... It is just ridiculous, it makes us laugh'. The news comes as her husband Bert was sent home from hospital Monday after being diagnosed with pneumonia. Family is the best medicine: A smiling Bert Newton was surrounded by his grandchildren when he visited the hospital Speaking about her husband's health with the publication, Patti claimed that it was a precautionary trip. 'I think with his age and having a quadruple bypass, they are always very cautious,' she said. The 78-year-old was surrounded by family during the stay, with a photo taken in hospital showing a smiling Newton with his grandchildren. Patti was also reportedly by his side the entire time, stoically standing by her husband of 43 years. Health scare: When Bert was treated for pneumonia Patti was reportedly by his side the entire time Earlier this month though it was reported that the entertainer's love of gambling was putting his marriage in trouble. According Woman's Day, Bert was spending so much time on punting he had driven his wife to 'breaking point.' Bert's health has been a concern since 2012, when he underwent a quadruple heart bypass. The couple are also dealing with the reported split of son Matthew and his fiancee Catherine 'Cat' Schneiderman according to New Idea. The beloved Australian showbiz couple are said to 'devastated' about the rumoured split, which one of Cat's friends claiming the 24-year-old was worried Matthew was only with her due to 'her family name. Cindy Crawford has gone from queen of the catwalk to queen of the kitchen. The foodie showed off her culinary skills on Sunday after recently debuting a namesake hamburger that benefits a children's hospital. 'Waffles for @PresleyGerber! Breakfast, anyone?,' the 51-year-old supermodel captioned a photo of herself preparing the morning meal for her son. Scroll down for video From the catwalk to the kitchen! Cindy Crawford cooked a waffle breakfast for her children, Presley and Kaia, on Sunday In the photo, Cindy is seen operating a waffle iron in her family home, and dressed in casual-chic style. The knockout had on a plaid button-down top teamed with skinny jeans. Perhaps the former MTV host was using a new machine, as she appeared to have an instruction manual by her side. Burger beauty! The supermodel partnered with Umami burger on a namesake hamburger that supports charity Fine companions: Cindy's burger was designed to complement a Casamigos Tequila cocktail No doubt her son Presley, aged 17, and mini-me daughter Kaia, aged 15, will appreciate her hard work. Like their mother, the brood have found success in modelling, too. But Cindy's latest venture takes inspiration from her husband Rande Gerber's business, Casamigos Tequila. She recently unveiled a new hamburger in collaboration with the liquor brand for trendy restaurant chain Umami. For a good cause: For every burger sold, $1 will go to the American Family Children's Hospital Savory: The burger features jalapeno studded beef patties with miso-mustard The finishing touch: The burger is topped with tortilla chips and queso fresco And Cindy's Casa Burger is as mouthwatering as it sounds, featuring jalapeno studded beef patties with miso-mustard, crushed avocado, fresh tomato, butter lettuce, American cheese, caramelized onions, and is topped with tortilla chips and queso fresco. 'The great thing about every Cindy Casa Burger sold is that $1 will go to the American Family Children's Hospital,' the stunner shared in an Instagram video. Full flavor! The burger and Rande's Spice Margarita are served at Umami locations The burgers have a companion cocktail in Rande's Spice Margarita, from her husband's alcohol label. The couple married in 1998 and promoting the beverage company is a family affair. Cindy often shares on social media when she indulges with a drink or joins Rande on outings that support the brand. Her changing looks have long been up for discussion. And Charlotte Crosby has seemingly transformed once more after she shared a shocking snap in which he cosmetically-enhanced lips were plumped up once more - sparking immediate concern among fans. The 26-year-old former Geordie Shore star shared the sizzling snap in which she gazed into the camera with a smouldering stare, yet her plump pout was what courted attention as fans queried if she had 'an allergic reaction'. Scroll down for video Oh my: Charlotte Crosby has seemingly transformed once more after she shared a shocking snap in which he cosmetically-enhanced lips were plumped up once more - sparking immediate concern among fans Charlotte has always been candid about her love of cosmetic procedures, admitting to undergoing numerous sessions to plump her lips with fillers after claiming she 'had the thinnest top lip' before her regular injections. While fans are usually outraged or stunned when she shares images while proudly plumping her pout, yet Monday's snap, seemingly taken during her current vacation with boyfriend Stephen Bear, was the most shocking to date. With her skin looking extraordinarily smooth, she stunner seemed to have added in light coloured contacts while she wore her blonde locks in loose waves. Within two hours, the image garnered an eye-popping 41,727 likes alongside 632 comments in which her pout seemed to divide opinion, with some fans voicing alarm while others asked if she had suffered a reaction. That was then... The 26-year-old former Geordie Shore star shared the sizzling snap in which she gazed into the camera with a smouldering stare, yet her plump pout was what courted attention as fans queried if she had 'an allergic reaction' Shocking: Charlotte has always been candid about her love of cosmetic procedures, admitting to undergoing numerous sessions to plump her lips with fillers after claiming she 'had the thinnest top lip' before her regular injections Some of her 5.7million fans penned: 'U really think u look good with those lips..... Botched lips... She is beautiful but her lips ruin her ! They are way too big!!! Look like she's had an allergic reaction... 'She looks fucking stupid like that. Should have just left herself all natural... What the hell have u done to ur face omg...She has totally ruined her lips ....quite sad coz she is a good looking girl... Ohhh noooo sorry too far with the lips... 'Whats up with ur lips?? Or is it an app x... what the f**k happened... Do u hate yourself? Stopped!... wow she needs to lay off the plastic surgery... 'God you look so fucking plastic what have you done to yourself... Wow!! You really have made a mess of yourself! Way too much cosmetic surgery!... Strutting her stuff: 'Lips far too big. Makes her looks deformed... Love ya but u look like a character from shark tale stop it u we're pretty with out all that... Why did you get so much surgery?? You were beautiful before...' 'You actually look like a fish!... Stop making your lips bigger... You're so pretty without it all! X... Wtf have you done to yourself woman!!... Lips look nasty..and ur lip gloss looks like fish oil... Maybe cancel your next session Char, you may have gone a bit OTT on the old lip fillers, take it back a notch... 'Lips far too big. Makes her looks deformed... Love ya but u look like a character from shark tale stop it u we're pretty with out all that... Why did you get so much surgery?? You were beautiful before... 'Your my favourite Charlotte but I really don't like this look, your starting to not even look like yourself. Your so naturally beautiful without all the fillers and Botox xx... what the hell has she done to her face it's literally breaking my heart... Omg you remind me of lola from the film shark tale. (sic)' Way back when: Other fans were more supportive however, writing: 'Whether she had massive lips or tiny lips you would still find something to moan about!! What ever happened to LIVE AND LET LIVE!!! Looking beaut char... Perfection at its finest... such a doll...' Other fans were more supportive however, writing: 'Whether she had massive lips or tiny lips you would still find something to moan about!! What ever happened to LIVE AND LET LIVE!!! Looking beaut char... Perfection at its finest... such a doll... 'If making a few adjustments to her appearance gives her more confidence and makes her happy then what's the problem? Yes shes a natural beauty but we all have insecurities. Your beautiful @charlottegshore !... 'Omg reading all these negative comments is shocking! How would you guys feel if you were continually slagged off for the way you looked?!! Because none of you are perfect and I'm sure if we all went on and picked apart your fucking pictures u wouldn't feel so awesome!... leave the lass alone! 'If she feels confident in her own skin and wants to spend money on her looks then let her!! Fuck sake!...When will people realise that all these sh*tty comments are what affects people's doubts in their beauty? Fucking leave this woman alone! No one has the right to tell you what to be. You don't see Charlotte commenting on your pages about how you look... 'Beautiful, @charlottegshore ignore these negative fuckers. Your face, your choice, your clearly happy and have a top boyfriend so why would you care what these lot say!... 'To be honest I think your beautiful, it's entirely up to you how you would like to look and present yourself. This world is so messed up people judge you no matter what you do they target people if they think they are "ugly" and they also target people for trying to look pretty , no one is here to please any one. I totally respect you.' In an interview with MailOnline last year Charlotte explained: 'I had the thinnest top lip before. Ive been getting my lips done for about two years now, I get them done every five or six months at a place in Newcastle. I was getting mine done way before Kylie Jenner got trendy'. She dramatically slimmed down last year after putting herself through a gruelling workout regime. And Frankie Essex looked to be brimming with confidence as she stepped out for dinner at SushiSamba in London on Sunday night. The reality star, 28, showed off her toned thighs in an oversized V-neck jumper, teamed with a pair of knee-high peep toe boots. Scroll down for video Strike a pose: Frankie Essex looked to be brimming with confidence as she stepped out for dinner at SushiSamba in London on Sunday night Clearly in high spirits, the former TOWIE star lifted a leg up as she posed for the camera, before throwing one arm into the air as she flashed a cheeky grin. Opting for a geek chic look, Frankie accessorised the camel-coloured knit with a pair of oversized glasses and a white leather handbag with gold chain detailing. Wearing her blonde locks swept to one side, she accentuated her pout with a pink lipstick, finishing off the look with lashings of mascara. High spirits: The reality star, 28, showed off her toned thighs in an oversized V-neck jumper, teamed with a pair of knee-high peep toe boots Frankie, who dropped over two and a half stone last year, showed off her intense dedication to her workout regime earlier this month. She flaunted her toned abs in a cropped white vest and figure-hugging black workout leggings as she put herself through a Carbon boot camp in Hertford. Making the most of the nice weather, she was seen working with weights on the floor and even heaving a bulky tyre across the grass. Ab fab: Frankie, who dropped over two and a half stone last year, showed off her intense dedication to her workout regime earlier this month The reality star has been showing her slim figure ever since she transformed her body last year - and it sure looks like she's still one hundred percent committed to keeping her body in shape. She famously lost over two stone in seven months after her weight ballooned to 12st 8lbs when she turned to food in the wake of a horrible split from her ex-boyfriend in 2016. Frankie has spoken candidly about how she blamed her ex for 'the worst year of her life' and revealed that she even contemplated suicide. Incredible results: The reality star has transformed her body over the past year and successfully kept the weight off She and her brother Joey Essex lost their mother to suicide during their teenage years and Frankie feared that she may be 'falling into the same hole.' Speaking recently about her lowest ebb, Frankie told MailOnline: 'I've had a year and a half of being sad and depressed and not even wanting to leave the house at times.' She added: 'I want to show everyone that being sad is all in your head and you need to believe in yourself and that you can do it.' Fitness guru Frankie celebrated the launch of her second fitness DVD, 20 Minute Trim, last month and her ripped abs definitely demonstrate that her workout formula clearly works a treat. Veteran actress Rebecca Gibney, 52, has spoken out in defence of Melissa George, after social media users slammed a tearful interview she gave about domestic violence. Taking to Instagram on Monday, a day after the interview aired, Gibney posted a black and white image of herself and her sister Stella smiling. However in the caption alongside the snap, she shared that she and her sister had both been subject to extensive domestic violence themselves. Scroll down for video Defence: Veteran actress Rebecca Gibney has hit out at detractors of fellow Australian Melissa George, after social media users slammed a tearful interview she gave on Sunday evening 'No one would know that we were being raised in a family of domestic violence,' the former Packed to the Rafters actress wrote. 'Last night on the Sunday program fellow actor Melissa George talked about being attacked by her former partner. '[I] have been really disturbed by the reports of the online response to Melissa's interview. Relatable: Melissa pleaded for 'help' during the interview and found support from Gibney (pictured), who told of her own experiences with domestic violence in a lengthy online post 'That somehow she deserved what happened to her. As a victim of domestic violence myself - I grew up in a household where violence toward our mother was a common occurrence - I am appalled that anyone can accuse a woman of ' asking' to be beaten. She added: 'Domestic violence is wrong - violence in any form is wrong. Please let us remember how difficult it is for anyone that has been in this situation to speak out.' Melissa, who has made headlines recently following an alleged incident at the hands of her ex-partner Jean David Blanc, detailed how she attempted to flee France with her two children in her chat with Channel Seven program Sunday Night. Sunday Night: In her interview, Melissa tearfully outlined the allegations of domestic violence, before later being slammed by viewers on social media and accused of 'hypocrisy' The mother-of-two's plea for 'help' after she was prevented from leaving France was met with mixed reaction online, however she found a supporter in Gibney who told of her own experiences with domestic violence in a lengthy online post. In response to the interview, social media was loaded with comments accusing the 40-year-old actress of hypocrisy after her plea to Australia for help. They pointed to a previously 'arrogant attitude' towards her birth nation and didn't hold back in their attack, despite many admitting they sympathised with her. Another wrote: 'I'm sorry Melissa George has been a victim of DV but I stopped caring about her years ago after she behaved like a spoilt brat.' Adding to the fire, another said: 'Care factor ZERO... her arrogant attitude to Australia in the past, now she wants help?!!! Pfttttt.' 'I'm sorry Melissa George has been a victim of DV but I stopped caring about her years ago after she behaved like a spoilt brat,' one wrote. 'Care factor ZERO... her arrogant attitude to Australia in the past, now she wants help?!!! Pfttttt,' another brutally wrote on Twitter. But on Monday, just after Melissa herself took to Instagram to put on a brave face as she 'made a wish' by throwing a coin into a fountain, Rebecca continued to defend her. Staunchly standing by Melissa, the legendary actress urged other people in a similar situation to never feel alone. Custody battle: Melissa and her former lover are embroiled in a custody battle, with the French entrepreneur refusing to allow the pair's son Raphael and Solal to leave France Revealing: During the interview Ms George said she had marks around her wrists, bruising on her back (right) and hip (left), a broken inner lip and a huge lump above her eye as a result of the alleged attack Allegations: Ms George, 40, said Mr Blanc,49, stood over her after 'repeatedly' striking her in the face and body and said: 'Now you're a real actress' 'As a victim of domestic violence myself - I grew up in a household where violence toward our mother was a common occurrence - I am appalled that anyone can accuse a woman of "asking" to be beaten,' Rebecca's lengthy caption continued. 'Domestic violence is wrong - violence in any form is wrong. 'For anyone in a similar situation there is always someone who will listen. And you can get through it.' Jean firmly denies the allegations of violence. Last month, both he and Melissa were convicted of assault over the incident - a judgement both parties are appealing. The couple first met in 2011 at a BAFTA after-party and welcomed their first son Raphael in February 2014 and their second son Solal in November 2015. STATEMENT FROM JEAN-DAVID BLANC I wish to answer once and for all to the inaccurate information given by Melissa George. The Paris Court decision consisting of a shared custody of our young children was based on very long and various social workers investigations as well as psychologic examinations. This decision was ruled by the Judge who considered only the best interest of our children. That does not prevent Mrs George from working, as she's free to come and go to sets all over the world as she always did. As regards to our childrens interdiction to leave French territory without my prior authorization, this decision, also ruled by the Judge, is the result of Melissa George's attempt to secretly leave the country with our children without my consent, which led me to file a criminal complaint for kidnapping attempt. Regarding the supposed violence against Melissa George, I strongly contest it and have thus filed an appeal against the judgment, which is not final. I have always maintained that I had been attacked first and was only trying to protect myself. Melissa George was found guilty and charged for these offences. Advertisement It is safe to say these two did not enjoy their experience in Frankfurt. Kim Zolciak and daughter Brielle have launched a Twitter triad accusing German airport employees of harassment and theft after Kim tested positive to explosive residue. The mother daughter duo did not hold back on Monday after going through airport security as they returned home from their European vacation. Scroll down for video Not impressed: Kim Zolciak and daughter Brielle (pictured last month) have launched a Twitter triad accusing German airport employees of harassment and theft after Kim tested positive to explosive residue on Monday Brielle declared that the family 'can't wait to get back to America' as she dropped a lot of F bombs to describe the situation. The 20-year-old tweeted: ''Germany airport every single person who works here can go f**k themselves. 'SERIOUSLY @Airport_FRA all your employees need to get F**KED. they stole ALL MY s**t and are harassing a bunch of people! SO F**KING RUDE.' But she was no done there being mad at security at Frankfurt airport just yet. Not so quiet American: Brielle declared that the family 'can't wait to get back to America' as she dropped a lot of F bombs to describe the situation The Don't Be Tardy star added: 'Don't ever f**king come to Germany. I hate this place.' Mom Kim was a little more measured with her language - in that she did not drop any F bombs - but accused the airport employees of targeting her because she is American and that Donald Trump is President and is not liked in Europe. 'Crazy ass airport n Germany! So extra [mad as they] told me it's my government that's why they r searching all my stuff! Throwing my wigs around & s**t [sic].' Still mad: The 20-year-old Snapchatted from the plane and she was still fuming Reaching out: The Twitter triads did not go unnoticed with the airport's official Twitter page reaching out to Brielle and Don't be Tardy producer Lizzie Spratt who had also tweeted that it was the 'worst experience of [her] life' After some time in the air, Kim explained further what had occurred in a series of confusing tweets, revealing she tested positive for explosives. 'I went through security they searched my carry on, squeezing all my nutri grain bars, throwing my stuff around, obviously I didn't have... Anything, (they missed Arianas huge water bottle in her bag) she 4got she had [sic]. 'Said I needed further testing, swiped my hands & bag and said I tested positive for "explosives" [thinking face emoji] again tore my bag apart, my crew & husband could not stand anywhere near me. US haters? Mom Kim was a little more measured with her language - in that she did not drop any F bombs - but accused the airport employees of targeting her because she is American and that Donald Trump is President and is not liked in Europe Scary situation: After some time in the air, Kim explained further what had occurred in a series of confusing tweets, revealing she tested positive for explosives Touch down: Brielle happily posted on Snapchat once she arrived back in Atlanta A lot to search: The 20-year-old shared a Snap of all their designer luggage. It was not clear what, if anything, was missing. She has since deleted the tweet saying security stole her things 'Police telling at Kroy 2... Too "BACK UP" mind you he is 5ft away from me waiting on me! Like everyone else does! 'Obviously I didn't have anything I had to put all my [Stuff] Back together & we headed to our gate, upon arriving to our gate we are met with 3 security guards who said, "my hubby & producer had 2 go... 'All the way back to security and be searched again! INSANE! I said this was crazy, he replied, "No it's because of YOUR government" Made it: The family which also included Kim's husband Kroy Biermann and daughter Ariana - made it to their flight and Kim snapped her girls as they slept Glad to be headed home: The star finished her tirade by saying, 'On my way to Atlanta Thank God! Italy was amazing the ppl Were too!! Never in all my years of traveling had I EVER experienced this!' Homesick? Brielle was obviously missing the comforts and food of home as she snapped a picture of McDonald's 'People who said my husband & my producer had 2 go back thru security 4 further testing! I said it's crazy, they said "it's my government".' The Twitter triads did not go unnoticed with the airport's official Twitter page reaching out to Brielle and Don't be Tardy producer Lizzie Spratt who had also tweeted that it was the 'worst experience of [her] life'. The airport's social media team tweeted: '@BrielleZolciak Dear Brielle, sorry to hear. Those are serious accusations. Please tell me what happened.' Snap happy: Kim teased her husband as they settled down on their flight after their 'ordeal' Friends again: Kim had previously blasted Delta on Twitter also back into 2015 after they would not let her check her bags as she was late to check-in but she caught the airline happily home Nice view: The reality star also snapped the wonderful view from out of her window Family fun: The Biermanns had been having a blast in Italy and even went on a nighttime gondola ride in Venice With wigs and F bombs flying the family - which also included Kim's husband Kroy Biermann and daughter Ariana - still made their flight. 'On my way to Atlanta Thank God! Italy was amazing the ppl Were too!! Never in all my years of traveling had I EVER experienced this!' Kim shared some Snapchats as they settled down on their Delta flight. Bird scare: Until the flight drama the worst thing that had happened was pigeon landing on Brielle's head Cheeky: Kim and Kroy found some time for romance during their family vacation Kim had previously blasted Delta on Twitter also back into 2015 after they would not let her check her bags as she was late to check-in. At the time she said: 'I'm so done with you @DeltaAssist.' But seems she has a new airport-related enemy. Evangelist Luis Palau Meets with Guatemalan President as the Nation Struggles Through Tragedy Contact: Jay Fordice, GUATEMALA CITY, Guatemala, March 20, 2017 / During the private meeting, Palau offered his deepest sympathy to the people of Guatemala, especially the families directly affected by the tragedy, and reminded the president that the evangelical community was praying for the nation during this time. "This is a difficult time for the nation of Guatemala. Many people are hurting. Many families are suffering. Many people are asking deep, fundamental questions." said Palau. "What better time for us to lift up the name of Jesus Christ and remind the nation about his hope, his sacrifice, his love, and his peace even in the midst of this pain and loss." Palau was in Guatemala at the invitation of hundreds of local pastors and evangelical leaders, helping guide them through a major evangelistic campaign. The effort culminates this weekend (March 18) with a major festival in the central plaza of Guatemala City, right in the shadows of the national palace. The festival is expected to draw tens of thousands of individuals from throughout the city, while also broadcasting Palau's message of encouragement and hope to the entire nation via television and radio. While in Guatemala, Palau was also honored by the leadership at Universidad Mariano Galvez, one of the largest and most respected universities in the nation with 94,000 students. Palau also gathered with hundreds of local pastors and church leaders to encourage them in their role within society and their responsibility toward the community. Palau has a long history of ministry in Guatemala, first visiting the nation in the early 1970s. His most memorable visit came in 1982 when he spoke to more than 700,000 people at a one-day gathering in Campo Marte. That gathering is thought by many to not only be one of the largest gatherings in Guatemala's history, but one of the largest gatherings of evangelical Christians in all of Latin America. Palau returns to the United States on Monday to focus on a similar evangelistic campaign in Fresno, California (March 25 April 2, 2017). Share Tweet Contact: Jay Fordice, Luis Palau Association , 503-614-1500GUATEMALA CITY, Guatemala, March 20, 2017 / Christian Newswire / -- Just 10 days after a horrific fire tragically took the lives of 40 young girls living in a government-run shelter, international evangelist and author Luis Palau, who was already in the country for a major evangelistic campaign, was invited to meet with President Jimmy Morales to offer his insight and encouragement as the nation mourned the loss of these children.During the private meeting, Palau offered his deepest sympathy to the people of Guatemala, especially the families directly affected by the tragedy, and reminded the president that the evangelical community was praying for the nation during this time."This is a difficult time for the nation of Guatemala. Many people are hurting. Many families are suffering. Many people are asking deep, fundamental questions." said Palau. "What better time for us to lift up the name of Jesus Christ and remind the nation about his hope, his sacrifice, his love, and his peace even in the midst of this pain and loss."Palau was in Guatemala at the invitation of hundreds of local pastors and evangelical leaders, helping guide them through a major evangelistic campaign. The effort culminates this weekend (March 18) with a major festival in the central plaza of Guatemala City, right in the shadows of the national palace. The festival is expected to draw tens of thousands of individuals from throughout the city, while also broadcasting Palau's message of encouragement and hope to the entire nation via television and radio.While in Guatemala, Palau was also honored by the leadership at Universidad Mariano Galvez, one of the largest and most respected universities in the nation with 94,000 students. Palau also gathered with hundreds of local pastors and church leaders to encourage them in their role within society and their responsibility toward the community.Palau has a long history of ministry in Guatemala, first visiting the nation in the early 1970s. His most memorable visit came in 1982 when he spoke to more than 700,000 people at a one-day gathering in Campo Marte. That gathering is thought by many to not only be one of the largest gatherings in Guatemala's history, but one of the largest gatherings of evangelical Christians in all of Latin America.Palau returns to the United States on Monday to focus on a similar evangelistic campaign in Fresno, California (March 25 April 2, 2017). Those watching the opening moments of the 13th season of Made In Chelsea would be forgiven for thinking they had accidentally been transported into a screening of the latest Bond movie. It's got everything: girls in flimsy nightwear, a tinted-windowed Rolls Royce with a spiteful looking fur-wearing woman (Victoria) in it, a ridiculously-named Russian heir (Mark-Francis Vandelli Orlov-Romanovsky) descending from on high in a chopper, and the phrase 'are the plans in place?' being uttered. But the plans in question aren't very James Bond-y. Rather than plotting to use lunar soil to blow up Uranus in a bid to take over Earth, this is only the arrangements for a Russian ball (because Mark Francis has a fondness for Russian balls). Scroll down for video 'Are the plans in place?' Mark Francis kicked off the season with a Russian ball 'We're going to be aunties': The series return of Made In Chelsea saw the genuine reactions of castmembers to the news that Binky Felstead was pregnant with JP's baby Binky hasn't RSVP'd because she's with child and that means you can't go to parties that are themed around Eurasian Federations. Elsewhere, Louise and Ryan are having a bath. It's not a proper one though; only Louise is actually in it, and she's got a face full of make-up. Ryan is naked and serving her champagne. His nude rear is on show but he has to stand with his legs and cheeks as close together as possible so as not to give the nation an eyeful of his Libbey. Careful: Ryan had to stand with his legs and cheeks as close together as possible so as not to give the nation an eyeful of his Libbey Jamie tells Proudlock that he and Frankie broke up, went on holiday and consequently got back together; but that he immediately took away the wardrobe he gave her for Christmas. Proudlock responds to this by calling him 'Dude', 'Bro' and 'Animal' approximately 39 times in the very short scene. Louise has left Ryan at home by the bath, cold and naked, to join the girls for a catch up. She's bragging about her holiday, which she posted no less than 177 selfies during. Binky arrives and announces she is expecting JP's baby and hands out sonogram pictures as if they were wedding favours. Steph makes it about her by claiming she's going to be an aunt and that she has goosebumps and shivers and probably deep vein thrombosis from the news. Louise makes it about her by asking why SHE isn't pregnant. And Rosie calls Binky a b***h. Genuine: JP's friends like Jamie Laing (left) and Oliver Proudlock showed more subdued reactions to the baby news Going through the emotions: The boys showed their true reactions as the cast were told on camera Cheers! Later, the group toasted the imminent arrival with champagne, naturally Simultaneously, JP tells Akin, Proudlock and Jamie that he's pregnant via Binky. Their faces suggest they're not loving the news but then Jamie starts to shake and Akin stakes his claim for position of godfather, so they basically do what the girls did and make it about themselves rather than the unborn new life. Mark Francis is teaching Toff to waltz and Victoria remarks that she 'feels like one of those judges on those dreadful dancing shows' whilst trying to stop herself from being sick in her mouth. What? The girls were quite literally aghast at the news on Monday's show Being supportive: Stephanie Pratt was there with sensible guidance for the mum to be Sam is on his way to a job interview with Tiff's dad Clive. New girl # 1, Ella, just happens to be loitering around the bar like a mouse at a barn dance. She also happens to be blonde and has 'history' with Sam. Clive appears, clearly hates her, asks Sam into his office and probably gets Ella escorted out. New girl # 2, Daisy, is pretending to be on the phone to her 'daddy', struggling with 14 cardboard shopping bags and bumps into Julius and Fred. She is ALSO blonde, fancy that. She's a bit like a posh Danniella Westbrook and essentially offers herself to Julius on a silver plateaux within 30 seconds of meeting him. There's a triple date happening and they're all discussing the baby news. Louise explains the miracle of birth: 'It's going to come out and look like them!' New girl # 2: Daisy bumped into Julius and Fred on the street as she struggled with her shopping Randy: Daisy essentially offered herself to Julius on a silver plateaux within 30 seconds of meeting him Falling out: Ollie and JP have had their differences over Binky in the past New boy # 1, James, is inexplicably invited to Mark Francis' Russian ball, and invites posh Danniella Westbrook too, despite the fact that everyone else had to wait for embossed calligraphy-penned invitations to come in the post. Irish James is a 'professional rugby player' which he informs everyone in order to assert his sexual desirability. Fred then invites posh Danniella Westbrook to Mauritius with him and Julius and she accepts, declaring that she is 'down for a bit of spontan-it-eity'. She also announces that she HATES Olivia, which is kind of awkward seeing as Fred is Olivia's long-haired lover. At the ball, Mark Francis is explaining that when babies start to walk it's 'a disaster'. He says 'keep it on it's knees 'til it knows everything about antique furniture' which, truthfully, isn't a bad tip. Time to make amends: Binky told friend Ollie Locke but she knew he had to make amends with father-to-be JP Backing down: Ollie would have to embrace JP, in order for him to support Binky, he was told Scandal: It turned out Ella is the one who told Sam that Tiff kissed another boy about three seasons ago The plot thickens with Olivia and posh Danniella Westbrook aka Daisy. Daisy tells Julius that she is '99.9999 percentage recurring sure' that Olivia slept with her boyfriend ages ago. Across the room, Olivia tells Fred that she most certainly did not because he was 'ming' and that Daisy texted her once saying she hopes she gets hit by a bus, which is always a lovely text to receive. It turns out Ella is the one who told Sam that Tiff kissed another boy about three seasons ago. Tiff's pursed lips say it all. When Sam informs her that Ella's coming to Mauritius too, Tiff storms off bitterly, leaving Sam and Ella awkwardly circling the tops of their champagne flutes. Bitter: Tiff's pursed lips said it all. When Sam informed her that Ella will be going to Mauritius too, she stormed off Cringe: Irish James tried hitting on Louise in the most hideously awkward chemistry-less pick up in history Irish James tries hitting on Louise in the most hideously awkward chemistry-less pick up in history. Ryan is FUMING, but represses this because Irish James is about 19 feet tall. Irish James then calls Louise 'stunning' and 'beautiful' and then kisses her on the cheek and the world shifts on its axis out of cringe-worthy inappropriateness. Ollie and JP make friends because, as we all know, there is a child now involved and we don't want another repeat of the time Ollie threw a whiskey tumbler at a duck. One big happy family: At the end of the episode, the two men were seen to share an embrace Shaking hands: It was a sign that they would be supportive of each other for the sake of Binky and the baby She recently gave a home to cockapoo puppy Max. And Stephanie Pratt had her mini pet pooch by her side as she headed to the ITV studios in London on Monday. Looking effortlessly chic for the outing, the Made In Chelsea star, 30, turned heads in a red plaid coat which she used to shelter Max from the cold. Scroll down for video Woman's best friend! She recently gave a home to cockapoo puppy Max. And Stephanie Pratt had her mini pet pooch by her side as she headed to the ITV studios in London on Monday She teamed the item with distressed bleached jeans, with a large rip on the knee revealing she was wearing a pair of fishnet tights. The low-rise jeans also offered a look at her toned stomach, whilst she slipped her feet into chunky black ankle boots. Finishing off the look, she swept her golden locks into a half-up style, whilst a neutral make-up palette accentuated her pretty features. Plaid's a good look! Looking effortlessly chic for the outing, the Made In Chelsea star, 30, turned heads in a red plaid coat which she used to shelter Max from the cold Leggy lady! She teamed the item with distressed bleached jeans, with a large rip on the knee revealing she was wearing a pair of fishnet tights Beaming as she strolled down the street, Stephanie carried her pooch in a purple pet sling. After relocating from her native Los Angeles to London for her stint in MIC, she revealed she felt 'something is missing' in her life. And Stephanie filled the void as she took to Instagram last week to reveal she'd introduced a new pooch into her life. Tanned and toned: The low-rise jeans also offered a look at her toned stomach, whilst she slipped her feet into chunky black ankle boots The star has also been kept busy filming the latest series of Made In Chelsea which premieres on Monday. Stephanie began guest starring on the show in 2013 and has gone on to make herself a regular in the series. She features heavily in the trailer for the new series, as she is seen along with Rosie Fortescue and Louise Thompson when Binky Felstead finally unveils her baby news. He's set to welcome the pitter-patter of tiny feet with his wife Amal later this year. Yet, George Clooney took a break from looming baby duty as he made one lucky fan's birthday extra special by visiting her at her care home on Sunday near Reading. The 55-year-old Ocean's Eleven actor made one of the elderly residents, Pat Adams, dreams come true as he stopped by to wish her very happy 87th birthday after he was contacted by the care home's staff through their Wish upon a Star programme. Scroll down for video What a gent: George Clooney took a break from looming baby duty as he made one lucky fan Pat Adams' (pictured) birthday extra special on Sunday in Reading After receiving a number of letters from staff as well as the care home's newsletter, the five-time Golden Globe winner - who resides near the residence - stopped by the Sunrise Senior Living of Sonning much to the team's and Pat's disbelief. A true class act, George - who was without other half Amal for the occasion - greeted Pat with a bouquet of flowers and card that left her beaming from ear-to-ear on the shock visit to the care facility. Linda Jones, a worker at the retirement and assisted living facility, posted a picture of the beaming pair on Facebook. She wrote: 'The lady in the picture, loves George Clooney and mentions everyday how she would love him to meet him, especially as he lives so near to where I work. Dream come true: The 55-year-old Ocean's Eleven actor made one of the elderly residents, Pat Adams, dreams come true as he stopped by to wish her very happy 87th birthday after he was contacted by the care home's staff through their Wish upon a Star programme 'So letter have been sent asking would it be possible for her dream to come true. And what was extra special it was her birthday in the week.' Staff added Pat was 'delighted and surprised when George greeted her with a bouquet of flowers and card', after the Gravity star turned up unannounced. Speaking to MailOnline, Malcolm Hague, Divisional Support General Manager at Sunrise of Sonning, said: 'We are so delighted that Pats wish came true. 'She was absolutely thrilled to meet her great icon, and it was such a lovely surprise to see George greet her with flowers and a card. Before adding: 'This was a classy gesture from a wonderful man, and it has brought smiles to everyone. Huge thank you to George.' George's generous appearance comes as he settles into his new home on the banks of the River Thames ahead of the impending arrival of his twin with his 39-year-old human rights lawyer love - who he married in 2014. Last month, George's mother Nina confirmed that the British-Lebanese barrister (born Alamuddin) is expecting twins - a boy and a girl. 'It will be one of each!' the 77-year-old former city councilwoman gushed to Radar Online. 'That's what Ive been told. How marvelous! My husband [Nick] and I are extremely excited.' Building a family: George's generous appearance comes as he settles into his new home on the banks of the River Thames ahead of the impending arrival of his twin with his 39-year-old human rights lawyer love - who he married in 2014 George recently spoke for the first time of his 'excitement' at the news that he and Amal will be welcoming twins this summer. The actor said: 'We are really happy and really excited. It's going to be an adventure. We've sort of embraced it all with arms wide open.' Speaking to French programme Rencontres de Cinema, he said his friends were 'very supportive' of the news, despite having given him a hard time at first. 'Then it got really quiet,' he said. 'And they all just started making baby crying noises, and the whole table just busted up laughing.' His character's gruesome departure from EastEnders in 2010 left the nation in tears. And while many dedicated soap fans remember him as boyish Bradley Branning, actor Charlie Clements is worlds away from his former role which he revealed in his latest social media selfie. The 29-year-old - who's character Bradley plunged to his death off the Queen Vic pub roof seven years ago on Albert Square - appeared to have swapped his clean-cut look of yesteryear for a shaved head and splendid beard. Scroll down for video Worlds away: Charlie Clements is worlds away from his former EastEnders role which he revealed in his latest social media selfie The flame-haired star added to his transformed appearance with a pair of thick rimmed glasses that showcased the difference between his soap days as Stacey Slater's husband. Having briefly kept out of the limelight after his BBC stint, he reemerged in 2016 on ITV's Loose Women and kicked-off a massive reaction with his drastically different look. Taking to Twitter to share the snap, the actor - who is set to turn 30 in June - revealed his appearance was even different than the last time many saw him. Captioning the pic, he wrote: 'A year ago everyone was up in arms because I looked SO different at 28 to 18. Bet they didn't expect this at 29! #actor #chameleon'. Back in the day: The 29-year-old - who's character Bradley plunged to his death seven years ago on Albert Square - appeared to have swapped his clean-cut look of yesteryear for a shaved head and splendid beard Remember this? Charlie, now 28, played Bradley Branning (left) on EastEnders for four years, leaving in 2010 Charlie's much-loved character Bradley was wrapped up in a number of great storylines with his co-star Lacey Turner - who has since returned to the Square as Stacey - before his grizzly end. His character infamously fell off the Queen Vic's roof in a desperate attempt to escape the police in a special live episode that won him Best Exit prizes at the British Soap and Inside Soap Awards that year. Following his tear-jerking departure seven years ago, he has appeared in Casualty as Jake O'Reilly in 2013 and last year starred in Channel 5's docu-drama Henry VIII and His Six Wives as the now infamous British monarch. All grown up: Having briefly kept out of the limelight after his BBC stint, he reemerged in 2016 on ITV's Loose Women and kicked-off a massive reaction with his drastically different look When talking about his decision to leave the series after four years on Loose Women, he said: 'I don't regret it. By leaving it's allowed me to do other things. I had a great time on the show when I was there but it was time to go. 'Ive been acting since I was four. EastEnders was a job I had when I was 18,' he pointed out before adding that he's filled the time since leaving the soap with perfecting his craft. 'I did a masters at RADA. I always wanted to go to drama school. I didnt know how it would benefit me,' he said. Elizabeth Olsen stepped out with her new musician boyfriend Robbie Arnett on her arm in New York City on Monday. The Captain America: Civil War actress, 28, was bundled up for the chilly spring weather in a beige teddy-bear style coat and dark beanie. The sister of twins Ashley and Mary-Kate wore a pair of leather trousers with matching over-the-knee boots as she accessorized with a beige handbag. New guy! Elizabeth Olsen stepped out with her new musician boyfriend Robbie Arnett on her arm in New York City on Monday Happy lady: The blonde star could not keep her hands off the dashing young man The blonde beauty added a pair of round designer sunglasses to complete her stylish look. The star couldn't contain her glee as she gazed upwards at her new boyfriend. Robbie looked suave in a pair of dark jeans, a jumper and a camel coat. E! identified Robbie, a vocalist for the indie pop band Milo Greene, on Tuesday. Keeping snug: The Captain America: Civil War actress was bundled up for the chilly Spring weather in a beige teddy bear style coat and dark beanie So chic: She wore a pair of leather trousers with matching over the knee boots as she accessorized with a beige handbag Protection from the rays: The blonde beauty added a pair of round designer sunglasses to complete her stylish look A source called him 'a great guy' and revealed the couple 'are in an exclusive relationship and Lizzie is excited about him.' The pair strode alongside one another for a brisk walk in the Big Apple as they were seen holding hands at one point. Elizabeth normally keeps her dating life under wraps however she was previously engaged to 35-year-old American actor and fashion model Boyd Holbrook from 2014 to 2015. Dapper: The man in question looked suave in a pair of dark jeans, a jumper and a camel coat Look of love: The youngest of the Olsen sisters couldn't contain her glee as she gazed upwards at her new beau Romantic: The pair strode alongside one another for a brisk walk in the Big Apple as they were seen holding hands at one point She has also been linked to Tom Hiddleston, Chris Evans and Alexander Skarsgard in the past. Meanwhile, fans will get to see a lot of Olsen on the big screen in the upcoming months. She is due to star in the drama Light on Broken Glass later this year. Olsen will play the young actress Melody Harper as she prepares for the revival of a hit Broadway show towards the end of a celebrated career. Cute: The pair looked happy in each other's company as they walked through NYC Beauty: Olsen nailed the casual chic look for her day out in the big city She quickly starts losing her grasp on reality as she experiences vivid memories of her younger self. She will also be in Kodachrome alongside a stellar cast of actors including Jason Sudeikis and Ed Harris. It is set during the final days of the admired photo development system known as Kodachrome. A father and son hit the road in order to reach the Kansas photo lab before it closes its doors for good. And of course she will reprise her role as Wanda Maximoff / Scarlet Witch for the upcoming Avengers: Infinity War, due to be released in 2018. Smart: The duo complimented one another with their stylish coats He recently returned to the UK from a much-needed holiday in South Africa, after taking a temporary break from EastEnders. And Danny Dyer certainly appeared refreshed following his getaway on Tuesday, as he happily filled up his car with petrol. The actor, 39, cut a relaxed figure as he carried out the chore and chatted to shop staff on the way back to his vehicle - almost one month after embarking on time off from the soap due to 'exhaustion and stress'. Scroll down for video He's back: Danny Dyer certainly appeared refreshed following his getaway on Tuesday, as he filled up his car with petrol Better than ever: The actor, 39, cut a relaxed figure as he carried out his chore - almost one month after embarking on time off from the soap due to 'exhaustion and stress' The BBC star looked more than comfortable as he made a quick stop to refuel his car - dressed in a simple jeans, T-shirt and bomber jacket combo. Shielding his face with a pair of trendy round sunglasses, Danny looked casually cool and still in holiday mode as he proceeded to happily chat to the assistant at the till. Talking to the staff on the way back to his car, the actor then appeared to crack a joke which left the assistant in stitches - proving his light-hearted and relaxed mood. Feeling good: The BBC star looked more than comfortable as he made a quick stop to refuel his car - dressed in a simple jeans, T-shirt and bomber jacket combo He refreshed with a cooling bottle of water during the outing, before heading off in his lavish black jeep for the rest of his day. The star was pictured back in the UK for the first time on Thursday, as he reunited with his wife Joanna Mas following a seemingly solo trip to South Africa. With a cigarette resting between his lips, a relaxed Danny was spotted driving his wife around Essex on a shopping trip as he made his return to everyday life. He's refuelled his energy! Shielding his face with a pair of trendy round sunglasses, Danny looked casually cool and clearly still in holiday mode as he filled up his car Prior to the outing, he had last been seen in an Instagram snap taken during his time away in South Africa, where he is thought to have been alone. However his apparent newfound sense of peace was somewhat disrupted days later, when claims emerged he and Joanne had endured an explosive row in Selfridges. The Sun had claimed the star 'reeked of booze' during the reported altercation and just 'didn't want to be there' in the shop with his wife. Funny guy: Chatting to staff on the way back to his vehicle, the actor appeared to crack a joke which left the assistant in stitches - proving his light-hearted and relaxed mood Hydrating: He refreshed with a cooling bottle of water during the outing, before heading off in his lavish black jeep for the rest of his day However Joanne was quick to blast the accusations, telling MailOnline: 'This whole story is a load of rubbish. We had a lovely day and we are not going to let that be ruined by another fabricated story.' The drama followed a report by The Mirror that revealed Danny's plans to dedicate himself to his Joanne - who he wed in Hampshire last year after a year-long engagement. According to the publication, the couple are planning to relight their romance by jetting to the Maldives. Comeback kid: The star was pictured back in the UK for the first time on Thursday, as he reunited with his wife Joanna Mas following a seemingly solo trip to South Africa A source revealed: 'Since they got married Danny has been working non stop, they havent had a lot of time together and he wants to make Jo feel special. 'Hes very focused on his family. His time in South Africa has done him the world of good. Now he just wants to do lots of fun things with his family.' The actor is currently taking time off from his role on popular soap EastEnders, amid claims he had been suffering from 'exhaustion and stress'. Recovering: The EastEnders actor is currently taking time off from his role on EastEnders, amid claims he had been suffering from 'exhaustion and stress' Relaxing: Danny jetted off to South Africa last month to recuperate in the midst of his momentary split from the BBC show - but has since returned Danny was seen jetting off to South Africa last month to recuperate in the midst of his momentary and sudden departure from the BBC show. At the National Television Awards in January, it had been reported that an 'intoxicated' Danny become embroiled in a 'meltdown' - leading to claims that he was retreating from the soap for an extended rest period. Despite the reports and an accompanying video of Danny in distress however, soap bosses then came forward to deny that he is 'spiralling out of control, exhausted and needs to control his temper.' No problems here: However soap bosses came forward after the leaked clip to deny that he is 'spiralling out of control, exhausted and needs to control his temper' A BBC Spokesperson told MailOnline: 'As previously stated, Danny is on a short break. There is absolutely no truth that an exit storyline is being discussed or planned.' The writers of the hit soap are now reportedly 'working around the clock' to amend his character's impending story-lines. The actor has fast become a fan favourite and is currently involved in some big storylines as pub owner Mick Carter, including the funeral of his grandmother. However, due to his recent break from the soap, writers may have to come up with an 'excuse' why the character will not attend the funeral. Actors Luisa Bradshaw-White (Tina Carter), Shona McGarty (Whitney), Linda Henry (Shirley) and Ted Reilly (Johnny) were spotted filming the sombre scenes without Danny on Sunday. He's been one of Hollywood's biggest advocates of recreational marijuana usage. But Woody Harrelson, 55, has now revealed that he gave up smoking pot, almost a year ago, after realizing that the habit was holding him back. '[It was] just 30 solid years of just partying too f***ing hard,' Harrelson told Vulture magazine this week. Woody Harrelson - a longtime advocate of the drug - revealed this week that he's given up smoking weed after '30 years of hard partying' 'I dont have a problem at all with smoking. I think its great. I think its a great drug, in terms of Even cops say that the side effect is euphoria. Or the what do you call it? The effect of it is euphoria. 'But when youre doing it all the time, it just becomes well, you know. I feel like it was keeping me from being emotionally available. I really dont want this interview to turn into a whole thing about that.' When asked what misconception people have about him, Harrelson said: 'They think Im a party animal, which I am a party animal. I mean, that might be one thing. 'I feel like it was keeping me from being emotionally available' the 55-year-old actor admitted that smoking pot had an impact on his relationships 'But on the other hand, I havent Im now extremely moderate and I actually stopped smoking pot almost a year ago.' The True Detective actor was such a fan of the substance that he once attempted to get a license to run a medicinal weed dispensary from his Hawaiian home. Despite quitting the habit Harrelson admitted that he still gets tempted. 'Im now extremely moderate and I actually stopped smoking pot almost a year ago' The True Detective star said he's no longer a party animal 'Last night, someone had not just good herb, but sativa really good sativa,' he explained. 'There's a joint, and beautifully rolled. I like a beautifully rolled and I just was like, I mean, Ive gone this long. It would be weird to just be like, "Okay, let me have a hit off that," and then suddenly go back to smoking too much, which is I dont have a problem at all with smoking. I think its great. I think its a great drug, in terms of Even cops say that the side effect is euphoria.' Woody lives in Maui with his wife Laura Louie and their three daughters. She gave birth to her baby daughter Joanie just six months ago but Natalie Cassidy has already sprung back into shape. The EastEnders actress was spotted showing off her svelte figure in an all-black ensemble as she left an appointment in London on Monday. The 33-year-old actress flaunted her blemish-free complexion as she stepped out without a hint of make up. Scroll down for video New mum: Natalie Cassidy, 33, showed off her svelte figure in an all-black ensemble just six months after the birth of baby daughter Joanie as she went make up free in London on Monday The star showed off her post-baby figure in a black long-sleeved top, which featured a peplum detail. She paired the top with leggings and Converse canvas sneakers. The mum-of-two looked like she was in a cheery mood as she grinned at waiting photographers and carried a stylish black leather backpack. Cheery: Natalie, who plays Sonia Fowler in Eastenders, was in a cheerful mood and grinned at photographers as she sported a black top with a pelmet detail Her brunette locks were swept back into a casual bun secured with a scrunchie as she went about her day. The EastEnders star welcomed her second daughter with her fiance Marc Humphreys back in August. She introduced the new arrival on Twitter with an adorable family picture alongside the caption: '@cameramarc and I introduce Joanie Elizabeth Cassidy-Humphreys... We are all so in love!' The 33-year-old actress is also mum to five-year-old daughter Eliza with her ex-partner Adam Cottrel. Busy mum: The mum-of-two stared at her phone as she ran her errands High profile storyline: The star filmed Sylvie Carter's funeral on Sunday but BBC bosses ensured she wasn't photographed as they sneaked her in and out of the set The actress, who has played Sonia Fowler on the long-running BBC soap since 1993, is currently involved in a high profile storyline. She was busy filming the funeral of Sylvie Carter on Sunday although EastEnders bosses are thought to have sneaked her in and out of the set as they kept the scenes top secret. Fans are keen to know how the soap's scriptwriters are going to explain away the absence of Sylvie's son Mick at his own mother's funeral. Danny Dyer, who has played Mick since 2013, is still on a highly publicised break from the television show due to 'stress and exhaustion'. The actor, 39, flew to South Africa to recuperate but is expected to return to the BBC soap imminently. Tiffany Scanlon has come out swinging in defense of Richie Strahan and Alex Nation's relationship, comparing it to her own romance with Megan Marx, 28. In a column for Mamamia, the 30-year-old says the pair have right to keep their 'struggles' private. She wrote, 'Whether Alex and Richie are together or not, it's not anyone's business but their own. What they choose to share or not share with the public is their choice.' She realtes: Tiffany Scanlon has come out swinging in defense of Richie Strahan and Alex Nation's relationship, comparing it to her own romance with Megan Marx Tiffany added, 'If they are having a rough time, wouldn't the kind and humane thing to do be to step back and give them space and privacy to work through things?' The blonde also defended the pair's absence from one another's social media accounts of late. Alex has not posted an image of Richie, 32, in almost two months, and Richie's last image with Alex, 25, was three weeks ago. 'They are busy people with individual interests, careers and hobbies. Their social media is their own, not purely to document their relationship for the public,' the model wrote. She wrote: 'Whether Alex and Richie are together or not, it's not anyone's business but their own. What they choose to share or not share with the public is their choice' Tiffany added: 'If they are having a rough time, wouldn't the kind and humane thing to do be to step back and give them space and privacy to work through things?' Tiffany also complained that such investment in her relationship with fellow Bachelor contestant Megan Marx and slammed commentators on her social media who demanded answers on the status of the pair's relationship. Tiffany had in February told Popsugar that by sharing her romance with Megan on social media, she had hoped to 'evoke change'. 'We also made the decision that we would share our lives with the world in the hope that, in some small way, we might be able to evoke change.' Split: Tiffany had in February told Popsugar that by sharing her romance with Megan on social media, she had hoped to 'evoke change' Megan confirmed that she and Tiffany had split earlier this month, responding to a fan on Instagram with: 'Tiffany and I have broken up'. Alex and Richie were last photographed in public together having a bitter fight on a Perth street in February. Nicky Whelan surprised fans by announcing her boyfriend, former Arizona Cardinals player Kerry Rhodes, had proposed in February 2016. And despite hinting at a long engagement to Playboy last year, it looks like the former Neighbours star could be walking down the aisle sooner than expected. Over the weekend, the 35-year-old actress celebrated her 'magical' bridal shower with her close friends - and, surprisingly, her fiance also made an appearance. Wedding bells! Nicky Whelan (left) celebrated her 'magical' bridal shower with her friends over the weekend and, surprisingly, her fiance Kerry Rhodes (right) also made an appearance Taking to Instagram, Nicky shared a slideshow of beautiful photos from the party, which took place in Beverly Hills, California. The venue appeared to be decorated with gold balloons and lavish gift bags, and the tables were covered in floral arrangements and tasty canapes. The Scrubs actress was joined by her friends, including Kimberly DeJesus, AnnaLynne McCord and Wayne Carey's ex-fiancee Kate Neilson. A break from tradition! According to bridal website The Knot, it is unusual for a groom to attend his wife's bridal party - which is typically reserved for female friends and family And in a break from tradition, Kerry himself was also among the guests. The happy couple even shared a romantic kiss for the cameras. According to bridal website The Knot, it is unusual for a groom to attend his wife's bridal party - which is typically reserved for female friends and family. Nicky wrote on Instagram: 'A couple of pics from my magical bridal shower, here with my love Kerry Rhodes (making out). A very special day'. 'A couple of pics from my magical bridal shower': Taking to Instagram, Nicky shared a slideshow of beautiful photos from the party, which took place in Beverly Hills, California Bride-to-be! Despite hinting at a long engagement to Playboy last year, it looks like the former Neighbours star could be walking down the aisle sooner than expected Before her relationship with Kerry, Nicky dated actor Chad Michael Murray. The couple split in early 2014 after six months together. In 2013, Kerry was forced to deny reports that he is gay after pictures surfaced allegedly showing him with his arm around a 'friend'. He told TMZ at the time: 'Photos have been circulating of my former assistant and I that have caused some rumors regarding my sexuality, and I wanted to address the situation. No expense spared! The venue appeared to be decorated with gold balloons and lavish gift bags, and the tables were covered in floral arrangements and tasty canapes The guest list: The Scrubs actress was joined by her friends, including Kimberly DeJesus, AnnaLynne McCord and Wayne Carey's ex-fiancee Kate Neilson 'I am not gay. The shots were taken during a past vacation in a casual environment with my entire business team. 'I know a lot of people are recently talking about athletes struggling to come out to their fans right now, and I support them, as well as wish those individuals comfort.' Meanwhile, Nicky and Kerry sparked rumours they were already married after she referred to him as her 'hubby' in an Instagram post last week. Not married yet! Nicky and Kerry sparked rumours they were already married after she referred to him as her 'hubby' in an Instagram post last week Finding happiness: Before her relationship with Kerry, Nicky dated actor Chad Michael Murray - but the couple split in early 2014 after six months together. Pictured in January She might have got away with it. But Idina Menzel's clothing malfunction was too good for the star not to share. The 45-year-old posted a hilarious snap on Twitter on Monday, captioned: 'So went to the airport in cool ripped jeans, and after passing paparazzi I realized a pair of panties was hanging out the whole (sic) on knee.' Wardrobe malfunction: Idina Menzel took to Twitter to share this hilarious snap of a pair of blue lace undies bulging out the rip in her jeans on Monday And indeed they were as the photo of her leg proved. The Let It Go hitmaker didn't hazard a guess as to how the blue lacy undies got to be inside the leg of her jeans or where she was jetting off to. But it's a tribute to the Glee alum's sense of humor that she revealed her gaffe before anybody else did. Idina, who voices Elsa in Frozen, has been at a studio in Burbank, Los Angeles County, for the past few weeks rehearsing for her 50-city world tour. Game for a laugh: The 45-year-old has been rehearsing for her World Tour in Burbank and it's a tribute to her sense of humor that she revealed her gaffe before anybody else did About to hit the road: The 50-city tour is due to kick off in Carmel, mid-California, on Tuesday It's due to kick off in Carmel, mid-California, on Tuesday before heading off to Japan for three dates, then returning to the U.S. and Canada. She also plans nine stops in Europe in June, including London on June 15, before the tour wraps Stateside on September 9. Meanwhile, Idina is engaged to actor Aaron Lohr. He popped the question last September with a magnificent, two-carat round diamond ring with tapered baguettes on either side, set in platinum. So in love: Idina and her actor fiance Aaron Lohr, 40, stepped out for a bite to eat at celebrity eatery Craig's in West Hollywood in January The blingy Brilliant Earth piece set him back a reported $30,000. Idina and her 40-year-old beau - who is best known for Newsies - have been together for almost two years but met in 2005 on Rent. She was married to another Rent star, Taye Diggs, for 10 years. They finalized their divorce in January 2015 and share son Walker, aged seven. Star Wars fans followed the heart-racing battle in Rogue One as the Rebel team successfully steals the plans to the Empire's dreaded Death Star. In the movie, which grossed over $1 billion worldwide, the entire Rebel team dies just after sending the plans to Princess Leia. But that wasn't always the plan. Screenwriter Gary Whitta tells EW.com: 'We were afraid that Disney might not let us do it, that Disney might think its too dark for a Star Wars movie or for their brand.' So a happier ending was planned. Too dark? A happier ending was considered for Rogue One: A Star Wars Story according to screenwriter Gary Witta. Here Death Troopers are pictured on a beach That happier ending included some of the rebels surviving. After a few attempts at writing this ending, though, the team behind Rogue One felt it would be better with the original sacrificial ending. 'We told them, we feel they all need to die,' Whitta said. Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy signed off on the idea and the 'happier' ending was never shot. Never filmed: The proposed alternate ending was never shot after Lucasfilm agreed to the 'darker' ending. Here Felicity Jones and Diego Luna are seen in Rogue One Though that ending was never filmed, screenwriter Whitta shared some details from the proposed version with EW ahead of the film's digital release this coming Friday. 'The transfer of the plans happened later. They jumped away and later [Leias] ship came in from Alderaan to help them. The ship-to-ship data transfer happened off Scarif,' he said. However, writers felt that the last-minute escape was becoming too difficult to justify and fought for the darker ending. The movie is set to be released digitally and on Blu-Ray this Friday. World Bank President Jim Yong Kim, pictured in October 2016, will visit Rwanda and Tanzania in a show of support for the entire region The World Bank on Sunday announced $57 billion in financing for sub-Saharan Africa over the next three fiscal years. Of that total, $45 billion will come from the International Development Association, the World Bank fund that provides grants and interest-free loans for the world's poorest countries. The package will also feature an estimated $8 billion in private sector investments from the International Finance Corporation, a private-sector branch of World Bank, and $4 billion will come from the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the bank's unit for middle-income nations, World Bank president Jim Yong Kim said in a statement. Germany, which hosted a meeting of the G20 countries Friday and Saturday, said that a partnership called "Compact with Africa" would be a priority of its presidency this year of that club of powerful nations. Of all the countries in Africa, only South Africa is a G20 member. "This represents an unprecedented opportunity to change the development trajectory of the countries in the region," Kim said. "With this commitment, we will work with our clients to substantially expand programs in education, basic health services, clean water and sanitation, agriculture, business climate, infrastructure and institutional reform," he added. Kim left for Rwanda and Tanzania on Sunday in a show of World Bank support for the entire region. The new financing from the International Development Association will target 448 projects that are already underway in sub-Saharan Africa. The region accounts for more than half of the countries eligible for this kind of financing from the IDA, the bank said. Big Bird (L) and other Sesame Street puppet charactors will be joined by a new muppet named Julia who has autism "Sesame Street" has often experimented with new ways of teaching children about social issues as well as their ABCs since its launch nearly 50 years ago. Now it's taking on a new challenge: autism. The groundbreaking public television children's program is introducing a new character, a muppet named Julia who has autism, the show's creators revealed on the CBS News show "60 Minutes" broadcast on Sunday. Diagnoses of autism have risen steadily in recent years to the rate of one in every 68 US children, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But tackling the topic for children was far from straightforward. "The big discussion right at the start was, 'How do we do this? How do we talk about autism?'" Sesame Street writer Christine Ferraro told "60 Minutes." "It's tricky because autism is not one thing, because it is different for every single person who has autism." The episode introducing Julia includes some common scenarios. When Big Bird is introduced to her, she ignores him. And when a group of children decide to play tag together, Julia becomes so excited she starts jumping up and down. "That's a thing that can be typical of some kids with autism," Ferarro said. But the situation turns into a new game in which all the children jump around with Julia. "So it was a very easy way to show that with a very slight accommodation, they can meet her where she is," Ferraro said. As for other characters, the show conducted extensive research, including consultations with educators and child psychologists, and in this case autism organizations, to understand how best to normalize autism for non-autistic children. Julia's puppeteer, Stacey Gordon, also happens to be the mother of an autistic son. "It's important for kids without autism to see what autism can look like," she told "60 Minutes." "Had my son's friends been exposed to his behaviors through something that they had seen on TV before they experienced them in the classroom, they might not have been frightened." Although it's not clear whether Julia will become a major character, "I would love her to be," Ferarro said. "I would love her to be not Julia, the kid on Sesame Street who has autism," she added. "I would like her to be just Julia." Roger Federer of Switzerland lifts the trophy following his victory over compatriot Stan Wawrinka in the ATP Indian Wells Masters final match, in California, on March 19, 2017 Roger Federer claimed a record-equalling fifth ATP Indian Wells Masters title on Sunday, continuing his career resurgence with a 6-4, 7-5 victory over Stan Wawrinka. Federer, sidelined some six months after knee surgery last year, returned to win his 18th Grand Slam title at the Australian Open in January. With Sunday's triumph in the all-Swiss final, Federer joined Novak Djokovic as the only men to win five Indian Wells titles, adding to those he won in 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2012. At 35, Federer is the oldest ATP player to win one of the elite Masters titles, supplanting Andre Agassi who was 34 when he won in Cincinnati in 2004. "Its been just a fairytale week once again," said Federer, who missed Indian Wells last year because of injury. "I'm not as surprised as I was in Australia, but still this comes as a big, big surprise to me, nevertheless, to win here again and beating the players that I did and the way I did. Roger Federer of Switzerland celebrates after defeating compatriot Stan Wawrinka in the ATP Indian Wells final match, in California, on March 19, 2017 "I couldn't be more happy. It's an absolute, huge start to the year for me. Last year I didn't win any titles. I don't think I was in any finals except maybe Brisbane last year. The change is dramatic, and it feels great." The speedy progress means 10th-ranked Federer will have to reassess his 2017 goals. Prior to the Australian Open his aim was to get his ranking to as high as eighth by the time Wimbledon was over. "The goals are clearly changing after this dream start," Federer said. While Federer had won 19 of 22 prior meetings with Wawrinka -- including a semi-final win in Melbourne -- he noted that his compatriot would be no easy mark as he played his first tournament in America since winning the US Open in September. But Federer claimed a tightly contested first set with a break in the 10th game, pushing Wawrinka into a forehand error to end a tense rally for a set point, on which Wawrinka sent another forehand long. Wawrinka responded immediately with a break to open the first set -- after Federer had held all 42 of his service games in the tournament to that point. He had saved the lone break point he faced -- in his straight-sets thumping of Rafael Nadal in the fourth round -- but sent a backhand long on break point to give Wawrinka the advantage in the set. Wawrinka then withstood two break points to hold for a 2-0 lead, which proved short-lived as Federer won the next three games to take a 3-2 lead. - Wawrinka a Federer fan - Stan Wawrinka of Switzerland reaches for a forehand return at the net against compatriot Roger Federer during the ATP Indian Wells Masters final match, in California, on March 19, 2017 Finally Wawrinka found himself serving to save the match. A backhand into the net gave Federer a chance, and he seized it with a volley winner. "I've lost some tough ones against you, but when you played the final in Australia, I was your biggest fan," a choked up Wawrinka told Federer at the trophy ceremony. "So congratulations on your comeback and congratulations on today." Although he owns three Grand Slam titles, Wawrinka was playing in just his fourth Masters final and has won just one of the prestige events -- beating Federer in the final at Monte Carlo in 2014. "It's a tough loss," he said. "In a way, I'm really happy to make the final. It's a great result on that, but you always want more." After fearing that knee trouble in the wake of the Australian Open would slow his season, Wawrinka was pleased to play at a high level. "After Australia, I wasn't in a good position," he said. "I was really, really struggling with my knee. I wasn't sure to be back here in that level that quick. "But I still lost the final," he said. "So it wasn't easy." New Zealand Prime Minister Bill English says it is regretable that the US didn't waive immunity so police investigating a serious crime could question a diplomat A US diplomat has been expelled from New Zealand after Washington refused to waive diplomatic immunity so police investigating a serious crime could question him, officials said Monday. Details of the alleged crime have not been revealed but local media reported the diplomat left the South Pacific nation last week suffering a broken nose and black eye. Prime Minister Bill English labelled the US knockback on immunity regrettable and said he expected American authorities to carry out their own investigation. "We expect all diplomats here to obey our law and if it's broken we'd expect our police to investigate," English told reporters. "We regret that they didn't give us a waiver on immunity but they didn't and now it's in the hands of their authorities." New Zealand Foreign Minister Murray McCully asks for the withdrawal of a diplomat after the US refuses to waive diplomatic immunity Earlier, Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully said he was "disappointed" at the US refusal and in response had asked for the man at the centre of the police investigation to be withdrawn from New Zealand. He said Wellington's ambassador in Washington had raised the issue with US officials. Police said they were called to an incident in Lower Hutt, on Wellington's outskirts, in the early hours of March 12, which "involved an individual from the US embassy in Wellington". By the time they arrived the person had left the scene and no arrests were made. Attempts to further investigate hit a diplomatic brick wall, however police said they still regarded the case as active. McCully said foreign affairs officials relayed a police request to waive immunity but their US counterparts refused. Local media named the diplomat as Colin White and said he left Wellington with his wife and children. TVNZ, which broke the story, reported that White was a technical attache who had been working closely with New Zealand's intelligence service, the GCSB. A spokeswoman for the US embassy said they were "communicating with New Zealand authorities" on the issue. "As a matter of policy, we do not comment on the specifics of matters under investigation," she said in a statement. "We take seriously any suggestion that our staff have fallen short of the high standards of conduct expected of US government personnel." McCully said the US had stated it always fully investigated all allegations involving its diplomatic staff. Diplomatic immunity, formalised in the 1961 Vienna Convention, means foreign envoys are protected from local law enforcement in the country to which they are posted. The most recent known case of it being invoked in New Zealand was in 2014, when Malaysian military attache Mohammed Rizalman bin Ismail was accused of indecent assault. It was eventually revoked and Rizalman was sentenced to nine months' home detention after being found guilty in a Wellington court. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's approval rating has fallen sharply according to the latest opinion poll, March 20, 2017 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's approval rating has fallen sharply, an opinion poll showed Monday, as scandals erode public confidence in a government now in its fifth year. Abe took power in December 2012 on the back of widespread frustration with the previous administration's handling of the 2011 nuclear disaster and perceived mismanagement of ties with key ally the United States. He vowed to revive the world's third-largest economy by ending years of on-and-off deflation and pursue his pet project of amending Japan's post-war pacificist constitution that bans it from use of force except in the strictest sense of self-defence. But for weeks now he has been forced to deny connections with a nationalistic school operator whose purchase of state land to build a primary school at a huge discount has drawn allegations of shady dealings. Abe has said he had no role in the transaction and has more than once vowed to resign if any connection is found. But new twists to the scandal, which has also engulfed his defence minister, keep emerging, ensuring it remains on newspaper front pages. The latest survey by the top-selling Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper shows approval for Abe's cabinet has dropped by 10 percentage points to 56 percent. Though that still remains high, the daily said it marked the biggest monthly fall since he took office. Other recent polls have also shown declines. Some 64 percent of the more than 1,000 respondents to the Yomiuri survey, conducted at the weekend, said they were not convinced by Abe's denials. Yasunori Kagoike, the school operator, last week claimed he received a one million yen ($8,800) donation from Abe for the primary school, plans for which now have been put on ice. Abe's wife, Akie, had been named honorary principal of the school but stepped down last month as the land scandal swirled. Abe has said neither he nor his wife made any donation and analysts quoted in local media said even if they had it was not illegal. But if proven it could hurt his political standing as his credibility would be called into question. The issue could come to a head on Thursday when Kagoike, who has gained notoriety for operating an Osaka kindergarten that inculcates pupils with ultra-nationalist views, will be questioned under oath in parliament. The scandal has also drawn in Abe's hawkish defence minister, Tomomi Inada, who was forced to apologise to lawmakers after it emerged she had represented Kagoike in court more than a decade ago after saying a day earlier she had not. She is also taking flak in parliament over a parallel scandal related to Japan's peace-keeping unit in South Sudan that has raised concerns about civilian control of the military. Kenya, like elsewhere in the Horn of Africa, is currently suffering from drought At least 10 people have been killed in the latest clashes in drought-hit Kenya between rural communities fighting over pasture to graze their animals, police said on Monday. Herders from the Borana and Samburu communities fought a gun battle on Sunday in an area in the centre of the country called Kom, where both groups had taken their livestock to graze, said Charles Ontita, police chief of the town of Isiolo. He said 10 people were killed in the confrontation and two wounded, "but we have deployed more officers there". The deaths come a week after 13 people were killed in the western Baringo region when Ilchamus and Pokot herdsmen clashed over grazing at an area called Mukutani. On Sunday in Mukutani, four police officers were wounded when suspected Pokot herdsmen fired on their vehicle as they escorted members of the Ilchamus community to safety, according to Baringo police. In response to the spreading violence in both parts of the country President Uhuru Kenyatta on Friday announced the deployment of troops to Baringo and Laikipia regions. Kenya, like elsewhere in the Horn of Africa, is suffering from drought, but with national elections due in August many suspect that politics is also at play in the recent violent confrontations. A Syrian Sukhoi SU-17 drops bombs over Jobar district on the eastern outskirts of Damascus on March 20, 2017 Syrian government forces clashed with rebels and hammered opposition-held areas of east Damascus on Monday, before calm returned to the capital after a surprise assault. In the north of the country, meanwhile, a Kurdish militia said the Russian military is to train Kurdish forces fighting the Islamic State group. Rebels and allied jihadists, led by former Al-Qaeda affiliate Fateh al-Sham Front, early Sunday attacked government positions in east Damascus, initially scoring gains. But forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad drove them back by nightfall and began a fierce bombing campaign, a monitor said, before calm was restored on Monday afternoon in eastern Damascus where shops reopened and cars returned to the roads. The guns fell silent following what Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, termed "intense air strikes... on opposition-held positions in Jobar from which the offensive was launched". He could not specify whether Syrian or allied Russian warplanes carried out the raids. Control of the district -- which has been a battleground for more than two years and is the closest rebel position to the heart of Damascus -- is divided between rebels and allied jihadists on one side and government forces on the other. Earlier Monday, regime forces clashed with rebel groups in an industrial zone between Jobar and Qabun, a besieged opposition-held district to the north. "In their assault yesterday (Sunday), rebels were able to open a road for several hours between Qabun and Jobar, but the area is now a front line and they can no longer cross between the two," Abdel Rahman said. Fighting in Damascus A Syrian military source told AFP the army had recaptured "most of the positions where rebels advanced yesterday". "The army foiled the armed groups' plan to link the Jobar district with Qabun," the source said. - Rebels hit Russian embassy - Sunday's rebel assault was their most important incursion inside Damascus in years. After seizing several buildings in Jobar, opposition fighters advanced briefly into the neighbouring Abbasid Square area -- the first time in two years the opposition had broken into that district. Abbasid Square was returning to normal on Monday, AFP correspondents said, as residents surveyed the damage from the latest clashes. An air strike on the rebel-held parts of the Jobar district on the eastern outskirts of Damascus on March 20, 2017 Aircraft could still be heard overhead, but many of the roads that had been sealed off by troops the previous day were reopened. The clashes killed at least 26 members of the regime forces and 21 rebels and jihadists, Abdel Rahman said. He did not have a toll for Monday's air strikes. State news agency SANA reported that opposition fighters on Sunday bombarded the Russian embassy compound in the capital's Mazraa neighbourhood but that there were no casualties. - New peace talks due - The Islamist Faylaq al-Rahman rebel group and the Fateh al-Sham Front -- known as Al-Nusra Front before it renounced its ties to Al-Qaeda -- have a presence in Jobar. Syria's conflict erupted in March 2011 with protests against Assad's rule but has evolved over the years into a complex civil war. More than 320,000 people have been killed and millions more have been displaced by the conflict. Repeated peace talks over the years have failed to bring about a political solution, but another round of negotiations is due to begin in Geneva on Thursday. Speaking to Russian journalists after the most serious clash between Syria and Israel since the start of the war, Bashar al-Assad said Monday that Russia could "play a role so that Israel does not attack Syria anymore." An Israeli raid Friday close to central Palmyra prompted a barrage of anti-air craft fire by the Syrian army, and a missile fired towards Israeli territory. An opposition Failaq al-Rahman brigade fighter fires a heavy machinegun in Damascus' Jobar district on March 19, 2017 The war saw a turning point when Russia intervened in September 2015 in support of the regime, allowing pro-government forces to regain significant territory they had lost to the rebels. A spokesman for the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) said Monday that Russia's military is to train the militia which controls large areas of northern Syria. The YPG makes up the bulk of the Syrian Democratic Forces, a US-backed alliance of Kurdish and Arab fighters that has seized swathes of territory from the Islamic State group. Russian forces were already present at the training camp in the Afrin region, one of three "autonomous" cantons that Kurdish authorities manage in northern Syria, Xelil told AFP. Russia has not officially confirmed the announcement of the accord, but confirmed in a statement that it has a presence in Afrin. In Washington, Pentagon spokesman Jeff Davis said the Kurds to be trained by the Russians "are not the people we have worked with before". "Some (Kurds) are working with us through the Syrian Democratic Forces to fight ISIS (IS), some are not. We are supporting the ones who are working with us to fight ISIS," he said. Also Monday, the US Defence Department said it was investigating allegations that a strike on Thursday targeting Al-Qaeda leaders near a mosque in northern Syria killed numerous civilians. Local reports and the Observatory have claimed dozens of people were killed, including civilians. Pakistan security personnel look on as travellers wait to cross the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan at Chaman on January 7, 2017 Pakistan on Monday ordered the border with Afghanistan to be reopened "immediately", a month after it was closed amid soaring tensions as Islamabad and Kabul accused one another of providing safe haven for militants. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif ordered the two main crossings on the long, porous border be reopened as a gesture of "goodwill", a statement from his office said. The crossings -- Torkham at the famed Khyber Pass, and Chaman in Balochistan province -- were closed last month after a wave of militant violence killed 130 people across Pakistan. The attacks, most of which were claimed by the Islamic State group or the Pakistani Taliban, dented optimism after the country appeared to be making strong gains in its decade-and-a-half long war on militancy. Pakistan's powerful military as well as the civilian government swiftly pointed fingers at Afghanistan, blaming Kabul for harbouring those behind the attacks. Afghanistan has long accused Pakistan of providing safe haven to the Afghan Taliban, and the claim sparked a diplomatic furore as both countries traded allegations. The statement from Sharif's office called for the border to be reopened "despite" the accusations, citing "centuries-old" religious, cultural and historic links. "We hope that Afghan government will take all necessary actions to end the reasons for which this step was taken," Sharif said, adding that lasting peace in Afghanistan was essential to Pakistan's security. The two nations are divided by the "Durand Line", a 2,400-kilometre (1,500-mile) frontier drawn by the British in 1896 and disputed by Kabul, which does not officially recognise it as an international border. Tensions along the frontier have been simmering for months, after hundreds of thousands of Afghan refugees in Pakistan were repatriated last year, with Human Rights Watch accusing Islamabad of coercion, threats and abuse. Pakistani attempts to control the previously open border and implement customs duties have also sparked complaints from traders used to crossing with impunity. The Pakistani government estimates that undocumented trade on the border exceeds $2.5 billion annually. Torkham and Chaman were briefly opened on March 7-8 by Pakistan to allow Pakistani and Afghan citizens who had valid travel documents to return home. 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! Pope Francis (centre) poses with Rwanda's President Paul Kagame and his wife Jeannette Kagame ahead of a meeting at the Vatican March 20, 2017 Pope Francis on Monday begged for God's forgiveness for "the sins and failings of the Church and its members" implicated in the 1994 Rwanda genocide that killed around 800,000 people. The pontiff "conveyed his profound sadness, and that of the Holy See and of the Church, for the genocide against the Tutsi," the Vatican said in a statement after a meeting between Francis and the Rwanda President Paul Kagame. "He implored anew God's forgiveness for the sins and failings of the Church and its members, among whom priests and religious men and women who succumbed to hatred and violence, betraying their own evangelical mission," it said. Francis's pardon plea followed a request from Rwanda in November for the church to apologise for its role in the massacres. Since the genocide, whose victims were mostly from the Tutsi minority, the Catholic Church has been accused of being close to the Hutu extremist regime in power in 1994. A number of churches became scenes of mass killings as Hutu militiamen found people seeking refuge in them, sometimes turned over by priests, with no way out. - 'Renewed trust' - Francis, 80, said he hoped "this humble recognition of the failings of that period, which, unfortunately, disfigured the face of the Church, may contribute to a 'purification of memory'" and promote "renewed trust". Several Catholic priests as well as nuns and brothers were charged with participating in the genocide and tried by the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) and by a Belgian court, leading to some convictions while others were acquitted. The highest-ranking Church official to be tried for genocide was the late bishop Augustin Misago, who was acquitted and freed from prison in June 2000. During the 20th anniversary commemorations in April 2014, Kagame accused the Catholic Church of having "participated fully" in establishing the colonial ideology that created the divide between Hutus and Tutsis, which he claimed led to the genocide. In November, a letter of apology signed by the bishops representing the nine dioceses in Rwanda was read in all churches. But the Rwandan government said the local apology was not sufficient considering the crimes committed. Jean-Pierre Dusingizemungu, head of the Ibuka survivors group, called the pope's words a "giant step taken by the church" that would "help us fight the negationism and ideology of genocide". - 'Shielded from justice' - Rwanda Foreign Minister Louise Mushikiwabo, who accompanied Kagame to the Vatican, said Monday's meeting was held in "a spirit of openness and mutual respect". The Catholic Church is "facilitating" efforts to help survivors and repentant perpetrators live and work side by side, she said. But the minister said that there were those in the church who were still protecting genocide perpetrators. "Today, genocide denial and trivialisation continue to flourish in certain groups within the Church and genocide suspects have been shielded from justice within Catholic institutions," she said. About half of Rwandans are Catholic, but since the genocide many have turned to pentecostal churches. "The pope's gesture is a way for him to put back into play a Rwandan Catholic Church effectively discredited" by the scandal, wrote Nicolas Seneze, the Rome correspondent for the French daily La Croix. A busy day on King Faisal Highway, one of Kuwait City's main roads, as families head out of town A Kuwaiti lawyer filed a lawsuit Monday seeking a temporary driving ban on millions of expatriates to ease traffic congestion in the oil-rich Gulf state. Lawyer Mohammad al-Ansari called for a temporary suspension of their driving licences and a total ban on issuing new licences for expats. He filed the lawsuit on behalf of a number of Kuwaiti citizens affected by traffic problems, Ansari told AFP in a written statement. "The traffic problem in the country has reached an unbearable phase," said the lawyer, adding that the government had failed to resolve it. Ansari said the suspension should stay in force until new regulations are introduced to curb traffic jams, although certain professions should be exempted. Around 3.1 million foreigners, most of them Asians, live and work in Kuwait alongside 1.35 million citizens. For the past decade, authorities have imposed very strict rules on expatriates to obtain a driver's licence. Most foreigners are required to hold a university degree, earn 600 dinars ($2,000) a month and have lived legally in the emirate for at least two years before a license is issued. Their high number has been criticised by lawmakers and activists, with several MPs calling for it to be lowered to the same level as Kuwaiti citizens within five years. Others have called for taxes to be slapped on their money transfers out of Kuwait. Sri Lanka's former defence secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, the brother of ex-president Mahinda Rajapakse, leaves a court in Colombo on September 30, 2016 Former Sri Lanka president Mahinda Rajapakse's brother Gotabhaya directed a top-secret death squad which targeted journalists and dissidents, a court was told Monday. Criminal Investigations Department (CID) told the Mount Lavinia magistrate's court that Gotabhaya Rajapakse, who was Sri Lanka's defence secretary during his brother's rule, directed a secret unit which is accused of assassinating a newspaper editor in January 2009. The CID said it found evidence that the death squad was controlled by Gotabhaya Rajapakse who has already publicly denied involvement in the killing of former Sunday Leader editor Lasantha Wickrematunga. "Testimony from the former army commander (Sarath Fonseka) shows that there was a special secret unit outside his authority and controlled by Gotabhaya Rajapakse through the then chief of national intelligence Kapila Hendawitharana," said a CID report which was read out in the court. "This unit was operated outside the army command structure and was used to target journalists and other dissidents," added the report. Fonseka who led Sri Lankas successful military campaign against Tamil rebels in 2009 fell out of grace after he unsuccessfully challenged Rajapakse at January 2010 elections. Rajapakse had been accused of ordering the killing of many dissidents, but Monday's police report is the first to implicate him in an ongoing court case. Wickrematunga's killing, which sparked an international outcry, drew attention to violence against Sri Lanka's media during Rajapakse's tenure that ended in 2015 when he lost elections by an opposition alliance. In a written report to court, the CID said a fresh autopsy revealed that Wickrematunga had been stabbed to death and not shot as previously recorded in the original death certificate. Wickrematunga's body was exhumed in September for a fresh forensic test after allegations that the original autopsy report had been falsified to deliberately mislead investigators. The Mount Lavinia Court also ordered police to carry our further investigations and arrest any suspects involved. Speaking to AFP after Monday's court hearing, a senior police officer said that authorities were close to making more arrests over the murder, after five military intelligence officers were detained last month. "Now that the cause of death has been firmly established, we can proceed with making further arrests," the officer said on condition of anonymity. Wickrematunga had accused Gotabhaya of taking kickbacks in arms purchases, including a deal to buy used MiG jet fighters, and was due to testify against him in court when he was killed. Rajapakse and several members of his family are under investigation for large-scale fraud and murder during his 10 years as president, in which 17 journalists and media workers were killed. All deny any wrongdoing and in turn accuse the new government of a political vendetta. A retired army intelligence officer was found hanging at his home in October with a note claiming responsibility for Wickrematunga's death. But police have said they do not believe the claim and are treating the officer's death as a murder. A member of the Iraqi forces, consisting of the Iraqi federal police and the elite Rapid Response Division, secures a building as troops push into the Old City in Mosul on March 19, 2017 Iraqi forces battled Islamic State group fighters on Monday to push into Mosul's Old City where thousands of civilians remain trapped under jihadist rule. The city's historic centre is home to the Al-Nuri mosque, where IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in July 2014 proclaimed an IS "caliphate" in jihadist-controlled territory in Iraq and neighbouring Syria. The forces have recaptured several neighbourhoods from IS since starting the push for west Mosul last month, but the battle for the Old City, with its warrens of alleyways, was always expected to be tough. Located on the west bank of the River Tigris which divides the city, the densely populated old centre is difficult for armoured vehicles to navigate and any use of heavy weapons there risks putting civilian lives in danger. Iraqi forces on Monday aimed to press forward to enter the Old City from the Iron Bridge in an area rocked by heavy fighting the previous day, the commander of the Rapid Response Division's 2nd Brigade told AFP. Thousands of Iraqi civilians remain trapped in Mosul's Old City, which is home to the Al-Nuri mosque and its leaning minaret "The offensive has resumed in the same area as yesterday... which is made up of large buildings, markets and narrow streets where the enemy is hiding," Brigadier General Mahdi Abbas Abdullah said. Several buildings have been retaken from the jihadists on the edge of the Old City in the past few days, Iraqi authorities have said. But the fighting for IS's last major urban stronghold in Iraq puts civilians who remain in the Old City in "terrible danger", an aid coordinator for the United Nations has warned. "People fleeing are telling us that it's very difficult to enter or leave the Old City," the UN's humanitarian coordinator in Iraq, Lise Grande, said in a statement on Sunday. "Families are at risk of being shot if they leave and they are at risk if they stay," she said. - 'Tens of thousands fleeing' - "It's horrible. Hundreds of thousands of civilians are trapped and they are in terrible danger." Iraqi authorities launched the offensive to retake the city on October 17 last year, with the support of the US-led coalition that has been carrying out strikes against IS in Iraq and Syria since 2014. About 111,000 Iraqis have sought shelter in 17 camps and reception centres outside Mosul, as Iraqi forces press an offensive to retake the city from the Islamic State group Recapturing Iraq's second city would be a major blow to IS following months of jihadist losses in both countries. Iraqi forces launched the drive to retake west Mosul on February 19, after seizing the city's eastern side the previous month. More than 180,000 people have fled west Mosul, the Iraqi government said Monday. About 111,000 have sought shelter in 17 nearby camps and reception centres while many others have stayed with relatives, the ministry of displacement and migration said. The Iraqi government says it can accommodate a further 100,000 displaced people in camps, but the United Nations says the numbers could rise way beyond that. "Humanitarian agencies are bracing for the possibility that an additional 300,000-320,000 civilians may flee in coming weeks," the UN's aid coordination agency OCHA said. Grande said aid groups had spent months preparing for the Mosul operation. "But the truth is that the crisis is pushing all of us to our limits," she said. The aid operation for western Mosul is "far larger and far more complex" than in the east, she said. "The main difference is that tens of thousands of families stayed in their homes in the east," she said. "In the west, tens of thousands are fleeing." "If the number of people leaving the city increases faster than we can construct new plots, the situation could deteriorate very quickly," she added. Mosul had an estimated population of two million before IS overran it in a lightning June 2014 assault. NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg headed for Washington on Monday for the first time since US President Donald Trump was elected, holding talks with senior officials about defeating the Islamic State group, his office said. Stoltenberg will meet US Defence Secretary James Mattis on Tuesday, then meet foreign ministers from the US-led coalition working to defeat IS, his office said in a statement. He will also hold a series of unspecified meetings during the visit beginning later Monday and ending Tuesday, it added. During a visit to NATO headquarters in Brussels last month, US Vice President Mike Pence said Trump expects NATO allies to make real progress by the end of this year towards meeting the increased defence spending target agreed by the alliance. The transatlantic alliance set a goal in 2014 of raising defence spending to two percent of GDP over a decade. So far, of the 28 NATO members, only the United States, Britain, Poland, Greece and Estonia have met the two percent target. Mattis delivered a similar message at a NATO defence ministers meeting a week earlier, saying Washington could "moderate" its commitment if allies fail to pay up. The launch of an Israeli Arrow 3 missile, at an undisclosed location in southern Tel Aviv on December 10, 2015 A senior army officer said Monday that Israel had fired its Arrow missile at a Syrian rocket which posed a "ballistic threat" during clashes over the weekend. Israeli warplanes struck several targets in Syria on Friday, drawing retaliatory missile fire, in the most serious incident between the two countries since the start of the Syrian war six years ago. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the air strikes targeted weapons bound for Lebanon's Shiite militant group Hezbollah, and that Israel would do the same again if necessary. Syria's military launched anti-aircraft missiles at the attackers and said it had downed an Israeli plane and hit another as they carried out pre-dawn strikes near the desert city of Palmyra. Israel denied any of its aircraft was hit. Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman on Sunday threatened to destroy Syrian air defence systems "without the slightest hesitation" if they fired on Israeli planes in future. During the sortie, Israel threw its Arrow interceptor into the fray to take out what the officer said Monday was believed to have been a Russian-made SA 5 missile. "It was a ballistic threat focused on the state of Israel," he said, speaking in English to foreign media on condition of anonymity. "Our mission is to defend the state and the people of Israel," he added. "That was exactly the case last week." Former prime minister and defence minister Ehud Barak has questioned the wisdom of the Arrow launch, saying it may have escalated tensions with Syria in too public a manner. Missile fragments fell in Jordan, which borders both Israel and Syria, without causing casualties. But the Israeli officer said Monday that the Syrian missile, weighing "tonnes and carrying hundreds of kilos of explosives" had posed a threat that could not have been ignored. "Try to imagine the meaning if this kind of threat would hit the cities and towns of Israel," he said. Launching the Arrow, jointly developed by the United States and Israel, was "a correct and effective solution", he added. Russia's foreign ministry on Monday said it had summoned Israel's ambassador over the strikes and "expressed concern". Israel and Syria are still technically at war, though the border had remained largely quiet for decades until 2011 when the Syrian conflict broke out. Iranian-backed Hezbollah has been fighting inside Syria in support of President Bashar al-Assad against rebels. While Israel has largely avoided getting sucked into the conflict directly, it has repeatedly struck Syrian territory, particularly targeting alleged Hezbollah weapons convoys. Turkey considers the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) to be a "terrorist" group Russia's military will train Kurdish forces in Syria, the militia's spokesman said Monday, in Moscow's first agreement of its kind with the group that controls large parts of the country's north. The move by Russia, a longtime ally of President Bashar al-Assad's regime, is likely to anger Turkey, which considers the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) to be a "terrorist" group. "An agreement was signed between our units and Russian forces operating in Syria that will train us in modern military tactics," YPG spokesman Redur Xelil said. "This is the first agreement of its kind, although we have had previous cooperation (with the Russians) in Aleppo city," he said. Russian forces were already present at the training camp in the Afrin region, one of the three "autonomous" cantons that Kurdish authorities manage in northern Syria, Xelil told AFP. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group said Monday that nearly 100 Russian soldiers have entered the Afrin area. The deal, which Xelil said was part "of the framework of the fight against terrorism", was signed on Sunday and came into force on Monday. Russia has not officially confirmed the announcement of the accord, but confirmed in a statement that it has a presence in Afrin. The YPG makes up the bulk of the Syrian Democratic Forces, a US-backed alliance of Kurdish and Arab fighters that has seized swathes of territory from the Islamic State group (IS) in the north of the country. The SDF receives equipment, weapons and air support from the US-led coalition, and it is backed by several hundred Western special operations forces in an advisory role. Pentagon spokesman Jeff Davis said the Kurds to be trained by the Russians "are not the people we have worked with before". He said the Kurds comprised "a lot of different people". "Some are working with us through the Syrian Democratic Forces to fight ISIS (IS), some are not. We are supporting the ones who are working with us to fight ISIS." Russia is a long-term backer of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, but also recently worked closely with rebel supporter Turkey to try to end the six-year war in Syria. Aaron Stein, a senior fellow at the US-based Atlantic Council, said Russia was now partnering with the Kurds as they had become an important player in Syria. "The Kurds are now the most consequential non-state actor in Syria, alongside Al-Qaeda... They will have a huge say over the future of Syria," he said. Judge Neil Gorsuch looks on during his Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill on March 20, 2017 President Donald Trump's Supreme Court pick, Neil Gorsuch, faced senators Monday for his confirmation hearing, with Democrats immediately casting him as a threat to civil liberties and social progress. If confirmed, Gorsuch -- a federal appeals judge for the past decade -- would fill the seat left vacant by the death of towering conservative justice Antonin Scalia, who died in February 2016 in the middle of the presidential election campaign. Since that time, the court has been operating with eight justices, and Democrats are still bitterly angry over the Republican refusal to even consider Barack Obama's nominee Merrick Garland for a vote. "For all its imperfections, I believe the rule of law is truly a wonder," Gorsuch, dressed in a navy blue suit and tie, said in his opening statement. "Putting on a robe reminds us judges that it's time to lose our egos and open our minds." "If I am confirmed, I will do all my powers permit to be a faithful servant of the constitutional laws of this great nation," he added. The silver-haired 49-year-old judge is expected to be grilled for the next few days in the Senate Judiciary Committee, which opened the hearing with statements from several senators and Gorsuch himself. The Republicans, who have a majority in the Senate, say they are confident Gorsuch will be confirmed, pushing the court's balance towards the right. People protest Judge Neil Gorsuch's nomination to the Supreme Court outside the US Supreme Court on March 15, 2017 A Colorado native with an Ivy League education, Gorsuch -- the youngest nominee for a generation -- is known for a strict interpretation of the Constitution known as originalism, and his defense of so-called traditional family values. "As Alexander Hamilton said, liberty can have nothing to fear from judges who apply the law but liberty has everything to fear if judges try to legislate," Gorsuch said. He will be pushed to expand on his opinions on hot-button issues such as abortion, same sex marriage and the right to bear arms. Dianne Feinstein, the ranking Democrat on the committee, voiced her fears that a woman's right to an abortion as guaranteed by the high court's decision in Roe v Wade, will be at risk. "Judge Gorsuch has not had occasion to rule directly on a case involving Roe. However, his writings do raise questions," she told the hearing. And she queried Gorsuch's "troubling" belief in originalism, saying: In essence, it means that judges and courts should evaluate our constitutional rights and privileges as they were understood in 1789." - Highest court of the land - Trump announced his pick of Gorsuch in late January, just 11 days into his presidency. Some Democrats are demanding a 60-vote threshold for Gorsuch's confirmation, which they have permission to do under Senate rules. "I think a nominee to the United States Supreme Court ought to be approved overwhelmingly, not by a razor-thin margin. We are talking the highest court of the land -- lifetime appointment," said Democrat Richard Blumenthal, who sits on the judiciary committee. US Supreme Court With Republicans holding 52 seats in the 100-member chamber, Gorsuch would need to earn the support of at least eight Democrats to win confirmation. But other Democrats, especially those from states that voted for Trump, may be unwilling to force the issue. And Republicans praised Gorsuch as a man of integrity, beyond reproach. Committee chairman Chuck Grassley hailed his "exceptional record" while Ted Cruz called Gorsuch "brilliant." Trump has attacked the federal judiciary in recent weeks, especially over its decisions to block his travel ban on refugees and nationals from six mainly Muslim nations. Some Republican senators have made it clear they will call on Gorsuch to reject those statements in the coming days. - No stranger to court - Gorsuch knows his way around the Supreme Court building -- he was a clerk for the late Byron White. The late justice shared Gorsuch with Anthony Kennedy who, at 80 years old, may now become his colleague. People listen during Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch's confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Capitol Hill March 20, 2017 He then worked as a litigation attorney for a Washington firm before taking a job in the Justice Department under George W. Bush. It was Bush who would nominate him for the federal court position he took in Denver in 2006. Gorsuch is known for his ability to write incisive rulings and for his traditionalist views, both of which have fueled the comparisons with Scalia. The Columbia and Harvard grad says he is flattered by such comparisons, and does not hide his admiration for Scalia, who died at age 79. If he is confirmed, Gorsuch would join: -- Elena Kagan (56) and Sonia Sotomayor (62), appointed by Barack Obama -- Chief Justice John Roberts (62) and Samuel Alito (66), appointed by George W. Bush -- Stephen Breyer (78) and Ruth Bader Ginsburg (84), appointed by Bill Clinton -- Clarence Thomas (68), appointed by George H.W. Bush -- Anthony Kennedy (80), appointed by Ronald Reagan Conflict-ridden Yemen continues to attract people fleeing the horn of Africa The United Nations called Monday for an inquiry into last week's attack on a boat off Yemen's coast that killed 42 people, mostly Somali refugees. "Many questions remain unanswered on the circumstances of this horrific event," the head of the UN refugee agency, Filippo Grandi, said in a statement. "We call on all parties to the conflict to make proper inquiries to ensure accountability and to prevent this from happening again," he added. The Saudi-led coalition battling rebels in Yemen has said it was not responsible for the killings late last week off the rebel-held port of Hodeida. Somalia, which is a member of the coalition fighting Yemen's Shiite Huthi rebels, has also called for a probe into the raid. The International Organization for Migration has said it believed the boat was headed for Sudan. Despite a two-year war that has cost more than 7,000 lives and brought the country to the brink of famine, Yemen continues to attract people fleeing the horn of Africa. The United Nations refugee agency, UNHCR, says Yemen is hosting more than 255,000 Somali refugees. This domain was recently registered at Namecheap.com. Please check back later! Ibrahim Sharif, chief of the Waed secular group has charged with "inciting hatred" against the regime Bahraini liberal opposition figure Ibrahim Sharif was charged on Monday with "inciting hatred" against the regime with his tweets, a human rights group said. The Britain-based Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy (BIRD) said Sharif was questioned by the Gulf state's public prosecution about comments he tweeted. Apart from voicing support for detained rights activists, Sharif questioned moves by the justice ministry to dissolve the secular, opposition National Democratic Action Society (Waed) of which he was a founding member, the group said. "What remains of the decor of the democratic state?" Sharif asked in a tweet. Amnesty International condemned the charge against Sharif, who it said had been "in and out of prison as a prisoner of conscience" over the past six years, and called for it to be dropped. "Once again Ibrahim Sharif is being unjustly punished simply for exercising his right to freedom of expression. The charge against him is ludicrous and must be dropped immediately," the rights group said. "The Bahraini authorities have repeatedly sought to harass and intimidate anyone who dares to speak out about human rights violations in Bahrain," said Lynn Maalouf, a deputy director at Amnesty's office in Beirut. Sharif, a Sunni who supported Shiite-led protests in a failed 2011 uprising in the Sunni-ruled kingdom, was released from jail in July 2016 after having served a year, also on a charge of inciting hatred against the regime. He served a four-year jail term after the protests were crushed before being released under a royal amnesty in June 2015. David Rockefeller, pictured in 2010, a former chief executive of Chase Manhattan bank, was an outspoken champion of American capitalism Billionaire philanthropist David Rockefeller, a former head of Chase Manhattan bank and a luminary in political circles, died Monday at the age of 101, a spokesman said. He died in his sleep due to congestive heart failure at his home in Pocantico Hills, just north of New York City, spokesman Fraser Seitel said. The last living grandson of Standard Oil co-founder John D. Rockefeller, Forbes magazine ranked David Rockefeller 581st on its annual list of billionaires released Monday, estimating his fortune of $3.3 billion. He led Chase Manhattan, now part of JPMorgan Chase, in the 1960s and 1970s, and his accomplishments included opening the first Moscow offices of an American bank and the first in mainland China after President Richard Nixon's 1972 visit there. He also oversaw the growth of Chase Manhattan's operations in the Middle East, Latin America and Japan, Seitel said. Rockefeller also was well known in political circles in the United States and overseas, where he encountered heads of states from close to 100 countries and was known as an outspoken champion of American capitalism. He was offered the post of Treasury secretary by presidents Jimmy Carter and Richard Nixon, but turned both men down, the New York Times reported. Rockefeller famously helped persuade then-president Carter to allow the shah of Iran into the United States for cancer treatment in 1979. The move was widely seen as spurring the Iranian revolution led by the Islamic fundamentalist Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. - Family tradition of philanthropy - Born in 1915, Rockefeller grew up in a mansion in Manhattan and attended Harvard College and then the University of Chicago, where he received a Ph.D. in Economics. He enlisted in the Army and served during World War II in North Africa and Southwestern France. The French government awarded him the Legion of Honor with the rank of Chevalier in 1945. Rockefeller joined Chase National Bank in 1946 as an assistant manager in the foreign department before subsequently overseeing the bank's business in Latin America. He became co-chief executive in 1961 and later sole chief executive before retiring in 1981. Rockefeller, along with brother Nelson, who was governor of New York state and later vice president under Gerald Ford, helped lead the development of the World Trade Center in the 1960s and 1970s in lower Manhattan. The Twin Towers were dubbed in the press "David" and "Nelson." The move continued a family tradition that had included the family's efforts to spur the building of Rockefeller Center during the Great Depression. Among his other most important civic roles, Rockefeller served as chairman of the Council on Foreign Relations and executive committee chair of the Museum of Modern Art, which his mother founded. Rockefeller Foundation President Rajiv Shah said in a statement "the world has lost a great man and philanthropist." Former president George H.W. Bush praised Rockefeller as "one of the most generous philanthropists" whose "keen aptitude for issues made him a valuable advisor to Presidents of both parties -- yours truly certainly included." Former president Bill Clinton hailed Rockefeller as "a consummate businessman, a great humanitarian, and a serious scholar." Rockefeller's grandfather was one of the original American "robber baron" tycoons of the 19th and early 20th centuries, employing brass-knuckles business tactics to build his oil empire before the US Supreme Court ruled in 1911 that his Standard Oil company should be broken up. Today's oil giants, including ExxonMobil and Chevron, are descendants of Standard Oil. Ironically, Rockefeller philanthropic organizations have strongly supported action on climate change policy, putting them at odds with oil companies like ExxonMobil. They also provide financing to research and journalism groups that accused the oil giant of knowingly supporting propaganda questioning the science of climate change. The Rockefeller family has been active in philanthropy since patriarch John D. Rockefeller, who funded medical research and higher education programs. The Museum of Modern Art, Rockefeller University and Harvard are each expected to receive some $100 million upon the death of David Rockefeller, according to the magazine Inside Philanthropy. Libya says 205 Africans including eight women and a child were rescued off the coast of Tajura, 30 kilometres Libya has in two days rescued 420 migrants trying to cross the Mediterranean to Europe, a navy spokesman said Monday, but three were found dead and 30 reported missing. General Ayoub Qassem said 205 Africans including eight women and a child were rescued early Monday off the coast of Tajura, 30 kilometres (18 miles) east of Tripoli, The migrants "were on two inflatable dinghies that had started to take on water", he said. On Sunday, the coastguard rescued 215 migrants including 47 women off Zwara, 160 kilometres west of Tripoli, Qassem said. The bodies of three women were recovered, he said, and at least 30 people have been reported missing. "They are thought to have jumped or fallen off the boat during the night," the spokesman said. "The smugglers pushed two dinghies crammed with people out to sea before removing their engines and abandoning them to their fate." Qassem did not say where the boats departed, but most leave from western Libya, just 300 kilometres (190 miles) from the Italian coast. The Italian coastguard said it had also rescued another 3,000 migrants off the coast of Libya on Sunday. The North African country has long been a stepping stone for migrants dreaming of a better life in Europe, but people smugglers have stepped up their lucrative trade in the chaos since the 2011 ouster of longtime dictator Moamer Kadhafi. Interior ministers mainly from the central Mediterranean region met in Rome Monday to ramp up efforts to curb migration from Libya. They released a declaration of intent which limited itself to promising increased coordination and information sharing in a bid to tackle the root causes of migration, as well as combat smuggling and strengthen borders. Baghdad attack A car bombing on Monday evening in the Iraqi capital Baghdad killed at least 15 people and wounded 33, an interior ministry official told AFP. The attack was claimed in an online statement by the jihadist Islamic State group, which gave a toll of 23 dead, the US-based SITE Intelligence Group reported. The blast happened at around 7:00 pm (1600 GMT) in the busy business district of Hay al-Amel in the west of the city, he said. The radical Sunni IS group is under assault in both Iraq -- in the country's second city Mosul which IS seized in June 2014 -- and in neighbouring Syria. In that year, the jihadists took vast swathes of Iraqi territory north and west of the capital. Iraqi government forces backed by the US-led international coalition have since retaken many cities, including Tikrit. But as IS has lost ground in Iraq, it has also retained the ability to stage regular attacks there. Morocco's King Mohamed VI and Li Biao, Chairman of the Chinese Haite group, at the launch of the Tech City project on March 20, 2017 Morocco and China's Haite Group signed an agreement on Monday to launch an industrial park near Tangiers for 200 Chinese companies that will create tens of thousands of jobs. The agreement was signed in a ceremony at the royal palace in the port city attended by King Mohamed VI. With an initial investment of $1 billion, "Mohamed VI Tangier Tech City" aims to generate 100,000 jobs, including 90,000 for employees from the Tangiers area. "Chinese economic operators are looking for competitive platforms and they have chosen Morocco as one of those platforms," Industry Minister Moulay Hafid Elalamy told AFP. "The project is scheduled to take 10 years" and work will start in the second half of 2017, he said. It will serve as the North Africa base for Chinese companies operating in the sectors of automobile manufacturing, aeronautics and textiles. Total investments by companies from China over 10 years will amount to $10 billion, said Li Biao, president of the Chinese group, quoted by Morocco's news agency MAP. Morocco has launched an industrialisation drive centred on Tangiers which is being turned into a hub with a free trade zone and deepwater harbour. Roman Polanski cannot return to the States without fear of being put in prison. Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Scott Gordon ruled Monday against the fugitive director's petition to be able to finally return to the US with time served for having sex with a minor, according to TMZ. His lawyer, Harland Braun, had asked a judge to unseal a secret transcript that he said proved that L.A. County Superior Court Judge Laurence Rittenband in 1978 had accepted a plea deal, with Polanski set to serve a 48-day sentence. Fearful that the judge was going to reneg and sentence him to 50 years, Polanski fled for France, where he's lived ever since. A judge said Monday that fugitive Polish-French director Roman Polanski, seen in 2016 in France, cannot return to the US without fear of being jailed for having sex with a minor Polanski appeared at the Santa Monica courthouse in 1977 on charges he had raped a minor; he pleaded down to statutory rape Braun wanted the new judge to sentence the director to time served, as he spent an initial 42 days in prison before getting out on bail and an additional 10 months in prison and under house arrest in Switzerland. The judge ruled that since he was in contempt of court for fleeing, he is a fugitive and therefore can't make deals with the court, echoing similar court decisions in the past, according to the Los Angeles Times. The Oscar-winning director of 'The Pianist' and 'Chinatown' was accused of drugging the 13-year-old before raping her at film star Jack Nicholson's house in Los Angeles in 1977. He admitted statutory rape after a number of more serious charges were dropped, and spent an initial 42 days in prison before getting out on bail. Victim Samantha Geimer was 13 (left) when she met the then-42 year old Polanski; today (right) she says that he should be allowed to return to the US He was also arrested in Switzerland in 2009 on a US extradition request and spent 10 months under house arrest before the request was rejected. His attorney Harland Braun told Los Angeles Superior Court the 83-year-old filmmaker, who lives in Paris, had 'already done his time' and wanted to resolve the case with a finding that he has completed his sentence. He asked Judge Scott Gordon to order prosecutors to give some indication of how much time - if any - they want Polanski to serve if he returns. Polanski, above in 1977, served 42 days in jail and said he thought he was getting a plea deal to have served 48 days, however, he came to believe the judge was about to reneg and sentence him to 50 years But the district attorney's office is objecting to what they say amounts to an 'advance preview' of Polanski's potential sentence. 'The people simply do not believe that it is in the best interests of justice to give a wealthy celebrity different treatment from any other fugitive from justice,' Deputy District Attorney Michele Hanisee said. Hanisee wrote in a filing to the court that Polanski 'wants answers - but will only show up if he likes the answers.' Polanski lives in Paris with his wife, actress Emmanuelle Seigner, with whom he is currently filming a movie 'He forfeited his right to make requests of the court when he fled,' she added. Polanski has been engaged in a decades-long cat-and-mouse game with US officials seeking his extradition for trial, before a global audience split between continuing outrage and forgiveness for his acts. The United States then asked Poland to extradite Polanski in January 2015, but the country's Supreme Court ruled in December that he had served his time under the plea deal. The victim, Samantha Geimer, now 54, has long said that Polanski has suffered enough and should be allowed to return to the States. In 2013, she wrote a book about her experience, called The Girl, and revealed she had exchanged friendly emails with Polanski and said she 'wishes him nothing but a nice life.' Asked about her apparent change of heart about Polanski, Steve Cooley, the LA District Attorney once said 'You may want to ask her the details of the settlement she reached with Polanski, he said, referring to a 1993 out-of-court, six-figure settlement after she sued him in civil court.' Polanski has fascinated the public for decades with his movies, and his personal life, which included second wife actress Sharon Tate being murdered in 1969 by the Manson family. He is currently filming a movie with his third wife, Emmanuelle Seigner. US President Donald Trump welcomes Iraqi Prime Minister Haydar al-Abadi at the White House to discuss the campaign against the IS group Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said Monday after talks with President Donald Trump that the new US administration appears more focused on the fight against terrorism than its predecessor. Abadi met Trump at the White House on the 14th anniversary of the US invasion of Iraq and two days before a major Washington ministerial meeting on the way ahead in the war against the Islamic State group. Afterward, Abadi said he expected US assistance to the Iraqi forces fighting to drive Islamic State fighters from the northern city of Mosul to "accelerate" under Trump more quickly than would have happened under Trump's predecessor, Barack Obama. "I think this administration wants to be more engaged in fighting terrorism. I sense a difference in terms of being head-to-head with terrorism," Abadi told an audience at the United States Institute for Peace. Earlier, Trump said the operation against the Islamic State group in Mosul was "moving along" and he questioned whether the United States under Obama should have pulled US combat troops out of the country. "We should never, ever have left," he said. Previously Trump had supported the 2009 withdrawal, and he ran for office last year arguing that the United States should never have invaded Iraq in the first place. "We will figure something out. I mean we have to get rid of ISIS," he added, using an alternate acronym for the IS group. "We're going to get rid of ISIS." The Iraqi authorities launched an offensive in October to retake Mosul from the IS group with the support of US-led coalition air strikes. Government forces retook the eastern part of Mosul in January before setting their sights on the more densely populated west of the city, the last major urban center the IS group holds in Iraq. Trump shied away from any substantive discussion in public, but the presence of his top economic aide at a meeting in the cabinet office indicated that energy and economic ties were also on the agenda. US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson -- a former ExxonMobil executive -- made a rare public appearance at the White House. BAGHDAD (AP) - Iraqi forces battling Islamic State militants in Mosul have approached the mosque where the leader of the extremist group declared its self-styled caliphate in the summer of 2014. Black smoke billowed from the area around al-Nuri mosque, also known as the Great Mosque, as helicopters hovered overhead and fired down. At least two large mushroom clouds were seen rising from what is believed to be suicide car bomb explosions, according to live Associated Press footage. IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi delivered a Friday sermon in al-Nuri mosque in July 2014 after the extremist group seized almost a third of Iraq, declaring an Islamic caliphate in the areas under his group's control in Iraq and neighboring Syria. Iraqi and Syrian Kurdish forces have made steady advances against the extremist group since then with the help of a U.S.-led air campaign, retaking a number of towns and cities. Iraq launched a massive operation in October to retake Mosul, its second largest city and the IS group's last major urban bastion in the country. Iraqi forces declared eastern Mosul "fully liberated" in January and are now locked in a fierce battle for the city's more densely populated western half. LOS ANGELES (AP) - A SpaceX capsule is back on Earth with a full load of space station science samples. The Dragon cargo ship parachuted into the Pacific on Sunday off the Southern California coast. Astronauts set it free from the International Space Station 5 hours earlier. The Dragon flew to the space station a month ago from the same Florida launch pad used for NASA's Apollo moon shots. It took up more than 5,000 pounds of supplies and brought back just as much in completed experiments and used equipment. NASA's other supplier, Orbital ATK, plans to launch its own supply ship Friday, also from Cape Canaveral, Florida. That one, however, burns up on re-entry. The space station is home to one Frenchman, two Americans and three Russians. ___ Online: NASA: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/main/index.html BEIJING (AP) - China's trading partners are bringing the top U.N. food standards official to Beijing in a last-ditch attempt to persuade regulators to scale back plans to require intensive inspections of food imports - including such low-risk items as wine and chocolate - that Washington and Europe say could disrupt billions of dollars in commerce. The rule could inflame tensions with the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump, who has promised to raise tariffs on imports from China, and the European Union. Under the rule, due to take effect as early as October, each consignment of food would require a certificate from a foreign inspector confirming it meets Chinese quality standards. Other countries require such inspections only for meat, dairy and other perishable items. In this Tuesday, March 14, 2017 photo, a man looks at imported wines on display for sale near the imported cookies and nuts, at Walmart in Beijing. China's trading partners are bringing the top U.N. food standards official to Beijing in a last-ditch attempt to persuade regulators to scale back plans for intensive inspections of food imports - including such low-risk items as wine and chocolate - that Washington and Europe say could disrupt billions of dollars in trade. (AP Photo/Andy Wong) That alarms suppliers that see China as a growing market for American fruit juice and snack foods, French wine, German chocolate, Italian pasta and Australian orange juice. They complain Beijing already uses safety rules in ways that hamper access for beef and other goods in violation of its market-opening commitments. "It could bring down food imports quite dramatically," said the German ambassador to Beijing, Michael Clauss. "It often seems it is more about protecting Chinese producers than about food safety." The requirement would add "unnecessary regulatory complexity" at a time when Beijing has promised to reduce regulation, Jake Parker, vice president of China operations for the U.S.-China Business Council, said in an email. Chinese regulators say closer scrutiny is needed as food imports increase. They say they are willing to consider suggestions about alternatives, but foreign officials say they have yet to make any changes. China contends the inspections requirement is supported by the Codex Alimentarius, the "Food Code" of the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization and World Health Organization, according to a person familiar with the discussions. The Codex sets quality standards but other nations say it recommends certificates only for risky products. The president of the Codex council, Awilo Ochieng Pernet, a Swiss lawyer, will attend an April 6 seminar with Chinese officials in Beijing to explain its standards, according to that person, who asked not to be identified further. Participants plan to propose alternatives such as giving Beijing access to electronic records to track sources of shipments. Ambassadors from the United States and another government expressed concern in a letter in January to Wang Yang, a deputy premier who oversees farming and commerce. Officials of the United States, the EU, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, Argentina, Chile and other governments sent a similar letter to the Chinese product quality agency, the General Administration for Quality Inspection, Supervision and Quarantine, known as AQSIQ. EU officials believe requiring health certificates for all products "is not scientifically justified," the EU mission in Beijing said in a statement. The rules would be a burden on foreign suppliers and "a waste of the precious control resources" that should focus on risky products, it said. The rules follow an avalanche of scandals over Chinese suppliers caught selling tainted milk and other shoddy or counterfeit food products. Western officials say the proposed food rules appear meant to shift responsibility away from AQSIQ, which Chinese consumers often blame for safety failures . In a written statement, AQSIQ told The Associated Press it is talking with more than 30 exporting countries and regions including the European Union, the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Japan. The agency said it welcomes suggestions of "alternative solutions." The measures are aimed at "promoting the international co-governance of food safety," the agency said. It said that would improve regulators' ability to trace imported food and block counterfeits. "We have to assess the food management of areas abroad that export food to China to ensure the food safety of our country," the minister in charge of AQSIQ, Zhi Shuping, said at a March 14 news conference. Zhi did not refer directly to the inspection requirement but said his agency's activities are "in line with international practice." Beijing already is at odds with the U.S. and Europe over low-priced exports of steel and aluminum they say are hurting foreign competitors. In the Trump administration's first trade complaint, a group for American aluminum producers asked March 9 for higher import duties on Chinese-made aluminum foil to counter what it said were improper subsidies. Clauss, the German ambassador, said the rules should be submitted for WTO review - a step that AQSIQ said in its written statement it will take. "We don't see that they really are trying to compromise on this so far," said Clauss. "To our knowledge, this doesn't exist anywhere else in the world." ___ General Administration for Quality Inspection, Supervision and Quarantine: www.aqsiq.gov.cn Codex Alimentarius: www.fao.org/fao-who-codexalimentarius TOKYO (AP) - The foreign and defense ministers from Japan and Russia met in Tokyo on Monday, with both sides expressing hope that discussions on joint development of islands claimed by both countries might help them move closer to resolving the territorial dispute preventing them from forging a peace treaty. The talks are the first "two-plus-two" meeting since Russia's annexation of Crimea from Ukraine. The one-day meeting is largely focusing on regional security, especially how best to deal with North Korea's launches of missiles and its nuclear program. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, left, talks with Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida at the start of their meeting as a part of Japan-Russia foreign and defence ministers meeting at Iikura guest house in Tokyo, Japan Monday, March 20, 2017. The foreign and defense ministers from Japan and Russia are meeting in Tokyo for the first "two-plus-two" talks since Russia's annexation of Ukraine. (Issei Kato/Pool Photo via AP) Russia's Foreign Ministry said before the talks that its envoys would raise the issue of a plan by the U.S. and its ally South Korea to deploy a state-of-the-art missile defense system known as THAAD, which has antagonized China and Russia. Joint efforts in fighting terrorism and drug trafficking were also on the agenda. Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida was meeting with his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, while Japanese Defense Minister Tomomi Inada sat down for talks with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu. The four ministers will also hold joint talks on international and bilateral issues. Japan and Russia last held "two-plus-two" talks in November 2013. Meetings were shelved after that due to the crisis in Ukraine, as Japan joined sanctions against Moscow. The Tokyo talks are not expected to lead to a breakthrough on conflicting claims to islands north of Hokkaido - Etorofu, Kunashiri, Shikotan and the Habomai islets - that came under Russian control after Japan's defeat in World War II. But the countries see more room for agreement on joint development of fisheries, tourism and other areas that might help bridge the gap. Kishida said he intended to work in a "speedy manner" to move closer toward reaching a peace treaty, especially making progress on joint economic development. Lavrov agreed, saying at the outset of the talks that "I believe this joint development will become an important step to create an appropriate environment for resolving a peace treaty." Earlier, a Japanese foreign ministry official said Tokyo would raise concerns over Russia's installment of surface-to-ship missiles on Etorofu and other military activity elsewhere on the disputed islands, and seek an explanation from Moscow. It does not plan to push harder than that, said the official, who briefed reporters on the condition he not be named. Japanese officials also said the talks would include work on planning a visit by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to Moscow later this year. Logistics of visits by Japanese former residents of the disputed islands will also be addressed, they said. ___ Associated Press writers Mari Yamaguchi in Tokyo and Vladimir Isachenkov in Moscow contributed to this report. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, left, shakes hands with Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida at the start of their meeting as a part of Japan-Russia foreign and defence ministers meeting at Iikura guest house in Tokyo, Japan Monday, March 20, 2017. The foreign and defense ministers from Japan and Russia are meeting in Tokyo for the first "two-plus-two" talks since Russia's annexation of Ukraine. (Issei Kato/Pool Photo via AP) Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, right, reviews an honor guard with his Japanese counterpart Tomomi Inada upon arrival at Defense Ministry in Tokyo, Monday, March 20, 2017. The foreign and defense ministers from Japan and Russia met in Tokyo on Monday for the first "two-plus-two" talks since Russia's annexation of Ukraine. (AP Photo/Shizuo Kambayashi) Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, left, shake hands with his Japanese counterpart Tomomi Inada prior to their meeting at Defense Ministry in Tokyo, Monday, March 20, 2017. The foreign and defense ministers from Japan and Russia met in Tokyo on Monday for the first "two-plus-two" talks since Russia's annexation of Ukraine. (AP Photo/Shizuo Kambayashi) Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, left, shake hands with his Japanese counterpart Tomomi Inada prior to their meeting at Defense Ministry in Tokyo, Monday, March 20, 2017. The foreign and defense ministers from Japan and Russia met in Tokyo on Monday for the first "two-plus-two" talks since Russia's annexation of Ukraine. (AP Photo/Shizuo Kambayashi) Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, third from left, reviews an honor guard with his Japanese counterpart Tomomi Inada upon arrival at Defense Ministry in Tokyo, Monday, March 20, 2017. The foreign and defense ministers from Japan and Russia met in Tokyo on Monday for the first "two-plus-two" talks since Russia's annexation of Ukraine. (AP Photo/Shizuo Kambayashi) Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, third from left, talks with his Japanese counterpart Tomomi Inada, second from right, during their meeting at Defense Ministry in Tokyo, Monday, March 20, 2017. (AP Photo/Shizuo Kambayashi) Your daily look at late-breaking news, upcoming events and the stories that will be talked about Monday. 1. HOUSE PANEL SET FOR RUSSIA HACKING HEARINGS Rep. Adam Schiff, a California Democrat, says documents from the FBI and Justice Department show "evidence of collusion" between some American citizens and Russians to interfere with U.S. elections. President Donald Trump walks to the White House after arriving on Marine One, Sunday, March 19, 2017, in Washington. Trump is returning from a trip to his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) 2. SENATE WEIGHS HIGH COURT NOMINATION The confirmation of Neil Gorsuch would ensure a conservative advantage on the Supreme Court. 3. YOU KNOW HE NEVER STOPS ROCKIN' Fans mourning Chuck Berry's death at 90 may find solace in a new album the rock icon recorded months ago that's expected to be released later this year. 4. HOW PAUL RYAN WANTS TO CHANGE GOP HEALTH CARE BILL The House speaker says he will push to revise the plan to replace Obamacare so it offers more help to older people. 5. NKOREA TESTS NEW HIGH-THRUST ROCKET ENGINE The test was conducted as U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is in Asia, focusing on how to deal with Pyongyang's nuclear programs. 6. 'I'M THE BEST PERSON EVER TO HAVE A COLUMN IN THIS BUSINESS' That's how brash New York newsman Jimmy Breslin spoke of himself as a Pulitzer-winning chronicler of the city's streets. Breslin has died at 88. 7. WHAT RISKY MOVE 'MEETUP' TAKES The networking website plans to help coordinate protests among more than 120,000 activists involved with anti-Trump Meetup groups. 8. WHERE WILDFIRE FORCES EVACUATIONS Officials in Boulder, Colo., order 1,000 residents to leave their homes as fire crews battle a wind-whipped blaze in the mountains outside town. 9. ISRAEL GIVES GLIMPSE OF ARTIFACTS FROM TIME OF JESUS "Today we can reconstruct very accurately many, many aspects of the daily life of the time of Christ," says Gideon Avni of the Israel Antiquities Authority. 10. TOP-SEED TARHEELS ADVANCE TO SWEET SIXTEEN After blowing a 17-point lead, North Carolina rallies to beat Arkansas 72-65 in the NCAA tourney. Joe Albanese replaces an old mural with a new painting that will feature the album cover of a new Chuck Berry album at Delmar Loop in St. Louis on Saturday, March 18, 2017. They were surprised to hear that the music legend died as they were working on the project. Earlier in the day, police announced Berry died at the age of 90. (David Carson/St. Louis Post-Dispatch via AP) ASIA: TILLERSON-ASIA - The United States is looking forward to the first meeting between President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said Sunday, on the final day of a swing through Asia dominated by concerns over North Korea's nuclear and missile programs. By Christopher Bodeen. SENT: 420 words, photos. JAPAN-RUSSIA - The foreign and defense ministers from Japan and Russia met in Tokyo on Monday, with both sides expressing hope that discussions on joint development of islands claimed by both countries might help them move closer to resolving the territorial dispute preventing them from forging a peace treaty. By Elaine Kurtenbach. SENT: 350 words. AUSTRALIA-US-REFUGEES - U.S. security officers have begun fingerprinting refugees held on Pacific islands in the final stage of assessing who will find new lives in the United States, asylum seekers said Monday. By Rod McGuirk. SENT: 290 words. AUSTRALIA-GROUNDED PLANES - Five Regional Express Airlines passenger planes had been grounded as a precaution after a near disaster in which a propeller fell off an airliner as it approached Sydney Airport, the Australian airline said on Monday. By Rod McGuirk. SENT: 270 words. AUSTRALIA-CROCODILE ATTACK - An Australian teen who was attacked by a crocodile after jumping into a crocodile-infested river on a dare was recovering from serious wounds to his arm, officials said Monday, as authorities recovered the body of another man who also may have been attacked by a crocodile in nearby waters. SENT: 390 words. EAST TIMOR-ELECTION - East Timor is voting for a new president in an election that will test Asia's newest and poorest nation. SENT: 150 words, photos. THE WEEK THAT WAS IN ASIA - PHOTO GALLERY. SENT: 240 words, photos. BUSINESS AND FINANCE CHINA-FOOD IMPORT CONTROLS - China's trading partners are bringing the top U.N. food standards official to Beijing in a last-ditch attempt to persuade regulators to scale back plans to require intensive inspections of food imports - including such low-risk items as wine and chocolate - that Washington and Europe say could disrupt billions of dollars in commerce. By Joe McDonald and Gillian Wong. SENT: 800 words, photos. FINANCIAL MARKETS - Asian markets were mixed Monday after global finance ministers dropped a pledge to oppose trade protectionism from a weekend statement in the face of resistance from the Trump administration. By Joe McDonald. SENT: 500 words. ___ HOW TO REACH US: The editor in charge at the AP Asia-Pacific Desk in Bangkok is Scott McDonald. Questions and story requests are welcome. The news desk can be reached at (66) 2632-6911 or by email at asia@ap.org. The Asia Photo Desk can be reached at (81-3) 6215-8941. Between 1600 GMT and 0000 GMT, please refer queries to the North America Desk in New York at (1) 212-621-1650. 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 (1) 877-836-9477. DEARBORN, Mich. (AP) - Zahraa Ballout isn't "white," and she certainly isn't "some other race." If the government gives her the choice of checking a new "Middle East/North Africa" box on a census form, would she? Yes, she says, despite some reservations about what it would mean to stand out after Americans elected a president who wants to ban travel from some countries in the region and has spoken favorably of registering Muslims in the U.S. "I would feel some wariness because you don't know exactly the consequences or what's coming next after you check the box," says 21-year-old Ballout, a student in Dearborn, Michigan, who's been in the country three years. "I don't want to fool myself to think that checking another box (other than the new one) is going to protect me in some way." In this photo taken March 16, 2017, Hussein Dabajeh, 30, a lifelong Dearborn, Mich. resident who owns a hookah shop and lounge, said his ancestors first came to the U.S. from what's now Lebanon in 1911. Still, he usually looks for the "other" box when offered the option on official forms and fully supports the idea of a new category for those who trace their roots to the Middle East. (AP Photo/Jeff Karoub) Ballou's risk-benefit analysis reflects a new caution surrounding the way the U.S. government counts Americans, an every-decade exercise mandated in the Constitution that influences the nation's day-to-day operations in ways big and small. That includes representation in Congress and how taxpayer money is doled out - for education, public health, transportation and more. The Census Bureau on Feb. 28 for the first time recommended including the new category, which would mostly affect Muslims. The Office of Management and Budget is expected to make the decision later this year. The move is the product of years of research and decades of advocacy for Arab and other groups from the region that pre-date Donald Trump's presidential campaign. The Census Bureau said that when it tested a new MENA category in 2015, people of Middle Eastern or North African descent tended to check off that box. When it wasn't there, they'd select "white" or, increasingly, "some other race." Including the separate category, the agency said, is "optimal" to get a more accurate count of Americans. "There's nothing for me to hide," said Hussein Dabajeh, 30, a lifelong Dearborn resident who said his ancestors arrived from what's now Lebanon in 1911. Dabajeh says he'd check the MENA box. "I can be American of Arab descent without being un-American." The disparity can be seen in a basic statistic. The Arab American Institute estimates as many as 3.7 million people in the United States have Arab roots. The Census Bureau estimates there are 1.8 million Arab Americans in the U.S, according to data it has collected. Among other things, that means there are no accurate national numbers to provide clues to whether certain medical ailments are - as suspected - unusually common in people of that background, experts say. Both tallies show explosive growth in that population since 2000. And both support the new box on the 2020 census that would represent people with backgrounds from 19 countries in the region. But singling oneself out in that way has become sensitive at a time when Trump has linked a crackdown on Muslims with better national security. As a candidate, he called for a "total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States." As president, Trump has twice ordered travel bans on people from certain majority-Muslim nations. Federal courts have blocked those orders, but on Friday, the Trump administration said it would appeal the latest ruling. In 2016, Trump said the government should investigate mosques in the U.S. in much the same way the New York Police Department's now-shuttered "Demographics Unit" spied on Muslims with help from the CIA. The group assembled databases on where Muslims lived, shopped, worked and prayed, infiltrated Muslim student groups, put informants in mosques and monitored sermons, The Associated Press reported in 2011. "The fear is legitimate. It's something I worry about," said Maya Berry, executive director of the Arab American Institute. "It's very hard for us now to sort of reject that wholly, because we've been working on it for decades," she adds. "We've been telling our members: We understand why you're concerned, it's a legitimate concern. Let's just proceed with caution." "Without this kind of Census data, people just assume that Arabs or Muslims simply appeared on the scene after 9/11," said Akram Khater, director of the Khayrallah Center for Lebanese Diaspora Studies at North Carolina State University who served on the Census's advisory panel. "To me you don't find safety in hiding." Former Census director Robert Groves traces the worries in part to one "black mark" on the department's history. During World War II, the Census Bureau provided the government with neighborhood information to help it sweep up 120,000 people of Japanese descent for imprisonment, under an order by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. But he points out that the law prohibits workers from disclosing personal census information. "The culture of the Census Bureau and this law has been successful over successive decades in allowing me and others to say this is the best protection that can be given to people," said Groves, now provost of Georgetown University. While some members of the MENA community share the concerns, they also believe the government is powerful enough to discriminate against anyone. "There are better ways to do that than the census," said Germine Awad, a University of Texas psychologist born in Egypt but raised in the United States. "That could happen at any moment." ___ Kellman reported from Washington. Federal Appeals Court Judge Neil Gorsuch told a Senate panel on Monday that while he is 'acutely aware of my own imperfections,' he pledged to ' do all my powers permit to be a faithful servant of the Constitution and laws of this great nation.' President Donald Trump's nominee to replace the late Justice Antonin Scalia on the U.S. Supreme Court delivered a heartfelt and sometimes folksy description of his past to a committee that had already spent nearly five hours bickering about his future. 'These days we sometimes hear judges described as politicians in robes, seeking to reinforce their own politics rather than striving to apply the law impartially,' he lamented. 'If I thought that were true, I'd hang up the robe. The truth is I just don't think that's what a life in the law is about.' Neil Gorsuch was sworn-in to testify Monday before the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on his nomination to be an associate justice of the Supreme Court Gorsuch hugged his wife Louise in the Senate hearing chamber, 401 days after the death of Justice Antonin Scalia whose seat President Donald Trump has nominated him to take over Gorsuch delivered folksy, plainspoken oratory about his family upbringing and his view that a court case 'isn't just a number or a name, but a life story of a human being with equal dignity to my own' Gorsuch described a life on the bench as 'sometimes a lonely and hard job' But 'we tolerate, we cherish different points of view, and we seek consensus whenever we can,' he said. He thanked senators for their 'warm welcome' and 'kind advice,' and pronounced himself 'honored and I am humbled to be here.' Warm welcomes, though, were not what the lawmakers had for each other; Gorsuch sat spectator-silent all morning and half of the afternoon as senators drew battle lines. The Senate Judiciary Committee hearings got underway with Republicans and Democrats tussling over whether the high court should use its power to expand the U.S. Constitution, or decide life-shaping cases based on the words America's founding fathers used 228 years ago. Judges aren't free to re-write statutes to get results they believe are more just,' Republican committee chairman Chuck Grassley declared as the closely watched event got underway. 'Judges arent free to re-order regulations to make them more fair. And no, judges arent free to "update" the Constitution. Thats not their job.' Ranking Democrat Dianne Feinstein delivered a blistering critique of judges who stick to the 'original meaning of the constitution.' 'This is personal,' she said, 'but I find this originalist judicial philosophy to be really troubling. ... I firmly believe that the U.S. Constitution is a living document, intended to evolve.' Gorsuch (center) arrived for the first day of his Supreme Court confirmation hearing with Senate Judiciary Committee ranking member Sen. Dianne Feinstein (left) and Chairman Charles Grassley (right) the two senators who exchanged passive-aggressive fire Monday 'Judges arent free to "update" the Constitution,' said Grassley (right); 'I firmly believe that the U.S. Constitution is a living document,' countered Feinstein (left) Gorsuch still faces a lengthy multi-day hearing process and then weeks of waiting for a final vote as Democrats and Republicans argue over whether his judicial philosophy is fit for a lifetime appointment to the high court Feinstein cited slavery and witch-burnings as she claimed interpreting the Constitution as its framers knew it meant that 'we would still have segregated schools and bans on interracial marriage,' and the rights of women and LGBT Americans would be threatened. Conservatives generally believe that the Constitution should only be changed through the amendment process described in Article V. That involves two-thirds supermajority votes in both houses of Congress, and votes to ratify amendments in three-quarters of U.S. states. Amendments were ratified in 1865 to ban slavery, in 1869 to guarantee voting rights for American men of all races, and in 1919 to extend the franchise to all women. Gorsuch's homespun oratory on Monday, delivered plainly while seated before a capacity crowd, included the pronouncement that 'putting on a robe requires us judges that it's time to lose our egos and open our minds.' 'Ours is a judiciary of honest black polyester,' he said, describing how judges in the U.S. buy their own plain robes to wear on the federal bench. Facing questions from Democrats who called his past decisions into question over and over during the morning, Gorsuch insisted that he would be an impartial jurist. 'My decisions have never reflected a judgment about the people before me, he said. 'Only a judgment about the law and the facts at issue in each particular case.' 'A good judge can promise no more than that, and a good judge should guarantee no less. For a judge who likes every outcome he reaches is probably a pretty bad judge, stretching for policy judgments he prefers rather than those the law compels.' The Gorsuch hearing was as close to a circus as the austere proceedings of the U.S. Senate ever get, with lawmakers preparing to take turns on Tuesday and Wednesday grilling the nominee for 30 minutes apiece Gorsuch steered clear of hot-button political issues like gun control, abortion and campaign finance laws, giving no hint about his legal views on matters that are sure to come before the Supreme Court in the decades to come Former Obama administration solicitor general Neal Katyal praised Gorsuch but lashed out at senators for failing to take a vote on Merrick Garland, whom President Obama nominated during last year's election season And without approaching the hot-button issues like gun control, abortion or campaign finance laws Gorsuch declared that he always sees the human impact of the decisions he hands down. 'A case isn't just a number or a name, but a life story of a human being with equal dignity to my own,' he said. Trump's nominee drew smiles by hugging his wife Louise, telling his teenage daughters watching from home in Colorado that 'I love you impossibly,' and praising his parents as for providing him with a moral foundation. His mother, he said, 'taught me that headlines are fleeting; courage lasts.' 'My dad taught me that success in life has little to do with success. Kindness, he showed me, is a great virtue.' The largely civil and slow-moving hearings came 13 months after Scalia's death created a vacancy on the Supreme Court. Former president Barack Obama nominated a replacement, but the Republican-led Senate declined to hold hearings in an election year, insisting that the newly elected president whoever it turned out to be should nominate a new justice. Former Obama administration solicitor general Neal Katyal lamented that outcome during a brief introduction of Gorsuch, saying he was 'outraged, and that 'it is a tragedy of national proportions that Merrick Garland does not sit on the court.' But Gorsuch, he said, is one of only a handful of nominees who could help Democrats 'get over that.' Katyal also cautioned that filling the court with independent-minded justices should be Job One for senators, given President Trump's 'open contempt for the courts.' The president, he said, has become known for 'attacking judges who disagree with him and even questioning their legitimacy and motives. ' 'Between the president's attacks on the judiciary and his polices, he seems intent on testing the independence and integrity of our court system,' Katyal warned. Gorsuch, 49, is a respected, highly credentialed and conservative member of the Denver-based 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. His nomination has been cheered by Republicans and praised by some left-leaning legal scholars, and Democrats head into the Senate Judiciary Committee hearings on Monday divided over how hard to fight him. The nomination and confirmation process has been surprisingly low-key thus far in a Capitol distracted by Trump-driven controversies over wiretapping and Russian spying as well as attempts to pass a divisive health care bill. Gorsuch, 49, is a respected, highly credentialed and conservative member of the Denver-based 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals Gorsuch listened on January 31 as President Donald Trump nominated him to replace the late Justice Antonin Scalia, who died in February 2016 That will change as the hearings give Democratic senators a chance to press Gorsuch on issues like judicial independence, given Trump's attacks on the judiciary, as well as what they view as Gorsuch's own history of siding with corporations in his 10 years on the bench. The first day of the hearings Monday was scheduled to feature opening statements from senators, and then from Gorsuch himself. Questioning will begin on Tuesday, and votes in committee and on the Senate floor are expected early next month. The Senate's ranking Democrat has pulled no punches in opposing President Trump's nominee. 'Judge Gorsuch may act like a neutral, calm judge, but his record and his career clearly show that he harbors a right-wing, pro-corporate special interest agenda,' Schumer said at a recent news conference featuring sympathetic plaintiffs Gorsuch had ruled against. One was a truck driver who claimed he'd been fired for abandoning his truck when it broke down in the freezing cold. Gorsuch's supporters dispute such criticism and argue that the judge is exceptionally well-qualified by background and temperament, mild-mannered and down to earth, the author of lucid and well-reasoned opinions. As for the frozen truck case, Gorsuch wrote a reasonable opinion that merely applied the law as it was, not as he might have wished it to be, said Leonard Leo, who is on leave as executive vice president of the Federalist Society to advise Trump on judicial nominations. 'His jurisprudence is not about results,' Leo said. Gorsuch told Democratic senators during private meetings that he was disheartened by Trump's criticism of judges who ruled against the president's immigration ban, but Schumer and others were dissatisfied with these comments and are looking for a more forceful stance on that issue and others. Democratic Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer has gone after Gorsuch while most moderate Democrats have steered clear of criticizing him openly Senator Elizabeth Warren last Wednesday showed off petitions calling on senators to oppose Gorsuch Democrats have struggled with how to handle the Gorsuch nomination, especially since the nominee is hardly a fire-breathing bomb-thrower. Democrats are under intense pressure from liberal voters to resist Trump at every turn, and many remain irate over the treatment of Merrick Garland, President Barack Obama's nominee for the Supreme Court, who was denied so much as a hearing last year by Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. Several of the more liberal Senate Democrats have already announced plans to oppose Gorsuch and seek to block his nomination from coming to a final vote. But delay tactics by Democrats could lead McConnell to exercise procedural maneuvers of his own to eliminate the 60-vote filibuster threshold now in place for Supreme Court nominations, and with it any Democratic leverage to influence the next Supreme Court fight. Republicans control the Senate 52-48. The filibuster rule when invoked requires 60 of the 100 votes to advance a bill or nomination, contrasted to the simple 51-vote majority that applies in most cases. BOULDER, Colo. (AP) - Hundreds of residents were allowed to return to their homes in the foothills just outside this university city on Monday as firefighters make progress against a wildfire possibly sparked by transient campers in the area. The fire spread to about 70 acres, but firefighters fully contained it Monday afternoon by building lines to stop it from spreading. Winds were forecast to be a bit lighter than when the fire broke out on Sunday, helping crews mop up hot spots and control flare-ups overnight. Boulder County Sheriff's Cmdr. Mike Wagner said the blaze may be human-caused and that hikers and transient campers frequent the area where it erupted - a wooded, mountainous place a couple of miles from Pearl Street, the shopping and dining hub in the heart of the home of University of Colorado. Officials ruled out any lightning strikes or downed power lines, and Wagner said investigators were working to pinpoint exactly where it started. Lefthand Fire District Chief Steve Lynn walks back to get supplies as crews battle the Sunshine Fire in the Sunshine canyon area of Boulder, Colo. on Sunday, March 19, 2017. The small wildfire forced people from their homes early Sunday and ignited dead trees that exploded into black plumes of smoke, authorities and residents said. (Jeremy Papasso/Daily Camera via AP) Last year another wildfire in the county was accidentally started by two men camping in the mountains who didn't fully put out their campfire. It destroyed eight homes near the small town of Nederland. Resident Anne Shusterman said the vast majority of people camping around the area are those who chose to live without a home, not people who have fallen on hard times and have no other choice. She said she no longer feels safe running along trails because of them and worries about the fire danger posed by them in tinder-dry conditions. "I don't know what it's going to take for this city to wake up," said Shusterman, who lives near the fire and woke up to find heavy smoke around her home Sunday. The latest fire started in the Sunshine Canyon area, which is dotted with expensive homes and rustic mountain residences. Dead trees exploded and sent black smoke skyward. Residents of 426 homes were ordered to evacuate and people who live in over 800 others were told to be ready to leave if conditions worsened. Officials worried that stronger wind gusts could fan the flames overnight. Residents of 836 homes were told to be ready to leave if conditions worsened but high winds did not develop. No structures have been damaged. Although Colorado's mountain snowpack is healthy - ranging from 105 to 130 percent of normal on Monday - most of the state's eastern half, including the populated Front Range, is experiencing some degree of drought. Many local governments have enacted fire bans after weeks of warm, dry and often windy weather during what is normally one of the snowiest months of the year. Wagner said conditions seemed more like what might normally be found in June rather than March. Firefighter Jason Morley told the Daily Camera newspaper that the conditions on Sunday were brutal. "I've never seen if like this before," he said. "There is no snow at all up there. If you picked up grass, it would just crumble in your hands." Crews battle the Sunshine Fire in the Sunshine canyon area of Boulder, Colo. on Sunday, March 19, 2017. The small wildfire forced people from their homes early Sunday and ignited dead trees that exploded into black plumes of smoke, authorities and residents said. (Jeremy Papasso/Daily Camera via AP) NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - President Donald Trump is returning to the road, rallying supporters to recapture the enthusiasm of his campaign and reassuring them about his tumultuous early days in the White House. It's a welcome distraction for a president whose first months in office have been dominated by self-inflicted controversy and roadblocks, courtesy of federal courts and a divided Congress. "We have done far more, I think maybe more than anybody's done in this office in 50 days, that I can tell you," Trump said to cheers from thousands of supporters at a campaign rally in Nashville, Tennessee. FILE - In this March 15, 2017 file photo, President Donald Trump speaks at a rally in Nashville, Tenn. Trump is taking his message directly to his ardent supporters. At a series of upcoming rallies, he's working to recapture the enthusiasm of his campaign and reassure his supporters about his tumultuous early days in the White House. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey, File) In Trump's rally telling, things in Washington are going great. He's been cracking down on illegal immigration, is "way ahead of schedule" on his southern border wall and is on the verge of passing a new health care plan that "does so much for you." He railed against a federal judge for once again stymieing what he called a "watered-down version" of his travel ban an hour before he took the stage, but assured supporters he'd take the case to the Supreme Court and win. The crowd roared. On the trip back to Washington that night, Trump bounded back to the press section of Air Force One to share his excitement. "Quite an event, huh?" he said, appearing without warning, with no staff in tow. "It was a big crowd. Great crowd. That was a great crowd. Great people, great spirit." He said he plans to continue the events, holding rallies every two weeks. Throughout the campaign, Trump relied on his rallies to speak directly to his supporters. Networks often carried the events live, giving Trump what were essentially free 50-minute infomercials watched by millions. The events also energized Trump, who thrives on the rush of performing to adoring crowds. On Wednesday night, he seemed transported back to the campaign - a time of promise and fewer responsibilities. The event had all the trappings of his rallies of old: the eclectic soundtrack and the chants of "Lock her up," aimed at former rival Hillary Clinton, who has long since faded from the headlines. "There's no place I'd rather be than with you here tonight, with the hard-working citizens of our country," he told the crowd. He'd spoken earlier to an enthusiastic audience of auto workers at a rally not far from Detroit, and passed by throngs of people lining the streets as he drove through Nashville. He'll be in Louisville, Kentucky, for another rally Monday night. "It's good for all of us to get out of the bubble and remind ourselves it's a huge country out there, and it's filled with people who support the president and are rooting for his success," said Kellyanne Conway, a top Trump aide. Conway said the rally stage has "always been a natural habitat" for Trump, giving him a platform to take his case directly to his people. "That's always been where he's most comfortable," she said. The distraction is especially important for a president whose anger can lead to tweets - and self-inflicted political wounds. The ramp-up comes as staffers have worked to keep Trump away from critical television programs that work him up. The events are run by Trump's campaign committee, which maintains an active operation. Executive director Michael Glassner said that Trump's rise was driven by his ability to draw consistently large crowds. "If your candidate - and now your president - has the ability, and his supporters have the desire and the drive to see him in the way that you can stage events like this, why would you stop?" he asked. "It energizes the president, it energizes the supporters." Glassner said that while the campaign runs the rallies, the White House determines their locations. But White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders said the rallies are planned, coordinated and executed by the campaign, not the White House, and declined to comment further. So far, the locations have raised some eyebrows. The decision to visit Louisville, Kentucky, appears part of an effort to pressure state lawmakers, including U.S. Sen. Rand Paul, to support the GOP health plan. But some feel he'd be better served spending time in the districts of vulnerable Democrats or Republicans at risk of someone running against them in a primary. Conway disagreed: "Nobody's thinking about political campaigns," she said, noting that Tennessee was a state where consumers have few health care exchange options. "What he's doing is he's going directly to the people," said Jim DeVillier, a 68-year-old pathologist from Roxboro, North Carolina. DeVillier says Trump is doing "an outstanding job" and fulfilling campaign promises, including nominating a conservative to sit on the U.S. Supreme Court. Edward Dice, a disabled veteran, said he drove his 11-year-old daughter down from Belchertown, Massachusetts, more than 1,000 miles away, because he wanted her to see something historic. "No other president does something like this," said Dice, who is 46 and served in the first Iraq war. ___ On Twitter follow Colvin at https://twitter.com/colvinj and Burke at https://twitter.com/sheilaburke LUCEDALE, Miss. (AP) - In the waning days of President Barack Obama's administration, supporters of LGBT rights hailed the first federal hate crime conviction for the killing of a transgender woman in Mississippi. With President Donald Trump now in office, they worry about the future of such prosecutions. Trump's new attorney general, Jeff Sessions, opposed the 2009 hate crime law when he was a U.S. senator, saying it was overly broad and he thought it was unnecessary to include further protections for gay and transgender people. During his January confirmation hearing, Sessions told fellow senators they "can be sure I will enforce" the law, but some observers wonder about his commitment. "We really might be looking at a new day under Sessions, and that has huge implications for how the federal government is going to treat violence that is absolutely rampant in the transgender community," said Jordan Woods, a University of Arkansas law professor who studies LGBT legal issues. In this Sept. 7, 2016 photo, Josh Vallum is photographed in the George County Regional Correctional Facility in Lucedale, Miss. Vallum, an ex-convict and top-ranking gang member, faces life in prison without parole for killing 17-year-old Mercedes Williamson, a transgender woman. (Tim Isbell/The Sun Herald via AP) Sentencing in the Mississippi case is May 15. With a plea agreement in place, it's unlikely Sessions could change the strategy in this prosecution. Joshua Vallum, an ex-convict and top-ranking gang member, faces life in prison without parole for killing 17-year-old Mercedes Williamson, who was born male but transitioned to a female. Prosecutors say Vallum, 29, and Williamson dated and that he killed his transgender girlfriend because he worried fellow gang members would discover their relationship and kill both of them because gay sex was strictly forbidden by the Latin Kings gang. Attorney Dru Levasseur of the LGBT rights group Lambda Legal said supporters had a frustratingly long wait for the first federal hate crime prosecution involving a transgender person. "We waited for many years for the government to finally deploy that law," Levasseur said. Hate crimes have historically been a priority for the FBI and Justice Department. Investigations are typically initiated by the FBI and the attorney general doesn't need to sign off on each prosecution. Six Democrats in Congress wrote to Sessions on March 10 to ask the Justice Department to investigate as hate crimes the deaths of seven transgender women this year, including another one in Mississippi. The Justice Department declined comment. Crimes motivated by a loathing of sexual orientation or race will often be prosecuted under state hate crime charges, but those vary. Mississippi, for example, doesn't include crimes against transgender people. Usually defendants will also face charges such as assault or murder, but people are more likely to be convicted in federal court and can sometimes face longer sentences. In Vallum's case, he pleaded guilty to murder in state court and was sentenced to life in prison, but with a chance of parole. He could get life in prison without parole for his federal guilty plea. "There's a lot of variability in the willingness of state and local jurisdictions to prosecute," said Rebecca Stotzer, a University of Hawaii professor who has studied violence on LGBT people. Vallum previously served time for a fake bomb threat at a church. While imprisoned, he joined the Latin Kings gang, going by the name King Chaos. After his release, Vallum met Williamson online and they dated for months in 2014. In his defense, Vallum initially told sheriff's deputies and later The Sun Herald newspaper that he found out that Williamson had a penis on May 30, 2015 - moments before he killed her. He said he "blacked out" and doesn't remember the crime, a variation of what's known as a "gay panic" or "trans panic" defense. Prosecutors doubted the claim, in part because the FBI found a cache of gay porn on Vallum's cellphone and because he was charged with indecent exposure in Alabama. Most significantly, Vallum didn't contest evidence in court that he long knew Williamson was transgender. Federal prosecutor Julia Gegenheimer said during Vallum's plea hearing in December that he began planning to kill Williamson after a friend called him May 28 to say he'd discovered her identity. Vallum lured Williamson into a car in Alabama and drove her 50 miles (80 kilometers) to his family home near Lucedale, Mississippi, prosecutors said. He shocked her with a stun gun and stabbed her in the body and head with a pocketknife. When she tried to run into the woods, he chased her down and bashed her head with a hammer. Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights advocates say heinous attacks like this one should be prosecuted as hate crimes because they spread fear among their community. Hayley Seymour is a transgender woman who led a vigil for Williamson in Mobile, Alabama, after her death. Seymour didn't know Williamson, but she acted because she grew up nearby. Williamson had left home, had a tenuous relationship with her parents, and was struggling with a drug habit. She deserved better, Seymour said. "I know how easily violence can happen and how easily it can be swept under the rug," she said. She moved to the Atlanta area because being transgender in Alabama was "a nightmare." Despite fears that the hate crime law would be overused, prosecutions under Obama's administration were relatively few. An Associated Press analysis using data gathered by the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse at Syracuse University show that 47 people nationwide have been prosecuted using the law, with 37 convictions. Another 300 people were referred for prosecution, but hate crimes charges were never filed. In at least half those cases, there wasn't enough evidence or prosecutors couldn't prove intent, a key threshold. Levasseur said that whatever the difficulties, the law protecting LGBT people makes an important statement. "This law is meant to send the message back that these lives matter," he said. ___ Associated Press News Researcher Monika Mathur in Washington contributed to this report. ___ Follow Jeff Amy on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/jeffamy . Read his work at https://www.apnews.com/search/JeffAmy . In this July 12, 2016 photo, Josh Vallum is sworn in before pleading guilty in George County Circuit Court in Lucedale, Miss., to a charge of first-degree murder by deliberate design for killing Mercedes Williamson, 17, a transgender woman of Theodore, Ala. At right is public defender David Futch. Vallum, an ex-convict and top-ranking gang member, faces life in prison without parole for killing Williamson. (John Fitzhugh/The Sun Herald via AP) In this Feb. 28, 2017, photo, Jackson County District Attorney Tony Lawrence talks about the evidence the authorities collected on Josh Vallum, who plead guilty to a charge of first-degree murder by deliberate design for killing Mercedes Williamson, 17, a transgender woman, in Jackson, Miss. Prosecutors say Vallum and Williamson dated and that he killed his transgender girlfriend because he worried fellow gang members would discover their relationship and kill both of them because gay sex was strictly forbidden by the Latin Kings gang. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis) In this Sept. 7, 2016 photo, Josh Vallum shows his gang tattoo, during a jailhouse interview at the George County Regional Correctional Facility in Lucedale, Miss. Vallum, an ex-convict and top-ranking gang member, faces life in prison without parole for killing 17-year-old Mercedes Williamson, a transgender woman. (Tim Isbell/The Sun Herald via AP) CANBERRA, Australia (AP) - Private cellphone numbers of most Australian federal lawmakers, their staff and several former prime ministers have been made public after a government department failed to properly remove them from a routine report. The Department of Parliamentary Services on Monday confirmed the blunder in its latest report on lawmakers' cellphone and internet spending published on its website. "Typically, the information displayed in those reports only displays the identity of the parliamentarian and aggregated total expenditure," a department statement said. "In the most recent report provided by the contractor, it became possible to view the official mobile phone number of parliamentarians and their staff, even though they appeared redacted from the published files." Fairfax Media reported that the phone numbers had been colored white instead of being removed from the PDF documents, meaning they could be accessed using copy and paste. The latest report, covering January to June 2016, was available on the Australian Parliament House website for three months before Fairfax alerted the department to the breach of privacy and the report was taken down, Fairfax said. "The DPS removed the documents from the APH website shortly after it was alerted to the issue and is working with the contractor to investigate the cause," the department statement said. Among those who avoided having personal numbers published were current Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, the treasurer, the attorney general and a few other senior ministers. But at least three former prime ministers' numbers were exposed. The department said it would work with lawmakers to address privacy concerns and change phone numbers if required. PARIS (AP) - French investigators say they have found evidence of possible emissions fraud in Fiat, Renault, Peugeot-Citroen and Volkswagen cars sold in France, but have found no proof of fraud in Opel vehicles. The Finance Ministry announced in a statement Monday that its consumer fraud agency has closed its investigation into Opel, having found no "facts constituting an infraction of fraud." The ministry said the agency, DGCCRF, has handed documents to French courts showing fraud in emissions controls concerning Volkswagen, Renault, Fiat Chrysler and Peugeot Citroen. Now it is up to the French justice system to determine whether to send the companies to trial. The ministry said investigations into other carmakers are still under way, prompted by the 2015 discovery that Volkswagen used software to cheat on U.S. diesel emissions tests. ROME (AP) - Italy and its northern neighbors agreed Monday to work together with Libya to help implement a new accord to better patrol Libya's coasts and stop smugglers from setting off with their human cargo. Interior ministers from a half-dozen countries agreed to form a formal contact group on migration, as rescue ships brought to Italy's southern shores some of the estimated 3,000 migrants rescued over the weekend on the Mediterranean. Italian Interior Minister Marco Minniti invited counterparts from France, Slovenia, Switzerland and Austria - as well as Germany and Malta. Those countries have a stake in the accord since many migrants who arrive in Italy pass through its northern borders for destinations further north. From left, German Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere, Swiss Interior Minister Simonetta Sommaruga and Slovenia's Interior Minister Vesna Gyoerkoes Znidar, arrive for a meeting of interior ministers of the central Mediterranean contact group on migration, in Rome, Monday, March 20, 2017. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino) Also attending was Tunisia's minister and the internationally recognized Libyan leader, Premier Fayez Serraj. "Naturally we haven't resolved the problem because it's clear no one has the definitive solution to the problem in their pockets," Minniti said. "But we have common will. And this common will has a common objective: to not chase or suffer illegal migration but govern it." The meeting followed on the agreement reached between Libya and the EU last month to train the Libyan coast guard and provide it with patrol boats to better monitor the north African country's shores. Minniti said that the first 90 sailors were finishing up their seaboard training and that Italy expected to deliver 10 patrol ships by the end of April or beginning of May. The European commissioner for migration, Dimitris Avramopoulos, noted that of the 200 million euros the European Union had allocated for the central Mediterranean migration emergency, 90 million euros was expected to be allocated to Libya. He urged Tunisia, Algeria and Egypt to join the training program. German Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere, left, is welcomed by Italian Interior minister Marco Minniti as HE arrives for a meeting of interior ministers of the central Mediterranean contact group in Rome Monday, March 20, 2017. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino) ISTANBUL (AP) - Turkish protesters on Monday demanded the death penalty, abolished in Turkey more than a decade ago, for 18 alleged coup plotters on trial for the killing of a military officer who resisted an effort to overthrow the government. The demonstrators jeered as security forces escorted the defendants into a courthouse in the Turkish capital, Ankara. The crowd also displayed an effigy of Fethullah Gulen, an Islamic cleric based in Pennsylvania who is blamed by Turkey for the failed coup attempt on July 15. The effigy had a noose around its neck. Gulen has denied involvement in the uprising. Turkey abolished the death penalty as a campaign to join the European Union gained momentum, but President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said since the coup attempt that Turkey could hold a referendum on reinstating it if parliament fails to pass such a measure. European leaders say any talks on Turkey's bid to join the EU, which faltered years ago, would end if Ankara restores the death penalty. Relations reached a new low this month because of Turkey's anger over the refusal of some European countries to let Turkish Cabinet ministers campaign for diaspora votes ahead of an April 16 constitutional referendum on increasing the powers of the Turkish president. Supporters of the measure say a more centralized leadership would help Turkey deal with security, economic and other challenges; critics say its approval would fit a pattern of increasingly authoritarian behavior by Erdogan. The suspects who appeared in court in Ankara are accused of involvement in the shooting of Omer Halisdemir, an officer who was killed after he shot dead Semih Terzi, a renegade military commander who allegedly tried to take over the special forces headquarters in the capital during last year's uprising by some military units. Suspect Ahmet Kara, who was Terzi's military aide, testified last month that he was duped into participating in the rogue operation without understanding that it was an attempt to overthrow the government. The defendants, whose trial began in February, face life imprisonment if convicted of murder and other crimes. The Turkish government has described Halisdemir as a "martyr;" state-run media have reported on people who paid tribute at his grave, and many children across the country wrote letters addressed to him in a school activity organized after his death. A documentary film was made about Halisdemir, and some families named newborn babies after him. More than 270 people were killed in the coup attempt. Over 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 insurrection. GIBRALTAR (AP) - All Antonio Molina has to do to cross the border into Gibraltar for work is wave an identity card, barely slowing his motorbike's pace. The Spanish delivery man's job depends on the border being open, a fact that's under threat as Britain leaves the European Union, dragging the overseas territory with it. Molina's livelihood, like that of some 300,000 people who work in the region, is on the line. "There is much fear because we don't know what's going to happen," says the 46 year-old father of two, a Spanish citizen and resident who is applying for his first passport ever in case border controls become stricter. "We live in limbo; you hear one thing today and a different thing tomorrow." In this Wednesday, March 1, 2017 photo, a Barbary macaque, the only free-roaming monkeys in Europe pauses, with the Rock of Gibraltar looming in the background, in the British territory of Gibraltar. As Gibraltar braces itself to be dragged out of the European Union along with the United Kingdom, the livelihoods of nearly 300,000 people living in an economic region spanning two countries, have been thrown up in the air. (AP Photo/Daniel Ochoa de Olza) Britain has controlled the rocky speck of land for three centuries against Spain's wishes. But being in the EU has meant the border has been open to the unlimited flow of workers, goods and money. That could end if Britain leaves the EU without retaining access to the bloc's single market. And Spain could use the situation to press for greater control of the territory. Gibraltar, which is barely twice the size of Central Park and home to 32,000 people, has thrived economically under Britain's rule and open trade with Spain. Its low corporate taxes, business-friendly regulation and links to the EU market since 1973 have attracted investment. Tourists can often be seen taking selfies with the Barbary macaques, the only free-roaming monkeys in Europe, that live on the promontory known as The Rock. They can pay with pounds or euros. With the prospect of losing easy access to Spain and the wider EU market, Gibraltar's government says the territory is rebranding itself as a gateway for the U.K. and new markets in northern Africa just across the strait. "It's unfortunate. We don't want to turn our backs to Europe, but those are the cards that we have been dealt and we have to play this hand the best as possible," Fabian Picardo, the chief minister of Gibraltar, told The Associated Press. It doesn't matter that 96 percent of Gibraltarians voted to remain in the EU in last year's referendum. Since then, pleas for a special deal that would allow Gibraltar to retain access to the EU single market and keep borders open have been blocked by Spain, which wants joint sovereignty of the territory. Madrid's proposal is to share foreign and defense matters with London, which keeps a strategic military presence in Gibraltar, in return for ample autonomy, investments and special tax conditions. Gibraltarians would be allowed to have a Spanish passport without having to renounce their British one. Acknowledging such an agreement with Britain is unlikely, Spain is taking a tough line. Gibraltar has been the setting for diplomatic tensions between the two countries, including over fishing quotas, the handling of drug smuggling from North Africa and security matters, such as the killing of three IRA members by British forces in 1988. Foreign Minister Alfonso Dastis recently said that Madrid's position remains that Britain's control of Gibraltar "violates the territorial integrity of our country." In its divorce talks with the EU, Britain's focus on controlling borders and limiting migration means it is unlikely to retain access to the bloc's single market, as the EU has said the country cannot have it both ways. That has left many in Gibraltar wondering whether their fate will be considered in Britain's negotiations with the EU. Picardo argues it is possible to limit migration somewhat while keeping borders open to workers and tourists to Gibraltar. It's an arrangement he believes could also work for Britain's land border with Ireland, for example. Nobody expects Gibraltar's border to be fully closed. But disruptions and queues - which already happen at times of diplomatic tensions between Britain and Spain - are a nightmare for workers and employers. Molina's boss, Redwood International general manager Danny Gabay, says his logistics business is already affected by increased border checks at customs. "Gibraltar is paying a price due to political situations, and obviously our businesses are in the front line," he says. Gabay's office is in an airport terminal building that stops abruptly over the frontier fence, a powerful symbol of the lack of cooperation at the official level. The Spanish side never built a terminal on its side because Madrid considers the airstrip built on illegally occupied land. That leaves the airport servicing flights linking only with destinations in Britain. And Spain has threatened to block the airport from getting EU air travel permits once Brexit happens. European mediation has been key to solving past British-Spanish disputes over Gibraltar. But now, workers here feel like they'll be an afterthought in Britain's two-year negotiations with the EU. Jesus Verdu, an international public law professor at the University of Cadiz, believes Gibraltar overall is well positioned to navigate uncharted waters. The biggest losers if Spain takes a hard line, he says, will be workers like Molina and others in the region around Gibraltar, where unemployment remains high and 25 percent of economic output is linked to jobs in Gibraltar or spending by Gibraltarians. "There are so many things at stake that are essential both for the U.K. and for the EU that the issue of Gibraltar is being diluted and pushed right to the margins, and that is obviously a source of great concern for our region," Verdu says. In this Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2017 photo, Chief Minister of Gibraltar, Fabian Picardo , poses for a picture during an interview with The Associated Press in No. 6 Convent Place, the seat of Gibraltar's government, in the British territory of Gibraltar. As Gibraltar braces itself to be dragged out of the European Union along with the United Kingdom, the livelihoods of nearly 300,000 people living in an economic region spanning two countries, have been thrown up in the air. (AP Photo/Daniel Ochoa de Olza) In this Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2017 photo, a man counts British pounds and euros inside a bar in the British territory of Gibraltar. As Gibraltar braces itself to be dragged out of the European Union along with the United Kingdom, the livelihoods of nearly 300,000 people living in an economic region spanning two countries, have been thrown up in the air. (AP Photo/Daniel Ochoa de Olza) In this Wednesday, March 1, 2017 photo, a Spanish flag flies on top of the customs house on the Spanish side of the border between Spain and the British overseas territory of Gibraltar with the Rock as a background, in La Linea de la Concepcion, Southern Spain. As Gibraltar braces itself to be dragged out of the European Union along with the United Kingdom, the livelihoods of nearly 300,000 people living in an economic region spanning two countries, have been thrown up in the air. (AP Photo/Daniel Ochoa de Olza) In this Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2017 photo a Gibraltarian soldier cleans a decorative cannon outside No. 6 Convent Place, the seat of Gibraltar's government, in the British territory of Gibraltar. As Gibraltar braces itself to be dragged out of the European Union along with the United Kingdom, the livelihoods of nearly 300,000 people living in an economic region spanning two countries, have been thrown up in the air. (AP Photo/Daniel Ochoa de Olza) In this Wednesday, March 1, 2017 photo, a woman walks on the Spanish side of the border between Spain and the British overseas territory of Gibraltar with the Rock as a background, in La Linea de la Concepcion, Southern Spain. As Gibraltar braces itself to be dragged out of the European Union along with the United Kingdom, the livelihoods of nearly 300,000 people living in an economic region spanning two countries, have been thrown up in the air. (AP Photo/Daniel Ochoa de Olza) In this Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2017 photo, people casts their shadows in the morning as they queue to cross the border between Spain and Gibraltar, in La Linea de la Concepcion, Spain. As Gibraltar braces itself to be dragged out of the European Union along with the United Kingdom, the livelihoods of nearly 300,000 people living in an economic region spanning two countries, have been thrown up in the air. (AP Photo/Daniel Ochoa de Olza) In this Wednesday, March 1, 2017 photo, a couple of Spanish workers sit next to a traditional red telephone box in the British overseas territory of Gibraltar, Wednesday, March 1, 2017. As Gibraltar braces itself to be dragged out of the European Union along with the United Kingdom, the livelihoods of nearly 300,000 people living in an economic region spanning two countries, have been thrown up in the air. (AP Photo/Daniel Ochoa de Olza) In this Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2017 photo, a Gibraltarian police officer talks with the driver of a car crossing the border of Spain with Gibraltar in the British overseas territory of Gibraltar. As Gibraltar braces itself to be dragged out of the European Union along with the United Kingdom, the livelihoods of nearly 300,000 people living in an economic region spanning two countries, have been thrown up in the air. (AP Photo/Daniel Ochoa de Olza) In this Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2017 photo a man works fixing a light at the the newly opened World Trade Center building, one of Gibraltar's largest private investments in recent years, in the British territory of Gibraltar. As Gibraltar braces itself to be dragged out of the European Union along with the United Kingdom, the livelihoods of nearly 300,000 people living in an economic region spanning two countries, have been thrown up in the air. (AP Photo/Daniel Ochoa de Olza) In this Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2017 photo, Chief Minister of Gibraltar, Fabian Picardo , speaks during an interview with The Associated Press in No. 6 Convent Place, the seat of Gibraltar's government, in the British territory of Gibraltar. As Gibraltar braces itself to be dragged out of the European Union along with the United Kingdom, the livelihoods of nearly 300,000 people living in an economic region spanning two countries, have been thrown up in the air. (AP Photo/Daniel Ochoa de Olza) BERLIN (AP) - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan drew criticism on Monday from Germany and elsewhere in Europe for accusing Chancellor Angela Merkel of "committing Nazi practices." Sunday's accusation was the latest in a string of Turkish comments drawing Nazi parallels with present-day Germany and the Netherlands in a dispute over restrictions on Turkish officials campaigning there in a referendum campaign. Peter Tauber, the general secretary of Merkel's conservative party, told N24 television that "this is real effrontery toward our chancellor." However, he added that "we can allow ourselves to be outraged, stamp our feet and perhaps fight back - but the chancellor has to safeguard our country's interests." German Chancellor Angela Merkel, left, and the Prime Minister of Japan, Shinzo Abe, right, attend the presentation of a robot serving sushi during a walkabout at the IT trade fair CeBIT in Hanover, Germany, Monday, March 20, 2017. (AP Photo/Jens Meyer) Merkel has made clear that she doesn't intend to respond to swipes from Turkey, and the government's response was guarded. Last week her spokesman, Steffen Seibert, said she "has no intention of participating in the race of provocations." "The German government is watching this very attentively," Ulrike Demmer, another spokeswoman for the chancellor, said when asked about Erdogan's latest comments. "It remains the case that Nazi comparisons are unacceptable, no matter in what form." The European Parliament's president, Antonio Tajani, wrote on Twitter: "An unacceptable attack by @RT_Erdogan on a democratic country that guarantees all fundamental rights." Erdogan said Sunday of Merkel: "You are committing Nazi practices too. To whom? To my Turkish brothers and sisters in Germany." Some local German authorities have decided to block appearances by Turkish ministers, but Merkel's federal government so far has made no such decisions. Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks about the upcoming 16 April referendum during a meeting with his supporters in Istanbul, late Sunday, March 19, 2017. Opposition figures in Turkey say they have faced threats, violence, arbitrary detentions, a lack of TV airtime and even sabotage in the campaign for a referendum on expanding the president's powers.(Kayhan Ozer/Presidential Press Service, Pool Photo via AP) Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks during a meeting with his supporters in Istanbul, Sunday, March 19, 2017. Opposition figures in Turkey say they have faced threats, violence, arbitrary detentions, a lack of TV airtime and even sabotage in the campaign for a referendum on expanding the president's powers. The complaints come even as Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan himself has slammed European countries for not letting his ministers campaign on their soil for the April 16 vote on giving his office more power.(Basin Bulbul/Presidential Press Service, Pool Photo via AP) WASHINGTON (AP) - The Latest on a congressional inquiry into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election (all times local): 3:05 p.m. President Donald Trump is keeping tabs on the congressional hearing on Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election. He's tweeting that the FBI and National Security Agency are telling Congress that Russia did not influence the electoral process. FBI Director James Comey, left, and National Security Agency Director Michael Rogers, testify on Capitol Hill in Washington, Monday, March 20, 2017, before the House Intelligence Committee hearing on allegations of Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) That put FBI Director James Comey in the unusual situation of having to respond to presidential tweets in the middle of his testimony. Trump's tweet seemed to differ with what Comey said. He told members of the House intelligence committee that the FBI has offered no opinion, and has no view and no information, on the potential impact on the election because that's not something the FBI looked at. Comey did say earlier in the hearing, however, that there is no evidence that Russian meddling resulted in changes of any vote tallies. ___ 2:25 p.m. The White House is distancing itself from two former senior members of Donald Trump's team, amid an FBI investigation into possible connections between Trump "associates" and Russia. White House press secretary Sean Spicer on Monday referred to Trump's former national security adviser, Michael Flynn, as a "volunteer of the campaign." And he said Paul Manafort, who ran Trump's campaign leading up to the Republican National Convention, "played a very limited role for a very limited amount of time." Flynn resigned from the White House last month after he was found to have misled senior members of the administration about his contacts with Russia's top diplomat to the U.S. Manafort resigned from Trump's campaign last summer following allegations of contacts with Russian intelligence officials. ___ 1:35 p.m. Top House Democrat Nancy Pelosi says an independent investigative commission should be created to look into possible links and coordination between associates of President Donald Trump and Russian officials seeking to undermine Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign. Pelosi's comments came after FBI Director James Comey confirmed in congressional testimony that the agency has been investigating the matter since last July. He also told the panel that he has no evidence that former President Obama ordered the wiretapping of Trump Tower. California Democrat Pelosi said that "the American people deserve answers." She said that the possibility of Trump officials and Russian officials conspiring to influence the election "represents a grave threat to our national security and our democracy." Pelosi says Trump should apologize over his extraordinary wiretapping claim. ___ 1 p.m. President Donald Trump is highlighting FBI Director James' Comey's refusal to say whether he briefed President Barack Obama on a Trump adviser's contacts with Russia. Trump tweeted a video clip of Comey being asked if he informed Obama about calls made by Michael Flynn, who was fired as White House national security adviser. Comey says he won't discuss that case or any other discussions he had with Obama. The tweet appears to suggest that the Obama administration was behind leaks about Flynn's contacts with Sergey Kislyak, Russia's ambassador to the U.S. Flynn was fired after news reports revealed that he had misled Vice President Mike Pence and other top officials about his discussions with the envoy. ___ 11:25 a.m. Mike Rogers, the director of the National Security Agency, is denying that the British intelligence community was ever asked to conduct electronic surveillance on President Donald Trump at the behest of former President Barack Obama. Earlier this month, White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer referred to unsubstantiated allegations made by a Fox News analyst that GCHQ, the British electronic intelligence agency, had helped Obama wiretap Trump. The British intelligence agency flatly denied it happened. The ranking Democrat on the House intelligence committee, Rep. Adam Schiff of California, asked Rogers if he thought it was "utterly ridiculous" that anyone in the U.S. would ask British spies to do surveillance on a presidential candidate. Rogers said it was and added that he had seen nothing at the NSA that would indicate that happened. ___ 11:25 a.m. The Senate's top Democrat says that President Donald Trump "severely damaged his credibility" with Twitter postings claiming that former President Barack Obama ordered wiretaps of him. New York Sen. Charles Schumer issued the statement after FBI Director James Comey told a House panel that there was no information that supports Trump's allegation. Schumer said Trump "needs to retract his claim immediately." He added that Trump "should admit he was wrong, stop the outlandish tweets." ___ 11:10 a.m. FBI Director James Comey says the FBI and Justice Department have no information to substantiate President Donald Trump's claims that former President Barack Obama wiretapped him before the election. Comey says no individual can order surveillance of an American. He says courts grant this permission after a rigorous application process. Comey was testifying before the House intelligence committee. Comey said the Justice Department also asked him to share with the committee that the answer also applies to the Justice Department and its various components. The Justice Department oversees the FBI and other law enforcement agencies. ___ 10:48 a.m. FBI Director James Comey and Mike Rogers, the director of the National Security Agency, say they have no evidence or intelligence that Russian cyber actors changed vote tallies in key states during last year's presidential election. Testifying at a highly politically charged congressional hearing in the House, both said they had no evidence that any vote tallies were changed in Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Florida, North Carolina or Ohio. The House intelligence committee is holding a hearing on Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. ___ 10:45 a.m. National Security Agency Director Michael Rogers says the intelligence community stands behind its January assessment that it is highly confident Russia interfered in the 2016 election with the goal of electing Donald Trump. In a Monday morning tweet, Trump blamed Democrats for the investigation into his contacts and said the House intelligence committee should be focus on investigating leaks. Rogers said that his agency is working to provide Congress the material it needs to investigate the intelligence agencies' findings. Rogers was testifying before the House intelligence committee alongside FBI Director James Comey. ___ 10:35 a.m. FBI Director James Comey is publicly confirming for the first time that the FBI is investigating Russia's efforts to interfere in the 2016 presidential election, including any potential coordination between Trump campaign associates and Russia's government. Comey is testifying before Congress. He says he's authorized by the Justice Department to make the disclosure. Typically, the FBI does not discuss or even confirm the existence of ongoing investigations. Comey says the probe is part of the FBI's counter-intelligence mission. He says the investigation includes the nature of any links between individuals associated with Trump's campaign and the Russian government, and whether there was any coordination between Russia's efforts and the campaign. Comey says the investigation will also look at whether crimes were committed. He says he can't provide details about the investigation. ___ 10:25 a.m. The top Democrat on the House intelligence committee says he hopes FBI Director James Comey will put questions about whether Trump Tower was wiretapped by President Barack Obama "permanently to rest." Rep. Adam Schiff is speaking at the start of the committee's hearing on Russia's interference in the presidential election. Comey is testifying at the hearing, along with National Security Agency Director Michael Rogers. Schiff says Democrats on the committee will be focused in part on whether Americans helped Russia with its hacking of Democratic groups and individuals. Trump has said he has no knowledge of his associates coordinating with Russia during the election. He's refused to back down from his assertion that Obama wiretapped his New York City skyscraper during the campaign, despite there being no evidence. __ 10:10 a.m. The chairman of the House intelligence committee says there was no physical wiretap on Trump Tower, but it's possible that "other surveillance activities" were used against President Donald Trump and his associates. Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Calif., is speaking at the opening of the committee's first public hearing on Russia's interference in the 2016 election. He says the committee has seen no evidence to date that officials from any campaign conspired with Russian agents, but will continue to investigate that question. He also says the committee will investigate who has been leaking classified information about investigations into Russia's interference. Nunes says he hopes the committee's hearings will result in a "definitive report" on Russia's involvement in the presidential election. ___ 7 a.m. President Donald Trump is accusing Democrats of fabricating allegations about Russia and creating more "fake news." His tweets came just hours before a congressional hearing on Russia. The House Intelligence Committee will hear from FBI Director James Comey on whether U.S. officials believe Russia tried to bolster Trump's chances in the election and if there were any connections between Moscow and Trump's campaign aides. Trump tweeted Monday: "The Democrats made up and pushed the Russian story as an excuse for running a terrible campaign. Big advantage in Electoral College & lost!" A separate tweet referenced James Clapper, the director of national intelligence under President Barack Obama, who has said that Trump's allegation that Obama wiretapped Trump Tower is false. "James Clapper and others stated there is no evidence Potus colluded with Russia. This story is FAKE NEWS and everyone knows it." Trump also tweeted that the "real story" is the leaking of classified information. ___ 3:30 a.m. A congressional inquiry into Russian interference in the presidential election that has so far unfolded behind closed doors moves into the open with a public hearing featuring FBI Director James Comey. A hearing Monday before one of several congressional panels probing allegations of Russian meddling, the House Intelligence Committee, could allow for the greatest public accounting to date of investigations that have shadowed the Trump administration in its first two months. Comey has been invited to testify, along with the director of the National Security Agency, Michael Rogers. The committee is investigating, among other things, Russian hacking that intelligence officials have said was meant to influence the election. Also of interest to the committee are any connections between Russia and associates of President Donald Trump. FBI Director James Comey testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington, Monday, March 20, 2017, before the House Intelligence Committee hearing on allegations of Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta) National Security Agency Director Michael Rogers, accompanied by FBI Director James Comey, testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington, Monday, March 20, 2017, before the House Intelligence hearing on allegations of Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta) FBI Director James Comey and National Security Agency Director Michael Rogers, right, prepare to testify on Capitol Hill in Washington, Monday, March 20, 2017, before the House Intelligence Committee hearing on allegations of Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta) LONDON (AP) - Britain will begin divorce proceedings from the European Union on March 29, starting the clock on two years of intense political and economic negotiations that will fundamentally change both the nation and its European neighbors. Britain's ambassador to the EU, Tim Barrow, informed European Council President Donald Tusk of the exact start date on Monday morning. "We are on the threshold of the most important negotiation for this country for a generation," Brexit Secretary David Davis said. "The government is clear in its aims: a deal that works for every nation and region of the U.K. and indeed for all of Europe - a new, positive partnership between the U.K. and our friends and allies in the European Union." FILE - In this Thursday, March 9, 2017 file photo, a red carpet between the British and EU flags during an EU summit in Brussels. On Monday, March 20, 2017 the European Commission said it has been informed in advance of Britain's plans to trigger its exit from the EU on March 29 and stands ready to help launch the negotiations. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo) The trigger for all this tumult is the innocuous-sounding Article 50 of the EU's Lisbon Treaty, a never-before-used mechanism for withdrawing from the bloc. British Prime Minister Theresa May, under the Article, will notify Tusk of her nation's intentions to leave the 28-nation bloc. The article stipulates that the two sides will have until March 2019 to agree on a divorce settlement and - if possible - establish a new relationship between Britain, the world's No. 5 economy, and the EU, a vast single market containing 500 million people. The European Commission - the bloc's legislative arm - said it stood ready to help launch the negotiations. "Everything is ready on this side," commission spokesman Margaritis Schinas said. Leaders of the 27 other EU nations will meet by the month of May to finalize their negotiating guidelines. May's 10 Downing Street office said the prime minister will make a statement in the House of Commons on the day Article 50 is triggered. Britons voted in a June referendum to leave the EU after more than 40 years of membership. But May was not able to trigger the talks until last week, when the British Parliament approved a bill authorizing the start of Brexit negotiations. But like any divorce, things may not go to plan. The letter May sends next week will plunge Britain into a period of intense uncertainty. The country doesn't know what its future relationship with the bloc will look like - whether its businesses will freely be able to trade with the rest of Europe, its students can study abroad or its pensioners will be allowed to retire easily in other EU states. Those things have become part of life in the U.K. since it joined what was then called the European Economic Community in 1973. It's also not clear what rights the estimated 3 million EU citizens already working and living in Britain will retain. And it's not even certain that the United Kingdom - made up of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland - will survive the EU exit intact. Scotland's nationalist first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, is seeking a referendum on independence within two years. In the same Brexit vote in which most Britons chose to leave the EU, Scottish voters mostly wanted to stay. Sturgeon says Scotland mustn't be "taken down a path that we do not want to go down without a choice." May has rejected that suggestion, saying "now is not the time" for another referendum on Scottish independence. Pro-EU Labour Party Lawmaker Pat McFadden said Monday it is now up to May to deliver the good deal for Britain that she has promised. "The phony period is nearly over, and the real work of negotiations are about to begin," McFadden said. Conflicts are likely to arise soon. The EU wants Britain to pay a hefty divorce bill - estimates have ranged up to 60 billion euros ($64 billion) - to cover pension liabilities for EU staff and other commitments the U.K. has agreed to. British negotiators are sure to quibble over the size of that tab. Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said a "vast" bill is unreasonable, and suggested that May should follow the "illustrious precedent" of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, who successfully sought a rebate from the bloc in 1984. Negotiations will also soon hit a fundamental topic: Britain wants "frictionless" free trade, but says it will restore controls over immigration, ending the right of EU citizens to live and work in Britain. The EU, however, says Britain can't have full access to the single market if it doesn't accept the free movement of its people, one of the bloc's key principles. May has suggested that if talks stall she could walk away, saying that "no deal for Britain is better than a bad deal for Britain." That prospect alarms many British businesses. If Britain crashed out of the EU without a trade deal it would fall back onto World Trade Organization rules, leading to tariffs and other barriers to trade. Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee has warned that the British government has not done enough to prepare for the "real prospect" that talks with the EU may break down, ending in no deal and "mutually assured damage" to both Britain and the EU. Even if the talks go well, EU leaders say there is little chance that a final agreement on relations between the two parties will be reached by 2019. Some experts say the process could take a decade. ___ Associated Press Writer Lorne Cook contributed from Brussels FILE - In this June 28, 2016 file photo, members of protocol adjust the British and EU flags at EU headquarters in Brussels. On Monday, March 20, 2017 the European Commission said it has been informed in advance of Britain's plans to trigger its exit from the EU on March 29 and stands ready to help launch the negotiations. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert, File) Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May speaks during a meeting with First Minister of Wales Carwyn Jones at the Liberty Stadium in Swansea, Wales, Monday March 20, 2017. The European Commission says it has been informed in advance of Britain's plans to trigger its exit from the EU on March 29 and stands ready to help launch the negotiations. (Ben Birchall/PA via AP) MOSCOW (AP) - Opposition leader Alexei Navalny was doused in bright green antiseptic by an unknown assailant Monday on a campaign trip to Siberia, and quickly sought to make the best of it on his blog. Navalny, speaking on his video blog from the Siberian city of Barnaul, said his colleagues likened him to the film characters Shrek, the Hulk and the lead character from the movie "The Mask," among others. "May be they thought in the Kremlin that I wouldn't record videos if I have a green face. But I certainly will, as even more people will see me!" he said. Navalny is traveling around Russia opening campaign headquarters and campaigning to run in Russia's 2018 presidential election. A criminal conviction for fraud officially bars him from running, but he has called the charges politically motivated and vowed to appeal them. President Vladimir Putin is widely expected to easily win another six-year term in the vote. The charismatic Navalny, a lawyer who has campaigned against official corruption, was a driving force behind the massive anti-Putin protests in Moscow in 2011-12. Navalny said an unknown man sprayed the green liquid, a common Russian antiseptic that remains on skin for days, in his face while pretending that he wanted to greet him. He said the man then jumped into a car that drove him to the regional administration headquarters. "My stylish green face perfectly fits the interiors of our headquarters," he said. Navalny posted pictures in which he was trying to clean the green liquid from his face with a cloth soaked in solvent, which just made it more evenly colored all over. "I'm a bit worried about my teeth: they are green too! I hope they will be white again," he declared. TOKYO (AP) - Japan and Russia agreed Monday to step up work toward resolving a longstanding territorial dispute through cooperation in a range of areas. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his Japanese counterpart, Fumio Kishida, also joined in urging North Korea to refrain from "provocative actions" and to abide by United Nations resolutions demanding an end to its nuclear and missile testing. The call came in "two-plus-two" talks among foreign and defense ministers in Tokyo that touched on a wide array of issues, including the conflict in Syria, drug trafficking, and logistics for travel by elderly Japanese back to disputed islands that have been under Russian control since the end of World War II. Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, second right, and Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, left, shake hands with Japan's Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida, second left, and Defense Minister Tomomi Inada, at the end of a joint news conference after their meeting Monday, March 20, 2017 in Tokyo. (David Mareuil/Pool Photo via AP) The meetings in Tokyo were the two countries' first "two-plus-two" talks since Russia's annexation of Crimea from Ukraine. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is to visit Russia in late April and again in September, as the two sides haggle over how to narrow differences in the territorial dispute that has prevented them from reaching a peace treaty officially ending their World War II hostilities. But while the talks appeared cordial and the tone was constructive, tensions remain. Earlier this month, North Korea fired four missiles, of which three landed in waters that Japan claims as its exclusive economic zone. Russia views missile defense systems the U.S., Japan's main ally, is deploying in northeast Asia as a threat to regional security, Lavrov said following the talks. The U.S. and South Korea have agreed to install an advanced anti-missile system as a defense against North Korea. The Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense system, or THAAD, has angered both Russia and China. Russia also objects to U.S. missile defense systems in Japan. "The U.S. global ballistic missile defense poses a deep risk to the security of the region," Lavrov said. He said it was crucial to avoid upsetting the balance in the region and setting off an even greater arms buildup that could lead North Korea to step up its own military expansion. Lavrov said the installation of the THAAD system was "a response completely out of proportion" to the threat from North Korea. He accused the U.S. of "pumping arms into the region," and called for approaches that might encourage North Korea to engage in dialogue with its neighbors. Lavrov met with Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida, and Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu held talks with his Japanese counterpart, Tomomi Inada. The four ministers then held combined talks on international and bilateral issues. "Based on the talks today, we hope to firmly work toward developing Japan-Russian cooperation in various areas," Kishida said afterward. Japan and Russia last held "two-plus-two" talks in November 2013. Meetings were shelved after that due to the crisis in Ukraine, as Japan joined sanctions against Moscow. As expected, the Tokyo talks did not yield a breakthrough on the conflicting Russian and Japanese claims to islands just north of Japan's northernmost main island of Hokkaido - Etorofu, Kunashiri, Shikotan and the Habomai islets - that came under Russian control in the closing weeks of World War II. But the countries discussed possible visa-free travel between Hokkaido and the area. They also are working toward joint development of fisheries, tourism and other areas that might help bridge the gap. "I believe this joint development will become an important step to create an appropriate environment for resolving a peace treaty," Lavrov told reporters. Russia has been eager to enlist Japanese help with development of energy and other industries in its Far East. But while Monday's talks yielded an agreement to keep talking, Japan has concerns over Russia's installment of surface-to-ship missiles on Etorofu and other military activity elsewhere on the disputed islands. Disputes between Japan and Russia over territory date beyond World War II to the 19th century, when the Russian and Japanese empires fought for domination of northeastern China, then known as Manchuria, and the Korean Peninsula. Japan's victory in the 1904-05 Russo-Japanese war hobbled Russia's expansion in the Far East and was the first significant triumph of an Asian country over a European power. A treaty brokered by the U.S. enabled Tokyo to claim territories that were later regained by Moscow after Japan's World War II defeat in 1945. ___ Associated Press journalists Howard Amos in Moscow and Emily Wang and Kaori Hitomi in Tokyo contributed to this report. ___ This story has been corrected to fix description of area where North Korean missiles fell. Japan's Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida, second right, and Defense Minister Tomomi Inada, right, attend a joint news conference with Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, second left, and Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, left, their meeting in Tokyo, Monday, March 20, 2017. (David Mareuil/Pool Photo via AP) Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, second left, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, left, put hands together with Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida, second right, and Japanese Defense Minister Tomomi Inada during the two-plus-two meeting in Tokyo Monday, March 20, 2017. The foreign and defense ministers from Japan and Russia met in Tokyo on Monday, with both sides expressing hope that discussions on joint development of islands claimed by both countries might help them move closer to resolving the territorial dispute preventing them from forging a peace treaty. (David Mareuil/Pool Photo via AP) Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, second left, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, left, Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida, second right, and Japanese Defense Minister Tomomi Inada stand together as they pose for photographers at the start of the two-plus-two meeting in Tokyo Monday, March 20, 2017. The foreign and defense ministers from Japan and Russia met in Tokyo on Monday, with both sides expressing hope that discussions on joint development of islands claimed by both countries might help them move closer to resolving the territorial dispute preventing them from forging a peace treaty. (David Mareuil/Pool Photo via AP) Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, left, talks with Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida at the start of their meeting as a part of Japan-Russia foreign and defence ministers meeting at Iikura guest house in Tokyo, Japan Monday, March 20, 2017. The foreign and defense ministers from Japan and Russia are meeting in Tokyo for the first "two-plus-two" talks since Russia's annexation of Ukraine. (Issei Kato/Pool Photo via AP) Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, left, shakes hands with Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida at the start of their meeting as a part of Japan-Russia foreign and defence ministers meeting at Iikura guest house in Tokyo, Japan Monday, March 20, 2017. The foreign and defense ministers from Japan and Russia are meeting in Tokyo for the first "two-plus-two" talks since Russia's annexation of Ukraine. (Issei Kato/Pool Photo via AP) Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, left, shake hands with his Japanese counterpart Tomomi Inada prior to their meeting at Defense Ministry in Tokyo, Monday, March 20, 2017. The foreign and defense ministers from Japan and Russia met in Tokyo on Monday for the first "two-plus-two" talks since Russia's annexation of Ukraine. (AP Photo/Shizuo Kambayashi) Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, left, shake hands with his Japanese counterpart Tomomi Inada prior to their meeting at Defense Ministry in Tokyo, Monday, March 20, 2017. The foreign and defense ministers from Japan and Russia met in Tokyo on Monday for the first "two-plus-two" talks since Russia's annexation of Ukraine. (AP Photo/Shizuo Kambayashi) Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, third from left, reviews an honor guard with his Japanese counterpart Tomomi Inada upon arrival at Defense Ministry in Tokyo, Monday, March 20, 2017. The foreign and defense ministers from Japan and Russia met in Tokyo on Monday for the first "two-plus-two" talks since Russia's annexation of Ukraine. (AP Photo/Shizuo Kambayashi) Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, third from left, talks with his Japanese counterpart Tomomi Inada, second from right, during their meeting at Defense Ministry in Tokyo, Monday, March 20, 2017. (AP Photo/Shizuo Kambayashi) SKOPJE, Macedonia (AP) - The European Union's enlargement commissioner, Johannes Hahn, will visit Macedonia on Tuesday in another bid to help break a political deadlock that has left the country's parties unable to form a government since an election in December. The Balkan country has been roiled by a two-year political crisis sparked by a massive wiretapping scandal that led to holding a general election two years early. While former Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski won, he didn't have enough votes to form a government and his coalition talks with a party from the country's ethnic Albanian minority floundered. The crisis is triggering inter-ethnic tensions, as three ethnic Albanian parties are calling for Albanian to be designated a second official language as a condition to joining any coalition government. That has led to daily protests for the past three weeks. A man wrapped in a Macedonian flag leads a protest march through a street in Skopje, Macedonia, Thursday, March 16, 2017. Thousands of Macedonians protested peacefully for a third week in the capital Skopje and other cities, against the designation of Albanian as a second official language nationwide. The banner reads in Macedonian "For Common Macedonia". (AP Photo/Boris Grdanoski) Albanian is already recognized as an official language in minority-dominated areas in northwestern Macedonia but not in the country as a whole. The group "For a United Macedonia" called for a demonstration outside the EU mission's offices in downtown Skopje to coincide with Hanh's visit, order to send "a clear message to Hahn that we are saying 'no' to the government that will ruin the unitary character of this country." Ethnic Albanians form about one-fourth of Macedonia's population, and have had a rocky relationship with the majority Macedonians since the country gained independence from the former Yugoslavia in 1991. The country narrowly avoided a civil war in 2001 when ethnic Albanian militants seeking greater rights for the minority took up arms against government forces. The conflict was quelled following a U.N.-brokered peace accord and required NATO peacekeepers. December's election was held as part of an internationally brokered attempt to ease the political tensions. But neither Gruevski's VMRO-DPMNE conservatives nor the main opposition Social Democrats won enough support to form a government alone. Gruevski's party has rejected the ethnic Albanian parties' demands. The head of the Social Democrats, Zoran Zaev, tried to form a coalition but the country's president, Gjorge Ivanov, refused to give him the official mandate to do so, saying the language issue was an attempt to destroy Macedonian independence. Speaking late Sunday on private Kanal 5 television, Gruevski said a new election was the way out of the impasse. He also offered to support the Social Democrats if they wanted to govern alone in a minority government - something that is considered highly unlikely. ___ This version corrects the spelling of the EU commissioner's first name in the summary and the headline to Johannes. NAYPYITAW, Myanmar (AP) - Regional politics makes for strange bedfellows, and at first glance, it is hard to imagine more of an odd couple than tempestuous Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte and his cerebral de facto Myanmar counterpart, State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi, who met Monday in Myanmar's capital, Naypyitaw. After his arrival in Myanmar on Sunday, Duterte rejected European criticism of his deadly war on drugs with his usual profanity, insisting that "more people will die." "I said I will not stop," he declared. "I will continue until the last drug lord in the Philippines is killed and the pushers out of the streets." Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, left, shakes hands with Myanmar's State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi during their meeting at the Presidential Palace in Naypyitaw, Myanmar, Monday, March 20, 2017. Duterte arrived in Naypyitaw on Sunday at the invitation of Myanmar's President Htin Kyaw for an official visit to the Southeast Asian country. (AP Photo/Aung Shine Oo) Suu Kyi has just as little time for critics, but her crisp Oxford-accented speech is more like a dagger to her guest's blunderbuss. The Philippines' hard man thrives on press coverage, while Myanmar's leader barely conceals her contempt for the media. She is the ice to Duterte's fire. The main purpose of Duterte's visit to Myanmar is to complete visits to nine fellow members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN, which the Philippines is helming this year. While their meeting is said to have included the usual pro forma talk about trade and investment, it had a tangible result when Duterte promised $300,000 in humanitarian aid for Myanmar's Rakhine state, where communal conflict has displaced more than 100,000 people, mostly Muslims, from their homes. Here is a look at two Southeast Asian leaders who have made a name for themselves worldwide: ___ AUNG SAN SUU KYI As the daughter of Myanmar's martyred founding father, Gen. Aung San, she is the closest thing the country has to aristocracy. Many would say her manner is aristocratic - imperious and uncompromising. For those around the world who admired her as a democracy icon, her government's lack of transparency and less-than-wholehearted embrace of remedying human rights problems have been a disappointment. BACKSTORY: Suu Kyi had spent most of her life abroad as an academic until she found herself in Myanmar - then called Burma - during its 1988 pro-democracy uprising against military rule. When she stepped up to support the unsuccessful rebellion, her fresh face, name recognition and eloquence rocketed her to the leadership of the pro-democracy movement. It cost her 15 years under house arrest, won her a Nobel Peace Prize, and brought her National League for Democracy party to power in 2015. CHALLENGES: Suu Kyi's biggest problem is probably meeting the expectations of her supporters in Myanmar and abroad. Myanmar's economy lagged badly behind most of its neighbors after five decades of military rule. Widespread prejudice against the country's Muslim Rohingya minority has led to deadly communal violence, posing a political threat to Suu Kyi while earning international opprobrium. Other minorities are restive, seeking greater political autonomy promised since the nation became independent in 1948. All the while, provisions in the military-drafted constitution restrict Suu Kyi's ability to make any reforms affecting the army's considerable influence. ___ RODRIGO DUTERTE A foul-mouthed, crime-busting mayor credited with turning the southern Philippine city of Davao into an oasis of relative tranquility and economic vibrancy in an insurgency-pestered region, he expanded his brutal anti-drug crackdown when he rose to the presidency last June. Supporters cheer his anti-establishment and populist mindset but critics regard him as a human rights calamity. BACKSTORY: A former government prosecutor who dealt with rogue policemen, outlaws and insurgents, he parlayed that background to build a name in politics as a tough and hands-on overseer of a city who dealt harshly with law breakers, especially drug dealers and addicts, hundreds of whom ended up dead in Davao. His expletive-ridden speeches, often spiced with sex jokes, are adored by his followers but have unnerved the predominant Catholic church and the intelligentsia and upended Philippine politics and foreign policy. CHALLENGES: While seen as a tough and unorthodox leader who could break through an anemic bureaucracy and tradition to spark radical reforms, he faces the same deep-seated problems that have stymied his predecessors: crushing poverty that afflicts a fourth of more than 100 million Filipinos, decades-old Muslim and Marxist insurgencies, and often-turbulent politics. He is also unwinding his country's traditional ties with the United States, while jousting with China over its rival territorial claims in the South China Sea. BRUSSELS (AP) - The European Union has cleared General Electric's planned $1.65 billion acquisition of LM Wind Power, a Denmark-based manufacturer of rotor blades for wind turbines. The EU's executive Commission said Monday that the takeover was approved unconditionally because the combined company "would continue to face effective competition in Europe." It said that GE has a relatively small market share in onshore and offshore wind turbines and that LM, although it has a significant market share, has seen its market position decline over recent years. The planned acquisition was announced in October. SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) - Puerto Rico's governor on Monday pushed back on a federal control board's demand for $450 million in cuts at the island's largest public university. The proposed cuts recently prompted nearly a dozen top university officials to resign in protest amid warnings it would affect the quality of education and lead to layoffs of professors who already have been denied sabbaticals and salary increases. Gov. Ricardo Rossello told the control board in a letter that the University of Puerto Rico cannot sustain further cuts because its budget has already been reduced by $348 million in the past two years. He proposed instead that university budget cuts be instead reduced to $241 million and implemented by 2021. "Having access to higher education is key element to enhance economic and social development," he wrote. Rossello said he could generate more revenue for the university by having government agencies pay professors to provide training for teachers and other government employees. Public Affairs Secretary Ramon Rosario said in a press conference on Monday that municipalities are already paying private companies to provide that service, so it would not be an additional financial burden on them. The university system has a total of 11 campuses and serves more than 50,000 students. The board, which oversees the island's finances, did not immediately comment on Rossello's letter. The proposed cuts have been a point of contention as Puerto Rico seeks to restructure some $70 billion in public debt amid a decade-long economic crisis. The board recently approved a 10-year fiscal plan that implements multimillion-dollar cuts and increases in some services to help stabilize the island's economy. MARKSVILLE, La. (AP) - The Latest on a trial for a Louisiana law enforcement officer charged with murder in a 6-year-old boy's fatal shooting (all times local): 5:15 p.m. A police officer who brandished his gun at the scene of a 6-year-old boy's fatal shooting in Louisiana says he didn't join two other officers in shooting at a car carrying the boy because he didn't fear for his life. FILE- In this March 13, 2017, file photo, Derrick Stafford, one of two deputies charged with second-degree murder in the death of Jeremy Mardis, a 6-year-old autistic boy, breaks for lunch at the Avoyelles Parish courthouse during jury selection for his trial in Marksville, La. Stafford's trial is scheduled to begin Monday, March 20, in Marksville after a weeklong process of selecting 12 jurors and two alternates to hear the case. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert, File) Marksville Police Lt. Kenneth Parnell was a witness for the prosecution Monday at the murder trial of Derrick Stafford, one of two deputy city marshals charged in the November 2015 shooting death of Jeremy Mardis. Parnell's body camera captured the shooting and its bloody aftermath. Parnell acknowledged telling investigators he pulled his gun out of concern for "officer safety." Stafford's attorneys claim he acted in self-defense when he shot at the car driven by Mardis' father, Christopher Few, after a 2 mile chase. Trial is scheduled to continue Tuesday. __ 2:20 p.m. The victims' relatives softly wept as jurors watched graphic video from a police officer's body camera of a shooting that killed a 6-year-old boy and critically wounded his father during a confrontation with law enforcement officers in central Louisiana. At least two of the 12 jurors and two alternates for Derrick Stafford's murder trial had to wipe away tears as they watched the 14-minute-long tape Monday. Stafford is one of two deputy city marshals charged with second-degree murder and attempted second-degree murder in the death of Jeremy Mardis and wounding of his father, Christopher Few. Stafford, a Marksville police officer, was moonlighting as a deputy city marshal on the night of Nov. 3, 2015, when he and another deputy opened fire on a car in which the by and his father were riding. ___ 1:20 p.m. Prosecutors are trying to persuade jurors that a Louisiana law enforcement officer had a history of violent, abusive conduct while on duty before he was charged with murder over a young boy's shooting. The first witness to testify Monday at the start of Derrick Stafford's murder trial was Aleathia Barbin, a woman who said the officer shocked her with a stun gun while she was handcuffed in the back of a patrol vehicle in January 2011. Barbin testified that Stafford didn't say anything before he shocked her in the abdomen. But she said he later talked to her "like we were best friends" as he drove her to a hospital. Stafford, a Marksville police officer, was moonlighting as a deputy city marshal on the night of Nov. 3, 2015, when he and another deputy opened fire on a car, killing 6-year-old Jeremy Mardis and critically wounding his father. A prosecutor told jurors during the trial's opening statements that the deputies weren't in any danger. ___ 11:15 a.m. An attorney for a Louisiana law enforcement officer charged with murder in a 6-year-old boy's shooting blames the child's father for the deadly confrontation. A prosecutor told jurors on Monday that Derrick Stafford and another deputy marshal weren't in any danger when they fired a barrage of bullets at a car, killing Jeremy Mardis and critically wounding his father in Marksville on the night of Nov. 3, 2015. But defense attorney Jonathan Goins said during opening statements for Stafford's trial that Jeremy's father, Christopher Few, led officers on a dangerous, high-speed chase and rammed into a deputy's vehicle before the shooting. Goins called Few as "the author of that child's fate." The prosecutor said Few will testify he made "the biggest mistake of his life" when he didn't stop for the officers but had feared that he would lose custody of his son. ___ 2 a.m. Jurors are set to hear attorneys' opening statements for the trial of a Louisiana law enforcement officer charged with murder in the shooting death of a 6-year-old autistic boy. Derrick Stafford's trial is scheduled to begin Monday in Marksville after a weeklong process of selecting 12 jurors and two alternates to hear the case. Stafford is one of two deputy city marshals charged with second-degree murder and attempted second-degree murder over the November 2015 shooting that killed Jeremy Mardis and critically wounded his father, Christopher Few, after a car chase. Video from a police officer's body camera shows the father had his hands raised inside his vehicle while Stafford and Norris Greenhouse Jr. fired. Defense attorneys claim the officers acted in self-defense. Greenhouse faces a separate trial later this year. Bill Cosby's lawyers want to prescreen potential jurors to weed out those with opinions about the sex-assault case before jury selection begins in person. A defense motion filed Monday says the 'inflammatory' worldwide coverage of the case has probably left some potential jurors with opinions about the actor's guilt or innocence. They say pretrial questionnaires have been used before in celebrity trials. The 79-year-old Cosby, charged with aggravated indecent assault, is accused of drugging and molesting former Temple University employee Andrea Constand at his house in 2004. Cosby calls the sex acts consensual. He is set to go on trial June 5 near Philadelphia in Montgomery County. The jurors will be chosen from the Pittsburgh area because of pretrial publicity and sequestered about 300 miles near the Montgomery County courthouse. Lawyers for Bill Cosby (pictured in February 2017) hope to prescreen potential jurors to weed out those with opinions about the sex-assault case before jury selection begins in person Cosby's lawyers want to send pretrial questionnaires to 1,500 to 2,000 potential jurors in Allegheny County in an effort to winnow down jurors before the selection process. His lawyers argued that pretrial questionnaires have been used in other high profile trials, such as that of Barry Bonds, Martha Stewart, Michael Jackson, and Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, according to Philly.com. The former icon is accused of drugging and sexually molesting Andrea Constand at his estate in 2004. At least 60 women also accused him of similar behavior, only one other accuser can testify at his trial If allowed, the questionnaires would go out in the first week of May. But judges rarely grant them. 'It's generally viewed by judges in Pennsylvania as unnecessary, and also opening up the potential for extraordinary investigation of jurors beyond what is typically conducted prior to trial,' former prosecutor Dennis McAndrews told the outlet. He said he has never seen a case where 2,000 questionnaires were requested, usually the numbers are much lower. The prosecution asked for 13 additional accusers to be able to testify, but only one additional accuser was granted permission to testify, according to USA Today. Approximately 60 women have accused the former America's Dad of drugging, raping, or sexually assaulting them. Prosecutors reopened the case in 2015 after newly released court documents showed comedian admitting he gave Quaaludes to women before sex. DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) - Rights groups say a prominent activist in the United Arab Emirates has been detained after a lengthy search of his apartment. Amnesty International says Ahmed Mansoor was detained Monday in the emirate of Ajman after an overnight raid by 12 security officials who confiscated electronic devices and did not inform his wife where he was being taken. Several rights groups, including Amnesty, are calling for his immediate release. FILE - In this Aug. 25, 2016 file photo, human rights activist Ahmed Mansoor speaks to Associated Press journalists in Ajman, United Arab Emirates. Amnesty International says Ahmed Mansoor was detained overnight Monday, March 20, 2017 after a surprising overnight raid by 10 male and two female security officials who searched his children's bedroom. Electronic devices were confiscated and his wife was not informed of where he was being taken. (AP Photo/Jon Gambrell, File) Mansoor received the prestigious Martin Ennals Award last year for bringing attention to arbitrary arrests, concerns of torture and issues around the independence of the judiciary in the UAE. He's also called for a free press and democratic freedoms in the country ruled by sheikhs. He was imprisoned in 2011 after being convicted of "insulting officials" and banned from traveling abroad. Here's a look at stories The Associated Press plans to cover in Europe on Tuesday, March 21. Questions about coverage plans can be directed to the Europe Desk at eurdesk@ap.org. BELGIUM-ATTACKS-VICTIMS - A year after the suicide bombings at the Brussels airport and subway that killed 32 people and wounded more than 300, some 900 people count themselves as victims. Beyond the trauma, many face bewildering administrative battles, let down by a government that has taken too long to act. For most, this first anniversary is yet another test. By Lorne Cook. UPCOMING: 1,000 words, photos by 1200 GMT. FRANCE-ELECTION-MACRON - French presidential candidate Emmanuel Macron forms an inseparable team with his wife Brigitte - his former high school theater teacher, 24 years his senior, who is breaking with French tradition and fierily campaigning by his side. The 39-year-old centrist maverick is increasingly considered as the front-runner in France's two-round April 23-May 7 election. By Sylvie Corbet. UPCOMING: 700 words, photos by 1100 GMT. NETHERLANDS-VAN GOGH - Two paintings by Vincent van Gogh return to the Amsterdam museum they were stolen from in a nighttime heist 15 years ago. By Mike Corder. UPCOMING: 300 words by 1300 GMT. AP Photos planned. GERMANY-BURKINA FASO - German Chancellor Angela Merkel meets President Roch Marc Kabore of Burkina Faso. UPCOMING: on merits from 1130 GMT news conference. MACEDONIA-POLITICAL CRISIS - EU Enlargement Commissioner Johanes Hahn visits Macedonia in another effort to help break the deadlock in the political crisis which has left the winner of last December's elections unable to form a government. UPCOMING: Text, photos. GERMANY-EARNS-BMW - Automaker BMW reports fourth-quarter, full year earnings at its annual news conference in Munich. By David McHugh. GAZIANTEP, Turkey (AP) - Syrian refugees in the southern Turkish city of Gaziantep have marked the sixth anniversary of the start of the Syrian civil war with songs, speeches and a martial arts show. A group of children sang revolutionary laments in Arabic and Turkish, and boys clad in black with red headbands took the stage in a downtown municipal theater Monday. They swung nunchucks, shouted "freedom" three times, and called for President Bashar Assad to leave Syria. The uprising against Assad began in March 2011 with protests in the southern city of Daraa that were triggered by the arrest of teenagers writing anti-government graffiti on the wall. Mohamed Hazouri, 11, a Syrian refugee from Aleppo, performs at a show of martial arts skills during a celebratory ceremony, in Gaziantep, southeastern Turkey, Monday, March 20, 2017. Some Syrians mark March 18 as the anniversary of the uprising against President Bashar Assad, which began six years ago with protests in the southern city of Daraa. Turkey, host to the largest refugee population in the world, including 2.7 million Syrians, is on the front line of the current crisis.(AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis) Turkey, host to the largest refugee population in the world, including 2.7 million Syrians, is on the front line of the current crisis. More than 300,000 Syrians live in Gaziantep, a city of 1.5 million about 90 kilometers from Syria's largest city, Aleppo. Hibeh, center in wheelchair, a Syrian refugee child from Aleppo performs accompanied by other children during a celebratory ceremony, in Gaziantep, southeastern Turkey, Monday, March 20, 2017. Some Syrians mark March 18 as the anniversary of the uprising against President Bashar Assad, which began six years ago with protests in the southern city of Daraa. Turkey, host to the largest refugee population in the world, including 2.7 million Syrians, is on the front line of the current crisis.(AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis) Syrian refugee children perform during a celebratory ceremony, in Gaziantep, southeastern Turkey, Monday, March 20, 2017. Some Syrians mark March 18 as the anniversary of the uprising against President Bashar Assad, which began six years ago with protests in the southern city of Daraa. Turkey, host to the largest refugee population in the world, including 2.7 million Syrians, is on the front line of the current crisis.(AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis) Syrian refugee children pose for a photographer backstage, as they wait their turn to perform during a celebratory ceremony, in Gaziantep, southeastern Turkey, Monday, March 20, 2017. Some Syrians mark March 18 as the anniversary of the uprising against President Bashar Assad, which began six years ago with protests in the southern city of Daraa. Turkey, host to the largest refugee population in the world, including 2.7 million Syrians, is on the front line of the current crisis.(AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis) Syrian refugee children wait for their turn to perform backstage during a celebratory ceremony in Gaziantep, southeastern Turkey, Monday, March 20, 2017. Some Syrians mark March 18 as the anniversary of the uprising against President Bashar Assad, which began six years ago with protests in the southern city of Daraa. Turkey, host to the largest refugee population in the world, including 2.7 million Syrians, is on the front line of the current crisis. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis) Syrian refugee children perform during a celebratory ceremony in Gaziantep, southeastern Turkey, Monday, March 20, 2017. Some Syrians mark March 18 as the anniversary of the uprising against President Bashar Assad, which began six years ago with protests in the southern city of Daraa. Turkey, host to the largest refugee population in the world, including 2.7 million Syrians, is on the front line of the current crisis.(AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis) Judy, 11, last name not given, a Syrian refugee girl from Aleppo, waits backstage for her turn to perform draped in a Syrian flag during a celebratory ceremony, in Gaziantep, southeastern Turkey, Monday, March 20, 2017. Some Syrians mark March 18 as the anniversary of the uprising against President Bashar Assad, which began six years ago with protests in the southern city of Daraa. Turkey, host to the largest refugee population in the world, including 2.7 million Syrians, is on the front line of the current crisis.(AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis) Syrian refugee children wait backstage for their turn to perform during a celebratory ceremony, in Gaziantep, southeastern Turkey, Monday, March 20, 2017. Some Syrians mark March 18 as the anniversary of the uprising against President Bashar Assad, which began six years ago with protests in the southern city of Daraa. Turkey, host to the largest refugee population in the world, including 2.7 million Syrians, is on the front line of the current crisis.(AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis) Syrian refugee children perform during a celebratory ceremony, in Gaziantep, southeastern Turkey, Monday, March 20, 2017. Some Syrians mark March 18 as the anniversary of the uprising against President Bashar Assad, which began six years ago with protests in the southern city of Daraa. Turkey, host to the largest refugee population in the world, including 2.7 million Syrians, is on the front line of the current crisis.(AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis) Syrian refugee youths perform martial arts skills during a celebratory ceremony, in Gaziantep, southeastern Turkey, Monday, March 20, 2017. Some Syrians mark March 18 as the anniversary of the uprising against President Bashar Assad, which began six years ago with protests in the southern city of Daraa. Turkey, host to the largest refugee population in the world, including 2.7 million Syrians, is on the front line of the current crisis.(AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis) Syrian refugee children, one holding a Turkish flag, perform during a celebratory ceremony in Gaziantep, southeastern Turkey, Monday, March 20, 2017. Some Syrians mark March 18 as the anniversary of the uprising against President Bashar Assad, which began six years ago with protests in the southern city of Daraa. Turkey, host to the largest refugee population in the world, including 2.7 million Syrians, is on the front line of the current crisis.(AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis) Masa, 4, center, a Syrian refugee from Aleppo, performs accompanied by other children during a celebratory ceremony in Gaziantep, southeastern Turkey, Monday, March 20, 2017. Some Syrians mark March 18 as the anniversary of the uprising against President Bashar Assad, which began six years ago with protests in the southern city of Daraa. Turkey, host to the largest refugee population in the world, including 2.7 million Syrians, is on the front line of the current crisis.(AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis) Syrian refugee children perform during a celebratory ceremony, in Gaziantep, southeastern Turkey, Monday, March 20, 2017. Some Syrians mark March 18 as the anniversary of the uprising against President Bashar Assad, which began six years ago with protests in the southern city of Daraa. Turkey, host to the largest refugee population in the world, including 2.7 million Syrians, is on the front line of the current crisis.(AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis) NEW YORK (AP) - CBS says it has reached a deal with producers of "The Big Bang Theory" to keep the show on the air for two more years. The network said Monday it agreed with Warner Brothers Television to extend the show that debuted in 2007. Along with the drama "NCIS," it is consistently one of the two most popular shows on television when original episodes are aired. No details about the agreement were released. Producers have agreements with actors Johnny Galecki, Jim Parsons, Kaley Cuoco, Simon Helberg and Kunal Nayyar to continue for two more years, and are negotiating similar deals with Mayim Bialik and Melissa Rauch. CBS will also premiere a prequel, "Young Sheldon," next year about the character as a 9-year-old. Parsons will help narrate the series. CONCORD, N.H. (AP) - Gov. Chris Sununu reaffirmed his commitment to the Northern Pass transmission line Monday and called for revisions to NAFTA in his first international trip to Canada. "It's a win-win on both sides," Sununu said of Northern Pass. "It's a project I've always said should happen, could happen and I believe has to happen." Northern Pass is a project between HydroQuebec and Eversource Energy that would bring hydropower into the New England energy grid through mostly overhead transmission lines running down New Hampshire. Sununu, a Republican, has long touted the project as a way to lower energy costs in New Hampshire. Opponents challenge its economic effect and charge it would ruin the state's natural landscape. Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard applauded Sununu's support. New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu, left, greets Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard after being introduced at a foreign relations luncheon Monday, March 20, 2017 in Montreal. Sununu is in Quebec to discuss the economic relationship between the two and meet with business, political and community leaders.(Ryan Remiorz/The Canadian Press via AP) The purpose of Sununu's trip was to meet with Couillard and discuss New Hampshire and Quebec's economic relationship with political, business and community leaders. Sununu pledged during his campaign to aggressively recruit new businesses into New Hampshire during his first days in office. New Hampshire reporters were not notified of the trip until Monday morning, and Sununu's office did not provide details on remarks he made during a luncheon. Sununu's comments about Northern Pass and NAFTA, the North American Free Trade Agreement, came during a press conference with Couillard that was streamed online. Sununu was asked by a reporter to comment on what changes he'd like to see to NAFTA, an accord among the United States, Canada and Mexico. Republican President Donald Trump has called for renegotiating the agreement to make it more favorable to the United States. Sununu said the agreement could be "updated and revised" to reflect advances in technology, but he offered no specifics. He also said it's important to have a system that fairly imposes taxes and fees. "It's an important agreement to be sure," he said. "I'm hopeful that we're not just going to throw it out." On climate change, Sununu told reporters that protecting the environment has "always been a priority." Sununu said he'll be working with fellow governors in the coming years to update the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, a nine-state agreement to reduce carbon emissions. Trump has called the science showing climate change a hoax. White House Budget Director Mick Mulvaney said last week the Trump administration was cutting spending for climate change efforts because "we consider that to be a waste of your money." Sununu said he's "encouraged" by proposed changes to the federal Environmental Protection Agency, which would see its budget cut significantly under Trump's proposal. He did not mention specific changes he favors. ___ This story has been corrected to show NAFTA's full name is the North American Free Trade Agreement, not the North Atlantic Free Trade Agreement. New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu, left, and Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard speak to the audience at a foreign relations luncheon, Monday, March 20, 2017 in Montreal. Sununu is in Quebec to discuss the economic relationship between the two and meet with business, political and community leaders. (Ryan Remiorz/The Canadian Press via AP) New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu, left, and Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard speak to the audience at a foreign relations luncheon, Monday, March 20, 2017 in Montreal. Sununu is in Quebec to discuss the economic relationship between the two and meet with business, political and community leaders.(Ryan Remiorz/The Canadian Press via AP) WASHINGTON (AP) - President Donald Trump produced a running commentary Monday on FBI Director James Comey's testimony to Congress. Thanks to the length of the hearing and the immediacy of Twitter, Comey was able to comment on the president's commentary without leaving his seat. It was a nearly real-time exchange that circled back on itself, like a cat chasing its tail. TRUMP tweet: "The NSA and FBI tell Congress that Russia did not influence electoral process." President Donald Trump walks to board Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, Monday, March 20, 2017, for the short trip to Andrews Air Force Base, Md., and on to Louisville, Ky. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) THE FACTS: No such assurance was offered by Comey or his fellow witness at the hearing, National Security Agency Director Mike Rogers. They did not offer any conclusions about whether Russia succeeded in influencing the election. COMEY, asked about the tweet while he was still testifying: "I'm sorry, I haven't been following anybody on Twitter while I've been sitting here." He went on: "We've offered no opinion, have no view, have no information on potential impact because it's never something that we looked at." He confirmed, though, that the FBI is investigating whether and how Russia tried to shape the election, a probe he says includes any potential coordination between Trump campaign associates and Russia's government. ___ TRUMP tweet: "FBI Director Comey refuses to deny he briefed President Obama on calls made by Michael Flynn to Russia." THE FACTS: "Refuses to deny" is true, but perhaps misleading. Throughout the hearing, Comey declined to deny any assertion made by his questioners that mentioned Flynn or any other individuals, explaining that the FBI is not in the business of correcting or verifying such reports. Flynn helped Trump in the campaign, became national security adviser at the start of Trump's presidency and was fired after he was found to have misled senior members of the administration about his contacts with Russia's top diplomat to the U.S. ___ TRUMP tweet: "FBI Director Comey: fmr. DNI Clapper 'right' to say no evidence of collusion between Russia and Trump Campaign." THE FACTS: Trump leaves out an important nuance in this tweet about the former director of national intelligence, James Clapper. Comey agreed there was no evidence of collusion in a report prepared by the U.S. intelligence community under Clapper, but that's different than saying no such evidence has been discovered. The Jan. 6 report does not take up the question of contacts between Trump associates and Russia. Instead it focuses on Russia's actions, via cyber operations and propaganda, to try to help Trump's election chances and hurt Hillary Clinton's. Clapper indeed said he had seen no evidence of collusion at the time he left government. But he updated that comment Monday with a statement from spokesman Shawn Turner, saying Clapper "could not account for intelligence or evidence that may have been gathered since the inauguration on January 20th." COMEY, when asked if he was aware of collusion between Trump associates and Russia, beyond the findings of the report: "It's not something I can comment on." ROGERS: "Likewise, I'm not going to comment on an ongoing investigation's conclusions." ___ Find all AP Fact Checks at http://apne.ws/2kbx8bd FBI Director James Comey, left, and National Security Agency Director Michael Rogers, testify on Capitol Hill in Washington, Monday, March 20, 2017, before the House Intelligence Committee hearing on allegations of Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) Ivanka Trump is working out of a West Wing office and will get access to classified information, though she is not technically serving as a government employee. Jamie Gorelick, an attorney and ethics adviser for Ivanka Trump, said Monday that the first daughter will not have an official title, but will get a West Wing office, government-issued communications devices and security clearance to access classified information. Gorelick said Ivanka Trump would follow all the ethics rules that apply to government employees. Scroll down for video German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Ivanka Trump sat next to each other during a White House meeting on March 17 In the house: Ivanka Trump and her husband Jared Kushner were both present for the meeting between her father and Angela Merkel last Friday Ivanka Trump looks up at Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau before President Donald Trump's roundtable discussion on the advancement of women entrepreneurs Ivanka Trump will have a West Wing office. In February, she posted an Instrgam where she posed in behind the President's desk which spurred some backlash Since President Donald Trump took office, his eldest daughter has been an increasingly visible presence in the White House, where her husband Jared Kushner already serves as a senior adviser. On Friday, she participated in a meeting on vocational training with the president and German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Ivanka Trump, who recruited the American executives in attendance, guided the discussion. She praised her father's 'commitment to creating millions of jobs' and stressed the need for private investment, noting that 'ingenuity, creativity often comes from the determination of the private sector.' Ivanka spent the day skiing with daughter Arabelle Monday in Aspen where an estimated 100 Secret Service agents guarded the First Family It is not clear what exactly Ivanka's role is in the Trump administration. She has no official title but gets security clearance to access classified information The conversation was focused on vocational training and workforce development, not on the thornier issues of international trade. At the end of the session, Ivanka Trump said the executives would form a taskforce that will provide a report in three months detailing programs that could be expanded and ways the countries can work together. In February, Ivanka met with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. The First Daughter listened intently as Trudeau held the floor in the Cabinet Room shortly after being welcomed to Washington, D.C. by the president. Ivanka Trump watched her father sign two bills to encourage women in business in February with First Lady Melania Trump She also gave her own input, enthusiastically contributing to the round table discussion after welcoming Trudeau and entrepreneur women to the White House. Ivanka raised some eyebrows when she posted a photo of her sitting behind the desk at the Oval Office flanked by her father and Trudeau. Ivanka and Trudeau kept in touch after the meeting and went to New York last week to see a Broadway play with the Prime Minister. WASHINGTON (AP) - Reality is catching up with President Donald Trump. Hours after Trump dismissed reports that his campaign associates were being scrutinized for colluding with Russia as "fake news," FBI Director James Comey confirmed the investigation is real. The FBI chief also repeatedly insisted there was no evidence to back up Trump's explosive claim that his predecessor wiretapped his New York skyscraper. FBI Director James Comey, left, and National Security Agency Director Michael Rogers, right, pause as they testify on Capitol Hill in Washington, Monday, March 20, 2017, before the House Intelligence Committee hearing on allegations of Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) And Adm. Michael Rogers, head of the National Security Agency, knocked down a report about Britain helping President Barack Obama with the alleged surveillance, although the White House had pointed to the report to try to boost Trump's case. Taken together, the disclosures in Monday's lengthy House intelligence committee hearing amounted to an extraordinary undercutting of a president, whose headline-grabbing accusations and Twitter-friendly attacks crumbled quickly under the weight of sworn congressional testimony from some of the nation's top security officials. Many of Trump's most ardent supporters are unlikely to be swayed by Monday's spectacle. Still, Trump's credibility and his standing as a reliable ally for his fellow Republicans in Congress are less assured. Even if his advisers are ultimately cleared in the Russia probe, as the White House insists they will be, the investigation could loom over Trump's presidency for months or even years, distracting from the ambitious domestic agenda he's vowed to enact. That reality was abundantly clear Monday. Most cable news channels carried Comey and Rogers' five hours of testimony live instead of the first congressional hearing for Neil Gorsuch, Trump's widely praised nominee for the Supreme Court. The Russia hearings came as Trump tried to give a hard sell to Republicans wary of his health care package, a legislative gamble with long-lasting implications for Trump's relationship with his own party. The president's political position was already shaky heading into Monday's hearing, the first of several public sessions the House and Senate intelligence committees are expected to hold. His approval rating has tumbled to 39 percent, according to a new Gallup poll, down 6 points from a week earlier. Trump has long been shadowed by questions about his ties to Russia, given his friendly posture toward Moscow and his advisers' curious web of ties to Russia. The White House insists the campaign did not coordinate with Russia on the hacking of Democratic groups during the election and dismisses the swirling controversy as little more than a political witch hunt. Yet Monday's hearings left the White House scrambling for cover, though there was little to be found. Spokesman Sean Spicer launched into a series of confounding arguments during his daily briefing. He touted statements from lawmakers and former Obama administration officials saying they had seen no evidence of collusion between Trump associates and Russia. But he dismissed nearly identical statements from some of those same officials about Trump's wiretapping allegations, saying it was too early in the investigations to draw any conclusions. In one particularly eyebrow-raising moment, Spicer resorted to claiming one associate, Paul Manafort, had a "very limited role" in the 2016 election. In fact, Manafort was hired in March as Trump's convention manager and promoted to campaign chairman in May. Spicer also described foreign policy adviser Michael Flynn as simply a "volunteer." Flynn traveled frequently with the president, delivered a high-profile speech at the Republican National Convention and served as his first National Security Adviser. Both Manafort and Flynn were fired by Trump after revelations about their connections to Russia. Manafort left the campaign in August, when news reports about his business ties to pro-Moscow Ukrainian oligarchs became a political liability. Flynn was fired in February for misleading top officials about his contacts with Russia's ambassador to the United States. Both Manafort and Flynn are among the Trump associates under scrutiny for possible contacts with Russia during the election. The Senate intelligence committee has also asked Roger Stone, a longtime Trump adviser, and Carter Page, an investment banker who briefly advised the campaign on foreign policy, to retain documents related to its inquiry. The White House, with the backing of some Republican lawmakers, says the real controversy is how the investigation into Trump's advisers became public. They argue the focus of the probe should be ferreting out who leaked classified information. Trump tried to go on offense in the middle of the hearing, launching a series of tweets from his official White House account, including one that appeared to blame the Obama administration for leaking details of Flynn's contacts with the Russian envoy. Another tweet incorrectly said Comey and Rogers told lawmakers that Russia "did not influence" the electoral process. In a moment of real-time fact-checking, the FBI director made clear that was not a declaration he had made. "We don't have any information on that subject," he said. __ Editors' Note: Julie Pace has covered the White House and politics for The Associated Press since 2007. Follow her at http://twitter.com/jpaceDC Iraqi and Kurdish fighters being trained by UK forces will absolutely beat Islamic State, a high ranking British Army officer has said. As part of the UKs role in the 68-member Global Coalition committed to defeating the terror group, more than 500 British soldiers are currently deployed in locations across Iraq. Lieutenant Colonel Rob Singleton Commanding Officer of the 2nd Battalion of The Duke of Lancasters Regiment is based in Erbil in the Kurdish region at UK camp, JOB Zorbash. (Joe Giddens/PA) Over the past few months, the 40-year-old dad-of-two said 2 LANCS have been training Iraqi and Kurdish security forces in medical techniques, infantry skills and counter Improvised Explosive Device (IED) measures. In Mosul at the moment they are making real progress, and whilst we are not fighting we have got an indirect approach, he told the Press Association. It is our job to train the Iraqis and the Kurds so that they are able to do their job in Mosul and it appears to me that they are doing it really well, they are very brave, and they have been fighting for a while now. I think that they are absolutely going to beat Daesh (another term for Islamic State) and it is to their credit. (Joe Giddens/PA) Lt Col Singleton said the Kurds and Iraqis are confident the fight against IS is one they can win, and that it is the job of his battalion to make sure they have the right skill set to do it. I think my training teams are genuinely first class and so they are held in really high regard by both the coalition and Kurdish and Iraqi security forces, he said. When they deliver those periods of instruction, it is the best it gets and the Iraqis and Kurds know that and they know that it will keep them safe in Mosul and beyond. An unfinished and abandoned development on the outskirts of Erbil called Tiger Town, is now being used by the Peshmerga, British and coalition forces for training purposes. (Joe Giddens/PA) The half-built structures provide a first-class training environment Lt Col Singleton said, with the facilities allowing training to take place in a realistic environment as they practice urban warfare. Lieutenant Tommy Flight of the Corps of Royal Engineers has been leading a team which carries out training in counter IED techniques. The 31-year-old from Kent said working with the Kurds has been fantastic and his biggest takeaway from the tour is the uplift in capability his team have seen. Taking them from almost rudimentary at times, to a point where you know you are happy for them to go out onto the front line and that they will be safe because of what you have taught them. It is quite rewarding to know that maybe somewhere along the lines you have saved their lives or what you have taught them has saved someone elses life. (Joe Giddens/PA) Praising the leading role Britain is playing in the coalitions efforts to train Iraqi and Peshmerga forces, Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon said the skills being provided are vital. Since 2014 weve helped train over 44,000 of these forces in countering Daesh booby traps, infantry skills, and bridge building, he said. These skills are proving vital in the current operation to liberate western Mosul and push Daesh out of their last major stronghold in Iraq. Norway is the happiest country on Earth, Americans are getting sadder, and it takes more than just money to be cheery, according to a new report. So Norway vaulted to the top slot in the annual World Happiness Report, released on Monday, despite the plummeting price of oil - a key part of its economy. Income in the United States has gone up over the past decade, but happiness is declining and the US slipped to 14th. A Norway fan rings cow bells in the Olympic Park (Stephen Pond/PA) Ireland was one place lower in 15th, with the UK 19th, sandwiched between Luxembourg and Chile. Money does matter, with most of the countries at the bottom of the list desperately poor, and the Central African Republic placed last of 155. But after a certain point it does not buy extra happiness, experts say. Economists calculate the rankings based on income and life expectancy, along with peoples feelings about social support, personal freedom, corruption and generosity. Theresa May has promised to negotiate hard for the best possible deal for Britain as it leaves the European Union, as it was announced that she will trigger the beginning of formal withdrawal talks on March 29. The Prime Ministers letter officially notifying the European Council of the UKs intention to quit under Article 50 of the EU treaties will set in train a two-year negotiation process expected to lead to Britain leaving the EU on March 29 2019. Brexit Secretary David Davis said the move would initiate the most important negotiation for this country for a generation, with the Government aiming to secure a new, positive partnership between the UK and our friends and allies in the European Union. But sterling dipped on the news, giving up gains and slumping against the dollar to 1.23. The pound also dived against the euro, trading 0.1% down at 1.15. European Council president Donald Tusk confirmed that he will present draft Brexit guidelines to the remaining 27 member states within 48 hours of notification. PM: As we leave the European Union I will work to deliver a deal that works for the whole of the UK. Find out more: https://t.co/bayYd4b6Tw pic.twitter.com/15CTs3NO6O UK Prime Minister (@10DowningStreet) March 20, 2017 The EU27 are then expected to stage an extraordinary summit within four to six weeks to agree a mandate for European Commission chief negotiator Michel Barnier. Mrs May said: I am very clear that I want to ensure we get the best possible deal for the United Kingdom that works for everyone across the United Kingdom. I have set out my objectives. These include getting a good free trade deal. They include putting issues like continuing working together on issues like security at the core of what we are doing. Within 48 hours of the UK triggering Article 50, I will present the draft #Brexit guidelines to the EU27 Member States. Charles Michel (@eucopresident) March 20, 2017 Britains ambassador to the EU, Sir Tim Barrow, informed Mr Tusks office on Monday morning of the Prime Ministers plans, which allow her to meet her self-imposed deadline of the end of March to get the withdrawal process under way. Notification comes 279 days after the referendum of June 23 last year delivered a 52%-48% majority in favour of withdrawal and five days after the other 27 members gather in Rome to celebrate the EUs 60th anniversary. It will be the first time that the provisions of Article 50 which sets out the process for any EU member state to withdraw from the Union in accordance with its own constitutional requirements have been activated. Theresa May will trigger Article 50 on March 29, what happens next? (PA Graphics) Mrs Mays official spokesman said Britain wants to start withdrawal negotiations promptly, but accepts that it is right that the 27 have a chance to agree their position before talks start. The announcement came shortly after Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker warned that Britain may have to abandon its hopes of a trade deal if it rejects the terms offered by the EU which are widely expected to include a divorce bill of as much as 50 billion. Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron accused Mrs May of rushing into negotiations without a plan, and without a clue. The hard Brexit vision she has outlined would unleash division and bitterness and should be subject to a second referendum, he said. Lloyds Banking Group has recruited Professor Russel Griggs to spearhead an investigation into whether it should compensate customers who became victims of fraud at the hands of former HBOS staff. The move follows the banks pledge last month to carry out a review and redress if appropriate once it had assessed all customer cases which may have been affected by criminal activities linked to the former HBOS impaired assets office in Reading. Lloyds said Professor Griggs will agree the scope, methodology and individual case outcomes of the review to ensure fair outcomes. Professor Russel Griggs has been asked to investigate (Lewis Whyld/PA) The bank has made the appointment following a consultation with the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). It comes after a group of corrupt financiers were jailed for carrying out a 245 million loans scam and squandering the profits on high-end prostitutes and luxury holidays. Consultant David Mills, 60, bribed Lynden Scourfield, 54, who looked after corporate customers at HBOSs Reading branch until 2007. Southwark Crown Court was told that Scourfield took bribes in the form of luxury holidays and sex parties in return for arranging loans which allowed corrupt financiers to profit from rip-off consultancy fees. The deputy director-general of MI5 has been named as the new head of GCHQ. Jeremy Fleming will succeed Robert Hannigan as director of the agency often referred to as Britains listening post. His appointment was announced on Monday by Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, who said he is a dedicated public servant whose work over two decades in the intelligence services has helped to keep our country safe. GCHQ (Steve Parsons/PA) Congratulating the incoming director, Mr Johnson said the skill and ingenuity of the UK intelligence community are critical to defending Britain from cyber attacks, terror plots and other activities that threaten us and our allies. Mr Fleming, a career MI5 officer, will be in a public-facing role for the first time once he takes up the post around Easter. He said: It is a great privilege to be asked to lead GCHQ as it approaches its centenary in 2019. The organisation has a distinguished past and an increasingly important role to play in keeping Britain safe in the digital age. Congratulations Jeremy Fleming on appointment as new Director of @GCHQ bringing 20yrs+ experience of intelligence services to this vital job Heywood Foundation (@HeywoodFndation) March 20, 2017 From managing cyber risks posed by nation states to preventing terror attacks, keeping our children safe online and supporting our armed forces, the exceptional men and women of GCHQ operate on the new front line of global challenges. He paid tribute to Mr Hannigan, who announced he is to step down after two years as director in January, saying he has led the agency through the transformation of some of our most important national security capabilities. Mr Hannigan said: Im delighted that the Foreign Secretary has appointed Jeremy Fleming to be the new director. Ive known Jeremy for many years and he is a great friend and colleague. He comes with deep intelligence experience and expertise. TEGUCIGALPA, March 19 (Reuters) - A court found a Mexican man and two Hondurans guilty of plotting to assassinate Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez, who has extradited more than a dozen drug lords since taking office, a judicial spokesman and security officials said on Sunday. The Mexican, Jesus Estrada, and the two Hondurans, Victor Flores and Jose Contreras, were convicted of planning to kill the Honduran leader in a September 2014 scheme, said supreme court spokesman Melvin Duarte. Flores and Contreras were also convicted of criminal conspiracy. Another three people, including a Mexican, were found not guilty, Duarte added. The men were captured in different places in 2015. They were convicted late Saturday night, and their sentences will be decided on April 24, Duarte added. The plotters had hoped to kill Hernandez in 2014 when he was due to land in a helicopter in his home town of Gracias, 200 km (124 miles) west of Tegucigalpa, security sources said. The scheme, which also involved Colombians and Guatemalans linked to the now-disbanded Valle brothers cartel, was foiled by U.S. and Honduran authorities, the sources said. "They were planning to attack the president as a result of the war (on drug gangs) that he launched since he took office in 2014," said a security official who was not authorized to speak publicly on the matter. At least 13 drug lords have been extradited to the United States since Hernandez came to power. Five of those 13 were heads of the Valle brothers cartel, which was linked with Mexico's Sinaloa cartel, previously controlled by Joaquin "Chapo" Guzman. He was extradited from Mexico to the United States in January. The sentence for attempting to kill the president is up to six years, while criminal conspiracy charges can face up to 10 years, according to Honduras' penal code. (Reporting by Gustavo Palencia; Editing by Alistair Bell) TAIPEI, March 20 (Reuters) - Taiwan stocks hit a near two-year high on Monday before reversing gains as investors locked in profits, while overall sentiment remained cautious. As of 0400 GMT, the main TAIEX index was down 0.4 percent at 9,869.35. Earlier in the session, it rose as high as 9,916.18, its highest since April 29, 2015. The broader market has jumped 7 percent so far this year to its highest in nearly two years on Monday, prompted by foreign buying amid expectations that Apple Inc's upcoming iPhone model would benefit its Taiwanese suppliers such as Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. TSMC, the world's top contract chipmaker, slid as much as 1.04 percent. The electronics subindex climbed as much as 0.1 percent, while the financials subindex was unchanged. Cathay Financial Holding, the parent company of Taiwan's biggest life insurer, was unchanged. The company officials are set to meet investors later in the day to review quarterly earnings result. The Taiwan dollar firmed T$0.121 to T$30.505 per U.S. dollar. Earlier in the day, it had reached T$30.50, its highest intraday level in about 22 months. (Reporting by Faith Hung; Editing by Sherry Jacob-Phillips) Following are news stories, press reports and events to watch that may affect Poland's financial markets on Monday. ALL TIMES GMT (Poland: GMT + 1 hour): PARTY POLL Poland's ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party's public opinion support fell by 5 percentage points to 29 percent, while the biggest opposition Civic Platform (PO) rose by 10 points to 27 percent, according to a poll conducted by IBRiS pollster and published by Rzeczpospolita daily. The change in support is the result of PiS leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski's lost battle aimed at stopping the European Union from choosing his political arch rival Donald Tusk for the European Council head post, the daily said. KACZYNSKI Kaczynski told wSieci weekly that the European Union's decision to choose Tusk against the Polish government's will discredited the opposition, as it was not able to be loyal to the whole country. KGHM Copper miner KGHM Polska Miedz SA is not considering selling its Chilean mine Sierra Gorda despite heavy losses, Chief Executive Radoslaw Domagalski-Labedzki told Dziennik Gazeta Prawna daily. ****Reuters has not verified stories reported by Polish media and does not vouch for their accuracy.**** For other related news, double click on: Polish equities E.Europe equities Polish money Polish debt Eastern Europe All emerging markets Hot stocks Stock markets Market debt news Forex news For real-time index quotes, double click on: Warsaw WIG20 Budapest BUX Prague PX (Reporting by Warsaw Bureau; Editing by Amrutha Gayathri) Here are news stories, press reports and events to watch which may affect Romanian financial markets on Monday. BOND TENDER Debt managers aim to sell 300 million lei worth of July 2027 treasury bonds series RO1227DBN011. IMF Romania's fiscal shortfall will far exceed targets this year and next, bloated by tax cuts and wage hikes to the detriment of public investment, the IMF said on Friday, echoing concerns from the others that have weighed on the leu currency. SOVEREIGN FUNDS Once the preserve of rich oil exporters or nations with trade surpluses, like Norway, Kuwait and Singapore, an unlikely new breed of sovereign wealth fund (SWF) is emerging - in countries with large deficits and deep debt. CEE MARKETS Central European currencies and stocks mostly firmed on Friday, supported by increasing demand for riskier assets since the Federal Reserve suggested this week that future U.S. rate rises will be gradual. For the long-term Romanian diary, click on For emerging markets economic events, click on For an index of all diaries, click on For other related news, double click on: --------------------------------------------------------------- Romanian equities RO-E E.Europe equities .CEE Romanian money RO-M Romanian debt RO-D Eastern Europe EEU All emerging markets EMRG Hot stocks HOT Stock markets STX Market debt news DBT Forex news FRX For real-time index quotes, double click on: Bucharest BETI Warsaw WIG20 Budapest BUX Prague PX ----------------------------------------------------------- MANILA, March 20 (Reuters) - The leader of the Philippine lower house of Congress and a staunch ally of President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday said he was studying whether there was cause to impeach the vice president for her criticism of Duterte's bloody war on drugs. Duterte himself is facing an impeachment motion, with lower house representative Gary Alejano accusing Duterte of offences ranging from conflict of interest and assets concealment to drugs-related extrajudicial killings and operating a "death squad" during the 22 years he was Davao City mayor. In a radio interview on Monday, House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez said he was weighing the possibility of filing an impeachment case against Vice President Leni Robredo for "betrayal of public trust". Robredo issued a strong rebuke of Duterte's war on drugs last week, describing it in a video sent to the United Nations as an issue of public health that cannot be solved "with bullets alone". "The act of sending a video clip to the U.N. is really irresponsible," Alvarez said. "This is the first time a high government official has sent a video clip maligning our country. I am looking if this constitutes betrayal of public trust". A one-third vote in the 292-member lower house of Congress would impeach a high-level official, paving for a Senate trial in which a majority would be needed to remove him or her from office. Duterte's allies said the impeachment motion against him would be soundly defeated. Duterte has denied wrongdoing. But political analysts say the impeachment motion was filed against Duterte to show that the justice system in the Philippines does not work, as no court can hold him accountable, other than the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague. Duterte has welcomed the impeachment complaint, as well as the prospect of the ICC putting him on trial over his war on drugs, saying his campaign would be unrelenting and "brutal". (Reporting by Manuel Mogato; Editing by Nick Macfie) By Alexander Cornwell DUBAI, March 20 (Reuters) - DP World, an operator of ports from Algeria to Peru, is optimistic about growth in emerging markets, undeterred by U.S. President Donald Trump's pursuit of protectionist trade policies. The Dubai-controlled company's chairman said he expects growth in Latin America, Asia and Africa. "We see some good times," Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem told reporters on a conference call on Monday. Emerging markets and developing economies are projected to expand by 4.5 percent this year, according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), compared with an average global growth rate of 3.4 percent. DP World, one of the world's largest port operators, will spend $1.2 billion this year, adding capacity at its flagship Jebel Ali port in Dubai and in ports in China, Senegal, Somaliland, Canada and the United Kingdom. It will also expand in Ecuador, where it won a 50-year concession last year to develop a port in the country's south-west, Bin Sulayem said. Earlier the company reported a 27.6 percent increase in full year profit to $1.13 billion for 2016. Bin Sulayem said he did not believe Trump's protectionist policies would affect trade. "He's trying really to balance the trade with other countries. He wants other countries to open their markets," he said. DP World operates ports in China and Canada, two countries targeted by Trump's vow to make steep changes to U.S. trade policy. Trump has pulled the United States out of a 12-nation trade pact that includes many Latin American countries, has said he will renegotiate a multilateral trade deal with Mexico and Canada and threatened to impose tariffs on Chinese imports. DP World, who were forced to sell U.S. port assets in 2006 over accusations an Arab-owned company presented a national security threat, is open to re-entering the U.S. market, he said, adding that there are no immediate plans. The company is instead poised to invest in Russia through a joint venture set up in 2016 with the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), he said. (Editing by Amrutha Gayathri and Louise Heavens) TOKYO, March 20 (Reuters) - Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will visit Russia in late April for a summit with President Vladimir Putin, Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida said on Monday. Abe has pledged to resolve a decades-old territorial dispute with Russia over a string of western Pacific islands in the hope of building better ties to counter a rising China. Kishida also said the two sides had agreed to demand that North Korea, which has carried out a series of nuclear and missile tests in defiance of UN sanctions, halt its provocations. (Reporting by Kiyoshi Takenaka; Editing by Nick Macfie) By Devidutta Tripathy and Sankalp Phartiyal MUMBAI, March 20 (Reuters) - Britain's Vodafone Group and Idea Cellular agreed on Monday to merge their Indian operations in a $23 billion deal, creating the country's biggest telecoms business after the entry of a new rival sparked a brutal price war. The combined entity would have almost 400 million customers, overtaking market leader Bharti Airtel to account for about 40 percent of revenue of the world's second-biggest mobile phone services market by users after China. The deal shows how India's mobile industry is being transformed by the launch of Reliance Jio Infocomm's 4G mobile broadband network last year. Built at a cost of more than $20 billion by India's richest man, Mukesh Ambani, Jio has offered free services for months. That has forced India's three biggest operators - Bharti, Vodafone and Idea - to slash prices and accept lower profits, and sparked a wave of consolidation. Vodafone, the world's second-largest cellphone operator, had previously sought to leave joint ventures it did not control but Chief Executive Vittorio Colao said the group had to be realistic in such a challenging market. "This improves the industry structure and it also equips us and Idea to be much more competitive in the future," he told reporters. "I have no doubt that the Indian market will remain competitive but nothing can be free forever and we will be in a better position." The two companies, which said in January that they were in talks, will have to shed spectrum in some areas to meet India's rules, although Colao said it would be "small". The deal is expected to close in 2018. Shares in Idea rose as much as 14.3 percent after the news but then fell 10 percent to 97.70 rupees as traders said the implied deal price for Idea was well below the stock's closing price of 108.10 rupees on Friday. Vodafone shares were up 0.7 percent at 1415 GMT. Idea said the rough deal price worked out at 72.5 rupees per share, adding that this figure was for illustrative purposes and was not the actual price. DEAL CONTOURS Under the deal, Vodafone will own 45.1 percent of the merged entity, after it transfers about 4.9 percent to promoters of Idea or their affiliates for 38.74 billion rupees ($592.15 million) in cash, Idea said. Aditya Birla Group, the majority owner of Idea, will own 26 percent while other shareholders will own the remaining 28.9 percent. Aditya Birla and Vodafone eventually aim to own an equal share of the joint venture, with a combined enterprise value of $23.2 billion. Vodafone, which will cut its net debt by about $8.2 billion with the deal, has endured a tumultuous ride since it entered India in 2007, with a high-profile tax battle and a long-delayed Indian listing. The South Asian country contributes more than 10 percent of its revenues. Colao said on Friday the pending case, with India demanding more than $2 billion in taxes, will not affect the deal, which needs regulatory approval. Investors have welcomed Vodafone's move to address its most difficult market, with the deal enabling the British company to reduce leverage and gain additional financial flexibility which could help it to invest more in Europe. "This looks like a good deal for Vodafone shareholders based on hugely sensible strategic logic, which values Vodafone India at a premium to our valuation, and opens the door to significantly greater synergies than we had anticipated," analysts at Berenberg said. The deal does not include Vodafone's 42 percent stake in Indus Towers, a joint venture between the British group, a unit of Bharti Airtel and Idea. But Vodafone and Idea said they will look to reduce their tower assets exposure, including selling their stakes in the joint venture. Analysts have said Jio's entry is the catalyst for mergers and exits of some foreign players. Bharti Airtel is in the process of buying Telenor's India operations, while two smaller players controlled by Malaysia's Maxis and Russia's Sistema are merging their operations with Reliance Communications' wireless unit. "Consolidation is a much anticipated and very welcome development in this beleaguered telecom sector," said Arpita Pal Agrawal, a partner and telecom analyst at PwC India. ($1 = 65.4050 Indian rupees) (Writing by Rafael Nam and Devidutta Tripathy; Additional reporting by Kate Holton in LONDON Swati Bhat in MUMBAI and Samantha Kareen Nair in BENGALURU; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman and Louise Heavens) By David Lewis and Brad Brooks NAIROBI/SAO PAULO, March 20 (Reuters) - Angola's authorities have ignored the admission by a Brazilian firm that it paid $50 million in bribes to secure contracts in the country, activists say, despite demands from watchdogs that it join international investigations into the corruption. Brazilian engineering conglomerate Odebrecht admitted to the illegal payments in Angola as one part of a guilty plea in December in New York court, in which it confessed to paying $788 million in bribes, mostly across Latin America. The company has been at the centre of vast corruption investigations in its home country and eight other Latin American states where it has admitted making the illegal payments. CEO Marcelo Odebrecht was jailed for 19 years in 2016 for paying bribes. But in Angola, which along with Mozambique is the only country outside of Latin America on the list of places where it has admitted paying bribes, "there has been absolute silence," said anti-corruption campaigner Rafael Marques de Morais. Marques de Morais demanded an investigation in Angola in January after the U.S. court published the plea deal detailing the company's admissions, but said he was not surprised to receive no response from the authorities. "The point is that there is no official interest in fighting corruption. Or even pretending that there is an interest in fighting corruption. The Angolan judicial system wants this to go away because of the involvement of senior officials." Over the past two decades Angola has experienced some of the fastest economic growth in the world thanks to an offshore oil boom. But most of its 21.5 million people remain in abject poverty, while a small elite have prospered. Odebrecht grew to become Angola's largest private-sector employer as it won contracts for projects ranging from construction and agro-processing to mining, including the 2,000 MW Lauca hydroelectric project on the Kwanza river. In Angola, it employs 7,300 people directly and a further 3,500 sub-contractors. The company said the bribery case had no impact on its operations in Angola. "Odebrecht continues operating normally in the country," a spokesman in Brazil said. Angola has no government spokesman. Attempts to obtain comment from the office of President Jose Eduardo dos Santos were unsuccessful. When asked to for comment, Norberto Garcia, head of the UTIP government agency that handles major private investments in the country, said he didn't know anything about the issue. "I barely heard references about it somewhere," he told Reuters. "BENEFITS" Global anti-corruption watchdog Transparency International describes Angola as one of the most corrupt states on earth, ranked 164th out of 176 countries on its index of perceived corruption. The watchdog has called upon the 11 countries where Odebrecht admitted paying bribes -- nine in Latin America plus Angola and Mozambique -- to work together to establish a joint investigation into the company's confessed crimes. In one example cited in the plea agreement filed with a court in the Eastern District of New York, someone identified only as "Odebrecht Employee 6" was responsible for the company paying one Angolan official $8 million to secure an infrastructure project. The Angolan official was not named. In another example, a top official in an Angolan state-owned and state-controlled firm received $1.19 million from Odebrecht to push business the company's way. In return, Odebrecht secured some $261.7 million in "benefits" from the payments, the document said. The plea agreement also detailed bribery in Mozambique, another former Portuguese colony in southern Africa, but the amounts described were far smaller: $900,000 in corrupt payments made by Odebrecht officials between 2011 and 2014. As in Angola, the case is little discussed in Mozambique. Government officials there declined to comment. Paula Cristina Roque, an Oxford University-based Angola analyst, said Odebrecht projects in Angola were often secured without having to go through a public tender process. "Many Angolans believe the company enjoyed close ties to President dos Santos," she said. Odebrecht is seeking plea agreements with various Latin American governments aggressively investigating its activities after details of the plea agreement were made public in December. Brazil's former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is facing five separate trials related to the investigations. One accuses him of corruption charges related to Odebrecht winning Angola contracts and receiving low-interest loans from Brazil's state development bank to finance the work. Angola's leader Dos Santos, a Soviet-trained oil engineer, has been in charge since 1979 but is not running in a presidential election this year. However, his family is expected to maintain considerable influence over politics and the economy. His daughter Isabel was appointed chairwoman of the state oil firm last year, while his son Jose Filomeno runs Angola's sovereign wealth fund. (Additional reporting by Joe Brock in Johannesburg, Herculano Coroado in Luanda, Manuel Mucari in Maputo and Tatiana Bautzer in Sao Paulo; Editing by Ed Cropley and Peter Graff) By Roli Srivastava MUMBAI, March 20 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - An Indian woman rescued from sex slavery in Saudi Arabia was brought back to her hometown in Gujarat on Sunday amid concerns traffickers are widening their net to new parts of India. Two agents - one in Gujarat and another in Mumbai - have been arrested and the search is on for more agents, officials said. The woman, 35, had flown to Dubai about a year ago on the promise of a housemaid's job and a monthly salary of about 40,000 Indian rupees ($600). She was, however, sold to another employer in the Saudi capital Riyadh where she was repeatedly raped and abused, a state minister said. She is currently recuperating at a public hospital in the western state of Gujarat. Campaigners said most trafficking cases to the Gulf region have so far been from southern Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu and Kerala, and rarely from other parts of the country. "It is presumed that most cases of trafficking to the Gulf are from southern states. We are finding names of more agents in Gujarat from those arrested," Bhupendrasinh Chudasama, education minister in Gujarat told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. "Police have launched a major investigation. We will alert other states too if we find links to them." Chudasama had alerted government officials and the police to the case after he read about the woman's plight in The Times of India newspaper. While police teams from Gujarat and Mumbai swooped on agents who had lured the woman to Dubai, an Indian politician with business interests in Saudi Arabia - Thopali Sriniwas - contacted the Indian embassy there. This was the second case of a Gujarat woman that he helped return to her homeland in less than a month. Of an estimated six million Indian migrants in the six Gulf states of Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Oman, domestic workers are among the most exploited, campaigners say. "Housemaids are treated like cattle here. This woman didn't even know where she was when I asked her location. She kept crying to be saved. India should ban sending housemaids to the Gulf," Sriniwas said. In the woman's hometown of Dholka, officials are dealing with what they said is their first case of human trafficking. "We have information that there could be more women who have been trafficked to the Gulf nations. This is a new development for us," said Rituraj Desai, deputy in the Dholka district office. ($1 = 65.4200 Indian rupees) (Reporting by Roli Srivastava; Editing by Ros Russell. Please credit Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, that covers humanitarian news, womens rights, trafficking, property rights, climate change and resilience. Visit news.trust.org) By Martinne Geller LONDON, March 20 (Reuters) - Turkish home appliances maker Arcelik is working on acquisitions to speed up its international expansion, particularly in Asia, its chief executive said on Monday. "We think there will be significant demand growth coming from Southeast Asia and the Indian subcontinent," Hakan Bulgurlu told Reuters, citing Indonesia, Vietnam and the Philippines, as well as Bangladesh, Pakistan and India. "They're all focus areas for us." The company, which sells washing machines, dryers and refrigerators under brands such as Beko and Grundig, said international markets should account for 65 percent of its sales this year, up from 60 percent in 2016. Bulgurlu said that percentage should reach 80 percent in a few years as the company continues its strategy of overseas deals. Arcelik is a subsidiary of Koc Holding, Turkey's biggest industrial conglomerate. The company stood by its forecast for revenue to grow 20 percent this year from the 16.10 billion Turkish lira ($4.43 billion) it reported in 2016, even though its home market could see greater sales growth than it originally expected due to a government plan to temporarily reduce a tax on white goods in order to spur demand. (1 euro = 3.9084 liras) (Reporting by Martinne Geller; Editing by Mark Potter) Big things are happening at Big Blue. IBM (News - Alert) this week announced that it has joined forces with Chinas Dalian Wanda Group to provide Chinese companies with cloud services. The partners will do that via a new venture called Wanda Cloud Company. It will employ select IBM cloud infrastructure and platform-as-a-service offerings to meet Chinese companies cloud requirements. Spending on public cloud services in Asia Pacific is expected to reach $10 billion this year and $15.8 billion by 2020, according to Gartner (News - Alert). And Microsoft last month released a study indicating that 78 percent of Asia Pacific leaders said cloud computing is crucial to their digital transformation strategies. China obviously is a huge opportunity that's defined by size (and) acceleration of innovation...you have, by definition, high demand and digitization, Ralph Haupter, president of Asia at Microsoft (News - Alert), recently told CNBC. Microsoft brought its first data center online to support Azure cloud services in mainland China in spring of 2014. Today Microsoft has data centers in 13 Asia Pacific regions. As for Amazon Web Services (News - Alert), it provides services in China in partnership with Beijing Sinnet Technology Co. Ltd., a service provider in the region. Alibaba Cloud, the cloud computing arm of Alibaba Group, is Chinas largest public cloud service provider. Its also the fifth largest cloud service provider in the world. It provides global cloud computing services to 765,000 paying customers and more than 2.3 million customers around the world. Chinas No. 2 cloud provider is called Meituan Open Services, according to this article. This is a company best known for food delivery that recently expanded into cloud services related to AWS-compatible APIs, big data services, databases, hosting and networking, security and storage. No. 3 on the list is Tencent Cloud. UCloud out of Shangai is No. 4, QingCloud is No. 5 and Huawei (News - Alert) Enterprise Cloud is No. 6. By Rania El Gamal and Alex Lawler DUBAI/LONDON, March 20 (Reuters) - OPEC oil producers increasingly favour extending beyond June a pact on reducing crude supply to balance the market, sources within the group said, although Russia and other non-members need to remain part of the initiative. The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries is curbing its output by about 1.2 million barrels per day (bpd) from Jan. 1 for six months, the first reduction in eight years. Russia and other non-OPEC producers agreed to cut half as much. The deal has lifted oil prices, but inventories in industrial nations are rising and higher returns have encouraged U.S. companies to pump more. A growing number of OPEC officials believe it may take longer than six months to reduce stocks. "An extension is needed to balance the market," an OPEC delegate said. "Any extension of the cut agreement should be with non-OPEC." OPEC sources told Reuters in February that the group could extend the supply-reduction pact, or even apply deeper cuts from July, if inventories fail to drop to a targeted level. The group wants stocks in the industrialised world to fall to the average of the past five years. According to the most recent data, for January, inventories of crude and refined products stood 278 million barrels above this level. Five other OPEC sources said it was increasingly clear that the market needed more than six months to stabilise but added that all producers - in OPEC plus non-members - had to agree. "The ministers will meet in May to decide, but everyone has to be on board," an OPEC source from a major producer said. OPEC next meets to decide output policy on May 25 in Vienna. There will also be a gathering in May of OPEC and non-OPEC producers, OPEC Secretary-General Mohammad Barkindo said last month. "Hard negotiations are on the way," another one of the sources said. Russia, the largest of the 11 outside producers working with OPEC, has not publicly said whether it supports extending the supply cut, but is wary about the revival of U.S. shale output due to higher oil prices. "It's too early to know whether everyone will agree to this," a source from a non-OPEC participant in the deal said, referring to prolonging the output curb. The revival of shale oil production - whose growth added to the oversupply that battered oil prices in mid-2014 - has restrained the rally this year and may worry OPEC leaders. OPEC ministers and sources, however, have said they don't see a large rebound in 2017. One OPEC source said shale production was expected to grow by about 300,000 bpd this year - a level the market could accommodate. "OPEC heavyweights such as Saudi Arabia are not happy with the return of shale oil in full force and have to make a hard choice between losing part of their market share or steady income," said a source from a major non-Gulf OPEC producer. "They will more likely opt for income and will push to get help from non-OPEC." (Editing by Dale Hudson) By Jonathan Saul and Parisa Hafezi LONDON/ANKARA, March 20 (Reuters) - Iran has asked the Bank of England to set up special clearing accounts for its banks, but has so far been rebuffed in its effort to resolve an impasse that has left it excluded from banking in London more than a year after sanctions were lifted. Tehran has been hoping for swift reintegration into global trade after its deal in 2015 aimed at curbing Tehran's nuclear programme in return for the lifting of international sanctions. Its failure to persuade Western banks to accept its business has been one of the main choke points preventing its rehabilitation. Banking sources from both Iran and the West, and Iranian political sources close to the talks, said Tehran has approached the Bank of England to seek clearing accounts directly with the UK central bank. Such accounts, for Iran's own Central Bank or for the British subsidiaries of Iranian banks, would allow them to make and receive payments in sterling, business so far rejected by commercial banks. "That would send a huge message to the market. What commercial bank is practically going to stop Bank of England payments? None," said one Western source. However, the sources said the BoE seems uninterested in resolving the problem for now. "The Bank of England has proved resistant to intervening in any kind of positive way in order to assist trade between Iran and UK," said the Western source. A senior Iranian banking official in Tehran said: "The Bank of England has suspended anything related to Iran, even the latest scheduled meeting was cancelled. Everything has been put on hold." A Bank of England spokesman declined to comment. Iran's Central Bank officials were not available to comment. The sources all spoke on condition of anonymity as talks between Iran and the bank have not officially been made public. Although EU and United Nations sanctions over Iran's nuclear programme were lifted a year ago, the United States still has separate measures in place over Iran's missile programme, and the new U.S. administration has promised a hard line. The risk of falling afoul of U.S. measures has been enough to persuade Western banks to steer clear, including in London, where Iran is particularly keen for a presence in the main global financial centre outside of the United States. Even Iran's embassy in London has so far been unable to open a British bank account. Three Iranian banks have subsidiaries with licenses to operate in Britain: Melli Bank Plc, Bank Sepah International Plc and Persia International Bank Plc. But none has been able to persuade a commercial bank to clear its payments in sterling, the British currency. "TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE" "It is totally unacceptable that a UK bank which has a banking licence, which is in good standing with its regulators, is unable to access the sterling system," said Sue Millar, partner with law firm Stephenson Harwood that represents those three UK-based arms of Iranian banks, as well as Bank Saderat Plc, which remains on the U.S. blacklist. Iran considers the failure of Western countries to allow it back into the international financial system to violate the spirit of the 2015 nuclear deal. It says Britain in particular, given its large capital markets, should do more to ensure Iranian banks operating there legally are treated fairly. The issue is particularly sensitive within Iran for the future of the nuclear deal's architect, President Hasan Rouhani, a pragmatist elected in a landslide in 2013 on a promise to reduce Iran's economic isolation. He faces re-election in May against hardliners who say his deal has never yielded the promised economic benefits. The UK government, eager to boost trade with new markets like Iran after last year's vote to leave the European Union, has struggled to convince British banks to boost trade with Iran, sources have told Reuters. British trade minister Liam Fox told a parliamentary committee last week he had commissioned work from his department to look at how to normalise "effective payment channels" with Iran to try to open up trading opportunities. An official close to Rouhani said while the British government had promised to do more, so far there had been no progress. The senior Iranian banking official added that meetings between Iranian and British government officials had yielded no change in the commercial banks' policies. "They (banks) are worried about Trump's Iran approach - and now that Iran has been 'put on notice', the process will be much more difficult," the official said, referring to remarks made in Washington last month by then U.S. national security advisor Michael Flynn threatening an unspecified response after an Iranian ballistic missile test. In response to questions from Reuters, the British government said it was committed to working closely with all parties, including UK banks and industry groups, to help open opportunities for trade between Britain and Iran. "This will be a vital part of Iran's re-integration into the international community and we will continue to work to strengthen and expand our trading relationship for mutual benefit," said a statement attributed to a government spokesperson. "IRANOPHOBIA" In April last year, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei accused Washington of undermining the nuclear deal by scaring investors away from Iran. "On paper America lets foreign banks deal with Iran, but in practice they create Iranophobia so no one does business with Iran," Khamenei said at the time. In addition to concern over the remaining U.S. sanctions, banks are wary of business with Iran because of the high cost of ensuring that any transactions comply with rules. Iran is one of just two countries, along with North Korea, declared "high risk and non-cooperative jurisdictions" by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), a global group of nations that monitors money laundering. Iran is implementing an "action plan" to have that designation lifted, and the watchdog has set a June 2017 deadline to evaluate its progress. Meanwhile, the FATF still advises countries to tell their banks to impose extra due diligence on transactions with Iranians. The FATF's guidance cites in particular the risk of funding terrorism. Banking officials said reintegrating Iranian banks into the financial system would take time, and may require support from the government to help allay the cost to commercial banks of taking on added risk and performing additional checks. "When you have had such broad ranging sanctions over such a long period of time, it is completely unrealistic to re-enter this space without considerable risk analysis. That may involve creative risk sharing," said Justine Walker, director financial crime with industry lobby the British Bankers' Association. "So, industry will be looking at some kind of tie up with government." For Iranians hoping to trade abroad, that means waiting. "As a businessman, I cannot open an account in Britain's major banks. How am I supposed to do business with the world?" said the chief executive of an import-export company in Tehran, who asked not to be identified. (Editing by Peter Graff) SANTIAGO, March 20 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump expressed concern about the political and humanitarian situation in Venezuela in a call on Sunday with Chilean President Michelle Bachelet, the Chilean president told reporters on Monday. Bachelet said she talked with Trump about the actions regional leaders were taking with regard to Venezuela, which has been wracked by an economic crisis in the last three years and is facing external pressure to make political reforms. "(President Trump) presented to me his worries about the situation in Venezuela," Bachelet told reporters at the La Moneda presidential palace in Chile's capital, Santiago. "I told him about the actions (Chile's) foreign ministry is carrying out together with other foreign ministries, and we are staying in contact to see how we can help Venezuela have a peaceful exit from its domestic situation." Venezuelans are suffering from severe shortages of basic goods, including food. The government of Nicolas Maduro blames private businesses for sabotaging the economy with price speculation and routinely denounces opposition activists as coup-plotters, intent on bringing down socialism in the country. Opposition leaders say the Maduro government has undermined democracy by canceling a key referendum and delaying local elections, among other measures. Last week, Luis Almagro, secretary general of the Organization of American States, said Venezuela should be suspended from the organization if it does not hold general elections as soon as possible. Relations between Venezuela and the United States have been rocky since former socialist president Hugo Chavez rose to power in 1999. The South American country has repeatedly criticized the United States for interfering in its domestic affairs. The U.S. blacklisted Venezuela's vice president as a drug trafficker in February, and Trump later that month called for the release of jailed opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez. (Reporting by Fabian Cambero and Gram Slattery, Editing by Rosalba O'Brien) NAIROBI, March 20 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Higher temperatures and more erratic rainfall caused by climate change threaten to cut harvests in the poorest and hungriest region of Uganda that already depends heavily on food handouts, a study showed on Monday. Half of the population of Uganda's remote northeastern Karamoja region depends on food aid, according to the World Food Programme (WFP), due to high levels of poverty and heavy reliance on rainfed agriculture. "The rainfall pattern has become more erratic, therefore the farmers cannot plan their planting seasons," Siddharth Krishnaswamy, WFP's chief food security analyst in Uganda, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. "Food security remains elusive." People often have to beg, sell livestock or burn charcoal to sell when food runs out in the troubled region, which has a history of clan violence. It would be 20 times cheaper to invest in climate change adaptation than do nothing, which could cost up to $5.9 billion per year by 2025, according to the study by the Ugandan government with the support of the United Nations. The study recommended greater investment in water harvesting and agroforestry, the cultivation of drought-resistant crops, and giving people information on climate change and its impact. "The earlier adaptation measures are made the more resilient individuals, communities, organisations and countries will be." The rainy season in Karamoja is now two months longer than it was 35 years ago, researchers found. But the unpredictability of rains had undermined agricultural production. Most people in Karamoja, particularly women, were not aware that the climate had changed, the study found. Those who noticed changes rarely took action to adapt to climate change because they did not know how. (Reporting by Daniel Wesangula; Editing by Katy Migiro and Ros Russell; Please credit the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, that covers humanitarian news, womens rights, trafficking, property rights and climate change. Visit http://news.trust.org to see more stories.) HANOI, March 20 (Reuters) - Vietnam's Prime Minister sought support for the nation's stance in the South China Sea when he met South Korea's foreign minister in Hanoi on Monday. Vietnam is the country most openly at odds with China over the waterway since the Philippines pulled back from confrontation under President Rodrigo Duterte. "The Prime Minister proposed that South Korea continue its support over the position of Vietnam and Southeast Asia on the South China Sea issue and to help the country improve its law enforcement at the sea", the government said in a statement on its website after the meeting between Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and South Korea's Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se. The statement did not say whether South Korea backed Vietnam's position on the South China Sea. Yun did affirm his country's willingness to promote ties despite instability in South Korea after the ousting of President Park Geun-hye over a graft scandal. South Korea is Vietnam's biggest foreign investor thanks to companies like Samsung. South Korea and China are currently in dispute over deployment of the U.S. anti-missile defence system. South Korea on Monday has complained to the World Trade Organization about Chinese retaliation against its companies over the deployment. Last week, Vietnam demanded China stop sending cruise ships to the area in response to one of Beijing's latest moves to bolster its claims to the strategic waterway. China claims 90 percent of the potentially energy-rich South China Sea. Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam and Taiwan lay claim to parts of the route, through which about $5 trillion of trade passes each year. (Reporting by My Pham; Editing by Julia Glover) CAIRO, March 20 (Reuters) - The world bank has disbursed a further $1 billion in financial assistance to Egypt out of its $3 billion loan programme with the country, The World Bank said in a statement on Monday. Egypt has been negotiating billions of dollars in aid from various lenders to help revive an economy hit by political upheaval since a 2011 revolt and to ease a dollar shortage that has crippled imports and hampered its recovery. "The government has taken important steps in implementing key policy and institutional reforms that are laying down the foundations for accelerated job creation and inclusive growth," said Dr. Asad Alam, World Bank Country Director for Egypt, Yemen and Djibouti in the statement. (Reporting by Lin Noueihed; Writing by Amina Ismail; Editing by Hugh Lawson) By Paola Totaro WASHINGTON, March 20 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - C utting-edge technologies - from drones to data collected by taxi drivers - are becoming key weapons in the global battle to improve land rights and fight poverty, experts said on Monday. Advances in earth observation, digital connectivity and computing power provide an array of information, from detailed topographical maps to transportation use, that was previously unimaginable, geospatial experts said at a World Bank Conference on Land and Poverty. The information collected can be instrumental to helping establish property records and land titling systems in countries where there is no formal ownership or land-use documentation. Survey-mapping drones may look like toys but are powerful machines having a huge impact on land-use planning in Africa, said Edward Anderson, a senior World Bank disaster management expert. High-quality, high-resolution images taken by drones in Zanzibar identified nearly 2,000 new buildings in one 12-month period alone, he said. The mapping exercise, budgeted at $2 million in 2005, was completed at a tenth of the price by local university students operating the small, light, unmanned drones, he said. "Coastal zones are developing and urbanizing so quickly, waterside areas are being developed into hotels, residential properties," he said. "Until now, there was no way of quantifying this change and making comparisons," he said. While more than 87 percent of the land mass of Europe is mapped at a local level, such maps exist for only about 3 percent of the entire African continent, he said. A project using drones in Mauritania, a country twice the size of France but with a population of less than four million, has allowed authorities to document the massive growth of cities such as its capital, Nouakchott, said University of Arizona professor Mamadou Baro. Originally established in 1959 with fewer than 5,000 residents, Nouakchott is the largest city in the Sahara and home to more than 1.5 million people. "This is placing huge pressure on social infrastructure and chaos in the development of the city," Baro said. "Drones are very helpful in attempting to manage and track this kind of enormous growth." Private companies that collect data as part of their businesses are being encouraged to share with state planning authorities as well, said Holly Krambeck, a World Bank transport planning expert. GPS data collected by taxi drivers is helping to design plans for infrastructure and roads in countries such as Brazil and in North Africa, she said. The shared data comes through agreements with technology companies such as Grab that operates ride-hailing and logistics services apps in Southeast Asia, including the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia. Using technology can also help identify new sources of tax revenue, experts said. In Tanzania, improved mapping data revealed that up to two-thirds of properties in secondary cities were not on the tax rolls, they said. (Reporting by Paola Totaro, Editing by Ellen Wulfhorst ) By Steve Holland WASHINGTON, March 20 (Reuters) - Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi thanked U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday for removing Iraq from a travel ban affecting several Muslim-majority countries and said he sought stronger cooperation in fighting Islamic State militants. The two leaders sat down face to face at the White House for the first time since Trump took office on Jan. 20. Abadi is trying to defeat Islamic State militants who seized broad swaths of Iraqi territory. After an appeal from Abadi, Trump decided this month's revised order temporarily banning the entry of travelers from several Muslim-majority nations would not include Iraq because of its cooperation with the United States. Both the initial Jan. 27 travel ban and the revised version have been blocked by federal courts. Detractors argue the ban discriminated against Muslims in violation of the U.S. Constitution's guarantee of religious freedom. Trump says the measure is necessary for national security to protect the country from terrorist attacks. "I thank you for removing Iraq from the presidential order ... this was a positive response to the Iraqi request that betters the relationship with Iraq and the value of Iraq as far as Iraqi-American relations," Abadi told Trump. Trump told Abadi that he knew his forces were fighting hard against Islamic State. "It's not an easy job," Trump said. "It's a very tough job. Your soldiers are fighting hard. I know Mosul is moving along. ... We will figure something out. "Our main thrust is we have to get rid of ISIS. We're going to get rid of ISIS. It will happen. It's happening right now," Trump added, using an acronym for Islamic State. (Reporting by Steve Holland; Editing by Peter Cooney) Minister of Telecommunication and Digital Infrastructure Harin Fernando said though some people accused him of disregarding his voters, he was not allowed to work despite trying hard for it. The Minister was speaking at an occasion held on Sunday (19) in Badulla to mark the International Women's Day. "These days, some people accuse me of disregarding those who voted. They say I am not to be seen after getting their votes. I tried my best to work for them, yet, I am not allowed to do so. I will remain patient for a couple of months and see and will either resign from this or work for you", he said. Women members of the Ceylon Workers Congress arrived at the Baddula Post Office Complex auditorium from Muthiyangana Rajamaha Viharaya carrying slogans demanding a salary increase. He said he and Suresh had no portfolio to deliver something for the benefit of the estate sector. "We have nothing against Minister Palani Digambaram. Yet, if we are assigned trade union activities in the plantation sector, a Cabinet portfolio is needed to work for it. Currently, we have different responsibilities. You have to bear in mind that it is the trade unions affiliated to the UNP that worked for plantation workers' rights", Minister Fernando added.(Palitha Aryawansa and Prasad Rukmal) A British woman, arrested with three other UK nationals in a case of alleged human trafficking, had helped two Sri Lankans fly to the UK with fake passports in January. The police said that Julie Ann Warner (36), a tourist guide, has confessed that she became a carrier after meeting a Sri Lankan agent, Logorajan, six months ago. Warner and three other Britishers were arrested at Sahar airport in Mumbai on March 15 for allegedly helping four Lankans migrate to the UK, using forged passports. Senior inspector of Sahar police station, BT Mukhedkar, said that the UK nationals were "not cooperating" in the probe. The police said that agents wanted in the case had demanded Rs17 lakh each from the Lankans to help them reach the UK with fake passports which identified them as the four arrested UK nationals. The Lankans, on reaching the UK, planned to surrender before the authorities there, and claim that they had flown there due to a threat to their lives from Lankan Tigers, and hoped "to get political asylum there". Public prosecutor Neeta Masarkar said that the fake Indian passports had fake immigration stamps. Counsel for the British nationals, Prabhakar Tripathi, said that his clients were victims as the agents had duped them.(TOI) By Zahara Zuhair Associated Motorways (Pvt.) Ltd (AMW) has introduced yet another product of French automotive brand Renault to the local market by introducing Kwid AMT (Automated Manual Transmission) 1000cc. It expects to give the convenience of automatic transmission to the customers. The car was unveiled by Telecommunication and Digital Infrastructure Minister Harin Fernando and Associated Motorways Managing Director Samantha Rajapaksa at the motor show exhibition held last Friday at the BMICH. This was a long awaited car, of which we already had the manual transmission. So now the AMT is out on the 1000cc segment. There has been very high demand for this car, as a lot of people were waiting to get it, AMW Deputy General Manager Yasantha Wijeysekera told Mirror Business. It has an automatic shift gear, also touch screen display, bluetooth feature, front power shutter, central locking, very good interior space, very good ground clearance, he said. To make driving effortless, he said that the AMT dial has three modes - the reverse, neutral and the drive. So you just have to turn it to whatever the position, he said. If you look from front it has a good appearance, it got the SUV look. There are five colours, cars are not highly priced, People love these kinds of vehicles, it is a small car. You can go outstation, people can go anywhere without any problem, he said. In the shipment we have brought in 170 cars. Bookings are open from now onwards, he said. He also noted that more than 3,000 Renault units had been sold in Sri Lanka since its launch. In India, sales have boomed. Sri Lanka is one of the first export markets for Renault. We are one of the firsts to get it out of India, he added. He said that they are looking forward to introduce more products to Sri Lanka as it comes to the market. The cars will be priced Rs. 2,750,000 onwards. The Renault Kwid is an entry-level crossover, initially intended for the Indian market. Renault brand, which has a history of 118 years in the automotive industry, was unveiled in Sri Lanka by AMW in 2016 June, with the launch of two of its flagship products Renault Kwid and Renault Duster. Visiting Chinese Defence Minister (General) Chang Wanquan today assured his countrys unconditional and fullest support to further strengthen the Sri Lankas armed forces, the State Ministry of Defence said. Following a meeting between the top Chinese envoy and State Minister of Defence Ruwan Wijewardrne at the Defence Ministry, the ministry said in a statement that the envoy said that China would continue to provide military hardware, training and technical knowledge to the Sri Lankan armed forces. During the meeting, State Minister Wijewardene expressed Sri Lankas satisfaction over the Chinese assistance in developing the security forces as well as the economy of the country for several decades. At his meeting with visiting Chinese Defence Minister Chang Wanquan, President Maithripala Sirisena said Sri Lanka would enter into a number of agreements with China in a manner that would not be detrimental to the sovereignty and integrity of the country. The Chinese Defence Minister is on two-day official visit to Sri Lanka. He called on the President this morning. The President expressed hope that China would continue to provide military training to the Sri Lanka armed forces and expressed his gratitude to China for assistance in the elimination of terrorism, particularly during the crucial stage of the war. The visit took place at a time when China is planning to take over a stake of the Hambantota port in the southern Sri Lanka. It is also timed with the increased participation of the US military in joint operations in Sri Lanka in recent times. Piracy, the act of robbery or criminal violence by ship or boat-borne attackers upon another ship or a coastal area, is a common occurrence in international waters. Piracy is of note in international law as it is commonly held to represent the earliest invocation of the concept of universal jurisdiction. The crime of piracy is considered a breach of jus cogens, a conventional peremptory international norm that needs to be upheld by states. In an unexpected turn of events, a Comoros-flagged tanker MT Aris 13 was hijacked by Somali pirates while on course to Mogadishu from Djibouti. Sri Lanka made headlines once again as the crew on board consisted eight locals who were held captive for three long days. The Daily Mirror spoke to International Transport Workers Federation (ITF) local representative Ranjan Perera to inquire about the incident and to find out how local entities could involve themselves during such events. Foreign Ministry has a pivotal role to play - Ranjan Perera Secretary General of National Union of Seafarers Sri Lanka (NUSS) and International Transport Workers Federation (ITF) local representative Ranjan Perera said the local agent was contacted when such an incident occurred. Later, the Shipping Ministry conveys the news to the family members of the victims. The Foreign Ministry has a bigger role to play in it. They handle it on behalf of the government. The ITF represents the interests of transport workers unions in bodies which take decisions affecting employment or safety in the transport industry including the International Labour Organisation (ILO), the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) and the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO). Speaking further, Ranjan said a major function of the ITF was informing and advising unions about developments in the transport industry in other countries or regions of the world. The ITF organises international solidarity when transport unions in one country are in conflict with employers or governments and need direct help from the unions in other countries. SOMALI PIRACY MODEL Piracy off the coast of Somalia has been a threat to international shipping since the second phase of the Somali civil war in the early 21st century. According to OBP, piracy impeded the delivery of shipments and increased shipping expenses costing an estimated $6.6 to $6.9 billion a year in global trade in 2011. Somali piracy is unique among worldwide piracy business models due to the level of community support Somali pirates have enjoyed in the past and the ability to hold crews and vessels for months, or even years in safe havens just off the coast during ransom negotiations. After the fall of the Siad Barre regime in 1991, Somali piracy has raised its head, targeting vessels off the coast of Puntland and the Gulf of Aden in violent robberies. The hijack for ransom model developed significantly in the early 2000s, and became the primary model by 2005 when the number of these incidents shot from 2 to 14 in a single year. Piracy has diminished since 2012 largely due to mitigating efforts at sea by international naval forces. However, the situation in Somalia that originally permitted piracy to flourish has not changed. This has paved the way for other forms of maritime crime including smuggling and trafficking. According to OBP, this unfortunate incident marks the first hijacking since 2012, but it doesnt indicate a large-scale return of Somali piracy. However, Somali pirates have still been active in recent months. The OBP analytics indicate the following: The number of reported failed attacks and suspicious incidents rose in 2016. Armed security teams deterred 11 attacks in 2016. The Muhammadi, attacked on November 22, 2015 roughly 250 nm off Eyl, was the last known hijacking incident in the region. On October 22, the CPO Korea, UK-flagged chemical tanker was approached by a skiff of armed men who exchanged fire with the security team. Somali pirates are still holding eight seafarers from the fishing vessel- the Siraj, who were captured on March 26, 2015. THE INCIDENT The tanker MT Aris 13 had left Djibouti on March 8, 2017 and was reaching Mogadishu when the crew reported two armed skiffs approaching the vessel. The information received by the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) in France was communicated to MRCC in Colombo, but by that time, the vessel had dropped communication with the French body. The pirates who have arrived in two boats have seized the ship approximately 18km off the Northern tip of Somalia to the coastal town of Caluula in Somalias Puntland State. It was then confirmed that eight Sri Lankans were on board, namely, S.A. Nicholas (Captain) from Mattakkuliya, Ruwan Sampath (Chief Officer) from Matugama, J. Kalubowila (Chief Engineer) from Horana, Dileepa Ranaweera (Third Officer) from Galle, Janaka Samendra (Third Engineer) from Matara, Sunil Perera (Bosun) from Kandana, Lahiru Indunil Widanapathirana (Able Seaman) from Galle and A. Shanmugham (Cook) from Negombo. According to Oceans Beyond Piracy, a programme of the One Earth Foundation, a privately-funded and independent non-profit organisation located in Colorado, USA, it was revealed that the MT Aris 13 was preparing to cut through the Socotra Gap between the tip of Somalia and the island of Socotra. This route is frequently used as a cost and time saving measure by vessels travelling down the East coast of Africa despite the threat of piracy. Additionally, Aris 13 has had a low freeboard of only three metres, and has been moving at a slow pace of five knots. These factors made the vessel an easier target for pirates who typically board ships with ladders from fast moving skiffs. According to a UN shipping database, it was reported that MT Aris 13 was owned by the Panama company Armi Shipping SA whose address was listed in care of Aurora Shipping Management FZE, a company based in Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates. The pirates demanded a ransom and held the vessel in captivity and released the vessel on March 16 when they found that the vessel was hired by Somali businessmen. According to the pirates, their primary intention of hijacking the ship had not been collecting ransom, but protesting against illegal fishing practices carried out by international vessels, which have threatened the livelihoods of the local fisherfolk. The release followed a gunfight earlier in the day between the pirates and the marine force. From left: CSE CEO Rajeeva Bandaranaike, Fitch Ratings Lanka Country Director Maninda Wickramasinghe, CBSL Director Economic Research Dr. Yuthika Indraratne, National Policies and Economic Affairs State Minister Niroshan Perera, CSE Chairman Vajira Kulatilaka and SEC Director General Vajira Wijegunerwardane The Invest Sri Lanka investor forum hosted in Sydney yesterday by the Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) in association with the Securities and Exchange Commission of Sri Lanka (SEC) drew over 150 participants including institutional investors, high-net-worth individuals, Sri Lankans living in Sydney and other individuals with a business interest in Sri Lanka. Making the keynote address at the event, National Policies and Economic Affairs State Minister Niroshan Perera urged the investors to recognize the enormous promise and potential of the emerging new Sri Lanka, built on the foundation of the governments new agenda of administrative and economic reforms and ease of doing business. We expect to drive the nation towards achieving middle-income status, while maintaining a strong focus on sustainable economic growth and good governance, the minister added. Sri Lankan High Commissioner to Australia Somasundaram Skandakumar speaking at the event, outlined that economic and social progress in Sri Lanka seen in recent times has been complemented by a renewed confidence in the country among the international community, especially in Australia. SEC Director General Vajira Wijegunerwardane speaking at the event expressed his confidence of the markets prospects beyond 2017 and said, We are resolute and unwavering in our insistence on better, more facilitative regulation across the board and are committed to formulating new policies which will lay a solid foundation for the market, enabling it to grow to potential and to enter new frontiers: all this, while concurrently working on a wide complement of developmental initiatives. Speaking on behalf of the CSE, CSE Chairman Vajira Kulatilaka spoke about the opportunities in the capital market highlighting the comparatively low PEs and the diversification opportunity the Colombo Stock market offers. He urged the participants to consider the different debt and equity options on offer including the entry to Colombo through professionally managed funds. The CSE chairman alluded to the rise in corporate earnings in the last quarter making a case for investors to make use of the current opportunity in the market and the potential for future growth. He also spoke about the focus on market development including the development of new products as a key priority. Central Bank of Sri Lanka Director Economic Research Dr. Yuthika Indraratne outlined that the reforms undertaken and development strategies adopted will enable Sri Lanka to achieve the envisaged high growth trajectory. She also went on to express positive sentiments on several economic indicators, including real GDP growth, which is expected to improve in 2017 and the overall budget balance, which is also expected to improve this year. Fitch Ratings Lanka Country Head Maninda Wickramasinghe stated that the development projects presently taking place in the country present a number of opportunities for foreign investors, especially in the context that such projects demand long-term financing. The series of events now moves to the state of Victoria, with an event exclusive to Australian institutional investors and high-net-worth individuals hosted at the International Chamber House Melbourne on March 23 at 8:30 a.m., followed by an evening event from 6:00 p.m. onwards at the Novotel Melbourne Glen Waverley. The final stop in the series of events will take place at the Fickling Convention Centre in Auckland on March 25 from 4:00 p.m. onwards. Sri Lankan stockbroking firms and unit trust companies are also presently in Australia participating in the events. The Government Medical Officers Association (GMOA) said today it would hold another round of talks with the parties concerned to pressure the government to resolve the SAITM issue without further delay. It said it would be compelled to resort to trade union action if the matter continues. GMOA Assistant Secretary Haritha Aluthge told a media briefing that they would launch a token strike and cancel private practice. We will talk to university deans, lecturers, students, political parties and anyone else who is supporting us in this battle against the South Asian Institute of Technology and Medicine (SAITM) in Malabe, he said. (Kalathma Jayawardhane) Oman Air, the national carrier of the sultanate of Oman, is delighted to announce the launch of its new four times weekly flight from Muscat to the Kenyan capital of Nairobi, starting March 27 2017 the latest move in the airlines ambitious and dynamic programme of fleet and network expansion. The service will be operated by a Boeing 737-800 and will depart from Muscat on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, leaving at 1450 and arriving in Nairobi at 1855. From Nairobi, the flights will depart on Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday, leaving at 0045 and arriving in Muscat at 0650. At Nairobi there will be convenient connections to other points in Africa in cooperation with Kenyan Airways. In Muscat the guests can avail excellent connections offered by Oman Air to its destinations in the Far East, Indian Subcontinent, Europe and GCC countries. Abdulrahman Al Busaidy, Deputy CEO and Executive Vice President- Commercial, commented: This new Oman Air route to the Kenyan capital Nairobi is a significant development for both countries. Trade between Kenya and Oman has been growing steadily over the years and I hope this new flight will facilitate the increase in bilateral trade and investment opportunities. We are committed to ensuring that our guests have greater choice and the opportunity to discover new destinations with Oman Air and we are delighted to be offering thousands more business and leisure travellers the opportunity to travel between Oman and Kenya (and beyond). For travellers to Nairobi, the capital is one of Kenyas most dynamic cities with a vibrant cultural life, fabulous places to eat and exciting avenues of adventures. Whether travelling for business or leisure, visitors should take the time to see the wildlife, its national park, climb the mountain of Kilimanjaro, the citys eclectic National Museum, and visit the beautiful beaches in Mombasa. From economy to five-star, there is a wide range of accommodation to suit all tastes and budgets. The opening of Kenya route is part of Oman Airs ambitious and dynamic programme of fleet and network expansion. This has included the delivery of new aircraft, introduction of a range of exciting new destinations, new products and services which contribute to a seamless passenger experience. The airline continues to be recognised for its award winning on board experience; winning a raft of industry awards to add to its growing collection. For further information on Oman Air, visit www.omanair.com Oman Air, the national carrier of the Sultanate of Oman, announced that a new Boeing B737-800 aircraft joined its fleet recently. This new aircraft will be used on short and medium-haul routes and has a capacity of 162 seats, with 12 Business Class seats of seat pitch 46 inches and 150 Economy Class seats with seat pitch 30 inches. Each seat is equipped with an LCD screen, back-mounted 10.6 inches. Oman Air has operated B737s for many years and the aircraft provide the backbone of the airlines long and medium-haul fleet, with 32 currently in operation. The new aircraft will be deployed soon on its arrival for commercial flights. Executive Vice President Products and Brand Development Abdulaziz Alraisi said, Oman Air is adding new aircraft to its fast-growing fleet to keep up with the expansion programme. Known for its energy-efficient systems and combined with Oman Airs superb maintenance staff and facilities, this is an ideal acquisition as we spread our wings to further afield. The aircrafts inaugural flight departed Seattle on March 13, 2017 and arrived in Muscat on March 15, 2017. With the addition of the new Boeing 737 800, Oman Airs fleet stands at 51. Currently Oman Airs fleet consists of five Boeing 787 Dreamliners, six Airbus 330-300s, four Airbus 330-200s, five Boeing 737-900s, 26 Boeing 737-800, one Boeing 737-700 and four Embraer 175s. Oman Air is continuing with its ambitious expansion plans in 2017 with four new additions to the fleet already this year. The latest were the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, which joined the fleet on February 23, 2017, beside the two new 737-800s added to the fleet in January and February. In addition, a new Dreamliner B787-9 will be joining Oman Airs fleet in the coming April. The delivery of new aircraft is part of Oman Airs ambitious and dynamic programme of fleet and network expansion. The airline continues to be recognised for its award-winning on board experience, winning an array of industry awards in 2016 to add to its growing collection. Oman Airs latest aircraft addition consolidates its position in 2017 as the airline continues its progress to becoming a successful, sustainable company of the highest quality: To Become the Best. The Colombo High Court today re-issued summons on the President and the Prime Minister to appear in court in the case against the United National Partys former Secretary Tissa Attanayake for displaying a letter with forged signatures of the then presidential candidate Maithripala Sirisena and the then Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe during the 2015 presidential election. Earlier, the High Court issued summons on the President and the Prime Minister to submit their evidence in court. When the case was taken up for consideration in the absence of the main two witnesses, Additional Solicitor General Wasantha Navaratna Bandara told court that he was informed by the prosecution that the two witness would be unable to be present in court today. Subsequently, High Court Judge Vikum Kaluarachchi also confirmed that the witnesses had informed the court in writing about the difficulty of appearing in court and requested convenient days to testify in the case. The trial was fixed to be heard duringJuly 17 and 28, 2017. Mr. Attanayake was indicted by the Attorney General on three counts of committing offences under the Penal Code, International Political and Civil Rights Convention and Presidential Election Act. (Shehan Chaika Silva) Ahead of President Maithripala Sirisenas State visit to Russia; the first in decades by a Sri Lankan leader, the countrys Ambassador to Moscow Dr. Saman Weerasinghe outlines the significance of relationship between the two sides. The two countries marked the 60th anniversary of diplomatic ties this year. Dr. Weerasinghe shared the following with the : Daily Mirror. Exported 34mn kg of tea to russia in 2016 Russia always stood by Sri Lanka Sri Lanka can harness Russias potential New efforts underway for tea promotion Nuclear energy has pros and cons How do you assess the importance of SL-Russia relations? The Sri Lanka-Russia relationship has always been cordial. SL was among the first countries that established diplomatic relations with former Soviet Union. Today, we are commemorating two important milestones. As you know the first one is the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between SL and Russia which was marked on February 19, 2017. The second milestone which could be considered to be even more significant in the history of bilateral relations between our two countries, is the first official visit of the Sri Lankan Head of State to Russia after several decades. Furthermore, Russia has always supported SL in almost every international resolution brought forward. Russia has been with SL in times of crisis. So our bilateral relations are referred to as friendship. President Sirisena is planning to visit Russia this month. How useful will the visit be? As I told Sri Lanka is always continuing its fruitful relations with Russia. Both Sides welcomed initiatives to promote direct links between the two nations and gave positive evaluation of the work of the SL-Russia Intergovernmental Joint Commission on Economic, Trade and Scientific Cooperation. Our Presidents visit will make a thorough review of the progress of joint projects in different fields of bilateral cooperation. The prospect of joint agreements, increased investments, greater participation in tourism and travel, expansion of trade and economic relations and defence ties within the framework of the Sri Lankan governments plan, will be high on the agenda of the Presidents visit to Russia. During this visit, SL and Russia are preparing to sign several agreements, including in the spheres of Fisheries, Tourism and Defence Cooperation. "The prospect of joint agreements, increased investments, greater participation in tourism and travel, expansion of trade and economic relations and defence ties within the framework of the Sri Lankan governments plan, will be high on the agenda of the Presidents visit to Russia" How has the relationship with Russia evolved under the new government? The new govt of Sri Lanka from the very first day started implementing the policy of friendly and mutually effective cooperation in regard to other countries. Considering that Russia is one of the major allies of Sri Lanka on the global arena, the new Govt focused on strengthening of existing relationships and exploring new fields to establish direct cooperation. Last year, President Maithripala Sirisena met with the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin for the first time at the BRICS Summit 2016 held in Goa, India, and after their first meeting the Presidential Secretariat received an official invitation for President Sirisena to visit Russia in 2017. This visit is the milestone of bilateral relationships between SL and Russia, and I am certain that immediately after this memorable occasion both countries would urge each other, now more than ever, to diversify bilateral ties and strengthen the already-existing cooperation. The first SL-Russia Intergovernmental Joint Commission on Economic, Trade and Scientific Cooperation was held in February last year at the Russian Federation. We see this as a new step in policy level collaborations of two countries in the sphere of Customs Duties, Science and Technology Cooperation, Fisheries Sector Cooperation and a road to future potential avenues. As for the potential areas of cooperation, Russia is technologically advanced in the areas of infrastructure development; power energy, gas and oil explorations and many more. Sri Lanka can definitely see the possibility of using these advanced technologies for its developments. However, during the period where I served as the Ambassador, I was able to expand our trade relationships beyond the traditional tea market to a diversified basket of consumer products. SL showcased its most other food and beverages at various international exhibitions in Moscow and tapped the Russian market for sea food, spices, coconut-by products, confectionery, processed fruits, vegetables, etc. Ninteen Sri Lankan sea food processing companies have been identified and registered by the Russian Federation enabling them to export to Russia and see it as a win-win situation where the Russian customers too gained the opportunity of consuming the unique taste of seafood from Sri Lanka. We have organized a Gem and Jewellery networking session for Sri Lankan exporters and Russian Buyers in the Embassy, and we have had more than 80 interested parties attending this event, and it showed us that the vacuum existed for these unique local produce. We are happy that we had the opportunity to make correct match that serves both countries. During the previous regime, Russias Gazprom sought to invest in oil and gas exploration in Sri Lanka. What is its current status? As you know Gazprom holds the worlds largest natural gas reserves. The companys share in the global and Russian reserves amounts to 17 and 72% respectively. Gazprom keeps expanding its capacity in a way that mutually benefited to every party. So its no doubt about their technical capacity and project implementation procedure. Also they have already in the projects with Europe for more than 40 years, and have positive collaborations with China for gas pipeline projects and other energy related projects. Not only China, they have recently, on the sidelines of the 8th BRICS Summit in India; India and Gazprom signed a memorandum that shows the interest of the parties in jointly exploring the routes for pipeline gas supplies from Russia and other countries to India, as well as the opportunities for cooperation in other areas. Looking at these, I cannot say that its very far that for us to also explore theses energy sources; so in this scenario, the discussions meetings and the documented processes would definitely be the base for Sri Lanka. "My view is that having a power plant in Tamil Nadu will have almost the same effect, if it is in Sri Lanka, in case of a disaster. Hence it is time for our experts to study the pros and cons, the country requirement and the social impacts in order for us also to find an energy solution for the country" Recently the Russian Ambassador here said Russia had the capacity to invest in a nuclear energy sector in Sri Lanka. Any move in that direction? When you come to talk about nuclear power it has a story of two sides. The economic impact and the social controversy are these two sides. Both are equally important. If you see almost all the developed countries of the world, power and energy is one of the cheapest utility products and almost all of it generate through nuclear power. Economic development of a country depends on cost of production. And one of the highest cost factors is energy especially for a country like Sri Lanka. Hence it is more important for us to see a cheap source of energy. The controversy all comes as it has some very serious threats. Best example was the disaster that inflicted major damage of the Fukushima nuclear power plant in Japan in 2011 following Tsunami. We were reminded of just how dangerous nuclear power could be. Japan failed in quick corrective actions for this disaster. Also it is riskier in terms of human error, terrorist attacks and natural disasters. This has very bad environmental results. Therefore, what I am trying to explain is this is an area for the experts of all these sectors to get together and decide. However, I should mention here that we all know that the Russian Federation is in the process of establishing Koondankulam Nuclear Power plant project in Koondankulam of Tamil Nadu State. It is the single largest nuclear power plant project in India and now at the third stage of development. My view is that having a power plant in Tamil Nadu will have almost the same effect, if it is in Sri Lanka, in case of a disaster. Hence it is time for our experts to study the pros and cons, the country requirement and the social impacts in order for us also to find an energy solution for the country. Russia is our traditional tea buyer. How is the trend of our tea trade now? The Russian Federation is the largest tea importer in the world for the consumption with an annual intake of around 172 million kg of tea. In the year 2000, SL became the leading tea exporter to Russia with an export volume of 45 million kg in overtaking its close competitor, India. From the year 2000, SL continued its leading position in the market till 2014. During that period, a large portion of Ceylon tea was exported to Russia in pre-packed form. In 2016, a total volume of 34 million kg of tea was imported from SL to Russia with a value of USD 145 million. We experienced a decline of Ceylon tea exports to Russia by 20% and 25% in volume term and values term respectively from the year 2015. The decline of the Ceylon tea imports to Russia was attributed mainly to the sharp devaluation of Russian Rouble over 100% during last two years which was associated with the financial crisis in the Russian Federation which began in 2014. The situation was further aggravated by the increasing tea prices at the Colombo tea auction. Though the fact was that, SL Embassy joining hands with Sri Lanka Tea Board is in the process of launching a Ceylon Tea promotional campaign in Russia to arrest the declining trend of Ceylon tea exports to this country. Against this backdrop, a visit by Plantation Industries Minister Navin Dissanayake and the tea trade delegation to Russia last month to initiate the proposed Ceylon Tea promotional campaign in Russia. Now the SL Embassy in Moscow is negotiating with Cinema chains in Russia to screen the newly developed Ceylon Tea commercial as the first stage of the promotional campaign. In addition to the above, the SL Embassy has been organizing the participation of SL tea companies at larger food and beverages exhibitions in Russia every year enabling the SL tea exporters to find potential tea buyers. Also this mission organized the consumer promotional activities in supermarkets in Russia to make the Russian consumers aware of Ceylon tea. So we are quite optimistic that, with the recovery from the dwindling economic situation in Russia in the near future and launching of a Ceylon tea promotional campaign in Russia would support to increase Ceylon Tea exports to this market and make Sri Lanka the largest exporter to Russia. How important is Russia in todays global order? Russia has emerged as one of the key players involved in the majority of important processes in the global arena. I think if we say the year 2016 has been under the sign of Russian President Vladimir Putin, that is correct. Moscow managed to significantly enhance its global reputation step-by-step after the collapse of the Soviet Union. By Chandeepa Wettasinghe The private sector last week expressed concerns over the governments iron curtain with regard to the Hambantota port sale agreement and called for more transparency and the involvement of local businesses in the venture. We have not had much information about the basis of this transaction. Were asking for more information from the government. The way it has gone on, theres more room for it to be discussed in the public space, Ceylon Chamber of Commerce (CCC) Chairman Samantha Ranatunga said. He was speaking during a seminar held at the CCC auditorium on the opportunities of the Hambantota port and Kra Canal in Thailand, organised by the Shippers Academy Colombo. His remarks were surprising, given that the CCCthe countrys apex trade chamberhas usually had more access to information than the majority of the voting public on the governments negotiations with foreign parties. Other experts also voiced concerns similar to that of Ranatunga. Im not able to comment in detail on the particular due diligence on the port, firstly because the information is not available. The government is keeping this under wraps, Strategic Enterprise Management Agency (SEMA) Director Rohan Abeywickrema, who is also a shipper, said. Shippers Academy Colombo CEO Rohan Masakorala said that what China intends to do with the port is also a concern.China is going to bring US $ 6 billion in investments but into what industries? Are they bringing some industries here for a reason that they dont want to tell us? Or are they bringing industries here to service India and the subcontinent? he questioned. The current government came to power promising good governance and transparency. Instead of going for an international tender as it should have done when seeking foreign partners for projects of this magnitude, the government had directly approached the Chinese government in finding a strategic partner for the Hambantota port. The messages that have come from both China and Sri Lanka on the deal have been inconsistent, with the Chinese ambassador saying that Sri Lanka has the power to dictate the terms of the agreement, while Sri Lankan ministers saying that China had made two bids, from which the Sri Lankan government has to choose from. The government is now said to have amended the terms of the agreement, requiring China Merchant Port Holdings, which will be owning 80 percent of shares in the Hambantota port for US $ 1.12 billion, to divest 20 percent of the port shares in the next 10 years to Sri Lankan entities. Let two local companies partner in the project, Hellman Worldwide Logistics Sri Lanka Managing Director Tania Polonnowita Wettimuny said, after noting that the local private sector has failed to engage with the government on the project during its inception. Abeywickrema said that the Hambantota port is not a viable trading port unless global shipping lines could be persuaded to use it as a regional hub. Hambantota has no strategic viability. It is strategic for military purposes, he said. He noted that some hope is there for it to become an industrial port, where large quantities of raw material could be imported and intermediate and finished goods could be exported in smaller quantities. However, he said that there is no infrastructure or utilities available in Hambantota, which the government would have to invest heavily on. The country has been experiencing problems with utilities such as power and water due to weather anomalies and poor planning. Other experts present at the seminar also expressed similar sentiments. A government to government agreement between China and Sri Lanka linked to the Hambantota port agreement calls for the setting up of three industrial zones totalling to 15,000 acres. The land is to be given to China for industrial development. China has refused to partner in the port without the industrial zone citing that the port is unviable without industries. C&S Development Co. Ltd Managing Director Professor Prianka Seneviratne said that it is yet to be determined how Sri Lankan industrialists could benefit from the arrangement. He also raised questions over Chinas military plans for Hambantota. I believe that the Chinese have a very strategic military plan because they have no bases between here and East China Sea. China has the worlds fastest growing army, air force and navy but no bases around the world to service its aircraft and ships like the US. Chinas intentions could be more military oriented, he said. Masakorala said that such intentions are natural. When youre becoming the world second largest superpower, military inspirations are there. But I think that its not only military interests they have in Hambantota, he said. The Sri Lankan government has repeatedly attempted to reassure the public that there will be no Chinese military operations in Hambantota. Meanwhile, Central Bank Monetary Board Member Nihal Fonseka said that the governments idea is to address the countrys immediate macroeconomic issues such as public debt and reserves by attracting Chinese investments. So we may not get the best deal for the port, but the best deal for the country, he said. Amidst legal battles and public protests, the signing of the agreements for the Hambantota port and the industrial zones has been delayed from their initial timeline in January. REUTERS: Sri Lankas tea output fell 19.7 percent in February compared to a year earlier due to drought during the past six months and the lack of fertiliser use, the state-run Tea Board said. Production in the first two months of the year also dropped 17.1 percent compared to the same period last year. Mainly it is the drought. There is no way of applying fertilizer with the drought, said Jayantha Edirisinghe, Acting Director General at Sri Lanka Tea Board. Sri Lanka is facing its worst drought in 40 years, hurting the island nations economy. Tea is Sri Lankas top agricultural export and a major foreign currency earner. Edirisinghe did not give a 2017 output forecast, saying the board needed to study weather patterns to make a prediction. In 2016, the agriculture sector contracted 4.2 percent from the previous year, when it expanded 4.8 percent. Agriculture accounts for about 8 percent of GDP. Sri Lankas out of tea hit a seven-year low in 2016, falling 11.1 percent in its third straight year of declining production due to adverse weather. Tea export volume dropped to a 14-year low in 2016, broker data showed. Export earnings fell 5.3 percent to US $1.26 billion in 2016 from US $1.33 billion in 2015. Sri Lanka recorded its highest earnings of US $1.63 billion in 2014. Russia was the largest importer of Sri Lankan tea in 2016, followed by Iran and Iraq. Turkey dropped to fourth position in 2016 from second in 2015. Export volumes to other major buyers such as the United Arab Emirates, Libya, Syria and Kuwait fell significantly last year, the broker report said. In keeping with its motto of Unity in Diversity", the Overseas School of Colombo sponsored the 23rd session of the Colombo Model United Nations 2017 conference a.k.a COMUN 2017 from March 3rd to March 5th.The conference hosted approximately 500 students from Sri Lanka and the American School of Bombay. Led by the brilliant Executive Committee of 26, the conference theme brainstormed was "Combatting Bellicose Rhetoric". A new committee added was the "World Health Assembly" to address food and nutrition issues that arise as a result of conflict in the world. COMUN is a simulation of the United Nations and is an effort to promote peace and harmony, to solve world issues and conflicts through debate, negotiations and resolutions. COMUN 2017 was the culmination of a yearlong effort which included 1 workshop and 3 Practice Debate sessions to inform and train delegates, both experienced and novice alike, in the protocol and procedures of the United Nations. The COMUN 2017 opening ceremony held at the OSC was presided over by the Hon. Prime Minister of Sri Lanka, Mr. Ranil Wickremasinghe who made a stellar speech to motivate the youth. The Prime Minister's words still ring loud and clear in the minds of those present even today.The closing ceremony was presided over by Madame Premadasa, who along with Mr. Phil Joslin- Head of the OSC and Mr. Joseph Schaller - Cultural & Grants Officer, U.S. Embassy, recognized delegates with awards for brilliant skills in debating and negotiating. COMUN recognizes the support of the United States Embassy during the past decade. COMUN has a long history of 23 years and is the oldest conference in Sri Lanka. In this time, COMUN has contributed immensely to the development of a spirit of peace and dialogue and can count amongst its alumni some very impressive names that are contributing actively to the country. The University of Southampton, SLIIT, UCL,Aitken Spence, Commercial Bank, Sampath Bank, ASB Freight, Fairways Holdings and ATG Gloves have made it a point to recognize this process of raising and empowering the future generation. COMUN2017's Community Service effort will see the distribution of stationery to schools in the outreaches and interiors of Sri Lanka through the US Embassy, the Janoda foundation, schools in Hambantota and the S.O.S village. OSC is regarded the most prestigious international school in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Founded in 1957, OSC remains Sri Lanka's oldest internationally accredited educational institution. It is the only school in Sri Lanka to offer the International Baccalaureate (IB) Programme from Pre-school to Grade 12. At OSC parents and teachers partner in working together to create the kind of environment where children not only learn, but thrive. With pride and joy, Tunisia yesterday celebrated the 61st anniversary of independence. Today, we are honouring a country of more than 3,000 years of history and rich cultural heritage, the country of deep rooted traditions of openness, peace and progress. Today, we honour the sacrifices made by the Tunisians in the name of dignity, freedom and democracy. Sri Lanka has enjoyed a fruitful relationship with Tunisia for several years. At present, both countries place focus on rebuilding their tourism sectors. Tunisia enjoys free access to European Union markets with over 3,000 international organisations based there. Its market is conducive to overseas entrants with investors from Sri Lanka encouraged. In 2009, the World Economic Forum ranked Tunisia as the most competitive economy in Africa and the 40th in the world. Tunisia emerges as the first country in the Arab world to succeed in transition to democratic rule. The existing leadership is determined to further enhance its relations of friendship and cooperation with Tunisias traditional partners, and pledged to place Tunisias relations with emerging Asian countries among the top priorities of its foreign policy. Honorary Consul General for Tunisia in Sri Lanka Mukthar Marikkar expressed his confidence in the signs of a growing mutual interest by the business communities of Sri Lanka. The past years have been marked by the participation of Sri Lankan business delegations visiting Tunis. We are confident that such visits will multiply considering the opportunities that exist in our two friendly countries. We are also confident that cooperation between our two nascent democracies has the potential to grow bigger under the new Tunisian and Sri Lankan leaderships. On this occasion, we would like to express our wishes to take ties of friendship and cooperation that happily exist between our two countries to new heights, and to invite the Sri Lankan business community to explore the tremendous opportunities that exist in Tunisia. My predictions are that the political surprises in 2016, which include Brexit and Donald Trumps US elections, will continue in 2017 as well with elections in France and Germany. The perception is the West turns inward with growing uncertainty over the threat of protectionism. The votes for both Brexit and Trump last year were held up as examples of globalization being in reverse gear. On the other hand, China is looking forward to expand its influence across the world with its one road-one belt maritime silk route strategy. World will become more globalized The Chinese President Xi Jinping at the opening plenary sessions of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland this January declared that Devos is an important window for taking the pulse of the global economy. Quote. Today, we also live in a world of contradictions. On the one hand, with growing material wealth and advances in science and technology, human civilization has developed as never before. On the other hand, frequent regional conflicts, global challenges like terrorism and refugees, as well as poverty, unemployment and widening income gap have all added to the uncertainties of the world. Unquote. The point he wanted to stress was that many of the problems troubling the world are not caused by economic globalization. Just blaming economic globalization for the worlds problems is inconsistent with reality and it will not help solve the problems. He emphasized, in a philosophical sense that nothing is perfect in the world. According to Parag Khanna, global strategist and bestselling author, contrary to popular belief, the world will become more globalized. His view is these votes were votes against London and Washingtons mismanagement of globalization rather than against globalization itself, from which everyone benefits on the whole. His argument is that there will be more pressure from governments for investment into areas like energy, industry and real estate, both for (a) creating jobs and (b) the secondary economic activity it will stimulate. His studies have revealed a future growth area, investing in emerging markets based on the demographic trends of urbanization and investing in infrastructure in non-core districts of major cities. Nevertheless, income inequalities have become a major phenomenon in the global world. Latest studies on income inequality In order to understand why inequality seems to be reaching alarming levels, it is worth reading the book written by an eminent French economist, Thomas Pikettys (Professor at the Paris School of Economics) Capital in the Twenty-First Century - 2014, Harvard Publication. He has collected and analysed data, including tax records, to show just how extreme the disparity in wealth between the rich and the rest of the population has grown. The Wealth Report 2017 by Knight Frank has also revealed the latest intelligence on the worlds wealthiest people. Look at the growth of the billionaires regional wise taken from the report just released. As can be seen from Table 1, there were 2,024 billionaires (US $ 1,000m+) in 2016 and it will increase to 3,000 wealthiest people by 2026, which is a 48 percent increase from the 2016 figure. What is important to realize is that as for the Asia Pacific region, the increase would be 100 percent and by 2026, the wealthiest people figure will rise to 1,127 out of the 3,000 in the whole world. Even according to Forbes, the number of US $ billionaires (between 1987 and 2013), rose from 140 to 1,400 and their total wealth rose from US $ 300 to 5,400 billion. At country level, Sri Lanka does not have a single billionaire; however there were 10 wealthiest people (Centa Millionaires - above US $ 100 million) in 2016, which is expected to increase to 26 richest people by 2026. Coming back to Pikettys great work, the prestigious Economist magazine hailed Capital in the Twenty-First Century; Economist says it is the economics book that took the world by storm. Quote. The pile of data allows Piketty to sketch out the evolution of inequality since the beginning of the industrial revolution. Unquote. Growth of social states and investing in people Piketty has done a detailed research covering a period 1870 till 2010. As per his studies, total tax revenues were less than 10 percent of national income in rich countries until 19001910; now they represent between 30 percent and 55 percent of national income during the period 20002010. The taxes were less than 10 percent of national income in the US, Britain, France and Sweden during the 19th century and up to World War I. This reflects the fact that the state at that time had very little involvement in economic and social life (police, courts, army, foreign affairs, etc.). In just half a century, the share of taxes in the national income increased by a factor of at least 3 to 5: just over 30 percent of national income in the United States, around 40 percent in Britain and between 45 and 55 percent on the European continent (45 percent in Germany, 50 percent in France and nearly 55 percent in Sweden). In Sri Lanka, the situation is totally different. As can be seen above, those rich countries tax collection is around 50 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) and they in-turn invest 16 percent to 18 percent on health and education, whereas in Sri Lanka our tax revenue is around 18 percent and how much do we spend on education and health? It is true that those developed countries public debt to GDP is high compared with Sri Lanka (over 100 percent as opposed to Sri Lankas figure of 79 percent debt to GDP by 2016). But their people are rich whereas in our country, more than 25 percent of our people are living below the poverty line. We preach that Sri Lanka is a Democratic Socialist Republic and practice social market economy. The real issue here is we have very low national savings resulting a gap between investments and savings. We need to either create a conducive business environment to attract foreign investments or borrow money in order to make investments on infrastructure development projects including improvements in health and education. Foreign direct investments (FDIs) have come down to less than US $ 500 per annum. Some experts say our country is faced with a huge debt trap but other intellectuals/professionals say its not that critical. However, the external account performance is fast deteriorating. Despite continuous borrowings, our foreign reserves are declining and debt servicing is ever increasing. Export earnings declined for the first time in the last two decades. Trade deficit widened to US $ 9 million, however managed to finance through worker remittances and foreign exchange from tourism. Most of the top business leaders/analysts are of the view that the quality of life of not only the poor, even the middle class is drastically reducing. The income inequality and social unrest are fast spreading across the regions, sub-districts and cities. These statistics and graphs are not sufficient to explain the real downturn. The bottom line is that the successive governments have failed in bringing social justice and much-needed economic welfare to the people. Pikettys grand theory of capital and inequality One of the measures to see the change in the role of government in the social sector is to look at the total tax collection from the rich and the subsidies afforded to the less-privileged people in society. As can be seen from the above, the growing tax collection has enabled the developed countries (the US, Britain, France and Sweden) to take on social welfare functions. A major portion goes to health and education spending on education and health accounts for 12-18 percent of national income in all the developed countries today. Primary and secondary education are almost entirely free for everyone in all the rich countries but higher education can be quite expensive, especially in the United States. In all the developed countries, public spending covers much of the cost of education and health services: the goal is to give equal access to these basic goods: every child should have access to education, regardless of his or her parents income and everyone should have access to healthcare. From his comprehensive historical analysis, Piketty derives a grand theory of capital and inequality. As a general rule, wealth grows faster than economic output, he explains, a concept he captures in the expression: r>g (where r is the rate of return to wealth and g is the economic growth rate). Quote. The issue here is faster economic growth will diminish the importance of wealth in a society, whereas slower economic growth will increase it, meaning there will be more inequality. Unquote. According to Piketty, the rate of return to capital has always been higher than the world growth rate but the gap was reduced during the 20th century and might widen again in the 21st century. As for Sri Lankas worsening, economic situation, there has been an improvement in the tax collection as a percent of GDP and one can argue that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) advocated austerity programme has enabled the government to control fiscal deficit. Nevertheless, without burdening the poor, the authorities must focus more on collecting revenue by increasing direct taxes rather than increasing the indirect taxes such as VAT, NBT, etc. The negative side is that the GDP growth rate has further declined to 4.4 percent in the 2016. In the medium term, both the income inequality as well as the unemployment rate will further widen. Conclusion The Capital in the Twenty-First Century by Piketty has provided enough analytical data and empirical evidence to our economic policymakers to compare the Sri Lankan situation with the global trends to enable them to take corrective measures. It goes without saying that improving economic growth in terms of GDP has become a necessary prerequisite to enhance the quality of life of our people. Institute of Policy Studies Chairman Dr. Razeen Sally, who was especially brought in by the prime minister to provide advice to the government on economic policy matters, in his article in a newspaper on March 17 titled Sri Lanka: Three scenarios for the future stated that Sri Lanka will remain a backwater and the Colombo chattering class will continue to predict stellar future achievements which will always remain unachieved. Quote. If the present pattern continues, Sri Lanka will drift into the future with an ossified political and business elite, highly politicized, third rate institutions, corruption and nepotism, an underperforming economy, always verging on crisis, simmering ethnic tensions and overdependence on China. Unquote. The Economist magazine has concluded its write up by saying that whether or not Professor Piketty succeeds in changing policy, he will have influenced the way thousands of readers and plenty of economists think about these issues. Whether Dr. Sally, Advisor on Economic Policy, will continue to criticize the countrys policies just offering future scenarios instead of succeeding in transforming the economic pattern of Sri Lanka, is yet to be seen. (Jayampathi Molligoda is a Fellow Member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka and he holds an FMIC Masters of Business Administration from the Post Graduate Institute of Management, University of Sri Jayewardenepura. He can be reached at jayampathy@bpl.lk) After considering the exceptional circumstances put forward by the defence, Colombo Fort Magistrate Lanka Jayaratne today refused to grant bail on former minister and MP Wimal Weerawansa. The Magistrate further remanded him till April 3. Former minister Wimal Weerawansa was arrested by the FCID on the allegation of misusing 40 state vehicles belonging to the National Engineering Corporation (NEC) and causing Rs. 90 million financial loss to the State during 2011-2014. (Shehan Chamika Silva) The economic blockade in Manipur that lasted for 139 days has been finally lifted hours before chief minister N Biren Singh's floor test on March 20 to prove his majority in the state Assembly. A very good morning to all. Finally Manipur is blockade free. Thanks to all who have made it happen. It's a team effort and will always be. N Biren Singh (@NBirenSingh) March 20, 2017 With that the newly sworn-in BJP government in the state emerged a hero even as chief minister Biren Singh hailed the development as the "first step to usher in an era of peace and stability as promised by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. During a campaign rally in Imphal in the run-up to the elections, PM Modi had blamed the now ousted Congress government for not taking necessary steps to end the blockade imposed by the United Naga Council. "No blockade will be allowed once the BJP comes to power, he had said. Just after assuming office on March 15, Biren Singh too had stated that his governments first priority would be to hold talks with the UNC and end the blockade. The blockade, which started on November 1 last year, was called by the UNC an umbrella organisation of Naga civil society organisations in protest against the previous Congress government's decision to bifurcate Naga-dominated areas and create seven new districts. The economic blockade was imposed on NH-2 (Imphal-Dimapur) and NH-37 (Imphal-Jiribam) highways that serve as lifelines for the landlocked Manipur. The UNC finally agreed on March 19 to lift the blockade after a "successful tripartite meeting with the new BJP government in the state, the Centre and the Naga outfit". Although the news came as a sigh of relief to the people, questions were raised over the timing of the outcome of the tripartite meeting. Here are some of the key points: 1. BJP leaders at the Centre had earlier claimed that if Ibobi Singh steps down, it will lift the blockade in two days something that made many in the Congress raise fingers over the "BJP's involvement in the blockade". Even in the run-up to the elections, Ibobi Singh had accused the Centre of not taking action to help restore order in the state. According to the then CM, since the central government is in peace talks with the NSCN (I-M), it could easily put pressure on the UNC to call off the blockade and end the peoples suffering. Following Sunday night's development, political observers have also raised concerns whether the BJP government at the Centre deliberately didn't make enough efforts to convince the UNC to lift the blockade, thereby making it an election issue against the Congress government. PM Narendra Modi at a rally in Imphal in the run-up to Assembly elections. (Credit: PTI photo) 2. The latest agreement was reached following "unconditional release of the arrested UNC leaders". A joint statement released after the meeting stated that "all cases related to the economic blockade against UNC president Gaidon Kamei and publicity secretary S Stephen as well as student leaders will be closed". Kamei and Stephen were arrested by the state police in connection with violent incidents during the blockade on November 25 last year. The joint statement also said: "To create conducive environment for the democratic process of consultation and dialogue, the UNC will lift the economic blockade with effect from tonight (March 19 midnight)." 3. Although the blockade was launched to oppose the creation of seven new districts out of Naga territory, it is still not known whether the UNC has accepted the creation of such districts by the previous government and it would withdraw other agitations like banning of national projects in Naga-dominated hill districts, government office picketing etc. Earlier, the UNC had demanded that the Ibobi-led government revoke the order for creation of the new districts. 4. After the meeting, UNC general secretary S Milan, who represented the Naga outfit in the tripartite meeting, said: The Manipur government acknowledged that creation of the new districts were against past deals with us and assured there will be further dialogues to address our concerns. So, does that mean the decision creating the new districts will be revoked? 5. Satyendra Garg, joint secretary in the home ministry, who signed the tripartite agreement on behalf of the Centre, said: The government of Manipur took note of the grievances of the UNC, including that of them not being consulted while creating the new districts. The UNC has to now frame what exactly their point of view is. Initially they had asked for non- bifurcation of Senapati and Jiribam districts. They will have to clear their stand about the entire seven districts. Manipur government will consider whatever changes they want. 6. However, when he was asked by local news agencies if the newly elected BJP government in the state would roll back the decision of creating seven new districts, the official said: At the moment there is nothing like a rollback; there are many stakeholders. AstraZeneca PLC, a biopharmaceutical company, focuses on the discovery, development, manufacturing, and commercialization of prescription medicines. Its marketed products include Calquence, Enhertu, Faslodex, Imfinzi, Iressa, Koselugo, Lumoxiti, Lynparza, Orpathys, Tagrisso, and Zoladex for oncology; Brilinta/Brilique, Bydureon/Byetta, BCise, Byetta, Crestor, Evrenzo, Farxiga/Forxiga, Komboglyze/Kombiglyze XR, Lokelma, Onglyza, Qtern, and Xigduo/Xigduo XR for cardiovascular, renal, and metabolism diseases; Bevespi Aerosphere, Breztri Aerosphere, Daliresp/Daxas, Duaklir Genuair, Fasenra, Pulmicort, Saphnelo, Symbicort, and Tudorza/Eklira/Bretaris for respiratory and immunology; and Andexxa/Ondexxya, Kanuma, Soliris, Strensiq, and Ultomiris for rare diseases. The company's marketed products also comprise Synagis for respiratory syncytial virus; Fluenz Tetra/FluMist Quadrivalent for Influenza; Seroquel IR/Seroquel XR for schizophrenia bipolar disease; Nexium, and Losec/Prilosec for gastroenterology; and Vaxzevria and Evusheld for covid-19. The company serves primary care and specialty care physicians through distributors and local representative offices in the United Kingdom, rest of Europe, the Americas, Asia, Africa, and Australasia. It has a collaboration agreement with Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. to research, develop, and commercialize small molecule medicines for obesity; Neurimmune AG to develop and commercialize NI006; Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. to develop eplontersen, a liver-targeted antisense therapy in Phase III development for the treatment of transthyretin amyloidosis; Proteros Biostructures GmbH to jointly discover novel small molecules for the treatment of hematological cancers; Sierra Oncology, Inc. to develop and commercialize AZD5153. The company was formerly known as Zeneca Group PLC and changed its name to AstraZeneca PLC in April 1999. AstraZeneca PLC was incorporated in 1992 and is headquartered in Cambridge, the United Kingdom. Siemens Aktiengesellschaft, a technology company, focuses in the areas of automation and digitalization in Europe, Commonwealth of Independent States, Africa, the Middle East, the Americas, Asia, and Australia. It operates through Digital Industries, Smart Infrastructure, Mobility, Siemens Healthineers, and Siemens Financial Services segments. The Digital Industries segment offers automation systems and software for factories, numerical control systems, motors, drives and inverters, and integrated automation systems for machine tools and production machines; process control systems, machine-to-machine communication products, sensors and radio frequency identification systems; software for production and product lifecycle management, and simulation and testing of mechatronic systems; and cloud-based industrial Internet of Things operating systems. The Smart Infrastructure segment offers products, systems, solutions, services, and software to support sustainable transition in energy generation from fossil and renewable sources; sustainable buildings and communities; and buildings, electrification, and electrical products. The Mobility segment provides passenger and freight transportation, such as vehicles, trams and light rail, and commuter trains, as well as trains and passenger coaches; locomotives for freight or passenger transport and solutions for automated transportation; products and solutions for rail automation; electrification products; and intermodal solutions. The Siemens Healthineers segment develops, manufactures, and sells various diagnostic and therapeutic products and services; and provides clinical consulting services. The Siemens Financial Services segment offers debt and equity investments; leasing, lending, and working capital financing solutions; and equipment, project, and structured financing solutions. Siemens Aktiengesellschaft was founded in 1847 and is headquartered in Munich, Germany. FBI Director James Comey and Head of National Security Agency Michael Rogers will testify Monday on the conclusion reached by the intelligence community that Russia interfered win the presidential election of 2016, and they will face questions related to possible collusion between the Kremlin and associates of current President Donald Trump. The hearing will be before the Houses Intelligence Committee and comes amidst controversy that was ratcheted up by the president a few weeks ago when he released a tweet that provided no evidence that former President Barack Obama ordered the phones at Trump Tower to be tapped. Get Warning: Undefined variable $CompanyName in /home/acctdp/public_html/wp-content/themes/responsalambre/single.php on line 65 alerts: It is expected that Comey will publicly refute that Trump allegation according to the ranking member of the committee Rep. Adam Schiff a Democrat from California. Comey will testify following a number of former and current senior officials that have said there was no evidence of any wiretaps on President Trump or the Trump Tower. Comey has privately told some lawmakers last week there was no basis for the Trump claim. Only hours prior to the start of the Houses hearing, Trump posted a number of tweets that claimed Democrats made up allegations of Russian contact as a way to try to discredit the Republican Party during last years presidential campaign. Trump urged as well federal investigators to shift focus and probe the disclosures of material that is classified. He added that the real story the FBI, Congress and others should be focusing on is the leaking of information labeled Classified. On Sunday, the chairman of the committee Rep. Devin Nunes a Republican from California, who served on the transition team for Trump countered the assertions of the president. The FBI has conducted a counterintelligence investigation of wide ranging proportions into the covert role of Russia in last years election. The bureau, as part of that investigation, has explored the potential links between associates of Trump and Moscow, but Comey has not publicly acknowledged that at any time. He has upset lawmakers on both sides of the aisle and leaders of the Judiciary Committee in the Senate have threatened to hold up confirmation of a deputy attorney general until he gives the committee a brief on this matter. The probe by the FBI combines its investigation into the hacking operations by spy agencies from Russia with efforts of understanding how Moscow sought to be manipulative and to influence the outcome of the election. ITT Inc. manufactures and sells engineered critical components and customized technology solutions for the transportation, industrial, and energy markets worldwide. The company operates through three segments: Motion Technologies, Industrial Process, and Connect & Control Technologies. The Motion Technologies segment manufactures brake pads, shims, shock absorbers, and energy absorption components; and sealing technologies primarily for the transportation industry, including passenger cars, trucks, light- and heavy-duty commercial and military vehicles, buses, and trains. The Industrial Process segment designs and manufactures industrial pumps, valves, and plant optimization and remote monitoring systems and services; and centrifugal and twin screw positive displacement pumps, as well as aftermarket solutions, such as replacement parts and services. It serves various customers in industries, such as chemical, energy, mining, and other industrial process markets. The Connect & Control Technologies segment designs and manufactures a range of engineered connectors and specialized control components for critical applications supporting various markets, including aerospace and defense, industrial, transportation, medical, and energy. This segment's connector product portfolio includes electrical connectors, such as circular, rectangular, radio frequency, fiber optic, D-sub miniature, micro-miniature, and cable assemblies, as well as control products consist of actuators, valves, and pumps and switches for flow control applications; rate controls, seat recline locks, and elastomer isolators for aircraft interiors; elastomeric bearings for rotorcraft vibration isolation; heaters, hoses, and composite ducting for environmental control systems; and advanced composites for engine applications. ITT Inc. was incorporated in 1920 and is headquartered in White Plains, New York. Longtime CBS News correspondent and University of Virginia grad-turned-professor Wyatt Andrews took the floor at CitySpace on Sunday to speak about President Donald Trumps at-times precarious relationship with the truth and the fracturing of an industry Andrews has been a part of for decades. Novembers tumultuous election propagated a term that has become commonplace in the mouths of political pundits and the comment sections of even the most benign websites: fake news. While some simply dismiss unfavorable news articles as fake, fake news is actually a moniker for any falsehoods or misinformation created by a non-traditional publication that is designed to appear legitimate and deceive its reader. The circulation of fake news reached a fever pitch in the weeks leading up to the election, said Andrews at a Sunday Seminar hosted by the League of Women Voters of the Charlottesville Area. During that time, he continued, the number of social media engagements with fake news actually exceeded engagements with real news, thus creating a risky and potentially dangerous situation for the American electorate. Lets all agree as citizens that we need facts to decide problems and reforms, Andrew said. Operating on falsehoods leads to bad outcomes. While there has always been a debate over how those facts should be assembled and prioritized, he continued, the debate shouldnt be over the facts themselves. Andrews, who teaches in UVas Department of Media Studies, proceeded to take aim at the current administration, showing the crowd a news segment on the Congressional Budget Offices projections for the American Health Care Act. The nonpartisan agency predicted that in 10 years, the new health care bill would cause insurance premiums to rise and some 24 million Americans to lose their coverage, yet the White House responded to mainstream media coverage of the report simply by disagreeing with the offices assessment. That form of ambivalence is distressing, Andrews said, and emblematic of Trumps own disinterest in the truth. Trump has stated repeatedly that he is a victim of fake news, and yet he has exhibited a pattern of solely relying on conservative-leaning mainstream news organizations and dubious alt-right websites to get his own information. Hes the guy most inclined to use [fake news] to his benefit, if it suits him, Andrews said. It seems almost fitting, he continued, that most of the fake news that circulated ahead of the election was squarely designed to benefit Trump and to deride his opposition. Pro-Trump fake news vastly outnumbered fake articles favoring Hillary Clinton because, Andrews said, pro-Trump articles drew more clicks. In the end, the proliferation of this fake news was all about money; more clicks means more advertising revenue, Andrews said. The financial motivation makes sense, he continued. The majority of fake news sites are run by kids in basements looking to make easy money from Google or Yahoo; one investigation into the fake news phenomenon found that more than 150 fake news sites were being run from a small city in Macedonia, where a fake news creator can pull in $60,000 a year from advertising that appears on their site. The pernicious nature of fake news should reinvigorate Americans to take a harder look at where their information is coming from and how its being applied in Washington, Andrews said. While government officials can always be expected to spin, argue or exaggerate, operating on purposeful falsehoods is the first step toward tyranny. Andrews should know his work with CBS News had him working across the globe, including stints in tyrannical nations. While Andrews said that he, like many Americans, does not want to see the president fail, Trumps at-times cavalier attitude toward the truth should be met with extreme apprehension. As such, Americans need to remain vigilant, educated and informed by legitimate news sources if they intend to hold Trump accountable. Asked by a member of the crowd how to differentiate between real and fake news, Andrews responded that readers should always look to the source of the information. Information coming from a bylined reporter from an established publication brings with it a level of ethical, journalistic responsibility to be truthful. Read and reward the people who can be fired for getting it wrong, Andrews said. Start there. Money, money, money, money! Money! So sang the OJays, oh, umpteen years ago. And we say today: Some folks have lucked into some moneyor its equivalent. By now, youve probably heard about the pastor in Sierra Leone who discovered the largest uncut diamond found in more than four decades706 carats worth. But unlike the folks in the OJays lyrics (and a lot of other popular songs about money), the pastor intends good to come from his rich discovery. He has turned the diamond over to the government in hopes that it will be used to fuel development. Pastor Emmanuel Momoh told The Associated Press that he donated the diamond because he was inspired by the development now underway in Kono District, where the gem was found. However, the curse of greed already has damaged Sierra Leone. A decade-long civil war, which ended in 2002, was linked with the diamond trade: Rebels took over the countrys diamond-rich eastern and southern areas. President Ernest Bai Koroma promises that proceeds from sale of the diamond will be distributed fairly to the owner and the government. As the OJays sang: Money! . Why yall do bad things with it? You want to do good things with it! Still a pretty nice rock You might have heard about the diamond discovery in Sierra Leonebut how about the one in Arkansas? Fourteen-year-old Kalel Langford found a 7.44 carat diamond at Crater of Diamonds State Parkthe seventh-largest uncovered there since its establishment in 1972. Hes named it Supermans Diamond and plans to keep it, the AP reports. By the way, the largest diamond ever discovered in the United States, the 40.23 carat Uncle Sam, was found there in 1924. Money plays this tune Finally, we go to Englandnot for diamonds, but for gold. A bag full of antique gold sovereigns was found inside a piano when the owners took the instrument in for tuning in Shropshire. (No wonder the piano needed a tune-up!) Officials havent specified exactly how much the coins are worth, except to say its a potentially life-changing amount. Theres an effort afoot to find the original owners or their heirs. But if no credible claims are made, the current owners of the piano get to keep the loot. All the things I could do If I had a little money. Thats ABBA, folks. COLUMBUS Gov. Pete Ricketts on Monday morning lauded an alliance between Columbus Public Schools, business and industry forged over the past five years for unlocking the golden door of education to the communitys next generation of students. This partnership will show the transformative power of education (in shaping young lives), the governor said while standing at a podium in the new Columbus High entryway before an overflow crowd during a ribbon-cutting ceremony. Monday was the first day of school at the new CHS, located south of Lost Creek Parkway along 33rd Avenue. The ceremony, culminated by Principal Steve Woodside using a plasma cutter to slice through a metal design created by manufacturing teacher Tracy Dodson, drew a throng of adult visitors and students. This community has really come together to build a better future, said Ricketts, noting the contributions of business and industry while citing Becton Dickinson, Archer Daniels Midland, Behlen Mfg. Co., Cargill and Duo Lift Manufacturing for helping drive the communitys economic landscape. Companies like these, Ricketts said, provide tremendous career opportunities for the students of tomorrow. Thank you very much, the governor said to the crowd of onlookers, for all that you have done to make this possible. Columbus Mayor Jim Bulkley told the crowd CPS officials, including Superintendent Troy Loeffelholz, past and present school board members, administrators, staff and bond committee members, went about building a coalition of support for the new $52 million school the right way. They reached out to the public, listened to what they heard and later created school building plans that could be tweaked, plans the public could buy into, Bulkley said. The mayor said its been amazing over the last 2 1/2 years driving by and watching the school site go from a cornfield to a 270,000-square-foot high school. This school is a new jewel in the community of Columbus, one that will shine for years to come, Bulkley said. Great job. Loeffelholz served as the master of ceremonies for Mondays event, which also included remarks from CPS Board President Theresa Seipel, Bond Chairman Toby Goc, students Luke Bogus and Alyssa Hartman, CPS Foundation Executive Director Kim Kwapnioski, Columbus Area Chamber of Commerce President K.C. Belitz and Woodside. Following the ceremony, the public was allowed to tour the building. Evening tours were held from 6:30-8:30 p.m. CHS junior Maddie Luebe and sophomore Anna Maurer got an early peek at the new high school when walking down spacious corridors. The teens, members of CHS 101, were giving directions to visitors, answering questions and handing out brochures about the new school. Itll be very different, like youre a freshman all over again, said Luebe, looking back on the transition from middle to high school. Its going to seem like a new start, getting used to a new building, said Maurer, smiling while adding that a new class schedule is also set to get underway in the fall. The increased size of the new CHS means longer walks between classes, but also allows spaces featuring tables and seating designed for comfort for students looking to find a quiet place to catch up on studies. The furniture has more of a college feel, which is what school officials were looking to create. Im a little worried about making it to class on time, Luebe joked. Well get our exercise." COLUMBUS Anthony Sprunk was the top banana literally. The Scotus Central Catholic student was crowned Mr. Shamrock during the annual fundraiser held Sunday at the school. Sprunk happened to be wearing a banana suit when he received his crown after besting eight other senior boys. The getup was his attire selection for the catch your dream girl portion of the good-natured competition. The schools student council put on the event for the 12th time. Admission of $2 or two cans of food was donated to Simon House. Contestants volunteered to be part of the show that also consisted of question-and-answer and talent portions. Three of the participants Nathan Ostdiek, Luke Jarecke and Mitchell Halligan are also members of the student council. The trio said the event is for a good cause and an entertaining way to close out their senior year. I thought it would be a way to have some fun my last year and give a good example to the younger kids to be involved at your school, Jarecke said. The contestants performed an opening and closing dance together, a couple of routines they practiced beforehand for a few hours. They also went through a dress rehearsal to prepare for their big night. Halligan said they spent the last month mulling over what they wanted to do on stage for their talent. He stacked cups, while Jarecke parodied songs and Ostdiek showed off his musical skills by playing the trumpet and keyboard at the same time. The competition was judged, but it wasnt cutthroat. The basis is to get some laughs and have some fun. We really dont care who wins, just as long as everyone has a good time, Jarecke said. I have to say that the audience is going to win, though, Halligan added. Mr. Shamrock is one of several events the student council sponsors. This year the group also put on a first-ever dodgeball tournament for the students and staff. That event benefited the schools Shepherd mentoring program. They also organize homecoming and hold a fundraiser for Sammys Superheroes. Other Mr. Shamrock contestants were Trevor Halligan, Matt Hoenk, Keaton Kudron, Will Sonderman and Cameron Swanson. The judging panel consisted of teachers Becki Zanardi, Pat Brockhaus and Fr. Matt Capadano, students Emily Hand and Emma Strecker and Columbus Area Chamber of Commerce staff member Sandie Fischer. Mumbai: There will be no major job cuts at Idea Cellular after Vodafone India merges its mobile businesses with India's third largest telecom operator, says Aditya Birla Group chairman Kumar Mangalam Birla. According to a joint filing with the stock exchanges, Aditya Birla Group chairman Kumar Mangalam Birla will be chairman of the merged company and Vodafone will appoint its chief financial officer. With this both the telecom giants have indicated that they will continue to operate separately as both have strong presence in their respective circles. Idea has its vast networks in most of the rural parts of the country. Whereas, Vodafone boats off its wider customer base spread mostly across urban India. Presently, Idea has some 180 million customers that is less than Vodafone's 200 million customers across the circles they operate in in the country. "Vodafone and Idea brands to operate separately post the merger as both are very strong," said Vodafone Group CEO Vittorio Colao. According to The Press Trust of India, the combined entity had net debt of Rs 1.07 trillion as of December 2016. The merger makes possible synergies of USD 10 billion, Colao added. Further more, Vodafone and Idea will have equal stakes in the merged entity over a period of time, both the companies said in a joint statement. Idea and Vodafone have confirmed they are merging. Mumbai: British mobile phone giant Vodafone will merge its Indian unit with Idea Cellular to create India's largest telecoms operator, the firms said Monday, as they combine to fight a price war sparked by the country's richest man. The confirmation ended months of speculation that the two operators were ready to sign a deal to help fend off the Mukesh Ambani-backed Reliance Jio, whose recent arrival has shaken up India's ultra-competitive mobile network market. "Vodafone Group Plc and Idea Cellular today announced that they have reached an agreement to combine their operations in India," they said in a statement to the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE). "The combined company would become the leading communications provider in India with almost 400 million customers, 35 percent customer market share and 41 percent revenue market share," the statement added. Jio launched in September with an audacious free service for the rest of 2016, followed by vastly cheaper data plans and free voice calls for life, forcing rivals to dramatically slash their tariffs. It also left competitors scrambling to match the deep pockets of Jio, which is backed by India's hugely wealthy energy-to-chemicals conglomerate Reliance Industries, and caused a rush towards consolidation in the multi-billion-dollar sector. The combined Vodafone-Idea company will overtake Bharti Airtel as India's largest network provider. Shares in Idea initially soared following the announcement but then tanked to close down more than nine percent, with reports saying investors were worried the deal undervalued Idea. Vodafone will hold 45.1 percent of the merged entity after it transfers a 4.9 percent stake to Idea backers for 39 billion rupees ($579 million) in cash. Idea will hold 26 percent in the combined company and the merger will take up to two years to complete. The agreement excludes Vodafone's 42 percent stake in Indus Towers. The merged firm will be worth $23.2 billion, based on the combined enterprise value of $12.4 billion for Vodafone India and $10.8 billion for Idea Cellular, according to Bloomberg News. The companies will nominate three directors each, the statement said. Global brokerage firm CLSA has estimated that the tie-up would command a revenue market share of 43 percent by the start of the 2019-20 financial year, ahead of Airtel on 33 percent. Jio would have 13 percent. Indian telecoms analyst Baburajan Kizhakedath said the two companies would make savings by merging but would come under pressure to reduce tariffs. "The merged entity will not be able to withstand pressure from Jio because both Vodafone and Idea Cellular are not seen as aggressive as Jio and Bharti Airtel," he told AFP. The announcement is the latest move towards consolidation as telecom companies in India scramble to shore up their status or cut their losses and run in the face of Jio's price war. Norwegian multinational Telenor announced last month that it was selling up to Airtel, saying the amount of money needed to be competitive in the multi-billion-dollar sector would not offer an acceptable level of return. The withdrawal came after Videocon Telecom told subscribers in January that it planned to cease operations and pull out of the market. Aircel and Mobile TeleSystems (MTS) have sold up since the beginning of 2016. Reliance Communications (Rel Comm) -- owned by Ambani's younger brother Anil Ambani -- purchased Russian conglomerate Sistema's Indian telecoms business, branded MTS, last year and is in talks with Tata Teleservices to join forces. There were a dozen telecoms companies battling for Indian customers in 2010 but industry watchers say they expect that soon there will be only four ventures. According to the terms of the agreement, both the groups will have equal voting rights in the merged entity to be headed by Kumar Mangalam Birla, chairman of the Aditya Birla group. Mumbai: The board of Ideal Cellular, the telecommunication arm of the Aditya Birla group, and Vodafone India Ltd on Monday approved the proposal to merge the two entities to create a $23.2 billion telecom giant with a 35 per cent customer market share and 41 per cent revenue market share. According to the terms of the agreement, both the groups will have equal voting rights in the merged entity to be headed by Kumar Mangalam Birla, chairman of the Aditya Birla group. To start with Vodafone will be the dominant shareholder in the merged entity with a 45.1 per cent shareholding after transferring a stake of 4.9 per cent to the promoters of Idea Cellular for `3,874 crore to be paid in cash. The Aditya Birla Group, promoters of Idea Cellular will then own 26 per cent stake in the company with a right to acquire up to a 9.5 per cent additional stake from Vodafone under an agreed mechanism with a view to equalising the shareholding over time. If Vodafone and Aditya Birla Groups shareholding in the merged entity are not equal after four years from the completion of the amalgamation, the agreement requires the British telecom major to sell its holdings to achieve equalisation of voting rights with the promoter of Idea over the following 5-year period. Until equalisation is achieved, the additional shares held by Vodafone will be restricted and votes will be exercised jointly under the terms of the shareholders agreement. The agreement also stipulates that the promoters of Idea will have the sole right to appoint the chairman while Vodafone will have the right to appoint the CFO of the firm. The merger was necessitated following the aggressive launch of Jio that triggered price war. Mumbai: The Union Cabinet headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday cleared four key legislations related to the Goods and Services Tax. With this, the government has inched closer to implement the pan-India taxation regime from July 1, its revised deadline. Earlier, the government wanted to put into force the 'One Nation One Tax' system from April 1 that was revised due to several differences between the Centre and the states over sharing of power and revenues. A government official said that the government now planned to introduce the key legislations approved by the Cabinet in Parliament during this week only. Source: Finance Ministry. The model GST laws that were cleared today by the Cabinet include Integrated GST, Central GST, State or UT GST and one law related to compensations to the states. All these supporting legislations will be tabled in Parliament as Money Bill which does not require approval from the upper house of Parliament. At present, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party does not have a 'majority' and enough number of parliamentarians in the Rajya Sabha. However, the BJP expects to increase its tally in Rajya Sabha after registering a massive victory in Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh assembly elections. In UP alone, the party now has 312 MLAs in the 403-member assembly. New Delhi: As many as five sectors including defence, ports and coal have failed to attract any foreign direct investments during the April-December period of the current fiscal, Parliament was informed today. The other two segments which were not able to attract the foreign inflows are - photographic raw film & paper and coir, according to the data shared by Commerce and Industry Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in a written reply to the Lok Sabha. Barring defence industries, the other four sectors had not received any FDI in 2015-16 either. Last year, the government relaxed FDI norms in several sectors including defence. India imports 70 per cent of its military hardware from different countries. As per the current policy, foreign investment beyond 49 per cent has been permitted in the defence sector through the approval route in cases resulting in access to modern technology in the country or for other reasons. However, the sectors which have attracted maximum FDI in the April-December period of this fiscal include services (USD 7.5 billion), trading (USD 2 billion), metallurgical industries (USD 1.25 billion), electrical equipment (USD 2 billion), telecommunications (USD 5.54 billion) and computer hardware & software (USD 1.81 billion). During the 9-month period of 2016-17, India attracted a total of USD 35.84 billion in foreign inflows. As many as three crore more gas connections will be given to the poor in the next two years. New Delhi: Around two crore poor families have been provided with new LPG connections, taking to 19 crore the total number of families having gas connections in the country, the government told the Rajya Sabha today. As many as three crore more gas connections will be given to the poor in the next two years as the attempt of the government is to bring to an end the use of traditional means of cooking still used by poor people, said Power Minister Piyush Goyal, who also holds the charge of New and Renewable Energy Ministry. He said the government had promised to provide 5 crore new LPG connections at subsidised rates and of these, two crore have already been given. "There are 19 crore households who have LPG connections in the country. As per 2011 census, there are around 24.66 crore households in the country and 65.9 per cent of such households have LPG connections....We are making efforts to provide LPG connections to the poor sections and hope that people using traditional means of cooking to come to an end in the next 4-5 years," he said. Replying to supplementaries, the Minister said despite industrialisation and a number of steps being taken, why does Maharashtra have 42 per cent of people still depending on firewood or why do four-and-a-half per cent of the people have to depend on crop residue. "It certainly is an area of concern which is sought to be addressed through wider dispersal of LPG cylinders in the State of Maharashtra," he said. He added that Mumbai is also looking at expanding the use of piped gas supply to households. Significantly, in January, air passenger traffic had surged 25.13 per cent to 95.79 lakh. New Delhi:Domestic air passenger traffic surged nearly 16 per cent to 86.55 lakh in February in the same period a year ago, according to the DGCA data. Indian carriers together flew a total of 86.55 lakh passengers in February 2017 as compared to 74.76 lakh fliers in the same month of 2016, registering a growth of 15.77 per cent, it said. Significantly, in January, air passenger traffic had surged 25.13 per cent to 95.79 lakh. According to the data, budget carrier IndiGo ferried the highest number of passengers in February at 34.19 lakh, rival SpiceJet continued to see the highest seat factor across its flights. The load factor of SpiceJet in February stood at 93.7 per cent in the reporting month, according to the DGCA data. Besides, SpiceJet also delivered the highest on-time performance (OTP) from four metro airports at 81.1 per cent in February 2017, as per the data. The DGAD has found "sufficient evidence of dumping" of the chemical from these two countries.(Photo credit: Global Chemical Price) New Delhi: India has initiated a probe against cheap imports of a chemical, used in paint and pharma industry, from China and Turkey as it has found sufficient evidence of dumping. Imposition of the duty would help in guarding the domestic players from cheap imports. Rashtriya Chemicals and Fertilisers and Balaji Amines have jointly filed the application before the Directorate General of Anti-Dumping and Allied Duties (DGAD) for initiation of the investigation and imposition of the duty on imports of 'Dimethylacetamide'. The DGAD has found "sufficient evidence of dumping" of the chemical from these two countries. "The authority initiates anti-dumping investigations into the existence, degree and effect of alleged dumping," DGAD said in a notification. The period of investigation is April 2015 to September 2016 (18 months). Countries initiate anti-dumping probes to determine if the domestic industry has been hurt by a surge in below-cost imports. As a counter-measure, they impose duties under the multi-lateral WTO regime. Anti-dumping measures are taken to ensure fair trade and provide a level-playing field to the domestic industry. They are not a measure to restrict imports or cause an unjustified increase in cost of products. Unlike the safeguard duty, which is levied in a uniform way, anti-dumping duty varies from company to company and country to country. India has so far initiated 203 anti-dumping and two countervailing (anti-subsidy) investigations involving China since January 1994. New Delhi: Cellular body Coai on Monday blamed poor financial health of the telecom sector hit by hyper-competition for consolidation in the market. Earlier, there were 13 operators, as opposed to the present number of four to five operators. Due to the poor financial health of the sector, we are witnessing mergers, acquisition and combinations of firms. While companies like Videocon and Etisalat have already left the industry because of this hyper competitive pressure,Coai director general Rajan S Mathews said. Coai said that there is currently a tariff war in the market (after the entry of Jio) which may not be sustainable for long. This has also severely impacted the revenue stream of operators, not just in terms of an increase in cost but also in terms of a marked decline in the revenue stream. All these have put the financial condition of this industry at risk and increased the debt to `4.3 lakh crore, also leading to a severe decline in government revenues from the industry, said the body. Coai said that since 2008, increased hyper-competition has been impacting revenue streams across all operators. There has been a continuous increase in expenditure due to high costs of spectrum acquisition and a severe financial burden on the industry caused by extremely high and multiple levies and taxes. Operators have also had to re-acquire spectrum in order to continue operations, it said. However, Coai said that this trend of mergers and consolidation, will remain a positive development, benefiting customers, operators and government in the long run on global lines. The need of the hour however is, a predictable, stable, long term, regulatory and policy environment, to ensure the financial health of telecom service providers and a conducive environment for continued investments for a fully connected and digitally empowered India, it added. New Delhi: Akshay Kumar reveals his excitement over producing 'Naam Shabana', a film which showcases the making of a spy. He wanted to make such a movie for its exciting content. On that note, 'Naam Shabana' is a first of its kind in Indian Cinema, with a woman spy. He said, "I am very excited to produce a film about making of a spy. It's never been shown before in a film. In all films we are already spies who are on various missions." 'Naam Shabana' showcases Shabana's journey, portrayed by Taapsee Pannu, of becoming an undercover agent and highlights her intense martial arts training sessions and action stunts. The Khiladi actor also trained Taapsee for the film, which is India's first spin-off, based on her character in ' Baby.' Neeraj Pandey's ' Naam Shabana,' directed by Shivam Nair, is all set to release on March 31. New Delhi: Looks like a recent article on Nawazuddin Siddiqui, by a well known magazine, did not go well with the actor. The 'Manjhi' actor sent out a legal notice to the magazine for a post that showed him with an unidentified woman, implying he is dating her. He sued the Filmfare magazine over a defamatory article, saying that he believes the post suggests all is not well between him and wife Anjali and asked the latter to respond within seven days. The article related to his disputed relationship with wife was published in the magazine on March 8. The film starring Shah Rukh Khan and directed by Imtiaz Ali is set to release around Independence Day this year. Mumbai: Shah Rukh Khan and Imtiaz Ali are collaborating for the first time with a film, also starring Anushka Sharma. While a schedule of the film has wrapped up in various cities of Europe, some portions of the film are reportedly left to be shot in India. The duo also met up for a discussion recently, perhaps a script-reading session for the film. What followed post the interaction is what is amazing. Shah Rukh secretly clicked a picture of Imtiaz while he was departing on a bicycle and later while posting the picture on Twitter, he wrote, Aaj Kal main sirf Highway par Tamasha karta hoon. The superstars smart use of the names of three of Imtiazs films, Love Aaj Kal, Highway and Tamasha to narrate a sentence is just too brilliant. There is some confusion if the SRK-Imtiaz film is titled The Ring or Rehnuma or something else and once the name is finalised we could expect Shah Rukh to come up with something even better. New Delhi: Praising women for their sixth sense, Akshay Kumar says they are the best spies in the world and all husbands would agree with him. The 49-year-old actor, who will be seen in a cameo in the upcoming spy action film, 'Naam Shabana' with Taapsee Pannu in the lead, says women are blessed with this extra capability. "According to international agencies like the CIA or Mossad, women are the best spies in the world. You can even ask any husband and no, this is not a joke, it is a fact. "We men are very good with gadgets. But women have an inbuilt antenna in them. Taapsee has it too. I don't know how they do it, but they find out things in a snap. It is the best kept secret," Akshay told reporters here. The actor quips that this movie also sends a message to husbands to "not pick up fights with them as they get to know everything". Akshay will reprise his role as Ajay Singh Rajput in the Shivam Nair film, which is the spin-off of the 2015 film 'Baby'. The actor says Shabana was picked up for the spin-off because out of all the 'Baby' characters, her background story was the most interesting. The actor says this is a one-of-a-kind film because for the first time the audiences will get to know the making of a spy. "Till today whatever spy films have been made in India, the making of a a spy has not been shown. We always show them as if they were born-spies. 'Naam Shabana' is all about that," says Akshay, who is also a co-producer of the movie. The film penned by Neeraj Pandey also stars Manoj Bajpayee and Prithiviraj Sukumaran with Anupam Kher and Danny Denzongpa. Sanjay Leela Bhansalis movie Padmavati which has been under attacks from vandals first in Rajasthan and then in Maharashtra, has received much support from his three dedicated actors and producers, Viacom 18 Motion Pictures. Sources close to the development reveal that Deepika Padukone, Ranveer Singh and Shahid Kapoor, who play the principal parts in Padmavati, have promised to stay committed to the project until it is fully complete. Shahid Kapoor They have all put their other movie commitments on hold indefinitely. Theyve also made it very clear that they wont start another film until Padmavati is complete, says the source. With the Maharashtra government assuring the unit round-the-clock security, the unit of Padmavati is all set to return to shoot, this time hopefully without obstacles. One after another, tragedies seem to be taking a toll on Kamal Haasan. In January, he had lost his sister-in-law his eldest brother Chandrahaasans wife. Before that, he had a fatal fall resulting in multiple fractures keeping him confined to bed for six months. Meanwhile, his partner Gautami had called it quits and left him. Now, his father figure and brother Chandrahaasan has passed away, adding to his grief. Fate, if thats what you call it, is certainly giving me a lot of attention, says Kamal mirthlessly, hours after his brothers demise. He was on the way back from the US, where he had been after the death of his wife. For a change of environment, he has been with his son for a few months. He was on his way back and had stopped over at London to be with his daughter for a short break from the long journey when he suffered a heart attack, he says. The family is now awaiting the coroners report Haasans are not much into rituals it would be a quiet family funeral service. We request all friends and well-wishers to respect the familys privacy. Recalling the times with his brother, Kamal says, He was 20 years elder to me and played a very important role in running my production house. When Vishwaroopam caught up in a controversy, he held peace talks with the protesters. I will miss him. Mumbai: Kamal Haasans elder brother Chandra Haasan passed away in London late Saturday following a cardiac arrest. The news started spreading in the morning and Haasan took to Twitter to pay tribute to him in an emotional post, saying that Chandra Haasan was like his father and credited him for the success he achieved in his life. He (Chandrahasan) was a friend. A good teacher. He was not just my brother but he was also like my father. Because of him, I managed to succeed in my life. I did not even fulfill half of the dreams he saw for me, his post in Tamil roughly read as. Chandra Haasan was 82 years old and was living with his daughter Anu Haasan. He, along with Kamal and their elder brother Charu Haasan, who was an actor, were together handling the production house The Raj Kamal Films International. They also have a sister Nalini. Voicing their displeasure against dubbing in Kannada films, several pro-Kannada activists including actors, film makers and others staged a protest rally in Bengaluru some time ago. Many artists including actor-turned-politician Jaggesh, Bullet Prakash, Sadhu Kokila and Challenging Star Darshan and others took part in the rally. Bengaluru Chronicle reports on the recent development over the dubbing issue. Allowing the release of dubbed movies is akin to calling someone else the father. When people can directly watch other language movies, then what is the necessity of dubbing? Darshan said after the rally. For various reasons and mostly because of the unanimous voice spearheaded by Kannada thespian late Dr Rajkumar, this dubbing controversy has managed to lie dormant for a long time. In fact, there were no such threats for over 50 years, and now with the change in times and difference of opinion, there have been repeated attempts to refuel the controversy. A few months ago, a section of the industry made an effort to get a dubbed film Nanu Nanna Preethi released. They were prepared to face strong opposition by approaching the High Court, seeking directions for protection. Lately, the emergence of Karnataka Dubbed Film Chamber of Commerce (KDFFC) has been acting as an accelerator to push for dubbing in the state. However, the issue died down. Now, it has risen again with the release of yet another dubbed film. This time, the movie Satyadev IPS, which is dubbed into Kannada from Tamil Yennai Arindhaal, starring Ajith Kumar, that revived the fight and it finally released at a handful of theatres. Soon, senior Kannada activists warned of severe consequences. Actor and politician Jaggesh, said that he will set fire to theatres releasing dubbed films and would be prepared to go to jail. A protest march held in the city recently. Actor Shivarajkumar also reiterated his stance saying that the Kannada film industry has always opposed dubbing movies to Kannada, and would protest against any such attempt. The audience should decide and if needed, let there be a vote on this, he said Kannada activist Vatal Nagaraj has called for a bandh, and to hold a huge rally on May 9 to protest against dubbing. However, Krishnegowda, the producer of the dubbed version of the Tamil film has said that dubbing is not unconstitutional. Meanwhile, actor, director, and producer Prakash Raj shares a different opinion. In his statement, he said, My concern is not about whether or not to allow dubbed films. The main question which bothers me is whether the audience is willing to watch dubbed films. By straightaway opposing dubbing, it reflects a colonial mindset. We are certainly not living in such an era, and one must respect the rights of another, and we as actors also need to adhere to such practices of respecting others rights. By taking a one-sided decision on who deserves what, is not the right way forward. He further went on to explain various aspects, saying that he is neither for or against dubbing but his concern relates to the audience, who should be allowed to decide such issues rather than someone else deciding it for them. He also added that famous literary works from other languages, have been translated into Kannada and that has enriched the minds of Kannadigas, and it has never caused any problem to the abundant literary works in Kannada. While a section is gearing up to protest, some feel that the poor show of the dubbed film Satyadev IPS is itself evidence that the audience is capable of taking the matter into their hands and choosing what is right (entertaining) and what is wrong (not entertaining) for them. Melbourne: Scientists have discovered a key molecule that helps immune cells to find and kill microbes that infect the human liver, an advance that could bring malaria vaccine a step closer. Malaria is a disease spread by mosquitoes that kills around 500,000 people every year, mainly in tropical countries in sub-Saharan Africa and the South Pacific, researchers said. The findings help answer a mystery about the work of T-cells, which are a type of immune cell that look for infection throughout the body, said lead researcher Hayley McNamara, a PhD scholar at The Australian National University (ANU). "We know T-cells can protect against most infections, what we still do not fully understand is how these T-cells find the rare cells infected with viruses or parasites like malaria - a needle in a haystack problem if you like," McNamara said. "In our research we have been able to see that some of the T-cells are specialists, able to patrol the liver hunting down infections like malaria parasites. "We have found that without a key molecule called LFA-1, that cells do not work - they can not move quickly and can not kill malaria parasites effectively," said McNamara. ANU Associate Professor Ian Cockburn said that because the T-cells were so effective at finding malaria parasites they could be a component of future vaccines. "What we want to do is understand how to make a vaccine that induces these types of immune cells. There are vaccines in clinical trials that work by inducing antibodies, adding a T-cell component would create stronger immunity by arming different parts of the immune system," Cockburn said. ANU researchers are currently working with collaborators in Australia and internationally to find a vaccine approach to make this type of T-cell. The research was published in the journal Science Immunology. London: Skin creams containing paraffin have been linked to at least 37 fire deaths across England since 2010, the BBC has reported. Regulators in the UK said the products - used to treat skin conditions such as eczema and psoriasis - can leave people at risk of setting themselves ablaze. The BBC gave out an example of a man who died in 2006 after accidentally setting himself on fire when sparks from his cigarette made contact with emollient cream on his skin. Philip Hoe, who was suffering from psoriasis, was engulfed in flames within seconds. When we got there, the staff came to me and told us he was covered with 90% burns, Hoes wife Carol was quoted as saying in the report. According to the BBC, experts have been warning people about the risks for the past 10 years and a related investigation recently found that at least 37 deaths were linked to skin creams catching fire. Medical watchdogs in the UK had said skin creams containing paraffin were dangerous if used in large quantities. Studies found that those who used the creams regularly without many change of clothes allowed the products to seep into fabric, which made them flammable. The report included another death from 2015. Briton John Hills, 84, died after he set himself on fire with his pipe. Experts believe he caught fire after a paraffin-based cream, called Cetraben, was absorbed by his clothes. If you are going to be in South Delhi, you no longer need to hunt for a public washroom to relieve yourself. The South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) has issued directions to all hotels, restaurants and eateries in its jurisdiction to make their washrooms accessible to the public at a price of Rs 5 from April 1. We get celebrities to give their take on a current issue each week and lend their perspective to a much-discussed topic. This week we talk about: Pay and pee rule If you are going to be in South Delhi, you no longer need to hunt for a public washroom to relieve yourself. The South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) has issued directions to all hotels, restaurants and eateries in its jurisdiction to make their washrooms accessible to the public at a price of Rs 5 from April 1. We talk to restaurateurs about what they think about the move, and if the asking price (Rs 5) is the right amount or should there be a price at all: Zorawar Kalra, Founder & Managing Director, Massive Restaurants Pvt. Ltd: we wouldnt charge folks to use our restroom First, we are going to follow whatever the law dictates. Secondly, I wouldnt charge folks to use our restroom. Charging Rs 5 to use the facilities sounds strange to me. Even when people dont eat or drink at our restaurants, we let them use the restrooms, and will continue to do so free of cost. Although, I want municipal corporations and governments to invest more in improving the infrastructure in cities. It feels like there is an urgent need to deal with the lack of infrastructure there ought to be ways to manage the situation better. Satish Menon, Ledhi Art Cafe, Kochi: Patrons wouldnt like the constant flow of public Even before this thought occurred to the authorities, I am sure most restaurateurs, including myself, have had the public walking in to make use of their washrooms. My cafe is situated near a stadium and when matches are scheduled, we have ladies and families requesting us to use our washrooms, and we gladly oblige. Imposing a fee of Rs 5 will turn our washrooms into a public toilet. Also, when money is charged, it becomes a service rather than a social gesture. It is not a good business model either I dont think the patrons of the cafe would like the constant flow of public walking in and out of washrooms when they are eating. Samarth Kholkar, C.E.O, Cafe Mojo Pub & Bistro: The move will burden the service staff The move is progressive in terms of public health and hygiene, but it will also burden the service staff. Also, it would be difficult to filter the right crowd, if made mandatory as it directly affects the right to admission. Besides, being a pub, we have to be extra precautious to not allow the wrong crowd in and this will take away that filtering mechanism to a certain extent. I think, the service fee of Rs 5 may well be fine but the whole process of checking, collecting the amount and ensuring the person leaves the premises will mean extra monitoring. Joy Singh, Co-Founder, Raasta: The right to admission policy of a restaurant is nullified I think the move is progressive in many ways; it also goes hand in hand with the Governments Swachh Bharat Abhiyan to ensure public cleanliness and health. However, when there are so many people entering your restaurant, how will one know if they are customers or just someone who wants to use the washroom? Also, as a result of this, the right to admission policy of a restaurant is nullified. While I have my concerns on how this move will be implemented by the government, I am all in support of it. Dinesh Arora, Owner, Tourist, Janpath: We dont want our guests to go through a queue to use our washrooms. Its unfair for the industry as staffing is done as per the requirement of a restaurant. It will also lead to operational issues since we will need more staff for just escorting people in and out of washrooms. People dine out to enjoy and relax. The government wont take the responsibility for anyone who just wants to use the washroom or pick-pockets at our restaurant. Our guests safety is our most important concern over here, allowing anyone into the premises would create hassle for other guests. Moreover, we dont want our guests to go through a queue to use washrooms. KOLLAM: The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the death of a 10-year-old girl at Kundara has arrested the girls grandfather Victor Daniel, 62, for sexually assaulting her. Kundara police also registered his arrest for the rape of another minor girl in the area, which was revealed during his interrogation. The arrest was based on the statement given by the girls grandmother that the girl and her mother had earlier complained that her own grandfather had sexually assaulted the girl. Victor, working as manager of a lodge in Kollam, is allegedly involved in cases of unnatural sex at the lodge. He was earlier the assistant of a prominent criminal lawyer in Kollam. The police has questioned about 20 people including close relatives of the girl in the past four days. Earlier, the mother and elder sister of the girl refused to cooperate with the questioning. Police sought the help of psychological counsellors to approach relatives of the girl to disclose the mystery behind the death. The relatives who were insisting that they are unaware of any issues relating to the girl, changed their mind after the counsellors intervened. The police will also make the mother and grandfather of the girl to undergo a lie-detector test on Monday. The investigation team has submitted a plea in the court which has in turn sent summons to the duo to be present before the court. The 10-year-old girl was found hanging from the window of her house in Nanthirikkal in Kundara on January 15. The autopsy report The autopsy report dated January 16, a day after the body was found, certified by Dr K. Valsala, assistant professor in the department of forensic medicine, Thiruvananthapuram MCH, points to physical torture faced by the girl. Over 20 ante-mortem injuries were found on her body pointing to the physical assault the girl had to undergo before her death. The girl had over seven abrasions on her private parts during the time of death. She also had multiple abrasions over her thighs, areas of pubic bone, abdomen, legs and knees. The body also sustained hypopigmented skin lesions on left knee, front of middle of right leg, outer and front aspects of the leg at its lower third, elbows, and forearm. The detailed report on abrasions on private parts points to the fact that the girl had undergone sexual assault. The doctor who conducted the autopsy stated that the girl underwent unnatural sexual assault three days before her death. The 10-year-old girl was found hanging from the window of her house and was in a sitting posture with her legs laid flat on the floor. A red synthetic shawl with interlocked ends was found tied around the neck by a slip knot. This posture of the body, which is normally not seen in case of suicides, confirmed suspicion that the girl was murdered and did not hang herself. A report from the forensic lab in Thiruvananthapuram has confirmed that a suicide note recovered from near her body was written by the girl herself before her death. The suicide note stated that she committed suicide as she lacked peace at her home. She had also mentioned that nobody was responsible for her death. The police which failed to act on the issue for the last two months, confessed that they did not realise the gravity of the incident and missed out on inquiring into the mystery behind her death. The police had earlier filed a case for unnatural death as part of a routine procedure. A special investigation team was constituted for inquiry under Kollam rural SP S. Surendran to reinstate the investigations. Kundara circle inspector R. Shabu and SI Rajeesh Kumar were suspended for dereliction of duty by an order issued by South Zone IG Manoj Abraham. The failure in discussing the case at the monthly crime conference held in the presence of DGP was observed as a major setback by the police. The girls father had been complaining to police officers to investigate the death of his daughter for the last two months. He had with him the copy of the autopsy report which was allegedly neglected by the police. The Human Rights Commission took a suo motu case on the incident and sought reports from the South Zone IG for the negligence by the police in taking appropriate action. The commission has also asked the DMO and the child welfare council to submit a report within three months. The inquiry into the death took a new turn with the police questioning her close relatives. The police had taken some nine persons including the mother and grandfather of the child along with their neighbours into custody for questioning at the East Kallada police station. The mother of the girl, had apparently remained silent on the issue without cooperating with the police that had already got clear indications of the culprit. The police waited to substantiate its doubt with the backing of a strong statement by the relatives of the child. This materialised when her grandmother gave a statement that the child and her mother had informed her about the immoral approach of the girls grandfather. A few years back, the girls mother had filed a complaint with the police that her husband had sexually molested her daughter. The police has now decided to submit a plea before the court to stop the trial of the girls father in the case. The police is now suspecting the authenticity of the case which was apparently filed by the woman to substantiate her argument of separating from her husband. The couple were living separately for the last several months. The girl had not revealed the assault on her to her schoolmates or her teachers which could have helped in preventing her death with the intervention of child welfare workers. The grandmother has also stated that the grandfather was scolded for his immoral approach towards his granddaughter, but in vein. The police is also investigating into chances of legal advice the culprit received as he was an assistant to a lawyer for several years. Kozhikode: In a suspected case of racist attack, a priest from Thamarassery diocese in Kozhikode was stabbed by a white man at the altar at Fawkner North in Melbourne, Australia. The priest was about to offer the Sunday Mass when the incident took place. The man asked Fr Tomy Kalathoor if he was an Indian Hindu priest before attacking him. Fr Abraham Kavilpura-yidathil, Public Relations Officer of Thamarassery diocese, said Fr Tomy, a native of Karimbu near Anakkampoyil, Kozhikode, was serving as vicar of St Mathews Parish in Melbourne for the last four years. The assailant, who approached the vicar just before the Holy Mass, said that he wanted to speak something in private with him. The vicar refused to oblige and told him that he could speak to him after the Mass. The assailant then suddenly took out a knife hidden in this cloth and stabbed the priest on the neck. The impact of the attack was reduced due to the thick clothes worn by the priest to protect himself from the cold, apart from the cassock and additional dress for the Holy Mass. The assailant escaped soon after the incident, Fr Kavilpurayidathil said. Meanwhile, Thamarassery diocese Bishop Remigius Inchananiyil spoke to Fr Tomy over phone. The priest was discharged from hospital after being administered first aid. The attacker had approached the vicar last Sunday and enquired if he was an Indian. Fr Tomy was ordained in 1994. He had served the diocese as vicar in various parishes of Adakkakkundu, Kallurutti, Chundathumpoyyil and Vettilappara, earlier. Bishop Inchananiyil and the Thamarassery diocese expressed extreme grief and protested against the attack on Fr Tomy. Reports from Melbourne said that police has taken one person in connection with the incident into custody. However, the police is yet to confirm whether it was a case of racist attack. Amaravati: Ruling Telugu Desam Party on Monday dealt a blow to the opposition YSR Congress winning three seats of the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Council in the biennial elections from the Local Authorities Constituencies (LACs). With this, TDP makes a clean sweep of all the nine council seats from LACs that went to polls recently. The TDP nominees defeated YSRC candidates in Kadapa, Kurnool and SPS Nellore LACs, for which elections were held on March 17. The counting was taken up on Monday. With this, the TDP has won all the nine Council seats from LACs, having already got its candidates elected unopposed from six LACs that went to polls earlier. These are Srikakulam, East Godavari, West Godavari (two seats), Anantapuramu and Chittoor LACs. Members of Panchayat Raj institutions and urban local bodies form the electorate in LACs. The biggest shock for the YSRC came from its stronghold Kadapa where its candidate Y S Vivekananda Reddy was defeated by TDP's B Ravi by a margin of 34 votes. Vivekananda is the uncle of YSRC president Y S Jaganmohan Reddy and had earlier served as an MP, MLC and MLA for many terms. Kadapa is their home turf but the TDP, rather unexpectedly, got the better of Vivekananda. Stung by the defeat, the YSRC alleged that the ruling party "purchased" voters by spending over Rs 200 crore. "Chandrababu (TDP supremo and chief minister) has become an expert in buying votes and he excelled in it in this election," Jagan said, as news about the defeat of his uncle came. "Is this (buying votes) a victory?" he asked. In Kurnool, TDP's sitting MLC Silpa Chakrapani Reddy got re-elected defeating Gouru Venkat Reddy of YSRC by a margin of 56 votes. In Nellore, Vakati Narayana Reddy, a who crossed over to TDP from the Congress, retained his LAC seat defeating Anam Vijaykumar Reddy of YSRC by a margin of 87 votes. The TDP heaved a sigh of relief after the results as the party feared of a possible "cross-voting" in Nellore. "The victory reflected the good performance of the government. It also denoted the growing strength of the party in the Rayalaseema region," TDP state president K Kala Venkata Rao said. Two of the incumbent MLCs will retire on March 29, while the term of seven others will end on May 1 which necessitated the biennial election. New Delhi: The recent attacks on Indians in the US are "hate crimes" and not a simple law and order issue, the government said today with an assertion that national interest will not be compromised for the sake of Strategic Partnership with that country. Making a statement in the Rajya Sabha, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj expressed confidence that the Trump Administration will not let these incidents become a trend and is keeping a close watch on it. "We do not treat these incidents as law and order matter. It is not as simple as that. From our side, we are saying that these are 100 per cent incidents of hate crime," she said, adding that the investigation should be carried out from such a perspective. The minister was making statement on three incidents of attacks on Indians in the US. On February 22, 32-year old Srinivas Kuchibhotla was shot dead by a US national in Kansas city, while on March 2 Harnish Patel, a US national of Indian origin, was shot dead. On March 4, Deep Rai, a US national of Indian origin, was shot by an unknown person in Kent near Seattle. "We are taking up this matter at the highest level. We are watching if there is any trend being set," Swaraj said. She said the US administration is saying that the attacks were individual acts of hate crimes and no trend should be seen in these incidents. CPI leader D Raja voiced apprehension that the Strategic Partnership could come in the way of India taking up this issue with the US. In her response, Swaraj said, "Strategic Partnership does not mean that we will compromise with our national interest... Do not think that we will remain silent because of Strategic Partnership. The Strategic Partnership is secondary. First comes the security and safety of our nationals." The minister said that the manner in which the US government has responded, India hopes that these incidents would not become a trend. "I want to assure the House that despite having a Strategic Partnership and good relations with the US, the safety and security of Indians remains our top priority. We will never ignore that," the minister said. She said India is in "continuous dialogue with the US government" on this issue. Through embassy and consulates, she said, close contacts are being maintained with the local Indian community groups to address any emergent issues. "We will remain vigilant to developments impacting the lives of Indian abroad and do everything possible to safeguard their interests and welfare," she said. "The government has taken up this issue with the US governments at a very high level and conveyed our deep concerns. We have called for necessary measures to ensure the safety and security of Indian diaspora and expeditious investigation into these incidents," Swaraj said. "The US authorities have responded strongly and assured us that they are working with all concerned agencies to ensure speedy justice," the External Affairs Minister added. She said there has been widespread condemnation of these incidents by the US leadership, both in the administration and the Congress and in this context, she referred to statements made by President Donald Trump and others. Seeking clarifications from Swaraj on her statement, CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury asked whether the government is treating these incidents as law and order matter or growing hate atmosphere in US. He said there is a certain degree of xenophobia being developed in the US and that is reflecting in this sort of hate against outsiders. If the assesment is that it is part of growing trend, Yechury asked what would be the response of the government and foreign policy towards US. JD(U) leader Sharad Yadav complemented Swaraj for her efforts in this matter. T Subbarami Reddy, who has raised this issue in the House on March 16, said this is a serious matter and asked the government to take it up at the highest level with the US President to prevent these type of incidents in the future. Raja said: "Ever since the change of the government in the US, the people of Indian origin, people of India living there are living with great sense of fear and insecurity." "We have strategic partnership with the US that should not prevent us to raise our independent voice," he added. Patna: The Bihar government on Monday said there was no proposal to increase fuel limit of 110 litres a month for police stations barring some exceptions for maintenance of law and order and investigation. Minister in-charge for Home Bijendra Prasad Yadav said this while answering a starred question of JD (U) Ravi Jyoti Kumar. He said while each police station gets 110 litres of fuel per month, the limit is more for police stations in sensitive areas besides in capital Patna and Bhagalpur. In Patna and Bhagalpur the limit is 175 litre each a month, he said. For police stations in Naxal zone, the fuel limit is 225 litre monthly while others falling in Naxal hit districts is 200 litre a month. The minister said that a police station gets additional fuel when demanded in case of more running round in course of investigation of cases or maintaining law and order. The questioner who himself was in police before contesting 2015 election from JD(U) from Rajgir (reserved) seat, pleaded for enhancing the fuel quota for police stations. In reply to another question of BJP's Nitin Navin about shifting of policemen from boat police station to other duty in traffic or guarding banks, minister in-charge Home said the matter would be looked into and corrective steps would be taken. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar had in 2011 launched Bihar's first River Patrolling Police Station (RPPS) on the banks of the Ganga in Patna district. The RPPS near Maujipur village under the Fatuha police station, has registered three cases so far, the minister said. Kolkata: The Communist Party of India (M) on Monday demanded that West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee be brought under the purview of CBI investigations into Narada and Saradha scams. The party also demanded that the Trinamool Congress leaders, allegedly involved in Narada scam, be arrested immediately. CPI(M) State Secretary Surya Kanta Mishra voiced the demand at a rally organised by the party's North 24-Parganas district committee outside the CBI office here in Salt Lake. Mishra also observed that the CBI should be proactive in the investigation into the scams. "We demand that the CBI should be more proactive. It should immediately arrest the TMC leaders involved in Narada and Saradha scam. The Chief Minister should also be brought under the purview of the investigations as it is her party leaders and state cabinet ministers who are found to be involved in it," Mishra said at the rally. He said, "Now, the TMC is saying it was donation to the party fund. But when the (Narada) tapes first came out, it had said the tapes are fake and fabricated. That means they are contradicting their own statements." Mishra alleged that the Trinamool "extending help" to the BJP to form government in Manipur was a glaring example of a "covert pact" between the two parties. "We hope the political match-fixing between Didibhai (Mamata) and Modibhai will not have an impact on the CBI investigation and the probe agency will be allowed to work freely," he said. Coimbatore: Two persons wanted in connection with the murder of a Dravida Viduthalai Kazhakam worker surrendered before a Judicial Magistrate Court here on Monday. Saddam Hussain, resident of Podanur in the city, arrived at the court this morning with his advocate and surrendered. His advocate claimed there was no proof of the involvement of his client in the murder. Hussain decided to surrender since his name was on the list of suspects along with five others, he said. Another man Shamsuddin, hailing from Karumbukadai, surrendered before the same court in the evening, police said. One Asrath, also of Podanur had already surrendered before the court on March 17 in connection with the murder of Farooq the previous night. Both Saddam and Shamsuddin were remanded to 14 days judicial custody and ordered to be produced on April four. The murder was reportedly the result of Farooq's anti-religious, anti-God posts in the social media for the last few months. Meanwhile, the Federation of Muslim Organisations, Jamaaths and Parties requested police to probe the real reason behind the murder. "There are some doubts arising in the minds of people about the murder. Anti-religion posts alone could not be the reason behind it. Police should unveil the mystery behind the murder, Federation convener Inayatulllah told reporters here. Representatives of about 10 organisations like Indian Union Muslim League, Manitaneya Makkal Katchi, Tamil Nadu Muslim Munnetra Kazhaka, Popular Front of India, SDPI, Students Islamic Organisations comprised the Federation. UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath with Deputy CMs Dinesh Sharma and Keshav Prasad Muriya at a meeting of police officers at Lok Bhawan in Lucknow. (Photo: PTI) Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Monday directed officials to declare their assets within 15 days, following up on a similar order to ministers after assuming office yesterday, a move aimed at uprooting corruption. Separately, Adityanath directed state DGP Javeed Ahmed to ensure that there was no laxity in improving law and order situation, hours after a BSP leader was shot dead in Allahabad. At his first interaction with senior officials in Lok Bhawan, the chief minister also instructed them to ensure implementation of BJP's 'Sankalp Patra' (manifesto). "It was an introductory meeting with UP government officials. The officials were told that the Sankalp Patra has to be implemented," Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya, who was also present, told reporters. The chief minister also asked officials to declare their assets -- immovable and movable -- within 15 days, Maurya said. The meeting was attended by around 65 senior officials. The officials were given a copy of BJP's 'Sankalp Patra' and instructions have been issued to them to prepare a roadmap for their respective departments, a senior BJP leader said. "As uprooting corruption is the main agenda of our party, the CM in his first introductory meeting with his new ministers directed them to give details of their income, movable and immovable properties with 15 days," cabinet minister Srikant Sharma had said yesterday. Official sources said Adityanath expressed concern over the attack on the BSP leader and stressed that restoring law and order was the top priority of his government. 60-year-old BSP leader Mohd Shami was last night gunned down by assailants close to his residence in Mauaima police station area, 40 km from Allahabad. The UP DGP has been asked to hold video conference with the district magistrates and the superintendents of police of all the 75 districts of the state to take stock of law and order situation and other administrative issues, they said. Deputy chief ministers Keshav Prasad Maurya and Dinesh Sharma also met Adityanath. Maurya told reporters that the first meeting of the state Cabinet would discuss all key issues mentioned in BJP's 'sankalp patra', which include loan waiver to farmers and ban on mechanised slaughter houses. Sharma told mediapersons that his meeting was just a courtesy call. "We will work for the welfare of the people with full vigour and ensure that the work is visible on the ground," he said. Earlier in the day, Chief Secretary Rahul Bhatnagar, the DGP and Principal Secretary Home Debashish Panda met the chief minister at the VVIP Guest House here ahead of his meeting with the senior officials of the state. The portfolios to the new ministers are likely to be announced soon. A 47-member Council of Ministers, including two deputy CMs, was administered the oath of office and secrecy by Governor Ram Naik yesterday. Adityanath, who was sworn-in as the 21st Chief Minister of UP, has promised to work for all sections of the society without any discrimination, pursuing the agenda of 'sabka sath, sabka vikas'. Ahmedabad: A 45-year-old woman, rescued from Riyadh in Saudi Arabia last week with the help of the External Affairs Ministry, was brought back to Ahmedabad on Sunday. The woman, a native of Dholka town in Ahmedabad district, was rescued after the state Education Minister and Dholka MLA Bhupendrasinh Chudasama came to know about her plight and contacted state Home department officials, who in turn had informed the MEA. She was allegedly tortured by a Saudi family with who she was working in Riyadh. The woman arrived at the Mumbai airport early on and was escorted to Ahmedabad by the officials of the Women Crime Branch. "The unmarried woman who had gone to Riyadh for work currently resides in Ahmedabad with her sister. After her successful rescue in Riyadh, she landed in Mumbai today and subsequently brought back here by our officials," said the Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime Branch) J K Bhatt. Her name is withheld since the police have registered a case of human trafficking against the agents who had sent her to Riyadh. Chudasama had tweeted that he had learnt about her plight through a newspaper report. He had announced on March 14 that the woman has been successfully rescued and will be brought back. "After the matter came to light, we lodged a case of human trafficking against the agents who had sent her to Riyadh. We have arrested two of them so far," Bhatt said. Bhopal: Days after Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh banned the use of red beacon atop government vehicles, Union Minister Uma Bharti on Monday expressed dissent over the decision, saying that delaying flights and stopping traffic for ministers is not a big issue. "If any minister is going for his duty, then red beacon and stopping traffic is fine and even a flight can get delayed by five to seven minutes if minister is going to attend crucial meet because it might result in loss of crores of Rupees," Bharti told media here. However, Bharti further said that if a minister is going for any personal visit, then this privilege should not be given to them. In its first cabinet meeting, chaired by Singh, the newly formed Punjab government decided to completely shun the VIP culture by removing the red, yellow and blue beacons from their official vehicles. "My cabinet has decided to rid the state of VIP culture. All beacon lights to be removed from vehicles of Ministers, MLAs and bureaucrats," Singh had tweeted. Soon after the decision beacons were removed from the vehicles of the Chief Minister and other members of the council of ministers yesterday itself. Constant use of car horns, besides loud music from parties and events are the biggest sources of noise pollution in the city. (Representational image) Hyderabad: Banning use of pressure horns and fancy silencers (which enhance noise of the cars engine) from cars and bikes is essential to control noise pollution in the city, where noise levels are 15 per cent above the limits, according to data released by the Telangana Pollution Control Board. The Telangana Pollution Control Board also recommends that two of the big noise makers pressure horns and fancy silencers must be banned. Constant use of car horns, besides loud music from parties and events are the biggest sources of noise pollution in the city. Its then essential to educate the public about the harmful effects of this constant din. A senior official of TSPCB, on condition of anonymity, said, Transport authorities should prohibit pressure horns, especially on private vehicles, as they are very disturbing at night. Traffic police should also book more cases for unnecessary honking and should educate people about avoiding excessive honking. There is an urgent need for an action plan by the concerned authorities to control noise pollution levels. Pressure horns generally cross 100 decibels, which is very disturbing and dangerous for people. Police sirens are just 75 decibels and according to the rules set by the Supreme Court, even police cars and other emergency vehicles should maintain certain limits, which is why even police vehicle Infographicss and VIP convoys using red and blue lights instead of sirens in the city. T Ragunath, Joint Transport Commissioner Admin, points out that under the Motor Vehicles Act, air horns and multi-toned horns are already banned within city limits. The big private buses use these horns in the city when they can only use them on highways. Like drunken-driving and other special drives, there should be special drives for monitoring and booking cases against noise pollution violators. More awareness should be created among people on how much noise pollution is created by the fancy silencers and honking. Also, public should be aware of decibel level limits. The fines for violators should also be increased, he added. Abhiram Pyla, a bike lover and an IT professional from Hyderabad, says, Instead of banning, I think a limit should be set keeping in mind international brands. For instance, foreign brands without a special silencer is like any other vehicle. Where is the fun in that? Maybe, keeping in mind international standards, a limit should be set and all parties should be made aware of this, which includes traffic cops, riders etc. Otherwise, there is a chance that riders of luxury cruisers might be harassed. When we boast of this being the best city to live in, we cant form policies based on old laws and old beliefs. New Delhi: In what may spark a fresh controversy, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Subramanian Swamy on Monday said the two Indian clerics, who had gone missing in Pakistan, were working against the nation. "They are lying in order to defend themselves and get sympathy. They are saying that they were portrayed as Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) agent. We can't trust them. We have independent information that they are working against the nation," Swamy told ANI. Earlier in the day, hinting towards Pakistan's conspiracy to convict innocent Indians, one of the Sufi clerics, said that one of the papers in the neighbouring country had printed false news of them being RAW agents. Nazim Nizami, one of the two clerics, told the reporters that a newspaper 'Ummat' in Pakistan printed false statements of them being "RAW spies". "There is a newspaper Ummat (in Pakistan) which has printed false statements (of the two clerics being RAW spies) and photos," Nizami told the media here. The cleric thanked the Indian Government, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh for their efforts. The two clerics, Syed Asif Ali Nizami and his friend Nazim Nizami, marked a safe arrival in India earlier today. The two clerics surfaced in Karachi and told that they had gone to meet their devotees in interior Sindh, where there was no phone connectivity. The clerics belong to Delhi's Hazrat Nizamuddin Dargah. Syed Asif Ali Nizami is the head priest of the Dargah. The duo had travelled to Pakistan to visit their relatives in Karachi and then embarked on a pilgrimage to Lahore. One of them went missing in Karachi and the other in Lahore, reports claimed. The Indian authorities had raised the issue with the Pakistan Foreign Ministry seeking its help in tracing their missing citizens. New Delhi: Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi on Monday termed the action of Calcutta High Court judge Justice C S Karnan, who has refused to present himself before the SC in a contempt case, as "reckless", and said he is making "scurrilous" allegations against brother judges. The Attorney General, who was asked by the Supreme Court to assist it in the matter, also said that action against Justice Karnan was necessary as "you can't destroy the fundamentals of the institution". In an unprecedented order on March 10, the Supreme Court had issued bailable warrants against Karnan to secure his presence before it on March 31 in a contempt case. "I am greatly saddened by what is happening. A sitting judge of a High Court, who is supposed to be a matured individual, is acting in a reckless manner making scurrilous allegations against brother judges of the High Court, against sitting judges of the Supreme Court," the AG said while talking to a private news channel here. He also said Justice Karnan's claim of being discriminated against for being a Dalit is without substance and added that judges are appointed on the basis of merit and not caste or religion. "To talk about the Dalit card and all that is absolutely without substance. We have judges from all walks of life. Whether minority, majority, caste, religion. We never had this kind of thing. Judges are not appointed on the basis of caste or religion. They are appointed on the basis of merit or standing," Rohatgi said. He also said the judiciary has to solve it and the government has nothing to do with it. "The government has nothing to do with this. It is a matter really internally of the judiciary. The judiciary has to solve it and obviously the message must go out loud and clear that if it happens, these kind of things happen within the judiciary, the judiciary must come out openly and ensure that it will act in the same manner or maybe a little stricter, if it happens amongst you," he said. The top law officer also said that for a country which follows the rule of the law all are supposed to obey the order of the court. "It's very saddening and actually I am at a loss of words to explain such conduct. Not appearing before the court, defying the court. See, for a country which follows the rule of law, everybody has to obey the order of a court. "The higher you go, greater the obedience. Whatever the message he was sending, this way the institution will crumble. The rule of law will break down and it will be complete anarchy," he said. Mumbai: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis today chaired a meeting to review implementation of the new port policy. During the meeting, plans for development of ports and rail/road connectivity to ports were also discussed. There was a presentation on expansion plan of JSW Jaigarh port, Karanja Terminal, Yogayatan Port and Katale Shipyard, Ro-Ro services, a statement from Chief Minister's Office (CMO) said. There was also a presentation on Sagarmala project and the CM gave directions for its effective implementation, it said. Vadhwan port in the state is part of the Centre's Sagarmala project. Meanwhile, the CM also chaired a meeting to review preparation for the celebration of 126th birth anniversary of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar at Chaityabhoomi in Mumbai. Ministers Rajkumar Badole, Vishnu Savara and senior officials from Social Justice, Police and other state departments as well as from Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) were present for this meeting. During the meeting, Fadnavis gave instructions to provide necessary facilities to citizens who visit Chaityabhoomi in huge numbers to pay tributes to Dr Ambedkar, the statement added. Irom Sharmila being welcomes by the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) at the Thiruvananthapuram railway station. (Photo: PTI) Thiruvananthapuram: Human rights activist Irom Sharmila, who had a disastrous debut in the Manipur Assembly polls, today said people of her home state are "hypnotised" by money and muscle power of electoral politics. Sharmila, who is in Kerala for a month-long sojourn, said she would no more be in electoral politics but would continue her fight for the repeal of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) by gaining support from people across the country. At a meet-the-press programme organised by Kerala Union of Working Journalists, she welcomed the lifting of economic blockade in Manipur imposed by the United Naga Council. "Our experience following blockade is that political parties benefit (out of it)...on the other side, people were suffering...Now it has been lifted," she said. Asked whether she was welcoming the lifting of the economic blockade, in force for the past 150 days, she said "why not?" On a question that if the new government in Manipur was committed to the cause or just playing politics on the issue, she said "it is positive." Sharmila also wanted her newly-floated People's Resurgence and Justice Alliance (PRAJA) party to flourish and progress in the home state. "Our people in Manipur are already hypnotised by the system of money and muscle power based electoral politics....," she said. On whether she was disappointed with her defeat and garnering only 90 votes in the recently concluded assembly elections, she said, "Politics is parts and parcel of our life...but though I know nothing about it, I dedicated my ability, sincerity and sense of responsibility towards the betterment of society". "People let me down and I am really shattered...If you (people) do not want me involved in politics...and do not want to use your right to choose correctly, then let it be..," said Sharmila, who was on a fast for the past 16 years against AFPSA before contesting the elections. Talking about the new BJP government in Manipur, she said, "I have no more opinion on BJP and Congress...two powerful...most corrupt parties." On her meeting with Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and ruling CPI(M) state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan here today, Sharmila said she was overwhelmed by the support offered by them for her cause. "They assured helping me to fight against the draconian law (AFPSA)," she said. Sharing her experiences in Kerala, a smiling Sharmila said she saw the sea for the first time after she came to the state. She arrived in the state last week and is planning to spend nearly a month in Attappadi, a tribal settlement in Palakkad district. External affairs minister Sushma Swaraj with Syed Asif Nizami and his nephew Nazim Ali Nizami at Jawaharlal Bhavan in New Delhi on Monday. (Photo: PTI) New Delhi: The head priest of Hazrat Nizamuddin Dargah and his nephew returned to the capital on Monday, days after they went missing in Pakistan, but were not forthcoming about their mysterious disappearance. 80-year-old Syed Asif Nizami, Sajjadanashin of the holy shrine, and another senior Sufi cleric Nazim Ali Nizami landed here by a Pakistan Intern-ational Airlines flight and later called on external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj who had taken up their case with Islamabad. According to some TV reports, the relatives of the two clerics said they had been detained by Pakistans spy agency ISI after some Pakistani media reports defamed the clerics and accused them of spying for India and being in touch with the MQM in Pakistan. According to news agencies, though the two clerics revealed little about their ordeal, Sajid Nizami, son of Asif Nizami, alleged that the duo were taken away based on a news report in a Karachi-based Urdu daily which claimed that they had links with Indian intelligence agency RAW. When asked about reports that both of them could not be contacted as they were in interior Sindh where there was no communication network, Nazim Ali Nizami strongly rejected the claim. We did not have visa for Sindh interior region, so how could we have gone there? The reports that we could not be contacted because of network issue is totally false, he was quoted as saying. On whether they were detained by Pakistani authorities, Sajid said Yes. Asked if Pakistan spy agency ISI was involved in the episode and whether they were harassed, Sajid refused to comment but made it clear that no force or coercion was used against them. New Delhi: The Supreme Court today said the Memorandum of Procedure (MoP) for appointments to the higher judiciary has been cleared and the process of filling the vacancies in the high courts was proceeding on a "war footing". A bench headed by Chief Justice J S Khehar, while disposing of PILs seeking filling of vacancies for reducing the huge pendency of cases, said progress has been made and the number of posts of judges in high courts would be increased by 25 per cent. "In the first stage, we will look into the filling up of vacancies of high court judges and then we will look into increasing the number of high court judges," the bench, also comprising Justices D Y Chandrachud, said. The bench said a committee of senior apex court judges has been formed for suggesting ways for reducing the pendency of cases up to three years. It also gave liberty to Delhi BJP spokesperson and advocate Ashwini Upadhaya to approach the apex court if he wanted to suggest ways to increase the number of judges. The bench also disposed of other petitions pertaining to the same issue. Earlier, this month the Supreme Court collegium finalised the MoP for appointment of judges in the higher judiciary, ending a year-long face-off with the executive by agreeing to include the contentious clause of national security in selection of judges. It had agreed to the national security clause, which the government had been insisting be included as one of the necessary criteria for appointment of judges to the higher judiciary. The collegium after deliberations had also agreed on setting up secretariats in the apex court and the high courts to collate data about judges and assist in the selection procedure for their appointment to the higher judiciary. Earlier, on January 2, the Supreme Court had questioned the Centre as why judges and chief justices of high courts are not being transferred despite the recommendations of the collegium and asked it to file a status report on such pending transfers with detailed reasons in two weeks. The apex court had said continuance of such judges in the same high court gave rise to "speculation and misgivings". It had asked the Centre to return the recommendations to the collegium for reconsideration instead of "sitting over" those. The apex court had on November 18, last year said it had not accepted the Centre's stand of rejecting the 43 names recommended by the Supreme Court Collegium for appointment as judges of the various high courts and most of the names have been sent back for reconsideration. The Centre had told the court that it has cleared 34 names out of the 77 recommended by the collegium. The court had at an earlier hearing said it would not tolerate "logjam in judges' appointment" and intervene to "fasten accountability as the justice delivery system is collapsing". The bench had said that if the government had reservation about any name, it could always come back to the collegium. The Sufi clerics of Delhi's Hazrat Nizamuddin Dargah, who went missing in Pakistan earlier this month. (Photo: ANI/Twitter) New Delhi: The two Sufi clerics of Delhi's Hazrat Nizamuddin Dargah, who were in the custody of Pakistan's intelligence agency after they went missing earlier this month, returned home on Monday. They are scheduled to meet External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj. Amir Nizami, son of one of the clerics, picked them up from the airport and visited Hazrat Nizamuddin Dargah to seek blessings of the Allah. The clerics will then meet their family members. "I would like to thank the Indian Government, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Sushma Sawarj and Rajnath Singh. We are very happy that our government made their efforts in helping them to return," Nizami told ANI. Swaraj had yesterday stated that she spoke to Syed Nazim Ali Nizami, one of the missing clerics, in Karachi and was assured they were safe and would be back to Delhi on Monday. "I just spoke to Syed Nazim Ali Nizami in Karachi. He told me that they are safe and will be back in Delhi tomorrow," Swaraj tweeted. The two clerics surfaced in Karachi and told that they had gone to meet their devotees in interior Sindh, where there was no phone connectivity. The clerics, identified as Syed Asif Ali Nizami and his friend Nazim Nizami, belong to Delhi's Hazrat Nizamuddin Dargah. Syed Asif Ali Nizami is the head priest of the Dargah. The duo had travelled to Pakistan to visit their relatives in Karachi and then embarked on a pilgrimage to Lahore. One of them went missing in Karachi and the other in Lahore, reports claimed. The Indian authorities had raised the issue with the Pakistan Foreign Ministry seeking its help in tracing their missing citizens. Lucknow: New Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Monday met state police chief Javeed Ahmed and warned him to be vigilant in tackling crime in the state. According to a report in NDTV, Adityanath expressed concern over the killing of a Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) worker in Allahabad on Sunday night. The new CM told the police chief to draw up a blueprint to reduce crime in the state, within 15 days, after consulting the police chiefs of all districts. The CM also met the Chief Secretary, the state's top bureaucrat, at the VVIP guest house where he is currently staying. He is expected to meet principal secretaries of all departments, said the report. On Sunday, the CM held an informal meeting with his Cabinet, soon after being sworn in. In what can be seen as the first move against corruption, Adityanath asked his ministers to submit him details of their assets and wealth within 15 days. Ministers have also been warned against speaking to the media except through Shrikant Sharma and Siddharth Nath Singh, who will be spokespersons for the UP government, said the report. Sharma and Singh will also be in charge of training the other MLAs on how to coordinate with the government. Earlier on Monday, the Samajwadi Party slammed the new BJP government in UP for the killing of BSP leader Mohammad Shami Sunday night. Samajwadi Party leader Naresh Agarwal said that strict actions should be taken against those who try to challenge law and order. "We would request the Uttar Pradesh government that no compromise should be done in terms of law and order," Samajwadi Party leader Naresh Agarwal told ANI. "Earlier when such incidents used to take place during the Samajwadi party regime, the Bharatiya Janata Party ( BJP) used to dub our administration as 'Gundaraj'. Now their government has come in power and we can see the results," Agarwal asserted. Shami was shot dead by bike borne assailants on Sunday night in Allahabad. According to reports, the accused shot Shami near his house. Shami was a history sheeter. In the recently concluded Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, Shami had contested against six times winner from the Kunda constituency Raghuraj Pratap Singh alias Raja Bhaiya. Police is investigating the matter. New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday declined any relief to Gopal Ansal and asked him to surrender by evening to undergo one-year jail term in the 1997 Uphaar fire tragedy case. A bench comprising Chief Justice J S Khehar and Justices D Y Chandrachud and S K Kaul rejected the plea moved by the real estate baron seeking more time to surrender on the ground that he has moved a mercy plea before the President. "Sorry, we can't," the bench said when senior advocate Ram Jethmalani mentioned the matter and sought more time, telling the court that they have already approached the President with their mercy plea. The apex court also rejected the plea from the senior advocate seeking a direction for speedy disposal of his mercy plea, pending before the President, saying that it cannot interfere in it as it is an exclusive jurisdiction of the President. The apex court, on March 9, had dismissed Ansal's petition for parity with his elder brother Sushil Ansal, who was awarded jail term already undergone by him considering his "age-related complications", and directed him to surrender by today to serve the prison term. 69-year-old Gopal Ansal was in jail earlier for around four-and-a-half-month in connection with the case relating to the June 13, 1997 fire tragedy in which 59 persons had died in Uphaar cinema during the screening of Hindi movie 'Border'. Over 100 people were injured in the subsequent stampede. A bench headed by 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 the jail term already undergone and had asked Gopal to surrender in four weeks to serve the remaining jail term. Gopal had thereafter approached the apex court seeking modification of its order on the grounds of parity, saying he was 69-year-old and would suffer irreparable damage to his health if sent to prison. In its February 9 judgement, the apex court had upheld the fine of Rs 30 crore each imposed on both the convicts earlier and said it should be utilised for setting up a trauma centre. Earlier, a two-judge bench of the apex court had on March 5, 2014 held Sushil and Gopal Ansal guilty, but differed on the quantum of sentence to be awarded to them after which the matter was heard by a three-judge bench. The Delhi High Court on December 19, 2008 had awarded one-year jail term to both Sushil and Gopal Ansal in the case while reducing the two-year sentence imposed on them by the trial court. Unable to walk and in severe pain, 18-year-old Abdul Qahar Khan from Afghanistan came to Osmania General Hospital, Hyderabad on January 3 for treatment, two years after a bullet pierced through his hip. Hyderabad: Unable to walk and in severe pain, 18-year-old Abdul Qahar Khan from Afghanistan came to Osmania General Hospital, Hyderabad on January 3 for treatment, two years after a bullet pierced through his hip. Immobile and unable to walk, Abdul was in pain when he came in. The boy was injured during a skirmish between extremists and security forces in Kabul, and had undergone two surgeries there in December 2015, and January 2016, but he still could not walk. Dr K. Kodandapani, head of the department of orthopaedics in Osm-ania General Hospital explained, Two surge-ries had not healed the wound. There was the need to replace the hip to make him walk again. The implant cost was high and the patient re-quired proper rehabilitation after the surgery. He said the hospital superintendent Dr G V Murthy prepared the case-sheet and appro-ached the chief ministers relief fund for help to the patient. The amount was sanctioned quickly and his surgery done. Abdul has undergone rehabilitation in the hospital and is finally able to walk. The patients father Razak says, My friends in Afghanistan referred us to the Osmania General Hospital and they told us the people of Hyderabad are kind and helpful. We are glad the government sanctioned money. I will always be grateful. INO project team failed to conduct a public hearing and a proper study from an accredited agency. The Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History conducted an ecological impact study, which the tribunal declared as 'unaccredited agency' Chennai: The National Green Tribunal on Monday scrapped the Environmental Clearance (EC) for the India- based Neutrino Observatory (INO) Project in Theni district, thwarting the efforts of scientific community to set up the high end tunnel laboratory. However, green activists were elated at the interim order as they have been crying foul over the project proposed on the pristine Bodi hills, which serve as a water catchment and forest buffer zone. Setting aside the EC obtained from the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC), the southern bench of the National Green Tribunal ordered the INO Project team to file a fresh application for the clearance. The court had taken into consideration two major loopholes in the Environmental Clearance. The INO project team had termed the project as category B of the Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) Notification 2006, but followed the procedures of Category A for the clearance. The second setback has been the absence of a clearance from the National Board of Wild Life, as the project is proposed just 4.5 kms from Madikettan Shola National Park. Under the EIA Notification, 2006, projects related to mining, inter-state activities and hydro tunnel formations are included under category A, mandating a clearance from the MoEFCC, only after conducting a public hearing and conducting an assessment with a credited agency. Projects under category B, which are construction-based activities require a grant from the State Level Environment Impact Assessment Authority. It is to be noted that the INO project team failed to conduct a public hearing and a proper study from a credited agency. The Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History had conducted an ecological impact study, which the tribunal declared as unaccredited agency The project at the West Bodi hills of Pottipuram village of Theni district, which involves blasting of hard rocks using explosives, is proposed at one km from the Tamil Nadu - Kerala border. It is a clear case of category A, said the petitioner, Sundar Rajan of Poovulagin Nanbargal. The project involves the usage of explosives and is a threat to the highly sensitive ecology of the Western Ghats. Why did the INO Project team conduct a study if they believed it to be a category B project? argued the Counsel of applicant. The counsel for the respondent, however, said that the prior EIA is for the precaution. Nodal agency of the INO Project team: Indian Institute of Mathematical Studies Project category: The tribunal ruled it to be a Category A of EIA, 2006, though the INO Project team termed it under Category B. Procedure for a clearance: For category A projects, a proper study and a public hearing is necessary, before applying for an environmental clearance from MoEFCC. Clearance can be obtained from State Level Environment Impact Assessment Authority without a study and public hearing for category B projects. Loopholes of the case: Though it involves using explosives, INO project team termed as category B, but sought clearance from EoFCC. Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History did a study What did the tribunal say? The bench comprising Justice P.Jyothimani and expert member P.S. Rao said, In the light of new facts during arguments, it will be appropriate to keep the EC in abeyance. What does the study say? In their website, Salim Ali Centre had mentioned that the locality, in the circle of 5 Kilometres from the proposed project, is a haven to 517 species of plants, 232 species of ve rtebrates (14 species of amphibians, 27 reptiles, 137 birds and 54 mammals) and 59 species of butterflies. Several flora and fauna, endemic to the Peninsular India and Western Ghats are recorded too. Nevertheless, none of these species are limited to the study area and are widely distributed elsewhere, they stated. Endangered species in the proposed site: Lion tailed macaque, Nilgiri Langur, Indian Gaur, Rock Python, Sambhar, Leopard, Sloth bear, Pied Horn bill, Peacock. Jaipur: The police in Jaipur, Rajasthan, on Sunday sealed a hotel and arrested its owner over rumours that beef was cooked there and remains of the meat were disposed of in the open. According to a report in The Indian Express, police arrested owner Naeem Rabbani and one of his employees after Gau Raksha Dal leader Kamal Didi filed a complaint against his restaurant, Hotel Hayat Rabbani, in Jaipur's Sindhi Camp area. The rumours that the restaurant prepared beef were, however, baseless, police said. The actual matter is that locals were unhappy over the non-vegetarian remains that the hotel threw openly; cows were consuming these remains which angered the locals, Jaipur (West) Deputy Commissioner of Police, Ashok Kumar Gupta said. Gupta said that the duo were arrested under section 295 A (deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs) of the Indian Penal Code. The municipal corporation has sealed the hotel as the owner failed to produce a licence to operate restaurant. Patna: The Bihar government today announced a probe into reports of agricultural loans raised in the names of farmers, by some banks, without their knowledge. Finance minister Abdul Bari Siddiqui said that the Commissioner of Magadh will investigate the matter. Speaking at the state Legislative Assembly he said, based on reports of the probe, necessary action would be initiated with the help of senior officials of the banks concerned. He also informed that the probe will be completed by a fortnight. Siddiqui was answering a starred question by JD(U)'s Binod Prasad Yadav regarding surfacing of cases of raising fake bank loans by some corrupt bank officials and some middlemen in Chitawkala village within Sherghatti block of Gaya district. The questionnaire drew attention of the minister that some hapless farmers were served notice by State Bank of India, Sherghatti branch for recovery of loans which they never applied for. The state Finance minister said that it is true that in some cases it has been found that middlemen with the help of some corrupt bankers duped illiterate farmers by taking loans in their names. Some other MLAs also highlighted such cases in other areas where poor farmers were cheated. Bhagalpur: Tilka Manjhi Bhagalpur University (TMBU) here today cancelled the law degree of former Delhi Law Minister and AAP MLA Jitender Singh Tomar. The decision to cancel Tomar's degree was taken by Senate members of the University, Vice Chancellor Chemendra Kumar Singh said. Chancellor and Bihar Governor Ramnath Kovind had authorised the University Senate, highest decision making body of the university, to take a decision on law degree of the former Delhi minister after University's Examination board had on September 21 last year send a recommendation to him in this regard. The university committee had earlier found the migration certificate of the former Law Minister of the Arvind Kejriwal government wrong and on the basis of it had recommended cancellation of the Law degree. The controversy relates to the acquisition of Law degree by Tomar on the basis of a doubtful enrolment at Biswanath Law College in Munger in the academic session 1994-95. He had claimed to have passed the law examination in 1998-99. Tomar was arrested and later released on bail in 2015 in the Law degree issue and had to resign from the Kejriwal ministry. Sakthivel and Ravikumar were on a TVS Scooty while the others were on a Bajaj Pulsar. The driver of the mini truck escaped from the scene immediately after the incident. Chennai: Three students of an engineering college died and another seriously injured when the two wheelers on which they were travelling were hit from behind by a mini truck loaded with tender coconuts on East Coast Road on early Sunday morning near Kovalam. The latest accident means that in the last one week as many as eight people have been killed on ECR. The victims were all students of Sathyabhama University doing their third year engineering. The deceased were identified as S. Sakthivel (20) from Kovilambakkam, K Ravikumar (21) of Cheyyar and M Sasikumar (21) of Palaymakottai. M.Prakash (21) who was injured is from Tindivanam. Police said the students left in two wheelers on Saturday evening and had gone to Mahabalipuram. They were travelling from Mahabalipuram to Kovalam at around 4 am and turning right towards a village when the mini truck hit the vehicles from behind. Sakthivel and Ravikumar were on a TVS Scooty while the others were on a Bajaj Pulsar. The driver of the mini truck escaped from the scene immediately after the incident. Motorists alerted 108 ambulance and paramedical staff who arrived in the ambulance declared three students dead and took the survivor to a nearby private hospital in the early hours. The accident also caused a traffic snarl on ECR for more than an hour on Sunday morning. Ahmedabad: Hardik Patel, the convener of Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti and 59 people have been booked for alleged rioting at a BJP corporator's house here in the wee hours today, police said. Eleven people have been arrested so far in this connection. Police are on the look out for Hardik and the other accused, they said. The Patel quota agitation leader, who was booked in two sedition cases in Ahmedabad and Surat and is currently out on bail, allegedly trespassed into the house of Paresh Patel, the BJP corporator in Vastral, in the city, at around 2 AM along with 59 others, police said. The group was upset as one of their members, Kunal Patel, was arrested yesterday for allegedly posting an objectionable message on the social media, an official at Ramol Police Station said. The group allegedly vandalised Paresh's house and even set on fire a BJP flag as they reportedly believed that the FIR was registered at the behest of Paresh, police said. An FIR was filed against Hardik and others under sections 147 (rioting), 142, 143, 149 (unlawful assembly), 435(mischief by fire or explosive substance with intent to cause damage), 452 (house-trespass after preparation for hurt, assault or wrongful restraint) and 120 (criminal conspiracy) of the IPC, he said. Mumbai: Upset after an argument with her husband over a domestic dispute, a 27-year-old woman allegedly flung her five-year-old son and three-year-old daughter from the 15th floor of a building in Thane's Mumbra on Sunday. She, too, jumped to death shortly after. While Shireen Khan, the mother, and the baby girl Amreen died on the spot, five-year-old Tauseef survived with serious internal injuries and a leg fracture. He is being treated at the state-run JJ Hospital. Shireen pushed off her two children from the 15th floor of Dosti Apartment in Mumbra, sources said. The police have registered a case of murder and attempt to suicide against Shireen. According to the police, she took the extreme step due to a fight she had with her husband Hanif Khan on Saturday night. Khan is not under the scanner for abetting her suicide, the police said. According to police sources, the incident took place at 11:30 am on Sunday. Shireen was a resident of Hill View Apartment of Rashid Compound, about 150 metres away. Police sources said Shireen was very upset and irritated following her fight with Khan. On Sunday, she went to the 15th floor of Dosti Apartment and flung her children, first Tauseef and then Amreen, after which she jumped off the building. Abhishek Trimukhe, deputy commissioner of police, Zone-1, said, We have booked the deceased mother Shireen under section 302 and 309 of the Indian Penal Code for murder and attempt to suicide respectively. The surviving son Tauseef fell to the ground directly but survived as a miracle. He was rushed to the state-run JJ Hospital where he has serious internal injuries. Trimukhe added, We have not booked the husband Hanif Khan as he claimed that the couple had had a fight the other night, but he never imagined that she would take such a drastic step. Officials of the Thane polices Shil-Daighar police station are investigating the case and probing as to how Shireen entered Dosti Apartments, which otherwise has strong security. Ranchi: Would you hire a person named Saddam Hussain? While the Iraqi dictator was executed years ago, the legacy of his atrocities plagues his namesake, a marine engineer from Jharkhand. According to a Hindustan Times report, marine engineer Saddam Hussain couldnt get a job even after coming second in his batch due to his controversial name. Hailing from Jamshedpur, it has been two years since he passed out of Tamil Nadus Noorul Islam University. However, his hunt for a job has not come to an end. His application has been rejected around 40 times by various multinational shipping companies as people were scared to hire him, the engineer rued. He was told by his prospective employers that a crew member with such a highly contentious name is a red flag, especially as the job requires frequent straddling off international borders. Recruitment consultants were also reported to have agreed with the stand of companies. If the issue involves crossing the borders, then nothing can be done as border patrol and airport authorities are very process-driven. If the persons job involves frequent travel abroad, he might just keep getting stuck or the company has to pull him out of the sticky situation, making the hire cumbersome, they were quoted to have said. After realising that his name -- fondly given by his grandfather -- was his hurdle to securing employment, Saddam Hussain changed his name to Sajid Hussain. However, that did not solve his problems. While he procured all the relevant paperwork (Drivers license, voters ID), his school certificates are still on the tables of the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) awaiting name-change formalities to be completed. Unless he gets the name changed in his school certificates, his university won't alter the name in their records. Exhausted by the bureaucracy, Hussain has now pleaded to the Jharkhand High Court to expedite the name-changing process. Last week, the court scheduled a hearing on May 5. I am an innocent victim of somebody elses crimes, Hussain was quoted saying. Coimbatore: The RSS today expressed concern over attacks on its activists in Kerala and "violence" against Hindus in West Bengal and said the state governments should ensure justice to all and an atmosphere of peace and harmony. "After the Left's victory in the Kerala Assembly election, there has been a sudden rise in attacks on activists associated with the RSS-inspired organisations," the RSS said in its annual report presented at the three-day meeting of its Akhil Bharatiya Pratinidhi Sabha here. These attacks have exposed their "most barbaric and inhuman face. Children, women, elders, youth, all have become victims of these brutal attacks", it added. The report began by alleging that attempts were being made to "terrorise the Hindu society" by resorting to violence. "Challenges are posed before the supporters of other thoughts by way of political intolerance and use of force. Some of the incidents definitely cause serious concern," it said. On West Bengal, the RSS claimed that "attacks on the Hindu society" have increased in the "most serious manner" after the transformation of power in the state following the "ouster" of the Leftists. Without naming the ruling Trinamool Congress in West Bengal, it alleged "appeasement of Muslims by those in power" and accused the state administration of "remaining a mute spectator". "There is a need to look at all such happenings with seriousness," the report said. The Sangh Parivar fountainhead said it becomes the "bounden duty" of those who come to power by democratic means to ensure the safety and security of common citizens and instilling faith in them. It was expected that the governments in both these states would take the initiative to ensure justice to all and create an atmosphere of peace and harmony, the report added. It also alleged that despite a "favourable atmosphere and a massive acceptance" of the Sangh's work, elements "inimical to unity and integrity" were trying to vitiate the political atmosphere and encourage regionalism. The RSS also voiced concern that "some countries" were "creating hurdles in the way of Bharat becoming a strong and vibrant global power". "It is our belief that we can tide over this situation with firm commitment and by resolving all our internal social problems with a coordinated effort," the report said. New Delhi: Syed Asif Nizami, one of the two Indian clerics who had gone missing in Pakistan, on Monday said they were safely kept in a VIP room and were not troubled. "We went to the shrine of Baba Farid Ganj and Data Darbar to offer prayers. We were kept in VIP rooms and were not troubled. I was taken to a place quite far from Karachi, with my face covered. I was offered food and they prepared tea for me," Asif Nizami said. He further said that he was asked to give details about his identity. "They asked about my details and about Dargah too. The Station House Officer (SHO) took my details," he added. Earlier in the day, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj met the two Sufi clerics, Syed Asif Nizami and Nazim Ali Nizami. Meanwhile, one of the Sufi clerics said that they went to Pakistan to spread the message of peace and love and will visit again. "We went there to spread the message of Nizammuddin Dargah of peace and love. There are people who disagree with this message of peace and love. They said they had gone to the interior province of Sindh. We did not. We don't have the visa for that place, he said. We are thankful to the Indian government because of whom, we are here. Negative people in Pakistan don't want us to go there again but we will go there again to spread the message of peace," Nazim Nizami told media here. The two clerics, who belong to Delhi's Hazrat Nizamuddin Dargah, marked a safe arrival in India earlier on Monday. Srinagar: National Conference (NC) President Farooq Abdullah on Monday said the country belonged to all and not just the people of a single religion, adding there will be far reaching consequences if it ceases to remain so. The NC president, who filed his nomination papers for the bypoll to the Srinagar Lok Sabha seat on Monday, was addressing workers belonging to his party and ally Congress. "This country belongs to all of us and not just (people from) a single religion. Till this country belongs to all, we will be with it. God forbid, if it does not remain so, then God knows what storm will come," Abdullah said here. He called upon the youth to take up the mantle of saving the state and the country. "Whether I live or not, the young leadership has to save not only Jammu and Kashmir but the whole of India and Pakistan. Jammu and Kashmir cannot be saved until there is friendship between India and Pakistan and for that they have to work together," Abdullah said. Acknowledging that the "elections will be tough", Abdullah, a former Union Minister, sought Congress support in Srinagar and NC's complete support for the Anantnag bypoll. As part of a seat-sharing arrangement, the NC would contest the Srinagar bypoll while Congress will fight from the Anantnag seat. The Congress has named its state president Ghulam Ahmad Mir as the candidate from Anantnag. He added that if the two parties succeed in the bypolls, they would "try to awaken the conscience of the people inside the Parliament". "You have make us successful so that when we enter the Parliament, we will try to awaken their conscience. We will tell them that the grave you are digging for us, you might yourselves fall into it. We want to get rid of the violence, we have seen enough of bloodshed. Other states are reaching the sky, but our state has been sunk," he said. Earlier, Abdullah was accompanied by his son and former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, party leader Ali Mohammad Sagar, JKPCC chief Ghulam Ahmad Mir and Congress leader MP Tariq Ahmad Karra when he filed his nomination papers. A priest paints 'swastika' and 'OM' signs outside the official bungalow of UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath in Lucknow on Monday. (Photo: PTI) Lucknow: Even before the first rays of sun peeped through the sprawling bungalow of newly appointed Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, saffron-robed seers on Monday made a beeline to "cleanse" the premises and ensure an "auspicious entry" for the priest-turned-politician. The five-time MP from Gorakhpur, who was sworn in as the 21st Chief Minister of the most populous state on Sunday in a grand ceremony, has decided not to enter the bungalow without proper prayers and purification ritual. The controversial mascot of hardline Hindutva is expected to enter the premises only at an auspicious moment. 'Adityanath Yogi, Chief Minister' says the new nameplate outside the 5, Kalidas Marg bungalow, which was occupied by Akhilesh Yadav for five years before his Samajwadi Party was trounced by the "saffron tsunami" in the state Assembly elections. Seven priests from Gorakhpur and Allahabad conducted prayers at the official residence of Aditynath. At the main gate, a priest put up the 'swastika' sign above the Chief Minister's name plate by dipping marigold flower in sandal and haldi paste. The 'swastika' symbol is considered lucky and auspicious and has special significance in "grih pravesh" (house warming) as per the Hindu traditions. The priest then wrote "Om" and "Shub Laabh" on the imposing gates of the bungalow. "This is a usual ritual worship of Lakshmi-Ganesh before 'grih pravesh'," said one of the priests on conditions of anonymity. The gates freshly painted in white were decorated with marigold garlands, while the lush green lawns inside the compound embroidered by beds of season flowers in their full bloom, were being given final touches for the new occupant. Inside the bungalow, the priests made elaborate preparations for "yagna" and "havan", rituals done in front of sacred fire amid chanting of vedic mantras to purify the atmosphere and ward off evil spirits, for the "mahant" of Gorakhnath Mutt. The Gorakhnath Mutt is a temple of the Nath monastic group in the Nath tradition. The name 'Gorakhnath' derives from the medieval saint Gorakhnath of the 11th century, a famous yogi who had travelled widely across India. According to the principles of saint Gorakhnath, the monastic order does not follow caste conventions as other Hindu religious groups do. Thus, non-Brahmins may also serve as priests. Adityanath, the current head priest, is a Rajput. He succeeded Avaidyanath, his mentor, in 2014 as the religious and temporal head of the monastery following the latter's death. Various cultural and social activities are performed in the vast premises of the temple in Gorakhpur city, which derives its name from Gorakhnath. The temple also serves as the cultural hub of the city on Indo-Nepal border. The Gorakhnath Math has a significant following in eastern Uttar Pradesh and Terai regions of Nepal. Kishanganj: Expressing displeasure over the appointment of Hindu hard-liner Yogi Adityanath as the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Monday said that 'development' for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is a mere slogan and that after winning the throne of the politically crucial state, the saffron party is now showing its real face. Owaisi said that at the time of 2014 general elections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi promised to put an end to communal politics, but by putting Adityanath at the helm of Uttar Pradesh, he has proved that his main agenda is to distort the diversity prevalent in the nation. "When Narendra Modi became the Prime Minister he assured that he will put an end to communal politics. But looking at the current scenario it doesn't seem so. The BJP is again showing its new real face. Development is a mere slogan. The BJP is only trying to end the secularism and diversity of the nation," Owaisi told media. However, Adityanath after taking oath as Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh yesterday, said he will not indulge in any discrimination against people and will work for "sabka saath, sabka vikas". His detractors have been accusing that the newly appoint Uttar Pradesh chief is a 'Hindutva icon' and that will be vindictive in his governance. Adityanath ruled that Uttar Pradesh has lagged behind on the development front in the last 15 years that the BJP was out of power and promised to take effective steps to ensure that the state makes progress under. "My government is committed to lok kalyan (welfare of the people) without any discrimination against anybody," Adityanath said. New Delhi: The BJP seems to be in trouble in Gujarat with Dalits and influential Patidar community rising against the saffron government. AAP chief and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has been repeatedly visiting the state to make inroads. The AAP apparently wants to emerge as an alternative to the BJP on Mr Modi's home turf. The Congress has also been regrouping and it had bounced back by trouncing the BJP in the civic polls. BJP chief Amit Shah has reportedly begun his work by holding a series of parleys and doing what he does best, that is to strengthen booth-level activities. That the party is now seriously considering advancing the elections became evident with Gujarat CM Vijay Rupani saying: We are prepared even if elections are held early. Hyderabad: The ruling Telugu Desam party has conquered Kadapa winning the Member of Legislature Council seat under the local authorities quota and has proven that the district is no longer YSRs family bastion. In a major setback to Andhra Pradesh Opposition leader Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, his party has not only lost three MLC seats under the MLA quota in AP, but has suffered a humiliating defeat on his home turf where TD candidate BTech Ravi won against YSRs brother Y.S. Vivekananda Reddy. TD candidates Shilpa Chakrapani Reddy and Vakati Narayana Reddy won from Kurnool and Nellore respectively, making it a clean sweep for the TD. With these wins, the TD now has a total of 14 MLCs, including all nine under the local authorities category, and five under the MLA category, whereas the main Opposition party, the YSR Congress, has managed to get only two MLC seats under the MLA quota. Counting of ballots for the five MLC seats under the Teachers constituency and Graduates constituency is still on and the results are likely to be announced after midnight. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Rajnath Singh leave after a Cabinet meeting at the Parliament Library in New Delhi on Monday. (Photo: PTI) New Delhi: Charged by the unprecedented and historic electoral victory in the high-stakes Uttar Pradesh polls, the BJP has decided not to let the moment slip away. The party leadership is all set to advance the Gujarat polls, which are otherwise due to be held in December this year. The BJP is looking at the option of holding the Assembly polls in Prime Minister Narendra Modis home state by June this year, sources said. BJP president Amit Shah, who has emerged as the most successful BJP chief ever, has yet again set up a goal and this time his mission statement is: UP mein 325, Gujarat mein 150. The Gujarat Assembly has a strength of 182, in which the BJP now has 123 seats. The BJPs mascot in Gujarat will again be none other than Mr Modi himself. The mission statement is likely to be accompanied by pictures of Mr Modi along with that of Mr Shah. Party strategists feel there is a wave in favour of the Prime Minister and that the BJP needs to cash in on it. The party is aware of the mistake it made by delaying the elections in Delhi, a BJP leader said. The Old Testament mentions that the philistine warrior giant Goliath was killed by David, the shepherd boy, with a stone thrown by a slingshot. Throughout the ages, popular sympathy, admiration and support have always been on the side of David. Similar is the case of the stone-pelting street mobs of pro-azadi supporters attacking Indian security forces in Srinagar and the Kashmir Valley. It is unlikely that they will be familiar with the David and Goliath story. But they are trying to create a similar parable about their confrontation with the security forces. The defence forces are attempting to disperse demonstrators organised inside the urban jungle of downtown Srinagar by jihadis of Lashkar-e-Tayyaba and Hizbul Mujahideen. In this contemporary replay of ancient biblical history, David will not win. This time around, the classic historical narrative will have to change. The War of Algerian Independence (1954-1962) is little known in India except perhaps in some intellectual circles. This is certainly a pity since this forgotten little war fought in Algeria between French Army paratroopers and the insurgents of the Front de Liberation Nationale (FLN) reiterated the David and Goliath theme. It had many lessons which retain a relevance to events currently unfolding in India, specially in areas like Kashmir, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand, where socio-political temperatures have been bubbling above the danger level for quite some time now. Of these, the problems in Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand are purely of indigenous Indian design and manufacture. They have been created by sustained mistreatment of indigenous people by a cruel and heartlessly exploitative trader-politician nexus and sustained by an equally egregious hierarchy of eminently corruptible public officials. This was precisely the case in Algeria as well, and led to the Arab revolt against the French. But Jammu and Kashmir is a different category altogether. The Kashmir problem has been created and developed entirely by Pakistan as part of its revenge for Bangladesh strategy. The Indian security establishment must never forget Pakistans politico-military payback strategy against India. Looking back on the long-forgotten war of Algerian independence, it is clear that one of the cardinal errors committed by France was in keeping the politico-military centre of gravity of that war in the European mainland, in metropolitan France. It should have shifted it to Algeria, centred on the regional capital city of Algiers, where the urban battlefield of the Battle of Algiers became the decisive theatre of operations. The Algerian situation is mirrored, to a certain extent, in J&K, where control and domination of Srinagar is essential for control of geopolitical developments in the entire state. Similarly, firm control of Jammu and Leh are equally essential for control of the sub-regional centres of gravity in a geographically trisected state, though the internal politics of each sub-region follow their own paths. Azadi is a totally Valley-centric sentiment; Jammu and Leh is not a part of it. Stone-throwing is essentially a Valley-based activity, whose targets are Central police and paramilitary forces, which are seen by Srinagar mobs as outsiders from India intruding into the Kashmiri heartland. Here the main issue must be clear at all times the mobs of stone-throwers rampaging on the streets of Srinagar, and attempting to interfere with the movement and operations of security forces, are separatists funded and supported by Pakistan. They have to be brought to heel. It will be better if the process of political dialogue and friendly persuasion work with the agitators. If not, then harsher methods will have to be used. Connected with street agitators in Srinagar demanding azadi are others who are beginning to make an appearance on various college campuses in other parts of the country as well. Those who exercise their own right of free speech to counter and oppose such demands are dubbed fascists the ultimate pejorative in students-speak. Terrorists and others wanted by the law cannot be allowed to escape under crowd cover provided by agitators. Attempts to do so will have to be prevented. Various student groups in India, particularly in Kashmir and other sensitive regions, have been prime targets for infiltration by hostile intelligence agencies, and their sponsored political groups. The aim is to create student unrest and disturbances on educational institutions. This is a new form of stealth attack confronting India a form of intellectual infiltration as dangerous in its own way as any physical infiltration across the Line of Control. And if some eggs are broken in the process of cooking, there should not be any regret, particularly if the eggs are bad. India is a democracy, often to a fault, where even the most outrageous and egregious freedoms are tolerated and accepted. But now the nation must be clearly told that this will no longer be tolerated. University students parading before television cameras daily in front of their institutions have to remove themselves and move to their places of work, normally lecture halls or laboratories. By its very nature, democracy is untidy and ill-disciplined. Unfortunately, it still remains the best method of governance available. It will have to suffice, until something better is devised. There does not seem any sign of that so far. India is the fastest growing country in the digital world but besides serving as a biggest smartphone user base, a significant portion of its population does not have an internet connection. In a bid to bring access to low-cost internet connection most of the telecom operators in the country are initiating new schemes on their carriers. Also, there are big tech firms such as Facebook and Google who are working towards deploying broadband networks in India through Wi-Fi and public hotspots. However, their impact is slow. But who had thought that a faster and cheaper internet connection could be bought from a nearby chai walla. Two years ago Karam Lakshman and Shubhendu Sharma, from Bangalore, built an app for the citys taxi drivers. The app failed due to expensive 3G rates. After listening to 3G is too expensive hundred of times over, we realised we were addressing the wrong problem, Lakshman told Deccan Chronicle. Apps are great, but connectivity in India is a huge problem. You're only going to get the next 'killer app' coming out of India once there's a reasonable level of internet connectivity, he added. After acknowledging the issue, the duo settled on WiFi Dabba, a startup which sells internet in sachets at small merchant locations, from tea stalls to bakeries, at an affordable price. Think of it this way, when FMCG companies first entered India they found that their shampoo bottles were too expensive, so they turned them into sachets and sold them at a low amount. We're doing the same with the internet and we think we can grow that into a line of digital FMCG products, Lakshman explained. We think you can buy digital goods the same way you buy tea or biscuits. The startup sells tokens at about 100 small merchant locations across Bangalore for the services, with cost varying as per data usage distributed in three tiers. For Rs 2 the service provides 100MB, while Rs 10 offers 500MB and Rs 20 has 1GB. However, customers will have to pre-pay for the service from merchants, who shares 20 per cent revenue on each customer. The startup is aiming to roll out its service nationwide. A description on WiFi Dabbas website reads The government is not gonna do it, the big companies shouldnt be allowed to do it. We think that the government should let the market deal with this problem simply because it'll lead to better service for the consumer. When it comes to technology, the stiffer the competition, the better the state-of-the-art becomes and progress happens faster. Same thing with big companies, they are slow moving and tend to use slightly older solutions. Startups are the ones that usually push the boundaries and innovate in ways that help the consumer, Lakshman went on to explain. What sets us apart from Google and Facebook is that we're utterly neutral in our service. We're not subsidised by advertising or any long term agenda. We don't have any free plans or trials. We believe in offering a great service and at a fair price. The consumer pays for high speed internet and gets high speed internet, no strings attached, Lakshman said. Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter. Indian American lawmakers Ami Ber, Pramila Jayapal and Ro Khanna along with top Democratic leader Congressman Joe Crowley attend a vigil at the US Capitol to honor victims of hate crime inuding Indian Americans in Washington. (Photo: PTI) Washington: Indian-Americans, particularly Hindus and Sikh, have become victims of Islamophobia and xenophobia in the US, the community members said as they held an awareness rally against hate crimes in front of the White House seeking President Donald Trump's intervention in the matter. "Hindus have been recently affected and victimised (in the US) as a result of Islamophobia. It does affect our community as well," Vindhya Adapa, 27, a Virginia-based corporate lawyer, said outside the White House yesterday. Adapa along with a few dozen Indian-Americans representing various Indian-American groups from in and around the Greater Washington Area held a peaceful demonstration in view of the recent surge in hate crimes against the community. "A recent example of that is recent shooting and murder of an IT personnel in Kansas, who was mistaken for being an Arab and a Muslim. I do think that the current political climate is eventually going to target all communities including Hindu-Americans," said S Sheshadri, a young Indian-American doctor and Adapa's friend. "We are here today to raise awareness against hate crimes particularly against people of Indian origin. This is not necessarily a protest against the Trump Administration. We are here to seek bipartisan support against the hate crimes that has been happening recently against Indian-Americans," Adapa said, urging the President to acknowledge and condemn what is happening. "I would say what is happening against the Indian-American community is a result of xenophobia, Islamic phobia and the anti-immigrant statements that have come out from the Administration," she alleged. "A lot of Sikh people and Hindu people are mistaken for being Muslim, for being Middle Eastern," she said, adding that the way to tackle that is to spread awareness about these different communities. In a petition memorandum submitted to President Trump, the recently established Coalition of Indian American organisations of the USA, which organised the event, urged him to intervene in the matter and take steps to punish the culprits under federal hate crimes law. It also urged the President to allay the fears of the Indian-American community and show his support, and take remediation steps to eliminate the hate. "A message should go out to the people of this country from the administration that no citizen should take the law into their hands and it will not be tolerated by the government," said the petition. The peaceful protest was organised in the aftermath of a series of hate crime incidents against Indian-Americans. Indian engineer Srinivas Kuchibhotla, 32, was killed and his colleague Alok Madasani and an American, Ian Grillot, were injured in a shooting by a Navy veteran who told them "Get out of my country!" at a bar in Olathe City, Kansas last month. A 43-year-old Indian-origin convenience store owner, Harnish Patel, was shot dead outside his home in Lancaster County, South Carolina on March 2. A day later a 39-year-old Sikh was injured by a partially masked gunman, who shouted "Go back to your own country!" and shot him outside his home in Kent, Washington. An Indian-origin girl was racially abused on a train by an African-American in New York on February 23. He reportedly called her inappropriate names and yelled "Get out of here!" when she was travelling in a commuter train. On March 10, a 64-year-old Florida man tried to set an Indian-owned convenience store on fire because he thought the owners were Muslim. "Indian-Americans and the Indian Diaspora are in distress and are concerned for the safety of their families as the racially motivated hate crimes have been perpetrated against them across the countries in form of gun violence, vandalism, and oral harassment shouting 'Go back to your country'," the petition said. "We have assembled here together to register our protest against recent hate crimes against Indian-Americans. The White House and the new President should acknowledge that the contribution of the Indian-American community," said Shreekanta Nayak, a community leader from Maryland. Puneet Ahluwalia, who was a member of the Trump Campaign's Asian-American Pacific Islanders Advisory community, said that it is time to show solidarity with the Indian-Americans in the country. "We really want to appreciate what President Trump said condoning hate and violence. As a proud Republican, a proud American, I want to support my community members in raising awareness and bringing attention to the crimes or ignorance of a lot of people who are attacking Indian Americans and other minorities," Ahluwalia said. Ian Grillot was injured when he tried to intervene in the shooting by a Navy veteran targetting Indians at a bar in Olathe, Kansas last month. Houston: Indian-Americans will honour a 24-year-old American who was injured while trying to intervene during a racially-motivated shooting in Kansas that left an Indian techie dead and another injured. Ian Grillot was injured when he tried to intervene in the shooting by a Navy veteran targetting Indians at a bar in Olathe, Kansas last month. Srinivas Kuchibhotla, 32, was killed and his colleague Alok Madasani was critically injured in the shooting. Grillot will be honoured as 'A True American Hero', at the 14th annual gala of Indian House Houston here on March 25. "Without all the prayers and positive support from everybody, I wouldn't be doing as well as I am right now. It's been a blessing to be alive. I am looking forward to attend India House Gala event on March 25, in Houston, TX. You guys are wonderful and I thank you all for such a support," Grillot said. The annual Gala is the main fundraising event of the India House, with all proceeds going to the day to day community programmes and expansion of India House. Guests of honour this year include many dignitaries including India's Ambassador to the US Navtej Sarna, former US Ambassador to India David Mulford, former US Assistant Secretary of State Nisha Biswal, Mayor Sylvester Turner, Harris County Judge Ed Emmett and Master Chef Vikas Khanna. Washington: A congressional panel so far has found "no evidence" that Donald Trump's campaign colluded with Russia during the 2016 election, its chairman said Sunday, ahead of testimony by the head of the FBI on the US president's potential Russia ties. Based on "everything I have up to this morning -- no evidence of collusion," by Trump's team and Moscow, Representative Devin Nunes, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, told Fox News. Nunes made his remarks one day before Federal Bureau of Investigation Director James Comey is to face lawmakers on the panel, amid speculation that Trump aides and associates -- and perhaps even the businessman-turned-politician himself -- may have maintained uncomfortably close ties with Moscow. Monday's hearing was also expected to address a second explosive issue: Trump's unsubstantiated accusations of wiretapping by Barack Obama -- charges that have roiled political waters in Washington for the past two weeks. Trump on March 4 tweeted that Obama had "tapped" his phone -- a charge that has consumed political debate in the US capital. The US intelligence community has publicly blamed Russia for hacks of the Democratic National Committee last year, and suggested the cyber attacks were aimed at steering the election to a Trump victory. Moscow has denied involvement in the hacks, and Trump has denounced the tumult over alleged Russia connections as a "total witch hunt." But the question of whether Trump Tower was bugged -- an accusation first lodged by the president on Twitter -- nevertheless has risen to the top of Washington's political agenda, becoming something of a national obsession, even as a growing number of lawmakers and top US officials assert there is no evidence of any such claim. The wiretapping issue mushroomed last month, when Trump's national security adviser Michael Flynn was forced to resign after it was revealed he had misled top officials over his contacts with Russia. Around the same time, The New York Times reported that US intelligence agents had intercepted calls showing that members of Trump's campaign had repeated contacts with top Russian intelligence officials in the year preceding the November 8 election. Nunes has said that the intelligence committee probe focuses in part on who revealed the fact that Flynn had unreported private contacts with the Russians over the issue of international sanctions against Moscow -- a disclosure which led to his forced resignation as Trump's national security adviser. Adding to the intrigue, Trump's attorney general Jeff Sessions had to recuse himself from any Russia-related inquiries after it was learned that he had met twice with the Russian ambassador in the months before Trump took office, and had failed to disclose this during his confirmation hearing. Domestically, the headline-grabbing controversy over the wiretapping claim has pulled attention away from Trump's effort to push through other key items on his agenda, including the planned repeal of Obama's healthcare law, tax reform and his controversial travel ban. Critics say it has also debased the already-coarse tone of political debate in Washington and eroded the president's credibility at home and abroad. Some of the fallout has been international in scope: The White House was forced to retract a charge repeated last week by its spokesman Sean Spicer suggesting that Britain's intelligence services aided the Obama administration in the alleged wiretap. That claim has strained relations with America's closest ally. Still, as recently as Friday, Trump repeated the baseless claim in an aside during a White House press conference with Angela Merkel. "As far as wiretapping, I guess, by this past administration, at least we have something in common, perhaps," Trump told the German chancellor, referring to a WikiLeaks report in 2015 that the US had monitored calls involving Merkel and her top aides for years. Republican Senator Ted Cruz -- Trump's vanquished rival last year for the Republican presidential nomination -- said the wiretapping charges are not entirely "outlandish" and should be investigated. "I think it would be quite good for the administration to put forward what evidence there is," Cruz told CBS television. "You know, I will point out this is not necessarily as outlandish as everyone in the press suggests. We do know that the Obama administration targeted their political enemies... so the notion is not necessarily outlandish, but it's serious," he said. With national debate consumed by talk over Trump's wiretapping claim, Adam Schiff, the top Democratic lawmaker on the intelligence panel, said it is time "to put an end to the goose chase." "What the president said is patently false and the wrecking ball it created has banged into the British allies and German allies and (is) continuing to grow in terms of damage, and he needs to put an end to this," Schiff said on NBC. One Republican lawmaker said the president might be well advised to follow sage parental counsel he received years ago. "To quote my 85-year-old father... 'It never hurts to say you're sorry,'" Representative Will Hurd, a Republican from Texas, told ABC television. "And it's not just sorry to (Obama) but sorry to the (United Kingdom) for the claims -- or the intimation -- that the U.K. was involved in this as well," said Hurd, himself a former intelligence agent. Supporters cheer as an Iranian citizen with a valid US visa arrives at Los Angeles International Airport. (Photo: AP) Los Angeles: As President Donald Trump battles to reinstate his controversial revised travel ban, one overlooked effect has been the havoc wreaked on legal Americans with family abroad. Across the United States, citizens not directly targeted by plans to halt entries from six majority-Muslim nations are nevertheless finding their lives disrupted and families torn apart. Iranian-American Madhis Keshavarz, whose father died on February 16 with relatives unable to visit him in his US hospital bed, is one such victim of the uncertainty. "They stole from my father the chance to say goodbye to the ones he loved the most," the Los Angeles resident said, tears rolling down her cheeks. Trump has said a travel ban is needed to preserve US national security and keep out extremists. His first effort, in January, banned travelers from seven majority-Muslim countries and all refugees but was blocked by a court in Washington state on the grounds that it violated the constitution's prohibition of religious discrimination. That block was upheld on appeal, and the administration said it would revise the ban to better adhere to the law. It aims to close US borders to nationals of Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen for 90 days, and all refugees for at least 120 days. Iraq was on the original ban but removed in the revision. But the new executive order has run into the same problems in Hawaii and Maryland. In the confusion over the initial executive order, Keshavarz's uncle, a German citizen who has visited the US some 30 times, found himself unable to get a visa to attend his brother's death bed, despite having his papers in order. Denied a goodbye "My father was an organ donor. Some American is now walking around breathing because of him, and he was denied the basic right to say goodbye to the ones he loved the most," said Keshavarz, a media strategist. One of her close friends, a Briton who has dual Iranian nationality but has not been there in more than a decade, encountered similar problems when she decided to come to the US to support her grieving friend. As a British national she didn't need a visa but sought advice anyway from US consular officials in London. "They said to her you need a visa. They took her British passport and kept it to review it. She had to wait to get her passport back, so missed her flight," Keshavarz said. Other members of her family have also seen their lives disrupted. "My young cousin who is engaged to be married hasn't been able to see his fiance since the end of last year," Keshavarz said. "She's been waiting for a visa to come and it's on hold. Her status has been floating with no indication of it changing, despite a number of calls to all sorts of people, so all the planning of the wedding is suspended." She acknowledges that some of this bureaucracy already existed under the previous administration but adds that at least people knew the procedure, whereas "now embassies have no idea." Some 400,000 people of Iranian origin, often with dual citizenship, live in and around Los Angeles, among more than one million in total in the US. Leaders in technology "I've always had tons and tons of problems. We never had it easy, even before Trump," said Madhi Rahimi, 31, who works in a Silicon Valley IT research company. "It was always difficult to get the visas. It was always single entry so for many friends and me it meant not going home. That one time I went home it took me four months to come back to the US." Only his mother and younger brother have been able to visit in a decade spent in San Francisco, he says, and their applications took nine months to be approved. Arash Saedinia, a 43-year-old Iranian American who teaches English literature, talks anxiously of a period of intense worry for his entire community. "Green-card holders are now reluctant to leave the country for a short trip to Mexico, to visit family or friends, to take a job overseas," the LA resident said. A list released at the end of 2015 by Persian Tech Entrepreneurs, a group of young Iranian Americans active in technology, showed that many members of the community had reached the top ranks of some of the most powerful players in Silicon Valley. Yet they are still "demonized," says Keshavarz, even though many were forced to flee their homeland in the first place because of Iran's CIA-backed 1953 coup. "Whatever you do you are not viewed as being an American, not treated like one, and it's tiresome," she said. "It's a very deep wound to have consistently to prove yourself and be deemed worthy of a citizenship." Federal Bureau of Investigation Director James Comey will testify before Congress on on what ties President Donald Trump may have with Russia and the allegation that he was wiretapped by Barack Obama. (Photo: AP) Washington: The directors of the FBI and NSA are to give keenly awaited testimony before Congress on Monday, on what ties President Donald Trump may have with Russia and his explosive allegation that he was wiretapped by his predecessor Barack Obama. Federal Bureau of Investigation Director James Comey and Mike Rogers of the National Security Agency will speak publicly for the first time about two issues that have riveted the American public for weeks and further divided the country's two ever-at-odds political parties. The stakes for the tycoon-turned-world-leader could hardly be higher. Comey will testify before the House Intelligence Committee at a hearing aimed at probing Russia's interference in the 2016 election campaign. Rogers is also scheduled to testify. Trump and his entourage's possible ties with the Russia of President Vladimir Putin has been the subject of much speculation since before he was elected on November 8. US intelligence agencies in January took the extraordinary step of stating publicly that they had concluded that hackers working for Russia broke into the email accounts of senior Democrats and released embarrassing ones with the aim of helping Trump defeat Hillary Clinton. Even since then, the question of whether Trump and company were or are somehow in cahoots with Russia has dominated the national conversation. A congressional panel so far has found no evidence that Trump's campaign colluded with Russia, its chairman said Sunday. Based on "everything I have up to this morning -- no evidence of collusion," by Trump's team and Moscow, Representative Devin Nunes, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, told Fox News. "Was there a physical wiretap of Trump Tower? No, but there never was, and the information we got on Friday continues to lead us in that direction," Nunes stressed. Moscow has denied involvement in the hacks, and Trump has denounced the tumult over alleged Russia connections as a "total witch hunt." Monday's hearing was also expected to address a second explosive issue: Trump's unsubstantiated accusations that the Obama administration wiretapped his phone at Trump Tower in New York during the campaign. Trump on March 4 tweeted that Obama had "tapped" his phone -- a charge that has consumed political debate in the US capital. Several congressional panels have launched investigations into Russia's alleged interference, including the House and Senate intelligence committees, which have jurisdiction over the nation's 17 intelligence agencies, and the House and Senate judiciary committees. Beijing: BJP's landslide electoral win in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand validates Prime Minister Narendra Modi's popularity but consolidation of his hold over the party may lead to the total absence of dissent within party ranks, official Chinese media commented on Sunday. "The Prime Minister's popularity has been validated throughout this election, in which he made himself and his actions the main issue in many public speeches. The ability of Modi to deliver landslide victory results like in UP consolidates his position within the party," an article in the state-run Global Times said. "This also means that more policies like demonetisation, which was conceived with little political consultation inside the party, can be anticipated. Modi genuinely believes he can deliver the best solutions to many problems in India," it said. This is the second article in the daily after the UP polls. The article on March 16 said the victory brightened Modi's prospects of return to power in 2019 and has "implications" for India-China ties as it may embolden him to follow a "hardline" approach towards China. Today's article said free hand to Modi in the BJP may lead to absence of dissent in the party. "Generally speaking, a decisive and aggressive leader will also make mistakes. The lack of restraint from the party will probably result in Modi having a free hand to make decisions on more crucial issues. The total absence of dissent in the BJP, unusual for a ruling party in India, is the result of everyone submitting to the authority," the article said. "But, the BJP-led coalition is unlikely to get a full majority in the 245-seat Rajya Sabha until mid-2019, which is sometimes crucial for the passage of bills in the parliament," it noted. Massive wins for the BJP have already prompted investors to bet on a comeback for the BJP-led government in 2019 Lok Sabha elections and continuation of its policies aimed at economic reforms, the article said. "People are now looking forward to witnessing further economic reforms such as rollout of the goods and services tax, faster infrastructure development and job creation. The market is also expecting that in the 2019 election, the BJP will have a majority in Rajya Sabha, facilitating even faster liberalisation," it said. However, based on the current situation, the market may find this goal hard to achieve, it added. "The BJP has achieved dominance but will India be stable? That depends on the performance of the party. It is still uncertain if the BJP can prevail in 2019," the article opined. "As some Indian analysts questioned, will the BJP, beyond occasional inclusive rhetoric, be willing to experiment with less polarisation and forge a larger coalition through expansive spending, a gentler approach to minorities and judicious patron-client processes that could be politically profitable too? We need to wait and see," it said. Beijing: Israel wants to boost cooperation with China in technology, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told China's premier Monday, as he led a large business delegation on a visit to Beijing to promote commercial ties with the Asian giant. Netanyahu said in opening remarks at a meeting with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang that Israel and China could explore "many ways of technological cooperation." Earlier Monday, Netanyahu told a meeting of more than 600 Israeli and Chinese businesspeople that Israel is well-positioned to help China upgrade its products, services and utilities with better technology. "I think that there is an extraordinary capacity for China to assume its rightful place, as it's doing, on the world stage," Netanyahu said. "We are your perfect junior partner for that effort," he said, adding that the governments would sign a series of agreements. "I believe this is a marriage made in heaven." Netanyahu also met with the heads of large Chinese corporations including the conglomerate Dalian Wanda Group, e-commerce giant Alibaba Group, computer maker Lenovo Group and Baidu Inc., an internet search company. "I told them that in today's world there are several concentrations of technology, not many; the U.S., Israel, and Israel is open for business with China," Netanyahu was quoted as saying in a government statement. During his visit, Netanyahu also is to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping, who will host an official banquet. Netanyahu said the countries would discuss a free trade agreement. Netanyahu also told Li that he looked forward to discussing the region's security situation with China. "There is a great deal of convulsion in the world, including in our part of the world and I would like to have the opportunity to exchange views with you and see how we can cooperate together" for stability and peace, he said. Along with playing a more active diplomatic role in the Middle East, Beijing has also been expanding its security presence in the region, including the building of ties with Iran and Saudi Arabia through joint military drills and port visits. China has also backed the government of President Bashar al-Assad in the Syrian conflict. While deepening its ties with Israel, Beijing continues to maintain support for the Palestinian cause and their bid for statehood, reportedly providing the Palestinian National Authority with financial and technical help and training for Palestinian officials. Arnav Uppalapati was arrested by Cary police on Friday after more than a year for the death of his 51-year-old mother Nalini Tellaprolu who worked at Duke Medical Center. Washington: A 17-year-old Indian-American boy has been arrested in North Carolina in connection with killing his mother, in a rare incident of matricide which has sent "shock waves" among the community. Arnav Uppalapati was arrested by Cary police on Friday after more than a year for the death of his 51-year-old mother Nalini Tellaprolu who worked at Duke Medical Center. Tellaprolu was strangled on December 17, 2015 with a plastic bag over her head. Friends of the family were shocked when the police charged Uppalapati with her murder. "It's very devastating. There's never been an incident where a son has taken the life of his own biological mother. It really sends shock waves," Satish Garimella, a Morrisville town councilman of Indian descent, was quoted as saying by the local 'The News&Observer'. Uppalapati was 16 when he reported coming home from school and finding his mother's body in the garage with a plastic bag over her head. Her feet were in the back seat of a car. She may have been beaten before she was strangled, the report said, citing the autopsy report. Uppalapati was a person of interest in the case from the outset, said Wake County District Attorney Lorrin Freeman. One telling clue were early reports that indicated there were no signs of a forced entry into the family's two-story, USD 450,000 home at the Upchurch Farms subdivision, Freeman said. "We're shocked as a community. This was not something we expected to hear. She focused all of her energy on her kids," said Padma Tummala, a long-time friend of Tellaprolu. "I still don't believe it. This is completely out of the blue," said Vijay Javvadi, another family friend. It wasn't clear how police finally broke the case or what motive played a role. Police said in a statement that Uppalapati would be tried on a class B1 felony charge, which is punishable by a maximum sentence of life in prison without parole. Tellaprolu's death was ruled a homicide by the Medical Examiner's Office. Her body was covered with bruises and scratches on her face, neck, torso and arms. There were minor blunt force injuries, and the cartilage in her neck was fractured, the report said. The protesters were seen chanting slogans such as 'stop Baloch genocide'. (Photo: ANI) London: Resenting Pakistan atrocities against the Baloch people, a protest was staged outside the Pakistan Embassy in London on Sunday against activist Zahid Baloch's extrajudicial abduction. Carrying various posters stating 'Baloch students are missing', 'release abducted Baloch women', the protesters were seen chanting slogans such as 'stop Baloch genocide'. Zahid Baloch is ex-chairman of the Baloch Student Organisation (Azad) (BSO). He was abducted on March 18, 2014 in the premises of Balochistan University. Earlier on March 15 this year, armed men kidnapped Balochistan Higher Education Secretary Abdullah Jan from Pakistan's Quetta. Citing police sources, the Dawn reported that unidentified gunmen picked up the official from Quetta's Sabzal Road area when he was on his way to work. Chief Minister Sanaullah Zehri took notice of the kidnapping and directed the Inspector General of Police to ensure his immediate recovery. A search operation was launched in various parts of Quetta to recover the Secretary. Najim Laachraoui and Ibrahim El Bakraoui blew themselves up in the crowded departure hall of the airport early on March 22 last year. (Photo: AFP) Brussels: Belgium this week marks the first anniversary of deadly Islamic State-claimed attacks on the Brussels metro and at the airport which left 32 people dead. Following is a summary of what is known of the young men who carried out the March 22, 2016, attacks and the investigation. 3 suicide bombers Najim Laachraoui and Ibrahim El Bakraoui blew themselves up in the crowded departure hall of the airport early on March 22 last year. Shortly afterwards, Ibrahims brother Khalid attacked Maalbeek metro station in the European Union quarter. Laachraoui, 24, a one-time electrical engineering student who had fought in Syria, is believed to have been the bomb-maker for the November 2015 Paris attacks which left 130 people dead. Ibrahim El Bakraoui, 29, was well known to Belgian police and had tried to go to Syria in 2015 only to be stopped on the Turkish border. His brother Khalid, 27, is also suspected of having help Laachraoui find safe houses for other jihadists, many from Brussels like themselves, who carried out the Paris killings. 2 failed bombers Mohamed Abrini, widely known as the Man in the Hat from video footage of the airport attack, failed to detonate his suicide bomb and was filmed fleeing on foot back to central Brussels where he disappeared. Osama Krayem, 24, seen with Khalid El Bakraoui at a metro station carrying huge backpacks before going their separate ways, also failed to go through with his suicide attack. Krayem, born in Sweden to Syrian parents, apparently hid himself among fleeing refugees to return to Europe from Syria in 2015. Both Abrini and Krayem were arrested in Brussels in early April. Abrini, 32, was a childhood friend of Salah Abdeslam, the only survivor of the Paris jihadist team and who grew up in the gritty Molenbeek district of Brussels. Abrini and Abdeslam were filmed at a service station en route to Paris just before the 2015 attacks there. Suspects held In the immediate aftermath of the Brussels attacks, the authorities carried out extensive raids in the Belgian capital and beyond and these continue, although at a much reduced pace. Those detained as a result are mostly suspected of having helped prepare the metro and airport attacks. Smail Farisi, 32, and Bilal El Makhoukhi, 28, still detained, are believed to be the most important figures. Farisi is said to have set up a safe house for the metro attack while Makhoukhi, known by his nom de guerre from Syria of Abu Imran, has been linked to Ibrahim El Bakraoui. Missing mastermind? Who actually gave the order for the Brussels attacks remains unknown. Federal Prosecutor Frederic Van Leeuw says be believes the order came from very high up in the Islamic State (IS) hierarchy. Investigators have reportedly identified Osama Atar, a Belgian-Moroccan veteran extremist in his 30s who served time in US prisons in Iraq, as the main suspect. A laptop computer found near the safehouse used for the airport attack apparently shows that the Brussels jihadists had been in close contact with Atar. Attack switched to Belgium? The laptop computer also appears to show that the team initially intended to carry out another attack in France but panicked as the police closed in. The key moment was Abdeslams arrest on March 18, just days before the attacks in central Brussels not far from the family home. Taken by surprise by the speed of the investigation (the jihadists) decided to hit Brussels, the federal prosecutors office said. The laptop also contained what some refer to as Ibrahim El Bakraouis last testament in which he expressed fear at being tracked down before they could act. French policemen secure the area at the Paris' Orly airport on March 18, 2017 following the shooting of a man by French security forces. (Photo: AFP) Paris: The father of the French man shot dead at Orly airport in Paris after attacking a soldier said Sunday his son was not a terrorist and that his actions were caused by drink and drugs. My son was not a terrorist. He never prayed and he drank. This is what happens under the influence of drink and cannabis, the father of Ziyed Ben Belgacem told Frances Europe 1 radio. Ben Belgacem triggered a major scare at Orly international airport south of Paris on Saturday morning when he grabbed a female soldier on patrol and put a gun to her head. He seized her assault rifle, saying he wanted to die for Allah and kill others, before being shot dead by the soldiers two colleagues. The lay-out of Orly airport, south of Paris, locating where a man who attacked soldiers on patrol was shot dead. (Photo: AFP) The attack came around two hours after Ben Belgacem, who had several convictions for armed robbery, fired on police after being pulled over for speeding after spending the night in a bar. An officer was lightly injured in that attack in the Garges-les-Gonesse suburb north of Paris, which set in motion a series of events culminating with Ben Belgacems death at the airport. The father, who was released from police custody on Sunday after being questioned, said his son phoned him minutes after the shooting in a state of extreme agitation. He said to me: Daddy, please forgive me. Ive screwed up with a police officer. He then cut short the conversation and drove to the airport, stealing another car en route. His father then presented himself at a police station, where he was later informed of his sons death. Ben Belgacems brother and cousin, who also came forward for questioning Saturday, are still being quizzed by anti-terror investigators. Berlin: Berlin on Sunday blasted Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in a spiralling diplomatic row, saying the strongman had gone too far in accusing Chancellor Angela Merkel of "Nazi" practices. "We are tolerant but we're not stupid," Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel told the Passauer Neue Presse newspaper. "That's why I have let my Turkish counterpart know very clearly that a boundary has been crossed here," he added, calling the Nazi comments "shocking". Erdogan had earlier Sunday accused Merkel personally of "employing Nazi measures" as new rows erupted between the NATO allies over a pro-Kurdish rally and last year's attempted military coup in Turkey. "When we call them Nazis they (Europe) get uncomfortable. They rally together in solidarity. Especially Merkel," Erdogan said in a televised speech. "But you are right now employing Nazi measures," Erdogan said referring to Merkel, pointedly using the informal "you" in Turkish. Julia Kloeckner, the vice-president of Merkel's CDU party, reacted angrily to the comments. "Has Mr. Erdogan lost his mind?" she said, telling journalists she was urging the EU to freeze "financial aid amounting to billions of euros" to Turkey. Tensions have been soaring in recent weeks after authorities in Germany and other EU states refused to allow some Turkish ministers to campaign on their soil for a 'yes' vote in next month's referendum on expanding Erdogan's powers. The split deepened this weekend after German authorities allowed some 30,000 pro-Kurdish demonstrators to rally in Frankfurt, many of them carrying symbols of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) -- which the European Union, like Ankara, regards as a terrorist organisation. Turkey reacted with indignation Sunday after Germany's intelligence chief said he was unconvinced by Turkish assertions that Erdogan's arch-foe, the US-based Islamic preacher Fethullah Gulen, was behind the failed coup in July. Nearly 700 Syrian refugees have been granted one-year humanitarian visas to begin their asylum process in Italy. (Photo: Representational Image/AP) Beirut: Just before midnight in a sleepy district of Beirut, dozens of Syrian refugees huddle in small groups around bulging suitcases, clutching their pinging cellphones and one-way tickets to Italy. "Torino! Pronto! Cappuccino!" They practise random Italian words in a schoolyard in the Lebanese capital's eastern Geitawi neighbourhood, waiting for the buses that will take them to the airport, and onwards to their new lives in Italy. Under an initiative introduced last year by the Italian government, nearly 700 Syrian refugees have been granted one-year humanitarian visas to begin their asylum process in Italy. The programme is the first of its kind in Europe: a speedy third way that both avoids the United Nations lengthy resettlement process and provides refugees with a safe alternative to crammed dinghies and perilous sea crossings. Compared to fervent calls for "extreme vetting" of refugees most famously made by US President Donald Trump, this "humanitarian corridor" is like a godsend. "Turin is the city I've been dreaming of," says Mohammed, 24, a Syrian refugee who has lived in southern Lebanon for five years and is travelling to the northern Italian city with his pregnant wife. After poring over pictures on Google, Mohammed says Turin looks like a "beautiful" industrial hub where he hopes to work. "This trip is a leap into the future. I can build my life anew," he says as he fires off updates by phone to relatives anxious to hear about his journey. "The most important thing we packed? Baby clothes." For 34-year-old Soha and her toddler Angelo, Italy will be an escape from the trauma of Syria's six-year war. "Four years ago a rocket hit our house and killed both my sons, Antoine and Michael. When I got pregnant again, I wanted to take two letters from their names, so I named our new baby Angelo," she says. "We want to start a new life. This is all for my son." Another refugee, Michel, was smuggled into Lebanon earlier this year after being shot in the chest and shoulder in Syria. "I'm going to Rome. I'm looking forward to a new life there, far far away from the difficult lives we've led so far," he says. Tapping his foot nervously as the airport buses pull in, Michel admits he is relieved to be flying directly to Italy because "I don't have to get smuggled again and be humiliated". Hundreds of thousands of people landed last year on Europe's shores after crossing the Mediterranean, but some 4,500 also died trying. A country of just four million people, Lebanon hosts more than one million Syrian refugees. For members of Mediterranean Hope, the four-person team coordinating Italy's resettlement efforts from Lebanon, "humanitarian corridors" are the future of resettlement. The group interviews refugees many times before recommending them to the Italian embassy, which issues humanitarian visas for a one-year stay during which they begin the asylum process for permanent resettlement. "It's safe and legal. Safe for them, legal for us,? says Mediterranean Hope officer Sara Manisera. "After people cross the Mediterranean on the journey of death, they are put into centres for months while they wait. But with this programme, there are no massive centres, it costs less, and refugees can keep their dignity," she tells AFP. The initiative is co-organised by Italy's Catholic Community of Sant'Egidio, the Federation of Evangelical Churches and the Valdese Evangelical Church. Mediterranean Hope says it wants people to stop looking at refugee resettlement through the lenses of security and counter-terrorism. On Wednesday, a federal court in Hawaii halted Trump's reworked travel ban, which again sought to bar all refugees from the US for 120 days and halt visas for 90 days for nationals of six Muslim-majority countries. And earlier this month, Hungary voted to systematically detain all asylum-seekers. "Of course we can continue to build walls as Hungary and the US are doing, but the cost will be much higher for everyone. Which kind of world do we want to live in?" asks Manira. At Beirut airport, Mohammed Khalaf can hardly believe he will start a new life in Rome in just a few hours. "Honestly, it's indescribable. I was in one country, doing everything possible to leave, and suddenly I'm going to be in another," says the slight 21-year-old from Damascus. Khalaf is travelling alone. While he is open about his weeks-long detention in two of Syria's most notorious prisons, he grimly refuses to talk about what happened to his family. He calms his nerves by reciting some Arabic poetry he has written. "I will leave this war. I will go, because my story does not end with something that saddens me... "I will cross over into life, opening her closed doors with my poetry, and with my dream." Beijing: China on Monday warned India not to go against its "core concerns" to avoid disruption in bilateral ties after New Delhi invited the Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama to an international Buddhist seminar in Bihar. "In recent days the Indian side, in total disregard of China's stern representation and strong opposition, insisted on inviting the 14th Dalai Lama to attend the international conference on Buddhism held by the Indian government," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying told reporters here. "China is strongly dissatisfied and firmly opposed to it," she said. "We urge the Indian side to clearly see the anti-China splittist nature of the Dalai group and honour its commitment on Tibet and related questions, respect China's core concerns and avoid China-India relations from being further disrupted and undermined," she said. The 81-year-old Dalai Lama inaugurated an international seminar on Buddhism on March 17 in Rajgir in Bihar's Nalanda district, about 100 km from the capital Patna. Buddhist monks and scholars from various countries participated in the seminar 'Buddhism in 21st Century'. Earlier this month, China had objected to India permitting the Dalai Lama to visit Arunachal Pradesh which it regards as Southern Tibet. China is strongly opposed to the Dalai Lama visiting disputed areas, Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang had said. "China's position on eastern section of 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," he had said. China views the Nobel Peace laureate, who fled into exile in India after a failed uprising against Chinese rule in 1959, as a dangerous separatist. China, in the past, held talks with him for reconciliation after he fled from Tibet. But no such talks were held after President Xi Jinping took over as the new leader in 2012 and Beijing kept pressure on various countries not to host him. Khawaja Asif said delays had been witnessed in the past in the handling of the Kishanganga project. Islamabad: India and Pakistan must respect the landmark Indus Waters Treaty as it is in the interest of both countries, Pakistan's Minister for Water and Power Khawaja Asif said on Monday. Asif's comments came as officials from India and Pakistan today held Indus Water Commission meeting to discuss the designs of three water projects being built by India on the Chenab. "To respect this agreement [the Indus Waters Treaty] and find a solution through it is in the interest of both countries," the minister said. Asif also spoke about the Kishanganga and Ratle hydroelectric projects for which Pakistan is seeking international court of arbitration (ICA) through the World Bank. Asif said delays had been witnessed in the past in the handling of the Kishanganga project. The minister claimed that, "When we [Pakistan] went to the court of arbitration our position was not as strong as it could have been if we had approached the court in a timely manner." However, he said that the country's position regarding the Ratle project is "very strong." "We are working to make changes to the design of the project that are in Pakistan's interest and which are in accordance with the treaty," the minister said. "Since the Indus Waters Treaty was signed [in 1960], no dispute has been handled including the Ratle dam dispute," Asif said, adding, "We are in the position to fully protect our interests." Sharif said he decided on reopening the border because of shared cultural and religious ties between the two nations, as well as the economic losses incurred by the closure. (Photo: File) Pesawar: Pakistan's prime minister ordered the reopening of the country's border with Afghanistan on Monday, ending a protracted closure that has cost businesses on both sides millions of dollars and deepened tensions between the two neighbours. Calling it a "goodwill gesture," Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif ordered the opening of all the crossings along the boundary, considered the busiest and most lucrative border crossings in South Asia. Pakistan closed the border in mid-February following a string of deadly militant attacks that Islamabad has blamed on militants hiding in Afghanistan. Since then, traders have complained of daily losses and prices of goods imported from Pakistan rose sharply in Afghanistan. Pakistan and Afghanistan often accuse the other of harbouring militants. They have also exchanged lists of insurgents each says are hiding in the other's country, demanding action. Afghanistan has also sent Pakistan the location of 23 suspected insurgent training camps it says are operating on its territory. There has been no information from either Kabul or Islamabad that any insurgents have been handed over. Sharif said he decided on reopening the border because of shared cultural and religious ties between the two nations, as well as the economic losses incurred by the closure - despite the presence of militants still in Afghanistan. Ziaul Haq Sarhadi, of a joint Pakistan-Afghan chamber of commerce, urged Sharif's government to move quickly to notify the border administration, which he said was still waiting for instructions to open the border. However, news of the border opening spread quickly and convoys of trucks that had been waiting to cross began moving toward the border later Monday. Lal Rahim Shinwari, president of the Traders Association, told The Associated Press that the opening is late in coming but still welcome. "We have suffered losses on both sides," he said, speaking from Landi Kotal, which is near the border. He said the timing was auspicious as people in Afghanistan are preparing to celebrate the Persian New Year of Nawroz on Tuesday. "We hope that trade and business will flourish without any further interruptions," he added. The deputy spokesman of the Afghan foreign ministry, Khairullah Azad, said that closing borders "can't be the solution to problems and can't help us fight terrorism - that needs a strong commitment and of course, practical action." "Border closure can be harmful and can have negative impact on both Afghanistan and Pakistan, so once again, we appreciate and welcome the decision made to reopen the border," he added. Officials from India and Pakistan discussed problems relating to Indus Basin at the two-day Indus Water Commission meeting which began here today after a gap of nearly two years. The 10-member Indian delegation led by Indus Water Commissioner P K Saxena held a close door meeting with the Pakistani side which was headed by Mirza Asif Saeed. During the meeting, Pakistan was expected to highlight concerns about the three Indian hydro projects being built on the rivers flowing to Pakistan. They are 1000 MW Pakul Dul on Chenab, 120 MW Miyar, located across Miyar Nalla which is a right bank main tributary of River Chenab, and the 43 MW Lower Kalnai hydro project on Lower Kalnai Nalla, a tributary of river Chenab. Pakistan contends that the projects were violating the Indus Water Treaty of 1960, which has come under strain during the current tension between the two sides. Pakal Dul and Lower Kalnai are being built in Jammu and Kashmir at a cost of Rs 7,464 crore (November 2008 price level) and Rs 396 crore respectively. Miyar hydroelectricity project, located in Himachal Pradesh's Lahaul Spiti district, is estimated to cost Rs 1,125 crore. Today's meeting is the 113th session of the Permanent Indus Waters Commission which was established in 1960. The last meeting of the commission was held in 2015. Another meeting planned in September 2016 was cancelled due to tension following the Uri terror attack by Pakistan-based outfits. Pakistan's Minister for Water and Power Khawaja Asif said that Indus Waters Treaty is one of world agreements, which provides amicable solution of serious water issues between Pakistan and India. Addressing a news conference here, Asif today said Secretary level talks on Ratle hyderoelectric plant will begin on 12th of next month in Washington between the two countries. Asif expressed the hope that things will move in the positive direction as a result of meeting between Permanent Indus Commissioners of Pakistan and India. He said outstanding problems relating to Indus Basin will be discussed during the meeting, Radio Pakistan reported. Khawaja Asif said the two-day meeting will discuss the design aspects of Pakal Dul, Lower Kalnai and Miyar hydroelectric plants, flood data supply by India. He said Pakistan has welcomed the readiness of India for talks at Indus Water Commissioners level. To a question, he said Pakistan is pressing for implementation of arbitration court's decision on Kishanganga. RSS did not interfere in the selection of Yogi Adityanath as Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister, M Venkaiah Naidu, who was BJP's central observer for election of the state legislature party leader, said today. Amid criticism over BJP going for Hindutva hardliner Yogi Adityanath as the Uttar Pradesh chief minister, Naidu said it was the legislators who decided on the leader and that is the system in the party. He asked the Opposition to be "graceful in defeat", accept the mandate of the people and give a "fair opportunity" to the new chief minister. "It is the legislators under the Parliamentary party board that decide the leader. That is the system in the BJP. RSS never interferes or suggests any names (for the chief minister's post)," Naidu told PTI. The Union minister also maintained that after discussions with the elected MLAs, he had conveyed their views to BJP national president Amit Shah. "Then, I had a meeting of the legislators. In that meeting, Yogi Adityanath's name was proposed by Suresh Khanna and nine others seconded it. "All the legislators stood up and unanimously agreed to the name. So this is the decision of the MLAs of Uttar Pradesh which was approved by the central party," Naidu said. His remarks come in the backdrop of allegations levelled by opposition parties such as BSP that BJP's wants to contest the 2019 polls not on the issue of development, but by "polarising the voters". "That is why they have made an RSS man the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh," BSP supremo Mayawati said yesterday. Adityanath took charge as the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh yesterday after BJP's landslide victory in the state polls. Naidu, who is a former BJP president, said that the chief minister has already declared that he would work with all sections of the society without any discrimination. Taking a dig at the Opposition, he said they are not able to digest the massive mandate given to the BJP. "I appeal to them to be graceful in defeat and respect the mandate of the people and wait to see the performance." Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that if Uttar Pradesh develops, then India develops and the focus is on "saab ka saath saab ka vikas", the Minister said. "Adityanath knows the spirit of the Prime Minister's statement. Yogi Adityanath is above caste but, unfortunately, some people are attributing caste to him," Naidu said. "So it is very unfair on the part of anybody including our political rivals to criticise him without giving a fair opportunity to the newly elected chief minister," Naidu said. Stressing that Adityanath would "prove critics wrong", Naidu said the poll result is a "good sign" that politics is becoming inclusive. "After seeing what happened in the state elections, I feel caste and religion based politics will become a matter of the past.... Now people want development, inclusive development," he said. The head priest of Hazrat Nizamuddin Dargah, who along with another cleric had gone missing in Pakistan for days, returned home today with their disappearance still shrouded in mystery amid reports they had been picked up by the ISI. 80-year-old Syed Asif Nizami, the chief priest of the sufi shrine and his nephew Nazim Ali Nizami flew back by a Pakistan International Airlines flight and met External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, who had taken up their case with Pakistan Prime Minister's Adviser on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz. Though the two clerics did not divulge much about what happened during this period, Asif Nizami, however said, he was blindfolded and taken to some undisclosed place. "I was sitting at the Lahore Airport, carrying my boarding pass when suddenly some people came and told me there were some details lacking in my passport. "When the flight was about to depart, I was asked to accompany them. I felt helpless. Soon 8-10 people surrounded me and I was taken out through another gate," he said. Asif Nizami said they "put a cloth over my head and took us somewhere." He, however, said the stay was "comfortable" and the room he was kept in had bed, pillows and an AC. Union Ministers of State M J Akbar and V K Singh, besides Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar were present when the clerics met Swaraj. Both the clerics briefly met reporters here but did not throw much light on their disappearance last Wednesday. While Asif Nizami had gone missing from Karachi airport, his nephew Nazim disappeared from Lahore airport before news broke on Saturday that they had been traced. However, Sajid Nizami, son of Asif Nizami, alleged that the duo was "taken away" after a news report appeared in a Karachi-based Urdu daily which claimed they had links with Indian external intelligence agency RAW. On reports that both of them could not be contacted as they were in interior Sindh where there was no communication network, Nazim Ali Nizami strongly rejected the claim. "We did not have visa for Sindh interior region, so how could we have gone there? The reports that we could not be contacted because of network issues is totally false," Nazim told reporters. On whether they were detained by Pakistani authorities, Sajid said, "Yes". When asked if ISI was involved in their disappearance and whether they were harassed, Sajid said "no force or coercion was used" against them. After meeting Swaraj, Nazim Ali Nizami thanked the Indian government, particularly the minister, for their safe return and said they had gone to the neighbouring country with a message of peace and love. "We were not among those who were involved in any illegal activities. We had gone to Pakistan to spread the message of love and peace. Some people may not have liked our message. I will again go to Pakistan with greater resolve," he said. Nizami also thanked the Pakistan government for the cooperation extended by it to enable their return. Pakistani newspaper Ummat had in a report claimed that the clerics worked for RAW and Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) movement, an organisation of Muslims who had migrated to Pakistan from India during partition. The MQM has been often locked in confrontation with the Pakistani establishment. The two clerics were given a warm welcome on their return to the dargah and special prayers were offered to "thank the Almighty" for their safe return. Two two clerics had gone to Lahore on March 8 but went missing last week following which India took up the issue with Islamabad. The main purpose of the visit of Asif to Pakistan was to see his 90-year-old sister in Karachi. On Saturday, Pakistan had conveyed to India that the clerics had been traced and had reached Karachi. Some Pakistani media reports had said the two had been in "interior Sindh where there was no communication network" and that was why they could not inform their relatives about their whereabouts. Earlier, Pakistani sources had said they were in the custody of Pakistan's intelligence agency over their alleged links with MQM. When asked as to why they were "interrogated", Nazim said they were asked about their visa and other immigration details. "We thank Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and Swaraj and well wishers from all religions who prayed for our return," Nazim said. The NIA today issued a second notice to controversial Islamic preacher Zakir Naik asking him to appear before it on March 30 in a case filed against him under an anti-terror law. The agency had early this month issued the first summons to him asking him to appear on March 14. Officials said Naik has been summoned at the National Investigation Agency's headquarters here. The notice has been sent to the Mumbai residence of 51-year-old Naik, who is believed to be staying in Saudi Arabia to evade arrest after his activities came under scanner following accusations that he had inspired some of the terrorists who attacked a cafe in Dhaka last year. An FIR against Naik and his associates was registered by the NIA in November last year. The physician-turned-preacher has been booked for allegedly promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony. Sections of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) have also been slapped on him. In the FIR, the NIA alleged that Naik incited Muslim youths to commit unlawful and terrorist acts, the official said. The Centre had declared Islamic Research Foundation (IRF), an NGO based at Dongri in south Mumbai, an unlawful organisation under the UAPA. The Delhi High Court had recently upheld the decision to immediately ban IRF saying the organisation and its president and members were indulging in "unlawful activity". Besides the IRF, Naik is also founding trustee of the IRF Educational Trust and the Islamic Dimensions Trust. The speeches of Naik are banned in the UK, Canada and Malaysia. Naik has rejected all allegations of involvement in terror-related activities and opposed ban on the IRF. A 20-year-old student was molested and her male friend roughed up after a fracas over traffic rules in Chikkajala on Sunday. The incident took place on Airport Road near A2B restaurant at Vidyanagar Cross. When tempers ran high, the victim said, she had told a man violating traffic rules to speak in Hindi or English, and he in turn told her to learn Kannada. On Monday, police arrested four men in connection with the incident: Manjunath and Krishna, both lorry drivers, Ravi, salesman in a private company, and Praveen, employee in a photocopy shop. All are residents of Sonnappanahalli. The girl and her friend Santosh (name changed) were returning on a two-wheeler after dinner at a restaurant when they noticed a scooter approaching them head-on. The vehicles stopped face to face. Manjunath, on the scooter, had no headlights and was riding in the wrong direction, according to the complaint. When the girl questioned him, he said it was a service road on which two-way traffic was allowed. The girl and Santosh then asked Manjunath about the headlight. This triggered a heated argument. Manjunath snatched the key of their bike. When the girl and Santosh asked Manjunath to speak in English or Hindi, Manjunath abused them in foul language and slapped Santosh, police said. The complaint said the victim rushed to Santoshs help, but was overpowered by a crowd which had gathered by then. Some men pushed her and touched her inappropriately, she told the police. She started crying and pleaded to be allowed to go, but they continued to molest her, the complaint said. Some in the crowd said it was better for the two to go back to where they came from, she told the police. Santosh snatched the key back and the two escaped, but were chased for a distance by a few men. After they reached a safe place, she called up her mother, who informed the police control room.The mother was unable to give us the location as she did not know where they were. The girl then reached home, went to the Chikkajala police station and lodged a complaint, said a senior police officer. Phone picture helped police Police visited the spot in Chikkajala on the northern outskirts of Bengaluru, and began investigation. We had a photograph of Manjunath clicked by the victim on her phone, a police officer said. It helped us make the arrests. Police are collecting CCTV footage from buildings in the vicinity to see if others were involved. The girl and her friend are shaken badly, but not injured, police said. 'Mohabbat ka silsila jari rahna chahiye' (efforts to build peace and amity must continue) -- said one of the two clerics from Hazrat Nizamuddin Dargah, on returning home from Pakistan where they had gone missing under mysterious circumstances. Despite the hardship faced in the last few days, the two clerics from Delhi's iconic shrine, are filled with anything but acrimony. "Whatever we faced during this time, should not mean that India and Pakistan should have another reason to feel bitter about each other. In fact, the efforts to build peace and amity must continue even more," Sufi cleric Nazim Ali Nizami told PTI in an interview. Ali Nizami and 80-year-old Syed Asif Nizami, 'Sajjadanashin' of the holy shrine were given a warm reception at the Nizamuddin mausoleum, where special prayers were offered to "thank the almighty" for their return. "We are Sufis and Sufism teaches us the message of love ('paigam-e-mohabbat'). We had gone to Pakistan to spread that message. Some people may not have liked our message. But, I will again go to Pakistan, and go there with greater resolve," he said. News reports had claimed the two clerics were detained by Pakistan's spy agency ISI over suspicion of their links with India's external spy agency RAW and Muttahida Qaumi Movement in that country. Pakistani newspaper Ummat had in a report claimed that the clerics worked for RAW and MQM, an organisation of Muslims who migrated from India to Pakistan after partition and has often been locked in confrontation with the establishment there, a charge strongly rejected by the cleric. "The main purpose of the visit was to visit shrine of Baba Farid and and Data Darbar. I keep visiting Pakistan but my uncle (Asif) was visiting after 26 years to meet his nearly 90-year-old sister in Karachi," Ali Nizami said. Ali Nizami said "aman-chain ki taraf kadam badhne chahiye, (We must work towards peace and amity)" and more and more people should visit each other from both sides of the border. He appealed to both India and Pakistan to increase people-to-people contact as part of peace-building efforts. "I would even appeal to both New Delhi and Islamabad to increase the number of visas so that more and more people can travel and know each other," he added. The two clerics had gone to Lahore on March 8 but disappeared in the middle of last week following which India took up the issue with Islamabad. They were offloaded from Karachi-bound Shaheen Airlines on March 14 at the Allama Iqbal International Airport, Lahore, the Pakistani sources had said. Two top US spymasters today trashed President Donald Trump's allegation that his Trump Tower was wiretapped on the orders of his predecessor Barack Obama, saying there is no evidence to support the claim. "With respect to the president's tweets about alleged wiretapping directed at him by the prior administration, I have no information that supports those tweets, and we have looked carefully inside the FBI," FBI Director James Comey told the powerful House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. Responding to a question from the members on Trump's allegation, Comey said the Justice Department had also looked for evidence to support Trump's allegation that his Trump Tower in New York - the headquarters of his presidential campaign - was wiretapped but could not find any. "The Department of Justice has asked me to share with you that the answer is the same for the Department of Justice and all its components, the department has no information that supports those tweets," Comey said, noting that no US president can unilaterally order a wiretap. Admiral Michael Rogers, Director of the National Security Agency and Commander of US Cyber Command, also spoke on the same lines asserting he has seen no evidence of wiretapping as alleged by Trump through his tweets. Trump has alleged that Obama had ordered wiretapping of the Trump Tower in the run up to the November 8 presidential election. His accusation had led to a huge uproar in the US and an Obama aide had to come forward to reject the charge. Trump's allegation had also triggered a diplomatic row with Britain recently, as Trump and aides cited a discredited report by an American television network that Obama asked a British intelligence agency to tap him. The British government had objected to the claim and the Trump administration had assured London that the White House will not use the allegations again. Soon after Comey's Congressional hearing, Democrats demanded that Trump apologise to Obama. "President Trump owes the American people and President Obama more than just an explanation, but an apology. He should admit he was wrong, stop the outlandish Tweets, and get to work on behalf of this country," said Senate majority leader Charles Schumer. "The FBI director has now confirmed what members from both parties in both the House and the Senate have said: 'President Obama did not order a wiretap on Trump Tower'. No matter what else happened, there are no ifs, ands, or buts about it President Obama wiretapping Trump Tower did not happen," he said. "By tweeting this claim and attempting to put unproven theories from the fringes of the American media into the mainstream, President Trump has severely damaged his credibility, which is essential to being president. He needs to retract his claim immediately," Schumer alleged. I start with a question. Has the word forest become more prevalent in our everyday vocabulary, no matter which walk of life we come from? I mean, how often do we see, read or refer to a mention of this term. Lets explore a few possibilities. The word sometimes comes across in news with a statistical enumeration of the tree cover that India has and whether we are falling short of our policy goals. At other times, there is an appeal that trees need to be protected as they give a whole deal of services to human beings. Good air, water, a peek into wildlife, a fine trek and much else our environmental mind would desire. Then, there are occasions when the reference is that of a contest. Should part of the Panna Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh be submerged because India is experimenting with the idea of interlinking of rivers or is the habitat of the black-necked crane more important than Indias strategic dam building in Arunachal Pradesh? Mini hydel projects or wind power are the alternatives for many rational minds, but when located in the fragile Western Ghats of Karnataka and the endangered Shola forests in the Nilgiris, power generation is far from being benign. Another mention comes when the collision is between forest dependent livelihoods and enclosing space for wild and endangered species. When there is limited forest available, should local villagers have the first right, should they be relocated because it is a critical elephant, rhino or tiger habitat? A classic People-Parks controversy known world over. Investing in forests Every year, March 21 marks the International Day of Forests. The United Nations has linked this recognition to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. This year, the theme is Forests and Energy. From planting trees in urban areas to reduce global warming to creating carbon stocks by increasing plantations, all activities are driven by this approach. Forests are also being promoted as being important for renewable energy, given the dependence of rural areas on wood as cooking fuel or heating. However, these ideas come directly in conflict with the policy approach to forest conservation in two ways. First, large tracts of forests are being diverted for dams, coal or nuclear power stations to feed the rising energy demand of industrial and urban infrastructure. Second, the creation of carbon stocks remains an offset mechanism increasingly criticised for the limited conservation gains and larger livelihood impacts at a global scale. The key role forests play in supporting water systems was recognised in 2016. Baan Ki Moon, the then Secretary General of the United Nations, called the investment in forests an insurance policy for the planet. This statement can open up a detailed area of enquiry on whether the statement was looking at a private sector financial investment in forestry, prioritisation by governments to conserve forests and related livelihoods or simply minimising damage by users, especially large corporations. According to the State of the Forest Report 2015, there is an increase in forest cover in the country by 3,775 sq km as compared to the 2013 assessment by the Forest Survey of India (FSI). It has been claimed that 21.24% of the geographical area of the country amounting to 7,01,673 sq km is in fact forest. Interestingly, the same report also talks about a net decline of 628 sq km in the forest cover of north-eastern states. If one is to go by this, although the country is still far from the policy goal of 33% forest cover, there is hope that with the increase in forests, the target might be achievable; at least that is the narrative FSIs report would like all of us to believe in. Diversions & compensations But these figures have received criticism from two points of view. First, on account of the methodology used to arrive at this figure and, second, does the record of land under forest actually mean that the quality of forests is intact. A paper published in Current Sciences May 2014 issue responded to these questions. The paper titled, Forest area estimation and reporting: implications for conservation, management and REDD+, pointed out that even though a forest is actually cut down and is replaced by a plantation, the FSIs methodology would still regard that as forest in their assessment. Even though an increase in the forest would be recorded, it would be devoid of the understanding that plantations cannot be equated with long standing forests. This is both for the ecological and livelihood roles these forests would have been holding for generations. The net gain recorded in FSIs 2015 State of Forest report, would also then need to be evaluated. Creation of plantations takes form in two ways. First, does the age-old practice of forest departments to plant fast growing tree species feed the requirement of timber for different sectors? In fact, our colonial Indian Forest Act, 1927 was designed to generate revenue and there are dedicated divisions of forestry which specialise in this task. The second, and more controversial, has been the process of diversion of forests for non-forest use. The process where existing forests can be used for activities such as mining, industry, transmission line, railways, ports is embedded within Section 2 of the Forest Conservation Act, 1980. A decision is taken following a paper trail between a potential user agency, the state government and the ministry of environment in Delhi. Every inch of land that changes hands from being a lived forest to a standing instance of extraction, it means much more than a sign off by the government. The lived experience is 13 blasts in a go from the neighbourhood mine taking attention away from the fragrant rice meal to whether the roof will come rolling down the cracks. It is understanding that the high altitude grazing areas might never be accessible again as they are cordoned off for hydropower. The elephants that were distant visitors, occasionally straying into the village for mahua would now be raiding farmlands as their migratory routes are either fenced or dug deep into. There are compensatory afforestation and other ameliorative measures in law. Every hectare of forest diverted requires the user agencies to ensure equal amount of forest land or double the amount of degraded forest land to be planted over. In addition, there are other financial measures like the payment of Net Present Value. This has meant that an amount close to Rs 40,000 crore is available for all of the above. The official claim is that each state government could receive Rs 6,000 crore after the passing of the CAMPA Act, 2016, last year. If only, money could buy you a forest! Leave alone the fallacy of recreating a lost patch of forest and all that which lived with it, the assessment of how poorly the practice of compensatory afforestation has faired, has been brought out not once but several times by supreme audit institutions like the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India, the last being in 2013. Forest rights After 2006, the forest story saw another twist. On the one hand, it is viewed as the politicisation of forest governance with tribal and forest dwelling communities establishing their claim by seeking recognition of existing rights. On the other, it is a bureaucratic exercise of settling the stake, so that further acquisitions can be streamlined. The Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act 2006, has seen its high and struggled with a low, in all of 10 years of its existence. It has given the forest dweller a voice and, at the same time, complicated the contest between the traditional right holder, the revenue arm and forestry arm of government (not always in coherence), and user agencies awaiting approvals for diversion. As in the case of Ghatbarra village in Chhattisgarh, this would mean that community forest rights once granted are cancelled because they are affecting mining activity in the area. The above law enabling the process of recognising rights does not give government the power to take them away. The proposal to construct the Athirapally dam in Kerala has been revived once again. Blocks across coal fields in central-eastern India are back on the list of environmental approvals in a big way with power plants awaiting linking up to receive the raw material. We can celebrate and make people aware on this International Day of Forests. But it isnt going a long way if governments dont reprioritise and citizens dont elect governments that are likely to do so. US President Donald Trump today accused the Democratic party of making up allegations about his campaign's links with Russia and the Russian interference in the presidential poll, saying federal investigators should now instead probe the media leaks of classified information. "The Democrats made up and pushed the Russian story as an excuse for running a terrible campaign. Big advantage in Electoral College & lost!" Trump said in a tweet, trashing the Democratic party's allegations about Russian meddling in the November 8 polls that brought the real-estate tycoon to power. The Trump campaign's possible links with top Russian officials, which Trump has vehemently denied, was one of the main election issue and dominated the news cycle since his election and even after his inauguration on January 20. Trump campaign's alleged links with Russian President Vladimir Putin have been the subject of intense debate and even more of speculation since his election. Trump's taking aim at the Democrats came as FBI Director James Comey testified before the House Committee on Intelligence, where he said the federal agency was probing the allegations of Russian meddling in the presidential elections and the possible collusion between Trump campaign and Russia. In a series of tweets before Comey's hearing, Trump said the "real story" the Congress and the FBI should be looking into was leaking of classified information to the media. "The real story that Congress, the FBI and all others should be looking into is the leaking of classified information. Must find (the) leaker now!" he said. Trump also referred to statements by former spymaster James Clapper the Director of the National Intelligence that the Trump campaign had no collusion with the Russians. "James Clapper and others stated that there is no evidence POTUS (President of the United States) colluded with Russia. This story is FAKE NEWS and everyone knows it!" Trump said. "What about all of the contact with the Clinton campaign and the Russians? Also, is it true that the DNC would not let the FBI in to look?" he said, suggesting without evidence that his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton's campaign may have some connections with Russia. US intelligence agencies have not raised the possibility of contacts between Clinton campaign and Russia publicly. They, however, had in January took the unusual step, stating they believe Russian hackers broke into the accounts of senior Democratic leaders with the aim of helping Trump in the polls. Meanwhile in another tweet, the US president continued his fight with the mainstream media slamming CNN for conducting an opinion poll. "Just heard Fake News CNN is doing polls again despite the fact that their election polls were a WAY OFF disaster. Much higher ratings at Fox," Trump said. The first rigorous test of an expensive new drug that radically lowers cholesterol levels found that it significantly reduced the chance that a high-risk patient would have a heart attack or stroke. These were men and women who had exhausted all other options. The results of the study, which cost about $1 billion and was paid for by Amgen, maker of the drug, were published Friday last in The New England Journal of Medicine and presented at the annual meeting of the American College of Cardiology. The drug, Repatha, is called a PCSK9 inhibitor and can make cholesterol tumble to levels almost never seen naturally in adults, or even in people taking cholesterol-lowering statins. The Amgen drug and a similar one, sold by Sanofi and Regeneron, were approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 2015 with the hope and expectation that they would lower the risk of heart attacks and strokes, and not just reduce levels of LDL cholesterol, the dangerous kind. That hope has now been realised for the Amgen drug. This is like the era of the statins coming in, said Dr Eugene Braunwald, a cardiologist at Harvard Medical School who was founding chairman of the research group that conducted the study, but was not an investigator on it. Like statins, which were introduced in the 1980s, the new class of drugs has the potential to improve the health and longevity of millions of Americans with heart disease, the nations leading killer, accounting for one in four deaths. Its a new ballgame, he said. But cost will be an issue. Statins are available as cheap generics. The new drugs have a list price of $14,523 a year. The next big challenge is financial: how to pay for it, said Dr David Maron, director of preventive cardiology at Stanford, who also was not involved in the study. Insurance companies have been reluctant to pay for the drug without evidence it protected high-risk patients from heart attacks and strokes. Kristine Grow, a spokeswoman for the insurers organisation Americas Health Insurance Plans, said insurers would consider the new data. Investors greeted the trial results with initial disappointment and appeared to assume that insurers would continue to restrict access to the drug, in part because it did not show a benefit in overall death rates from cardiovascular causes. Amgens stock was down more than 6% Friday morning, as was the stock of Regeneron, which sells a competing drug, Praluent. Ronny Gal, an analyst for Bernstein, estimated that insurers would have to pay nearly $1 million to prevent one event in a patient and said in a note to investors that while use of the drug would expand, it would do so gradually. The tension between patient benefit and the very high price charged for it will remain, in our view, the dominant issue, he wrote. Dr Harlan Krumholz, a Yale cardiologist, agreed that given the expense of the drug, the results raise questions about what it is worth and who should get it. But he called the study a solid outcomes trial and said we should celebrate that it showed the drug is capable of reducing risk. The problem, he said, was that expectations were running so high. There was a lot of hubris about how pushing LDL down to 30 would eliminate heart disease, he said. Of course, it did not. About 10% of patients taking the drug had a heart attack or stroke, or died of heart disease during the trial. The study involved 27,564 men and women. About 80% had already had a heart attack, and the rest had had a stroke or had pain in their legs and feet from narrowed arteries. They were taking optimal doses of inexpensive, cholesterol-lowering statins, which gave them an average LDL of 92, well within the range an LDL of under 100 that has been advised for high-risk patients. All continued with their statins, but half were assigned to inject themselves with Repatha, also known as evolocumab, and the rest were assigned a placebo. Those taking the new drug reached an average LDL of 30. A quarter of participants got to an LDL of 19 or lower. Amgen estimates that about 11 million Americans are eligible to take the drug. They include people like those in the study and people who have a genetic condition, familial hypercholesterolemia, that results in intractably high LDL levels and a grave risk of a heart attack. Amgen maintains that its drug is worth the price and that by preventing heart attacks and strokes, it will also prevent the costs associated with treating patients with worsening conditions. But the drug would need to be taken for life, and the bill for its widespread use could potentially be huge. Encouraging results For cardiologists, the study was a crucial test of a long-held hypothesis: the lower the level of cholesterol in the blood, the better. The results support that hypothesis. There seemed to be no floor to the benefits of cholesterol lowering, at least down to the stunningly low levels achieved in the study. The lower the LDL, the lower the risk, with no levelling off of the linear relationship. Maron said the results were incredibly important, adding, The future looks brighter for patients with established coronary disease. But Dr Rita Redberg, a cardiologist at the University of California, San Francisco, tempered her enthusiasm, saying she would like to see what happens to the death rates over a longer period of time. Redberg also worried about the potential for bias because Amgen paid for the study, helped design it, collected the data and helped write the paper. The data analysis was done independently by a team of academic researchers, led by Dr Marc Sabatine, chairman of a cardiovascular research group called TIMI at Brigham and Womens Hospital, a teaching hospital for Harvard Medical School. Participants in the study who used Amgens drug for 2.2 years were 20% less likely to die from heart disease, have a heart attack or have a stroke (816 patients taking evolocumab had one of those outcomes, compared with 1,013 taking the placebo). There was a 15% reduction in the combined risk of having a heart attack or stroke or dying from cardiovascular disease, being hospitalisd for worsening chest pain, or having a stent inserted to open a blocked artery (1,344 evolocumab patients versus 1,563 placebo patients). The absolute reduction in the risk of a heart attack or stroke was 1.3% at two years, Amgen said, and 2% at three years. That means that 74 high-risk patients would have to be treated for two years to prevent one heart attack or stroke or death from heart disease and that at three years 50 would have to be treated. Extrapolating, the authors predicted that after five years, just 17 high-risk patients would have to be treated. Reducing the risk of a heart attack or stroke by 20% is a pretty big reduction, Sabatine said. He and others predicted that the risk would be reduced further as time went on, as it does in patients taking statins. He noted that that effect was already emerging, with a 25% reduction in the second year. A Karnataka Administrative Service (KAS) officer sustained minor injuries after he was attacked by bike-borne miscreants on Sunday morning. The incident took place when he was taking a walk at Sir M Visvesvaraya Layout in Jnanabharathi. The police said the victim, Jagadish, works as an officer with the Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board. Two persons came on a bike and waylaid him. One of them got down and tried to stab Jagadish, but the officer ducked. He assaulted Jagadish and fled. Jagadish sustained injuries and was shifted to a private hospital where he is undergoing treatment. Doctors said Jagadish had only sustained bruises and was out of danger. A case has been registered at the Annapoorneshwari police station and efforts are on to trace the assaulters. The motive of the attackers is yet to be ascertained. Demonetisation has laid shadow economy to rest and has got huge support from people, which was reflected in the recent state Assembly elections, Minister of State for Finance Arjun Ram Meghwal said in the Lok Sabha on Monday. During the debate on Supplementary Demand for Grants for 2016-17, Meghwal said consumption, investment and exports, the three components of GDP will slowly see a rising trend, which the critics said has been hurt by demonetisation. Demonetisation will reduce the rich-poor divide. It has dealt a heavy blow to the shadow economy, which was 33.7% of Indian economy as per the World Bank report. The positive impact is going to be higher GDP growth as consumption, investment and exports, which are three components of the economy, will get a boost, Meghwal said. Meghwal also rejected the oppositions criticism that the several measures taken by the government were mere slogans and have not really helped the economy in the real sense, saying they were not merely slogans but actual work done on the ground. Were Digital India, Swachh Bharat, Make in India, Stand-Up India mere slogans? No, due to these, India has achieved the desired growth path, he said. The Lok Sabha later passed the Supplementary Demand for Grants for 2016-17 and Demand for Grants for 2017-18 of various ministries. Supplementary Demand for Grants is a constitutional obligation and this batch included additional allocation of Rs 3,500 crore for Price Stabilisation Fund, Rs 3,252 crore for implementation of One-Rank, One-Pension among others, Meghwal said. Controversial Islamic preacher Zakir Naik was dealt twin blows on Monday, with the Enforcement Directorate (ED) attaching assets and the National Investigation Agency (NIA) issuing a second notice. The ED attached properties of the Naik-led Islamic Research Foundation (IRF) and others worth Rs 18.37 crore, which included bank balance and investment in mutual funds and real estate. The agency had registered a case of money laundering against the organisation based on an FIR registered by NIA in November. Naik and his associates were accused of indulging in unlawful activities and through his provocative utterances, promoting enmity and hatred between different religious groups in India. The ED was prompted to take action after Naik avoided all the four summons. The agency claimed that he generated income through provocative speeches and it was either routed and transferred or utilised for the purpose other than stipulated. A Provisional Attachment Order attaching mutual fund having value of Rs. 9.41 crore of IRF, a godown having value of Rs 0.68 crore of M/s Harmony Media Pvt Ltd and a school building valued at Rs 7.05 crore belonging to the Islamic Education Trust, Chennai, has been issued, an ED statement said. The NIA, on the other hand, issued a second notice to Naik, asking him to appear in its Delhi office on March 30 in a case registered under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. DH News Service The opposition to SBIs controversial decision to charge depositors for not maintaining minimum balance echoed in the Rajya Sabha on Monday. CPM member K K Ragesh said the poor should not be penalised for opening accounts at the prodding of the government. Raising the issue during Zero Hour, Ragesh sought the governments immediate intervention in reversing the SBI decision, fearing other banks would also follow suit. He said the decision is to resolve the crisis faced by banks at the expense of the poor. The MP said the move to impose penalty by the largest bank in the country for not maintaining minimum balance, increased from Rs 500 to Rs 5,000, would affect around 31 crore depositors. Other banks would follow suit and also impose such charges and it would affect depositors, he added. This is not going to affect the rich but poor people would be affected. The poor have opened accounts, they are doing digital transactions after the government said so. You are penalising them for obeying the government, he said. Ragesh pointed out that the poor are not responsible for the deep crisis faced by the banks. The crisis is mainly due to corporate lending. This is responsible for Non Performing Assets (NPAs). What has the banks and other authorities done to reclaim it, he asked. You are not acting against the corporate sector. You are actually waiving off their loans. You are trying to resolve the crisis at the expense of the poor. The decision of the SBI is nothing but the loot of poor and common man, he said. The Supreme Court on Monday said it will focus on filling vacancies before looking into a plea for increasing the strength of judges. The court also maintained that vacancies were being filled on a war footing as Memorandum of Procedure, the guiding document for appointment of judges in the high courts and the Supreme Court, has been cleared. A three-judge bench presided over by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Justice J S Khehar disposed of a batch of PILs for speeding up the process of appointment of judges. We have filled up some of the vacancies. The Memorandum of Procedure is already cleared. In most of the HCs, the strength is just half. Before asking for more (increasing the number of judges), we have to fill up the existing vacancies, said the bench, also comprising Justices D Y Chandrachud and Sanjay Kishan Kaul. The decision taken by the Justice Khehar-led bench was in contrast to the tough stand of previous CJI Justice T S Thakur, who had rebuked the NDA government for its failure to quickly process the recommendations made by the Collegium. Justice Thakur had once turned emotional in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He repeatedly demanded increase in the number of judges in subordinate judiciary. Taking up the petitions, including one filed by BJP leader and advocate Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay, the court on Monday noted that the number of posts of judges in the high courts had already been increased by 25% but half of them remained vacant. Notably, more than 200 vacancies in high courts and around 4,900 vacancies in the subordinate courts were yet to be filled. The bench also pointed out that a committee of senior judges in the Supreme Court has been recently constituted to examine the issues pertaining to judicial appointments and for streamlining and expediting the system. This committee has been getting inputs from high courts and other agencies. The committee has invited chief justices of all high courts to sit together and suggest ways and means to streamline and expedite the process, the court said. In a landmark judgement, the Uttarakhand High Court on Monday accorded the status of living human entities to the Ganga and Yamuna, two of Indias most sacred rivers. Exercising extraordinary jurisdiction vested in the court, a division bench of Justices Rajeev Sharma and Alok Singh said, The holy rivers Ganga and Yamuna have been declared to be treated as living human entities. Agreeing with advocate M C Pant, the court cited the example of river Whanganui in New Zealand, which has been given such a status. Giving the legal status of living humans to the holy rivers, the court ordered that the director, Namami Gange project, for cleaning and rejuvenating the river, the chief secretary and the advocate general of Uttarakhand will act as the legal parents of the holy rivers and work as the human face to protect, conserve and preserve them and their tributaries. Meanwhile, on a PIL filed by Haridwar resident Mohammad Salim, the court ordered the Dehradun district magistrate to remove encroachment from the Shakti canal of the Ganga at Dhakrani within 72 hours. It ordered that the district magistrate be suspended if he failed to comply with the directive. The Bihar Staff Selection Commission (BSSC) question paper leak case appears to be getting murkier, with one more IAS officer facing imminent arrest. The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the case has reportedly despatched its team to New Delhi to hunt down the absconding official, who is believed to be hiding in the national capital. The 1991-batch IAS officer, C K Anil, is currently posted as an officer on special duty at the Bihar Staff Selection Commission. The SIT had issued two notices to Anil to appear before agency chief Manu Maharaj, and explain his conduct. Anil has been charged with facilitating the escape of his senior officer Sudhir Kumar, who was the then chairman of BSSC when the question papers of the recruitment examinations were leaked in January this year. Sudhir Kumar, the 1987-batch IAS officer, was arrested from Hazaribagh last month, but following intense investigation, the involvement of C K Anil was also found to be true. It was against this backdrop that the SIT served him notices through mail, and also posted it to his official and residential addresses. But neither did he respond ever nor appear before the SIT. He has now gone underground, an official said. The CBI on Monday arrested the chairman-cum-managing director of public sector enterprise Engineering Projects India Limited (EPIL), its two executive directors and four others in a case of alleged bribery of Rs 10 lakh. In a late evening development, EPIL MD S P S Bakshi was arrested by the CBI team along with Harcharan Pal, executive director, EPIL, Delhi Region, executive director, Mumbai Region, Kapil Tara and four others. It is alleged that the officials demanded a bribe from the private firm (builder from Raipur) for favouring the company in the award of the contract for the construction of the Mega Urban Educational Complex at Pallur Hills, Kainisi in Ganjam district Odisha, CBI spokesperson R K Gaur said. A case of criminal conspiracy and corruption have been registered against the accused. Congress leaders have listed out the reasons for the partys dismal performance in the Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh. The feud in the Samajwadi Party family, a delay in stitching the alliance with the SP and excessive reliance on strategist Prashant Kishor are the preliminary reasons for the poor show in the just-concluded elections, Congress leaders said. As Yogi Adityanath was taking oath as the chief minister, Congress leaders were huddled in their party office in Lucknow, deliberating on what went wrong. The Congress contested 114 seats in an alliance with SP and was reduced to single digits. Only seven Congress candidates won. UP Congress chief Raj Babbar deliberated the partys strategy for the elections with state leaders for nearly seven hours. A senior leader said a section of the state Congress blamed Kishor for, firstly, raising hopes of reviving the organisation through party vice president Rahul Gandhis public meetings and, then, settling for an alliance with the SP. It amounted to cheating the party workers, another Congress leader said. On Saturday, a poster had come up outside the Congress office, declaring a Rs 5-lakh reward to any person finding Kishor and presenting him to the party leaders. At the AICC briefing, spokesperson P L Punia sought to play down the poster incident. I dont think anybody from the Congress party is looking for him. The election is over and I think everything is settled now. People keep on playing this game, Punia said. A section of the leadership said the delay in striking the alliance due to the SP family feud also contributed to the defeat. An early announcement of the alliance could have helped workers of both the parties to co-ordinate better. In addition, in at least two dozen seats, the Congress and the SP had fielded candidates. This added to the confusion among the workers, a senior leader said. It took several hours and a series of rituals to prepare the official residence of the new chief minister of Uttar Pradesh on Monday. Seven priests were specially called from Gorakhpur and Allahabad for the house-warming ceremony. Yogi Adityanath, who was sworn in as the chief minister on Sunday, had been staying at the VVIP guest house here since he was elected as leader of the BJP legislature party on Saturday. The priests arrived at the 5 Kalidas Marg official residence early in the morning and performed rituals till afternoon. Sources said the house was purified with cow urine and sacred waters from the Ganga, amid chanting of vedic mantras by the priests, some of whom belonged to the Gorakhnath Temple in Gorakhpur, of which Adityanath was the mahant (religious head). About 11 litres of milk from desi cows of the temple were also brought to conduct rudrabhishek (a special ritual for Lord Shiva) at the house. Mahantji also has very good knowledge of hindu rituals and vedic mantras... he himself performs rudrabhishek, said one of the priests. Sources said Adityanath had sent instructions to the temple priests to rush for the puja so that he could move into the official residence. Adityanath entered the bungalow later in the day after the rituals were completed. Union Minister M Venkaiah Naidu said that saffron-clad Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath will deliver on development and take everyone along in the state. Yogi Adityanath will lead UP on the path of development. He will prove skeptics wrong once and for all. Unfortunate that some opponents, communalists are trying to portray him as a rabble-rouser and fringe personality, Naidu, who was among the two central observers for selecting the new chief minister, wrote on Facebook on Monday. Naidu quoted a couple of Muslims to conclude that a large number of Muslims seem to be celebrating his becoming chief minister. Referring to published reports, he stressed that Mohammad Kaleem Farooqui, a 25-year-old trader, welcomed the elevation of Yogi to the top post. He (Farooqui) says Adityanaths elevation will not affect the states Muslims adversely, the minister stated. Naidu said that Adityanath was the first to propose the name of Dr A P J Abdul Kalam for President, and that the chief minister will follow Prime Minister Narendra Modis Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas agenda. Naidu argued that before judging Adityanaths personality, critics should go through his parliamentary debates. The Union minister also said that the five-term MP is a man without family and is above personal corruption a sentiment that is also associated with Modi. Naidu also tried to discount that Adityanath was a last-minute choice, which toppled the chances of Union Minister Manoj Sinha. Yogis name was proposed and unanimously approved by 312 BJP and 13 ally MLAs. He is a strong politician and committed to help the downtrodden, he wrote. Attempting to defuse the media glare on the fact that Adityanath is a Rajput since his original name was Ajay Singh Bhist before he left his family in Uttarakhand, Naidu said it was also unfair to attribute a caste to him. He is a Yogi. People of all communities are celebrating his becoming the chief minister. He is a holy man... caste doesnt stick to him. DH News Service CM asks bureaucrats to declare assets Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Monday asked bureaucrats to declare their assets within a fortnight, DHNS reports from Lucknow. The directive comes a day after his instruction to the members of the council of ministers to give details of their movable and immovable properties within 15 days. According to an official spokesperson, all the principal secretaries and secretary-level officials will have to declare their assets in a prescribed format. The chief secretary has been asked to prepare the format and make it available to the officers. UP slaughterhouses under govt lens Hundreds of abattoirs, many of which are illegal, are under the scanner of the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh, DHNS reports from Lucknow. According to officials, the state government will soon launch a drive to identify illegal slaughterhouses in different parts of the state and ensure their closure. Two such slaughterhouses were forced to shut down by the authorities in Allahabad on Sunday. The government will take up a study to decide whether flavour enhancer monosodium glutamate (ajinomoto) could be banned, Health and Family Welfare Minister Ramesh Kumar informed the Council on Monday. Replying to a question by Ramachandra Gowda (BJP), Kumar said the Health department had failed to control indiscriminate use of ajinomoto. Indiscriminate use of the chemical causes adverse health effects, the minister said. He said ajinomoto is used in Chinese foods. To a query on whether the government planned to ban ajinomoto, the minister said, I will seek a report from experts, study it and then make an announcement. The Election Commission has supported before the Supreme Court the demand for a lifetime ban on candidates convicted in criminal cases from contesting polls. As of now, convicts are debarred from contesting elections for six years after serving their sentences. The poll panel made its stand clear in an affidavit to a PIL filed by BJP leader and advocate Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay. The EC said it is alive to the issues that concern the conduct of free and fair elections and functioning of healthy democracy and is asserting for bringing in electoral reforms which further the cause of free and fair elections. It said it has already submitted detailed proposals for electoral reforms, which include decriminalisation of politics, making bribery a cognisable offence, prohibiting advertisements during the 48 hours before polling and banning paid news. The poll panel maintained that most of its recommendations have been approved by the Law Commission in its 244th and 255th reports. However, some of the reforms are pending consideration by the Union government or have not been approved for the time being. On Upadhyays plea to debar convicts for life from contesting elections, the poll panel said, The prayer made by the PIL petitioner is not adversarial and the EC supports the cause espoused by the petitioner. On fixing a maximum age and a minimum educational qualification criteria, it said the issue is in the legislative domain and would require amendment to the Constitution. The petitioner pointed out that in the executive and the judiciary, a person convicted of any criminal offence is automatically suspended and debarred from service for life. But this rule is applied differently in the case of a convicted person in the legislature. Even after conviction and undergoing sentence, a convicted person can form his own political party and is eligible to become the office-bearer of any political party. In addition, a convicted person is eligible to contest the election and eligible to become a member of the legislature and even minister after expiry of a six-year period from the date of conviction, the plea said. Two clerics of Hazrat Nizamuddin Dargah in Delhi returned from Pakistan on Monday, even as the mystery deepened over their disappearance in the neighbouring country early last week. Syed Asif Ali Nizami and Nazim Ali Nizami told journalists in New Delhi that a Pakistani security agency had detained them after a local newspaper wrongly reported that they were agents of an Indian external espionage organisation. New Delhi had prodded Islamabad to help find the missing clerics. But it was only after External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj spoke to her counterpart in Pakistan government, Sartaj Aziz, and sought his intervention that Islamabad conveyed that the two men had been traced. Pakistans Ministry of Foreign Affairs conveyed to the High Commission of India in Islamabad on Saturday that the missing clerics had been traced. Some Pakistani newspapers quoted sources to report that the clerics had gone to a far-flung place in Sindh and could not contact their relatives in India due to poor phone network availability. The clerics, who met Swaraj at the Ministry of External Affairs headquarters on Monday, however, told journalists that the visas granted by Pakistan government did not permit them to visit interior areas of Sindh. The two clerics went missing while on a visit to Pakistan. They reached Lahore airport together on March 14 to catch a flight to Karachi. Nazim Ali Nizami was asked to deboard the plane while Asif Ali Nizami was allowed to fly to Karachi, sources in New Delhi said. Asif Ali called up his family in Delhi from Karachi to inform that Nazim Ali had been offloaded from the plane in Lahore. Neither of them could be traced after Asif Alis last call from Karachi. I was taken to a place quite far from Karachi, with my face covered, said Asif Ali. We were not troubled, and were kept in VIP rooms. My details were asked, Dargah's details too. I was offered food, they prepared tea for me and biscuits, he added. Yes, they had been detained in Pakistan after some media reports, said Asif Ali Nizamis son Sajid Nizami. There is a newspaper Ummat (Pakistan) which has printed false statements (of the clerics being RAW spies) and photos, said Nazim Ali. The Nizamuddin Dargah of Delhi has a strong spiritual link with Data Darbar in Lahore. DH News Service A twenty-four-hour deadline has been fixed for the Maharanis College management to constitute a committee in keeping with the Vishaka guidelines. The committee has been given 15 days time to probe the sexual harassment complaints by five girls against six lecturers of the college. Members of the Legislature Committee on Crimes Against Women and Children headed by its chairperson V S Ugrappa visited the college on Monday, discussed issues of sexual harassment with the principal, staff and victims. During the discussion, Ugrappa set a 24-hour deadline for the constitution of the committee and a 15-day deadline for the committee to submit its report. One of the victims appeared before the committee and narrated her version. She clarified that she wasnt willing to lodge a complaint with the police despite committee members requesting her to do so. I spoke to Benglauru City Police Commissioner Praveen Sood and he requested me to send the victim to at least record her statement. However, the girl clarified that she wasnt willing to record her statement as it would affect her future, Ugrappa told DH. Finally, we decided to constitute the committee in keeping with the Vishaka guidelines to probe the complaints of sexual harassment by lecturers, he said. Neither the five victims nor the principal have lodged any complaint with the police. The police have requested the principal to lodge a complaint or share details so that some action could be taken. However, there is no response yet from the college, Sood said. Senior officers personally spoke to the principal after media carried reports of sexual harassment by lecturers. The officers explained the sensitivity of the situation and sought information, but the efforts were in vain. Two things came to our notice during the discussion. One was complaints of sexual harassment by five girls against six lecturers. The second was about a man loitering inside the girls hostel wearing girls inner wear. There was a police complaint about the man six months ago, but the man is yet to be traced. I have requested Sood to take measures to trace the man. The college staff told Ugrappa that the man was working with the Bangalore Turf Club, but he was sacked after the incident came to light. DH News Service Thousands of Anganwadi workers took to the streets, demanding a hike in their wages, near Freedom Park on Monday. Protesters refused to budge from the venue and halted there overnight. The protest left the traffic choked in the Central Business District during peak hours. Thousands of them, under the aegis of CITU, sat on the streets in protest, claiming that talks with Chief Minister Siddaramaiah were not fruitful. They said the budgetary allocation made this year was meagre to meet their demands of hike in wages. S Varalakshmi, president, Karnataka State Anganwadi Workers Association, said they had demanded that the government increase the wages of anganwadi workers from Rs 6,000 to Rs 10,000 and that of helpers from Rs 3,000 to Rs 7,500. We will not budge till this is assured. To pay us the wages, there must be an allocation of Rs 612 crore. This year, only 110 crore has been allocated. When they can increase the work hours from 4.5 to 6.5, why not hike our wages? she said. Protesters complained that even as they had been recruited to work for the ICDS scheme, they were expected to be part of various other government schemes. The workers met Siddaramaiah in the evening. It was an informal meet. He gave us an oral assurance that our demands will be looked into. In 2015, when a similar protest took place, he told us our demands will be fulfilled. Nothing has happened till date, said Varalakshmi. Rathna Gowda, one of the protesters said, I am finding it very difficult to manage the family with the meagre salary. We are expected to participate in all the schemes that states health department rolls out as well, but do not not get any additional incentives for the same. Several influential people meddle in our work at the taluk level. Each of them has different demands from us. There is none to address our problems, said another worker from Hubballi on the condition of anonymity. Vehicular movement was hit on major roads in and around Majestic as protesting Anganwadi workers blocked Sheshadri Road and sat on a protest. There was heavy congestion since 10 am when the protesters began their procession from railway station. The situation went out of control by noon as they blocked Sheshadri Road, said a police officer. This resulted in a traffic gridlock on Kempegowda Road, Cubbon Road, Ambedkar Veedhi, Mysuru Road, KR Circle, Sheshadripuram, Okalipuram, Dr Rajkumar Road, Goods Shed Road, Cottonpet Main Road, Richmond Road, Raja Rammohun Roy Road, Dhanvanthri Road, Railway Station Road, Tank Bund Road, Platform Road and Khodays Junction. Vehicles were lined up in a long queue from Khodays Junction till Navarang Junction on Dr Rajkumar Road for over two hours. There was heavy congestion of vehicles on the interior roads in Upparpet, Chickpet, Malleswaram, Rajajinagar, Vyalikaval, Basaveshwaranagar and Mahalakshmi Layout. Passengers were forced to get down from BMTC buses and walk up to Kempegowda bus station. The police deployed additional forces at all junctions to manage the traffic. The situation was normal by night, said DCP (Traffic-West) Shobha Rani. DH News Service Minister for Infrastructure Development R V Deshpande said the Hubballi airport expansion project has been completed, and it will be made operational after necessary certifications are obtained. The expansion work at Belagavi airport is scheduled to be completed in six months and work on the Kalaburagi airport is going on in full swing, he said, replying to Opposition leader Jagadish Shettar who sought to know the steps taken to provide air connectivity to tier-II cities. He said the state government has sent a proposal under the Centres regional air connectivity scheme. Efforts are being made to enter into an agreement with airlines to operate into regional airports, including Mysuru, Hubballi and Belagavi. At least two flights should operate a day for a regional airport to qualify under the scheme, he added. This apart, Shettar ridiculed the government for what he called chest-thumping on Bengaluru being called the most dynamic city. The government is claiming credit for it though it has no contribution...The government has nothing to do with real estate development and corporate activities in Bengaluru, he added. The crime rate has increased considerably in Bengaluru. Roads are pothole-ridden. The states ranking has come down as far as ease-of-doing business is concerned, he said. Shettar said the government should accord equal importance to other cities for development. Bengaluru has got Rs 7,000 crore. But other cities have not received any money for development. The Nagarothana scheme should be restored, he added. DH News Service The government will crack down on private hospitals empanelled for various health insurance schemes, but which refuse to provide cashless treatment to patients, Health and Family Welfare Minister Ramesh Kumar said on Monday. Replying to a question by Srinivas Mane (Cong) in the Legislative Council, Kumar said some private hospitals refused treatment to patients enrolled under state health scheme, by saying they had not received their dues from the government. We have provided reimbursement to the tune of Rs 640 crore to private hospitals. Dues amounting to Rs 40 crore are pending and we promised that they will reach them within a few days. Yet some hospitals sent patients back. We do not want the services of such hospitals, Kumar said. However, he did not any name any hospital. He said hospitals were openly fleecing patients by charging exorbitant rates for services. A hospital was charging Rs 13,800 per vial for an anti-cancer injection though its generic equivalent was available at Rs 280 in the market. Should the government be a helpless witness to such fleecing? the minister asked. Leader of the Opposition K S Eshwarappa said the government should avoid any confrontation with private hospitals as it could inconvenience patients. Kumar said he will deal with the hospitals on a case-by-case basis. DH News Service Kannada actor Puneeth Rajkumar had a rare guest at his shooting premises at Kanteerava Studios on Monday. The Power Star met Preethi (12), a victim of kidney failure, and spent time with her. Preethi (12), the younger daughter of Kumar and Manjula, natives of Chennagiri in Davangere district, is a Class VI student of Rajarajeshwari school at Chennagiri. Her father runs a laundry and mother works as a domestic help. Preethi undergoes dialysis twice a week and has been advised renal transplantation. However, the family is finding it difficult to get treatment for her owing to poverty. Since her childhood, Preethi is a big fan of Puneeth Rajkumar. I have seen all his films. It was my dream to meet Puneeth, she told DH. Preethi had wished Punith Rajkumar on his birthday on March 17. The actor arranged a car and invited Preethi and her parents to Bengaluru on learning about her wish. He spent an hour with Preethi and her parents and promised to offer financial assistance to the family. Puneeth Rajkumar has promised us to help our daughter. More than the help, he has fulfilled Preethis biggest dream and we are thankful to him, Kumar said. Eight students graduated with gold on Monday at the 42nd convocation of the Indian Institute of Management Bangalore (IIM-B). A total of 598 students graduated from Postgraduate and Fellow programmes. Of these, 20 were from the Fellow Programme in Management (FPM), the highest so far. Udit Jalan secured the highest ever CGPA in IIMBs Post Graduate programme a score of 3.9 out of 4.0 for which the 25-year-old earned a gold medal. Jalan is interested in the intersection of finance, strategy and technology and has landed a job in an investment company. The best part of studying here was that people were always up for discussions and we could walk into anyones room any time, he said. In the PGP batch, Dharmendra Hiranandani received a gold medal for his second rank in academic performance and Vaibhav Gupta for Best All-round Performance. After almost 20 years of dreaming about it, Shishank Gupta completed his Post Graduate Programme in Enterprise Management (PGPEM) from IIMB with a gold medal. Though I did my bachelors degree in mechanical engineering, I wanted to get into IT so that I could do an MBA later on. I appeared for CAT but I had loved the job I had just got so I postponed it. Now, I have finally fulfilled that dream, he said. A job, classes and coursework were difficult to juggle and holidays were spent with Gupta and his two sons doing their homework together. In the PG PEM batch, Suresh Ganesan received the gold medal for Best All-round Performance. In spite of working for four years as Director, Budget, for Ministry of Railways, Pranav Kumar Mallick was overwhelmed when he attended his first class in IIMB. In my first two days, I could not understand the subjects, the terms, graphs and statistics. Mallick was nominated by the Department of Personnel and Training of the Union government for the one-year Post Graduate Programme in Public Policy and Management (PGPPM). Mallick, who once asked his professor if he would fail the course, on Monday received a gold medal for Best Academic Performance. Though his course was hectic, Kushal Nitin Dalal was actively involved in cultural activities throughout the Executive Post Graduate Programme in Management (EPGP) and bagged the gold medal for Best All-round Performance. Aside from having a keen interest in tech consulting, Dalal has a passion for percussion instruments. I grew up in Girgaum in Mumbai where Ganesh Chaturthi is celebrated grandly, Dalal said, adding that he play on the instruments at the functions . Nikhil Goyal, also from the EPGP batch, received a gold medal for securing the first rank. The institutes new director Prof G Raghuram presented a report on the successes and achievements of the students. Uday Kotak, vice chairman and managing director of Kotak Mahindra Bank Ltd was the chief guest at the event. He urged the graduating students to think creatively and dare to be different. DH News Service We go for a behind the scenes look of THEOUTNET with ANDRES SOSA, executive vice president for sales, marketing and creative at TheOutnet.com, who talks in Singapore with our Asia Fashion Editor RANDOLPH THAN about going viral, fashion collaborations and going off the grid. The last 20 years has re-imagined the shopping experience for consumers globally. Online auctions and shops paved the way for web based fashion outlets like TheOutnet.com to stand out against the competition. Since 2009 TheOutnet.com has established itself as the go-to destination for designer brands at affordable prices. Seeking to deliver its shoppers the best discounts on fashions hottest labels and style tips to make the shopping experience easier to navigate. Shopping from your laptop or mobile phone has never been simpler or more personal. TheOutnet.com creator Andres Sosa gets candid about the challenges companies like his deal with and what its like to have a campaign go viral. Continue below to read more of the exclusive DSCENE Magazine interview: What makes THE OUTNET.COM stand out from the existing sea of e-commerce available right now? When we first launched being part of Net-A-Porter Group we wanted to bring the editorial aspect over, which plays a key role providing a shoppable content experience. Regular updates 5 times a week allows our consumer to purchase based on trends, making sure that our uploads are curated instead of just pumping out random new arrivals. We want to provide the equal level of customer service offered to luxury shopping to our site where you can find items at discounted prices. Same day delivery in NYC and London, 24/7 customer care hotlines and express shipping are some of the many options provided on our site. How do you define the THE OUTNET.COM woman? SAVVY! When we first launched we thought our customers will be young, so we had a site with all pink and bubbles in it but we were wrong. Our shopper is someone who shops trends that are in season, has a great sense of style and buy products at discounted prices. She knows how to incorporate past season styles into current trends and looks. Since the launch back in 2009, what are some of the biggest challenges prior to its current success? The first struggle was getting the brands on board. Convincing them on how we are going to offer a potential partnership in selling their products in a luxury environment. So in 3 and a half years we managed to ensure that both brands and consumers are treated the same and that we greatly understand our global market. Most of our stocks were from Net-A-Porter, right now only 7% goes to our site. With such a large global consumer base, how does THE OUTNET.COM reach out to their shopping needs? The customers are very different in every market. How a customer puts a look together in Germany can be totally different to other customers in France. We try to reel in as much knowledge we have of the market, our buying teams are constantly traveling to ensure that we respond to the consumers esthetics. Monitoring our social media responses, emails and our very own app. Launching THE OUTNET ios app in 2011 and most recently on Android Oct 2016. More of 50% of our sales comes from the mobile app. So ensuring that the mobile journey is almost seamless is great for people who are constantly on the go or wants to add things into their basket for consideration. With over 350+ brands currently in THE OUTNET.COM, how are products or brands being filtered into the site? We have a great buying team which does market and shows, not only working closely with the existing brands but also scouting for emerging designers and trends. Our customer insight team works with over 10,000 customers worldwide. Studying what they love, brands they like, sizes etc. Lastly Partners and market, which tells us whats relevant to different markets. Having those 3 put together allows us to also identify what kind of products we need or brands we should include. Im sure there are many emerging brands/designers who would love to be on your platform. How do they qualify to be on the platform? It goes back to quality and esthetics and how the brand will fit into the market. Its about the consumers demands at the end of the day. Another problem with emerging brands is that our business is all about surplus stock, so normally they do not necessarily have that as their production is smaller. We also work with brands so that in cases like that we pre-order so that helps with volumes and the companies scale. Previously you had a very successful campaign with Victoria Beckham, are there any upcoming collaborations we can look forward too? One of my personal favorite partners! As for Victoria Beckham or anything of that level there is nothing I can officially announce yet. We always look forward into working closely with growing brands. We have an upcoming exclusive with Marni out this year and we had a line of Christmas jumpers with Chinti and Parker. Another campaign which generated a massive positive response was Sergio the Shoe Hunter Take us through that experience. Sergio was a really interesting project which started out only as a social media campaign. We wanted to do something during fashion week but it was difficult as everyone is talking about future trends and season. Sergio worked as it wasnt about trends it was more about what people were wearing. Shoes is a category which generated one of the highest level social media engagement, in terms of likes, comments and shares. Sergio was invited to fashion week parties, shows and became quite a celebrity. Were you expecting it to blow up into such a huge viral success. No No To be honest, I was slightly nervous what kind of footage we would get from the GoPro cameras . Nobody likes horrendous peeled shoes. They werent catwalk shoes so they werent worn by people on the streets but the team listened and came back with the proof of concept. I knew it was going to be interesting on a social media level but I never thought it would land us TV segments in France and even Japan about Sergio. Tell us more about yourself, have you always been drawn towards luxury. I grew up in Venezuela, from an early age, I have been always drawn to beautiful things in all forms and shapes. Which includes luxury and shopping . My grandparents would spend half a year in Paris and would bring back beautiful shearling coats and dresses that we would not be able to wear in warm Venezuela but was good to have the experience of owning them. What were you doing before you decided to be in the creative and marketing field? I started my career in finance as all my family were in banking. I did an internship with Citybank in Venezuela doing risk management specifically for Forex. Pretty interesting job back then but now I would consider boring. From there I went into a marketing and communications agency, dealing more with corporate and banking accounts in the UK but my passion was still in retail. So I sat down with my boss to discuss what we truly love doing and we all agreed on shopping. Liberty of London, Harvey Nichols came along which eventually led us to accounts like Chanel and Dior. We became the first agency in London to work with Chanel. From there on it lead to my current position with THE OUTNET. Having the opportunity to visit so many fashion capitals, which country or city stood up most to you in terms of their personal style? I fell in love with South Korea. Seoul has an aesthetic of elegance for both women and men. The way things are put together are well thought out and Im very impressed from a fashion point of view. Venezuela is also very interesting as nothing happens by chance. The outfits are really considered. It might not be necessarily branded or expensive but it works together and the people stick to what works for them. Is there ever a regular 9-5 for you? No there isnt. Even when Im in London, I still have to take care of my team in New York. I try to switch off during the weekend but its very difficult especially for our industry to not walk around and stop to snap photos of things that inspire you. What do you do then when you finally get your Me Time ? Let me show you (Flashes his mobiles wallpaper), BORIS my French Bulldog. I walk him around and spend time with him. Do you ever have the chance to shut off your phone, is it even possible? No, even if I could do it from a work point of view Im constantly on Instagram. Im an addict always scrolling and looking out for new things. I recently just got into hot yoga and after a session I would have 5 minutes of blank mind which never happens. Doing it 3 times a week for the past 4 months and cant wait to be back in London for my 8am sessions in a few days. Any daily routines you religiously stick to? I dont particularly have any routines but I would need my daily dose of coconut latte to function and the habit of showering before and after bed. Lastly, Im sure you have work with a lot of people during your career life span. What qualities do you look out for when you hire a staff or interns? Inquisitive, detailed and nice people! Anyone can have a great set of skills acquired from school or experience but it also comes down to the chemistry of how that person could represent the brand and work with the team. It comes down to having the right attitude and the willingness to learn.They may not have the full requirement. For example when I started this job, retail was new to me as well. It comes down to having the right attitude and the willingness to learn. Words by Matti Bygod, interview by Randolph Tan originally published in DSCENE Magazine Issue #06. Has This Popular Bollywood Actress Been Finalised To Star Opposite Shah Rukh Khan In Aanand L Rai's Next? Brad Pitt Reuniting With His Children After Overseas Trip The Samsung Galaxy S8 is tipped to start at EUR 799, while Galaxy S8+ may start at EUR 899 The launch of the Samsung Galaxy S8, and the Galaxy S8+ may be just over week away, but the leaks keep on coming. Evan Blass aka, @evleaks has tweeted out the European prices of the two smartphones, as well as the GearVR headset, Gear360 camera, and the companys desktop docking station, DeX. As per his post, the Galaxy S8 will be priced at EUR 799 (approx. Rs. 56,300), while the Galaxy S8+ may be priced at EUR 899 (approx. Rs. 63,300). The GearVR and Gear360 may cost EUR 129 (approx. Rs. 9,100) and EUR 229 (approx. Rs. 16,100) respectively. The DeX is tipped to be priced at EUR 150 (approx. Rs. 10,500). S8 - 799 S8+ - 899 DeX - 150 GearVR - 129 Gear360 - 229 https://t.co/vVm6DRMkX5 Evan Blass (@evleaks) March 19, 2017 Besides the price, Blass also tweeted a set of images that show the three colour options that the phone might be available in. As per Blass, the device will be available in Black Sky, Orchid Grey and Arctic Silver colour options. Previous reports had suggested that the device might be launched in seven different colours. Samsung is expected to launch their new flagship devices at the upcoming Unpacked 2017 event scheduled to be held on March 29, in New York. The company has already launched an app for the event on Android and iOS. Besides upgraded hardware and a new design, the phone devices are also expected to come with Samsungs own AI-driven assistant called Bixby. Real Estate Investors ' shares are up almost 2% after it posted a rise in EPRA net asset value per share, as its full-year pre-tax profit slipped lower. Chief executive Paul Bassi said the year was one of excellent progress, despite an uncertain economic and political backdrop. During the 12-month period the company said it secured record property ownership, revenue and contracted rental income, with its underlying profits rising 271% to 5.2m, and set to grow further as we start to see the full contribution from the acquisitions made in the prior year. "Our like-for-like portfolio valuation was up 3.9% over the year, reflecting the active asset management that we have undertaken," the CEO said. "With the benefit of our clear pathway to future growth in rental income, we also anticipate further growth in our dividend payments." Bassi noted that London and the South East had enjoyed more than half a century of exceptional economic prosperity, but was now witnessing a political, social and economic re-balancing within the UK. He saw the UK's regions -- in particular Birmingham and the West Midlands -- looked set to enter a new golden era, propelled in part by the arrival of major projects such as HSBC's HQ move and HS2, but also by the continued commercial growth in the area. Pre-tax profit was 8.2m, from 12.2m. Change in fair value of investment properties were 3.5m, from 8.6m. EPRA net asset value per share was 66.2p, from 64.5p. Total dividend was 2.625p, up 31.3%. At 12:57 GMT, shares in AIM-quoted Real Estate Investors were up 1.7% to 60p each. Real Estate Investors ' shares are up almost 2% after it posted a rise in EPRA net asset value per share, as its full-year pre-tax profit slipped lower. Chief executive Paul Bassi said the year was one of excellent progress, despite an uncertain economic and political backdrop. - Shares in Michelmersh Brick are up almost 8% as investors liked its steady full-year pre-tax profit and dividend doubling with news of strong forward order committments. "The Group sits in a well-defined segment of the UK brick sector; our high quality products set technical standards and our service levels are recognised by our customers," said chairman Eric Gadsden. - British designer and manufacturer of intelligent lighting and building control solutions, PhotonStar LED Group, announced on Monday that it was participating in the IBM InterConnect 2017 Cloud & Mobile Conference, between 19 and 23 March in Las Vegas. The AIM-traded firm also announced the commercial availability of the halcyon cloudBMS product from 1 April. - Mkango Resources announced on Monday that it has entered into a memorandum of understanding with Metalysis to jointly research, develop and commercialise novel rare earth metal alloys for use in three-dimensional printed permanent magnets. The TSX and AIM-traded company said the MOU will combine Mkango's intelligence surrounding the performance characteristics and future global demand outlook for rare earth magnets with Metalysis' disruptive, solid-state process, which the board said could generate high margins from the manufacture of metal powders for markets including 3D printing. - Shares in Bushveld Minerals are up more than 20% after it signed a definitive sales and marketing agreement with Wogen Resources Ltd to assist with the financing needed to acquire a majority stake in Strategic Minerals Corp. The Wogen financing comprised a $3m product prepayment as part of the acquisition debt package, and inventory and receivable financing of $6m to optimise the position of the operations of Vametco Alloys. - Investment manager AFH Financial Group is to raise up to 10m in order to fund acquisition opportunities and for general working purposes. The company will raise the funds through a share placing of 175p per share, and if there is excess demand, chief executive Alan Hudson has agreed to sell up to 1m existing shares owned by him to raise about 1.75m. - Shares in CAP-XX are down almost a fifth after it turned in an 18% slide in first-half total revenue, a wider pre-tax loss and said its full-year trading performance should be in line with current market expectations. "Total Revenue of A$1.35m was down 18% on the corresponding half year, largely due to a disruption of supply due to a process change at a key raw materials supplier," it said. - Management software provider NetDimensions is to de-list from AIM after it accepted a takeover bid from technology firm Learning Technologies Group. The Hong Kong-based company confirmed on Monday that its shares will cease to trade on AIM on 19 April and admission of its shares to trading will be cancelled without the need of shareholder approval. - Music and audio products company Focusrite updated the market on its trading on Monday, reporting that in the first half of the year good progress was made in both the Focusrite and Novation divisions and in all three reported regions, particularly in the boards important US market. The AIM-traded firm said as a result, revenue was now expected to be approximately 32m for the six months ended 28 February 2017, up from 25.9m in the same period last year. - Shares surged in Bos Global on Monday after the workplace software company announced it will buy a 40% stake in Call Design, an Australia-based call centre provider, for cash and shares. The AIM-listed company will be the 40% interest for 280,000 in cash, funded through drawdowns on its existing convertible loan note facility, and the issue of 5.04m Bos shares at 50p worth 2.8m. - SalvaRx Group is to invest $1m in Rift Biotherapeutics, a US biotechnology company that develops antibodies for use in oncology. Following the investment, the company will hold about 30% stake in Rift, including new shares issued on the $90,000 loan already provided to Rift. - AIM-listed investor Kubera Cross-Border Fund is to sell its stake in Indian technology provider Planetcast Media Services for 1.47m Indian rupees ($22.5m), subject to regulatory consent which is expected to take several months. A global private equity firm has agreed to buy the stake from the companys subsidiary, Kubera Cross-Border Fund Mauritius for 1.47m Indian rupees, which is equivalent to 41.9% of the companys net asset value at the end of last June. - Shares surged EVR Holdings on Monday after it announced it will create virtual reality music content for Universal Music Groups artists who include the Rolling Stones, the Weeknd, Lana Del Rey and Florence + the Machine. The AIM-listed companys subsidiary MelodyVR signed a multiyear agreement with UMGs subsidiary UMG Recordings Services to create and distribute virtual reality content featuring UMG's artists from its record labels including Def Jam, EMI, Island, Polydor, and Virgin EMI. - Clean energy company ITM Power has welcomed the government's new funding programme for the roll-out of hydrogen vehicles. On 18 March, the government launched a 23m fund to accelerate the take up of hydrogen vehicles and roll out more infrastructure. - Sterling Energy has narrowed its full-year pre-tax loss on lower revenue and total administrative expenses. Production, net to the company from the Chinguetti field, averaged 279 barrels of oil per day (bopd), down from 310 bopd a year earlier. - Integrated e-learning services and technologies provider Learning Technologies Groups offer for enterprise talent management software platform provider NetDimensions was all but a done deal on Monday morning, as it was declared unconditional in all respects, save for admission. On 21 February, Learning Tech made an offer for the entire issued and to be issued share capital of NetDimensions. - End-to-end mobile advertising platform provider Taptica announced its full year results for the 12 months to 31 December on Monday, with revenue increasing by 66% to $125.9m. The AIM-traded company said gross profit more than doubled to $46m, with an improvement in its gross margin to 36.5% from 27.8%. - Redcentric provided a regulatory update to the market on Monday, advising that the Financial Conduct Authority had commenced an investigation following the historic overstatement of net assets and profits. The AIM-traded firm had described the historic overstatement activity in announcements on 7 November, and 13 and 23 December 2016. - Shares in AIM-quoted Pipehawk are up almost 5% after it reported a reduced first-half pre-tax loss on improved revenue. Turnover was 2.99m, up from 2.36m, and pre-tax loss was 180,000, less than the prior year's loss of 449,000. House prices in England and Wales rose 1.3% on the month in March to 310,108, marking the biggest increase since 2007, according to the latest survey from Rightmove. On the year, however, growth was 2.3%, slowing down significantly from 7.6% in March 2016. In terms of regions, the strongest performance was seen in the Midlands, with East and West Midlands prices at record highs. Prices in the East Midlands were up 2.1% on the month and 5.7% on the year, surpassing 200,000 for the first time. Prices in the West Midlands were also up 2.1% on a monthly basis, and 4.2% on the year. Miles Shipside, Rightmove director and housing market analyst said: "Since the start of the decade, the average March price rise has been 0.9%, so this months 1.3% uplift is an indicator of a shortage of suitable property for sale in many parts of the country, with strong demand for the right property at the right price. "Since 2007weve only once seen a larger rise than this in March, and we are also keeping pace with last years rise, which had the added momentum of investors looking to beat the Stamp Duty tax deadline of April 1st. In London, property prices were up 1.4% on the month and 0.9% on the year to 649,772, driven mainly by increases in Outer London, where the average price was up 2.6%, compared to a 0.4% rise in Inner London. Shipside said buyers were looking further afield for value, pushing up demand and therefore prices in many outer boroughs. "This has helped to push the overall average price of newly-marketed property in Greater London to a record high. With nine months having elapsed since the referendum and stronger demand returning to the market, there are signs that prices are becoming more resilient. Investor in UK and continental European industrial property Hansteen announced its full year results for the year to 31 December on Monday, with a total annual return to shareholders of 23.1p or 20.8%, representing EPRA net asset value growth of 17.7p plus dividends paid of 5.35p. The FTSE 250 company reported IFRS profit before tax of 119.9m, down from 171.4m, with normalised income profit increasing 29.4% to 61.1m. Normalised total profit improved 4.4% to 66.0m year-on-year, and the firms IFRS net asset value per share increased 17.9% to 124.0p. Its EPRA net asset value per share was up 15.9% to 128.9p. Hansteens board confirmed the full year dividend increased 12.4% to 5.9p per share, and its net debt-to-property value ratio fell to 40.9% from 41.2% at the end of the prior year. I am pleased to report an exceptional year for Hansteen with our portfolio and our team once again delivering record results, commented chairman Melvyn Egglenton. While acquisition opportunities have been limited the team has focused on growing the portfolio occupancy and rent roll resulting in the highest ever number of new lettings and lease renewals, record like-for-like rent growth and the highest ever portfolio occupancy rate. Egglenton said the significant spread between the companys portfolio yield and borrowing costs offered potential for further capital growth, particularly when the current yield was compared to the yield lows of previous cycles. This compares favourably to the other property sectors where yields have reached historic lows during 2015 or earlier. The UK portfolio also offers earnings upside through the letting of the remaining vacant area and emerging rental growth which will allow the business to continue to generate strong income returns in the future. Across the UK, we are experiencing pockets of rental growth and shorter incentives being offered to tenants as demand intensifies, particularly at estates where voids are zero or close to zero, Egglenton said. He added that the company also held 447 acres of undeveloped land in the UK which did not yet produce income, but would in time produce further value. We will continue to focus on realised returns allowing us to pay a well-covered and growing dividend to our shareholders. Hansteen to dispose of German and Dutch portfolios Hansteen also announced on Monday that it had agreed to dispose of its German and Dutch portfolios for 1.28bn (1.1bn) to entities owned by funds advised by affiliates of The Blackstone Group and M7 Real Estate. The firm said the portfolios were being sold on a debt-free basis for cash, and the value given to the German and Dutch portfolio was 1.28bn payable upon completion - less a deposit of 50m which had already been paid - subject to a net asset value adjustment post-completion. All latent capital gains tax liabilities incurred in relation to the transaction would be shared on an equal basis between the company and the buyer. The board claimed the price represented a premium of approximately 76m, or 6%, to the year-end valuation, which itself included a valuation uplift of 34m over the 31 December valuation. It said the disposal realised the value in the portfolios at a time when they remain at historically high levels of occupancy and rent for the period of Hansteen's ownership, and the euro-sterling exchange rate was favourable. Completion was expected to occur before the end of June 2017, with conditions to completion including Hansteen's shareholder approval and the buyer obtaining antitrust clearance in Germany. Following completion and repayment of the debt secured against the German and Dutch portfolios - and satisfaction of other incurred costs - Hansteen said it intended to distribute a substantial portion of the net cash proceeds of the transaction to its shareholders. This is a compelling opportunity to crystallise both the revaluation gains from these German and Dutch assets achieved by our active asset management and the gains from foreign exchange movements, commented Hansteen joint chief executives Morgan Jones and Ian Watson in a statement. The value being realised is around 30% higher than the book value at 31 December 2015 when measured in sterling. The sale is in line with our long-term business and portfolio strategy of buying at a low point in the cycle, with low occupancy and rents, adding value through improved asset management and subsequently realising the investment at a higher point in the cycle. A London High Court injunction has blocked Nostrum Oil & Gas executive chairman Frank Monstrey from dealing with his shares in the company, including voting and other rights. The court order relates to ongoing proceedings at the High Court brought by Kazakhstan's BTA Bank against Mukhtar Ablyazov and various other defendants over charges of embezzlement, though neither of Monstrey's Claremont Holdings vehicles is a defendant to the proceedings and no substantive claim is made against them. The High Court injunction has the effect of preventing Claremont from dealing with their assets, including any shares they hold in Nostrum Oil & Gas plc, which may prevent the exercise of the voting and other rights attached thereto. The court hearing in related to the order is scheduled for 31 March 2017. Last week the Moscow Commercial Court granted a petition by BTA Bank demanding to uphold and execute in Russia the London High Court ruling to collect $420m from the banks ex-chairman Ablyazov. The Kazakh banker fled from Kazakhstan to the UK and was granted political asylum in 2011 after the Kazakh government acquired a stake in BTA Bank in 2009. On Friday his trial in absentia on embezzlement charges began in Kazakhstan. Kazakh authorities have arrested Ablyazov in absentia as they claim he has embezzled funds from BTA Bank, including stealing pension assets and personal savings of citizens as well as loans received from foreign financial institutions, which is reported at more than $7.5bn. He is also wanted in Russia and Ukraine. JKX Oil & Gas announced its final results for the year to 31 December on Monday, with revenue falling to $73.8m from $88.5m in 2015. The London-listed firm said its loss from operations before exceptional charges was $3.9m, narrowing from $10.7m, with exceptional charges falling to $30.8m from $64.9m year-on-year. Its loss for the year was $37.1m, also narrowing from $81.5m, with the loss per share reducing to 21.56 cents from 47.32 cents. Net cash generated from operating activities was $14.6m, improving from $9.1m. Total cash at year end stood at $14.3m, down from $26.3m, and net debt was $2.5m, falling from $8.1m. Capital expenditure during the year $5.6m, down from $8.7m. On the operational front, average production increased 12% to 10,083 barrels of oil equivalent per day (boepd). The company reconstructed and implemented its field development plans and formed a new team in Ukraine, and restarted its production in Hungary after a break of more than three years. It reduced, restructured and extended its short-term bond liabilities, and implemented what the board called significant cost savings across the group, in particular at its London headquarters. The company also commenced the resolution of inherited legal disputes with the Ukrainian Government. Looking ahead, the board said its goals were to amicably settle all legal disputes with the Ukrainian Government, accelerate the Rudenkivske field development project in Ukraine, and monetise assets in Russia. In the face of considerable uncertainty at the beginning of the year, our team has increased production, re-engineered our field development plans, improved relationships with our stakeholders, restructured and extended the significant short-term bond liabilities and focused our Company on the technical challenges to come, said CEO Tom Reed. We are actively seeking to mitigate our litigation risks and potential liabilities with the Ukrainian Government so that our development drilling in Ukraine can recommence. The investment in our Rudenkivske gas field in Ukraine is significant, and we continue to work with the Ukrainian Government to improve the investment environment for such projects. Vodafone has agreed terms of a $23bn merger between its Indian business and Idea Cellular, which is part of the Aditya Birla Group. Vodafone will own 45.1% of what will be India's largest telecoms company, which as a joint venture will reduce its net debt by approximately $8.2bn and is expected add to Vodafone's cash flow from the first full year post completion. Vodafone will transfer a stake of 4.9% to the Aditya Birla Group for circa INR39bn ($579m) in cash when the merger completes, which will mean Aditya Birla Group will then own 26.0% and has the right to acquire more shares from Vodafone under an agreed mechanism with a view to equalising the shareholdings over time. The combination has been agreed as a merger of equals, with joint control of the combined company between Vodafone and the Aditya Birla Group, governed by a shareholders' agreement. Amid the price war that has broken out in the Indian mobile market since a new rival, Jio, launched into the market in September, the merged operation will have the scale to offer attractively priced mobile services, with 400m customers, 35% customer market share and 41% revenue market share. Vodafone chief executive Vittorio Colao said: "The combination of Vodafone India and Idea will create a new champion of Digital India founded with a long-term commitment and vision to bring world-class 4G networks to villages, towns and cities across India. "The combined company will have the scale required to ensure sustainable consumer choice in a competitive market and to expand new technologies - such as mobile money services - that have the potential to transform daily life for every Indian. We look forward to working with the Aditya Birla Group to create value for all stakeholders." Run-rate cost and capex synergies are expected to reach 140bn rupees ($2.1bn) on an annual basis by the fourth full year post-completion, equivalent to a net present value of approximately INR700bn, after integration costs. London's FTSE 100 was flat at 7,424.87 in afternoon trade as investors digested news that Prime Minister Theresa May will trigger the UK's exit from the European Union next Wednesday. Primark owner Associated British Foods was on the front foot after Goldman Sachs upped its stance on the stock to 'buy' from 'neutral' and lifted the price target to 3,000p from 2,750p. Insurers Admiral Group and Direct Line advanced as the change to the Ogden discount rate - which is used to calculate compensation payouts for serious personal injuries - took effect. Admiral said earlier this month that the change had hit its 2016 earnings by 105m, while Direct Line's full-year profit took a 175m hit. Last month, the government cut the Ogden discount rate to -0.75% from 2.5%, with Lord Chancellor Liz Truss saying the move reflected the fall in index-linked gilt yields, which are used in the calculation. Hikma Pharmaceuticals retreated as Bank of America Merrill Lynch downgraded the stock to 'neutral', saying the risk/reward from Advair is balanced. Risers Dixons Carphone (DC.) 308.10p 2.12% Associated British Foods (ABF) 2,661.00p 1.72% Old Mutual (OML) 224.80p 1.58% Admiral Group (ADM) 1,973.00p 1.44% Direct Line Insurance Group (DLG) 339.00p 1.38% Reckitt Benckiser Group (RB.) 7,489.00p 1.31% Sainsbury (J) (SBRY) 273.20p 1.30% CRH (CRH) 2,855.00p 0.99% Hammerson (HMSO) 583.00p 0.78% Informa (INF) 640.50p 0.63% Fallers Hikma Pharmaceuticals (HIK) 2,130.00p -1.75% Royal Bank of Scotland Group (RBS) 240.30p -1.48% Antofagasta (ANTO) 840.50p -1.41% Smurfit Kappa Group (SKG) 2,206.00p -1.16% Convatec Group (CTEC) 257.90p -1.11% Anglo American (AAL) 1,278.50p -1.08% Taylor Wimpey (TW.) 193.00p -0.87% BP (BP.) 459.50p -0.76% Morrison (Wm) Supermarkets (MRW) 236.70p -0.71% Coca-Cola HBC AG (CDI) (CCH) 1,992.00p -0.70% 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. Subscriber content preview SEATTLE The Mac's Upholstery site in Ballard has sold for $2.19 million, according to King County records. The estate sale was on behalf of the Petrie family, which owned the property for decades. . . . Subscriber content preview VANCOUVER (AP) The Washington Supreme Court has ruled in favor of the Port of Vancouver over its lease for a controversial oil terminal proposed along the Columbia River. Oregon Public Broadcasting reports that environmental groups had argued that the agency skirted state law by agreeing to a lease before exploring alternatives through the environmental review process. . . . Paraplegic moves around hospital in a tricycle for want of Rs100 to pay bribe for wheelchair A paraplegic man who could not pay a bribe of Rs100 for a wheelchair, had to move around in a child's tricycle Hyderabad's, Gandhi Hospital. A video doing the rounds on social media showed Raju, who has lost the use of his legs and is in a semi-paralysed state from an electric shock, pushing himself on a tricycle. Raju, who has a family of five, had been making a meagre living along with his wife Santoshi, who earns Rs1,500 per month, by washing utensils in neighbouring households. "My husband lost the use of his legs after the accident last year. For the last 100 days, he has been admitted at Gandhi Hospital for treatment. He was put on the sixth floor, so every time we asked for a wheelchair the ward boy asks for Rs100 or Rs50. On Friday, we brought my child's tricycle to help him move around without having to pay a bribe," said Santoshi, The Hindustan Times reported. Santoshi, who accompanied him to the hospital yesterday, pushed and pulled the cycle to move him around the wards. "There was one ward boy Shamim who asked us for money for every visit of ours. I have handed my mangalsutra to a pawn broker to fund my husband's treatment," said Santoshi. With Santoshi's help Raju uses the tricycle to reach the ward on the fifth floor. ''We came by autorickshaw to the hospital on Thursday morning for a check-up. To get a wheel chair we have to give Rs100 to an attendant, which we sometimes cannot afford. So we brought our child's tricycle,'' Santoshi said. ''If I do not have it (the Rs100), the attendant keeps my mobile phone and I have to beg and plead with other patients to pay Rs100 on my behalf,'' The Indian Express reported. Raju, who is the sole breadwinner of the family, has four children and little hope of finding work soon. A neighbour Mohammed Safi, an autorickshaw driver, takes care of the family and also takes Raju to the hospital in his autorickshaw whenever possible. ''This man cannot walk but they demand Rs100 from his wife for a wheel chair,'' Safi said. ''I was in tears when I saw how his wife pushes him on the tricycle No one helps. If we complain, the attendant may help once but the next time again they demand bribes,'' he said. 'Smallpox' at Kakrapar plant gives India's nuclear community jitters In a highly guarded Indian nuclear reactor complex, toughened radiation resistant pipes have contracted what scientists have termed as 'smallpox'. Indian scientists are burning the midnight oil to unravel the mysterious nuclear leak at the Kakrapar Nuclear Power Plant in southern Gujarat, which shares a wall with the property where the late Bollywood film star Raj Kapoor lived. They are working overtime to find out the cause of the mysterious leaks at the twin reactors. To avoid panic and any further accidents, Indian nuclear watchdog Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) has shut down the affected plants till the cause has been found. Nuclear experts say pipes, made from an uncommon alloy, have contracted what seems like 'smallpox' and this contagion has spread all over the critical tubes in two Indian Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors (PHWR) at Kakrapar in Gujarat. And after more than a year into the investigation, the teams of scientists really do not understand what has gone wrong. It was on the morning of 11 March 2016, exactly five years after the Fukushima reactors in Japan started exploding, that Unit No 1 of the 220-MW PHWR at Kakrapar developed a heavy water leak and had to be shut down. The indigenously built nuclear plant suffered a heavy water leak in its primary coolant channel and a plant emergency was declared at the site. No worker was exposed and no radiation leaked outside the plant, confirmed India's Department of Atomic Energy. India's nuclear operator, Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) said "reactor had shut down safely" and "no radiation leaked out". It confirmed that safety systems had functioned normally. Experts are trying to find out why a leak recognition system failed in the first place, as it should have given an alarm. "There is a leak detection system in place in all PHWRs, but in this case it failed to detect the leak on 11 March 2016," AERB chairman S A Bhardwaj confirve time to react. Subsequent investigations revealed that the leak detection system was fully functioning and the operator had "not shut it down" to cut costs. Nothing in the core of a nuclear reactor can be done in a jiffy and several weeks after the first leak, initial probe using a specially designed tool revealed that four big cracks had formed on a coolant tube which led to the massive leak. The discovery of the crack was only the beginning of the mystery, further efforts to find the root cause established that the outside of the tube, the part which was not exposed to high temperature heavy water, was also for some unexplained reason "corroded". This was a stunning discovery, since the outside of the failed tube was exposed only to high temperature carbon dioxide and there had been no recorded case of a similar corrosion having been seen on the outside of any tube. It is also very hard to access this part since the space was very tiny in the annulus. The AERB then ordered that all the tubes made out of a special alloy of zirconium-niobium be checked on the outside, to their surprise, they discovered that the contagion of the "nodular corrosion" or what in layman's language can also be described as "small pox-like" was very widespread in many of the 306 tubes. Tubes made from the same batch and used at other Indian reactors continue to operate faithfully, without corrosion. The needle of suspicion now pointed to the carbon dioxide, a gas known to be very stable in high radiation environments. A further postmortem revealed that the Unit-2 which is twin of the affected reactor had also been affected by a similar leak on July 1, 2015 almost ten months before the Unit 1 had a sudden appalling failure in March 2016. Investigations into why the Unit-2 failed were ongoing but no conclusive result had been found. This literally back-to-back failure of two fully functional nuclear reactors befuddled the engineers. Trying to find out the root cause, the AERB ordered that entire assembly and not just the affected tube be safely pulled out and brought to India's foremost nuclear laboratory, the Bhabha Atomic Research Center (BARC) in Mumbai for detailed failure analysis. It is this laboratory located at Trombay in Chembur, in Mumbai that shares geography with India's famous Bollywood Kapoor family. In addition, since India operates another 16 similar nuclear plants, a full-fledged investigation was carried out on the coolant channels of all atomic power plants and lo-and-behold the investigating team found that the "small pox" like corrosion was confined only to the two units that operated at Kakrapar. While this gave relief to the NPCIL it increased the complexity on trying to unravel the true cause of the leaks at Kakrapar. Bhardwaj says the investigators are wondering if the carbon dioxide used in Kakrapar may have been contaminated which caused the "nodular corrosion" on the outside of the pipes. The source of the carbon dioxide was further back traced and it seems only the Kakrapar plant was sourcing its gas from a "Naptha cracking unit" and possibly it has some contamination of hydrocarbons. No conclusive evidence on the contamination has been forthcoming and forensic analysis is still under way. As it turns out nuclear engineers are masters of book-keeping especially when ageing of equipment is concerned and a more detailed check in the history of the plants revealed that in 2012 two tubes had been extracted from the Kakrapar plant as part of routine maintenance and had been safely stored in a safe warehouse. When these were re-examined in 2017, the investigators were surprised that the "small pox" like corrosion on the exterior of the tube was not present. This now makes the investigators suspect that something went wrong after 2012. Meanwhile, the AERB and the atomic energy establishment has also reached out to the vast global nuclear community to try and help resolve this mystery. The global watchdog the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna and ten other global forums have been informed that a mysterious leak is dogging the Indian reactors at Kakrapar and if the global community could be of some help. The international community is as much at a loss in explaining the failures as are the Indian teams. India operates 18 PHWR reactors and over the years it has accumulated some 348 years of operating experience of these unique nuclear plants powered using natural uranium and in all these years, the Department of Atomic Energy asserts no radiation related death has taken place at any nuclear plant and no radiation has ever leaked out of the Indian PHWR's. In addition to it, 29 PHWRs are today functional in Canada, Argentina, Romania, China, South Korea and Pakistan and none have reported any issue like the 'small pox like corrosion' on any of its nuclear plants. Bharadwaj says right now there are only hunches but teams at BARC are exposing the Zircalloy tubes to carbon dioxide spiked with various contaminants and they are being placed in a high radiation environment to accentuate the aging process to try and determine the exact cause of the two processes - "smallpox-like nodular corrosion and the development of cracks in the coolant tubes". These could be linked or independent, says Bhardwaj, who feels that in the next few months, the root cause will definitely be deciphered till then the reactors will remain shut. India currently operates 22 nuclear reactors with an installed capacity of 6,780 MW and hopes to ramp up nuclear output to 32,000 MW by 2032. Idea, Vodafone India announce merger Aditya Birla telecom company Idea Cellular and the Indian unit of British telecom company Vodafone today announced a merger, creating India's largest telecom operator. Idea-Vodafone merger will create India's largest telecom operator with Rs80,000 crore revenue and the widest network in the country. The combined entity will have 400 million customers or a third of all mobile phone users in the country. Vodafone will own 45 per cent in the combined entity, which will have the widest network in the country and pan-India 3G / 4G footprint, the companies said in a statement. Vodafone will own 45.1 per cent of the merged entity, after it transfers about 4.9 per cent to promoters of Idea and/or their affiliates for Rs3,874 crore in cash, Idea said. The Aditya Birla group will own 26 per cent of the entity and will have the right to acquire more shares from Vodafone under a mechanism with a view to equalising shareholdings over time. The deal excludes Vodafone's 42 per cent stake in telecom tower company Indus Towers. Promoters of Idea will have the sole right to appoint chairman of the merged entity. The entry of Reliance Jio has spurred a consolidation in the Indian telecom sector. Analysts say the combined entity of Vodafone India and Idea Cellular will be in a better position to compete with Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel. "The landmark combination will enable the Aditya Birla Group to create a high quality digital infrastructure that will transition the Indian population towards a digital lifestyle and make the government's Digital India vision a reality," said Aditya Birla Group chairman Kumar Mangalam Birla. Vodafone and Idea anticipate the merger to complete next year. The move has been spurred by Reliance Jio's entry in the Indian telecom sector, which has intensified competition in India, the world's second-biggest mobile market after China. Idea Cellular posted its first-ever quarterly loss in the October-December quarter while Bharti Airtel reported its lowest profit in four years during the quarter. Bharti Airtel had earlier this year announced an agreement to buy Norwegian company Telenor's operations in six Indian states. Reliance Communications has already entered into an agreement to merge its wireless business with rival Aircel. The merger between Vodafone and Idea Cellular is seen positive for the telecom sector and the combined entity. "The combined entity's operating margins will improve by around 3 percentage points due to cost synergies in networking and selling, general and administrative expenses," the India Ratings, a rating agency, had said in a report. The Donegal Democrat has been informed of the following deaths: - Sarah McGlinchey (nee Clark), Tullyvinney, Raphoe - Charles Moy, Altatraught, Cloghan - Eileen Gallagher (nee Dawson), Chapel Road, Cliffoney and Bundoran - Rose Gallagher, (nee McGinty) Thompson, Tunduff, Cloghan - Anna Molloy, 118 Ard Patrick Glenties - Ida Robinson, Main Street Dunfanaghy - Bridie Gallagher, Larganreagh, Downings - Tess Diver, Carrowmore, Gleneely - Edmund Simpson, Leeds and Carndonagh - Samuel Mc Cready, 450 Imlick Villas, Carrigans Sarah McGlinchey (nee Clark), Smileys Bray, Tullyvinney, Raphoe The death has taken place of Sarah McGlinchey (nee Clark), late of Smileys Bray, Tullyvinney, Raphoe. Removal from Brindley Manor Nursing home at 2pm this afternoon, Sunday, going to her late residence in Tullyvinney. Funeral from there on Tuesday morning at 10.30am, going to St Eunan's Church, Raphoe, for 11am Requiem Mass with burial afterwards in the Old Cemetery, Convoy. Family flowers only please, donations in lieu if desired to Brindley Manor Patients comfort fund. Family time please from 10pm to 10am and on the morning of the funeral. Charles Moy, Altatraught, Cloghan The death has taken place of Charles Moy, late of Altatraught, Cloghan. Reposing at Marleys Funeral Home, Drumany, Letterkenny from 5pm on Monday, March 20th until removal at 6.15pm to Our Lady of Perpetual Succour, Glenfin to repose overnight. Funeral Mass on Tuesday, March 21st at 12 o'clock with burial afterwards in Kilteevogue Cemetery. Family flowers only, donations to Donegal Hospice care of any family member. Sadly missed by his entire family, relatives and large circle of friends. Eileen Gallagher (nee Dawson), Chapel Road, Cliffoney and Bundoran The death has occurred of Eileen Gallagher (nee Dawson) late of Chapel Road, Ciffoney and Bundoran. Arriving at St. Molaise's Church, Cliffoney, on Tuesday morning for 12 noon Funeral Mass. Burial afterwards in St. Ninidh's Cemetery, Bundoran. House private to family and friends, please. Family flowers only. Donations in lieu, if desired, to Oncology Unit, Sligo University Hospital c/o Mc Gloin Undertakers. Rose Gallagher, (nee McGinty) Thompson, Tunduff, Cloghan The death has occurred of Rose Gallagher, (nee McGinty) in New York and formerly of Thompson Tunduff, Cloghan. Viewing on Monday, March 20th from 4pm to 9pm at Riverside Memorial Chapel in Manhattan, New York. Funeral at 10am on Tuesday, March 21st at Church of Notre Dame. Burial following Funeral Mass at Long Island National Cemetery at approximately 12.30pm. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Church of Notre Dame, 405 w114th Street, NY 10025. 7am morning Mass on Tuesday, March 21st will be offered for Rose in The Church of Our Lady of Perpetual Succour, Glenfin. Anna Molloy, 118 Ard Patrick Glenties The death has occurred at her residence of Anna Molloy, formerly of 118 Ard Patrick, Glenties.Remains will repose at her late residence. Removal from there on Tuesday, March 21st at 10:40am to St Conals Church Glenties for 11am requiem mass, followed by burial afterwards in the local cemetery.Family time from 11pm to 11am. Ida Robinson, Main Street Dunfanaghy The death has taken place at her residence of Ida Robinson, late of Main Street Dunfanaghy. Her remains are reposing at her late residence. Funeral service in Holy Trinity Church, Horn Head road, Dunfanaghy on Tuesday, March 21st at 2pm. Burial afterwards in Clondahorky cemetery. Family time please from 11pm to 10am Family flowers only please, donations in lieu if desired to Holy Trinity Church restoration fund, care of any family member or Harkin Funeral Directors. Bridie Gallagher, Larganreagh, Downings The sudden death has taken place of Bridie Gallagher, late of, Larganreagh, Downings. Remains are reposing at her late residence. Funeral from there on Wednesday, March 22nd to the Church of St. John the Baptist, for Requiem Mass at 11am with burial in the adjoining cemetery. Family flowers only donations if desired to Meevagh Day Centre, Carrigart. Family time from 11pm till 11am. Tess Diver, Carrowmore, Gleneely The death has occurred of Tess Diver, formerly of Carrowmore, Gleneely. Removal from Eternal Light Chapel of Rest at 5pm on Monday, March 20th going to her late home. Funeral from there at 10.15am on Wednesday morning to St. Marys Church, Bocan Culdaff for requiem mass at 11am. Internment afterwards in adjoining cemetery. Family time please from 10pm to 12 noon. Edmund Simpson, Leeds and Carndonagh The death has taken place in Leeds England of Edmund Simpson formerly of Carndonagh. Remains will arrive to the Church of the Sacred Heart, Carnodnagh on Wednesday, Marchy 22nd for Requiem Mass at 11am with burial afterwards in the adjoining cemetery. Samuel Mc Cready, 450 Imlick Villas, Carrigans The death has occurred of Samuel Mc Cready, 450 Imlick Villas, Carrigans. His remains will be reposing at his residence from 6pm on Monday, March 20th. Funeral from there on Wednesday at 1.30pm for Service in Killea Parish Church at 2pm with burial afterwards in the family plot in the adjoining churchyard. Family flowers only, donations if desired to Killea Parish Church Funds c/o any family member or Gibson Funeral Directors, Convoy. * If you wish to have a death notice included, please e-mail: editorial@donegaldemocrat.com and include a contact telephone number for verification. 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. On April 1, Idaho residents will join the almost nationwide list of places where Amazon collects sales tax. No kidding. That day the Gem State will become the 42nd state and 43rd taxing jurisdiction overall thanks to Washington, D.C., being part of the group where buyers will have to pay sales tax on purchases delivered by the world's largest online retailer. Idaho Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter, in a statement issued to the Boise television station KTVB, called Amazon's tax collection decision "a matter of fairness." In addition to helping the state collect more revenue, Otter said the Seattle-based company's collection of sales tax also "will help Idaho taxpayers comply with state law while creating a more level playing field for Idahos brick-and-mortar retailers." Too many taxpayers have no use for use tax: That compliance issue is one that has bedeviled state tax departments across the United States for ages. The 45 states and District of Columbia that collect sales tax also have a companion use tax. As the name indicates, the use tax applies to items that residents buy elsewhere, either in another state or in today's online age via the internet, and then bring into or have delivered to the state where the buyer will use it. Many people are unaware of their states' use tax, although many fewer that before the remote sales tax debate became a big topic even beyond the tax world. Others know about their state's use tax, but simply don't report their purchases or pay it. Online state sales tax expansion efforts: States have been looking at various ways to force use tax compliance. Most, however, have decided it's easier to make remote sellers collect the tax money. Amazon at first resisted such efforts to force it to become a de facto state tax collector. However, as the company has located more physical facilities in states, which gives the legal nexus requiring the tax collecting, it has relented. It's even opted to collect sales tax even in states where it has no real-life operations. The hope of state tax officials is that more companies will follow Amazon's lead and also tack tax onto the purchases they send across the country. 43 tax collection locales: So just where will Amazon be adding the "tax due" line to its invoices in a couple of weeks? The table below shows the April 1 tax collection states, plus the nation's capital city. Alabama Indiana Nebraska South Dakota Arizona Iowa Nevada Tennessee Arkansas Kansas New Jersey Texas California Kentucky New York Utah Colorado Louisiana North Carolina Vermont Connecticut Maryland North Dakota Virginia District of Columbia Massachusetts Ohio Washington Florida Michigan Oklahoma West Virginia Georgia Minnesota Pennsylvania Wisconsin Idaho Mississippi Rhode Island Wyoming Illinois Missouri South Carolina Who's Next? Since 5 states don't collect a state-wide sales tax, that leaves just three where Amazon customers and, in some cases, other cyber shoppers won't see sales taxes added to their online invoices. The still Amazon-tax-free states, for now, are Hawaii, Maine and New Mexico. But for how long? You also might find these items of interest: Myriam Keaton wants people to relax and clear their minds. And shes hoping the serene atmosphere at Marias Vineyard in Dothan will be just the setting for it. Slow living is what Im promoting, Keaton said. Keaton began A Time for Me last year, and hosted her first art and wellness retreat in October. The idea is to offer people an escape. Keatons second retreat will be held March 26 at Marias Vineyard on Fortner Street. The cost to attend is $150, which includes all cooking and art supplies, snacks, lunch and a goodie box to take home. I have one rule when I do the retreat and it is always that you cannot talk about the past or the future, Keaton said. I really make a point that everybody has to be living in the now. A self-taught chef with a background in graphic design, Keaton will put her own skills to work in leading retreat attendees through healthy cooking recipes and an art project that involves stamping designs on tea towels. A second instructor will lead a meditative yoga session in the morning. After the first retreat, Keaton said she heard from attendees who found the break from their troubles refreshing whether they had just lost a spouse or were dealing with an illness. I think its wonderful to have people create new friendships, she said. I just love how people connect connect with each other but also connect with life, take time to just slow down for a minute and forget about it all and just enjoy simple things. The retreats are designed for small groups, usually around 20 people, Keaton said. Ten spaces have already been filled for the March 26 retreat. The art and wellness retreat starts at 10 a.m. with a light breakfast of homemade banana bread, fruit and teas. Then, the gentle yoga begins. Participants are asked to bring their own yoga mats or towels. Dont be intimidated if youve never done yoga, Keaton said. The session will be more like meditative stretching and is optional. After yoga, the cooking class begins. The lesson involves clean recipes, including a Nicoise salad and a Moroccan carrot salad. The recipes, Keaton said, may introduce attendees to new spices theyve never used in preparing food. In the afternoon, an art activity will show attendees how to make their own printed tea towels by carving a stamp or using household items to create designs. A goodie box given to participates is a kit for making hand-print towels at home. We just want people relax and kind of empty their minds and forgetting the stress and whatever worries they might have, Keaton said. Originally from Quebec, Canada, Keaton moved to Dothan with her husband when he was stationed at Fort Rucker. Keaton said they will be moving to Germany in October and plans to take the concept to Germany. Keaton said she may try to hold one last retreat before she leaves the area, and shes hoping someone in Dothan will pick up the mantle when shes gone. Some people, I think I planted little seeds, Keaton said. I was kind of seeing little wheels turning. The Auburn University board of trustees has named Iowa State University President Steven Leath as the successor to retiring Auburn President Jay Gogue. "The first thing I would like to say is War Eagle," Leah said, opening his comments. "I could not be more humbled by this decision." Charles McCrary, Auburn board of trustees pro tem and CEO of Alabama Power Co., introduced Leath as the university's 19th president on Monday morning during a special called meeting. "It is apparent how student-focused you are. It is apparent how faculty-focused you are," McCrary said to Leath after taking a unanimous vote of approval from the board to appoint him. "We look forward to your leadership." Leath, whose career has included experience at land grant universities similar to Auburn, has impressive credentials but is not without controversy. He drew scrutiny in recent months at Iowa State over his personal use of university-owned aircraft. However, Auburn officials were impressed with his education-administration background and especially his familiarity with land grand universities such as Auburn, which must include agricultural-related research among its many programs. Home Off beat Norway To Build World's First Ship Tunnel oi-Kennedy Paul Norway officials have given the green light to fully finance an ambitious project to build the world's first full-size tunnel for ships. {photo-feature} Dundalk Councillor, John McGahon, has addressed the problem of illegal dumping saying that stronger measures must be introduced to combat the problem. Cllr McGahon has suggested that those who ignore or fail to pay their court fines for illegal dumping should be named and shamed. Its time to think outside of the box in our efforts to tackle illegal dumping. A name and shame approach may make offenders think twice before engaging in this practise. For those who fail to pay the fixed penalty notice and are taken to court, their names should be published either on the website of their Local Authority or in the local newspaper. Cllr. McGahon noted the good work of thousands of Irish people in Tidy Towns across the country. The illegal dumping of rubbish is an issue that plagues both our rural countryside and our urban areas. Its a source of embarrassment to Local Authorities and the thousands of people across this country who work all year round to keep their communities tidy. We need further action to reduce this crime, and protect our environment. A number of Local Authorities have installed CCTV operations in known litter blackspots, but not all authorities have the required finance to do so. A good example of how this can work is the approach of Dublin City Council in the North Inner City. The Council released 12 CCTV stills and erected them on a wall at Frankfort Cottages near the Five Lamps in Dublin. At present, if a Local Authority can establish who owns material that has been illegally dumped, a fixed penalty notice is issued to the person. If they fail to pay this, they are then taken to court and prosecuted for illegal dumping. We have a number of deterrents already in place, and yet we still see illegal dumping on the rise and plaguing local authorities nationwide. Further action must be taken to protect our urban and rural areas and put an end to illegal dumping. Have you thought about what would happen if your business burned down? There will be stock and equipment to replace, repairs to be made, staff to reorganise and perhaps even customers to refund. With all of this to do, it could take weeks or months before your business is ready to reopen its doors and continue trading. For many small businesses, a lengthy pause in trade can spell bankruptcy. However, there is a way you can protect against interruptions to trade. Business interruption Insurance can help cover your business against loss of profit. In this article, we explain what Business Interruption Insurance is, what it includes, and how to get it. What is Business Interruption Insurance? Business Interruption Insurance helps businesses recover from the impact of unforeseen events such as fire by covering loss of gross profit. While other kinds of insurance, such as property insurance, cover insured property that may be damaged, they do not protect your lost income during the period you cannot trade. By providing gross profit, Business Interruption Insurance helps put businesses back in the position they would have been in had the damaging event not occurred. Do I Really Need Business Interruption Insurance? While its important to consult a small business insurance provider, and find the insurance that is right for your business, Business Interruption Insurance is an important protection for most small businesses. Many small businesses would have to shut their doors if they experienced a major disruption such as a fire or storm. Not only that, 1 in 7 small businesses experienced a shortfall of income because of a business interruption in the past 12 months. As you can see, disruption to trade is a common occurrence, and its important to be prepared. What Does Business Interruption Insurance Cover? To find out exactly what your Business Interruption Insurance will cover, youll need to check the details of your policy. However, here are some common losses that this kind of insurance may protect against: Gross Profit: Profits your business would have earned during the time it is closed. This is usually based on your income in previous months. Profits your business would have earned during the time it is closed. This is usually based on your income in previous months. Fixed Costs: Operating expenses and overheads that still need to be paid even when the business is not operating. This is usually based on previous monthly costs. Operating expenses and overheads that still need to be paid even when the business is not operating. This is usually based on previous monthly costs. Disruption: Costs associated with the disruption of services such as power and water. Costs associated with the disruption of services such as power and water. Temporary Relocation: The cost of temporarily opening at a different location to continue trade. How do I get Business Interruption Insurance? Business Interruption Insurance is usually available as part of a Small Business Insurance Pack, bundled with other insurance essentials such as property insurance, liability insurance, and theft insurance. Its best to save money by finding an insurance solution that can meet all your needs at the same time. Insurance issued by Allianz Australia Insurance Limited ABN 15 000 122 850 AFSL 234708 (Allianz). We do not provide advice based on any consideration of your objectives, financial situation, or needs. Terms, conditions, limits and exclusions apply. Before making a decision please consider the product disclosure statement which is available by calling us on 131000. FinTech start-up Neu.Capital, which acts as a match-maker for mid-sized companies and investors, has been able to significantly reduce the cost of acquiring new clients. The companys director Joshua Khoddami spoke to Dynamic Business about the crucial role played by marketing automation. The ex-manager of Sydney-based digital agency The Web Showroom, Khoddami co-founded Neu.Capital with Edward Jones and Cyrus Church, both formerly of the Royal Bank of Scotland, in early 2015. The companys core service is generating investment deals of between $5 and $100 million for mid-sized ANZ companies by connecting them with compatible investors drawn from a global marketplace of hundreds of institutional debt and equity investors. Deal ready companies Khoddami explained that its tough for mid-market companies to secure funding due to reluctance on behalf of banks and investors to provide support at the smaller end. The work involved in providing a $5 million loan or investment is often the same as one worth $50 million, he said. Therefore, at the smaller end, its often not cost effective for a bank or an investor to go to the trouble of deeply understanding a companys cash flows and the risks they face. Instead, in the mid-market what you see is asset-backed lending whereby the bank will simply look at what collateral they can take (i.e., equipment, property, etc). Neu.Capital is combining new technology with a new process for capital raising to make it easier for mid-market companies to raise the funds they need to grow, hire new staff, buy new equipment, buy-out existing shareholders, acquire other businesses, refinance debt and expand overseas. We have a diverse investor base that includes a range of alternative financiers (both debt and equity) who can be more flexible when it comes to security and terms and conditions. For investors, we provide access to deal ready companies with standardised information direct to their desktops, tablets or phones. Importantly, for both companies and investors our process and technology is built to protect their privacy until they wish to reveal their identity and then only to that one counterparty. Inbound marketing Asked whether Neu.Capital has attracted companies from a particular industry or set of industries, Khoddami said the start-up has strived to be industry agnostic, building its investor base to match this goal. Initially we were mostly dealing with agricultural, financial services and resources companies, he explained. However, we have successfully diversified our clients to be across a range of industries and our latest listings include retail and logistics, manufacturing, Agtech and fintech. The initial influx of agricultural clients was mainly due to timing as it was an area where, in some cases, the big banks were pulling out. Khoddami said Neu.Capital relies on inbound marketing techniques to engage and attract companies and investors. These include producing eBooks and content for the companys mid-market educational blog. Khoddami explained: We place a big emphasis on educating mid-market companies about alternative capital providers because the biggest barriers to non-bank debt or a new equity investor(s) are lack of awareness of the non-bank investor options that are available to them and understanding how to access these alternative investors. Other techniques used by the company include SEO and an emphasis on personal brands. Khoddami noted, Were promoting the directors of the company and their expertise through social, blogs, guest authorship and PR. Its a traditional thought leadership approach. Clean data in and out To monitor lead generation and the success of their marketing campaigns, Khoddami said seamless integration of CRM and marketing software was a must for Neu.Capital. Due to the speed at which our business has grown and the lean operation we run, I didnt want anyone wasting time trying to manually integrate systems through CSV downloads or clunky APIs, he explained. Given my marketing background, I have been across numerous marketing automation providers. For us, the HubSpot platform solved two key problems. It allowed us to cut costs by aggregating all the digital marketing tools needed by an SME, and save time by giving it access to it all in one user-friendly space. We also pride ourselves on keeping data clean. By integrating our marketing tools with our CRM through HubSpot it becomes clean data in, clean data out instead of garbage in, garbage out. This has allowed our sales team to easily track the activity of their prospects straight back to the individual contact, this is very powerful information. A smarter spend Since implementing HubSpot in January 2016, Neu.Capital has seen a 60% decrease in cost per acquisition (i.e. the mid-market company listing with Neu.Capital to raise capital) and a 50% increase in engagement with its emails. It took us about 3 months to start seeing results, Khoddami said. From my experience, this is about average when launching new marketing tools it takes that much time to get up to speed with the tech and to be able to optimise it effectively. Through the platform, weve been able to determine which personas and content marketing campaigns are attracting the right kind of audience and providing us with better quality leads. This has enabled us to put money behind campaigns that are attracting companies ready to raise capital and amplify our results. Consequently, weve reduced the amount of marketing material produced but increasing our conversion rate. Overall, weve seen a 60 to 70% increase in inbound leads being driven to the website. A small business is more than a bottom line for an owner; it is often their heart, soul and passion. By taking the plunge and setting up and running a small business, all your time and energy becomes focused on making your lifes dream a success. However, with all of your energy invested in your business, you can become increasingly vulnerable to fraud. It is essential to have a basic knowledge of the most common fraudulent practices that can infiltrate even the most successful small businesses without their owners knowledge. Trust There has to be an element of trust between an owner and their staff. However, the likelihood of internal fraud happening is just as likely with long-term employees as with a contract worker. It is not good enough to give a bookkeeper unbridled access to financial comings and goings. Instead, as owner you should retain crucial oversight over financial affairs when possible, to identify unusual activity. A curse of success or growth is that it can become harder to monitor cash flow, however, it remains a necessity of best practice for any owner. Payroll Fraud When a company grows from a very small enterprise into something larger with at least 70 employees, the payroll can become significantly more complex. Once you add additional overtime, it can become difficult to scrutinise, especially with the cooperation of an employee and bookkeeper. It is essential to gain a working knowledge of the payroll system and make book keepers accountable in their monthly reports. Theft of Cash Small businesses without a formal receipt process are particularly vulnerable to the disappearance of physical cash. From the outset of setting up your business, it is essential to have a streamlined process, both for an effective financial process, and also to maintain essential supervision of cash within the business. Online banking An increase in online banking has made small businesses vulnerable to funds being transferred easily to erroneous accounts. It is essential to set up regular catch ups with the accounts team to monitor all transferred money, where possible. Cybercrime has never been more sophisticated and small business owners need to arm themselves with updated information on threats, to respond accordingly with their relevant financial institution. False Invoicing It is imperative as an owner to have a basic oversight over every supplier that is dealt with within their business. False invoicing is an increasingly popular method of fraud, either by creating false suppliers, or by paying a legitimate supplier and diverting the cash into an alternative account. By having a basic requisite knowledge of suppliers, this eliminates this unfortunately common method of fraud. Invoice Email This involves perpetrators pretending to be legitimate suppliers advising of changes to existing payment arrangements. The fraud may not be detected until too late when the business is alerted by complaints from suppliers that payments were not received. Regular account check-ins can help guard against business owners falling victim to this type of fraud. An owner has invested far more than money into their business, they have sacrificed time with family and friends to make their passion a financial success. Any good owner is reliant on an exceptional team around them, but equally they need to keep firm control over financial processes and not over rely on delegation, particularly during periods of expansion. The potential detrimental financial costs of being too hands off within the business are too large to contemplate. About the author Deborah Wood has over 15 years experience within the fraud, investigations and security industry. As Head of Fraud Risk Management at international currency transfer provider, OFX (formerly Ozforex), she is responsible for developing and implementing the long term fraud risk strategy for the future direction of the company. Prior to this, Deborah worked in the Financial Services and eCommerce Industries across the United States, Asia and the United Kingdom. Real people telling real stories. That was the message of the Refugee and Immigration Conference at Central Penn College on Saturday. If youre sick of heated political debates on this topic, Chief Diversity Officer Romeo Azondekon says this is the right place for you. There is a shock factor to it all, Azondekon said. Because oftentimes were not hearing those stories, and thats what this is for. The event included speakers sharing their stories about how they came to the United States, and specifically to Central Pennsylvania. They talked about the roles they play in their communities, and what shaped their ideas of the American Dream. Azondekons job was to make sure the conference ran smoothly. But his feelings about refugees and immigrants go beyond his employment. Im from West Africa, Azondekon said. Im a refugee myself. I came here at the age of five. Many more refugees have since arrived in the Midstate. Data from Pennsylvania Refugee Resettlement Program shows that from October 2011 through September 2016, approximately 5,411 refugees arrived in Central Pennsylvania. Most went to Harrisburg and Lancaster because of affordable housing and employment opportunities. Going through the process of applying for a Green Card, going through the process of citizenship, becoming an American citizen, Azondekon said. Ive been an American citizen since I was 14 years old, but certainly I remember those things. Azondekon says he often hears people speaking about refugees in generalities, without being familiar with real stories. He hopes the Refugee and Immigration Conference is one of many ways the public can put faces to an issue. Stories of people in impoverished countries and communities, not having food, not having shelter, Azondekon said. The refugee story of displacement, of going from place to place and not knowing exactly where home is. Azondekon says even though Central Pennsylvania is rural, its also diverse. He sees that as an opportunity to bring people together. We as a community are willing to learn, Azondekon said. I do see that. I do see that we are kind of willing to engage in these kinds of forums and these kinds of conferences to really open up the doors for conversation. For more details on how refugees are resettled in Pennsylvania, go to www.refugeesinpa.org/index.htm. It may not be apparent to all observers, but information security practices are undergoing a transformation. For at least a decade, environments have been becoming less perimeter-centric: Gone are the good old days when in-line controls protected the trusted, safe interior from the wild west of the outside. As environments become more complex and externalized, the traditional perimeter loses meaning. Moreover, as attackers themselves become more sophisticated, security teams increasingly need to expect that the internal environment is compromised already. As a consequence, the emphasis is on detection (locating attackers already in the environment) and response (minimizing the amount of time they can dwell unchecked), rather than on putting all the eggs in the prevention basket and hoping attackers cant get in. Extending Situational Awareness This is why intelligence-driven security approaches that are aware of attacker motivations, tradecraft and methods have been gaining traction. Take, for example, the strategy Lockheed Martins kill chain paper outlines for understanding attacker activity as part of a systematic campaign, thereby rendering it more difficult to mount. The companys own chain of events, when disrupted, renders such campaigns ineffective. That is a useful strategy, and one that lends itself well to a highly mutable, complex, and interdependent environment such as those most organizations have in place today. Alignment of such an approach to internal defenses and control placement is useful, because it allows orbital deployment of defenses. That is, instead of a chain of layered defenses, it presupposes a 360-degree attack surface where attackers potentially can circumvent many of the controls in place, and each individual countermeasure can fill a dual detective and protective role. While readily applicable to internal controls, this type of approach is adapted less easily to other types of security notably, the supply chain. The supply chain can be an area of risk or potential attack for any organization and, just as a companys internal environments are becoming more complex, so too are those of its partners, vendors and suppliers. However, intelligence-driven methods can offer the same advantages to a companys external support network as they provide in its own environment. Its important for a company to understand the threat environment for elements in the supply chain in the same way that it understands its own internal environments. Just as it evaluates its posture from a threat perspective, so also should it extend that analysis to others that could potentially impact it. In practice, this means making the following determinations: 1) the impact that a compromise of a supplier or partner would have; 2) the motivations and techniques of those that are likely to attack them; and 3) their relative resilience to those attacks. This assessment must begin with understanding who is in the supply chain and what they do. For an organization of any size, this can take quite a bit of legwork. Therefore, it is advantageous to approach it in a systematic and workmanlike way for example, by keeping an inventory of who they are, correlated with data youve already collected (assessments, business due-diligence, technical tests, and so forth). This information can extend the situational awareness capabilities that a company uses or are building for the internal environment to cover critical areas of the supply chain or other areas where a compromise could have cascading impact. For example, if a company subscribes to an intelligence feed that provides information about indicators of compromise or threat actor information, it can extend its detection capability to the supply chain by linking that information with what it knows of its suppliers and partners. Depending on the relationship, this process could yield a heads up notification, or it could result in an extension of internal countermeasures to cover the points of interaction with that external party. Information Sharing As a company gains maturity, the opportunity arises to enlist suppliers as an information source, as well as to leverage investments in intelligence-gathering to assist them. There are two primary challenges with the data collection aspects of intelligence-driven security approaches: first, finding or collecting relevant information; and second, contextualizing that information for specific environments. Surprisingly, folks in a companys supply chain can help with both. Suppliers can serve as an early warning mechanism to collect information about the threat environment. Larger organizations in the supply chain, for example, might have access to information that the company does not have. They may subscribe to different information sources, gather data points from other customers in the same industry, or otherwise gain access to valuable insights that can be of direct assistance. This can help with contextualization. If a number of similar organizations for example, in the same industry or of similar size see a similar thing or are being attacked in a similar way, it is directly relevant. Having an open line of communication to learn about patterns from those in a position to observe them can be extremely valuable. In many cases, all it takes is a conversation to make it happen. Smaller vendors and partners, or those that are less technically sophisticated, might have less to offer in terms of specific information for a company to consume, but they absolutely will benefit from information the company might be able to share with them. Of course, a company cant compel its suppliers to make use of the information it provides, but it absolutely can give them the ammunition to do so. It also can look for evidence of responsiveness in the vetting or periodic reassessment it does, and use that information to decide how much to rely on them in the future. The point is, an intelligence-driven approach not only makes sense for a companys internal environments, but also can provide value when systematically applied to the supply chain. It wont pay off in every case, but a company that extends its efforts to cover the supply chain, in addition to other methods it employs, may realize substantial benefits. Establishing a communication channel to allow information sharing can be time well spent and result in tangible security value. ProsperWorks, which provides CRM for Googles G Suite business tools, last week announced the addition of in-app cloud communications functionality. The new features are available through a custom integration with RingCentral, which provides enterprise cloud communications and collaboration solutions. The integration lets users make, receive and log calls without leaving the CRM solution. It provides them with information such as callers contact details, past interactions and deal status, and it eliminates the need to take manual notes. Users also get activity and goal reports. The analytics a company can glean from call activity can be indicative of deal closure probability, customer interest, service issues and other factors, noted Cindy Zhou, a principal analyst at Constellation Research. The challenge with CRM has been a lack of data entered, she told CRM Buyer. Users with active RingCentral Office accounts can log calls and corresponding notes in ProsperWorks through voicemail. These new functionalities were an incredibly important focus to implement, said ProsperWorks CEO Jon Lee. At the end of the day, we have a simple mission, which is to help businesses sell more efficiently, he told CRM Buyer. The ability to make and receive calls and log notes from directly within our CRM delivers immediate value to the user in terms of productivity and efficiency. The integration is a logical next step to provide greater customer value and increase usage of ProsperWorks CRM solution, observed Constellations Zhou. Other cloud-based communications providers already have or are developing, call activity integration into CRM, including 88s Virtual Office for Salesforce, she noted. Who Gets to Play The integration is available to users who have a premium or enterprise RingCentral office account or are on the ProsperWorks business plan. It doesnt need any other software installation. It runs within ProsperWorks and integrates seamlessly with a RingCentral desk phone or desktop app. VoIP and mail integration are two key areas that help sales automation players drive increased sales productivity more time selling while increasing the fidelity and detail of information captured in CRM systems, said Rebecca Wettemann, VP of research at Nucleus Research. We find sales people that spend more than 8 percent of their time entering data in CRM are not optimizing their time for actually selling, she told CRM Buyer. This integration will help bring them to optimal. Major CRM solution providers like Salesforce offer VoIP integrations through third-party plugins and marketplaces, ProsperWorks Lee said, but these options are simply bolted on, poorly designed, and require installation and setup. This is also true for other CRM solutions that have tried to integrate with Googles G Suite, he said, noting that ProsperWorks integrations are truly native in that they were built from the ground up to integrate with G Suite and now RingCentral. The Opportunity for ProsperWorks Salesforce, Microsoft and Oracle dominate the more-than-US$20 billion CRM market, but the modern workforce is changing, Lee remarked, and these giants are slow to adapt. ProsperWorks therefore sees a tremendous opportunity to capture a significant market share over the next few years, especially with small to mid-market businesses, he said. These companies just dont have the time, resources or budget to implement and maintain larger, more complex CRM systems, and theyre already making the switch to collaborative productivity software like G Suite, Lee noted. Burgeoning Competition Insightly, Solve, Zoho, Agile and Salesflare are some of the other companies offering CRM solutions for G Suite. A number of emerging CRM players have taken advantage of the economies of cloud to deliver cost-effective CRM solutions for sales, marketing and service, Nucleus Wettemann observed. Its possible that other players will jump on the G Suite bandwagon, as the apps popularity with businesses has increased, but weve already got a major head start in regards to our experience and our close working relationship with Google, said Lee. In fact, were officially recommended and used by Google. As it approaches its first stock offering next month, Snap, maker of the popular mobile messaging app Snapchat, is positioning itself as a camera company. We feel like were really at the beginning of what cameras can do, Snap CEO Evan Spiegel explained in a video promoting the company. Before, cameras were the best way to perfectly save or record something that you saw. They sort of helped augment memory but now, you know, cameras augment the way that we talk, he said. If you think about the keyboard and the way that sort of became the primary input for everything you do on your computer everything starts with that flashing cursor with Snapchat, the camera has become the primary input for the phone, Spiegel explained. Redefining the Camera Casting a company whose chief product is a messaging app as a camera company has raised some eyebrows. Its a provocative positioning, observed Ross Rubin, the principal analyst at Reticle Research. Clearly, theyre not a camera company in the way that people traditionally think of them, he told the E-Commerce Times. Their competitors arent companies such as Nikon or Canon. To make a credible claim to be a camera company, Snap needs to redefine the camera as a chain of imaging components that include capture, processing and sharing, rather than a box that takes pictures. If you take the purpose that a camera has served and abstract that from the device, then that word applied to Snap becomes more defensible, Rubin said.Most investors, though arent thinking about that. Looking for Separation Snaps attempt to position itself as a camera company is not only a stretch, but also unnecessary, maintained Andreas Scherer, managing partner at Salto Partners. For now, Snaps focus should be on growing the customer base and increasing its mobile ad sales numbers, he told the E-Commerce Times. There is a marketing angle to Snap trying to recast itself as a camera company. Its a way for the company to distinguish itself from other photo-sharing and messaging apps, in particular Instagram and WhatsApp, both Facebook properties. Instagram has historically defined itself as a photo-sharing site, Rubin said. That kind of differentiation may be short sighted, though. Its not going to be valid in the long term, because Snap isnt a camera company, said Bob ODonnell, chief analyst at Technalysis Research. Looking for the Next Facebook Snaps orientation to cameras isnt entirely abstract, however. It introduced Snap Spectacles last year, a pair of sunglasses that record video from the wearers point of view for upload exclusively to Snapchat. The Snap Spectacles were interesting, but its not like they sold a lot, ODonnell told the E-Commerce Times. They just got a lot of buzz from a small group of people. The Snap IPO should fetch US$14 to $16 a share, which would value the company between $19.5 billion and $22.2 billion, according to market predictions. The companys valuation was trimmed slightly, due in large part to competitors copying Snaps features and services, noted Charles King, principal analyst at Pund-IT. But if imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, the fact that high-profile companies like Facebook are following Snaps lead suggests that the company is on the right track, he told the E-Commerce Times. The continuing solid growth in Snaps user base has many investors believing the company could be the next Facebook, King said. From a business standpoint, that means that Snap can provide access to large, enthusiastic audience of young people just the folks advertisers want to reach, he pointed out. That model has certainly brought Facebook enormous success and could very well do the same for Snap. 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The US had demanded that Saddam Hussein leave Iraq within 48 hours. When he didnt, coalition forces attempted to kill him and his sons in the first hour of their shock and awe bombing campaign, beginning the morning of March 19, 2003. George W. Bush went on television that evening to describe the purpose the war to follow: to disarm Iraq, to free its people, and to defend the world from grave danger. The invasion of Iraq was the fulcrum on which much has shifted since. Vladimir Putins speech in February 2007 to the Munich Conference on Security Policy dissented sharply from Washingtons vision of a unipolar world and warned against further NATO expansion along Russias southern borders. The Arab Spring, beginning in Tunisia in late 2010 (gripped by the narrative of a young generation peacefully rising up against oppressive authoritarianism to secure a more democratic political system and a brighter economic future, in one interpretation), swept through Egypt, Libya, Yemen, and Syria with profoundly mixed results. The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) found its footing in the villages and towns +along upper Euphrates and Tigris rivers, accelerating the European refugee crisis and contributing to Britains vote to leave the European Union. The fall of a friendly government in Kiev in 2013 led to Russias annexation of Crimea and civil war in Ukraine. The financial crisis of 2008-09 proceeded separately, contributing greatly to the strain. The disaster in Iraq is well understood. The best book I know on the war itself is Overreach: Delusions of Regime Change in Iraq (Harvard, 2014), by Michael MacDonald. The broader context is well covered in Americas War for the Greater Middle East: A Military History (Random House, 2016), by Andrew Bacevich. Rise of the Vulcans: The History of Bushs War Cabinet (Viking, 2004), by James Mann, traces its origins to the experience of Americas defeat in Vietnam. Yet like a repressed bad dream, the decision to invade Iraq is routinely overlooked as a landmark event. George W. recanted only in joking. Solidarity with his brother helped cost Jeb Bush a primary campaign he was expected to win. Hillary Clintons slippery views on Iraq counted against her in the recent election and almost certainly cost her the 2008 Democratic nomination. And Donald Trump, skewered when he claimed he had opposed the war before it started, has scarcely mentioned it since. As for the newspapers, the editorial board of The Wall Street Journal still thinks the war was a great idea. The Washington Post has renounced its zest for the war only a little. Even The New York Times has trouble remembering the role its coverage played in fomenting the war. Economic Principals still burns with shame. The US made various mistakes in the 1990s, when it stood alone as the as the worlds dominant power, but there is a sense in which invasion of Iraq was the twenty-first centurys original sin, costing credibility around the world never mind the lives of 5,000 of its soldiers, those of at least half a million Iraqis, and some $3 trillion so far. Until the US comes to terms with its miscalculation, it can expect to misunderstand and be misunderstood The aftermath of the war is central to todays controversy with Russia. And with Secretary of State Rex Tillerson warning of a much harder line against North Korea, it could hardly be more relevant. Let March 19 become a national day of reflection. YWCA Carlisle is partnering with Dickinson College's Popel Shaw Center for Race and Ethnicity to present a free screening of the documentary, "13th," on Tuesday. "13th" is from Ava DuVernay, who directed "Selma," and focuses on racial inequity and mass incarceration in the United States. The film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. The screening will be at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at Dickinson College's Stern Center Great Room, 208 W. Louther St., Carlisle. Light refreshments will be available. Following the screening will be a panel discussion, featuring Stephanie Jirard, professor of criminal justice at Shippensburg University; Elizabeth Marx, attorney with the Pennsylvania Utility Project; and Dan Schubert, professor of sociology at Dickinson College. For more information, go to www.ywcacarlisle.org or call 717-243-3818. I have never been so excited about an email subscription before. Zak S. By Elizabeth Wartenkin Immense herds of up to 30 million bison once thundered across the plains of North America. Like their American brethren, overhunted Canadian plains bison came dangerously close to extinction in the late 1800s. In an effort to reverse the damage, Parks Canada on Feb. 1 successfully restored 16 healthy bisontransporting them the 280 miles from Elk Island National Park, 30 miles east of Edmonton, Alberta, to their original, rightful home on the eastern slopes of Banff National Park. Yellowstone National Park Sends Hundreds of America's Last Wild Buffalo to Slaughter https://t.co/QRxyJpQdEX @earthhour @greenpeaceusa EcoWatch (@EcoWatch) February 10, 2017 This is the first step in a five-year pilot project to reintroduce the animals to the Banff wilderness. For 16 months, this initial little herdconsisting of six two- to three-year-old bulls and 10 two- to three-year-old pregnant heiferswill be kept in an enclosed pasture in Banffs Panther Valley. Project Manager Karsten Heuer and his team at Parks Canada expect that, after having twice calved, they will release the herd into a larger, 1,200 square kilometer (463 square mile) zone in summer 2018. There, they will be free to interact with other native species and to forage for food. The idea, said Heuer, is to anchor these initial animals to this new landscape, so they adopt it as their new home and range. In 2022, Parks Canada will reevaluate the project and, if long-term bison restoration to the area is deemed feasible, develop a management plan from there. If we didnt think there was a good chance of this working I dont think we ever would have started, Heuer said, acknowledging that if necessary for population control, Parks Canada may ultimately have to consider pulling animals out and allowing for hunting. In that case, he said priority would be given to local First Nations groups (as Canadas indigenous peoples are known), and is careful to add, But thats not the emphasisour intent isnt to create a population for hunting opportunities. Once a key source of food, clothing, shelter, and religious symbolism, bison carry great spiritual and cultural meaning for the First Nations. With the 19th-century massacre of the bison herds came the end of an entire way of life. In fact, so significant is the bison to the North American and indigenous story that in recording the continents past, historians tend to differentiate between bison and post-bison eras. The emblematic plains animals were once a keystone species in Banff, said Heuer. Bringing them back will help restore the ecological integrity of the Canadian great plains, referred to locally as the prairies. Depending on how well the Banff bison herd survive and reproduce, wolves, which once relied on bison herds as a primary food source, will be able to do so once again. Other species would benefit, toohulking, woolly bison graze heavily on native grasses and disturb the soil with their hooves, triggering an ecological process that helps many plant and animal species flourish. Prairie dogs, for instance, prefer to make their homes in or near bison-grazed areas, as the short grass affords a lookout for hungry predators. Indigenous groupsmany of which have played a role in bison reintroduction projects on both sides of the U.S.-Canada borderexpress uniform enthusiasm for the Banff initiative. Independent of government efforts, many have formed pro-reintroduction alliances. In 2014, eight nations (or tribes) signed a Buffalo Treaty in Montana, which commits signatories to bison restoration. Other nations have since signed on. In September 2016, the American Bison Society held their fifth annual week-long conference in Banff, marking their first summit in Canada. Upon Februarys announcement of bison reintroduction in Banff, Leroy Little Bear, a Blood Tribe member integral to the Buffalo Treaty, told the Calgary Herald, The restoration of wild bison to Banff National Park is a great leap forward for buffalo peoples. https://twitter.com/EcoWatch/status/740653475982389249 called the Pink Mountain Herd, there are no other plains bison populations in North America that actually are interacting with the full suite of native predators. Heuer reports that working on the reintroduction project with various representatives from First Nations was invigorating for all parties. I think part of the reason why our translocation went as well as it did is because with the First Nations partners, there was a lot of spiritual preparation. We had numerous blessing ceremonies. On Jan. 29, the Samson Cree Nation hosted a send-off ceremony at Elk Island National Park, and several other First Nations celebrated the bisons return to Banff, too. Nonprofit conservationists are also excited about the Banff reintroduction. One of the things national parks are supposed to do is to conserve our ecological heritage, said wildlife ecologist Dr. Jodi Hilty, president of Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative, a joint Canada-U.S. nonprofit organization that connects and protects wildlife habitats. And that includes ensuring that all the species that should be there are persisting, now and into the future. In the case of bison, theyre ecosystem engineers, if you will. They actively impact the landscape. Not everyone, however, is so effusive. Local ranchers initially worried that the bison could escape from their current enclosure, damage property, or spread disease to livestock. Members of the Alberta Fish and Game Association (AFGA) were also strongly opposed, arguing in 2015 that the experiment is ill-founded, has no environmental integrity and has little value to Canadians. However, Parks Canada has done due diligence in terms of disease testing and quarantining, and representatives have met with both AFGA and the Alberta Beef Producers to alleviate their concerns, even committing to slaughtering the herd if necessary. However, Heuer and his team hope it wont come to that. Its taken a lot of time, he said, and we finally have hooves on the ground. For now, Parks Canada observes and monitors the bison. After a period of managing the animals in such heavy-handed fashion, Heuer said the hope is that the herd will ultimately revert to bisons tremendous wild instincts. As the old cliche goes, it is only once weve lost something that we realize how valuable it was. The Banff project, along with other wildlife reintroductionssuch as the recent scimitar-horned oryx in Chad or the Iberian lynx in Spainoffer multi-pronged opportunities: a chance to make amends for past mistakes, and an occasion to make a solid commitment to the future of the planet. Its fairly high-cost to try to bring something back what youve already lost, noted Heuer, adding that such endeavors are also labor-intensive. By far, the more efficient and better approach is to maintain the lands ecological integrity so that you dont have to restore it. I would really caution people from going down the road of thinking, You know, its no big deal if we lose things because we have the power and the technological prowess to bring them back.' Reposted with permission from our media associate SIERRA Magazine. By Nadia Prupis Finance ministers for the Group of 20 (G20), which comprises the worlds biggest economies, dropped a joint statement mentioning funding for the fight against climate change after pressure from the U.S. and Saudi Arabia. A G20 official taking part in the annual meeting told Reuters that efforts by this years German leadership to keep climate funding in the statement had hit a wall. Climate change is out for the time being, said the official, who asked to remain anonymous. French Finance Minister Michel Sapin stressed that the move did not mark the end of the road for the statement. The G20 is scheduled to meet in full in July in Hamburg. There can be a way to overcome disagreements todaythat is, not writing about it in the communique, Sapin told reporters on Friday. But not writing about it doesnt mean not talking about it. Not writing about it means that there are difficulties, that there is a disagreement and that we we must work on them in the coming months. The statement does mention the need to phase out fossil fuel subsidies, but overall the language appears weaker than previous communiques, critics said. Bloomberg reported: The 23-page draft, obtained by Bloomberg News, outlines how the most prosperous nations can lead by example, cutting their own greenhouse-gas emissions, financing efforts to curb pollution in poorer countries and take other steps to support the landmark Paris climate accord. The link between global warming and the organization of financial markets and even the organization of the global economy is particularly important for France, Sapin said in Baden-Baden. Well see whether therell be agreement with the U.S. administration, but there can be no going back on this for the G-20. At the last G20 meeting in July 2016, the groups financial leaders urged all countries that had signed onto the landmark Paris climate accord to bring the deal into action as soon as possible. But President Trump, who has referred to global warming as a Chinese hoax, took office vowing to remove the U.S. from the voluntary agreement. On Thursday, a day before the finance meeting, the Trump administration unveiled its skinny budget proposal, which included a 31 percent cut to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. https://twitter.com/EcoWatch/status/842668104874442752 As Friends of the Earth senior political strategist Ben Schreiber said at the time, With this budget, Trump has made it clear that he is prioritizing Big Oil profits over the health of the American people. Reposted with permission from our media associate Common Dreams. The U.S. Senate is beginning the confirmation process today to consider Judge Neil Gorsuch to the U.S. Supreme Court. Gorsuch, nominated by President Trump on Jan. 31, is now a jurist on the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver. Senators will be making their opening statements, with Republicans expected to say that he will be fair-minded on all issues, including those pertaining to the environment by pointing to what they consider an even-handed record. Democrats, though, will be asking targeted questions of the would-be Supreme Court jurist, especially about his thinking on the carbon-cutting Clean Power Plan that now awaits a decision at the appeals court level. https://twitter.com/SierraClub/status/826825838729580544 What could happen? Im willing to say, that hes going to come at these things neutral and if he doesnt think an agencys interpretation is credible hes going to say so, Pat Parenteau, a professor at Vermont Law School, told the Associate Press. Sometimes thats going to cut in favor of the environment and sometimes its going to cut against the environment and I dont know how much of that concern actually weighs into his decision making. What cases might environmentalists look at to get a keener insight into Judge Gorsuchs legal mindset? One of the most recent and hotly contested consisted of a Colorado state mandate requiring investor-owned utilities get 30 percent of electricity they sell from renewable sources by 2020a law that Gorsuch voted to uphold. According to Heavy: In 2015, on a three-judge panel, Gorsuch affirmed that Colorados renewable energy law would remain in place and did not violate the Constitution. The plaintiff had advocated for a free market approach to environmentalism and argued that the law violated the Commerce Clause and unfairly hurt out-of-state businesses, such as coal producers. Conversely, according to the AP, Gorsuch sided with business interest in a 2010 case in which the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) had classified land in New Mexico as Indian territory when a company had wanted to explore there. Gorsuch said that the land in question was not actually on an Indian reservation and thus ruled in favor of the mining company. By way of background, Neil Gorsuch is the son of Ann Burford Gorsuch, who led the EPA from 1981 to 1983 when President Reagan was in office. Environmentalists had been critical of her back in the day, saying that she had failed to tackle cases important to their cause and that she had tried to loosen existing regulations that had been meant to reduce pollution. To that end, Democratic senators have expressed concern that Judge Gorsuch naturally favors the interest of big business. Senators worry that this would come at the expense of the environment as well as the most vulnerable Americans. The highest court in the land should be reserved only for those who believe that a democracy works for the peoplenot corporations, Michael Brune, executive director of the Sierra Club, said in a statement. Unfortunately but not unsurprisingly, Donald Trumps nominee, Neil Gorsuch, does not subscribe to this belief as evidenced by his long record of anti-environment, anti-women and anti-worker decisions. Progress Now in Colorado believes that the nominee would set back environmental policy. Meantime, NextGen Climate President Tom Steyer said that, when Gorsuch was nominated, the U.S. Senate had owed no deference to Trump, who lost the popular vote. The Supreme Court is one of the last lines of defense at this perilous time for our country, Steyer added. Environmentalists, for example, point to the Chevron Doctrine, which is encompassed in the case of Chevron U.S.A., Inc v. NRDC. Simply, courts will defer to the federal agencies that have thoroughly analyzed a policy. But green groups, pointing to an earlier immigration case, are fearful that the Supreme Court nominee would give short shrift to the doctrine. Thats because it is often associated with EPA regulations. It gives them broad authority to regulate certain pollution and it leaves it up to the experts to determine exactly what threshold of pollution is acceptable and what threshold is dangerous, Billy Corriher of the Center for American Progress said, according to the AP. Judge Gorsuch would want to get rid of that standard and basically allow judges to substitute their own judgment for the judgment of the agency experts. While some of the high courts current judges have criticized the doctrinenotably Justice Clarence Thomasit has, in effect, served as a check on judicial activism, Kenneth Reich, an environmental and energy lawyer in Boston, said in an earlier interview. Thats particularly relevant with regard to statutes that require a precise expertiseknowledge that the judges cannot possibly have. The Clean Power Plan is a case-in-point. In 2007, the Supreme Court ruled that carbon dioxide is a pollutant that could be regulated under the Clean Air Actsomething that EPA made official in 2009, saying it was a danger to public health and welfare. And in 2014, the high court upheld that so-called endangerment finding. That ruling is the foundation behind President Obamas Clean Power Plan. But in February 2016, the Supreme Court issued a stay to address some concerns of several states before sending the case back to the DC Court of Appeals, where a decision is expected soon. No matter how it rules, it will head back to the high court, which is now evenly split on the Clean Power Plan. The question many are asking is just how would Gorsuch decide and would he respect the Chevron Doctrine? UNC Board of Governors names Dr. Glen Bowman as 2017 Excellence in Teaching Winner For Elizabeth City State Universitys Dr. Glen Bowman, 2017 is shaping up to be a great year. The history professor and author was just recently honored with the Chancellors Legacy Award, and now the University of North Carolina Board of Governors has named him one of the systems winners of the 2017 Excellence in Teaching Award. Dr. Bowman is in his 18th year at ECSU. Over that time he has contributed a great deal to the university, including the recently published book, Elizabeth City State University, 1891-2016: The Continuity of a Historical Legacy of Excellence and Resilience. It is a scholarly work focusing on the history of ECSU, looking at the good and bad times throughout the institutions 126 year history. Dr. Bowman also wrote a weekly column for The Daily Advance, highlighting historic and interesting facts and people pertaining to ECSU. Since his start at ECSU in 1999, Dr. Bowman has earned accolades for a number of additional accomplishments, including the publication of The Razors Edge. Sold as a teaching text, royalties earned from the sales of the book went to the Ballou Fund, helping students with research travel and training as they become history teachers. Bowman also founded the fund, named after long-time ECSU archivist, Leonard Ballou. But perhaps most notable of all is Dr. Bowmans dedication to teaching. In a statement and bio for the 2017 Excellence in Teaching Award, it states that, Bowman emphasizes critical thinking and clear, concise, and crisp writing in his courses. He wants students to question what they hear, even what they hear from him; and to demand evidence before they believe something to be true. Dr. Bowman is from suburban Philadelphia in Quakertown, Pennsylvania. He earned his Ph.D., in history at the University of Minnesota, his Master of Arts in History at West Virginia University, and his bachelors degree, graduating with the highest honors, from Cedarville University. Yogi Adityanath sworn in as 21st CM of UP Published: March 20, 2017 Five-time Parliamentarian and BJPs firebrand leader Yogi Adityanath (44) was sworn in as the 21st Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh. Keshav Prasad Maurya and Dinesh Sharma were sworn in as Deputy Chief Ministers. They were administered the oath to the office and secrecy by Governor Ram Naik at oath taking ceremony held in Kanshiram Smriti Upvan in Lucknow. Besides them 47-member council of ministers consisting of 22 cabinet ministers, 9 ministers of state (MoS) with independent charge and 13 ministers of states (MoS) also took oath. The cabinet has 5 female ministers and 1 Muslim Minster, Mohsin Raza. About Yogi Adityanath Mahant Yogi Adityanath was born as Ajay Singh Bisht on 5 June 1972 in Panchur, Pauri Garhwal district in then undivided Uttar Pradesh (now in Uttarakhand). He had renounced his family at the age of 21 and became a disciple of Mahant Avaidyanath, then the head priest of Gorakhnath Math. He was promoted to the rank of Mahant of Guru Gorakhnath Temple, following the death of his spiritual father Mahant Aavaidyanath on 12 September 2014. He is also the founder of the Hindu Yuva Vahini He was elected as a MP of Lok Sabha from the Gorakhpur Constituency, Uttar Pradesh for five consecutive terms (1998, 1999, 2004, 2009 and 2014). He was the youngest member of the 12th Lok Sabha at 26. Background Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) had won the 17th Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly election by winning 312 seats of the total 403 seats. BJPs allies Apna Dal (Sonelal) and Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party won 9 and 4 seats respectively. Samajwadi Party had won 47 seats, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) won 19 seats and Congress had won 7 seats. The election was held from 11 February to 8 March 2017 in 7 phases with voter turnout of 60-61% compared to 59.48% in 2012 elections. Month: Current Affairs - March, 2017 Topics: Chief Ministers Persons in News States UP 2017 elections Uttar Pradesh Yogi Adityanath Latest E-Books Considered to be the Ten Best UFO Photos Ever Taken I am sure that we could add more pictures to this list but these are considered ten o... A survey of over 20,000 Australian students revealed that gender plays a major role in the different types of bullying behaviour. Girls are being bullied more often than boys and suffer online with tattle tales and disconnection from group chats, while in the classroom it is much more secretive with note passing most common. To help address this issue and empower girls, Australian youth fashion brand Supre has launched an anti-bullying project which offers social and emotional learning, enabling students to develop the skills and confidence to appropriately respond to bullying. In conjunction with headspace and the Telethon Kids Institute, the project takes a stand against school bullying behaviour through a Bullying Education and Prevention Resource Kit which is now available to schools across the country. Supres general manager, Elle Roseby, told The Educator that the initiative has the power to create change across schools. Roseby pointed out that as brand that talks to girls from 13 years of age, upwards and with a 98% female workforce, Supre has great insight into the concerns, needs and dreams of young women. Our team members revealed that most had been a victim of bullying and even more knew someone who had been affected by it. This only supports research that tells us that 1 in 4 Australian young people are bullied regularly thats one too many and all too often, she said. We also know bullying is a significant predictor of mental health problems; it can cause social isolation, reduce school performance and lead to higher rates of anxiety and depression down the track. Simply, bullying has life-long effects. So as Supres inaugural project, it partnered with mental health organisation, headspace. Weve also joined forces with some incredible experts and passionate people; Telethon Kids Institute and Australias leading expert on bullying, Professor Donna Cross to develop an in school resource to tackle the issue of bullying, Roseby said. Headspace is the perfect partner for us. They exist to improve the well-being of young people and we are proud to deliver a powerful initiative alongside them. Roseby said Supre are incredibly proud of the caliber of experts that have joined forces to develop the program. Instrumental in the Kits content creation was Professor Donna Cross, who heads up Health Promotion and Education Research at Perths Telethon Kids Institute. She has conducted rigorous research, investigating ways to reduce bullying among young people for the last 18 years. But more than that, we know it works, Roseby said. The program, which was piloted in five schools in Western Australia last year, was positively received and helped the schools involved build their capacity and confidence to deliver evidence based education on bullying. She added that the feedback received indicated that students were engaged in the delivery and teachers felt the anti-bullying content was relevant and useful especially given bullying is a complex issue for schools to tackle. We know that effective school based programs can in fact reduce incidents of bullying, by at least 20%, Roseby said. Bullying, although sadly common, is a complex issue that needs to be dealt with sensitively. The Kit offers social and emotional learning, enabling students to develop the skills and confidence to appropriately respond to bullying whether it is happening to them or their peers. Roseby said it is Supres hope that the resource will be delivered in as many schools as possible. Getting involved is easy all that principals need to do is get in touch with their closest headspace centre and request the program is delivered in their schools, she said. Superintendent Chuck Hasty expressed his concerns about the Missouri House passage of a bill allowing for the expansion of charter schools in the state. He commented on the matter at Thursday's regular monthly meeting of the Bismarck Board of Education. "I received an email late this afternoon that House Bill 634 was passed by the House of Representatives," Hasty said. "That is the charter school bill. It's on to the Senate and if it passes, it's bad news. Most of our local representatives voted against it one didn't. I'll email you the list later and you can figure it out." Local state representatives voting against HB 634 were 117th District Rep. Mike Henderson, R-Bonne Terre; 144th District Rep. Paul Fitzwater, R-Potosi; and 115th District Rep. Elaine Gannon. Voting in favor of the bill was 116th District Rep. Kevin Engler. "It is what it is," Hasty said. "If the money that is available in the state is equated to a pie, the pie doesn't get any bigger as a general rule. So, you add a charter school and they're taking some of that pie, where are they getting it from? They're going to get it from us at the end of the day. Hopefully the Senate is wise and knocks it down, but we'll see. "It's on the table right now. They're at the halfway point. There's a couple of other items on the table that make us a little nervous, but we'll see. This is the biggest one right now. Of course, the governor could always veto it, but the fact that it's Republican/Republican/Republican, if it passes I doubt he'll veto it." Later in the meeting, Hasty warned the board to be careful about spending under the current unsettled circumstances. He noted that transportation funding is "next to nothing already." "It's going to get worse, I'm afraid," he said. "It's going to be imperative that the board is really cautious in what it does over the next 24 months on anything budget-wise." Hasty also informed board members that he intended to meet with school staff the following day to go over next year's health insurance coverage with them. "I'm going to lay the plans out with them and kind of guide them," he said. "It's one of the worst kept secrets in the county, though. I think everybody already knows what I'm going to be talking about. I had a meeting with a select group of the staff and I think they already told them, so they probably stole my thunder which is a good thing that they're prepared. "We offer four plans. Although you can't say it's a flat increase, but on average we're seeing about a 6.5 percent increase this next year in our rates. It is what it is at the end of the day." High School Principal Jason King updated the board about next year's Professional Learning Communities (PLC) in the district. "One of the things that I talked to you guys about multiple times is that we want to be able to do is the idea that we want to be able to grow some leaders from the ground up," he said. "As you know, we got involved in PLCs in 2012, worked our way through that and we put together a leadership team back then that has done a tremendous job in helping to lead change. The change in those teachers they were already good, but now they are great by being part of that process. "We want to continue that trend, so something we're looking at for this next year is going back to year one of PLCs. Year one is starting with mission, vision and values going back and shoring some things up, but doing it with a new leadership team. What we have thought about is, if you are in a leadership position here in Bismarck and you are told you are going to be replaced tomorrow, who would you want to replace you that's on your team, that's ready to move up and take that mantle. I mean, they're not going to be there forever and so, moving some of them up to begin going through that leadership training again to help carry us the next five years and even into the future. "We wouldn't do it all at once. We would look at our current leadership team mentoring the new one through next year and then looking at that current team becoming a member of the team with a new leader who is running in each of those areas. The ability for leadership and the skills that come through that are just tremendous. We have been through two cycles of what is meant to be a three-year program. It's been successful by all accounts at the elementary and high school level. We're looking to go back, though, and grow some leaders to take us into the future." According to King, the process would not involve "huge changes" in the district, but would involve going to monthly meetings. "Year one is very heavily focused on monthly meetings down in Cape Girardeau with the Southeast RPDC (Regional Professional Development Center) people," he said. "Year two is a little less. Then year three, it's only two or three meetings. But it's going to be a neat thing if we do this because we're going to have the experience and leadership of that current team to mentor this next one. They're not going to be struggling and out there on their own like we were at the very beginning. It would be a really great thing for our professional development." King said both the elementary and high school leadership teams were favorable to the idea of mentoring a new group of leaders. In other action, the board approved the annual guidance and counseling report and OK'd next year's school calendar. The first day of school will be Aug. 14 a Monday. The last day of school, barring additional snow days, will be May 11. Board members also voted to allow teachers and students to have off the Thursday before Easter of this year, rather than use it as a third snow day. A half-day of school (May 17) will be tacked on to the end of this school year instead. The dates of May 22-June 13 were approved for this year's summer school and will be held from 8 a.m. to noon. It will be offered for credit recovery only and transportation will be limited to one school bus. Next month's meeting is changed to April 11 for the swearing in of school board members following the April 4 election. Oct. 13, 2022 Prior to this summer, the memorial garden had lost its shine and perhaps had gone forgotten. That was when 18 year old Annabelle Smith, daughter of an Eielson Airman and a Girl Scout for 13 years, decided to take on a renovation project as a part of a Gold Award project, one of the highest awards in TORONTO (Reuters) - Canada's border authorities detained more Mexicans in the first 67 days of 2017 than they did annually in any of the three previous years, according to statistics obtained by Reuters. Members of the Desloge and Bonne Terre chambers of commerce recently joined together with Belgrade State Bank to help out needy students in the North County School District through "Brenden's Friday Backpack Program." The program began at a couple of school districts in Jefferson County when Vicki Tamboli, the mother of three children living in Festus, volunteered at a school cafeteria and noticed the children scarfing down their lunches. Tamboli heard about a similar program on the radio and decided to start her own as a way to help. Eventually, it was taken up by the North County school district. "The backpack program is for families who, for whatever reason, don't have enough food stamps to help or they don't qualify or whatever is going on," explained school-based social worker Nikki Gregory. "It supplies the students breakfast, lunch, dinner and two snacks for each day of the weekend. "The donations will be used across the district. We keep food here at Parkside Elementary and North County Primary and then we distribute the food where it's needed. We have different individuals who donate. We have churches that donate. It just kind of depends. These wonderful ladies have been amazing. This is awesome. I'm so excited to get started with it this week." Asked why the Desloge Chamber of Commerce decided to get involved in the backpack program, board Vice President Shelley Layton said, "The chamber is always looking for opportunities to be able to go out and help our community in all different avenues. "We were lucky enough to actually have Superintendent Dr. [Yancy] Poorman at one of our chamber meetings a couple of months ago. He mentioned how much the backpack program is in need and how many kids it benefits. I think it touched all of our hearts and so we immediately had a conversation about the program right after the meeting to say we definitely needed to do something. "Julie [Pratte] of Belgrade Bank, who is a member of the Desloge and Bonne Terre chambers, was able to take that charge over to the Bonne Terre chamber as well as to us at Desloge. Bonne Terre was great to step up and say, 'Hey, we want to help too.' Then Belgrade Bank also got involved and they had a wonderful Valentine Box Contest to raise money for the backpack program, so this was a real team effort." Todo lo que necesitas saber para comenzar tu dia Suscribirse implica aceptar los terminos y condiciones Kerrville, TX (78028) Today Mostly cloudy skies this morning will become partly cloudy this afternoon. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 79F. Winds SE at 10 to 15 mph.. Tonight Partly cloudy skies this evening will become overcast overnight. Low 63F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph. MHK to ask about opt-out organ donation Garff MHK Martyn Perkins An MHK wants to know the Manx Government's stance on opt-out organ donation. Garff member Martyn Perkins is seeking information from the Health and Social Care Minister at this month's Tynwald sitting. He wants to know what Kate Beecroft's Department's views on such a system would be. Since 2015, patients in Wales have had to opt out if they don't want to be an organ donor, while France also recently introduced an opt-opt system, but Manx residents still have to register consent. Health Minister to face patient taxi questions in Tynwald ComCab Liverpool will take Manx patients from the airport to hospital appointments in the UK. The new patient transfer taxi contract will be discussed when Tynwald sits this week. Douglas North MHK David Ashford wants to know how long ComCab Liverpool's deal with the Department of Health and Social Care is for, how the quality will be monitored and if there are exit clauses if standards slip. Mr Ashford will also seek details about the difference between the new contract and the previous arrangements. Health Minister Kate Beecroft refused to reveal details about the new contractor in last week's House of Keys sitting, but the new provider has now been confirmed. ComCab Liverpool will replace Bridgewater Cars later this month. Ben-my-Chree to leave early tonight This evening's sailing to Heysham will depart earlier than originally scheduled because of the weather conditions. The Steam Packet Company has announced that the Ben-my-Chree will leave Douglas at 7.15pm - 30 minutes earlier than usual. Passengers are being asked to check in by 6.45pm. Winds are expected to reach gale force eight for a time in the Irish Sea this evening. The crossing to Douglas at 2.15am is expected to depart on schedule. The latest "silent" feud between the Meghan Markle and the Middleton seems to be growing. But instead of Kate and Meghan, it's Pippa and the American TV star. According to some reports, The Duchess of Cambridge's sister and her friends are wondering whether they'll require a "no ring, no bring rule" to stop the "Anti-Social" star from coming on her big day and steal the spotlight. Meghan Markle, despite being just Prince Harry's girlfriend, has already stolen the limelight and this is clearly visible when they attended a wedding in Jamaica. According to Celeb Dirty Laundry, the 35-year-old star has become the center of the media's attention after that day and since Kate Middleton's younger sister is attention-hungry, it's obvious that Pippa Middleton doesn't want anyone to do the same thing she did when it was her sister's royal marriage. It was remembered how Kate's foxy sister, Pippa Middleton, has stolen everyone's attention with her rather flattering outfit during the Duke and Duchess's wedding and with this attitude, it's clear that the 33-year-old English socialite. Pippa may not have exactly written this on Prince Harry's invitation: "And Don't Bring That Scene-Snatching Hussy Trollop Meghan," however, she may suggest a "no ring, no bring" rule on her wedding, meaning that guest can only bring someone they're engaged to or married with. A source revealed this instead: "She saw how all eyes were on Meghan rather than Lara last week. The situation was also stressful for Harry. Pippa and her mother Carole wonder whether Meghan's presence could cause a great deal of unnecessary chaos." (via Dlisted) Nevertheless, whether this rule is implemented or not, there's a hundred percent chance that Prince Hot Ginge will make his own rule and bring his apple of the eye, Meghan Markle. The thing is if he's already "The Suits" star in her friend's wedding, what more with his sister-in-law's big day. Angelina Jolie is back in Los Angeles after a week trip to London with her kids. Brad Pitt has been delighted to know that Angie is home together with their kids. According to Hollywood Life, Brad Pitt has been anxious to see his kids now that they are back from a trip to London with Angelina Jolie. The trip may have been short but Brad Pitt is glad that his kids are back and wanted to spend time with them. Angelina Jolie was with Maddox, Pax, Shiloh, Zahara, Vivienne and Knox and has touched down in Los Angeles on Mach 18. The left on March 11 and had a trip all around London. Now that they are back, Brad Pitt is to reunite with his kids and is excited about it. Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt recently split up. They have six kids and three of these are biologically theirs. The couple is working hard to find time for the kids. In fact, Angelina Jolie made sure that Brad Pitt also has time for the kids on his own. The trip to London has been a first for Angelina Jolie traveling without brad Pitt with them. A source shared that Brad Pitt has been looking forward to the kids to return home so he can be reunited with them. MB News reported that this is the first time that Brad Pitt has been away from the kids for a longer time. Angelina Jolie had enjoyed a shopping spree with her six kids in London. It is indicated that they also went to a bookstore and the mother of six bought books for each kid. Meanwhile, Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt are currently in a much healthier state now compared to the time when they first had the divorce according to Mid-day. They both make it sure that the kids are with healthy parents and so they are working hard to have a healthy relationship. The live-adaptation of "Beauty and the Beast" already aired. Disney plans to work on an adaptation of the film. Hollywood Life reported that Disney's live-action "Beauty and the Beast" film is set to be a blockbuster. It is indicated that Disney is looking to a sequel that would continue Belle and the Beast's love story. The future for Belle and the handsome prince will be considered in the sequel that Disney has planned. The same report indicated that the sequel for "Beauty and the Beast" may be released in 2019 or 2020. This original story for a sequel may be another tale that can be explored further. It can be an interesting topic to explore what happens to Belle and the Prince as the future unfolds for them. According to Movie Pilot, there already have been several live-action adaptations from animated fairy tales. There were already "Maleficent," "Cinderella" and "Alice." However, with these adaptations, "Alice" had been the one film that made a follow-up from the original. If the sequel for the recent "Beauty and the Beast" live-action film pushes through, then this may be another film that has a follow-up from its original one. Live-action adaptations have been high with Disney recently. The latest which "Beauty and the Beast" that starred Emma Watson and Dan Stevens. It has recently been aired and Disney may be looking at another blockbuster film. Meanwhile, People reported that Josh Gad and Luke Evans have a sequel in mind for "Beauty and the Beast." Gad joked that Lefou and Gaston can have their own sequel for the movie. Josh Gad portrays LeFou in the live-action adaptation while Luke Evans portrays Gaston. In fact, Gad shared that he would look forward to seeing a sequel for "Beauty and the Beast" with Gaston and Lefou in it. The sequel is still not confirmed but Disney is looking at the possibility of one. 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. Reality TV star Scott Disick recently opens up about the facts that people don't know about him. Also, he talks about how he is managing the co-parenting with ex-partner and Keeping Up With The Kardashians star, Kourtney Kardashian. On his talk with Us Weekly, Disick revealed that there is more to him than what people - or viewers - are actually saying and seeing. They usually see him as some sort of "superficial jerk" but in reality, he has a different side to that. "People tend to look at me like everything is always perfect for me, but I feel like I do have a much more sensitive side to me that people don't see as much," he told the publication. His sensitive side is not the only topic that he talked about at the grand opening of Sugar Factory American Brasserie in Las Vegas. Disick also shed some light on how he is managing to co-parent his three children, Mason, 7, Penelope, 4, and Reign, 2. While speaking with People, the Keeping Up With The Kardashians star said that both him and ex-partner, Kardashian, don't have negativity between them. He continued to note that the transition from their previous lifestyle to the current one has gone very smoothly. "Luckily, thank God, we're able to see one another and still be with our children and, knock on wood, that we have that," Disick added. The 33-year-old actor then mentioned that what they currently have now is not broken so it doesn't need any fixing. As what some fans may recall, both Disick and Kardashian have called it quits in October 2015. Mirror reported that the reason why the ex-couple broke up was due to the actor's habit of continued partying. He was also admitted to rehab for his alcohol addiction for a short period of time. Financial Stability Board climate deceit By Paul Driessen The $1.5-trillion Climate Crisis industry is not about to go quiet into that dark night, or to strut but an hour upon the stage, to then be heard no more. In these desperate times, it is unleashing even more sound and fury, and assaulting new targets, in a frantic effort to expand its heavily subsidized global empire. The Donald Trump Administration and Scott Pruitt EPA continue to emphasize fossil fuels, job creation and economic growth, and deemphasize the Obama obsession with climate change. News headlines hail the shale revolutions new world order, a huge oil discovery in Alaska and declining OPEC clout. As German industries head to foreign shores and 330,000 Deutsch households cannot afford electricity due to soaring prices, its Chancellery Minister announced to thundering applause that Germany would no longer pursue its unilateral climate, CO2-reduction, energy efficiency and renewable energy policies. Britain and Australia are also second-guessing their wind, solar, biofuel and climate commitments. China, India and a hundred other emerging economies continue to build more coal-fueled power plants, expand vehicle fleets, and import more oil and gas, to modernize and improve living standards. The future of the Paris climate semi-treaty and Global Climate Fund wealth redistribution scheme are increasingly in doubt. Thats why, as the July 2017 G20 economic summit in Hamburg, Germany draws near, the Climate Cabal is in overdrive. Alarmist scientists, politicians, activists, industrialists and financiers are ramping up their rhetoric about the massive, imminent climate crisis allegedly facing our planet, unless we slash our carbon dioxide emissions, by keeping centuries of oil, gas and coal reserves locked up in the ground. That means companies that own those reserves, finance or insure fossil fuel projects, or hold investment interests in those reserves or projects will end up with trillions of dollars in stranded assets energy that will be made permanently off limits, once the world has shifted to a totally decarbonized global economy. In fact, selling off holdings in fossil fuel enterprises will not be nearly enough. The freed-up assets must be redirected to more sustainable businesses. At least that is the view of AXA Insurance climate and sustainability director Christian Thimann who also serves as vice-chair of the international Financial Stability Boards Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosure. He intends to harness the FSBs significant power and influence to advance his ideologies and investments doing so in league with an unbelievable army of like-minded interests, all of whom have enormous political and financial stakes in the outcome of this global policy battle. Among them are UBS Financial Services and the $5-trillion BlackRock global financial management firm, which now has an index fund for people and organizations that want to divest from companies that BlackRock, AXA and the Cabal have targeted with their anti-carbon campaigns. The tax-exempt anti-carbon pressure group Natural Resources Defense Council has put $70 million into the fund. Former NYC mayor Michael Bloomberg having given millions to tax-exempt anti-fossil fuel agitator groups is now chairman of the FSBs Climate Financial Disclosure Task Force. Not surprisingly, it is allied with the state attorneys general who spearheaded the nasty campaign to silence and punish energy companies and think tanks that dared to question the 97% consensus on manmade climate chaos. Also onboard are state and city comptroller and treasurer offices (CA, CT, NY, PA, RI, VT), various state and city employee pension funds, the Ceres Investor Network on Climate Risk, and numerous radical environmentalist groups like the Rainforest Action Network, Sierra Club, Union of Concerned Scientists and Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility, notes E&E Legal senior fellow Chris Horner. They will all profit off environmental policies that they advocate with very close friends in government, while amassing wealth in large part through government contracts, Horner observes adding that his organization will work aggressively to reveal the unethical actions of every party involved. The unethical behavior begins with claims about climate cataclysms that are not happening in the real world. Dangerous, unprecedented, runaway warming is not occurring. Seas are rising at seven inches a century, not 20 feet. Hurricanes and tornadoes, floods and droughts have not increased in frequency or intensity. There is no proof that manmade CO2 drives climate change or that it will be catastrophic. Equally deceptive are claims that the technologies and business interests advocated by the FSB, Climate Cabal and their political comrades are in any way sustainable. As any rational analysis demonstrates, the metals and other raw materials required, human rights affected, cropland, habitat, wildlife and human health impacts involved, and massive taxpayer and consumer subsidies needed for wind and solar power, ethanol, biodiesel, wood pellets, anaerobic digesters and other renewable energy schemes make one thing absolutely clear: the entire sustainability concept is politicized, agenda-driven and unsustainable. All these inconvenient truths notwithstanding, the FSB has announced that it is going to establish protocols that will supposedly improve the financial sectors ability to incorporate climate-related issues in financial reporting and enable stakeholders to understand concentrations of carbon-related assets in the financial sector and the financial systems exposures to climate-related risks. Translated into plain English, this means the FSB will help pressure groups with a political/financial stake in the outcome to identify, target, stigmatize, harass and intimidate any entities that they deem are too involved in fossil fuels or insufficiently invested in renewable energy and sustainable businesses. It plans to work with the above-identified activists to secure voluntary disclosures and other compliance. In practice, this means relying less on the federal government and more on friendly international, state and local governing bodies, agitator groups, organizations like the Climate Accountability Scorecard, and the so-called Equator Principles that financial institutions should follow in energy investing. Their primary targets for these name and shame campaigns will likely include the World Bank, private banks, insurance providers, institutional investors and their advisors, pension funds and universities. The California Insurance Commission has helpfully launched a Climate Risk Carbon Initiative, a searchable database that will make it easy for attack groups to develop target hit lists. A primary tactic will be accusing targets of having inadequate plans on climate change preparedness and sustainability, to justify efforts to damage stock portfolio values and demand defunding or divestment. Meanwhile, major financial and debt issues are growing for numerous nations, states and cities. The FSB and Climate Cabal want us to ignore them, focus on climate change and have the G20 do likewise. Even though it is already overly complex, the current financial reporting system works. It deals with real, measurable, familiar risks, and helps countries address and overcome those risks. Politicizing the system, and forcing it to refocus on conjectural, exaggerated and fabricated climate and sustainability risks would upend the entire international energy, insurance and financial system. It would bring disastrous results for jobs and families but no climate, environmental or sustainability benefits. And it would do absolutely nothing about the unreliable energy, health risks, environmental impacts, child labor and other problems embedded in the renewable and sustainable schemes the Cabal promotes so passionately, and deceitfully. But the rewards of this FSB/Climate Cabal deceit are enormous incomprehensible to normal people. Says Thimann: Over the next 15 years, an estimated $93 trillion will be needed for investments in low-carbon infrastructure. Thats five times the size of the entire 2015 US economy! Perhaps worst of all, these FSB and other government officials, unelected bureaucrats, industrialists, and tax-exempt pressure groups are colluding to enrich and empower themselves and fundamentally transform the global economy to our detriment, and especially the detriment of the worlds poorest families using our taxpayer, consumer, and investment, retirement, insurance and pension fund money! Congress, the Trump Administration and responsible state officials need to investigate, terminate and punish this deception, self-dealing, extortion, and incalculable harm to businesses, workers and families that rely on reliable, affordable carbon-based energy (and will for decades to come). Paul Driessen is senior policy analyst for the Committee For A Constructive Tomorrow (www.CFACT.org), and author of Eco-Imperialism: Green power - Black death and other books on the environment. Home Watch out conservatives: Natural disasters can create opportunities for dictators By Rachel Alexander When a natural disaster devastates a country, it can lead to tyranny. In This Gulf of Fire: The Destruction of Lisbon, or Apocalypse in the Age of Science and Reason, Seton Hall history professor Mark Molesky traces how an earthquake that occurred on All Saints Day (November 1) in 1755 led to the rise of a brutal dictatorship in Portugal. It was one of the largest earthquakes in history, between 8.5 and 9.2 on the Richter scale. It caused an enormous tsunami in the Atlantic Ocean, compounding the damage. Of the 200,000 residents of Portugals capital, Lisbon, 40,000 lost their lives. The book gets its name from Voltaires description of the many fires that started all over the city when churches and homes, then filled with candles and lamps, collapsed. In 1755, Portugal was a monarchy under Dom Jose I. He lived an opulent lifestyle, turning the city into an exotic Babylon; funding libraries, culture, and public works. Lisbon was a center of Catholic life, with clergy comprising one-sixth of the population. Yet 10 percent of the citys downtown residents remained homeless during Joses reign, with prostitution and venereal diseases rampant. After the disaster, it was the clergy who took care of the people, rescuing survivors and providing food and medical treatment. However, Sebastiao de Melo, later the Marquis de Pombal, used the disarray to take over the country as a dictator. He had been the kings war secretary, then his First Minister. He instituted a reign of terror while rebuilding the city. He weakened the power of the king, imprisoned political enemies and persecuted the church. He banned the Jesuits when they suggested Lisbon was living through the Apocalypse, and executed their charismatic leader, Father Malagrida. What happened in Portugal left a lasting mark on Europe, helping to shape the 18th century. It caused some of the most preeminent Enlightenment thinkers to reassess their viewpoints on goodness in the world. They could not explain why something so terrible could happen. It did not fit within their secular worldview, which denies the role of God and the spiritual realm. But the changes made by Pombal ensured that the religiosity of the city would never be the same again. Molesky observes that modern-day Lisbon no longer has gaggles of priests, monks and nuns crowding the streets. More than two and a half centuries of secularization were inaugurated by the aggressive anti-clerical policies of Pombal and crowned by the dissolution of Portugals monastic orders on May 28, 1834. Lisbon today remains only nominally Catholic. Molesky points out several times in history where a major natural disaster has undermined a ruling government. An earthquake in 2100 BC probably caused the overthrow of the ancient cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. The walls of Jericho likely had help coming down due to earthquake damage. In 464 BC, an earthquake flattened Sparta in Greece, which decimated its warrior population, hastening its decline. Currently in the U.S., the San Andreas Fault in California is long overdue for an eruption. Scientists believe there is more than a 99 percent chance it will occur within the next 30 years. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the fault is due for an epic tremor every 150 years. Its upper limit is roughly an 8.2 a powerful earthquake, but, because the Richter scale is logarithmic, only six per cent as strong as the 2011 event in Japan. However, that isnt the earthquake to fear. The Cascadia Subzone, located in the Pacific off the shores of Oregon, Washington and British Columbia, is capable of earthquakes 30 times more powerful than the San Andreas Fault. Experts warn, When the next full-margin rupture happens, that region will suffer the worst natural disaster in the history of North America. Thirteen thousand are projected to die, 27,000 will be injured, and millions displaced in need of food and water. The odds of a big quake taking place there in the next 50 years are one in three. Moleskys book is colorfully written, containing eyewitness accounts and much about the periods cultural and religious background. He was awarded the 2016 Phi Alpha Theta Book Award for Best Subsequent Book. He previously co-authored Our Oldest Enemy: A History of America's Disastrous Relationship with France with John Miller. If the wrong person becomes president of the U.S., a natural disaster could allow them to seize dictatorial control. Although President Trump is a strong leader who promotes freedom and democracy, the left is doing everything it can to oust him. The left has a recent track record of taking leaders out using sham legal witch hunts. This is the easiest way they may take Trump out. The American left wants everyone to think that a repeat of a dictator might be happening in the U.S., even without a natural disaster. Parallel changes may be happening, but not in the way the left envisions. President Trump has made no indication he intends to become a dictator. He is already being thwarted by Democrats holding up his cabinet nominations and judges striking down his executive orders. Yet despite how badly checks and balances are being abused by the other two branches, Trump is not removing their power. The similar changes are that the country is steadily becoming a secular society, as Christianity is stamped out. As the monks were outlawed and influence taken away from the clergy, so are Christians being prosecuted and gradually forced out of much of society. Rachel Alexander and her brother Andrew are co-Editors of Intellectual Conservative. She has been published in the American Spectator, Townhall.com, Fox News, NewsMax, Accuracy in Media, The Americano, ParcBench, and other publications. Home Ryans Obamacare Lite is another travesty & betrayal By Michael R. Shannon Freshman Rep. Moira Walsh had an unusual explanation for some of the bad lawmaking in her state capital during an interview on Rhode Islands WPRO, Its the drinking that blows my mind. You cannot operate a motor vehicle when youve had two beers but you can make laws that effect peoples lives forever when youre half in the bag? Too bad Moira isnt in Congress. Booze would be a more acceptable explanation for Paul Ryans Obamacare replacement bill than the truth, which is this bill is a betrayal of conservatives seven years in the making. As the Heritage Foundation points out this slap in the face protects the Democrat base that got free or heavily subsidized coverage at the expense of the GOP base that earns the money to pay for Democrats discount insurance. As Ive pointed out to friends in the past the price of an Obamacare policy isnt bad if you remember your premium is buying for two policies: One for your family and another for the moochers. Ryan evidently believes Republican meddling in the health insurance market is such a big improvement over Democrat meddling that hell rule for decades. The truth is the base didnt vote to swap incompetent meddlers we dont know for incompetents we do know. Our mistake was believing the lie that once Republicans controlled all three branches of government they would repeal Obamacare. My doubts began when repeal was amended to repeal and replace. Why replace Obamacares socialized medicine with the Republicans Obamacare Lite? A simple return to the situation that existed before the passage of Obamacare could mean a reduction of up to 30 percent in the cost of insurance premiums and the return of the missing doctors. That alone should be enough win reelection. The insurance market circa 2008 will cause problems in the dependency class that doesnt like their handouts interrupted. But I have news for Ryan and his RINO gang they dont vote for you anyway. Your voters are the people this bill continues to burden. Ryan and the rest of his brain trust would rather betray the voters who supported them than risk headlines from the Opposition Media about taking free insurance away. Ryans bill fails in three major areas. First it does nothing to increase competition in the insurance market. Insurance companies still cant sell nationwide, the lines around states Trump mentioned in the debate. This change alone would lower prices because companies would compete against each other. Thats why you can afford homeowners insurance and you cant afford health insurance. Second it does nothing to lower prices because the onerous and expensive coverage requirements for every policy are still included. If the consumer wants to buy a policy that covers him from Q-tip to transplant, fine he can pay for it. But if all he wants is major medical, he should be able to make that choice. Finally it penalizes Republican states that didnt expand Medicaid and rewards Democrat states that ran up a tab on Uncle Sam. The bill promises this will be phased out in the future, but were supposed to believe a Republican Congress that wont boot 25yearolds off daddys policy today will find the backbone to cut Medicaid tomorrow? This debate isnt really about health insurance and discussing it in those terms lets leftists set the parameters. This debate is about personal liberty. The liberty, as an adult, to make your own decisions regarding the future. Government isnt the national airbag saving the impudent and foolish from the consequences of their own stupidity. This only encourages more irresponsibility among the demographic whose only longterm commitment is a tattoo. Healthcare isnt a right. You dont have the right to make someone go to medical school, graduate and then treat you for a price you think is reasonable, any more than you have a right to make the barber cut your hair. I hope there are enough conservatives in the House to defeat Ryans disingenuous travesty. Because if they dont it, means Obama won. Its obvious only difference between Nancy Pelosi as Speaker of the House and Paul Ryan is velocity. The train just moves slower and the conductors assurances are less believable under Ryan, but the final destination is still Greece. Passage of this bill will raise a very pertinent question for conservatives: Why do you have a stronger belief in conservative principles and the power of the free market than the politicians who get your vote? Why should we pretend anymore? My suggestion next November is vote for the politician who promises to give away the most; at least hes not a hypocrite. Maximize benefits now and hope the money doesnt run out until after youre dead. Michael R. Shannon is a public relations and advertising consultant with corporate, government and political experience around the globe. He is a dynamic and entertaining keynote speaker. He can be reached at mandate.mmpr (at) gmail.com. He is also the author of Conservative Christian's Guidebook for Living in Secular Times (Now with added humor!). Home My Pilgrimage: Chapter Five By Michael Moriarty The heart of my Pilgrimage in life was never politics until, of course, my ominously fateful meeting with the Clinton Administration and its Attorney General, Janet Reno. I have lived in Canada for over 20 years because of that encounter with the frighteningly unconstitutional behavior of the Clinton Administration and its Attorney General. Since then, the progress of American leadership, from the Clintons and back into the Bush Family, culminating in the two term entrenchment of the Obama Nation?! This Pilgrimage hasnt really been my pilgrimage. It is what Ive seen happening to the nation I was born in, lived and prospered in for over sixty years. Therefore, the foremost center of my attentions, composing a cycle of nine operas Ive entitled The Lionhead Ring, is actually the center of My Pilgrimage these days. However, the shared subject for both my artistic and political obsessions has been The Hell of Anti-Semitism. The seminal reason for that? The televisions mini-series, Holocaust. Inescapably Lost in Hell That unparalleled, homicidal lunacy in Mankind, anti-Semitism, was the unsurpassed villainy which drove the entire human race into World War II and will, most likely, because of the undeniably lethal anti-Semitism eternally inherent within the 1400-year-old religion of Islam, and its most terrifyingly important public relations man, President Barack Hussein Obama Mankind is headed for what looks like an even more horrendous World War III. The Worldwide Leftists in America, Canada and Europe have always considered the Constitutional Republic of the United States their enemy. Somehow, Far Leftists, such as both Barack Obama and Justin Trudeau, have successfully occupied the most powerful political offices in both America and Canada. Both the American Presidency and the Canadian Prime Ministry have been occupied by what I consider to be committed Marxists. More importantly, however, is the Bush Family, with President George H. W. Bushs public commitment to a New World Order run by the United Nations?! It was, indeed, the very birthday for a new kind of conservative: THE RINO! THE REPUBLICAN IN NAME ONLY With the Bushes and the Clintons allied in a mutual commitment to A New World Order to be run by the United Nations the likes of President Obama and the pro-Islamic Obama Nation became inevitable. The Bushes, in essence, joined the inevitable marriage of the Free Worlds Far Left to a new, homicidally Radical Islam, in order to further these worldwide efforts to create a New World Order. With the Bush leadership of Americas only conservative party, the Republicans, the not-so-ancient ties of the Bush Family to Hitlers Nazi Germany could not be disregarded anymore. Anti-Semitism became the link between the direction of New World Order policies and the frighteningly bizarre realities of what President Obama himself called the Arab Spring. In short, the Eternal-Monster-In-The-Room, anti-Semitism, can no longer be ignored. Until President Obama came along, America had always supported Israel publically. The undeniable and surprisingly long and expensive, anti-Israel, Pro-Islamic eight-year Presidency of Barack Hussein Obama, with its obvious ties to the Bush campaign for a New World Order and the Bush Familys undeniable opposition to the Trump-pro-Israel Presidency both phenomena tell us perhaps more than we want to know about the true meaning of the Bush Republican Party and this terrifyingly bipartisan plot to abandon United States sovereignty for the anti-Israel, pro-Islamic record within the history of the United Nations. If you treasure what is left of the traditional America I once knew, loved and had to leave?! Dont abandon President Donald Trump! Michael Moriarty is a Golden Globe and Emmy Award-winning actor who starred in the landmark television series Law and Order from 1990 to 1994. His recent film and TV credits include The Yellow Wallpaper, 12 Hours to Live, Santa Baby and Deadly Skies. Contact Michael at rainbowfamily2008@yahoo.com. He can be found on Twitter at https://twitter.com/@MGMoriarty. Home Are sanctuary cities safer? By Mark Alexander My interactions with rational liberals (not always an oxymoron) provide a window into how they process "facts," reshaping them to comport with their statist and utopian worldviews. I had an opportunity to engage one such lefty last week an acquaintance who's an attorney, and who took strong exception to my characterization of so-called "sanctuary cities" as being more dangerous because they advertise immunity for illegal aliens, thus attracting more violent offenders. Liberals, of course, become insufferably sanctimonious when advocating for things as ostensibly wonderful as a "sanctuary," but, despite all the "warm and fuzzy feelings," the secret among Democratic Party leaders is that the sanctuary city movement is nothing more than a pandering political charade aimed at Hispanic voters and sanctimonious fellow leftist elites. The previous administration's "immigration reform strategy" was designed to fail, because otherwise it would flood the markets of their dwindling union and blue collar constituencies with cheap immigrant labor, and the former would never tolerate the latter. Instead, the policy has always been one of smoke and mirrors: placating Hispanic voters with empty promises of blanket amnesty, while never losing a constituent by fulfilling that promise. That notwithstanding, there are now more than 500 sanctuary cities, large and small, all across the United States. That's almost twice the number of a year ago. Not surprisingly, the growth has been driven by opposition to President Donald Trump's commitment to enforce our nation's immigration laws. Consequently, Trump has put those cities on notice, threatening to cut $2.7 billion in federal funding if they refuse to abide by the law. So, here's how my debate with a big-hearted but light-headed lawyer began. Earlier this month a friend was on his way home to our mountain community outside of Chattanooga. He stopped at a hardware store for some supplies, and when he returned to his vehicle in broad daylight, he was subjected to aggravated kidnapping (at gunpoint) and robbery. A local gang thug forced my friend into his vehicle for an "ATM joyride" after stealing the money in his wallet, the thug forced him to drive to a nearby money machine and withdraw hundreds of dollars. My friend kept his calm, though, and was later released without bodily harm. My friend, a physician and man of strong faith who had no option to fend off the armed assailant, told the gang member at the end of the ordeal as the offender left his car, "I will be praying for you and this story is not over." The gang member was later arrested, and I suspect the next chapter of this story will likely be my friend's role in leading the offender to the transformation of God's grace behind bars. But the first chapter of this story which now occurs with alarming regularity across our country could have ended in violence and tragedy. Indeed, most gang violence occurred between gang members a few years ago, but it is now metastasizing into frequent violence against citizens who have nothing to do with gangs. According to the FBI's most recent Uniform Crime Reports (2015), there were 1,197,704 violent crimes, up 3.9% from 2014 a trend that started several years earlier after Barack Obama initiated his war on cops. That violence, which is erupting across the U.S., is part of Obama's failed legacy. For the record, my home state of Tennessee ranks near the top of conservative states. Overall, conservative principles have put our state at the top of many lists, including economic growth and freedom indexes. Just this week, our state initiated a lawsuit against the federal government rejecting Obama's leftover Middle Eastern migrant resettlement plans, citing violation of the Tenth Amendment as the basis of its complaint. (Yes, they are migrants, not refugees, according to the UN's own accounting of the mass migration.) However, our urban centers have been subject to the same social entropy and blight that afflicts other cities under Democrat "leadership." And the most costly measure of that blight is violent crime. Memphis is ranked #4 on the list of most dangerous cities nationwide, and now Chattanooga is moving to the top of the ratings for violent cities with populations under 200,000. Chattanooga's gang violence has increased significantly in the last four years under its inept and philandering Democrat mayor, Andy Berke. Despite that increase, just ahead of the recent election Berke announced his support for the faux sanctuary city parade, most assuredly giving violent crime a boost. On that latter assertion, my lib lawyer acquaintance insisted that sanctuary cities are safer than other cities, citing a study by the leftist Annenberg Public Policy Center. Well, not exactly. I responded that the study primarily cited crime-rate comparison by immigrants and non-immigrant populations, not illegal aliens. He responded with another study from the Cato Institute on immigration and crime. But this study also primarily cited crime-rate comparison by immigrants versus non-immigrant populations, not illegal aliens. In fact, the Cato study concluded with this caveat: "Note on Illegal Immigration The public focus is on the crime rates of unauthorized or illegal immigrants. The research papers above mostly include all immigrants regardless of legal status." Now, I would agree with research findings that legal immigrants are less likely to commit criminal acts than some indigenous racial or ethnic groups particularly poor blacks and Hispanics who've been enslaved by generations of leftist statist policies on what amount to urban poverty plantations. I then advised the lawyer that I wasn't basing my conclusion about crime and sanctuary cities on political rhetoric from the either end of the spectrum but on the facts and the fact is that in almost all declared sanctuary cities, violence is growing rapidly. For example, in 2015, in one of the nation's largest sanctuary cities, Los Angeles, violent crime was up 19.9%: homicides up 10.2%, shootings up 12.6%, rapes up 8.6%, robberies up 12.3% and aggravated assault up 27.5%. Of course, we have covered the explosion of violent crime in the most celebrated of sanctuary cities, Chicago, under its inept Democrat mayor, Rahm Emanuel. But these grim statistics alone don't prove that the increase in violence is due to criminal aliens, primarily because the Obama administration intentionally scrubbed federal criminal records of data that would identify assailants as criminal aliens versus U.S. residents. But one GAO study from 2011 did sneak through, and it indicated that the percentage of criminal aliens in U.S. prisons is disproportionate to the estimated percentage of illegal aliens in America. However, this does prove my case: I have spoken with federal and state law enforcement command line personnel across the nation they are my first-hand sources on illegal aliens and crime and they consistently make two declarations about violent crime: The perpetrators of 95% of violence in major sanctuary cities are associated with gangs and/or drugs networks. The most violent gang and drug networks have been infiltrated by criminal aliens. It is no coincidence that in the nation's largest "sanctuary city," New York, it was announced last week that 10 of the 14 members of the MS-13 gang, who were indicted for the brutal murder of two teenage girls in neighboring Suffolk County, are criminal aliens. Finally, I asked my acquaintance to view this video message from Sacramento County Sheriff Scott Jones to Barack Obama, after two deputies, Danny Oliver and Michael Davis, were murdered by an illegal immigrant on Obama's watch. The deputies' widows, Jessica Davis and Susan Oliver, were in the gallery for Trump's February address to Congress. "Their husbands," said Trump, "were slain in the line of duty in California. They were pillars of their community. These brave men were viciously gunned down by an illegal immigrant with a criminal record and two prior deportations. Sitting with Susan is her daughter, Jenna. Jenna, I want you to know that your father was a hero, and that tonight you have the love of an entire country supporting you and praying for you." Notably, a colleague who recently retired after a career in both military and federal civilian law enforcement had this suggestion for political leaders refusing to enforce our nation's immigration laws in their jurisdictions: "Any state or local government leaders inviting illegal aliens into their 'sanctuary cities' should lose the qualified immunity normally granted to government officials acting under color of law, thus leaving them open to civil suits from the victims (or survivors of victims) of the violent crimes committed in those jurisdictions by illegal aliens." Now, removing that legal liability limitation would be a Trump executive order that would give pandering sanctuary city politicians reason to reconsider. While there are police chiefs who oppose deportation, the basis for most of those objections (those not politically motivated to appease a mayor) is concern about the increased threat to their officers resulting from interactions with offenders who are criminal aliens. And a final note: There is some good news on the illegal migration from south of the border. Whether you approve of Donald Trump's border enforcement policies or not, his commitment to enforce Rule of Law has already had a dramatic effect on illegal border crossings. According to Secretary of Homeland Security John F. Kelly, in the first month of this year, "the flow of illegal border crossings as measured by apprehensions and the prevention of inadmissible persons at our southern border dropped by 40 percent." Mark Alexander is the executive editor of the Patriot Post. The new health care straw man By Richard E. Ralston Every day for the last few weeks, we have heard the drum beat of panicky defenders of Obamacare as they pound Congress for not having passed legislation to replace the health care law as soon as they assembled and gaveled Congress into session. This is accompanied by relentless criticism of what they claim is in the replacement legislation. Are they really upset by the lack of an immediate replacement, or do they dread any replacement? Eight years after passage of Obamacare, no member of Congress has read it, let alone all of the regulations resulting from it. No one can read that huge waste of paper. No one can even lift it. Why are they so disturbed by the alleged specifics of newly proposed legislation? There is an obvious explanation. The display put on by these Obamacare holder- on-ers is part of a straw man built on legislative provisions that do not, and never will, exist. They can then blame imaginary legislation for eliminating coverage of pre- existing conditions, despite the fact that President Trump and congressional leadership support continuing coverage. And they can claim that any replacement would leave 20 million or more participants in Obamacare exchanges without any coverage, despite the fact that no one is advocating that. These warnings are from the same politicians who promised all Americans, when they praised Obamacare legislation, that "if you like your current insurance, you can keep it." Millions lost their insurance over the next few years, because the policies that they liked did not comply with numerous new rules and mandates. More millions were thrown out of their insurance when government exchanges failed, or when insurance companys losses forced them to pull out of the market, and when insurance cooperatives, heavily subsidized by taxpayers, went bankrupt. New taxes on medical equipment manufacturers foreclosed on the development of new devices, reduced American jobs and gave the advantage to foreign competitors. None of that is the overactive imagination of politicians spreading fears about a new replacement for Obamacare. It is the history of Obamacare. Although reform and replacement legislation is urgently needed, we should watch the process closely. The more urgently reform is required, the greater the danger that members of Congress will slip in provisions to serve their political interests. We cannot afford to pass legislation again "so that you can find out what's in it." We can and should be vigilant in examining whatever reform legislation emerges from Congress. We need to ask whether or not it eliminates thousands of pages of regulations. We need to ask whether it tosses out mandates or creates more. We need to ask whether it adds fees and taxes on medical insurance or cuts them. We must determine whether our physicians will be free to provide what they consider to be the best care, or whether they will spend their time appeasing a government bureaucracy that forces them to perform unnecessary tests and figure out which of 160,000 medical codes to use on paperwork. We must demand that Congress give us more choices in health care, not fewer. We must demand that they abolish the bureaucratic, wasteful monstrosity of Obamacare now hanging over our heads. We must demand that Congress take the requisite time to pass legislation and get it right. Richard E. Ralston is executive director of Americans for Free Choice in Medicine, Newport Beach, California. Copyright 2017 Americans for Free Choice in Medicine. All rights reserved. Home Treason and patriotism in Canada and the current-day world (Part One) By Mark Wegierski It may be noticed that, as the processes of late modernity increasingly envelop the planet, many traditional ideas, notions, and concepts, are undergoing radical revision. Certainly, the ideas of treason and patriotism have been subject to enormous shifts since the beginning of the twentieth century. Ideas of treason and patriotism are important to the Canadian situation for a variety of reasons. Much of traditional English-Canadian identity is bound up with the profession of loyalty to the Sovereign or Monarch. A person who fails to profess loyalty to the Sovereign or Monarch is, in the traditional conception, being disloyal to Canada. At the same time, there have been a number of times in 1990s Canada when Quebecois nationalists have been accused of treason. One should examine these accusations in the light of current thinking about what constitutes treason, in Canada as well as elsewhere. Ideas of treason and patriotism seem to be most pronounced in societies which could be called traditional. The manifest showing of disloyalty to a country or nation, or its chief symbols, has often met with severe censure or punishment. At the same time, making common cause with one's nation's enemies, typically in the forms of espionage, sabotage, or extremely vocal agitation, was often considered "high treason," punishable by death or long and harsh prison terms. Looking at the history of the second half of the twentieth century and the first years of the twenty-first, it is hard not to conclude that, for Western societies at least, "treason is not what it used to be." The questions of loyalty as between Church and State have always been particularly difficult. According to English historian Edward Gibbon, much of the persecutions of Christians under the Roman Empire stemmed from the latter's intransigence to make even the slightest recognition of loyalty to the Emperor (i.e., burning some incense before a statuette of the Emperor) which was interpreted by Christians not as a civic or patriotic ritual, but one of idolatrous recognition of the divinity of the Emperor rather than that of Christ. Christians would face the most severe tortures and death, rather than submit to this ritual. Much later, English Catholics and French Protestants were almost invariably suspected of treason against their respective countries, and subject to the severest persecutions. The Huguenots of France after such calamities as the St. Bartholomews Night Massacre -- were almost entirely expelled in the end becoming part of Protestant societies. The brief Catholic ascendancy of Queen Mary in England was continually characterized by Protestant English historians as a period of bloody persecution. Arguably, it was her Protestant successor Queen Elizabeth who carried out far more extensive persecutions of Roman Catholics. The so-called Test Acts introduced at a later period called for every person in the realm to receive communion in the Church of England two or three times a year, or be stripped of all civil and political rights. At that time, it was well-known that very few sincere and devoted Roman Catholics would consent to do that -- so these were an odious vehicle for deliberate, mass disenfranchisement. One of the best indications of the ingrained anti-Catholicism of the English or British state were its habitual, derogatory references to "Popery", or "the Romish church" (with its "Jesuit spies" and "Spanish Inquisition"), seen as "enemy number one." Nevertheless, Roman Catholicism in England managed to attract a long and illustrious lineage of intellectual apologists, such as Sir Thomas More, many of whom faced martyrdom. The anti-Catholicism of the English or British state was largely transferred to America. In virtually any era of America's history, one could point to periodic outbreaks of severe anti-Catholicism. Indeed, Roman Catholics have been under almost constant suspicion -- whether from Protestant or secularist critics -- of being "un-American." At the same time, it must be pointed out that probably one of the largest desertions from the U.S. army occurred during the Mexican-American War, where the Mexicans were able to raise the so-called San Patricio battalion from Irish Catholic U.S. deserters and prisoners of war. The U.S. army unsurprisingly immediately hanged upon capture any identified member of this formation. One of the most savage, modern armed conflicts between Church and State was the uprising of the so-called Cristeros in late-1920s Mexico against a ferociously enforced secularization. There is a very recent major movie depicting this conflict For Greater Glory. To be continued. Mark Wegierski is a Canadian writer and historical researcher. Home Guyana defeat Trinidad & Tobago by ten wickets and climb to the top of the table at Veerasammy Permaul 's 7 for 48 in the second innings, his 21st five-wicket haul, helpeddefeatby ten wickets and climb to the top of the table at Queen's Park Oval . Guyana's win was set up by their bowlers, who first negated T&T's winning the toss and electing to bat, by bowling them out for 202, and then fifties from no. 7 Raymon Reifer and no. 10 Romario Shepherd helped them take a 128-run lead. That translated to an eventual target of 56, which Guyana bashed through in 13 overs on the fourth morning. Only three T&T batsmen managed to get past 30, as they collapsed from 172 for 4 in the first innings. Reifer took 3 for 48, while Permaul, Shepherd and Devendra Bishoo chipped in with two wickets each. Guyana's response also saw a collapse. A third-wicket stand of 89 between nightwatchman Bishoo(39) and Assad Fudadin (57) had taken them to 136 for 2 before Marlon Richards (4-57) and Bryan Charles (4-91) struck regularly to reduce them to 201 for 7. But Reifer made 55 as he took them into the lead along with Permaul (24), before Shepherd (53) made his first half-century and guided a 57-run stand for the final wicket with debutant Keemo Paul (27*) to take them to 330. T&T's second innings began with captain Kyle Hope's dismissal for a second-ball duck, and barely took off after. A 48-run stand for the second wicket was the only substantial partnership. Once it was broken by Bishoo (2-68) in the 13th over, Permaul started chipping away, taking seven of the remaining eight wickets and pinning the hosts for 183. Isaiah Rajah, who made 41 in the first innings, was once again T&T's top-scorer with 40 in the second. Leeward Islands completed a 34-run win over Jamaica at After a washed out first day, 25 wickets fell on the second and 15 on the third beforecompleted a 34-run win overat Sabina Park. Leeward Islands dismissed Jamaica for 56 after themselves being bowled out for 71, and finished the second day at 31 for 5. They were bowled out for 133 by Jamaica on the third day but only after Jahmar Hamilton struck a crucial 45, assisted by Jeremiah Louis (23). Setting Jamaica a target of 149, Alzarri Joseph took 5 for 43 while Louis took four wickets to bundle the home side out for 114 to take the win. The match started on the second day, and Leeward Islands were skittled out for 71 after Jerome Taylor's five wickets lit up the morning session. The joy for Jamaica was short lived, though, as four wickets each for Gavin Tonge and Louis saw the hosts dismissed for an even smaller total, giving the visitors a slender 15-run lead. By the time the second day ended, Leeward Islands were five wickets down as the game saw a wicket fall nearly every 4 overs. But Jamaica's chase started as poorly as their first innings, and the home side fell to 15 for 3, and were soon 67 for 7 before they were all out 62.1 overs into the third day. Barbados register a resounding Windward Islands at the Kensington Oval. The result meant Barbados overtook Guyana at the top of the points table. Roston Chase produced career-best figures of 7 for 22 to helpregister a resounding nine-wicket win againstat the Kensington Oval. The result meant Barbados overtook Guyana at the top of the points table. After Barbados secured a 31-run first-innings lead, Chase ripped through Windward Islands to bowl them out for just 71 in 25.1 overs. Fast bowler Miguel Cummins claimed the other three wickets to fall. Shane Shillingford, batting at No. 9, top-scored with 16 as only three batsmen reached double figures. Barbados required just four overs to chase down their target of 41. The only session in which Windward Islands dominated was the period before lunch on the first morning. Openers Devon Smith and Tyrone Theophile added a 121-run stand. Kemar Roach dismissed Theophile for 44 in the 35th over and had Taryck Gabriel caught behind off the next ball. Keddy Lesporis (59) and Smith staved off the Barbados bowlers, but a clump of wickets in the final session of the first day meant Windward Islands were bowled out for 293, despite Smith's 103. Roach and left-arm spinner Jomel Warrican picked up four wickets each. Nasir Jamshed, the fifth provisionally suspended player, is based in England and his lawyer informed the PCB of Jamshed's inability to travel to Lahore. Jamshed had been arrested in the UK as part of the PSL corruption case but was released on bail. The FIA has no treaty with England that allows it to bring Jamshed back to Pakistan for investigation. The High Representative of the European Union (EU) for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Federica Mogherini, participated in a quadrilateral meeting that took place in Cairo on Sunday (19 March) to discuss the escalating situation in Libya. The aim of the meeting was to coordinate work and consolidate regional support and UN efforts for the process of political transition in Libya. The gathering was hosted by the Arab League and was attended by officials from the African Union and the UN envoy to Libya in order to discuss the latest security developments in the North African country. Cairos quadrilateral meeting is a part of Egypts continuous efforts to support Libya. Egypt has actively sought a solution to the Libyan conflict over the past few months. The turmoil in the country has intensified over the past few years following the downfall of Muammar Gaddafi, as militants have taken over several areas in Libya. Egypt entered a new phase of strategic relationship with the EU last month when the Egyptian foreign minister Sameh Shoukry visited Brussels and paved the way for an EU-Egypt association agreement. The February deal that both sides signed had been under negotiation since February 2016 and it will frame the countrys relationship with European institutions over the next three years. On his visit, Mr. Shoukry met with 28 European foreign ministers, making it the first meeting of its kind with a non-EU minister this year, the official statement read. The gathering tackled EU-Egyptian relations and Mr. Shoukry discussed ways how the EU could support Egypt economically and politically, given that the countrys stability is an essential European interest, the statement further added. Egyptian national institutions bear the responsibility for safeguarding human rights in Egypt, Mr. Shoukry stressed but also argued that human rights include social and economic rights; they are not restricted to political rights. EUBULLETIN talked in an EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW with Susi Pudjiastuti, Indonesian Minister of Marine Affairs and Fisheries. EUBulletin: Indonesia has the second largest coastline in the world and two thirds of the area of the country consists of water. How would you introduce to European policy makers and business the most important policies and the vision of the Indonesian government with respect to maritime affairs and fisheries? Minister Susi: For us, we dont tolerate any more any more illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing and we also dont tolerate destructive fishing with unfriendly environment fishing methods, like trawlers and other destructive fishing. Secondly, we closed fishing industry for foreign fishing vessels, so capture fisheries are only for Indonesian investments, but for marketing, processing, manufacture, we are open 100% for foreign investment. That is the newest policy, which is designed to sustain Indonesias marine resources and also to sustain the jobs for fisheries stakeholders. And we also encourage the development of education in vocational schools to boost fisheries expertise in Indonesia. Focusing mainly on fishing, processing and other related fields, we aim to increase the number and quality of vocational schools in the fisheries field to boost the Indonesian fishermens expertise. EUBulletin: On 16 September 2016, WWF awarded you as one of the Leaders for a Living Planet Award, which was granted to you in recognition on your efforts as Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries to forward a sustainable development in Indonesian fisheries sector, conservation of marine ecosystem, as well as her fierce crackdown on illegal fishing in Indonesian waters. What message would convey to other major fishing nations, such as Thailand, India or Morocco? Minister Susi: Well, they have to know what happens with their marine resources, especially captive fisheries the valuable resource that is largely gone now if they dont have a sustainable way of exploiting their marine resources. In the end, they have to do lots of fishing in other countries, which is classified as illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing. So, I would say they should start changing their approach I mean I appreciate that the Thais, for example, have started to put limits on their excessively high number of boats as well as other countries have started to do the same thing. EUBulletin: Are you referring to the notorious case on the Benjina Island from which hundreds of fishermen were rescued, stranded by an unscrupulous fishing company, and many enslaved to catch seafood for Western restaurants? Minister Susi: Exactly here we have learned a lesson from what happened with the human traffic and slavery case in Benjina, an Indonesian island. You can read the report by the Associated Press about illegal fishing in Benjina, for which they were even awarded the prestigious Pulitzer Price, and you will know the story. We also launched the human rights compliances on fisheries industry, thats also what we have implemented. So, not only protecting the ecosystem but also human beings from forced labour, illegal trafficking and slavery. EUBulletin: In 2013, European Commission released first blacklisting of non-EU countries for failing to control illegal fishing and it has updated this black list regularly ever since. The blacklisting of so-called non-cooperating states is based on the EUs 2008 regulation on Illegal, Unregulated and Unreported (IUU) fishing. How is this policy viewed by Indonesia government? Minister Susi: In fact, Indonesia is a pioneer in combating IUU fishing, as everybody knows. This is also a part of the reason why the WWF Award was given to me because I am leading the very extreme tough measures to combat the IUU fishing. This policy ha already been implemented by our government and we are already in it the EU policy is nothing new for us. EUBulletin: What would be your message for foreign investors, specifically the investors from the European Union, to invest in Indonesia? Minister Susi: We would like foreign investors to be active in fisheries and aquaculture and processing and technology, shipping yards and things like that, but not in capture fishing. EUBulletin: The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) launched in 2013 the Blue Growth Initiative (BGI), which aims at building resilience of coastal communities and restoring the productive potential of fisheries and aquaculture, in order to support food security, poverty alleviation and sustainable management of living aquatic resources. To succeed, international coordination is crucial how successful has been Indonesias coordination within the BGI with other members, including Madagascar, Senegal, Kenya, Mauritania, Morocco, Algeria? Minister Susi: We have very close communications and always consult with the FAO about many things that we do and we have certain regulations that are in place for more environmentally friendly methods in the fishing industry, which means that source sustainability has become a very important part that is also in line with the mission to put the future of the nation in the ocean. This is the mission and vision of our president the future of the Indonesian nation is in the ocean. Written by ACM *Baden-Baden/G20 Ministerial Finance Summit/Angelo Marcopolo/- German Minister of Finance, Wolgang Schauble, who Chairs now the "G20" Finance Ministerial Summit for 2017, Replying to a relevant "Eurofora"s Question, launched a Vibrant Appeal for the forthcoming EU Heads of State/Goverment Summit, Next Week at Rome, to Move towards "Strengthening Europe", closely Together with its People. An Horizon that he Finds to be Both Achievable and Necessary, as he said, just After an Intense Experience of "Fresh", and sometimes "Hot", Global Political, Both Bilateral and Collective Meetings between Representatives of 30 Countries, (i.e. Including the "Guests"), and 10 International Institutions, Exceptionaly held, during more than 2 Days, at Baden-Baden, near the Franco-German Borders and Strasbourg, at the Same Time that the New, US President, Don Trump, was meeting, for the 1st Time, with German Chancelor Angie Merkel, at the White House in Washington DC, and sending his New Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson, to meet the Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and President Xi Jiping at Beijing, (etc). -------------------------------------- Schauble is a very Experienced Twice Finance Minister, after having served also Twice as JHA Minister, who was considered as one among the possible Successors to former Long-Time Chancelor Helmut Kohl, (the Historic "Father" of the ReUnification of Germany, followed by that of Europe, in Cooperation with Schauble, from which Emerged Angie Merkel), while also being Nowadays a Close Partner and Solid Political Support to Chancelor Merkel, (whom he had advised in the Past also on Security and Foreign Policy matters). After having served also as Chairman of the Govering, ChristianDemocrat CDU Parliamentary Group at the Bundestag, Schauble has also served as President of the CDU Party in the Past. He's widely considered as Firm Supporter of European Integration, (including in its Franco-German core, Personaly living Near France with his Wife, who had Earlier said to "Eurofora" that she found Strasbourg City recently Changed). For various Previous Statements made by Schauble in Reply to Other "Eurofora" Questions on several Topical European Issues, See, inter alia, also, f.ex. : .... + ..., etc). ------------------------- - "Mr. President, according to your Experience, and from what you saw Today (at the G-20 Finance), in view of the (EU) Rome Summit Next Week", (on EU's Anniversary + Future), "what is your Feeling, Now, about the uro's Future and EU Integration ?", "Eurofora" asked Schauble, joining 2 relevant Topical Issues, that he knows very well, (Comp. Supra). ----------------------- - "The (EU) Summit on the (60th Anniversary of the) Treaties of Rome is, I think, for the Heads of States and Governements (of 2_EU Member Countries) to use this Anniversary as an issue to Show the Importance (that it has Nowadays) to Strengthen Europe", Schauble Replied to "Eurofora"s Question. - Because, Today, "the Integration of Europe is More Needed, than Ever !", the Experienced German Top-Minister, and currently Chairman of the International "G-20" Finance Ministerial 2917 Summit, of Key Importance for the Present and Forthcoming GeoPolitical developments, Strongly Added, Speaking to "Eurofora" just after an Exceptionaly Intensified and original Global Political Meeting here, (including, particularly, with the New US Administration's representative, Treasury Secretary, Steven Mnuchin, who made his 1st Official Visit in Europe. Comp. Mnuchin's reply to another "Eurofora" Question, during his own Press Conference, at the Conclusion of Baden-Baden's G20 Finances for 2017, at : ....). + And, concerning the Crucial Point, of whether this Can be Achieved Now sufficiently "Together With the People", Schauble appeared Careful but clearly Positive : - "Yes, I Think so. I do Think so !", he Replied also to another, relevant "Eurofora"s Question, speaking Exclusively, before Leaving an Important and Long, Presidential Press Conference about the Official Conclusions of the "G20" Finance Ministerial 2017 Summit that he Chaired during 2 Busy Days here. He had, Earlier, Stressed the Need for that particularly Important, latest Point, during another Exceptional Conference, held Together with ChristianDemocrat/EPP Party's President, Joseph Daul (France), at CoE/EU Parliament Plenaries' Headquaters in Strasbourg, previously, as "Eurofora" Reminded to Schauble now, inviting him to renew his stance now, taking into account all, meanwhile, relevant developments. "G20" Finance Ministerial Summit's official Conclusions, published during Schauble's Press Conference, speaking as its Chairman, Today (Saturday) Afternoon, stress from the outset, a Global "Agreement" to "foster Economic Resilience", and a "Determination to use all policy Tools : Monetary, Fiscal, and Structural (Reforms) - Individualy and collectively - to achieve (a) Strong, Sustainable, Balanced and Inclusive Growth", while "Global Economic Recovery is Progressing", recently, "But (with) a Pace of Growth (which) is Still Weaker than desirable, and Downside Risks (which) remain". In such a Context, "Excess Volatility and Disorderly Movements in Exchange Rates, can have Adverse Implications, for Economic and Financial Stability", so that "G20" Countries "Commit" themselves to "Refrain from Competitive Devaluations", and "Not Target (their) Exchange Rates for Competitive purposes" : I.e. something which should, normaly, enhance also uro-Area's potential role, in the foreseable Future. --------------------------------- G20 Finance Ministers 2017 logo's part on "a MultiPolar World", Nowadays pictured in Germany's Baden-Baden "KurHaus", is an Historic and Symbolic Wording able to Please both French Gaullists and China's President Xi, while it might Not be excluded also from New US President Don Trump's GeoPolitical Vision, since Many among his Popular Fans notoriously Criticise what they call "Globalists". ---------------------------------------- The "G-20" was Initialy Created Back on late 2008, as a Tool to Help Face the Emerging, then, Global Economic and Financial Crisis. The move had been made on a joint Initiative by former French and US Presidents Nicolas Sarkozy and George W. Bush, supported by German Chancelor Angie Merkel and former Chinese President Hu Jintao (to whom, the current President Xi Jiping, served then as Vice-President), as well as by Russian former President Dimitri Medvedev, (a close Ally to the current Russian President Vladmir Putin, who had served, then, as Prime Minister), welcomed by other Leaders in Europe and the World. ------------------------------------- => Thus, Economy and Finances were, right from the Start, at the Heart of the G20 in general, (while the Pre-existing G7 or G8 (currently Chaired by Italy, with a Summit scheduled on May at Bari), developed, since then, towards a More "Political" Global body. But, in this Exceptional 2017 Year, during which an Important Political Change has recently Started in the USA, after the Latest Presidential Elections, due to be Followed, Later-on, also by Crucial French and German National Elections, (respectively on April-June and September 2017), probably to be Followed soon even by Italian Elections, while Germany and Italy are Chairing G20 an G7(8) respectively, Economic/Financial and Political Issues clearly appear as closely Interwined, and/or largely imbricated together, in real Practice. Spectaculary Marked also by some Exceptional Top Political Meetings these Same days, key to GeoPolitical developments related to the New, Don Trump's US Administration's policies, this very "special" G20 Ministerial Finance Summit at Baden-Baden's First Day "coincided" with German Chancelor Angie Merkel's 1st visit to US President Trump in Washington DC, Yesterday Evening (Comp., f.ex. : ....), as well as with New USA State Secretary (Foreign MInister) Rex Tillerson's 1st Visit to China, to meet with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, (to be followed even by President Xi Jiping himself), during Baden-Baden's Global Gathering's Second Day, earlier This Morning, when, naturaly, also various "Hot" G20-related Issues were Discussed there. The Final, Heads of State/Government G20 Summit, is due to take place in Hamburg, on July 2017, i.e. just After the forthcoming, Crucial French Presidential and Parliamentary Elections (April/May and June, respectively). Since the 2016 UK Referendum for "BREXIT", Germany (which also holds Elections, Later, on September 2017), and France have Become more Important than ever for a eventual ReLaunch of the European Integration, Starting from its uro-Area core. In the period between the US election and the inauguration of Donald Trump, many commentators predicted that arms control might be an area where the leaders of the US and Russia could make quick progress. Some even suggested that Trump might be so eager to pursue a deal with Russia that he could offer Putin some ice-breaking gifts, such as a freeze on further progress of the US European Missile Defence program. Yet, instead of a US-Russia honeymoon, tensions have flared up. Not only is the INF Treaty compliance issue back with a vengeance, but President Trump has declared his support for broad US nuclear modernization with his top of the pack comment and has deplored New START as a bad and one-sided deal. Paradoxically, these troubling developments open space for Europe to insert its own ideas and pursue its own interests in the area of arms control, both nuclear and conventional. If the US and Russia took the lead (as they had done in the past), there would be very little for Europe to do. It could just sit on the sidelines and wait for the results, with some Europeans cheering the bilateral effort and others fearing that the US is making too many concessions to the Russians. In the absence of joint US-Russia leadership on arms control, Europe should use this opportunity to take more responsibility. This is not just about filling up diplomatic space: some of the current military challenges (that arms control is meant to address) have a direct and negative impact on the security of Europe. For example, the alleged deployment of INF-prohibited cruise missiles in the European part of Russia would mean adding a number of Central and Western European targets military bases, logistical hubs, decision-making centers to the prompt strike plans of the Russian military. Also, new Russian and NATO deployments and exercises, and the close encounters between Western and Russian ships and aircraft that often accompany them, are taking place in the middle of Europe, including in the Baltic and Black Sea areas. Not to mention that any military potential conflict, no matter how limited it may look from the perspective of Moscow or Washington, would surely bring death and destruction to Europe just look at Eastern Ukraine. Arms control should not be an abstract issue for Europeans. At the same time, Europe needs to be wise on how it spends its political capital. For example, recent discussion about a European nuclear deterrent, while intellectually stimulating, sets us on the wrong path. It rests on two questionable assumptions: firstly, that the U.S. extended nuclear deterrence guarantees to Europe have been de facto invalidated with the arrival of Trump (theres no evidence of a change of US policy that would justify jumping to such conclusions) and secondly, that this deterrent can be replaced with a European solution, built on the basis of the French and British nuclear capabilities. Lots of time can be spent on devising such a European solution, but with little chance of it being accepted by the two European nuclear weapon states, let alone operationalized. Just as problematic would be an effort to unite Europe around embracing a treaty prohibiting nuclear weapons. Some European states have spearheaded, or at least supported, the effort to start the negotiations on such a treaty, and will be present in New York on March 27 for the first round of talks. Others, however, including almost all NATO members have clearly stated their reservations towards the ban treaty proposal. These are not good conditions for forging a European consensus around nuclear disarmament: the division will likely to be there for years. What elements of arms control agenda should the European states focus on in 2017? There is, of course, a list of safe topics, including continued support for existing international regimes and agreements in the area of non-proliferation, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action with Iran included. While these are popular goals to be pursued further, more needs to be done in two areas directly relevant in the context of the West-Russia crisis. Firstly, all Europeans have a stake in securing the future of the INF Treaty. The current situation, with US openly accusing Russia of treaty violation (and no European state contradicting it, officially or informally), and Russia rejecting this and counter-accusing the US, represents the worst possible outcome for Europe. The non-compliance charge challenges the rule-based international system that Europe hopes to maintain. The threat of deployment presents a military challenge to European militaries and NATO. Europe should invest its own political capital in resolving the INF compliance issues. European leaders, especially those planning to visit Moscow in the coming weeks, including British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, should bring up Russian INF Treaty compliance in their talks as a major security concern for their countries and an obstacle to improving relations with Russia. European states can also be explicit, when talking to Russia, that they will support a tougher US stance, including deployment of additional defensive and offensive systems to Europe, if no satisfactory solution is achieved regarding the INF. While acknowledging the existence of Russian counterclaims about US non-compliance, Europeans should not be led astray: deployment of INF-prohibited weapon systems by Russia would strike at the very heart of the treaty, while Russian claims are about a set of issues (test missiles, UAVs, missile defence launchers) which can be resolved through expert dialogue. Secondly, conventional arms control remains an area where all European countries, whether members of NATO or not, have an interest in re-establishing conditions of relative military stability in the continent. These were guaranteed in the 1990s by the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE), but the treaty remains moribund. Granted, the attempt to reset conventional arms control talks proposed by the German Foreign Minister Steinmeier in 2016 has made little progress. Yet, the challenges to European security listed by Steinmeier remain relevant, and the politically-binding Vienna Document cannot substitute for a legal instrument limiting the levels of major weapon systems in Europe. A new, better prepared initiative may have improved chances of success. The European countries who objected to some details of Steinmeiers plan can probably be persuaded to support a more general initiative which would spell out the mandate for conventional arms control negotiations. Under President Trumps leadership, the US would probably not spend too much time on the details of a European conventional arms control system. At the same time, it may be interested in negotiating a good deal, which would keep US Armys military engagement in Europe at relatively low levels. And with the majority of Europeans and the US on board, the Russian response to Steinmeier 2.0 initiative might be different than in 2016. Europe can remain a passive subject of an arms control game played between Moscow and Washington. It can also tinker with grandiose ideas with little chance of implementation. Alternatively, it can identify and pursue new opportunities for increasing its own security through arms control. The choice is ours to make. The opinions articulated above represent the views of the author(s), and do not necessarily reflect the position of the European Leadership Network or any of its members. The ELNs aim is to encourage debates that will help develop Europes capacity to address the pressing foreign, defence, and security challenges of our time. How to get "Leave To Remain" and settle in the UK under this circumstances ?! Hey guys I live and work now in London with a 3 years Tier 2 visa (valid for one year only because contract is for one year). unfortunately my type of work doesn't afford for me more than one year contracts and it gets renewed every year. so my question is, if I stayed in the UK for 5 years but with different Tier 2 Visas and different COS and different employers, does that make me eligible o apply for ILR ? or I should stay for consecutive 5 years under a 5 years Tier 2 visa with one COS and one employer to be eligible to apply for the ILR ?! Thanks in advance guys and I will be waiting for your replies! When you reenter the UAE to reset the clock on the 180 day counter, is there a certain minimum stay requirement? Or can I enter the UAE in the morning and leave again the same day in the evening? Thanks The working holiday visa is a bit more "flex" on the requirements than some of the other visas - in part because they expect that you may have to move around a bit to find work. If you have a friend you'll be staying with at first, it probably wouldn't hurt to get a letter from them "inviting" you to stay with them while you get set up. If it's not required, fine. If they ask about your accommodations, then you have something to show them and they can ask for whatever clarification they want to. Cheers, Bev Translation isn't a profession reglementee. You should be able to register online at the auto entrepreneur site or in person at your local Centre de formalites d'entreprise if your commune has one, or your chambre de commerce though I'm not sure if they would charge a fee (the Chambre de metiers is in the chamber for artisans, what we would call Trade & Industry, so not the one for 'white collar' professions) or maybe your communaute des communes has a business advisor. I doubt the mairie would be able to help but they could tell you what business support services are available locally.The APCE code for translation is 7430Z.You will be profession liberale so there is no chamber registration involved, you just need to register the business.Hope this helps, I did do this but not recentlybut I've found that micro entrepreneur works pretty well for translators, good luck with it all. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate A pioneer of the U.S. shale revolution wants to take fracking to Americas final frontier. Success could help revive Alaskas flagging oil fortunes. Paul Basinski, the geologist who helped discover the Eagle Ford in Texas, is part of a fledgling effort on Alaskas North Slope to emulate the shale boom that reinvigorated production in the rest of the U.S. His venture, Project Icewine, has gained rights to 700,000 acres inside the Arctic Circle and says they could hold 3.6 billion barrels of oil, rivaling the legendary Eagle Ford. While the potential is huge, the difficulty of shipping millions of gallons of water, sand and chemicals the ingredients used in fracking to one of the most remote areas on earth is nothing short of monumental. At stake is an Alaskan industry thats seen output tumble from 2.1 million barrels a day in 1988 to 520,000 in 2016 as reserves dwindled and explorers sought cheaper supplies in shale fields to the south. The oil is there, said Basinski, founder and CEO at Houston-based Burgundy Xploration LLC. Now its a question of how quickly we can get it to flow and whether we can get the economics to work. One exploratory well has been drilled, he said, and a second is planned by mid year. The dwindling volume of crude produced in Alaska has combined with a rout in oil prices over the last two years to undercut Alaskas once booming economy. When oil topped $100 a barrel in 2014, Alaska took in $5.7 billion in petroleum taxes and royalties for the fiscal year that ended that June, covering most of its budget. For fiscal 2017, the take is projected at $1.6 billion, a 72 percent drop. At the same time, the decline has fed worries that the 40-year-old Trans-Alaska Pipeline System, the North Slopes 800-mile link to global oil markets, could become too expensive to operate by the next decade. In hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, water, sand and chemicals are shot at high pressure into shale rock to release the oil and natural gas trapped inside. Drillers create cracks within shale and tap them with horizontal wells that can run for thousands of feet underground. In Alaska, the practice has been slow to take off due to the higher costs of working in the Arctic, where drilling can cost three times as much as in the Lower 48 states. Until recently, companies also didnt have underground imaging technology good enough to peer beneath the Arctic permafrost and pinpoint shale reserves below. Now thats changing. State tax breaks passed earlier this decade have encouraged explorers to give shale a look, and 3-D seismic imaging technology allows them to make a more educated guess about whats below. To be sure, shale isnt the only hope for the states oil industry. Icewine is part of a wave of new exploration on the North Slope. In October, Caelus Energy said it had found at least 2 billion barrels of recoverable oil about 120 miles to the west of Prudhoe Bay on the Arctic Coast. ConocoPhillips, the states biggest oil producer, said in January that it was developing a new field that may hold as much as 300,000 barrels. Caelus has turned to fracking to boost production in nonshale wells on the slope as well. This is the oiliest place weve ever worked, Caelus CEO Jim Musselman said. These are not world-class rocks, so weve had to turn to more modern techniques. The low-hanging fruit has been plucked, so were having to go a little higher in the tree. Burgundy Xploration has teamed with Australia-based 88 Energy Ltd. to test shale on 690,000 acres of state land south of Prudhoe Bay. The land sits over three underground bands of shale, from 3,000 to 20,000 feet down, that are the source rocks for the huge conventional oilfields to the north. The companies first well, Icewine 1, confirmed the presence of petroleum in the shale and found a geology that should be conducive to fracking, Basinski said. The second well, due to be drilled in the first half of 2017, will fracture a small section of that range and see how readily the oil flows. 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. We dont know what we have yet, said Michael McFarlane, Burgundys president. We know that the shale has sourced a tremendous amount of oil, but is it commercial? Thats a question that we havent answered yet. Basinski was a geologist at Houston-based Burlington Resources Inc. in the early 2000s, when he began pushing to test the Eagle Ford. The rocks long were thought to contain oil, but conventional wisdom held the geology wasnt suitable for fracking, he recalled. Basinski looked at the data and thought differently. When Conoco bought Burlington in 2006 for $36 billion, it inherited the geologists quixotic quest as well. I just looked at a map and saw a lot of white space in Texas and asked a stupid question: What is this? he said. I was looking for the opposite of what everybody else was looking for. Conoco eventually would snap up thousands of acres in the area, before the Eagle Fords productivity was fully known. By 2015, the Eagle Ford was the most prolific shale play in the U.S., producing 565 million barrels, according to the U.S. Energy Department. Basinski left Conoco in 2011 to pursue unconventional plays elsewhere in the globe. Alaska seemed a natural target huge reservoirs like Prudhoe Bay had to have source rocks somewhere nearby, he figured. Theres a lot of potential, said David Houseknecht, a senior research geologist at the U.S. Geological Survey who studies Alaskan oil. The big but is that you can only put so many wells within a stones throw of the pipeline. Even if you assume the kind of production rate that the Bakken or Eagle Ford have given you, its going to be a challenge to make it economically viable. In a 2012 assessment, the USGS said North Slope shale may hold anywhere from zero to 2 billion barrels of oil recoverable with current technologies. The report emphasized the large range of uncertainty associated with the area. An analysis of well results by consultant DeGolyer & MacNaughton found the Icewine land may sit atop the equivalent of 1.4 billion barrels of oil, 88 Energy said in an investor presentation last month. The company said its own modeling suggests as much as 3.6 billion barrels may be available. The Eagle Ford that Basinski helped develop, by comparison, has about 4.3 billion barrels, according to Energy Department estimates. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate SINTON Please, please listen to us, Portland resident Adair Apple pleaded to the San Patricio County Commissioners Court as she spoke against a proposed petrochemical plant. Were begging you. In the end, the arguments fell on mostly deaf ears at the Monday morning meeting. County Judge Terry A. Simpson and the commissioners voted twice in favor of what would be the worlds largest ethane steam cracker first approving a reinvestment zone for the land and then tax abatements. Precinct 1 Commissioner Nina Trevino was the only dissenter, voting for the reinvestment zone but against the tax abatements. The project is a joint venture by Exxon Mobil and Saudi Arabia Basic Industries Corp., or SABIC, which want to bring the multibillion project to the Gulf Coast. The companies are also considering sites in Victoria and Louisiana. After the vote, Portland resident and Portland Citizens United member Jason Mutschler stood in the hall, shrugged his shoulders and said, We fight on. A crowd of around 100 people filled the district courtroom of the county courthouse to voice their opinion. Some wore red, the color of the grassroots opposition group Portland Citizens United that argues the site is too close to the high school. Others wore green T-shirts handed out to supporters by Exxon employees that read We Stand United for Growth. Most of the comments were against the facility, which if built would be less than 2 miles from the high school Portland and the smaller community of Gregory share. The plant would use high heat and pressure to convert natural gas into 1.8 million metric tons a year of ethylene and polyethylene, the building blocks for plastics. Monica Ortiz, 30, said she had just built a brand new home less than a half mile from the proposed site, a 1,350-acre piece of farmland that Exxon has an option to buy. If they do come, we will be leaving, Ortiz said. I went to school here, I grew up here. Youre going to lose people like me. Others argued that the commissioners were not representing the will of their constituents as Exxon representatives sat stoney faced in the front row. But other speakers hit back at the opposition. For someone to tell someone else what to do with their property is offensive, Debra Barrett, a 57-year-old fifth-generation farmer said during the meeting. Simpson sat quietly, calling on people to speak and trying to cut people off when they went over their allotted three-minute time limit. In the end, the comments did not sway the judge. My duty as the county judge is to represent the county, Simpson said to the crowd. The majority need these jobs, this company, and, therefore, that is going to be why I am making my decision based on the majority, not the minority. Im sorry about that. Simpson voiced his support for the project in January, saying the project would bring much-needed jobs to the area. While tax abatement application forms on the Chapter 312 applications to the county were not available from the Texas Comptrollers office, other forms have shown that the project as a whole is estimated to bring more than 15,000 temporary construction jobs and 400 permanent jobs. After the meeting Exxon project executive Rob Tully said the company was encouraged by the vote and hopes to start filing permits for the project by April. 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. We cant put a stick of steel in the ground until we get a permit, Tully said. The vote by the county has cleared the way for the Gregory-Portland Independent School District board to vote on their own set of tax abatements for the project Tuesday night. rdruzin@express-news.net @druz_journo When Bexar County voters go to the polls for the May elections, many will see school bond issues on their ballots. Early voting is April 24-May 2. Election Day is Saturday, May 6. Alamo Colleges Voters countywide will be asked in a single question to approve or reject a $450 million bond for the Alamo Colleges. The bond issue, which officials say would not increase taxes, would fund new buildings, extensive renovations and land purchases. The district's oldest campuses, San Antonio College and St. Philip's College, would get the most out of the bond, receiving more than $80 million each. The bond proposal also includes $23 million each for "education and training campuses" similar to the Westside Education and Training Campus, or WETC. Such facilities are smaller and are not fully accredited colleges, but provide occupational training, remedial education and college counseling. Alamo Colleges Chancellor Bruce Leslie pointed to predictions that Bexar County will gain a million new residents by 2040 as a reason for the bond. The district predicts an increase of 38,000 students by 2030. Critics, including one board trustee, have said the district of five community colleges should not be holding a bond election while three of the colleges are under warned status from their accrediting agency, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges. Alamo Heights Alamo Heights ISD voters will decide whether to approve a $135 million bond for facilities updates to all six schools. The money would go toward renovating the high school stadium, updating technology in classrooms district-wide and constructing a new STEM building at the Alamo Heights Junior School, among other things. The debt service rate increase would be 5.5 cents per $100 valuation. The district is holding informational meetings about the bond from 7 to 8 p.m. on March 8 and April 4. Judson ISD Judson is proposing a $60 million bond to district voters, which would fund the final phase of construction for Veterans Memorial High School. It would increase taxes by 2 cents per $100 in property values. Voters last year rejected a proposal to add a new wing to the high school, after a controversy over the boards decision to name the school after former Superintendent Willis Mackey. The board changed the schools name after last years vote. Southside ISD Southside will also propose a $59.8 million bond to address growth in the district. About $30.3 million would be spent on elementary school projects, including a new campus for prekindergarten and kindergarten. The proposal includes about $18.4 million for middle school projects, including the start of Losoya Intermediates conversion into a middle school. About $9.4 million would go to high school projects, including expanded and renovated fine arts facilities and a new barn. For more information on voter ID and election sites, go to bexar.org and click on Elections Department. amalik@express-news.net sfosterfrau@express-news.net This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate WASHINGTON At Mondays House Intelligence Committee hearing, Rep. Will Hurd elicited a bit of frank hindsight from FBI Director James Comey when he asked whether the FBI would have been more forceful in warning the Democratic National Committee if agents knew early on what they know now about Russian hacking. The FBI notified the DNC in August 2015 of the hacks, but the Democratic committee didnt hire a forensics firm to investigate until June 2016. The firm then shared that information with the FBI but the bureau never gained access to DNC computers. Wed have sent up a much larger flare. Wed have kept banging and banging on the door, Comey told Hurd, R-San Antonio. I might have walked over there myself, knowing what I know now. Hurd, a junior member of the committee and a former undercover CIA officer, waited more than five hours for his turn to ask questions. I learned recently the value of sitting in one place for a long period of time, he said, referring to his 1,600-mile car trip last week from San Antonio to Washington with U.S. Rep. Beto ORourke, D-El Paso. Hurd asked National Security Agency Director Adm. Mike Rogers how the Russians carried out the hacks. But Rogers said he wouldnt discuss such matters in a public hearing. Hurd asserted that the Russian hacks have driven a wedge between the executive branch of government, the intelligence community and the public. He added: This is an asymmetric tool that the Russians are using in order to destabilize liberal democratic institutions, and I think it is important that we do everything we can to review this. Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-San Antonio, got little in the way of replies when he pressed Comey and Rogers about an intelligence dossier released in January containing unverified allegations of Trumps misconduct and ties to Russia. Is Paul Manafort a subject of your investigation? Castro asked at another point, referring to the lobbyist and consultant who was chairman of Trumps presidential campaign from March until August last year. Not going to comment on that, Comey replied. Castro was more successful in getting a response from his question suggesting the leaks that Trump and congressional Republicans are criticizing could in fact be coming from the White House. It could come from lots of different places, Comey replied. My experience trying to figure these things out for decades is that it often is coming from places you didnt anticipate. bill.lambrecht@hearstdc.com This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Every eight weeks, Sister Anna Marie Vrazel visits the South Texas Blood & Tissue Center to donate blood, something shes been doing for more than four decades. But the 82-year-old nuns visits are vastly different from the first time she became a donor at an Abilene clinic in 1969. She was 19, scared and didnt know what to expect. But before the needle pricked her skin, she found comfort in the words of her father, Donat Vrazel, who always said it was a blessing to give others the gift of life. That helped settle her fears, and, just as her father had done for relatives and strangers, donated blood. The nun, who today walks with the help of a walker, has become a familiar sight to staff members at the center, near the Wonderland of the Americas mall. Over the past 36 years, shes donated about 41 gallons of blood. STBTC associate medical director, Dr. Samantha Gomez Ngamsuntikul, said Vrazel exemplifies the dedicated blood and platelet donors of a certain era who recognize the importance of donation in the centers mission to save lives. Were always hopeful that their legacy of donation extends to younger generations as these folks move into now possibly needing blood after so many years of giving to others, Ngamsuntikul said. Donating 40 gallons is a big deal, and Sister Anna Marie is still going strong and coming in to donate. Spokeswoman Julie Vera said for many years, Vrazel was also a platelet donor. Platelets are blood cells that help the body make clots and stop bleeding. Vera said donating blood takes about 45 minutes, including paperwork; while the donation process for platelets is about two hours. People who come in to donate platelets are super dedicated to helping someone else, Vera said. Its an investment of time. These are people who are willing and ready to help. Thats whats special about platelet donors and thats what Sister Anna Marie did all those years. According to the American Red Cross, 24 percent of donors occasionally give blood, 26 percent are first-time donors and 50 percent are constant donors. Like Vrazel, the No. 1 reason people cite for donating blood is to help others. Vrazel learned her humanitarian ways while growing up in a large family in Brazoria County, where her family owned a dance hall that echoed with polkas and waltzes. She entered the convent at 22 and serves with the Sisters of Divine Providence at Our Lady of the Lake University. As many people reflect, pay penance and pray during the 40 days of Lent, Vrazel said being a donor isnt a self-sacrifice, its fulfilling a need in the community. Jesus tells us to go out and feed the hungry, clothe the naked and help others wherever you can, she said recently at the center, squeezing a rubber block as staff drew blood from an arm laced with scar tissue. And I think giving blood is something that is helping others. Not everybody can give blood and many people need it. Vrazel said shes been both a donor and a recipient. During the decades of donating blood the only time shes been displeased was when she had to postpone her visits after a series of surgeries. I dont want to get blood, she said. I want to be a donor. We need to encourage others to do so. vtdavis@express-news.net This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate When Queta Rodriguez learned she was pregnant, her feelings of joy quickly were subsumed by a powerful sense of shame. A career Marine, she considered the pregnancy a biological affirmation that she indeed was a woman in a corps so dominated by men that its female members did everything they could to be like them. Marines highest value was strength, and getting pregnant was undeniable proof of weakness, of being a lesser Marine, she said. Toughness and femininity didnt mix. I remember hating being pregnant. The most feminine thing you can be is pregnant, said Rodriguez, 46, of San Antonio. Of course I wanted to be a mom, but I remember there was nothing that I hated more than having to wear pregnant utilities because its so feminine. The military's latest sex scandal involving a secret website called Marines United, which posted nude photos of female Marines along with disparaging comments from its male members, brought back memories for women veterans. Both Rodriguez and Joy Craig, 45, of Beaufort, South Carolina, both harbor regrets for their silence at male Marines sexist comments and jokes. Former Lance Cpl. Stacey Thompson, 36, was outspoken and insists she doesnt regret reporting being raped, even though the attacker was allowed to leave the Marines amid an investigation and she was forced out of the corps with an other-than-honorable discharge. She parented three children while waging a successful battle to win a general discharge under honorable conditions, which qualifies her for all veterans benefits except the Montgomery GI Bill. That fight took 15 years, she said by phone from Oceanside, California, where she now lives. This changed my life, Thompson said. But if I look at it 15 years later and I say that I regret it, thats the idea that I should feel at fault. I dont. After the Marines launched an investigation of Marines United and its membership of 30,000 active-duty Marines, veterans and British Royal Marines, the Pentagon created a joint military task force to handle newer probes into other, similar websites linked to current and former service members. Summoned to the Senate Armed Services Committee last week, Gen. Robert Neller, the Marine Corps commandant, didnt disagree with Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-New York, when she said the corps has a culture problem. Marines United members had created online dossiers on female Marines and possibly others without their knowledge, identifying dozens by their names, ranks, social media handles and duty stations, Gillibrand said. Were going to have to change how we see ourselves and how we do how we treat each other, Neller said. Thats a lame answer, but, maam, thats all I thats the best I can tell you right now. Weve got to change, and thats on me. The Marines count just 15,096 women among 183,562 active-duty troops 8.2 percent, the lowest of any service branch. All of the services long have wrestled with sexual harassment and sexual assault. A new Defense Department Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office survey has found 12.2 percent of women in military academies reported non-consensual sexual contact during the 2015-16 academic year. Closer to home, an Air Force NCO at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland facing a possible 37 years and nine months in prison was given three months confinement and another 30 days hard labor last month for sexual assault and other crimes. Tech. Sgt. Anthony Lizanas dishonorable discharge was mandated by Congress in the wake of an instructor misconduct scandal at Lackland and other incidents that put a national spotlight on sexual harassment and assault in the military. Pentagon surveys have consistently shown fewer than half of sexual assault cases end in convictions 255 of 543 service members in 2014. Few service members ever report being harassed or assaulted. Lizanas case might be typical testimony showed one young airman reported problems with him, while seven others remained silent until asked by investigators. Remaining silent was Craigs choice. Homeless when she joined the Marines at 18 in 1991, she willingly embraced a code that was blatantly sexist, following the unwritten rule that women be as tough as any man but play the part of a lady. She worked to stay slim, look good in uniform and pay no attention to the crass comments that started on her first days of boot camp. Craig said she assembled bombs and missiles to load onto aircraft, achieved the rank of chief warrant officer 2 and was sexually assaulted twice during a 23-year career. But she knew there was another rule: Dont expect apologies. We joined the Marine Corps its understandably the toughest service so if you dont like the treatment you get, you should have joined the Air Force or the Navy or something like that, Craig said. As a Marine, youre expected to be tough and have a thick skin and be able to hang with the boys, and if you cant handle it, then its your problem, not theirs. Rodriguez, who joined the Marines as an enlistee but became an officer, described the same code. You try really hard to kind of be one of the guys so youre not seen as weaker, and you dont want to be the girl whos howling sexual harassment, she said. Instead, you want to be that one (who says), I can take care of myself, I can nip it in the bud. Another rule of life in the corps was that young women had no expectation of privacy, even in the most personal aspects of their lives. Craig said that even if she was in a committed relationship, other Marines called her a slut and a whore. I was called names constantly, and only after I picked up a little rank did it stop, she said. A 2014 Rand Corp. survey on sexual harassment and gender discrimination found the Marines led all services in seven of 15 categories ranging from repeated attempts to develop an unwelcome relationship to sexual touching. The research firm said years of data show half of those who were sexually harassed or suffered gender discrimination reported that workplace arguments ensued and unit cohesion. A recently released study co-authored in part by two University of Texas at San Antonio professors reached the same conclusion, finding that sexual harassment damages productivity, increases turnover and absenteeism and increases health costs. The paper by Richard Harris, a professor of social work, Corey S. Sparks, a demography professor, and the Defense Equal Opportunity Management Institutes Daniel P. McDonald echoed a Rand studys conclusion that sexist behavior in military units likely fueled more severe incidents of sexual harassment and sexual assault. Sexual harassment remains a persistent problem in the U.S. military despite extensive research over more than three decades and policy initiatives designed to reduce the incidence, it states. The report divided the problem into four dimensions sexist behavior, crude or offensive behavior, unwanted sexual attention and sexual coercion. All are things Rodriguez, Craig and Thompson say they experienced in uniform. Thompson said she faced retaliation for reporting she was raped. That problem is so well known, Congress last year made it a crime. What people dont understand is that in the civilian world, when you report a crime, its private, its separate from your work environment. But in the Marine Corps its incredibly different, Thompson said. Nothing was confidential. Craig said she was sexually assaulted as a lance corporal and, at the end of her career, gave in to a persistent Marine who wanted to have sex. She never mentioned the first incident and only reluctantly reported the second one on the eve of her retirement three years ago. I was one of the more outspoken female Marines, Craig said. I would constantly point out things like the double standards and the hypocrisy, and it just never did any good and it never got me any friends, it never got me any promotions, it was always a bad idea to speak out. So when youre a younger Marine, youre just silent, absolutely silent. sigc@express-news.net By Laura Thompson On-farm research is a powerful decision-making tool for farmers, especially when making management decisions. On-farm research can provide meaningful information specific to your soils, farming practices, and local conditions, allowing you to make management decisions with confidence. Jerry Mulliken, who farms near Nickerson in east central Nebraska, has been involved with Nebraska Extension On-Farm Research efforts for over two decades. He has conducted over 30 studies, with some studies continuously running for as long as 13 years. Mulliken turned to on-farm research because it gives you first-hand experience with the questions we have. Mulliken finds benefit from on-farm research beginning in the planning phase. Setting up the trial in the first place makes you really think things through, Mulliken says. Mulliken has researched dozens of topics over the years. One question he examined was, Should lime applications be incorporated in a no-till environment? East-central Nebraska farmer Jerry Mulliken discusses what he's learned by participating in the Nebraska On-Farm Research Network. When I began this study, my standard practice was to always incorporate lime, Mulliken explains. But through long-term on-farm research, I found I could get good results without incorporating lime, when lime was applied more frequently and in smaller amounts. Other studies Mulliken conducted focused on fertilizer. Through these studies, Mulliken found there was more variability in his fields than he had previously realized. Mulliken has also conducted research on the optimal soybean planting date. Through planting date studies, I learned quite a bit about planting date and now plant much earlier than I used to. But results can vary from year to year this means repeating the research in multiple locations and different growing seasons will bring more confidence into decision-making. One way to accelerate your learning is to combine your research efforts with others. Several producers in south central Nebraska teamed up to research the soybean planting date question. Through their efforts they were able to collect 12 sites of data in three years. They found that by planting an average of 21 days earlier, yields were increased by 2.7 bu/ac. Strong Nebraska More articles in this series Sometimes, however, the new practice or product you try doesnt result in a yield increase. These results are valuable too. Using on-farm research to test a product or practice on a few acres, before adopting it on a larger scale, can save money in the long run. You can benefit from the research other producers in Nebraska have conducted. Previous research results are available at http://cropwatch.unl.edu/farmresearch. You can also access an interactive database of over 600 previous on-farm research results at http://resultsfinder.unl.edu/. Considering the yield impact of a given treatment is important but dont overlook the impact on the bottom line. Keeping records of differing management costs things like new product costs and additional trips across the field is critical; this allows you to evaluate if a different management strategy will provide a positive return on investment. At the end of the day, you cant beat conducting research on your own farm. Your soils, weather, and management practices combine to create a unique environment. Nebraska Extension has a number of resources that will help you conduct and analyze scientific research on your own farm. To get started read 10 Steps to On-Farm Research Success or peruse the interactive Growers Guide to On-Farm Research. Many times, the research confirms what you thought you knew, Mulliken explains. But Mulliken cautions against false assumptions. If you think you know something but dont really know it then thats a problem. The solution to not basing important management decisions on potentially incorrect assumptions? Use data from on-farm research to prove profitability. Source:unl.edu I lived and worked in Malaga for twenty years and Ive watched it undergo an amazing and exciting transformation. Back in the early 80s when tourists landed at the airport they usually turned right towards the Torremolinos coast, ignoring this exhilarating, bustling Moorish city with its rich architecture steeped in history and legends. Janet Pywell Its simply delightful - an ideal and easily accessible location for a weekend break or, on a longer visit, to explore neighbouring towns and villages. Tucked away in the old town of Malaga, off the main shopping street of Calle Larios you can start the day in Cafe Aranda with hot chocolate or milky coffee and crispy churros. In my latest crime novel BOOK OF HOURS, my protagonist Mikky dos Santos has breakfast in Cafe Central before visiting her friend Carmen, Provenance Curator at the Picasso Museum. As the birthplace of this well-known artist, the city proudly offers a variety of art galleries and museums such as the Carmen Thyssen Museum and Centre Pompidou. Some museums are free on Sundays so its worth checking. However, the Automobile Museum is an absolute gem and symbolic of the transformation of the area. Housed in the magnificent old tobacco factory (Fabrica de Tabacos or Tabacalera) and constructed in 1927, it holds a private collection of over eighty vintage and modern cars. There is more fashionable travel memorabilia on display that will even impress the non-car enthusiasts and its well worth a visit which can take up to three hours. In my crime thriller, I talk about Russian influences on the coast and in the same building is the Russian Art Museum (Museo Ruso). This houses over one hundred pieces of artwork dating from the 15th 20th century. There are also two temporary exhibits each year that feature well-known Russian artists. For lunch, if you are self-catering, visit Mercado Atarazanas that has undergone amazing refurbishment and sells fresh meat, cheese, fruit and vegetables or you can always spoil yourself in a variety of tapas bars and restaurants, such as Patio de Beatas (great wine), Reserva 12, or Vino Mio. Alternatively, follow in Mikky and Carmens footsteps to Pimpi, a busy bodega, popular with locals and tourists for tasty bocadillos and tapas. If you are looking for a more substantial lunch, try Los Mellizos (fish), Gorki for tapas or a meal. Playa de la Caleta, the most popular town beach is over one kilometre in length. It is popular with the Malaguenos and a great place to enjoy an afternoon of peace and tranquillity with a good book. But if you want to explore further then theres a little known Glass Museum (Museo del Vidrio y Cristal de Malaga) in an 18th century Casa Palacio with glass dating as far back as the Phoenician era. The perfect start to your evening must begin with your first drink on the rooftop terrace of the Hotel Malaga Palacio. Afterwards wander along the marina and Muelle Uno, the location of the scene where Mikky meets Jorge for first time after four years. Theres a selection of bars for an aperitif and a variety of restaurants but particularly good are El Palmeral or Jose Carlos Garcia (Michelin star). Visiting this city will bring my BOOK OF HOURS and the characters alive. You will look up at the Alcazaba Fortress, Gibralfaro Castle and Malaga Cathedral and spot the Parador nestled on the hillside just as Mikky did when she flew the drone over this incredible city. There are romantic tours by horse and carriage or exciting avenues to explore by bicycle or segway. In Pedregalejo, the old fishing village of Malaga where Jorge lives, many fishermens houses are now restaurants. Try Maricuchi or El Cabra at sunset with beautiful views overlooking the Mediterranean and sample delicious, mouth-watering dishes like paella, espetos or pulpo a la gallega with a crispy crunchy house salad. Only a fifty-minute drive north of Malaga is the recently named UNESCO site of Antequera. This world heritage site is famed for Dolmens, El Torcal and Pena de los Enamorados. The location of a tragic love story between a Christian gentleman and an Arabic Princess who decided to throw themselves into the void below rather then be separated. The lovers leap mountain of this tragic story can be viewed from the motorway and shows the horizontal profile of a mans face. He appears to be staring up at heaven. It has always entranced me. Finally, Tarifa is one of my favourite places in the world and only two hours from Malaga. It is the setting for the opening and closing scenes of BOOK OF HOURS. Its location alone is one of the most stunning both scenically and geographically. It is the most southerly point in Europe and overlooks the Rif Mountains of Morocco, where the Atlantic meets the Mediterranean not only by sea but also in culture and art. It leads you into another world but thats another storyfor another time. Janet Pywell www.janetpywell.com BOOK OF HOURS is available on Amazon & Kindle. Dave Johns' only goal when he was shooting 'I, Daniel Blake' was "not to ruin Ken Loach's career". Dave Johns at the Empire Awards The English comedian made his feature film debut in the gritty British drama which is about the titular middle-aged widower who lives in the North of England who is left unable to work as a joiner or get government benefits after suffering a heart attack. Although he was thrilled that Loach decided to put his faith in him by casting him as Daniel Blake he didn't want to be the person responsible for giving the acclaimed filmmaker a critical mauling. Speaking exclusively to BANG Showbiz at the Three Empire Awards at The Roundhouse in London on Sunday (19.03.17), he said: "When I made the film I just wanted to make sure I didn't ruin Ken Loach's career! I just thought, 'As long as I can get through this and do a half-decent job I'll be happy.' And, you know, it's gone great. Ken is an amazing bloke you know. He has a great sense of humour, is a gentle bloke but knows what he wants, we had some great times, I still call him the gaffer." Johns shouldn't have been worried about the film as the movie has earned universal acclaim, as his own performance. 'I, Daniel Blake' was named Best British Film at the ceremony, while Johns took home the Best Male Newcomer accolade. Johns isn't going to rest on his laurels as he is about to start shooting a new comedy which is being backed by a big Hollywood studio. However, the project is so secretive he had to check with his bosses about what he could even reveal about it at the Empire Awards. Johns said: "I'm making a new film which starts shooting in Yorkshire in May or June. It's a major British comedy backed by a Hollywood studio. I asked before this, 'What can I say?' And that's what they told me, that's all I can say." Loach - who won the coveted Palme d'Or for 'I, Daniel Blake' at last year's Cannes Film Festival - wanted the movie to tell the real struggles of working class people all over the UK at the moment. He said: "We must give a message of hope, we must say another world is possible ... The world we live in is at a dangerous point right now. We are in the grip of a dangerous project of austerity driven by ideas that we call neo-liberalism that have brought us to near catastrophe." Prince George has a toy rabbit called "Bum Bum". Prince George The three-year-old royal's mother Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, has revealed the unusual name for the young Prince's stuffed animal, during a visit to Paris, France, where her and her husband Prince William - who also share 22-month-old Princess Charlotte - enjoyed a few rugby passes with some school children. Duchess Catherine, 35, had been speaking to Zena and Graeme Hilton - who were accompanied by their children Anna, four, and Toby, one - when she mentioned the moniker. Zena said after speaking to Catherine: "Kate was interested in my daughter's toy monkey she was holding and said that George had a toy rabbit called Bum Bum." Meanwhile, Duchess Catherine recently spoke about the importance of teaching children "kindness, respect, and honesty", and said she and Prince William, 34, would be instilling those views in their own children. She said: "My parents taught me about the importance of qualities like kindness, respect, and honesty, and I realise how central values like these have been to me throughout my life. "That is why William and I want to teach our little children George and Charlotte just how important these things are as they grow up. "In my view it is just as important as excelling at maths or sport." And whilst Prince George might be the eldest child, it was recently reported that his younger sister Princess Charlotte is the one "in charge" in the Cambridge household. Samantha Burge, who spoke to Catherine during the unveiling of a new war memorial earlier this month, said: "[Catherine] said that Charlotte is growing up really fast. She is the one in charge ... We have both got two-year-olds and they are ruling the roost. It was a bit of a mummy chat." PVH Corporation has announced that it has entered into an agreement to acquire True&Co., a direct-to-consumer intimate apparel e-commerce retailer. The acquisition will enable PVH to further participate in the online channel and will provide a platform to increase innovation, data driven-decisions and speed in the way it serves its consumers across channels. "Today's announcement illustrates our commitment to driving innovation across our business and demonstrates our commitment to making strategic investments in our digital platforms to support our long-term growth initiatives. We believe that we can leverage the analytics tools of this data-driven company, while leveraging PVH's intimates category expertise, including global brand management, product know-how and supply chain," said Emanuel Chirico, chairman and chief executive officer, PVH Corp. "Five years ago, I founded True&Co. to change the way women shop for intimate apparel. In PVH, we have a strategic partner who can help us bring this change to as many customers as possible. We look forward to joining PVH's portfolio of brands and to help drive growth initiatives for PVH's other brands," said Michelle Lam, co-founder of True&Co. PVH Corporation has announced that it has entered into an agreement to acquire True&Co., a direct-to-consumer intimate apparel e-commerce retailer. The acquisition will enable PVH to further participate in the online channel and will provide a platform to increase innovation, data driven-decisions and speed in the way it serves its consumers across channels.# True&Co. is changing the way women shop online by redesigning the art of bra shopping. It uses a proprietary fit quiz to recommend bras and other intimates that will best fit the responding consumer. Leveraging its consumer-centric data for the over five million women who have taken its quiz, True&Co. enables women to embrace an entirely different and personalised lingerie shop that offers a fun, fashionable and truly intimate experience. The terms of the transaction were not disclosed. (KD) Fibre2Fashion News Desk India During a recent Australian Wool Innovation (AWI) organised trip to China, Aussie wool growers gained a lot of understanding of the Chinese wool industry. The delegation of wool growers visited various Chinese wool processing facilities, including knitting facilities and also met retailers and designers, who all work towards promoting wool products.According to AWI, around 80 per cent of Australia's raw wool production is exported to China. Half of this wool is consumed in China at the retail level, making the Chinese retail wool economy, extremely important to its $3 billion wool industry. During a recent Australian Wool Innovation (AWI) organised trip to China, Aussie wool growers gained a lot of understanding of the Chinese wool industry. The delegation of wool growers visited various Chinese wool processing facilities, including knitting facilities and also met retailers and designers, who all work towards promoting wool products.# Wool growers visited vertically integrated mills like Nanshan and Sunshine, wool processors such as Tianyu and also the Xinao/Woolmark Knitwear Development Centre. (AR) Fibre2Fashion News Desk India The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved the four Goods and Services Tax (GST) bills Central GST (CGST), Integrated GST (IGST), Union Territory GST (UTGST) and the compensation bills. The bills were approved by the GST Council after thorough, clause by clause, discussion over 12 meetings held in the last six months. The CGST bill makes provisions for levy and collection of tax on intra-state supply of goods or services by the Central Government. On the other hand, IGST bill makes provisions for levy and collection of tax on inter-state supply of goods or services by the Central Government. The UTGST bill makes provisions for levy on collection of tax on intra-UT supply of goods and services in the Union Territories without legislature. UTGST is akin to States GST (SGST) which shall be levied and collected by the states/union territories on intra-state supply of goods or services. The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved the four Goods and Services Tax (GST) bills - Central GST (CGST), Integrated GST (IGST), Union Territory GST (UTGST) and the compensation bills. The bills were approved by the GST Council after thorough, clause by clause, discussion over 12 meetings held in the last six months.# The compensation bill provides for compensation to the states for loss of revenue arising on account of implementation of the goods and services tax for a period of five years as per section 18 of the Constitution (One Hundred and First Amendment) Act, 2016. The GST council headed by Union finance minister Arun Jaitley had cleared the SGST and UTGST draft bills in the 12th Council meeting held on March 16, while the CGST and IGST were approved during the meeting held on March 4-5. The government is committed to early introduction of GST, one of the biggest reforms, in the country as early as possible. GST Council has decided July 1 as the date of commencement of GST. Jaitley in his Budget Speech had mentioned that country-wide outreach efforts will be made to explain the provisions of GST to trade and industry. (KD) Fibre2Fashion News Desk India Over 120 fabric buyers and suppliers from across the world got to interact with each other at the buyer-seller meet organised by Fibre2Fashion Pvt Ltd, a leading textile e-business platform, and Suzhou Ebways E-Business Co Ltd in Shengze, the fabric production hub of China. The participants got a better understanding of the latest fabric trends and services. The event was held on March 18, a day after the trade fair Intertextile Shanghai ended. It brought together a number of apparel manufacturers, fabric importers, buyers, production managers and fashion designers from around the world. "We at Ricom Textiles (Shanghai) appreciate the Fibre2Fashion team for organising such a wonderful event. May Fibre2Fashion touch new horizons of success. Great Job," said Imran Khalid, general manager, Ricom Textiles (Shanghai) Pvt Ltd. Over 120 fabric buyers and suppliers from across the world got to interact with each other at the buyer-seller meet organised by Fibre2Fashion Pvt Ltd, a leading textile e-business platform, and Suzhou Ebways E-Business Co Ltd in Shengze, the fabric production hub of China. The participants got a better understanding of the latest fabric trends and services.# "Thank you Fibre2Fashion for a nice arrangement at buyer-seller meeting," said Vijay Nate from Lahoti Overseas Ltd. The buyer-seller meet is an ideal platform for textile firms to enhance business activity and network with industry peers. (KD) Fibre2Fashion News Desk India A committee set up by the Office of the Textiles Commissioner has proposed uniform weight measurement norms across the raw cotton value chain in India. The committee, which is made up of 7-8 stake holders from the raw cotton industry, which includes CCI, has recommended that cotton trading in India should be conducted either in kilos or tons."The Indian cotton trade has different units of weight measurement at different levels of the value chain and is different even among various cotton growing states. In some places it is quoted in maund, in some in quintals and kilos in others," a leading daily reported. A committee set up by the Office of the Textiles Commissioner has proposed uniform weight measurement norms across the raw cotton value chain in India. The committee, which is made up of 7-8 stake holders from the raw cotton industry, which includes CCI, has recommended that cotton trading in India should be conducted either in kilos or tons.# For instance, farmers get the price based on quintals, the procurement in the market is quoted in bales and ginned cotton is quoted in candy, while exports take place in terms of tons.According to the daily, a decision on the same is likely to be taken at the next board meeting of the Cotton Advisory Board (CAB). (AR) Fibre2Fashion News Desk India Central Institute for Cotton Research (CICR) has developed a new variety of cotton, which requires only 100-120 days to flower and claims it to be the shortest duration cotton variety across the globe. Since the days of maturity have shortened, the new variety could be a solution to the challenges of dryland cotton farmers in Vidarbha and Telengana."When this variety becomes available to farmers after we complete field trials within two years, India will have moved from the longest duration cotton variety to the shortest duration one, CICR director Keshv Kranthi was quoted as saying by a leading daily. Central Institute for Cotton Research (CICR) has developed a new variety of cotton, which requires only 100-120 days to flower and claims it to be the shortest duration cotton variety across the globe. Since the days of maturity have shortened, the new variety could be a solution to the challenges of dryland cotton farmers in Vidarbha and Telengana.# According to Kranthi, the maturity period for the cotton crop in Australia or China is about 150 days against between 170 and 240 days in India, which extends maturity beyond monsoon months, and also one of the main reasons for repeated crop failure in dryland areas.This variety fits in perfectly with the monsoon period, making water available at the critical time of flowering and fruiting phases, he added. (AR) Fibre2Fashion News Desk India Jharkhand is mulling aggressive initiatives to promote and market its ethnic textile and handloom products in a bid to help its large indigenous community of craftspersons grab a major pie of the rapidly growing national and global textile market. An event called 'Opportunities in the Textiles, Apparel, Footwear & Fashion' was recently held in the state. The state government's efforts, led by Jharkhand Silk Textile and Handicraft Development Corporation Ltd (Jharcraft), were discussed along with emerging opportunities in the textile, apparel, footwear and fashion sector at the event. The seminar brought together various stakeholders and reputed dignitaries in the fashion, textiles, footwear and apparel sector, during the India Fashion Week 2017, to discuss insightful propositions on finding newer markets for products handcrafted by the state's tribals. Jharcraft is a government of Jharkhand undertaking formed to initiate steps to provide sustainable livelihood opportunities in the rural areas, based on sericulture, handloom, handicraft and other allied activities. The seminar held at the venue of India Fashion Week showed the way forward for diverse sectors such as fashion garments, textile and footwear. Jharkhand is mulling aggressive initiatives to promote and market its ethnic textile and handloom products in a bid to help its large indigenous community of craftspersons grab a major pie of the rapidly growing national and global textile market. An event called 'Opportunities in the Textiles, Apparel, Footwear & Fashion' was recently held in the state.# Subsequently, a first-of-its-kind Business to Government (B2G) meeting was also held at Jharkhand Bhavan, New Delhi at the second half with senior officials from Jharkhand, where government bureaucrats interacted on a one-and-one basis with prospective investors in the state to discuss the way forward for a golden investment opportunity in the state of Jharkhand, focusing on the key pillars of flexible policymaking and enhancing ease of doing business. During the meeting, Pavel Sukoybeda, first secretary, Embassy of Republic of Belarus, exclusively met the secretariat team of government of Jharkhand and expressed their interest in investing in Jharkhand. On the other hand, various other investors also showed interest in endorsing in various public projects such as techno parks, upcoming skyway project, metro projects, and so on. "The major benefits of policies for Jharkhand in the textile industry are that the state is offering major incentives for the investors and providing 50 per cent of the rebate for land acquisition tax," said Raj Bala Verma, chief secretary, government of Jharkhand at the meeting. "Jharcraft hopes to provide a platform to the artisans and weavers to merchandise their own products, through the maximum utilisation of resources and manpower of Jharkhand. The artisans producing the silk are largely poor tribals from Jharkhand state who have no means to promote or market their incredible works. At Jharcraft, we are driven by a quest to improve sources of livelihood for these artisans by providing them platforms to showcase their wondrous works and find market opportunities in the international arena," said K Ravi Kumar, managing director, Jharcraft, while delivering his welcome address at the seminar. (KD) Fibre2Fashion News Desk India The government of Maharashtra will be establishing a textile park in Lohara MIDC in Yavatmal over an area of 93 hectares. The land for the park has already been reserved and work on it is likely to begin soon. The issue was discussed by the district administration and the concerned departments at a joint meeting that was recently held at Mantralaya. The textile park was pending for a long time as adequate land was not available for it. The proposal to build this park was initiated by Prithviraj Chavan, former chief minister of Maharashtra, Madan Yerawar, minister of state for energy & guardian minister of Yavatmal told a news agency. The textile park will ensure better avenues for farmers, helping them garner maximum benefit. It will also provide employment to the youth of the region, he added. The government of Maharashtra will be establishing a textile park in Lohara MIDC in Yavatmal over an area of 93 hectares. The land for the park has already been reserved and work on it is likely to begin soon. The issue was discussed by the district administration and the concerned departments at a joint meeting that was recently held at Mantralaya.# Yerawar, who chaired the meeting at Mantralaya, also proposed setting up basic infrastructural facilities such as energy supply, water and sewerage water treatment plant at the textile park. A 132 KV electricity sub-station will fulfil the energy requirements of the textile units that will come up at the park, said Yerawar. (KD) Fibre2Fashion News Desk India Just a few weeks ago, Ranveer Singh was holidaying in Switzerland and was doing quite a few daredevil acts in the ice capped Mt. Titlis. It is now reported that the actor has suffered an injury on his face and had to visit a clinic in Mumbai and underwent a minor surgery. A source was quoted as saying to India.com, "On Saturday evening, Ranveer had visited a clinic around 4 pm and left from there at 7pm. He got a small injury on his face which he needed to cure ASAP as he has to resume shooting for his period drama Padmavati. The reason behind the injury is not known as yet, but of late he has been in Switzerland where we all saw him indulging in some daredevil adventure sports. We are guessing he must have injured himself there. However he is fine now and there's nothing to worry about. He will be keeping himself away from shutterbugs and the doctors too have advised him complete rest for the next few days." Meera Chopra Talks About Her Cousin Priyanka Chopra! She's All Set To Star In A Canadian Film! Also, on a recent outing, Ranveer Singh was seen covering his head with a hoodie and we assume he covered it to hide his injury. We can guess that maybe the injury and surgery must have been on his forehead whch is not visible as he's covering it with his black hoodie. We hope Ranveer Singh recovers soon and gets back to work for the shoot of Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Padmavati. The film also stars Deepika Padukone and Shahid Kapoor in the lead roles and is scheduled to hit the theatres by the end of 2017. Meet Malavika Mohanan, The Kerala Beauty Who Overtook Deepika Padukone In Majid Majidi's Film! Punjabi sensation Diljit Dosanjh's cop act in Abhishek Chaubey's gritty thriller Udta Punjab was well-received by all earning him even a Filmfare Award this year. Now, all eyes are set on his upcoming film Phillauri where he will be seen romancing Anushka Sharma for the first time. Karan Johar: I Didn't Realize There Were Tears Rolling Down My Face When I First Saw My Babies! Admit it or not, but camps do exist in Bollywood whether one likes them or not. However Diljit says that he never felt any camp system in the industry. As a Punjabi superstar and an outsider who didn't belong to a filmi family, a leading news agency asked him if he ever had to face any problems or discrimination because of the existing camps. Diljit answered, "I have never faced it (discrimination) nor has anybody tried to do bad to me. Whoever I met, they greeted me with respect and love. I never felt any camp system here." Further when quizzed about his views on camp systems he added, "Yes, when you make films you can have your 'team'. One team is making a film like this, another will make a different film." On being asked if he feels Sardars are typecasted, he said, "Back home, producers would often cast aspersions on it; they were of the opinion that nobody would want to watch a hero in a turban. Sometimes, I too would think what they were saying was right, but I'm glad it has been proven wrong. I am getting respect and work here. I feel fortunate that Bollywood didn't offer me comic roles." Rajkummar Rao: I Think I Am The Least Stereotyped Actor In Bollywood Rajkummar Rao who will next be seen in the English film '5 Weddings' alongside Nargis Fakhri opened up about his marriage plans in a rather unusual way by saying that he's not ready for marriage yet as he still feels like a kid. When asked about his wedding plans - he opened up without any hesitation by saying, "I'm not even thinking about that now, maybe after eight-10 years. I'm not mentally prepared to marry. I still feel like a kid." Ironically, his next film revolves around the big fat Indian wedding titled '5 Weddings' and he is paired alongside the gorgeous Nargis Fakhri. The project is an Indo-Canadian film and Nargis travels all the way from Canada to India to witness the fabulous, extravagant and colourful weddings of India. 5 Weddings Rajkummar Rao will next be seen in the film 5 Weddings and is paired alogside Nargid Fakhri. 5 Weddings The film shows Nargis Fakhri coming down from Canada to attend Indian weddings. Behen Hogi Teri Rajkummar Rao will next be seen in Behen Hogi Teri alongside Shruti Haasan. Shruti Haasan Shruti Haasan and Rajkummar Rao's Behen Hogi Teri to release in May 2017. Shruti Shruti Haasan and Rajkummar Rao's Behen Hogi Teri is a romantic comedy film. Bareilly Ki Barfi Rajkummar Rao will also be seen in the film Bareilly Ki Barfi with Kriti Sanon. Newton Rajkummar Rao's upcoming film Newton is already winning hearts at the Berlin International Film Festival. Rajkummar Rao is a busy man and his film Trapped has been appreciated by a lot of people and is doing well too. He'll next be seen in the films Newton, 5 Weddings, Behen Hogi Teri and Bareilly Ki Barfi. Meet Malavika Mohanan, The Kerala Beauty Who Overtook Deepika Padukone In Majid Majidi's Film! KJo's Reaction When He Saw His Babies For The First Time First day, when I walked to the ICU on 7th February 2017, they were born premature. They were supposed to born in April. So the first couple of days were kind of shaky but when the news came out and I went to the hospital, I saw them and I didn't even realized that there were tears rolling down my face because I just could not believe that there were 2 big pieces of me like they staring at me vulnerable innocent and all piped and tubed up. It was just the most surreal overwhelming emotion that i have ever experienced. Now I understand what others feel. I would reverse that emotion for anything." 'I Am A Bonafide Mother Of My Children' I don't want my children to be filmmakers if they don't want to. I don't want them to run the company if they don't want to, there are other choices in life; I would encourage them as my parents encourage me. My parents always supported me and I will completely support my children. My need to have children was my sense of nurturing within and my sense that I wanted to take the love within me and channelize it into parenting because I really believe I will be able to parent. There was a deep amount of loneliness that i felt there was a vacuum that so beautifully filled by my 2 children. When I see them and hold them, i cannot explain the feeling. I don't think that I can explain the feeling. No one could have mother of my children because I am the mother of my children, I am bonafide mother of my children, and I am more of a mother to them than a father. On Being Subjected To Trolls On Social Media I am a sadist, I love hearing abuse; it entertains me. At first, I used to get angry, then I was indifferent and now I look forward to it. 'I Don't Want My Reality To Be A Headline' Talking about how his sexuality has often been a topic of discussion, KJo said, "It's actually a summation of all my thoughts. My sexuality has been spoken about on several occasions, has been asked me on several platforms such as this, so it has always been in the back of my mind. So I have said that I won't be making any sweeping statements because I don't want my reality to be a headline. I have said enough about that zone' in my life and everybody already knows so why do I have to go on and on about it." On Infidelity A happy marriage jolts me, infidelity does exist. In today's time love can't heal everything, rather hatred can. Karan Wants Ranbir Kapoor To Play Him On Screen Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt are the most talented in the industry. In my biopic, Ranbir Kapoor can play me, Juhi Chawla as my mother and Rishi Kapoor as my father. Celebrated Hollywood actress Rebecca Ferguson, who is known for her role in Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation, says she is eager to work in Indian Cinema. However, the actress who originally hails from Sweden also said that she would love to visit India and work in Indian Cinema but the only condition is that she needs a good story. "I would love to work with the Indian cinema. In fact, I have never been to India, but I would love to go. I don't really have any limits. There is no place I wouldn't want to go." Said Rebecca. "If there is an incredible story and something we want to tell and I could be a part of, then definitely. Sign me up," the actress added. Talking about her latest film titled Life, Rebecca Ferguson said she had always wished to be in director Daniel Espinosa's film, and now she is happy to be part of this project. "What was fun about 'Life' was that it was a completely different territory. I have never done science fiction and I really wanted to work with Daniel," said the actress. Apart from Rebecca Ferguson, the film Life also includes stars like Jake Gyllenhaal, Ryan Reynolds, and Hiroyuki Sanada. "In this film, we take an object from its habitat and we place it on our spaceship and we try and grab as much information. We research in the name of science, which is beautiful. At the same time, we provoke it and gradually it reacts to our actions," Rebecca said about the film. 1984 - Adiyozhukkukal Three years later, the Best Actor title came his way. Once again, it was his role in an IV Sasi movie, that the actor fetched another Kerala State Film Award. In this multi-starrer movie, Mammootty portrayed the role of an arrogant fisherman named Karunan. The actor won wide praises for his portrayal of the character and he won the Best Actor title. 1987 Yathra, Nirakoottu Both the above mentioned movies were career defining ones for Mammootty. The roles in both these movies were like chalk n cheese for the actor and Mammootty was spot on with his performances. The actor was given a special jury award for his acting in these movies. 1989 Oru Vadakkan Veeragatha, Mrigaya, Mahayanam The year 1989 was indeed a special one for Mammootty. He got to be a part of some brilliant movies and he made the maximum use of those opportunities. His performances in the movies Oru Vadakkan Veeragatha, Mrigaya, Mahayanam etc., won him his second Best Actor title at the Kerala State Film Awards. 1993 Vidheyan, Pontham Mada, Valsalyam How can we forget his performances in these three movies? His performances in these three movies are still considered to be his career best. The actor won some big awards for these performances including the Kerala State Film Award for the Best Actor. 2004 Kazhcha It was after a gap of a decade that Mammootty received the Best Actor title in 2004. The actor's portrayal of Madhavan, in Kazhcha, the acclaimed movie which marked the debut of director Blessy, was one of the finest by any actor that year. Rightly, he went on to win the Best Actor title. 2009 Paleri Manikyam In 2009, Mammootty got two solid movies, in the form of Kerala Varma Pazhassi Raja and Paleri Manikyam Oru Paathira Kolapathakathinte Katha. His performances in both the movies were much appreciated. In Paleri Manikyam, he appeared in triple roles and the actor won the Best actor title for the fifth time. Mohanlal's next big project is his film with B Unnikrishnan, which has been titled as Villain. The film has been in the news since its announcement days and Villain, is definitely high on expectations. The Mohanlal starrer went on floors in the first week of March. The actor joined the sets of the movie, after an Ayurvedic treatment that he underwent to shed a few kilos for his role in the movie. Now, according to the latest reports, B Unnikrishnan has wrapped up the first schedule of the shoot of Villain, which was held in Thiruvananthapuram. The first schedule of Villain involved actors like Mohanlal, Chemban Vinod Jose, Aju Varghese, Rashi Khanna etc. B Unnikrishnan himself confirmed that the first schedule of the movie is over and now the team will begin the second schedule of the movie on March 24, 2017 in Kochi. Take a look at the Facebook post of B Unnikrishnan.. Well, Villain is a real big project with some of the big stars of the South Indian film industry on board. With Villain, actor Vishal would make his debut in Malayalam along with popular actress Hansika Motwani. Manju Warrier will be seen essaying the leading lady of the film, in which Mohanlal is said to be playing the role of an ex-cop. Kapil Sharma and Sunil Grover's spat has been creating a lot of buzz in the Telly town. According to reports, Kapil assaulted his co-actor Sunil Grover, when they were returning from Melbourne and Sydney after finishing a stage show. Apparently, Kapil (in an inebriated state) walked up to Sunil and started hurling abuses. Kapil said to Sunil, "Tu Mera Naukar hai, tere show flop tha...". Kapil also held Sunil by his collar and raised his hand on him, but Sunil stayed mum. The team came to Sunil's rescue and took Kapil away! After this incident, Kapil and Sunil unfollowed each other on Twitter. The flight attended also gave statement on Kapil and Sunil's spat. While Sunil chose to remain silent over the incident, Kapil said the duo usually fight on every flight. He even said that he shouted on Sunil for the first time in five years. He loves, respects and treats Sunil as 'an elder brother'. The comedian and actor took to Facebook and shared a lengthy message. Read on... Kapil's Facebook Message "Hi.. good morning friends .. was celebrating my best time n suddenly I heard a news about me n sunil paji fighting.. first of all see where it is coming from.. what r the intentions behind this.." (Image Source: Kapil Sharma Facebook) Kapil Indicates Not To Truth The Source... "... if I fought with him in the flight then who saw it n informed u.. is he trustworthy..? Some people enjoy these kind of stuff.. we eat together .. we travel together.. I meet my brother once in a year.. n spending almost everyday with my team.. specially sunil" Kapil Says He Shouted At Sunil For The First Time In 5 Years! ".. I love him.. I respect him.. yes I had a argue with him.but r we not normal people..?I shouted at him first time in 5 years .. itna to chalta hai bhai. we will sit n talk that where is the problem.. I love him as a artist as a human being.." "Sunil Is Like My Elder Brother" "...he is like my elder brother.. why so much negativity all the time.. I respect our media.. there r some other serious issues which we need to focus. Is me n sunil's issue is so important n realted with the security of my country ..? We spend a lot of time together rather then our families .." "Zyada Maze Mat Liya Karoo" "... n sometime it happens in family.. its our family matter.. we will sort this out.. zyada maze mat liya karoo. OK now m tired typing .." Kapil's New Film Firangi... "... n one more thing.. I m going for the final schedule of Firangi. Hahahahaha.. sorry again promotion.. thank u so much for ur love n blessings... keep smiling n stay happy always :)) love u all." Has Sunil Quit TKSS? According to reports, Sunil has stopped shooting for The Kapil Sharma Show. But, a few other reports suggest that he is very much part of the show. Apparently, he could not shoot for the episode as he had some important prior commitment. According to Spotboye reports, after Kapil has started working on his next film Firangi, he has started addressing his team members as 'TV Walo'! Has Success Gone To His Head? After Sunil Grover Spat, Kapil In News For Making Vidya Balan Wait! Well, this is not the first time that Kapil and Sunil are in news. Previously too, there were rumours that Kapil refused to promote Sunil's film Coffee With D on TKSS! Sunil had later denied the reports. Was Kapil Sharma's Girlfriend Reveal A Planned Move? In 2014, Sunil had fallout with Kapil Sharma due to money issue. Sunil quit Kapil's show - Comedy Nights With Kapil and started his own show, Mad in India on Star Plus. But, the new show was a flop and Sunil returned to Kapil's new show on Sony TV - The Kapil Sharma show. Should Kapil Sharma apologise to Sunil Grover? Hit the comment box to share your views... Karan Johar's talk show Koffee With Karan 5 has come to an end. Although, the makers tried all sorts of combination and got a few unconventional pairs on the couch, the reaction of viewers was 'tanda'. The show indeed created a few controversies because of celebrities' and the hosts' statements, but this couldn't create the required impact on the viewers. The 'mazedar' part of the show was as always the 'rapid fire round'. Celebrities play this round and compete for the Koffee Hamper. Like always, we are also eager to know what is in the hamper that the celebrities literally fight for it. The host of the show has finally revealed about the contents of the 'Koffee Hamper' in this season's special episode. The beautifully packed, heavy goodies basket contains the following: 1) Brownies 2) Koffee mug, which has Goury's health bars 3) Merlin Levitating Orbital Speakers 4) Personalized roasted coffee 5) Coffee French Press 6) Nordic Candy 7) Forest Essentials - Facial Cleansing Paste 8) A designer voucher (The Bold Look Of Kohler) worth Rs 5 Lakhs 9) Health Jars by Nilofer Qureshi 10) More Chocolates 11) Champagne Bottle 12) Cookies 13) Cheese Platter from The Label Life Well, now we know why the celebrities fight for the hamper! Last but not the least, Karan also revealed that he loves brownies and he had stolen it from the hamper several times, and the guests didn't notice it! "Contractors are a growing segment of the market, and we are delighted to respond to feedback from our intermediary network partners." Bank of Ireland UK will now consider applications from professional self-employed contractors who have been trading for at least 12 months and will use the current contract for the purpose of verifying income. The Bank will also lend up to 90% LTV and will accept a minimum gross contracting income of 50,000 and affordability based on 80% of the applicants gross contract income. Alison Pallett, Director of Sales at Bank of Ireland UK, commented: As the employment landscape evolves, we must recognise that the needs of our customers are also changing. Contractors are a growing segment of the market, and we are delighted to respond to feedback from our intermediary network partners. By introducing these changes the Bank will provide further support to the self-employed. Company Clarifies the Record for Shareholders Approach Constructed as a Highly Opportunistic "Free Option" Intended to Restrict the Company and its Multiple Paths to Value Creation Dominion Diamond Corporation (TSX: DDC, NYSE: DDC) (the "Company" or "Dominion") today confirmed that it has received an unsolicited, conditional and non-binding expression of interest from the Washington Corporations ("WashCorps") to acquire the Company. WashCorps' preliminary expression of interest is subject to, among other things, extensive due diligence, negotiation of satisfactory agreements and regulatory approvals, and is contingent on entering into discussions with Dominion on aggressive and off market terms and conditions. WashCorps submitted a three-page, mostly boilerplate, letter to the Dominion Board on February 21, 2017. Despite the generic nature of the letter and the lack of credibility of WashCorps in the diamond industry and with public company acquisitions, the Board consulted with its advisors and then invited WashCorps to present their expression of interest to the Board at an in-person meeting of the full Board of Directors of Dominion (the "Board"), which was held on March 9, 2017. Based on the presentation received from WashCorps, and by their own admission, the Board confirmed that WashCorps does not have experience in the highly specialized diamond mining and marketing industry. WashCorps also advised that they did not have any unique plans for the business. Regardless, the Dominion Board carefully considered the expression of interest, including with the benefit of legal and financial advice. While the Board considered the expression of interest to be opportunistic, and believes that it does not recognize all of the value in the Company under its current business plan, the Board told WashCorps that it was prepared to engage in discussions with them on customary terms, including a customary standstill, and allow WashCorps to conduct extensive due diligence on Dominion's unique assets and growth potential in order to improve their expression of interest. Given the Company's recent update on fiscal 2018 guidance and the complexity of Dominion's assets, to indicate that diligence is confirmatory based on public records is highly questionable. It would also be entirely irresponsible of the Company to allow a third party access to its confidential information without the benefit of customary agreements that protect the interests of shareholders and all of the Company's other stakeholders. While the Board has repeatedly offered to constructively engage with WashCorps on customary terms, WashCorps continues to demand, as a condition to any discussions, a lengthy period of exclusivity, as well as the ability to veto the Board's choice of new CEO. WashCorps has also refused to accept a customary form of standstill that would restrict it from using the confidential information to acquire control of the Company. These conditions would frustrate the Company's ability to establish its senior leadership, would prevent Dominion from pursuing other value-creating opportunities, beyond the Company's current business plan, and would leave WashCorps free to lower its preliminary, highly conditional expression of interest or take advantage of the Company's confidential information to further its own interests through a subsequent "cashless takeover." In other words, WashCorps is seeking a self-interested "free option" to learn of Dominion's business and prospects, while paralyzing the Company. The Dominion Board is more than willing to consider all value-creating opportunities for the Company, but it will not do so to the detriment of its shareholders and other stakeholders. The Board of Directors reiterates its openness to engage with WashCorps on customary terms. TD Securities Inc. is acting as financial advisor to the Company, Stikeman Elliott LLP is acting as legal advisor and Kingsdale as strategic advisors. About Dominion Diamond Corporation Dominion Diamond Corporation is a Canadian diamond mining company with ownership interests in two major producing diamond mines. Both mines are located in the low political risk environment of the Northwest Territories in Canada. The Company operates the Ekati Diamond Mine, in which it owns a controlling interest, and also owns 40% of the Diavik Diamond Mine. It supplies premium rough diamond assortments to the global market through its sorting and selling operations in Canada, Belgium and India. For more information, please visit www.ddcorp.ca View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170319005066/en/ Contacts: Investors: Dominion Diamond Corporation Jacqueline Allison, 416-205-4371 Vice-President, Investor Relations jacqueline.allison@ddcorp.ca or Canadian Media: DFH Public Affairs John Vincic, 416-206-0118 x.224 or US Media: Gagnier Communications Dan Gagnier, 646-569-5897 DOHA, Qatar, March 20, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --After reaching the mark of two million users per month to become the largest flight metasearch engine in Brazil, Travel Capitalist Ventures announces a substantive investment in Voopter. The "Series B" comes from Travel Capitalist Ventures (Qatar office), a travel focused investment firm providing capital, hands-on advice and resources, as well as a co-investment with No Borders Investments Limited (Doha). The investment supports the expansion of Voopter's operations as well as future partnerships for the company in the tourism trade. According to Abrar Ahmad, Managing Partner at Travel Capitalist Ventures, "Voopter epitomizes the kind of 'must do' investment we love to make at Travel Capitalist Ventures. The challenging regional climate overshadows lucrative travel investment opportunities, and there's no better example than our Series B investment in Voopter." Travel Capitalist Ventures' investment adds to the round from Global Founders Capital, a German venture capital company that trains talented entrepreneurs globally. This is their second investment in the Brazilian flight search startup. Voopter's unique offerings are geared to Brazilian consumers, who prefer to receive personalized promotional information and to plan trips in advance. Voopter provides tools adapted to this traveler profile such as a multi-dates calendar, collaborative alert system and curated content. "This investment will help us to speed up our growth in the Brazilian market, where Voopter is already the leading metasearch," says Pettersom Paiva, CEO of Voopter. "But there is still great potential for growth. It will also back the launch of our 'media' and 'data' divisions, which will consolidate our offers for other travel business than airlines and OTA's." About Travel Capitalist Ventures Founded in 2010, Travel Capitalist Ventures is the first multi-stage investment firm focused exclusively on travel private equity and venture capital investments worldwide. Travel Capitalist Ventures investments collectively transact over $1B USD annually, and they invest in an average of three to five companies in key travel markets such as the Middle East, India, Brazil, and South Africa through offices in Irvine, California; Doha, Qatar; and, Durban, South Africa. Travel Capitalist Ventures invests capital and provides actionable travel industry-specific advice, introductions to suppliers and customers, and hands-on help to expand within and across travel markets. Learn more at www.travelcapitalist.com. About Voopter Voopter is the leading flight metasearch in Brazil, with more than two million users and 250,000 cross tickets per month. The company presents the best fares available both through airlines and online travel agencies. Available at no cost on the web, and on iOS and Android systems, it features a unique multi-dates calendar, while the system shows users the cheapest trip combination. In addition, Voopter offers users the option to create alerts, which generates notifications when the ticket price is within the range the user is willing to pay. More information can be found at www.voopter.com.br. Contact: Florence Yaeger Communications Director Travel Capitalist Ventures +1 720.985.1450 fyaeger@travelcapitalist.com www.travelcapitalist.com Regulatory News: Kiadis Pharma N.V. ("Kiadis Pharma" or the "Company") (Euronext Amsterdam and Brussels: KDS),a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company developing innovative T-cell immunotherapy treatments for blood cancers and inherited blood disorders, today announces the appointment of Jan Feijen as Chief Operations Officer (COO) effective from April 1, 2017. Jan Feijen brings significant professional management skills and extensive experience in manufacturing, operations and project management to Kiadis Pharma. He is a seasoned leader who, most recently, was Vice President Manufacturing and Technical Operations, Platform Lead Vaccines and Advanced Therapies at Janssen (Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson Johnson). Prior to that he held various executive and project lead positions at Crucell, Avebe and Gist Brocades. Jan has built and run many clinical and commercial manufacturing facilities and operations across multiple sites in Europe, the US and Asia. In his role as COO at Kiadis Pharma, Jan will be responsible for manufacturing, supply chain, QA and project management. Arthur Lahr, CEO designate of Kiadis Pharma, said: "We are very pleased that an industry leader like Jan has accepted this opportunity to join Kiadis Pharma. His vast experience in pharma production precedes him, and his experience in running complex, just-in-time logistics will be of great value in scaling up our patient specific supply chain. I have known Jan for many years and he is one of those few people that can thrive in both large and small organizations. I am confident that Jan will ensure the smooth running of our Phase III operations and will successfully set up and run our commercial supply chain." Commenting on his appointment Jan Feijen said: "I am very pleased to be joining Kiadis Pharma at this important time in its development. With the Company's pivotal Phase III trial with ATIR101 now underway, it is vital that the necessary steps are taken to ensure everything continues to run smoothly and that we have all logistics in hand ready to roll out commercially in the future." About ATIR101 For patients suffering from blood cancers, an allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is generally regarded as the most effective curative approach. During an HSCT treatment, the bone marrow, harboring the diseased cancer cells, is completely destroyed and subsequently replaced by stem cells in the graft from a healthy donor. After an HSCT treatment it usually takes the patient at least six to twelve months to recover to near-normal blood cell levels and immune cell functions. During this period, the patient is highly vulnerable to infections caused by bacteria, viruses and fungi but also to disease relapse. ATIR101 (Allodepleted T-cell ImmunotheRapeutics) provides for a safe donor lymphocyte infusion (DLI) from a partially matched (haploidentical) family member without the risk of causing severe Graft-versus-Host-Disease (GVHD). The T-cells in ATIR101 will help fight infections and remaining tumor cells and thereby bridge the time until the immune system has fully re-grown from stem cells in the transplanted graft. In ATIR101, T-cells that would cause GVHD are eliminated from the donor lymphocytes using Kiadis Pharma's photodepletion technology, minimizing the risk of GVHD and eliminating the need for prophylactic immune-suppression. At the same time, ATIR101 contains potential cancer killing T-cells from the donor that could eliminate residual cancer cells and help prevent relapse of the disease, known as the Graft-versus-Leukemia (GVL) effect. ATIR101, administered as an adjunctive immuno-therapeutic on top of HSCT, provides the patient with functional, mature immune cells from a partially matched family donor that can fight infections and tumor cells but that do not cause GVHD. ATIR101 thus has the potential to make curative HSCT a viable option to many more patients. The Company estimates that approximately 35% of patients who are eligible and in urgent need of HSCT will not find a matching donor in time. A partially matched (haploidentical) family donor, however, will be available to over 95% of patients. ATIR101, consisting of donor T-cells that fight infections and residual tumor cells while not eliciting severe GVHD, is designed to result in low relapse rates and low rates of death due to infections, in the absence of severe acute GVHD. About Kiadis Pharma Kiadis Pharma is focused on cell-based immunotherapy products for the treatment of blood cancers and inherited blood disorders. The Company's products have the potential to address the risks and limitations connected with allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT), namely Graft-versus-Host-Disease (GVHD), cancer relapse, opportunistic infections and limited matched donor availability. The Company believes that HSCT could become a first-choice treatment for blood cancers, inherited blood disorders and possibly autoimmune diseases and solid organ transplantations. On December 5, 2016 at the Annual Meeting of the American Society of Hematology (ASH), the Company reported positive Phase II results with its lead product ATIR101 in patients with blood cancer. The data showed that ATIR101 significantly reduced Transplant Related Mortality and significantly improved Overall Survival. In addition, ATIR101 did not elicit grade III-IV GVHD in any patient. Based on these positive results, a Phase III clinical trial has been initiated. ATIR101 has been granted Orphan Drug Designations both in the US and Europe. The Company's second product candidate, ATIR201, addresses inherited blood disorders with an initial focus on thalassemia, a disease which results in destruction of red blood cells in patients. ATIR201 Phase I/II clinical development has been initiated recently. Kiadis Pharma, based in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, was granted an Advanced Therapy Medicinal Product (ATMP) certificate for manufacturing quality and non-clinical data by the European Medicines Agency (EMA). The Company's shares are listed on Euronext Amsterdam and Euronext Brussels. For more information visit www.kiadis.com Forward Looking Statements Certain statements, beliefs and opinions in this press release are forward-looking, which reflect Kiadis Pharma's or, as appropriate, Kiadis Pharma's directors' current expectations and projections about future events. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. These risks, uncertainties and assumptions could adversely affect the outcome and financial effects of the plans and events described herein. A multitude of factors including, but not limited to, changes in demand, competition and technology, can cause actual events, performance or results to differ significantly from any anticipated development. Forward looking statements contained in this press release regarding past trends or activities should not be taken as a representation that such trends or activities will continue in the future. As a result, Kiadis Pharma expressly disclaims any obligation or undertaking to release any update or revisions to any forward-looking statements in this press release as a result of any change in expectations or any change in events, conditions, assumptions or circumstances on which these forward-looking statements are based. Neither Kiadis Pharma nor its advisers or representatives nor any of its subsidiary undertakings or any such person's officers or employees guarantees that the assumptions underlying such forward-looking statements are free from errors nor does either accept any responsibility for the future accuracy of the forward-looking statements contained in this press release or the actual occurrence of the forecasted developments. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170319005070/en/ Contacts: Kiadis Pharma Manfred Rudiger, CEO Tel. +31 20 314 02 50 communication@kiadis.com or International Media and Investors: Consilium Strategic Communications Mary-Jane Elliott, Lindsey Neville, Hendrik Thys Tel: +44 (0) 203 709 5708 kiadis@consilium-comms.com For the first time, patients with different fibrosing lung diseases will be included in one single clinical trial assessing the efficacy of nintedanib* as a potential treatment The PF-ILD clinical trial is the first in the field of fibrosing lung diseases to group patients based on the clinical behaviour of their disease, rather than the diagnosis In total, 600 patients will be included around the world Boehringer Ingelheim today announced that the first patient has been enrolled in the PF-ILD (progressive fibrosing interstital lung disease) trial. This study investigates the efficacy and safety of nintedanib in a range of progressive fibrosing lung conditions other than idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF).1 There are over 200 conditions that affect the tissue and space around the air sacs of the lungs (interstitium). These conditions are called interstitial lung diseases or ILDs.2 Based on clinical obervations there are groups of patients with ILD who independent from the classification of the ILD, exhibit a progressive fibrosing behaviour.3-6 The proposed terminology for describing this group of patients is PF-ILD. In these patients the disease appears to follow a course similar to IPF with worsening of respiratory symptoms, lung function, quality of life and ability to perform daily activites, as well as early mortality despite treatment.3-6 "This trial enrolls patients who have lung fibrosis of at least 10% by chest imaging that is getting worse by symptoms, physiology or imaging despite treatment," said Kevin Flaherty, Coordinating Principal Investigator of the PF-ILD trial. "This trial is an innovative way to study a potential treatment for patients with progressive fibrosing lung diseases and is an important step in exploring the way fibrosis of the lung is treated and whether nintedanib could be an effective therapy." Nintedanib*, which is marketed as OFEV, is approved for a rare lung disease called IPF, in which it has been shown to slow disease progression as measured by annual rate of decline in lung function.7-10 Building on the positive real-world clinical experience in IPF, the Phase III trial is now exploring whether nintedanib can effectively target the scarring in the lungs of patients suffering from other progressive fibrosing-ILDs. "Boehringer Ingelheim is dedicated to advancing the understanding of fibrosing lung diseases where no or limited treatments exist," said Dr Christopher Corsico, Chief Medical Officer Boehringer Ingelheim. "Our innovative PF-ILD trial is designed to include patients with fibrosing lung diseases who would not otherwise be eligible to participate in a clinical trial. This demonstrates the commitment of Boehringer Ingelheim to transform fibrosing interstitial lung diseases from fatal diseases to chronic, treatable ones." *Nintedanib is currently not approved for use in PF-ILD and its safety and efficacy has not yet been fully established. ~ ENDS ~ Please click on the link below for 'Notes to Editors' and 'References' http://www.boehringer-ingelheim.com/press-release/boehringer-ingelheim-study-enrolling-in-progressive-fibrosing-lung-diseases Intended audiences: This press release is issued from our Corporate Headquarters in Ingelheim, Germany and is intended to provide information about our global business. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170320005509/en/ Contacts: Boehringer Ingelheim Corporate Communications Media + PR Dr. Kristin Jakobs Phone: +49 6132 77 144553 Fax: +49 6132 77 6601 Email: press@boehringeringelheim.com TORONTO, March 20, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Richmont Mines Inc. (TSX-NYSE: RIC) ("Richmont" or the "Corporation"), announced the filing of a technical report for the Island Gold Mine with respect to the updated 2016 Reserves and Resources announced on January 31, 2017. The technical report supports the scientific and technical disclosure in that press release. The Technical Report is available at http://www.sedar.com. About Richmont Mines Inc. Richmont Mines currently produces gold from the Island Gold Mine in Ontario, and the Beaufor Mine in Quebec. The Corporation is also advancing development of the significant high-grade resource extension at depth of the Island Gold Mine in Ontario. With 35 years of experience in gold production, exploration and development, and prudent financial management, the Corporation is well-positioned to cost-effectively build its Canadian reserve base and to successfully enter its next phase of growth. Forward-Looking Statements This news release contains forward-looking statements that include risks and uncertainties. When used in this news release, the words "estimate", "project", "anticipate", "expect", "intend", "believe", "hope", "may", "objective" and similar expressions, as well as "will", "shall" and other indications of future tense, are intended to identify forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements are based on current expectations and apply only as of the date on which they were made. Except as may be required by law or regulation, the Corporation undertakes no obligation and disclaims any responsibility to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements or information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. The factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated in such forward-looking statements include, without limitation, changes in the prevailing price of gold, the Canadian-United States exchange rate, grade of ore mined and unforeseen difficulties in mining operations and mine development that could affect revenue and production costs and future production. Other factors such as uncertainties regarding government regulations could also affect the results. Other risks may be set out in Richmont Mines' Annual Information Form, Annual Reports and periodic reports. The forward-looking information contained herein is made as of the date of this news release. Cautionary note to US investors concerning resource estimates Information in this press release is intended to comply with the requirements of the Toronto Stock Exchange and applicable Canadian securities legislation, which differ in certain respects with the rules and regulations promulgated under the United States Securities Exchange Act of1934, as amended ("Exchange Act"), as promulgated by the SEC. The requirements of National Instrument43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101") adopted by the Canadian Securities Administrators differ significantly from the requirements of the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"). U.S. Investors are urged to consider the disclosure in our annual report on Form 20-F, File No. 001-14598, as filed with the SEC under the Exchange Act, which may be obtained from us (without cost) or from the SEC's web site: http://sec.gov/edgar.shtml . National Instrument 43-101 The geological data in this news release has been reviewed by Mr. Daniel Adam, Geo., Ph.D., Vice-President, Exploration, an employee of Richmont Mines Inc., and a qualified person as defined by NI43-101. For more information, please contact: Renaud Adams President and CEO Phone: +1-416-368-0291 ext. 101 Anne Day Senior Vice-President, Investor Relations Phone: +1-416-368-0291 ext. 105 Thomson Reuters Completes Clarient and Avox Acquisitions Creating Best-In-Class KYC and Legal Entity Data Due Diligence Standards Acquisitions strengthen Thomson Reuters relationship with DTCC, Barclays, Credit Suisse, Goldman Sachs, J.P. Morgan, State Street and other clients for compliance solutions that enable them and their customers to conduct global business. NEW YORK and LONDON and SINGAPORE, March 20, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Thomson Reuters has completed its acquisitions of Clarient Global LLC and Avox Limited, expanding its risk-management footprint and its ability to provide a best-in-class standard of customer solutions by integrating both businesses into its portfolio of risk management, compliance and data offerings. The Clarient and Avox acquisitions represent the next step of Thomson Reuters vision to be a leading provider and trusted source of Know Your Customer (KYC) and Legal Entity Information. Together with Thomson Reuters, these businesses combine industry leading data sources and technology solutions that raise standards, increase control and reduce costs for clients and improve the KYC experience for market participants. "Completing the acquisitions of Clarient and Avox affords a tremendous opportunity for us to work together in our shared goal of creating best-in-class KYC and Legal Entity Data due diligence standards that enhance our customers and their customers' ability to conduct global business," said Steve Pulley, Managing Director, Risk Managed Services, Thomson Reuters. "Clarient and Avox's deep specialty knowledge and capabilities will enhance our portfolio of solutions, and we welcome our esteemed new colleagues to the Thomson Reuters family." Clarient is a leading global KYC platform formerly owned by the Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation (DTCC), Barclays, Credit Suisse, Goldman Sachs, J.P. Morgan, and State Street among others. Avox is a leading supplier of legal entity data, such as hierarchies and identifiers on financial entities globally. "The acquisition of Clarient and Avox by Thomson Reuters is significant as it further positions Thomson Reuters, with the support of DTCC and the Clarient founder banks as initial consumers, as a leading, trusted provider of KYC and Legal Entity Data Due Diligence solutions," said Hugh Stewart, Research Director at Chartis Research. "The evolving global regulatory environment continues to emphasize anti-money laundering requirements for buy-side firms and corporate institutions to know their customers and all their related relationships when conducting global business. These regulatory requirements are spurring a growing demand for firms such as Thomson Reuters to develop global solutions that not only help customers accelerate client on-boarding and comply with regulations, but also reduce costs, improve client experience and extend support to the whole client life cycle." Tim Keady, Head of DTCC Solutions said: "With the closing of the deal, both Clarient and Avox will continue to serve the industry as part of a holistic set of solutions to help firms address the myriad challenges around client reference data. We look forward to both businesses continuing to grow and supporting a wider segment of the market in the future." Thomson Reuters previously announced that it had signed agreements to acquire Clarient Global LLC and Avox Limited on February 6, 2017. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Thomson Reuters Thomson Reuters is the world's leading source of news and information for professional markets. Our customers rely on us to deliver the intelligence, technology and expertise they need to find trusted answers. The business has operated in more than 100 countries for more than 100 years. Thomson Reuters shares are listed on the Toronto and New York Stock Exchanges. For more information, visit http://www.thomsonreuters.com/. CONTACTS Lemuel Brewster Global Senior PR Director, Financial & Risk Office +1 646-223-5147 Mobile +1 917-805-1089 lemuel.brewster@thomsonreuters.com Mark D. Harrop PR Manager, Financial & Risk Office +1 646-223-7803 Mobile +1 347-803-5575 mark.harrop@thomsonreuters.com Brian Mairs Global Head of External Communications Financial & Risk Office +44 20 7542 7866 Mobile +4407799 477998 brian.mairs@thomsonreuters.com WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Blackhawk Network Holdings, Inc. (HAWK) and JANA Partners LLC announced they have entered into a cooperation agreement. Under the agreement, Blackhawk has agreed to nominate Robert Henske and Jeffrey Fox for election to the Board at the Annual Meeting and JANA has agreed to customary standstill and voting commitments. Under the agreement, Blackhawk will also form a Cost Savings Committee of the Board that will evaluate all options for increasing cost savings, including by, if the Cost Savings Committee so determines, engaging a cost consultant. The Committee will be comprised of four members, two of whom will be the new directors. Blackhawk announced Jerry Ulrich, the company's CFO, announced that he plans to retire by the end of the current year. The company has initiated a search to identify a replacement for Ulrich, with assistance from Henske and other Board members. The company also reaffirmed all previous 2017 guidance. Blackhawk announced it intends to restructure equity compensation for the named executive officers beginning in 2018 to enhance alignment with stockholder value creation. The company has also made certain changes to its compensation practices that will result in a lower dilution rate for 2017. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann. WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - The turmoil at Uber has further deepened with the ride-hailing service's President Jeff Jones announcing his resignation after just six months in the job. The departure of Uber's No. 2 executive comes amid allegations of sexual harassment and an aggressive work culture at Uber. 'It is now clear, however, that the beliefs and approach to leadership that have guided my career are inconsistent with what I saw and experienced at Uber, and I can no longer continue as president of the ride sharing business,' Jones said in a statement to Recode. His departure was reported by Recode. Jones was Uber's second in command to CEO Travis Kalanick. He was responsible for Uber's operations, marketing and customer support globally. In a note to Uber staff, CEO Travis Kalanick said, 'After we announced our intention to hire a COO, Jeff came to the tough decision that he doesn't see his future at Uber. It is unfortunate that this was announced through the press but I thought it was important to send all of you an email before providing comment publicly.' In early March, Kalanick announced Uber's search for a new COO. Jones joined Uber in October 2016 from retailer Target Corp. (TGT), where he was chief marketing officer. His job was to remake Uber's tainted image. Uber has a rocky start to the year. In January, Uber came under heavy criticism for its decision to suspend surge pricing for its trips at New York's John F. Kennedy Airport, the site of protests in response to President Donald Trump's executive order banning immigrants from seven Muslim-majority countries. Susan Fowler, a former engineer at Uber, claimed in a blog post in February that she and several other female employees were sexually harassed at the company. In early March, Uber landed in yet another controversy after a video showed Kalanick in a heated argument with one of his drivers over falling fares and low pay. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Kostenloser Wertpapierhandel auf Smartbroker.de WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Ahead of highly anticipated congressional testimony by FBI Director James Comey, President Donald Trump continued to lash out against allegations that his presidential campaign colluded with the Russian government. Trump took to Twitter on Monday to reiterate his claim that reports of ties between his campaign and Russia are 'fake news.' The president pointed to recent remarks by former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, who said there was 'no evidence' of collusion between members of the Trump campaign and the Russian. 'James Clapper and others stated that there is no evidence Potus colluded with Russia. This story is FAKE NEWS and everyone knows it!' Trump tweeted. He added, 'The Democrats made up and pushed the Russian story as an excuse for running a terrible campaign. Big advantage in Electoral College & lost!' Trump also reiterated his belief that the real story is the leaking of classified information to the media and said the leaker must be found. The tweets from Trump come as Comey is scheduled to testify before the House Intelligence Committee about Russian meddling in the presidential election. Comey is also expected to face questions about Trump's accusations that his phones were tapped by President Barack Obama. Congressman Adam Schiff, D-Calif., the top Democrat on the intelligence committee, responded to Trump with several tweets of his own. 'Mr. President, the Russians hacked our election and interfered. No one disputes this now, but you. This is what is called 'fact,' Schiff tweeted. He added, 'As you will see during our hearing, Mr. President, there is no evidence Mr. Obama tapped your phones. This is what is called 'fiction.' Schiff also accused Trump of harming relationships with key allies after White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer publicly repeated a claim that British intelligence helped Obama wiretap Trump Tower. During a press conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Friday, Trump noted Spicer was referencing a claim made by Fox News commentator Andrew Napolitano. Trump described Napolitano as a 'very talented legal mind' and argued questions about the allegations should be directed to the former judge. (Photo: Michael Vadon) Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann. Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - March 20, 2017) - Fairmont Resources Inc. (TSXV: FMR) ("Fairmont") is pleased to announce that the Company has signed a quartzite testing agreement with PCC SE ("PCC") to validate the chemical and thermal stability of Fairmont's Baie Comeau and Forestville Quartzite Projects, as well to evaluate the commercial feasibility of a mining operation and logistics. Based on positive findings, PCC would look to test a larger volume of material in order to evaluate whether the quartzite may be suitable for use in PCC's Silicon Metal Project in Iceland. "We are pleased with the very expedient discussions with PCC and appreciate the common sense and up front approach with Fairmont," states Michael Dehn, President and CEO of Fairmont Resources. Additional information on Fairmont's Quartzite Projects can be found at: http://fairmontresources.ca/projects-forestville.php http://fairmontresources.ca/projects-baiecomeau.php About PCC PCC is a value-driven corporation with more than 3,000 employees at 39 sites in 17 countries. Headquartered in Duisburg, Germany, PCC SE is the holding company of the PCC Group and its affiliated companies, which are assigned to the Group's Chemicals, Energy and Logistics divisions. Functioning as the Holding segment of the group, PCC SE also manages major investment projects through their development and construction phases. In Iceland the PCC SE is building with its project company PCC BakkiSilicon hf, Husavik, one of the world's most advanced and most environmentally compatible silicon metal production plants, with completion due in 2018. http://www.pcc.eu/ About Fairmont Resources Inc. Fairmont Resources Inc. is a rapidly growing industrial mineral and dimensional stone company trading on the Toronto Venture Exchange symbol FMR. Fairmont's Quebec properties cover numerous occurrences of high-grade titaniferous magnetite with vanadium, with the Buttercup property having a permit to quarry dense aggregate. Where these occurrences have been tested they have displayed exceptional uniformity with respect to grade. Fairmont also controls three quartz/quartzite properties, with the Forestville property having independent end user testing confirming the suitability of quartzite from Forestville for Ferro Silicon production. Fairmont is also in the process of acquiring the assets of Granitos de Badajoz (GRABASA) in Spain which includes 23 quarries and a 40,000 square metre granite finishing facility that has produced finished granite installed across Europe. On behalf of the Board of Directors, Michael A. Dehn President and CEO, Fairmont Resources Inc. Tel:647-477-2382 michael@fairmontresources.ca www.fairmontresources.ca For further information please contact: Doren Quinton, President QIS Capital Tel:250-377-1182 info@smallcaps.ca www.smallcaps.ca Forward-Looking Statements Information set forth in this news release contains forward-looking statements that are based on assumptions as of the date of this news release. These statements reflect management's current estimates, beliefs, intentions and expectations. They are not guarantees of future performance. Fairmont cautions that all forward looking statements are inherently uncertain and that actual performance may be affected by a number of material factors, many of which are beyond Fairmont's control. Such factors include, among other things: risks and uncertainties relating to Fairmont's ability to complete the proposed private placement financing, limited operating history and the need to comply with environmental and governmental regulations. Accordingly, actual and future events, conditions and results may differ materially from the estimates, beliefs, intentions and expectations expressed or implied in the forward looking information. Except as required under applicable securities legislation, Fairmont undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise forward-looking information. 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. Vilnius, Lithuania, 2017-03-20 18:34 CET (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- On the initiative and decision of the Management company of INVL Baltic Real Estate the General Shareholders Meeting of INVL Baltic Real Estate (identification code 152105644, the registered address Gyneju str. 14 Vilnius, Lithuania) is to be held on 11 April 2017 at 9:00 in the premises located in Gyneju str. 14, Vilnius). Registration of the shareholders will start at 8:30 a.m. Only the persons who are the shareholders of the Company at the end of the accounting day of the General Shareholders Meeting (4 April 2017) are entitled to participate and to vote at the General Shareholders meeting. Shareholders rights accounting day will be April 26, 2017. The agenda of the General Shareholders Meeting of INVL Baltic Real Estate includes: 1. Presentation of the special closed-ended type real estate investment company INVL Baltic Real Estate consolidated annual report. 2. Presentation of the independent auditor's report on the financial statements of the special closed-ended type real estate investment company INVL Baltic Real Estate. 3. On the approval of the consolidated and stand-alone financial statements for 2016 of the special closed-ended type real estate investment company INVL Baltic Real Estate. 4. Regarding the distribution of the special closed-ended type real estate investment company INVL Baltic Real Estate profit. 5. Approval of the regulations of the Audit Committee. 6. Regarding election of the Audit Committee members. 7. Regarding approval of the remuneration for the Audit Committee members. Draft resolutions of the General Shareholders meeting of INVL Baltic Real Estate: 1. Presentation of the special closed-ended type real estate investment company INVL Baltic Real Estate consolidated annual report. Shareholders of the special closed-ended type real estate investment company INVL Baltic Real Estate are presented with the consolidated annual report of Baltic Real Estate (There is no voting on this issue of agenda). 2. Presentation of the independent auditor's report on the financial statements of the special closed-ended type real estate investment company INVL Baltic Real Estate. Shareholders of the special closed-ended type real estate investment company INVL Baltic Real Estate are presented with the independent auditor's report on the financial statements of INVL Baltic Real Estate (There is no voting on this issue of agenda). 3. On the approval of the consolidated and stand-alone financial statements for 2016 of the special closed-ended type real estate investment company INVL Baltic Real Estate. To approve the consolidated and companies financial statements for 2016 of the special closed-ended type real estate investment company INVL Baltic Real Estate. 4. Regarding the distribution of the special closed-ended type real estate investment company INVL Baltic Real Estate profit. To distribute the profit of the special closed-ended type real estate investment company INVL Baltic Real Estate as follows: Article (thousand EUR) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Retained earnings (loss) at the beginning of the financial year of 1,091 the reporting period -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Net profit (loss) for the financial year 4,710 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Profit (loss) not recognized in the income statement of the (242) reporting financial year -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Transfers from reserves - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Shareholders contributions to cover loss - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Distributable profit (loss) in total 5,559 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Profit distribution: (1,025) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - Profit transfers to the legal reserves (236) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -Profit transfers to the reserves for own shares acquisition - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - Profit transfers to other reserves - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - Profit to be paid as dividends* (789) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - Profit to be paid as annual payments (bonus) and for other - purposes -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Retained earnings (loss) at the end of the financial year 4,534 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- *0.012 EUR is paid for one share 5. Approval of the regulations of the Audit Committee. To approve the regulations of the Audit Committee of INVL Baltic Real Estate (enclosed). 6. Regarding election of the Audit Committee members. To cancel Danute Kadanaite and Thomas Bubinas from INVL Baltic Real Estate audit committee members. To elect Danguole Pranckeniene (independent member) and Tomas Bubinas (independent member) to the Audit Committee of INVL Baltic Real Estate for the 4 (four) years term of office. 7. Regarding approval of the remuneration for the Audit Committee members. For a work in the Audit Committee of INVL Baltic Real Estate, to set a rate not higher than EUR 145 per hour. To delegate to the Management company of INVL Baltic Real Estate to determine the remuneration payment procedure for the Audit Committee members. The documents related to the agenda, draft resolutions on every item of agenda, documents what have to be submitted to the General Shareholders Meeting and other information related to realization of shareholders rights are available at the office of INVL Baltic Real Estate (Gyneju str. 14, Vilnius) during working hours. The shareholders are entitled: (i) to propose to supplement the agenda of the General Shareholders Meeting submitting draft resolution on every additional item of agenda or, than there is no need to make a decision - explanation of the shareholder (this right is granted to shareholders who hold shares carrying at least 1/20 of all the votes). Proposal to supplement the agenda is submitted in writing by registered mail or delivered in person against signature. The agenda is supplemented if the proposal is received no later than 14 before the General Shareholders Meeting; (ii) to propose draft resolutions on the issues already included or to be included in the agenda of the General Shareholders Meeting at any time prior to the date of the General Shareholders meeting (in writing, by registered mail or delivered in person against signature) or in writing during the General Shareholders Meeting (this right is granted to shareholders who hold shares carrying at least 1/20 of all the votes); (iii) to submit questions to the Company related to the issues of agenda of the General Shareholders Meeting in advance but no later than 3 business days prior to the General Shareholders Meeting in writing by registered mail or delivered in person against signature. Shareholder participating at the General Shareholders Meeting and having the right to vote must submit documents confirming personal identity. Each shareholder may authorize either a natural or a legal person to participate and to vote on the shareholder's behalf at the General Shareholders Meeting. The representative has the same rights as his represented shareholder at the General Shareholders Meeting. The authorized persons must have documents confirming their personal identity and power of attorney approved in the manner specified by law which must be submitted to the Company no later than before the commencement of registration for the General Shareholders Meeting. Shareholder is entitled to issue power of attorney by means of electronic communications for legal or natural persons to participate and to vote on its behalf at the General Shareholders Meeting. The shareholders must inform the Company about power of attorney issued by means of electronic communications no later than before the commencement of registration for the General Shareholders Meeting. The power of attorney issued by means of electronic communications and notice about it must be written and submitted to the Company by means of electronic communications. Shareholder or its representative may vote in writing by filling general voting bulletin, in such a case the requirement to deliver a personal identity document does not apply. The form of general voting bulletin is presented at the Company's webpage. If shareholder requests, the Company shall send the general voting bulletin to the requesting shareholder by registered mail or shall deliver it in person against signature no later than 10 days prior to the General Shareholders Meeting free of charge. The filled general voting bulletin must be signed by the shareholder or its authorized representative. Document confirming the right to vote must be added to the general voting bulletin if authorized person is voting. The filled general voting bulletin must be delivered to INVL Baltic Real Estate by registered mail (address Gyneju str. 14, LT-01109 Vilnius, Lithuania) or in person against signature no later than before the day of the General Shareholders Meeting. The Company does not provide opportunities to participate and vote at the meeting by electronic means. Information related with the convened General Shareholders Meeting (notice on convocation of General Shareholders Meeting, information about Company's shares, draft resolution, etc.) are available at Company's webpage www.invlbalticrealestate.com. The person authorized to provide additional information: Real Estate Fund Manager of Management Company Vytautas Baksinskas E-mail vytautas.baksinskas@invl.com Attachment: https://cns.omxgroup.com/cds/DisclosureAttachmentServlet?messageAttachmentId=621133 Kostenloser Wertpapierhandel auf Smartbroker.de Solar-powered minigrids could account for a greater slice of sub-Saharan Africa's $740 million off-grid market, but progress is still needed throughout the region in terms of policy, financing and commercial services, the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) says in a new report.Small, solar-powered distribution networks could serve roughly 31 million people throughout the region who lack access to electricity, says the U.S. sustainability research organization. "The minigrid market has the potential to reach $1.5 billion annually and could include many millions more people if product manufacturers and service providers along with development agencies and African governments take action" said Stephen Doig, managing director of RMI. The African minigrid market has developed slowly over the years, even in progressive regional markets such as Kenya. Across the continent, the private sector, development agencies and governments need to work together to ensure that more minigrids ... 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) -- 03/20/17 -- Nighthawk Gold Corp.'s ("Nighthawk" or the "Company") (TSX VENTURE: NHK) board of directors has amended the Company's Stock Option Plan to increase the aggregate number of common shares of the Company (the "Common Shares") which may be issued and sold under the Stock Option Plan from 11,273,940 to 18,672,678, representing 10% of the Company's current issued and outstanding Common Shares. The Company also announces that it has granted an aggregate of 4,170,000 stock options to certain officers, directors and consultants of Nighthawk. The options were granted under Nighthawk's Stock Option Plan at an exercise price of $0.80 per Common Share. Each stock option entitles the holder to purchase one Common Share for a period of five years and vests immediately. For more information about the Company, please visit www.nighthawkgold.com. About Nighthawk Nighthawk is a Canadian-based exploration company focused on acquiring and developing gold mineral properties in the Northwest Territories and Northern Ontario. Including the mineral claims and leases of the Colomac Gold Project, Nighthawk's Indin Lake Gold Property comprises a total land package of 222,203 acres in the Indin Lake Greenstone Belt, located approximately 200 kilometres north of Yellowknife, Northwest Territories. Nighthawk also holds a 100% interest in the property known as the Superior Project, which covers 39,015 acres approximately 85 kilometres north of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. 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. Contacts: Nighthawk Gold Corp. Dr. Michael J. Byron President and Chief Executive Officer (416) 628-5940 mbyron@nighthawkgold.com www.nighthawkgold.com New York, New York--(Newsfile Corp. - March 20, 2017) - Golden Star Enterprises Ltd. (OTCPK: GSPT) reports that the Company has signed an Agreement with Dantas Enterprises Ltd. to buy its business known as WeeCare Wholesale Ltd. and all the assets thereof. WeeCare Wholesale Limited is working to develop an online and offline warehouse that would provide a wide selection of legal cannabis products and accessories. The company will uniquely position itself to offer independent wholesale distribution, marketing and sales promotion of legal cannabis throughout North America where legalized. The company will take advantage of economies of scale by sourcing legal cannabis products and accessories in bulk directly from producers, cultivators and manufacturers and sell directly to the target customers using B2B and B2C methods. WeeCare Wholesale Limited will support the legal retailers with the need of one stop shop for various brands of legal cannabis products and accessories. The Agreement calls for issuance of cash and restricted shares of Golden Star Enterprises Ltd. to complete the acquisition. We will continue our communication with shareholders in the coming weeks and months on our efforts and the potential impact of this acquisition for the Company. Robert Klein, President of Golden Star states, "The decision for Golden Star to enter into this Agreement was made with the knowledge that the legal marijuana industry is still evolving. The WeeCare Wholesale Ltd. plan is a model that could turn something that's so unorganized without structure into something efficient, something that is fast, easy, safe and as hassle free as possible, something where target customers can obtain legal cannabis products and accessories smoothly and efficiently." /s/ Robert Klein Robert Klein, President For further information contact: 1-888-488-6882 Visit our website at www.goldenstarent.com Safe Harbor Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: The statements contained herein which are not historical fact are forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to, certain delays in testing and evaluation of products and other risks detailed from time to time in Golden Star's filings with the OTC Markets. Florismart, a London, UK-based online marketplace for professional florists throughout Europe, is raising a 2.5m funding round. The round is being led by Beaubridge, an independently-owned and managed private equity firm, which made the EIS investment via CoInvestor. In conjunction with it, Abraham Wijnperle (Abe) joined as chairman of the board of Florismart. The round is still open on the CoInvestor platform. This round of funding will allow the company to develop the business faster. Led by Steve France, CEO, Florismart operates a B2B marketplace for professional florists that brings together exporters, wholesalers, and growers all on one platform. The marketplace platform offers florist the opportunity to have more choice available, saving on cost of goods, and the ability to order in advance. Over past 16 months, the company has opened over 850 florists accounts, of which 30% are actively buying on a regular basis. According to a note, it is currently experiencing double digit growth month-on-month. FinSMEs 20/03/2017 Inselberg, a Berlin, Germany-based digital booking platform for models, performers and influencers, raised a 6-digit euro seed funding round. The round was led by IBB Beteiligungsgesellschaft, with participation from international business angels. The company intends to use the funds to hire additional staff, continue to digitize the business model, and expand internationally. Co-founded in September 2015 by Falko Kremp, Nikolaus Andreewitch and Matias Enghild, Inselberg is a professional booking platform that directly connects models with clients in the advertising and fashion industry as well as e-commerce companies, film productions and fashion labels. To connect models and clients, the platform leverages an algorithm using 17 different search filters and manages the entire booking process, from order to implementation, through to billing. FinSMEs 20/03/2017 PLEASE REMEMBER TO ORDER FROM AMAZON THOUGH FMF.CLICK ON ANY BOOK WE LIST TO GET TO AMAZON, AND THEN ORDER WHATEVER. thanxxx &amp;amp;lt;br /&amp;amp;gt; 2ND EDITION!!! I hope to have some news soon about the 2nd edition of hole in my heart. Sorry for the delay! THANK YOU AND LEGAL NOTICE As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. THANK YOU TO ALL THE READERS WHO REMEMBER TO GO TO AMAZON VIA FIRST MOTHER FORUM. IT MATTERS NOT WHAT YOU PURCHASE. From the New York Times "Lorraine Dusky, a writer who relinquished a daughter as a young single mother in New York State in 1966, supports opening the records. She reported in her 2015 memoir that in the handful of states that offered women the opportunity to remove their names from original birth certificates, only a small fraction of women fewer than 1 percent chose to do so." -- Dont Keep Adopted People in the Dark by Gabrielle Glaser, June 19, 2018 From the New York Times "On FirstMotherForum.com, a blog that discusses issues among women who had given children up for adoption, Lorraine Dusky, one of the sites authors, praised the series (ABC's 10-episode Find My Family): 'Maybe this will be heard by people who think it is unloyal somehow for a person to search out his or her roots, parents, family, when it is a most natural desire of consciousness.' --Two Reality Shows Stir Publicity and Anger"--Dec. 6, 2009. This blog takes cookies. "It shouldn't take a miracle to find people you are related to by blood."--Jenn Gentlesk EMAIL US AT forumfirstmother@gmail.com Oregon court records available Instructions and forms for accessing adoption records are on the Oregon Judicial Department's website. COPYRIGHT NOTICE Material from First Mother Forum may be quoted as long as FMF is credited and with a link to original source here. Over 350 words, contact for permission: forumfirstmother@gmail.com. Adani Enterprises said it would finalise an investment decision by June for its Carmichael coal project in the northern Australian state of Queensland, which has been delayed due to protests from environmental groups. For more than five years, Adani has battled opposition from green groups who fear the project will produce so much coal for export to India that it will require a mega-port expansion into the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area. While Adani, a business group with interests in power and ports, has said the project would not threaten the reef and has secured most major state and federal government approvals, it still faces several court challenges. Raising funds has also been tough given the sensitivities of lending to a controversial project. However, the group's chairman, Gautam Adani, expressed optimism the project would proceed and said the board would take a final decision on investments in May or June, including structure and planned funding. He was speaking during an interaction with a group of reporters in Mumbai and was accompanied by Queensland premier Anastasia Palaszczuk who was in the country to visit Adani's port and solar facilities "Definitely," Adani said, when asked if he was confident the project would go ahead. "Our internal planning is 2020 ...(for) first coal to come out," Adani added, noting construction could begin within three months of the board's decision. Palaszczuk said the Carmichael project had the full support of her government and that she did not see any obstacles in Adani securing final approval from Australia. Analysts have raised doubts about whether Adani can fund what would be Australia's biggest coal mine given the opposition from green groups and a slump in coal prices. Some banks, including Deutsche Bank and Commonwealth Bank of Australia, have said they will not provide funding. But Adani said he was not concerned. The company has shrunk the project and is now targeting an annual output of 25 million tonnes in the first phase, which could save costs, Adani said. Production will eventually be expanded to the planned 40 million tonnes, he added. Of the $4 billion required for the first phase, Adani will have to raise about $2.5 billion in debt, he said. The company says it has already invested $3.3 billion in the project. Adani is hoping to get $800 million to $900 million from Northern Australian Infrastructure Facility and is counting on funding from export credit agencies in China or South Korea. It plans go to commercial banks for any short-fall. "Banks have been misled by some of the environmental groups and that was a main issue," Adani said. The project still faces strong opposition, with a group of high-profile Australians recently saying they will "fight tooth and nail" against Adani's plans. However, Palaszczuk said the Adani project was crucial for jobs in Queensland. "I've got such a situation in regional Queensland where people are hurting, families are hurting, because they don't have employment with the downturn in the resources sector," she said. "So, I need this project for Queensland." New Delhi: The Union Cabinet today approved four legislations to implement the Goods and Services Tax (GST), ahead of their introduction in Parliament this week to enable roll out of the tax reform from July 1. Approval of the bills by Parliament and a separate one by all state assemblies will complete the legislative process for roll out of one-nation-one-tax regime by merging central taxes like excise duty and service tax and state levies like VAT. The GST Council has already approved four-tier tax slabs of 5, 12, 18 and 28 percent plus an additional cess on demerit goods like luxury cars, aerated drinks and tobacco products. The work on for putting various goods and services in different slabs is slated to begin next month. The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved the four GST related bills -- The Central Goods and Services Tax Bill 2017 (The CGST Bill), The Integrated Goods and Services Tax Bill 2017 (The IGST Bill), The Union Territory Goods and Services Tax Bill 2017 (The UTGST Bill) and The Goods and Services Tax (Compensation to the States) Bill 2017 (The Compensation Bill)," an official statement said. "These bills would be introduced as Money Bills in Parliament this week, could be even today," a source said, adding that discussion on the four legislations could happen together. The GST legislations were the only agenda in today's meeting of the Union Cabinet. "The Government is committed to introduction of GST, one of the biggest reforms, in the country as early as possible. GST Council has decided July 1 as the date of commencement of GST," the statement said. These four legislations had been cleared by the Council in its last two meetings this month. "The CGST Bill makes provisions for levy and collection of tax on intra-state supply of goods or services or both by the central government. On the other hand, IGST Bill makes provisions for levy and collection of tax on inter-state supply of goods or services or both by the central government," the statement said. The UTGST Bill makes provisions for levy on collection of tax on intra-UT supply of goods and services in the Union Territories without legislature. Union Territory GST is akin to States Goods and Services Tax (SGST) which shall be levied and collected by the States/Union Territories on intra-state supply of goods or services or both. The Compensation Bill provides for compensation to the states for loss of revenue arising on account of implementation of the GST for a period of five years. While the four bills approved by the Cabinet today have to be passed by Parliament, the SGST law has to be approved by each of the state assemblies. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in his Budget for 2017-18 mentioned that country-wide outreach efforts will be made to explain the provisions of GST to trade and industry. The biggest tax reform since independence is expected to boost the rate of economic growth by at least 0.5 percentage points, broaden the revenue base and cut compliance cost for firms. Commenting on the development, Abhishek Rastogi, Partner, Khaitan & Co, said: "The GST plan is well on time and July 1 looks realistic!" "The timely approval of the Bills by the Cabinet ensures that the industry would have reasonable time to peruse the details of the law impacting them. As a corollary, the assesses will be better prepared for implementation. It is hoped that all the State Assemblies clear SGST on time as well," he added. Chennai: Information Technology major Cognizant Technology Solutions may not vastly differ this year from its regular annual layoff numbers post completion of employee appraisals, said company sources. Rumours abound about a spike in the employee see-off numbers this year contrary to the annual one to two percent, sources said on Saturday. The company may hive off 6,000 employees or 2.3 percent of its workforce, the Times of India said, adding that it could be more this year unlike the annual lay offs of the routine 1-2 percent, the report said. The company's workforce number stood at around 260,000 as on December 2016 with the majority of them in India. "Post appraisals it is normal that the company asks some to leave based on their performance rating. It happens every year. This year it seems this aspect has got media attention and the percentage seems to be inflated," a long-term employee of the company told IANS on the condition anonymity. "The managers have not been told to warn their team members about their impending exits," he added. "As part of our workforce management strategy, we conduct regular performance reviews to ensure we have the right employee skillsets necessary to meet client needs and achieve our business goals," a Cognizant spokesperson said. "This process results in changes, including some employees transitioning out of the company. Any actions as the result of this process are performance-based and generally consistent with those we've made in previous years," the spokesperson added. According to him, in any given year, the layoff numbers may bounce a percentage here or there, but this is part of standard practice. "At the same time, we continue to enhance our capabilities and hire for roles across all our practice areas in the company," he said. He said the layoff numbers would be clear only when the appraisal process gets completed by the end of this month. New Delhi: Retirement body EPFO had over Rs 9,700 crore to be paid as interest to subscribers by March 2016, the government said in Parliament today. As per the consolidated annual accounts of the EPFO, till March 31, 2016, Rs 9,737.46 crore are available to be credited to the subscribers' account, Minister of State (independent charge) for Labour and Employment Bandaru Dattatreya said in the Lok Sabha today. He was responding to a question on undistributed interest lying in the EPFO account. The closing balance in interest account of the EPFO was Rs 45,135.25 crore as on March 31, 2016. Dattatreya said the ministry is taking several steps for speedy settlement of claims and a campaign is on till the end of this month to bring in more workers under the Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO). Under the campaign that started in January this year, an employer either already covered or yet to be covered can enrol employees who remained un-enrolled for any reason between April 2009 to December 2016. EPFO had 17.14 crore subscribers under the Employees' Provident Fund (EPF) as on March 31 last year. The labour minister said as many as 12.21 lakh accounts were pending for an update as on March 31, 2016. He also informed the House that the claim settlement process has eased and settlements are done in 20 days. Online transfer claim portal (OTCP) has been introduced for seamless transfer of claims, he said, adding that National Electronic Fund Transfer (NEFT) has been set in motion for payments. Shares of Idea Cellular, the telecom arm of Aditya Birla group, witnessed wild gyration on the domestic bourses since the company announced its decision to merge its business with the Indian subsidiary of UK-based Vodafone earlier today. Idea Cellular stock zoomed nearly 15 percent in early trade to touch a high of Rs 123.75 before erasing the gains on profit-taking. After slipping into the red, Idea stock plunged deep, tumbling around 15 percent to hit a low of Rs 92, thus resulting in a huge volatility of around 30 percent in just a few hours from the start of the trading session. Over 1.5 crore shares changed hands on BSE as against two-week average volume of 23.53 lakh shares traded. At 10.50 am, Idea Cellular stock was quoted at Rs 99.85 a share on BSE, down 7.5 percent over its previous close. Analysts say the Idea stock had already witnessed a sharp rally ever since the proposed merger with Vodafone India started doing rounds in the past few months. "There is no clarity on who will benefit the most in Voda-Idea merger deal. Once Vodafone merges with Idea, the merged entity will be listed on the bourses and it will be a proxy play to buy Vodafone as it has the second largest subscriber base in the country. The market also believes that despite a Idea-Voda merger, competition will not die soon as Reliance Jio will further up its ante going ahead," said A K Prabhakar, Head -Research, IDBI Capital Markets Services Ltd. According to Prabhakar, since Idea stock has given 31 percent returns in the last quarter, the stock may now witness some profit-taking in days to come with the merger deal announcement now being made public. Idea shares have already fallen 15 percent this month amid concerns that the stiff competition could further erode the company's margins going ahead. For investors, Idea stock around Rs 80-85 level will be a good entry point, said Prabhakar. As per the agreement, Vodafone will own 45 percent of the combined entity with both the companies' promoters having rights to appoint three directors each. The combined entity will create Indias largest telecom firm with a revenue share of around 40 percent and a subscriber base of over 380 million, according to India Ratings and Research. The merger is also expected to create an entity with a revenue forecast of around Rs 77,500-80,000 crore. In one of the biggest mergers in the telecom space, Vodafone India and Aditya Birla Group-promoted Idea Cellular on Monday announced the much-awaited amalgamation, signalling a consolidation in the debt-ridden and fiercely competitive telecom sector. The move comes after Reliance Jio, owned by Reliance Industries, launched its commercial operations heightening the competitive intensity in the sector. The merger had been much speculated upon as the companies had earlier said they were in talks to merge operations in order to deal better with the evolving situation in the sector. Here are the key facts you need to know about the deal: What are the finer details of the deal? Idea Cellular will merge Vodafone India Ltd (VIL) and its wholly owned subsidiary Vodafone Mobile Service Limited (VMSL) with itself. Vodafone will own 45.1 percent of the combined company and the Aditya Birla Group 26 percent. Idea has the right to acquire more stake in the combined entity "from Vodafone under an agreed mechanism with a view to equalising the shareholdings over time". If Vodafone and the Aditya Birla Group's shareholdings in the combined company are not equal after four years, Vodafone will sell shares in the combined company to equalise its shareholding to that of the Aditya Birla Group over the following five-year period. Until equalisation is achieved, the voting rights of the additional shares held by Vodafone will be restricted and votes will be exercised jointly under the terms of the shareholders' agreement. Vodafone will transfer a stake of 4.9 percent to the Aditya Birla group for Rs 3,900 crore in cash concurrent with completion of the merger. "Upon the amalgamation becoming effective, the entire business of VIL and VMSL, excluding VIL's investment in Indus Towers Limited, its international network assets and information technology platforms, will vest in the company," said Idea's filing to the exchanges. The transaction is expected to close during calendar year 2018, subject to customary approvals from concerned authorities, including SEBI, Department of Telecom and RBI. The merger will result in substantial cost and capex synergies with an estimated net present value of approximately $10 billion after integration costs and spectrum liberalisation payments, with estimated run-rate savings of $2.1 billion on an annual basis by the fourth full year post completion. Vodafone India will be deconsolidated by Vodafone on announcement and reported as a joint venture post-closing, reducing Vodafone Group's net debt by approximately $8.2 billion. What are the key numbers? It will indeed create the largest telecom firm in the country with a revenue market share of 40 percent and a subscriber base of 395 million. The merged entity will have a customer base of over 394 million. The turnover of Vodafone India is Rs 5,025 crore and of Vodafone Mobile Services is Rs 40,378 crore. Idea Cellular's turnover is Rs 36,000 crore. The net worth of VIL is Rs 12,855 crore, VMSL Rs 3,737 crore and that of Idea Cellular Rs 24,296 crore. Vodafone's market share was 18.16 percent with 204.68 million mobile customers and that of Idea was 16.9 percent with 190.51 million at the end of December 2016, as per the TRAI data. At present, Airtel with a market share of 23.58 percent and a customer base of 265.85 million is the country's largest telecom player. The implied enterprise value is Rs 82,800 crore ($12.4 billion) for Vodafone India and Rs 72,200 crore ($10.8 billion) for Idea. What are the key regulatory hurdles for the combined entity? Given the present spectrum holding, revenue and subscriber base, both the companies need to work on synergy to comply with rules. According to the merger and acquisition rules, an entity should not hold more than 25 percent spectrum allocated in a telecom circle and 50 percent of spectrum allocated in a particular band in a service area. The merged entity should also not have more than 50 percent revenue and subscriber market share. As per CLSA report, the merged entity would breach revenue market share, subscriber and spectrum caps in five markets. The combined entity as per present scenario will breach spectrum cap in 900 Mhz band in Maharashtra, Gujarat, Kerala, Haryana and UP West and in 2500 Mhz band in Maharashtra and Gujarat, it said. CLSA estimated that the excess spectrum which would need to be surrendered or sold off is valued around Rs 5,400 crore and for the merger, both the companies will also have to shell out Rs 5,700 crore for liberalising radiowaves that they were allocated administratively. What are the companies saying? "For Idea shareholders and lenders who have supported us thus far, this transaction is highly accretive, and Idea and Vodafone will together create a very valuable company given our complementary strength," said Kumar Mangalam Birla, Chairman, Aditya Birla Group. Meanwhile, Vittorio Colao, Chief Executive, Vodafone Group Plc, said: "The combination of Vodafone India and Idea will create a new champion of Digital India founded with a long-term commitment and vision to bring world-class 4G networks to villages, towns and cities across India." "The combined company will have the scale required to ensue sustainable consumer choice in a competitive market and to expand new technologies - such as mobile money services - that have the potential to transform daily life of every Indian." What are the experts saying? Most of the sector observers are welcoming the consolidation in the sector but are still watchful. Nitin Soni of Fitch Ratings told ETNow that the consolidation is positive in the long-term. "We will now have three big players with Jio, Vodafone-Idea and Bharti Airtel. The fourth is the RComm-Aircel and probably Tata combine," he said. However, he has a negative outlook on the sector in the short-term as he sees serious competition continuing and the rise in capex in the market pressuring the operators. Neelkanth Mishra of Credit Suisse told CNBC-TV18 that he too continues to stay cautious on the telecom sector. However, he expects pricing power to return in the telecom sector as market share settles. However, the merger may also be beneficial for the rivals on the spectrum front. According to an earlier report in BloombergQuint, it is likely to force Vodafone-Idea to sell overlapping spectrum cheap to their rivals. The report citing a Credit Suisse report has said that the combined entity may have to shed radio waves worth Rs 6,000 crore. "The two carriers would probably sell the spectrum at a lower price than originally purchased," the report said citing the report by Sunil Tirumalai and Viral Shah. This will be of benefit to Bharti Airtel and others as they will get the much-needed spectrum at a discounted price. With inputs from PTI and IANS New Delhi: The merger of Vodafone India with Idea Cellular marks not only the largest ever consolidation in Indias telecom market, it will also test the ability of two large companies to operate a venture as equal partners in a highly competitive environment. The board of directors of Idea today approved the merger, in which Vodafone will initially holds 45.1 percent stake and Idea 26 percent, but Ideas stake will be increased gradually. This merger should be good news for subscribers, who are already enjoying a data deluge at unheard-of tariffs due to heightened competition in the market creation of this new merged entity should continue the data party for at least the foreseeable future. India is the worlds second largest telecom market after China (by subscribers) and has been witnessing unprecedented upheaval with the arrival of Reliance Jio Infocomm in September last year. RJio focused on data, employing a 4G-ready network and promising unheard-of data speeds while offering voice calls for free, for life. This gimmick has already lead to a fundamental shift in the market, with incumbent telcos Bharti Airtel, Vodafone and Idea compelled to launch plans matching RJios offers. And bleed in the process. Bharti reported its lowest profit in four years in the December quarter of FY17 while Idea posted its first-ever quarterly loss since being listed on the bourses for the same quarter. The incumbents have been waging a battle for retaining subscribers relentlessly since then and consolidation was clearly the only way forward. There was little sense in either Vodafone or Idea exploring a merger with market leader Bharti since this would have violated M&A norms. A merger of either Vodafome or Idea with Bharti would have been possible only if the percentage of adjusted gross revenue market share of the merged entity did not exceed 50 percent in even a single telecom circle. The guidelines also specify that the combined entity should have less than 50 percent of spectrum in each band individually in addition to having less than 25 percent of the spectrum allocated to all operators in all bands in all circles. These caps rendered the merger with Bharti impossible. The next best thing was for Vodafone which had already written down five-and-a-half billion dollars for its Indian operations already and debt laden Idea Cellular to explore a merger. The merger would help Idea also reduce its debt besides allowing Vodafone to participate in an entity which is already listed on the Indian bourses. The merged entity formed by Vodafone and Idea will usurp the telecom industrys pecking order, becoming the largest telco with almost 400 million customers, 35 percent subscriber market share and 41 percent revenue market share. In a joint statement, Vodafone and Idea said that the merger will also help reduce the net debt on the British telecom giants books by a whopping Rs 55,200 crore. And generate considerable synergies. The merged entity would hold 1,850 MHz of liberalised spectrum acquired through auctions; it will be capable of building substantial mobile data capacity by utilising the largest broadband spectrum portfolio with 34 3G carriers and 129 4G carriers across the country. A joint statement said Substantial cost and capex synergies with an estimated net present value of approximately Rs 6700 crore after integration costs and spectrum liberalisation payments, with estimated run-rate savings of Rs 1400 crore on an annual basis by the fourth full year post completion. It also said Vodafones strong presence in metro circles and Ideas leadership in semi-urban and rural telecom markets will allow for nationwide leadership within Indian M&A guidelines. In circles where both Idea and Vodafone India currently have a limited presence, the combined entity will become the leading challenger with the scale to compete more effectively and enhance consumer choice. As with any mega corporate deal, the merger would also face some challenges. M&A norms may cause trouble in some telecom circles - brokerage CLSA pointed out earlier that the merger would breach the revenue market share ceiling in five out of the 22 circles in India. But a telecom market expert says the knotty problem of revenue market share cap breach may get resolved once RJio which is offering free services till now begins charging and the revenue market share dynamics shift. The merger will also affect the remaining telecom operators. According to this piece which has quoted industry estimates, post-merger market share for Tata Teleservices will be 6.5 percent, BSNL and MTNL combine at 5 percent, Aircel at 5.7 percent and Sistema at 4 percent. Reliance Communications (RComm) is estimated to be close to Sistemas share at 4.2 percent. It then becomes incumbent upon these small players to either unleash another round of consolidation or wind up. The largest among the pygmies, Tata Teleservices, is embroiled in a legal tangle with its Japanese equity partner DoCoMo and this alone may prevent any near term consolidation. And this piece explains attempts at a three way partnership between Aircel, Reliance Communications and Telenor. Consolidation seems to be the only way forward for Indias fragmented and highly competitive telecom industry. In the end, why did a fierce war erupt and then escalate in Indias staid telecom space? Well, as RJio chairman Mukesh Ambani said recently, data is the new oil. The Indian consumer is consuming data like never before and telcos are scrambling to fulfill this demand without all of them having future ready networks. RJios ultra competitive data pricing has skewed the market in its favour, something the incumbents are fighting against. Sample this: Analysts at Deutsche Bank AG have said in a note to clients recently that they expect growth in voice revenue for telecom service providers to decline at 0.5 percent CAGR over the next five years. During the same period, however, non-voice revenues should grow at 21 percent per annum, driven by 26 percent growth in internet data revenue. The rapid growth in data is likely to impact voice usage a trend that has played out in every major telecom market around the world. So according to Deutsche Bank, in FY15, Indias telecom industry was overwhelmingly voice, with voice revenue accounting for 80 percent of industrys total revenue. This declined to 74.3 percent in FY16; remained more or less stable in FY17 at 73.45 percent but over the next three years, voice revenue are projected to decline significantly. Voice revenue for Indias telecom warriors will fall below the 70 percent mark in FY18 (at 69 percent of total industry revenue). In FY19, voice revenue is projected to be less than a third at 61 percent and will fall further to just a little over half of industrys total revenue or 56 percent in FY20. So by the turn of this decade, a little less than 50 paise of every rupee generated in Indias telecom market will come from data and other non-voice revenue streams. Is it a wonder then that the fierce data wars have forced a major consolidation in the Indian telecom market? Disclosure: Reliance Industries, which owns Reliance Jio, also owns Network18 that publishes Firstpost Mumbai: The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) on Monday assured that there is "no vulnerability of loopholes" reported in Bharat Interface for Money (BHIM) or the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) applications. "We have done intensive testing, robust design of security controls and continuous monitoring of its UPI infrastructure," said NPCI Managing Director and CEO A.P. Hota. He said the environment in which BHIM or UPI is run by NPCI is highly secure and certified with best global practices like PCI DSS ISO 27001, and have been audited by reputed IT security firms. Hota was referring to certain media reports on technical malfunction in some banks' UPI application, and added that NPCI has implemented adequate governance mechanism for banks to report any fraud or system issues and their redressal. He explained that since BHIM was launched, there have been 19.16 million downloads of which 5.1 million customers have linked it with their bank accounts. "All downloads do not necessarily lead to activation and usage... In many cases they have downloaded it to see that they have not linked their mobile number to the bank account," he said. Accordingly, the government has launched a special drive for linking of mobile number with bank accounts for which banks are expected to reach out to their customers and ensure universal acceptance of mobile banking services at the earliest, Hota added. New Delhi: Describing demonetisation as an attempt akin to striking a rock with an egg, eminent Austrian economist Heinz D Kurz has said it is much too weak and misdirected an instrument to root out corruption. Actually, he said, the Indian governments move opened up new avenues of corruption. As far as I understand the situation, the policy of demonetisation has already been abandoned by the government, because it turned out to be an attempt akin to striking a rock with an egg. I strongly doubt that the demonetisation exercise will root out corruption and engender more transparency. It is much too weak and misdirected an instrument to achieve these goals, Kurz told PTI in an interview. By introducing the Rs 2,000 banknote, a currency of twice or even four times the value of the banknotes that have been declared illegal, in the system... This can hardly be called demonetisation, he added. Kurz is a professor of economics at the University of Graz, Austria. Noting that while the goal of fighting corruption is laudable, he said: I consider it to be singularly naive to think that this can be done by banning some banknotes. There appears also to be evidence that the policy of demonetisation opened new channels of corruption. Kurz pointed out that whoever was informed about the demonetisation policy ahead of its introduction (sort of insider trading) could have used the information and laundered money. Also, he further said Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 banknotes brought to banks were apparently counted, but not scrutinised as to whether it was counterfeit money. Asked about impact of demonetisation on Indias economic growth, Kurz said that first, it is much too early to assess already the impact of demonetisation, which will show up only later. Secondly, the data published are rough estimates that do not, and could not possibly, take account of this impact. It would therefore be wrong to infer that demonetisation had no effect on the economy, he noted. The Indian economy is going pretty strong, Kurtz said, adding however that not well-thought out policies such as the demonetisation project have the potential of affecting it badly. He said rising social tensions between different strata of society and different religious beliefs, environmental degradation and pollution, unequal access to information, knowledge and learning, and a highly uneven distribution of income and wealth are the main problems India is facing, which all affect economic performance of the country. Policies that improve the situation in these regards deem to me to be favourable for a more prosperous and just society, he said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 8 November scrapped high value notes of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000, pulling out 86 percent of the total currency in circulation. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday exhorted the Indian diamond industry to aim at becoming an international trading centre and "preferred destination for manufacturing" rather than only a cutting and polishing hub. "Our aim is to make India a preferred destination for (diamond) manufacturing. We are already a cutting and polishing hub. My intention is to make India an international diamond trading hub," Modi said, addressing golden jubilee celebration of Gem Jewellery Export Promotion Council in Mumbai through video-conference on Sunday evening. India has made rapid strides to become the world's largest manufacturer and exporter of cut and polished diamonds, the PM noted. "From just US $28 million in 1966-67, it has now reached US $40 billion. Our aim is to transform India in one generation... Our aim is to make India a preferred destination for manufacturing," he said. In the past 50 years, the Prime Minister said, the gems and jewellery sector has accounted for US $475 billion of exports despite not having domestic production of either gold or diamond. By giving employment to over 4.6 million people, the industry is a major contributor to the government's skill India initiative, Modi said. "Skill India initiative seeks to make sure that new attempts are made to ensure that the workforce has the necessary skills to contribute to the economy of the 21st century. The gems and jewellery sector employs 4.6 million people, out of this, 1 million are in the diamond industry alone. Thus the gems and jewellery sector is a prime example of the potential of Make-in-India and Skill India," Modi said. "This sector has come a long way from where it was. However, it is still far, far behind where it should be. Our strongest area is diamond cutting and polishing. In terms of the global value, our market share is much lower than it should be. Our future is much bigger than cutting and polishing. We have a lot of unexplored potential," he said. The Prime Minister said the industry needs to understand its market and work towards becoming a leader globally. "Indian exports are importer-led. The specification and designs are based on the specifications given by importers. This means that India is a follower of global fashion rather than a leader of global taste. This does not do justice to our rich experience and designs. To influence the global taste, our manufacturers need to have a thorough knowledge of the market. The industry needs to collectively study and understand the end user and what they want," he said. "E-commerce makes it easier to establish direct contact with end-users. This is a golden opportunity for our industry as it can think of encouraging its start-ups by young entrepreneurs who can create a growing market from made-to order gems and jewellery," Modi said. Assuring complete support to the industry regarding its grievances, the Prime Minister said, "My government will certainly consider any plan if the industry gives specific and practical suggestions which are in the interest of the country." About extending support to African countries, Modi said, "India has excellent relations with Africa. Our post-colonial heritage and the similarity of the challenges we faced make us natural partners. I take this opportunity to assure my friends in Africa that India will be happy to support them in developing their (diamond) sector and in making them efficient." Undeterred by Posco Indias offer to return the land provided for its steel project in Odisha, Union Power Minister Piyush Goyal on Sunday said if one company pulls out, others will come in. There are more and more opportunities in India and if one company chooses to pull out, others will come in, Goyal said on the sidelines of the International Diamond Conference Mines to Market. On the delay in land acquisition and other policy issues as regards the Korean company, the coal and power minister said, It had happened during the earlier regime and now things are becoming more transparent. Odishas Industries Minister Debi Prasad Mishra had said that Posco India in a letter requested the state government to take back its 2,700 acres provided to it near Paradip for setting up a 12-mtpa steel plant at an investment of Rs 52,000 crore. As the steel major had not made any communication with the Odisha government about its plan, the letter is considered as the first move for scrapping of the project. Posco-India had signed an agreement with the state government in June 21, 2005, for setting up its mega steel facility near Paradip. Meanwhile, Goyal said the Centre is working with state governments and trying to make things simpler for new companies to come in. For the mining sector, to bring in transparency, we have separated exploration and exploitation of the mines by amending the Mining Act. Now things will become much easier, he said. Addressing the diamond exporters, he said the Centre is also taking steps to issue separate exploration contracts, which will be separate from exploiting of the mines. India plans to change rules of exploration of mines. We plan to have separate contracts to explore the mines. We will pay the companies to explore and we will take the risk. We will also incentivise them if the exploration turns valuable, Goyal said. As for the exploitation of the reserves found, it will be done through the auction, the minister said. He also urged Indian companies to participate in the exploration as well as the exploitation process. One should not only depend only on large international companies in the mining sector. The time has come to take a leap and not follow the world, Goyal said. We are going to explore the minerals and invite bids for the process of exploiting the resources found, he said. The trailer of Aparna Sen's English film Sonata starts on a great note. An establishing shot of the Mumbai skyline is shown as Shabana Azmi says, "we all live in boxes." Those five words define the lifestyle of a metropolitan dweller who lives in a cubicle both literally and metaphorically. The large number of buildings indicate the presence of thousands of people but their interaction is limited to their box. An aerial view of Mumbai feels like a ceiling view of a factory store room. Three women, played by Sen, Azmi and Lillete Dubey, attempt to penetrate those boxes and mingle with each other. They discuss each other's vices, guilty pleasures, predicaments, lost love and other issues that govern one's midlife crisis. Azmi looks glamorous and as she says, her mantra of living life with abandon makes for a large chunk of that desirability. Dubey looks at her carefree best and Sen balances the unhinged approach of the other two with some much-needed restraint. She seems to be the pacifier but ends up indulging in some guilty pleasures of her own. While on paper, this female buddy film may prove to be indomitable, the disjointedness of the trailer hints at the fact that it may falter in its execution. With three talent powerhouses, the film risks wasting them if it is as abrupt and incoherent as the trailer. Years ago, yesteryear actors Hema Malini and Jaya Bachchan had expressed their concerns over the dearth of good roles for women of their age, on Koffee with Karan Season 2. While Sonata seems to have turned an ear to them, it may end up doing severe disservice to these seasoned veterans if it is not sound technically. A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, and Harrison Ford began filming George Lucas' Star Wars saga in the late 70s. Now as a testament to the role that made him famous, Hamill shared a throwback photo from his first day at work, wearing his Luke Skywalker garb in the Tunisian desert that served as the set for Tatooine. "Taken in Tunisia early morning Day #1 waiting for my 1st shot (emerging from home for robot auction)," Hamill tweeted of principal photography, which kicked off on March 22, 1976. "Perhaps the very 1st." Shown in the background are what appear to be Jawas. Taken in Tunisia early morning Day #1 waiting for my 1st shot (emerging from home for robot auction)-Perhaps the very 1st #LukePic #SW pic.twitter.com/WMCGnWCotP Mark Hamill (@HamillHimself) March 18, 2017 Hamill also had a funny response when one of his followers asked whether hes squinting in the photo because he was tired or if he knew Star Wars was going to be big. @HamillHimself At that very moment, were you thinking "This is gonna be my big break" or "Crap, it's early, dusty and way too bright"? Gary Miereanu (@SuperPRGuy) March 18, 2017 Judging by my clueless expression, probably both. Crew was kind but thought #SW was "rubbish"-I kept telling them"We're on a winner!"#LOLuke https://t.co/S6mzZbWLvD Mark Hamill (@HamillHimself) March 18, 2017 Star Wars, of course, defied all expectations to become the blockbuster franchise it is today, leaving behind relics like this photo: young, squinty-eyed Hamill, like Luke, standing on the cusp of the unknown, with no idea how enormous a universe he was about to step into. Nearly 41 years after this snapshot was taken, Hamill is now preparing for his debut as an older Skywalker in Star Wars: The Last Jedi following an earlier cameo in The Force Awakens. Hell appear alongside Fisher (who filmed scenes as General Leia Organa before her death in December), Ford, and newcomers Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Adam Driver, and Oscar Isaac. When we heard the news that Niki Caro, the director of The Zookeeper's Wife and North County was going to be directing Disney's live-action remake of Mulan, we were excited. This meant that we would finally have a woman behind the director's lens lending a better perspective to Disney's most feminist heroine. (Also Read: Snow White to Jasmine, a feminist ranking of best Disney princesses) But then, Caro announced in an interview that unlike the recent Beauty and The Beast, her take on the film wouldn't have songs from the 1988 Disney cartoon version. "From what I understand, no songs right now, much to the horror of my children" she said. Fans were disappointed and took to Twitter to express themselves. @ the mulan remake without songs pic.twitter.com/905YVbQE6j mandy (@anglashamyqueen) March 18, 2017 Disney: there will be no songs in the live-action Mulan Me: pic.twitter.com/drn7fyq5Mx Emma (@emmii_young) March 18, 2017 Without any songs in Mulan how are we gonna get down to business to defeat the Huns??? pic.twitter.com/SLOSfFvueZ Trainer Josh (@JoshHelaku) March 19, 2017 Now fans are raging for a whole new reason: Li Shang Mulan's love interest won't be in the film. Instead, he may be replaced by a new character who acts as the heroine's rival. Wait a hot second, why is Captain Li Shang being replaced by this dude in the new #Mulan. First no music, now this. Grrr pic.twitter.com/tE17hM1G7p Jo-Anne Rowney (@JoAnne_Rowney) March 19, 2017 Caro also mentioned that she is excited because the film will be 'a big, girly martial arts epic. It will be extremely muscular and thrilling and entertaining and moving.' On the plus side, Disney is doing is bit to put a stop to white washing and has put out an open casting call for the lead characters in Mulan. The live-action remake is going to cost Disney 100 million dollars and Caro is the second helmer at Disney, after Ava Duvernay being a first with A Wrinkle in Time. The film is slotted to be released on 2 November 2018. The unparalleled critical and commercial response to The Lunchbox, and probably its global success, opened the doors of director Ritesh Batra to two English language films - The Sense of an Ending and Our Souls At Night. It may be recalled that The Lunchbox, starring Irrfan Khan, Nimrat Kaur and Nawazuddin Siddique, was nominated at the BAFTA, won the Viewers Choice Award at the 2014 Cannes Festival and was one of the highest earning foreign films in the U.S. in 2014. Batra's next, adapted from Julian Barnes 2011 Booker prize-winning novel, The Sense of an Ending, a subtle romantic mystery, stars Jim Broadbent as Tony Webster, the recluse who is forced to revisit his past only to find things turning murky. Batra does not exactly know how this prestigious project fell into his lap but he had loved Barnes' novel and knew that a script by Nick Payne was in progress. Then, one fine day he got a call and negotiations began, leading to him getting an offer to direct it. That was in early 2015. He moved to London in May and the shooting of the film began some time in September. I had read the novel back in 2011 and had always loved it. After I made The Lunchbox, I looked into it. I wanted to do my own writing but it was already adapted by the BBC, someone was working on it. I forgot about it. And after a year or so, it came as an offer for me to direct. I was very honoured, says Batra. I had loved the book but I also loved what the screenwriter Nick had done with it, he had done lot of inventive things. It was a true adaptation of the novel. So it really interested me. It was telling story through relationships. I met him and realised that it would be a great collaboration. It was a close collaboration. Nick and I worked together on the script for about three months," Batra recalls. The challenge wasnt directing a foreign film or working with talents like Broadbent and Charlotte Rampling. The challenge was directing someone elses script, which I hadnt done before. I had worked on my own scripts. Its much harder than working on your own original script. Its a unique experience separating the writer in you from the director. It was a very interesting process but very different from The Lunchbox, of course, because it was an adaptation, he says. "There was also a huge responsibility involved in adapting a great novel to screen, dealing with someone elses characters. How far can you move away yet retain the essence of the novel? It requires a lot of work. We met, we read it aloud to each other which is a very useful process. After that, when the actors started coming on board, it always kept changing. Through prep and shoots, movies are crafted on the editing table and that is where we made lot of changes. It is a very delicate movie to get right, especially the balance between the past and the present," says Batra. What really interests him is telling stories of ordinary people. That is what attracted him to The Sense of an Ending as well. The Lunchbox touched upon urban loneliness and The Sense of an Ending is likely to have a similar emotional appeal. It is the story of a very ordinary person but there is so much in his life that it makes for great literature. You guys will have to watch and tell me. Maybe there is some similarity in the emotional quotient between The Lunchbox and The Sense of an Ending. But just that. Unlike The Lunchbox, The Sense of an Ending is set across two time periods. It is set in the 1960s and the present day which makes the movie very interesting, he says. The entire book is in first person, that is in the eyes of the protagonist, Tony Webster, a retired man is talking to the reader. Movies have to be told through relationships, so that was really the task: creating and fleshing out the relationships in the book to tell the same story that Julian did but in a different medium. It was a challenging book to adapt but Julian gave us a lot of freedom. He always told us to go ahead and betray him. He gave us the license to do that, but I had to stay true to his book in many ways," reveals Batra. Batra had enjoyed directing Irrfan, Nawaz and Nimrat in his debut film, but directing the actors of The Sense of an Ending was a more unique experience as he was shooting with a humongous crew of nearly 300 people on set. It was interesting especially because of the breadth of actors. We worked with lot of actors, the entire gamut of actors. Rampling and Broadbent have such wide and varied careers. Then there were young and amazing actors like Michelle Dockery. There are lot of parts in the movie and it was a big casting puzzle. They were actors from theatre, films, actors who were never been in movies. Interacting with each one of them was very different." But he admits he did not feel a great difference between directing Broadbent from an Irrfan or Nawaz and Rampling from a Nimrat. "Actors are similar everywhere and as involved in their work, says Batra, who participated in the casting process after the first draft of the script. Jim came on board first, followed by Charlotte. Some were natural choices for their parts, for instance Emily Mortimer. Then we had a host of young actors who have never been in movies before. They had to fit in to play the younger versions in the Sixties. It took us the longest time to cast the younger actors." Ritesh has not found the time to catch up with movies back home but he has been in touch with The Lunchbox actors in the midst of shooting and editing. I have not seen any movie anywhere. I got so involved in my work as The Sense of an Ending has to feel like a very British and English movie just like the novel. I was very engrossed in making sure that it feels very true to that world. So I had to get to know the world which is not my world. The same goes with this American movie, Our Souls at Night. But yes, I have been in touch with Irrfan," says Batra. It was extremely exciting for him to direct iconic actors like Robert Redford and Jane Fonda for Our Souls at Night, which is based on Kent Harufs novel about a pair of widowed neighbours who share a connection. The material struck a chord for Batra, who explains, When I was growing up, I shared my room with my granddad. I got to see his last days of life in that room. The Our Souls at Night shoot just wrapped in Colorado and though he still has to oversee post-production in New York, Batra hopes to write and direct a script of his own next. Interestingly, The Lunchbox still remains in the minds of people. Yes, that is very strange. When I was shooting in Colarado a few months ago, it was in a small town with just about 4,000 inhabitants. People there had seen The Lunchbox. The movie has really traveled a lot which is nice to know. Perhaps there was an emotional connect or it is the character study which generated interest, says Batra. But at present I am curious to see how The Sense of an Ending is received in India. The film will hit the screens on 7 April. JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.You should upgrade or use an alternative browser Actress-turned-columnist-and author Twinkle Khanna, who is known to be outspoken and vocal about all issues, recently expressed her opinions about The Viral Fever (TVF) CEO and founder Arunabh Kumar's statements. She condemned him for saying that it is okay to call a female co-worker 'sexy'. In an interview to Mumbai Mirror, Kumar said, "I am a heterosexual, single man and when I find a woman sexy, I tell her she's sexy. I compliment women. Is that wrong? Having said that, I am very particular about my behaviour I will approach a woman, but never force myself." Twinkle Khanna argues that this is an example of a situation where an employee, who is privileged, believes that rules are meant for everyone else except themselves. She is of the opinion that such a statement undermines female employees' credentials, as well as the effort they put it at the workplace and the sacrifices they make at home. "By calling a woman sexy in a working environment, you are undermining everything she has worked for, the stereotypes she has had to break, the pride she takes in her abilities, and the inevitable guilt that she feels about not being home with her children, just to be there in that office, trying to make her place in the world," she says. She says that despite being an assertive woman, she too has been at the receiving end of sexual harassment from a client who sent her lewd messages, which eventually caused her to break down. She adds that women continually choose to ignore the unwanted attention they receive at the workplace. Her advice to male bosses is that they must search outside offices for romance, and in the case that they do happen to fall for an employee, they can ask the employee out to dinner in a decent manner. She highlights that women would prefer compliments that are work-related. Khanna concluded by saying that the word 'sexy' would be appropriate in an exchange at the workplace only if the boss was a pimp and the employee was a stripper. BEIJING China expressed anger on Monday after exiled Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama attended a Buddhist conference supported by the Indian culture ministry, the latest spat with India over a man whom China brands a dangerous separatist.The Nobel Peace Prize-winning Dalai Lama, who fled into exile in India after a failed uprising against Chinese rule in 1959, denies espousing violence and says he only wants genuine autonomy for his remote Himalayan homeland.The Dalai Lama opened the conference last Friday in eastern India."Recently, India ignored China's solemn representations and strong opposition and insisted on inviting the 14th Dalai Lama to attend an international Buddhist conference organised by the Indian government," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said. The Dalai Lama also shared the stage with Indian government officials and gave a speech, she told a daily news briefing."China is strongly dissatisfied and resolutely opposed to this," Hua added."We urge the India side to clearly recognise the anti-China separatist nature of the Dalai clique, abide by its promises on the Tibet issue, respect China's core interests and avoid further disturbances and harm to China-India relations." The Dalai Lama and Indian Culture Minister Mahesh Sharma inaugurated the conference on Friday, the Indian culture ministry said in a statement.Buddha's teachings were especially relevant in a world facing violence, President Pranab Mukherjee said on Sunday in a closing address to the conference, held at Rajgir in the eastern state of Bihar. In December, Mukherjee hosted the Dalai Lama at his official residence with other Nobel prize winners, the Tibetan leader's first public meeting with an Indian head of state in 60 years.Next month, the government representatives will meet the Dalai Lama when he visits a sensitive border region controlled by India but claimed by China, despite a warning from Beijing that it would damage ties.China has ruled Tibet with an iron fist since it was "peacefully liberated" by the People's Liberation Army in 1950.China denies any repression in Tibet and says its rule has brought development to a once backward and poverty-stricken region. (Reporting by Ben Blanchard; Additional reporting by Sanjeev Miglani in New Delhi; Editing by Clarence Fernandez) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. By Jonathan Saul and Parisa Hafezi | LONDON/ANKARA LONDON/ANKARA Iran has asked the Bank of England to set up special clearing accounts for its banks, but has so far been rebuffed in its effort to resolve an impasse that has left it excluded from banking in London more than a year after sanctions were lifted.Tehran has been hoping for swift reintegration into global trade after its deal in 2015 aimed at curbing Tehran's nuclear program in return for the lifting of international sanctions. Its failure to persuade Western banks to accept its business has been one of the main choke points preventing its rehabilitation.Banking sources from both Iran and the West, and Iranian political sources close to the talks, said Tehran has approached the Bank of England to seek clearing accounts directly with the UK central bank.Such accounts, for Iran's own Central Bank or for the British subsidiaries of Iranian banks, would allow them to make and receive payments in sterling, business so far rejected by commercial banks."That would send a huge message to the market. What commercial bank is practically going to stop Bank of England payments? None," said one Western source.However, the sources said the BoE seems uninterested in resolving the problem for now."The Bank of England has proved resistant to intervening in any kind of positive way in order to assist trade between Iran and UK," said the Western source.A senior Iranian banking official in Tehran said: "The Bank of England has suspended anything related to Iran, even the latest scheduled meeting was canceled. Everything has been put on hold."A Bank of England spokesman declined to comment. Iran's Central Bank officials were not available to comment.The sources all spoke on condition of anonymity as talks between Iran and the bank have not officially been made public.Although EU and United Nations sanctions over Iran's nuclear program were lifted a year ago, the United States still has separate measures in place over Iran's missile program, and the new U.S. administration has promised a hard line.The risk of falling afoul of U.S. measures has been enough to persuade Western banks to steer clear, including in London, where Iran is particularly keen for a presence in the main global financial center outside of the United States. Even Iran's embassy in London has so far been unable to open a British bank account.Three Iranian banks have subsidiaries with licenses to operate in Britain: Melli Bank Plc, Bank Sepah International Plc and Persia International Bank Plc. But none has been able to persuade a commercial bank to clear its payments in sterling, the British currency."TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE" "It is totally unacceptable that a UK bank which has a banking license, which is in good standing with its regulators, is unable to access the sterling system," said Sue Millar, partner with law firm Stephenson Harwood that represents those three UK-based arms of Iranian banks, as well as Bank Saderat Plc, which remains on the U.S. blacklist.Iran considers the failure of Western countries to allow it back into the international financial system to violate the spirit of the 2015 nuclear deal. It says Britain in particular, given its large capital markets, should do more to ensure Iranian banks operating there legally are treated fairly.The issue is particularly sensitive within Iran for the future of the nuclear deal's architect, President Hasan Rouhani, a pragmatist elected in a landslide in 2013 on a promise to reduce Iran's economic isolation. He faces re-election in May against hardliners who say his deal has never yielded the promised economic benefits. The UK government, eager to boost trade with new markets like Iran after last year's vote to leave the European Union, has struggled to convince British banks to boost trade with Iran, sources have told Reuters. British trade minister Liam Fox told a parliamentary committee last week he had commissioned work from his department to look at how to normalize "effective payment channels" with Iran to try to open up trading opportunities.An official close to Rouhani said while the British government had promised to do more, so far there had been no progress. The senior Iranian banking official added that meetings between Iranian and British government officials had yielded no change in the commercial banks' policies."They (banks) are worried about Trump's Iran approach - and now that Iran has been 'put on notice', the process will be much more difficult," the official said, referring to remarks made in Washington last month by then U.S. national security advisor Michael Flynn threatening an unspecified response after an Iranian ballistic missile test.In response to questions from Reuters, the British government said it was committed to working closely with all parties, including UK banks and industry groups, to help open opportunities for trade between Britain and Iran. "This will be a vital part of Iran's re-integration into the international community and we will continue to work to strengthen and expand our trading relationship for mutual benefit," said a statement attributed to a government spokesperson. "IRANOPHOBIA" In April last year, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei accused Washington of undermining the nuclear deal by scaring investors away from Iran."On paper America lets foreign banks deal with Iran, but in practice they create Iranophobia so no one does business with Iran," Khamenei said at the time. In addition to concern over the remaining U.S. sanctions, banks are wary of business with Iran because of the high cost of ensuring that any transactions comply with rules.Iran is one of just two countries, along with North Korea, declared "high risk and non-cooperative jurisdictions" by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), a global group of nations that monitors money laundering.Iran is implementing an "action plan" to have that designation lifted, and the watchdog has set a June 2017 deadline to evaluate its progress. Meanwhile, the FATF still advises countries to tell their banks to impose extra due diligence on transactions with Iranians. The FATF's guidance cites in particular the risk of funding terrorism.Banking officials said reintegrating Iranian banks into the financial system would take time, and may require support from the government to help allay the cost to commercial banks of taking on added risk and performing additional checks. "When you have had such broad ranging sanctions over such a long period of time, it is completely unrealistic to re-enter this space without considerable risk analysis. That may involve creative risk sharing," said Justine Walker, director financial crime with industry lobby the British Bankers' Association."So, industry will be looking at some kind of tie up with government."For Iranians hoping to trade abroad, that means waiting."As a businessman, I cannot open an account in Britain's major banks. How am I supposed to do business with the world?" said the chief executive of an import-export company in Tehran, who asked not to be identified. (Editing by Peter Graff) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. By Esha Vaish and Kate Holton Google apologized on Monday for allowing ads to appear alongside offensive videos on YouTube as more high-profile firms such as Marks & Spencer (MKS.L) and HSBC (HSBA.L) pulled advertising for British markets from Google sites.The British government has suspended its advertising on YouTube after some public sector ads appeared next to videos carrying homophobic and anti-semitic messages, prompting a flood of major companies to follow suit.Britain is the largest market for Alphabet Inc's (GOOGL.O) Google outside the United States, generating $7.8 billion mainly from advertising in 2016, or nearly 9 percent of the U.S. giant's global revenue."I would like to apologize to our partners and advertisers who might have been affected by their ads appearing on controversial content," Google EMEA President Matt Brittin said at the annual Advertising Week Europe event in London.Besides well-known British brands pulling the plug, some of the world's biggest advertising companies responsible for placing vast amounts of marketing material for clients, said they were reviewing how they worked with Google.The boycott is the latest clash between advertising companies and the internet giants that have built up dominant positions in digital advertising by offering not only huge audiences but also the ability to apply their user data to make ads more targeted and relevant.For big advertising groups such as WPP (WPP.L), internet firms are both a client and a competitor, while traditional media groups such as newspapers and general online news publishers are having to compete with them for online dollars. HOSTILE INDUSTRY "Google faces a hostile industry of media owners in Europe ... and we expect they will be all too happy to highlight future brand safety failings," said Brian Wieser, a senior analyst at Pivotal Research Group."Overall, we think that the problems which have come to light will have global repercussions as UK marketers potentially adapt their UK policies to other markets and as marketers around the world become more aware of the problem," he said.WPP, the world's largest advertising firm, said on Monday it was talking to clients and media partners such as Google, Facebook and Snapchat to find ways to prevent brands from being tarnished. "We have always said Google, Facebook and others are media companies and have the same responsibilities as any other media company. They cannot masquerade as technology companies, particularly when they place advertisements," said Martin Sorrell, the founder and head of the British firm. Publicis (PUBP.PA), the world's third largest advertising firm, said in a statement on Monday that it was clear Google had fallen short of meeting advertising standards and that the French company was reviewing its relationship with Google.Google said on Friday it worked hard to remove ads appearing on pages or videos with hate speech, gory or offensive content but with 400 hours of video uploaded to YouTube every minute it did not always get it right. Brittin said Google had made a commitment to doing better and would simplify advertiser controls, add safer defaults and increase investment to enforce its ad policies faster.A spokeswoman for Google UK said it would look again at the way it defines incendiary commentary and hate speech to raise the bar on videos and sites allowed for advertising.On Friday, Google executives were called in to face questions from the advertising industry and Britain over the issue.Representatives for retailers Marks & Spencer, Sainsbury's (SBRY.L) and Argos, British banks HSBC and RBS (RBS.L), McDonald's, the UK branch of advertising group Havas (HAVA.PA) and the BBC told Reuters their firms had stopped ads.A source at Lloyds Banking (LLOY.L) said the lender had pulled the plug as well. Others such as Vodafone (VOD.L), Barclays (BARC.L) and Tesco (TSCO.L) were reviewing policies, their representatives said.(This version of the story has been refiled to remove extraneous apostrophe in first paragraph) (Additional reporting by Eric Auchard, Rahul B, Gwenaelle Barzic, James Davey and Lawrence White; editing by David Clarke) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. By Devidutta Tripathy and Sankalp Phartiyal | MUMBAI MUMBAI Britain's Vodafone Group and Idea Cellular agreed on Monday to merge their Indian operations in a $23 billion deal, creating the country's biggest telecoms business after the entry of a new rival sparked a brutal price war.The combined entity would have almost 400 million customers, overtaking market leader Bharti Airtel to account for about 40 percent of revenue of the world's second-biggest mobile phone services market by users after China.The deal underscores how India's mobile industry is being transformed by the launch last year of Reliance Jio Infocomm's 4G mobile broadband network.Built at a cost of more than $20 billion by India's richest man, Mukesh Ambani, Jio has offered free services for months. That has forced India's three biggest operators - Bharti, Vodafone and Idea - to slash prices and accept lower profits, and sparked a wave of consolidation in the sector."We are very complementary," Vodafone Chief Executive Vittorio Colao told a news conference in Mumbai after the deal was announced. "Idea is strong where Vodafone is weaker, Vodafone is strong where Idea is weaker."The two companies, which announced in January that they were in talks, will have to shed spectrum in some areas to meet India's rules, although Colao said it would be "small". The deal is expected to close in 2018. Shares in Idea rose as much as 14.3 percent immediately after the news but then fell 9 percent as traders said the implied deal price for Idea was well below the stock's close on Friday. Vodafone shares were flat in London trading as of 0942 GMT.Idea said the rough deal price worked out to 72.5 rupees per share but stressed that was only for illustrative purposes and was not the actual price. Idea's shares closed at 108.10 rupees on Friday.DEAL CONTOURS Vodafone, the world's second-largest cellphone operator, will own 45.1 percent of the merged entity, after it transfers about 4.9 percent to promoters of Idea or their affiliates for 38.74 billion rupees ($592.15 million) in cash, Idea said. Aditya Birla Group, the majority owner of Idea, will own 26 percent while other shareholders will own the remaining 28.9 percent. Aditya Birla and Vodafone eventually aim to own an equal share of the joint venture, with a combined enterprise value of $23.2 billion.Idea would have the sole right to appoint the chairman, while Vodafone would appoint the chief financial officer. The appointment of a chief executive officer and a chief operating officer would require the approval of both companies, which would get the right to nominate three board members each.Vodafone, which will cut its net debt by about $8.2 billion with the deal, has endured a tumultuous ride since it entered India in 2007, with a high-profile tax battle and a long-delayed Indian listing. The South Asian country contributes more than 10 percent of its revenues. Colao said on Friday the pending case, with India demanding more than $2 billion in taxes, will not affect the deal, which needs regulatory approval.The deal does not include Vodafone's 42 percent stake in Indus Towers, a joint venture between the British group, a unit of Bharti Airtel and Idea. But Vodafone and Idea said they will look to reduce their tower assets exposure, including selling their stakes in the joint venture. Analysts have said Jio's entry is the catalyst for mergers and exits of some foreign players. Bharti Airtel is in the process of buying Telenor's India operations, while two smaller players controlled by Malaysia's Maxis and Russia's Sistema are merging their operations with Reliance Communications' wireless unit."Consolidation is a much anticipated and very welcome development in this beleaguered telecom sector," said Arpita Pal Agrawal, a partner and telecom analyst at PwC India. ($1 = 65.4050 Indian rupees) (Writing by Rafael Nam and Devidutta Tripathy; Additional reporting by Swati Bhat in MUMBAI and Samantha Kareen Nair in BENGALURU; Editing by Stephen Coates and Muralikumar Anantharaman) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. Islamabad: Officials from India and Pakistan discussed problems relating to Indus Basin at the two-day Indus Water Commission meeting which began on Monday after a gap of nearly two years. The 10-member Indian delegation led by Indus Water Commissioner P K Saxena held a close door meeting with the Pakistani side which was headed by Mirza Asif Saeed. During the meeting, Pakistan was expected to highlight concerns about the three Indian hydro projects being built on the rivers flowing to Pakistan. They are 1000 MW Pakul Dul on Chenab, 120 MW Miyar, located across Miyar Nalla which is a right bank main tributary of river Chenab, and the 43 MW Lower Kalnai hydro project on Lower Kalnai Nalla, a tributary of river Chenab. Pakistan contends that the projects were violating the Indus Water Treaty of 1960, which has come under strain during the current tension between the two sides. Pakal Dul and Lower Kalnai are being built in Jammu and Kashmir at a cost of Rs 7,464 crore (November 2008 price level) and Rs 396 crore respectively. Miyar hydroelectricity project, located in Himachal Pradesh's Lahaul Spiti district, is estimated to cost Rs 1,125 crore. Monday's meeting is the 113th session of the Permanent Indus Waters Commission which was established in 1960. The last meeting of the commission was held in 2015. Another meeting planned in September 2016 was cancelled due to tension following the Uri terror attack by Pakistan-based outfits. Pakistan's Minister for Water and Power Khawaja Asif said that Indus Waters Treaty is one of world agreements, which provides an amicable solution of serious water issues between Pakistan and India. Addressing a news conference, Asif on Monday said secretary level talks on Ratle Hydroelectric Plant will begin on 12th of next month in Washington between the two countries. Asif expressed the hope that things will move in the positive direction as a result of meeting between permanent Indus commissioners of Pakistan and India. He said outstanding problems relating to Indus Basin will be discussed during the meeting, Radio Pakistan reported. Khawaja Asif said the two-day meeting will discuss the design aspects of Pakal Dul, Lower Kalnai and Miyar hydroelectric plants, flood data supply by India. He said Pakistan has welcomed the readiness of India for talks at Indus Water commissioners level. To a question, he said Pakistan is pressing for implementation of arbitration court's decision on Kishanganga. Those who run the government of India have muddled along from one eruption of Kashmiri anger to another for the last nine years, but they might be reaching the end of the rope. Last week's video message from Hizbul Mujahideen commander (Burhan Wani's successor) Zakir Bhat gives glimpses of the mindset of many several Kashmiri youths today. For them, it is neither about misgovernance any more, nor a political struggle, but a struggle for Muslim supremacy. This might seem to be rooted in hatred for non-Muslims. But, to a large extent, it also reflects hope for a golden age of perfect justice and righteousness an Islamic 'Ram rajya'. While there is no denying that young Kashmiris have absorbed 'radical' Islamist ideas more than their earlier generations, one must understand what these youths are reacting against - what they are trying to escape - when they express a preference for Shariat rule. There are three strands to this, two of them political: Firstly, they increasingly perceive India as a Hindu entity, particularly since the current government took office in 2014. Secondly, young Kashmiris' hopes from the democratic process have been dashed following both the 2008 and the 2014 Assembly elections. The third strand is the choice of weapons for forces operating against demonstrators in Kashmir. That pellet guns and bullets are used, rather than water cannons, has shaped the psyche and responses of many young Kashmiris. It has convinced them that the Indian state wants to kill them because they are Muslims. Just five years ago, the issues that students raised in classroom discussions were more distinctly about administrative responsiveness. They were often disgusted by the extortionist corruption around them. Also, they were revolted by the humiliation they faced at the hands of forces whom they viewed as 'outsiders.' It became obvious during last year's uprising that much water has flowed under the bridge since those discourses were common five years before. Many youths in their 20s and 30s were still relatively reflective and quiescent, but the teenagers who took the lead last year appeared to have rejected the system lock, stock and barrel. Like Bhat, the Hizb commander, at least some of them have rejected nationalism and democracy altogether. Their number is growing. Fire-fighting mode Sadly, the government still seems to think it faces a law and order problem and beyond that, a political issue. Many in Kashmir, including the state government, also seem to have missed how far the goalposts have moved. Things like, ending corruption and disciplining the CRPF and other paramilitary forces, so that they don't indulge in damaging property when stones are being thrown at them, are still important. But, such measures would probably not suffice now to stave off the uprising that lies ahead. Unfortunately, the government is just not attuned to doing what is necessary before trouble erupts. Sometimes, it does take remedial action after an eruption, but never seems to have its heart in it. For example, P Chidambaram, who became the home minister during the 2010 uprising in Kashmir, tried to get the CRPF disciplined and re-trained after the uprising got over. But that force's behaviour during last year's uprising showed that those lessons have been forgotten (if not ignored). The fact is that the government is geared only for fire-fighting and projecting 'normalcy' at other times. I am reminded of a telephone call from a senior government officer in 2008, when Kashmir was pulsing with agitation. "What can we do?" he asked plaintively. I told him I could give him no advice while Kashmir was burning but, if he called me again when the place was calm in winter, we could discuss measures that ought to be taken. He did not call that winter. He called in 2010, when Kashmir was on fire again with the same plaintive question. Tragically, the government lulls itself into complacency every time agitations subside in Kashmir. Then, its officers go into a tizzy when agitations erupt again. No wonder agitations erupt time and again. Right now, they are missing what could turn out to be their last chance to take constructive steps before the place erupts in unprecedented agitation after the snow melts. That this winter has brought a lot of snow and intense cold has, ironically, been providential for them. It has given them a longer window of opportunity. But the government is complacent again. The Jat agitation that threatened to cripple normal life in Delhi on Monday was postponed, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar and Jat leader Yashpal Malik announced on Sunday. The decision followed several rounds of parleys in Delhi between the government and prominent Jat leaders spearheading the community's agitation in neighbouring Haryana. After the announcement, the authorities in Delhi, which was on tenterhooks, eased restrictions which were proposed to be put in the capital on Monday. Delhi Metro said its services will now run normally except for curbs on exit at certain stations close to Parliament. However, there was violence in Fatehabad in Haryana on Sunday when jat agitators were stopped by police from moving towards Delhi. At least 35 people, including an SP, a DSP and 16 other policemen, were injured in the clashes. Special Commissioner of Police Dependra Pathak said security arrangements at the borders, in New Delhi area and other places will remain intact and that the security situation will be monitored closely. "The police presence will be there. We are continuously monitoring the situation so that if any situation is precipitated, we are able to handle it," he said. The Jat community, which has been demanding reservation in government jobs and educational institutions, among other things, resumed their agitation on 29 January. Jat clash with Haryana Police At least 18 Haryana Police personnel, including a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) and women police officials, were injured on Sunday in Fatehabad district of Haryana when Delhi-bound Jat community protesters clashed with them, police said. The police personnel were trying to stop them at a barricade to prevent them from moving towards Delhi. The clash took place on the Sirsa-Hisar-Delhi Highway near Dhani Gopal village in Fatehabad district, around 200 km from here when the protesters, who were on tractor-trolleys, were stopped. Police used force, including cane charge and lobbed teargas shells, as the protesters pelted stones. The injured police personnel were rushed to hospital in Fatehabad. The DSP was reported to be seriously injured. The Jat mob even set two buses on fire and damaged police vehicles. Police officials said that the Jat protesters were carrying sharp-edged weapons on the tractor-trolley when they were stopped. As the protesters argued with the DSP and other police officers, one youth allegedly hit the police officer with a wooden log on the head from behind. Soon other protesters also attacked the police personnel and some media persons present there with stones. The protesters outnumbered the police force present at the barricade. Authorities in Haryana had imposed a ban on the movement of tractor-trolleys in districts bordering Delhi to foil a call given by Jat leaders to lay siege to Delhi and hold a protest outside Parliament, which has now been put off on the assurance of Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar. Jat agitation demands Apart from Khattar, Union Ministers Birender Singh and PP Chaudhary both Jats threw their weight from the government's side to persuade the Jat leaders to postpone their agitation in support of their demands and grievances. Khattar said both sides have reached a consensus on five points, including initiation of the process of reservation for the Jats in central government jobs, reconsideration of cases lodged against Jat agitators since 2010 and permanent jobs to next-of-kin of those killed and those maimed during the 2016 February agitation in Haryana. Besides, the government will also give monetary compensation to the injured and institute probe against officers accused of high-handedness during the Jat stir, he said. "All this will be done in a time-bound manner. Our government is committed to the welfare of the Jats," the chief minister said. Union Minister of State for Law and Social Justice PP Cahudhary said that the process for Jat resrevation in central government jobs will start after the chairperson and other members of the National Commission for Backward Classes have been appointed. Malik said the Jats will not undertake the proposed march to Parliament on Monday. However, he said, token dharnas at some places in Haryana would continue for the time being. Khattar, who was to visit Lucknow to attend the swearing-in of Yogi Adityanath as chief minister of Uttar Pradesh on Sunday, called off his visit to be available for parleys with Jat leaders in his state. The protest call had set alarm bells ringing in Delhi as Parliament is in session. There were apprehensions that normal life would be severely hit in the national capital, apart from the fact that students were to sit for board exams on Monday. Internet services restored in Haryana Internet services, which had been suspended in many "sensitive" districts of Haryana, were restored on Sunday evening after the Jats called off their proposed march to Delhi on Monday. The authorities had earlier suspended all Internet services and bulk messaging facility on mobile networks till 9 am on Monday, in order to prevent rumour-mongering. Liquor shops, which were to remain closed in the "sensitive" districts till 9 am on Monday as per the earlier orders, can now follow their regular timings, an official spokesman said. Prohibitory orders under section 144, CrPC were imposed and Internet services suspended in many "sensitive" districts, including Rohtak, Jhajjar, Sonepat, Hisar, Sirsa, Bhiwani and Kaithal, as a precautionary measure in the wake of the Jats' earlier plan to gherao the Parliament on Monday. The spokesman said the deputy commissioners of the districts concerned will take a decision on lifting the prohibitory orders shortly. Delhi Metro services resumed After the Jats called off Parliament march, the Delhi Metro announced it will run normal services on Monday but there will be no exit from Patel Chowk, Central Secretariat, Udyog Bhawan and Lok Kalyan Marg stations in the heart of the capital on the Yellow Line on Monday. Police had on Saturday asked the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation to curtail its services to Haryana and Uttar Pradesh in a bid to foil the entry of Jats into Delhi. Subsequently, the Delhi Metro announced it will suspend services to Haryana and Uttar Pradesh and close 12 important stations from Sunday night. The administration had imposed prohibitory orders in 15 districts of Haryana, including Rohtak, Sonipat, Jhajjar, Bhiwani, Panipat, Hisar, Kaithal, Charkhi Dadri, Fatehabad, Jind and Sirsa. The Jat leaders were earlier in talks with a panel of government officers, but these had remained inconclusive. Violence during the agitation last year had left 30 people dead and over 200 injured. Government and private property worth hundreds of crores of rupees was damaged. The Haryana chief minister appealed to people in the state to cooperate in maintaining peace and harmony. In view of the planned march on Monday, prohibitory orders had been clamped in Delhi, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan to stop the Jat protesters from entering Delhi. Yashpal Malik addresses media after meeting Yashpal Malik also appealed to people in the state to cooperate in maintaining peace and harmony. "Ab Jat Dilli na aa rahe (Now Jats are not coming to Delhi). We have called off our agitation and march towards Delhi. The state government has agreed to our demands," Malik told reporters after the meeting. He added that the community will call off its dharna from most of the places in the state, barring few where it will continue with symbolic protests. A Haryana ministerial panel led by senior Minister Ram Bilas Sharma had held talks with the Jats in Panipat on March 16, after which the minister had said that an agreement had been reached with the community and the deadlock could end soon. About 24,700 paramilitary personnel had been mobilised to maintain peace. Metro and road transport has been curtailed and several schools have been closed in the national capital. The Jat agitation entered the 50th day on Sunday. With inputs from agencies New Delhi: Two Indian clerics, who had gone had gone on a visit to Pakistan on 8 March and were said to have gone missing, returned to Delhi on Monday. According to a report in the New Indian Express, Syed Asif Ali Nizami, 80, and his nephew Nazim Ali Nizami, clerics of Delhi's Hazrat Nizamuddin Dargah, landed at the Delhi airport on Monday morning. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj had announced on Sunday that she had spoken with them, that they were safe and would be arriving on Monday. Swaraj is expected to meet with them and their families. Amir Nizami, son of one of the clerics, picked them up from the airport and visited Hazrat Nizamuddin Dargah to seek blessings of Allah. The Financial Express reported that the clerics, who had gone to Lahore on 8 March, were offloaded from a Karachi-bound flight at the Lahore airport on 14 March. According to reports, the clerics were taken into custody by personnel of an intelligence agency and shifted to an undisclosed location and questioned for their alleged links with the men of Altaf Hussain, the self-exiled leader of Pakistans Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM). Asif was visiting Pakistan to meet his sister in Karachi. Swaraj had, on Sunday, taken up the issue of the clerics going 'missing' with Pakistani prime minister's adviser on foreign affairs Sartaj Aziz and requested him to find them. Late Sunday, Pakistan told India that they'd found the clerics in Karachi. I just spoke to Syed Nazim Ali Nizami in Karachi. He told me that they are safe and will be back in Delhi tomorrow. #Nizamuddin Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) March 19, 2017 Local media reports, citing unnamed sources, said that both clerics were traced to Karachi's Nazimabad neighbourhood in rural Sindh, where they had apparently gone to "meet their followers, where there was no communication network", which is why they could not inform their relatives about their whereabouts. With inputs from agencies New Delhi: 'Mohabbat ka silsila jari rahna chahiye' (efforts to build peace and amity must continue) -- said one of the two clerics from Hazrat Nizamuddin Dargah, on returning home from Pakistan where they had gone missing under mysterious circumstances. Despite the hardship faced in the last few days, the two clerics from Delhi's iconic shrine, are filled with anything but acrimony. "Whatever we faced during this time, should not mean that India and Pakistan should have another reason to feel bitter about each other. In fact, the efforts to build peace and amity must continue even more," Sufi cleric Nazim Ali Nizami told PTI in an interview. Ali Nizami and 80-year-old Syed Asif Nizami, 'Sajjadanashin' of the holy shrine were given a warm reception at the Nizamuddin mausoleum, where special prayers were offered to "thank the almighty" for their return. "We are Sufis and Sufism teaches us the message of love ('paigam-e-mohabbat'). We had gone to Pakistan to spread that message. Some people may not have liked our message. But, I will again go to Pakistan, and go there with greater resolve," he said. News reports had claimed the two clerics were detained by Pakistan's spy agency ISI over suspicion of their links with India's external spy agency RAW and Muttahida Qaumi Movement in that country. Pakistani newspaper Ummat had in a report claimed that the clerics worked for RAW and MQM, an organisation of Muslims who migrated from India to Pakistan after partition and has often been locked in confrontation with the establishment there, a charge strongly rejected by the cleric. "The main purpose of the visit was to visit the shrine of Baba Farid and Data Darbar. I keep visiting Pakistan but my uncle (Asif) was visiting after 26 years to meet his nearly 90-year-old sister in Karachi," Ali Nizami said. Ali Nizami said "aman-chain ki taraf kadam badhne chahiye, (We must work towards peace and amity)" and more and more people should visit each other from both sides of the border. He appealed to both India and Pakistan to increase people-to-people contact as part of peace-building efforts. "I would even appeal to both New Delhi and Islamabad to increase the number of visas so that more and more people can travel and know each other," he added. The two clerics had gone to Lahore on 8 March but disappeared in the middle of last week following which India took up the issue with Islamabad. They were offloaded from Karachi-bound Shaheen Airlines on 14 March at the Allama Iqbal International Airport, Lahore, the Pakistani sources had said. For most of the time during the civil war in Syria, Israel stood on the sidelines playing a curious though a proactive observer that intervened sporadically for rather limited objectives. Syria of five years ago was regarded as the last remaining potential strategic rival to Israel with shared borders. In truth the border between Syria and Israel, along the occupied Golan Heights, had been quiet for nearly four decades since the end of the 1973 war. The potential military threat posed in the past to Israel from the northern neighbour almost evaporated for a combination of factors. First and foremost the peace agreements signed first with Egypt and later Jordan, eliminated Israels deep concerns of war on more than one front. Moreover, military and economic support from Moscow for the regime in Damascus dwindled considerably as a result of the end of the Cold War. Consequently the Syrian army lagged behind the Israeli army, which continued to increase capabilities due to American military and economic assistance, a highly advanced domestic weapons industry, and a successful economy capable of sustaining a powerful army. The arrival of the so-called Arab Spring to Syria in March 2011 caught the decision makers in Jerusalem and the intelligence community by complete surprise. Falling asleep in the warm comfort of the status quo, as happened to most intelligence communities and analysts everywhere, blurred the signs of a fast approaching radical and bloody change in Syria. It was inconceivable for them that a regime that had relied for so long on the spears of ruthless security forces, that had crushed any signs of dissent in the past, ruling by fear, would fail to nip any resistance in the bud. At first the Israeli reaction to the political upheaval in Syria was one of cautious alert, expecting President Assad to supress it quickly. Marginal role When this failed to materialize, a realization sunk in that Israel could only play a marginal role in such a complex and unpredictable conflict. It could neither impact the overall outcome nor the direction this neighbouring country was taking. For a country that is almost conditioned to react instantly, usually using force at the very hint of danger, Israel has been restrained and calculated. It was reluctant to take measures that might get it embroiled in what was to become the most horrific fields of killing in the region. One should not confuse Israels combination of puzzlement and a generally measured intervention in the Syrian civil war, with a lack of profound concerns regarding its potential impact on Israel. The first source of concern was the fear that the war would spill over into the Israeli occupied Golan Heights or even deeper into Israel. Secondly, the idea that the strengthening of the Iran-Hezbollah nexus in Syria could result in their presence closer to the Syrian-Israeli border. In response to these two growing risks, Israel has vowed to respond by military force to any cross border attack into its territory, and to thwart any attempt to transfer of advance game changing weapons from Syria to the Hezbollah in Lebanon. These two parameters of maintaining Israeli interests were pursued rather methodically. The increasing presence of both the Hezbollah and the Iranian Revolutionary Guard is certainly a growing concern, which has been exacerbated in recent months as a result of the Russian military intervention on the side of the Syrian regime. In this sense the events in Syria align with Israels wider strategic perception of the Iranian existential threat to Israel. The current strategic thinking in Israel is that the worst outcome for it would be that through the fog of war in Syria, the Golan Heights would gradually become Israels border with Iran Yossi Mekelberg Israeli leadership is still coming to terms with the failure to derail the nuclear agreement with Iran, which consumed Israeli foreign policy for at least a decade. It also witnesses, with great unease, the massive growth of the Iranian-backed Lebanese Shiite movements military capabilities since the 2006 war in Lebanon. From the very beginning of the uprising against Bashar Al Assads regime, Israel had no pre-conceived expectations regarding its outcome. It might have harboured some early hopes, some might argue wishful thinking, for the emergence of pro-Western democratic forces that might be also more accommodating towards Israel. Nonetheless, these hopes were very quickly dashed. Hence, especially with the appearance of extreme Jihadist movements such as Jabhat al-Nusra and ISIS as forces to reckon with, Israel was tacitly content with the continuation of the civil war in hopes that the warring sides would offset and weaken each other. Thus, it might seem surprising that Israel provides some humanitarian assistance, including admitting a limited number of Syrians injured in the war to its hospitals, or its public expression of horror at the five years of carnage, of nearly half a million people, and the displacement of millions from their homes. However, it serves Israels public relations very well, without having a broader impact. Future of the regime Yet, Israel five years into the Syrian civil war, and in the midst of a very shaky ceasefire, is still unsure how its interests have been affected. Syrian military capabilities have suffered tremendously and it had to give up most of its chemical weapons. However, if the regime survives it will owe it to a large extent to Iran and the Hezbollah, who Israel currently perceives as sworn enemies. Israels expectations for the US and the EU, to be more proactive in supporting the more moderate Sunni elements in resistance against the Syrian regime, as well as the Kurdish militias, to create a counterweight to the ever increasing militant elements, has hardly achieved any traction. The current strategic thinking in Israel is that the worst outcome for Israel would be that through the fog of war in Syria, the Golan Heights would gradually become Israels border with Iran. For all Israels gains and risks from the conflict in Syria, this is the one outcome Israel is reluctant to endure. It might present the greatest stimulus for it to become more involved in a war, which is already congested with all major world and regional actors. What's in a name, Shakespeare once asked. Quite a bit, Saddam Hussain, a 25-year-old marine engineer from Jamshedpur in Jharkhand, might venture. For it seems no one is willing to hire him. Never mind that his name is spelled differently (albeit only slightly) than the brutal Iraqi dictator who terrorised millions of his fellow countrymen until he was toppled by the United States in 2003 and hung in 2006. According to a report in Hindustan Times, Hussain, who was lovingly named by his grandfather, has been handed over 40 rejection letters from various organisations since he graduated from Tamil Nadu's Noorul Islam University over two years ago. Hussain seems crestfallen that prospective employers seem 'afraid' to hire him, despite ranking second in the 2014 batch. To make things worse, most of his peers have already secured employment around the globe. Hussain says, initially he could not figure out why his job search was going nowhere. "I then inquired with the HR departments of the companies and some of them told me my name was the problem, he remembers. Hussain was told that having a crew member with a name that arouses instant suspicion could be an operational nightmare. BBC reported that Hussain has been trying to get around this problem by getting a new passport and a driving licence under the name Sajid. However, there was a flaw in his plan, as his education certificates still bore the name Saddam. The wheels of bureaucracy are turning slowly, and Hussain will be going to court on 5 May to get the authorities to change the name on his school certificates. After that, he'll need to amend his graduation papers, too. While Hussain says he does not blame his grandfather, he feels that he is unjustly suffering for someone else's crimes. Can't argue there. So let this be a lesson to all you parents and grandparents-to-be. Shakespeare was wrong. Choose your childrens' names wisely. Following the Bharatiya Janata Party's latest electoral victory in Manipur, the party's ideological mentor, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), has set its eyes on the state of West Bengal. At its three-day national council meet the Akhil Bharatiya Pratinidhi Sabha (ABPS) in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, the Sangh expressed concern over the decaying law and order situation in West Bengal and the growing attacks on Hindus in the state. Referring to incidents of violence in Kaliachak and Dhulagadh in West Bengal, RSS sah sarkaryavah (joint general secretary), V Bhagaiah, said, "The situation of Hindus in Bengal is alarming. Violence, loot, murder, Muslim appeasement are high. The government machinery and police are being mute spectators on attacks against Hindus and Hindu festivals. To awaken the society and appeal to the government, a resolution on the situation and sufferings of Hindu society in West Bengal will be passed." The role of RSS and its affiliates in grassroots-level mobilisation of voters in Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and Manipur, where BJP succeeded in forming its maiden governments, cant be ruled out. With Sanghs activities gaining ground in the eastern and southern parts of India, the BJP also wants to get a foothold in West Bengal and other northeastern states. West Bengal however, unlike other states, is wary of the development agenda of the saffron party because of its pronounced Hindutva ideology. "During Durga puja festival at some of the villages in Bengal, especially in the districts bordering Bangladesh, we found that Hindus couldnt carry their puja procession through Muslim neighbourhood as the latter didnt allow them to. In many places, the Hindu Bengalis are so threatened that they cant perform the ritual of blowing the conch (shankh vandana) due to Muslim threats," an RSS functionary from West Bengal said. "Surprisingly, the Mamata Banerjee government is a mute spectator to this and hasnt taken any action even after complaints made to her. The Burdwan blast exposed the footprints of Islamic terrorism in the state. This situation needs to be changed. Its the same as Kerala at present, he said. The Khargarh blast in Burdwan in 2014 had exposed the alleged operations of Bangladeshi militant organisation Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) on West Bengal soil. It had also unveiled a nexus between the militants across the border and the local authorities. Tracing RSS' increasing influence Since the BJP came to power at the Centre in 2014, there has been a sharp increase in RSS shakhas and its membership. The RSS claim that this trend is reflective of the peoples growing acceptance of the Sangh Parivar and its ideology, and that it has nothing to do with politics. "In the last 10 years, Sanghs work has continuously been increasing along with its expansion and consolidation. At present, there are 57,233 shakhas functioning across the country. Last year, in the Prathamic Shiksha Varg (primary level), around one lakh youth participated and 17,500 trainees participated in the 20-day training camps held throughout the country. In the second and third year regional camps, 4,130 and 973 trainees respectively participated, Bhagaiah said. The three-day national council meet began on Sunday in the presence of RSS Sarsanghchalak (head) Mohan Bhagwat, which will be presided over by its general secretary Suresh Joshi. The meet is expected to witness participation of 1,400 representatives from different cross-sections of RSS and its affiliate bodies from 11 zones of 42 provinces. Besides reviewing the state-wise activities of the Sangh, important national issues will be discussed and resolutions will be passed in the meeting. "ABPS is an annual meeting of the highest decision-making body for policy formulation of the RSS, and every third year, this meeting takes place in Nagpur. Each province will present its report in different fields of Sanghs work. Swayamsevaks working in different organisations, affiliated to the Sangh, will share their experiences. A resolution on national issues will be discussed, debated and passed accordingly, Manmohan Vaidya, Akhil Bharatiya Prachar Pramukh (publicity head) of RSS told the media on Saturday. New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday declined any relief to Gopal Ansal and asked him to surrender by evening to undergo one-year jail term in the 1997 Uphaar fire tragedy case. A bench comprising Chief Justice J S Khehar and Justices D Y Chandrachud and S K Kaul rejected the plea moved by the real estate baron seeking more time to surrender on the ground that he has moved a mercy plea before the president. "Sorry, we can't," the bench said when senior advocate Ram Jethmalani mentioned the matter and sought more time, telling the court that they have already approached the president with their mercy plea. The apex court also rejected the plea from the senior advocate seeking a direction for speedy disposal of his mercy plea, pending before the president, saying that it cannot interfere with it as it is an exclusive jurisdiction of the president. The apex court, on 9 March, had dismissed Ansal's petition for parity with his elder brother Sushil Ansal, who was awarded jail term already undergone by him considering his "age-related complications", and directed him to surrender by today to serve the prison term. 69-year-old Gopal Ansal was in jail earlier for around four-and-a-half-month in connection with the case relating to the 13 June 1997 fire tragedy in which 59 persons had died in Uphaar cinema during the screening of Hindi movie Border. Over 100 people were injured in the subsequent stampede. A bench headed by Justice Gogoi, in a 2:1 majority verdict on 9 February had granted relief to 76-year-old Sushil Ansal considering age-related complications by awarding him the jail term already undergone and had asked Gopal to surrender in four weeks to serve the remaining jail term. Gopal had thereafter approached the apex court seeking modification of its order on the grounds of parity, saying he was 69-year-old and would suffer irreparable damage to his health if sent to prison. In its 9 February judgement, the apex court had upheld the fine of Rs 30 crore each imposed on both the convicts earlier and said it should be utilised for setting up a trauma centre. Earlier, a two-judge bench of the apex court had on 5 March 2014 held Sushil and Gopal Ansal guilty, but differed on the quantum of sentence to be awarded to them after which the matter was heard by a three-judge bench. The Delhi High Court on 19 December 2008 had awarded one-year jail term to both Sushil and Gopal Ansal in the case while reducing the two-year sentence imposed on them by the trial court. New Delhi: Amnesty International on Monday called for public withdrawal of the alleged inflammatory statements made in the past by BJP leader Yogi Adityanath, a day after he assumed charge as UP chief minister. "Adityanath has been one of Uttar Pradesh's most polarising politicians, given to hateful rhetoric that incites discrimination and hostility against minority groups, particularly Muslims," alleged Aakar Patel, Executive Director, Amnesty International India. The five-time MP from Gorakhpur, a known Hindutva hardliner, who was sworn in as the 21st chief minister of the state, stayed at the VVIP Guest House overnight and has decided not to enter his official residence before conducting prayers and purification rituals. "As chief minister of India's most populous state, he and his party have an obligation to ensure that his positions do not become government policy. It is, therefore, imperative that he retracts any statements which may provide a license for others to abuse human rights," Patel said in statement by the global NGO. The statement said Adityanath had called for India becoming a "Hindu state" and also made "polarising" statements claiming 'love jihad'. He faces criminal charges in multiple cases, including attempt to murder, criminal intimidation and rioting, Amnesty alleged, adding, "in 2007, he was detained for 15 days for allegedly inciting riots in Gorakhpur". Adityanath has been also charged in the past with endangering life or personal safety of others, unlawful assembly and trespassing on burial grounds. A murder case is going on in the court of CJM, Maharajganj, according to his 2014 election affidavit. Adityanath is also the founder of the Hindu Yuva Vahini, an organisation which has often been accused of "instigating communal tension". "Adityanath's toxic ideas must not become part of his governance. By demonising Muslims, he has increased religious divisions and put ordinary people at risk of discrimination, hostility and violence. "As the head of the Uttar Pradesh government, he must disown his poisonous statements, and ensure that his administration respects the rights of people of all faiths," Patel said. New Delhi: Opposition Congress on Monday pressed for expeditiously taking up of its substantive motion on the conduct of the governors of Goa and Manipur in not calling the single largest party to form the government after the Assembly elections. Raising the issue, Digvijaya Singh (Congress) said he has moved a substantive motion under rule 168 on the conduct of governors and wanted to know when it will be taken up. Deputy Chairman P J Kurien said the notice has been received and it is under consideration. "As and when chairman decides on the admissibility, you will be intimated," he said. He said "democracy is murdered" as the governors called BJP, the second largest party, to form governments. The conduct of the governors, he said, has gone against the established practice and constitutional propriety and urged that his motion is taken up expeditiously, otherwise "the urgency is lost". The Congress was the single largest party in both Goa and Manipur and had the first right of refusal in forming the government, he said. Singh had on Friday moved a notice under rule 267 seeking suspension of business to discuss the happenings in Goa but the chair had ruled that the conduct of governor can only be discussed under a substantive motion. Anand Sharma (Congress) charged the BJP of "committing theft (of mandate) by deceit." Law and IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, however, said the phrase "murder of democracy" should not go on record, a plea which was vehemently opposed by the Congress and other opposition parties including Left. "Murder of democracy is not an unparliamentary phrase and it cannot be expunged," said Tapan Sen (CPM). Prasad said the "in-house problems of Congress party should not be shifted to the governor." Sharad Yadav (JDU) also supported the demand for early consideration of the motion saying an impression has been given that when the issue first figured in the House on Thursday and Friday, it would be taken up on Monday. "If a notice is given, there is a procedure. Chairman has to examine its admissibility," Kurien said adding he will convey the feelings of the members about the urgency for a discussion to the chairman. Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said the chairman will have to decide if such a motion is to be admitted and, if admitted, under what rule. Jairam Ramesh (Congress) gave an acronym of Modi, which was immediately expunged from the records. When leader of the Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad said the motion should be taken up for discussion at 2 pm on Monday, Kurien said a decision on the admissibility of the motion will be conveyed as early as possible. For most people of Lucknow, the appointment of Dinesh Sharma as one of the two deputy chief ministers in the Bharatiya Janata Party government in Uttar Pradesh has not come as a surprise since Sharma was actually being thought to be in line for the top job. For a quiet, unassuming man quite unlike a politician, Sharma has indeed come a long way from being a teacher in the University of Lucknow to handling matters of police and governance in this vast state. For the last few days, Sharma's name was among those making the rounds for being in the reckoning for the top job. Even though the chief minister's post went to Adityanath, Sharma as the choice for one of the two deputies, clearly indicates his suitability for the position. He has a long association with the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), the students wing associated with the BJP, and headed its Lucknow unit in 1987. He was the state president of the Bharatiya Yuva Janata Morcha in 1993. Starting as a part-time lecturer in Lucknow University he later joined the university in 1992. He is now a professor in the commerce department and according to sources does not plan to quit the job. Born in January 1964, Sharma has done his BCom, MCom and PhD from Lucknow. He comes from a known Brahmin family of Lucknow, which has a long association with the RSS and the Jan Sangh, and his ancestral home in the Aishbagh locality. Incidentally, he also has a house allotted to him by the University of Lucknow and it is situated on the University Road next to the Vice-Chancellors bungalow. His wife Jayalakshmi Sharma, is a former IIM faculty. His colleagues in the university say he has a friendly manner and mixes easily with people. He is a popular figure in cultural and other programmes in Lucknow and enjoys a quick chat with friends and mediapersons alike. He is as popular among Muslim clerics as well, and is well-known in localities of old Lucknow. Sharma was first elected as Mayor of Lucknow in 2008. He stood for re-election in 2012 and defeated his nearest rival, Neeraj Bora of the Indian National Congress by over 1.71 lakh votes. Incidentally, now Bora is in the same party as him. His tenure as the Lucknow Mayor has largely been marked by his efforts to uphold the dignity of the post and also to demand more powers for the mayor for which the UP Government has so far been reluctant. He his tenure as Lucknows Mayor has been devoid of any controversy or charges of financial irregularities, and it is well-known for him that he is a stickler for detail. As mayor, he went through all official papers thoroughly, keeping his staff of their toes. He was also president of Uttar Pradesh Mayors Council in 2006-2011. His helpful nature and smiling countenance has won him many friends. He was considered very close to the former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee when the latter was the MP from Lucknow. He also earned the confidence of BJP president Amit Shah during the 2014 Lok Sabha election, especially after his meticulous work heading the partys membership campaign. It is said that Shah was highly impressed by Sharmas methodical approach in this campaign. Sharma was also reported to be a contender for being the BJP candidate from Lucknow but eventually the seat went to Rajnath Singh. Just prior to the 2014 election, Sharma was made the state in-charge of Gujarat, a responsibility considered rather heavy as it is Prime Ministers Narendra Modis home state. Since then, Sharma is being considered close to Modi as well. In August 2014 he became the National Vice President of the BJP. Some months ago when Modi had visited Lucknow on the occasion of Dussehra to participate in a Ramleela organised at the Aishbagh Ramleela ground, he had specifically mention Sharma by name, referring to him as Yashasvi (celebrated) Mayor of Lucknow. It was considered a sign that bigger and better responsibility could be on way for Sharma. He has also written several books and research papers and has been bestowed with the Peace Ambassador Award given by Korea Peace Foundation, as well as Most Honourable mayor given by the Government of Israel. Sharma is neither a member of the UP Legislative Assembly or the Council. Byelections will have to be held within the next six months to provide membership of the UP Legislature to Adityanath and Keshav Prasad Maurya as well, since both are members of Lok Sabha. With Adityanath being known as a hardliner, it is now for the affable Maurya and friendly Sharma to complete the picture of a peoples government that means business. The last time 111, Sahid Nagar, once the second most important address in Bhubaneswar after Naveen Nivas (Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik's residence) had seen a crowd of this magnitude was on 29 May, 2012. On Monday, as the body of Pyari Mohan Mohapatra, 'Rajguru' to Naveen for well over a decade, arrived at his one-time residence, people from all walks of life made a beeline for one last glimpse of the man who was the fulcrum of Odisha politics for years. In the period between that fateful day in the summer of 2012 and today, 111, Sahid Nagar had remained much like its once illustrious occupant forlorn, desolate and uncared for. Before that one day which effectively marked the end of his career in politics, Pyari Babu as he was known to friends and foes alike, enjoyed the kind of influence and clout in both the ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) and the government that no one has enjoyed before or after with the exception of Naveen Patnaik himself and that too without being a minister or party president. And every bit of that power was earned the hard way, through remarkable work in building the fledgling BJD, brick by solid brick, into the formidable force that it is today. At the height of his power, senior bureaucrats, including secretaries of government departments, were known to rush to his residence clutching files before every major decision. His word was almost always the last word in any contentious matter. For nearly 12 years, Naveen Patnaik, who has never really had the appetite for the nitty-gritties of administration, was more than happy to delegate all powers to the man he used to call "uncle". He was the perfect foil to the BJD supremo, doing everything selecting party candidates, finalising election strategies (even for minor zilla parishad and municipality elections), neutralising any potential threat to Naveen, and even choosing ministers on behalf of his "ward", even as the latter charmed his way into the heart of the electorate. His memory and understanding of issues and political equations were legendary. BJD insiders say he used to know even block-level leaders of the party by name and maintained a complete database of all party members. A Left-leaning leader in his student days, Pyari Babu spent considerable time and energy building the BJD as a cadre-based party. By the time he was shown the door by Naveen, the ruling party boasted of an incredible 27 lakh cadres, something that has stood the BJD in good stead long after he was thrown out. Of the numerous decisions he took working behind the scenes, three stand out. The first of these was the decision to advance Assembly polls, due in 2005, by a year and hold it simultaneously with the Lok Sabha elections in 2004, something that made sure that the BJD-BJP alliance government in the state romped home with a thumping majority, even as the Vajpayee government at the Centre fell by the wayside. The second was the Re 1 a kg rice scheme for BPL launched in 2008, a decision widely believed to have helped the BJD win two successive elections in 2009 and 2014. The third was the momentous decision to severe 11-year long ties with BJP on the eve of the 2009 elections. Most political pundits, and many even in the party, thought BJD had committed hara-kiri, but Pyari Babu was supremely confident that it would pay rich dividends and fetch over 100 seats for the BJD. The party ended up with 103 seats and the Doubting Thomases were left with egg on their faces. It was after this masterstroke that the sobriquet 'Chankya' was coined for him something that stuck to him till he was with the BJD. Pyari Babu's long career as a bureaucrat he was principal secretary to Bjiu Patnaik when the latter was chief minister from 1990 to 1995 gave him intimate, first-hand knowledge of the way the wheels of government run, which in turn, helped him run the party and the government in perfect synchronisation. If his political acumen was legendary, his administrative efficiency was unparalleled. The void that he left is yet to be filled up, even five years after he was expelled from BJD. After his departure, Naveen leaned on former minister and Rajya Sabha member Kalpataru Das till he died and has since banked on his trusted private secretary Kathikeyan Pandian, who is rumoured to be enjoying the kind of clout in the BJD and the government that Pyari Babu once did. But, as results of the zilla parishad elections showed recently, no one has really been able to step into Pyari Babu's large shoes. While he did so much for BJD and the government, any discussion on Pyari Babu is incomplete without reference to the events of 29 May, 2012. The fact of the case is that some 35-40 BJD MLAs, many of them handpicked by Pyari Babu, had assembled; first at his residence and then at a luxury hotel in Bhubaneswar. But what exactly happened that fateful day would perhaps remain a mystery forever. While Naveen dubbed him beimaan and accused him of plotting a coup while he was away in UK on his first overseas tour, Pyari Babu maintained till his last that he never planned anything of the sort. "Someone poisoned his (Naveen) mind against him," the erstwhile mentor to Naveen said repeatedly, but very few believed him. The truth would perhaps have come out if Pyari Babu had written his memoirs. But after his death due to complications after a surgery for lung cancer at the Hinduja Hospital in Mumbai on Sunday night, the mystery would now follow him to his grave. One thing is for sure: There would never be anyone like him in Odisha politics, at least not in the foreseeable future. If there were indeed any lingering doubts about the Bharatiya Janata Partys (BJPs) political project in the communally-sensitive state of Uttar Pradesh, the installation of hardline, Hindu right-wing demagogue Yogi Adityanath as Chief Minister, should put them to rest. In more ways than one, the choice of the Gorakhpur peeth's controversial head priest is a deliberate and strategic ideological decision. In choosing Adityanath as its mukhia in Uttar Pradesh, the BJP has rendered its own slogan of inclusive development insignificant. The selection of a politician who set himself up as a radical face of the Hindu samaj, flies in the face of the BJPs repeated denials of pandering to the majority community, or further deepening the already existing polarisation in Uttar Pradesh. No doubt, at work here is a highly successful strategy of combining developmentalist rhetoric with a politically inflammable agenda. On one hand, we are constantly subjected to the loud rhetoric of the BJPs sole commitment to a development for all agenda, regardless of class, caste, religion or community. But the appointment of a divisive, communal figure as chief minister of a state considered electorally bountiful and communally precarious, sends an entirely different signal to the people of the country. For years, Adityanath has actively propagated the politics of Hindutva, making provocative statements that openly target the Muslim community. He took an aggressive lead in the frenzied cow protection campaign that occurred in the state after the Modi government came to power. In the 2014 general elections, the BJP leaned heavily on him to mobilise the votes of the majority community. A major presence in the recent 2017 assembly polls as well, Adityanath kept up his relentless attacks on Muslims, notwithstanding periodic reprimands from the Election Commission. A report in The Indian Express (19 March) says: His vitriol was in full flow in the 2017 elections too, with Adityanath now the BJPs star campaigner. On 7 February, he addressed his first ever press conference at the BJP state headquarters. There, he had said that the exodus of people from western Uttar Pradesh was an issue in the state and that UP could turn into Kashmir if Samajwadi Party remained in power. Adityanath said he would raise these issues after the elections too. His relentless advocacy of anti-minority politics has finally brought him rich political dividends. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who praised the BJP MP as a popular and jujharu (hardworking) Parliamentarian, has now rewarded him with an invaluable prize. Believing the BJP top brass has picked Adityanath for his non-existent administrative expertise or hidden potential in that department, is simply delusional. Behind the rhetoric of development lies the BJPs (and Sangh Parivars) deeper core agenda of cultural nationalism, which they believe, is gathering more momentum in the country. There has been a tactical shift in the trajectory of recent Hindutva campaigns. In place of the earlier advocacy for Ram mandir at Ayodhya, we now see unfolding a fractious campaign around nationalism. Majoritarian nationalism is what defines cultural nationalism. For the Sangh, Adityanath was always a potent instrument this ideological project in Uttar Pradesh. But the BJPs unprecedented recent triumph, indicating a consolidation of Hindu votes, has opened up a new space where the party is confident of making aggressive moves; where even a much publicised, Muslim-baiter like Adityanath can be appointed to the top political post with a great deal of fanfare. It can be further argued that past experience shows how development models can be projected as successful even when they are fundamentally premised on excluding minorities on multiple levels economic, political, cultural and social. The Gujarat model is a good case in point. Gujarat has also exemplified a particularly dangerous political model. Shepherded by the BJP, it has been structured along the lines of religious polarisation since at least 2002. The promotion of Adityanath as UP Chief Minister signals the BJPs resolve to replicate such a model in Uttar Pradesh. Of course, it helps when media organisations, newspapers, and television channels (with a few exceptions) simply regurgitate government rhetoric without investigation or criticism. As the new chief minister of UP gets to work, those in the highest echelons of the Indian media should equally introspect about their callous coverage of the election campaign which reproduced, lock stock and barrel, the BJPs claim about development without ever scratching the surface of this rhetoric. Allahabad: A BSP leader was shot dead in a remote part of the district Sunday night, triggering tension in the area. 60-year-old Mohd Shami was gunned down by assailants close to his residence in Mauaima police station area, 40 km from the city, according to Senior Superintendent of Police Shalabh Mathur. Following the incident, his supporters squatted on the Allahabad-Pratapgarh highway demanding immediate arrest of the culprits and adequate security to his family members. The SSP said Shami had been a five-time president of the Mauaima block. He was allegedly involved in a number of criminal cases, many of them relating to heinous offences like murder and dacoity. According to BSP sources, Shami had joined the party last year soon after losing the panchayat polls, ending his long association with the Samajwadi Party. He had also contested the assembly polls in 2002 on an SP ticket from Kunda against controversial independent MLA Raghuraj Pratap Singh alias Raja Bhaiya who went on to become a minister in the previous Akhilesh Yadav government in Uttar Pradesh. He was also said to be involved in a feud with local leaders of the BJP and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, the sources claimed. Adequate deployment of police has been made in the area to keep the situation under control and Shami's supporters who were squatting on the highway have been dispersed, the SSP said, adding that a search was on to nab those named in the FIR lodged by Shami's family members. Forget secular softies, even commentators known for their pro-Hindutva inclination appear nonplussed at the choice of Yogi Adityanath for the top job in Uttar Pradesh. No one finds his abrasive ways sitting well with their delicate notion of a leader. For the former he represents all that is wrong with the rabid Right and for the latter he is too Right even for a Right-winger. The consensus: he didnt deserve to be chief minister. Its amusing. Prime Minister Narendra Modi raised the same fears in the secular fraternity and among the soft Right when he began his march from Gujarat to Delhi before the general election of 2014. There were too many questions around him: Doesn't he represent hardline Hindutva? Hasnt he made his disdain for secularism too obvious in Gujarat? Isnt he a divisive figure? With him around will India remain the same? Nearly three years down the line, the questions have died out. There is still suspicion about his moves in certain quarters but he has managed to win popular trust to make any suspicion redundant. He has been careful to keep separate his language as prime minister of the country and his language as the star campaigner of his party and its ideology. It has worked. Why cannot Yogi Adityanath go the same way? His past record does not inspire confidence, but it's possible we are pre-judging the Yogi. With the kind of mandate it enjoys in Uttar Pradesh, the BJP does not exactly require a Hinduaisation of the society at this point. Theres already a Hindu consolidation behind it and by harping on it more it might damage its cause more than help it. The Muslims have already been rendered irrelevant in the electoral scheme of things. It won't help the BJP anymore if it tries harder to alienate them further. The partys top leadership, as well as Yogi Adityanath, would not be unaware of this reality. Moreover, if the government under him focuses too much on communal matters, it might end up losing support of the large pool of voters who dont think along communal lines and believed in the development message of the BJP. Thus to anticipate that things could go any worse under Adityanath is ill-founded. The party could have tried to send a message to its core ideological constituency through the selection of the Yogi but thats all to it. With their criticism of Yogi Adityanath, the believers of the ideological Right appear to be getting into the same elitist trap as their Left counterparts. His choice has been sanctified a massive popular mandate for the BJP. The Yogi himself has been a parliamentarian for five times. The fact that he was one of the star campaigners of the party is a testimony to his acceptability among people. To brand him as a misfit for the job thus reeks of arrogance. Even Modi was branded a misfit by many of his critics, with the party and outside of it. His track record as a public figure may not be too attractive, but the total rejection of him is a bit misplaced. The partys election campaign in Uttar Pradesh focussed as much on polarization as on development and other community-neutral issues. It sought reverse consolidation of Hindu votes. Now, why must a party which has strong Hindu nationalistic moorings play soft after winning elections? It is possible the soft right sees a threat for itself from the extreme Right. That is the reason it is uncomfortable with the rise of Yogi Adityanath. It is the same hypocrisy of the elite of the Left and Left of centre. The BJP has made it clear in this case that it would no more be apologetic about its beliefs and core principles. It has the right to interpret the big mandate as popular support for both. It does not really matter how the moderate Right views it. The latter must back off from targeting Yogi Adityanath. He can prove everyone wrong, the way Narendra Modi did. LEBANON Lebanon police are still investigating a one-vehicle rollover at 11:44 a.m. Sunday at 959 S. Main St. that sent two people to area hospitals. Sgt. Jeremy Weber of the Lebanon Police Department gave some details at 4:15 p.m., saying the investigation was continuing and more information would be released later. Weber said a Pontiac Fiero was headed south on Highway 20 toward Sweet Home when the driver struck a guy wire attached to a telephone pole. The vehicle ran up the wire and flipped onto its roof. The male driver was taken by ambulance to Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center with serious injuries. The single passenger in the car was taken to Samaritan Lebanon Community Hospital with minor injuries. Weber said Sunday afternoon no information was being released yet as to the identity of the occupants, including their ages and hometowns. However, he added, "It is not a fatality at this point." Lebanon police and medics both responded to the crash. Road crews with the Oregon Department of Transportation shut down all lanes of Highway 20 between Grant and Oak streets until about 3:40 p.m. during the investigation. Yogi Adityanaths anointment as chief minister of Uttar Pradesh has been the biggest story in Indian media over the last two days. Urdu newspapers, which to a large extent mirror the mood among Muslims, carried the news prominently. The editorial comments, which are quite revealing, vary from apprehension and anxiety over communal harmony in the state to guarded optimism. The prominent Urdu newspaper Sahafat has said that these are testing times for the people of Uttar Pradesh. In its editorial on 19 March, it cites the incident of BJP workers attempting to hoist flag on a mosque in Bulandshahar and the VHPs plan to hold Ram Mahotsav events across the country, apart from a renewed push for the construction of Ram Mandir, to imply that the people may face a tough time in the future. The multi-edition Roznama Rashtriya Sahara cites several examples to express their apprehensions about the law-and-order situation, suggesting that discord may take precedence over development. But Lucknow-based Aag has a slightly different take. In its editorial on 19 March, the paper says, It was commonly felt that a moderate leader with a clean-image and no criminal charges against him would be chosen for the job. However, it seems that the party leadership believed that in view of the situation in Uttar Pradesh, where corruption is rampant and law-and-order is a big issue, they needed a different kind of personsomeone with a harsh image, the paper noted. Interestingly, after Yogi Adityanath took the oath and addressed his first press conference as chief minister, the newspapers editorial on 20 March, sounded more optimistic, especially, because of the new CMs utterances. The paper mentions how Adityanath said he would work for all sections of the society and has restrained leaders from making irresponsible statements while asking the police to ensure that there was no ruckus during celebrations by workers. The editorial further says that a lot is done to acquire power but things change later on and one has to act differently to stay in power. It ends on a positive note, hoping that Adityanath would focus on governance, check corruption and ensure employment. But Siasat, the Hyderabad-based newspaper, doesnt share such optimism. In its editorial on 20 March, the paper says, it seems that the BJP has finally decided to execute its long-term plans and hence Yogi Adityanath has been made the chief minister. BJP leaders used to attack Samajwadi Party over poor law-and-order but now that it has secured the mandate, the party handed the state to a leader who faces several criminal cases, it writes. The mass circulated daily urges the government to focus on maintaining communal harmony and to take steps for betterment of Muslims. Some newspapers have expressed worry over the posters asking Muslims to leave which were recently put up in Bareilly. Salar, another prominent newspaper, mentions that not just Muslims, but also sections of Hindus were unhappy with Yogi Adityanath over his statements. It seems the aim is to implement BJPs agenda in UP to pave way for its victory in Lok Sabha polls in 2019. The Bengaluru-based newspaper says that if situation worsens in UP, it may have affect on the entire country. Jadid Khabar, which is published from Delhi, in its editorial on Monday, writes that BJP had several leaders in Uttar Pradesh who could have worked on the plank of development and taken the state ahead. Recalling Yogis speeches in the past, the newspaper is worried about a possible rise in communal temperature in the state. The paper insists that the huge mandate is for development of the state and reminds BJP of its immense responsibility towards the people of Uttar Pradesh. By appointing Yogi Adityanath as chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, Narendra Modi has made his third disruptive move after surgical strike and demonetisation. So immediate and deep has been the impact that it has annihilated in one stroke all codified cleavages, and redrawn India's ideological map. The Left, Right and Centrist Venn diagrams are now in disarray. The entire Indian political spectrum, as the current Mahant of Gorakhnath Temple took oath on Sunday, resembled a smoking battleground strewn with the debris of conflicting positions. Leave alone the regressive Alt-Left which has greeted Adityanath's elevation with customary cries of Apocalypse, Adityanath's ascension has spooked centrists and the moderate Right alike, leaving those on the right of Right to justify why Modi's move makes immense political sense and is entirely in line with the logical progression of 'new BJP'. Among the ideological Right, a rift has risen overnight, with one side interpreting Modi's choice as a "betrayal" and the other accusing it of falling into the elitist trap and disregarding the voice of people. I shall explain presently why this "voice of people" argument is misleading. A large section of liberal Indians disgusted with the pseudo-secularism of India's political discourse and sickened with naked minorityism in the name of secularism, had seen in Modi-led BJP a refreshing perspective where Indians, regardless of their caste and community fault lines, were co-opted as active participants in the nation-building process. As the prime minister went about his job putting in place the building blocks for a new India, they saw in Modi a strong, therapeutic leader determined to cleanse the country of Congress-led "appeasement culture" that had fatally afflicted Indian politics. The toilets that were built, bank accounts that were opened, gas connections that were installed, insurance schemes and easy loans that were disbursed did not discriminate between Hindus, Muslims or Christians. Modi did not need to wear a skull cap to project himself as "secular", his slogan for "sabka saath, sabka vikas" resonated enough. When the opposition parties and entrenched power brokers in media, academia and civil society threw tired old cliches at Modi, he responded by asking people to fight poverty, not each other. Indians responded. Bucking all trend, Modi's personal popularity that had soared during 2014 elections refused to come down. And in the 2017 Assembly elections, the closest that we have towards mid-term polls, BJP's resounding win showed that Modi has retained the trust of a large section of Indian polity, including minorities whose patience at being turned into a permanent veto power against BJP was getting thin. The shift was palpable. It seemed as if Modi was trying to shift BJP from the Right to a centrist position, where it would be able to expand its core base and draw support from neutrals, floaters and ideological fence-sitters, and administer consensus-based growth and development. That was at least what the prime minister said in his post-UP victory speech last week. Except that nobody foresaw the Yogi uppercut. Out of the ashes of faux secularism, arose the phoenix of hardline Hindutva that defined BJP of the 1990s. If this was the plan all along, Modi and BJP hid it well during the campaign. BSP ran a blatantly communal canvassing and SP-Congress shelved their decade-old rivalry to attempt a consolidation of Muslim votes. Modi steered clear of identity politics as he did in 2014 and sought a larger consolidation based on hope and aspiration. When results came out, shell-shocked rivals blamed the EVMs. MJ Akbar wrote in The Times of India: "Above all, they (Opposition) cannot understand how Muslims have voted for Narendra Modi. BJP won 104 constituencies with a substantial Muslim presence; it could not have done so without getting some Muslim votes." It is now clear that many pundits miserably misread the verdict. Where they saw a mandate for greater inclusiveness, 'new BJP' under Modi saw the signal for unabashed Hindu consolidation. By choosing a rabid hardliner for the UP top job, Modi and Shah are moving towards a post-Ram Janmabhoomi Hindu integration, that they hope may override all caste creases in the most crucial state of Hindi heartland. This is not a knee-jerk, reactionary step. It is a calculated decision aimed at reinforcing BJP's grip in a state where they have been out of power for 15 years. As a man on top of his game and in full command of the party's power structure, Modi is obviously well within his rights to strategise and chart BJP's path. But where it seems like a betrayal is that a volatile polariser like Yogi Adityanath was installed at helm after Modi fought and won the election on an exclusive development agenda. The primary question here is moral, not political. Had the UP mandate been the result of a Hindutva agenda, Adityanath's appointment would have been interpreted as a natural, obvious step. But the referendum was on Modi and his vikas agenda, not the five-time Gorakhpur MP's politics. Hence, criticisms against him cannot be termed as a "disrespect of people's verdict". What this about-turn does is that it strips BJP and Modi of the moral hallow that it enjoyed in the post-Congress world of pseudo-secularism. Modi-Yogi false equivalence A final word on those bent on comparing Yogi Adityanath with Narendra Modi. The case being put forward is that the Mahant of Gorakhnath Temple is being maliciously misrepresented in media just as Modi was post Gujarat riots. This is a strawman argument because dissimilarities between Modi and Yogi far outnumber the similarities. Unlike Adityanath, who is a five-time MP with a proven track record of running for public office, Modi was a virtually untested leader who had never appeared before in an election. He was known for his organisational skills but never as a polarising figure. Yogi's consistently inflammatory rhetoric samples of which are strewn all over cyberspace are in stark contrast with Modi's public utterances where he has never wavered from the straight and narrow. There is no doubt a similarity in the way media has targeted both, but in Yogi's case there appears to be a lot of justification for it. It will be pertinent to remember that the entire liberal outrage industry against Modi is based on the 2002 riots, over which he has repeatedly been put on trial and has emerged unscathed from every scrutiny and every inquiry commission including the one constituted by the highest court of the land. Whereas in his own election affidavit in 2014, Yogi disclosed that "he faced criminal cases, including attempted murder, intimidation, promoting religious enmity, defiling a place of worship, rioting, and trespassing on burial places." The media worldwide faces an acute crisis of credibility. Their critical stance against Yogi, therefore, is likely to generate further groundswell instead of censure. But to use that yardstick to draw a false comparison between Modi and Yogi Adityanath is problematic. The noise apart, Yogi's appointment is the clearest sign that Modi doesn't waver when it comes to taking disruptive decisions be it economic, military or political. But a large section of his backers, not detractors, would see this move as a tragic let-down. Teachers are the primal psychologists. They smugly anoint the most mischievous in the class as the monitor, with telling effect the entire class mellows down under the leadership of the now empowered former obstreperous mischief maker. Much the same was said by Republican US President Franklin D Roosevelt, when he made his arch rival John F Kennedy, of the Democrats, the first head of the Securities and Exchanges Commission (SEC), the market watchdog in the US it takes a crook to tame crooks! It is another matter that it was a mere political grandstanding, because Kennedy was by no means a crook. Yogi Adityanath, the recently appointed chief minister of Uttar Pradesh might have been a firebrand, a rabble-rousing demagogue, but now that he is responsible for administering Indias most populous state, with a complicated caste and religious calculus, he would be forced to mellow down. Being inducted into office has a mellowing effect. Prime Minister Narendra Modi would be, by all reckoning, the role model for Adityanath. His poll pitch sabka saath sabka vikas (take everyone along in the progress march) is not a mere catchy slogan. In fact, it was born of his governance record in Gujarat the fruits of progress including electricity reached both Hindus and Muslims. Small wonder then, his poll pitch resonates with the electorate across the caste and religious divides. Like Adityanath, Modi too was dubbed as a Hindu fanatic by his detractors. He astutely lived down this reputation by consciously eschewing contentious religious issues, both as Gujarat chief minister and later on as the prime ministerial candidate. He has scrupulously avoided religious issues even after becoming the prime minister. During the heat of the Uttar Pradesh electioneering, he did refer to religious issues but only to emphasise that the ruling Samajwadi Party was discriminating between religions. Adityanath is intelligent enough to know that he must emulate Modi. And if he doesnt, there would be a restraining hand of both Modi and BJP president Amit Shah, the duo acknowledged even by their detractors as the ones taking the party from strength to strength. Modi has set an example not only for the political class but also for religious and cultural organisations. He has not rocked the communal boat by taking a principled stand on the Ramjanmabhoomi issue the Ram temple at Ayodhya would be built only within the framework of the Indian Constitution. The decks would be cleared by the Supreme Court sooner or later but till then, the issue should not be rushed precipitously is the dawning but unstated realisation of the party. Adityanath too would bide his time because he too would not like to go down as the one who frittered away the goodwill earned by his party, especially among a section of Muslims in the recent hustings. Office mellows one down. Power may be intoxicating to a dictator but to an elected head of a country or a state in a democracy, power has a mellowing if not a humbling effect. A democratic leader cannot run amuck because first he would be heckled by the opposition, then by the rival power centres in his party itself and if he still remains incorrigible, he would be thrown out by people at the next available opportunity in the hustings. The BJP and its leaders know this very well, after a chastening 2004 Lok Sabha results. The India shining slogan at first blush sounded catchy but it smacked of arrogance, angering the poor no end. Taking everyone along is a democratic compulsion, especially in a secular state with religious, caste and income diversities. Indira Gandhi ruled for almost two decades by championing the cause of the poor. Modi has been emulating her, but with a vital difference instead of giving the poor doles, he has been empowering them financially and otherwise. Adityanath, a keen learner, would hopefully emulate Modi. The humongous responsibilities of the chief ministers office should in any case mellow him down. Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has asked senior state government officials to pull up their socks and ensure that 30 districts of the state are open defecation-free by December. A day after he took over as the UP CM, Adityanath administered a sanitation pledge to the officials and asked them to ensure that the pledge is effectively implemented, the state government said in a release. On lines of Swachh Bharat Mission of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the chief minister said that, "UP lags behind other states as far as cleanliness is concerned. Despite availability of safai workers both in urban and rural areas, there is laxity in this regard." Asking officials to pull up their socks, he said that the should act on a war-footing scale and achieve the target of making 30 districts open-defecation free by December, cabinet minister Siddharth Nath Singh told PTI. The chief minister also emphasised that police stations and tehsil offices should be free from political pressures. He said every department should have a citizen charter and efforts should be made to ensure availability of government services to public in a time-bound manner. The chief minister also stressed on zero-tolerance of corruption and suggested posting of "sensitive and honest officials" in important positions. The Sangh's Hindutva project is on. Rejoice if you support it, dream of a Hindu Rashtra. Mourn, if you value a multi-cultural, liberal, secular India. The BJP's decision to put Ajay Singh alias Yogi Adityanath signals its intent to decisively change the destiny of India. It shows the party is now ready to fulfil the dream its alma mater, the RSS, has cherished as its raison d'etre for several decades. Don't delude itself by saying you were not warned. Don't complain the BJP's decision does not have political legitimacy. Every step by the BJP during the poll campaign was aimed at consolidating its Hindutva constituency. First, it did not field a single Muslim candidate for the elections. With this bold decision it immediately told the Hindu electorate that it was the only party that did not intend to woo the Muslims and, ergo, the majority should unite behind it. Both the Prime Minister and the BJP president made repeated attempts to polarise the electorate with speeches that had communal undertones. Jumlas like kabristan vs shamshan, Diwali vs Eid, 'kuch ka vikas, kuch ka saath' and 'Kasab means Congress, SP and BSP' were thrown into the mix only to make the electorate on communal lines. The IT cell of the party waged a war on the mindspace of voters by continuously bombarding them with images from Kashmir and alleged atrocities against Hindus. When the election began, everyone thought that the BJP and the SP-Congress alliance are locked in a close fight. Akhilesh Yadav enjoyed high popularity ratings and the alliance arithmetic seemed to add up. But, the BJP's campaign turned it into a Hindu vs Others fight a strategy that united the non-Yadav OBCs, non-Jatav Dalits and upper castes against rivals seeking the patronage and support of Muslims. The BJP's triumph in UP is a victory of its Hindutva strategy garnished with the development mantra. At the core, it is a vote for a party that promised to protect the interests of the Hindus. It is the grand finale of the process that had begun several decades ago with the birth of the RSS. UP voted for becoming the Hindutva lab of the Sangh-BJP like it had during the Ram Mandir campaign. It has responded to the BJP's eternal cry of 'Jo Hindu hith ki baat karega, wohi desh par raj karega.' It is getting what it asked for. In a country, that celebrates its culture of renunciation, where a yogi is synonymous with an ascetic, where Buddha and Rama are revered for their sacrifices, the concept of a monk running the government, sitting at the seat of material and political power might sound ironic. But, the BJP needed the right face for its Hindutva project in India's biggest state. Who has better credentials than the head priest of a temple, a man who faces charges of inciting riots and has a history of making speeches full of hate and poison? To add to his Hindutva appeal, Adityanath wears saffron robes, appealing to the naivete of Indians who believe everything that is saffron is sacred and stands for Hindu. Truth is, Adityanath is just a symbol of our times. He is just a manifestation of the mindset of the people he represents. All across the world, from the US to the Philippines, from Russia to Turkey, people are seeking the safety of a strong, decisive leader who protects the interest of the majority and penalises the 'other.' Deep inside, people are burning with the desire to assert their religious identity, claiming the country's resources for the majority and pushing the minorities on the margins, or to just ask them to "go to Pakistan." The RSS had always dreamt of a day when people of India would be ready for its Hindutva project. Its founders had dreamt that its Bhagwa (saffron) flag borrowed from the Peshwa rulers of Pune would one day replace the tricolor, which symbolises a multi-cultural, secular India. In his report on Mahatma Gandhi's assassination, Justice Jeevan Lal Kapoor mentions testimonies of several people who claim the Sangh was planning a military takeover of India after the exit of the British. The report mentions how its leaders were raising a secret militia, gathering ammunition for a power struggle. Back then, in spite of the acrimony and bloodshed of the Partition, India was influenced by the liberal, secular and inclusive ideology of Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru. The RSS could just wring its hands, watching Indians revert to the 'Ganga-Jamuni' tehzeeb of plurality and guard it zealously for decades. But, something in the Indian voter has now changed dramatically. UP has shown that it may not mind the perceived security of a bhagwa flag. The man in bhagwa robes is ready to raise it. Washington: Two top US spymasters trashed President Donald Trump's allegation that his Trump Tower was wiretapped on the orders of his predecessor Barack Obama, saying there is no evidence to support the claim. "With respect to the president's tweets about alleged wiretapping directed at him by the prior administration, I have no information that supports those tweets, and we have looked carefully inside the FBI," FBI director James Comey told the powerful House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. Responding to a question from the members on Trump's allegation, Comey said the Justice Department had also looked for evidence to support Trump's allegation that his Trump Tower in New York the headquarters of his presidential campaign was wiretapped but could not find any. "The Department of Justice has asked me to share with you that the answer is the same for the Department of Justice and all its components, the department has no information that supports those tweets," Comey said, noting that no US president can unilaterally order a wiretap. Admiral Michael Rogers, director of the National Security Agency and commander of US Cyber Command, also spoke on the same lines asserting he has seen no evidence of wiretapping as alleged by Trump through his tweets. Trump has alleged that Obama had ordered wiretapping of the Trump Tower in the run up to the 8 November presidential election. His accusation had led to a huge uproar in the US and an Obama aide had to come forward to reject the charge. Trump's allegation had also triggered a diplomatic row with Britain recently, as Trump and aides cited a discredited report by an American television network that Obama asked a British intelligence agency to tap him. The British government had objected to the claim and the Trump administration had assured London that the White House will not use the allegations again. Soon after Comey's Congressional hearing, Democrats demanded that Trump apologise to Obama. "President Trump owes the American people and President Obama more than just an explanation, but an apology. He should admit he was wrong, stop the outlandish tweets, and get to work on behalf of this country," said Senate majority leader Charles Schumer. "The FBI director has now confirmed what members from both parties in both the House and the Senate have said: President Obama did not order a wiretap on Trump Tower. No matter what else happened, there are no ifs, ands, or buts about it President Obama wiretapping Trump Tower did not happen," he said. "By tweeting this claim and attempting to put unproven theories from the fringes of the American media into the mainstream, President Trump has severely damaged his credibility, which is essential to being president. He needs to retract his claim immediately," Schumer alleged. London: Britain's relationship with the European Union was always an awkward marriage of convenience rather than a case of love at first sight. And after 44 years during which trade ties always took precedence for Britain over closer integration London has said it will file for divorce next week. Anand Menon, a professor of European politics at King's College London university, said the relationship was always "transactional" and therefore the break-up is "logical". "It's been a utilitarian relationship since 1973 and the emphasis was always on the economic dimension, not on the political one," said Pauline Schnapper, professor of contemporary British history at the Sorbonne University in Paris. "The sentimental dimension is near-inexistent," she said. The path towards the European Union began after World War II, as the shattered continent tried to rebuild and deepen integration as a way of bolstering the peace. The project did not immediately appeal to Britain. "I think we didn't feel vulnerable enough to join, quite simply," Menon said. Britain preferred to focus on its special relationship with the US and the remains of its empire. London nevertheless supported the push for closer integration on the European continent: wartime Prime Minister Winston Churchill called for the creation of a "United States of Europe" in his 1946 Zurich speech. But in the early 1960s, Britain's fortunes changed for the worse. Its economic growth started lagging behind that of France and Germany, making the European single market on its doorstep seem an appealing option. Britain said on Monday it would begin the Brexit process on 29 March with a formal notification by letter to EU President Donald Tusk. Joining the European fray in the first place was not an easy task. In 1961, France's then-president Charles de Gaulle vetoed Britain's first application, seeing it as a "Trojan horse" for the US and doubting Britain's European spirit. Another French veto followed in 1967 and the UK was only finally welcomed into the European Economic Community (EEC) in 1973. Unfortunately for Britain, the first oil crisis struck that same year and so the much-hoped-for economic boost failed to materialise. Nevertheless, 67 percent of the British people voted to remain in the EEC in a 1975 referendum. "The fact that we joined late is one of the reasons there are suspicions, because obviously there is a sense that we joined a club that others had set up to suit themselves," Menon said. Britain and the EEC soon locked horns and London began opting out of the major attempts to step up European integration. In 1979, London refused to participate in the European monetary system, defending its national and fiscal sovereignty. Six years later, it refused to ratify the Schengen Agreement abolishing internal border checks and in 1993, it opted out of the European single currency. Britain's anti-federalist approach was spelled out by then Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher during a 1988 speech at the College of Europe in Bruges. In it, she rejected the idea of a "European super-state exercising a new dominance from Brussels". In the 90s, Britain's defiance towards Brussels accelerated further with the creation of the UK Independence Party (UKIP), which campaigned for the country's exit from the EU. The opposition party's successes, particularly in the 2014 European Parliament elections when it topped the polls, pushed the government to harden its rhetoric. The Eurozone crisis, large-scale immigration from the EU, and the refugee crisis of the past few years stoked discontent, pushing Prime Minister David Cameron to call the June 2016 referendum. In the end, 52 percent of voters opted for Brexit. Neither side is likely to end up the happier after the divorce, said John Springford, director of research at the Centre for European Reform in London. "I am not convinced that Britain leaving the EU will help Britain or help the EU," he said. SANTIAGO U.S. President Donald Trump expressed concern about the political and humanitarian situation in Venezuela in a call on Sunday with Chilean President Michelle Bachelet, the Chilean president told reporters on Monday.Bachelet said she talked with Trump about the actions regional leaders were taking with regard to Venezuela, which has been wracked by an economic crisis in the last three years and is facing external pressure to make political reforms."(President Trump) presented to me his worries about the situation in Venezuela," Bachelet told reporters at the La Moneda presidential palace in Chile's capital, Santiago. "I told him about the actions (Chile's) foreign ministry is carrying out together with other foreign ministries, and we are staying in contact to see how we can help Venezuela have a peaceful exit from its domestic situation."Venezuelans are suffering from severe shortages of basic goods, including food. The government of Nicolas Maduro blames private businesses for sabotaging the economy with price speculation and routinely denounces opposition activists as coup-plotters, intent on bringing down socialism in the country.Opposition leaders say the Maduro government has undermined democracy by canceling a key referendum and delaying local elections, among other measures. Last week, Luis Almagro, secretary general of the Organization of American States, said Venezuela should be suspended from the organization if it does not hold general elections as soon as possible.Relations between Venezuela and the United States have been rocky since former socialist president Hugo Chavez rose to power in 1999. The South American country has repeatedly criticized the United States for interfering in its domestic affairs. The U.S. blacklisted Venezuela's vice president as a drug trafficker in February, and Trump later that month called for the release of jailed opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez. (Reporting by Fabian Cambero and Gram Slattery, Editing by Rosalba O'Brien and Jeffrey Benkoe) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. Beijing: India should adopt a "more pragmatic" attitude towards One Belt One Road initiative, a state-run Chinese daily said on Monday, claiming international support for President Xi Jinping's pet project that figured in a UN resolution. "Despite concerns from India, broader support has been given to the Obor (One Belt One Road) from the international community," an article in the ruling Communist Party of China run Global Times said on Monday. Stating that more countries and international organisations welcome the Obor and see joining it as an opportunity to promote economic growth, it said India should handle the Obor issue more carefully. Referring to a former American official terming the previous US administration's opposition to the establishment of China sponsored Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) a "strategic mistake," the daily said, "it is hoped that India could learn a lesson from the US and adopt a more pragmatic attitude toward the Obor". "If New Delhi is unable to persuade other nations to abandon the Obor, one practical approach is to get involved in the initiative in a bid to promote the development of the Obor in a direction that is favourable to India," it said. "The dispute over Kashmir between India and Pakistan makes New Delhi habitually vigilant against any possibility of large-scale foreign investment flowing into the region, but it is necessary to learn to distinguish activities between normal commercial investment and ones that could violate India's sovereignty," it said. President Xi's pet initiative, the Obor includes a maze of connectivity projects connecting China with Euro Asia besides the neighbourhood. It includes 21st century Maritime Silk Road to connect China with different ports in the world as well as the USD 46 billion CPEC and the Bangladesh, China, India and Myanmar Economic Corridor (BCIM). The CPEC is a mega network of roads, rail links, power plants and other infrastructure connecting western China's Xinjiang province to Pakistan's southern port of Gwadar. "Both the Obor and the CPEC are economic initiatives. Hopefully India will wake up to the benefits and adopt an open attitude toward joining the initiatives," the daily said. Noting that China and India share a large potential for cooperation in areas such as infrastructure, it said, "If New Delhi has concerns about the CPEC as a flagship project in the Obor, India's joining the initiative could cement its economic ties with China and possibly shift the initiative's centre of gravity." India protested to China over CPEC as it goes through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (POK) and has reservations over the Maritime Silk Road as it impacts the Indian Ocean, which is pivotal for India's security interests. However, New Delhi has backed the BCIM and actively supporting it, according to Indian officials. "If India wants to exclude itself from the Obor at a time when the initiative is receiving widespread support from the global community, India will end up simply watching the rise of China's international reputation," the daily said. Washington: US President Donald Trump has said that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un was "acting very, very badly", hours after Pyongyang conducted a ground test of a new type of high-thrust rocket engine. "He is acting very very badly," Trump told reporters after he held meetings in North Korea with his national security staff at his Florida residence. Trump returned to the White House on Sunday night. "Today, President Donald J Trump held meetings regarding North Korea and China," the White House said in a brief readout of his meetings of the day. It said the President also met with military personnel. In a brief interaction with reporters at Mar-a-Lago, Trump said that over the weekend he held meeting with his officials on North Korea. North Korea conducted a ground test of a new type of high-thrust rocket engine on Saturday at the Sohae launch site, according to the Korean Central News Agency. It said Kim called the test "a great event of historic significance" for North Korea's indigenous rocket industry. In the last few weeks, the Trump administration has ramped up its rhetoric on North Korea. The US alleges that these tests have been carried out in violation of the UN Security Council resolution. Trump's remarks came as Secretary of State Rex Tillerson headed back home from a three-nation Japan, South Korea and China trip wherein Pyongyang dominated his deliberations. During his three-nation Asia trip, Tillerson not only denounced North Korean tests but also said that the US is open to any pre-emptive strike against Pyongyang. A top Republican lawmaker supported Tillersons remarks. "The closer that the North Korean regime gets to being able to deliver a nuclear weapon, we're going to have to be in a position to take some type of preemptive strike. We hope that it doesn't come to that," Chairman of the House Select Committee on Intelligence Congressman David Nunes told Fox News. In Japan, Tillerson said that the diplomatic and other efforts in the past 20 years have failed and thus there is need for a different approach. "In the face of this ever-escalating threat, it is clear that a different approach is required. Part of the purpose of my visit to the region is to exchange views on a new approach," he said. A day later, Trump used tweeter his favourite social media platform to slam North Korea. "North Korea is behaving very badly. They have been playing the United States for years. China has done little to help," said the US President. Kathleen Stephens, a former US Ambassador to South Korea, said that all these indicates that the US is toughening its stance against North Korea. Senator Bob Corker, Chairman of the powerful Senate Foreign Relations Committee, too has supported Tillerson on North Korea. US President Donald Trump unleashed a diatribe against Germany on Saturday, saying Berlin owes North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (Nato) "vast sums of money" and must pay the United States more for security. His latest tweetstorm comes a day after he met German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Washington, where the two leaders showed little common ground over a host of thorny issues, including Nato and defense spending. Despite what you have heard from the FAKE NEWS, I had a GREAT meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Nevertheless, Germany owes..... Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 18, 2017 ...vast sums of money to NATO & the United States must be paid more for the powerful, and very expensive, defense it provides to Germany! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 18, 2017 That appeared to be far from the case on Friday, when the veteran German leader arrived hoping to reverse a chill in relations after Trump had said during his campaign last year that her decision to allow refugees into Germany was a "catastrophic mistake" and suggested she was "ruining Germany." But during a joint news conference, Trump accused Germany of unfair trade practices and ripped into Washington's Nato allies, demanding they pay back "vast sums of money from past years." Merkel said Germany had committed to increasing its military spending to two percent of GDP, a target Nato member states formally agreed in 2014 to reach within 10 years. A German government spokesman declined to comment about Trump's tweets on Saturday, referring AFP to Merkel's statements on the subject during Friday's news conference. Treaty commitment Trump had made European defense spending an issue during his campaign, saying the United States -- which spends just over three percent of its GDP on defense carries too much of the financial burden for supporting Nato. However, critics pointed out on Saturday that Nato members don't pay the United States for security, but contribute by spending on their own militaries. Ivo Daalder, a former US ambassador to Nato, tweeted to Trump: 1/ Sorry, Mr. President, thats not how NATO works. The US decides for itself how much it contributes to defending NATO. pic.twitter.com/8svkzRBEQb Ivo Daalder (@IvoHDaalder) March 18, 2017 "This is not a financial transaction, where NATO countries pay the US to defend them. It is part of our treaty commitment." "We fought two world wars in Europe, and one cold war," he added. "Keeping Europe whole, free, and at peace, is vital US interest." US defense spending $679 billion in 2016 accounts for nearly 70 percent of the total defense budgets of Nato's 28 members. But member states resolved to increase their defense spending after the dramatic events of 2014, when Russia annexed the Black Sea peninsula Crimea from Ukraine and began backing separatist rebels in eastern Ukraine. Then, the Islamic State group declared a "caliphate" just across Nato's southern border in Syria and Iraq. Nato members agreed on a ten-year plan to each increase their national defense spending to two percent of their respective GDPs. Five Britain, Estonia, Greece, Poland and the United States have met that goal. Three more -- Latvia, Lithuania and Romania are expected to do so this year. Last year, according to the alliance, 23 of the 28 member states increased their defense spending in real terms, the first time that has happened in more than two decades. "This is not a business ledger sheet with credits and debits," another former US ambassador to Nato, Douglas Lute, told AFP. "It's a ten-year investment program and allies are making progress, slowly." Trump has also worried US allies by criticising the military alliance as "obsolete" and failing to meet the challenge posed by Islamic terror groups. Added value Germany, whose militaristic past has led it traditionally to be reticent on defense matters, currently spends 1.2 percent of GDP. But the country's defense minister has called for changes to the way Nato members' commitments to budget targets are assessed. Speaking on Friday ahead of Merkel's trip to Washington, Ursula von der Leyen told AFP that the two percent target paints an incomplete picture of actual contributions, saying member states that take part in Nato operations and exercises or contribute personnel and hardware should get credit toward the two percent goal. "For me, the question is who is really providing added value to the alliance," she said. Von der Leyen proposed using an "activity index" that would take participation in foreign missions into account when assessing budget earmarks for defense. Washington: US President Donald Trump will host Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi at the White House on Monday. As he left Iraq for the US on Sunday, Abadi said Iraqi forces were close to ridding the country of the Islamic State (IS) and that he would talk to the US administration about the final steps needed, CNN reported. "We are in the last chapter, the final stages to eliminate IS militarily in Iraq," he said in a video statement. Abadi said he hoped the US and other allies would continue to offer economic assistance to Iraq, which he said faced a financial crisis as a result of the war against the militant group. Trump last week announced a $54 billion increase in US defence spending. If approved by the Congress, over $3 billion of the additional money would be allocated to the fight against the IS, including $2 billion for a flexible fund that would allow the Pentagon to decide how to utilise resources in support of the new counter-IS strategy. Iraq was removed from the revised version of Trump's travel ban order, following intensive lobbying from Baghdad at the highest levels, a senior US official told CNN. The pressure from the Iraq officials included a phone call between Trump and Abadi on 10 February and an in-person conversation between Abadi and Vice-President Mike Pence in Munich, Germany, on 18 February. By Patricia Zengerle and Warren Strobel | WASHINGTON WASHINGTON FBI Director James Comey on Monday confirmed for the first time that the bureau is investigating possible ties between Republican Donald Trump's presidential campaign and Russia as Moscow sought to influence the 2016 U.S. election.Comey and Admiral Mike Rogers, the director of the National Security Agency, made clear that their investigation of Moscow and November's U.S. elections could last for months.Appearing before a congressional panel, Comey also publicly challenged Trump's claim that former President Barack Obama wiretapped his 2016 campaign headquarters in Manhattan's Trump Tower.The two officials spent 5-1/2 hours before the House of Representatives Intelligence Committee in testimony marked by starkly partisan divides between the panel's majority Republicans and Democrats.Comey refused to back away from his claim that Russian President Vladimir Putin did not simply want Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton to lose the election; he wanted Donald Trump to win.Trump created a controversy in early March when he tweeted without giving evidence that Obama had wiretapped his campaign while the businessman competed against Clinton."With respect to the president's tweets about alleged wiretapping directed at him by the prior administration, I have no information that supports those tweets," Comey said.The committee is one of several in the U.S. Congress investigating whether Russia tried to influence the election, mostly by hacking Democratic operatives' emails and releasing embarrassing information. Russia denies the allegations. Comey confirmed the FBI has been investigating since July possible Russian efforts to interfere in the election, including any cooperation between Trump's campaign and Moscow. He said that while the Russian government wanted to hurt Clinton's campaign and help Trump's, intelligence agencies made no judgment on whether the efforts influenced the outcome.Comey gave no details of the classified investigation and said the fact that it exists does not mean charges would be filed. U.S. intelligence agencies have concluded that Russia tried to help Trump by hacking leading Democrats.PUTIN'S PREFERENCE "I think that was a fairly easy judgment for the (intelligence) community," he said. "Putin hated Secretary Clinton so much that the flip side of that coin was he had a clear preference for the person running against the person he hated so much." Asked about Comey, White House spokesman Sean Spicer read a series of quotes from officials - some from the Obama administration - who have said they have seen no signs of collusion between Trump's campaign and Russia.In a tweet before the hearing, Trump wrote: "The Democrats made up and pushed the Russian story as an excuse for running a terrible campaign." Spicer said he was unaware of any White House official being under investigation by the FBI.Trump has frequently urged better relations with Russia, which has been at odds with the United States over Ukraine and the Syrian civil war. Representative Adam Schiff, the top Democrat on the intelligence committee, detailed activities by Trump associates with ties to Russia, including former campaign manager Paul Manafort and Michael Flynn, who was forced out as Trump's national security adviser after talking to the Russian ambassador and then misrepresenting the conversation to Vice President Mike Pence. "Is it possible that all of these events and reports are completely unrelated and nothing more than an entirely unhappy coincidence? Yes, it is possible," Schiff said. "But it is also possible, maybe more than possible, that they are not coincidental, not disconnected and not unrelated."NO 'PHYSICAL' WIRETAP Trump's March 4 tweet about wiretapping pulled attention away from the claims of Russian election interference. He issued his tweet two days after Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who met with Russia's U.S. ambassador at least twice last year, said he would recuse himself from any investigation of the matter.The White House has contended in recent days that Trump's claim of wiretapping referred to general surveillance of the campaign. The White House has not provided evidence of surveillance of any kind."Let me be clear: We know there was not a physical wiretap on Trump Tower. However, it's still possible that other surveillance activities were used against President Trump and his associates," said Representative Devin Nunes, the committee's Republican chairman.Last week, Trump's spokesman cited a media report that British intelligence was behind the surveillance, prompting ridicule in London. [nL3N1GV056]Rogers said the allegation had strained relations with London. "I think it clearly frustrates a key ally of ours," Rogers said.Comey warned that Russia would attempt to influence the next U.S. presidential election in 2020 and perhaps congressional elections next year. "They'll be back in 2020. They may be back in 2018. And one of the lessons they may draw from this is that they were successful because they introduced chaos and division and discord and sowed doubt about the nature of this amazing country of ours and our democratic process," he said.The rare open congressional intelligence committee hearing revealed a stark partisan divide. Republicans, who hold a majority of seats on the panel, largely concentrated their questions on leaks of classified information to the media - a concern that Trump frequently mentions.Democrats sought to highlight links between the Republican's campaign and Moscow and to shoot down Trump's wiretapping claim. (Additional reporting by Doina Chiacu; Writing by Alistair Bell and Patricia Zengerle; Editing by Bill Trott and Cynthia Osterman) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. By Patricia Zengerle and Warren Strobel | WASHINGTON WASHINGTON The head of the FBI publicly challenged U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday, denying the Republican's claim that former president Barack Obama wiretapped his 2016 election campaign and confirming his agency had launched a criminal investigation into any collusion between Trump's campaign and Russia.FBI Director James Comey told a congressional hearing he had seen no evidence to support a claim by Trump that Obama had wiretapped his campaign headquarters in Manhattan's Trump Tower.The president created a controversy in early March when he tweeted without giving evidence that Obama had wiretapped the campaign as the businessman took on Democrat Hillary Clinton in the presidential race."With respect to the president's tweets about alleged wiretapping directed at him by the prior administration, I have no information that supports those tweets," Comey told the House of Representatives Intelligence Committee hearing.The committee is investigating accusations that Russia tried to influence the election mostly by hacking Democratic operatives' emails and releasing embarrassing information. Russia denies the allegations.Comey confirmed the FBI has been investigating since last July possible Russian government efforts to interfere in the election, including any links between Trump's campaign and Moscow. He said that while the Russian government wanted to hurt Clinton's campaign and help Trump's, intelligence agencies made no judgement on whether the efforts influenced the outcome.Comey gave no details of the classified investigation and said the fact that it exists does not mean charges will be filed.U.S. intelligence agencies have concluded that Russia tried to help Trump by hacking leading Democrats. Comey said Moscow had long been opposed to Trump's election rival, former secretary of state Clinton."I think that was a fairly easy judgement for the (intelligence) community," he said. "Putin hated Secretary Clinton so much that the flip side of that coin was he had a clear preference for the person running against the person he hated so much." Asked about Comey, White House spokesman Sean Spicer read a series of quotes from officials - some from the Obama administration - who have said they have seen no signs of collusion between Trump's campaign and Russia.In a tweet before the hearing, Trump wrote: "The Democrats made up and pushed the Russian story as an excuse for running a terrible campaign."Spicer said he was not aware of any White House official being under investigation by the FBI. RUSSIAN TIES Trump has frequently urged better relations with Russia, which has been at odds with the United States in recent years over Moscow's role in Ukraine and the Syrian civil war. Adam Schiff, the top Democrat on the intelligence committee, detailed activities by Trump advisers or associates with ties to Russia, including former election campaign manager Paul Manafort and Michael Flynn, who was forced out as Trump's national security adviser after talking to the Russian ambassador and then misrepresenting the conversation to Vice President Mike Pence. "Is it possible that all of these events and reports are completely unrelated and nothing more than an entirely unhappy coincidence? Yes, it is possible," Schiff said. "But it is also possible, maybe more than possible, that they are not coincidental, not disconnected and not unrelated."Trump's March 4 tweet about wiretapping, which was made without supporting evidence, pulled attention away from the claims of Russian interference in the election. He made the claim two days after Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who had met with Russias U.S. ambassador last fall, said he would remove himself from any investigation of Russian interference in the election. Trump and his advisers have contended in recent weeks that his claims of wiretapping were intended to mean surveillance of the Trump campaign in general but the White House has not provided evidence of surveillance of any kind.Last week, Trump's spokesman cited a media report that Britain's GCHQ spy agency was behind the surveillance, prompting ridicule in Britain.The head of the U.S. National Security Agency, Admiral Mike Rogers, told Monday's hearing that the allegation had strained relations with London. "I think it clearly frustrates a key ally of ours," Rogers said.Comey warned that Russia would attempt to influence the next U.S. presidential election in 2020 and perhaps the congressional elections next year. "They'll be back in 2020. They may be back in 2018," he said.The hearing was a rare open congressional intelligence committee hearing and it revealed a stark partisan divide in focus. Majority Republicans concentrated their questions on leaks of classified information - a concern that Trump frequently mentions - and media reports on issues such as contacts between former Trump national security adviser Michael Flynn and Russian officials. Democrats sought to highlight such links, and shoot down Trumps wiretapping claim. (Additional reporting by Doina Chiacu; Writing by Alistair Bell; Editing by Bill Trott) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. PARIS France and Japan support a "free and open maritime order" in the Asia-Pacific region, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said after talks with French President Francois Hollande on Monday.The message seemed aimed at China, which claims almost all the South China Sea and which has fuelled concern in Japan and the West with its growing military presence in the waterway."Francois and I agreed on the importance of ensuring a free and open maritime order in the Indo-Pacific region (and) of continuing to support the stability and prosperity of this region," Abe told reporters after the talks.Japan plans to dispatch its largest warship on a three-month tour through the South China Sea beginning in May, three sources said last week, in its biggest show of naval force in the region since World War Two. China pledged a firm response if Japan stirred up trouble in the South China Sea. Abe underlined the importance of separate naval exercises involving personnel or equipment from Japan, France, Britain and the United States to be held around Tinian island in the western Pacific in May.Hollande said France reaffirmed its support for an increased Japanese peace-keeping role and said the two countries would work together to improve the ability of their forces to cooperate.He assured Abe of France's support after North Korea this month fired four ballistic missiles into the sea off Japan's northwest coast. He also denounced the development of North Korea's nuclear and ballistic programs, which he said violated all its international obligations. Reflecting concerns over rising protectionist sentiment in the United States and elsewhere, Abe said Japan and France wanted to continue to be "champions of free trade" and said an agreement on a free-trade pact with the European Union would send an important message.Hollande also voiced support for the proposed EU-Japan trade accord which is being negotiated. France and Japan also signed an agreement on reinforced cooperation on nuclear energy. Two Japanese firms, Japan Nuclear Fuel Limited and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, agreed in February to buy a combined 10 percent stake in a new company being split off from Areva for 500 million euros ($537 million), helping a state-backed rescue of the French nuclear group.Abe earlier met German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Hanover.($1 = 0.9308 euros) (Reporting by Bate Felix and Adrian Croft, editing by larry King) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. Berlin: Germany angrily warned Turkey on Sunday that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had gone too far after he accused Chancellor Angela Merkel of using "Nazi measures" in an escalating diplomatic feud. Turkey and the European Union are locked in an explosive crisis that threatens to jeopardise Ankara's bid to join the bloc, as tensions rise ahead of an 16 April referendum on expanding Erdogan's powers. The row erupted after authorities in Germany and other EU states refused to allow some Turkish ministers to campaign for a 'yes' vote on their soil, provoking a volcanic response from the Turkish strongman who said the spirit of Nazi Germany was rampant in Europe. "When we call them Nazis they (Europe) get uncomfortable. They rally together in solidarity. Especially Merkel," Erdogan said in a televised speech on Sunday. "But you are right now employing Nazi measures," Erdogan said referring to Merkel, pointedly using the informal "you" in Turkish. "Against who? My Turkish brother citizens in Germany and brother ministers" who planned to hold campaign rallies for a 'yes' vote in the referendum, he said. Germany's Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel branded Erdogan's comments "shocking". "We are tolerant but we're not stupid," he told the Passauer Neue Presse newspaper. "That's why I have let my Turkish counterpart know very clearly that a boundary has been crossed here." Julia Kloeckner, the vice-president of Merkel's CDU party, also reacted angrily to the comments. "Has Mr Erdogan lost his mind?" she said, telling journalists she was urging the EU to freeze "financial aid amounting to billions of euros" to Turkey. Home to 1.4 million Turkish voters, Germany hosts the world's largest Turkish diaspora but the partnership between NATO allies Ankara and Berlin has been ripped to shreds by the current crisis. Turkey reacted furiously to a Frankfurt rally on Saturday urging a 'no' vote where protesters brandished insignia of outlawed Kurdish rebels, accusing Germany of double standards. "Yesterday (Saturday), Germany put its name under another scandal," presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin told CNN-Turk. He said the German ambassador had been summoned although this was not confirmed by Berlin. The Turkish foreign ministry accused the German authorities "of the worst example of double standards" for allowing the pro-Kurdish protest while preventing Turkish ministers from campaigning there. Many protesters carried symbols of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), listed as a terror organisation not just by Turkey but also the EU and the United States. Ankara also reacted with indignation after Germany's intelligence chief said he was unconvinced by Turkish assertions that US-based Islamic preacher Fethullah Gulen was behind the failed July coup aimed at overthrowing Erdogan. Kalin said Europe was seeking to "whitewash" Gulen's group, while Defence Minister Fikri Isik said the comments raised questions about whether Berlin itself was involved in the putsch. "The fact that the head of German intelligence made such a statement will increase doubts about Germany and give rise to the question 'was German intelligence behind the coup?'," he said. In an interview with Der Spiegel published Saturday, German foreign intelligence chief Bruno Kahl said Ankara had repeatedly tried to persuade Berlin that Gulen was behind the coup "but they have not succeeded". The dispute has left Turkey's ambition to join the EU a cornerstone of its policy for half a century hanging in the balance ahead of the referendum. Erdogan threw further oil on the fire Saturday by saying he believed parliament would, after the referendum, agree a bill to restore capital punishment which he would then sign. It was Erdogan's clearest warning yet that he could reverse the 2004 abolition of capital punishment, a pre-condition for joining the EU. European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker warned Sunday that any return of the death penalty in Turkey would be a "red line". And Gabriel told Der Spiegel: "We are further away than ever from Turkey's accession to the EU." The crisis is hitting Turkey's relations with key EU members and Turkish-Dutch ties hit an all-time low in the run-up to the 15 March election in the Netherlands. Erdogan last week even called on Turks living in Europe to have more children to tilt the demographic balance. Danish Foreign Minister Anders Samuelsen on Sunday said he was summoning the Turkish ambassador for an explanation after a report that dual nationals critical of Erdogan had been threatened. Washington: Indian-Americans, particularly Hindus and Sikhs, have become victims of Islamophobia and xenophobia in the US, the community members said as they held an awareness rally against hate crimes in front of the White House seeking President Donald Trump's intervention in the matter. "Hindus have been recently affected and victimised (in the US) as a result of Islamophobia. It does affect our community as well," Vindhya Adapa, 27, a Virginia-based corporate lawyer told PTI outside the White House on Sunday. Adapa along with a few dozen Indian-Americans representing various Indian-American groups from in and around the Greater Washington Area held a peaceful demonstration in view of the recent surge in hate crimes against the community. "A recent example of that is recent shooting and murder of an IT personnel in Kansas, who was mistaken for being an Arab and a Muslim. I do think that the current political climate is eventually going to target all communities including Hindu-Americans," said S Sheshadri, a young Indian-American doctor and Adapa's friend. "We are here today to raise awareness against hate crimes particularly against people of Indian origin. This is not necessarily a protest against the Trump Administration. We are here to seek bipartisan support against the hate crimes that has been happening recently against Indian-Americans," Adapa said, urging the president to acknowledge and condemn what is happening. "I would say what is happening against the Indian-American community is a result of xenophobia, Islamic phobia and the anti-immigrant statements that have come out from the Administration," she alleged. "A lot of Sikh people and Hindu people are mistaken for being Muslim, for being Middle eastern," she said, adding that the way to tackle that is to spread awareness about these different communities. In a petition memorandum submitted to President Trump, the recently established Coalition of Indian American organisations of the USA, which organised the event, urged him to intervene in the matter and take steps to punish the culprits under federal hate crimes law. It also urged the president to allay the fears of the Indian-American community and show his support, and take remediation steps to eliminate the hate. "A message should go out to the people of this country from the administration that no citizen should take the law into their hands and it will not be tolerated by the government," said the petition. The peaceful protest was organised in the aftermath of a series of hate crime incidents against Indian-Americans. Indian engineer Srinivas Kuchibhotla, 32, was killed and his colleague Alok Madasani and an American, Ian Grillot, were injured in a shooting by a Navy veteran who told them "Get out of my country!" at a bar in Olathe City, Kansas last month. A 43-year-old Indian-origin convenience store owner, Harnish Patel, was shot dead outside his home in Lancaster County, South Carolina on 2 March. A day later a 39-year-old Sikh was injured by a partially masked gunman, who shouted "Go back to your own country!" and shot him outside his home in Kent, Washington. An Indian-origin girl was racially abused on a train by an African-American in New York on 23 February. He reportedly called her inappropriate names and yelled "Get out of here!" when she was travelling on a commuter train. On 10 March, a 64-year-old Florida man tried to set an Indian-owned convenience store on fire because he thought the owners were Muslim. "Indian-Americans and the Indian Diaspora are in distress and are concerned for the safety of their families as the racially motivated hate crimes have been perpetrated against them across the countries in form of gun violence, vandalism, and oral harassment shouting 'Go back to your country'," the petition said. "We have assembled here together to register our protest against recent hate crimes against Indian-Americans. The White House and the new president should acknowledge that the contribution of the Indian-American community," said Shreekanta Nayak, a community leader from Maryland. Puneet Ahluwalia, who was a member of the Trump Campaign's Asian-American Pacific Islanders Advisory community, said that it is time to show solidarity with the Indian-Americans in the country. "We really want to appreciate what President Trump said condoning hate and violence. As a proud Republican, a proud American, I want to support my community members in raising awareness and bringing attention to the crimes or ignorance of a lot of people who are attacking Indian Americans and other minorities," Ahluwalia said. Rome: The Italian Coast Guard have rescued more than 3,000 migrants in the Strait of Sicily over the weekend, officials said on Monday. Forty-eight rescue operations were conducted over the weekend, Coast Guard officials told Efe news. However, the numbers were set to rise as two new operations were ongoing on Monday, the Coast Guard said. The actions were part of the European Union collaborative maritime rescue programme, dubbed EUNAVFOR Med. One ship belonging to Italian Coast Guard, the Dattilo, rescued 1,477 people alone. Another vessel, commanded by the SOS Mediterranee NGO and Doctors Without Borders (MSF) saved another 946 late on Saturday. At least 15,852 migrants have been rescued from this body of water so far in 2017, signifying a 67 per cent increase for the same period year-on-year. The Italian government estimated that 250,000 migrants would attempt to make it to the country's shores this year. Pyongyang: North Korea on Monday denounced the "anti-terror war" by the US as an excuse to intervene in the sovereignty of other countries. The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said the "anti-terrorism war" of the US is "state-sponsored terrorism and a new version of war of aggression against the anti-US countries for realising the imperialists' ambition for world domination". "The US has wantonly infringed upon the sovereignty and territorial integrity of other countries while escalating the 'anti-terrorism war' worldwide," said the news agency. It further said "the strategy and purpose of the US 'war on terrorism' was to train terrorists and steadily spread terrorism on one hand and perpetrate military intervention in sovereign states under the signboard of combating terrorism on the other", Xinhua news agency reported. "The US forces, which were deployed mainly in Europe during the Cold War era, are being reorganised, centring around Asia in the new century," KCNA said. The United States has conveyed to India that there is no significant change in the H1B visa regime, Commerce Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said on Monday. Sitharaman said in Lok Sabha that India is articulating its concerns regarding the visa policy vigorously with the new administration in the US. However, the minister said, there is no significant change in the H1B visa regime. "The fear, at least for 2017, is not proved to be correct. They (US authorities) are saying their current priority is to deal with the illegal immigrants," she said, during Question Hour. Sitharaman said the issue was also taken up by the commerce minister recently, with visiting Congressional delegation led by Bob Goodlatte, and during the visit of commerce secretary and foreign secretary to the US, during first week of March this year. The minister said India's concerns on visa issues were articulated during the Strategic and Commerce Dialogue 2016 and Trade Policy Forum 2016 held in October, 2016. She said India had decided to continue their engagement on visa issues and reiterated their shared resolve to facilitate the movement of professionals. Sitharaman said a number of industry bodies have raised concerns on visa policies of the US and these concerns were conveyed to the US authorities by the government. The minister said the US monitors policies of 73 countries and India may be one of them. "But we don't recognise any monitoring by any countries. No unilateral policing is acceptable for India," she said. Xiaomi just launched Redmi 4A, its latest budget 4G smartphone in the Redmi series in India. It has a 5-inch HD display, is powered by a quad-core Snapdragon 425 processor and runs on MIUI 8 based on Android 6.0 (Marshmallow). It has a 13-megapixel rear camera with PDAF, LED flash and a 5-megapixel front-facing camera. At the launched Xiaomi said that it has started its second manufacturing plant in the country. It also said that more than 95% of Mi phones sold in India are Made in India. The company said that it has been able to create employment for more than 5,000 people, and over 90% of workforce are women. It has hybrid dual SIM slot and comes with a unibody design with polycarbonate matte finish and packs a 3120mAh built-in battery. Xiaomi Redmi 4A specifications 5-inch (1280 x 720 pixels) HD IPS display with 1000:1 contrast ratio, 72% NTSC color gamut 1.4GHz Quad-Core Snapdragon 425 processor with 500MHz Adreno 308 GPU 2GB RAM, 16GB internal storage, expandable memory up to 128GB with microSD MIUI 8 based on Android 6.0 (Marshmallow) Hybrid Dual SIM (micro + nano / microSD) 13MP rear camera with PDAF, LED Flash, f/2.2 aperture, 1080p video recording 5MP front-facing camera, f/2.2 aperture Infrared sensor Dimensions: 139.570.48.5mm;Weight: 131.5g 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.1, GPS + GLONASS 3030mAh (minimum) / 3120mAh (typical) The Xiaomi Redmi 4A comes in comes in Gray, Gold and Rose Gold colors, is priced at Rs. 5999 and will be available exclusively from Amazon.in and Mi.com starting 23rd March. The Rose Gold version will be available from 6th April. Check out the unboxing and first impressions of the Redmi 4A here. Customers buying the Redmi 4A smartphone from Amazon.in will get: Unlimited calls and 1GB free 4G data every day on recharge of Rs. 343 from Idea Cellular Download & sign-in to the kindle app and get a Rs 200 promotion credit on Kindle books Several organic dairies in the US expect a severe financial loss at an average of US$250,000 this year, as flagged by the Western Organic Dairy Farming Crisis Coalition.... Read More Its a big week for Washington D.C. and the Trump administration. Heres whats on todays agenda. FBI Testifies First up, FBI Director James Comey is set to testify on Capitol Hill over the investigation in to whether the Trump campaign had any ties to Russia, the election and its outcome. Also in the spotlight is Trumps unfounded claims that former President Obama wiretapped him during the election at Trump Tower. President Trump went on a tweeting rampage this morning to defend his claims: James Clapper and others stated that there is no evidence Potus colluded with Russia. This story is FAKE NEWS and everyone knows it! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 20, 2017 Be sure to watch Comeys testimony during Varney and Co. at 11 a.m. EST. Supreme Court Also on Capitol Hill, Trumps pick for Supreme Court Justice, Neil Gorsuch, begins his multi-day confirmation hearings. For Trump, Gorsuchs confirmation is a chance to fulfill a key campaign promise: to leave his mark on the courts for generations to come. A right-leaning conservative, Gorsuch has sided with religious freedom and a pro-life stance in the past. Democrats will fight tooth and nail to block his approval, especially since Republicans refused to approve Obamas pick for Supreme Court last year. Tune in to Gorsuchs opening remarks at 3 p.m. EST on Countdown to the Closing Bell. Don't Miss This: Its two back-to-back episodes of Strange Inheritance tonight starting at 9 p.m. EST. First up, oh baby! The daughter of a world-famous baby photographer inherits 100,000 portraits worth millions! And at 9:30 p.m. EST, what the scrap! How one hoarders scrap metal was a gold mine for his children. Social Security is, for a majority of retired workers, a financial lifeline that ensures they can meet their month-to-month expenses during their golden years. While the average retired worker is only netting a little more than $16,000 a year from Social Security, 61% of beneficiaries count on their benefits to comprise at least half of their monthly income. Social Security is 17 years from the tipping point Social Security is also a cause of major worry for many retirees and pre-retirees. According to the latest report from the Social Security Board of Trustees, the program's more than $2.8 trillion in spare cash is slated to run dry by the year 2034. This is primarily a result of the ongoing retirement of baby boomers and the subsequent lowering of the worker-to-beneficiary ratio. There simply aren't enough workers to replace those boomers that leave the workforce. Image source: Getty Images. If Congress doesn't act and find a solution to boost revenue for the program, the Trustees estimate a benefits cut as steep as 21% may be needed to prolong payouts through the year 2090. For added context, a 21% cut in the average retired workers' benefit would put him or her just a few hundred dollars above the federal poverty level for the full year, based on 2017 dollars. Clearly, this is an issue that has the full attention of seniors and pre-retirees, and it should have the attention of Congress. Unfortunately, despite a full complement of possible solutions, neither political party in Washington has been able to come up with a fix they can agree upon. Payroll taxes are the key Despite a lack of action on Capitol Hill, one simple plan remains in play that would quickly and easily fix Social Security's long-term woes and allow the program to continue paying out benefits without the threat of a cut: adjusting the payroll tax rate. All working Americans pay a payroll tax, often referred to as theFICA tax, based on their income. These FICA taxes come to out 15.3% per individual (12.4% for Social Security and 2.9% for Medicare), although most workers only pay half (7.65%). If you're employed by someone else, your responsibility is to pay 6.2% to Social Security on earned income between $0.01 and $127,200 (the maximum taxable earnings for 2017), and 1.45% to Medicare (which has no earnings cap). Your employer picks up the remaining 7.65%. And don't worry, FICA taxes are automatically taken out of your paycheck, so it's rarely something you need to worry about, unless you're self-employed or a business owner. Image source: Getty Images. According to the 2016 Trustees report, Social Security was running an actuarial deficit of 2.66%. In plainer English, this means an estimated 2.66% increase in total payroll taxes (thus 15.06% instead of 12.4%) would completely resolve Social Security's budgetary shortfall through 2090. For most workers, we're talking about parting ways with an extra 1.33% in earned income. This simple solution would lead to a 30% increase in benefits, but there's a catch However, a separate payroll tax increase proposal that was examined by the Office of Retirement Policy estimated a positive median benefit increase of 30% for beneficiaries by 2050. Based on the current average payment for retired workers of $1,362.64, we're talking about the average retiree taking home about $1,771.43 a month (in 2017 dollars) by 2050. That would be a major improvement that would place tens of millions of today's working Americans on more solid footing come retirement. Now, for the bad news. The suggested proposal involved more than a 2.66% payroll tax hike. The proposal examined by the Office of Retirement Policy assumed a 15.2% payroll tax rate for Social Security (thus 7.6% for employees) beginning in 2026 and lasting through 2055, then jumping once more to 18%, or 9% for most workers, in 2056 and every year thereafter. In this model, every last Social Security beneficiary would receive a larger payout, with a median income boost of 30%. Image source: Social Security online actuarial publications. Assumes 15.2% payroll tax between 2029 and 2058, then 18% in 2059 and thereafter. A similar proposal was also recently examined by Social Security's actuaries that involved the same payroll tax hikes (15.2% and 18%) but pushed the implementation dates for both back by three years, to 2029 and 2059, respectively. Above you can see the summary of these measures, with the payroll tax hikes more than compensating for the programs' more than $11 trillion budgetary shortfall. Essentially, seniors could be guaranteed a 30% pay raise through 2090, but it would mean that workers would need to part with an extra 1.4% of their income beginning in 2026 or 2029, depending on the model, and another 1.4% in 2056 or 2059. For the average American earning roughly $50,000 a year, we're talking about paying an extra $1,400 in income (in 2017 dollars) into Social Security by 2056 or 2059. These are the sacrifices that may have to be made in order to ensure that seniors have ample income during retirement. Little support for payroll hikes of this magnitude Of course, this is a tall task. The 2016 Voice of the People(link opens PDF)survey that questioned nearly 8,700 people in selected states about their willingness to accept a Social Security payroll tax hike found that 76% of respondents would accept an increase in the payroll tax of 0.4% (0.8% including the employers' portion) to 6.6%. However, when questioned about a 0.7% increase to 6.9%, or a 1% hike to 7.2%, approval rates dropped to just 45% and 19%, respectively. Mind you, the first hike in the above models would bring most workers' payroll tax responsibility to 7.6%! Needless to say, it would be difficult to garner the support needed to lift median payouts to beneficiaries by a median of 30%. Image source: Getty Images. I've previously opined that a long-term fix for Social Security is probably going to entail some combination of increasing revenue and decreasing benefits. Trying to work entirely on one side of the equation or the other is going to make things difficult on workers, current retirees, or future retirees. Though raising the payroll tax rates and/or adjusting the maximum taxable earnings is probably a smart move to consider, it may not be a solution by itself. In the meantime, the Social Security debate continues. The $16,122 Social Security bonus most retirees completely overlook If you're like most Americans, you're a few years (or more) behind on your retirement savings. But a handful of little-known "Social Security secrets" could help ensure a boost in your retirement income. For example: one easy trick could pay you as much as $16,122 more... each year! Once you learn how to maximize your Social Security benefits, we think you could retire confidently with the peace of mind we're all after.Simply click here to discover how to learn more about these strategies. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Germany-World finance chiefs struggled during a weekend of tense talks to find common ground on boosting trade in a global economy that is finally showing faint signs of momentum. U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, rejecting a concerted effort by rivals here, got finance officials to drop a disavowal of protectionism from a closely watched policy statement issued by the Group of 20 industrialized and developing nations. For Washington, the watered-down language that emerged in their communique ensures the U.S. can still use sanctions or other policy tools to punish trade partners and thwart economic policies the Trump administration believes to be unfair. Despite the pressure Mr. Mnuchin faced, Washington showed it still holds significant sway as the world's consumer of last resort: The G-20 adopted a pledge to promote fairness as it pursued economic growth. G-20 officials warned the U.S. risks starting a tit-for-tat trade war if it acts too aggressively, but Mr. Mnuchin said Washington wants to avoid trade wars while seeking to rebalance off-kilter economic relationships. German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who chairs the G-20 this year, signaled her frustration with global tensions over trade on Sunday, two days after a meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump, which at times appeared strained. Mr. Trump said after that meeting that he supported free and fair trade, but talks on a trans-Atlantic deal between the U.S. and European Union appear stalled. "In times when we have to fight with many people about free trade, open borders, democratic values, it's a good sign that Germany and Japan don't fight," she said after a meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in Hannover, Germany. Without mentioning the U.S. or Mr. Trump, her remarks seemed to be directed that way. "We want free, open markets. We don't want to build up any barriers," Ms. Merkel said. Mr. Trump has made trade a centerpiece of his economic agenda-vowing to win better treatment from rivals including Germany, China and Mexico. "The United States has been treated very, very unfairly by many countries over the years," Mr. Trump said in Washington on Friday before meeting with Ms. Merkel. "That's going to stop." But the president hasn't made it clear how hard he will push to win better trade terms or what tactics he will employ, leaving U.S. trade partners uncertain and at times frustrated. Mr. Trump has vowed to rewrite the North American Free Trade Agreement and has threatened different measures-including tariffs on U.S. imports and punishment for U.S. companies that outsource jobs-to improve the U.S. trade position. Saturday's G-20 statement dropped an earlier commitment to "resist all forms of protectionism," wording that appeared in a similar communique forged by finance officials in Chengdu, China, last July. Most other G-20 officials pressed Mr. Mnuchin at the meeting to preserve that reference, but failed, a senior G-20 official said. "It was not the best communique that was ever produced by the G-20, certainly," the EU's economics commissioner, Pierre Moscovici, said in an interview. Although the G-20's commitments aren't binding, the promises made member countries lend the group power through diplomatic peer pressure. Past U.S. administrations believe, for example, the G-20 was effective in prodding China to appreciate its exchange rate and nudging the European Union to build a better financial firewall against sovereign-debt risks. At a press conference on Saturday, Mr. Mnuchin said earlier language on protectionism "was not necessarily relevant from my standpoint." He also said some global trade agreements weren't being enforced, and that the new administration would be aggressive in doing so. Cross-border trade terms can be beneficial to both the U.S. and other nations, Trump's economic envoy said. "We can do that in a way that's good for the American worker, good for our companies and that's good for our counterparties," he said. German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schauble, who hosted the Baden-Baden gathering, had hoped Mr. Trump's top economic envoy would offer a vision of U.S. trade policy that tempered the most aggressive threats by the president and White House officials, including unilateral tariffs and other punitive sanctions against trade partners. But the G-20 treasury chiefs reached an impasse. Mr. Schauble said at a press conference that Mr. Mnuchin appeared to have no mandate to negotiate any new or creative commitments on trade. "Sometimes you have to limit yourself at such a meeting to not asking too much of one partner. You can't ask too much of him anyway because he would then simply not agree to it," Mr. Schauble said. In failing to secure a written agreement from the U.S. that would repeat past G-20 vows to reject protectionism in all its forms, many officials said they were departing confused about where the Trump administration will ultimately land on trade policy. The Treasury secretary advanced his boss's view, promoting "free and fair trade." Mr. Moscovici, a former French finance minister, described Mr. Mnuchin as "a man who wants constructive engagement," who came to Europe "in listening mode." He said the meeting wasn't confrontational, and that it was a time "to try to identify with the new administration." Still, Mr. Moscovici regretted the absence of a clearer mention of fighting protectionism or climate change, and pledged that the EU would push back against measures that undermined open and functioning markets. At the meeting, Brazil Finance Minister Henrique Meirelles told the G-20 about his country's own experience with protectionism, as the country has just experienced its worst recession on record. "We had adopted during the last years some protectionist measures for some sectors of the economy and the net result was not positive," Mr. Meirelles said in an interview. "At the end of the day, the products became more expensive and Brazilbecame less competitive. In Brazil, we are moving toward a more open trade policy." China was among the most vocal advocates for preserving the protectionist language, even though the country's industries, cross-border cash flows and exchange rate are still tightly managed by the Communist Party. "China is positioning itself as an advocate for a free and open economy," said former top U.S. Treasury diplomat Nathan Sheets. "But in order for that to be credible, China would have to complement it with true steps to open up and liberalize its economy." G-20 officials said they see both a new U.S. administration struggling to get up and running and competing power centers with different views on trade. "Nobody knows what the endgame is," a senior G-20 official said. "Either the meeting is several months too early or it's perfect timing," giving the G-20 an opportunity to help temper U.S. policy before it is cemented. Investors are still confused, for example, about the administration's dollar policy, having been given different signals from Mr. Trump and his lieutenants. Asked who markets should heed, Mr. Mnuchin said: "They should listen to the president first and listen to me as well." Evidence that it may just be too soon for the U.S. to offer the G-20 anything substantive on trade, financial regulation, tax overhauls and other policies, Mr. Mnuchin relied on senior civil servants to conduct much of the detailed negotiations at the meeting. The secretary's international diplomats have only recently been nominated and still must go through a lengthy confirmation process. If trade czar Peter Navarro and Steve Bannon, a top Trump adviser and self-described economic nationalist, have their way, many officials fear the White House could trigger a trade war. The administration has advocated applying unilateral actions that eschew a rules-based multilateral order, including submission to the World Trade Organization's authority. Others in the administration, including Mr. Mnuchin and Gary Cohn, director of the National Economic Council, hold a more internationalist view of the world. If they prevail in guiding administration policy, many G-20 officials see fiery campaign rhetoric being tamed in the coming months. Mr. Schauble said all G-20 delegations had agreed on opposing protectionism, but that it wasn't always clear what they meant. Some countries are worried that failure to temper aggressive trade policy could not only trigger a round of retaliatory tariffs and a rise in other trade barriers that would damage global growth, but it also could exacerbate geopolitical tensions. Last week, for example, U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson raised the option of a pre-emptive strike against North Korea because Pyongyang's nuclear-missile program poses a growing threat to U.S. ally South Korea. China traditionally is able to strong-arm Pyongyang into cooling hostilities. But if U.S.-China trade tensions escalate, Beijing may in the future be less cooperative in playing that role, some analysts warn, raising the risk of a dangerous regional conflict. The U.S. delegation found a rare ally in Japan, which came to Mr. Mnuchin's defense, saying talks over American protectionism were overblown. "I feel that many of those talks are exaggerated and made up," Finance Minister Taro Aso said, adding that a summit meeting held earlier this year between Messrs. Trump and Abe involved "no discussions whatsoever that smacked of protectionism." Still, the International Monetary Fund is worried. "We should collectively avoid self-inflicted injuries," IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde warned the group. Global cooperation can boost world growth, she said, but "the wrong ones could stop the new momentum in its tracks." Democrats raised questions on Monday about whether Neil Gorsuch, President Donald Trump's U.S. Supreme Court nominee, would rule against abortion rights and gun control while favoring corporations as his Senate confirmation hearing began, with the court's ideological balance at stake. Judiciary Committee Republicans praised Gorsuch, the conservative appeals court judge from Colorado nominated by Trump on Jan. 31, and called him well qualified for the lifetime job as a justice. Despite slim chances of blocking the nomination with Republicans controlling the Senate, Democrats raised questions about Gorsuch's suitability for the court. The panel's top Democrat, Dianne Feinstein, noted that Gorsuch has the chance to join the high court only because the Senate Republicans last year refused to consider Democratic former President Barack Obama's nomination of federal appeals court judge Merrick Garland. "Our job is to determine whether Judge Gorsuch is a reasonable, mainstream conservative or is he not," Feinstein, said in her opening statement. Republican Senator Chuck Grassley, the committee's plain-spoken chairman, said the panel is likely to vote on the nomination on April 3, with the full Senate vote likely soon after. Gorsuch was set to give his opening statement later in the day and face questioning by the committee on Tuesday. Democrats highlighted cases on which Gorsuch has ruled and questioned the influence of conservative interest groups in advising Trump on his selection. Feinstein emphasized abortion in particular. Conservatives have long opposed the landmark 1973 ruling called Roe v. Wade in which the court found that a woman has a right under the U.S. Constitution to terminate a pregnancy. Feinstein called that ruling and others since then buttressing legalized abortion "super precedents" that deserve special deference. Fellow Democrat Patrick Leahy said he was worried that Gorsuchs conservative method of interpreting the Constitution "goes beyond being a philosophy and becomes an agenda" that is anti-abortion, anti-environment and pro-business. "Will you allow the government to intrude on Americans' personal privacy and freedoms? Will you elevate the rights of corporations over those of real people? Will you rubberstamp a president whose administration has asserted that executive power is not subject to judicial review?" Leahy said. If Gorsuch is confirmed by the Senate, as expected, he would restore a narrow 5-4 conservative majority on the court. The seat has been vacant for 13 months, since the death of conservative Justice Antonin Scalia in February 2016. 'A REPUBLICAN STRATEGY' Many Democrats contend Trump's party "stole" a Supreme Court seat by freezing out Garland. "Your nomination is part of a Republican strategy to capture our judicial branch of government," Senator Dick Durbin told Gorsuch. "That is why the Senate Republicans kept this Supreme Court seat vacant for more than a year and why they left 30 judicial nominees who had received bipartisan approval of this committee to die on the Senate calendar as President Obama left office." Democrats focused on one 2016 employment case as an example of what they say indicates a pro-business bias. Gorsuch voted against a truck driver fired after he disobeyed a supervisor and abandoned his trailer at the side of a road after the brakes froze. Citing Gorsuch's role in a 2013 decision involving arts and crafts retailer Hobby Lobby to allow private companies to object on religious grounds to providing insurance covering birth control, Durbin said he saw a pattern in Gorsuch's judicial opinions to dismiss efforts by workers to "recognize their rights or defend their freedoms." The hearing could go as long as four days, providing classic Washington political theater. Gorsuch, a cool-headed and amiable jurist, entered the packed hearing room accompanied by Grassley, greeting members of the audience and shaking hands with panel members, as a phalanx of photographers snapped pictures. As the hearing got underway, he introduced his wife and other members of his family. In his opening statement, Grassley said it was important to have jurists who do not exceed their powers. "Judges are not free to re-write statutes to get results they believe are more just. Judges are not free to re-order regulations to make them more fair. For sure, judges aren't free to update the Constitution. That's not their job." "His grasp on the separation of powers, including judicial independence, enlivens his body of work," Grassley said of Gorsuch. About 30 people in the audience wore red T-shirts emblazoned with #StopGorsuch. Gorsuch likely will try to engage members of the Judiciary Committee without being pinned down on specifics that could trip up his nomination to the lifetime post. Had Garland been confirmed, the court would have leaned to the left for the first time in decades. Since Scalia's death, the court has been split 4-4 between conservatives and liberals. The ideological leaning of the court could be pivotal in determining the outcome of a wide array of matters including the death penalty, abortion, gun control, environmental regulations, transgender rights, voting rights, immigration, religious liberty, presidential powers and others. Republicans hold 52 of the Senate's 100 seats. Under present rules, Gorsuch would need 60 votes in order to secure confirmation. If Democrats stay unified and Gorsuch cannot muster 60, Republicans could change the rules to allow confirmation by a simple majority. (Reporting by Lawrence Hurley and Andrew Chung; Additional reporting by Susan Heavey; Editing by Will Dunham) Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin laid down important building blocks for future progress at his first G20 meeting, according to Tony Sayegh, assistant secretary for public affairs at the U.S. Treasury. We want balanced trade, Sayegh told the FOX Business Networks Maria Bartiromo during an exclusive interview. There are some agreements that we have to reexamine to make sure that the American worker does not get hurt by our fair trade policies from our vantage point. Aside from attending the financial ministerial conference, Mnuchin made it a point to participate in 18 bilateral meetings with his counterparts. Sayegh said a cornerstone of Secretary Mnuchins agenda was to express that the U.S. doesnt view multilateral and bilateral trade agreements as mutually exclusive, as well as share his ideas on free trade. What we are looking for franklyis just an even playing field, he said. I do think that the ministers ultimately did reach consensus on trade language that does support free, fair and balanced trade and that was a very significant development over at the G20 and that was something that Secretary Mnuchin was able to successfully maneuver. Mnuchins meetings included a stop in London with the Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond where Prime Minister Theresa May also paid a visit and Bank of England Governor Mark Carney, Sayegh said. He also met with German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble, who presided over the summit. In Berlin, I think Secretary Mnuchin forged a very strong relationship with Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble, Sayegh added. In his opinion, Secretary Mnuchin overall took a humongous step forward in building personal relationships and good will over this trip. The confirmation hearing for President Donald Trumps Supreme Court nominee, Judge Neil Gorsuch, began Monday and Senate Democrats are prepared to put him through the ringer. While Republicans have lauded Trumps pick, who, like Justice Antonin Scalia, favors a strict interpretation of the Constitution, Democrats have been busy organizing their line of attack. FOX Business took a look at the top four key issues Democrats are likely to press Judge Gorsuch on this week. Abortion Im sure theyll probe him on abortion, about which hell say very little because he hasnt ruled on such a case and wont give a preview on how hed rule, Ilya Shapiro, senior fellow in constitutional studies and editor-in-chief of the Cato Supreme Court Review at the Cato Institute, told FOX Business. President Trump promised to nominate a pro-abortion judge throughout his campaign, and Democrats want to know where Gorsuch stands. While he has never ruled overtly on the issue, some believe his stances on other cases are telling. In Hobby Lobby Stores Inc. v. Sebelius, Judge Gorsuch ruled against the Affordable Care Acts contraceptive mandate, which requires private employers to provide employees with free contraceptive coverage. Gorsuch sided with the company, which argued the mandate violated its religious beliefs. In addition, he laid out the perspective in his book "The Future of Assisted Suicide and Euthanasia" that assisted suicide violates the right to life. Campaign Finance Laws Citizens United v. FEC was a controversial Supreme Court case dealing with the regulation of campaign expenditures by organizations. The Court ruled in a 5-4 decision that laws restricting independent political spending by corporations and unions were unconstitutional because they prohibited free speech. Critics of the ruling believe corporations should not be granted the same rights to free speech as individuals and that it has given a larger voice to the rich. The decision has led to the rampant rise of super PACs and political non-profits. When it comes to where Gorsuch stands on Citizens United, Shapiro thinks he will explain the importance of protecting the right to political speech, which would indicate he is in favor of upholding the ruling. Worker Protection Last week Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer held an event with citizens on the losing side of some of Gorsuchs Tenth Circuit appeals decisions, whom he argued were decided against in favor of big, special corporate interests. In one case, Hwang v. Kansas State, the court, and Gorsuch, ruled against a university employee who sued the school for refusing to extend her six-month leave of absence after she underwent cancer treatment, and did not want to return to work as a flu epidemic broke out on campus. In another case, TransAm Trucking Inc. v. Administrative Review Board, it was determined a trucker had been wrongfully fired after he unhitched his trailer and drove away when the trucks brakes froze. Gorsuch dissented, saying the company had given him the legal option to stay with his trailer and wait for help, which he declined, instead operating the truck in a way not permitted by the company. Supporters will point to the fact that Gorsuch is not evaluating moral arguments, simply legal ones. As Gorsuch himself noted in the latter opinion: It might be fair to ask whether TransAms decision was a wise or kind one. But its not our job to answer questions like that. Our only task is to decide whether the decision was an illegal one. Religious Freedom vs. the Law In addition to the Hobby Lobby case, Gorsuch sided with the Little Sisters of the Poor, defending the religious right of nuns not to have to pay for contraceptive drugs under their health care plans. Democrats are likely to question Gorsuch on what critics view as a broad interpretation of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, which ensures religious freedoms are protected. Will Republicans Go Nuclear? Schumer has threatened to use his influence in Congress to block any Trump nominee who is not bipartisan and mainstream. Last week, Senator Schumer doubled down on claims that Judge Gorsuch is not the right man for the job: Neil Gorsuch may act like a neutral, calm judge, but his record and his career clearly show he harbors a right-wing, pro-corporate, special-interest agenda, he said during a press conference. Still, while Republicans have expressed willingness to invoke the nuclear option if necessary, Shapiro said they may not have to. Im not convinced that Schumer has the votes to sustain a filibuster, particularly given that theres nothing extreme about Gorsuch and that 10 Democratic senators are up for reelection next year in states that Trump won. But if push comes to shove, Im confident that [Sen. Mitch] McConnell would indeed eliminate the filibuster for Supreme Court nominees, he said. Many Democrats are still upset with the GOP's treatment of President Obamas Supreme Court nominee, Chief Judge Merrick Garland, who Republicans refused to consider at the time. Judge Gorsuchs hearing comes 48 days after his nomination, though for the last three successful Supreme Court appointments, the confirmation process took an average of 78 days from the time of nomination. A restaurant in Oklahoma City has found itself in the middle of a national debate over who can use what bathrooms after a sign in the eatery went viral online. In 2016, the Steak and Catfish Barn, which bills itself as a family friendly all-American steakhouse, posted a sign near its bathroom area stating We do not have a transgender bathroom. So dont be caught in the wrong one. The sign was signed Thank you, Bob." That is "Bob" is Bob Warner, the 82-year-old owner of the restaurant. Though KFOR reports that the sign has been up for nearly 10 months, it was only recently noticed by Freedom Oklahoma, a statewide political advocacy organization that supports gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender civil rights. "You've got this sign implying a threat of potential violence against somebody for going to pee," executive director for Freedom Oklahoma, Troy Stevenson told KFOR. "That's not the Oklahoma standard. That's not what it means to be American. That's just wrong." Since bringing awareness to the sign earlier this month, Freedom Oklahoma has sparked a major debate across social media; many critics of the sign have expressed their disgust. Steak & Catfish Barn on #Yelp: This goes to show the hate and bigotry of this place. I do not recommend it to anyon https://t.co/2vSJn6YMmE Allison (@AllisonAndrea75) March 15, 2017 Not that I would *ever* eat at the Steak & Catfish Barn in Oklahoma City, OK, but in case you were considering it-- don't. https://t.co/Alyix2HxuN Kate Livingston (@exposyourmuseum) March 17, 2017 But others are showing support for the restaurant's decision to publicly take a stand on a controversial issue. If you live near #Steak and Catfish Barn in Oklahoma City please support #Bob Warner and go enjoy a meal in his Restaurant. https://t.co/8FLrt8kVDp Domestic Goddess (@DomesticBoriqua) March 17, 2017 @MadWorldNews OKC'S STEAK & CATFISH BARN, I SUPPORT YOU-THANK YOU FOR STANDING UP & STANDING YOUR GROUND- I KNOW IT'S PURE LOGIC-#WE THE PPL SCHAFER (@Tee033) March 16, 2017 Bob's steak and catfish barn. Sounds a little too fancy anyway seriously though, the bathroom bill is the most stupid bill ever! Bob! https://t.co/UAnOp3Wufy lil Dabbs (@cattleranch1) March 15, 2017 Warner says that the sign was more of a heads up to transgender guests, who could potentially want to make use of the bathroom facilities. "I got to thinking, 'I have a lot of redneck guys that weigh 250 pounds or more, and if somebody that was dressed like a man when their wife was in there or their little girl, I would not have a restaurant left," Warner said of his reasoning to NonDoc. "Because that guy would go in there and tear my restaurant to pieces." Warner also said that he could only afford two bathrooms and couldnt budget construction of a third for transgender guests. But he did say they would be welcome in the establishment if they were dressed appropriately. The owner has not clarified what he meant by appropriate clothing for transgender women or men. The Steak and Catfish barn was not immediately available for comment. A New Yorkers Make America Great Again caused quite a ruckus at her local bar, but not just for the reason you might think. Heather Hauswirth, a reporter for the New York Post, recently read a story about a Philadelphia man who claimed his MAGA hat got him booted from a bar in the Big Apple, so she decided to borrow her buddys hat with Trump's signature slogan for a little social experiment. On Thursday, Hauswirth donned the red cap and headed over to the trendy West Village hot-spot The Happiest Hour the same bar that allegedly booted the Philly Trump supporter. About 10 minutes into her night, Hauswirth says a manager asked her to remove the hat immediately, citing a fight caused by several MAGA hats just a week before. MAN CLAIMS NYC BAR REFUSED HIM SERVICE OVER TRUMP HAT About two and a half weeks ago, we had a group that was all wearing Make America Great Again hats and then had to break up a fight, the manager told Hauswirth, per The New York Post. After explaining that she wasnt trying to start any trouble, the manager asked if Hauswirth would consider swapping headgear, and provided her with a newsboy cap instead. She was also told she could keep the hat, if she liked. Hauswirth, having completed her social experiment, went back to drinking but then something even crazier happened. According to the reporter, two drunk-seeming bros approached her and asked to purchase the hat, which was sitting on a nearby table. Since the MAGA cap wasnt technically hers, she threw out an unreasonable figure. A hundred bucks and you can have the hat, she told them. To Hauswirths surprise, both men were more than willing to cough up the cash. Another patron, apparently a friend of the two bros, leaned in and informed Hauswirth that the guys would be willing to spend even more, so she upped the price to $200. NYC'S 'DEAD RABBIT' TOPS LIST AS BEST BAR IN THE WORLD The men threw their money on the table, and Hauswirth handed over the cap. Upon putting the hat on, however, the men were approached by the bars manager again-- as well as a bouncer. They refused to remove it Why cant I wear it? Hes our president, one of the men reportedly said at which point they were reportedly escorted out of the bar. Hauswirth says one of them grabbed back a fifty-dollar bill as he walked out, leaving her with $150. But while Hauswirth made out like a bandit, Greg Piatek, the Philadelphia man who inspired her experiment, is still seeking justice: According to reports, Piatek is now suing The Happiest Hour for discrimination. Health news from AskDrManny President Obama and and First Lady Michelle Obama teamed up in a conference on Thursday to address cyberbullying, a growing problem in today's generation of children. Cyberbullying affects half of all American teenagers, according to the National Crime Prevention Council. Additional figures from the Cyberbullying Research Center indicate that it is responsible for suicidal thoughts in 20 percent of middle school-aged children. All it takes is a quick internet search to uncover the names and faces of children who have committed suicide after becoming victims of cyberbullying: Alexis Pilkington, 17, Ryan Halligan, 13, Tyler Clementi, 18 -- and these are only a tiny fraction of the kids who have suffered from online harassment. I know that as parents, it's hard for us to understand this aspect of our kids' lives. We didn't grow up with the internet or cell phones or iPads, and all these other gadgets our kids spend hours on every day. We weren't constantly connected to our social circles through Facebook or Twitter or instant messaging. But our kids are. They're constantly getting feedback from their friends (and those who aren't so friendly) on everything they do. While there's some accountability on Facebook and Twitter, there are also websites like Forumspring allow people to speak to -- and all too often, attack -- each other anonymously. How do you know if your child is being cyberbullied? That can be tough. Cyberbullying happens silently, in places you may not be able to access -- unless your child has given you their passwords to the social networking sites they use. But barring this admittedly unlikely situation, there are other ways to tell. Observe your child. Are they moody and withdrawn, moreso than a typical bout of the teenage blues would explain? Are they constantly monitoring their Facebook or Twitter? It may be that there's something they're specifically monitoring for, such as a cruel or taunting comment. And then there's an even more effective method: Ask them. Yes, kids can be secretive. Yes, they can be moody too. But it's better that they know that somebody's in their corner, willing to take action against the people who are tormenting them. Once you know your child is being cyberbullied there are specific actions you can take. I've outlined a few of them below: 1. Be supportive. Don't be passive. This isn't a case of sticks and stones and telling your child to "get a thicker skin." In cyberbullying, children are especially vulnerable because its following them everywhere -- including places where they should feel safe, like their homes. The attacks can also be even more vicious than everyday schoolyard taunts because people tend to feel less responsible for their actions on the internet. 2. If the attacks escalate, your response should as well. Notify the school. Ask a teacher or counselor to observe if there is a person or group bullying your child in the classroom. These may be the same people who are bullying your child online. 3. Consider counseling. Cyberbullying can have serious consequences. Kids have committed suicide over what people have said to them online. When depression becomes this severe, sometimes the most responsible thing is to admit that you need help. 4. Keep a record. Print out all instances of cyberbullying. There may come a time when the bullying escalates to a point where police intervention is necessary (such as when personal information is posted online, or the bullies are threatening physical harm). These printouts, along with electronic evidence, can be used by police to find the cyberbully offline. If you're uncertain as to whether or not bullying is escalating, remember: it's always better to be safe than sorry. Too many kids have fallen victim to cyberbullying already -- and for some, it cost them their lives. If you suspect your child is being cyberbullied, take action now. For more information, visit http://www.stopcyberbullying.org/. The post What To Do if Your Child Is A Victim of Cyberbullying appeared first on AskDrManny. A Miami clinic is under fire after one of its patients died Thursday following a Brazilian butt lift procedure, marking the second such death in a one-year span. Ranika Hall, 25, had traveled to Eres Plastic Surgery from her Kansas City home for the procedure, Centre Daily Times reported. Hall, who is survived by a 1-year-old daughter, is the fourth patient to die under the care of a network of clinics connected to physician Ismael Labrador and his ex-wife, Aimee De la Rosa, Centre Daily Times reported. My baby left Wednesday, 3/15/17, perfectly fine and healthy which is the last time I talked to her and seen her, Nicole Hall, the womans mother, wrote on GoFundMe. The clinic Hall chose had changed its name from Encore Plastic Surgery following the death of Heather Meadows, a 29-year-old mother of two. The other two deaths involved a 32-year-old from Ecuador and a 51-year-old woman, who both underwent surgery at Labradors Vanity Cosmetic Surgery, the news outlet reported. Dr. Daniel Calva and Eres Plastic Surgery express their deepest condolences to the family and loved ones of our patient whom had recently undergone a cosmetic procedure at our center on Thursday evening, a statement from the clinic said, according to Centre Times Daily. Dr. Daniel Calva and Eres Plastic Surgery are deeply saddened by what has occurred and offer their thoughts and prayers during this difficult time. Dr. Calva is a highly skilled and caring surgeon that is dedicated to providing the highest level of care to his patients, the statement said. The cause of death has not yet been determined until a medical forensic examiner has completed an examination. Hialeah police, which is where the clinic is located, the Florida Department of Health and the Miami-Dade State Attorneys Office are investigating Halls death, the news outlet reported. A Tennessee woman who nearly died after a rare strep throat infection said she feels lucky to have escaped missing only a few fingers and toes after reading a similar story about a Michigan patient last week. There was a pretty big chance I could have died, Shelby Smith told Fox 6. I started shaking and convulsing and my lips started turning blue and my eyes were rolling in the back of my head. After being rushed to the hospital via ambulance, Smith learned that she was going into septic shock, Fox 6 reported. Doctors placed Smith in a medically-induced coma when her organs started shutting down and her throat began closing. To save her organs, doctors redirected blood flow from her limbs, similar to what happened with 44-year-old Kevin Breen. Dr. Jeffry King, Smiths doctor, told Fox 6 that her case was extremely rare, with only a few hundred reported in the U.S. each year. Id say this is one of the most life-threatening illnesses that we see as far as bacterial infection, King told Fox 6. As was the case with Breen, Smith did not present symptoms typical of a strep infection before doctors could determine what was causing her illness. As a result, the treatment cut blood flow to several of her fingers and toes. She lost two toes on her left foot, her left index finger and was only left with one joint on her right hand. Either buckle under the pressure or I can pick myself up and make a new normal, Smith told Fox 6 of her missing fingers. Its no surprise your sex life will look different after your partner gives birth at least temporarily. Between all of the physical, hormonal and emotional changes shes dealing with, to the extreme exhaustion she is now facing, and settling into her new life with your baby, sex may not be as exciting, spontaneous or pleasurable as it once was for either of you. In fact, after the birth of a baby men admitted to experiencing shifts in their sexual desire related to fatigue, stress and time, a study in the Journal of Sexual Medicine found. THESE AMERICANS ARE HAVING LESS SEX THAN THEY ONCE DID Take heed, guys. Your sex life can be great again. But for now, here are some tips that will get you through. 1. Be understanding Before you even think about having sex again, its important to understand what your partner is going through so you can re-establish intimacy. Between non-stop feedings, diaper changes and everything else she has to do to care for your newborn, theres a good chance shes exhausted. Most moms dont sleep for more than two or three hours at a time and they often dont have or ask for help. Todays modern women want to take care of their babies, Dr. Hilda Hutcherson, Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Columbia University Medical Center in New York City, told Fox News. There was a time when women would hand their babies off to someone else. WHY SOME MEN GET SLEEPY AFTER SEX Your partner may also still have pain from vaginal tears or an episiotomy, which is a procedure during the second stage of labor to facilitate delivery. If shes breastfeeding, her chest may be tender and leaking, and she might also have cracked, bleeding nipples. Because breastfeeding causes estrogen levels to be low too, vaginal dryness can make sex uncomfortable, even painful. Prolactin, the hormone thats released during breastfeeding, can also decrease libido and sexual pleasure. 2. Pitch in Exhaustion will dampen her desire for sex, but studies suggest helping out with diaper changes, housework and meals can do a lot for your sex life, too. In fact, when men pitched in, couples had sex more often and reported higher sexual satisfaction, a study in the Journal of Family Psychology found. I think thats something that many women appreciate and can actually find the desire to want to connect more emotionally with their partner, Chris Pegula, author of Diaper Dude: The Ultimate Dads Guide to Surviving the First Two Years, told Fox News. THIS NEW TYPE OF CHEATING IS ON THE RISE Offer to care for the baby for a few hours so she can rest, do your best to pitch in, consider hiring a cleaning service or a meal delivery service, or ask a family member to help out. 3. Reconnect Sex might be on your mind, but for most women to want sex, they need to feel emotionally connected. If possible, plan a date night, do something active or catch a movie sans baby to re-establish that emotional connection. 4. Be honest Although postpartum depression is usually associated with women, research in recent years suggests fathers can experience it too. In fact, a recent study in JAMA Psychiatry found that 4 percent of new dads experience symptoms of depression after the birth of a baby. Its normal to feel sad and depressed as you adjust to your new way of life, but your feelings likely have less to do with a lack of serotonin and more to do with grieving, Dr. Gary Brown, a licensed marriage and family therapist in Los Angeles, told Fox News. Of course you love your partner and your baby, but it can be a challenge to realize that you now have to share your partner. Be honest with yourself and your partner, and keep the lines of communication open. THE TRUTH ABOUT WHY HAVING SEX MAKES US HAPPY 5. Be patient After the six-week postpartum check-up, most women get the all-clear for sex. Although some are ready, for others, it could take up to year to feel desire again. It can be tough to wait, but be patient and give her the time she needs. Find other ways of enjoying each other or providing each other pleasure other than intercourse, Hutcherson said. 6. Make her feel hot again With all the attention now paid to your baby, many women start to see themselves more as mothers and less as sexual women. With all of the changes that have happened to her body and the extra baby weight shes carrying, she may not feel attractive anymore or even worry that her vagina isnt as tight or desirable as it once was. They assume that their partners cant possibly see them as attractive anymore because they changed so much physically, Hutcherson said. To help her feel good about herself and more likely that shell want sex, shower her with kindness and compassion, and make sure she knows you still find her sexy. FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK FOR MORE FOX LIFESTYLE NEWS 7. Go with the flow Recognize that sex may not come as naturally or be as steamy as it once was. In fact, it can almost be like the first time you ever had sex, especially if shes in pain. Its also natural to feel guilty about having sex because you dont want to hurt her or perhaps you feel uncomfortable being intimate with your new baby in the same room. Continue to communicate, make time for each other and be flexible, and your sex life will be exciting again as it once was. Lost in the shuffle of national news last week was the publication of an assessment by Democratic operatives on why my party lost the 2016 presidential campaign. Their argument? Voters chose President Trump because they had a fear of diversity. The authors living in New York and San Francisco concluded that Hillary Clintons supporters were upscale and embraced an open society while Trumps were straight, white male Christians in small town America who lacked an appropriate education. The message was clear: Democrats stood no chance in the face of ignorant bigots. For Democrats like me in rural America, studies like this are nothing new. We are used to being cast as racist or homophobic Barney Fifes in modern-day minstrel shows. Our role is to serve as devious characters that explain electoral losses or frighten the Democratic Coalition to the ballot box. But facts are stubborn. And so too are smart Democrats who see through the intellectually bankrupt theories of party hacks. So why did we lose the election? Exit polling makes it clear. It was the economy, stupid. Counties that voted for Clinton represented 64 percent of the American economy. Said differently, most of the nations financial winners the wealthy, the privileged pulled the lever for Democrats. The remainder of Americas counties measuring only 36 percent of the nations economic output voted for Trump. Tellingly, these counties were also home to the majority of Americas manufacturing industry. Or whats left of it. Since the year 2000, America has lost upwards of 5 million manufacturing jobs. How? Automation gets part of the blame, with robots replacing humans on the factory floor. Apparently, Corporate America prefers its labor to be metallic and non-unionized. Yet the biggest culprits are congressional Republicans and President Bill Clinton. Nearly 20 years ago, these politicians worked hard to secure Chinas entry into the World Trade Organization. It was a decision that slit the economic throats of what would become Trump supporters and their communities. Meanwhile, Communist China and Clinton counties profited mightily. How could we have been so foolish? The blame sits squarely with economists. Many had sold our political ruling class on the idea that free trade lifted all boats. But as it turns out, some boats didnt make it. Rather than acknowledge this compelling data, partisan Democrats stick firmly to the culprit of skin color. After all, white working class people did vote for Trump in unprecedented numbers. But here again, facts are not on their side. In rural counties, exit polling shows that Trump outperformed Obama, Clinton, and former Republican nominee Mitt Romney amongst Latinos as well as whites. That includes Hispanic voters in Texas, New Mexico, Colorado, Nevada, and Arizona. But how could this be? Did Latinos fear diversity too? Of course not. They feared unemployment. Despite what identity politics might say, Latinos are individuals and they think for themselves. Like white people in small town America, rural Latinos have limited education. They cant find good paying jobs. And theyre often poor. Sadly, they stay that way, too. Theres good data that shows that when you hit financial rock bottom especially in economically depressed cities youre usually stuck there. But nevermind all that. For the Democratic authors of this latest study, it was far easier to smear these Latino victims with whiteface and toss them in the electoral dumpster with their unemployed white brethren. Dropping the race card isnt a new tactic, of course. There is a long line of Republican and Democratic dividers who know how to play this dangerous game. In my party, its gone all the way to the top. In 2008, President Barack Obama claimed that small town America was bitter and clinging to guns or religion or antipathy toward people who aren't like them. At the time, Hillary Clinton correctly slammed him as an elitist. Yet despite his offense, many of these clingy racists and xenophobes pulled the lever for him anyway twice. Turns out that country folks know how to forgive. Yet eight years later, my party did it again. Clinton doubled down on Obamas argument with the deplorable slur. (Nevermind that she and her husband along with plenty of Republicans gave these voters their deplorable state following the lopsided trade deal with China.) For liberal readers bursting with examples of Trumps racial gaffes or Republican xenophobia, let me be clear: Im not interested in defending the man. Im interested in explaining why hes our president. And that gets to the study of why we lost. It boils down to this: If voters cant find a job with dignity when they have abandoned hope and settled for opioids why not vote for the guy who blows up the place? Americas economic orphans had nothing else to lose in 2016. And maybe something to gain. And that, my liberal friends, explains America and its politics. People in the Rust Belt and Smalltown USA were looking for a disruptor. We gave them a career politician promising more bad trade deals and an assortment of trust issues. Not surprisingly, my neighbors chose the political newbie with a cranky Twitter account. Makes sense to me. All of this leaves my party with a choice. We can double down on the divisiveness of us vs. them or we can find inspiration and a new direction taken from our not-so-distant past. Leaders like President Kennedy and House Speaker Tom Foley represent a time when Democrats offered something special to the American people. We fought for Main Street, not Wall Street. We bankrupted communist governments, not American industries. And we extended a hand to Americas workers, not a slap in the face. For the good of the country, I hope we go back to the future. If Trump implodes or leaves his voters wanting, the country is going to need thoughtful leaders to step up. We better be ready. Monday, the American people will meet our probable next Supreme Court Justice, Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals Judge, Neil Gorsuch. There is no question that Judge Gorsuch is exceptionally qualified. His background and character are unimpeachable. The non-partisan American Bar Association has given him its highest possible rating. Even the Senator leading the charge against his nomination, Minority Leader Charles Schumer, has described Judge Gorsuch as clearly very smart, articulate and polite, with superb judicial demeanor. Judge Gorsuch is also uniquely positioned to succeed the irreplaceable Justice Antonin Scalia. Like Justice Scalia, Judge Gorsuch believes in the rule of law, not judge-made law. He believes that the judiciary is vested only with the power to interpret statues, not create them. As Justice Scalia wrote, this distinction is critical because it determines who governs: an unelected committee of judges with life tenure or the peoples representatives. The last four nominees to the Supreme Court have all been confirmed by comfortable margins. And since the balance of the Court will not change by the addition of Judge Gorsuch, he normally would sail through a confirmation hearing. This political season is anything but normal, however. The Democrats are still smarting over their unforeseen loss of the presidency and over Judge Merrick Garlands failed nomination. Theyve already worked publically to discredit Judge Gorsuch and have even previewed their attack on the nominee. Just last week, Senator Schumer took the unprecedented step of holding a pre-hearing press conference to attack the nominee. Judge Gorsuch, Senator Schumer claimed, harbors a right-wing, pro-corporate, special-interest agenda. He accused the Judge of being in the pocket of billionaires and siding with corporate interests at the expense of the every man. Senator Schumer has a big imagination. Judge Gorsuchs record speaks for itself. But sadly, the Senators comments are par for the course. It was not so long ago that America was first introduced to another nominee, Chief Justice John G. Roberts. As a young attorney, I had the honor of helping him prepare, in a very small way, for those hearings. I can remember like it was yesterday sitting in the hearing room, as senator after senator tried to discredit then-Judge Roberts. I can remember the sharply worded questions, the insinuation that he, too, was all about big business, the attempted repudiation of his decades-worth of public service. (None of this was successful, of course.) I also remember a photo that was splashed across the front pages of the newspapers. The soon-to-be Chief Justice was looking out from behind the half-closed doors of a mini-van. This was obviously not a planned photo-op, and yet, the American people loved that picture. From it, they could see that this highly qualified, erudite, and well-spoken judge was also human. He was a husband. He was a father. And, yes, on occasion he drove a minivan. The American people can and should be concerned about Judge Gorsuchs judicial philosophy. The way a judge thinks about judging matters. Is he or she someone who feels constrained by the words Congress has written? What about the Constitution? Is he or she a believer in original meaning of someone who believes that the Constitution is living, evolving even? During their press conference, Democrats complained bitterly about Judge Gorsuchs failure specifically to answer their many questions. But Senator Schumer should know better. He is no newcomer to Supreme Court nominations, having served on the Judiciary Committee for years. As such, he is very familiar with the so-called Ginsburg Rule. This rule preserves judicial impartiality by preventing judicial nominees from commenting on potential issues. As then-Senate Judiciary Chairmen Joe Biden explained at the beginning of Justice Ginsburgs hearing, a nominee must not comment about any specific case that may come before her. Justice Ginsburg also clearly indicated that she would not comment on potential matters in her introductory statement: A judge sworn to decide impartially can offer no forecast, no hints for that would show not only disregard for the specifics of the particular case, it would display disdain for the entire judicial process. Justice Ginsburg made good on that promise. She deflected well over thirty questions from senators on both sides of the aisle on issues ranging from the First Amendment, to the death penalty, to Roe v. Wade, to the Speech and Debate Clause, to antitrust law. She reminded the senators that asking for a signal on a potential case is something you must never ask a judge to do. Every nominee to follow has invoked the Ginsburg Rule and refrained from answering questions that implicate issues that might come before the Supreme Court. The high theatre of a Supreme Court confirmation hearing is about to commence. When the senators doggedly insist upon more fulsome answers to questionsand they willkeep in mind that their questions may violate the Ginsburg Rule. One hopes that the hearings will be civil. But if they are not, and all indications suggest that Democrats have no intention of making them so, it is worth remembering that Judge Gorsuch is also a husband, father, and son. The senators must do their due diligence, but as anyone with a toddler knows (Ive got two), the tone matters. In a country so divided, the last thing people want to see is politics as usual. Indeed, Supreme Court nomination hearings should be the epitome of civility. They should be a learning opportunity for the American people. Given the full-court press by Democrats, were likely to see politics as usual on full display Monday. But one can hope. Congressional Democrats and their media allies hope FBI Director James Comey will deliver a body blow to the Trump presidency by telling lawmakers Russia undermined the the 2016 presidential election and that President Trumps claim that President Obama wiretapped Trump Tower is groundless. But Democrats also are worried that Comey, who testifies Monday, will make other statements that could severely undermine their efforts to destroy President Trump and possibly turn the tables on them. Since this will be a public hearing of the House Intelligence Committee, expect an endless series of self-righteous and preening questions by Democratic committee members on the wiretapping of Trump Tower charge. Democrats want this to be the lead story coming out of the hearing and will extract as many sound bites as possible of Comey debunking this charge for CNN, The New York Times and the Washington Post. Democratic committee members will also press Comey on Russian interference in the 2016 election and contacts between Trump campaign officials and Russians but probably do not expect to learn anything new. What worries Democrats is what Comey may say about Obama administration surveillance of the Trump campaign. It seems likely, given former Director of National Intelligence James Clappers statement on March 5 that there is no evidence of any collusion between Trump campaign officials and Russia, that Comey will make a similar statement. If he does and also confirms the Obama administration sought FISA warrants to surveil Trump campaign staff, the hearing could take a very bad turn for the Democrats. It has been reported but not officially confirmed that two FISA warrants were requested in 2016 last spring and in October to use U.S. intelligence to investigate Trump campaign staff interactions with Russian officials. The spring 16 FISA warrant reportedly was denied. FISA warrants to employ U.S. intelligence agencies to spy on Americans are only issued to address dire national security threats. The standard to issue such warrants against staff members of a presidential campaign from an opposing political party should have been even higher. In light of Clappers statement that no evidence of collusion between the Trump campaign and Russians was found and the rash of anti-Trump intelligence leaks after the election, there are serious questions as to whether these warrants were sought by Obama officials to conduct fishing expeditions to find information to hurt Trumps presidential bid. There also is the question of the leaking of NSA reports of Russian communications that incidentally mentioned Trump campaign officials, including retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn and possibly then-Sen. Jeff Sessions, now the attorney general. Is the FBI investigating these leaks? Were they part of a broad effort by the Obama administration to cull though NSA reports on Russian officials to find references to Trump campaign staff that they could leak to the news media? A related question: when NSA intercepts of foreign persons incidentally mention U.S. citizens, the names of the U.S. citizens are minimized with anonymous references. However, senior U.S. officials are permitted to ask NSA to reveal the names of Americans minimized in NSA reporting. On March 15, 2017, House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes, R-Calif., and ranking member Adam Schiff, D-Calif., requested the names of Obama officials who sought the identities of Americans mentioned in intelligence reporting be de-minimized during the last seven months of the Obama administration. Will Comey tell the committee Monday which Obama officials requested that the names of Trump campaign aides mentioned in NSA reports be de-minimized? House Intelligence Committee Democrats will try to use Comeys appearance before the committee to focus exclusively on the accuracy of President Trumps charge that President Obama ordered the bugging of Trump Tower. This issue is a distraction. All members of the committee realize that if Comey states there is no evidence of collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia and if he confirms that FISA warrants were requested, its a whole new ball game. Such statements by Comey could turn the focus of congressional investigations of possible Russian interference in the 2016 election to whether the Obama administration tried to interfere in the election by spying on the Trump campaign and whether Obama officials tried to hurt the Trump presidency by leaking classified information to the news media after the election. Democrats thus desperately hope Comey will not repeat Clappers statement about no evidence of collusion between Russia and the Trump campaign and will not comment on possible FISA warrants or at least not discuss these issues in an open hearing. Democratic lawmakers are being put on notice: Vote to put Neil Gorsuch on the Supreme Court and you put your political future at risk. In February, nine Democratic senators publicly committed to holding a floor vote on Gorsuchs nomination to the Supreme Court, almost assuring his confirmation. But there is still time to change their minds. Liberal advocacy groups are scrambling to push back against those lawmakers, and others, ahead of Monday's hearingbefore the Senate Judiciary Committee. Last week, eleven progressive advocacy organizations led by NARAL Pro-Choice America, a large activist group, sent a letter to every Democratic Senators urging them to defeat the Gorsuch nomination. They let lawmakers on the left know they dont think they are doing a good enough job in blocking Gorsuch. The letter states, in part, Democrats have failed to demonstrate a strong, unified resistance to this nominee despite the fact that he is an ultra-conservative jurist who will undermine our basic freedoms and threaten the independence of the federal judiciary. We need you to do better. The letter isnt the first shot fired. NARAL Pro-Choice America President, Ilyse Hogue, when asked by The Hill if Democrats who vote for Gorsuch might face primary challenges in the next election, replied, We would keep all options on the table. Just last week 17 activist groups, including NARAL Pro-Choice America, joined forces to launch The Peoples Defense, a massive grassroots campaign with actions planned in all 50 states to defeat Judge Neil Gorsuchs nomination to the Supreme Court. On The Peoples Defense website Murshed Zaheed, political director of CREDO, which boasts a network of five million activists, states A Democratic vote to turn the Supreme Court over to Donald Trump and extremist Republicans would be a vote against women, people of color, Muslims, immigrants, workers and the environment. With Roe v. Wade hanging in the balance any Democrat who votes to advance Gorsuchs nomination will permanently damage his or her political career, just like Sec. Clinton did when she voted for the Iraq war. Adam Green, co-founder of Progressive Change Campaign Committee wrote The surest way for Democrats to lose tough general elections in 2018 is to betray the public at this moment. The chairman of the House intelligence committee told "Fox News Sunday" that phones at President Donald Trump's campaign headquarters in midtown Manhattan were never tapped during last year's election campaign, contrary to Trump's earlier, unsubstantiated assertion. "Was there a physical wiretap of Trump Tower? No, there never was," Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Calif., said. "The information we received Friday continues to lead us in that direction." Nunes added: "There was no FISA warrant I am aware of to tap Trump Tower." FISA stands for the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which requires investigators to seek a warrant from a secret court to wiretap a foreign suspect. COMEY SET TO TESTIFY ON CAPITOL HILL ABOUT RUSSIA, HACKING, WIRETAPPING Nunes spoke as the committee prepares to begin hearings Monday into Russia's role in cybersecurity breaches at the Democratic National Committee, as well as President Donald Trump's unsubstantiated claim that his predecessor had authorized a wiretap of Trump Tower. FBI Director James Comey and Mike Rogers, the director of the National Security Agency, are slated to testify. Trump told Fox News' "Tucker Carlson Tonight" earlier this week that he would provide evidence of his wiretapping claim to the committee "very soon." Nunes said the committee will also examine whether the Russians were trying to sow doubt in the U.S. electoral system or whether they were trying to help Trump get elected to the White House. "We need to get to the bottom of that," Nunes said. Meanwhile, ranking member Adam Schiff, D-Calif., told NBC's "Meet The Press" that documents given to the committee by the FBI and the Justice Department late last week offered circumstantial evidence that American citizens colluded with Russians in Moscow's efforts to interfere in the presidential election. "There was circumstantial evidence of collusion; there is direct evidence, I think, of deception," Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., said. "There's certainly enough for us to conduct an investigation." Intelligence officials have said that Russia was behind the theft of Democratic National Committee emails last summer. The U.S. government later concluded that the Russian government directed the DNC hack in an attempt to influence the outcome of November's presidential election. SENATORS: 'NO INDICATION' TRUMP TOWER WAS SUBJECT OF SURVEILLANCE "For the first time the American people, and all the political parties now, are paying attention to the threat that Russia poses," Nunes said. "We know that the Russians were trying to get involved in our campaign, like they have for many decades. They're also trying to get involved in campaigns around the globe and over in Europe." The Associated Press contributed to this report. In a rare public hearing before the House Intelligence Committee, FBI Director James Comey suggested on Monday that recent leaks of classified information to the press are not only criminal they likely fit the definition of espionage. Mondays hearing was billed as a discussion about the committee's investigation into possible Russian interference during the 2016 U.S. presidential campaign. It quickly became clear, though, that questions about leaks were also weighing heavily on the minds of lawmakers. "Leaks of classified information are serious, serious federal crimes for a reason," Comey said during his opening statement. He added that those behind the leaks "should be investigated and where possible prosecuted in a way that reflects that seriousness so that people understand it simply cannot be tolerated." COMEY CONFIRMS FBI PROBING RUSSIA-TRUMP TEAM LINKS, DISPUTES WIRETAP CLAIM Joining Comey for questioning was National Security Agency Director Mike Rogers. During the hearing, lawmakers discussed the leaking of information about former White House National Security Advisor Michael Flynn, who was forced to resign last month after less than a month on the job. Intel Committee Chair Devin Nunes (R-CA) told Comey that he remains "extremely concerned" about what he called "widespread illegal leaks. When Nunes asked whether giving classified information to the press could be considered a violation of the Espionage Act, the FBI director responded with a flat out "yes." Comey seemed a lot less sure when pressed by Rep. Trey Gowdy, R-S.C., on whether journalists could be prosecuted for publishing the same kind of classified information. NSA CHIEF, GOP LAWMAKERS RIP 'UNACCEPTABLE' LEAKS "That's a harder question," Comey said. "I don't think a reporter's been prosecuted -- certainly in my lifetime, though." Journalist Carl Bernstein, best known for his work on the Watergate scandal, suggested on Twitter on Monday that "many intel members now decrying 'leaks' of classified info have themselves 'leaked' classified info knowingly." Rep. Chris Stewart, R-Utah, pointed out that there are other, less dangerous ways for frustrated government employees to make their grievances known, with Comey confirming that "all of us in the intelligence community have robust whistleblower provisions that we educate our folks on, and part of the whistleblower track is they can bring information to the appropriate committee of Congress." "Knowing that, I find it hard to justify any classified information that is leaked," Stewart said. "And I hope you find those guys and I hope you crack them on the head." In an isolated area of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building in the White House complex, Judge Neil Gorsuch has spent the past few days being put through the rhetorical ringer. For hours on end, he sat alone at a table, peppered with questions about his personal and professional record, all in an effort to see if he would crack under the pressure. The informal, but intrusive prep sessions are known as "murder boards" for their intensity, designed to simulate what the 49-year-old nominee to the Supreme Court will face in his Senate confirmation hearing starting Monday. "He's a home run, he's smooth, he's going to go through great," said Thomas Dupree, a former Bush deputy assistant attorney general. "The [opposing] senators will take their shots, but I think he's close to a lock." The stakes are enormous, not only for the nominee but also for the man who selected him from a list of 21 potential candidates announced during the presidential campaign. Aides say President Trump hopes a successful confirmation will build momentum for his separate political agenda, and bring a measure of stability and public confidence to what has been a challenging two months in office. In the broader realm, filling the seat left by the death of Justice Antonin Scalia will ensure the high court keeps a shaky right-leaning majority. And having that fifth conservative vote will help guide the administration as it makes strategic decisions about which high-profile issues to pursue in court-- like immigration, the environment, transgender rights and expanded executive authority. "It's important Democrats and Republicans not roll over on this pick," said Elizabeth Wydra, president of the left-leaning Constitutional Accountability Center. "The American people want their justices to be an independent check even to the president nominating you, to follow the Constitution, not their own political values." Gorsuch will face a mixed reception, as Republicans largely welcome the nominee and some Democrats look for a line of attack though theyve been distracted lately by other battles over the GOP bid to replace ObamaCare and the presidents disputed claims about wiretapping. With their attention elsewhere, Gorsuch has been preparing. Along with his courtesy visits to more than 70 members of the Senate who will decide his fate, Gorsuch has prepared for the spotlight by reviewing his own record, and enduring those closely guarded mock hearings. The private rehearsals were coordinated by the White House Counsel's Office, and included more than a dozen participants -- government lawyers, conservative academics, and some of his former law clerks. The goal is to anticipate every possible line of questioning and danger zone -- to give measured answers but not reveal too much. Sources say Gorsuch has settled in being himself, avoiding unscripted responses that might provide the televised "soundbite" to derail what has so far been a flawless confirmation journey. Administration officials are privately confident he will shine in the hearings. Republicans point to Gorsuch's unanimous 2006 confirmation to his appeals court seat as a template to blunt any efforts to filibuster this time. Sources expect him to repeat in the upcoming hearings what he said 11 years ago, about the kind of judge he considered unacceptable: "Someone who is not willing to listen with an open mind to the arguments of counsel, to his colleagues, to precedent." Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch vowed Monday to be a faithful servant of the Constitution and apply the law impartially, during the first day of his Senate confirmation hearings that repeatedly exposed the partisan divide in Washington. I pledge to each of you and to the American people that, if confirmed, I will do all my powers permit to be a faithful servant of the Constitution and laws of our great nation, said Gorsuch, who spoke at the end of the roughly four-hour Senate Judiciary Committee hearing. Gorsuch, a respected, highly-credentialed judge and conservative member of the Denver-based 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, attempted in his remarks to bridge the political divide and become President Trumps replacement for conservative Justice Antonin Scalia. In my decade on the bench, I have tried to treat all who come to court fairly and with respect, said Gorsuch, his voice cracking a few times. I have ruled for disabled students, prisoners and workers alleging civil rights violations. Sometimes, I have ruled against such persons, too. But my decisions have never reflected a judgment about the people before me -- only my best judgment about the law and facts at issue in each particular case. The hearing opened with Chairman Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa expressing his views on the high court before championing Gorsuch, saying judges play a limited role in government and are not free to update the Constitution. Thats not their job," he said. "That power is retained by the people, acting through their elected representatives, Grassley said before arguing the Obama administration tried rewriting federal laws dozens of times. His remarks were followed by California Sen. Dianne Feinstein, the top Democrat on the committee, immediately making clear her frustration about the Republican-led Senate refusing to hold hearings last year for her partys pick -- Judge Merrick Garland -- to the fill the open Supreme Court seat. I just want to say that Im deeply disappointed that under these circumstances that we begin our hearing, said Feinstein, who raised questions about Gorsuchs positons on such issues as abortion and Second Amendment rights. For those of us on our side our job is to determine whether he will protect the legal and constitutional rights of all Americans, not just the powerful and the wealthy, she continued. Gorsuch, 49, returns to the Senate chamber on Tuesday. Each of the committees 17 members will then get at least 50 minutes of questions over two rounds. Grassley said the committee is scheduled to vote April 3 on the Gorsuch nomination, with a full Senate vote expected early next month. Gorsuch is expected to clear both votes, considering Republicans have the Senate majority. No matter your politics you should be concerned about the preservation of our constitutional order and the separation of powers, Grassley said. And if you are concerned about these things, as you should be, meet Judge Neil Gorsuch. We have before us today a nominee whose body of professional work is defined by an unfailing commitment to these principles. Though Gorsuchs record has also been praised by some left-leaning legal scholars, several Senate Democrats have already signaled their intentions to oppose his nomination, amid the larger effort to stop Trump at essentially every turn. But delay tactics by Democrats could lead Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., to exercise procedural maneuvers of his own to eliminate the 60-vote filibuster threshold now in place for Supreme Court nominations, and with it any Democratic leverage to influence the next Supreme Court fight. Time and again Monday, committee Democrats attempted to tie Gorsuch to Trump and railed against Senate Republican leaders decision to wait until after the November presidential election to fill the Scalia seat. Delaware Sen. Chris Coons said Garland was treated with deep and historic disrespect. Connecticut Sen. Richard Blumenthal, a fellow Democrat, argued that Trump has launched vicious attacks and made demeaning comments against judges. These times are not ordinary, he said. Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, a GOP committee member and former Supreme Court clerk, said Scalia had a modest view of the law and that his legacy would be at stake, had former-President Obama or 2016 Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton nominated a replacement. My Democratic colleagues feel they have no choice to manufacture attacks to protect themselves in primaries back home, he also said. Gorsuch also repeatedly thanked his wife, children, mentors and others. I could not even attempt this without Louise, my wife of more than 20 years, he said before citing Scalia as a mentor. He reminded us that the judges job is to follow the words that are in the law -- not replace them with words that arent, Gorsuch added. The Associated Press contributed to this story Senate Democrats preparing to grill Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch at Mondays confirmation hearing are likely to gloss over their past praise of the same justice. More than a decade ago, many Democrats still in office now went along with Gorsuch as he was unanimously confirmed to the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals in July 2006. Things are different today, ahead of his hearing for the highest court in the land. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., expressed deep doubts during a press conference last Wednesday about the nominee and asserted Gorsuch may act like a neutral, calm judge, but his record and his career clearly show he harbors a right wing, pro-corporate, special interest agenda. Given the chance, I have no doubt hell do it again on the Supreme Court, Schumer added. Schumer was joined at the press conference by California Democrat Dianne Feinstein, the ranking member on the Senate Judiciary Committee, who questioned whether Gorsuch had been forthcoming in his preliminary answers to the committee. In a letter to Gorsuch last week, Feinstein asserted that information provided by him about his 2005-2006 employment at the Justice Department raised more questions than it answered. With your hearing only six days away, it has come to my attention that your response via the Department of Justice to my letter of February 22 is incomplete and must be supplemented immediately, Feinstein wrote. That assertion drew a quick response from Iowa Republican Chuck Grassley. The record does not reflect who specifically was on the floor in 2006 for the 95-0 vote for Gorsuch, but it would have included most, if not all, of the following Senate members that year: Four former top Obama administration officials (President Barack Obama, Vice President Joe Biden and Secretaries of State Hillary Clinton and John Kerry) and 12 current Democratic senators (Sens. Schumer, Ron Wyden, Dianne Feinstein, Patrick Leahy, Patty Murray, Dick Durbin, Jack Reed, Bill Nelson, Tom Carper, Debbie Stabenow, Maria Cantwell and Bob Menendez). Another Democrat now railing against Gorsuch is Wyden, D-Ore., who penned a critical statement citing Gorsuch's stance on assisted suicide, and insinuated he could not support him this time around. Asked whether he would again support Gorsuch, Schumer said only that he would wait and see. I have some real doubts about He has been a judge who has favored the wealthy interests over the middle class, Schumer told Fox News Bret Baier. Judge Gorsuch has repeatedly sided with corporations over working people, demonstrated a hostility toward womens rights, and most troubling, hewed to an ideological approach to jurisprudence that makes me skeptical that he can be a strong, independent Justice on the Court, Schumer said in a statement. Vermont Sen. Patrick Leahy said he would demand real answers to questions he has about Gorsuchs judicial philosophy. I hope next week, when the presidents Supreme Court nominee will appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee, he provides transparent, truthful answers to Senators questions, Leahy said in a statement. I will insist on real answers from Judge Neil Gorsuch, because there are real concerns about his record and his judicial philosophy. A key Republican lawmaker pressed hard Monday against the FBI director to name the chief suspects in the leaks of classified intelligence, but the G-man did not budge. Rep. Trey Gowdy, R-S.C., grilled FBI boss James Comey in a dogged bid to determine specifically who could have told the press former National Security Adviser Mike Flynn turned up on surveillance audio, a development that led to his firing. In a tense exchange, Gowdy, himself a former federal prosecutor, ticked off what sounded like his own short list of suspects. He asked which of former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, former CIA Director John Brennan, Obama Attorney General Loretta Lynch and ex-White House adviser Ben Rhodes could have known Flynn was caught on tape conferring with the Russian ambassador. Comey acknowledged all but Rhodes were privy to the information, the disclosing of which is a felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison. Comey said he did not know if Rhodes had access to such information. Gowdy said the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act is in place to protect national security and allows spying on certain foreign agents. Rules state that if an American with Constitutional protections is collaterally caught in such surveillance, his or her identity must be protected. The fact the Flynn was caught on tape was reported by the Washington Post last year, citing "senior administration officials." But Comey would not say if the FBI is investigating the apparent leak. I cant say because I dont want to confirm that that was classified information, said Comey, who had earlier confirmed that the bureau is investigating the claim that Russia meddled in the 2016 election. "But you confirmed the investigation into the Trump camp Russia ties," Gowdy pressed. "And arent these leaks a matter of life and death?" Comey replied, "Leaks are terrible and taken very seriously," before adding that theres a whole lot of wrong information in newspapers," and saying he did not want to "compound the offense thats committed." President Trump on Monday held his first meeting with Iraq's prime minister Monday as the American leader shapes his policy for defeating the Islamic State group. With Iraq's Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi at the White House, Trump said Iran is one of the issues his team will discuss with the Iraqi delegation. He took the opportunity to criticize the nuclear deal his predecessor, Barack Obama, pursued with Iran. "One of the things I did ask is, `Why did President Obama sign that agreement with Iran?' because nobody has been able to figure that one out," Trump said. "But maybe someday we'll be able to figure that one out." Trump said he hopes to address the "vacuum" that was created when the Islamic State group claimed Iraq and added that "we shouldn't have gone in" to Iraq in the first place. Speaking after Trump during the bilateral meeting, al-Abadi said that Iraq has "the strongest counterterrorism forces, but we are looking forward to more cooperation between us and the U.S." Trump campaigned on a promise to dramatically ramp up the assault on IS and has vowed to eradicate "radical Islamic terrorism." So far, he has not indicated a dramatic change of course. Like Obama before him, Trump has not suggested any sharp increases in troop levels or in airstrikes against militant targets, looking to avoid giving off the image of an invading force. Earlier Monday, Trump greeted al-Abadi in the Oval Office shortly after FBI Director James Comey said the FBI and Justice Department have no information to substantiate Trump's claims that Obama wiretapped him before the election. As reporters were leaving, al-Abadi leaned over to Trump and joked, "We have nothing to do with the wiretap." The Iraqi premier's first visit to Washington since Trump's inauguration came before Trump hosts a 68-nation meeting geared toward advancing the fight against the militant group. During al-Abadi's last visit to Washington, the Iraqi premier worked to drum up greater financial and military support as he faced the daunting task of rebuilding cities destroyed in the fight against the Islamic State group. He also sought greater assistance to help the country confront a humanitarian crisis, with more than 4 million people displaced in the fighting. As he departed Baghdad for the Monday afternoon meeting at the White House, al-Abadi declared in a video statement, "We are in the last chapter, the final stages to eliminate IS militarily in Iraq." But as Iraqi forces come closer to recapturing the city of Mosul -- it's militant group's biggest stronghold in Iraq -- the extent to which the Trump administration is willing to commit to efforts to rebuild Iraqi cities, many of them in ruins from the fighting, remains to be seen. Trump's budget proposal would cut by roughly 30 percent funding for the State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development. Both contribute significantly to peacekeeping missions and development programs. How Iraq will be impacted by Trump's approach isn't known. Previous administrations have asserted a need for maintaining assistance to Iraq to counter the influence of neighboring Iran. If the proposed budget is approved by Congress, more than $3 billion of the additional money being geared toward defense spending would be allocated to the fight against IS, including $2 billion for a fund that would give the Pentagon the discretion to direct those resources where needed to support the counter-IS strategy. Al-Abadi arrives having already won one concession from Trump administration. The temporary ban on travelers from seven countries was rewritten to exclude Iraq, after several Iraqi officials and U.S. lawmakers objected to Iraq's inclusion, noting the risks and sacrifices that many Iraqis made assisting U.S. troops during and after the 2003 U.S.-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein. The rewritten ban has been blocked by U.S. courts. Trump may also find himself having to explain comments he made on his first day in office, when he vowed that the U.S. may get a chance to take Iraq's oil as compensation for its efforts there -- something al-Abadi, and later, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, rebuffed. Al-Abadi assumed power in 2014 after Iraq's longtime prime minister, Nouri al-Maliki, was pushed out by his party for his failures to cap the surge of IS fighters. At one point, the radical Sunni Muslim group ruled about a third of Iraq. Since then, Iraq's military has seen significant military victories, with the help of an international coalition that has been assisting with airstrikes and weapons as well as a robust advise and assist operation. The U.S. has sent about 5,200 U.S. forces in Iraq, but that number doesn't include a few thousand forces who are there on temporary duty or don't count in the military personnel accounting system for other reasons. In neighboring Syria, the U.S. has more than 700 boots on the ground. There, the U.S. is shifting from working quietly behind the scenes on Syria's toxic battlefield, turning instead toward overt displays of U.S. force in an attempt to shape the fight ahead of efforts to recapture the Islamic State's de facto capital, Raqqa. Lawmakers are expected to grill FBI Director James Comey about reported intercepts of communications and financial data between members of the Trump campaign and the Russian government. The Senate Intelligence Committee will be looking for clarification on the scope of the FBI inquiry, part of which is reportedly focused on Trumps former campaign chairman Paul Manaforts work as a political adviser for Ukraines former Russia-leaning government. In interviews with multiple sources close to Manafort in Ukraine, Fox News has learned that at least some of what has been reported about Manaforts dealings in Ukraine has been driven by operatives employed by the Democratic National Committee, that Manafort was just one of several American campaign strategists working in Ukraine, and that Ukrainian authorities have yet to bring charges for any allegations of wrongdoing. Democrats close to the Manafort investigation concede the evidence of collusion between Manafort and Russia is, at this point, circumstantial. JAMES COMEY, MIKE ROGERS TESTIFY BEFORE HOUSE INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE In April 2016, a Democratic consultant named Alexandra Chalupa spoke to a gathering of 68 journalists to hear about Manaforts efforts in Ukraine. Chalupa had worked in the White House Office of Public Liaison during the Clinton Administration and was paid $412,000 by the DNC from 2004 to 2016, according to Federal Election Commission records. An email released by Wikileaks dated May 3, 2016 from Chalupa to Luis Miranda, communications director of the Democratic National Committee, said: They put me on the program to speak specifically about Paul Manafortthere is a big Trump component you need to be aware of that will hit in the next few weeks. Ali Chalupa naturally was interested on behalf of the DNC to paint Mr. Manafort in the most negative light possible, says Ukraine expert Adrian Karatnycky of the Atlantic Council. Critical to their efforts to find evidence of collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia, Democrats wanted to figure out who was paying Manafort, and how much. There was a financial ledger book under investigation by the Ukrainians, Karatnycky said. Shedding light on that would have been in Chalupas playbook. She was pointing media where there was smoke in the middle of a campaign. And indeed there was a media firestorm that led to Manaforts resignation in the middle of the campaign. PAUL MANAFORT RESIGNS FROM TRUMP CAMPAIGN The financial ledger first surfaced when a Ukrainian journalist and Parliament member named Serhiy Leshchenko published parts of it online. Unfortunately, I am not a reliable source on Manafort and Russia, I am just focused on the Ukraine issue, Leshchenko told Fox News when reached in Kiev. Leshchenko said he discussed Manaforts role in Ukrainian politics with Chalupa, the Democratic consultant, last year. Leshchenko said Manafort kept his eyes blind to all the corruption by the Ukrainian politicians he was advising years ago. Even so, Karatnycky points out that the bonafides of the ledger book were under question." I saw excerpts from the ledger book about half a year before they reached the public, and they were just photocopies of what was said to be an original document, Karatnycky said. I dont think any criminal cases have been brought on the basis of the ledger book. Chalupa, the Ukrainian-American activists who has researched Manafort since the Ukraine crisis in 2014, said: The evidence of collusion between Russia and Manafort is circumstantial at this point. It is unclear what new evidence the intelligence community has obtained that will be made public in the coming weeks. When you piece everything together, you see a distinct history of representing Russian interests. Former Pentagon official J.D. Gordon, who met with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak at the Republican National Convention last July and had a hand in the forming of the GOP platform on Ukraine, told Fox News he had never seen so much disinformation in his life. From the media and bloggers, to the leakers in the intelligence community, Gordon said, its incredible to see how many people are contributing to a false narrative, whether intentional or not. An American political consultant based in Ukraine with close knowledge of Manaforts dealings there also told Fox News the leaks have gotten out of hand. This would almost make Joe McCarthy blush whats going on in Washington, the consultant said. All this leaking Are we witnessing a coup detat by the intelligence services? The source said that American political consultants like Manafort are common in Ukraines fractious political system. Tad Devine worked on Bernie Sanders campaign and there he was working for us in Ukraine. Democrats and Republicans working together. All the media reporting has been like Claude Raines in Casablanca, shocked, shocked there is gambling going on here! the consultant said. There are Americans involved in politics in the world! Shocking! Americans have the most experience with bare knuckle politics, with Democratic processes. Who has the most experience in electoral and political technologies? You go to the guys with the most experience, with bare-knuckle politics like we practice in the U.S. Karatnycky said there is money to be made by the Americans in Ukraine. Ukrainian leaders crave expertise I think Manafort was making piles of money in Ukraine," Karatnycky said. "I dont know anything about him making money from Russia. As for reports that Manafort worked with a Russian agent named Konstantin Kilimnik, Karatnycky said: Before he was hired by a USAID-funded project, Kilimnik had bragged he worked for Russian intelligence. But he was a good translator, and thats why Manaforts team hired him. The frequent political consultant in Ukraine told Fox News, I know Konstantin and I know Paul. It seems extremely far-fetched and preposterous that they had anything to do with the Republican platform being changed. A former Manafort colleague from his days with the lobbying firm Black, Manafort, Stone and Kelly dubbed the Torturers Lobby in a scathing report from the early 90s for its efforts in Africa and Asia said despite many hair-raising experiences she had with Manafort, she does not doubt his patriotism. Riva Levinson describes her experiences with Manafort in her book Choosing a Hero and told Fox News: I questioned many things about Paul, but I never questioned his loyalty to the United States. Levinson said she learned a lot from Manafort, who she called a brilliant strategist. But, she added, Paul sent me on a pointless mission to Somalia, to meet with a murderous dictator, because the guy was in trouble, and we could extract a big fee. It was pointless. I honed my wits, overcame my fears. National Security Agency Director Mike Rogers joined Republican lawmakers in blasting unacceptable leaks of sensitive information, during testimony Monday before the House Intelligence Committee. Adm. Rogers spoke alongside FBI Director James Comey, both holdovers from the Obama administration, in a hearing addressing claims of Russian interference in the 2016 election and other controversies. Comey confirmed at the hearing that the bureau is investigating Russias meddling as well as any potential ties to the Trump campaign. But both officials also decried intelligence leaks, which GOP lawmakers describe as a major security threat some of those leaks have fueled recent reports about the status of the FBIs Russia probe. Rogers said he is greatly concerned about leaks of classified information. Comey echoed Rogers, stressing how seriously we take leaks of classified information. He also said hes seen a lot of conversations about classified matters showing up in the press, and a lot of it is dead wrong. As the officials lamented leaks, Republicans sought to press the witnesses for details on who might be responsible. Rep. Trey Gowdy, R-S.C., asked Comey to confirm what former Obama administration officials could have had access to unmasked names or American citizens incidentally recorded in conversations with surveillance targets. The term unmasked refers to what happens when the inadvertent subject of government surveillance is named and documented, as was reportedly done with former Trump National Security Adviser Michael Flynn in conversations with Russias ambassador, leading to his resignation. When asked specifically if he briefed former President Barack Obama on any calls involving Flynn, Comey said he couldnt get into the particular case or any conversations he had with the president. Gowdy also read off a list of names, asking about former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, former CIA Director John Brennan, former National Security Adviser Susan Rice, former Deputy National Security Adviser Ben Rhodes, former Attorney General Loretta Lynch and former acting Attorney General Sally Yates. Comey would not confirm specifics, but agreed those positions could have access to unmasked names. Though they may have access to the names, that doesnt meant they were in a position to do the unmasking. When Rogers was asked how Flynns identity could have been revealed, he said, Im not going to discuss hypotheticals about individuals. Rogers said he and 19 other people at the NSA have the authority to unmask the identity of Americans. Rogers said he couldnt provide the number of Americans who have been unmasked since June 2016 until more research is completed, but did acknowledge that when U.S. citizens are unmasked, it hurts national security. Rogers has served in the Navy for the past three decades and graduated from the National War College. He was appointed by Obama as the director of the NSA, taking office in April of 2014 in the wake of massive leaks by NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden. Last fall, he drew criticism when he met with President Trump in New York, reportedly angering senior members of the Obama administration by failing to clear the visit with his superiors. It was reported at the time that Clapper and Defense Secretary Ashton Carter called for Rogers to be fired -- not because of his meeting with Trump, but because of security breaches at the NSA and questions over his leadership. When asked for a response to calls for his dismissal in November, Rogers said "I'm not going to go down that road," telling a reporter, I'm accountable for my actions." Rogers also said Monday there was no evidence to support the claim that the Obama administration instructed British intelligence organization GCHQ to spy on the Trump team during the campaign. Senators will have plenty to review as Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch enters his confirmation hearing Monday -- his record on and off the bench runs deep. A Fox News analysis of that record -- including some 3,000 rulings he has been involved with -- reveals a solid, predictable conservative philosophy, something President Trump surely was attuned to when he nominated him to fill the open ninth seat. The record in many ways mirrors the late Justice Antonin Scalia's approach to constitutional and statutory interpretation. And the Colorado native's flair for colorful opinion writing is much in the mold of Scalia, whose sharp pen and wicked wit delighted conservatives - and whose seat Gorsuch would fill if confirmed. As Gorsuch wrote in 2015, "Ours is not supposed to be the government of the 'Hunger Games' with power centralized in one district, but a government of diffused and divided power, the better to prevent its abuse." The issues he has confronted vary widely -- from libel to capital punishment to regulatory enforcement and tax subsidies. But the overall message remains consistent: less is more when it comes to interpreting the rule of law. Perhaps his highest-profile case while on the 10th Circuit where Gorsuch has served for the past decade was a 2013 concurrence supporting the right of for-profit, secular institutions (and individuals too, he argued) to oppose the Obama administration's mandate to provide contraceptives to their workers. Gorsuch affirmed his past ardent commitment to religious freedom against claims of government "intrusion." In the so-called "Hobby Lobby" case, the judge concluded, "For some, religion provides an essential source of guidance both about what constitutes wrongful conduct and the degree to which those who assist others in committing wrongful conduct themselves bear moral culpability." Gorsuch later supported the right of religious non-profits, like Catholic charities, to also challenge the contraceptive coverage mandate. The Supreme Court later partially vindicated Gorsuch's views on both cases. Sometimes, the judge's conservative bona fides collide, as in the case of a notorious Wyoming inmate. Andrew Yellowbear, a Native American who murdered his daughter, wanted to use an existing sweat lodge in the prison facility as part of his religious tradition. Gorsuch wrote the majority opinion that under a federal law, the inmate deserved that right, striking down the state's discretionary correctional policy. It was a setback for law-and-order advocates. "While those convicted of crime in our society lawfully forfeit a great many civil liberties," he concluded, "Congress has instructed that the sincere exercise of religion should not be among them-- at least in the absence of a compelling reason. In this record we can find no reason like that." In his questionnaire to lawmakers, the nominee said none of his own written opinions were ever reversed by the Supreme Court. One of Gorsuch's off-the-bench remarks is generating some concern -- a 2005 opinion piece in "National Journal," written shortly before he donned the judicial robes. "American liberals have become addicted to the courtroom," he wrote, "relying on judges and lawyers rather than elected leaders and the ballot box, as the primary means of effecting their social agenda on everything from gay marriage to assisted suicide to the use of vouchers for private-school education. This overweening addiction to the courtroom as the place to debate social policy is bad for the country and bad for the judiciary." And Gorsuch's 2006 book, "The Future of Assisted Suicide and Euthanasia," has both worried and encouraged some fellow conservatives. His conclusion that the doctor-approved procedure was "essentially a right to consensual homicide" might be used by as a red flag by abortion rights activists and death penalty opponents as a parallel argument, even though Gorsuch made clear in the book it should not. The Trump administration said Monday that it is boycotting a session of the United Nations Human Rights Council, amid growing concerns by the administration over the U.N.s anti-Israel stance. The boycott, first reported by The Washington Free Beacon, comes as the council was expected to adopt a number of anti-Israel resolutions Monday. The council has long been criticized as one of the U.N.s most anti-Israel bodies. State Department spokesman Mark Toner said that one particular agenda item -- "Human rights situation in Palestine and other occupied Arab territories was yet another reminder of that body's long-standing bias against Israel. As an expression of our deeply-held conviction that this bias must be addressed in order for the Council to realize its legitimate purpose, the United States decided not to attend the Council's Item Seven General Debate session, Toner said, adding that the U.S. will vote against every resolution under the agenda item, and encourage other countries to do the same. The so-called Agenda Item 7 discredits the standing of the only UN body specifically designed to address the state of global human rights by allowing nations to distract from their own abuses back home by churning out anti-Israel propaganda," said U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley in a statement, The council was set up in 2006 as a successor to the Human Rights Commission -- which was also criticized for its anti-Israel stance. The Bush administration refused to join the new body, but the Obama administration applied for membership, arguing it could better influence the council from the inside. Another concern for the U.S. is the makeup of the 47-member council which includes countries with poor human rights records, such as China, Saudi Arabia and Venezuela. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson wrote to human rights groups last week, saying that it remains skeptical about the bodys effectiveness given its membership. While it may be the only such organization devoted to human rights, the Human Rights Council requires considerable reform in order for us to continue to participate, Tillerson said, in the letter obtained by Foreign Policy. In an interview with Fox News' "America's Newsroom" Friday, U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley reiterated that the administration intends to take a hard stance with the U.N. against anti-Israel bias. "The U.N. has been Israel-bashing for decades and what we are trying to do is make sure they understand that there's a new administration in town and we're not going to put up with it," she said. The U.S. decision to boycott the council comes just days after the U.N. withdrew a report written by controversial scholar Richard Falk, calling Israel an apartheid state. Falk, a former U.N. special rapporteur to the Palestinian territories, is known for outlandish criticisms of both America and Israel, and has questioned what he calls the official version of 9/11. Haley branded the report, published Wednesday by the U.N Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA), as anti-Israel propaganda and demanded the U.N. withdraw it. Secretary General Antonio Guterres, after initially distancing himself from the report, later told ESCWA to withdraw it a demand that caused Executive Secretary Rima Khalaf to resign in protest. The report was pulled from the commissions website Friday afternoon. Fox News Ben Evansky contributed to this report. I was watching President Trump during a press availability after he met with GOP leaders on the health care bill, when he said this: Fake newsI watch, I say thats not the bill were passing ObamaCare is dead. Only because everyone knows its on its last dying feet, the fake news is trying to say good things about it. Fake media. There is no good news about ObamaCare. ObamaCare is dead. In other words, all those stories about how the current law covers millions more people than Trumps proposal are bogus. Over the weekend, after the awkward, no-handshake photo op with Angela Merkel, Trump tweeted: Despite what you have heard from the FAKE NEWS, I had a GREAT meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. And then said NATO members need to pay more. This is Donald Trump in a nutshell, always on offense against the press and his opponents. The man is a constant newsmaking machine without an off button. This in my view is a mixed bag. His in-your-face style is what got him elected, but he also talks and tweets his way into trouble. But the Washington Post thinks this is a problem. Leading off with Trump at a Nashville rally, attacking the terrible ruling by a judge who blocked his revised travel ban, the paper says: The episode was just one of numerous examples of Trump and his advisers pushing incendiary language and unfounded claims, even in the face of opposition from federal judges and top lawmakers of both parties Trump boosters say his freewheeling rhetoric, in person and on social media, is a large part of his appeal and has kept him in good stead with his political base. But it is also making governing more challenging. Thats in part because the judge cited some of Trumps campaign rhetoric on the temporary immigration ban in his ruling, though all that should matter is the wording of the executive order. Now its not hard to think of examples of the presidents words causing him trouble. Hes had two weeks of extreme controversy over his unproven claim that Barack Obama had him wiretapped or surveilled during the campaignan issue that simply wouldnt exist if not for a series of Saturday morning tweets. But a fundamental part of Trumps connection to his base is his regular-guy talk. They dont care if he sometimes misstates facts, and believe the media are constantly nitpicking in an effort to undermine him. The result is two sharply clashing portraits. The mainstream media are depicting the presidents opening weeks as a stumbling debut full of mistakes and self-inflicted wounds. His supporters see an outsider who just got to Washington and is trying to shake things up on everything from immigration to budget cuts. With so much noise on the other side, its no wonder Trump is constantly using his giant megaphone. Young inmates in the southern Chilean city of Valdivia are learning how to use 3D technology to make prostheses for children from poor families. "The kids have really surprised us with their motivation and commitment to the project," program director Montserrat Arevalo told EFE. THIS NEW 3D PRINTER CAN PRINT ITS OWN PARTS The project to help poor children in need of prosthetic limbs is being run by the Ciudad del Nino Foundation. "In the beginning, there were some concerns over how the learning process was going to work, especially the use of specialized software and caring for the machines," Arevalo said. The young inmates selected for this program have "the support of their families for this new opportunity to improve their lives," Arevalo said. MIT USES 3D PRINTING TECHNOLOGY TO CREATE SHOCK ABSORBING 'SKIN' The one-year program is being financed by Banco de Chile via the Desafio Levantemos Chile Foundation and is receiving assistance from a private company. "We are having talks with others who may also be able to take them on as employees, but the priority is to train them so they can be entrepreneurs," Arevalo said. Jeff Jones, president of the embattled ride-hailing company Uber, has resigned just six months after taking the job, the company confirmed Sunday. In a brief statement, Uber didn't say why Jones left. "We want to thank Jeff for his six months at the company and wish him all the best," it said. Jones told the tech blog Recode, which first reported his resignation, that his values didn't align with Uber's. "The beliefs and approach to leadership that have guided my career are inconsistent with what I saw and experienced at Uber, and I can no longer continue as president of the ride sharing business," he said in a statement. Jones is the latest of several high-level executives to leave the San Francisco-based company. Last month, a top engineering executive, Amit Singhal, left Uber five weeks after his hire was announced. He allegedly failed to disclose that he'd left his previous job at Google because of a sexual harassment allegation. Ed Baker, Uber's vice president of product and growth, resigned earlier this month. So did Charlie Miller, Uber's top security researcher, who left to join Didi, China's larger ride-hailing company. Jones' departure comes days after Uber CEO Travis Kalanick said the company will hire a chief operating officer who can help write its "next chapter." Jones had left Target, where he was chief marketing officer, to join Uber in September. Uber has been hit by several controversies, including allegations that it routinely ignores sexual harassment. A recent video showed Kalanick profanely berating a driver who confronted him about steep cuts in Uber's rates. Uber also acknowledged it has used a program to thwart authorities who have been trying to curtail or shut down its service in cities around the world. The company also has faces challenges in court. Waymo, a self-driving car company that used to be part of Google, last month sued Uber in federal court, alleging betrayal and high-tech espionage. The complaint accuses Anthony Levandowski, a former top manager for Google's self-driving car project, of stealing technology now propelling Uber's effort to build an autonomous vehicle fleet. Uber denied Waymo's claims, calling them "a baseless attempt to slow down a competitor." With large-scale commercial trips to the moon still a ways off, what's a well-heeled traveler seeking adventure to do? A London outfit is proposing the bottom of the sea. Blue Marble Private will begin expeditions to the resting place of the Titanic in May 2018. Groups of nine people can sign up for a visit to the grave of the world's most famous shipwreck 12,500 feet below the North Atlantic, Business Insider reports. From a titanium and carbon fiber submersible that can descend to depths of 13,100 feet, divers will be taken for a swim over the liner's deck and the famous grand staircase. The Telegraph reports that the eye-popping price tag of $105,129 per person is the equivalent in today's dollars to the $4,350 a first-class passenger would have paid for a berth on Titanic's maidenand onlyvoyage in April 1912 from Southampton to New York. Participants can expect Titanic-level luxury during the eight-day trip. A helicopter or seaplane ride will take them from St. John's, Newfoundland, to a yacht above the site where the ship hit an iceberg and sank. Weather permitting, the little sub can take up to three people down to the wreck, day and night, accompanied by a pilot and deep ocean expert. The trips will mark the first time since 2005 civilians have been permitted to visit the exclusive site, which the Telegraph notes has seen fewer visitors than have traveled to space or Mount Everest. The timing may be right: Scientists think the wreckage will disappear in a matter of decades thanks to bacteria now reducing it to rust, reports the BBC. (Was the Titanic doomed before it hit the iceberg?) This article originally appeared on Newser: Trips to Titanic Begin in 2018 Officials have banned passengers from packing certain electronic devices in carry-on luggage on flights to the U.S. from 13 international airports due to increased terror threats, sources told Fox News Monday. As of Monday evening, Jordan and Saudi Arabia were the only two countries confirmed to be subject to the ban. Attention all passengers pic.twitter.com/VjN58EbJkJ Royal Jordanian (@RoyalJordanian) March 20, 2017 The heightened security is the result of an increased "volume" of chatter suggesting that Al Qaeda and other groups are still looking for ways to sneak explosive materials onboard planes. The open-ended ban, which goes into effect Tuesday, will also revive strict rules about liquids on planes that date back to post-9/11 flying regulations. FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK FOR MORE FOX LIFESTYLE NEWS U.S. officials had no immediate comment. Earlier Monday, Royal Jordanian Airlines announced on its Twitter account that the carrier had banned all electronic or electrical devices from carry-on luggage on flights to and from New York, Chicago, Detroit and Montreal effective Tuesday, March 21. According to the statement, which cited instructions from "concerned US departments," cellular phones and medical devices were exempt from the ban but laptops, tablets, cameras, DVD players, and gaming devices may only be transported via checked luggage. Royal Jordanian's tweet was deleted later in the day and a representative from the airline was not immediately available for comment. Monday evening, Saudi Airlines posted on Twitter that its flights were also subject to the ban. Sources told Fox News that the new regulations were not related to President Donald Trump's executive order halting travel to the U.S. from six majority-Muslim countries, but are likely to apply to airports in those countries. As of Monday afternoon, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) had not issued a warning banning the electronic devices listed by Royal Jordanian in its social media announcement. In October, the U.S. Department of Transportation issued an emergency ban for fliers and crewmembers on Samsung Galaxy Note7 smartphones on all commercial flights in response to several reported incidents of the phones catching fire. Fox News' Jennifer Griffin contributed to this report. A Florida woman who was reported missing last week is dead and her daughter's boyfriend will be charged with her murder, police said Sunday. Investigators said that 26-year-old Roy Nichols Jr. confessed to killing Tricia Freeman, 47, during an argument at Freeman's home in Palmetto Tuesday. Palmetto Police Chief Scott Tyler told reporters that Nichols Jr. recounted how Freeman said something that "set him off." Tyler did not elaborate on how Freeman died. Nichols Jr. and his girlfriend, Freeman's 21-year-old daughter Kayla Colyer, drove north after Freeman's death in her car. The vehicle was found Friday at a park in Ashland, Ky., where it had been abandoned. Nichols Jr. and Colyer were apprehended Saturday at a truck stop in Cabell County, W.Va., when a clerk working at the store recognized them from a news broadcast and alerted authorities. Nichols Jr. will face charges of second-degree murder in Freeman's death, while Colyer will be charged with accessory to murder after the fact. Tyler said the pair told authorities where they dumped Freeman's body, but did not elaborate except to say it was somewhere in Florida. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Click for more from Fox13News.com. Here are five news stories and events to start your week: The Carl Vinson carrier strike group has been ordered to cancel planned port visits in Australia and sail to the Western Pacific days after North Korea test-fired a ballistic missile from its eastern coast. U.S. Third Fleet announced Saturday night that the San Diego-based strike group, which just completed a four-day port visit in Singapore, will now sail north and "report on station" in the Western Pacific. Multiple outlets reported that the ships would be positioned off the Korean peninsula. Cmdr. David Benham, a spokesman for Pacific Command, called the North's missile tests and pursuit of nuclear weapons "reckless, irresponsible, and destabilizing." A U.S. soldier was killed Saturday during combat operations in Afghanistan, according to the U.S. military. The unidentified U.S. Special Forces team member died of injuries sustained while serving with Afghan forces during an operation against militants affiliated with the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, or ISIS, and a branch called Khorasan that operates in Afghanistan and Pakistan, according to a release from U.S. Forces-Afghanistan. "I offer our deepest condolences to the family and friends of our fallen comrade," Gen. John W. Nicholson said. "We will always remember our fallen comrades and commit ourselves to deliver on their sacrifice." The Navy has extended the operational pause implemented for its fleet of T-45C Goshawk trainer aircraft without a stated end date to allow leadership to develop a plan to address hypoxia-like episodes in the cockpit. Naval Air Forces officials first announced a three-day operational pause for the aircraft Wednesday, less than a day after Fox News reported that some 100 instructor pilots had refused to fly March 31, citing safety concerns. Officials confirmed that about 40 percent of flights in T-45C training commands in Kingsville, Texas; Pensacola, Florida; and Meridian, Mississippi, were canceled that day because of operational risk issues raised by the pilots. The Marine Corps has taken punitive action against a pair of Marines whose online activity was investigated as part of a effort to crack down on misogynistic internet postings and "revenge porn" sharing within the service. Two enlisted Marines -- a noncommissioned officer and a junior enlisted service member -- both attached to 2nd Battalion, 4th Marines, out of Camp Pendleton, California, were demoted in paygrade and punished with 45 days of military restriction and 45 days of additional punitive duties. The Marines were sent to NJP because of derogatory comments made about one of their more senior enlisted leaders. Dr. Mark E. Green, a medical doctor, Tennessee state senator and decorated West Point graduate, has been nominated to serve as the 23rd secretary of the Army, the White House announced Friday. His nomination comes more than a month after billionaire Vincent Viola, President Donald Trump's previous pick for the position, removed himself from consideration due to business interests. Green served in the Army as an infantry officer from 1986 to 2006, deploying twice to Iraq and once to Afghanistan while on active duty. He earned the prestigious Army Ranger Tab early, and later served as a captain with the 82nd Airborne Division. -- Hope Hodge Seck contributed to this report. -- Brendan McGarry can be reached at brendan.mcgarry@military.com. Follow him on Twitter at @Brendan_McGarry. The artist behind an anti-Trump billboard seen along a Phoenix roadway defended her illustration of the president seen in between dollar-sign shaped swastikas and mushroom clouds. I think a lot of people are feeling this way and I'm just trying to express what I think is on a lot of people's minds these days," Karen Fiorito, the artist, told KPNX-TV on Saturday. "Something that really concerned us was this idea of a dictatorship where things were going in a certain direction." Clowns are also seen in the mushroom clouds and Trump is pictured wearing a Russian lapel. The opposite side of billboard has sign language, which stands for unity, Fox 10 Phoenix reported. The California-based artist said she received backing from the billboards owner Beatrice Moore. "I got the opportunity to have a platform to say something, and I took that opportunity, and I take full responsibility for it," Fiorito told Fox 10 Phoenix. Moore told KPNX-TV that the billboard will stay up as long as Trump is president. "Some of these issues are so important you can't not speak out, Moore said. Some residents around the billboard expressed their displeasure about the structure. "I think this is the greatest thing that I've seen in a long time," Mike Bolenbach told Fox 10 Phoenix. "I think everything Donald Trump is doing is destroying America from the inside." Jeff Whiteman added, "I don't necessarily agree with the leader of our country and all the things going on, but I would not disrespect him or any leader. The pair was reportedly behind another controversial billboard. Fiorito created a billboard of then-President George W. Bush and other officials in 2004 as part of her master of fine arts thesis at Arizona State, according to KPNX-TV. The billboard read: "Dear America, we lied to you for your own good. Now trust us." Click for more from Fox 10 Phoenix. A man in Chicago was walking up the steps into a courthouse Monday when somebody suddenly pulled up in a white van and opened fire, shooting him six times, police said. The 22-year-old man was critically wounded, according to officers on the city's Southwest Side. He was shot in the groin area, Fox 32 reported. MANHUNT FOR BALTIMORE FIREBOMBING SUSPECT LAUNCHED AFTER 2 KILLED Two off-duty officers who witnessed the shooting -- outside the Leighton Criminal Courthouse in the Little Village neighborhood -- chased the alleged gunman and arrested him. Police said a gun was recovered. It was unclear why the man was shot, a spokeswoman for the Cook County Sheriff's Department told reporters. Paramedics rushed the victim to Mount Sinai Hospital. Click for more from Fox 32. The Associated Press contributed to this report. A teen's arrest in Florida for underage drinking led to a surprising letter for the local sheriff: a thank-you note from the girl's mother. The Walton County Sheriff's Office received the note late last week, Sheriff Michael Adkinson Jr. wrote on Facebook. In the letter, the unnamed mom said officers were respectful -- and gave her daughter the treatment she deserved. 'WHEEL OF FUGITIVE' BROADCAST A HIT IN FLORIDA "The arrest scared the HELL out of her and I'm hoping she learned her lesson. The reason that I am sending this is that every officer that I talked to or that I could hear in the back ground talking to her was so nice," part of the letter read. The girl and several other Spring Breakers were arrested on March 15, Public Information Officer Corey Dobridnia told Fox 10. "She was holding a can of beer on the beach. A stupid move that I warned her about before she left, but I'm just her mother, so 'in one ear and out the other,'" the letter continued. "Each and every officer was respectful and assured me she would get back to her house safely. For a mom hundreds of miles away, that was very reassuring." The mom also wrote, "In this day, 'cops' are getting a bad rap. So, I wanted to say 'thank you.'" Walton County, on the Florida Panhandle, is about an hour's drive east of Pensacola. Click for more from Fox 10. A Calhoun woman has been arrested after a video was posted online of her hitting a dog with a frying pan, according to the Gordon County Sheriff's Office. A sheriff's deputy responded to an animal cruelty report on March 11th, just after noon. The complainant, Vera Fowler, told authorities she was notified of a video online showing that her daughter, Alyssa Duval, hit a dog with a frying pan. Duval was charged with a misdemeanor account of cruelty to animals, according to police. Fowler was not home at the time of the incident, but a witness was, according to the deputy's report. According to police, the witness told the deputy that Duval did hit the dog with a frying pan after it urinated on the floor and bit Duval. The deputy observed the dog and found no visible injuries. Read more from FOX5Atlanta.com. Federal authorities arrested 50 people for violating immigration laws in Detroit Saturday as part of an investigation into an alleged cockfighting and illegal gambling ring. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokesman Khaalid Walls told the Detroit Free Press that 86 people were found inside an abandoned building. He added that those arrested will be held in ICE custody pending removal proceedings. Walls said the building was raided in part of an investigation that had been going on for several months, the paper reported. Officials said they found more than 100 birds in the building. Nearly 140 federal, state and local law enforcement officials were involved in the raid, which was led by Homeland Security Investigations. The Free Press reported that the U.S. Border Patrol, U.S. Agriculture Department and Detroit police assisted. One person was arrest on a criminal charge. The details of the arrests were not immediately available. Click for more from the Detroit Free Press. While some conservative groups may wait years for tax-exempt status, the IRS swiftly gave approval for a Satanic cult that sponsored an "After School Satan Club," according to records obtained by a watchdog group. Documents posted by the conservative government watchdog group Judicial Watch late last week show the nonprofit called Reason Alliance, based in Somerville, Mass., operates in the state of Washington as the Satanic Temple of Seattle. The group appeared to have the goal of establishing Satan clubs in public schools throughout Washington in districts which had similar clubs operated by a Christian-based group. Documents obtained by Judicial Watch included the process of establishing an after-school Satan club at Point Defiance Elementary School in Tacoma. SATANIC TEMPLE BRINGS 'AFTER SCHOOL SATAN CLUB' TO PORTLAND SCHOOL Records obtained from the Treasury Department showed that the Satanic cult applied for tax-exempt status on Oct. 21, 2014, and received it on Oct. 31, 2014. The director of the Seattle temple, Lilith X. Starr, established the Point Defiance Elementary Satanic club with the purpose of character development, records obtained by Judicial Watch show, adding that adult instructors are vetted by the Satanic Temples Executive Ministry. FIRST AMENDMENT CONTROVERSY BREWS OVER TEXAS HIGH SCHOOL'S PRAYER ROOM Children ages 5-12 who attend the club would develop basic critical reasoning, character qualities, problem solving and creative expression, according to the Satanic Temple filings included in the documents. The records also show that Starr told Tacoma School District Superintendent Carla Santorno that the clubs are led by caring Satanists," and that the effort to establish after-school Satan clubs in Tacoma schools is in direct response to the Christian-based Good News Clubs operating in campuses throughout the district. That admission ignited concern among some Tacoma district officials, records obtained by Judicial Watch show. In one email exchange in February 2017, Tacoma Schools official Andrea O'Brien-Henley sends colleague Paul Koch a citation from the Satanic Temples website, noting that the temple only wants to establish after-school Satan clubs in school districts with Christian Good News Clubs. O'Brien Henley says it is "odd" the Satanic Temple only targets schools that have Good News Clubs. In a separate email exchange from February, the executive director of communications for the Tacoma School District, Dan Voelpel, expressed concern to colleagues that people would confuse the school districts message of tolerance toward the Satan Club with tolerance toward alleged hate-related activities around the country in the wake of the presidential election. The principal of the Point Defiance Elementary School revealed in documents that two weeks after the Satan Club launched, no one had signed up for it. A judge has reopened a 25-year-old murder case in Detroit and granted a prisoner's request to re-examine bullets taken from the victim. The results could exonerate Desmond Ricks, who claims Detroit police switched bullets and framed him for a fatal shooting back in 1992. Wayne County Judge Richard Skutt on Monday ordered state police to analyze two bullets still in Detroit police custody. Independent firearms expert David Townshend has seen pictures of the bullets and says they weren't the ones he examined before Ricks' trial in 1992. Ricks is serving a 32-year prison sentence for second-degree murder. He was accused of using his mother's gun to kill a man outside a restaurant. The Innocence Clinic at University of Michigan law school is representing Ricks. next Image 1 of 3 prev next Image 2 of 3 prev Image 3 of 3 A federal review of an 18-day standoff outside a Minneapolis police precinct following the fatal shooting of a black man in 2015 has found problems with the city's coordination and communication. The Justice Department's review Monday came at the city's request after the shooting of 24-year-old Jamar Clark. Clark's death in a confrontation with two officers sparked weeks of protests that were largely peaceful, though one on Nov. 18 included skirmishes between officers and demonstrators. The review found the city didn't have a coordinated response to the occupation and didn't have a plan for managing a civil disturbance as it became a long-term event. The city's mayor and police chief planned to comment later Monday. The county prosecutor and the U.S. attorney both declined to charge the two officers involved. A Philadelphia man has sued a New York City bar after he says he was denied service because he was wearing a hat supporting President Donald Trump. The New York Post reports (http://nyp.st/2ndtMEO ) Greg Piatek says in the lawsuit that he and his friends were initially served drinks at The Happiest Hour on Jan. 28. But he says once a bartender noticed his "Make America Great Again" hat, he asked Piatek if it was "a joke." He says a second round of drinks was "slammed" down on the bar. The suit claims a manager later asked Piatek to leave, saying he was told by the bar owner that "anyone who supports Trump or believes what you believe is not welcome here." The bar didn't immediately respond to a request for comment from The Associated Press. Police in Philadelphia are searching for a group of teenagers involved in a subway station fight. Authorities say the brawl began after a street-level snowball fight around 3:45 p.m. Thursday. Officials say the teens eventually moved down to the subway station and fought within the group. Video released by the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority also shows some teenagers from the group kicking, stomping and punching two men who are curled up on the ground. Police say at least three victims sustained minor injuries. No criminal charges have been filed. SEPTA police want to interview the teens to determine what happened. The Veterans Affairs Department is researching how to improve the quality of care for veterans in rural areas with serious or chronic conditions. A telehealth collaborative care study announced in January is surveying about 800 veterans in rural areas in Texas and Georgia who have been diagnosed with human immunodeficiency virus, or HIV. Led by Dr. Michael Ohl, the survey focuses on regions where VA has an HIV specialty clinic. "Veterans should have easy access to HIV testing and state-of-the-art HIV care regardless of where they live," Ohl, an infectious disease specialist, said in a release. "We know that compared to their urban counterparts, rural veterans with HIV enter care with more advanced illness, are less likely to receive the latest advances in HIV treatment, and have lower survival rates. We want to change that." In addition, providers and healthcare organizations of telehealth medicine in Alaska, where most communities are rural, may be able to offer their expertise to the effort. Laurali Riley, a former Army combat medic and program manager of a statewide HIV initiative and outreach service through the the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium, said the state is one of the forerunners for "having telemedicine for not only having it integrated into our healthcare system but as a solid health care delivery." Riley said she has seen a daily average of 20 to 30 video appointments -- provided by AFHCAN Telehealth Solutions -- between physicians and patients. Alaska is a low-incident state for HIV patients due to its overall low population. However, because communities are so small, care options are few and far between. "But the issue is, if you've got a community of say 400 people, and you have one person affected by HIV, your option for care is going to be diminished greatly," Riley said in a recent interview with Military.com. ANTHC supports the telehealth solutions network, which serves veterans with HIV. Through the VAs research, Ohl, who works out of the Iowa City VA Health Care System, and his team are finding that those offered telehealth choose to use the option. The "VA offers close to 50 telehealth specialties. During fiscal year 2016, more than 700,000 veterans completed approximately 2 million telehealth appointments," the department said. The study, funded through September, claims that approximately 18 percent of the 24,000 veterans in care for HIV infection in the U.S. live in rural areas and have limited access to specialized health care for their disease. From an outside perspective, Riley said it's now up to the VA to get patients to feel "confident in [telehealth] utilization." Each state's healthcare system is reflective of the needs of the patient and the services offered. Alaska, for example, has only 268 miles of paved roads, Riley said. "Every place we have to go to is either by boat or plane," she said. But an infectious disease such as HIV requires constant communication between doctors and patients, Riley said. "Live delivery is really setting up a patient-to-provider video visit, which makes a lot of sense for rural healthcare delivery if we have access to the technology -- which we do," she said. "And it really helps with a lot of chronic disease management, especially HIV," Riley said. Whether the contact is face-to-face or via video, "were still getting the same information that we need" to treat the patient, Riley said. "It's like secure Skype. It's going to be on a secure platform." Even though some of the systems have been available for quite some time, the technology is still evolving -- especially for patients who may not know how to approach telehealth as an option for medical care, she said. "What I've seen the VA do is a lot of patient education on their options," Riley said. Because "people are very averse to change when it comes to their healthcare, and not just veterans. Everybody." Riley said AFHCAN for HIV clinical delivery still encourages televideo conferencing outside the home in some type of clinical setting, because it's much easier to pair up with lab work, medication changes with either a nurse or mid-level physician assistant available to address questions or concerns. Aside from video conferencing -- all provided by a clinic via computer webcam -- Alaska has also been experimenting with store-and-forward technologies for over a decade, she said. "You're thinking about things like labs, you're thinking about things like health records and if you ever need a referral for somebody that is outside of primary care, accessing your records can [sometimes be] a nightmare," Riley said. But with store-and-forward, a cloud-based system, "we can transfer that information securely and be able to keep that information for the patient living outside of" a primary care network, she said. "Telemedicine is all the about the technology that's available," Riley said. Furthermore as providers, "we need to make sure that if we're going to be delivering any sort of telemedicine -- whether it's live or store-it-forward -- that security options are not only put in place, but they've been tested and carried out." Since providers more often than not are in a dense, city environment like Anchorage and patients can reside anywhere, Riley said work evolving in the telehealth field is now focused on deploying protocols, policies and procedures for credentialing purposes. "All of our providers, including myself that deliver telemedicine, were under a telemedicine agreement with other clinics we are providing care to with patients that live outside the Anchorage area. "So we need credentialing agreements that are set up between [a] hospital, and then the patient's site, clinic or 'hub' hospital so that we can work with their nurse case managers," she said. Riley said that while it's hard to quantify, the entire ANTHC -- in both store-and-forward care and live video conferencing for any ailment -- in fiscal 2015 had a total estimated travel cost avoidance of $10.8 million because of telehealth. And as a credentialed service, "we can bill and get reimbursed for the telemedicine visits, which is great for our providers," she added. The goal is simple: keep talking to patients at all costs. "People with HIV, and especially veterans, need that continuity and care; they need that consistency," she said. "Not just in providers, but in a program. They need to know somebody's got their back -- they need to know they're not alone." -- Oriana Pawlyk can be reached at oriana.pawlyk@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at @Oriana0214. New photos were relased Monday of the former health teacher in Tennessee and the female student he is accused of abducting, as investigators tried to heighten the urgency of the case and bring in new tips before the trail goes cold. It's been a week, but we're not giving up hope. Stay vigilant, stay alert, and let us know if you spot these individuals or this vehicle, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation posted on Twitter regarding the disappearance of 15-year-old Elizabeth Thomas. NEW PICTURE: Here's the last known photograph of Elizabeth Thomas prior to her alleged kidnapping. Spot her? 1-800-TBI-FIND! #TNAMBERAlert pic.twitter.com/5hInjYHU5d TBI (@TBInvestigation) March 20, 2017 SECOND AMBER ALERT FOR TENNESSEE TEEN WHO DISAPPEARED WITH HER TEACHER The bureau has been searching for the blond-haired student and 50-year-old Maury County Schools health teacher Tad Cummins since March 13. The TBI has issued a second Amber Alert for the girl and investigators believe Cummins may have abducted the girl to potentially sexually exploit her. The TBI also released surveillance footage of the suspect days before the kidnapping. VIDEO: Here's surveillance of AMBER Alert suspect Tad Cummins, days before disappearing with Elizabeth Thomas. https://t.co/j1fuc5VJWH TBI (@TBInvestigation) March 20, 2017 MORE VIDEO: Here's a second clip of AMBER Alert suspect Tad Cummins. https://t.co/rnUJWNdx8l TBI (@TBInvestigation) March 20, 2017 A statement from the bureau Saturday added, Nothing investigators have learned about Cummins or his intentions for the young girl since issuing the AMBER Alert calms the imminent concern for Elizabeths well-being. In fact, it only heightens it. CHICAGO MAN SHOT SIX TIMES OUTSIDE COURTHOUSE It's been a week, but we're not giving up hope. Stay vigilant, stay alert, and let us know if you spot these individuals or this vehicle. pic.twitter.com/jDACuW1iUg TBI (@TBInvestigation) March 20, 2017 The photos released Monday show Cummins, wearing a green camouflage hat and a Navy blue jacket, walking around a store. Cummins was believed to be armed with two handguns, Fox 17 Nashville reports. TBI reported Cummins took out a $4,500 cash loan before disappearing. He was caught kissing Thomas at school on Jan. 23, the attorney for the Elizabeths father, Anthony Thomas, told The Columbia Daily Herald. Attorney Jason Whatley said school officials knew a day later but allowed Cummins to keep teaching until Feb. 6 while they investigated, the paper reported. The school district fired Cummins the day after his disappearance, according to Fox 17. The TBI has received approximately 250 tips from 24 states, it said in the statement. The low number of tips, combined with the limited resources Cummins is believed to have in his possession, leads investigators to believe he may be keeping her out of view of the general public. Cummins in on the states Top 10 Most Wanted list with a $1,000 reward for information leading to his capture. next Image 1 of 3 prev next Image 2 of 3 prev Image 3 of 3 They sat on either end of the congressmen's couch, one a Jewish healthcare executive whose parents fled Germany in 1936, the other the Kashmiri Muslim chairman of a well-known American furniture chain. The men, Stanley Bergman and Farooq Kathwari, came to draw attention to an outbreak of hate crimes. But Bergman and Kathwari hoped their joint appearance would also send a broader message: that U.S. Jews and Muslims could put aside differences and work together. "What drove us was the growing prejudice that has emerged in the United States," Bergman said. "What starts small, from a historical point of view, often grows into something big." The men lead the Muslim-Jewish Advisory Council, created last year by the American Jewish Committee and the Islamic Society of North America, amid a flowering of alliances between members of the two faiths. U.S. Muslim and Jewish groups have been trying for years to make common cause with mixed success, often derailed by deep divisions over Israel and the Palestinians. But bigoted rhetoric and harassment targeting both religions since the presidential election has drawn people together. Jews have donated to repair mosques that were defaced or burned. Muslims raised money to repair vandalized Jewish cemeteries. Rabbis and imams marched together against President Donald Trump's travel ban targeting majority Muslim countries. "I would never have thought I would see some people in conversation, or anywhere near each other. Then I saw people on Facebook standing next to each other at protests Muslims and Jews," said Aziza Hasan, executive director of NewGround: A Muslim-Jewish Partnership for Change in Los Angeles, which has run community relationship-building programs for more than a decade. Yet despite this surge of goodwill, questions remain about whether these new connections can endure. The sense of vulnerability Muslims and Jews share, and their need for allies at a difficult time, have not erased tensions that in the past have kept them apart. "This is a start and we'll see how it goes," said Talat Othman, a financial industry executive and Muslim-Jewish Advisory Council member, who offered an Islamic prayer at the 2000 Republican National Convention. "We are hopeful." Jews and Muslims comprise the two largest non-Christian faith groups in the United States and have a long history of trying to work together. The chancellor of the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York, the flagship institution of Conservative Judaism, initiated a dialogue with Muslims in 1956, according to documents in the school's archive. Rabbi Jack Bemporad, a pioneer in Muslim-Jewish dialogue and founder the Center for Interreligious Understanding in New Jersey, said his efforts started in the 1970s when he led a Dallas synagogue and local imams started attending his weekly Bible classes. Over the years, many initiatives on improving relations between the two faiths were organized internationally by governments and peace groups, while some American synagogues and mosques attempted to build friendships locally. Some progress was made, yet relations were often derailed when violence, war and policy disputes erupted in the Middle East. In Los Angeles, Hasan said local discussions between Muslim and Jewish leaders would falter when participants from one faith would demand those of the other condemn an action in Israel and the Palestinian territories. "It would go back and forth, then eventually Jews asked Muslims to condemn something they couldn't so they walked away from the table," Hasan said. Then came the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, prompting a backlash against American Muslims, and efforts to create connections with Jews began moving "at warp speed," said Rabbi Burton Visotzky, a Jewish Theological Seminary scholar and a longtime leader in Muslim-Jewish cooperation. Visotzky's outreach has ranged from a 2008 global interfaith meeting convened by King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia to serving collard greens at a soup kitchen alongside members of a New York mosque. Still, the deep divide over Israel and the Palestinians remained an obstacle. Some Jews and Muslims pledged to avoid any mention of the Mideast as they sought common ground. Others hit the issue up front, but their talks foundered. Yehuda Kurtzer, president of the Shalom Hartman Institute of North America, an educational organization with extensive interfaith programs, said U.S. Muslims and Jews, had become "proxy warriors" for conflicts thousands of miles away. At the same time, advocates for building ties between the faiths regularly encountered skepticism or outright hostility from within their own communities. "Many Jews feel that Muslims around the world are a source of threat to Jews, then why be in dialogue?" Kurtzer said. About six years ago, Bemporad organized a conference on Islamic and Jewish law, but the event was closed to the public, in part to avoid pushback against participants. "We had to break the ice somehow," Bemporad said. "We thought the way we did it, you could be free to say whatever you wanted." He said religious leaders working on such projects are much more open now. Still, the growth of the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement against Israel and in support of the Palestinians has further complicated relations. The movement, known as BDS, is decentralized and its supporters use different strategies, but many backers say interfaith dialogue with Zionists undermines the Palestinian cause. It has become common for American Jewish organizations to draw a hard line against working with backers of BDS from any faith. Meanwhile, BDS activists consider it traitorous for Muslims to work with supporters of Israel. This issue came to the fore over the Shalom Hartman Institute's Muslim Leadership Initiative, which brings American Muslims to Israel to study Judaism and Zionism. Kurtzer said the first year of the program was kept "completely under the radar." When the participants became known in 2014, Muslims who took part were accused of allowing themselves to be manipulated and violating BDS. Among the participants was attorney Rabia Chaudry, a specialist in countering extremism and a longtime supporter of Palestinian rights. She acknowledged the risks from participating in the program, but said she did so hoping to find a new way forward. Last October, the Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago dropped plans to present her an achievement award because of her work with the Shalom Hartman Institute. Chaudry, now a member of the Muslim-Jewish Advisory Council, said she was not angry. "They felt terrible about it. They got even more criticism for rescinding it," she said. Since Trump's election, members of both faiths seem more willing to set aside such differences as they work on civil rights and other issues, said Abdullah Antepli, who was the first Muslim chaplain at Duke University and is co-director of the Shalom Hartman Institute's Muslim Leadership Initiative. It's impossible to know definitively whether harassment based on religion has increased. The FBI's most recent data on hate crimes is from 2015. Still, the last year or so has seen some dramatic examples of bigotry, including the waves of phoned-in bomb threats to Jewish Community Centers around the country. Mosques in Florida and Texas were recently set on fire, and authorities were investigating whether the suspected arsons could be considered hate crimes. "It's particularly a Trump effect," Antepli said. "External forces make the Muslim and Jewish communities need each other's friendship." When New York Arab-American activist and BDS supporter Linda Sarsour recently helped raise more than $150,000 for the damaged Jewish cemeteries, some Jews debated whether it would be ethical to accept the donation. But in a sign of changing attitudes, several mainstream Jewish leaders who had worked with her previously defended her. This new dynamic was evident at a recent New York vigil organized by the Sisterhood of Salaam Shalom, a national organization that brings together Muslim and Jewish women. The gathering at the Jewish Theological Seminary was part of the organization's response to Trump's travel ban. At their vigil, they walked to the front of the room in pairs a Muslim and a Jew to offer readings and prayers in Arabic and Hebrew. After the ceremony, the women hugged and posed together for selfies. "There's a sense of immediate rapport and connection," said Donna Cephas, a national board member of the Sisterhood, which has added dozens of chapters in the past year. "There is a significant yearning to be in community with people who stand for what we stand for." We'll try this for a while and see if it works. Due to the massive amounts of spam my little tiny blog receives, I can no longer allow anonymous comments. To avoid having to moderate all comments and to avoid disallowing comments from those who do not have Google accounts or Open ID, I've inserted the comment form below. The comment form allows those who prefer more privacy to contact me without others seeing their contact information, and it will also allow me to reply. A wildlife park in Arkansas could lose its operating license or face fines after a lion cub accidentally hung itself and a monkey lost fingertips. This is the a third violation since 2008 for Wild Wilderness Drive Through Safari in Gentry. The manager says his park is working to fix problems revealed in a USDA complaint filed this year. The report details how the lion cub died after trying to jump over a fence while secured to a leash as the manager stepped away to take a phone call. It also details the spider monkey suffering due to frostbite and lists other violations including a baboon chewing off its tail and failure to properly staff the park on two separate occasions. SOUTH AFRICA READY TO GREENLIGHT PLANS TO EXPAND RHINO HORN TRADE Over 60 different alleged violations between 2012 and 2016 are contained in the complaint. Tanya Espinosa, a spokesperson for the USDA, says the company will have to respond to the complaint and a judge will decide further action. The Administrative Law Judge can assess a monetary penalty as well as determine whether it is appropriate to suspend or revoke the license, Espinosa said in an email to Fox News. DUBAI'S RULER ORDERS MEN TO CLEAN ZOO FOR FEEDING CAT TO DOG Leon Wilmoth, the manager of the 400-acre facility which cares for 886 animals, admitted to problems in the park but says he is working on improvements. "If you go into Gentry, does anyone have a cut finger? Or have they stepped on a nail a little bit, or has one of them got the flu? Wilmoth told the Northwest Arkansas Democrat Gazette, It's virtually the same thing out here, but it's our responsibility to take care of these animals. And they're painting the picture we do not take care of these animals." Wilmoth also took responsibility for the 2013 death of a lion cub. "It made me sick. I take full responsibility for that. There was no intention of hurting that lion." The safari park previously paid a $3,094 fine for violations in 2008 and was warned in 2012 for violating government regulations. The park also was fined in 1998 and twice in 2002, the Democrat Gazette added. A lawsuit filed against the park in 2005 was settled. Wilmoth dismissed the threat of losing his operating license from the USDA. "If they shut us down, what are they going to do with all of these animals?" he told the newspaper. "The only reason we have a USDA license is because we're open to the public. If you're not open to the public, you don't need no USDA license." He also noted that a recent visit from an inspector on February 1 found dirty water bowls as the only problem with the park. Fox News reached out to the Wild Wilderness Inc. and a lawyer representing the company for comment but did not receive a response. The livelihood of some 300,000 Spaniards who work in Gibraltar is on the line as Britain prepares to leave the European Union. Being in the EU has meant the territorys border has been open to an unlimited flow of workers, goods and money, but that could end if Britain leaves the EU without retaining access to the bloc's single market. Britain has controlled the territory for three centuries against Spain's wishes. EU CITIZENS IN UK ANXIOUSLY SEEK SECURITY BEFORE BREXIT "It's unfortunate. We don't want to turn our backs to Europe, but those are the cards that we have been dealt and we have to play this hand the best as possible," Fabian Picardo, the chief minister of Gibraltar, told The Associated Press. An overwhelming 96 percent of Gibraltarians voted to remain in the EU in last year's referendum. Spain is trying to use the situation to press for greater control of the territory, lost to Anglo-Dutch forces in 1704, by blocking pleas for a special deal that would allow Gibraltar to keep borders open Spain wants joint sovereignty of the territory. Gibraltar, which is barely twice the size of Central Park and home to 32,000 people, has thrived economically under Britain's rule. Its low corporate taxes, business-friendly regulation and links to the EU market since 1973 have attracted investment. BREXIT EXPLAINED: WHAT'S NEXT ON THE UK'S ROAD OUT OF THE EU All that is needed to cross the border into Gibraltar for work today is an identity card. "There is much fear because we don't know what's going to happen," said Antonio Molina, a Spanish delivery man who works on Gibraltar. He is applying for his first passport ever in case border controls become stricter. "We live in limbo; you hear one thing today and a different thing tomorrow," he said. Nobody expects Gibraltar's border to be fully closed. But disruptions and queues which already happen at times of diplomatic tensions between Britain and Spain are a nightmare for workers and employers. Britain's government will begin the process of leaving the European Union on March 29, starting the clock on the two years in which to complete the most important negotiation for a generation. The AP contributed to this report. The British government announced Monday that it will formally begin its exit from the European Union on March 29. Prime Minister Theresa May will invoke Article 50 of the key EU treaty, the official start of the two-year divorce process. Then comes the hard part the arguments, the lawyers, the squabbles over money. Here's a look at the main issues and what happens next: ___ WHAT IS THE EU AND WHY IS BRITAIN LEAVING? The EU is a bloc of 28 nations sharing relatively open borders, a single market in goods and services and for 19 nations a single currency, the euro. Britain joined in 1973, but has long been a somewhat reluctant member, with a large contingent of euroskeptic politicians and journalists regularly railing against regulations imposed by EU headquarters in Brussels. Former Prime Minister David Cameron offered voters a referendum on EU membership, and in June they voted by 52-48 percent to leave. ___ HOW DOES BRITAIN FILE FOR DIVORCE? The British government will invoke Article 50 of the EU's Lisbon Treaty, which says a member state may "notify the European Council of its intention" to leave the bloc. The Department for Exiting the European Union says notification will come in a letter from May to European Council President Donald Tusk. May will also announce the news in Parliament. That sets a clock ticking: Article 50 says that two years from the moment of notification, "the Treaties shall cease to apply" and Britain will no longer be an EU member. ___ WHOSE MOVE IS IT NOW? The timing of Article 50 was up to Britain. What happens next is up to the EU. European Commission spokesman Margaritis Schinas said Monday that the EU is "ready to begin negotiations." Tusk has said that that once EU officials get Britain's notification, they will respond within 48 hours, offering draft negotiating guidelines for the 27 remaining member states to consider. Leaders of the 27 nations will then meet in April or May to finalize their negotiating platform. U.K. Brexit Secretary David Davis has said "the first meeting, bluntly, will be about how we do this? How many meetings, you know, who's going to meet, who's going to come." Substantial talks may have to wait until after France's two-round April-May election for a new president. Another hiccup could be Germany's September election, which will determine whether Chancellor Angela Merkel gets another term. ___ WHO CONDUCTS THE NEGOTIATIONS? On the British side, Davis will take the lead, reporting to May. Britain's ambassador to the EU, Tim Barrow, will also play a major role, and the Foreign Office will talk to individual member states to try to get them on its side. On the EU side, it's complicated. As Britain's Institute for Government recently pointed out, "the U.K. is negotiating with 27 member states, not a unified bloc." French diplomat Michel Barnier is the chief negotiator for the European Commission, the bloc's executive arm. He'll receive direction from the Council, which represents the leaders of the member states. The European Parliament also wants a say, and will have to approve the final deal between Britain and the bloc. ___ WHAT IS THE MOST PRESSING ISSUE? Britain's vote to leave the EU has meant uncertainty for 3 million EU citizens living in the U.K., and 1 million Britons who reside in the 27 other nations of the bloc. Both sides agree that giving such citizens a guarantee that they will be able to stay where they are is a top priority. ___ WHAT WILL BE THE MAIN CONFLICTS? The first major battle is likely to be about money. The EU says Britain must pay a hefty divorce bill of up to 60 billion euros ($64 billion), to cover EU staff pensions and other expenses the U.K. has committed to. Britain hasn't ruled out a payment, but is sure to quibble over the size of the tab. There's also likely to be friction over Britain's desire to maintain free trade in goods and services with the bloc, without accepting the EU's core principle of free movement of workers. Britain has said it will impose limits on immigration, and so will have to leave the EU's single market and customs union. That makes some barriers to trade seem inevitable. ___ WHEN WILL IT BE OVER? Under the terms of Article 50, Britain will cease to be an EU member in March 2019. But EU negotiators warn it could take two years just to settle the divorce terms; agreeing on a new relationship for the U.K. and the EU could take years longer. If the rest of the EU agrees, the two-year negotiating period can be extended, leaving Britain in the EU for a while longer. Or, the two sides could agree on a transitional period. There's also a chance Britain could walk away early without a deal if it thinks the talks are going nowhere. ___ IS BREXIT A ONE-WAY TICKET? The British government has said firmly that it will not backtrack on Brexit. But it's unclear whether Article 50 is legally reversible. Former British ambassador to the EU John Kerr, who wrote Article 50, says "it is not irrevocable. You can change your mind while the process is going on." However, domestic political pressures make it unlikely that the British government would try a U-turn. May will probably take her cue from a catchphrase of predecessor Margaret Thatcher: "The lady's not for turning." ___ Follow Jill Lawless on Twitter at http://Twitter.com/JillLawless Prime Minister Theresa May will trigger Article 50 on Wednesday 29 March, starting the process of the UK leaving the EU. EU CITIZENS IN UK ANXIOUSLY SEEK SECURITY BEFORE BREXIT The move paves the way for two years of negotiations with the EU, meaning that the country will leave the bloc in March 2019. It comes nine months after the country voted to leave in the June referendum. UK POLICE SIMULATE THAMES HIJACKING IN ANTI-TERROR EXERCISE Britain's envoy to Brussels, Sir Tim Barrow, "has informed the EU this morning that Britain will trigger Article 50 on March 29," the government said. Brexit Secretary David Davis said: "Last June, the people of the UK made the historic decision to leave the EU. "Next Wednesday, the Government will deliver on that decision and formally start the process by triggering Article 50. "We are on the threshold of the most important negotiation for this country for a generation. "The Government is clear in its aims: a deal that works for every nation and region of the UK and indeed for all of Europe. A new, positive partnership between the UK and our friends and allies in the European Union." Click for more from Sky News. next Image 1 of 3 prev next Image 2 of 3 prev Image 3 of 3 Regional politics makes for strange bedfellows, and at first glance, it is hard to imagine more of an odd couple than tempestuous Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte and his cerebral de facto Myanmar counterpart, State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi, who met Monday in Myanmar's capital, Naypyitaw. The main purpose of Duterte's visit to Myanmar, which began Sunday, is to complete visits to nine fellow members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN. While their meeting is said to have covered the usual pro forma talk about trade and investment, it had a tangible result when Duterte promised $300,000 in humanitarian aid for Myanmar's Rakhine state, where communal conflict has displaced more than 100,000 people, mostly Muslims, from their homes. This isnt a cold war; its a hot war. And experts caution that the conflict in Eastern Ukraine could soon get a whole lot hotter if fighting damages huge industrial storage units of chlorine gas and there is a deadly release of the toxic gas. If one of those uncontrolled sites containing chemicals were to detonate, tens of thousands of people could be poisoned. It is a potential disaster on the scale of Chernobyl, Robert Amsterdam, Russian political expert and lawyer at international law firm Amsterdam & Partners, told Fox News. The risk is hardly hypothetical. Late last month a stray artillery shell hit the Donetsk Filter Stations chlorine gas depot, which holds 15,000 pounds of chlorine gas. While the containers -- by sheer luck were not damaged, the incident raised serious red flags. In a situation like this, where a war zone is near a concentration of industrial facilities where toxic and explosive chemicals are manufactured and stored, it is possible that massive releases of toxic chemicals could be released, Rudy Richardson, professor of toxicology at the University of Michigan, told Fox News. And that would result in high levels of civilian casualties. According to Baskut Tuncak, U.N. special rapporteur on human rights and hazardous substances and wastes, damage to just one chlorine-filled, 2,000-pound container has the potential to kill anyone within a 600-foot distance and poses dire health risks to the tens of thousands of surrounding residents. RUSSIA SAYS US MISSILE SYSTEMS A RISK TO REGIONAL SECURITY Large chemical and industrial facilities are in areas where fighting is ongoing, Tuncak said. Battles are now being fought in cities, close to industrial centers with factories increasingly at risk of being hit: The consequences for anyone living close by would be severe. The three-year war which started as a trade agreement dispute but then burgeoned into a bloody conflict between support for Western-backed Ukraine and the Kremlin-supported separatists has already claimed the lives of more than 10,000 people, including 2,000 civilians, and wounded some 23,000. An estimated 2 million have been displaced or deeply impacted by dire shortages of food, electricity, water, heat, medical and social services. Before the war, the Donbass region held more than 5,300 operational industrial enterprises, many of which are now under the control of separatist rebels who seized control of dozens of factories and mines, including those used to distribute aid. John Gilbert, a senior science fellow with the Center for Arms Control and Non Proliferations Chemical and Biological Arms Control Working Group who previously conducted inspections in Russia and the Ukraine as a U.S. military officer concurred that a chlorine release would result in significant injuries and would be fatal to most. He also said that steps should be put in place now to minimize potential fallout. The fact that there are many large industrial facilities and water treatment plants in the conflict zone is cause for concern. Ensuring that workers in the vicinity of toxic stockpiles have immediate access to protective equipment (such as masks) is important, Gilbert noted, cautioning that safety equipment is both costly and requires training to don and wear properly, in addition to having a limited shelf life. Collateral or even intentional chemical casualties from the Ukraine conflict is a real possibility. AS CASUALTIES MOUNT IN EASTERN UKRAINE, SOME WONDER WHETHER PUTIN IS TESTING TRUMP A report issued last week by the Geneva-based Zoi Environment Network and the Toxic Remnants of War Project claimed that the damage to industrial installations has already resulted in a number of civilian health risks, and reinforced concerns over future disaster. Gilbert stressed that there are precautions that industrial facilities can take, such as dispersing chemical storage containers rather than clustering them and looking at outside storage rather than inside a building. However, it is unknown if any such precautions are being implemented. Several civilian sources on the ground in the conflict zone told Fox News that the chemical issue isnt even one being routinely discussed among them that they are merely trying to eat, keep a roof over their heads and live to see another day. Russian forces have been accused of using chemical weapons in the Ukraine already, during the 2015 battle over the Donetsk airport in which 80 Ukrainian soldiers showed symptoms of being exposed to nerve agents, James Kirchick, author of The End of Europe, said. The Ukraine transferred its chemical weapons stockpiles to Russia after the collapse of the Soviet Union, and is not known to be in possession of any chemical weapons while Russia maintains stockpiles of VR, Sarin and mustard gas. Vito Corleone might want to make a Sicilian bishop an offer he can't refuse. In a move to tamp down on the mafia's influence, the bishop reportedly barred any known members of the mob from serving as godfathers in Catholic baptisms. HISTORIC RESTORATION OF JESUS' BURIAL SHRINE COMPLETED The mafia has always taken the term 'godfather' from the church to give its bosses an air of religious respectability, whereas in fact the two worlds are completely incompatible, Michele Pennisi, the bishop of Monreale, said. Pennisi's diocese actually includes Corleone, the village that served as the fictional birthplace for the iconic character in Mario Puzo's novel "The Godfather" -- and the Oscar-winning movie, The Guardian reported. The bishop said he knew it would be tough to enforce his new decree, since the mafia typically operates under a culture of silence. If someone has not been convicted we cannot judge people on rumors, without proof, he added. Just last month, he condemned a priest for allowing the son of mobster Toto Riina to serve as a godfather, the BBC reported. Click for more from The Guardian. Police in Greece have discovered and neutralized eight parcel bombs, addressed to European Union finance officials and businesses in various European countries, at a postal sorting office near Athens. The discovery Monday came after letter bombs were sent last week to the German Finance Ministry and the Paris office of the International Monetary Fund, where a small explosion injured a member of staff. The Greek militant group, Conspiracy Cells of Fire, claimed responsibility for the German attack, describing it as part of a campaign of violence by international anarchist groups. No one was hurt Monday when the parcels were discovered. Police gave no further details, but said the parcels had been falsely labeled as being sent from academic institutions. A terror recruit took his entire immediate family -- including three young children -- to join the Islamic State in Syria and may have used government welfare money to bankroll the trip, The Sunday Times reported. A British man who wanted to join ISIS may have travelled to Syria using housing benefit payments https://t.co/HdNpoVmyBK pic.twitter.com/BntGN1yYKR The Sunday Times (@thesundaytimes) March 19, 2017 PARIS AIRPORT ATTACK: PROSECUTORS SAY ATTACKER WAS MONITORED FOR SUSPECTED ISLAMIC EXTREMISM The family's former landlady in East London made the discovery, saying she learned the man's wife received monthly housing benefit payments of about $1,230 that she failed to pass on in rent. The suspect, 30-year-old Shahan Choudhury, was "brainwashed" by Islamic extremism while awaiting trial for the murder of a 17-year-old hospital worker before he was acquitted in 2007, other members of Choudhury's family told the newspaper. WEST MOSUL BATTLE LOOKS TO BE DEADLIEST YET FOR IRAQIS "He was just like any other western kid when he went in but by the time he came out he was going on about religion and how the kuffar [non-believers] would all end up in the hellfire," an unnamed relative added. After Choudhury got out of prison, he ran right into the arms of al-Muhajiroun (ALM), a banned terror group led by the firebrand cleric Anjem Choudary, preaching and growing out his beard, The Times reported. His wife, Mehak, whom he married in 2010, was a fellow radical, according to her family. Police "told me there was no evidence of extremism and that, as an adult, she could do what she wanted," her father, Mohammed, said last weekend. Choudhury reportedly bolted to Syria in 2015. His wife apparently followed less than a year later, taking their 4-year-old and 2-year-old daughters as well as their baby son, according to the newspaper. Anjem Choudary, the preacher they were said to follow, was sentenced to more than 5 years in prison last year for inviting support for ISIS. Click for more from The Sunday Times. A British woman brutally murdered last summer -- allegedly by her ex-boyfriend -- had warned police months earlier that he attacked her, but the cops responded by fining her for wasting their time, prosecutors revealed late last week. Shana Grice's body turned up last August in her Portslade bedroom, investigators said, adding that the killer slit her throat and apparently set her on fire. She was 19. POLICE ACCUSE DAUGHTER'S BOYFRIEND OF KILLING MISSING FLORIDA WOMAN Her ex-boyfriend, 27-year-old Michael Lane, faces murder charges, but denies he killed her. Grice told police last March that Lane had pulled her hair and grabbed at her phone -- accusations he denied, The Sun reported. DEPORTED KILLER NABBED SLIPPING BACK INTO UNITED STATES FROM MEXICO What's more, police said she never disclosed that she'd been in a relationship with Lane. They fined her an undisclosed sum for "having caused wasteful employment of police by making a false report," prosecutors added. However, police reportedly learned in July that Lane stole a key to her home and let himself in. They responded by ordering him to stay away from Grice, the BBC reported. The next month, the woman was dead. Lane testified that he discovered her body slumped against the bed -- but didn't call for an ambulance because he was in shock. "She wasnt moving. I saw blood on the bed and blood on the floor." He also admitted he bought gasoline -- but said he wanted to use it to kill himself because he was depressed over his grandfather's death, the BBC added. In addition, he said that he lied during police interviews. Still, he said he didn't kill her. Click for more from The Sun. Chuck Jones speaks truth to power-- calls out the liar-in-chief Huff Po, You remember Chuck Jones, the president of the United Steelworkers Local 1999 who fought to keep Carrier in Indiana long before Trump noisily inserted himself, ineffectively as it turns out, into the conflict. Last week, Jones penned an essay for How Democrats Lost Union Workers , saying the problem went well beyond the horrible choice between Trump and Hillary. "A map of Indiana," he wrote, "can show you what went wrong for the Democratic Party and whats going wrong for the country. Not just the Carrier plant, thats shipping 550 jobs to Mexico, but another one of our locals plants, Rexnord Bearings, has 300 jobs headed to the same city, Monterrey. In Huntington, near Fort Wayne, 700 jobs from the same corporation as Carrier-- UTC-- are headed there as well. Indianas 2nd Congressional District, which includes South Bend, has two Elkhart plants, Harman International and auto-parts maker CTS Corp., shipping more than 350 jobs overseas. The 2nd District used to be a lock for Democrats, and was at least competitive the past 30 years. Now its elected a Tea Party Republican to her third term. The DNC wanted to know why traditional Democratic areas in the industrial Midwest have gotten away from them. Its because too many manufacturing plants have been getting away from us-- and too many Democratic leaders have been AWOL. When it comes to how they and their families are going to survive, too many workers cant tell one party from the other. Yes, weve stood up for the safety net and social justice-- were not one-issue Democrats. But Indiana, along with much of the industrial Midwest, has been getting hammered by rigged trade deals that have left thousands of Hoosier families stranded. Its upended our world. Were not against trade. But the trade deals weve been given by Republicans-- and too many Democrats-- have betrayed people who work for a living. Dont lose sight of the fact-- because too many politicians already have-- that for these family breadwinners, its over. Often middle aged or older, they now look forward to a fraction of their pension, if that, and any dreams they had for their kids getting a leg up into the middle class are gone. For too many its been a life of despair leading to alcoholism, bankruptcy, broken families, even suicide. Ive seen it. ...My message to the Democratic Party is that we need leaders with the guts to stand up to Wall Street and defend working people... donors be damned. Working people will take notice. ...For the Democratic Party to even begin to turn this around, we need to see leaders standing with us when we bargain with corporations. When workers organize, they need to march with them into the bosss office and demand their rights be respected. A great example of that was recently in Mississippi where Sen. Bernie Sanders marched with Nissan auto workers fighting for a union. Thats how youll win back workers, not just the ones you lost last November, but the ones youve been losing for decades. And well get the 50 percent on the sidelines to start thinking voting might matter, and that putting heat on politicians can get results. In Detroit I just stated what I saw on the ground. And what I saw in the Indiana primary was workers, and not just in manufacturing, getting excited about Bernie Sanders like no other candidate ever. His straight talk, consistent positions, and refusal to kowtow to conventional wisdom, made him damn near a hero. But the unvarnished truth about last year is this: after Bernie was eliminated, a lot of workers started drinking the Trump Kool-Aid or just plain took a pass on the election. Many had been Obama voters. Those who did throw in with HRC-- men, women, black and white-- did it without the kind of enthusiasm you need to bring others along. But it was a situation decades in the making. The Republicans created Trump, hes theirs; but too many Democrats built the vacuum that Trump filled. In Detroit I reminded them that the Democratic Party needs to continue to be the home of working families. Trumps a fraud, and the Republicans dont have our back. But if the party wants these voters to come home, it needs to stand up for them. Ro Khanna is the freshman congressman from the Silicon Valley. He was elected 4 months ago with thousands of dollars in campaign contributions from employees at pharmaceutical companies. But that didn't stop him from making this blistering maiden floor speech last month. Watch it: Sacramento Bee on "The pharmaceutical industry is a cancer on this body; The pharmaceutical companies contributions are a cancer," he told his colleagues (and the nation, including PhRMA lobbyists, who pay close attention to that kind of talk). And that isn't the only way Khanna's thinking was in sync with Jones'. Last week he penned this OpEd for theon industrial policy and the future viability of the Democratic Party . I don't think it's going to make his House colleagues any more happy than his comments about PhRMA made their lobbyists. New Zealand reportedly expelled a U.S. diplomat after the embassy refused to waive diplomatic immunity during a police investigation. The unnamed staffer allegedly was involved in an incident on March 12. Police requested to speak with the man, but the U.S. Embassy denied it, BBC reported Sunday. UK SETS DATE FOR TRIGGERING BREXIT New Zealand asked the U.S. to remove him from the country and they followed through with the request. Police have not given any details about the alleged incident, which took place outside Wellington. New Zealand Radio reported the staffer suffered a broken nose and a black eye. New Zealand Prime Minister Bill English said there was still no explanation as to why police wanted to question the staffer. "We expect all diplomats here to obey our law, and if it is broken we would expect our police to investigate," English said. "There are a set of procedures around how these things are dealt with diplomats. We regret they didn't give us a waiver on immunity but they didn't. Click for more from BBC. Pakistani and Indian experts have opened round-table talks in Islamabad over water disputes between the two nuclear-armed neighbors. Pakistan's minister for water and hydroelectric power, Khawaja Asif, on Monday welcomed the Indian delegation, saying he hopes the two days of meetings will move the issue forward in anticipation of continued talks on April 12 in Washington. Both sides signed the Indus Water Treaty in 1960, brokered by the World Bank, to share the vast water resources from the Indus River system, which supplies water to both countries. The treaty requires annual meetings but none have been held since 2015 because of tense relations. The World Bank backed out of mediating the talks, forcing Pakistan and India to resume direct negotiations. Tensions are high between the two over disputed Kashmir region. Paris police are searching for possible explosives at the headquarters of the national financial prosecutor after a phone-in bomb threat. A Paris police official says the building is being evacuated Monday and explosives experts are at the site in central Paris, near the Garnier Paris opera house. The official, who wasn't authorized to be publicly named, says that empty bomb threats are a frequent occurrence in the French capital. The prosecutor's office spokeswoman says that employees are waiting outside the building while the search is underway. France remains under a state of emergency after a string of deadly Islamic extremist attacks. A passenger plane has crashed at a South Sudan airport, reportedly injuring at least 14 people. Passenger plane carrying 44 people crashes at South Sudan airport https://t.co/yuQ64trjoh Sky News (@SkyNews) March 20, 2017 MILITARY ATTACK KILLS 42 SOMALI REFUGEES OFF YEMEN'S COAST Some 44 people are thought to have been on board the South Supreme Airlines plane when it came down in the northwestern town of Wau. State information minister Bona Gaudensio said: "Right now we have the ambulance which has just come out from the airport and we have received 14 patients being rushed to hospital in stable condition." PERU MUDSLIDE SURVIVOR'S DRAMATIC ESCAPE CAUGHT ON VIDEO No information has been released on the condition of the other passengers. An aid worker told Reuters news agency: "No one died but there are a number of injured people right now." Photographs from the scene showed fire engines soaking the smouldering wreckage with water. Paul Charles, an engineer at the airport, told AFP news agency that visibility was poor when the accident took place. He said: "The weather is not good. Visibility was not good up to now and (the plane) was landing from the east to west then it just crashes (off) the runway." Click for more from Sky News. next Image 1 of 3 prev next Image 2 of 3 prev Image 3 of 3 Syrian refugees in the southern Turkish city of Gaziantep have marked the sixth anniversary of the start of the Syrian civil war with songs, speeches and a martial arts show. A group of children sang revolutionary laments in Arabic and Turkish, and boys clad in black with red headbands took the stage in a downtown municipal theater Monday. They swung nunchucks, shouted "freedom" three times, and called for President Bashar Assad to leave Syria. The uprising against Assad began in March 2011 with protests in the southern city of Daraa that were triggered by the arrest of teenagers writing anti-government graffiti on the wall. Turkey, host to the largest refugee population in the world, including 2.7 million Syrians, is on the front line of the current crisis. More than 300,000 Syrians live in Gaziantep, a city of 1.5 million about 90 kilometers from Syria's largest city, Aleppo. Turkish protesters on Monday demanded the death penalty, abolished in Turkey more than a decade ago, for 18 alleged coup plotters on trial for the killing of a military officer who resisted an effort to overthrow the government. The demonstrators jeered as security forces escorted the defendants into a courthouse in the Turkish capital, Ankara. The crowd also displayed an effigy of Fethullah Gulen, an Islamic cleric based in Pennsylvania who is blamed by Turkey for the failed coup attempt on July 15. The effigy had a noose around its neck. Gulen has denied involvement in the uprising. Turkey abolished the death penalty as a campaign to join the European Union gained momentum, but President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said since the coup attempt that Turkey could hold a referendum on reinstating it if parliament fails to pass such a measure. European leaders say any talks on Turkey's bid to join the EU, which faltered years ago, would end if Ankara restores the death penalty. Relations reached a new low this month because of Turkey's anger over the refusal of some European countries to let Turkish Cabinet ministers campaign for diaspora votes ahead of an April 16 constitutional referendum on increasing the powers of the Turkish president. Supporters of the measure say a more centralized leadership would help Turkey deal with security, economic and other challenges; critics say its approval would fit a pattern of increasingly authoritarian behavior by Erdogan. The suspects who appeared in court in Ankara are accused of involvement in the shooting of Omer Halisdemir, an officer who was killed after he shot dead Semih Terzi, a renegade military commander who allegedly tried to take over the special forces headquarters in the capital during last year's uprising by some military units. Suspect Ahmet Kara, who was Terzi's military aide, testified last month that he was duped into participating in the rogue operation without understanding that it was an attempt to overthrow the government. The defendants, whose trial began in February, face life imprisonment if convicted of murder and other crimes. The Turkish government has described Halisdemir as a "martyr;" state-run media have reported on people who paid tribute at his grave, and many children across the country wrote letters addressed to him in a school activity organized after his death. A documentary film was made about Halisdemir, and some families named newborn babies after him. More than 270 people were killed in the coup attempt. Over 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 insurrection. Regina Montoya is a successful attorney, chairwoman of Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings' Taskforce on Poverty and senior vice president and general counsel of Dallas' Children's Medical Center. In 2000. In 2000 she ran against Pete Sessions, who beat her 100,510 (54.0%) to 82,685 (44.4%). She was able to nearly match his $1,986,465 fundraising haul (with $1,642,494). Things have changed in TX-32 (North Dallas from Uptown, Highland Park and University Park, up to Richardson and Garland to the eastern shore of Lake Ray Hubbard). Even though the Republican legislature recently gerrymandered the district to make it less Latino, Hillary actually beat Trumpanzee 48.5% to 46.6%-- in a district that Romney won 57.0% to 41.5%. And now Dallas area Democrats want Montoya to run against Sessions again. He appears very vulnerable and she's a pretty ideal candidate for a seat like that. The DCCC brain surgeons didn't run a candidate in 2016 at all and, in fact, the last time Sessions had a real challenge was in 2004 when he was in an incumbent vs incumbent battle with Martin Frost, each raising over $4.5 million. Since they, it's been a free pass from the DCCC. But not 2018 (they claim). Texas Tribune, wrote that Over the weekend, Patrick Svitek, reporting for the, wrote that Sessions' packed town hall on Saturday was raucous and angry -- and all about the highly unpopular TrumpCare, which can't pass without Sessions' connivance on the House Rules Committee. His constituents know it too. In the Republican primary Trump came in third behind Cruz and Rubio. Addressing over 2,000 people, Sessions was frequently drowned out by boos and angry outbursts from the audience. Many of his answers were not entirely audible due to the crowds reaction as he began to speak. We are going to make the changes, we are going to pass the bill and we are going to repeal Obamacare, Sessions said at one point, a declaration that gave way to sustained chants of Vote him out! ...You know what? I know why youre so frustrated: You dont know how to listen, Sessions said amid the negative feedback, inviting a new round of boos. I know how to listen, Sessions added a short time later. Sessions did appear to find some common ground with the otherwise largely hostile crowd. Asked repeatedly about Trump's proposed budget cuts to a number of federal agencies and programs, he expressed support for protecting the National Institutes of Health and Meals on Wheels, the service that provides food to the elderly and relies on grants that could be on the chopping block. Sessions also expressed doubt that Congress would go along with what he described as Trump's "drastic cuts" to the Environmental Protection Agency. ...In a congressional town hall in North Texas, U.S. Rep. Michael Burgess, R-Lewisville, withstood two hours of booing from hundreds of angry constituents at a local high school. Lucky for Burgess, his district, TX-26, just a bit north and west of Sessions' (primarily Denton County), is way redder. The PVI is R+20, Romney beat Obama 60-38% and Trump beat Hillary 60.9-34.4%. Burgess was first elected in 2002 when he bear retiring GOP crackpot Dick Armey's son in the primary. Last year the Democrat "running" against him raised zero dollars, the same amount the Democrat who ran against him in 2014 spent. In the 8 times he's run, the DCCC has never even tested his popularity by backing a candidate. And, worthless as ever, they have no intention of doing so in 2018. The farmers market seems to be the apple of Fredericksburgs eye these days, but there was a time when some neighbors turned up their noses at itand asked city officials to shut down the operation. Such was the case 50 years ago, when nearby merchants and businessmen complained about unsatisfactory, unhealthy and unpleasant conditions from the market, which at the time consisted of a few spaces in a municipal parking lot at the corner of William and Prince Edward streets. The lot was across from whats now Ristorante Renato. Representatives from James Monroe Service station, Gullas Restaurant, Cooper Furniture and Johnson & Glazebrook wrote to City Council, carping about the smells coming from vendors. During the warm weather especially, the odor from the scum in the trucks in which the fish are transported makes the enjoyment of the neighboring properties impossible, read the letter of April 10, 1967. We are asking the council to look into this situation to see whether or not the practice of permitting sales of this type in the open should be permitted. As it turned out, a state sanitation officer found no violations. But an April 22, 1967, story in The Free LanceStar declared the farmers market under attack, again, and detailed the on-again, off-again struggle between farmers and the city to find a permanent home for the market. Even though the market had been an institution for as long as many could remember, it hadnt been sanctioned officially by the city. Instead, it had bounced around like a bobber on a fishing line since the days of World War II. AS OLD AS THE CITY Merchants have been selling their wares on the street in open-air markets since before the city was founded in 1728. Only in the last quarter-century has the Fredericksburg Farmers Market found a permanent home at Hurkamp Park, according to its website. In a 2001 story about memories of the Great Depression, Fredericksburg resident Frank Mills recalled hucksters who came through town with fresh beef. Or beef that was as fresh as it could be, given the meat was carried in a wagon with no ice. When you pulled the sheet back off the meat, all these flies would come up, Mills remembered, adding that buyers sliced off what they wanted. It was a treat, added Lilburn Wright of Colonial Beach. Absolutely, Wright said. You didnt get that every day. The idea for a place where groups of farmers could gather, instead of pulling their wagons through the street, was the brain child of a banker, M. Percy Embrey. He started the Farmers Market on Prince Edward Street, in front of the park, during World War II. Traffic was barred from the street one day a week when farmers brought their produce to town. The market proved popular and became an institution during the war years, according to a 1965 story about Embrey, who went on to become president of he National Bank of Fredericksburg. By the late 1940s, City Council had appointed a committee to look into a permanent location where farmers could sell fruits and vegetables, meat and seafood, just as theyd done during the war. Unfortunately, many of their ideas didnt amount to a hill of beans. IT IS OBJECTIONABLE For the next two decades, the market bounced from its war-days site to Market Square, behind the old City Hill, and back down William Street. Complaints regularly followed it. In September 1949, nearby residents didnt like the idea of a market on Prince Edward Street because farmers camped out in their trucks the night before the sale day. It is objectionable to all residents of the vicinity, Edward Cann, chairman of the councils ordinance committee, reported in April 1950. He asked the police committee to recommend another location. The next year, the public interest committee was charged with the same task. By July 1951, the council considered buying a lot on William Street for the market and voted to spend $750 to get it ready. That plan got mowed down the next month, when the owner decided not to sell. In September 1953, the council recommended the farmers market establish roots in Market Square, behind City Hall, and passed a resolution that it be the only location in the city where farmers could sell their goods. Hours were to be from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily except Sundays and holidays. The charge for farmers and watermen would be 50 cents per day. One additional description spoke to the segregated times: that adequate toilet facilities be supplied for both white and colored. The idea died on the vine. During nine months of operation, only one farmer paid a half-dollar, one time, to set up at Market Square. And, while the city had banned farmers from selling on the street or door-to-door, the action didnt hold up in court because Fredericksburg hadnt established a place where farmers could do business. ALWAYS A LITTLE FRICTION By spring 1958, two residents, George Frazier and C. Togo Graves, told the council there was such a need for a designated market where farmers could sell homegrown produce that Graves volunteered to manage it himself, without pay, if the city would authorize it. They favored the municipal parking lot at William and Prince Edward streets, even though the council had barred them from that location years earlier. Council members werent thrilled with giving up parking space for use as a market, but farmers favored that spot because it attracted more traffic. The council didnt officially sanction the sale of produce there until 1966, when the city put up three signs on one corner, denoting the area as a Farmers Market. A year later, complaints bubbled up about the odor of fish. Emmett Snead III of Caroline County remembers those times. His father and grandfather farmed in the city, and he had been selling asparagus and eggs from the basket of his bicycle since he was 10 years old. I never came home with any, he said. In the late 1960s, there were 10 or 12 corner grocery stores, in every neighborhood of the city, and merchants eyed the farmers market as rivals. Grocers had to set up brick and mortar buildings and pay taxes, but farmers could roll into town and do business off the back of their trucks. There was always a little friction there, but nobody talks about that, Snead said. They tried to find a reason for the farmers market not to be there because they thought of it as competition. He doesnt remember any unpleasant smells; instead, his mouth waters at the thought of flaky, white perch. Shad roe, or fish eggs, was even better than roe from herring, especially when blended with scrambled eggs. That was a good breakfast right there, he said. HUGE ECONOMIC DRIVER Farmers eventually moved across William Street to the markets current location. When the city considered revitalizing Hurkamp Park in the early 1990s, Snead and his father were among those who applauded the effortsand asked the city to safeguard space for farmers and their customers. It is without a doubt the most successful farmers market in the state, the farmers wrote in a letter to the city. Current market officials, and customers, might agree. The Fredericksburg Farmers Market regularly attracts thousands to the city on Saturday mornings, as vendors sell everything from lemonade to fresh cut flowers, and broccoli to baked goods. The market is as much a social gathering as ever-changing storefront, a place for residents to buy locally grown food and for crafters to sell new creations. For every dollar spent at the market, shoppersand farmers themselvesspend $1.40 at other local businesses while theyre in town, said Gayle Price, market manager. While its nice to have a pretty market that people like to visit, its also a huge economic driver for our city, she said. And no one complains about the smell of fish. The three candidates for president at Germanna Community College will speak at six open forums in Spotsylvania and Culpeper counties during the next two weeks. Each candidate will participate in two forums, all held on different days. The first of each set will be held at 10:30 a.m. in the Sealy Auditorium at Germannas Fredericksburg Area Campus in Spotsylvania, and the second the next day at 10 a.m. at the Daniel Technology Center in Culpeper. Linda ThomasGlover, the current president of Eastern Shore Community College, will participate in the first forums, this Wednesday and Thursday. ThomasGlover previously served as the provost/chief academic officer of Elizabethtown Community and Technical College in Kentucky, beginning in 2004, and before that held several positions at Guilford Technical Community College in Jamestown, N.C. She holds a doctorate in chemistry from Temple University, a masters degree from the SUNY Buffalo, and a bachelors degree from South Carolina State College. John R. Donnelly, currently the vice president for instruction and student services at Piedmont Virginia Community College, will participate in forums on March 27-28. Donnelly, who previously served as a dean at Germanna after originally beginning his career there as an adjunct history instructor, has also worked as vice president of academic and student affairs/provost for Massachusetts Bay Community College in Wellesley Hills, Mass. He holds a doctorate in higher education from the University of Virginia, masters and bachelors degrees from Virginia Commonwealth University, and a bachelors degree from James Madison University. Janet Gullickson, the final candidate, is now the president of Spokane Falls Community College in Washington State. She will participate in forums on March 29-30. Before serving as president, she was the chief academic officer for one of the largest districts of the Community Colleges of Spokane, and as president of Front Range Community College in Westminster, Colo. Gullickson holds a doctorate in education from the University of Minnesota, a masters degree from South Dakota State University, and a bachelors degree from the University of South Dakota. Members of the public are invited to attend the forums, and the events will also be streamed live on Germannas Facebook page and the colleges website, germanna.edu. Current president David A. Sam, who is the fifth president at Germanna and has served for 10 years, will retire at the end of June. After the forums, the Germanna Community College Board will hold a special meeting April 5 to discuss the final candidates during closed session. The board will hold a second special meeting the next day to make its formal recommendation to Glenn DuBois, the Virginia Community College System Chancellor. Once an offer is made and accepted, DuBois will announce the selection. Astronomical spring arrived this morning in Fredericksburg! The spring equinox occurred at 6:29 am today Monday - as the Earth reached the point in its orbit where the suns rays became perpendicular to the equator. From this point on the calendar until the summer solstice the Northern Hemisphere will have more daylight hours than darkness. The graphic illustrates the relative positions of the Earth and Sun. Practically speaking what that means for Fredericksburg is that the additional solar heating available now will make it harder for really cold Canadian air to reach this far south. By the end of this month the Burgs daily average high and low temperatures will climb to the low 60s and upper 30s, respectively. THAT sounds like spring to me! Today should engender spring-like feelings as well with mostly sunny skies and light winds giving rise to afternoon temperatures around 60 degrees. Alas, the surface high pressure providing these delightful conditions will scoot off the East Coast later today. That will open the door for clouds to increase this afternoon ahead of the next low pressure system. That system will result in showers between midnight and dawn Tuesday. Amounts will be light but with our arid conditions any rain is welcome. Tomorrow will remain mostly dry and cloudy with temperatures topping out in the mid-60s as the low pulls away. Tuesday night a reinforcing cold front will reintroduce shower chances as it crosses the area during the wee hours Wednesday morning. This secondary boundary will open the door to a glancing blow from a Canadian air mass whose coldest core will remain north over New England. That will mean a chilly but not frigid midweek for Fredericksburg before temperatures rebound for the upcoming weekend. (The 70s arent out of the question for Saturday!) Spring is here!! A small business owner and Navy reservist from Fredericksburg will seek the Democratic nomination for the 28th District House of Delegates seat. Karen Hyland, who owns J. Brians Tap Room in downtown Fredericksburg with her husband, dubbed herself a pro-business Democrat in a press release announcing her candidacy. She said she would push for improvements to roads and other infrastructure and access to health care and education for all Virginians. Hyland has been a public affairs officer with the Navy Reserve since 2002, having served in Iraq in 200910 and Jordan for four months last year. She is also the senior director of political and civic programs for BP. I deeply believe in our community, said Hyland, 46, who lives in Fredericksburg with her husband of 22 years, Jack, and their son, Conor. I consider serving in the General Assembly as a continuation of my commitment to service, and I want to do everything I can to make our community a better place to live for all. She has never held public office, but said she thinks a fresh perspective representing the diverse and growing population in our region will [be] useful in Richmond. She is the second Democrat to seek the partys nomination for the seat that represents parts of Fredericksburg and Stafford. The other Democratic candidate, Joshua Cole, is an associate pastor at Union Bell Baptist Church in southern Stafford. In addition, Stafford Supervisors Paul Milde and Bob Thomas are vying for the Republican nomination in the June 13 primary. House Speaker Bill Howell, RStafford, who has held the seat since 1988, is retiring in January. An oil rig of PV Drilling. Photo by VnExpress The company's oil rigs have been sitting idle as demand dries up. PetroVietnam Drilling and Well Services Corporation (PV Drilling) said the significant decrease of crude oil prices caused its revenue to fall sharply last year, leading to record-low after-tax profit of VND120 billion ($5.26 million), down 14 times against 2015. In its latest financial report, PV Drilling said global crude oil prices dropped to under $30 per barrel at times last year, seriously affecting its business. The firm generated VND5.36 trillion ($235.20 million) in revenue during 2016, falling VND9 trillion ($394.92 million) from the previous year. Due to low oil prices, many firms cancelled orders, leaving only 46 percent of oil rigs in use the year-round in 2016, the company said. The cost of hiring oil rigs also went down by 55-60 percent compared to 2015. According to the Maritime Securities Incorporation (MSI), if global oil prices continue their recovery, the demand for oil rigs will get back on track. In addition, the MSI predicted that 75 percent of PV Drillings oil rigs will be put back into service this year after the firm secured several projects with the Vietnam Oil and Gas Group (PetroVietnam), its biggest shareholder with a 50.46 percent stake. The firm's major businesses include drilling and well services, oil-spill equipment, and acting as an intermediary for foreign companies. Related news: > Vietnam launches $230 million oil drilling rig > Vietnam revives biofuel plan, sets national switch in 2018 RICHMONDVirginia soon will have three new laws that will impact its furry residents and their owners. Gov. Terry McAuliffe has signed bills that will bar pet stores from buying dogs from unscrupulous sellers, allow local governments to offer lifetime pet licenses and change the legal description of a dangerous dog. McAuliffe signed the legislation last week. The bills will take effect July 1. SB 852, introduced by Sen. William Stanley, RFranklin, is aimed at brokers and breeders who sell dogs to pet shops. The new statute says the seller must have a valid license from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Moreover, pet stores may not procure a dog from a person who has received citations for one critical violation or three or more noncritical violations from the USDA in the two years prior to receiving the dog, according to a summary of the bill by the Legislative Information System. Violating the law will be a Class 1 misdemeanor for each dog sold or offered for sale. That is punishable by up to a year in jail and a $2,500 fine. Tabitha Treloar, director of communications at the Richmond SPCA, said the organization is grateful for the new law. SB 852 closed loopholes in a section of code that became law in 2015, making it clear that pet stores may not acquire pets either directly or indirectly from puppy mills, Treloar said. While adopting from a reputable shelter or humane society will always be the best way to get a new companion, this is a law that helps to protect Virginia customers. McAuliffe also signed HB 1477, sponsored by Del. Robert Orrock, RCaroline County. It will allow local governments to provide lifetime licenses for cats and dogs for a maximum fee of $50. (An annual pet license will remain $10 or less.) The lifetime license will be valid if the animals owner continues to reside in the locality and keeps up the animals rabies vaccinations. If an animals tag is lost, destroyed or stolen, the legislation sets a $1 fee for getting a duplicate tag. The bill also states that local ordinances can require an animal to have an identifying microchip. Pet owners must get a license for any dog or cat that is 4 months or older. Guide dogs or service dogs that serve disabled people are exempt. McAuliffe also signed HB 2381, sponsored by Del. Matthew Farris, RRustburg. It modifies the legal description of a dangerous dog. Its a designation with big ramifications: If a dog is officially labeled as dangerous, it is listed in an online registry, and the owner must get insurance and pay a $150 annual fee. Farris wanted to give a dog the benefit of the doubt if it bites a person or another animal. The bill will give animal control officers the option of determining whether a dog should be considered dangerous just because it inflicts a nip, scratch or minor injury on someone, or on another pet. Matthew Gray, Virginia state director of the Humane Society of the United States, applauded McAuliffe for signing the bills, but was disappointed that other legislation failed during the General Assemblys 2017 session. We are grateful that these bills have been signed by Gov. McAuliffe, who has traditionally supported our agenda, Gray said. But the House of Delegates defeated nine of 11 bills that would have expanded protections for animals, including bills to protect dogs from living their lives at the end of a chain and to prevent indiscriminate euthanasia in animal shelters. Thats a dismal failure and a profound illustration of the challenge animal welfare advocates face in Virginia. Leaflets with hand-drawn swastikas were found strewn across the lawn of the Chabad Librescu Jewish Student Center at Virginia Tech, officials said Sunday. Rabbi Zvi Zweibel, the center's co-director, said he was shocked Saturday afternoon to discover about 100 leaflets scattered in front of the Chabad House, located just off campus on Wall Street. "It's something that I never believed would happen in Blacksburg," he said. The incident came a day after the center announced it would bring Holocaust survivor Rabbi Nissen Mangel to campus for an event April 24. The event is meant to honor professor Liviu Librescu, a Holocaust survivor killed in the Virginia Tech massacre in 2007, when he blocked the door of his classroom so students could escape. Zweibel has been at the center for eight years and never seen a similar incident. Blacksburg and the Tech community have embraced the center, he said, making Saturday's incident all the more surprising. "Hate crime is not something that normally happens in Blacksburg," he said. Blacksburg police are investigating. Lt. Mike Albert said in an email police took a report about 4:40 p.m. Saturday. Albert declined to comment further. The center has organized a "solidarity event" for 5:30 p.m. Monday at the Graduate Life Center Plaza. Zweibel, Virginia Tech police Chief Kevin Foust and others are scheduled to speak. Zweibel said he hopes the event will raise awareness of such acts of anti-Semitism. "My hope is to fight darkness with light and promote good actions instead of hatred," he said. Virginia Tech's Jewish Student Union reached out to President Timothy Sands via Twitter asking for support in light of the incident. The president responded on Twitter: "The propagators of hate may be among us, but they are not welcome in our community," the tweet reads. Sands also included a link to a Feb. 26 statement to the Tech community in which he said "hate and bias incidents will not be tolerated" at the university. CHRISTIANSBURG A Virginia Tech architecture graduate students meeting with a professor turned into an altercation, but criminal charges will be dropped if he maintains good behavior for three months. Hongyuan Yin, 28, was in Montgomery County General District Court on Thursday to resolve a felony charge of abduction and a misdemeanor count of obstructing free passage. Judge Gino Williams agreed with a prosecution motion to drop the felony charge and to take the misdemeanor under advisement for three months, to be dropped then if Yin gets in no legal trouble during that time. Hes doing good in school, defense attorney David Rhodes of Christiansburg said before the hearing began. His hope is to graduate and return home to China within the next three months. The unusual charges stemmed from a Jan. 18 incident between Yin and the chairman of his masters degree thesis committee, longtime Tech School of Architecture and Design Professor Hans Rott. No account of the dispute was given in court, but Yin stipulated that the evidence was sufficient to convict him on the obstructing free passage charge. Rott said he was glad to see the charges dropped if Yin remains on good behavior. ITS official name is the Revenue Stabilization Fund, but everyone in Richmond knows it simply as the states rainy-day fund. But in recent years, politicians in the capitalbothDemocrats and Republicanshave come to view it as Virginias piggy bank, to be tapped when a budget gap needs to be filled rather than being forced to deal with underlying fiscal problems. Coming into the 2017 session, members of the General Assembly were facing a shortfall of close to $1.5 billion in the final year of the states two-year budget cycle. Once again, the states flow of tax revenues wasnt as robust as forecasts had projected, and the governor and legislators were forced to re-examine each line of the budget for savings. Raises planned for state employees, which were to have gone into effect in November 2016, were put off until July. The states share of a 2 percent raise for K12 teachers and staff was postponed to February 2018. The lottery and literary fund pots were dipped into as well, effectively cutting the money available for public school building needs by $110 million. But the biggest raid legislators pulled off was on the Revenue Stabilization Fund, siphoning off more than $567 million from the commonwealths reserves, built up by squirreling away dollars from previous budgets when either the revenue stream was stronger or spending was less. And this is the disturbing thing about that massive draw on the reserve fund: In July, when the new fiscal year begins, the rainy-day fund will be down to a mere $280 million, 75 percent lower than it was in July 2007 when the state had more than $1 billion socked away for emergencies. Govs. Tim Kaine and Bob McDonnell were forced to draw on the reserves during the worst of the Great Recession and the early years of federal budget sequestration. Thats understandable; indeed, thats why the fund was established in its current form 25 years ago, after a sharp economic downturn in the early 1990s. But is what the General Assembly and Gov. Terry McAuliffe did to close this most recent gap good budgeting or just good politics? We would contend that its just good politics ... and horrible budgeting. Public schools and teachers took a real hit, as did support for the states public colleges and universities. Higher transfersthat is, profitsfrom the ABC stores operated by the Department of Alcohol Beverage Control also factored in. So, too, did a sales-tax trick retailers hate because it forces them to prepayyes, prepaysales taxes. Dipping into the rainy-day fund is becoming almost routine in Richmond, as Republicans and Democrats prefer to take the easy way out of a problem, rather than deal with the underlying issues causing that problem. Whats needed? Better forecasting, obviously, but also tax reforms. Close loopholes, the effectiveness of which are dubious at best. And also address the tax structure in Virginia. As the nonprofit Commonwealth Institute noted last November in its report, Trouble in the Commonwealth, the lowest-income Virginians pay a greater share of their income (8.9 percent) in state and local taxes than does the highest 1 percent (5.1 percent). We expect our elected officials to do their jobs: Make the best decision to balance a budget based on good judgment and reason, rather than taking the easy way out and dipping into reserves every time. Thats just not good stewardship. adapted from The (Lynchburg) News & Advance 8 pm. (4) (NBC) (12) (NBC) The Voice The contestants prepare for the battle rounds with the help of industry heavyweights. (N) (HD) (5) (FOX) (35) (FOX) 24: Legacy Mullins and CTU try and track down Carter, as Andy is forced to do something he doesnt want to do. Meanwhile, Rebeccas interrogation techniques lead Donovan to question her judgment, and Isaac turns to his friends for help. (N) (HD) (6) (CBS) (9) (CBS) Kevin Can Wait After Goody and Didi invite the Motts on a weekend getaway with them, Kevin and Donna are offended by the friendship demotion and go online to find new couples to hang out with. (N) (HD) (CNBC) Shark Tank A single mom and former truck driver from Inglewood, Calif. asks the Sharks to invest in her frozen, concentrated gumbo brick, made from her grandmothers secret family recipe. (R) (FREE) Young & Hungry Its Valentines Day, and Gabi and Josh think they are free from impossible expectations, until they both become convinced that the other bought a romantic Valentines gift. Gabi turns to Ms. Wilson after an awkward situation with Josh. (N) (HD) (HGTV) Love It or List It While living overseas, Jeff and Callie bought a house online without ever stepping a foot inside. (R) (HD) 8:30 pm. (6) (CBS) (9) (CBS) Man With a Plan When Adam convinces his stubborn father to finally go to the doctor, he learns a few things his dad didnt want him to know. (N) (HD) (DISN) Good Luck Charlie Teddy convinces Harry Wentz to follow his dream and open Denvers first weather-themed restaurant. When Teddy and Ivy join the staff as waitresses, theyre shocked to discover they are part of the restaurants hourly weather show. (R) (HD) (TBS) American Dad Steve and the gang sabotage a stuck-up kids bar mitzvah after he hits on Steves girlfriend, Debbie. But when Snot is wrongly accused of stealing the kids bar mitzvah money, he must answer to the Rabbi and his own celebration is in jeopardy. (R) (FREE) Baby Daddy Ben suspects that Tucker went on a date with a hooker, so he and Danny set out to prove it. (N) (HD) 9 pm. (6) (CBS) (9) (CBS) Superior Donuts The group decides to take up a collection to pay for Francos medical expenses when hes hurt at work and doesnt have insurance. Also, Tush experiences unusual side effects when he participates in an experimental drug trial. (N) (HD) (50) (CW) (65) (CW) Jane the Virgin Jane feels guilty that she isnt around for Mateo as much as she would like, so she decides to run for Room Mom against none other than perfect mom, Petra. (N) (HD) (66) (ION) Criminal Minds The Replicator returns to target a member of the BAU. Meanwhile, Hotchs estranged brother is caught in the middle of the teams investigation into a string of deaths in Manhattan tied to apparent ecstasy overdose. (R) (HGTV) Love It or List It With two children and a third on the way, life for Breanne and Justin is fun but hectic. Justin is already overwhelmed with the daily struggles of living in a small house, including limited laundry space and bathroom availability. (R) (HD) (HIST) American Pickers: Bonus Buys In the heartland of beer, Frank is surprised to meet an old friend. Plus, the guys secretly prepare a surprise build for Danielle. (N) (HD) (TBS) American Dad When Stan gets kidnapped in Colombia, Francine fears hes gone for good. Stan finally reappears unharmed, but the real trouble erupts in the Smith household when he admits that he has a plan to marry his dentist if Francine dies before him. (R) (5) (FOX) (35) (FOX) APB When Murphy and Ada team up to help solve a murder, they discover that the killers next target is Gideon. After learning his safety is at risk during his companys huge technology convention, they use a scanning system to track down the killer. (N) (HD) (FREE) The Twins: Happily Ever After? Get a glimpse into the cushy lives of Emily and Haley Ferguson, who have not fully embraced adulthood and are enjoying living the easy life at home with their mom. The twins learn they must make a change, mature, and learn to do things on their own. (N) (HD) 10 pm. (4) (NBC) (12) (NBC) Taken Rileys insistence to uncover the truth behind a fatal drug given to war vets results in her assets child being taken. Bryan defies orders to rescue the girl and uncover the truth. (N) (HD) (6) (CBS) (9) (CBS) Scorpion While on a mission to repair a turbine at a wind farm, Team Scorpion must race to save Paige and Happy before the cable holding the gondola they are in snaps and sends them plummeting to the ground. (N) (HD) (A&E) Bates Motel Norman attempts to piece together Mothers movements. In Seattle, Dylan and Emma confront an ugly truth, while Sams girlfriend, Marion, makes a spur-of-the-moment decision with far-reaching consequences. (HD) (AMC) HUMANS Mattie reveals the synths agenda and seeks out Maxs help. Karen makes a life-altering decision, while Mia and Hester break into the Silo. Niska and Astrid prepare to return to Berlin. Joe leaves Laura shell-shocked. (N) (HD) (COMC) Tosh.0 Daniel tells us where he likes to eat lunch, and the guy who got choked out by a girl gets a web redemption. (R) (HD) (FOOD) Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives This trip, Guy Fieris headin south of the border to dig into Cancun cuisine, like an authentic, family-owned spot where grandmas cookin up real-deal rellenos and killer chicharron gorditas. (R) (HD) (HGTV) House Hunters A young buyer is looking for a place he can call his own in one of Chicagos Westside neighborhoods. His company specializes in architecture and design clients, and hes developed a preference for a loft-style condo thats sleek and modern. (N) (HD) (WGN) Underground Rosalee, desperate to discover who took Noah, finds herself pursued by a new threat. (R) (HD) 10:30 pm. (HGTV) House Hunters International Alex and Sunny Hempel are excited to move from Germantown, Wisconsin, to Cologne, Germany, where Alex will represent his United States-based company. (R) (HD) (TBS) Family Guy After a controversial mishap occurs during a live broadcast, the FCC begins to censor all of Peters favorite television shows. (R) 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. March 19, 2017 | 06:44 pm PT The two guns seized Sunday at Tan Son Nhat airport in Ho Chi Minh City. Photo by Xuan Hoa/VnExpress Officers have detained a 42-year-old Vietnamese carrying the guns. Customs officers at Ho Chi Minh City's Tan Son Nhat airport have seized two guns in the luggage of a passenger arriving Sunday from Hong Kong, Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper reported. The guns were hidden among personal belongings of a 42-year-old Vietnamese man, who was detained for further investigation, the newspaper said. Vietnam bans civilian ownership of guns since 2006 and illegal manufacturing, trafficking or trade of weapons is punishable by prison terms ranging from one year to life. Yet local customs officers in recent years have busted various attempts of smuggling guns and bullets from the U.K., the U.S., Turkey and nearby countries like Cambodia, South Korea and Thailand. Related news: > Vietnam customs thwart attempt to smuggle cameras from Hong Kong > Vietnamese flight attendant charged with gold smuggling The H5N6 strain of the virus has now been identified in northern and central Vietnam. Authorities in the central province of Quang Tri have reported a new outbreak of H5N6 bird flu, and are preparing to cull hundreds of chickens. This is the second outbreak of the strain recently reported in the country, following a case in the northern province of Cao Bang. The H5N6 strain, which has been spreading in neighboring China, was confirmed at a livestock farm in Trieu Phong District on March 17 by the Animal Health Department, an agency under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, VietnamPlus reported. Test results found 130 infected chickens, and the flock of 200 is set to be destroyed. The birds had not been vaccinated, the department said. The deadly H5N1 strain of the deadly virus has also been circulating in a number of Vietnamese provinces, including Nam Dinh, Quang Ngai, Dong Nai, Soc Trang and Bac Lieu. The H5N1 strain has killed 65 people in Vietnam since it recurred in 2003, one of the highest fatality rates in the world. It has been been running rampant in China and Cambodia, while H6N5 is also spreading across the latter. Vietnam is already battling H5N1 and H5N6 outbreaks in seven provinces across the country, and more than 30,000 birds have been destroyed so far this year. A place is only considered free of bird flu after no new infections are reported over a period of 21 days. Representatives from the department warned that the risk of outbreaks and the virus spreading is high. The department is urging northern border provinces and other cities to remain vigilant against strains of bird flu that have yet to arrive in Vietnam, including H7N9, H5N2 and H5N8. Related news: > Vietnam halts US poultry imports to prevent bird flu spread - govt > Vietnam slaughters chickens following latest bird flu outbreak > Vietnam raises bird flu alert for fear of human infections Story Highlights 59% of Americans worry a great deal or a fair amount Concern was elevated between 2006 and 2011 Republican worry staying high while other groups are worrying less WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Fifty-nine percent of Americans say they worry "a great deal" or "a fair amount" about illegal immigration. This level of concern is typical of what Gallup has measured over the past 17 years, apart from a window between 2006 and 2011 when roughly two-thirds of Americans expressed worry. Each March, as part of its annual Environment poll, Gallup asks Americans how much they worry about a series of problems facing the U.S. Illegal immigration typically has ranked in the lower half of that list, even when concern about the issue was 70% or greater in 2006 and 2008. Illegal immigration to the U.S. increased significantly between 2000 and 2005, and news media and government leaders paid increasing attention to the issue. In 2007, a bipartisan bill on immigration stalled in the U.S. Senate. After that, concern about illegal immigration receded as the nation turned its attention to economic problems during and after the recession. Also, illegal immigration to the U.S. has in recent years declined to the lowest level in decades. Still, it remains a key political issue and was a major focus of Donald Trump's presidential campaign and his early policy moves as president. The declining recent concern has brought the level of public concern back to where it was before 2006. From 2001 through 2005, an average of 58% of Americans worried a great deal or a fair amount about illegal immigration; since 2012, it has been 59%. Between 2006 and 2011, an average of 68% of Americans were worried about the problem. Republican Concern Stays High, Other Groups Less Concerned Before 2006, Republicans, Democrats and independents expressed similar concern about illegal immigration. Republicans' concern then surged 20 percentage points between 2006 and 2011, compared with a 12-point increase for independents and a four-point uptick for Democrats. Since then, Republicans' worry has remained elevated, while Democrats' and independents' worry has fallen significantly, with fewer Democrats worried now than in the early 2000s. Those changes have resulted in the Republican-Democratic gap growing from a narrow two points at the beginning of the 21st century to an average 31 points in recent years. Like climate change, the issue of illegal immigration has become more politicized in recent years. Each party's leaders and supporters take increasingly distinct positions on how urgent the problem is, as well as what actions are necessary to address it. Republicans tend to prioritize taking government actions to secure the borders over developing a plan to deal with immigrants illegally in the U.S. In a July 2016 Gallup poll, a majority of Republicans favored building a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, and half favored deporting all immigrants living in the U.S. illegally back to their home country, something Democrats overwhelmingly opposed. In that same poll, however, Republicans as well as Democrats favored a path to citizenship for immigrants living in the U.S. illegally. More Hispanics Than Whites, Blacks Worry About Illegal Immigration Over the past six years, an average of 67% of Hispanics have said they worry a great deal or fair amount about illegal immigration. That is higher than worry among non-Hispanic whites (59%) and blacks (57%). There were slightly smaller differences by racial and ethnic group between 2001 and 2005. From 2006 through 2011, all groups showed increases in worry, with the largest increase among whites. In recent years, whites' and blacks' worry has subsided, while Hispanics' worry is unchanged. Hispanics' slightly greater concern about illegal immigration does not appear to be motivated by politics because Hispanics are a Democratic-leaning group politically. Whereas Republicans' heightened concern with illegal immigration appears to focus on limiting it, Hispanics' greater concern may reflect worries about the treatment of immigrants who are illegally in the U.S. Hispanics have shown higher support for policies to aid immigrants living in the U.S. illegally, including President Barack Obama's 2014 executive orders. Gallup has also found much higher levels of reported discrimination among non-U.S.-born Hispanics than among native-born Hispanics. Hispanics may be growing more concerned in reaction to the increased focus on dealing with immigrants in the country illegally, which could affect themselves, their family members or their neighbors. Implications Immigration was a major issue in the 2016 presidential campaign, largely because of Trump's strong positions and strident language on the subject. The issue concerns Republicans more than Democrats and independents, and this lack of consensus causes it to rank behind many other issues when Americans rate their level of worry about it. At the same time, illegal immigration often ranks near the top of the list in open-ended questions about issue importance, such as Gallup's most important problem question, suggesting it is a highly salient issue to a more limited segment of the population. Immigration will continue to receive great attention in the coming years as Trump attempts to address what was one of his signature campaign issues. His predecessors were unable to pass meaningful immigration reform legislation despite their concerted efforts to do so. Trump has focused his policy efforts on limiting immigration more broadly, including by building a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border and restricting access to the U.S. for those traveling from certain Muslim-majority countries. Those policies have proven to be controversial and opposed by a majority of Americans, but supported by most Republicans. Trump's odds of passing immigration legislation may be improved by working with a Republican-majority Congress, assuming his policies can survive legal challenges or possible filibuster attempts by Senate Democrats. Historical data are available in Gallup Analytics. An online video shows him texting, calling and playing games on his phone with a bus full of passengers. Vietnam's bus driver faces hefty fare after being caught playing on phone Vietnamese driver faces punishment after caught playing on cell phone during loaded ride The National Traffic Safety Committee has called for a bus driver to be punished after a video was posted online of him playing with his phone while driving a crowded bus. The committee said it had received complaints about the driver in the northern province of Tuyen Quang, saying he had been texting, calling and playing games on his phone. In a video published online on Monday, his assistant was also seen on the phone. The bus was caring dozens of passengers, the passengers said. The committee has ordered Tuyen Quangs transport department to investigate the driver, and asked his company to discipline him. A new law, effective from the beginning of this year, imposes fines of VND600,000 ($26) to VND800,000 ($35) on car and truck drivers caught using their phones while driving. Before, only motorbike drivers were subject to these fines. The law was put in place after several deadly crashes, including one in October 2014 when a bus driver in the central province of Nghe An killed a family of three on a motorbike. Police found the driver had been talking on his cellphone. Different reports show that nearly 40 percent of Vietnam's population of around 92 million have a smartphone. Eight in 10 Vietnamese are projected to have the device by 2020. Only a few studies on the link between cellphone use and road accidents have been carried out in the country. International studies suggest that drivers using a mobile phone are approximately four times more likely to be involved in a crash than when they do not, according to the World Health Organization. Text messaging, specifically, creates a crash risk 23 times higher than when driving while not distracted, according to Distraction.gov., an official U.S. government website. Traffic deaths remain high in Vietnam, killing an average of one person every hour. Related news: > Give a Vietnamese driver a phone. Tragedies happen > 23 Vietnamese killed in traffic accidents on Lunar New Year's Day Kelley Rathman of Holyoke cheers for passersby March 19, 2017 during the 66th annual St. Patrick's Parade in Holyoke. GAZETTE STAFF/SARAH CROSBY Lee Kirk, administrator for Shriners Hospitals for Children, tips his hat to the crowd March 19, 2017 during the 66th annual St. Patrick's Parade in Holyoke. GAZETTE STAFF/SARAH CROSBY Bill Metzger of Northampton, dressed as St. Patrick, proceeds down the street March 19, 2017 during the 66th annual St. Patrick's Parade in Holyoke. GAZETTE STAFF/SARAH CROSBY Jules Clapp of the Narragansett Warrior Marching Band from Baldwinville, center, proceeds down the street March 19, 2017 during the 66th annual St. Patrick's Parade in Holyoke. GAZETTE STAFF/SARAH CROSBY Mike Flaherty, above, marches with the Aqua String Band of Philadelphia, Sunday, in the 66th annual St. Patricks Parade in Holyoke. Left, the Northampton High School Band marches in the parade. GAZETTE STAFF/SARAH CROSBY PHOTOS Ashley Smith, left, Kailey Tersavich, 10, and John Tersavich, all of Southwick, huddle for warmth March 19, 2017 while watching the 66th annual St. Patrick's Parade in Holyoke. GAZETTE STAFF/SARAH CROSBY Steve Leocopoulos of the Granby Fire Department drives a 1938 fire truck March 19, 2017 in the 66th annual St. Patrick's Parade in Holyoke. The restored truck was Granby's first fire vehicle. Meg Martin of Holyoke, center, holds her niece Lilly Martin, 1, of West Springfield, while watching the 66th annual St. Patrick's Parade March 19, 2017 in Holyoke. GAZETTE STAFF/SARAH CROSBY Sylvia Gallagher of Easthampton, right, waves to the crowd March 19, 2017 while walking in the 66th annual St. Patrick's Parade in Holyoke. GAZETTE STAFF/SARAH CROSBY Luke Petrosky, 16, of South Hadley, marches with Ahearn Funeral Home March 19, 2017 during the 66th annual St. Patrick's Parade in Holyoke. GAZETTE STAFF/SARAH CROSBY Barbara Cahillane, left, and Hampshire County Sheriff Patrick Cahillane march with the Hampshire Sheriffs Office March 19, 2017 in the 66th annual St. Patrick's Parade in Holyoke. GAZETTE STAFF/SARAH CROSBY Visitors to the 66th annual St. Patrick's Parade are entertained by a Vietnamese Lion Dance March 19, 2017 in Holyoke. GAZETTE STAFF/SARAH CROSBY The Northampton High School Band performs March 19, 2017 in the 66th annual St. Patrick's Parade in Holyoke. GAZETTE STAFF/SARAH CROSBY Sunlight shines on a trumpet March 19, 2017 during the 66th annual St. Patrick's Parade in Holyoke. GAZETTE STAFF/SARAH CROSBY West Springfield Colleens Abigail Bourque, left, and Gabrielle Trudeau ride atop the Irish Field of Dreams float Sunday during the 66th annual St. Patricks Parade in Holyoke. GAZETTE STAFF/SARAH CROSBY Jane Morrissey, SSJ, grand marshal of the 66th annual St. Patrick's Parade, readies herself for the march by adding warm layers March 19, 2017 in Holyoke. GAZETTE STAFF/SARAH CROSBY Related stories HOLYOKE Marching bands, police, clowns, firefighters, politicians and pageant queens rolled through downtown Holyoke Sunday for the 66th annual St. Patricks Parade. There were contingents from Philadelphia to Connecticut to Northampton, and plenty of people wearing whatever green they could find watching from the sidelines. The parade is considered one of the largest St. Patricks Day parades in the United States. Holyoke Police Lt. Isaias Cruz reported no problems with Sundays parade, saying everything was perfect. Saturday, however, 10 people were arrested for drunken and disorderly conduct in the hours following the St. Patricks Day Road Race. Most Hampshire County participants waited until the end of the parade to start the route, including Jim Corey, 67, with the South Hadley St. Patricks Parade Committee. The float he and others designed featured life-sized versions of Snoopy and Woodstock, blue wrapping and a tribute to their late friend Leon Zochowski, who died last December at 96 and was a World War II veteran. He was 96 years old and he was still working on the float, Corey said. He was the one that would climb up without batting an eye. One group that didnt have to wait was the Girl Scouts of Western Mass Troop 12960, representing Easthampton and Southampton. Weve done little parades around town but this year they wanted to do a big parade, said leader Heather Brophy as the 10 or so girls waited in the staging area. What I like most about St. Patricks Day is that everyones so happy, said Katie Hinkle, 10. I always wanted to do this since I was a little Daisy. I like it because Im half Irish and I just think I dont know, I think its cool, said Natalia Herrera, 10. I expect it to be noisy and just sort of fun. This was not Jacki Reardons first time in the parade. The South Hadley resident toted a wooden cane like many others gathered in the staging area, denoting three honors shed received over the years: the 2010 Gallivan Award, the president of the 2015 St. Patricks Day Parade and the 2017 South Hadley Parade Marshal. The parade committee is like a family, she said, adding that they often talk about where their ancestors were from in Ireland. She also said the parade wasnt limited to those of Irish heritage. I like to see the diverse groups out, Reardon said. She said she likes the corned beef and cabbage on St. Patricks Day, but doesnt like the cold. Parade participants gathered early Sunday, around 9 a.m., in the staging area by the Kmart on Northampton Street. Those waiting along the side streets streamed in, too, some coming as early as the parade participants. Kelly Holt, 48, of Springfield, said she and her family left the house at 9 a.m. to set up their spot in front of the McDonalds at the start of the parade route. We got a late start today, she said, holding a green aluminum Bud Light bottle at about 11:30. For Holt and her friends, coming to the parade is a tradition. They ate reubens, shamrock cookies, and grilled hot dogs and brats. This is our 15th year, she said, adding that about 20 people showed. Usually we have more, but its cold. People are chickening out. Jennifer Bartosz, 43, of Granby was holding a sign promoting the Leprechaun Plunge at Brunelles Marina, which last week raised money for the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Its a good time, she said, saying they showed up at 7:30 to tailgate. Its a lot of fun. She was followed by a massive truck hauling a load of revelers with speakers blasting. Mac Mailhott, a 35-year veteran of the South Hadley Police Department, wore a sash that said last parade. He was retiring in nine days. Some of these people that are here I remember when they were kids, he said. I love it. Jack Suntrup can be reached at jsuntrup@gazettenet.com. Twenty years ago, the agency known as All Because of Children began doing its first medical examinations on children who were suspected of having been abused. Guests are invited to celebrate the ABC House's two decades of service at a Celebrate Hope fundraiser dinner, April 6 at the Linn Fair & Expo Center. Reservations are due by Friday. Since its founding, the nonprofit child abuse intervention center has provided child abuse assessment and support services to more than 8,500 children, birth to age 18, in Linn and Benton counties. But it could do more, said Jenny Gilmore-Robinson, executive director and as it moves into its third decade of service, it's getting ready to do exactly that. The ABC House is planning to move from its current location at 1054 29th Ave. S.W., Albany, to a location in downtown Albany behind the Linn County Courthouse. The move, which likely won't take place for at least another year, will more than double the program's current 4,500 square feet and allow it to perform more assessments and counseling, Gilmore-Robinson said. Currently, the center can work with just one child at a time for an assessment and one family for counseling: two appointments total at any one given time. That's because each of the appointments needs a private space and time to let the procedure unfold. Lots and lots of time. ABC staff members have to build rapport with their small subjects, help them feel comfortable and take the time to really understand whats happening in the childs world. Add in paperwork and connections with other agencies and each appointment can take hours. It has to go slow," Gilmore-Robinson said. More room means more private spaces, which means the center should be able to see up to two assessments and three counseling appointments at any given time. That means fewer families will have to wait to be seen, Gilmore-Robinson said. Every case is important and needs attention, but some need response more quickly than others, she said. For instance, if a child is in a safe space currently and talking about a past incident, that case might be able to wait while the center works with a child with a more immediate abuse situation. How do we tell a family that another case has come in and we need to push their case out?" Gilmore-Robinson said. And yet there are some cases we have to push to the front of the line. The ABC House was born from an Oregon law passed in 1991 that required the creation of multidisciplinary teams to assess child abuse investigation procedures throughout the state. Up until then, abuse investigations tended to be handled individually by whichever agency was on scene when it came up: law enforcement, child welfare, doctors, the juvenile department. In 1993, lawmakers funded the team mandate by creating the Child Abuse Multidisciplinary Intervention account, which put a small percent of the fines collected for traffic and criminal offenses toward the multidisciplinary teams. CAMI funds, which don't come from the state's general fund, still make up about 25 to 30 percent of the ABC House budget. Linn and Benton counties decided together to use that money to create a child abuse intervention center for their team. ABC House filed for incorporation in 1995 and began operating out of an office at Samaritan Lebanon Community Hospital in May 1997. At the time, the center offered only medical exams and only one day a week, Gilmore-Robinson said. But by 1999, the county was able to use a Community Development Block Grant from the Oregon Economic Development Department to purchase the building on 19th Avenue for full-time use. Five years later, the county gave the building to the ABC House. Today, the ABC House provides forensic medical exams, forensic interviews, trauma counseling, family support and advocacy, and community abuse prevention education programs. "(People say) 'I wish to God you didnt need to exist, but were really glad youre here,'" Gilmore-Robinson said. The luncheon and social hour begins at 11 a.m. and the speakers will begin at noon. The speakers will be Bill Currier, the Oregon Republican Party chairman, and Chris Barreto, vice-chairman. They will share information about the challenges of being a minority party in Oregon and how to elect Republicans to state offices in 2018. The speakers will be there to answer questions and visit one-on-one. The public is invited. Hanoi to run more digital contents on CNN for global audience Hanoi is expected to receive 4.3 million foreign arrivals this year. Photo by VnExpress/Quynh Trang Vietnams capital wants to reach the American television networks sought-after international audience. The authority in Hanoi has planned to work with CNN on more features and documentaries to promote the city's image to a wider international audience, after two commercials have been aired by the American television network, a Vietnamese tourism official said. We are targeting travelers who are interested in cultural experiences, including those from North America, Western Europe, Northern Europe and ASEAN, said Do Dinh Hong, director of Hanois tourism department. ASEAN stands for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. CNN has started airing the two commercials featuring some of the best wonders of Hanoi as part of a $2 million tourism promotion deal for the 2017-2018 period. Following the first two commercials, the advertising solution includes a variety of on-air contents featuring stories about Hanoi, lasting seconds to minutes. At the same time, Hanoi will work with the American television network to produce online digital series that show the citys unique value to the global audience. The advertising series will capture the citys most popular icons such as Hoan Kiem Lake, Saint Joseph's Cathedral, and the Temple of Literature, as well as other top tourism destinations near Hanoi including Bat Trang pottery village outside the city and the world-renowned Ha Long Bay, 160 km (100 miles) east of Hanoi. With the new marketing drive, the capital city is expected to increase international tourist arrivals by 10 percent to 4.3 million this year, with revenues rising 8 percent to VND60 trillion ($2.6 billion). International tourist arrivals in Vietnam hit a record high of 10.01 million last year, based on the national tourism authority's data, up from nearly 8 million in 2015. Vietnam is projecting a 15-percent increase in international tourists this year to 11.5 million. Tourism was one of the few bright spots in a economy that missed the 6.7 percent growth target last year. Related news: > Hanoi spends $2 million on CNN ads to promote tourism, investment >Chinese tourists remain key driver of Vietnam's tourism boom Independent Bonn International School : Red Nose Day Red Nose Day at the IBIS school. Bonn Helping through comedy: IBIS pupils will be donning red noses again this year to raise funds for charities around the world. Teilen Teilen Weiterleiten Weiterleiten Tweeten Tweeten Weiterleiten Weiterleiten Drucken Von Kate Carey If you are anywhere near the Independent Bonn International School (IBIS) in Heiderhof on Friday 24 March, you are likely to spot lots of people wearing very large red noses. The school is taking part in Red Nose Day for the second time and is hoping to raise even more money for good causes around the world than it did two years ago. Red Nose Day was launched in the UK in 1988 as a huge nationwide fundraising event. Over the intervening years, it has become something of an institution, with people across the country coming together every two years to do something funny for money either at home, in school or at work. The money raised is then distributed to charities. The concept has also spread to other countries, including Germany. At IBIS, a special Red Nose Committee has been busy co-ordinating events. Students will be able to buy red noses all this week and on Friday there will be Red Nose Alerts to check everyone is wearing their nose. Other events being organised include a Red Nose Day bake-off event, a parents musical sweepstake, food sales, craft afternoons, a quiz and childrens cinema. United Nations : The UN in Bonn is growing again Bonn Federal Development Minister Gerd Muller says UNIDO will open an office here in May and hails Bonn as a little New York. Teilen Teilen Weiterleiten Weiterleiten Tweeten Tweeten Weiterleiten Weiterleiten Drucken The United Nations in Bonn continues to grow. The Federal Minister for Development, Gerd Muller, said in an interview with the General Anzeiger that the UN Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) wants to open an investment and technology promotion office in the city on 3 May. The office will initially have five employees. Talking about the future of the UN city, Minister Muller had the following to say: Bonn has developed extremely well. The international guests experiencing Bonn are as enthusiastic as we are. We want to build on that. Bonn is already almost a little New York with the city, the congress centre and the UN campus. And Im pleased that we could expand the location for development organisations. With 569 employees, the Ministry is focused here and in the chancellors office has a great official residence steeped in history. 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. Leasing to let: Hanoians cash in on tourism boom Renting private rooms to foreign travelers can be pretty good business in Hanoi. Shrewd Hanoians are raking in the cash by leasing out apartments to rent to foreign visitors. Chinh, a local resident from a district in the southwest of Hanoi, is leasing three private apartments that earn him a net profit of around $15,000 per year. Having invested around VND900 million (nearly $40,000) for the year on the properties, Chinh, who only gave his first name, is making from $878 - $1,300 profit per apartment each month. Chinh's return is way above Vietnam's average $2,200 per capita income recorded in 2016, thanks to the increasing number of foreign tourists visiting the country and its capital. One of the most important features is a central location, Chinh said. To cater for foreign travelers, you need to provide privacy, wifi, an iron, a hair dryer, a washing machine and a well-equipped kitchen. With two commercials being broadcast on CNN at the moment, Hanoi is also planning features and documentaries to promote the city to a wider international audience. International tourist arrivals are expected to rise by 10 percent to 4.3 million this year. This is a golden opportunity for forward-thinking Hanoians. Targeting budget-conscious tourists who choose homestays over conventional hotels for a stay of three to six days, Truong, a host in a central district, has leased four apartments that are full most of the time, and has started making a profit. However, things sometimes go off track when property owners see other business opportunities and break their lease contracts, said Truong. There was one time when I'd just recouped my investment in the apartment, he said. It was a painful lesson. Related news: > Startup dreams bring real money to Vietnams office market > Regional investors flock to Vietnam's property market HMD Global gets patent rights for the design of Nokia 6 News oi -Samden Sherpa HMD Global is now the registered owner of a design patent that resembles the Nokia 6. HMD Global which basically owns the global brand license to design and produce Nokia handsets has filed a patent for the design of a phone that is very similar to the Nokia 6. With this move, HMD might be just strengthening its position as the strongest patent holder in the smartphone world for Nokia smartphones. Moreover, it looks like the company is carrying out all the legal responsibilities to secure the design of all Nokia branded smartphones. Nokia 6 clears durability test; probably one of the solid phones of 2017 On the other hand, HMD will have to make payments to the Finnish company that constitutes of royalties for using the Nokia name, and for intellectual property rights. In any case, coming back to the patent, according to a report from Nokiamob, the document was filed on November 18th last year and now the patent seems to have been approved just a few days back by EUIPO (the European Union Intellectual Property Office). Further, the patent filing also reveals details about the registration date, expiry date, the designers and some other basic information about the company. Nokia signs SDN deal with Vodafone Interestingly, the patent images of the Nokia device reveal that it strongly resembles the Nokia 6 smartphone that was launched recently in China. Best Mobiles in India Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+ color variants and pricing leaked ahead of the launch News oi -Samden Sherpa Evan Blass, aka @evleaks, the worlds most recognizable tipster has provided the new information on Samsung's upcoming flagships. With the number of leaks and rumors about the upcoming flagships from Samsung, we now somewhat have a clear idea of the Galaxy S8's new design, enlarged displays, hardware upgrades, camera and we even know the release date. However, with the unveiling happening just 9 days from now, the surprise element further may not be there for the Samsung fans. While this has mostly been the case for this product, Evan Blass, aka the world's most reliable tipster has yet again provided some new information about the upcoming handsets from Samsung. Samsung Exynos 8895 is better than Snapdragon 835: Galaxy S8 benchmark result To be exact, details regarding the company's upcoming flagship smartphones as well as their European price tags have been leaked. S8 - 799 S8+ - 899 DeX - 150 GearVR - 129 Gear360 - 229 https://t.co/vVm6DRMkX5 Evan Blass (@evleaks) March 19, 2017 The tipster in his twitter handle has posted an image of the Galaxy S8 and the Galaxy S8 Plus and we can see these smartphones in three color variants, Black Sky, Orchid Grey, and Arctic Silver. So this could mean that Samsung is going for new color variants for the smartphones. In addition, Evan has also leaked the pricing of these smartphones along with the price tags of other Samsung products. All you need to know about Samsung Galaxy S8 smartphone As per Evan's tweet, the Galaxy S8 and the S8 Plus would be priced at 799 (approx Rs. 56,255) and 899 (approx Rs. 63,295). Samsung's DeX station, GearVR, and the Gear 360 could carry price tags of 150 (10,561), 129 (approx Rs. 9,082), and 229 (approx Rs. 16,123), respectively. Do note that this is just leaked information and that it may not hold true. We do have to wait for the official launch that will happen next week. Best Mobiles in India Idea, Vodafone India announce merger, to combat Reliance Jio News oi -Priyanka The combined entity of Aditya Birla group's Idea Cellular and Vodafone India will have the widest network in the country and pan-India 3G/4G footprint With the aim to create India's largest telecom operator, Vodafone and Idea Cellular announced that they have reached an agreement to combine their operations in India (excluding Vodafone's 42% stake in Indus Towers). Aditya Birla Group Chairman, Kumar Mangalam Birla, said, "Throughout its history, the Aditya Birla Group has been synonymous with the task of nation building and driving inclusive growth in the country. This landmark combination will enable the Aditya Birla Group to create a high-quality digital infrastructure that will transition the Indian population towards a digital lifestyle and make the Government's Digital India vision a reality. For Idea shareholders and lenders who have supported us thus far, this transaction is highly accretive, and Idea and Vodafone will together create a very valuable company given our complementary strengths." Vodafone Group Plc Chief Executive, Vittorio Colao said: "The combination of Vodafone India and Idea will create a new champion of Digital India founded with a long-term commitment and vision to bring world-class 4G networks to villages, towns and cities across India. The combined company will have the scale required to ensure sustainable consumer choice in a competitive market and to expand new technologies - such as mobile money services - that have the potential to transform daily life for every Indian. We look forward to working with the Aditya Birla Group to create value for all stakeholders. Vodafone India signs deal with Amazon Prime The combined company would become the leading communications provider in India with almost 400 million customers, 35 percent customer market share and 41 percent revenue market share. Post the amalgamation, Vodafone will hold 45 percent in the combined entity while Idea promoters will hold 26 percent share. The rest will be held by the public. The combined entity of Aditya Birla group's Idea Cellular and Vodafone India will have the widest network in the country and pan-India 3G/4G footprint, the companies said in a statement. "The combination of Vodafone India and Idea will create a new champion of Digital India founded with a long-term commitment and vision to bring world-class 4G networks to villages, towns, and cities across India. The combined company will have the scale required to ensure sustainable consumer choice in a competitive market and to expand new technologies - such as mobile money services - that have the potential to transform daily life for every Indian. We look forward to working with the Aditya Birla Group to create value for all stakeholders." Rajan S Mathews, Director General, COAI says, that "this amalgamation will create the country's biggest telecom services provider with a customer base of over 394 million, " adding that we have seen some significant consolidations in the past and this announcement is a welcome and positive step in the direction of TSP coming together and creating resilient networks with a large asset base for an enhanced consumer experience. Prashant Singhal, Global Telecom Leader EY said "Market consolidation is positive for the telecoms sector and the consumer. As operators grapple with excessive competition and pressurised margins, consolidation will help bring synergies and unlock greater cost efficiencies. The consumers will also benefit as the telco strategy will now pivot on innovation to offer value in terms of quality of service and content. Now that the sector is inching towards its ideal state, it is imperative for the Government to expedite approvals for the industry to realise the benefits." "Since 2008, increased hyper-competition has been impacting revenue streams across all new and old operators. There has been a continuous increase in expenditure due to high costs of Spectrum acquisition and a severe financial burden on the industry caused by extremely high and multiple levies and taxes. Operators have also had to re-acquire Spectrum in order to continue operations." he said. "There is currently a tariff war in the market which may not be sustainable for long. This has also severely impacted the revenue stream of operators, not just in terms of an increase in cost but also in terms of a marked decline in the revenue stream. All these have put the financial condition of this industry at risk and increased the debt to Rs 4.3 Lakh crore, also leading to a severe decline in government revenues from the industry," he added. Here are the highlights of the deal are 1) Vodafone to combine its subsidiary Vodafone India (excluding its 42% stake in Indus Towers) with Idea, which is listed on the Indian Stock Exchanges. 2) The highly complementary combination will create India's largest telecom operator1 with the country's widest mobile network and a strong commitment to deliver the Indian government's 'Digital India' vision. 3) Sustained investment by the combined entity will accelerate the pan-India expansion of wireless broadband services using 4G/4G+/5G technologies, support the introduction of digital content and 'Internet of Things'(IoT) services as well as expand financial inclusion through mobile money services for the benefit of Indian consumers, businesses, and society as a whole. 4) The merger of equals with joint control of the combined company between Vodafone and the Aditya Birla Group, governed by a shareholders'' agreement. 5) The merger ratio is consistent with recommendations from the joint independent valuers. The implied enterprise value is Rs 828 billion ($ 12.4 billion) for Vodafone India and Rs 722 billion ($ 10.8 billion) for Idea excluding its stake in Indus Towers. 6) Substantial cost and capex synergies with an estimated net present value of approximately Rs 670 billion ($ 10.0 billion) after integration costs and spectrum liberalization payments, with estimated run-rate savings of Rs 140 billion ($ 2.1 billion) on an annual basis by the fourth full year post completion. 7) Vodafone will own 45.1 percent of the combined company after transferring a stake of 4.9 percent to the Aditya Birla Group for circa Rs 39 billion (circa $579 million) in cash concurrent with the completion of the merger. The Aditya Birla Group will then own 26.0 percent and has the right to acquire more shares from Vodafone under an agreed mechanism with a view to equalizing the shareholdings over time. Vodafone India signs deal with Amazon Prime 8) If Vodafone and the Aditya Birla Group's shareholding in the combined company are not equal after four years, Vodafone will sell down shares in the combined company to equalize its shareholding to that of the Aditya Birla Group over the following five-year period. 9) Until equalization is achieved, the voting rights of the additional shares held by the Vodafone will be restricted and votes will be exercised jointly under the terms of the shareholders' agreement. 10) Vodafone India will be deconsolidated by Vodafone on the announcement and reported as a joint venture post-closing, reducing Vodafone Group net debt by approximately Rs. 552 billion ($8.2 billion). The transaction is expected to be accretive to Vodafone's cash flow from the first full year post-completion. 11) The transaction is expected to close during the calendar year 2018, subject to customary approvals. Best Mobiles in India Vietnamese are not as happy as you may think, new global report suggests Vietnam ranks way below Thailand and Malaysia in the latest UN's World Happiness Report. Vietnamese are not as happy as you may think, new global report suggests How happy Vietnamese people think they are A new global report measuring contentment based on prosperity, integrity and social support found Vietnamese among the less happy people in the world. The country ranks 94 out of 155 countries and territories, up two spots from the previous year right after Somalia, according to the World Happiness Report 2017. The report was prepared by the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN), a global initiative launched by the United Nations in 2012. Singaporeans were named the happiest in Southeast Asia, at number 26. Vietnam also came behind Thailand (32), Malaysia (42), Philippines (72), Indonesia (81). The new results could be a surprise to many people as Vietnam has often been described as a happy and optimistic nation. The Happy Planet Index compiled by the U.K.-based think tank New Economics Foundation named Vietnam the fifth happiest place in the world last year. It should be noted that the World Happiness Report, released on the International Happiness Day on Monday, uses six factors per capita gross domestic product, healthy life expectancy, freedom to make life choices, generosity, social support and absence of corruption in government or business. Happy countries are the ones that have a healthy balance of prosperity, as conventionally measured, and social capital, meaning a high degree of trust in a society, low inequality and confidence in government, Jeffrey Sachs, the director of the SDSN and a special adviser to the United Nations Secretary-General, said in an interview with Reuters. The aim of the report, he said, is to provide another tool for governments, business and civil society to help their countries find a better way to wellbeing. The Nordic nations are the most content. Norway, Denmark, Iceland, Switzerland, Finland, the Netherlands, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, Sweden rounded out the top 10 countries. South Sudan, Liberia, Guinea, Togo, Rwanda, Tanzania, Burundi, the Central African Republic were at the bottom, along with the conflict-torn Syria and Yemen. The United States dropped one spot to 14. Sachs from SDSN said the U.S. is falling in the ranking due to inequality, distrust and corruption. He said economic measures that the Trump administration is pursuing will make things worse. Related news: > Vietnam's major cities rank low in quality of life calculation > Vietnam's optimism 'a delight' for visitors Overall, dont let the bhoot mislead you, nothing bhootiya about this story. Had the makers tried to push the envelope, the idea could have been outstanding for a bhootiya comedy. Key US Officials to Testify about Trump's Wiretap Claim By Ken Bredemeier March 19, 2017 Two key U.S. officials are set to testify publicly about whether there is any truth behind the explosive, but unsubstantiated, claim by U.S. President Donald Trump that former President Barack Obama wiretapped his Trump Tower headquarters in the weeks before last year's presidential election. Both FBI Director James Comey, and National Security Agency chief Admiral Michael Rogers likely would have known about the eavesdropping if it occurred. They are to appear Monday before the House of Representatives Intelligence Committee. For two weeks, Trump has refused to back down on his allegation, even as a string of officials, including House Speaker Paul Ryan and the top Republican and Democratic lawmakers on both the Senate and House Intelligence Committees, have said there is no evidence to support Trump's March 4 wiretapping claims he made in a series of Twitter comments. On Sunday, Republican Congressman Devin Nunes, the chairman of the House panel, told Fox News that new information lawmakers received Friday from the Justice Department about the possibility of a wiretap has not changed his conclusion. "Was there a physical wiretap of Trump Tower? No, but there never was, and the information we got on Friday continues to lead us in that direction." Nunes said. Neither Rogers nor Comey has spoken publicly about the president's allegation. But Comey, as the FBI chief, sought to get the Justice Department, which oversees the FBI, to disavow Trump's claim shortly after the president made it, but the agency has not released any statement. Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who oversees the Justice Department and was a staunch Trump supporter during the presidential campaign, said last week he never gave the president any reason to believe he was wiretapped in the weeks before the November election. Trump's White House spokesman, Sean Spicer, last week suggested that the wiretapping was carried out by British agents, citing a statement on Fox News by a legal analyst, Andrew Napolitano. The British electronic intelligence agency, the GCHQ, said the report was "utterly ridiculous and should be ignored," but when asked about it Friday at a White House news conference, Trump deflected any blame for linking the British to his wiretapping allegation. "All we did was quote a certain very talented legal mind who was the one responsible for saying that on television,'' Trump said of the claim that Obama had enlisted the British to eavesdrop on him. ``You shouldn't be talking to me, you should be talking to Fox." A short time later, a Fox News anchor said, "Fox News cannot confirm Judge Napolitano's commentary. Fox News knows of no evidence of any kind, that the now president of the United States was surveilled at any time, in any way." Last week, the leaders of of the Senate Intelligence Committee, Republican Richard Burr and Democrat Mark Warner, said in a joint statement, "Based on the information available to us, we see no indications that Trump Tower was the subject of surveillance by any element of the United States government, either before or after Election Day 2016." The wiretapping allegation is part of a broader U.S. investigation by the FBI and lawmakers into the conclusion by the country's intelligence community that Russia meddled in the election in an effort to help Trump defeat his Democratic challenger, former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. U.S. investigators say Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the hacking into the computers at the Democratic National Committee. The anti-secrecy group WikiLeaks subsequently released thousands of emails from the files of Clinton campaign chief John Podesta in the month before the election, showing embarrassing, behind-the-scenes efforts of Democratic operatives to help Clinton win the party's presidential nomination. But the Trump administration has rebuffed any contention that its campaign aides colluded with Russian officials in that cyberattack. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Marines conduct Lightning Sword US Marine Corps News By Cpl. Kimberlyn Adams | March 18, 2017 Marine Air Control Group 38 conducted Exercise Lightning Sword, a Marine Air Command and Control System integrated training exercise, at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, California, MCAS Camp Pendleton, California, and MCAS Yuma, Arizona, March 6 to 17. Lightning Sword provided MACG-38 an opportunity to exercise a fully capable MACCS in a constructed marine expeditionary force level scenario. "We use common scenarios we see in a battle space or a major combat situation as the baseline for training with the MACCS," said Maj. Marcus Hinckley, wing air command control officer for 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing. "We practice the scenarios to make sure we can get the information through our system at a rapid pace." This system consists of various air command and control units designed to provide the Marine Air-Ground Task Force's aviation combat element commander with the ability to monitor, supervise and influence the application of Marine aviation functions. A MAGTF is a scalable air-ground, combined arms task organization of Marine Corps forces under a single commander structured to accomplish a specific mission. The four core elements of a MAGTF are the command element, ground combat element, logistics combat element and ACE. "We had five of our subordinate units participating in this exercise," said Maj. Michal Carlson, detachment officer in charge and assistant operations officer with MACG-38. "We had Marine Wing Communication Squadron 38, Marine Air Command Squadron 1, Marine Tactical Air Command Squadron 38, Marine Air Support Squadron 3 and 3rd Low Altitude Air Defense Battalion." According to Carlson, the MACCS is vital to the Marine Corps and its mission. "We are the 'hyphen' in the MAGTF; we are the connection between the air and ground," said Carlson. "Air command and control is important to the success of every mission. Without the controllers, pilots don't know where they are going or where to pick someone up. In a combat situation, pilots wouldn't know where to drop live rounds." According to Col. Chris Richie, the commanding officer of MACG-38, this exercise is just the beginning of a new era of how the Marine Corps achieve aviation combat readiness. "The more you sweat in peace, the less you bleed in war," quoted Richie. "We have over 300 hundred Marines sweating, big time; they have been working hard doing things that have never been done before. These Marines have instituted a new era on how we are going to have on-demand training at the small squadron level all the way up to the MEF level in the future." Certain upgrades were required to enable this training at the unit's facilities, and this exercise highlighted ways to make those upgrades, added Hinckley. "This the first time we used the Aviation Distributed Virtual Training Environment network," said Hinckley. "The MACCS used this network to tie everyone together during this exercise. The goal is to tie into the virtual simulators that the pilots use to give the controllers more experience." A pilot can go into a flight simulator at any point and train, but air command and control Marines do not have the same level opportunities regularly. "What we are trying to do with this exercise is make a case for a permanent install of the MACCS simulators at the bases around the wing," said Carlson. "We are trying to make it more efficient for the controllers to get their qualifications so we can be our best for the wing." The command control functions required for the integration of the MAGTF would not be possible without the MACCS, said Hinckley. "You can get rid of one platform, and we would still be an ACE. But the moment you take away the MACCS, we stop being an ACE," continued Hinckley. According to Carlson, conducting this training across 3rd MAW is an important learning tool for the unit. "We are doing this training scenario in our own backyard, but tying the three bases together has never been done," said Richie. "They figured out how to make it happen, and I couldn't be more proud of them." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Officials Provide Details of Latest Counter-ISIS Strikes in Syria, Iraq From a Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve News Release SOUTHWEST ASIA, March 19, 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 Coalition military forces conducted 17 strikes consisting of 18 engagements in Syria: -- Near Al Shadaddi, a strike engaged an ISIS tactical unit and destroyed three tactical vehicles. -- Near Ar Raqqah, 11 strikes engaged three ISIS tactical units; destroyed five fighting positions, two ISIS headquarters; and damaged three bridges and two supply routes. -- Near Dayr Az Zawr, three strikes engaged an ISIS tactical unit; and destroyed four wellheads and a fighting position. -- Near Palmyra, two strikes destroyed three ISIS-held buildings and two well heads. Strikes in Iraq Coalition military forces conducted six strikes consisting of 38 engagements in Iraq, coordinated with and in support of Iraq's government: -- Near Haditha, a strike suppressed an ISIS tactical unit. -- Near Mosul, five strikes engaged four ISIS tactical units; destroyed 14 fighting positions, four vehicles, two rocket-propelled grenade systems, a medium machine gun, and an artillery system; damaged 14 supply routes; and suppressed five mortar teams and three ISIS tactical units. 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 Three US soldiers wounded in Afghanistan 'insider attack' Iran Press TV0 Sun Mar 19, 2017 6:5PM An Afghan soldier has opened fire on a group of US troops at a military camp in the southern province of Helmand, wounding at least three of them, officials say. A spokesman for US forces in Afghanistan confirmed that the attack took place at Camp Antonik in Washer district on Sunday evening. "Three US soldiers were wounded this afternoon when an Afghan soldier opened fire on them at a base in Helmand province. Coalition security forces on the base killed the soldier to end the attack," media outlets quoted the spokesman as saying. "The US soldiers are receiving medical treatment at this time and we will release more information when available." Omar Zwak, the provincial governor's spokesman, said an Afghan soldier was also killed in the shootout. The assault, which highlights long-simmering tensions between Afghan and foreign forces, is the first "insider attack" on US-led forces this year. The so-called insider attacks, when Afghan soldiers and police turn their guns on their colleagues or on US-led troops, have created mistrust between local forces and their US-led partners during the more than 15 years of war. In May last year, gunmen wearing Afghan military uniforms shot dead two Romanian troops in neighboring Kandahar province. According to Western officials, most such assaults stem from personal grudges and cultural misunderstandings rather than militant plots. Currently 8,400 US troops are stationed in different bases in Afghanistan. US General Joseph Votel, who is in charge of military operations in the Middle East, has asked for even more troops to be deployed to Afghanistan. The Pentagon has said it would deploy some 300 US Marines to Helmand this spring to assist a NATO-led mission to train Afghan forces. The American forces had engaged in heated combat across the poppy-growing province until they pulled out in 2014. US drone attacks kill 12 in eastern Afghanistan In a separate development, Afghan officials confirmed on Sunday that at least a dozen militants including two of their commanders were killed in separate CIA-operated drone attacks on Saturday. Mohammad Rahman Ayaz, a spokesman for the provincial governor in the eastern province of Paktika, said the two militant commanders were targeted by a drone while they were traveling in a vehicle in Barmal district on Saturday. At least 10 other militants were killed in separate airstrikes in Paktika. Zelmai Wesaa, the provincial governor for Paktika, said the attack took place in Dand-e Patan district near the Pakistani border. The CIA spy agency has used hundreds of unmanned aircraft to conduct surveillance flights and airstrikes since Washington and its allies invaded Afghanistan in 2001. The CIA regularly uses drones for airstrikes and spying missions in Afghanistan as well as Pakistan's northwestern tribal belt near the Afghan border. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Germany rejects Trumps claims on NATO contribution Iran Press TV0 Sun Mar 19, 2017 3:16PM Germany has dismissed remarks by US president Donald Trump on the need for Berlin to increase its contribution to the NATO military bloc. Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen said on Sunday that Trump was wrong to assume that Germany and other NATO members have to spend the entire two-percent of their economic output on issues related to the bloc, saying the money should also cover other military endeavors. "Defense spending also goes into UN peacekeeping missions, into our European missions and into our contribution to the fight against IS (Daesh) terrorism," said von der Leyen in a statement, rejecting claims by Trump that Germany owes NATO and the United States "vast sums" of money. "There is no debt account at NATO," said the top German military official, adding that it is necessary for NATO members to have a "modern security concept" which included investment in other missions. The statement came a day after Trump took to his Twitter account and urged Germany to accelerate efforts to meet NATO's target, which is, as agreed in 2014, for all NATO members to spend two percent of their economic output on defense by 2024. Trump said, one day after meeting German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Washington, that Germany "owes vast sums of money to NATO & the United States must be paid more for the powerful, and very expensive, defense it provides to Germany!" During Merkel's visit to the US, the second by a European leader since Trump took office in January, the two sides showed little in common on major issues, including on NATO. Merkel said, however, that her country would remain committed to the target. Germany is to increase defense spending in 2018 by 1.4 billion euros to reach 38.5 billion euros. That would mean a 3.9-rise but the sum would still be 1.26 percent of its economic output and shy of NATO benchmark. Spending a full two-percent of Germany's GDP would put Berlin's defense budget on a par with Russia's at around 65 billion euros (USD 70 billion). NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Bangladesh court upholds death sentence for top extremist leader Iran Press TV0 Sun Mar 19, 2017 2:36PM Bangladesh's highest court has dismissed an appeal seeking the scrapping of a death sentence for the former head of a banned extremist group and two of his associates for a grenade attack on the UK's former envoy to the country. The Supreme Court on Sunday upheld a 2008 order to execute Mufti Abdul Hannan, the head of the Harkat-ul Jihad group and two of his accomplices. The trio was sentenced to death for masterminding the May 21, 2004 grenade attack that killed three and injured 50 others, including then British high commissioner to Dhaka Anwar Choudhury. Attorney General Mahbubey Alam has confirmed that a panel of three judges headed by Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha rejected the petition that sought a review of the death sentences. Alam noted that the appeal dismissal leaves the trio no further legal avenues to escape the gallows. "Now there is no legal bar to hang them, unless they seek clemency from the president and the president pardons them," media outlets quoted Alam as saying. In early March, Hannan supporters had attempted to free their influential leader by hurling bombs at police vans transporting the extremist leader. The group, formed in 1992 by Bangladeshis returning from fighting Soviet forces in Afghanistan, has been blamed for many other attacks across the South Asian country. The militant group was blamed for a bomb blast in 2004 at a rally by then opposition leader Sheikh Hasina, who later became prime minister. That attack killed nearly two dozen people and wounded more than 150. Hannan was also sentenced to death for another bomb attack that killed at least 10 people during a Bengali New Year's celebration in 2001. Bangladesh has suffered a wave of attacks in recent years. Militants have targeted atheist bloggers, writers, publishers and members of religious minorities. In a deadly siege in July 2016, a band of militants killed more than 20 hostages, including 17 foreigners, in a cafe in the capital, Dhaka. Although many of the terrorist attacks conducted by local extremist groups in Bangladesh in the past year have been claimed by the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group and al-Qaeda, the government of Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina says local radical outfits, particularly the Jamayetul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), have also been responsible. Authorities reject the notion that global terrorist groups maintain a foothold in the Muslim-majority country of over 160 million people. Since the bloody July attack in Dhaka, Bangladeshi security forces have stepped up a hunt for militants behind the spate of recent attacks across the country. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Tillerson, Xi pledge closer cooperation over disputes, at least in public Iran Press TV Sun Mar 19, 2017 2:28PM US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Chinese President Xi Jinping have pledged to bolster ties between the two countries, sidestepping areas of disagreement with a public display of cooperation. During their first meeting on Saturday in Beijing, Tillerson and Xi made no mention of other contentious issues, at least in front of reporters, including the disputes over bilateral trade, North Korea, Taiwan and the South China Sea. Relations have also been strained by China's strong opposition to the THAAD US missile system being installed in South Korea. "We know that through further dialogue we will achieve a greater understanding that will lead to a strengthened, strengthening of the ties between China and the United States and set the tone for our future relationship of cooperation," Tillerson said. Tillerson said Trump looks forward to enhancing understanding with China and the opportunity for a visit in the future. At least in public, Tillerson adopted a far different tone than that of his boss, US President Donald Trump, instead saying that the United States looked forward to stronger ties with China. But behind the scenes, diplomats and analysts said there was little doubt that Tillerson had pressed China to enforce sanctions against North Korea. The Sino-US relations have been strained ever since Trump was elected President in November. The ties worsened even further after a phone call between Trump and the Taiwanese president in December, raising concerns that the new US administration may not honor the one-China policy. Washington is also accused of meddling in regional issues, especially the South China Sea, where China and several of its neighbors are locked in a maritime dispute. Before Tillerson arrived in Beijing on Saturday, he visited US allies Japan and South Korea where he declared US military action against North Korea was possible. On Friday, Trump said North Korea was "behaving very badly" and accused China of doing little to resolve the crisis over the North's nuclear weapons program. However, Tillerson and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi struck a more conciliatory tone in their meeting, with Tillerson saying Washington and Beijing would work together to get nuclear-armed North Korea take "a different course." The US wants China, the North's neighbor and main trading partner, to use its influence to rein in the weapons programs. But Chinese officials favor careful diplomacy over heated rhetoric and repeatedly say they do not have the influence over North Korea that Washington and others believe. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address March 20, 2017 | 12:00 am PT Mutant Lounge returns to it's spiritual home Rec Room for another instalment of original and exciting electronic music. Enjoy live performances by: vcOperator Running micro drum machines and a hefty selection of handmade samples, Shawn Standiford builds a hectic future vintage flea market of electro, dub and melodic artifacts. Minh Nguyen Minh is a founding member of Ha Noi's Thisshard, a collective of talented young Hanoians working together to produce improvised beats and rhythms. Performing solo, Nguyen will bring his signature sub bass thump, intricate grooves and thick synths all tapped out live on a variety of pad controllers and keyboards. Lark Minkous A.k.a Dan Henneberry, has been playing left-field music in Hanoi for the last few years. Working both as a guitarist and as a solo electronic artist, his compositions are characterised by often dark ambient atmospheres, drones and the heavy use of delays, reverbs and layered sounds. His musical soundscapes explore the dynamics and contrasting worlds of electronically synthesised sounds and acoustic field recordings, which are both used heavily during live performances. Entry fee: VND50,000 ($2.19) Russian Helicopters Talks With Afghanistan on Military Equipment Maintenance Sputnik News 16:51 19.03.2017(updated 17:42 19.03.2017) Russian Helicopters is holding talks with the Afghan Defense Ministry on different options for cooperation, concerning repair and maintenance of Russian military equipment, which is currently exploited in Afghanistan, according to official statement. MOSCOW (Sputnik) The Russian Helicopters company is holding talks with the Afghan Defense Ministry on Russian military equipment maintenance and repair works, including the Mi-24 combat helicopters, the company's press service said Sunday. "Russian Helicopters [part of the Rostec state corporation] is holding talks with the Afghan Defense Ministry. On this stage, different options for cooperation, concerning repair and maintenance of Russian military equipment, which is currently exploited in Afghanistan, are considered," the statement said. The press service specified that company prepared a number of suggestions on a range of projects, including Mi-24 combat helicopters' maintenance. Earlier this week, following a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev on Friday in Moscow, Afghan president's National Security Adviser Mohammad Hanif Atmar told Sputnik that Kabul and Moscow had made significant headway in regulating the deliveries and maintenance of Russian helicopters. The Afghan armed forces currently exploit Russian Mi-17 helicopters, as well as old Mi-24s supplied from India. In line with the contracts, the maintenance of these helicopters was financed by the United States. However, the United States refused to further provide money along with the sanctions imposed on Russia in 2014 against the background of Ukrainian conflict. The US officials also refused to buy new vehicles from Russia for the Afghan army. Earlier this month, Afghan Foreign Minister Salahuddin Rabbani expressed hope that Moscow would open a servicing center for helicopters in Afghanistan as soon as possible, saying the issue of maintenance of the Russian helicopters in Afghanistan and establishment of a workshop in the country had been previously discussed with Lavrov. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address People's Liberation Army Navy - Marine Corps China plans to expand its Marine Corps from the initial 20,000 to 100,000 troops in order to better protect the country's marine lifeline and rising overseas interests, Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post reported on 13 March 2017. Some Marine Corps troops will be assigned overseas, including Djibouti and Gwadar Port of Pakistan, said the report. The PLA Navy Marine Corps is an important force of conducting amphibious operations against islands, and enhancing the combat capability of PLA Navy Marine Corps and modernization of its equipment and weapons will help it play a bigger role when it comes to dealing with the Taiwan question in the future. Improving the capability of the Marine Corps to win the battle is also an important task, if it needs to use military means to solve the Taiwan question. One of the missions of the Marine Corps is conducting amphibious operations in solving Taiwan question by non-peaceful mean when necessary, but with the fast development of China and the expanding overseas interests, the Marine Corps also eyes on multiple missions in the new era, including protecting Chinas overseas interests, conducting UN anti-piracy mission or other humanitarian assistance missions around the world. The 2019 US DOD "Annual Report to Congress: Military and Security Developments Involving the Peoples Republic of China" stated : "The PLAN has continued expanding the PLAN Marine Corps (PLANMC) force structure. The PLANMC previously consisted of two brigades and approximately 10,000 personnel, and it was limited in geography and mission to amphibious assault and defense of South China Sea outposts. By 2020, the PLANMC will consist of seven brigades, may have more than 30,000 personnel, and it will expand its mission to include expeditionary operations beyond Chinas borders. A newly established PLANMC headquarters is now responsible for manning, training, and equipping PLANMC forces. For the first time, the PLANMC also has its own commander, although it remains subordinate to the PLAN. The PLANMC may also establish an aviation brigade, which could provide an organic helicopter transport and attack capability, increasing its amphibious and expeditionary warfare capabilities.... "Ultimately, the PLANMC will be capable of operating from land, sea, and air as the PLAs global military force, but this goal will likely not be realized by Chinas stated goal to complete PLA reforms by 2020. Four new brigades have been established, bringing the total number of combat brigades to six, but only the original two brigades are fully mission-capable. There is no evidence to indicate the new brigades are manned, trained, and equipped to perform expeditionary missions yet. Additionally, the PLANMC may establish an aviation brigade, but there is no evidence this unit exists yet. The strength of the Marine Corps, or PLANMC, has nearly tripled over the past three years to 35,000 troops, according to a report prepared by Janes for the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission. The corps has also become a more visible presence in the South China Sea. "The PLANMC is employing new equipment to perform an expeditionary mission, but the equipment is not arriving in sufficient numbers to meet the 2020 goal. Fifteen wheeled armored combat vehicles, more effective for land-based operations than amphibious operations, have been deployed with the PLANMC unit currently in Djibouti; they are the first-observed wheeled armored vehicles in the PLANMC. China lacks a sufficient inventory of wheeled armored vehicles to support multiple PLANMC expeditionary deployments adequately. Fully operational brigades are equipped exclusively with amphibious armored vehicles. The PLANMC has not received the helicopters required for an air assault capability, and it will likely need a minimum of 120 attack and medium-lift helicopters to be fully mission capable. "Achieving this level of capability would include basing helicopters overseas to support PLANMC units and operating from amphibious ships. In 2018, PLANMC out-of-garrison exercises increased in frequency and size. In one exercise, likely the largest PLANMC exercise on record, more than 10,000 marines participated in a series of very simplistic training. This surge in training likely served to indoctrinate new PLAN marines into the service, but it lacked the complexity needed to allow these units to become proficient in expeditionary warfare." The Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy is boosting the aerial assault capabilities of its Marine Corps by systematically expanding it with combat-proven former Army units, a timely move to ready personnel in advance to maximize the power of the two recently launched Type 075 amphibious assault ships. The Valiant Assault Exemplary Company and the Nianzhuangwei Assault Exemplary Company are now parts of a Marine Corps aerial assault brigade, according to a story published by PLA Daily on 13 April 2020. Both companies won glory during the War of Liberation (1946-49), and they used to be under the command of the Army, but now they have joined the Navy's Marine Corps. The PLA Daily report did not say when the shift took place. Two special operations brigades had already been incorporated into the PLA Navy's Marine Corps, taking the number of soldiers to 20,000 with more to come. China has at least two brigades of special combat soldiers have been deployed to the marines. China will add a third brigade that will undergo a transformation such as special training and learning how to conduct amphibious operations. The PLA Navy Marine Corps would expand to 100,000 troops, including six brigades, to fulfill new national missions. One source said that overall troop numbers of the PLA Navy would increase by 15 percent from the current 235,000. But if China's Marine Corps were to have an expansion to 100,000 troops, that would account for 42.6 percent of the current 235,000 troops of the Navy, much more than 15 percent. There is both more and less here than meets the eye. A force of 100,000 Chinese marines, would give China an amphibious assault force second only to the 240,000 marines of the United States Marine Corps, and vastly larger than third place Vietnam, with 27,000 marines. But the apparent growth would largely be achieved by moving four existing Amphibious Mechanized Divisions from the PLA to the PLAN. These existing formations have some amphibious capabilities, but lack meaningful amphibious assault lift support, and are oriented towards a "one time" operational "lunge" against Taiwan, rather than ongoing amphibious operations. An end strength of 100,000 Chinese marines is roughly half the active duty end strength of the US Marine Corps, which is used to size the US Navy amphibious assault fleet. The US Navy has nine Amphibious Squadrons, and the future 36-ship amphibious force is being shaped to allow the formation of 12 amphibious ready groups (ARGs). Doing the math, it might be expected that PLAN force goals would include six large amphigious assault ships [LHA/LHD] of a class not yet in evidence, as well as a dozen LPDs of the Type 071 Yuzhao class. Such a shipbuilding program could by completed by 2025, if not bit sooner. The South China Morning Post commented that the PLA's decision to expand the Marine Corps reflected its strategic transition from relying on large quantities of troops to win land battles to relying on highly specialized troops to deal with diverse security challenges. The Hong Kong-based newspaper's report also mentioned that China is building a naval base in Djibouti but hasn't revealed how many troops the base will accommodate. This is part of the policy of restraining the US; otherwise a five-fold increase in the number of Marines is simply not necessary. China wants to be a state comparable in military potential to the US in the Asia-Pacific Region [APR]. That's why it needs 100,000 marines. According to an expert on geopolitics and former analyst of the defense committee and the State Duma international affairs committee, Konstantin Sokolov, said that it is necessary to assess the number of marines primarily with respect to the territory that can be controlled. "In East and South-East Asia, there are a lot of island territories that are part of the economic interests and security interests of China. I presume that if a likely enemy appears in these zones and there is a need of control, a large number of military police or the Marine Corps will be needed. Therefore, from my point of view, China, probably, can justifiably go on increasing the number of its marines," Sokolov said 13 March 2017. President Xi Jinping inspected the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy Marine Corps in Chaozhou on 13 October 2020 amid his ongoing trip to South Chinas Guangdong Province. Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), said the PLA Navy Marine Corps is an elite force for amphibious operations, and it shoulders the important duties of safeguarding the country's sovereignty security, territorial integrity, maritime interests, and overseas interests. He urged the PLA Navy Marine Corps to speed up the upgrading of their combat capabilities to forge a powerful troop, with battlewise soldiers, which is integrated and versatile in operation, swift in response, and capable of fighting under multi-dimensional conditions. The inspection to the corps sent a signal that China will speed up its preparation for any potential military conflict in the water areas and islands in regions like the Taiwan Straits, South and East China Seas, as well as the regions of significant overseas interests, as the strategic pressure from foreign hostile forces against China is increasing. Xi said the Marine Corps should focus on war preparedness and combat capabilities, and maintain a high level of readiness, adding that the force should stick to combat-oriented training and strengthen mission-oriented training tailored to the specific needs and force-on-force training. He also stressed the need for the PLA Navy Marine Corps to work more closely with other units of the PLA, and to be deeply integrated into the joint operations systems. Xi stressed the need to strengthen strategic design for the construction of the Marine Corps. The strategic design should fit with the country's strategies of national development, security and military, strategic arrangements of modernized national defense and military, as well as the construction of the joint operations systems and transformation of the navy, Xi said. Xis inspection suggests that the Marine Corps is no longer an ordinary branch of the armed forces, but has always been an irreplaceable elite combat force to safeguard China's maritime interests. As various military services hasten their joint powers, China will become more powerful in safeguarding the islands, reefs and maritime rights and interests. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Timor - Politics Australian National University researcher Gordon Peake wrote that Timor is a country of " ...family relationships, friendships, romances and antagonisms that collectively render ideas and concepts such as accountability and separation of powers almost completely impractical Kinship and opaque connections are the ties that bind not five-year plans and detailed strategic documentation." Timor-Leste's political history to date has been dominated by three figures: Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao, President Jose Ramos-Horta, and Fretilin Secretary General and former PM Mari Alkatiri. These three elder statesmen represented the generation that remembered the Portuguese colonial era. Over the course of the two election cycles in 2012 and 2017, they were confronted with a new generation of voters and leaders. No figure on the horizon, however, had Gusmao's profile at home or Ramos-Horta's abroad. Timor-Leste became a fully independent republic with a parliamentary form of government on May 20, 2002, after approximately two and a half years under the authority of the UN Transitional Administration in East Timor (UNTAET). The country's first parliament was formed from the 88-member Constituent Assembly chosen in free and fair, UN-supervised elections in August 2001. The FRETILIN Party won the majority of Assembly seats. Mari Alkatiri, FRETILIN's Secretary General, became the first Prime Minister, and FRETILIN dominated the country's 29-member cabinet. Xanana Gusmao was elected in free and fair elections on April 14, 2002 as President. UNTAET's mandate ended with East Timor's independence, but a successor organization, the UN Mission for the Support of East Timor (UNMISET), was established to provide additional support to the government. UNMISET's mandate expired on May 20, 2005 after the UN Security Council unanimously approved the creation of a small special political mission in Timor-Leste, the UN Office in Timor-Leste (UNOTIL), to take its place. Under the constitution ratified in March 2002, "laws and regulations in force continue to be applicable to all matters except to the extent that they are inconsistent with the Constitution." The Government of Timor-Leste enacted a significant amount of legislation, including criminal and procedure codes. The political situation in East Timor changed significantly in April/May of 2006 after the capital Dili was shaken with violence, following the dismissal of about 600 military personnel. In 2006, internal antagonism within the military, security forces and the political leadership resulted in widespread civil violence and an attempted coup. The coup resulted in youth gang violence, open gunfire between military and police forces on the streets of Dili and the displacement of 150,000 people. The crisis resulted in 14,000 damaged or destroyed homes and 40 deaths. A series of violent clashes occurred involving the police, the military and armed gangs. Law and order broke down, resulting in deaths, looting and widespread destruction of property. The civilian population of Dili was seriously affected with many thousands of residents fleeing the violence. In May 2006, the International Stabilisation Force, which had been invited to East Timor by the East Timorese Government, arrived in an effort to restore security and stability. An ISF successfully created 56 internally displaced persons camps. The 2006 crisis that brought large international deployments back to Timor-Leste through the ISF and the UN Integrated Mission in Timor-Leste. The ongoing crisis led President Gusmao to declare Emergency Powers on 30 May 2006. In the aftermath, Prime Minister Alkatiri, who was instrumental in the dismissals, resigned on 26 June and was subsequently replaced by Jose Ramos-Horta, the former Foreign Minister. Following Alkatiris resignation, calm was largely restored to the country. In July 2006, Ramos-Hortas new government was sworn in. The Independent Special Commission of Inquiry for Timor-Leste was established to look into the outbreak of violence in Timor-Leste of April and May 2006. It came about following a request on 8 June 2006, from the then Foreign Minister Jose Ramos-Horta (now President). On 12 June 2006, Kofi Annan, the then UN Secretary-General, asked the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to establish the Commission. In its report, the Commission concluded that the fragility of various State institutions and the weakness of the rule of law were the underlying factors that contributed to the crisis. The Commission identified numerous persons suspected of direct participation in criminal activity during the crisis, and recommended they be prosecuted. Judicial processes were initiated against some of those individuals. On February 11, 2008, followers of former military police commander and fugitive Major Alfredo Reinado attacked President Ramos-Horta at his residence in Dili. Ramos-Horta sustained gunshot injuries and was airlifted to Australia for medical treatment. Prime Minister Gusmao escaped unharmed after his bodyguards thwarted a separate attack against him the same day as the attack on the president. Two of the alleged assailants were killed in the initial attack on the President Ramos-Horta. The president's bodyguards killed Reinado. The government, with the approval of the national parliament, immediately imposed a state of siege that temporarily imposed a curfew, curtailed freedom of assembly, and gave security forces greater latitude for arrests and searches. These emergency measures were scaled back as conditions stabilized over the following weeks. After medical treatment in Australia the President returned to Timor-Leste to take up his duties in East Timoro n April 17. By May 2008, the remaining rebels had either surrendered or been apprehended. The incidents presented an unexpected and serious challenge to State institutions, but encouragingly, and in contrast to the events of 2006, the situation did not precipitate a crisis destabilizing the entire society. The institutions of the State responded in an appropriate and responsible manner that respected constitutional procedures. The Prime Minister demonstrated firm and reasoned leadership; the Parliament functioned effectively as a forum for debate in response to the events; and leaders of all political parties urged their supporters to remain calm, while the general population demonstrated faith in the ability of the State to deal with the situation. The state of emergency was lifted completely when the remainder of Reinados followers surrendered to authorities on April 29, 2008. Most of them were convicted on March 3, 2010, for their involvement in the assassination attempt. Ramos-Horta subsequently commuted the sentences of the defendants, and they were released. Since 2008, the government has succeeded in maintaining stability throughout the country. No laws limit participation of women or members of minority groups in the political process, and they did participate. Electoral laws require that at least one-third of candidates on party lists be women. Following the 2018 parliamentary elections, women held 26 of the 65 seats in parliament but only eight of 46 ministerial, vice-ministerial, and secretary of state positions in the new government. Of 20 ministers, only the minister of social solidarity and inclusion (concurrently a deputy prime minister), the minister of foreign affairs and cooperation, and the minister of health were women. At the local level, at least three women must serve on all village councils, which generally include 10 to 20 representatives depending on village size. In 2016 local elections, the number of female village chiefs increased from 11 to 21 of the 448 nationwide chief positions. Traditional attitudes, limited networks, high rates of domestic violence, extensive child-care responsibilities, and other barriers constrained greater participation of women at the local and national levels. The countrys few ethnic and religious minority groups were well integrated into the political system; however, in 2018 Muslim leaders reported discrimination against Muslims joining civil service positions. The number of ethnic minority members of parliament and in other government positions was uncertain, since self-identification of ethnicity was not a common practice. Despite a number of setbacks, including the political and security crisis of 2006 and the assassination attempts of early 2008, Timor- Leste has made substantial progress in security and development. It has years of stability, during which the government has been able to focus on development. It has also launched a 20-year Strategic Development Plan that sets out a path for engagement with international partners and has consolidated stability by holding peaceful elections. Timorese citizens are fiercely proud of their independence and remain very aware of how hard they had to fight for it. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Undercover FSB Officer Indicted By U.S. Worked For Moscow Investment Bank Mike Eckel, Carl Schreck March 18, 2017 WASHINGTON -- One of the two Russian FSB agents indicted by U.S. officials this week worked as an undercover officer at Renaissance Capital, a Moscow investment bank owned by billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov. The officer, identified in the Justice Department indictment as Igor Sushchin, was fired from the bank on March 16, the day after U.S. officials announced the charges related to the massive 2014 hack of Yahoo. Sushchin's firing, first reported by the Russian newspaper Kommersant, was confirmed to RFE/RL by an executive familiar with the matter but who was not authorized to speak publicly about internal company decisions. Sushchin, who worked for a division of the bank called Renaissance Broker, was believed to still be in Moscow, though his whereabouts were not immediately clear, and there has been no public comment from him. U.S. officials have formally requested his extradition and that of two other Russians named in the indictment: Aleksei Belan, who was indicted in the United States four years ago on hacking charges, and Dmitry Dokuchayev, an officer, like Sushchin, at the FSB, or Federal Security Service, Russia's lead security and intelligence agency. Another man, Karim Baratov, was arrested in Canada this week and held pending a U.S. extradition request. The Justice Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment on March 18. Responding to the U.S. announcement, a Kremlin spokesman denied that the government had ever been involved in any cyberattacks and referred further questions to the FSB. The U.S. indictment paints a picture of the FSB officers overseeing or being directly involved in computer hacking, including stolen e-mail accounts, and other secret programs designed to manipulate a user's account. Yahoo said the 2014 breach affected 500 million user accounts. The indictment identified Sushchin as the "head of information security at the Russian financial firm, where he monitored the communications of Russian financial firm employees." Renaissance Capital is a major Moscow investment bank owned by Onexim group, a holding company that manages the assets of Prokhorov. A billionaire who made his wealth investing in Russia's nickel industry, Prokhorov challenged Vladimir Putin for the presidency in 2011 running as a liberal, pro-business opposition candidate. He earned just 8 percent of the vote, however, and many political observers concluded that the Kremlin allowed him to run as a safe liberal option for voters disenchanted with the government. Prokhorov has disputed that. Prokhorov has also drawn official scrutiny for his ownership of his media group RBK, which published articles investigating the assets of Putin's son-in-law. Onexim's offices were raided by FSB officials in April 2016. Later, a number of journalists either resigned or were fired, including the media group's editor in chief. The U.S. charges appear to be unconnected to alleged Russian hacking of the Democratic National Committee and the FBI's ongoing investigation into alleged Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. But the charges do add to the mystery surrounding the arrest in December of two FSB officers who worked in the agency's Center for Information Security. One of those arrested was Dokuchayev, and he and his supervisor, Sergei Mikhailov, have been charged with high treason, reportedly for leaking classified information to U.S. intelligence. Mikhailov does not appear in the newly announced U.S. indictments, though there is mention of another supervisor, called "FSB Officer 3." The news that two FSB officers were arrested and charged with treason sent ripples through intelligence watchers and experts on cybersecurity. The growing number of arrests, and a steady stream of leaks in Russian media over the past several weeks, offered potential glimpses into Russia's formidable security apparatus and its ties to shadowy underground hacking networks. Belan, the hacker, had been indicted in 2012 and 2013, named a top wanted criminal by the FBI, and an arrest warrant was issued by Interpol in 2013. He was arrested in an unnamed European country but then escaped to Russia. Belan's name appeared again in December when then-U.S. President Barack Obama announced the expulsion of 35 Russian diplomats and new sanctions against nine top officials and entities associated with the FSB and with Russia's military intelligence agency, the GRU. Belan was one of two hackers also sanctioned in the order. Source: http://www.rferl.org/a/russia-fsb- officer-indicted-worked-moscow- investment-bank/28377570.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 Paris Orly Airport Attacker Said He Wanted 'to Die for Allah' By VOA News March 19, 2017 French authorities are still working to determine whether a man shot dead at Paris' Orly airport acted on impulse or carefully planned an attack. Ziyed Ben Belgacem, born in France to Tunisian parents, was killed Saturday morning after grabbing a female soldier and putting a gun to her head. He was heard shouting he wanted to "die for Allah." The 39-year-old, suspected to have links to radical Islam, apparently intended to open fire on passengers, a prosecutor said. Two colleagues on patrol with the female soldier shot and killed the man before he could fire the military weapon in the busy airport terminal. The attack forced the airport's terminals to shut down and evacuate, while passengers and workers were fleeing in panic and hundreds of others remained aboard flights that had just landed. Anti-terror investigation Police did not provide a motive for the attack, but the Paris prosecutors office said an investigation is being handled by the anti-terror division. The suspect's father and brother were detained by police Saturday, which police said is part of standard procedure. Belgacem's father was released Sunday and told France's Europe 1 radio that his son was not a terrorist. "He never prayed and he drank. This is what happens under the influence of drink and cannabis," he said. Belgacem called his father minutes after the shooting "in a state of extreme agitation". "He said to me: 'Daddy, please forgive me. I've screwed up with a police officer.' Belgacem's father learned of his son's death after presenting himself at a police station. As of Sunday morning, the anti-terror investigators were still questioning the shooter's brother and cousin. Belgacem was first stopped by police in Paris' northern suburbs early Saturday morning for speeding and driving without lights. He opened fire with a revolver, wounding an officer, Interior Minister Bruno Le Roux said, adding that the shooter was "known to the police and intelligence." Belgacem then threatened people in a bar before stealing a car at gunpoint and driving to the airport. Sentinelle forces The female soldier attacked at Orly is a member of the Sentinelle Special Forces that guard airports, religious sites and other popular places in France since terror attacks in 2015. Police teams quickly secured the airport and searched for explosives, but found none. French President Francois Hollande said during a news conference that the Orly attack proved the necessity of the Sentinelle patrol soldiers and that investigators will determine whether the attacker "had a terrorist plot behind him." The suspect, who spent time in prison for drugs and armed robbery, had his home searched in 2015 after a terror attack in Paris that killed 130 people because of his suspected connection to radical Islam, French authorities said. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Belarus Protest Leaders Detained As Hundreds Rally Against 'Parasite Tax' RFE/RL's Belarus Service March 19, 2017 SLONIM, Belarus -- Authorities in Belarus on March 19 detained at least three organizers of protests against a controversial tax on the unemployed, as hundreds took to the streets in the latest in a series of demonstrations against the levy in the tightly controlled former Soviet republic. Viktar Marchyk, a politician with the opposition Belarusian Popular Front (BPF), was detained in the western city of Slonim, where several hundred protesters rallied against what authoritarian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka calls a tax on "social parasites." Meanwhile, a second planned protest in the western city of Baranavichy appeared to initially fizzle out after authorities preemptively detained two organizers of the rally. Plainclothes officers there appeared to outnumber a few dozen people who had gathered at the site of the planned demonstration on March 19. Both the United States and the European Union have sharply criticized Lukashenka's government for its response to several protests across the country this month. Authorities have detained more than 150 people across Belarus since March 1, dozens of whom have been handed jail sentences of up to 15 days. The recent protests in the capital, Minsk, and other Belarusian cities have continued despite Lukashenka's March 9 announcement that collection of the tax would be suspended until 2018. At the March 19 demonstration in Slonim, the top local official addressed angry protesters in a conciliatory tone, promising their grievances would be heard. He also promised to protect the demonstrators from retribution by authorities, though Marchyk -- one of the organizers -- was subsequently detained following the protest. Authorities have largely refrained from intervening in the protests, and a majority of detentions of organizers have occurred before or after the demonstrations. Prior to the planned protest in Baranavichy on March 19, authorities detained the two main organizers of the rally: Mikalay Charnavus, a local BPF activist, and Ryhor Hryk, an independent trade union leader. Hryk was detained as he emerged from his apartment in the morning, while Charnavus told RFE/RL that he was detained in a market and hauled into a police station, ostensibly as a witness in a criminal case. Source: http://www.rferl.org/a/belarus-parasite-tax-protest- leaders-detained/28378610.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 Tillerson, China's Xi Stress Cooperation As North Korea Tests New Rocket Engine RFE/RL March 19, 2017 U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Chinese President Xi Jinping cast aside differences on March 19, pledging to seek greater cooperation despite disagreements over North Korea and other issues. In the highest-level bilateral talks between the two nations since President Donald Trump's inauguration in January, Tillerson and Xi met in Beijing just hours after Pyongyang said it had tested a powerful new rocket engine, with leader Kim Jong Un hailing a "new birth" of its rocket industry. Prior to the test, Tillerson warned during his first trip to Asia as secretary of state that regional tensions were at a "dangerous level." Beijing has chafed at pressure from Washington to exert its influence to curb North Korea's nuclear and missile program's, and it has sharply criticized Washington's decision to place a missile-defense system in South Korea. But Tillerson and Xi vowed to seek stronger bilateral ties. The Chinese president told Tillerson that he and Trump had agreed in a February telephone call "to make joint efforts to advance China-U.S. cooperation, and we believe that we can make sure the relationship will move ahead in a constructive fashion in the new era." "I'm confident that as long as we can do this, the relationship can surely move in the right direction," Xi said. Tillerson told Xi that Trump places "a very high value on the communications that have already occurred" between the two leaders. "Through further dialogue, we will achieve a greater understanding that will lead to a strengthening of the ties between China and the United States, and set the tone for our future relationship of cooperation," Tillerson said during the meeting at the Great Hall of the People. State Department spokesman Mark Toner said Tillerson and Xi agreed during the 30-minute meeting that "there are opportunities for greater cooperation between China and the United States, but acknowledged there are, and will be in the future, differences between the two countries." "Secretary Tillerson also conveyed that President Trump is anticipating the two will soon be able to meet face-to-face for discussions that will chart the course for future U.S.-China relations," Toner said in a statement. The meeting was the final stop for Tillerson on his East Asia tour, which also included allies Japan and South Korea and was dominated by concerns over North Korea and the threat posed by its nuclear and ballistic-missile program. North Korea's state news agency KCNA said the North's leader supervised the ground test of the rocket engine. Kim "emphasized that the whole world will soon witness what eventful significance the great victory won today carries," KCNA said. Experts said the comments indicate the test was likely a new type of engine for long-range missiles. China is North Korea's main ally. A day earlier, Tillerson had said military action is "an option on the table" if the threat posed by Pyongyang increases. Trump, meanwhile, tweeted that North Korea was "behaving very badly." The nuclear-armed North has test-launched a series of missiles in recent months and conducted two nuclear tests last year. South Korea and Pyongyang signed a declaration on denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, but the North has since walked away from the agreement, citing what it says is the threat of a U.S. invasion. The United States has 28,500 troops stationed in South Korea, and 50,000 in Japan, as a deterrent against a potential aggression from the North. With reporting by Reuters, AFP, AP, dpa, and The New York Times Source: http://www.rferl.org/a/north-korea-rocket-engine-test -tillerson-china-missile/28378071.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 North Korea 'tests new high-thrust rocket engine' Iran Press TV Sun Mar 19, 2017 7:18AM North Korea has conducted a ground test of a new high-performance rocket engine, state media have said, branding the successful test a breakthrough in the country's space program. The official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said the Saturday test was intended to gauge the reliability of the "new-type" engine's control system and structural safety, adding that the engine would help Pyongyang achieve world-class satellite launch capability. "The development and completion of a new-type high-thrust engine would help consolidate the scientific and technological foundation to match the world-level satellite delivery capability in the field of outer space development," the agency said. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, who appeared at the country's Sohae satellite-launching site, where Pyongyang had previously conducted long-range rocket tests, hailed the test as "a new birth" of its rocket industry. Calling the test "a great event of historic significance" for the country's indigenous rocket industry, Kim said, "The whole world will soon witness what eventful significance the great victory won today carries." Kim also said the test marked what will be known as the "March 18 revolution" in the development of North Korea's space and satellite-launching program. US 'to exercise no more patience' The test was conducted as US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson was in China after visiting US allies Japan and South Korea, focusing on concerns over how to deal with North Korea's nuclear and missile programs. In China, Tillerson said Washington would no longer go after the "failed" approach of patient diplomacy with Pyongyang, warning that US military action against North Korea was an option "on the table." Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, however, called on all sides to exercise rationality and seek a diplomatic solution to the issue. China is North Korea's main ally. North Korea has so far conducted five nuclear tests and numerous missile launches. The United Nations and the European Union have already imposed an array of crippling sanctions on the North over its missile and nuclear programs. Pyongyang says the programs are meant to guarantee security against potential US military aggression. Despite the sanctions and other forms of international pressure, Pyongyang declared itself a nuclear power in 2005, and has pledged to strengthen its military capability. The North Korean leader accuses the US of plotting with regional allies to topple his government. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Malaysian Police Identify New Suspects in Kim Jong Nam's Murder Sputnik News 14:42 19.03.2017(updated 16:22 19.03.2017) According to reports, Malaysian police have identified new suspects in connection with the murder of North Korean leader's half-brother Kim Jong Nam. MOSCOW (Sputnik) Malaysian police have identified new suspects in connection with the murder of North Korean leader's half-brother Kim Jong Nam, the inspector-general said Sunday. "I do not deny there are several individuals, including North Koreans, involved in the assassination and we will use the legal channels to apprehend them," Khalid Abu Bakar told reporters as quoted by the Bernama news agency. The inspector-general, however, declined to reveal the names of the suspects, but said one of them was an "important person." On February 13, Kim Jong Nam, traveling by the name of Kim Chol, was killed at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport with a VX nerve agent, a substance listed by the Chemical Weapons Convention as a chemical weapon and classified by the United Nations as a weapon of mass destruction. The identity of Kim was only confirmed earlier this week. The crisis in bilateral relations that broke out after Kim's assassination has already resulted in Malaysia and North Korea declaring each other's ambassadors personae non grata earlier in March. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address North Korea Claims to Have Tested New High-Thrust Rocket Engine Sputnik News 03:28 19.03.2017(updated 03:31 19.03.2017) North Korea has conducted a successful ground jet test of a new high performance rocket engine at Sohae Satellite Launching Ground, local media reported Sunday. MOSCOW (Sputnik) North Korean leader Kim Jong Un was present at the test of the engine, developed by the Academy of the National Defense Science, and noted its historic importance for the rocket industry, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). The news agency added that Kim Jong Un studied the engine's technical specifications ahead of the test and then guided the test. Last Friday, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said the United States' strategic patience with North Korea has ended, and warned that "all options are on the table" for Washington when dealing with Pyongyang, including military intervention. On March 6, 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. Pyongyang said that the launches were a successful drill to strike US military facilities located in Japan. The six-party talks launched in 2003 aimed to end North Korea's nuclear program via negotiations involving the United States, China, Russia, Japan, South Korea and North Korea. The negotiations reached a stalemate when North Korea withdrew from the talks in 2009 and has since carried out multiple nuclear and ballistic missile tests. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address After many meetings and debates, the Chicago delegation succeeded in working with the New York United Federation of Teachers, Local 2 (UFT) to push the AFT to take stronger stands on charter school accountability and school closings though many delegates from Chicago would have liked the language to have been even stronger. Generally speaking, the New York delegation represented organizing charters as the best model for handling their role in reshaping unions, despite the fact that according to many reports few charter schools in New York have been organized as is the case in Chicago. This logic is the same touted by the Progressive Caucus of the AFT. The few that have been organized are a part of the UFT local though they have separate contracts negotiated with the help of UFT. The Chicago delegation reflection the mindset that allowing new charters to continue to proliferate while attempting to organize existing charters is an end game in which public schools and the union lose. Jen Johnson, CTU, Local 1 in Substance N. Korea Concerns on Forefront on Secretary of State Tillerson's Visit to China By Nike Ching March 19, 2017 U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson says the U.S. and China feel a sense of urgency about North Korea, which on Sunday tested a high-thrust rocket that it called the "new birth" of its rocket industry. Concerns about North Korea and its increasingly threatening behavior dominated discussions during Tillerson's first trip to the region, which included stops in Japan, South Korea and China, the final stop. The administration of Donald Trump is looking for a new way forward on the issue and clearly finding a way to work together with China on the regional flash point is key. "We've committed ourselves to do everything we can to prevent any type of conflict from breaking out. And we view there are a number of steps that we can take that are in front of us," Tillerson said, speaking at a joint news conference with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. Neither Tillerson nor Wang elaborated what steps are under consideration and it's still unclear whether Washington and Beijing see eye to eye on the issue. Before Tillerson arrived in Beijing, President Donald Trump criticized China for not doing enough. "North Korea is behaving badly. They have been playing the United States for years. China has done little to help!" Trump said in the tweet. But Wang told Tillerson it is everyone's responsibility to "implement sanctions" and try and "restart talks." Earlier in Tokyo, Tillerson declared that diplomatic and other efforts over the past 20 years to put an end North Korea's nuclear ambitions have failed. All options on the table In Seoul, He said all options are on the table, including military measures. "If North Korea takes actions that threatens South Korean forces or our own forces, then that would be met with an appropriate response. If they elevate the threat of their weapons program to a level that we believe requires action, that option is on the table," said Tillerson at a joint news conference with South Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se. Some experts argue it's not a tougher approach that is needed, but direct talks without pre-conditions. "Of course there is no guarantee for success. Right now the status-quo is not working. Time is not on our side," said James McKeon, a policy analyst at the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation. "The North Koreans continue to advance their nuclear and ballistic missile capabilities to the point that they are now, not necessarily testing their missiles, they are showing off their missiles' capabilities." Earlier this month, North Korea conducted its latest missile launch, firing four missiles into the Sea of Japan. The ballistic missiles landed inside Japan's exclusive economic zone an area according to international law that extends 200 kilometers off a country's coastline. Rocket engine test On Sunday, news of the rocket engine test came not long before Tillerson met with Chinese President Xi Jinping. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said the test was successful and that "the world will soon witness the great significance of the epoch-making victory" that Pyongyang has achieved. The test consisted of firing the rocket engine while it was held in place on the ground, not powering a missile. The ignition took place at the Tongchang-ri rocket launch station, near the North's border with China, according to North Korea media. During Tillerson's meeting with Chinese President Xi on Sunday, the two discussed efforts to arrange a planned meeting between President Trump and Xi. Diplomatic sources told VOA the meeting from April 6-7 will take place at Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida. Tillerson told Xi that President Trump looks forward to enhancing the understanding between the two countries, and "the opportunity for a visit in the future." Working together to get North Korea to change course is something Trump and Xi will need to work out face to face. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Iraqi forces retake 4 Mosul neighborhoods from Daesh Iran Press TV Sun Mar 19, 2017 5:11PM Iraqi government forces have managed to liberate four more neighborhoods in the country's second largest city of Mosul as they engage in joint operations with allied fighters to expel Takfiri Daesh militants out of their last urban stronghold in the country. The commander of Nineveh Liberation Operation, Lieutenant General Abdul Amir Yarallah, said on Sunday that the 9th Armored Division had regained control of al-Molawwathah neighborhood in western Mosul in addition to Huwaidrah village north of Badush. Yarallah added that army troops also recaptured a mill and gas station in the western flank of Mosul. The high-ranking Iraqi military commander noted that government forces inflicted heavy losses on Daesh ranks and destroyed a considerable amount of their military hardware in the process as well. Separately, Iraqi security forces moved deeper inside central Mosul on Sunday, recapturing two neighborhoods and killing scores of Daesh terrorists. An unnamed local source told Arabic-language Skypress news agency that security forces had established full control over Khaled ibn al-Walid and Bab al-Sijn neighborhoods near Mosul's Old City, opening safe exit routes for civilians. The source added that federal police troops later moved on to al-Matahen area, killing 17 militants. There were two bombers among the slain extremists. Lieutenant Borhan al-Abdali from the Counter Terrorism Service (CTS) also said his forces had retaken Fatah al-Ali alleyway in Mosul al-Jadida district following two hours of intense clashes. At least 14 Daesh militants were killed during the heavy exchange of gunfire. Abdali, citing civilians, said many militants have abandoned their rifles weapons and escaped to nearby alleyways. Meanwhile, Iraqi forces have destroyed a network of Daesh tunnels in Badush northwest of Mosul. Commander of Federal Police Forces Lieutenant General Raed Shaker Jawdat also said Iraqi government forces had killed a senior member of Daesh's police force, identified as Hussam Shiit Majid al-Jubouri, in the Bab al-Sijn neighborhood of Mosul. Later on Sunday, the Iraqi Joint Operations Command (JOC) announced in a statement that CTS forces managed to win back Nablus neighborhood in western Mosul, and hoisted the national Iraq flag over a cluster of buildings there. Furthermore, six senior Daesh militant commanders have been killed during clashes with Iraqi army soldiers across Mosul. They reportedly came from Algeria, Britain, France, Morocco, Russia and Syria. Iraqi army soldiers and allied fighters from Popular Mobilization Units commonly known by the Arabic name Hashd al-Sha'abi launched their offensive to retake Mosul last October and since then they have made sweeping gains against Takfiri elements. Iraqi forces took control of eastern Mosul in January after 100 days of fighting and launched the battle in the west on February 19. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Iraqi Forces Push Forward In Mosul As Residents Flee Fierce Fighting RFE/RL March 19, 2017 Iraqi forces engaged in fierce combat with Islamic State (IS) militants outside Mosul's Old City on March 19 as they pressed forward in a bid to recapture the western part of the city. Iraqi federal police and the elite Rapid Response Force continued their offensive on IS targets, including with rockets and mortar rounds, as they closed in on the important Al-Nuri Mosque in west Mosul. Residents of the city continued to flee the area as the battle for the western part of the city moved into its second month. "Federal Police and Rapid Response forces resumed their advance after halting operations due to bad weather. The troops have a target of retaking the rest of the Old City," a police spokesman was quoted by Reuters as saying on March 19. The operation to recapture Mosul, the last IS stronghold in Iraq, was launched in October, with Iraqi forces backed by U.S. air support and artillery. Government troops captured the eastern half of the militants' so-called capital in Iraq in January after 100 days of fighting, and the offensive to capture west Mosul was launched with U.S. air support on February 19. U.S. officials have estimated as many as 750,000 civilians may have been in west Mosul at the start of the offensive, along with some 2,000 IS fighters. According to United Nations figures, some 255,000 people have been displaced from Mosul and its outskirts since October. That figure includes some 100,000 displaced persons since the beginning of the operation to retake west Mosul last month, according to the UN. IS militants have been fighting back with sniper fire, mortars, and armored suicide car bombs, officials say. The extremist group's stronghold in Syria, Raqqa, is also under pressure from U.S.-backed forces. IS militants seized large portions of northern Iraq and Syria in an offensive in 2014. The group has been accused of numerous atrocities and has claimed responsibility for major terrorist attacks in Europe and elsewhere. With reporting by AFP and Reuters Source: http://www.rferl.org/a/iraq-mosul-residents-flee- fierce-fighting/28378693.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 Iraqi Forces in Mosul Close in on Key IS Mosque By VOA News March 19, 2017 Iraqi helicopters on Sunday fired rockets near a key mosque in the contested city of Mosul, as ground forces closed in on the site where Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi declared a self-styled caliphate in 2014. Video showed billowing black smoke and mushroom clouds near the al-Nuri Mosque, as helicopters hovered overhead and civilians in the densely packed Old City fled to safety. U.S. and Iraqi analysts have eyed the mosque as the jihadists' unofficial administrative headquarters, after Baghdadi mounted the steps of the facility in July 2014 to announce a caliphate stretching from eastern Syria through much of northern and western Iraq. At one point late Sunday, witnesses reported Iraqi ground forces within 100 meters of Mosul's wrecked Iron Bridge, pressing slowly toward the nearby mosque in an offensive slowed by narrow roadways and the presence of hundreds of thousands of civilians. "The difficulties are the presence of families, how to avoid opening fire on families who are used as human shields" by the jihadists, said General Abbas al-Juburi in comments to the French news agency. Juburi also linked the slow pace of the days-old offensive to the lack of artillery in the ancient neighborhoods of the Old City, where buildings are too close together and roadways too narrow to support the use of such weaponry. More ethnic Yazidis freed In other developments, the Kurdish news agency Rudaw said eight more captive ethnic Yazidi women and children were rescued Sunday from their IS captors. Details were sketchy. But the report quoted Kurdish rescue official Hussein Koro as saying the operation was coordinated with Kurdish Peshmerga fighters and security agencies north of Mosul in Duhok province. Koro said 2,000 Yazidis have been rescued since Islamic State seized much of Kurdish northern Iraq three years ago. But he said 3,400 others remain captive. Islamic State kidnapped thousands of Yazidi women and children in August 2014 when it attacked their homes and villages in northwestern Iraq near the Syrian border. Iraqi Kurdish forces backed by U.S. airstrikes have since recaptured some of that territory, but many children have been orphaned and many young women are believed to have been taken into slavery. Escapees say the slaves are often victims of rape and subjected to forced labor. Runaways also have reported that slaves are closely tracked and that many of them are recaptured, only to face more punishment. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Myanmar extremist Buddhists protest Rohingya citizenship plan Iran Press TV Sun Mar 19, 2017 4:16PM Hundreds of extremist Buddhists in Myanmar have staged a protest against a government plan to grant citizenship to some members of the persecuted Rohingya Muslim community. Rakhine state's dominant Arakan National Party led the protest in Sittwe on Sunday. Thousands of Rohingya Muslims have been trapped in the city for nearly five years. "We are protesting to tell the government to rightfully follow the 1982 citizenship law and we cannot allow the government giving citizenship cards to these illegal migrants," media outlets quoted Aung Htay, a protest organizer, as saying. Myanmar's government refuses to recognize Rohingya Muslims as citizens and labels them as "illegal" immigrants. Rights groups and several countries have challenged the claim, arguing that the Rohingya have historical roots in the country. The Rohingya have been denied Myanmar citizenship since a new citizenship law was enacted in 1982, and there have been numerous attacks against the Muslims over the past years. The government introduced the discriminatory law as part of a plan to expel them from the country and cancel their citizenship. The law distinguishes between three categories of citizenship, namely citizenship, associate citizenship, and naturalized citizenship. Sunday's protest took place as Yanghee Lee, the UN special rapporteur on Myanmar, recently warned that the country may be seeking to "expel" all members of the Rohingya from its territory. A panel led by former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan has also recently urged Myanmar's government to close the squalid camps in Rakhine and allow the Rohingya to return home. More than 120,000 Rohingya Muslims have languished in camps for internally displaced persons (IDPs) since they were driven from their homes by extremist Buddhists in 2012. Most are not allowed to leave the bleak displacement camps, where they live in rundown shelters with little access to food. Rakhine has been under a military siege since October 2016 over a raid on a police post that was blamed on the Rohingya. A four-month crackdown on the minority group has seen some 75,000 Rohingya Muslims flee to Bangladesh. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Moscow Authorities Ban Navalny Anticorruption Event RFE/RL March 19, 2017 Moscow city authorities have banned an anticorruption rally planned by opposition leader Aleksei Navalny. In a letter that Navalny posted on his website on March 18, a city official said the planned march and rally in central Moscow would hamper traffic and infrastructure and violate the rights of residents. The Interfax news agency quoted a senior city security official, Vladimir Chernikov, as saying that the decision to deny permission at the requested location was "final." Navalny on March 14 filed an application to hold a march down Moscow's main street culminating in a rally near the Kremlin -- with up to 15,000 people attending -- one of 53 demonstrations planned for that day. Chernikov, head of the regional security and anticorruption unit for Moscow, said organizers could not "ensure their events would be held in a timely and secure manner" with so many demonstrations planned for the same day. City authorities have not proposed a different location, which Navalny contends is illegal. Navalny, a prominent anticorruption campaigner and foe of President Vladimir Putin, announced in December he will run for president in a March 2018 election in which Putin is widely expected to seek a fourth term. He has reported difficulties in several incidents related to his activities. A campaign event scheduled in Tomsk on March 17 was halted by authorities, who claimed the venue had to be evacuated because of a bomb threat. Navalny said the move was "ridiculous" and blamed "idiotic authorities" for forcing him to stop the event. Navalny also faced a series of obstacles when he opened his campaign headquarters in the Volga River city of Nizhny Novgorod on March 6. Navalny wrote on Facebook that protesters met him at the city's railroad station holding placards suggesting he was a traitor and should be jailed. Some chanted "Navalny is a U.S. agent!" Russian authorities say Navalny will be barred from the ballot if a conviction on financial-crimes charges is upheld on appeal, but he has pushed ahead with campaign-style events. He has denied any wrongdoing and said his convictions in two separate cases were politically motivated punishment for his opposition to Putin. With reporting by Interfax, TASS, echo.msk.ru, and ria.ru Source: http://www.rferl.org/a/moscow-corruptoin- navalny-election-putin/28378081.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 Israel threatens to destroy Syrian air defense systems Iran Press TV Sun Mar 19, 2017 2:0PM Israel's minister for military affairs, Avigdor Lieberman, has warned the Syrian government against launching ground-to-air missiles at Israeli warplanes carrying out strikes inside Syria, threatening to destroy Syrian air defense systems. "The next time the Syrians use their air defense systems against our planes we will destroy them without the slightest hesitation," Lieberman said on Israeli Public Radio on Sunday. He added that the Israeli military will target any convoy of missiles or weapons destined for the Lebanese Hezbollah resistance movement. "The Syrians must understand that they are held responsible for these arms transfers to Hezbollah and that if they continue to allow them then we will do what we have to do," Lieberman pointed out. The remarks came two days after the Syrian army announced in a statement that four Israeli fighter jets had violated the Arab country's airspace, adding its air defense had shot down one of the military aircraft and hit another. The Israeli warplanes entered the Syrian skies at 2:40 a.m. local time (0040 GMT) on Friday via Lebanese territory, and hit a target on the way to the ancient Semitic city of Palmyra. "Our air defense engaged them and shot down one warplane over occupied territory, hit another one, and forced the rest to flee," the Syrian army said, apparently referring to the Golan Heights. The Syrian army also slammed Tel Aviv's strikes as "an act of aggression" meant to assist the Takfiri Daesh terror group. Israel's aerial assaults are "a desperate attempt to raise their (Daesh terrorists') deteriorating morale and divert attention away from the victories which Syrian Arab Army is making in the face of the terrorist organizations," the statement read. On Saturday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the Israeli regime will continue to conduct military attacks against Hezbollah targets inside Syria. "When we identify attempts to transfer advanced weapons to Hezbollah and we have intelligence and it is operationally feasible, we act to prevent it," Netanyahu alleged. "That's how it was yesterday and that's how we shall continue to act." Syria has been gripped by foreign-backed militancy since March 2011. United Nations Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura estimates that over 400,000 people have been killed in the conflict. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Syria repels massive Takfiri attack near Damascus Iran Press TV Sun Mar 19, 2017 10:46AM Syrian ground forces and warplanes have repelled a multi-pronged attack by the Takfiri terror group Jabhat Fateh al-Sham in Damascus' countryside. The terrorists and their allies started advancing from the Eastern Ghouta District near the capital early Sunday. Government forces engaged them in the suburban Jobar District later in the day. The military killed and injured a number of the Takfiris, destroyed two of the attackers' explosives-laden vehicles, and stopped them as they tried to make an inroad into the district through underground tunnels. Jobar separates Eastern Ghouta, which holds large Takfiri concentrations, from Damascus proper. Jabhat Fateh al-Sham was formerly known as al-Nusra Front before purportedly breaking away from the outfit, which operated as al-Qaeda's Syria branch. Gains in suburban Palmyra Also on Sunday, the official Syria Arab News Agency (SANA) said the army had built on their advances three days earlier, when they recaptured the al-Madhar and al-Mastadirah mountain ranges east of the central ancient city of Palmyra. The forces had earlier liberated Wadi Ahmar District and al-Hara Citadel in Palmyra's countryside, and laid siege on the terrorists of the Daesh Takfiri group in the al-Haram mountain range there. Since 2014, when Daesh unleashed its campaign of terror in Syria, the group has seized Palmyra twice. The army has driven it out on both occasions, the first victory coming last March and the second one the same month this year. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Escalation Looming? Israel to Crush Syrian Air Defense if Jets Targeted Again Sputnik News 17:24 19.03.2017(updated 17:25 19.03.2017) Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman has threatened to destroy Syria's air defense systems if they target the Israeli jets once again. "The next time the Syrians use their air defense systems against our planes we will destroy them without the slightest hesitation. Israel's security is above everything else; there will be no compromise," Lieberman said on Israeli public radio on Sunday. His remarks come after Israeli warplanes had attacked several targets in Syria overnight on Thursday. On Friday, Israeli Intelligence and Atomic Energy Minister Yisrael Katz confirmed the attacks saying that it targeted a convoy which was supposedly carrying weapons to the Shiite Hezbollah movement. "The Israeli Air Force carried out airstrikes on a convoy in Syria, carrying a batch of weapons for Hezbollah," Katz said in a statement, distributed by his press service. The Syrian Army command said in a statement it had downed one of the Israeli Air Force jets that violated its airspace, while the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) denied these claims to Sputnik. The IDF, in turn, said on Friday that it used the advanced Arrow missile defense system to shoot down a Syrian anti-aircraft missile that was fired at an Israeli jet. "We have no interest in interfering in the Syrian civil war, we are neither for nor against (President Bashar) Assad, and we have no interest in clashing with the Russians," Defense Minister Lieberman said on Sunday. "Our main problem is with the transfer of advanced weapons from Syria to Lebanon. That is why every time we identify an attempt to smuggle game-changing weapons, we will act to thwart it. There will be no compromise on this issue," he added. "If the IDF does choose to act, there is a solid reason for it," he stated. On Friday, just one day after the Israeli Ambassador to Russia Gary Koren presented his credentials to President Putin, he was summoned for clarifications over the strikes. Also on Friday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu acknowledged Israeli air strikes in Syria, making a "rare statement on the matter," according to Israeli media. He defended Israel's right to protect itself from the transfer of advanced weapons to Hezbollah, which Israel classifies as a terrorist organization, "Israel does not usually confirm or deny individual raids, but it may have been led to do so this time by the circumstances of the incident," Israeli international news TV channel i24 News reported on the issue. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Syrian Army Carrying Out Special Operation Against Militants at Damascus Edges Sputnik News 16:14 19.03.2017(updated 16:19 19.03.2017) The Syrian army's elite units are carrying out a special operation in the Jobar district at the eastern edges of Damascus, a Sputnik correspondent reported Sunday. DAMASCUS (Sputnik) Militants of Jabhat Fatah al Sham (formerly known as Nusra Front) terrorist organization, prohibited in Russia and many other countries, attempted to attack the Syrian army's checkpoints near a textile factory area using car bombs. The government forces destroyed the vehicles packed with explosives before they approached the target. An eyewitness told Sputnik that in response terrorists shelled peaceful districts of the Syrian capital, protected by the government forces. Police have not confirmed any information about the victims so far. The outskirts of the Syrian capital remain among the most important areas for the government forces in the fight against terrorist organizations. On December 30, 2016, a nationwide Syrian ceasefire regime was introduced with Russia and Turkey being its guarantors. The Daesh terrorist group, also banned in Russia and many other nations, Jabhat Fatah al Sham as well as other terror organizations are not part of the ceasefire. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Israeli Minister Confirms Airstrikes in Syria Targeted Arms for Hezbollah Sputnik News 14:39 19.03.2017(updated 17:06 19.03.2017) The Israeli Air Force carried out airstrikes on a convoy in Syria, carrying a batch of weapons for Hezbollah, according to Israeli Intelligence and Atomic Energy Minister Yisrael Katz. TEL AVIV (Sputnik) A convoy carrying weapons to the Shiite Hezbollah movement was a target of recent Israeli airstrikes in Syria, Israeli Intelligence and Atomic Energy Minister Yisrael Katz confirmed Sunday. Katz's comment came in the wake of reports that Israeli aircraft had carried out several strikes inside Syria overnight Thursday. "The Israeli Air Force carried out airstrikes on a convoy in Syria, carrying a batch of weapons for Hezbollah," Katz said in a statement, distributed by his press service. The Syrian Army command said in a statement it had downed one of the Israeli Air Force jets that violated its airspace, while the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) denied these claims to Sputnik. On Friday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would continue its efforts to prevent attempts to arm Hezbollah. Fighters of the Hezbollah organization, established in 1980s, have been assisting the Syrian government in its struggle against terrorist groups, including the Islamic State (IS), outlawed in Russia and the United States, among other nations. Israel, as well as some other states, consider Hezbollah a terrorist organization. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Major Clashes Reported in Damascus after Anti-government Rebels Infiltrate Tunnels By Ken Bredemeier March 19, 2017 Syrian forces and rebels battled on the fringes of Damascus Sunday after the insurgents infiltrated the capital through tunnels overnight and staged a surprise assault on government-held parts of the city. The rebels began the day with two car bombs and several suicide attacks, the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group reported. The insurgents seized several buildings in the Jobar neighborhood of the heavily fortified city, about two kilometers northeast of the old city walls, with residents saying that artillery shells and rockets were landing inside the heart of the city.But after the initial rebel advance, the monitoring group said that government warplanes strafed insurgent positions with more than 30 air strikes, the latest chapter in what is now a six-year conflict. State media said troops loyal to President Bashar al-Assad had successfully "blocked an attack by terrorists on military points and residential buildings in Jobar." Heavy explosions erupted in the background as state television broadcast live from Abbasiyin Square, normally teeming with activity but empty after the army ordered residents to stay inside. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Cross-strait relations in cold but peaceful situation: report ROC Central News Agency 2017/03/19 17:16:03 Taipei, March 19 (CNA) The China policy planner and implementer of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP)-led government of Taiwan regards relations with China as being in a cold but peaceful situation, while Beijing intensifies opposition to any Taiwan independence attempts. "Mainland China has intensified its anti-independence arguments while insisting on the 'one China' principle," since May 20, 2016 when DPP Chairwoman Tsai Ing-wen () assumed the presidency, the Cabinet-level Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) says in a written report. Relations between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait are in a regressive state at present, according to the MAC report. The council is set to deliver the report to a legislative Foreign and National Defense Committee hearing on Monday. Apart from the MAC, the ministries of national defense and foreign affairs, as well as the National Security Bureau, have been invited to attend the upcoming hearing to report on changes in the regional situations in East Asia and on their strategies in response to the changes that have occurred since U.S. President Donald Trump took office in January this year. Cross-strait relations have been at a virtual standstill since the inauguration of the Tsai government, with Beijing freezing official talks because Tsai's administration refuses to endorse the "1992 consensus," which essentially implies that China and Taiwan are part of one China, something many Taiwanese do not agree with. The MAC said in the report that China is continuing to reinforce its anti-Taiwan independence suppression. "Beijing has set political conditions for cross-strait interaction and talks, setting restrictions on personnel exchanges and exerting pressure on the (Taiwan) government by means of withholding preferential treatment (for Taiwan)," the report said. In the international community, meanwhile, China manipulates its "one China" principle to achieve the goal of blocking Taiwan from joining international organizations, the report said. "Cross-strait relations remain in a cold but peaceful situation," the MAC concluded. The MAC report was compiled in four aspects, including the Trump administration's possible impact on the Asia-Pacific situation, China's diplomatic strategies against U.S. presence in the region, and cross-strait relations as Beijing continues its opposition to Taiwan independence. The report also notes that the Tsai government has been closely monitoring the development of cross-strait links and Trump's East Asia policies. The MAC said the government will continue to seek constructive progress in the development of cross-strait ties, solidify Taiwan-U.S. relations, and maintain peace and stability in the strait and in the region. (By Liu Kuan-ting and Elizabeth Hsu) ENDITEM/J NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Capital punishment 'red line' for EU membership, Brussels tells Ankara Iran Press TV Sun Mar 19, 2017 5:55PM European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker has warned Turkey against any return of the capital punishment in the Anatolian country, saying the measure is a "red line" in Ankara's stalled bid for membership in the European Union. Juncker made the remarks on Sunday in an interview with the German newspaper Bild am Sonntag. He said, "If the death penalty is reintroduced in Turkey, that would lead to the end of negotiations." The comments came a day after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he would seek to reinstate the measure "without any hesitation" after the upcoming referendum on expanding presidential powers. Turkey has been attempting to become part of the EU for decades. Formal EU accession negotiations, however, began in 2005. The process has been mired in problems, and only 16 chapters of the 35-chapter accession procedure have been opened for Ankara so far. In November last year, the European Parliament suspended the accession talks with Ankara over concerns regarding human rights and the rule of law following the July 15 coup attempt against Erdogan, which Ankara claims was organized by US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen. In January, Turkey called on the EU to resume the negotiations. Juncker said he was opposed to a total halt to all accession talks with Turkey. "It makes no sense to try to calm (Erdogan's) nerves by stopping negotiations that are not even taking place." Brussels has already criticized Ankara for its massive crackdown since the attempted coup. According to official figures, tens of thousands of people, including military personnel, judges, and teachers, have been suspended, dismissed, or detained as part of the post-coup clampdown. The 28-nation bloc has also expressed its deep concern regarding Turkey's referendum, further putting the accession talks on a bumpy road. The April 16 plebiscite is aimed at abolishing the office of the prime minister and giving more executive powers, including issuing decrees, declaring emergency rule, appointing ministers and state officials and dissolving the parliament, to the currently largely ceremonial position of president in Turkey. Critics say the vote would give the president dictatorial powers. Erdogan has launched yet another scathing verbal attack against German Chancellor Angela Merkel, accusing her of employing "Nazi measures" after German authorities in Frankfurt allowed some 30,000 pro-Kurdish protesters to stage a rally while brandishing the insignia of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). Berlin had earlier in March infuriated Ankara after it had prevented Turkish ministers from campaigning in the European country for a "Yes" vote in the upcoming referendum. The ban generated an unprecedented row between Ankara and Berlin, with Erdogan calling Merkel a "terrorist supporter" for Berlin's failure in responding to 4,500 dossiers sent by Ankara on terror suspects, including those linked to PKK militants and last year's failed coup. "When we call them Nazis they (Europe) get uncomfortable. They rally together in solidarity. Especially Merkel," Erdogan said in a televised speech. "But you are right now employing Nazi measures," he added, referring to Merkel and using the informal "you" in Turkish. In Sunday's speech, Erdogan said the current row between Ankara and Europe "showed that a new page had been opened in the ongoing fight against our country." Germany, home to 1.4 million Turkish legitimate voters, hosts by far the largest Turkish diaspora community in the world, but the ties between Ankara and Berlin have been ripped to shreds by the current growing crisis. The Netherlands also angered Ankara after it barred two Turkish ministers earlier this month from holding rallies for a "Yes" in the plebiscite, prompting Erdogan to call Dutch authorities "fascists" and "remnants of Nazis." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Turkey summons German ambassador over Frankfurt PKK rally 'scandal' Iran Press TV Sun Mar 19, 2017 3:33PM The Turkish Foreign Ministry has summoned the German ambassador to Ankara to voice its outrage at a Frankfurt rally in which tens of thousands of protesters brandished the insignia of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), lambasting Berlin for the "pro-PKK rally scandal." "Yesterday, the German ambassador was invited, was summoned, to the foreign ministry and this [rally] was condemned in the strongest way," said Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's spokesman Ibrahim Kalin on Sunday in an interview with the CNN Turk broadcaster. He added that Germany had "put its name under another scandal" for giving permission to demonstrators to publicly use the insignia of the "separatist terror group" of PKK, which has battled the Turkish government for years. The PKK, declared as a terrorist organization and banned, has been seeking an autonomous Kurdish region since 1984. A shaky ceasefire between the group and the Turkish government collapsed in July 2015 and attacks on Turkish security forces have soared ever since. Over the past few months, Turkish ground and air forces have been carrying out operations against PKK positions in the country's southeastern border region as well as in northern Iraq and neighboring Syria. More than 40,000 people have been killed during the three-decade conflict between Ankara and the militant group. On Saturday, some 30,000 pro-Kurdish demonstrators, carrying pro-PKK signs and placards rallied in the German city of Frankfurt, demanding "democracy in Turkey" and urging a "No" vote in the upcoming referendum on expanding presidential powers. The April 16 plebiscite is aimed at abolishing the office of the prime minister and giving more executive powers, including issuing decrees, declaring emergency rule, appointing ministers and state officials and dissolving the parliament, to the currently largely ceremonial position of the Turkish president. Critics, however, say the vote would give the Turkish president dictatorial powers. Shortly after the rally in Frankfurt, the Turkish Foreign Ministry angrily slammed the demonstration as "unacceptable" and accused German authorities of "blatant hypocrisy" for allowing the protest despite barring Turkish ministers, earlier this month, from campaigning in the European country for a "Yes" vote. The ban generated an unprecedented row between Ankara and Berlin, with Erdogan calling German Chancellor Angela Merkel a "terrorist supporter" for Berlin's failure in responding to 4,500 dossiers sent by Ankara on terror suspects, including those linked to PKK militants and last year's failed coup in Turkey. Erdogan on Sunday ratcheted up his fiery words against Merkel, accusing her of practicing "Nazi measures." Berlin further infuriated Ankara earlier on Sunday after Germany's BND foreign intelligence agency said that it was unconvinced by Turkish assertions that US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen had masterminded the failed putsch on July 15, 2016. What the BND said contradicted Turkey's stance as the country brands the movement as the Gulenist Terror Organization (FETO). Gulen has denied any involvement in the coup attempt and even condemned it. Kalin accused Berlin of "whitewashing" the Gulen's group, while Turkish Defense Minister Fikri Isik said that the controversial comments by the BND raised questions about whether Germany itself was involved in the coup attempt. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Turkey Threatens Another Rally In Germany, Escalating Tensions Further March 19, 2017 Turkey says there is a possibility that Turkish ministers could plan another rally in Germany ahead of an April 16 referendum, a move that could further escalate tensions between Ankara and Berlin. The comment was made by Ibrahim Kalin, a spokesman to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in an interview with broadcaster CNN Turk on March 19. Earlier, Kalin criticized German authorities for allowing the banned Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK, to hold rallies in Germany. About 30,000 pro-Kurdish protesters gathered in the central city of Frankfurt on March 18 to protest against the referendum sought by Erdogan, which would give the president greater power. Demonstrators in the German city yelled "Erdogan terrorist" and "Freedom for Ocalan," a reference to Abdullah Ocalan, the jailed leader of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militant group. "We strongly condemn the German authorities for allowing the demonstrations by PKK terrorist supporters," Kalin said in a statement. Frankfurt police described the protest as peaceful and said most of the demonstrators had complied with German law. Turkey has been embroiled in an angry diplomatic dispute with Germany and the Netherlands after both countries prevented Turkish ministers from addressing rallies of expatriate Turks, citing safely concerns. Erdogan responded by accusing Germany of "Nazi practices" and blaming the Dutch for the 1995 Srebrenica massacre in Bosnia. On March 17, Turkey threatened to send 15,000 refugees to the European Union and warned it could cancel a March 2016 deal with the EU to curb the influx of refugees to the bloc. Erdogan's call on March 17 for Turks living in Europe to have at least five children, as a response to what he called Europe's "injustices," has also angered German nationalists -- who responded by renewing calls for an end to dual citizenship. Germany is home to over 3 million people of Turkish origin, with nearly half of them eligible to vote in Turkey. Based on reporting by Reuters and AP Source: http://www.rferl.org/a/turkey-germany- erdogan-rally/28378241.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 German Intelligence Chief Says No Evidence Gulen Behind Turkey Coup Sputnik News 04:11 19.03.2017(updated 12:24 19.03.2017) Germany is not convinced that US-based writer, political activist and former imam Fethullah Gulen was behind the failed July 15 coup in Turkey, the country's intelligence chief said Saturday. "Turkey has tried on different levels to convince us of that fact, but they have not succeeded," Federal Intelligence Service (BND) President Bruno Kahl told Der Spiegel in an interview published March 18. Kahl said that despite gathering information from a variety of sources, the BND could not find a direct link between what Turkey calls the Gulenist Terror Group (FETO) and the coup attempt, the Daily Sabah reported. He also called Gulen's organization merely a "civil association for religious and secular education." Turkey classifies the group as a terrorist organization. (Gulen's supporters scoff at the "terrorist" name FETO and say their organization helps support schools, businesses and media and is simply called Hizmet, "service," in Turkish.) Nearly 250 people died in the attempt to oust Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan last summer, when some soldiers turned tanks and aircraft on government buildings in an attempt to take over. In its aftermath, the Turkish government launched a massive purge across all sectors of society, resulting in tens of thousands being arrested, nearly 100,000 detained and an equal number dismissed from media, military, judicial, civil service and educational positions. Media outlets have also been closed on a massive scale. Kahl said that though the coup attempt was not initiated by the Turkish state, Erdogan has used it as "a welcome pretext" for exerting more control over the country, though he said he believed the crackdown would have happened either way. "What we saw following the putsch would have happened regardless. Maybe not on the same scale and with such radicalism," Kahl said, according to AFP. According to Kahl, the purge was already underway before July 15. "That's why a part of the military thought they needed to quickly commit a coup before they were also affected," he said. "But it was too late and they too were also hit by the purges." Gulen, a former supporter of Erdogan, has lived in the United States in self-imposed exile for nearly 20 years. He has always denied being involved in the coup attempt. Germany and the Netherlands are currently at odds with the Turkish government after preventing Erdogan and Turkish ministers from campaigning in their countries in support of a referendum to give much more power to the Turkish presidency, held by Erdogan. The EU sees the changes as undemocratic, and the countries have said campaigning by a foreign power on their soil is inappropriate. Turkey is furious, and has called leaders of both nations "Nazis." Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Turkey's Referendum Campaign Unfair, Erdogan Opponents say By VOA News March 19, 2017 Opposition figures in Turkey say they have faced threats, violence, arbitrary detentions, a lack of TV airtime and even sabotage in the campaign for a referendum on expanding the president's powers. The complaints come even as Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan himself has slammed European countries for not letting his ministers campaign on their soil for the April 16 vote on giving his office more power. Politicians campaigning against the constitutional changes proposed by Erdogan also say the state of emergency in Turkey since a failed coup attempt in July prevents them from getting their message out ahead of the vote. "Those who advocate for a 'no' vote are faced with a series of obstructions," said Utku Cakirozer, a former journalist who is now a lawmaker for the opposition Republican People's Party, or CHP. While he, too, criticized moves by Germany and the Netherlands to stop Turkish ministers from campaigning to Turkish citizens abroad, Cakirozer said "our democracy bar has been lowered a great deal and needs to be raised rapidly." At stake are changes that would usher in an executive presidential system, merging the powers of the prime minister and the president. Erdogan argues that a strong presidency will make Turkey better equipped to deal with economic and security challenges. Critics say it would give Erdogan too much control and further erode the democratic separation of powers in the country. With opinion polls suggesting the outcome of the tight race could be determined by yet-undecided voters, "no" campaigners say they face an uphill battle because Turkey's TV channels are either pro-government or refrain from broadcasts critical of the government for fear of reprisals. Erdogan and members of the government have dominated the airwaves, holding twice-daily campaign speeches that are televised live in their entirety on all channels. Inauguration ceremonies and state-funded official trips also frequently turn into "yes" campaign events. Meanwhile, the pro-government media largely ignore campaign rallies by the "no" camp. Even state-owned media, which is obliged to be neutral, cuts away early from speeches delivered by CHP leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu. Ibrahim Kalin, Erdogan's spokesman, disputed claims of an uneven playing field, saying the opposition was allowed to campaign freely. "Just because the president and the prime minister's rallies attract more numbers and it looks like only `yes' campaigning, that's not true. It's a misperception," he told journalists last week. The CHP says it has counted more than 100 incidents of obstructions to the "no" camp, ranging from physical assaults and death threats to detentions by police. Sinan Ogan, a "no" campaigner who broke away from a nationalist party that backs Erdogan, was interrupted in mid-speech this month at a university in Istanbul by a man who ran on the stage and knocked down the podium, sparking scuffles in the hall. "It's either our electricity cut [during rallies] or leaflets torn apart, or [the rally venue] is being restored at the last moment, or the podium is attacked, or there is an interruption attempt so that we cannot speak,'' he told The Associated Press. "And even if you do speak, no TV station will air it." His political ally, Meral Aksener, was forced to hold a campaign event in the dark after the electricity at her venue in the city of Canakkale was cut off. Erdogan, who called the Dutch and German governments Nazis and fascists for barring Turkish ministers from campaigning in those countries, has said those who oppose the constitutional changes include terrorists and coup-plotters. "That is why I believe my citizens, my brothers, will vote `yes,'" he said. Turkey's state of emergency allows the government to rule by decree and to suppress demonstrations and gatherings. Some 41,000 people have been arrested and tens of thousands of others dismissed from public sector jobs for alleged links to the coup attempt or alleged ties to terror groups. Those in jail include some 150 journalists and a dozen legislators from Turkey's pro-Kurdish party, which also opposes the constitutional changes. A decree issued under the emergency powers has eliminated the High Electoral Board's ability to slap fines on TV stations that don't devote equal campaign time to opposing sides. During a visit to Ankara last month, German Chancellor Angela Merkel called for election observers to be allowed to monitor the vote. European institutions have also expressed concerns over the campaign process, including the restrictions on the freedom of expression and the right to assembly. "If a constitutional referendum must absolutely be held during a state of emergency, restrictions on political freedoms have to be lifted,'' the Venice Commission, a legal advisory body of the Strasbourg, France-based Council of Europe, said in a recent report. ``If the restrictions may not be repealed, the constitutional referendum should be postponed until after the state of emergency." The Sozcu newspaper, one of the few remaining outlets critical of the government, said in a front-page article Wednesday that what the Netherlands did was "wrong," but questioned what was going on at home. "The country's system of governance is changing but those who say `no' are given no space to breathe," it wrote. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Germany Turkey Tensions on Rise following Nazi Comment by Erdogan By Dorian Jones March 19, 2017 Tensions between Germany and Turkery are on the rise again, with the Turkish president accusing the German chancellor of using "Nazi" measures. The accusation follows a pro Kurdish rally in Germany Saturday that turned into a rally against the Turkish President. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, campaigning in a referendum to extend his presidential powers again, turned his fire on the German chancellor Angela Merkel. In a televised speech Sunday, Erdogan used Germany's Nazi past against Merkel "When we call them fascists, Nazis they in Europe get uncomfortable. They rally together in solidarity. Especially Merkel," Erdogan said adding, "But you are right now employing Nazi measures," Erdogan was infuriated after two of his ministers earlier this month were prevented from addressing meetings in Germany for the Turkish diaspora, in support of a yes vote in April's referendum. The meetings were cancelled by local authorities because of security concerns. But on Saturday tens of thousands of Kurds were allowed to attend a gathering in the German City of Frankfurt. The meeting ostensibly to mark Newroz, the Kurdish new year, turned into a rally against Erdogan and called for a "No" vote in the referendum. Turkish foreign minister Mevlut Cavusolgu in a statement accused Berlin of double standards, hypocrisy and supporting the" No" vote. Sunday, the German ambassador was summoned to the foreign ministry to receive an official condemnation. Adding to Ankara's anger, many Kurds attending the Frankfurt rally carried pictures of the imprisoned leaderof the PKK Abdullah Ocalan. The PKK is fighting the Turkish State and is designated internationally as a terrorist organization.. Political columnist Semih Idiz of Al Monitor website says the Europe is becoming increasingly embroiled in Turkish politics. "The vote in Europe is significant , there is nearly 5 million people across Europe who are Turkish. In Germany 1.4 million who are eligible to vote. So this a reflection of domestic politics overflowing into the foreign domain and creating a big mess," said Idiz. Observers say the importance of the diaspora vote which traditionally gives strong support to Erdogan is viewed as increasingly key given that opinion polls indicate the result is too close to call. Tensions with Berlin could ratcheted up further with an Erdogan spokesman saying Turkey is considering sending another minister to Germany to speak at a rally ahead of the April referendum. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Alan Burkitt-Gray speaks to Don MacNeil, chief operating officer of GTT, about its company restructuring after coming out of Chapter 11 and its strategic roadmap for the next 12 months. Icelandic English Enclosed is information on candidates to the Board of Directors of Eimskipafelag Islands hf. to be elected at the Annual General Meeting 23 March 2017. Deadline for declaring candidacy has passed. According to the Company's Articles of Association the Annual General Meeting elects five members and two alternate members for the Board of Directors and therefore the candidates will be elected to the Board of Directors without ballot at the 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 in Korngardar 2, Reykjavik, Iceland. WINSTON-SALEM Trihalomethanes: If consumed in sufficient quantities over many years, these chemicals may cause cancer as well as kidney or liver problems, and they could adversely affect the central nervous system, according to the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Few places in North Carolina illustrate the struggle undertaken by local officials to combat trihalomethanes as clearly as the town of Madison and city of Eden, as well as Henry County, Va. Their yearslong struggle is directly linked to the Belews Creek Steam Station, the massive coal-fired power plant owned by Duke Energy Corp. in Stokes County. According to conservationists, the presence of trihalomethanes in the public drinking water provided by Madison and Eden exposes an alarming flaw in the way the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency regulates coal-fired power plants. Ultimately, we have regulations to protect people and right now were failing, said Amy Adams, the North Carolina program manager at the nonprofit Appalachian Voices based in Boone. Eden has spent more than $2 million over the past few years to upgrade its water-treatment system in an effort to better deal with trihalomethanes. The new treatment system will likely be operating soon, officials said last week. We should be up and running within a month or so, Mayor Wayne Tuggle said. We should be in good shape. Madison has spent just under $1 million to improve its water treatment. Efforts to contact Madison officials were unsuccessful. In Virginia, for years Henry County purchased water from Eden for its residents in the southern portion of the county known as Sandy Level. In May, Henry County stopped buying water from Eden, in part, because of the trihalomethanes that came along with the water. Rather, officials said, the county spent about $700,000 to provide water to the Sandy Level area. While the trihalomethane problem was a factor, it was not the driving factor, Henry County officials said. Extending water lines to residents in the Sandy Level area was something that the county had wanted to do for a while. But the trihalomethanes issue couldnt be ignored. We did have concerns about the quality of water we were purchasing, county administrator Tim Hall said. In all three cases, the common source of water was the Dan River. Root of the problem A primary cause for spikes of trihalomethanes in the drinking water provided by Madison and Eden is bromide, which comes from the Belews Creek power plant in Stokes. Bromide has been released for years in violation of the federal Clean Water Act from the power plants coal ash basin. Seeps at the Belews coal ash basin allow bromide to flow into surface water and groundwater, according to the Southern Environmental Law Center. As the crow flies, Madison and Eden lie a few miles downstream of the power plant. Bromide from the power plant gets picked up by Madison and Eden as they pull water from the Dan. When bromide interacts with chlorine a necessary disinfectant commonly used by water-treatment plants to eliminate a broad spectrum of unwanted elements in raw water an unhealthy byproduct emerges: trihalomethanes. Duke Energy has reimbursed Madison and Eden for their water-treatment upgrades. We want to ensure our operations dont hinder a downstream water systems ability to consistently meet drinking water standards, Duke Energy spokeswoman Erin Culbert said. In the Dan River, we appreciated understanding the challenges some water-treatment plants were facing and provided them technical expertise and resources to protect drinking water in their communities. Pure drinking water? Pure drinking water: Is there such a thing? Annual water-quality reports publicly available on the websites of municipalities and counties throughout North Carolina show that pure drinking water is hard to come by. Most water-quality reports consistently list a wide spectrum of interlopers, from heavy metals to chemicals. Unwanted substances sometimes come in the form of a chemical compound with a five-syllable name derived from Latin, such as trihalomethanes. Local, state and federal water-quality officials try to regulate public water supplies to keep such chemicals as trihalomethanes at bay, down to a level that presents merely a slight chance of making people sick. For trihalomethanes, the level is 80 parts per billion, set by the EPA. But in the universe of water-quality regulation, there are usually two levels. One level is based on a goal that is more protective of public health, known as a maximum contaminant level goal, or MCLG. The other level is based on a goal that weighs what it may cost to control the pollutant as well as other factors. Its known as a maximum contaminant level, or MCL. MCLs are set as close to MCLGs as feasible using the best available treatment technology and taking cost into consideration, the EPA said. For certain chemicals, the MCLG is frequently based on this formula: If a person weighing 70 kilograms (about 155 pounds) drinks 2 liters of water (about 81/2 8-ounce cups) over a lifetime, the person would run a one-in-a-million chance of getting cancer. The level of 80 parts per billion related to trihalomethanes is not the public health goal. Its the enforceable goal, or MCL. Companies monitor the MCL number because its the one on which they may be cited with a notice of violation or financial penalties. When water-quality officials inspect for the presence of trihalomethanes in public water supplies, they check for something known as total trihalomethanes, a group od four chemicals: bromodichloromethane, bromoform, dibromochloromethane and chloroform. There is no collective MCLG for the group, according to the EPA. But there are individual MCLGs for some of the individual contaminants. For bromodichloromethane, the MCLG is zero. For bromoform, its also zero. For dibromochloromethane, its 60 ppb. And for chloroform, its 70 ppb. All are more protective of health than the enforcement MCL of 80 ppb. The town of Madison and city of Eden provide water that, on an annual average, contains TTHM levels in compliance with the MCL of 80 ppb. Edens 2016 annual average, for example, runs about 55 ppb. But there are spikes. On the high range, some quarterly results show, TTHM levels reach between 95 and 100 ppb. Over the years, those spikes forced a decision. To combat the presence of trihalomethanes, Eden officials chose to move away from chlorine in favor of chloramine the new treatment system that according to Tuggle, Edens mayor, should be running soon. As Eden moved to convert its water-treatment process from chlorine to chloramine, Henry County decided to spend money to connect its residents in Sandy Level to the public water that Henry County itself treats and provides to the rest of its residents. The option of switching to a water supply treated by chloramine was not an attractive one. We werent really in favor of the chloramine thing. Some use it, and it helps with the THM problem, but there are still some unknowns, said Mike Ward, the director of regulatory compliance and technical applications at the Henry County Public Service Authority. Many public water systems have switched to chloramine as a disinfectant to combat trihalomethanes, according to the EPA. As with any chemical, its the dose, frequency and duration of exposure that can have an effect. Still, Eden provides its own advisory about chloramine. Edens 2015 water-quality report highlights the citys planned switch from chlorine to chloramines, noting that three groups need to take precautions when using chloraminated water: kidney dialysis patients, fish pond and aquarium owners, and businesses that must use high quality water. Bernie Moore, a member of the Eden City Council, said he was confident that the switch to chloramines would produce safe drinking water, but he said he was not aware of any group who may need to take precautions. Im drinking the water, too. I want it to be safe, Moore said. No easy solution The increased presence of bromide in the Dan River is an indirect result of a clean-air law enacted by North Carolina in 2002. The states Clean Smokestacks Act set limits on the amount of nitrogen oxides and sulfur dioxide puffed into the air by coal-fired power plants. As a result, Duke Energy installed scrubbers required by the state law to reduce those emissions. And that led to cleaner air. In 2006, before the scrubbers were installed, air-quality data reported 95,365 and 21,013 tons of emission, respectively, of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides from the Belews Creek power plant, according to state environmental officials. In 2010, two years after the scrubbers were installed, the emission of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides fell to 3,643 and 3,277 tons, respectively. Harmful byproduct But theres a drawback. Scrubbers may take more sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides out of the air but the process results in wastewater that contains bromide. After scrubbers were installed at the Belews Creek power plant in 2008, trihalomethanes started showing up in Madison and Eden. Its been almost a decade since downstream drinking-water providers noticed spikes in carcinogens caused by discharges from Duke Energys Belews Creek facility, yet Duke Energys response confirms that the problem has not been fixed to date, said Frank Holleman, a senior attorney at the Southern Environmental Law Center. Duke Energy needs to implement the only known solution that will eliminate bromide discharges from the coal ash basin: excavation of the coal ash, Holleman said. Theres no easy fix. Culbert, the Duke Energy spokeswoman, said that utilities nationwide are dealing with the same emerging issue. There is no commercial technology to remove bromides from plant wastewater. As we participate in groundbreaking research, weve been addressing this by avoiding high-bromide coals as much as practical and by partnering with downstream water utilities as needed, she said. Duke Energy has spent about $3.7 million in bromide research. The EPA does not regulate bromide. Although the power plants coal ash basin has allowed bromide to seep into groundwater and surface water, there is no MCL to regulate the bromide once it gets into the Dan. The bromide at Belews is coming from the scrubber and not the coal ash, and the method of basin closure will have no effect on addressing bromide, Culbert said. Well safely remove ash basin water no matter how we close the basin, and bromide will continue to be released from the scrubber process just as it is from other coal plants with scrubbers across the nation. The bromide problem merits a broad review, according to Adams, the Appalachian Voices program manager. Is this a Dan River basin issue or is this more systemic? Are we going to find more of this with other scrubber systems? Adams said. This is the problem when you permit Duke Energy and other large polluters to put waste in streams that provide drinking water to thousands of people. To the editor: My parents taught me that if you lie, you will be held accountable. Well, to me, even if you have the highest office in the country, you should also be held accountable, but for some strange reason Donald Trumps not and gets away with it each and every time. Some say thats just Donald being Donald. Really. It looks like when this man has a bad night or bad dreams, he gets up and tweets what he dreamed that night or gets his information from the National Enquirer, Fox News or Steve Bannon and the alt-right. He must have dreamed that President Obama had his phones wiretapped because no such thing happened. Since he couldnt come up with any proof, he should be held accountable. If I were Obama, he would see me in court for sure, but again he will get away with it. On another note, Vice President Mike Pence said it was the first time he had heard that retired Gen. Mike Flynn was a foreign agent of Turkey. Another lie. Pence was head of the transition team, and Flynns lawyers told him Flynn needed to register as a foreign agent. But again, the so-called fake news media uncovered the truth, as well as the truth about Flynn talking to the Russian ambassador about the Obama sanctions imposed, which was illegal. The acting attorney general really uncovered the truth about Flynn and that got her fired. I guess Trump didnt want the truth to come out. It looks like Trumps followers could care less about all the lies, only that a Republican made it to the White House with a Republican majority in Congress that still gets nothing done and fights among themselves. Im still looking for day that this man will act presidential and actually gets something done for all Americans, not just the very rich. ROBERT HAYDEN Blairs Concise letters 250 words or fewer on topics of local interest will receive first consideration for publication. All letters are subject to editing for language and clarity. Mailing Address: Letters to the Editor, The Register & Bee, 700 Monument St., Danville, VA 24541 Letters submitted by mail must include the writer's name, signature, address and a daytime phone number. Fax: (434) 799-0595 Email: letters@registerbee.com Or submit a letter via our online form: Submit a letter The Washington Companies (Washington), a group of privately held North American mining, industrial and transportation businesses founded by industrialist and entrepreneur Dennis R. Washington, today announced that it has made a proposal to the board of directors of Dominion Diamond Corporation (TSX: DDC, NYSE: DDC) (Dominion) for a transaction in which Washington would acquire all of the outstanding common shares of Dominion for US$13.50 per share in cash, representing a 36 percent premium to Dominions closing stock price on March 17, 2017 and a 54 percent premium to the price when discussions ended on March 15, 2017. The proposal, which was made in a letter to Dominions board of directors on February 21, 2017, is not conditional on financing but is conditional on Washington conducting confirmatory due diligence during a period of exclusivity and negotiating an acquisition agreement. After multiple discussions and concessions made by Washington over a three-week period, Dominions board of directors continues to refuse to grant Washington access to due diligence, which Washington has stated could lead to an increased offer price, on terms acceptable to Washington. Washington has a long track record of growing its businesses throughout North America, with expertise in the mining industry and the Canadian market. Washington strongly supports Dominions plans to develop the Company's mining assets, while positively impacting current and future employees and benefiting local communities. Washington would provide Dominion opportunities for further growth and work closely with management to put in place an appropriate long-term cost structure to preserve the operational and financial flexibility for management to execute its strategic plan. The nature of the mining business favors an owner such as Washington, which has a deep understanding of the sector, a long-term view and permanent capital to invest in the business over multiple decades. We believe our proposal is extremely compelling and clearly in the best interests of Dominion and all of its stakeholders, including shareholders, customers, employees, and communities, said Lawrence R. Simkins, President of Washington. If the transaction is consummated, it would provide Dominion shareholders with a substantial cash premium and offer superior value to that which Dominion could realize through ongoing execution of its plan or any other available alternative transaction. As a part of Washington, Dominion would receive significant, long-term investment to develop its most promising growth assets, creating meaningful opportunities for its employees and the communities in which it operates. Mr. Simkins continued, We are disappointed that Dominions board has thus far prevented Washington from moving ahead with its proposal under which shareholders would receive a substantial premium and immediate liquidity, but we remain fully committed to completing this transaction. Background On Discussions Following Washingtons proposal to Dominions board of directors on February 21, 2017, the companies engaged in discussions and an in-person meeting to discuss the terms upon which Washington would be given access to due diligence and a potential path forward. On March 15, 2017 the Dominion board of directors advised that it would not grant Washington access to due diligence unless Washington agreed to a broad 12-month standstill and would not agree to an exclusivity period as requested by Washington for it to complete its due diligence. Despite reasonable accommodations, which included Washington agreeing to a partial standstill providing that it would not acquire shares, make an unsolicited offer or sponsor a proxy fight during the standstill period and offering generous carve-outs to its exclusivity request, Dominion still refused. Washington made it clear to Dominion that, while it would agree to certain standstill restrictions, under no circumstances would it agree to be restricted from publicly disclosing its proposal if the parties could not come to a definitive agreement. As a result, discussions have ended. The proposal letter sent by Washington to Dominion Diamonds board of directors on February 21, 2017 follows: February 21, 2017 STRICTLY CONFIDENTIAL James Gowans, Chairman, and the Board of Directors Dominion Diamond Corporation 4920-52nd Street Suite 1102 Yellowknife, NT I X1A 3T1 I Canada Dear Mr. Gowans and Directors: The Washington Corporations ("Washington" or "we") are pleased to submit this non-binding proposal to acquire 100% of the equity of Dominion Diamond Corporation (the "Company" or "you") in an all-cash transaction (the "Proposed Transaction") on substantially the terms described in this letter. Based on our knowledge of the Company from publicly available sources, we are proposing to acquire 100% of the Company's outstanding common shares in cash at USD$13.50/share, which represents a 35% premium to the closing price of USD$9.98 on Friday, February 17th. The Proposed Transaction allows all of the Company's shareholders to realize immediate, significant cash consideration for their shares. The making of a binding proposal with respect to the Proposed Transaction will be subject to our confirmatory diligence, as discussed below, and the negotiated terms of a customary definitive acquisition agreement (the "Acquisition Agreement"). We anticipate that the Proposed Transaction would be structured as a statutory plan of arrangement under the Canada Business Corporations Act. Subject to the completion of due diligence we may value the Company higher than the indicated price. The Washington Companies are a group of individual privately held companies headquartered throughout the United States and Western Canada, conducting business internationally. Our purpose is to reliably provide equipment, technology, service, and special expertise that aid our customers to operate more efficiently and more profitably. We have focused our businesses in the areas of mining, marine transportation, rail transportation, heavy equipment distribution, environmental remediation and aviation technology and service. We have a long history of successfully completing transactions of this nature in an expedient fashion. We have consistently demonstrated our commitment to our businesses by supporting our management teams' growth initiatives through high levels of service and the timely and prudent investment of capital. In particular, we are committed to mining in North America and have deep experience as the owner and operator of Montana Resources, which is an open pit copper and molybdenum mine in Butte, Montana one of the largest in North America. We, along with our team of advisors, have followed the Company closely and are familiar with its operations, assets and with the diamond industry. We strongly support management's plans to develop the Company's mining assets and to continue to pursue strategies for further growth. In particular, we believe that development of the Ekati Mine Jay pipe is important to all of the stakeholders of the Company, including the local economy, and is an integral part of the value of the business. We also believe that the nature of the mining business favors a shareholder with a long-term view, patience and effectively permanent capital to invest in the business over multiple decades. Given our long-term investment philosophy, we anticipate starting with a conservative capital structure that will allow us to continue development of the Ekati Mine Jay pipe and pursue the Company's current mining plan, while providing opportunity for further growth. We have the resources to fund the Proposed Transaction from existing liquidity. However, we will likely access the debt markets for a portion of the consideration in order to provide the Company with the most appropriate and cost-effective long-term capital structure. Based on our experience, we are confident that we will be able to arrange the debt financing needed to support this acquisition and do not expect the Acquisition Agreement or related documentation to contain a financing contingency. Any changes to this proposed leverage and structure will be assessed in collaboration with management to ensure that we preserve the operational and financial flexibility necessary for the management to execute its business plan. As noted above, the making of a binding proposal to complete the Proposed Acquisition would be subject to: (a) negotiation of a mutually satisfactory binding Acquisition Agreement and related documentation with standard representations, warranties, conditions and other provisions; and (b) completion of confirmatory due diligence, including: site visits, meeting with management and customary operational, financial, legal and tax due diligence. The Acquisition Agreement would be subject to standard conditions of closing, including but not limited to, satisfaction of any required regulatory approvals (which are not expected to be of any consequence). We have been working with advisors and the publicly available information to further our understanding of the diamond industry and the Company in particular. We are prepared to move expeditiously to complete our due diligence and to negotiate the definitive Acquisition Agreement within a 45-day confirmatory due diligence period, which would be extendable by 15 days if we are still working in good faith to negotiate the definitive Acquisition Agreement after 45 days, and to do so in a manner which would not be disruptive to the Company. Until such time as we and the Company enter into a definitive Acquisition Agreement, any public disclosure by the Company of the existence or contents of this letter would be premature. If this letter is accepted and agreed to, the Company agrees that the existence and contents of this letter shall be held in strict confidence by the Company and, except as required by law or the rules and regulations of any applicable stock exchange and after prior notice to Washington to the extent permissible, no disclosure of the contents of this letter shall be made to any person whatsoever other than its directors, officers and employees and/or advisors who "need to know" such information for the purpose of proceeding with the Proposed Transaction. Based upon the substantial premium we expect to be offering to your shareholders, the benefits involved for all of your stakeholders, and the substantial time and resources we are spending on the Proposed Transaction, we request an exclusivity period for Washington to complete its outstanding diligence and enter into a definitive Acquisition Agreement with the Company. If this letter is accepted, in consideration of the time that will be expended and the expenses incurred by us in connection with pursuing the Proposed Transaction, you agree that for a period commencing on the date of your acceptance of this letter until 45 days from the date we are first given access to a formal and substantially complete data room with due diligence materials (which period shall be extended by 15 days if we are still working in good faith to negotiate the definitive Acquisition Agreement after 45 days): (a) you and your affiliates will not, and will not permit your and their respective officers, directors or agents (collectively, "Agents"), directly or indirectly, to take any action to solicit, initiate, encourage or facilitate any inquiries regarding, or the making of, any Acquisition Proposal (as hereinafter defined), and: (b) you will promptly advise us if you receive any inquiries or proposals from a third party or their Agents regarding an Acquisition Proposal, including the material terms of any such Acquisition Proposal. The term "Acquisition Proposal" means any offer or proposal for, or any indication of interest in, (i) the direct or indirect purchase of any of the shares of the Company or any successor, (ii) any merger, amalgamation, arrangement or other business combination involving the Company or any successor, (iii) the acquisition of any equity interest in, or any material portion of, the assets of the Company or its subsidiaries or any successor or any assets used in the business of the Company, or (iv) any offer or proposal for a securitization, monetization or similar arrangements relating to the Company, its business or its assets, other than the transactions contemplated by this letter. You represent and warrant to us that you and your Agents are not currently involved in any discussions or negotiations with respect to any Acquisition Proposal by any person or entity other than Washington. Except for the two preceding paragraphs (which are intended to be binding), this letter is non-binding and does not create or impose any legal obligation on any party. In particular, notwithstanding anything in this letter to the contrary, this letter is a statement of our intentions, shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of New York without regard to principles of conflict of laws, is not a legally binding agreement on Washington, and shall not give rise to any legal consequences in any respect. Washington will not be legally bound to purchase the Company until the parties enter into binding definitive agreements. Should you have any questions regarding this letter, please contact Larry Simkins at (406) 523-1383. We hope you will agree that the prompt implementation of the Proposed Transaction is in the best interests of the Company and all of its stakeholders. The Proposed Transaction provides all shareholders immediate, substantial cash consideration for their shares, while providing the Company a stable, long-term owner focused on growing the Company. This will provide significant employment and economic benefit over a mine life that may be extended by decades, positively impacting the Company's current and future employees and the communities of the First Nations, the Northwest Territories and all of Canada. We ask that you respond to us by February 28, 2017. We look forward to hearing from you, so that we can begin to move forward together with this exciting transaction. Sincerely, WASHINGTON CORPORATIONS By: /s/ Lawrence R. Simkins, President BDT & Company, LLC is providing financial advice to The Washington Companies, Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP is providing legal counsel in the U.S. and Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP is providing legal counsel in Canada. About The Washington Companies The Washington Companies, founded by industrialist and entrepreneur Dennis R. Washington, are privately held companies active in the core industries of mining, rail and marine transportation, aviation, environmental remediation and restoration services, and heavy equipment sales and service. The companies are headquartered throughout Montana, the Pacific Northwest and western Canada and conduct business internationally. Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward Looking Statements and Regarding the Nature and Legal Effect of the Proposal Some information in this news release may be forward-looking. Implicit in that information are assumptions and expectations which, although considered reasonable by us, may prove to be incorrect. Actual future outcomes and results, including whether our proposal is acted upon by Dominion, whether a transaction and the definitive documentation relating thereto are agreed to by the parties and whether the conditions relating to such transaction are satisfied, are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, and could differ materially from what is currently proposed or planned as described herein. You should not place undue importance on forward-looking information. While we may elect to, we are under no obligation and do not undertake to update this information at any particular time. The non-binding proposal is subject to, among other things, the satisfactory completion of confirmatory due diligence, the negotiation and execution of a definitive agreement on mutually agreeable terms and the receipt of any necessary corporate and other third party approvals, including the approval of Dominions board of directors and shareholders. No binding obligation will arise with respect to the proposed transaction unless and until a definitive agreement with Dominion has been executed and delivered. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170319005058/en/ Contact Sard Verbinnen & Co George Sard / Anna Cordasco / Jared Levy / Pat Scanlan 212-687-8080 HONG KONG and CALGARY, Mar 19, 2017 - The Board of Directors of Sunshine Oilsands Ltd. ("the Corporation" or "Sunshine") (HKSE:2012) is pleased to announce the following: MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING WITH CPECC IN RELATION TO WEST ELLS PHASE II PROJECT EXPANSION On March 20, 2017 (Hong Kong Time) / March 19, 2017 (Calgary Time), the Corporation and China Petroleum Engineering & Construction Corporation (CPECC) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding ("MOU") in relation to the West Ells Phase II ("Phase II") project expansion. West Ells Phase I is currently in production with positive reservoir performance and the production volume is continuously increasing. The designed production capacity of Phase I is 5,000 barrels per day. West Ells Phase II is an expansion of the Phase I project with an additional production capacity of 5,000 barrels per day. As at the date of this announcement, all 8 wells have already been drilled. Additional works required for the project expansion include reviewing and refining of some of the designs, completion works for the wells, and surface facility construction. The total capital required for completion of the Phase II is expected to be approximately USD$50m as it will share most of the surface facilities with Phase I. Upon completion of Phase II, the total production capacity of West Ells will be 10,000 barrels per day. The average production costs per barrel is expected to be significantly reduced after the Phase II expansion as fixed costs account for a significant portion of the production cost and can now be shared with the Phase II project. CPECC and the Corporation will further explore and discuss the work of this expansion project. CPECC intends to work as the contractor and undertakes the engineering, procurement, construction and operation maintenance work. The Corporation will provide further updates when the formal agreement is signed. ABOUT SUNSHINE OILSANDS LTD. The Corporation is a Calgary-based public corporation listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange since March 1, 2012. The Corporation is focused on the development of its significant holdings of oil sands leases in the Athabasca oil sands region of Alberta, Canada. The Corporation owns interests in approximately one million acres of oil sands and petroleum and natural gas leases in the Athabasca region. The Corporation is currently focused on executing milestone undertakings in the West Ells project area. West Ells has an initial production target rate of 5,000 barrels per day. FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION This announcement contains forward-looking information relating to, among other things, (a) the future financial performance and objectives of Sunshine; and (b) the plans and expectations of the Corporation. Such forward-looking information is subject to various risks, uncertainties and other factors. All statements other than statements and information of historical fact are forward-looking statements. The use of words such as "estimate", "forecast", "expect", "project", "plan", "target", "vision", "goal", "outlook", "may", "will", "should", "believe", "intend", "anticipate", "potential", and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on Sunshine's experience, current beliefs, assumptions, information and perception of historical trends available to Sunshine, and are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties including, but not limited to those associated with resource definition and expected reserves and contingent and prospective resources estimates, unanticipated costs and expenses, regulatory approval, fluctuating oil and gas prices, expected future production, the ability to access sufficient capital to finance future development and credit risks, changes in Alberta's regulatory framework, including changes to regulatory approval process and land-use designations, royalty, tax, environmental, greenhouse gas, carbon and other laws or regulations and the impact thereof and the costs associated with compliance. Although Sunshine believes that the expectations represented by such forward-looking statements are reasonable, there can be no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Readers are cautioned that the assumptions and factors discussed in this announcement are not exhaustive and readers are not to place undue reliance on forward- looking statements as the Corporation's actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied. Sunshine disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, subsequent to the date of this announcement, except as required under applicable securities legislation. The forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this announcement and are expressly qualified by these cautionary statements. Readers are cautioned that the foregoing lists are not exhaustive and are made as at the date hereof. For a full discussion of the Corporation's material risk factors, see the Corporation's annual information form for the year ended December 31, 2015 and risk factors described in other documents we file from time to time with securities regulatory authorities, all of which are available on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange at www.hkexnews.hk, on the SEDAR website at www.sedar.com or the Corporation's website at www.sunshineoilsands.com. Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited and The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited take no responsibility for the contents of this announcement, make no representation as to its accuracy or completeness and expressly disclaim any liability whatsoever for any loss howsoever arising from or in reliance upon the whole or any part of the contents of this announcement. This announcement appears for information purpose only and does not constitute an invitation or offer to acquire, purchase or subscribe for securities of Sunshine Oilsands Ltd. (a corporation incorporated under the Business Corporations Act of the Province of Alberta, Canada with limited liability) This announcement is made in accordance with the Inside Information Provision under Part XIVA of the Securities and Futures Ordinance (Chapter 571 of the Laws of Hong Kong) and Rule 13.09(2)(a) of the Rules Governing the Listing of Securities on the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited. By Order of the Board of Sunshine Oilsands Ltd. Sun Kwok Ping, Executive Chairman Hong Kong, March 20, 2017 Calgary, March 19, 2017 As at the date of this announcement, the Board consists of Mr. Kwok Ping Sun, Mr. Hong Luo, Dr. Qi Jiang and Mr. Qiping Men as executive directors; Mr. Michael John Hibberd, Mr. Jianzhong Chen and Ms. Xijuan Jiang as non- executive directors; and Mr. Raymond Shengti Fong, Mr. Gerald Franklin Stevenson, Ms. Joanne Yan and Mr. Yi He as independent non-executive directors. For identification purposes only Contact Sunshine Oilsands Ltd. Mr. Hong Luo, Chief Executive Officer (1) 403-984-1450 investorrelations@sunshineoilsands.com www.sunshineoilsands.com CALGARY, ALBERTA--(Marketwired - March 20, 2017) - Mkango Resources Ltd. (TSX VENTURE:MKA)(AIM:MKA) (the "Company" or "Mkango") is pleased to announce that it has entered into a Memorandum Of Understanding ("MOU") with Metalysis Limited ("Metalysis") to jointly research, develop and commercialise novel rare earth metal alloys for use in three-dimensional (3D) printed permanent magnets. The MOU will combine Mkango's intelligence surrounding the performance characteristics and future global demand outlook for rare earth magnets with Metalysis' disruptive, solid-state process, which can generate high margins from the manufacture of metal powders for markets including 3D printing. Together, the parties envisage a comprehensive research and development ("R&D") programme, culminating in the joint pursuit of commercial opportunities. One such opportunity includes evaluating the United Kingdom as a future host country for a manufacturing plant to exploit a commercialised technology. Rare earth permanent magnets are a critical component of many electric vehicles, as well as other consumer and green technologies. China dominates the rare earth permanent magnet industry, and with one of the few rare earths projects outside China to have advanced beyond the pre-feasibility stage, Mkango is well-placed to respond to the global demand outlook. Mkango's share of the first phase of R&D costs will be funded out of existing cash resources. William Dawes, Chief Executive Officer of Mkango, said: "We are very pleased to collaborate with Metalysis. It is a core part of Mkango's strategy to be at the forefront of research and technology in every step of the rare earths supply chain; positioning the Company as a future low cost, sustainable supplier of rare earths used in electric vehicles and other green technologies, which have entered a new phase of accelerating demand growth. The R&D programme will seek to enhance marketing flexibility, increase future margins and affirm the Company's competitive positioning." About Metalysis Limited Metalysis is a growing company, based in South Yorkshire, U.K, with global rights to disruptive technology posing proven economic and environmental benefits over traditional metal production methods. The Company is committed to transforming the metals industry through its patented process for producing Titanium, Tantalum, other metals and innovative alloy powders. Metalysis' process, originating from the University of Cambridge and proven at industrial scale, can generate high margins from the manufacture of metal powders for markets including 3D printing. About Mkango Resources Limited Mkango's primary business is the exploration for rare earth elements and associated minerals in the Republic of Malawi, a country whose hospitable people have earned it a reputation as "the warm heart of Africa." Mkango holds, through its wholly owned subsidiary Lancaster Exploration Limited, a 100% interest in two exclusive prospecting licenses in southern Malawi, the Phalombe licence and the Thambani licence. The main exploration target in the Phalombe licence is the Songwe Hill rare earths' deposit, which features carbonatite hosted rare earth mineralisation and was subject to previous exploration in the late 1980s. Mkango completed an updated Pre-feasibility Study for the project in November 2015. Mkango's strategy for Songwe is to further optimise the project with a view to maximising efficiency and reducing costs, thereby providing a strong platform for entering into partnerships, marketing and offtake arrangements. The main exploration targets in the Thambani licence are uranium, niobium, tantalum and other associated minerals. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements This news release may contain forward-looking statements. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, as there can be no assurance that the plans, intentions or expectations upon which they are based will occur. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve numerous assumptions, known and unknown risks and uncertainties, both general and specific, that contribute to the possibility that the predictions, forecasts, projections and other forward-looking statements will not occur, which may cause actual performance and results in future periods to differ materially from any estimates or projections of future performance or results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors and risks include, without limiting the foregoing, delays in obtaining financing or governmental or stock exchange approvals. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are made as of the date of this press release. Except as required by law, the Company disclaims any intention and assumes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable law. Additionally, the Company undertakes no obligation to comment on the expectations of, or statements made by, third parties in respect of the matters discussed above. The TSX Venture Exchange has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this press release. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any equity or other securities of the Company in the United States. The securities of the Company will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act") and may not be offered or sold within the United States to, or for the account or benefit of, U.S. persons except in certain transactions exempt from the registration requirements of the U.S. Securities Act. KELOWNA, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwired - March 20, 2017) - Fission Uranium Corp. (TSX:FCU)(OTCQX:FCUUF)(FRANKFURT:2FU) ("Fission" or "the Company") is pleased to announce that its exploration drilling has resulted in the discovery of a new high-grade zone - R1515W - at its' PLS property, host to the Triple R deposit, in Canada's Athabasca Basin region. The zone is located along the western strike extension of the Patterson Lake Corridor, west of both the Triple R deposit and the R840W zone. The discovery of the new high-grade zone is marked by hole PLS17-539, which has intersected 32.0m of total composite mineralization, including a 31.0m wide continuously mineralized interval including a total composite of 0.77m of radioactivity >10,000 cps (with a peak of 22,300 cps). The hole is located on line 1515W, approximately 510m west of the western-most mineralized hole on the high-grade, near-surface R840W zone. Drilling Highlights Include: New zone - R1515W - discovered by regional exploration drilling approximately 510m west of the high-grade, near-surface R840W zone Western Extension includes 180m of strike length of anomalous radioactivity (1485W to 1515W): 3 additional core holes and 4 reverse circulation "RC" holes intersected anomalous radioactivity associated with hydrothermal alteration between lines 1485W and 1665W including hole PLS17-539 (line 1515W): 32.0m total composite mineralization over a 87.5m section (between 134.5m to 222.0m), including 31.0m of continuous mineralization (191.0m to 222.0m), including 0.77m total composite >10,000 cps Expansion of the Athabasca Basin's largest high-grade mineralized trend to 3.14km: Fission has now extended the PLS high-grade mineralized trend from 2.63km to 3.14km, which is larger in strike length than any other mineralized trend in the region Ross McElroy, President, COO, and Chief Geologist for Fission, commented "We are thrilled with the discovery of a new zone at PLS along the very prospective Patterson Lake Corridor and with the increase of half a kilometer to the high-grade mineralized trend, which now stands at 3.14km in strike length. This success is the validation of a key objective during the winter drill program: to discover new, shallow and high-grade occurrences on the prolific PLS project. Having successfully encountered anomalous radioactivity with our drilling in a 625m step out from R840W (see news release Feb 27, 2017), and subsequently seeing anomalous radioactivity in several core and RC holes over 180m of strike length, we were confident we were in the right area. With substantial mineralization in hole PLS17-539, we now have confirmation. The next step for this area is to begin growing the zone, just as we have done so successfully with every zone at PLS and we will also continue to pursue our other exploration hot spots on the property." Western Extension grown to 180m strike length: Exploration drilling of the western extension of the Patterson Lake Corridor during the winter 2017 program to date is comprised of 7 core holes and 6 "RC" holes, including 2 core holes previously reported (PLS17-514 and PLS17-519 on line 1665W reported on Feb 27, 2017). Nine of these holes (5 core holes and 4 RC holes), including PLS17-539, over a 180m strike length between lines 1485W and 1665W, show variable anomalous radioactivity and hydrothermal alteration. These exploration results are very encouraging and now, with a wide mineralized intersection, including high-grade radioactivity, the western extension will continue to be the focus of further testing. As was the case with the discovery of the R840W zone in 2016, the new zone discovery on line 1515W again proves that Fission's innovative use of lower-cost RC drilling and follow-up core drilling, coupled with a very skilled and motivated exploration team is a recipe for success. The uniquely shallow nature of PLS mineralization makes this a viable exploration approach. Table 1: Exploration Core Drilling - Patterson Lake Corridor Western Extension Collar * Hand-held Scintillometer Results On Mineralized Drillcore (>300 cps / >0.5M minimum) Sandstone Basement Total Hole ID Conductor Grid Line Az Dip From (m) To (m) Width (m) CPS Peak Range Lake Depth (m) From - To (m) Unconformity Depth (m) Drillhole Depth (m) PLS17-523 PLB-3B Ext 1665W 363 -81.6 No Significant Radioactivity NA NA 113.0 665.0 PLS17-530 PLB-3B Ext 1485W 103 -86.7 142.1 143.5 1.4 600 - 1100 NA NA *142.1 291.0 149.5 150.0 0.5 360 154.5 157.0 2.5 <300 - 6800 168.0 170.0 2.0 <300 - 510 175.5 176.0 0.5 350 199.5 200.0 0.5 330 203.0 203.5 0.5 570 PLS17-533 PLB-3B Ext 1485W 321 -80.2 141.0 141.5 0.5 380 NA NA 107.0 264.0 145.5 157.0 11.5 300 - 6500 164.0 164.5 0.5 640 PLS17-537 PLB-3B Ext 1485W 335 -79.9 No Significant Radioactivity NA NA 111.5 204.8 PLS17-539 PLB-3B Ext 1515W 336 -80.4 134.5 135.0 0.5 590 NA NA 105.5 329.0 165.5 166.0 0.5 580 191.0 222.0 31.0 <300 - 22300 *Coring of PLS17-530 started at terminus depth of RC hole PLSRC17-014 Table 2: Exploration RC Drilling - Patterson Lake Corridor Western Extension Collar * Hand-held Scintillometer Results On Mineralized Drillcore (>300 cps / >0.5M minimum) Sandstone Basement Total Hole ID Conductor Grid Line Az Dip From (m) To (m) Width (m) CPS Average CPS Peak Range Lake Depth (m) From - To (m) Unconformity Depth (m) Drillhole Depth (m) PLSRC17-011 PLB-3B Ext 1485W 344 -81.0 154.0 154.9 0.9 557 460 - 636 NA NA 112.8 318.5 171.9 172.9 1.0 812 528 - 1102 175.0 176.0 1.0 992 597 - 1484 PLSRC17-012 PLB-3B Ext 1485W 137 -76.6 131.2 135.8 4.6 529 467 - 617 NA NA 118.9 285.0 141.0 148.9 7.9 592 436 - 1362 158.4 159.1 0.7 681 536 - 847 PLSRC17-013 PLB-3B Ext 1485W 143 -80.8 138.0 139.9 1.9 807 488 - 1223 NA NA 129.5 376.4 149.3 150.5 1.2 654 501 - 914 152.7 167.6 14.9 736 435 - 1313 170.2 170.8 0.6 591 525 - 672 PLSRC17-014 PLB-3B Ext 1485W 83 -87.2 135.1 136.4 1.3 2290 541 - 4066 NA NA 115.8 143.3 PLSRC17-015 PLB-3B Ext 1485W 278 -73.7 No Significant Radioactivity NA NA 153.9 353.6 PLSRC17-016 PLB-3B Ext 1290W 357 -78.0 No Significant Radioactivity NA NA 123.4 288.0 Natural gamma radiation in drill core that is reported in this news release was measured in counts per second (cps) using a hand held RS-121 Scintillometer manufactured by Radiation Solutions, which is capable of discriminating readings to 65,535 cps. Natural gamma radiation in the drill hole survey that is reported in both core and reverse circulation "RC" holes this news release was measured in counts per second (cps) using a Mount Sopris 2GHF-1000 Triple Gamma probe, which allows for more accurate measurements in high grade mineralized zones. The Triple Gamma probe is preferred in zones of high grade mineralization. The reader is cautioned that scintillometer readings are not directly or uniformly related to uranium grades of the rock sample measured, and should be used only as a preliminary indication of the presence of radioactive materials. The degree of radioactivity within the mineralized intervals is highly variable and associated with visible pitchblende mineralization. All intersection measurements are down-hole. All depths reported of core interval and down-hole gamma measurements including radioactivity and mineralization intervals widths are not always representative of true thickness and true thicknesses are yet to be determined in zones outside of the Triple R deposit. Within the Triple R deposit, individual zone wireframe models constructed from assay data and used in the resource estimate indicate that both the R780E and R00E zones have a complex geometry controlled by and parallel to steeply south-dipping lithological boundaries as well as a preferential sub-horizontal orientation. PLS Mineralized Trend & Triple R Deposit Summary Uranium mineralization at PLS occurs within the Patterson Lake Conductive Corridor and has been traced by core drilling approximately 3.14km of east-west strike length in five separated mineralized "zones". From west to east, these zones are: R1515W, R840W, R00E, R780E and R1620E. Thus far only the R00E and R780E have been included in the Triple R deposit resource estimate, where-as the R840W and R1620E zones and the recent addition of the R1515W zone, fall outside of the current resource estimate window. The discovery hole of what is now referred to as the Triple R uranium deposit was announced on November 05, 2012 with drill hole PLS12-022, from what is considered part of the R00E zone. Through successful exploration programs completed to date, it has evolved into a large, near surface, basement hosted, structurally controlled high-grade uranium deposit. The Triple R deposit consists of the R00E zone on the western side and the much larger R780E zone further on strike to the east. Within the deposit, the R00E and R780E zones have an overall combined strike length validated by a resource estimate of approximately 1.05km with the R00E measuring approximately 105m in strike length and the R780E zones measuring approximately 945m in strike length. A 225m gap separates the R00E zone to the west and the R780E zones to the east, though sporadic narrow, weakly mineralized intervals from drill holes within this gap suggest the potential for further significant mineralization in this area. The R780E zone is located beneath Patterson Lake which is approximately six metres deep in the area of the deposit. The entire Triple R deposit is covered by approximately 50m to 60m of overburden. Mineralization remains open along strike in both the western and eastern directions. Basement rocks within the mineralized trend are identified primarily as mafic volcanic rocks with varying degrees of alteration. Mineralization is both located within and associated with mafic volcanic intrusives with varying degrees of silicification, metasomatic mineral assemblages and hydrothermal graphite. The graphitic sequences are, associated with the PL-3B basement Electro-Magnetic (EM) Conductor. Recent very positive drill results returning wide and strongly mineralized intersections from the R840W zone, has allowed interpretation to merge the previously described R600W zone into the R840W zone. The R840W zone, located 495m west along strike of the Triple R deposit, now has a defined strike length of 465m and is still open. Drill results within the R840W zone have significantly upgraded the prospectivity of these areas for further growth of the PLS resource on land to the west of the Triple R deposit. The recent discovery of high-grade mineralization further to the west on line 1515W (R1515W zone), located 510m to the west along strike of the R840W zone, has significantly upgraded the prospectivity for further growth to the west along the Patterson Lake Corridor. The recently discovered high-grade mineralization in the R1620E zone, located 270m to the east along strike has significantly upgraded the prospectivity for further growth of the PLS resource to the east of the Triple R deposit. Updated maps and files can be found on the Company's website at http://fissionuranium.com/project/pls/. Patterson Lake South Property The 31,039 hectare PLS project is 100% owned and operated by Fission Uranium Corp. PLS is accessible by road with primary access from all-weather Highway 955, which runs north to the former Cluff Lake mine and passes through the nearby UEX-Areva Shea Creek discoveries located 50km to the north, currently under active exploration and development. The technical information in this news release has been prepared in accordance with the Canadian regulatory requirements set out in National Instrument 43-101 and reviewed on behalf of the company by Ross McElroy, P.Geol., President and COO for Fission Uranium Corp., a qualified person. About Fission Uranium Corp. Fission Uranium Corp. is a Canadian based resource company specializing in the strategic exploration and development of the Patterson Lake South uranium property -- host to the class-leading Triple R uranium deposit -- and is headquartered in Kelowna, British Columbia. Fission's common shares are listed on the TSX Exchange under the symbol "FCU" and trade on the OTCQX marketplace in the U.S. under the symbol "FCUUF." ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD Ross McElroy, President and COO Cautionary Statement: Certain information contained in this press release constitutes "forward-looking information", within the meaning of Canadian legislation. Generally, these forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will be taken", "occur", "be achieved" or "has the potential to". Forward-looking statements contained in this press release may include statements regarding the future operating or financial performance of Fission and Fission Uranium which involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties which may not prove to be accurate. Actual results and outcomes may differ materially from what is expressed or forecasted in these forward-looking statements. Such statements are qualified in their entirety by the inherent risks and uncertainties surrounding future expectations. Among those factors which could cause actual results to differ materially are the following: market conditions and other risk factors listed from time to time in our reports filed with Canadian securities regulators on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. The forward-looking statements included in this press release are made as of the date of this press release and the Company and Fission Uranium disclaim any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as expressly required by applicable securities legislation. CARSON CITY, Nev., March 20, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Mexus Gold US (OTCQB:MXSG) (Mexus or the Company) announced that the initial assay results of the cyanide solution returning to the holding pond is better than expected. On-site engineers have been collecting samples at the outflow pipe twice a day for lab testing. The numbers equate to an average grade for all assays of 1 gram per ton entering the pond. This is exciting news for Mexus and our JV Partner. The Initial amount of gold returning to the recovery pond is normally lower during the first weeks of cyanide being introduced to a pad. These returns increase as the cyanide is able to work through the mineralized material. I would expect our numbers to increase as pad 1 gets fully saturated which should take another week. Overall, Im thrilled with the progress being made at the Santa Elena mine. We have gold in our recovery pond and will be processing gold shortly, added Mexus CEO Paul Thompson. In addition, the company announced that a 750KW generator was recently purchased at auction for the San Felix project. This generator will run the entire processing plant at the mine and is an integral part of getting the San Felix mine into production. The generator will be shipped to the mine site during the week of March 19th. About Mexus Gold US Mexus Gold US is an American based mining company with holdings in Mexico. Mexus recently joint ventured its flagship property with MarMar holdings of Mexico. The fully owned Santa Elena mine is located 54km NW of Caborca, Mexico. The mine is currently leaching on pad1 with gold returning to the holding pond. The company is also a partner with MarMar holdings at the San Felix mine in Northern Mexico. This 26,000 + acre property is ready for production which is planned for 2017. Mexus also owns rights to the Ures property located 80km N of Hermosillo, Mexico. This property contains 6900 acres and has both gold and copper on the property. Founded in 2009, Mexus Gold US is committed to protecting the environment, mine safety and employing members of the communities in which it operates. For more information on Mexus Gold US, visit www.mexusgoldus.com. Cautionary Statement Forward looking Statement: Statements in this press release may constitute forward-looking statements and are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, including the failure to complete successfully the development of new or enhanced products, the Company's future capital needs, the lack of market demand for any new or enhanced products the Company may develop, any actions by the Company's partners that may be adverse to the Company, the success of competitive products, other economic factors affecting the Company and its markets, seasonal changes, and other risks detailed from time to time in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The actual results may differ materially from those contained in this press release. The Company disclaims any obligation to update any statements in this press release. CONTACT: Inquiries - Paul Dent, 425-478-4908 pdent@mexusgoldus.com VANCOUVER, March 20, 2017 - Ceylon Graphite Corp. (Ceylon) (TSX-V:CYL) (OTC:CYLYF) (FSE:CCY) will host Torontos Mayor, His Worship John Tory along with several Canadian government representatives to celebrate the commencement of Ceylon Graphite operations in Sri Lanka. They will be the honoured guests at Ceylon Graphites reception in Colombo and will be joined by Sri Lankan political and business leaders. The reception will also acknowledge the history of significant investment in Sri Lanka by Ceylon founder, Toronto-based Sasha Jacob and Jacob Capital Management Inc., as well as the revitalization of global demand for pure vein graphite through his efforts. The honoured guests will then travel to the companys first priority historic mine site to cut the ribbon symbolizing the restart of commercial operations of Sri Lanka historic graphite sites. We are delighted to host Mayor Tory and Canadian officials as we bring new investment to Sri Lanka, said Bharat Parashar, Chief Executive Officer of Ceylon Graphite Corp. Sri Lanka has long had the worlds best resource for pure vein graphite and we will soon have one of the worlds largest mines of its kind, providing the key resource in lithium ion batteries for the burgeoning electric car market. About Ceylon Graphite Corp. Ceylon Graphite Corp. is a public company listed on the TSX Venture Exchange (TSX-V:CYL). It is in the business of exploring for and developing graphite mines in Sri Lanka. The Government of Sri Lanka has allocated the company exploration rights in a land package constituting over 100km of exploration grids covering all relevant areas that have had historical graphite production dating back from the 1900s to 1930s representing a majority of the known vein graphite occurrence in Sri Lanka. Vein graphite is unique in nature and is comparatively higher margin due to its purity. "Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release." FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS: This news release contains forward-looking information as such term is defined in applicable securities laws, which relate to future events or future performance and reflect management's current expectations and assumptions. The forward-looking information includes statements about the Companys expected increase in global exposure and anticipated investment from European investors. Such forward-looking statements reflect management's current beliefs and are based on assumptions made by and information currently available to the Company including the assumption that trading on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange will increase the Companys profile to European investors. Investors are cautioned that these forward looking statements are neither promises nor guarantees, and are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause future results to differ materially from those expected. Risk factors that could cause cause actual results to differ materially from the results expressed or implied by the forward-looking information include, among other things, a general economic downturn. The Company cautions the reader that the above list of risk factors is not exhaustive. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date hereof and, except as required under applicable securities legislation, the Company does not assume any obligation to update or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances. All of the forward-looking statements made in this press release are qualified by these cautionary statements and by those made in our filings with SEDAR in Canada (available at www.sedar.com). Further information regarding the Company is available at www.ceylongraphite.com Bharat Parashar, Chairman and & Chief Executive Officer info@ceylongraphite.com Corporate Communications (604) 559-8051 Ground Induced Polarization and Magnetic Geophysical Surveys in Progress at Gold/Silver targets within the El Porvenir Project VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwired - Mar 20, 2017) - Angel Gold Corp. (TSX VENTURE:ANG)(OTCQX:ANGCF)("Angel" or the "Company") is pleased to provide an update of progress on Angel's geophysical survey programs targeting various prospects at the El Porvenir project in the Segovia mining district of Antioquia, Colombia. Iguanacito Prospect - The Induced Polarization survey over the Iguanacito prospect has been completed and interpretation of the results is in progress. Where interpretation has been completed, strong chargeability responses have been revealed at depth consistent with the location of high grade mineralization assayed in previous surface sampling and trenching. Chargeability highs indicated by an Induced Polarization geophysical survey often reflect a concentration of sulfide minerals, and in the Segovia Gold Belt, as in many other districts around the world, gold-silver mineralization is associated with significant amounts of sulfide minerals. Guayabales Prospect - An Induced Polarization survey is also underway at the company's Guayabales prospect which is associated with an intrusive body with little surface exposure that hosts a large zone of intense sericite-silica alteration as inferred from a combination of historic drill holes (7,217m total drilled for quartz vein deposits) and surface soils geochemistry. We will follow on with a ground magnetic survey. Abejero Prospect - An Induced Polarization survey at the Abejero prospect has just commenced, and further results and analysis are still pending. Iguanacito Prospect - A ground magnetic survey is underway over the Iguanacito geophysical grid more data will become available for further interpretation and drill targeting. "The geophysical information processed to date is continuing to support and enhance the potential of our Iguanacito prospect. We believe that the chargeability responses reflect bodies of sulfide-silica breccia that has the potential to contain silver-gold mineralization -- and further support our belief that the area has the potential to host a style of mineralization previously unexplored and thus undiscovered in the Segovia district: that of breccia-hosted silver-gold mineralization associated with wide zones of intense silica-sericite alteration that are intrusive related," says Stella Frias, President and CEO of Angel Gold Corp. "The chargeability geophysical anomaly identified below the silver/gold mineralization identified at Iguanacito is exciting as it significantly increases the target's size and depth potential as currently defined in surface sampling and trenching. In addition other geophysical anomalies from surveys in progress along strike and at other targets have been identified and could be indicative of sulfide hosted mineralization," added James Stephenson P.Geo, Vice-President of Exploration. High-grade structurally-hosted mineral deposits typically consist of multiple ore bodies, many of such bodies occurring blind (in the sub-surface), sometimes with only minor mineralization actually exposed at the surface. Examples of such deposits include the Coeur d'Alene District deposits of Idaho where most ore shoots occur blind at depth, yet a substantial mining operation has been continued over many decades. To view SECTION 00 IP PSEUDOSECTION, looking northwest showing resistivity (middle) and chargeability (lower) with a strong chargeable anomaly under the Iguanacito surface mineralization and a weaker yet marked anomaly in the sediments (Iguanacito divides intrusive diorite/tonalite to the left from a black mudstone unit to the right), visit the following link: http://media3.marketwire.com/docs/1089274-F1.pdf Chargeability Responses at Iguanacito A strong chargeable response occurs directly underlying the surface expression of the high-grade Iguanacito mineralization. This result correlates well with the mapped geology of gold-silver rich pyrite-silica breccia hosted within a steeply northeast-dipping zone of intensely sericitized tonalite. (See Notes 1 and 2 below about slanting of IP results and effect of the depth of oxidation). and below about slanting of IP results and effect of the depth of oxidation). Chargeability highs occur at depth along strike in both directions and likely reflect additional non-outcropping bodies of mineralization. A chargeability high occurs under sediments to the east of the Iguanacito zone, appearing to correlate with the westernmost of two wide zones of intense bleaching mapped in the otherwise black sediments by Angel geologists. This is exciting in its own right but also these alteration zones trend in a southerly direction and intersect with the southeasterly trending Iguanacito zone. The intersection of mineralized structures frequently contains mineralized shoots and/or overlies the source of the mineralization/alteration. There is a widespread surface chargeability response at Iguanacito yet to be explained. The chargeability high on the left end of the section probably reflects a very strong surficial chargeable response rather than any structure or zone extending to depth, but this needs to be confirmed. NOTE1: The accompanying "pseudosection" is a non-"inverted" presentation of results. The survey was carried out with a pole-dipole configuration progressing from left to right in the section, and by its very nature the method presents a leftwards slant to the results. No correction inversion algorithm has been applied to show the "true" position of the anomaly. The interpretation is done by matching the observed geology to the IP results. Even without any known geology the "pantleg" results would be interpreted as a chargeable body extending to the "surface" and dipping to the right in the section -- which exactly matches the observed geology and the offset of the "surface" of the anomaly from its actual weathered surface exposure. NOTE2: A chargeability response indicating the presence of sulfides reflects the location of the sulfide-bearing body below the base of oxidation, and not the oxidized surface portion of the body. Thus for a dipping sulfide zone the chargeability anomaly will displace away from the oxidized surface exposure. Qualified Person Mr. James G. Burns, P.Eng, a Qualified Person under National Instrument 43-101 standards and a technical advisor to the Company has reviewed and approved the technical information contained in this news release. About Angel Gold Corp.: Angel is a Canada-based gold and silver exploration company focused on responsible development of mineral resources in Colombia, host to some of the world's largest gold deposits. Angel's flagship project the El Porvenir is located at less than 2 km from Segovia project of Gran Colombia, the El Pino West Project is adjacent to the Gramalote project of B2Gold and Anglo Gold Ashanti JV and its Heliconia project is located north of the Titiribi district along the Cauca fault system. Angel has been focused on acquiring and validating strategic mineral exploration opportunities in Colombia's best mining districts with the highest potential for new discoveries. On Behalf of the Board of Directors of Angel Gold Corp. Blanca Stella Frias, Director, President and Chief Executive Officer Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release. The TSX Venture Exchange has not reviewed the content of this News Release and therefore does not accept responsibility or liability for the adequacy or accuracy of the contents of this News Release. This news release contains certain "forward- looking statements" within the meaning of Section 21E of the United States Securities and Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Except for statements of historical fact relating to the Company, certain information contained herein constitutes forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based upon opinions and estimates of management at the date the statements are made, and are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors which could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The transaction described in this News Release is subject to a variety of conditions and risks which include but are not limited to: regulatory approval, shareholder approval, market conditions, legal due diligence for claim validity, financing, political risk, security risks at the property locations and other risks. As such, the reader is cautioned that there can be no guarantee that this transaction will complete as described in this News Release. We seek safe harbour. VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwired - March 20, 2017) - Group Ten Metals Inc. (TSX VENTURE:PGE)(FRANKFURT:5D32) (the "Company" or "Group Ten") is pleased to announce two additions to its management team: Ms. Connie Norman has been appointed as Corporate Secretary, and Mr. Chris Ackerman has been appointed the role of Senior Manager, Corporate Communications, both effective immediately. Mr. Ackerman was previously Senior Manager, Corporate Communications at Wellgreen Platinum and Senior Business Development Advisor with the Yukon Ministry of Economic Development. He is presently also Senior Management at Metallic Minerals Corp., a Yukon-focused silver exploration company. Ms. Norman is currently Corporate Secretary at Foran Mining and Metallic Minerals and has extensive experience in corporate governance and administration in large corporations and small- to mid-cap public companies. Group Ten CEO Michael Rowley commented, "We are very pleased to be building the team again and, in particular, to have engaged Chris who has a wealth of Yukon experience from his work at Wellgreen Platinum and the Yukon government. We look forward to making further key announcements in the coming weeks and months, as we continue to implement our strategy following our recent financings." The Company also announces that it has granted incentive options to employees, consultants, officers and directors to acquire a total of 2.84 million common shares of the Company at an exercise price of $0.15 per share for a period of five years based on the closing price of the Company's shares on the TSX Venture Exchange on Friday, March 17, 2017. About Group Ten Metals Inc. Group Ten Metals Inc. is a Canadian mineral exploration company focused on the acquisition, development and incubation of platinum group metals (PGM), gold, nickel and copper deposits in North America. The Company's core holdings include a large land position adjacent to, and along trend with, Wellgreen Platinum's Wellgreen Ni-Cu-PGM project in the southwest Yukon Territory and the Black Lake - Drayton gold project in the Rainy River district of northwest Ontario. On Behalf of the Board of Directors GROUP TEN METALS INC. Michael Rowley, President & Director 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. In an effort to bring Airbnb under some of the same regulations its competitors in the hotel industry face, Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez has reached an agreement with the popular home-sharing platform to collect county resort taxes.Under the agreement, Airbnb will collect the 6 percent Miami-Dade resort tax from its hosts and remit that money to the county every month. If trends continue, that would amount to at least $8 million a year for the county, said Benjamin Breit, an Airbnb spokesman.The agreement largely excludes Miami Beach and Bal Harbour because each city has its own resort tax set at 4 percent and 3 percent, respectively. However, Airbnb will begin collecting the 3 percent convention tax from hosts in Miami Beach as part of the county tax deal.$8 million Estimated tax revenue from Airbnb under the county's proposed tax agreementSurfside, the third municipality in Miami-Dade with its own resort tax, reached a deal with Airbnb in January, and has been collecting taxes from local hosts since March 1.The new agreement is contingent on county approval, said Michael Hernandez, Gimenez's communications chief. Deputy Mayor Edward Marquez is working to find a sponsor for the item to put it before the County Commission as soon as Tuesday.The tax deal would be effective as soon as the county votes to approve it, Hernandez said.The deal would mark Airbnb's 36th county agreement in Florida, and a major step toward the company's goal of securing agreements with all 63 counties in the state that have a resort tax.The agreement largely excludes Miami Beach and Bal Harbour because each have their own resort taxes at 4 percent and 3 percent, respectively. However, Airbnb will begin collecting the 3 percent convention tax from Miami Beach hosts as part of the county tax deal.Miami-Dade is an Airbnb powerhouse, and among the top five markets in the country for the site. In 2016, 6,800 locals were hosts on the platform, responsible for bringing in 530,000 tourists, according to Airbnb data.Breit said the arrangement with Miami-Dade facilitates the tax process for platform hosts who will now pay their "fair share in taxes.""This marks an important day in the history of our company and we look forward to working with Chairman [Esteban] Bovo and the county commission to ratify this deal on behalf of our host community," Breit said in a statement. "We expect that this agreement will drive many millions of dollars in new annual revenue to county coffers, on top of the economic infusion Airbnb guests already pump into the South Florida economy through spending with neighborhood merchants."Airbnb began securing tax deals in Florida in December 2015, beginning with an agreement to collect the state resort tax of 5 percent. Pinellas County was the first to reach an accord with the platform, and other major counties have followed, including Orange, Hillsborough and Lee.Broward County does not have a deal with Airbnb.Mayor Gimenez's office indicated a deal might be reached earlier this year, but the agreement stalled over discussions on how Airbnb would pay the county, Hernandez said. Still, the mayor expects the tax deal will be only the first step toward more regulation of Airbnb.Mayor Gimenez's concern is you have another disruptive, technology-based company [like Uber] coming into Miami-Dade County offering it's services but not paying the same level of taxes and fees that established industries, like our hotel and visitors industry, have been paying for decades. Michael Hernandez, Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez's communications chief"Mayor Gimenez's concern is you have another disruptive, technology-based company [like Uber] coming into Miami-Dade County offering its services but not paying the same level of taxes and fees that established industries, like our hotel and visitors industry, have been paying for decades," Hernandez said.The agreement also only regulates taxes and is independent of additional measures other cities in the county have already taken or plan to take against Airbnb.Miami Beach increased its fine against residents who host short-term rentals in areas not zoned for them -- which is all single-family homes and some multi-family buildings -- to $20,000 last March. Now, renters have been fined a combined $5 million. Miami Beach Mayor Philip Levine and all six city commissioners have opposed reaching any kind of agreement with Airbnb.In Miami, Mayor Tomas Regalado is proposing an ordinance that would make short-term rentals largely illegal and create a set of strict regulations for renters in legal areas. The ordinance will come before city commissioners Thursday.Ahead of that, Levine and Regalado will have a meeting Monday morning to discuss "community concerns" about Airbnb. When most people think of the hottest areas for the tech sector, Indianapolis probably doesnt immediately come to mind.But in recent years, the metro area has landed thousands of new tech jobs and its digital service sector is among the fastest-growing in the nation, nearly doubling in size since 2010. Late last year, Salesforce announced plans to bring more than 800 high-paying jobs to a downtown office tower, a move expected to further benefit several local firms that do business with the cloud computing conglomerate.The Indianapolis region stands out as somewhat of an anomaly: A Brookings Institution analysis published earlier this month suggests newly created tech jobs are becoming increasingly concentrated in coastal centers and a small number of other established hubs.The think tank analyzed jobs data for the digital services sector between 2010 and 2015. It found that the share of national tech jobs either declined or remained unchanged in 86 of the 100 largest metro areas. Just five metro areas accounted for approximately 28 percent of the sector's overall growth.Given that the Indianapolis region's tech industry represents one of the few success stories, its worth taking a closer look at how it has thrived while others have struggled.In all, the Indianapolis region added nearly 9,200 digital services jobs between 2010 and 2015, according to Brookings calculations. Thats more than the nearby metro areas of Cincinnati, Ohio; Columbus, Ohio; and Louisville, Ky.; combined. Its also the most of any Midwestern metro area with the exceptions of Chicago and Detroit, both of which grew but did so at a slower pace.For one, the area benefits from a strong array of higher education institutions serving as a talent pipeline, says Jason Kloth, president of workforce development for the firm Ascend Indiana. Several Indiana colleges and universities offer nationally-regarded tech and engineering programs, while local coding academies provide opportunities for people new to the field.Indianapolis is uniquely positioned relative to the rest of the country, says Kloth. We have an increasing supply of talent and relatively low costs for labor and office space.Another crucial advantage Indianapolis enjoys over other regions that havent seen their tech sectors take off can be traced back to a few companies that started there more than 20 years ago. These firms provided a solid foundation, and their employees have since started new companies and invested in local capital without leaving the area, says Mike Langellier, president of TechPoint, a nonprofit that promotes Indianas tech community.Its very difficult to jumpstart a tech hub from scratch because you have to have these ingredients and the ecosystem in order to do it, says Langellier.Salesforces expanding presence has also supported other companies in a broader marketing technology cluster.Langellier further added that the regions employers benefit from a workforce loyalty factor. Midwestern tech workers dont seek new employment perhaps as often as their peers on the coasts.Those advantages have even helped lure a few firms from top-tier tech hubs. Consider Appirio, a cloud services consulting firm, which moved its global headquarters from San Francisco to Indianapolis in 2015. Company CEO Chris Barbin explained his decision in a blog post With a booming tech community and a business-friendly environment, Indianapolis is a strong choice for a technology services company to expand -- but its not necessarily an obvious one, he wrote.But Appirio's decision to shift its expansion away from San Francisco is the exception, not the rule.For the most part, companies arent fleeing other regions or closing, its just that they're not growing much in the vast majority of metro areas. And while the tech sector is growing in Indianapolis and a few other places, Mark Muro of Brookings says "its not happening fast enough or broadly enough to alter the continued concentration of tech in the Bay Area."The tech hubs of San Francisco and San Jose, Calif., still continue to dominate much of the sectors growth nationally. About 10 percent of all U.S. digital services jobs are found in the Bay Area, up from 7.7 percent in 2010, according to Brookings.While many industries employ tech workers, Brookings limited its analysis to four particularly fast-growing industries in the digital services sector. The sector is considered key to the tech boom, providing high-paying positions with large multiplier effects.The Bay Area region pursues a much different approach to economic development than Indianapolis and most other places attempting to spur tech growth. While San Francisco has reformed its tax policies to appeal to the business community, for example, its certainty not the main reason for the areas booming tech industry.Our strategy is not to compete with low-cost cities, says Todd Rufo, director of the San Francisco city and county governments Office of Economic and Workforce Development. Were competing on being a place where you can go to get game-changing order of magnitude innovation.Officials say theyre doing just as much, if not more, to retain local talent as they are to hold onto their employers. This includes funding a program that provides training for unemployed tech professionals and investing in neighborhood revitalization efforts where theyre employed.If theres one clear advantage the Bay Area has, its having so many tech companies in close proximity, many of which participate in collaborative innovation centers. For the majority of other regions without already-established tech clusters, generating this type of activity could continue to prove challenging.A headquarters in a suburban office park, based on your own research and development team, isnt going to cut it anymore, says Rufo. Murder is ugly, and murderers are not sympathetic characters.But justice is justice, and a deal is a deal.We expect the men and women who administer the criminal justice system prosecutors, defense attorneys, and especially judges to know the law and to apply it fairly.Yet, for more than 20 years they have been cutting plea deals and meting out a sentence that was abolished in 1993: Life with a chance of parole after 25 or 35 years.Some of those deals are about to come due.Danny Valdez, for example, was part of a 1995 drug deal that went bad in Glendale. One person was killed, and no one was sure who fired the shot.Valdez took a plea deal to avoid death row, and following the terms of the agreement, the judge sentenced him to life in prison with a chance of parole after 25 years.The only problem: Parole was abolished in Arizona in 1993. As of January 1994, it was replaced by a sentence that sounds similar, but in fact nearly eliminates the possibility of ever leaving prison alive.Valdez should have been sentenced to life with chance of release after 25 years.Parole was something that could be granted by judgment of a parole board, based on the prisoner's behavior and rehabilitation, without the approval of a politician.But release is a long shot, because it requires the prisoner to petition the Arizona Board of Executive Clemency, which can only recommend a pardon or commutation of sentence by the governor. It's not something you see every day: a Republican governor in a Republican-dominated state vetoing a Republican-backed gun bill.That's what happened in South Dakota Friday, as Gov. Dennis Daugaard followed through with his threats to veto two bills that would have loosened the state's gun laws.One bill would have allowed people to bring concealed handguns into the state Capitol. The other, the broader of the two measures, would have removed the requirement for concealed-carry permits. Neither bill passed with a large enough majority to overcome the governor's veto.Daugaard said the state's existing concealed-permit law, which includes a $10 fee and background check, is fine as it is, and he flashed his conservative credentials to defend his decision.In his veto letter to lawmakers, Daugaard said he was a member of the National Rifle Association. and quoted former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, a conservative firebrand, as saying that the Second Amendment right to bear arms was "not unlimited.""I am unaware of a single instance in which a person who could lawfully possess a gun was denied a permit to carry a concealed pistol," Daugaard wrote. "Our permit laws are effective in screening people who are not eligible to carry a concealed weapon."Over the last three years, Minnehaha and Pennington Counties have turned down nearly 600 permit applicants who were disqualified due to mental illness or due to violent or drug-related crimes."Daugaard's veto came as gun-rights groups and legislators across the country continue to weaken laws governing firearms. In Texas, for example, laws passed in recent years mandate fewer requirements to openly carry firearms and allow people to carry guns more broadly on college campuses. Other states have similar laws.The concealed-carry bill pitted the NRA, which supported it, against state law-enforcement groups in opposition, including the South Dakota Sheriffs' Association., the South Dakota Police Chiefs' Association, the South Dakota State's Attorneys Association and the South Dakota Fraternal Order of Police."This important pro-self-defense legislation is a big step forward in allowing South Dakotans to be better able to defend themselves and their loved ones without having to obtain a government issued permit," the NRA's lobbying wing wrote this month, calling for gun owners to contact Daugaard to urge him to sign the bill.The group said that under current law, putting on a coat while carrying a gun could mean that the wearer would need a concealed-carry permit. "This legislation gives South Dakotans the freedom to choose the best method of carrying for them, based on their attire, gender and/or physical attributes," the group wrote.Last week, the bill's backers had delivered a stack of 2,000 letters to Daugaard's office calling for him to sign the bill. They included Republican state Rep. Lynne DiSanto, who blasted Daugaard's decision Friday."He has commented that he's not going to be running for higher political office, which is good cause he couldn't win DOG CATCHER anywhere in SD," DiSanto wrote in a Facebook post. "We have a super majority of Repubs in Pierre, so a veto override should be easy right? NO, because some of the 'R's' don't know what that means, choosing to raise taxes higher and take away your gun rights."The state's Senate passed the concealed-carry bill 23 to 11, but it passed the House 37 to 30, meaning that the bill's backers can't muster the two-thirds majority required to override the veto.The bill to allow guns in the Capitol passed the House 46 to 20, but had a closer margin in the Senate, passing 19 to 15.Daugaard has not been afraid to use his veto power. The two gun bills were among several he vetoed Friday on a variety of issues.In 2016, he attracted national attention for vetoing a bill that would have made South Dakota the first state in the country to require transgender students to use bathrooms and locker rooms that match the gender listed on their birth certificates. That distinction instead fell to North Carolina, whose law led to months of boycotts, protests and litigation."As policymakers in South Dakota, we often recite that the best government is the government closest to the people," Daugaard wrote in his veto notice last year. "Local school districts can, and have, made necessary restroom and locker room accommodations that serve the best interests of all students, regardless of biological sex or gender identity." On Friday, in the morning, at Harefield (St Marys) Churchyard, Middlesex, His Excellency the Honourable Paul de Jersey AC and Mrs Kaye de Jersey laid a wreath in honour of Australians who died at the No. 1 Australian Auxiliary Hospital at Harefield Park, and then laid memorials on the graves of Queenslanders buried there, Private Oscar Harold Jones and Gunner William Lingley. In the afternoon, in London, the Governor and Mrs de Jersey hosted a lunch with Queenslanders living and working in the United Kingdom. Following, at the Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children, London, the Governor and Mrs de Jersey toured facilities and received a briefing on operations, including collaboration with Queensland and Australian institutions on the treatment of children with chronic illnesses. On Sunday, in the afternoon, His Excellency the Honourable Paul de Jersey AC and Mrs Kaye de Jersey departed the United Kingdom for official travel to Malaysia. Description GIS - 20 March, 2017: The African Economic Platform (AEP) will enable African leaders to set their own agenda to promote African integration and development and explore realistic continental and global opportunities and options to implement it. This statement was made by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and International Trade, Mr Seetanah Lutchmeenaraidoo, on 17 March 2017 during a press conference in Port Louis. The two-day forum starting from the 20 to 21 March 2017 will be held at Westin Turtle Bay Resort & Spa, in Balaclava. It will gather various political leaders, intellectuals, business leaders, civil society and the private sector who will discuss global issues pertaining to the development of Africa. Speaking about the Platform, Minister Lutchmeenaraidoo pointed out that it will create an avenue for dialogue and will enable participants to reflect on ways to accelerate Africas economic transformation through the implementation of Agenda 2063 which is a strategic framework for the socio-economic transformation of the continent over the next 50 years. The AEP will focus on the role of the private sector in generating investment, promoting industrialisation and strengthening intra-African trade. Other themes on the agenda include: Higher education sector for skill development, research and innovation; and Governments ensuring the implementation of fiscal and macro-economic policies for economic transformation. An initiative driven by Africans, the AEP aims to provide the policy space for Africans across sectors to set their own agenda and explore realistic continental and global opportunities and options for implementing this agenda. The Platform will operate within the framework of the implementation of the African Union Agenda 2063 and other progressive decisions and programs designed to promote African integration and development. Description GIS - 20 March, 2017: The Prime Minister, Minister of Home Affairs, External Communications and National Development Unit, Minister of Finance and Economic Development, Mr Pravind Jugnauth, called for the creation of a vibrant single African market through the establishment of the Continental Free Trade Area (CFTA) as pledged by African leaders to facilitate the flow of goods and services within Africa. The Prime Minister, Minister of Home Affairs, External Communications and National Development Unit, Minister of Finance and Economic Development, Mr Pravind Jugnauth, called for the creation of a vibrant single African market through the establishment of the Continental Free Trade Area (CFTA) as pledged by African leaders to facilitate the flow of goods and services within Africa. The Prime Minister was speaking this morning at the opening of the two-day African Economic Platform (AEP) organised by the African Union at Westin Turtle Bay Resort & Spa, in Balaclava. He pointed out that the Make in Africa theme that will be subject of discussion during the AEP be developed into the motto Make Across Africa so as to drive our industrial ambitions of creating a single market to sell our products. As the manufacturing process starts spanning the continent, regional value chains will eventually develop and boost economic growth, he said. Mr Jugnauth further added that the CFTA would no doubt contribute to unleash the huge trade potential of the continent and create the right conditions to mobilise both African and Foreign Direct Investment, with the ensuing positive spin on economic development, job creation and the fight against poverty. The Prime Minister expressed confidence that the AEP, which is opening a new chapter in the history of the African Union, will help take concrete actions for the establishment of the single African Market by December 2017. This is a prerequisite condition for making Africa more self-reliant and economically independent and which will eventually meet the aspirations of the Africa agenda 2063. When Africa stands together in solidarity, when we start Making across Africa for a single African market, we will see Africa rising. As leaders of the continent, it will be our responsibility to find innovative ways to finance this vision of a united and integrated Africa. Finance Africa should therefore be our next step, he said. Mr Pravind Jugnauth also called for a concerted effort from the public and private sectors to ensure the sustainability of the manufacturing processes and coordinate the various strategies of the production process across the Continent to be able to come up with products that are intrinsically made in Africa. He praised the vital role of the private sector in promoting investment and economic prosperity. He urged Governments to provide the business community with the necessary tools to carry out their operations in a predictable, transparent and fair manner. This will motivate the private sector in taking measures of responsibility for growing a prosperous, empowered and equitable society built on good governance, transparency and accountability. According to the Prime Minister poverty neither has a Face nor a Place in Africa as the continent embarks upon people empowerment. He solicited the support of both the public and private sectors in this endeavor , recalling that the youth, the women who have always acted as pillars of our homes and societies need to be given prominence in our development plans for Africa and should not be left behind. He was grateful to the African Union for unanimously adopting a resolution at the 28th African Union summit in January 2017, to express its solidarity with Mauritius for not being able to exercise its full sovereignty over its territory as the Chagos Archipelago. Mr Jugnauth expressed the interest of Mauritius to host regional and international institutions that will help advance our continent, given that Mauritius is a country built on strong institutions. During the two-day AEP which brings together African leaders, captains of the business industry, the private sector, academia and intellectuals, various topics will be discussed. They include boost to intra-Africa trade; the need for more flexible Rules of Origin; the removal of non-tariff barriers; and measures to grow the manufacturing sector. For optimal browsing, we recommend Chrome, Firefox or Safari browsers. (TNS) -- A pioneer in the science of making computers and robots see said self-driving cars are just the beginning.Takeo Kanade, a professor at Carnegie Mellon University's Robotics Institute and the recipient of the prestigious Kyoto Prize, said as cameras improve, as computer processors get faster and more mobile, and as connectivity increases, computer vision will begin to work its way into every part of life.We are at the verge of making this technology near ordinary life, Kanade told the Tribune-Review via phone from San Diego, where he spoke as part of San Diego State University's Kyoto Symposium.But Kanade doesn't envision a world in which robots take over all the work performed by humans. Instead, robots will help humans do what humans want to do but can't. Kanade's magical equation for robots is:What robots should do equals What people want to do minus What people cannot do, plus or minus Delta.Robots and computer vision will help people see, walk and communicate when they could not otherwise do so.In the past, robots have reduced people's involvement, Kanade said. I think robots should help people be involved, because people want to do what they can do by themselves.Kanade, 71, spends much of his time in Japan but still conducts research for CMU. He was awarded the Kyoto Prize in Advanced Technology in November.The Kyoto Prize, created in 1984 by Japan's nonprofit Inamori Foundation, is the nation's highest private honor for those who contribute to humankind's scientific, cultural and spiritual development. Kyoto Prize winners receive a gold medal and 50 million yen, about $440,000. Several Kyoto Prize honorees also have won Nobel prizes.Kanade's work in computer vision started in the 1970s, when even basic digital images were rare. At that time, it was hard to anticipate where advances in cameras and computing power would go, but Kanade had a suspicion.I had a personal belief that computers should become as smart as humans, no questions about that, Kanade said.In many ways, Kanade's research has made computers smarter than humans.In the 1980s, when Uber's Travis Kalanick and Tesla's Elon Musk were children, Kanade was working on self-driving cars. He developed the first artificial intelligence capable of sensing freeway lanes, obstacles and other vehicles and changing lanes on its own. He and a team of researchers at CMU drove from Pittsburgh to San Diego in 1995 without touching the steering wheel in the No Hands Across America demonstration of autonomous vehicles.Kanade's technology went to the Super Bowl in 2001, when CBS debuted EyeVision. Viewers could see replays stitched together from 30 cameras. The image could rotate around the action.Most recently, Kanade developed vehicle headlights that allow humans to see through rain more easily by reducing glare.Kanade expects computer vision to spur advancements in medicine. Highly detailed computer readings of CT scans and MRIs can help diagnose a patient. Kanade has shifted his research to using computer vision to track how cells move, divide and die.And that is the basis for the advancement of biology, he said.He said computer vision can help people understand one another better. Computers can pick up on signals in the environment that humans miss. They can read changes in blood flow in parts of the human body.The cameras themselves are getting clever, Kanade said. The challenging area is to actually recognize and understand what you're thinking and what you're feeling, and that will help people live a better a life. Open Data Plans San Francisco: Comprehensive Open Data Planningwith Government Accountability tracks its progress with fine-grained milestones in publicly available Google documents New York City: Prioritizing Engagement with Enforcement in Open Data Comprehensive Technology Plans Chicago: Weaving Data into Community and Economic Initiatives Infrastructure : Chicago focused primarily on enhancing broadband infrastructure and expanding access, although the strategy also identified technology-based improvements to the transportation system. : Chicago focused primarily on enhancing broadband infrastructure and expanding access, although the strategy also identified technology-based improvements to the transportation system. Community inclusion : The city, which suffers from high rates of segregation and inequality, dedicated nine of its 28 initiatives to improving community access to digital tools and capacity to take advantage of technological resources. Initiatives included free public Wi-Fi, increasing options for low-cost broadband, expanding digital training, and supporting existing community programs. : The city, which suffers from high rates of segregation and inequality, dedicated nine of its 28 initiatives to improving community access to digital tools and capacity to take advantage of technological resources. Initiatives included free public Wi-Fi, increasing options for low-cost broadband, expanding digital training, and supporting existing community programs. Efficient government : With the aim of improving the citys efficacy, this strategy focused on the collection of data, the improvement of open data resources, and the use of data to drive city decision-making. In addition to data strategy, this component included a shift toward enterprise resources within government, including consolidated data centers and the promotion of enterprise software solutions. : With the aim of improving the citys efficacy, this strategy focused on the collection of data, the improvement of open data resources, and the use of data to drive city decision-making. In addition to data strategy, this component included a shift toward enterprise resources within government, including consolidated data centers and the promotion of enterprise software solutions. Collaboration : Within this strategy, the city aimed to expand collaboration with the civic tech community to address large and small city problems. Many of these collaborative initiatives depended on the strength of the citys open data program. : Within this strategy, the city aimed to expand collaboration with the civic tech community to address large and small city problems. Many of these collaborative initiatives depended on the strength of the citys open data program. Tech sector: Finally, Chicago set forth an ambitious agenda to support the growth of the tech sector, including the direct provision of incubator and co-working spaces, programs to connect startups with resources, and pipeline development through the cultivation of a local STEM workforce. Best Practices for Data and Tech Strategy Guiding vision, general goals, or concrete milestones? A guiding vision can be inspirational, and concrete milestones can seem too dry and in-the-weeds to generate excitement within and beyond government. The middle ground general goals has the benefit of flexibility, with different applications in different departments or sectors. But without concrete milestones, it can be difficult for the public to understand how much (or little) progress government is making. More importantly, it can be difficult for the government to accurately gauge its own successes and identify pain points. A guiding vision can be inspirational, and concrete milestones can seem too dry and in-the-weeds to generate excitement within and beyond government. The middle ground general goals has the benefit of flexibility, with different applications in different departments or sectors. But without concrete milestones, it can be difficult for the public to understand how much (or little) progress government is making. More importantly, it can be difficult for the to accurately gauge its own successes and identify pain points. Is the audience inside or outside government? Politicians want to share their vision for the future with the public, but ultimately the plans to achieve this vision must be implemented by people within government. Public-facing strategies can be inspiring even for government workers, but should be accompanied by more detailed internal documents to concretely guide action across diverse departments. Politicians want to share their vision for the future with the public, but ultimately the plans to achieve this vision must be implemented by people within government. Public-facing strategies can be inspiring even for government workers, but should be accompanied by more detailed internal documents to concretely guide action across diverse departments. Who informs the plan: internal or external stakeholders ? Ideally, a strategy would be informed by the experience of people within government as well as by the constituents that they serve. The fact is, however, that resources are limited. In developing a plan, cities should consider where they have a greater gap in their knowledge. Do we know what our citizens want? Do we know what problems are facing our departments? The smartest planners will get the input of those who can fill these gaps. ? Ideally, a strategy would be informed by the experience of people within government as well as by the constituents that they serve. The fact is, however, that resources are limited. In developing a plan, cities should consider where they have a greater gap in their knowledge. Do we know what our citizens want? Do we know what problems are facing our departments? The smartest planners will get the input of those who can fill these gaps. Single agency or inter-departmental implementation? The achievement of broad plans requires the participation of many departments, and collaboration can often be difficult. Single-agency plans are easier to implement, but narrower in scope. The achievement of broad plans requires the participation of many departments, and collaboration can often be difficult. Single-agency plans are easier to implement, but narrower in scope. Authorship and oversight? Leadership is key to accomplishing goals in city government, especially when those goals span multiple agencies and require substantial human and capital resources. A plan presented by the mayor and implemented by City Hall may thus be able to achieve goals more quickly. At the same time, City Hall might have limited resources to dedicate to data projects, and is subject to transformation from administration to administration. A focused team within an operational agency, as in Chicago, or as a freestanding group might allow for more continuous attention. Integrated or separate plans for infrastructure and data? Data has a critical role to play across all technology initiatives; similarly, infrastructure is the foundation on which data is built. By embracing both data and infrastructure, cities can ensure that these two areas develop in tandem, but trying to tackle both at once may tax limited planning and implementation resource. Data has a critical role to play across all technology initiatives; similarly, infrastructure is the foundation on which data is built. By embracing both data and infrastructure, cities can ensure that these two areas develop in tandem, but trying to tackle both at once may tax limited planning and implementation resource. Timeline? Many great projects require long timelines, but city government operates according to election cycles. To ensure that the data plan reaches its goals, effective strategies often focus on the near term, in two- or three-year increments. A citys data is one of its most valuable assets. Urban data is the bedrock of the performance management programs that allow cities to ensure continuous improvement . Reliable data can facilitate interagency collaboration , improve partnerships with the private sector , and expand public engagement . Innovative uses of data allow cities to enforce regulation and improve social services . And, increasingly, open data is serving as the foundation for good government activism , allowing journalists and civic hackers to highlight government inefficiencies or even spot corruption.Yet these digital resources are often taken for granted. Outside of the dedicated world of civic technologists, many of us imagine that city data is readily accessible and easy to use. But the process of collecting, cleaning, integrating, and analyzing data requires extensive capital investment, interagency collaboration, and long-range vision. In the face of complex organizational and technical challenges, cities are developing strategic plans to guide the development of more open, data-driven city government.As data assumes a more central role in local governance, cities are taking diverse approaches to planning and strategy. These plans move beyond the kind of roadmaps that have long been used by information technology agencies to set out operational and infrastructure improvements. Instead, they embrace the strategic, technical, and institutional requirements of a rich, cross-agency data environment. Approaches range from San Franciscos Data in San Francisco , a standalone proposal for open data; to Hong Kongs Smarter Hong Kong, Smarter Living , centered on information and communication technology infrastructure; and to the Chicago Tech Plan , which positions data as a step towards expanding the digital economy.With so many ways to plan the citys digital future, where should a planning process begin? Below, we profile the digital strategies of three US cities, highlighting strengths, weaknesses, and innovations. While the plans vary substantially, they fall into two distinct types: plans that focus on the citys open data program and plans that address data as part of a comprehensive technology strategy.Planning for a smarter city government will be different in each place: cities will want to build on synergies with regional partners in the public and private sector, as well as state and national governments, and the residents of each city will have unique concerns. Despite these particularities, data strategy best practices can help guide planning across cases.As open data programs have grown, many cities are finding that these efforts are a natural site for planning expanded data initiatives.With Data in San Francisco, the citys DataSF team sets a high bar for open data planning. The strategy is distinctive for its ambitious goals, detailed milestones, and accountability tools to track the teams progress. In 2009, then-Mayor Gavin Newsom issued an Open Data Executive Directive requiring city departments to make all non-confidential datasets available to the public. The Directive led to the creation of DataSF under Mayor Ed Lee, an office responsible for publishing these newly-public datasets. But today DataSF does much more, building capacity for data analysis within and beyond government and identifying opportunities for data integration and collaboration.DataSF published its first strategy in 2014 , setting out goals to develop a comprehensive data inventory, relaunch the open data portal as a more user-friendly resource, and cultivate partnerships to enhance the accessibility and utility of open data. Having achieved these goals, DataSF developed a follow-up plan, published in July 2015, which built on this foundation and set out the second phase of open data strategy for San Francisco.The current Strategic Plan identifies key goals over a two-year timeline. These include continued efforts to increase the number of datasets on the open data portal and improve the timeliness of data publication. As part of this process, DataSF asks departments to submit annual publishing plans for the coming year. These plans are openly accessible via DataSF.org, allowing departments as well as San Francisco residents to track progress. For the departments, these plans help prioritize datasets for publication and provide a regular feedback mechanism between the department and DataSF.But the strategy also moves beyond these core tasks. DataSF plans to expand the number of private data sources in the portal while enhancing privacy protections. They intend to streamline internal access, so that city departments can more easily find and use data from other agencies. And they aim to continue improving the consistency and reliability of both data and metadata, which is critical to usability. As of February 2017, San Francisco had published 420 datasets and inventoried a total of 860 DataSF aims to increase not only theof data, but also the demand. This is accomplished by fostering a culture that puts data to work for city decision-making and by building capacity within government agencies. Central to this effort is the Data Academy , a program that provides training for city employees in data analysis, visualization, and other skills. The Academy, jointly run with the City Controller, offers a rich array of courses , from introductions to Excel and R to courses on data usability and business process analysis. To date, courses have attracted over 1,000 enrollees and the Data Academy plans to train 600 this fiscal year.Perhaps most impressive, DataSF, updated quarterly. They prioritize goals according to the must, should, could (MoSCow) method, to ensure that the most pressing tasks are the first to be completed. And while the reporting document serves as a highly transparent tool for public accountability, it is also designed to be useful to employees within DataSF. Internally, quarterly goals are broken into monthly goals, assigned to team members, reviewed at monthly meetings and tracked with regular progress reports. Far from being a public relations tool, this reporting method actively guides workflow and ensures that activities across the organization are coordinated and mutually supportive.New York City has been a leader in many ways: the 2011 Digital Roadmap was among the first technology strategies published by any city . And yet, when it comes to planning for data, the city sticks to a practical strategy focused on open data, with annual updates to the open data plan that identify which datasets are set to be released and when.The 2015 report, Open Data for All , established a stronger focus on the needs of citizens and communities, aligning with the priorities of the De Blasio administration. It follows on two previous annual plans, required by the citys open data law and first implemented in the final year of the Bloomberg administration. Despite the lofty title, the strategy is simple, articulating five new goals: to talk and meet with citizens in order to understand their priorities; to shift from annual to monthly open data plan updates; to release new datasets; to structure data publication around end-user value; and to improve infrastructure and increase responsiveness.Following an overview of these aims, the plan lays out the datasets that the city intends to publish in the near term. The plan identifies 90 new datasets to be published by the end of 2015, and 250 additional datasets by 2018 when the city is required to have all data publicly available, per the legislation that put open data into effect. By February 2017, 1,600 datasets had been published.After De Blasios administration came under fire for missed deadlines and allowing agencies to set their own schedules for releasing new datasets, City Council passed amendments to enforce compliance with the law. The Mayors Office of Data Analytics (MODA) has stepped in to help ensure that datasets are identified and published in timely matter, embarking on friendly investigations of agencies to ensure that they meet deadlines. In December, they released the first examinations and verifications report about the open data compliance of the Department of Sanitation, the Department of Correction, and the Department of Housing Preservation and Development, finding all three in good standing. This formal review process for agency participation in a data plan enables the city to quantify outcomes and measure its success over time.Beyond open data publishing, MODA plays a central role in cultivating a culture of analytics by leading innovative cross-agency projects. But the responsibility for data initiatives is spread across multiple agencies, including MODA, the Department of Information Technology & Telecommunications (DoITT), and the office of the Chief Technology Officer (CTO). Large agencies with major data needs, such as the New York Police Department, also collect and manage their own data resources. To date, the city has not developed a formal process for interagency data planning.In contrast with plans rooted in open data programs, some cities envision the future of urban data in the context of community, economic development, and infrastructure goals. While this approach is common among international cities from Dublin to Singapore, the most prominent US example is found in Chicago.Mayor Rahm Emanuel saw what data and analytics could do for the White House as President Obamas chief of staff and brought this experience to Chicago. Upon taking office in 2011, he set about putting technology at the forefront of Chicagos plans. This commitment was summarized in the citys lengthy, wide-ranging Tech Plan , published in 2013. The stated goal was to [r]ealize Chicagos potential as a city where technology fuels opportunity, inclusion, engagement, and innovation for all. The plan aimed to encourage businesses and community groups to join forces with the city in pursuit of technology goals.The Chicago plan encompassed a diverse set of goals connected to the quickly-evolving world of technology. The city identified five main strategies, with specific initiatives for each one.Many of the initiatives documented in the Tech Plan were already ongoing when the city strategy began. The Tech Plan was a critical opportunity to survey existing projects, identify synergies, and reduce the opportunity for different agencies to work redundantly, or even at cross-purposes. The plan thus continues to serve as a scaffolding for the citys tech efforts, so that new projects can be checked against core priorities.For each of these strategies, the city set out measures of impact in terms of savings, services, engagement, access, skills, jobs, and STEM education. An 18-month update was published in 2015, reporting progress on each initiative. In the report, the city highlighted its accomplishments, including a tenfold increase in IT infrastructure within schools, expanded public Wi-Fi offerings, one-on-one digital training for 100,000 citizens per year, and new online tools for licensing and permitting. The update, while providing useful information on the citys accomplishments, did not provide the kind of rigorous accountability that specific milestones and more frequent reporting makes possible.In the context of such a broad plan, however, Chicago gave data only a partial role. As the capacity for big data collection and analysis grows, it is possible to imagine a plan that puts data at the center, uniting otherwise disparate initiatives through the prism of data integration, transparency and accountability, and the potential for economic growth through innovation. The role of Chief Data Officer, central to developing such a comprehensive, data-driven vision, has moved from the Mayors Office to the Department of Innovation and Technology. This move made the CDO simultaneously autonomous from political priorities and deeply embedded in the operational workflow. From this position, the CDO can work directly with agencies across the city and has a much stronger chance of continuing as a robust office into future administrations.As these plans illustrate, there are many different ways to plan strategically for the future of data. Cities looking to develop their own data strategy will want to consider the benefits and drawbacks of different models.Across diverse plans, several foundational best practices emerge. These are central to the achievement of any dedicated open data plan, but they provide critical support to goals ranging from growth of the tech sector to better broadband deployment.A data-smart city must engage in planning processes to identify, collect, integrate, and analyze its data resources. Whether planning for city data occurs in the context of open data or as part of broad technology strategies, cities must begin to look ahead and plan for the data needs of the future. The city of Los Angeles is now offering government information through Amazon Alexa, the online retailer's voice-activated digital assistant used across the company's apps and devices. The skill will allow Alexa users to verbally access information about the city.Although government sometimes has a reputation for being slow to adopt technology, Utah and Mississippi have already begun using similar Alexa programs to allow residents to study for a driver's license test or look up city phone numbers.The citys website describes the effort as another way for residents to access city information. Once the skill is enabled on an Alexa-enabled device, by saying, "Alexa, enable L.A. City skill," residents can simply ask a question instead of having to find the correct phone number or directory.Currently the Los Angeles system accesses calendar events, City Council and council committee information. Plans also are in place to add to the amount of information available through Alexa.Launched in January, the skill was created by the Los Angeles Information Technology Agency and will eventually include 311, a city service where residents can request services or report problems. The city's 311 currently available online, by phone and through an app Although Los Angeles is among the first cities to harness the voice-activated capability, more might follow, especially now that Amazon Wireless Services (AWS) has offered designers the ability to build and host skills, mostly for free.The city of Los Angeles also plans to release Cortana, Google and Siri software that will access the same information as Alexa. Alexa is now available on iOS systems inside the Amazon shopping app, which some have predicted may take over Siri's functionality.L.A. officials did not immediately respond to request for comment about the Alexa project. (TNS) -- Nearly all of Niagara County cities, towns and villages should be wearing dunce caps, according to a local government watchdog group.Of the 16 Western New York municipalities evaluated in a report published earlier this week by the Buffalo Niagara Coalition for Open Government, 14 of them failed when graded A to F. Even the passing grades given to the Town of Amherst and the Town of Wheatfield were a mediocre C+.Failing grades were given to the cities of North Tonawanda, Niagara Falls and Lockport and the Towns of Lewiston and Lockport as well as the Village of Lewiston. It wasn't even close. The metro areas all scored below 60 points a failure by even the most liberal classroom standards.Niagara County government at large got an "F" as well, receiving a score of 51 out of 100, the same grade the legislature received two years ago with Niagara Falls and its city school district, when they were evaluated by the Empire Center for Public Policy, an Albany think tank.In a weird coincidence, the Empire Center's statewide report was delivered a week after a hyperlink on the Falls website was co-opted by a pornographic materials publisher from a foreign country.The Buffalo Niagara Coalition is led by attorney Paul Wolf, who said the 100-point, 10-criteria rubric the municipalities were graded on is "ground floor, basic stuff" prescribed by the state's Open Meetings Law.In its criteria, the coalition's report surveyed the governments' websites to determine whether budgets, meeting minutes, agendas, and materials were archived for five years; contact information was provided for both elected and appointed officials; Freedom of Information Act forms were available with instructions; videos of meetings were posted online and whether financial disclosure forms for politicians were accessible, among other criteria.Wolf said Niagara County is unique in some of its deficiencies, for instance a local law in the Niagara County Legislature that "prohibits citizens from being able to view county legislator disclosure forms" Wolf said it could state any potential conflict of interests in their political pursuits."There's nothing like that (law) in Erie County," he said.Wolf said it was also "shocking" to see that the legislature did not make summaries of its meeting discussions, called minutes, available online."Niagara County didnt even post meeting minutes at all until we started doing this evaluation," he said."Your average block club does meeting minutes," Wolf continued. "Every small town and village was posting meeting minutes."There is some attempt to change things in the Falls, according to City Administrator Nick Melson, who since his hire last year has been tasked with updating the city's website. Its gone through some changes, but still remains unorganized in areas and difficult to navigate.The report criticized the city for being inconsistent in its budget archive, for not making Freedom of Information Act requests accessible through the website and for not posting financial disclosures for its officials.Melson said posting disclosure forms and budget reports, quarterly updates that track spending by budget line, have "been talked about." A decade worth of meeting minutes, agenda items and votes are available through the Falls website, but it lacks supporting documentation for them, such as photocopies of actual contracts.Melson said city officials have aspirations to update its entire technology infrastructure, installing what he called a "Citistat" model, a software provider that describes its product as a "data-driven management system designed to monitor and improve the performance of city departments in realtime."That will encompass different components than the ones evaluated in Wolf's report, but could correct some of his group's criticisms. For instance, Citistat would enable digital notifications for residents on developments, like meetings or public hearings, as well as create a submission form for citizens seeking information or documents.Wolf said he and his volunteer group of concerned residents whom compiled the study are "more than willing to work with local governments to help them make some of these changes." He has already heard from the Erie County Legislature and the city of Buffalo, he said.Wolf's group also works with citizens. It holds meetings on the last Tuesday of the month at 5:30 p.m. in either the Williamsville Library or the Williamsville Village Hall. More information can be found at www.nyopengov.org How Terrorists' Use of Social Media Points to the Future (TNS) -- Police body cameras have become part of the uniform, a safety accessory along with the service revolver, pepper spray, riot baton and bullet-proof vest.Video and audio footage from cameras clipped to officers shirts is finding its way into courtrooms, used as evidence in criminal cases.We believe that it is now a best practice, as well as good public policy, for all police to be equipped with body-cam technology, said Bob Miller, chief deputy prosecutor in Monroe County. There is simply no better evidence of what occurs during a police-citizen encounter than video of the event.In October 2014, a body camera clipped to BPD Officer William Abrams uniform recorded the sounds of gunshots from inside a dark residence where two women were being raped at gunpoint. The video shows two men escaping from a bedroom window and one turning and firing toward Abram, who shot back.It documents just what happened and backed up the officers account.Its evidence. Strong evidence.During a trial this month in Monroe Circuit Court in which a man was convicted of causing his 2-month-old daughters death, deputy prosecutor David Gohn played for jurors a video and audio recording. It came from a Bloomington police officers body camera that was on when the parents of the battered infant were told that despite efforts to revive her, Kenya Rose Smith-Barton had died.Mom, mom, mom ... oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, cried Robierre McNeil in the video. No, no, no, my baby, my baby, my baby, my baby, wailed the childs mother, who was working a double shift at Burger King that Sunday a year ago when the baby was found unresponsive in a swing, suffering from several skull fractures.The minutes-long segment was heart-wrenching.Gohn suggested to the jury that McNeils grief was not as genuine as the mothers. Jurors left to deliberate, with instructions on the law from the judge in their hands and the sounds of the anguished parents fresh in their minds.McNeil was convicted of aggravated battery and neglect resulting in death and will be sentenced next month.BPD Deputy Chief Joe Qualters said the departments body-worn camera policy requires that they be activated to record all contacts with citizens while in the performance of official duties. He explained that the cameras are to stay activated until the event is completed in order to ensure the integrity of the recording.The policy does not extend to any location where individuals have a reasonable expectation of privacy, such as a restroom or locker room, he wrote in an email response to questions.Video from the cameras is downloaded at the end of each officers shift and preserved on a server. Video not related to criminal cases is generally kept for six months, he said. Video involving arrests and circumstances where criminal charges are filed is passed along to the prosecutors office and kept until the case is over.What is pertinent and allowed as evidence for a trial is determined by rules of evidence and a judges interpretation. Miller said body-cam evidence is available to both the prosecution and the defense.The rules governing its admissibility are no different than any other photographic or video exhibits, he said. Clearly, it must be relevant to the issues before the court, and it must be properly maintained to avoid any risk of tampering.He said that before such evidence can be used in an attorneys closing statement, as it was in McNeils trial, it must first be admitted as an exhibit through a witness, most often the officer who was wearing it. We believe that this kind of real time evidence is helpful to jurors in many cases, Miller said. Sometimes, it helps determine a verdict. Team founder Peter Sauber has admitted the Swiss outfit is set to bring up the rear of the field in 2017. "There are ten teams," he told the Swiss newspaper Sonntagsblick. "The initial position for Sauber is number ten." But a worse fate seemed in store for Sauber not too long ago, with the 73-year-old admitting the team he took into F1 back in 1993 almost collapsed completely. Now, with a rescue buyout complete, semi-retirement has become full retirement for Peter Sauber, who says he is no longer involved and owns "not a screwdriver" at Hinwil. In fact, he said he will be holidaying in South Africa by the end of this week and may not even watch the 2017 season opener on television. Sauber admitted he still feels affected by the turmoil of his last years in F1. "I needed some time to process the separation from my company," he said. "It is not easy and I have had sleepless nights. "It was a real tightrope walk and a collapse was always possible," revealed Sauber. "For me it was an extremely stressful situation with many unpleasant encounters and telephone calls." One rumour, for example, is that Sauber fell out with the team's ongoing boss, Monisha Kaltenborn. "We have very little contact," he admits. "I still have contacts with some employees, but no office and I'm never there. "They say I am the founder and they will use the Sauber name, which is important for the new owners," said Sauber. "But overall, we made a clean break. It is better like that. So I have nothing to do with the company anymore." So for now, Peter Sauber thinks the team that still bears his name will be last in 2017, "But I hope they will succeed in overtaking one or two teams". "There are no miracles in formula one," he admits. "When I look at the years after BMW, 2012 was the last really good season and after that it became difficult because of the lack of financial resources. "During the development of the 2017 car, the time between May and September was very important and it was then that the funds were missing," said Sauber. (GMM) Max Verstappen's father is not ruling out trying to help another youngster make his big mark on formula one. The former F1 driver masterminded his teenage son's meteoric rise to prominence, but now admits to missing young Max. "There are times when I am at home and Max is in Monaco and I've thought 'Damn, it's really nice what has happened to him', but for years - day and night - we did everything together. "And then he left suddenly," Jos Verstappen told the Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf. "It's a natural process, I know that, but when we entered motor sport together, I didn't think it would go so fast," he added. "I miss him. It's that simple." However, Jos admits it is also "nice" to have more time for himself, but is also not ruling out returning to the fray with another promising young talent. "I do think about it," said the Dutchman. "I've even talked about it with Helmut Marko, who knows that I have a lot of contacts in the lower racing classes." (GMM) Team boss Gunther Steiner is confident F1's notorious 'second year syndrome' will not strike Haas. So often, a new team has a much tougher time in F1 in year two, but Steiner is sure life on the grid will actually be easier for Haas in 2017. "Compared to 2016, everything is calmer," he told Auto Motor und Sport. "One year ago we were looking for the plugs to use our computers!" he laughed. "We were warned that the second season is harder but I think we are definitely no worse than 2016." Some of that confidence is thanks to Ferrari, who Steiner says have delivered a great 2017 engine. "We did all eight days of testing with one engine," he revealed. "The thing runs and runs and runs and really has more power." (GMM) Carlos Sainz says he cannot imagine McLaren deciding to dump Honda and switch to customer Mercedes engine power in the near future. Last week, the beleaguered British team did not outright deny speculation its situation is so bad it had been in contact with Mercedes about a last-minute engine switch. "It would be an enormous thing if McLaren changed engine," Toro Rosso driver Sainz told the Spanish press. "I don't know, but for me it would be an incredible thing for formula one and so I find it hard to believe." Sainz was asked about the McLaren-Honda situation because of his closeness to countryman and mentor Fernando Alonso, who drives for the beleaguered Anglo-Japanese collaboration. But Sainz insisted: "I have enough things to worry about myself, but I wish him the best because if I can't win, I want him to win. "They have had a very hard winter, but last year they started behind us and ended up ahead," he added. (GMM) Formula 2 driver Sergio Canamasas is looking for a role in the F1 paddock for 2017. It appears likely the long-time GP2 driver, who is 28, will stay in the category this year as it transitions to become 'Formula 2'. "At the moment I have done the tests," Canamasas told Spain's El Mundo Deportivo newspaper, "but this is not the only project of mine for this year. "In formula one I am in talks with three teams and we will have to wait and see if anything comes of it. My intention is to enter the programme of a team," he added. (GMM) Bernie Ecclestone is not yet done with formula one. That is despite the fact that he was ousted as the sport's chief executive by Liberty Media, and insists he has "no idea" what his new title 'chairman emirates' really means. "I'd like some rules and regulations so I know what I am supposed to do or not supposed to do," the 86-year-old told British television Sky. However, Ecclestone revealed that his successor Chase Carey has actually asked him to go to Brazil to see if the country's president will "put some money into the (Interlagos) race." But the diminutive Briton won't be in Australia this weekend. Ecclestone said he broke the news to his friend Sebastian Vettel by saying: "'I'm not bloody well coming to Australia just to play backgammon with you!' "'Can you wait until Bahrain?'" Ecclestone also told the Ferrari driver, according to the Daily Mail newspaper. He said he will attend about half of all the grands prix this year, but isn't sure what his longer term future is. "It depends what Liberty want me to do here," said Ecclestone. "I don't want to stay here not doing anything positive for the company." (GMM) Canada-based Mkango Resources has entered into a Memorandum Of Understanding (MOU) with UK-based Metalysis jointly to research, develop and commercialize novel rare earth metal alloys for use in three-dimensional (3D) printed permanent magnets. The MOU will combine Mkangos knowledge about the performance characteristics and future global demand outlook for rare earth magnets with Metalysis disruptive, solid-state process, which can generate high margins from the manufacture of metal powders for markets including 3D printing. The parties envisage a comprehensive R&D program, culminating in the joint pursuit of commercial opportunities. One such opportunity includes evaluating the United Kingdom as a future host country for a manufacturing plant to exploit a commercialized technology. Rare earth permanent magnets are a critical component of many electric vehicles, as well as other consumer and green technologies. China dominates the rare earth permanent magnet industry, and with one of the few rare earths projects outside China to have advanced beyond the pre-feasibility stage, Mkango believes it is well-placed to respond to the global demand outlook. Mkangos share of the first phase of R&D costs will be funded out of existing cash resources. Metalysis has a patented process for producing titanium, tantalum, other metals and innovative alloy powders. The process, originating from the University of Cambridge and proven at industrial scale, can generate high margins from the manufacture of metal powders for markets including 3D printing, the company says. Mkangos primary business is the exploration for rare earth elements and associated minerals in the Republic of Malawi. Mkango holds, through its wholly owned subsidiary Lancaster Exploration Limited, a 100% interest in two exclusive prospecting licenses in southern Malawi, the Phalombe licence and the Thambani licence. The main exploration target in the Phalombe licence is the Songwe Hill rare earths deposit, which features carbonatite-hosted rare earth mineralization and was subject to previous exploration in the late 1980s. Mkango completed an updated Pre-feasibility Study for the project in November 2015. Mkangos strategy for Songwe is to further optimise the project with a view to maximizing efficiency and reducing costs. The main exploration targets in the Thambani licence are uranium, niobium, tantalum and other associated minerals. In the UK, increasing pressure to reduce the impact of pollution from vehicles has led to growing interest in the introduction of Clean Air Zones and Low Emission Zones. However, such mitigation measures are expensive to design and implement and, while street level air quality monitoring can highlight the problem in the form of the local hot spots at which exceedances occur, it does not provide information on which of the passing vehicles are the most polluting. To address this need, Ricardo Energy & Environment, working with technology partner OPUS Inspection, has launched a real-world vehicle emissions monitoring service. The accurate measurement of the emissions of passing vehicles is linked to automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras for individual vehicle identification. You have permission to edit this article. Edit Close 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. A couple of Sundays ago, readers of the New York Times were treated to an op-ed from columnist Frank Bruni on how college students treat controversial speakers and what that says about them. (The college students, not the speakers.) Bruni's column was pegged to the recent speaker-related mayhem at Middlebury College in Vermont and took college students to task for believing "that its morally dignified and politically constructive to scream rather than to reason, to hurl slurs in place of arguments. You know how many colleges Bruni cited in his column to make these sweeping claims about emotionally coddled and intellectually impoverished college students? Two. You know how many four-year colleges there are in the United States? Somewhere between 1,600 and 3,000, depending on who's counting. Ive written before about how the elite media (#notallmedia) too often writes about higher education by glancing at a handful of elite schools (Harvard, Stanford, Duke) and typing until they hit deadline. Today, Ill outsource this exercise in dead-horse beating to a professor at Eastern Michigan University, who wrote this on his blog: Why is it that whenever the MSM wants to make sweeping generalizations about higher education, they always seize upon things that happen at the most elite and exclusive institutions in the country? Why are all of the examples of students generally being coddled drawn from colleges and universities that cater to the 1%? ... I could go on, but the point is this: Bruni et al are literally making a generalization about college students today based on the 1 %. Thats dumb. Speaking of generalizing, the authors of this Brookings Institute column use a scatterplot chart at the top of this blog post to conclude that Charles Murray, the subject of the Middlebury protests, was correct about class separation. (Others disagree, of course.) But the responses via Twitter (selection bias!) take the whole Brookings thing down a few notches. And this interesting piece at Heterodox Academy dives deeper into the data that Brookings used. It concludes that attempts to disinvite speakers came from both left and right (but mostly from the left) and that fewer than 20 percent of disinvitations devolved into actual disruptions. When it comes to uninviting speakers, the right saw more success than the left. Go figure. Meanwhile, a professor and two Middlebury grads suggest that the Middlebury students who protested had good reasons: Many people deride students as coddled snowflakes who use safe spaces and trigger warnings to protect themselves against the big, bad outside world teeming with microaggressions. This image, always a caricature, could not be farther from the truth at Middlebury. The protesters, primarily students of color and working-class students, are hardly coddled. Life on the campus for them is and has historically been anything but easy. Students and former students frequently confront blatant and subtle forms of racism and classism. Students of color are often assumed to be on financial aid or are told they are only here because of affirmative action. Some professors make assumptions about their intellectual abilities or single them out in class to play the spokesperson on race issues. The overwhelming culture of whiteness and wealth leaves many working-class students or students of color feeling depressed and alienated. To suggest that they needed a visit from Murray to expose them to controversial ideas is laughable and offensive. They confront racism and classism every day on campus. Moreover, they talk about race and class all the time, whether they want to or not in personal conversations, in the many courses exploring these subjects, at town hall forums recently held on the campus to address incidents of racial insensitivity, as well as at the numerous meetings organized in the days leading up to Murrays visit. Those discussions all took place with the high level of civility many commenters assume cannot happen. The same could be said for a lot of other colleges, come to think about it. (I've heard it locally.) But you know what? The authors of this column didnt try to make that sweeping claim. Instead, they wrote about what they knew, which in their case is a particular college in central Vermont. Maybe that's an approach that the elite media could take. Maybe next time, huh? Want to make sure you see these blog posts? Like me on Facebook, and follow me on Twitter. Have something to say? Email me at john.newsom@greensboro.com. The Trumpcare bill reveals who President Donald Trump and members of his party really care about. There are a few winners and many losers. Winners: 1. Businesses with 50 or more full-time employees are not required to provide insurance for workers. 2. Those earning more than $250,000 will not pay additional taxes to support Obamacare. 3. The young may pay lower premiums. 4. Those who refuse to purchase insurance will not be fined. Losers: 1. People who are eligible under Obamacare for premium subsidies based on income and the cost of insurance would instead receive subsidies under Trumpcare based on age: $2,000 for those under 30 and $4,000 for those over 30 up to an income of $150,000 per couple. 2. Instead of subsidies under Obamacare to help pay deductibles and co-pays, Trumpcare offers tax credits, but only for those with incomes high enough to file itemized deductions. 3. Older Americans whose insurance premiums under Obamacare were capped at three times those of young customers could see their premiums rise up to five times more. 4. People who drop or lose insurance coverage will be charged 30 percent higher premiums when they reapply. Now ask yourself, how much does President Trump care for you? Denise Baker Greensboro Sell the Eden brewery We dont know whether Democratic Attorney General Josh Stein and Republican N.C. Senate leader Phil Berger would have a beer together after work. More importantly, theyre working together in an effort to save brewery jobs in Eden, where Berger lives. Five hundred jobs were lost last year when MillerCoors closed the plant as its owner, SABMiller, was merging with Anheuser-Busch InBev. Berger and then-Attorney General Roy Cooper asked the U.S. Justice Department to require sale of the Eden facility to a competitor as a condition of the transaction. The department didnt respond. Stein, elected in November, has made a new effort. Now theres a new administration and a new attorney general (in Washington), he said during a visit to the News & Record last week, expressing hope that President Donald Trumps administration will be more sympathetic. Trump says he strongly supports U.S. manufacturing. The asset is just sitting there, and it could be put back into production, Stein said. He doesnt know whether there would be a buyer, but why not? Its an excellent facility, a skilled workforce is available, and Americans are still drinking beer after work. A few bad men? North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis minced no words in denouncing Marines who posted hundreds of nude photos of female colleagues on a Facebook page. The Republican called the act disgusting during a recent hearing in the U.S. Capitol. Thats an incident where we have to get down to the bottom of it and there has to be a consequence for people who were involved in it, Tillis said. And hes right. This is hardly a case of boys being boys. It is sleazy, sexist, exploitative and, worst of all, dishonorable in an institution that is supposed to value honor above all else. The photos were posted on a page called Marines United by current and former Marines and were accompanied by demeaning and offensive comments. At least one of the Marines involved is stationed at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina. And one of the females depicted was secretly photographed while serving at Camp Lejeune. Even worse, Thomas Brennan, the Marine veteran and North Carolina resident whose nonprofit news website blew the whistle on the photos was bombarded with threats to himself and his family. Someone suggested that he be waterboarded. Brennan served in Iraq and Afghanistan and received a Purple Heart. Beyond the issue itself is a deeper concern about what it may say about the culture of the Marines. We can only hope this is an aberration. But the mindset that spawned and enabled this type of behavior is deeply disturbing. At worst, said a man who identified himself to the Marine Corps Times as an administrator of the Marines United page, the photos are juvenile, but exactly what you would expect from the kind of men who have experienced what less than one tenth of one percent of the population has experienced. Thats disappointing and unsettling. Military service gives no one a license for harassment and abuse. The investigation must be thorough and the consequences should be serious. A poor grade You dont have to look between the lines for the message. An annual report on child poverty in North Carolina is brutally clear. We get an F for the economic security of our children. As Nancy McLaughlin reported last week in the News & Record, the percentage of children living in high-poverty neighborhoods in the state jumped by 56 percent between 2006 and 2010. Thats no doubt attributable to the massive job losses the state has seen in the textile, furniture and tobacco industries and an economy that still struggles to find its footing during an uncertain recovery. Whats worse is that even the good news in the report comes with an asterisk. Compiled by the advocacy organization NC Child, the report gives the state an A on the high percentage of children covered by health insurance (a stellar 96 percent). But planned changes to the Affordable Care Act could cause those numbers to plummet. Making matters worse is President Trumps proposed budget, which favors military spending and building a wall on the Mexican border to investing in social safety nets and, more importantly, in our children. Sad. MAYODAN When the doors opened at the Mayodan Arts Center in late 2016, officials, volunteers and artists alike envisioned an arts hub that could showcase the multiple skills of artisans across the county. They also hoped through outreach and a strong program base to consistently welcome those with a blooming interest in the various forms of the arts with open arms. On March 10, a glimpse of those possibilities were prominently on display as teachers, artists and students of artistry came together with the objective to have fun by delving into an art form that unlocks inner creativity. In the back, nine students grabbed black aprons that accompanied their black canvas, anxiously hoping that their final masterpiece would match the example presented by instructor Kathy Anthony. The glimmer of the Northern Lights was brought to life less than an hour later in each individual painting. Every student started with the same paint brush and shades of purple, indigo, white and blue paint. Yet, every single stroke helped create nine unique representations through the eyes of each individual. Meanwhile up front, Genivee Stein forms pottery to the tune of footsteps and two acoustic guitars. While residents make their way through the gallery, brothers Preston and Andrew Washburn play select favorites and sing the lyrics to songs theyve organically written themselves. The duo, better known as Shadez of Crazee, features the young teenage sons of author WD Washburn, who signed copies of his newly released book, Yoga Pants, Mini Vans, & Selfies while listening to his sons perform. The story is based off actual events that Washburn experienced with his sons during his journey as a stay-at-home dad. Set in the fictional town of Lakeview, North Carolina Yoga Pants, Mini Vans, & Selfies shares the journey of two stay-at-home dads who attempt to take on the yoga-pants wearing, minivan-driving and selfie-taking moms while becoming part of the local PTO. The comedy-filled page turner is the first of its kind for the Rutherford County native who has previously focused on history as a contributing author to the historical collection at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Washburn was a regional manager at a major insurance company before making the decision to work at home. He has taken enjoyment out of volunteering at his childrens school and seeing them follow in his footsteps through his love of music. He enjoyed chronicling the craziness of becoming one of the first men on the local PTO, but most importantly he wouldnt trade the moments he would have missed on if he werent as involved in the life of his two boys. I dont need big pay, because you cant buy time, said Washburn in between signings. To me its more important to say that you arent going to the beach ten times a year or buy a new car every other year. Im having more fun doing this now than anything ever. As you see the growth and progression of your kids, you cant replace the memories. They are going to have them forever. They will remember that time that they went with their dad to the Mayodan Arts Center and I will too, Washburn said. The activities were part of the launch of Downtown Mayodan 2nd Friday Night Out, which will feature businesses extending their hours once every second Friday of the month, through September. The ongoing event is sponsored by the Downtown Mayodan Merchants Association. On March 10, several restaurants and businesses were open late on Main Street and Second Avenue, keeping residents out of the cool weather. Yet, the star of the night was the newly-formed Arts Center, which continues to grow through an assortment of classes, events and growth of artistry. This is exactly what we had hoped for these events, said MAC President Ashley Hickok. We wanted to have several things going on at one place at the same time to show off the hustling and bustling in such a small town and to really thrive and bring in locals from around and outside the county. I feel like the more events like this that we have each month, we will grow while obtaining to grow into something as like Greensboros first Friday event. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate WASHINGTON Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch defended himself as a non-ideological steward of the law and Constitution, but Democrats including Sen. Richard Blumenthal made clear President Trumps nominee would have a high bar to hurdle. On Day One of Senate confirmation hearings, Blumenthal said Gorsuch would have to demonstrate independence from Trump and frankly answer questions on how hed rule on key precedents such as Roe v. Wade, which established a legal right to abortion. Invoking then President Nixons resistance to the Supreme Court in the Watergate era, Blumenthal said during the Monday hearing: ``We meet this week in the midst of a looming constitutional crisis. . . The possibility of the Supreme Court needing to enforce a subpoena against the president is no longer idle speculation. He added that the ``independence of the judiciary is more important than ever, and your defense of it is critical. Democrats questioned Gorsuchs independence, pointing to Trumps selection of him from a list of nominees provided by conservative legal groups. The confirmation hearings continue with Q&A from the senators on Tuesday and Wednesday in what is shaping up as an epic struggle over confirmation of an avowed conservative appeals court judge to take the place of a man he idolized, Justice Antonin Scalia who died over a year ago. Several Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee invoked the name of Merrick Garland, the appeals court judge nominated by President Obama to take Scalias place. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., derailed the nomination on a gamble that a Republican would win the White House in the 2016 election. For at least some of the panels Democrats, the confirmation hearings for Gorsuch, 49, are payback. ``Due to unprecedented treatment, Judge Garland was denied a hearing, and the vacancy has been in place for well over a year, said Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., senior Democrat on the committee. ``I just want to say I am deeply disappointed. For his part, Gorsuch used his opening statement to sketch his defense of his 11-year record as a judge who decides cases on the facts and the law, not his own policy predilections. ``Putting on a robe reminds us that it's time to lose our egos and open our minds, Gorsuch said in his opening statement. ``Ours is a judiciary of honest black polyester. As Supreme Court confirmations have grown more hostile and politically divisive in recent decades, nominees have become accustomed to sidestepping declarations of their views on hot-button issues such as abortion. But Blumenthal made clear that with Trump in the White House castigating the judiciary when it rules against him in cases such as the challenge to his travel ban against Muslim-majority nations, Gorsuch must prove his independence of the White House. ``In ordinary times, that kind of dodging and ducking would be understandable, Blumenthal said after the hearing. ``But these are extraordinary times. Blumenthal said that in a private meeting last month in his Capitol Hill office, Gorsuch called Trumps attacks on judges a day after Gorsuch told Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., in a private meeting that he found Trumps attacks on judges ``demoralizing and disheartening. Trump subsequently accused Blumenthal of lying about what Gorsuch said, dredging up Blumenthals mistaken remarks in the 2010 campaign suggesting he was a Vietnam veteran rather than a Vietnam-era veteran. Blumenthal has since called on Gorsuch to repeat the remarks publicly and pledged to question him about it during the hearings. ``It isnt enough to do it in the privacy of my office behind closed doors, Blumenthal said. ``I believe that our system really requires and demands that you do it publicly and explicitly and directly. In a Senate divided 52-48 in favor of Republicans, Democrats can block Gorsuch under current rules requiring 60 votes to confirm a Supreme Court nominee. But the Republican Senate majority has the power to change the rules to require only a simple majority for confirmation. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 3 1 of 3 Stamford Police Show More Show Less 2 of 3 Stamford Police Show More Show Less 3 of 3 STAMFORD A 20-year-old murder fugitive wanted for a New Years Eve killing in New York was apprehended Friday at a West Side home, police said. Juan Nico Morales, 20, was arrested during a raid of a Smith Street house by Stamford detectives and U.S. Marshals, according to Capt. Richard Conklin, head of the city police departments Narcotics and Organized Crime unit. In less than eight hours last June, Yale New Haven Hospitals emergency department treated 12 patients who had overdosed on opioids. Three died; nine were saved. With opioids in wide circulation, that one-day spike might not stand as a record for long, said Dr. Gail DOnofrio, chief of emergency medicine at the hospital and chair of emergency medicine at Yale School of Medicine. To be honest, no, I dont expect the numbers to get better, DOnofrio said. Were going to have more treatment options in Connecticut, I think, more safe prescribing but I dont know that well see improvements in the numbers of people using. DOnofrios concerns are borne out in a recent report by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality that ranks Connecticut the fifth-highest among 30 states in the rate of opioid-related emergency department visits 254.6 per 100,000 population in 2014, well above the national rate of 177.7. For inpatient stays related to opioid use, the state ranked seventh-highest among 44 states, at 337.5 stays per 100,000, above the national rate of 224.6. Opioid use rising Leading in emergency department visits was Massachusetts, followed by Maryland, Rhode Island and Ohio. States with the lowest rates were Iowa, with just 45.1 visits per 100,000 population, Nebraska and South Dakota. The report shows that Connecticuts rate of opioid-related inpatient stays increased 28.5 percent between 2009 and 2014, while its rate of emergency visits increased 35 percent. Nationally, those rates increased 23.8 percent for inpatients and 65.6 percent for emergency department visits. The hospital data comes as the state medical examiners office reported that 917 people died from overdoses in 2016 a 25 percent increase over 2015. The largest increase involved the synthetic opioid fentanyl, which was responsible for the June overdoses at Yale New Haven. Experts said that while fentanyl, which is 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine, is not a new drug, its availability outside of medical settings has skyrocketed. The dual use of opioids and benzodiazepines is also fueling the death rate, they said; in Connecticut, the tranquilizers are involved in nearly half of fatal overdoses. In October, a Yale-led group convened by Gov. Dannel Malloy issued a report recommending ways to reduce overdose deaths. The CORE (Connecticut Opioid REsponse) report, of which DOnofrio was a co-author, calls for increasing access to treatment, especially with the medication buprenorphine, which reduces opioid cravings; targeting overdose survivors for education and treatment programs; increasing physician adherence to prescribing guidelines; and increasing access to overdose-reversing naloxone, among other initiatives. According to the CORE report, the number of non-fatal, opioid-related overdoses treated at Connecticuts acute-care hospitals increased from 895 in 2012, to 1,217 in 2014 a 36 percent jump. Solutions eyed DOnofrio said that, given that illicit opioid addiction often stems from a medical prescription, one key to reducing use is educating and closely monitoring prescribers. The state report shows that a small subset about 10 percent of prescribers write out more than 500 controlled-substance prescriptions a year. It recommends identifying prescribers who provide patients with high amounts or dosages of opioids. The state has passed a number of laws intended to combat the opioid epidemic, including requiring first responders to carry Narcan (an opioid antidote also known as Naloxone), limiting initial opioid prescriptions to seven-day supplies in most cases, and requiring pharmacies to enter information about controlled substances into the electronic Connecticut Prescription Monitoring and Reporting System by the next business day. Malloy recently proposed several new measures, including requiring all opiate prescriptions to be filled out electronically, and encouraging state agencies to share information on opiate prescribing. Some lawmakers have proposed even tougher restrictions, including barring primary-care providers from prescribing opioids and requiring health insurers to cover long-term addiction treatment. On the federal level, a group of senators, including Connecticuts Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy, recently re-introduced the Budgeting for Opioid Addiction Treatment Act which would establish a funding stream to expand addiction treatment from a tax equal to one cent per milligram on the sale of active opioids b a manufacturer or importer. DOnofrio said there is no typical opioid user, so targeting interventions to certain populations is difficult. The Yale emergency department has treated professors, lawyers, housewives and homeless people for opioid addiction. Statistics from the state medical examiners office show that about 75 percent of the 2016 overdose deaths were of men and 78 percent were white, with ages ranging from 17 to 73. About half were in their 30s and 40s. For now, DOnofrio said, expanding access to naloxone is critical. I think we really need to get as much Narcan out into the world as possible, she said. If I had my way? It would be in every Starbucks. C-HIT is hosting a free Community Forum on women and opioid addiction on April 6 in New Britain. For information and to register, go to c-hit.org or click here . This story was reported under a partnership with the Connecticut Health I-Team ( www.c-hit.org ). The employee experience is what makes or breaks retention. Simply put, if employees enjoy their work, they will stay. However, this is no easy feat. The best way to improve the employee experience is by giving them a personalized experience. Employees dont want to feel like just a number in the books. They want to feel special and have an employer who knows how they prefer to be treated. Take a look at how wellness programs are used. The Whispers From the Water Cooler survey by Welltok and National Business Group on Health found that 37 percent of the 1,000 employees surveyed did not find health programs personally relevant and 20 percent didn't know they were available, a strong indication that greater personalization and awareness is needed to drive employee engagement. Personalization goes beyond just wellness programs and coffee perks -- it needs to be applied to the entire employee experience. Heres how employers should make the change: 1. Create a talent mobility program. Motivate the staff by investing in their professional growth. The 2014 Global Workforce Study by Towers Watson found that career advancement opportunities are among the top driving forces for employees, according to more than 32,000 respondents. A talent mobility program empowers employees with clear, documented processes that will guide them to advance within the company. When employees are given a chance to learn and grow, they are motivated to stay. Promote the talent mobility program to boost interest and encourage enrollment. Then start catering training and development to each persons unique interests, talents and personal goals. Customized action plans are impactful and far more efficient that one-size-fits-all training. A one-size program may bore employees who want to learn a different skill, or the teaching style might leave some behind. Its best to identify each persons style of learning so they can be taught in the most effective method. Try to connect each employee to the path they want and invest in educating them to expand their skill sets in a way that works toward not only personal goals, but also a stronger organization, collectively. 2. Start recognizing employees. People want to know how they are doing in their work. A recognition process helps streamline communication, adds structure, and defines impactful recognition practices. It should be fair and equal for each person, and systematic in giving out rewards and incentives to those who earn it. Display information about it and get people excited by offering diverse rewards. Make use of technology and create a digital space for everyone to socialize and engage on. This will keep everyone in the loop, and it gives management a social space to announce updates and celebrate employees who succeed. Publicly celebrating everyone when they earn it is important to adding a positive element to the company culture. Everyone responds to recognition differently, so its important to find out what motivates everybody. Ask for feedback and adjust the rewards to improve the results. 3. Perform regular evaluations. Dont wait a full year to check in with people. Sit down one on one with employees on a frequent basis to gauge how they are doing and to offer help if they seem to be underperforming and struggling with their workload. When supervisors do this, employees feel noticed and are motivated because they see the impact they can have on operations. Provide them with impactful performance data so they can visualize where they are succeeding and where they should be making improvements. Train managers to give constructive feedback so employees can get personalized direction on their performance. Help them define an action plan, and check back in with them regularly to make adjustments until they find what works for them. 4. Foster strong relationships. Not everything has to be addressed through strict processes and stuffy meetings. Prioritize getting to know the staff on a personal level. The 2015 Employee Job Satisfaction and Engagement Survey by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) found that 58 percent of the 600 employees surveyed say their relationship with their immediate supervisor is very important. Prioritize building stronger relationships and connecting with employees as people. Host fun get-togethers outside the office and talk about hobbies and personal life details in an appropriate way. Employees are more than just an asset -- ask about their kids, go to their bands shows, read their blogs and start a book club. The culture needs a human element, and fostering close relationships with everyone is the key to building that kind of culture. Related: The Client Is Never the Problem 4 Lessons Work-From-Home Parents Can Learn From That Hilarious BBC Interview Gone Awry Turning Heads: Plan b Founder And Chairman Harmeek Singh Copyright 2017 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved It mailed millions of these packs. Photo: General Mills Bees are dying globally at an alarming rate, and last week, Cheerios figured it would step in and help. The cereal brand, whose mascot after all is a honeybee, announced it would mail out free wildflower seeds as part of a Save the Bees campaign to provide more nectar for the struggling pollinator. By Friday, just one week in, it had given away 1.5 billion of them ten times more than the original goal and, as it later explained in a blog post, enough to deplete General Mills entire supply. We're thrilled by the unBEElievable support to #bringbackthebees! Let's continue to create a bee-friendlier world! https://t.co/uZPmjyslrH Cheerios (@cheerios) March 17, 2017 There was just one tiny problem: It picked wildflowers that can grow into bad news for certain recipients local ecosystems. Rather than ship each person a seed pack custom-tailored to their region, which would have been a ton of work, Cheerios used a generic mix forget-me-nots, poppies, daisies, lavender, hyssop, and about a dozen others. But, as Lifehacker realized, many of them arent native to any part of America. Worse, Massachusetts and Connecticut ban forget-me-nots, and poppies are considered an invasive exotic pest in the southeast. As an ecologist explains, plant those in the wrong area, and they can take up all the space and use up all the resources, or even spread disease that could be detrimental to both plants and humans alike. To show the campaigns enormous reach, Cheerioss #BringBacktheBees site offers a handy map that logs where it sent every pack, and the southeast and New England in particular are just jam-packed with dots. Over the weekend, the company jumped into defense mode, telling critics on social media that while they appreciate those concerns, theres no need for worry because the seeds were chosen specifically to attract bees (listed as though theyre one generic entity) and are not considered invasive which, at least according to the USDA, doesnt appear to be true at all. Bee experts are also pointing out to Cheerios that context is important, and whats good for honeybees isnt necessarily good for native bumblebees and other species, or vice versa. A third group angry about the seeds, meanwhile, is blasting General Mills for trying to #BringBacktheBees when lab tests have shown that the oats it uses in Cheerios contain traces of Monsantos Roundup, an herbicide tied to colony-collapse disorder that might also be giving everybody cancer. The Good Sort. Photo: Bobby Doherty/New York Magazine Congee, also known as jook, or rice gruel, has long been the breakfast of billions in China filling, cheap, energizing, and easily digestible, fit for infants and nonagenarians alike. Some swear by it as a post-exercise pick-me-up; others as a superb hangover cure. Its soothing properties are considered so powerful that congee is even served at funerals. In its most basic form, its white rice cooked in water or broth until the grains disintegrate, seasoned with everything from preserved eggs to pigs blood. Part comfort food, part blank canvas, its gone beyond its traditional Cantonese Chinatown setting to approximate a cornstarch slurry in Mission Chinese Foods Westlake Rice Porridge, and to turn a popular Vietnamese roasted-shellfish street food into Hanoi Houses clams and congee. In this wellness-obsessed, vegan, gluten-free age, its no wonder that the ancient dish is being positioned and embraced as an ultramodern health food. Here, a few delicious new takes on overcooked rice. New Wave At Aussie-Chinese coffee shop The Good Sort (5 Doyers St.; $9), the jasmine rice is cooked in almond milk, seasoned with turmeric (plus ginger, cayenne, and coconut sugar), and garnished with coconut cream, poached cranberries, dried strawberries, and an Instagram-friendly edible pansy. Traditional Photo: Bobby Doherty/New York Magazine The classic congee at dim sum specialist Tim Ho Wan (85 Fourth Ave.; $3.75) hits that elusive sweet spot between thick soup and thin porridge. Beneath the unassuming surface lie shreds of braised pork and bits of both preserved and salted duck egg; on the side, sliced scallion and crispy thumbnail-size chips made from a dough similar to the one used for egg-roll wrappers. Super-Healthy Photo: Bobby Doherty/New York Magazine Neal Harden, the chef at Jean-Georges Vongerichtens abcV (38 E. 19th St.; $10), got the idea to make congee from forbidden or black rice and millet when he was cooking at a luxury-resort health spa in Bali. Its smooth and fragrant and thicker than most and served with a gang of savory condiments, including strips of nori, fermented chile paste, and mushrooms cooked with fermented black beans. Add a poached egg or an avocado for extra nourishment. *This article appears in the March 20, 2017, issue of New York Magazine. Eat Offbeats cooks at work. Photo: EvaCruz When Manal Kahi and her brother Wissam founded their catering company Eat Offbeat in 2015, they didnt just want to feed New Yorkers. They wanted to change the story around refugees in America. The Kahis are originally from Lebanon, and their grandmother hails from Aleppo. It was the ongoing humanitarian crisis there that gave them an idea: a food business that exclusively employs refugees. To find employees, the Kahis collaborated with the International Rescue Committee, a nonprofit that helps refugees resettle and find jobs. The only condition was that they needed to have sharp culinary skills. Thats because Eat Offbeats employees, who all happen to be women, arent making chicken club sandwiches and other typical catering cuisine. They set the menu themselves, with their own marquee dishes, like Nepali momos and Iraqi biryani. With this mission, Eat Offbeat stands alongside League of Kitchens, the recreational cooking school that empowers immigrant women, and Hot Bread Kitchen, the Harlem bakery-slash-social enterprise that teaches immigrant women how to bake and sells breads inspired by their ancestry. And now, Eat Offbeat will bring these dishes and stories to an even wider audience with the first cookbook, Eat Offbeat: The Cookbook, written by refugees though Manal is quick to emphasize that they strive to present a more complete picture of the women. The whole time in making the cookbook and just in general, were asking, how do we still describe what were doing without reducing our chefs to their status? Manal says. Its not about helping the chefs they dont need help. We want to show them that they are the ones helping us. We want them to be proud of being featured there. Last week, the company surpassed its Kickstarter campaigns $50,000 fundraising goal. It just took ten days to achieve that, with people from 32 countries contributing to the campaign. (That money will also be used for the book, and to hire new cooks. Ten percent will go to the IRC.) Encouraged by the response, Eat Offbeat is now announcing a stretch goal of $100,000, which if met will be used to hire yet more cooks and, excitingly, launch a cooking-channel companion on either YouTube or Vimeo. (Backers will receive free access, while others will pay, and it will be continuously updated.) A mock-up of the book. Photo: Courtesy of Eat Offbeat Right now, the plan for the book calls for 80 distinct recipes from 20 different cooks. All of the recipes will be tested, in order to ensure that theyre accurate and can work for other cooks, by Eat Offbeat culinary officer Juan Suarez de Lezo, who worked in the kitchens of such well-regarded restaurants as Eleven Madison Park and Per Se. Currently, 17 cooks have committed themselves to the project, and Manal hopes to represent 15 different countries. What she wants is to give the cooks an opportunity to share a dish they excel at and they love. So Bahia, originally from Algeria, will contribute an incredible couscous; while Mitslal, who hails from Eritrea, will bring her version of the lentil dish adas to the table. Meanwhile, Minata, who was born in Guinea, will contribute the West African staple of peanut sauce with rice. Everyone has at least one dish theyre really good at or know really well, she says. We want that one dish. But some people have five or six! Manal adds that these are dishes from home cooks, and the degree of difficulty will reflect that. What they want is to create a reliable, well-crafted, and professional resource for home cooks one that just happens to be a collection of recipes by a cadre of skilled cooks who came to this country as refugees. To that end, theyve hired the Dutch food photographer Signe Birck who worked on projects from acclaimed chefs including Ronny Emborg and Daniel Burns and are currently in negotiations with a writer. Since the campaign was launched, publishers have approached the company, but Manal says their priority is to do whatever will help them create a top-notch book worthy of our chefs. The purpose of the project, however, extends far beyond giving readers a glimpse into different cuisines as they exist today or, say, how to properly cook lentils the Eritrean way. It will share the stories of the chefs themselves, explaining why theyve chosen particular recipes, and what the dish means to them. It will go into the personal tweaks theyve made along the way, whether because of an allergy or in favor of a particular ingredient. More importantly, its about giving a voice to these often-voiceless people. Ones whose own stories they often have little control over, and who are almost always whittled down to simply being victims. We want to tell the success stories of these chefs, who are now being featured in we want people to see them for the chefs they have become, and the heroes that they are. We want people to see way beyond their status as refugees, Manal says. Since we started, part of our mission has been to change the narrative around refugees. What better way to change the narrative than to write a new one? Lalito. Photo: Liz Clayman The question of where to have lunch when youre summoned to jury duty is of grave importance: It may very well be the brightest spot in your day. Luckily, the courthouses in Manhattan happen to be in stones-throw proximity to some of the very best not to mention most comforting restaurants in the borough, smack dab on the border of Chinatown and Tribeca. Here are the very best spots to break for sustenance while fulfilling your civic duty. The Absolute Best 1. Lalito 104 Bayard St., nr. Baxter St.; 646-998-3408 It was a much-lamented bummer when beloved Bayard Street karaoke bar Winnies went out of business last year, but a huge relief when it was replaced by beloved chef Gerardo Gonzalezs new restaurant, Lalito (formerly called Lalo). You couldnt get any closer, physically, to the criminal courthouse if you tried, nor further away, psychically: In daytime, the southern-facing space designed in reference to a 1970s Mexican diner gets flooded with light, and Gonzalezs Southern Californiainspired food is super sunny, too. There are vibrantly colored agua frescas (fennel limeade, hibiscus orange ginger); appetizers as beautiful as they are delicious, including a retro-inspired composition of bibb lettuce topped with wedges of hard-boiled egg and a Waldorf-ish scoop of a celery, and bacon salad, flecked with fennel seeds; and an absolutely killer Mexican doner sandwich, featuring tender shredded goat and chicken plus, hot sauce, white sauce, pineapple, and pickles on slabs of crisp-edged, Turkish-style pide bread, served with a side of crunchy giardiniera. Jury duty? What jury duty? 2. Forlinis 93 Baxter St., nr. Walker St.; 212-349-6779 If escapism isnt your thing and youd prefer to simply double down on the jury-duty experience, you can do no better than Forlinis, a red-sauce joint so platonically old-school that it looks like a movie set indeed, Law & Order: SVU has shot scenes there on more than one occasion. The food is really quite good, provided youre in the mood for copious amounts of tomatoes and cheese: The house recommends the panserotti piacentina, fat short noodles stuffed with ricotta in the same creamy Bolognese in which the chicken parm comes smothered. (Theres a generously sized tricolore salad, too if you must and delicious battered zucchini, if you want to straddle the line of judiciousness.) But the atmosphere and the fellow clientele are the biggest draws, and what make lunch feel like a rite of passage: charmingly ancient dusty-rose leather banquettes and wood-paneled walls with oil paintings in gilded frames; an owner so warm and friendly he might come over and shake your hand to introduce himself, then urge, Mangia, mangia!; quiet murmurs of Hi, Judge, Hello, your honor, as loyal civil servants file in from across the street. 3. Xian Famous Foods 67 Bayard St., nr. Mott St.; 212-786-2068 In a sea of aging Cantonese restaurants, the relatively young Chinatown outpost of the local chain stands out, with its bright, clean, modern design and inviting communal tables, and its reliable menu of transporting northwestern-Chinese standards. Everything is filling and satisfying from hand-torn noodles in bracingly spicy tingly beef soup, to the fragrant and thrilling cumin-lamb burger, to the bright tangle of greens and chile peppers that comprise the tiger salad and nothing costs much more than $10. 4. Arcade Bakery 220 Church St., nr. Worth St.; 212-227-7895 Its a bit more of a walk, but lunch is speedy at the utterly charming Arcade Bakery, which is named for its location in the arcade of a turn-of-the-last-century office building. The premade, classic French-style ham, cheese, and salted-butter sandwich on an almost obscenely crusty baguette is the standard all others should be held against, and beautiful, little personal-size pizzas can be ordered in advance. Theres a rotating selection of other sandwiches, too, plus gorgeous loaves of bread and pastries. If the weather is nice, you might want to take your haul to the nearest park bench; but if its not, even the seating situation is a delight: glass display cases along the hall have been converted into little nooks you can climb into, with tables that fold down from the wall like Murphy beds. 5. Banh Mi Saigon Bakery 198 Grand St., nr. Mott St.; 212-941-1541 Another walk, in the opposite direction, will bring you to another deeply satisfying, extremely affordable, grab-and-go sandwich: a perfect banh mi (one of the best in the city) layered with sweet barbecued pork, Vietnamese ham, pickled vegetables, and fresh cilantro on a squishy, toasted baguette from the counter-at-the-back-of-the-jewelry-store that is Banh Mi Saigon Bakery. Theres limited seating, plus a park with benches just a few blocks east. Honorable Mentions Blaue Gans 139 Duane St., nr. West Broadway; 212-571-8880 Theres something charmingly Old World and elegant about this outpost of Kurt Gutenbrunners Austro-German mini-empire, and at lunchtime, it tends to be especially quiet and peaceful. A meal here is not cheap the excellent Wiener schnitzel with potato-cucumber salad will set you back a cool $26 but it seriously hits the spot. Nha Trang Centre 148 Centre St., at Walker St.; 212-941-9292 This longtime courthouse go-to is a bit hit or miss (skip the summer rolls, for example) but whats good (pho, vermicelli with fried spring rolls, many of the dirt-cheap, generously portioned sauteed dishes served over rice) is very good, and the dining room is surprisingly spacious and sunny. Shanghai Asian Manor 21 Mott St., nr. Mosco St.; 212-766-6311 There arent many restaurants in Chinatown that quote you a wait time for a table, but in the evenings, Shanghai Asian Manor often has a line snaking out the door. During the day, though, its considerably emptier, making lunch a good time to try the soup dumplings, which some argue are among the citys best, and a host of other better-than-average Cantonese classics. At the end of January Google outed the first beta build for Android 7.1.2, the next iteration of its mobile operating system. Today the second beta build for that version has started rolling out over-the-air to devices that are enrolled in the Android Beta Program. If you have a device running the first beta build, you too should get the update notification soon. The list of supported devices hasn't changed with this release, so giving Android 7.1.2 a try before anyone else is still only possible if you have a Google Pixel, Pixel XL, or Pixel C, Huawei Nexus 6P, LG Nexus 5X, or Asus Nexus Player. For all of those products the build number for the new software is NPG47I. With Android Nougat Google has moved into a quarterly release cycle for new incremental versions, though it is unlikely that the final 7.1.2 build will actually roll out before March (and thus Q1) is over. We assume this might become public alongside next month's security patches on April 3. Obviously that's only true for the devices Google still supports. If you have a handset that isn't a Nexus or Pixel, many months will pass before you see any trace of Android 7.1.2 on it. That however might not be such a huge loss, since this iteration of the OS is basically all about bug fixes and small enhancements here and there. It has no big new features or anything like that. Source 1 | Source 2 | Via HMD's Head of Marketing on Nokia launches, plans for the future HMDs Head of Marketing for Eastern Europe confirmed the launch dates for Nokias relaunch on the Old Continent. The new Nokia phones, including the Nokia 3310, will arrive from mid-May to early June. The 3310 feature phone will be available from both carriers and retailers. The exec did warn that prices may be different from those HMD announced at the MWC, depending on local VAT. For example, Germany has one of the lowest rates at 19% while Hungarians pay 27%. Anyway, the marketing director says HMD has lofty goals - it wants to get the Nokia brand back into the Top 3, elbowing out Apple, Samsung, Huawei along the way. You can watch the whole interview here but note that it is in Croatian and YouTube doesnt have subtitles yet. Thanks for sending this in, Themightym! Source HTC promised to adorn the U Ultra with a Sapphire glass, specifically for the top end 128GB model. That model will launch in Taiwan first - next week on March 28. However, the price stings a bit. The 64GB option with regular Gorilla Glass 5 cost NTD 23,900, the equivalent of $780/730. The 128GB/Sapphire option goes up to NTD 28,900, $945/880, thats a solid 20% markup. More importantly, its well over the $100/100 premium were used to paying when going up in storage, even if its from 64GB to 128GB. Sure, Sapphire is expensive and hard to manufacture, but the HTC U Ultra is hardly affordable to begin with. HTC U Ultra Sapphire edition (128GB storage) Theres no indication when the 128GB/Sapphire Ultra will visit other countries, its 64GB/GG5 twin is already on sale in the US and Europe. Note that no matter which version you choose you still get a Sapphire lens cover. Source (in Mandarin) These are the best offers from our affiliate partners. We may get a commission from qualifying sales. Haiti - Politics : Moise to the collective funeral of the victims of the Gonaives accident Saturday on the Place d'Armes in Gonaives, the President of the Republic, Jovenel Moise, accompanied by the President of the National Assembly, Senator Youri Latortue, President of the Chamber of Deputies, Cholzer Chancy and the mayor of Gonaives, Neil Latortue, attended the collective funeral of the 38 victims of the road accident occured Sunday 12 March in Mapou https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-20343-haiti-flash-terrible-road-drama-in-gonaives-at-least-34-dead.html "It is with a heavy heart that I present myself in this proud city in the context of this terrible tragedy. No word, no formulation would have translated the sadness that crosses me at the time of saying goodbye to our brothers and sisters. I extend my deepest condolences to the families, friends and relatives who have been harshly tried in this painful circumstance," declared he Head of State in a final tribute to these compatriots, suddenly departed for the eternal. At the end of the ceremony, President Moise laid a wreath of flowers at the scene of the accident. Beyond the accompaniments provided to the families of the victims, the Head of State following this tragedy decided to set up an office to regulate and strengthen the movement of vehicles across the country https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-20362-haiti-security-jovenel-moise-wants-to-put-order-and-discipline-on-our-roads.html See also : https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-20362-haiti-security-jovenel-moise-wants-to-put-order-and-discipline-on-our-roads.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-20343-haiti-flash-terrible-road-drama-in-gonaives-at-least-34-dead.html HL/ HaitiLibre Published on 2017/03/19 Hit Seoul's hottest fashion districts with 10 Magazine, get a great guide to travelling around Seoul, the country's highest observation deck (The Seoul Sky) opens for business, and discover why Korea is fun for the whole family. Advertisement "11 PLACES FOR SHOPPING IN SEOUL TO UP YOUR STYLE" Seoul is one stylish city, no doubt, and thanks to this great guide from 10 Magazine, you too can look your best after visiting Asia's 'fashion mecca'. "People want to incorporate Korean fashion into their own wardrobe", writes Nnehkai Agbor, and here you'll discover eleven top spots to shop till you drop to do exactly that... ...READ ON 10 MAGAZINE "ULTIMATE GUIDE TO SEOUL, KOREA THINGS TO DO, WHERE TO STAY & WHAT TO EAT!" If you're considering visiting Korea's capital city, here's a great guide for first-time travellers by Jen Barua on Blogilicious. "Another thing that people don't seem to realize about Seoul is it is incredibly EASY to be a tourist here!" writes Jen, and she goes on to share her thoughts on why Seoul should be at the top of your list of Asian destinations, as well as what you can look forward to in the Land of the Morning Calm: food, hikes, shopping, the palaces, temples, and so more! Got anything to add to Jen's list? Let us and others know in the comment section below... ...READ ON BLOGILICIOUS "S. Korea's Highest Observatory Deck to Open Next Week" See Seoul like never before with Lotte World's The Seoul Sky 500 meters above the country's capital city. Located between the 117th and 123rd floors of the Lotte World Tower, the tallest skyscraper in the country, The Seoul Sky Tower, which opens this week, will give visitors a breathtaking view of Korea's Seoul. This new observation deck is also in the Guinness Book of World Records in three categories... ...READ ON KBS WORLD RADIO "10 FUN FAMILY FRIENDLY ACTIVITIES TO DO IN KOREA" Travelling to Korea with your family? Worried about what Korea can offer you and what fun there is for the whole family? No problem, because "10 Magazine, with the help of Kidsfuninseoul, have put together this selection of family-friendly activities in and around Seoul". There are, for example, family friendly museums, plenty of city getaways like Namhansanseong Fortress, and be sure not to miss out on Korea's many great parks and amusement parks! ...READ ON 10 MAGAZINE Assisted Suicide Laws in Oregon and Washington: What Safeguards? From US Conference of Catholic Bishops, March 1, 2017 Oregons law allowing doctors to prescribe lethal overdoses for some patients suicides was first approved in 1994; after a court challenge it took legal effect late in 1997. Supporters later modeled Washingtons 2008 law on Oregons law, saying that its safeguards are operating well and have prevented abuse. In fact the data suggest that the safeguards are largely meaningless, and the death toll in both states has greatly increased over the years. In Oregon, 1,749 lethal prescriptions have been written and at least 1,127 patients have died from ingesting the drugs. In 2016 there were 133 deaths -- about the same as in 2015, but a 26% increase over 2014 and almost eight times the deaths in the laws first full year. In Washington, in less than seven years, 938 prescriptions have been written and at least 751 patients died from the drugs; these numbers rise each year, so the number ingesting lethal drugs in 2015 (166 patients) is over three times the number in 2010 (51), the first full year of the laws operation. (Note: Unless noted otherwise, all data are from the official annual reports of Oregons and Washingtons health departments, referenced at end of this document; each years report also provides a summary of past years data for comparison. Note that Washingtons most recent report is for 2015.) Reporting or Concealing? All reporting about doctor-assisted deaths is self-reporting by the doctors prescribing lethal drugs. Or. Rev. Stat. 127.855(7) and 127.865; Wash. Rev. Code 70.245.120 and 70.245.150. The Oregon Health Division noted in 1999: There are several limitations that should be kept in mind when considering these findings. For that matter, the entire account [by prescribing physicians] could have been a cock-and-bull story. We assume, however, that physicians were their usual careful and accurate selves. Center for Disease Prevention & Epidemiology, Oregon Health Division, CD Reports, March 16, 1999, at 2. These doctors have often been members of, or close collaborators with, Compassion and Choices (formerly The Hemlock Society), which adamantly supports assisted suicide and promoted the new law. By C&Cs own figures, in the laws first twelve years the group played an active role in 78% of Oregons assisted deaths; in 2009 they were involved in 97%. See K. Stevens, The Proportion of Oregon Assisted Suicides by Compassion & Choices Organization, March 4, 2010, at LINK. Doctors cannot report reliably on the situation when patients actually ingest the lethal overdose and die, as nothing in the law requires them to be present and no one else who may be present is required to report. In Oregon, the prescribing physician was present at the time of death in only 10% of known cases in 2016 compared to 11% in 2013 and 2015, 14% in 2014, and an average of 16.5% in previous years. In all four of the years mentioned here, no health care 2 provider was present in about 80% of the known cases (40% in previous years). The real figure could be much higher: In 2016, for example, whether any health care provider was present is unknown in 100 of the 133 cases because the physician, the only person who can report this, was not present. In Washington in 2015, the prescribing physician was present in only 5% of cases (9 out of 166); in at least 24% of cases (compared to 16% the previous year), no health care provider was present when the drugs were ingested. Who else may have been present, what role they played in causing the patients death, and what motives they were acting on, are never reported. These deaths are not allowed to be considered suicides or assisted suicides for any legal purpose. Or. Rev. Stat. 127.880; Wash. Rev. Code 70.245.180. In Oregon, doctors list patients underlying illness as the cause of death on death certificates; in Washington this falsified report is explicitly required by law. See M. Dore, Death with Dignity: A Recipe for Elder Abuse and Homicide (Albeit Not By Name), 11.2 Marquette Elders Advisor 387-401 (Spring 2010) at 395; LINK . The death certificate may be signed by the doctor who prescribed lethal drugs, completing this closed system for controlling and hiding information. Or. Rev. Stat. 127.815(2); Wash. Rev. Code 70.245.040(2). A Free Choice? Despite medical literature on the frequent role of depression and other psychological problems in choices for suicide, the prescribing doctor (and the doctor he selects to give a second opinion) are free to decide whether or not to refer suicidal patients for any psychological counseling. Even if such counseling is provided, its goal is to determine that the patient is not suffering from a psychiatric or psychological disorder or depression causing impaired judgment. Or. Rev. Stat. 127.825; Wash. Rev. Code 70.245.060. The doctors or counselor can decide that, since depression is a completely normal response to terminal illness, the depressed patients judgment is not impaired. See H. Hendin and K. Foley, Physician-Assisted Suicide in Oregon: A Medical Perspective, 106 Michigan Law Review 1613-45 (2008) at 1623-4; available at LINK. From 1998 to 2012, on average only 6.2% of patients who died under the Act in Oregon had been referred for counseling to check for impaired judgment. In 2013-2016 this declined to less than 4%. Of 108 patients who died under the Act in 2007 and 2009, none was referred for psychological evaluation. In Washington, in 2014 and 2015, only 4% of patients who died from any cause after receiving the prescription are known to have been referred for such counseling; the state does not report whether any of those who actually ingested the lethal drugs had been referred for counseling. Physicians are to encourage patients requesting a lethal prescription to notify their next of kin, but they are to proceed even if this does not occur. Family notice is optional. Or. Rev. Stat. 127.835; Wash. Rev. Code 70.245.080. Physicians are to certify that the patient is capable (or in Washington, competent) and is acting voluntarily. Or. Rev. Stat. 127.855; Wash. Rev. Code 70.245.040. But only good faith compliance with these and other requirements of the Act is necessary, ignoring physicians 3 usual obligation not to act negligently. Or. Rev. Stat. 127.885(1); Wash. Rev. Code 70-245- 190(1). See Hendin and Foley, op. cit., at 1629-30. Once lethal drugs have been prescribed the Act has no requirements for assessing the patients consent, competency, or voluntariness. No witnesses are required at the time of death. Despite the laws efforts to prevent public scrutiny, a few cases have become known in Oregon: - One woman with cancer received doctor-assisted death although she had dementia, was found mentally incompetent by some doctors, and had a grown daughter described as somewhat coercive in pushing her toward the lethal prescription. See Hendin and Foley, op. cit., 1626-7. - A man received the prescription although he was well known to have suffered from depression and suicidal feelings for decades; guns had been removed from his house because he was so prone to suicide, but authorities left the lethal prescription in his home. He had already arranged to take the lethal overdose when other physicians averted this outcome by offering to address his pain and other concerns; he died comfortably of natural causes a few weeks later after reconciling with his daughter. See Physicians for Compassionate Care Education Foundation (PCCEF), Five Oregonians to Remember, at LINK. Terminal Illness? In Oregon, fewer patients had cancer in 2013, 2014 and 2015 (65%, 69% and 72% respectively) than in past years (80%); this figure went back up to 79% in 2016. Other patients chiefly had chronic conditions with a less predictable future, such as chronic lower respiratory disease (2% of patients in 2016), ALS or Lou Gehrigs disease (7%), heart disease (7%), and other (6%). The state of Oregon says other includes benign and uncertain neoplasms, suggesting that the doctor only thought the condition might shorten life but still prescribed the drugs. Since 1998 there have been three Oregon patients whose illnesses were unknown that is, the physician named no illness at all, but the case was still listed as meeting the laws requirements. In Washington, 72% of patients who died after receiving the lethal drugs in 2015 had cancer (76% the previous year). Many of these conditions other than cancer are associated with aging. In 2016 the median age of those dying under the Oregon law was 73. Despite the publicity surrounding Brittany Maynard, a 30-year-old cancer patient who moved to Oregon to use the law, fewer than 1% of those receiving the lethal drugs are under 35 years old; in 2014 Ms. Maynard was the only person under 35. In Washington in 2015, 73% of the patients were aged 65 or over. Of the 133 patients in Oregon who took the lethal drugs and died in 2016, nineteen had been diagnosed as having less than six months to live in previous years and given the lethal prescription. The same is true of seven of the 132 patients who died in 2015 and eleven of the 105 who died in 2014. In 2016 in Oregon, the time between prescribing the drugs and the patients death ranged from 15 to 539 days; in past years it has been as long as 1009 days. In Washington in 2015, 16% (compared to 9% the previous year) died more than 25 weeks after their initial request for the drugs, living as long as 95 weeks. Of the patients who received prescriptions in 2016 but did not take the drugs, only 40% (36 out of 90) subsequently died that year of other causes. Clearly these six-month predictions are not reliable. How unreliable they 4 are, of course, cannot be determined for those who took the drugs less than six months after being diagnosed. From Assisted Suicide to Homicide Can others take an active role in ending the patients life? Oregon law speaks of the patient as ingesting medication to end his or her life. Or. Rev. Stat. 127.875. Washington law says patients will self-administer the drugs, but defines self-administer to mean ingesting. Wash. Rev. Code 70.245.020 and 70.245.010(12). But ingesting ordinarily means absorbing or swallowing; so this does not seem to bar others from administering the drugs. If such action is in accord with the Act, it may not be treated as a homicide. Or. Rev. Stat. 127.880; Wash. Rev. Code 70.245.180(1). See M. Dore, op. cit., 391-3. After an Oregon patient with physical disabilities was helped by a relative to take the lethal dose, the states deputy attorney general wrote that if the law does not allow such active assistance it may violate laws guaranteeing equal access to health care such as the Americans with Disabilities Act. Letter of Oregon deputy assistant general David Schuman to state legislator Neil Bryant, March 15, 1999. An Oregon emergency room physician was asked by a woman to end the life of her mother who was unconscious from a stroke. He tried to stop her breathing or heartbeat in several ways, finally giving a lethal dose of a paralyzing drug to the older woman who died minutes later. The state board of medical examiners reprimanded the doctor but he faced no criminal charges for this direct killing -- which news reports called an assisted suicide -- and he later resumed medical practice. See PCCEF, op. cit. Troubling Trends Most of those dying under these laws are not married or in another formally committed relationship. In Oregon, 53% in 2016 (and 60% in 2015) were divorced, widowed or never married. Increasingly, those dying under the law have no or only governmental health insurance 56% in 2013, 60% in 2014, 71% in 2015, and 70% in 2016 (compared to an average of 35% in previous years). Consistently, untreated pain is not among the top reasons for taking lethal drugs; in 2016, 90% said they were less able to engage in activities making life enjoyable and were losing autonomy, and 49% cited being a burden on family, friends or caregivers (compared to 48% in 2015 and an average of 40% in previous years). It seems solitary, dependent and chronically ill seniors are prime candidates for assisted suicide in Oregon. Similar trends are seen in Washington, where 53% were widowed, divorced or never married in 2015 (up from 42% the previous year), and 71% of those for whom the information is known were dependent solely on Medicare or Medicaid (up from 57% the previous year). In Washington, 52% cited being a burden, while only 35% cited a concern about pain. In all, at least 30 patients in Oregon are known to have regurgitated some of the lethal dose (three of them in 2016), and six regained consciousness after taking the drugs and died later, apparently from their underlying illness (see Oregon Report for 2012, Table 1 and note 13). In 2016, patients are known to have taken as long as 9 hours to die, with this figure unknown for 5 81% of the cases (108 out of 133). In Washington there have been at least 9 cases of regurgitation and 2 cases of waking up after ingesting the drugs. In Washington in 2015, at least 20% of patients took over an hour and a half to die from the drugs, taking as long as 30 hours (compared to a maximum of 18 hours the previous year); in another 17% of cases the time period is unknown. ---30--- Primary Sources For Oregon data, including archived annual reports from past years, see Oregon Health Authority, Death with Dignity Act Annual Reports, at LINK. For a direct link to the two most recent years: Oregon Public Health Division, Oregon Death with Dignity Act: Data summary 2016, at LINK Oregon Public Health Division, Oregon Death with Dignity Act: 2015 Data Summary, at LINK For Washington data, see Washington State Department of Health, Death with Dignity Act, at LINK A direct link to the Departments 2015 Death with Dignity Act Report, with comparisons to the previous year: LINK Five Ninth Circuit Judges Issue Rare Dissent Rebuking The Panel In Immigration Ruling by Jonathan Turley, JonathanTurley.org, March 17, 2017 Despite a surprising lack of media attention, the Ninth Circuit saw a relatively rare filing of a dissent in the appeal of the first executive order. Critics of the order have celebrated the panel decision, though many of us (including opponents of the immigration order) criticized the opinion as poorly written and supported. Nevertheless, critics have said that four judges in that case ruled against the President. (That is not counting Judge Brinkema in Virginia). However, the count is now roughly even for the first appeal of the order. In a surprising move, five judges (including the highly respected Chief Judge Alex Kozinski) filed a dissent to the motion for rehearing. The blistering dissent showed that a significant number of Ninth Circuit judges strongly disagreed with the decision of the panel. (Some judges may have not approved of the panel decision but did not see the need for a rehearing). As previously raised by experts, the strongly worded dissent belies the claim that the original executive order was legally unsustainable. To see this type of vociferous dissent in a withdrawn appeal is remarkable in itself but it also shows the depth of opposition to the panels decision among other judges. The dissenting judges objected that there is an obligation to correct the manifest errors of the panel. It called those errors fundamental and even questioned the manner in which the panel reached its decision with a telephonic oral argument. The dissent raised many of the problems that various commentators have raised, including myself. The lack of consideration to opposing case law, failure to address the statutory authority given to the President, and the sweeping dismissal of executive authority are obvious flaws. (These problems are also apparent in the ruling in Hawaii, though it was based on establishment rather the due process grounds) The dissenting judges refer to the clear misstatement of law in the upholding of the district court. so bad it compelled vacating an opinion usually mooted by a dismissed case. The judges said that the panel simply brushed aside the clearly controlling case law of Kleindienst v. Mandel, 408 U.S. 753 (1972). Indeed, the panel noted that the panel missed entirely the rulings in Kerry v. Din, 135 S. Ct. 2128 (2015) and Fiallo v. Bell, 430 U.S. 787 (1977). In a statement that is particularly probative of the Hawaii ruling, the Supreme Court in Mandel recognized that first amendment rights were implicated by the executive action but found that when the executive has exercised its authority to exclude aliens on the basis of a facially legitimate and bona fide reason, the courts will neither look behind the exercise of that discretion, nor test it by balancing its justification against the First Amendment interests of those who seek personal communication with the applicant. These five judges joined in the analysis of the court in Boston in accepting the rational basis for the Presidents actions. They insisted that so long as there is one facially legitimate and bona fide reason for the Presidents actions, our inquiry is at an end. The opinion has all of the legal analysis that is so conspicuously absent in the panel decision, which dismissed or ignored countervailing case law of the Supreme Court and even the Ninth Circuit. The panel poignantly noted: We are all acutely aware of the enormous controversy and chaos that attended the issuance of the Executive Order. People contested the extent of the national security interests at stake, and they debated the value that the Executive Order added to our security against the real suffering of potential emigres. As tempting as it is to use the judicial power to balance those competing interests as we see fit, we cannot let our personal inclinations get ahead of important, overarching principles about who gets to make decisions in our democracy. For better or worse, every four years we hold a contested presidential election. We have all found ourselves disappointed with the election results in one election cycle or another. But it is the best of American traditions that we also understand and respect the consequences of our elections. Even when we disagree with the judgment of the political branchesand perhaps especially when we disagreewe have to trust that the wisdom of the nation as a whole will prevail in the end. The only judges to join in a written defense of the denial were the three judges from the panel Judges William Canby, Richard Clifton, and Michelle Friedland and perhaps the most liberal member of the Ninth Circuit, Judge Stephen Reinhardt. The original panelists noted that The matter failed to receive a majority of the votes of the active judges in favor of en banc reconsideration. Reinhardt added a not-so-veiled dig at critics (and likely the President himself): I am proud to be a part of this court and a judicial system that is independent and courageous, and that vigorously protects the constitutional rights of all, regardless of the source of any efforts to weaken or diminish them. It is also worth noting that Bybee clearly indicated the judges liberal and conservative alike opposed the attacks by President Trump on judges: The personal attacks on the distinguished district judge and our colleagues were out of all bounds of civic and persuasive discourseparticularly when they came from the parties. It does no credit to the arguments of the parties to impugn the motives or the competence of the members of this court; ad hominem attacks are not a substitute for effective advocacy. Here is the opinion: 17-35105 en banc Indonesia to sue Thai oil company over 2009 oil spill Indonesia is preparing to sue the Australian subsidiary of Thailand's PTT Exploration and Production (PTTEP) over alleged environmental damage from the Montara oil spill in 2009, the country's Maritime Affairs Ministry said. This follows the Indonesian governments December 2016 decision to freeze the licenses and assets of PTTEP operations in Indonesia. Stock image Attempts at negotiation between both parties stalled in 2012, with PTTEP Australasia maintaining that no solid evidence had been supplied that any of the oil from the leaking well had reached the Indonesian mainland. A total of about 30,000 barrels of oil were estimated to have leaked into the Timor Sea over 74 days after an explosion at PTTEP's Montara drilling rig off Australia's northwest coast in 2009. The Montara incident was Australia's worst offshore drilling accident and an Australian government inquiry blamed the spill on systemic shortcomings at the Thai oil giant. PTTEP was fined A$510,000 by a Darwin court in 2011 after pleading guilty to four charges relating to workplace health and safety and failure to maintain good oilfield practice. PTTEP said that inquiry and fine concluded all government legal matters in relation to the Montara incident. Indonesian seaweed farmers started a separate class action suit in August 2016 seeking more than A$200 million from PTTEP Australasia to cover damages from the spill. Contact Details and Archive... US pipeline regulator orders action over leaking Alaska gas pipeline The US Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) has issued a proposed order that operator Hilcorp fix a leaking gas pipeline in the Cook Inlet off Nikiski in Alaska by May 1 or shut it down. The PHMSA also ordered the company to conduct inspections of a "substantially similar" underwater pipeline that carries crude oil to shore from two offshore production platforms. Cook Inlet, Alaska - Image: Shutterstock The regulator said the crude oil pipeline was of the same vintage and size as the company's leaking gas line in Cook Inlet and could be threatened by the same forces that ruptured the gas line and cause a far more dangerous leak. Both of the 8-inch steel pipelines were installed in the mid-1960s. PHMSA said the gas line leaked twice in 2014 in summer, but repairs were made before Hilcorp acquired the facilities from the previous operator. The leaks were caused by abrasion from rocks in areas where the pipeline is not supported by the seabed, according to the agency. Although the cause of the ongoing leak on the (gas pipeline) is unknown, past leaks on the pipeline have occurred due to outside forces, such as pipe vibration or rock damage, the order said. Hilcorp detected the gas leak in February when a helicopter flying above the pipeline route spotted water disturbance. The company indicated the leak began in December, according to PHMSA. Hilcorp said pan ice and strong tides in Cook Inlet present dangers for repair divers. The company does not expect to begin finding and fixing the leak about 80 feet underwater until the ice clears. That is not expected to happen until at least late March, the agency said. The notice said environmental harm from an oil leak could be "significantly greater" than from the gas leak, while the company's ability to respond could be severely hampered in winter, and could have a serious impact on the 340 endangered Cook Inlet beluga whales, as well as birds and fish. The PHMSA said Hilcorp needed to introduce smart pig internal inspections of the pipelines on top of the side-scan sonar, multibeam echo-sounder surveys and diver inspections it currently undertakes. After a final order is issued, Hilcorp will have 21 days to externally inspect the pipeline or shut it down and purge it, the agency said. Coles supermarket has promised employees will be paid fairly after one manager posted an in-store notice asking staff to work without pay. I am asking team members to give me 4hrs free labour, read the message, issued in a Western Australian Coles store. Yes, it is a big ask and I would not be requesting this unless it was absolutely necessary. While employees were expected to go without additional wages or time in lieu, the manager did offer free pizza to anyone who gave up their time. Peter O'Keeffe, state secretary of the Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers Association (SDA) deemed the request unacceptable but admitted it was likely a one-off. "If an employee of Coles works for the benefit of Coles or indeed for any other company they then are both entitled and required to be paid for it, he said. OKeefe also told ABC Radio Perth that he had spoken to senior level staff at the supermarkets head office and said they were aghast the request had been made. They have taken steps to make sure not only that it doesn't proceed but that it doesn't happen again, he told the media outlet. Coles has also released a statement in regards to the request, saying the notice was in defiance of company code and culture. "Coles values the hard work of all of our team members and the notice in the store is completely out of step with Coles' way of working," the statement read. "The notice, which was posted by a trainee manger, was quickly removed. Any team members working at the stated time will be paid as normal." However, an employee who contacted the ABC asked people not to judge the manager too severely, suggesting he too was under pressure from above. It is not right but I wouldn't be too harsh on that person, said the employee, who identified themselves only as Nick. The motive for this manager would have come from pressure from the regional manager to have the work completed within a certain time frame. The situation in the labour markets is alarming. I hope that everyone will keep a cool head this autumn and look at Finlands situation as a whole instead of just the situation in their sector in order not to jeopardise the nascent improvements in the labour market, he said during his weekly interview on YLE Radio Suomi on Saturday. Prime Minister Juha Sipila (Centre) has appealed to labour market organisations to keep a cool head in the run-up to the sector-specific collective bargaining talks scheduled to take place in the second half of 2017. Sipila broached on the ongoing labour dispute between the Finnish Aviation Union (IAU) and Service Sector Employers (Palta) by voicing his hope that the conciliation process is successful and reminding that interventions by the central administration have rarely proven helpful. The National Conciliator will hopefully find a settlement. Prolonged labour market disputes such as this are difficult for Finland. Im confident that a settlement is found between the parties, he said. IAU has staged a number of strikes in protest of the new terms and conditions of employment applied by Airpro, a provider of airport services, causing both delays and cancellations at Helsinki Airport. Sipila also revealed that the employment situation will be the focus of attention in the upcoming mid-term session of the Finnish Government. We have two options: The first one is to try increasing the number of available jobs, meaning measures to encourage investments and productivity. The second one is to [find ways] to get people to accept job offers, he said. Were getting close to having 100,000 unfilled job vacancies. He also indicated that he is not surprised by the recent criticism levelled at the reform of social and health care services one of the main projects of his Government. Change doesnt come easy. This is a Government that takes action instead of settling for words, he stated. One of the objectives of the reform is to grant social and health care customers greater freedom of choice over their service provider. Osmo Soininvaara, a councillor for the City of Helsinki and an ex-chairperson of the Green League, has warned that granting greater freedom of choice to consumers could have disastrous financial consequences. The Ministry of Finance will ensure costs will not increase [as a consequence of the reform] and, thereby, an economic catastrophe will result in feelings of abjection in the care sector, he wrote in his blog on 15 March. Sipila on Saturday reminded that the draft bill granting customers greater freedom of choice over their service provider is currently being circulated for comments. The Government proposal will be formulated based on the feedback we receive, he said. The freedom of choice will apply to each and every Finn, regardless of the thickness of their wallet. Its absolutely clear that itd reduce waiting times. Aleksi Teivainen HT Photo: Timo Hartikainen Lehtikuva Source: Uusi Suomi Timo Soinis (PS) decision not to seek re-election as the chairperson of the populist party could, according to the credit rating agency, trigger an internal leadership battle with uncertain consequences for the ruling coalitions stability. The Finns Partys upcoming leadership election could compromise the stability of the ruling three-party coalition in Finland, warns Standard & Poors. This, in turn, could jeopardize the governments ambitious reform agenda, which includes further reforms of the labour market and the social and health care sectors, views Standard & Poors. Such concerns are warranted, believes Ari Pauna, the chief executive at the Finnish Mortgage Society (Hypo). The political crisis possibly generated by the leadership election and the contentious autumn in the labour market could be extremely costly for all Finns. The cost of money would increase for the state, businesses, banks and households. Uncertainty and hesitation would return to the domestic markets. Thats bad news for the increasingly indebted country, businesses and households, he says to Uusi Suomi. The possible crisis, he adds, could thwart the optimism that has been building up in the housing market and slow down housing production at a time when the production should be stepped up. Regional disparities in the housing market could similarly widen further, according to Pauna. Standard & Poors upheld its AA+ credit rating and stable outlook for Finland on Friday. It reminded, however, that the rating can be downgraded in the event that political uncertainty jeopardises the planned reforms or that public finances and indebtedness deteriorate beyond expectations. The stable outlook reflects our expectation that the gradual economic recovery alongside continued structural reform efforts will help gradually consolidate public finances and contain further increases in general government debt, it says in its country report (PDF). Soini commented on the warning issued by the credit rating agency in his blog on Saturday. You should not underestimate the Finns Party, he wrote. We are not that crazy as to open the doors of Smolna [the Government Banquet Hall] to the groups of Ville Niinisto [the chairperson of the Green League] and Paavo Arhinmaki [an ex-chairperson of the Left Alliance]. The Finns Partys leadership race is widely expected to be a two-horse race, with Sampo Terho, the chairperson of the partys parliamentary group, enjoying the backing of the party leadership and Jussi Halla-aho, a Member of the European Parliament, the backing of the rank and file of the party. Jan Vapaavuori, the mayoral candidate of the National Coalition in Helsinki, has already declared that the National Coalition would be unable to form a ruling coalition with a Finns Party led by Halla-aho. Aleksi Teivainen HT Photo: Stan Honda AFP/Lehtikuva Source: Uusi Suomi A BOY from Henley competed at Crufts and achieved his aunts dying wish. Ben Harris, 11, of Abrahams Road, took Belgian shepherd Hava to the worlds largest dog show at the NEC in Birmingham on Saturday. The dog used to belong to his aunt Linda Strange, who passed away last year but not before saying she wanted him to look after and train Hava so they could take part in the show. The pair were one of 50 taking part in the under-18s jumping competition, organised by the Young Kennel Club. Although they were eliminated, Ben said it was a thrilling experience. He said: I was really, really excited because it was my first time there. My mum was more nervous than me. Ben lives with his father Mick, a former RAF serviceman who now works for Henley Theatre Services, and mother Amanda Harris, who is Mrs Stranges sister and runs Henley Doggy Day Care. The family own six other dogs. Mrs Strange, who worked as a nurse at Townlands Hospital, was born with a condition that caused her lungs to deteriorate over time. In 2006 she had a double lung transplant. After recovering, she bought two Belgian shepherds, Hava and Simba, who now lives with one of her two other sisters. She joined the Thames Dog Training Club and took the dogs to obedience competitions. Mrs Harris said: Our family have always had animals. When we were younger we had horses but as we got older we started keeping dogs. But we didnt want to have just pets, we wanted them to be active, and Linda had always been interested in obedience training. When Ben was born, he was a big part of my sisters recovery. He was the apple of her eye. They did lots together so when he took an interest in dogs as well it was brilliant. Mrs Strange suffered renal failure in 2015 and eventually died at home in February last year at the age of 60. When her health deteriorated, Mrs Harris started looking after Hava and then Ben took over and started agility training with her at Gemgray Dog Training in Checkendon under the guidance of Graham Tappin. Ben, a pupil at Sacred Heart Primary School in Henley, and 10-year-old Hava qualified for Crufts after winning the Derbyshire Agility Show in July. He said: My aunt always used to say to me to try to qualify for Crufts with Hava and then a few months later I did it. I had thought it would take me years. His mother said: It was very emotional when Ben qualified. It has been a really hard year for us and we have missed Linda an awful lot. Bens sister Jenny, 21, also works some of the familys dogs in agility. To prepare for Crufts, Ben and Hava would train once a week with Mr Tappin and then practise in a field in Hurley that his mother rents. On the big day itself, they left home at 5.30am in order to be in Birmingham in time to walk the course, which had 20 pieces of equipment including jumps, walls, weaves, rings and tunnels. When it came to Ben and Havas turn to compete about 300 people were watching. Ben said: The first half went great then there was a little mistake. Mrs Harris said: They started really well but there was a change of direction at a tunnel and Hava went the wrong way so Ben was eliminated. The rest of the course they did brilliantly. We are so incredibly proud of him and Linda would have been so, so proud of what he has done. I know she would have been cheering him on from heaven. Hava will retire from competitions in the next few years and Ben will then begin to work with Rueben, one of the familys two other Belgian shepherds, who they believe will be even more competitive and finished third in his class at Crufts. The familys other dogs are three border collies and a Chinese crested powderpuff. Mrs Harris said: I spend a lot of time doing training with them and other bits and pieces but above all they are well-loved family pets. ELKO Students, parents, and staff at Spring Creek Middle School joined in on a learning event by hosting the One Hour of Code. Computers are changing every industry on the planet but fewer than half of all schools across the U.S. teach computer science. Girls and minorities are severely underrepresented in computer science classes and in the technology industry. Spring Creek Middle School is changing this. With the Hour of Code event on Feb. 22 more than 100 global partners joined together to support this movement. The event provided an opportunity for parents to interact with the students using their new Nevada Ready 21 technologies Chromebooks. More than 75 Spring Creek Middle School students, parents and staff members attended, as well as a few fifth-grade students from Spring Creek and Sage Elementary. This opportunity gave them all a time to work together, collaborate and become excited about computer science. Leslie and Lynda Martin with sons Ciaran and Cathal, who have metachromatic leukodystrophy The parents of two little boys diagnosed with a rare genetic disorder have appealed for help in raising 250,000. Leslie and Lynda Martin, from Rathnew, Co Wicklow, were told by doctors in December that Cathal, who is nearly three, has metachromatic leukodystrophy (MLD). The condition, which affects the nervous system, is terminal for Cathal. Trial Then they learned last month that one-year-old Ciaran also has the condition. However, as Ciaran was diagnosed at an earlier stage, he can take part in a trial in Italy which has been shown to delay the onset of further symptoms. The treatment has had a positive outcome for six of the nine children who have taken part in past trials. While partially funded, the treatment will take six months and require round-the-clock nursing care. The family are planning to do two 12-hour shifts each day, seven days a week, and rotate between Ireland and Italy. During this time, they will also be caring for Cathal. "Our son Cathal was born perfectly healthy in May 2014 and was reaching all his milestones," said Leslie. "We first noticed a problem when he was having difficulty walking. "After multiple trips to the doctor and Tallaght Hospital, Cathal was diagnosed with MLD in December last year. "He has gone from a fully healthy 18-month-old child to almost completely paralysed within a year-and-a-half. "Cathal's muscles are so weak that he can't feed himself, chew or swallow and he is fed through a nasogastric tube. Deterioration "The rate of deterioration has been terrifyingly fast. He will lose what little is left of his ability to move and speak very soon. "Unlike Cathal, Ciaran has not yet displayed any symptoms of the condition. Tallaght Hospital arranged for him to be tested for eligibility to take part in a clinical trial in Milan. "Ciaran had a battery of tests and is eligible for the Gene Therapy Clinical Trial. This has given us a ray of hope. As Cathal is displaying significant symptoms, he is not eligible." You can help at idonate.ie/2997_the-martin-family-.html The wife of slain crime boss 'Fat' Andy Connors claims she is surviving on social welfare after the Criminal Assets Bureau took all her money. Ann Connors (40) was hit with a massive 2.5m CAB bill in March last year in the wake of her husband's murder. Expand Close Connors was buried wearing a 40,000 Rolex watch / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Connors was buried wearing a 40,000 Rolex watch She made the claim in Dun Laoghaire District Court, where she was found guilty of possession of a screwdriver and a pair of gloves for use in a theft or burglary. Crime boss 'Fat' Andy Connors was shot five times before dying in his wife's arms outside their home in Saggart in Co Dublin in August 2014. He was buried in a 50,000 gold-plated coffin wearing a 40,000 Rolex watch. Soon after the CAB judgement against her, Ann Connors was nabbed by gardai driving around an affluent south Dublin suburb with a screwdriver, gloves and a balaclava. Burglary A judge said she believed Mrs Connors was "part and parcel of an enterprise to commit a burglary" after two young men got out of her car and were seen walking up a driveway in Leopardstown. Both men were wearing gloves and had their faces covered. An off-duty garda spotted Connors driving on the M50 and followed her to Leopardstown, where gardai believe the intended burglary was to take place. The defendant, of Boberboy Road, Saggart, was found guilty of possession of a 12-inch screwdriver and a pair of black gloves for use in a theft or burglary at Leopardstown Avenue in Leopardstown on April 19. Judge Anne Watkin ordered a probation report and adjourned sentencing to May. The judge also deferred legal aid after gardai objected, claiming that, at the time of the incident, Connors still had 13,000 in a bank account. Connors told the court she had "never seen" the screwdriver or gloves before. In his evidence, Garda Dermot Haugh said he was off duty and driving southbound on the M50 when he saw a brown Nissan Almera being driven in an erratic manner. He recognised Connors, who was the driver, as well as a young male in the front seat. There was a second young male and two children in the back. Gda Haugh followed the car, which took Junction 15 off the M50. He followed the car down Brewery Road in Stillorgan, lost sight of it briefly but saw it again parked up at Leopardstown Avenue. He saw the two male passengers from Connors' car walking up a driveway. One had a green balaclava, while the second had his face covered with a wool hat. Both were wearing gloves. Gda Haugh said they ran back and got into the car when they spotted him. The car did a U-turn and, as it turned out of the estate, a screwdriver was thrown out of the passenger window. The car was searched by gardai and a pair of gloves and a white sock with 160 (184) was found. Handcuffed Connors was arrested and taken to Blackrock Garda Station. Gardai searched the patrol car after she was taken to the station, and a pair of black gloves was found in the footwell where she had been sitting. In her evidence, Connors said she had never seen the screwdriver or gloves before. She claimed she was on her way to visit her ill sister-in-law in hospital, when she was pulled over, handcuffed and assaulted by gardai. Judge Watkin said Connors was telling "complete lies". A member of the Civil Defence continues the search Officials involved in the search for the missing crewmen of R116 have said it could be five days before they can mount an operation to retrieve the black box and wreckage due to bad weather conditions. The search for missing Capt Mark Duffy, winch operator Paul Ormsby and winchman Ciaran Smith will continue today. Expand Close The funeral of Captain Dara Fitzpatrick / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp The funeral of Captain Dara Fitzpatrick However, bad weather has continued to hamper the search efforts in Blacksod, Co Mayo. Yesterday, family and friends of the three missing men watched from the harbour as the ship ILV Granuaile made its way into the bay. Signal The specially equipped vessel - designed to carry out operations in difficult conditions - will help in the operation to retrieve the black box and fuselage of the crashed helicopter. A signal from the black box has been located 60 metres from Blackrock. The main frame of the helicopter is believed to be close by. It is hoped the remains of the men will be found there. There was a small improvement in conditions yesterday, which allowed sonar searches of the area. The Granuaile, run by the Commissioner of Irish Lights, stayed anchored in the bay while sonar scans were carried out - a lead operation for the eventual use of the ship to attempt to retrieve the wreckage. It had spent the previous days in Galway being fitted out to help in the search. A remotely operated vehicle, which can be used to access difficult-to-reach undersea areas, was among the specialist equipment loaded on to the ship. The ship also has a 20-tonne crane, giving it the capability to lift wreckage. It has emerged that any retrieval attempt may not be possible until the end of the week. A meeting was called by the coast guard last night to decide how to proceed and discuss the results of the scans. Declan Geoghegan, from the Irish Coast Guard, said it was unlikely that attempts could be made today to retrieve anything from the area around Blackrock Lighthouse. "There may be an opportunity on Tuesday," he said. After this, it is understood conditions will again prove difficult until at least Friday, with gale force winds forecast on the west coast. Swells Mr Geoghegan said there were swells of three metres yesterday as local fishing vessels used sonar to scan the area. Meanwhile, the funeral of Capt Dara Fitzpatrick, the only crew member to have been recovered, took place in Glencullen, south Dublin, on Saturday. Uniformed members of the Irish Coast Guard, mountain rescue, Air Corps and other rescue services joined with Capt Fitzpatrick's three-year-old son Fionn, her parents and siblings in bidding farewell. President Michael D Higgins, Taoiseach Enda Kenny and Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin were in attendance. Addressing the congregation, Capt Fitzpatrick's sister Niamh had one simple plea on behalf of her sister's missing crew. "God, you owe us one - bring them home," she said. Mr Kenny was expected to visit the search and rescue base in Blacksod this morning to meet the families of the missing crew and speak to those involved in the search. While final details of Mr Kenny's visit were being ironed out last night, it is understood the meetings will be private. TWIN FALLS Huge, gushing flows are putting on a show for hundreds of visitors to Shoshone Falls. Flows at Shoshone Falls have surpassed 18,000 cubic-feet-per-second this month, the city of Twin Falls reported, and an influx of park visitors prompted the start of vehicle fee collections on March 16. The city charges these fees every spring and summer to help cover the costs of park maintenance and to provide life guards and other personnel. Each vehicle going down to Shoshone Falls and Dierkes Lake will be charged $3 now until September. A season pass is $25. But if there was ever a best time to go, now could be it. The current flows are about five times larger than average for this time of year, Idaho Power spokesman Brad Bowlin said. Obviously, this is pretty significantly elevated from what you typically see in March, he said. While it isnt the record 27,000 cfs seen in 1997, Bowlin estimates they are the highest flows in 20 years. Were going to see high flows for the next two weeks, he said. Our current forecast is for optimal flows above 15,000 cfs flows through mid-April at least. And the Bureau of Reclamations estimates provided to Southern Idaho Tourism are even greater, projecting at least 17,500 cfs over the next two weeks. The city projects that flows could even surpass 20,000 cfs. Upcoming flows will depend largely on what water is released from reservoirs upstream, Bowlin said. After April, irrigation demand will also come into play. Either way, Idaho Power expects strong flows over Shoshone Falls at least through May. Last April, Bowlin told the Times-News there was next to nothing going over the falls, with only 250 cubic feet of water in the river. Still, Southern Idaho Tourism Director Melissa Barry said the city issued 66,000 tickets for vehicles entering the park in 2016. Normally, the city doesnt beginning charging fees until April, she said, when area reservoirs begin pushing water downstream. But with additional snowmelt this year, there isnt as much of a need to hold back. Were expecting some really big crowds here for spring break, Barry said. Season passes for park entry can be purchased at the ticket booth at Shoshone Falls or at Twin Falls Parks and Recreation Department, 136 Maxwell Ave. The boat ramp above Shoshone Falls has been closed, the city stated. Water levels have crested over the safety barrier and even submerged buoys that designate dangerous areas. All park visitors are asked to avoid the boat ramp for their own safety. Assembly approves ERA resolution CARSON CITY (AP) Nevada has moved one step closer to joining 35 other states that approved the Equal Rights Amendment decades ago. Members of the Assembly voted 28-14 Monday to advance the 45-year-old congressional proposal. It sought to amend the U.S. Constitution to say men and women are equal under the law, but fell three states shy of ratification at its 1982 deadline. Proponents argue Nevada is long overdue to recognize womens equality, even symbolically. Opponents say theyre concerned it could disrupt family and military culture. All Democrats plus one independent woman and two Republican women voted in favor of the measure. Senate Joint Resolution 2 moves back to the Senate for a final vote. It would not need Republican Gov. Brian Sandovals signature, though he has said he supports it. Human remains found in Utah canyon SALT LAKE CITY (AP) Police say a forensics team is trying to identify human remains that hikers discovered in a canyon southeast of Salt Lake City over the weekend. Unified Police Lt. Brian Lohrke says a group of hikers found a skull and other bones near the trailhead of Deaf Smith Fork Canyon, which is between Big Cottonwood and Little Cottonwood canyons. Lohrke says the hikers also found some clothing nearby. Lohrke told the Deseret News that the discovery was made in an area off the main path near the bottom of an 80-to 90-foot cliff. He says forensics investigators are hoping to use dental records to identify the remains. Faith-healing bill advances to Idaho Senate BOISE, Idaho (AP) Legislation that would tweak Idahos laws allowing families to cite religious reasons for medical decisions without fear of being charged with neglect or abuse is headed to the Idaho Senate. The proposal would amend only Idahos civil laws to make it easier for judges to get involved in faith-healing cases. The bill does not change the states religious exemption regarding criminal charges, which is considered the most contentious part of the religious waiver. Senate Majority Leader Bart Davis says there is currently not enough support in the Idaho Legislature to make a more aggressive change. The Senate State Affairs Committee voted 5-4 on the proposal on Monday. Focus on the exemption has exploded recently Idaho as more attention has been placed on the deaths of children among members of the Followers of Christ based in southwestern Idaho from treatable conditions, including pneumonia and food poisoning. Freedom of speech is a privilege. We need to treat it that way. Caution, wild boar. Slow down, says a new sign that has gone up on the streets of Torrelodones, a dormitory town 29 kilometers northwest of Madrid. In recent years, the wild boar have become so numerous that they now venture into town and can be seen crossing the A6 highway by the bridge along with the other local residents. A sign warning of the presence of wild boar in the Madrid suburb of Torrelodones. Uly Martin (EL PAIS) Torrelodones is not the only town to have got used to living cheek by jowl with these wild beasts that have taken to camping out in town centers around Madrid. Its becoming common in the region, says a spokesman from the regional government's environment department, who points out, in the absence of a census, that the captures of the animal soared by 25% in one season, from 4,205 in 2014 to 5,267 in 2015. Las Rozas, Colmenar Viejo, Tres Cantos, San Sebastian de los Reyes and Alcala de Henares are just some of the towns dealing with this problem. And the respect that usually exists between these animals and humans is breaking down as the boar get cheekier, an attitude exacerbated by the fact that some residents insist on feeding them. The respect that usually exists between these animals and humans is breaking down as the boars get cheekier This is a big mistake, says Santiago Fernandez, Counselor for the Environment in Torrelodones. It means they get used to people, lose their fear and encroach increasingly on urban areas. Fernandez knows what he is talking about as he can now count a family of wild boar among his neighbors a mother and three piglets who are growing up fast. I suppose that soon I will get to know their children, he says. The main concern, according to the Torrelodones Council, is the risk the wild boar pose to road safety: a campaign has been launched to raise awareness among drivers. There is also a pamphlet advising locals about what to do when confronted with the pigs, which are to be counted by the council as part of the campaign. Their movements will also be tracked. When Torrelodones Council tried to enlist the support of the Community of Madrid, the regional government made it clear that the pigs are the towns responsibility. According to Fernandez, who says they have been asking for regional government assistance for the past five years, this does not appear to square up with hunting laws. However, the regional environment department explains that when it comes to urban areas, these animals have to be controlled by the towns themselves. All the regional authorities can do is issue licenses allowing the animals to be trapped in cages and, in exceptional circumstances in collaboration with the Hunting Federation and with the local counsels assent issue licenses allowing them to be hunted with weapons such as bows and arrows. In 2014, Madrids regional government authorized 507 of these exceptional licenses 40% more than in 2010 in different areas of the Community of Madrid, particularly the dormitory towns to the north of the capital. Las Rozas Town Council says that the animals use the towns green zones as corridors In San Sebastian de los Reyes, wild boar are definitely a problem, particularly in breeding season. They turn up in the Dehesa Boyal area and the Monte Pesadilla, and some that have drifted toward the town of Colmenar Viejo. The same thing is happening in Las Rozas. One local complains that he can't take his dog out for a walk around the Encinar de Las Rozas park first thing in the morning or last thing at night in case he is confronted by wild boar. It's scary because the place is full of them and they could be dangerous, especially for the dog, he says. Las Rozas Town Council says the animals use the towns green zones as corridors, which means they start encroaching on urban areas. But the town has developed a program for managing the problem, which has been authorized by the Community of Madrid. Fearless In Las Rozas, there are even more than the average 6-12 wild boar per km2 because the animals are not afraid to wander into built-up areas in search of water and food. And as there is a dearth of natural predators, the population is growing at a rate of one or two litter a year for each female, with three to four piglets a litter. Now the council has taken measures to keep the beasts at bay by erecting a hunting fence around at least two thirds of the area where most can be found. And on the gates in the fence, they have posted specific instructions to keep them closed. But, as the local authorities themselves have found, fencing off the countryside is a complicated business. So what is the next step? According to the Torrelodones Council, the first step is to recognize the problem. The second is to acknowledge that wild boar are wild and unpredictable when challenged. Needless to say, they should not be approached, and dogs should be kept away from them while cars need to slow down in areas they are likely to roam. And finally, it is imperative not to dump waste that will attract them or feed them as you might a stray cat or dog. English version by Heather Galloway. Mariano Rajoy (right) with Finance Minister Cristobal Montoro last week. Jaime Villanueva Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy has warned that he is ready to do the impossible in order to see this political term through, but that he needs a bit of political stability in order to do so. Speaking on Sunday, Rajoys comments came after a week that saw opposition parties in the Spanish Congress stonewall a government decree aiming to liberalize the dock workers sector, allowing companies to hire non-unionized employees. Brussels has been pressuring Spain to bring the industry in line with EU legislation, and Madrid is facing hefty fines for failing to do so. The Socialists have promised to provide an active opposition over the course of Rajoys term But at a vote on Thursday, Rajoys ruling Popular Party (PP), which leads a minority government, only secured the approval of the small Basque Nationalist Party (PNV), while other congressional forces opposed the decree. It is necessary for episodes like the dockers to never happen again, said Rajoy on Sunday, speaking in Malaga. But his administration is facing further trouble from an opposition that has promised not to let Rajoy rest on his laurels after he was reinstated late last year thanks to tacit help from the Socialists. The latter have vowed to exercise active opposition throughout the term, while the PPs only semi-reliable ally, the reform party Ciudadanos, has lately taken a step back due to disagreements over anti-corruption policy. Rajoys team has already accepted the fact that it will have to push its budget plan through without Socialist support. The Cabinet will greenlight it on March 31, after which it is expected to undergo a long parliamentary process before being passed sometime in late June, according to the executives own estimates. But there will be up to 13 key votes between now and then, not to mention that the Socialists will be holding primaries and a congress to elect a new party leader following the debacle of last October, when then-secretary general Pedro Sanchez walked out in protest over the partys decision to help Rajoy back into office in order to avoid a third national election. English version by Susana Urra. Nearly 760 giant sculptures went up in flames on Sunday night when the Spanish city of Valencia ended its famous Fallas celebration. Around 3,000 police officers and over 400 firefighters patrolled the streets of the Mediterranean city to ensure safety during a time-honored celebration that has made it into UNESCOs list of World Intangible Heritage of Humanity last November. This, and the fine weekend weather, attracted thousands of tourists to watch a ritual that is meant to welcome the spring. Other towns and villages across the region held Fallas of their own. Regional premier Ximo Puig declared the 2017 Fallas to be historic because they are the first to take place following the UNESCO designation. An estimated one million people came to the city over the weekend. Sandra Gomez, head of the tourism department, said that hotel occupancy rates were close to 100%. Figures of a Fallas monument burn during the finale of the Fallas festival. HEINO KALIS (REUTERS) From a tourism perspective, we can talk about the best Fallas in history, she said. The fires began at 10pm on March 19, and within a few hours all the hundreds of fallas scattered across the city had been reduced to ashes, in a rite known by the Valencian term of crema. By midnight, the flames had devoured most of the larger, elaborate fallas, which take months to create and are typically satirical representations of people and events that made headlines over the past year. City Hall had its own falla, and it was the tallest one in the history of the celebration: a 41-meter wooden structure representing a communications tower designed by controversial architect Santiago Calatrava but which was never built. English version by Susana Urra. Illustrations and drawings (whether humorous or otherwise) are considered to be opinion pieces, and as such, are subject to the criteria of their authors US President Donald J. Trump. EFE No sooner said than done. The White Houses budget plan for 2018 clearly reflects the policy change that Donald Trump wants to impose based on his campaign promises. With it, the new president is sending out a threatening and deeply erred message, both domestically and internationally. All appropriations are shrinking except those dealing with defense, which is being beefed up by 10% in application of the principle voiced earlier by Trump himself: We want to start winning wars again. Homeland Security is getting a budget raise of 7%, as befits a president obsessed with domestic security, and the Veterans Affairs Department sees a 6% boost in funding. Trump wants to send a message that this is a strong-power administration All other departments are undergoing devastating cuts: education spending is being reduced by 14%, health by 16%, and the labor departments funding is being slashed by 21%. Meanwhile, foreign aid is reduced by 29%, and the Environmental Protection Agency is on the brink of extinction, with funding cuts of 31%. An economic analysis of the budget blueprint confirms the adverse diagnosis. It is perplexing to see an economy with growth rates of around 3% reducing public spending by 1.2% compared with 2017. It evidences an inward-looking attitude whose goal is to deactivate social welfare (beyond the dismantling of Obamacare, a move that will leave 24 million people without medical insurance) and to reduce the states job to policing the country and the outside world. Given this budget, voters should be alarmed at the coherence of Trumps proposed Infrastructure Investment Plan; chiefly, they should wonder who is going to finance it, and who will benefit from it. Because what we are dealing with is a deeply antisocial budget informed by a reactionary ideology. This document clearly illustrates what Trump wants for his fellow citizens: for them to live entrenched behind their own borders, with practically no social protection, obsessed with security and prepared for any and all wars that might come their way. Homeland security is getting a budget raise of 7%, as befits a president obsessed with security The new president is making a mistake of historical proportions. If what he wants, as he announces every day through his simple rhetoric, is to put America First, the worst way to do that is by pulling the country out of multilateral organizations, walking away from negotiations with its allies, rejecting energy solidarity with the rest of the world, sinking into protectionist regression, destroying foreign aid, and bolstering war threats. We are hearing a message from someone who wants to lock himself up inside a bunker and who views the rest of the world as a hostile environment. If so-called soft power is based on trying to attract others to your position, hard power means imposing your own interests on them. Budget director Mike Mulvaney has said that this is not a soft-power budget; this is a hard-power budget and added that he wants to send a message out to their allies and adversaries that this is a strong-power administration. Big mistake. Trump will be strong, but he will not be influential in the world. Precisely the opposite: he will spend more money yet he will be more isolated. English version by Susana Urra. This site uses cookies from Google to deliver its services, to personalize ads and to analyze traffic. Information about your use of this site is shared with Google. By using this site, you agree to its use of cookies. Learn more here Grand Prize Winner: Donna Rickey Blog Winners: A Song for her Enemies by Sherri Stewart: Mary Ann Hake Spies & Sweethearts by Linda Shenton Matchett: Connie Ruggles Sword of Trust by DebbieLynn Costello: Brenda Walters Justice for Julia by Donna Schlachter: Natalya Lakhno Party Prize winners: Sherri Stewarts Winners A Song for her Enemies: Angie Pool Bottle of Dutch Syrup: Carol Koch Alscheff Corrie ten Boom book: Deb Gramie Burgess Linda Shenton Matchetts winners: $5.00 gift card to online retailer or choice (Kobo, B&N, AppleBooks, Amazon): Karen Hadley A Bride for Seamus: Carol Osterhouse Wotring DebbieLynn Costellos winners: Sword of the Matchmaker: Melissa Planas Sword of Forgiveness: Paty Hinojosa Gomez Shattered Memories: Charlene Zall Capodice Sword of the Perfect Bride: Licha Haney Donna Schlachters winner: Leather Journal: Lisa Turley GIVEAWAY RULES Winners must leave their email address and will be notified by email and the winners name will be announced in the days comments. No one under 18 can enter our giveaways. No purchase is necessary. All winners have one week to claim their prize. USA shipping only. Offer void where prohibited. Odds of winning vary due to the number of entrants. This domain has expired. If you owned this domain, contact your domain registration service provider for further assistance. If you need help identifying your provider, visit https://www.tucowsdomains.com/ The Jat agitation in the national capital has been suspended for a fortnight following assurances by Haryana chief minister ML Khattar. But dharnas continues to disrupt life in Haryana. Although there is a lull in the agitation in Delhi for now, the Jat community has again raised a clamour to be included in the Other Backward Classes (OBC) list which would give them reservation in education and jobs. The reason for this demand is mainly because of the feeling of resentment in the community, which feels isolated and alienated. Jats have predominantly been the dominant community in Haryana. Of late, the youth in the community feel disillusioned with the traditional means of livelihood having given way to swankier lifestyles and fancy jobs. There is also the coming of age of the youth who seem to be caught in a time warp between their previous generations and the modern world. The Jat community has relied largely on agriculture for subsistence. Since Jats were landholders in administratively vital areas, many of them have become rich due to land acquisition by the government which has resulted in windfall gains. Even in the agricultural hinterland, big SUVs and expensive houses are a common sight. A bulk of the money in many such households has already been spent on items that proclaim wealth. Now the money taps have dried and the future generations find themselves in a fix. Also, the youth from other communities have forged ahead despite traditionally having meagre resources. Jat families with little or no resources have found that education leads to opportunities and a step up on the social ladder. Other castes have made the most of the opportunity and generations have benefitted. The Jat youth are conditioned to believe that they have been deprived of the new-generation prosperity because they dont have a slice of reservation cake. The Jat community is witnessing a contradictory trend. Because of their peasant background and social categorisation, the Jats have often asserted their superior identity through aggression. With agriculture unable to sustain them any longer, this peasant caste is now faced with new challenges: growing urbanisation, the importance of education and the need for assured government jobs. Closely linked with this is the backdrop that the Jat community in Haryana had enjoyed political power since chief ministers Devi Lal, Bansi Lal and Om Prakash Chautala belonged to this caste. Because of this, the Jats felt politically empowered. The present chief minister of Haryana, Manohar lal Khattar, is a non-Jat. Although a temporary truce has been struck with him, Khattar is still perceived as non-sympathetic to their demand for reservation in education which is a path to government jobs. This disenchantment has aggravated the situation and has led to a trust deficit. Jats are identified as unbending in their social behavior. Hence, the demand for reservation is a new form of social behaviour because individualism and assertiveness as traits among the Jats are getting compromised with the the governments refusal to accede to their demands with regard to reservation. The agrarian crisis that arises is mostly due to the urbanisation challenges and the agrarian linkages. The Jat community youth find themselves distanced from the mainstream in terms of language, culture and lifestyle. They are still rooted in the same traditions and customs which seem misplaced today. Most of the agrarian crises are because of fragmentation of land. The urban-rural distinction has ended because Haryana has developed very good road communications. So, the Jat youth are not only exposed to an urban way of life but also to government jobs and delink them from agriculture. It is empirically proved that the children of Jat peasants do not want to be cultivators. It is in this background that the current Jat agitation has to be seen. Recently, the Jat community displayed a show of strength where the community was represented from Rajasthan, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. They decided to block the supply of goods to Delhi to intensify pressure on both the Central and the Haryana government. However, the agitators are worried that since the State assembly elections are over, the Central and Haryana state government may simply ignore the demand of the agitators. Chief minister ML Khattar appears to have averted the wrath of the Jats for now. But their dissent cannot be wished away for long. Abha Yadav is Deputy Registrar (Legal), Central Public Information Officer and Labour Welfare Officer, Jawaharlal Nehru University Be it enchanting tales in Hindi and Urdu dramatics or puppetry storytelling in any form has a magical charm of its own. On World Storytelling Day, some of the Delhi-based artists talk about how the art of storytelling, how its changed with time, and some of the formats they prefer to use. A few have even shared a couplet and a story for you to read. Ankit Chadha, during one of the dastangoi performances. Ankit Chadha (Dastango) The capacity of audiences to appreciate the telling of long tales has declined. The artists too do not have the same level of skill as the olden masters. With the patience disappearing, storytelling is becoming an item number. Recently, at a performance, there were people recording the show on their mobile phones. I said to them that this love from the audience really inspires me. That day is not far when I will perform the whole show on selfie mode on my phone. Most got the hint and put the phones back. We need to honour that the essential experience of storytelling - seena-ba-seena (heart to heart). A couplet by Ankit Mazaa jab thaa ki mere munh se sunte daastaan meri kahaaN se laayegaa qaasid dahan mera zabaan meri Jaishree Sethi is a creative director at Story Ghar. Jaishree Sethi (Storyteller) Storytelling requires adequate space, ambience and interested listeners.The same story comes out differently in different settings with different audience. It is about the exchange of energies. The response from the audience energises me and helps me tell better. A story by Jaishree Sethi A young and successful executive was traveling down a neighborhood street, going a bit too fast in his new Jaguar. He was watching for kids darting out from between parked cars and slowed down when he thought he saw something. As his car passed, no children appeared. Instead, a brick smashed into the Jags side door! He slammed on the brakes and drove the Jag back to the spot where the brick had been thrown. The angry driver then jumped out of the car, grabbed the nearest kid and pushed him up against a parked car, shouting, What was that all about and who are you? Just what the heck are you doing? Thats a new car and that brick you threw is going to cost a lot of money. Why did you do it? The young boy was apologetic. Please mister ... please, Im sorry... I didnt know what else to do, he pleaded. I threw the brick because no one else would stop... With tears dripping down his face and off his chin, the youth pointed to a spot just around a parked car. Its my brother, he said. He rolled off the curb and fell out of his wheelchair and I cant lift him up. Now sobbing, the boy asked the stunned executive, Would you please help me get him back into his wheelchair? Hes hurt and hes too heavy for me. Moved beyond words, the driver tried to swallow the rapidly swelling lump in his throat. He hurriedly lifted the handicapped boy back into the wheelchair, then took out his fancy handkerchief and dabbed at the fresh scrapes and cuts. A quick look told him everything was going to be okay. Thank you and may God bless you, the grateful child told the stranger. Too shook up for words, the man simply watched the little boy push his wheelchair-bound brother down the sidewalk toward their home. It was a long, slow walk back to the Jaguar. The damage was very noticeable, but the driver never bothered to repair the dented side door. He kept the dent there to remind him of this message: Dont go through life so fast that someone has to throw a brick at you to get your attention! Puppeteer Dadi Pudumjee is also the founder of The Ishara Puppet Theatre Trust. Dadi Pudumjee (Puppeteer) Storytelling has changed tremendously through the times. Today, besides the storytelling, the performing arts helps the storyteller in making their art stronger, vivid and more powerful. All art forms narrate a story in their own way, and puppets and puppeteers, are some of the oldest storytellers of the world. Kamal Pruthi has named Facebook account, Kabuliwala Kamal Pruthi. Kamal Pruthi (Storyteller) I use theatrics and folk format in the league of Pandwani and Alha Udal. In musical folk formats created by me like Zabanikhela (Urdu form of children storytelling) and Kabuliwala (Afghani folk style) where the characters of the storyteller, his language and dialect, costuming, accompanying folk music, folk dance, acting skills, and use of props play more prominent roles. Right now Im looking for a life-sized donkey made of paper mache or other workable material for my performance of Mullah Nasruddin. Changing scenes according to the audience responses during live performances happen all the time. And thats not just the beauty of it but the demand of this format of interactive form of storytelling where audiences play an important role to take the story forward. If I were to perform same story in same format all over again, I as a performer will lose interest soon. So to keep myself and my audiences happy and engaged, it is important for me to keep innovating ways of performing the same stuff in different ways. And most of innovation can happen only while performing not during rehearsals. Once, just before the performance, I found out that there was a young boy in my audiences who was a repeat audience had and heard the story which I was about to perform, I changed the complete performance, the complete story for him so that he should not go back saying Kabuliwaala performed the same story. I dont do it now though! A story by Kamal Pruthi Once upon a time when nobody existed, only a young boy and a charming girl, lived in a beautiful jungle, they bathed in the lakes, loved and immersed in themselves under the sun, mated around the river and sat under the tree, ate natural fruits, and decorated each other with flowers. They wore nothing but covered beauty around them. The creator of the jungle gave them only one warning, go everywhere in the jungle, but dont climb this huge devil tree. The devil tree looked really beautiful from the outside. Despite of warning, both climbed the tree one day and started plucking the fruits and flowers from it. As soon as they ate all the delicious looking fruits, they looked down to see that the whole jungle was empty, the waterfalls had gone, the jumping deer and other animals were out of sight, the river was dry and everything beautiful they cherished had vanished. It was as if nothing existed before. They wanted to climb down the tree and go to the beautiful jungle and play like before but could not find the way to come down. Soon, the devil of the tree appeared and said Welcome to the social media. Follow @htshowbiz for more SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON In his first decision as Uttar Pradesh chief minister, Yogi Adityanath has asked all his ministers to declare their income and assets to the chief ministers secretariat and BJP state unit within 15 days. Addressing his first press conference after becoming CM on Sunday, Adityanath denied holding any cabinet meeting earlier in the day and said the meeting was a get-together of all those who were administered oath of office along with him. The CM also nominated his two ministers -- Sidharthnath Singh and Srikant Sharma -- as spokespersons who will regularly brief the media about governments works and cabinet decisions. Adityanath came to the press conference at Lok Bhawans auditorium here with the two deputy chief ministers -Keshav Prasad Maurya and Dinesh Sharma -- and Sidharthnath and Srikant. Sidharthnath and Srikant said the chief minister took a decision on checking corruption and ordered all ministers to declare their assets and income within 15 days to the chief ministers secretary as well as the BJP state unit. They also said that PM Narendra Modi works for 18 hours a day, and the same work culture will be promoted in the state. The government will soon start governance-related training courses for newly-elected MLAs. They said the CM had asked the ministers not to engage in any frivolous comments and denied any discussion on portfolio distribution. At the press conference, Adityanath said: At the outset, I want to fully assure all the people that the government will leave no stone unturned in taking effective steps to take the state ahead on the path of development and prosperity. We will fulfil the promises made in the lok kalyan sankalp patra (party manifesto). People voted for BJP to see development and good governance, and we express our gratitude to them, he said and invoked late Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya, the BJP ideologue for his concept of antyodaya (uplifting of the weakest section of society). The CM said the state government will serve the people by following the sabka saath sabka vikas motto of the BJP government at the Centre. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON A meeting with a Belgian surgeon gave the Dutch documentary filmmaker and human rights activist Daniel Abma the story he was looking for: every year, Cuba invites this surgeon along with a Dutch colleague to carry out sex reassignment surgery on five of the islands residents. Between November 2013 and January 2015, Abma documented the lives of three transsexuals hoping to be among the lucky five. Then, as relations between the US and Cuba warmed, he was given a newsworthy peg on which to hang his film. The regime has gone from persecuting homosexuality to using all its propaganda machinery to promote integration, says Abma who has just watched his documentary, Transit Havana, premiere at the LGTBI Zinegoak 2017 Film Festival in Bilbao. But Cuban homosexuals still have to deal with religious intolerance, poverty, discrimination and often prostitution. Many Cuban transsexuals have no alternative than to turn to prostitution Cuban-trained doctors do not possess the necessary know-how to perform sex reassignment procedures, which is why the Cuban government seeks out experts in Europe. Through him, Abma was able to get permission to document the new transgender residents program, headed by President Raul Castros daughter, Mariela. Mariela Castro supported us in every way. There was no control over what we filmed and it became clear that she is a sort of mother figure for the community, says the director, who visited the island four times over the course of two years. Mariela Castro is a member of Cubas National Assembly and Director of the National Center for Sex Education (Cenesex), whose push for integration is giving the community a great deal of positive exposure while, at the same time, making socialism a priority the program financing the sex reassignment surgery has adopted as its slogan: homophobia no, socialism yes. But it wasnt all plain sailing for Abmas project. While he was offered unprecedented access to certain aspects of life in Cuba, some of his footage was thought to give the wrong image of the island. Without Marielas support, it would have been impossible to move so easily around the island but when the authorities saw the results, they wanted several changes that we didnt make, says the director, who regrets that Mariela Castro did not show up for the premiere. The Cuban authorities wanted some cuts to the documentary, which were refused Along with Abma, the documentarys three protagonists, Odette, Malu and Juani three generations of different sexes facing different challenges were at the premiere in Bilbao. At 64, Juani has a good life, says Abma. She was one of the first transsexual women and her new identity as a man has not caused her problems. This is not the case for Odette, who at the age of 38, has had to deal with rejection from her family due to their religious beliefs, while Malu, 28, was forced at times to turn to prostitution to make a living. Each of the three highlights the challenges that still face transsexuals: religious prejudice, the lack of job opportunities and social stigma, says Abma. The director adds that Cubans are aware discrimination is wrong and that, in the spirit of the revolution, they accept in theory that all people are equal. But in practice traditional attitudes, combined with Catholic convictions, mean that prejudice is widespread. The Church is a big problem for Odette, says Abma. Her mother insists that she cant be transsexual because it goes against Creation. Malus fight for transsexual rights has become her life and made her the leader of the TransCuba Association. The older generation has reservations about the country opening up, and finds it hard to understand transsexuals. The young people are pushing for change and see the community as normal. The making of Transit Havana also prompted Abma to consider issues such as how countries can implement radical change and how the most traditional governments can turn their propaganda tools to good use. In Cuba, tradition exists side-by-side quite comfortably with movements keen to open up, says Abma. And its Mariela Castro who is promoting integration within the National Assembly. It's a shift that fills the LGBTI community in many Eastern European countries with hope. Communities can take strength from my documentary and governments can reinforce their campaigns. In Georgia, a transsexual was murdered on the street just days after Transit Havana was released. But as he embarks on his next project, these kinds of brutal responses only make the director more determined to use cinema as a platform to bring about change and equality. English version by Heather Galloway. His elevation as Uttar Pradesh chief minister might have catapulted Adityanath to the national spotlight but as head of the Gorakhnath temple, the 44-year-old spent large chunks of time away from political parleys, tending to cows and performing gau seva. As the all-powerful head priest, Adityanath is said to control life in eastern UP and the fulcrum of his social appeal revolves around reverence for the cow, considered holy in Hinduism. He (Yogi) gets up at 3am. After yoga and daily prayers, he feeds the cows at his gaushala. He takes his breakfast only after feeding the cows, said a close associate. The gaushala is set up in across two acres of land on the temple premises. Several volunteers every day tend to the 500-plus cows at the gaushala. One of the volunteers is a Muslim, identified as Man Mohammad, who has been working at the cow shed since his childhood. His father Inayatullah also used to offer his services at the gaushala. Man told HT he had been assigned the task of bathing the cows and arranging for their fodder. Adityanath calls the cows by their names and feeds them. He has a strong bond with the cows. Nandini is his favourite, said Sunil Rai, supervisor of the gaushala. The gaushala has the best breeds of cows including Gujarati, Sehwal, Desi and Gir, which produce over a hundred litres of milk a day. The milk is used for making mattha (buttermilk) which is distributed as prasad among the devotees visiting the temple. Ghee is also prepared from this milk which is used to light earthen lamps at the temple. Milk is also distributed among seers in daily bhandara (religious feast). Milk produced here is not sold in the market, said Rai. The cow dung from the gaushala is used for making bio-manure, he said. The association of cows with the temple and Hindu politics in the region is an old one, fostered by Adityanaths guru, Avaidyanath, who strongly advocated for anti-cow slaughter measures and gau seva even in Parliament. From the chief priest of Gorakhnath temple to the chief minister of the most populous state in India, Yogi Adityanath has come a long way. His popularity has not only swelled on the ground but also on social media. His Twitter handle is proof. The chief minister has added more than 87,000 new followers in less than two days. As many as 147,000 people were following him on Saturday evening, when elected MLAs picked him as their leader. By Sunday night, the number jumped to 219,000 as television channels started beaming footages from Smriti Upvan, where he was sworn in as chief minister by governor Ram Naik. By Monday afternoon, the total following crossed 234,000. On the other hand, the Yogi, who was following only 28 Twitter handles till Saturday evening, has started following more accounts. The UP Police (@uppolice), Government of UP (@UPGovt), UP chief secretary (@ChiefSecyUP) and chief ministers office, UP (@CMOfficeUP) are some of his recent interests, besides his two deputy chief ministers, Keshav Prasad Maurya and Dinesh Sharma. The Yogi has been following Prime Minister Narendra Modi, PMO India, BJP, its president Amit Shah, home minister Rajnath Singh, finance minister Arun Jaitley, tourism minister Mahesh Sharma, MP chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Niti Ayog and others. Adityanath, a five-time MP from Gorapkhpur, joined Twitter in 2011, three years before Lok Sabha polls. He usually retweets posts from his partys handle and has 1,152 tweets in total. The current cover photo of his Twitter handle shows him addressing a gathering in his trademark saffron attire as several seers listen to him. A banner of Lord Ram forms the background. Interestingly, former CM Akhilesh Yadav has 2.79 million followers on Twitter. But recently, he un-followed few government accounts like that of UP Police, Government of UP, UP chief secretary and UP Chief Ministers office. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Hours after taking oath, Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath promised to work for all sections of the society without any discrimination -- with focus on development and job creation. In a brief media interaction on Sunday, he said his government will pursue the agenda of sabka saath, sabka vikas and fulfil all the promises made by the party during the polls. We will follow sabka saath, sabka vikas agenda and will serve the state... Our government will work for all sections of the society without any discrimination. We will ensure balanced development of UP, Adityanath, considered a hardline Hindutva mascot, said. I want to assure people that BJP, which got votes for development and security, will show positive results soon, the 44-year-old CM said. Effective measures will be taken by our government for welfare of common man and it will be devoted to welfare of people. The administration will be made sensible and answerable and emphasis will be on law and order, he said. Accusing the previous governments of being responsible for the sorry state of affairs in the state, Adityanath, the 44-year-old head priest of Gorakhnath temple and a five-time MP, said work will be done to make development agriculture-based as it was the main source of income. Women empowerment, their security and honour will also be on top of the BJP government agenda, he said. We will focus on skill development of youths so that they can get job opportunity while government appointments will be made corruption free and transparent. Investment will be promoted for industrial devolvement and it will be done for economic development, Adityanath added. The Adityanath government has inducted a Muslim minister as well as a Sikh face along with 26 upper caste ministers, 15 OBCs and five Dalits at a star-studded ceremony in Lucknows Smriti Upvan grounds. Five of the ministers are women. Prime Minister Narendra Modi made his views known on Twitter, stating, I have immense confidence that this new team will leave no stone unturned in making UP Uttam Pradesh. There will be record development. But rival parties appeared far from impressed. It is unfortunate that Yogi Adityanath has become the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh. He has a fundamentalist image. His appointment as the CM would encourage communalism and put the unity and integrity of the country at risk, said NCP leader Tariq Anwar in a statement. With Adityanath as the UP CM, BJP wants to vitiate the atmosphere of communal harmony by imposing its ideology in the country, said Anwar, a Lok Sabha member from Katihar and former union minister. The Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) too criticised the BJPs decision to make Adityanath the CM. This choice by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), executed by its political arm the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), is a deliberate move which bodes ill for the state, the CPI-M said in a statement. The selection of Adityanath has once again exposed the oft-repeated claim of Modi that development will be its main agenda. It makes a mockery of his own slogan sabka saath, sabka vikas, the CPI-M said. The Congress, on the other hand, maintained a more conciliatory attitude and said it will rather wait and watch whether the new incumbent makes good on his promises. Its for the BJP to fulfil the promises they made during the campaign. If Adityanath delivers on his promises, working within the Constitution, then we will have no reason to fight with him, Congress spokesperson Ajoy Kumar said. Click here for full coverage on Assembly elections 2017 Actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui is angry with Filmfare for a post that shows him with an unidentified woman, implying he is dating her. Siddiqui has sent a legal notice to the magazine, saying he believes the post suggests all is not well between him and wife Anjali. An article published in the magazine on March 8, 2017 shows the actor with a mystery woman, implying that he is dating her. The notice says that the article has caused unwarranted and uncalled for mental torture, trauma and inconvenience to Nawazuddin. He has also refuted the rumours around his marriage. The actors legal team wants Filmfare to apologise and release a clarification within seven days. A few days ago, Nawazuddins brother posted a tweet in which he congratulated the actor for his successful marriage for seven years. Meera Chopra will soon be making her foreign debut through a yet-untitled Canadian fantasy series. The actor says her cousin sister Priyanka Chopra, who enjoys international acclaim thanks to her hit American show Quantico, has been a huge inspiration for her. Priyanka has always been instrumental in my career. She always supports me and I look up to her and get inspired. Im not following her... I cannot! But she is a huge inspiration, said Meera. Giving details about her role, Meera said, I will be playing the role of an astrologer. My role significantly helps in shaping up the life of the lead pair. The contract has been signed with Canadas privately-owned network CTV network. The co-stars and the director are still being decided upon. Meera says she got the role after a long process. Starting from November to January, I auditioned multiple times where I had to send various video clips. I got the confirmation only a few days back, said Meera, who will start shooting for the series by July-end. After working in the southern film industry, Meera made her Bollywood debut with 1920 London last year. She asserts that she is not focusing on making a career in Hollywood as of now. She further said, There is no laid plan for Hollywood as of now, Im more than happy to take it as it comes. My entire focus right now is on Bollywood. For me, my own industry will always be more important and will always come first. Its a different pleasure and satisfaction altogether when you work with your own people. So Bollywood would always be the priority. Ranbir Kapoor and Mahira Khan attended the Global Teacher Prize ceremony in Dubai recently and their pictures and videos are going viral online. The videos show the two actors engaged in animated conversations that has left fans wondering what is going on between them. Earlier, when asked about Bollywood actor, Mahira had told Hindustan Times, Among the younger lot, I would say Ranbir Kapoor. He is a brilliant actor. Mahira is seen pleading Ranbir for something in this video that does not have any sound. Ranbir Kapoor and Mahira Khan backstage at the Global Teacher Prize Ceremony - 2 #RanbirKapoor #Ranbir #MahiraKhan #GlobalTeacherPrizeCeremony A post shared by Ranbir Kapoor Universe (@ranbirkapooruniverse) on Mar 19, 2017 at 9:08am PDT Here are more videos and pictures from the event: Ranbir Kapoor and Mahira Khan backstage at the Global Teacher Prize ceremony - 3 #RanbirKapoor #Ranbir #MahiraKhan #GlobalTeacherPrizeEvent A post shared by Ranbir Kapoor Universe (@ranbirkapooruniverse) on Mar 19, 2017 at 9:32am PDT Candid! Ranbir Kapoor and Mahira Khan in Dubai yesterday. #RanbirKapoor #Ranbir #RK #Bollywood A post shared by Ranbir Kapoor Universe (@ranbirkapooruniverse) on Mar 20, 2017 at 12:55am PDT Ranbir Kapoor and Mahira Khan at the Global Teacher Prize Event #RanbirKapoor #Ranbir #MahiraKhan #GlobalTeacherPrizeCeremony A post shared by Ranbir Kapoor Universe (@ranbirkapooruniverse) on Mar 19, 2017 at 8:38am PDT Ranbir Kapoor and Mahira Khan backstage at the Global Teacher Prize Ceremony - 1 #RanbirKapoor #Ranbir #MahiraKhan #GlobalTeacherPrizeCeremony A post shared by Ranbir Kapoor Universe (@ranbirkapooruniverse) on Mar 19, 2017 at 9:07am PDT While Mahira was recently seen in Shah Rukh Khans Raees, Ranbir Kapoor is gearing up for his next - Jagga Jasoos opposite Katrina Kaif. Follow @htshowbiz for more Britains Vodafone Group will merge its Indian subsidiary with local rival Idea Cellular within two years, creating a new market leader that will be better equipped to negotiate a brutal new price war. Here are 10 things you need to know about this merger: In the beginning, Vodafone will be a dominant partner in the merged entity with 45.1% stake after it will transfer a stake of 4.9% to the Aditya Birla group for Rs 3,874 crore in cash to complete the merger. Aditya Birla group will then own 26% stake in the company but it will have the right to acquire more shares from Vodafone under an agreed mechanism with a view to equalise the shareholding over time. If Vodafone and the Aditya Birla Groups shareholding in the combined company are not equal after four years, Vodafone will sell down shares in the combined company to equalise its shareholding to that of the Aditya Birla Group over the following five-year period. PTI has reported that Kumar Mangalam Birla will be the new chairman of the merged entity, while Vodafone will appoint the chief financial officer. The merged company would become the largest telecom operator in India with almost 400 million customers, 35% customer market share and 41% revenue market share. The brand strategy of the combined company would be developed in due course. The name of the new merged company will also be decided later. Vodafone and Idea anticipate that the merger completion will take place during the 2018 calendar year. Prior to completion of the transaction, Vodafone and Idea intend to sell their standalone tower assets. Idea has 11.15% and Vodafone has 42% stake in Indus Towers. Kumar Mangalam Birla said the merger will be funded through promoter companies (like say Pilani Investments) and not through listed entities such as Grasim and Hindalco. The Birlas have ruled out major downsizing at Idea after the merger. Vodafone said that the ongoing tax dispute with government will not affect the merger. This is the capital gains tax worth over Rs 20,000 crore that the Indian government has demanded from Vodafone for its acquisition of assets from Hutchison Whampoa Ltd. in 2007. Both Vodafone and Idea brands to operate separately for the next few years till the merger is completed, said Vittorio Colao of the British telco. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Dehradun: Chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat announced on Monday that the BJP government would soon introduce a policy to check forced migration from the hills and ensure that the initiative is taken to its logical conclusion. He said his government would correct the deficiencies leading to large-scale outflow of industrial investments from the state. In his maiden interaction with media persons after taking over as the CM on Saturday, Rawat said fiscal discipline would be introduced to bail out the state reeling under a debt burden of 45,000 crore. He said the decisions taken by the previous Congress government would be reviewed. The decisions that wouldnt be found acceptable after evaluation would be changed. All corrupt officials would be identified and action could be taken against them, he said. We will certainly consider the suggestion that merit, not nepotism, should be the criterion for assigning duties to officials, Rawat said. It will also be mandatory for officials to keep their mobile phones switched on, he said when some reporters complained that most bureaucrats do not reply to their calls. Rawat said it would be mandatory for ministers and BJP legislators to declare their assets. Our legislators have already been declaring their assets, he clarified. Rawat parried a question if his government would enforce the Lokayukta (anti-graft) Act and Transfer Act introduced by the earlier BJP regime in 2011. He clarified that his government would enforce all the laws that our erstwhile (BJP) government had introduced. Such laws that would soon be enforced would also include the Uttarakhand Protection of Cow Progeny Act, he said. We will soon take a decision on Gairsain, he said when asked if his government would declare the states centrally located hill town as its summer capital in keeping with the BJPs promise in its vision document on development. Rawat expressed his governments resolve to link Kumaon and Garhwal regions through a short-cut route (Kandi Marg) that passes through Corbett National Park. He admitted that resolving the issue of division of disputed assets between Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh was challenging. The circumstances though are now favourable for resolving the impasse as the BJP is ruling both the states. Rawat called forced migration a matter of deep concern also from the point of social insecurity it leads to. We will take the help of the (Uttarakhandi) diaspora and intellectuals in checking the forced migration, he said, adding they would be invited to a conference to be held in Dehradun. Rawat noted that forced migration from the hill districts touching international borders with China and Nepal was a serious issue because of strategic reasons. The border districts emptying out is a serious issue because the army needs the cooperation of the locals while guarding the frontiers. Rawat said his and ministers participation in the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan in Garhwal on Saturday would give a boost to Prime Minister Narendra Modis pet project. A similar campaign would be carried out to clean Ganga as part of the Namami Gange project, the CM said. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Taking cue from BJPs manifesto for capacity building of policemen and making state crime free, Uttarakhand Police will launch a month-long special drive on Tuesday to arrest wanted criminals and drug peddlers besides keeping police stations clean. The drive comes five days after the new government led by Trivendra Singh Rawat assumed charge in the hill state following which all senior police officials were dashed a copy of Partys 2017 election manifesto with directive to work according to it. Manifesto of ruling party is considered as guiding factor for working of the government. We have already started working in accordance with it. A modernisation plan project is in process but fund crunch is main issue. Another proposal for procurement of equipment and recruitment to raise three companies of SDRF and capacity building of police is also being readied, said DGP MA Ganpathy. Law and order, modernisation and recruitment will be two other important aspectsmentioned in the ruling partys manifestoon which we need to work, said ADG Administration Ashok Kumar as a copy of BJP manifesto was lying in front of him. Ram Singh Meena, the ADG procurement and maintenance, said: We are going to launch the drive on the direction of the state police chief to keep police stations clean and check criminal activities in accordance with the state governments desire. All district police chiefs have been issued necessary orders to launch the drive from Tuesday. This will help in keeping the crime under check and put the criminals behind bars specially those absconding and having price money on their heads, said Meena. All circle officers and additional superintendents of police were asked to take rounds of police stations for physical verification. Meena said district police chiefs would review activities of police stations everyday while weekly review will be done by the inspector general of respective ranges. State police headquarters will take up the issue for review every fortnight. The Supreme Court-appointed Environment Pollution Control Authority (EPCA) moved the top court seeking a ban on the registration of BS-III emission variant vehicles, asking for a direction to the companies to stop selling the outdated technology and only roll out BS-IV compliant automobiles. Senior advocate Harish Salve placed before a bench headed by Justice MB Lokur the EPCAs proposal and asked the court to take a final decision on it. His suggestion was strongly opposed by automobile manufacturers except Bajaj Auto, which filed a similar plea. Bajaj is the only company that exhausted its BS-III emission compliant stock. The others, however, maintain the 2014 notification that fixed April 1, 2017 as the date for a countrywide rollout of BS-IV norms does not bar sale but manufacturing. Senior advocate KK Venugopal, appearing for Hero group, told the bench that his client had stopped production of BS-III vehicles on February 28. The stock is lying with the distributors, he said. According to him the earlier notification involving transformation from BS-II to BS-III expressly specified that the deadline pertained to manufacturing and not sale. Senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, counsel for Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM), held a similar view. He challenged Bajajs application, urging the court not to entertain it because the company was a trade rival. Salve disagreed with SIAM and Hondas interpretation and asked the court to issue orders after hearing both sides. He said enough time was given to the companies to stop production of BS-III inventory and complained they had refused to divulge the exact details of the stock lying for sale. At this the bench asked SIAM to provide the BS-III stock the companies had as on December 31, 2015 and details of how many automobiles were manufactures thereafter and the sales on monthly basis till today. SIAM will collect the information and filed a comprehensive affidavit before the next hearing, which is August 24. The court also asked the government to place its stand on the dispute. The Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers had in a meeting with EPCA claimed that going by present rate of sales, on March 31, there would be 45,000 three-wheelers, 75,000 commercial vehicles, 7.5 lakh two-wheelers and 20,000 passenger vehicles available for sale. Later, Bajaj said that it did not have any BS-III three-wheelers, which brought down the inventory to 25,000. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Ameriabank: At the Vanguard of Armenia's Banking Sector STATEMENT OF THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY OF THE REPUBLIC OF ARTSAKH SUBSCRIBERS OF UCOMS ALL TIME BEST OFFER TO ENJOY ADDITIONAL BENEFITS Armenia-Azerbaijan: EU sets up monitoring capacity along the international borders Google Ad PACE co-rapporteurs on Armenia concerned by reports of alleged war crimes or inhuman treatment perpetrated by Azerbaijans armed forces There is still 35% gender pay gap: Sona Ghazaryan Global Finance Names Ameriabank the Safest Bank in Armenia Mikayel and Karen Vardanyans provided 136 million AMD support for the overhaul of the Myasnikyan statue, which was in unsafe state of disrepair Believe me, as a representative of a country which uses the Schengen system very often, it is quite important. Vardanyan I really look forward to having answers from the Azerbaijani side for these alleged gross human rights violations: Secretary General I call on Armenian and Azerbaijani parliamentarians to use this Assembly as an agora of opportunities President Tiny Kox UCOMS SPECIAL OFFER OF THE UNLIMITED INTERNET IS NOW TERMLESS There is no place for the death penalty in a State that respects human rights: PACE General Rapporteur EU and CoE call on two Member States that have not yet acceded to this Protocol Armenia and Azerbaijan to do so without delay An urgent debate requested on "The military hostilities between Armenia and Azerbaijan". UCOM AND PES-PES CONTINUE COOPERATION WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK OF EDUCATIONAL PROJECT Google Ad The statement of the meeting between Prime Minister Pashinyan, President Aliyev, President Macron and President Michel of October 6, 2022 Largest Corporate Bond Program at the Securities Market of Armenia Completed Successfully The statement of the Defender on the video of the execution of Armenian PoWs by the Azerbaijani armed forces LEVEL UP ONLY FOR STUDENTS: UCOM OFFERS X2 AND X3 MORE INTERNET STATEMENT BY SECRETARY ANTONY J. BLINKEN This criminal act is another proof that the Armenophobia policy. Tatoyan Nikol Pashinyan, Nancy Pelosi discuss a number of issues related to the Armenian-American agenda and regional developments Delegation by Nancy Pelosi Accompanied by Alen Simonyan Visits Tsitsernakaberd Memorial Complex Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi Arrives in Yerevan Armenian Revytech, global technology leader SAP and financial services software specialist SAP Fioneer sign a cooperation agreement With 120 million drams donated by Mikael Vardanyan, the defenders of the homeland will be treated in a new building OSCE Chairman-in-Office and OSCE Secretary General call for immediate cessation of hostilities along Armenia-Azerbaijan border Statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Artsakh The TM Bhagalpur University (TMBU) senate, on Monday, approved by a unanimous voice vote cancellation of the law degree of former Delhi law minister Jitender Singh Tomar, which was earlier found to be fake. The senate approval has paved way for the issuance of a formal notification by university for cancellation of his degree, which was held to be fake and had allegedly been issued with the connivance of some employees of the university. Earlier, the examination board and disciplinary committee of the university had given their consent for cancellation of Tomars law degree. Even the Delhi police, in its inquiry conducted separately, had found that Tomars law degree was fake. Tomar was arrested by the Delhi police on June 9, 2015 in connection with the fake degree case. He had submitted his resignation to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on the following day, just hours after a Delhi court remanded him to four-day police custody. Tomar was enrolled in the law course at Vishwanath Singh Institute of Legal Sudies (VSILS) at Munger, which is an affiliated college of TMBU. In an inquiry conducted by the university last year, it was held that the law degree issued to Tomar was fake. The finding was conveyed to a Delhi court hearing a case in connection with Tomars degree, through an affidavit filed on behalf of TMBU. Subsequently, the process for cancelling the tainted degree had been initiated by the TMBU authorities. The authorities had earlier stated that the approval of chancellor of the universities of Bihar, who is also Governor of the state, had also been sought. But the office of the chancellor had intimated the university authorities that the chancellors approval was not required for cancelling fellowships and degrees. Considering the Tomar case had sullied the TMBUs image, senators participating in discussion at Mondays meeting called for stringent action against employees involved in issuing a fake degree to Tomar. However, TMBU registrar Ashutosh Prasad said little could be done in the matter by the university as a Delhi court and the Delhi police were also seized with it. The registrar said the findings of an internal enquiry conducted by the university in the Tomar case has been already shared with Delhi police. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Many students, who wrote the CBSE class 12 Mathematics paper on Monday, said it was lengthy because of which they could not attempt all the questions. However, they did not find the paper too difficult like in 2016 when students had petitioned the Board for grace marks. The questions in the paper were not twisted like last year. But the paper was lengthy. I left two questions and didnt get time for revision, said Shweta Goswami, a student of government school at Mandir Marg in central Delhi. Aditya, a student of Bhartiya Vidya Bhawan, said he could attempt questions of only 85 marks. Compared to last year, the paper was easy but it was lengthier. Since I left out certain questions I am worried how much I will score, said Aditya.Students said they wished they had more time as packing all the answers in three hours was back-breaking. If I had one hour more, I would have completed the paper, said another student of the government school at Mandir Marg. Bhupesh Kainth from Evergreen Senior Secondary School, Vasundhara Enclave said, The question paper was lengthy and of medium difficulty level. Most of the questions were direct but with a little twist requiring critical thinking. Teachers said the paper was of medium difficulty level and most questions were from the NCERT syllabus. Nitish Gupta, who teaches at Mount Abu Public School, Rohini, said, The paper was a balanced paper. The difficulty level of the paper was average. Shivesh Kumar Singh, Mathematics teacher at Presidium School, Ashok Vihar, said: The paper was good with questions in set 1 and 2 right up to the mark. Students found set 3 a little lengthy because questions of linear programming which deserved 6 marks were given weightage of just 2 marks. However, overall the paper was fine. Tania Joshi, principal, The Indian School, said, Students and teachers said the paper was better this year. CBSE has gone back to NCERT which is a good thing. Last year, parents and principals had written to the CBSE after which it constituted a committee to review the Class 12 Mathematics question paper. Students had complained that they had to do elaborate calculations even for a one-mark question. For four-mark questions, calculations ran into pages. The panel included a subject expert, curriculum expert and board representatives. The committee said there will be moderation in marking. Class 12 students will now take history exam on March 23. A 50-year-old man died after he jumped before a metro train at the Azadpur station on Monday morning. In his suicide note, Ishwari Prasad, a resident of Model Town, said he was being harassed by his employer. Prasad worked as a labourer in the area At 7:35 am, he went to the Azadpur metro station to board a train towards Vishwavidyalaya and jumped on the tracks as the train approached. The incident was caught on camera. The shift in charge, station controller and the CCTV observer rushed to the platform to rescue him. The housekeeping, DMRC and CISF staff took him to Aruna Asaf Ali hospital but he was declared dead on arrival. He died on the spot due to excessive blood loss and head injuries. His postmortem was conducted later in the day and the body was handed over to his family members, a police officer said. Prasad, hailing from Nepal, mentioned in his note that he had been working for the same employer for the past 15 years and that he tortured him mentally. He worked with a gas agency and had been working for the same employer for the past several years. The suicide note mentions the name of his employer. Though he wrote the employer harassed him, he has not mentioned any specific instance that may have prompted him to end his life, a police officer said. The police have not registered a case of abetment to suicide in the matter. We have initiated an inquiry into the suicide and will investigate the matter. We will definitely look into the allegations and claims made in the suicide note. We will record statements of his family to know if he shared anything with them, a police officer said. A Karachi newspaper, published in Urdu, had suggested that two Sufi clerics of the Hazrat Nizamuddin Dargah, who had gone missing in Pakistan last week, may have links with Indias Research & Analysis Wing (RAW). The two clerics, who returned to Delhi on Monday, alleged that the article in Daily Ummat, published with the headline Bhartiya sajjadanasheen ki khufia masroofiat ne maamla mashkook banaya (The secret activities of the two clerics makes the matter suspicious), may have been responsible for them being questioned by the Pakistani authorities. The article, however, was printed on March 18, two days after the two clerics Asif Ali Nizami and Nazim Nizami -- had gone missing and were being reportedly questioned by the Pakistani authorities. The strap below the headline mentioned that the two did not meet anyone in Lahore or Pakpattan districts of the country, where they had said they were visiting shrines. It also said that the two spent most of the time in the high-security Lines Area of Karachi, where the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) holds sway. MQMs leader Altaf Hussain was accused of having links with RAW in 2016. RAW talluqaat kharij imkaan nahi (RAW links cannot be ruled out), the strap said. It even quoted Mufti Ramzan Sialvi, the head priest of data darbar shrine in Lahore -- which the two clerics were supposed to visit -- saying that he had no knowledge of their trip. Questioning the secret movements of the Sufi clerics, the newspaper said, Ummat has learnt that the two clerics, Aasif Ali Nizami and Nazim Nizami travelled regularly to USA and UK. It also quoted an unnamed security official hinting that some clerics at the Nizamuddin Dargah in Delhi had RAW links. Syed Asif Nizami, 82, and Nazim Ali Nizami, 66, members of the family of the Sajjada Nashin (caretakers) of Nizamuddin Dargah, arrived at the Indira Gandhi International Airport on Monday morning. Asif, the head priest, and his nephew, Nazim, had gone on pilgrimage to Pakistan on March 8. They were reported missing on Thursday (March 16) after their families were unable to contact them. The clerics have rejected the allegations made in the article. Full text of the article: The two Indian clerics, Syed Asif Nizami and Nazim Nizami, who went missing from Lahore and Karachi airports, are under suspicion because nobody in Lahore or Pakpattan could confirm any meetings with them. Even the head priest of Data Darbaar Masjid, Mufti Ramzan Sialvi, said he had no information about inviting any cleric from Delhis Nizamuddin Aulia Dargah. He even said the Masjid had invited two clerics from Ajmer Sharif Dargah to participate in the annual urs but they did not turn up. Director general (Auqaf), Punjab, Tariq Bukhari told Ummat: We do not have information about any guest with these names. Nor had anyone informed us about their visit. The management of Data Darbaar also denied any knowledge that the clerics were visiting the shrine. What was the need to hide the visit of two clerics from Hazrat Nizamuddin Dargah in India? The fact that they confined themselves to the Lines Area in Karachi during their visit also raises questions about their movement. Ummat spoke with Sayyed Saiful Islam Nizami, one of the senior members of Nizami family in Karachi, who also denied meeting the two clerics from India. He also said that Nazim Nizami is a regular visitor to Pakistan while he had heard Asif was coming after two decades. Still he did not consider meeting me, he said. Ummat has learnt that the two clerics, Asif Ali Nizami and Nazim Nizami, who according to India have gone missing, would regularly travel to USA and United Kingdom. A security official confirmed to Ummat that links with RAW of some clerics at the Dargah Nizamuddin in Delhi cannot be ruled out. It may be noted that there have been reports of RAW trying to make inroads in Lines Area of Karachi and some areas in Punjab. Also the urs of dargah in Pakpattan is observed in Moharram the first month of Islamic calendar, which is more than two months away. The two visiting the country now and not informing authorities raises questions about the purpose of their visit. In Lahore too, instead of being received by some relative or someone from the management of the Dargah, the two clerics went to the house of Azeezur Rahman, the local leader of Peoples Party. In fact, Rahman also did not spend much time with them and did not go to see them off at the airport. It is yet to be ascertained if the two are hiding or have been picked by any government agency. When we contacted Lahore airport to know the whereabouts of Nazim Nizami, they said they did not know about it and so did the officials of Shaheen Airlines, on which he was supposed to travel. Retired chief of ISIs unit in Punjab, Brig (retd) Ghazanfar told Ummat that such people are not handlers but on rolls of the agencies who would visit to pass on messages. When we tried to contact the management at Nizamuddin Dargah In Delhi, all phones were switched off, raising doubts if the Indian government is handling the issue. Under these circumstances, the Pakistani agencies should seriously look into the issue and investigate why the clerics who had apparently come on a pilgrimage had to hide their visit (from the Pakistani authorities). SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Though the Jat community has called off its agitation in Delhi, life in the national capital remains under constant threat of being thrown out of gear. The protest was called off on Sunday afternoon after the Haryana government spoke to the communitys leaders and assured them that the process to give them reservations would begin soon. But the Jats have warned that they would return to the roads if the government does not keep its word. These are the five reasons why Delhi is vulnerable to a siege. 1. Too many entry points: Though Delhi shares its borders with just Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, there are over 20 major entry points into the city and a lot more other smaller entries. Merely preventing entry into the city at these border points is a herculean task for the police force. 2. Delhi is not just Delhi: Keeping a tab on the developments within the borders of the national capital is not enough. Since Delhi practically includes Noida, Ghazaiabad, Gurgaon and Faridabad under the larger umbrella of the National Capital Region, disrupting life even in these four cities affects the national capital. To seal off Delhi, you have to essentially seal of two other states. 3. Police strength not enough: Despite the Delhi Police having more than 85,000 personnel, barely 30,000 are available to guard the city even when it is under threat. The city has to rely on support from paramilitary forces from outside in an emergency. For the Jat agitation, which was called off, the police had requested for 110 companies of paramilitary forces. 4. Delhi depends on other states for essential supplies: Be it vegetables, fruits, milk or water, Delhi is dependent on other states for its essential supplies. During the Jat agitation in February 2016, the city suffered when the water supply was disrupted after the protesters vandalised the Munak Canal in Haryanas Sonepat. Jats during their agitation at Jantar Mantar earlier this month had threatened to cut off the citys supply of vegetable and milk if their demands were not met. 5. Delhi serves as a transit point: The national capital serves as a transit point for many motorists plying across states. Unlike Mumbai, which is the final destination of vehicles from outside by virtue of its geography, Delhi is used as a thoroughfare. More than 5.7 lakh outside vehicles enter Delhi everyday, a large number of them using Delhi as transit point. So, it is not practically possible to stop outside vehicles from entering the city and hence keep a tab on people entering Delhi. Traffic movement took a hit in Delhi on Monday morning due to security pickets across entry points to the city and many busy stretches, put up in view of the Jat protests. Delhi Police on Sunday evening had relaxed all restrictions after the Jats called off their protest march to the national capital, but security arrangements at the borders remained intact. Jams were witnessed in the Lutyens zone on Monday, said Garima Bhatnagar, joint CP (traffic), who attributed this to the security pickets that remain in New Delhi area. There will be heavy checking in New Delhi area because we do not want to take any chances. So, we would advice motorists to keep off this area unless it is unavoidable. They must plan their travel accordingly, Bhatnagar said. Police barricades are in place every 300-400 metres across central Delhi and border areas. The cops are not even allowing people to gather in front of roadside shops. A large number of traffic and police personnel have also been deployed strategically in several other parts of the city, particularly near the borders. They have been asked to keep an eye out for any mischievous elements who might try to sneak into the city although the Jat agitation has been called off. Vehicles are being checked frequently than usual and thereby traffic is slow. Any car with more than three people are being checked by the cops at Delhi-Noida border. Security forces donning riot gear were seen keeping strict vigil, said a commuter from Noida. @dtptraffic please stop checking on Delhi Noida DND immediately. There is huge traffic jam on DNF as this is peak hour office time. Narinder Mohan (@narinder_mohan) March 20, 2017 Commuters took to Twitter to vent their frustration over the chaos. Devesh Singh Chauhan also rued about the very heavy traffic at #dnd noida to delhi side. Vikas Marwah, tweeted, #JatAgitation Delhi traffic is mess today on all entry roads and Ring Road though the agitation is postponed. Kindly order Delhi Police to remove the barricades. It is chaotic all over without Any Jaat agitation, Krish Iyer tweeted. The slow traffic added to the anxiety felt by class 12 students going to appear in their maths exam on Monday. @narendramodi Massive jam in Delhi, children of 12th stuck up in traffic, my daughter is at Nizamuddin bridge to reach Sardar patel school. Vipin Agnihotri (@vipin_ag) March 20, 2017 The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) on Sunday had also redacted all of the restrictions placed. The DMRC had initially said that train services to and from all outside-Delhi stations would be suspended from 11:30 pm on Sunday until further orders. They had also said that 12 stations within the ambit of central Delhi would be shut from 8 pm on Sunday, restricting entry and exit at these stations. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The purvanchali voter pie in Delhi has another claimant in the Nitish Kumars Janta Dal (United). The party will contest at least 150 of the 272 wards in the April 22 Delhi municipal elections. The party plans to field candidates in areas where the purvanchalis (migrants from eastern UP and Bihar) are a significant part of the population. Traditionally the supporters of the Congress, the community backed the AAP in the 2015 assembly elections. AAP has around a dozen MLAs from the region. The party will bank on its most popular leader, Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar, for its campaign. Apart from showcasing the development in Bihar under the leadership of NItish, JD(U) may also promise liquor ban to the voters in Delhi. Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar will be in Delhi to support candidate of Janta Dal (United), who are contesting in Delhis civic polls. Eyeing Purvanchalis voters, the JDU will contest in rural areas and unauthorised colonies and the party plans to present Bihar model and raise issue of liquor ban. We spoke to our traditional voters in Delhi and they are not happy with the performance of AAP, said Sanjay Jha, national general secretary of the party. They had voted for AAP since we supported them. Now, they want us to contest and that is why we will field our candidates in the civic polls. Besides NItish Kumar, party MLAs and MPs will also campaign in Delhi, Jha said. There are an estimated 40 lakh voters from the purvanchal region in Delhi. There are a number of assembly constituencies where the purvanchalis form more than 30 per cent of the population. They are Dwarka, Vikaspuri, Patparganj, Uttam Nagar, RK Puram, Badli. Matiala and Laxmi Nagar among others. Nitishji will address two rallies in south and north Delhi on April 9. We will focus on outer Delhi and in colonies where migrants live. We have already conducted 250 small meetings and are getting a positive response. BJP is facing anti-incumbency, Congress is nowhere in the picture and the AAP failed to make any impact in two years. All this will help us, Jha said. JD(U) will also focus on Narela, Burari, Kirari, Seelampur, Badarpur, Sangam Vihar and Matia Mahal. People from eastern UP, Bihar are a big vote bank. But, they dont get proportionate representation in power, said another party leader. We will field candidates with a strong local connect, he added. . SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Relatives and friends thronged Nizamis place on Monday morning as the news spread about their homecoming. Though they looked relieved, they said they had been worried about the health of 82-year-old Asif Nizami, who went missing in Pakistan along with his nephew on March 16. Amir Nizami, son of Asif, said the latter had been sceptical about visiting Karachi because of his health but still made the trip as his sister insisted. Senior Nizamis sister, who is 90, settled in Karachi after she got married. My father decided to go after an emotional phone call from my paternal aunt who said she wanted to meet him once before she dies, said Amir. #Nizamuddindargah's Sajjada Nasheen who went missing #Pakistan Nazim Nizami speaking to media in Dargah complex @htdelhi pic.twitter.com/kwWPu7XrbL Parvez Sultan (@theparvezsultan) March 20, 2017 From the airport, Asif and his nephew Nazim reached the Nizamuddin dargah to seek blessings. After addressing the media at the dargah complex, he went home. Asif said he was tired and wanted to rest. His brother, Sajid, who was coordinating with Indian government officials said the duo have not rested for the last three-four days. He, however, refused to divulge details of their disappearance. As both reached home, relatives hugged and wished them. They also enquired about the health of senior Nizami. We have not slept since the news of their disappearance broke. Male family members were busy talking to government officials and relatives in Pakistan. Women in the family were continuously praying for their safe return. We are relieved and its like celebration at home, said a family member. Amir Nizami said he is finally feeling relaxed and would go to Ajmer to visit Khawaja Gharibo Nawazs dargah. I regularly go to Mia Sahebas Dargah (mother of Hazrat Nizamuddin Aulia) in Adhchini but have not been going because of this trouble. Now, things will come back to normal. But before that I plan to go to Baba Ajmer Sharifs dargah, he said. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Gopal Ansal surrendered to Tihar Jail authorities around 5.30 pm on Monday after the Supreme Court refused to grant him any relief. Jail officials said Ansal underwent medical examination at the prison hospital before being lodged in sub-jail number three. The Supreme Court had earlier declined any relief to Gopal Ansal and asked him to surrender by evening to undergo one-year jail term in the 1997 Uphaar fire tragedy case. A bench comprising Chief Justice JS Khehar and Justices DY Chandrachud and SK Kaul rejected the plea moved by the real estate baron seeking more time to surrender on the ground that he has moved a mercy plea before the President. Sorry, we cant, the bench said when senior advocate Ram Jethmalani mentioned the matter and sought more time, telling the court that they have already approached the President with their mercy plea. The apex court also rejected the plea from the senior advocate seeking a direction for speedy disposal of his mercy plea, pending before the President, saying that it cannot interfere in it as it is an exclusive jurisdiction of the President. The apex court, on March 9, had dismissed Ansals petition for parity with his elder brother Sushil Ansal, who was awarded jail term already undergone by him considering his age-related complications, and directed him to surrender by Monday to serve the prison term. The 69-year-old Gopal Ansal was in jail earlier for around four-and-half months in connection with the case relating to the June 13, 1997 fire tragedy in which 59 persons died in Uphaar cinema in Delhi during the screening of Hindi movie Border. The case is related to the June 13, 1997 fire tragedy in which 59 persons died in Uphaar cinema during the screening of Hindi movie Border. (HT File) Over 100 people were injured in the subsequent stampede. A bench headed by 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 the jail term already undergone and had asked Gopal to surrender in four weeks to serve the remaining jail term. Gopal had thereafter approached 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. In its February 9 judgement, the apex court had upheld the fine of Rs 30 crore each imposed on both the convicts earlier and said it should be utilised for setting up a trauma centre. Earlier, a two-judge bench of the apex court had on March 5, 2014 held Sushil and Gopal Ansal guilty, but differed on the quantum of sentence to be awarded to them after which the matter was heard by a three-judge bench. The Delhi high court on December 19, 2008 had awarded one-year jail term to both Sushil and Gopal Ansal in the Uphaar Cinema case while reducing the two-year sentence imposed on them by the trial court. The body of a 22-year-old woman was found at her Jahangirpuri home in northwest Delhi on Sunday afternoon. Police said the woman had strangulation marks around her neck. After initially suspecting her husband, the police shifted their probe to the landlord. Police officials said they first questioned the womans husband, Rajkumar, as he was the one who had first seen his wifes body and raised an alarm. During questioning, the police found that Rajkumar , who sells spices from a makeshift shop, was present at his shop at the time of his wifes murder. He was let off after questioning. The woman, Rinku, was married to Rajkumar for two years and they lived in a rented accommodation in C-block, Jahangirpuri. The couple has a 10-month-old child. On Sunday morning, Rajkumar left for work, leaving behind his wife and the child in the home. In the afternoon, he returned home for lunch and found the main door open. Rajkumar went inside and found the house ransacked and his wife lying unconscious on the floor. Their baby was lying next to the body. Rajkumar raised an alarm and informed neighbours about the matter. The police control room was informed about the matter. Many of their belongings were found missing from the almirah, said police. A police team reached the crime scene and rushed Rinku to Babu Jagjivan Ram Hospital where doctors pronounced her dead on admission. Doctors told police that there were strangulation marks around Rinkus neck. A case of murder was registered at the Jahangirpuri police station. The forensic team also reached the house and collected evidence from the crime scene. During the preliminary probe, the police found that there were signs of struggle in the room. Rinku also had scratches on her body. We have registered a case and are probing it from murder and robbery angle, the officer. Investigators have not ruled out the role of the landlord. 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 Ours is a strange country. The bigger the criminal, the bigger is the outrage. As we have seen before, the convict in a terror crime, who has failed up to the Supreme Court and also in his review, can get access to justice in a manner that we extend, Chief Justice of India (CJI) Jagdish Singh Khehar said recently, an oblique reference to 1993 Bombay blast case convict Yakub Memon. What the CJI meant was the accused in any case, especially a criminal case, should not go unrepresented. In the same speech, the CJI asked legal volunteers to work for the victims of crime this year, saying he wondered what happens to the victims of rape or acid attacks or those who lose their bread earners, while the criminals got access to justice till the very end. The CJI asked National Legal Service Authority (NALSA), State Legal Services Authority and District Legal Service Authorities to send their para-legal volunteers to every trial court to inform the victims that their right to compensation is not closed. On both counts, the CJI is spot on. Earlier this year, Amnesty International India (AII) filed RTI applications to every central and district jail in the country, and the replies revealed that legal aid system is largely dysfunctional. The legal rights programme, mandated by Centre, was not administered in a majority of jails. Several undertrials whom the AII spoke to said that they were not told that they were entitled to legal aid lawyers. Legal aid lawyers are poorly paid, and often over-burdened with cases. And there is no monitoring mechanism to evaluate the quality of legal aid representation in most states, wrote Leah Verghese, a senior campaigner with Amnesty International India, in Quint. When it comes to compensation for victims, the story is the same. Earlier this year, the Bombay High Court pulled up the Maharashtra government for delaying the decision regarding grant of compensation to rape, acid attack and child abuse victims under the Manodhairya Scheme retrospectively. The court observed: You [the government] are obligated to help these victims. It is your duty to ensure that they get proper counselling soon after the FIR is lodged and financial help is extended to them. You are not doing charity or doing them any favour by helping them. Hopefully, the CJIs plea will find support among the legal aid community. Indias ambitious National Health Policy, which plans to increase public spending on health from 1.15% to 2.5% by 2025 and offer assured healthcare to all, is a step down from the policys original draft in 2015 that had proposed health be considered a fundamental right and set the deadline for raising spending on health to 2.5% by 2020. The policy outlines an ambitious plan to optimise primary care delivery in the public sector and fill critical gaps by strategically purchasing secondary-care hospitalisation and tertiary care services from the public sector and NGOs. It also wants to reinforce trust in the public healthcare system by providing treatment for infections and chronic diseases, eliminating leprosy, kala-azar and lymphatic filariasis, lowering under-five deaths, stabilising population growth and increasing longevity. It acknowledges the need to prioritise the prevention, diagnosis and management of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), which account for 39.1% of Indias disease burden and have replaced communicable diseases as the leading cause of death, and halve premature deaths from heart diseases, cancer, diabetes or chronic respiratory diseases by 25% by 2025. Deadlines have been set for each deliverable, but whats missing is the path India needs to take to meet these targets. Union health and family welfare minister JP Nadda has reiterated that since public health, along with hospitals, dispensaries and sanitation is on the state list, the onus of implementing is with the states. The Centre will help, but each state will have to find more money to give their states health indices a boost. The policy has scrapped the initial proposal to use taxation, including a special health cess, to finance the increased budget, and has instead suggested the state sector health spending to be increased to more than 8% of the state budget by 2020. Currently, the average annual health spending of most states is less than 5%, with only a handful Delhi, Goa, Kerala and Rajasthan spending more than 5% on their citizens health. The health policy does not address key issues such as human resources gaps, especially in the rural areas, under-utilisation of resources, poor quality control and a patchy track record in scaling up experiments in public-private partnerships to meet challenges. With the poor implementation of existing legislation, such as the Clinical Establishment (Registration and Regulation Act), accountability and quality standards vary widely across India. Close to one in three persons calling themselves allopathic doctors are educated to Class 12, while 57% practitioners had no medical qualification. India needs to fill gaps in healthcare delivery and meet infrastructure and human resource shortfalls in public centres to lower out-of-pocket spending and save people from catastrophic spending on health. Delhi is the fake Capital with 66 colleges -- the highest for any state in India offering engineering and other technical courses without the regulators permission. There are 279 such technical institutes in the country. Simply put, these schools dont have the authority to grant degrees. Education certificates issued by such colleges are nothing but a piece of paper. The Capital also has seven of the countrys 23 fake universities, the University Grants Commission has said. In an annual review, the UGC and All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) last month put out a list of such fake institutes on their websites, warning students ahead of the new academic session that kicks in next month. We send the list of unapproved and unregulated technical institutions to concerned state authorities for taking appropriate action against such institutions, an official said. UGC warning UGC says there are 279 fake technical colleges and 23 fake universities in India. UGC and AICTE put out a list of fake institutes, warning students ahead of the new academic session that kicks in next month Minister Mahendra Nath Pandey told RS the state governments had been asked to investigate and register police complaints against fake universities To know about fake universities and fake technical institutes, log on to UGC website www.ugc.ac.in and AICTE website www.aicte-india.org Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Maharasthra also have a sizable number of fake technical institutes. To ensure students dont apply to such colleges, the technical education regulator, the AICTE, has also issued notices to these schools for not taking its approval. Public notices are also published in newspapers cautioning the students not to take admission in such unapproved institutions, the official said. Minister of state for human resource development Mahendra Nath Pandey told the Rajya Sabha recently that the ministry had written to state governments to investigate the matter and register police complaints against fake universities. States have also been asked to initiate proceedings against those involved in defrauding and cheating students by misrepresenting themselves as universities awarding degrees with their name, Pandey told the Rajya Sabha. Menace of fake institutes is widespread and is getting increasingly lucrative, as more students look for higher education to improve their job prospects. The details of fake universities and fake technical institutes are available on the UGC website www.ugc.ac.in and AICTE website www.aicte-india.org. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Dr APJ Kalam Technical University has announced the results of BTech, BPharm and MBA third semester 2016-17 on its official website. Candidates can check their results by clicking here. Enter roll number to see the results. In a first, Dr Abdul Kalam Technical University (AKTU) has introduced a result grievance portal to address the issues of students who study in affiliated colleges outside Lucknow where the universitys campus is situated. Now, students studying in AKTU-affiliated colleges wont have to approach the university main campus in Lucknow for clarifications over their results and other issues. More than 900 engineering, medical, management and computer science colleges are associated with AKTU across the state. A total of 93 colleges in Ghaziabad and 75 colleges in Gautam Budh Nagar are associated with the university. Students can check the Result Grievance Portal on the universitys website and can register complaints using their login id. They will have to submit their documents along with an email id and phone number while registering the complaint. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON I was addressing students at VIT University (Vellore Institute of Technology) in Chennai when I was told that the varsity is the only one in India to receive a 4-star rating from QS the international ranking agency and has been consistently setting records of campus placements, giving students a high-flying career with a good earning capacity. While they were sharing their several achievements to a loud applause, I started to wonder if there were other parameters for a university of merit. Like for instance how many patents an institute succeeded in filing? Or how many laureates an educational institutes produced in innovation of research? Focus on community a must In my presidential address, I offered the following nine parameters that a university should have to be an institute of excellence. First...What kind of transformative community leadership does it create in the society? This means how many and what percentage of its current and past students have contributed to community development, truly transformative in nature, within the academic year or by annually reviewing the performance of its alumni. The seeds of such results have to be sown while in the university, which implies that the students, along with academics, during their college years take up field work for community causes, individually and collectively. One thought which came straightaway was when crimes against women are a national shame, why should the onus of the movement of stopping this menace not be on male students? What better time than when they are together in the university for them to collaborate? My second parameter for adjudging a best university was that when such universities produce meritorious students, many of them do join government services, why do they not remain courageous enough to stand up to illegal directions of corrupt political leadership in certain places? Why should they be afraid and insecure? One of the key qualities of sound education has to be courageous men and women joining government services and staying upright to serve the people. They should go to the people rather than wait for the needy to come to them. Inculcating proper leadership habits The third criterion I proposed was about the kind of respresentative leadership the university sends into the community. It was about leadership at all levels starting from the grassroots to the top. Love for social work and community service could be instilled among youth early for the society to have alternative leadership to break the monopoly of the few. Fourth was contributing entrepreneurial generation a group of students who are innovative and like-minded. In other words, how many companies or start-ups are born on the campus? Further, how does a university ensure that students get involved in practical learning and plan proper internships? Creative professionals add weight to varsity Fifth was how many creative professionals musicians, journalists, activists, sportspersons of repute and more the institute churns out. Sixth criterion was developing passionate patriots who contribute to a mass of law-abiding citizenry and also are being proud of being Indians. This also means producing honest grassroots politicians. Does the university in any way contribute to it? Seventh was ... How many giving Indians does the varsity create? For this, the spirit of giving has to be inculcated while they are students. Giving does not only mean doling out money, but also your personal time as service to the community. The idea is to make things better for others. Swachh Bharat is one such initiative. Eighth criterion is developing lifelong learning habit in students. It means students while learning also teach others in small clusters. My last measure for a varsity of reckoning is the ability to inculcate deep values among students. For a New India, this is the foundation. So when do we begin? (The writer is Lt Governor of Puducherry. The views expressed are personal) For students graduating from the Indian Institute of Management, Lucknow, its protective boundary walls will now become home to countless memories they made in the two years of their stay. A few hours before the 31st convocation ceremony was to begin on Monday at IIM-L, many of the 435 students were seen hugging their friends, taking pictures and selfies on the 286-acre campus. They said they will always cherish their life at one of the best business schools in the country and take forward the beautiful relationships they formed during their two years stay. IIM Lucknow has been, to quite an extent, transformative for me. It has taught me not just at the academic front but also on the personal front. I had always considered myself an introvert. Hence, I was a little apprehensive about this whole world of MBA. But two years into it, my perspective has changed, Divya Malhotra said. The 23-year-old Delhi resident said she has become a more confident, independent and emotionally stable person. And all of this couldnt have been possible without some wonderful people she met on campus who supported her and believed in her more than she did. Managing everything on my own, accomplishing things I never thought I could ever achieve, messing up (sometimes badly) and still being able to hold myself together - are some of the invaluable things that you can only get after going through the rigours of a management institute, she added. IIM-L students said they will always cherish their life at one of the best business schools in the country and take forward the beautiful relationships they formed during their two years stay. (Handout image) But for Shresthi Agarwal, the two years at IIM-L are difficult to summarise in words. It is an experience that changed us from a person who was just a random person into a polished MBA graduate with a legacy of 30 years of IIM Lucknow, the 26-year-old said. In the sleepless nights, unending assignments, hectic hellish schedules, awesome flora and fauna of beautiful campus, I found myself. These two years are etched into my heart and soul and leaving the campus for me is like leaving a part of me behind. The journey I experienced is short of words. You need to be here and live two years of the worlds best journey, Agarwal, who hails from Bareilly, added. Many amongst them also found love within these walls. And, of course, the everlasting bonds of friendship were also forged. A few hours before the 31st convocation ceremony was to begin on Monday at IIM-L, many of the 435 students were seen hugging their friends, taking pictures and selfies on the 286-acre campus. (Handout image) For Jay M Shah, it was a story of extreme ups and downs - just like a rollercoaster journey. We did learn quite a lot thanks to it. There was also a beautiful life beyond books. Clubs and committees constantly gave us something interesting to do in each and every sphere of holistic development, he said. Competitions, quizzes, workshops - ranging from art and dance to marketing and finance - added to the learning experience. We have an excellent sport club too. Managing hobbies with the rigours of IIM was difficult in the first year, but things got better in the second, Jay said. Living together, we have been through myriad situations much like a Bigg Boss show. Tense times during placements saw the real nature of people visible and appreciable. Sharath Kumar, a student who refused job offer and wants to become author said, Theres a strange sense of an ending that has seeped through my skin and wont let go. Two years may not sound like much but it was a great stay. For students graduating from the Indian Institute of Management, Lucknow, its protective boundary walls will now become home to countless memories they made in the two years of their stay. (Handout image) Kumar said he will miss the people at IIM-L the most. And not just my fellow journeymen, my fellow students but my teachers, my mentors, the faculty, the mess team, everybody. For two years this place became home. At times a difficult home, but home nevertheless, said Sharath. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The Indian Institute of Management, Lucknow (IIM-L) will set up an incubation and research centre to promote innovative projects and research on its sprawling campus soon, its director said on Monday. The 15-member board of governors of the business school gave its consent for the project during a meeting on Monday. Anybody who comes with some viable proposal for setting up any innovative project, the IIM-L will support that and will help in transferring technology to industry, Ajit Prasad, director of IIM-Lucknow, told Hindustan Times soon after the meeting was over. The Small Industries Development Bank of India (Sidbi) has agreed to give Rs 3.5 crore for setting up this incubation centre. No fee hike this year The new batch of students at IIM-L will be relieved as the board of governors have resolved not to increase the tuition fee for the new session. The students will pay Rs 14 lakh that was applicable last year too. The board felt that emphasis should be on quality education at an affordable price and the IIM-L should not be in the business of minting money by increasing fees, Prasad said. The IIM-L had proposed to raise its fee by 15% which meant students would have had to pay Rs 16 lakh for the two-year postgraduate programme had the board of governors approved it. Faculty retreat The faculty retreat programme, a drill in which teachers go abroad for 2-3 days to relook at the syllabus and brainstorm, will be re-examined. Usually, it takes place outside India and countries such as Singapore are the preferred destination. But now it will be held in domestic location as taking all the faculty members abroad involves a lot of money, sources said. The last retreat was held in 2004. Pan IIM conference in Lucknow The board of governors of IIM-L have agreed to host the IIM conference, involving all the IIMs, in Lucknow in December. Experts will deal with the issue of managing the digital economy and it will be a 3-day intense brainstorming activity, Prasad said. Last year, it was held in IIM-Ahmedabad and the year before in Indore. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON A controversy is brewing in Madhya Pradesh over the alleged saffronisation of education following a decision of the Makhanlal Chaturvedi National University of Journalism and Mass Communication to replace studies on ideology of Nehruvian socialism with that of right-wing ideologue late Pt Deendayal Upadhyay for postgraduate students. The opposition Congress and Left parties have long accused the university vice-chancellor Prof BK Kuthiala of pushing a saffron agenda. The chapter on Pt Deendayal Upadhyay will be introduced from the next academic session, sources said. Apart from Upadhyay, other personalities whose ideologies would form part of the syllabus include Swami Vivekanand, Maharishi Arvind, Bhimrao Ambedkar and Ram Manohar Lohia. Other than introducing ideologies, the social issues including social stratification, positive and negative discrimination trends in communalism have been replaced by unemployment, poverty and black money. According to the draft of the new syllabus to be introduced for MA in Mass Communication semester-IV, a copy of which is available with HT, another major change in the syllabus is in the gender issues. Patriarchy-male domination and hegemony has been replaced with male-female relationship. New and old syllabus of MA in mass communication of Makhanlal Chaturvedi National University of Journalism and Mass communication, in Bhopal on Monday. (Photo by Mujeeb Faruqui/Hindustan Times) (HT Photo) The university administration has not brought about any change in the syllabus other than paper IV (issue oriented writing) of MA Mass communication. University officials tried to sidestep the issue. We have been asked to prepare the draft of a new syllabus and every department is making necessary changes in the syllabus. But the syllabus has not been presented before the academic council as yet. Therefore, I cant say anything about it, head of the mass communication department Sanjay Dwivedi told HT. But students were more forthcoming. When we saw a changed syllabus, we asked our teachers about it. They said the new syllabus will be introduced from the next year, said a group of students talking to the HT. For the past two years, teachers were not following the syllabus and were teaching students only one ideology- right wing ideology. But from the next academic session, the university has made the right-wing ideology studies a formal one, said the students. Minister of state for higher education Sanjay Pathak endorsed the new syllabus. I am happy that university has added personalities like Pt Deendayal Updhayay and Swami Vivekanand in the syllabus. Students should read about such great figures, he said. But opposition leaders have blamed the university administration for misguiding students and spoiling their future. Vice chancellor BK Kuthiala is an RSS man and everybody knows about it. Even, recently when RSS staged a sit-in to protest against the alleged attack on RSS people in Kerala, Kuthiala was present on the stage and was shouting slogan against Left party. When a vice chancellor is sporting his ideology so brazenly heads of departments are bound to follow his path, said Badal Saroj, CPI (M) leader in MP. Indian political thoughts and ideologies are incomplete without Nehru and the Left. By introducing such syllabus, they are misguiding journalism students, said Saroj. Madhya Pradesh unit president of the youth Congress, Kunal Chaudhary said, For a long time, the BJP government and RSS have been trying to finish the identity of Jawahar Lal Nehru who laid the foundation of modern India. Now, they have started spoiling future of journalism students by teaching only one ideology to them. But the BJPs youth wing Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha hit back at the criticisms. Till now, when students are being taught only about one family nobody objected. Students have enough knowledge about Nehruji and his family. The introduction of personalities like Swami Vivekanand and PT Deendayal Updhayaya in the syllabus will give a correct vision to students. Their ideologies are relevant for present and future generation, said its state unit president Abhilash Pandey Vice chancellor Kuthiala said he could not comment because he hasnt seen the new syllabus yet. In what may kick up a fresh controversy regarding saffronisation of Makhanlal Chaturvedi National University of J SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON A 24-year-man from Delhi was injured seriously after he was allegedly shot at during a wedding at Rajendra Park in Gurgaon late on Sunday night. Arguments over the music being played by the disc jockey (DJ) is allegedly the reason that Pankaj Kumar of Jaffarpur village in Delhi was shot at during the function. Police said Kumar was admitted to a private hospital in Palam Vihar and he is critical. A case has been registered by the Rajendera Park police for attempt to murder, and under sections of the Arms Act. Police said Pankaj Kumar, son of Pradeep Kumar, had come to attend the marriage ceremony of his friends relative in Rajendra Park, Gurgaon. While everyone was dancing to the music being played by the DJ, the sound of a gun fire jolted them and Pankaj was down bleeding. He suffered a deep wound in the stomach, police said. After hearing the news about his son, Pradeep with his younger son Virender lodged a police complaint. Kumar has alleged that someone had intentionally shot his son in the stomach while dancing at the wedding. Investigating officer, sub-inspector Devender, said, the condition of the victim is stable but the bullet is still inside his stomach, and the doctors will operate him on Monday evening. Pankajs statement will be obtained once he regains consciousness, police said. Police have sought a video recording of the wedding from both the families. Police suspect that a quarrel over playing music or too much drinking could have led to the shooting. Carrying firearms to a wedding is banned in Haryana. On December 5, the Haryana government had banned carrying weapons to weddings after several incidents of celebratory firing were reported. The ban has been imposed under Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code. Firing in the air is an offence punishable by six months imprisonment. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON As workers reached factories as usual on Monday, city industries were relieved that the proposed Jat march to Delhi was called off. As precautions in anticipation of Jat agitation, security was tightened across the NCR, especially in New Delhi, and police had directed the Delhi Metro to restrict services within the national capital. The All-India Jat Aarakshan Sangharsh Samiti (AIJASS) had planned to cripple Delhi by choking traffic. Their longstanding demand for reservation is in the Punjab and Haryana high court. Besides, they have also been demanding withdrawal of police complaints filed against Jat leaders in the last five to six years, and government jobs for those who died in protests in 2016. Industrialists were worried that employees would skip the days work fearing violence and road blockade by the Jat community. Many industry owners had made arrangements to tackle the imminent situation. Manmohan Gaind, vice-president, Manesar Industry Welfare Association (MIWA), said, I told my employees to report early, before the agitation starts. In case the agitation prolonged till late evening, we would have managed to drop them home. But, we are thankful to the government for persuading the leaders to postpone the agitation. Though only a few members of the Jat community live in Manesar and Gurgaon, they had plans to block roads and demonstrate, sources said. There was fear among all of us but we were sure the government would manage the agitation... We held a meeting with members of the Chambers of Industries, Udyog Vihar, and decided to wait and watch. And, thankfully, the leaders agreed to call off the protest and spread the message among their cadre. But, still, we were apprehensive if employees would skip the day. Nothing of that sort happened but we are still cautious as the planned agitation has just been postponed till March 26, Ashok Kohli, vice-president, Chamber of Industries, Udyog Vihar, said. Senior vice-president of Jat Sabha Gurgaon, Mewa Singh, said, In the entire district, no untoward incident happened on Monday. We have to maintain peace till the next meeting on March 26. If the government acts as per its assurance, everything will be fine. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Oskanian-Raffi-Ohanyan alliance in Ashtarak: live (video) Ohanyan-Raffi-Oskanian alliance starts another day of campaign from the city of Ashtarak. Armen Martirosyan first remembered Arthur Sargsyan nicknamed as Bringer of bread, who, he thinks, died because of the authorities, If there wasnt the second decision on detention, there wouldnt be hunger strike and his health condition wouldnt deteriorate. Recently Armen Mikayelyan has been sentenced to 1 year imprisonment, He became another political prisoner of Armenia. If ORO alliance comes into power, there will be amnesty, Prisons are filled with innocent people and they must be freed. Mihran Poghosyan has millions of dollars, but no one asks him where from he has got them. The opposite happened; he is a precinct candidate of the Republican Party of Armenia (HHK), It is a clear message by the authorities. What the HHK does through the propaganda is simply forgery. We dont need a Prime Minister, who smiles all day long, but one, who works all day long. Armen Martirosyan says that they will change the system established by the HHK, We resort to deep regime change. We should create a united society, where there is democracy. People in Armenia are not destined to live like this, says Varta Oskanian, The authorities are fully responsible for this situation. We can change this situation. You can follow the meetings of Oskanian-Raffi-Ohanyan alliance live on A1+. A 25-year-old man was arrested in Ghazipur for uploading an objectionable picture of Yogi Adityanath, hours after he was sworn in as the UP chief minister, on a fake Facebook account, police said on Monday. Badshah Abdul Razak, a resident of Professors Colony in Ghazipur district that abuts Varanasi, uploaded the image Sunday night and it was circulated on social media, police said. He forged identity to create the account. District magistrate Sanjay Khatri and senior police officers had to rush to the neighbourhood as the Hindu Yuva Vahini, a youth outfit founded by Adityanath, started gathering in protest. Tempers ran high as the family and friends of Razak and locals came face to face with the Yuva Vahini members. A police party raided Razaks house and arrested him. During questioning, Razak confessed to uploading the image, inspector Surendra Kumar Pandey said. Police teams stayed the night in the area and patrolling was intensified in the district. Razak was produced in the court on Monday that sent order him in police custody. The 44-year-old head priest of Gorakhnath temple Adityanath was on Sunday sworn in as the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh after the BJP won a brute majority in Indias largest state. The BJPs choice of the chief minister has raised eyebrows, as Adityanath who has always taken a hard line on Muslims, who account for 19.6 % of UPs population. The family members of 28-year-old British woman Danielle McLaughlin, who was found dead on a south Goa beach last week, suspect the roles of more than one person in killing her, says the lawyer representing the victims family. Sammy Tavares, deputy superintendent of police in Canacona, however, maintained that it was a handiwork of a single person, ruling out the role of a gang behind the crime. Danielle McLaughlin was found dead on March 14 at an isolated stretch between Agonda and Canacona beaches. Police arrested a man named Vikas Bhagatm, 23, in connection with the case. The family members of Danielle say she was a strong girl and would have been able to defend herself from any attack by a single person, Vikram Varma, the lawyer representing the family of the British woman told PTI. The preliminary theory of the police is based on a confession and needs to be substantiated with forensic evidence, he said. As the police has not concluded its probe, I would not rule out the possibility of more persons being involved in the crime, said Varma, who was also assisting Fiona Mackowen, the mother of Scarlett Keeling, another British girl who was found dead in Goa in 2008. Petty criminals often work in gangs and do have substantial skills in misleading people as well as the police. I do hope they do not succeed in this case, he said. Tavares, meanwhile, said, The police is conducting a thorough investigation in the case. It is a handiwork of a single person. There is no possibility of a gang doing it. We have gathered enough evidence. Artifacts placed by mourners at the location where the body of Danielle McLaughlin was found in Canacona. (AFP) The officer said the pieces of evidence, collected by the police, will ensure conviction of the accused in this case. In a related development, the police has issued a no-objection certificate to the British embassy to fly Danielles body to her native place. They are yet to fly the body back to the native place. The formalities are going on to do so, Tavares said. The autopsy, conducted by a panel of doctors from Goa Medical College and Hospital, confirmed that Danielle was strangulated to death. The forensic examination had also confirmed that she was sexually abused before she was murdered. A Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) leader was shot dead in a remote part of the district on Sunday night, triggering tension in the area. Sixty-year-old Mohd Shami was gunned down by assailants close to his residence in Mauaima police station area, 40 kms from the city, according to senior superintendent of police Shalabh Mathur. Following the incident, his supporters squatted on the Allahabad-Pratapgarh highway demanding immediate arrest of the culprits and adequate security to his family members. The SSP said Shami had been a five-time president of the Mauaima block. He was allegedly involved in a number of criminal cases, many of them relating to heinous offences like murder and dacoity. According to BSP sources, Shami had joined the party last year soon after losing the panchayat polls, ending his long association with the Samajwadi Party. He had also contested the assembly polls in 2002 on an SP ticket from Kunda against controversial independent MLA Raghuraj Pratap Singh alias Raja Bhaiya who went on to become a minister in the previous Akhilesh Yadav government in Uttar Pradesh. He was also said to be involved in a feud with local leaders of the BJP and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, the sources claimed. Adequate deployment of police has been made in the area to keep the situation under control and Shamis supporters who were squatting on the highway have been dispersed, the SSP said, adding that a search was on to nab those named in the FIR lodged by Shamis family members. Two more people surrendered before the judicial magistrate court in Coimbatore on Monday, four days after the murder of H Farook, a rationalist and atheist and a Dravidar Viduthalai Kazhagam member, bringing the total number of people detained in the case to five. Samsudeen -- a friend of the victim, Farook -- and Saddam Hussain were remanded in judicial custody till April 3. M Ansath, a 30-year-old realtor, had earlier turned himself in, while police have detained two other suspects -- Akram, 30, and Munaf, 38. According to police sources, Hussain and Samsudeen both have pending murder cases against them. Hussain is also related to Kisan Bukhari, the key accused in a bomb blast case in Bengaluru. We are in the initial stages of inquiry. So far, there is no evidence to suggest a direct link between the blast accused and this murder, a police officer said, adding that there was no evidence to suggest that Farooks murder was linked to a terrorist or extremist group. H Farook (31) was hacked to death on Thursday night after he received a phone call at 11pm. Police believe he was attacked by a gang of six people, who hacked and stabbed the DVK member near his house in Coimbatore. A committed rationalist and atheist, Farook ran a few WhatsApp groups on which he would post messages debating the existence of god. While police are still unclear about the motive behind the killing, officers believe that the atheists messages posted and shared regularly on social media may have resulted in his death. Three police teams have been formed to investigate Farooks murder. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The TM Bhagalpur University (TMBU) senate, on Monday, approved by a unanimous voice vote cancellation of the law degree of former Delhi law minister Jitendra Singh Tomar, which was earlier found to be fake. The senate approval has paved way for the issuance of a formal notification by university for cancellation of his degree, which was held to be fake and had allegedly been issued with the connivance of some employees of the university. Earlier, the examination board and disciplinary committee of the university had given their consent for cancellation of Tomars law degree. Even the Delhi police, in its inquiry conducted separately, had found that Tomars law degree was fake. Tomar was arrested by the Delhi police on June 9, 2015 in connection with the fake degree case. He had submitted his resignation to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on the following day, just hours after a Delhi court remanded him to four-day police custody. Tomar was enrolled in the law course at Vishwanath Singh Institute of Legal Sudies (VSILS) at Munger, which is an affiliated college of TMBU. In an inquiry conducted by the university last year, it was held that the law degree issued to Tomar was fake. The finding was conveyed to a Delhi court hearing a case in connection with Tomars degree, through an affidavit filed on behalf of TMBU. Subsequently, the process for cancelling the tainted degree had been initiated by the TMBU authorities. The authorities had earlier stated that the approval of chancellor of the universities of Bihar, who is also Governor of the state, had also been sought. But the office of the chancellor had intimated the university authorities that the chancellors approval was not required for cancelling fellowships and degrees. Considering the Tomar case had sullied the TMBUs image, senators participating in discussion at Mondays meeting called for stringent action against employees involved in issuing a fake degree to Tomar. However, TMBU registrar Ashutosh Prasad said little could be done in the matter by the university as a Delhi court and the Delhi police were also seized with it. The registrar said the findings of an internal enquiry conducted by the university in the Tomar case has been already shared with Delhi police. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON In the first major crackdown against controversial televangelist Zakir Naik, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) attached assets of his Islamic Research Foundation (IRF) worth Rs18.37 crore. This comes after Naik failed to appear in person before the agency despite four summons issued to him. The assets attached include a mutual fund worth Rs 9.41 crore, a godown valued at Rs 68 lakh belonging to M/s Harmony media private limited and a school building worth Rs 7.05 crore owned by the Islamic Education Trust in Chennai. Apart from these, five of the foundations bank accounts with a total balance Rs1.23 crore have been attached provisionally. The investigations revealed that the proceeds of crime generated through Naiks provocative speeches have been either routed, transferred or utilised for the purpose of creating communal disharmony and for inciting Muslim youths and terrorists, said an ED officer on condition of anonymity. Naiks close confidante Aamir Gazdar, a south -Mumbai based marble trader, has been the only one arrested in the case. Gazdar is currently in judicial custody and the central agency has accused him of acquiring and disposing of cash. ED alleged Naik and his associates are indulging in unlawful activities and through his provocative utterances, promoting enmity and hatred between different religious groups in India. His inflammatory speeches and lectures have inspired and incited a number of Muslim youths in India to commit unlawful activities and terrorist acts, ED claimed. ED sources said in view of the involvement of Naik, Gazdar and IRF in the case and laundering assets, properties controlled by them directly or indirectly become liable for attachment under the section 2 (1) (u) of PMLA Act. The agency had registered a case under the provisions of PMLA, 2002 on the basis of FIR registered by NIA in November, 2016. Since the IRF has been declared an unlawful association, no person can become member or office bearer of the IRF whose website says it is a registered non-profit public charitable trust or hold meetings or collect funds. A ban under UAPA is valid for five years. The decision to declare the IRF unlawful was approved in a cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday. Naik is believed to be in Thailand at the moment. He left the country after it was alleged that his sermons influenced few of the Bangladeshi youth who targeted an eatery in Dhaka on July 1, 2016. Bangladesh has banned Naiks Peace TV, saying it incited the attack on the Dhaka cafe in which 22 people were gunned down. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The Election Commission has favoured setting up special courts to expedite trial involving politicians and bureaucrats. The poll body took this stand before the Supreme Court in public interest litigation (PIL) that also wants debarring of convicted politicians from forming a political outfit and becoming a party office bearer. Regarding the convicted politicians, the poll body said its stand was not adversarial to that of the petitioner a lawyer and that it espoused the cause raised by him. The EC informed the top court that its recommendations for de-criminalisation of politics were pending with the law ministry. Various other measures have been suggested by it, including ban on paid news, proscribing political advertisements 48 hours before polls and amendment in the election law to check bribing of voters and enforcing the limit of election expense. Donkeys hit the headlines after former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadavs remarks about the animal during his election campaign. But at Sheetala Devi Dham in Kaushambi, they are revered at the historic Gardhabh Mela (donkey fair) for a religious reason. Believed to be the mount of Mata Sheetala Devi, donkeys are fed delicacies and decorated before being displayed for sale. Not only donkeys, but their brethren mules and horses too are sold by traders who arrive in Kada area of Kaushambi district from all over north India. President of the Sheetala Devi Dham managing committee, Sharda Prasad aka Bhukkad Panda, said priests and washermen jointly organise the fair in several acres of land near the dham in the Chaitra month. Devotees reveal their mannat (wish) to the animals and arrive here to feed them with milk, grams, green grass and vegetables if their wish is fulfilled. According to the belief, the donkey will fulfil their wishes if it is pleased with their services. It is also believed that marriages fixed at this fair are blessed. The donkeys sold in Kaushambi carry the pilgrims to the Amarnath Cave, which adds to the religious importance of the fair, Prasad said. The price of donkeys, mules and horses ranges from a few thousands to more than a lakh and every year, the business crosses more than a crore. Shivpal Chaudhary, a trader from Banda district said he sold a six-month-old donkey for 21,000. Swaminath Kapari, another trader, said his 11-month-old mule fetched him 39,000. Rampal, a local potter, said donkeys are considered dumb and meek but in reality, they are faithful and wise. Hardik Patel, the face of Patel agitation in Gujarat, and 59 others have been booked for alleged rioting at a BJP councilors house in the wee hours of Monday, police said. Eleven people have been arrested so far in this connection, while a manhunt for Hardik, the convener of the Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti, and other accused is on, they added. According to police, Hardik, along with 59 others, had vandalised the house of Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation councilor Paresh Patel in Vastral after trespassing into it around 2am. The group also allegedly set on fire a BJP flag. The alleged intruders were protesting the arrest of one of their associates Kunal Patel, who was held on Sunday for allegedly posting an objectionable message on social media. The councilor in his FIR also claimed receiving death threat from the rioters. A case under various sections pertaining to rioting, trespassing, criminal conspiracy and related crimes was registered against all the accused. The Patel quota agitation leader, Hardik has already been booked in seven cases, including two sedition cases in Ahmedabad and Surat. Hardik, who is currently out on bail, termed the latest case against him and his associates as panic reaction of the BJP at a time when speculation about an early elections in Gujarat is rife, particularly after partys spectacular victory in Uttar Pradesh. ``Following its win in UP, when the BJP wants early elections in Gujarat, it will try to keep our volunteers inside jail. This is an act to break the community and agitation. The fresh case against Patidar youths and women leaders is baseless and false, he said. Since his return to Gujarat in January after 16 months, Hardik has been touring the state and addressing public meetings to mobilise the community against the ruling BJP. Of the 16 months, he spent nine months in jail and six months in exile. He warned there would be counter reaction to the polices action. In August 2015, during violent quota agitation, 13 Patidar youths were killed in police firing and public property worth Rs 44 crore was damaged. Since July 2015, the Patidar youths are up in arms against the BJP-led government in the state demanding reservations in government jobs and educational institutions. In the face of the agitation by the community, once regarded as the BJPs vote bank, the partly lost rural and local body elections in 2015. The party is now desperately trying to win back the community and weaken the agitation before the crucial assembly elections to be held later this year. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON From restrictions on Delhi Metro services over Jat protests to missing Indian clerics returning to Delhi from Pakistan, here are the stories to look out for today: 1) Jat protests called off: Metro services to be normal, some restrictions to remain With Jats calling off their agitation, Delhi Metro on Sunday announced its services will be normal on Monday but for restrictions on exit from specific stations. Metro stations in Gurgaon, Noida and Faridabad will remain open as usual, but the commuters will not be allowed to exit at Yellow Lines four stations -- Central Secretariat, Patel Chowk, Udyog Bhavan and Lok Kalyan Marg. However, entry will be allowed at these stations, an advisory by Delhi Metro said. 2) Indian clerics traced to Pakistan to reach Delhi today External affairs minister Sushma Swaraj said two Hazrat Nizamuddin Dargah clerics, who went missing in Pakistan, are safe and will be back in Delhi on Monday. Syed Asif Nizami, the head priest of the dargah, and his nephew Nazim Ali Nizami had gone to Lahore on March 8 and were supposed to return to India on March 20. Asif was visiting Pakistan to meet his sister in Karachi. Pakistan had conveyed to India the missing clerics were traced to Karachi. 3) Cabinet may consider GST supplementary legislations The Cabinet may take up for approval the supporting GST legislations, which will then be introduced in Parliament as the government sprints to meet the July 1 deadline for rollout of the new indirect tax regime. A set of four supporting legislations -- the Compensation Law, the Central-GST or C-GST, Integrated-GST or I-GST and Union Territory-GST or UT-GST -- are likely to together go to the Cabinet for approval on Monday. 4) JNU missing student case: Court to decide on polygraph test A Delhi court will decide on Monday if the nine JNU students can be asked by Delhi Police to give their consent for lie detector test in a case related to the universitys missing student Najeeb Ahmed. Chief metropolitan magistrate Sumit Dass had reserved the order after the counsel appearing for the students submitted that the lie detector test is unconstitutional and illegal unless it is voluntary. 27-year-old Najeeb has been missing since October 14-15 last year after a scuffle at his JNU hostel, allegedly with ABVP activists the previous night. The RSS students wing has denied any involvement in his disappearance. 5) India vs Australia: Kohlis men hoping for a victory on final day of third Test Indias hopes of trumping over Australia are high as the Virat Kohli-led team takes on Kangaroos on the final day of third Test in Ranchi. After India declared their first innings on 603 for nine on Day 4 in Ranchi, Ravindra Jadeja took two quick wickets to brighten the home teams victory prospects against Australia. Australia are still 129 runs away from making India bat a second time and have only eight second wickets at their disposal to achieve that. Will Virat Kohlis team take the remaining wickets and go 2-1 up in the series or will Steve Smiths team hang on for a draw? Catch Day 5 live cricket score here India cannot prevent the growth of President Xi Jinpings Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and would end up watching Chinas expanding international influence by not joining the connectivity project, state media said on Monday. It should also be noted that New Delhi cannot prevent the growth of the OBORs (One Belt, One Road) influence. If India wants to exclude itself from the OBOR at a time when the initiative is receiving widespread support from the global community, India will end up simply watching the rise of Chinas international reputation, the nationalistic tabloid, Global Times, said. The newspaper was reacting to an HT report that said the United Nations Security Council endorsing BRI complicated Indias claims on Pakistan-Occupied-Kashmir (PoK) as the initiatives flagship project, the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), passes through the disputed territory. New Delhi has yet to sign up for the OBOR, and has claimed that there is a sovereignty issue with the Belt and Road initiative as the CPEC passes through PoK, the Global Times said quoting HT. Both the OBOR and the CPEC are economic initiatives. Hopefully India will wake up to the benefits and adopt an open attitude toward joining the initiatives. The dispute over Kashmir between India and Pakistan makes New Delhi habitually vigilant against any possibility of large-scale foreign investment flowing into the region, but it is necessary to learn to distinguish activities between normal commercial investment and ones that could violate Indias sovereignty, it said. However, despite concerns from India, broader support has been given to the OBOR from the international community. China will host the first OBOR summit in May, with more than 20 government leaders and more than 50 heads of international organisations set to congregate in Beijing for the meeting, it said. The article suggested that India should join the project as it is unable to influence other countries to shun it. If New Delhi is unable to persuade other nations to abandon the OBOR, one practical approach is to get involved in the initiative in a bid to promote the development of the OBOR in a direction that is favourable to India, the article said. In fact, by joining the project, India could actually shift the initiatives centre of gravity towards itself. China and India share a large potential for cooperation in areas such as infrastructure. If New Delhi has concerns about the CPEC as a flagship project in the OBOR, Indias joining the initiative could cement its economic ties with China and possibly shift the initiatives centre of gravity, it said. The BRI is Xis ambitious connectivity project that aims to connect China with Asia and Europe over land and sea through infrastructure projects like ports and road and railway trade corridors. Beijing claims it has rounded up at least 100 countries in support of the multi-billion-dollar intercontinental connectivity mission, including Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. Indian and Pakistani experts on Monday opened round-table talks in Islamabad over water disputes between the two neighbours, even as tensions between them remain high. Pakistans minister for water and power, Khawaja Asif, welcomed the Indian delegation for the two-day talks, saying he hopes the discussions will move forward in anticipation of continued talks on April 12 in Washington. The 10-member Indian delegation, led by Indus Water Commissioner PK Saxena, held a closed-door meeting with the Pakistani side. Both sides signed the Indus Waters Treaty in 1960, brokered by the World Bank, to share the vast water resources from the Indus River system, which supplies water to both countries. The treaty requires annual meetings but none have been held since May 2015 because of tense relations between New Delhi and Islamabad. Respect and implementation of this agreement ... is in the interest of both countries and this region, Asif told reporters, adding that the Islamabad meeting would focus on three Indian projects for generating hydroelectric power on the Neelum and Jehlum rivers that flow through the disputed Kashmir. Pakistan, a country of 180 million people with a largely agriculture-based economy, fears the projects could severely deplete its water resources. Many worry the dispute could further escalate tensions between the nuclear-armed rivals. Pakistan last September requested World Bank mediate in the matter but the organization later backed out, forcing Pakistan and India to resume direct negotiations. Three Karnataka policemen have been caught on camera allegedly brutally assaulting bar workers in Belgaum for refusing to serve alcohol on March 13, declared a dry day by the state to prevent unruly behaviour on Holi. The video, purportedly captured on the bars CCTV camera, was leaked to the media on Monday after the police departments refusal to suspend three cops -- sub inspector Shivshankar Mukari and constables Pujeri and H D Bojjanavar. According to the bars owner Shivraj, the place was shut on Holi when the three policemen entered through a window and demanded cartons of expensive imported liquor as bribe. When the staff refused, the policemen allegedly thrashed them. One of the bar workers, Ajit Halingale, fainted because of the beating. When he came to his senses, he was beaten again and dragged to the police station where a case was registered against him, Shivraj told HT. He said the policemen took not only cartons of alcohol before they left but also looted cash from the register. Reacting to the allegations, Belgaum superintendent of police Ravikanthe Gowda said the case was more complicated than what the CCTV footage apparently showed. He said the accused policemen were conducting a legitimate raid after discovering that the bar was running despite the ban order. He also said the alcohol cartons taken away by his men were not bribes but material evidence that had been seized as part of the investigation. The police brass has closed ranks but bar owners in the district are threatening to launch a stir with the help of the opposition BJP if the three men are not suspended. A Christian group in Kerala has demanded that nuns should be allowed to perform the sacrament of confession for women and minor girls, in the wake of growing sexual crimes involving priests in the state. They argue that womens confessions before priests often lead to their exploitation and want the Catholic church to shed what they called its patriarchal attitude. The Kerala Catholic Reformation Movement, which claims to stand for reforms in the church, organised a sit-in protest on Sunday before the archbishops house in Kochi to put forward their demand. Members of the movement held placards and banners, saying women are afraid of performing confessions before priests. Many believers, including women and girls, have welcomed the latest move. In Bible, there is no mention that the sacrament of confession should be done only by priests. We want nuns to perform this to check increasing crime involving priests, Indulekha Joseph, a spokesperson of the movement, said. She said her organisation is also planning a mass memorandum to Pope Francis, the leader of the Catholic church all over the world, in this regard. A confession, also known as penance and reconciliation, is one of the 7 sacraments of the Catholic church, in which followers seek absolution for sins committed by them and are absolved by a priest. There are many instances that during confession the priest concerned asking the woman embarrassing questions. Some find an eternal pleasure in this. Since there are many experienced nuns around, the task should be entrusted to them, Sister Jesme, who discarded her robe in 2010 alleging sexual exploitation, said. Her autobiography Amen had triggered a controversy in the church and the community. Many like her believe that confession often gives the priest an opportunity to embarrass and exploit the woman concerned. However, Kerala Catholic Bishop Council (KCBC) dismissed the latest demand as a mere publicity stunt. You cant generalise things citing an incident. The agitation is to get media attention and without understanding the core principles of the Bible, a spokesperson for the council said. Two weeks ago, the Mananthavady Diocese was forced to tender an apology after a senior priest allegedly raped a minor girl who later gave birth to a baby. The victims father, belonging to an economically backward family, was promised Rs 10 lakh to own up the crime. But the prompt investigation by the police turned the tables on the priest. A maternity hospital and an orphanage controlled by the church are in the dock. The accused Father Robin Vadakkumcherry, the vicar of St Sebastian church in Kottiyoor, was arrested while he was planning to slip out of the country. Besides the priest, the police also arrested 5 nuns for covering up the incident. Embarrassed by the incident, many favour a strict code of conduct for priest and nuns. Reformists blame insiders for the rot and they are planning to send a letter to the Vatican seeking stringent steps to rein in what they call wayward priests. Once a crime is committed, the first reaction is an attempt to cover it up. This emboldens others also to commit the same crime, a spokesperson for the Catholic Laymens Association said lauding the latest demand. A day after he was sworn in as the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, Yogi Adityanath has got into action mode. At a high-level meeting called by the chief minister at the VVIP guest house on Monday morning, Adityanath told officials, in no uncertain terms, that law and order is among his top priorities. Officials who were at the meeting included chief secretary Rahul Bhatnagar, principal secretary (home) Devashish Panda and director general of police (DGP) Javeed Ahamad. Yogi, according to sources, directed the officials to ensure that FIRs were lodged on all complaints received at police stations. The CM also told them to take the issue of womens safety with utmost seriousness. The chief secretary and others have planned a video conference in the evening with district magistrates and superintendents of police later to reiterate the CMs directions. We will hold a video conference with DMs and SPs to pass on the CMs message, a senior official told HT. Yogi will hold another meeting with all secretaries at Lok Bhawan later to discuss developmental issues among others. Adityanath also expressed concern over the killing of a BSP leader in Allahabad, and stressed that restoring law and order was the top priority of his government. A 60-year-old BSP leader, Mohd Shami, was gunned down by assailants on Sunday night close to his residence in Mauaima area, 40 km from Allahabad. Deputy chief ministers Keshav Prasad Maurya and Dinesh Sharma also met Adityanath. Maurya later told reporters that the first meeting of the state Cabinet would discuss all key issues mentioned in the BJPs sankalp patra, which include loan waiver to farmers and ban on mechanised slaughter houses. Sharma said his meeting was just a courtesy call. We will work for the welfare of the people with full vigour and ensure that the work is visible on the ground, he said. Meanwhile, BSP chief Mayawati on Monday attacked Adityanath, alleging that he will divide the state on communal lines and push RSS agenda in the state. She said the BJP will not be able to maintain law and order in Uttar Pradesh. In Uttar Pradesh, it does not matter if it is the SP or the BJP in power. They cannot control law and order. BJP has appointed a priest as chief minister who will not take forward the agenda of development but will push the RSS agenda. They will divide Uttar Pradesh on communal lines. Now, there will again be an environment of fear in the state, she told reporters outside Parliament. Mayawati, whose party was decimated in the assembly polls, was responding to queries on Aditynaths appointment and the murder of a BSP leader in Allahabad. (With agency inputs) SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Manipur chief minister Nongthombam Biren Singh won a floor test in the 60-member Manipur assembly on Monday. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had lodged all its legislators in a Guwahati hotel along with an independent and a Trinamool Congress lawmaker since Thursday. Biren Singh was sworn in as the first BJP CM of Manipur on March 16. Only two BJP MLAs, including the chief minister, were inducted in the BJP-led government. A total of four berths were allotted to National Peoples Party, all four of the partys MLAs were made ministers. The lone Lok Janashakti Party MLA Karam Shyam, Naga Peoples Fronts Dikho and Congress legislator Th Shyam Kumar, who joined the coalition after his election, completed the list. The BJP won 21 seats and formed the state government with support of four MLAs each of the NPP and the NPF, one MLA of the LJP and one lawmaker each of the Congress and the Trinamool Congress, who later joined the saffron party. Though the Congress emerged as the single largest party with 28 seats, it was pipped by the BJP in the race to form the government. But governor Najma Heptulla directed a floor test since former CM O Ibobi Singh of the Congress too staked claim to form the government. This is the third BJP-led government in the region after Assam and Arunachal Pradesh. The party is also part of the NPF-led Democratic Alliance of Nagaland (DAN) coalition in Nagaland. A cabinet expansion is expected within the next 10-12 days to accommodate more BJP legislators in the ministry, which can have a total of 12 ministers. A corruption-free government and equal development of the valley and hills for a united Manipur will be the other priorities of the government, the 56-year-old CM has said. Biren Singhs government has also lifted a blockade of Manipurs two national highways since November last year. The blockade was a protest against the creation of new districts by the former Congress government. Madhya Pradesh will be the first state in the country to float a happiness index in 2018. The index, based on a questionnaire will help the government gauge the happiness quotient of people. Last year, the state government had announced that the happiness index will be ready by 2017, but on Monday, chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan made a fresh announcement on his Twitter handle, saying, I take this opportunity on the international day of happiness to share that a Happiness Index is being prepared to be published in 2018. I am glad that feedback from happiness index survey will be factored into our government policies and public expenditure priorities. Chouhans main tweet was, Matter of immense pride for me that MP is the first state in India to set up a Happiness Dept.. #HappinessinMP #InternationalDayOfHappiness. Rest of the details of his vision for the happiness department were shared on the photograph which was posted along with the tweet. It gives me delight to see my government train volunteers for improving the happiness quotient of people of Madhya PradeshBorrowing from religious texts and folk wisdom , we are trying to spread virtues of goodness, altruism, forgiveness and peacewe will try to infuse a positive mindset among people through lessons, yoga, moral science , meditation etc, Chouhan said on his twitter handle. Manohar Dubey, chief executive officer of Rajya Anand Sansthan (state happiness department) told HT the form was being prepared. We are in the process of consulting some institutions and experts for framing the comprehensive happiness index, which will be a first such exercise by any state in India, he said. Shivraj Singh Chouhan announced creation of the happiness department during a state executive meet of the BJP in Bhopal on April 1, 2016. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON A rebel turned politician, former Mizoram chief minister Zoramthanga has donned a new avatar -- that of a bestselling writer. The 72-year-olds first published book, Mizo Hnam Movement History (History of the Mizo Nationalism Movement), has been sold out within a week of its launch. The book in Mizo language deals with Mizorams history from the British period to the rise of nationalism (or secessionist) movement in 1966 and signing of the Mizo peace accord in 1986. We released the book on March 7, and all 10,000 copies of it were sold out within a week. There is such a huge demand that a second edition of 5,000 copies is being printed, Zoramthanga told Hindustan Times. Mizoram has a population of nearly 1.1 million (2011 census), and books getting sold in such huge numbers is a rarity in the northeastern state. There is demand for the book in Manipur and neighbouring Myanmar too. There arent any books detailing the Mizo National Front (MNF)-led nationalism movement. People used to ask me about it and since it wasnt easy to explain everything in 25-30 minutes, I decide to pen the book, he said. Although he was busy writing his autobiography, Zoramthanga stopped it after 33 chapters, and started writing this book in September last year. He completed it within four months and published it himself. The first edition has 40 chapters spread over 226 pages and is priced at Rs 150. A few more pages will be added to the second edition. Everything mentioned in the book has been taken from my diaries, which I have maintained for 41 years. Since it deals with history, I have written it in third person, he said. The book is being translated into English and is likely to be released across India in a couple of months. We are busy printing the second edition. The popularity of the book could be because it deals with a crucial chapter in Mizorams history, said Bibhash Dev of Guwahati-based Bhabani Printers, which printed the book. Zoramthanga was second in command to Laldenga, who led the Mizo movement. After the 1986 accord, the MNF joined the political mainstream and he became chief minister for two terms between 1998 and 2008. The book contains several anecdotes of the MNF cadres, including how Laldenga and Zoramthanga were flown to Pakistan from Myanmar by the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and their meeting with then Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. It also recounts how peace negations between the MNF and the Centre began in 1974 with the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) acting as a link. Zoramthanga also mentions how he managed to give RAW sleuths the slip once in Delhi. Since it was a history book, I left out many incidents. My autobiography, which will be written in first person, will be much more interesting, he said. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The West Bengal government and Trinamool Congress leaders including state minister Sugata Roy moved the Supreme Court on Monday against the Calcutta high courts direction ordering a CBI probe into the Narada payoffs allegedly involving members of the ruling party and senior police officers. The top court will on Tuesday hear Roy and another TMC leader Suvendu Adhikarys petitions. A bench headed by Chief Justice JS Khehar will take up their appeals at 2pm, which wants the SC to stay the HC order. The appeal assailed the March 17 high court directions and termed them erroneous and contrary to law, which are liable to be struck down. The State has claimed that the high court issued the directions in haste despite West Bengal Police taking all necessary steps to go to the bottom of the case. The Narada case deals with tapes that allegedly show prominent TMC leaders accepting cash from a man posing as an agent of a company keen to set up projects in Bengal. The Bengal government was in for a jolt after the high court bench headed by acting Chief Justice Nishita Mhatre ordered the CBI to gather all case-related documents within 24 hours, conduct a preliminary probe within 72 hours and decide whether registration of a fresh case was required. The State was directed to launch within seven days departmental proceedings against IPS officer SMH Meerza, rejecting the Mamata Banerjee governments attempts to cast aspersions on the CEO of the website, which carried out the sting operation. The alleged events on the tapes date back to the run-up to the Lok Sabha elections in 2014 but the visuals surfaced just before the state assembly elections last year, which Mamata swept. The Pakistani security officials who detained the two senior clerics from Delhis Hazrat Nizamuddin dargah focussed on only one issue during their questioning who were the Barelvi leaders they had met and what had they discussed. The clerics Asif Nizami, 82, and Nazim Ali Nizami, 66, members of the extended family of the sajjada nashin (hereditary administrator) of the shrine returned to India on Monday after being untraceable for almost three days. Since their return, the clerics have acknowledged they were held and questioned but they did not publicly say what they were quizzed about. They also rejected the theory that they had gone to the interior of Sindh province, pointing out their Pakistani visas did not permit them to visit that area. A person who interacted with the clerics soon after their release said on condition of anonymity that Pakistani security officials had repeatedly asked the two men about the Barelvi leaders they had met and whether they had conveyed any message to the Barelvis from Indian authorities. The clerics insisted that the sole purpose of their visit to Pakistan was to pray at several Sufi shrines, including the shrine of Baba Farid in Pakpattan, about 160 km from Lahore. The visit to Pakpattan apparently put the Pakistani intelligence agencies on the trail of the clerics. The questioning by the Pakistani officials also appeared to suggest that the clerics had been directed by Indian authorities to establish contacts with the Pakistani Barelvi leaders. This was rejected by the clerics, the person who interacted with them said. There were also hints in Pakistani Urdu newspapers, including one known for its close ties with the Pakistani intelligence, that the Hazrat Nizamuddin dargah in Delhi had been infiltrated by Indian spy agencies. But once the pressure from the Indian government mounted including a call that external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj made to Pakistans foreign policy chief Sartaj Aziz, who was in London the clerics were freed by the Pakistani intelligence, at least two sources familiar with the matter said. Pakistans Barelvis are generally perceived as moderate but several recent developments have resulted in security agencies keeping a closer watch on the community. Though the Barelvis are Sunnis with strong connections to Sufi shrines in India and Pakistan, some Barelvi leaders were at the forefront of protests in Islamabad last year against the execution of Mumtaz Qadri, the policeman who assassinated Punjab Governor Salmaan Taseer. Though Qadri was reviled by Pakistani liberals, his funeral drew more than 100,000 people an indication of the support for the assassin among more radical elements in the Barelvi community. The Sunni Tehriks links to the protests for Qadri also worried Pakistans security agencies. The influential Dawn newspaper referred to the pro-Qadri protests as an indication of the resurgence of religio-political parties belonging to the Barelvi sect. There is also friction between the Barelvis and Deobandis, whose mosques and madrassas have benefited from the financial largesse of Saudi Arabia. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON His Holiness Karekin II meets with Armenian community of Finland On March 19, His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians; met with the Armenian community of Finland. The event was the first in His Holiness Ecumenical visit to Finland. The gathering was held in the Lutheran Evangelical Cathedral Hall of Helsinki. The meeting was attended by members of His Holiness delegation: His Grace Bishop Gevork Saroyan, Dean of the Spiritual and Educational Institutions of the Mother See; Very Rev. Fr. Shahe Ananyan, Director of the Ecumenical Relations Department of the Mother See; Rev. Fr. Tiran Petrosyan, Pontifical Legate of the Central European and Scandinavian countries; Rev. Fr. Garegin Hambardzumyan, Dean of the Gevorkian Theological Seminary; and Rev. Fr. Aghan Yernjakyan, Staff-Bearer of His Holiness; as well as Mr. Artak Apitonyan, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentary of Sweden and Finland to the Republic of Armenia. Father Tiran, speaking on behalf of the Armenian community in Finland, expressed filial gratitude and welcomed His Holiness to Finland, emphasizing the positive changes and developments which have taken place in the life of the Finnish Youth in the past few years. The Armenian Pontiff expressed his joy for the opportunity to meet with the Armenian community, highlighting the spirit of the communitys organization and mobilization. In his remarks, His Holiness stated in part: We are pleased to see that today, not only your pastors and clergymen are beside you, but also homeland authorities, represented by the honorable Ambassador Apitonyan. Our wish is that youll be able to unite and be organized in the near future, to preserve your Christian identity, transferring your zeal toward the national values and native language to your children. At the end of the meeting, His Holiness blessed the Armenian community representatives, listened to their proposals and answered questions. Mother See India ranked 122nd, behind terror-riven Pakistan and poorest-of-poor Nepal in the global list of the happiest countries, according to a global report released on Monday. India ranked at 122 out of 155 countries in the World Happiness Report 2017, four notches below its previous rank of 118. The report was released on Monday at the United Nations at an event celebrating International Day of Happiness. India was behind the majority of South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc) nations, apart from war-ravaged Afghanistan, that stood at 141. Among the eight Saarc nations, Pakistan was at 80th position, Nepal stood at 99, Bhutan at 97, Bangladesh at 110 while Sri Lanka was at 120. However, Maldives did not figure in the World Happiness Report. AT A GLANCE: HAPPIEST, SADDEST COUNTRIES HAPPIEST COUNTRIES 1. Norway 7.54 2. Denmark 7.42 3. Iceland 7.5 4. Switzerland 7.49 5. Finland 7.47 6. Netherlands 7.38 7. Canada 7.32 8. New Zealand 7.321 9. Australia 7.28 10. Sweden 7.28 SADDEST COUNTRIES 146. Yemen 3.59 147. South Sudan 3.59 148. Liberia 3.53 149. Guinea 3.51 150. Togo 3.49 151. Rwanda 3.47 152. Syria 3.46 153. Tanzania 3.35 154. Burundi 2.91 155. Central African Republic 2.69 Norway moved from No. 4 to the top spot in the reports rankings, which combine economic, health and polling data compiled by economists that are averaged over three years from 2014 to 2016. Norway edged past previous champ Denmark, which fell to second. Iceland, Switzerland and Finland round out the top 5. Studying happiness may seem frivolous, but serious academics have long been calling for more testing about peoples emotional well-being, especially in the United States. In 2013, the National Academy of Sciences issued a report recommending that federal statistics and surveys, which normally deal with income, spending, health and housing, include a few extra questions on happiness because it would lead to better policy that affects peoples lives. The entire top ten were wealthier developed nations. Yet money is not the only ingredient in the recipe for happiness, the report said. In fact, among the wealthier countries the differences in happiness levels had a lot to do with differences in mental health, physical health and personal relationships: the biggest single source of misery is mental illness, the report said. Income differences matter more in poorer countries, but even their mental illness is a major source of misery, it added. Another major country, China, has made major economic strides in recent years. But its people are not happier than 25 years ago, it found. The United States meanwhile slipped to the number 14 spot due to less social support and greater corruption; those very factors play into why Nordic countries fare better on this scale of smiles. What works in the Nordic countries is a sense of community and understanding in the common good, said Meik Wiking, chief executive officer of the Happiness Research Institute in Copenhagen, who wasnt part of the global scientific study that came out with the rankings. The rankings are based on gross domestic product per person, healthy life expectancy with four factors from global surveys. In those surveys, people give scores from 1 to 10 on how much social support they feel they have if something goes wrong, their freedom to make their own life choices, their sense of how corrupt their society is and how generous they are. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Uttar Pradeshs new chief minister Yogi Adityanath spent 18 years in Lok Sabha as a lawmaker. Through this period, the 44-year-old rabble rouser participated in several debates, asked questions to ministers and delivered speeches that sought to push the idea of a Hindu nation and marginalise the minority communities, especially Muslims. During this time, Adityanath introduced several private members bill with religious subtext. None of them became law. Heres a look at some of the controversial ideas he brought over the years to Parliament. 1.In 2015, he brought the Constitution (Amendment) Bill to insert a new article 25A in the Constitution to ban religious conversion by inducement or by force. 2. He also proposed that Article 1 of the Constitution be amended to replace the word India with Hindustan. 3. In several speeches he demanded a nation-wide ban on cow slaughter, bringing in four private members bill on this between 1998 and 2009. 4. He also brought five bills between 1999 and 2009 -- demanding a Uniform Civil Code. 5. In the last Lok Sabha, when the Congress-led UPA alliance was in power, Adityanath had also sought the creation of the separate state of Poorvanchal where he holds sway carved out of Uttar Pradesh. 6. In 2010, he led the chorus within the BJP against the womens reservation bill. For someone who believes a womans primary role is to rear great men, he went against the party line on the subject, arguing a womans energy should be regulated lest it becomes destructive. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON A parliamentary panel has recommended regulating the registration or suspension of political parties through a law of Parliament to prevent non-serious players from misusing the benefits extended to registered political outfits. Close on the heels of the Election Commission (EC) flagging the misuse of political parties as conduits for the flow of illegal money, the parliamentary committee on personnel, public grievances law and justice has said in its latest report that the provisions relating to the registration of political parties needs to be made more stringent so that non-serious political parties are not able to register in the first place. The panel wants the registration of all such parties that do not contest elections and exist only on paper to be cancelled. The possibility of regulating the registration of political parties and suspension/cancellation of their registration through a law of Parliament may also be explored to prevent misuse of facilities/benefits available to registered political parties by unscrupulous elements, report submitted to Parliament this past week says. In 2016, the EC initiated action against 225 parties out of the 1,864 registered (but non-recognised) ones for existing only on papers and had for never having contested any election since their formation. The move is part of the poll panels drive to usher in electoral reforms, which also includes suggesting the lowering of cash donations to political parties from Rs 20,000 to Rs 2,000. There are seven national parties, 48 state parties and 1,864 registered parties that are not recognised as on February 2017. Political parties derecognised in the past 5 years 1. Kerala Congress June 2012 2. Uttarakhand Kranti Dal December 2012 3. Manipur Peoples Party December 2013 Registered but unrecognised political parties do not have the privilege of contesting elections on a symbol of their own. They have to choose from a list of free symbols issued by the commission. National parties have an allotted election symbol, which its candidates can use during polls across the country. Similarly, state parties too have symbols allotted to them, which cannot be used by any other party or candidate in the state where it is recognised. Earlier, political parties had turned down the poll panels suggestion of increasing the security deposit during elections to weed out frivolous candidates. Participation of political parties in general elections has increased many-fold over the years. In the last general election to Lok Sabha in 2014, 465 parties contested elections, up from 53 during the first general election in 1952. The panel, headed by Congress MP Anand Sharma, has also suggested linking electoral rolls with the Aadhaar card number to prevent bogus voters being added to lists. The poll panel had to suspend the process of linking electoral rolls and authenticating voter details with Aadhaar data after the Supreme Court ruled in 2015 that the unique identification number could be used only for PDS and LPG distribution schemes. However, the parliamentary panel wants the commission to revisit the issue. The committee though is aware that Election Commission of India and the State Election Commissions are independent bodies, yet an initiative should be taken to prepare common digital electoral roll, it said. Pyari Mohan Mohapatra, who passed away after prolonged illness on Sunday, used to be Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaiks confidant till he termed him backstabber and beimaan (traitor) in May 2012. Mohapatra, a career bureaucrat, came into Naveens life in 1997 soon after the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) leader landed in Odisha after the death of his father, Biju Patnaik. Having spent almost his entire life outside the state, Naveen did not know anyone when he came to Odisha. During Biju Patnaiks tenure as chief minister between 1990 and 1995, Mohapatra worked as his principal secretary and was the eyes and ears of the legendary politician. With virtually no friends in Odisha, Naveen turned to his mother Gyan Patnaik, who advised him to seek the help of Pyari babu to navigate the choppy waters of politics. Mohapatra paved the way for Naveens smooth ascension to the throne in 2000 when he engineered the expulsion and subsequent political checkmating of Bijoy Mohapatra, the chairman of BJDs political affairs committee shortly before the assembly elections. The canny Mohapatra saw Bijoy Mohapatra as the main adversary of Naveen in the fledgling BJD and ensured that he did not get to contest the polls. It is PM who has stabbed me, said Bijoy at a public meeting in his constituency in Kendrapara district referring to Mohapatra. From early 2000, Mohapatra scripted almost all the moves of Naveen, including advising him on day-to-day running of the state. Naveen, a political greenhorn, depended on uncle Mohapatra and suggested his bureaucrats and ministers to often consult the retired bureaucrat on policy matters and politics. Mohapatra soon acquired a larger-than-life image in the party with bureaucrats queuing up before his house for orders on some policy issues. The BJP was an ally of BJD, but Pyari Mohan Mohapatra convinced Naveen to dump it just ahead of the 2009 assembly polls citing that the saffron partner had become a political liability in the wake of Kandhamal riots in 2008. (Arabinda Mahapatra/HT File Photo) Over time, the bespectacled Mohapatra, calculated each and every moves of moves of Naveen like a consummate chess player. More than Naveen Niwas, the residence of the chief minister, Mohapatras residence at 111 Sahid Nagar in Bhubaneswar was where the levers of power were being turned. He was dubbed as super chief minister and Chanakya of Odisha politics. What Amit Shah is to (Narendra) Modi, Pyari babu was to Naveen. He changed the DNA of BJD and made it a politically well-oiled winning machine, said political analyst Rabi Das. A grateful Naveen sent Mohapatra to Rajya Sabha in 2004. The Bharatiya Janata Party was an ally of BJD, but Mohapatra convinced Naveen to dump it just ahead of the 2009 assembly polls citing that the saffron partner had become a political liability in the wake of Kandhamal riots in 2008. While everyone said the move was suicidal, Mohapatra helped the BJD win 109 of the 147 seats in the assembly. Using a cheap rice scheme for the poor and through some deft selection of candidates, he managed to break the Congress and BJP bastion in the tribal districts of undivided Koraput, Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar and Sundargarh. He even propped up candidates in places where BJD candidates were on a weak wicket to ensure they eat into the rivals votes. But post-2009 polls, the bond between the two men showed signs of cracks as Mohapatra tried to assert himself as the most important leader of the party but Naveen asked his bureaucrats not to report to his political advisor. The frigidity in the realtionship was evident in 2012 panchayat polls when Naveen campaigned alone in the panchayat elections and then unilaterally announced the names of three Rajya Sabha candidates without even a phonecall to Mohapatra. To rub more salt into Mohapatras wounds, Naveen unilaterally announced BJDs support for former Lok Sabha Speaker PA Sangma as presidential candidate. Mohapatra fell from grace on May 29, 2012 when he allegedly tried to engineer a coup in the party while Naveen was away in London on his first overseas trip after becoming CM. Naveen was furious when he learnt of the coup attempt and tried to mock Mohapatra for acting like his self-appointed advisor. The rebellion fell through as just 33 of the 104 MLAs of the party showed allegiance to the Chanakya. Soon after Naveen returned from London, the smoulders of rebellion had died as Mohapatra realised his disciple had outwitted him in politics. He is a beimaan and backstabber, said Naveen, soon after suspending Mohapatra and a few others from the party. Mohapatra swore revenge promising that he would reveal explosive details about Naveen when the time comes. But his threat had no effect and his party, Odisha Jana Morcha, bit the dust in 2014 Lok Sabha and Assembly polls. He receded to further political oblivion last year when his Rajya Sabha tenure ended. In between a few political leaders, including union minister Dharmendra Pradhan, visited him after he was diagnosed with lung cancer. The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) and customs officials conducted raids at Chennai Port to combat the smuggling of counterfeit currency. The raids began on Friday evening after DRI officials received a tip-off that counterfeit currency, including the new Rs 500 and Rs 2000 denomination notes, had arrived in the country. DRI officials are currently searching Chennai, Tughlakabad, Kanpur, Kolkata and Mumbai after receiving the tip-off. All cargo is being screened at the Chennai port, with the outbound movement of containers requiring approval from the DRI. Inbound cargo has not been affected, according to Port authorities. Officials believe that the fake currency was sent to India from either Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, or Nepal. The operations will end only after all containers sent from the aforementioned countries during an unspecified time period were checked by the DRI. External affairs minister Sushma Swaraj said on Monday India placed a higher premium on the safety of its citizens than strategic partnership with the United States, amid a surge in attacks against members of Indian diaspora in that country. Addressing the Rajya Sabha, Swaraj said: Strategic partnership is secondary... The safety of our people is our top priority. The minister was responding to concerns flagged by MPs after she made a statement on recent incidents of attacks in the US. The comments were greeted with applause in the House. On February 22, Indian engineer Srinivas Kuchibhotla, 32 working for a GPS-device maker was shot dead by a US national in Kansas while another Indian Alok Madasani was injured in the shooting. On March 2, a US national of Indian origin, Harnish Patel, was shot dead near his house in South Carolina by unknown attackers. And two days later, another US national of Indian origin was shot near Seattle after being asked to leave the country. The killings triggered outrage, with people voicing concern that US President Donald Trumps America First position on immigration and jobs has fuelled intolerance in the country. Responding to questions raised by members, Swaraj said the government did not view these attacks as a law and order matter. We dont think its a law and order issue. Its not simple as that. While Kuchibhotlas case is being investigated as a hate crime, we are saying probe the other two cases also as hate crimes. We are not treating it as law and order issue. Swaraj said India would not stay mum over these attacks for the sake of strategic partnership with the US. The minister went on to add that attacks were condemned by the US administration and the Congress. In a statement made in the House, the minister said the Centre had taken up the issue with the US government at the highest level and conveyed deep concerns over the recent developments. We have called for necessary measures to ensure the safety and security if Indian diaspora and expeditions investigation into these incidents. She said the foreign secretary had discussed the matter with senior US functionaries during his recent visit to the US from February 28 to March 3. CPI-M member Sitaram Yechury said, If the incidents are a part of a growing trend, what is the government planning to do about it. CPI member D Raja said Indians in the US were gripped by a sense of insecurity. He said, Hate is coming from the approach of the US administration. We have strategic partnership with the US, but that should not stop us from raising our voice. The son of an Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of Telangana cadre was questioned on Monday by Hyderabad Police for his alleged involvement in the murder of the driver employed by his father, officials said. According to Jubilee Hills police, they received a call from some residents of Sai Kalyan Residency apartments in Yousufguda on Sunday that they had noticed a person dragging a heavy bag down the staircase of a penthouse. They told the police that when they confronted him, he left the bag and ran away. The residents also told the police that a foul smell was emanating from the bag. The police rushed to the apartment building and found the body of a 40-year-old man in the bag. He was later identified as Bhukya Nagaraju from Jawaharnagar area, a driver working with senior IAS officer in the Telangana secretariat G Venkateshwar Rao. The police looked at the video footage recorded by the closed circuit television cameras and found that Nagaraju went to the terrace on Friday night along with another person. However, another video clipping showed that only one of them came down after a few hours. On close observation, it was revealed that the other person was Venkata Sukruth, the son of the IAS officer, a police source said. Based on the footage, the police booked a case of suspicious death and took Sukruth into custody for interrogation. Deputy commissioner of police (west zone) A Venkateshwara Rao told Hindustan Times that it was too early to come to any conclusion. We are questioning both Sukruth and his father and we cannot reveal any further information at this stage. Once the investigation is completed, everything will come out, Rao said. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The inconsolable mothers tears may take time to dry up, but Kerala will not be able forget her wails. If the police had acted on my complaint, my second daughters life could have been spared, she cried, shocking the state with her claim that the police had not acted promptly. On March 4, the sexually-assaulted body of her nine-year-old daughter was found hanging in their one-room house in Walayar in Palakkad, about two months after the body of her elder daughter (14) was found in the same manner. The daily wager mother claimed that the younger one had known the culprits of the first, and was thus silenced. The second murder could have been averted had the police acted on her complaint against suspects, she said. In a state that prides itself on being the most literate in the country, the two murders are not isolated. Last year, the brutal murder of a law student, Jisha in Perumbavoor of Ernakulam sent a chill through the state and was even dubbed Nirbhaya II after the gruesome gangrape and killing of a physiotherapy student on a moving bus in Delhi in December 2013. Earlier this month, a Catholic priest was arrested in Wayanad in north Kerala for raping a 16-year-old who later gave birth to a baby. The evading Fr Robin Vadakkumchery was arrested hours before he was about to leave the country. The father of the girl was promised Rs 10 lakh to own up the crime, and five nuns and two doctors are on the run for allegedly conspiring to save the priest. Last week, in the same district, seven minor girls of an orphanage were assaulted after being lured with sweets and mobile phones. Last month, the south Indian film industry took to the streets after a leading actress was allegedly abducted and sexually assaulted by a criminal gang in a moving car in Kochi. It is time we stop being candle-lighting sympathisers and ensure that the law of the land be strengthened in such a way that nobody dares contemplating such heinous acts, actor Mohanlal wrote on Facebook. The rising number of sexual assaults against women and girls are a worrying point for the state so much that an angry, former defence minister and ex-CM A K Antony said Kerala cannot be called Gods Own Country anymore. State police data shows a three-fold increase in number of rapes in the last decade from 500 in 2007 to 1,644 in 2016. Cases under Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act hit 2,093 in 2016 from 1,569 in 2015 and 1,002 in 2013. But whats more shocking is the conviction rate. In the last three years only 53 accused have been convicted under POCSO. Moly Kuruvilla, head of centre for women studies, University of Calicut, noted that after committing a crime, the accused usually came out on bail and the legal process dragged on for years. Many victims were forced to end the case. This attitude emboldens others to commit same mistake. Sociologists and women activists blame poor policing, tardy judicial system, mushrooming pornographic sites, dipping family values, growing gender insensitivity and rapid marketisation for the spurt in crimes against women. What is more alarming is that cashing in on the apathy of law-enforcement agencies, moral police have started implementing their diktats menacingly. Read | Rise in rape cases in Kerala, over 2500 reported in 2016 Last week, a gang of Shiv Sena activists shamed the state caning young couples who were sitting around Kochis best address, Marine Drive. Arrested Sena activists, who were later thrown out of the party, claimed that indecent dressing and intimacy with opposite sex were main reasons behind soaring crime graph. Last month, a youth committed suicide after he was attacked by a gang of moral activists while sitting with his girlfriend on a beach in Kollam. Kuruvilla called for gender sensitisation in a massive way. It should start from every household. Patriarchal society always treats women inferior. In every household, there are many dos and donts for girls but not for boys. From religion to cinema, women are treated badly. How to respect women, nobody imparts a lesson to boys. So it is natural for a growing-up boy to treat a girl as a sexual object and not as an equal, she said. Activist and child psychologist Mala Parwati, who has helped victims to come out of their trauma, said, First we have to treat and correct the prevailing mindset of a section of men-folk. Initial lessons will be taught at home how women can be respected and cared. A concerned state government is mulling the launch of an online registry to name and shame sexual offenders. Since connectivity is high in the state, many activists, including Sunitha Krishnan, had advised it to maintain an online data bank containing details of offenders, a first of its sort in the country. But legal experts have warned that it can carry only names and details of convicts, not the accused. Since legal proceedings are tardy, many fear its efficacy now. Mahila Congress leader Bindhu Krishna demanded that all sexual assault cases should be fast-tracked and the guilty should be given deterrent punishment. That is the only solution to contain the menace. The tough-speaking health and social welfare minister, K K Shylaja said the government was committed to containing crimes against women. Besides strengthening enforcement agencies and watch bodies, we have to begin an awareness campaign from grassroots (every household) that women are not mere sexual objects, she said. Apart from raising a women battalion and setting up more women-only police stations, the government will set up a toll free helpline (Mithra 181) to help the needy, she said. It is sad that in most cases victims and perpetrators are adolescents. We have to give proper sex education to make them aware of their physical changes and limitations, she said. The advanced socially and culturally Kerala will have to take a tough stand. We know how to deal with the scourge that is bringing shame to the state, said the minister. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The two Indian Muslim clerics who went missing in Pakistan last week, forcing the Indian government to intervene, returned on Monday but what happened to them in the neighbouring country remains a mystery. Syed Asif Ali Nizami, 82, and his nephew, Nazim Ali Nizami, both clerics of Delhis Hazrat Nizamuddin Dargah, reached Delhi in the morning, spend time with their family and also met external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj. But, there is still no word on the three days that the men remained untraced. What is interesting is that they were found within two hours of Swaraj calling her Pakistan counterpart Sartaj Aziz on the evening of March 18. They went missing on March 15 on a visit to Data Darbar in Lahore. They were reported found in a remote village of Sindh province. Reports later said the village didnt have cellphone connectivity, the reason why their family in Delhi couldnt get in touch with them. Nazim rejected Pakistani media reports that they were in interior Sindh where there was no communication network. We did not have visa for Sindh interior region, so how could we have gone there? We come from the school of Sufi which teaches peace and brotherhood. There are good and bad elements and those who go against the teachings they have to suffer humiliation, he told mediapersons. Syed Asif , who was detained at the Karachi airport, told news agency ANI that he was taken to a place far away from the port city . I was taken to a place quite far from Karachi, with my face covered.I was offered food, they prepared tea for me and biscuits:Asif Nizami pic.twitter.com/2LWCRR3Tui ANI (@ANI_news) March 20, 2017 When asked why were they interrogated, Nazim said they were asked about their visa and other immigration details. But, sources said, they were being watched by Pakistan agencies. Both Nazim and Syed Nizami, who is the head priest of the famous Nizamuddin dargah, thanked the governments of both the countries. We thank Union home minister Rajnath Singh and external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj and well-wishers from all religions who prayed for our return, he told reporters. Asked if the Pakistans external spy agency, the ISI, was involved, he refused comment but said no force was used against them. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The club of bachelor chief ministers in the country has just expanded. Priest-turned politician Yogi Adityanath, 44, who was on Sunday sworn in as the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, now joins Trivendra Singh Rawat, 56, (Uttarakhand), ML Khattar, 62 ,(Haryana), Sarbananda Sonowal, 54, (Assam) and 70-year-old BJD chief Naveen Patnaik (Odisha) in the league of singletons running state governments. Adityanath, the controversial mascot of hardline Hindutva, is also the first male bachelor chief minister of the countrys most populous state. And by coincidence barring Patnaik and 62-year-old TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee (West Bengal,) all the chief ministers, who are unencumbered by a family, are from the BJP. Rawat was sworn in on Saturday and like Khattar is a former RSS pracharak. Refusing to accept defeat after numerous failures in her quest to dethrone Left front rule in West Bengal, Mamata, a spinster, rose like a phoenix and finally succeeded in unseating the Left Front government in 2011. She is currently serving her second term. The firebrand TMC leader often claimed in her public meetings that she has dedicated her entire life to the people of West Bengal and has no time for thinking about herself. Among the current crop of top politicians, Rahul Gandhi, 46, the scion of the Congress party, BSP chief Mayawati, 61, and senior BJP leader Uma Bharti, 57, are unmarried. Singlehood can even become an article of pride for politicians. Im of low caste, Im unmarried, and Im yours, Mayawati has often proclaimed in her election rallies. Naveen Patnaik, who is ruling Odisha since 2000, is also known for telling his electorate that unlike the Congress family, there is no danger of his government indulging in family rule as he himself is unmarried and has no family. Rahul Gandhi when asked about his singlehood ahead of 2014 Lok Sabha polls had replied, Right now I am engaged in fighting the elections. Unfortunately, I have not been focused on private life. Is it two years from now, one year from now? he was asked. When I find the right girl, Gandhi responded. That means you have not found the right girl? the reporter asked. When I find the right girl, Gandhi said again, I will get married. Among the other chief ministers, Nitish Kumar in Bihar and Manohar Parrikar in Goa, are widowers. Like many RSS activists, Mohan Bhagwat, the chief of the ideological fountainhead of the BJP, decided against tying the knot. Atal Bihari Vajpayee, a BJP stalwart, never married. He used to underline his bachelor status in public meetings saying that since he has no family, there is no question of nepotism or family rule. He became the Prime Minister of the country thrice. Undoubtedly the most notable among all unmarried public figures was Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, a scientist who served as the countrys 11th President. He died at the age of 83 in 2015. Best known as the Missile Man of India, Dr Kalams affection for space science overstepped the desire of walking on the marital landscape. Another top political figure J Jayalalithaa, the late chief minister of Tamil Nadu, was a spinster. She died in December last year at the age of 68. It was nearing midnight on Sunday, but the wary expressions of a large number of police personnel deployed near a hotel in Kanti Nagar area of Jaipur suggested they had much work to do. For over six hours, the Pink City saw a mob of more than 100 people many of whom claimed to be self-styled gau rakshaks (cow protectors) protest in front of hotel Hayat Rabbani over allegations that it serves beef. Fiery chants of Bharat Mata Ki Jai and Narendra Modi Zindabad rang out even as visibly bemused boarders exited the hotel one by one. With a business-like expression on her face, local councillor Nirmala Sharma of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) looked on and instructed officials of the Jaipur Municipal Corporation to seal the hotel building. Sukhdip Singh, one of the protesters, said, In the afternoon, people from the locality saw the hotel staff dumping garbage near a place where a few stray cows were standing. Some of the waste looked like leftover pieces of beef and it made them suspicious. Like many of the people protesting, Singh was not a resident of the locality and identified himself as from Rajasthan University. He conceded he had not seen the leftover meat, but heard about it from an acquaintance. Many other slogan-chanting protesters could not say how they knew for sure that the hotel had beef on its menu. Killing of cows, bulls and bullocks as well as possession and transportation of their flesh is banned in Rajasthan where the BJP government has set up a cow department for the welfare of the animal which is considered sacred by many Hindus. 'Isn't the name of the hotel proof enough?' What kind of question are you asking? Dont you understand what meat a hotel named Rabbani could serve? Isnt name of the hotel proof enough that it serves beef? said Karamveer, one of the protesters outside the hotel which is near the citys bus stand popularly known as Sindhi camp. Karamveer too was not from the locality. At a park a few hundred metres away from the hotel, Sadhvi Kamal Didi, the national president of Mahila Gauraksha Dal addressed a gathering of protesters as they discussed their course of action. All this while, an SUV in which the Sadhvi travels with two assistants was parked outside the gate with a sticker of Gau Raksha Dal pasted on the windscreen. I am not afraid to sacrifice my life for gau mata. I am ready to be with you in any protest or gheraos to teach the people of this hotel a lesson. But the residents of this colony will also have to participate and they shouldnt back out at the end moment, said the Sadhvi, before asking those in the gathering from Kanti Nagar to raise their hands. Only a handful did, while more than 90% chorused they were from outside the locality. A youth interjected with an unmistakable hint of pride in his voice, Dont worry about the numbers as it will just take me a couple of phone calls to assemble 200 people from somewhere else. After all, it was me and my friends who slapped Sanjay Leela Bhansali on the sets of Padmavati. Jaipur Police to conduct FSL test of meat sample Deputy commissioner of police (west) Ashok Gupta told HT, We have collected the meat sample from the hotel and it will be sent to the forensic science laboratory (FSL) for testing. Councillor Sharma, however, insisted they were certain the hotel served beef. As soon as I learnt that beef is served in the hotel, we arrived at the spot and sealed it after asking all the boarders to leave the building. Assistant commissioner of police (Sadar) Neeraj Pathak told HT police also arrested two people from the hotel after receiving the allegations. Two people, the manager of the hotel and the man who was dumping the garbage, have been booked under section 151 CRPC (Arrest to prevent the commission of cognizable offences) and investigation is on in the matter, said Pathak. Activists and victims tell a different story The hotel is owned by my brother-in-law and on Sunday I had come there on some errand when the police took me along with them amid allegations of beef selling by the hotel. I have absolutely no idea about the matter but the police wouldnt believe me, said Abdul Rehman, who was briefly detained by the police. The police released Rehman on the insistence of human rights activists, who kept reasoning with officials at the Sindhi Camp police station. Activists condemned the incident and expressed concern over the way the mob laid siege to the hotel. If a mere hoax call can result in such a huge mobilisation of a mob, it is indeed a matter of concern. At a time when we are witnessing growing saffronisation in the state and country along with the rise of fringe elements, there is a need for us to collectively stand against such misinformation and attempt to incite communalism, said Kavita Srivastava of the Peoples Union for Civil Liberties. Shrivastava added she received a call from the family of the hotel owner. Muslim religious organisations also spoke strongly against the siege. The way a small matter over dumping garbage has been blown out of proportion by some people to give communal colour to this incident is extremely unfortunate. The allegations that the hotel was serving beef are untrue, and are attempts to disrupt the peace in the area, said Muhammad Nazimuddin, Rajasthan general secretary of Jaamat-e-Islami Hind. Not the first instance of beef-related trouble in Rajasthan This is not the first beef-related case in Rajasthan. On May 30, 2015, Abdul Ghaffar Qureshi, 60, was lynched at Birloka village in Nagaur district following rumours that Muslims had killed more than 200 cows for a feast. Pictures of carcasses started circulating on social media. Young men in thousands gathered in the fields of Kumhari village where the carcasses were lying. Incidentally, a municipality contractor had rented the field to dispose of cattle carcass as a routine exercise. Tension, however, spread and Qureshi was beaten with iron rods and killed in the market place, despite some of his Hindu neighbours trying to help him. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON BARMER: In a curious case, rivals Congress and BJP are celebrating the win of an Independent candidate in the bypolls to a municipal ward in Rajasthans Barmer district. The two parties have also staked claim to the Independent candidate, Ravi Singh, announcing that he has promised to support them! Singh, meanwhile, claims that he does not belong to any party and will only represent his people in the board. The 40-member Barmer municipal corporation is led by Congress, which has 17 elected members in the House. Two Congress-supported candidates and two of the five independents had extended support to the Congress to help it form the board by reaching the magic figure of 21. The BJP has 16 ward councillors. The byelection to ward number 18 was necessitated following the death of sitting councillor Dileep Singh Gogade in a road accident. The byelection was held on March 16. Singh was the only one to filed nomination for the seat. Both congress and BJP claim that they didnt contest as Singh had assured to support them after winning the bypoll. The returning officer, on March 18, declared Singh as elected unopposed. He was handed over the winners certificate at the sub-divisional office, where leaders from both the Congress and the BJP had congregated. It was a peculiar scene as both the parties celebrated Singhs win and welcomed him with garlands. After leaving the sub-divisional office, Singh was taken to Bramer MLA, Congresss Mevram Jains, office. Jain welcomed Singh and announced that he will support Congress. Several other Congress leaders, including civic body chairperson Lunkaran Bothra, were present. Jain also claimed that as Singh had promised him to support Congress, the party did not field any candidate. The next day, Barmer Urban Improvement Trust (UIT) chairperson and state BJP spokesperson Priyanka Choudhary welcomed Singh at her officer and also claimed that he will support BJP. Choudhary too claimed that Singh was a BJP-supported candidate and that is why the party did not field any candidate on its symbol. Singh, meanwhile, seems to have had the last laugh. I am thankful to both parties for welcoming me. But I do not belonged to any party as public elected me as an Independent and I will represent my people in the board, he said. The Calcutta high court on Monday ordered a six-week stay on the arrest warrant issued against Babul Supriyo in connection with a complaint filed against him by Trinamool Congress MLA Mahua Moitra that the Union minister had insulted her modesty on a television channel. On March 10, the Alipore chief judicial magistrate (CJM) issued a warrant against Supriyo after the police submitted a chargesheet against and showed the singer-turned-politician as absconding. The Bharatiya Janata Party legislator had approached the high court after a bailable arrest warrant was issued against him by a lower court. Supriyos lawyers argued in high court the minister made the remarks during a debate on a TV channel and that requisite mens rea or the intention or knowledge of wrongdoing was patently absent while claiming the alleged imputation had been made beyond the territorial jurisdiction of the learned magistrate of Alipore court. Let the matter be listed after four weeks under the heading Contested Application, Calcutta high court justice Joymalya Bagchi said in his order. There shall be a stay of proceedings of the C. G. R. Case No. 62/2017 under section 509 of the Indian Penal Code pending before the learned Chief Judicial Magistrate, Alipore for a period of six weeks or until further order whichever is earlier, justice Bagchi wrote. Following the order on Monday, Supriyo said that he would have readily apologised had Moitra personally expressed her grievances to him. I approached the high court because it was too much of her to file a police complaint and for the police to submit a chargesheet against me for making a remark during a debate on a national TV channel. Had she expressed her grievances to me personally, I would have readily apologised, Supriyo told TV channels on Monday. Honble High Court has passed an Interim Order STAYING the Lower Courts order for 6 weeks. Wil fight Vendetta Politics of TMC legally, he later tweeted. Moitra lodged the complaint against Supriyo at Alipore police station on January 4, a day after the minister reportedly asked her during the debate, Mahua, are you on mahua (traditional country liquor consumed in tribal belts)? . The Trinamool Congress legislator took offence as the minister linked her name to the traditional liquor. I asserted right from the beginning that I have full faith in the judicial system and that law will take its own course, Moitra told Hindustan Times. Kolkata Police sent three notices to Supriyo, asking him to appear before them but he never turned up. On March 10, the police filed a chargesheet against Supriyo declaring him an absconder. The Alipore CJM court then issued an arrest warrant against the Union minister of state for heavy industries and public enterprises. Earlier, Supriyo described Moitras police complaint as childish and shot back with legal notices against her as well as Trinamool MPs Sougata Roy and Tapas Pal for dragging his name into the Rose Valley chit fund scam. The verbal battle between Supriyo and Moitra came following the arrest of Trinamool MPs Sudip Bandopadhyay and Pal in connection with the Rose Valley chit fund scam. Trinamool Congress leaders, including chief minister Mamata Banerjee, raised questions why the CBI had not questioned or arrested Supriyo for his proximity with the arrested Rose Valley chief. Police seized 18 human skeletons and detained four as it busted a smuggling racket in Burdwan district (about 90 km to the north-west of Kolkata). The skeletons, all neatly washed and cleaned, were about to be smuggled and sold. Acting on a tip-off, a team led by sub-divisional police officer, Priyobrata Roy, raided a house in Purbasthali on Sunday. The police seized 18 skeletons, apart from a cache of bones. Rakhi Pal, Yamuna Pal, Mithu Dey and Nakul Choudhury were arrested. We suspect that they are part of a statewide racket. The arrested people have been produced in court. We have also seized chemicals that were used to wash the bones, said a senior police officer. The Court remanded Nakul Choudhury to 10 days in police custody, while others were sent to judicial custody for the same period of time. According to police, the skeletons were part of a bigger consignment that was being smuggled out of the district. There is a huge demand for skeletons among medical students. The accused were being interrogated to find out more about those involved in the racket and whether they had links to people to Kolkata. The recovery seems to have put the lid off regular pilferage of skeletons from different locations in Burdwan, Nadia and Murshidabad districts. During interrogation, the district police came to know that a section of staff at different medical colleges in the state used to operate as potential receivers of human remains robbed from cemeteries in the districts. In 2006, the police seized more than 20 human skulls at Purbasthali after raiding an abandoned house. In April, 2007, as many as 50 skulls, ribs and other parts of human carcasses were seized from various parts of Burdwan which has a sizeable non-Hindu population. On May 10, 2013, officers from the Immoral Trafficking (IT) section of the detective department of Kolkata Police arrested a Bangladeshi youth along with two minor girls from Millennium Park in Kolkata. The cousins, aged between 13 and 15, were residents of Hajarigunj village within Charfashion police station limits in Bhola district of Bangladesh. The youth was their brother-in-law. The youth, accused of trafficking the girls, landed in jail, while the girls were sent to a welfare home. Nearly four years later, the victims are still waiting eagerly to go back home. Read: Teens in Bengal villages up in arms against child traffickers Government papers necessary for their repatriation to Bangladesh are ready, but the case is still being heard in the City Sessions Court. They cannot go back because the case against the accused will become weak without their statements (prime witnesses) are recorded and cross-examined. The victims cant go back as the cases can become weak without their statements are given and croxx examined. (HT Photo) Ill speak to you only if you can expedite our return to home. We have been waiting to return home for a long time, said Rubia (all names of victims changed), the elder of them, who never went to a school. Sayera, her cousin, however, was in the fifth standard when they were brought to Kolkata. During this period, the investigating officer of the case and the public prosecutor changed that contributed to the delay. The girls occasionally get the chance to speak over phone to their parents, whom they never met since landing in India. Their restlessness to go home increase every time they speak to their family. Read: Child marriage is a form of human trafficking We cant stand this life of confinement anymore, Sayera told HT. None knows how long will the cousins have to wait. Roshenara Khatun, who was rescued by officers from Chanditala police station in Hooghly district in September 2012, was released by Serampore court on February 28, 2017 for going back home. Ironically, the accused spent three months behinds bars before being released on bail, while the victim spent nearly five years in a shelter. The process of recording her statements started only in January 2017. Sixteen-year-old Sweety, whose family live in Norail village of Sunamgun district in Bangladesh, is possibly in for a longer stay. She was rescued from South 24-Parganas district in May 2014 but authorities in India are yet to receive nationality confirmation from Bangladesh authorities. Khulna resident Shampa Akhtar, who was repatriated to her family in Bangladesh on March 7, 2017, was indeed luckier. She had to spend little more than two years in waiting. Activists say that the judiciary needs to be sensitised for the quick disposal of these cases so that the victims can return home quickly. (HT Photo) A large number of victims are getting stuck in India due to delay in courts and government procedures. It often takes three to four years to send a victim back to her home, said Tapoti Bhowmik of Sanlaap, an NGO that runs shelters for the trafficking victims. The judiciary needed to be sensitised but there has been no interaction between the members of the state task force and members of the judiciary. There is no representative from the judiciary in the task force either, she added. According to senior lawyer Ghanashyam Agarwala, who practices at Serampore court in Hooghly district, the repatriation should not take more than six months. Read: Assam emerges as Indias hub of human trafficking The police should submit the charge sheet within 90 days so that the trial begins while the accused is still in judicial custody. Once the trial starts, the victims deposition should be recorded and cross-examined first, so that she is free to move out as soon as nationality confirmation comes, Agarwala said, adding, But it does not happen in most cases. In the case of the two cousins from Bhola district, however, the government pleader was first asked to examine all witnesses. The lawyer of the accused will cross-examine them after the governments pleader has finished. In Roshenara Khatuns case, people in the additional chief judicial magistrates court simply forgot to transfer the case to a session judges court for trial until October 2016. Read: Child trafficking racket busted in North Bengal According to a government pleader working in a Kolkata court, the state government adopted the Operational Guidelines for West Bengal on Rescue, Safe Return and Repatriation of Women and Child Victims of Trafficking and Cross-border Movement from Bangladesh in November January 2013 but it has not yet been made into an Act. An 18-member task force, headed by the secretary of women and child welfare department of the state government was also constituted. However, since the guideline is not an Act yet, judges often disagree to go by the SOP and ask the childrens parents to be produced before the court, Agarwala told HT. Most of these parents are extremely poor and they almost never manage to come to India to receive their children. Despite repeated attempts, HT could not speak to state women and child welfare minister Shashi Panja to know whether the government has any plan to turn the repatriation guidelines into law. City-based rights activists working with trafficking victims, however, said that they were unaware of any such initiative by the state government. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON As Keshav Prasad Maurya took oath as deputy chief minister, the happiness on the faces of his parents Shyam Lal Maurya and Dhanpati Devi was unmistakable. Uncomfortable amid the large crowd at Smriti Upvan in Lucknow, the couple leaned forward and smiled as their son was sworn in by governor Ram Naik. Their eyes suddenly went moist. It was indeed a moment of pride for Shyam Lal, a former small farmer of Sirathu, and Dhanpati Devi who had borne immense hardship in their early years. Shyam Lal found it difficult to sustain his family, including five children, by farming on a small piece of land in his ancestral village of Kasiya. He opened a tea stall in front of a local intermediate college in the rural region of Sirathu in Kaushambi, a district adjoining Allahabad. His two sons, the eldest Sukhlal and Keshav, six years younger and still in his early teens, helped out by offering tea and chipping in with other mundane tasks. Keshav, always outgoing and bold, started working as newspaper hawker to help his family. The task led him to the company of some Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) volunteers, ultimately enabling him to meet his mentor and VHP chief the late Ashok Singhal. I am very happy and so is Keshavs mother. He has been entrusted a vital task by PM Narendra Modi and I am sure he will excel as he has always done, Shyam Lal, nearing 80, said at his ancestral home in Sirathi, just hours before leaving for Lucknow to attend the swearing-in ceremony. Shyam Lals message for his deputy CM son: Always remember your days of hardship and work for betterment of the poor who are still struggling for survival as we did. He was confident that Keshav will ensure development of whole of UP with a focus on underdeveloped Kaushmabi as well as his present hometown of Allahabad. Dhanpati Devi said: My blessings are always with Keshav. I would like him to dedicatedly work for the poor and the weak. Dhanpati said she never thought her son would one day rise to such political heights, not even after he was elected MLA from Sirathu in 2012 and later became an MP from Phulpur in 2014. The Maurya clan at the swearing-in ceremony included not just Shyam Lal and Dhanpati Devi. Keshavs wife Rajkumari and two sons were also present. The eldest Yogesh is an MTech, and looks after his fathers business. The youngest son Ashish is studying in a boarding school in New Delhi. Read more| UPs Modi a chaiwallah, and RSS man: Meet deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON A 28-year-old security guard was allegedly assaulted by a 25-year-old man on Sunday after the latter tried to prevent the door of a Metro train compartment from shutting so that he could enter. According to Andheri police, the incident occurred around 9.55am when the accused attempted to board a moving Ghatkopar-bound train as he was running late for work. The accused tried to prevent one of the doors from shutting so that he could entre the compartment and did not waste time waiting for the next train. When security guard Prashant Tikke tried to stop him, as the mans action would have disrupted the Metro timetable, the accused punched Tikke in the chest. It was here that the other guards overpowered him and later handed him over to the police. The accused was booked under section 332 (voluntarily causing hurt to deter public servant from his duty) of the Indian Penal code (IPC) and section 68 (obstructing metro railway official in his duties) of the Delhi Metro Railway (Operation And Maintenance) Act, 2002. The accused was produced in a magistrate court and was remanded in judicial custody. He was later granted bail of Rs5,000. Also read: Bombay high court asks if green nod was taken for Metro 3 stations in south Mumbai Mumbai Metro 3 work: Residents of old SoBo buildings to shift to hotels Just two days after the Penguin enclosure was inaugurated at Byculla Zoo, more than 37,000 people visited them this weekend. Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray inaugurated the enclosure for public viewing at Veermata Jijabai Bhosale Udyan also popularly known as Byculla Zoo on Friday. The public viewing of the Seven Humboldt Penguins was thrown open on Saturday at a nominal cost of Rs5. Zoo authorities earned more than Rs1 lakh just on Sunday and more than Rs1.5 lakh since Saturday. On an average day, the zoo sells tickets worth Rs24,000, authorities said. But since the penguins enclosure was opened, the sale of tickets has shot up by more than 150%, they said. The civic body has deployed policemen for extra protection inside the premises. A civic officer on request of anonymity said, We are expecting even more visitors next weekend and have taken all the necessary precautions. Civic officials are mulling charging visitors Rs100 to reduced to crowd to a controllable number. But they are yet to send a formal proposal to the group leaders on charging a separate entry fee of Rs100 for adults and Rs50 for children below age of 12 to view the penguins. Following the microbiologists positive report after testing the condition of exhibit, the penguins were moved from a quarantined area of 250 sqft to a 1,550 sqft exhibit area after almost seven months. The civic officials had moved the penguins only 15 days ago. The civic body had procured eight birds from South Koreas capital Seoul, but was severely criticized after the death of one female penguin in October. Also read: Happy Feet 2: Mumbais penguins swim in their new home You may have to pay Rs 100 to visit the penguin enclosure at Byculla zoo in Mumbai After a delay of almost four months, results for third-year Bachelor in Management Studies (TYBMS) as well as Bachelor of Accounting and Finance (BAF) semester V were finally announced last week. While the University of Mumbai is all set to conduct semester VI exams in less than two weeks, students are worried about having no time to apply for re-evaluation. TYBMS exams got over in November 2016 and the results were announced in mid-March 2017, almost four months later. Now we have no time to apply for re-evaluation because the allowed to keep term (ATKT) exams begin in the first week of April, so I have no choice but to appear for it and Ill never know if there was any error in reviewing my answer sheets, said a student from a Bandra college on condition of anonymity. As per the process in place at MU, a student interested in applying for re-evaluation first needs to apply for a photocopy of their answer sheet. This process itself takes almost two weeks, following which the student has to get the photocopy assessed by a college professor and then apply for re-evaluation, which can take anywhere between three to six weeks. We barely have two weeks between our result and ATKT exam, so even if I apply for a photocopy, theres no guarantee Ill receive the copy of my answer sheet before the re-exam, said another student. HT had recently written about an RTI which showed almost 30% students were wrongly failed by the university between 2014 and 2016. RTI activist Vihar Durves query showed that of the 2.19 lakh students who had applied for re-evaluation in this period, almost 73,000 students passed in the subject after re-evaluation, even though they were initially marked fail. Students are worked up at present but we are equally helpless, said Marie Fernandes, principal of St Andrews College, Bandra. When HT contacted MU officials about this delay, registrar M A Khan said, If a student who has applied for reevaluation ends up appearing for an ATKT exam due to delay in announcing results of reevaluation, and then finds out that s/he has passed the exam already, then we refund the fees charged for the re-exam. READ MORE 30% Mumbai University students who applied for re-evaluation wrongly failed SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON In the last few months, the importance of class 12 score and the Maharashtra education boards HSC syllabus has declined, especially since entrance exams to two of the most sought after professional courses medical and engineering will now be based on NCERT (National Council of Educational Research and Training) textbooks. The Supreme Court in 2016 made it clear that admissions to all medical and dental courses across the country will be conducted on the basis of the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET). Similarly, the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) recently announced that from 2018, admissions to all engineering courses will be conducted based on an all-India entrance test. Both the exams will be based on national curriculum, as prescribed in the NCERT textbooks. National school boards like Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) use NCERT curriculum while Indian School Certificates (ISC) syllabus is similar. While it is good to have a one-window admission policy for competitive exams, students who have been preparing for Common Entrance Tests (CETs) conducted by respective state governments are now in a fix. For class 12 our students will have to depend on state board curriculum whereas for the entrance exams they will have to prepare keeping in mind the CBSE curriculum. How is this fair? Especially for students appearing for HSC exam in March 2018, said a physics professor from a college in Vile Parle. This is also the end of state governments CETs for engineering and medical seats. While NEET was made compulsory by the Supreme Court only for admission to medical and dental courses, the Maharashtra state government in December 2016 decided to scrap CET for all health science courses altogether, making NEET the only test applicable for all health science courses. Similarly, AICTEs decision will now put an end to CET held by state government for engineering aspirants as well. Some states have opposed to this move by the AICTE, especially Andhra Pradesh. Their point is very important because the difference in state board and central board syllabus is huge, and to expect students to study two separate curricula for college exams and eventually for the entrance exam will be too much, said Dayanand Meshram, joint director, Directorate of Technical Education (DTE), Maharashtra. Whats worse is that students who will be opting for architecture courses in 2018 are still not sure which entrance exam will be applicable to them. Since CET for engineering students will not be applicable, theres still no clarity if they will still appear for a state-conducted entrance test or a national-level test. We understand that the government is trying to bring all exams at par but in doing so, we are left with a changed syllabus every year. This constant change is affecting our daily studies, and we dont deserve to be put through such anxiety, said Tanvi Tiwaskar (16), student from Nirmala Memorial Foundation College, Kandivli (E). READ MORE 11.5 lakh students registered for NEET this year Student group demands more exam centres for NEET in Maharashtra SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON For the past few weeks, the opposition Congress and Nationalist Congress Party as well as ruling ally Shiv Sena have been demanding loan waiver for farmers, who are in distress due to several reasons, including falling prices of their produce. They wanted the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government to announce the farm loan waiver as part of states annual budget that was presented by Finance Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar on Saturday. The ruling BJP did not accept the demand because the state government wont be able to divert over Rs30,000 crore needed to waive off loans of farmers in the state due to its delicate financial condition. The burden of debt on the state has reached Rs4 lakh crore. Due to the demonetisation effect, it has failed to get the desired revenue collection. It is hoping that the revenue situation will improve with the introduction of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) in July this year. Navigating through the financial trouble will be a tough task for Mungantiwar. As such, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has lobbed the ball to the central government, seeking its help to write off the loans taken by the farmers from various institutions. However, ministers in Fadnavis government are not hopeful that the Centre will accept the demand. Delhi is wary of similar demands coming from other states which could mean huge burden on its coffers, they say. In the days to come, the demand for loan waiver will get louder as the Opposition will try to corner the Fadnavis government on the issue. Fadnavis has been repeatedly pointing out that the loan waiver is not a solution to the farmers problems and a better idea is to invest in building agricultural infrastructure. He is right but the fact is that he is not the first chief minister to say so. His Congress predecessor Prithviraj Chavan was also of the similar view. However, the then opposition parties BJP and Shiv Sena had vehemently demanded loan waiver. And this is the problem with our politicians. Their stand on several issues is decided by where they arein the ruling side or in the opposition. Ideally, certain issues that are in the interest of the people and the state should be above politics but that is not a practice that our politicians follow. Whether it is farm loan waiver or the GST, the stand of each political party is guided by its agenda. Cant there be a minimum agenda that shouldnt change no matter which party comes to power? That will also stop political posturing just to get votes. Agrarian crisis in Maharashtra surely qualifies for this. For the past few years, farmers have been facing one problem after another drought, heavy rainfall or hailstorm and falling prices of farm products. In the last 10 years, 17,861 farmers have committed suicide even after the government spent Rs33,627 crore on various loan waivers and packages as Hindustan Times reported last week. It also shows loan waiver cannot be a permanent solution to the farmers problems. Experts have been pointing out that the solution to the agrarian crisis includes a variety of measures: The government needs to invest heavily in water conservation (Fadnavis Jalyukt Shivar Yojna is a good step towards it) and effective water management. It also needs to provide better access to markets by cutting the layers of middlemen. At the same time, farmers need to be given alternatives such as horticulture, animal husbandry, floriculture and poultry to increase their income and reduce dependency on farming. There should be an easier way for them to get institutional credit for agriculture or allies activities. If our politicians are really bothered about farmers plight, then why dont they keep their political differences aside and sit together to work out a mechanism to deal with this issue? Why cant our elected representatives convene a special session of Maharashtra Legislature and work out a long-term common minimum programme to tackle agrarian crisis effectively? Read: Focus is on making farming sustainable: Maharashtra finance minister Maharashtra budget: No loan waiver for farmers, but agri sector gets boost SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Residents of Thanes Pawar Nagar claim that the sun never sets in the area. When the sun goes down, street lights powered by solar energy are switched on in Harasiddh Apartments, an eight-building housing complex. Located near a hillock close to the boundary of Sanjay Gandhi National Park, the colony did not have street lights for years. Tired of waiting for the municipal corporation to install them, the residents reached out to the local corporator in February, who helped them install four solar panels and five street lights. The residents were funded by the Thane Christian Welfare Association (TCWA), a non-government organisation (NGO) of which the corporator is a member. Jerry David, president of TWCA, said, Since years, there were no provisions (for lights) for the residents and the area was dangerous. They urged us to help, so we processed the work on fast track basis. The solar panels generate approximately 300 watts of electricity to power the five street lights. The residents estimate that they save around Rs17 every hour, and will save approximately Rs 80,000 a year. The total cost took about Rs 80,000. The move will now help the society save 1.5 units each day, said Vikal Chaurasia, who runs a company called Urja Setu. Such initiatives would help make appropriate use of the natural resources available to us and will also save a lot of electricity, Chaurasia added. Before the solar lights installation, residents say they were scared to use the unlighted lanes after sunset. Though the area is tranquil, the lanes were dangerous at night. There have been cases of thefts as well, said Sameer Deshmukh, secretary of the society. The solar-powered system offers uninterrupted electricity for around 12 hours, which is enough to cover the period between sunset and sunrise. There are working women and men who come late in the night. So it was definitely not safe for them, said Rajendra Raut, resident of the building. It is much better now with the by-lane lit up. The best part is that it also saves on our maintenance bills, since it reduces electricity consumption. Before the installation, there were differences among the residents about the funding for the project for the project, since the road is used by residents of other buildings too. The dispute was resolved when they decided to go to the corporator for funding. The housing society is now thinking of adding solar powered street lights in the building compounds too. For the first time since it was implemented, the ministry of human resource and development (MHRD) will conduct an external review of the implementation of the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) scheme that caters to children from classes 1 to 8. The ministry has invited third parties to evaluate student enrolment, drop out rate, infrastructure and teaching-learning outcomes across India. The centrally sponsored, SSA programme, came into effect on January 2001, with goals of universal access to education, retention of students and bridging the gender gaps. From 2010-11, the scheme is being implemented in accordance with the Right to Education (RTE) Act, which covers children between 6-12 years of age. Since the scheme has been operating for 15 years effectively, the MHRD said it is necessary to quantify and evaluate its impact. For this reason, it has called for proposals (expression of interest) from reputed agencies to carry out a comprehensive study, over a period of three to four months. The government desires to evaluate the intervention and specific effectiveness of the scheme in terms of its objectives besides delivery of services, record keeping, financial performance and reporting including financial management & monitoring systems and institutional capacity building so far, said a senior education official. Evaluation will look at increase in enrolment, category-wise enrolment (SC, ST, OBC, Minority and Children with Special Needs), drop out and transition rate, gross enrolment ratio, pupil-teacher ratio, availability and maintenance of school infrastructure, teaching and learning outcome etc. Additionally, it will look at the overall performance of the programme implementation and indicate whether the scheme is being implemented in various states, along with suggesting corrective measures. Education activists welcomed the move stating that the scheme is not being practiced properly in Maharashtra. There is a lot of corruption in SSA, said Jayant Jain, president of the Forum for Fairness in Education, a non-government organization (NGO). In the past, the organisation had uncovered a scam worth crores, in which fake schools were claiming aid by showing fake students. READ MORE State yet to receive Centres share of Rs 365 crore under SSA: Punjab to HC SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON After doctors at Lokmanya Tilak Municipal General Hospital and Medical College wrote to Dr Suleiman Merchant, the hospital dean, threatening to stop work till security was beefed up, the hospital said it would hire more guards and get more CCTV cameras. More than 300 resident doctors said their decision to not attend to patients was a unanimous one, and their central body, Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors (MARD), did not take a call on the issue. MARD has demanded extra security from Mumbai police to protect on-duty doctors. With the recent increase in attacks on government doctors and the inability of existing security arrangements to protect us, we are unable to work. We are unable to concentrate on our duties and this might lead to further negligence. Thus, owing to safety concerns, for our lives and the patients lives, we are stopping work till satisfactory arrangements are made for the safety of doctors, said the doctors in the letter. Dr Merchant said they are in the process of establishing stricter protocols to prevent such incidents. Fast-tracking the creation of new security posts, filling vacant posts and establishing more CCTV cameras is in progress, he added. The issue is that 70% of posts for security personnel are filled by women. We need more male guards. Secondly, three constables from Sion police station are stationed at the hospital to register medico-legal cases, but they rarely intervene in patient-doctor scuffles, said a resident doctor from the hospital. Dr Avinash Supe, director, medical education and dean at KEM a civic hospital said they sent municipal officials a proposal to audit the security at the citys four medical colleges. The audit will look at the number of gates, sensitive wards and current number of security guards. We have asked for security and hopefully, the proposal will be cleared soon, said Dr Supe. Read Mob attacks doctors, nurse after death of critically ill patient in Mumbai Maharashtra to increase security for docs, restrict number of relatives visiting patients Karnataka better than Maharashtra at protecting its doctors An intern working at the Government Medical College, Aurangabad, was assaulted on Monday night by a patients relatives when he intervened to save a resident doctor while being manhandled, said Yashowardhan Kabra, president of the Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors (MARD) . While the cause of the assault remains unknown, Kabra said the relatives entered the operation theatre (OT), dragged the doctor out and started roughing him up. It was here when the intern stepped in to resolve the issue and protect the doctor that he was thrashed. The doctor he was trying to protect had put a cast on the patients fractured toe. An intern, who tried to intervene, was beaten up. Doctors at the hospital told us that the relatives were drunk when the attack happened. Though a first information report (FIR) has been filed against the relatives, no one has been arrested till date, said Kabra. He added that despite growing number of attacks on doctors, there is not a single word of assurance from the government about the safety of doctors working at state-run hospitals. Residents doctors from Sion Hospital are on strike since yesterday after a doctor was assaulted on the hospital premises on Saturday night by three relatives of a patient admitted with a chronic kidney disease. While the patient died, his relatives were arrested by the police. Dr Suleman Merchant, dean of the Sion Hospital, said the doctors had given him a letter, explaining their decision to call for mass bunking . We are scared to work in hazardous conditions. We will not be able to give our services, read the letter. Recent assaults March 16: A doctor and a nurse were manhandled by a mob of 22 people after a patient with swine flu died at Nashik civic hospital March 12: A resident doctor from Dhule civil hospital was thrashed mercilessly by relatives of a patient who succumbed to the a serious head injury. Also read: Mumbai doctor attacked by patients relatives; 3rd case this week in Maha A post-graduate student, training as a doctor at Lokmanya Tilak Municipal General Hospital and Medical College, Sion, was thrashed by relatives of a 60-year-old patient, who died because of a chronic kidney disease. Three people have been arrested. This is the third incident of violence against doctors at public hospitals in a week. Sion hospital doctors have refused to return to work until adequate security measures are put in place. The incident took place at 10.30pm on Saturday after Rekha Singh, who was admitted in ward 20 of the hospital, died. The patient had returned to the hospital after taking Discharge Against Medical Advice (DAMA) in a critical condition. She was suffering from chronic kidney failure and was admitted at 12.10am on March 18, said one of the doctors. Singh underwent dialysis on Saturday morning. But her condition began deteriorating. Sources said the doctors treating her informed the family about her condition. We had informed the family about the poor prognosis and medical complications in the case. The patient wasnt responding despite the treatment, said a resident doctors of the hospital. The patient was pronounced dead at 10.50pm on Saturday. The patients relatives allege the medical staff did not take enough care and Rohit Kumar, a first-year post graduate student, a resident of Chhattisgarh, was beaten up in front of the security guards by Singhs relatives . This is the first such incident of this year that has taken place in a well-guarded medical college of the city, said a senior doctor from the hospital. The hospitals dean, Dr Suleiman Merchant, said, In an unfortunate incident last night, relatives of a patient, who was declared dead, tried to assault a first year med residence, luckily they were stopped in time by security. Resident was touched lightly, presence of security prevented further damage. An FIR is lodged and three people have been arrested. Also read: Intern assaulted trying to protect resident doctor at Aurangabad hospital: MARD KEM, Sion hospitals to beef up security in the wake of attacks on doctors Stringent laws, penalties wont help improve worsening doctor-patient relationship: Study The Bandra police on Monday arrested a repeat offender after he attempted to rob a flat in MTNL housing quarters in Bandra (West). The accused also slashed a watchman across his face when he tried to stop him. A police source said that the accused Imran alias Matoon Chaudhari, 22, had entered the society around 2.30am by scaling the wall. He then got into a flat on the first floor through the window and picked up a phone from the bedroom. When he tried to open the cupboard, the noise woke up the owner Vijay Dhawale, 38, who works as a manager with MTNL. Dhawale raised an alarm and Chaudhari ran out of the flat and into the terrace. The security guard and other residents rushed to the terrace along with Dhawale. Chaudhari tried to scale down the pipe but could not. He then started brandishing a knife as he tried to escape from the residents. When the watchman tried to grab him, he slashed him across the face with the knife but was soon overpowered by others and handed over to the Bandra police. Assistant inspector Deepak Shinde from Bandra police station said the accused has been remanded to police custody for two days. He added that Chaudhari has seven cases of theft, robbery and hurt offences registered against him and was out on bail. The mobile phone worth Rs8,000 and the knife have been recovered. Chaudhari has been booked for criminal trespass, theft, wrongful confinement and criminal intimidation. Read: Police seize 18 human skeletons and arrest four from West Bengal Following the Bharatiya Janata Partys (BJP) move to appoint two deputy chief ministers (DCMs) in Uttar Pradesh, the Shiv Sena on Sunday hit out at its ally for a U-turn on the post. Sena MP Sanjay Raut said the BJP had informed them during the formation of the Maharashtra government that it is their policy to not have a DCM in any state it rules. He said that the BJP named DCMs in Jammu and Kashmir and now in Uttar Pradesh too, and that the party needed to clarify if the policy had been changed. In Maharashtra, during negotiations over the formation of the government in 2014, we were told that it was a policy decision of the BJP. But after the Kashmir elections, the BJP in coalition with Peoples Democratic Party got its DCM. Now, UP has two DCMs. Why has Maharashtra has been made an exception? We are asking whether the BJP has changed its policy, he added. Rauts statement gains significance as during the 1995-1999 when the Sena was the major partner, it offered its junior party BJP the DCMs post which was held by Gopinath Munde. However, after the 2014 assembly polls, the BJP ungraded itself to the major partner and refused to concede the DCM post to the Sena. Right from the beginning, Sena ministers have been complaining about alleged step-motherly treatment meted out by the BJP. They even threatened that they are always ready with their resignation letters and will submit them on the orders of Sena president Uddhav Thackeray. Raut has also raked up the issue of the Ram Mandir, saying that this was the right time to build the templed in Ahyodya. Yogi Adityanath (newly elected UP chief minister) was at the forefront of the Ram Mandir movement and if the temple is not constructed now, it will never be constructed in the future. It is high time to end up the exile of Lord Ram and build the temple which was promised decades ago. I am happy that the BJP has asserted the its Hindutava stand at the national level by appointing Adityanath. This is the political revival of the Hindutava of the BJP, he added. Raut has also advised the UP CM to exercise restraint. The controversial remarks wont work as he is the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh. If in case he does make such comments, it will create chaos in the state. Now, he should talk about development, said Raut. Also read: Who is Yogi Adityanath? MP, head of Gorakhnath temple and a political rabble-rouser SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The Maharashtra state boards Mumbai division office, the famous pink-and-white-coloured building in Vashi, is in dire need of repairs revealed a recent structural audit. The building is barely 20 years old. The structural audit revealed that cracks have developed on some of the pillars, weakening the buildings foundation, said board officials. Its mammoth basement, which is used for storing lakhs of question papers and answer sheets, has been declared unsafe. Teachers complained that despite the structural auditors warning, the basement is yet to be cordoned off. While the divisional board has appealed to the state board, Pune, to begin the repair work at the earliest, teachers are concerned over the safety of visitors and employees. At times, moderators sit in the basement to complete work, thus putting their lives at risk. The board needs to make other arrangements and repair the building at the earliest, said Uday Nare, a former board member, who teaches at Hansraj Morarji Public School and Junior College, Andheri. Commenting on the issue, Siddheshwar Chandekar, secretary of the divisional board, said they cannot shut the basement until the exams and assessments conclude. There is no other room big enough to store lakhs of papers in the building. It [basement] is packed to the brim for at least five to six months every year, he added. The room is occupied even after results are declared, as photocopies of answer sheets are stored here for students who request to see them under the Right to Information (RTI) Act. Though the state board officials said they are considering the divisional boards appeal for repairs, it is unable to find a suitable time. After the SSC exams end in April, work will begin for supplementary exams to be held in July, and the results will be declared in August. This means we will be busy till September at least, leaving a gap of only two to three months between October and December the only time we can complete the repairs. We are trying to find the best possible solution, said Chandekar. Also read: Gargantuan task: Mumbai teachers need to clear 26 lakh HSC answer sheets in 2 months SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON A 50-year-old man was set on fire for operating a vada pav shop at Ulhasnagar station on Monday. The victim was identified as Chandarlal Ramratyani and was a resident of Ulhasnagar. When Ramratyani opened his shop in the morning, accused Suresh came with a bucket of kerosene and started abusing Ramratyani. All of a sudden Suresh doused him with the fuel and set him on fire, said inspector A Choudhary from Vitthalwadi police station. During investigation, the police found that Suresh used to run a vada pav stall at the exact spot where Ramratyani was currently running his,but he had to shut it down. A police source said that a few months after shutting the stall when Ramratyani opened his vada pav stall on the spot, Suresh could not tolerate it. He had purportedly even asked Ramratyani to shut his stall as he wanted to reopen his at the same spot. But, Ramratyani refused so Suresh decided to kill him. When Ramratyani was set ablaze, his customers fled while his co-workers doused the fire and rushed him to a hospital. Ramratyani was taken to a hospital and later shifted to National Burns Centre at Airoli, said Choudhary. The police said that Ramratyani suffered 85% burn injuries and his condition was critical. They have identified the alleged accused and have formed a team to trace and arrest him. He is a resident of Ulhasnagar and has been booked for murder. Also read: Enraged Sariska villagers set fire to leopard suspected of killing man SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON New thermoelectric power station to be built in the vicinity of Yerevans TPS Today Serzh Sargsyan was present at the groundbreaking ceremony of Yerevans new thermoelectric power station (TPS) which took place in Erebuni administrative community, in the vicinity of Yerevans thermoelectric power station. Present at the ceremony were the Vice Prime Minister, Minister for Economic Integration and Reforms Vache Gabrielian, Minister for Energy Infrastructure and Natural Resources Ashot Manukian, Director General of Renco Company, President of Armpower Company Jovanni Rubini, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Italy to RA Giovanni Ricciulli, other high-level officials. The Yerevan TPS (electrical power station), which is working on combined thermo- and gas cycle, according to the responsible officials and experts of Renco company has been designed with the implementation of the most contemporary and high-quality apparatus and scientific experience which guarantees high efficiency of the station and its safety. Participants of the event assessed the construction of the station as an important step in providing energy security and prosperity for the residents of Yerevan in coming decades. In the framework of the groundbreaking ceremony, Minister Ashot Manukian and Director General of Renco Company Jovanni Rubini signed a joint memorandum which was put in a case and placed in the ground of the future TPS. The construction plan for the TPS envisages the design of a power station working on gas, which can produce nearly 250 megawatts of power and has up to 53% general coefficient of efficiency, as well as plans for its development, financing, construction, operation, and technical maintenance. According to the responsible officials, the investments will be close to 285 million USD. Construction works will last for 26 months and will be concluded in the second half of 2019. During the construction alone created will be 900 temporary jobs, and after it becomes operational there will be created 200 permanent jobs with high wages. The thermoelectric power station and its technical maintenance is designed for 20 years. The responsible officials noted that the construction works for the third line of the double-lane Armenia-Iran 400kw and Armenia-Georgia 400kw new high voltage energy lines will be concluded in 2019, and considering the fact the construction of this new TPS will also be concluded in 2019, all this can provide the opportunity for Armenia to ensure a secure and dependable supply of electric energy to the neighboring countries, becoming a major player at the energy market of the region. Since Saturday evening, with Hindutva firebrand Yogi Adityanaths appointment as the next chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, an eerie silence has replaced the sense of jubilation among a section of Muslims in Jewar. Muslim voters of Jewar said that Yogi Adityanaths appointment as the next chief minister of Uttar Pradesh has come as a shock. They said they had voted for Bharatiya Janata Party candidate Thakur Dhirendra Singh but did not expect Adityanath to be named the next CM. Thakur Dhirendra Singh won Jewar constituency by a margin of 25,000 votes. Many said that a sizeable Muslim population of Jewar had voted for BJP owing to Singhs popularity among all sections of the society. There are roughly 38,000 Muslim voters in the Jewar constituency, compared to 42,000 of Jatav community and 47,000 of the Gujjar community. Villages of Jewar such as Usmanpur, Achheja, Atta, Deri, Kadalpur, Kharli, Anwargarh, Mehendipur, Sujadpur, Daula, Mandpa and Bilaspur are Muslim dominated areas. In Atai Muradpur village, Singh received 214 votes compared to 155 votes for BSPs Ved Ram Bhati. In Azampur village, Singh received 424 votes compared to 235 votes to Bhati. Mohammad Yamin (right), a fruit seller in Jewar, is shocked by the BJPs choice of chief minister in UP. (Sunil Ghosh/HT Photo) We never supported BJP or their brand of politics. Our faith was in Thakur sahib since he promised inclusive development and opportunities for people of Jewar. However, the appointment of Yogi is a rude shock, said Mohammad Yamin, a fruit seller in Jewar. Muslims supporters of BSP also showed their displeasure with the choice. They said that over appeasement of Muslims across UP led to the division of votes. Read: UP election: How BJP changes its narrative within 50 kms, from Hindutva to secularism Every other party was out to impress Muslims. Maulanas were busy giving sermons to vote for specific parties. In such a scenario, BJP candidates managed a victory, even by a small margin, said Fahman, another fruit seller. The euphoria of Singhs win was replaced by denial and doubt as the BJP chose Hindutva firebrand Adityanath as the chief minister. Adityanath is infamous for his alleged hate speeches against Muslims and for his campaign to build Ram temple at the controversial site in Ayodhya. The decision has left many in doubt over the partys slogan of sabka saath sabka vikaas as the CM has time and again vouched for Hindu supremacy. BJPs secular face in Jewar Haji Naseeb Qureshi (third from left) shared the dais with Union home minister Rajnath Singh (centre) during his rally in Rabupura. (HT File Photo) Haji Naseeb Qureshi, BJPs secular face in Jewar, doesnt hold any position in the party. Yet, a month ago, he was invited to share the dais with top BJP leaders such as Union home minister Rajnath Singh and Union culture minister Mahesh Sharma during a campaign rally in Rabupura. Not just Qureshi, around 60 Muslims were asked to sit in the front row of the Rabupura rally. Their candidate Dhirendra Singhs popularity among Muslims was the reason behind BJP star campaigners switching to the secularism card from hard-line Hindutva. Read: BJPs Jewar candidate Dhirendra Singh pulls a mammoth crowd for rally Qureshi said that the new Jewar MLA can change the fortunes of his constituency. We have all voted for development and public welfare and I am sure that even Yogiji believes in sabka sath, sabka vikaas. His Hindutva statements against Muslims is just petty party politics, said Qureshi. Qureshi, however, said that demolishing the mosque or martyrdom of mosque was a mistake on the BJPs part. When the mosque had attained martyrdom, it had cost BJP. They shouldnt repeat the same mistake, he said. Some credit BJPs victory to the wave. Even if BJP had declared Yogi as CM candidate, they would have still won the elections. Such was the wave across the state, said a Jewar resident Ayub Qureshi (not in picture). (Sunil Ghosh/HT Photo) Mohammad Ashraf, Qureshis brother, said that the BJP will not build the Ram temple even after ruling in Centre and state. Then, they wont have any issues left to fight, he said. BJP supporters from the Muslim community were also not pleased with the choice of chief minister. Every other political party in the state has claimed their ancestral right over Muslims just to get votes. We have not received anything for the last three decades except fake promises. We were fed up with appeasement politics to the extent that we voted for BJP. But Adityanaths appointment is a surprise, Kadeer of Chauthaiya Patti mohalla in Jewar, said. Muslims proved to be truly secular as they voted for all the parties, including BJP, whereas the caste polarisation of Hindus did not take place as they voted in unison for Yogi, Mushtaq of Jewar said. Ayub Qureshi of Jewar credited the BJPs victory to the wave that was built across the state. Even if BJP had declared Yogi as CM candidate, they would have still won the elections. Such was the wave across the state. However, it doesnt matter who rules UP, as we have not witnessed any change in successive governments, Ayub said. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Theres one conclusion about the BJP that is inevitable when pondering its choice of Yogi Adityanath as the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh. The party has again underlined that the use of intimidation and extreme rhetoric to establish ones brand does not go unnoticed and will be rewarded over time. So if Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga, who assaulted lawyer Prashant Bhushan and tried to break his head in his own words for the latters views on Kashmir, becomes the party spokesperson in Delhi then it should be no surprise that Adityanath, known for his inflammatory rhetoric (that includes a wish to install Ganesh idols in every mosque of the country), has been made UPs chief minister. One must assume that ABVP activists who violently disrupted a seminar at Ramjas College in February also have a bright future ahead. Adityanaths appointment flies in the face of BJPs claim to privilege development as a governance priority. His career has been marked by anti-Muslim messaging and this account of a riot in 2007 by Prof. Apoorvanand should clear any misunderstanding of the UP chief ministers politics. A measure of development-related spending and activity is, in any case, inevitable, especially when the state and central governments are aligned but theres little doubt that the Yogis tenure will be marked by dramatic changes in social equations in UP. Simply put, Adityanaths ascent to power will see a drive towards complete subjugation of Muslims in UP, which has become a sort of a Hindutva sport. Pratap Bhanu Mehta has written about Adityanath that the already accomplished political fact of the marginalisation of minorities in UP and elsewhere will now be translated into a programme of their cultural, social and symbolic subordination. The BJP could have achieved the same outcome, quietly, with any other chief minister, but only Adityanath can turn that subordination into a spectacle that affords the satisfaction to those who say that if Muslims have to live in India they have to live on terms the Sangh spells out. Whatever succour Muslim communities had in previous regimes by way of attentive politicians, officials and police officers is now threatened or gone. Far from the daily indignities of the marginalised, the dynamics between Adityanath and Narendra Modi will be interesting to watch. The Yogis appointment may have already slightly dented Modis standing among sections of middle class that back the Prime Minister. This section, which fervently believes that Modi knows what is good for India, will wonder if Adityanath is indeed the vehicle of progress that the country needs. The Sangh Parivar would be aware of this trade-off and may have gambled that the Yogis contribution to changing the ideological climate of the country and getting the citizens used to his mode of Hindutva governance offer structural benefits that outweigh embarrassments to the Prime Minister - who, anyway, inhabits a hallowed post-scrutiny space in Indian public life. This plan works if Adityanath proceeds with his churning in UP in ways that does not affect PM Modi and if he bides his time for the national stage. But what if he does not comply with the plan? There is no guarantee that an ideologically charged figure will necessarily cap his ambition upon becoming a chief minister. He may not pitch to be Prime Minister yet but also would not be entirely comfortable with his subordinate status for long. We may not know how exactly he became chief minister in the end, considering that he did not figure in the shortlist doing the rounds after March 11. Adityanath does not fit the mould of chief ministers who have been picked during Modis time: those like Haryanas Manohar Lal Khattar and Devendra Fadnavis of Maharashtra are leaders without significant bases in their own state and owe their prominence to wielding state power in compliance with RSS diktats. Harshvardhan, a respected politician with a popular following in Delhi, was notably sidelined in favour of Kiran Bedi as a chief minister candidate in the capital. If Adityanath arm-twisted his way to Lucknow chances are that more frictions are bound to follow. He will at least want more loyalists among BJPs Lok Sabha candidates from UP in 2019 polls. There is also a chance that faced with the challenges of delivering growth, Adityanath pushes for building a Ram mandir or picks another symbolic issue which the Sangh either pushes for or has no choice but to support. The BJP-RSS have co-opted the Yogi in recent years but he has demonstrated his independence by floating his own Hindu Yuva Vahini. An ideological figure spearheading a symbolic movement from a chief ministers office in Indias largest state becomes a power centre in his own right and will be an awkward proposition for Modi to handle. Critics may say this is overwrought - and contend that even in a zero sum universe of strong personalities there is space for mutual accommodation. This may all be a neatly worked up plan. Adityanath will do what he will in UP, lurching India further to the Right, while affording Modi a measure of plausible deniability. The choice of the Yogi also suggests that for the Sangh no individual is greater than the cause - and thus it may now be time to invest in the future. It took 12 years for Modi to become Prime Minister from 2002. Power players will be careful not to lean too quickly towards Adityanath for fear of offending Modi, but we will, over time, see business conclaves that will hail the Yogi, awkward videos of his speeches taken off YouTube, the ambitious set hosting him in the capitals salons and journalists plying his development credentials - all perhaps building up for 2029 when Modi will be 78 and Adityanath only 55. Others may materialise in the succession basket over time, but right now hes the biggest one to nurture. Adityanath may also be more difficult to negotiate than anticipated, and theres no telling where his methods will lead the country to. The views expressed are personal. The writers Twitter handle is @SushilAaron. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Anger against the Delhi-based central leadership of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) spilled over as the Punjab unit held a chintan (introspection) meeting in Jalandhar on Monday to discuss the recent polls in the state in which the party finished a distant second with 20 seats after initially claiming it would win 100 of the 117 seats. In the meeting at which no one from the Delhi leadership was present, a number of leaders who contested the polls blamed the partys Punjab affairs in-charge Sanjay Singh and organisation-building head Durgesh Pathak in particular. Many candidates openly stated that the partys leadership failed to assess the real nature of Punjabi voters and kept focusing the campaign on party convener and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal. Whereas the Congress had Captain Amarinder Singh as its face, and the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) had Parkash Singh Badal, we simply kept avoiding the issue of the chief ministerial face. That confused voters, a number of MLAs and candidates were quoted as saying by sources among the gathering at the closed-door meeting. The sources said the leaders pointed out how the Delhi leadership on the one side kept saying that Kejriwal wont be Punjab CM and at the same time kept focusing the campaign on him, a non-Punjabi, with slogans like Kejriwal- Kejriwal, Sara Punjab Tere Naal. What added fuel to the fire was the statement of Delhi deputy CM Manish Sisodia about Kejriwal as the real CM of Punjab, said at least two leaders. Sisodia had said that people should vote by assuming that Kejriwal will be chief minister, as it will be his duty to get promises fulfilled by whoever becomes CM. Sangrur MP Bhagwant Mann; leader of opposition HS Phoolka; partys state convener Gurpreet Ghuggi, and MLAs Kanwar Sandhu, Sukhpal Singh Khaira, and Aman Arora, were on stage where every participant was given time to speak his/her heart out. Source said Ghuggi tried to change the subject when some of the leaders were speaking, but was told to get a reality check. The leaders demanded control of the partys state wing to Punjabis with minimum role of central leaders. It was almost a unanimous voice of the candidates that now the time is ripe for AAP central leaders to have faith in Punjabis, multiple sources told HT. Later, while talking to the media, Ghuggi admitted that the leaders of Punjab demanded full control on the state wing, and that the issue would be discussed in the forthcoming meeting of the political affairs committee (PAC), the decision-making body of the AAP. About other issues raised in the meeting, Ghuggi said that it was a unanimous voice that failure of projecting a chief ministerial candidate proved costly for the party and that overenthusiasm among party workers also went against the partys prospects. 4 takeaways from AAP meet: Why party did not perform well 1. Autocratic behaviour of Delhi leadership 2. No CM face 3. Ignoring Punjabi leadership 4. Links with radical elements disliked by Hindus and moderate Sikhs SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON A husband who loved a lavish lifestyle despite being unemployed, coupled with frequent fights, physical abuse and infidelity turned Seerat Kaur, a 35-year-old mother of two, into a murderer. He used to beat me, was what Seerat told police after she was arrested for shooting Ekam Singh Dhillon (39) and then bundling his body into a suitcase from which it was later recovered. Seerat, a graduate, got married to Ekam, son of Jaspal Singh, a human rights activist and sympathiser of Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, in 2003. Ekam was then employed with a tea estate in Assam. In 2006, she gave birth to a son, Gurnawas Singh, and in 2012, to a daughter, Humaira. Paise bahut barbad karta tha (he used to waste a lot of money), was the candid reply of Seerat, who is also the niece of former Congress MLA from Sardulgarh, Ajit Inder Singh Mofar. Mofar lost in the recent assembly elections to a Shiromani Akali Dal candidate. Ekam and Seerat in a family album photo. (Source: Police) Seerats father Captain Gurprem Singh died in 1985 in an accident while he was serving in the army. Her grandfather Ranjeet Singh Brar was very close to former President Giani Zail Singh. Seerats brother Vinay Partap Singh owns 200 acres of land in Abul Khurana village in Malout sub-division of Muktsar. In 2007, Vinay had contested the assembly elections against Mofar, but lost. Following a dispute over a share of the land, Vinay allegedly threw Seerat and their mother Jaswinder Kaur out of the house and thus, Jaswinder was living with the couple since their marriage. A shady past After leaving his job in the tea estate, Ekam started a stone crusher and construction business in Nayagaon in SAS Nagar, but that did not work out. He later started an eatery in Sector 39, which saw the same fate. He was reportedly planning to venture into a liquor contract business. Ekam had worked with Punjab Agrotech and Markfed as well. While working with Punjab Agrotech, Ekam floated a firm in the name of Seerat Dhillon - Global Agri Venture and thus, her name figured in the multi-crore Citrus Council scam. Ekam was senior manager of the Citrus Council and was accused of siphoning off money to fake firms. The firm had shown business worth Rs 1.15 crore and had come up with its manufacturing plants in Mangat and Mudadpura villages in Ludhiana. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Accusing the police of shoddy investigation to shield Seerat, the deceaseds father Jaspal Singh Dhillon met Punjab chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Monday. His son, Darshan Singh, and grand children accompanied him. Also read | Mohali murder: Lavish life, physical abuse, infidelity turned wife into killer The chief minister has assured us of free and fair investigation. He told us that the SSP SAS Nagar Kuldeep Singh Chahal is monitoring the investigation and culprits will not be spared, Jaspal, later told a press conference. Also read | Mohali woman shoots husband dead, bundles body into suitcase; arrested Also read | Mohali man shot, body in suitcase: Kids saw last fight between parents He added that after the CMs assurance, the family had decided to cremate Ekam at the Sector 25 cremation ground, Chandigarh, at noon, on Tuesday. Chief minister captain Amarinder Singh ordered formation of a special investigation team (SIT) under SAS Nagar senior superintendent of police Kuldeep Singh Chahal to probe Ekams murder, Darshan claimed. He also claimed that the CM had issued orders for including the name of Nimardeep Singh, a close friend of Ekams wife Seerat, in the FIR. When contacted, former Congress MLA from Sardulgarh Ajit Inder Singh Mofar, said, It is an unfortunate incident and my name is unnecessarily being dragged into the case. Seerat is my sisters daughter. The couples relationship was under strain since 2007. I have also met the CM. Former Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal on Sunday declined his successor Capt Amarinder Singhs offer of free government accommodation. Terming Capts goodwill gesture gracious, Badal said: I thank him from the core of my heart for this, but I am making my own arrangements for stay. However, I value his sentiment highly and fully reciprocate it. Capts offer had come two days after HT reported that the Shiromani Akali Dal patriarch, who remained CM five times, was looking for a private house after vacating his official residence in the city. Badal said he and his party would wholeheartedly support any decision of the Congress government that is in the larger interest of the people of Punjab. The SAD does not believe in confrontation or in criticism for the sake of it, he said. Claiming he expected the new government to fulfil its promises soon, Badal expressed surprise over formation of a committed on farm debt. All the details are available in government records and also in various studies conducted by farm economists and university experts. All it needs is for the new government to implement its promise, he said. Also read | In power, Punjab CM Captain Amarinder means no Badal business AAP slams Congress govt for offer to Badal Earlier, the Aam Aadmi Party condemned the new govt for offering facilities to Badal. Addressing a press conference in Amritsar on Sunday, AAP chief whip Sukhpal Singh Khaira said his party welcomed other cabinet decisions, but giving accommodation and other facilities at state exchequers cost to Badal was not fair. The Badal family owns assets worth many crores and owns many 7-star hotels. Offering senior Badal free accommodation and other facilities is not good for already empty coffers of the govt. With less than a week away for the release of Pawan Kalyans Katamarayudu, which is already riding on excellent pre-release buzz, HT has learnt from reliable sources that the film will release in a whopping 250 plus screens in the US, making it the biggest release in the actors career. The overseas distributor hopes that the unprecedented craze for the film turns into footfalls in order to register very strong premiere numbers. Even though an official remake of Tamil film Veeram, fans of Pawan Kalyan are eagerly looking forward to the release because of the overall positive response for the films teaser, audio and trailer released over the weekend. Directed by Kishore Kumar Pardasani aka Dolly, the film also stars Shruti Haasan and Tarun Arora among others. Pawan Kalyans dhoti-clad avatar from the movie has already become a hit and many of his ardent fans plan to watch the film in the same avatar on the first day. Director Dolly believes the film features Pawan Kalyan in his best role ever and that his performance will appeal to all sections of the audience. With the film due for release in India on Friday, it is believed to open in record number of screens. Follow @htshowbiz for more ott:10:ht-entertainment_listing-desktop Catalonias separatist government on Sunday again urged Spains central government to let it hold a legal referendum on independence like the one Scotland staged in 2014 with Londons approval. The government of Britain and Scotland agreed on a referendum, the president of the regional Catalan government, Carles Puigdemont, and his vice president, Oriol Junqueras, wrote in a letter published in daily newspaper El Pais. And everything indicates that Scotland and Britain will once again agree on the celebration of a new referendum on independence. Scotlands First Minister Nicola Sturgeon on Monday demanded a new independence referendum by early 2019, once the terms of Britains exit from the European Union are clearer. She is widely expected to get the Scottish parliaments support for her quest in a vote on Wednesday but still needs the agreement of the British government to proceed. In Scotlands 2014 plebiscite, 55 percent backed staying in the UK. The scenario of an agreed referendum is what we desire in Catalonia, the Catalan leaders wrote in their letter. We would like to recall that we have proposed it on various occasions. Today, despite the bad omens and the outright rejection of the Spanish government, we once again insist on it. The government of Catalonia, a wealthy region in northeastern Spain that has its own distinct language and is home to 7.5 million people, has since 2010 sought to hold an independence referendum. But Spains conservative Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy has repeatedly ruled out giving the region a vote on independence, saying it would be illegal and against the constitution -- a stance supported by the judiciary. The Catalan government has vowed to hold an independence referendum by September -- with or without the approval of the central government. We will do the unspeakable so that the citizens of Catalonia can vote in 2017 in an auto determination referendum, Puigdemont and Junqueras wrote. Demands for autonomy have been fuelled by Spains economic downturn, leading many to resent sending tax money to Madrid to prop up poorer regions. Recent attempts by Madrid to interfere with Catalan education have further stoked passions as did a 2010 ruling by Spains Constitutional Court that struck down part of a 2006 autonomy statute that recognised Catalonia as a nation within Spain. Opinion polls show Catalans are evenly divided on independence, although the vast majority back a referendum. China lashed out at India on Monday for inviting Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama to attend and speak at an international Buddhist seminar in Bihar, sponsored by the Central government, saying New Delhi was acting against one of Beijings core concerns. Such moves would disrupt bilateral ties, the foreign ministry said. Beijing regards the Dharamshala-based Dalai Lama as a separatist and is sensitive to him meeting international leaders, attending official functions or visiting places at the invitation of the Indian government. On Friday, the Dalai Lama inaugurated the three-day international Buddhist conference on the theme The Relevance of Buddhism in the 21st Century at Nalanda, 100 km from state capital Patna. Buddhists scholars and monks from more than 30 countries attended the seminar. Minister of state for culture and tourism Mahesh Sharma shared the stage with the Dalai Lama. In recent days the Indian side, in total disregard of Chinas stern representation and strong opposition, insisted on inviting the 14th Dalai Lama to attend the international conference on Buddhism held by the Indian government, foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said on Monday. China is strongly dissatisfied and firmly opposed to it, she added. We urge the Indian side to clearly see the anti-China splittist nature of the Dalai group and honour its commitment on Tibet and related questions, respect Chinas core concerns and avoid China-India relations from being further disrupted and undermined, Hua said. This was the second time this month that the foreign ministry issued a strong statement against the Dalai Lama, and what Beijing perceives as India attempting to tweak its commitment to the Tibet and One-China policy. Earlier this month, the foreign ministry had said Beijing was gravely concerned about the Dalai Lamas planned visit to Arunachal Pradesh, which it claims as south Tibet. The trip to Arunachal Pradesh will cause serious damage to Sino-India ties, foreign ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang had said at the time. China is strongly opposed to Dalai visiting disputed areas, he said. Chinas position on eastern section of 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, he added. Last year, Beijing had registered its strong displeasure when the Dalai Lama met Pranab Mukherjee at an official function at the Rashtrapati Bhavan. In his speech at Fridays event, the Dalai Lama remembered the time 60 years ago when then premier Zhou Enlai sent him to Nalanda with the relics of ancient Chinese traveller Xuan Zang to offer to prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru. The Dalai Lama, who escaped from Tibet to India in 1959, also thanked New Delhi for being a wonderful host which has offered him guest status for such a long time. US President Donald Trump on Monday shot down as fake news allegations that he worked with Russia, which US intelligence says tried to tilt the presidential election in Trumps favour. His tweet came just as the chiefs of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the National Security Agency (NSA) were to testify before Congress about ties Trump may have with Russia and his shocking claim that he was wiretapped by his predecessor, Barack Obama. Former national intelligence director James Clapper and others stated that there is no evidence Potus colluded with Russia. This story is FAKE NEWS and everyone knows it! Trump wrote on Twitter. James Clapper and others stated that there is no evidence Potus colluded with Russia. This story is FAKE NEWS and everyone knows it! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 20, 2017 The Democrats made up and pushed the Russian story as an excuse for running a terrible campaign. Big advantage in Electoral College & lost! he added. The Democrats made up and pushed the Russian story as an excuse for running a terrible campaign. Big advantage in Electoral College & lost! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 20, 2017 FBI director James Comey and NSA director Mike Rogers are scheduled to speak publicly for the first time about two issues that have riveted the American public for weeks and further divided the countrys two ever-at-odds political parties. The stakes for the tycoon-turned-president could hardly be higher. Comey will appear before the House Intelligence Committee at a hearing probing Russias interference in the 2016 election campaign. Rogers is also scheduled to testify. Trump and his entourages possible ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin have been the subject of much speculation since before he was elected on November 8. US intelligence agencies in January took the extraordinary step of stating publicly that they believe hackers working for Russia broke into the online accounts of senior Democrats and released embarrassing emails with the aim of helping Trump defeat Hillary Clinton. Since then, the question of whether Trump and company were, or perhaps still are, in cahoots with Russia has dominated the national conversation. A congressional panel so far has found no evidence that Trumps campaign colluded with Russia, its chairman said Sunday. Based on everything I have up to this morning -- no evidence of collusion, by Trumps team and Moscow, Representative Devin Nunes, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, told Fox News on Sunday. Video of my interview today on @FoxNewsSunday: https://t.co/2opX1Svt2P Devin Nunes (@DevinNunes) March 19, 2017 Moscow has denied involvement in the hacks, and Trump has denounced the tumult over alleged Russia connections as a total witch hunt. Mondays hearing was also expected to address a second explosive issue: Trumps unsubstantiated accusations that the Obama administration wiretapped his phone at Trump Tower in New York during the campaign. Trump on March 4 tweeted that Obama had tapped his phone -- a charge that has consumed political debate in the US capital. Among 30 bloggers, who visited Artsakh, there are residents of Israel and Belarus: Artsakhpress At the initiative of Artsakhakertum NGO and the Union of Journalists of Artsakh an International Bloggers Forum was organized in the Republic of Artsakh. Over 30 bloggers from 11 countries are taking part in the International Bloggers Forum which is being held in the Republic of Artsakh on March 19-21. The Forums major topic was the coverage of conflicts in social media and ensuring the freedoms of bloggers and journalists. The Forum was chaired by Artsakh Prime Ministers spokesman Artak Beglaryan and media expert Samvel Martirosyan. During the Forum Hrachya Arzumanyan Director of Ashkharh (World) Center of Strategic Research (Stepanakert), expert on military and national security affairs, presented the causes of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict. It is necessary to help the Azerbaijani people to get rid of Aliyev clan disease through the international court where their education to the generation will be condemned as a result of which they beheaded Armenian women, children, as well as cut their ears, Arzumanyan said, adding: It is less than a year that more than 100 young soldiers were killed as a result of military operations unleashed by Azerbaijan.They were killed because the center of geopolitical forces once again decided to play with the region. The experience shows that the geopolitical powers if they dont want to deal with the issue, perhaps the bloggers, as a reality of newly formed public information, can have an influence on the situation. Read more on the source website The FBI confirmed to a Congressional panel on Monday it was investigating Russian interference in the 2016 US presidential election, whether it was coordinated with the Donald Trump campaign and, as a natural corollary, whether any crimes were committed. The FBI also said it had no information to support President Trumps controversial tweets alleging his predecessor President Barack Obama ordered a wire-tap on Trump Tower, the moguls New York city home and office as candidate. The National Security Agency too rejected the Trump administrations allegations that United Kingdoms GCHQ could have spied on Trump Tower on Obamas behalf and said that would be a violation of a pact between the two allies. In effect, as his critics on the Left and Right pointed out, Trump had been publicly debunked by the heads of the countrys and his own administrations top two intelligence agencies. This was the first time the FBI had openly remarked on its Russia probe, which has cast a shadow on Trumps election and which the president pushed back against in a series of tweets just hours before the hearing. James Clapper and others stated that there is no evidence Potus colluded with Russia, Trump said in an early morning post that was notable for the emphasis on no evidence Potus colluded . leaving scope for an aide who might have had links. FBI director James Comey told the House of Representatives permanent select committee on intelligence, I have been authorised by the department of justice to confirm that the FBI, as part of our counterintelligence mission, is investigating the Russian governments efforts to interfere in the 2016 presidential election. And that includes, he added, investigating the nature of any links between individuals associated with the Trump campaign and the Russian government and whether there was any coordination between the campaign and Russias efforts. Comey said the probe started last July. This was the assessment Comey offered in his opening remarks, and then during the question-and-answer session, he said, when asked about it specifically, that he had no information to support the presidents tweets about Obama ordering a wire-tap on Trump Tower. Could President Obama have ordered the tap, as alleged by Trump? Comey said he couldnt have, no president could, given the complex approval process. Only a federal judge could, and only if he or she was convinced of the governments case. Asked about the allegation involving the British GCHQ, NSA director Mike Rogers told the panel, I have seen nothing on the NSA side that we engaged in any such activity. Did he himself order it? No, sir, nor would I, that would be expressly against the construct of the Five Eyes agreement that has been in effect for decades. The Five Eyes agreement is an intelligence-sharing pact between the US and four close allies - UK, Australia, New Zealand and Canada. Such surveillance will be illegal, he added. Knowing these two intelligence community leaders would be up at an open hearing in just a few hours, Trump curiously shot off a string of tweets reprising some old attack lines. The Democrats made up and pushed the Russian story as an excuse for running a terrible campaign. Big advantage in Electoral College & lost! And then this, which anticipated a line of questioning undertaken by Republicans at the hearing later: The real story that Congress, the FBI and all others should be looking into is the leaking of Classified information. Must find leaker now! A former police official said he was detained at New Yorks John F Kennedy International Airport and held for 90 minutes earlier this month because of his name, the media reported. Hassan Aden, 52, of Alexandria, Virginia spent 26 years with the citys police department where he served as the deputy chief. He retired in 2015. On Sunday, Aden told The Washington Post that he was returning from Paris on March 13, where he had been celebrating his mothers 80th birthday. When he arrived at customs, he expected to be handed back his passport and told welcome home like everyone else. Instead, a US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer asked him: Are you travelling alone? Aden replied he was and the officer said, Lets take a walk. I was like oh boy, here we go, said Aden, an Italian-born American citizen who has lived in the US for 42 years. He said he was escorted to a makeshift office, prohibited from using his cellphone and given little information about the reason for the holdup. Aden said he told an officer that he was a retired police chief and a career law enforcement officer, but the man said that he had no control over the situation and that it didnt matter what his job was. Another officer explained that someone on a watch list had been using Adens name as an alias, and his information was being cross-checked with another agency, the former deputy chief told The Washington Post. A spokeswoman for US Customs and Border Protection said on Sunday that she could not comment on Adens specific case because of the federal Privacy Act, but all travellers arriving in the US are subjected to CBP inspection. Aden, the son of an Italian mother and Somali father, lamented what he describes as the countrys shift toward cold, unwelcoming policies such as President Donald Trumps travel ban. The travel ban, which seeks to block entry to the United States by people from six Muslim-majority countries, is on hold after two judges issued rulings blocking it. Somya Sheshadri came to the United States from India when she was seven. A doctor now, she was among a group of Indian Americans gathered outside the White House to convey their fears and apprehensions to President Donald Trump. The President wasnt home, of course. He was away, as on most weekends, in Palm Beach, Florida, his Winter (now called Southern) White House. But Sheshadri, her friend Vindhya Adapa, parents, uncles and aunts, neighbours and acquaintances stood there on a cold blustery afternoon, holding posters, making barely audible speeches on bullhorns, gawked at and photographed by curious tourists on foot and Segways, and at times, overshadowed by a more colourful and raucous group of Macedonian protesters. I never imagined in all my life I will be outside the White House one Sunday afternoon defending my being American, Sheshadri said, with a look of anger flashing across her face, her voice strong and steady. She is troubled. I am an Indian American, I am brown-skinned, have a Sanskrit name, and knew at some point of my life I would be perceived to be the other. And that time is now, a realisation that has shaken up a community of nearly three million lulled by its astounding success as the richest, most educated minority in the US. But a string of attacks on Indian Americanskilling of Srinivas Kuchibhotla in Olathe, Kansas, attack on Deep Rai in Kent, Washington, and earlier, the assault on Ankur Mehta in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvaniaever since Trump won the elections, and later ordered a ban on Middle-Eastern Muslim countries, has the community worried, and somewhat frightened. Kuchibhotlas alleged killer, a white male, told him to get out of my country, mistaking him for a Middle-Easterner, and Rai, a Sikh, was told by his assailant, another white man, to go back to your country. Mehta, an Indian American, was mistaken for a Middle-Easterner, by his assaulter, a white man, who told him, Things are different now. I dont want you sitting next to me, you people. That was on November 22, less than two weeks after Trumps upset victory in an election marked by unprecedented rise in ethnic, racial and religious tensions that have only intensified in the days since, instead of dissipating. The Presidents controversial attempts to ban citizens of six Muslim-majority countriesdown from the earlier sevenfrom entering the US temporarily, may have contributed to the Islamophobia that resulted in the Kansas attack. Vindhya Adapa, a lawyer whose father Adapa Prasad was one of the organisers of the Sunday gathering, blamed the communitys present plight on Trumps election rhetoric. It hasnt happened to me yet, Vindhya, a second generation Indian American, said, but I cannot sit back and let it happen. The demonstration was the communitys attempt to show our face, her father said. Let Americans see us as Indians, and not mistake us for anyone elsewhich is not to justify their targeting of Muslims or Middle-Easterners. In a petition meant for the President, the demonstrators said, We request your kind intervention in this matter and (sic) take steps first to punish the culprits under federal hate crimes law, second to allay the fears of the Indian American community and show your support, and finally to take remediation steps to eliminate the hate. A message should go out to the people of this country from the administration that no citizen should take the law into their hands and it will not be tolerated by the government. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said on Sunday that the European Union and Japan should soon reach an economic deal, and stressed the importance of free trade to his country. We must conclude an economic partnership agreement between Japan and the EU at an early time, Abe said at the opening of the CeBIT technology fair in Hanover, northern Germany. He also said: Japan, having gone through reaping in abundance the benefits of free trade and investment, wants to be the champion upholding open systems alongside Germany. A federal judge on Sunday rejected the US governments request to clarify his temporary order blocking President Donald Trumps revised travel ban. US District Judge Derrick Watson said nothing was unclear about his order and the government cant ask for a distinction that officials failed to make in earlier briefs and arguments, according to online court records. Watson issued the temporary restraining order Wednesday in response to a lawsuit from the state of Hawaii, concluding there was significant and unrebutted evidence of religious animus behind the travel ban. Two days later, the Justice Department asked Watson to clarify that the order only applied to the ban on travel from six mostly Muslim countries and not a global freeze on refugees entering the United States. Watson asked federal officials and Hawaii on Sunday how they want to proceed regarding a possible extension of his order. Trump has called the Hawaii ruling an example of unprecedented judicial overreach and has indicated it will be appealed. Similar cases are being heard in federal courts in Washington state and Maryland. In all, more than half a dozen states are trying to block the travel ban. A Mexican journalist was shot to death on Sunday while leaving a restaurant with his wife and son in Veracruz state, an area that journalism groups consider one of the countrys most dangerous for reporters, a state commission reported. The dead man was identified as Ricardo Monlui Cabrera. No member of his family was injured, Jorge Morales, executive secretary of the State Commission for the Care and Protection of Journalists, told AFP. That group was created in 2012 after nine Veracruz journalists were murdered within months. Monlui was the editor of a local business newspaper, El Politico, and wrote a column covering area politics and the sugar cane industry. A source close to the local prosecutors office said that Monlui and his family had been invited to breakfast at a popular restaurant in the town of Yanga. As they were walking back to their car, another car pulled up and at least two gunmen opened fire, leaving Monluis body sprawled on the asphalt, the source said, speaking on grounds of anonymity. The Reporters Without Borders group reported in February that Mexico is now the most dangerous country in Latin America for journalists to work in, with 99 of them murdered from 2000 to 2016. The Veracruz area, with 19 journalists killed, was called the most hazardous. The last Mexican newsman to be killed was Cecilio Pineda, shot dead this month in Guerrero state as he lay resting in a hammock. In other violence in Veracruz, five police officers and three civilians died in a firefight with gunmen hunting for the mayor of a town where mass graves holding hundreds of bodies have been found, police said. str-jg/jb/bbk Pakistans Bhagat Singh Memorial Foundation has filed a petition in the Lahore High Court seeking security to mark the death anniversary of Indian freedom fighter, citing threats from religious extremists. The foundations chairman advocate Imtiaz Rasheed Qureshi filed a writ petition on Saturday, contending that the organisers of the March 23 event should be provided with security. Also read | Punjab offers to bear expenses on Bhagat Singh memorial in Pakistan Qureshi said threats had been received from religious extremists for the event. We had requested the provincial government and police high ups to ensure security for the function but they did not respond positively, Qureshi said. Also read | In Bhagat Singh country, its not always inquilab zindabad He said the Punjab chief secretary, inspector general of police and DIG (operations), Lahore, have been denying protection and security at public place which is a fundamental right of every citizen of the country. Advocate Qureshi requested the court to order the respondent authorities to take security measures for the upcoming event in order to protect the lives of the participants and public at large. Justice Abid Aziz Sheikh will take up the petition tomorrow. March 23 marks the death anniversary of freedom fighter Bhagat Singh who was hanged along with his comrades Raj Guru and Sukhdev in 1931 at Fawara Chowk in Shadman, Lahore. Prime Minister Theresa May will visit Wales on Monday as part of a plan to engage with all the nations of the United Kingdom before she formally launches Britains departure from the European Union. May is due to trigger Article 50 of the EUs Lisbon Treaty, beginning two years of formal divorce talks, by the end of this month, and her office said she would be visiting Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland to hear peoples views. Last years Brexit referendum exposed splits that could threaten the unity of the UK, with Scotland and Northern Ireland delivering pro-EU majorities but finding themselves outvoted by the English and Welsh, who were in favour of leaving the bloc. In a sharp challenge to May, Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said last week she would be pushing for a fresh independence vote after having been met by a brick wall of intransigence in London when seeking for Scotland to have its own Brexit deal. May rebuffed that, saying now was not the right time. Northern Irelands largest Irish nationalist party Sinn Fein has also said it wants a referendum on splitting from the United Kingdom as soon as possible to unite with the Republic of Ireland. On Monday May and Brexit minister David Davis will meet with Welsh First Minister Carwyn Jones and business representatives to discuss how Wales can make the most of opportunities offered by Brexit, her office said. From my first day ... I made clear my determination to strengthen and sustain the precious union. I have also been clear that as we leave the European Union I will work to deliver a deal that works for the whole of the UK, May said in a statement before the visit. I want every part of the United Kingdom to be able to make the most of the opportunities ahead and for Welsh businesses to benefit from the freest possible trade as part of a global trading nation. Russias foreign ministry on Monday said it had summoned Israels ambassador over air strikes close to Moscows forces near the historic Syrian city of Palmyra. Deputy foreign minister Mikhail Bogdanov told Interfax news agency that Ambassador Gary Koren was summoned on Friday and asked about the strikes. The ministry expressed concern about the action taking place near Russian military locations, Bogdanov said. Russia -- which is conducting its own bombing campaign in Syria in support of President Bashar al-Assad -- said earlier this month that more than 180 of its troops have started demining around Palmyras ancient monuments. Russia and Israel have set up a hotline aimed at avoiding air clashes over Syria and Bogdanov said Moscow would like this channel to work more effectively to ensure no misunderstanding on who is doing what. Israeli warplanes struck several targets on Friday, prompting retaliatory Syrian missile launches, in the most serious incident between the two countries since the war began six years ago. Israels military said it had been targeting weapons bound for Lebanons Hezbollah movement, which backs Assad in Syria. Syrias military said it had downed an Israeli plane and hit another as they were carrying out pre-dawn strikes near Palmyra, the famed desert city it recaptured from jihadists this month. The Israeli military denied that any planes had been hit. Yesterday, Israeli Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman threatened to destroy Syrias air defence systems without the slightest hesitation if there was a similar incident. Russia has deployed its own high-tech missile defence systems to Syria to protect its forces there. A 32-year-old Indian-origin man was on Monday sentenced to 10 years in jail and 12 strokes of the cane for murdering a woman 16 years ago during an attempt to rob her at knife-point in a lift. Gunasegaran Ramasamy was sentenced to the maximum 10 years jail and 12 strokes of the cane for robbery with hurt by a district court. The sentence was backdated to November 18, 2013. The 2001 case had remained unsolved for more than a decade. Gunasegaran confessed in 2013 to the killing of a woman Soh San, whose body was found riddled with stab wounds. He pleaded guilty to one count of causing hurt while committing robbery and one count of consuming methamphetamine. A district court heard that on October 2, 2001, Gunasegarans sister asked him to to buy some instant noodles at a shop near her block at Bukit Batok Street 21 but Gunasegaran decided he would rob someone. He armed himself with a 26cm-long kitchen knife and walked around the neighbourhood in search of a victim, the Channel News Asia reported. He spotted Soh, 28, between 8pm and 9pm near his block. He followed her into the lift, pulled out the knife and demanded money. She refused to give it. Gunasegaran stabbed her repeatedly until she collapsed onto him. Gunasegaran fled the scene after the incident. He spent the next decade in and out of prison for being involved in many cases, including housebreaking, robbery and assault. On November 17, 2013, having been plagued by guilt for 12 years, he walked into a police station and confessed to the murder. Methamphetamine was found in urine samples collected after his arrest. An autopsy showed Soh was stabbed nine times and died from wounds to her chest and abdomen, the newspaper reported. Lawyer Ng Shi Yang, who defended Gunasegaran under the legal aid scheme, said the man has been plagued by his conscience and the crime was a robbery gone awry. The lawyer pointed out that had Gunasegaran not confessed to the crime, Sohs killing would have remained a cold case. Gunasegaran is remorseful, and hopes his confession and plea of guilt will give (Sohs) family a real prospect of closure and healing, Ng said. As President Donald Trump battles to reinstate his controversial revised travel ban, one overlooked effect has been the havoc wreaked on legal Americans with family abroad. Across the United States, citizens not directly targeted by plans to halt entries from six majority-Muslim nations are nevertheless finding their lives disrupted and families torn apart. Iranian-American Madhis Keshavarz, whose father died on February 16 with relatives unable to visit him in his US hospital bed, is one such victim of the uncertainty. They stole from my father the chance to say goodbye to the ones he loved the most, the Los Angeles resident told AFP, tears rolling down her cheeks. Trump has said a travel ban is needed to preserve US national security and keep out extremists. His first effort, in January, banned travelers from seven majority-Muslim countries and all refugees but was blocked by a court in Washington state on the grounds that it violated the constitutions prohibition of religious discrimination. That block was upheld on appeal, and the administration said it would revise the ban to better adhere to the law. It aims to close US borders to nationals of Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen for 90 days, and all refugees for at least 120 days. Iraq was on the original ban but removed in the revision. But the new executive order has run into the same problems in Hawaii and Maryland. In the confusion over the initial executive order, Keshavarzs uncle, a German citizen who has visited the US some 30 times, found himself unable to get a visa to attend his brothers death bed, despite having his papers in order. - Denied a goodbye - My father was an organ donor. Some American is now walking around breathing because of him, and he was denied the basic right to say goodbye to the ones he loved the most, said Keshavarz, a media strategist. One of her close friends, a Briton who has dual Iranian nationality but has not been there in more than a decade, encountered similar problems when she decided to come to the US to support her grieving friend. As a British national she didnt need a visa but sought advice anyway from US consular officials in London. They said to her you need a visa. They took her British passport and kept it to review it. She had to wait to get her passport back, so missed her flight, Keshavarz said. Other members of her family have also seen their lives disrupted. My young cousin who is engaged to be married hasnt been able to see his fiancee since the end of last year, Keshavarz said. Shes been waiting for a visa to come and its on hold. Her status has been floating with no indication of it changing, despite a number of calls to all sorts of people, so all the planning of the wedding is suspended. She acknowledges that some of this bureaucracy already existed under the previous administration but adds that at least people knew the procedure, whereas now embassies have no idea. Some 400,000 people of Iranian origin, often with dual citizenship, live in and around Los Angeles, among more than one million in total in the US. - Leaders in technology - Ive always had tons and tons of problems. We never had it easy, even before Trump, said Madhi Rahimi, 31, who works in a Silicon Valley IT research company. It was always difficult to get the visas. It was always single entry so for many friends and me it meant not going home. That one time I went home it took me four months to come back to the US. Only his mother and younger brother have been able to visit in a decade spent in San Francisco, he says, and their applications took nine months to be approved. Arash Saedinia, a 43-year-old Iranian American who teaches English literature, talks anxiously of a period of intense worry for his entire community. Green-card holders are now reluctant to leave the country for a short trip to Mexico, to visit family or friends, to take a job overseas, the LA resident said. A list released at the end of 2015 by Persian Tech Entrepreneurs, a group of young Iranian Americans active in technology, showed that many members of the community had reached the top ranks of some of the most powerful players in Silicon Valley. Yet they are still demonized, says Keshavarz, even though many were forced to flee their homeland in the first place because of Irans CIA-backed 1953 coup. Whatever you do you are not viewed as being an American, not treated like one, and its tiresome, she said. Its a very deep wound to have consistently to prove yourself and be deemed worthy of a citizenship. The Theresa May government on Monday informed Brussels it will officially notify the European Union of its decision to leave the bloc under Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty on March 29, keeping to its schedule to begin the two-year exit process fraught with many uncertainties. The Brexit process is being keenly watched across the globe, including by more than 700 Indian companies that use London and Britain as a base to access the European Single Market. Many have initiated steps to deal with the post-Brexit situation, including relocating some staff elsewhere in Europe. The two-year exit process is expected to be stormy, not least because of hardline positions by leaders of major EU member-states, the possibility of the pro-EU ruling party in Scotland seeking to hold another referendum on independence, and its implications for immigration (including for Goans with Portuguese passports in Britain). In Brussels, a spokesman for the European Commission said: Everything is ready on this side. Yes we have been informed in advance. We are ready to begin negotiations. We are waiting for the letter. Now we know it will come on the 29th. EU president Donald Tusk tweeted that within 48 hours of the UK triggering Article 50, I will present the draft #Brexit guidelines to the EU27 Member States. The May government got the green signal after Queen Elizabeth granted royal assent to the bill passed by both houses of Parliament last week. It came at the end of a legal and parliamentary process that included the court insisting on parliamentary approval for triggering Article 50. Britains permanent representative to the EU, Tim Barrow, conveyed the trigger date to Tusks office in Brussels. If all process, phases and negotiations are completed, and agreement of 27 member-states is reached according to schedule, Britains exit will be completed by March 2019. David Davis, secretary for Exiting the European Union, said: Last June, the people of the UK made the historic decision to leave the EU. Next Wednesday, the government will deliver on that decision and formally start the process by triggering Article 50. We are on the threshold of the most important negotiation for this country for a generation. The government is clear in its aims: a deal that works for every nation and region of the UK and indeed for all of Europe a new, positive partnership between the UK and our friends and allies in the European Union. Separately, Downing Street said May will write a letter to the EUs 27 other members, adding it expected negotiations to then begin as quickly as possible. She is expected to make a statement to the House of Commons shortly after invoking Article 50. Mays spokesman said that after Article 50 is triggered, it is expected that the remaining 27 EU member states will agree on the terms and make an initial response within 48 hours. He said Barrow had a conversation with Tusks office on Monday morning to give the EU notice of the date. There will be a letter, she will notify President Tusk in writing, and the prime minister has already confirmed she will give a statement to parliament as well...More details will be given in due course. On Monday, May began a Brexit-related tour of the four nations that comprise the United Kingdom, beginning with Wales. She said: From my first day on the steps of Downing Street, I made clear my determination to strengthen and sustain the precious Union. I have also been clear that as we leave the European Union I will work to deliver a deal that works for the whole of the UK. I want every part of the United Kingdom to be able to make the most of the opportunities ahead and for Welsh businesses to benefit from the freest possible trade as part of a global trading nation. Keir Starmer MP, Labours Shadow Brexit Secretary, commenting on reports that May will trigger Article 50 on March 29, said: Britain is about to embark on the most complex and important negotiations since World War 2, so this a hugely significant moment for the whole country. Theresa May has repeatedly said that she wants to build a national consensus on Brexit, but it is increasingly clear she has failed to do so. Britain is now more divided at home and isolated abroad. It is also extraordinary that the Prime Minister has failed to provide any certainty about her plans for Brexit or to prepare for the clear dangers of not reaching a deal with the EU. Labour will hold the Prime Minister to account all the way, and argue for a Brexit deal that puts jobs, the economy and living standards first. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON A US diplomat has been expelled from New Zealand after the embassy refused to waive his immunity during a police inquiry, a media report said on Monday. The diplomat was allegedly involved in an incident on March 12, but police were unable to question him after the embassy declined their request, the BBC said in the report. New Zealand authorities then asked the US to remove the man, who American officials confirmed left on Saturday. Police were continuing to investigate the incident, which took place just outside capital Wellington. The US embassy in Wellington - which is without a permanent ambassador after former President Barack Obamas appointee was recalled in January - said it did not comment on the specifics of matters under investigation. We take seriously any suggestion that our staff have fallen short of the high standards of conduct expected of US government personnel, it added. The directors of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and National Security Agency will break their public silence on Monday about their investigations into possible links between Russia and President Donald Trumps campaign at a rare open congressional intelligence committee hearing. Representatives Devin Nunes, chairman of the House of Representatives Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, and Adam Schiff, the panels top Democrat, have called FBI Director James Comey and NSA Director Admiral Mike Rogers to testify as part of their committees probe into allegations that Russia meddled in US elections. Other congressional committees also are investigating the matter, mostly behind closed doors. But amid a furore over whether Moscow tried to influence the 2016 presidential race on Trumps behalf, lawmakers said they would make public as much of their probes as possible. Russia denies attempting to influence the election. Comey and Rogers are not expected to reveal much in public about the probes, which include information that is classified Top Secret and also separated into different compartments, each of which requires a separate clearance. But the hearing could become heated as Republicans balance support for their partys leaders and Democrats vent frustration over Republican congressional leaders refusal to appoint a special prosecutor or select committee to investigate. Trump fired his first national security adviser, Michael Flynn, last month after he failed to disclose contacts with Russias ambassador before Trump took office on January 20. Last week, new information surfaced about more than $65,000 that Flynn was paid in 2015 by companies with links to Russia. Attorney General Jeff Sessions, a former senator, recused himself from investigating the matter after it was revealed that he did not answer accurately when he was asked during his confirmation hearing about his contacts with Russian officials during the election. He failed to disclose that, as senator, he had met with Russias ambassador to the United States, Sergey Kislyak. Growing frustration Both Trumps fellow Republicans as well as Democrats in Congress said they were frustrated by what they consider the intelligence communitys failure to provide enough information about any contacts with Russia, as well as Trumps claim, made without evidence, that his predecessor, Democrat Barack Obama, ordered a wiretap of Trump Tower. Schiff said he expected Comey to make clear at Mondays hearing that the allegation was unfounded. I hope that we can put an end to this wild goose chase because what the president said was just patently false, Schiff said on NBCs Meet the Press on Sunday. Nunes said on Fox News Sunday that he was not aware of any warrant that would have allowed such a wiretap. Members of both parties have threatened to subpoena administration officials or delay confirmation hearings for Trumps nominees until their requests for information are answered. Many Democrats also are deeply unhappy with Comey for his handling of an inquiry into Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clintons use of a private email server, especially issuing statements about it shortly before Election Day. When he was asked what the committee expects from the hearing, Jack Langer, a spokesperson for Nunes, gave a substantial list. Were expecting directors Comey and Rogers to shed light on Russias active measures undertaken during the 2016 election campaign, the US governments response, the compilation of the Intelligence Communitys Jan. 6 report on these events, and on related questions concerned possible surveillance on Trump campaign associates and on possible leaks of classified information, he said. The Senate Intelligence Committee has announced a public hearing for March 30. The witness list, titled Disinformation: A Primer on Russian Active Measures and Influence Campaign, does not yet include any government officials. The House committee will hold a second public hearing on March 28 with former US officials, including former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper and former CIA Director John Brennan. T here is something deeply unenticing about the words style and shoestring conjuring images of first-time buyers sitting in new living rooms decorated with student posters, a balding chenille sofa donated by granny and a coffee table clumsily upcycled from wooden pallets. But once a first home has been bought, and stamp duty and solicitors paid, the fact remains that there is unlikely to be much cash left in the kitty to go shopping at SCP for a nice Matthew Hilton flipper table (gorgeous, but RRP 895). However, there are always ways and means of putting your own stamp on a property, whether it is the blank canvas of a modern flat or a do-oer upper with everything wrong with it. Spray paint should be the first item on the first-time buyers DIY shopping list, a fantastic little product for brightening up shabby kitchen cabinets, reviving secondhand furniture and creating blackboard walls. It is cheap and ridiculously simple and even the inept can create a professional finish just be sure to cover up anything you dont want sprayed, and go for several thin coats rather than one thick one. The market leaders in spray paints are PlastiKote and Rust-Oleum, both available from high street DIY and craft stores for less than a tenner a canister. You can use them on anything from tiles to plastic. Rust-Oleums chalkboard paint looks good on walls or furniture (a blackboard kitchen door could also work), while PlastiKotes super gloss in bright red would give a fabulous pop of colour to a kitchen chair. Bright ideas: revive an old chair with Rust-Oleum's metallic paint range Discount Outlets A first-time buyers little black book also ought to contain details of furniture discount outlets most buy discontinued stock or returns and sell them on at rock-bottom prices. Trade Secret in Adderbury, Oxfordshire, has a huge warehouse and a particularly good range of beds and sofas, while Frank Hudson Outlet in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire is strong on dining tables and chairs. A trip to Swindon is made worthwhile by a visit to John Lewiss outlet. Innes in Hessle, East Yorkshire (but with a good website) is the place to hunt down classic brands such as Magis, Vitra and B&B Italia at much less than regular price. Most outlets dont throw in delivery, which is where Shiply.com comes in. A brilliantly simple concept if you need an item delivered, and a bonus for eBay addicts, you just register and post what you want moved and where you want it moved to. Companies, all vetted, then bid for the job and the deals they offer are usually a lot cheaper than better known couriers. Briefly on the subject of auctions, dont forget about old-fashioned auction houses when it comes to furnishing your new home. Sites such as the-saleroom.com give access to catalogues of dozens of sales every week. If you like your furniture vintage or industrial and dont mind taking a bit of a gamble there are no returns at auctions you can pick up some magnificent bargains. All-Powerful IKEA No discussion of how to furnish on the cheap would be complete without a mention of Ikea. The retro lines of the Lillasen desk are still on trend, and its slender dimensions (just under 20 inches wide) mean it will fit into a tiny space. It is made of bamboo and looks a lot more expensive than its 115 price tag. HomeSense, the sister brand to discount fashion store TK Maxx, is a fantastic trove of designer homewares its furniture is slightly peculiar, but it is great for designer bedding, kitchen kit, and crockery at serious discounts. Tesco has upped its interiors game considerably and is worth a look. Its classic tub chair in teal would provide a pop of colour in a bedroom or living room, for 89. Its Miami coffee table in white is simple and stylish and wont break the bank at 50. And the high-gloss butlers tray table in summery sky blue could be used as a bedside table, in the living room, or even to hold bathroom kit (35). Lighter life: This butler's tray table, 37 from Tesco, could make a great bedside table Wayfair has a massive collection of lighting to choose from and the simple clean lines of Eglos Rondo 1 globe pendant lights (from 23.99) would look good with a traditional or a contemporary scheme and has the look of designer brand Flos without the price tag. Finally, La Redoute isnt all about sensible work outfits. The French catalogue company does furniture and its good quality rugs are excellent value. The Afaw shaggy rug has a traditional Berber colour scheme and a hand-made look. From just 99, it is the perfect cover up for that grotty old carpet you will replace one day. We recently launched a research study "The impacts of staff turnover on a hotel's Income Statement" which revealed that a 30% voluntary staff turnover rate could cause a potential loss of AED 8 million on the top-line and AED 6 million on the bottom-line. If your hotel is experiencing high number of departing staff, it would be advisable to take a step back to review your people strategy. Based on our field and secondary research, we have come up with four critical strategies that can help to solve or limit this alarming issue. Strategy I: Apply correct recruitment strategy The key to reducing staff turnover starts with recruiting the most suitable employees for the positions available, emphasising the importance of identifying the correct fit. In order to do so, the HR department will need to establish a comprehensive recruitment process to screen each candidate carefully and understand their skill set as well as their suitability for the role. An interviewer should challenge the candidate by asking situational questions to examine their problem-solving skills, cross-checking for references and asking them questions related to the hotel brand to analyse their understanding of the company's approach to business. The HR department should ensure the salary package offered to candidates meets market rates. HR professionals should assess the market and take into account the changing expectations of employees in the digital age, in order to develop new and effective HR practices. Our interviews with the hospitality experts revealed that large international hotel groups successfully attract talent through the implementation of succession planning programmes. These hotel groups present potential employees with a path for long-term career development, which is a primary concern for young graduates. They also nurture existing talent by creating fair competition for promotion which helps to boost motivation and loyalty among employees. Succession planning reduces the need for basic training, as promoted staff already appreciate the brand's strengths and operational processes, and therefore actively embrace greater responsibility. Strategy II: Improve training, learning & development programs Our research revealed that one of the main factors that improves a company's ability to attract top talent and avoid staff's intention to leave is the provision of customised training programmes that support professional development. Staff training programmes can be costly. Hoteliers may contemplate the risk of investing in career development for employees who then resign; however, retaining employees whose skills have not been cultivated may have repercussions in the future. It is generally agreed that all employees should have access to basic training in order to promote an understanding of the brand, its values, protocols and standards. It is imperative to note that training programmes can be expensive hence the recruitment process needs to be designed and executed correctly to minimise the risk of employing unfit candidates, who will add further costs in this respect. It is also important for customer-facing employees to be trained to communicate with clients in a professional manner. Training staff to deliver a consistent brand message and effectively and efficiently deal with complaints will improve overall customer satisfaction. Another advantage in crafting effective training, learning and development programs is that promising talent is typically identified during training exercises. From then, the best talent should be offered extensive training to further their career development. In regards to training programmes, forward-thinking companies have implemented creative and easy-to-use online portals and video-sharing systems. This includes building internal knowledge sharing programmes and developing mobile apps that provide employees real-time access to training modules. However, these services may not appeal to all staff members. Hence, it is then critical to involve managers, who know their employees best, to help develop training programmes that cater most effectively to their requirements. Despite the costs associated with training and development programmes, from a hotel asset manager's perspective, it has been demonstrated that the benefit of reducing staff turnover outweighs the costs of such programmes. Employees with a willingness and enthusiasm to learn are more likely to demonstrate higher levels of productivity. Strategy III: Rethink organisational structure The top-down hierarchical corporate structure is gradually becoming obsolete as a business model across all industries. The bureaucratic nature of hierarchical organisations may demotivate creative employees. In a dynamic hotel environment, it is important management nurtures and encourages creative talent. Hotel executives must at all times be transparent in their dealings with employees. Management should brief staff about annual budgets and ensure each team member understands their department's Profit & Loss accounts. It is important to infer the notion of ownership and accountability to individual employees so they embrace their role in meeting departmental targets. Secondly, communication should be simplified as much as possible, flattening the chain of command and eliminating bottlenecks. Strategy IV: Rethink the HR Management Role There is a long-standing misconception that HR Management largely assumes an administrative role. Ulrich (1997) coined the term 'administrative expert' whereby operational effectiveness or output is their main goal. This perception of the HR department is still considered purely administrative; that is, that they are responsible for meeting government regulations and ensuring overall compliance with their organisation's internal policies. HR department should be the ambassador of the brand to potential candidates. HR departments should focus on investing in talent management schemes and learning and development programmes, aside from handling administrative work such as visa applications, procedures for recruitment and termination, and arranging staff accommodation, transportation and insurance. The HR manager is an organisational architect who is responsible for ensuring operational structures are designed in a way that meets both the company's and employees' needs. Such models promote stronger performances in the workforce and a higher Return on Investment (ROI) for the company. Based on Deloitte University Press's recent publication "The Global Human Capital Trends 2016", skills in the following areas are required: Organisational networks to analyse, build and develop the existing talent and expertise. Team-building and team-leader develop potential team leaders who can later develop people. Employee engagement and culture Understand the current culture at the hotel and propose improvements to the workplace culture. Analytics and Statistics HR professionals must be proactive in studying the market trends and embracing changes. Mee suggested that HR must be proactive in benchmarking them with the market KPIs. Crafting experience HR professionals are the brand ambassadors. They need to find the most effective way to communicate brand value to current and potential employees. HR professionals employ a range of tools and KPIs to measure the overall performance of their company's workforce. HR functions should take a holistic approach to Human Capital analytics and spend time seeking to understand the impact, correlation and causation of HR metrics on overall business performance. Multi-dimensional analysis is critical if organisations are going to extract value from workforce insights in general the best approach is to try to focus efforts on helping to understand and solve specific business problems. In general, within the hospitality industry, it makes sense to focus key efforts on specific workforce clusters that are guest or customer facing as trends within these groups (e.g. recruitment and Attrition, Engagement levels, Productivity, Learning & Development, Reward & Recognition etc.) are more likely to have a direct impact on revenues and customer advocacy. To download our research, please click on the following link: http://www.hospitalitynet.org/news/global/154001038/4081228.html Lucca Martin Manzano Asset Analyst +971 4 455 0100 TFG Asset Management View source the exchanges MTS is much more than a typical networking event. MTS is well established as the premier North American meeting place for the worldwide mountain travel industry where resort representatives meet in a single location with a wide range of mountain vacation suppliers, buyers and vendors from around the world. The FORUM The most important presentation of mountain travel thought leadership content is happening April 11 and 12, 2018 at Mountain Travel Symposium. This event is organized by Mountain Travel Symposium For more information please contact Mountain Travel Symposium +1(949) 457-1545 x122 Amidst a backdrop of European and international political and economic uncertainty, delegates gathered to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the International Hotel Investment Forum (IHIF) from 6-8thMarch at the Hotel InterContinental Berlin, Germany. Overall the mood of the industry was optimistic, albeit cautious, as all indicators pointed to generally strong appetite and demand. Roger Bootle, Chairman of Capital Economics opened his economic overview saying "the world economy was set reasonably fair." Whilst the attitude of the industry was hesitant, delegates joined together to celebrate 20 years of IHIF in style with multiple networking opportunities throughout the event creating a light-hearted yet productive atmosphere. New for 2017, the opening night reception, incorporating IHIF's 20th birthday party, took place amongst the exhibition stands and provided guests with a culinary tour of tastes from around the world. Musicians and entertainers reflected the geographical origins of the food and culture and created a fun and unique environment. The industry leading programme had been crafted to include both a retrospective look at the previous 20 years of the hospitality industry as well as a look at emerging and future trends as the speakers and audience looked forward to the next 20 years. IHIF continues to be the preferred platform to announce breaking news to the hotel investment community and the latest news stories from IHIF 2017 can be found here. Notable announcements included IHG stating that it has signed eight new hotels to the Holiday Inn & Holiday Inn Express brand in Germany and Hilton's news that they had passed the milestone of 100,000 rooms trading across its Europe, Middle East & Africa portfolio. The combination of such a broad delegate reach with the positioning of a deal announcing platform continues to attract numerous sponsors, representing a wide variety of sectors across the industry. The event welcomed several new sponsors for its 20th anniversary year. Turning to the takeaways from the conference, technology remains a significant focus for the hotel brands; accurate implementation, efficient analysis and productive use. Several speakers commented on how technology "enabled you to own the guest". Further key themes emerging from this year's industry leading event included the continued prominence of alternative accommodation providers, like hostels and Airbnb, who were pushing the hotel sector to adapt as the traditional boundaries blur. AccorHotels CEO Sebastien Bazin said during his keynote speech that "these were the companies that the industry needs to watch; they are very good and what they are doing is legitimate". A refreshingly realistic attitude perhaps and in contrast to those previously heard dismissing new entrants to the sector. Another noteworthy point, frequently repeated throughout the event, was the similarity between a brand and an OTA in terms of the restrictions, costs and stipulations on a hotel. Cody Bradshaw, Senior Vice President and Head of European Hotels at Starwood Capital said during his panel, "in the next 20 years something has got to give the brand fees are not that different to the OTA fees." Innovation and differentiation remain vital to survival and success in this fast moving, consumer lead age. Every brand discussed and showcased new concepts, ideas and formats to entice customers to experience their brand. Tess Pearson, Event Director, Questex Hospitality Group, hosts of IHIF commented, "we are thrilled with the success of the 20th IHIF. We continually refresh and adapt the format of the event to excite delegates and will continue to provide the best in class hotel investment conference as long as there is appetite and demand for such an event. The feedback from this year's event certainly implies there is a strong need for a face to face meeting platform for the community and we look forward to launching IHIF 2018 next year." For more information and to register for IHIF visit www.berlinconference.com. Continue to follow IHIF on Twitter @IHIF_News and use #IHIF2017 to stay up to date with the latest news from the leading annual meeting place for the industry. Also find us on Facebook and join our LinkedIn group for industry insight and discussion. About Questex Questex Hospitality Group, a division of Questex LLC, represents a senior audience of $650 billion in hotel assets, reaching one in two hotel owners and operators across the globe. With a portfolio of both media and live events, including Hospitality Insights , The Annual Hotel Conference (AHC) , The International Hospitality Investment Forum (IHIF) , and The Resort & Residential Hospitality Forum (R&R) , Questex Hospitality Group brings together leaders in hospitality investment, development and operations to make the deals that shape recovery and growth in the sector. Advisory Board members are consulted regularly to shape the content and direction of IHIF to keep it being the most productive and engaging event for hospitality investment. The IHIF 2022 Advisory Board features senior leaders from global hotel brands including Accor, IHG, Marriott, Radisson and Melia, alongside representatives from hospitality real estate and investment such as PPHE Hotel Group, Deutsche Hospitality, Invesco, Bain Capital Credit and BNP Paribas Real Estate. To find out more about the IHIF 2022 Advisory Board, visit https://www.ihif.com/ihifcom/advisory-board Emily Newman Communications and Content Manager +44 (0)7771 686202 Questex 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 House-museum of Mikael Aramyants to be renovated On March 19, Prime Minister Karen Karapetyan made a working trip to Lori Marz. The Prime Minister first traveled to Akhtala, where he called at the house of renowned public figure, philanthropist Mikael Aramyants, which on December 15, 2016 was put on the list of Armenias historical and cultural monuments. The home-museum has been granted the status of cultural and historical monument. The Prime Minister went around the site next to the house to get acquainted with the mansions state. An agreement has been reached with Head of Tashir charitable foundation Vahe Karapetyan on the restoration of the home-museum. Karen Karapetyan expressed conviction that the mansion will become an important tourist hub. We agreed with Vahe Karapetyan to start a program to restore the house of Mikael Aramyants, which has a specific architectural style. It is a delightful structure. I am sure that the mansion can become an interesting tourist center and a visiting card of Akhtala, the Prime Minister said. Then Karen Karapetyan was introduced to the programs aimed at the accelerated development of Akhtala, featuring tourism, infrastructure development, a multifunctional center, as well as the construction of the French Quarter, which will feature guest houses and restaurants offering French-style facilities. The project is estimated at 3 billion drams. Highlighting the need for Akhtalas development, Karen Karapetyan said to be looking forward to getting a substantive action plan and consistent efforts from the head of Akhtala community concerning both the Government and the private sector. The Premier next visited the newly-built preschool center after Amalia Karapetyan in Stepanavan, which will be commissioned this March 29. The Head of Government toured the pre-school establishment getting acquainted with the amenities. The center is furnished with the necessary equipment and inventory. To implement the program, Tashir charitable foundation has invested about USD 1 million. Note that 5 similar preschool institutions are being built in Lori Marz of Armenia. The Head of Government visited the construction site of Vanadzor hospital complex to inspect the construction process. The Prime Minister was told that the hospital compound is scheduled for completion in late 2017. To implement the program, AMD 3,700 million has been allocated from the State budget, with AMD 1,200 million made available by Tashir charitable foundation for construction of a maternity ward. The Head of Government stressed the importance of creating modern medical centers in the regions and providing high-quality services to the population. Karen Karapetyan next visited Gloria clothing factory in Vanadzor, where he got acquainted with the companys products, exports and development programs. Gloria is equipped with high-quality German and Japanese equipment, which makes it possible to produce high-quality branded jackets. The company management briefed the Prime Minister on their development programs. They said that the factory currently provides some 800 jobs with an average salary of 90-110 thousand drams. Glorias products are exported to Italy and Germany. RA Government Its been over 5 months since Kim Kardashians traumatic robbery in Paris. Details of the kidnapping scheme in which Kardashian was held at gunpoint in her rented apartment have trickled out in the time since the event, however, we have yet to hear a complete first-hand account from Kim. On Sunday nights episode of Keeping Up With The Kardashians, Kim will share her story with the world for the first time. She has shared a few words on Instagram in advance of the sure-to-be-emotional recollection. View her statement below. Tonights episode is going to be very tough for me. However, I thought it was important to share this story through my eyes & not in an interview where my own words could be twisted. I have always shared so much & Im not going to hold back when this was probably one of the most life changing experiences for me. I would never wish this experience upon anyone, but have learned some valuable lessons & feel so blessed to be safe home with my babies & husband. To my friends, family, and loved ones I cant thank you enough for being there when I needed you the most. To the French police, thank you for your incredible hard work. *This was our last family photo taken in Paris As mentioned in the above text, Kim shared a photo of her family along with the caption. In January, we saw a clip from Kims tearful retelling of her experience. Watch it here. The episode is set to air at 9PM EST Sunday night on E! Kim Kardashian A third installment of Jordan Brands Wings collection is in the works. Following in the footsteps of the Wings Air Jordan 2 and the Wings Air Jordan 12 is this premium Air Jordan 1 which strays from the black and white colorways of the aforementioned sneakers. The upcoming quickstrike Air Jordan 1 features an aged gold and black upper as well as special edition branding inspired by Michael Jordans iconic Wings poster on the tongue and heel. Release details have yet to be announced but rumors suggest this pair of 1s wont come cheap. Take a closer look at the premium Wings Air Jordan 1 below and stay tuned for more release details. Wings AJ1 Northern Irish band Malojian documented their intensive recording sessions for their new album This Is Nowhere over the course of four days. You can watch the full-length documentary from those sessions here. Featuring legendary recording engineer, Steve Albini, Document: A Film About Malojian captures the energy of a band at the top of their game as they rush to complete their album, This Is Nowhere, in just four days. Filmed at the Electrical Audio studio in Chicago in early 2016, director Colm Laverty's fly-on-the-wall approach gives an intimate look at the veritable art of analogue recording, and provides an entertaining look into the process of making music. This is Nowhere is available here: malojian.bandcamp.com Malojian will play at Derry's Nerve Centre on Saturday, March 25, at 8.00pm. Advertisement Watch the full documentary here: Round one of the competition for dominance in the crude oil market is over, let the crux of the battle begin. The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, which produces a third of the world's oil, is out of easy tricks to sell as much oil as they want at a price that meets their revenue needs. Their nemesis? U.S. shale companies. Enough shale companies have survived the crucible of low prices that they are coming back strong. The fact that OPEC is limiting production now to keep prices from going down is giving them hope, even if the promise is really quite tenuous. The contest is for share of the crude oil market, which has not grown as quickly as most experts expected. Unable to cooperate, oil producers are facing a battle of attrition to see who can suffer the most and stay in business. Can shale really make money at current prices? Will OPEC allow U.S. crude exports to erode their market share or let prices drop even lower? This new round started two weeks ago, when oil prices declined 10 percent. The international benchmark dropped below OPEC's desired range on news of increased U.S. production and stubbornly high inventories. The international benchmark settled at $51.78 on Friday afternoon, just barely above OPEC's $50 goal. That's because U.S. oil companies have been bragging about how they've cut their production costs more than 30 percent since Saudi Arabia allowed the crude price to collapse on Thanksgiving Day 2014. That surprise move was intended to put shale drillers out of business and protect Saudi's market share, but it didn't do the job Saudi can produce crude cheaper than just about anyone else, but oil is also the country's primary source of income. In order to allow crude prices to float freely, at one point down to $29 a barrel, the government burned through it's foreign reserves and borrowed heavily. Last December, OPEC decided that low prices were taking too high a toll on its member countries and negotiated a deal with national oil companies around the world to take 1.2 million barrels off the market. Prices jumped back above $50, and OPEC ministers had high hopes for $60. While the OPEC strategy bankrupted more than 150 shale drillers, many survived. And bankruptcy is often just a purgatory for oil companies, one from which they can emerge after finding new financiers as many have done. Traders sent prices higher on news of the OPEC deal, at least for a while. The move was in anticipation of a drop in the record amount of crude in storage and the continued depression in America's shale oil fields. Neither has come to pass. "The crude inventory overhang relative to last year continues to be the most worrisome," said Anthony Starkey, manager of energy analysis, Platts Analytics, the forecasting and analytics unit of S&P Global Platts. "More time is needed to see whether the OPEC supply cuts will be sufficient in rebalancing markets in the first half of this year." To get ahead of any rebalancing, shale drillers are hiring more rigs to begin drilling again, adding 21 on Friday alone. My colleague David Hunn reports that U.S. companies will boost spending by $25 billion in 2017. Shale company executives have said they are confident they can make money within the OPEC range of $50-$60 and increase production. That has clearly frustrated the Saudi energy minister, who doesn't want any new production coming online. "Certainly, I have made clear that the excessive production that I saw coming out of shale three, four years ago cannot be absorbed by the global market," Minister Khalid Al-Falih told Bloomberg. "We will see what levels of production are. We hope they will be manageable." This is exactly the scenario the Saudis wanted to avoid. They worried that if they cut production to raise prices, others would simply produce more to fill the void. Those extra barrels wipe out OPEC's ability to set prices and ultimately lowers revenue because they've lost market share. As long as inventories are high, and shale drillers keep adding wells, prices are unlikely to go much higher. The real risk is that they could go lower if OPEC doesn't renew the current quotas when they meet again May 25. Will OPEC ministers see shale production go up and decide that production cuts will only lead to lost market share? If OPEC lifts its quota's we will almost certainly see $40 oil again. That's a real dilemma for Saudi Arabia, which hopes to sell stock in its national oil company next year. Since the value of an oil company is directly related to the price of oil, low prices mean a lower valuation. But if given a choice between losing market share and delaying the stock sale, a delay could make more sense. Like any good competition, there is no way to predict how this game will play out. The oil sector is extraordinarily complex and subject to geopolitical risks, not just economic ones. But that's why it's such a fun business to analyze, and an extraordinary one to invest in. There is a hurricane in the future of Galveston Bay that all the researchers studying these huge storms fear. That storm sends a 25-foot or higher surge into the Ship Channel, causing the collapse or destruction of oil and hazardous substance storage tanks and spewing this mess into Galveston Bay and adjacent neighborhoods. Jen Powis recently wrote a piece wherein she challenged industry to build their own protective devices, such as walls or dikes around their facilities, using their own money, taking care of their own problems. In a response, Bill King criticized Ms. Powis on several different grounds, urging instead that we should support the Ike Dike. I am an environmentalist who has fought throughout my career to protect Galveston Bay. I now find myself arguing that structural intervention of some type is needed to protect industry, because the oil and hazardous substances that would be spilled from a foreseeable storm event would likely destroy Galveston Bay and cause the worst environmental disaster in United States history. We might need to risk damage to Galveston Bay from surge suppression alternatives in order to save Galveston Bay from a chemical disaster, and to save the region, if not the country, from an economic disaster. Nevertheless, just because I support structural interventions within the bay does not mean that I think we should jump into a solution without adequate information. We need to know the environmental impact of the Ike Dike, as well as other protection alternatives, such as the Mid-Bay Gate/coastal spine alternative or the Centennial Gate (a proposal to protect primarily the Ship Channel industries) before we make any decisions. We need to make this important infrastructure commitment with a full understanding of all costs economic and environmental as well as all benefits, and we do not currently have such information. More by Jen Powis: Are we asking the right questions about the Ike Dike? Ms. Powis and others have every right to know whether it is feasible to ask industry to protect themselves as one of these intervention alternatives. We should all want to know that answer. In fact, we should demand it. Public discussion and debate is healthy. We, as a community, must have an honest discussion of these alternatives and their impacts before any decision is made to build one or another. We need to know how well these structures protect us during a reasonable worst case storm with a 20-foot surge at the coast and a 25-foot surge in the channel. There is enough water in Galveston Bay to flood Clear Lake and Galveston even if the Ike Dike is built. What do we plan to do about that contingency? Will the Ike Dike or other alternatives interfere with circulation and salinity in Galveston Bay? Will it cause a loss of our wetlands due to changes in the daily tides? Will it interfere with fish or shellfish migration from the bay to the Gulf and back again? Where will the levees proposed to be built on Galveston Island and the Bolivar Peninsula actually be located? In front of beach houses? Where the roads currently are? Or somewhere else? No one seems to know these answers, yet there is talk of a "consensus" on the Ike Dike. It is critical to have these issues and impacts fully vetted before a decision is made to go forward on any alternative. It is not good engineering practice to push adoption of an alternative without full information and a thorough public discussion, yet that seems to be happening. The worst thing that could happen to our region is that legitimate public concerns and discussion would be squelched in our zeal for immediate action. New Orleans after Katrina was able to move quickly to address major problems, such as damming up the infamous Mississippi River Gulf Outlet (MRGO) and repairing broken levees, because there were no environmental disputes about the preferred plan. Currently, that is not the case in the Houston-Galveston community. This issue of surge protection is too important to rush to decision. The work to date on surge protection has taken a lot of time because this work is difficult. We are close to having answers to our most difficult issues, but we are not there yet. It will take another year or maybe two to get those answers, and a decade or two to build anything. Ms. Powis has every right to challenge industry and the Ike Dike, the mid-bay or any other plan. Her voice needs to be heard. And so does Mr. King's, and mine, and yours. Jim Blackburn is an environmental lawyer and co-director of the SSPEED Center at Rice University. Bookmark Gray Matters. We are close to having answers to our most difficult issues, but we are not there yet. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Sometimes I sit alone in my home, when everyone else is gone and the dog is asleep. My arms reach out as far as they can and I rub my thumb and index finger back and forth. I test myself: Can I hear anything? Sure, I look like a crazy person, but like I said, its just me and the dog. I do this to imagine what my daughters life is like: Three years ago she was born with hearing loss. Since then, my wife Stephanie and I have fretted about just how much she can hear, if Itcapital I, pregnant pauseis getting worse and how that impacts our daughter. While I sit there perfectly still, the low hum of the air conditioner turns on and I hear the rumble of a UPS truck coming down the street. Modern people may crave peace and quiet, but that little bit of noise is valuable information: I need to call the AC guy for a tune-up and Im about to get a new pair of shoes. Heard but unseen information is even more important at work (an announcement from a coworker down the hall; a whispered comment in a big meeting). Of course, it is most paramount at school. In a blink of an eye, our daughter will enter kindergarten, and we expect her to be the most amazing student ever. Inevitably the teacher will say something softly in story time or not be directly in front of her. Will she fall behind? Will that stop her from getting into college? Will that stop her from fulfilling her dreams? The concerns go from zero to 60 pretty fast for us. Like all parents, we want the best future for our child. We first learned that there might be an issue when, in the hospital, Iris failed her newborn hearing screening. In 1999, Texas was an early adopter of the newborn hearing screening test. The state recognized that early detection of hearing loss is vital. Kids who are hard of hearing fall behind in school, require more special education, have higher rates of depression, dementia, drop out of high school at more than twice the national average, and on and on. Early intervention is crucial. The initial weeks and days of having a baby are filled with sleeplessness, overwhelming happiness, sometimes depression, visits from family and friends, piercing cries and thousands of diaper changes. For these reasonsand the fact that nothing is visibly an issuea majority of families never return for this critical second appointment. But my wife, Stephanie, is incredibly proactive. At a follow-up test, we received confirmation that the screening's results weren't an error or amniotic fluid stuck in Iris's canals: The loss was permanent and in both ears. Stephanie stepped into high gear. At five weeks old, Iris had her first speech-therapy appointment; she was one of the youngest patients the therapist had seen. At six weeks old, she received a loaner pair of hearing aids from the Center for Hearing and Speech. She was one of the youngest patients they'd ever fitted. We were fortunate: The loaners were funded by a grant. Shockingly, Texas doesn't require insurance companies to cover hearing aids. Most carriers consider them "cosmetic" or "elective." Children's hearing aids can be a huge financial burden on young families: They cost up to $6,000 per pair and must be replaced every three to five years. (Currently, only one insurance plan in Texas covers hearing aids, and that one, only up to $1,000 per ear.) I wonder: How many hearing children choose to wear hearing aids because of style? And what parent would consider a hearing aid a fun little splurge? Great gift! The truth is this: Hearing aids are Iris lifeline to the world. And because of the financial burden, too many other Texas children go without them. THE COMBINATION of amplification and early intervention is serving Iris well. Recently, right after her third birthday, she tested as having the expressive language skills of a 4.7-year-old. Thats a 4.7-year-old hearing child. Were proud of her. Were happy. But were also angry. Similar outcomes could and should be possible for every child with hearing lossand would be, if not for the prohibitive cost of hearing aids. Our state and legislators have an opportunity to fix this problem this year by passing Senate Bill 552 and House Bill 490. These bills would finally require insurance companies to cover hearing aids and cochlear implants for kids. In the past two legislations, similar bills didnt get very far. This time, the only opposition seems to be from the Texas Association of Business, a powerful lobby that has the ear (so to speak) of many lawmakers. The Texas Association of Business's opposition is puzzling to us: It seems inconsistent with the group's other positions. For instance, the association supports increasing choice of health care plans, so that consumers are able to choose plans that maximize benefits. The group also supports education that mov[es] students from minimum expectations to maximum achievement. Additionally, they want to keep taxes low. By providing hearing aids, Texas would not only enable each childs success but could save up to $420,000 per student in special-education costs. So on what basis does the Texas Association of Business oppose the legislation? It has a blanket policy to oppose all mandates that raise premium prices. How much would would your premiums go up if this were to go through? About $3. Per year. Can you spare some change? Im not an economist, but the cost-benefit analysis for Texans seems plain. Its time to let all Texans hear. Even the littlest ones. For more information and/or to contact your representatives, please visit www.lettexashear.org. Michael Wachs lives in Houston. Bookmark Gray Matters. It has the expressive-language skills of a 4.7-year-old. While thousands of people were in Houston this week to talk about the future of the energy industry, renown climate scientist Katharine Hayhoe was in town talking about the future of our planet. People tend to listen to Hayhoe, because she's got some serious scientific chops. In addition to running the Climate Science Center at Texas Tech, she has served as a lead author on the second and third U.S. National Climate Assessments. These are much-vetted, influential reports that pull from the best climate science available and help shape U.S. policy. Her work has appeared in more than 120 peer-reviewed publications, and she has worked with cities across the nation on climate-change plans. The wife of a pastor, a proud evangelical Christian, Hayhoe has become a go-to figure on climate change, appearing with celebrities like Leonardo DiCaprio and Don Cheadle in a Showtime series about climate change. Today, she stars in a popular PBS digital series "Global Weirding." She's so in demand that it was quite a coup that the Houston Advanced Research Center landed her for its People and Nature Lecture Series on Wednesday. Prior to her lecture at the Houston Museum of Fine Arts, Hayhoe sat down with the Houston Chronicle to talk about a number of things, from Houston's recent flooding to proposed budget cuts to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. And she explains why she's still optimistic about finding solutions to our climate challenge during the Trump administration. Q: Over the past couple of years, Houston has been slammed by these epic flooding events. Thankfully, no hurricanes. A lot of people, while they acknowledge that Houston historically floods, have started to link these events to climate change. Is that an appropriate thing to do? A: The number one question people ask when there's an extreme event is "Is this climate change or is this natural?" But that's a very binary question. Is it black or white? Yes or No? The answer is that human-induced climate change has irrevocably altered the background conditions of our atmosphere. And so everything that happens now has some component of climate change. The question is now, how much? If we turn the clock back 100 years, would the chances of having these heavy rainfalls be significantly less? We know that - at the national scale - heavy precipitation events are increasing as a result of human-induced climate change. We know that because of simple physics. In a warmer world, water evaporates faster. So when a storm comes along, there's a lot more water vapor sitting up there in the atmosphere that can be picked up and dumped on us than there would have been 50 to 100 years ago. Exactly what percentage of the rain during those storms is due to climate change? That's a much more difficult question to answer. But we know that it is somewhere between 0 and 100 percent. In other words, if we would have had this exact same storm 100 years ago, there would have been less precipitation associated with it. And furthermore, the analogy I would use is this: Someone has a heart attack. They go to their doctor, and say, "Was the cause genetics or lifestyle?" And the doctor says, well, it was probably a little bit of both. Right? Because unless you come from a family where every single person has had a heart attack, or unless you lived a lifestyle that was obviously, completely unhealthy, for most of us, our heart risk is a combination of genetics and lifestyle. So just because our genetics might predispose us to a heart attack, it doesn't mean that our lifestyle doesn't make a difference. It does. Houston has always been at risk from "genetic" heavy rainfall and hurricanes, but climate change is increasing the risk because of our lifestyle choices we make, such as how we get our energy or how much impervious surfaces and pavement we put down. Q: What does the best available climate science tell us about the near-term future, say a 10-to-50-year time frame, for Houston and other coastal communities if we do nothing to limit greenhouse gas emissions? A: What's going to happen over the next 10 to 20 years is already locked in by a large extent. It's kind of like if you smoked for 50 years and quit today, you will still experience the accumulated years of impact from those 50 years of smoking. Now, should continue smoking? No, stopping has a benefit. But even if we had a magic switch to turn off all our carbon emissions today, we would still experience almost the exact same impact over the next 10 to 20 years. So there's a certain amount of change we have to prepare for because we cannot erase our past lifestyle choices. Once we go further out than about 20 or 30 years, then the impact of the choices that we make today become incredibly obvious. We know that sea level is rising. Is it going to rise 2 feet, 4 feet, or 6 feet? Part of that uncertainty range depends on the choices that we make today. We know that hurricanes are getting stronger because they get their energy from warm ocean water. How much stronger are hurricanes going to be in the future? It depends on how much the ocean heats up, which depends on how much carbon we release. So, the future is really in our hands long-term, but short-term the next 10 to 20 years we will continue to see change regardless of the lifestyle choices we make in terms of carbon emissions. Q: Over the weekend, it was reported that the Trump administration is proposing pretty significant cuts to NOAA. I believe the agency is facing a 22 percent cut and its Office of Ocean and Atmospheric Research is facing a 26 percent cut. There are significant cuts also being discussed for NOAA's satellite programs, coastal management and resilience programs. Can you discuss how climate scientists use this kind of data that NOAA produces? A: Well, the number one use of the satellite data is for weather forecasting, which has an incredible economic and financial value. I, not as a scientist but as a human, think it is absolutely foolish to cut our weather prediction ability. What do satellite observations tell us? They tell us where the hurricanes are, which is kind of important for Houston, right? They give us the input to our models to tell us where they're going to go. It just doesn't make economic sense. There is great economic benefits to knowing where hurricanes are, understanding our weather patterns, monitoring things like heat, drought, things that affect our agriculture, our water, our safety...Why on earth would you want to understand less not more? And that's just the weather. From a climate perspective, we need long, continuous records to understand how the climate system is changing. We can't just take snapshots, one this year, one last year, one 10 years ago and track that through time. Q: In most of your speeches, you express optimism that we can fix the climate challenges coming our way. But some of the recent appointments that President Trump has made, or his appointees have made, are people who are climate skeptics or climate deniers. Do you still feel optimistic? A: First of all, I would say that skeptic is someone who can be persuaded by actual facts or evidence, and there aren't that many of them around. There are many more of what I call dismissives. A dismissive is a fair word, because it isn't loaded and it's extremely accurate. A dismissive person will dismiss any piece of evidence which they're presented. And that characterizes many of the people we have in power today. Here's the thing, though. Let's look at the last eight years. What progress was made, and what did we actually accomplish? To put a number on it, I would say about 90 percent of the forward progress that's been made in the United States over the last eight years was made below the federal level. Yes, the Clean Power Plan was crafted, but not really put into action. It only takes us one baby step down the road to our Paris commitments. Over the past eight years, Texas has gone to 12 percent wind, and on peak days, we're up to 43 percent. Solar energy prices are dropping exponentially. China and India are actually taking over as global leaders in the clean energy economy as well as meeting their climate targets. Then there's industry. I'm thinking of Elon Musk's Tesla powerwall and solar shingles. Cities are taking action, and cities are where most of us live. There is incredible innovation happening. So even over the past eight years, with a president who was trying to do everything he could, it wasn't that much. But I am very concerned about the continuity of records, number one, and I'm also very concerned about some of the very short-term impacts of ceasing to adequately monitor weather, which has serious health and safety impacts, of ceasing to adequately monitor air and water pollution, which has immediate health impacts, especially to children, and the elderly, people who are most vulnerable. I am extremely concerned about those issues, because I think that's where we will see the suffering almost instantaneously when regulations are rolled back or monitoring ceases. Q: What is the best advice you could give someone who is talking to a climate change skeptic. A: Good question. If we look at people's opinion on climate, the most accurate way to look at is the Six Americas of Global Warming. It's a program out of Yale that puts people in six different groups depending on their perspectives about climate change. At one end, you have people who are dismissive. They're often the loudest ones we hear who are saying it's not real, it's a hoax, scientists don't know anything. It's not true. Now, they're only 10 percent of the population. After them, we have a bigger group of people. They're doubtful. Doubtful people are willing to listen and talk about it. Then we have people who are disengaged. They think there's nothing we can do so why even talk about it? And then, one of the biggest groups is people who are cautious. They might think I'm all about preventing risk, but I'm not sure what to do about it. So when speaking to people who are doubtful, disengaged or cautious, the most important thing that I have learned is don't start with the science. Don't end with the science, either. Because when we begin by just going through facts and data and information, we automatically just check out. The biggest thing I've learned is, first of all, spend some time with the person, whether it's a family member, or a neighbor, or a colleague. Spend some time getting to know them and what makes them tick. Where are their concerns? Where are their values? Where does their heart lie? What are the things they already care about? Because I have found, it is incredibly rare to find someone that doesn't already have some core value that we can't directly connect to climate change. It's just a question of figuring out what that value is. Do they care about the economy? Let's tell them how many jobs the clean energy economy creates here in Texas. Do they care about national defense? Let's talk about what the military thinks about climate change. Do they care about birding? Do they care about hunting? Do they care about fishing? Do they care about some outdoor activity? Do they care about stewardship? Do they care about the poor and disadvantaged? Do they care about their child who has asthma. You can see where I'm going. Start with something you can genuinely identify with and share. Then, connect the dots why climate change is exacerbating the concern you already have. But don't stop there. Always talk about a solution you have. Because social science has shown that when we talk about a problem, whether that's saving for retirement, weight loss, any problem we talk about without having a solution, our human reaction is to deny the reality of the problem if we don't feel like we can be part of the solution. In Texas, we have some many good examples. We have Fort Hood that's going renewable, saving $168 million dollars in taxpayer money. We have Georgetown going all green. We have our wind energy economy growing by leaps and bounds. We have solar at about the same price as natural gas and dropping every day. We have enough wind and solar potential in Texas to supply the whole country with electricity. So there's so many things you can talk about. WASHINGTON Eyeing a takedown of Ted Cruz, U.S. Rep. Beto O'Rourke may be on the verge of declaring his candidacy for a 2018 Senate race, the next best gauge whether Texas Democrats are enjoying the resurgence they claim. O'Rourke, D-El Paso, made national news last week along with U.S. Rep. Will Hurd, R-San Antonio, when they drove together to Washington in a rental car after an East Coast storm canceled many flights. Their "bipartisan congressional town hall," intended to show how members of different political parties can get along, drew thousands of followers via live streaming as the two talked about substantive matters, joked with one another and even joined in song along the way. The congressmen announced Wednesday that the San Antonio to D.C. trip will become an annual event - to be called the Congressional Cannonball Run - and that other bipartisan teams from Congress will be invited to join. Along with O'Rourke, U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-San Antonio, is considering the 2018 Senate race and next month intends to make known his decision. Former punk rocker O'Rourke, 44, is a three-term congressman who devotes himself heavily to veterans' issues. He is a fierce opponent of the Trump administration's immigration policies and a fluent Spanish speaker who fights deportations and trumpets his border city as one of America's safest. He comes from a prominent political family but often seems the un-politician. He has played in three punk rock bands and counts great authors as influences in his life. He says both he and his wife, Amy, recently plowed through Tolstoy's 1,440-page "War and Peace," likely the only member of Congress who can make that claim. But as 2018 candidacies take shape, O'Rourke is on a short list of top Texas Democrats considering a leap into the Senate race. He says he will reveal his plans shortly. "I'm very moved to do it," he said in an interview. "After the election my wife (Amy) was with me in seeing a political direction that this country is taking that in no way reflects the real opportunities that I see in my community and in Texas. "I will tell you I reached an emotional decision (election) night that we've got to do something differently, and since then I have been trying to back that up, listening to folks all over the state." Texas political strategist Matt Angle points to signs of a Democratic renewal in Texas propelled in part by Latino mobilization and evidenced by Trump's single-digit victory last year, the best a Democrat has fared in a presidential election in 20 years. Even so, Angle, who heads the Democratic-aligned Lone Star Project, added: "Under every equation, Texas is a hard and heavy lift for a Democrat. But the dynamic is changing." He said of O'Rourke: "If enthusiasm and the ability to connect with people are entry-level qualities needed for this race, Beto O'Rourke has them." Favors term limits O'Rourke may have less to lose than Castro, 42, who has climbed the ranks in the House to an Intelligence Committee post while co-chairing caucuses dealing with Pre-K education and Japan. O'Rourke never planned to stick around the House, perhaps a clue to what he'll do next. A co-leader of the Term Limits Caucus, he is among the few Democrats to embrace term limits. If he stays true, he'd have just one two-year term ahead of him. For any Democrat, running statewide in Texas in a mid-term election can be daunting given the plunge in turnout after a presidential year. Cruz's national fundraising base could pose another obstacle. Entering 2017, his $4 million treasury was ten times O'Rourke's, auguring what might lay ahead for any challenger. O'Rourke's liberal credentials could be a general election hindrance even as it energizes youthful supporters. O'Rourke secured his far West Texas seat in the 2012 Democratic primary by unseating Silvestre Reyes, an eight-term incumbent and former Border Patrol agent who had Barack Obama and Bill Clinton in his corner. The campaign was intense, with Reyes running an ad featuring O'Rourke's mug shot and noting 1990s arrests for burglary and DUI. O'Rourke has described the burglary arrest as a prank gone awry; the charge was dismissed. O'Rourke is little-known beyond West Texas, a status that changed with the cross-country trip and a Washington Post story last month that referred to him as a "Mexico-loving liberal" who "looks more like a Kennedy than the Kennedys do." Aware of hurdles O'Rourke says he's aware of potential future hurdles, among them raising money. He says he's ready to be cloistered in a room to solicit donors, recalling how he steeled himself to dial up his wife's gynecologist when he ran for Congress in 2012. "I said, 'Hey, doc, you know my wife, Amy. This is probably an unusual call for you Do you think you could write a check for $500?' It was incredibly uncomfortable for me to make the call, but she wrote a check for $500." If a Cruz-O'Rourke contest came about, it might mark the sharpest contrast on immigration and border security of any 2018 race. Cruz, speaking on Fox News after President Donald Trump's Feb. 28 speech to Congress, twice referred to "criminal illegal aliens" as he praised the president's hard-edged policies. O'Rourke responded: "You're seeing someone who approaches Texas and this country out of anxiety and fear, and then you're seeing, hopefully in us, someone who approaches things out of confidence and strength, someone who sees opportunity where others see threats." This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Ana Carla Cepeda's 6-month-old son, Bruno, isn't a miracle, though he might as well be. Instead, he is the result of some innovative medical care that made the little guy possible. In late 2014, Cepeda, who then lived in Monterrey, Mexico, was diagnosed with early-stage cervical cancer. Cepeda, who now lives in San Antonio, is herself a physician, and she knew the conventional treatment would render her infertile. Cepeda and her husband, Pablo Arizpe, had a 4-year-old son, but they didn't think their family was complete. Her doctor in Monterrey told her to visit Dr. Anuj Suri, at the obstetrics and gynecology department at Houston Methodist Hospital. He might be able to help. And he was. Christmas week of that year, Suri performed a relatively rare procedure called a trachelectomy, an operation that is safe at removing the tumor but still preserved Cepeda's uterus. Fast forward to October 2015, when Suri gave a cancer-free Cepeda, now 36, the green light to try to get pregnant. The following spring, Cepeda went to see Dr. Barbara Held, an OB/GYN at Houston Methodist. She was 20 weeks pregnant. "This is the only time I've taken on a cancer patient like this," Held says. "It's not something you come across every day." The pregnancy proceeded normally. "I was quite thrilled when she made it past 32 or 33 weeks," Held says. Then, on Aug. 11, Cepeda delivered her baby boy by cesarean section. "She didn't blink the whole time," Held says. Every birth is like every other, and every birth is unique. "It actually felt like with my first son, a new life," Cepeda says, "It was a miracle." Suri says the rare patient in Cepeda's situation often needs to conceive using in vitro fertilization and pregnancy can take a while, but this pregnancy occurred the old-fashioned way - pretty quickly. He has performed this surgery several times, but it's the first time one of his patients wanted a pregnancy right away. He wasn't directly involved in the pregnancy and birth, he says, "but I was still watching from the periphery, checking to see if she was doing OK." Held says this example offers hope for young women with cervical cancer. "It's an important point for young women to consider if they want to preserve fertility," she says. "Women with this diagnosis are often devastated and think they can never have a baby." "We had some risks we had to undertake, but at the end of the day, everything went well," Cepeda says. She has nothing but great things to say about the Houston Methodist team. "I always felt supported," she says. Suri was especially happy that he got to meet the baby on one of Cepeda's follow-up visits. "It was kind of cool to see that," he says. This week's in-depth and investigative reporting includes a look at a former Congressman facing charges, an unregulated rooming house fire and Trump's move to gut the Chemical Safety Board. Former Rep. Steve Stockman charged with diverting charitable funds to campaign By Dianna Hunt and Margaret Kadifa @DiannaHunt and @MargaretKadifa Former Congressman Steve Stockman has been arrested on federal charges accusing him of conspiring to collect contributions intended for a charity and diverting them illegally to campaign contributions and personal use. The controversial Republican politician - who twice served in the U.S. House before losing a 2014 bid for the U.S. Senate against incumbent John Cornyn - is also charged with making false statements in reporting contributions in an effort to hide the sources of the cash. Mysterious bones, a missing woman and the ordinary life she lived By Emily Foxhall @EmFoxhall The question remains unanswered: are the human bones found in the wall of Mary Cerruti's home in the Heights actually hers? Medical examiners are still doing the forensics. Police remain mum about the extent of their 2015 search of the home. And the internet buzzes with sometimes ghoulish speculation. Safety complaint alerted city to problems two years before blaze at unregulated rooming house By St. John Barned-Smith and Andrew Kragie @stjbs and @AndrewKragie Records show the city received a safety complaint about Briscoe's Place nearly two years ago but took no action to correct the apparent violations at the 20-room boarding house in the months leading up to Thursday's double-fatal fire. J. Patric Schneider/For the Houston Chronicle Doctor's lawsuit against hospital turns on care v. market share By L.M. Sixel @lmsixel Miguel Gomez III was a star at Memorial Hermann Hospital, a high-profile cardiothoracic surgeon whose pioneering work was promoted by the hospital in seminars, radio shows and speaking engagements. Until he decided to leave for Houston Methodist Hospital. Soon, word started leaking that patients appeared more likely to die under Gomez's care - and eventually the hospital's alleged "whisper campaign" ended in a contentious lawsuit. Melissa Phillip/Staff 'Death and destruction' expected as Trump moves to gut Chemical Safety Board By Mark Collette and Matt Dempsey @ChronMC and @mizzousundevil A White House proposal to eliminate funding for the U.S. Chemical Safety Board signals a full retreat from two decades of progress against chemical disasters and would, if enacted, put American lives in jeopardy, health and safety experts said. Find out why experts say gutting the CSB is "standing up for death and destruction." This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate It started with what looked like an unnerving photo: windowless Border Patrol vans parked outside the Houston Rodeo. And as the image spread online in the run-up to Sunday's Go Tejano Day, it seeded fear and rumors of roundups in the local Hispanic community in light of President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown. "They don't need to be spreading fear or instigating further tension between people with different skin tones," said Yvonne Hernandez, a Houstonian who comes from a family of immigrants. But the picture didn't give the full story; U.S. Customs and Border Patrol had simply turned up to bolster recruiting efforts. Even so, some locals were angry and nervous over the agency's unexpected presence at a family event. "It's kind of rude," said 26-year-old Jake Johnson as he walked past the Border Patrol's NRG Center table during Sunday's Tejano extravaganza, which narrowly broke the rodeo's concert attendance record despite the climate of uncertainty in the Houston immigrant community. Just days earlier, Philadelphia announced the cancellation of its main Cinco de Mayo celebration amid fears of ICE raids. The federal agency confirmed Friday that it wasn't attending the rodeo for recruiting or enforcement purposes. This is the second year CBP set up a recruiting booth at the annual event, according to a statement from the rodeo. But in light of Trump's hard-line anti-immigration rhetoric and deportation promises, some locals found this year's showing troubling. "When you see someone in uniform or a vehicle that has ICE or Border Patrol, people without documents are going to be frightened," said local socialist activist David Michael Smith. Even for those with documents, the immigration presence can be troubling. Victor Ibarra, an activist with Latinos Inmigrantes Triunfadores, said that some in the community are angry at the rodeo for allowing CBP to set up shop at the event. Others talked about staying home. "People are saying they're not going because they're scared," Ibarra said. Hernandez didn't find that surprising. "I'm nervous about going and getting harassed, and I'm a U.S. citizen," she said. "Because we have seen that some legal residents have been harassed and deported, the mention of Border Patrol concerns us." She added that her niece worries that Border Patrol will deport her grandparents. 'Same hostile attitude' The family day at the rodeo last week went off without a hitch, but Hernandez said Border Patrol presence could send the wrong message. "Just as Trump's comments and attitude towards immigrants, particularly Latinos, has given a pass for others to explicitly express their racism to others, BP's presence at the rodeo further instigates that same hostile attitude towards the Latino community," she said. Resist Houston activist Melanie Villela thought CBP's presence showed a lack of consideration. "I would think they would look at what's going on with immigration issues and the wall and talk of ICE rounding up people, and I would think they would be a little more thoughtful to please not come and recruit at the rodeo," she said. On Sunday, five agents manned a small table just a few booths down from a row of university stands. Some passersby stopped to chat about career paths. Many seemed unconcerned by the agency's presence on the floor, although some described it as "weird" and "random." Presence 'encouraging' Cesar Luna thought it seemed reasonable that Border Patrol would show up since other organizations were out recruiting as well. "It is encouraging that they're getting more people involved," he said. WASHINGTON - Texas U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz doubled down Sunday on his contention that the House GOP health care bill is in trouble in the Senate, countering the more sunny predictions of some Republican leaders. Appearing on CBS's "Face the Nation," Cruz argued that the bill devised by House Speaker Paul Ryan and fellow Texan Kevin Brady does not go far enough to repeal the insurance mandates under Obamacare. Cruz, whose support could be critical to Senate passage, also took a swipe at Ryan's assurances that the real heavy-lifting in the GOP's Obamacare repeal effort will happen in a future third installment of legislative changes, after passage of the current bill and certain administrative changes in the Department of Health and Human Services. "I call bucket three the sucker's bucket," Cruz said, noting that the changes Ryan contemplates in Phase Three would have to go through the Senate's regular legislative process, which is subject to Democratic filibuster. With 52 Republicans in the Senate, Cruz noted that future changes would require the votes of eight Democrats to meet the 60-vote threshold to defeat a filibuster. Ryan has said the first phase, which could come to a vote in the House this week, must be limited to budgetary items subject to "reconciliation," a Senate process that requires only a simple majority. Cruz called that argument "fundamentally false," noting that the entirety of the Affordable Care Act has budget implications. Like other Republicans, Cruz has argued that the focus of the replacement legislation should be on lowering premiums, which have gone up under the ACA, albeit more slowly than before the bill was passed in 2009. A new non-partisan Congressional Budget Office analysis found that the House Republican bill - besides leaving 24 million Americans uninsured - would initially cause higher average premiums. But even if rates come down later, Cruz suggested, Republicans would be "tarred and feathered" by voters in the early years of the new law, which he called a "substantive and political disaster." Cruz also differs from many Republican leaders in his willingness to weaken the ACA's guarantee of coverage for people with pre-existing medical conditions. Instead, he has endorsed an undefined version of "continuous coverage," a measure that would protect people who keep up on their policies. But he has not said if he supports the House GOP provision that permits people with gaps in their coverage to get back on the insurance rolls by paying a 30 percent surcharge. Cruz told "Face the Nation" host John Dickerson on Sunday that he spent Saturday at President Donald Trump's Florida compound, Mar-a-Lago, working out hard-right conservatives' objections to the GOP plan, which could still imperil the legislation in the House. "He wants to get to yes," Cruz said of Trump. "I want to get to yes. But we have to solve some problems." Warning that elderly people in Houston could "starve" if Meals on Wheels programs are sharply curtailed, activists and community service groups rallied Sunday in opposition to the president's proposed cuts to federal community support programs. A handful of leaders, including U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, laid out their case from a podium inside the Houston headquarters for Meals on Wheels, a national program that would lose funding through the proposed elimination of certain Community Block Grants administered by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. "If they come through and make these cuts, our seniors will starve," said Allison Booker-Brooks, CEO of the Houston YWCA, which also administers Meals on Wheels in the Houston area. "This cannot happen and should not happen in America." Since news of the president's sweeping budget proposal broke late last week, Booker-Brooks said she'd taken phone calls from worried seniors who rely on Meal on Wheels. Five main organizations administer Meals on Wheels in the Houston area, the largest being Interfaith Ministries, which hosted the press conference Sunday. The group's president, Martin Cominsky, said Interfaith Ministries serves daily hot meals to 4,018 elderly people in the Houston area and has a waiting list of 187. His group spends about $7 million each year on the meal program, Cominsky said, $4 million of which comes from federal funds. He said the program, which is planning an expansion into Galveston County, doubles as a nutrition service plus a daily safety check and friendly visit to elderly people who are often homebound and alone. Recently, Interfaith Ministries started offering additional meals for pets, Cominsky said, once it was discovered that some seniors were sharing their meals with their animal companions. Dr. Bill Gilmer, a neurologist at Houston Methodist Hospital who treats elderly patients, praised Meals on Wheels as preventative care, noting that it can feed a senior for a year for the cost of one visit to the emergency room or two weeks in a nursing home. Jackson Lee vowed to fight in the U.S. House against the president's budget proposal. "We have reached a new low in America," she said. "Over my dead body are they going to take away from individuals who cannot speak for themselves." She also took aim at the president's proposals to cut funding for other federal programs, including the Women, Infants and Children nutrition program; the Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant program for students; a 31 percent cut to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; $6 billion cut to the National Institute of Health and a $3.7 billion cut to funds for after-school programs. Erica Lee Carter, a trustee of the Harris County Department of Education, said the county serves more than 10,000 students in after-school programs that she said keeps students away from gang influences or drugs. She called the proposal to revoke federal funding "shameful and devastating." President Donald Trump has dubbed his proposal an "America-First" budget, which scales back spending on a host of federal agencies to fund a $54 billion hike in military spending. The president said in a statement released with his budget Friday that the shifting of federal dollars was necessary for "urgent warfighting readiness needs and to begin a sustained effort to rebuild the U.S. Armed Forces." The president's proposed budget would also move $3 billion to the Department of Homeland Security for design and construction of a wall along the 2,000-mile U.S.-Mexico border and to "increase immigration detention capacity." Jackson Lee, a member of the House Budget Committee, said that she will "insist" that the committee hold a hearing on likely effects of the proposed budget and will support efforts by House Democrats and caucuses to issue alternative budget proposals that will be incorporated into a final budget. The president's budget was only a proposal, still subject to change, she said, noting however that "when you have the House, Senate and White House controlled by one party, there is a question about how much changing will go on." Correction--This article previously misstated the length of the waiting list for Meals on Wheels administered by Interfaith Ministries. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate One person is dead after a motorcycle crashed into a car in north Houston. Houston police officers headed to Parker Road just east of the North Freeway after reports of a major accident around 9:30 p.m. Sunday, said Lt. Larry Crowson with the Houston Police Department. Witnesses initially told police two motorcyclists were racing before the accident, but later reports indicated one rider was killed while trying to pass two cars. As he crossed over onto the white stripe dividing eastbound and westbound traffic, he was hit by an oncoming car making a left turn into an apartment complex. The rider was thrown from the motorcycle just before the bike caught fire. The driver of the car was not injured. The victim has not yet been publicly identified and the investigation is ongoing. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate WEST COLUMBIA - The Brazos River passes - wide and muddy - through the Griffith family ranch. Floodwaters frequently prompt family members and an armada of cowboys for hire to round up their cows and move them to higher ground. Historic flooding on the Brazos last summer made much of the ranch accessible only by boat for weeks. "You'd have to be crazy to want to put a subdivision here because of the flooding we get," said Wilson Griffith. "About all the land is good for is ranching, and maybe growing a few pecan trees." Griffith and his brother, Jamie, have never wanted to sell the land, which their family has owned for more than 100 years. They want to give it to their children someday but worry about the tax implications. However, thanks to a state program designed to assist landowners who want to conserve working farm and ranch lands, the Griffiths will be able to keep the property in the family in perpetuity, in exchange for promising not to sell it to developers. Keeping the ranch "as is" helps protect surrounding natural resources, such as wetlands that act like a magnet for migratory birds and soak up floodwaters. The Texas Farms and Ranch Lands Conservation Program, created by the legislature in 2005, was meant to play a vital role in protecting agricultural lands, which are disappearing as a result of the recent population boom. A 2014 Texas A&M study found that the state was losing farm and ranch land at a faster rate than anywhere else in the country. The program provides state funds to nonprofits - often land trusts - to purchase conservation easements. Landowners that sell or donate those easements retain title to their land if they agree not to mine or build a residential subdivision or commercial development on the property. In most cases, that legal agreement leads to a win-win situation: working farms and ranches stay intact, and natural resources are protected. "In Texas, the focus has really been on protecting water resources," said Blair Calvert Fitzsimmons, chief executive officer of the Texas Agricultural Land Trust. "When the state is looking at spending $63 billion on a plan that includes pumps and pipelines and desalination plants, you need a strategy to protect the land where the rain falls." Despite initial enthusiasm for the program, state lawmakers did not fund it until recently, and they initially put it in the hands of the General Land Office. The GLO secured some federal dollars for coastal work but that limited the scope of projects. Many in the statewide conservation community thought the GLO was miscast to manage the program: Part of the agency's mission is maximizing revenues through land leases, yet conservation easements actually reduce the land's market value. 'A much better fit' So in 2015, the program was moved to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and received a $2 million appropriation, its first. Many land trust leaders say the program is now experiencing a rebirth. "Clearly, Texas Parks and Wildlife is a much better fit," said Lori Olson, executive director of the Texas Land Trust Council. "Managing lands for conservation is their bailiwick." Over the past year, the agency has funded seven projects spearheaded by groups like The Texas Agricultural Land Trust, the Hill Country Conservancy, the Nature Conservancy and the Valley Land Fund. In all, those groups have been able to protect about 10,000 acres through conservation easements. Ted Hollingsworth, land conservation director for Texas Parks and Wildlife, said all the projects conserve land with immense ecological value while maintaining the landowners' ability to utilize the land. "My own personal bias might be toward wildlife, saving the snakes, lizards, mice and things like that," he said. "But the fact is, like most people, I really like to eat, too, and this is working land. The beauty of this program is that we're helping to ensure that Texas landowners are still producing cattle, still raising crops." Initial returns on the revived program are good. An evaluation by Texas A&M's Institute of Natural Resources last year found that the funded projects were saving water at a rate that was about six times more cost effective than conventional conservation strategies. The evaluation also found the program is growing in popularity, among landowners and conservation groups. Consequently, the department has asked lawmakers for more money, but it's unclear what will happen given current budget constraints. Rare opportunity Mark Steinbach, director of Texas Land Conservancy, said it would be a shame if the program stalled again. The effort helped provide his group with $1.7 million to secure a conservation easement on the Griffith ranch in Brazoria County. The easement lowered the market value of the land, reducing the family's tax burden. At 3,000 acres, it represents the largest piece of private property being conserved in the Columbia Bottomlands, one of the most ecologically valuable regions in Texas. The vast stretch of hardwood forest serves as a crucial stopover for birds trekking across the Gulf of Mexico. It's also threatened by Houston's population creep. "I think the most significant thing about this property is just its sheer size," Steinbach said. "This was the kind of opportunity that just doesn't come along all that often in conservation." The Griffith family always has been conservation minded. Family members love to fish and hunt. Several years ago, they granted the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service a conservation easement on about 1,400 acres. They've been interested in working with a conservation group to further protect their land but had some reservations. Steinbach and the Texas Land Conservancy, however, shared their vision - allowing the family to control its future while protecting natural assets. "I think it's going to be a good fit," Griffith said. "We get to continue to enjoy this land and now so do our kids." This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate The campus backlash stemming from the death of a 20-year-old Texas State University student at an unregistered party could spell the end of Greek life on campus, according to an essay penned on the site Total Frat Move. The anonymous author behind the post, who claims to be a sorority member at the San Marcos campus, say she's fed up with the way officials are treating fraternities. The sanctions have caused her "poor chapter...to be stuck with the guys who play WoW [World of Warcraft] on weekends and smell like cheese puffs, lotion, and Kleenex." This dark outlook on the future of Greek life at Texas State comes from the suspension of four fraternities for their role in an off-campus party where a 20-year-old sorority member was found dead. RELATED: University records reveal shocking details of party where 20-year-old student was found dead University officials avoided connecting the fraternity's infractions directly to the death of the student, but the party site and date referenced in the university documents matches the site and date where the student was found dead. Jordin Taylor, who was a member of Alpha Delta Pi sorority, was found under a bus Oct. 29, 2016, the day after a party hosted by Pi Kappa Alpha, Alpha Tau Omega, Kappa Alpha Order and Delta Tau Delta. Since the suspensions of the four fraternities, according to the anonymous writer, Texas State "changed the way Greek Life at our school operates." RELATED: Texas State fraternity suspends operations in wake of death of 20-year-old student The essay-writer estimates that if things continue this way, Greek life at Texas State will cease to exist and, "who wants to go to a school devoid of Greek life?" The writer says her sorority's president encourages members to avoid documenting the event on social media, or to not attend at all. "It doesn't sound like a big deal to guys, but to girls, this sucks ass," the writer said. "It makes some of my sisters not want to go to the party because some girls only do things if they can prove they did them on social media which affects relations between sororities and fraternities." The writer argues that putting fraternities on probation only causes them to host more unregistered parties, resulting in more probation "a vicious cycle." The university's Greek Affairs office has a strict set of guidelines for chapter operations. RELATED: 20-year-old Texas State sorority member found dead under bus near San Marcos River Multiple Texas State students involved with Greek life on campus have spoken out against the anonymous essay on social media, saying it does not reflect their experience or chapter. Taylor Thompson, Jordin Taylor's cousin, reacted to the essay on Twitter: "I am Jordin's FAMILY. I'm not sorry for not giving a damn about your party life," she said. "Your parties are not worth her life." On the Total Frat Move Facebook page, one commenter said they were experiencing the same kind of fraternity disappearance at their university. When Total Frat Move shared the essay, they said on Facebook: "Things are apparently looking dim at Texas State." It is unclear if the site is referencing Taylor's tragic death, or the university's crack down on Greek life. kbradshaw@express-news.net Twitter: @kbrad5 It was girls' day out, and Diana Carrillo had abandoned her desire to eat healthy before she, her sister and two friends got to the Southern California restaurant. The destination: Saint Marc, an upscale spot in the seaside city of Huntington Beach, where Carrillo had been once before. As the waiter walked up to the table, Carrillo figured she'd splurge on the grilled-cheese sandwich and pay the $2 up-charge to add some of the restaurant's signature bacon. To start, maybe she'd share a watermelon and cheese plate with her sister and friends. But the mood soured quickly after the waiter appeared. Before he could serve the four Latina women, he said, they needed to show proof of residency. "I need to make sure you're from here," he said. Flummoxed, the four women handed over their IDs. But as what was happening sank in, they fumed. "I looked at my sister and (my friend), and I said, did he really just say that?" Angry Facebook post A few moments later, they walked over to the manager and told him what had happened. He offered them a separate section and his business card to make things right - but they had already decided to leave. Still livid a few hours later, Carrillo, a 24-year-old business analyst from Orange County, Calif., posted about the incident on Facebook: "For a few seconds I thought maybe he was being a smart a- or joking but the fact that he said 'I need to make sure you're from here before I serve you' was completely unacceptable. "How many others has he said this too? I hope this employee is reprimanded for his actions. No establishment should tolerate discriminatory actions from their employees. Please Share With Your Family And Friends!" People did. In a week, Carrillo's post had been shared more than 600 times, and more than 100 people had posted comments. Restaurant responds Seeing the social media backlash, the restaurant's management contacted Carrillo that Monday. They offered a VIP experience at the restaurant and pledged to donate 10 percent of the weekend's proceeds to a nonprofit organization of the group's choice. The four women declined the lavish meal but asked that the restaurant donate the money to Orange County Immigrant Youth United. Kent Bearden, the senior director of operations at Saint Marc, said the waiter who had asked for the women's IDs had been fired. It was the first time the employee had done anything like this, Bearden said, and he "had never received so much as a write-up" before. "I don't know if he had an agenda or not," said Bearden. "My concern is he violated a company policy. We're very specific about how we treat out guests. That individual did not treat a table of guests to the expectations that we set forth in that company policy, and that caused him to be terminated." Bearden stressed the waiter's actions "are something that you can't control. The true measure is how you then handle it as a company. I feel very proud of our team and how we tried to take a proactive approach, trying to create a positive out of this situation." Carrillo said she'd been warned about this kind of treatment by her parents but had never experienced it firsthand. She said she wondered if the employee's insulting request was a result of "who is president." The Southern Poverty Law Center recorded nearly 1,100 "bias-related incidents" in the month after President Donald Trump's election, including 125 in California. The group says such acts of harassment and intimidation have tapered off since then. Immigrant parents Carrillo's parents both immigrated to the United States and still speak with accents. They worked hard to raise four girls, said Carrillo, who spent two years of high school in boarding school in New Hampshire. Still, her mother said she worried about the discrimination her daughters would face. "She always told us, 'I can handle discrimination,'" Carrillo said. "I know it's part of my life." She still remembers her mother telling stories of people making fun of her for not speaking proper English. Hoping to not dredge up painful feelings, she decided not to tell her mother about the incident at the francy restaurant. "I actually didn't tell her," Carrillo said. "I didn't want to upset her. But she saw it on Facebook, and she called me the same day. I forgot she had Facebook." WASHINGTON - When Judge Neil Gorsuch arrives on Capitol Hill on Monday morning to begin his confirmation hearings for a seat on the Supreme Court, he will give President Donald Trump his first chance to make a lasting imprint on the federal judiciary - and Republicans a fresh test to work their will now that they control all of Washington's levers of power. Gorsuch, a federal appeals court judge from Colorado, was promoted by conservative legal activists because of his sterling credentials, a decade of right-of-center rulings and his allegiance to the same brand of constitutional interpretation employed by the late justice he would replace, Antonin Scalia. "Single best thing the president's done," said Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., a frequent Trump foil who predicted Republican unity on the matter and an easy victory for the president following the string of controversies that Trump has wrought since he took office. All of that also sets up a stark dilemma for Senate Democrats. Monday brings their newest opportunity since the confirmation hearings of Trump's Cabinet to take a stand against a young administration that has horrified liberal Americans with efforts to strip away provisions of the Affordable Care Act, impose an entry ban on some immigrants and deeply cut federal agencies. The left also remains angry about a Supreme Court seat that has sat vacant since Scalia died 13 months ago, after which Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., decided to block a hearing for President Barack Obama's selection for the seat, Judge Merrick Garland of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. Gorsuch seemed to forecast what might await him from Democrats in a 2002 column he wrote lamenting the state of the Supreme Court nomination process: "When a favored candidate is voted down for lack of sufficient political sympathy to those in control, grudges are held for years, and retaliation is guaranteed." Yet Democrats are divided about how to take on a genial jurist who has made few waves in the weeks since Trump nominated him and he began meeting with lawmakers on Capitol Hill. Gorsuch "is a bit of a puzzle," said Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee. "We're going to try to put those pieces together so that the puzzle is complete and we have an understanding of what kind of a fifth vote will be going on the court." Asked about what more she hopes to learn about Gorsuch's stances, Feinstein said: "Voting rights. Right to choose. Guns. Corporate dollars in elections. Worker safety. Ability of federal agencies to regulate. All of the environmental issues - water, air." Senators and their staffsare also examining Gorsuch's role as a high-ranking official in the U.S. Justice Department at the time the George W. Bush administration was dealing with Guantanamo Bay detainees, reports of torture and anti-terrorism policies. A new trove of materials released this weekend show Gorsuch playing a central role in coordinating legal and legislative strategy, but portraying himself as reconciling the many opinions of those in the administration rather than driving policy. "I am but the scrivener looking for language that might please everybody," he wrote in one email. Four days of hearings are set to begin Monday, when Gorsuch will sit and listen for several hours as members of the Judiciary Committee read opening statements. He is poised to deliver his opening statement on Monday afternoon, giving senators and the nation an early indication of how he might serve on the court. On Tuesday and Wednesday, Gorsuch is set to face at least 50 minutes of questioning by each member of the panel. The proceedings are expected to conclude Thursday with a panel of witnesses speaking for or against Gorsuch. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate The Bayou City's teeming mosquito population spawns in dark, wet nooks and carries a slew of deadly tropical diseases that could ravage the region. So Houston is pondering a sneak attack, something akin to a Trojan Horse. Harris County officials are negotiating with a British biotech company, Oxitec, to create and release mutant mosquitoes genetically engineered so that after they're set loose in the wild, offspring die, and the mosquito population dwindles. Deric Nimmo, principal scientist at Oxitec, said it is a paradigm shift - "the release of mosquitoes to control mosquitoes." If an agreement is finalized, Harris County could become one of the first locations in the United States to use the mosquitoes, going far beyond the chemicals and public-awareness campaigns the county has long relied upon. However, the proposition is controversial: Experts say the method is unproven and that if one mosquito vanishes, another could take its place and carry the same diseases. A proposed trial in a Florida Keys suburb never got off the ground amid residents' concerns about genetic engineering. Phil Lounibos, a professor at the University of Florida who studies mosquitoes and the diseases they carry, sees promise in Oxitec's approach but has reservations. He said the question remains whether it can produce the public health benefits the company promises. Oxitec spun off from Oxford University 15 years ago to commercialize proprietary strains of insects, namely mosquitoes. The hope is that they can help reduce populations of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, which carry the Zika virus, dengue fever and chikungunya, among other deadly illnesses. The mosquitoes are common in the Houston region. Oxitec inserts a "self-limiting gene" into a male mosquito and releases several into the environment. Those mosquitoes then mate with females - Oxitec claims their special males out-compete normal males - and the resulting offspring die before they become adults. Over time, the overall population of the Aedes mosquito declines. Male mosquitoes do not bite and can't spread disease. Still in trial phase The company has conducted field trials in Brazil, Panama and the Cayman Islands and says it has reduced the Aedes mosquito populations by up to 90 percent in each location. "It looks like we're going to do or plan to do some sort of trial initially to test out the system," Nimmo said. Oxitec has yet to try out its technology in the U.S. In August, the Food and Drug Administration gave the green light to a proposed field trial in Key Haven, a Florida Keys suburb, finding that it would have no significant impacts on human health, animal health or the environment. Monroe County residents voted in a non-binding resolution in favor of working with Oxitec. But Key Haven residents voted nearly 2-to-1 in November against the trial. The company is looking for another location in Monroe County, Nimmo said. According to the FDA, even after a field trial, Oxitec would still have to demonstrate that its product is safe and effective before it can be marketed commercially. Monroe County encompasses the Keys, where dengue fever was first found to be locally transmitted after decades of absence in the U.S. "I really hope that we're able to get permission to go ahead this year," Nimmo said. "We're ready." According to the FDA, if Oxitec wanted to conduct a field trial in Harris County, the company would have to submit an environmental assessment to the agency. Another complication: Regulatory authority over Oxitec's mosquitoes would then likely shift to the Environmental Protection Agency. Mustapha Debboun, director of the Harris County Mosquito Control Division, said working with Oxitec could provide another tool in the fight against Zika and other mosquito-borne illnesses. "We're not abandoning the tried-and-true" approaches, said Harris County Precinct 4 Commissioner Jack Cagle, who has been leading the efforts. "We're willing to see - What can we add to the tried-and-true that can make this better, especially considering that the tried-and-true has some flaws?" Year-round threat Unseasonably warm weather has prompted the division to boost staff during winter months. It has seven investigators now, compared to four, and two additional public education staffers, Debboun said. In August, officials nearly doubled the number of Aedes mosquito traps across the county to 134. Harris County also continues to partner with Microsoft to develop high-tech traps that will sense and nab only certain species of mosquitoes, like those that carry Zika or dengue, and eventually hopes to utilize drones to find and target hot spots. After receiving a federal grant, the county hopes by May to start research on whether mosquitoes in the region that could carry Zika are developing resistance to certain pesticides. The county also will use that money to test more mosquitoes for Zika, Debboun said. "The crucial part of all this is to find out if the mosquito has the virus in it," he said. Debboun cautioned that while mosquito season is traditionally thought of as between June and October, people can contract mosquito-borne diseases all year, especially during a year like this one with unseasonably warm temperatures. In February, he said, the county found evidence of West Nile virus circulating in mosquitoes. That marked the earliest month on record. And though there have been no documented cases of Zika in the Houston region yet, some parts of the area are particularly vulnerable, experts say. That's one reason why surveillance for mosquito-borne diseases doesn't stop, said Salvador Rico, inspection supervisor for the Harris County Mosquito Control Division. Complaint checkers In addition to combing Harris County for breeding grounds, Rico's team responds to complaints from residents. During peak mosquito season last summer, the team handled up to 20 complaints a day from all over the county. On a recent Friday, Rico responded to a complaint at a home in Idylwood. He walked around the house, looking at flower pots and buckets, emptying water from several where it had built up. He looked for tears in the screen where mosquitoes could get into the home. He didn't find any obvious problems, but if there had been, he would have treated the sites with chemicals to kill the bugs. Inspectors also test samples for a range of viruses to see if a more concerted chemical campaign is necessary. "It's impossible for us to be everywhere," he said. "We try to do the best we can." They're just the kind of bad dudes you want off the street. There were 10 of them in handcuffs, alleged gun-toting drug dealers with the Hermandad de Pistoleros Latinos gang. U.S. Attorney Kenneth Magidson of the Southern District announced the arrest last week. It took a three-year investigation and a coordinated round-up in multiple jurisdictions to secure these indictments. Instead of a thank-you for his public service, Magidson's boss, Attorney General Jeff Sessions, asked for Magidson's resignation, along with the resignation of 45 other U.S. attorneys, by midnight of the following day. U.S. attorneys serve at the pleasure of the president, but Sessions' request was unusually abrupt. Some of the fired U.S. attorneys learned of their change in employment status from the media, according to CNN. Institutionalized rudeness is a poor management technique; it harms office morale. But it's not unusual for a new president at the start of a term to ask most of the nation's U.S. attorneys to resign. Since Magidson should have assumed that an impending change was likely, the attorney general's lack of decorum shouldn't harm the ongoing administration of justice in the Southern District. The real test of Sessions' managerial skill lies ahead of him. The attorney general needs to find a qualified appointment for the Southern District post without undue delay. Although Magidson's assistant has stepped up as acting U.S. attorney, this office deserves a permanent chief, not a placeholder, who can set direction and motivate the old hands and new hires. Tradition has it that in selecting a U.S. attorney, the administration defers to the local U.S. senators. In this case, that would mean a recommendation would be made by U.S. Sens. Ted Cruz and John Cornyn. This system is undeniably imperfect. The process has produced few outstanding U.S. attorneys for this district in recent memory. But it hasn't elevated any political hacks to the top job either. Texas senators and their committees must know how to assess the qualifications of local candidates, because by and large the process has yielded non-partisan and competent professionals. The new U.S. attorney should be someone who is willing to assess the hiring practices of the office. In the past, U.S. attorneys have employed primarily former prosecutors from the local district attorney's office, who have little need to fine-tune their writing skills. This hiring practice needs review. Sessions has proved he can disrupt. Now can he manage the process of selecting talented lawyers to fill these important positions? The Southern District is counting on him. When you see a mighty Texas live oak tree, you probably don't think of the tiny acorn that started it. Likewise, most of us go through our daily routines of using our smartphones, shopping safely online or taking medications our doctors prescribe without dwelling too much on where these advances first came from. In many cases, the answer is that these things started with research done at universities. In fact, without innovations out of Texas research universities, that lightweight battery that allows you to carry around your smartphone, the online encryption that provides peace of mind for shopping online and many pharmaceuticals that today save countless lives wouldn't exist. The seed corn for each of these modern necessities is what's called basic research. And, just as with the oak, over years and decades, something that began small, often with one person's curiosity, got transformed into something tremendous - innovations that drive whole sectors of our economy and improve lives. Even in the private sector, research and development capitalizes on discoveries that sprouted at universities and publicly funded labs. Most people know that companies need universities to help prepare the people they hire for skilled jobs. Similarly, they lean on universities to provide those first seeds for research innovation. Here in Texas, our state Legislature is currently weighing a budget with significant cuts for public universities and research. Nationally, too, research funding is under new scrutiny. As our elected leaders look at priorities, it's more important than ever that those of us in universities demonstrate how the education and basic research we provide helps fuel progress for the state and the nation. For example, in the wake of a series of anthrax attacks that killed Americans shortly after Sept. 11, 2001, University of Texas at Austin researchers engineered an antibody that could help in future attacks. Today, as a result of their research and a partnership with a private company, the world now has a new drug to prevent and treat inhalation anthrax. Even research that can sound ridiculous often leads to needed advances. For example, a marine scientist on the Gulf Coast puts red drum fish on "treadmills." But the special tanks in his lab make it possible to learn how oil in the water affects one of Texas' most sought-after fish. It's information that anglers, the tourism industry and local fisheries need when events such as the Deepwater Horizon oil spill happen. Astronomers at Texas A&M University and UT Austin are developing instrumentation now for a new telescope more sensitive than anything in existence today, allowing us to see the outer edges of the universe. This matters in the state that's home to NASA, where we've all seen how new technologies in the space sciences can lead to unexpected applications and broader benefits. Practical tools and the inspiration that comes from exploring new frontiers can, and often do, go hand in hand. It will always be true that university research both drives innovation and produces false starts. This is how science - how discovery - works. Many acorns don't lead to an oak, yet they still serve an essential function in the landscape, nourishing living things and enriching the soil. The process of discovery happens the same way. We don't know which ideas will lead to the next transformative breakthrough, only that some will. Research also helps us understand more of the world around us, something just as critical for our progress. Hicke is dean of the College of Natural Sciences at the University of Texas at Austin. The founders of Freedom Focus have been announced as the featured speakers of the annual Texas County Lincoln Day. Darren Myers and his wife, Tammy, will be part of the April 29 event hosted by the Texas County Republicans. Social hour starts at 5 p.m. with the program and spaghetti dinner at 6 p.m. Tickets are $20 for adults and $10 for youth. Darren Myers grew up in Lebanon and earned a bachelors degree in music education from Baptist Bible College in 1989. In college, he met and married Tamara Nelson. After graduation, they moved back to Lebanon to led the music and youth ministry of the Tabernacle Baptist Church for 12 years. Darren then accepted the call to become the pastor of the Landmark Baptist Church in Rolla, serving there for 13 years. At Landmark Baptist Church, the Myers began the annual patriotic program American, We Still Believe. We came to realize how godly the founders were, how wise they were and what a special gift and heritage we have received as Americans, Darren said. There has never been another nation on earth that was founded on Bible principles and dedicated to personal freedom like America was. And I am privileged to live here. The church hosted rallies until Sept. 13, 2014, when they hosted their biggest rally yet as thousands attended the regional community picnic to celebrate One Nation Under God and reflect on the faith-filled history of the United States. As the Myers said they increasingly saw that Americans were hungry for truth and tired of political correctness and historical revisionism, they stepped away from their pastorate to launch Freedom Focus in January 2015. It is a non-profit, non-political organization committed to presenting truth of our nations history and preserving our freedom, designed to inspire and educate by connecting the dots between American history, Biblical principles and current events through music, slides and videos. Darren and Tammy travel full-time with a projector and giant screen and have been in 21 states. They were recently in Washington D.C. when the blizzard warnings shut down the city. Along with the Myers, the Lincoln Day event will include Lt. Gov. Mike Parson, Rep. Jason Smith, Sen. Mike Cunningham and Rep. Robert Ross. Mark Rehagan, who impersonates Abraham Lincoln, will also be part of the program. For more information or tickets, contact Diane Krantz (417-967-4699), Ed Green Realty (573-674-2115) or any committee member of the Texas County Republicans. 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. If you aren't in the habit of rinsing out your rice before you cook it, you might be increasing your odds of getting health conditions like heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. According to researchers, cooking rice by steaming it exposes consumers to trace amounts of arsenic as a result of toxins and pesticides used to grow the grain. Advertisement Professor Andy Meharg at Queen's University Belfast equates the risk of eating contaminated rice to smoking cigarettes: "The more you eat, the higher your risk is," he explained on BBC's "Trust Me, I'm A Doctor." Despite the fact that rice has 10-20 times more arsenic in it compared to other cereal grains, Meharg says adults who eat a few portions of rice weekly aren't at a high risk but children and babies might be since even low levels of arsenic can impact immune development, growth, and IQ development. Determined to reduce arsenic levels, Meharg conducted a series of experiments while cooking rice. In the first, he simply steamed the rice as is, which left most of the arsenic present. In the second experiment, Meharg rinsed the rice in five parts water one part rice, which halved arsenic levels. But the safest method, he determined, was to soak the rice in a 5:1 water ratio overnight and rinsing it until the water runs clear, which reduces toxins by 80 per cent. Though rice often gets a bad rap for being too high in carbohydrates, the grain does contain health benefits especially if you opt for brown rice, which is high in fibre. Advertisement Also on HuffPost President Tran Dai Quang presents a Military Order of Feat of Arms, first class, to the Commando Arm While noting that the world and regional situation has witnessed complicated developments, with high risks of instability and unpredictable circumstances along with both opportunities and challenges to the cause of national defence and construction, President Quang urged the force to exert further efforts to grasp chances and overcome difficulties, thus contributing to the countrys goals of modernisation and industrialisation as well as international integration. He asked the force to focus on enhancing their capacity and preparedness for combating, preventing peaceful evolution and rebelling schemes, fighting terrorism and firmly safeguarding the Fatherlands sovereignty over seas and islands. The President reminded the force to work with administrations at all levels and sectors to promote activities to assist people in poverty reduction, economic development and natural disaster prevention and control. Along with keeping a close watch on the regional and international situation, the force should seek new and more effective combat methods in conformity with the changing conditions and targets, he said. The State leader reiterated late President Ho Chi Minhs teaching, requesting the force to uphold its flexible ingenuity, sharpened skills, internal solidarity and strict disciplines. President Quang also underscored the need for the force to build a transparent and strong party organisation with thorough understanding and implementation of the Party Central Committees resolution on party building as well as the Politburos decree on studying and following President Ho Chi Minhs moral example. At the ceremony, President Tran Dai Quang presented a Military Order of Feat of Arms, first class, to the Commando Arm. Since its inception on March 19, 1967, the force have overcome all difficulties and excellently fulfilled all tasks assigned by the Party, State and army. During the struggle for national liberation as well as the implementation of international tasks, the force has strictly followed the military stances and policies designed by the Party and President Ho Chi Minh, while creatively applying the nations unique military strategy. The force won thousands of battles, significantly contributing to the complete liberation of the South and national reunification, preserving the nations independence, sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity and accomplishing all international tasks. During the period of national reform, construction, defence and development, the Commando Arm has well performed its role as an advisor to the Central Military Commission of the Communist Party of Vietnam and the Ministry of National Defence in building and further developing the force. The force was twice honoured with the title Hero Unit of the Peoples Armed Forces. On the occasion, it also received an Isala Order of Laos, and Angkor Order of Cambodia./. The federal budget is being released on Wednesday and you know what that means Canada's finance minister is getting a nice, new pair of shoes. On Monday, Bill Morneau showed off his choice: a lovely dress Oxford from Canadian company Poppy Barley. Advertisement Looking forward to wearing @PoppyBarley's on Wednesday - designed by two inspirational Canadian women. #Budget2017. pic.twitter.com/X7Mgqawu7P Bill Morneau (@Bill_Morneau) March 20, 2017 Morneau is keeping alive a unique Canadian tradition the one where the finance minister gets new shoes just before the budget is delivered. Caroline Gault, Poppy Barley's director of content and community, told The Huffington Post Canada that Morneau's office emailed the Edmonton-based shoe company last week. He ended up purchasing the Edmonton Oxford in black, "the dressiest shoe" in the line, in a standard size 12. Poppy Barley, named after both poppy seeds and barley corns the original unit of measurement in shoe making in the Middle Ages was very excited to be the minister's footwear choice this year, said Gault. Advertisement "I think the main reason is we're obviously a Canadian-based shoe company and that we're a female-founded company with ethically manufacturing," Gault told HuffPost Canada. "We're actually the first company in North America to offer custom fashion boots online. So I think it's a great fit for us." We're SO excited that Poppy Barley has received a @cafawards nomination for the Swarovski Award for Emerging Talent, Accessories! See you in Toronto, April 7th! #CAFA2017 #PoppyBarley #LuxuryForThePeople A post shared by Poppy Barley (@poppybarley) on Jan 30, 2017 at 8:02pm PST Canadian sisters Justine and Kendall Barber launched the company in 2012, catering to both men and women. After Justine visited a custom boot shop in Bali, Poppy Barley moved to specialize in offering "flexibility in sizing and inventory through small-batch manufacturing." As Morneau noted in his Twitter post, his shoes were ethically made in Leon, Mexico. "[Justine] thought this would be so cool to be able to offer this experience online and have that pair of custom shoes made for you and shipped to your door," Gault told HuffPost Canada. "Leon is referred to as the shoe capital of the world so [Justine and Kendall] flew down their and were looking for a factory that could do custom and made-to-order shoes." Poppy Barley is already making a name for itself in the Canadian fashion industry, landing a nomination in the "Emerging Fashion Design" category at the upcoming Canadian Arts and Fashion Awards. Advertisement So did the finance minister get a discount on his new shoes? Nope. "He paid $250 for the in-stock pair because it was a size 12 standard," Gault revealed. Poppy Barley's website lists the Edmonton Oxford for $398, but that price is for a custom order. It may be the first day of spring across Canada, but "don't write the obituary on winter quite yet," says Environment Canada's top climatologist. Senior climatologist David Phillips says Western Canadians, already feeling down after a harsh winter season, will continue to see more cold temperatures and snow "probably for another month or so." Advertisement "Spring will eventually get here, although it may just not come when we want it," he told The Huffington Post Canada. Winter hit Western Canada particularly hard this year, Phillips said. With parts of B.C. experiencing its coldest and snowiest winter in 25 years, and Southern Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba grappling with deep cold spells and plenty of snow. Phillips said Alberta and B.C. will be a bit behind to warming up to spring, and likely won't see big temperature gains until May. Advertisement But, Eastern Canada especially Ontario, Quebec and the Maritimes can look forward to a "warmer than normal" spring. In Southern Saskatchewan and Manitoba "it could go either way," he said. The only place that will see colder-than-usual spring temperatures is Newfoundland and Labrador. However, Phillips said warmer temperature patterns forecast for most of the country "won't be seen every day." After all, he notes, most places in Canada record anywhere from 10 to 30 per cent of their snowfall each year after March 30. Toronto, he said, is a good example last year the city saw more snow in April than any other month. Advertisement "Spring will eventually get here, although it may just not come when we want it." "In Canada, we don't ever go from slush to sweat overnight," he advised, "so, leave those snow shovels and winter coats out until the May long weekend." Despite the typical, and sometimes unexpected, temperature fluctuations that will continue over the spring across the country, Phillips said just the thought of nicer weather can be psychologically positive. "It's at least uplifting to know we're in another warm season," he said, adding as the daylight hours get longer a cold day can still feel much warmer than it would in the dead of winter. Follow The Huffington Post Canada on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Almost half of Canadians think migrants and refugees who illegally cross into Canada at the U.S. border should be sent back to the states, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released Monday. Just over one-third of respondents (36 per cent) felt Canada should accept undocumented migrants and allow them to seek refugee status, while 48 per cent said they want to see an increase in deportations. Advertisement A separate Reuters/Ipsos poll found Americans feel similarly about illegal immigration, with 50 per cent of adults supporting deportation. Nearly half (46 per cent) also said they disapprove of how Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government is handling the issue of illegal border crossings. One of the reasons why Canada remains an open country is Canadians have confidence in our immigration system, the integrity of our borders, and the help we provide people who are seeking relief and a better life, Trudeau said on Feb. 21 during question period. Advertisement We will continue to strike that balance between having a rigorous system and accepting those who are in need. Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) told CBC News 2,176 people made asylum claims in the first two months of 2017 a number which includes those who illegally crossed and were later allowed to make a claim, as well as those who legally made claims at crossings. In Manitoba alone, RCMP picked up 143 people who snuck across the Canada-U.S. border in January and February. There are no exact statistics available on exactly how many asylum seekers have crossed the border illegally. Those polled were split over whether or not illegal border crossers would make Canada less safe. Forty-six per cent said illegal immigration makes no difference to Canada's safety, while 41 per cent felt it would make the country less safe. Four per cent said it would make Canada more safe. Advertisement Reuters/Ipsos polled 1,001 Canadian adults online in English and French in March. The poll has a credibility interval of four per cent. The number of asylum seekers who have illegally cross at Canada's land borders may have something to do with the country's immigration process. If they try to enter at a legal border crossing, they will be turned away unless they are exempt under the Safe Third Country act (for example, if they have a close relative in Canada) and told to apply for refugee status in the U.S. But if an asylum seeker crosses illegally, they will be detained, sent to the CBSA, and possibly given the opportunity to file a claim with the Immigration and Refugee Board. Advertisement Follow The Huffington Post Canada on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Also on HuffPost OTTAWA Opposition parties, Canadas airlines and some of the countrys major airports are sounding the alarm over the Liberal governments interest in privatizing some of the country's terminals and landing strips, warning it will lead to higher fees for travellers. The plan wont be in Wednesdays budget, Huffington Post Canada has learned, but the federal government is still considering raising billions through the selling of such public assets. Advertisement In the House of Commons Monday, Conservative deputy leader leader Denis Lebel accused Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of trying to save face by selling off Canadas airports to help pay for the Liberals large deficits. Its like if a family sold their appliances to pay their credit card bills, it doesnt make any sense. Is that something that we are going to see in the budget? he asked. [Lebel] will see on Wednesday, like all Canadians, that in this budget we are going to invest in middle-class growth, we will invest in the future of our country thats what Canadians expect, Trudeau responded. Advertisement NDP Leader Thomas Mulcair also demanded to know what Trudeau has in store for airports. Im wondering if the prime minister could show Canadians exactly where in the Liberals election platform this was ever mentioned? "Its like if a family sold their appliances to pay their credit card bills, it doesnt make any sense." Tory critic Denis Lebel Since the Liberals never suggested they would privatize the airports during the 2015 election campaign, Mulcair asked Trudeau to guarantee that he wouldnt touch the the public infrastructure. The prime minister dodged the question again. Transport Minister Marc Garneau also tiptoed around the question, telling reporters that Canadians want an efficient air system, and that is what is motivating the government. Everything that we can do to offer them more choices at a lower cost with better service and a system of rights, that is what motivates us, he said. Advertisement On Tuesday, the Tories plan to use their opposition day to call on the government to ensure the budget includes no plan to sell Canadian airports if it involves higher fees for taxpayers and travellers, if the revenue will fund a new infrastructure bank, or if individuals or companies buy them who are under the influence of foreign governments. Conservative transport critic Kelly Block said she worries the Liberals are being evasive about their plans. Last fall, the federal government asked Credit Suisse to study how much money it could raise by privatizing eight airports in Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal, Calgary, Edmonton, Ottawa, Winnipeg and Halifax. Since then, Block has asked the government for the studys finding but has yet to receive a response. The Tory MP said she believes privatization will lead to higher fees for travellers. The Conservatives, as a caucus, havent discussed whether they are against selling Canadas airports. Leadership candidate Maxime Bernier, for one, is in favour. Advertisement Green Party Leader Elizabeth May called privatization a terrible idea. We would see costs going up, she said A profit motive and private ownership is not something you really want in your transport infrastructure. Cullen opposes selling even a minority stake NDP deputy finance critic Nathan Cullen told HuffPost he opposes selling even a minority stake, because they always turn into a majority over time. Investors only go in to make money and eventually to have control, he said. Many of Canadas airports and major airlines also believe privatization will increase ticket prices and discourage air travel. Mark Laroche, president and CEO of the Ottawa International Airport Authority, is adamantly opposed to to the idea and argues the current structure in place since 1992, by which the major airports are run as private not-for-profit companies that pay rent to the federal government, which continues to own the land works well. All the fees that we collect are reinjected into the operation and maintenance of the airports, he said. Basically, we are concerned that if we go to a for-profit model, a portion will be set aside to provide a return to the shareholder, and that would basically result in higher fees to the air travellers. Advertisement Laroche pointed to the privatization experience at Heathrow airport in London and in Australia, noting how those airports have some of the highest fees in the world. Airports are natural monopolies, he said. The only people who seem to be seeing benefits is the minister of finance and the consultants that they hired to make recommendations. Every year, Laroche said, Transport Canada issues new regulations that provide an opportunity for airports to raise fees if they need to invest more in security, for example. More expensive for consumers? Craig Richmond, the president and CEO of the Vancouver Airport Authority, also opposes privatization. Canada has some of the most efficient run airports in the world, he said, and selling them for a one time infusion of capital would mean adding extra costs that would be passed on to passengers and airlines and decrease the airports competitiveness and the services offered. Advertisement WestJet is also opposed. Our view is privatization will only make it more expensive for consumers to fly, spokeswoman Lauren Stewart told HuffPost. Whether Ottawa retains ownership or a portion is sold to the private sector, Stewart added, WestJet wants to see third-party regulatory oversight of airport spending and fees so that consumers can be protected. Air Canada president and CEO Calin Rovinescu also complained that privatization would drive up the cost for airlines and passengers. A big problem, Rovinescu argued recently in a speech at the Canadian Club in Ottawa, is that while airlines have dropped ticket prices, this has gone unnoticed because of high airport fees, navigation fees, taxes, and passenger charges that account for, in some cases, for 60 per cent of the total fare. Advertisement That drives up the cost of travel substantially, he said, leading many Canadians to cross the border to Plattsburgh, N.Y., to Buffalo or to Seattle to get on cheaper flights. Plattsburgh actually advertises itself as Montreals U.S. Airport. Any form of airport privatization in Canada and any imposition of a carbon tax on domestic fuel emissions would only worsen this problem, Rovinescu said. Infrastructure investors are in the business of maximizing profits for their shareholders, which will in turn mean higher costs passed onto users airlines and their customers. This can be expected to result in higher user fees, possibly diminished services, or both, as the new owners seek to expand margins, he said. The sky won't fall: expert Alexandre Moreau, a public policy analyst with the Montreal Economic Institute, disagrees. He told HuffPost the sky wont fall if Ottawa sells the airports to private interests, and, he believes, travellers may end up saving money. Ottawa currently collects approximately $305 million in rent annually from airports. That, he said, is about 12 per cent of the airports gross income handed over to the federal government whereas a for-profit company would probably pay a combined tax rate of only 35 per cent on its profit, which is a way lower number. This is a huge burden for the airports, and ultimately, they have to charge higher landing fees to the airlines, and eventually those costs are passed along to consumers, he said. Advertisement Despite being monopolies, airports have an interest in ensuring that they dont price themselves too high, because they make about 30 to 40 per cent of their income through restaurant and store leases and parking, he added. They could double the tariffs tomorrow morning, but they are not going to do this because if they do this there will be less passengers and if there is less passengers, there will be less spending inside the airport buildings, he said. Ex-minister pushes privatization In 2014, Stephen Harpers Conservative government asked former cabinet minister David Emerson to review the Canada Transportation Act. In his report, published by the Liberals last summer, Emerson recommends privatization as a way of ensuring that Canadas airports are more competitive in the future. He said excessively high fees are a major reason Canada has no ultra-low cost carrier. Airport rents can represent up to 30 per cent of an airports operating budget, he wrote. Canada has collected approximately $5 billion in airport rent since 1992, already well in excess of the value of the assets originally transferred, and is estimated to collect at least $12 billion more over the next 40 years. Advertisement Jacques Roy, a professor at HEC Montreal, said he doesnt think privatization will make the airports more competitive, but neither does he think it will prevent people from flying. They are not crazy, they will not raise the fees to the extent that people cease travelling or that they will move south of the border to board flights in the U.S. airports. But some airports, especially those saddled with debt, such as Montreal-Trudeau airport, might welcome privatization, he said. Under their lease agreement, airport authorities are required to return the infrastructure in good condition and free of debt before their lease expires. That means that 20 years before the deadline, they will have to stop borrowing money and stop spending, he said. This is what is actually scaring some airport authorities. They look for a way out, and the way out is privatization. Advertisement In Montreal, Roy said, the deadline is 2072, he said. The airport is billions in debt and has signalled it supports the idea of privatization. Canadas current system should be reformed, Roy said, but a simple solution is that airports should just stop gouging customers through excessively high fees. 'Airports can be cash cows' Canada, for example, ranks 130th among 138 countries for ticket taxes and airport charges, in a 2015 report by the World Economic Forum said. The United States, however, is only 128th, and Australia is 127th. Most passengers dont even realize that they are paying such fees because it is hidden in the airline ticket and most people think it is a government tax that they pay, which is not the case." The private not-for-profit airport authorities raise fees as they wish with no accountability, he said. It must be fun to be in a position where you can raise taxes in a monopoly and dont have to ask any permission and dont have to be held accountable. Its great. No wonder they like the existing situation. Advertisement Independent Senate Liberal Dennis Dawson, who chairs the Senates Transport and Communications committee, which issued a report on air travel in 2012, told HuffPost there is no evidence that privatization would benefit the taxpayer. Airports can be cash cows, and pension funds can make a lot of money, he said. But they are not driven by service, they are not going to make air travel better for Canadians; they are motivated by making money. No political downside? The problem in Canada, Dawson said, is that governments view airports as a source of revenue rather than as a source of economic development. He predicts the Trudeau government will move towards privatization. There is no political downside. People didnt care when we did the report, and people still wont care if the government decides to privatize, he said. If I was an adviser to the minister of finance, I would say: Here are a few billion dollars you can get with no strong political downsides. People are not sensitive to this.' Advertisement CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story misspelled Alexandre Moreau's last name. Also on HuffPost Conservative leadership challenger Lisa Raitt says any candidate found to break the party's rules should be be kicked out of the race. Raitt, who is vying to replace interim leader Rona Ambrose, said on Monday that accusations of vote-rigging and inappropriate membership purchases are undermining the legitimacy of the contest. Advertisement "The whole point about being a leader is you're responsible for whatever happens, she told The Huffington Post Canada. "The rules are written so that we're responsible for our campaign." Raitt said the leadership races chief returning officer should sanction any candidate caught cheating. Breaking the rules makes a mockery of their commitments and corrupts the process," she said. The Ontario MP's call comes as leadership candidates Maxime Bernier and Kevin O'Leary perceived to be front-runners in the race so far wage a war of words that includes allegations of membership fraud. Advertisement The skirmish between the two candidates began last week after O'Leary called on the party to open an investigation into "widespread vote rigging" being committed by another leadership campaign. Bernier denied the accusations and bashed O'Leary as a desperate "loser" last week. An investigation was launched and resulted in findings that supported O'Leary's claims. The party found 1,351 memberships were purchased through two IP addresses and not paid for by each individual as required under party rules, which require memberships to be purchased by personal credit card or cheque. Those memberships, the party said, were cancelled and the individuals are no longer eligible to vote in the leadership contest. Party spokesman Cory Hann told HuffPost on Friday it isn't possible to determine which leadership campaign or campaigns were involved since the memberships were purchased anonymously through the party's website. Advertisement Review is complete. The IP address doesn't tell us who did the purchasing, he wrote in an email. Allegations are election 'fodder': Raitt On Sunday, The Globe and Mail reported that O'Leary campaign organizer Ron Chatha is being accused of offering to pay for party memberships. The allegation is based on a sworn affidavit given to the paper by Bernier's campaign signed by six individuals. Berniers campaign declined to share the affidavit. O'Leary's camp denied the report, saying in a statement they were "disappointed that the whistleblower who [initially] brought to light the issue of vote buying is being harassed for doing the right thing." Fraudulent memberships should be removed & those who sold them punished. Then we can focus on the task at hand of defeating Trudeau in 2019. https://t.co/SpGvLN2HBZ Kevin O'Leary (@kevinolearytv) March 20, 2017 Chatha was the first one to flag allegations Bernier organizers were using prepaid credit cards to sign up members of the Tamil community without their consent, OLeary's campaign said. Thirteen hundred and fifty-one [fraudulent memberships] is an awful lot of people. Lisa Raitt Hann told HuffPost Monday the party has not received the reported affidavits and therefore had nothing new to review. He added: The party regularly reviews memberships using a variety of measures that can include calling members individually, and we will continue to ensure all our rules are followed. Advertisement Raitt said the entire saga shows a need to validate every new membership in the party with a third party audit. "Thirteen hundred and fifty-one [fraudulent memberships] is an awful lot of people," she told HuffPost. "The funny part is, this is all just fodder for the next election. It continues this notion that we're cheaters. Our leadership race has to be absolutely, scrupulously clean." She called out O'Leary and Bernier for engaging in a "public brawl" that didn't help the cause of Conservatives. Advertisement "This is ridiculous. Let the party investigate it and let's clear everybody else." Meanwhile, fellow leadership hopeful Michael Chong says the episode shows why he is pushing for free memberships in the Conservative Party. "We desperately need to reform political parties in Canada. Going to free memberships and public registration of party membership eliminates all the voter fraud because you no longer have the game of people improperly paying for party memberships," Chong told HuffPost. Political parties still largely operate like "private clubs" as they did in the 19th century, Chong said. He's proposing that Canadians get the option to register at tax time for one of the federal parties, with those lists forming the basis of future leadership contests. While Chong says he does not have any information about the membership irregularities, he supports the party's investigation of the allegations. "I think they should continue to ensure that all the new memberships signed up are above-board and if there are any that are not, they should take action," he said. Advertisement "Every hotly contested party nomination, regardless of party, every leadership contest there are allegations of voter fraud. This has been going on for decades and it's high-time that we reform political parties to move them away from the model of being 19th century private clubs to being the modern political institutions that they are. They're public institutions. They're publicly paid for through the tax credits and subsidies that we get so they have to be a lot more open and transparent." The Conservatives elect their new leader in May though a preferential ballot. The results will be announced on May 27. With files from Ryan Maloney and The Canadian Press Also on HuffPost If youve been struggling to save for that Europe trip, remember that cafes and fresh croissants can be found in our own backyard. Canada has its own little bit of heaven in Montreal. You can spend a weekend strolling through the citys cobblestone streets or riding on a horse-drawn carriage. Whatever you choose, your weekend getaway will be one you wont soon forget if you follow these suggestions, presented in partnership with Hilton. Delightful Eats A weekend in Montreal wont be the complete without hitting a delicious brunch spot. Le Passe Compose serves up a mouthwatering classic brunch, but make sure you get there early -- it fills up quick! Advertisement Dont feel like standing in a line? Head to Cafe Olimpico in Mile End for your coffee kick, then head down to the famous St-Viateur Bagel (bring cash) for a perfectly chewy Montreal-style bagel. Of course, a trip to Montreal warrants a visit to La Banquise, which is known for its poutine offering. Spa Days What better way to spend an afternoon than at the spa? Montreal has plenty of relaxing spa experiences, but Bota Bota will leave you feeling rejuvenated and delighted. The spa is located on a boat and offers a wide variety of treatments. Romance, massages, and a boat adventure? What could be better? Advertisement History And Art History and art buffs will appreciate the museums located around Old Montreal. Consider getting the three-day museum pass. Admission, public transportation, as well as other advantages are included in this $80 package. Even better, its valid for six months. So if your weekend getaway leaves you wanting more, head back and use the extra day for even more fun! Carriage Rides Old Montreals charm and romance is the perfect backdrop for your evening. After walking around all day, you and your sweetheart can get off your feet and take a horse-drawn carriage ride through the cobblestone streets. "Sesame Street" has often experimented with new ways of teaching children about social issues as well as their ABCs since its launch nearly 50 years ago. Now it's taking on a new challenge: autism. The groundbreaking public television children's program is introducing a new character, a muppet named Julia who has autism, the show's creators revealed on the CBS News show "60 Minutes" broadcast on Sunday. Advertisement In a few weeks, a new Muppet will come to Sesame Street. Her name is Julia, and she has autism. Meet her next on #60Minutespic.twitter.com/DvjDfSB0xI 60 Minutes (@60Minutes) March 19, 2017 Diagnoses of autism have risen steadily in recent years to the rate of one in every 68 U.S. children, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But tackling the topic for children was far from straightforward. "The big discussion right at the start was, 'How do we do this? How do we talk about autism?'" Sesame Street writer Christine Ferraro told "60 Minutes." "It's tricky because autism is not one thing, because it is different for every single person who has autism." Advertisement The episode introducing Julia includes some common scenarios. When Big Bird is introduced to her, she ignores him. And when a group of children decide to play tag together, Julia becomes so excited she starts jumping up and down. "That's a thing that can be typical of some kids with autism," Ferarro said. But the situation turns into a new game in which all the children jump around with Julia. "So it was a very easy way to show that with a very slight accommodation, they can meet her where she is," Ferraro said. As for other characters, the show conducted extensive research, including consultations with educators and child psychologists, and in this case autism organizations, to understand how best to normalize autism for non-autistic children. Julia's puppeteer, Stacey Gordon, also happens to be the mother of an autistic son. "It's important for kids without autism to see what autism can look like," she told "60 Minutes." "Had my son's friends been exposed to his behaviours through something that they had seen on TV before they experienced them in the classroom, they might not have been frightened." Advertisement Although it's not clear whether Julia will become a major character, "I would love her to be," Ferarro said. "I would love her to be not Julia, the kid on Sesame Street who has autism," she added. "I would like her to be just Julia." If you only have time for a quick weekend getaway, Canada's capital is the place to be. Ottawa's culinary offerings, art, shopping scene and outdoor activities are sure to satisfy every member of your crew. Book a room at a Hilton hotel now and start planning your 48 hours of non-stop fun. Day One Advertisement Brunch And Shopping Start the day with a late, leisurely brunch at the very popular Stoneface Dolly's. Their Eggs Benedict served on their homemade brown molasses bread with capicola ham keeps customers coming back for more. Once you've filled up on food and caffeine, make your way to the Rideau shopping district. Take in the quaint little shops at the ByWard Market and the pedestrian mall at Sparks Street, where the variety of big name shops and small local boutiques will keep you busy shopping for the latter part of the day. Politics And Pan-Asian Panache It would be a shame to be in the nation's capital and not get involved in politics. Head over to Parliament Hill and take a free guided tour of the Senate, the House of Commons and the Library of Parliament. The architecture and the indoor facilities are stunning, and the tours (which usually last anywhere between 20 and 50 minutes) offer you a glimpse into the daily surroundings of the men and women who form our government and shape our laws. Has all that walking made you hungry? Head back to the hotel for a quick shower, grab a quick drink at the hotel bar, and make your way to Datsun. This pan-Asian eatery mixes Thai, Korean, Japanese, and Chinese cuisines with panache. Curries, pork buns, chicken wings, and noodle dishes are just some of the offerings that have local foodies talking. Advertisement Laughs At The Laff End the evening by having a nightcap at "The Laff" as Chateau Lafayette is better known. It's Ottawa's oldest tavern (older than the city of Ottawa itself) and is an unpretentious, relaxed place that welcomes locals and out-of-towners alike. Day Two Scones And Museums Begin your day by heading over to Ottawa's Scone Witch for a wide variety of brunch specials featuring one of their many delectable sweet or savoury scones. You can't visit Ottawa and not take in at least one of its many award-winning museums. From its National Gallery of Canada, one of the country's premier art galleries, to the Canadian Museum of Nature, Ottawa has a wide range of museums for all interests and all ages. Just take your pick! Advertisement Sweets And Spas If you have a sweet tooth, you need to bite into a BeaverTail. These sinfully-delicious pastries are basically fried dough covered with a variety of toppings, ranging from cinnamon to Nutella. Feeling like a little Sunday pampering after all that activity and walking around? Spend the early evening at a Hilton spa getting a body wrap or a full-body massage. For dinner, head over to EVOO Greek Kitchen for some unpretentious and authentic Greek food. Have some stuffed eggplant, spit fired pork, or a seafood trio. Canadians aren't as happy as they used to be at least according to the 2017 World Happiness Report released Monday. The Great White North ranked 7th this year it's the country's lowest ranking since the happiness index began in 2012. Advertisement Norway nabbed the top spot out of 155 countries, followed by Denmark (last year's no. 1), Iceland, Switzerland and Finland. The United States fell to 14th place, continuing its slide down the list in recent years. Canada took a tumble this year; it usually takes the 5th or 6th spot. Its overall score has also been falling over recent years. The list assesses economic, health and polling data compiled by economists, which are averaged over three years from 2014 to 2016. Advertisement Canada scored 7. 316 in the latest report, compared to the 7.404 it earned last year, and 7.427 in 2015. The UN report was released to coincide with the International Day of Happiness, and experts say it shouldn't be taken lightly. This year, the conclusion underlines how money doesn't necessarily equal happiness. "It's the human things that matter. If the riches make it harder to have frequent and trustworthy relationships between people, is it worth it?'' asked John Helliwell, the lead author of the report and an economist at the University of British Columbia. What Norway is doing right Qualities such as "caring, freedom, generosity, honesty, health, income and good governance," keep Norwegians happy, despite the country's struggle amid falling oil prices, the report read. Advertisement "By choosing to produce its oil slowly, and investing the proceeds for the future rather than spending them in the present, Norway has insulated itself from the boom and bust cycle of many other resource-rich economies." Perhaps that's something Canada hasn't mastered to the same degree, yet. The report highlights the top 10 countries all rank highly in aspects of "income, healthy life expectancy, having someone to count on in times of trouble, generosity, freedom and trust." Least happy countries Money still matters, though. The least happiest countries in the world often suffer from deep economic troubles. The report highlights that many African countries suffer from a "happiness deficit," and Central African Republic is last on the list. Other countries with unrest and war, such as Syria, also rank at the bottom. With files from The Associated Press Also on HuffPost 14 New Hobbies To Try This Spring See Gallery I've been on the search recently for more natural fibers and materials when it comes to the clothing I wear, especially my gym and yoga wear. Which is mostly polyester and synthetic (yours is too, check the label). Little did I know how bad this fabric is for our environment. After a bit of digging... it's not so good, to say the least! Fabrics come in all shapes and sizes, but do you ever give a second thought to the impact those fabrics have on the planet. Take polyester, for example, it's evolved from your dad's 70s disco shirt to our generations yoga pants and undies, and the more we use and need polyester the more of an impact it has on the planet. Advertisement Polyester has become ubiquitous in our clothes, it's cheap to make, works very well when combined with other fabrics and can be found in dresses, t-shirts, and jeans. In the last decade or so, we have seen a decline in cotton production and an increase in the use of polyester. This means one thing... that clothes we are wearing and buying are increasingly becoming plastic. Scary! The most common types of polyesters (polymers) are polyethylene terephthalate or PET, plastics that are derived from crude oil used to make things like condiment bottles. Advertisement After an extensive processing process, manufacturers are able to turn these plastic fibers into the fabric we call polyester. According to Tecnon Orbichem (a world leader in providing data and analysis to the petrochemical industry since 1976), from 1980 - 2007, the amount of polyester increased from 5.8 million tons to 34 million tons and is expected to jump to 99.8 million tons by 2025. This has happened partly because the global cotton supply is becoming more and more limited, I mean there is only so much land available to grow this stuff and they are increasingly in competition with large factory farms and food crops, all vying for the same land. And if all of this was not bad enough, Tecnon Orbichem says that the need for other synthetics like rayon and nylon will see a major jump as well. Advertisement Along with all of this, manufacturers are leading the charge when it comes to technology in this sector. More and more of us are looking for "sweat-proof" and athleisure wear options, driving up the demand. Right now as I sit here typing this in my yoga pants, I feel stressed out about the impact this is going to have on our planet. What are the long term ramifications? With the global demand for synthetic fibers on the rise, I think it's fair to say that it's not just the manufacturers who are to blame. We, the consumer, need to wake up and realize that our need for fast fashion is having an unbelievably detrimental effect on the planet. A little on cotton vs. polyester: Cotton - uses large quantities of pesticides and fertilizers to grow - these are emitted into our atmosphere - polluting the air we breathe and water we drink - it also take a great deal of water to produce cotton Polyester - uses much less water in production - uses toxins (but not generally released into the enviro) - some companies are using recycled plastic bottles to turn them into polyester clothing Sound good right? Every day we throw away billions and billions of plastic bottles, proving that we all need to use way less of it in our daily lives. Now yes there are companies working hard to recycle those plastic bottles and turn them into useable goods for our homes. But there is way more to the story. Advertisement You see every time you wash a synthetic fabric, regardless of how it's made (new or from recycled goods), tiny pieces of fabric called microfibres break off and head right down the drain, hundreds of thousands of them in fact! And the older the item is, the bigger the problem. Water treatment plants are not able to pull these tiny fibers out so they end up in our rivers, lakes, and oceans. In the ocean, they absorb other toxins lurking about, toxins like petrol and pesticides that fish end up eating and yep and we end up eating because we eat the fish. Scientists estimate that there are 1.4 million trillion microbes floating around in the ocean. So even if we buy less synthetic clothing (we should) it's really up to the companies to find better ways to manufacture these goods or phase then out altogether (and that's never going to happen). Aside from the chemicals swimming about in our oceans, it takes a great deal of energy to produce goods made from polyester and that my friends are a major contributor to global climate change. Advertisement When you compare the qualities of cotton vs polyester, the first is biodegradable the is latter not. Biodegradable means "a subject or object is capable of being decomposed by bacteria or other living organisms." Cotton does not have a snowball's chance in hell to biodegrade because most cotton ends up in the landfill. No matter which way you look at it the production of fabrics to meet the demand is simply destroying the planet, one yoga pant at a time. At the end of it all, almost all of your clothes will actually be plastic! So what can we do? Pay close attention to your labels and opt for the following: Organic Cotton Linen (made from flax) Silk Wool Cashmere Hemp Jute (a very coarse fiber used for things like carpets, not clothing) The bottom. I think, is to be a conscious consumer! And to push manufacturers to give us more sustainable choices. Follow HuffPost Canada Blogs on Facebook dibrova via Getty Images Kiwengwa Beach, Zanzibar, Tanzania - January 09, 2017: Local women with child walking along beach in traditional colorful clothes By Brianne Meikle While commuting to school a few weeks ago, I read an article by Metro News on the anti-Muslim protests scheduled to take place at Toronto City Hall over the weekend. Sarah Ali, an organizer of a counter-protest was quoted saying that anti-Muslim protests, "exist because of things like anti-terrorism legislation," referring to the controversial bill C-51, the Barbaric Cultural Practices Bill. This made me reflect on the various ways in which policies have real life ramifications. Indeed, the very purpose of legislation is to have impact; to create positive change. While it may not be apparent, policy wields great power. Often, experiences of discrimination, violence, or marginalization are direct results of legislation and the tools used to achieve their objective. Advertisement I would like to share a brief example of the power of policy and how it deeply impacts people's lives, and how a rights-based approach can foster greater gender equality. I am a past participant of the International Youth Internship Program, which was facilitated through VIDEA -- a British Columbia-based international development education hub. I completed my internship with one of VIDEA's partner organizations, the Women's Legal Aid Centre (WLAC) in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. WLAC seeks to create an enabling environment for women to attain their rights and improve their livelihoods. Among many other things, WLAC provides women, youth, refugees and other marginalized persons with free legal aid and lobbies for change of discriminatory laws, policies and cultural practices that sustain and promote gender inequality. Under Tanzania's Local Customary Law, Land Act, and Village Land Act, women's ability to own and inherit land and resources are highly restricted. For instance, women are often unable to inherit property from a loved one upon their passing. Instead, when their husband dies, the property is transferred to their closest male relative. The inability for women across Tanzania to inherit or own land and resources leaves them vulnerable to abuse, exploitation, and homelessness. Advertisement These pieces of legislation aren't invisible; their implications are heard loud and clear across the country, particularly by women whom lay victim to their existence. Indeed, just like Islamophobia can be linked to anti-terrorism legislation in Canada, gender inequality and poverty can be linked to inheritance laws in Tanzania. Women become dependent on men to access land and resources, which they use to make a living and sustain their family. Without claim to that land, they lose any sense of security and the capacity to utilize their resources for long-term benefits. WLAC is one of the key organizations working to dismantle discriminatory policies in Tanzania, and replace them with legislation that is conducive to women's empowerment and gender equality. By building women's capacity to claim their rights and actively representing women in court whom fall prey to discriminatory policies, WLAC is effectively able to challenge the court system and create space for dialogue and see impact on these issues, while also providing women with direct access to justice. One case in particular led WLAC to win an award in 2015 from the Council for Eliminating Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) Committee, and is expected to be fundamental for systemic change in gender equality, through improved legislation in Tanzania in the coming future. In the case, two widows were prevented from inheriting their late husbands' property and were subsequently left homeless -- something that happens to millions of women each year in Tanzania. Upon WLAC bringing this case forward to CEDAW, "it ruled that Tanzania's legal framework which treats widows and widowers differently in terms of ownership, acquisition, management, administration, enjoyment and disposition of property, 'is discriminatory and thereby amounts to a violation of article 2 (f) in conjunction with articles 5, 15 and 16 of the Convention.' As Tanzania is a member of CEDAW, the committee can now apply pressure to the Tanzanian government to revise legislation currently inhibiting women's equal inheritance rights. WLAC and its partners in solidarity like VIDEA are truly making systemic changes which will have a powerful ripple effect in women's ability to achieve greater results in economic engagement, food security, household poverty reduction and more. WLAC's work demonstrates that taking a rights-based approach to development can serve to dismantle policies that foster and exacerbate poverty, exploitation, and marginalization, which can lead to positive long lasting changes to the lives of women and those that depend on them. Advertisement Brianne Meikle is Project Officer at VIDEA The views expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of CCIC or its members. In a country that prides itself in its gender-equal cabinet, the question of whether or not Parliament Hill is a safe space for women is rarely discussed. From hateful and misogynistic comments to sexual assault, women in Canadian politics continue to be targets of violence at various stages of their careers. Gender-based sexual violence continues to impede on women's involvement, undermining their role in Canadian politics. According to the International Knowledge Network of Women in Politics report, violence against women in politics refers to "physical, psychological or sexual aggressions taken to shorten, suspend, impede or restrict the exercise of their office, or force a woman to make decisions against her will." Let's take a look at some of the ways violence against women manifests itself in Canadian politics. Advertisement Gender-based harassment is most patently revealed through heckling and sexually motivated comments in politics. In 2014, current Minister of International Trade Chrystia Freeland was told to use her "big girl voice" as she was struggling to get her message across amid heckling from the opposition; five years earlier, Toronto City Councilor Karen Stintz was criticized for her "shrill" voice, compelling her to take public-speaking lessons. These criticisms do more than squander time that could be spent forming policy, they reinforce harmful stereotypes and discredit women for something as negligible as their vocal prowess. In a report conducted by Samara in 2015, one MP said "[heckling] makes me aware that people are often trying to silence me." The same study concluded roughly 20 per cent of the MPs reported pulling back on debate in the House of Commons because of heckling, most of whom were women. Anecdotes like these are a mere drop in the ocean for women who feel barred from the political process in Canada. Unfortunately, the buck does not stop at heckling. Despite numerous high-profile cases and government initiatives designed to protect women, sexual assault is the only violent crime in Canada that is not declining, and occurs in political spaces as well. Advertisement The year 2014 emphasized this as two Liberal MPs, Scott Andrews and Massimo Pacetti, were suspended pending various sexual assault allegations made by two female NDP MPs. Both Andrews and Pacetti were allowed to sit as independent MPs for the remainder of Parliament before later being permanently expelled from the Liberal caucus. Our failure to adequately address rape and sexual assault discourages women from speaking up about their experiences. In the same year, former deputy prime minister Sheila Copps spoke up about her personal accounts of rape and sexual assault in politics during her time as an MP more than 30 years ago. It took the resurgence of a dialogue about sexual violence in politics more than 30 years later for Copps to publicly share her story. Sexual violence impacts women at all stages of their political careers. Cyber-violence, too, has proven to have an impact on women entering the political arena. In November 2016, MLA Sandra Jansen stood in the Alberta legislature and read comments she had received online in an attempt to bring attention to the difficulties women in politics face. One such commenter wrote, "now you have two blonde bimbos in a party that is clueless." Another called her a "dumb broad," adding that the NDP was a good place for her to be "with the rest of the queers." Advertisement And that's not all. Politicians like Nova Scotia MLA Joanne Bernard and Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne are regularly attacked online and in person not only because of their gender, but based on their sexual orientation as well. Bernard has been the target of homophobic and body-shaming comments since she put her name on the ballot four years ago. Premier Wynne is often attacked through the use of derogatory and homophobic language. It is important for us to not only broaden our definition of sexual violence, but to understand that it impacts women at all stages of their political careers. Recently, former Parliament Hill staffer Beisan Zubi published a list of reasons explaining her decision for remaining silent on the sexual violence she faced while working in the capital. One of the more concerning reasons listed by Zubi revealed that MPs and fellow staffers usually know about sexual misconduct and purposely look the other way. Unfortunately, her experiences and feelings are far too common among women in politics. And two this isn't one person or one party. I've heard so many stories of sexual harassment and they're everywhere. It's about the Hill. Beisan Zubi (@beisan) March 13, 2017 A week before that, 337 young women took their seats in the House of Commons during the Daughters of the Vote (DOV) conference to celebrate 100 years of white women's suffrage and to set the agenda for the next 100 years on International Women's Day. Arezoo Najibzadeh, a DOV delegate, chose to leave her seat empty as a symbol of what she said was "the countless Canadian women who, as a result of sexual and gender-based violence, have not been able to realize their potential to play a meaningful role in the political sphere." These powerful acts of protest are drawing back the curtain, exposing the the everyday violence faced by women in Canadian politics, but we need all hands on deck, as Nanaimo-Ladysmith MP Sheila Malcolmson said in her recognition of Najibzadeh's empty seat. Advertisement Mutual respect is a vital component of debate, and the true test of a great argument is through the measure of civility between even the most impassioned political adversaries. In order to make legislatures a safe space for women, leaders and political parties must actively condemn gender-based sexual violence against women in politics and create effective mechanisms for addressing the issues. We need our elected representatives to both actively condemn sexual violence and commit to a political atmosphere of consent and respect. We must be aware of the diversity of our politicians and be proactive in creating a political climate that embraces a variety of identities. We need policies and services that confront the specific forms of violence challenging women on and off legislatures, and we need all political actors to contribute to a safer space for women in politics. Follow HuffPost Canada Blogs on Facebook Also on HuffPost: In the good old days, titillation was a tool commonly used to sell an idea, brand or product (sex sells!). Mark Wahlberg helped catapult Calvin Klein into a megabrand, selling millions of men's unmentionables by flaunting his famous eight-pack. Carl's Junior has leveraged this tactic by casting beautiful, scantily clad women in their TV spots to seductively devour their sandwiches. Consumers have bought into this strategy for decades. So it's no surprise that we've succumb to something equally seductive -- hate. Traditional media has evolved over the past decade, this we know, with citizen journalism, a 24-hour news cycle, and civilian smartphones capturing major events before news crews can pinpoint the scene. Sadly, one thing that hasn't changed is that horrible old cliche, "if it bleeds it leads." We're still obsessed with shock. Drawn into the drama of a depressing Facebook post. Advertisement Social media has become a hotbed for divisive political discussion, especially over the past year. I used to love scanning my Twitter feed, quickly consuming my daily headlines, until it became engulfed with trolls and bad grammar. I went from being bombarded with humble brags and cat videos on Facebook to heated debate and nasty, user-generated memes. While many of us thought it would be helpful to share these posts as a way to educate our networks or demonstrate solidarity with the many marginalized groups being targeted with hateful rhetoric in light of the current U.S. administration, it turns out we may have inadvertently participated in it's rise. Unbelievably, there are people who accept assaulting women as normal, agree with oppressing the LGBTQ community, and support exiling people for their religious beliefs. The moment a U.S. presidential candidate openly supported these hateful ideas, and reiterated them time and time again, the language became comfortable for some, commonplace even. Gaslighting legions of people into embracing hate. But what continues to cause these feelings to bubble up is the public's propensity to push the message forward. By tweeting it, posting it, sharing it and even verbally repeating it. If hate inspires and motivates people, why can't acts of love? What if we focused on elevating the stuff that will evoke positive change, instead of highlighting more destructive dialogue? Instead of engaging with the hate mongers online, consider putting your head down and doing the work. Donate to a cause that moves marginalized groups forward, volunteer your time, express your support to someone you think needs it -- regardless if you know them or not -- and listen to what they have to say. Like a fire, if you deny it oxygen, eventually its blaze becomes a flicker and slowly fades away. It would be helpful if the media, right leaning or left, banned together and made a commitment to reporting on something more solid than the president's latest social media rants. Screen captures of a Twitter tantrum does not constitute news from the president of the United States. If that's how he chooses to interact with the media, perhaps the media needs to shut him out until he can inform the public appropriately, despite how clickable and ad worthy those headlines might be. Advertisement Instead of spreading more negative sentiment about the political climate in the U.S., choose not to continue to feed the beast. Digital media is, in part, what created this presidency. Like a fire, if you deny it oxygen, eventually its blaze becomes a flicker and slowly fades away. Like a bully, if you ignore him, eventually he goes away. Like a president, if he attacks the very fabric, flavour and culture of the nation in which he serves, eventually he will fall. Follow HuffPost Canada Blogs on Facebook Canada's federal budget is just a few short days away. On the foreign policy front, I'm not hopeful. We are living in particularly troubling times. We are facing serious humanitarian crises in Yemen, South Sudan, Somalia, Syria, the Lake Chad region and many other places. A few days ago we learned that United States President Donald Trump has instructed State Department officials to find ways to cut contributions to the United Nations by 50 per cent. This means serious cuts to peacekeeping, providing vaccines for children, monitoring rogue nuclear weapons programs and promoting peace talks from Syria to Yemen. The United States is the number one contributor to the United Nations. In this context, it is even more important that Canada steps up and increases our efforts on the international stage. The status quo just won't do. Advertisement Of course, the Liberals are fond of saying "Canada is Back" -- but one and a half years into their mandate, their promises aren't backed up by action. For example, we are still waiting for the Liberals to fulfill their electoral promise and table legislation to accede to the Arms Trade Treaty. If the Trudeau government really wants to be back, we need to begin by meeting our international obligations. The first step would be to increase Canada's Official Development Assistance (ODA), which sits at an embarrassing 0.26 per cent of GNI. The international goal is 0.7 per cent, and many other donor countries have reached this, but the Liberal government has given no indication that it will even attempt to make an increase at any point in this mandate. Frankly, that's unacceptable. Canada should set a timetable to reach the 0.7 per cent goal. If the Liberal Budget doesn't include an increase in ODA, that will be a massive disappointment to Canadians who believe we need to do better on the world stage. It is especially important that we walk the talk on feminism and provide the necessary funding. New Democrats believe that the federal government must invest more to eradicate poverty in all its forms. The NDP are strong supporters of the Sustainable Development Goals. But to achieve the SDGs, we need to invest in them. We need to ensure we are meeting our obligations, even surpassing our obligations. But without an increase in ODA, we have much less chance of achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. There have been some positive steps from this government. The recent announcement on sexual and reproductive rights and health was a welcome shift in priorities. But a closer look at the details reveals that the money announced to great fanfare on International Women's Day is actually not new money: it will be taken from the existing Canadian aid budget. That's not good enough. Advertisement A truly feminist government would also fund the Women, Peace and Security Agenda. Over the last decade, the issue of women, peace and security was largely neglected by the Canadian government, despite Canada's leading role in achieving United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325. Reports on Canada's National Action Plan were frequently late, and the Agenda was underfunded. The scarcity of funds has been one of the key challenges of implementing the WPS agenda at both the national and global level. Recently, the House of Commons Foreign Affairs and International Development Committee recommended the government increase its efforts. But the response from the government has been disappointing. At a time when the Government of Canada is expressing renewed support for the United Nations and multilateralism, and campaigning for a temporary seat on the UN Security Council, it is especially important that we walk the talk on feminism and provide the necessary funding to the WPS agenda. And then there is the question of where our aid money is going -- or, more importantly, where it's not going. Few Canadians know that less than 0.03 per cent of Canada's aid budget goes to women at the grassroots. There is an excellent proposal by Match International and Nobel Women's Initiative to create a new funding mechanism for grassroots organizations led by women. Women are the most important changemakers in their communities. If we really want to support women and really want to be known as a feminist nation, then we need to work hand-in-hand with women and fund their work. The NDP strongly supports this initiative. We would welcome an announcement for this in the federal budget this week. But for this to happen, it would take courage and vision -- not just rhetoric. Advertisement Follow HuffPost Canada Blogs on Facebook Also on HuffPost: My colleague and I recently attended a conference at New York's Columbia University entitled Beyond the Bars: Transcending the Punishment Paradigm. The premise of the weekend's talks exposed the structural workings of the American prison system and initiatives in play that are dedicated to ending mass incarceration. Panels were composed of individuals from various walks of life, most of whom had been directly or indirectly affected by violence and incarceration. At the end of the three days of discussions, workshops and presentations, we categorized our findings into two very distinct areas: what's working and what's not working. I'll start with the latter in order to lay the foundation for the existence of some incredible projects that are peering through the cracks of a particularly backwards and senseless justice system. Advertisement What's not working As many already know from documentaries like The 13th or Michael Moore's Where to Invade Next, there are over 2.3 million incarcerated individuals living within the walls of both federally and privately run facilities in the U.S. If the country were to reduce its prison population by 50 per cent, it would still be a world leader in mass incarceration. There are various factors in motion that perpetuate this negative cycle and fuel the American prison-industrial complex. In the United States, the "prison pipeline" is a term used to describe the continuous flow of individuals who will eventually come into contact with the system. The pipeline begins with eight- and nine-year-olds, as the reading and math scores from black and brown children in Grade 3 are used to estimate the future number of beds required in a particular correctional facility. Instead of targeting the educational weaknesses of this demographic, the country has decided to use these learning deficits as a capitalist advantage and means to sustain mass incarceration. While the pipeline feeds the prisons, the facilities themselves effectively keep the negative cycle in motion. The concept of a prison pipeline is a fundamental stain on the country's structural make-up, and the mentality that accompanies its existence has major implications upon the inner workings of the facilities. All the skills that are required of an individual to survive within an American prison are all of the things that are counterproductive to surviving in society on the outside. Incarcerated individuals experience shame, isolation, an inability to meet their economic needs and violence (Sered, D. 2017.) These four elements also happen to be the root causes of social deviance and acts of violence. So, while the pipeline feeds the prisons, the facilities themselves effectively keep the negative cycle in motion. Advertisement With the election of U.S. President Donald Trump, the pipeline has rapidly furthered its reach. The fastest-growing prison population in the United States are those who do not have documentation. With Trump's pledge to incarcerate 2 to 3 million illegal immigrants, it's no wonder the stock prices of private prisons soared after he took the oval office. The root causes of crime and violence have been identified in the U.S., yet instead of trying to remediate the issues with preventative strategies, the system uses the causes to pump people into the cycle. Phrases like "structural racism" and "capitalist agenda" were commonly heard over the course of the conference, and from where we were sitting, it wasn't difficult to see why this was the activist language being used to describe the circumstances. What's working Despite the foundational flaws in the American justice system, the initiatives dedicated to education, reform, and rehabilitation are both organized and effective. The "what's working" section of our analysis comes in the form of activist movements, support groups and community-based projects. New York's Hudson Link for Higher Education in Prison offers incarcerated men and women the chance to earn a college degree and provides support programming during post-release. The organization was founded in 1998 and is run by formerly incarcerated individuals, making it the only 501(c)3 non-profit of its kind. The recidivist rate among Hudson Link's graduates is four per cent, a mere fraction of the national recidivist rate of 67 per cent. Advertisement During Sunday's workshops, we were introduced to a student club out of East Los Angeles College called Homeboy Scholars. The club was started by Adrian Caceres, a formerly incarcerated college student who wanted to provide non-traditional and part-time learners with a campus community. Going back to school after being incarcerated is a daunting task that can be incredibly overwhelming. Homeboy Scholars is helping these learners connect with their academic journey and is motivating them to continue on the right track. While in the city, we took the opportunity to meet with Shaun Leonardo. Shaun is an influential artist who collaborates with Brooklyn Justice Initiatives to offer a diversion program for minors convicted of misdemeanour offences. Despite their young age, these individuals are treated as adults in New York's criminal court. Shaun and the SoHo non-profit art space, Recess, have teamed up to educate at-risk youth in the performing arts and to help them discover their inner talents as a means to express their personal narratives. The unique element to this program is that prosecutors are able to close the young person's case and wipe their records after their full participation in the program. These young people are offered rehabilitation, reintegration and a second chance. The existence of these organizations play a crucial role in helping those affected by incarceration. Finally, we spoke with Aaron Charlop-Powers from the Centre for Court Innovation. This is a public/private partnership between the New York State Unified Court System and the Fund for the City of New York. They focus on creating and operating programs, conducting direct research and helping with the reintegration process. This organization has been up and running since 1993, and it has proven successful in reducing crime and incarceration. They now function as a permanent pathway to achieving justice reform. The existence of these organizations play a crucial role in helping those affected by incarceration. The passion behind these projects and the positive impact they're making in the United States has inspired my colleague and I to push for more organized initiatives here in Canada. While we may not have the same incarceration numbers, private prisons or overt existence of a prison pipeline, Canada has seen an increase in incarceration over the last decade, and this population continues to be over-represented by black, brown and Latino youth. To us, this highlights a need for open discussion among educational leaders, the justice system and public representatives. With more public awareness and organization among community-based projects that specifically target this demographic, we can offer these young members of our society a more optimistic future. Advertisement For more information about Literal Change or to donate to our cause, visit our website at literalchange.com Follow HuffPost Canada Blogs on Facebook Also on HuffPost: Parliament is poised to adopt M-103, a motion that calls on the government to condemn Islamophobia and all forms of systemic racism and religious discrimination. The principle at the centre of this initiative -- condemning anti-Muslim bigotry -- rightly garners broad support in Canada, including from the Jewish community. Jewish Canadians perhaps know better than anyone the damaging experience of hatred. According to Statistics Canada, Jews are the most frequent targets of hate-motivated crime in this country. It is from this place of empathy that we unequivocally stand shoulder to shoulder with Muslim Canadians in opposing hate directed against them, particularly in the wake of the heinous attack on a mosque in Quebec City. Advertisement I was pleased to engage with the sponsor of M-103, MP Iqra Khalid, in advance of her motion being debated on the floor of the House of Commons. We had an open and frank conversation at her invitation, which included discussion of the need to define Islamophobia. For some, it is an interchangeable term for anti-Muslim bigotry. For others, it is purposefully amorphous, used to quash legitimate criticism of certain interpretations of Islam. M-103 has engendered a polarized climate of misunderstanding, misinformation and animosity. We support the motion's intended objective of combating anti-Muslim hate in Canada, which should be unanimously endorsed. However, we are concerned with the potential validation of any restriction placed on criticizing those manifestations of Islam that drive hatred and violence against Jews, Muslims and other Canadians. Recent calls for anti-Semitic violence from the pulpits of some Canadian mosques have brought this concern into sharp relief for many in the Jewish community. Unfortunately, rather than serving as a vehicle for building solidarity in the face of bigotry, which was clearly the intent of the initiative, M-103 has engendered a polarized climate of misunderstanding, misinformation and animosity. Those who have shamefully bombarded Ms. Khalid with violent and hateful invective are an abhorrent reminder of the need to build a united front in beating back the ugliness that lurks in the shadows of our exceptionally tolerant society. Advertisement Following the anticipated adoption of the motion, critics and proponents alike must set their disagreement aside and ensure that any parliamentary initiative that follows is unifying. This should address both the laudable objectives advanced in the motion and the legitimate concerns that have been raised about its composition. M-103 is a motion, not a law. It seeks to prompt a study by the House of Commons Heritage Committee that would produce recommendations for government action. I recommended to Ms. Khalid that her motion be updated to include a mandate for the committee to define Islamophobia in Canada. Though this suggestion went unheeded, I am hopeful that if Parliament engages in an initiative to confront hatred and discrimination it will be incorporated into that process. In reaching out to Jewish community leaders on this issue, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has instilled confidence that this unifying approach to fighting hate will prevail. Learning the lessons of the M-103 experience provides an opportunity for Canadians from all walks of life to come together, transcend our differences and achieve the objectives we collectively espouse. Follow HuffPost Canada Blogs on Facebook Also on HuffPost: The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has not so far set the new date of its Board of Governors meeting on completion of the third review of the extended fund facility (EFF) program for Ukraine, the fund's press service told Interfax-Ukraine. It said that an IMF Board of Governors meeting, which was scheduled on March 20, had been postponed to evaluate the impact of recent developments on the cooperation program. The IMF plans to announce the new date of this meeting shortly, the statement said. As reported, the issue of the third review of the EFF program for Ukraine was dropped from the March 20 agenda of the IMF Board of Governors. There is no data about the reasons for such changes on the Fund's website. The agenda has been compiled over the period until March 24 and the issue of Ukraine is not on it. "The meeting has been postponed only because of the need to clarify the calculation of the economic consequences of the measures Ukraine has introduced in response to the blockade and seizure of Ukrainian enterprises in certain areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions outside control of the government, and also in light of Russia's recognition of documents issued in those areas," the Ukrainian Finance Ministry said. For its part, the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) told reporters that Ukraine remains in the cooperation program with the IMF. "The latest developments in the country need to be studied further on the subject of their potential impact on the economy and be taken into account in macroeconomic forecasts of the cooperation program with the Fund," the NBU said on Facebook. When asked to picture a sparrow, I think a lot of us, especially the city dwellers, think of the common house sparrow. Though ubiquitous across southern Canada, this little sparrow is not actually native to North America. This introduced species hails from Europe and, like many immigrants, came to North America via New York in the 1850s. Over the next half century, the house sparrow spread west across the continent. But rather than focus on an avian interloper, I'd like to introduce you to the colourful world (OK, it's actually pretty brown) of Canadian sparrows, all in time for World Sparrow Day! House sparrow (Photo from Wikimedia Commons) Northern Canada: Harris' sparrow To start off our tour, we will meet the Harris' sparrow. This is Canada's only endemic breeding songbird, meaning that it breeds solely in Canada and nowhere else. Harris' sparrow spends its breeding season on the Canadian tundra. It's also the largest member of the sparrow and bunting family. Harris' sparrow made the State of North America's Birds Report watch list in 2016 due to its steeply declining population. Advertisement Key field marks: Black bib, black forehead and crown and pink bill. Harris' sparrow (Photo by NCC) Western Canada: Golden-crowned sparrow A pacific specialty, the golden-crowned sparrow is the only bird in this blog post (including the house sparrow) that's not currently facing a population decline. Relative to the other profiled sparrows, not much is known about the breeding habits of these birds due to their remote nesting sites on the tundra and shrublands of British Columbia and Alaska. Instead, most birders will be familiar with this species on their wintering grounds, such as British Columbia's southern coast. Key field marks: Yellow central crown, black lateral crown stripes and grey bill. Golden-crowned sparrow (Photo by Murray Foubister) Central Canada: Baird's sparrow A species at risk in Canada, the range of the Baird's sparrow is restricted to the prairies, the world's most endangered ecosystem. Like many grassland birds, its populations have declined due to the conversion of prairies into agricultural land. The Baird's sparrow is a secretive bird and often only reveals itself to the patient birder with its high-pitched jingling song. Advertisement Key field marks: black 'moustache' and buff breast/flanks heavily streaked with black. Baird's sparrow (Photo by Rick Bohn) Eastern Canada: Field sparrow If you find yourself out in the countryside on a warm spring day and hear a trill that curiously sounds like a bouncing ball, you have found the field sparrow. According to the ICUN Red List of Threatened Species, these sparrow populations have declined dramatically in recent years. This trend is partly due to habitat destruction, as urban and suburban land replaces the fields that this species rely upon. However, due to their large range and large baseline population, the field sparrow is not listed yet as a threatened species. Key field marks: Unstreaked breast, rusty cap, pink bill and white eye ring. Field sparrow (Photo from Wikimedia Commons) Atlantic Canada: Nelson's sparrow In 1995, the American Ornithologists' Union split the sharp-tailed sparrow into two species: saltmarsh sparrow, a more southern bird whose range lies south of Canada's Atlantic coast, and Nelson's sparrow. In Atlantic Canada, Nelson's sparrow can be found (though not easily, it's known to be secretive) in salt marsh habitat. Like many coastal birds, Nelson's sparrow is also on the State of North America's Birds watch list due to declining populations. Key field marks: Orange breast with buffy streaks, grey auriculars (feathers that cover the ear) and a short and pointed tail. Advertisement Nelson's sparrow (Photo from Wikimedia Commons) To learn more about sparrows and other bird species across Canada, visit natureconservancy.ca. This post was written by Claire Elliot and originally published on the Nature Conservancy of Canada's blog, Land Lines. The five things you need to know on Monday, March 20 1) WE WE, OURS Theresa May is off on her nationwide tour, which together with her new Plan For Britain has got tongues wagging that this is all a warm-up for a snap general election. Sources close to the PM keep insisting that she has no plans to go to the polls early, even as the counter-case grows stronger by the day. Advertisement The Sunday Express revealed yesterday that a May 4 election has been discussed by Tory Party Chairman Patrick McLoughlin, Chief Whip Gavin Williamson and the Prime Ministers Private Secretary George Hollingbery. The idea is to deliver May her own mandate, increase her majority for coming Brexit trouble in Parliament, wipe the slate clean from the Tory election expenses saga and, of course, to give the PM more ammo in her battle against Nicola Sturgeons request for a second referendum on Scottish independence. May is in Wales today (where the Tories did very well against Labour in the 2015 election, dont forget), and will visit Northern Ireland and Scotland at some point. The whole message is about we, the United Kingdom, rather than I, the Prime Minister. With Holyrood set to vote for a new referendum this week, will the MP exact revenge for Sturgeons ambush last week, with a trip north of the border this week? May standing up to Sturgeon is already paying off anecdotally in both southern Tory and northern Labour seats. The Institute for Government has a new report out warning that Parliament could face the job of scrutinising up to 15 new bills to deliver Brexit, leaving little time for other unrelated legislation in coming years. At 2pm, U.K. ambassador to the EU Sir Tim Barrow and Brexit minister David Jones give evidence to the Commons European Scrutiny committee. Maybe theyll enlighten us further. 2) NO PARTICULAR PLACE TO GO There are two main Labour stories around right now: Tom Watsons spat with Momentum chief Jon Lansman, and John McDonnells new, 2-year deadline for Jeremy Corbyn to turn around the polls. The first poses serious questions, but the second tells us a lot about the wagons being circled around the Labour leader. Advertisement All this current talk of a snap election reminds me of last summer, when Labour MPs were so spooked by the idea of an autumn poll that they opted for a panicky, botched leadership challenge that ended up strengthening rather weakening Corbyn. And Watson is clearly determined to fight moves by McDonnell and Lansman to lower the number of MPs needed for any future leadership bid. The Observer had the scoop of a recording by Lansman in which he said Unite would affiliate to Momentum, that the group should take control of regional Labour parties and change selection rules for MPs and councillors. Watson told Today that this was a battle for the future existence of the Labour party. Lansman counters he is only operating like other groups such as Labour First. Christine Shawcroft says Watson is trying to interfere in the Unite general secretary election. But what really caught my eye was McDonnell in an interview with the i newspaper moving the goalposts on the timetable Corbyn had to change the awful polls around. In February (like Diane Abbott), he said over the next 12 months Labour would turn this around. Now he says: Over the next 18 months, 24 months, I think it will turn. McDonnell said the main way to change things would be, wait for it, word of mouth. We have reinvented word of mouth as a form of political communication. The meetings that we do, people come along, they come out convinced, and spread the word. And the Shadow Chancellor also blamed Gordon Brown and the 2008 crash for Labour still being 20 points behind on economic crediblity. Yet if you want real evidence of how Labour operates, read my story from the weekend: Corbyn was advised to use the Brexiteers 350m-a-week for the NHS pledge and turn it into a radical Labour promise of extra health funding at the next election. Indecision, infighting, incoherence all united to ensure no such pledge was made in his New Year populist relaunch. Advertisement Kezia Dugdale is due to address the PLP tonight and theres some word Corbyn will be asked to join her. 3) GEORGIE B GOODE? For now, George Osbornes Twitter handle simply says Member of Parliament for Tatton. It does not yet say multi-tasking MP, Evening Standard Editor, Northern Powerhouse Partnership chairman and BlackRock adviser. But the pressure on him to quit as an MP continues. The Telegraph says Osborne will face a hostile reception at Tatton Conservative Association AGM this Friday and a possible formal motion of censure in coming weeks, though this all seems short of a deselection. Theres a bit of bolting the stable door going on too, with the Sunday Times reporting the Committee on Standards in Public Life may look again at second jobs for MPs, and the Observer saying Osborne has yet to receive approval from the advisory committee on business appointments. Former RBS chief Stephen Hester told Westminster Hour last night: My shareholders would have a revolt and I would have to step down immediately if I was to take another fulltime job. He added: when youre in the business of public trust, thats a step too far. But Tony Blair said suggested hed be rather good: I think its a great thing for the Evening Standard, why not? Hes a highly capable guy and it should make politics more interesting. Nicky Morgan said hed champion liberal Conservatism. Where this all leaves meritocracy in 21st century Britain is anyones guess. Maybe social mobility czar Alan Milburn (who has complained that jobs in the media are more about who you know, than what you know) will have a hot take? Advertisement It seems unlikely that anyone is going to shame Osborne into giving up his multiple roles. It seems as if he is treating the editorship of the Standard like any MP treats a Cabinet post: you dont need particular expertise or experience, can rely on the experts around you (civil servants in Whitehall, deputy editors and others in South Kensington), while you set the overall direction and strategy. On a practical level, just how Osborne will combine his roles remains to be seen. Scots Tory leader Ruth Davidson, a former journalist turned politician, told Marr: Im not sure he could do both at the same time. Osborne said on Friday that he would edit the paper in the morning and vote in Parliament in the afternoon. But under its new structure, a lot of the Standards heavy lifting is done the day before it prints. As for BlackRock, where he will work one day a week, maybe hell do that on Fridays? Maybe the new Standard Editor will answer all these questions by commissioning a Q&A box and putting it on page 5? BECAUSE YOUVE READ THIS FAR Ahead of tonights TV debates, watch French presidential contender Francois Fillon forced to eat an insect by some school kids. Im a Celebrity, gallic style. 4) SWEET LITTLE SIXTY George Osbornes little local difficulty may have taken the heat off Philip Hammond (Tim Shipman reported in the Sunday Times yesterday that Cabinet ministers have been told to expect a reshuffle only in the junior ranks this year). But not by much and possibly not for long, if the looming fresh post-Budget rows over grey vote policy continue. The Daily Express has splashed on the backlash at suggestions that the Chancellor will now target pensions tax relief in a bid to fill his 2bn black hole from the NI U-turn. The idea is top of his list, according to those close to Hammond. Higher rate tax payers are in the firing line in an idea that has long been considered by both the Lib Dems and Labour in recent years. Advertisement Theres also a growing revolt on something that got lost in the Budget chaos: the probate fees death tax hike that charities say could cost them 18m a year in legacies. One to watch. 5) DONT YOU LIE TO ME Former Blair policy chief and now May adviser Matthew Taylor was on Peston yesterday talking about his review into firms that use self-employed workers to avoid paying sickness, pension and maternity benefits. His review, due to be sent to the PM in June, found evidence of companies asking potential employees to incorporate themselves as sole traders rather than being taken on the payroll. The Times has splashed on plans for a crackdown after government sources suggested last night that the PM would back its recommendations. With ministers fearing bogus self-employment is spreading from delivery and tech firms to other sectiors, the paper reports that firms could be banned from imposing any control or sanction over workers who are classed as self-employed Right on cue, the Guardian has a story that delivery firm UK Mail charged a courier nearly 800 when he was unable to work as a result of a car accident while on duty. The firm says it is simply covering the cost it incurred in replacing the guy involved. Not good PR for Tesco, Homebase and other firms who use the company. SUNDAY SHOWS ROUND-UP Had a lie-in? Got a life? Read our round-up of all the Sunday morning politics shows in one place HERE, complete with bite-sized video clips. Advertisement If youre reading this on the web, sign-up HERE to get the WaughZone delivered to your inbox. Like more than 80% of academics and a substantial majority of young people who will be most affected by Brexit, I voted to remain in the European Union. British Universities have always been considered the global gold standard for quality but Brexit, in combination with reduced government funding, immigration policy, a changing 18 year-old demographic and the Higher Education and Research Bill, has created 'A Perfect Storm' for the sector. Universities are big business. Last year there were 2.24 million students at British universities, generating a gross revenue of around 33.2 Billion and adding on average two to three times their turnover into local economies. Advertisement The total direct contribution to the UK economy is between 73 billion and 100 billion, depending on the figures one relies upon. Universities also employ more than 400,000 staff directly, and a further 10,000 spin-off companies. There are now a number of direct issues raised by Brexit that will directly affect universities: Student recruitment Around 25% of students in the UK are not British citizens. At present some 130,000 (5.4%), come from the continental EU. This brings revenue of slightly more than 2.4 billion directly into universities, and a total of approximately 10 billion into local economies. The most likely outcome of Brexit is that continental EU students will be required to gain Tier IV visas and will no longer have access to the UK Student Loans Company. At present the vast majority of continental EU students draw down the available fee loans, and in some cases maintenance loans as well. They rarely pay it back, and it is for this reason that most of them come to the UK. Advertisement London-based institutions have a disproportionate percentage of non-UK EU students and will be most impacted by a drop in numbers. Low tariff post-92 universities have also placed an increasing reliance on UK EU students, and now that student number caps have been removed they have been increasingly turning to recruit in Europe as a solution to fill financial gaps. As an example, one low-tariff London Post-92 institution currently has more than 2,000 non-UK EU students, almost all of whom take full advantage of the Student Loans Company. It is estimated that as many as 75% of these would not come to Britain without financial support, resulting in a revenue drop of more than 24 million for this university alone. Without decisive action the total negative revenue impact the sector as a whole would probably be around 2.4 billion, which would eradicate the surplus made last year and place some institutions in severe difficulties. Student Experience No one should think of students simply as a source of revenue. The most important contribution of international students is the richness of perspective they bring to share with domestic students and others. This is essential in a globalising environment and contributes to mutual understanding and facilitating peace in an increasingly complex world. We must also not ignore the contribution made by international staff. The potential loss of European colleagues may hasten the departure of academics from elsewhere in the world to the detriment of the student experience and research participation. The free movement of staff and students is vital in maintaining a sustainable, quality system. Advertisement Another possible casualty of Brexit may be the loss of access to the Erasmus Plus funding for travel and exchange. Currently more than 15,000 UK students receive additional funding to facilitate their study in other EU countries. For many, study abroad would not be possible without the 130 million agreed to support British students this year. Thousands of staff also receive funding to help European collaboration. Access to research funding and third-stream revenue The office for national statistics suggests that in the period from 2007-13 there was a net inflow of 3.4 billion to the UK for research from the EU. The government has guaranteed to maintain equivalent funding until 2019. However, after this there are no guarantees, except to existing research partnerships that will continue beyond the 2019 date. Research may well be yet another of those areas, like health, farming and fisheries, that will be funded from the apparently inexhaustible savings that we will make by not paying into the EU? The possible ineligibility for UK academics and institutions for EU funding is already having a perceptible effect. Continental EU universities are already withdrawing from planned research bids and academics are rejecting job offers from British universities and transferring to EU institutions. There is a genuine danger of a brain drain of the brightest and best academics seeking to secure their research futures. There are those who say that any shortfall will be made up by increased investment from the private sector. Brexit supporters point to the recent commitment of the Danish pharmaceutical company, Novo Nordisk, for Oxford University to host a 115m diabetes research centre funded over the next 10 years. Advertisement Of course, there will continue to be investments in specialist areas where we have world-leading units and this should be applauded. But, this is not a demonstration that Brexit is brilliant. The big issue is about all those who will not invest in the UK now, such as Bill Gates. He has said that Brexit will make Britain 'significantly less attractive'. Microsoft has invested more than 1 billion pounds in UK research in the last few years but has indicated that it will no longer do so. Lack of research investment will lead to reduced business investment, jobs and the UK GDP. Soft power Britain has a tradition of being the selected country of study for people who go on to be world leaders or individuals of influence. The Higher Education Policy Institute (HEPI) has undertaken research, which reveals that 55 world leaders - presidents, prime ministers and monarchs - took their higher education in the UK. Nick Hillman, Director of HEPI, said: "We punch above our weight internationally partly because of the soft power benefits that arise from educating the world's leaders. It is staggering that 55 world leaders should have studied in a country of the UK's size. We benefit enormously from the fact that they did." As a direct result of Brexit, international students feel less welcome and are turning to other providers. Research shows that students who do come to the UK believe that they are only valued for the money they bring, and now feel less loyalty to Britain than before for business and political alliances. This is a sad loss. David Davis and Boris Johnson constantly chide the Remain camp for moaning and urge us to identify the great new opportunities that will be presented. It is sad to say that in higher education it is becoming increasingly difficult to identify opportunities in the face of growing threats. Advertisement Barcroft Media via Getty Images Or civilized society in the West that is. A quick perusal of Wikipedia will tell you that the ritual of the handshake goes back to the times of ancient Greece. The origin of the handshake, after all, is "to illustrate that you come in peace, to show that you bear no weapon in your hand and you want to bond with your fellow human by the mutual clutch of the palms." And for a completely different civilized way to meet and greet, look to the Eastern approach, palms together, a slight bow: "Namaste", indicating, "a reverential acknowledgement of you". Note: "reverential". The Namaste or Namaskar greeting requires the greeter to look past personality and boundaries, and acknowledge something beyond, in the "other". Call it a common ground, where differences can meet. Advertisement So that wasn't going to happen in the Oval Office when Angela Merkel, Chancellor of Germany met Donald Trump. As reporters clamoured for the standard handshake, recalling how the Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was nearly yanked off his seat, and as Merkel quietly asked, "Do you want a handshake?", Mr. Trump looked at the ground, apparently refusing to engage, or as the alternative interpretation goes, "not hearing the request" . And so, Twitter had a field day. But seriously, Mr. President? Seriously? Here's the opportunity to fly in the face of accusations of Chief Misogynist in the White House by acknowledging one of the most intelligent and highly respected females on the world stage today, and this is what we get? As if this was Hillary and the campaign trail and here we are again: anything goes. Decorum, dignity, decency, good taste, good manners, respect; it's what we teach our children. It's all part of the fragile threads that, woven together, give form and substance to civilized society. These little acts of putting our egos aside , our personal opinions, our differences and even our disdain or contempt, is what separates us from thugs and animals, and believe it or not, helps the world go round and keeps us safe; all of us. Parents, teachers, counsellors, social workers, all over the world are working so hard to "teach their children well". And you are the President. Not just Donald Trump of Trump Tower but representing a whole great nation and much of the western world. What were you thinking? Again, a quick perusal of the many forms of greeting throughout the world, illustrates the breadth of socially and culturally acceptable ways we humans find to "connect", all so different but all so good. In the West, the male species in particular has increasingly found and used newer and ever cooler ways to make that contact handshake warmer and more real, morphing more into a male-hug than just a 'shake'. It's touching, man. Advertisement Communicating and connecting, cross-culturally and across borders and boundaries, is what keeps us human and moving forward. Division, hate, disrespect due to differences, tears us apart and moves us back, into darker times, taking us down the rabbit hole which ends we know not where. In the end, this kind of negative trajectory affects everyone negatively; even Presidents . When we talk about children receiving a good start in education there is sometimes an assumption that they all begin primary school on an equal footing. But children can grow up at a very different pace and in particular those who don't develop communication skills early on can face an uphill battle to catch up. Getting to grips with language is one of the cornerstones of healthy growth for young children, which is why it is prioritised in official guidance as one of the core priorities, alongside physical and emotional development. As children's communication skills grow, they uncover completely new avenues of thinking. Toddlers begin learning not just by being able to put names to familiar objects and communicating with others, but also by exploring new sensations and concepts and arranging their thoughts. Language gives them a basis from which to grow and learn. The statistics are well rehearsed. By the time children enter primary school they are expected to have reached certain developmental milestones, yet research from the Communications Trust suggests that there are over 1 million children and young people - that's 2 or 3 in every classroom - with some form of long-term and persistent speech, language and communication difficulty. Their speech may be faltering and their vocabulary smaller than their peers. They may use shorter sentences and be more likely to struggle with complex instructions. In up to 90% of cases those children then struggle with reading, putting their entire education firmly on the back foot. So it is vital that we tackle these issues from as early an age as possible. Advertisement The sad truth is that there is a strong correlation between an area's wealth and the language skills of its young children. Across the country around 1 in 8 children have difficulties of this type. In areas of deprivation that rises to over half - an astonishing and unacceptable figure. Every child deserves the chance to reach their full potential, which is why I'm so pleased to see some truly innovative programmes tackle this problem head on. Last month I was in Hull, a city with pockets of high deprivation and somewhere where a higher than average proportion of children have speech and language difficulties. I was really inspired during my visit by the pupils of Southcoates primary school, who confidently use the kind of creative language that most adults could only aspire to. Children happily chatted about the words they had found over the weekend and how they couldn't wait until Monday to try them out in the classroom. Their enthusiasm and sense of pride was palpable. They had found a key to a world they didn't know existed and they wanted to share their excitement at what they had found. They had been taking part in "The Talk of the Town" - a project that has seen dedicated communication skills teaching incorporated into the weekly timetable. It stems from a two year trial led by the Communication Trust and the Education Endowment Fund. Since 2015 it, has been run by the school itself and it has seen participants' literacy and communication scores markedly improve. Advertisement Other programmes such as those run by the National Literacy Trust have taken a similarly community-based approach with schools in some of the most deprived areas of the country. Hundreds of children from parts of Middlesbrough with high rates of language difficulties recorded huge improvements in reaching early years goals. Though the Early Words Together scheme was national in scope, it worked because it stemmed from awareness of an issue on a local level, and was sensitive to local needs. I also recently visited Longmoor primary school in Liverpool where children were learning Manadarin in reception class as part of a drive to give them the best start possible. Studies have shown that learning languages increases critical thinking skills, creativity and flexibility especially at an early age. Bilingual children score higher than monolingual peers not just in vocabulary and reading but also in standardised maths tests, and the critical thinking and problem solving encouraged with learning languages become valuable life skills. Over the years we have seen rapid development and adoption of technologies which have changed the way we live. But nowhere is this impact more apparent than in the medical and healthcare field. From prescribing medicine, automating workflow processes to Uber cabs taking patients' home from the hospital. There is no doubt that digital solutions open up avenues for healthcare professionals to ensure better patient care. In recent years a relationship has been created between health providers and technology companies to enhance patient care and to support the NHS in tackling increasing pressures to manage shortage of staff on crowded wards. There is a shortage of nurses in almost every hospital in Britain with 96% failing to meet their own 'safe staffing' levels on wards. The public's expectations have evolved to expect faster results, "anytime, anywhere", and this is the same for the treatment and service they receive in regards to their health. We are living in a hyper-personalised world, where patients want to ensure the treatment they receive is appropriate for them. Advertisement The huge influx of patients and an aging population is putting a strain on doctors who are delaying discharges due to issues associated with arranging care. Bed-blocking in the NHS has risen by 40% and bed-days lost as a result of delayed transfer of patients hit 193,680 in November last year, the third highest monthly total on record with it being 26% higher than in the same month the previous year. Innovative technology-enabled care has the potential to transform health services to promote better patient care and utilise staff more efficiently. Harnessing the power of next generation technology creates a robust staffing model which can ease the nursing allocation process and bring them to the doorstep of patients. Reducing staff scheduling by up to 70% allows hospitals and treatment centers to direct support where it is needed to ensure patients get the best help. Using a single interface allows health professionals to have comprehensive reporting of a patient's health at the click of a button. Healthcare is a paper driven sector, and there is a high volume of data that health professionals need to filter, store and analyse to support patients. This is the reason why there is an interest in reducing costs, waste, and increasing efficiency by using innovative care solutions to capture data which is less prone to human error and delaying treatment. GETTYIMAGES Once upon a time, feminism was a social movement. It was a movement by and for women. It had actual objectives - like liberating women from male oppression. It meant something. Nowadays, with the popularity of third wave liberal feminism, feminism* can be whatever you want it to be. Anybody can be a feminist, including men, and any act can be a 'feminist' statement- even if it upholds institutions and structures that oppress and harm women as a whole - it's all good as long as a woman 'chooses' it. Advertisement While feminists in decades past fought against the objectification of women, believing it contributed to our second-class status, this same sexualising treatment has been repackaged as female empowerment or women owning their sexuality (which incidentally tends to be indistinguishable from the porn-inspired fantasies of heterosexual men... go figure). Empowerment, it appears, means women being reduced to object status on their own terms. Women are similarly encouraged to 'free their nipples' in the name of 'sex-positive' feminism*, because get-your-tits-out-for-the-boys is perceived as a revolutionary act subverting the status quo while keeping attention firmly on our bodies and how they look rather than on what we're saying or doing- and do men care why we're getting our tops off, as long as they're off? While many liberal feminists acknowledge that mainstream porn falls short, failing to represent healthy sexuality or female pleasure, they argue the answer is better quality porn - so-called feminist porn. However, the bar for what constitutes feminist porn is set very low, with content frequently reflecting the same gendered power dynamics and even the same violence against women. Pornography featuring women being subjected to degrading or violent sex acts, such as choking, can be categorised as feminist porn if it is produced by a woman or includes diverse body types. Way to smash the patriarchy... Even the commodification of women and girls in the global sex trade can be regarded as feminist now. Sex industry profiteers and lobbyists go to great lengths to reframe the purchase of female flesh by men not as exploitation and abuse, but as an exercise in women's choice and autonomy, despite survivors telling a very different story. Many enter the industry as children, destitute and without viable alternatives, and go on to experience routine violence and according to research, levels of trauma comparable with that of war veterans. Advertisement How can proponents of a movement to end the oppression of women support an industry that requires an underclass of vulnerable women, including indigenous women and women of colour, available for men to access for sex? In today's feminism, "paid rape", as survivors put it, becomes 'sex work', women are expected to embrace their objectification, find empowerment in being commoditised and cheerfully submit to their subordination. Ask yourself, who benefits from this? Rather than challenging male entitlement to women's bodies, encouraging men to consider their participation in a patriarchal system or to reflect on the privileges and benefits they enjoy as males at the top of the gender hierarchy, this watered down version of feminism challenges nothing. It requires nothing of men. In fact, it has made men so comfortable that some feel justified in schooling women on feminism when they fail to conform to a form of feminism* that privileges men's orgasms over women's basic human rights. Women who speak about the exploitative nature of the sex industry are frequently met with opposition from men, particularly sex buyers who have a vested interest in keeping women and girls available for their sexual use. These men are suddenly so concerned about feminism, about defending a woman's right to choose prostitution (they're so heroic). How dare we try to take away women's 'choices' to sexually service them? If you can't see just how ludicrous this sentiment is, imagine the same discussion but with a slave owner fighting for the rights of slaves to choose slavery. It's time to get radical. Time to revisit Catharine MacKinnon's notion of 'feminism unmodified'. The women's liberation movement is the one place that is ours, the one place where we can centre the interests of women, and we must be bold and unflinching as we challenge male entitlement to women's bodies. If men like our feminism and if it gives them erections, we're doing it wrong. As Andrea Dworkin said, "I'm a radical feminist, not the fun kind." So, somewhere in Australia, there's a bird staring at its own reflection in a window. Images of the bush stone curlew, which seems to like staring itself in a window of the Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, have gone viral on social media after a video was posted to Instagram by a bird-fan called Ben Carey, who joked that it was a short film entitled 'The Narcissist'. Bird-based fact, though, tells us that bush stone curlews are largely nocturnal, so don't normally see their reflections, therefore becoming obsessed with 'the other bird in the window' when they do get out and see reflections during daylight hours. If you don't believe me, you can see the curlew here: http://imgur.com/GnPdqPK And if you still don't credit the story, you can see something similar all around you without having to travel to the other side of the world. You can see it here. It's a strange thing, writing a blog, which you hope will be published and read. I keep my blog updated - my Diary of a Nobody - and persuade myself it's just a five-finger exercise to keep my creative mind alert. I hope that people will identify a bit with some of what I say and maybe gain some kind of pleasure from what they read. Sometimes there's a bit of introspection; sometimes comments and irony about things that are in the news. Usually there's a strong element of behind-the-lines reference to one of my favourite poems by Seamus Heaney, Personal Helicon; writing about his inspiration and craft of poetry, Heaney concludes: 'I rhyme / To see myself, to set the darkness echoing.' Advertisement There's plenty of darkness; just like the bush stone curlew, I'm exploring a reflection, trying to find some kind of meaning, perhaps with the hope of learning something from the exercise. And yet, supposing this really is it? Non-narcissistic exploration of the echoing dark, a brief exposition now and then, which probably hardly anybody ever reads? So much for a life, so much for wanting to be a writer when I grow up... ... and yet, is this not simply typical of how we live these days? Is that lonely bush stone curlew simply not epitomising a way of life? So many of us document our lives on social media. Outings for coffee or cocktails or a meal don't seem to hold any validity at all if they haven't been immortalised on Instagram or Facebook or Twitter. Several friends were on such a night out recently, each posting a photo of the same table of drinks from a subtly different angle, with the same exultant weekend caption. Photos or it didn't happen is the unofficial motto of social media... We live in the scrutiny of our own reality shows, and we invite the scrutineers along. It's as though we're subject to a public vote or a judge's score for everything we do. How we dress. Where we shop. What we weigh. Whether we still look young. Why we're not doing something more exciting, more rewarding. In these terms I am nobody... invisible in a crowd, a bit like a pair of small silver earrings beneath untidy mid-length hair. I don't have a Sat Nav, but if I did, I'm sure its imperious voice would be constantly shouting at me about roads not taken. But success is not actually definable by the 'likes' of others... true success has more to do with things that other people might not notice at all about your personal and working life. And after all, the photos and the words displayed on social media have all been through the manipulating process of posing, lighting, drafting... other people's perfect lives are not that perfect after all. Advertisement Research emerges, every so often, signalling the dangers of the social media world for the young generation growing up with it. There are the dangers of cyberbullying, sexting, grooming and the rest; the waning of the ability to converse, while some of the recent research points to the danger of the death of empathy. I see the point: I see how social media can be all about the scores, the likes, the retweets/regrams, and no thought for fellow feeling or really reaching out. And yet: I empathise with that bird. Just as that bush stone curlew stares at its reflection in a window, I joke about avoiding mirrors when I can, but yet I blog, I tweet, I look at social media several times a day. I hope that I'll manage to put across my thoughts more clearly in writing than I sometimes can in talk; I hope that what I write will reach out to the like minded. Maybe when the darkness clears I'll see a reflection which will make so much sense that my eyes will be fixed on it indefinitely. Maybe I'll find the words to explain that to those who empathise. Maybe then I'll 'set the darkness echoing' with reverberations worth hearing. Here's me snorkelling with turtles in Mexico. Remember when I hiked a volcano in Nicaragua? What about the bear we spotted in Yosemite? I could go on. This is a flavour of my life. It's a life many people are envious of. I'm a travel blogger and I've been travelling the world almost non-stop for the last two years. With this unconventional career comes a life of cliches. I've 'found' myself... several times in fact. I've learned to appreciate those 'little things', and a few big ones too. I've had more life changing experiences in the past two years than the previous 29 put together. It's been crazy, beautiful and unpredictable. But, just as you probably don't brag about your company bonuses and pay rises, I'm not here to gloat either. Advertisement Chloe Gunning from Wanderlust Chloe In fact, it turns out there's an elephant in the room. The often-unaddressed dark side to this exhilarating life of travel. This elephant is energy sapping and challenging. Meet my worst enemy: travel burnout. How do you contract it? For me it was after jetting off on 36 flights to visit 15 countries in the space of nine months. A month in South America, two weeks in the Caribbean, a road trip through California, short trips to Sweden, Finland, Germany, Cyprus and plenty more. In between there was a mad rush to get content online, have meetings, plan campaigns, do washing and jet off again. After a while it got too much. I barely unpacked, saw my friends and family or slept. I craved duvet days, but then felt guilty for not replying to emails, posting on social media and updating my blog. I am SO grateful for the opportunities and enjoy so much of it, but I can't deny this job, like any other, has its challenges. Advertisement Chloe Gunning from Wanderlust Chloe I'm not the only one struggling. Travel vlogger Hey Nadine describes travel burnout as "this tiredness you can't explain. Like, the motions of doing anything above and beyond at a destination aren't appealing anymore and socialising hits an all time low." Emily Luxton spent more time abroad than at home last year. "I remember writing a blog and couldn't think where I'd been or what I'd done. I've preached on my blog that there's no point in travelling if you're going too fast to actually make memories, so I suddenly felt like a hypocrite." Emily Luxton and xAmeliax I found travel burnout to be both mentally and physically challenging. Once home, I struggled to feel the highs I felt while travelling. My motivation levels dropped. For me, everyday excitements were climbing volcanoes, snorkelling with exotic sea creatures and learning about interesting cultures. Life tended to be fast-paced and action-packed. Travel burnout took vlogger xAmeliax by surprise. "My body collapsed after my final trip. I got so poorly and I just couldn't face even the simplest of everyday tasks. I needed to put my health first." Advertisement Chloe Gunning from Wanderlust Chloe So, is there a cure? Or are even the pro-travellers still searching for the answer? I find the only answer is to go back to basics. I catch up with friends and family, and appreciate what I've done and what's on my doorstep. Nadine is similar. "I go home and spend time doing normal people stuff, like playing with cats, hanging with friends, watching TV, going to the gym. Nothing but time can take that feeling away." Emily Luxton reset by spending most of last summer at home - something that helped her get her mojo back. Meanwhile xAmeliax stepped out of the limelight for a while. "I put out an honest letter to say why I was taking a break - you'd be surprised at just how understanding people were." For Jon Miller (Adventure In You) the travel bug has taken such a grip that he's opted for the digital nomad life in Chiang Mai. He resets by disappearing to somewhere quiet. "I'll read a book, sit in a hammock and reset my brain. After a few days I'm itching to get back out there to find more adventures." Advertisement Jon Miller from Adventure In You None of us have found a cure, but we've learned tricks to make things easier. Macca Sherifi from A Brit and a Broad says he only took around 10 days off last year. This year's plan? "Take fewer trips and focus on the bigger projects." Macca Sherifi from A Brit and a Broad And me? I'm grateful to call the world my office! I still get a buzz from travelling and love sharing my adventures, from street food and culture, to hilarious chats with locals and seeing the planet's natural wonders. But as with any job, I've learned I need to make some time for myself. While there may be a dark side, I know the future is still bright! The Board of Directors of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has slightly postponed a meeting, initially scheduled for Monday, to discuss completion of the third review of its extended fund facility program for Ukraine, the Ukrainian Finance Ministry said on its website. "The meeting has been postponed only because of the need to clarify the calculation of the economic consequences of the measures Ukraine introduced in response to the blockade and seizure of Ukrainian enterprises in the non-government-controlled areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions, and also in light of the Russian recognition of documents issued in those areas," the ministry said. "Clarifying these calculations is important for both sides to ensure maximum efficiency of the program. Relevant consultations have already begun. We are planning to complete them in the very near future," Finance Minister Oleksandr Danyliuk said. For its part the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) told reporters that Ukraine remains in the cooperation program with the IMF. "The latest developments in the country need to be studied further on the subject of their potential impact on the economy and be taken into account in macroeconomic forecasts of the cooperation program with the Fund," the NBU said on Facebook. The NBU, too, is planning to update its macroeconomic forecasts to account for the effect of the trade blockade of the breakaway areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions. The NBU monetary policy committee will hold an extraordinary meeting on Monday, March 20, to discuss the matter. "Updated macro forecasts will be submitted to the IMF. The dialogue and technical consultations from the IMF continue," the NBU said. On March 16, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko signed a decree enacting the National Security and Defense Council resolution of March 15 to temporarily suspend cargo transportation across the contact line in Donetsk and Luhansk regions. The resolution does not apply to humanitarian cargo and people crossing the contact line. On March 4, the IMF and the Ukrainian authorities reached agreement on a memorandum on economic and financial policy which paves way for completion of the third review of the EFF program, following which Ukraine could be granted a fourth tranche of SDR 734.05 million (around $1 billion). The four-year EFF program launched by the IMF in March 2015, in the total amount of SDR 12.348 billion (around $17.25 billion), initially involved quarterly reviews of the program, with the first tranche of $5 billion, and the next three, SDR 1.18 billion each (around $1.65 billion), to be paid during 2015, and decreasing quarterly tranches to SDR 0.44 billion ($0.61 billion) in 2016-2018. Ukraine was able to receive, with a slight delay, the second tranche, $1.7 billion, under this program, in early August 2015, followed by a lengthy pause because of the country's failure to meet a number of conditions, political crisis and changes in the government. Since the arrival of a new government led by Volodymyr Groysman in April 2016 talks over continued funding have resumed but it was not until mid-September that the IMF decided to allocate the third tranche, $1 billion. On March 16, Danyliuk said that Ukraine could receive the next IMF loan tranche under the EFF program next week. "The meeting [of the IMF Executive Board] will take place next Monday, and we're expecting the tranche next week, which is very positive," Danyliuk said at a Dragon Capital conference in Kyiv last Thursday. The story of the evacuation and transfer of Syrians from Al Waer sums up so much of what is going on in Syria in 2017 - a mix of siege, bombings, forcible transfer and foreign occupation. Al Waer is on the outskirts of Syria's third city, Homs with an original population of about 75,000. I used to visit friends there - a large range of fairly decent modern apartment blocs. One area of it used to have expensive villas. But for over three years, it has been under siege by the Syrian army following its capture by armed opposition. Finally, this month a deal was struck, overseen by Russia following massive bombardment of the area. The choice was stark - surrender or accept even more civilians being killed. Advertisement As part of this deal, 16-20,000 Syrians will be transferred away from their homes to other areas of Syria, perhaps the biggest such transfer in the six years of this crisis. They were left with little choice, given that there were no security and protection guarantees for those who remain in Al Waer. Rebels could be arrested and face an horrific prospect of regime jails, where tens to hundreds of thousands have gone before them, many of whom have been disappeared. Men will be conscripted into the army to cover the regime's desperate manpower shortage. Surely this comes under the banner of forcible transfer, a war crime in international law? The first batch of 40 buses finally left Homs on the afternoon of Saturday 18 March. On board were 1354 who were transferred out of Al Waer, 519 were children, 412 women. They left friends behind and many families were split. "I hate the sight of green buses," a Syrian friend tells me. The journey meandered through back roads, through decimated villages where there were no signs of life. Until they reached areas under opposition control they saw no civilians. At times, they had to remove the sand berms that blocked the way. Some on board even fainted. The journey was gruelling. Over 400 kilometres to an area called Omraniya, 9 kilometres from Jarablus near the Syria-Turkish border. Here tents were prepared for them supplied by the Turkish Red Crescent. Except on arrival, the tents were too few and there were no facilities, no water, no electricity and no sanitation. Advertisement Almost inevitably the convoy was fired upon, by who, they were not sure but ISIS was the prime suspect. What was perhaps most galling for Syrians was passing through countless checkpoints not manned by Syrians, but Russians, Iranians, Afghanis, and Hizbollah. Imagine being held up by people from other countries, thousands of miles away who simply have no right to be there. Syria is like a country under multiple occupations. Their destination near Jarablus is territory under Turkish control alongside the Free Syria Army. The suspicion is that Turkey will push them to join its proxy militias to fight ISIS or even the Kurds. This transfer shows the demographic re-engineering going on inside Syria and the great power games that mean that Syrians have no control over their own fate. Russian soldiers oversaw the transfer and may even police Al Waer. The UN was not involved at all. YinYang via Getty Images You may know that the scale of food wasted day in day out around the world is massive. But let's consider a few points: One third of all food produced is lost or wasted from farm to fork according to the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) Advertisement Food loss and waste is responsible for 8% of global greenhouse gas emissions - six times more than the global aviation sector Whilst one in nine people remain malnourished, we use land that would equal the size of China to grow food that is lost or thrown away And at $940 billion annually, food loss and waste is more than the entire GDP of Indonesia. I find this difficult to stomach, but we must if we are to realise the huge consequences this has for humans and our beautiful planet. Clearly the price tag associated with food loss and waste is a cost we cannot afford to ignore. But what if reducing food waste brought more benefits than it costs to implement? Wouldn't that be helpful? Advertisement This was the question we had to investigate for our recent report - the "Business Case for Reducing Food Loss and Waste" which we did with the World Resources Institute (WRI) for the Champions 12.3 group. The good news? The answer was a resounding YES. Using real-life data from more than 1,400 sites across 700 companies throughout 17 countries, the report shows how food waste reduction activity around the world reduces environmental impact and yields strong financial benefits. With a median return on investment for these businesses of 14:1, it shouldn't be a hard sell - it's now time for other companies, cities and countries to sit up and take notice. So tackling food waste is not only possible, but it makes financial sense. And just to add in for good measure, we've thrown in a brief toolkit for action. We need everyone to target, measure, and act. Through our own experiences of working across the food sector with companies in the UK, we know that working together via a voluntary agreement can drive change and deliver greater benefits. Just look at the collective action by UK businesses involved in the Hospitality and Food Service Agreement - it saved the hospitality and food service sector 67 million from 2012 - 2015, and reduced food and packaging waste by 11%, more than twice the target of 5%. Advertisement Or look at Courtauld Commitment 3 - that delivered over 100 million business savings by reducing food waste in manufacturing and retail, and optimising packaging. Working with governments, signatories and consumers we are now driving forward further change with the ambitious Courtauld 2025 agreement. There is no magic solution; tackling food waste is a complex challenge. What the Business Case report shows is that it can be done and those who are willing to take on the challenge, are rewarded. The status quo is no longer tenable. We owe it to our world, and the next generation, to tackle food waste head on and sow a sustainable future. This means in our own homes as well as in the businesses we work with and who we work for. With the far-reaching social, environmental, and economic costs caused by the level of food we waste, we can't afford to wait until tomorrow to act - we need to do it today. After all, if we are to meet the ambition of halving food waste by 2030- as agreed by countries around the world as part of the UN Sustainable Development Goals, we need to get a move on. Garmai, Fatmata, Ruth and Esther - Social Workers at Street Child Liberia In 2005 Liberia made history by electing Africa's first female president. Women turned out in their droves to elect Ellen Johnson Sirleaf as the country's new leader. It heralded a bright new era of potential for women in this small West African country. This year will be President Sirleaf's last year in office. She has been advocating for girls' rights over the years. In her annual message this year she said: Advertisement "We continue to keep our promise to the women of Liberia who, in large measure, have assured our success... I get the greatest reward from our support to women and girls when a young girl challenges her teacher to be more considerate, pointing out to him that she, too, can become president." That being said, today Liberia ranks 146 out of 155 countries in terms of gender inequality and 17% of primary school-aged children are not in the classroom. Girls face a range of challenges in accessing a quality education and struggle to remain in school. The primary school completion rate for girls living in rural areas and coming from low-income families is only 13%. British NGO Street Child's latest report due to be published next month reveals the many barriers that girls face in education and their teams are working with girls across the country to find solutions. Street Child social worker Fatmata works with girls in slums around Liberia's capital Monrovia, fighting for their chance to go to school. She is one of the many female social workers and teachers working with Liberia's poorest girls to expand their opportunities in life. All too often girls across the country become victims of sexual violence, early pregnancy and marginalization. Advertisement Many girls drop out of school at a young age or are forced to engage in transactional sex to fund their education. Thousands have simply never stepped foot inside a classroom - they've never been given the chance. Even in school, girls face many challenges. Fatmata's colleague Garmaj said: "Girls sometimes speak to us about feeling fearful in school, getting beat up daily and having to pay money or give their bodies through sex to obtain passing grades. In Liberia, 'sex-for-grades' is a unique problem that affects too many girls. Often girls end up pregnant or they are too fearful of their teachers, so they drop out of school in order to avoid sexual harassment. We also need to help these girls and help sensitise teachers and parents to prevent abuse." Fatmata, Garmaj and their teams form a vital support network of safe adults for young girls in Liberia. With their encouragement and help, girls are given the chance to determine their own futures. One teenage mum, Mariama, who is about to go back to school thanks to Street Child's DFID match-funded Girls Speak Out Appeal said: 'I had to drop out of school in grade 7 because my father died and my mother didn't have the money to send me to school.' Advertisement She explained that she's so happy to go to school, that she's not scared even though she hasn't been there for a long time. School is giving her the chance to dream big. She said: 'School will do plenty things for me, it will help me make money, go to a vacation place, even America! I will be very happy. I want to be a journalist. Now I will go to 8th grade, then I will finish high school I will go to college and I will become a journalist.' The barriers that stop girls having the chance to learn: Street Child's latest report due to be published in April gives vital insights into the views of girls themselves on why education is too often out of reach. Based on consultations with over 1,000 adolescent girls across Liberia, female social workers led group discussions and held interviews with girls about what barriers they face in education and what solutions they would like to see. The findings of the consultation were loud and clear: girls want to go to school and they are eager to learn but they urgently need support to make this possible. Garmaj said: "Poverty, peer pressure, commercial sex, teenage pregnancy, abandonment and lack of school materials are some of the main problems that cause Liberian girls to drop from school. We were surprised to find out how often girls are forced to stay home to work and take care of children, when what they actually want to be doing is attending school." Advertisement Over 83% of people live below the poverty line of $1.25 per day and lack of income is a very real challenge to girls' prospects of gaining a valuable education. But it's not just finances that are the problem, social workers said: "We need to shift the attitudes of parents and communities. In Liberia, people give priority to boys' education and side-line girls. It is a better investment for parents to send a boy to school because they will have the responsibility for the parents later in life. If a family only has money to send one child to school they will most certainly choose a boy. These are ideas that we need to change." Despite the many challenges girls face, Fatmata and her team remain hopeful that the situation for girls in Liberia is improving. Her team is providing counselling, school materials and helping families to access business grants so that their daughters can stay in school long term. She said: "Many girls who are out of school know the importance of education for their future and really want to learn and be able to take care of themselves and their families. What I hope and expect is change. I pray that our leaders can see the problems that Liberian girls are facing and help to find a solution." The team of women moving around Monrovia from morning to evening, working with these girls is paying off. Change for girls in Liberia is coming. Advertisement I am drawn to the unique. As a child I was painfully reminded of my own Otherness when a neighbour's mother told me I had 'filthy black hands'. From that point onwards I have felt a natural affinity with the unusual, the different. My favourite animal has always been a unicorn. I love Peter S. Beagle's story of The Last Unicorn in which he writes that the mystical creatures can hide in plain sight and are only recognised by the sincere. I used to revel at people's attempts to guess 'where I am from' but quickly grew bored and would often agree to their first guess- Spanish, Italian, Turkish. I enjoyed being the kid in class who could say words no one understood. As a teenager I loved to stand out from the crowd. At the centre of my little teenage world, one of my passions was not wearing the same outfit as anyone else. This led me to explore charity shops and boutiques and move away from the standards set by peers. Punks and goths were my inspiration. I'd save brightly coloured paper clips and use them as earrings. My trousers had flashing lights on them. I became aware of boys and was pulled towards the ones with ginger hair - the rarest species I could find. Advertisement My ethnic heritage soon became solidified by a choice to externally identify with my faith. People would no longer guess my ethnicity, they would take the answer from my lips and rubber stamp me with a big red 'foreign'. I got told my English-speaking skills were very good. I enjoyed peppering my speech with Welsh and Arabic to confuse even further. I grew curious about, then fell in love with, a religion I had been told was mine but only manifested, up till now, as not eating pork. The hijab served as a comfort blanket that wrapped me in anonymity and mystery. Old school friends pretended they didn't know me as we passed in the street and I learnt to be selective in my friend choices. At university, where I discovered Edward Said and the word 'Other', I became obsessed by how we choose to frame identity. I would laugh to myself in lectures where the seats around me never seemed to fill up. It was as if I radiated a forcefield of weird that was only pervious to a select few. I tested the limits of my dual ethnicities neither being seen as wholly Welsh or Arab. These titles were always just out of reach and I never worked out how they were attained. So I stopped caring and revelled in my vacillation: my 'neither here nor there-ness'. I wasn't looking for marriage but ended up finding a man who makes this misfit feel at home. We got pregnant and my best friend said I had a belly full of cookies. My son was born with a chocolate chip on his chin. I gave him a name from the Welsh legends that only a few can pronounce. Advertisement I have come to realise that, for me, standing out from the crowd is less important than standing apart from the crowd. I am still drawn to the unique. My friends are an eclectic mixture of colour and experience that enrich my life and test my perceptions. The Otherisation of Muslims is nothing new for me. It is merely the next phase of an ongoing process. The red bull, in Beagle's story, frightens all the unicorns into becoming like foam on the sea until one fights back as an individual. Similarly, Muslims are being quietly forced to choose between uniformity and uniqueness. In my experience, it is always more interesting to be the unicorn who pushes back. Peter Gridley via Getty Images I've lived in the UK for 8.5 years now and I only started filing my American taxes. It all started when I first arrived in Scotland as a university student. After doing research, I understood that American expats were exempt from paying US taxes if they earned under a certain threshold. I ticked that off my expat to do list and continued building a life in the UK. Every few years I'd double check that I still fell into this category and would continue paying my UK taxes. Advertisement Only thing is - I was wrong. All those years I worked in the UK, I should have been filing my US taxes even if I wasn't due to pay American taxes. When I found this out after clicking an H&R Block advert for American expats I broke out into a cold sweat envisioning being sent to prison Al Capone style - for tax evasion. But I didn't knowingly avoid my taxes AND I pay UK taxes. Did this mean I'd be fined hefty fines for my ignorance of the IRS rule book? Heart palpitations ensued until some specialist accountants started responding to my neurotic emails. And that's when I found out that the US is one of only two countries in the world that comprehensively tax on worldwide income of its citizens and green card holders. FML. But I wasn't the only American who also had these misunderstandings. Apparently it was a common enough misunderstanding that the IRS began a programme to get American expats back on track with their US tax filings. Last year I back filed my taxes and this year I filed my most recent tax return with the IRS - ahead of schedule. I no longer have dreams of me in an orange jumpsuit in Alcatraz. And I sleep like a freakin' sloth. If you're planning to be or are an American expat, make sure you read the below interview with Ines Zemelman, Founder and President of Taxes For Expats to clarify some FAQs. Advertisement Why are American expats expected to file US taxes? "First and foremost, it's the law. If you are a U.S. citizen or green card holder, you must report income from all sources within and outside of the U.S. It's that simple. Whether or not you end up paying tax on that income is irrelevant - the income itself must be reported. There is a common misconception that you don't need to file if you earn under the Foreign Earned Income Exclusion (FEIE) - that is incorrect. Minimum filing thresholds vary by filing status; for example if you are single and earn over $10k you must file. If you are married to a non-US person and file separately, the threshold is $4k." Who is required to file US taxes? "US citizens, green card holders and non-residents who are doing business in the US (i.e. Spanish citizen who owns a rental property in the US). Note: The term "non-resident" does not refer to domicile but to US tax status. All US citizens are residents for tax purposes, regardless of where they live." Can you explain what the Foreign Tax Credit means to American expats? "If you paid income tax to a foreign tax authority, by claiming the Foreign Tax Credit (FTC), you are able to lower your US tax obligation and thereby preventing double taxation. If you are eligible for the child tax credit ($1,000 per child), utilising FTC instead of Foreign Earned Income Exclusion (FEIE) (as of 2016 the IRS no longer allows use of FEIE and the child tax credit in tandem) can be a far more optimal solution. In a working example, a working family of two with 3 children and earning $100k may receive a $3k refund if FTC is properly utilised, while they would break even with FEIE." Advertisement What happens if an American expat hasn't filed for years while an expat? What will happen to them? What would you suggest to them? "Many expats and accidental Americans have recently found out about their requirement to file US tax returns and understandably there was a lot of confusion. Three years ago the IRS offered an olive branch - a streamlined foreign offshore amnesty programme. This programme allows you to only file tax returns for the last 3 years (even if you have not filed for 50) and FBARs for the last six, all while offering amnesty from draconian penalties." If an American is married to a person who isn't an American citizen and both live abroad, is their household income taxed in the US or is only the American citizen's income taxed? If you are married to a non-US person, you do not have to declare their income on your US tax return. In some instances you may choose to (for optimisation purposes), but you do not need to. Advertisement What files/information do American expats need to provide when filing back taxes? Is there an easy checklist? "Unlike the US where tax documents are readily available (W-2, 1099, K-1, etc.), many foreign employers and taxing authorities do not provide an end of year summary. Please retain records of the following: your earnings (from all sources), housing expenses, taxes paid or withheld, pension or retirement distributions, and records of all non-US financial accounts for your FBAR (financial reporting requirements). Please visit here for a more in depth list." How much do filing back taxes cost? "Our fee for a federal tax return is $350 and FBAR is $75. We offer a special price of $1,200 for the Streamlined Foreign Offshore package." What will change for American expats as the new government administration plans to introduce US tax reforms? Rob Quehan at work preparing a dish for Bishopstoke Park's restaurant One in ten people over the age of 65 are estimated to be malnourished or at risk of malnutrition, according to The Malnutrition Trust. As part of Nutrition and Hydration Week, they revealed that many of the warning signs and symptoms are often missed because people don't see weight loss as an issue: the report highlighted 54% of older people questioned said they would be concerned about a friend or family member being very overweight yet 75% say they have never worried about themselves or another older person unintentionally losing weight. Advertisement Mealtimes are an important milestone in everyone's day and Anchor has always prided itself on the high standards of its catering, and the various ways we encourage different people to maintain their weight. Whether it is making our meals from fresh, seasonal ingredients or introducing nutrition and hydration stations around our care homes where residents can snack on high calorie, nutritious items. This is particularly important for residents living with dementia who often like to eat while walking around their home rather than sit down for a meal. But with an increasing ageing population it's more important than ever to ensure all our older people are receiving nutritious meals. A restaurant in one of our care homes in Surrey is one of the first in the country to offer visitors meals safe for those with swallowing difficulties. Advertisement The catering staff at West Hall already provide meals for residents who live with dysphagia - a condition that makes swallowing food difficult and often very stressful. But they have gone one step further: they have been trained so they can now provide good quality dysphagic meals for both residents and any of their visiting relatives who live with the condition. As part of Anchor's drive to create appetising and visually appealing modified food, the catering staff use traditional piping or quenelle so that textured meals are well presented, often reflecting the shape of the original produce. So whether a relative or resident has swallowing difficulties or not, it means all the family can sit down together in West Hall's restaurant to enjoy a meal, something which was often a terrifying experience for those with dysphagia who were fearful they might choke on their food. And the demand in care homes for these types of meals will grow across the country as such conditions as strokes and motor neurone disease, which often result in someone becoming dysphagic, are increasing as Britain's population is ageing. Advertisement We have already seen an increase in the number of people with dysphagia moving into our homes. And The College of Language and Speech Therapists has found up to 75% of care home residents across the country have the condition. But we are keen that this good practice is shared with our other care homes so that more older people can benefit from nutritious meals of an even higher standard and which reflect our customers' needs and aspirations. We seem to be getting this right already as this year's Your Care Rating survey of care home residents and their relatives has shown. Both the residents and the relatives, the latter group being surveyed for the first time as part of this national independent survey conducted by Ipsos Mori, said they were impressed with the quality of the food provided in our care homes as well as the variety of the meals on offer. In fact, both groups rated Anchor's services above the national average. But it's not just in our care homes that we are raising the bar so that our customers and their families can enjoy good, nutritious meals. Advertisement The restaurant at Bishopstoke Park in Hampshire, which was the second retirement village we built, has a track record for providing top quality meals for our customers. But it has shown that we are leading the way when it comes to catering for older people: It has just been awarded an AA Rosette - the first retirement village in the UK to receive such an accolade. Part of the retirement village's ethos is to welcome in the community so to celebrate the restaurant is now officially opening its doors to the public, allowing them as well as residents to enjoy the award winning menu on offer. But we won't become complacent. As England's largest not-for-profit provider of care and housing for older people, all the money we generate is ploughed back into our services so we will continue to improve the facilities at both our retirement villages and our care homes for the benefit of all older people. Eerik via Getty Images The A Level in Creative Writing is due to come to an end this year. Other arts A Levels, such as the A Level in Art History, have, since the decision to close the A Level in Creative Writing was taken by the government, been saved. Here's why we shouldn't just stand by and let the A Level in Creative Writing go: 1)The subjects we study at school have been shown to influence the subjects we choose for university and then for our careers and then the choices we guide our children to make - if students can't choose creative writing at school, it means the diversity of our writers is likely to decrease as only students from a backgrounds which encourage this area will be likely to pursue writing as a career. Advertisement 2)If writing is about reflecting on who we were, who we are, and who we can be, isn't it important the voices who are contributing to this discussion are diverse and not just from particular background? 3)If we are going to create a sustainable writing career - one that pays and has clear routes in and clear career progression - this possibility becomes more likely if writing is a clear career option from school and viewed as a viable occupation. 4)One of the greatest values of the arts has always been as a chance to reflect on the world, explore new ideas, comment on what is going on, and offer possibilities and ideas for change - shouldn't this discussion be open to everyone? Lyndon Johnson, on signing into existence the National Endowment for the Arts in the US, said: "Art is a nation's most precious heritage. For it is in our works of art that we reveal to ourselves and to others the inner vision which guides us as a nation. And where there is no vision, the people perish." 5)It can't be a coincidence that one of the first proposals Donald Trump has made is to close the National Endowment for the Arts in the US - if the arts are about reflecting on what is going on, then the arts can be seen either as of value to a democratic society, or as a threat to an insecure leader. Advertisement 6)One of the quotes going round in the US in the discussion on the National Endowment of the Arts is Winston Churchill's defence of the arts. Winston Churchill said: "The arts are essential to any complete national life. The State owes it to itself to sustain and encourage them". Britain has always been seen as leading the way in the arts and the arts contribute millions to the UK economy. So what can we do? Here are some ideas: 1. School level - at school level, we need to teach the arts, including creative writing, so that our students consider these subjects as possible career paths. At a recent meeting I attended in parliament, the decline of specialist subjects such as the arts being taught in schools was discussed, and highlighted as a consequence of EBACC not containing creative subjects and driving schools to focus on core EBACC subjects. 2. University level - similarly, our university courses need to train writers in the skills they need, such as craft and business skills, to maintain successful and sustainable careers writers, and not just offer feedback on creative work (creating the impression writing is more of a hobby and leaving the writer with no long-term skillset to fall back on). Courses need to be viewed as important and not a way to supplement writing income by writers who are teaching them or by the industry as taught by people who are out of date. 23. Careers - writing as a career needs to have a clear pathway in and accessible clear explanations of how to maintain a career as a writer. There need to be more guides which focus on the business side of being a writer. At Central Saint Martins, on the MA Dramatic Writing I run, we are running a petition to save the A level in Creative Writing - please sign before it's too late: https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/reinstate-the-creative-writing-a-level Advertisement For more information on the MA Dramatic Writing at Drama Centre London at Central Saint Martin's new campaign to increase access and diversity in the writing industry, including the petition, survey on the future of dramatic writing and new partnership with Oberon Books to provide access to leading industry writing training programmes' advice which has never been published before, please go to:https://oberonbooks.wordpress.com/2017/02/07/the-masters-at-work/ Five years ago I met a guy, it was a corny cliche romance. He was charming, fun, cheeky and rarely serious. I fell in love straight away. I was attracted to his Middle Eastern appearance, his ridiculously long eyelashes and his thick Glaswegian accent. I'd never met anyone like him before. He was born in Iran, but had moved to Glasgow with his family when he was just a child (hence the incredible accent). Advertisement He worked in London for a few years before taking up a job in Australia. He was worldly like me, but he was far more interesting. We met through mutual friends in Perth where we were both living at the time. We travelled the world together, and very early on in our relationship we met each other's family. We travelled to regional Australia to meet my parents and family, and we travelled to Scotland to visit his parents and family. The first thing we both noticed, although our families were different, there were so many incredible similarities. Fundamentally both families had strong morals and values. Family always came first, every time. Like most couples though, we certainly didn't discuss marriage straight away, we were just young, in love and having fun! With time, of course we knew that we wanted to be with each other for life, and therefore we needed to discuss important issues about our future. As far as I am concerned, if you make a commitment to marry someone you need to have the same goals and dreams for the future. Otherwise it simply won't last. We needed to ensure that we would honour and support each other into our future. Advertisement Thankfully we realised that are aspirations for the future were the same, we are both very driven individuals with a desire to achieve at the highest level, professionally and personally. We also both wanted a family. Often it is very hard to find a person that you connect with on so many levels, but thankfully I have. After two years of being together, he proposed while we were holidaying in Bali. I was so excited to start planning our wedding, as I wanted to combine the two cultures and have one amazing party! Everything I had come to know about the Iranian culture I loved! The food, the music, the dancing, the incredible hospitality, and of course the silly taarof! (Taarof is a form of etiquette, when offered something you are supposed to kindly refuse, even if you want it. You refuse three times before actually accepting. This can be food, or even an item you want to purchase! For example at meal times when a dish is offered, you say 'no thank you', then it's offered again and you say no three times before finally saying yes! And if you're in a store and want to buy something the shopkeeper will often tell you it's free, but they don't actually mean it! - I told you it was silly!) Advertisement It was around the time of our engagement that my husband's parents raised the issue of religion and the importance for them that I considered converting to Islam. It is important that I state here, not once did my husband or his family demand that I convert to Islam. Not even close. Instead a respectful conversation took place about how much it would mean to them if I considered converting to Islam. There was no pressure, no urgency, and no disrespect on any level. At first, I was unsure. I was raised Catholic, attended a catholic primary school and high school. I attended church most weekends with my parents, but of course by the time I was 14 it was more of a chore than a personal desire to connect with God. During high school I was the student who questioned everything. The Religious Education teachers would dread whenever I raised my hand. I was never disrespectful, I just wanted answers. There was so much I was learning at school and in Church that I was unsure about. Did it really rain for 40 days and nights? Did Noah really build an ark with two of every animal? Did Jesus really turn water into wine? Advertisement I came to the conclusion that these stories were written to try and explain life, and it wasn't up to me to question that, it wasn't up to me to question religion. It was up to me to respect what others chose to believe. And fundamentally, if I was a good person, respecting others and never doing harm to anyone else, that's what mattered. After school I admit religion wasn't a significant factor in my life. I attended church on special occasions such as Easter and Christmas, but that was about it. So, when my husband's parents discussed the idea of me converting I knew that I needed to really think about my answer. Saying no, just out of spite wasn't going to achieve anything. If anything that just said more about my character. And saying yes, just to please them wasn't right either. I realised that making this decision would be based on many things. Respect for my new family, but most importantly whether or not I was prepared to reintroduce religion into my life and what that meant for myself and my family. I started to do my research and a lot of self exploration, soon learning to avoid popular media and instead read academic texts and ask people who had been in the same position as I was in. Advertisement Now, my parents could have just as easily asked my husband to convert to Catholicism. My father converted for my mother, and my grandmother converted for my grandfather. So to me the idea of uniting as a married couple for the future of my family wasn't uncommon. But converting to Islam meant more to Hamid's parents and his family than it did for him to convert to Catholicism for my parents and my family. As I learnt more about Islam, I realised that I knew very little, and what I thought I knew I had learnt from reading articles and comments on social media. 99% of which is completely incorrect. I learned (and am continuing to learn) that it is a beautiful, peaceful religion, very similar to Catholicism. I decided that I did want to convert. I wanted to learn more about this beautiful religion, and I wanted our children to grow up in a family environment similar to my own upbringing - with parents united in their beliefs, morals and values. Converting to Islam or any religion is not an overnight transition. It's a journey, and every one is entitled to go at their own pace, so we shouldn't compare one person's journey to that of another. Advertisement Many people assume that a Muslim must marry another Muslim, this is not true. In some cultures, yes, this is enforced, but it is not a religious demand. We need to understand the difference. Far too often the media enmeshes culture and religion, and as a consequence, society can't differentiate between the two, it is this misunderstanding that causes so much confusion and hatred in the world. I could have still married Hamid without converting. I chose to convert. I was not forced, or coerced. My life wasn't thrown into upheaval. After making the decision to convert, my husband and I visited the local Mosque and met with the Imam. It was here that I converted with friends as my witness. Since that day I have continued to learn more, read more and immerse myself in this faith. It has been and continues to be a very beautiful journey. It is of course an area of my life that so many people are fascinated by. So many people have questions, most do not understand my decision to convert. Advertisement I am not asking you to understand. I'm not, nor will I ever, impose my faith or my beliefs onto anyone else. My intention behind sharing this part of my journey is to simply educate people and generate more awareness. I believe that sharing my story is a good thing, especially if I can dispel myths that anyone might have. All I ask is that you are respectful. You don't need to agree with me or my family, but we all need to be tolerant and respectful of each other. As a new convert my journey is completely different to someone born into the Islam faith. I am not an expert in Islam or Middle Eastern politics, nor should anyone expect me to be. Islam is without a doubt misrepresented within the media. Stories are often one-sided and controversial with the aim of igniting debate. Since marrying my husband I feel more liberated as a woman. I feel equal in my marriage and I feel equal among my family. Advertisement If only we could read about more stories like mine, where there is no controversy. martin-dm via Getty Images I never used to be an angry woman. I never really considered myself a feminist. I believe becoming a mother changed that. I started needing to know the truth about the world I was bringing children into. Advertisement I started exploring the world around me with focus. Not physically, but by reading more and watching more. I watched documentaries, I read articles, I engaged in conversations on Twitter and Facebook. I spoke to other women about their experiences of abuse. The more I learned, the angrier I got. Now I'm not just an angry woman, I'm an angry mother and an angry feminist, and I have to assume that anyone who isn't angry simply doesn't know the truth, because how can anybody good, anybody who cares about other people, not be angry? How can you not be angry when you learn that every single year between 600,000 and 800,00 people are trafficked (Stop The Traffik). That is an active slave trade happening in our world right now. They are trafficked primarily into the sex trade, forced into prostitution in brothels, forced into pornography and raped repeatedly on camera, forced into arranged marriages and raped repeatedly by their husbands. How can that not make you angry? And when you learn that approximately 80% of those trafficking victims are women and girls, how can that not make you a feminist? Hundreds of thousands of women and girls being raped for money every single year. How can you not be angry when you learn that every hour in England and Wales alone, approximately eleven adults will be raped (that doesn't include all the children) (Rape Crisis). Eleven people being forcibly penetrated without their consent. The lasting psychological damage of rape is huge and it is happening to eleven people every damn hour. That is outrageous. It is horrific. And when you learn that 88% of these rapes are female victims, how can you not be a feminist? Advertisement How can you not be angry when you learn that there are at least 200 million women and girls alive today who have been subjected to female genital mutilation? (Unicef). That is girls who have had their vulva cut, labia sliced off, clitoris removed, and sometimes have their wounded body sewn shut. How does that not make you furious? And do you know why they do it? Why they would mutilate young girls so badly, cause them so much pain and damage? For men. To ensure virginity for marriage. And because a cut vulva is apparently more sexually satisfying for a man to put his penis in. How can you not be a feminist when you know that this is what is happening to girls every damn day? Then there's the differences in pay forcing women to do the same work for less money, the rates of domestic violence, the pressures of the beauty industry causing a huge rise in anorexia and plastic surgery and depression, the representation of women in the media and ageism. These are all genuine issues that people dismiss because "other people have it worse". But they're still issues. They still exist. It is all worthy of anger, and all of it is an issue that impacts women and girls more than anyone else. I am a feminist not a humanist because this abuse impacts the lives of females at such a higher rate than it impacts males. Before fighting inequality you have to recognise where that inequality lies. Of course we can acknowledge the men who suffer too. I hear you, I get it, and it is true that men are also abused and protecting our little boys should be as important in our lives. But men are not abused based purely on their biology in the same way as women. They are not cut, raped, sold, abused as routinely as women. And not only are men not as regularly victims of the evils of the world, they're the ones primarily perpetrating the crimes in the first place, both against women and against other men. I find so much comfort from seeing the voices of fury rising from women around the planet. We are marching, we are campaigning, we are petitioning. We are shouting about it. We are writing about it. We are teaching our children the truth. We are doing anything we can to make people know because dammit it is worthy of anger. It is worthy of rage. Advertisement I am angry. I am furious. I am raising my children to share that rage. I will not let my daughters sit by in ignorance, imagining the world is not the way it is, ignoring the plight of their sisters. I will not let my step-son ignore the damage being done by his brothers. I will help raise the next generation of fighters, and I beg you to do the same. Be angry. The world needs your anger. The world needs your children's anger. The world needs anger if it is ever going to change. The world needs angry mothers. You can check out all my contact info and links on www.jjbarnes.co.uk, I'm on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram so you can get in touch on there, as well as find links to all my work. There's also www.sirenstories.co.uk where you'll find other work from Siren Stories and extra information. My first novel, Lilly Prospero And The Magic Rabbit, is out now and available on Amazon. HuffPost UK is running a month-long project in March called All Women Everywhere, providing a platform to reflect the diverse mix of female experience and voices in Britain today It's fair to say that as a lawyer, I probably live and work in a bubble surrounded by likeminded people. I know I'm lucky and that my environment is not typical. On Wednesday I was speaking to a 17 year-old called Sarah, who is the daughter of a good friend and I was sharing my enthusiasm for the upcoming Women of the World (WOW) Conference in London and how important this is to us all. My conversation with her was depressing. I had always thought that sex discrimination and in particular, subconscious bias, was a generational issue and that our focus needed to be directed towards older people who had been raised in more traditional relationships. In other words, younger people are better educated about equality issues. I'm always being told that Millennials and Generation Z are more progressive on these issues. Sarah, who is in a mixed sixth-form, told me of a recent meeting held at her school when a group of 12 pupils were working together on a project and one of the boys suggested that she take the minutes. To be clear, this was not just a casual suggestion, it was clear from the circumstances that as a boy, he felt qualified to delegate this task to her and that she was the obvious choice to take the minutes. It seems subconscious bias is alive and well at the tender age of 17. Advertisement I then went to the WOW Conference, learned that this behaviour is by no means exceptional and that young people are still largely conforming to stereotypical behaviours. How do we stop another generation adopting these habits? The media has a lot of responsibility here, but surely this type of education needs to start early. Really early. Even at 17 it seems it's too late. This kind of education needs to take place at an early age in schools (and by lively debate at home). The Government has recently announced a change to the school curriculum that will introduce sex and relationship education, but no specific training has been formulated for teachers and when will they find the time anyway? What is odd is that when it comes to the workplace we are seeing an increasing trend towards diversity, with more men willing to be the home keeper, to work part-time in order to share childcare and take advantage of shared parental leave. This is good news. Diversity is good for business and the figures prove it. At my law firm, Sackers, where exceptionally 50% of the partners are female, we have embraced flexible working for all solicitors and have enhanced shared parental pay. We are not perfect, we are still learning, but it's clear the culture of the firm benefits hugely from a balanced environment with men and women bringing together different skills. I don't think it's any coincidence that this combination has resulted in Sackers being one of the most profitable firms in the Top 100 and it's a popular destination for the many lawyers leaving magic circle firms. These are encouraging signs, but perhaps the exception rather than the rule. We are all guilty of subconscious bias, whether male or female, and no matter what our age. When we see this happen in our everyday lives, just like Sarah, we need to recognise it and give ourselves and others a sense check; in the nicest possible way (in fact Sarah stuck a pencil in his leg, but let's ignore that bit!). I just hope that the recent changes to schools' curriculum might be a first step towards ensuring that women are not the obvious choice to either take the minutes or pour the tea. Advertisement The Ukroboronprom State Concern welcomes the ratification of the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between Canada and Ukraine by Ukrainian parliament and expects that the implementation of the agreement would bring cooperation between the two countries to the new level. "The FTA would help to bring our relations to the new level and implement some new mutually beneficial projects," the concern said last week in a press release. Ukroboronprom expects that duty free access of Ukrainian defense enterprises to the Canadian market would relax purchase of Canadian spare parts for military products and opens new opportunities for Ukraine's participation in Canadian defense tenders. The aerospace sector is among promising directions of defense cooperation that would be expanded after the implementation of the FTA. "Ukraine and Canada aim at developing cooperation in aircraft building. High-tech equipment supplies in the aviation, aerospace, shipbuilding spheres, for electronic, radioelectronic, optical, optoelectronic systems and devices will be increased. It is planned to expand the supply of components, raw materials, for aviation primarily," the press service said. Ukroboronprom said that the implementation of the FTA between Ukraine and Canada would also open new opportunities for developing Ukrainian defense enterprises and expanding markets for defense products. Gustaf Brundin via Getty Images Personify your period, and you generate the world's worst houseguest. Sometimes arriving much earlier than expected, other times you wonder if it will visit you at all. Regardless of its time keeping, it always makes a mess and never offers to help clean up. All in all, periods are incredibly inconvenient. So imagine, then, being unable to attend school because you've started your period. With no access to sanitary products, you have no choice but to create a DIY pad out of a sock or a wodge of tissue taped to your gusset until the bleeding has subsided. It is a shocking scenario that many may assume is an occurrence exclusive to Third World Countries, yet it is happening on our doorstep. Advertisement Freedom4Girls is a charity founded by Tina Leslie, and was originally created to provide girls in Kenya with access to sanitary products. The charity now also offers help for schoolgirls in Leeds after teachers noticed that students were playing truant on a monthly basis. While she was aware that homeless women were accessing sanitary products through food banks, Leslie was unaware that it was a problem occurring in schools. However, she saw that it was a problem directly related to poverty, noting that "if you can't afford food, you can't afford sanitary protection". Considering that the average woman will spend nearly 20,000 on sanitary products in her lifetime, it's no wonder that girls from low-income families, as well as homeless women, are missing out on using proper sanitary products. It's quite hard to comprehend that sanitary products are still considered a luxury, rather than a necessity, a view that has been addressed by the University of East Anglia. Recently, the Student Union announced that they would be offering free sanitary products to students on campus, a gesture that makes me proud to be a UEA alumnus. Advertisement Talking about periods more openly could be incredibly beneficial to girls and women struggling to access proper sanitary products. As someone fortunate enough to grow up in an environment where periods were seen as a natural part of life, asking for sanitary products from friends or at the school reception was never an embarrassment. It saddens me reading stories about young girls resorting to using socks instead of sanitary products as they didn't know where else to turn. With sex education being made compulsory in schools by 2019, hopefully menstruation will also be on the curriculum in more depth. Periods are currently discussed in PSHE, but some girls have already gone through puberty by the time it is taught to them. It also needs to go beyond biology, educating people on negotiating everyday life and where to access sanitary products during your period. A shocking new report has found that 44% of girls who took part in the survey did not know what was happening to them the first time that they had a period. With women admitting to feelings of embarrassment and a lack of confidence talking about their periods even in later life, it's clear that something needs to change. Period positivity is on the rise, but educating people about periods from a younger age could help to eradicate these feelings of awkwardness concerning menstruation that some people experience. It's important that this information is taught to boys and young men too. Look at social media, and you'll find Tweets and posts from uneducated teens questioning why a woman "can't just hold it in" while she's menstruating. Earlier this year, a "vulval glue" created by a male chiropractor that claimed to "keep the blood inside" during a period was met with severe backlash as there was a clear misunderstanding of the female anatomy. There are also connotations here that periods are somewhat dirty or unclean, that we should seal ourselves up rather than bleed naturally. Advertisement There are, however, great alternative sanitary products available, from Mooncups to underwear specifically designed for free-bleeding. While there is an initial cost, these reusable products could save money in the long run while also being kinder to the environment. Contraception can also help to regulate your period, but some people dislike to idea of medicating themselves or do not want to risk the side-effects that can sometimes occur. Britain is changing its place on the global stage. A steady withdrawal from internationalism, on the back of a wave of populism has found Britain falling back from its role as a leader in Europe. Trump's election will result in the same, with the USA ending trade deals and threatening its place in NATO. The referendum in Italy and upcoming French elections look to be putting both these nations on, isolationist mandates. A near loss for the far-right Austrian presidential candidate was the first flicker of hope that the tide of populism could be opposed, but Hitler's loss and then success in 1932 and 1933 is a warning from history that politics can change quickly. What has struck me is the split in many of these countries has been startlingly close. Brexit was essentially won by 52% of the vote. The US election was split nearly 50:50. Austria was won by only 6% of the vote. The Italian referendum was the only case that stands out, but that's likely to be because of the confusing question in a complex political system. As for France; we will see, but we know the establishment candidate and the current President are already out of the competition and more are surprises are to come from the French election yet. For now, the 48% who will lose their freedom of movement in Europe can do nothing to retain their right, their desire to be a citizen of Europe. Perhaps even to protect their place as a 'citizen of the world', which Theresa May once described as a 'citizen of nowhere'. However, a recent proposal by Guy Verhofstadt in the European parliament to create an optional European citizenship for those Britons unhappy about the referendum results could create a new type of citizen; true, global citizens who can choose their place in the world. Advertisement This means a new era of international, global citizenship has the potential to make globalisation optional, with those willing to pay the price able to enjoy the benefits of international organisations. It also has the potential however, to make a two-tier society, with those unable or unwilling to join being left behind. And while it will create global citizens, it will also cement the divide between intra-nationalists, people who are unable or unwilling to join the ranks of the internationalists. But who are these two groups? For Internationalists, there is little perceived cultural division with most nations, borders are viewed as a hindrance (likely because of the increased amount of travel they do) and companies work internationally and not locally. A company that works across borders isn't seen as exceptional; it's the obvious things to do. Therefore, organisations such as the UN and the EU make complete sense. They build systems and governance to enable internationalism and a continued movement towards a system which allows more travel and less red-tape is logical. Globalisation is seen as an engine for GDP growth, despite the potential impacts on the local economy and local employment. For intra-nationalists, the opposite is true. Many of these people don't travel much, if at all. For example, a poll by Public Policy Polling found 52% of those who pledged support to Clinton owned a passport while only 37% who pledged to Trump owned one. They also see things from a more authoritarian perspective, which freedom of movement and free trade go against. Work by Eric Kaufmann has shown that support for the death penalty is as accurate a predictor of voting Brexit (70% of people who support the death penalty supported Brexit) as political party support. The only two things more accurate at predicting voting intention was immigration and further EU integration. Intra-nationalists internationalism and globalisation as part of the problem, rather than being part of the solution. Both groups have more in common with people from other countries than they do within their own. The Londoners who rejected Brexit have more values in common with those living in California, who opposed Trump. Hard-Brexit areas of the UK have more in common with those areas of Austria who voted for the right wing presidential candidate, who want an end to immigration (which they perceive often as refugees) and who want to see a reduction of low skilled labour taking jobs. Advertisement "An old adage is that which is measured can be managed" - Mark Carney, September 2015 With those words, the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures was born. It was asked to design a voluntary standard for how companies should disclose climate-related information. Over the past year, the Task Force has been working to deliver that standard and, in December 2016, it published its recommendations. The Task Force's work should be welcomed. Their framework will help companies think through and disclose how climate change will affect them financially. In turn, that will help institutional investors manage the risks to our pensions and savings and policymakers keep the financial system stable. Advertisement E3G also have significant concerns about whether or not the guidelines will extract certain important information. Physical risks are already having a negative financial impact on companies, yet their importance is downplayed and political risks, of the sort that could lead to financial system meltdown, are nowhere to be seen. Few people in the debate appear to be raising these concerns, so it's worth exploring them further here. The Task Force only explicitly asks companies to prepare a 2C scenario analysis, despite noting that range of scenarios would be preferable. This approach is likely to encourage companies to place more emphasis on risks from the transition to a low carbon economy than risks from physical impacts of climate change. That is problematic for at least two reasons. First, it is not clear that transition risks will have a larger financial impact than physical risks on aggregate. Indeed, evidence suggests the exact opposite could be true. Research from the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainable Leadership has shown that a climate policy failure scenario will have large negative impacts on typical institutional investors' portfolios, which cannot be fully hedged. By contrast, under a two degree scenario financial portfolios perform significantly better. Similar conclusions have been found elsewhere, with eye-watering if uncertain estimates of the potential value-at-risk from climate change impacts. Second, the physical impacts of climate change affect a broader range of companies than the 'usual suspects' targeted by the Task Force. These physical risks aren't some distant threat either. At the time of writing heat waves, that risk health, well-being and productivity have struck Australia and floods, which can ruin homes and infrastructure and disrupt global supply chains, have hit California. Advertisement Optimists might hope that governments would have clear plans on how to respond to these risks. They would be a disappointed. To take the UK as an example, its Government's 2017 Climate Change Risk Assessment report indicates that urgent government action is needed to protect the UK's communities and economy from climate impacts (Figure 1). Figure 1: The UK Government's assessment of the top six climate change risks for the UK A prudent approach to managing climate risk is to 'aim for 2C, plan for 4C'. As things stand, the Task Force's advice appears to be 'plan for 2C'. That is far from enough. In the next iteration of its recommendations the Task Force should explicitly ask companies to publish a scenario plan for a 'high-impact' scenario, consistent with upper estimates of scientific projections of potential temperature increases. The Task Force also appears, ironically, to have excluded the very risk that has financial policymakers so worried - the risk of an abrupt and disorderly transition to a low carbon economy. According to the Bank of England and others, that scenario would transpire if countries rapidly implement policies to severely constrict the emissions of greenhouse gases. Yet the Task Force does not ask for companies to make any assessment of their exposure to the political risk that current climate policy trajectories in many countries are inconsistent with their commitments under the Paris Agreement. Giving an indication of these risks would not be difficult. The Paris Agreement has established the direction of travel for climate policies and countries' plans are in plain sight. As such, the Task Force should ask for companies' exposures to these political risks by jurisdiction. Advertisement When science fiction author Isaac Asimov devised his Three Laws of Robotics he was thinking about androids. He envisioned a world where these human-like robots would act like servants and would need a set of programming rules to prevent them from causing harm. But in the 75 years since the publication of the first story to feature his ethical guidelines, there have been significant technological advancements. We now have a very different conception of what robots can look like and how we will interact with them. The highly-evolved field of robotics is producing a huge range of devices, from autonomous vacuum cleaners to military drones to entire factory production lines. At the same time, artificial intelligence and machine learning are increasingly behind much of the software that affects us on a daily basis, whether we're searching the internet or being allocated government services. These developments are rapidly leading to a time when robots of all kinds will become prevalent in almost all aspects of society, and human-robot interactions will rise significantly. Advertisement Asimov's laws are still mentioned as a template for guiding our development of robots. The South Korean government even proposed a Robot Ethics Charter in 2007 reflecting the laws. But given how much robotics has changed and will continue to grow in the future, we need to ask how these rules could be updated for a 21st century version of artificial intelligence. The Three Laws Asimov's suggested laws were devised to protect humans from interactions with robots. They are: A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm A robot must obey the orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Laws As mentioned, one of the obvious issues is that robots today appear to be far more varied than those in Asimov's stories, including some that are far more simple. So we need to consider whether we should have a threshold of complexity below which the rules might not be required. It is difficult to conceive a robotic vacuum cleaner having the capability of harming humans or even requiring an ability to obey orders. It is a robot with a single task that can be predetermined prior to it being switched on. At the other end of the spectrum, however, are the robots designed for military combat environments. These devices are being designed for spying, bomb disposal or load-carrying purposes. These would still appear to align with Asimov's laws, particularly as they are being created to reduce risk to human lives within highly dangerous environments. Advertisement But it is only a small step to assume that the ultimate military goal would be to create armed robots that could be deployed on the battlefield. In this situation, the First Law - not harming humans - becomes hugely problematic. The role of the military is often to save the lives of soldiers and civilians but often by harming its enemies on the battlefield. So the laws might need to be considered from different perspectives or interpretations. The laws' ambiguity has led authors, including Asimov, to explore how they could be misinterpreted or incorrectly applied. One issue is that they don't actually define what a robot is. As research pushes the boundaries of technology, there are emerging branches of robotics looking at more molecular devices. For example, "robots" made from DNA and proteins could be used in surgery to correct gene disorders. In theory, these devices should really follow Asimov's laws. But for them to follow orders via DNA signals they would essentially have to become an integral part of the human they were working on. This integration would then make it difficult to determine whether the robot was independent enough to fall under the laws or operate outside of them. And on a practical level it would be impossible for it to determine whether any orders it received would cause harm to the human if carried out. There's also the question of what counts as harming a human being. This could be an issue when considering the development of robot babies in Japan, for example. If a human were to adopt one of these robots it might arguably cause emotional or psychological harm. But this harm may not have come about from the direct actions of the robot or become apparent until many years after the human-robot interaction has ended. This problem could even apply to much simpler AI, such as the use of machine learning to create music that elicits emotions. Advertisement Practical problems The other big issue with the laws is that we would need a significant advancement in AI for robots to actually be able to follow them. The goal of AI research is sometimes described as developing machines that can think and act rationally and like a human. So far, emulating human behaviour has not been well researched in the field of AI and the development of rational behaviour has focused on limited, well defined areas. With this in mind, a robot could only operate within a very limited sphere and any rational application of the laws would be highly restricted. Even that might not be possible with current technology, as a system that could reason and make decisions based on the laws would need considerable computational power. Given all these issues, Asimov's laws offer little more than founding principles for someone wanting to create a robotic code today. We need to follow them with a much more comprehensive set of laws. That said, without significant developments in AI, implementing such laws will remain an impossible task. And that's before we even consider the potential for hurt should humans start to fall in love with robots. Mark Robert Anderson, Professor in Computing and Information Systems, Edge Hill University Ever since first mentioned by Jon Michell in a letter to the Royal Society in 1783, black holes have captured the imagination of scientists, writers, filmmakers and other artists. Perhaps part of the allure is that these enigmatic objects have never actually been "seen". But this could now be about to change as an international team of astronomers is connecting a number of telescopes on Earth in the hope of making the first ever image of a black hole. Black holes are regions of space inside which the pull of gravity is so strong that nothing - not even light - can escape. Their existence was predicted mathematically by Karl Schwarzchild in 1915, as a solution to equations posed in Albert Einstein's theory of general relativity. Advertisement We don't know what the black hole at the centre of the Milky Way will look like. Astronomers have had circumstantial evidence for many decades that supermassive black holes - a million to a billion times more massive than our sun - lie at the hearts of massive galaxies. That's because they can see the gravitational pull they have on stars orbiting around the galactic centre. When overfed with material from the surrounding galactic environment, they also eject detectable plumes or jets of plasma to speeds close to that of light. Last year, the LIGO experiment provided even more proof by famously detecting ripples in space-time caused by two medium-mass black holes that merged millions of years ago. But while we now know that black holes exist, questions regarding their origin, evolution and influence in the universe remain at the forefront of modern astronomy. Catching a tiny spot on the sky On April 5-14 2017, the team behind the Event Horizon Telescope hopes to test the fundamental theories of black-hole physics by attempting to take the first ever image of a black hole's event horizon (the point at which theory predicts nothing can escape). By connecting a global array of radio telescopes together to form the equivalent of a giant Earth-sized telescope - using a technique known as Very Long Baseline Interferometry and Earth-aperture synthesis - scientists will peer into the heart of our Milky Way galaxy where a black hole that is 4m times more massive than our sun - Sagittarius A* - lurks. Advertisement NASA/wikipedia Astronomers know there is a disk of dust and gas orbiting around the black hole. The path the light from this material takes will be distorted in the gravitational field of the black hole. Its brightness and colour are also expected to be altered in predictable ways. The tell-tale signature astronomers hope to see with the Event Horizon Telescope is a bright crescent shape rather than a disk. And they may even see the shadow of the black hole's event horizon against the backdrop of this brightly shining swirling material. The array connects nine stations spanning the globe - some individual telescopes, others collections of telescopes - in Antarctica, Chile, Hawaii, Spain, Mexico and Arizona. The "virtual telescope" has been in development for many years and the technology has been tested. However, these tests initially revealed a limited sensitivity and an angular resolution that was insufficient to probe down to the scales needed to reach the black hole. But the addition of sensitive new arrays of telescopes - including the Atacama Large Millimeter Array in Chile and the South Pole Telescope - will give the network a much-needed boost in power. It's rather like putting on spectacles and suddenly being able to see both headlights from an oncoming car rather than a single blur of light. The black hole is a compact source on the sky - its view at optical wavelengths (light that we can see) is completely blocked by large quantities of dust and gas. However, telescopes with sufficient resolution and operating at longer, radio millimetre wavelengths can peer through this cosmic fog. Advertisement The resolution of any kind of telescope - the finest detail that can be discerned and measured - is usually quoted as a small angle corresponding to the ratio of an object's size to its distance. The angular size of the moon as seen from the Earth is about half a degree, or 1800 arc seconds. For any telescope, the bigger its aperture, the smaller the detail that can be resolved. The resolution of a single radio telescope (typically with an aperture of 100 metres) is roughly about 60 arc seconds. This is comparable to the resolution of the unaided human eye and about a sixtieth of the apparent diameter of the full moon. But by connecting many telescopes, the Event Horizon Telescope will be about to achieve a resolution of 15-20 microarcsecond (0,000015 arcseconds), corresponding to being able to spy a grape at the distance of the moon. What's at stake? Although the practice of connecting many telescopes in this way is well known, particular challenges lie ahead for the Event Horizon Telescope. The data recorded at each station in the network will be shipped to a central processing facility where a supercomputer will carefully combine all the data. Different weather, atmospheric and telescope conditions at each site will require meticulous calibration of the data so that scientists can be sure any features they find in the final images are not artefacts. If it works, imaging the material inside the black hole region with angular resolutions comparable to that of its event horizon will open a new era of black hole studies and solve a number of big questions: do event horizons even exist? Does Einstein's theory work in this region of extreme strong gravity or do we need a new theory to describe gravity this close to a black hole? Also, how are black holes fed and how is material ejected? It may even even be possible to image the black holes at the centre of nearby galaxies, such as the giant elliptical galaxy that lies at the heart of our local cluster of galaxies. Advertisement Ultimately, the combination of mathematical theory and deep physical insight, global international scientific collaborations and remarkable, tenacious long-term advances in cutting edge experimental physics and engineering look set to make revealing the nature of spacetime a defining feature of early 21st century science. Ukrainian Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman backs the increase of the number of existing flights and launching new ones between Ukraine and Turkey, including from the regional airports, the press service of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine has reported, referring to a speech of the prime minister at the Ukrainian-Turkish business forum in Istanbul last week. According to the report, in 2016, tourist flow from Ukraine to Turkey and from Turkey to Ukraine grew. This is evidence of growth in the interest in the sphere between the two countries. On March 14, Ukraine and Turkey have signed an agreement on the conditions of mutual trips of citizens on the basis of internal passports in the form of ID cards. "This will promote the development of bilateral relations between the two countries. In this context Groysman urged to increase the number of flights, as well as to open new routes from regional airports," the press service said. Ukraine and Turkey have approached towards launch of shared activities in the defense and industrial complex based on equal and mutually beneficial conditions, the press service said. Former astronaut encourages Hutchinson students to consider space exploration Former astronaut describes his path to space flight and experiences on the International Space Station, while offering advice on how to get there Indie UK Music Publisher Sentric Adds $3.7M To Fund Intl Expansion Liverpool, UK base indie music publisher Sentric Music, has closed a 3m funding round led by the Business Growth Fund (BGF). The new funding will be used to expand internationally, with more funds available for acquisitions. Launched in 2006, Sentric offers publishing, licensing and royalty collection services. Known for its 28 day publishing contract, Sentric currently has 40 employees in UK, Germany, Netherlands and US, and represents more than 100,000 songs. With the support of our early investors and the songwriters we work with, Sentric has enjoyed exceptional growth during the past decade. We want to continue growing, developing and exploring new opportunities," Sentric CEO and founder, Chris Meehan, commented. Now is the right time to bring BGF on board. Their long-term investment and minority partnership means that we can continue to implement our plans without giving up control of the business. Share on: Mount Greylock School Committee Chairwoman Sheila Hebert, right, used part of Wednesday's meeting to reiterate the committee's support for interim Superintendent Kimberley Grady, next to her. Mount Greylock's Operating Budget Flat, Building Project Drives Hike WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. Mount Greylock Regional School officials Wednesday trumpeted a fiscal 2018 budget proposal that shows no increase in member towns' appropriations related to the school's operating costs. Williamstown and Lanesborough will be delivered higher assessments, but the increase is due entirely to the bond payment on the addition/renovation project approved in debt exclusion votes in both towns in early 2016. On Wednesday night, the Mount Greylock School Committee held its public hearing on the FY18 budget. The bad news is that the district is assessing Lanesborough at $3.2 million and Williamstown at $6.4 million. The former represents a $92,500 increase from FY17, a hike of about 3 percent. The latter, Williamstown's share, is up by about $412,000, or about 6.9 percent. But Principal Mary MacDonald and Interim Superintendent Kimberley Grady emphasized that the assessments to the towns for the regular operating expenses only labor, utilities, supplies, etc. is up by the negligible amount of $138 on a $7.8 million combined "ask." In fact, if not for the payment on the bond, Mount Greylock would be seeking 2.6 percent less money from Lanesborough and about 1.3 percent more from Williamstown than it did for the current year's budget. "So without the building project, we'd have a negative assessment for Lanesborough and a 1.3 percent increase to Williamstown?" asked committee member Carolyne Greene. "That's stunning." "And we've been able to bring things back into the budget that we've lost over the years and still have those numbers," Grady replied. The total FY18 budget is $13.5 million for the junior-senior high school. That is an increase of 5.4 percent over FY17. That number will be covered mostly by the $9.6 million assessment to the town but also includes revenue from state aid, grants and other sources outside the district. The gross operating budget all of the money spent outside of the building project is up by 1.6 percent, from $11.5 million in the current year to $11.7 million for FY18. The capital budget i.e., the payment on the 29-year bond for the district's share of the building project is up by nearly 40 percent, from $1.3 million this year to $1.8 million in FY18. School Committee member Steven Miller asked whether the district's relatively flat operating budget is mostly because of Berkshire Health Group moving public employees to a deductible-based health insurance plan. Grady said that was one driver. "There was a flat premium for us this year," she said. "We don't know where that will be in years to come." The district also has seen reductions in its costs for special education from students aging out of programs, and the FY18 spending plan uses $245,000 from the district's "excess and deficiency" account the school's equivalent of a municipal "free cash" account. The current year's budget used just $100,000 from that account. The $145,000 increase helps reduce the assessments to the towns and it prevents the district from exceeding the statutory limit on the amount it can hold in reserve. About 1.8 percent of the total $13.5 million budget is being funded by E&D; last year, the reserve fund accounted for .8 percent of the budget. "We're in a position where our E&D is at the ceiling," Grady told the School Committee. "We can't peak, so we're drawing down from it. This year puts us in a good, safe place." In response to a question from the floor, officials explained that if the E&D account does exceed the maximum allowable amount, the excess is distributed back to the member towns. "In this case, it also goes back to the towns because we're using to offset our operating budget," MacDonald said. "We're not using it to buy fancy things." The most notable increases in the FY18 budget are the replacement of a math teacher position that previously was cut and the addition of a wellness teacher position. Both moves were previously discussed and explained to the School Committee as the budget was being constructed. On Wednesday, the committee thanked MacDonald, Grady and their staff for a budget that is on time and relatively flat and which comes during a time when the district lacks a business manager and a permanent superintendent. School Committee Chairwoman Sheila Hebert also made an opening statement at the start of the public hearing to acknowledge the work of Grady, who stepped up from her role as assistant superintendent in the fall to serve as interim superintendent upon the abrupt departure of Douglas Dias. "The school district remains committed to working cooperatively with both towns with mutual respect," Hebert said. Hebert, a resident of Lanesborough, did not specifically refer to the personal attack Grady received during a Lanesborough Finance Committee meeting, but coming on the heels of that incident, the context was clear. "Superintendent is not a political role," Hebert continued. "It is a role of seeing to the educational needs of the students. Kim has made sure we had a budget on time for public hearings while supporting principals in all three schools and making sure the needs of the students are met. "The School Committee remains confident that the needs of the district are being met." In other business on Wednesday, the School Committee heard an update on the district's progress in figuring out how to allocate a capital endowment from Williams College and discussed Mount Greylock's efforts to prepare for a possible October vote on inviting Williamstown Elementary School and Lanesborough Elementary School into the district. Speaking for committee member Chris Dodig, who did not attend Wednesday's meeting, Greene reported to her colleagues that they can expect recommendations from the architect the district hired to study options for the $5 million endowment starting in May or June. Greene also reported that the district has started to receive financial analysis of a potential consolidation of the K-6 elementary school districts into the Grades 7-12 district at Mount Greylock. The good news is that the expanded district likely would not see any reduction in its Chapter 70 aid from the commonwealth and would see a bump in its regional transportation aid (single-town school districts, like Williamstown and Lanesborough, do not receive state aid for transportation). In addition, an expanded district would receive a short-term "bonus" aid that Massachusetts offers as an incentive to regionalize, Greene said. What is unknown and still being studied is the fiscal impact of bringing all three district's employee contracts into alignment. "There's an assumption that's incorrect that everyone jumps to the highest contract," Greene said. "But what is true is that no one can go down from where they are. We have time to bring everybody into one grid." Greene said the district does not expect to save big bucks from full regionalization. But what it would do is preserve the savings the two towns currently realize from the Tri-District agreement that shares the cost of central administration. "We've saved approximately $400,000 a year by combining our central administrations," Greene said. The district studied full regionalization back in 2013, and the report of the Regional District Amendment Committee is available on the Tri-District website, www.wlschools.org . The report includes not only the financial impact but also the educational benefit of full regionalization. The Mount Greylock School Committee was on the verge of putting the regionalization questions to voters in both member towns when the district was accepted into the Massachusetts School Building Authority process. The committee decided to "back burner" the regionalization question and focus on the building project, which now is well under way. Greene noted that some the material principally the financials but potentially other items may need to be updated from the 2013 RDAC report. She also called on her colleagues to help with the public outreach effort that would be needed in advance of an October special town meeting in each member town. "There were a lot of outreach meetings in [2013]," Greene said. "It will be important to hear the concerns in the air right now as opposed to what was being articulated then. But it also will be important to make clear that we need this, educationally, and we need it financially, not because of new money we're going to save but because we need to be able to hire good people [at the Tri-District office]. "I would encourage us to make a big push for this first. And if we can't sway people, we'll look for alternatives to the current structure." The three opportunities include a call for mural art, parklet design, and pop-up art programming. DownStreet Art Looking for Artists for 2017 Season NORTH ADAMS, Mass. Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts' Berkshire Cultural Resource Center announces the DownStreet Art (DSA) 2017 call for art. To mark the 10th anniversary of the DownStreet Art program, BCRC will embark on an ambitious goal to commission 10 new projects, which will range from performances and murals to pop-up parks and community art projects. The three opportunities include a call for mural art, parklet design, and pop-up art programming. Full requests for proposals and submission guidelines can be found at the DSA website. The proposal deadline is March 31, at 11:59 p.m. DSA invites artists interested in community engagement and social practice to work with the North Adams community to collaboratively realize a new mural to join existing murals by artists including Spanish collective Muralismo Publico, Egyptian street artist Alaa Awad, Jarvis Rockwell, Corwin Levi, and others. iciHaiti - Health : Good news, decrease of cholera in the South After a spike in the number of suspected cholera cases in the departments of Sud and Grand Anse in the two months following Hurricane Matthew, the number of suspected cases of cholera reduced drastically in both departments in the month of December. Meanwhile, there was a significant reduction in the number of suspected cases in the three departments where the incidence of cholera has been historically higher: Centre, Artibonite and Ouest. The improvement in quality of treatment centers, the increase in the number of rapid response teams and the vaccination campaign in South and Grand Anse contributed to the control of the disease. Let's recall that in January 2017 1,856 suspected cases (-65% compared to January 2016) and 28 new deaths (-54% compared to January 2016) were registered by the ministry of health, the lowest monthly figure since August 2015. However, the maintenance of these positive trends may be threatened by the lack of funding that has been seen this year. From October 2016 to January 2016 there were 805,000 cumulative cases and 9,483 cumulative deaths. IH/ iciHaiti Gontareva expects technocrat to be appointed to head NBU head post, will give one month notice before leaving post Governor of the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) Valeriya Gontareva has confirmed her plans to leave the post in foreseeable future, believing that her mission of the post is accomplished. She expects that a technocrat will come to replace her. "The professional and technocrat should be on this post. I am absolutely confident that you will see such a nominee," she said at the Dragon Capital Annual Ukraine Investor Conference last week. Gontareva again said that she will inform about leaving the NBU governor post at least a month in advance. President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko has said that the blockade of the uncontrolled territories of Donbas is aimed at pushing them away from Ukraine to the Russian Federation. "The organizers of the blockade deceived the society, since it was not a blockade of the ORDO/ORLO. What a blockade can we talk about, when there is a hole in the border in hundreds of kilometers, including with the Russian Federation? In fact, it turned out to be a special operation aimed at pushing out the occupied areas from Ukrainian Donbas to the Russian Federation," he said during a speech at a meeting of the Regional Development Council in Kyiv on Monday. Poroshenko noted that the organizers of the blockade should be ready to bear responsibility for their actions. Ukraine resumes gas withdrawals from storage; official end of heating season expected soon Ukraine is once again making net withdrawals of gas from underground storage, following a three-day period (March 9-11) when it injected more than it withdrew. Ukraine withdrew 7.5 million cubic meters (mcm) a day from underground storage in the March 16-18 period, Ukrtransgaz, which operates the country's pipelines and storage facilities, said in a statement. Gas stocks in underground storage facilities totaled 8.137 bcm as of March 18, 44.8% less than 14.732 bcm at the beginning of the current heating season. The authorities can declare that the heating season has officially ended when average daily temperatures remain above 8 degrees Celsius for three consecutive days, although commercial and budget organizations can request that supplies of heat be ended before then. National joint-stock company Naftogaz Ukrainy, for example, has requested that Kyivenergo stop supplying heat to its administrative offices beginning on March 20. As of March 18, 2017, daily imports of gas were 43.462 mcm, of which 38.814 mcm from Slovakia, 1.044 mcm from Hungary and 3.604 mcm from Poland. Ukraine has not imported gas from Russia since November 26, 2015. It imported a total of 783.359 mcm in the first 18 days of March. Naftogaz, which accounts for about 40 mcm of the daily imports, has said it will substantially reduce them in April. Gas production in Ukraine on March 18 was 57.438 mcm, of which Ukrgazvydobuvannia produced 41.54 mcm, Ukrnafta - 3.346 mcm and other companies - 12.552 mcm. Overall production in the first 18 days of March was 1.035 bcm. Transit via Ukraine's gas transport system in the March 1-18 period was 3.814 bcm or 211.9 mcm per day. The content you are trying to view is exclusive to our subscribers. To unlock this article: The attraction of a European company to the management of the Ukrainian gas transport system (GTS) would allow the country to retain the status of a large natural gas transit country, Naftogaz Ukrainy Board Chairman Andriy Kobolev has said. "We again, as a team of Naftogaz, call on all parties involved in the discussion of processes around the Ukrainian GTS to hear one obvious, to our opinion, fact: without attracting a large and transparent European partner it would be almost impossible to retain transit across Ukraine," he said in an interview with Interfax-Ukraine. He said that the division of Naftogaz Ukrainy into operation segments with the transfer of property used by Ukrtransgaz now for transportation of gas to Trunk Gas Pipelines of Ukraine company should continue. "If we try to involve a partner in the existing legal structure of Ukrtransgaz, to which only Mr. Kolomoisky [businessman Ihor Kolomoisky] has claims to return around 11 billion cubic meters of gas, the partner would not go there," he said. Kobolev recalled that at present the negotiations with a large European company which is interested in entering the Ukrainian GTS management are underway. "We hope that the attraction of the European company to the management of the Ukrainian GTS would retain a lion's share of the GTS. This would help us to retain gas transiting. The issue of the potential reduction of the capacity should be raised only when it is clear if Ukraine retains gas transit after 2019. It is too early to make a decision on mothballing a part of pipelines with this vagueness," he said. 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 }} A man has been charged on suspicion of slashing a painting at the National Gallery with a screwdriver. Witnesses said the man lashed out at Thomas Gainsboroughs 18th century portrait of a wealthy young couple, Mr and Mrs William Hallett, better known as The Morning Walk. The gallery said staff and visitors detained the suspect who was later arrested. The painting suffered two long scratches, which have penetrated the paint layers, but not the supporting canvas. The painting was attacked with a sharp instrument by a visiting member of the public, the gallery said (PA) The east wing of the gallery, in which the British Paintings are housed, was evacuated shortly after the alarm was raised at 2.15pm. It was reopened two hours later. The Metropolitan Police said 54-year-old Keith Gregory, of no fixed address, was charged with criminal damage. The couple in the painting are thought to be William Hallett and Elizabeth Stephen, both aged 21 and due to be married in the summer of 1785, shortly after the painting was completed, according to a National Gallery web page devoted to the work. The painting has been removed from display by gallery conservators, who are assessing the next steps of a conservation effort to restore the work. Gregory is due to appear in court next week. 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 }} When it comes to the Best Picture category, the Oscars often ignore science-fiction. Yet, last year, the academy made an exception as Denis Villeneuves Arrival was nominated thanks to its complex story, superb choreography and wonderful leading character, Louise Banks, played by the ever-brilliant Amy Adams. (While the thinking mans Independence Day lost to Moonlight for Best Picture, Arrival managed to bag Best Sound Editing, besting the nights big winner, La La Land.) In the film an adaptation of a short story by Ted Chiang, Story of Your Life Earth is visited by extraterrestrials, known by humans as heptapods. They appear in huge, black spacecraft and, although they dont attack mankind, various leaders of the world view them as a threat. Unable to communicate with the aliens, Dr Banks, a linguistics teacher, is employed by the US army to translate their language into English. Jessica Coon, an associate professor in the Department of Linguistics at McGill University, Montreal, acted as a consultant on Arrival, helping Villeneuve and Adams accurately bring Dr Banks to life. As well as providing pointers to what the characters office would look like, Coon looked over the films script, discussing with the filmmakers how a linguist a person who studies linguistics, defined as the scientific study of human language would go about communicating with an alien life form. There were a lot of things the film got really right when it comes to doing fieldwork, Coon says. Earlier on in the film, shes the first person to take off her helmet and really try to interact with the heptapods in a meaningful way. As linguists, were interested in the more abstract properties of languages, but you cant get at those directly. You have to interact with speakers of those languages, whether that be human language or alien languages. Arrival Clip - Proper Introduction Another prominent point the filmmakers get right is how Banks asks simple questions at first, rather than complex. You have to understand the smaller parts first because theres so much room for miscommunication and certainly in this case the stakes are very high. You want to make sure you understand whats being communicated, and what the possible ambiguities are. In many ways, Coon explains, the way Banks translates the alien language is similar to how we would translate another human language into our own. First, you have to establish that both parties are trying to communicate with each other. One starting point is then looking at common objects and attempting to interpret how each group communicates what that thing is. For instance, the scientists in Arrival names the two heptapods Abbott and Costello. After learning how the aliens say these, Banks can act out walking and get the sentence Costello is walking from them. By taking away the known word for Costello, the scientists can work out the action itself. While building from simple to complex sentences is a tactic used when communicating between unknown languages, when it comes to human languages we have a huge head start. Human languages share certain things in common," Coon says. "We know how to find certain patterns, and when we find one common property we are able to find others. Human language seems to be very directly linked to other more general aspects of human cognition." Humans are born ready to learn human languages and humans can do this effortlessly. When it comes to alien languages, we do not have this luxury. It would be very surprising, actually, if they were similar-to-human language because, really, human languages are directly tied to out genes to our humanness and so we can expect alien languages to differ hugely from our own. Arrival - Trailer This directly ties into a leading theory within the study of linguistics: universal grammar. Often credited to Noam Chomsky, the idea postulates how human language is innately tied to what makes us human; that whatever the case, humans will develop languages that share certain properties. Toddlers are very bad at doing basic things like tying their shoes or adding numbers, Coon says. But they learn very complicated linguistic decisions effortlessly. Access unlimited streaming of movies and TV shows with Amazon Prime Video Sign up now for a 30-day free trial Sign up What of the evolution of language? Have these innate properties we pick up effortlessly as toddlers changed over time? Languages, of course, change over time we dont speak Latin anymore but they dont change in any qualitative way. Theres no evidence language is improving in any meaningful way. People talk about human languages evolving, but really theyre just changing. At least, as far as we have any record of, human languages share fundamental properties. Arrival blu-ray steelbook Talking about changes is language, one subject long brought up in English classes is how Shakespeare helped form our modern language. At the risk of sounding ridiculous, I bring up Donald Trump and his peculiar way of talking using words such as bigly. Could we be witnessing another large change in the English language? Linguists have done some analysis of Trumps style of speaking and his tendency to say very short phrases: there do seem to be some peculiarities with the way he speaks, Coon says. In terms of words, maybe. New words are introduced into our language all the time. While Trump might be a special case and there are some very interesting linguistic challenges to his speech, Coon says theres no such thing as people speaking a worse language or a language being qualitatively worse or better than another. Theyre just different and there are speakers of one language who might have feelings about another, but they are just feelings and often come from our stereotypes of people who speak these languages. 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 Another interesting idea researched by some linguists is the growing use of emoji. However, while older generations may worry about the symbols becoming part of our everyday language, theres no chance of those symbols ever replacing our vocabulary completely. Any human language can express an infinite number of things," she says. "With emoji, you dont have the same kind of complexity of expression. Youre fairly constrained in what you can do." My understanding is that theres a consortium of people who decide what emoji can be used, and thats not how human language works. For example, Trumps use of the word bigly. People can say whatever they want and if it catches on it catches on. With emoji you have to lobby a consortium to get one working. Linguists may not be worried about emoji replacing words, they are nervous about the internet's huge impact on language. Despite the world wide web bringing researchers from across the world together, now is actually a time in history where linguists are most worried about the future of languages. 'Arrival' actress Amy Adams: I hope there are more female driven films Coon explains how, while English may be in no danger of being replaced by emoji, there are more than 6,000 languages being spoken and a very large percentage between 50 and 90 per cent are no longer likely to be spoken in the next 100 years unless something drastic happens to reverse this. Many languages which are in critical danger are only spoken by elderly people and when they die the language is gone. Because the likes of English, Spanish and Mandarin are becoming so widely spoken, speakers of lesser known dialects are less inclined to impart that knowledge to future generations. Linguists are worried from both a scientific and cultural viewpoint about this phenomena. From a scientific perspective, if our goal as linguists is to work out how human languages work, were not doing very good science if we only look at a handful of closely related European languages. Culturally, there are communities where the language carries their identity. A lot of cultural information can be lost when these are lost. For example, many languages have words for different medicinal plants that a majority language, like English or French, may not have. A lot of studies have shown that the health of a communitys indigenous language correlates to a lot of other health and wellness factors. While its a critical period for languages and linguistics, films such as Arrival, Coon says, will hopefully get people interested in the subject before its too late. To get started, all you need is access to a speaker of the language youre interested in working on, she says. Taking classes or becoming educated about the huge amounts of diversity that comes from human languages or understanding how human languages are all equally expressive and carry lots of value, those are all things that will hopefully come out of this film. Arrival is out now on DVD and Blu-Ray 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 }} Michael Caine has said he fears dying of cancer and is becoming aware his days are numbered. The veteran actor, who is 84, revealed he has been on a health kick and managed to lose two stones. Caine said he had cut down on drinking and banned sugar, salt and gluten from meals. The Oscar winner, who has starred in countless films over a career spanning five decades, explained he was keen to see his grandchildren grow up. I know my days are numbered and thats the main worry, he told The Sun on Sunday. Ive had to cut back on the drinking and Im always looking up whats the best thing against cancer, so Ill eat that or do this or not do that. Ill probably drop dead talking to you but you know Ive lost 13 kgs just because I want to see my grandchildren. Theyre twins of six and a boy of seven. Id like to get to 17 for the boy. Caine praised his wife Shakira, who is 70, for helping him get out of the habit of heavy drinking. The famous men and women who arent afraid to speak their mind Show all 10 1 /10 The famous men and women who arent afraid to speak their mind The famous men and women who arent afraid to speak their mind Leonardo DiCaprio On climate change: 'Climate change is real, it is happening right now. It is the most urgent threat facing our entire species and we need to work collectively together and stop procrastinating.' Getty The famous men and women who arent afraid to speak their mind Chrissy Teigen 'I will never stop talking about how horrible Donald Trump is. Even after he loses, I will set an alert to my phone to remind me to not stop. Getty The famous men and women who arent afraid to speak their mind Nicki Minaj On the war on drugs and US prison system: What it has become is not a war on drugs. It has become slavery. Or something crazier. When I see how many people are in jail, I feel like, Wait a minute. Our government is aware of these statistics and thinks its OK The sentences are inhumane. Christopher Polk/Getty Images for A+E Networks The famous men and women who arent afraid to speak their mind Emily Ratajkowski 'I am not shamed or apologetic of what my body might represent to you. Its the body I was given. I'm no less worthy of making political points about feminism or fighting for the reclaiming of female sexuality because of it.' Andrew Toth/Getty Images The famous men and women who arent afraid to speak their mind Jesse Williams On racial equality: Now what we've been doing is looking at the data and we know that police somehow manage to de-escalate, disarm and not kill white people every day. So what's going to happen is we are going to have equal rights and justice in our own country or we will restructure their function and ours. Getty The famous men and women who arent afraid to speak their mind Zendaya On claiming a magazine photoshopped her: Had a new shoot come out today and was shocked when I found my 19 year old hips and torso quite manipulated. These are the things that make women self conscious, that create the unrealistic ideals of beauty that we have. Getty The famous men and women who arent afraid to speak their mind Jennifer Lawrence Im over trying to find the "adorable" way to state my opinion and still be likable! F**k that. I don't think I've ever worked for a man in charge who spent time contemplating what angle he should use to have his voice heard. It's just heard.' AFP/Getty Images The famous men and women who arent afraid to speak their mind John Legend On Black Lives Matter: 'We should not have to jump through hoops to prove black people shouldnt be shot by police during routine traffic stops. So many people work so hard to find a reason why executing a human being during a traffic stop is ok. ITS NOT OK.' Getty The famous men and women who arent afraid to speak their mind Amandla Stenberg On cultural appropriation: 'What would America be like if we loved black people as much as we loved black culture?' Getty Images The famous men and women who arent afraid to speak their mind Maisie Williams On feminism: I [also] feel like we should stop calling feminists feminists and just start calling people who arent feminist sexist and then everyone else is just human. You are either a normal person or a sexist. People get a label because theyre bad.' Chris Jackson/Getty Images Without her, Id have been dead long ago, he said. I used to drink a bottle of vodka a day and smoke several packs of cigarettes. The London-born film icon, who has starred in everything from Zulu (1964), to Get Carter (1971) and, more recently, Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy (2005-2012), appears in heist comedy film Going in Style which will be released next month. Directed by Zach Braff, the film sees three lifelong friends, Caine, Morgan Freeman and Alan Arkin, risk it all and rob a bank after their pensions are cancelled. When the offers of work stop I will say I have retired. The film business will have to give me up, not the other way around," Caine said. 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 }} Chinas answer to The Hangover has recently premiered, debuting the story of five people who visit Macau, the gambling capital of China, get lost, and require the help of Mike Tyson. Titled Top Funny Comedian: The Movie, theres a surprising cameo Rowan Atkinson as Mr. Bean, better known as Mr Foolish Bean in China. Whereas in Mr. Bean's Holiday the character went on a meandering journey around France, Beans latest vacation has taken him to China where hes using an iPhone to snap ornate sculptures. The character poster for Atkinson is rather incredible in itself. The character poster for Atkinson is incredible in itself. Top Funny Comedian: The Movie sees a group of four men and a woman venture to Macau where one of them gets lost, requiring the other four to save them. Watch the trailer below. Due to Atkinson being unable to speak Mandarin, the cast used mainly body language to speak to each other, co-star Guo Degang saying, according to The Beijinger: [We communicated] just with facial expressions and gestures. We seemed to understand each other. It was a really interesting experience, which proves that comedy can cross boundaries. 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 Chances are Top Funny Comedian: The Movie wont be crossing over to UK cinemas anytime soon, but readers in China can see the film - which is expected to be a box-office hit - now. 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 }} It is no secret Hollywood has long been engaged in a so-called culture war with Donald Trump. While those in the hills of Hollywood continue to use award speeches to eviscerate the president, Trump supporters continue to accuse tinsel town actors of being out of touch. But not all Hollywood actors are happy about the general consensus against Mr Trump. Tim Allen, who is known for playing the voice of Buzz Lightyear, has compared being a conservative in Hollywood to 1930's Germany. The actor, a Republican, said it was difficult to go against the liberal grain in Hollywood. During an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! on Sunday night, the actor was probed about his decision to attend Mr Trumps inauguration. The comedian, who is also known for his role as Tim "The Toolman" Taylor in massively popular US show Home Improvement, explained he attended the event, which was shunned by the overwhelming majority of Hollywood actors and musicians, because he was invited as a VIP guest by veterans. [scald=5194596:sdl_editor_representation] "Yeah, I went to the inauguration, he said defiantly. "Youve got to be real careful around here, Allen added. You get beat up if dont believe what everybody believes. This is like 30s Germany. I dont know what happened. If youre not part of the group, You know what we believe is right, I go, Well, I might have a problem with that.' "I'm not attacking you," Kimmel joked in response. This is not the first time Allen has discussed Hollywood's attitude towards Mr Trump. At the end of last year, he argued it was "hypocritical" Hollywood did not like Mr Trump because he is a bully. What I find odd in Hollywood is that they didnt like Trump because he was a bully. But if you had any kind of inkling that you were for Trump, you got bullied for doing that. And it gets a little bit hypocritical to me," he said. He said he knew a handful of people in the entertainment industry who are conservative but refuse to tell anyone for fear of retaliation, saying if anyone in Hollywood "finds out you support Trump at all, it's like you smell bad". You get bullied into a position, but I dont want to defend the guy, Allen explained. "To me, he acts like a new talent comedian. These are guys that have great material that have very bad comedy timing. And he's got terrible timing." Ukraine's SBU Security Service of Ukraine has banned the entry for five years to four citizens of Serbia and one citizen of the Czech Republic for their trip to the annexed Crimea on the third anniversary of the pseudo-referendum. "The SBU has verified the information about the stay in Crimea of politicians from European and other countries who arrived at the invitation of the occupation authorities to "celebrate" the third anniversary of the pseudo-referendum. It turned out that four citizens of Serbia and one Czech citizen are illegally located in the territory of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea. The SBU made a decision to ban them from entering Ukraine for a period of five years," SBU spokesperson, Olena Hytlianska, wrote on her Facebook page on Monday. According to her, information about the citizens of Ukraine in this delegation has not been currently confirmed. Earlier, Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine Oleksandr Turchynov said that the Security Service should analyze information about the stay in Crimea of politicians from European and other countries to impose sanctions against them. According to him, if this information is confirmed, the question of imposing sanctions against them will be considered at the NSDC meeting. Sign up to Roisin OConnors free weekly newsletter Now Hear This for the inside track on all things music Get our Now Hear This email for free Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Roisin OConnors email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} BBC Radio presenter Abbie McCarthy picks her favourite new music for the week: Drake - More Life Drake has finally released his new record 'More Life' and it bangs - great samples, so many quotable lyrics and a big list of featured artists. Drake has also shone light on some of the UK's brightest stars to potential fans in the US - the likes of Giggs, Jorja Smith and Sampha. All 22 tracks are strong but the ones to check out immediately have to be 'Glow' (with Kanye West, which Yeezy has been teasing since early last year!), carnival jam 'Get It Together' (featuring Black Coffee & beautiful vocals from Jorja Smith) and 'Teenage Fever' (featuring a J.Lo sample). TCTS - Do It Like Me (Icy Feet) This is just as awesome as I expected it to sound. The original & instrumental 'Icy Feet' was a great dancefloor shuffler and the vocals laid down on this version by LA rapper Sage The Gemini and R n B legend Kelis crank it up to a whole new level! You'll be hearing this bassy banger at parties, raves and festivals all around the world, all summer long. Mura Masa & Charli XCX - 1 Night Just last week I featured Charli XCX's fantastic new mixtape 'Number 1 Angel' in my new music picks and now there's already more new music from her! She's collaborated with the genius future bass producer Mura Masa to create the super cool, sunny-sounding '1 Night'. Mura Masa has finally announced that his debut album 'To Fall Out Of Love To' will be coming out later this year and I, for one, can't wait! Ginger Snaps - Number Crunching I premiered this fuzzy, off kilter pop gem on BBC Radio 1 at the start of last week. It's the first single Northampton's Ginger Snaps has released this year and in my humble opinion it's the best thing they've done to date! Check out the track below - a brilliant mix of break beats & fun lyrics. Joe Goddard - Home Hot Chip's Joe Goddard is gearing up to the release of his eagerly anticipated debut solo album 'Electric Lines', which is dropping in April, and he's dropped a taster of it this week - a soulful and psychedelic disco anthem called 'Home'. It perfectly encapsulates that buzzy end of the night and travelling home feeling. The trippy video below was directed by Super Furry Animals collaborator Pete Fowler. Bad Sea - Over My Head This Dublin duo first met through Tinder, soon realised it wasn't love but thought they'd give music making a go and here they are releasing their latest single 'Over My Head'. Beautiful piano chords and production are provided by Alan and Ciara's vocals are absolutely gorgeous. This one definitely pulls at the heart strings. Abbie McCarthy is a presenter for BBC Introducing/BBC Radio 1. Find her on Twitter @AbbieAbbieMac Sign up to Roisin OConnors free weekly newsletter Now Hear This for the inside track on all things music Get our Now Hear This email for free Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Roisin OConnors email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} The full schedule for Live at Leeds Festival has been revealed, with a string of brilliant new names joining the lineup. Frightened Rabbit, AJ Tracey and VANT have all been confirmed, along with Rationale, Seafret, Dead Pretties, Strong Asian Mothers and Johnny Lloyd. They join the likes of Slaves, White Lies, Honeyblood, Wild Beasts, Jagwar Ma, Black Honey and Nothing But Thieves. Scottish cult heroes Frightened Rabbit said: "We can't wait to come back to Live At Leeds. It's been a favourite city of ours since we started touring and have great memories of places like The Brudenell and The Faversham so we're really looking forward to it. See you there and probably in the dry dock afterwards for a dance!" The schedule for The Independent's stage at Leeds Uni Union Refectory has also been revealed. Headlining is arguably the biggest breakout UK star of 2017: Rag 'N' Bone Man, who just picked up two Brit awards and scooped a No.1 album with his debut Human, which was the fastest-selling male debut in a decade. Also performing are Independent favourites Tom Grennan, Clean Cut Kid, Fickle Friends and The Hunna (see below for performance times). Live At Leeds takes place on Saturday 29 April - tickets are on sale now. 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 }} Ryan Craig's new play is hysterically funny; it's historically fascinating (as it charts the various waves of immigration and the mutations of xenophobic prejudice in London from 1963 to 1982); and like Hangmen, Martin McDonagh's recent play about the abolition of the death penalty in England it situates itself in a heightened, near-cod version of the Sixties so that it can be all the more a Play for Today. Above all, Craig has written the kind of phenomenal role that you pray that an actress of Sara Kestelman's unflagging calibre will come by at the summit of her career. She excels at characters who have been seared by a terrible past but who don't give an inch of ground by succumbing to a speck of self-promoting sentimentality characters whose cruel to be kind approach displays a terrible moral authority and entitlement. She can be as slyly funny as any actress alive. Her last London engagement was at Hampstead in Tony Kushner's The Intelligent Homosexual's Guide to Capitalism and Socialism with a Key to the Scripture, in which she drew the most appreciative laughter of the evening as the protagonist's provokingly serene sister who has covered the ideological and spiritual waterfront Catholic nun; Maoist; Shining Path follower in Peru; you name it. If one of Saki's cats were to develop the weird ability to miaow its way through an over-stoic version of I'm Still Here, the effect would not drive one up the wall with more, erm, feline mischief. And now all these various strands come to a momentous consummation in Filthy Business. Yetta Solomon pulped rabbit skins in the London Underground when anti-Semitic violence in Eastern Europe drove her to this country as a very young girl, cut adrift by history from her family. Her eventual husband sliced his hands to ribbons every day working in a tram factory but, starting with the offcuts of rubber he brought home, Yetta gradually built up the emporium in Holloway (If it's made of rubber, we sell it). She makes the average tigress look lackadaisical in her fierce determination to keep her cubs together. But it's the 1960s now and the young folk have ideas of their own. When her wholly straight young grandson Mickey (excellent Callum Woodhouse) reveals that I wanna cut hair... styling and that, she reacts as though he'd just expressed a holiday preference for Palestine. Punch da face she challenges others, and she would certainly punch yours if you suggested she was an immigrant. If she thinks you are plucky survivor too, she will take you under her wing. But woe betide you if you show the least disloyalty. And the little matter of 70 that has gone missing from the till results in a floating spotlight of possible culpability that raucously severs some of these hard-won connections. We certainly don't hear the first stirrings of political correctness when Yetta gets going on the estranged Nigerian husband of one of the protegees: Yah yah, I don't want to hear no sob story shit from you. You want to talk suffering mit me? My people got five t'ousand years of suffering. Beat dat. She's majestically indifferent to the idea that his country has suffered from the map-making stupidity and broken promises of her adopted British: Listen, mister I got my own problems. She left me feeling as weak with laughter as Dame Edna does. But there is also the chilling sense that she is inching towards the blasphemous binary: the matriarch who, in defence of her values, ends up as isolated and self-authoring as Richard III or Milton's Satan. Ed Hall directs a stunningly well-cast and clear production that's alive to the deliciously silly aspects of the script as well as the whiffs of sulphur. I can't recommend this enough. And I predict Kestelman will be competing with Imelda Staunton (Whos Afraid of Virginia Woolf?) for this year's Best Actress gongs. 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 United Nations is to issue a call for the world to stop simply throwing sewage away, arguing that it is economically valuable and warning that fresh water is a finite resource. More than 80 per cent of the worlds wastewater is currently discharged into the environment untreated, causing diseases that kill 842,000 people every year, including about 300,000 children under the age of five. Blooms of algae, which grow rapidly in sewage-rich sea water, have also created vast dead zones where most marine life cannot survive. And fewer fish in the sea means less food for humans at a time when the global population is climbing rapidly. But, in an interview with The Independent ahead of World Water Day on 22 March, Professor Stefan Uhlenbrook, director of the UN World Water Assessment Programme, said there was already a solution to many of the problems caused by human sewage. And that was to recognise its inherent value as a source of water after treatment but also nutrients, energy and even valuable materials such as titanium. If you look at the whole globe, the fresh-water resources are finiteThe problem is we are polluting the fresh water more and more, so the unpolluted water becomes less and less, Professor Uhlenbrook said. Every year wastewater has been increasing and it is very, very likely to increase in the future. Often wastewater is seen as a burden, something to be disposed of, a nuisance to be ignored. We too little see it as a resource. That needs to change. Poo and pee can work for us. This message will be a central theme of a report due to be published by the UN as part of World Water Day. Apart from during severe droughts, it is unlikely that humans will run out of water to drink. But, for 1.8 billion people on the planet, that water is contaminated with faeces, putting them at risk of potentially deadly diseases such as cholera, dysentery, typhoid and polio. In 2012, 300,000 children under five died because of poor hygiene and poor sanitation, Professor Uhlenbrook said. That is the equivalent of three large airplanes full of children crashing every day just because of poor hygiene, poor sanitation. Thats a very drastic one for children. If you look at the increase in life expectancy over the last 130 years, any doctor will say its largely been because of better toilets, better sanitation and keeping away from the pathogens. Better sanitation is really making a critical difference. Its not only the better cancer treatment and all this expensive stuff. Sewage often ends up being dumped untreated into the sea, which can seem like the cheapest option. But there is a cost not one paid by those responsible with disposing of sewage, but rather by the fishing industry in lost catches. Algal blooms caused by too much human fertiliser can have a devastating effect on the sea as the oxygen in used up, causing fish and most marine life to asphyxiate. Globally, 250,000 kilometres squared, roughly the size of Great Britain, of the marine ecosystem is severely impacted by that, Professor Uhlenbrook said. That has implications for the environment but alsoits not supplying the food we need from the sea. It has social and economic implications. However, in a message reminiscent of the saying where theres muck, theres brass, the UN is now urging the world to stop wasting wastewater and start exploiting its not inconsiderable value. In pictures: Plastic pollution around the world Show all 10 1 /10 In pictures: Plastic pollution around the world In pictures: Plastic pollution around the world Plastic pollution Plastic trashes drifting on the sea surface in Marseille's islands In pictures: Plastic pollution around the world Plastic pollution The Bishnumati river running through Kathmandu in Nepal. The river is full of litter and raw sewage which is emptied into the river. The local people see the river as a rubbish collection service In pictures: Plastic pollution around the world Plastic pollution Garbage in the harbour of Tripoli, Libya In pictures: Plastic pollution around the world Plastic pollution Plastic and other undissolvable wastes float over the polluted Vrishabhavathi River, which a few years back use to supply drinking water to Bangalore 48 km to the north, in Kundanahalli village, Ramnagaram district, India In pictures: Plastic pollution around the world Plastic pollution Children collect plastic to be sold and recycled at a polluted river in suburban Manila In pictures: Plastic pollution around the world Plastic pollution Plastic bags and other rubbish are collected from the waters of Manila Bay during a campaign by environmental activists earlier this year Getty Images In pictures: Plastic pollution around the world Plastic pollution A man collects plastic bags and other rubbish from the waters of Manila Bay In pictures: Plastic pollution around the world Plastic pollution A woman throws out a doll while she selects recyclable plastic bottles, along Tiete river where floating foam blocks emit harmful gasses, in Pirapora de Bom Jesus, 60 Km north of Sao Paulo, Brazil In pictures: Plastic pollution around the world Plastic pollution Baby sea otter pup chews on a plastic cookie wrapper In pictures: Plastic pollution around the world Plastic pollution Bin overflowing with plastic rubbish, central London Perhaps its biggest use is as fertiliser for crops, after it has been treated to remove dangerous bugs. The water itself, particularly in arid countries and large cities, can be treated for reuse domestically and by businesses. Industrial wastewater can also contain valuable rare earth minerals that can be recovered on an economically viable scale. And sewage, like any kind of organic material, is a good source of energy. Treatment plants can extract methane from it, then use this as a source of fuel or to make electricity as Professor Uhlenbrook explained. We have already in the Netherlands and some other countries, energy-positive wastewater treatment plants, he said. Usually you need energy to pump the water, to do certain treatment processes. This [plant] uses the organic material, puts that in a digester to make methane and that methane is burnt as an energy source. This not only supports all the processes in the wastewater plant, but also they can export energy. The wastewater treatment plant becomes a little power house. Technologically its already possible. We are not talking about something for the next 10 years. All these sources of income can help make a business case on top of the arguments around human health and the environment to start treating some of that 80 per cent of wastewater which is currently being dumped. If you want to collect and treat wastewater at a plant, it will require some sort of capital investment, Professor Uhlenbrook said. If you look at the other revenue streams that can be generated from wastewater, it can really help to support that investment. To him, this is a win-win situation that the world must wake up to, particularly as freshwater resources are becoming increasingly scarce. Theres huge potential globally that could be utilised for the benefit of people, the environment and for the economic benefits, he said. Water and wastewater is a central component of the global economy and should be considered much more, it should receive much more attention. Sign up to IndyEat's free newsletter for weekly recipes, foodie features and cookbook releases Get our Now Hear This email for free Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the IndyEats email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} In the last year Lisa Edwards, a mother of two from Swadlincote in South Derbyshire, has managed to save an average of 15 a week on food for her husband and small family. She used to buy the same groceries every week. Now she plans meals before the shop, saving around 10 some weeks and up to 20 on others as the family eats up every scrap thats left. By the end of the week, the fridge is completely bare. It looks bare for a couple of days before by most peoples standards, but I know its got meals in it. I was a bit panicked by that to start, she says. Children vist Sainsbury's Swadlincote as part of a school engagement programme The Edwards have embraced an experiment run by Sainsburys. The supermarket set an ambitious target to cut household food waste in Swadlincote by 50 per cent. The town was chosen out of 180 possible locations to receive 1 million towards this goal as part of the supermarkets Waste Less, Save More programme. During the year, Sainsburys worked with South Derbyshire Council and community groups to test initiatives including a walk-in community fridge, giving out free fridge thermometers at checkouts and running educational visits to schools. The results of the trial are due to be published in May. Though Sainsburys has denied reports that the 50 per cent target will be missed, it has released several statements managing expectations. I always say that were aiming for the stars, so itll still be a success if we land on the moon, Paul Crewe, head of sustainability, has said. Sainsburys CEO Mike Coupe checks out the community fridge (Sam Bagnall) (Sam Bagnall) In the meantime, Sainsburys has pledged a further 1 million to expand the programme to other UK towns in 2017, informed by the experiments that were successful and learning from those that were not. Sainsburys is the second largest supermarket in the UK, after Tesco. It has invested 150 million over the last two years in cutting prices, presumably to make people buy more. Why would it want to invest money in getting people to buy less in the name of food waste? Our customers asked us to do it, says Debbie Clark, Waste Less, Save More programme manager. A couple of years ago we did research into it and our customers said reducing waste in the home was the number one priority for them. Were committed to building trust with our customers and hopefully improving loyalty. So if were to help them save on their bottom line they should come back to us and stay with us for longer. Families in Swadlincote get a masterclass in sustainable cooking from James Strawbridge As well as working directly with communities, Sainsburys has made changes to packaging in stores. It stopped Bogof or multi-buy deals, introduced snap-pack sausages and started selling potatoes in opaque bags to stop them from going green so quickly. Reducing food waste is a tricky business. In January, statistics from the Waste and Resources Action Programme, which advises the UK Government, showed household food waste increased 4.4 per cent between 2012 and 2015, missing the target to cut household waste 5 per cent by 2015. That brings the amount of food sent to landfill in 2015 to 7.3 million tonnes, costing UK families 700 per year. Theres no one clear reason why household food waste has increased, but research shows that areas with more joined-up policies and unified efforts to tackle the problem have better success. Sainsburys chose Swadlincote for the trial because it had support from the Community Voluntary Service, local schools, businesses and the council. Sainsbury's 'food saver champions' Gillian Coates, who led on the project at the council, said Swadlincote worked hard to win the bid because food waste is a difficult subject to tackle without resources. People dont think about the amount they throw away. Theres a blindness to it, she explained. The advantage of having a well-known partner like Sainsburys is that you have the investment in the community to make people aware of it. Edwards got involved when she replied to a Facebook post from the council offering a weeks free shopping to a family of four willing to meet a nutritionist to discuss what they spend and eat. It felt quite extreme to begin with, she says. She started by planning every meal and measuring portion sizes. Soon she was going to cooking classes and using apps including Olio, to swap surplus food, and Winnow, to weigh waste and log its monetary value. Sainsburys gave the family a smart fridge with cameras to help them stop overbuying, plus smaller gadgets like Food Huggers plastic food coverings for food that has been cut and mats to absorb moisture on fridge shelves. Supermarket employees give out food waste info cards The trial has reached 8,500 people with free gadgets and events in Swadlincote, which has a population of about 32,000. Coates says the council is planning to bid for investment to continue some initiatives. Sainsburys has promised further involvement including another year of funding for the community fridge, which distributes surplus food as part of the supermarkets pledge to send zero waste to landfill. Not all the initiatives will make it to the next phase of the campaign. Clark says Sainsburys has abandoned labels that change colour depending on the freshness of the food, because customers said it was too complicated. The whole purpose of the project is to test and learn, so identifying ideas that dont work is just as important as finding those that do, she says. Neil (R) and Lisa Brooks with son Luke and chef James Strawbridge (Sam Bagnall) Sainsburys has yet to officially abandon the 50 per cent target. But for many of the families involved, the programme has been about far more than numbers. Im definitely going to miss it because its been really good for the town as a whole, says Edwards. Since she started the programme, shes become friends with one of the ambassadors for Olio, who gave her son a birthday present. Shes swapped baby clothes with another family, the Brooks, after bumping into them at different events. She overhears people at her running and netball clubs talking about the products Sainsburys has handed out to test. That may be the biggest lesson from Swadlincote: it takes a whole town to cut food waste. 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 }} Facebook is developing at least four new consumer products that could be revealed at an April event, according to a new report. The social network last year launched a futuristic hardware division called Building 8, which is said to be similar to Google X, the experimental lab behind the search companys self-driving cars. One of the prototypes created by Building 8 is a brain computer interface that sounds a lot like a platform once hinted at by Mark Zuckerberg, which would allow users to share information telepathically. 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 In a Q&A last year, Facebooks CEO described how people would be able to capture a thought, what youre thinking or feeling in kind of its ideal and perfect form in your head, and be able to share that with the world. A new report in Business Insider suggests it could be revealed at Facebooks developer conference next month, alongside a drone, an augmented reality device and a medical project being led by an interventional cardiologist from Stanford with expertise in early-stage medical device development. According to people with knowledge of the matter, the company plans to sell millions of units of the Building 8 products, despite having minimal experience in the world of hardware. Snap Inc., the company behind Snapchat, is incidentally also believed to be working on a drone. Facebook has ripped Snapchats Stories feature on multiple occasions recently, adding a near-identical feature to Instagram, WhatsApp, Messenger and the main Facebook app. 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 prank designed to trick iPhone users into calling emergency services is currently spreading online. Owners of Apple products are being encouraged to say 108 to Siri, unaware of the consequences. As 108 is the equivalent of 999 in India, the digital assistant will recognise it as a command to contact emergency services in the phone users local area. 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 may appear to be a bit of harmless fun to many, but emergency services are already stretched, and this prank isnt helping the situation. Whats more, people caught wasting emergency services' time could also face punishment. Some pranksters are going a step further by telling users to close their eyes for five seconds after saying 108, as doing so prevents them from seeing whats happening and stopping the call before it can be connected. Ongoing technical issues in Texas show what can happen when emergency services are flooded with pointless calls. A mysterious issue causing T-Mobile handsets to clog up the 911 emergency dispatch system in Dallas with ghost calls has led to the deaths of two people, including a six-month-old child. When T-Mobile users in Dallas call 911 and are placed on hold, their phones are automatically making repeated 911 calls, clogging up the lines. These calls register as hang-ups, which operators then have to return, causing further problems. The CEO of T-Mobile, John Legere, has sent engineers to Dallas to investigate the problem and says theyll stay there until the problem is fixed. Stay ahead of the trend in fashion and beyond with our free weekly Lifestyle Edit newsletter Stay ahead of the trend in fashion and beyond with our free weekly Lifestyle Edit newsletter Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Lifestyle Edit email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} People with depression and anxiety are increasingly being offered online therapy through the NHSs flagship mental health scheme, using methods that one expert said fly in the face of what it means to be human. New figures obtained by The Independent show an almost ninefold rise in webcam and instant messenger appointments through the Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) scheme between 2012-13 and 2015-16, compared to a 144 per cent rise in overall appointments. The number of appointments carried out this way in England rose from 5,738 to 49,475, suggesting NHS commissioners across the country are looking for alternatives to traditional face-to-face therapies. Figures also show that a majority of assessments where therapists make a judgement on the best form of treatment for the patient are conducted over the phone. The findings come after Theresa May announced extra funding for the development of digital mental health services in January. The Government plans to give six mental health trusts 10m each to develop digital technology in mental health services. There will also be 3m spent on piloting digital Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) apps that are largely driving the increase in remote therapy. One of the platforms being used by an increasing number of mental health providers is Ieso, through which patients talk to a therapist over an instant messenger system. The service is available in 37 commissioning areas in England a number that has been doubling each year. Theresa May dodges question on 'theft' of child mental health funding Two other rising stars in the NHSs growing digital mental health arena are Big White Wall, which provides therapy over webcam as well as online peer support groups, and SilverCloud, a guided CBT programme that allows patients to complete computerised modules, which are monitored by a therapist who catches up with the patient over the phone. Harry OHayon, manager at Lets Talk, an IAPT service in Haringey, London, said SilverCloud has engaged people who would not access therapy otherwise. He said: Men, for example, tend to resist accessing psychological support due to the stigma or being viewed as weak. But they are sometimes prepared to do it in the private theatre of their home. Or there are people who cant attend during working hours and would prefer to do it on a Sunday or at 10 oclock at night. But Steve Flatt, director of the Psychological Therapies Unit in Liverpool, claimed remote therapies fly in the face of what it is to be human. He added: When people are suffering from misery, whether its depression or some other form of mental health problem, one of the things they tend to do is avoid contact with other people. When we use a keyboard or a webcam we are distancing ourselves from those immediate intimate connections of therapy and offering a barrier. Sarah Bateup, clinical director at Ieso Digital Health, said she is used to hearing the criticism that text therapy is counter-intuitive, but thinks patients and therapists can still develop a therapeutic relationship. As all Ieso consultations are done via an online messenger, she can evaluate her therapists by reading through their transcripts. Having read thousands and thousands of transcripts, you can see the presence of the therapeutic relationship, and feel it in the same way as if you were reading a novel you would feel emotions, fear, happiness. The written word will evoke emotion, she said. Sow Ay illustrations on mental health Show all 18 1 /18 Sow Ay illustrations on mental health Sow Ay illustrations on mental health Sow Ay illustrations on mental health Sow Ay illustrations on mental health Sow Ay illustrations on mental health Sow Ay illustrations on mental health Sow Ay illustrations on mental health Sow Ay illustrations on mental health Sow Ay illustrations on mental health Sow Ay illustrations on mental health Sow Ay illustrations on mental health Sow Ay illustrations on mental health Sow Ay illustrations on mental health Sow Ay illustrations on mental health Sow Ay illustrations on mental health Sow Ay illustrations on mental health Sow Ay illustrations on mental health Sow Ay illustrations on mental health Sow Ay illustrations on mental health Although there has been a steep increase in webcam and text therapy, telephone is still by far the most common remote therapy offered, particularly for assessments. James Cartman was referred to his local IAPT service in Milton Keynes and was assessed over the phone. He said: I found it incredibly difficult. It felt cold and dehumanising. Checkboxes are not the way you talk about problems like this. Jenny Wickett was referred to CBT in Herefordshire for depression brought on by bullying at work. Sessions were only available during working hours so, fearful of the stigma and humiliation of asking for time off for therapy, she turned the offer down. But when her local service starting offering remote therapy over the phone, she found a way of making it work. She said: I sat in my car in my works car park on my lunch hour, sometimes cold and uncomfortable, wondering if I might be spotted in the office car park. But it didnt matter. Thats what I needed at the time and it worked for me. Helen Morgan, chair of the British Psychoanalytic Council, accepted that online and remote therapy might work for some people, but expressed concern over the short-term focus of IAPT services: Theres such a pressure now on people to be happy. Im worried about the rise of quick and easy interventions for what are often very complex problems where people need to become known and understood and be in a room with someone building a relationship. Mr Flatt said a shift towards remote therapy reflects the Governments desire for data-driven healthcare but feared that remote methods could leave peoples mental health issues unresolved: It will lead to a service that can show success through its data, while the people who have been treated will be, by and large, unaffected by the intervention and remain in misery, isolated and disengaged from the communities in which they live. A Department of Health spokesperson said: Earlier this year the Prime Minister announced an expansion of digital mental health therapies so more people can stay mentally healthy. This will not replace face-to-face therapy it is for clinicians, in discussions with patients, to decide which treatments are best. More than four million people have received talking therapies so far and nine in 10 are seen within six weeks. Stay ahead of the trend in fashion and beyond with our free weekly Lifestyle Edit newsletter Stay ahead of the trend in fashion and beyond with our free weekly Lifestyle Edit newsletter Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Lifestyle Edit email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} There is no evidence sex-selective abortion is a problem in the UK, reproductive rights campaigners have said following criticism over calls for pregnant women to be told the sex of their foetus. Senior doctors union member Wendy Savage said it was outrageous that some doctors withheld information about the gender of unborn babies due to fears over sex-selective abortions. Professor Savage told the Mail on Sunday that forcing women to give birth to a child of a sex they do not want to have is not going to be good for the eventual child, and it's not going to be good for [the mother's] mental health." Recommended MPs vote to decriminalise abortion in England and Wales She also said people should be allowed to have an abortion at any stage of a pregnancy and abortion pills should be available online without the need to see a doctor or nurse. Parents wanting to find out the sex of their baby can usually do so in a mid-term scan at between 18 to 21 weeks but some hospitals have a policy of not telling them, according to the NHS Choices website. Because of this sort of anxiety some places won't tell the woman the sex of the foetus, which is outrageous. It's her body and her foetus, so she should have that information, said Professor Savage. It is the womens right to decide, she told the newspaper, speaking in a personal capacity. Its her body. She is the one taking the risks. The Mail on Sunday published the interview with the 81-year-old womens rights campaigner, who sits on the ethics committee of the British Medical Association (BMA), on the front page with the headline: Let mothers abort babies of wrong sex. The UK's own abortion ban, explained in 3 minutes Conservative MP Mark Field called Professor Savages views extreme and told the newspaper: Suggesting that women should be able to abort babies solely because they happen to be either male or, much more usually, female, is utterly abhorrent. "To have someone like Wendy Savage with her extreme views at the heart of the BMA is a very worrying sign. The majority of people in this country, even those who support abortion, think sex-selective abortion is a step too far. And pro-life campaigner Aisling Hubert said it was incredibly disturbing and very worrying that [Professor Savage] would see children as little more than a commodity to fit the wants and the fancies of parents, according to Christian magazine Premier. The British Pregnancy Advisory Service (Bpas) said it was "totally appalled" by the Mail on Sunday's front page "demonising Wendy Savage, a doctor who has devoted her life to supporting pregnant women." Official statistics show there is no evidence sex-selective abortion was a problem in the UK, said Bpas, the UK's leading abortion provider, in a statement posted online. There is no evidence sex selective abortion is an issue in this country, as Department of Health statistics show, it said. Wendy believes women should not be prosecuted for causing their own abortion with pills bought online. We agree and so do two thirds of the public. We stand by Wendy Savage and are forever grateful for all she has done for pregnant women over a career spanning decades. In some areas of the world, there are up to 25 per cent more male births than female births due to sex-selective abortion, which is said to be behind 117 million missing women in Asia and eastern Europe, according to the United Nations Population Fund. But a report published last year by the Department of Health found no substantiated concerns of gender abortions occurring in England, Wales and Scotland. Some hospitals have said staff shortages or concerns over accuracy mean sometimes it is not possible to disclose the sex of the foetus to pregnant people. Recommended Women turning to illegal abortion pills in rising numbers Professor Savages comments come after MPs passed a proposal to decriminalise abortion in the House of Commons last week. The move is largely symbolic as the 1967 Abortion Act effectively decriminalised terminations in England and Wales 50 years ago, on the condition of doctors approval and subject to time limits. Critics say the law does not go far enough as people who do not meet these conditions who have an abortion, such as those who buy abortion pills online, are committing a criminal offence. Under current laws, abortion is legal up to 24 weeks if signed off by two doctors. Professor Savage said it was very rare for women to seek terminations after this stage. Health news in pictures Show all 40 1 /40 Health news in pictures Health news in pictures Coronavirus outbreak The coronavirus Covid-19 has hit the UK leading to the deaths of two people so far and prompting warnings from the Department of Health AFP via Getty Health news in pictures Thousands of emergency patients told to take taxi to hospital Thousands of 999 patients in England are being told to get a taxi to hospital, figures have showed. The number of patients outside London who were refused an ambulance rose by 83 per cent in the past year as demand for services grows Getty Health news in pictures Vape related deaths spike A vaping-related lung disease has claimed the lives of 11 people in the US in recent weeks. The US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention has more than 100 officials investigating the cause of the mystery illness, and has warned citizens against smoking e-cigarette products until more is known, particularly if modified or bought off the street Getty Health news in pictures Baldness cure looks to be a step closer Researchers in the US claim to have overcome one of the major hurdles to cultivating human follicles from stem cells. The new system allows cells to grow in a structured tuft and emerge from the skin Sanford Burnham Preybs Health news in pictures Two hours a week spent in nature can improve health A study in the journal Scientific Reports suggests that a dose of nature of just two hours a week is associated with better health and psychological wellbeing Shutterstock Health news in pictures Air pollution linked to fertility issues in women Exposure to air from traffic-clogged streets could leave women with fewer years to have children, a study has found. Italian researchers found women living in the most polluted areas were three times more likely to show signs they were running low on eggs than those who lived in cleaner surroundings, potentially triggering an earlier menopause Getty/iStock Health news in pictures Junk food ads could be banned before watershed Junk food adverts on TV and online could be banned before 9pm as part of Government plans to fight the "epidemic" of childhood obesity. Plans for the new watershed have been put out for public consultation in a bid to combat the growing crisis, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) said PA Health news in pictures Breeding with neanderthals helped humans fight diseases On migrating from Africa around 70,000 years ago, humans bumped into the neanderthals of Eurasia. While humans were weak to the diseases of the new lands, breeding with the resident neanderthals made for a better equipped immune system PA Health news in pictures Cancer breath test to be trialled in Britain The breath biopsy device is designed to detect cancer hallmarks in molecules exhaled by patients Getty Health news in pictures Average 10 year old has consumed the recommended amount of sugar for an adult By their 10th birthdy, children have on average already eaten more sugar than the recommended amount for an 18 year old. The average 10 year old consumes the equivalent to 13 sugar cubes a day, 8 more than is recommended PA Health news in pictures Child health experts advise switching off screens an hour before bed While there is not enough evidence of harm to recommend UK-wide limits on screen use, the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health have advised that children should avoid screens for an hour before bed time to avoid disrupting their sleep Getty Health news in pictures Daily aspirin is unnecessary for older people in good health, study finds A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine has found that many elderly people are taking daily aspirin to little or no avail Getty Health news in pictures Vaping could lead to cancer, US study finds A study by the University of Minnesota's Masonic Cancer Centre has found that the carcinogenic chemicals formaldehyde, acrolein, and methylglyoxal are present in the saliva of E-cigarette users Reuters Health news in pictures More children are obese and diabetic There has been a 41% increase in children with type 2 diabetes since 2014, the National Paediatric Diabetes Audit has found. Obesity is a leading cause Reuters Health news in pictures Most child antidepressants are ineffective and can lead to suicidal thoughts The majority of antidepressants are ineffective and may be unsafe, for children and teenager with major depression, experts have warned. In what is the most comprehensive comparison of 14 commonly prescribed antidepressant drugs to date, researchers found that only one brand was more effective at relieving symptoms of depression than a placebo. Another popular drug, venlafaxine, was shown increase the risk users engaging in suicidal thoughts and attempts at suicide Getty Health news in pictures Gay, lesbian and bisexual adults at higher risk of heart disease, study claims Researchers at the Baptist Health South Florida Clinic in Miami focused on seven areas of controllable heart health and found these minority groups were particularly likely to be smokers and to have poorly controlled blood sugar iStock Health news in pictures Breakfast cereals targeted at children contain 'steadily high' sugar levels since 1992 despite producer claims A major pressure group has issued a fresh warning about perilously high amounts of sugar in breakfast cereals, specifically those designed for children, and has said that levels have barely been cut at all in the last two and a half decades Getty Health news in pictures Potholes are making us fat, NHS watchdog warns New guidance by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), the body which determines what treatment the NHS should fund, said lax road repairs and car-dominated streets were contributing to the obesity epidemic by preventing members of the public from keeping active PA Health news in pictures New menopause drugs offer women relief from 'debilitating' hot flushes A new class of treatments for women going through the menopause is able to reduce numbers of debilitating hot flushes by as much as three quarters in a matter of days, a trial has found. The drug used in the trial belongs to a group known as NKB antagonists (blockers), which were developed as a treatment for schizophrenia but have been sitting on a shelf unused, according to Professor Waljit Dhillo, a professor of endocrinology and metabolism REX Health news in pictures Doctors should prescribe more antidepressants for people with mental health problems, study finds Research from Oxford University found that more than one million extra people suffering from mental health problems would benefit from being prescribed drugs and criticised ideological reasons doctors use to avoid doing so. Getty Health news in pictures Student dies of flu after NHS advice to stay at home and avoid A&E The family of a teenager who died from flu has urged people not to delay going to A&E if they are worried about their symptoms. Melissa Whiteley, an 18-year-old engineering student from Hanford in Stoke-on-Trent, fell ill at Christmas and died in hospital a month later. Just Giving Health news in pictures Government to review thousands of harmful vaginal mesh implants The Government has pledged to review tens of thousands of cases where women have been given harmful vaginal mesh implants. Getty Health news in pictures Jeremy Hunt announces 'zero suicides ambition' for the NHS The NHS will be asked to go further to prevent the deaths of patients in its care as part of a zero suicide ambition being launched today Getty Health news in pictures Human trials start with cancer treatment that primes immune system to kill off tumours Human trials have begun with a new cancer therapy that can prime the immune system to eradicate tumours. The treatment, that works similarly to a vaccine, is a combination of two existing drugs, of which tiny amounts are injected into the solid bulk of a tumour. Nephron Health news in pictures Babies' health suffers from being born near fracking sites, finds major study Mothers living within a kilometre of a fracking site were 25 per cent more likely to have a child born at low birth weight, which increase their chances of asthma, ADHD and other issues Getty Health news in pictures NHS reviewing thousands of cervical cancer smear tests after women wrongly given all-clear Thousands of cervical cancer screening results are under review after failings at a laboratory meant some women were incorrectly given the all-clear. A number of women have already been told to contact their doctors following the identification of procedural issues in the service provided by Pathology First Laboratory. Rex Health news in pictures Potential key to halting breast cancer's spread discovered by scientists Most breast cancer patients do not die from their initial tumour, but from secondary malignant growths (metastases), where cancer cells are able to enter the blood and survive to invade new sites. Asparagine, a molecule named after asparagus where it was first identified in high quantities, has now been shown to be an essential ingredient for tumour cells to gain these migratory properties. Getty Health news in pictures NHS nursing vacancies at record high with more than 34,000 roles advertised A record number of nursing and midwifery positions are currently being advertised by the NHS, with more than 34,000 positions currently vacant, according to the latest data. Demand for nurses was 19 per cent higher between July and September 2017 than the same period two years ago. REX Health news in pictures Cannabis extract could provide new class of treatment for psychosis CBD has a broadly opposite effect to delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the main active component in cannabis and the substance that causes paranoia and anxiety. Getty Health news in pictures Over 75,000 sign petition calling for Richard Branson's Virgin Care to hand settlement money back to NHS Mr Bransons company sued the NHS last year after it lost out on an 82m contract to provide childrens health services across Surrey, citing concerns over serious flaws in the way the contract was awarded PA Health news in pictures More than 700 fewer nurses training in England in first year after NHS bursary scrapped The numbers of people accepted to study nursing in England fell 3 per cent in 2017, while the numbers accepted in Wales and Scotland, where the bursaries were kept, increased 8.4 per cent and 8 per cent respectively Getty Health news in pictures Landmark study links Tory austerity to 120,000 deaths The paper found that there were 45,000 more deaths in the first four years of Tory-led efficiencies than would have been expected if funding had stayed at pre-election levels. On this trajectory that could rise to nearly 200,000 excess deaths by the end of 2020, even with the extra funding that has been earmarked for public sector services this year. Reuters Health news in pictures Long commutes carry health risks Hours of commuting may be mind-numbingly dull, but new research shows that it might also be having an adverse effect on both your health and performance at work. Longer commutes also appear to have a significant impact on mental wellbeing, with those commuting longer 33 per cent more likely to suffer from depression Shutterstock Health news in pictures You cannot be fit and fat It is not possible to be overweight and healthy, a major new study has concluded. The study of 3.5 million Britons found that even metabolically healthy obese people are still at a higher risk of heart disease or a stroke than those with a normal weight range Getty Health news in pictures Sleep deprivation When you feel particularly exhausted, it can definitely feel like you are also lacking in brain capacity. Now, a new study has suggested this could be because chronic sleep deprivation can actually cause the brain to eat itself Shutterstock Health news in pictures Exercise classes offering 45 minute naps launch David Lloyd Gyms have launched a new health and fitness class which is essentially a bunch of people taking a nap for 45 minutes. The fitness group was spurred to launch the napercise class after research revealed 86 per cent of parents said they were fatigued. The class is therefore predominantly aimed at parents but you actually do not have to have children to take part Getty Health news in pictures 'Fundamental right to health' to be axed after Brexit, lawyers warn Tobacco and alcohol companies could win more easily in court cases such as the recent battle over plain cigarette packaging if the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights is abandoned, a barrister and public health professor have said Getty Health news in pictures 'Thousands dying' due to fear over non-existent statin side-effects A major new study into the side effects of the cholesterol-lowering medicine suggests common symptoms such as muscle pain and weakness are not caused by the drugs themselves Getty Health news in pictures Babies born to fathers aged under 25 have higher risk of autism New research has found that babies born to fathers under the age of 25 or over 51 are at higher risk of developing autism and other social disorders. The study, conducted by the Seaver Autism Center for Research and Treatment at Mount Sinai, found that these children are actually more advanced than their peers as infants, but then fall behind by the time they hit their teenage years Getty Health news in pictures Cycling to work could halve risk of cancer and heart disease Commuters who swap their car or bus pass for a bike could cut their risk of developing heart disease and cancer by almost half, new research suggests but campaigners have warned there is still an urgent need to improve road conditions for cyclists. Cycling to work is linked to a lower risk of developing cancer by 45 per cent and cardiovascular disease by 46 per cent, according to a study of a quarter of a million people. Walking to work also brought health benefits, the University of Glasgow researchers found, but not to the same degree as cycling. Getty In my career, I have only had a couple of cases over 24 weeks. So its not something that women tend to do, she said. This is another myth propagated by the anti-abortion lobby, like women wanting sex selection. A BMA spokesperson said Professor Savage was not speaking on behalf of the union, which supports the current law on abortion. The BMA supports the current law on abortion. Though we recognise the diversity of opinion amongst membership, we advise members to act within the boundaries of the law and their own conscience," they said. Given the range of views on this subject, patients must be entitled to impartial and objective medical advice and treatment. Stay ahead of the trend in fashion and beyond with our free weekly Lifestyle Edit newsletter Stay ahead of the trend in fashion and beyond with our free weekly Lifestyle Edit newsletter Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Lifestyle Edit email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} At school, Susie Cunningham was nicknamed snoozy Susie. She earned the nickname from classmates noticing how often she would fall asleep in the middle of class while they were all learning important modules for their GCSEs. While it was probably little more than juvenile teasing and a joke for her classmates, the comments were not funny for Susie, 30, who was very aware that her sleeping habits were not normal. I never knew why I was how I was, she told The Independent. She spent her twenties trying to find a solution through food, travelled to India for treatment from an ayurvedic doctor, underwent acupuncture and took up yoga but nothing worked. In her late twenties her symptoms became chronic. The incident that made me scared was when I was on the back of my boyfriends motorbike and I fell asleep, she explains. That was when I knew there was something really wrong. I was getting quite scared at this point. After her boyfriend became concerned over the nightmares and sleep paralysis she was experiencing, she went to a sleep clinic and after falling into REM state within five minutes at five scheduled naps, she was diagnosed with narcolepsy at 28-years-old. Most people fall into REM sleep around 90 minutes after falling asleep. Health news in pictures Show all 40 1 /40 Health news in pictures Health news in pictures Coronavirus outbreak The coronavirus Covid-19 has hit the UK leading to the deaths of two people so far and prompting warnings from the Department of Health AFP via Getty Health news in pictures Thousands of emergency patients told to take taxi to hospital Thousands of 999 patients in England are being told to get a taxi to hospital, figures have showed. The number of patients outside London who were refused an ambulance rose by 83 per cent in the past year as demand for services grows Getty Health news in pictures Vape related deaths spike A vaping-related lung disease has claimed the lives of 11 people in the US in recent weeks. The US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention has more than 100 officials investigating the cause of the mystery illness, and has warned citizens against smoking e-cigarette products until more is known, particularly if modified or bought off the street Getty Health news in pictures Baldness cure looks to be a step closer Researchers in the US claim to have overcome one of the major hurdles to cultivating human follicles from stem cells. The new system allows cells to grow in a structured tuft and emerge from the skin Sanford Burnham Preybs Health news in pictures Two hours a week spent in nature can improve health A study in the journal Scientific Reports suggests that a dose of nature of just two hours a week is associated with better health and psychological wellbeing Shutterstock Health news in pictures Air pollution linked to fertility issues in women Exposure to air from traffic-clogged streets could leave women with fewer years to have children, a study has found. Italian researchers found women living in the most polluted areas were three times more likely to show signs they were running low on eggs than those who lived in cleaner surroundings, potentially triggering an earlier menopause Getty/iStock Health news in pictures Junk food ads could be banned before watershed Junk food adverts on TV and online could be banned before 9pm as part of Government plans to fight the "epidemic" of childhood obesity. Plans for the new watershed have been put out for public consultation in a bid to combat the growing crisis, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) said PA Health news in pictures Breeding with neanderthals helped humans fight diseases On migrating from Africa around 70,000 years ago, humans bumped into the neanderthals of Eurasia. While humans were weak to the diseases of the new lands, breeding with the resident neanderthals made for a better equipped immune system PA Health news in pictures Cancer breath test to be trialled in Britain The breath biopsy device is designed to detect cancer hallmarks in molecules exhaled by patients Getty Health news in pictures Average 10 year old has consumed the recommended amount of sugar for an adult By their 10th birthdy, children have on average already eaten more sugar than the recommended amount for an 18 year old. The average 10 year old consumes the equivalent to 13 sugar cubes a day, 8 more than is recommended PA Health news in pictures Child health experts advise switching off screens an hour before bed While there is not enough evidence of harm to recommend UK-wide limits on screen use, the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health have advised that children should avoid screens for an hour before bed time to avoid disrupting their sleep Getty Health news in pictures Daily aspirin is unnecessary for older people in good health, study finds A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine has found that many elderly people are taking daily aspirin to little or no avail Getty Health news in pictures Vaping could lead to cancer, US study finds A study by the University of Minnesota's Masonic Cancer Centre has found that the carcinogenic chemicals formaldehyde, acrolein, and methylglyoxal are present in the saliva of E-cigarette users Reuters Health news in pictures More children are obese and diabetic There has been a 41% increase in children with type 2 diabetes since 2014, the National Paediatric Diabetes Audit has found. Obesity is a leading cause Reuters Health news in pictures Most child antidepressants are ineffective and can lead to suicidal thoughts The majority of antidepressants are ineffective and may be unsafe, for children and teenager with major depression, experts have warned. In what is the most comprehensive comparison of 14 commonly prescribed antidepressant drugs to date, researchers found that only one brand was more effective at relieving symptoms of depression than a placebo. Another popular drug, venlafaxine, was shown increase the risk users engaging in suicidal thoughts and attempts at suicide Getty Health news in pictures Gay, lesbian and bisexual adults at higher risk of heart disease, study claims Researchers at the Baptist Health South Florida Clinic in Miami focused on seven areas of controllable heart health and found these minority groups were particularly likely to be smokers and to have poorly controlled blood sugar iStock Health news in pictures Breakfast cereals targeted at children contain 'steadily high' sugar levels since 1992 despite producer claims A major pressure group has issued a fresh warning about perilously high amounts of sugar in breakfast cereals, specifically those designed for children, and has said that levels have barely been cut at all in the last two and a half decades Getty Health news in pictures Potholes are making us fat, NHS watchdog warns New guidance by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), the body which determines what treatment the NHS should fund, said lax road repairs and car-dominated streets were contributing to the obesity epidemic by preventing members of the public from keeping active PA Health news in pictures New menopause drugs offer women relief from 'debilitating' hot flushes A new class of treatments for women going through the menopause is able to reduce numbers of debilitating hot flushes by as much as three quarters in a matter of days, a trial has found. The drug used in the trial belongs to a group known as NKB antagonists (blockers), which were developed as a treatment for schizophrenia but have been sitting on a shelf unused, according to Professor Waljit Dhillo, a professor of endocrinology and metabolism REX Health news in pictures Doctors should prescribe more antidepressants for people with mental health problems, study finds Research from Oxford University found that more than one million extra people suffering from mental health problems would benefit from being prescribed drugs and criticised ideological reasons doctors use to avoid doing so. Getty Health news in pictures Student dies of flu after NHS advice to stay at home and avoid A&E The family of a teenager who died from flu has urged people not to delay going to A&E if they are worried about their symptoms. Melissa Whiteley, an 18-year-old engineering student from Hanford in Stoke-on-Trent, fell ill at Christmas and died in hospital a month later. Just Giving Health news in pictures Government to review thousands of harmful vaginal mesh implants The Government has pledged to review tens of thousands of cases where women have been given harmful vaginal mesh implants. Getty Health news in pictures Jeremy Hunt announces 'zero suicides ambition' for the NHS The NHS will be asked to go further to prevent the deaths of patients in its care as part of a zero suicide ambition being launched today Getty Health news in pictures Human trials start with cancer treatment that primes immune system to kill off tumours Human trials have begun with a new cancer therapy that can prime the immune system to eradicate tumours. The treatment, that works similarly to a vaccine, is a combination of two existing drugs, of which tiny amounts are injected into the solid bulk of a tumour. Nephron Health news in pictures Babies' health suffers from being born near fracking sites, finds major study Mothers living within a kilometre of a fracking site were 25 per cent more likely to have a child born at low birth weight, which increase their chances of asthma, ADHD and other issues Getty Health news in pictures NHS reviewing thousands of cervical cancer smear tests after women wrongly given all-clear Thousands of cervical cancer screening results are under review after failings at a laboratory meant some women were incorrectly given the all-clear. A number of women have already been told to contact their doctors following the identification of procedural issues in the service provided by Pathology First Laboratory. Rex Health news in pictures Potential key to halting breast cancer's spread discovered by scientists Most breast cancer patients do not die from their initial tumour, but from secondary malignant growths (metastases), where cancer cells are able to enter the blood and survive to invade new sites. Asparagine, a molecule named after asparagus where it was first identified in high quantities, has now been shown to be an essential ingredient for tumour cells to gain these migratory properties. Getty Health news in pictures NHS nursing vacancies at record high with more than 34,000 roles advertised A record number of nursing and midwifery positions are currently being advertised by the NHS, with more than 34,000 positions currently vacant, according to the latest data. Demand for nurses was 19 per cent higher between July and September 2017 than the same period two years ago. REX Health news in pictures Cannabis extract could provide new class of treatment for psychosis CBD has a broadly opposite effect to delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the main active component in cannabis and the substance that causes paranoia and anxiety. Getty Health news in pictures Over 75,000 sign petition calling for Richard Branson's Virgin Care to hand settlement money back to NHS Mr Bransons company sued the NHS last year after it lost out on an 82m contract to provide childrens health services across Surrey, citing concerns over serious flaws in the way the contract was awarded PA Health news in pictures More than 700 fewer nurses training in England in first year after NHS bursary scrapped The numbers of people accepted to study nursing in England fell 3 per cent in 2017, while the numbers accepted in Wales and Scotland, where the bursaries were kept, increased 8.4 per cent and 8 per cent respectively Getty Health news in pictures Landmark study links Tory austerity to 120,000 deaths The paper found that there were 45,000 more deaths in the first four years of Tory-led efficiencies than would have been expected if funding had stayed at pre-election levels. On this trajectory that could rise to nearly 200,000 excess deaths by the end of 2020, even with the extra funding that has been earmarked for public sector services this year. Reuters Health news in pictures Long commutes carry health risks Hours of commuting may be mind-numbingly dull, but new research shows that it might also be having an adverse effect on both your health and performance at work. Longer commutes also appear to have a significant impact on mental wellbeing, with those commuting longer 33 per cent more likely to suffer from depression Shutterstock Health news in pictures You cannot be fit and fat It is not possible to be overweight and healthy, a major new study has concluded. The study of 3.5 million Britons found that even metabolically healthy obese people are still at a higher risk of heart disease or a stroke than those with a normal weight range Getty Health news in pictures Sleep deprivation When you feel particularly exhausted, it can definitely feel like you are also lacking in brain capacity. Now, a new study has suggested this could be because chronic sleep deprivation can actually cause the brain to eat itself Shutterstock Health news in pictures Exercise classes offering 45 minute naps launch David Lloyd Gyms have launched a new health and fitness class which is essentially a bunch of people taking a nap for 45 minutes. The fitness group was spurred to launch the napercise class after research revealed 86 per cent of parents said they were fatigued. The class is therefore predominantly aimed at parents but you actually do not have to have children to take part Getty Health news in pictures 'Fundamental right to health' to be axed after Brexit, lawyers warn Tobacco and alcohol companies could win more easily in court cases such as the recent battle over plain cigarette packaging if the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights is abandoned, a barrister and public health professor have said Getty Health news in pictures 'Thousands dying' due to fear over non-existent statin side-effects A major new study into the side effects of the cholesterol-lowering medicine suggests common symptoms such as muscle pain and weakness are not caused by the drugs themselves Getty Health news in pictures Babies born to fathers aged under 25 have higher risk of autism New research has found that babies born to fathers under the age of 25 or over 51 are at higher risk of developing autism and other social disorders. The study, conducted by the Seaver Autism Center for Research and Treatment at Mount Sinai, found that these children are actually more advanced than their peers as infants, but then fall behind by the time they hit their teenage years Getty Health news in pictures Cycling to work could halve risk of cancer and heart disease Commuters who swap their car or bus pass for a bike could cut their risk of developing heart disease and cancer by almost half, new research suggests but campaigners have warned there is still an urgent need to improve road conditions for cyclists. Cycling to work is linked to a lower risk of developing cancer by 45 per cent and cardiovascular disease by 46 per cent, according to a study of a quarter of a million people. Walking to work also brought health benefits, the University of Glasgow researchers found, but not to the same degree as cycling. Getty Narcolepsy is a neurological condition which affects the brains ability to regulate the normal sleep-wake cycle which most of us are attune to. The most common symptom is excessive daytime sleepiness with sufferers unable to control the overpowering urge to fall asleep at inappropriate time during the day. There are two main variants of the condition: narcolepsy with and without cataplexy, which is a temporary, involuntary loss of muscle control. Narcolepsy UK estimates there to be around 30,000 people in the UK with the condition. Life with the illness can be extremely debilitating and people can often not do the same things many of us without the condition take for granted, such as driving. According to Narcolepsy UK, it is estimated the majority of the 30,000 UK sufferers have not yet been diagnosed. Susie finds she mostly falls asleep when her body enters a relaxed state. So, if she is walking or undertaking her day job, she is able to be awake. However if her body relaxes in any way ,by sitting down for example, often in meetings at work, she will have trouble staying awake. Kellie Love was in and out of hospital with her narcolepsy and various healthy problems for many years before finally being diagnosed. Immediately before she was, she requested tests for both cancer and HIV sure of the fact that something serious must be wrong with her due to the ferocity of her symptoms. As an athlete (a tai Kwando Great Britain representative) in her twenties, Kellie, 47, says when she was not training she was sleeping. She first started to worry about the frequency of her unbearable exhaustion when she had children years later. After initially putting her tiredness down to being a new Mum, she noticed that she was scheduling her sleep to fall in line with whenever her newborn would be sleeping. There tends to be a misconception about what narcolepsy entails and Susie says most people think sufferers fall asleep while standing up and drop down to the floor in a dramatic fashion. Narcoleptics can experience is sleep attacks which can come on very suddenly. Kellie says: It starts with really uncontrollable yawning, my eyes water and there is a wave that comes over me which is like all the life you have in you being sucked out of you It looks like youve become completely bored of anything, its embarrassing because you cant stop yawning and youre not picking up what people are saying around you because all youre doing is fighting an urge to sleep, she explains. As well as the severe symptoms and concerns of narcoleptics, they also can miss out on the everyday things people without the condition take for granted. I havent watched a film in completion for years or years, I dont watch any series, I dont get to daydream, Susie says. The worst part is not having conscious relaxed time. Recommended How much sleep people need depending on how old they are I find I can be quite cranky and impatient because Im fighting time all day. Most people have 12 hours in the day to do things, I dont know how much time Ill have each day, Susie says. There is no cure for the illness although some medication can help alleviate the constant overwhelming feeling of tiredness. Susie has found it managed her symptoms a lot, though has had to recently come off it after falling pregnant and is back to falling asleep four or five times a day. Juan Nuevo, who was born in Menorca, Spain, and has lived in Bristol for almost thirty years does not remember life without narcolepsy. He chooses not to take medication because he hasnt found it to benefit him. After leaving school at 14 because he kept falling asleep uncontrollably, a family friend who was a student doctor suggested Juan had narcolepsy however he was not diagnosed until he was an adult and had moved to the UK. When my kids where young, I would fall sleep pushing the shopping trolley and my daughter would grab my hand and wake me up, he told The Independent. Then we would go and sit down and have a little power nap while she would look after me, my little guardian angel. I have a very strong discipline, if I go anywhere, I need to sleep before I go out and definitely will go to sleep once I am back. Despite the enormous obstacles in his path, Juan has tried to fulfil his pledge that he would not let narcolepsy hold him back. He has travelled the world, worked as a volunteer in the Calais refugee camps, is an elected town counsellor and soon is hitchhiking from his home in Bristol to John OGroats, Lands End and back to raise money for narcolepsy and cataplexy. I haven't talked about my narcolepsy and cataplexy to much But during the last few years through Facebook groups and chats, I have discovered many young people that are in desperate situations some of them have even talked of suicide. I want to reach out to them and show them that there is life with narcolepsy. We just need to find a way to live life on our terms be ourselves and find a strategy that we can cope with. The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) will open its fourth representative office in Odesa in May, thus completing the formation of its representative offices in Ukraine, EBRD Director for Ukraine Sevki Acuner has said. For the EBRD this is the key and necessary factor for ensuring regional development and business development in the regions, he said at the fifth meeting of the Regional Development Council in Kyiv. He noted such an office opened in Kharkiv at the end of 2016, the other two work in Kyiv and Lviv. Acuner said the EBRD is creating another 15 business support centers in Ukraine. "We want to make that small and medium-sized enterprises increase their competitive advantages in all the regions of the country. Small and medium-sized enterprises are the key to the stable development of Ukraine. They will be able to help de-tycoonization of the economy, its de-monopolization," the banker said. EBRD Senior Advisor Anton Usov said the opening of the bank's office in Odesa is preliminarily scheduled for May 26 this year. Stay ahead of the trend in fashion and beyond with our free weekly Lifestyle Edit newsletter Stay ahead of the trend in fashion and beyond with our free weekly Lifestyle Edit newsletter Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Lifestyle Edit email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} A photographer has captured the young, queer people of New York City in a series of simple and poignant portraits. Lula Hyers, 19, from New York, undertook the ongoing project to highlight the beauty of queer people an umbrella term encompassing anyone who might identify as anything other than completely heterosexual and cisgender and guarantee them a part in history through imagery. As a queer femme, I felt it was not only important but vital to make a body of work that serves as a safe space for queer people to exist as they choose without censorship or erasure, Hyers told The Independent. The shoot took place last year at a studio in the US city after Hyers simply posted a time and date on Instagram asking people to take part. She was surprised at how many people showed up willing to be a part of the project. It was beautiful, she says. Some people cried, some people laughed. It was a very important experience, not only for myself, but all subjects involved. It lasted all day and people brought fruit and snacks. Many kids became friends at the shoot and are still friends today. New York's Queer Youth Show all 12 1 /12 New York's Queer Youth New York's Queer Youth Lula Hyers New York's Queer Youth Lula Hyers New York's Queer Youth Lula Hyers New York's Queer Youth Lula Hyers New York's Queer Youth Lula Hyers New York's Queer Youth Lula Hyers New York's Queer Youth Lula Hyers New York's Queer Youth Lula Hyers New York's Queer Youth Lula Hyers New York's Queer Youth Lula Hyers New York's Queer Youth Lula Hyers New York's Queer Youth Lula Hyers While the portraits were simplistic and candid, opening up about their sexuality in front of a camera was an important and bold step for some of the subjects, one of whom contacted Hyers afterwards to explain how the shoot empowered and pushed her to finally tell her mother she was attracted to women. Hyers main aim of the project was to record, and in a way force, the faces of queer America into history in whatever way I could. This is especially important in the current climate where many members of the American LGBTQ community have expressed concern and pledged resistance over some members of the new Republican government. Recommended 31 portraits of people who are breaking every gender rule For example, a queer dance party was organised outside the incoming US vice president Mike Pences new home in January in response to his previous stance in respect to the LGBTQ community. Mr Pence ha previously opposed same-sex marriage and supported gay conversion therapy. Last month, the White House axed legal provisions to protect transgender students from discrimination. A provision which said transgender students should be able to use the bathroom of their choice, previously granted by former President Barack Obama, was scrapped by Attorney General Jeff Sessions. Following Mr Trumps victory there were also fears of an increase in antiLGBTQ attacks as reports of attacks on minorities began to unfold. [It is important to give queer people a voice] now more than ever, Hyers says. We have no time to waste. If you aren't here for queer people, your feminism and activism isn't being executed right. Queer people often get reduced to one image, one stereotype and we are all so much more than that. It's important for people to see that. In a time where trans women of colour are being killed at an extremely high rate and little to nothing is being done about it by law enforcement or covered on the media, queer stories are so important. The time is now to share them and highlight them in anyway we all can. The photographs are simple in design partly so that nothing distracts from the message and aim of the project, Hyers says. I wanted simple portraits to keep the body of work look collective. I also liked the concept of a simple portrait because it wasn't distracting. It said: Here is this person, they exist, they are important and they are beautiful. So will projects like this, and others Hyers has undertaken such as a partnership with Refinery 29 and Getty Images to diversify the faces and bodies used in stock images pave the way for more inclusive mainstream projects? We are seeing a shift for sure but it's hardly scraped the surface and we have a long way to go, Hyers says. We can't pat ourselves on the back for doing work we should have been doing all along. While the project initially included young queer people, Hyers has now extended it to feature all ages and people from all over the world. She is also training as a doula and a sex education teacher. It's important for me as a queer femme to know about queer sex Ed and also to incorporate that into birth work, she says. We need to be safe and included in all facets of life. 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 }} Jolyon Maugham is hurrying through the streets of west London on his way to a meeting about Britains impending departure from the European Union. Even as he sidesteps dawdling tourists and dodges black cabs, Mr Maugham is arguing about Brexit. Thats a terrible point and Im going to demolish it in a blog post later, he says, when its suggested his latest legal action in Dublin might be counterproductive. He then explains, in three stages, exactly why the point is so terrible. If you dont like the answer, dont ask the question, he shrugs. A prominent tax lawyer, Mr Maugham has emerged as one of the most potent voices against the UKs looming European exit. Last year, he raised 10,000 ($12,400) in a crowdfunding campaign for a legal challenge over Prime Minister Theresa Mays plan to start the formal process for Brexit, an Article 50 notice, without first holding a vote in Parliament. Jolyon Maugham urges government to consider electorate's change of mind over BRexit That campaign became the Peoples Challenge, one of the groups supporting Gina Miller in a case that went all the way to the Supreme Court -- and won. Ms May still plans to trigger Article 50 as soon as this month, after a vote in Parliament went her way earlier this week. Now Mr Maugham has filed a new legal challenge in Dublin, which he wants to be referred to the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg. Hes seeking a ruling that an Article 50 notice can be revoked if an EU member changes its mind about leaving. An initial hearing is scheduled for as soon as June. Terrible Mistake I think we have made a terrible mistake, he says a few days later, over dinner at an Indian restaurant in Westminster. If the electorate comes to think it has made a terrible mistake, it should have the right to reverse it. The 45-year-old, who has a large head covered in silver hair, wears stylish black-rimmed glasses and carries a leather satchel that, combined with his impish sense of humour, can give the impression of a student at after-school debating club. After dinner, hes due to speak to a left-wing political group, The Young Fabians, at a nearby government building. He allows himself a single beer with his curried octopus starter. Mr Maughams day job is helping clients, mostly wealthy individuals or companies, in their legal disputes with the government. But these days, his real ambitions are elsewhere -- specifically a building a few hundred yards away in Parliament Square. If you want to shape the society you live in, ultimately you have to want to be in Parliament, he says. Thats where I want to be. Unconventional In many ways, Mr Maugham is a contradictory figure. People dont know quite how to place me, he says. Having reached the top of the legal profession in London with all the wealth and prestige that entails, hes self-consciously a member of the Metropolitan elite. At the same time, his background is unconventional, at least for a top lawyer or a potential member of Parliament. He was raised in New Zealand by a English mother, left home at 16, worked as a cleaner and moved to London at age 17 to find his estranged father, David Benedictus, a playwright and author. Mr Maughams left-wing, an on/off member of the Labour Party, while making a living defending tax practices that some liberals find abhorrent. He has spent years representing investors in Eclipse Film Partners No. 35, one of a number of controversial partnerships set up to exploit tax breaks on British movies that were later challenged by the government and found to be artificial -- legal but more about reducing taxes than boosting the film industry. Taxes Tax specialists are some of the best-paid lawyers in London -- and Mr Maugham describes himself as middle-class prosperous. Tim Levy, whose company created Eclipse, says he found Mr Maugham to be open, engaging, non-judgmental and intellectually curious. Mr Levy says Mr Maugham never shared his political views with him. Mr Maugham started a tax blog that expressed opinions that many lawyers and accountants would never put their names to. I argued repeatedly in the tax world that there was morality in tax, he says. Legal colleagues called it career suicide, he recalls. His blog didnt exactly condemn all tax structuring. But it did point out that the subject was complex. Investors had often been encouraged to participate by their financial advisers and accountants, as well as by the government, which was keen to promote investment in films, he wrote in one post. While his writing may have lost him clients, it got the attention of Ed Miliband, the then-leader of the Labour Party. Mr Maugham became an informal adviser on tax policy before Mr Milibands 2015 election defeat. Tilting at Windmills Mr Maugham says being a lawyer in a controversial field requires a thick skin, which is useful for anyone willing to speak out on the subject of Brexit. Online critics have ridiculed him for being undemocratic, out-of-touch, unpatriotic, and living in a converted windmill (he doesnt although he has a holiday home in one). Even his name isnt a proper one, in the view of one Twitter user. Someone was threatening to string me from a lamppost the other day, Mr Maugham says. Brexit Concerns Show all 26 1 /26 Brexit Concerns Brexit Concerns Brexit will put British patients at 'back of the queue' for new drugs Brexit will put British patients at the back of the queue for vital new drugs, the Government has been warned forcing them to wait up to two years longer A medicines regulator has raised the alarm over a likely decision to pull out of the European Medicines Agency (EMA), as well as the EU itself. ealth Secretary Jeremy Hunt dropped the bombshell , when he said he expected the UK would quit the EMA because it is subject to rulings by the European Court of Justice. Getty Images Brexit Concerns London to lose status as 'gateway to Europe' for banks One of Germanys top banking regulators has warned that London could lose its status as gateway to Europe for the banking sector after Britain quits the European trading bloc. Andreas Dombret, who is an executive board member for the BundesbankGermanys central banktold a private meeting of German businesses and banks earlier this week in Frankfurt that even if banking rules were equivalent between the UK and the rest of the EU, that was still miles away from [Britain having] access to the single market, the BBC reports. Jason Hawkes Brexit Concerns Exodus The number of financial sector professionals in Britain and continental Europe looking for jobs in Ireland rocketed in the months after the UK voted to leave the European Union Shutterstock Brexit Concerns Brexit is making FTSE 100 executives richer Pay packages of many FTSE 100 chief executive officers are partly tied to how well share prices are doing rather than the CEOs performance -- and some stocks are soaring. ritish equities got a boost since the June vote because the likes of Rio Tinto, Smiths Group and WPP generate most sales abroad and earn a fortune when they convert these revenues back into the weakened pound. Sterlings fall also made UK stocks more affordable for overseas investors. Rex Brexit Concerns Theresa May: UK to leave single market Theresa May has said the UK "cannot possibly" remain within the European single market, as staying in it would mean "not leaving the EU at all". Getty Brexit Concerns Lead campaigner Gina Miller and her team outside the High Court Getty Brexit Concerns Raymond McCord holds up his newly issued Irish passport alongside his British passport outside the High Court in Belfast following a judges dismissal of the UK's first legal challenges to Brexit PA wire Brexit Concerns SDLP leader Colum Eastwood leaving the High Court in Belfast following a judges dismissal of the UK's first legal challenges to Brexit PA wire Brexit Concerns Migrants with luggage walk past a graffiti on a wall as they leave the 'Jungle' migrant camp, as part of a major three-day operation planned to clear the camp in Calais Getty Brexit Concerns Migrants leave messages on their tents in the Jungle migrant camp Getty Brexit Concerns The Adventist Development and Relief Agency (Adra) which distributes approximately 700 meals daily in the northern Paris camp states that it is noticing a spike in new migrant arrivals this week, potentially linked the the Calais 'jungle' camp closure - with around 1000 meals distributed today EPA Brexit Concerns Migrant workers pick apples at Stocks Farm in Suckley, Britain Reuters Brexit Concerns Many farmers across the country are voicing concerns that Brexit could be a dangerous step into the unknown for the farming industry Getty Brexit Concerns Bank of England governor Mark Carney who said the long-term outlook for the UK economy is positive, but growth was slowing in the wake of the Brexit vote PA Brexit Concerns The Dow Jones industrial average closed down over 600 points on the news with markets around the globe pluninging Getty Brexit Concerns Immigration officers deal with each member of the public seeking entry into the United Kingdom but on average, 10 a day are refused entry at this London airport and between 2008 and 2009, 33,100 people were detained at the airport for mainly passport irregularities Getty Brexit Concerns A number of global investment giants have threatened to move their European operations out of London if Brexit proves to have a negative impact on their businesses Getty Brexit Concerns Following the possibility of a Brexit the UK would be released from its renewable energy targets under the EU Renewable Energy Directive and from EU state aid restrictions, potentially giving the government more freedom both in the design and phasing out of renewable energy support regimes Getty Brexit Concerns A woman looking at a chart showing the drop in the pound (Sterling) against the US Dollar in London after Britain voted to leave the EU Getty Brexit Concerns Young protesters outside the Houses of Parliament in Westminster, to protest against the United Kingdom's decision to leave the EU following the referendum Getty Brexit Concerns Applications from Northern Ireland citizens for Irish Passports has soared to a record high after the UK Voted in favour of Leaving the EU Getty Brexit Concerns NFU Vice President Minette Batters with Secretary of State, Andrea Leadsome at the National Farmers Union (NFU) took machinery, produce, farmers and staff to Westminster to encourage Members of Parliament to back British farming, post Brexit Getty Brexit Concerns The latest reports released by the UK Cabinet Office warn that expats would lose a range of specific rights to live, to work and to access pensions, healthcare and public services. The same reports added that UK citizens abroad would not be able to assume that these rights will be guaranteed in the future Getty Brexit Concerns A British resident living in Spain asks questions during an informative Brexit talk by the "Brexpats in Spain" group, about Spanish legal issues to become Spanish citizens, at the town hall in Benalmadena, Spain Reuters Brexit Concerns The collapse of Great Britain appears to have been greatly exaggerated given the late summer crowds visiting city museums, hotels, and other important tourist attractions Getty Brexit Concerns The U.K. should maintain European Union regulations covering everything from working hours to chemicals until after the government sets out its plans for Brexit, said British manufacturers anxious to avoid a policy vacuum and safeguard access to their biggest export market Getty Mostly, he takes it in good humour. I much more enjoy a hostile audience than I do a friendly audience, he explains. If you have been booted in the head repeatedly arguing an ugly tax case, other forums hold few fears. Ms Miller, as the public face of the legal opposition, has endured far worse, he says. He seems to be arguing against the falling of the night, says Gunnar Beck, an attorney and academic at the University of London who campaigned for Britain to leave the EU. While he doesnt deny Mr Maughams right to explore valid legal questions, lawyers who dont like the referendum result would probably do better to engage constructively with the process, Mr Beck says. He doubts the Dublin case will succeed. Change of Heart By saying openly that Brexit will be a disaster, Mr Maugham is positioning himself against the majority of voters in the June 2016 referendum, which is a place occupied by few office holders. Theresa May continues to push for a so-called Hard Brexit. Labour campaigned ineffectively to keep Britain in the EU and has been indecisive on the issue since. Once a supporter, Mr Maugham now questions the Labour Partys future. There is confusion which Mr Maugham is seeking to clarify. Justice Secretary Liz Truss said in February that she understands Article 50 to be irrevocable. But John Kerr, the diplomat who helped to write it, said last November it could be reversed. You can change your mind while the process is going on, he said. Meanwhile, Ms May faces obstacles to her plan for a clean break. The EU wont start exit talks until she agrees to settle Britains financial commitments to the bloc, a sign that its negotiating stance is hardening. Those liabilities may reach 60bn ($64 billion). At What Cost If Mr Maugham is right, and British voters come to see the cost of leaving the EU as too great, he will be on a very short list of high-profile opponents of Brexit. In the age of Donald Trump and populist anger, perhaps even an unpatriotic tax lawyer and sometime windmill resident called Jolyon can find a place in the political firmament. Hes also started the Good Law Project, which will raise money to fight lawsuits that advance a progressive agenda. The websites homepage declares: This isnt us. This isnt who we are. One of its first cases will be to challenge the amount of tax paid by Uber Technologies in the UK. At the Young Fabians event in Portcullis House, Mr Maugham sits at the head of a long table. Its a friendly audience of about 15 young people who are, like Mr Maugham, left-leaning, politically active and pro-Europe. The building also houses the offices of British MPs and staff. Outside in the hall, two armed police officers stand next to a painting of the Queen. Changing World One of the Fabians asks, politely, whether the Dublin lawsuit is a purely hypothetical question, since there isnt much evidence of Britain backing away from its decision. The world has changed a lot since June 2016, Mr Maugham replies. Times are very, very uncertain. We dont yet know what that means. Its bold to assume it will have no impact on peoples perceptions of the desirability of Brexit. Bloomberg 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 }} Ride services company Uber has been thrust deeper into turmoil with the departure of company president Jeff Jones, a marketing expert hired to help soften its often abrasive image. Mr Jones quit less than seven months after joining the San Francisco company, an Uber spokesman said on Sunday. In a statement to Reuters, Mr Jones said he could not continue as president of a business with which he was incompatible. I joined Uber because of its mission, and the challenge to build global capabilities that would help the company mature and thrive long term, Mr Jones said. It is now clear, however, that the beliefs and approach to leadership that have guided my career are inconsistent with what I saw and experienced at Uber, and I can no longer continue as president of the ride sharing business, he added. Mr Jones wished the thousands of amazing people at the company well. Mr Jones' role was put into question after Uber earlier this month launched a search for a chief operating officer to help run the company alongside chief executive Travis Kalanick. Mr Jones had been performing some of those COO responsibilities. He joined Uber from Target, where he was chief marketing officer and is credited with modernising the retailer's brand. We want to thank Jeff for his six months at the company and wish him all the best, an Uber spokesman said in an emailed statement. Uber's vice president of maps and business platform, Brian McClendon, said separately he plans to leave the company at the end of the month to explore politics. I'll be staying on as an adviser, Mr McClendon said in a statement to Reuters. This fall's election and the current fiscal crisis in Kansas is driving me to more fully participate in our democracy. 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. Jones and McClendon are the latest in a string of high-level executives to leave the company. Last month, engineering executive Amit Singhal was asked to resign due to a sexual harassment allegation stemming from his previous job at Alphabet's Google. Earlier this month, Ed Baker, Uber's vice president of product and growth, and Charlie Miller, Uber's famed security researcher, departed. Technology news site Recode first reported Jones' departure on Sunday. Uber, while it has long had a reputation as an aggressive and unapologetic startup, has been battered with multiple controversies over the last several weeks that have put Mr Kalanick's leadership capabilities and the company's future into question. 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 that is being led by former US Attorney General Eric Holder. Then, Bloomberg released a video that showed Mr Kalanick berating an Uber driver who had complained about cuts to rates paid to drivers, resulting in Mr Kalanick making a public apology. And earlier this month Uber confirmed it had used a secret technology program dubbed Greyball, which effectively changes the app view for specific riders, to evade authorities in cities where the service has been banned. Uber has since prohibited the use of Greyball to target local regulators. Uber is also facing a lawsuit from Alphabet's self-driving car division that accuses it of stealing designs for autonomous car technology known as Lidar. Uber has said the claims are false. Mr Jones joined Uber in August and was widely expected to be Mr Kalanick's No. 2. Mr Jones was tasked with overseeing the bulk of Uber's global operations, including leading the ride-hailing program, running local Uber services in every city, marketing and customer service, and working with drivers. The Independent Drivers Guild, an organization that advocates for Uber drivers, on Sunday was critical that Mr Jones has left the company without making a single improvement to help drivers struggling to make a living, said Ryan Price, executive director of the guild. 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 }} Professor Stephen Hawking fears he may not be welcome in the US under the Trump administration. The 75-year-old cosmologist and physicist said that while he still admires America, he doesnt feel welcome there with Donald Trump in the White House. He added that he would like to see the President do more to tackle global warming. Speaking to Piers Morgan on Good Morning Britain, Mr Hawking, who has previously called the US President, a demagogue, said: Trump was elected by people who felt disenfranchised by the governing elite in a revolt against globalisation. His priority will be to satisfy his electorate who are neither liberal, nor that well-informed. I have many friends and colleagues there [in America], and it is still a place I like and admire in many ways. I would like to visit again, and to talk to other scientists. But I fear that I may not be welcome. Asked what message he would like Mr Morgan to relay to Mr Trump when he sees him, Professor Hawking said: He should replace Scott Pruitt at the Environment Protection Agency. Climate change is one of the great dangers we face, and its one we can prevent. It affects America badly, so tackling it should win votes for his second term. God forbid. Mr Pruitts appointment by Donald Trump was highly controversial given his track record of denying climate science. Stephen Hawking cracks Brexit joke with Theresa May at Pride of Britain awards The US Environmental Protection Agency recently wrote to correct him, after he claimed carbon dioxide was not the primary cause of global warming and claimed there was was tremendous disagreement over the issue. Speaking on the topic of British politics in the same interview, Professor Hawking said there was not much chance of Labour winning an election under current leader Jeremy Corbyn, but added that he would continue to support the party. He doesnt come across as a strong leader, and he allowed the media to portray him as a left-wing extremist, which hes not, he said. Its no good having the right principles if you never get in power. But I will continue to vote Labour its the party that matters. Talking in a similar vein, the scientist said he was opposed to leaving the European Union, but that if the split must be implemented it shouldnt be a hard Brexit as the right wing of the Conservative Party want, because it would leave Britain isolated and inward-looking. He said: We should retain as many links as possible with Europe and the rest of the world, particularly China. By remaining in the EU, we would have given ourselves more influence in the world. And we would provide future opportunities for young people. Leaving Europe threatens Britains status as a world leader in science and innovation. Professor Hawking was recently awarded Honorary Freedom of the City of London the highest honour that the City can bestow in honour of his outstanding contribution to theoretical physics. Sign up for a full digest of all the best opinions of the week in our Voices Dispatches email Sign up to our free weekly Voices newsletter Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Voices Dispatches email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Stephen Hawking is going to go to space. The cosmologist and physicist will leave the Earth on board Richard Branson's spaceship, he has said. Professor Hawking told Good Morning Britain that he'd never dreamed he'd be able to head into space. But "Richard Branson has offered me a seat on Virgin Galactic, and I said yes immediately", he said. Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Show all 30 1 /30 Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Solar Flare An image from Nasa's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) shows a 200,000 mile long solar filament ripping through the Sun's corona in September 2013 Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Nasa Celebrates 50 Years of Spacewalking For 50 years, NASA has been "suiting up" for spacewalking. In this 1984 photograph of the first untethered spacewalk, NASA astronaut Bruce McCandless is in the midst of the first "field" tryout of a nitrogen-propelled backpack device called the Manned Maneuvering Unit (MMU) Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space A Hubble Cosmic Couple The spectacular cosmic pairing of the star Hen 2-427 more commonly known as WR 124 and the nebula M1-67 which surrounds it ESA/Hubble & NASA Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Veil Nebula Supernova Remnant Nasa's Hubble Space Telescope has unveiled in stunning detail a small section of the Veil Nebula - expanding remains of a massive star that exploded about 8,000 years ago Nasa's most stunning pictures of space The Soyuz TMA-15M rocket launch The Soyuz TMA-15M rocket launches from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Monday, Nov. 24, 2014, carrying three new astronauts to the International Space Station. It also took caviar, ready for the satellite's inhabitants to celebrate the holidays Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Earth from the ISS From the International Space Station, Expedition 42 Flight Engineer Terry W. Virts took this photograph of the Gulf of Mexico and U.S. Gulf Coast at sunset Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Black Hole Friday Nasa celebrated Black Friday by looking into space instead sharing pictures of black holes Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space NuSTAR X-rays stream off the sun in this image showing observations from by NASA's Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array, or NuSTAR, overlaid on a picture taken by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Cassiopeia A c A false colour image of Cassiopeia A comprised with data from the Spitzer and Hubble Space Telescopes and the Chandra X-Ray observatory Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Orion Capsule splashes down The Orion capsule jetted off into space before heading back a few hours later having proved that it can be used, one day, to carry humans to Mars Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Earth Observations From Gemini IV in 1965 This photograph of the Florida Straits and Grand Bahama Bank was taken during the Gemini IV mission during orbit no. 19 in 1965. The Gemini IV crew conducted scientific experiments, including photography of Earth's weather and terrain, for the remainder of their four-day mission following Ed White's historic spacewalk on June 3 Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Frosty slopes of Mars This image of an area on the surface of Mars, approximately 1.5 by 3 kilometers in size, shows frosted gullies on a south-facing slope within a crater. The image was taken by Nasa's HiRISE camera, which is mounted on its Mars Reconaissance Orbiter Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Yellowstone from space NASA astronaut Reid Wiseman shared this image of Yellowstone via his twitter account Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Saturn This near-infrared color image shows a specular reflection, or sunglint, off of a hydrocarbon lake named Kivu Lacus on Saturn's moon Titan Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Worlds Apart Although Mimas and Pandora, shown here, both orbit Saturn, they are very different moons. Pandora, "small" by moon standards (50 miles or 81 kilometers across) is elongated and irregular in shape. Mimas (246 miles or 396 kilometers across), a "medium-sized" moon, formed into a sphere due to self-gravity imposed by its higher mass Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Solar Flare An X1.6 class solar flare flashes in the middle of the sun in this image taken 10 September, captured by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Large Magellanic Cloud galaxy An image of the Large Magellanic Cloud galaxy seen in infrared light by the Herschel Space Observatory. Regions of space such as this are where new stars are born from a mixture of elements and cosmic dust Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Mars Rover Spirit Nasa's Mars Rover Spirit took the first picture from Spirit since problems with communications began a week earlier. The image shows the robotic arm extended to the rock called Adirondack Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Morning Aurora From the Space Station Nasa astronaut Scott Kelly captured this photograph of the green lights of the aurora from the International Space Station Nasa/Scott Kelly Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Launch of History - Making STS-41G Mission in 1984 The Space Shuttle Challenger launches from Florida at dawn. On this mission, Kathryn Sullivan became the first U.S. woman to perform a spacewalk and Marc Garneau became the first Canadian in space. The crew of seven was the largest to fly on a spacecraft at that time, and STS-41G was the first flight to include two female astronauts Nasa's most stunning pictures of space A Fresh Perspective on an Extraordinary Cluster of Galaxies Galaxy clusters are often described by superlatives. After all, they are huge conglomerations of galaxies, hot gas, and dark matter and represent the largest structures in the Universe held together by gravity Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Hubble Sees a Galactic Sunflower The arrangement of the spiral arms in the galaxy Messier 63, seen here in an image from the Nasa Hubble Space Telescope, recall the pattern at the center of a sunflower ESA/Hubble & NASA Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Pluto image Four images from New Horizons Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) were combined with colour data from the Ralph instrument to create this enhanced colour global view of Pluto Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Fresh Crater Near Sirenum Fossae Region of Mars The HiRISE camera aboard Nasa's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter acquired this closeup image of a "fresh" (on a geological scale, though quite old on a human scale) impact crater in the Sirenum Fossae region of Mars. This impact crater appears relatively recent as it has a sharp rim and well-preserved ejecta Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Hubble Peers into the Most Crowded Place in the Milky Way This Nasa Hubble Space Telescope image presents the Arches Cluster, the densest known star cluster in the Milky Way NASA & ESA Nasa's most stunning pictures of space An Astronaut's View from Space Nasa astronaut Reid Wiseman tweeted this photo from the International Space Station on 2 September 2014 Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Giant Landform on Mars On Mars, we can observe four classes of sandy landforms formed by the wind, or aeolian bedforms: ripples, transverse aeolian ridges, dunes, and what are called draa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Expedition 39 Landing A sokol suit helmet can be seen against the window of the Soyuz TMA-11M capsule shortly after the spacecraft landed with Expedition 39 Commander Koichi Wakata of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), Soyuz Commander Mikhail Tyurin of Roscosmos, and Flight Engineer Rick Mastracchio of NASA near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan (NASA/Bill Ingalls) Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Jupiter's Great Red Spot Viewed by Voyager I Jupiter is the largest planet in the solar system and perhaps the most majestic. Vibrant bands of clouds carried by winds that can exceed 400 mph continuously circle the planet's atmosphere Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Chandra Observatory Sees a Heart in the Darkness This Chandra X-Ray Observatory image of the young star cluster NGC 346 highlights a heart-shaped cloud of 8 million-degree Celsius gas in the central region Richard Branson's spaceflight company, Virgin Galactic, hopes soon to carry people into space on commercial missions. Mr Branson had suggested that he might be able to complete a flight in 2009, but the plan has been thrown off by a range of problems and disasters. In a wide-ranging interview, he said that his "three children have brought me great joy - and I can tell you what will make me happy, to travel in space". Professor Hawking also discussed Donald Trump, who he said was a "demagogue" and made him fear that he might never be welcome in the US. ""His priority will be to satisfy his electorate who are neither liberal, nor that well-informed," he said. He also criticised Jeremy Corbyn, who he said had allowed himself to be portrayed "a left-wing extremist, which hes not". Because of the media portrayals, he said there was not much chance that Mr Corbyn would ever win an election, but that he would continue to support the Labour party. And he said that if Brexit must happen, it can't happen in the "isolated and inward-looking" way that "the right wing of the Conservative Party want". He warned politicians that they should ensure that Britain keeps as many links as possible with Europe and the rest of the world, and said that leaving Europe "threatens Britains status as a world-leader in science and innovation". Sign up for a full digest of all the best opinions of the week in our Voices Dispatches email Sign up to our free weekly Voices newsletter Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Voices Dispatches email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Creating a map of the world presents a fundamental problem how to turn the three-dimensional sphere of the Earth into a flat, two-dimensional image. In 1569, the Flemish cartographer Gerardus Mercator devised an elegant solution that became the standard world map for the next five centuries. But his method resulted in massive distortions of the relative sizes of the continents, dramatically shrinking Africa and making Europe, North America and particularly Greenland look much bigger than they actually are. Antarctica appears to be the largest continent. Now, for the first time, thousands of children in schools in the United States will use a very different map, the Gall-Peters projection. About 600 school classrooms in Boston, Massachusetts, will receive a large laminated map that has come to symbolise efforts to correct the Western worlds distorted view of its own size. A traditional Mercator projection map of the world, showing distortions the further away from the equator (Strebe) Colin Rose, assistant superintendent in charge of the Boston Public Schools Office of Opportunity and Achievement Gaps, told The Boston Globe the move was part of an attempt to decolonise the curriculum. So this is about maps, but it isnt about maps, Mr Rose said. Its about a paradigm shift weve had a very fixed view that is very Eurocentric. How do we talk about other viewpoints? This is a great jump-off point. Mark Greaves, lead consultant for geodesy the maths of map-making at the Ordnance Survey (OS) said any flat map of a globe was always involves some compromise. With the Mercator projection, it gained popularity because it was fairly simple to calculate and yes, you could navigate with it because the angles remain fairly true, he told The Independent. If youre on a ship its fairly straight-forward to translate from the map to real-life and vice-versa. But this accuracy was achieved at the expense of distortion that increases the further away from the equator. The simplest way to explain how a Mercator map is created is to imagine a glass globe with a light inside. A sheet of paper is wrapped around the globe, touching at the equator, and then the lines of the continents are drawn onto the paper. There is no distortion at the equator, but sizes gradually increase the further you get towards the poles. But when navigating over the kind of distances people tend to travel, this does not cause much of a problem. The Gall-Peters projection concentrates on getting the sizes of the continents correct, so for example Africa appears to be about as large as it does on a globe. Alaska also shrinks so that it no longer appears, wrongly, to be about the same size as the 48 mainland US states as shown on the Mercator map. Gall-Peters focuses on getting the area correct at the expense perhaps of scale or distance and certainly direction, Mr Greaves said. You could navigate by Gall-Peters, but I wouldnt. The OS maps the UK using a modified form of Mercators system. The cylinder of paper is wrapped around the Earth from east to west, rather than north to south. And, instead of the equator, the cylinder is centred on the Earth at two degrees west. And it is sunk into the surface a little bit, in an attempt to minimise the distortion. This means the map does not stretch the UK to make the northern and southern parts look bigger, but the eastern and western extremities a good idea when trying to portray a long and relatively thin island, orientated north-south. But there is still a small amount of unavoidable distortion. Cornwall is ever so slightly longer and wider on the map than it is in reality, Mr Greaves said. But if you are a surveyor you can take that into account when you measure the distance on the ground. He said the same thing could be done with a Gall-Peters projection but added this would probably involve more complicated calculations. However, maps are about more than navigation. Casey Cullen, a history teacher at Westborough High School in Boston, said when talking to pupils he would often cite the scholar Ali Mazrui, who once said: Geography is the mother of history". The story starts from where we start, Mr Cullen told the Globe. If were going to try to tell the tale of people from other nations and where they come from, we need to be as accurate as possible. 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 }} An energy company has been accused of drilling an underground well beneath greenbelt land in Surrey without planning permission in what could become an important test case for fossil fuel extraction in the British countryside. Surrey County Council said Angus Energy, which insists it has not broken the law, could now be fined or punished in some other way, although this might just be a "severe warning". The company said it had only drilled a "sidetrack" from an existing well into shale rocks underneath the Weald near Brockham and that its operations at the site were already covered by planning permission. While the 'sidetrack' is designed to find oil and does not involve fracking the controversial process of shattering rocks to release gas the case could have wider significance if the UK develops a major fracking industry. That would see a large number of wells drilled into the countryside, each with a number of branch lines extending from a central hub. If planning permission is not required for each new branch, this would make it simpler for the industry and harder for local opponents to prevent the escalation of activity at each site. If planning consent is needed, the reverse would be true. Angus Energy said in a statement that it was of the firm opinion that the sidetrack did not constitute a breach of the planning consents, adding it had been approved by the Oil & Gas Authority, Environment Agency and Health and Safety Executive. The firm was even more dismissive of suggestions it needed planning permission in a posting on its website in which it asked what is the fuss about?. The Governments guidelines make it absolutely clear that the remit of local councils covers the surface impact of the operations including matters such as noise, visual impact and traffic movements, it said. All of our surface work was covered by our planning permission. We work with our local council on many important surface issues that rely on their expertise and requirements. The firm said no new well was drilled, only what a sidetrack. This, it added, doesnt need planning permission according to Surrey County Councils own criteria. Despite having every opportunity at a number of meetings and in extensive correspondence, Surrey County Council has not identified any way in which the sidetrack causes any planning harm, Angus Energy said. Any characterisation that Angus Energy deliberately misled its investors and the public or misunderstood clear advice is offensive, wrong and self-serving. How fracking works and where it could happen Show all 2 1 /2 How fracking works and where it could happen How fracking works and where it could happen 02-FrackingHowItWorks.jpg How fracking works and where it could happen 02-FrackingMapWeb.jpg The company stressed it had no plans to carry out fracking at the well, something that has attracted considerable local protests at a number of other sites around the country. Angus Energys confidence that it had not breached planning law was not shared by the council. The local authority said in a statement: We were extremely disappointed to find out that Angus Energy has acted without planning permission and contrary to our advice and guidance so we are currently in discussions with them as a matter of urgency to resolve this. A council spokesman told The Independent that there was a possibility the company could be required to remove the well or 'sidetrack', but he added this was unlikely given it was already there. They could get punished for what they have done or they could apply for retrospective planning permission, he said. They could be fined, theres a multitude of things that could happen. They might just get a severe warning. Hannah Martin, Greenpeace UK energy campaigner, did not comment on the Brockham site specifically. But she stressed local councils played a "vital role in making sure local people get a say on energy developments that could affect their local environment and quality of life". "But by overruling local decisions such as on fracking in Lancashire, Ministers have given the impression that councils can be sidelined when it comes to industries with strong government backing," Ms Martin added. "There is a real risk that energy companies could take this as a tacit permission to ignore local councils and even bypass the planning process. "The Government must send a clear signal that playing fast and loose with our planning rules won't be tolerated." Sign up to our free Brexit and beyond email for the latest headlines on what Brexit is meaning for the UK Sign up to our Brexit email for the latest insight Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Brexit and beyond email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Britain and Germany are planning to sign a new defence pact after Theresa May triggers Article 50. Ms May is seeking to emphasise Britain's contribution to European security through training, cyber security and martime patrols as she begins the Brexit divorce process. The UK defence ministry said it was working with Germany "on a joint vision statement on future co-operation." The German defence ministry confirmed to The Financial Times it was working on joint projects. Independent of the effects of Brexit, Great Britain remains a strong partner and ally in Nato and also bilaterally, it told the paper. British troops arrive in Estonia for Nato mission to deter Russian aggression Sir Michael Fallon, UK defence secretary, has reportedly been speaking to several EU countries about building military links. It comes as British troops were deployed to Estonia as part of a Nato plan to deter Russian aggression in the Baltics. The troops are due to be stationed in the country in one of the biggest deployments to Eastern Europe since the Cold War. The Royal Navy's latest helicopter, the Wildcat, will also be deployed from a German frigate and take part in operations in the Mediterranean next year. 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 Reports of greater military co-operation between Berlin and Germany come after Donald Trump accused Germany of owing Nato "vast sums of money." The US President also suggested Germany should pay the United States more for defending it. After a video appeared to show Mr Trump ignoring Ms Merkel's request to shake hands at a photo opportunity, he tweeted: Despite what you have heard from the FAKE NEWS, I had a GREAT meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Nevertheless, Germany owes vast sums of money to NATO & the United States must be paid more for the powerful, and very expensive, defense it provides to Germany! Germany does not currently reach the alliance's benchmark of spending at least 2 per cent of GDP on defence, currently spending 1.23 per cent. However, Ms Merkel said Berlin is aiming to increase the amount it contributes. 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 }} EU leaders reject claims that Britain will escape a multi billion-pound divorce bill it if walks away with no post-Brexit deal, the UKs man in Brussels has warned. Sir Tim Barrow, Britains ambassador to the EU, sought to dampen growing Brexiteer enthusiasm to quit without paying a brass farthing as one Conservative MP put it. My counterparts have an interest in other legal opinions which have been forthcoming, which offer a different interpretation, Sir Tim told a parliamentary inquiry. The view appeared to open up a split with David Jones, a minister in the Brexit department, who welcomed the no exit fee argument first put forward in an explosive House of Lords report. Mr Jones said: Certainly the House of Lords committee report was extremely helpful. Im sure its not gone unnoticed in Brussels and in other European capitals. The split came as Sir Tim gave an update verdict on the prospects for Britain agreeing a framework for future trade with the EU within the two years of the Article 50 negotiations, to start next month. His predecessor, Sir Ivan Rogers who quit abruptly in January, condemning the Governments muddled thinking warned it would take until the mid-2020s to achieve a free trade deal. But Sir Tim said such speculation was based on the difficulty of striking deals between countries with very different trade systems, when Britain and the EU already had convergence. On the first day after withdrawal there will be convergence we are creating something different, he told the Commons European Scrutiny Committee. Our mandate is clear to get on with it. Theres a timetable that everybody has bought into included in the treaty and thats what we are going to do. The Article 50 process clearly stated that the EU should take account of its future framework with the UK, as well as agree the exit deal. Mr Jones agreed that the UK was at a huge advantage in negotiating a trade deal because its current arrangements were already in alignment with the blocs standards. EU negotiators are expected to present Theresa May with a bill as high as 50bn for outstanding liabilities and refuse to discuss a trade deal until Britain has agreed to pay up, at least in principle. The UK currently pays about 12 per cent of the EUs budget, which means its withdrawal will impose bigger financial burdens on the likes of Germany and France. The committees chairman, Sir Bill Cash, summed up the mood among many Brexit-backing Tories when he said: We really dont owe anything to the European Union. The evidence session came within a couple of hours of Downing Street announcing that Article 50 will be triggered on March 29, in a letter sent to EU Council President Donald Tusk. After he resigned, Sir Ivan warned that Whitehall departments were not engaging properly with the EU on day-to-day business because Brexit was a distraction. But Sir Tim dismissed those concerns as well, insisting Britain was fully focused and that another EU ambassador had promised him it was business as usual. 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 emphatically ruled out an early general election after rumours that Theresa May could go to the electorate ahead of Brexit negotiations. Some newspapers had reported that Ms May could schedule a snap election for May 4 and announce it on the day she triggers Article 50. The Prime Minister has consistently ruled out holding a snap election, arguing that it would bring additional uncertainty to the UK at a time when continuity was needed. Recommended Theresa May reveals when she will trigger Article 50 A Downing Street spokesperson told a briefing of journalists in Westminster on Monday morning: There is no change in our position on an early general election. There is not going to be a general election. The Conservatives have a double digit poll lead over Labour and would be expected to win a landslide in the event of a contest. Labours election coordinator Andrew Gwynne said this weekend that it would be very difficult for his party not to back a motion to trigger a general election if the Conservatives called one. Under the Fixed Term Parliament Act elections are only supposed to be held on a regular basis once every five years but the legislation has a number of loop holes in it that in effect mean an election can be called with a simple majority. Labour is behind in the polls but has indicated it would vote to trigger an election (PA) The Tories' narrow majority in the House of Commons might tempt senior figures in the party to call for a contest. Since the 2015 general election the Government has struggled to pass legislation from disability benefits cuts and cuts to tax credits for working families to rises in tax for self-employed workers. UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 7 November 2022 Handout photo issued by Just Stop Oil of a protester who has climbed a gantry on the M25 between junctions six and seven in Surrey, leading to the closure of the motorway PA UK news in pictures 6 November 2022 A grey seal with its pup, at the Donna Nook National Nature Reserve in north Lincolnshire, where they come every year in late October, November and December to give birth to their pups near the sand dunes, the wildlife spectacle attracts visitors from across the UK PA 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 Under Britains election rules Ms May would have to move a writ for an election on May 4 by March 27. It was announced this morning that she would trigger Article 50 on March 29. Labours shadow home secretary Diane Abbott told The Independent this weekend she was confident Labour could win a snap election and that she was not contemplating defeat. Ukraine reduced gas production by 0.4% year-on-year in January-February 2017, to 3.326 billion cubic meters (bcm), the Energy and Coal Industry Ministry has told Interfax-Ukraine. Naftogaz enterprises reduced gas production by 1.4%, to 2.616 bcm, including 2.404 bcm by Ukrgazvydobuvannia, down 1.2%, and 211 million cubic meters (mcm) by Ukrnafta, down 4.1%. In addition, state-owned PJSC Chornomornaftogaz produced 1.5 mcm at the Strilkove field in Kherson region (the continental shelf in the Sea of Azov). The previous field operator was PrJSC Plast under an agreement on joint operations. Other oil and gas companies operating in Ukraine raised output by 3.3%, to 709.9 mcm. The biggest gas producers among them in January-February were Naftogazvydobuvannia with 270.38 mcm (up 9.8%), Esko-Pivnich with 102.077 mcm (down 13%), PrJSC Ukrnaftoburinnia with 63.125 mcm (up 49.6%), PrJSC Natural Resources with 36.47 mcm (up 1.2%), KUB-Gas LLC with 31.031 mcm (down 16.1%), and JV Poltava Petroleum Company with 29.69 mcm (up 0.8%). Ukraine produced 19.987 bcm of gas in 2016, 0.5% more than in 2015. Naftogaz Ukrainy reduced production by 0.8%, to 15.9 bcm. 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 }} The Labour party could take another two years to rebuild its credibility with the electorate, the shadow chancellor as said. John McDonnell told the i newspaper that the media had not given his party a fair hearing but that it would get its message over by word of mouth. He blamed the economic crash of 2007 for the partys woes and said he had been punished for being in power at the time. The reality is that Labour was in power in 2007, 2008 when the crash occurred, he said. Right across Europe, whoever was in power then was blamed for that economic crash, and Labour has never recovered. We have been consistently about 20 points behind in economic credibility in the polls since then. Mr McDonnell, who is a longtime ally of party leader Jeremy Corbyn, admitted that the party had made no progress in turning around voters view of it since the general election. I think it will turn, but its obviously hard work, of course it is. Over the next 18 months, 24 months, I think it will turn and we will be ready for the general election at that stage. His analysis appeared to have become more pessimistic than the one he gave The Independent a month ago, when he said that the party would be turned around over the next 12 months. Dave Brown on Jeremy Corbyn Show all 12 1 /12 Dave Brown on Jeremy Corbyn Dave Brown on Jeremy Corbyn Dave Brown on Jeremy Corbyn Dave Brown on Jeremy Corbyn Dave Brown on Jeremy Corbyn Dave Brown on Jeremy Corbyn Corbyn's reshuffle Dave Brown on Jeremy Corbyn Corbyn and the Syria bombing vote Dave Brown on Jeremy Corbyn Corbyn asks questions from the public at PMQs, meanwhile backbenchers plot to oust him Dave Brown on Jeremy Corbyn Corbyn is unavailable to attend the Privy Council Dave Brown on Jeremy Corbyn Conference rejects Corbyns call to debate Trident Dave Brown on Jeremy Corbyn At Labour conference Corbyn and McDonnell press for a Robin Hood tax Dave Brown on Jeremy Corbyn Corbyns hopes for a new politics look optimistic in the face of a media barrage Dave Brown on Jeremy Corbyn Corbyn enters Labour leadership race Mr McDonnell last month warned of a soft coup taking place against Mr Corbyns leadership, which he said was being orchestrated by elements in the Murdoch press and the Parliamentary Labour Party. He later withdrew the comments, with a spokesperson saying that they were no longer his view. 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 }} A specialist police unit set up to investigate threats against MPs following the murder of Jo Cox has received 53 complaints in its first six months. Figures obtained through a Freedom of Information request reveal MPs reported hate messages, harassment and criminal damage. The majority of cases 33 out of 53 were for malicious communications including Twitter trolling. There were 13 reports of theft, three of harassment and four of criminal damage, although it has not yet been disclosed how many resulted in charges. The Mets Police Parliamentary Liaison and Investigations team was set up after the shocking killing of Ms Cox by neo-Nazi Thomas Mair as she left her North Yorkshire constituency surgery last June. An extra 640,000 was spent bolstering security for MPs after several other female politicians revealed they had received rape and death threats online. Male MPs have previously been targeted, including Labours Stephen Timms, who was stabbed in 2010 at his constituency surgery in east London. A survey of female MPs earlier this year revealed more than half had been abused online, with many left feeling more vulnerable following the murder of their colleague. A third of the 73 who responded said they had considered giving up their jobs because of the abuse they received. Recommended Survey reveals shocking levels of abuse suffered by female MPs Internet troll John Nimmo, 28, from South Shields, was jailed for 27 months in February after making anti-Semitic threats to Liverpool Labour MP Luciana Berger. He had previously been jailed for threats he made to feminist campaigner Caroline Criardo-Perez and London Labour MP Stella Creasy. Birmingham Yardley MP Jess Phillips revealed last year she called in a locksmith to bolster security in her home after she was sent a mocked-up picture of her death on Twitter. Labours York MP Rachael Maskell was targeted by online trolls around the time of Ms Coxs murder when she was sent an image of a severed head among other very nasty emails. Speaking out about the abuse, Ms Maskell called on social media companies to do more to remove abusive and threatening posts and to help trace those responsible. She said: Freedom of speech is so important - it is what we value across our country - but the abuse I received online went way beyond that. We need to make sure we have a zero tolerance to abusive behaviour online. Recommended Call for violent threats towards female MPs to be taken seriously Armed police guard the corridors in Westminster but some politicians are taking extra precautions, such as changing where they hold their constituency surgeries. Liberal Democrat MP Tom Brake, who has just had extra security installed at his home, said he received threatening emails around the time of the EU referendum advising him to think carefully about how to vote for the sake of his family. Most MPs spend most of our time in Parliament where we are protected, but our families very often are in the constituency, and therefore anyone who is even alluding to the vulnerability of our families is someone who causes a lot of disquiet. The SNPs Dr Lisa Cameron said as soon as she was elected to Parliament in 2015, she became the target of abuse, both online and in the post directed towards her and her family. Jo Cox tributes - in pictures Show all 20 1 /20 Jo Cox tributes - in pictures Jo Cox tributes - in pictures Floral tributes and candles are placed by a picture of slain Labour MP Jo Cox at a vigil in Parliament square in London AFP Jo Cox tributes - in pictures Tributes to Labour Party MP Jo Cox are placed on her houseboat in Wapping in London REUTERS Jo Cox tributes - in pictures The Union flag at half-mast on top of Portcullis House in London after Labour MP Jo Cox was shot and stabbed to death PA Jo Cox tributes - in pictures Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn (2R) and deputy leader Tom Watson (L) light candles as they attend a vigil to slain Labour MP Jo Cox in Parliament square in London AFP/Getty Images Jo Cox tributes - in pictures Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn and deputy leader Tom Watson (rear) arrive to leave tributes at Parliament Square PA Jo Cox tributes - in pictures People leave St Peter's Church after a vigil in memory of Jo Cox REUTERS Jo Cox tributes - in pictures Flowers left at Parliament Square opposite the Palace of Westminste, following the death of Labour MP Jo Cox PA Jo Cox tributes - in pictures People react as they look at tributes left for Labour Member of Parliament Jo Cox in Parliament Square, London REUTERS Jo Cox tributes - in pictures A man writes a message at Parliament Square PA Jo Cox tributes - in pictures People stop to look at tributes left at Parliament Square opposite the Palace of Westminster PA Jo Cox tributes - in pictures A woman arrives to lay flowers at a statue to Joseph Priestly in Birstall near to the scene where Labour MP Jo Cox was shot AFP/Getty Images Jo Cox tributes - in pictures Tributes at Parliament Square opposite the Palace of Westminster PA Jo Cox tributes - in pictures A woman places candles in tribute to Labour Party MP Jo Cox REUTERS Jo Cox tributes - in pictures A member of the public signs a memorial for British MP Jo Cox in Parliament Square, London EPA Jo Cox tributes - in pictures People sign messages of condolence for MP Jo Cox during a vigil in Parliament Square in London Getty Images Jo Cox tributes - in pictures Flags at half mast outside Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh, after Labour MP Jo Cox was shot and stabbed to death in the street outside her constituency advice surgery in Birstall PA Jo Cox tributes - in pictures People arrive in Market Square with floral tributes after the death of Jo Co Getty Images Jo Cox tributes - in pictures Floral tributes are placed in Market Square next to the statue of Joseph Priestley following the death of Jo Cox Getty Images Jo Cox tributes - in pictures Floral tributes are brought to the scene after the death of Jo Cox Getty Images Jo Cox tributes - in pictures A police officer carries bunches of flowers at the scene of the shooting of Labour MP Jo Cox in Birstall REUTERS Its something I think you cant treat too lightly. The security measures are certainly a step in the right direction. I have to say that when I was first elected, having come from the NHS and seeing the very good security and staff safety policies there I was actually quite shocked to see that at that stage, MPs had nothing in terms of risk management in place. 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 is under investigation by the broadcasting watchdog Ofcom over a claim made on his radio show that Sweden is "the rape capital of Europe". The former Ukip leader used his slot on LBC last month to suggest the Swedish city of Malmo saw the highest number of rapes carried out across the continent, and blamed it on EU migrant policies. Ofcom is now assessing Mr Farages comments, which went unchallenged at the time but later sparked nine complaints. An Ofcom statement said: "We are investigating whether comments made in this programme were materially misleading." Mr Farage told listeners to his 20 February show: Pro-rata Sweden has taken more young male migrants than any other country in the Europe. And there has been a dramatic rise in sexual crime in Sweden so much so that Malmo is now the rape capital of Europe, and some argue, perhaps the rape capital of the world. And there is a Swedish media that frankly just doesnt report it. That claim was widely contradicted by experts, such as Philip N Cohen, a sociologist at the University of Maryland, who produced a graph showing rapes recorded by police per 100,000 population in Sweden compared to the countrys refugee population. It showed rape figures started increasing after 2004, eight years before the refugee population started increasing in 2012. Mr Farage, 52, began hosting an hour-long, week-night phone-in on LBC radio in January. The MEP landed the job after having been by tipped by Donald Trump as a potential ambassador to Washington. Six-year-old girl confronts Farage on live TV : 'My mummy says you don't like foreigners' His remarks echoed those of Donald Trump, who used a rally in Florida to list parts of Europe hit by terror attacks. He then told his supporters: Look at whats happening last night in Sweden. However, the US Presidents comments did not go unchallenged, as there were no reports of an attack having happened in the country. One Swedish tabloid instead listed the things that really had happened, including an avalanche warning and police chasing a drunken driver. 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 }} Boris Johnson will meet top Donald Trump aide and former right-wing news boss Steve Bannon on his trip to the US this week, The Independent understands. The Foreign Secretary will schedule meetings with top White House and Republican figures including Mr Bannon when he visits Washington DC and New York. Mr Bannon was executive chair of the far-right website Brietbart News, an outlet which has developed a reputation for publishing conspiracy theories and misleading or false stories. The former media executive turned politician now sits on a committee of the US National Security Council by virtue of Mr Trump appointing him as White House chief strategist and assistant to the President. Foreign Office sources confirmed the Foreign Secretary would be meeting with Mr Bannon and other top Trump advisors such as Stephen Miller on Tuesday and Wednesday. Mr Johnson is also expected to meet Mr Trumps pick for Secretary of State Rex Tillerson his likely counterpart. The visit will come just days after the White House accused a British intelligence agency of spying on the US president Mr Trump. Sean Spicer, the presidents press secretary, said GCHQ had helped Barack Obama spy on Mr Trump leading to a rare denial by GCHQ. Donald Trump and Mr Bannon (MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images) (Getty) After the meetings with Mr Trumps officials in Washington DC Mr Johnson is expected to head to New York City where he will chair a meeting of the UN Security Council on the security situation in Somalia and the famine in South Sudan. He will also host a major UN event on womens global empowerment. 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 An FCO spokesperson said: "Boris Johnson will travel to the Washington this week for a summit on countering Daesh on Wednesday 22 March and then to New York to chair discussions on South Sudan and Somalia in the UN Security Council on Thursday 23 March. "On Wednesday evening he will attend a reception linked to the ongoing UN Commission on the Status of Women." Sign up to our free Brexit and beyond email for the latest headlines on what Brexit is meaning for the UK Sign up to our Brexit email for the latest insight Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Brexit and beyond email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Theresa May has finally revealed that she will trigger Article 50 on March 29, launching the two-year countdown to Brexit. The Prime Minister informed EU Council President Donald Tusk on Monday morning that she will invoke the Article, ending months of speculation on the matter. A Downing Street spokesman said UK Ambassador to the EU Sir Tim Barrow had informed the President's office of Ms May's intention verbally. He added that Number 10 now wants negotiations to "start promptly" - once the article is invoked it will be up to the EU to come back, with an early response expected within 48 hours. Announcing the Article 50 date, the Downing Street spokesman said: "Earlier on this morning the UKs permanent representative in the EU informed the office of Donald Tusk, that its the UKs intention to trigger Article 50 on March 29." The Prime Minister will deliver her letter triggering Article 50 to President Tusk on the Wednesday, and deliver a statement to the House of Commons announce the move. There was no further detail about exactly what the letter would say at this point. Ms May spokesman went on: "After we trigger the 27 will agree their guidelines for negotiations and the Commission will deliver their negotiating mandate. "President Tusk has said he expected there to be an initial response within 48 hours. We want negotiations to start promptly but its obviously right that the 27 have an opportunity to agree their position." The invocation of the Lisbon Treaty article will formally begin Brexit negotiations, kicking off a two-year period during which the the and UK will try to agree the terms of Brexit and what relations will look like once Britain leaves. The period can only be made longer by way of a unanimous vote of all European countries' governments. If no deal is reached by the end of the period, the UK will crash out of the EU with no deal and revert to World Trade Organisation rules. Theresa May calls Brexit a 'great moment of national change' Ms May has said she believes that "no deal is better than a bad deal". If she meets here goal of completing negotiations within the two-year Article 50 period, then it will mean Britain leaves the EU on March 29 2019. Brexit Secretary David Davis said: "Last June, the people of the UK made the historic decision to leave the EU. Next Wednesday, the Government will deliver on that decision and formally start the process by triggering Article 50. "We are on the threshold of the most important negotiation for this country for a generation. 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 "The Government is clear in its aims: a deal that works for every nation and region of the UK and indeed for all of Europe a new, positive partnership between the UK and our friends and allies in the European Union." Notification comes 279 days after the referendum of June 23 last year delivered a 52 per cent to 48 per cent majority in favour of withdrawal. Ms May, who was visiting Swansea on Monday, is expected to conduct visits in all four nations of the UK before notification takes place. Shadow Brexit secretary Sir Keir Starmer accused Ms May of having failed to build a national consensus on Brexit adding that the UK is now "divided at home and isolated abroad". He went on: "It is also extraordinary that the Prime Minister has failed to provide any certainty about her plans for Brexit or to prepare for the clear dangers of not reaching a deal with the EU. David Davis says that he has not quantified the economic outcome of getting no deal for Brexit "Labour will hold the Prime Minister to account all the way, and argue for a Brexit deal that puts jobs, the economy and living standards first." Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron, who is demanding a second referendum on when Ms May agrees terms with the EU, said: "Theresa May is embarking on an extreme and divisive Brexit. She has rushed this through without a plan, and without a clue. "On the day Theresa May is travelling the country claiming she wants to bring the United Kingdom together, she lets it be known she is about to unleash division and bitterness." Labour MP Pat McFadden, leading supporter of Open Britain, said: "As she enters talks with our European partners, it is up to the Prime Minister to deliver the deal that she and her ministers have promised. That means a trade agreement that gives us the exact same benefits as we have now on access to the European market. "The Government has promised a Brexit deal that will not damage our economy and put jobs at risk. They need to meet the tests they have set themselves." 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 said she is not interested in being popular, in an interview with US Vogue magazine, while posing for superstar photographer Annie Leibovitz. Its not a popularity stakes, being prime minister, Ms May told the magazine. She will be the first British Prime Minister to to be shot for US Vogue. She added: I think whats important is for people to feel that Im delivering for them. Ms May, who has not won a general election as leader of the Conservative Party, also dismissed last years furore over the 1,000 leather trousers she wore for an interview with the Mail on Sunday, days after becoming Prime Minister and pledging to serve those who were just about managing. Recommended Theresa May should call a general election and finish Labour Throughout my political career, people have commented on what I wear, she said. Thats just something that happens, and you accept that. But it doesnt stop me from going out and enjoying fashion. And I also think its important to be able to show that a woman can do a job like this and still be interested in clothes. The interview is quite a coup for US Vogues British editor Anna Wintour, who received a damehood in the Queens New Years Honours List. Theresa May with her husband Philip. Mrs May is wearing an Egg coat and a Sine for Egg sweater as she was photographed by Annie Leibovitz for American Vogue (Annie Leibovitz/Vogue) Ms May also said she would stop wearing the green and blue Vivienne Westwood pantsuit that she said had become known as her lucky suit. She wore the wide-trousered suit for her leadership bid speech, which was preceded minutes before by Michael Gove announcing his intention to run, thus effectively removing Boris Johnson from contention, and also for her landmark Brexit speech at Lancaster House. But she also wore it for her EU referendum speech in April of last year, her sole contribution to the Remain campaign.People have described it as a lucky suit, she said. I think Im going to stop wearing it now. She said US President Donald Trump was actually being a gentleman when he held her hand as they walked down a ramp on the White House colonnade. We were about to walk down a ramp, and he said it might be a bit awkward, she said. When the then Home Secretary appeared on Desert Island Discs in 2014, she chose as her luxury item a lifetime subscription to Vogue. 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 }} Labours deputy leader will plead with Jeremy Corbyn to deal with Momentum in a showdown meeting today warning the party could die if he fails to act. Tom Watson will demand that Mr Corbyn immediately stamp on a hard-left plot by the group to seize permanent control of Labour, by joining forces with the super-union Unite. The plot appeared to have the tacit approval of the leadership, Mr Watson said but argued, of Mr Corbyn, that it was unclear what he knows and doesnt know. Vowing to demand answers today, he said: I regard this is a battle for the future existence of the Labour party. This is high stakes. I hope my fellow members are going to understand that - and our leadership. I hope he is going to deal with Jon Lansman [the Momentum founder]. The crunch meeting follows the weekend leaking of a secret recording of Mr Lansman addressing supporters at a meeting in Richmond, South London, on March 1. On the tape, obtained by The Observer, the Momentum founder said Unite would formerly affiliate with Momentum, if his ally Len McCluskey secures re-election as its general secretary next month. The plan appeared to be for the country's biggest union - and Labour's largest donor to channel its huge funds, as well as organisational support, to the grassroots group. Mr Lansman also called for a a fair election when Mr Corbyn steps down, backing a cut in the current requirement for leadership candidates to have the backing of at least 15 per cent of MPs and MEPs. And he appeared to dismiss pledges made to Mr Corbyn to exclude supporters of the Socialist Party - the successor to Militant Tendency - from Momentum, saying: No one from the centre is going to tell you to kick people out. Speaking on BBC Radio 4s Today programme, Mr Watson said: What Jon Lansman has outlined is a plan with Len McCluskey, the leader of Unite, to take control of the Labour Party. We have never seen the biggest union organise a political faction within the Labour Party with the tacit approval of the leadership. On Mr Corbyn, Mr Watson added: Im not sure if Jeremy knows theres a secret plan. Ill be raising it with him today. Last night, the deputy leader took on Mr Lansman on Twitter, saying: "You've revealed your plan. If you succeed you will destroy the Labour Party as an electoral force. So you have to be stopped." But, in further evidence of Labours bitter internal wars, Christine Shawcroft, a director of Momentum, accused the partys hard right of trying to block the democratic right of its members to shift its direction. She argued Mr Corbyn is a moderate socialist, adding: Jeremys policies are just pure common sense. I happen to think that Mr Watson is rather right-wing He is clearly wishes to go back to command-and-control on a Blairite model and that is not what the Labour Party is about. We have a mass membership now and that membership wants its voice to be heard. Ms Shawcroft dismissed the row over the secret recording as a non story, insisting: John said nothing that was at all controversial. UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 7 November 2022 Handout photo issued by Just Stop Oil of a protester who has climbed a gantry on the M25 between junctions six and seven in Surrey, leading to the closure of the motorway PA UK news in pictures 6 November 2022 A grey seal with its pup, at the Donna Nook National Nature Reserve in north Lincolnshire, where they come every year in late October, November and December to give birth to their pups near the sand dunes, the wildlife spectacle attracts visitors from across the UK PA 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 But Mr Watson said the tape showed Mr Lansman saying his plan was more important than winning a snap general election, adding: That shows what his priorities are. He urged Labour members to fight any attempt to lower the threshold for leadership candidates to get on the ballot, when the partys conference votes on the controversy this autumn. Mr Corbyn was able to secure the required 15 per cent backing, but only after non-supporters nominated him to widen debate which is unlikely to happen again, with a future left-wing candidate. 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 }} Dozens of people were feared dead after a passenger plane crashed at an airport in Wau, South Sudan, and then caught fire. The South Sudanese National Courier newspaper carried photos showing the burned-out wreck of the plane on the tarmac at Wau Airport. Initial reports suggested as many as 44 people had died in the crash. However, the manager of South Supreme Airlines told the National Courier there were no casualties. He said all of the passengers were evacuated from the plane before it was destroyed by the fire. An aid worker near the scene of the crash told Reuters: "No one died but there are a number of injured people right now." Forty-four passengers were on board the plane belonging to South Supreme Airlines, officials at the carrier told journalists. "About 17 to 18 people injured in the incident were taken to hospital," James Dimo Deng, a journalist in Wau, told Reuters. Photos from the scene show fire engines dousing the smouldering wreckage with water. A local official told the BBC the plane was coming from the capital, Juba. 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 }} German Chancellor Angela Merkel read a Playboy interview with Donald Trump in preparation for her first official meeting with the President, German officials have said. The first face-to-face meeting between the two leaders held at the White House last week was intended to determine Germany and Americas transatlantic alliance and shape the nations working relationship, though it appeared to end awkwardly when the President apparently refused to shake Ms Merkels hand. White House spokesperson Sean Spicer has since said Mr Trump did not hear the German leaders request for a handshake. German officials told Reuters ahead of the visit that Ms Merkel had been preparing extensively for meeting with Mr Trump. The Chancellor was said to have watched his speeches and studied interviews he had given, including a 1990 Q&A in Playboy magazine, in which Mr Trump is said to have floated a number of controversial ideas he is currently trying to implement now that he is in office. In addition to pouring over previous interviews, Ms Merkels team also analysed the Presidents interactions with other leaders such as Prime Minister Theresa May, Japans Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Canadas Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. We have to be prepared for the fact that he does not like to listen for long, that he prefers clear positions and does not want to delve into details, a senior German official told the news agency last week. The two leaders meeting saw Mr Trump call for members of Nato to pay their fair share for the cost of defence, while Ms Merkel said Germany needed to meet its spending goals for the military alliance. German chancellor Angela Merkel named most powerful woman in the world by Forbes - again Show all 10 1 /10 German chancellor Angela Merkel named most powerful woman in the world by Forbes - again German chancellor Angela Merkel named most powerful woman in the world by Forbes - again web-forbes-1-getty.jpg Getty Images German chancellor Angela Merkel named most powerful woman in the world by Forbes - again web-forbes-2-getty.jpg Getty Images German chancellor Angela Merkel named most powerful woman in the world by Forbes - again web-forbes-3-getty.jpg Getty Images German chancellor Angela Merkel named most powerful woman in the world by Forbes - again web-forbes-4-getty.jpg Getty Images German chancellor Angela Merkel named most powerful woman in the world by Forbes - again web-forbes-5-getty.jpg Getty Images German chancellor Angela Merkel named most powerful woman in the world by Forbes - again web-forbes-6-getty.jpg Getty Images German chancellor Angela Merkel named most powerful woman in the world by Forbes - again web-forbes-7-getty.jpg Getty Images German chancellor Angela Merkel named most powerful woman in the world by Forbes - again web-forbes-8-getty.jpg Getty Images German chancellor Angela Merkel named most powerful woman in the world by Forbes - again web-forbes-9-getty.jpg Getty Images German chancellor Angela Merkel named most powerful woman in the world by Forbes - again web-forbes-10-getty.jpg Getty Images I reiterated to Chancellor Merkel my strong support for Nato as well as the need for our Nato allies to pay their fair share for the cost of defence, Mr Trump said. Days later, Mr Trump shouted down suggestions that his meeting with Ms Merkel had been anything but great as fake news on Twitter, before claiming that Germany owes vast sums of money to Nato. Nevertheless, Germany owes vast sums of money to NATO & the United States must be paid more for the powerful, and very expensive, defence it provides for Germany! he tweeted from his Mar-a-Lago base in Florida. Additional reporting by Reuters Sign up to our Evening Headlines email for your daily guide to the latest news Sign up to our free US Evening Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Donald Trump is doing Russia's bidding by repeating allegations that the British intelligence services helped wiretap Trump Tower during the 2016 election, the former UK ambassador to the US has said. During a press conference with Angela Merkel on Friday, the President again said he believed a story - which first emerged on state broadcaster Russia Today (RT) - that Barack Obama authorised GCHQ to surveil the then-Republican candidate's communications. Such claims were not only "nonsense", but risked undermining the decades-old working relationship between American and British intelligence officials, senior UK diplomat Sir Peter Westmacott told the BBC's Today programme. Sir Peter, who was ambassador to the US until he stepped down last year, said Mr Trump risked doing "very serious damage" to the defence of both countries by refusing to accept British assurances that the story was not true. "Does he believe this stuff, or does he just trot it out because hes seen it on Fox News?" Sir Peter asked. The former ambassador has previously written in the Guardian that Mr Trump is playing a "dangerous game" by refusing to admit his error in making the claim in the first place. And on Monday morning, he agreed it appeared Mr Trump was "doing something the Russians want him to do". "I suspect it is not [overstating it] to suggest this story comes from the Russian playbook," he said. "What we do know is that the Russians are engaged in information warfare against the US and the UK. They have peddled stories in the past which turned out to be not true, which were deliberately put out by them, [and] they have produced leaked material to embarrass different US politicians. "So if the story comes from RT it would indeed be part of the standard Russian playbook with which Western democracies are currently struggling to cope." 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 row comes after a White House press conference last week in which Sean Spicer cited a Fox News analyst saying Mr Obama used GCHQ to bug Trump Tower, so there would be "no American fingerprints on it". The claim brought a rare public denial by GCHQ, which said the comment was "utterly ridiculous" and should be ignored, while Downing Street said it had secured an assurance that the allegation would not be repeated. But at a joint news conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Friday, Mr Trump said only that Mr Spicer had been quoting retired judge Andrew Napolito, who he described as a "very talented legal mind". "We said nothing," he said. "I don't make an opinion on it." The updated text of the memorandum with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) contains the main parameters of the pension reform planned in Ukraine, Ukrainian Minister of Social Policy Andriy Reva has told Interfax-Ukraine. "When we were preparing the memorandum for signing, the main parameters [of the pension reform] were coordinated with the fund, with the Ministry of Finance, therefore the basic provisions have been agreed upon. They are contained in the memorandum," he said in Kyiv. The minister noted in the matter of the pension reform the Cabinet of Ministers managed to convince the IMF of the correctness of its vision of the reform, which "happens quite rarely." Reva said at present the Ministry of Social Policy is working on the pension reform, its working version has already been developed. "We have a working option, but we are not discussing it as it will be further clarified and discussed in the government," Reva specified. The minister added he supports the speedy adoption of this reform after the government submits it to the Verkhovna Rada. Sign up to our Evening Headlines email for your daily guide to the latest news Sign up to our free US Evening Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} A satirical story claiming Donald Trumps first budget makes perfect sense has been mistaken for a real article and included in the White Houses online daily briefing. The article, entitled Trumps budget makes perfect sense and will fix America, and I will tell you why, published on the Washington Post, was included as a link on the White Houses 1600 Daily. The briefing page carries news, events and updates from the White House, including a daily schedule for the President and links to news stories that generally favour the administration. Recommended Read the satirical story the White House mistook for real news Written by columnist Alexandra Petri, the article stated: This budget will make America a lean, mean fighting machine with bulging, rippling muscles and not an ounce of fat. America has been weak and soft for too long. BUT HOW WILL I SURVIVE ON THIS BUDGET? you may be wondering. I AM A HUMAN CHILD, NOT A COSTLY FIGHTER JET. You may not survive, but that is because you are SOFT and WEAK, something this budget is designed to eliminate. On the proposed 29 per cent cut to the State Department, Ms Petri wrote: With the money we will save on these sad public servants, we will be able to buy lots of GUNS and F-35s and other cool things that go BOOM and POW and PEW PEW PEW. The article, which ends with the words, RAW POWER! HARD RAW POWER GRRRRRR HISSS POW! It will be great, was included in the news reports section of the 1600 Daily on 17 March. The link has since been removed, but screenshots of the mistake were tweeted by readers to Ms Petri. Writing on Philly.com, Ms Petri described her article as a piece composed almost entirely of onomatopoeic noises (PEW PEW! GRRRRRRRR!) typed out in all caps. She claimed there are two possible explanations for her piece being linked to in the 1600 Daily briefing; either the staff read it and loved it, or only read her headline. I was surprised as anyone to discover I was Real News. Here I thought that I was toiling away in the Dank Cesspool of the Mainstream Media, but all along I was a Trusted News Source, just like Breitbart.com! she added. The White House has been contacted 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 }} Some people are complaining that the budget proffered by the Trump administration, despite its wonderful macho-sounding name, is too vague and makes all sorts of cuts to needed programs in favor of increasing military spending by leaps and bounds. These people are wimps. Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney has called it a "hard power budget" which is, I think, the name of an exercise program where you eat only what you can catch, pump up your guns and then punch the impoverished in the face. This, conveniently, is also what the budget does. This budget will make America a lean, mean fighting machine with bulging, rippling muscles and not an ounce of fat. America has been weak and soft for too long. BUT HOW WILL I SURVIVE ON THIS BUDGET? you may be wondering. I AM A HUMAN CHILD, NOT A COSTLY FIGHTER JET. You may not survive, but that is because you are SOFT and WEAK, something this budget is designed to eliminate. What are we cutting? Recommended Trump could reverse cuts to education if Melania lived in White House The State Department, by 29 percent: Right now, all the State Department's many qualified employees do is sit around being sad that they are never consulted about anything. This is, frankly, depressing, and it is best to put them out of their misery. Besides, they are only trained in Soft Diplomacy, like a woman would do, and NOBODY wants that. Only HARD POWER now that we have a man in charge who thought the name Rex Tillerson was not manly enough and rechristened himself Wayne Tracker. With the money we will save on these sad public servants, we will be able to buy lots of GUNS and F-35s and other cool things that go BOOM and POW and PEW PEW PEW. Environmental Protection Agency: We absolutely do not need this. Clean rivers and breathable air are making us SOFT and letting the Chinese and the Russians get the jump on us. We must go back to the America that was great, when the air was full of coal and danger and the way you could tell if the air was breathable was by carrying a canary around with you at all times, perched on your leathery, coal-dust-covered finger. Furthermore, we will cut funding to Superfund cleanup in the EPA because the only thing manlier than clean water is DIRTY water. Agriculture Department: NO MORE OF THIS NAMBY-PAMBY "GATHERING" NONSENSE. We will be HUNTERS again. This is also why we are cutting the Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children: Let them FIGHT for their meat or have NONE. Commerce Department: This will lose its funding to prepare people for coastal disasters, because in the future we will all be so strong that we can stare down the sea and make it recede by flexing our bulging muscles. Labor Department: There will be no LABOR in the future. Labor is what women do, I think. All fetuses will burst out of wombs brandishing an Uzi on each arm. (Also, we will cut the funding to the people who would have explained that this is not how birth or labor works.) Tom Hanks sends coffee machine gift to White House press corps We are decreasing funding to the National Institutes of Health because in the future we will cure disease by punching it, or, if that fails, sending drones after it. Also, we will buy more planes and guns to shoot airborne viruses out of the sky. Affordable housing is a luxury and we are going to get rid of it. Donald Trump does not live in affordable housing and neither should you. We don't need to fund historic sites. Those parks have sassed the administration enough and they must get what is coming to them. A few other things we are cutting: Chemical Safety Board: Give us CHEMICAL DANGER, which sounds way more metal. Corporation for Public Broadcasting: Instead, anyone who turns on the radio will be able to hear audio footage of a Trump son shooting a rare land mammal. National Endowment for the Arts: The NEA will be destroyed and replaced with an armored helicopter with a shark painted on it. National Endowment for the Humanities: The NEH will be replaced with half a fighter jet and a bunch of drones. This is the only art America needs. U.S. Institute of Peace: Wimpy. U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness: We will all live outdoors in the new Hard Power America and we will pump steel together and shout "GRRR" and there will be no mental illness because it is only in your mind. Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars: This is counterintuitive given Wilson's track record of racism, which is no longer the handicap that it once was, but you must remember that he also tried to start the League of Nations, which was like the United Nations but more so. There is a $2.6 billion line in the budget to pay for the wall until Mexico pays for the wall. I think? Sounds right. The education budget is also cut so I can't tell if this logic makes sense. All schoolchildren will be taught by an F-35 wearing a Make America Great Again hat. They will also have new school choice options including the choice not to afford any school at all, because at school you are taught things like grammar and pronouns and spelling and history, and these are all potentially inimical to the future we are trying to build. We will also be cutting Meals on Wheels, as well as after-school programs to feed children, because they are not improving performance as we would like. Feed children just to feed them? What are we, SOFT? No. No we are not. AMERICA WILL BE STRONGER THAN IT HAS EVER BEEN! Anyone who survives will be a gun covered in the fur of a rare mammal, capable of fighting disease with a single muscular flex. RAW POWER! HARD RAW POWER GRRRRRR HISSS POW! It will be great. Washington Post Sign up to our Evening Headlines email for your daily guide to the latest news Sign up to our free US Evening Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Donald Trump could reverse recently announced cuts to education programmes if his wife and son moved out of New York's Trump Tower and into the White House, figures show. Security expenditure for Melania Trump and 10-year-old Barron costs between $127,000 (102,000) and $145,000 (116,000) per day, or an average of $136,000 (109,000), according to the New York Police Department (NYPD). Although this is not as high as when the President lived there, which the force recently revealed came to $308,000 (248,000) per day, US taxpayers have nonetheless paid around $8.6 million (6.9 million) too look after the First Lady and her son. The pair are expected to remain in the building until June, meaning the overall cost to taxpayers could amount to around $18.2 million (14.6 million). Calculations show that this amount could cover two mayor education programmes Mr Trump has proposed to eliminate in his recently announced budget. The Woodrow Wilson International Centre for Scholars, which provides scholarships and fellowships in social sciences and humanities is set to lose out on $11 million (8.87 million) worth of funding. Funding for International Education programmes, which run a variety of exchanges, migrant schools and special education services abroad also looks likely to have $7 million (5.65 million) cut. Both programmes now face elimination, but their combined cost of $18 million (14.5 million) is less than the price tag for keeping Ms Trump and her son in New York. Barack Obama requested $10.4 million (8.3 million) in his 2017 budget for the the Wilson Centre, a think tank which conducts its own original research on many of the most pressing major global issues and has unique expertise on countries and regions around the world. Trump says 'Obamacare is dead' as he prepares to repeal and replace healthcare act The International Education programme, run by the Department of Education, provides important funding for foreign language studies and teaching abroad. The two programmes are among hundreds of services and agencies that face elimination in Mr Trump's $1.15 trillion (1 trillion) budget titled 'America First: A Budget Blueprint to Make America Great Again' which also stated plans to slash funding for Meals on Wheels, a program that provides meals for the poor, elderly and veterans, as well as health care and nutrition for low-income women, infants and children. 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 It also proposed a $54 billion (44 billion) increase in defence spending. It is thought that the First Lady and the presidential couples son will be moving to join Mr Trump in Washington in June. Separate calculations have meanwhile shown the security and travel costs of the President's trips to his private Palm Beach resort Mar-a-Lago, will cost an estimated to amount to $600 million over four years. 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 FBI may have lost Hillary Clinton the election with an announcement in the final days of campaigning but failed to announce that it was looking into damning rumours about Donald Trump. FBI director James Comey has revealed that the agency has been secretly looking into reports that Russia meddled in the results of the 2016 election to help Mr Trump win, and that there may be links between associates of the President and Russia. That investigation has been ongoing since July, long before election, he confirmed. But immediately, many pointed out that the FBI chose to keep that investigation secret until many months after the election. 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 was in direct contrast with the announcement just days before polls opened that the FBI had found more emails as part of a probe into Hillary Clinton's communications. That revelation shocked the US, and has been credited with helping Donald Trump win the election and become president. It's not clear why the FBI chose to reveal the update on Hillary Clinton's investigation while keeping secret information that could have had a far more significant impact on Mr Tump's campaign. Both announcements were extraordinary and historic, something that Mr Comey acknowledged during the congressional hearing into Russian meddling and the potential connections between Moscow and Mr Trump's campaign. Recommended FBI confirms it is investigating links between Trump team and Russia The hearing, providing the most extensive public accounting of a matter that has dogged the Trump administration for its first two months, quickly broke along partisan lines. Democrats pressed for details on the status of the FBI's investigation, while Republicans repeatedly focused on news coverage and possible improper disclosures of classified information developed through surveillance. Under questioning from the committee's top Democrat, Adam Schiff, the FBI director also publicly contradicted a series of tweets from Trump that declared the Republican candidate's phones had been ordered tapped by President Barack Obama during the campaign. "I have no confirmation that supports those tweets, and we have looked carefully inside the FBI," Comey said. The same was true, he added, of the Justice Department. Mr Comey was the latest government official to reject Trump's claims, made without any evidence, that Obama had wiretapped his New York skyscraper during the campaign. Devin Nunes, a California Republican and chairman of the House intelligence committee, also rejected it earlier in the hearing. Mr Comey was testifying along with National Security Agency Director Michael Rogers, who also disputed allegations that surfaced last year that British intelligence services were involved in the wiretapping. Mr Trump took to Twitter before the hearing began, accusing Democrats of making up allegations about his campaign associates' contact with Russia during the election. He said Congress and the FBI should be going after media leaks and maybe even Hillary Clinton instead. "The real story that Congress, the FBI and others should be looking into is the leaking of Classified information. Must find leaker now!" Trump tweeted early Monday as news coverage on the Russia allegations dominated the morning's cable news. Trump also suggested, without evidence, that Clinton's campaign was in contact with Russia and had possibly thwarted a federal investigation. U.S. intelligence officials have not publicly raised the possibility of contacts between the Clintons and Moscow. Officials investigating the matter have said they believe Moscow had hacked into Democrats' computers in a bid to help Trump's election bid. Monday's hearing, one of several by congressional panels probing allegations of Russian meddling, could allow for the greatest public accounting to date of investigations that have shadowed the Trump administration in its first two months. The top two lawmakers on the committee said Sunday that documents the Justice Department and FBI delivered late last week offered no evidence that the Obama administration had wiretapped Trump Tower, the president's New York City headquarters. Comey confirms FBI is investigating Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election But the panel's ranking Democrat said the material offered circumstantial evidence that American citizens colluded with Russians in Moscow's efforts to interfere in the presidential election. "There was circumstantial evidence of collusion; there is direct evidence, I think, of deception," Schiff said on NBC's "Meet the Press." ''There's certainly enough for us to conduct an investigation." Nunes said: "For the first time the American people, and all the political parties now, are paying attention to the threat that Russia poses." "We know that the Russians were trying to get involved in our campaign, like they have for many decades. They're also trying to get involved in campaigns around the globe and over in Europe," he said on "Fox News Sunday." The Senate Intelligence Committee has scheduled a similar hearing for later in the month. Though Comey would not discuss specific evidence, he went far beyond his testimony from a hearing in January, when he refused to confirm or deny the existence of any investigation exploring possible connections between Trump associates and Russia, consistent with the FBI's longstanding policy of not publicly discussing its work. His appearances on Capitol Hill since then have occurred in classified settings, often with small groups of lawmakers, and he has made no public statements connected to the Trump campaign or Russia. Any lack of detail from Comey on Monday would likely be contrasted with public comments he made last year when closing out an investigation into Clinton's email practices and then, shortly before Election Day, announcing that the probe would be revived following the discovery of additional emails. Additional reporting by Associated Press 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 Department of Homeland Security has released its first weekly report of alleged criminal charges and offences by immigrants in the US, a mandate of newly-elected President Donald Trump. The report, entitled the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement Declined Detainer Outcome Report, lists examples of people who are currently in the US and have not been deported by their jurisdiction despite a deportation request by ICE. The list includes people who have been charged, but not convicted, of a crime. Crimes range from domestic violence, assault, drug possession and traffic violations. No names are given, only their county and state, their citizenship, criminal history and the day they were issued a detainer and the date that detainer was declined. When law enforcement agencies fail to honor immigration detainers and release serious criminal offenders, it undermines ICEs ability to protect the public safety and carry out its mission, said Acting ICE Director Thomas Homan. Our goal is to build cooperative, respectful relationships with our law enforcement partners. We will continue collaborating with them to help ensure that illegal aliens who may pose a threat to our communities are not released onto the streets to potentially harm individuals living within our communities. US judge suspends Trump deportations amid country-wide protests The weekly report was mandated in an executive order, signed by the President on 25 January, called Enhancing Public Safety in the Interior of the United States. It required the DHS compile every week make public a comprehensive list of criminal actions committed by aliens and any jurisdiction that ignored or otherwise failed to honor any detainers with respect to such aliens. Critics of the published list say it will continue to demonise the vast majority of immigrants who are law-abiding individuals, and exploit other peoples fears that immigrants are a threat to their safety. 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 Several recent reports from the likes of the Cato Institute and the Sentencing Project have discovered that US-born native citizens are more likely than immigrants and undocumented immigrants to commit crimes or be incarcerated. The Sentencing Project even suggested that an increasing number of immigrants has contributed to an historic drop in crime rates. The DHS report also details all the jurisdictions that have released people from their custody even if they are subject to a detainer. Nevada, New York and Illinois were listed as the top three states in this category. Data for the report was gathered between 28 January and 3 February. The report warned that the number of instructions to deport people will increase, as some field offices ceased issuing detainers to known uncooperative jurisdictions. ICE field officers have recently been instructed to issue detainers on all removable aliens in a law enforcement agency's custody. 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 head of the FBI has for the first time publicly confirmed that federal investigators are looking into both Russias alleged interference with the 2016 election and also possible links between Moscow and members of Donald Trumps campaign team. The US media has for months reported that the bureau was probing possible collusion between Russia and the team of the New York businessman. But amid a background of leaks, innuendo and allegations of so-called fake news, FBI Director James Comey not only confirmed the existence of such an investigation, but also said it would not be completed for some time. Mr Comey, who was criticised by many Democrats for his revelation late in the 2016 election campaign that a probe into Hillary Clintons use of a private email server had been reopened, told the House Intelligence Committee there was only so much he could say in a public setting. He said the probe, which he said began in July, included investigating the nature of any links between individuals associated with the Trump campaign and the Russian government and whether there was any coordination between the campaign and Russia's efforts. He added: "Because it is an open, ongoing investigation and is classified, I cannot say more about what we are doing and whose conduct we are examining. Earlier, the chairman of the committee, Republican Representative Devin Nunes, told the same hearing that the panel had seen no evidence of collusion between Russia and Mr Trump's 2016 campaign. John Oliver makes fun of Donald Trump refusing to shake Angela Merkel's hand Mr Nunes also repeated his opinion that there was no evidence to support a claim by the billionaire businessman that there had been a wiretap on his Trump Tower in New York but said it was possible other surveillance was used against the Republican. Other congressional committees also are investigating a possible Russian connection mostly behind closed doors. The US government alleged last summer that Russian intelligence had tried to interfere with the presidential election, in an apparent attempt to help Mr Trump. This included hacking into the emails of senior members of Hillary Clintons team and the Democratic National Committee. Sevnica: Melania Trump's home town Show all 18 1 /18 Sevnica: Melania Trump's home town Sevnica: Melania Trump's home town The 12th-century castle dominates Sevnica old town Getty Images Sevnica: Melania Trump's home town The old town has a beautiful riverside setting Getty Images Sevnica: Melania Trump's home town 'White House' slippers in Sevnica castle Nick Redmayne Sevnica: Melania Trump's home town The annual salami festival, the Salamiada Nick Redmayne Sevnica: Melania Trump's home town Sevnica was a nondescript town before Melania hit the big time AFP/Getty Images Sevnica: Melania Trump's home town Sevnica butchers take their sausage-making skills seriously Nick Redmayne Sevnica: Melania Trump's home town Only men are allowed in the Salamiada Nick Redmayne Sevnica: Melania Trump's home town As American as.... a Sevnica apple pie Nick Redmayne Sevnica: Melania Trump's home town There are no plans to make a Donald pie Nick Redmayne Sevnica: Melania Trump's home town The slippers featured in a recent fashion show AFP/Getty Images Sevnica: Melania Trump's home town The castle is one of the top tourist sites in town Getty Images Sevnica: Melania Trump's home town Melanija cake has gone down a storm AFP/Getty Images Sevnica: Melania Trump's home town The smart house still owned by Melania's parents Nick Redmayne Sevnica: Melania Trump's home town They live in America but visit occasionally Nick Redmayne Sevnica: Melania Trump's home town The communist block of flats in which Melania grew up Nick Redmayne Sevnica: Melania Trump's home town Melania skin cream, for a presidential complexion Nick Redmayne Sevnica: Melania Trump's home town First lady chocolates, dusted with gold Nick Redmayne Sevnica: Melania Trump's home town Even locals can't get enough of the Melanija cake Nick Redmayne Mr Trump long rejected the claim that Russia had came to his assistance. Moscow also denied the allegations. In late December, Mr Obama expelled 35 Russian diplomats in punishment for the alleged interference. Vladimir Putin surprised many by deciding not to reciprocate. Mr Trump has continued to insist there was collusion between his campaign and Russia, and US intelligence has yet to provide any evidence to support such an allegation. Mr Comey was asked whether he had yet uncovered anything to support such a conclusion. He responded by saying that he would not be able to comment until the probe was concluded - something he said would not happen quickly. All I can tell you is that we are investigating whether there was any collusion or coordination between Russia and the Trump campaign, he said. Recommended Mr Comeys revelation will be seized on by supporters of Ms Clinton, furious with the FBI Directors 11th hour intervention in the 2016 campaign, something the party believes tipped the election in Mr Trumps favour. Some folks made a comparison to past instances where the Justice Department and the FBI has spoken about the details of some investigations, Mr. Comey said. Please keep in mind that those involved the details of completed investigations. Our ability to share details with Congress and the American people is limited when those investigations are still open, which I hope makes sense. We need to protect peoples privacy. We needed to make sure we dont get other people clues as to where we are going. 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 }} An increased number of immigrants in the US might have contributed to an historic drop in crime rates, according to a new study. Research also shows that immigrants are less likely than US-born citizens to commit crimes and be imprisoned. Both reports cast doubt on President Donald Trumps and his administrations populist rhetoric that immigrants and particularly undocumented immigrants are more likely to commit violent crimes. In one executive order, he said he would publish a weekly list of criminal actions committed by aliens. His budget request includes a $3 billion boost to the Department of Homeland Security, led by John Kelly, which would fund the proposed wall along the US-Mexican border and carry out the Presidents executive orders on immigration. Undocumented immigrants in the US have risen from 3.5 million in 1990 to 11.1 million in 2014. Yet a report from criminal research and advocacy group the Sentencing Project suggested that rising immigration may have even contributed to an historic drop in crime rates in that time. It found there were 730 violent crimes per 100,000 citizens 27 years ago, compared to 362 crimes per 100,000 citizens in 2014. The report is not definitive in proving causation, however. But it did conclude that foreign-born residents of the United States commit crime less often than native-born citizens. These findings were backed up by a report from the libertarian Cato Institute, which looked at how many people were in prison by migratory status, ethnicity and gender, and found that all immigrants are less likely to be incarcerated than natives relative to their shares of the population. Mr Trump has often pointed to a relatively small spike in crime over the past two years, despite crime having sunk lower over the past several decades, to justify his anti-immigrant stance. Attorney General Jeff Sessions even claimed when he was sworn into office that crime was rising and it was a dangerous, permanent trend. The Cato study found that there are about 2 million US-born citizens, 123,000 undocumented immigrants and 64,000 documented foreign citizens in US jails. If natural-born citizens were incarcerated at the same rate as undocumented immigrants, there would be about 893,000 fewer US-born citizens in prison, it found. Compared to rates of documented migrants in prison, there would be 1.4 million fewer US-born citizens in prison. 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 Yet Republicans and anti-immigrant campaigners point to a handful of high-profile examples to exploit peoples fears that bad dudes, as the President calls them, want to cause harm when they come to the US. One common example is the murder of Kathryn Steinle, who authorities say was killed by a man who had been deported from the US to Mexico five times. In an executive order signed by Mr Trump to invest more power in the police and reduce illegal immigration, he declared: They [transnational criminal organisations] have been known to commit brutal murders, rapes, and other barbaric acts, language which could demonise millions of people who seek a new life in the US. It is not just the two reports mentioned above that found immigrants pose less threat than is widely presumed among Trump voters. Additional research from the American Immigration Council discovered that immigrants in the US were significantly less likely than native-born citizens to be imprisoned. Sessions: 300 individuals living in the US as refugees are under investigation for terrorism ties In 2007, the National Bureau of Economic Research found that immigrants were five times less likely to be incarcerated than native-born US citizens, and the likelihood decreased even further between 1980 and 2000. Sign up to our Evening Headlines email for your daily guide to the latest news Sign up to our free US Evening Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} A Florida mum sent a thank-you note to police for arresting her errant daughter. A Walton County Sheriffs office received a note from a mother after her teenaged daughter was taken in by police for underage drinking during her spring break, along with several other people. The coastal community is a popular destination for university students to go during their week-long holiday. Sheriff Michael Adkinson Jr posted text of the note to his Facebook account. In this day, cops are getting a bad rap. So I wanted to say thank you, wrote the mother, who was not identified. Police departments nationwide have been the focus of public anger and Department of Justice investigations for shootings and allegations of violence and racism. She mentioned that the courteous and respectful manner in which the police acted was very reassuring since she was hundreds of miles away. The arrest scared the HELL out of her and Im hoping she learned her lesson, the woman wrote about her daughters mistake in holding a beer can on a beach in the popular Spring Break destination in Florida. Mr Adkinson Jrs post has gotten nearly 3,000 likes and over 700 shares on Facebook as well as dozens of messages of support. 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 artist behind a billboard depicting President Donald Trump as a Nazi alongside dollar sign swastikas, has refused to take it down despite receiving death threats. Karen Fiorito said she had been inundated with hate since the billboard was first unveiled on 17 March in Phoenix, Arizona. It depicts Donald Trump glaring with a Russian flag on his lapel, a picture of atomic bombs going off behind him and dollar signs turned sideways to resemble swastikas. On the back, the word unity is written in English and sign language. The image was commissioned by Phoenix-based art gallery, La Melgosa, to protest against Donald Trumps plans to build a border wall on the Mexican border, step up efforts to deport all illegal immigrants with criminal records and ban citizens from six Muslim-majority countries from entering the US. Ms Fiorito told NBC News 12 she was trying to put a little bit of humour into what was a dark issue. The California-based artist said: "I think a lot of people are feeling this way and I'm just trying to express what I think is on a lot of people's minds these days. "Something that really concerned us was this idea of a dictatorship where things were going in a certain direction." Beatrice Moore, who owns the billboard on the citys Grand Avenue which is known for its art galleries, said it will remain there as long as Mr Trump is president. She said: "Some of these issues are so important you can't not speak out". This is not the first time Ms Moore and Ms Fiorito have collaborated on a political message. In 2004, Ms Fiorito was commissioned to create a billboard with the image of then President George W Bush and top government officials with the caption Dear America, we lied to you for your own good. Now trust us. Trump Inauguration protests around the World Show all 14 1 /14 Trump Inauguration protests around the World Trump Inauguration protests around the World Activists from Greenpeace display a message reading "Mr President, walls divide. Build Bridges!" along the Berlin wall in Berlin on January 20, 2017 to coincide with the inauguration of Donald Trump as the 45th president of the United State Getty Trump Inauguration protests around the World An activist holds up a sign at the "We Stand United" rally on the eve of US President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration outside Trump International Hotel and Tower in New York on January 19, 2017 in New York Getty Trump Inauguration protests around the World Protesters burn a U.S. flag and a mock flag with pictures of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump outside the U.S. embassy in metro Manila, Philippines Getty Trump Inauguration protests around the World Filipino protestors hold placcards during a protest rally in front of the US embassy in Manila, Philippines, 20 January 2017. On the eve of President-elect Donald Trump's inaguration as the 45th president of the United States, Filipinos and Fil-Americans held a protest in front of the US embassy in Manila to denounce the incoming US president. Getty Trump Inauguration protests around the World Hong Kong police officers and security guards look on as an anarchist protester belonging to the Disrupt J20 movement sits after using a heavy duty D-lock and motorcycle lock to chain himself to a railing at the entrance gate to the Consulate General of the United States of America in Hong Kong to protest the inauguration of United States President-elect Donald Trump, Hong Kong, China, 20 January 2017. Two activists were arrested and taken away by Hong Kong police during the demonstration. Getty Trump Inauguration protests around the World A banner is unfurled on London's Tower Bridge, organised by Bridges Not Walls - a partnership between grassroots activists and campaigners working on a range of issues, formed in the wake of Donald Trump's election, which aims to build bridges to a world free from hatred and oppression. Getty Trump Inauguration protests around the World Protesters chain themselves to an entry point prior at the inauguration of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump in Washington, DC, U.S. Getty Trump Inauguration protests around the World Bridges Not Walls banner dropped from Molenbeek bridge in Brussels, Belgium, 20 January 2017, in an Greenpeace action part of protests Wolrd protest in solidarity with people in the US, the day Donald Trump sworn in as the 45th President of the United States. Getty Trump Inauguration protests around the World A woman holds an anti-U.S. President-elect Donald Trump placard during a rally in Tokyo, Japan, Getty Trump Inauguration protests around the World A Palestinian protester holds a placard during a demonstration against the construction of Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank and against US President-elect Donald Trump, on January 20, 2017, near the settlement of Maale Adumim, east of Jerusalem Getty Trump Inauguration protests around the World Banners on North Bridge in Edinburgh as part of the Bridges Not Walls protest against US President Donald Trump on the day of his inauguration Getty Trump Inauguration protests around the World Russian artist Vasily Slonov (L) and his assistant carry a life-sized cutout, which is an artwork created by Slonov and titled "Siberian Inauguration", before its presentation on the occasion of the inauguration of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, in a street in Krasnoyarsk, Russia Getty Trump Inauguration protests around the World A woman holds a banner during a march to thank outgoing President Barack Obama and reject US President-elect Donald Trump before his inauguration at a park in Tokyo, Japan, 20 January 2017. EPA Trump Inauguration protests around the World Palestinian demonstrators protesting this week against a promise by Donald Trump to re-locate the US embassy to Jerusalem Reuters Many artists have found their own ways to protest against Mr Trumps arrival in the Oval Office. In October, The Nuisance Committee a super PAC funded by the creators of the card game Cards Against Humanity paid for a billboard with the words: Donald Trump: he cant read this, but he is afraid of it written in Arabic. It was put up in the city of Dearborn, Michigan, which has a high percentage of Arab Americans. It was hoped they would translate the message for their friends, but Mr Trump nonetheless won the crucial swing state by over 10,000 votes. 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 Supreme Court nominee once said that women manipulate companies to access maternity leave and should be questioned about their plans to have children before they were hired, it has been claimed. Judge Neil Gorsuch allegedly told a class of students that law firms had to protect themselves from female employees. Former law student Jennifer Sisk, made the claim in a letter shared by the National Employment Lawyers Association and the National Women's Law Center. He asked the class to raise their hands if they knew of a female who had used the company to get maternity benefits and then left right after having a baby, she said. At that point Judge Gorsuch became more animated saying Cmon guys. He then announced that all our hands should be raised because many women use their companies for maternity benefits and then leave the company after the baby is born. Ms Sisk said she was distressed by the content of the discussion and surprised someone of Judge Gorsuchs professional standing could hold such views about female attorneys. It concerned me that a man educating female lawyers would be discounting their worth publicly, she wrote. Now it concerns me that a man who is being considered for our highest court holds views that discount the worth of working females. The letter has been sent to the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Senator Chuck Grassley, and ranking member Senator Dianne Feinstein. Another legal document has also been sent to the senators, calling for the claims to be entered into the hearing record ahead of Judge Gorsuchs official appointment to Mr Trump's cabinet. 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 allegations are likely to add to the tough scrutiny that awaits Judge Gorsuch at his Senate confirmation hearing that starts this week. Democrats will be seeking to make the case that he is a pro-business, social conservative who is too closely tied to the president to be impartial. They have said they will probe him on several fronts based on his record as a federal appeals court judge and a Justice Department appointee under former President George W Bush. Another line of attack previewed by Democratic leader Chuck Schumer, will focus on rulings the judge has made in which corporate interests won out over individual workers. His views on social issues, including a 2006 book he wrote in which he argued against the legalisation of assisted suicide and euthanasia, are likely to be discussed too. Judge Gorsuch will fill the vacancy created by the death of Justice Antonin Scalia last March. His appointment has already proved controversial because Barack Obama's nominee for the seat, Judge Merrick Garland, was blocked by Republicans who refused to hold a confirmation hearing or a vote. They said the next president should choose a nominee. As a result, some commentators have called it a "stolen seat". With the court ideologically split, with four judges on the conservative and liberal wings, Judge Gorusch will tip the balance to the right. Like all Supreme Court justices he would serve for life if confirmed. Additional reporting by Reuters SBU should analyze information on visits of politicians from European and other countries in Crimea, impose sanctions against them Turchynov The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) should analyze information about the stay in Crimea of politicians from European and other countries to impose sanctions on them, Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine (NSDC) Oleksandr Turchynov has said. "The SBU must prepare and submit to the NSDC of Ukraine a list of officials from the European Parliament, as well as politicians from the countries of the European Union, the CIS and Latin America, who, according to Russian media, arrived with a three-day visit to the annexed Crimea," Turchynov said. If this information is confirmed, the issue of imposing sanctions against them will be considered at a meeting of the Council, the press service of the NSDC said on Sunday. "In addition, information about the participation of Ukrainian citizens in this propaganda action is also subject to verification and, in case of confirmation of their stay in Crimea, criminal proceedings should be opened in accordance with the current legislation," Turchynov said. Sign up to our Evening Headlines email for your daily guide to the latest news Sign up to our free US Evening Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} The Supreme Court nomination hearings for Judge Neil Gorsuch have begun with Democrats expressing their frustration at the timing of the sessions. Members of the Senate Judiciary Committee went through their opening statements ahead of questioning President Trumps nominee to fill the late Justice Antonin Scalias seat. Mr Gorsuch is seen as controversial for a variety of reasons, but mostly for his close alliance with President Trumps politics. He tried to ally some fears in his opening statement by saying that he feels putting on a robe reminds us judges to lose our egos and open our minds. Senator Dianne Feinstein of California started her statement by saying she wished Mr Gorsuch was in front of the committee under better circumstances. Ms Feinstein made mention of the unprecendented treatment of Merrick Garland, who was former President Obamas nominee for Mr Scalias seat. Mr Garland was seen as a moderate candidate, chosen because he would not ruffle feathers on either side of the political aisle. However, he was denied even a hearing. Dr. Barbara Perry, Director of Presidential Studies at the University of Virginias Miller Centre and a former Judicial Fellow at the US Supreme Court, told The Independent that no person with a nomination has been denied a hearing, since hearings have been in place in the 20th century. Ms Perry gave the example of President Lyndon B Johnsons nomination of Justice William Fortis to be promoted to the Chief Justice position was filibustered by both Republicans and Democrats at the time, but Mr Fortis was still given a proper hearing. Democrats made it known this was still a sore spot for them. However during his opening statement, Republican Senator Lindsey Graham asked how any Senator could say that Mr Gorsuch was unqualified for the job. Mr Graham also explained that though no Republicans would have chosen [current Supreme Court Justices] Sotomayor or Kagan but how could anyone say they werent qualified? He had voted for both the women to be put on the Supreme Court despite being appointed by Democrat President Obama because he felt they had lived exemplary lives and were well within in the mainstream of judicial thinking on the left. He said he thought that is what the Senate Judiciary Committee was supposed to do, pointing to the rumours that Democrats could challenge Mr Gorsuchs nomination with a filibuster due to Mr Garlands treatment. West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin, a Democrat, has already made it known he will not participate in a filibuster. Ms Perry explained that even ardent Democrat, Massachusetts Senator Ted Kennedy had voted several times for Republican nominees for the Court. She also said that about one-third of Mr Gorsuchs decisions in the 10th Circuit Federal Court were in agreement with Democrat nominees in that circuit, though they may not have been on hot button social issues. Ms Feinstein and others routinely brought up concerns about the overturning of Roe v Wade, which protects a womans right to get an abortion and other class action suits in which Mr Gorsuch has sided with large corporations rather than public health and safety, in their opinion. Ms Perry said that though he is a conservative judge, Mr Gorsuch would be a one for one for Mr Scalia, known for his strict and politically conservative interpretation of the US Constitution. Donald Trump tells Republicans to 'go nuclear' to stop Democrats blocking Supreme Court nomination This means that Mr Gorsuch would not be in a swing seat, as Ms Perry called it. The Court could allow for more state restrictions on abortion and other womens rights but she thinks that because of Justice Anthony Kennedys more liberal voting record on the issues that Roe v. Wade should remain intact. However, she did say that Mr Gorsuch, a former clerk for Mr Kennedy, is seen as a Kennedy whisperer in some circles and could get the elderly judge to retire, which open another seat for Mr Trump to fill. It is this potential that also worries many Democrats. Many members of Congress have expressed that they are content with Mr Gorsuchs consistent decision making on the bench, despite disagreeing with him politically. Ms Perry said it is a comforting thought for those who oppose his appointment because at least they know what they are getting. Even Mr Graham pointed out he has never been disappointed with Ms Kagan or Ms Sotomayor because of that. Ms Perry mentioned that was not the case with Justice David Souter was seen as a stealth nominee because of his lack of federal judicial experience and absence of many published legal opinions. The concern for Illinois Senator Dick Durbin is not just Mr Gorsuchs decision history but the influence of Mr Trump on him. White House Chief of Staff Reince Preibus has said that Mr Gorsuch is a judge with the vision of Donald Trump. Mr Durbin cautioned Mr Gorsuch that the nominee will have his hand full with this President and that a Justices duty is to the law not the administration or politics. Mr Gorsuch, perhaps addressing that particular concern, said in his statement that society cynically describes judges as politicians in robes. If that were true, I'd hang up the robe. He went on to say that he had learned an important lesson from Mr Kennedy, judges can disagree without being disagreeable. He also said he agreed with Mr Scalias strict interpretation of the US Constitution but also firmly believed in the philosophy of Supreme Court Justice Robert H Jackson that once you become a judge, you fiercely defend only one client: the law. He also said none of his previous decisions were about the people before him, but the laws demands. He also cited his first case in front of the Supreme Court, in which liberal justice Ms Sotomayor and conservative Justice Clarence Thomas were in agreement. Mr Gorsuch said Ms Sotomayor and Mr Thomas are in agreement almost 60 per cent of the time, with Mr Scalia and Justice Stephen Breyer, his liberal opposite, agreeing more often than that. The looming questions for some are whether Senate Democrats will actually initiate a filibuster to block the nomination and whether Kentucky Senator and Majority Leader Mitch McConnell will shuttle such an attempt. Former Senator Harry Reid of Nevada eliminated the filibuster on lower level court appointees while Democrats held the majority because he felt Republicans would unnecessarily deny Mr Obamas appointments. Mr Reid interpreted Senate rules to mean that he could do this with a simple majority vote. It was called the nuclear option. Mr McConnell, however, said in his interpretation of the rules a two-thirds majority would be required to eliminate a filibuster for Supreme Court nominees. Sixty seven Senators would have to vote to not give Democrats a way to oppose Mr Gorsuchs nomination. A Congressional staffer told The Independent that Mr McConnell is unlikely to employ a nuclear option, however. Only one other Supreme Court nominee President Ronald Reagans nominee Robert Bork was not confirmed by the Senate. That was in 1987. Given his record on rules changes and his open criticism of the chaos caused by the Trump administration, this could bode well for Democrats who want to filibuster. The real issue, according to Ms Perry, is that ten Senators are up for re-election, five in red red states, and so they may get caught between the party in Washington and people at home. The hearing is expected to last until 22 March. Sign up to our free fortnightly newsletter from The Independent's Race Correspondent Nadine White Sign up to our free fortnightly newsletter The Race Report Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the The Race Report email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} A school in Texas has found itself embroiled in a political nightmare after the states Attorney General accused it of being anti-Christian for allowing Muslim students to pray in a spare classroom. In what has been described by as a publicity stunt, Ken Paxton wrote an open letter to the suburban Dallas school to express his concerns that the school had violated the Constitution as the classroom was not available to students of all faiths. Instead, it appears that the prayer room is dedicated to the religious needs of some students namely, those who practice Islam, he wrote in the letter on 17 March to Liberty High School. Recommended Woman leaps to defense of Muslim couple harassed on New York subway It is unclear whether students of other faiths may use the room at the same time or at other times during the week. Liberty High Schools policy should be neutral toward religion. Mr Paxtons letter was backed up by Texas Governor Greg Abbott. The Texas Attorney General is looking into the Public School Prayer Room issue many of you have questioned, he wrote on social media. The Frisco Independent School District Superintendent Jeremy Lyon responded in a letter that the classroom was open for all students and that the school was complying with the law including the Texas religious Freedom Restoration Act, which requires it not to substantially burden a persons free exercise of religion. The use of the classroom, which has not been questioned for more than seven years, was provided as an alternative to Muslim students who otherwise had to miss hours of school to travel several miles to the nearest mosque. Instead, every lunchtime a handful of students would come in and pray for five minutes. Mr Lyon questioned Mr Paxtons claim that the Attorney General had already made an initial enquiry to the school which had not been addressed. Mr lyon said he had learnt of the open letter through media reports. It is important to note Frisco ISD is greatly concerned that this type of inflammatory rhetoric in the current climate may place the District, its students, staff, parents and community in danger of unnecessary disruption, he wrote. A week before he read the letter, the school principal had told KERA public radio that all students were welcome to use the room. Protestors rally at JFK Airport against Muslim immigration ban Show all 20 1 /20 Protestors rally at JFK Airport against Muslim immigration ban Protestors rally at JFK Airport against Muslim immigration ban jfk-protest-muslim-ban-1 Protestors rally during a demonstration against the Muslim immigration ban at John F. Kennedy International Airport on January 28, 2017 in New York City. President Trump signed the controversial executive order that halted refugees and residents from predominantly Muslim countries from entering the United States. Getty Protestors rally at JFK Airport against Muslim immigration ban jfk-protest-muslim-ban-2 Protestors rally during a protest against the Muslim immigration ban at John F. Kennedy International Airport on January 28, 2017 in New York City. President Trump singed the controversial executive order that halted refugees and residents from predominantly Muslim countries from entering the United States. Stephanie Keith/Getty Protestors rally at JFK Airport against Muslim immigration ban jfk-protest-muslim-ban-3 Protestors rally during a protest against the Muslim immigration ban at John F. Kennedy International Airport on January 28, 2017 in New York City. President Trump singed the controversial executive order that halted refugees and residents from predominantly Muslim countries from entering the United States. Stephanie Keith/Getty Protestors rally at JFK Airport against Muslim immigration ban jfk-protest-muslim-ban-4 SAN FRANCISCO, CA - JANUARY 28: Demonstrators hold signs during a rally against a ban on Muslim immigration at San Francisco International Airport on January 28, 2017 in San Francisco, California. President Donald Trump signed an executive order Friday that suspends entry of all refugees for 120 days, indefinitely suspends the entries of all Syrian refugees, as well as barring entries from seven predominantly Muslim countries from entering for 90 days. Stephen Lam/Getty Protestors rally at JFK Airport against Muslim immigration ban jfk-protest-muslim-ban-5 A crowd of protesters gathers outside of the Brooklyn Federal Courthouse as a judge hears a challenge against President Donald Trump's executive ban on immigration from several Muslim countries, on January 28, 2017 in Brooklyn. The judge issued an emergency stay on part of Trump's executive order, ruling that sending refugees stopped at U.S. airports back to their countries would be harmful. Yana Paskova/Getty Protestors rally at JFK Airport against Muslim immigration ban jfk-protest-muslim-ban-6 Protestors rally during a demonstration against the new immigration ban issued by President Donald Trump at John F. Kennedy International Airport on January 28, 2017 in New York City. President Trump signed the controversial executive order that halted refugees and residents from predominantly Muslim countries from entering the United States. Stephanie Keith/Getty Protestors rally at JFK Airport against Muslim immigration ban jfk-protest-muslim-ban-7 NEW YORK, NY - JANUARY 28: Protestors rally during a demonstration against the new immigration ban issued by President Donald Trump at John F. Kennedy International Airport on January 28, 2017 in New York City. President Trump signed the controversial executive order that halted refugees and residents from predominantly Muslim countries from entering the United States. Stephanie Keith/Getty Protestors rally at JFK Airport against Muslim immigration ban jfk-protest-muslim-ban-8 Protestors rally during a demonstration against the new immigration ban issued by President Donald Trump at John F. Kennedy International Airport on January 28, 2017 in New York City. President Trump signed the controversial executive order that halted refugees and residents from predominantly Muslim countries from entering the United States. Stephanie Keith/Getty Protestors rally at JFK Airport against Muslim immigration ban jfk-protest-muslim-ban-9 Getty Images Protestors rally at JFK Airport against Muslim immigration ban jfk-protest-muslim-ban-10 Getty Images Protestors rally at JFK Airport against Muslim immigration ban jfk-protest-muslim-ban-11 NEW YORK, NY - JANUARY 28: Protestors rally during a demonstration against the Muslim immigration ban at John F. Kennedy International Airport on January 28, 2017 in New York City. President Trump signed the controversial executive order that halted refugees and residents from predominantly Muslim countries from entering the United States. Stephanie Keith/Getty Protestors rally at JFK Airport against Muslim immigration ban jfk-protest-muslim-ban-12 Protestors rally during a demonstration against the Muslim immigration ban at John F. Kennedy International Airport on January 28, 2017 in New York City. President Trump signed the controversial executive order that halted refugees and residents from predominantly Muslim countries from entering the United States. Stephanie Keith/Getty Protestors rally at JFK Airport against Muslim immigration ban jfk-protest-muslim-ban-13 Protestors rally during a demonstration against the Muslim immigration ban at John F. Kennedy International Airport on January 28, 2017 in New York City. President Trump signed the controversial executive order that halted refugees and residents from predominantly Muslim countries from entering the United States. Stephanie Keith/Getty Protestors rally at JFK Airport against Muslim immigration ban jfk-protest-muslim-ban-14 Protestors rally during a demonstration against the Muslim immigration ban at John F. Kennedy International Airport on January 28, 2017 in New York City. President Trump signed the controversial executive order that halted refugees and residents from predominantly Muslim countries from entering the United States. Stephanie Keith/Getty Protestors rally at JFK Airport against Muslim immigration ban jfk-protest-muslim-ban-15 Protestors rally during a demonstration against the Muslim immigration ban at John F. Kennedy International Airport on January 28, 2017 in New York City. President Trump signed the controversial executive order that halted refugees and residents from predominantly Muslim countries from entering the United States. Stephanie Keith/Getty Protestors rally at JFK Airport against Muslim immigration ban jfk-protest-muslim-ban-16 Protestors rally during a demonstration against the Muslim immigration ban at John F. Kennedy International Airport on January 28, 2017 in New York City. President Trump signed the controversial executive order that halted refugees and residents from predominantly Muslim countries from entering the United States. Stephanie Keith/Getty Protestors rally at JFK Airport against Muslim immigration ban jfk-protest-muslim-ban-17 NEW YORK, NY - JANUARY 28: Protestors rally during a protest against the Muslim immigration ban at John F. Kennedy International Airport on January 28, 2017 in New York City. President Trump singed the controversial executive order that halted refugees and residents from predominantly Muslim countries from entering the United States. Stephanie Keith/Getty Protestors rally at JFK Airport against Muslim immigration ban jfk-protest-muslim-ban-18 Protestors rally during a protest against the Muslim immigration ban at John F. Kennedy International Airport on January 28, 2017 in New York City. President Trump singed the controversial executive order that halted refugees and residents from predominantly Muslim countries from entering the United States. Stephanie Keith/Getty Protestors rally at JFK Airport against Muslim immigration ban jfk-protest-muslim-ban-19 Protestors rally during a protest against the Muslim immigration ban at John F. Kennedy International Airport on January 28, 2017 in New York City. President Trump singed the controversial executive order that halted refugees and residents from predominantly Muslim countries from entering the United States. Stephanie Keith/Getty Protestors rally at JFK Airport against Muslim immigration ban jfk-protest-muslim-ban-20 Passengers wait in line to check in at the American Airlines terminal at JFK International Airport August 10, 2006 in the Queens borough of New York City. British authorities arrested 21 people and halted a anallegedly terrorist plot to use liquid explosives concealed in carry-on luggage to blow up airliners traveling between Britain and the U.S. Homeland Security chief Michael Chertoff said that the plot appeared to be directed at U.S. carriers flying out of Heathrow. such as United Airlines, American Airlines, Continental Airlines. Stephen Chernin/Getty Mr Paxton was unrepentant, however, and said in an interview with Fox News that the prayer room must be open for all students. The school has alleged that the official has failed to respond to their enquiries since issuing the press release on Friday. The Texas branch of the Council on American-Islamic Relations released a statement, calling Mr Paxtons letter a cheap Islamophobic publicity stunt. Attorney General Ken Paxton's office appears to have made its ill-informed statements without first contacting school officials, it read. That apparent lack of interest in the facts of this case would seem to confirm suspicions that the 'concerns' about Muslim prayers have less to do with religious neutrality, and more to do with exploiting growing Islamophobia in our state and nationwide. Muslim national security staffer quit after 8 days in Trump White House The school maintained the prayer room would remain open this week for all students. Mr Paxton previously successfully sued a middle school principal to keep a Bible quote on a door and has criticised what he describes as anti-Christian discrimination in state schools. In 2015, Mr Paxton joined 15 other states to oppose a lawsuit from an atheist society to stop school board officials from conducting religious prayers before public meetings. Mr Paxton also supported President Trumps unsubstantiated claims that millions of people voted illegally, which is why, Mr Trump claimed, that he lost the popular vote. I guarantee it is happening whatever people say, Mr Paxton told The Washington Times. 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 }} More people have died at the hands of law enforcement in the US so far this year than during the same period in 2016, casting a dark shadow over the Donald Trump administration as it invests more power in the police. By 19 March this year, 271 people have already been killed by police, compared with 262 people by the same date in 2016, according to a database called Killedbypolice.net. There were fewer deaths (255) in 2015 and even fewer (209) in 2014 by the same point. The rising numbers do little to reassure critics of Donald Trump, who signed an executive order in February to invest more power in the police and who has all but scrapped the former Justice Departments investigation into law enforcement violence around the US. Recommended Donald Trump signs executive order giving police more authority There is a viewpoint that somehow law enforcement is never wrong and the government will want to invest more power in police to protect them and the community, said Reverend Graylan Hagler, a senior pastor at Plymouth Congregational United Church of Christ in Washington DC, who has held community meetings about police violence and racial tensions. This means that police patrol a community and they have no relationship with that community whatsoever and they see the people as the enemy. The narrative of Blue Lives Matter, a counter movement to the Black Lives Matter protests, gained traction throughout the 2016 election campaign, although far fewer law enforcement officers were killed on the job in 2016 compared to the number of people they killed whilst on duty. The only time Mr Trump criticised law enforcement was when officer Betty Shelby shot Terence Crutcher, an unarmed black man, after his car broke down. I dont know what she was thinking, and Im very troubled by that, he told a group of African American churchgoers in Ohio, shortly before the election. Weve had others [law enforcement killings], he added. And the police are aware of that, too. Black Lives Matter organises march to Trump Tower Show all 15 1 /15 Black Lives Matter organises march to Trump Tower Black Lives Matter organises march to Trump Tower Kandy Freeman participates in a Black Lives Matter protest in front of Trump Tower in New York City, U.S. January 14, 2017. Stephanie Keith/Reuters Black Lives Matter organises march to Trump Tower People participate in a Black Lives Matter protest in front of Trump Tower in New York City, U.S. January 14, 2017. Stephanie Keith/Reuters Black Lives Matter organises march to Trump Tower Hawk Newsome, a Black Lives Matter activist, leads a protest outside Trump Tower in New York City on January 14, 2017. Dominick Reuter/AFP/Getty Images Black Lives Matter organises march to Trump Tower Hawk Newsome (C) leads a chant during a Black Lives Matter protest in front of Trump Tower in New York City, US. January 14, 2017. Dominick Reuter/AFP/Getty Images Black Lives Matter organises march to Trump Tower People participate in a Black Lives Matter protest in front of Trump Tower in New York City, U.S. January 14, 2017. Stephanie Keith/Reuters Black Lives Matter organises march to Trump Tower An NYPD officer speaks with a Black Lives Matter leaders during a protest in the snow outside Trump Tower in New York City on January 14, 2017. Dominick Reuter/AFP/Getty Images Black Lives Matter organises march to Trump Tower Kandy Freeman participates in a Black Lives Matter protest in front of Trump Tower in New York City, U.S. January 14, 2017. Stephanie Keith/Reuters Black Lives Matter organises march to Trump Tower An NYPD officer speaks with a Black Lives Matter leaders during a protest in the snow outside Trump Tower in New York City on January 14, 2017. Dominick Reuter/AFP/Getty Images Black Lives Matter organises march to Trump Tower Carol Garza, a Black Lives Matter supporter, protests outside Trump Tower in New York City on January 14, 2017. Dominick Reuter/AFP/Getty Images Black Lives Matter organises march to Trump Tower People participate in a Black Lives Matter protest in front of Trump Tower in New York City, U.S. January 14, 2017. Stephanie Keith/Reuters Black Lives Matter organises march to Trump Tower A Black Lives Matter supporter protests in the snow outside Trump Tower in New York City on January 14, 2017. Dominick Reuter/AFP/Getty Images Black Lives Matter organises march to Trump Tower Black Lives Matter activists march in front of Trump Tower on January 14, 2017 in New York City. Kevin Hagen/Getty Black Lives Matter organises march to Trump Tower Black Lives Matter activists march in front of Trump Tower on January 14, 2017 in New York City. Kevin Hagen/Getty Black Lives Matter organises march to Trump Tower Black Lives Matter supporters protest in the snow outside Trump Tower in New York City on January 14, 2017. Dominick Reuter/AFP/Getty Images Black Lives Matter organises march to Trump Tower Black Lives Matter Kandy Freeman marches in front of Trump Tower on January 14, 2017 in New York City. Kevin Hagen/Getty A report from the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund found that 64 officers were fatally shot while on the job in 2016, including 21 who were killed in an ambush-style attack. There is also very little, if any, de-escalation training, as admitted during the trial of Michael Slager, the former officer who shot unarmed black man Walter Scott multiple times in the back as he ran away. Under the Trump administration, there is no federal oversight. The new Justice Department has given no sign that it would continue to investigate "patterns of excessive force" as was found to be the case in Chicago. Video shows Walter Scott suspect appearing to use Taser on black man Reverend Hagler told The Independent that there was no impetus on the part of the Trump administration to empathise with people of colour that are disproportionately impacted by police aggression. This is a white supremacist administration, he said, which stretches from [Vladimir] Putin to [Benjamin] Netanyahu to Donald Trump and the people who surround Donald Trump. Since 2001, American and Israeli police have collaborated on training techniques, which Mr Hagler said was worrying, considering that Israeli police occupy Palestine. How does Mr Hagler see the numbers of people being killed by police panning out over Mr Trumps first term? Its going to increase, he said simply. 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 }} Two photos of Angela Merkel during her trip to the White House appear to sum up her reaction to her reception. A widely shared picture of Ms Merkel making a face when Donald Trump suggested they had a lot in common with each other over allegations of wiretapping Mr Trump has made concerning the Obama administration, and her disdain and bewilderment while Ivanka Trump spoke about job creation in a meeting with blue-chip CEOs. The German Chancellors trip to the White House has been marked by several awkward moments after the no-nonsense stateswoman was snubbed for a handshake by the notoriously petulant Mr Trump and his later erroneous claim that Germany owes money the US for its defence spending in Europe. Despite this Ms Merkel has remained diplomatic and has made no comment on the perceived slights. But Ms Merkels look of confusion at why Mr Trumps daughter, who has no formal role in the White House, was included in such a high level meeting is what has set social media ablaze with derision and anger. Meanwhile, Ms Merkels reaction to Mr Trump saying they both had been wiretapped by Mr Obama led to laughter as she was left seemingly unimpressed. In 2013, NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden revealed the agency had secretly tapped the phones of several US allies, including Germany, during Mr Obamas presidency. 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 Trump has accused Mr Obama of ordering the wiretapping of his Manhattan home but has provided no evidence. The relationship between Mr Trump and European leaders has been strained since his inauguration due to his threats to cut Nato spending and their distaste for some of his policies such as his attempt at a travel ban. 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 has been accused of issuing very dangerous statement on the investigation into alleged Russian hacking during the 2016 election campaign, according to the America's former ambassador to Moscow. Michael McFaul said the US leader was being "very scary" after he tweeted about allegations of Russian interference in the US presidential election, ahead of Intelligence chiefs giving evidence to Congress on the matter. The President has been dogged by allegations that his campaign team had links to Russian officials. In January, US intelligence agencies said Kremlin-backed hackers had broken into the email accounts of senior Democrats and released embarrassing ones in order to help Mr Trump defeat Hillary Clinton. CNN uses screenshot form Fallout 4 to explain how bad Russian hacking A report by the CIA, FBI and National Security Agency (NSA) said Russian leader Vladimir Putin "ordered" a campaign aimed at influencing the election. Before FBI director James Comey and NSA chief Admiral Mike Rogers could give evidence at a rare open hearing of the congressional intelligence committee, Mr Trump took to Twitter to denounce the accusations. The Democrats made up and pushed the Russian story as an excuse for running a terrible campaign, the President said. Big advantage in Electoral College and lost! His statement was denounced by Mr McFaul, who served as US ambassador in Russia from 2012 to 2014. Retweeting the President, Mr McFaul said: This statement is very dangerous. Means that Trump will do absolutely nothing to make changes to protect the integrity of future elections. He added: The Russians attacked us last year. They violated our sovereignty. Meddled in our elections. And our president denies it. Very scary. Mr McFaul added that Mr Trump's tweets were "scary" because he is the "Commander in Chief, not a crazy uncle at Thanksgiving". The President has repeatedly shrugged off claims that Moscow-backed hackers accessed and leaked Democratic Party emails during last years election, in order to sway the result in Mr Trumps favour. The Kremlin has also denied the allegations. 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 }} A former British ambassador to the US has warned the White House it is playing a "dangerous game" over claims Barack Obama used Britain's GCHQ intelligence agency to spy on Donald Trump. Sir Peter Westmacott said officials in the administration were "peddling falsehoods" which risked damaging the US-UK intelligence-sharing relationship in a way that was a "gift to our enemies". Writing in The Guardian, Sir Peter, who only retired last year, urged Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson to take up the issue when he visits Washington later this week. His intervention came after White House press secretary Sean Spicer during one of his daily press briefings last week cited a claim by a Fox News analyst that Mr Obama had used GCHQ to bug Trump Tower. The claim brought a rare public denial by GCHQ which described the claims as "utterly ridiculous" while Downing Street said it had secured an assurance that the allegation would not be repeated. But at a joint news conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Friday, Mr Trump said only that Mr Spicer had just been quoting retired judge Andrew Napolito who he described as a "very talented legal mind". "We said nothing," he said. "I don't make an opinion on it," Sir Peter said senior US officials were well aware the president was playing a "dangerous game" which revolved around Mr Trump's "famous reluctance to admit mistakes" combined with his suspicion of intelligence agencies. 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 He warned it risked undermining a relationship that was "critical" to US-UK efforts to counter a range of threats including terrorism, Russian aggression, Chinese cyber-attacks, and the nuclear threat from North Korea. "The intelligence relationship between Britain and America is unique and precious. It is based on unquestioned mutual trust, between operatives and politicians on each side of the Atlantic," he said. "That is something both countries have taken for granted since the Second World War. "Gratuitously damaging it by peddling falsehoods and then doing nothing to set the record straight would be a gift to our enemies they could only dream of." Sir Peter's comments will be seen as underlining the strength of feeling among the British intelligence and diplomatic communities at the actions of the White House. 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's claim that Germany owes Nato and the United States "vast sums" of money for defence has been rejected by German Defense Minister, Ursula von der Leyen. "There is no debt account at Nato," Ms von der Leyen said in a statement, adding that it was wrong to link the alliance's target for members to spend two per cent of their economic output on defence by 2024 solely to Nato. "Defence spending also goes into UN peacekeeping missions, into our European missions and into our contribution to the fight against Isis terrorism," Ms von der Leyen said. She added that everyone wanted the burden to be shared fairly and for that to happen it was necessary to have a "modern security concept" that included a modern Nato but also a European defence union and investment in the United Nations. Shortly after meeting German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Washington, Mr Trump said on Twitter that Germany "owes vast sums of money to NATO & the United States must be paid more for the powerful, and very expensive, defense it provides to Germany!" Trump has urged Germany and other Nato members to accelerate efforts to meet the alliance's defence spending target. German defence spending is set to rise by 1.4 billion euros to 38.5 billion euros in 2018 - a figure that is projected to represent 1.26 per cent of economic output, Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble has said. In 2016, Germany's defence spending ratio stood at 1.18 per cent. During her trip to Washington, Ms Merkel reiterated Germany's commitment to the two percent military spending goal. 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 political appointee charged with keeping watch over Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt and his aides has offered unsolicited advice so often that after just four weeks on the job, Pruitt has shut him out of many staff meetings, according to two senior administration officials. At the Pentagon, theyre privately calling the former Marine officer and fighter pilot whos supposed to keep his eye on Defence Secretary Jim Mattis the commissar, according to a high-ranking defence official with knowledge of the situation. Its a reference to Soviet-era Communist Party officials who were assigned to military units to ensure their commanders remained loyal. Most members of President Trumps Cabinet do not yet have leadership teams in place or even nominees for top deputies. But they do have an influential coterie of senior aides installed by the White House who are charged above all with monitoring the secretaries loyalty, according to eight officials in and outside the administration. This shadow government of political appointees with the title of senior White House adviser is embedded at every Cabinet agency, with offices in or just outside the secretarys suite. The White House has installed at least 16 of the advisers at departments including Energy and Health and Human Services and at some smaller agencies such as NASA, according to records first obtained by ProPublica through a Freedom of Information Act request. These aides report not to the secretary, but to the Office of Cabinet Affairs, which is overseen by Rick Dearborn, a White House deputy chief of staff, according to administration officials. A top Dearborn aide, John Mashburn, leads a weekly conference call with the advisers, who are in constant contact with the White House. The aides act as a go-between on policy matters for the agencies and the White House. Behind the scenes, though, theyre on another mission: to monitor Cabinet leaders and their top staffs to make sure they carry out the presidents agenda and dont stray too far from the White Houses talking points, said several officials with knowledge of the arrangement. Especially when youre starting a government and you have a changeover of parties when policies are going to be dramatically different, I think its something thats smart, said Barry Bennett, a former Trump campaign adviser. Somebody needs to be there as the White Houses man on the scene. Because theres no senior staff yet, theyre functioning as the White Houses voice and ears in these departments. Republican says Donald Trump should apologise to UK and Obama for wiretapping claims The arrangement is unusual. It wasnt used by presidents Barack Obama, George W Bush or Bill Clinton. And its also different from the traditional liaisons who shepherd the White Houses political appointees to the various agencies. Critics say the competing chains of command eventually will breed mistrust, chaos and inefficiency especially as new department heads build their staffs. Its healthy when there is some daylight between the presidents Cabinet and the White House, with room for some disagreement, said Kevin Knobloch, who was chief of staff under Obama to then-Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz. That can only happen when agency secretaries have their own team, who report directly to them, he said. Otherwise it comes off as not a ringing vote of confidence in the Cabinet. The White House declined to comment about the appointees on the record, citing the confidentiality of personnel matters and internal operations. But a White House official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said that instead of holding agencies accountable, the appointees technically report to each departments chief of staff or to the secretaries themselves. The advisers were a main point of contact in the early transition process as the agencies were being set up, the official said in an email. Like every White House, this one is in frequent contact with agencies and departments. The advisers power may be heightened by the lack of complete leadership teams at many departments. The long delay in getting Trumps nominee for agriculture secretary, former Georgia governor Sonny Perdue, confirmed means that Sam Clovis, who was a Trump campaign adviser, and transition team leader Brian Klippenstein continue to serve as the agencys top political appointees. He and Brian Klippenstein are just a handful of appointees on the ground and theyre doing a big part of the day-to-day work, said Dale Moore, the American Farm Bureau Federations public policy executive director. Every president tries to assert authority over the executive branch, with varying degrees of success. The Obama White House kept tight control over agencies, telling senior officials what they could publicly disclose about their own departments operations. Foreign policy became so centralised that State Department and Defense Department officials complained privately that they felt micro-managed on key decisions. Recommended NATO expert is forced to explain to Trump how NATO works After then-Attorney General Eric H Holder Jr. made some political gaffes, Obama aides wanted to install a political aide at the Justice Department to monitor him. But Mr Holder was furious about the intrusion and blocked the plan. During his tenure as defence secretary, Robert M Gates pushed back against a top official the White House wanted at the Pentagon to guide Asia policy, wary of having someone so close to the president in his orbit. Former House speaker Newt Gingrich, a Trump adviser, said the president needs to dispatch political allies to the agencies to monitor a bureaucracy thats being targeted for reduction. If you drain the swamp, you better have someone who watches over the alligators, Mr Gingrich said. These people are actively trying to undermine the new government. And they think its their moral obligation to do so. At the Transportation Department, former Pennsylvania lobbyist Anthony Pugliese shuttles back and forth between the White House and DOT headquarters on New Jersey Avenue SE, according to an agency official. His office is just 20 paces from Secretary Elaine Chaos, the official said. Day to day, Mr Pugliese and his counterparts inform Cabinet officials of priorities the White House wants them to keep on their radar. They oversee the arrival of new political appointees and coordinate with the West Wing on the agencys direction. The arrangement is collegial in some offices, including at Transportation and Interior, where aides to Ms Chao and Secretary Ryan Zinke insisted that the White House advisers work as part of the team, attending meetings, helping form an infrastructure task force and designing policy on public lands. Tensions between the White House and the Cabinet already have spilled into public view. Mattis, the defence secretary, and Homeland Security Secretary John F Kelly were caught unaware in January by the scope of the administrations first travel ban. The president has been furious about leaks on national security matters. Enda Kenny says Irish immigrants in America are brave but not all free to Donald Trump Trump does not have long-standing relationships or close personal ties with most leaders in his Cabinet. Thats why gauging their loyalty is so important, said officials who described the structure. A lot of these [Cabinet heads] have come from roles where theyre the executive, said a senior administration official not authorised to publicly discuss the White House advisers. But when you become head of an agency, youre no longer your own person. Its a hard change for a lot of these people: Theyre not completely autonomous anymore. Many of the senior advisers lack expertise in their agencys mission and came from the business or political world. They include Trump campaign aides, former Republican National Committee staffers, conservative activists, lobbyists and entrepreneurs. At Homeland Security, for example, is Frank Wuco, a former security consultant whose blog Red Wire describes the terrorist threat as rooted in Islam. To explain the threat, he appears on YouTube as a fictional jihadist. Matt Mowers, a former aide to New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie who was Mr Trumps national field coordinator before landing at the State Department as senior adviser, said through a spokesman that he leads interagency coordination among the White House, agencies and the National Security Council and coordinates on policy and personnel. Mowers sits at the edge of Secretary of State Rex Tillersons seventh-floor suite, dubbed Mahogany Row. But neither Mr Tillerson nor his chief of staff are his direct boss. Many of the advisers arrived from the White House with the small groups known as beachhead teams that started work on 20 January. One of the mandates at the top of their to-do list now, Mr Bennett said, is making sure the agencies are identifying regulations the administration wants to roll back and vetting any new ones. At the Pentagon, Brett Byers acts as a go-between between Mattiss team and the White House, largely on bureaucratic matters, said an official who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss personnel issues. Career officials who work near the E ring offices occupied by senior Pentagon staff, suspicious that Byers is not directly on Mattiss team, came up with the Soviet-era moniker commissar to describe him, someone familiar with their thinking said. Elsewhere, resentment has built up. Mr Pruitt is bristling at the presence of former Washington state senator Don Benton, who ran the presidents Washington state campaign and is now the EPAs senior White House adviser, said two senior administration officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss personnel matters. 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 These officials said Benton piped up so frequently during policy discussions that he had been disinvited from many of them. One of the officials described the situation as akin to an episode of the HBO comedy series Veep. Mr Trumps approach may not be so different from Abraham Lincolns. Coming into the White House after more than a half-century of Democrats in power, Lincoln worked swiftly to oust hostile bureaucrats and appoint allies. But he still had to deal with an Army led by many senior officers who sympathized with the South, as well as a government beset by internal divisions. Gettysburg College professor Allen C Guelzo described Lincoln as surrounded by smiling enemies, which prompted him to embed his friends into army camps as well as some federal departments. I think that presidents actually do this more than it appears, said Mr Guelzo, adding that Lincoln dispatched Quartermaster General of the US Army Montgomery Meigs to circulate among the Army of the Potomac to pick up any negative doggerel or insults officers made about him. Washington Post 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 }} In a step that confirmed a sitting president and his associates were part of an espionage investigation, FBI director James Comey said it was rare for the bureau to comment on the existence of an ongoing probe. But among a backdrop of leaks, innuendo and allegations of fake news, Mr Comey said he had been authorised to confirm the outline of the investigation, even if he was not permitted to provide many other details. The FBI, as part of our counterintelligence effort, is investigating the Russian governments efforts to interfere in the 2016 president election, he said. That includes, investigating the nature of any links between associates of the Trump campaign and the Russian government and whether there was any coordination between the campaigning the Russian effort. He added: I cannot say more about what we are doing and whose conduct we are examining. Mr Comey also said he had not been shown evidence that supported Mr Trumps claim to have been wiretapped by his predecessor in the White House, Barack Obama. Mr Trump has repeatedly denied any links between his campaign and the Russian government. The head of the congressional committee, before which Mr Comey testified, said it had so far found no evidence of collusion. But the mere public confirmation that Mr Trump and his officials are part of an ongoing counterintelligence probe is likely to become a millstone around the neck of his administration, already struggling for traction in its first 100 days. Mr Trumps supporters will likely brush off the probe as nothing more than a politically motivated attack. Ahead of Mondays hearing by the House Intelligence Committee, Mr Trump said on Twitter: [Former Director of National Intelligence] James Clapper and others stated that there is no evidence Potus colluded with Russia. This story is FAKE NEWS and everyone knows it! Yet among opponents of Mr Trump, knowledge that a probe has been ongoing since last July will add to the anger of those who think Mr Comey acted unfairly in regard to Hillary Clinton. Why, many people asked, was the FBI director willing to make an 11th-hour intervention during the election campaign by revealing the probe into Ms Clintons use of a private email server had been reopened, but not that her opponent was also being investigated? Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, the Democratic leader in the Senate, said of the probe: The possibility of coordination between the Trump campaign and Russian officials is a serious, serious matter. The investigation must be fair, independent, and impartial in every way, and the FBI must be allowed to follow the facts wherever they may lead. Mr Comey appeared to try and see off any suggestions that he had not acted fairly. He said members of congress should not make a comparison between his lengthy public comments on the Clinton inquiry, arguing that they concerned details of a completed investigation. Mr Comey, who testified alongside Admiral Michael Rogers, director of the National Security Agency, said it remained the view of the intelligence community that Russia had interfered as part of an effort to try and tilt the election in favour of Mr Trump. I think that was a fairly easy judgement for the [intelligence] community, he said. Putin hated Secretary Clinton so much, that the flip side of that coin was he had a clear preference for the person running against the person he hated so much. Asked about Mr Trumps allegation that Mr Obama had wiretapped Trump Tower during the election, Mr Comey and Mr Rogers said they had seen no information to support such a claim. The White House last week said Mr Trump stuck by his allegation. Mr Rogers also said there was no evidence to support another claim that was made by Mr Trumps spokesman, Sean Spicer namely that British intelligence had carried out the electronic surveillance at the behest of Mr Obama. Ive seen nothing on the NSA side that we engaged in such activity, nor that anyone engaged in such activity, he said. The US government alleged last summer that Russian intelligence had tried to interfere with the presidential election, in an apparent attempt to help Mr Trump. This included hacking into the emails of senior members of Ms Clintons team and the Democratic National Committee. Mr Trump long rejected the claim that Russia had came to his assistance. Moscow also denied the allegations. In late December, Mr Obama expelled 35 Russian diplomats in punishment for the alleged interference. Vladimir Putin surprised many by deciding not to reciprocate. Mr Trump has continued to insist there was collusion between his campaign and Russia, and US intelligence has yet to provide any evidence to support such an allegation. Mr Comey was asked whether he had yet uncovered anything to support such a conclusion. He responded by saying that he would not be able to comment until the probe was concluded something he said would not happen quickly. He said: All I can tell you is that we are investigating whether there was any collusion or coordination between Russia and the Trump campaign. 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 administration has banned airline passengers from eight Middle Eastern and North African countries from carrying large electronic devices. No American carriers are impacted by the ban, which involves any device larger than a mobile phone. The ban would stop passengers bringing laptops, iPads and cameras in carry-on luggage and is thought to affect at least 12 airlines. It is thought to apply to nonstop flights to the US from 10 airports in eight countries which are believed to include Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. The policy is expected to be announced on Tuesday where the full details of the ban will be disclosed. The Independent has analysed the flight schedules from the Middle East and Africa and identified a dozen non-American airlines from the region that fly to the US: Arik Air from Lagos; Egyptair from Cairo; Emirates from Dubai and Athens; Ethiopian from Addis Ababa, Lome in Togo and Dublin; Etihad from Abu Dhabi; Kuwait Airways from Kuwait; Qatar Airways from Doha; Royal Air Maroc from Casablanca; Royal Jordanian from Amman; Saudia from Jeddah and Riyadh; South African Airways from Johannesburg and Dakar; and Turkish Airlines from Istanbul. Donald Trump's new travel ban blocked nationwide by federal judge The reason for the ban was not immediately clear. David Lapan, a spokesman for Homeland Security Department, declined to comment. The Transportation Security Administration, part of Homeland Security, also declined to comment. Royal Jordanian Airlines did however point out that medical devices were excluded from the ban. Everything else, the airline said, would need to be packed in checked luggage. Following instructions from the concerned US departments, we kindly inform our dearest passengers departing to and arriving from the United States that carrying any electronic or electrical device on board the flight cabins is strictly prohibited, the airline tweeted. Prohibited devices, including for instance laptops, tablets, cameras, DVD players and electronic games etc, can be carried in the checked baggage only. 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 Brian Jenkins, an aviation-security expert at the Rand Corp., said the nature of the security measure suggested that it was driven by intelligence of a possible attack. Another aviation-security expert, Jeffrey Price, said there could be downsides to the policy. "There would be a huge disadvantage to having everyone put their electronics in checked baggage," said Price, a professor at Metropolitan State University of Denver. Russian media presented members of the ORDLO (separate districts of Donetsk and Luhansk regions) as Ukrainian politicians visiting Crimea, Deputy Minister for Temporary Occupied Territories Heorhiy Tuka has said. "I expect this is the case involving figures from ORDLO, that is, from the uncontrolled territories - Count Plotnitsky, Prince Zakharchenko. I do not think someone from Ukrainian territory went to the gathering," he said during an interview aired on 112.ua TV channel on Sunday. Tuka said the visits would be used by Russia for propaganda purposes. 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 }} FBI Director James Comey is expected to publicly reject Donald Trumps allegations about wiretapping in a hearing before the House Intelligence Committee. The White House has refused to drop an accusation made by Mr Trump on Twitter that Barack Obama ordered the wiretapping of Trump Tower during the election campaign despite providing no evidence to back up the campaign. The claim has caused widespread controversy and the committee launched an investigation at the Presidents request, but has yet to find any evidence. Congressman Adam Schiff, the most high-ranking Democrat on the committee, called Mr Trumps claims patently false and said he expected Mr Comey to agree in his testimony. His appearance will be the first time Mr Comey has commented publicly on the wiretapping claims despite reports earlier this month that he was urging the Department of Justice to publicly refute them because they imply the FBI acted illegally. Mr Comey is the only Obama-era national security official to serve in the Trump administration and was widely criticised for announcing a renewed investigation in the use of Hillary Clintons private email a few days before November;s presidential election. Previously unseen emails sent from Ms Clinton to her aide Huma Abedin came to light following an investigation into Ns Abdein's husband - former Congressman Anthony Weiner. Many top US legislators on both sides of the political divide have denounced the allegations which have also provoked the ire of the UK when one of its security agencies, GCHQ, was falsely implicated. Mr Comey is one of the only national security officials from the Obama administration to serve Mr Trump (AP) "I don't know the basis for President Trump's assertion," US Senator Susan Collins, a Republican, said on NBC's Meet the Press "I do believe he owes us that explanation." Ms Collins said she supported Mr Trump as president, but she wouldn't side with him if he "misstated what the facts are." Meanwhile Mr Trumps approval ratings have fallen to record lows with a Gallup poll showing he now has a 37 per cent approval rate after just two months in the Oval Office by comparison Mr Obama had an approval rating of 63 per cent in March 2009. The hearing is also set to examine claims that Moscow interfered in the presidential election and the investigations by several different security agencies. Mr Comey and NSA Director Admiral Mike Rogers, who is also testifying, are not expected to reveal much in public about the probes, which include information that is classified Top Secret and also separated into different compartments, each of which requires a separate clearance. But the hearing could become heated as Republicans balance support for their party's leaders and Democrats vent frustration over Republican congressional leaders' refusal to appoint a special prosecutor or select committee to investigate. Mr Trump fired his first national security adviser, Michael Flynn, last month after he failed to disclose contacts with Russia's ambassador before Mr Trump took office on 20 January. 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 Attorney General Jeff Sessions, a former senator, recused himself from investigating the matter after it was revealed that he did not answer accurately when he was asked during his confirmation hearing about his contacts with Russian officials during the election. He failed to disclose that, as senator, he had met with Russia's ambassador to the United States, Sergey Kislyak. Additional reporting by Reuters 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 chairman of the House Intelligence has admitted there is one member of Donald Trumps administration in the White House being investigated. Republican California congressman Devin Nunes made the admission comes as US intelligence chiefs prepare to give evidence to Congress, in a rare hearing about possible links between Mr Trumps election campaign and the Kremlin. The hearing, set to include FBI boss James Comes and Admiral Mike Rogers, head of the NSA, will also address the Presidents claim that Trump Tower was wiretapped by former President Obama. Angela Merkel and Japan's Shinzo Abe make subtle digs at Donald Trump at German tech event Speaking on Fox News Sunday about the allegations, Mr Nunes appeared to inadvertently reveal new a person at White House was facing a probe in a remark which was not pursued by his interviewer, Chris Wallace. Mr Wallace asked him if thought there was any surveillance of people in Trump World or of others communicating with Sergey Kislyak, Russian ambassador to the US, who were incidentally monitored in surveillance. Mr Nunes replied: Well, if you look at the folks that are working at the White House today, that are involved in the Trump administration, I dont think theres any but one there that is under any type of investigation or surveillance activities at all. Even a single person in the Trump administration being monitored by the intelligence services would represent a major crisis of government and trigger a scandal. As pointed out by Shareblue, Mr Wallace may have thought Mr Nunes was referring to former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn, who resigned in disgrace last month over his Russian connections. But Mr Nunes was specific in talking about people working in the White House today. The remark led to commentators accusing Mr Nunes of revealing to a high level suspect they are being watched. 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 Conservative pundit Louise Mensch tweeted: Why are you revealing to a suspect he is under investigation Devin Nunes! Stop obstructing justice! Resign! And former Pentagon official Adam Blickstein called Mr Nunes a leaker. Mr Nunes has maintained there is no evidence of any connection between President Trumps election campaign and Russia and has voiced his distaste at an investigation. The President has called it a "witch hunt". But US spy agencies have said they believe Moscow-backed hackers illegally accessed and leaked Democratic Party emails in order to sway the election in Mr Trumps favour. 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 }} A leading corruption prosecutor has been appointed to investigate Donald Trump and his administration by the state of New York. Eric Schneiderman, the states attorney general and an outspoken critic of the Republican president, has brought in Howard Master to work on ongoing and future cases relating to Mr Trump and his team. Mr Master previously worked under the Manhattan US Attorney and is considered one of the top corruption prosecutors in the US. He successfully prosecuted Sheldon Silver, a former speaker of the New York state assembly, for fraud, extortion and money laundering in 2015. His appointment is designed to bolster Mr Schneidermans department at a time when the New York attorney is investigating a number of options for using the legal system to oppose Mr Trump. Mr Master will be working on a wide range of civil and criminal investigations and enforcement matters, including public corruption, complex civil litigation, including potential lawsuits against the President," said Eric Soufer, a spokesman for Mr Schneiderman. In 2013, Mr Schneiderman brought a lawsuit against Mr Trump over fraud claims relating to his property development training company, Trump University. It was alleged the businessman had conned a number of students out of tens of thousands of dollars by not delivering the promised standard of education. Mr Trump eventually agreed to settle the dispute out of court, paying $25 million (20 million) to end the case. Last week Mr Schneiderman s department joined a case, launched by Washington state, against Mr Trumps revised executive order banning immigration from six mainly-Muslim countries for 90 days. 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 Trump administrations continued intent to discriminate against Muslims is clear and it undermines New Yorks families, institutions and economy, Mr Schneiderman said at the time. The New York attorney general is also said to be investigating whether to pursue litigation relating to allegations the US President is breaching the US Constitution by continuing to receive money from foreign governments via his hotels and properties, which are often used by foreign state organisations for functions or office space. Article 1, Section 9 of the US Constitution says no holder of public office can without the Consent of the Congress, accept of any present, emolument, office, or title, of any kind whatever, from any king, prince, or foreign state. A number of legal experts have said Mr Trump is acting unconstitutionally in continuing to receive money from foreign states. His lawyers say they do not believe he has breached the Constitution. 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 }} Every day at lunch, a handful of teenagers in Frisco, Texas, would pop into room C112, face a whiteboard and kneel for one of their five daily prayers. It was just a spare classroom, used for everything from teachers grading to Buddhist meditation, school officials say. But Muslims at Liberty High seemed to like it. Takes like five minutes, instead of having to leave school, get in a car and go to my parents, pupil Sarah Qureshi told the school news site early this month. This is the seventh year weve been doing this, and weve never had one issue, school principal Scott Warstler said. Last week however, top state officials learned about the room and suddenly Liberty High had a big issue indeed. The Texas attorney generals office famous for once suing a school principal to keep a Bible quote on a door sent the Frisco school district superintendent a letter last week raising concerns. It appears that the prayer room is dedicated to the religious needs of some students, a deputy attorney general wrote, quoting an article written by an 11th grade student, namely, those who practise Islam. In a news release, the attorney generals office went further: Recent news reports have indicated that the high schools prayer room is apparently excluding students of other faiths, it said. That would be a constitutional violation, the office noted. And totally untrue, according to Frisco Independent School District officials, who say state officials didnt even ask them about the prayers before the letter ended up in Texas Governor Greg Abbotts tweet. President Donald Trump threatens to "destroy" the career of a Texas state senator This press release appears to be a publicity stunt by the OAG to politicize a non issue, schools superintendent Jeremy Lyon wrote in reply to the state. Frisco ISD is greatly concerned that this type of inflammatory rhetoric in the current climate may place the District, its students, staff, parents and community in danger of unnecessary disruption. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has often criticised what he calls anti-Christian discrimination in Texas schools. In 2015, Paxton joined 15 other states in opposing an atheist societys lawsuit to stop school board officials from reading religious prayers before public meetings. Paxton attracted national attention last December when he waded into a dispute in Killeen, Tex., between a middle school principal and a nurses aide who put up a six-foot poster in the school with a quote from the classic animation special A Charlie Brown Christmas that read: For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior which is Christ the Lord. After the principal told the aide to take the poster down, Paxton wrote to the Killeen school district: These concerns are not surprising in an age of frivolous litigation by anti-Christian interest groups Rescind this unlawful policy. When the school district refused, Paxton helped the nurses aid sue, and won. Three months later, his eye fell on Frisco. We recently became aware of Liberty High Schools prayer room, Deputy Attorney General Andrew Leonie wrote to the schools superintendent about two weeks after the room was profiled in the student newspaper. Our initial inquiry left several questions unresolved. It sounded like the state had been investigating the matter, but school officials said they were blindsided when reporters started calling on Friday. What initial inquiry are you referring to? the superintendent wrote in his reply to Paxtons office, asking for evidence that the school was breaking any rules, and whether the state had made any attempt to find out before going public. 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 A week before the attorney generals letter, Liberty Highs principal had welcomed all students to use the room in an interview with KERA public radio. All sorts of folks use it, school district spokesman Chris Moore told The Washington Post on Saturday. Muslims pray, Baptists pray, Catholics pray, Buddhists pray, Hindu students pray. Moore said he called and emailed Paxtons office after learning about the letter, but had not received a reply. The Post asked Paxtons office what led the state to become concerned about the prayer room, and what inquiries state officials had made after learning about it. A spokesman for the attorney general replied with a statement that did not directly answer most of the questions: The letter was sent to the school district via email prior to issuance of a press release, the spokesman wrote. We sent the letter to clarify unresolved questions in the interest of protecting religious liberty in public schools across Texas (the same interest we sought to protect in the Charlie Brown matter). But as of Saturday, school officials in Frisco were still trying to figure out exactly what Paxtons issue was. We hadnt been contacted by right-wing groups, left-wing groups or in-between groups, Moore said. Getting that question yesterday from the attorney general was surprising. Regardless, he said, the room would be open for prayer as usual come lunchtime Monday as it has for many years. Washington Post 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 spending plans represent an "all-out assault on clean air and clean water", a former head of the Environmental Protection Agency has warned. Gina McCarthy, who was the EPAs administrator under Barack Obama, told Inside Climate News that the proposals still to be approved by Congress were worse than they first appeared. Under the Presidents plan, the EPAs budget would be cut by 31 per cent and some 3,200 staff would lose their jobs. Two other leading EPA officials, another ex-administrator, Carol Browner, and Mustafa Ali, who quit as EPA advisor for environmental justice after Mr Trumps election, also voiced concern about the effect of the swingeing cuts. Ms McCarthy told the website: Literally and figuratively this budget is a scorched-earth budget. It represents really an all-out assault on clean air and clean water and our ability to have safe homes, schools and places to work. This budget is even more challenging than it looks at first glance. The total proposed budget includes $2.3bn (about 1.85bn) which is actually given to individual states, rather than the EPA itself. When you take that out of the picture, the rest of the [EPA] budget is going to be cut from $6bn to $3.4bn. That's actually a 43 per cent cut in the ability to implement all of the clean water and clear air and clean land programmes, Ms McCarthy said. Not to mention our ability to address the greatest environmental challenge of our time which is climate change. Ms Browner, who led the EPA from 1993 to 2001, said Republicans in Congress had shut the agency down several times by refusing to fund it during her time in office. What the Republican Congress discovered then is that the American people like their clean air. They like their clean water. They want the environmental cops on the beat, she said. Ms Browner said Mr Trumps proposed budget puts polluters first. 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 Ali said the plan sends a direct signal that it's taking away the science that our most vulnerable communities have been asking for, to be able to validate the impacts of what has been happening inside of their communities. It takes away those enforcement actions that help us make sure that those checks and balances between communities and those businesses and industries that may not necessarily be good players, he added. 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 }} German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe made subtle digs at Donald Trump's policies as they spoke in support of free trade. While neither leader named the United States government as they opened the CeBIT technology fair in Hanover, both used the opportunity to distance themselves from protectionist tendencies coming from the Trump administration. "In times when we have to argue with many about free trade, open borders and democratic values, it's a good sign that Japan and Germany no longer argue about this but rather are seeking to shape the future in a way that benefits people," Ms Merkel said. As G20 president, Germany feels especially committed to these principles, she added. Donald Trump apparently snubs handshake with Angela Merkel After meeting President Donald Trump in Washington for the first time last week, Ms Merkel said she hoped the US and the EU could resume discussions on a trade agreement. Mr Trump said he did not believe in isolationism but that trade policy should be fairer. Ms Merkel stressed that Germany was strongly in favour of free trade and open markets. "We do want open markets, fair trade, we certainly don't want any barriers but at a time of an 'internet of things' we want to link our societies with one another and let them deal fairly with one another, and that is what free trade is all about," she said. World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. 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 Both leaders called for a free trade deal to be reached quickly between Japan and the European Union. Mr Abe said: "Japan, having gone through reaping in abundance the benefits of free trade and investment, wants to be the champion upholding open systems alongside Germany." He added: "Of course to do so it will be necessary to have rules that are fair and can stand up to democratic appraisal." He also said the European Union and Japan should soon reach an economic deal. Ms Merkel welcomed his comments, saying: "It's very, very good that Japan says we want a free trade agreement, we want it soon because that could be the right statement and Germany would love to be a driving force behind this." 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 }} French far-right candidate Marine Le Pen has said she does not want to be president of some vague region of the European Union or the vice chancellor of Ms Merkel during a televised presidential election debate. Five candidates, including centrist frontrunner Emmanuel Macron and embattled conservative Francois Fillon, took part in the three-hour live discussion, with the topics of domestic and foreign policy and the economy on the agenda. The Front National leader used her opening pitch to voters to rail against the EU, suggesting Frances membership of the bloc meant the next French President would not be ruling an independent country. These are not just empty words when you talk about national independence, she said. Thousands of French people died for it. Mr Macrons used his initial 90-second gambit to say he would use his experience in banking and government to remove the barriers to progress, while Mr Fillon also promised to tackle bureaucracy. Socialist candidate Benoit Hamon vowed to be an honest and fair president and far-left candidate Jean-Luc Melenchon vowed to put the environment at the heart of his presidency. Early on, the candidates clashed over the teaching of French in schools the first subject in the TF1 debate. Ms Le Pen said France should stop offering lessons in the language of pupils mother tongue, saying it was preventing integration. Mr Hamon branded her suggestion disgusting and said the issue of education was being hijacked by politicians to spread a certain message. The candidates then discussed the issue of immigration, a key theme in this years presidential election. Mr Macron proved he wouldnt be pushed around easily, and took issue when Le Pen accused him of being in favour of Muslim swimwear in a pointed dig designed to prove he was not committed to Frances secular values. The chart below, created for The Independent by statistics agency Statista, shows French voting intentions for the first round. Statista (Statista) I dont need a ventriloquist, he countered. When I have something to say, I say it clearly. He then accused the Front National leader of using Islam as a tool to divide the French public. The trap you are falling into, Madame Le Pen, with your provocations is to divide society, Mr Macron said. But Mr Macron also said French border security should be strengthened and called for an effective expulsion policy to remove people in the country illegally. We dont do enough to coordinate the protection of European borders, he said, but added that France should also be more open to asylum seekers. Mr Fillon said he deeply disagreed with Mr Macrons remarks, and said many refugees were actually fleeing poverty rather than war or persecution. We must close the incoming flows by using quotas set by Parliament, he said. This does not affect asylum seekers but all other forms of immigration. Mr Hamon, who does not support a quota system, said the proportion of foreigners in France had been stable since the 1930s and suggested those on the right of French politics were stirring the debate to try and win votes. He added that global warming was a key factor that would contribute to another wave of refugees those fleeing climate change. And he said France should allow asylum seekers to have access to work to enable them to integrate, as refugees in Germany are allowed to do. French presidential candidate Emmanuel Macron of the 'En Marche' political movement speaks to members of the media after visiting a police station within his election campaigning in Paris (EPA) Mr Melenchon agreed that climate change would worsen the refugee crisis and said the focus should be on tackling the cause of the problem. Ms Le Pen said she would put a near-total stop to immigration to France, claiming 200,000 illegal immigrants were arriving in France each year. We have to have national borders, she said. We cant count on Greece to deal with the flow of migrants. On the topic of policing, the socialist politician Mr Hamon said he would fight against discrimination, including identity checks and stop-and-searches on ethnic monitories which he said meant a black person was seven times more likely to be searched. Ms Le Pen said she would increase the number of officers and invest in more equipment, while Mr Fillon struck a similarly tough law and order tone with a vow to move resources from the back office to the frontline. Mr Macron said the Government needed to restore security in urban areas, including expelling criminals from areas where they had committed offences. Mr Melenchon said more efforts should be put into financial policing to tackle tax avoidance. 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 }} Russia has launched unprecedented land, air and sea drills in annexed Crimea in a coordinated training exercise involving thousands of troops. The action is billed as significant by the military as it is said to be the first time in the history of the Russian army that three large Airborne units have been simultaneously alerted. The commander in charge of the exercise, Colonel-General Andrei Serdyukov, said the drill was prompted by an "increased terrorist threat in the region. It will see more than 2,500 paratroopers and 600 pieces of equipment deployed to the disputed peninsula, which was under the control of the Ukrainian government until Russia illegally annexed it in February 2014. Russian troops will practice amphibious landings and airdrops and carry out firing drills during offensive and defensive operations. Col Serdyukov said: "For the first time in the Russian armys history the Airborne Forces three large units were simultaneously alerted as part of the drills and partly redeployed to Crimea with weapons and equipment. Western nations continue to condemn the annexation of Crimea as a blatant breach of international law. Nato, of which Ukraine is not a member, expressed alarm at having not been informed of the exercise, calling it illegal. Spokesperson Oana Lungescu told The Independent: Any Russian military exercises in occupied Crimea are illegal under international law as they do not have the consent of the Ukrainian government. Since 2014, Russian military activity in the Black Sea region has increased significantly. Russia's wide-ranging military build-up in Crimea poses a challenge to regional stability and international security. In response to Russias military build-up, Nato has increased its military presence in region. This is being done in a defensive and proportionate way and is fully in line with our international obligations. Russian military activity in Crimea Show all 11 1 /11 Russian military activity in Crimea Russian military activity in Crimea Ukraine-russian13-ap_1.jpg AP Russian military activity in Crimea Ukraine-russian9-ap.jpg AP Russian military activity in Crimea Ukraine-russian12-ap.jpg AP Russian military activity in Crimea Ukraine-russian11-rtp.jpg Reuters Russian military activity in Crimea Ukraine-russian10-afpgt.jpg AFP/Getty Images Russian military activity in Crimea Ukraine-russian7-rt.jpg Reuters Russian military activity in Crimea Ukraine-russian6-afpgt.jpg AFP/Getty Images Russian military activity in Crimea Ukraine-russian8-rt_1.jpg Reuters Russian military activity in Crimea Ukraine-russian-navy1-rt.jpg Reuters Russian military activity in Crimea Ukraine-russian4-ap_1.jpg AP Russian military activity in Crimea Ukraine-russian3-ap.jpg AP The drills come amid a build-up of North American and European troops along Russias border. From next month, a US-led battalion of more than 1,100 soldiers including 150 British personnel - will be deployed in Poland. US Army Lt. Colonel Steven Gventer described the movement as a mission, not a cycle of training events. Putin joins celebration marking takeover of Crimea Britain, Canada and Germany are leading the other three battle groups in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, which are due to be operational by June. In total, around 4,000 Nato troops - equipped with tanks, armoured vehicles, air support and hi-tech mission information rooms - will monitor for and defend against any potential Russian incursions. The alliance is seeking to show ex-Soviet countries that they are protected from the kind of annexation Russia orchestrated in Crimea. Russia plans to stage large-scale war games near its western borders this year, but has not said how many troops will take part. 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 land is lush in this river-fed region of eastern Afghanistan. The highway that leads to the Pakistan border, 60 miles away, passes fields of ripening wheat, cucumber and cauliflower. The nearby city of Jalalabad is bustling, with crowded sidewalks and traffic jams of produce trucks, auto rickshaws and tractors. But for a large, nearly invisible populace of new arrivals, the welcome has been grudging, the work scarce and the terrain as barren as the moon. They are natives of the region, but they have been away for years, living as undocumented war refugees in Pakistan. About 260,000 such returnees have arrived in the past 15 months, pushed out by Pakistani authorities and encouraged to return by the Afghan government, but lacking official status in either country. In many ways, they are misfits and intruders in their homeland - nomads allocated bits of rocky ground to pitch tents and build cinder-block huts; surplus labourers in a market crowded with men who have fled insurgent fighting nearby; half-forgotten relatives trying to squeeze back into villages where no one has room to take them in. A young girl washes her hands as she squats beside her familys shelter. The nearest drinking water is several miles away (Andrew Quilty/The Washington Post) "There is nothing here but dust," said Hakim Khan, 55, a labourer and father of 10, standing on a stony hillside where the government said about 700 returnee families could settle at no cost. After seven months, most have gotten only as far as marking their plots with cinder-block walls, partly because of a dispute over who owns the land. Meanwhile, they are camping in makeshift shelters, fashioned from bits of plastic and cloth and covered with sheets of tin. There is no electricity, and the only water source for 4,000 people is a single well. There is a one-room schoolhouse, but few of the children attend. Inside Khan's tent one recent morning, three cots were jammed together next to a gas burner and a stack of pots. Children ran in and out, chasing chickens. His wife, hiding behind a curtain, was asked to name her most valuable possession. "There is nothing valuable enough to mention," she answered. Most of these returnees never registered with the Pakistani government, which meant they were not entitled to cash payments and other forms of assistance by the United Nations' refugee agency when Pakistani officials began pushing out more than 2 million long-term refugees two years ago. Many others with official refugee status continued on to Kabul, the capital, where services and work opportunities are greater. But these undocumented families - mostly poor and uneducated, with few connections - have stayed behind, hoping to find a niche in their geographic and ethnic Pashtun homeland. At the moment, the official border crossing at Torkham is closed, a punitive measure taken by Pakistan last month after a string of terrorist bombings there were linked to militias based on the Afghan side. The flood of returnees slowed to a trickle this winter, although UN officials expect it will resume when spring comes and the border reopens. Afghan refugees in Jalalabad, hoping to find a day job. Work for daily wages of $8 is difficult to find (Andrew Quilty/The Washington Post) Meanwhile, those who arrived last year, piling their possessions in rented trucks, have tentatively settled in a variety of camps, communities and government-allocated tracts. Their only substantive aid comes from the non-profit International Organisation for Migration, which provides shelter and basic supplies for the first few weeks, plus transportation to their destination. "We are there when they arrive at the border, but what happens after that is a different issue," said Matthew Graydon, a spokesman for the organisation here. One major problem is securing property rights. Most arable or habitable terrain is already claimed, and some arriving groups who attempted to reclaim family land have found that others had acquired it and expected them to pay. In the village of Karokhel, 500 families came back last summer, planning to put up homes, and instead became embroiled in a nasty fight. "This is our ancestors' land, and we kissed the stones when we arrived. But now it feels like a prison," said Hajji Mahmad Jan, 65, who left Karokhel 40 years ago. Most families are living in tents, with wheat sheaves for fences, while the legal wrangle continues. "Just to fetch a bucket of water from the spring, we have to pay 50 cents," he complained. Another shock is the scarcity of jobs, with the national unemployment rate at 40 percent. Early each day, returnees crowd street corners in Jalalabad, hoping for temporary work hauling bricks or loading trucks. One recent morning, several glum men said they had waited for weeks without snagging a single job. One became so desperate that he spent months in a distant migrant camp, picking grapes for $5 a day. Boys in Karokhel, a settlement of about 500 families forced from their homes (Andrew Quilty/The Washington Post) Returnees also face job competition from villagers displaced by the insurgent conflict. Some have fled fighting between Taliban and government forces; others have escaped districts controlled by more violent Islamic State-linked militias. Jalalabad is relatively safe, with security forces guarding and patrolling the roads, so the jobless population has swelled. The luckiest newcomers, others say, are those with relatives and communities to welcome them back. But they too may be struggling to get by. If a long-absent uncle suddenly reappears with an extended family of 20, Pashtun tradition demands that they all be accommodated, but resentment can fester and disputes flare. In one farming village north of Jalalabad, bordering the Kunar River, five local families returned from Pakistan last fall. There was no space for them, and tensions soon erupted. Two brothers in their 30s, one an engineer and the other a business owner in Pakistan, found themselves jobless and living with their families in dark, mud-walled rooms that opened onto a yard for sheep and goats. "For the first few nights, my children kept asking why we didn't turn on the lights," the businessman, Nanjialai Khan, said bitterly. The engineer, Rafiullah, confessed that he could not bear the idea of working as a farm labourer. "People here work hard. They use shovels," he said, making a digging gesture and then showing his palms. "It is difficult when you have had a softer life." Another man from the same family said he had no choice but to pitch a tent in the yard of a relative with whom he had a personal grievance going back years. He seemed distraught and said he was unable to sleep. "Here we have to live with our enemies, but we have nowhere else to go," said the man, speaking in a whisper. He said he did not remember the village, and that his earliest memory was of fleeing across the border as a tiny child after Soviet forces attacked Afghanistan. "This is my country," he said, "but I cannot see the future at all." The Washington Post 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 }} Once a treasure trove of Unesco-registered rare books, the central library of the University of Mosul is now a blackened husk, full of ash. Less than a year after it captured the city in the summer of 2014, Isis all-but destroyed the building and burned its books. University professors and officials were forced to flee but one man, Mosuls librarian-in-exile, is still fighting for its survival. A historian who taught at the university before it fell to Isis, he is the author of the Mosul Eye blog documenting life in the occupied city and, as a result, cannot be named for security reasons. Speaking exclusively to The Independent, the historian said he hopes to collect at least 200,000 books, largely from international donations, to rebuild the universitys central library and others across the city. He described the period shortly after Isis entered Mosul, but before he was forced to flee, when a meeting was called for faculty at the university. One of the instructors said to an Isis member appointed to the university: What do we do with Shakespeares books? We need them to teach students English. The Isis member replied: And what would Shakespeare offer to Muslims?. From that moment I realised what Isis was up to, he told The Independent. Isis ransacked the university library not long after. In 2015, reports said more than 100,000 rare manuscripts and documents spanning centuries of human learning were destroyed, including some which were registered on a Unesco rarities list. General view of the library of the University of Mosul, burned and destroyed during the battle with Islamic State militants, in Iraq (Reuters) (REUTERS/Ahmed Jadallah) For the historian, the destruction of his countrys knowledge and culture was devastating, and he warned the loss to Iraqs history was dire. Manuscripts that document the most important and critical phase of the history of modern Mosul may not be ever recovered. There will always be a black hole in the history of Mosul and Iraq as a result, he said. The universitys central library was my second home. It used to house a wealth of rare publications and unique manuscripts that were available nowhere else. Over the two and a half years that followed Isis capture of the city, smaller libraries in Mosul were repeatedly targeted and looted. Controlling knowledge to reaffirm its grip on power, Isis aimed to cleanse the libraries of all blasphemous literature and knowledge, said the historian. A historian is hoping to collect at least 200,000 books about all subjects and in all languages to rebuild Mosul libraries (Mosul Eye) The unnamed historian has already begun collecting for Mosuls future, and appealed for donations from around the world (Mosul Eye) Students, professors and residents of Mosul made several secret attempts to save the citys manuscripts and hide them away from Isis reach but, the historian said, it was hard to estimate how much survived. Now, he is turning his attention to the future, with a worldwide call for donations of books and publications of all kinds, about any subject and in as many languages as possible. The books are being collected in the relatively secure Iraqi city of Irbil, where they are sorted, labelled and prepared for a more peaceful time when the libraries can be rebuilt. Unesco decried the destruction of Mosuls central library as one of the gravest such acts in human history ( Reuters) (REUTERS/Ahmed Jadallah) Voltaire said once, lets read and lets dance; these two amusements will never do any harm to the world. This is how we will create the future of Mosul, the historian said. From music and literature to history and science, the Mosul Eyes founder said teaching people about experiences of liberty and democracy around the world will help to fight extremism. He recognises people have other concerns. Last week alone, more than 40,000 were displaced amid the heaviest clashes yet between Iraqi forces and Isis fighters, since the start of a new push to regain control of the city. Despite the immediate need for food and medicine, he said he believed that by collecting books now, he could start to give hope to future generations. 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 About 200 books have already been donated but many more could soon be shipped to Iraq from the French port of Marseille. A small NGO called Solidarity and Cooperation in the Mediterranean (Entraide et Cooperation en Mediterranee) has pledged to ship 20 tonnes worth of books in a container, which would travel from Marseille to the Iraqi port of Basra, off the Persian Gulf. Mohamed Hermi, founder of the organisation, which was previously called Read and Cure (Lire and Guerir), said: The only thing that can cure the evils of society are books and learning. Books are the weapon to fight against all cancers of society. In order to fight against intolerance, racism, anti-semitism, extremism and radicalism, society has to read, read and read. We work with lots of organisations and schools in the area and we have loads of books, thats no problem. Working out how to transport the books through Iraq is more difficult, he said. The organisation will send novels, school and childrens books, history and geography books in French and in English. When he returns, the historian dreams not only of building up Mosuls central library, but also developing an opera house and school of music and the performing arts. In his way, he hopes, he can fight for the citys cultural survival, even as Iraqi soldiers battle to secure its future. Ukrainian Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman has said that there is no need to introduce new taxes to introduce insurance medicine in Ukraine. "It [insurance medicine] is necessary for Ukrainians today, and moreover, we introduce the initiative implying that we do not need additional taxes for Ukrainians. We can change the financing system ... and allocate these funds for insurance for every Ukrainian person," the prime minister said on Ukraine TV channel on Sunday, answering the question about the introduction of insurance medicine in Ukraine. He noted that in the matter of improving the quality of medical care for citizens, local authorities with the necessary resources, can play a significant role. 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 United Nations (UN) official has resigned in protest after claiming she was pressured to withdraw a report accusing Israel of apartheid over its treatment of Palestinians. Rima Khalef, an Under-Secretary General for the organisation, led the report published by the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA), which concluded Israel is a racist state. Ms Khalef, a Jordanian, said she resigned after the report was taken down from the ESCWAs website after two days and UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres distanced himself from its findings, saying it reflected her personal views. We expected of course that Israel and its allies would put huge pressure on the secretary general of the UN so that he would disavow the report, and that they would ask him to withdraw it, she told the Agence France Presse news agency. In her resignation letter, Ms Khalef acknowledged she had only two weeks of her contract left to serve, but said: "I cannot withdraw yet another well-researched, well-documented UN work on grave violations of human rights, yet I know that clear instructions by the Secretary-General will have to be implemented promptly. "A dilemma that can only be resolved by my stepping down to allow someone else to deliver what I am unable to deliver in good conscience. I know that I have only two more weeks to serve; my resignation is therefore not intended for political pressure. It is simply because I feel it my duty towards the people we serve, towards the UN and towards myself, not to withdraw an honest testimony about an ongoing crime that is at the root of so much human suffering." The ESCWA is based in Lebanese capital Beirut and promotes economic and social development in 18 Arab countries. Remembering the Israel-Gaza conflict Show all 12 1 /12 Remembering the Israel-Gaza conflict Remembering the Israel-Gaza conflict Remembering Israel-Gaza conflict The fire in my heart is beyond my ribs. You left me beloved - Soliman Shaheen, 15 Remembering the Israel-Gaza conflict Remembering Israel-Gaza conflict Let me get enough of you, as Im still hungry for your smile my son - Soliman Shaheen, 15 Remembering the Israel-Gaza conflict Remembering Israel-Gaza conflict They besiege me in my homeland so I flew to heaven - Rodaina Al Agha, 16 Remembering the Israel-Gaza conflict Remembering Israel-Gaza conflict And I am still facing the pain all by myself - Lama Shakshak, 15 Remembering the Israel-Gaza conflict Remembering Israel-Gaza conflict My brother, I watched you go while my heart was tearing - Helen Mo'amar, 16 Remembering the Israel-Gaza conflict Remembering Israel-Gaza conflict My new doll is lonely in the rubble - Ayah Sha'ath, 16 Remembering the Israel-Gaza conflict Remembering Israel-Gaza conflict When a soul hugs another soul they never split, even in death - Ismail Matar, 16 Remembering the Israel-Gaza conflict Remembering Israel-Gaza conflict Everyone is gone and I stayed alone to make the world witness the injustice done to me - Hamza Shaheen, 16 Remembering the Israel-Gaza conflict Remembering Israel-Gaza conflict The hand that carries the arms carries roses too - Madeeha Al Majayda, 15 Remembering the Israel-Gaza conflict Remembering Israel-Gaza conflict My eyes tell you about a dream that overcame the fence - Soliman Shaheen, 15 Remembering the Israel-Gaza conflict Remembering Israel-Gaza conflict A childhood caught in an unjust siege - Hadeel Quidh, 16 Remembering the Israel-Gaza conflict Remembering Israel-Gaza conflict All the details are torn after you - Hamza Shaheen, 17 Its report, which is no longer visible on the website, concluded on the basis on scholarly enquiry and overwhelming evidence, that Israel is guilty of the crime of apartheid. Italso encouraged governments around the world to support the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement against Israel. Ms Khalef was praised for her courage by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Mr Abbas had spoken to Ms Khalef by phone and given her Palestine's Medal of the Highest Honor in recognition of her courage and support for his people, local media reported. Israel immediately condemned the report, which was co-authored by Richard Falk, who has courted controversy in the past by suggesting the 9/11 attacks could have been a conspiracy involving the west. The attempt to smear and falsely label the only true democracy in the Middle East by creating a false analogy is despicable and constitutes a blatant lie, Israel's UN Ambassador Danny Danon said in a statement. America's UN ambassador Nikki Haley also called for the report to be withdrawn , describing it as anti-Israel propaganda. The United States stands with our ally Israel and will continue to oppose biased and anti-Israel actions across the UN system and around the world, he said. A UN spokesman said the organisation did not have a problem with the content of the report but rather with Ms Khalefs failure to follow procedure prior to publication. "The secretary-general cannot accept that an under secretary-general or any other senior UN official that reports to him would authorise the publication under the UN name, under the UN logo, without consulting the competent departments and even himself," said Stephane Dujarric, a spokesman for UN chief Antonio Guterres. 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 }} Yesterday we hit record sales: 52,000 tickets sold, tweeted Level British Airways new sister airline. Wow! Levels new transatlantic network was launched at the weekend and takes to the skies in June. The budget carrier is part of the IAG conglomerate, which includes Aer Lingus, Vueling and Iberia as well as BA. The carrier will be based in Barcelona, with flights to Los Angeles and Oakland in California, Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic and the Argentinian capital, Buenos Aires. The opening one-way fares announced by airline were 99, and all the cheapest seats appear to have been snapped up fast. But research by The Independent reveals many tickets are on sale for only slightly more particularly in the autumn. Departing from Barcelona to Oakland the airport serving San Francisco for a week on 4 November costs 113 for the outbound leg, and 134 inbound, giving a return fare of 247, or about 220. Similar fares are available on many dates in November and the first half of December. On similar dates on the identical route, the low-cost airline Norwegians fares are 199 outbound and 213 inbound two-thirds higher than its new rival. The basic fare on Level covers only a single piece of cabin baggage, with maximum dimensions of 56x45x25cm. It appears there is no weight limit. Meals, drinks and Wi-Fi are charged separately on Level. Norwegian offers complimentary Wi-Fi, but its free cabin baggage baggage allowance is not so generous as Levels. For British travellers, the arrival of a new option to Buenos Aires is especially appealing. On the key pre-Christmas Friday, 22 December, returning two weeks later, the return fare from Barcelona is 947. Together with a separately booked low-cost flight from Gatwick (allowing plenty of time for the connection outbound and return), the total in sterling is around 930 return. The cheapest non-stop flight on British Airways from Heathrow to Buenos Aires on these dates is 1,414, and the lowest fare via Madrid on Iberia or Air Europa is around 1,000. Flights are operated by the Spanish airline Iberia on behalf of Level. A source at Aer Lingus expressed surprise that a new entity had been set up for low-cost transatlantic flying, when the Irish airline is already offering budget services and has an established and well-regarded brand. The fare quotes for a series of test bookings suggest that the final decision on a name was taken fairly late on in the project. It shows the operator as Iberia for Newco. Newco appears to be the working name for the new airline. 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 }} One of the leading Middle East airlines has abruptly told passengers they cannot take electronic devices on flights to or from the US. The ban applies from tomorrow. Royal Jordanian, which flies between its hub in Amman and New York, Detroit and Chicago, tweeted: Following instructions from the concerned US departments, we kindly inform our dearest passengers departing to and arriving from the United States that carrying any electronic or electrical device on board the flight cabins is strictly prohibited. While mobile phones and medical devices needed during the flight are permitted in the cabin, all other devices are banned. Prohibited devices, including for instance laptops, tablets, cameras, DVD players and electronic games etc, can be carried in the checked baggage only, says the airline. Many passengers will be unhappy about checking in valuable devices, for fear that they may go missing, as well as the loss of enjoyment or the chance to work during the flight. The airlines tweet concludes: Thank you for your understanding. We wish you pleasant flights on board RJ. Ben Schlappig, who writes the One Mile At A Time frequent-flyer blog, said: Is this some gross misinterpretation of something, or are they going off specific intelligence? If the latter, Im not sure how its safer for there to be electronic devices in the cargo hold than in the cabin. If were talking about explosives, a majority of explosives that have gone off on planes in the past were in the cargo hold and not in the cabin. Mr Schlappig also observed: From a safety perspective, the chances of a battery fire or something in the cargo hold seems much higher than in the cabin, where it can at least be dealt with. The Independent has been trying to contact Royal Jordanians New York office for further comment. It is not clear if the ban is a temporary measure ahead of the Arab Summit, due to be held in Jordan on 29 and 30 March. The world's safest low-cost airlines Show all 8 1 /8 The world's safest low-cost airlines The world's safest low-cost airlines WestJet, a low cost Canadian carrier, was voted one of the safest low-cost airlines Alasdair McLellan/Creative Commons The world's safest low-cost airlines Virgin America was named as a low cost carrier by airlineratings.com Virginamerica.com The world's safest low-cost airlines Thomas Cook airlines were ranked highly on the world's best low cost carriers by airlineratings.com The world's safest low-cost airlines Boeing 737 Boeing 737 is part of TUI Fly, a German based subsidiary of Thomas Cook Tuifly.com The world's safest low-cost airlines Volaris, a low-cost Mexican carrier, has been rated one of the safest airlines to fly Volaris/Carribeanairlinenews The world's safest low-cost airlines HK Express was rated highly in the rankings HKExpress The world's safest low-cost airlines Aer Lingus was rated as one of the safest low-cost airlines in the world. The world's safest low-cost airlines America's low-cost carrier has been rated as super safe. The Foreign Office warns: Terrorist attacks in Jordan are highly likely. 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 }} How can a day of such political drama be both extraordinary and business as usual, all at the same time? Firstly, the remarkable: the director of the FBI confirms that the sitting US President is part of an ongoing espionage probe into an alleged effort by Russia to interfere with the election that bore him to the White House. He also says there is no proof to support the Presidents claim that his predecessor wiretapped him. Then, the business as usual: moments later, the White House says the probe has uncovered no such collusion and disassociates Donald Trump from many of those likely to be part of the FBI probe. Then, in the post-fact, create-your-own-facts world of the White House briefing room, it adds that Mr Donald Trump stands by the wiretapping claim that has just been publicly rubbished. In any normal political environment, the events that played out on Monday before the House of Representatives Intelligence Committee, would have been very damaging to the President. James Comey had just confirmed federal agents were looking at possible collusion between Russia and Mr Trumps campaign, and if crimes had been committed as a result. Then, he poured cold water on the startling claim about Barack Obama which Mr Trump has failed to provide any evidence to support. But, as has been said a thousand times, these days are anything but ordinary. Mr Trump had already denounced the events as politically motivated and said the Democrats have pushed the story of Russias alleged involvement as an excuse for running a terrible campaign. It is very likely that his supporters will agree with him. FBI Director James Comey questioned over Michael Flynn's payment from RT FBI Director Comey: fmr. DNI Clapper right to say no evidence of collusion between Russia and Trump Campaign, Mr Trump said on Twitter, using the official presidential account rather than his personal one. Later, he added: The NSA and FBI tell Congress that Russia did not influence electoral process. An indication of how the White House will play this in the coming days came from press secretary Sean Spicer, who told reporters: Following this testimony, its clear that nothing has changed. Senior Obama intelligence officials have gone on the record to say there is no evidence of a Trump Russia collusion. He added: The Obama CIA director said so, the Obama director of national security said so. And we take them at their word. Mr Spicer was asked about various associates of Mr Trump former campaign advisors Roger Stone and Carter Page, former campaign manager Paul Manafort, and former national security advisor Michael Flynn whose names had been included in questions by Democratic members of the committee that morning. Mr Spicer said Mr Manafort had a limited role in the campaign, that Mr Flynn was a volunteer, and that Mr Stone also only worked briefly. He said Mr Page was among various hangers-on who in truth had little to do with the Presidents team. Investigating it and having proof of it are two different things, Mr Spicer said of the FBI investigation into possible links with Russia. I mean, theres a point at which you continue to search for something that everybody whos been briefed hasnt seen or found. I think its fine to look into it but at the end of the day, theyre going to come to the same conclusion that everybody else has had. So you can continue to look for something, but continuing to look for something that doesnt exist, doesnt matter. It is important to remember. that to date, for all the noise and for all the accusations, no hard evidence has been provided to show collusion between Mr Trump and Russia. Mr Trump is adamant that none exists. Until such evidence emerges, its likely that the majority of the 60 million or so people who voted for the New York tycoon are going to give him the benefit of the doubt. If this all seems remarkable, it is. And its also business as usual. Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the View from Westminster email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} The United Arab Emirates is going to Mars, seeking to rewrite cultural history, revolutionising robotics and redefining the conversations we have about governance and statecraft. But why should you care? My most recent journey to the Emirati sister cities of Abu Dhabi and Dubai gave me access to insights that I hope show you why its not just important but existentially vital to suspend cynicism and pay attention to their politics for a few moments. The UAE is a young nation. In fact, it still has five years to go before it celebrates its golden jubilee. Yet in its 45 year history it has lost more than its fair share of diplomats and soldiers, often in the fight against extremist militants. In January, five Emirati diplomats were killed in a bomb blast while on a humanitarian mission in Afghanistan. The Emirati Ambassador, Juma Al Kaabi, sustained injuries and succumbed to his wounds a few weeks later. He was in Kandahar to lay the foundation stone for a UAE-funded orphanage. The most expensive holiday destinations in the world Show all 19 1 /19 The most expensive holiday destinations in the world The most expensive holiday destinations in the world 19. Shanghai 131.90 ($186.18) The most expensive holiday destinations in the world 18. Moscow 133.45 ($188.37) The most expensive holiday destinations in the world 17. Paphos, Cyprus 135.73 ($191.59) The most expensive holiday destinations in the world 16. Malta 138.25 ($197.19) The most expensive holiday destinations in the world 15. Los Angeles 138.91 ($198.13) The most expensive holiday destinations in the world 14. Punta Cana, Dominican Republic 139.78 ($199.38) The most expensive holiday destinations in the world 13. Rome 152.14 ($217) The most expensive holiday destinations in the world 12. Paris 153.38 ($218.77) The most expensive holiday destinations in the world 11. Dublin 156.15 ($222.72) The most expensive holiday destinations in the world 10. Lima, Peru 158.90 ($226.65) The most expensive holiday destinations in the world 9. Cancun, Mexico 172.79 ($246.46) The most expensive holiday destinations in the world 8. Caracas, Venezuela 172.79 ($246.46) The most expensive holiday destinations in the world 7. Singapore 183.87 ($262.26) The most expensive holiday destinations in the world 6. London 191.50 ($273.15) The most expensive holiday destinations in the world 5. Sydney 203.06 ($289.63) The most expensive holiday destinations in the world 4. Marrakesh, Morocco 223.44 ($318.70) The most expensive holiday destinations in the world 3. Botswana, Africa 225.07 ($321.03) The most expensive holiday destinations in the world 2. New York City 256.80 ($366.29) The most expensive holiday destinations in the world 1. Dubai, United Arab Emirates 278.92 ($397.84) Yousef Al Otaiba, a high-ranking UAE diplomat and current UAE Ambassador to the United States, summed up the national response of doubling down on cherished values rather than abandoning them when they are assaulted: Will it affect our policy in Afghanistan? Will we reconsider sending humanitarian efforts? Of course not. The most telling response, though, came from Noura Al Kaabi, the UAEs Minister of State for Federal National Council Affairs. When I expressed my dismay at the attacks, she simply said to me: "We're stronger." In preparing to write this, I took the opportunity to ask Al Kaabi to expand on those words. Take a look at Wahat al Karama, she told me, referring to a memorial honouring the UAEs war dead. That monument pays tribute to the souls of our soldiers and diplomats who sacrificed their lives to protect our way of life... The memorial consists of panels, each leaning on the other... We all lean on one another just as we lean on our leaders and our leaders lean on us. That sense of community is what makes us stronger. That's why we give. When we are attacked, we reassert who we are more vigorously than before. We don't shy away from our values. There was a confidence Al-Kaabis answer that I yearn to see in the United States. It stood in perfect contrast to the national insecurity with which the US has consented to be terrorised even to the point that, if the rhetoric of the political powers that be are any indication, the country allows counter-terrorism to inform the tone of virtually every aspect of political discourse. The 9 most expensive cities to live in the world Speaking to me from Washington, James Zogby, president of the Arab American Institute, talked about the UAEs approach of facing down an incendiary narrative by providing an alternative record to the march of extremism and closing up what seems to be spreading across the world from the United States and Europe to the Middle East and Asia. In the face of the instability that plagues many parts of the Arab world, said Zogby, the UAE represents a model of moderation, development, and tolerance. Cynics are dismissive, saying, It's because they have money. Wealth is a factor, but more to the point the UAE's success is due to wise leadership and sound values. The UAE was formed not by one leader but by a Supreme Council of multiple tribal elders representing seven different emirates. That propelled the country forward to a conglomerative form of government that honours the concept of shura (a form of tribal consultation) more organically than any other nation in the region. The legitimacy of Emirati leadership is inextricably connected to the institution of the majlis, literally a sitting in which citizens discuss their concerns with people in positions of leadership as well as one another. Every Emirati majlis Ive ever attended has been remarkably collaborative and respectful. That quality of empathetic attentiveness is also apparent in the halls of the Federal National Council. Witnessing the FNC in session, I saw a parliamentary debate marked by intelligent discourse and the grateful absence of political parties. Each member operated with loyalty to their own ideas and to the constituents they were there to represent. The members were unhampered by allegiance to party and were unbeholden to the demands of political lobbies and special interest groups. One moment that struck me was when Amal Al Qubaisi, the Speaker of the House, cited a perfectly respectable statistic regarding the performance of the country but, before going on to make her main point, punctuated her statistic with the words: Of course we should be doing even better than this. By taking off the shades of cynicism, we in the United States could stand to be reminded of the virtues of listening to one another and exercising national humility in our parliamentary politics. When it comes to transparency in the press, the UAE has one of the most diverse media environments in the world (it hosts organisations like Two Four 54 and Dubais Media City) despite the widespread misperception that the Emirates remains a heavily censored state. Ive written often for The National, a major newspaper based in Abu Dhabi, and I have never once been censored or felt the need to self-censor. Not a single time. Too often, extremists on all continents are very quick to tell us what they avidly oppose and yet find it difficult to articulate what they are for. In contrast, the cultural atmosphere of UAE journalism requires the articulation of a thesis and a solution instead of indulgence in the politics of personal destruction. I managed to sit down with the Editor-in-Chief of the National, Rashid al Murooshid, in Abu Dhabi where I asked him to sum up the goal of the paper. We want, he said to show that with a responsible media organisation, no one should or need feel threatened by transparency, which in the end is in the national interest as we become a more developed economy. Indeed, the former is a prerequisite of the latter. Negative ratings, however, tell a different story. An article on press freedoms in the Emirates that appeared in The National itself back in 2015 ended with the following, slightly strange conclusion: With journalists facing challenges in many countries, overall the press in the UAE is said by senior officials to have more freedom than legislation suggests. Similarly, in 2013, while indicating that new media legislation was in the pipeline, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and then chairman of the National Media Council, suggested that a Freedom House ranking that placed the UAE 158th out of 196 countries in terms of press freedom was not an accurate reflection of reality. This ranking is based on the law, not practice, he said. And that the divergence between written, often antiquated laws on the one hand and reality on the other sums up the reason for a healthy number of fatal misconceptions about the UAE. There is no doubt that it is up to the UAE itself to fix this issue by bringing all laws into synch with the open, free and vibrant reality of the society and nation as it exists in the real world. So how does the UAE strategise for the future? Reem Al Hashimy, who led the UAEs successful bid to host Expo 2020, spoke of the perils of overconfidence but offers a pragmatic alternate path. She speaks with precision and passion as she exalts the virtue of fact-based bidding and policy making. It was a world away from my experiences covering the personality-driven popularity contest that was the US election. I don't think we can succeed if we close up, she said, on protectionism. Our success model was built on embracing diversity and the aspirations of a largely younger population in this region. She acknowledged that the UAE was an aspirational destination for many young people across the world, but was reticent about defining the UAE as a model of hope: Thats a title that they bestow upon us; we don't bestow it upon ourselves. Al Hashimy goes on to speak of the celebration of cultural expression as vital. Shes right to project a sense of urgency behind it. Music and the arts and poetry are essentially a training field for innovation and empathy. Cities like Dubai that contain an unrivalled multiplicity of nationalities turn into bloodbaths without the basic bedrock of empathy and respect that informs the culture and the tone. On a broader global scare, we are, for the first time in human history, faced with a daunting prospect: anyone on the planet can digitally touch anybody else on the planet instantly. In this ecosystem, the sort of cultural interconnectivity that I saw at the Dubai Opera takes on a newly minted urgency. Hoda Kanoo, the chairwoman of Abu Dhabi Music and Arts Festival, fended off naysayers over 25 years ago when they scoffed at the idea that this small and nascent Middle Eastern desert nation would ever need a prestigious concert music festival. She went on to build an organisation that is one of the largest performing arts presenters in the world today and she speaks with the passion and excitement of someone who sees a miraculous transformation around her and wants to share it with the world. The UAE today is a nation that inhales far more than it exhales as people increasingly regard the country as a land of opportunity. And today, Kanoo speaks of a rewriting of cultural history with terrific conviction. The grandiosity of her vision is daunting. Bill Bragin, artistic director of the Arts Center at NYU Abu Dhabi, is visibly animated as he shows me around the various theatres of the new cultural complex he sires. On Bragins team, I met people representing diverse walks of life, sexual orientations, religions and their director is passionate about them: [They come from] extraordinarily different backgrounds many coming to the UAE for the first time. They find it incredibly warm and welcoming to be here, and regularly remark on how open the community is here, which is often in contrast to their expectations based on what they read online. He refers to the coverage which usually surrounds the UAE in western media: human rights abuses, suggestions of dark conspiracies around oil and the notion that the UAE is a plastic society that imports brands like NYU, the Louvre, Guggenheim and so on without any interest in their cultural gifts but an eye on their wallets. On the last point, Bragin, who walks past the artworks of towering Emirati artists like Hassan Sharif, and Mohammed Kazem on his way to his office every day, balks. But can the UAE itself help to correct the perceptions of itself that run rampant through the digital corridors of the internet? Revoking British-era sodomy laws or arcane vestiges that paint Emirati women as second class citizens (in fact, the statistics tell a story very similar to and sometimes much better than the West: Emirati women make up 25 per cent of cabinet-level ministers in the UAE , 50 per cent of employees in the space programme are women, and 46 per cent of the countrys graduates in STEM subjects are women) and replacing de facto extinct legal doctrine with explicit universal protections for all citizens would be a good start. But the reality on the ground nevertheless remains the reality on the ground. They realise, continues Bragin, that what's happening here is an amazing experiment in diversity, bringing people of so many different backgrounds together to build the country as a core strength. It's an optimistic, progressive vision of the future and of nation-building. And a strong contrast to the backwards looking false nostalgia which is infecting so many other parts of the world. While the UAE was developing and refining Masdar, a zero carbon city, America was having a debate on whether global warming was a Chinese hoax. When the Emirati citizen Ahmed al Menhali was beaten in Ohio for wearing UAE national dress, I was grateful to think that there were places like Dubai or Abu Dhabi where people wear whatever they want and dont get oppressed for it, least of all by law enforcement agencies. From Mars missions to robotics and opera houses to the press, the UAE is quietly getting a lot of things right despite what we might hear in some parts of the media. Perhaps Western nations should lend an ear and listen. The tallest building in the world is in Dubai. The largest city on the planet is Shanghai. The biggest things are no longer in the West. But they can be. We just have to choose to be a part of the story of the future. Sign up to our free Brexit and beyond email for the latest headlines on what Brexit is meaning for the UK Sign up to our Brexit email for the latest insight Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Brexit and beyond email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Theresa May will not, we are not told, be triggering an early general election this year. Good news for political journalists and the Great 2016-17 Sleep Deficit although the proposed triggering of Article 50 in nine days time will keep everyone occupied. Less good news for the Labour Party. Youd be forgiven for thinking Labour HQ will be thanking their lucky stars to have avoided a bloodbath on 2 May. ICM polling, out today, gives the Tories a 19 per cent poll lead over Labour; projections from the Electoral Calculus polling organisation, borne out by the by-election results in Stoke and Copeland, show May increasing her working majority from 17 to 140. MPs from both ends of the Labour Party are shivering. Last week, one of Corbyns parliamentary critics told me he sits on a constituency majority of several thousand but the Tories will take it, easy, if theres an election any time soon. Less predictably, in an interview with the i newspaper this week, John McDonnell admitted that it may take Jeremy Corbyn 18 months, 24 months to turn around his poor polling performance. So why wont Theresa May deliver the killer blow? Why not put Labour out of its misery? If you listened to Mondays Today programme, youre halfway to the answer. In an extraordinary interview, deputy leader Tom Watson, a man who normally likes to let other people deliver his punches, accused the Unite union and the Momentum activist group of a hard-left plan to control the Labour Party. The Labour Party is at war this as a battle for the future existence of the Labour Party, per Watson. Momentum looks like it is orchestrating a 'takeover from the hard left' says Tom Watson Watson was talking about a tape of a Momentum meeting, leaked to Sundays Observer, in which senior Momentum leader Jon Lansman appeared to outline a strategy for ensuring that Unite and Momentum activists ensure the election of their own candidate should Jeremy Corbyn stand down. The real scandal? The Unite movement which currently channels funds to the Labour Party appears to be considering redirecting that money to Momentum itself. That eventuality relies on the re-election of Len McClusky as general secretary of the Unite union, another organisation which Momentum activists are accused of infiltrating. All this might sound like a minor coughing fit in Labours inevitable death throes. But the issue of who gets union funding is key to the existential identity of the Labour Party. Labour began life as the political arm of the trade union movement when the first great battles for workers rights were being fought its continued claims to represent anything like the working man remain predicated on that link to the union movement. For Unite to shift its funding from the Labour Party proper to an activist faction within it and not all Momentum activists are even members of the Labour Party would represent not just a crippling loss of funds, but an end page on its founding myth. Just as dramatic would be any break by the Labour Party itself from its long-time union backers. Its been tried before. In 1981, when the centrist Gang of Four broke off from the Labour Party to form the Social Democratic Party, they did so after a one-day party conference at which members voted to hand the largest say in any future leadership election to the trade union bloc. The resulting Limehouse Declaration, currently the subject of a new play at the Donmar Warehouse, has been much mooted as a model for moderate Labour MPs considering breaking from the Labour Party completely. Except, of course, that the SDP failed. One reason they failed was Roy Jenkins, David Owen, Shirley Williams and Bill Rodgers had created a party without history. They had grassroots thousands joined up across the country to campaign for this new left-of-centre movement. And leftist centrism clearly has appeal to voters: Tony Blair was effectively the final triumph of the SDP in government. But even if Margaret Thatcher hadnt jacked up her popularity with the Falklands War; even if the SDP had given themselves more time before they gave up and merged with the Liberals (it takes 10 to 15 years of constituency organisation to take a seat): the party didnt have a heroic story to sell to former Labour voters. In Steve Waters new play, the characters of Williams, Jenkins and Rodgers tell each other stories of how the Labour unions won strikes, fed workers widows and, in the case of Jenkins, saved his father from an unjust prison sentence. We will be hated, says Rodgers. And they'll be f***ing right. For many long-serving activists, to discard a Labour rosette to side with those who transported the Tolpuddle Martyrs to Australia was unthinkable. As it is, Labour moderates lack the personnel to set up an appealing alternative to contemporary Labour. Many MPs are simply giving up. Tristram Hunt is not the only high-profile Labour figure to take an escape parachute in the form of a prestigious establishment job: Baronness Royall, the well-regarded former Brownite who steered a thoughtful path between all politically motivated factions in her report on anti-Semitism in Labour university clubs, recently announced that she will become head of Somerville College at Oxford University (on hearing Momentum activist Christine Shawcroft defend the latest moves this morning, Royall made her feelings known.) Head-to-head: Theresa May v Nicola Sturgeon What does all this have to do with when Theresa May should call a general election? Its certainly proof that the Labour Party is in trouble now. But it also demonstrates that Labours internal divides are likely to get a lot worse before they get better. The most revealing thing about Jon Lansmans leaked remarks to fellow Momentum activists is that the Corbynistas-in-chief have started planning for life after Jeremy Corbyn. This was suggested when annointed heir Rebecca Long-Bailey was promoted in last months reshuffle. That means another leadership election, and before the leadership election, the necessary implementation of Lansmans plan for complete Unite/Momentum control of the process. For those, like Theresa May, who believe that a credible electoral challenge can only come from Labours centrists, the prospect of running against a Len McClusky candidate in 2020 is too good to resist. Imagine Theresa May calls an election today. Corbyn is defeated the PM increases her majority. So far, so good for the Tories. But the resulting leadership election before the proposed Lansman change, which would lower the bar for parliamentary support for any candidate to get on the members ballot would represent Labours last chance to elect a leader with mainstream appeal. The risk to Theresa May is small, but, ever prudent, its not one shes prepared to take. Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the View from Westminster email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} The new Iron Lady has played her ace card with the formal triggering of Article 50 next week. With Labour imploding and Sturgeons Jacobite revolution defeated, the Prime Minister has one more wildcard left up her sleeve. She should do a hasty U-turn and play the general election trump card on 4 May which would become Super Thursday. That would decide the shape of central and local government for half a decade. It would also allow her to put her Brexit plan and key policies such as grammar schools to the public. If she won with a majority of substance, she would then become the most powerful British politician since Thatcher. It is in her power to shuffle the pack and let fate, Momentum and the people decide her fate. Anthony Rodriguez Staines-upon-Thames Jeremy Corbyn is not a disaster Jeremy Corbyns leadership of the Labour Party has not been a failure. After years during which orthodox socialists were deprived of a Labour Party with which they could identify, Jeremy Corbyn has given them back their Labour Party and it is not surprising that they want to defend his achievement. Gaining power is not the only priority. They also want a party that reflects their passionate socialist beliefs, in the hope that, eventually, the majority of voters will agree with them. In the meantime, if the voters reject them, that is a price that has to be paid if you want a party that you can believe in. Michael Heppner London, N21 Why would Unite throw their support behind Momentum, not Labour? It is reported that Jon Lansman, leader of the Momentum faction in the Labour Party, has said that if the current general secretary Len McCluskey wins the Unite Union election the union will affiliate to the faction and not to the party. This would make the Labour Party unelectable as it would not have sufficient money to fight an election, but also raises questions about the unions support for Labour. And if a major union does not support Labour, why should anyone else? However this report is questionable as Momentum is not a party and does not have the legal or political machinery to be a party. The assumption must be that Unite would be supporting a faction within the Labour Party, making the actions of the SDP in the 1980s seem small beer. But does McCluskey have any plans to affiliate his union to a faction? What is he saying to the union members? If there is a plan to withdraw the unions funding from the Opposition then the plan is more than just a union matter. The public deserve to know. Trevor Fisher Stafford Vera Lynn was more than a wartime singer She became famous for singing about bluebirds and nightingales, but its pigeons and geese who have benefited the most from the kindness of Dame Vera Lynn, who turned 100 this week. Dame Vera has long been a staunch supporter of the British troops, so she was understandably distressed to learn that pigeons loyal birds who served the UK by delivering vital messages during both world wars are being shipped to the Continent each year before being forced to fly back home across the hazardous English Channel. Separating pigeons from their mates and forcing them to fly, exhausted, across the vast Channel is an utterly cruel pastime, she said after viewing Petas pigeon racing expose. With hundreds of thousands of birds lost at sea each year, the Channel has become a veritable bird graveyard for these forgotten heroes. Dame Vera has also taken Fortnum & Mason to task for selling foie gras even though its production is so cruel that its banned in the UK. In a letter to the retailer, she wrote: For a department store with such a proud British heritage, it made me sad that you would wish to tarnish it by associating yourself with the force-feeding of animals. We hope people will be inspired by Dame Veras compassion to take a stand against cruelty by refusing to support these callous industries. Jennifer White Assistant Press Officer, Peta UK Is Nicola Sturgeon being genuine about wanting UK citizens to move to Scotland post-Brexit? Nicola Sturgeon urges English, Welsh and Northern Irish voters to move to Scotland if we support her opinions on Brexit and the single market. At which point she will welcome us with open arms. But while I share her opinions on the current UK Governments Brexit-at-any-cost attitude and dismay at the outcome of last years referendum, that is impractical for me, as it will be for a majority of remain voters outside Scotland. We have families, jobs, ties to our local communities and more. But considering the vote was taken by the United Kingdom, and not the separate constituent nations of the UK, why will she not support people who voted the same way as she did who live in the other three nations but who still wish to live there? It couldnt be that she is as intransigent as Theresa May is to the hopes and aspirations of those from whom she wishes to dissociate, could it? Perish the thought. Michael OHare Middlesex England doesnt know what Scotland wants Many newspapers made a hash of not knowing the politics and preferences of the Scottish people last time the subject forced its way into their papers. I do hope this is not going to happen again. I write following the remarkably wide coverage of Ruth Davidsons recent deftly-worded pronouncement that the Scots do not want another referendum. This may be literally true, but I assure you that the lack of will of the present Prime Minister (whose repeated insistence on a partnership of equals is no longer funny) to negotiate with Nicola Sturgeon may leave us no option but to have one anyway. And have it we will, if it is forced upon us. That Nigel Farage still stokes headlines with his own fantasy opinions is difficult enough to have to stomach without Davidsons being piled in for good measure. In short, Scots do not want a referendum may indeed be true, Ruth. But they want even less an under-researched, roundly-advised-against and unrepresentative-of-the-UK-as-a-whole-and-Scotland-in-particular nonsense arrogantly chucked in our direction as a plan because Westminster says so. And for dead certain sure, the voting pattern of Scotland over more decades than I care to remember shows, more than anything, they do not want the Tory party, or you, driving Scotlands future. Janice Galloway Glasgow 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 }} Far from having lost the plot, the Labour Party appears to find a new one round every corner. The latest charge to be levelled at apparent conspirators came from Tom Watson, following disputed reports that Momentum is seeking financial support from, and direct affiliation to, Unite. Watsons contention that there are some people who do not have our electoral interests at heart will hardly come as a shock though. That has been the anti-Momentum narrative within the centre and right wing of the party for months. And it is hard not to understand why. Momentum is, after all, in effect an organisation within an organisation which, as outlined in its constitution, aims to work for the election of a Labour government. But rather than encouraging a broad base to flock to the Labour ranks, it commits only to encourage those inspired by Jeremy Corbyns leadership campaign to join the party. The reason critics think Momentum is an entryist conspiracy is because it looks precisely like an entryist conspiracy. A secret recording obtained by The Observer appeared to suggest that Jon Lansman, Momentums founder, believed it would be to his organisations advantage if Len McCluskey were re-elected as Unites general secretary. For his part, McCluskey let it be known that he has never met Lansman. And Watsons claims of a secret plan to take over the Labour Party were subsequently turned on their head, as the shadow Chancellor, John McDonnell, accused his colleague of interfering in the Unite unions leadership election. This is less plots thickening than multiplying. Corbyn questions National Insurance U-turn during PMQs As ever, it is the Labour Party that suffers as a result of the machinations. Watson may be right to call out what he sees as existential threats, but in the short term it does nothing to make Labour any more attractive to anyone other than arch-Corbynistas. Indeed, it has always been the paradox of Jeremy Corbyns leadership that it has been held up as an example of political populism yet without much evidence of it being popular beyond core supporters. Yet the difficulty for Labour goes beyond the perception that it is dominated by in-fighting. Its primary problem is that it has had so few effective moments holding a poor Government to account. This has been particularly apparent in the past week or so. First, Corbyn angered colleagues by suggesting he would support another independence referendum in Scotland, before blaming the media for mischievous misreporting of his words. (If a referendum is held then it is absolutely fine, it should be held plainly mean something different to him than everyone else.) Next, he failed to capitalise on the Governments astonishing U-turn over National Insurance contributions with a dismal performance at PMQs. Supporters of Corbyn, including members of Momentum, perennially argue that the Labour leader is guided by strong principles. Few would doubt that. These principles would underpin a fairer, more equal Britain, they contend. That too may be right. If he were to win a general election, say his fans, he would change the country for the better. But all of this ignores the most vital imperative for any political leader to be effective; to get things done. And if Jeremy Corbyn and his supporters want any further evidence they should take a look over the Atlantic. Like Corbyn, President Trump rose to the head of his party on a wave of popular appeal, not via backroom deals or political cronyism. Like Corbyn, Trump held out hope of a new way of doing politics, dispensing with establishment voices. Like Corbyn, Trump promised to make the lives of ordinary people better. 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 But even though Trump has maintained his bold rhetoric since reaching the White House, it is becoming increasingly clear that he is struggling to achieve anything that backs up those fanciful words. His travel ban has quite rightly been stymied not once but twice. Promises he made to supporters about maintaining medical cover despite repealing Obamacare are falling apart at the seams. And as far as Americas relationship with Britain is concerned, Trumps (over-)friendly meeting with Theresa May has been long forgotten amidst outrageous claims about GCHQ having wire-tapped Trump Tower at the behest of President Obama. In short, two months in and Trump has done nothing to prove he is capable of governing. No wonder his approval rating has fallen to 37 per cent. But at least Americans can claim (however disingenuously) they were duped by a brilliant campaign, led to believe that a man with no experience of leading a political party could somehow prove himself adept and effective when he got his hand on the tiller. For Labour, there is no such chance of gaining power with Corbyn at the helm for precisely the reason that he is already demonstrating the kind of ineptitude he would surely show in office. All talk of plots is a sideshow. For as long as Corbyn remains Labours leader, the party will remain out of power. 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 }} Not since the 4our participating members in the 5ive reunion tour were reduced suddenly to 3hree can a travelling stage show have started with lower expectations. 2017: A Bigger Brexit! kicks off in Swansea today, the Prime Ministers mercifully short tour round the devolved nations, with no grander stated aim than to convince its various audiences not to walk out in disgust. It wont be easy. As well as herself (lead vocals), shell also have David Davis (vocals), and possibly even Boris Johnson (vocals) and Liam Fox (backing vocals). Sure, every member of the band infinitely prefers listening to their own voice than the tedious rigmarole of, say, learning to play any instrument right down to and very much including the triangle. But, given no attempt whatsoever has been made to shy away from that unfortunate reality, the Prime Minister can hope the crowds will overlook it. In her own case, that every song will be a cover is unfortunate, but so utterly compelling is her Nigel Farage tribute act these days that even if the punters dont like the music, whos to say they cant at least admire the sheer craft of it? UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 7 November 2022 Handout photo issued by Just Stop Oil of a protester who has climbed a gantry on the M25 between junctions six and seven in Surrey, leading to the closure of the motorway PA UK news in pictures 6 November 2022 A grey seal with its pup, at the Donna Nook National Nature Reserve in north Lincolnshire, where they come every year in late October, November and December to give birth to their pups near the sand dunes, the wildlife spectacle attracts visitors from across the UK PA 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 It has been pointed out many times in the past week that Theresa May faces an epistemological highwire act of death-defying proportion that, for example, telling Scotland it would be suicidal to abandon its union with its single largest trading partner, while simultaneously telling the UK as a whole to embrace the opportunities of doing just that, is a display of such extreme intellectual contortionism that can only possibly end with the head lodged in a particularly sub-optimal location. Already, she has been relentlessly mocked, for example, for writing in The Times that the SNP is being fundamentally unfair to the Scottish people by asking them to make a crucial decision without the necessary information and without knowing what the new partnership with the EU would look like. Its been argued that our new Prime Ministers volte face from Remain to Leave, followed now by a transparent repackaging of Remain arguments with regard to Scotland Northern Ireland and even, to an extent, Wales, is evidence of some kind of inconsistency. But what these people dont seem to get is that Theresa May is taking her consistent, pre-referendum position. Scottish, Northern Irish, even Welsh independence might well be a great idea, but they are views May doesnt traditionally hold until after losing a referendum on the matter. There is absolutely no reason whatsoever to imagine we wont at some point see Theresa May painting her face with a saltire and galloping on horseback down Princes Street, or belting out Hymns and Arias in the front row at the Millennium Stadium or even spray-painting two storey murals to IRA hunger-strikers on the Falls Road, but you have to wait for the results first. Nicola Sturgeon makes referendum promise at SNP conference Indeed that is the unique and brave message she and she alone can take to the other three corners of the country: Im on your side, just tell me what it is. And if reason wont do it, perhaps freebies will. Wales, of course, voted en masse for Brexit, despite being a huge net beneficiary of EU funds that will shortly no longer be forthcoming. But if Scotland and perhaps Northern Ireland too are rewarded for their disobedience, as Gordon Brown has argued the former at least should be, dont expect the Anglo-Welsh union to remain any firmer than the rest. Not to mention that if Brexit makes the UK poorer (which it will), Waless EU funding will almost certainly not be matched. If Brexit makes the UK richer (which it wont) in the meantime, the Chancellor made clear in his Budget he intends to bank any spare cash just in case the likes of Nissan need it. On the Prime Ministers visit this morning, Swansea was to be promised a digital district on its waterfront, with Wales as a whole reminded of its proud status as exporter of aircraft wings to the world, cooling technology to the Middle East and TV formats to dozens of countries. Only a few months ago, government ministers faced with the task of rebalancing the entire economy were boasting of selling fresh air to China and boomerangs to Australia so at least there has been slight retreat from the full Tonto. Recommended May to visit Wales ahead of triggering Article 50 As for the biggest question of all, Tata Steel in Port Talbot was promised an innovation and knowledge centre for steel, and what steelworker doesnt want that? Is now the time to mention that leaving the EU was meant to mean liberation from the state aid rules that made it all but impossible for the Government to intervene there to save jobs? Presumably, that too will come later down the line, once the Prime Minister has worked out which way the wind is blowing, and whether its Charlotte Church or Tom Jones shes meant to be covering today. Cymru am byth and God Save the Queen! Ukrainian Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman at a meeting with representatives of law enforcement agencies and businessmen discussed options for creating favorable business climate in the country and preventing abuse of office by supervision agencies. "This meeting was held for the first time, when representatives of business, the Cabinet of Ministers and the whole law enforcement block gather at one table I would like to call on all of you to unite, create normal conditions for business, stop 'nightmarizing' business and each of us makes efforts [to push up] economic growth," the press service of the Cabinet of Ministers reported, citing Groysman as saying. Groysman said that he often meets many representatives of business who tell about the pressure by supervision agencies. "When we see that obstacles are being artificially created in the real economic sector and artificial requirements are created when business cannot exist, and as a rule this impacts the internal investment potential, this is inadmissible," he said, adding that those who break the law must be punished, while honest business must be protected. The press service said that meeting participants heard a report of Director of Ukraine Investment Promotion Office Daniel Bilak and Business Ombudsman Algirdas Semeta on the key problems hindering doing business in Ukraine. The meeting participants discussed the necessity of continuing derelations and expanding the range of services provided to business online, as this considerably cuts corruption risks. Groysman said that the government is on this way: last year 367 ineffective regulatory acts were annulled and 100 more were annulled the previous week. European Agriculture Commissioner, Phil Hogan says he wont sell any of the EUs giant stocks of skimmed milk powder in intervention until the price is right It comes as all offers for the sixth tender of the stock are understood to have been rejected by the commission last week. Indeed, according to trade sources prices offered were lower than those offered for pervious tenders. Speaking to French dairy farmers late last week, Hogan said the 350,000 tonnes of SMP in public stores is equivalent to some 30% of annual EU production. He said releasing them on the market might disturb the improvement taking place. However, he also said keeping them in the stores also weighs on the market and prevents a healthy recovery. This shows that, in rugby terminology, public intervention is like an up-and-under kick: it momentarily removes the pressure, but does not make it disappear. I assure you that the Commission will act cautiously and prudently in returning these stocks to the market, always keeping our farmers' interest at heart. For the moment, we have refused all offers, which is a clear indication of our commitment not to disturb the market. And let me say very clearly that the Commission will not under any circumstances sell this product until such a time as the price is right. However, no matter how simple it sounds, the solution to public stocks is not to build them, he said. Hogan said that buying surplus production with public money should be regarded as a failure in the system, to be used as a last recourse. I refer again to the importance of market orientation. And I want to remind you that there are huge opportunities on global markets. European dairy farmers produce the highest quality products in the world, and the expanding global middle class is looking for these products to feed their families. World consumption of milk and dairy products is expected to grow by 1.8% globally in the next decade. This is why I have been travelling the world to find new markets for our dairy products, he highlighted. A man charged with cutting turf on a protected bog has lost an appeal of a High Court case aimed at stopping the prosecution of him and another man. Christopher McCarthy (29), of Kilbaha, Moyvane, Co Kerry, is charged with unauthorised turf-cutting on a designated area of conservation, Moanveanlagh Bog, outside Listowel. He and another man are due before Kerry Circuit Court for allegedly extracting turf without authorisation. Both are charged with extracting peat from the bog which is alleged to have significantly or adversely affected the integrity of the site contrary to regulation 35 and 67 of the European Communities (Birds and Natural Habitats) Regulations 2011. If found guilty, they face a maximum jail sentence of three years and/or a fine up to 500,000. The offence with which the men are charged, the court heard, was created in September 2011 by way of ministerial regulations, which transposed the regulations into Irish law. However, it is their case that it was not within the powers of the Minister to create the offence in question in the manner that the Minister did. In the Court of Appeal today, Mr Justice Garrett Sheehan said the Minister acted within their powers in creating the indictable offence which was a necessary and proportionate measure required to ensure the proper implementation of the Directive. While Mr McCarthy's lawyers advanced a careful argument with great skill, Mr Justice Sheehan said he was unable to agree with their submissions and was obliged to dismiss the appeal. Mr Justice Alan Mahon and Mr Justice John Edwards said they agreed with Mr Justice Sheehan's judgment. In his judgment handed down on Monday, Mr Justice Sheehan said there was unchallenged affidavit evidence which clearly demonstrated that Ireland is failing in her duty to protect and conserve Moanveanlagh Bog. This obligation of stewardship for the benefit of all members of the European Community is imposed on Ireland by the Habitats Directive, he said. Not only does this affidavit evidence disclose the very real possibility of Ireland being subject to the risk of substantial fines for failing to ensure compliance, it also disclosed the very real likelihood of reputational damage, the judge said. Counsel for Mr McCarthy, Michael Lynn SC, maintained that because the Habitats Directive fails to specify that criminal sanctions can be imposed for a breach of the Directive, the Minister has no power to introduce criminal sanctions by way of statuory instrument as has bene done in this case but rather criminal sanctions must be introduced by way of primary legislation (enabling the Oireachtas to scrutinise such legislation). This approach, Mr Lynn maintained, was mandated by Article 15 of the Constitution of Ireland. Mr Justice Sheeahn said this claim was weakened by the Recital 11 of the Directive that: This Directive is without prejudice to other systems of liability for environmental damage under Community law or national law. Mr Justice Sheehan said it seemed reasonable to ask how can Ireland otherwise meet her obligations under EU law to preserve raised bogs without effective criminal sanction to back them up. Independent TD Michael Fitzmaurice had been present in the Court of Appeal in January for the hearing. Dismissing the men's High Court case in August 2015, Ms Justice Iseult O'Malley said it seemed to her that the introduction of criminal sanctions, almost twenty years after the Habitats Directive came into being, can fairly be said to have been necessary for the proper implementation of that Directive. The fact that it does not call for the creation of criminal offences was not, in Ms Justice O'Malley's view, decisive, since directives by their nature leave the choice of implementation methods to the member states. She said no authority had been referred to which might suggest that criminal sanctions cannot be created unless the parent directive - in this case the Habitats Directive - calls for them. The applicants do not themselves claim ownership of turbary rights, that is, the right to cut turf in Moanveanlagh Bog. Mr O'Connor describes himself as an agricultural contractor, working on contract for farmers in his local area of Co. Kerry. Mr McCarthy is a machine operator employed by Mr O'Connor. Both men assert that various families living on or near Moanveanlagh Bog have turbary rights and have taken turf from it for generations. It is further asserted that these owners of turbary rights oppose the designation of the bog as a Special Area of Conservation and allege that their property rights have been infringed by the designation process. The applicants aver that it is their understanding that the owners claim that they are entitled to continue to exercise their rights. In the High Court, Francis Donohoe of the National Parks and Wildlife Service stated that between the late 1990s and 2002, arising out obligations imposed on Member States by the Habitats Directive, a total of 53 individual bog sites were nominated for designation as Special Areas of Conservation. In 1999, the then Minister decided to prohibit commercial turf extraction on raised bogs which had been proposed for designation. She provided, however, for a 10-year period of derogation during which individuals could continue to cut turf subject to certain restrictions. She also established a scheme for the purchase by the State of freehold ownership or turbary rights in affected areas. In May, 2010 on foot of receipt of a report by an inter-Departmental working group in relation to the legal obligation to provide effective protection for raised bogs, the Government decided that turf cutting should cease immediately in the 31 sites that had been selected for designation between 1997 and 1999. It was also decided that cutting would cease at the end of 2011 for the sites selected in 2002. Mr. James Ryan, a Wildlife Inspector in the Department who described himself as the Irish national expert on raised bog conservation and restoration, swore an affidavit on the effects of turf-cutting in raised bogs. He stated that turf-cutting has both direct effects (by removal of habitat) and indirect effects (by drying out the bog system, thus affecting capacity to support the habitat). Almost all raised bogs in Ireland have been subjected to cutting, many for centuries, and many have been cutover or cutaway completely. There are no completely intact raised bogs left in the country. Only 1,639 hectares of intact high bog can now be classified as Active raised bog and of the remainder, only 11pc is considered to have significant potential for restoration, according to Mr Ryan. Steps to Success is a joint initiative between Enterprise Ireland and Connect Ireland A roadshow aimed at supporting Irish businesswomen through local enterprise offices will begin next month. Steps to Success is a joint initiative between Enterprise Ireland and Connect Ireland that will run from April 5 until the end of June at different locations around the country. It is the second year the roadshow has been rolled out nationally. This year, a 4,000 prize package has been added that will provide one female entrepreneur at each location with access to Enterprise Ireland mentors, membership of the organisation, as well as participation at a leadership training programme. A key focus for Enterprise Ireland is supporting companies to start, innovate and scale by realising their growth potential and global ambition, said Enterprise Ireland ceo Julie Sinnamon. Female entrepreneurship in Ireland is currently at 20pc - up from just 7pc six years ago. This upward trend is very encouraging, but we want to see more women starting their own businesses, she added. Read More Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Mary Mitchell O Connor said: These roadshows will provide insights into the steps to success taken by successful business women and entrepreneurs right across the country. I urge every woman, be she an existing business woman, or one thinking of starting her own business, to come along to these events. The roadshow will visit Wicklow (5 April), Kilkenny (6 April), Portlaoise (25 April), Castlebar (26 April), Sligo (11 May), Bunratty (14 June) and Cavan (28 June). Elsewhere, a global non-profit organisation that aims to empower women in technology has launched a chapter in Dublin. Girls in Tech has 60 chapters worldwide aims to provide a framework for women in the tech industry to advance their careers. Im thrilled that we are launching our first Girls in Tech here in Dublin. We are already all over the world across sixty countries and recently celebrated our tenth anniversary in December 2016, said Adriana Gascoigne, founder of Girls in Tech. With over 55k members we are looking forward to signing up members in Ireland and giving them access to our global membership, she added. Many smaller communities have bemoaned the fact that their once vibrant main streets are being taken over by just one type of business. Stock Image Towns and cities will soon have bespoke taxes tailored to certain businesses, in a bid to revitalise the main street and prevent one type of shop from taking over. Local Government Minister Simon Coveney is preparing for a major revamp of the country's archaic commercial rates system. For the first time, local authorities will be given powers to slash rates for businesses under the bill being brought to Cabinet. The powers being introduced by Mr Coveney will also see the introduction of different rate levels depending on the "business function". This is to ensure there is not an over-abundance of similar outlets such as takeaways and fast-food restaurants in one area, sources say. Many smaller communities have bemoaned the fact that their once vibrant main streets are being taken over by just one type of business. Expand Close Rates revamp: Simon Coveney plans major tax changes. Photo: Steve Humphreys / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Rates revamp: Simon Coveney plans major tax changes. Photo: Steve Humphreys The new legislation plans to streamline the rates system, encourage certain types of businesses into an area and make it easier for their owners to keep up with payments. The most significant element of the plan is the introduction of a rates "alleviation scheme" which will give councillors the powers to reduce bills for businesses. It means thousands of businesses can hope for significantly reduced bills. "I want a system that creates a level playing field to support commercial rates payers throughout the country, whether they are small start-ups, SMEs or large multinationals," Mr Coveney told the Irish Independent. In another major change, there will be a removal of the requirement on ratepayers to pay their annual bills in two instalments. This has been blamed for crippling small businesses, particularly in rural Ireland. Instead, businesses will now be able to spread out their costs throughout the year as part of the plan seen by the Irish Independent. Commercial rates are paid by the occupiers of commercial premises and are central to the funding of local authorities, accounting for almost 1.5bn of their income each year. However, the legislation governing the levying of commercial rates dates back to the early 1800s. Support Various amendments to the law since then have resulted in a situation where there are over 20 pieces of legislation relating to commercial rates, according to Mr Coveney's department. The Cork South Central TD says the bill will consolidate the various pieces of legislation to make the rates system more straightforward for businesses and local authorities. It will also be seen as a major play for business support as Mr Coveney positions himself ahead of a likely Fine Gael leadership tilt, once Taoiseach Enda Kenny steps down. As part of the overhaul, there will also be improved powers for local authorities to collect rates that are outstanding. For 2015, the most recent year when audited financial data is available, local authorities collected 82pc of rates levied. "A modernised rates framework is good news for all users of local authority services and offers a real opportunity for local authorities to improve the quality of those services," Mr Coveney said. "Local authorities are key enablers of local economic development and I intend to give councillors further new powers to look at options such as rates alleviation to support specific economic activities or particular areas, taking account of their own local circumstances." Klympush-Tsintsadze to meet with EU commissioner in Brussels on March 24 Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic integration Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze will pay a visit to Brussels (Belgium) on Friday, March 24. Klympush-Tsintsadze will hold a meeting with the European Commissioner for European Neighborhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations Johannes Hahn, the official website of the European Commission said on Monday. 'In data terms, manufacturing output prices for February are due on Wednesday' Stock photo: PA European finance ministers meet today and tomorrow in Brussels. Dutch Finance Minister Jeroen Dijsselbloem, current Eurogroup president, will lose that job automatically if coalition talks following last week's Netherlands elections cost him his cabinet job at home. The Eurogroup presidency emerged as an important institution following the crash, so if Mr Dijsselbloem does have to be replaced, the race will be hard fought. At home, the Central Bank examination of tracker mortgage-related issues is due on Thursday. Interest is likely to focus on pointers towards enforcement and potential fines for lenders. In data terms, manufacturing output prices for February are due on Wednesday. The Central Statistics Office will also publish county-level income and regional GDP data for 2014, which will no doubt fuel debate about regional policies. Full-year results are due tomorrow from Independent News & Media (INM), the publisher of this newspaper. The country's biggest private sector media group is a bellwether for the market. Results are due Thursday from IFG Group and Mainstay Medical. Deutsche Bank said it will raise 8bn in a planned capital increase as the lender seeks to shore up its finances. The German bank will issue 687.5 million new shares at 11.65 each, Deutsche Bank said in a statement yesterday in Frankfurt. That is a discount of about 35pc compared to Friday's close. The underwriting syndicate was increased to 30 banks, the lender said. The share sale, which will run from March 21 through April 4, will be the fourth capital infusion for Deutsche Bank since 2010. Chief executive officer John Cryan, who had previously said he didn't want to tap shareholders, reversed course this month after the shares almost doubled from their September low and Deutsche Bank was unable to find a buyer for a consumer banking unit it wanted to sell to shore up capital. Deutsche Bank fell 1.5pc on Friday to close at 17.86. The stock is still up 80pc from an intraday low on September 30. Germany's largest lender has posted more than 8bn of net losses in the past two years as Mr Cryan settled misconduct cases and scaled back risk in the investment bank. He is trying to sweeten the offer to shareholders with the promise of renewed dividends and a return to profitability this year. (Bloomberg) Jeroen Dijsselbloem: 'I think it would make a lot of sense for the eurozone bailout fund ESM to be developed into a European IMF in the medium to long term' Photo: REUTERS/Ints Kalnins The European Stability Mechanism (ESM) - the eurozone's bailout fund- should ultimately be turned into a European version of the International Monetary Fund, the head of eurozone finance ministers told a German newspaper. "I think it would make a lot of sense for the eurozone bailout fund ESM to be developed into a European IMF in the medium to long term," Jeroen Dijsselbloem told the 'Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung'. He said that would also mean that Greece's current "troika" of lenders - the European Commission, European Central Bank and the IMF - would need to be broken up in the longer term. "The ECB feels increasingly uncomfortable in its troika role, and rightly so I think," Mr Dijsselbloem said, adding that the European Commission had other "important tasks" that it should concentrate on. He said the ESM should "build up the technical expertise that only the IMF has at the moment". German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble has also proposed turning the ESM into a European monetary fund to improve the management of crises in Europe. Mr Dijsselbloem, who is now a caretaker finance minister in the Netherlands following last week's election there, said the institutions should maintain their roles for Greece's current bailout. Germany, which holds elections in September, wants the IMF on board before new money is lent to Athens. But it disagrees with the IMF over debt relief and the fiscal targets that Greece should maintain after the bailout programme ends in 2018. Mr Dijsselbloem said he did not expect the current review of Greece's bailout programme to be concluded quickly. (Reuters) Orlando von Einsiedel and Joanna Natasegara with the award for Best Documentary Short Subject for The White Helmets The only British winners at the Academy Awards have described their win as "bitter-sweet" after they scooped an Oscar for their documentary about the Syrian war. The White Helmets, about a group of volunteer rescue workers who risk their lives to pull out others from bomb wreckage, landed the trophy for best documentary short. British director Orlando von Einsiedel and producer Joanna Natasegara made the film. Holding up their Oscar statuettes on their way to the Vanity Fair Oscars after-party, they told the BBC that they were "thrilled" for The White Helmets, "the heroes at the heart of our film". "We feel like this honour has come from the Academy to them to honour their work. We really feel this award is recognising their work," Natasegara said. "The whole situation is bitter-sweet. We wish we'd never had to make this film. We wish we didn't have to be here tonight with this award "But we do and so we are pleased that at least they get the recognition that they deserve." Von Einsiedel told BBC Breakfast: "It feels humbling if I'm honest. When we started this project the entire thing was to try and spread the word and magnify the voices of the White Helmets, the heroes at the heart of our film, and I feel that we've had the best platform to do that that we could have even imagined." The win comes after a cinematographer on the Netflix documentary was barred from entering the US. Syrian Khaled Khateeb, 21, was blocked from travelling to Los Angeles for the ceremony after US officials reported finding "derogatory information" against him, the Associated Press reported. On stage, director Von Einsiedel read a statement from The White Helmets' founder Raed Saleh calling for an end to the "bloodshed in Syria". "We're so grateful that this film has highlighted our work to the world," the statement said. Video of the Day "Our organisation is guided by a verse from the Koran: 'To save one life is to save all of humanity.' "We have saved more than 82,000 civilian lives. I invite anyone here who hears me to work on the side of life, to stop the bloodshed in Syria and around the world. "It's very easy for these guys to feel they're forgotten. This war's been going on for six years. If everyone could just stand up and remind them that we all care, that this war ends as quickly as possible." Their win came during a disappointing night for British talent, with Naomie Harris, Andrew Garfield and Dev Patel going home empty-handed. The Academy Awards were the worst results for Britain in at least 10 years. Natasegara described their win as "a huge shock" and "very surreal". Von Einsiedel said that it was "amazing" to be the only British winners. "We wish there'd been more Brits that had won tonight because the British film industry is incredible but we're proud to be representing our country," he said. He said of cinematographer Khateeb: "We wanted nothing more than for him to be here. He hasn't been and that's very sad for us. But the moment we found out we won we told him and he was thrilled. That makes us feel very proud." He said of the White Helmets: "We really want people to know about their work. They do the most incredible work in the world." Asked about George Clooney buying the movie rights to the story, the pair told Colin Paterson on Radio 5 Live that it was "early days". Quizzed about whether he had heard from the Hollywood star, von Einsiedel added: "Our emails have gone crazy so we haven't even been checking our messages." The two dramas went head-to-head in the schedule, but one was the clear winner. The return of ITVs Vera was a ratings success as it was watched by well over double the number of viewers who tuned into the finale of the BBCs SS-GB on Sunday night. The crime drama series, which stars Brenda Blethyn in the titular role, kicked off with the first episode of its seventh series and, although it was largely hailed by fans, it did earn a few complaints over some of the actors dialects. However, despite the somewhat divisive reviews, the two hour-long programme which aired from 8pm until 10pm won its timeslot with an average audience of 6.4 million and an overall share of 30%, according to overnight ratings. This was an increase of one million viewers in comparison to the first episode of the last series, which aired in 2016. Over on BBC One, airing from 9pm until 10pm, was the fifth and final episode of Nazi drama SS-GB starring Sam Riley and Kate Bosworth. Overnight data shows that just 2.6 million people tuned in to its conclusion, a dramatic fall in the ratings compared to the first episode, which was seen by 6.1 million when it aired in February. The second week of the drama, based on Len Deightons 1978 book of the same name about an alternative reality in which the Nazis won the Battle of Britain, saw the ratings plummet to 3.9 million after it was criticised by viewers over poor sound quality. Viewers took to social media to complain that they could not hear much of the dialogue due to the actors mumbling, while others dubbed the show the slurred Reich. Veras domination of the Sunday night TV audience was also seen in the first hour of its broadcast as it went up against the BBCs Antiques Roadshow from 8pm until 9pm. The long-running factual programme scored five million in the overnight ratings in its hour-long timeslot. Fans were mostly thrilled to see the frumpy but loveable DCI Vera Stanhope back on their screens, but some took to social media to grumble about the casts accents. Friel's lugubrious view of passion still asks questions about love. Brian FRIEL'S The Yalta Game is not so much an adaptation of Chekhov's The Lady with the Dog as his version of it. Its conclusion is more lugubrious than the original. Both ask the question: can passion survive deceit? Indeed, can passion survive? In The Yalta Game, the practised seducer is trapped in his own net; but even as he surrenders to what is effectively his first experience of love in its complex entirety, he knows that the promise to love forever will bring its own destruction. Dmitri Gurov regards love as a pleasant pastime, linked to his solitary holidays in Yalta, his wife and family safely in another town. He is adept in making conquests, and Anna Sergeyevna, the lady with the little dog, holidaying without her husband, is intended to be merely another in a long line. But this time the memory of passion is not so easily dismissed, and lingers when the interlude is over. Anna also becomes obsessed with imaginings of how they will meet again, even as she visits her sick husband in hospital. Until, that is, the lovers do meet again. Chekhov's short story leaves the resultant affaire unresolved. Friel gives it an ironic inevitability: Anna is fierce in her belief in eternal love; Dmitri, scorched in the fire of experience, knows that eternity is finite in affairs of the heart. And already the viper of tragedy is nestling between them. The new production of the short piece in Michael Colgan's farewell programme at the Gate Theatre has a great deal of delicacy and finesse going for it. But the disparity of age between Dmitri and Anna is mirrored in the disparity of experience between Declan Conlon and Sophie Robinson: pert and tormentedly charming though she makes Anna, there is an element of painting by numbers in her performance when compared with Conlon's world- weary subtlety as Dmitri, a man attempting to chart his way through waters he never expected to encounter. David Grindley directs in a set designed by Francis O'Connor and lit by Jason Taylor. The exquisite costume design which carries the visual impact and sense of the piece is by Joan O'Clery. ******* THE late Northern Irish comedian Frank Carson had a catchline, "It's the way that I tell 'em" which was supposed to reduce people to hysterics. But it's a truism: for a comic, it's all in the telling. And if the late Dave Allen was a genius of humour (which I certainly believe he was) a lot of it was in his timing. Sadly, his timing is bleakly absent in Brian McAvera's "play" Dave at Large at the Civic Theatre in Tallaght. Nor is it a play. It's a two hour, slow-moving stand-up act in which three actors (Bryan Murray, Michael Bates and Tara Breathnach) talk about the comic in his own persona. Only it's set "in the future" (you wouldn't know that; but the author . . . at least, I think it was the author . . . appears onstage beforehand to tell the audience so.) Only Murray of the three actors has anything approaching Allen's satiric impact, and then only in flashes. For the rest, there are plodding recitations of some of what in Allen's hands were superb witticisms. There are also drearily scripted versions of what in the original were sublimely funny visual gags. Video of the Day Nor does one learn anything about the person or circumstances of the legendary Dave himself, other than the fact that he was from Dublin, his father was a journalist, and his brother killed himself. There's also a pointless "contemporary" sequence of Allen who died in 2005, apparently alive today (?) talking about recent scandals in the Catholic Church. It's brushed aside on the grounds, that you "couldn't make a joke of it." Allen's genius was that if he were alive, he WOULD make a joke of it, and the joke would bring it home even more forcibly. This unfunny, laborious piece ends with the three versions of the comedian fudging about the possible existence of God. Dave Allen may have always been gracious in his sign-off ("May your God go with you"), but he was a self-confessed atheist. I was reminded of the late Siobhan McKenna, a fine actor, but not famed for her intellectualism, who belligerently denied that George Bernard Shaw was an atheist: how could he be, when he loved Ireland? she asked. Dave At Large, whether in heaven or hell, is a Directions Out production directed by the author and Joe Devlin. Think you know you know all there is to know about US President Donald Trump, and have experience with fake tan? Then this could be the job for you. Paddy Power Betfair has launched a recruitment drive for a 'Head of Trump Betting' manager. The bookmakers is advertising the position on their careers portal and it is based in Dublin. According to the advertisement the role purpose is listed as making "American politics great again". "Following the huge demand on the back of the 2016 US Presidential Elections, we are looking for a Head of Trump Betting to manage our newly launched hub of specials around the President," the tongue-in-cheek ad reads. "With more than 100 special bets online, the successful candidate will monitor and manage existing Trump markets while devising new specials to launch. They will also need to build a wall around the hub to ensure foreign bets dont get in." The betting company, synonymous with outrageous publicity stunts has listed one of the elements of the role as "sending round the most bats**t Trump quotes for the whole company to laugh at". Under accountabilities the need to keep a good eye on the President's movements is paramount: "Consistency in keeping up with Trumps press conferences, statements, tweets and general idiocy. It requires a hardy soul to be able to watch more than ten minutes of the President in action without wanting to punch oneself in the face." Like with any job there is a list of preferred competencies, including the ability to detect fake news. "Substantial experience with fake tan is preferable. "Have one of the greatest job interviews of all time and come across very well, thank you. Video of the Day "Be more liberal towards exclamation marks and capital letters than minorities. "Awareness of national security situation in Sweden beneficial. "Better understanding of global politics than Donald Trump. Which wont exclude many. The "ideal candidate would have a good knowledge of which ones Melania and which ones Ivanka" according to the company. A Muslim woman in Belgium had challenged a company policy prohibiting the wearing an Islamic headscarf or hijab on grounds of discrimination. Stock photo: PA A Muslim leader has said there would be "a backlash" against a new European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruling allowing employers to ban staff from wearing hijabs and other religious symbols in the workplace. Shaykh Dr Umar Al-Qadri, who is Head Imam of Al-Mustafa Islamic Educational and Cultural Centre of Ireland, was responding to the ruling on the EU directive on equal treatment in employment and occupation. A Muslim woman in Belgium had challenged a company policy prohibiting the wearing an Islamic headscarf or hijab on grounds of discrimination. However, the ECJ ruled that when an internal rule prohibits the visible wearing of any political, philosophical or religious sign, it does not constitute direct discrimination. Speaking to the Irish Independent, Shaykh Umar Al-Qadri said the ruling was "a very serious threat to the principles of tolerance, equality and religious freedom in Europe". He said the ECJ ruling gave companies the right to adopt a dress code banning the hijab and empowering anti-Muslim employers. He warned that Islamophobia was increasing, especially in Belgium, France and the Netherlands. Shaykh Umar Al-Qadri's comments were made ahead of a rally outside the European Commission Building in Dublin tomorrow organised by Muslim Sisters of Eire and Enar Ireland. Maurice Cohen, chair of the Jewish Representative Council of Ireland, said: "Surely there is no need or requirement for blanket discrimination? The explanation that it is not discriminatory as it applies to anyone wearing a religious symbol is blatant nonsense." Early election to parliament would hamper reforms in Ukraine for at least six months President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko has said that early election refer to political risks that jeopardize economic growth and reforms in the country. "I regularly study the issue of public opinion and do not see a single prospect that a parliament with a greater reformer potential than the one that is currently working, should be elected as a result of an early vote." The election campaign would delay reforms for six months or even a year," Poroshenko said during the meeting of the Regional Development Council in Kyiv on Monday. According to the president, political risks that pose a threat to the economic growth of the country," certainly include early election." Businessman Denis OBrien wants an urgent hearing of his appeal aimed at establishing the identity of a client who commissioned a dossier of allegedly defamatory material about him. However, the President of the Court of Appeal, Mr Justice Sean Ryan, indicated it may not be possible to fix a hearing date this year. Mr OBrien has appealed refusals by the High Court to require Red Flag Consulting discover documents which would disclose the client's identity or concerning publication of the dossier. The High Court said Mr O'Brien had failed to show knowing the client's identity was relevant and necessary for his case or could advance his claim Red Flag's "predominant motive" in compiling the dossier was to harm him. The businessman has said the dossier, comprising mainly media reports but also including documents entitled: Who is Denis OBrien? and Moriarty Tribunal Explainer, was on a USB memory stick in an envelope put anonymously on his desk at his Dublin offices in October 2015. Red Flag has said the dossier included its material and it is entitled to keep the clients identity confidential. It denies defamation or conspiracy and has also raised issues about how Mr OBrien got the dossier. A hearing date for the action against Red Flag and some of its executives and employees has yet to be set. On Monday, Michael Cush SC, for Mr OBrien, said his side's appeal over the discovery matters was urgent for reasons including there is a maximum two years to bring defamation cases and he needed to know the identity of the client to consider whether to sue that person as well as Red Flag. He disputed the appeals related to a speculative claim against the client and asked for either a priority hearing date for the appeal or, alternatively, a split appeal with an initial hearing on the core issue whether Mr O'Brien was entitled to documents disclosing the clients identity. Opposing the application, William Abrahamson BL, for Red Flag, argued Mr OBrien wanted to skip the queue to potentially bring a claim against the client if the latter is identified and that was neither a fair nor appropriate use of the courts limited resources. Mr OBrien cannot prove publication and was unable to say when the two year period should run, counsel added. Mr Justice Ryan said he could not grant a priority hearing for reasons including pressures on the courts lists and whether this matter was entitled to priority over others. He was also a bit doubtful that, as Mr Cush suggested, a hearing of one issue concerning the client's identity would finish in an hour. Splitting the issues would not assist, he said. The best he could do was bring the appeal forward from the June listing to fix hearing dates, where it was previously listed, to the April 27th list to fix dates. There was no guarantee the appeals would get an early hearing as other litigants were also anxious to get their appeals on, he stressed. "A few more judges would help, he added. A 30-year-old man whose body was found in a murky drain died as a result of neck compression, a murder trial has heard. The Deputy State Pathologist, Dr Michael Curtis, today gave evidence in the Central Criminal Court trial of Andresj Krauze. Mr Krauze (31), of Dudley Heights, Glenamaddy, Co Galway, has pleaded not guilty to murdering Juris Buls at an unknown time on July 7 or 8, 2011 in the county of Galway. Dr Curtis said that he was asked by gardai to go to a location in a forest, near Glenamaddy, on July 24, 2011. The witness agreed with prosecution counsel, Mr Paul Carroll SC, that the deceased was largely submerged in a bog drain in the forest. Only the right heel of the deceased's boot was visible and he was faced down in the water. Dr Curtis testified that a rope was placed around Mr Bulss ankles to recover his body and he was pulled from the water. The witness noted that the deceaseds body was beginning to deteriorate. Dr Curtis said he later carried out a post-mortem examination of Mr Bulss body at University College Galway. He said the body was covered with green foliage from the water. He said there was no evidence of any skull fracture nor any brain injury. Dr Curtis said there was bruising to the right hand side of Mr Buls's neck area as well as to a bigger muscle which ran from behind his ear to his collar bone. There was also bruising on Mr Buls's strap muscleswhich are located towards the mid-line of the neck. The Adams apple has little extensions of bone up either side of the neck and the one on the left was fractured. I also noted surroundingbruising, he said. The hyoid bone was intact and the jugular veins were uninjured. There was no evidence of any fractures to the rest of the body. In conclusion, Dr Curtis said that Mr Buls's body was in a state of putrefaction and because of this it was possible that some bruising could have been lost in the process. However, the witness said the presence of any cuts or wounds would still be apparent on a body in this condition. Dr Curtis gave the cause of death as neck compression. He said the neck compression was more consistent with an armlock or headlock rather than a length of material such as a rope or piece of cloth. The trial continues before Ms Justice Margaret Heneghan. A 37-year-old housewife, who claimed her enjoyment of her daughters First Holy Communion was ruined after a salon hair colour treatment burned her scalp, has been awarded 12,500 damages in the Circuit Civil Court. Elaine Wilson alleged that on May 22, 2013, she attended Rainbow Hair and Beauty, Convent Road, Clondalkin, Dublin in preparation for her daughters communion three days later. Wilson told her barrister, Gareth Kinsella, that she asked a staff member for an all over colour treatment. She said the colour was applied by a different staff member. The court heard that shortly after the dye application Wilson started to feel a tingling and burning sensation on her scalp and she asked for the manager. She said that after some time the manager checked her hair and she was helped from the chair and brought to the basins area where her hair was washed for 20 minutes. The dye had been on her hair for almost an hour. Wilson, of St Marks Drive, Clondalkin, said her scalp was very sore. When she had asked what the reason was she had been told that it is fine and her hair was dried. She had felt distressed but had felt obliged to pay the 51 charge. Mr Kinsella, who appeared with John Synnott Solicitors, said Ms Wilson had then gone home and noticed her scalp was burned. She had blisters and was bleeding and had a redness on her forefront and a bald patch on the back of her head. Wilson told Circuit Court President Mr Justice Raymond Groarke that she went back to the salon the next day. The manager had laughed and had told her to attend a doctor. The court heard that Wilson had been in pain and had needed to attend her GP a number of times following the incident. She had been prescribed a scalp lotion and had needed to take painkillers for several weeks. Wilson said the incident had made her daughters communion a disaster as she had been distressed by having to appear in public and have her photograph taken. I was embarrassed with my hair and didnt want to go anywhere, Wilson told Judge Groarke. Mr Kinsella said Ms Wilson was so upset by the incident that she still has not gone back to a hairdresser and now prefers to apply hair colours herself. Counsel said she had obtained judgment in default of appearance against Rainbow Hair and Beauty Ltd and todays case was one of assessment of damages only against the company. Judge Groarke said Ms Wilson had a horrible experience which was rendered worse given the important family occasion. I can certainly understand how terribly upset she was, he said. Hearing that she had made a full recovery four months after the incident, Judge Groarke awarded Ms Wilson 12,500 damages along with her legal costs. The company was not present in court nor was it legally represented today. The school, in the west of Ireland, has sought to challenge the decision of an appeals committee (Stock image) A SECONDARY school has been given permission by the High Court to challenge a decision which requires it enrol a boy in first year following an appeal by his parents. The school, in the west of Ireland, has sought to challenge the decision of an appeals committee, which was established by the Department of Education and Science under the 1998 Education Act to deal with appeals over matters like enrolment refusals. The school claims the committee's decision was wrong in law because it gave undue weight to evidence by the boy's parents that they had a reasonable expectation of an offer of a place for him once they switched him to a particular primary level feeder school in the year before he sought a place in the secondary school. The court heard the school denies any undertaking was given to the parents but says they were told they would be in a better enrolment position if the child was in the feeder school. The child repeated sixth class in primary school so that he could get into the feeder school. Feichin McDonagh SC, for the school, said the child ended up being put onto a lottery for available places but he was not successful. Following this, the parents lodged an appeal with the Department which was successful. Mr Justice Seamus Noonan granted Mr McDonagh leave for the school to challenge the committee's decision following an ex parte (one-side only represented) application. The case comes back next month. Strike-marks made by nails were found in the kitchen of a house in Limerick, where a 53 year old man was allegedly nailed to the floor, the Special Criminal Court has heard. The alleged victim, Dan Quilligan, has previously told the court that two or three men assaulted him before his left foot was nailed with a nail-gun to the kitchen floor. Mark Heffernan (32), Swallow Drive, John Carew Park, Limerick, has pleaded not guilty to assaulting Mr Quilligan, causing him harm, at 6, Larch Court on September 14, 2015. He has also denied falsely imprisoning Mr Quilligan at the same address on the same date. It is the prosecution's case that three men were involved in a "joint enterprise" during which Mr Quilligan was hit in the face and his left foot was nailed with a nail-gun to the kitchen floor. Today Detective Garda Alan Curry, of the ballistics section at the Garda Technical Bureau, told prosecuting counsel Tara Burns SC that he conducted a forensic examination of the house at Larch Court. He found a number of "strike-marks" on the kitchen floor, he said. The court heard that two of the strike-marks were consistent with having been "struck by a nail". The trial continues in front of Mr Justice Tony Hunt, presiding, sitting with Judge John O'Hagan and Judge Ann Ryan. Tending carefully to the purple roses on display at the launch of the appeal in Dublin's Herbert Park was Cystic Fibrosis Ireland ambassador, RTE presenter, Keelin Shanley, who was joined by brother and sister Tom and Jessica Cassidy, from Co Meath, both of whom have cystic fibrosis. Cystic Fibrosis Ireland is today once again calling on the Government to conclude its discussions with the drug manufacturer Vertex Pharmaceuticals and to give swift approval for a life-saving drug. The plea was made at the launch of Cystic Fibrosis National Awareness Week , which will take place between April 10 to April 16 to help raise funds. The group are calling on the Government to approve the Orkambi therapy and the extension of the Kalydeco therapy for two to five-year-olds. Philip Watt, CEO of Cystic Fibrosis Ireland, took the opportunity of the launch to again highlight the case for approval of the drugs Orkambi and Kalydeco for people with CF: "Cystic Fibrosis Ireland is heartened by the recent comments of the Minister for Health, Simon Harris TD, that progress is being made in discussions on the approval of new therapies for people with cystic fibrosis. "The benefits of Orkambi and Kalydeco are well documented in increasing lung function and slowing progression of the disease, in decreasing hospitalisations and dependency on other medications, and in improving quality of life for a substantial number of patients. "We agree that a fair deal should be struck and that is why we are calling on all sides to show generosity of spirit in quickly finalising a mutually-satisfactory arrangement. Patients have already been waiting nine months for a positive decision time that is precious to them. The delays must stop now." A charity event called the 65 Roses Day so-named after the way in which young children are first taught to say the words "cystic fibrosis" will see the country awash with purple on Thursday April 13 as volunteers take to the streets and shopping centres selling purple roses with the aim of raising 100,000. Money will go to fund the development of dedicated healthcare facilities, research, counselling and much-needed grant supports for people with CF in areas such as transplant assessment, fertility and bereavement. The latest figures from the Cystic Fibrosis Registry of Ireland show that in 2015 there were 1,219 people registered with CF, with 19 years the median age. Members of the public can support people with cystic fibrosis (CF) on 65 Roses Day by: Buying a Purple Rose for 2 Completing a 65 Roses Challenge see www.65rosesday.ie for more details Texting "65 Roses" to 50300* to donate 2 or by donating online at www.65rosesday.ie *Text costs 2. Cystic Fibrosis Ireland will receive a minimum of 1.63. Service Provider: LIKECHARITY. Helpline: 076 6805278. Although inroads have been made in reducing the numbers of delayed discharges there are still not enough beds. Stock Image Cancer patients are now having their surgery cancelled "in significant numbers" as hospitals struggle to cope with overcrowding and a lack of beds and doctors. They are among a growing number of patients whose essential surgery is suffering in over-burdened hospitals, Dr Tom Ryan, president of the Irish Hospital Consultants Association (IHCA), said. Dr Ryan was part of a delegation of top doctors from the IHCA who issued the stark warning to Health Minister Simon Harris at a face-to-face meeting in recent days. "The situation is urgent. We have been saying that for some time," Dr Ryan, who is an anaesthetist in St James's Hospital, said. "Our capacity to deliver care has deteriorated to the point where surgical appointments for cancer patients are now being cancelled in significant numbers. "The unresolved problems in our hospitals are now at such a critical level that patient care and safety is compromised on a daily basis. There are not enough hospital beds. "Patients cannot get admitted for their surgery. There are times when there are not enough theatres open to perform the necessary surgeries and then there may not be enough intensive care unit beds." He said the "current practice of healthcare rationing is the root cause of the trolley crisis and the ever growing waiting lists". Although inroads have been made in reducing the numbers of delayed discharges - patients who no longer need hospital care but a nursing home or home care - there are still not enough beds. There are also around 400 full-time posts for hospital consultants unfilled, with too many occupied by locum temporary doctors or agency staff. Read more: Children suffering on waiting lists as total tops 643,000 At the same time the growing elderly population, who have heart disease, diabetes and chronic illnesses, are putting more demands on the system. It means they had prolonged hospital stays, he pointed out. Around one-in-five hospital consultants was over the age of 55 and they would be retiring in the coming years, he added. "The problem needs to be tackled now. The longer it takes the more difficult it will be to fix it," he said. The number of vacant consultant posts would not be filled with high-calibre permanent staff without more investment in pay and improved conditions, Dr Ryan added. "In the absence of the necessary infrastructure and support services, and with persistent breaches of contracts by employers and discrimination against new entrants, consultants are resigning from their posts in increasing numbers to practise medicine elsewhere." The hospital consultants' association's blunt warning to Mr Harris comes as one-in-seven people is in some form of hospital queue. Meanwhile, the Irish Cancer Society, which holds its 30th annual fundraising Daffodil Day on Friday, said a combination of better treatments, improved detection and prevention, as well as research, had improved survival rates. In 1997, some four-in-10 Irish cancer patients were alive five years after their diagnosis. Today, that figure is six-in-10. Reaction of Ukrainians to the recent steps of authorities in the economic sphere show that demand for national protectionist practices and economic pragmatism has appeared in the country, Director of the Institute of Global Strategies Vadym Karasiov has said. He said at a press conference at Interfax-Ukraine on March 17 that the signing of the revised memorandum with the IMF and the approval of the EUR 600 million loan with the European Commission in exchange to Ukrainian timber is more likely evidence of economic nihilism than pragmatism. "Authorities surrender the interests of Ukrainian pensioners and peasants in exchange to the IMF credits. The approval of the EUR 600 million by the European Commission is the sign of a decision of authorities to lift a moratorium on exports of round timber without securing approval of parliament. The Free Trade Agreement with Canada was signed on the conditions where Canada receives access to our market, while Ukraine gets minor quotas on exports of finished products. These are the scissors between rhetoric of patriotism and nihilistic economic decisions. The reaction of the public on these steps made by authorities shows that demand on national protectionist practices and economic pragmatism exists in Ukraine," Karasiov said. The expert said that Ukrainians more clearly form demand on revival of national industry, escaping from dependence on credits, Ukraine's refusal from the fate of a mere supplier of raw materials, protection of business and social guarantees for the public. "There are few politicians or public figures insisting on protectionist practices in the economy and presenting the clear rhetoric of protecting the interests of industry and the new economy. The industrial development committee was created in the Cabinet of Ministers. It came to nothing. Back then the Opposition Bloc tried to protect this rhetoric, but they failed to play a role of lobbyists for revival of industry. Activities of independent trade union leaders or a plan drawn up by a group of experts created by Valeriy Konovaliuk could be pointed out among new forces. Gradually there are more and more these politicians, and there is demand on these ideas in society," Karasiov said. Two men were rushed to hospital, one in a serious condition, after eight people were rescued from a capsized boat off the Sligo coast. The rescue prompted a major response from the Irish Coast Guard and the RNLI amid concerns for the safety of the eight people on board the pleasure craft. The alarm was raised shortly after 11am yesterday when a boat capsized in the southern part of Sligo Bay. One man was airlifted by the Irish Coast Guard's Rescue 118 helicopter to Sligo Hospital's emergency department. He is understood to have been treated for a suspected cardiac problem. The man is believed to be in a serious but stable condition. A second person was brought to hospital by ambulance after suffering a head injury. Alert Malin Head Coast Guard got the alert after a local diving club's boat capsized in waters offshore of Skreen. The Killala Coast Guard Unit, the Bundoran RNLI lifeboat, the Sligo Bay lifeboat and Rescue 118 helicopter were deployed to the area. All the men were recovered from the water by noon. Rescue Helicopter 118 was in nearby Blacksod Bay as part of the search for the missing Coast Guard crew of Rescue 116. The man in a serious condition was flown straight to hospital, while the remaining men were brought ashore to Aughris Pier. A second person was brought to hospital by ambulance. The remaining six did not need hospitalisation. One rescue official said all eight had followed correct safety procedures and had stayed together in the water. Rescuers also said the operation was greatly helped by the fact it happened not far offshore. Weather conditions were described as brisk, but visibility was excellent. Captain Dara Fitzpatrick, one of the four Coast Guard crew members who died in the Rescue 116 helicopter crash. Photo: Colin Keegan/Collins The search continues along the coastline for the missing Rescue 116 helicopter and crew. Photo Steve Humphreys Paul Cooney from Cavan Civil Defence, Dave O'Sullivan from Mayo Civil Defence and Martina Duffy from Mayo Civil Defence search along the coastline at Annagh Co Mayo for the missing Rescue 116 helicopter and crew. Photo: Steve Humphreys Collect photo of Blackrock Lighthouse where the search continues for Rescue 116. Photo: Steve Humphreys Collect photo of Blackrock Lighthouse where the search continues for Rescue 116. Photo: Steve Humphreys The search and rescue at first light at Blacksod Pier after the Rescue 116 helicopter crash. Pic Steve Humphreys The search and rescue at first light at Blacksod Pier after the Rescue 116 helicopter crash. Pic Steve Humphreys 15th March 2017 A sonar is placed over the side of a boat in the water to track the transponder during the search and rescue at first light at Blacksod Pier after the Rescue 116 helicopter crash. Pic Steve Humphreys 15th March 2017 The search and rescue at first light at Blacksod Pier after the Rescue 116 helicopter crash. Picture: Steve Humphreys A Navy vessel off Black Rock lighthouse, where the search for Rescue 116 is now being concentrated Picture: Collins Debris from the missing Rescue 116 helicopter is brought back to Blacksod pier from another Coast Guard Helicopter. Photo: Steve Humphreys The probe into the loss of Coast Guard Rescue 116 helicopter is currently centring on whether 'electrical failure' on the helicopter caused the crash. Photo: Steve Humphreys Jim Murray Mayo Civil Defence prepares to search along the coastline at Annagh Co Mayo for the missing Rescue 116 helicopter and crew with their Matrice 600 Drone. Photo Steve Humphreys JOINING THE SEARCH: Irish Naval vessel LE Eithne sails past Blacksod pier to join the search of the coastline near Belmullet for the crew of Rescue 116. Photo: Frank McGrath The search and rescue at first light at Blacksod Pier after the Rescue 116 helicopter crash. Picture: Steve Humphreys Members of the Irish Coast Guard searching the coast near Belmullet, Co Mayo, for the missing crew of Rescue 116 Photo: Frank McGrath A member of the Civil Defence searches the shoreline near Blacksod, Co Mayo, for wreckage. Photo: Steve Humphreys The crew of Rescue 116: (left to right) Paul Ormsby, Mark Duffy, Dara Fitzpatrick and Ciaran Smith It is now feared the downed Irish Coast Guard Rescue 116 helicopter may have hit rocks on a remote Mayo island before crashing into the sea at the foot of steep cliffs. A mini-submersible may be needed to find and recover the helicopter. Preliminary examination of wreckage from the US-built Sikorsky S-92A helicopter has given further weight to the theory that the aircraft suffered a catastrophic incident seconds before it either crashed into the sea, or disintegrated after an attempted emergency landing on the isolated Black Rock island. Last night, the Irish Coast Guard confirmed that the medical emergency the Rescue 116 was responding to related to a crewman losing a thumb on board a fishing vessel. A spokesman said a call was made that the helicopter should be dispatched after it was decided the crewman needed prompt medical attention due to the risk of septicaemia. Expand Close A sonar is placed over the side of a boat in the water to track the transponder during the search and rescue at first light at Blacksod Pier after the Rescue 116 helicopter crash. Pic Steve Humphreys 15th March 2017 / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp A sonar is placed over the side of a boat in the water to track the transponder during the search and rescue at first light at Blacksod Pier after the Rescue 116 helicopter crash. Pic Steve Humphreys 15th March 2017 As the search continues - it looks increasingly likely that the helicopter collided with rocks. Sources told the Irish Independent that the wreckage recovered so far displayed no sign of 'petalling', or the outward tearing of fuselage panels, consistent with an on-board explosion. Expand Close Debris from the missing Rescue 116 helicopter is brought back to Blacksod pier from another Coast Guard Helicopter. Photo: Steve Humphreys / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Debris from the missing Rescue 116 helicopter is brought back to Blacksod pier from another Coast Guard Helicopter. Photo: Steve Humphreys Similarly, none of the wreckage recovered has shown signs of intense heat or melting, which would have occurred if there had been an on-board electrical or fuel leak fire. The helicopter is feared to have disintegrated having failed in a landing bid at Black Rock island, some 12km off the Mayo coast, or crashed directly into the sea at the base of steep cliffs. The fuselage is believed to rest on the seabed at a depth of 40 metres just off Black Rock island. Wreckage was also found on the island. Aviation and marine officials are baffled as to why no alarms were raised at 1am last Tuesday when the helicopter crashed into the sea. Expand Close Jim Murray Mayo Civil Defence prepares to search along the coastline at Annagh Co Mayo for the missing Rescue 116 helicopter and crew with their Matrice 600 Drone. Photo Steve Humphreys / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Jim Murray Mayo Civil Defence prepares to search along the coastline at Annagh Co Mayo for the missing Rescue 116 helicopter and crew with their Matrice 600 Drone. Photo Steve Humphreys No mayday was received from the vastly experienced crew of Captain Dara Fitzpatrick, Mark Duffy, Paul Ormsby and Ciaran Smith. Their last communication - seconds before the helicopter vanished off radar and radio contact - was a routine message that they were minutes from refuelling at Blacksod Bay. No automatic alarms were triggered by the multitude of safety devices on board the S-92A. Expand Close The search continues along the coastline for the missing Rescue 116 helicopter and crew. Photo Steve Humphreys / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp The search continues along the coastline for the missing Rescue 116 helicopter and crew. Photo Steve Humphreys "The likelihood is that we will only know precisely what happened when the Multi Purpose Flight Recorder (MPFR) carried by the S-92A is recovered from the wreckage on the seabed," one source said. The MPFR, or 'black box', will allow AAIU officials to recreate digital details of the last moments of Rescue 116 including its airspeed, altitude, engine power outputs and systems status. Meanwhile, search teams looking for the three crewmen have successfully mapped out a section of water where they believe the aircraft's black box recorder lies. Expand Close The search and rescue at first light at Blacksod Pier after the Rescue 116 helicopter crash. Pic Steve Humphreys / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp The search and rescue at first light at Blacksod Pier after the Rescue 116 helicopter crash. Pic Steve Humphreys But despite a 10-hour operation preparing the 100m by 100m area off Blacksod for a dive and underwater robot operation, large swells expected today could hamper progress. The operation will be led by Commissioner of Irish Lights (CIL) vessel Granuaile. The vessel is designed to operate in difficult sea conditions and is also equipped with a heavy-lift crane capable of handling 20 tonnes. The S-92A is just over half the maximum lift weight of the Granuaile's crane at 12 tonnes. Granuaile is also equipped with a Remotely Operated Vehicle submersible which, given the difficult and dangerous conditions, will initially be used instead of divers. Irish Coast Guard official Declan Geoghegan said they hoped to make progress over the next 72 hours. Taoiseach Enda Kenny, who attended Capt Fitzpatrick's funeral on Saturday, will today visit volunteers and families. Taoiseach Enda Kenny (Wearing Blue and White Striped Hat) chats with members of the Naval Service during a visit to Blacksod in Co Mayo during the seach and recovery of Rescue 116. Pic Steve Humphreys Taoiseach Enda Kenny chats with members of the Coast Guard during a visit to Blacksod in Co Mayo during the search and recovery of Rescue 116. Pic Steve Humphreys TAOISEACH Enda Kenny has said the families of the crew of Rescue 116 need to know what happened to the helicopter, to bring closure to the tragedy. Mr Kenny was speaking as he visited Blacksod, Co Mayo, where he met with rescue workers from across the agencies involved in the search for the downed Coast Guard aircraft. In the morning, he visited the local community hall, where he had tea and sat and talked with volunteers and members of the local community. He then boarded a RIB to the Irish Naval vessel LE Eithne, which has been involved in the search since the helicopter went down early last week. Mr Kenny spent a number of hours on the ship and spoke afterwards to the media, where he commended the work being done by rescue crews. He spoke about the importance of discovering what happened happened to the aircraft. "I would like to say that what we need to find out here, is what happened, and there are four families involved in this and they need to know, obviously to bring closure to this. "But also in respect of the service itself, and the facilities that are provided, to find out the actual facts of how this tragedy occurred," he said. It is understood Mr Kenny did not meet with the families, in accordance with their wishes at the time. The Taoiseach thanked everyone who has been involved in the retrieval operation and spoke about the difficulties the weather was presenting. It is understood it may be the end of this week before dive teams can enter the water and begin the work to lift the wreckage of the helicopter. "I wanted to take the time to come down here, to a part of the country that I know very well, for the ongoing search. "I've had a full briefing on board the LE Eithne and I have to commend the absolute cooperation that there is between the agencies," he said. Mr Kenny pointed out the operation was led by the Irish Coast Guard and involved the Naval Service, the gardai, the Civil Defence, Lifeboat crews from Ballyglass, and Achill, and many volunteers. He praised the local fishermen in particular, who have provided "really valuable, fundamental information" about both the currents and the difficulties and the challenges of Blackrock. "The weather is not conducive to sending down divers and I'm informed that the next window is hopefully next Thursday or towards the weekend," Mr Kenny said. "I cannot commend highly enough the extent of cooperation that the local community have shown here and that's been exemplified now by the professional services," he added. Mr Kenny said "hopefully by the weekend," there'll more clear information about what happened. The search and rescue at first light at Blacksod Pier after the Rescue 116 helicopter crash. Picture: Steve Humphreys A member of the Civil Defence searches the shoreline near Blacksod, Co Mayo, for wreckage. Photo: Steve Humphreys Air accident investigators have confirmed for the first time that there are marks on wreckage recovered from downed Rescue 116 consistent with the Coast Guard aircraft striking rocks. Although the Air Accident Investigation Unit (AAIU) have stated that although the investigation is in its early stages, there are indications that the downed helicopter may have hit rocks. "At this early stage in the investigation it is not possible to be definitive about the exact nature of damage to the recovered wreckage or indeed the circumstances of the accident," the statement from Chief Inspector of Air Accidents, Mr Jurgen Whyte, in consultation with Investigator-in-Charge, Mr Paul Farrell read. "However, there appears to be marks on some of the recovered wreckage which are consistent with the tail of the aircraft contacting rocky surfaces on the Western end of Blackrock." Expand Expand Expand Previous Next Close The crew of Rescue 116: (left to right) Paul Ormsby, Mark Duffy, Dara Fitzpatrick and Ciaran Smith Paul Cooney from Cavan Civil Defence, Dave O'Sullivan from Mayo Civil Defence and Martina Duffy from Mayo Civil Defence search along the coastline at Annagh Co Mayo for the missing Rescue 116 helicopter and crew. Photo: Steve Humphreys The search continues along the coastline for the missing Rescue 116 helicopter and crew. Photo Steve Humphreys / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp The crew of Rescue 116: (left to right) Paul Ormsby, Mark Duffy, Dara Fitzpatrick and Ciaran Smith Investigations are now continuing with to ascertain exactly the initial point of impact. "The AAIU has visited Black Rock Light House, on the approaches to Blacksod bay, which is close to the last recorded position of the helicopter. Some helicopter wreckage has been recovered from the general area of Black Rock Light House," the statement continues. "This wreckage is primarily from the tail area of the helicopter." The AAIU has extended its "sincere sympathies" to the families and friends of the crew of Rescue 116. Expand Expand Expand Previous Next Close Taoiseach Enda Kenny chats with members of the Coast Guard during a visit to Blacksod in Co Mayo during the search and recovery of Rescue 116. Pic Steve Humphreys A member of the Civil Defence continues the search Taoiseach Enda Kenny (Wearing Blue and White Striped Hat) chats with members of the Naval Service during a visit to Blacksod in Co Mayo during the seach and recovery of Rescue 116. Pic Steve Humphreys / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Taoiseach Enda Kenny chats with members of the Coast Guard during a visit to Blacksod in Co Mayo during the search and recovery of Rescue 116. Pic Steve Humphreys "The Investigation has been working with the Garda Siochana, Coast Guard, Irish Air Corps, the Irish Marine Institute, and many local persons and agencies with the primary objective of locating and recovering the missing crew members, read the statement. The AAIU also said it was anxious to recover and examine as much wreckage as possible, and in particular to recover the craft's black box. "A significant amount of wreckage has been recovered from the sea and this has been logged and will be brought to the AAIU wreckage facility in Gormanston, Co Meath, for detailed examination." "Equipment aboard surface search vessels has detected a signal which is believed to be from the underwater locator beacon attached to the aircrafts Black Box. This signal points toward an area which will be the focus of further, multi-agency investigation activities at the earliest opportunity, subject to weather." A landlord whose home was destroyed by a tenant on rent allowance has slammed calls for a tax on vacant properties. The homeowner contacted Independent.ie after a recent poll suggested that over half of people would be in favour of a tax on empty properties. The latest CSO figures show there are 198,000 empty homes, excluding holiday homes in Ireland. But a Dubliner, who has one rental property in Balbriggan, criticised such a move claiming "the landlord gets a raw deal". Videos and pictures, given to Independent.ie by the homeowner, show the condition the property was left in after their tenant "did a runner" in recent weeks. She claims it will cost "thousands of euro" to repair the damage caused". "The tenant did a runner and left the whole house totally destroyed. Every wardrobe was full of clothes, papers, shoes, bags, wigs and even wedding certificates. "All the carpets will have to be replaced, the kitchen will have to be replaced. The curtains were all pulled off. Every stick of furniture had to be taken and destroyed. Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Previous Next Close The bathroom at the house in Balbriggan after the tenant departed. Picture supplied by landlord The house in Balbriggan after the tenant departed. Picture supplied by landlord Wardrobes filled with irtems belonging to tenant at the property in Balbriggan. Picture supplied by landlord The house in Balbriggan after the tenant departed. Picture supplied by landlord The house in Balbriggan after the tenant departed. Picture supplied by landlord The house in Balbriggan after the tenant departed. Picture supplied by landlord / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp The bathroom at the house in Balbriggan after the tenant departed. Picture supplied by landlord "It will have to be repainted from top to toe," she said. "I don't know how much exactly it will cost but it will be thousands." Video taken by the tenant shows significant quantities of rubbish left behind and damage to appliances. A dead rat, discovered under a staircase, can also be seen amongst the rubbish. The landlord, who asked not to be named, explained that they put the property online for rent two years ago and was contacted by the tenant. Monthly rent was 800. This tenant paid 150 while the Department of Social Protection provided the remaining 650 in rent allowance. The homeowner had several problems throughout the tenancy and she claimed that repeated requests were made to the tenant to open windows to stop damp forming. According to the landlord an en suite bathroom needed to be refurbished and a gas fire boiler replaced during the period. Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Previous Next Close The house in Balbriggan before it was rented. Picture supplied by owner The house in Balbriggan before it was rented. Picture supplied by owner The house in Balbriggan before it was rented. Picture supplied by owner The house in Balbriggan before it was rented. Picture supplied by owner The house in Balbriggan before it was rented. Picture supplied by owner The house in Balbriggan before it was rented. Picture supplied by owner / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp The house in Balbriggan before it was rented. Picture supplied by owner A number of weeks ago the tenant left the property unannounced allegedly without paying the final month's rent. "I felt so enraged," the landlord said. "Anybody can get a bad tenant but in my opinion the landlord has no rights with their property once they give it to a client with rent allowance. "The tenant should not be able to walk into a fresh house and walk away two years later, leaving it like that." Recent research by the Peter McVerry showed that 62 per cent of people are in favour of a tax on empty homes. The charity is now urging the Government to bring forward legislation to introduce an empty homes tax in Ireland. Read More However the homeowner said they would never lease their property to somebody in receipt of rent allowance again. She added: "They are talking about doing this because the homeless situation is so bad. But in my experience the council will not speak to the landlord directly. They hand out all this money and they do no checks to see what condition the home is being kept in by the tenant." A spokesperson for Fingal County Council said: "Rent Allowance is provided by the Department of Social Protection. "If there is an issue the Homeowner should liaise with the Department or the relevant Community Welfare Officer on the matter." The Peter McVerry Trust said they had no details of the case and it is not related to them. "On that basis we cannot put forward a comment." Left: Danielle McLaughlin was murdered at Indian tourist destination. Centre: Vigil held in memory of victim. Right: Vikat Bhagat (23) has been arrested in connection with the murder Murdered Irish backpacker Danielle McLaughlin was attacked by more than one man on the night she was killed, a lawyer for her family has claimed. Indian Solicitor Vikram Varma insisted that accused man Vikat Bhagat (23) could not have overpowered the Donegal woman on his own and urged police to look for other suspects. Ms McLaughlin's remains were discovered in a remote area near the holiday hotspot of Canacona, Goa last Tuesday morning. The suspect was arrested by police less than 24 hours later and a post-mortem later showed that she had been raped, attacked with a broken bottle and then strangled. Expand Close Danielle McLaughlin pictured with local children during an earlier trip to Asia, when she spent time in Thailand / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Danielle McLaughlin pictured with local children during an earlier trip to Asia, when she spent time in Thailand Now a solicitor for her family has told the Daily Mail that there are a lot of unanswered questions about the horrific murder. "Danielle was 58 tall and she was really strong. This fellow Bhagat, he does not look strong and muscular. I doubt he had the strength to overcome Danielle on his own," said Mr Varma. "If she was intoxicated there would have been no need for the terrible injuries she suffered." Inspector Filomeno Costa told Independent.ie that Bhagat has admitted to killed Ms McLaughlin following hours of drinking at the Holi festival. Expand Close Vikat Bhagat is led into court by police in Goa / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Vikat Bhagat is led into court by police in Goa He claimed the pair were in contact on Facebook and had been friends. Read More Mr Varma, who also worked on the case of Scarlett Keeling, the 15-year-old murdered in Goa in 2008, told the Mail Online: "Bhagats story is that he was alone with Danielle which is doubtful. "There has to be more than one person involved. I have no doubt. "He would not have been able to overpower Danielle on his own. Expand Close Danielle McLaughlin. Photo: PA / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Danielle McLaughlin. Photo: PA "I have a feeling that it was more than one person but we have to verify everything with evidence. "I believe Danielles attackers took her to another place other than the place where the body was found. "Bhagats clothes had blood on them and Danielles clothes were found close to his house. "But these small criminal gangs operate in groups of four to six people. They share the spoils of their exploits. "They are very loyal to each other." Read More The lawyer is now urging Goa Police to keep searching for the other attackers. He said they are not satisfied with an arrest and confession, "we are looking for a confession". "We want the police to continue their investigation and to keep gathering evidence and not be satisfied with only a confession." Expand Close Murder suspect Vikat Bhagat will also be charged with rape / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Murder suspect Vikat Bhagat will also be charged with rape He said the forensic report will take two to three to complete but he insists they will show if Ms Mclaughlin was sexually assaulted by more than one man Earlier the victim's friend, Nicole Farren, from Co Donegal travelled to Goa to collect her remains. "We can not even begin to comprehend what has happened to our amazing beautiful friend Danielle," Nicole said. "It is horrific and such a tragic way to have departed this world. No one deserves the pain and suffering she endured. How anyone is capable of committing a brutal act such as this to another human being is beyond our understanding." Nicole described Danielle as a "vibrant soul" who brought "light, laughter and love" wherever she went. "Because Danielle's voice has been silenced, we are here to represent her and make sure appropriate measures are taken and justice is served. We know that she would want us to speak up and fight for women all around the world." Nicole thanked people from across the world for their "overwhelming" support. "We cannot thank everyone enough, especially those who have helped give us all the courage to take this journey and who donated to Danielle's Go Fund page so we can get her home. "The Kevin Bell foundation is remarkable and have been with us every step of the way, along with the ladies from the British and Irish Embassies who we could not have done any of this with out." She also thanked the local community in Goa, who she said have experienced similar tourist deaths in the past. "We would also like to thank the local community who have been amazing we understand there have been cases of tourists who have been murdered in the past which were quickly solved by the police but after the trial these criminals had been aquited, we sincerely hope that this will not be the case for our Danielle. "If anything, we hope that this will not only make India but also the rest of the world stand up and face the facts, that there is still so much injustice for women, that in some places we are second class citizens. "Things need to change, Women need equal rights all over the world. They should be safe always and never be scared, have to live and die in fear." Ms McLaughlin's friends hope to bring her home as soon as possible to be with her family in Donegal. "My Home, the Buncrana community, Donegal, Ireland are still in complete shock. We have felt that throughout this horrific experience the love and connection of our friends and family back home has been truly immense. We love you. "We understand in communities like this that people like to stick together. They like to solve any problems themselves. "We understand that there is a lot of pressure on local people to protect criminals operating in the area. They have a lot of power. "Sometimes though it is time to stand up. To take a stand. And say no. Enough is enough. "The criminals only have power if you are silent as a community. If only one or two dare speak. But if you stand up together. Many of you. And tell what you know. These criminals will lose their power over you. You are stronger than they are together. "We want justice for Danielle. She deserves justice. We know that we all want the same. Whatever community we come from. Whatever our backgrounds. We all want the same thing. Justice. So let's get it together." A memorial ceremony will take place in Buncrana tomorrow at 7pm for local friends and family to honour the memory of Danielle McLaughlin. Meanwhile, Ms McLaughlin's violent death in Goa has sparked an urgent look at tourism safety in the region. The Herald Goa is reporting that a local Minister, Vijai Sardasai, met with local Canacona police and with Danielle's loved ones on Saturday night and was appraised of the investigation. A meeting of tourism stakeholders is to be held on Tuesday and the Minister has ordered the police to send a top deputy to the meeting in a bid to assure people of the Government's commitment to tourism and the safety of travellers in Goa. Ms McLaughlin's murder was an isolated event he told the paper and there is concern locally about the impression it will create for tourists of the area. A solidarity rally, organised by the Canacona business community, will also take place tomorrow. Over 50,000 has been raised to help a family from Co Clare after a car collision which killed a three-year-old toddler and left her dad critically injured in hospital. Vincent Wall and his daughter Estlin were involved in a crash on the way to a creche in Clare last week. Vincent's partner, Amy Dutil-Wall, has been left devastated by the tragedy and is now trying to care for the couple's 12 week old son, Mannix, while coming to terms with the tragedy that resulted in Estlin's death and left Vincent in a Dublin hospital with massive brain injuries. Read More Vincent's brother, Steve Wall, is a star of Moone Boy, The Stunning and founder of rock group, The Walls. Steve launched a special Internet fundraising appeal for the devastated family who now face massive rehabilitation costs. The appeal was launched with the initial target of raising around 5,000, but has reached ten times that amount in recent days. Vincent is the youngest brother of the Moone Boy star. Steve issued the emotional appeal via his Facebook page as he described the traffic accident in Clare last Wednesday as a tragedy beyond belief. Last Wednesday morning my youngest brother Vincent and his almost four year old daughter Estlin were involved in a terrible car crash in Co Clare, the musician posted. Vincent is in hospital in Dublin with massive brain injuries and still hasn't opened his eyes. At around 9pm last night (Saturday) little Estlin's life support was turned off and she passed away in her mother Amys arms. (Amy) is also nursing their 12-week old baby Mannix. It is a tragedy beyond belief and we are all in bits. The details of Estlin's funeral in Ennistymon will be on RIP.ie soon. Please don't send any flowers but consider donating something, no matter how small, to this fund set up by the community of Ennistymon to help Amy and Vinnie through the difficult times ahead and Vincent's rehabilitation. Vinnie is much loved by everyone in west Clare and beyond. Donations can now be made via www.wallfamilyfund.com. Little Estlin had to be resuscitated at the scene following an horrific two-car collision at 9am last Wednesday on the R85 Ennis to Ennistymon road. Both vehicles ended up in a roadside ditch. Three ambulances and a rapid response advanced paramedic unit responded to the collision along with two units of the local authority fire service from Ennistymon. A local GP attended the scene and worked to resuscitate the little girl. The Athlone-based Air Corps 112 helicopter landed in a nearby field and airlifted the injured child to University Hospital Limerick (UHL). She was later transferred to Dublin. Despite desperate efforts to save her, little Estlin died last weekend when her life support machine was switched off. Her organs were donated and will go to transplant patients in Ireland and the UK. Estlin's mum Amy revealed that she and her heartbroken sisters sang Estlin to sleep in a Dublin hospital when her life support machine was switched off. "I didn't get to hold Estlin when she took her first breaths," Amy posted in a Facebook notice. "Tonight, I held her in my arms wrapped up warm while she peacefully took her last. "Myself and my sisters sang her to sleep, and the last beat of her heart echoed into my hand. "I'm feeling so much peace right now, that she can finally rest as she has been so brave and these last few days, so long. "And we've just been told her precious lungs are already in transit to a young recipient in the U.K. A life saved, by my little girl. "Not many of us can say that about ourselves. I'm the proudest Momma tonight," she wrote. Poroshenko expects new composition of Supreme Court to work in May-June President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko expects that the new composition of the Supreme Court of Ukraine will begin working in May-June. "I expect that the new Supreme Court will work in May-June already," he said during a speech at a meeting of the Regional Development Council in Kyiv on Monday. Taoiseach Enda Kenny has stolen a march on would-be rebels who are now perplexed by his insistence that he is in no rush to stand down. Several members of the Fine Gael parliamentary party have demanded an early change of leadership, but have been left unsure of their own next move after Mr Kenny's comments in America. Mr Kenny had previously led his TDs, senators and MEPs to believe he would "conclusively and effectively" deal with the leadership issue on his return from his St Patrick's Day visit to the USA. But as the visit drew to a close at the weekend, the Taoiseach said he wanted to stay until a new power-sharing government was installed in Belfast, and the ground rules of the Brexit negotiations were put in place. The Taoiseach's comments caused alarm among many backbench TDs who want to see the leadership issue dealt with soon, and fear that proceedings in Belfast and Brussels risk dragging on for some time. They want a new Taoiseach in place in case of a general election which could happen as early as next autumn. However, they are reluctant to confront the Taoiseach at the parliamentary party meeting on Wednesday - particularly after Mr Kenny faced them down amid a clamour for his departure one month ago. Expand Close Fine Gael party chairman Martin Heydon. Photo: Tom Burke / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Fine Gael party chairman Martin Heydon. Photo: Tom Burke "From his statements in New York that timescale suggests Mr Kenny is digging in for an even longer farewell than he had led us to believe. Patience will wear thin on that," one backbench TD said. But it is unclear how much open pressure on the leadership issue - if any - he will be subjected to at this meeting. Carlow-Kilkenny TD John-Paul Phelan said many TDs and senators expected Mr Kenny to act according to what he told the parliamentary party a month ago. Dublin North-West TD Noel Rock said Mr Kenny should live up to his statement on the leadership in February However, most of the normally outspoken rebels spoke on condition their names were not mentioned on this occasion. Party chairman Martin Heydon said as far as he was concerned "nothing had changed". The Kildare South TD said Mr Kenny had always said he would stand down "before the next election" and would deal with the issue after his return from the US. "I trust the Taoiseach to act in the best interests of the country and the party," Mr Heydon said. But he would not be tied to a specific date and avoided fixing Wednesday's meeting as decisive. Another TD, keen for Mr Kenny to fix a timeline also signalled that the Taoiseach will not come under specific pressure on Wednesday. "But this cannot drag on indefinitely," the Fine Gael deputy said. Recent events in Irish history have served to underline the need for strong advocates of human rights and equality. The 'Grace' foster home scandal immediately springs to mind as a case in point. Intellectually disabled children with limited ability to communicate languished in a foster home where they were subject to sexual and physical abuse because their supposed protectors in the health service failed to stand up for them. The sorry saga clearly raises questions about the culture which allowed the abuse to continue unchecked for years, and whether the situation was ignored because the people involved were disabled. The scandal may have its roots in less enlightened times, but discrimination and inequality is still rife in Ireland, particularly in the area of disabilities. Sitting in the modern offices of the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (IHREC) in central Dublin, its chief commissioner Emily Logan speaks with a passionate voice about the ongoing need to stand up for disability rights. A fifth of queries the commission receives on the Equal Status Act and a quarter of queries on employment equality law relate to discrimination on the grounds of disability. March 30 marks the 10th anniversary of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, yet Ireland is the only EU member state which has failed to ratify it. This is something Ms Logan describes as "shameful" and "embarrassing". The convention ensures that people with disabilities have the right to be consulted about their own welfare. As a former nurse, Ms Logan has "vivid memories" of being trained to think that service providers knew better than the people they were looking after. Introducing laws in line with the convention would "change that dynamic", she said, and make disabled people active rather than passive participants in their own care. Although new laws have been promised later this year, a large demonstration is being organised for March 30 by Inclusion Ireland and Joanne O'Riordan, the inspirational young campaigner who was born without limbs. "This convention is about trying to change that culture and to ensure the State as the primary duty bearer for the rights of people adopts a model where we accept that people are active participants," she said. A straight talker, Ms Logan became IHREC's first chief commissioner when it was formed as an independent public body to protect and promote human rights and equality in 2014. She was an obvious candidate for the role, having spent several years working as Ireland's Ombudsman for Children. The Grace case is one she knows well and she was among those who pressed Disabilities Minister Finian McGrath to make the terms of reference for the commission of investigation into the scandal as expansive as possible. "I think the question in Grace is whether what happened is symptomatic of a culture that hasn't yet recognised the rights of people with disabilities and, in particular in that case, people with intellectual disabilities, who are much more vulnerable," she said. Ms Logan criticised the initial terms of reference brought forward by Mr McGrath, which did not explicitly ensure the cases of 46 children other than Grace would be examined promptly. What was originally proposed was "not a human rights compliant process", she said. "Just because the people in this case have intellectual disability does not mean we make the assumption that they have not been affected in a way that we should seek to understand." The terms of reference were hastily revised and Ms Logan said they were now "much closer" to what IHREC has sought. She said it was important for the Government to recognise that the process used in such investigations was as important as the outcome. "Our job as a commission is to try to encourage the State to take a consistent approach to doing any type of inquiry," she said. Another issue where Ms Logan believes the State could do better is in relation to taking in refugees from the Syrian conflict. She believes Ireland can do more and should be playing a leadership role at EU level. "We felt there could be a greater number," she said. She is also critical of the "fairly harsh definitions" of what a family is in the International Protection Act and the impact this is having on the reunification of families. "If both your parents have died and your only remaining relative is your grandparent, they don't come under the new definition of family, so you will not be reunified with your grandparent," she said. "We are concerned the State has so narrowly defined the family." Ms Logan believes concerns that refugees would put further pressure on education and health services are unfounded. "The people coming from Syria are an entirely different population to people who came here before. Syrian children were well educated prior to the conflict. They are strong linguistically," she said. "It is not as problematic as some of the children who came in the past who had much more complex experiences. "I think we are generous as a society, but when it starts impinging on our own services people get a little bit nervous. But I think we have the ability to lead and to be more generous." Education Minister Richard Bruton has said there are "no plans" to reopen the State's redress scheme for institutional abuse despite the latest revelations surrounding the Tuam baby scandal. The scheme, which has to date cost almost 1.5bn, closed to new applicants in September 2011. It emerged last week that religious orders who ran residential institutions where children were subject to abuse have paid just 13pc of the costs. A report by the Comptroller and Auditor General (C&AG), published by Mr Bruton, confirmed that the State had received just 85m of the 226m that was due from the Church. A spokesperson for Mr Bruton confirmed that the scheme would not be reopened for new entrants. "The redress scheme has been closed to new applicants since September 2011 and the work of the Redress Board is largely complete. There are no plans to reopen it. "The total cost of the scheme, currently some 1.477bn, is expected to reach 1.5bn," the spokesperson told the Irish Independent. The issue of the State's contribution to the redress scheme is now the subject of a bitter row with Government. Senior Cabinet figures, including Taoiseach Enda Kenny, have called on Church leaders to "measure up" and pay more of a share. Read more: Failure of Catholic institutions to contribute to redress scheme 'exceptionally disappointing' There have also been calls for the Pope to intervene in order to put pressure on religious orders. Earlier this month it was confirmed that significant quantities of human remains had been discovered beneath the former St Mary's Mother and Baby Home in Tuam, Co Galway. It followed painstaking work by local historian Catherine Corless, whose work has led to the setting up of the Mother and Baby Homes Commission. Remains were found in 17 underground chambers at the Tuam site. Bon Secours nuns ran the home from 1925 until its closure in 1961. Last week, Archbishop Diarmuid Martin said the revelations surrounding the treatment of women and their children in mother and baby homes cannot be "wallpapered" over. "The sad facts which are once again emerging into light around the way children and mothers were treated in Church-run institutions lead us once again to challenge the Church in Ireland to a deep self-examination and repentance. "It is not something that can be wallpapered over or interpreted by clever spin doctors," Archbishop Martin said. "Everything must be done to enable the truth to emerge. "As believers we must again turn to Jesus and profess we have failed his teaching. We must confess the role of the Church in the building up of a culture which failed to recognise the presence of Jesus in the smallest and weakest." The senior cleric also dismissed the suggestion that such treatment "happened when times were different". The friends of Danielle McLaughlin have made a powerful speech demanding justice for their friend and calling for women across the world to stand together against violence. Danielle's friend, Nicole Farren, from Co Donegal travelled to Goa in India to bring Danielle's remains home. Expand Close Danielle McLaughlin. Photo: PA / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Danielle McLaughlin. Photo: PA She read an impassioned speech at a memorial service in Goa to demand justice for her friend Danielle. Danielle's remains (28) was discovered in a remote area near the holiday hotspot of Canacona, Goa on Tuesday morning. Expand Close Danielle's friends at a memorial service in Goa Photo: Nicole Farren / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Danielle's friends at a memorial service in Goa Photo: Nicole Farren Read More A post-mortem found that she had been raped and strangulation was the cause of death. One man Vikat Bhagat (23) was arrested over the murder and police claim he has confessed to the attack. "We can not even begin to comprehend what has happened to our amazing beautiful friend Danielle," Nicole said. "It is horrific and such a tragic way to have departed this world. No one deserves the pain and suffering she endured. How anyone is capable of committing a brutal act such as this to another human being is beyond our understanding." Expand Close Danielle's friends at a memorial service in Goa Photo: Nicole Farren / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Danielle's friends at a memorial service in Goa Photo: Nicole Farren Nicole described Danielle as a "vibrant soul" who brought "light, laughter and love" wherever she went. "Because Danielle's voice has been silenced, we are here to represent her and make sure appropriate measures are taken and justice is served. We know that she would want us to speak up and fight for women all around the world." Nicole thanked people from across the world for their "overwhelming" support. "We cannot thank everyone enough, especially those who have helped give us all the courage to take this journey and who donated to Danielle's Go Fund page so we can get her home. "The Kevin Bell foundation is remarkable and have been with us every step of the way, along with the ladies from the British and Irish Embassys who we could not have done any of this with out." She also thanked the local community in Goa, who she said have experienced similar tourist deaths in the past. "We would also like to thank the local community who have been amazing we understand there have been cases of tourists who have been murdered in the past which were quickly solved by the police but after the trial these criminals had been aquited, we sincerely hope that this will not be the case for our Danielle. "If anything, we hope that this will not only make India but also the rest of the world stand up and face the facts, that there is still so much injustice for women, that in some places we are second class citizens. "Things need to change, Women need equal rights all over the world. They should be safe always and never be scared, have to live and die in fear." Danielle's friends hope to bring her home as soon as possible to be with her family in Donegal. "My Home, the Buncrana community, Donegal, Ireland are still in complete shock. We have felt that throughout this horrific experience the love and connection of our friends and family back home has been truly immense. We love you. "We understand in communities like this that people like to stick together. They like to solve any problems themselves. "We understand that there is a lot of pressure on local people to protect criminals operating in the area. They have a lot of power. "Sometimes though it is time to stand up. To take a stand. And say no. Enough is enough. "The criminals only have power if you are silent as a community. If only one or two dare speak. But if you stand up together. Many of you. And tell what you know. These criminals will lose their power over you. You are stronger than they are together. "We want justice for Danielle. She deserves justice. We know that we all want the same. Whatever community we come from. Whatever our backgrounds. We all want the same thing. Justice. So let's get it together." A memorial ceremony will take place in Buncrana tomorrow at 7pm for local friends and family to honour the memory of Danielle McLaughlin. Meanwhile, Ms McLaughlin's violent death in Goa has sparked an urgent look at tourism safety in the region. The Herald Goa is reporting that a local Minister, Vijai Sardasai, met with local Canacona police and with Danielle's loved ones on Saturday night and was appraised of the investigation. A meeting of tourism stakeholders is to be held on Tuesday and the Minister has ordered the police to send a top deputy to the meeting in a bid to assure people of the Government's commitment to tourism and the safety of travellers in Goa. Ms McLaughlin's murder was an isolated event he told the paper and there is concern locally about the impression it will create for tourists of the area. A solidarity rally, organised by the Canacona business community, will also take place tomorrow. A teenage boy has discovered a hugely valuable diamond during a recent family visit to an Arkansas State Park. Fourteen-year-old Kalel Langford, of Centerton, Arkansas was walking with his parents at the Crater of Diamonds park last weekend park when he spotted the gem. "It was just a few inches from a stream of water, with a bunch of other rocks that were about the same size, he said. Kalel immediately showed his discovery to his father Craig, who said: We had only been at the park for about 30 minutes when he found it. Its color was so dark that we werent sure if it was a diamond, but we knew we needed to have it looked at. They took it to the park's Diamond Discovery Center, where they were shocked to learn Kalel had found one of the biggest diamonds in the park's history. The 7.44 carat diamond has not yet been valued, but is thought to be worth several thousands of euros. Kalel named it the 'Superman' diamond, after his love of the DC superhero, and he currently plans to keep hold of his find. Park spokesman Waymon Cox said: Conditions were ideal for Kalel to find his diamond. About an inch of rain fell on the plowed search area during the week. A heavy rain can uncover larger diamonds near the surface. "Diamonds have a metallic-looking shine and are often easier to spot on top of the ground. Kalels diamond is about the size of a pinto bean, and its very dark brown, similar to coffee. Overall, the gem has a frosted appearance and is shaped somewhat like a pillow or a kite. Cox described the diamond as a "truly extraordinary find," adding: "It was Kalels dream to visit the Crater of Diamonds State Park, and now he will always be part of this parks remarkable history. We are all very happy for him." Telegraph Media Group Limited [2022] I consider myself very lucky - I've a radio show on Newstalk that pays me to talk to very interesting people, for an hour every week. I've always felt it's barely work - I enjoy it so much. By interesting people I mean people like Mary Aiken, the forensic cyber-psychologist on whom Patricia Arquette's character is based in CSI. Or Pat Falvey the Everest mountaineer. Or the woman behind the #TwoWomenTravel Twitter account. I feel very fortunate to have such a gig. And last week was no exception when I interviewed James Kavanagh, Irish Snapchat sensation and genuinely hilarious bright spark, about sex education - or our lack thereof. James asked on Snapchat, if sex education in Irish schools had improved since he'd gone through it 10 years ago, and the overwhelming response was NO! He was inundated with young people discussing the fact that sex education remains a fairly sterile, unedifying, albeit mostly factual, experience for teens - as reported by themselves. Many of them expressed surprise and disbelief that you could get an STI (sexually transmitted infection) from oral sex. Some thought only gay men could contract STIs! Most said the focus of the sex education was on reproduction - when sperm meets egg and ends up in the womb - or uterus to those of us who no longer speak biblically. Few enough seemed to know about the need for STI screening or the fact that many STIs were asymptomatic - so you could have one and not know it. James himself described how a routine STI screen he'd had revealed he'd contracted syphilis from a previous partner who'd cheated on him - resulting in him having lumbar punctures and other unpleasantries in hospital as part of his treatment. He went on to say that the dearth of knowledge that was out there among the people he was chatting with prompted him to start a Tuesday evening sex education dialogue on his social media platforms that people are flocking to. But you'd have to wonder at a time when we know the culture of no sex before marriage is all but gone and when STIs are on the rise, whether or not our sex education system is fit for purpose? Certainly most people contacting the show didn't feel they'd been adequately prepared, with lots describing sex education given by nuns with bowls of fruit, for some reason. That may reflect age demographics - one listener said even though he was 46, most of what James was saying was news to him! But the Snapchat generation aren't being taught by nuns and they still feel their education is lacking. I think you'd have to question whether or not the reason sex education is taught in its current form is due to residual disapproval of young people having sex in the first place. So any talk of pleasure - the real reason people actually have sex - is absent. And in many cases the descriptions of sex are so disagreeably mechanical that if our teens weren't getting fed alternative info from elsewhere - you'd wonder would it not put them off for life - which is maybe half the point. What's interesting in the week Bishop Eamonn Casey died, was how few complaints we got about discussing sexual health on Sunday morning - attitudes to sex have changed so much in Ireland. But you'd still have to ask whether or not we're failing to equip our young people for a happy, healthy sex life? Sexual health is as important an area of health as any other. But it tends to become an issue for people at a much younger age than heart disease or cancer, often when they're still relatively immature. So a decent road map on this would be a big help. Areas like consent, infection, risk and, yes, pleasure should all be included. And if you object to that, maybe you should ask yourself why. @ciarakellydoc Alive and Kicking with Dr Ciara Kelly is moving to 9am on Saturdays on Newstalk from April 1 Delicious game-day dishes to please the lads. DEAD EASY PORK RIBS WITH PALM SUGAR GLAZE Chinese five-spice powder is one of my all-time favourite seasonings, and I encourage you to get very friendly with it. It takes its name not from the number of ingredients, but the way this single spice mix hits on all five principal tastes (sweet, salty, sour, bitter and umami). The flavour is warm and sweet, and I find that it acts like a bridge between salt and the heat of chillies, giving these ribs a really round, warm deliciousness. It's a wonderful, versatile seasoning to add to pork, beef or duck. Chinese five-spice powder also lends meat a handsome reddish tone - like that nice red bark that you get when you put meat in a smoker - which is a big improvement over the unappetising grey tinge that ribs can take on when they're cooked in the oven. Serves 6. Ingredients 2 racks of pork spare ribs cut St Louis-style by your butcher Coarse sea salt and freshly ground black pepper 2 tsp Chinese five-spice powder 240ml palm-sugar caramel (see below) For the palm-sugar caramel: 400g palm sugar 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice 8 tbsp water 200g thinly sliced shallots (from 4-6 large shallots) 1 dried hot red chilli, such as chilli de arbol 3 star anise 1 cinnamon stick 2 tsp freshly ground black pepper 120ml Thai fish sauce Method 1. Preheat the oven to 110C/ gas mark . 2. Season your ribs on both sides very simply with salt and pepper, and dust with the Chinese five-spice powder. 3. Place the ribs meat-side down in a pair of aluminium or glass baking dishes. Cover the dishes with foil and roast the meat for 4 hours. 4. Drain off the drippings. Flip the ribs over using two spatulas (and an extra pair of hands, if you have them) so the meat side is now up. Be gentle, as they may be so tender, they start falling apart. Paint a layer of palm sugar caramel on the ribs and return them to the oven uncovered for a further 20-30 minutes. Serve straight out of the oven. To make the palm-sugar caramel: 1. In a heavy-based medium saucepan set over a medium heat, combine the palm sugar, lemon juice and 4 tbsp water and bring the mixture to the boil. Using a wet pastry brush, wash down any sugar crystals that have stuck to the side of the pan. Reduce the heat to medium-low and let the mixture simmer undisturbed until it begins to reach a medium amber colour, about 20 minutes (watch the pan carefully, because caramel can go from pale to burnt in a matter of seconds). 2. Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in the shallots, chilli, star anise, cinnamon and black pepper. Carefully whisk in the fish sauce and another 4 tbsp water - the caramel will seize up and spit. Return the pan to a medium heat and stir it until the caramel is smooth and dissolved. Pour it into a heatproof bowl and let it cool completely. Remove the chilli, star anise and cinnamon stick and use while warm. WARM MARINATED OLIVES WITH CARAMELISED ONION COMPOTE Expand Close Warm marinated olives with caramelised onion compte / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Warm marinated olives with caramelised onion compte Great olives, ripened to perfection, cleaned of all their bitterness, and lovingly cured are now readily available at everyday supermarkets. You can put your own flavour stamp on them with this quick marinade. They'll keep absolutely forever in the fridge and can be warmed in a matter of a few minutes for a no-hassle nibble. Ingredients For the caramelised onion compote: 120ml extra-virgin olive oil 900g white onions, thinly sliced 1 tbsp brown sugar bottle stout or porter beer 2 tbsp beef stock 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar Coarse sea salt and freshly cracked pepper For the marinated olives: 4 tbsp olive oil (preferably Italian, for spiciness) 3 tbsp caramelised onion compote (see above) Peel of lemon, pith removed Peel of lime, pith removed Peel of orange, pith removed 35g smoked almonds 30g Fresno or other mild red chillies, sliced as thinly as possible 1 sprig each rosemary, thyme, and savory (if you can find it; sage if not), finely chopped 450g of your favourite mixed olives (such as kalamata, picholine or castelvetrano) METHOD 1. To make the caramelised onion compote, heat the oil in a large, heavy-based saucepan set over a medium-high heat until it shimmers. Tip in the onions and brown sugar, stir to coat them with oil and spread them evenly in the pan. Reduce to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, until you smell the sugars releasing and the onions become soft and translucent, 30-45 minutes. 2. Chuck in all the liquids and cook until three quarters reduced, continuing to stir the onions regularly or else they'll burn. Season the mixture with a good grind of pepper and a teaspoon or two of salt, to taste. Remove the onions from the heat and let cool completely. 3. Load the onions into a sterilised jar and close tightly. The compote will keep in the fridge for around two weeks if it lasts that long. 4. For the marinated olives: in a medium saucepan, heat the oil over a low heat to 35C. It should feel about body temperature, but use a thermometer to check it if possible. 5. Add the caramelised onion compote, citrus peels, smoked almonds, chillies and herbs. Remove the oil from the heat and let the ingredients steep for 20 minutes. Add the olives and reheat it to 35C. Strain off the oil and serve the olives warm. They can also be stored in the oil in the fridge for months. GRILLED SKIRT STEAK AND HORSERADISH SANDWICH Expand Close Grilled skirt steak and horseradish sandwich / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Grilled skirt steak and horseradish sandwich Skirt steak is the ideal sandwich cut. It's cheap, fast and easy to cook, tender enough that you won't put your jaw out trying to bite through it and it has a rich, intense flavour of beef to it. It's also a naturally slim piece of meat, no more than 1.25cm thick and about 10cm wide, which makes it the perfect dimensions for laying a slab between two slices of bread. Adding the heat of horseradish, creamy mayo and peppery rocket rounds out the flavours perfectly. If you think you like roast beef sandwiches made with grey deli roast beef, just wait. You'll go nuts for this. Serves 2 Ingredients For the skirt steak marinade: 120ml olive oil 1 tbsp chopped garlic 1 tbsp chopped fresh thyme 1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley 1 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary 2 tbsp Sprite or 7Up (the phosphoric acid will tenderise the meat to melt in the mouth) Zest of lemon 350g skirt steak 120ml skirt steak marinade (see above) Coarse sea salt 2 slices ciabatta bread, about 15 10cm, sliced down the middle 30g unsalted butter, softened 75g mayonnaise 1 tbsp horseradish (or more, to suit your taste) 2 handfuls of rocket Freshly ground black pepper Method 1. To make the marinade, dump all the ingredients in a blender and blend until combined. 2. Trim any excess fat off the steak, rub it with the marinade, and place it in a ziplock bag or covered container in the refrigerator for at least 2 but no more than 8 hours; more than that and the meat will turn mushy when it cooks. 3. Fire up the barbecue and let it get hot, or place a grill pan or cast-iron pan over a high heat for 5 minutes. Remove the steak from the marinade, scrape off any excess herbs and garlic, season it liberally with salt, then grill the meat to your liking. Medium-rare will take about 1 minute per side. 4. Toast the bread if you want, or simply butter the bloody stuff. In a small bowl, mix together the mayonnaise and horseradish to your desired spiciness. 5. Build up your sandwich by slathering the horseradish mayo on the bottom slice of bread, then put down a bed of rocket, followed by your meat, a seasoning of black pepper and the top slice of bread. Jane in the living area. They brought the leather seating from the States and bought the rug on eBay for $100. Jane plays the harp, but insists she has never become any good at it This side of the chimney with its open fire looks into the living area. The other side houses a stove, which warms the kitchen It was Jane and Brian's idea to add another layer of living with the mezzanine, and theyre thrilled with the result. The floorboards are from a lumber yard in Sligo, the alcohol containers are from Stuart Auctions and Jane made the bed for Maddie. 'I sawed up some wood and got some screws. I'm very good with a power tool; its a thing,' she says with a laugh Jane likes to do her fabulous botanical drawings in the conservatory as it's full of light and she is inspired by the wildlife around her - badgers and pine martens, among other species. The rug is from eBay Jane and Brian Wright outside their home - the stone schoolhouse where an Irish hero began his education. The fish was made by David Ferro, famous in the States for his weathervanes Brian and Jane in the kitchen area. The table was left in the house by the previous owner. The chest of drawers and the hatbox were bought at Stuart Auctions in Enniskillen. 'Stuart Auctions is a whole other world;we're addicted to it,' Jane notes with a laugh We've all got pretty used to some aspects of buying online - from airline and train tickets to hotel rooms. However, many of us still balk at the purchases that are likely to hold an element of uncertainty, such as clothes, so if you're considering your first venture into the unknown and are tentative about pressing 'buy' on a new dress, be emboldened by American couple Brian and Jane Wright, who went on the internet and bought a house in Ireland, from their home in Westchester in the US of A. This is a house they had never seen in the flesh, even from the outside. As can be seen from these photos, it's a magnificent building, and not only is it an architectural delight, worthy of inclusion in RTE's current series of Home of the Year, it is of huge historical significance, as one of the heroes of 1916 attended school within its stone walls. However, it wasn't quite like this when they bought it. In fact, it was a bit of a wreck. The couple hardly knew Ireland - they'd only ever been here for short holidays prior to their purchase - yet Brian and Jane weren't in the least bit daunted. But then, as can be deduced from their description of the way they had first met, they are adventurous types. Expand Close Jane and Brian Wright outside their home - the stone schoolhouse where an Irish hero began his education. The fish was made by David Ferro, famous in the States for his weathervanes / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Jane and Brian Wright outside their home - the stone schoolhouse where an Irish hero began his education. The fish was made by David Ferro, famous in the States for his weathervanes It was 26 years ago, and they were both divorced. "I was working in a lingerie store in the West Village; most of our clientele were transvestites - I quickly learned that human sexuality is a moveable feast," Jane says with a laugh, adding, "I was bored one July 4, and I placed a personal ad in the Village Voice. I never did anything so crazy in my life." Brian, who worked in advertising, takes up the story. "Jane is a very exotic woman, always dressed in black and lots of silver jewellery. If there were goths at the time, she was a goth. I saw her in the street and thought, 'She's very interesting; she'd be perfect for me', then forgot about it. Then I saw this ad and answered it, and the woman I'd seen on the street was the woman in the ad." "It was nuts," says Jane. "The initial conversation was on the phone. You feel your mother is in your ear, saying, 'He could be an axe murderer', so I didn't say where I lived. It was chit-chat and tremendously awkward. Brian asked what I did; I said that I illustrated children's books, but I had a part-time job in a lingerie store, and he said, 'Oh my god - you're very tall and wear black and work at Saturday Night Lingerie'." The both lived in the West Village at the time. Needless to say they met up, and hit it off. They were married within months, and within three years they had three children, Quinn (26) who works in TV in New York; Morgan (25) a frame designer in Brooklyn; and Maddie (23) who is doing a master's in criminology in Trinity College in Dublin. Brooke, Brian's daughter from his first marriage, is an assistant attorney general in Washington. As the kids grew, the couple felt the West Village wasn't ideal for raising children, so they moved to Westchester, and built a house on land given to them by Brian's father. Brian continued to work in the city, and Jane worked freelance as a children's-book illustrator for 35 years, before the industry died due to digitalization, and she became manager of a framing factory. In recent years, they began to feel that they were just running to keep standing still. Brian's industry had changed, too; he was doing more web design and he wasn't enjoying it any more; he notes advertising is a young person's career. "I had got old. I worked in advertising for nearly 40 years and had already overstayed my welcome by about 25 years," the charming 60-something with a look of Roger Sterling in Mad Men says with a smile. Jane adds, "For Brian, it went from the days of the Mad Men and a three-Martinis lunch and expense accounts, to seven days a week, working with 20-somethings. I have a very clear memory of a particular product launch he did. It ran 14 days in a row - I was picking him up at the train station at 3am, and I'd go, 'We're going to die'." The couple had been on a few short trips to Ireland and their thoughts turned to the idea of buying a property here. They hadn't actually explored the country very much, but both had Irish ancestry. Jane had quite an illustrious Irish forebear, Robert Finney, who was wounded at the Battle of the Boyne in 1690 and left for dead. "The legend is he woke from the battlefield with a vision of the land he would buy, and the farm he would build in the New World. He was from Derry; he and his wife landed in Newcastle in Delaware; their grandson went on to become a signatory to the Declaration of Independence in 1776," Jane says, adding she still hasn't been to Derry. Expand Close Builder Pat Slevin made the stairs to the mezzanine. The church window, which was bought at McKenzie Salvage in Enniskillen, looks into the master bedroom / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Builder Pat Slevin made the stairs to the mezzanine. The church window, which was bought at McKenzie Salvage in Enniskillen, looks into the master bedroom Brian's grandfather was in the Royal Irish Constabulary and his father was born in Strabane in 1921. When partition came in 1922, his grandfather took his family to New York, to join his brother Danny, who was in the police force. Brian's father became an accountant - he had fought in the war and got his degree through the GI Bill (The Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944) - and he brought up his family of three boys in Dobbs Ferry in Westchester. Neither of their families ever came back to Ireland, even on holiday, but both Brian and Jane had been once separately; then, a few years ago, they came over on a bed-and-breakfast break and did the Ring of Kerry. "For our third trip, we said, 'Let's rent a house in Donegal', and we got a little house outside Killybegs, where the Brodericks live - Matthew and Sarah Jessica. We kept passing them on the street. We thought, 'This is pretty nice. Do we really need Westchester?' Because my father was born in Ireland, I had an Irish passport, which gave us an advantage and a destination," says Brian, adding, "and we started looking online at cottages like the one we stayed at." The first house they looked at online was in Co Clare, but they were told it wasn't sound, so they rejected that. The second was the schoolhouse in Co Leitrim, which didn't look great either, but it had one advantage in the couple's eyes - it was owned by an architect. "It was covered in white render and it was looking scabby and mildewy and the roof was leaking, but we figured, 'It's gonna be sound, because an architect wouldn't buy it if it wasn't sound'," Brian notes. They did realise it was all small rooms and low ceilings, but that didn't put them off and they made an offer, which was accepted. "We thought, 'We stay here and it's killing us, or we take this incredibly ridiculous jump and reinvent'. We got on to the realtor and said, 'We'd like to make an offer' and we gave a figure and we said, 'What do you think?' The realtor laughed and said, 'I think the owner would be overjoyed to get that'," Jane recalls. They got an engineer to check the house and he declared it sound enough. Through him, they got a builder, Pat Slevin, and between their vision and Pat's considerable skills, they've created a stunning home. "We got on to Pat and we said, 'Gut it, and put on a new roof with antique slates'," says Brian, adding, "as they were working on the house, Pat came back to us and said, 'Underneath all this render, there's some lovely stonework', and that was our first clue that it was going to be great." Expand Close It was Jane and Brian's idea to add another layer of living with the mezzanine, and theyre thrilled with the result. The floorboards are from a lumber yard in Sligo, the alcohol containers are from Stuart Auctions and Jane made the bed for Maddie. 'I sawed up some wood and got some screws. I'm very good with a power tool; its a thing,' she says with a laugh / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp It was Jane and Brian's idea to add another layer of living with the mezzanine, and theyre thrilled with the result. The floorboards are from a lumber yard in Sligo, the alcohol containers are from Stuart Auctions and Jane made the bed for Maddie. 'I sawed up some wood and got some screws. I'm very good with a power tool; its a thing,' she says with a laugh The builder had started taking off the render and repointing all the stonework when the couple finally arrived to see their new property in the summer of 2015. "I don't think anyone believed we were going to show up. There were wires hanging down from the ceiling; there was no floor; there were pipes sticking out; there was a cement mixer right in the middle of the house; it was a construction site," Jane says, adding, "and we moved in." Brian adds, "We lived here with the birds; there was a swallows' nest in the rafters and we looked up at them every morning." They stayed there for a month until Pat threw them out, saying that it would get too dirty. Meanwhile, he got on with the work, renovating the house to their design. "It was a wonderful collaborative experience. We knew what we wanted. We knew we wanted the ceiling taken out; we knew we wanted another level of living. Pat was able to deliver that by reinforcing the roof with steel. We knew we wanted a bedroom, and Jane had this idea for the sliding barn door, which enabled us to cut off the bedroom from the rest of the house, and by the luck of the draw we found the church window, which we put into the door," Brian says. The end result is a traditional schoolhouse from the outside, while inside, it's a double-height stone box, divided into a kitchen on one end and a bedroom on the other, and in between is a cosy living room. The living room and kitchen are separated by a stone chimney, which was discovered underneath the plaster; there's a stove on one side, and an open fire on the other. The kitchen leads to a conservatory with lovely views of the countryside. Jane has her studio here and in it, she creates the most wonderful botanical watercolours filled with little country creatures dressed in Georgian costumes, which, no doubt, will soon form the basis of a delightful children's book. According to Brian, it's not unusual to see donkeys, horses and sheep from the windows, while badgers and pine martens are regular visitors, too. Pat put in the other level of living by encircling a mezzanine above and around the living area, and building a staircase to access it. Up on that level is Brian's office and a guest bedroom, where their daughter Maddie sleeps when she comes to stay. "We bought two trees, and, from the timber, Pat made the staircase, the kitchen units and the wardrobes in the bedroom," Jane explains. These rough-hewn pieces work beautifully with the exposed stone walls and their furnishings - antiques from America, colourful rugs and wonderful paintings that they had collected over the years. Needless to mention, Brian and Jane were thrilled that their gamble paid off and revealed such riches as the stone chimney. Giving them additional pleasure is the discovery that Sean Mac Diarmada, one of the seven signatories of the Proclamation - executed when he was 33 for his part in the 1916 Rising - had actually gone to school in their very schoolhouse. "As we were doing the work, we discovered that this hero of the revolution was taught here. He went on to become one of the architects of the revolution, he helped to create modern Ireland and he went to school here," Brian says, adding "for us, the house became a whole other story." The couple adore living here; they have everything they could need, including the company of their four dogs - two pit bulls, Jack and Watson, and two bull mastiffs, Barnum and Bailey - and, of course, they have the internet. Though they won't be using it to buy any more houses. They're happy to stay put. Expand Close Jane in the living area. They brought the leather seating from the States and bought the rug on eBay for $100. Jane plays the harp, but insists she has never become any good at it / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Jane in the living area. They brought the leather seating from the States and bought the rug on eBay for $100. Jane plays the harp, but insists she has never become any good at it Brian and Jane's house will feature on 'Home of the Year' on Thursday, March 23, at 8.30pm on RTE One Edited by Mary O'Sullivan. Photography by Tony Gavin Prime Minister of Ukraine Volodymyr Groysman has shared his impressions from communication with the mayor of Lviv, Andriy Sadovy, regarding the solution of the problem of utilization of Lviv garbage. "An hour ago I had a telephone conversation with the Lviv city mayor, Andriy Sadovy, who said that the polygons with which we had agreed during my last visit to Lviv, refuse to take Lviv garbage in future. To be honest, I understand their position in a human way and I said about this to Mr. Andriy. They do not see any desire on his part to solve the problem, but only permanent delays. "Therefore, apparently, they refuse, because they do not understand how long this will continue," the premier wrote on his Facebook page on Friday evening. He was very impressed by the fact that Sadovy is in no hurry to decide the issue of garbage disposal. So, answering the question with whom and when the mayor of Lviv spoke on this topic last time, he replied that he had talked to Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko about one and a half month ago. "As a former mayor, I am always trying to help the city heads who turn to me. I've interfered with this situation more than once and I'm ready to intervene again. But I think that in the end Andriy should start solving this problem himself, rather than blaming people who prevent him from doing so," Groysman said. MS patient Fionnuala Thornton, who lives in Salthill, Galway, who uses hemp oil to relieve her spasms. Photo: Andrew Downes/XPOSURE Creating history: Yvonne Cahalane with her son Tristan in Dunmanway, Co Cork. Photo: Daragh Mc Sweeney/Provision It has become a highly-charged emotional issue, debated in the Dail and played out on social media with prominent campaigns attracting national headlines. There is a growing clamour for greater access to medicinal cannabis for patients with debilitating conditions, and in particular children suffering from certain types of epilepsy. Health Minister Simon Harris has come under intense pressure to make certain cannabis treatments more widely available. Last November, the Dail passed a bill tabled by People before Profit TD Gino Kenny to make cannabis available in Ireland for medicinal use, after the Government said it would not oppose the legislation. Expand Close Neurologist Colin Doherty / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Neurologist Colin Doherty As a result, certain cannabis treatments are likely to be made more widely available under a special access programme. But many health organisations and medical consultants urge caution when it comes to medicinal cannabis, and warn that there are dangers if the drugs are permitted here without sound scientific evidence. Dr Brian Sweeney, consultant neurologist at Cork University Hospital, says: "Drugs have to be produced to a standard, with evidence that they work. We cannot just do it based on emotion. It has to be based on science." Doctors warn that there is a danger of a free-for-all, with patients self-medicating, using unregulated cannabis-based products for a wide variety of illnesses. In a culture where recreational use is widespread and health advice often received on the basis of anecdote and hearsay, users may even form the belief that they can cure a wide variety of ailments by smoking joints, without regard to the side effects. "If you get something from a local hemp oil shop or your local drug dealer, you don't know what is in it, and how powerful it is," says Dr Sweeney, who treats patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). He warns of the particular danger of some synthetic cannabis drugs "There is a synthetic cannabinoid that has been available in recent years that can have a devastating effect." He cites a recent medical paper reporting an incident in Brooklyn New York, where a cannabinoid drug was taken and 40 people ended up in an "almost coma-like state". When analysis of the drug was done, it was found to be 85 times as potent as plant-grown marijuana. Doctors are coming under pressure to prescribe cannabis-based drugs, such as cannabidiol (CBD), a compound from cannabis which is now being used in medicines. "What if the drug was found to be harmful?" asks Dr Brian Sweeney. "If a doctor prescribed the drug and a patient died two weeks later, people could turn around and say that the doctor should not have given it. "We have to follow ethical guidelines. We have to use drugs with proper standards, care, and safety. We have to be aware of the side effects and interactions with other drugs." Dr Sweeney is not against cannabis-based treatments provided that they have been fully tested, in the same ways as ordinary drugs. As a consultant, he has occasionally prescribed Sativex to MS patients. Sativex is a drug that contains the cannibanoids tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD). It is recommended for treatment of spasticity that has not responded to other treatments. The drug has been licensed in Ireland since July 2014, but much to the frustration of Dr Sweeney and other neurologists, it is not yet available in Ireland because the HSE and the drug's producers cannot agree a price.Some of Dr Sweeney's Irish patients have picked up Sativex in Spain or in Northern Ireland. Earlier this year, a government-commissioned report on medicinal cannabis said it could be used to treat some patients for a limited number of conditions. The report from Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA) advised that it could be used for patients with: * Spasticity associated with multiple sclerosis that is resistant to all standard therapies and interventions whilst under expert medical supervision. * Intractable nausea and vomiting associated with chemotherapy despite the use of standard regimes whilst under expert medical supervision. * Severe, treatment-resistant epilepsy that has failed to respond to standard anticonvulsant medications whilst under expert medical supervision. While the report is likely to lead to certain cannabis-based treatments being made legal, the report's authors do not give an enthusiastic endorsement of the widespread medical use of the drug. The report says there is only a "moderate benefit for cannabis in a small number of conditions and conflicting evidence, or no evidence at all, in a large number of other medical conditions". The report says there is insufficient information on the safety of long-term cannabis use for medical treatment. But the panel of experts who compiled the report signal some of the side effects of recreational use. These include impaired short-term memory and coordination, psychiatric features of psychosis (including schizophrenia and paranoia), addiction and altered-brain development. This week, a group of Irish neurologists led by Dr Colin Doherty, announced that it was producing guidelines on safe and beneficial use cannabis-based drugs for treatment of epilepsy. Dr Doherty said certain cannibanoids showed promise in the treatment of severe epilepsy, but others are inadequately tested or known to be potentially harmful. "It is our solemn duty to ensure that all treatments are proven to beneficial and safe," said Dr Doherty. "This is particularly important when a new drug is used in a child's developing brain." The cannabis-based drug Epidiolex is expected to be available later this year on compassionate grounds through a government-access programme. The drug, which has not yet been fully approved by American and European regulators, was reported in trials to have cut down seizures by 39pc for certain types of severe epilepsy. Side effects during the Epidiolex trial included sleepiness, diarrhoea and decreased appetite but were mostly mild or moderate, according to the manufacturer's reported results. Dr Doherty said no other cannabis derivatives or products for epilepsy have been adequately tested as safe and effective, including products with THC (the cannabis compound with potentially harmful psychoactive effects)." One of the problems for doctors and patients is that cannabis is not like any other drug. There is a whole sub-culture that clings to it. Side by side with the campaign to legalise medicinal cannabis, is a movement to have it legalised for recreational use. "One of the problems is that there is still massive confusion and misunderstanding over what medicinal cannabis is," says Peter Murphy, chief executive of Epilepsy Ireland. "There is a huge distinction that has to be made about what people think of as a medical treatment. Are they talking about a drug that has been fully tested again and again in a clinical trial, and authorised? "Or are they talking about a potion or a preparation that is not pharmaceutical that may or may not have good quality control behind it?" He believes much of the misinformation is spread on social media. "Some people believe that when you are talking about medicinal cannabis, it is the same as taking the drugs recreationally. "Some people think you can smoke joints to help epilepsy." It is entirely understandable that patients with some conditions try some of the oils available, particularly when patients are in chronic pain and other drugs have failed. Hemp oils with only traces of the psychoactive component THC are sold over the counter legally in shops, and ordered online. But Murphy warns that some people have become attached to the issue of legalising the drugs as a medicine for "non-medical reasons". "When you see imagery being used of cannabis leaves and terminology you would associate with recreational use, that is doing everybody a disservice - particularly those who may or may not get benefit from medicinal cannabis." Neurologist Dr Sweeney says there should be particular concerns about the use of cannabis among teenagers. "There is some evidence with THC in particular that you double or treble the risk of psychosis in teenagers at the ages of 14, 15 or 16." The recent government-commissioned report on medicinal cannabis expresses particular concern about the effects on teenagers. The report says: "While risk factors have been difficult to determine a consistently emerging theme is that adolescents may be particularly susceptible to the psychiatric and neurocognitive effects." According to the report, consumption of cannabis during adolescence could disrupt normal brain development. A special programme to allow patients with specific conditions access to medicinal cannabis is likely to be put in place over the next few months. In the meantime, patients who wish to use cannabis-based drugs have to apply to Minister Harris for a licence. Dr Sweeney says the development of drugs can take many years, but the process has to be gone through over a long period. "It's slow,methodical, and sometimes painful, but you have to go through that period of rigorous research to avoid a repeat of problems in the past with drugs such as Thalidomide." CASE STUDY 'We moved back from US after the Health Minister gave us a special licence for Tristan's drugs' Kim Bielenberg Expand Close Creating history: Yvonne Cahalane with her son Tristan in Dunmanway, Co Cork. Photo: Daragh Mc Sweeney/Provision / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Creating history: Yvonne Cahalane with her son Tristan in Dunmanway, Co Cork. Photo: Daragh Mc Sweeney/Provision Tristan Forde from Dunmanway, Co Cork created history last December when he was legally allowed to use a cannabis-based drug in Ireland for a rare form of epilepsy. Tristan, now aged 3, moved with his mother Yvonne Cahalane and brother Oscar to Colorado in the United States in late 2015 to undergo medical treatment for Dravet syndrome. His dad John stayed behind for work reasons. On their return after a year in Colorado, Yvonne was given special permission to administer the medication derived from a range of cannabis compounds, after Minister for Health Simon Harris approved a special licence. She believes the number of cannabis-based drugs that are legally available should be broadened to include the medication that Tristan is currently on. Tristan is allowed to take the drug under medical supervision after starting the treatment in the US. At her home in Dunmanway this week, Yvonne says: "Since he started taking it, his life has improved in every way. "Seeking out a good treatment was a long drawn-out process for the family. "We began by actually speaking to medical researchers. We aimed high and it took us a long time to get some feedback. And we got first-hand information from parents in the United States. "We had a very open-eyed opinion on it all. We thought that this could be a good treatment but not necessarily a miracle worker." Tristan was five months old when he first started getting seizures, and was diagnosed in 2014. "There was very little effective treatment here. In the first year he was on many different medications, and the seizures were getting worse. Already we felt we were running out of options. "The seizures he was having were at least 20 minutes long and could last up to an hour - I think sometimes he was in severe pain. "He had to be treated for pneumonia after food or his milk came back up and got into his lungs. There are a lot of complicated issues with it. "At one point, there was a huge risk that they would not be able to stop the seizures and he would have to be put in an induced coma. "We were preparing for the worst and we were almost in mourning to begin with. "We went over to Colorado in December 2015 because I felt we had no other option. "The doctor in Colorado wrote us a prescription and we picked it up from a dispensary." As soon as Tristan started taking the drug, the number of seizures was reduced. "Since then he has never had drop seizures (where he would suddenly loses muscle tone) and absence seizures (where he blanked out for a time). "He has not had to be admitted to hospital. Before he had the cannabis drug, he had to be admitted to hospital at least twice a month. "He was taking nine pharmaceutical medications before. Now he is down to two. "Now he is also eating for himself, and he is able to sleep much better." Yvonne urges other families to be cautious when buying some cannabis-based products. "Some people are being hoodwinked and paying extortionate amounts of money for products that are not really medicine. You also have to be careful of the interactions with other drugs." CASE STUDY 'I am able to go swimming again since using hemp oil' Kim Bielenberg Expand Close MS patient Fionnuala Thornton, who lives in Salthill, Galway, who uses hemp oil to relieve her spasms. Photo: Andrew Downes/XPOSURE / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp MS patient Fionnuala Thornton, who lives in Salthill, Galway, who uses hemp oil to relieve her spasms. Photo: Andrew Downes/XPOSURE Former teacher Fionnuala Thornton from Salthill, Co Galway uses CBD oil for her symptoms of multiple sclerosis (MS). "I have had MS for 30 years, and as a result of it I am in a wheelchair. It took some time before I was diagnosed with it. Early on, some people thought it was all in my head. "I was doing fine, but then three years ago I developed muscle spasms and it was devastating. "It consumed my body and it almost locked within itself. It's like a feeling of being wooden. "My legs were stiff, and it was hard to shower and dress. So, I started looking into hemp oil. It's cannabis oil - the THC that makes you stoned is taken out of it. "I started taking it in September of last year. I bought it online, it arrives by post, and it has worked fantastically well. "I have to take 15 drops every day under my tongue using a pipette. It costs me 200 per month. "It took away the spasms that had locked my body for so long. It enabled me to regain control over my life. I am able to swim now three times a week and I can hold my balance much better. "My neuropathic pain from damaged nerves is not as bad as it was. "When I was getting the oil, I checked it out very carefully, and decided to try it. "It's given me my life back. I haven't felt any side effects." The MS Society of Ireland advises that all treatments should be undertaken only following consultation with medical professionals. As the law stands.... Are any cannabis drugs already legal? Sativex is a whole cannabis extract drug that comes as a peppermint-flavoured mouth spray and it can already be prescribed for symptoms of MS in Ireland. The problem is it isn't distributed here yet. Patients have to get it in Northern Ireland or abroad. Are there any other plans? A Government report advised use of cannabis medicine should be allowed under medical supervision for spasticity associated with multiple sclerosis, intractable nausea and vomiting linked with chemotherapy and some severe forms of epilepsy. Will any specific drugs become legal soon? Epidiolex is likely to go on the market later this year as its makers seek final approval for treatment of some types of epilepsy. Tests show that it can cut down seizures. The pill consists of almost pure cannabidiol, or CBD, a non-psychoactive compound found in marijuana. Can you grow your own dope for good health? No. In some countries, people are licensed to grow cannabis plants to meet their medical needs. Here we are likely to have heavily tested pharmaceutical versions of the drug. What about those oils in health food shops and other outlets? Oils containing Cannabidiol CBD are on sale as food supplements in Irish shops. They cannot be sold for medicinal purposes. They are not allowed to have more than small traces of THC, the psychoactive compound that gets users high. I was reading a journal interview with a well-known doctor this week. His career was spent mainly in the development of new drugs, and when he was asked what personal ambition he still had, he was quite clear. He wanted to help change the public perception of the pharmaceutical industry and give proper credit to the development of medicines that have brought benefit to so many patients. Well, I was on the bus recently - not long after RTE had screened their Medication Nation documentary. Downstairs in the stairwell was a small advertisement for strawberry-flavoured ibuprofen, the sort of bottle you might use to ease fever or pain in a small child. Somebody had scrawled on it, "KEEP CHEMISTS AWAY FROM YOUR CHILDREN - AND FROM YOU!!!". It was a minor act of public dissent. But symptomatic perhaps of a growing wave of anti-science and anti-medicine rhetoric, particularly on social media. One doctor with a Facebook page, a dangerous thing even for trendy medics, recently had a visitor who told followers that this particular GP promoted dangerous vaccines. I wasn't impressed with the scattergun approach adopted on Medication Nation. I don't believe that Irish people 'love their pills' more than any other race. They are too expensive here for that, and we have nothing like the addiction problem with major opiates that they have witnessed in the United States. We do have problems with over-the-counter codeine addiction and long-term prescription of sleeping tablets beyond safe limits. But the leap to Medication Nation makes for an easy slogan and little else. Balance is hard to find in a world fixed on volume. * Irish nursing homes now rank among the best-inspected in the world. Hardly a week goes by without the results of more unannounced visitations being uploaded to the HIQA website. Scuff marks on the paintwork and soiling around the bins are diligently recorded by inspectors, and cross-checked on subsequent visits. Health-and-safety protocols abound and are checked frequently. Staff records are examined. Social activities are counted. There are medication, food and governance checks to beat the band. But I've never seen recorded how long the patients are actually living. I read recently that the mean survival time for new entrants to nursing homes in the UK is less than 15 months. Apparently the mean survival time in Iceland is double this. It's a very complicated subject, and one cannot jump to conclusions about individual care centres based on survival statistics alone. But it would be wise for HIQA to examine this data as closely as it examines moss on the paths or loose panels on the bath. And when they do, they might care to release it on a national or regional basis. * The untimely death of former TD Peter Mathews was felt by many. He held a cornucopia of political views, and would speak at length on most of them from a sound knowledge base. It's becoming obvious to this observer that many of our best public representatives don't really fit in the paralytic mould of careerist-ridden political parties. Peter was that rare politician who was as well endowed with good manners as he was with fresh ideas. It was poignant that his funeral was held on Lollipop Day, when oesophageal cancer is highlighted on the Irish health calendar. It's a very challenging condition, with about 400 new cases here every year, two-thirds of them in men. The oesophagus (or gullet) is a very central part of the chest anatomy and invasion to neighbouring organs can be rapid. Difficulty swallowing is the most common symptom, but half of patients may also report chest or upper-abdominal pain. Unexplained hoarseness, weight loss or food regurgitation should also warrant a check up. It's good advice not to take over-the-counter heartburn remedies for more than a week or two, but to get ongoing digestive symptoms checked out early. It's not a common cancer, but early diagnosis can be missed by attributing symptoms to something else. When I was in medical school, just about one in 10 patients who had surgery were surviving five years. This figure has now improved to about one in five patients. Not great, but you gladly accept any improvement with oesophageal cancer. * Mental health is all the rage these days, with half the world expert in it and the other half forced to listen to them. I find the best way to understand it all is not to go along with the populist flow of health promotion at every crossroads, but to spend more time delving into its history. Irish Academic Press has just published a new paperback edition of Asylums, Mental Health Care and the Irish, which gives a wonderful run through two centuries of not exactly putting the patient first. There is an excellent account of how a left-leaning teacher took command of the mental hospital in Monaghan in 1919, and raised a red communist flag over the building to signify that the ordinary staff had taken over. The matron and medical officer were kept prisoner so that any emergencies could be dealt with. The windows of the asylum were blacked out, and the occupying attendant staff changed clothes with patients so they would not be identified if police stormed the building. In fact, the only storming came from the local Catholic clergy, who were allowed through the barricade doors to hear confessions! I won't spoil a real life page-turner by telling you how it ends, but if you want to understand some truths about who really runs the asylum that is the Irish health service, this book is a must. Dr Maurice Gueret is editor of the Irish Medical Directory drmauricegueret.com Flexibility has been an important factor behind the success of Linesight and other Enterprise Ireland supported companies in the Netherlands. With its English language proficiency and openness to doing business with other countries, the Netherlands is an ideal target market for Irish companies looking to spread their reach outside Ireland and the UK something which Dublin-based professional services firm Linesight recognised five years ago to its advantage. When the recession hit in 2008 we began to look at international markets more keenly, says Linesight director Paul Butler. The Netherlands appeared particularly promising as pharmaceutical multinationals were starting to set up subsidiary plants there and Amsterdam had become a hub of activity for data centres. We had built up significant in-house expertise in both of these areas in Ireland. Established in 1974 as Bruce Shaw and rebranded last year, Linesight provides professional services and strategic support to the global construction industry. Projects span a range of industry sectors including commercial, data centres, lifesciences, healthcare, transportation and infrastructure and retail. Linesight increased its global headcount by 135 and recorded turnover of about 60m for the group in 2016. With staff located across Europe, the Middle East, Asia Pacific, and North America, it now has 17 offices around the world and has delivered projects in 40 countries. Before embarking on its expansion strategy into the Netherlands, Linesight did a lot of up-front fact-finding and market research with the support of Enterprise Ireland. It also put significant effort into finding the right contractors to deliver on projects as well as getting to grips with local regulations and planning codes. We realised that we needed to stretch our web of contractors beyond the Amsterdam area, as regions differ in relation to construction there is more heavy industry near the German border for example, says Butler. Strategic push Gaining an initial foothold in the Dutch market involved Linesight securing contracts with existing clients planning projects there. In some cases the company was the preferred bidder for projects and members of its staff went into the market as part of clients teams. The personal relationships we had developed through our partnership approach with clients were very important, says Butler. Our people have been key to our success when looking for repeat business. Having full-time employees on the ground has also played a significant role in Linesights growth in the Netherlands. It has gone from having a team of four people five years ago to employing 30 at its office in The Hague. Its fee base has grown by about 70% in the market over the same timeframe. David Corcoran, market adviser at Enterprise Irelands Amsterdam office, says that while Linesight followed the typical path for many companies in construction services ie, working with existing clients it has also been very good at business development and capturing new customers. The fact that Linesight looked to increase its local knowledge and chose to set up an office in the country has been extremely important in this regard, he says. Linesight is one of a number of Irish companies serving the construction industry which have established a presence in the Netherlands over the past 20 years. Others include DPS Engineering, CRH and Kingspan. The success of these companies since 2011 has been driven by the large amount of investment by the pharmaceutical sector in Greenfield sites and the refurbishment of existing plants, says Corcoran. But they have also been expanding rapidly in the secondary markets of food processing and data centres. Irish success The Netherlands has shown double-digit growth for Enterprise Ireland supported companies generally for the past few years, reaching total sales of 954m in 2015, according to Patrick Torrekens, market adviser for the Benelux region at the agency. There are now 150 Enterprise Ireland clients active in the market, 30 of whom have a visible presence there. Opportunity exists in numerous sectors in the Netherlands for Irish companies with the flexibility to adapt, notes Torrekens. He cites logistics and transport, for example, thanks to the logistics cluster that exists around the ports of Rotterdam and Antwerp and Schiphol Airport. This cluster has not only been positive for Irish companies engaged in infrastructural projects, but also for those active in e-commerce and the Internet of Things. Digital in general is a priority for the Dutch government, which has launched incentives to support the sector, he notes. The Netherlands is one of the best connected and most sophisticated countries in the world. It has a similar environment to Ireland in that it has attracted leading global digital companies such as Huawei, Google and Microsoft. Torrekens also sees a good match between Irish capability and the opportunity that exists in agricultural solutions, lifesciences and IT security. We believe there is potential for double-digit growth over the next number of years in the Netherlands and it is a market that can play a key role in the market diversification strategies of companies. Market entry tips the Netherlands Patrick Torrekens, market adviser, Benelux at Enterprise Ireland, shares his key pieces of advice to companies looking at the Dutch market: * A company can generate sales in the Netherlands from an Irish base in its first phase of growth. However, as business picks up and it sees traction, it is important to establish a local presence. This will ensure it is closer to the end market and will speed up further sales. * The Netherlands can be a good stepping-stone into other eurozone markets. The whole infrastructure and logistics system there is organised to give easy access to Germany and Belgium. Linesight is one of a number of Irish companies which have expanded into these markets from the Netherlands. * Coping with the business culture can be a challenge for Irish companies as Dutch businesspeople tend to be quite direct. This has its advantages, however, as it means you can find out quickly whether or not they are interested in your product or service. * The value proposition of your product or service needs to be very clearly defined. You must have a very sharp pitch when meeting potential clients. * It is important to really understand your end market, even if you are not selling directly to clients. A common mistake companies make in the Netherlands is to leave everything to the distributor; you have to think of the end users of your product or service. To read more about Linesights exporting strategy as well as tips and insights from Linesight director, Paul Butler, click here. Sponsored by: A commander gives instructions to Embargoed to 0001 Monday March 20 Members of the Zervani during a training exercise at Tiger Town on the outskirts of Erbil, Iraq. More than two million people were liberated from IS in 2016. The UK is just one country that makes up the Global Coalition of 68 members joined together in a commitment to eradicate Islamic State. Here are some of the facts and figures, provided by the Ministry of Defence, on the military campaign, air strikes and the training currently taking place. 1. Islamic State now holds less than 10% of Iraqi territory, and has lost 62% of the territory they once occupied in Iraq and 30% in Syria. 2. In Iraq, UK and coalition support for local forces has liberated Ramadi (February 2016), Rutbah (May 2016), Haditha, Sharqat, Hit (April 2016) and Fallujah (June 2016), Qayyarah (August 2016) and eastern Mosul (January 2017). Operations to liberate western Mosul are currently under way. 3. In Syria, the civil war and the presence of the extremist group has created a highly complex situation further complicated by Russias intervention, the MoD said. Despite this, in northern Syria, UK and coalition-supported local forces liberated the strategic town of Manbij in August 2106. The Tishreen Dam (December 2015) and the town of Al Shadadi, Ar Ra, Jarabulus (February 2016) and Al Hasakah in Syria, were also liberated with coalition support. 4. The MoD said the flow of foreign fighters has fallen by up to 90% and desertions are increasing. The UK has supported successful efforts to improve international coordination, through the UN and other bodies. At least 50 countries and the UN now pass fighter profiles to Interpol a 400% increase over two years. 5. In 2016, more than two million people were liberated from IS, with almost 23,000 square kilometres, an area larger than Wales, freed from the groups tyranny. Around 24,000 Daesh (another term for Islamic State) fighters were killed in 2016. 6. The Royal Air Force (RAF) has conducted 1,253 strikes (1,168 in Iraq; 85 in Syria) and provided highly advanced intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance assistance in support of the Coalition effort. 7. In September 2016, the RAF carried out their 1,000th air strike against Daesh targets their strike contribution is second only to the US. 8. Coalition aircraft have destroyed an estimated 800 million dollars of Daeshs cash stockpiles, while the RAF has struck the groups major sources of revenue particularly the oilfields in Eastern Syria. 9. The RAF has deployed Reaper Remotely Piloted Aircraft, six Typhoon jets and eight well-equipped Tornados; carrying out more air strikes than anyone except the US, and provides some of the most advanced weaponry and air surveillance the Coalition has at its disposal. 10. More than 44,656 Iraqi forces (including 7,522 Kurdish Peshmerga) have been trained in infantry and weapons maintenance, counter IED, medical and engineering skills. 11. In Besmaya, Erbil, Taji and the Al Asad Air Base in Anbar Province, UK personnel are training Iraqi and Kurdish Security Forces, in infantry skills, Counter-IED, weapons maintenance and combat medical techniques. 12. Around 1,350 UK personnel are committed to counter-Daesh operations. 13. Personnel from the Royal Navy, Army and RAF are manning crucial roles with the Global Coalitions headquarters throughout the Middle-East, including in Baghdad where there are UK advisers working alongside Iraqi military personnel in the Iraqi Operational Command. 14. The UK is providing significant support to the Kurdish Peshmerga to assist them in the fight against Daesh. More than 50 tonnes of non-lethal support, 40 heavy machine guns, nearly half a million rounds of ammunition and 600,000 worth of military equipment has been provided. 15. To date UK forces have trained more than 6,000 Kurdish Peshmerga. 16. In July, the MoD provided to the Kurdistan Regional Government 1.4 million of further ammunition to equip the Peshmerga. 17. More than 4 million of life-saving equipment including communications, medical and logistics equipment, and protection against chemical weapons attacks to moderate opposition groups, has also been deployed Yep, the former BNP leader wants to exercise his right to freedom of movement within the EU Former BNP leader Nick Griffin is emigrating to Hungary in a move that seems completely at odds with his political opinions. The British National Party is famed for its anti-immigration stance, and now Griffin is set to be an immigrant himself. He said he intends to move to Hungary in the next six months, and continue with his political activism. For many, the irony was not lost. Griffin told Hungarian website 444: I hope that Hungary, the Hungarian government, the Hungarian people, will welcome people who are genuine refugees from western Europe but keep out the liberals who have brought western Europe to this state in the first place. Griffin praised Hungary for its nationalist policies, implemented by its right-wing, conservative Fidesz government. He said: Theres the broad spectrum from building the wall to state help for young Hungarian families to have large families and addressing the Soros problem. [It] indicates a government which doesnt want to commit national suicide. Thats very refreshing for someone coming from the west. The so-called Soros problem refers to Hungarys attempts to weaken non-governmental organisations (NGOs) run by philanthropist George Soros. We will leave the last word to Labour MP David Lammy, who tweeted: What a hypocrite Nick Griffin. But good riddance, our country will be better without your toxic hateful views. Mr Erdogan has slammed European countries for not letting his ministers campaign on their soil for the April 16 vote on expanding his powers. (AP) Angela Merkel has said her demand for Turkey to cease drawing Nazi comparisons with Germany and its allies applies "without ifs or buts". The German chancellor also pointed to a government threat last week that it could prevent Turkish politicians from entering the country. Mrs Merkel's comments came after Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused her personally of "committing Nazi practices". The accusation on Sunday was the latest in a string of comments by Turkish officials drawing Nazi parallels with present-day Germany and the Netherlands in a dispute over restrictions on Turkish ministers campaigning there for an upcoming referendum. Some local German authorities have decided to block appearances by Turkish ministers ahead of the vote next month, but Mrs Merkel's federal government - unlike its Dutch counterpart - has made no such decisions so far. Her chief of staff, though, did say last week that it reserves the right to impose entry bans as a "last resort". Mrs Merkel said at a joint press conference with visiting Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe in Hannover: "My comment that the Nazi comparisons on Turkey's part must end is valid without ifs or buts. "Unfortunately, we see that these comparisons have not ceased, and we are not going to allow ... every taboo to be broken with no regard to the suffering of those who were persecuted and murdered under Nazism." Mrs Merkel pointed to a foreign ministry note sent to Turkey last week allowing Turkish referendum polling stations in Germany, in which Ankara was told that appearances by Turkish politicians must respect the principles of the German constitution, and that Berlin otherwise reserves the right to "take all necessary measures". Mrs Merkel's pointed but guarded response was in line with German officials' statements over the past week that she has "no intention of participating in the race of provocations". Peter Tauber, the general secretary of Mrs Merkel's conservative party, told N24 television that "this is real effrontery toward our chancellor". However, he added that "we can allow ourselves to be outraged, stamp our feet and perhaps fight back - but the chancellor has to safeguard our country's interests". The European Parliament's president, Antonio Tajani, wrote on Twitter: "An unacceptable attack by @RT_Erdogan on a democratic country that guarantees all fundamental rights." Belarus has no intention to curtail military cooperation with Russia because of disagreements in other areas, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said. "Let me say this specially for the mass media: no one is going to curtail military cooperation with Russia because of disagreements in other fields, no matter what some 'experts' may think," the BelTA state-run news agency quoted Lukashenko as saying in his report on the concept of the West-2017 Belarusian-Russian strategic military exercises. "On the contrary, the exercises demonstrate our consistency in providing unwavering security for the two fraternal peoples," he said. "No matter what our relations may be in the field of oil, gas, food and so on, these problems can be resolved. These are our problems, those of Belarus and Russia. But we have to be dead serious about security and defense capacities on our common borders. This cannot be a bargaining chip," he said. Russia and Belarus have created a powerful group of forces in the Western sector, and the Belarusian army is its backbone, Lukashenko said. "In case of a conflict or, God forbid, a war, we have a certain plan of the hostilities to be conducted by the Belarusian Armed Forces, which will be immediately reinforced by relevant Russian forces. We have never made this a secret and we openly say that we should keep our gunpowder dry even in peacetime," the president said. Restorer Antonio Iaccarino Idelson shows a computer-rendered, 3D print-generated replica of a missing part of a limestone male bust, dated between the 2nd and the 3rd century AD which was damaged during the Islamic State occupation of the Syrian city of Palmyra (AP) World donors have pledged more than 75 million dollars (60 million) to protect endangered world heritage in conflict zones. French president Francois Hollande, speaking at a donors' conference in the Louvre Museum in Paris, said that the goal for the heritage fund is 100 million dollars (80 million) and urged other countries around the world to contribute. France is pledging 30 million dollars (24 million) for the fund, and Saudi Arabia is committing 20 million dollars (16 million), according to the French culture ministry. The United Arab Emirates have promised 15 million dollars (12 million), Kuwait five million dollars (4 million), Luxembourg three million dollars (2.4 million) and Morocco 1.5 million dollars (1.2 million), while philanthropist Thomas Kaplan pledged one million dollars (800,000). Switzerland pledged further money in administrative and legal support, and will host the fund in Geneva. Italy said it would provide military personnel and conservation experts. The conference aims to build an international fund to prevent or stop the destruction of historical sites. Organisers also want to create a network of sites around the world to temporarily store endangered artefacts and to pay for the restoration of sites damaged by war. Islamic State militants have stolen or destroyed a host of cultural artefacts, including the ancient Syrian town of Palmyra, the Mosul museum in Iraq and the 13th century BC Assyrian capital of Nimrud, which is also in Iraq. Gabriel (1) was killed at his home while a young girl remains in a critical condition The first pictures have emerged of the tragic one-year-old boy who was killed in an alleged hammer attack at his home in North London. The one-year-old twins, named locally as Gabriel and Maria, were rushed to hospital where the boy was pronounced dead while the girl remains critically injured. Bidhya Sagar Das (33) was sought following a reported hammer attack at the address in Wilberforce Road, Finsbury Park, where the toddlers were injured in what police are describing as a suspected domestic incident. Police confirmed that Mr Das has been arrested on suspicion of murder and attempted murder. Expand Close A huge manhunt has been launched for Bidhya Sagar Das in connection with the attacks, which left one child dead and another fighting for her life. Met police handout / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp A huge manhunt has been launched for Bidhya Sagar Das in connection with the attacks, which left one child dead and another fighting for her life. Met police handout Horrified neighbours reported that a woman, believed to be the childrens mother, rushed out of her home screaming, My children, my children! shortly after 11pm on Saturday. Witnesses told reporters they believe the children were attacked with a hammer, although police are yet to confirm this. Neighbours called for emergency services and a police helicopter was dispatched to try and find the suspected attacker. Police appealed for the publics help in finding the suspect. Read More A statement said: Detectives are urgently trying to trace a man who was at the flat shortly before the injured children were found, but left before emergency services were called. The man has not been seen since this time. He is Bidhya Sagar Das (33) of the address in Wilberforce Road where the injured children were found. If any members of the public see this man or know his whereabouts, they are urged to contact police via 999 immediately. The statement continued: The incident is believed to be domestic. There has been no arrest at this stage and enquiries continue. Eyewitness Mihai Manea told reporters at the scene: We heard the noise and went to the room the boy was already dead. (We are) just shocked, you wouldnt expect something like this when I saw the police, I said, Its just Saturday night, its like, somebody got drunk or in a fight but I wouldnt imagine like a murder. Police said next of kin are aware and a post-mortem will be carried out on the little boy in due course. The little girl remains in a critical condition in hospital. 'The boy and girl, believed to be twins, were found with critical injuries and were taken to an east London hospital, where the boy died in the early hours of yesterday' (stock photo) A man has been arrested on suspicion of the murder of a one-year-old boy and the attempted murder of the child's twin sister. Bidhya Sagar Das (33) was wanted by police in connection with an incident at a flat in Wilberforce Road, near Finsbury Park, north London. The boy and girl were discovered with critical injuries at the address on Saturday night and were taken to an east London hospital, where the boy died in the early hours of yesterday. Police said Mr Das was arrested in the Hackney area at 7.15pm yesterday after what has been described as a domestic incident. He has been taken to an east London police station where he remains in custody. The girl remains in hospital in a critical condition. Witnesses heard a woman shouting for help on the street outside around 11.10pm on Saturday and later saw two children being carried out of the property. Mihai Manea (29), who lives on the second floor of the white three-storey building, said the children were twins and lived on the top floor with their Romanian mother and Indian father. A woman living opposite the building, who gave her name as Gui Gui, said she heard a woman shouting late on Saturday night and opened the window to offer help. "I was watching TV," she said. "I heard someone was shouting. "She kept on shouting. I do not know what she was shouting. "I opened the window and I asked her 'Can I help you, can I call the police for you?' "She said: 'My kids'." She later saw two young children being carried out of the building, with one held very close to a member of the emergency services. Next of kin have been informed of the boy's death but formal identification and a post-mortem examination are yet to take place. "This is clearly a tragic incident, and our thoughts are with the family of the two young children," Detective Chief Inspector Dave Whellams, of the Metropolitan Police, said last night. "Despite the best efforts of medical professionals, a baby boy sadly died in the early hours of this morning. "A baby girl currently remains in a critical condition and is receiving specialist medical care. "Whilst we remain in the early stages of the investigation, a man has now been arrested. Despite the fact the Queen is currently alive and well, a meticulous plan has already been laid out for her death. A code word has already been decided upon to deliver the news of her passing to the highest tiers of government. While the death of George VI was signalled by the words Hyde Park Corner - to stop switchboard operators at Buckingham Palace learning the news - the equivalent word for Queen Elizabeth II is London Bridge is down. According to The Guardian, the Prime Minister at the time will be woken, if not already awake, and informed by civil servants that London Bridge is down. These words will signify the monarch has passed away and kick off Operation London Bridge a highly-organised set of arrangements which will eventually culminate in the Queens funeral. The Foreign Offices Global Response Centre, located at an undisclosed location in London, will then immediately inform 15 governments outside the UK where the Queen is also the head of state. After this, the centre will pass on the news to the 36 other nations of the Commonwealth for whom the Queen has served as a symbolic figurehead for many decades It will not be long before the news spreads from world leaders to the general public, with the news of her passing released as a newsflash to the Press Association and thus the global media simultaneously. This marks a break from the long-held tradition of the BBC being the first news outlet to learn of royal deaths. Whats more, while George VIs death was not announced until four hours after he died, news of the Queens demise will be far more instant. A footman in mourning clothes will be sent out of the door at Buckingham Palace at the same time to pin a notice of the news to the gates, while the official palace website will feature just one page, revealing the news on a dark background. Coverage of the Queen's passing will kick off immediately. Newspapers and online media outlets already have news stories about her death and lengthy obituaries and supplements ready to publish at a moment's notice. At the BBC, the radio alert transmission system will be activated and rehearsals for the Queens death will be put into action. Sky News and ITN, which have reportedly spent years rehearsing the death of the Queen by substituting the monarch's name for Mrs Robinson, will contact royal experts who have already signed contracts to speak exclusively to them. British commercial radio stations will switch on blue obit lights to alert DJs to switch to the news imminently and play inoffensive music in the lead-up. In turn, carefully prepared coverage of the longest-reigning monarch, who recently announced she would step down as patron of a number of organisations and charities before her 91st birthday in April, will dominate the news for weeks and months. Buckingham Palace declined to comment on the matter. Mr Trump said authorities should be focusing on plugging leaks of information Mr Nunes said aspects of possible surveillance activities are being probed (AP) FBI director James Comey, left, joined by National Security Agency director Michael Rogers, right, testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington (AP) FBI director James Comey has confirmed an investigation is under way into possible links between Russia and associates of US president Donald Trump, as part of a wider probe into Russian interference in the presidential election. This is the first public confirmation of an investigation which began last summer, and it comes at the outset of Mr Comey's opening statement to a congressional hearing examining Russian meddling and possible connections between Moscow and Mr Trump's campaign. The director acknowledged that the FBI does not ordinarily discuss ongoing investigations, but said he has been authorised to do so given the extreme public interest in this case. He told the House Intelligence Committee: "This work is very complex, and there is no way for me to give you a timetable for when it will be done." Under questioning from the committee's top Democrat, Adam Schiff, he also publicly contradicted a series of tweets from Mr Trump which declared the Republican candidate's phones had been ordered tapped by then-president Barack Obama during the campaign. Mr Comey said: "I have no confirmation that supports those tweets, and we have looked carefully inside the FBI." The same was true, he added, of the Justice Department. He also disputed allegations that British intelligence services were involved in the wiretapping. Mr Comey was the latest US government official to reject Mr Trump's claims, made without any evidence, that Mr Obama had wiretapped his New York skyscraper during the campaign. Devin Nunes, a California Republican and chairman of the House intelligence committee, also rejected the assertion earlier in the hearing. Mr Comey was testifying along with National Security Agency director Michael Rogers. Mr Trump took to Twitter before the hearing began, accusing Democrats of making up allegations about his campaign associates' contact with Russia during the election. He said Congress and the FBI should be going after media leaks - and maybe even Hillary Clinton - instead. "The real story that Congress, the FBI and others should be looking into is the leaking of Classified information. Must find leaker now!" Mr Trump tweeted early on Monday as news coverage on the Russia allegations dominated news bulletins. Mr Trump also suggested, without evidence, that Mrs Clinton's campaign was in contact with Russia and had possibly thwarted a federal investigation. US intelligence officials have not publicly raised the possibility of contacts between the Clintons and Moscow. Officials investigating the matter have said they believe Moscow had hacked into Democrats' computers in a bid to help Mr Trump's election bid. The hearing, one of several by congressional panels probing allegations of Russian meddling, could allow for the greatest public accounting to date of investigations which have shadowed the Trump administration in its first two months. The top two representatives on the committee said documents the Justice Department and FBI delivered late last week offered no evidence that the Obama administration had wiretapped Trump Tower, the president's New York City headquarters. But the panel's ranking Democrat said the material offered circumstantial evidence that American citizens colluded with Russians in Moscow's efforts to interfere in the presidential election. Mr Schiff said: "There was circumstantial evidence of collusion; there is direct evidence, I think, of deception. ''There's certainly enough for us to conduct an investigation." Mr Nunes said: "For the first time, the American people, and all the political parties now, are paying attention to the threat that Russia poses. "We know that the Russians were trying to get involved in our campaign, like they have for many decades. They're also trying to get involved in campaigns around the globe and over in Europe." The Senate Intelligence Committee has scheduled a similar hearing for later in the month. Though Mr Comey would not discuss specific evidence, he went far beyond his testimony from a hearing in January, when he refused to confirm or deny the existence of any investigation exploring possible connections between Trump associates and Russia, consistent with the FBI's long-standing policy of not publicly discussing its work. His appearances on Capitol Hill since then have occurred in classified settings, and he has made no public statements connected to the Trump campaign or Russia. Any lack of detail from Mr Comey would likely be contrasted with public comments he made last year when closing out an investigation into Mrs Clinton's email practices and then, shortly before election day, announcing that the probe would be revived following the discovery of additional emails. A woman holds a baby in her arms as she takes part in a demonstration by Greek anti-fascist groups against the war in Syria and the European Union's stance on refugees Photo: Milos Bicanski/Getty Images Syrian regime forces were scrambling to defend frontlines near the heart of Damascus yesterday, after a surprise offensive by opposition groups using tunnels. Shelling and sniper fire echoed across the Syrian capital as rebels and jihadists attacked regime positions in the Jobar neighbourhood, about 2km north-east of the Old City walls. Control of Jobar has been split between regime forces and opposition fighters for more than two years, making it one of few areas in Damascus not under firm regime control. The surprise attack enabled the rebels to connect two of the capital's last opposition-controlled areas. The attack began in the morning, when jihadists launched a barrage of car bombs and suicide attacks. Syrian state media said terrorists had infiltrated the city through tunnels in the middle of the night. Opposition fighters seized part of a large bus station and fired rockets into multiple neighbourhoods, said Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group. The move appeared to be aimed at connecting rebel-held territory in Jobar to the Qaboun neighbourhood. By linking the two pockets of opposition control, rebels seek to break the siege of Qaboun and cement their hold on an area uncomfortably close to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's centre of power. Syrian state media said the military had repelled an attack by an al-Qa'ida-linked group. The government has been trying to pressure the rebels to surrender the pockets they hold in Damascus following victories in the northern city of Aleppo and the central city of Homs. Telegraph Media Group Limited [2022] Chinese premier Li Keqiang and Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu during a welcome ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing (AP) Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has told China's premier that he wants to boost the two countries' co-operation over advanced technology. Mr Netanyahu is leading a large business delegation to promote commercial ties between Israel and the Asian giant. He said before a meeting with Chinese premier Li Keqiang in Beijing that Israel and China could explore "many ways of technological co-operation, which I think sees the future". He also said he would like to discuss the "great convulsion in the world", including in the Middle East. Earlier, Mr Netanyahu told a meeting of Israeli and Chinese business leaders that Israel is well positioned to help China upgrade its products, services and utilities with better technology. He said: "I believe this is a marriage made in heaven." One Ukrainian serviceman has been killed and eight wounded as a result of shelling by combined Russian-separatist forces in the anti-terrorist operation (ATO) zone near Vodiane in Volnovakha district, Donetsk region, on Monday, the ATO headquarters has reported. Grad multiple-rocket missiles systems and other heavy-caliber artillery banned by the Minsk agreements were used, according to the report. "Today, March 20, combined Russian-separatist forces again violated the Minsk agreements and are attempting to do everything to destroy the agreement to withdraw heavy armaments from the line of demarcation. The positions of Ukrainian forces in the region of Vodiane in the Mariupol sector were shelled by militants with Grad rocket systems BM-21, 152-mm and 122-mm artillery pieces, 120-mm and 82-mm mortar systems," the ATO's press service said on its Facebook page. "According to preliminary reports, as a result of the shelling in the Mariupol sector one Ukrainian soldier was killed and eight wounded," the ATO statement said. US First Lady Melania Trump will be moving into the White House with her son Barron in June. The pair will join US President Donald Trump, contrary to reports that they will remain at Trump Tower in New York. Read More According to TMZ, Melania and and Barron will move to the White House in June when the 10-year-old finishes school. Sources said that the family have already chosen a school for Barron to attend next year and Melania's quarters in the White House are getting a new coat of paint. President Donald Trump meets with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in the Oval Office of the White House Photo: AP Photo/Evan Vucci The White House has come up with a new theory as to why Donald Trump apparently ignored Angela Merkels request for a handshake. I dont think he heard the question, Press Secretary Sean Spicer told German publication Der Spiegel. The rest of the world did hear the German Chancellor asking the US President at their first meeting as to whether he wanted to shake hands, however, and they watched as he did not respond and instead stared back at the cameras, looking resolute. It was only when the reporters were ordered to file out of the Oval Office that Mr Trump was seen to turn towards her, say something and put a hand on her arm. The visit between the two leaders began in a friendlier fashion in Washington DC on Friday morning as they shook hands at the entrance to the White House. But later, as the pair sat on two chairs side by side in the Oval Office, his apparent rebuff of the Chancellor was an awkward moment and was highly blasted by the German media. The gaffe was seen as another thorn in the side from Mr Trump following his negative comments about the countrys stance on immigration and trade deals throughout the election campaign. In a joint press conference after the photo opp last week, the two leaders shared little common ground. Mr Trump re-iterated that other countries needed to spend their fair share on Nato while Ms Merkel remained stony faced. Germanys largest-selling daily, Bild, reported that Mr Trump did not once look Ms Merkel in the eye once. The press focus on the lack of a handshake dominated reports of the meeting, in stark contrast to Mr Trump's other meetings with world leaders. When Mr Trump met UK Prime Minister Theresa May, he was seen to grasp her hand as they walked towards the press conference together. With Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau there were plenty of smiles and eye contact despite little common ground. When Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu came to the capital, Mr Trump insisted the US would stand up for its ally and friend. Mr Trump insisted that negative news reports about his meeting with Ms Merkel were inaccurate. "Despite what you have heard from the FAKE NEWS, I had a GREAT meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel," he wrote on Twitter. "Nevertheless, Germany owes vast sums of money to NATO & the United States must be paid more for the powerful, and very expensive, defense it provides to Germany!" President Donald Trump meets with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in the Oval Office of the White House Photo: AP Photo/Evan Vucci Donald Trump's understanding of Nato was questioned yesterday after he claimed Germany owed the alliance and the US "vast sums of money". The president said "the United States must be paid more for the powerful, and very expensive, defence it provides to Germany". But his demand was rejected by German defence minister Ursula von der Leyen, who responded tersely that "there is no debt account at Nato". She added: "Defence spending also goes into UN peacekeeping missions, into our European missions and into our contribution to the fight against Isil terrorism." Ivo Daalder, the former US ambassador to Nato, also took issue with Mr Trump's claims and replied directly to the president on Twitter. "I'm sorry, Mr President but that is not how Nato works," he said, pointing out that Nato spending was not a "financial transaction" between countries but a joint commitment to spend 2pc of GDP on defence. He went on to argue that America's large military commitment to Nato was not a "favour to Europe" but a mutually beneficial arrangement, because keeping Europe "whole and free" was key to US interests. Mr Trump has clashed with Germany in the past, as it currently spends just 1.18pc of GDP on defence. Mr Trump's demand came a day after Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, reiterated Germany's intention to increase spending to 2pc during her first visit to the White House under the new administration. The spat marked the beginning of what may well be the most important week of Mr Trump's early presidency. Today, James Comey, the director of the FBI, will testify at a public hearing as part of an investigation by the House Intelligence Committee in Congress on Russian meddling in the US election, including potential connections between Mr Trump's inner circle and the Kremlin. It will be the first time that Mr Comey, along with Mike Rogers, the director of the National Security Agency, have spoken publicly since Mr Trump took office on an issue that continues to dog his presidency. Neil Gorsuch, Mr Trump's Supreme Court nominee, will also face his senate confirmation hearing today. Democrats will make the case that, as a pro-business social conservative, he is insufficiently independent of the president. On Thursday, Congress is expected to vote on the president's bill to "repeal and replace" Barack Obama's healthcare system. British foreign secretary Boris Johnson is to fly to Washington this week to patch up links with the Trump administration, after the president accused GCHQ, the British intelligence agency, of spying on his presidential campaign. Telegraph Media Group Limited [2022] US secretary of state Rex Tillerson has brushed aside months of tension between Beijing and Washington by speaking of "greater understanding" between the two countries, hours after North Korea celebrated a "new birth" in its rocket industry. Mr Tillerson said President Donald Trump was looking forward to meeting China's leader, Xi Jinping. Mr Trump places a "very high value on the communications" that he has already had with Mr Xi, Mr Tillerson said. "And he looks forward to enhancing that understanding in the opportunity for a visit in the future," he added. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Beijing and Washington had begun laying the groundwork for a meeting expected to take place in April at Mr Trump's Florida resort. Mr Trump angered China's leaders by accepting a congratulatory call from the president of Taiwan in December. He also caused concern with abrasive tweets over Taiwan, North Korea, trade and Beijing's increasing military assertiveness in the South China Sea. But tensions were eased last month when Mr Trump reaffirmed the US government's commitment to the One China policy, a recognition that there is only one Chinese government. Telegraph Media Group Limited [2022] The president of Uber has resigned, with the company embroiled in a series of controversies (AP Photo/Eric Risberg, File) Jeff Jones, the president of the embattled ride-hailing company Uber, has resigned just six months after taking the job. Uber on Sunday confirmed his resignation and in a brief statement wished him the best. The departure of Mr Jones comes days after Uber chief executive Travis Kalanick said the company will hire a chief operating officer who can help write its "next chapter." The San Francisco-based firm has been hit by several controversies, including allegations that it routinely ignores sexual harassment. A recent video showed Mr Kalanick profanely berating a driver who confronted him about steep cuts in Uber's rates. Uber also acknowledged it has used a programme to thwart authorities who have been trying to curtail or shut down its service in cities around the world. Mr Jones had left Target, where he was chief marketing officer, to join Uber in September. AP A military official said the Syrian army had regained control of all the areas of Damascus that had been infiltrated on Sunday Syrian government forces have regained control of parts of Damascus that were attacked and captured by rebels and militants the previous day, state TV has reported. The sudden rebel seizure overnight, through underground tunnels, was the insurgents' most serious infiltration in years into the Syrian capital. Syria's al Qaida affiliate and the independent Failaq al-Rahman faction also took part in the attack. State TV on Monday quoted an unnamed military official as saying the army "regained control of all the points that terrorists" had infiltrated on Sunday. It also cited Russia's ambassador to Damascus as saying one of the embassy's buildings was hit with a shell during the clashes. Sunday's raids reflected a temporary and rare advance by rebels after months of steady losses at the hands of government forces across the country. AP Police officers are searching for more weapons and ammunition Police are searching for more weapons believed to be part of a plot to assassinate Thai prime minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, after guns and thousands of bullets allegedly belonging to an anti-establishment leader were seized. Police found more than a dozen guns, around 6,000 rounds, knives, drugs, grenades and other material over the weekend which they said belonged to Wuthipong Kochathamakun. He was involved in the violent anti-government protests in 2010 which paralysed Bangkok for three months and killed around 90 civilians and six soldiers. Krisana Pattanacharoen, a deputy police spokesman, said police officers are halfway through searching more than 2,000 shipping containers at noon where they believe more weapons are being kept. In the seizure on Saturday, police also discovered red fabric banners with Wuthipong's nickname printed on them. Wuthipong, better known as Ko Tee, denied having any knowledge of the weapons stash in an interview on the YouTube channel Jom Voice, and claimed the seizures were a setup by Thai authorities. He is currently seeking political asylum in neighbouring Laos since Thailand's military toppled the elected government he supports in a coup in 2014. "Looking at this incident, I can tell you now - it is a set-up that is not well concealed," Wuthipong said. He also said that his friends and colleagues have been searched "hundreds of times" by authorities, making it impossible for any of them to hoard such a large amount of firearms. Police said the weapons were part of a plot to assassinate leaders of Thailand's military government, including Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha and his defence minister Prawit Wongsuwan. Nine men were arrested over the weekend in connection with the seizures. Wuthipong said he knew only one of them, but police said all nine were connected to him. "It doesn't really matter whether they confess or not because there is physical evidence in the firearms meant for terrorism," deputy national police chief Srivara Ransibrahmanakul told reporters. Police also said the alleged plotters had been preparing to launch violence against police in connection with their siege of the headquarters of a Buddhist sect whose chief they were seeking to arrest on charges of accepting embezzled money. The Dhammakaya temple is considered sympathetic to the Red Shirt movement that led the 2010 protests, and some of the sect's sympathisers believe that Phra Dhammajayo, who heads the sect, is being prosecuted for political reasons. Police recently ended a three-week siege of the temple north of Bangkok without finding Dhammajayo, but said they will continue to seek his arrest. Three Ukrainian soldiers had been killed in action (KIA) and eight had been wounded in action (WIA) in the Anti-Terrorist Operation (ATO) zone as of 18:00 Kyiv time on Monday, the ATO Headquarters has reported. "The situation in the ATO zone remains tense. Most of the attacks on the Ukrainian army's position with the use of heavy weapons were registered in the Mariupol sector," the ATO HQ said in a new update on Facebook on Monday evening. Earlier reports said about two KIA's and seven WIA's on Monday. CONCORD- Superintendent Chris Lowder recently made some personnel announcements for Cabarrus County Schools. Janice Witherspoon, engagement facilitator at Wolf Meadow Elementary School, was named assistant principal at Concord High School. Witherspoon is a long-time CCS employee, having joined the district in 1990 as a classroom teacher at Wolf Meadow Elementary School. During her tenure at Wolf Meadow, she served as a mentor, grade level chair, lead mentor, school improvement team representative, supplemental educational services coordinator and engagement facilitator. She also is a two-time Wolf Meadow Elementary Teacher of the Year, having been selected for the 2002-2003 and 2013-2014 school years. She earned a bachelors degree from Morris College and masters degrees from The Ohio State University and Wingate University. She also earned a professional certification in elementary education (K-6) and a K-12 principal certification. Witherspoon joined the Concord High leadership team in January. Anna Blessington, assistant principal at Northwest Cabarrus Middle School (NCMS) has been promoted to principal of the school, replacing Keena Eyster-Terrill, who will be relocating to another state. Eyster-Terrill will serve as administrator on special assignment in the district until July. Blessington joined Cabarrus County Schools in 2007 as an English teacher at Northwest Cabarrus High School (NCHS). She was selected as the NCHS Teacher of the Year for the 2013-2014 school year. She also worked as an assistant principal of instruction at Jay M. Robinson High School prior to her current assignment at NCMS last year. Throughout her tenure, she has also served as a teacher recruiter, a facilitator for curriculum review week and a member of the Assistant Principal Support and Leadership Development Steering Committee. She began her career as a classroom teacher in Houston, Texas, and also worked in Buncombe County Schools. Blessington earned a bachelors degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and masters degrees from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Her promotion is effective April 3. Courtney Smith, principal intern at Wolf Meadow Elementary School, has been named assistant principal at the school. Smith joined Cabarrus County Schools in 2009 as an English/Language Arts (ELA) teacher at Mount Pleasant Middle School. She also worked as an ELA teacher at C.C. Griffin Middle School, as well as a lead teacher and a literacy facilitator before joining the Wolf Meadow leadership team last year. She was named CCS Teacher of the Year for 2013-2014 and served as the teacher liaison to the Board of Education. Smith is a North Carolina Principal Fellows Fellowship recipient. She earned bachelors and masters degrees from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, as well as a graduate certificate from the university. Smith will begin her new assignment on May 15. India-US defense logistics pact stuck under red tape The Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA) is currently stuck in regulatory quagmire with bureaucratic bottlenecks on both sides, particularly within the Indian defense ministry. While the US has an existing framework to implement such bilateral pacts, the decision-making process in India is convoluted given the multiple agencies involved. For instance, in the specific case of LEMOA, the pact is confronted by separate budget and accounting procedures for the army, navy, and air force due to an absence of a unified military command. The logistics pact signed between the two countries on August 29, 2016 allows mutual access to each others military bases for refueling, repair, and maintenance of warships and aircrafts. Christian NGOs in India are top recipients of foreign funds Religious groups dominated last fiscal years list of top funded NGOs. Three evangelical Christian NGOs showed the highest foreign funding for 2015-2016. Ayana Charitable Trust, Believers Church India, and World Vision India were first, third, and fourth on the list, respectively, while. The second-highest recipient was the Hindu Param Shakthi Peeth, which is an NGO that is associated with the right-wing Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) nationalist group. Ayana Charitable Trust and Believers Church India, which are both Kerala-based NGOs, received US$126.34 million (Rs 826 crore) and US$52.31 million (Rs 342 crore) in total funding, respectively, for fiscal year (FY) 2015-2016. Chennai-based World Vision India came in fourth in the list, declaring US$48.79 million (Rs 319) crore in 2015-16 in its Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) returns; it was the highest recipient in the preceding two years. Interestingly, Gospel for Asia is a prominent funder of the Believers Church India, while Ayana Charitable Trust is considered a rebranded version of the Texas-based Gospel for Asia. Meanwhile, the government announced last week that all FCRA accounts of NGOs would be integrated with the online banking system for easy access and monitoring purposes. Government pitches Clean India projects to companies for CSR spend The government is creating an online marketplace for its cleanliness projects in order to increase private sector participation in its Clean India (Swachh Bharat) program. Projects on offer include construction of household, public and community toilets, waste management infrastructure and information, education, and communication initiatives. Accordingly, companies can shop for the project of their choice, which will qualify for their corporate social responsibility (CSR) spending plan. The Ministry of Urban Development has also roped in industry bodies Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), and Assocham to promote corporate interest in the governments national cleanliness drive. In order to become a part of this initiative, companies will need to connect with urban local bodies a move that will need some reassurance for corporates looking to avoid the usual delays in the decision-making process of such bodies. 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 india@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 India 2017 An Introduction to Doing Business in India 2017 is designed to introduce the fundamentals of investing in India. As such, this comprehensive guide is ideal not only for businesses looking to enter the Indian market, but also for companies who already have a presence here and want to stay up-to-date with the most recent and relevant policy changes. A tourist is using the face detection toilet paper dispenser in Temple of Heaven Park on Mar 18, 2017. [Photo: fawan.com] Automatic toilet paper dispensers using face detection technique are being trialed in Beijing's Temple of Heaven Park with the aim of reducing paper use. The park is one of the most popular tourism sites in Beijing, and has provided free paper in its public toilets for ten years but has reported seriously excessive use. Six face detector paper dispensers have been installed in the hope of stopping the overuse. To receive paper, you have to stand in the facial detection area and be scanned for a few seconds. The machine dispenses paper of a certain length but to get more, users have to wait for nine minutes to use the scanner again. The automatic paper dispensers are set up considering male and female height difference in every toilet within the park. [Photo: Beijing Evening News and The Beijing News] Personnel have been stationed to show people how to use the new system, however it still takes about half minute for each person to receive paper, way longer than using a normal dispenser. It's reported the machines in one of the busiest toilets are no longer in operation after people kept complaining about how long they had to wait to get paper. One staff member said the dispensers need to be adjusted to provide a better service. It's understood the machines will be trialed for about two weeks before going into official service depending on how they perform. Toilet paper overuse Paper use at the Temple of Heaven had already been decreased by 8% and 14% relatively in the last two years despite growing numbers of tourists over the same period. However, it's claimed, some people still lack paper use manners. According to a toilet cleaner at the Temple of Heaven, some people take much more paper than needed and sometimes even take a whole roll away with them; sometimes paper is used up in only twenty minutes. Some people draw way more paper than needed from public toilet; some even take toilet paper back home for daily use. [Photo: Beijing Evening News and The Beijing News] The manager of the Temple of Heaven Park said the paper has been overused mainly by residents who live around the neighborhood instead of tourists; some people intentionally take paper here for their daily use because it's free of charge. Face detection dispensers are being used in the hope of preventing such a phenomenon. Some other parks in Beijing have installed automatic toilet paper dispensers and held promotional campaigns in an effort to save paper. Taoranting Park, for example has seen paper use drop from approximately 30,000 rolls per year in 2011 to around 20,000 rolls per year today. PDS board approves interim dividend of Rs2.50 per share PDS Limited has informed that the Board of Directors of the Company on Monday has approved an Interim Dividend of Rd2.50 per share. The Company adopted a dividend distribution policy... November 07, 2022 | 3:10 pm Rajesh Exports incorporates 100% subsidiary ACC Energy Storage; Stock climbs 2% Rajesh Exports Ltd. has announced that it is foraying into Advanced Technology Solutions with a focus on Energy Storage Solutions. REL has been selected by the Government Of India as one ... November 07, 2022 | 2:42 pm Markets under selling pressure with Nifty around 18,100-levels Domestic benchmark indices trading mixed after a gap-up opening on Monday. Both the Sensex and Nifty benchmarks are marginally lower in the afternoon market session. On the sectoral front... November 07, 2022 | 2:00 pm Rupee rises 23 paise to 82.12/ $ Early on Monday, the rupee strengthened versus the US dollar by 23 paise to 82.12 amid rising local stocks and falling oil prices. The native currency rose 23 paise from its previous close to t... November 07, 2022 | 1:20 pm Cineline India opens 5-Screen multiplex, MovieMAX in Mumbai; Stock jumps 3% Cineline India Limited stocks in the fast lane after announcement of opening of 5-Screen multiplex at Sarvodaya Mall Kalyan, Mumbai. In a regulatory filing, the company informed the ... November 07, 2022 | 12:47 pm (Global Times) 08:45, March 20, 2017 Chinese President Xi Jinping shakes hands with visiting US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Sunday in Beijing. Photo: Xinhua US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson told Chinese President Xi Jinping on Sunday that the US would like to develop the relationship with China based on the spirits of "mutual respect" and "win-win cooperation," with analysts believing that this means Tillerson has implicitly endorsed the new model of major power relations. Xi stressed that cooperation is the only right option for both sides during his meeting with the visiting secretary of state. "You said that China-US relations can only be friendly. I express my appreciation for this," Xi said. Xi also said he had communicated with President Donald Trumpseveral times through telephone conversations and messages. "We both believe that China-US cooperation henceforth is the direction we are both striving for. We are both expecting a new era for constructive development." "The joint interests of China and the US far outweigh the differences, and cooperation is the only correct choice for us both," Xi added. Tillerson said President Trump is looking forward to meeting with President Xi and to have the opportunity to visit China. Tillerson further said the summit will confirm the direction of Sino-US relations in the next 50 years. The US would like to develop the bilateral relationship with China based on "the spirit of no conflict, no confrontation, mutual respect, and win-win cooperation," the Xinhua News Agency reported. New expression In 2010, China put forward a new model of major power relations, in which the core concepts are "no conflict, no confrontation, mutual respect, and win-win cooperation." Beijing hoped Washington would accept these principles to develop the Sino-US relationship as the right way to avoid the Thucydides trap, a theory which says that a rising power and an established super power are bound to engage in conflicts. While China welcomes the endorsement of its model, which the previous administration of Barack Obama refused to do, we need to observe the US' words and deeds going forward to see if it is credible, said Shi Yinhong, director of the Center for American Studies at the Renmin University of China. "Tillerson said these words because Trump wants to create a friendly atmosphere and environment for the upcoming summit," Shi said. During Obama's era, China always stressed these principles, but there was no record that the US side did the same. "In that time, the US refused to accept the concept of 'mutual respect,' because it refused to accept China's definition of 'core interests,'" Shi said. "'Mutual respect' will give US allies in the Asia-Pacific region an impression that China and the US are equal in the region, so to accept 'mutual respect' will undermine US authority among its allies. This is what the Obama administration believed," said An Gang, a US studies expert and a member of the academic committee of the Pangoal Institution, a Beijing-based think tank. Tillerson was not speaking personally, but after a serious decision made by the US, because Trump wants to start a relationship with China different from his predecessor's. China should cautiously welcome Tillerson's words. At least this is a step forward and a result of China's diplomatic efforts, An said. "We should learn from the lessons of Obama's era, which is that everything looks happy and friendly during the summit, but in reality, the US makes little compromises or even acts more aggressively," Shi noted. Since Trump took office, his recognition of the "one-China policy" is the biggest achievement so far, but in many other areas, such as the Taiwan question, the South China Sea and the Korean Peninsula, we still need to wait and see, Shi said. Words are not enough "Both countries agree on 'no conflict and no confrontation' and for 'win-win cooperation,' we can see how both cooperate on global challenges. The most difficult part is 'mutual respect,' because it covers many sensitive areas such as human rights, Taiwan, the South China Sea, and so on," said Diao Daming, a research fellow at the Institute of American Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. US Acting Assistant Secretary of State Susan Thornton had previously told reporters that the US was "pursuing a results-oriented relationship with China." The concept of "results-oriented" might reflect US understanding of "mutual respect," An said. "A results-oriented relationship means the US will push the Sino-US relationship based on the results or effects of every single instance of Sino-US cooperation." "Currently, the US needs China's cooperation and respect on issues like trade and the Korean Peninsula, so China needs to consider to what extent it can provide what the US wants at this moment," An said. It's never too old to practice yoga. A 73-year-old from Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, has been offering free classes in local residential communities for two years, attracting many enthusiasts.Le Mingchao started practicing yoga when he was 63, and immediately fell in love with the workout. He got the senior yoga teaching certificate in 2014.[Photo/VCG] Bollywood actor Ranbir Kapoor was recently spotted attending a felicitation ceremony in Dubai on Sunday evening along with Pakistani actress Mahira Khan. The two looked gorgeous on the red carpet making a public appearance together for the first time. Twitter/Ranbir FC While Ranbir opted for a slick tuxedo, Mahira chose an outfit covered in red Chantilly lace. But thats not what's making the headlines. Twitter/Bollywood There are two videos of the duo that have surfaced on the internet where Mahira can be seen indulging in some serious discussions with the Jagga Jasoos actor. Ranbir Kapoor and Mahira Khan backstage at the Global Teacher Prize Ceremony - 2 #RanbirKapoor #Ranbir #MahiraKhan #GlobalTeacherPrizeCeremony A post shared by Ranbir Kapoor Universe (@ranbirkapooruniverse) on Mar 19, 2017 at 9:08am PDT In the above video, Ranbir Kapoor can be seen looking at Mahira while she is pleading to him. Ranbir Kapoor and Mahira Khan backstage at the Global Teacher Prize ceremony - 3 #RanbirKapoor #Ranbir #MahiraKhan #GlobalTeacherPrizeEvent A post shared by Ranbir Kapoor Universe (@ranbirkapooruniverse) on Mar 19, 2017 at 9:32am PDT In the second one, the two seemed to be at peace socially but towards the end, Mahira can again be seen agitated. What could have possibly gone wrong between the two?! In the evolution of digital communication tech, 5G is just around the corner. Yet, despite its more recent applications in the industry, the technology itself has a surprisingly long history, one rooted in India. And thanks to the critical contributions of Sir Jagadish Chandra Bose, the world will reap the benefits of 5G Internet very soon! Sir Jagadish Chandra Bose pioneered research in millimetre wave communication even before the invention of the radio in 1895 Italian inventor Guglielmo Marconi is credited with first inventing the telegraph in 1895, a device that used what we now know as radio waves to send an electromagnetic signal across distance. However, at the same time that Marconi was pioneering the first commercial use of telegraphy as a communication, Indian polymath Sir Jagadish Chandra Bose was working to understand the nature of the phenomenon. Born on 30 November, 1858, at Mymensingh -- which is now in modern day Bangladesh -- Sir Jagadish Chandra Bose attended Cambridge after studying physics at Calcutta University. He was the first to demonstrate radio communication with millimetre wavelengths, which fall in the 30GHz to 300GHz spectrum. Boses outstanding contributions in the field are now finally getting him the recognition he deserves, as his studies form the basis of the evolving 5G internet standard. Wikimedia I take a lot of inspiration from Bengal and Kolkata because it is here that radio communication was born, said Ramjee Prasad, professor of Future Technologies for Business Ecosystem Innovation, Aarhus University, Denmark, on the sidelines of the IEEE International 5G Summit in Kolkata last week. The millimetre wave that J C Bose worked on is the backbone of developing 5G. Marconi and Russian scientists Alexander Stepanovich Popov, who were also conducting similar experiments, were working with much lower frequencies. In fact, the technology that Marconi used was developed by Bose. The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), the largest international body dedicated to advancement of technology, has recognised Boses 1895 experiment demonstrating short-wave communication as a milestone achievement nearly 120 years later. Bose generated 5mm electromagnetic waves, 60GHz, before instruments even evolved to measure frequencies that low. Bose invented the crystal radio detector, waveguide, horn antenna, and other apparatus used with microwave frequencies In the scientific community, Bose is now gaining recognition as the father of radio science and semiconductors technology, remarked Suvra Sekhar Das, associate professor at the GS Sanyal School of Telecommunication at IIT-Kharagpur. His experiments in the early 1890s and early 1900s with millimetre wave radio frequencies were much ahead of his time so much so that the time has only come now. While advancement in semiconductor technology led to smartphones, millimetre wave communication technology may bring about a more wirelessly connected world tomorrow. Boses millimetre waves have found applications in a variety of fields since their discovery over a century ago theyre used in everything from radio telescopes to radar and, more recently, for collision-warning systems and cruise control in modern day cars. Bose was a giant who worked single-handedly at the Presidency College laboratory, overcoming racial discrimination, lack of funding and equipment, said Debasish Datta, professor of electronics and electrical communication engineering at IIT-Kharagpur. Bose's experiment was proof of concept. The application happened much later. Now, both of them have to happen simultaneously. With inputs from TOI. After first making a splash at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) last year, the seemingly ultra durable Cat S60 smartphone has finally made its way to India. The rugged device is currently available in retail stores and on Amazon.in for Rs 64,999. Cat S60 - Caterpillar Cat, or Caterpillar, is a US-based company known for its manufacturing of industrial earth movers and construction vehicles. Some of you may have also come across the brands line of work boots, available in high-end retail outlets here. Here, the Cat S60 exemplifies the durable nature of the companys brand, as a smartphone built to weather any situation the owner carries it into. Caterpillar The Cat S60 features a 4.7-inch HD (720x1280) display with Corning Gorilla Glass 4 as well as wet finger and glove support. It packs a 1,5GHz octa-core Snapdragon 617 processor with 3GB RAM. On the rear panel is a 13MP camera with underwater recording and dual LED flash, while the front houses a 5MP selfie camera. The device features 32GB of internal storage, expandable up to 128GB via microSD, runs on Android 6.0, and is powered by a 3800mAh battery. The smartphone also has dual 4G nano SIM support, as well as the standard WiFi, Bluetooth, NFC, and Micro USB. One of the key features being offered in the Cat S60 is a thermal imaging module, courtesy of FLIR Systems, the first smartphone in the world to have its kind. Situated next to the primary camera on the rear panel, the thermal imager can be put to various uses, particularly by architects, electrical workers, or even just DIY home repair enthusiasts. According to the company, the FLIR Lepton can help identify gaps in thermal insulation around windows, spot overheating electrical appliances or circuitry, or even spot which refrigerator in the supermarket will have the freshest produce. The thermal images captured can even be shared with others, or you can use spot meters to retroactively analyse the heat signatures. Caterpillar Lets be clear, however, the Cat S60 is not for the average buyer. At 223g, its much heavier than the average smartphone you may be used to. In addition, the device isnt designed to look pretty in the slightest. This is the Panzer tank of smartphones and its meant to enter war zones, if you will. Does it have a market in India? Probably not. Is it still a cool device? Well, when you can step on your phone and then kick it into a pool and still be able to use it, that just goes without saying. After importing the Bofors guns over 30 years ago, India is now looking forward to export the ammunition required for the weapon. The Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) is close to bagging an order to make 155mm shells, which are used in Bofors-type artillery guns, for the United Arab Emirate (UAE) army. Reuters The ordnance factories' exports will multiply 10 times once the Rs 235 crore order is finalized. "At present, exports are within Rs 20-25 crore," said sources. The shells will be made in the Ordnance Factories in Vidarbha located at Nagpur, Chandrapur and Bhandara. All three are mainly engaged in making high calibre ammunition like the 155mm shells. The deal is a part of recent firming up of ties between India and UAE. Similar cooperation is being proposed in other sectors too. The crown prince of Abu Dabhi Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayeed Ali Nahyan was India's guest during the Republic Day celebrations. Sources privy to the development said that the proposal came up during the last week of February when an Indian delegation visited UAE. The offer came from UAE to which India responded quickly. "The contract has been signed by India and now the UAE's stamp is awaited on the documents," said sources. Reuters This will be the first ever major defence contract with UAE. "The 155mm shells which are used in Bofors type guns with a range of over 35km will be exported by India for the first time," said a source in the Ordnance Factory. OFB will be making the 155mm extended bore full range shells of boat-tail version for UAE. The shells mainly come in boat-tail and base-bleed versions. The OFB makes both versions. The boat-tail version is older and the factories have established the expertise in making the shell. Even as the guns of 155x39 calibre were imported from Sweden in the 80s, the Ordnance Factories had long back begun making the shells indigenously. In last three years, the gun too has been indigenized with the Gun Carriage Factory (GCF) at Jabalpur having got an order to make 116 guns. Named Dhanush, the indigenous gun is of a higher calibre at 155x45 mm giving a better range. BCCL The order will also be giving a major fillip to ordnance factories which now mainly depend on the Indian army for orders. Ordnance factory has 50-odd products for exports. So far, exports have been mainly to countries like Maldives, Sri Lanka, Indonesia with a few orders bagged from Germany too. The products include brake parachutes for Su30 and MiG 29 fighter planes, 91mm TRA gun for the Navy, small calibre ammunition. "One of the favourites of the overseas buyers is the 12.7 air defence gun (Prahari)," said a source in the factory. After many Indian-Americans, particularly Hindus and Sikh, became victims of Islamophobia and xenophobia in the US, the community members held an awareness rally against hate crimes in front of the White House seeking President Donald Trump's intervention in the matter. AFP "Hindus have been recently affected and victimised (in the US) as a result of Islamophobia. It does affect our community as well," Vindhya Adapa, 27, a Virginia-based corporate lawyer, told PTI outside the White House yesterday. Adapa along with a few dozen Indian-Americans representing various Indian-American groups from in and around the Greater Washington Area held a peaceful demonstration in view of the recent surge in hate crimes against the community. "A recent example of that is recent shooting and murder of an IT personnel in Kansas, who was mistaken for being an Arab and a Muslim. I do think that the current political climate is eventually going to target all communities including Hindu-Americans," said S Sheshadri, a young Indian-American doctor and Adapa's friend. "We are here today to raise awareness against hate crimes particularly against people of Indian origin. This is not necessarily a protest against the Trump Administration. We are here to seek bipartisan support against the hate crimes that has been happening recently against Indian-Americans," Adapa said, urging the President to acknowledge and condemn what is happening. ALSO READ: Kansas Governor Writes to PM Modi, Expresses His Grief Over Hate Crime Against Indians AFP "I would say what is happening against the Indian-American community is a result of xenophobia, Islamic phobia and the anti-immigrant statements that have come out from the Administration," she alleged. "A lot of Sikh people and Hindu people are mistaken for being Muslim, for being Middle eastern," she said, adding that the way to tackle that is to spread awareness about these different communities. In a petition memorandum submitted to President Trump, the recently established Coalition of Indian American organisations of the USA, which organised the event, urged him to intervene in the matter and take steps to punish the culprits under federal hate crimes law. It also urged the President to allay the fears of the Indian-American community and show his support, and take remediation steps to eliminate the hate. "A message should go out to the people of this country from the administration that no citizen should take the law into their hands and it will not be tolerated by the government," said the petition. AFP The peaceful protest was organised in the aftermath of a series of hate crime incidents against Indian-Americans. Indian engineer Srinivas Kuchibhotla, 32, was killed and his colleague Alok Madasani and an American, Ian Grillot, were injured in a shooting by a Navy veteran who told them "Get out of my country!" at a bar in Olathe City, Kansas last month. A 43-year-old Indian-origin convenience store owner, Harnish Patel, was shot dead outside his home in Lancaster County, South Carolina on March 2. A day later a 39-year-old Sikh was injured by a partially masked gunman, who shouted "Go back to your own country!" and shot him outside his home in Kent, Washington. An Indian-origin girl was racially abused on a train by an African-American in New York on February 23. He reportedly called her inappropriate names and yelled "Get out of here!" when she was travelling in a commuter train. AFP On March 10, a 64-year-old Florida man tried to set an Indian-owned convenience store on fire because he thought the owners were Muslim. "Indian-Americans and the Indian Diaspora are in distress and are concerned for the safety of their families as the racially motivated hate crimes have been perpetrated against them across the countries in form of gun violence, vandalism, and oral harassment shouting 'Go back to your country'," the petition said. "We have assembled here together to register our protest against recent hate crimes against Indian-Americans. The White House and the new President should acknowledge that the contribution of the Indian-American community," said Shreekanta Nayak, a community leader from Maryland. Puneet Ahluwalia, who was a member of the Trump Campaign's Asian-American Pacific Islanders Advisory community, said that it is time to show solidarity with the Indian-Americans in the country. ALSO READ: In An Emotional Address To US Media, Indian Techie's Widow Asks Americans, Do We Belong Here? AFP "We really want to appreciate what President Trump said condoning hate and violence. As a proud Republican, a proud American, I want to support my community members in raising awareness and bringing attention to the crimes or ignorance of a lot of people who are attacking Indian Americans and other minorities," Ahluwalia said. On Sunday, Hindutva hardliner Yogi Adityanath of the Bharatiya Janata Party took oath as the 21st chief minister of Uttar Pradesh (UP). Soon after the announcement, #YogiAdityanath ruled the roost on social media. The BJP's pick of Yogi Adityanath as the UP CM shocked everyone and triggered a flurry of memes. Yesterday, Tweeple were tripping over Yogi's uncanny resemblance between Hollywood star Vin Diesel. Today, photoshopped tweets by Donald Trump have taken Twitter by storm. Yogi was one of the politicians who lauded Trump for imposing a visa ban on travellers from a few Muslim countries. Take a look at the tweets below #1 #2 #Have_BURNOL_Presstitutes Even Trump congratulated @yogi_adityanath but our presstitutes are experiencing heart burn #3 Dear SM folks, stop circulating this false quote and 'rejoicing' @ #DonaldTrump 'endorsement' of #YogiAdityanath #4 #5 First - Narendra Modi Second - Donald Trump Now - #YogiAdityanath as CM of UP Liberals are crying hard. Burnol demand reaches record high. Ritesh Verma (@IamRitzV) 18 March 2017 #6 BCCL Kumar Mangalam Birla-owned Idea Cellular said its Board has approved of a merger with Vodafone India and its wholly owned subsidiary Vodafone India Mobile Services, which will create India's largest mobile phone company with about 400 million customers, 35% customer market share and 41% revenue market share. Vodafone India's business barring its investments in Indus Towers will vest in the new entity, which will be renamed at a later stage, the companies said a statement Monday. Read more 1. Uphaar Fire: SC Rejects Gopal Ansals Plea Yet Again, Judges Say 'Sorry We Can't Pardon You' The Supreme Court on Monday declined Uphaar theatre owner Gopal Ansal's plea for more time to surrender, for the second time. PTI The top court bench said that Gopal Ansal had already approached the President for mercy and pardon. "Sorry, we can't," said a bench of Chief Justice Jagdish Singh Khehar, Justice D.Y. Chandrachud and Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul. Read more 2. Facebook Is Secretly Building Four Gadgets, May Reveal Them At Aprils F8 Conference If you thought Facebook is just a social platform, think again. Mark Zuckerberg has sky high ambitions and is hell-bent on conquering the next wave of disruptive digital technologies, meaning Facebooks working on some epic, never-before-seen gadgets. Indiatimes Facebooks ultra-secretive division known only as "Building 8" is reportedly working on at least four unannounced consumer hardware products, according to a Business Insider report. Read more 3. Pakistan Just Passed A Hindu Marriage Bill To Protect Women's Rights. Here's A Quick Lowdown In a landmark move, Pakistan passed a bill, now a law, to regulate marriages of minority Hindus after President Mamnoon Hussain gave his approval. AP With the Presidents approval, Pakistans Hindus now have an exclusive personal law to regulate marriages. "On the advice of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, the President of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan has assented to the 'The Hindu Marriage Bill 2017'," a statement from the Prime Minister's Office said. Read more 4. Norway Beats Denmark To Become The Happiest Country In The World, US Ranks 14th Out of the 155 countries ranked by the United Nation's World Happiness Report, Norway has emerged as the world's happiest nation. Getty Denmark, Iceland, Switzerland, Finland, the Netherlands, Canada, New Zealand, Australia and Sweden closely followed Norway's lead and made up for the top ten happiest countries in the world. The countries that fared the worst include South Sudan, Liberia, Guinea, Togo, Rwanda, Tanzania, Burundi and Central African Republic. Read more 5. You Could Have 40 Times Faster Wi-Fi Based On Infrared Rays In Your Home In Just Five Years Few things bring out the raging gorilla in all of us than a slow Wi-Fi connection. Thankfully, a PhD student from the Netherlands may have found a way to make Wi-Fi faster universally using infrared red rays. Wikimedia Internet access has long since become one of the essential human needs of the developed world, right up there with food, clothing, and security. So its only natural that were irritated at our service providers when we lose that internet connectivity at home, or when were at a coffee shop and the Wi-Fi is slow. Now, Joanne Oh from the Eindhoven University of Technology believes she has a way to make sure we never face that kind of issue again. Read more Israel and China are looking to reinforce trade ties, as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visits China. He arrived in Beijing on Sunday for his second official visit to the country. Chinese President Xi Jinping and other leaders will be meeting Netanyahu over the course of his stay, as well as the largest Israeli-business delegation to ever visit China. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife Sara Netanyahu arrive in Beijing, China on Sunday. /Photo by Israeli Embassy in China Im embarking on an official visit to China by invitation of China's government. I will meet with the president, the premier, and we will mark 25 years of relations between Israel and the great power, said Netanyahu ahead of his trip. Trade and commerce loom large during this visit. 90 business people are accompanying Netanyahu. They will be meeting heads of Chinas biggest corporations, including multi-billion dollar Internet giant Baidu. Aside from bilateral trade agreements, business and politics, Israels prime minister is also visiting China to maintain and grow what could prove to be a very important relationship. During meetings with President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang, Prime Minister Netanyahu will undoubtedly touch on Middle Eastern politics, specifically regarding Iran and Syria. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife Sara Netanyahu receive flowers upon arrival in Beijing on Sunday. /Photo by Israeli Embassy in China As Chinas political and economic strength grows, Israels government wants to demonstrate in person its interest in maintaining warm ties. This is also an opportunity for the prime minister to, again, make it clear that Israel wants to cooperate with China, and that Israel wants investment with China, said Ilan Maor of the Israel-China Chamber of Commerce. This is very important that they hear it loud and clear from the person thats holding the top position in Israel. Israel and China will also be signing economic agreements during the visit, with Israels government anticipating a Free Trade Agreement with China in July. 127 tourists were rescued by the Indian army after they found themselves stuck in a blizzard at the Sela Pass near Tawang, Arunachal Pradesh. There were five foreign nationals from Japan, New Zealand, and Bulgaria among the rescued. ani The blizzard hit at around 2:45 pm yesterday between Ahirgarh, Sela, and Nuranang on the Tezpur-Tawang road in West Kameng district of Arunachal Pradesh. Google Maps Soldiers of the Blazing Sword Division arrived at the location within one hour and began their rescue operation that continued late into the night. special arrangement A senior army official said, "With darkness setting in by 5 pm, the entire operation was almost conducted in the dark and continued till all 127 tourists, including five foreign nationals, were rescued." (Also Read: Guwahati To Tawang In One Day, Here's Why You Should Never Do It) KABEER SHARMA FOR INDIATIMES One woman of Bulgarian nationality, however, lost her life after she slipped and fell into a gorge while trying to move on her own. Her corpse was recovered around midnight. ani And the army didn't stop there. The personnel also provided accommodation and medical attention to the rescued tourists. pbs The Tezpur-Tawang road was buried under two to three feet of snow and was cleared for traffic today by the Border Roads Organisation. Infosys has decided not to apply for H-1B visas for junior employees, three sources with knowledge of the matter told ET, as the IT company comes to terms with the prospect of a tougher regulations governing the work visas. BCCL Indian IT firms have long been dependent on the work visa, but a rising tide of protectionism means they are beginning to adjust their business models to reduce their reliance on the visa. "The company is not applying for visas for employees with under four years of experience. We are talking to clients about offshoring more work to India, and the work done by junior employees can be brought to India," an executive at the company tells. A second executive confirmed that the company had not raised visa requests for systems engineers and senior systems engineers, among the lowest rungs in the Infosys corporate ladder. BCCL/representational image Earlier this year, US Congressmen have proposed a bill raising the minimum wage on the H-1B visa to over $130,000, more than double of what is mandated today. The increased rhetoric around outsourcing has also made some Infosys clients wary of being serviced by more employees on the work visas. "There are job requirements in the US, but some customers have started asking that fewer H-1B employees be deployed onsite on their projects. We are trying to hire more onshore to deal with this issue," a third Infosys executive said. A cursory search for professional social networking site LinkedIn shows as many as 150 jobs advertised for locations in the US in the last month. Some of the jobs posted ask for as little as two years of experience. Infosys, which has entered the silent period ahead of its fourth-quarter earnings results next month, declined to comment for this story. The company's inability to apply for visas for junior employees is also creating another problem. AP "One of the easiest ways to retain people when they expressed dissatisfaction was to say that we will begin their visa process. This can no longer be used. Managers are now trying to find different ways to keep people on board," one of the executives quoted above said. He added that this was a problem that would be faced by the entire industry and not just Infosys. Tata Consultancy Services said that it had operated in a self-imposed visa-constrained environment this year and had applied to get only about 15% of the visas for which it normally applies. The combination of far higher minimum wages and a tighter visa regime means that in the future, junior employees are unlikely to make the coveted trip onshore. We all know that Article 19(1)(a) of the Indian constitution enshrines the right to freedom of speech and expression to all citizen. But in reality, this right doesn't seem to hold too much value in our country. In a shocking incident, a 38-year-old professor from Khopoli, Maharashtra has been arrested after he questioned as to why is Chhatrapati Shivajis birthday celebrated twice a year. PTI/Picture for representation It all started with a mere WhatsApp message, where professor Sunil Waghmare, the head of the department of commerce at the KMC college in Raigad, questioned the logic behind celebrating birthday twice in a year. The WhatsApp group consisted of Waghmare's fellow college professors and other staff. The group admin Amol Nagargoje, scolded Waghmare's 'blasphemous' question, following which he deleted the group altogether. Shivajis exact date-of-birth is not known and it is celebrated twice a year, in February and March. Picture for representation News about the heated WhatsApp argument spread through the college and the next day, Waghmare was beaten up by students and teachers at the college and the police had to intervene to protect him. The Maratha Swarajya Samajik Sanstha president Sagar More too lodged a complaint with the Khopoli police against Waghmare. Khopoli assistant inspector Ashok Thakur said, "After the post was circulated, tension escalated on college premises. We deployed police teams in the college to maintain law and order. Those who tried to stage protests were dispersed." PTI/Picture for representation Amol Nagargoje, went on to register a case against Waghmare under Section 295a (deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious beliefs) of the Indian Penal Code "He is senior faculty and I know him since 2012. That night on WhatsApp, when he made the comment, I asked him to take back his words but he refused. So, I decided to delete the group altogether. On Friday, when I was in the staff room, I got to know that he was attacked," the Mid-Day quoted Nagargoje as saying. The police who are now probing the case seized Waghmare and Nagargojes phones. The professor remains in judicial custody and his bail application was rejected owing to threat to his life outside jail. For most of us, it's that not-so-wonderful phase of our lives as we all are sick and tired of watching everyone getting married. Zooming in on the picture, checking out their pre-wedding photographs, then the celebration, then posts wedding images, unaccountable Facebook tagging, so on and so forth. The wedding season has got us begging for some social space, not to forget the peer pressure that comes when your parents demand to find one for yourself. (Also read: Meet Cassandra De Pecol - The First Female To Travel To All 196 Countries Of The World) To avoid this, these two lads went on a boys trip to Thailand, to what they call as homiemoon. While everyone else is getting married and having babies, my best friend and I had our own homiemoon in Thailand, ignoreeverythingido wrote. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. There ara gazillion reasons for bros to take a trip together, but this one is definitely a good way to take care of the adrenaline pumping through your veins. Go, grab that friend and make memories. (Also read: 16 Really Cool Travel Facts That Will Make You Look At The World Upside Down) Dealing with extremist content on YouTube has become a huge deal for Google. Last night, British multinational retailer Marks & Spencer, pulled its advertisements from Googles YouTube. Reason the internet giants failure to remove extremist content from YouTube. M&S now joins the likes of HSBC, Lloyds, RBS, McDonalds, LOreal, BBC, Dominos, Audi and Royal Mail. YouTube The retail chain is the latest in a string of household names to suspend their marketing on YouTube as the advertisements are inadvertently funding terror groups. Reports suggest Waitrose, Barclays, Vodafone and Sky are considering similar action. How it works? Worlds largest video sharing website, YouTube, hands 6.15 of advertising revenue for every 1,000 views to those who post videos on the platform. This means that huge companies like M&S, McDonalds, Lloyd, HSBC, Dominos, among many others, have been unintentionally funnelling cash to terror groups, homophobes and neo-nazis. Most of these videos have over a million hits. There are numerous videos from various brands that have been found promoted alongside terrorist videos, as companies have no control over the placement of such advertisements. In a bid to halt the exodus of big brands, Google had admitted that it can and must do more and has also promised brands to give them more control over where their advertisements appear. However, Google does not actively look for extremist/hate content on YouTube, rather the company waits for users to flag such content, leaving many big brands enraged. Market experts suggest that extremists have made 250,000 from adverts for household brands and public bodies hosted on Google. YouTube Egyptian cleric Wagdi Ghoneim is said to be the top earner among the hate preachers. He is now banned from visiting the United Kingdom. Reports suggest, his YouTube channel has netted him around 65,000. The boycott of YouTube started on Friday when the UK government suspended all public advertisement on the platform, until YouTube guarantees that no public money will be directed towards funding hate content. UK officials learned that advertisements for public bodies were being run alongside extremist material on YouTube. YouTube YouTube repeatedly failed to curtain neo-nazi videos on its platform, despite repeated warnings from the government, leading to such drastic measure. The neo-nazi groups actively add videos on YouTube and make money out of it. In addition to this, they have also been found to promote The Turner Diaries, a novel touted to be the bible for the racist-right. How to tie a hangman noose, how to join the racist movement, self-harm, suicide, neo-nazi clips are just some examples among the array of prohibited content widely available on YouTube. Google has clear policies against inciting violence or hatred. However, such lack of social responsibility from a firm this big, may have negative implications, eventually leading to falling revenues. In a landmark move, Pakistan passed a bill, now a law, to regulate marriages of minority Hindus after President Mamnoon Hussain gave his approval. With the Presidents approval, Pakistans Hindus now have an exclusive personal law to regulate marriages. "On the advice of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, the President of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan has assented to the 'The Hindu Marriage Bill 2017'," a statement from the Prime Minister's Office said. The law aims to protect marriages, families, mothers and their children while safeguarding the legitimate rights and interests of Hindu families. "It is a consolidated law for solemnisation of marriages by Hindu families residing in Pakistan," the statement said. AP Prime Minister Sharif said that his government has always focused on the provision of equal rights to minority communities residing in Pakistan. "They are as patriotic as any other community and, therefore, it is the responsibility of the state to provide equal protection to them," he said. The statement said the Hindu families will be able to solemnise marriages in accordance with the customary rites, rituals and ceremonies. What is the law? According to the law, the government will appoint marriage registrars in areas convenient for the Hindu population for registration of their marriages. AFP This law also provides for procedures relating to restitution of conjugal rights, judicial separation, void and voidable marriages, termination of Hindu marriage, the financial security of the wife and children, alternate relief in termination of marriage and termination of marriage by mutual consent. The law provides the right to a separated person to marry again, the entitlement of re-marriage for a Hindu widow at her own will and consent after the stipulated time, the legitimacy of a child born out of voidable Hindu marriage. As per the law, Hindu marriages solemnised before the commencement of this law shall be deemed valid and petitions under this law shall be presented before the family courts. AFP The law also provides for punishments of imprisonment and fines up to Rs. 100,000 or both for contraventions. All offences under this law could be tried in the court of a first-class magistrate. It is the first law which would be applicable to entire Pakistan except for Sindh province which has its own law to regulate marriages of Hindus. The law was unanimously passed on March 10 by the National Assembly which endorsed amendments made by the Senate in February. (File photo) Private investors will be encouraged to play a bigger role in upgrading the manufacturing sector, as China steps up efforts to widen access to key industries, the top industry regulator said on Sunday. "Private investors have contributed 60 percent of the money poured into the manufacturing sector," said Miao Wei, the minister of industry and information technology. "We need to improve efforts to remove barriers and lower the entry threshold." Speaking at the three-day China Development Forum in Beijing, he said investment in manufacturing grew by only 3 percent last year, partly because the sector yields lower returns than the real estate and financial sectors. "We will motivate enterprises to expand from production to manufacturing design and services, to enhance profitability," Miao said. "Private enterprises face more barriers than foreign counterparts in some industries. We're determined to change that. One solution is to accelerate the mixed ownership reform." China United Network Communications Group, the nation's second-largest telecom carrier by subscribers, is among the State-owned enterprises looking into attracting private investors. "Private investors have less confidence in the manufacturing industry because the rate of return is relatively low," said Luo Zhongwei, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences' Institute of Industrial Economics. The government should introduce preferential policies to steer private capital into upgrading the manufacturing industry, he said. Miao reiterated that Made in China 2025, a national strategy to promote high-end manufacturing, welcomes Chinese and foreign companies to take part and is expected to bring equal opportunities to local and international enterprises. The reason experts have suggested setting market-share targets for some domestically made products and equipment is because of stringent export restrictions on high-end products imposed by some countries, he said. As a result, China has no option but to rely on domestic companies to meet the demands of the local market, he added. Made in China 2025 adheres to government-led, market-oriented principles, said Miao, who was quoted as saying during the annual session of the National People's Congress: "Foreign and Chinese enterprises will continue to be treated equally." 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. The CIAs 60-Year History of Fake News How the Deep State Corrupted Many American Writers By Robert Scheer March 19, 2017 " Information Clearing House " - " Truth Dig " - In this weeks episode of Scheer Intelligence, Truthdig Editor in Chief Robert Scheer interviews Joel Whitney, author and co-founder of Guernica magazine. Whitneys new book, Finks: How the C.I.A. Tricked the Worlds Best Writers , explores how the CIA influenced acclaimed writers and publications during the Cold War to produce subtly anti-communist material. During the interview, Scheer and Whitney discuss these manipulations and how the CIA controlled major news agencies and respected literary publications (such as the Paris Review). Their talk comes at a particularly tense time in American politics, as accusations of fake news and Russian propaganda fly from both sides of the aisle. But the history detailed in Whitneys book presents a valuable lesson for writers hoping to avoid similar manipulations today. Scheer opens the discussion with the question: Were they really tricked? It could have been paid, it could have been subsidized, it could have been used, it could have been collaborated with, Whitney responds. So yeah, it might have been any other verb there besides tricked. The two then delve into the tactics used by the CIA to influence writers. Whitney notes that the fearful political atmosphere at the time led to secrecy being used to preside over and rule over the free presswhich were supposed to be the champions of. They drank the Kool-Aid and thought they were saving freedom, Scheer agrees. The discussion underscores the need for analysis of Cold War-era media as a way to avoid propagandized journalism today. Scheer says, I look at the current situation, where we dont even have a good communist enemy, so were inventing Russia as a reborn communist power enemy. I call it superpolitics, Whitney concludes, where essentially theres something thats so evil and so frightening that we have to change how our democratic institutions work. Listen to the full interview below. Dont have time to stream the full interview? Download it and listen on the go by clicking on the arrow button. You can also read a full transcript of the conversation below. Posted by Emma Niles Listen to the full interview below. You can also read a full transcript of the conversation below. Adapted from Transcript Robert Scheer: Greetings. This is another edition of Scheer Intelligence. Im Robert Scheer, but the intelligence comes from my guests. And in this case its Joel Whitney, whos just written a really terrific book called Finks: How the C.I.A. Tricked the Worlds Best Writers. And actually, my only disagreement with the book is a little bit with the title. So let me just begin there, and you can lay out the thesis. But its the story, of course, about how the CIA secretly funded the Congress [for] Cultural Freedom and lots of other organizations, and got involved right after World War II and continued right through the Cold War, basically manipulating publications and movies, everything else, to so-called win the battle of ideas with the Soviets, and ended up in the process adopting some of their more nefarious means. But when you say the CIA tricked the worlds best writers, youre talking about a pretty sharp group of people, like [George] Plimpton and [William] Styron and all that. Were they really tricked? Joel Whitney: Well, thats a great first question. I did an event in Berkeley last week, and actually had a Paris Review magazine veteran come by and ask me essentially that same question. And his reservation was the word finks and the word tricked. More finks, though, which he thought was derogatory as someone who had been at the Paris Review. He, you know, he may have felt that there was some, whether well-intentioned or misinformed, idea of patriotism. And finks, of course, as you know when you finish the book, comes from one of my characters. Tricked was the word I settled on, how the CIA tricked the worlds best writers; it could have been paid, it could have been subsidized, it could have been used, it could have been collaborated with. And I actually envisioned at one pointI couldnt sell this to my editora cover where in sort of lighter shadow behind the word tricked would be all those other words going up and down the front of the book. Yeah, I think a lot of the writers had different motives. And actually, some of them, throughout the book, youll seeyoull remember they changed their minds. So some of them were more in favor in the early fifties; by the time the Vietnam War hits, and the CIAs reputation is a little more tarnished, some of them were less enthralled with the agency and other kinds of anti-communist institutions. So, yeah, it might have been any other verb there besides tricked. RS: What I found, and knowing some of these people, theyre a pretty sharp bunch. I mean, this really goes to, I think, more David Halberstams idea in The Best and the Brightest, his classic work on what happened in Vietnam. That these were the best products of the meritocracy; this was the creme de la creme of Harvard and Yale, and the Yale Review, and all that sort of thing; the brightest minds, the most talented people. And for whatever reason, sometimes for greed but also, you know, they bought into itwhat they bought into was basically a stupefyingly simplistic and wrong-headed notion of what was going on in the world. Thats the overwhelming thought I came away with from your book, which is great in detail, great storytelling; you know, whether its about Pasternak or whether its about Sontag or anybodyI mean, theyre all in there, theres a lot of really rich detail. But the overwhelming sense that I got from this book was how once again, using Halberstams idea of The Best and the Brightest, how did this group of peoplewho certainly were literate and well-traveled and tested well and got great grades at the best schools and studied under the best peopleget it so wrong? JW: Yeah, I think the idea of the oversimplification that you described in your question, I think thats accurate. And I think the sharper ones were further, were more removed from that simplification. And then what you see are several groups in the anti-communist movements, several actual organizations that were sort of recruiting people that were representing the CIAs slush funds, who are luring people in who have standing internationally, people who can do some soft power work but might, if they know exactly whats going on, they might be a little too critical of it. So if you start, for instance, in Berlin after World War II, you have a group of people who were familiar with Stalinist methods to the degree that perhaps they were traumatized by them. So those people were sincere, but they werent necessarily nuanced in their understanding of maybe how to fight totalitarianism. They thought essentially that the best method was to fight fire with fire. So in a way, these were guys who had a conspiracy theory. Their conspiracy theory went like this: Soviet Russia is penetrating organizations around the world; they had some evidence, Comintern and other organizations. But they had no sense of scale, and I think by the time you have McCarthy discredited in the middle fifties, some of these guys were probably willing to dial back some of their initial fears. But by then, theyd set this great movement in motion where it was just huge amounts of money that the CIA could offer. And so what I look at, as you remember in the book, is just I look at these little intellectual magazines that were initially recruited to do two things: one, to push back against anti-Americanism. So they wanted to tout and brag about our high culture, because in Western Europe, which was the key battleground, we were known for our pop and low culture; we were known for martial funds, we were known for our tanks. So one can sort of appreciate that. But then it comes with another idea, which is to discredit the Soviet Union as often as can be. And when you see that, how it plays out, you start to see disinformation beginning to spread. And what you see presiding over both sides of that idea is a regime of secrecy, which is problematic when youre talking about magazines, because youre talking about secrecy being used to preside over and rule over the free press that were supposed to be the champions of. RS: The reason your book is compelling, and I think people should read itand let me just be clear right up front, I read it straight through, [laughs], I think I had one breakfast break. But I enjoyed it enormously, because it really makes these characters come alive. And theyre not cardboard characters, whether youre talking about Irving Kristol, or youre talking about, you know, Irving Howe or George Plimpton or anybodytheres whole bunches of them run through the book, and you really are introduced to the cultural life of Paris and London and New York and so forth. But again, I keep getting back to this one question, you know; theres a thing in the newspaper business, I remember one editor telling me too good to check. And maybe when somebodys writing you an actual check, and youre getting money and youre getting first-class airfare, and theyre funding your wonderful magazine, your little magazine, so you dont have to go to your parentsbecause most of these people were super rich, and they could just go to their uncle or father or something and get some more money. But still it was now, you know, classy to get it from some secret Fleischmanns Yeast or something [Laughs], that was a front for the CIA. You know, and so yeah, youre involved in intrigue and all that, which I guess a lot of writers like to be involved in; but the idea that they drank the Kool-Aid and thought they were saving freedom is the part that I still dont get. JW: It does seem like there was a big pivot after World War II, and I think one of the organizations that normalized the idea of secrecy ruling over the mediawhich is eventually what you end up with in a program like thiswas the OSS. A lot of the people, the founding lights of the CIA, came to see that the OSS had done some great work in, as they saw it, thwarting the Nazis during World War II. So a lot of the people who founded the CIA, they understood that if the Soviet communists were using secrecy to penetrate our organizations, instead of thinking of how do we stop the penetration, it seems like it turned into a system of lets preemptively penetrate our own organizations, just to make sure we can watch them and keep them on the up-and-up. And of course one of the ways that they keep people in line, as you say, was through the money. So in terms of the official magazines that the CIA created and presided over, the British spy who overthrew Mosaddegh, he would have been, in June of 1953his name was Christopher Montague Woodhousehe would have been working on the CIA magazine for London, Encounter. He would have empowered the two editors, one American, one Brit, Stephen Spender on the British side, Irving Kristol on the American side, both working out of London; one paid through secrecy of the British state, one paid indirectly through the CIA. The spy overseeing this, Woodhouse, he would have then turned in the late summer towards overthrowing the democratically elected leader of Iran, Mohammad Mosaddegh. And then later, hes also feeling so good about this system of, what essentially you have are coups as covert ops and then long-term soft-power propaganda, also on the covert ops side of the CIA and British secret services. So he feels so good about this that hes later on a contributor to Encounter. So magazines like Encounter, they were created in Paris, they were created in Italy, they were created all over Europe; and then they spread to the Nordic countries, they spread to the Third World. What they did was they involved people at different levels. So the people in the know would be people who were editors and regular contributors, and it would even for them be kind of an open secret. So one person I interviewed was a guy named Nelson Aldrich, and he collaborated firstwell, he worked for, I should say, first with the Paris Review. The Paris Review was not one of those magazines created by the CIA, or if it was, it was sort of indirectly used. It was used as Peter Matthiessen, the writer who was one of its founders, as his cover in Paris in the early fifties. But then he says he resigned from the CIA and there was no connection. Well, later on, George Plimpton, the famous writer and man about New York, was the public face of the Paris Review through its formative years and for many decades; he found a way to get CIA money through the Congress for Cultural Freedom, its cultural propaganda front. So thats a second tie. Later on in my research, I found a third tie through a founding managing editor. So you have such a vast network of money for culture that in one organization, one magazine thats sort of only a tangential CIA asset or friend, you can find three big separate ties. RS: Im glad I got this chance to talk to you, because the book reads the way you talk. Its not vindictive, its not smearing people, its not doing what they did, actually. What these folks did in the name of anti-communism was they were perfectly happy, thrilled, to sail out and destroy their buddies, their college classmates, to smear them, smear intellectuals that they respected. Thats really what happened. You know, youre using your power, your clout. And theres an analogy right now, I think, with this whole discussion of fake news. These people were actually doing fake news. They were being paid by a government agency, the CIA, cooperating, following instructions, and sometimes censoring articles, editing them and so forth, so theyre part of an official government propaganda regime that continues right up through Vietnam and everything else. And so they become a caricature of the whole, you know, democratic experiment, which is certainly not what the Founders had in mind. And they get very vindictive towards people who disagree with the narrative. And the reason I began the way I did, asking youthe irony here is the people who objected to their official narrative turned out to be, quite early on, right. So for example, you mentioned Nelson Aldrich, and you have him placed as one of those people who knew what was going on. Well, I knew Nelson Aldrich as a guy I would chat with at Elaines in New York for years. And by that point, of the sixties, he knew it was all bogus. He was not a supporter of the Vietnam War. And in fact he wrote a very good book about the elite and how out of touch they are, the economic elite, and so forth. And I found him quite supportive of Ramparts, you know; I couldnt get any money from him, from his wealthy relatives, but nonetheless he seemed like a JW: [Laughs] Gotta try. No Advertising - No Government Grants - This Is Independent Media Get Our Free Daily Newsletter Home CNN's Zakaria: Trump Got to The Presidency by 'Bulls--tting' - Video - "Trump is degrading the presidency " Fareed Zakaria ripped into President Donald Trump on Friday, accusing him of "bulls**tting" his way to the presidency. Fareed Zakaria: I think the President is somewhat indifferent to things that are true or false. He has spent his whole life bull sh*tting. He has succeeded by bull sh*tting. He has gotten into the Presidency by bull sh*tting. Its very hard to tell someone at that point that bull sh*t doesnt work because look at the results right? Posted March 19, 2017 No Advertising - No Government Grants - This Is Independent Media Get Our Free Daily Newsletter The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Information Clearing House. Click for Spanish , German , Dutch , Danish , French , translation- Note- Translation may take a moment to load. What's your response? - Scroll down to add / read comments Please read our Comment Policy before posting - It is unacceptable to slander, smear or engage in personal attacks on authors of articles posted on ICH. Those engaging in that behavior will be banned from the comment section. Home Red Scare Redux: "Russian Weapons Stocked Right Up At NATO's Border!" By Moon Of Alabama A Washington Post news piece on the current NATO budget spat remarks : Russia, for its part, keeps tanks and missiles stocked right up against the NATO border. Now, that's truly threatening of Russia and DANGEROUS! How did that come to be? bigger UPDATE: Found some of the stocked up weapons ... No Advertising - No Government Grants - This Is Independent Media Get Our Free Daily Newsletter The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Information Clearing House. Click for Spanish , German , Dutch , Danish , French , translation- Note- Translation may take a moment to load. What's your response? - Scroll down to add / read comments Please read our Comment Policy before posting - It is unacceptable to slander, smear or engage in personal attacks on authors of articles posted on ICH. Those engaging in that behavior will be banned from the comment section. For Donald Trump, a Terror Attack Will Be an Opportunity Not a Curse By Peter Maass March 19, 2017 " Information Clearing House " - CAN WE BREATHE a sigh of relief after federal judges blocked President Donald Trumps discriminatory executive orders? For a moment we can, but we are just a terrorism attack away from the White House gaining a new pretext for its wrathful crackdown against Muslims and immigrants. Among the alterations in American politics since Trumps inauguration, this may be the most frightening one: a terror attack on U.S. soil will be used by the White House as an excuse for implementing an extra-legal agenda that could only be pushed through in a time of crisis. What the courts will not allow today, what protesters will hit the streets to defend tomorrow, what even the pliant Congress would have a hard time backing the White House is almost certainly counting on all of this changing in the wake of a domestic terrorist attack. This macabre turn, in which terrorism becomes an opportunity rather than a curse, has ample precedents that tell us one thing: be prepared. It wasnt long ago that 9/11 was used as a pretext for invading Iraq. Although it was almost immediately clear that Iraq had nothing to do with the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld told President George W. Bush on the evening of September 11, Part of our response maybe should be attacking Iraq. Its an opportunity. Just a few years earlier, Rumsfeld, along with Paul Wolfowitz and Dick Cheney, had signed a now-infamous letter calling for the removal of Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein. The with-us-or-against-us atmosphere after 9/11 enabled them to carry out the task. It has happened overseas, too. Vladimir Putins rise to power in Russia was accelerated by a series of mysterious bombings against apartment buildings across the country, and the bombings were so essential to consolidating Putins rule that he was suspected of organizing them. There was also, most famously, the Reichstag fire in 1933, in which the German Parliament burned to the ground, leading Adolf Hitler, the new chancellor, to warn that there will be no mercy now. Anyone standing in our way will be cut down. The Trump administration has already begun laying the groundwork for extreme initiatives if or more likely when a terror attack occurs on U.S. soil and is tied to ISIS, al Qaeda or another Muslim group, according to civil liberties lawyers and activists. Under the guise of protecting national security, a blitz of presidential actions could target not just immigrants and Muslims but other minority groups as well as the media and the judiciary. These initiatives will be more dire and much more severe than Trumps first executive order in late January against the citizens of seven Muslim-majority countries, according to Vince Warren, executive director of the Center for Constitutional Rights. While the bad news is stark expect the worst from Trump when an attack happens on U.S. soil the better news is that people are already organizing to prevent the worst from happening. There is, it turns out, quite a bit that can be done to prepare for the nearly inevitable moment when the Trump administration tries to take advantage of the tragedy of a man or a woman using a bomb, a gun, a knife or a truck to kill Americans in the name of an Islamic terror group. The first thing to understand is that attacks by foreign-born terrorists are rare. From 1975 through 2015, a total of 3,024 Americans were killed in such attacks, with most of those occurring on 9/11, according to a recent Cato Institute report . In other words, the annual odds of being killed by a foreign-born terrorist are 1 in 3,609,709. Each of these deaths is a tragedy, of course, but they represent a fraction of the preventable fatalities from any number of causes, including spouse-on-spouse violence, traffic accidents, and even toddlers with unsecured guns. Trumps eagerness to exploit only a particular type of terror attack by Muslims was reflected in his selective reaction to two incidents in his first month in office. In late January, he remained silent when a white Christian shot dead six Muslims in a Canadian mosque. A few days later, an Egyptian with a machete attacked French soldiers at the Louvre while shouting Allahu Akhbar. Nobody was killed, not even the attacker one soldier was slightly injured before the Egyptian was shot four times. Yet within hours, Trump tweeted , A new radical Islamic terrorist has just attacked in Louvre Museum in Paris. Tourists were locked down. France on edge again. GET SMART U.S. His disingenuity exposes a glaring fallacy in his executive orders. The handful of Muslim-majority countries named in the orders represent a negligible threat for domestic terrorism. The few attacks in America that have involved Muslims, including 9/11, drew largely on people from Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Egypt but those countries were not included in either order from the Oval Office. A ruling by Judge Theodore Chuang that blocked the second order noted strong indications that the national security purpose is not the primary purpose of the travel ban. The unique dynamic is that the White House has made clear its wish to impose an array of extreme and unconstitutional policies that are nearly impossible to carry out in ordinary times. Trump has previously said, for instance, that he wants to ban all Muslim immigration a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States until our countrys representatives can figure out what is going on, as he famously stated during the presidential campaign. His top adviser, Steve Bannon, has even complained about the proportion of legal immigrants already in America which he described as 20 percent of the population, though its actually just over 13 percent. Isnt the beating heart of this problem, the real beating heart of it, of what we gotta get sorted here, not illegal immigration? Bannon asked on a radio show in 2016. Weve looked the other way on this legal immigration thats kinda overwhelmed the country. In a way, the White House is like a pistol cocked to go off at the first touch. Warren, the head of the Center for Constitutional Rights, described the presidents early use of anti-Muslim executive orders as a precursor, a mirror into what were going to be looking at after a significant terror attack. Warren added, I think the Trump administration will move by executive fiat for everything. It will create whats essentially a constitutional crisis in the country. But Trump is not the pre-ordained winner of the crisis he will initiate. No Advertising - No Government Grants - This Is Independent Media Get Our Free Daily Newsletter Michael Walzer, a political theorist who has been around long enough to have chronicled, in real time, the social movements of the 1960s, wrote in an essay earlier this month that there are two types of necessary politics against Trump. Resistance is defensive politics, but we also need a politics of offense a politics aimed at winning elections and, as we used to say, seizing power, Walzer wrote. He pointed to a particularly hopeful development that others have also noted after Trumps inauguration: local organizing against the federal government. The womens march the day after the inauguration was a nearly immediate example. In cities across the country, large crowds turned out to protest the new president and his far-right agenda. The sanctuary city movement has also taken root, with local leaders vowing to oppose federal orders that are unconstitutional or immoral, especially ones that involve undocumented immigrants. And key legal challenges to Trumps executive orders have come from attorneys general in a variety of states who have vowed to continue their war of legal writs. Warren describes the popular reaction to a post-terrorism crackdown as an X factor. In the wake of the presidents first executive order, which led to Muslims being turned away at Americas borders, airports across the country were besieged by spontaneous protests that involved thousands of people and a small army of lawyers to help immigrants and refugees who were detained by customs authorities. Boots on the ground will be crucial after the next attack, argues Ben Wizner, a prominent ACLU lawyer who earlier this month tweeted , If/when there is an attack, well need millions in the streets with a message of courage and resilience. Another X factor is the judiciary, which bears a larger share of responsibility than usual because both houses of Congress are controlled by the Republican Party and have shied away from fulfilling their constitutional role as a check on the executive branch. So far, federal courts have stood up to the White House. Karen Greenberg, the director of the Center on National Security at Fordham Law School, believes the judicial response to Trumps executive orders marks a notable break from the post 9/11 era, when courts generally did not support legal challenges to government policies on terrorism, torture, surveillance and drone warfare. Im a real critic of how the courts handled national security, Greenberg said. I think they punted entirely. But if you look at the immigration ban and some of the pushback from the courts on ISIS prosecutions and how they are being handled, the courts have woken up from their I want to be asleep on national security stage. I think the courts may rise to the occasion. Trump has provided confirmation, via Twitter, of the judicial branchs new spine and key role. After the courts shot down his first executive order, he lashed out in a series of tweets against federal Judge James Robart. The sharpest one, tweeted by Trump from his Mar A Lago estate, warned: Just cannot believe a judge would put our country in such peril. If something happens blame him and court system. People pouring in. Bad! The writer Mark Danner noted in a recent essay that the controversy over the first executive order may have served the desire of the president and his advisers to stage a fight with a major institutional force not yet recumbent before him: the judiciary. As Danner went on to explain, the presidents assertion of his unreviewable powers in the face of so-called judges was not just absurd or ignorant but a bit of bait, establishing the basis for blaming the judiciary for any terrorist attack that was to come. On this he tweeted indefatigably and repeatedly. Another X factor is the media, which Trump has defined as a public enemy (though of course he means only the outlets that criticize him). Portions of the media, such as Breitbart, Infowars and probably Fox News, will likely support whatever crackdown the president proposes in the wake of a terrorist attack. Other parts of the media will hopefully do the work they are supposed to do. As Greenberg notes, the press will need to be on the ground and report information before it is misrepresented. That work can begin now, before an attack, with reporting that explains the rarity of Muslim-related terrorism in the United States and the constitutional as well as moral pitfalls of letting a demagogue turn tragedy to his own advantage. The 'Birth Pangs' of a New Middle East, Remixed By Pepe Escobar March 19, 2017 " Information Clearing House " - You all remember former US Secretary of State Condi Rice's notorious 2006 prediction about "birth pangs of a New Middle East." True to the George "Dubya" Bush/Cheney regime, Condi got it all spectacularly wrong, not only about Lebanon and Israel but also Iraq, Syria and the House of Saud. The Obama administration duly maintained a tradition that we could, light-heartedly, call The Sex Pistols School of Foreign Policy ( "no future for you" ). That's perfectly exemplified by unflappable Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova in just a few sentences . Zakharova points out how Team Obama "didn't have a consistent Syrian strategy in entire eight years: one day we bomb it, the next day we don't, one day we pull out of Syria, the next day we go in." That's because "one branch of government did not understand what the other branch was doing." And in the end "they just went ahead and dropped all Syrian politics without seeing it to its logical end. Then they focused on Aleppo, but not on resolving this situation, but solely on building up hysteria and an information campaign geared exclusively to the elections." And that leads us to the adults in the room in the Trump era, the ones that are actually monitoring the birth pangs of the real new Middle East: Russia. Let's start with the recent visit by Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu to President Putin. Bibi hit Moscow infused with biblical wishful thinking, essentially trying to seduce Putin to ditch the strategic partnership with Iran complete with joining the much advertised, US-led from behind "Arab NATO" anti-Iran, anti-Shiite coalition featuring Israel coupled with the GCC petrodollar racket plus minor associates (Jordan and Morocco). Bibi is desperate because Iran, with facts on the ground (Iranian and Hezbollah fighters) in partnership with Russian facts in the air, is actually winning the Syria proxy war for Damascus. And whatever happens next, post-Astana negotiations, Tehran will keep a permanent foothold in Syria much to the ballistic outrage of the NATO-GCC-Israel combo. A parallel implication is that Israel can't attack southern Lebanon anymore. Last month, in Tehran, I had the confirmation that Hezbollah has now up to 40,000 fighters stationed and/or monitoring a maze of underground installations ready to defend Lebanon from everything; that's up to ten times more than in 2006, an invasion that resulted in a humiliating Israeli retreat. Ther's nothing that Bibi could have offered Putin apart from a hazy, unsubstantiated promise to order the powerful Israeli lobby in D.C. to soften hysterical, 24/7 Russia demonization. Meanwhile, reports emerged that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad gave the green light for an Iranian naval base in Latakia, close to the Hmeymim airbase used by Russi's Aerospace Forces. That came after Mohammad Bagheri, Chief of Iran's General Staff, stressed that the Iranian Navy would soon need bases in Syria and Yemen. Tehran sent mostly military advisers and instructors to Syria but the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) also contributed with hardcore soldiers. In Tehran, I had the pleasure of meeting Major General Mohammad Ali Jafari, the top IRGC commander and a supreme tactician/organizer specialized in asymmetrical warfare, his vast experience acquired during the Iran-Iraq war and Hezbollah success in Lebanon in 2006. That's like meeting Marine Corps. Gen Joseph Dunford, the head of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff but without the pomp and circumstance. A courteous, graceful man, Jafari did not have time to get into details, but other sources confirmed that without his battle-hardened knowledge Damascus by now would have been in big trouble. What Russia wants in Syria Then there's an interview by Russian Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Mikhail Bogdanov, former ambassador in Tel Aviv and Cairo, and now also Putin's special representative in the Middle East, that has, metaphorically, parted the Red Sea all over again. Bogdanov offered to Arab audiences a concise guide to Russias Middle East policy the absolute opposite of loony US neocon regime change dementia. He compared the "tens of thousands" of foreign Salafi-jihadi mercenaries at war with Damascus to the Russia-Iran military presence officially request by "the legitimate government." He dismissed the warped notion of Iran exporting the Islamic revolution (that applied to the early 1980s). He stressed how Moscow wants some sort of US-Iran entente cordiale with (unlikely) the House of Saud on board. Negotiations could be held in Moscow or elsewhere. The Kremlin, as Bogdanov expressed it, wants a secular Syria, beyond sectarianism, springing up out of free and fair elections supervised by the UN. Predictably, his words barely masked Moscow's exasperation with Washington's obsession in keeping Tehran out of Syrian peace negotiations. And he firmly dismissed the "moderate rebels," whose only goal is "Assad must go" to stand trial in The Hague ("With this goal, the war can go on forever"). And then, the clincher: "Russia wants to abide by international legitimacy. We are committed to the principle of non-interference in the internal affairs of any country, including non-interference in our internal affairs. We respect the democratic process and not color revolutions." No Advertising - No Government Grants - This Is Independent Media Get Our Free Daily Newsletter Team Trump members might entertain the wishful thinking notion that Moscow will ditch Tehran not only in Syria but in terms of Eurasia integration. Not a chance. Yet tell that to the House of Saud. The House of Saud spent fortunes investing in Salafi-jihadi provoked regime change in Syria and an unwinnable war on Yemen conducted with US weapons that has generated a massive famine. Moscow might be able, with time, to instill some geopolitical sense into Riyadh. Once again, not a chance. Because the House of Saud is now convinced their best ally is President Trump. Geopolitically cornered, unable to shackle itself off its trademark paranoia, the House of Saud decided to go on the offensive, with King Salman investing in a lavish Asian tour, Beijing included, where he signed a rash of deals , and Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman actually The Warrior Prince, responsible for the civilian tragedy in Yemen courting Trump in Washington. The resulting spin now rules that Saudi Arabia will be an influential "close consultant" to Trump on Middle East security and economy, including the Palestinian tragedy and the Iran nuclear deal. No Dante circle of hell could have provided a more perfect "birth pangs" recipe for unmitigated disaster in a new Middle East. All eyes on the Syrian Kurds Predictably, neither Moscow nor Tehran was invited for the anti-Daesh meeting of 68 nations hosted by Washington next week. Yet another chapter of hardcore information war; for US public opinion, Russia and Iran simply cannot be allowed to be perceived as actually fighting and winning a real war on terror. Smash Daesh is a major Trump campaign promise. He won't do it with several hundred US Marines with their sights on Raqqa by the way, technically a minor invasion, because Damascus did not request their presence. So it's back to Plan A, a.k.a. the Syrian Kurds. First the top US commander in the Middle East, General Joseph Votel, went to Kobane to pledge Pentagon support for the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). Then the Pentagon released its (revised) Trump-ordered strategy to defeat Daesh, which boils down to No Sleep Till Raqqa. That implies a brand new geopolitical alignment. Team Obama especially the CIA and the State Department was hostage to Turkey's view of the Syrian Kurds as "terrorists." Not Trump. And not Bogdanov, by the way: "Why Turkey agreed on Iraqi Kurdistan, but does not agree to the Kurdistan in Syria? I think that this is not their business. This is an Iraqi affair and Syrian affair. Syrian people and not the Russian or Turkish state should decide." The Pentagon is, to put it mildly, fed up with Ankara. For many reasons: from the non-stop purges (which get rid of strategically placed American assets) to the Turkey-Russia rapprochement, inbuilt in Erdogan's threat to pivot East for good in case Washington supports the Syrian Kurds and/or does not extradite Fethullah Gulen, accused by Erdogan of being the mastermind of the failed 2016 military coup against him. So how about the taste of the new blueberry cheesecake in town; Washington, Moscow and Tehran all allied behind the Syrian Kurds. It's complicated, of course. In the Astana negotiations, Turkey, Russia and Iran are theoretically on the same side. Yet Tehran backs some sort of Kurdish autonomy in Syria an anathema for Erdogan, for whom the only acceptable Kurdish autonomy is for his Barzani-controlled friends in Iraqi Kurdistan. So it's up to Moscow to strike a balancing act trying to explain to Ankara that there's no other way apart from Syrian Kurd self-administration in a future Syrian federal state. The concept is extremely ambitious; Moscow aims to show East and West how the Syrian Kurds, as a real non-Islamist, secular Syrian actor, are the perfect instrument to fight Daesh and other forms of Salafi-jihadism. No wonder Saudi Arabia is not impressed; fighting Daesh was never their priority. But what really matters is that Ankara is not convinced. Erdogan has his total focus on the upcoming referendum that may turn him into a sort of Presidential Sultan. To win decisively he must court Turkish nationalism by all means necessary. At the same time, geopolitically, he cannot go against Russia/Iran and Washington in one go. Only a few weeks ago no one would have imagined the Syrian Kurds harboring potential strategic leverage capable of turning Middle East geopolitics linked to Asia, Africa and Europe upside down. China's One Belt, One Road (OBOR) that building frenzy of ports, pipelines, high-speed rail firmly targets the Southwest Asia passage, from Iran (a key hub) to Saudi Arabia (China's top oil supplier). Syria is also a future OBOR hub and for that Syria must be peaceful and free of Salafi-jihadis. In silent, discreet Eurasia integration fashion, China supports what Russia and Iran are deciding. Home Norman Finkelstein to Jewish Journalist in Denmark You are Spouting Israeli Propaganda Video Norman Finkelstein once again makes mince meat of the Zionist propaganda machine and tells the Zionist journalist like how it is. Posted March 19, 2017 - Originally posted March 2015 No Advertising - No Government Grants - This Is Independent Media Get Our Free Daily Newsletter The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Information Clearing House. Click for Spanish , German , Dutch , Danish , French , translation- Note- Translation may take a moment to load. What's your response? - Scroll down to add / read comments Please read our Comment Policy before posting - It is unacceptable to slander, smear or engage in personal attacks on authors of articles posted on ICH. Those engaging in that behavior will be banned from the comment section. Only a Fool Would Trust Rogue State USA By Finian Cunningham March 20, 2017 " Information Clearing House " - " Sputnik " - The United States suffers from a chronic trust deficit, to put it mildly. Anything that its leaders say must be weighed against years of deception and relentless criminal conduct by US governments. US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson visited Chinese President Xi Jinping at the weekend, vowing greater cooperation to reduce tensions boiling up on the Korean Peninsula. Only a day before, however, Tillerson was threatening that the US would use pre-emptive military strikes against China's ally North Korea if "we believe" it presented a threat "to us". So what's it to be then? Cooperation or pre-emptive war? At the same time that Tillerson was seemingly conveying a cordial tone to Beijing, President Trump was mouthing off at home that "North Korea was behaving badly" and that China had not done enough to contain it. Trump's comments angered China, with the latter responding it had in fact gone to great lengths over recent years to calm tensions on the Korean Peninsula between North Korea and the American ally in the South, by continually calling for dialogue, which the US has continually rebuffed, preferring to play hardball instead. The weekend exchange is but one brief insight into why Washington cannot be trusted. The president and his top diplomat can't even articulate a consistent policy for even a few hours. How could one possibly take them seriously? But Trump and Tillerson's mixed signals are a mere trifling matter. Why the US cannot be trusted has got much more to with decades of systematic misbehavior by Washington. North Korea "behaving badly," says Trump. Typical American arrogance and ignorance do not admit the reality of the US behaving atrociously. The whole specter of a nuclear war on the Korean Peninsula was created in the first place by the United States. Its decision to drop atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945 was motivated by the Soviet Union's imminent entry into the Pacific War. Washington did not want to see the Soviet Union taking Japanese or Korean territory. Korean communist rebels were about to over-run the peninsula in 1945 and reclaim it from imperialist Japanese control. By dropping the atomic bombs on Japan, the Americans thwarted the advance of communists in Asia-Pacific. Korea was de facto divided between a communist northern state and a US-installed southern state, which also saw the reinstatement of quislings who had collaborated with Japanese fascism. The subsequent Korean War (1950-53) was a US-led orchestration to defeat the communist North. Over three million Koreans were killed in a war which brought the peninsula to the brink of nuclear conflagration, if American generals had their way at the time. Still, more conventional bombs and napalm were dropped on North Korea by the US than on the whole of Japan during the Pacific War, according to international war crimes lawyer Christopher Black. Pyongyang, the northern capital, was obliterated by US carpet bombings. American troops committed countless massacres against civilians, such as in Sinchon when hundreds of women and children were incinerated in ditches and air raid shelters. Koreans were forced to live in caves to escape the brutal American bombing of their country. One special terror technique was the flying of nuclear-capable bombers over the northern territory. The people below did not know if a fate like that of Hiroshima was about to descend on them. When the bombs stopped in 1953, the US never declared a full armistice or signed a non-aggression treaty, as is normal following conflicts. From the North Korean standpoint, the Americans still retain the "right" to attack their country. When the US today conducts annual war maneuvers with its South Korean ally, we can perhaps understand why North Korea is alarmed by what it sees as a rehearsal for resumed hostilities. Over the weekend, US Secretary of State Tillerson said that his nation does not want conflict with North Korea. But Washington ruled out the reasonable proposal from China for the US to cancel its war maneuvers in exchange for North Korea curbing its weapons program. The US is moving ahead with installation of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system in South Korea. That move defies warnings from both China and Russia that it is destabilizing the entire region and provoking a new arms race. Washington's words of "not wanting war" are accompanied by the ultimatum that North Korea unilaterally disarm its nuclear weapons program and testing of ballistic missiles. No Advertising - No Government Grants - This Is Independent Media Get Our Free Daily Newsletter But history has shown that any country which is not sufficiently defended is liable to be destroyed by Washington. We saw this with regard to former Yugoslavia, Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Syria and Somalia. Anywhere where the Americans can make easy prey, they will do so with the utmost barbarity, and then add insult to injury by calling it "nation building". Despite Western media demonization of North Korea as some kind of crazy rogue state, the people there are not fools. They know from family histories the atrocious cost of American war. And they know that any nation perceived as weak by Washington will be bombed back to the Stone Age. Nevertheless, there is ample opportunity for a positive way forward. The Korean people, North and South, have always been willing to engage in dialogue for the peaceful reunification of their country, which was only artificially partitioned by American hegemonic meddling. This spirit of dialogue and cooperation is also shared by the majority of citizens in the wider region. Chinese and Japanese people quite reasonably want a general demilitarization of the region. That primarily means Washington removing up to 100,000 of its troops from Japan and South Korea, along with its bases and all the other trappings of war. The biggest hindrance to democratic, peaceful self-determination in Korea and the region is Washington's insistence on remaining there to "protect" its allies. Washington forced its way into the region by using nuclear terrorism, and it remains there through the same ploy of nuclear menace under the guise of blaming North Korea. Ironically, the US State Department described Tillerson's tour of the Asia-Pacific this weekend as a "listening tour". Well if Tillerson and his government were truly listening, they would hear the following: stop destabilizing whole countries and inciting wars; leave ordinary citizens in neighboring nations to get on with their lives and mutual relations; and American militarism should pack up and go home to redirect its monstrous resources to improve the lives of millions of impoverished American families. There is a direct analogy here with how Washington and its NATO agenda of hostility towards Russia are destabilizing Europe against the wishes and interests of most European citizens. No wonder so few trust American power. It is the most destructive force in the world since the Second World War. American criminal wars and subterfuges have destroyed dozens of countries. So when an American envoy talks about wanting peace, while at the same time threatening pre-emptive attacks and demanding that others unilaterally disarm the only appropriate response is contempt. Only a fool would trust Washington because it is the biggest warmongering rogue state on Earth. Professor Wolff Clearly Explains the Coming ECONOMIC CRISIS By Richard Wolff Richard David Wolff is an American Marxian economist, well known for his work on Marxian economics, economic methodology, and class analysis. Video Posted March 20, 2017 Questions about Capitalism Prof. Wolff gives updates on Caterpillar tax evasion, Obamacare, slave labor for immigrants, Harvard and slavery, billionaires, Puerto Rico, and Greece. Major discussion: questions about capitalism. Capitalism Is the Problem This article originally appeared at Truthout.org By Richard Wolff Over the last century, capitalism has repeatedly revealed its worst tendencies: instability and inequality. Instances of instability include the Great Depression (1929-1941) and the Great Recession since 2008, plus eleven "downturns" in the US between those two global collapses. Each time, millions lost jobs, misery soared, poverty worsened and massive resources were wasted. Leaders promised that their "reforms" would prevent such instability from recurring. Those promises were not kept. Reforms did not work or did not endure. The system was, and remains, the problem. Inequality likewise proved to be an inherent trend of capitalism. Only occasionally and temporarily did opposition from its victims stop or reverse it. Income and wealth inequalities have worsened in almost every capitalist country since at least the 1970s. Today we have returned to the huge 19th-century-sized gaps between the richest 1 percent and everyone else. Rescuing the "disappearing middle class" has become every aspiring politician's slogan. Extreme inequality infects all of society as corporations and the rich, to protect their positions, buy the politicians, mass media and other cultural forms that are for sale. Recent Crises in the History of Capitalism Capitalism in Western Europe, North America and Japan -- its original centers -- has boosted profits in four basic ways since the 1970s. First, it computerized and robotized, not to lessen everyone's work time, but instead to raise profits by reducing payrolls. Second, it exploited low-wage immigrant labor to offset wage increases won by years of labor struggles. Third, it moved production to lower-wage countries such as China, India, Brazil and others. Fourth, it divided and weakened the labor unions, political party groups and other organizations that pursued labor's interests. As a result, inside nearly every country of the global capitalist system, the rich-poor divide deepened. The Great Depression provoked economic "reforms," such as FDR's New Deal. These included regulations restricting risky bank and other market practices. Reforming governments also established public pensions, unemployment insurance, public employment systems, minimum wages, monetary and fiscal policies, and so on. Advocates believed that such reforms would end the 1930s depression and prevent future depressions. They dismissed critics who diagnosed depressions as systemic and prescribed system change (or "revolution") as the necessary solution. "Reform versus revolution" was then a hot debate. In the US, the reformers defeated the revolutionaries as preparation for war -- and then war itself -- finally ended the Great Depression. As capitalism rebounded after 1945, capitalists increasingly evaded the Depression-era reforms, using their growing wealth to buy the political influence needed to gut many reforms. Later, Reagan led the frontal assault, repackaged as "globalization" and "neoliberalism" to undo the New Deal. When that rollback of reforms culminated in the 2008 crash, it exposed capitalism's instability and inequality yet again. The continuing post-2008 economic crisis has reproduced both the kinds of suffering that happened after 1929 and the reform-versus-revolution debates. The difference this time is that we know what happened last time. While the reformers then defeated the revolutionaries, their reforms failed to prevent the continuation of capitalism's instability and inequality, and their harmful social effects. Reformism today advocates the same (or a slightly varied) set of reforms as last time. It thus represents a refusal to learn from our history. The revolutionary alternative now makes more sense. "Revolutionary," however, need not evoke romantic notions of storming barricades: Today, revolutionary refers to the recognition that system change, not another reform, is our primary task. What System Change Requires What differentiates system change from reforms? Reforms refer to government interventions that still leave employers in the exclusive position to make the basic enterprise decisions: what, how and where to produce and what to do with profits. Reforms include minimum wage laws, redistributive tax structures, and enterprises owned and operated by the government. They range from the mildly Keynesian (the New Deal) to the democratic socialist (what we see in Scandinavian countries) to the state socialist (the model of the USSR and People's Republic of China). All such reforms retain the core relationship inside enterprises as that of employer-employee, with private or public directors controlling the mass of workers and making the basic enterprise decisions. No Advertising - No Government Grants - This Is Independent Media Get Our Free Daily Newsletter In contrast, system change means reorganizing the core human relationship inside the factories, offices and stores of an economy. That relationship connects all who participate in production and distribution of goods and services. It shapes (1) who produces what, how and where; (2) how much surplus or profits are available; and (3) the disposition of the surplus or profits. Truly moving beyond capitalism means breaking from the employer-employee core relationship. It means no longer assigning a relatively tiny number of people inside each enterprise to the employer position of exclusively making the sorts of decisions outlined above. In private corporations the employers are the boards of directors selected by the major shareholders. In state or public enterprises of the traditional socialist economies, the employers are state officials. Instead of either kind of employer-employee relationship, system change installs a different core relationship inside enterprises. A different group of people -- all workers in the factory, office or store -- democratically makes those same decisions. The rule is "one worker, one vote," and in general, the majority decides. The difference between employer and employee dissolves. Such system change beyond capitalism means something quite different from shifting to public directors from private directors, which is a reform. System change entails the democratization of the workplace. The logic governing the economic system, then, would no longer be capital-centric (making decisions (1) through (3) in such a particular way that the capitalist employer-employee relationship in production is reproduced). The particular connecting relationship at the core of capitalism will have been superseded: rather like what happened earlier to the slave-centric core relationship (master-slave) and the feudal-centric core relationship (lord-serf). Instead, the post-capitalist core relationship will be democratically worker-centric, with the central type of workplace being the worker cooperative. Among the goals driving an economy based on democratic worker coops, job security, quality of workers' lives and reproduction of the worker coop core relationship in production will weigh more heavily than enterprise profits. Because different people will be making the key enterprise decisions and because those people will be driven by different goals, the post-capitalist society will develop very differently from the capitalist. Democratic worker coops will likely (1) not relocate themselves overseas, (2) distribute incomes far less unequally than capitalist enterprise, (3) not install ecologically damaging technologies near where their families and neighbors reside, and so on. Responding to reductions in demands for their outputs, worker coops will more likely stress sharing any reduced work hours among all workers rather than forcing a few into unemployment. The needless social irrationality of capitalist downturns -- when unemployed workers coexist with unutilized means of production to leave social needs unmet -- will be much more apparent and thus widely unacceptable. In an economy built on worker coops, children, retired people, people living with disabilities or illness and others outside the labor force would be sustained from the worker coops' "surplus." The latter comprises what the coop labor force produces above and beyond what it consumes and requires to replace used-up means of production. Adults in and out of the coop labor force would together and democratically determine the sizes and recipients of all the distributions of the surplus. They would decide how much of the surplus would go to expanding production, to provisions for future contingencies, to providing for children, for those in other social institutions, and so on. In place of capitalists (a social minority) distributing the surpluses produced by and appropriated from their employees, a genuine democracy would govern that distribution, much as it governs other worker coop decisions. The Global Famine Begins UN Announces That The Worst Food Crisis Since World War II Is Happening Right Now By Michael Snyder We always knew that this would start happening. Earlier this month, I wrote about the severe economic problems that are plaguing South America , but up to this point I have neglected to discuss the horrific famines that are breaking out all over Africa. Right now there is a desperate need for food in South Sudan, Somalia, northeast Nigeria, Eritrea and Kenya. And Yemen, even though it is not technically part of Africa, is being affected by many of the same factors that are crippling nations all over eastern Africa. The United Nations says that more than 20 million people could die from starvation and disease if nothing is done. When I write about economic collapse , this is the kind of thing that I am talking about, and we are starting to see alarming conditions spread across the globe. Many believe that we could never possibly face this kind of food crisis in the western world, but unfortunately wishful thinking will only get you so far. The United Nations was formed in 1945, and the UN has just announced that what we are facing this year is the largest humanitarian crisis since the creation of the UN. The following comes from a CNN article entitled 20 million at risk of starvation in worlds largest crisis since 1945, UN says We stand at a critical point in history. Already at the beginning of the year we are facing the largest humanitarian crisis since the creation of the UN, UN humanitarian chief Stephen OBrien said Friday. Now, more than 20 million people across four countries face starvation and famine. Without collective and coordinated global efforts, people will simply starve to death. Many more will suffer and die from disease. It would be hard to overstate the level of human suffering that we are witnessing in many parts of Africa at this moment. In Somalia, the UN estimates that more than 6 million people are in desperate need of food aid As Somalia inches closer to a calamitous famine, the prospect of utter devastation and colossal loss of human life is once again becoming an imminent reality. The humanitarian situation in Somalia is deteriorating by the day with up to 6.2 million people in need of urgent aid. People across Somalia have been forced to walk hundreds of miles in search of food, water and shelter- with women and children disproportionately affected. Over 300,000 children under the age of five are severely malnourished, with over 200,000 more children at risk of acute malnutrition. In South Sudan, close to half the population is in dire need of assistance, and things have gotten so bad there that people will literally eat grass if they can find it Across South Sudan more than one million children are believed to be acutely malnourished and UNICEF have said that if urgent aid does not reach them, many of them will die. There is no food, we eat anything we can find, one South Sudanese mother told ITV. We will find grass, we will eat it. Thats just the way it us for us now. Over in Yemen, there are about seven million people in need of food help, and authorities are warning that if nothing is done millions of children could starve to death The numbers affected are absolutely extraordinary, said Mark Kaye, Save the Childrens Yemen spokesperson. We keep on talking about a country thats on the brink of famine, but for me these numbers highlight that were at the point of no return. If things are not done now we are going to be looking back on this and millions of children will have starved to death, and well all have been aware of this for some time. That will shame us as an international community for years to come. Eritrea was not specifically included in the recent UN alert, but it should have been. Much of the country has been hit by a crippling drought, and approximately half of all children in Eritrea are stunted But we cannot understand why Eritrea is not included in the appeal. Unicef has confirmed what we know from our friends and families inside the country. In a report in January, the agency said that the El Nino drought has hit half of all Eritreas regions. Acute malnutrition is widespread. As Unicef put it: Malnutrition rates already exceeded emergency levels, with 22,700 children under five projected to suffer from severe acute malnutrition in 2017 Half of all children in Eritrea are stunted, and as a result, these children are even more vulnerable to malnutrition and disease outbreaks. No Advertising - No Government Grants - This Is Independent Media Get Our Free Daily Newsletter We have been warned that there would be famines in diverse places in these times. But here in the western world we tend to be lulled into a false sense of security by our comfortable lives, not realizing that the massively inflated standard of living that we have been enjoying has been fueled by the largest mountain of debt in the history of the planet . In Kenya, a national emergency has been declared due to drought and famine. For those of you that are parents, what would you do if your children were crying out for food but you didnt have anything to give them? The following story from Kenya is beyond heartbreaking Emmanuel Ayapar is three years old and can no longer walk. The flesh on his legs, which dangle from his mothers hip as she carries him around, is wasting away . He seems listless and sad, tongue flicking repeatedly in and out of his mouth. We do not have enough food, said Veronica, his 28-year-old mother. We eat only once a day. The little boy is suffering from severe malnutrition and is at risk of starving to death. He weighs just 15lb half the typical weight for a boy of his age. I dont even know what to say after that. In the western world we can be so incredibly self-absorbed that we dont even realize that children are literally starving to death on the other side of the planet. Hopefully those of us that live in wealthy western countries will step up to the plate and aid those in need, and hopefully this crisis will also help us to understand that we need to prepare for the day when things get difficult in our own nations too. This article was first published at The Economic Collapse Governor of Ekiti State, Mr. Ayodele Fayose has condemned the brutalisation and detention of three people, including a nursing mother and her baby, by men of the Police in Ado Ekiti, the Governor has vowed to get to the root of the matter and bring the culprits to book The governor said no responsible man would beat a woman, manhandle or brutalise her for whatever reason. He added that it was unlawful for a policeman to raise his hand against a woman. Recall, policemen in Ado Ekiti had on Friday brutalised and detained a woman, Mrs Toyin Adeyeye, her two-month-old baby, Heritage, and her younger brother, Adeniyi Dada, for allegedly refusing to give bribe at a police checkpoint. It was learnt that about five policemen descended on them and beat them mercilessly before taking them to New Iyin Police Station where the beating continued. Fayose, in a statement on Monday by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Idowu Adelusi, said he had met with the state commissioner of police over the matter. He said, It is highly irresponsible for any man to brutalise a woman for any reason. The law that forbids violence against women is still operative in this state. And I can never allow any form of brutality of women under my watch as governor in Ekiti State. Women are even described as the weaker vessel. As such even if you marry her, does that deny her of her rights? It is particularly sad that such a report was coming barely a week after we celebrated International Womens Day in an unprecedented style in this state. I have already ordered an investigation into the matter. Anybody found culpable in the case will face the court of law. I am also using this opportunity to sound a note of warning to policemen who take peoples vehicle particulars, put them under their armpits and demand for bribe. Such cannot be allowed any longer in Ekiti State. We will get to the root of the matter and make justice to prevail. Source: ( Punch Newspaper ) A Nigerian cleric has made a new and shocking prophecy about President Muhammadu Buhari and how he will end up. Primate Ayodele Elijah,Founder and General Overseer of the INRI Evangelical and Spiritual Church, has delivered his prophecy for the second quarter of the year. Daily Post reports that Ayodele, declared that President Muhammadu Buhari, will face serious political challenges, adding that the President will resign due to his health condition. He also said that some Governors will gang up against the President. Ayodele,however, lamented that his prophecies have not been given needed attention in the country. He said he had prophesied the rejection of the Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Ibrahim Magu, the death of General Samuel Ogbemudia and that of General Adeyinka Adebayo, but his words were not taken seriously. He warned that the Federal Government should be wary of its declaration that the Boko Haram attacks had been reduced, saying the proscribed terror group, would launch other attacks in a new fashion. He also said the economy would improve between May and July this year. He made the revelation in a chat with Tribune on Sunday. Primate Ayodele said, It is sad that we are not taken seriously when we warned earlier in newspapers and other media outlets. When a nation ignores Gods warning, certain things happen. I warned Nigeria of certain occurrences as published in the Daily Champion of December 30, 2015. In my book Warning to the Nations 2016/2017, I said there would be a new CAF president. I also warned of Magus rejection. It is on page 186 of the book. I also warned of the deaths of General Samuel Ogbemudia and General Adeyinka Adebayo. In the same vein, President Muhammadu Buhari still needs prayers because he may likely resign midway as a result of his health condition, unless prayers are intensified. Buhari will face political challenges. Some unexpected people will be removed from his cabinet. Some governors will gang up against him. In APC, there will be wrangling before and after the party convention. The crisis in the PDP will break it. Some northern governors will run into crisis that may jeopardise their political calculations. The economy will improve between May and July. Government should reform CBN and NNPC. The perpetrators of herdsmen killings will be exposed. Our security outfits should be alert as Boko Haram would devise new dimensions of attacks. There will be an increase in petrol product, as the price of petrol may change. Flour will be scarce. Charcoal will be expensive at the middle of the year. I see division in the National Assembly. The fight against corruption by the EFCC should be sustained but the former governor of Adamawa State, Mr James Ngilari, should be pardoned so that his political career will not be ruined, he stated. The Nigeria Union of Teachers, NUT, today declared that only its Delta State Wing Executive Council, SWEC, can call off or suspend the strike action embarked upon by secondary and primary school teachers. The Warri South Local Government NUT Chairman, Comrade Ikuejawa Ishmael made the declaration during a press conference today in Warri, Delta State. Ikuejawa wondered why teachers were being owed salaries for several months, yet political appointees get paid as at when due. President of Delta State Chapter of All Nigeria Confederation of Principals of Secondary Schools, ANCOPSS, President,Brisibe Ebipade Mark stated that the decision to call off the ongoing strike action rests squarely on the State Chapter of Nigeria Union of Teachers, NUT and not its members. Mark noted that secondary school teachers are not ANCOPSS members but NUT. In a chat with newsmen,Mark explained that by virtue of their positions as school principals, they are always on their duty posts to render skeletal services during strike action. The body noted that for the, avoidance of any doubt, issues such as non-implementation of promotion arrears, inter-cadre transfers and non-payment of pensions to retirees for five years running affect secondary schools /technical schools. Delta State Governor, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa had on Saturday, March 18 in a press statement, directed members of ANCOPSS to ensure that secondary school teachers resume work from Monday, March 20, threatening to invoke the no work, no pay policy. SWEC had on Thursday, March 9, 2017 resumed its suspended strike action over the non-implementation of its 10-point demands. The demands include: Non-implementation of monthly salaries to primary school teachers as at when due, decision by JAAC to reduce primary school teachers monthly salaries to 81%, non-implementation of teachers promotions by PPEB and SUBEB as well as non-payment of promotion arrears of primary and secondary school teachers. Source: Dailypost A Surulere Chief Magistrates Court in Lagos has released on a bail of N500, 000, a 32-year-old man, Chibuike Marizu, who allegedly raped an 11-year-old girl. The suspect is facing a charge of defilement to which he pleaded not guilty before Chief Magistrate, Ipaye Nwachukwu. She said one of the sureties must be a civil servant of not less than Grade Level 14, while the other surety must be a landed property owner in Lagos with an evidence of tax payment. Nwachukwu directed that the case file should be duplicated and a copy sent to the State Director of Public Prosecutions for advice. The prosecutor, Sgt. Anthonia Osayande, had told the court that the accused committed the offence at No. 3, Yinka Bello St., NEPA Bus Stop in Ejigbo area of Lagos at about 8am on Feb.23. She said the accused, whose shop is located at No. 3, Yinka Bello Street, sent the 11-year-old girl on an errand and on her return, he closed the door of the shop and assaulted her sexually. Osayande said the girl reported the incident to her mother which led to the arrest of the accused. The offence contravened Sections 137 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State 2011. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the section prescribes life imprisonment for child defilement. The case was adjourned until May 9. (NAN) Two Chinese citizens and a Nigeria have been remanded in prison as ordered by the Federal High Court in Lagos on Monday. The trio who were accused of importing sub-standard automobile tyres worth about N5bn into the country. Justice Mojisola Olatoregun made the remand order shortly after the accused were arraigned before her on four counts. The Judge presiding over the case,Justice Mojisola Olatoregun made the remand order shortly after the accused were arraigned before her on four counts. The accused, who were arraigned by the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, are Taolung Shen, Xu Jing Yao and Chinedu Madubuike. They were arraigned alongside two companies, Sino Nigeria Limited and Nedeca International Limited. Madubuike, who was listed as the fifth defendant, was arraigned in absentia as his counsel, Mr. Napoleon Nwachukwu, informed the court that the accused was seriously sick. In the four charges, the Federal Government accused the Chinese and their alleged accomplices of conspiring among yourselves to import tyres, which did not meet the relevant Nigeria industrial standards. The accused persons were said to have allegedly stuffed various sizes of tyres into one another, an act, the Federal Government said, constituted a danger to the Nigerian populace. The defendants were said to have committed the alleged offence sometime in the month of February 2017. The offence, the prosecuting counsel for the AGF, Mr. Yusuff Lawan said, is contrary to and punishable under Section 26 (2)(b)(iii) of the Standards Organisation Act No. 14, 2015 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004. However, when the charges were read and interpreted to the Chinese citizens by one Fred Guichu Zhong, from the Chinese High Commission in Nigeria, the defendants pleaded not guilty. Their Nigerian co-defendants equally pleaded not guilty. Following their plea, the prosecutor, Lawan, urged Justice Olatoregun to fix a date for commencement of trial, adding that the prosecution had four witnesses to call to prove the charges. Source: ( Punch Newspaper ) The latest report of Mr. Chinedu Peters that was killed in an extra-judicial manner by a policeman. Unekwe, who claimed to reside in Dubai and quoting Peters girlfriend who reportedly witnessed the incident, said the passengers obeyed and came down, after which the policemen allegedly ordered them to lie down on the ground. They also complied, Unekwe said. Unekwe said that one Hausa man happened to be among the passengers and he was released. This reportedly angered Peters, who got up and demanded to know why the Hausa man was released rather than everyone, since the policemen didnt find anything incriminating on any of them. Unekwe wrote, One policeman among them by name Ibe Uchenna, ordered him (Peters) to lie down or he would shoot him. He (Peters) refused, (insisting) that he will only obey when the Hausa man is brought back. That was how he was shot by someone that was supposed to protect him. After the shooting, Unekwe continued, Peter lay down helpless, crying for them to take him to hospital. Instead, they took him in their van and dumped him in a location they thought people would not find out, took their car for a wash to cover their crime, without knowing that the girlfriend was with him, Unekwe added. Peters girlfriend allegedly returned home and explained what happened; and the following morning, friends and relations lodged a complaint with the police. However, Unekwe said, police feigned ignorance of the incident. When Peters girlfriend insisted that the incident truly happened, the police commander allegedly called the troop that was deployed in the area on the day of the incident and Peters girlfriend was able to recognise their faces and the guy that shot him. Unekwe added, The police later changed the story, and said that Chinedu (Peters) was taken to a hospital and that he was responding to treatment, but they refused to tell the family which hospital. The victims family and friends then embarked on a search, during which his dead body was found on the morning of March 18th. When they reported back to the police, they were allegedly informed that the policeman who shot him dead, Ibe Uchenna, was being detained in Umuahia. Speaking on behalf of a nongovernmental organisation, The Due Process Advocates, Unekwe urged the government to see that the circumstances surrounding Peters extrajudicial murder are probed and the alleged killer punished in accordance with the law. Source : ( Punch Newspaper) A case has been arraigned before an Ikeja Magistrate Court, of a businessman, Friday Aigbogun and his lover, Olamide Fashanu who were charged with biting off a womans ear on Monday. The accused: Aigbogun, 40, and Fashanu, 26,are residents of Adegbule Street, Mushin, Lagos State, are facing four counts of: a breach of the peace, conspiracy, assault and grievous harm. According to the prosecutor, Inspector Rita Momoh, the accused committed the offences on March 14 at 43, Ayantuga St., Mushin. She said that the accused conspired to unlawfully assault Mrs Ajoke Wasiu by biting off her right ear completely. The accused beat and inflicted wounds on the complainants right ear, she said. Momoh said that the accused went to buy N30 worth of sachet water popularly called `pure-water from the complainant. The accused gave the complainant N30; being the cost of three `pure water, the complainant then gave them the water. But the accused insisted that the complainant must put them inside a nylon bag. The complainant told them that she did not have a nylon bag and they asked for a refund of their money, and she did. The accused started cursing and abusing the complainant; calling her unprintable names, and when the complainant responded, the accused grabbed her and started beating her. In the process, the second accused, Fashanu, bit off the right ear of the complainant with her teeth the prosecutor said. The prosecutor said that the part of the ear that was bitten-off was recovered at the scene of the incident. She said the offences contravened Sections 166, 171, 243 and 409 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015. Section 243 prescribes seven years jail term for grievous harm. They pleaded guilty and was granted #50,000 bail and two sureties. The Magistrate adjourned the case to April 10. Source: (PM News) Chinese professor Jiang Wenguo was awarded the Order of the British Empire on March 16, bestowed by Britain's Prince Charles at Buckingham Palace. Jiang became the first scientist from the Chinese mainland to win this honor, thanks to his outstanding contribution to cancer research. Jiang is currently teaching at Cardiff University. Over the past two decades, he has made tremendous contributions to medical cooperation and training in the U.K. and China. A cancer research cooperation project led by Jiang in cooperation with Peking University and Capital Medical University was previously awarded the Times Higher Education Award for international cooperation. Jiang also established the Cardiff University scholarship for Chinese medicine, cultivating more than 100 medical and research talents from Beijing, Guangzhou, Chongqing, Shandong, Inner Mongolia and Northeast China. PSquares half duo, Paul Okoye, has taken to his social media page to lament that Nigerians will never be satisfied even when one offers help to them. He said Nigerians are not cannot be pleased, stating that they call one stingy when you give in silence and also call you show off when you give in public. According to him, he does not care what anyone thinks because they will still complain no matter what one does. He further urged Nigerians to stop hateful comments and discouraging words against people on social media. On his Instagram page @rudeboypsquare, he wrote: You help someone today, they call you show off, you help in silence, they call you stingy. #onlyinnaija To an extent even when people need serious help, going public seeking for help or trying to raise fund, u will still hear some people saying must they go public mehhnnn .. I taya! Yes I know some will say your reward is in heaven but then must you kill and discourage while we are on earth! Im sure as am typing these words now; some English teachers are checking my grammar thats the life we live in. Have a great week all, I dont care what you think. Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State has urged the security agents to apprehend the killers of the ex-chairman of Etsako East Local Council, Suleiman Afegbua. Obaseki condemned the gruesome killing of Afegbua who was shot along Benin-Auchi road on Thursday. A statement by the governors Chief Press Secretary, Mr. John Mayaki, said preliminary reports showed that unknown attackers, suspected to be assassins, killed him on his way to Benin City, the Edo State capital. Obaseki promised to take care of his family, while he offered scholarship to his daughter up to university level. He also promised to assist his immediate community. He said: The road leading to his quarters (Awoyemi), which Suleiman could not complete would be done, while the youths welfare , which was paramount to him would be addressed. The governor made the pledge when he condoled with the family at the weekend at Okpella, in Etsako local council area. The late Suleimans father, his wife and other family members in Awoyemi quarters received the governor. While describing Suleiman as a loyal party man, Obaseki said he was an active member of All Progressives Congress (APC) and a man of peace who fought for the development of his community. Source: Guardian The Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi is to address the British House of Commons in the United Kingdom on Tuesday alongside other guests and Members of Parliament (MPs) at BRITAFRIQUE- an international trade, investment and tourism symposium. This was made known at the dinner and awards event which held on Saturday night at the Ballroom of the JW Marriott Hotel on Park Lane, London. It was organised by the outgoing chairman of the Central Association of Nigerians in the United Kingdom (CANUK), Tunde Loye, under the auspices of the Babatunde Loye BL- Foundation, to honour Nigerians in the Diaspora and support charity works. The Guardian learnt that the dinner was oversubscribed, leading to minor skirmish, in which the Ooni and some MPs were almost denied access into the venue. The security men at the March Arch based hotel were said to have locked the entrance, thus preventing a handful of guests who were just arriving from entering. Besides, guests who were about stepping out for whatever reasons were told that once they left they would not be allowed back into the venue as it was full to capacity by 9pm. Some guests could not get seats because the reception area was already crowded with exhibitors and some of the disappointed guests. However, former Mayor of Lambeth, Councilor Ade Aminu, was sighted pleading with the security men to let the stranded guests in. I have four guests outside who paid 400 and there is even a Member of Parliament among those waiting outside. These are the people that made it possible for the Ooni to see Prince Charles a few days ago, he told the security men. But head of the security men replied: I dont care whether an MP is outside or not, the people who employed me to guard the King said we should not allow anyone in again. Loye was not available for comments when this reporter left around 10pm. Source: Guardian There is a cloud of anxiety in the air across Edo State over recent killings arising from suspected assassination and armed robbery, with the most recent being the killing of former chairman of Etsako East Local Council, Suleman Afegbua, near Benin City on the Benin-Okenne-Lokoja road last Thursday. Police sources told The Guardian yesterday that two suspects have been arrested in connection with the killing of two persons last week ,Mrs. Oyo Omo-Osagie, who operates a shop less than 200 metres from the police command headquarters, who was trailed to her house and shot, and Pastor Godwin Emmanuel, said to have stopped for the assailants who pretended to be pushing their broken down vehicle. The state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Moses Nkombe, while confirming the arrests to The Guardian, said the two victims were killed by the same suspects and that investigation is on to ascertain the motives for the killings. They were arrested through tracking the mobile phone of the woman and they have confessed to the killing of the two victims. On the killing of Afegbua, Nkombe said the Commissioner of Police, Haliru Gwandu, has ordered increased security in that axis. The CP has ordered increased patrol in that axis by the Highway Patrol and conventional patrol teams to make the road safe for road users, he said. Meanwhile, Edo State governor, Godwin Obaseki, has offered full scholarship to the only child of Afegbua, even as he promised to tar the road leading to the quarters where the deceased lived. He made this known when he paid a condolence visit to the family in Okpella. Even if Suleiman is gone, I will make sure we take care of Zaiki, offer scholarship to his child to university level and provide the necessary needs for the family. This road leading to this quarters (Awoyemi), which Suleiman could not complete will be completed and the youth will not be forgotten, as Suleiman was always fighting for the youth, he said. Obaseki, who was received by late Suleimans father, his wife and other members of the family, said the deceased was an active member of the All Progressive Congress (APC), an administrator per excellence and a man of peace who did his best to foster peace, unity and development in his community. He stressed that the ex-council boss was killed on March 16 while on his way to Benin for a peace and reconciliation meeting with the governor to settle the lingering problem in the community. You all know him to be a man of peace. He was going to Benin on that day for a reconciliation meeting to settle the problem in Okpella. He was a man of peace and you will recall that for the last few weeks there has been series of robberies on that road as well as kidnapping. It is unfortunate he had to die at the hands of armed robbers. Source: Guardian A mother and her two children as well as member of the Joint task Force have been killed by three suicide bombers that attacked a village, Umarari, in Jere Local Government Area of Borno State. It was gathered that the bombers an adult and two teenagers on Saturday around 8pm, struck the village after the Islamic prayers. Our correspondents learnt that rescue workers from the National Emergency Management Agency and the State Emergency Management Agency, evacuated the remains of the bombers and their four victims. The NEMA North-East spokesperson, Abdulkadir Ibrahim, said, The casualties were evacuated to the Borno State Specialist Hospital by NEMA rescue workers and SEMA. The remains of the three suicide bombers were also deposited at the mortuary of the hospital. However, the Borno State Police Command on Sunday confirmed the death of four persons after an attempt by some suspected suicide bombers to infiltrate Maiduguri in Borno. The spokesman for the command, Mr. Victor Isuku, said in a statement in Maiduguri that three bombers had attempted to infiltrate Maiduguri at about 9pm on Saturday. At about 2100hrs of Saturday, three suicide bombers, a male and two female, attempted to infiltrate Maiduguri town through Umarari Village in the Molai general area. They were sighted and challenged by civilian Joint Task Force member, a government-approved militia group, Isuku stated. He said the bombers detonated the improvised explosive device strapped to their bodies while running in different directions while four persons died in the process. Four people, including a civilian JTF, a woman and her two children died while eight others sustained injuries, Isuku said. The Boko Haram insurgency has killed more than 15,000 people since 2009 and forced over two million people to flee their homes. Although the Nigerian army, backed by neighbours, had retaken most areas held by the group, the jihadists still operate in the area of Rann, slipping over the porous Cameroonian border after attacks. Meanwhile, the Nigerian Army has said it is doing its best to wipe out the Boko Haram insurgents, with the latest operation in Gujari Village in the Mafa Local Government Area of Borno State. The Director, Army Public Relations, Brig. Gen. Sani Usman, said two Boko Haram insurgents were killed on Friday, while a grenade bomb, four rifles, among other weapons were recovered. He said, Troops of 22 Brigade on Operation Lafiya Dole cleared the Boko Haram insurgents out of Gujari village. This followed information about the convergence of terrorists in the area, aiming to attack some of the nearby communities. Source: ( Punch Newspaper ) 18 students of the Students from Wenchi Methodist Senior High School and the University of Energy and Natural Resource have been confirmed dead by the Ghana Fire Service on Monday were killed by a falling tree while swimming at a popular waterfall spot in southern Ghana. The Students were on an excursion at the Kintampo Waterfalls in Brong Ahafo region on Sunday. A further 20 people were being treated in hospital, Desmond Owusu Boampong, a local police commander, told newsmen. No fewer than 18 people were killed when a large tree fell into the pool they were bathing in at the base of a waterfall in Ghana. Sixteen of the fatalities were reported to be students, while a large number of people were injured, police said. Ada Kumi from the fire service said the large tree was believed to have been brought down by strong winds. Kumi said, For now, the number that has been confirmed by the hospital is 18. We are yet to confirm reports that two more have died. Source : ( Premium Times ) Two members of the Peoples Democratic Party have defected to the ruling party( APC ), the persons are the Minority Leader and Deputy Minority Whip of the Nasarawa State House of Assembly, Ibrahim Alkali (PDP-Lafia North) and Mohammed Muluku (PDP-Nassarawa Eggon East), have defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC). The Speaker of the House, Alhaji Ibrahim Balarabe-Abdullahi who read the duos defection letters on Monday, congratulated them for taking the right decision. He said, We will continue to partner each other in order to move the party, the state and the country forward for the benefit of our people. Balarabe-Abdullahi assured of the assemblys readiness to continue to enact laws that have direct bearing on the lives of the people of the state. Earlier, the duo attributed their defection to the APC to crisis rocking the PDP at the national level. Alkali said, the crisis rocking our party at the national level is the reason why I defected to APC after due consultation with my constituents, he said. Muluku said: After due consultation with my party stakeholders, my constituency and other people in the state, I deem it necessary to dump PDP for APC to contribute my quota to the development of the state and Nigeria at large, he said. They, however, appreciated the PDP for giving them the opportunity to contest and win election to the House. Source: (PM News) A single mother, Ayobami Ojo, who reportedly prepared a native charm, which she used to steal from people, has been arrested after the charm failed her in Lagos. The Oyo State-born woman was arrested where she used the charm to steal from a shop owner, Mrs Olatade Olubukola at 18 Mufutau Adeyemi Street, Orelope in Idimu area of Lagos. P.M EXPRESS gathered that Ojo who had reportedly used the charm to steal from more than 30 victims, as usual went to Olubukola demanding that she should give her the sum of N13,000, though Olubukola gave her the money, but when Ojo was walking away thinking that her charm has worked, Olubukola confronted her. She reportedly attempted to escape by invoking her charm to silent Olubukola, but the charm failed her. This made the shop owner to raise an alarm which attracted the neighbours who apprehended the suspect. She was handed over to the police at Idimu division where she confessed that she had been using charm to steal from people but she did not know that she would be caught at Olubukolas shop. According to her, the charm, whenever she used it would enable her to disappear. She was charged before the Magistrates Court sitting at Ejigbo. She pleaded not guilty. The Presiding Magistrate, Mr Akeem Fashola granted her bail in the sum of N20,000 with one surety in the like sum. She was remanded in prison custody pending when she would fulfill her bail conditions. The matter was adjourned to 4 April 2017 for hearing. New research is turning on its head the idea that legacy systems like Cobol and Fortran are more secure because hackers are unfamiliar with the technology. New research found that these outdated systems, which may not be encrypted or even documented, were more susceptible to threats. By analyzing publicly available federal spending and security breach data, the researchers found that a 1 percent increase in the share of new IT development spending is associated with a 5 percent decrease in security breaches. "In other words, federal agencies that spend more in maintenance of legacy systems experience more frequent security incidents, a result that contradicts a widespread notion that legacy systems are more secure," the paper found. The research paper was written by Min-Seok Pang, an assistant professor of management information systems at Temple University, and Huseyin Tanriverdi, an associate professor in the Information, Risk and Operations Department at the University of Texas at Austin. "Maybe the conventional wisdom that legacy systems are secure could be right," said Pang, in an interview. But the integration of these systems "make the whole enterprise architecture too complex, too messy" and less secure, he said. Federal agencies have seen a rapid increase in security incidents, the paper points out, citing federal data assembled by the Government Accountability Office. From 2006 through 2014, the number of reported security incidents increased by more than 1,100 percent, or from 5,503 to 67,168. An incident can cover a range of activities, such as a denial of service, successfully executed malicious code, and breaches that give intruders access. [ To comment on this story, visit Computerworld's Facebook page. ] One of the largest federal system breaches occurred in 2015, when hackers gained access to 18 million records at the Office of Personnel Management. Tony Scott, the former federal CIO under President Barack Obama, told lawmakers at a hearing last year that nearly three-quarters of IT budgets are spent maintaining legacy systems. "These systems often pose significant security risks, such as the inability to utilize current security best practices, including data encryption and multifactor authentication, which make them particularly vulnerable to malicious cyberactivity," Scott said. Overall, the United States has more than 3,400 IT professionals employed to maintain legacy programming languages, a U.S. House committee was told after the OPM breach. If the federal government doesn't modernize its systems, Pang said it may see more large breaches similar to the OPM hack. In the absence of modernization, Pang said that effective IT governance "mitigates security risks of the legacy systems." It also recommended moving systems to the cloud. Pang said the government needs to pass the Modernizing Government Technology Act. That legislation, which was approved by the House last year, would have boosted IT spending by about $9 billion from 2017 to 2021 had it reached the president's desk. This story, "Cobol plays major role in U.S. government breaches" was originally published by Computerworld . It's only a matter of time before every major cloud vendor offers a version of Kubernetes as a service. Now its IBMs turn. This morning IBM announced the next logical step in its work with Docker containers: Kubernetes support on its Bluemix Container Service. Currently available in a limited beta, its feature set should match Google's and Microsoft's offerings. Kubernetes, the Bluemix way Previously, the default for managing Docker containers on Bluemix Container Service was to spin them up individually by hand or to use Bluemixs container groups metaphor, where Bluemix directly managed multiple containers running the same image. Kubernetes is meant to provide several advantages for container deployments: easier scaling, better visibility into the state of a cluster, and so on. IBM says its implementation of Kubernetes on Bluemix includes everything users would expect from a stock Kubernetes deployment, as well as some IBM-specific features. For example, see how it deploys master nodes, the parts of a cluster that accept commands and delegate them to the other machines in the cluster. IBM claims master nodes in its Kubernetes implementation are highly available and fully managed by IBMpresumably in contrast to simply providing and supporting a VM with Kubernetes thats spun and run by the customer. Some features for Bluemix Container Service are essentially conventional Docker/Kubernetes features writ largesuch as a per-organization Docker private image registry with image scanning and vulnerability detection built in, or support for Kubernetes secrets (API keys and more) when communicating with other Bluemix resources. Other features, like binding of Bluemix services, such as Watson APIs, Blockchain, data services, or internet of things to Kubernetes-deployed apps, more prominently promote Bluemix, allowing Kubernetes-powered apps plug into Bluemix-exclusive services. Why mess with a good thing? IBM arrives late to a party that already includes Google and Microsoft. Google has had a leg up on everyone else in offering Kubernetes as a service because it invented the underlying technology. It also worked to Googles advantage that its public cloud was relatively sparse; it could provide Kubernetes support on its cloud without having to make concessions to many legacy components. Microsoft late last year added Kubernetes for its container services, after originally supporting Docker Swarm and Mesosphere DC/OS as orchestration solutions. Microsoft delayed its entry because a lot of behind-the-scenes work was needed to add Kubernetes support to Azure and to open-source that work. Kubernetes clusters themselves are provisioned on Azure by way of a QuickStart template and managed with the CLI, rather than by way of a dedicated managed service. Amazon's ECS (EC2 Container Services) doesnt have a dedicated Kubernetes service; instead it offers a more general Docker as a service, with orchestration and scheduling provided by ECS itself, or through the Blox projects. Though late to the party, IBM is taking one crucial step for any cloud incarnation of an open source service: It's allowing the user to lift the hood and plug directly into the original API set. Thats important with cloud container services like Kubernetes, since the promise of a cloud built from open components was that workloads wouldnt become dependent on the clouds where they're hosted. Granted, IBMor any cloud providercould try to make a strong case for its cloud versus someone elses by promoting how well Kubernetes runs at scale on its cloud and works with the proprietary services to enrich those applications. But having Kubernetes at the core and in a form others know is still the most worthwhile draw. [This post has been updated with details and clarifications about Microsoft's and Amazon's offerings.] Cao Hongguo (2nd right) poses with his colleagues after flight ET604 arrived in Beijing, on March 18, 2017. (Photo/AVIC) A Chinese man has won tremendous acclaim on social media after helping to thwart an attempted plane hijacking on a flight from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia to Beijing, saving over 200 lives. Cao Hongguo, an employee of the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC), was a passenger on Ethiopian Airlines flight ET604 on March 18 when a passenger who had recently been fired from his job turned violent and attempted to hijack the plane, a Weibo post by AVIC recounted. The attacker, a 6-foot-tall male, started the episode by kicking at the door of the cockpit in the middle of the flight, sending the cabin into chaos. Cao quickly threw himself at the assailant. With the help of several other passengers, Cao then managed to subdue him after a tense, 20-minute struggle, according to Dahe, a newspaper in Henan province, where Cao is from. The plane made an emergency landing in Pakistan's Lahore Airport, where the attacker was escorted off the plane, Dahe reported. A thank-you note written by the captain of the flight (Photo/AVIC) In a thank-you note written by the captain of the flight and released by AVIC, Cao is said to have played an "instrumental" role in helping the air crew get to Beijing safely. "Cao Hongguo helped us to restrain a violent passenger, and was himself hurt during the struggle," the captain wrote. Fortunately, Cao sustained only a minor bruise during the incident, according to a WeChat post by his colleague. "I have been on the same flight as you many times, and I'm so proud of you!" another colleague wrote, adding to the flood of social media posts exalting Cao's bravery. The FBI is actively investigating Russias attempts to influence the 2016 U.S. presidential election and possible cooperation from President Donald Trumps campaign, agency director James Comey confirmed. The existence of an investigation isnt a surprise, but Comeys announcement Monday is the first time the FBI has acknowledged an active case. The FBI typically does not comment on active investigations, but the Russian actions targeting the U.S. election represents an unusual case, he told members of the House of Representatives Intelligence Committee. Comey told lawmakers he couldnt comment more on the investigation, but he said the FBI is looking into possible contacts and cooperation between the Trump campaign and the Russian government. The FBI is looking into the nature of any links between the Trump campaign and the Russian government, he said. U.S. intelligence agencies are confident that Russia directed hacks into the Democratic National Committee and campaign officials for Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. Leaked emails were released by WikiLeaks and other websites during the 2016 campaign. During the hearing, Comey also shot down Trump claims that former President Barack Obama wiretapped Trump Tower in New York City during the presidential campaign. The FBI and the Department of Justice have no information that supports those tweets by Trump in early March, Comey said. We have looked carefully inside the FBI for evidence of an Obama wiretapping campaign against Trump and found nothing, Comey added. Meanwhile, the intelligence community remains confident the Russians coordinated the election hacking campaign, Mike Rogers, director of the National Security Agency, told lawmakers Monday. The Russian government has repeatedly denied interfering in the presidential campaign. But Rogers and Comey were silent on the question about whether the Trump campaign worked with Russia to damage Clintons campaign. Republicans noted there is no evidence connecting the Trump campaign to the Russian government, but Democratic members of the committee tried to connect the dots. In an extraordinary 17-minute statement, Representative Adam Schiff laid out a timeline of meetings between members of the Trump campaign and the Russian government during the 2016 election season. Carter Page, a former national security advisor for Trump, visited Moscow in mid-2016 and reportedly discussed moving the campaign in a pro-Russia direction, Schiff said. Trump campaign officials also met with Russian officials during the Republican National Convention. Later, Michael Flynn, former national security advisor for Trump, and Jeff Sessions, Trumps attorney general, denied contact with Russian officials before they were outed in the press, Schiff said. And Trump campaign operative Roger Stone had contact with WikiLeaks and supposed DNC hacker Guccifer 2.0, Schiff said. Is it possible that all of these events and reports are completely unrelated and nothing more than an entirely unhappy coincidence? Schiff said. Yes, it is possible, but is also possible, maybe more than possible, that they are not coincidental, not disconnected, and not unrelated. Swift, Apple's successor language to Objective-C, has made great strides in the latest biannual RedMonk Programming Language Rankings, moving up to a tie for 11th spot, after placing 17th in the mid-year 2016 rankings. Released last Friday, the rankings also show Microsoft's TypeScript, Google's Go, and Mozilla Rust making progress. The rankings are based on a recently retweaked formula that assesses code usage in GitHub and language discussions in Stack Overflow. [ Get started with functional programming, including examples in F#. | Keep up with hot topics in programming with InfoWorld's App Dev Report newsletter. ] Finishing from first to fifth were JavaScript, Java, Python, PHP and, tied for fifth, C# and C++. These were the same spots these languages held in the June 2016 rankings (although Ruby, which had tied for fifth last time around, slipped to a seventh-place tie with CSS). But it was beyond the top names where RedMonk cited significant movement. Swift placed 11th in the current rankings, tied with Scala and Shell and behind Objective-C, which came in 10th place. "Swift has reached a Top 15 ranking faster than any other language we have tracked since we've been performing these rankings," RedMonk Principal Analyst Stephen O'Grady said. "Its strong performance from a GitHub perspective suggests that the wider, multiplatform approach taken by the language is paying benefits." Despite Swift's climb, RedMonk still sees the language entering "something of a trough of disillusionment," from a market standpoint, with hype giving way to skepticism in many quarters. Still, Swift remains a "language to watch," O'Grady said. Swift's good fortunes in the RedMonk rankings follows similar placement in another language popularity ranking, the Tiobe index, where it placed 10th in this month's index. TypeScript, Microsoft's typed superset of JavaScript, jumped 17 points in RedMonk's GitHub rankings and cracked the top 20 in the overall rankings, vaulting nine spots to 17th place. RedMonk suspects the language's good fortunes of late were tied to the Angular framework, which was rewritten in TypeScript. Go, which benefited from the updated ranking model, jumped four spots in the GitHub portion of the ranking system. Overall, it tied for 15th place with Perl, the same spot as in the June 2016 rankings, but it was leapfrogged by Swift. "To some extent, this isn't a surprise, as Go had neither the built-in draw of iOS mobile app development nor is it generally positioned as a front- and back-end language as Swift increasingly is," O'Grady said. But 15th place still was impressive for an infrastructure runtime, said O'Grady. Rust, meanwhile, jumped from 47th place to 26th. "This comes two quarters after the language not only stalled, but actually gave up ground in our last rankings," O'Grady said, noting that Rust perhaps is becoming the mainstream language that many had expected it to be. Also faring well in the latest rankings was Microsoft's PowerShell, which broke into the top 20 in the 18th spot, equaling TypeScript's improvement in the GitHub portion of the rankings. "While we can't prove causation, it is interesting to note that this dramatic improvement from PowerShell comes one quarter after it was released as open source software," O'Grady pointed out. In detailing the latest changes to the formula, O'Grady said RedMonk needed to adjust its query due to shifts in the GitHub Archive table structure and GitHub's API. RedMonk ended up basing its GitHub assessment on pull requests instead of repos. "While this means we couldn't replicate the rankings as they were before, the results were generally correlated with our past runs and were the best method available," O'Grady said. "On the positive side, it also eliminates the most common complaint regarding the rankings historically: that measurements by repo might overestimate a given language's importance -- JavaScript, most frequently." Coffee Tumbles on the Outlook for Bumper Brazil 2023/24 Coffee Crop Barchart - 8 minutes ago December arabica coffee (KCZ22 ) this morning is down -5.60 (-3.19%), and Jan ICE Robusta coffee (RMF23 ) is down -21 (-1.12%). Coffee prices this morning are sharply lower, with arabica falling to a 15-month... KCH23 : 166.90 (-2.77%) RMF23 : 1,858 (-0.59%) Cattle Futures Stronger through Midday Barchart - 13 minutes ago Front month live cattle futures are trading 10 to 60 cents higher past the December contract. Dec fats are up by $1.15. Feeders are gaining 12 to 57 cents through the midday portion of Monday. Last weeks... LEZ22 : 152.700 (+0.69%) LEG23 : 154.900 (+0.34%) LEJ23 : 158.350 (+0.22%) GFX22 : 178.000 (+0.10%) GFF23 : 179.575 (-0.03%) Hogs Gaining to Start New Week Barchart - 13 minutes ago Mondays session has the hog market triple digits higher through midday. December is leading the way with a $3.37 gain so far, while the June 23 contract is up just $1.30. The USDA National Average... HEZ22 : 86.375 (+4.10%) HEJ23 : 94.075 (+1.81%) KMZ22 : 96.200 (+2.48%) Cotton Stronger through Midday Barchart - 13 minutes ago So far for Monday trading, the cotton complex is 33 to 71 points higher. For December futures that has the board back to highs not seen since early October. The Cotlook A Index for 11/4 was 390 points... CTZ22 : 87.51 (+0.67%) CTH23 : 85.91 (+0.28%) CTK23 : 84.83 (+0.24%) Midday Strength in Monday Wheat Barchart - 13 minutes ago So far for the new week, front month wheat markets are up by as much as 10 cents. MGE HRS prices are leading the way with midday gains of 12 to 12 3/4 cents. CBT SRW is up by 4 1/4 to 5 1/2 cents on the... ZWZ22 : 849-0 (+0.15%) ZWH23 : 866-6 (unch) ZWPAES.CM : 7.8124 (+0.17%) KEZ22 : 959-6 (+0.68%) KEPAWS.CM : 9.1779 (+0.71%) MWZ22 : 961-6 (+0.76%) Soybeans off Highs at Midday Barchart - 13 minutes ago Soybeans rallied at the day sessions open, but have spent the rest of the morning fading back. So far the board has front months 6 to 9 1/2 cents in the red. Meal quotes are $1.40 to $3.70/ton lower... ZSX22 : 1442-0 (-0.65%) ZSPAUS.CM : 14.1550 (-0.70%) ZSF23 : 1451-4 (-0.74%) ZSH23 : 1459-2 (-0.66%) 2 Cent Losses in Midday Corn Quotes Barchart - 13 minutes ago Corn prices remain off their lows into the midday portion of Monday. Overnight corn prices weakened by 5 cents, but climbed back and have remained firm near 2 cents in the red. USDA reported 231,458 MT... ZCZ22 : 676-6 (-0.62%) ZCPAUS.CM : 6.7334 (-0.68%) ZCH23 : 682-6 (-0.58%) ZCK23 : 683-0 (-0.55%) SEOUL, March 20 (Xinhua) -- Ousted South Korean President Park Geun-hye will indicate her position before being questioned by prosecutors on Tuesday over the corruption scandal that led to her impeachment and ouster. Sohn Beom-gyu, one of Park's legal team, said via text message that Park will convey her stance around the time she appears in the prosecutors' office for questioning. The lawyer said Park had a prepared message to tell, but he noted that he was not informed of further details. The special investigation headquarters of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, which took over the probe into the scandal embroiling Park from this month, had summoned the former president for questioning. Park is scheduled to appear in the office at about 9:30 a.m. local time on Tuesday, becoming the fourth South Korean former president to be interrogated by prosecutors. She was permanently removed from office on March 10 as the constitutional court unanimously upheld the bill to impeach her, making Park the first South Korean leader to be ousted through impeachment. Park has stayed at her private home in southern Seoul since she vacated the presidential Blue House on March 12. During the questioning, state prosecutors would focus on Park's alleged involvement in charges of bribery, abuse of power and the leakage of state secrets, according to local media reports. Park has been accused of colluding with her decades-long friend Choi Soon-sil, who is currently in custody, to receive tens of millions of U.S. dollars in bribes from Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong, the heir apparent of Samsung Group who was also taken into custody. The kickbacks are suspected of being offered in return for helping Lee inherit the overall management control of the country's biggest family-controlled conglomerate from his ailing father Chairman Lee Kun-hee who has been hospitalized for heart attack for almost three years. Park was also identified as an accomplice to Choi in extorting tens of millions of U.S. dollars from scores of large business conglomerates to establish two nonprofit foundations Choi used for personal gains. Choi has been charged with meddling in state affairs behind the scene by receiving government documents on a regular basis through Park's former presidential secretary. Cyber attacks are costing small businesses in Australia an average of $6,600 per attack, research has revealed.According to Nortons recent SMB Cyber Security Survey, one in five small businesses were attacked during the previous year with only 14% of small businesses covered by a cyber insurance policy. For micro-small businesses this figure shrank to 3%.The research also found that the biggest impact of cyber attacks on small businesses was downtime (40%), followed by the expense of re-doing lost work (26%) and inconvenience (24%)Mark Gorrie, director of Norton Business Unit, Pacific region, Symantec, said that the data is relevant for brokers as it shows the different reasons why businesses need cyber cover.We asked the question, how long could you survive without your business data, and 31% said they couldnt survive beyond a week, Gorrie told Insurance Business.Most people would look at it as a financial loss but clearly for those that have suffered an attack, time became a big issue. For brokers, they can ask whether a client can afford to have three days downtime in their business. That has a real cost to it.Gorrie warned that cyber insurance cannot be seen as a form of protection.Investments in security and training are still needed as, in the long run, they will help keep cyber insurance pricing low and ensure that businesses are as secure as possible.Gorrie said that brokers can advise their clients to remember the basics of cyber security, as many ignore easy ways to stay safe. Using complex passwords, different passwords for different accounts and ensuring that cyber security software is on all PCs and mobile devices are a good way to start. Gorrie added that backing-up data is paramount.With a lot of these threats, you can continue to invest in technology but you can never guarantee to have 100% protection, he said.He added that businesses that do the basics they have security in place, they do back-ups are well placed. However, its cyber insurance that is really the catch-all beyond that mitigated risk. One head is elevated to top post after chair steps down The Insurance Council of Australia (ICA) has announced another board reshuffle, following two earlier moves.The industry body has appointed Anthony Day , chief executive officer of insurance at Suncorp , as president and chairman of the board, while Richard Enthoven, CEO of The Hollard Insurance Company, has been appointed deputy president.Pat Regan, group CFO and CEO of Australian & New Zealand operations at QBE , has also joined the board as a director.The move comes as acting president Niran Peiris , managing director of Allianz Australia, stepped down from his role. He will move to Germany and become part of the global management board of Allianz.Peiris will remain on the board as a director.Peiris moved into the acting president role earlier this year when Colin Fagen, formerly group chief operations officer at QBE, stood down following his departure from the major insurer.Anthony and Richard represent companies with diversified insurance portfolios and different business models a long-established major insurer and a rapidly growing challenger brand, Rob Whelan, ICA CEO said.Day and Enthoven have been appointed for a term of two years. Reinsurance giant Munich Re is expecting a lower profit this year as prices remain weak and amid its plans to invest in technology.The German reinsurer said its 2017 net income would be lower by up to 600 million (approximately AUD$836 million) compared to its 2.6 billion profit in 2016.For the financial year 2017, Munich Re is aiming for a profit in the range of 2.02.4 billion in what is set to be a challenging environment, chief executive Nikolaus von Bomhard said in a statement.We havent seen the bottom (of the market) yet, von Bomhard told a news conference, as quoted by Reuters. We believe that we will have reached the bottom soon.He also said that Munich Re will make new partnerships amid increasing technological changes that shape consumer needs.Digitalisation is changing client demand, allows for the development of innovative business models, and requires us to set up partnerships that would previously not have been considered, said von Bomhard, who will be replaced by Joachim Wenning next month.Munich Re also revealed that it would buy back up to 1 billion of its own shares by April 2018, following similar buyback arrangements in the past two years.However, von Bomhard also told the news conference that he wanted to remain flexible over future buybacks. Reuters noted that this leaves open room for investment in growth or acquisitions. There are no secrets being kept at reinsurance giant Swiss Re after the firm disclosed its CEOs salary as part of its annual report.The filings reveal that chief executive Christian Mumenthaler picked up 6.25 million Swiss francs (approximately AU$8.46 million) during 2016 after being promoted to the position in the middle of last year. Total compensation for his predecessor Michel Lies, meanwhile, was 7.02 million Swiss francs in the prior year.The documents, as reported by Reuters, were part of an annual report that also revealed plans to return one billion Swiss francs to shareholders in a buyback scheme.The scheme is set to be complete before its next AGM in April 2018 with the firm reportedly struggling to find business opportunities that satisfy its objectives.It has proposed a dividend of 4.85 Swiss francs per share, which represents a 5.4% increase compared to the previous year.While we decisively invest in our business and actively address the challenges mentioned, we stay committed in the context of our capital management priorities to return capital to our shareholders if we do not identify any better investment opportunities, said Walter Kielholz, the companys chairman.In addition, the company reported that its economic net worth had fallen back by approximately 2% to stand at US$36.6 billion. An insurance agent in Grundy County, Tennessee, has been indicted on charges of theft and insurance fraud, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation announced on Saturday. Between December 2010 and November 2015, Troy Shrum received money from several customers that was intended to pay their insurance policy premiums, investigators said. Those payments were never forwarded to the insurance provider, causing their policies to be cancelled due to lack of payment. Want the latest insurance industry news first? Sign up for our completely free newsletter service now. The Grundy County Grand Jury returned indictments last week charging Shrum with two counts of Theft of Property and two counts of insurance fraud. Shrum turned himself in last Friday and was booked into the Grundy County Jail. He was released after posting a $7,500 bond. The decision-making of outgoing American International Group (AIG) CEO Peter Hancock may have come under the spotlight but that wont stop the departing executive from picking up a huge windfall as he walks out the door.It was just over a week ago that AIG revealed its CEO would be departing following a series of setbacks, including a $3 billion loss in the last quarter with the company stating that Hancock has informed the board of directors of his intention to resign. Hancock had noted that he had lacked wholehearted shareholder support prior to the announcement but now the company has revealed that the Englishman will pick up a substantial golden handshake.According to a Financial Times report, Hancock will pick up $5 million in addition to his regular pay for service through the transition period.Hancock will not, however, pick up a short-term incentive award for 2016 which is touted to have been worth around $3.2 million. The reason why this incentive was dismissed has not been officially revealed.During 2015, Hancock picked up $12.5 million with a package that included short-term incentives of $2.5 million, a pay package of $1.66 million and stock awards of $8.23 million.The full extent of the departing pay deal for Hancock is set to be released in a proxy statement in about two weeks. Solomon Goldstein, a former executive of Lincoln Insurance who took part in the liberation of the Buchenwald concentration camp during the Second World War, passed away on Thursday last week. He was 93 years old.Goldstein succumbed to pulmonary failure at Sinai Hospital, the Baltimore Sun reported. He would have celebrated his 94th birthday on March 17.He enlisted in the Army in 1941, and fought in France, Holland, Belgium and at the Battle of the Bulge. Goldstein saw action in D-Day as part of the second wave of troops to land in Normandy.In 1946, he was discharged with the rank of master sergeant and returned to Baltimore. He married Jean Turk that same year. The publication said Turk was an activist and a supporter of the civil rights, anti-war and womens rights movements. She passed away in 2006.He has received a Bronze Star for valor, a Purple Heart, Legion of Merit, Combat Infantry Badge with two battle stars for Normandy and the Battle of the Bulge, according to the Baltimore Sun. In 2013, the French government awarded him with the Legion dHonneur.In the mid-1950s,Goldstein joined the Israeli Defense forces and spent some 35 years trying to get Jews out of the Soviet Union, according to his memoirs.For more than 40 years, he was an executive at Lincoln Insurance. His profession was the insurance business, but his devotion was helping people in desperate straits, said his son, Mark David Goldstein as quoted by the Baltimore Sun.He was involved in a lot of issues that were important to a lot of people, he added.Among other things, he was a founder of the Black Jewish Forum of Baltimore and served as president of the Baltimore Jewish Council. He also served on the Governors Commission for Youthful Offenders and served as a member of the review board of the Attorneys Grievance Commission of Maryland. After rumors swirled of a $4 billion deal last week, the American insurance brokerage USI has now been officially acquired by its employees and Canadian firms Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec (CDPQ) and KKR.CDPQ, which manages public pensions and insurance programs, has been in partnership with KKR, an energy, real estate and hedge fund investor, for two years said Jean-Benoit Houde, CDPQs senior media relations advisor.Houde said USIs strategy was of particular interest to CDPQ and KKR and they planned to maintain USIs management positions.Long-term direction and low risk profile is our industry and USI is very in line with that kind of investment that we like to do, Houde said.USI specializes in property and casualty, employee benefits, personal risk and retirement solutions and has 4,400 professionals operating out of 140 local offices according to a joint press release.USI is a fantastic company and is uniquely positioned to help address the risk management, insurance and employee benefits-related needs of small and medium-sized business owners. We look forward to working with CDPQ in helping management achieve its long-term vision to grow the business through accelerated investments in USIs people, technology and solutions, Tagar Olson, head of KKRs Financial Services investing practice said.Our successful experience in the insurance and benefits brokerage industry, coupled with the impressive track record of Mike Sicard and the USI management team, gives us confidence in our ability to generate compelling returns while growing the business over the long term.CDPQ and KKR are very pleased with the investment and management of USI according to Houde, who said he sees it as a partnership.We are passionately committed to continuing and accelerating USIs growth and investment as a leader in our industry, leveraging and innovating our unique USI ONE Advantage, Michael J. Sicard, Chairman and CEO of USI said.We are excited to work with our new partners at CDPQ and KKR, and want to thank our partners at Onex for the tremendous support they provided to USI.The acquisition is expected to close at the end of 2017s second quarter. New Jersey Rep. Frank LoBiondo said last week he will fight a provision in President Donald Trumps budget proposal that seeks to restructure selected user fees in the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP).The proposal aims to save $190 million by removing the discretionary appropriation for the NFIPs Flood Hazard Mapping Program. Instead, the administration will explore other more effective and fair means of funding flood mapping efforts.Currently, NFIPs Flood Hazard Mapping Program is funded by both general taxpayer money through the annual Homeland Security Appropriations and a Federal Policy Fee on NFIP policyholder premiums, LoBiondo said.The Republican lawmaker said the financial burden shifts solely to the NFIP policyholder fees if the discretionary appropriation is removed.The Administrations budget proposal is but an initial offer in the annual appropriations process. I resoundingly reject this specific provision and will work closely and tirelessly with my colleagues representing coastal communities as the process of funding agencies and reauthorizing the National Flood Insurance Program moves forward.The NFIP is up for reauthorization by September 30. A catastrophe policy group is calling for major reforms to the program, which is under billions of dollars in debt and is up for reauthorization in September.Private sector participation, a complete shift toward risk-based rates, and more accurate mapping were among several recommendations of Smartsafer.org in a report meant for Congress.The move to a system where the NFIP and the private sector write flood insurance will provide consumer choice and ensure competition and innovation, the coalition said. This can also maximize the number of properties covered by flood insurance.The NFIP could turn more attention to most at-risk properties as more move to the private sectors, it added. It is critical that mitigation and resiliency be elevated as part of NFIPs mission, as well as through disaster assistance reforms, Smartsafer.org said.The U.S. experienced its highest number of floods in 2016 than any year on record since tracking began in 1980, global reinsurance firm Munich Re said. There were 19 floods across the nation, up from 15 in 2015. The future of warfare is hybrid and the future is now, expert says An Albany insurance broker has been sentenced to nine years in prison for a $1 million securities fraud scheme. Lawrence D. Rosenbaum previously pleaded guilty to charges including grand larceny and securities fraud. He also admitted failing to file state income taxes. Prosecutors say he fraudulently solicited over $1 million from numerous investors as part of the scheme. They say the victims were promised substantial returns on their investment in the Saratoga Cheese Corporation. Instead, he used various corporate entities as personal bank accounts. He diverted over $600,000 to himself by writing checks payable to himself. He made other cash withdrawals in both the Albany area and Costa Rica. New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman says the scheme ran between 2006 and 2012. Rosenbaum also was ordered to pay restitution. Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Agencies Fraud New York The office manager of a Stamford, Conn., dental practice has pleaded guilty to using a retired dentists records to charge insurance companies almost $600,000 for work that was never performed. Elena Ilizarov pleaded guilty in federal court this week to wire fraud. Prosecutors say that from 2005 to 2016 while working at Advanced Dentistry, she billed insurance companies for services supposedly performed by the dentist who retired in 2011. The dentist, who had worked briefly at Advanced Dentistry, was described by prosecutors as a victim of identity theft. Authorities say insurance companies paid more than $580,000 to Advanced Dentistry for phony services. The 44-year-old Ilizarov faces up to two decades in prison at sentencing on a date to be determined. Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Fraud Connecticut The former cashier at a Pennsylvania monuments and engraving firm has acknowledged stealing nearly $13 million over 16 years and is hoping a judge will approve a seven-and-a-half-year federal prison sentence for her crimes. Cynthia Mills defense attorney, Phil DiLucente, says she also can have a better future, possibly as a security consultant that would help other companies prevent fraud like the one she perpetrated at Matthews International Corp. in Pittsburgh from 1999 to 2015. Shes like Frank Abagnale, DiLucente said Thursday. Abagnale, 68, runs a world-renowned security firm but as a young man was a check forger, impostor and con man. Leonardo DiCaprio starred as the charismatic thief in the 2002 film Catch Me If You Can. Mills pleaded guilty Wednesday to charges including mail fraud, wire fraud and tax evasion and to one count of engaging in monetary transactions in criminally derived property. Under the plea agreement, she must forfeit any assets purchased with the stolen money and agree to make payments toward the $12.9 million she stole. She must also spend three years on probation after her prison term. U.S. District Judge Nora Barry Fischer must approve the agreed-upon sentence when Mills returns to court July 28. DiLucente said its possible the 56-year-old Robinson Township woman might earn enough money to repay her considerable debt to Matthews. She is by any stretch of the imagination a very, very intelligent person, DiLucente said. I think she could go to work helping companies in the future determine if theres any fraud. Mills job was to deposit checks made out to Matthews and to make wire transfers to pay the companys vendors. While she did that, Mills also moved money from company accounts into her own bank accounts, then covered up the thefts by forging bank statements and creating fake invoices, Assistant U.S. Attorney Shardul Desai said in previous court appearances. The money she stole fueled a lavish lifestyle for Mills and her husband, a UPS driver who was able to retire because of Mills extra, illegal income, Desai said. Gary Mills has not been accused of wrongdoing or charged with any crimes. Prosecutors have listed scores of items Mills bought with stolen money that will be seized and sold to help repay Matthews, including three homes, an $800,000 yacht and two other boats, at least eight cars, a snowmobile, three motorcycles, furs, designer handbags and jewelry. But DiLucente said the money spent on those items was a small fraction of what she stole. When you look at the amount of money spent on those items, it might have been a couple million dollars, DiLucente said. Most of the money went to the Rivers Casino in Pittsburgh. She is extremely remorseful for her actions, however, due to an addiction to gambling, in my humble opinion, it was very hard for her to stop stealing, DiLucente said. Matthews International is a publicly traded company with more than 10,000 employees at 100 facilities on six continents, according to its website. Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Fraud Pennsylvania The chairman of Chinas privately-held Anbang Insurance Group said at the China Development Forum on Saturday he is bullish on investing in Europe despite great uncertainty over issues including refugees, economic challenges and rising populism. Europe has very cheap assets and Chinese investors can take advantage of cheap funding to acquire companies with good technology, said Anbang Chairman Wu Xiaohui. Regarding the chances of a black swan event in Europe, if we combine Europe with China, I believe the chance of a black swan will be very small, Wu told the forum. A black swan event is one that occurs outside of expected patterns or norms of a given situation and that is extremely difficult to predict. Anbang, established in 2004 as an auto insurer, has emerged as one of Chinas most aggressive buyers of overseas assets in the past two years, spending more than $30 billion buying luxury hotels, insurers and other property assets. Based in Beijing, Anbang manages some 1.65 trillion yuan ($240 billion) worth of assets, and has been involved in some high-profile deals, including buying control of Fidea, a Belgium-based insurer, and the Belgian banking operations of Dutch insurer Delta Lloyd. Wu declined to comment on a potential plan for an initial public offering when asked by Reuters. (Reporting by Shu Zhang and Matthew Miller; Writing by Elias Glenn; Editing by Tom Hogue) Related: Topics Europe China A Republican plan to replace the Affordable Care Act would raise health insurance costs in Nebraska faster than in most other states, according to a new report, and advocates say rural areas would be hardest-hit. The analysis was released last week as some members of Nebraskas congressional delegation faced loud public opposition to the GOP plan at town hall meetings. Critics of the plan say Nebraska would see larger-than-average increases because it has a disproportionate share of older and low-income residents, many of whom received tax credits through the federal health insurance marketplace. The new congressional plan reduces the tax credits that many receive to offset their expense and eliminates cost-sharing reductions for low-income individuals. Our greatest fear is that well see people dropping their health insurance, said Mark Intermill, a lobbyist for AARP Nebraska, a leading advocate for the current health care law known as Obamacare. I cant overstate the significance of this for Nebraskans. Its frightening that they might not have care. Lower-income individuals in Nebraska could see an $8,100 increase in their costs by 2020, and older residents could pay an additional $13,500, according to the analysis by the left-leaning Center for American Progress. Only five states would see larger increases Alaska, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Arizona and Wyoming. Nationally, the groups analysis found that individuals who make less than 250 percent of the federal poverty level would see their costs jump $4,800 by 2020. Americans between the ages of 55 and 64 would see an increase of more than $8,300. State officials say they havent estimated how many people the bill might affect. Nationally, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimates 24 million Americans who receive Medicaid or buy insurance through a government-facilitated marketplace would lose coverage by 2026. The Affordable Care Act prevents insurance companies from charging older customers more than three times what theyd charge younger customers. Under the GOP plan, companies could charge five times as much, and states would have the option to let them charge even more. Before the ACA, Nebraska did not impose any such requirements on insurers, said Bruce Ramge, director of the state Department of Insurance. Advocates are also concerned about proposed per-capita caps on the Medicaid program, touted as a way to reduce the federal governments costs and give states more flexibility. The caps wouldnt account for changes in the cost per enrollee beyond a predetermined growth limit, according to the nonpartisan Kaiser Family Foundation. Intermill said the proposal would essentially penalize Nebraska for having a strong economy and being frugal with Medicaid dollars. The caps are based on the states Medicaid funding in fiscal year 2016 a time when the federal match rate was at a historic low because the state economy was booming. Because the match rate was low at that time, Intermill said the state could receive roughly $180 million less than it otherwise might have. Nebraska also hasnt spent as much on Medicaid services for older people as other states, so the base rate is lower, he said. Intermill said a provision in the bill to repeal one of the Affordable Care Acts taxes would destabilize Medicares finances. Nebraska has a larger share of low-income elderly residents than other states, particularly in rural western areas. Nebraska officials havent yet reviewed how the GOP proposal would affect the states insurance market, Ramge said. A spokesman for Gov. Pete Ricketts said the administration has been working with other governors to provide feedback to the Trump administration but did not elaborate. Members of Nebraskas congressional delegation faced angry crowds last week at town hall meetings. Republican U.S. Rep. Jeff Fortenberry last week took questions in Lincoln from about 1,200 people, most of whom voiced opposition to the GOP health plan. Fortenberry noted the bill would save an estimated $337 billion by 2026 and argued the ACA is flawed. We cant sustain the current system, he said. At a town hall gathering on March 17 in Omaha, U.S. Sen. Ben Sasse said the GOP proposal was likely to change before it passes, but he insisted the status quo isnt acceptable. The bill is especially worrisome to Matt Mason of Omaha, who struggled to get health insurance for his Type I diabetes treatments after he finished graduate school. Mason relied on state-subsidized coverage before the ACA took effect, and had to purchase a separate policy for his wife and two children. By the time President Barack Obama signed the law in 2010, rising costs had forced Mason to take a plan with a $10,000 deductible. The health care law allowed his family to share one plan. Mason, 48, said his health care costs have still risen, but congressional Republicans seem like theyre stepping on the accelerator rather than fixing the problems. This whole way the government is treating this terrifies me, he said. It does not seem like a methodical, intelligent treatment of a very real problem. Im left watching one of the most important things to my life and my livelihood treated like a stray dog they want to put down. Lisa Schwetschenau, of Omaha, fears the proposal could open the door to her losing coverage for some of her multiple sclerosis treatments. The 48-year-old relies on her husbands employer-based insurance plan for physical therapy and used it to get mental health treatment. Schwetschenau said shes worried the GOP proposal would eliminate the employer mandate to provide coverage and let states pick the essential benefits that plans must cover. Both her physical therapy and mental health treatment are considered essential benefits under the ACA. I feel very vulnerable at the moment, Schwetschenau said. Theres no guarantee that theyll have to provide it on an ongoing basis. My husbands employer could come back one year and say its too expensive, and they wont provide it anymore. Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Nebraska Politics A Cincinnati man serving time in an Indiana prison for burglary got a short break from prison March 9, but only to plead guilty to workers compensation fraud in an Ohio courtroom, the Ohio Bureau of Workers Compensation reported. John Dillard Lewis, 47, pleaded guilty to the fifth-degree felony in the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas, where a judge sentenced him to nine months incarceration, to be served concurrent with his Indiana case. Lewiss 2015 indictment followed an investigation by the Ohio Bureau of Workers Compensation that found Lewis had been working for a Wendys restaurant while collecting $32,532 in BWC benefits from June 17, 2013 to Aug. 12, 2014. Lewis was injured on the job in 2011 while working in a factory. BWCs Special Investigations Department learned he was working while receiving BWC benefits from a database cross match with the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services. He was indicted in Ohio in 2015 but failed to show for court. Investigators later learned he was in the Indiana prison. Lewis is serving a nearly six-year sentence in the Branchville Correctional Prison in Indiana for a fourth-degree burglary conviction in Ohio County, Indiana. He was sentenced there last year. Source: Ohio Bureau of Workers Compensation Topics Workers' Compensation Fraud Ohio Indiana As they grapple with persistently soft market conditions, medical professional liability (MPL) underwriters must weigh the potential impact on their business of proposed changes in the U.S. healthcare financing system. As they gathered in Chicago for their annual meeting, MPL underwriters, along with the rest of the country, received the news that the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) is projecting that up to 24 million Americans could lose their health insurance by 2026 under terms of the proposed American Health Care Act (AHCA). Proposed by Republicans in the House of Representatives and endorsed by the Trump Administration, AHCA would eliminate the individual mandate to purchase health insurance and shift premium subsidies from income to largely age-based criteria. In those and other respects, the AHCA differs from the 2010 Affordable Care Act (ACA), commonly called Obamacare, but the AHCA also retains popular provisions of the ACA, including bans on lifetime coverage limits and on restrictions of coverage due to an insureds pre-existing health conditions. Americans hate Obamacare except for the things that are in Obamacare, said Ian Morrison, keynote speaker at the 2017 Medical Professional Liability Symposium of the Professional Liability Underwriting Society (PLUS). Morrison, a healthcare futurist and author of books including Healthcare in the New Millennium: Vision, Values and Leadership, was generally critical of AHCA, especially its proposal to establish per capita limits on federal payments for Medicaid beneficiaries. It was not entirely clear from his remarks, however, how a change in healthcare financing would impact the environment for medical professional liability. Certain profound changes in health care will likely continue whatever happens with the AHCA or ACA, he noted. These changes include: The consolidation and integration of health care organizations and practices; The shift from volume-based care (the number of procedures, essentially) to value-based care (the outcome of treatment); The continued shift from in-patient to out-patient ambulatory care for a growing number of conditions; and Implementation of improvements in Medicare reimbursement made possible under the 2015 Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA). Potential Impacts During a hot topics panel discussion, moderator Paul Greve, executive vice president of Willis Health Care Practice, expressed concern over the impact on hospitals of changes in healthcare financing. Talk of replacing the ACA creates tremendous uncertainties for hospitals, which are dependent on Medicare and especially Medicaid, he said, adding that any reduction in public funding might force health care providers to redouble zealous collection efforts of co-payments and deductibles. Surveys show that the public is generally supportive of hospitals and health care providers, especially those with a local focus, Greve said.Will that [public support] go away if [patient relations] become all big business? he asked. I worry about erosion of community goodwill and its potential impact on motivation to sue and on juries. One of Greves co-panelists cited another, lesser-known, aspect of healthcare financing that medical professionals and their liability insurers may want to consider. Leslie Jenny, managing attorney for the Cleveland-base Marshall, Dennehy, Warner, Coleman & Goggin, told attendees that the individual mandate that is in Obamacare but not in the AHCA can be used in medical professional defense to limit the amount of damages a health care professional or insurer must pay. The reason, she said, is because the collateral source rule in civil litigation can prevent a defendant from benefitting from any other source of recovery a plaintiff has negotiated to acquire. If health insurance is mandated by law, however, she said there is a possibility in some states of claiming it is not a negotiated benefit and potentially reducing damages to reflect what the plaintiff has had covered or reimbursed by a policy. Without an individual mandate, Jenny said, I dont think we can make an argument that a federal law applies across the board to reduce damages. Tort Reform Prospects On the plus side for MPL insureds and carriers, another panelist said that prospects for federal tort reforms favoring defendants are greatly improved with Republican control of the White House and Congress. This is the best environment for medical professional liability reform in a decade said Michael Stinson, vice president of governmental relations and public policy for the PIAA, formerly the Physician Insurers Association of America. Congress is focused on medical liability reform for the first time in a long time and making it a priority. Apart from drawing its usual support among most Republicans, combining malpractice reforms with other healthcare initiatives may draw support from other s in Congress including a few not always supportive of malpractice reform, according to Stinson. As for President Trump himself, Stinson confessed to initial uncertainty among tort reform advocates for a man who was never shy about using the legal system, but was reassured when the president explicitly called for medical liability reform in his Feb. 28th address to Congress. The principal Republican malpractice reform initiative is the Protecting Access to Care Act (PACA), introduced by Rep. Steven King (R-Iowa), which would establish statutes of limitations, limitations on contingency fees, and other measures in connection with the awarding of federal funds. The connection to federal funding, as opposed to superseding state law, is designed to overcome objections of states rights proponents who balk at federal pre-emption of state law, Stinson noted. Yet, even with the stars seemingly aligned, Stinson said he only expects modest reforms, nothing dramatic, at least in the short term. Related: Topics Underwriting Medical Professional Liability Politics (Photo/WeChat of RADI) More than 1,000 years ago, several dotted, flake-shaped sections of the Great Wall stood in Xinjiang, protecting the border and the trade road. Recently, researchers from the China Institute of Remote Sensing and Digital Earth (RADI) under the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) analyzed the distribution of ancient Great Wall sections in Xinjiang using remote sensing technology. They also used the technology to "restore" the wall's appearance. (Photo/WeChat of RADI) Remote sensing archaeology entails the use of electromagnetic waves and other sensors for long-distance observation and detection of surface and underground remains. Aerospace development, and especially the increased resolution of remote sensing satellites, has provided greater precision and a more efficient platform for remote sensing archaeology. Nie Yueping, a researcher at RADI, explained that electromagnetic waves produced by vegetation, soil and geomorphology are different from those of historical sites. Such differences cannot be seen by the naked eye. However, special equipment can obtain electromagnetic wave data via remote sensing platforms such as space shuttles, satellites and unmanned aerial vehicles. Archaeological information then can be extracted from the data through computer processing. (Photo/WeChat of RADI) So far, more than 600 ancient remnants of the Great Wall have been found. Yu Lijun, an associate researcher at RADI, said that the team has outlined a Great Wall resource distribution line, and are working to "restore" images of the ancient Great Wall. Through virtual reality technology, people may soon be able to take an online tour of the remains in Xinjiang. Compared with traditional archaeological methods, remote sensing has many advantages. With the popularization of satellite technology, remote sensing data can be obtained under all weather conditions. Moreover, the cost of using the technology is relatively low, and causes little damage to ancient remains. (Photo/WeChat of RADI) Warren Buffetts compensation for running Berkshire Hathaway Inc. edged up 4.0 percent last year to $487,881 reflecting the higher cost of keeping the worlds second-richest person safe. Buffetts pay was disclosed in a Friday regulatory filing, in which Berkshire also recommended the rejection of three shareholder proposals at its May 6 annual meeting, including that it disclose its political contributions twice a year. Berkshire said Buffetts salary in 2016 was $100,000, the same amount he has received for more than a quarter century, while the cost of providing him with home and personal security services rose to $387,881 last year from $370,244. Buffett, 86, has run Omaha, Nebraska-based Berkshire since 1965, building it into a conglomerate with more than 90 units including GEICO insurance, Dairy Queen ice cream and the BNSF railroad. Despite being worth $77.4 billion according to Forbes magazine, Buffett avoids some trappings associated with the rich. For example, he has lived for nearly 60 years in the same Omaha home, on less than three-quarters of an acre, bordering a well-traveled street. Berkshire billionaire Vice Chairman Charlie Munger also drew a $100,000 salary last year, while Chief Financial Officer Marc Hamburgs pay rose 15 percent to $1.56 million. Executives who run some of Berkshires units make more money. They include Berkshire Hathaway Energy Chief Executive Gregory Abel, who made $17.5 million last year. Berkshire said adopting the shareholder proposal from Tom Beers and Mary Durfee on political contributions could expose it to reputational and business risks and hurt shareholders. It also said Berkshire units make less than $10 million of such contributions a year, while the parent makes none. Buffett himself was a strong supporter of Democrat Hillary Clinton in last years U.S. presidential election. The other shareholder proposals, respectively from Marcia Sage and the Nebraska Peace Foundation, call on Berkshire to report on its efforts to reduce methane emissions, and divest stakes in companies involved in fossil fuels. Berkshire said its gas pipeline and other units already recognize the environmental and cost benefits of minimizing methane emissions, and that it should not restrict its investments based upon complex social and moral issues. Buffett controls 32.7 percent of Berkshires voting power, making it difficult for shareholder proposals to pass without his support. He still owns 17.9 percent of Berkshires stock, despite having donated more than $24.3 billion of it since 2006. (Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York) Related: Topics Energy Oil Gas 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 werent 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, prompted 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, said Jennifer Waljee, M.D., M.S., lead author of the study and a plastic surgeon at Michigan Medicine, U-Ms academic medical center. Options such as tapering down opioid doses and alternative pain relief approaches could be options prior to surgery, she said. But physicians should also make a plan to manage the patients pain during the perioperative period that takes into account their past opioid use, Waljee said. 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 an 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. Waljee and her colleagues have a commentary in the new issue of Annals about the initiative. About the 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 online in July 2016 before being included in the new issue of Annals. 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 IHPIs repository from Truven Health MarketScan. They studied more than 200,000 middle-class Americans who had common operations hysterectomies, 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 operation including 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 operation except for those taking the lowest-possible doses. These difference werent huge 4.5 percent of opioid users had a hospital readmission, compared with 3.6 percent of those who hadnt 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 hadnt. 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 $25,000 as those who hadnt 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 dont. 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. In addition to Waljee and Cron, the new studys authors are Rena Steiger, M.P.H. and Lin Zhong, M.D., M.P.H., research coordinators in the Section of Plastic Surgery of the U-M Department of Surgery; and Waljees co-leaders in the Michigan-OPEN effort, transplant surgeon Michael Englesbe, M.D., and anesthesiologist Chad Brummett, M.D., who heads the Division of Pain Research in the U-M Department of Anesthesiology. The study was funded by Waljees grant from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Topics Michigan Drugs A wave of break-ins and robberies of Georgia pharmacies is being fueled by a drug epidemic, authorities said. In June, a thief with a sledgehammer broke into a Snellville pharmacy and stole thousands of dollars worth of pain pills and other medication for cancer and sickle cell patients, police said. In December, burglars netted about 9,000 Oxycodone pills valued at $12,000 from a Walgreens in Stockbridge. In January, a woman armed with a gun robbed a Forsyth County pharmacy of various medications. Police believe the same woman robbed a Norcross pharmacy last fall. The crimes illustrate the scope of the nations ongoing drug epidemic, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported. Earlier this month, a bi-partisan coalition of 23 members of Congress asked President Donald Trump to add $9.3 billion to the nations fiscal 2018 budget to fight the crisis. The increasing crimes fueled by the opiate crisis have placed Georgia among the top 10 states in the nation with the most armed robberies of pharmacies, federal authorities said. The federal Drug Enforcement Administration estimates that hundreds of thousands of dollars of drugs have been stolen from Georgia pharmacies in the last year. Authorities say efforts to crack down on over-prescribing pain management clinics known as pill mills have led to the surge in pharmacy thefts around the state. A contributing factor is the crackdown on pill mills, said Rick Allen, director of the Georgia Drugs and Narcotics Agency, which oversees all pharmacies and prescription drugs activities in the state. In addition, theres more oversight of doctors who tended to over-prescribe medications which forces patients to look elsewhere to feed their addiction, authorities said. With the pill mills closing down, weve seen an increase in the number of burglaries, robberies and (employee) pilferage, Allen told the Atlanta newspaper. The demand or need for prescription drugs is still there. The black market just finds a source. People who went to pill mills to get drugs to sell have to find another source and that source has become pharmacies. Either that or addicts turn to heroin. Some of the thieves work in groups known as rings or crews, while others prefer to work alone, authorities said. And theyre venturing beyond metro Atlanta. Putnam County, about 80 miles east of Atlanta, has three pharmacies serving a population of just under 7,000, the newspaper reported. It saw its first drug store armed robbery in November 2015. Police in Athens, Conyers, LaGrange, Rockdale, Snellville and other communities have also reported a surge in drug store thefts in the last couple of years. Its coming from Atlanta and spreading southward and east to west, Putnam County Sheriff Howard Sills said. Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Georgia Drugs The Mississippi Supreme Court wont dismiss a state lawsuit against an insurance company over Hurricane Katrina claims. The Sun Herald reports that Attorney General Jim Hoods lawsuit against insurance giant State Farm Fire and Casualty Co. can go forward. The lawsuit was filed nearly 10 years after Katrina left a wide swath of destruction. Hoods lawsuit says State Farm owes Mississippi millions of dollars. It contends the company delayed payments so that the states federally funded Homeowners Assistance Program would cover the losses. The suit says Mississippi paid 6,810 policyholders five times more than State Farm did for Katrina damage. The lawsuit claims Mississippi paid $522 million to State Farm policyholders for Katrina damage, while State Farm paid $98.7 million. The company sought to have the lawsuit dismissed. Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Lawsuits Mississippi The Professional Independent Insurance Agents of Colorado (PIIAC) announced it has changed its name to the Trusted Choice Insurance Agents of Colorado (TCCO). As an association, we strive to be there for our agents, whether in an advocacy role at the Capitol, providing an ever-growing education program, additional market access, or in some other form, Bryan Bernier, TCCO CEO, said in the organizations announcement. The name change to Trusted Choice Insurance Agents of Colorado further identifies and strengthens the associations ability to provide resources for its agents, including a multi-faceted marketing plan to help drive todays consumers right back to our membership. The good news is that small businesses continue to count on their independent insurance agents to write their commercial insurance. However, the challenge is to educate consumers, many of whom are increasingly at risk by the misguided lore of low rates and the idea that insurance is a commodity. The Trusted Choice Agents of Colorado will be focused on educating people that they need the assistance of an independent insurance agent who provides a choice of personal lines coverages to meet their needs, states Bernier. We are committed to generating more business for our members as our independent agents have seen the clever ads from the competition, noticed the banners on web pages, and have searched for their own businesses online to often find that they are not even on the first page of a Google search, says Laurie Lewis, TCCO immediate past chair of the board. These are the Main Street agents, working within their communities, who may be concerned that they cannot survive, if not thrive, without a substantial online presence. The answer for many TCCO members is trustedchoice.com, which is a collaboration between the Independent Insurance Agents and Brokers of America (IIABA) and insurance companies that provide coverage through independent agents. The trustedchoice.com website is designed to help drive online business back to the independent agent model, maximizing their online search results. Source: Trusted Choice Insurance Agents of Colorado Topics Agencies Colorado Los Angeles County prosecutors have refiled criminal charges against a dozen people accused of taking part in an alleged $150 million workers compensation insurance fraud, the Los Angeles County District Attorneys Office announced. On March 16, Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Kathleen Kennedy granted the prosecutions motion to dismiss the charges against the same 12 defendants, who were indicted by a grand jury in 2015. The charges were immediately refiled in three separate criminal complaints. Prosecutors divided the larger case into three smaller ones in an effort to streamline the complex litigation and refile several counts that previously had been dismissed. The charges in the three complaints supersede the two previous indictments, which were unsealed in September 2015. The indictments remain against orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Munir Uwaydah, and his office manager, Wendee Luke, both of whom are fugitives. Deputy District Attorneys Dayan Mathai, Catherine Chon, Karen Nishita and Kennes Ma are prosecuting the case. Prosecutors said the conspiracy allegedly included paying lawyers and marketers as much as $10,000 a month for illegal patient referrals, known as capping. Nearly two dozen patients allegedly were deceived into having surgeries they thought would be performed by Uwaydah. Instead, defendant Peter Nelson, a physicians assistant who never attended medical school, carried out invasive and sometimes unnecessary surgeries. Uwaydah was not present in the operating room for all surgeries, prosecutors said. In addition, 21 patients have lasting physical scars and many needed additional surgeries to repair the original injury. Those charged also are accused of fraudulently billing tens of millions of dollars to insurance companies for fraudulent surgeries, prescription medications, fake MRIs, falsifying medical reports and office visits. Six people are charged in case BA455469 and each face a possible maximum sentence of life in state prison. Charges include conspiracy, aggravated mayhem, insurance fraud, money laundering, filing a false tax return and unlawful patient referral. The defendants are: Paul Turley (dob 11/12/62) of Granada Hills: chiropractor and Uwaydahs business partner. Maria Turley (dob 3/4/67) of Granada Hills: Uwaydahs director of surgery and Paul Turleys wife. Peter Nelson (dob 8/1/71) of Redondo Beach: Uwaydahs physician assistant and Marisa Schermbeck Nelsons husband. Marisa Schermbeck Nelson (dob 11/29/76) of Redondo Beach: Uwaydahs personal assistant. Kelly Park (dob 10/10/65) of Thousand Oaks: Uwaydahs office manager and personal assistant. Tatiana Torres Arnold (dob 1/6/70) of Encino. Uwaydahs personal attorney who held various positions for Uwaydahs companies. Three people are charged in case BA455470 with conspiracy, money laundering, making a false and fraudulent claim and unlawful patient referral. They each face up to 57 years in prison. Ronnie Case (dob 4/11/76) of Camarillo: billing manager. Jeffrey Stevens (dob 4/4/51) of Playa Del Rey: Uwaydahs business associate. Leticia Alvarez Lemus (dob 2/9/77) of Corona: office manager. In case BA455473, three people are charged with conspiracy, money laundering, making a false and fraudulent claim and unlawful patient referral. The possible maximum sentences range from 15 to 26 years. Terry Luke (dob 1/23/45) of Brea. Held various positions for Uwaydahs companies and defendant Wendee Lukes father. Tony Folgar (dob 11/24/57) of Sylmar: paralegal for a law firm. Yolanda Groscost (dob 7/16/66) of Fountain Valley: owner of a marketing firm. Arraignment for all 12 defendants was continued to April 26. The case remains under investigation by the Los Angeles County District Attorneys Bureau of Investigation and the Organized Crime Division. Source: Los Angeles County District Attorneys Office Related: Topics Workers' Compensation Fraud Diversification is a familiar term to most investors. In the most general sense, it can be summed up with the phrase: "Don't put all of your eggs in one basket." While that sentiment certainly captures the essence of the issue, it provides little guidance on the practical implications that diversification plays as part of an investor's portfolio. In addition, it offers no insight into how a diversified portfolio is actually created. In this article, we'll provide an overview of diversification and give you some insight into how you can make it work to your advantage. Key Takeaways The idea of diversification is to create a portfolio that includes multiple investments in order to reduce risk. Most investors develop an asset allocation strategy for their portfolios based primarily on the use of stocks and bonds. While stocks and bonds represent the traditional tools for portfolio construction, a host of alternative investmentssuch as real estate investment trusts, hedge funds, art, and precious metalsprovide the opportunity for further diversification. What Is Diversification? The idea of diversification is to create a portfolio that includes multiple investments in order to reduce risk. Consider, for example, an investment that consists of only stock issued by a single company. If that company's stock suffers a serious downturn, your portfolio will sustain the full brunt of the decline. By splitting your investment between the stocks from two different companies, you can reduce the potential risk to your portfolio. Reduce Risk by Including Bonds and Cash Another way to reduce the risk in your portfolio is to include bonds and cash. Because cash is generally used as a short-term reserve, most investors develop an asset allocation strategy for their portfolios based primarily on the use of stocks and bonds. It is never a bad idea to keep a portion of your invested assets in cash or short-term money market securities. Cash can be used in case of an emergency, and short-term money market securities can be liquidated instantly in case an investment opportunity arisesor in the event your usual cash requirements spike and you need to sell investments to make payments. Also, keep in mind that asset allocation and diversification are closely linked concepts; a diversified portfolio is created through the process of asset allocation. When creating a portfolio that contains both stocks and bonds, aggressive investors may lean towards a mix of 80% stocks and 20% bonds, while conservative investors may prefer a 20% stocks to 80 percent bonds mix. A Balance of Stocks and Bonds Regardless of whether you are aggressive or conservative, the use of asset allocation to reduce risk through the selection of a balance of stocks and bonds for your portfolio is a reliable way to create a diversified portfolio. Some mutual funds aim to have a mix of securities that includes both stocks and bonds to create ready-made "balanced" portfolios. The specific balance of stocks and bonds in a given portfolio is designed to create a specific risk-reward ratio that offers the opportunity to achieve a certain rate of return on your investment in exchange for your willingness to accept a certain amount of risk. In general, the more risk you are willing to take, the greater the potential return on your investment. What Are My Options? Mutual Funds If you are a person of limited means, or if you simply prefer uncomplicated investment scenarios, you could choose a single balanced mutual fund and invest all of your assets in the fund. For most investors, this strategy is far too simplistic. While a given mix of investments may be appropriate for a child's college education fund, that mix may not be a good match for long-term goals, such as retirement or estate planning. Likewise, investors with large sums of money often require strategies designed to address more complex needs, such as minimizing capital gains taxes or generating reliable income streams. Furthermore, while investing in a single mutual fund provides diversification among the basic asset classes of stocks, bonds and cash (funds often hold a small amount of cash from which the fees are taken), the opportunities for diversification go far beyond these basic categories. Equity Investment Choices With stocks, investors can choose a specific style, such as focusing on large, mid-, or small caps. In each of these areas, stocks are additionally categorized as growth or value. Additional selection criteria include choosing between domestic and foreign stocks. Foreign stocks also offer sub-categorizations that include both developed and emerging markets. Both foreign and domestic stocks are also available in specific sectors, such as biotechnology and healthcare. Bonds In addition to the variety of equity investment choices, bonds also offer opportunities for diversification. Investors can choose long-term or short-term issues. They can also select high-yield or municipal bonds. Once again, risk tolerance and personal investment requirements will largely dictate investment selection. Further Diversification Options While stocks and bonds represent the traditional tools for portfolio construction, a host of alternative investments provide the opportunity for further diversification. Real estate investment trusts, hedge funds, art, precious metals, and other investments provide the opportunity to invest in vehicles that do not necessarily move in tandem with traditional financial markets. Yet, these investments offer another method of portfolio diversification. Disadvantages of Diversification With so many investments to choose from, it may seem like diversification would be easy to achieve, but that is only partially true. Investors still need to make wise choices. Furthermore, it is possible to over-diversify your portfolio, which will negatively impact your returns. Many financial experts agree that 20 stocks are the optimal number for a diversified equity portfolio. With that in mind, buying 50 individual stocks or four large-cap mutual funds may do more harm than good. Having too many investments in your portfolio doesn't allow any of the investments to have much of an impact, and an over-diversified portfolio (sometimes called "diworsification") often begins to behave like an index fund. In the case of holding a few large-cap mutual funds, multiple funds bring the additional risks of overlapping holdings as well as a variety of expensessuch as low balance fees and varying expense ratioswhich could have been avoided through a more careful fund selection. The Bottom Line Regardless of your means or method, keep in mind that there is no single diversification model that will meet the needs of every investor. Your personal time horizon, risk tolerance, investment goals, financial means, and level of investment experience all play a huge role in dictating your investment mix. If you are too overwhelmed by the choices or simply prefer to delegate, there are plenty of financial services professionals available to assist you. One of the interesting features of the foreign exchange market is that it is open 24 hours a day. Around-the-clock trading allows investors from across the globe to trade during normal business hours, after work, or even in the middle of the night. However, not all times of the day are created equal when it comes to trading forex. Although there is always a market for this most liquid of asset classes called forex, there are times when price action is consistently volatile and periods when it is muted. What's more, different currency pairs exhibit varying activity over certain times of the trading day due to the general demographic of those market participants who are online at the time. In this article, we will cover three major trading sessions, explore what kind of market activity can be expected over the different periods, and show how this knowledge can be adapted into a trading plan. Key Takeaways The 24-hour forex trading session can be broken down into three manageable trading periods. Traders often focus on one of the three trading periods, rather than attempt to trade the markets 24 hours per day. Peak activity periods are the Asian, European, and North American sessions, which are also called Tokyo, London, and New York. Sometimes sessions will overlap, such as a four-hour period for peak activity in both Europe and North America. Volatility is sometimes elevated when forex trading sessions overlap. 1:40 Foreign Exchange (Forex) Definition Understanding the 24-Hour Forex Market A 24-hour forex market offers a considerable advantage for many institutional and individual traders because it guarantees liquidity and the opportunity to trade at any conceivable time. However, although currencies can be traded anytime, an individual trader can only monitor a position for so long. Since most traders can't watch the market 24/7, there will be times of missed opportunities, or worsewhen a jump in volatility leads to a movement against an established position when the trader isn't around. For this reason, a trader needs to be aware of times of market volatility and decide when it is best to minimize this risk based on their trading style. Traditionally, the market is separated into three peak activity sessions: the Asian, European, and North American sessions, which are also referred to as the Tokyo, London, and New York sessions. These names are used interchangeably, as the three cities represent the major financial centers for each of the regions. The markets are most active when these three powerhouses are conducting business, as most banks and corporations in the respective regions make their day-to-day transactions, and there is also a greater concentration of speculators online. Asian Forex Session (Tokyo) When liquidity is restored to the forex (or FX) market at the start of the week, the Asian markets are naturally the first to see action. Unofficially, activity from this part of the world is represented by the Tokyo capital markets and spans from midnight to 6 a.m. Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). There are many other notable countries that are present during this period, however, including China, Australia, New Zealand, and Russia. Considering how scattered these markets are, it makes sense that the beginning and end of the Asian session are stretched beyond the standard Tokyo hours. Asian hours are often considered to run between 11 p.m. and 8 a.m. GMT, accounting for the activity within these different markets. What Is the Group of 20 (G-20)? The Group of 20, also called the G-20, is a group of finance ministers and central bank governors from 19 of the world's largest economies, including those of many developing nations, along with the European Union. Formed in 1999, the G-20 promotes global economic growth, international trade, and regulation of financial markets. Because the G-20 is a forum, not a legislative body, its agreements and decisions have no legal impact, but they do influence countries' policies and global cooperation. Together, the economies of the G-20 countries represent more than 80% of the gross world product (GWP), 75% of world trade, and 60% of the world population. After its inaugural leaders' summit in 2008, the leaders of the G-20 announced that the group would replace the G-8 as the main economic council of nations. Key Takeaways The G-20 is a leading forum for global financial issues whose members include major developed and developing economies. Although not a legislative body, its discussions help shape financial policy within each of its member countries. Recent agenda items at G-20 meetings have included cryptocurrency, food security, and trade wars. Policy Focus of the Group of 20 (G-20) The agenda and activities of the G-20 are established by its rotating Presidencies, in cooperation with the membership. Initially, the group's discussion had a focus on the sustainability of sovereign debt and global financial stability. Those themes have continued as frequent topics at the G-20's summits, along with discussions about global economic growth, international trade, and the regulation of financial markets. Under the current Indonesian Presidency, the G-20 is focused on three interconnected pillars of action: global health architecture, digital transformation, and sustainable energy transition. The 2021 summit was held in Rome on Oct. 30 and 31. Some of the topics at that summit included: supporting small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and women-owned businesses, the role of the private sector in the fight against climate change, and sustainable development. Previously, the 2019 G-20 Osaka summit focused on the global economy, trade and investment, innovation, the environment and energy, employment, women's empowerment, development, and wellness. In 2018, Argentina proposed a focus on the future of work, infrastructure for development, and a sustainable food future. That meeting also included talks on the regulation of cryptocurrencies and the U.S.-China trade war. 1999 The year the Group of 20 (G-20) was formed. The Group of 20 (G-20) vs. the Group of Seven (G-7) The G-20's ranks include all members of the Group of Seven (G-7), a forum of the European Union and the seven countries with the world's largest developed economies: France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada. Formed in 1975, the G-7 meets annually on international issues, including economic and monetary matters. Apart from being older than the G-20, the G-7 has sometimes been described as a more political body because all of its meetings have long included not only finance ministers but chief ministers, including presidents and prime ministers. However, the G-20, since the global financial crisis of 2008, has increasingly held summits that include political leaders as well as finance ministers and bank governors. And where the G-7 exclusively comprises developed countries, many of the additional 12 nations that make up the G-20 are drawn from those with developing economies. Indeed, having a forum at which developed and emerging nations could confer was part of the impetus for creating the G-20. Russia and the Group of 20 (G-20) In 2014, the G-7 and G-20 took different approaches to Russia's membership after the country made military incursions into Ukraine and eventually annexed the Ukrainian territory of Crimea. G-7, which Russia had formally joined in 1998 to create the G-8, suspended the country's membership in the group; Russia subsequently decided to formally leave the G-8 in 2017. Though Australia, host of the 2014 G-20 summit in Brisbane, proposed to ban Russia from the summit over its role, Russia has remained a member of the larger group, in part because of strong support from Brazil, India, and China, who together with Russia are collectively known as the BRIC nations. The debate over Russia's membership in the G-20 was renewed in March 2022 following its invasion of Ukraine. While attending G7 and NATO summits in Brussels on March 24, President Biden called for Russia's expulsion from the group. But Russian officials insisted Vladimir Putin would attend the G-20 summit scheduled to take place in Indonesia in November. Membership of the Group of 20 (G-20) Along with the members of the G-7, 12 other nations currently comprise the G-20: Argentina, Australia, Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, and Turkey. In addition, the G-20 invites guest countries to attend their events. Spain is invited permanently as is the current chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN); two African countries (the chair of the African Union and a representative of the New Partnership for Africa's Development) and at least one country invited by the presidency, usually from its own region. International organizations such as the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, the United Nations, the Financial Stability Board, and the World Trade Organization also attend the summits. The work of ensuring the continuity of the G-20 is handled by a "Troika," represented by the country that holds the Presidency, its predecessor, and its successor. The current Troika countries include Italy, Indonesia, and India. The G-20 has been criticized for lack of transparency, encouraging trade agreements that strengthen large corporations, being slow to combat climate change, and failing to address social inequality and global threats to democracy. Criticism of the Group of 20 (G-20) Since its inception, some of the G-20's operations have drawn controversy. Concerns include transparency and accountability, with critics calling attention to the absence of a formal charter for the group and the fact that some of the most important G-20 meetings are held behind closed doors. Some of the group's policy prescriptions have also been unpopular, especially with liberal groups. Protests at the group's summits have, among other criticisms, accused the G-20 of encouraging trade agreements that strengthen large corporations, of being delinquent in combating climate change, and in failing to address social inequality and global threats to democracy. The G-20's membership policies have come under fire, too. Critics say the group is overly restrictive, and its practice of adding guests, such as those from African countries, is little more than a token effort to make the G-20 reflective of the world's economic diversity. Former U.S. President Barack Obama noted the challenge of determining who can join such a powerful group: "Everybody wants the smallest possible group that includes them. So, if they're the 21st largest nation in the world, they want the G-21, and think it's highly unfair if they have been cut out." MACAO, March 20 (Xinhua) -- Holders of passports of China's Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) will be granted visa-on-arrival entry to Ukraine, authorities said on Monday. The identification services bureau of Macao SAR has been confirmed on Monday by the embassy of Ukraine in China that holders of the Macao SAR passport traveling to Ukraine with tourist or business purpose can obtain a single-entry visa upon their arrival at Boryspil International Airport in Kyiv and Odessa International Airport in Odessa for a maximum stay of 15 days. A total of 127 countries and territories have agreed to grant visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to holders of Macao SAR passport. Top News - Investor Idea Cleantech and Climate Change Podcast Interview with Founder and CEO of Mullen Automotive, Inc. (NASDAQ: MULN) Discussing Recent Acquisitions, Rollout and Manufacturing of EV Line of Products Vancouver, Kelowna, Delta, BC - November 7, 2022 (Investorideas.com Newswire) Investorideas.com, a global news source and leading investor resource covering cleantech and renewable energy stocks issues a new edition of the Cleantech and Climate Change Podcast, featuring an interview with Mr. David Michery, Founder, Chairman, and CEO of Electric Vehicle Company, Mullen Automotive, Inc. (NASDAQ: MULN). Top AI Stock News - Investor Idea Breaking AI Stock News: GBT's (OTCPK: GTCH) AI Driven Financial Technology Patent Application Received a Notice of Publication San Diego, CA - November 3, 2022 (Investorideas.com Newswire) GBT Technologies Inc. (OTC PINK: GTCH) received a notice of publication for its financial software patent application. Top AI Stock News - Investor Idea Breaking AI Stock News: Intellagents, a FatBrain AI (OTCQB: LZGI) Company, Announces Hiring of Insurtech Industry Veteran as Chief Revenue Officer NEW YORK, NY - November 2, 2022 (Investorideas.com Newswire) FatBrain AI (LZG International, Inc.) (OTCQB: LZGI), the leader in powerful and easy-to-use artificial intelligence (AI) solutions for star enterprises of tomorrow, announces the hiring of Euan King, an experienced and respected Insurtech industry leader as Chief Revenue Officer for insurance technology-focused subsidiary Intellagents. Top Health and Wellness News - Investor Idea Health and Wellness Stock News - Endexx (OTCBB: EDXC) Secures $3.8M Order for Non-Nicotine Vape Product HYLA from Italy CAVE CREEK, Az. - November 2, 2022 (Investorideas.com Newswire) Endexx Corporation (OTCBB:EDXC), a provider of innovative, plant-based, and sustainable health and skincare products, today announces it has secured a new $3.8 million USD order for its newly acquired, non-nicotine based vape product, HYLA from customers in Italy. Check out our Podcasts for great investor ideas: Get new posts by email: Subscribe Powered by Investorideas.com Newswire: Subscribe to Investor Ideas Newswire Baku, Azerbaijan, Mar. 20 Trend: The march in memory of Food Provider has kicked off in Liberty Square of Yerevan, the capital city of Armenia, news.am website reported. The march participants demand to relieve Armenias Prosecutor General Artur Davtyan from his office, launch a criminal case against the investigator, who motioned for arresting Sargsyan for the second time, as well as against the judge, who made such a decision. Artur Sargsyan, died on March 16 at Armenia Medical Center, in capital city Yerevan. Sargsyan, who was charged with aiding the Sasna Tsrer armed group, was released from prison on December 31, 2016, since he had an illness that was incompatible with imprisonment. The Sasna Tsrer armed group had taken over a police patrol regiment building in Yerevan, taken hostages, but later surrendered, in July 2016. The violent confrontation, however, had lead to repeated clashes between protesters and police.On July 26, Artur Sargsyan had broken through a police cordon with a vehicle loaded with food, and delivered food to the Sasna Tsrer gunmen. A British pensioner who killed a three-year-old girl weeks after being told to stop driving because of poor eyesight has been jailed for four years. John Place, who hit Poppy-Arabella Clarke and her mother Rachel on a pelican crossing in Sutton Coldfield, admitted charges of causing death and serious injury by dangerous driving at Birmingham Crown Court earlier this month. Today, the 72-year-old, who was not wearing his glasses and only stopped when flagged down by another driver, was sentenced at the same court. In a statement, Poppy-Arabella's mother and father Phil, who are unable to have any more children, urged motorists to listen to medical advice. Their lawyer called for a "Poppy-Arabella's law" requiring medical professionals to report people unfit to drive to the DVLA. The family statement said: "On July 6, 2016, a beautiful summer day, little Poppy-Arabella, after a lovely morning playing with mummy, was excited to be heading to nursery to see her friends. "Poppy-Arabella and I never got to nursery. Mr John Place smashed into both herself and her mummy whilst we were in the middle of a pedestrian crossing, with lights having been on red for many seconds. "He did not swerve, he did not brake and he did not stop. He was only brought to a stop by a quick-thinking motorist who pulled into his path. "Mr Place had been told three weeks before the collision to stop driving by two optometrists after falling far below the required eyesight standards set by the DVLA, even when he was wearing glasses. "He had stated in his consultation 'he needed to continue to drive' even though his optometrist explained his eyesight was not good enough and his insurance may not be valid if he is involved in an accident. "Despite understanding everything that was said to him, it was clear to the optometrist he was 'stubborn and would continue to drive'. "As a result of Mr Place's selfish behaviour, a beautiful day became a scene of devastation. "Our little girl lay bleeding with catastrophic injuries and her mummy too with serious injuries. "Little Poppy-Arabella fought an incredibly brave battle at the roadside. "She loved life and wanted to hold on to it, but she lost that battle at 6.50pm that evening, her mummy, daddy, her grandparents and her cuddly rabbit Ra Ra by her side. "While Mr Place was today given a four-year custodial jail sentence, we have been left with a life sentence without our little girl, whose entire life was stolen from her in a fraction of a second. "We will miss her forever, we will love her for always. "All drivers, you have a personal responsibility to heed medical advice, to ensure you are fit to get behind the wheel. "Likewise, close family members have a duty of care to intervene before it is too late." They went on to thank people who rushed to help after the incident, as well as police, paramedics and medical teams. The family's lawyer, Richard Langton, of Slater and Gordon, said: "A lasting legacy would be Poppy-Arabella's law, requiring any medical professional aware of a person's inability to drive safely to report them to the DVLA so that their licence is withdrawn." Detective Sergeant Paul Hughes, of West Midlands Police, said: "I hope that this case sends out a message to all drivers that you have a personal responsibility to heed medical advice and to ensure you are fit to get behind the wheel." However, one of the most striking aspects of what has transpired since the June 23 referendum has been the distinct lack of detail on how this new relationship is supposed to work. The EU (Notification of Withdrawal) Bill consisted of only 133 words and two clauses. Article 50 has just under twice as many words. Together they would fit comfortably on a single page. Until recently, the impact of Brexit was most felt in the currency markets, where sterling has weakened. This move has put severe pressure on many Irish exporters, particularly in food, manufacturing and tourism. However for many in the UK, it has seemed like business as usual post Brexit, with the sharp downturn most forecasters including this one predicted would immediately follow a Leave vote failing to materialise. But what we have seen up until now may represent the calm before the Brexit storm. While the UK Office of Budget Responsibility now sees stronger growth in the short term, it has pulled back its forecasts for the coming years. A sign of things to come was recent data on UK wage growth. Nominal single month wages are currently rising at an annual rate of 1.7%, just below the 1.8% year-on-year rise in consumer prices. In other words pay growth is lagging behind inflation, so consumers purchasing power is starting to be eroded a key issue for the UK, given that personal consumption accounts for more than 60% of its GDP. Household finances are not the only domestic headache for Theresa May. While two House of Lords revolts over Brexit were eventually put down, they showed her government is not unassailable in parliamentary votes. The Scottish Nationalists call for a second independence referendum caused further ructions. Domestic distractions are the last thing May needs when she is preparing to engage with the 27 continuing EU members. How these discussions play out will have significant consequences for Ireland. The euro-sterling currency pair is the single most important one for indigenous exporters, and the twists and turns of Brexit negotiations will likely contribute to heightened volatility in the exchange rate. Irish companies would be wise to consider the effects of such volatility on their profitability and contemplate tactics such as hedging to address this. Furthermore, with market-friendly outcomes to Dutch and French elections now increasingly likely, the political risks now seem to be increasingly stacked on the UK. Apart from exchange rates, uncertainty around the UKs future trading arrangements is weighing on business investment across the Irish Sea. The latest official data show this declined at an annual rate of 0.9% in Q4 2016. Some of this softness may be temporary, as some firms are undoubtedly playing wait-and-see on how the Brexit discussions go, but it is also clear the UK is losing out to other jurisdictions, including this one. From Irelands perspective, elevated euro-sterling volatility and an uninspiring outlook for UK consumers are clearly unhelpful given Britains importance as a trading partner. However these negative effects can be mollified if Ireland can win an even greater share of foreign direct investment from firms seeking unfettered access to the single market that the UK government has decided to no longer provide. Philip OSullivan is chief economist with Investec Ireland Philippe Legrain is the inaugural speaker at the first annual Longfield Lecture in Economics this Wednesday, hosted by the Department of Economics in UCC. Mr Legrain, a senior research fellow at the London School of Economics, was formerly special adviser to the director-general of the World Trade Organisation and independent economic adviser to the President of the European Commission. He will speak about the economic benefits of immigration in general and to Ireland in particular, setting it in the current context of Brexit, the Trump administration, the refugee crisis and the rise of anti-immigrant parties across most of Europe. If, as seems likely, Britain is heading for a very hard Brexit that would leave it outside the single market and the customs union, the return of a hard border between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland is inevitable. There will need to be customs controls to check that goods comply with the requisite standards, to determine where a good is deemed to originate, to ensure that the appropriate duty is paid, and so on, he said. Mr Legrain said there will also need to be immigration controls, because the UK government will want to ensure EU citizens who can freely enter Ireland do not slip into Britain across the border with Northern Ireland. All of that will disrupt trade, harm the economy, and destabilise Northern Ireland politics, he added. UCC economics lecturer Dr Declan Jordan said the open lecture was an opportunity for both economists and a lay audience to face the compelling economic and social issues of our time. Economics has been rightly criticised for not contributing to public discourse. We now have a choice complain about experts being denigrated or we can engage. This is not economists talking among themselves the free event is open to all, he said. The Longfield Lecture, Wednesday, March 22, at 5pm, in Boole 3 Lecture Theatre, UCC An average of three animals died every week during the 12-month period. Among them were two cheetahs, a male giraffe, six penguins, and 18 corncrakes a bird in danger of national extinction. In total, 159 animals died at the popular wildlife park in 2015 more than double the number that perished during the same period at Dublin Zoo, where the deaths of 68 animals were recorded. The revelation follows reports earlier this month that a zoo in Cumbria, England, was refused a new licence after 486 of its animals died during a four-year period, representing a death rate of around 12%. Inventory records obtained under the Freedom of Information Act show that the 159 animals that died at Fota Wildlife Park in 2015 represented 12.1% of its animal population. The animals that died at the wildlife park included two male ostriches, two black swans, four European bison, and four axolotls a Mexican walking fish that is critically endangered and possibly extinct in the wild. A male scimitar-horned oryx, a species of antelope that has been extinct in the wild for almost 20 years, was also among the dead animals. Six Humboldt penguins considered vulnerable by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) died in 2015. There are fewer than 12,000 of the penguins left in the wild due to climate change and overfishing. A male lar gibbon an endangered species of ape was also among the dead animals. Two lion-tailed macaques an endangered species of monkey also died at the wildlife park. A spokesperson for Fota Wildlife Park said that all of their animals enjoy the best possible standard of husbandry and welfare, and all deaths are recorded in strict accordance with licencing requirements. Unfortunately, providing the best possible care does not prevent the natural deaths of animals as they reach the end of their life expectancy, and some animal species have very short lifespans, she said. Most of the deaths recorded died of natural causes such as old age, indeed some were among the oldest recorded Humboldt penguins and ring-tailed Lemurs, some of these were resident since the park opened in 1983. A few of the deaths were newborn that didnt survive, a common occurrence in the wild also. Mink, released into the wild, caused the deaths of some of the waterfowl. The spokesperson said Fota Wildlife Park, which attracted more than 436,000 visitors in 2015, had played a part in reintroducing a number of endangered species to the wild; and continues to support a number of international conservation programmes. While the restoration of pay will be a priority for public sector workers, many employees say getting back hours is equally important and will be a major issue in the renegotiation of the Lansdowne Road Agreement. It comes after Public Expenditure and Reform Minister Paschal Donohoe laid down a marker, making it clear the additional hours secured in the Haddington Road Agreement remain critical to enabling us to meet increased demand in frontline service areas and to improve services to the public generally. Under Haddington Road most public sector workers saw working hours increase by an average two hours and 15 minutes per week. Tom Geraghty of the The Public Service Executive Union said members are very agitated about this and never viewed these hours as permanent. It comes up at every meeting we go to. Its expressed in terms of when are we getting our time back, not if. He said its not that its either or on the issue of pay and working hours, as members now want a return to pay levels and to their original working hours. Other unions said it would feature strongly when renegotiations on pay and conditions begin. These talks are likely to be in May, after the Pay Commission publishes its recommendations. Impacts Bernard Harbor said: We accept the point that any deal must be sustainable, and that there are competing demands on the public purse. Nevertheless, working time will be on our agenda when we enter talks in a couple of months. However one union representative admitted that Government is unlikely to be willing to concede a lot in this area. It comes after Enda Kenny appeared to extend the deadline for his departure by saying Brexit negotiations and talks in Northern Ireland are his key priorities. Housing Minister Mr Coveney, who along with Leo Varadkar, is seen as a top contender to take over the leadership of the party, told the Irish Examiner that too much had been made of Mr Kennys remarks. Internal HSE documents recorded incidents including multiple deaths due to misdiagnosis and medical error, sexual assaults, and deaths and serious injuries linked to falls and patients absconding from a healthcare facility. The details released under Freedom of Information show there were 483 serious incidents recorded at HSE hospitals, mental health facilities and social care settings between September 2015 and December last year, a rate of more than one incident daily. More than a fifth (21%) of these incidents involved a patients death, as the HSE confirmed 106 patients died. However, the HSE said this does not necessarily mean these deaths resulted from the incidents concerned, as it may have resulted from other factors including illnesses or diseases. The documents detail: 155 deaths or serious disabilities occurred as a result of a fall while in a healthcare facility or during a clinical intervention from a healthcare professional, including in the community setting, pre-hospital care and the Ambulance Service; 18 incidents where a patient died or suffered a serious disability after receiving the wrong diagnosis; 22 unexplained deaths or serious injury in mental healthcare facilities; Five incidents where a patient died or suffered a serious injury due to a medication error; One incident where a patient died or suffered a serious disability after being restrained; One incident where a patient died or suffered a serious disability due to the administration of incompatible blood or blood products. There were also 62 recorded infant deaths, which includes stillbirths and neonatal deaths from birth up to seven days. Serious incidents, many of which result in death or significant injury, are classified by the HSE as serious reportable events (SREs). The serious incidents include: 15 reported sexual assaults on the grounds of a healthcare service facility; 11 cases of foreign objects, such as swabs, needles, or instruments other than micro-needles, unintentionally left in a patients body after surgery; Four patients who had no known medical problems died after surgery or other interventional procedures; One person was given the wrong formulation or route administration of chemotherapy; One person had surgery performed on the wrong body part; One person had the wrong surgical procedure performed; Four incidents of death or serious injury after a patient absconded from a healthcare facility. Irish Patients Association chairman Stephen McMahon said he believes tens of thousands of preventable errors are happening within our healthcare system. The numbers of preventable funerals and injury run into the thousands and we have no handle on what is happening in the community, nursing homes (or) general practice, Mr McMahon said. Im deeply concerned that far more people die or are injured as a result of preventable error and this does not get the same degree of attention as road vehicle accidents, he added. The HSE said excellent care and outcomes are most often the result of many of its interventions. A spokesperson said: Every year the health service has millions of interactions with patients and service users. But modern health care also carries significant risks and, at times, things do not go to plan. Adverse events and patient harm can and do happen. While there will always be risks in the delivery of healthcare, it is essential that all safety incidents are reported, managed and investigated. By the year 2020 it is estimated that one in two of us will be diagnosed with cancer at some point in our lives. March 24 is Daffodil Day and the Irish Cancer Society is urging the public to become aware of the risks associated with developing the disease and to support research into future treatments by fundraising or volunteering on or around the day itself. Make a small #DaffodilDay donation and dedicate a personalised daffodil to someone affected by cancer in your life: https://t.co/xlrvAf0oP8 pic.twitter.com/pTV7ibhRrm Irish Cancer Society (@IrishCancerSoc) March 16, 2017 Celebrities like Des Bishop and Bobby Kerr, who have survived cancer, are urging everyone to support the cause. Businessman and broadcaster Bobby Kerr, who is now one year cancer free, is pictured with Luke ODonnell (age 7) urging corporates around the country to get involved in Daffodil Day. James Rowan has survived cancer, and like thousands of others around the country is only too aware of the need to understand how this disease develops and what symptoms to look out for. He was diagnosed with lymphoma when he was a teenager and although the signs were there for months, he neglected to tell his parents as he had no idea what was wrong. I first noticed a lump no bigger than a pea on my neck when I was 14 while we were on holiday in Portugal, he recalls. I didnt think anything of it at the time and never mentioned it to anyone. But as the months went by, I noticed it was getting bigger so I told my parents. They said I seemed unusually tired and appeared to be losing weight so decided to take me to the doctor. By this stage the lump had really grown to the size of a golf ball and my parents were right about me being tired as I would often go up to bed for a nap after I came home from school. "So we told this to the GP who was brilliant and almost diagnosed me there. He said that he thought it could be Hodgkins lymphoma but couldnt be sure until I had some tests done. Unfortunately the doctors intuition was right and James was admitted for further tests and then treatment to eradicate the cancer. My treatment started almost straight away and initially I spent a week in Crumlin getting my broviac line fitted. Then I had chemotherapy for eight months, says the 32-year-old. I didnt cope very well, to be honest I was very angry and just wanted to forget all about it. I even asked my parents and doctor if I could just stop treatment because I wanted to die as it was just too difficult for me. "Because not only was it mentally challenging but the physical sickness was dreadful. I wasnt able to hold down any food, I had no energy and of course losing my hair was horrible, but thankfully my brothers and some friends all shaved their heads too so that really helped. Despite the gruelling treatment, James got through it and eventually came out the other side. James Rowan was diagnosed with Hodgkins lymphoma when he was a teenager. But his ordeal wasnt over as five years later, he had a relapse and this time, it seemed more serious than the last. Although you never really get the all-clear with cancer, the five-year mark is a real achievement and doctors usually say when you get that far, you will be fine, he says. But five years after I had finished my treatment, I went back for a routine check-up and they noticed a growth at the back of my stomach near my spine. It was in such an inaccessible place that they couldnt do a biopsy but scans and blood tests confirmed my cancer had relapsed. I still remember the exact place I was standing when I got that phone call and it felt is if my life fell away in an instant. All the anger came back and the feeling of not wanting to make big decisions again simply wishing it wasnt true. Unfortunately for James it was true and there was more bad news to come. The cancer had definitely returned and it was much stronger than they had initially thought, he says. I was going to have to go through some very tough few months of high-dose chemotherapy. This was far worse than I expected and I really dont know how the human body can survive it the chemo is so strong that it destroys the stem cells in your body and immune system and I had to spend a month in isolation at St James Hospital and needed a stem cell transplant. Luckily, we were able to harvest my own stem cells before treatment began so that lowers the risk of other complications when theyre transplanted back. But during my treatment I went away for a few days and caught an infection which caused my health to deteriorate rapidly. I stubbornly wanted my own doctor so drove back to Dublin, not realising that I was quickly dying. Jamess parents were waiting at home and drove him to hospital immediately. At this stage I couldnt walk and was losing the ability to use my arms and legs as my body was shutting down all the while being in the most agonising pain I have ever experienced. Thankfully the staff in St James Hospital acted swiftly and after lot of high dose antibiotics and a week in hospital, my life was saved. Doctors told me later that when I was admitted, I was literally an hour or two from death. Twelve years later, the memory of that episode remains painful but it is distant as James has recovered and is looking forward to a brighter future. There was a long road to recovery after the treatment both physically and mentally, but today Im doing really well, he says. It has totally changed me as a person the first diagnosis made me miss a lot of my teenage years and the second time robbed me of my early 20s but now Im doing my best to make up for it. Background radiation of the cargo found on board of an Armenian jet that landed in the Belarussian city of Gomel en route to Bulgaria was 250 times higher than the normal level, Oleg Lyashuk, head of the border control division of the State Border Committee of Belarus, told Sputnik on Monday. arlier in the day, the State Border Committee of Belarus confirmed to Sputnik that radioactive materials were found aboard an Armenian aircraft. "On March 19, at 12:30 [09:30 GMT] a transport plane from Armenia arrived in Belarus en route to Bulgaria with a box containing a mark warning about the ionizing radiation on board. The background radiation of the cargo exceeded the normal level by 250 times," Lyashuk said. The Border committee also said that after the relevant checks the jet was allowed to continue its flight to Bulgaria. This week, Im at IBM Interconnect 2017 and, right off the top, they made a really interesting announcement concerning Blockchain. Typically, we connect Blockchain to Bitcoin, but the digital currency may be the least interesting part of this technology that is basically designed to provide secure private transactions. The goal of this joint effort between IBM and Securekey is to turn your smartphone into the only thing you need to complete any transaction, from buying a stick of gum to financing your home. It is a showcase for something both companies have been working on called Hyperledger, and it is tied to the recent release of version 1.0 of the Hyperledger Fabric, representing its first commercial release. Lets talk about how this all works and why any company not participating in this Blockchain/Hyperledger revolution may quickly find its customers have gone elsewhere. The Problem The banking and financial community has a problem. There is way too much crime consuming far too many resources, and as they attempt to make crime more difficult, they have also massively increased the pain placed on customers needing to do legitimate transactions. For example, we just finished a simple refinance (effectively just shortening the term of our loan), which should have been easy, but it took months of reports, validations and pain, all of which would have us never wishing to do this again, particularly with our bank (the same bank the initial loan was with). Making this largely automatic, without increasing the risk of theft massively, has proven problematic pre-Blockchain. Blockchain What Blockchain does is provide a system where information is contained by validators that the customer trusts and that trust the customer. These institutions know who you are and know the information that surrounds you. The entire system validates the person using the system and assures the validity of both parties in a transaction without exchanging personal information and opening either to identity theft. You get a relatively risk-free secure transaction. Hyperledger Fabric The Hyperledger tracks the transaction and its elements and assures that, if there is a problem, the transaction can be reversed. The mechanism assuring this is complex; it is virtually all handled by computers, each of which is validated in the system, and the complexity is concealed from the user and vendor. A complex transaction can be concluded in moments and since the identities of the parties are fully validated, this has the added benefit of complying with anti-money laundering laws as well which, coupled with the reduction in theft and potential increase in customer satisfaction as a result of using Hyperledger and Blockchain technology, should help fuel adoption at a very high level once in production. (Currently this is in trial but parties are expected to release this before the end of 2017.) Classes of Information What is also interesting in this coming information is the broad classes of information that can be validated. This can range from health and medical information (assuring prescription accuracy), to clothing sizes, preferences, and even the kind of car you drive. Really, there is no limitation and this would assure that you get the right meds, clothing that fits (granted, there will need to be an automatic mechanism to adjust for growth), and parts that actually fit your car. A side benefit could be never having to return something because it is the wrong color or size. IBM/Securekey Experience The solution the two vendors are showcasing surrounds a smartphone app, which the user uses to manage the exchange of information. In the secure app is the information that defines them and then they choose when to share that information with a vendor, government agency, etc. The agency then uses the agreed-on validators to assure the user is who they say they are and that the information is accurate, a process that takes moments. If the process completes successfully, the transaction is approved. You get a transaction that is credit card easy but without the risks currently associated with credit cards, and a potential breadth of transaction types that credit cards simply cant touch. Wrapping Up: A Revolution? I dont think many of us considered the kind of revolution that Bitcoin was going to create even in areas that dont currently use Bitcoin. This innovative use of Blockchain could do some rather fascinating things to how we do transactions. Even things like paying taxes or voting could eventually be dramatically changed, because at the heart of this is a validated identity and once you can assure a person is who they say they are with a very high degree of accuracy, there are few limitations to the kinds of transactions you can use the related technology to accomplish. Both IBM and Securekey want to be at the heart of what could become a revolution not just in how we do business but how we relate to everything, and open the door to a level of change we cant yet imagine. Now, thats a hell of a way to start off IBM Interconnect. Rob Enderle is President and Principal Analyst of the Enderle Group, a forward-looking emerging technology advisory firm. With over 30 years experience in emerging technologies, he has provided regional and global companies with guidance in how to better target customer needs; create new business opportunities; anticipate technology changes; select vendors and products; and present their products in the best possible light. Rob covers the technology industry broadly. Before founding the Enderle Group, Rob was the Senior Research Fellow for Forrester Research and the Giga Information Group, and held senior positions at IBM and ROLM. Follow Rob on Twitter @enderle, on Facebook and on Google+ The 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon has been making buzz in the internet due to the horsepower wars that will be highlighted in the coming New York auto show. How powerful exactly is this two-door muscle variant hangs on whether its newest feature, the torque reserve system can deliver in the hype that's been fueled by online muscle car enthusiasts. The speed-hungry community is now drooling at the thought of delirious numbers of incredible launch speeds once reserved for the drag racing strip. First announced in January, the Demon has already been generating rumors of an 850 horsepower. Chrysler fan forum Moparts, has since then been fueling debates, speculating on the cars performance numbers. Last week, the Demons drag soundtrack generated a fan frenzy as it shows off its more complex performance features, like the torque reserve system. According to The Verge, Dodge's Demon new torque system is the center of attention that promises to bring more muscles to the car. It is a function that kicks in when the car is in launch mode, triggering air flow to be maximized through the engine once the supercharger clocks above 1000 rpms. This helps the supercharger rpm to increase without torque, resulting in the brakes to come in motion and to make the rear tires to spin vehemently. Fans are coveting more details of this engine trickery that makes for more efficient razor sharp power, The Marshalltown reported. Speculations on whether it will be an all-wheel drive or rear-wheel drive abound, as well as whether it will beat out the Challenger Hellcats 650 pound feet of torque. All the excitement is due to the fact that this is the first time this kind of thing has been designed for a drag race application on a production car. The OnePlus 5 is set to arrive in the coming months, as the Chinese company seems to continue to buck the high-priced flagship trend. OnePlus has managed to consistently stand out from the crowd by offering high-end hardware at a very reasonable price. Latest reports claim that OnePlus 5 will come with a new design, waterproof and with a new color variant, matte black. OnePlus 5: Design, New Color Variant, And IP68 Rating According to a source, the OnePlus 5 might feature a ceramic build as the Mi Mix. Now fresh reports suggest that the company might opt for an all-glass design that will give it a more premium look and OnePlus 5 is also believed to arrive with an IP68 rating that will make the phone resistant to water and dust. The latest reports also claim that the new matte Black color variant of the Colette Edition could just be the with the upcoming OnePlus 5. OnePlus 5: Possible Specs The OnePlus 5 smartphone is believed to feature a 5.5-inch dual-curved edge AMOLED display with an FHD 1080p resolution. One Plus 5 is also said to pack 6GB RAM and 64GB internal storage and is set to arrive with a 25MP main camera and a 12MP snapper for selfies. Moreover, the OnePlus 5 is expected to come featuring a glass and aluminum body and with a USB-Type C connector. As for software-wise, Android 7.1 Nougat should run the show out of the box. Furthermore, a 128GB internal storage variation may also be launched that might be expanded up to 256GB via microSD card. Under the hood is a 4000mAh juice pack. The Dash Charge tech OnePlus has employed in the 3 is truly impressive, and we fully expect to see it return in the OnePlus 5. It could be even faster too, as sister company Oppo announced an even speedier charging tech. Swedish police and rescue officials say that three young people were killed in a collision of two cars in northern Sweden, and six others have been injured, AP reported. Ulf Axelsson, head of rescue operations, said that at least two of the injured were children in child seats. He gave no further details. The crash occurred on a bend of a main highway near Lycksele in the northern province of Lapland in what rescue services described as "slightly icy" conditions. However, police declined to confirm details pending an investigation. Police spokesman Michael Liljenberg told Swedish news agency TT that a technical team would investigate before they could determine a possible cause of the collision. No other details were immediately available. The death toll from powerful floods in Peru that occurred in over a dozen of the country's regions has reached 75 with more than 260 being injured, Sputnik reported. RCN broadcaster reported that 263 people were injured with 20 others missing. The floods have destroyed 12,000 houses, 25 schools and eight health facilities, as well as 2,000 kilometers of roads. On Friday, President of Peru Pedro Pablo Kuczynski has announced that about $766 million would be allocated to restore the country. The floods, caused by the El Nino phenomenon, hit 20 out of Perus 25 regions. They have also reportedly led to an outbreak of the Dengue fever, affecting over 1,200 people. The El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is a cycle of warm and cold temperatures of the tropical central and eastern Pacific Ocean. The warm phase of ENSO is called "El Nino," while the cool phase is referred to as "La Nina." The El Nino phenomenon occurs at irregular intervals, every two to seven years. As a subscriber, you are shown 80% less display advertising when reading our articles. Those ads you do see are predominantly from local businesses promoting local services. These adverts enable local businesses to get in front of their target audience the local community. It is important that we continue to promote these adverts as our local businesses need as much support as possible during these challenging times. Close Nicht Ihr Computer? Dann konnen Sie fur die Anmeldung ein Fenster zum privaten Surfen offnen. Weitere Informationen First Lady Melania Trump is making headlines for her sense of style as the former model is said to have not had a fashion misstep since husband Donald Trump was inaugurated as the 45th President of the United States. But it appears that the 46-year-old is not getting the same degree of support that her predecessor has gotten from the fashion industry, as it was reported that some top designers are refusing to dress her for major events. Buzzfeed has released a running list of designers who are refusing to dress the First Lady and other members of the Trump family, which include Phillip Lim, Tom Ford and Sophie Theallet. The latest designer who revealed that he would not be working with the Trumps is Zac Posen. Speaking with The Daily Beast, the 36-year-old said that he has no plans to dress members of the first family and that for now, he is staying away from bringing my brand into politics. There are issues that are being questioned that are fundamentally upsetting to medeeply: LGBT rights, immigration, funding for the arts, Planned Parenthood, and womens rights, Posen explained. He added that these issues are very close to his heart and that he uses his own voice and private funds to fight for them and in support of them. Lim told Womens Wear Daily that his company does not have a current relationship with Mrs. Trump, and he doesnt foresee a relationship developing under the Trump administration. Derek Lam also told WWD that though he doesnt know the First Lady personally, he doesnt see himself getting involved with the Trump presidency. Meanwhile, Cynthia Rowley said that the question on whether designers would want to dress Melania Trump is irrelevant since she can simply purchase whatever she wants, and they are in no position to control it. Indeed, it was recently reported that the First Lady buys her own clothes, stylist Phillip Bloch gave his take on the matter. Speaking with The Hollywood Reporter, Bloch said, Why do rich people need free clothes? Melania should buy her clothes. Bloch also said that Mrs. Trump is not buying by choice because she has less support from the fashion community. Melania is buying, but she does not have limited options, the stylist said. She is married to a rich man and can buy whatever she wants! For more, check out Jobs & Hires report on what Trump Agency models are saying about working for the company. When young people think about apartment living, what comes to mind is Monica and Rachels spacious New York apartment in Friends or Jess loft that she shares with three men in New Girl. But in real life, some young workers, particularly those who work in tech companies or start-ups, are living in less glamorous and cramped spaces to cope with high rental fees. According to Business Insider, millennials are going to great lengths to live in San Francisco to pursue their careers in Silicon Valley. As the city has the second-highest median rent in the U.S., new graduates are said to be spending up to 79 percent of their salary on rent. To deal with this problem, some have opted to live in boats, tiny homes, and some young workers have even created a form of shelter using homemade wooden crates. Some young tech employees have resorted to living in dorm-like apartments such as The Negev, a communal living space that markets itself as a home for millennial tech workers to brainstorm ideas and create apps. In exchange for living in this stimulating environment, residents have to sleep in bunk beds and share toilets and bathrooms with everybody else. For some tech workers, living at The Negev is almost like a dream come true, akin to living in a Melrose Place-type setting without all the drama. A resident named Dalton, who has been living for almost a year at the apartment complex, took to Yelp and said that he has made around 40 new friends within two weeks of moving in. I had late night discussions ranging from social issues, to details about peoples startups/projects, to the plot holes in a movie, said Dalton. Another resident named Alejandro said that The Negev is filled with a diverse group of very diverse people. Meanwhile, Sabin gave a detailed account of the living situation in the complex. It was said that people normally stay two-in-a-room in bunk beds, and there are shared showers and bathrooms. There is also a large communal living room and kitchen, and a basement with more working space and a movie and video game room. The Negev is situated in San Franciscos famous South of Market, or SoMa, right on Folsom street. Renters pay $1,900 a month to stay there, and Dejah, who landed a job as a virtual reality engineer at moBack, told AOL that he thought that New York was expensive before coming to live in the apartment. Its basically an extension of college, said Dejah. We sort of live in a frat house. For more, check out Jobs & Hires report on Mark Zuckerberg and what he learned more from his side projects than he did at college. If youve ever considered a career caring for Prince George and Princess Charlotte, or perhaps if youre looking to get a job as a nanny with one of the most high profile families in the world, then attending Britains Norland College is a must. Founded in London in 1892 by Emily Ward, Norland College is famous throughout the world for providing nannies for aristocrats and royals. According to Spectator, having a Norland graduate as ones nanny has become the ultimate status symbol among the elite. Anyone can spot Norland students by their uniforms. Ladies who are in training to become nannies are dressed in a tan uniform, brown bowler hat, and white gloves. The girls are often reminded that they are neither au pairs nor lowly servants, but are something noble as they are being groomed to care for members of royal families, and possibly even a future king or queen. Apart from learning how to feed, bathe, and comfort a child, Norland nannies are also taught skills that are more suited to James Bond than Mary Poppins. According to The Daily Mail, students are taught evasive driving to help them escape from ambushes, to hand to hand combat while pushing a stroller. They are also taught to avoid the paparazzi to protect the childrens privacy. All this special training enables them to protect the children that theyre caring for, as they can be the target of kidnappers and terrorists. Back in 2014, Norland was put in the spotlight as one of its graduates, Maria Turrion Borrallo, was chosen to be Prince Georges nanny. She is currently caring for both the 3-year-old and his sister, Princess Charlotte. Norland graduate Hannah Brown told The Telegraph about the application process and what it takes to be a Norland nanny. Brown said that out of couple of hundred girls that applied, only 48 of them were accepted to attend the learning institution. Apart from writing an essay and reading a childrens story, applicants are interviewed to make sure that they want the job for the right reasons. The interview is designed to make sure that youre in this because you love children, not for any perks that might come with the job, she said. Students attend Norland College for three years, and apart from self-defense and changing diapers, they are also taught how to cook and sew. Brown said that she has gotten a lot of attention whenever she wore the iconic uniform and that people would often come to talk to her. If people know what you do then the response is usually lovely, she said. Norland has a wonderful reputation and its an honor to think that Norland nannies are being employed for events like Princess Charlottes christening. For more, check out Jobs & Hires report on robot nurses that are being developed to care for the elderly. Thousands of people living in the US state of Colorado had to leave their homes due to the spread of wildfire in the Boulder County, Sputnik reported. Firefighters were sent to combat the wildfire, detected at 1:30 a.m. local time (07:30 GMT) on Sunday, and people were told to evacuate the area, according to NBC broadcaster, citing the Boulder County Sheriff's Office. The broadcaster noted that eight aircraft were involved in the fire extinguishing operation. The information on casualties or damage from the wildfire as well as the exact number of evacuated people has not been provided yet. Email Links to our top local news stories of the day, Monday through Saturday. Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika appeared in a video on Sunday for the first time in a month since his abrupt cancellation of a meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Algiers triggered speculation over his health, Reuters reported. Since a stroke in 2013, Bouteflika, 80, has appeared rarely in public and usually only in state news images with visiting dignitaries, leaving questions over whether the leader in power for nearly two decades will finish his term. In a video broadcast on Sunday on state television, Bouteflika was seen receiving his minister of Africa and Arab Affairs. It was his first such appearance since he postponed Merkel's visit to Algiers on Feb. 20 citing acute bronchitis. Bouteflika was seen briefly seated at a table with Minister Abdelkader Messahel, who state media reported had briefed him on Sunday on the situation in Mali, Libya and the Sahel. Ruling FLN party chief and other government supporters have dismissed speculation over Bouteflika's health since the Merkel cancellation. They say he is carrying out his duties normally. But the postponement again raised questions about a potential transition from Bouteflika in Algeria, a key supplier of gas to Europe and partner in the Western campaign against Islamist militancy in North Africa. WASHINGTON (AP) President Donald Trump's first spending plan for the government and a report by the Congressional Budget Office on Republican health care kicked up quite a fuss in Washington over the past week. Bold claims flew on those developments and more. Many don't hold up to scrutiny: BUDGET and ECONOMY TRUMP: "Already, because of this new business climate, we are creating jobs that are starting to pour back into our country like we haven't seen in many, many decades. In the first two job reports since I took the oath of office, we've already added nearly half a million new jobs. And believe me, it's just beginning." Tennessee rally, Wednesday. THE FACTS: The president has yet to implement policies that would influence hiring on a national scale, despite his aggressive rhetoric on job creation. Nor has his presidency hurt job growth, judging by declines in unemployment in Barack Obama's last month in office and Trump's first. Trump takes undue credit for hiring that has yet to occur and for the return of jobs from overseas that have yet to come back. He's boasted about hiring plans by General Motors, Ford and other companies that were in the works before he took office. ___ MICK MULVANEY, Trump's budget director: "Let's talk about after-school programs generally. They're supposed to be educational programs, right? And that's what they're supposed to do, they're supposed to help kids who can't who don't get fed at home, get fed so that they do better at school. Guess what? There's no demonstrable evidence they're actually doing that. There's no demonstrable evidence they're actually helping results, helping kids do better at school." Thursday. THE FACTS: There is such evidence and it comes from the government as well as multiple scientific studies. Says the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , for example: "Student participation in the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) School Breakfast Program (SBP) is associated with increased academic grades and standardized test scores, reduced absenteeism, and improved cognitive performance (e.g., memory)." Another example: A Harvard study found that after-school programs in general lead to better grades, social development, health and wellness. Mulvaney appeared to be referring to 21st Century Community Learning Centers, a $1.2 billion program that the Trump administration tabbed in its budget proposal for elimination. The program provides after-school meals along with sports, clubs and enrichment activities. Its primary goal is to provide child care for the parents of 1.6 million kids, allowing them to maintain their jobs and incomes. ___ TRUMP: Speaking of the request in his new budget for a $54 billion increase for the Pentagon, "Our budget calls for one of the single largest increases in defense spending history in this country." THE FACTS: Trump's proposed increase, 10 percent higher than the Defense Department's current budget, is large, but a long way from the highest boost ever. In just the past 40 years, there have been eight years with larger increases in percentage terms than the one he's now proposing. In the early 1980s, for example, defense spending was increased dramatically as the Cold War with the Soviet Union intensified. The 1981 Pentagon budget saw a nearly 25 percent increase. And the proposed expansion pales in comparison with earlier times. Military spending consumed 43 percent of the economy in 1944, during World War II, and 15 percent in 1952, during the Korean War. It was 3.3 percent in 2015, says the World Bank. ___ NATO TRUMP: "Many (NATO) nations owe vast sums of money from past years and it is very unfair to the United States. These nations must pay what they owe." Friday. THE FACTS: Other NATO countries do not have a past debt owing to the alliance or to the U.S. The issue is that most of the 28 NATO member countries have not been living up to a commitment to spend 2 percent of their gross domestic product on defense. The Trump administration is leaning on them to start meeting that commitment. But the U.S. is not trying to wring money from past years out of them. ___ HEALTH CARE TRUMP: Claiming blanket conversion of Republican House members Friday for the GOP health care bill, "We just had a meeting with probably 12 congressmen, and it was an amazing meeting because they were all noes ... all noes or pretty much no ... but after 15 minutes, they went from no to all yeses." Going into the meeting, there were "no yesses." THE FACTS: Trump is overstating his powers of persuasion. There were actually 13 lawmakers present, according to a White House attendance sheet, and at least five of them were already on board before they went into the meeting. Two of those present, Reps. Steve Scalise and Patrick McHenry, are members of the House GOP leadership who are in charge of rounding up votes for the GOP replacement for Obamacare. Two others, Reps. Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee and Bruce Westerman of Arkansas, had voted for the bill in their committees. And another, Rep. Andy Barr of Kentucky, spoke favorably about the bill in a March 9 speech, calling it a "crucial and necessary first step." ___ TRUMP, on Obama's health care law: "It's a disaster. Obamacare is dead." ''It's just about on its last legs." Insurers are leaving the program and "many states are down to one." Friday. THE FACTS: Obamacare has problems, but they're not as dire as Trump describes. The problems include premium increases and decisions by some insurers to leave the marketplace created by the law for people who buy their own policies. Five states Alaska, Alabama, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Wyoming have just one participating insurer across their entire jurisdictions. At the county level, more than 1,000 counties in 26 states are down to one insurer about one-third of U.S. counties. Premium increases are offset by subsidies for about 8 in 10 customers who buy individual health insurance policies through government-sponsored markets like HealthCare.gov. But millions who purchase their policies outside the marketplaces get no financial assistance. A report from the Congressional Budget Office, though, says the market for individual policies in most places is "stable." The report said the market also would probably remain stable under the proposed GOP replacement legislation. ___ SEAN SPICER, White House press secretary: "Having a card and having coverage that when you walk into a doctor's office has a deductible of $15,000, $20,000 a year isn't coverage. That's a car. That doesn't get you the care you need." Tuesday. THE FACTS: He's wrong about deductibles under Obama's law. Out-of-pocket expenses for consumers are limited. Deductibles, copayments and coinsurance together can't exceed $7,150 this year for an individual plan sold through HealthCare.gov or similar state markets. For a family plan, it's $14,300. After that, the insurance plan pays the full cost of covered benefits. In addition, more than half of customers in these plans get subsidies to help with their out-of-pocket costs. ___ SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER, Senate Democratic leader, on the CBO report that estimates 24 million more people will be without health insurance in a decade under the Republican legislation to replace Obamacare: "CBO is virtually unassailable. Everyone, Democrats and Republicans ... has gone along with CBO. ... They've been speaking the truth for decades and to try to attack CBO is simply attacking the messenger." Monday. REP. NANCY PELOSI, House Democratic leader, on Republican reaction to the CBO: "Some of them are trying to pin a rose on this report and make it sound like it's a good thing and the others of them are trying to discredit the CBO, but it's completely wrong, completely wrong. ... Numbers are quite elegant things, you know." Monday. THE FACTS: Democrats have not hesitated to attack this messenger when its conclusions have not suited them. "The Congressional Budget Office never gives us any credit," President Obama said in 2009 when the CBO pointed to the expense of Democratic health overhaul proposals. Complained Pelosi at the time: "The CBO will always give you the worst-case scenario." Again in 2014, Pelosi did not consider CBO's numbers "elegant," or correct, when they forecast job losses from a Democratic effort to raise the minimum wage. She accused the CBO of making arguments that "contradict the consensus among hundreds of America's top economists." ___ MULVANEY: "If you have coverage that doesn't allow you to go to the doctor, what good is it in the first place? ... Democrats took all of this credit for giving people coverage, but ignored the fact that they had created this large group of people that still could not go to the doctor." Monday. THE FACTS: Republicans gloss over reality when they make this argument. While deductibles are high for the Affordable Care Act's private insurance plans (averaging $3,000 last year for a standard silver plan), the law requires preventive care to be covered at no charge. And more than half of the people enrolled in the health law's insurance markets get an extra subsidy when they go to seek care. It can reduce a deductible from several thousand dollars to a few hundred. The GOP bill would repeal those subsidies. Other evidence points to tangible benefits from Obama's coverage expansion. For example, government researchers have found fewer Americans struggling to pay medical bills. A 2015 report found that problems with medical bills had declined for the fourth year in a row. Most of the improvement was among low-income people and those with government coverage, and it coincided with the ACA's big coverage expansion. ___ IMMIGRATION TRUMP: "And by the way, aren't our borders getting extremely strong? ... We've already experienced an unprecedented 40 percent reduction in illegal immigration on our southern border, 61 percent 61 percent since Inauguration Day. Sixty-one percent; think about it. And now people are saying we're not going to go there anymore 'cause we can't get in, so it's going to get better and better." Rally Wednesday. THE FACTS: There's not much evidence yet that Trump is driving down illegal immigration. It's true that the number of border arrests dropped about 44 percent from January to February. But it's too early to know if that will hold or what prompted it. Monthly and seasonal fluctuations are common. Trump hasn't expanded the ranks of the Border Patrol or any other immigration or border-security agency. His orders haven't yet changed the way the Border Patrol operates and so far there is no evidence that more people are being deported. The wall he's promised to build isn't up. The number of border arrests is the primary measure of the flow of illegal immigration at the border, though an imperfect one. If fewer people are arrested, that's taken to mean fewer people are trying. Over recent decades, presidents have tried to have it both ways. They cite low arrest numbers to illustrate how their policies are dissuading people from crossing illegally. When arrest numbers are high, they say that's because they're being aggressive in enforcing the border. ___ Associated Press writers Maria Danilova, Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar, Josh Boak and Alicia A. Caldwell contributed. ___ Find all AP Fact Checks at http://apne.ws/2kbx8bd Human Rights Watch [HRW] [website] sent a letter [text] and a memorandum [text] to the speaker of the Iraqi parliament on Sunday with recommendations for amendments to a proposed domestic violence bill. HRW urged the Iraqi government to set penalties for the crime of domestic violence, to focus on justice over reconciliation and to improve victim protections. HRW provided detailed amendments to the bill, ranging from changing the definition of domestic abuse, the rights of victims after abuse, giving government authorities a wider range of tools to help the victims and establishing shelters for victims. HRW also alleged, that Iraq would be violating its obligations under international human rights law, if the bill is not changed to live up to international standards for protection of victims of domestic abuse. A survey from 2006/07 [survey, PDF] suggests that one in five Iraqi women are subject to physical domestic violence. A UN report from 2011 [JURIST report] stated that womens rights in Iraq continue to be a big concern as domestic violence, trafficking, genital mutilation and honor crimes against women continue to be reported. In February, Russia enacted [JURIST report] a new law that decriminalizes domestic violence to make it an administrative offense. In December 2016, Lebanese lawmakers took steps to overturn a law [JURIST report] that allows rapists to avoid prosecution if they marry their victims Syrias authorities are ready to discuss the countrys new constitution but want to know who will take part in the Geneva talks, Syrian President Bashar Assad said in an interview with Russian journalists on Monday, TASS reported. "We are ready to discuss anything including the constitution, but we need to see who's going to be in Geneva, are they going to discuss the same paper or not?" he said. "But for us, as a government, our position is very clear: that we are ready to discuss it in details, but we support the headline, of course." "Yesterday, I think, our representative in the United Nations, Mr. Jaafari, announced that we support the Russian initiatives - different initiatives, not only this one - as headlines, and now we are discussing with the Russians the details, he said. "The problem is that we went to Astana recently, as you know, the other delegation, the delegation of the militants, didn't join that meeting, they didn't go to Astana, and we all believe that this is the negative influence of the Turks. So, how can we start something concrete if you don't have a partner?" Magna has reportedly submitted a plan to build a new car plant in Slovenia capable of building up to 200,000 cars a year. The Slovenian government said that the investment of up to EUR1.24bn in Slovenia would create around 6,000 jobs, Reuters reported. The final goal is the establishment of an entirely functional car plant in Slovenia with capacity of 100,000 to 200,000 vehicles per year, the Slovenian government said in a statement. It said the proposed investment would be in four phases, without giving a timeframe or any indication of when a final investment decision might be made. Magna said in January it would build a new paint shop in Slovenia, creating around 400 jobs. Magna is looking to add a production plant in Europe because its facility in Austria is nearing capacity limits. The company contract assembles vehicles at its plant in Austria for a number of OEMs and has current contracts with Daimler and BMW. It will add the Jaguar I-Pace electric vehicle from 2018. In January, Magna said it will build a new paint facility in Slovenia to help support new programmes going into Graz. Construction of the paint is scheduled to begin in the second quarter of 2017 and the company expects to create approximately 400 jobs. NEWSLETTER Sign up Tick the boxes of the newsletters you would like to receive. Just Drinks Daily News The top stories of the day delivered to you every weekday. Just Drinks Weekly News A weekly roundup of the latest news and analysis, sent every Monday. Just Drinks Magazine The industry's most comprehensive news and information delivered every quarter At least 13 terrorists were killed in anti-terror operations in southeastern Turkey over the past week, according to an official statement Monday, Anadoly reported. The Interior Ministrys statement said security forces conducted 230 operations against various terrorist organizations. While 13 terrorists were killed during nationwide operations jointly conducted by Gendarmerie Special Forces, commando units, special operations police and the Turkish Armed Forces, 11 others surrendered. Dozens of suspects were detained on charges of relations with terrorist organizations - 70 of them to Daesh, 28 to the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) and 28 others to leftist terrorist groups. In the southeastern and eastern provinces of Batman, Bingol, Agri, Diyarbakir, Sirnak and Tunceli, 21 shelters and caves used by terrorists were destroyed. Security forces seized 65 different models of weapons - 34 of them heavy and long-barrel firearms - 15 grenades and 19 improvised explosive devices. Meanwhile, more than 5.5 tons of hashish and 1,709,307 pills were seized in 422 operations against drug trafficking. Security forces also confiscated over 720,000 packages of smuggled cigarettes and 25,000 liters of fuel. What Trump Should Know: China Aiming to Become Worlds Technology Innovator, Not Its Manufacturer Chip Production in China (Photo : Getty Images) For all the threats that U.S. President Donald Trump has thrown on China, such as imposing a high tariff on U.S. imports and labeling China as a currency manipulator, it could be picking up the wrong fight. According to an article in the Entrepreneur, China is aiming for a higher goal to become the world's technology innovator, not its technology manufacturer. Advertisement While the U.S. is making an effort to bring back manufacturing jobs to the country, China is working on ways to create high-tech products and not simply assemble them. And granting that the U.S. wins the trade war, it will lose something more substantial, which is entrepreneurial leadership in technology, the report said. All high-tech products undergo four steps. First is the development of a prototype, then the writing of the software code, the design of production units, components and subsystems and finally, the product assembly and testing. Most tech companies own the first three steps, which are the most valuable. Although American companies outsource some designs, they retain the intellectual property rights and own the brand of the finished product. Previously, Chinese companies were only limited to assembly and testing, but now, it has changed abruptly. In the past decades, the country incubated thousands of startups and launched several venture capital firms. Now, these firms are making innovations in drones, electric vehicles, smart devices, fintech and commerce. According to research firm CB Insights, about a quarter of the world's unicorns is now in China, which includes four of the top seven companies, by valuation. Local companies in China also make and sell more electric cars than the rest of the world combined, the report said. Last year, Uber gave up and sold its local unit to rival Didi Chuxing, a company backed by Alibaba, Tencent and Baidu. Among the global smartphone makers, Samsung and Apple may be the leaders but the top five from China, which includes Huawei, Oppo and Xiaomi, take almost 20 percent of the global market. China also on its way to becoming a global leader in semiconductor manufacturing by 2030 as a January report by the Obama administration showed that China has funded a $160 billion program to acquire advanced chip technology and support chip production in China. In addition, the Chinese entrepreneurial culture is more aggressive and competitive as shown in the technology hubs in Beijing and Shenzhen. Its middle class is also an expanding group of consumers that are ready to use new products designed and made by Chinese companies. China is aiming to own the core technology, the chips, the design, the hardware and software and the brands of the final products. In time, it may replace Silicon Valley as the world's entrepreneurial capital. While Trump may succeed with its trade war, the U.S. may eventually lose its dominance in technology to China. Boca Raton, FL, USA, 03/20/2017 /SubmitPressRelease123/ If you read the term sexual predator in the news you might assume it involves the sexual assault of children. Sexual predators also operate in Florida assisted living facilities and nursing homes, where they work. Nursing home abuse attorney Joe Osborne says rapes in nursing homes are underreported and the government does little about them. In a lengthy and grim report CNN goes into detail about the problem of rape in nursing homes and how ineffective government regulators are to prevent it from happening. They summed up their findings this way, (V)ictims and their families were failed at every stage. Nursing homes were slow to investigate and report allegations because of a reluctance to believe the accusations or a desire to hide them. Police viewed the claims as unlikely at the outset, dismissing potential victims because of failing memories or jumbled allegations. And because of the high bar set for substantiating abuse, state regulators failed to flag patterns of repeated allegations against a single caregiverIts these systemic failures that make it especially hard for victims to get justice and even easier for perpetrators to get away with their crimes. CNN found its difficult to learn the extent of the problem because state regulators lump allegations of sexual abuse with other forms of abuse. When these claims are investigated its rare that allegations are substantiated. Of 386 sexual abuse cases in Illinois since 2013, 59 were substantiated. In Texas 11 of 251 sexual assault complaints in the 2015 fiscal year were substantiated. Wisconsin informed CNN it didnt substantiate any reported sexual abuse in the last five years. Federal data from the Administration for Community Living shows that there have been about 16,000 complaints of sexual abuse reported in long-term care facilities since 2000. Agency officials told CNN that number represents part of the problem because they count only cases where state long-term care ombudsmen got involved. CNN reports that facility inspection reports filed nationwide between 2013 and 2016 and an analysis of actions taken against long term care facilities show: The federal government cited more than 1,000 nursing homes for mishandling or failing to prevent alleged cases of rape, sexual assault and sexual abuse at their facilities. Nearly a hundred of these facilities were cited multiple times. At least a quarter of the reports included allegations that assaults were allegedly perpetrated by aides, nurses and other staff members, while a small portion involved facility visitors (including family members) or unknown assailants. Most citations dealt with cases of residents abusing other residents, accusations against caregivers and other workers tended to be far more serious. More than 500 facilities were cited for failing to investigate and report allegations of sexual abuse to authorities or for not properly screening employees for potentially abusive pasts. One nursing director told a state inspector that if the facility reported all allegations it would be numerous and the State Agency wouldnt want that either. CNN found this epidemic of sexual assault of the elderly and disabled couldnt happen without the negligent or intentional actions of nursing home management. Allegations by residents are often questioned or dismissed because victims have cognitive conditions such as Alzheimers. Workers often lack training needed to spot sexual abuse so abuse that should be found and reported is not. The reputation and continued operation of the facility may take priority over resident safety. Staff may fear investigators looking into a facility may expose other issues, threaten a nursing home with closure or open the door to costly lawsuits. There are also instances where administrators and employees actively impeded investigations. CNNs investigation shows that government regulators are not equipped to handle this problem for many reasons. The reality is that lawsuits filed on behalf of sexual assault victims in nursing homes may be the most effective way to hold a negligent nursing home accountable for allowing these crimes to take place. If a family member living in an assisted living facility or nursing home in Miami-Dade, Broward or Palm Beach Counties is the victim of a sexual assault, contact Boca Raton nursing home abuse attorney Joe Osborne at (561) 800-4011 or fill out this online contact form. We can talk about the situation, how the law could apply in your case and the best legal options to protect your rights and obtain compensation for your loved ones injuries. Press Contact: Personal injury lawyer Joseph Osborne 561-800-4011 source: http://www.oa-lawfirm.com/nursing-home-rapes-not-unusual-says-boca-nursing-home-abuse-attorney-joe-osborne/ Newsroom powered by Online Press Release Distribution SubmitMyPressRelease.com Like Us on Facebook It's only fair to share... Pinterest Linkedin email Print New York City, NY, 03/20/2017 /SubmitPressRelease123/ As the New Year gets underway, its customary to reflect on the previous year. 2016 was a busy year with plenty of ups and downs. Unfortunately, it was also a bad year for aviation accidents. Specifically, there were numerous unsolved plane crashes, including Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, which was lost in 2014. New York City aviation accident lawyer Jonathan C. Reiter explains, Aviation accidents especially a large scale accident like Flight 370 are devastating because they result in such a large loss of life. For many families who lose someone in an airline crash, knowing why the crash occurred is just one way to bring some sense of closure. As the crash approaches the three-year mark, these families are still left to wonder what happened, which can intensify their grief. A total of 239 people were killed on Flight 370. Three countries China, Malaysia, and Australia are in charge of investigating the crash, and all three nations have stated they will stop searching for wreckage in January 2017 unless they discover new leads in the investigation. Aviation experts, including the president of the Australian Federation of Air Pilots, have said theyre opposed to calling off the investigation, as its important for the global aviation industry to know why accidents happen. Other Major Crashes That Have Gone Unsolved There were also other major aviation disasters that remained unsolved in 2016. For example, investigators still disagree over what caused the explosion of a Metrojet A321 that killed 224 people. The jetliner exploded over the Sinai Peninsula during a flight bound for St. Petersburg, Russia. Russian investigators determined that the disaster was an act of terrorism, however, Egyptian officials dispute this. A May 2016 crash of an Egyptian plane that claimed the lives of 66 people has also been scrutinized. The flight crashed into the Mediterranean after taking off from Paris. French investigators reject the possibility of a bomb being smuggled through a French airport, while Egyptian investigators claim that traces of explosives were found on the bodies of some of the victims. Although the U.S. is not involved in any of these crash investigations, a representative from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) commented on the problems that sometimes occur during aviation investigations in other countries, where political motives can skew the results. He stated that the U.S. and other Western countries have laws in place designed to keep politics out of air crash investigations. But that is not the case in much of the rest of the world. Media Contact: Airline accident lawyer Jonathan C. Reiter. T: 866-324-9211. Jonathan C. Reiter Law Firm, PLLC The Empire State Building 350 5th Avenue #6400 New York, NY 10118 source: http://injuryaccidentnews.jcreiterlaw.com/2017/03/16/ny-aviation-accident-lawyer-discusses-2016-year-unsolved-plane-crashes/ Social Media Tags:2016 Year of Unsolved Plane Crashes, Crashes That Have Gone Unsolved, NY Aviation Accident Lawyer, Unsolved Plane Crashes Newsroom powered by Online Press Release Distribution SubmitMyPressRelease.com Like Us on Facebook It's only fair to share... Pinterest Linkedin email Print Police Dog Trials (Photo : Getty Images) To make his 85-year-old paralyzed father ha fppy, a farmer from Hebei Province trained two dog to perform stunts, particularly walking tightropes. Zhang Yukun, the father was a famous calligrapher who became paralyzed in 2012 after a stroke following the death of his wife that year. He lost the ability to move his limbs. Advertisement Zhang Mengqiu, the son, resigned from his work in 2012 to take care of Zhang Yukun. Every day, he fed his father and helped Zhang Yukun walk. He also used Chinese traditional medicine therapies such as acupuncture and cupping on his father. Cause of Depression In 2015, the loss of the family pet dog caused Zhang Yukun to be depressed. Zhang Menqui bought two Belgian Malinois dogs to cheer up and accompany his sick father, Daily Mail reported. When Zhang learned that his father likes watching dogs walking tightropes on TV, he trained his dogs to perform stunts such as climbing stairs, jumping over walls and sitting up straight. Chinas Central Television Station produced a documentary about Zhang Mengqui and his two dogs. But with fame came criticisms from the Humane Society Internationals Wendy Higgins who said the dogs suffer from the training and having to perform even if it made Zhang Yukun laugh. Fear of Punishment She pointed out that dogs would not willingly walk a tightrope and it only does so out of fear of punishment or Zhang Mengqui used a fear-based training. The belief of Wendy Higgins is that the dogs went through mental anguish and had to endure physical pain in the form of cut or sore paws. Humans should cry rather than laugh when animals go through such ordeal. However, Animals Asia, lauded Zhang Mengqui for being a devoted son but added that it demonstrates the importance of animal welfare education in China. Jill Robinson, founder and CEO of Animals Asia, agrees that while the son is not a bad guy, he is unaware what he does harm the dogs welfare. She suggested other ways of bonding between the dog and his owner by instead throwing balls with the dog, QQ.com reported. Shanghai Math Books to Be Used in UK Schools Shanghai math is considered the best in the world. (Photo : Getty Images) On Tuesday, Collins Learning and Shanghai Century Publishing Group have signed an agreement to publish and distribute English versions of Shanghai math books to U.K. schools. The deal was made at the London Book Fair. Collins Learning is a part of the publishing giant, Harper Collins. According to plan, Collins will be printing a series of 36 textbooks. The series is named Real Shanghai Mathematics. Advertisement Collins Learning's managing director Colin Hughes sees the signing of the deal "a historic moment." "To my knowledge, this has never happened in history before--that textbooks created for students in China will be translated exactly as they have been developed, and sold for use in British schools," said Hughes. "This development arises from increasingly successful collaboration between Shanghai and the British government, aimed at raising standards of mathematics education in U.K. schools by adopting the excellent approach that places Shanghai as a world leader in mathematics teaching," he added. Over 400 teachers, leaders and researchers from China and Britain have participated in academic exchange visits since 2014. Schools that sent representatives have profited from the exchanges. Students from Shanghai have consistently performed well in the Program for International Student Assessment. In the program, 15-year-old students are given an exam to assess education systems worldwide. The assessment happens every three years. The National Centre for Excellence in the Teaching of Mathematics has already used Shanghai math books in training British educators. Last year, the Teaching for Mastery Program was announced by the U.K. Education Department. The program aims to help educators acquire techniques used in Shanghai, Singapore and Hong Kong for use in 8,000 U.K. primary schools. It has a 41 million pound ($50.3 million) funding and will last for four years. Collins Learning sees the program as an opportunity to promote its new textbook series. According to Hughes, the Real Shanghai Mathematics is an intensive program that "emphasizes complete mastery of basic numeracy knowledge and skills to allow vastly accelerated progression to advanced numeracy." Collins Learning hopes to contribute in improving the mathematical skills of British students by bringing Shanghai math books to U.K. schools. China: Ours Is the 'Only Feasible Plan' to Ease Tensions on Korean Peninsula China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi (Photo : Getty Images) On Thursday, China maintains its stand that the countrys proposal for easing the tensions on the Korean Peninsula was the only feasible plan. China also challenged the United States to come up with a better plan. Last week, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi appealed to North Korea for the suspension of its nuclear and missile activities over the cease of U.S. and South Korea military exercises. The intent is to prevent a dangerous confrontation between the countries. Advertisement However, the Washington has rejected Beijings proposal. On Thursday, U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has signaled a harder U.S. line. In his visit to Tokyo, he said that diplomatic efforts to restrict North Korea over the past two decades had been unsuccessful. "Under the current circumstances, we believe that (China's proposal) is the only correct, rational, feasible plan so far," said Hua Chunying, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesman. "If the U.S. or another country has a better plan, a better proposal, they can bring it out, she added, challenging the U.S. "As long as the proposal is conducive to reducing the current tensions, and to bringing the relevant parties back to dialogue and negotiation in order to resolve the Korean nuclear issue, we will have an open and constructive attitude," the foreign ministry spokesman said. Huas statement was given almost at the same time that Tillerson gave his position in Tokyo. Thus, it is not certain whether the Chinese foreign ministry spokesmans statement was a direct response to that of the U.S. Secretary of State. Tillerson is on an Asian tour, scheduled to bring him to Tokyo, Seoul and Beijing. In Japan, he said that "a new approach" was needed in dealing with Pyongyang. He also said China has to participate in bringing its unpredictable neighbor, North Korea, under control. China is possibly the only country with significant influence over North Korea. The former has snubbed a number of rounds of United Nations-backed sanctions aimed its banned weapons program. North Koreas nuclear test last September and the missile launches earlier this month has caused an alarm within the region. The said activities are forbidden according to United Nations resolutions. The world is hoping that the tensions on the Korean Peninsula will end in the near future. Based on data gathered by Tourism Australia, nearly 1.2 million Chinese tourists visited Australia in 2016, spending a total of over $9 billion. (Photo : Getty Images) According to Tourism WAs expert in north Asia, Johnny Nee, travelers in China are shifting their preference on Aussie holiday trips to Western Australia tourism. Chinese tourists are now more inclined to visit Western Australia than to see traditional tourist destinations such as the Sydney Opera House or the Great Barrier Reef. Advertisement Nee explained that the change of tourism preference is brought about by the new generation of Chinese tourists. Travelers from China have become more adventurous and they are more willing to spend for exceptional holiday experiences. Last year, more than 51,000 Chinese tourists visited WA. This is 17.4 percent higher than the numbers in 2015. During their stay, the Chinese tourists had spent $252 million. This is equivalent to almost $5000 each, almost thrice the national average tourist spending. There is no doubt WA is appealing to well-heeled, sophisticated Chinese tourists who are looking for a different holiday experience, Nee said. He explained that WAs fascinating scenery and nature-based experiences and attractions charm Chinese tourists. These tourists are choosing to head to WA instead of the more iconic Australian destinations and attractions. This is a new trend. But it has emerged as more people have got to hear what WA has to offer, the tourism expert said. WA has recorded 954,000 international visitors last year, 100,000 visitors or 12 percent higher than 2015. This is all thanks to the increase in the Chinese tourist market. Last week, Tourism WAs China marketing manager Andy Xu and Nee have brought almost 50 travel agents from China and Hong Kong to Perth in an event they had named Ni Hao WA. Aiming to further promote the state to Chinese tourism agencies, the event gave agents the opportunity to get acquainted with local tourism operators and see some of WA attractions. Events such as Ni Hao WA have the dual benefit of showcasing the State to those selling WA to travelers in China while introducing WA tourism businesses to Chinese travel agents who know what their clients want, said Gwyn Dolphin, Tourism WA chief executive. We are continuing to have success with co-operative marketing campaigns in China, he added. With the shifting trend in Australian holiday preferences and with promotional efforts from Western Australia tourism agencies, WA is set to attract more travelers in China. AURORA In what was at times a contentious town hall meeting, Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Neb, addressed constituents questions on health care, the federal budget, TransCanada oil pipeline, defense spending, Russian involvement in the last election and other concerns. The meeting was held at the Aurora Co-op headquarters in Aurora. There were about 100 people there, many of whom were boisterous in response to Sasses answers. The Aurora meeting was one of a number of town halls Sasse conducted Friday. After a short statement, Sasse went directly to constituent questions, which he answered for more than one hour before having to leave for another gathering in Grand Island. Early in the question and answer session, Sasse was asked whether he supports investigating the alleged involvement of Russia in the presidential election. Im all for a non-partisan investigation, Sasse said. Im for a Congressional investigation. It is the Constitutional responsibility of Congress to oversee to the executive branch of the federal government. Sasse said the Senate Intelligence Committee is made up of a lot of patriotic Americans, both Republican and Democrat, and they are involved in an investigation. When asked about allegations made by President Trump that former President Obama eavesdropped on Trump during his campaign, Sasse said that no Republican or Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, which is looking into those allegations, have said there is substantiated evidence. I think we need a robust investigation, Sasse said. I have been public from day one on what Russia has been trying to do in America is nefarious. I am for a faster, bigger, broader and widely scoped investigation. Im not for buying that there is a panacea that if we just appointed independent people that would restore public trust. What we need for the restoration of public trust is for Congress to do its job in a robust way. Sasse fielded several questions about health care as people were concerned about the repercussions if the American Care Act is repealed, and whether the Republican alternative is an adequate replacement. Many shared their personal stories with Sasse about themselves or family members who have costly medical problems and their worries about losing their insurance coverage or the affordability of replacement coverage. Sasse responded to one health care question saying, I believe we have a widely shared social commitment to a broad social safety net. By that, he said, society has a responsibility to help the poorest and sickest among us. Sasse also said he doesnt want to see a health care system that instantly tosses people off without insurance without having an understanding that a future system is going to work. We dont get higher-quality, lower-cost health care over time in American health care as happens in almost every other sector of the American economy, he said. Sasse said there are hardly any sectors of the American economy that work as poorly as American health care. He said health care is the largest sector of our economy. Sasse said one of the big fundamental problems in American health care is that we dont have a lot of insurance. We have some insurance and a lot of collectivized pre-payments of all the rest of our health care system, he said. We dont try to do that in any other part of our economy. When someone in the audience said to Sasse that we want affordable health care coverage, he responded saying, We all want affordable health coverage and we want a policy that can go with us across jobs and geographic change. Sasse said the No. 1 driver of being uninsured is not social-economic status but that people recently change jobs. That is when you have the car accident or develop the pre-existing condition and you cant get insured again, he said. People want an insurance policy that covers the things they want and need that to go with them across jobs and geographic change but right now we still try to do one-size-fits-all everything. Sasse told the audience that there is some possibility that the plan coming out of the House, which many of you are skeptical about, that it might work. While his comment was met with loud disagreement from some members of the audience, Sasse said, Right now, Obamacare is not doing the things it said it would do. While some of the audience members continued to express their disagreement, he said, Fundamentally, we need to repeal Obamacare, and we need to replace Obamacare. A number of questions were posed to Sasse about Trumps proposed federal budget and cuts to popular programs, such as National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), Americorp and medical research, while at the same time increasing the countrys defense budget. Sasse said the countrys military budget is at the lowest percentage of not only the federal budget, at 14 percent, but also Gross Domestic Product, at under 4 percent. He said the reason there are debates going on about federal discretionary spending is that five mandatory federal programs, Medicare, Medicaid, the Affordable Care Act, Social Security and interest on the federal debt, are 71 percent of all federal spending over the next decade. The simple fact is that the reason federal spending is out of control is not because of the NEA or the defense department; it is because of entitlements that we dont tell the truth about, he said. That is the conversation that we have to have. Sasse said that Trumps budget is a proposal and that you should overvalue a presidents budget proposal very much, as it doesnt have much bearing on what ultimately happens. What usually happens is auto-pilot from last year. That is not good news for our fiscal health, but it means that it is useful to remember that under Article One of the Constitution, Congress has the purse strings, but unfortunately Congress is asleep at the switch. One of the concerns Sasse has that he shared with the audience about the lack of accountability Congress has about two of its mandatory programs, Social Security and Medicare. Americans are living longer than when Social Security and Medicare was enacted in the 1930s and the 1960s, respectively, though the age people become eligible for those programs remains in the mid-60s. He said the shared life expectancy now of men and women is 81 years of age. That should be really good news unless you live in a world that is void of political leadership, and that is where we live right now, Sasse said. Giving the example of his five-year-old son, Sasse said that he, statistically, has a 50/50 chance of living to be 100 years old. That is great but he is not going to retire at 65 and live on public expenditure for 35 years, he said. There is no math by which that works. So, we should tell the truth that our social welfare programs for senior citizens are going to need to account for life expectancy. According to Sasse, people currently under the Medicare program are receiving three times what they contributed. He said he would like to see a long-term solution to the governments mandatory social welfare programs. It is not for people who are currently retired, he said. We should have an honest conversation that we are going to go bankrupt under this plan and that for people under 55, we should be reforming these systems. MADISON A Winnebago man who was caught on tape severely beating another man outside of a Norfolk bar was sentenced to 40-50 years in prison Friday morning in Madison County District Court here. Luke St. Cyr, 32, was previously found guilty of first-degree assault in the October 2016 incident that required his victim to be taken by medical helicopter to an Omaha hospital. According to court records, St. Cyr attacked his victim outside of the Harbor Bar in Norfolk so viciously that the victim was unable to communicate with first responders as to what had occurred. According to court records, security camera footage showed St. Cyr punching the victim several times, causing the victim to fall to the ground. St. Cyr could then be seen kicking and stomping on the victim's head and face area multiple times, before dragging the victim who he had never met prior to the assault into an alley. In court Friday, Judge James Kube asked St. Cyr what had caused him to "go off" and beat his victim so badly. St. Cyr, who admitted to drinking the night in question, said the victim had made a disparaging comment about St. Cyr being Indian and that contributed "to an extent." "But I also felt disrespected and whatnot, so I escalated the problem by starting an argument, and I took the action of assaulting him and then thereafter continued that assault," St. Cyr said. Deputy Madison County Attorney Joe Abler called the victim's brother, Jake Klein, as a witness. Klein said he and his family initially were told by doctors that his brother had a 30 percent chance of surviving the attack. "He was hooked to every machine available, even for breathing, feeding tubes, numerous IVs. Obviously, he also experienced a very heavy head injury, brain trauma. ... He was basically in a medically-induced coma just to see if he would even breathe on his own again," Klein said. After about a month of treatment at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, the victim was sent home with his brother because he couldn't qualify for recovery therapy from a facility like Madonna Rehabilitation Hospital because of a lack of insurance. Klein and other family members have spent thousands of dollars of their own money to care for the victim, Klein said. He told the court that his brother's medical bills currently add up to well over $100,000, and will likely go above $200,000. Abler then played a graphic video taken from security camera footage. "I think this is a very, very serious offense. It's horrible to sit there and watch that (video). It's hard for me to play it, but I think it was very important for the court to see," Abler said. St. Cyrs attorney, Mark Albin, said his client had seen the video prior to court, and he had many discussions with his client about the contents. "It does little to try to explain the dysfunction that we've talked about on the reservation the violence, the violence that he had and he inflicted and that was inflicted on him through the Indian prison system, the federal system and the victim that he was," Albin said. While his background did not justify the assault, it helps to explain the "unfortunate convergence of everything that was brought in" the night of the assault," Albin said. St. Cyr was given an opportunity to speak before he was sentenced. He asked Kube if he could address the victim's family, which Kube said he could. "I truly apologize for what I did. I know words are inadequate to come to this, but I am really sincerely sorry for what I did to your brother and what you had to experience, what he had to experience, what your whole family had to experience. I know as myself, I've been a victim multiple times, all the hardships, the overwhelming emotions and everything. I'm truly sorry," St. Cyr said. Prior to sentencing, Kube told St. Cyr that the video shown in court was shocking for everyone in the courtroom. "I don't know if I've ever seen anything like that before, and I don't think I ever want to. It's just a brutal attack," Kube said. Kube then sentenced St. Cyr to 40-50 years in the Nebraska Department of Corrections with credit for 111 days served. St. Cyr must serve at least 20 years, less 111 days, before he is eligible for parole, and he must serve at least 25 years, less 111 days, before his mandatory release. Kube also ordered restitution in the amount of $100,000, though he said he knew St. Cyr likely won't be able to pay it. Court costs were waived. Kube also sentenced others on the following charges: Driving under the influence Neal Dittman, 41, 113 Jackson Ave., driving under the influence - fourth offense, 90 days in jail with credit for eight days served, 24 months of SSAS probation, $1,000 fine, license revoked for 15 years, costs. Sheri Wragge, 38, Pierce, driving under the influence (.15 grams or more) - third offense, 60 days in jail with credit for one day served, 24 months of SSAS probation, $1,000 fine, license revoked for 15 years, 120 days of continuous alcohol monitoring (CAM). Sex offender violation Ronald Bowers, 45, Osmond, violated the sex offender registration, 12 months of probation, 30 days in jail with credit for one day served to be served prior to the end of probation unless waived, costs. Delivery of a controlled substance Bruce Simonsen, 19, 1704 E. Berryhill Drive, delivery of alprazolam, possession of methamphetamine, 24 months of SSAS probation, 109 days in jail with credit for 109 days served, costs. Probation violation Daniel Schultz, 28, Beemer, violation of probation on prior charge of aiding the consummation of a felony, probation revoked, 2-3 years in the Nebraska Department of Corrections with credit for 206 days served, costs. Taiwan Military Budget to Be Increased for Weapons Modernization Due to Rising Threat from China Relations between China and Taiwan have gradually worsened since the election of Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen. (Photo : Getty Images) Taiwan's minister of defense announced recently that the government intends to use more modern weapons to prepare for a possible attack from China. Minister Feng Shih-kuan said that the ministry wants to upgrade their F-16 jets and acquire submarines. The Taiwanese military boss also said that the government intends to acquire surface-to-air and stealth aircraft from the U.S. Advertisement The proposed budget for military modernization will be $11.4 billion, which makes the budget higher by 3 percent compared to last year. "We hope for an increase to 3 percent next year, but the government also needs to consider revenue and balance it among other ministries," he said. The ongoing military exercises conducted by China in the South China Sea are considered a threat, according to the 2017 Quadrennial Defense Review. This report is released by the army every four years. The report stated, "The recent activity of Chinese jets and ships around Taiwan shows the continued rise in China's military threat capabilities." "In addition to posing a military threat to our country, it also has a negative impact on regional stability," the report added. Meanwhile, China's military spending will be at $151 billion this year. This makes China second to the U.S. as the the biggest military spender in the world. Liu Fu-Kuo, executive director of National Chengchi University's Taiwan Center for Security Studies, said that Taiwan should realize that the country is smaller than China and should just avoid conflict. He said, "It would be difficult for Taiwan to compete with China's world-class military power." "The wisest choice for Taiwan would be refraining from provocative measures and refraining from giving any excuses for China to take military actions," he added. Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said that it would be better for China to be unified. He said, "We are one family." General Bajwa arrived in China to discuss security measures conducted for implementation of CPEC projects. (Photo : Getty Images) According to Pakistan military spokesman Major General Asif Ghafoor, the visit of the Pakistani general was to brief their Chinese partners on the geopolitical, economic and security situation in the country. He also described the China-Pakistan friendship as "unique". Major Ghafoor posted on his Twitter account: "COAS arrived in China on a 3-day official visit. Meets Chinese senior political & military leadership. Pak-China friendship is unique with no parallel." Advertisement Speaker National Assembly Sardar Ayaz Sadiq agreed that the China-Pakistan friendship is strong and has withstood many challenges in the past. He told China's Chairman Foreign Relation Committee China Wang Xiaochu, "Based on shared geopolitical, economic, historical and strategic interest, the Pak-China relations have always stood the test of times." General Bajwa met with Chinese Executive Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli, Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission, Gen Fan Changlong, Chief of Joint Services Department, Gen Fang Fenghui and Commander of the People's Liberation Army Gen Li Zhuocheng. The military of the Pakistan government released a statement that said, "The Chinese leadership expressed complete understanding of the geopolitical and economic-cum-security environment of the region and its implications for both the countries." The statement added: "They acknowledged the positive role being played by Pakistan toward peace and stability in the region with special mention of Pakistan's role in eliminating terrorist groups including Al Qaeda, Tehreek-e-Taliban and the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM) from Pakistan." The ETIM has been responsible for organizing and strengthening the rebellion on Uyghur insurgents in the Xinjiang Province. The CPEC was also discussed during the meeting and assured the Chinese government that they are working to ensure the safety of 19,000 Chinese workers who are engaged in various projects in the area. "The Chinese leadership expressed their confidence in security arrangements for the $46 billion CPEC and satisfaction on progress made on the project," said the military. Bajwa thanked the PLA and "reiterated that Pakistan Army shall continue to positively contribute toward regional stability and security." China's initiatives to cooperate with Latin America were formalized during President Xi's visit with Chilean President Michele Bachelet. (Photo : Getty Images) Yin Hengmin, China's envoy on Latin American and Caribbean Affairs, revealed that China will support the economic integration of countries in the Asia-Pacific region and the world. He attended a dialogue with high-level representatives from Chile and said, "China promotes the economic integration of the Asia-Pacific and we also firmly support global integration." Advertisement In last year's summit, delegates of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) agreed that member countries will work towards a higher level of integration for free trade. "I am convinced that in 2019, when Chile hosts the APEC Summit, the meeting is going to inject new strength in promoting the Asia-Pacific free-trade zone," said Yin. He added that China will "explore this process of integration with all of the parties present" with Latin America. The Latin American governments are now exploring new ways of partnering with Asian countries. China organized and led the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) with 10 ASEAN countries, India and Pakistan. The RCEP is seen as a rival of the Trans-Pacific Partnership as mainly organized by the U.S. "First, we support the Asia-Pacific free trade zone," said Yin. "China is going to firmly support and promote this process, and we are going to speed up the negotiations so they can conclude as soon as possible, contributing to integration in the region." Yin also predicted that the RCEP will be finalized soon and will be the biggest alliance in Asia. He said, "Once negotiations have concluded, the RCEP will be the free trade agreement for the area with the largest population in the Asia-Pacific region." Experts believe that the China-led alliances will be more significant than the U.S.-led partnerships. Joshua Meltzer, a former Australian diplomat, said, "Countries have realized very quickly that (RCEP) is the only major Asia trade deal on the table." Yin said that China has already signed agreements with Chile and Peru and is "studying the viability of another with Colombia." Philippine President Says No to War Against China to Resolve South China Sea Dispute Philippine President Duterte talks to reporters on the issue of the Scarborough Shoal. (Photo : Getty Images) President Rodrigo Duterte of the Philippines said that the "time will come" when China and the Philippines will discuss the issue of the South China Sea. However, Duterte did not specify when. He said, "What will I do? Declare a war against China?" The president admitted that if the U.S. is not able to stop China from militarizing the Scarborough Shoal, then there is no way that the Philippines can stop Beijing's plans. Advertisement Recent reports from the Hainan Daily revealed that China is building an environmental research facility in the disputed shoal, which is only 230 kilometers from the Philippines' most populous island. The Philippine president said that his government is unable to assert any U.N. declaration on the South China Sea and comment on the reported photos of the Scarborough Shoal bases. He said, "We cannot assert even a single sentence of any provision that we signed." "There will be a time in my term when I will bring the issue back to the table on the four square of the arbitral ruling and it will come," he said. "When? When they shall start to tinker with entitlements," he noted. Duterte said that once China and Russia start provoking Filipino coast guards, then the tone of the negotiations will change. As for now, the passage of ships on the shoal is harmless, according to the president. "We are now improving the economy because of the help of China. Why will you be so shameless just because they are passing by?" he commented. He warned China and Russia to not harm the coast guards. Once these countries "claim to own it, I claim it to be mine." Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said that China should not touch the South China Sea because it does not belong to them. Upon being sworn in, Tillerson compared China's moves on the disputed sea to Russia's invasion of Crimea. He said that the U.S. condones such acts of aggression. 150 Shares Share As a doctor, I am guided by the code of medical ethics. The code is made of up of four principles: autonomy, justice, do good and do no harm. These principles guide me and my colleagues, including the fifteen doctors in Congress, as we care for others. In the debate over the fate of the Affordable Care Act, thirteen of the fifteen doctors in Congress have publicly stated that they want to repeal the ACA and replace it with something else. Recently, the replacement bill, the American Health Care Act, was finally unveiled. If our congressional doctors vote for this bill, they would violate a principle of medical ethics by doing harm to the estimated 10 to 15 million people who would lose their health care coverage. I work at a clinic in downtown Baltimore that serves 10,000 poor individuals a year from the city and surrounding counties. When Maryland expanded Medicaid because of the ACA, our clinic went from having 30 percent of our patients insured to almost 90 percent. This has translated into real gains in the lives of those we serve. One of my patients is a veteran in his late fifties. His name is Walter. A year ago Walter was diagnosed with prostate cancer, and within a few weeks, he became too sick to work. This caused him to lose his job and with it his health insurance. Thats when he turned to our clinic for help. We enrolled him in Medicaid and provided him medical care and case management services to get his care back on track. Currently, hes getting primary care, specialty care with a urologist, medications, and radiation therapy all of which are giving him a chance to beat his cancer. The ACA did two things to make sure Walter had access to care. The first was to expand Medicaid to cover all poor Americans. The other was to guarantee that everyone would be able to purchase private health insurance regardless of their income or medical history. Between Medicaid and private health insurance, nearly 400,000 additional Marylanders have health care coverage and nationally this number is 20 million. The main concern people have about getting private insurance is that it is expensive. For folks struggling with the cost of insurance, we need to craft solutions to help them. The American Health Care Act, in trying to address this problem, will take us in the wrong direction back to the pre-ACA days where Walter would have would have been too poor to get insurance. This legislation would harm millions of people, including Walter, by phasing out Medicaid, increasing costs for the poor and middle class, and making coverage harder to get for the sick. In return, coverage would become more affordable for high earners and the healthy, the two groups who were already well-served prior to the ACA. Underlying these solutions is a misplaced focus on costs for one group of people while minimizing the health benefits millions of others have gained. What we pay for as a society reflects our values. Each of us values our own health and the health of those we love. As doctors, we have an ethical obligation to do the same for the patients and communities we serve. If Walter walked into the clinic of one of our congressional doctors, they would do everything possible to care for him. Their ethical obligation to him, and millions like him, is no different whether they are in their clinic with a stethoscope in hand or in Congress with a bill on their desk. The code of medical ethics provides my medical colleagues in Congress with a compass for how to move forward in addressing our health care challenges. As citizens, and as patients, its up to us to speak up. Lets hold them accountable to this code and demand that they do no harm. Nilesh Kalyanaraman is an internal medicine physician. Image credit: Shutterstock.com 68 Shares Share Do you know the visa process in the U.K.? Yousef asks me nervously in the physician work room at our hospital in Florida. Ive spent the last two weeks looking up the different countries where I might be able to work Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa. Yousef goes on to list the various visa and medical licensing procedures in each country and has clearly done his research. As he speaks, I hear none of the joy one might have in exploring exotic vacation sites, or of the sense of limitless possibility that some feel when theyve quit a job to search for something more inspiring. A Syrian immigrant to the United States six years ago, Yousef is instead driven by fear and anxiety that a knock on the door could mean the end of his American dream. Yousef left Syria to pursue his medical career in the U.S. His sister, a professional as well, later joined him in Florida. The protests against the Assad regime had started, but the bloody crackdown had yet to begin. I was never political, but I had many friends who were joining the street protests when I was preparing to leave to go to the U.S., he says. I never imagined that the situation would deteriorate like it did. Living far from home while undergoing the rigors of an internal medicine residency, Yousef finally finished his training in June 2015. Nearly all foreign physicians are required to work for three years in an underserved area of the U.S., often in towns in the heart of rural America, and he came to northern Florida to start his career. Now, with a new administration in the White House, it is unclear whether Yousef can leave the U.S. to visit his family despite his work visa, which was granted because he provides essential skills to a country that needs them. Hes worried that the travel ban is just the first step in what will be a continuous battle against people from predominantly Muslim countries. Another Syrian colleague of ours has a brother who spent time in a Syrian jail for speaking out against the dictatorship. Once free, the brother slipped into Turkey and ended up in Germany. Tariq intended to visit his brother, whom he hadnt seen in years, in Germany this spring, but those plans are now on hold indefinitely, despite the fact that Tariq, as a permanent resident, has a green card. Yousef is understandably obsessed with the topic. He talks about it whenever he gets a chance. On the day the travel ban is stayed by a federal appeals court, Yousef is cautiously optimistic. He grills me again about the vagaries of the American legislative and legal processes, some of which I can explain and much of which we have to look up together online. He has read up on every case of a person unlawfully detained in the first few days of the travel ban, searching for a way to sleep at night amidst the tumult. We are the people running from ISIS or the Assad dictatorship, he says. They are the ones who have killed our friends and families. Syria already has one of the hardest visa processes in the world. They limit how many are given out and ours are only single-entry, meaning that once you come in, you cant leave again until you have a green card. An estimated 15,000 doctors in America hail from the seven countries originally vilified by the ban, 3,500 are from Syria alone. Many of my colleagues in Florida are Pakistanis, Palestinians, Jordanians and Egyptians, whose countries, some think, could be included in the next round of bans. Many reasonable people believe that its logical to admit doctors and other professionals into the United States using existing vetting procedures. But if we are comfortable with that and we should be then the logic of a blanket ban falls apart, raising more questions about which groups then should be allowed in after practical vetting. Ultimately, the vetting procedures we already have in place, adopted to weed out the infinitesimally small fraction of extremists who might want to do harm at some point in the future, have worked. Since 1975, not a single American has been killed by a refugee from one of the countries named in the ban. A fourth-generation American, I am embarrassed by the treatment of my colleagues and their families. The U.S. is not simply a country of immigrants, but indeed a country of refugees: the Irish fleeing famine, European Jews leaving ahead of pogroms, Armenians running from atrocities at the hands of the Turks, Iranians escaping the theocracy and on and on. A century ago, seeking a better life than that provided by rural southern Italy, my family was similarly mocked and feared by Americans of the day. They had darker skin; they brought with them different traditions. And, perhaps the worst sin of all, they were practicing Catholics. They were derided as wops, which meant thugs in southern Italian dialect. For some Americans, that term later came to mean without papers, and was said with an equally derogatory animus. Today, members of my own family and many others purporting to be Catholic use the same arguments against the immigrants and refugees of our generation. Yet Jesus story of the Good Samaritan is, in fact, the story of two immigrants, one the traveler who had been robbed and the other the Samaritan, a hated group in Jesus time. Jesus exhorted us to go and do likewise in caring for our fellow travelers. Yousef came to work with a spring in his step this week. It really made me feel good to see all the people protesting the ban like the American people did want me here. Did you see the lawyers working for free at the airports? He beamed with pride not as a Syrian immigrant, but as somebody soon to be a permanent resident of the United States and perhaps an American citizen, proud of his adopted homeland. People around the world, or at least us in Syria, look up to the United States as a country of laws, in contrast to Syria, where the corruption of judges and the media allows the dictator to do whatever they please. Maybe America is the place that I thought it was. Our colleague Tariq agrees. We are lucky to be surrounded by such caring colleagues and friends. You represent the U.S. that we dreamed of and worked hard to be in. To many people outside, U.S. is the dreamland that provides equity and freedom. I hope it stays like that forever to give hope to helpless people around the world. Vincent DeGennaro, Jr. is an internal medicine physician and president, Innovating Health International. He blogs at An American Doctor in Haiti and can be reached on Twitter @DoctorGlobal. Image credit: Shutterstock.com Tillerson meets Xi (Photo : Getty Images) On Sunday, U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillersons China visit ended with a promise of stronger China-U.S. ties. Both countries have agreed to join forces on North Korea, brushing aside other issues. Advertisement China has been infuriated with U.S.s constant call to restrain North Koreas nuclear and missile programs and the countrys decision to station an advanced missile defense system in South Korea. Beijing is also skeptical of U.S. plan of creating a big new arms package for Taiwan. China treats Taiwan as a part of the country, under the One China policy. Xi and Tillerson had set aside these issues in their meeting in the Great Hall of People. The Chinese President appreciated the Secretary of States efforts in attaining a smooth transition in a new era of relations. "You said that China-U.S. relations can only be friendly. I express my appreciation for this," said Xi. The Chinese President had telephone conversations and exchange of messages with U.S. President Donald Trump. "We both believe that China-U.S. cooperation henceforth is the direction we are both striving for. We are both expecting a new era for constructive development," Xi said. In comments carried by China's Foreign Ministry, Xi said that "the joint interests of China and the United States far outweigh the differences, and cooperation is the only correct choice for us both." In response, Tillerson said that the U.S. President "looks forward to enhancing that understanding in the opportunity for a visit in the future." According to the Secretary of State, Trump puts a "very high value on the communications that have already occurred" between the two presidents. "We know that through further dialogue we will achieve a greater understanding that will lead to a strengthened, strengthening of the ties between China and the United States and set the tone for our future relationship of cooperation," Tillerson said. Trump had previously hit China on a number of issues including trade and the South China Sea. He had further angered China when he spoke with Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen. Priors Tillersons coming to Beijing on Saturday, Trump commented on North Korea "behaving very badly." He then accused China of not exerting enough effort to put an end to its neighbors weapons program crisis. In Tillersons statement given in Seoul on Friday, he released the Trumps administrations most downright warning yet to North Korea. A military response would be on the table if Pyongyang proceeds to endanger South Korean and U.S. forces. China and U.S. seem to have made some development with their ties, being able to set aside differences on hard issues. This is a step forward for the anticipated Xi-Trump meeting. In their meeting, both Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Tillerson have set a more conciliating tone. Tillerson said that cooperation between China and the U.S. can make nuclear-armed North Korea take "a different course." According to Pyongyangs official media report on Sunday, North Korea carried out a test of a new high-thrust engine at its Tongchang-ri rocket launch station, with Kim Jong Un saying that the successful test was "a new birth" of its rocket industry. Disobeying U.N. sanctions, North Korea has performed five nuclear tests and a series of missile launches. Experts and government officials think that the country is developing nuclear-warhead missiles that could reach the U.S. China says that the country is committed to imposing the U.N. sanctions but all sides have a duty to cut the tensions and return to the negotiating table. According to Chinese officials, the country does not have influence over North Korea. If China will completely cut off North Korea, the poverty-struck country could collapse and a destabilizing number of refugees would likely enter northeastern China. Being able to brush off differences on certain issues, Tillersons China visit was successful in fortifying China-U.S. ties. Castlecomer's Presentation National School parents council will host their annual running event in Castlecomer Discovery Park on Sunday, March 26. The event will feature both 10k and 5k races, as well as a 2k family fun run. The 10k and 5k routes are the same aslast year. The setting of the Discovery Park makes this a run like no other. The route takes participants along the edge of both lakes and offers stunning views of the park (if you have time to look) from the highest point where the zip wire starts. There is added interest this year with the introduction of a Corporate 10k Challenge. Each team consists of four athletes, one of which must be a lady if the team wants to qualify for a prize. The four team members all have to work with the same company or organisation. The result is based on the overall time of the four athletes so the team with the fastest time wins. There has been a lot of interest so far, and VHI from Kilkenny already have a team registered. Teams can register online. Once again, Castlecomer Presentation Convent NS is delighted to be associated with and to benefit from this event, said school principal Mary Jacob. Our pupils are in training, and it helps us promote an active, healthy lifestyle right from the beginning. The event would not be possible without the generous support from Castlecomer Credit Union, who kindly sponsor the cash prizes plus a little extra. In this our 50th year we are delighted to be associated again with the Presentation Convents annual running event, says Gerry Reynolds, CEO of Castlecomer Credit Union. The ethos of the Credit Union is to support and work with community events and projects and this certainly ticks that box. We wish all the participants a great day. Online Registration Both races start at 10.30am and both will be chip timed. There are cash prizes for podium finishers for ladies and gents in both races. Online registration is now open and filling up. It will remain open up to 8pm on Friday, March 24 through the website www.RunCastlecomer.com. Participants are encouraged to register in advance as chip timing is assured for the first 200 registrants. However, registration is also possible on race day from 8.30am to 10am. Entry costs are 10k: 15 online (20 on the day) and 5k is 12 online (15 on the day). A 2k family fun run starts at 11.30am, where families can enter on the day for 20 and individuals 5. As well as www.RunCastlecomer.com, more information is available on facebook and twitter. Kingstree, SC (29556) Today Sunshine and clouds mixed. Near record high temperatures. High 83F. Winds light and variable.. Tonight Partly cloudy skies. Slight chance of a shower throughout the evening. Low 58F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph. After more than two decades of searching, Britain might finally get some of its sunken WWI and WWII gold back, as Britannias Gold launches an operation to recover $5.6 billion worth of the yellow-metal that went missing after British ships were attacked by the Germans. It is believed that the British government used ships to transport gold and other precious metals worth 300 billion ($372 billion) during First and Second World Wars to pay for military equipment. The sunken ships were specifically targeted by Germans in order to put extra financial pressure on the British Empire during the wars, Britannias Gold stated on its website. It took scientists 25 years and eight million documents to create a database and track down 700 out of 7,500 of the sunken vessels. The documents provide substantive evidence as to which sunken ships carried the valuable cargoes, the organization noted. And now, in just a few weeks, Britannias Gold will launch an $18.6 million recovery operation that will be based a few hundred miles off the coast of western Ireland, The Telegraph reported. The first step in the recovery process will be to target a cluster of three ships, which are believed to have 750 million ($929 million) aboard. Once the fortune is recovered, a part of it will go to the British government and charities and the rest will be split between investors. A public will also get a chance to get their hands on part of the treasure you can win a bar of gold by signing up for the organizations newsletter. Due to lax government control on food, thousands of babies were hospitalized because of the distribution of tainted milk. (Photo : Getty Images) The intensified campaign to regulate food imports has alarmed China's trading partners, who have sought the assistance of the United Nations food standards official to intervene. China has imposed strong food import controls on wine and chocolate, which are considered low-risk items compared to meat, poultry and fish. Advertisement The controls will result in billions of dollars in losses, triggering fears in Washington and Europe. The new regulation required food importers to avail of a certification from a foreign inspector that the goods meet Chinese standards. China has been a growing market for American fruit juice and snack foods, French wine, German chocolate, Italian pasta and Australian orange juice. The controls imposed by the government are in violation of mutual agreements that were previously signed. Michael Clauss, German ambassador to Beijing, said that the controls will drastically reduce imports from other countries. He said, "It could bring down food imports quite dramatically." "It often seems it is more about protecting Chinese producers than about food safety," he added. Jake Parker, vice president of China operations for the U.S.-China Business Council, said that the controls will bring "unnecessary regulatory complexity" in a time when Beijing committed to open its market. China said that they are complying with the standards set by the Food Code. The code was formulated by the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization and the World Health Organization. Ambassadors from the U.S., the EU, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, Argentina and Chile have sent letters to the Chinese deputy premier who oversees farming and commerce, Wang Yang. The countries are asking to lift the controls because the regulations are "not scientifically justified" and "a waste of the precious control resources." The letter requested that the controls be imposed on riskier products like poultry, meat, fish and milk. The world leaders believe that the General Administration of Quality Inspection, Supervision, and Quarantine, which was blamed for the tainted milk scandal, is passing on the blame on international food traders for products that are flooding the Chinese market. Chinese minister in charge of AQSIQ, Zhi Shuping, asserted that the agency is "promoting the international co-governance of food safety." (The opinions expressed here are those of the author, a columnist for Reuters.) By Clyde Russell LAUNCESTON, Australia, March 20 (Reuters) - Just how worried should nickel markets be about the latest threats by Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte to stop all mining in the world's biggest exporter of the metal ore? Probably not too much. The reason to be relatively sanguine about the prospects for nickel supply isn't that Duterte is unlikely to follow up on his latest threat, although he may not. It's that even if he does, the market is likely to be able to cope with the loss of Philippine nickel ore, despite having to make some short-term adjustments. In the latest twist to Duterte's ongoing battle with his country's miners, the bombastic and populist leader accused them of funding efforts to destabilise his government, and mooted a total ban on mining. Duterte told a March 13 media briefing that he was looking at a total mining ban "and then we'll talk", referring to miners. The Philippine leader has said his Southeast Asian nation can live without a mining industry, and in broad terms he is correct, with the sector contributing just 0.6 percent directly to gross domestic product in 2016, according to data from the government's Mines and Geosciences Bureau. While mining will make a bigger overall contribution to the economy once the services it consumes and the employment it provides are factored in, it's likely true that the Philippines can live without a mining sector. But can nickel markets live without the Philippines, particularly China, the destination of the bulk of the Philippines' exports of unrefined ore. The short answer is most likely yes, with the experience of Indonesia's ban on its nickel ore exports in 2014 being instructive. Indonesia banned the export of several unrefined metal ores in January 2014 in a bid to encourage miners and customers to invest in a domestic processing industry. The price of benchmark nickel in London surged some 57 percent from early January in 2014 to May of that year, but then embarked on a downward trajectory, before recovering last year in line with a more general rally in commodity prices. The reason for the price surge was the fear that the loss of Indonesian supplies would substantially tighten the nickel market, but the rally faltered once it become clear that Chinese nickel producers could access alternative suppliers. One of the main alternatives was the Philippines, which ramped up its exports of nickel ore to China as Indonesia's dropped to zero by 2016. But China has been buying less Philippine nickel ore in recent years, with purchases falling 5.9 percent in 2015 to 34.28 million tonnes and dwindling another 11 percent in 2016 to 30.53 million tonnes. The Philippines still dominates China's imports of nickel ore, accounting for 95 percent of the total, but China is also buying less nickel ore overall, with total imports slipping 9 percent in 2016 to 32.1 million tonnes. NO SHORTAGE OF NICKEL IN CHINA China is still getting all of the nickel it needs, simply by increasing the amount it buys in more refined forms. Chinese customs classifies nickel imports into refined nickel and alloy, ores and concentrates, and ferronickel. Imports of ferronickel surged 60 percent in 2016 from the prior year, with Indonesia storming back with a 250 percent increase to 747.097 tonnes, a 71 percent share. It's worth noting that Indonesian ferronickel isn't actually the same as supplies from other countries, being less refined and having a lower concentrate of nickel, as can be seen by Chinese customs data that showed in December it was less than half the price of cargoes from New Caledonia, the second-biggest supplier. What has effectively happened is that the Philippines initially replaced Indonesia in supplying nickel ores to top buyer China, but now China is increasingly turning to low quality Indonesian ferronickel. This will have implications for the workings of Chinese nickel pig iron producers, but overall it seems that China is far from short of the metal used to make stainless steel and other corrosion-resistant alloys. A further sign of comfort in the Chinese nickel market is that inventories monitored by the Shanghai Futures Exchange are still at relatively high levels. In the week ended March 13 nickel stocks were 80,795 tonnes, down from the peak in August last year of 111,359, but still well above the 43,708 recorded at the start of 2016. It's also possible that Indonesia will resume exports of nickel ore after the government introduced new regulations that allow miners to export some unprocessed ore if they are using the capacity at their refineries. While it's far from certain as to how much nickel ore Indonesia may export, an official at the mines ministry suggested last year it could be as much as 15 million tonnes in 2017, about a quarter of the amount the country shipped out in 2013, the year before the ban was imposed. It's also about half of what the Philippines shipped to China last year. If Indonesia does increase exports of nickel ore, while maintaining those of its low-grade ferronickel, the risk is that the market will be oversupplied, irrespective or whether the Philippines bans mining or not. In some ways Indonesia and the Philippines have been playing an unwitting game of political tag when it comes to nickel markets, alternately tightening or boosting supply and altering the form in which nickel reaches China. But the nickel market has shown it can cope with the inconsistent politics of Indonesia and the Philippines. (Editing by Richard Pullin) CAIRO, March 20 (Reuters) - Egypt's largest listed bank CIB said on Monday it had finalised the sale of a near 75 percent stake in its investment banking arm to a consortium of local and foreign investors in a deal worth 710.2 million Egyptian pounds ($39.5 million). Commercial International Bank (CIB) signed an agreement in December to sell the majority of its shares in CI Capital to a group of Egyptian and Gulf investors. It did not give the value of the deal at the time. CIB said in a statement on Monday that CI Capital's market value totalled about 950 million pounds and that it had completed the transfer of 74.75 percent of the shares, retaining a minority stake of about 25 percent. Shares in CIB were down 1.14 percent at 1143 GMT. Mahmoud Atallah, the chief executive of CI Capital, told Reuters a general assembly would be called in the next two weeks to appoint a new board. Market sources have said they expect CIB to eventually offer its remaining shares on the stock exchange. Atallah said the new board would decide what to do with the remaining shares. CIB had been seeking buyers for its investment unit since a planned sale to Beltone Financial, agreed in February last year, failed to win regulatory approval. Beltone Financial is owned by billionaire Naguib Sawiris' Orascom Telecom Media and Technology Holding, which is embroiled in a standoff with Egypt's financial regulator over its shareholding structure. Sawiris had planned to merge CI Capital with Beltone Financial to create one of Egypt's largest investment firms. ($1 = 18.0000 Egyptian pounds) (Writing by Nadine Awadalla; Editing by Lin Noueihed and Mark Potter) BRUSSELS, March 20 (Reuters) - Euro zone finance ministers will discuss over the coming months whether Jeroen Dijsselbloem can complete his term as their chairman if he loses his job as Dutch finance minister following elections there. Dijsselbloem, whose term runs until January, is highly regarded by the other 18 euro zone finance ministers and by the European Union institutions, but his socialist party suffered heavy losses in parliamentary elections in the Netherlands last week. It is therefore unclear if Dijsselbloem will remain in the government of liberal Mark Rutte after negotiations on a new coalition. "My mandate runs until January. The formation of a new coalition government in the Netherlands may take some months. Whether there is a gap between the arrival of a new minister and the end of my mandate is too early to say," Dijsselbloem said. "If there is a gap in time between those two is up to the Eurogroup to decide how they want to proceed," he told reporters on entering a meeting of euro zone ministers. (Reporting By Francesco Guarascio, writing by Jan Strupczewski; editing by Philip Blenkinsop) (Kitco News) - Gold and silver prices are near unchanged levels in early U.S. trading Monday. Some backing and filling on the charts is occurring following recent good gains in both markets. April Comex gold was last up $0.30 an ounce at $1,230.60. May Comex silver was last down $0.018 at $17.39 an ounce. World stock markets were mostly weaker Monday, pressured in part by sliding crude oil prices again. The marketplace is digesting the just-completed Group of 20 finance ministers meeting in Germany. Many agree this meeting saw world trade prospects diminish somewhat amid the more nationalistic tone coming out of the U.S. Japanese markets were closed for a holiday today. The key outside markets on Monday morning see the U.S. dollar index trading slightly lower and hit a six-week low overnight. The greenback bears have technical momentum on their side to suggest more selling pressure this week. Meantime, Nymex crude oil prices are lower today. The crude oil bears have the firm near-term technical advantage following the recent steep downdraft in prices. U.S. economic data due for release Monday is light and includes the Chicago Fed national activity index. (Note: Follow me on Twitter--@jimwyckoff--for breaking market news.) Technically, April gold futures bears still have the overall near-term technical advantage, but the bulls still have momentum on their side. Bulls next upside near-term price breakout objective is to produce a close above solid technical resistance at $1,250.00. Bears' next near-term downside price breakout objective is closing prices below solid technical support at $1,210.00. First resistance is seen at the overnight high of $1,235.50 and then at $1,240.00. First support is seen at $1,225.00 and then at $1,218.10. Wyckoffs Market Rating: 4.0 May silver bears also still have the overall near-term technical advantage, but the bulls have momentum on their side. Silver bulls next upside price breakout objective is closing futures prices above solid technical resistance at $18.00 an ounce. The next downside price breakout objective for the bears is closing prices below solid support at $16.50. First resistance is seen at last weeks high of $17.585 and then at $17.82. Next support is seen at Fridays low of $17.23 and then at $17.00. Wyckoff's Market Rating: 4.0. * Solidarity sinks as health insurance policies suspended * Egypt down on profit-taking * Arabian Cement drops despite strong Q4 results * Blue chips rebound in Abu Dhabi * Qatar rises as it completes FTSE upgrade By Celine Aswad DUBAI, March 20 (Reuters) - Stock markets in the Middle East were mixed on Monday with petrochemicals and the insurance sector weighing on Saudi Arabia while Qatar rose as it completed its upgrade by index compiler FTSE Russell to secondary emerging market status. The Saudi index fell 0.5 percent with the main drag coming from the petrochemical sector as Brent oil futures fell further towards $51 a barrel. Saudi Kayan Petrochemical lost 1.9 percent. Most insurance shares, which had risen strongly on Sunday, retreated. Solidarity Saudi Takaful slumped 5.6 percent after the company said the regulator had suspended its right to issue health insurance policies because of regulatory violations; the firm did not describe those violations. Solidarity said it would meet with regulators soon to resolve the issue, without specifying a date. On Sunday it had jumped 3.8 percent after it reduced its accumulated losses to below 50 percent of its capital. Chubb Arabia Cooperative Insurance fell 0.8 percent after it said it would not distribute a cash dividend for 2016 in order to improve its solvency. Egypt's index retreated 0.5 percent in the highest volume in a month as investors took profits; the index has closed higher in seven of the last 10 sessions as the Egyptian pound weakened against the U.S. dollar. Arabian Cement dropped 3.0 percent and was the worst performer in the index despite reporting a near tripling in its fourth-quarter net profit to 87 million Egyptian pounds ($4.8 million). Revenue was also strong, up 30 percent. Other construction and materials-related shares also fell, with Ezz Steel closing 2.7 percent lower. Dubai's index lost 0.5 percent in very thin trade with declining shares outnumbering advancing ones 18 to three. Builder Drake & Scull fell 2.2 percent. Abu Dhabi's , however, added 0.9 percent on the back of gains in blue chips, which had been the main drag on the index in the prior session. Real estate developer Aldar Properties rebounded 3.0 percent and telecommunications firm Etisalat gained 1.1 percent. Some investors are rotating into shares which are due to make dividend payouts in coming weeks; Aldar will go ex-dividend on March 29 and Etisalat on April 18. In Qatar, the second and final phase of the FTSE upgrade took effect from the opening, with 20 of 22 companies selected in September 2016 seeing their investibility weights doubled. Those stocks saw selling pressure in recent days as investors who had tried to front-run the entry of passive funds into the stocks bailed out. But that selling appeared to ease on Monday with most of stocks in the group closing higher. Commercial Bank added 1.9 percent. MONDAY'S HIGHLIGHTS SAUDI ARABIA * The index fell 0.5 percent to 6,919 points. DUBAI * The index dropped 0.5 percent to 3,477 points. ABU DHABI * The index added 0.9 percent to 4,458 points. QATAR * The index rose 0.7 percent to 10,407 points. KUWAIT * The index edged up 0.2 percent to 6,869 points. EGYPT * The index lost 0.5 percent to 13,023 points. OMAN * The index fell 0.2 percent to 5,671 points. BAHRAIN * The index edged down 0.2 percent to 1,374 points. <^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ OPEC in first joint oil cut with Russia since 2001, Saudis take "big hit" ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^> (Editing by Andrew Torchia and Pritha Sarkar) (Repeats item issued earlier. The opinions expressed here are those of the author, a columnist for Reuters.) By Clyde Russell LAUNCESTON, Australia, March 20 (Reuters) - Just how worried should nickel markets be about the latest threats by Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte to stop all mining in the world's biggest exporter of the metal ore? Probably not too much. The reason to be relatively sanguine about the prospects for nickel supply isn't that Duterte is unlikely to follow up on his latest threat, although he may not. It's that even if he does, the market is likely to be able to cope with the loss of Philippine nickel ore, despite having to make some short-term adjustments. In the latest twist to Duterte's ongoing battle with his country's miners, the bombastic and populist leader accused them of funding efforts to destabilise his government, and mooted a total ban on mining. Duterte told a March 13 media briefing that he was looking at a total mining ban "and then we'll talk", referring to miners. The Philippine leader has said his Southeast Asian nation can live without a mining industry, and in broad terms he is correct, with the sector contributing just 0.6 percent directly to gross domestic product in 2016, according to data from the government's Mines and Geosciences Bureau. While mining will make a bigger overall contribution to the economy once the services it consumes and the employment it provides are factored in, it's likely true that the Philippines can live without a mining sector. But can nickel markets live without the Philippines, particularly China, the destination of the bulk of the Philippines' exports of unrefined ore. The short answer is most likely yes, with the experience of Indonesia's ban on its nickel ore exports in 2014 being instructive. Indonesia banned the export of several unrefined metal ores in January 2014 in a bid to encourage miners and customers to invest in a domestic processing industry. The price of benchmark nickel in London surged some 57 percent from early January in 2014 to May of that year, but then embarked on a downward trajectory, before recovering last year in line with a more general rally in commodity prices. The reason for the price surge was the fear that the loss of Indonesian supplies would substantially tighten the nickel market, but the rally faltered once it become clear that Chinese nickel producers could access alternative suppliers. One of the main alternatives was the Philippines, which ramped up its exports of nickel ore to China as Indonesia's dropped to zero by 2016. But China has been buying less Philippine nickel ore in recent years, with purchases falling 5.9 percent in 2015 to 34.28 million tonnes and dwindling another 11 percent in 2016 to 30.53 million tonnes. The Philippines still dominates China's imports of nickel ore, accounting for 95 percent of the total, but China is also buying less nickel ore overall, with total imports slipping 9 percent in 2016 to 32.1 million tonnes. NO SHORTAGE OF NICKEL IN CHINA China is still getting all of the nickel it needs, simply by increasing the amount it buys in more refined forms. Chinese customs classifies nickel imports into refined nickel and alloy, ores and concentrates, and ferronickel. Imports of ferronickel surged 60 percent in 2016 from the prior year, with Indonesia storming back with a 250 percent increase to 747,097 tonnes, a 71 percent share. It's worth noting that Indonesian ferronickel isn't actually the same as supplies from other countries, being less refined and having a lower concentrate of nickel, as can be seen by Chinese customs data that showed in December it was less than half the price of cargoes from New Caledonia, the second-biggest supplier. What has effectively happened is that the Philippines initially replaced Indonesia in supplying nickel ores to top buyer China, but now China is increasingly turning to low quality Indonesian ferronickel. This will have implications for the workings of Chinese nickel pig iron producers, but overall it seems that China is far from short of the metal used to make stainless steel and other corrosion-resistant alloys. A further sign of comfort in the Chinese nickel market is that inventories monitored by the Shanghai Futures Exchange are still at relatively high levels. In the week ended March 13 nickel stocks were 80,795 tonnes, down from the peak in August last year of 111,359, but still well above the 43,708 recorded at the start of 2016. It's also possible that Indonesia will resume exports of nickel ore after the government introduced new regulations that allow miners to export some unprocessed ore if they are using the capacity at their refineries. While it's far from certain as to how much nickel ore Indonesia may export, an official at the mines ministry suggested last year it could be as much as 15 million tonnes in 2017, about a quarter of the amount the country shipped out in 2013, the year before the ban was imposed. It's also about half of what the Philippines shipped to China last year. If Indonesia does increase exports of nickel ore, while maintaining those of its low-grade ferronickel, the risk is that the market will be oversupplied, irrespective or whether the Philippines bans mining or not. In some ways Indonesia and the Philippines have been playing an unwitting game of political tag when it comes to nickel markets, alternately tightening or boosting supply and altering the form in which nickel reaches China. But the nickel market has shown it can cope with the inconsistent politics of Indonesia and the Philippines. (Editing by Richard Pullin) HANOI, March 20 (Reuters) - Here's a snapshot of Vietnamese dong exchange rates in the official and unofficial markets, indicative SJC gold prices in Hanoi and interbank offered rates at 4:12 GMT. March 20 USD/VND mid-point 22,254 USD/VND interbank 22,780/22,800 USD/VND unofficial 22,780/22,810 SJC gold (mln dong/tael) 36.52/36.79 Interbank offered rates Overnight 4.8-5.1 1 week 4.9-5.1 1 month 5.0-5.2 3 months 5.0-5.3 NOTES: As of Jan. 4, 2016 the State Bank of Vietnam has begun setting the mid-point rate on daily basis, allowing dollar/dong transactions to move in a band of +/- 3 percent around the mid point. The dong's exchange rate against other currencies is not restricted by a band. Interbank offered rates are the latest indicative bid/ask prices, quoted from market sources. One tael is equivalent to 37.5 grams or 1.21 troy ounces. SJC gold prices are quoted by state-owned Saigon Jewelry Co. For more interbank rate fixings released at 0400 GMT, click on . For Vietnam market overview click on: Vietnam's bonds market auctions: Bonds auction results: (Compiled by Hanoi Newsroom) ZURICH, March 20 (Reuters) - The Swiss blue-chip SMI was seen opening 0.1 percent easier at 8,694 points on Monday, according to premarket indications by bank Julius Baer . Here are some of the main factors that may affect Swiss stocks: CREDIT SUISSE The bank's board of directors is set to decide in April whether to go ahead with a partial initial public offering of its Swiss bank, two people familiar with the matter told Reuters, with alternative options being considered. For more news, click on JULIUS BAER Chief Executive Boris Collardi received 6.49 million Swiss francs ($6.52 million) in total compensation for 2016, the Swiss private bank said in its annual report. This was up from 6.16 million francs in 2015. SWISS RE Reinsurer Swiss Re, usually involved in mega-deals on natural disaster coverage, is branching out on its own to do individually tailored schemes to boost returns, such as one in China to protect farmers against floods or drought. This tailor-made approach is part of Swiss Re's response to fierce competition in the reinsurance industry, where companies are being forced to find new ways to make money as their traditional model of clubbing together to backstop risks generates increasingly slim returns. For more click on UBS French magistrates are expected early this week to order a trial in a tax case involving Swiss bank UBS and a French subsidiary, a judicial source said on Sunday, after negotiations with investigators failed to produce a settlement. For more click on ABB After incidents in South Korea, Britain and Turkey, CEO Ulrich Spiesshofer told Swiss paper Finanz und Wirtschaft the group needs to step up controls. Of the fraud case in South Korea, Spiesshofer said: "I can't currently comment on the case in South Korea, since an investigation is ongoing. We're working to enforce our zero-tolerance policy. We immediately implemented an intensive investigation in South Korea and brought in external help, in order to assess the situation completely neutrally. We take such cases very seriously." For more news, click on LONZA In an interview with Finanz und Wirtschaft, CEO Richard Ridinger said the group's Capsugel acquisition will generate returns exceeding its capital costs. The group will communicate new targets latest by August and doesn't plan any divestments over the next years, he said. For more news, click on SWISS BANKS Peru is moving closer to recovering up to $50 million linked to corrupt arms deals involving ex-president Alberto Fujimori, according to a Swiss-based group assisting its efforts. It said about a third of that sum could be returned in the coming months, starting as early as April, once courts in Switzerland and Luxembourg resolve disputes over frozen bank accounts. COMPANY STATEMENTS * Heart valve maker Symetis launches capital increase of up to 64.1 million euros ($69 million) * Straumann says Patrick Kok-Kien Loh is to join in mid-May as Executive Vice President Asia Pacific, taking over from Alexander Ochsner, who will assume a new role within the Group as Executive Vice President Global People Management & Development. * HIAG Immobilien Holding AG said FY collected property income increased to 52.4 million Swiss francs (2015 business year: 51.2 million francs) and earnings before taxes and revaluation to 30.7 million francs (2015: 28.3 million francs) * Meyer Burger said it was awarded a further contract for around 15 million Swiss francs from an existing customer for MB PERC cell upgrade technology. * LifeWatch reported an adjusted net loss of $1.5 million for 2016 from revenue of $113.8 million. * Pargesa Holding said it will propose a 2016 dividend of 2.44 francs per bearer share and 0.244 francs per registered share, an increase of 2.5 percent on the year earlier period. * Bank am Bellevue said it is discontinuing its brokerage and corporate finance activities following completion of necessary consultation process. ECONOMY The Swiss National Bank is due to published data on sight deposits at 0900 GMT. ($1 = 0.9293 euros) (Reporting by Zurich newsroom) Daily Swiss stock market report in German................ All SMI constituent stocks............................ News on major Swiss stock price moves.................. FTSE Eurotop 300 index................................ DJ STOXX index........................................ Top 10 STOXX sectors............................. Top 10 EUROSTOXX sectors........................ Top 10 Eurotop 300 sectors....................... Top 25 European pct gainers... , losers... Swiss mid-cap index SMI futures Swiss all-share index Market statistics Swiss market digest Sector overview All Swiss news Swiss research news All equity news INTERNET ADDRESSES: Swiss Exchange / Eurex STOXX Ltd SPEED GUIDES: )) Keywords: MARKETS SWISS STOCKS/ (Updates with additional loans) By Duncan Miriri NAIROBI, March 20 (Reuters) - Kenya borrowed $800 million in a syndicated loan from four international commercial lenders, part of a package totalling $1.55 billion. The country also got a $500 million syndicated loan with Cairo-based African Import Export Bank (Afreximbank) and the Trade Development Bank (TDB), Afreximbank said. Another $200 million syndicated loan was agreed earlier with TDB. "The facility, for which Afreximbank and TDB acted as joint mandated lead arrangers, is part of a $1.55 billion debt package of three facilities being arranged and raised in parallel," Afreximbank said in a statement issued on Monday. Kenya had set out to raise 150 billion shillings ($1.46 billion), partly to plug a fiscal deficit equal to 9.7 percent of gross domestic product in its budget for the fiscal year to June 2017. President Uhuru Kenyatta, who faces re-election in August, dismissed criticism last week of his accelerated borrowing, saying the money was funding development . In January, the Nairobi government picked Standard Chartered, Standard Bank, Citi and Rand Merchant Bank to lead the $800 million syndicated loan. "We signed and have already drawn down" the money, Kamau Thugge, principal secretary at the ministry of finance, told Reuters. The various tranches of the total loans of $1.55 billion comes with different maturities of two to 10 years, Afreximbank said. It said the Kenyan government had "achieved unprecedented borrowing benchmarks with new tenors at the 2, 3, 5, and 10 year marks from different investor groups." (Editing by Larry King) Tourism Secretary Wanda Corazon T. Teo (Photo : Getty Images) Government officials from China and the Philippines have secured strategies to help increase visitor arrivals and to strengthen tourism cooperation between the two countries. Plans were made close to the recent opening of the ASEAN-China Year of Tourism Cooperation 2017. This is to fulfill President Xi Jinpings promise to bring at least 2 million Chinese tourists to the Philippines annually. Advertisement Led by Tourism Secretary Wanda Corazon T. Teo and Chairman Li Jinzao, officials from the Department of Tourism (DOT) and the China National Tourism Administration (CNTA) had a series of meeting the Makati Shangri-La and Conrad Manila. China and the Philippines have come to an agreement to execute marketing and communications campaigns; conduct familiarization trips for media and tour operators; arrange tourism-related workshops and capacity-building sessions for travel professionals; schedule official visits by tourism heads; and calendar joint travel fairs in both countries. In 2016, 675,663 Chinese tourists visited the Philippines, close to a 300 percent increase from 187,446 in 2010. According to the CNTA, about 1 million Filipinos arrive in China each year. Both groups have also accepted the implementation of the ASEAN-China Air Transport Agreement. The agreement has increased the number of direct flights between both areas. About 4,900 direct flights now connect 37 ASEAN cities with 52 Chinese cities since the signing of the agreement. More actions among ASEAN-China aviation cooperation committees will boost tourism development in the region. On March 16, the ASEAN-China Tourism Cooperation Year 2017 was launched at the Philippine International Convention Center. It is an initiative that aims to strengthen the partnership between China and the 10 ASEAN member countries, which include the Philippines, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. Vice Premier Wang Yang, who oversees Chinas agriculture, water resources, commerce and tourism, led the Chinese officials in the said event. President Duterte, in a speech read by Teo, acclaimed the reawakening of an age-old kinship with China that started before the Spanish came to the Philippines. Through regional cooperation and diplomacy tourism, the goals to increase visitor arrivals, promote cultural exchanges, generate more livelihood for local people, improve infrastructure and diversify investment in tourism activities can be achieved between ASEAN and China, Duterte said. Wang praised the friendly ASEAN neighbors for their neutrality in regional affairs and enhancing tourism cooperation, adding that China is now ready to take the tourism year to inject a small impetus to the upgrading of China-ASEAN relations to a new era. The current world situation is reconciliatory. Through tourism cooperation, ASEAN and China can do great and good things together, like our situation in the Philippines, where we are prioritizing sustainable and inclusive tourism. With booming travel between ASEAN and China, our cooperation will bring nations and peoples closer together, said Duterte. Through the ASEAN community as defined in the Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity, we envision a seamless and comprehensively connected and integrated ASEAN that promotes competitiveness, inclusiveness and a greater sense of connectivity, said Teo in her own speech. Today, as we celebrate the 25th year of ASEAN-China relations, we also celebrate the ASEAN-China Year of Tourism Cooperation, which seeks to enhance tourism growth, through increased visitor arrivals, receipts, employment and inclusiveness, she added. The Philippines will be the chair of the ASEAN Summit 2017. Tourism between the two regions has grown over the years, with a 42.4 percent increase in the number of Chinese visitor arrivals in ASEAN in 2015 and a 6.3 percent increase in ASEAN tourists to China in the same year. Based on the projections made by tourist officials, with 15.7 percent average annual growth in the mutual visitor traffic between the regions, the 30 million target will be achieved by 2020. Tourism cooperation between China and the ASEAN, particularly the Philippines, will benefit both parties. Shenandoah, IA (51601) Today Sunshine and clouds mixed. High 53F. Winds E at 10 to 20 mph.. Tonight Partly cloudy this evening, then becoming cloudy after midnight. Low around 40F. Winds ESE at 10 to 15 mph. Egypt's Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry discussed with Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas in Cairo the latest developments in efforts to resolve the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, state news agency MENA reported late Sunday. Following the meeting, Shoukry said "Cairo works on supporting the Palestinian cause in any way possible to establish the Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital." President Abdel-Fatah El-Sisi will meet with the Palestinian leader on Monday. The talks are expected to tackle recent developments and efforts to reach a two state solution, particularly following recent talks with the US administration on the peace process as well as economic, security and humanitarian issues in Palestine . In the first week of April, El-Sisi will meet with US President Donald Trump, his first meeting since Trump's election. The Palestinian leader arrived in Cairo early Sunday upon invitation by the Egyptian President for talks ahead of the upcoming Arab League summit in Jordan, scheduled 28 and 29 of March. Abbas visit is part of ongoing discussions between the two sides on various Arab and international issues. On Thursday, Shoukry and his Jordanian counterpart Ayman Al-Safadi said their countries are working with the Palestinian Authority to push for the establishment of a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital. Search Keywords: Short link: Hurghada port in Egypt's Red Sea governorate reopened Monday morning after two days of closure due to unstable weather conditions, resuming sea navigation and marine activities, the Red Sea ports authority told state news agency MENA. Eight ports in Suez, Red Sea, and South Sinai were closed Saturday due to unstable weather and sandstorms that affected visbility. All have since been reopened. The Alexandria ports authority also closed the city's two main ports on Friday due to bad weather and increased wind speed. Both were reopened Saturday. Egypt experienced windy conditions nationwide Saturday and Sunday, with sandstorms and rainfall affecting visibility on roads, especially in Upper Egypt. Authorities in the southern governorate of Sohag declared a state of emergency Saturday due to stormy weather. Schools were cancelled Sunday in Minya due to sandstorms. The Egyptian Meteorological Authority expected stable weather on Monday, with less disturbance in waves on both the Mediterranean and Red seas. Search Keywords: Short link: By Yoon Sung-won Korea should diversify trade channels in Asia and boost non-governmental diplomatic activities to cut the China risk from its the economic sector, according to trade experts here. The experts said Beijing's recent retaliatory actions against the Korean government's plan to introduce a Terminal High Altitude Air Defense (THAAD) system here is a warning to Korea to reduce its trade dependency on China. "The Chinese market is indeed important. But now we have to diversify trade partners. The dependency on China has been too high," Korean-American Association (KAA) Chairman Park Jin said during a group discussion session hosted by The Korea Times in Seoul, March 10. "India is growing fast and Russia, which has the world's largest resource base, is right on top of us. Why not consider a free trade agreement with Japan? Southeast Asia is the largest construction business market worldwide." Park stressed China's latest retaliatory actions have revealed its true face after rapid improvements in Sino-Korean relations over the last two decades. "Utilitarianism has become the key in international relations. We need to think about national interests through hardheaded approaches," he said. "As China escalates economic pressure, it is an opportunity for Korea to reinforce internal stability." Besides Park, Trade Vice Minister Woo Tae-hee, Korea Institute for Industrial Economics and Trade (KIET) President Yu Byung-gyu and Shin Seung-kwan, the president of Institute for International Trade (IIT) of Korea International Trade Association, participated in the group discussion. The experts said Korea should coolly seek common ground rather than extreme responses like beginning a suit with the World Trade Organization. "We may face a temporary shock once the missile defense system is deployed," Shin said. "But China will regain its composure and come to think more about relations. I don't think the tension will last for years." The vice minister also said, "We don't need to overreact. We should act calmly to protect our interests." Yu said Korean businesses should take extra care to meet China's social growth. "Public perceptions of safety and social issues are also improving in China. So Korean enterprises should be more prudent about the safety of products and services they provide in China and about protection of intellectual property rights," the KIET president said. "Consequences will return like a boomerang unless the businesses change from the careless past." According to the vice minister, 19 out of 28 cosmetics items that China discontinued customs clearance for last November were Korean products, mostly made by small businesses. Part of the reasons for discontinuing customs clearance was the lack of a sanitary inspection certificate on the items, Woo said. Yu also pointed out Korea should end its internal dispute over national security and effectively deal with international issues in one voice. "Chinese news media repeatedly broadcasts Korea's internal disputes over the THAAD issue," he said. "It is important to make a consistent argument." Shin concurred. "I agree the key is domestic division. China can tap into the division and make aggressive moves," the IIT president said. "We need to meet the Chinese government for talks and set the cause (for reconciliation)." The diplomatic relationship between Korea and China marked its 25th anniversary this year. The experts said the two countries should build even more beneficial relations. "The Sino-Korean relationship is bigger than the THAAD issue," Park said. "Public diplomacy activities by the Chinese people, media and academia are important to establish an extensive partnership." Yu said, "It is more about the public sector than central politics. We need to boost the so-called grassroots trade diplomacy from now on." An Egyptian appeals court upheld on Monday a three-year prison sentence for two low-ranking police officers, convicted of assaulting doctors at a hospital in eastern Cairo's Matariya last year, an incident which prompted thousands of doctors to protest. Matariya's misdemeanour appeal court upheld a lower court jail sentence and an EGP 5,000 fine for the assaulted doctors as well as the doctors syndicate, according to a statement by the syndicate on Monday. The defendants did not attend today's court session. The verdicts can still be appealed in a court of cassation. In September, nine low-ranking policemen were given three-year sentences over an assault on physicians at a Cairo hospital earlier last year. The defendants were convicted of the "unauthorised detention of two doctors," physical and verbal assault, cruelty and misuse of power. The case stems back to an attack on 28 January 2016 by several low-ranking policemen on doctors at Matariya Hospital, after one of the doctors refused to include fake injuries in a medical report for one of the policemen. The incident prompted thousands of doctors to protest in February at the Doctors Syndicate, calling for the prosecution of the assailants and the resignation of the health minister. The protest was believed to have been one of the biggest demonstrations by union members the country had seen since President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi took office in 2014. In January, six members of the Matariya Hospital staff were summoned for questioning by the prosecution for allegedly inciting to strike. All six were subsequently released. There have been several incidents in recent years of policemen being charged with killing and assaulting civilians, though the interior ministry has repeatedly stated that these are isolated incidents. Last year, President El-Sisi pledged to hold accountable policemen guilty of "violations" after a series of deaths in police custody, allegedly caused by torture, sparked public outcry. Search Keywords: Short link: By Nam Hyun-woo China's retaliation over Korea's decision to deploy a U.S. Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery here will likely harm non-life insurers, a research institute report said Monday. According to the Korea Insurance Research Institute (KIRI), domestic insurers' Chinese business may suffer indirect damage if China's pressure on Korean companies operating there spills over to manufacturers. "Currently, Beijing economic pressure on Seoul is concentrated on specific industries, such as culture content and tourism which are experiencing relatively small damage," a KIRI report said. "If manufacturers are affected by such measures, things would be different. Our insurers, which advanced into the Chinese market along with them, may face substantial losses." The report estimated that the damage would be mostly incurred by non-life insurers -- a majority of domestic life insurers have a shield in China because they run joint ventures with Chinese players. For example, Samsung Life advanced into China in 2005 as Samsung Air China Life Insurance. However, non-life insurers do not have such advantages because they tapped into the world's most populous country on their own to mostly cover risks of Korean manufacturers there, according to the report. "The so-called big three non-life insurers conduct business in China as independent local enterprises," the report said, adding most of their clients there are Korean brick-and-mortar companies. The big three non-life insurance companies are Samsung Fire, Hyundai Marine and Dongbu Fire. Japanese corporations suffered big problems in their trade with China as the tension between the two countries rose amid the territorial dispute over the Senkaku Islands or Diaoyu Islands as China calls them in the East China Sea in 2010. From April to September 2012, Japan's exports to China contracted 8.2 percent year-on-year. KIRI assumed that 14,394 Japanese companies in China in 2012 suffered damages worth around 10 billion yen ($88.85 million). The report warned that Korean companies may suffer a similar amount of losses, which will eventually chip away at the bottom lines of the non-life insurance companies. "The recent rise of anti-Korea sentiment in China is a risk for domestic insurers," the report said. "By diversifying their overseas portfolio, they should lower their China risk." Up to 35 percent of Korean insurance companies' networks in Asia were in China as of the end of last year. The THAAD row will negatively affect the performance of not only Korean non-life insurers but also other financial companies, which have actively made a foray into the world's second-largest economy. According to the Financial Supervisory Service, the combined assets of domestic bank branches and offices in China stood at $20.22billion at the end of June last year, or 25 percent of their total overseas assets. By Yoon Ja-young Electronic ID card The Korea Minting, Security Printing & ID Card Operating Corp. (KOMSCO) has begun supplying national electronic identification (e-ID) cards to Kyrgyzstan, the company's first exports of such cards. "Korea has been exporting its advanced systems such as electronic government (e-government). The export of the e-ID cards is meaningful since we have been diversifying our export items," KOMSCO CEO Kim Hwa-dong said at a delivery ceremony held at the company's plant in Daejeon, Monday. KOMSCO won the Kyrgyzstan government's $10 million contract to supply 3 million e-ID cards and related systems in September 2016. The adoption of the e-ID card is part of the Central Asian country's plan to build a resident registration system as well as set up an e-government. Following the first shipment of 200,000 e-ID cards starting Monday, KOMSCO will deliver 3 million by the end of August. Kyrgyzstanis will be renewing their current national ID cards from next month, and the new cards will be used for identifying voters for the presidential election in November. Korea has the infrastructure ready to adopt the e-ID card system, but hasn't done so because it has yet to reach social consensus on the issue. "We have technology that is recognized as the top in the world, but the lack of reference was our only weakness. As we started exports to Kyrgyzstan, the weakness will be overcome," Kim added. The global e-ID market is estimated to be around 3 trillion won, and private companies from France and Germany have dominated most of the market. Kim said that KOMSCO succeeded in overcoming the entry barrier. The e-ID cards exported to Kyrgyzstan have an integrated circuit chip on the front that contains personal information such as nationality and fingerprint, as well as a barcode on the back that makes it easy to get the information with a reader. The card also features security features such as a hologram, color-shifting ink, micro letters, ultraviolet ink and multiple laser images. KOMSCO has been trying to export its e-ID technology for the past 10 years, with the goal of becoming one of the global top five minting and security printing companies. It has focused on globalization as its main driver for growth and has tried to export diverse items such as banknotes, banknote paper, e-passports, coins and cotton pulp. KOMSCO has also been expanding its overseas markets, and exports to Central and Southeast Asian countries as well as Europe and Africa. Most recently, KOMSCO started exporting e-passports to a Southeast Asian country, on top of winning an order to export coins to a Middle Eastern country this year and next year. It did not disclose details, though. It aims at achieving $70 million in exports this year. By Yi Whan-woo Joseph Yun The top U.S. negotiator of the six-party talks on North Korea's denuclearization arrived in Seoul, Monday, to coordinate policies on Pyongyang's nuclear threats, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It said Joseph Yun, U.S. Special Representative for North Korea Policy, is scheduled to meet Kim Hong-kyun, his counterpart and special representative for Korean Peninsula Peace and Security Affairs, Wednesday. Yun and Kim will likely discuss in depth how to bolster cooperation in pressing North Korea in line with the outcome of the foreign ministerial talks between the two allies in Seoul, March 17. Yun is also likely to brief Kim about U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson's visit to China March 18 to 19. "Yun may talk about the latest mood in China concerning North Korea and share thoughts on how to capitalize on China regarding sanctions on Pyongyang," a foreign ministry official said. Other topics likely to be on the agenda are countermeasures toward North Korea's ballistic missile program and raising international awareness of Pyongyang's growing threats using chemical weapons following the assassination of the North Korean ruler's estranged half-brother Kim Jong-nam in Malaysia, Feb. 13 using VX nerve agent. Yun and Kim previously met in Washington, D.C., at a three-way meeting with Japan's top nuclear negotiator and Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau Director-General Kenji Kanasugi on Feb. 27. By Yi Whan-woo South Korea is unlikely to be given a say in upcoming talks between the United States and China over North Korea because it has little leverage over the North, analysts said Monday. Their analysis reflects pessimism that Seoul has no choice but to wait for a possible big deal between the U.S. and China in handling the North's nuclear brinkmanship. Seoul has virtually used up all its cards on Pyongyang by shutting down the Gaeseong Industrial Complex in 2016 and cutting all inter-Korean dialogue channels in line with U.S.-led sanctions against the Kim Jong-un regime for its nuclear and missile programs. In this climate, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi raised the possibility to discuss North Korea's denuclearization without Seoul, offering U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson a three-way dialogue among Washington, Beijing and Pyongyang exclusively, Saturday. Analysts said it is critical for Seoul to ensure the Donald Trump administration fully considers South Korea's opinions in shaping U.S. polices on the North before a possible summit between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping in April. The leadership vacuum in South Korea, however, is likely to hamper Seoul's efforts to actively engage with Washington and make its voice heard, they said. By Choi Ha-young North Korea-related issues no longer affect elections in South Korea, analysts said Monday. Traditionally, in this divided nation still locked in the Cold War, the North's provocations ahead of elections have been a drag on liberal candidates. However, this is no longer true here, they said. Leading presidential contender Moon Jae-in, a liberal from the Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), is maintaining a solid lead in opinion polls despite North Korea's continuous provocations. One in two Koreans supports the DPK and its candidates have swept the upper ranks of popularity polls. "Political and legal judgments of the conservative president's wrongdoings caused a reversal of Park's legacies, including a hostile slogan against Pyongyang," said Yoon Tae-gon, the senior political analyst at The Moa Agenda & Strategy. Widespread anger against Park's failures is palpable on public opinion as well. According to a local poll released by Realmeter on Thursday, 35.2 percent of respondents said full-fledged societal reform is the top task for the next government. Interestingly, an equal percentage of people answered that economic recovery is a priority. Amid swirling diplomatic tension on the Korean Peninsula, only 12.7 percent of respondents prioritized security and diplomacy. Peter Martin Blinkenberg / Yonhap By Ko Dong-hwan, Choi Ha-young Chung Yoo-ra at a Danish court after being arrested at Aalborg, Denmark, on Jan. 3. A Danish lawyer defending a Korean woman wanted by Korean prosecutors over the presidential corruption scandal died suddenly on Friday of unknown causes. Chung Yoo-ra's lawyer Peter Martin Blinkenberg died on Mar. 17 at his home in Lohals, Langeland, Ekstra Bladet reported. Blinkenberg, who specializes in financial cases, was trying to keep Chung in Denmark after prosecutors there decided to extradite her to Korea. The daughter of Choi Soon-sil, an alleged influence-peddler behind impeached Korean President Park Geun-hye, is wanted on charges of receiving kickbacks while attending Ewha Womans University. These included manipulation of marks and attendance records. The perks are suspected of having been carried out at Korea's most prestigious women's university under the influence of Choi, who is under arrest. By Lee Han-soo U.S. teacher booked for assaulting taxi driver Police have booked a female American teacher, 34, for assaulting a taxi driver after a scuffle, according to Yongsan police station on Monday. The incident allegedly happened during a taxi ride from Itaewon to the teacher's house around at around 3 a.m. Police said the teacher kicked the driver several times in the stomach and legs. The expat reportedly admitted the incident, but claimed the driver was to blame because he had taken a wrong turn. Uzbekistani arrested for stabbing Russian An Uzbekistani man, 43, was arrested after allegedly stabbing his Russian friend during an altercation. According to Cheongju Heungdeok police station, the Uzbekistani stabbed the Russian in the shoulder and back while they were drinking together at around 2:50 p.m., on March 16. The Uzbekistani was arrested after the victim's daughter, who was at the scene, called the police. The Russian's injuries are not life-threatening Ex-President has speech to give before questioning Former President Park Geun-hye By Jung Min-ho Former President Park Geun-hye will give a speech today before being questioned as a key suspect in the corruption scandal that led to her impeachment. Her lawyer Son Bum-kyu told reporters Monday that Park will clarify her position about the scandal involving her confidant Choi Soon-sil at around 9:30 a.m. before entering the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office for questioning. But the lawyer said he did not know the details of the speech. Given that prosecutors have already collected "plenty of evidence" about her complicity in the scandal, they may detain her without a warrant following questioning before formally arresting her. This is a very likely scenario because most other key figures in the scandal have already been indicted, including Samsung Vice Chairman Lee Jae-young who is charged with giving bribes to Park and Choi. Prosecutors have completed a questionnaire, which is known to be about 100 pages long. Among many allegations brought against her, prosecutors will likely focus on the money she apparently received from major companies. Lotte Group founder Shin Kyuk-ho's mistress Seo Mi-kyung appears at the Seoul Central District Court in southern Seoul, Monday. Seo attended a hearing on charges of evading a gift tax of nearly 30 billion won ($27 million). This was her first media appearance in 36 years. / Yonhap By Kim Se-jeong Lotte Group Chairman Shin Dong-bin appeared at a Seoul court for questioning on suspicion of corporate crimes. Arriving at the Seoul Central District Court at 1:40 p.m., Shin said, "I apologize for causing many to worry. I will stand trial faithfully." Shin's father, Kyuk-ho, Lotte founder, and his older brother, Dong-joo, also arrived at the court, as well as Seo Mi-kyung, founder Shin's mistress who had earlier refused to show up at the court. No one, except Dong-bin, said anything to journalists. Monday's trial drew attention as it is allegedly linked to bribery allegations involving Chairman Shin and former President Park Geun-hye. Park faces questioning by prosecutors today. Lotte gave 4.5 billion won to Mir and K-Sports foundations controlled by Choi Soon-sil, Park's confidant. In return, Lotte allegedly received favors in winning a license to run a duty free shop in Seoul last year. From left, Lotte Group founder Shin Kyuk-ho, Chairman Shin Dong-bin and Dong-bin's elder brother Dong-joo arrive at the Seoul Central District Court in southern Seoul, Monday. / Yonhap Shin was questioned last year for his role in alleged bribery and investigation into Lotte and Shin could start anytime, according to those who follow the corruption scandal involving Park. Shin was indicted on charges of breach of trust and embezzlement in October last year. Ending the four-month corporate corruption scandal, the prosecution in Seoul said the chairman helped his family members pocket 50 million won from Lotte affiliates. The prosecution also said he caused financial damage to other Lotte affiliates, and the amount was 175 billion won. Shin claimed he had no active role. Shin Kyuk-ho is also accused of embezzlement and breach of trust, as well as dodging 85.8 billion won in taxes while yielding his shares in Lotte Holdings to his family members, including Seo. Dong-joo is suspected of receiving 39.1 billion won from Lotte affiliates between 2005 and 2015. Seo and his daughter allegedly took 50.8 billion won from the affiliates. A former beauty queen, Seo was taken by Shin in the 1980s and disappeared from the media spotlight. She lived in Japan for a long time and rejected previous summons issued by the prosecution and the Seoul court. Her appearance at the court took many by surprise. Shin young-ja, Lotte founder's daughter, was the first one to be convicted in the Shin family over the corruption. In January, she was sentenced to three years in prison for embezzlement and breach of trust. Former President Park Geun-hye's lawyer Yoo Young-ha arrives at her house in southern Seoul by car, Monday, the eve of the prosecution's questioning of the ousted president. / Korea Times photo by Ryu Hyo-jin By Kim Rahn The prosecution is expected to question former President Park Geun-hye over allegations that her longtime friend Choi Soon-sil managed Park's secret funds handed down from her father the late dictator Park Chung-hee. The former president will appear at the prosecution's office today. Prosecutors believe that Park and Choi shared financial interests as bribery accomplices. Choi allegedly set up hundreds of paper companies in Germany under other people's names to hide cash and real estate assets. The hidden assets' value was rumored to be around 800 billion won ($712.5 million), with some lawmakers claiming it could have reached 2 trillion won. Not only Korean but also German authorities began investigating the allegation, and the Korean independent counsel asked the German prosecution for cooperation, requesting its records including details of Choi's money transactions and financial statements of the paper companies. What came in to question was: How did Choi get the money in the first place? She barely worked throughout her life, except for holding the head position at a kindergarten for a short time. It is also alleged that her real estate in Korea is valued at 30 billion won and that of her sister, Choi Soon-deuk, is 100 billion won. By Emma Isumbingabo Women are key stakeholders in the Rwandan socio-economic growth and having their efforts recognized and promoted through all political agendas is important in order to empower them to make even greater contributions to national agendas. It is in this regard, the promotion of equality and equity for both men and women and empowerment of women in Rwanda is done through all national development processes. The government of Rwanda through the Ministry of Gender and Family Promotion has set national policies, strategies and programs that aim at promoting gender equality, family, women empowerment and children's rights, and all these are enclosed in the overall country development policies named Rwanda Vision 2020, the Seven Year Government Program and the Economic Development and Poverty Reduction Strategy. The Rwandan Ministry of Gender and Family Promotion has been created and given this mission of coordinating the formulation and the implementation of the national policies, strategies and programs aiming at promoting family, gender, women empowerment and children's rights. Some of these main specific policies in regard to women empowerment are the 2005 National Policy for Family Promotion, the 2010 Rwanda National Gender policy and the National Policy Against Gender Based Violence. The Ministry has been effective, to say the least, in addressing social and cultural practices that continue to limit women empowerment worldwide and is successfully implementing the required national women's empowerment programs. By Song Jae-hyun A few months ago, residents of an apartment complex in Gangnam-gu decided to replace all 283 of their security guards with automatic doors to reduce costs. The cost of installing the new security system only being a fraction of the annual payroll was the reason. Some people online have been showing sympathy for the now jobless seniors with others hotly debating its morality. Whether it's right or wrong, technology replacing human workers is a worldwide trend. McDonald's, the fast-food company, announced plans to replace their cashiers with touch-screen self-serve stations after the rise in the minimum wage. Various transport and distribution companies like Amazon and Uber are considering self-driving vehicles and drones. The appeal of tireless workers at a cheaper cost has accelerated the pace of automation. The effect of automation does not stop at blue-collar jobs. Computers are diagnosing diseases at a 90 percent accuracy rate. Programs powered by artificial intelligence are generating articles that resemble human-written ones. According to Stephen Hawking, the renowned British physicist and futurist, technology will "decimate" the need for nearly all middle-class jobs. Only care services workers, people working in fields that require high creativity and managerial positions will be safe from the coming wave of unemployment. During the industrial revolution, another instance of machinery replacing human labor, new technology created new jobs and experts say it will be the same this time. There will be more demand for engineers, programmers and other jobs related to automation. According to Statistics Korea, however, 34.3 percent of Korea's workforce are blue-collar, the first jobs that will disappear. How many of the working class will be able to transition to become robotics engineers and computer coders? Only a 5 percent increase in unemployment was a cause for alarm in the past. When this new revolution phases out over a third of the total workforce, and possibly a larger share of white-collar jobs, the consequences will be dire. Many experts have come up with solutions to the automation problem, most notably the universal basic income. This system will allow the citizens to live without the need for a wage as the government will be providing them with the necessary funds. Machines will produce the goods, and the people will be able to buy them. While this may seem like a perfect answer, there may be complications. For this to work, society will need to rethink its economic system as a whole, when the vast majority of its population no longer produces any value. Another issue that universal income raises is whether people can live happily without the sense of purpose that work provides. There has been a correlation between the length of unemployment and the chance for diagnosis of depression. When people know that they have become obsolete by pieces of wire and metal, knowing that they will never be able to work, will they be able to live satisfying and fulfilling lives? There is no denying that automation has its merits. The trend would not have started otherwise. However, the government and people need to acknowledge its devastating consequences and begin their search for an answer. Whether the next generations of citizens live in squalor in a dystopian society or find happiness free from financial burdens in a utopia depends on what happens next as the result of such efforts. The writer is a senior majoring in English literature at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies. His email address is jaehyunsong@gmail.com. Female ambassadors from nine countries pose before the start of The Korea Times Roundtable on women empowerment at the newspaper's conference room, Thursday. From left are Nozuko Gloria Bam of South Africa, Manisha Gunasekera of Sri Lanka, Aingeal O'Donoghue of Ireland, Clare Fearnley of New Zealand, the Times' chief editorial writer and host Oh Young-jin, Grecia Fiordalicia Pichardo of the Dominican Republic, Anne Hoglund of Sweden, Dato' Rohana binti Ramli of Malaysia, Emma-Francoise Isumbingabo of Rwanda, and Adalgisa Maria Soares Ximenes of Timor Leste. By Anne Hoglund From Sweden's perspective I would like to highlight two priorities in particular. The first concerns "gender equal parenting," which from Sweden's experience has been very important for the empowerment of women since it makes it possible for both men and women to have a family and at the same time pursue other aspirations in life such as having a career. It has contributed to a more prosperous society both economically and socially. We also have the third highest birthrate in Europe with 1.9 children per woman. Sweden was the first country in the world in 1974 to replace maternity leave with parental leave. Parents can share their paid parental leave of 480 days with 90 days reserved for each parent. Swedish fathers now take more parental leave than any other fathers in the world. The overall objective of Sweden's gender equality policy is to ensure that women and men have the same power to shape society and their own lives. Sweden has, as have other Nordic countries, a high participation of women in the labor market and in political decision making. All policy decisions should take gender equality into account. The Equality Ombudsman (DO) is a government agency that works against discrimination and for equal rights. Sweden's feminist government aims to ensure that women and men have the same power to shape society and their own lives. This is a goal in itself. But it is also essential for the achievement of the government's other overall objectives, which in foreign policy are peace, security and sustainable development. Around the world, gender equality has improved. The proportion of women in parliaments is increasing. More girls go to school. But there are also clear examples of setbacks that undermine the commitments from the World Conference on Women in Beijing in 1995. The result is that violence, oppression and systematic subordination still mar the daily lives of countless women and girls. Sweden wants this discrimination to end by being a leading advocate for gender equality, human rights and by making itself the first country in the world to pursue a feminist foreign policy. This foreign policy was initiated in 2015 and its main purpose is to ensure women's rights and participation in central decision-making processes, including in peace-building efforts and peace negotiations. The policy has six clearly stated goals, which are to strengthen the human rights of women and girls who are refugees or migrants, combating violence against women and girls in close relationships, to promote the role of women and girls in preventing conflict, to promote women's and girls' participation as a strategy against the shrinking democratic space and the double vulnerability of women and girls, to strengthen women's and girls' economic empowerment and influence, to work towards non-discriminatory legislation and to intensify work for the sexual and reproductive rights of all people. To fulfill these targets a systematic gender perspective is applied throughout Sweden's foreign policy. By Nozuko Gloria Bam As we celebrate women's month, it is worth noting that, only recently were South African women recognised as equal partners who are contributing immensely in the development of their country. Today South Africa has an inclusive Constitution that protects the rights for all. It set the foundation for a statutory and policy framework for gender empowerment. The empowerment of women is about eliminating gender discrimination, patriarchy, sexism, racism, ageism, gender based violence and structural oppression by creating an environment that enables women to take control of their lives. To achieve the empowerment of women, our focus is on policy and research. Policy review and research enable the state to consider the extent to which policies are advancing women, review law and identify gaps which may be impeding women's development. Therefore, South Africa's key areas from a policy perspective are: education, labour market, access to credit, land and property, poverty and inequality and unpaid work. As we implement empowerment programmes we are guided by our National Development Plan: Vision 2030 and the implementation of the 2030 Agenda on the SDGs. This is particularly important for South Africa as we continue to deal with the triple challenge of unemployment, poverty and inequality of which women are on the receiving end. Education: The Ministry of Women is working with civil society and corporate South Africa to ensure the empowerment of women in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. The government also works with businesses on the "Take a Girl Child to Work" programme as a mechanism to introduce girls to various careers available. Access to education underpins much of women's full engagement in the economy. In the period 1996 to 2014, women's overall enrolment in higher education increased from 48% to 58%. South Africa continues to make resources available for women to study further and in this regard, 56% of bursaries were offered to women towards postgraduate degrees in all fields in 2016 and 2017. By Adalgisa Maria Soares Ximenes Although Timor-Leste is a paternalistic society, woman involvement in the fight for liberation and nation building in the country, has a history of 42 years. The involvement of Timorese women in society had been introduced by a major and very outstanding political party, and movement for the liberation of the land, namely Fretilin or the Revolutionary Front for the Independence of Timor-Leste, since 1974. Fretilin has integrated the women's movement in its structure even at the grassroots level. Women played the same role as men to fight for the liberation of our country either as part of the army, a clandestine movement, or on the diplomatic front. Consequently, many Timorese women were targeted by the invaders and many of them were physically abused and killed. As a background, Timor-Leste proclaimed its independence on Nov. 28, 1975. Eleven days after the proclamation, our land was invaded, and we had to fight for 24 years to free our country again. In 1999, through a referendum held by the U.N. we regained our independence. Our restoration of independence was on May 20, 2002. In the process of the restoration of our independence prior to this, in the constitution draft and later, in its official version, it dignifies men and women as having equal roles and rights in Timorese society. State policy, through its laws, gives ground for Timorese women to be a leader of Parliament, government and the community. Women representation in the current formation of Parliament members and the government Cabinet plus village leaders is around 38 percent. By Manisha Gunasekera Sri Lanka is a middle income country with a high Human Development Index comparable with developed countries. The country since gaining independence in 1948 has followed a combination of welfare state policies including universal free education and free health care which has resulted in the elimination of gender- and class-based discrimination in access to education, and upward social mobility of both women and men across social strata. Education is free from primary to undergraduate levels, and the age of compulsory education was extended from 14 to 16 years in 2016. Sri Lanka, which significantly increased female literacy from 43.8% in 1947 to 92% in 2013, has today achieved gender parity in enrolment in primary, secondary and tertiary education. The percentage of female students in universities and non-vocational tertiary education is higher than that of male students; and there is 50% or more female representation in all undergraduate academic streams except engineering, where female representation is still at 20.46 percent. The latter imbalance is being addressed. As a result of women's equal access to education, the participation of women in professional services and in senior and middle ranking positions in the state and corporate sectors have seen a steady increase. Women in Sri Lanka today hold senior positions as secretaries of ministries and departments; heads of diplomatic missions and the judiciary. Sri Lanka has had a woman chief justice and a woman attorney general. The administrative and planning services have 48%, and the Foreign Service 52% female representation. The latter includes 15 women heads of mission/post. Sri Lanka, which was a model Commonwealth nation when it gained independence, is also known for gaining universal adult franchise in 1931, for electing a woman to the Legislative Assembly the same year, and for having elected the world's first woman Prime Minister, Sirimavo Bandaranaike, in 1960. Sri Lanka also elected a woman president (1994 to 2005). Yet, Sri Lanka today has a low percentage of women in legislative bodies (under 6 percent). The government today is making concerted efforts to rectify this anomaly. A policy decision was taken in 2015 to increase political representation of women by 25 percent in the second and third tiers of government, i.e., in provincial councils and local government bodies. Accordingly, the Local Government Elections Act was amended in February 2016 to include a 25 percent quota for women in local government bodies. Additionally, a cabinet paper has been submitted to obtain a 30 percent nomination for women at the provincial council elections. By Dato' Rohana binti Ramli Malaysia established a National Policy on Women in 1989. A Plan of Action for the Advancement of Women was also established in 1997 and reviewed in 2009. The plan addresses 13 areas of concern relating to women such as legislation, poverty, health, education and training, violence against women, politics and decision making. It outlined strategies and actions to be undertaken by the various government agencies, private sector and NGOs in enhancing the status of women. Malaysia has a five-year National Development Plan (Malaysia Plan). A women's program was first mentioned in the fourth Malaysian Plan (1981 1985). In the 10th Malaysia Plan (2011 2015) continued focus was given to the economic empowerment of women, particularly increasing the Female Labor Participation Rate (FLPR) from the achieved rate of 47.9% in 2011 to 55% in 2015. However, the actual achievement of FLPR in 2015 was only 54.1%. Even though the achievement rate was slightly under the target set, it was reported that it had resulted in an additional 750,000 women entering the labor market and this had contributed to an increase of 0.3 percentage points to the GDP growth per annum. Currently, Malaysia is implementing the 11th Malaysian Plan (2016 2020). The objective of increasing FLPR continued in the 11th Malaysian Plan. The new FLPR's target set is to achieve 59% by 2020. The Government realized that quite a number of women chose to stop working or take breaks from their careers for reasons, among others, to manage their household, i.e., taking care of their children and family. Many of these women are not only well educated but also talented. In this regard, the Government introduced various measures to create an enabling environment to ensure that women continue to remain in the labor market and if they do take career breaks, they have the opportunity to return. Measures that were introduced include financial incentives. In 2015, so as not to waste these "talents" the Government introduced a program known as "the Career Comeback Grant Program." This program was implemented together with Talent Corp Malaysia an agency established in 2011 under the Prime Minister's Department. This agency formulates and facilitates initiatives which addresses the availability of talents in line with the need of the country's economic transformation. It is often taken to be laudable for media outlets to be accommodating to requests for corrections and clarifications because it is always possible that a reporter misconstrues an answer from a source or a situation or the source answers without fully understanding the question and context. Recently two cases involving two separate articles in the New York Times raise questions about this bona fide attitude, giving newspapers and broadcasters a reason to be more selective about handling such calls and more careful in quote use. The first case is about the paper's article based on an interview with Moon Jae-in, the leading presidential candidate from the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea. The article had originally reported that Moon accented the need for Korea to learn to say no to the U.S. When there emerged an indication that the remark confirmed Moon's anti-U.S. tendency and was about to touch off a controversy, the Moon side reportedly made public the transcripts of the interview, which was conducted in Korean. It is said that Moon didn't ask for a correction. Then, the paper changed the text, which clarified that Moon's remark was contained in his recently published memoir, tagging a correction for misstating the context at the end of the article. So far, there was little to criticize except for the confusing effect the brouhaha had on readers who might be left wondering whether Moon has adopted a pro-American stance or has tried to look friendly at the U.S. to calm his detractors ahead of the May 9 presidential election. The second case was about the crassness with which subjects are dealt with in a quote. In the article about the U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson's visit to Seoul, Bruce Klingner of the conservative U.S. Heritage Foundation, was quoted as saying, "Japan and South Korea are like skittish small dogs that need constant reassurance and are constantly nervous." Klingner's quote was used in the context of part of Tillerson's mission being to dispel the two countries' doubts about U.S. defense commitment. If the canine comparison in question were used as part of the Orwellian tradition set up in his Animal Farm, it was a mistake. If it was an international approach by the team of reporter and editor, it surely offended the readers. Besides, what would that logic make the United States and the Trump administration? We would pass the chance to get counter-offensive. 'Filling a bottomless vessel' is no longer tenable Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering is teetering on the brink as the cash-stripped shipbuilder struggles with a plunge in new orders. Daewoo's possible default on its 440 billion won ($393 million) in corporate bonds that mature on April 21 is one of the epicenters that could imperil Korea Inc. in that month. On Thursday, the Financial Services Commission plans to announce a package of new bailout measures for Daewoo, which suffered an operating loss of 1.6 trillion won last year. The package could include 3 trillion won in fresh loans from state banks such as the Korea Development Bank, the company's main creditor. The top financial regulator might pressure other creditors, including Woori Bank, to swap debt for equity to help lower Daewoo's debt ratio. The creditors also can face calls to extend the maturity of their loans to the beleaguered shipbuilder. The government made it clear that there would be no more bailout when it forced state banks to offer 4.2 trillion won to Daewoo in October 2015. But this fresh bailout would oblige the government to face the criticism of reneging on its stated principles. Rescuing Daewoo, which must honor 1.3 trillion won in maturing bills by next year, might be inevitable though, considering the far-reaching impact on the Korean economy that could be triggered by its bankruptcy. More than 40,000 employees would be laid off and the regional economy in Geoje, South Gyeongsang Province, where the shipbuilder is located, would collapse. The nation's shipbuilding industry might suffer a severe setback if Chinese capital acquires Daewoo in search of our sophisticated technology. Nonetheless, the old practice of ''filling a bottomless vessel'' is no longer tenable, no matter how necessary propping up Daewoo is. The government is defending the inevitability of a fresh Daewoo bailout, saying its new shipbuilding orders have fallen far short of expectations. Furthermore, the delivery of two drilling rigs worth 1 trillion won, originally scheduled for early last year, has been delayed to this year because of the customer's worsening financial status. What is needed first is for the government to do some soul-searching as to why its injection of taxpayer money into Daewoo has failed so far. The government has been negligent in pushing for Daewoo's restructuring based on overly positive prospects. Daewoo also has to come up with a more stringent self-rescue package that would include additional asset sales and layoffs. It is only natural that those responsible for corporate insolvency must share the pain. Given the nightmare of the Asian currency crisis in the late 1990s, concerns are growing that failure to address the Daewoo debacle in time might make things more serious. This is why the government should do whatever it can to resolve the problem in cooperation with political parties in the run-up to the presidential election in May. By Michael Breen On his first visit to South Korea as American Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson last week said that the longstanding American policy of "strategic patience" with North Korea was over. Coming amid annual war games between the U.S. and South Korea and on the heels of a North Korean missile test, this came across as tough talk. Then when the Chinese told Mr. Tillerson their preference was for dialogue with North Korea, much of the media analysis focused on the theme of superpower clash. The assumption was that the Trump administration wants to get harsh but can't if China doesn't. Actually, this wasn't the story. There was no clash. What actually happened is quite normal and less exciting. It is that the new administration in Washington is conducting a review of North Korea policy because it believes the strategic patience posture of the Obama administration didn't work. The tough talk Mr. Tillerson said all options, including military retaliation, are on the table was not a policy. It was a holding statement designed to convey commitment while policy is worked out. During his East Asia trip, then, far from telling people what American policy was, Mr. Tillerson was listening. In developing policy, he needed to factor in what his friends in Beijing, Tokyo and Seoul told him. With regard to North Korea, Mr. Tillerson, and his boss, Mr. Trump, are doing exactly the same as their predecessors. Each started from the same point of extreme frustration with an anti-American adversary bent on developing weapons of mass destruction who seems immune to the usual threats and pressure that the world's biggest military power is able to bring to bear. Each also heard the same warning by the respective commander of U.S. forces in South Korea that conflict could lead to unimaginable consequences. Each opted for dialogue. In 2003, talks expanded to include South Korea, China, Japan and Russia. Each experienced this engagement as a similar pattern. The North Koreans would walk out over some imagined issue, then return after some kind of concession, and agree to stop their weapons program, and eventually be exposed as having lied. This merry dance led to Mr. Obama's strategic patience policy. It was code for "out of options." If the pattern holds, the Trump administration will go through the same process, although with more fist-shaking and tweeting, and end with an out-of-options policy under a different name to distinguish it from Mr. Obama's. But things never quite turn out as you imagine them. Unforeseen factors could change this picture. Given the history, there are two circumstances that could lead North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons and one of them could happen on Mr. Trump's watch. One would be a coup within North Korea that brings to power a new leadership that no longer needs to pursue the phony war with the outside world that has been used to justify the internal controls and heavy defense spending. The other would be if Pyongyang were to be appropriately pressured. What could this mean? History shows that sanctions don't really work against leadership that feels it has nothing to lose. What works is force. For example, if the South Korean air force were to retaliate to the next North Korean provocation and demonstrate its clear superiority and if this action were supported by America, China and Japan, the North Koreans might well be cowed into giving up their weapons program and allow UN inspectors to verify. At this stage, though, given both the need to be willing to follow through and face the unintended consequences and the differing politic interests of the regional players, such action looks unlikely. And this means that the Trump administration will need to continue the same policy. If we don't like the sound of strategic patience, perhaps we could call it tactical frustration. Michael Breen is the CEO of Insight Communications Consultants, a public relations company, and author of "The Koreans" and "Kim Jong-il: North Korea's Dear Leader." An Egyptian prosecutor ordered on Monday the arrest of four people suspected of kidnapping and murdering a real estate agent in Giza governorate on Saturday. Two other suspects a former police officer and a terminated low-ranking police officer were arrested on Sunday on suspicion of kidnapping and killing 28-year-old Farid Shawky. A video shot in Giza's Mohandessin neighbourhood went viral on Saturday showing a man, whose wife later confirmed as Shawky, pleading for help as he leaned out of the door of a moving car. Initial police investigations revealed that six suspects had kidnapped Shawky from a cafe near his home in 6 October city on the ouyskirts of Cairo. Shawky's body was later found in Qalioubiya governorate north of the capital. Initial forensic reports say the victim likely died of a severe head injury inflicted by a blow from the butt of a gun. DJI Korea chief Moon Tae-hyun shows drones at the company's flagship store in the Hongik University area in western Seoul, Feb. 22. / Korea Times photo by Yoon Sung-won DJI Korea head stresses drone software business By Yoon Sung-won Drones are increasingly recognized as an intelligent industrial tool, not just a pastime. They are now a key part of industries of the future, with advanced autopilot and data-processing programs making them even smarter, DJI Korea's country head Moon Tae-hyun said. Moon said drones can expedite the introduction of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, boosting workplace efficiency and safety. "In the Fourth Industrial Revolution, data-collecting becomes more important as each industry is controlled by decentralized automation systems," Moon said in an interview in Seoul, Feb. 22. "The use of drones can dramatically reduce the time and expense of operating a manned helicopter to collect data at industrial sites. It will be especially useful for such works as firefighting and agriculture." Last year, DJI released its agricultural drone called Agras MG-1 globally. It can spray agricultural chemicals from the air. Moon said agricultural drones can do much more than spraying pesticides. "Drones can collect data on crops and yield rate," Moon said. "The key is development of data-processing software that even old farmers can use easily." Moon also said advanced drone systems enable sophisticated autonomous flight features. He expected to see drones increasingly used for aerial photography and filming, construction design, electricity grid monitoring and rescue missions. The Chinese company is pushing for the industrial drone market more these days. During the Mobile World Congress 2017 in Barcelona, DJI unveiled its new Matrice 200 (M200) series industrial drones. "The M200 drones can approach structures such as power line towers and bridges to detect millimeter-size defects. With a thermographic camera, they can be used to help firefighters rescue people," Moon said. The company plans to release the industrial drones in Korea next quarter. The Shenzhen-based company has provided drones that can hover over the ground and avoid surrounding obstacles even without remote control. Its latest waypoint flight feature allows drones to fly autonomously through designated waypoints and automatically perform data-collecting tasks. For safety measures, users can set an invisible virtual fence in a 3D area to limit a drone's flight and speed. Such functions can be used to build 3D maps of an area or a structure and repeat the mission afterwards, according to DJI Korea. In the public sector, Moon said DJI has worked with governments and international bodies to minimize damage caused by natural disasters. In February, the company taught public workers of the Maldives how to use drones in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Drone systems can be used to monitor changes of sea level, monitor the efficiency of seawalls in hard-to-reach locations, establish escape plans for tsunamis and build 3D maps of the area for damage recovery, the company said. "As an island country, the Maldives needed a thorough 3D mapping of the country to project a possible tsunami and its damage," Moon said. "Governments of other countries are adopting such drone technology to reduce damage by natural disasters." Public workers on the Maldives are taught how to fly drones by employees of DJI and the United Nations Development Programme at the island in January. / Courtesy of DJI Established in 2006 by Frank Wang, DJI is the world's largest unmanned aerial vehicle maker. The company has provided more than 70 percent of commercial drones globally thanks to its most popular models such as the Mavic and Inspire series. Other drone makers, including Korean ones, have failed to outperform DJI as they failed to establish economies of scale. Moon said Korea should also look into software development. "Building Korean-made drones is important. But the government should invest more in the software sector," Moon said. "Whereas drones as a hardware device are highly regulated not only in Korea but also in other countries, the software sector is a completely open market." The DJI Korea head urged startups and public organizations to enter the drone software development sector to vitalize the market here. "Led by startups, advanced countries like Australia has already established a commercialized model for the drone software market," Moon said. He also highlighted the importance of boosting the public perception of drone software and its use. "We need an industry culture that emphasizes creative ideas on drone software," he said. "Public awareness is still low. As a leading drone provider, we can play our role here to let people know how drones are used other than for hobby. It is one of our missions this year." It has been some time since all of the rumors about the end of Lee Min Ho and Suzy Bae's relationship have swirled throughout the internet. Now, new reports claiming that the celebrity couple had broke up due to reports of Lee Min Ho allegedly settling in Japan. According to Korea Portal, all the news and speculations about the two's relationship surfaced when Lee Min Ho visited Japan and did an interview for a Japanese magazine where he also served as the model. It is due to this happening that fans thought about the possibility of the end of the celebrity couple's relationship. Previous reports also said that the two have already split due to Suzy Bae becoming jealous of Park Shin Hye as she and Lee Min Ho had a bunch of romantic scenes in "The Legend of the Blue Sea". There were even reports that Lee Min Ho and Park Shin Hye had secret trips together. However, all of these are just rumors and speculations and that they are not proven to be legitimate and true. In one of the reports of Korea Portal, Suzy Bae confirms that she is not really welcoming any Lee Min Ho and Park Shin Hye reunion if ever there will be second season for "The Heirs". As of now, there is still no confirmation that all of these are true. This only means one thing, and that further pursuing rumors and speculations is not really healthy for the couple. It is best for fans to wish the couple the best of luck in their relationship and career in the K-pop industry. The rumors regarding Lee Min Ho will transfer and settle in Japan is also debunked as he has just visited the country to be featured in a Japanese magazine. Related Egypt prosecution investigates allegations of death by torture in police station A Giza prosecutor ordered on Monday the detention of three police officers for four days pending investigation into allegations that they tortured a man to death at a police station in Haram district earlier this month, Ahram Arabic news website reported. The three officers are suspected of killing a 26-year-old man who was in detention on suspicion of killing his grandmother. Police had initially said that the suspect fell ill while in custody and was taken to hospital, where he died. However, the medical examiner's report said there were signs of torture on the deceased's body. The Egyptian constitution stipulates that "torture in all its forms is a crime without a statute of limitations." Search Keywords: Short link: Related Saudi Arabia restores limit on Egyptian pilgrims to Mecca to 2013 levels Egypt's expatriate affairs minister Nabila Makram announced on Monday that Saudi Arabia has decided to pardon 30,000 Egyptians accused of visa violations in the country, state news agency MENA reported. The pardon exempts the Egyptians from punitive measures including deportation, a 10-year ban from entering Saudi Arabia, and the taking away of financial, educational and work privileges. Makram expressed her gratitude to Saudi authorities, while calling on Egyptians abroad to respect the laws of their host countries. Saudi interior ministry spokesman Mansour Al-Torky told Saudi newspaper Okaz on Monday that Saudi authorities will give the Egyptians 90 days to adjust their status and leave the country without deportation, which would allow them to return to Saudi Arabia in the future. In 2014, Saudi Arabia implemented a new system requiring foreign nationals performing the pilgrimage to Mecca to fulfill a number of requirements including demonstrating valid pilgrimage visas at the time of departure. Some 2.5 million foreign nationals have been deported since the implementation of the new system, according to Al-Torky said. Talks have been ongoing between Egypt and Saudi Arabia regarding the deportation of Egyptian families who violate residency and pilgrimage regulations. Hundreds of Egyptians in Saudi Arabia have implored Egyptian authorities to intervene on their behalf, saying they are unable to work or have access to banks, education, or residences. From 9 to 11 March 2017, the Catholic University (Universita Cattolica dell Sacro Cuore) of Milan held a special three-day conference on the interaction between Arab and European and cultures titled "The Arabs and Europe: Fusion of Cultures." During the conference's third annual edition, Egyptian lecturer on Arabic studies and a founder of the conference Dr. Wael Farouk said that the initiative aims to promote intercultural dialogue and highlight shared world heritage. Farouk especially focused on the Arab contribution to European culture and vice versa. Farouk has been working for three years not only as an academic lecturer, scholar of intercultural studies, and public speaker on topics of interfaith and cultural dialogue, but also as a cultural activist. He has played an essential role in promoting cultural understanding and exchange after the souring of relations between Egypt and Italy in 2016 over the killing of Italian student Giulio Regeni in Cairo early that year. Farouk, who is a perfect model of inter-cultural diplomacy, has taken it upon himself to open a channel of dialogue that transcends political disagreement and racial conflicts. With the support of an extremely prestigious academic institution like the Catholic University, Farouk managed to create with the conference a unique representation of Arabic culture in Milan and have it last for three consecutive rounds. Those who are familiar with the current shifts in Western cultural politics, with the incredible rise of right wing conservative politics, will know that Farouk has achieved a miracle, one that is bound to survive due to the huge success it has brought year after year. Even those who have no clue about current Western cultural politics can still recognise the scope of the achievement made with the conference just by reflecting on the design of the programme, the diversity of activities, the prominent Arab contributors, and its profound concept of digging deep into a history of cultural fusion and interaction. The conference is an intense dose of Arabic literature; a sort of a compact course covering all literary fields related to intercultural understanding. Khairy Doma of the Arabic language and literatures department at Cairo University presented a paper on the earliest translation of 'Robinson Crusoe.' Doma, winner of the award for the best book in criticism at the Cairo International Book Fair, delivered a new perspective on translation, arguing that comparison between the original and the translated version is not the only thing that matters, but rather tracking the operations of cultural appropriation. It is this appropriation that matters because "there is no origin," as the brilliant poetess and philosopher Safaa Fathy stated so clearly in her session on "The Multitudes of the Self," where Samuel Shimon (Banipal & Kika literary magazine/UK) and Elias Farkouh (Azminah Publishing House/Jordan) also contributed with personal testimonies. I could not stop thinking how the continuous reference to an "origin" repeatedly reflects an assumed hierarchy of knowledge and the concept of "pure cultures" that later transform by encountering other societies. Fathy is completely correct in claiming that no culture is pure, that each culture is a hybrid, and the examples of this are ubiquitous. After attending each session of the conference, I asked myself, why we can we not have such vivid presentations and discussions in Egypt? Why has it become common to have conferences that are boring, without audience, too academic and void of spirit? The conference in Milan was anything but stagnant; it was full of debates every day. Iconic figures of literary studies in the Arab world Salah Fadl and Mohamed Berrada contributed to the opening session and followed every single event of the conference. Egyptian poets Ahmad Yamani, Safaa Fathy and Emad Fouad gave two readings to a full-house audience, something that would rarely happen anywhere in the world. Every scholarly session was a mini-conference on its own. The sessions covered the images of the Arab in the media, inter-cultural relations, translation of literary works and the literature of travel, to name but a few. The conference which included a book exhibition, a concert, a film screening and a photography exhibition was a live event with all the necessary potential to grow beyond the university into the public sphere of cultural activities in Milan. I believe that with this concept and vision, the Catholic University can contribute greatly to the representation of cultural diversity in the city of Milan. In a city of over 3,000 immigrants mostly from North Africa it would be a shame not to have such cultural celebrations at least twice every year. Before the conference ended, something incredibly miraculous happened; the president of Italy mentioned Dr. Wael Farouk in his speech, lauding Farouks call for support of the right of children from immigrant parents to obtain Italian nationality. I felt a rare kind of pride in seeing an Egyptian mentioned in such a presidential speech after just three years of work. Farouk is a hard worker, a dreamer, a pioneer of special calibre. It is exactly this type of talented and charismatic person who can change the world and influence the harsh politics of today. I wonder if Farouk could have the same impact in his own homeland. Sadly, I think that Egyptian society is becoming more and more averse to seeing new cultural leaders, and restricts arts, literature, knowledge and creative production to an elitist sphere. The gathering of novelists, poets, critics and scholars in Milan was nothing less than a powerful demonstration of literary and artistic excellence, mutuality and solidarity. Transcending stereotypes, labels and post-colonial cultural structures, the conference opened a path for exploring our shared identities. It explored scholarly works, stepped into the magic of poetry ("The Anthology of the Egyptian prose poetry" by Emad Fouad) and ended with the transcendent universe of music and song. "The Days of Arabic Language and Cultures" is more than meets the eye; a unique recipe to understand our complex identities in a world of growing oppression, racism and fundamentalism: a place where ends meet. Search Keywords: Short link: The Russian Foreign Ministry summoned Israel's Ambassador to Moscow to protest an Israeli military strike near the Syrian city of Palmyra, news agency Interfax quoted a ministry official as saying on Monday. Ambassador Gary Koren was called for discussions at the ministry last Friday, the official said. Last week Syria's army high command said Israeli jets had breached Syrian air space and attacked a military target near Palmyra, in what it described as an act of aggression that aided Islamic State. Search Keywords: Short link: Gil Cedillo, left, and Joe Bray-Ali. * March 20 update: Final numbers confirm that Cedillo received 49.34 percent and there will be a runoff with Joe Bray-Ali. The last sitting Los Angeles City Council member to be denied reelection and forced into a runoff was well I can't even remember who or when. That's how unusual it is. But Friday's updated vote count from the Registrar-Recorder shows Gil Cedillo, the incumbent councilman in the Eastside and downtown 1st district, slipping below the 50 percent-plus-one level needed to win in the primary without a runoff. The results are shifting as the county Registrar-Recorder finishes counting provisional ballots and the mail-in vote. In some of the earlier updates, Cedillo surpassed the 50 percent-plus-one threshold. But there are now only about 9,000 votes left to tally from all county areas, and relatively few of those were likely cast in the 1st district race. So community activist Joe Bray-Ali's chances of forcing Cedillo into the May 16 runoff are looking good. The final vote update is expected on Monday. Cedillo, a longtime state legislator, had to get through a runoff when he won the seat in 2013. In that year's runoff against Jose Gardea, Cedillo only got 51.95 percent of the vote. So he has never run strong in the 1st district. The 10,272 votes he has now are more than he got four years ago. Cedillo on Friday said he regretted quipping on election night, when he looked to be winning, that Bray-Ali had put forth a trendy, hippy, hipster proposal and agenda. Bray-Ali is a leader in the bicycle activism community. In the election held on March 7, six other City Council members were reelected by winning a majority. Mayor Eric Garcetti, City Attorney Mike Feuer and City Controller Ron Galperin also were reelected outright. Garcetti faced 10 challengers but received 81.39 percent of the vote anyway. The only city runoff already on the May 16 ballot is between Monica Rodriguez and Karo Tarossian in the 7th council district, where there is no incumbent. In 2003, Antonio Villaraigosa defeated incumbent councilman Nick Pacheco in the primary, so there was no runoff needed. The last council member to face a runoff looks to be Nate Holden in 1999 he missed in the primary with 49.37 percent then got 54.3 percent to defeat challenger Madison T. Shockley in the runoff in the 10th district. The new results posted on Friday show definitively that county voters have passed Measure H to impose a higher sales tax on themselves to raise money for homeless improvements. Robert A. Caro, the author best known for his award-winning multi-volume biography of Lyndon B. Johnson, will release his next project exclusively in an audio format, the Associated Press reports. On Power, the celebrated biographers sixth book project, will be published on May 9 by Audible, the Amazon-owned retailer of audiobooks. For the record: A prior version of this post referred to the audiobook as a book. A representative has clarified that it is a book project. On Power will feature personal stories that shaped him as a reporter and informed his understanding of political power, Audible told the AP. Advertisement Power has been an overarching theme in Caros work. His first book, The Power Broker, was a biography of New York urban planner Robert Moses. It won the Pulitzer Prize for Biography or Autobiography in 1974. He followed that book up in 1982 with The Years of Lyndon Johnson: The Path to Power, the first volume in a planned five-book series about the controversial president. At the 2016 National Book Awards, Caro was awarded the Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters. The third book in his Johnson series, Master of the Senate, won the 2002 National Book Award for nonfiction. Caros most recent installment in the series is the 2012 book The Years of Lyndon Johnson: The Passage of Power, which won a Los Angeles Times Book Prize and a National Book Critics Circle Award. The idea for On Power came from Audible senior director Tyler Cabot, who attended a speech Caro gave last year at Harvard University. My books are an attempt to examine and explain political power: how it is created, how it works, how it can be used for good and for ill, Caro told the AP. I agreed to do On Power because I thought it might add something if I talked, in a more informal manner than in my books, about some moments that helped me personally in that learning process. The fifth and final book in Caros series on Johnson has no title or publication date yet. In their seemingly endless quest to ferret out the undeserving poor and further impoverish the needy, Republicans in Congress last week sent a bill to President Trump vastly expanding the number of unemployment applicants who can be drug-tested before receiving benefits. Hes expected to sign it. Here are a couple of salient points about this: First, it may well be unconstitutional. Second, even if its not, its an enormous waste of money. Several states have tried drug-screening applicants for public assistance programs, aiming to deny benefits to those who fail. Universally, these efforts fail to uncover more than a tiny handful of drug users, typically below the percentage of users in the general population, and often cost more than they save. The measure approved by the Senate on March 14 on a party-line vote, after approval by the House in February, aims to overturn a regulation by President Obamas Labor Department that limited the conditions under which states could drug-test applicants for unemployment benefits. Advertisement Citizens do not abandon all hope of privacy by applying for government assistance. U.S. 11th Circuit Court of Appeals The idea of drug-testing unemployment applicants gained momentum during the last recession, when some states began to see it as a tool for reducing the soaring cost of unemployment benefits. Their hypothesis (without any facts or data to back it up) was that claims would somehow substantially decrease, either as workers tested positive for drugs or declined to apply because of their drug use, according to a survey by the National Employment Law Project. They were blocked by the Social Security Act, which governs federal unemployment programs and forbids states to add legal obstacles to collecting benefits, unless theyre closely related to the cause of a workers unemployment. In 2012, the Obama administration struck a compromise deal that allowed states to test unemployment applicants in two situations applicants who had lost their jobs for a drug-related cause, and those looking for work in fields that already tended to test workers. It was left up to the Labor Department to define those fields, and it did so in 2016. The list included occupations that require carrying a firearm, commercial drivers, aviation flight crews and air traffic controllers, railroad operating crews, and a few others under the jurisdiction of federal or state safety agencies. Republicans immediately started complaining that the list was too narrow. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), called the regulation yet another example of the blatant executive overreach that characterized the Obama administration. His discontent, and others, led to the measure sent to Trump. Three problems exist with giving states nearly unlimited authority to drug-test unemployment claimants, as the GOP wishes. One is that such programs already have been ruled unconstitutional. For example, federal courts blocked Floridas attempt to drug-test all applicants for Temporary Assistance to Needy Families, or TANF, in 2013 and again in 2014. The courts ruled that the state hadnt produced a smidgen of evidence that drug use was especially prevalent among TANF applicants indeed, in one study the state had discovered that drug use among the TANF population was lower than among Floridians in general. That rendered the drug-testing an unconstitutional warrantless search, the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals found. Citizens do not abandon all hope of privacy by applying for government assistance, it declared. Among states that have managed to evade judicial roadblocks, the record shows that testing yields low numbers of drug users, typically well below the 9.4% assumed prevalence of drug use in the general population, often at great expense. Thats the second problem. Utah, which started screening TANF applicants in 2012, turned up 29 positive drug tests despite screening 9,552 applicants, at a cost of $64,566. Tennessee screened more than 39,000 welfare applicants and generated 69 positive tests. An additional 116 applicants were denied benefits after they refused to submit to the initial screening. The program cost the state $23,592 in a year. Arizona screened 87,000 welfare recipients over three years, and generated a single positive test. North Carolina screened 7,600 welfare applicants in the second half of 2015, yielding 21 positive tests a positive rate of less than three 10ths of 1%. In fiscal 2015, Missouri spent more than $336,000 to screen 31,336 welfare applicants for drug use, sent 293 on for further testing, and generated 38 positive tests. Michigan, which started a pilot program to randomly test welfare recipients for drugs in 1999, yielded 21 positives out of 268 tests before a court halted the program. All but three were for marijuana. A new program was started in 2014 under stricter rules; 303 applicants had been tested in three counties by mid-2016, but not a single one had tested positive. The third problem, which is most often overlooked, is that the urine tests used to identify drug users are known by medical professionals to be wildly inaccurate. As a team from the University of Oklahoma reported in 2010, False-positive results for methadone, opioids, phencyclidine, barbiturates, cannabinoids, and benzodiazepines were...reported in patients taking commonly used medications. False-positives were most frequently reported for amphetamine and methamphetamine, among users of legal drugs such as Prozac, Sudafed, Zantac, and non-prescription nasal inhalers. Ibuprofen (sold under such brand names as Advil and Motrin) can generate false positives for marijuana, PCP, barbiturates, or cocaine. Naproxen (Aleve and Midol) can masquerade as marijuana, barbiturates, and cocaine. In a clinical setting, positive urine tests are often followed by more rigorous confirmation testing; in the hysterical atmosphere of a witch-hunt for drug abusers among applicants for welfare, unemployment, or other assistance, a single faulty urine test can reduce a family to absolute poverty, with no help in sight. These factors underscore the real goal of such programs, which is to demonize the needy. The idea of subjecting applicants for public assistance to harsh oversight regimes is a perennial crowd-pleaser among conservative audiences, so its not unusual to hear conservative candidates talking as though their goal is just to weed out freeloaders from the public rolls. Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, a one-time Republican candidate for president, has called even for drug-testing applicants for food stamps, which is currently impermissible under federal rules. Despite the consistently underwhelming results, drug testing of applicants for public assistance remains one of the most popular planks in the Republican legislative platform. This reflects a conservative mindset that equates poverty with moral turpitude what better indicator of low morals could there be than drug use? and that treats poverty as a crime. Demanding drug testing as a condition of unemployment assistance is merely an extreme version of this mindset, though perhaps not the most extreme. But it takes an addled mind to continue looking for evidence of drug abuse among the needy despite repeated proof that the connection doesnt exist. Perhaps the applicants for unemployment insurance, food stamps and welfare arent the ones needing to be tested for evidence of drug use. Keep up to date with Michael Hiltzik. Follow @hiltzikm on Twitter, see his Facebook page, or email michael.hiltzik@latimes.com. Return to Michael Hiltziks blog. Syrian warplanes hammered opposition-held neighbourhoods of Damascus on Monday after regime forces pushed back a surprise assault that saw rebels try to fight their way into the city centre. Rebels and allied militants, led by former Al-Qaeda affiliate Fateh al-Sham Front, launched an attack early Sunday on government positions in east Damascus, initially scoring key gains. But forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad drove them back by nightfall and began a fierce bombing campaign on Monday morning. "There have been intense air strikes since dawn on opposition-held positions in Jobar from which the offensive was launched," said Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. "The government and allied forces have retaken the initiative and are striking the groups that launched yesterday's assault," he added. Abdel Rahman said it was unclear whether regime forces or their Russian allies were carrying out Monday's raids on Jobar. Control of Jobar -- which has been a battleground for more than two years -- is divided between rebels and allied militants on one side, and government forces on the other. On Sunday, opposition fighters seized several buildings in Jobar before advancing into the neighbouring Abbasid Square area -- the first time in two years that the opposition had advanced so close to the capital's centre. The clashes left dead at least 26 regime forces and 21 rebels and militants, Abdel Rahman said, but he did not have an immediate toll for Monday morning's air strikes. Sniper fire and air strikes were heard across the city on Sunday as civilians cowered inside their homes and schools announced they would close because of the violence. But by Monday, the front line had been pushed back, and AFP correspondents said activity in the typically bustling Abbasid Square was returning to normal levels. Airplanes could still be heard circling above but many of the roads that had been sealed off by army troops the previous day were reopened. According to the Observatory, government forces managed to recapture most of the territory overrun by rebels in their assault. Opposition forces still controlled several key points in an industrial zone lying between Jobar and the besieged northeastern district of Qabun to the north, according to the Britain-based monitor. State news agency SANA said Syrian government troops were targeting rebel bases around Jobar on Monday. "The military operations north of Jobar targeted the areas from which the terrorists set out, and a large number of them were killed," it said. The Islamist Faylaq al-Rahman rebel group and the Fateh al-Sham Front -- known as Al-Nusra Front before it renounced its ties to Al-Qaeda -- have a presence in Jobar. Syria's conflict erupted in March 2011 with protests against Assad's rule but has morphed over the years into a complex civil war. More than 320,000 people have been killed and millions more have been displaced by the conflict. Search Keywords: Short link: Fox News senior judicial analyst Judge Andrew Napolitano is being kept off the air indefinitely amid the controversy over his unverified claims that British intelligence wiretapped Trump Tower at the behest of former President Obama. Fox News did not respond to inquiries about Napolitanos status Monday. Napolitano was conspicuously missing from the networks coverage of the confirmation hearings on Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch an event in which he typically would have played a significant role. He has not been on the air since Thursday. People familiar with the situation who could speak only on the condition of anonymity said Napolitano is not expected to be on Fox News Channel any time in the near future. Napolitano was not available for comment. Advertisement On March 4, President Trump first tweeted the accusation that Obama ordered his wires tapped in Trump Tower just before the victory. Nothing found, Trump tweeted. This is McCarthyism! The tweet has been widely discredited, but last week, Napolitano heightened the controversy and caused a major embarrassment for Fox News when he presented a scenario on several programs that backed the accusation. 5 takeaways from historic hearing into Russian meddling in U.S. election The former New Jersey Superior Court judge, citing unnamed sources, said that the British foreign surveillance agency, the Government Communications Headquarters, most likely provided Obama with transcripts of Trumps recorded calls. By bypassing all American intelligence services, Obama would have had access to what he wanted with no Obama administration fingerprints, Napolitano wrote in a column on FoxNews.com. White House press secretary Sean Spicer cited Napolitanos charge last week when asked why President Trump continues to stand by his initial claim. The British spy agency sharply denounced Napolitanos allegations, saying they are utterly ridiculous and should be ignored. That rebuttal did not stop President Trump from citing Napolitano as a source again when he was asked about the wiretapping claims at a Friday news conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. You shouldnt be talking to me; you should be talking to Fox News, said Trump, who described Napolitano as a very talented lawyer. Fox News gives its analysts much more latitude than correspondents and anchors in regard to what they can say on the network. But Napolitano said on one program that Fox News has spoken to intelligence community members who believe that surveillance did occur, that it was done by British intelligence. Fox News, however, did no such thing, forcing its anchors to walk back Napolitanos statement. Fox News knows of no evidence of any kind that the now-president of the United States was surveilled at any time, in any way, Shepard Smith told viewers Friday. In a statement read on the Fox News program MediaBuzz on Sunday, Napolitano defended his comments. He said he reported what the sources told me, reported it accurately and I do believe the substance of what they told me. On Monday, FBI Director James Comey testified before Congress that he had no information supporting Trumps claims. National Security Director Michael Rogers also refuted Trumps claim. He testified that the Obama administration did not ask the British agency to spy on Trump nor would it ever make such a request because it would be expressly against the construct of intelligence agreements between the U.S. and its allies. stephen.battaglio@latimes.com Twitter: @SteveBattaglio Democrats voice deep skepticism at Gorsuchs confirmation hearing for Supreme Court seat Five takeaways from a historic hearing into Russian meddling in the U.S. election Ivanka Trump gets West Wing office and security clearance UPDATES: 6:55 p.m. This story was updated with additional background from testimony given at Mondays House Intelligence Committee hearing. The news media are not the enemy of the American people, the new head of the Federal Communications Commission said after dodging the question at a Senate hearing this month. A free media is vital to our democracy, FCC Chairman Ajit Pai wrote last week to Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.), who released the letter Monday. That is why during my time at the commission I have consistently opposed any effort to infringe upon the freedom of the press and have fought to eliminate regulations that impede the gathering and dissemination of news, said Pai, a Republican who has served as a commissioner since 2012. Advertisement His views are important because the FCC has oversight over many federal regulations covering the news media, including access to public airwaves and limits on ownership of broadcast stations and newspapers in the same market. The agency also often must decide whether to approve major media mergers. Pai was criticized by Democrats and public interest advocates for not taking a position at a March 8 Senate Commerce Committee hearing on comments by President Trump that were highly critical of many news organizations. In a March 10 letter also signed by his 12 Democratic colleagues on the committee, Nelson asked Pai directly if he believed the media to be the enemy of the people, as Trump has stated. Pai responded with a simple, No. But Pai prefaced his response by writing that the president has made clear that he was referring to fake news as the enemy of the people. On Feb. 17, Trump said on Twitter that the fake news media was not his enemy but it is the enemy of the American people. Trump included in that group the New York Times, NBC, ABC, CBS and CNN. A week later, Trump suggested at the Conservative Political Action Conference that the fake news media included outlets that wrote articles using anonymous sources. Im against the people that make up stories and make up sources, he said. They shouldnt be allowed to use sources unless they use somebodys name. Let their name be put out there. Two Democrats had pushed to get a response from Pai to those statements at the March 8 hearing. It was Pais first congressional appearance since Trump elevated him to chairman and came a day after the two met in the Oval Office. After that meeting, Trump nominated Pai for another five-year term at the FCC. Do you agree with President Trump that the media is the enemy of the American people? asked Sen. Tom Udall (D-N.M.). Pai said he didnt want to wade into the larger political debates. Pai affirmed statements in the past he had made supporting free speech and respectful and robust public debate. Pressed by Udall, Pai would say only, I believe that every American enjoys the 1st Amendment protections guaranteed by the Constitution. Later at the hearing, Sen. Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.) said she wanted to give Pai another chance to answer the question. He again declined, repeating the same points. I wish your answer had been a little different, Hassan responded. After the hearing, Craig Aaron, head of public interest group Free Press, said, Pais refusal to speak out against attacks on the press is outrageous and dangerous. Were entering uncharted waters when the nations top media regulator head of the allegedly independent agency that guards the public airwaves wont stand up for press freedom, Aaron said. Nelson and the other lawmakers said in their March 10 letter to Pai that the FCC chairmans refusal to answer straightforward questions about how you view the media and whether you will uphold the 1st Amendment rights of journalists and media outlets is concerning. In his response, Pai pledged to continue to respect the 1st Amendment. In response to a series of yes-or-no questions in the letter, Pai said he would not do anything that stifles or penalizes free speech by electronic media, directly or indirectly, even if requested by the administration. He also committed to operating independent of the White House and to inform the committee of any attempt by the administration to influence his decisions. Trump says businesses cant borrow because of Dodd-Frank. The numbers tell another story jim.puzzanghera@latimes.com Follow @JimPuzzanghera on Twitter Welcome to California Inc., the weekly newsletter of the L.A. Times Business Section. Im Business columnist David Lazarus, and heres a rundown of upcoming stories this week and the highlights of last week. Where are job openings these days? Try down on the farm, where pay is rising well past minimum wage. However, it doesnt seem as though American-born workers are rushing to take the gigs. A federal survey finds that nine in 10 agriculture workers in California are still foreign-born, and more than half are in the country illegally. Advertisement LOOKING AHEAD Judging the judge: President Trumps nominee for the Supreme Court, Neil Gorsuch, will appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Monday for the start of his confirmation process. On business matters, Gorsuchs record has offered only a few clues to his leanings. In a 2013 opinion involving the retailer Hobby Lobby, he argued that companies can have religious rights. A 2016 ruling made it easier for companies that are targets of class-action suits to move the case from state to federal court, a venue many businesses prefer. Luggage fees: Monday is the last day for the public to submit comments on a proposed new rule that would require airlines and travel agents to disclose baggage-fee information at all points of sale. The Department of Transportation rule would expand a previous regulation that mandated airlines include easy-to-find fee information on their websites. The latest proposal goes a step further by requiring that the fees appear alongside fares when fliers search airline websites, as well as online travel sites. Labor nominee: Trumps second choice for secretary of Labor has a second appointment for a Senate confirmation hearing on Wednesday. R. Alexander Acostas hearing was originally scheduled for last week but was postponed. Acosta, a former Justice Department official, was nominated for the Labor post on Feb. 16 after the withdrawal of the presidents first pick, outspoken SoCal fast-food executive Andy Puzder. If Acosta wins approval by the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, and then the full Senate, he would be the only Latino in Trumps Cabinet. Meet the mayor: As part of the City on the Verge series of public discussions at Occidental College, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti will talk with Los Angeles Times architecture critic Christopher Hawthorne on Wednesday about the future of the L.A. River, expansion of the regions transit network, and local growth and development issues. The free public event begins at 7:30 p.m. at Thorne Hall on the Occidental campus. Garcetti was re-elected this month to a second term as mayor. Homeless aid: The group that will decide how to spend money from Measure H, the recent Los Angeles ballot proposition aimed at helping the homeless, will hold its first meeting Thursday. County officials have outlined basic strategies for using the quarter-cent sales tax increase, but details will be sorted out by a panel of 50 people appointed from county government, cities and the nonprofit world. The panels meeting is scheduled from 9 a.m. to noon in the United Way headquarters, 1150 S. Olive St. THE AGENDA Mondays Business section takes a look at the shortening life of retail brands. The fashion industry has long been fickle, with some trends rising and dying in the space of weeks. But shifting consumer habits are forcing brands to adapt even faster today. Faced with seismic change including the onslaught of e-commerce and the decline of traffic at many malls retailers are filing bankruptcy at an increasing pace. STORY LINES Here are some of the other stories that ran in The Times Business section in recent days that were continuing to follow: Public broadcasting: Proposed cuts to federal funding of public broadcasting conjure up images of Big Bird getting pink slipped from Sesame Street. But the impact of the cuts would be a lot closer to home. President Trumps budget blueprint would eliminate support for the Public Broadcasting Service and National Public Radio. KPCC 89.3 FM in Pasadena gets $1.3 million a year in federal funding, which represents 5% of its operating budget. KCRW 89.9 FM in Santa Monica receives about $1.2 million, which is 5.4% of its budget. Rent control: Amid Californias housing crisis, several state lawmakers want to give cities the ability to dramatically expand rent control, including imposing the kind of strict limits that once existed in Santa Monica and West Hollywood but have been barred since the 1990s. A bill that would do so marks the most significant move yet in a growing movement to cap skyrocketing rents as Californias economy booms and housing production lags. The momentum is very much on the side of rent control, says one advocate. Yahoo breach: Russian spies and a hacker orchestrated one of the largest thefts of consumer data in history, pilfering detailed user information from more than 500 million Yahoo accounts, including those of diplomats, journalists, Russian officials and politicians critical of the Kremlin. In other Yahoo news, a regulatory filing shows that CEO Marissa Mayer is up for a $23-million severance package after the companys digital services are sold to Verizon Communications. Its good to be the ex-boss. Changing Obamacare: Twenty-four million fewer Americans would have health coverage over the next decade under the House Republican plan to replace the Affordable Care Act, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimated. A separate analysis found that health insurance premiums would leap substantially for many Californians, especially lower-income people living in high-cost cities, under the GOP plan. The change would especially hurt those living in San Francisco and other cities in Northern California, where healthcare is more expensive. Showing her age: A report on the Queen Mary, the iconic landmark that has been docked in Long Beach since 1967, identifies more than 20 repair projects needed to prevent a hull collapse and flooding that threaten the stability of the ship. The most immediate fixes would cost $5.7 million, with a total budget of $289 million for all repairs over the next five years. Long Beach must decide whether the overhaul would be a good investment for a floating tourist attraction that has struggled over the years to remain profitable. WHAT WERE READING And some recent stories from other publications that caught our eye: Misplaced priority? Trump ran on a platform of jobs, jobs, jobs. But his proposed budget cuts are decidedly unfriendly to many American workers, says the Atlantic. For a president fixated on employment, his proposal for federal spending leaves out a surprising number of young, elderly, and disabled workers. Triage for Trumpcare: The New Yorker examines the central role of presidential adviser Steve Bannon in rescuing Trumpcare. Bannon knows that the Ryan bills failure would be catastrophic for the rest of Trumps agenda, because it would break a core campaign promise and sap Trumps already limited political capital. Prudential shifts: Americans arent afraid of an early death as much as they used to be, and that has hurt the life insurance business, says the Wall Street Journal. So Prudential Financial, Americas largest life insurance company, has transformed itself into an investing giant focused heavily on retirement-related products and services. Union fight: When employees at the lifestyle website Thrillist decided they wanted to join a union, management didnt like it, and set out to stop it from happening, reports Deadspin. Thrillist founder and CEO Ben Lerer gathered employees for a meeting and told them a union would interfere with the entrepreneurial nature of the company. Employees pushed back, complaining about managements attitude on social media. Cost of death: Two consumer groups are pushing the funeral industry to be more transparent about pricing, reports the Orange County Register. The Consumer Federation of America and the Funeral Consumers Alliance said it is past time for funeral homes to join the 21st century and post their prices on their websites as nearly every other retail service sector does voluntarily. SPARE CHANGE Heres a question we dont get to ask every day: Best movie about a funeral? That story above about funeral pricing demands an answer. One obvious pick is this one starring Hugh Grant. Or this one starring Hugh Grant. Theres this one with Chris Rock. But my pick for best film funeral (and related use of Rolling Stones music) goes to this one. For the latest money news, go to www.latimes.com/business. Mad props to Scott J. Wilson for helping put this thing together. Until next time, Ill see you in the Business section. Jeff Jones, the president of the embattled ride-hailing company Uber, has resigned just six months after taking the job, the company confirmed Sunday. In a brief statement, Uber didnt say why Jones left. We want to thank Jeff for his six months at the company and wish him all the best, the statement said. Jones told the tech blog Recode, which first reported his resignation, that his values didnt align with Ubers. Advertisement The beliefs and approach to leadership that have guided my career are inconsistent with what I saw and experienced at Uber, and I can no longer continue as president of the ride sharing business, he said in a statement. Jones is the latest of several high-level executives to leave the San Francisco company. Last month, a top engineering executive, Amit Singhal, left Uber five weeks after his hire was announced. He allegedly failed to disclose that hed left his previous job at Google because of a sexual harassment allegation. Ed Baker, Ubers vice president of product and growth, resigned earlier this month. So did Charlie Miller, Ubers top security researcher, who left to join Didi, Chinas larger ride-hailing company. Jones departure comes days after Uber Chief Executive Travis Kalanick said the company will hire a chief operating officer who can help write its next chapter. Jones had left Target, where he was chief marketing officer, to join Uber in September. Uber has been hit by several controversies, including allegations that it routinely ignores sexual harassment. A recent video showed Kalanick profanely berating a driver who confronted him about steep cuts in Ubers rates. Uber also acknowledged it has used a program to thwart authorities who have been trying to curtail or shut down its service in cities around the world. The company also has faced challenges in court. Waymo, a self-driving car company that used to be part of Google, last month sued Uber in federal court, alleging betrayal and high-tech espionage. The complaint accuses Anthony Levandowski, a former top manager for Googles self-driving car project, of stealing technology now propelling Ubers effort to build an autonomous vehicle fleet. Uber denied Waymos claims, calling them a baseless attempt to slow down a competitor. ALSO More airlines cut service to Cuba A missing lease agreement is not a reason to withhold rent He believed in Power Rangers when nobody else did, and it turned him into a billionaire UPDATES: 8:40 p.m.: This article was updated with statements from Uber and Jeff Jones, information about the departures of other executives and background on Ubers legal challenges. This article was originally published at 6:45 p.m. Ubers president has resigned after just six months on the job, the ride-hailing company confirmed Sunday. Uber didnt provide public comment explaining Jeff Jones departure. But the tech blog Recode, which first reported his resignation, said Uber Chief Executive Travis Kalanick told employees that Jones decided to resign after Kalanick announced his intention to hire a chief operating officer earlier this month. Jones, a former chief marketing officer at Target Corp., told Recode that his values didnt align with Ubers. Advertisement The beliefs and approach to leadership that have guided my career are inconsistent with what I saw and experienced at Uber, and I can no longer continue as president of the ride sharing business, he said in a statement. Jones resignation continues a tumultuous 2017 for the San Francisco-based company. Ubers troubles have included backlash over Kalanicks role advising President Trump, sexual harassment allegations, a video showing Kalanick lashing out at a driver, a lawsuit by Google spinoff Waymo, and the revelation of a secret program that mined user data in an effort to thwart regulators. Read more: Ubers self-inflicted controversies come at a price: public loyalty Executive search In March, a week after saying he would seek leadership help, Kalanick announced he had begun the search for a chief operating officer a peer who can partner with me to write the next chapter in our journey. Secret program In early March it was revealed that Uber had been wielding a secret weapon to thwart authorities trying to curtail or shut down its ride-hailing service. The program included a feature nicknamed Greyball that identified regulators who were posing as riders while trying to collect possible evidence that Ubers service was breaking local laws governing taxis, the New York Times reported. To stymie those efforts, Uber served up a fake version of its app to make it appear the undercover regulators were summoning a car, only to have the ride canceled. The San Francisco company mined the data that it collects through its real app to pinpoint the undercover agents. Uber acknowledged it has used Greyball to counter regulators working with the companys opponents to entrap its drivers, saying Greyball was part of a broader program it developed to protect itself and its drivers from fraudulent users who are violating our terms of service. Less than a week after Greyball was revealed, Uber announced that it would kill the feature. Read more: Secret Greyball program shows just how far Uber will go to get its way CEO is seen berating a driver A dashcam video, released by Bloomberg News in late February, showed Kalanick arguing with Uber driver Fawzi Kamel over Ubers fares, which Kamel complained were too low. Toward the end of their exchange, the video showed Kalanick losing his temper. You know what? Some people dont like to take responsibility for their own ..., he says, using a vulgarity. They blame everything in their life on somebody else. Good luck! After the video became public, Kalanick issued an apology to all employees, saying he was ashamed. I must fundamentally change as a leader and grow up, the 40-year-old executive said. This is the first time Ive been willing to admit that I need leadership help and I intend to get it. Uber CEO pledges to grow up after video shows him lashing out at a driver Executives abrupt exit Ubers senior vice president of engineering reportedly was asked to leave in late February, just five weeks after Uber announced his hiring. Kalanick sought Amit Singhals resignation after learning that Singhal had failed to disclose that there was a sexual harassment claim against him at his previous job at Google, Recode reported. Singhal said in a statement that he did not condone nor had he ever committed harassment and that the decision to leave Google was his own. Read more: Uber executive leaves after failing to disclose sex harassment allegation Waymo lawsuit Waymo a self-driving car project owned by Googles parent company, Alphabet Inc. sued Uber in February, alleging theft of trade secrets. Thats a big deal, since Uber has pegged its future to self-driving vehicles. The Waymo suit alleges that former Waymo employee Anthony Levandowski downloaded more than 14,000 highly confidential and proprietary files shortly before his resignation in January 2016. He went on to found self-driving truck start-up Otto, which was acquired by Uber in August for $680 million. Levandowski now heads Ubers self-driving car division. Waymo alleges Otto is using its proprietary technology. In addition to punitive damages, Waymo is expected to soon seek a preliminary injunction against Uber to stop the company from continuing development on self-driving cars. Uber said it had reviewed Waymos claims and determined them to be a baseless attempt to slow down a competitor, and we look forward to vigorously defending against them in court. In the meantime, we will continue our hard work to bring self-driving benefits to the world. Read more: Google spinoff Waymo accuses Uber of self-driving car theft Sexual harassment allegation Former Uber employee Susan J. Fowler sent ripples through the tech industry in February when she alleged on her personal blog that she had been sexually harassed while working for the company, that other female engineers had reported similar problems some involving the same manager and that Ubers human resources department engaged in a systemic cover-up. Kalanick said in a memo to employees that the blog post was the first hed heard of the incident. The company called in former U.S. Atty. Gen. Eric Holder to conduct an independent investigation. Read more: Uber sexual harassment allegations are a warning for the tech industry and its rock star culture Trump-related backlash Some 200,000 users deleted the Uber app in late January to protest Kalanicks perceived cooperation with the Trump administration, shortly after Trump issued an executive order banning travelers and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries from entering the United States. The boycott along with the hashtag #DeleteUber hit the company after it advertised that it was operating at New Yorks Kennedy International Airport during a taxi strike protesting the executive order. Protesters also were upset that Kalanick was a member of a panel advising Trump on economic issues. Kalanick soon promised that Uber would create a $3-million legal defense fund to help drivers affected by the travel ban. Within days, he quit the presidents advisory panel and slammed the travel ban in a memo to staffers. Read more: Travis Kalanick quits Trumps advisory council; Elon Musk will stay nina.agrawal@latimes.com Twitter: @AgrawalNina The Associated Press was used in compiling this report. In their drive to resist President Donald Trump, Democrats so far have put a lot of political eggs into one basket: immigration. Their strident defense of immigrants past, present and future certainly satisfies the base but its a strategic mistake that can only lead to electoral disappointment. Lets recall why Trump won in November. He is the first president since 1876 to lose the popular vote by more than 2 percent and still win an Electoral College majority. He did so by winning five swing states Florida, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin with less than 50 percent of the vote. In each case, he attracted large numbers of whites without a college degree who had voted for President Barack Obama twice. Meanwhile, many Republicans who had voted for Sen. John McCain and former Gov. Mitt Romney threw their votes away on write-ins or third-party candidates rather than vote for Hillary Clinton. If Democrats want to win again, they must do one of two things: Attract back the Obama-Trump voter or win over the Romney-non-Trump voter. Their protestations against border security and the travel ban are not likely to do either. Advertisement Surveys show that Obama-Trump blue-collar voters like Trumps anti-immigration stance. These voters are likely to have felt competition from immigrants legal and illegal, and they want that competition to stop. Even though many of these voters agree with Democrats on traditional economic issues like taxes and entitlement spending, their primary concern now is to protect their livelihoods and standard of living by reducing competition from foreigners living at home and abroad. Loud opposition to Trumps immigration policies reminds those voters every day why they no longer feel at home in todays Democratic Party. Wavering Romney-McCain Republicans, for their part, may be sympathetic to the plight of economic migrants, but are quite possibly worried about terrorism. By just saying no to Trumps travel bans, the Democrats give nothing to the Republican or GOP-leaning independent who wants a more balanced attitude. The Democratic Party approach, such as it is, is anything but balanced. In the partys 2016 platform, immigration enforcement is at best an afterthought. The platform emphasizes a path to citizenship, reuniting families and ensuring that as few current immigrants as possible are removed from the country. It also denounces Trumps proposed religious test for immigration as well as what it called his vilification of Muslims. While a platform is not binding, the partys behavior since Inauguration Day suggests that it accurately expresses Democrats sentiments. Everything the party and its leaders in Congress have done since the inauguration simply restates these beliefs without modification. It seems Democrats remain stuck in the rut that led them to electoral disaster in the first place. Firmly convinced that Middle America shared their fear and loathing of Trump, the party ran one of the most issue-free campaigns in modern history. In paid ads, campaign stops and in the debates, Clinton rarely gave people who werent already committed Democrats or progressives a reason to vote for her. That failure explains the most telling and unexpected result on Election Day: Trump beat Clinton handily among the 18 percent of Americans who told exit pollsters they disliked both candidates. Democrats are either unwilling to see the truth or unable to acknowledge it: They cannot win back the presidency without attracting people who disagree with some of their views. Doing that does not mean singing the same old songs louder and more clearly. When it comes to immigration, Democrats need to ask themselves some hard questions. Can they acknowledge that the large number of immigrants in the country illegally, many of whom are relatively unskilled, gives rise to economic competition that harms job and wage prospects for voters who used to be part of their base? Can they be pro-Muslim immigration without being blind to the fact that the very few Muslim immigrants inclined to terror can undermine public tolerance with just a few fatal attacks? Can they admit that one can have concerns about either type of migrant without being prejudiced or racist that there might just be some rational reason for Americans to be wary of a lax or overly trusting approach to immigration? If Democrats can entertain and act on these thoughts, then they can begin the hard work of uniting the anti-Trump majority into a political majority. If they cannot, their resistance will be futile. Tribune Content Agency Henry Olsen is a senior fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center. He is the author of the forthcoming book, The Working Class Republican: Ronald Reagan and the Return of Blue Collar Conservatism. Related articles: Are immigrants destroying our way of life? Trump administration releases list of police agencies that didnt help feds with deportations Americas assimilation problem: (Dis)united we stumble What Trump and Bannons America First agenda could look like How does darkness overtake a nation? The philosopher Hannah Arendt took up the subject in her book Eichmann in Jerusalem, which investigated the mystery of how ordinary Germans transformed into murderous Nazis. The face of evil, Arendt discovered, wasnt a demon lurking in the cellar but the factory supervisor in the nice house across the street. Those carrying out the orders that led to the extermination of millions of Jews along with other marginalized groups became part of the bureaucracy of genocide. This startling and still controversial insight that the Holocaust was executed not by sadists but by conformist clerks and self-interested middle managers inspired the famous subtitle of Arendts book: A Report on the Banality of Evil. Robert Schenkkan, the Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright (The Kentucky Cycle) who co-wrote the screenplay for Hacksaw Ridge, has a new play that explores the concept of the banality of evil in our own backyard. Building the Wall, which opened Saturday at the Fountain Theatre, imagines the unimaginable happening in Trumps America. Advertisement In a program note, Schenkkan acknowledges a debt to Gitta Serenys Into That Darkness. He describes her book as an attempt to understand the bleakest of the Nazi horrors by focusing on one ordinary man who, for a brief moment, found himself with unlimited power. The parallels with Building the Wall are clear, but the play was written expressly in response to what Schenkkan sees as the threats posed by Trumps dangerous rhetoric and his reopening of the authoritarian playbook, which calls for the creation of a constant state of crisis and the scapegoating of minorities with appeals to nationalism, racism and isolationism. The crisis in the background of this two-character play, directed with unflagging concentration by Michael Michetti, is an incident in Times Square that irradiated two square blocks and allowed Trump to impose martial law. The year is 2019, but near future might be a more accurate delineation for this terrifyingly plausible work of dystopian fiction. Bo Foxworth, who appeared in last falls South Coast Repertory production of All the Way, Schenkkans Tony Award-winning drama about Lyndon B. Johnson, plays Rick, the supervisor of a private prison who has been arrested and placed in solitary confinement for crimes that take some time to be revealed. Judith Moreland portrays Gloria, an African American history professor who talks with Rick in a chilly prison meeting room (conjured in all its generic menace by set designer Se Oh). She wants to understand what motivated his actions, and in return shell give him an opportunity to tell his side of the story. The play, which arrives at the Fountain in the first stop in a series of productions set to open across the country as part of the National New Play Networks rolling world premiere program, unfolds as a conversation between a liberal professor who happens to be a black woman and a Trump supporter who cant understand why white Christians cant defend their identity too. The two sniff each other out, challenging ideological assumptions while finding unexpected points of connection, but Schenkkan is less interested in the psychological dance between these characters than in the events that put Rick behind bars. It may not seem entirely credible that Rick would divulge to a stranger with antithetical political views the dark secrets he tried to keep from his wife, but Schenkkans writing rarely hits a false note. Ricks confession, centering on the detention of immigrants whose legal status is in dispute, builds steadily to a terrifying climax. The play connects the violent sentiments of political rallies with policies that find an opportunity when chaos strikes the nation. The ratcheting up of the war against terrorism permits the rounding up of immigrants, which leads to the practical problem of how to hold a swelling population that cant entirely be repatriated. Rick, in charge of one of the detention centers, is beset with managerial problems that become human catastrophes. Harrowing descriptions of the sanitation emergency are soon eclipsed by the graphic misery of the cholera epidemic that breaks out. The situation only degenerates from there. Step by step, Schenkkan gets us to see the way the collapse of institutions leads to the collapse of morality and the rule of law. Building the Wall conjures what appears to be a worst-case scenario, though who would dare presume to know what the worst-case scenario even is anymore? The acting in this 90-minute, intermission-less production is scrupulously well observed. Moreland, delivering a magnificent performance, finds subtle ways to convey the weight of Glorias conscience. The character is obviously a first-class academic, but shes hardly dispassionate. Her experience as a target of hateful prejudice informs her research. More to the dramatic point, the depth of Glorias responsiveness helps her to understand political views diametrically opposed to her own. She may wince at the faults in Ricks reasoning, but she recognizes his alienation and powerlessness. Foxworth neither sentimentalizes nor demonizes Rick, who recounts with blasted neutrality the path from his hardscrabble youth as military brat to his patriotic enlisting in the Army after Sept. 11 to his seduction as a veteran by Trumps law-and-order message. Rick isnt by nature a bad man, but that doesnt exculpate him of the atrocities committed on his watch. As a character, he may be the incarnation of an idea in a carefully arranged dramatic argument, but Foxworth personalizes the figure just enough for us to believe in his existence and to wonder about the extent of his complicity. Building the Wall, which would benefit from a touch more variety in the writing, stays on top of the headlines with mentions of Trumps blocked travel bans and Attorney General Jeff Sessions favorable stand on federal use of private prisons. Schenkkan will likely have to do some tinkering to keep the play up to date in future productions. But theres no denying that this dramatic object lesson is expertly laid out. Even a lapse at the end into rhetoric, when Rick incongruously stutters into academic speech (What is a wall? Its a, a construct, a, a device, for keeping people out), cannot mar the effectiveness of this expedited theatrical construction. Building the Wall should be seen and shuddered over, if only to heighten our collective vigilance. The theater historically has provided a forum for citizens to contemplate the agonizing issues of the day, and its heartening to see Schenkkan and the Fountain respond with such celerity to present dangers. Building the Wall Where: Fountain Theatre, 5060 Fountain Ave., L.A. When: 8 p.m. Saturdays, 2 p.m. Sundays, 8 p.m. Mondays; ends May 21 Tickets: $15-$35 Information: (323) 663-1525 or www.fountaintheatre.com Running time: 1 hour, 30 minutes SIGN UP for the free Essential Arts & Culture newsletter charles.mcnulty@latimes.com Follow me @charlesmcnulty ALSO A high-jinks-filled Twelfth Night at the Wallis Wait for it: Hamilton announces on-sale date for single tickets in L.A. A Wrinkle in Time, live onstage: A celestial romp aimed at kids Gene Kellys widow recalls the magic of An American in Paris Nearly 20 years ago, Mark Reed, then a top boss for the Immigration and Naturalization Service, sent agents into Nebraska to crack down on meatpackers hiring immigrants who were in the country illegally. Agents pored over records to ferret out forged documents or fake Social Security numbers, and thousands of workers, fearful of being caught without papers, fled the state. For the record: This article says that in 2009, an independent review of E-Verify for the Department of Homeland Security estimated that 54% of workers approved by the system to work were in the country without authorization. The review found that about 54% of unauthorized workers screened through the system were still approved for work. Reed thought the effort, Operation Vanguard, could become a national model to shut down a magnet for illegal immigration, and he said as much to Rep. Lamar Smith (R-Texas) during a congressional hearing on immigration while Vanguard was underway. Advertisement The neon light is on. It has been for decades, and that neon light is driven by jobs, Reed testified. As long as those jobs are available, those people are going to come in. Smith thought otherwise. Deportation is the strongest deterrent to illegal immigration, he said. Soon after that 1999 hearing, political blowback prompted the agency to halt Operation Vanguard, and officials turned their focus to apprehending immigrants and militarizing the Southwest border. In the years since, the governments strategy hasnt much changed. In the never-ending political and rhetorical war over illegal immigration, immigrants usually have received most of the blame, while businesses have gotten a relative pass from enforcement and vitriol alike. If you take hypocrisy and then put in a good dose of unintended consequences, you can see why we are in such a mess, Reed, now semiretired, said of immigration enforcement. For all President Trumps tough talk on deportations and building a wall on the Mexican border, his executive orders on immigration so far make no mention of targeting employers. Nor did he mention employers when, in his first address to a joint session of Congress, he renewed his pledge to build the border wall. Though Trumps rhetoric on illegal immigration is unusual compared with previous presidents, his basic approach to enforcement is not. In fiscal years 2009 through 2016, immigration officials deported more than 2.5 million people. During that same time, officials arrested 1,337 managers of businesses on charges that included illegal hiring, tax evasion and money laundering. Its always been easier to go after the workers, said Doris Meissner, a former INS commissioner. But is that any more than just counting numbers? Does that actually change the basic magnet effect of the jobs? No. For years, federal law did not bar the hiring of people in the country without legal status. That changed in 1986, when President Reagan signed the Immigration Reform and Control Act. The law, commonly called IRCA, granted residency to about 3 million people who were in the country without legal status, bolstered border enforcement and for the first time established penalties for hiring people who were in the country illegally. But to win the support of industry, including the powerful U.S. Chamber of Commerce and agricultural delegations from the Midwest, the employer sanctions were watered down, said Peter Brownell, research director for the Center on Policy Initiatives in San Diego, who has studied the issue. IRCA set low fines and the law stated that, to be convicted, employers had to have knowingly employed a person who was in the country illegally. The minimum penalty imposed by the Department of Justice is $548 per unauthorized employee. The maximum fine can reach $21,916, depending on whether its the employers first, second, third or subsequent offense. To avoid sanctions, all employers have to do is to make certain that, as the law states, an employees paperwork reasonably appears on its face to be genuine. The employer also must attest that they made a good-faith effort to verify the eligibility of the employee by completing a document known as an I-9 form. Simply employing someone who lives in the U.S. illegally isnt enough to incur a violation. This made it difficult to prosecute cases, Brownell said. Watering down IRCA caused ripple effects still being felt, said Reed, the retired immigration official. When we did the amnesty in the mid-80s and legalized everyone, we were supposed to seal the border and have a good guest-worker program and never have this problem again. If we had done that, we wouldnt be here today. But they purposefully didnt do any of it, Reed said. The only thing IRCA did, he added, was legalize all these people and put a few lights and fencing out there on the southern border, and we never did anything with the jobs. We just let it get out of control. Around the same time as IRCAs passage, the federal government developed a pilot program, which later turned into E-Verify, the online system that allows employers to check whether Social Security numbers are valid and, therefore, if an employee can work legally in the U.S. But the system is voluntary with the exception of federal government contracts. Only three states Arizona, Alabama and Mississippi require it for all public and private employers. Even then, the system has some fundamental flaws; it cant, for example, detect borrowed or stolen Social Security numbers. In 2009, an independent review of E-Verify for the Department of Homeland Security estimated that 54% of workers approved by the system to work were in the country without authorization. Not long before Reed testified at the congressional hearing in July 1999, Nebraskas members of Congress had pushed for tougher immigration enforcement in their state. They summoned Meissner, Reed, then INS director of operations, and other agency officials. They were just darned tired of it, Reed said of illegal immigration. What were we going to do about protecting their state from this invasion? I think they were really concerned that their communities were being overrun by brown people. Previous enforcement efforts had focused on workers. For example, in July 1997, immigration officials detained about 100 workers during high-profile raids at two Nebraska meatpacking plants. But Operation Vanguard targeted the employers, and after more than 3,500 workers fled as word of Vanguard spread, the officials who had urged Reed to step up enforcement complained that the effort was slowing down slaughter lines and having a negative effect on the states economy. Reed said he also was told that the enforcement actions were pulling the fabric of their community apart. Turns out that these people the workers were part of the community, he said. Turns out these are the people who go to their church, the people they hang out at the bar with. And now they were leaving. Americans are used to cheap labor and goods, and its unclear whether they would be able to stomach a real crackdown on employers and the consequences that would follow, such as higher-priced produce and emptied communities, experts say. Its time for a gut check, Reed said. Well see what America wants and what America doesnt want. Operation Vanguard was abandoned, and the focus shifted to the Southwest border. These efforts accelerated after the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, especially after federal officials dismantled INS and reorganized it into Immigration and Customs Enforcement, known as ICE, part of the new Department of Homeland Security. Under President George W. Bush, the enforcement that did take place occurred in the form of high-profile, well-publicized raids on factories including meatpacking plants. President Obama shifted away from raids and instead instructed immigration agents to focus on audits, like those under Operation Vanguard, going after employers rather than just workers. The new strategy toward audits of s I-9 forms and administrative fines proved fruitful for some time, reaching a peak when federal officials convicted 193 managers at work sites in fiscal year 2011 up from 89 in 2009. But eventually those efforts slowed, with a drop-off to 77 convictions in fiscal year 2015. The latest figures show 49 convictions in 2016. (ICE does not break down statistics by infraction, so its unclear how many convictions were for illegal hires.) One of the reasons for fewer work site cases in recent years is the agencys decision to focus on the more egregious violators, an ICE official said. Reed says audits can be effective and, ideally, would be paired with Self Check, a little-known voluntary electronic verification program that takes the burden of determining employment eligibility off the employer. Instead, Self Check places it on the federal government. Under Self Check, which uses the same databases as E-Verify, prospective employees answer questions online to prove their eligibility to work. But Homeland Security warns businesses against forcing employees and prospective employees to use the voluntary program because doing so might violate anti-discrimination laws. The Department of Homeland Security wont allow employers to use it because they are not prepared to accept the consequences of denying employment to unauthorized workers, Reed said. A shining example of the hypocrisy surrounding work site enforcement. After retiring, Reed launched a consulting firm that helped meatpacking factory employers comply with immigration laws by ridding their employee rolls of unauthorized workers. Reed lives a 90-minute drive from the border but rarely visits it. But when he does, Reed is reminded of why Congress and its constituents have become more focused on the border, and those who cross it, than the businesses in the countrys interior that hire immigrants for cheap labor. That is the visual, he said, referring to the hundreds of miles of rusted fence illuminated at night by lights. You can take a picture of lights; you can take a picture of a fence and a road being built. You can show progress from that day to day. Its all optics. Employer sanctions, he added, are the real wall. cindy.carcamo@latimes.com Follow Cindy Carcamo on Twitter @thecindycarcamo ALSO Judge Gorsuch, Trumps Supreme Court nominee, goes before GOP-controlled Senate committee FBI director to testify at first congressional hearing into Trumps wiretap claims and Russias role in the election Heres what Trump supporters mean when they talk about the deep state No one questions that students at La Salle Avenue Elementary, with their low academic achievement, could use a hand up. But a civic coalition spearheaded by United Way of Greater Los Angeles puts the South L.A. campus at the top of schools needing more services and attention, while the L.A. Unified School District, ranks it at 293 out of 451 elementary schools. That dichotomy is at the heart of two new reports, an ongoing lawsuit and a now yearly push to change the way the nations second-largest school district does business. The pressure has had some effect, but the coalition remains unsatisfied. Advertisement This particular dispute centers on one of Gov. Jerry Browns core reforms: providing extra money to serve students who are in the foster system, from low-income backgrounds and learning English. Because 82% of L.A. Unified students fall into at least one of these categories, the dollars add up to about $1.1 billion of the districts $8.4 billion annual operating budget. Critics accuse the district of using this fact essentially to spend the money anywhere, a central claim in a 2015 lawsuit. In recent times, L.A. Unified has used increased state revenues from various sources to restore or add to services to all students and to give employees a salary increase of 10 percent after eight years without one. If you have students who are generating those dollars, they should be the ones receiving services from those dollars, said Sara Mooney, education program officer for the local United Way. L.A. Unified Supt. Michelle King said in a statement that she values this input. The district provided no counter analysis. At La Salle, about 93% of students are from low-income black or Latino families. More than half of the Latino children are learning English. On standardized tests, 2% of students meet or exceed state goals in English; 5% in math. So how does the district rank La Salle 293rd? La Salle has much competition when it comes to need, but the districts formula for discerning need also is a factor. The district tabulates its ranking based on the percentage of low-income, English-learner and foster students the groups the state wants it to focus on. Critics say the assessment needs more context, including neighborhood conditions such as health outcomes and exposure to violence as well as test scores, suspension rates and dropout rates. The district also makes no special allowance for extreme poverty. There is a large difference between a community with a median income of approximately $35,000 (e.g., Hollywood) and a median income of approximately $25,000 (e.g., Watts), which is not fully captured by the LAUSD Need Index, according to a new report by the Partnership for Los Angeles Schools, which manages 19 schools on behalf of L.A. Unified. La Salle is district-run, and second-year Principal Aleta Parker-Taylor says she makes the most of the resources she has some ongoing, some new. She just added an assistant principal and a psychiatric social worker to strengthen mental-health support. She employs two part-time aides for safety and supervision and four teacher aides to help her 20 teachers. A library aide comes every other week and a nurse one day a week. Two carts of computers allow access for up to two classes at a time. Shes applied for a grant for a third cart. Shed like more mental health and social support services for families, both inside and outside of school. A key point of debate has to do with the way that the district staffs schools. L.A. Unified provides teachers based on the number of students and generally without regard to whether a teacher earns a high or low salary based on years of experience or additional training. So two schools could have the same number of students and teachers but vastly different staffing costs. The class size at La Salle mirrors most district campuses: about 24 to 1 in early grades; 31 to 1 for grades 4 and 5. More experienced (and expensive) teachers tend to migrate away from the most difficult schools, so the district frequently spends more on teachers at the better schools. If the district committed to spend more at needier schools, it might get higher-paid, more experienced teachers or more teachers, said UC Berkeley education professor Bruce Fuller, who with colleague Joonho Lee prepared a report released Monday for the coalition. Such an approach, however, would upend district practices and come up against unionized instructors, who have won the right to apply to work at schools of their choice. There is this good news thread at the high school level, Fuller said, where the district is spending more dollars as the state intended, largely through adding non-teaching staff such as counselors. The district did exercise its discretion to try to lift kids in these high-needs high schools. howard.blume@latimes.com @howardblume Interior ministers from the central Mediterranean were meeting in Rome on Monday to ramp up efforts to curb migration from Libya amid a sharp rise in the number of people attempting the perilous crossing to Europe. One year after a controversial deal with Turkey to stop migrants setting out across the Aegean Sea for Greece, the EU is trying to set up a similar accord with conflict-hit Libya, despite fierce opposition from human rights campaigners. Over 3,300 people were rescued from unseaworthy vessels off the north African country over the weekend, bringing the number of arrivals in Italy to nearly 20,000 so far in 2017 -- a significant increase on previous years. Interior ministers from Algeria, Austria, Germany, Italy, Libya, Malta, Slovenia, Switzerland and Tunisia were taking part in the meeting, along with the European Commissioner for Migration, Dimitris Avramopoulos. Italy's Interior Minister Marco Minniti said the meeting would focus on "policies of development, social intervention, border control and repatriation" and that he hoped it would lead to "an increasingly shared management of migratory flows". Libya's UN-backed unity government has requested 800 million euros ($860 million) worth of equipment to help patrol its coast and territorial waters, including radars, boats, helicopters and all-terrain vehicles, according to Italy's Corriere della Sera daily. There is also talk of a Libya-based operational centre to coordinate rescues in international waters off the North African coast, relieving the burden on Rome, which has been forced to monitor and intervene well beyond its established maritime surveillance zone. Experts say some of the equipment requested by Libya would fall foul of a UN embargo on arms imports into the country. Critics also warn against planned repatriations of asylum seekers to a country where allegations of torture, rape and murder are rife. Around 20 migrants were killed by traffickers earlier this month on a beach in Libya after refusing to get onto a rickety boat for Europe because of bad weather at sea. Search Keywords: Short link: The first indication that a plane was down came Saturday afternoon when the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center at Tyndall Air Force Base in Florida picked up a signal from an emergency locator beacon transmitting from somewhere in the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. The center alerted the California Wing of the Civil Air Patrol. A search plane dispatched from Fallbrook found the wreckage in the mountains nine miles northeast of Borrego Valley Airport. But when a helicopter dispatched by the San Diego County Sheriffs Department reached the crash site, there was no one to rescue. The pilot and any passengers on the mysterious flight were gone. Advertisement On Sunday, the authorities had pieced the story together, mostly. Lt. Rich Williams of the San Diego Sheriffs Department said the pilot, whose identity has not formally been released, was tracked down at his home in Pacific Palisades. He told investigators that he and his passenger, his brother-in-law, were uninjured and walked away from the wreck. They were going to report it to his insurance company, Williams said. He considered it an incident causing damage to his plane and nothing more. But some details remained fuzzy. The Federal Aviation Administration, which is investigating the crash, released a statement saying the single-engine Cubcrafters CC11-160 crashed under unknown circumstances immediately after taking off from Borrego Springs. The intended destination was Palm Springs. But Williams said the pilot told authorities a different story that he had landed the aircraft in the park about 8:30 a.m. Saturday to visit and crashed taking off. The pilot and his brother-in-law walked away and went home by what means Williams was not sure. We think he hitch-hiked, said said Maj. Dave Kalahar, spokesman for the Civil Air Patrol. Let me just say, Kalahar added, I have never run across a circumstance like this before. He was able to walk away from putting the aircraft down. That we would call a successful outcome. The FAA, which does not release the identities of people involved in crashes, did disclose the planes tail number. It is registered to David S. Segel of Pacific Palisades. Segel could not be reached Sunday. doug.smith@latimes.com Twitter: @LATDoug Lisa Rosales met Spooky in the 1980s when she was a 25-year-old police officer in Pasadena. He was a shy teenager, a gang member with a shaved head who always wore a white tank top and blue jeans. At first he and the other gang members were suspicious of Rosales; they would run away when she approached and were hesitant to talk. Advertisement But Rosales, who grew up in a tough Highland Park neighborhood, was interested in their lives and took a particular interest in Spooky. She wanted to learn about gang affiliations in the area, but her approach was non-confrontational; they chatted about things they had in common. I knew that they respected their mothers and grandmothers, so I told them to be protective of them. I shared stuff about my family and upbringing in a pretty rough area, and it broke barriers. They took an interest in my life, Rosales said. Rosales became a police officer at a time when few women joined law enforcement. And while her unorthodox policing style might have raised eyebrows, she rose through the ranks to become chief of the Glendora Police Department. Rosales is one of seven female police chiefs in Los Angeles County, an all-time high. Women lead departments in Santa Monica, Beverly Hills, Claremont, Hermosa Beach, Alhambra and Manhattan Beach. Several of the chiefs gathered recently at USCs Sol Price School of Public Policy for a panel discussion on female leaders in law enforcement. Amid the growing national debate over aggressive policing tactics, the presence of women in high ranks of law enforcement raises the question for many of whether their perspectives and experiences might lead to reforms in police culture. While theres no scholarly consensus that female police officers hold a different philosophy on policing than men, evidence suggests that diversifying leadership could improve policing tactics and community relations by exposing police officers to different viewpoints, said David Sklansky, a law professor at Stanford University. Female police chiefs bring more than their gender, he said. Policing was and in many ways is held back by a culture of insularity and machismo, and diversity brings new and more creative thinking about what policing should look like. Sklanskys research has found that women bring to the table different problem-solving tactics in cases involving domestic violence, excessive force and race relations. Rosales said her style of policing encompasses listening, empathy and patience qualities she said have helped de-escalate potentially volatile situations. I love to talk to people, and that has helped my career, she said. Sharon Papa was sworn in as chief of the Hermosa Beach department in 2013. She learned as a young officer in the late 1970s that her presence and that of other women helped change the culture within the force. If you have a male-dominated culture, they will say anything about women because no one is in the room to hold them accountable. It will go away quickly if you introduce women to the mix, she said. As a young officer in the Los Angeles Police Department, she found that her male counterparts frequently made comments about working with a woman. They would tell me, Im not going to work with a female officer, and I would respond and say Well, its not up to you, she said. Papa oversees 40 police officers. When issues arise in the community, she encourages them not to retreat she wants them to engage. I have a program where I have a map of the entire city and I tell my officers to walk every block of their area by the end of the year to get to know the community, she said. Like other female police chiefs in L.A. County, Papa believes that diversity in the department more accurately reflects the communities they serve, helping to build bridges to the outside community. Police violence and race relations reached a boiling point in Los Angeles in 1992. Riots erupted across the city after a jury acquitted officers who had been captured on video beating Rodney King, who is African American. The Christopher Commission, an independent citizens panel, was formed to examine police brutality and operations of the LAPD. A key recommendation was hiring more female officers. Over the years, the LAPD has tried to recruit diverse pools of applicants, including women, according to the department. Its goal is to have women represent at least 20 percent of its 9,900 sworn officers; however, the number hovers at 18.5 percent, according to a 2016 LAPD report. Gender diversification in police departments began to increase nationwide in the 1970s and 80s when it was driven by affirmative action litigation, according to Sklansky, but that growth appears to have stalled in recent years. While cities such as San Diego and Oakland have female police chiefs, gender discrimination still hampers many women from entering law enforcement and advancing. A 2013 survey conducted by the National Assn. of Women Law Enforcement Executives found that women make up 13 percent of all officers in the U.S. Only one percent of police chiefs are female. The first female police chief in a big city was Penny Harrington, who was appointed in 1985 to lead the Portland Police Bureau in Oregon. When she took the reins, Harrington sought to reduce use of excessive force in her department. She offered training in stress reduction and assertiveness for her officers, she said, as other police departments focused on use of force and military tactics. While theres no clear correlation between gender and policing styles, Harrington and other police chiefs share a similar emphasis on community outreach. I met with community leaders to find out what the issues are and to work with them instead of being just focused on enforcement, said Harrington, now 75 and retired. I listened to people; it came natural to me. In 1986, Harrington resigned as police chief and a short time later filed a federal sex discrimination suit. She claimed that some members of her squad embarrassed her so that she would resign. In Santa Monica, Chief Jacqueline Seabrooks said her experience has shown that women tend to have more patience and the ability to talk things out. And her leadership style, she said, is a reflection of such principles. Seabrooks has encouraged her officers to have a series of conversations on race and equity with Santa Monica residents. You have to understand and listen to alternate perspectives, she said. Seabrooks said she learned early on to confront discrimination. People made sexual overtures and I dealt with that as a black female. I had to find my voice as a woman in a male-dominated field, she said. melissa.etehad@latimes.com Follow me on Twitter @melissaetehad The Department of Homeland Security on Monday released the first ever report on law enforcement agencies that are potentially endangering Americans by failing to cooperate with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainers and named multiple jurisdictions in California. The report highlights the looming conflict ahead between the Trump administration, which has vowed to significantly boost deportations of people here illegally, and local law enforcement agencies, which have vowed not to help with deportations. As part of a Trump administration directive to highlight uncooperative police agencies, the weekly Declined Detainer Outcome Report lists those that have failed to comply with ICE requests to further detain suspects so they can be processed for possible deportation. Advertisement When law enforcement agencies fail to honor immigration detainers and release serious criminal offenders, it undermines ICEs ability to protect the public safety and carry out its mission, said Acting ICE Director Thomas Homan. Mondays detainer report listed 10 jurisdictions that fail to comply with detainers on a routine basis. They are: Clark County, Nev.; Nassau County, N.Y.; Cook County, Ill.; Montgomery County, Iowa; Snohomish County, Wash.; Franklin County, N.Y.; Washington County, Ore.; Alachua County, Fla.; Franklin County, Iowa; and Franklin County, Penn. The report named multiple California law enforcement agencies, including a few in Los Angeles County, that had also failed to honor detainers. In a three-day stretch in late January and early February, the L.A. Police Department and Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department declined detainers for five people with criminal convictions, according to the report. One suspect had been convicted of arson, two of domestic violence and two of assault, according to the report. Four of the detainers targeted Mexicans and the fifth listed a Salvadoran. The suspects were being held at LAPD jails in Van Nuys and downtown, as well as the sheriffs Twin Towers correctional facility downtown. The other California locations where detainer requests were declined were: the Santa Rita jail in Alameda County; Madera County Department of Corrections; the Anaheim city jail in Orange County; the Sacramento County jail; the Santa Barbara County jail; and the Santa Clara County main jail. The suspects in those jails had convictions for domestic violence, burglary and forgery, among other crimes. The people ICE sought were natives of Cambodia, Mexico and Guatemala. Our goal is to build cooperative, respectful relationships with our law enforcement partners, Homan said. We will continue collaborating with them to help ensure that illegal aliens who may pose a threat to our communities are not released onto the streets to potentially harm individuals living within our communities. California has been hotbed of opposition to President Trumps immigration crackdown. Cities across the state have declared themselves sanctuaries for those here illegally, and police have expressed fear that if officers help with deportations, those here illegally will no longer cooperate with criminal investigations. The LAPD prohibits officers from initiating contact with someone solely to determine whether he or she is in the country legally, mandated by a special order signed by then-Chief Daryl Gates in 1979. During Charlie Becks tenure as chief, the department stopped turning over people arrested for low-level crimes to federal agents for deportation and moved away from honoring federal requests to detain inmates who might be deportable past their jail terms. Beck and L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti have vowed not to have police get involved in deportation and other ICE business. Last week, there were also concerns about ICE agents rounding up those here illegally at courthouses. California Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye asked the Trump administration Thursday to stop immigration agents from stalking Californias courthouses to make arrests. The chief justices letter, prompted by complaints from trial judges, follows a report in The Times about teams of immigration agents some in uniform, some not sweeping into courtrooms or lurking outside court complexes in California, Arizona, Texas and Colorado in recent weeks. Immigration officials say they make arrests in courthouses only when all other options have been exhausted. In her letter, Cantil-Sakauye called the courts the main point of contact for millions of the most vulnerable Californians in times of anxiety, stress, and crises in their lives. Crime victims, victims of sexual abuse and domestic violence, witnesses to crimes who are aiding law enforcement, limited-English speakers, unrepresented litigants, and children and families all come to our courts seeking justice and due process of law, she wrote. To read the article in Spanish, click here joseph.serna@latimes.com For breaking California news, follow @JosephSerna on Twitter. ALSO Comey rejects tweet by President Trump that Russia did not influence outcome of election California shouldnt invest in companies that build President Trumps border wall, lawmakers say 4 L.A. County social workers to face trial in horrific death of 8-year-old boy UPDATES: 9:50 p.m.: This article was updated with additional details about the California chief justices letter to President Trump over immigration agents making arrests at courthouses. This article was originally published at 11:45 a.m. A third Los Angeles County probation official has been charged with beating teenage inmates inside a Sylmar juvenile hall last year, prosecutors said. Deputy Probation Officer Carlos Portillo pleaded not guilty to two counts of assault under color of authority on Monday in connection with a pair of clashes at the Barry J. Nidorf Juvenile Hall in 2016, according to the Los Angeles County district attorneys office. One of the incidents was captured on video and leaked last year to a local blog, prompting an internal investigation of other potential assaults at the jail. Portillo, 39, faces up to four years and four months in prison if convicted, prosecutors said. Advertisement Portillo and another probation officer are accused of pummeling a 17-year-old inmate at the behest of a supervisor in April 2016. Supervisor Sergio Cano, 45, and Officer Timothy Boundy, 42, were also charged with assault under color of authority in that case. Prosecutors allege Cano ordered Portillo and Boundy to attack the inmate. Portillo and Boundy are also accused of battering a teen who tried to leave his room in the facility in February of 2016. Boundy faces a third assault charge stemming from an incident in October 2015. Prosecutors allege he grabbed a teen and hurled him to the ground. The probation officers charged in this case were entrusted with the safekeeping and well-being of youths while in their custody, Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. Jackie Lacey said in a statement. Sadly, in this instance, we believe the defendants abused their authority and broke the law. Boundy and Cano have also pleaded not guilty. In the April 2016 incident, Canos attorney has said that the teen inmate was being disruptive and had acted violently toward probation officers earlier in the day. The case drew the concern of county officials last summer, after the blog WitnessLA obtained a video of the incident. The blog did not publish the footage, but said the video showed four officers pummeling a non-combative 17-year-old. The incident prompted a review of force used by officers at the juvenile hall, according to the probation department. Seven officers faced administrative punishments after the review found they had used force inappropriately. Two officers were fired in connection with the videotaped beating. A spokeswoman for the probation department declined to identify them. james.queally@latimes.com Follow @JamesQueallyLAT for crime and police news in California. Another chapter in the twisting legal saga of director Roman Polanski unfolded in a downtown Los Angeles courtroom Monday morning as a defense attorney argued that the director should be allowed to return to the U.S. and be sentenced to time served decades after pleading guilty to having sex with a minor in the spring of 1977. Attorney Harland Braun said Monday that Polanski, who would have faced a maximum of 12 months in prison for the crime under the penal code as it was written in the 1970s, has effectively served that sentence already between his previous detention in Los Angeles and the nearly 10 months he served in a Swiss jail when he was detained there in 2009. He has actually done nearly eight times the sentence he was promised, Braun said. Advertisement Superior Court Judge Scott M. Gordon did not enter a ruling Monday morning and has 90 days to deliver a written order in the case, according to Mary Hearn, a spokeswoman for Los Angeles Superior Court. After the hearing, Braun told reporters that his client would return to the U.S. immediately as long as he knew he would be sentenced under the terms of his original plea deal. The case dates back to 1977, when Polanski, then 43, picked up Samantha Gailey a 13-year-old junior high student and brought her to Jack Nicholsons house for a photo shoot. He gave her champagne and part of a Quaalude pill and, according to testimony from Gailey, he forced her to have sex with him. After reaching a deal with prosecutors, Polanski, who pleaded guilty to unlawful intercourse with a minor, was sent to a state prison for a 90-day diagnostic evaluation. Judge Laurence Rittenband, who presided over the case at the time, said the evaluation would help him reach a fair sentencing decision. The director was released after 42 days, and prison officials said they didnt believe he needed additional prison time. Rittenband, facing fierce media pressure, went against the recommendation, saying he planned to send Polanski back to prison for an additional 48 days. Polanski then hopped a flight out of Los Angeles and fled to Europe. As the decades have worn on, two portraits of Polanski have emerged. While many still shun him as a criminal who fled from justice, some in Hollywood have argued he was treated unfairly by a judge who wanted to make an example of a powerful filmmaker. Director Brett Ratner, a close friend of Polanski, was in the courthouse Monday and could be seen chatting with Braun in an adjacent hallway. He declined to comment and walked away when approached by reporters. In court, Braun asked that prosecutors say what kind of sentence they would seek for Polanski if he returns to the U.S. He also asked the judge to sentence Polanski in absentia. Braun dropped an argument he had made in court papers to unseal testimony delivered years ago by retired prosecutor Roger Gunson, who initially handled Polanskis case in the 1970s. Gunson testified in 2010 and the transcripts were sealed by an L.A. judge. The Los Angeles County district attorneys office objected to Brauns request, saying it fell into a pattern of Polanski asking for special treatment. Deputy Dist. Atty. Michele Hanisee scoffed at Brauns arguments to vacate a warrant for Polanskis arrest or allow him to be sentenced before he returned to the country. The people simply do not believe it is in the best interests of justice to give a wealthy celebrity different treatment than any other fugitive from justice, she told the judge. The district attorneys office has previously said that the filmmaker faces up two years in state prison if he returns for sentencing. In the late 1990s, Polanski nearly struck a deal with the D.A.s office. According to prosecutors, Larry P. Fidler, the judge overseeing the case at that time, said that if Polanski returned to L.A. he wouldnt have to serve more time. But when Fidler made it clear that Polanskis sentencing would be held in open court, prosecutors said Polanski became fearful of the media attention and backed out. Polanskis attorney acknowledged that the decision not to return then may have been a mistake, but said that his client wanted to protect his young children. Prosecutors derided Polanskis recent request that the judge indicate a potential sentence should he return as an advanced preview. The defendant is, once again, trying to dictate the terms of his return without risk to himself, prosecutors wrote. Defendant wants answers but will only show up if he likes the answers. He forfeited his right to make requests of the court when he fled. In an interview Friday, Braun rejected the district attorneys claims, saying its common for judges to offer indicated sentences. Its all politics, Im afraid, Braun said, adding that his client never would have fled in the first place if he hadnt been misled by the L.A. County court system. Los Angeles Times Staff Writer David Ng contributed to this report. james.queally@latimes.com marisa.gerber@latimes.com For more news from the Los Angeles County courts and about crime in Los Angeles, follow @JamesQueallyLAT & @marisagerber on Twitter. ALSO Roman Polanskis legal team taking another run at closing rape case, report says Roman Polanski extradition request rejected by Polands top court Where are they now? Charles Mansons family, four decades after horrific murder spree UPDATES: 12:20 p.m.: This story was updated with developments from the hearing. This story first published at 5 a.m. A man was found dead inside an SUV after exchanging gunfire with deputies Monday at the Los Angeles County Sheriffs station in Temple City, according to officials. The 47-year-old man suffered an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound following a gun battle in a parking lot outside the station in the 8800 block of Las Tunas Drive, said Capt. Steven Katz, who heads the sheriffs homicide bureau. However, authorities could not say if he died from the self-inflicted gunshot or deputy gunfire. The man, whose identity has not been released, entered the station about 7:25 a.m. to register as a sex offender, the captain said. When a deputy at the station discovered the man had a felony warrant for a sex crime, he requested help to take the man into custody, sheriffs officials said. Advertisement As deputies approached the man, he ran to his SUV, got into the backseat and armed himself with a shotgun, the Sheriffs Department said in a written statement. He began firing at deputies and the station building, leading to a gun battle with deputies, Katz said. No deputies were injured. Television footage showed members of a special weapons team in an armored vehicle approaching the SUV slowly, while a mans boot could be seen in a shattered rear window of the SUV. An investigation is underway after a shooting in the parking lot of the sheriffs Temple Station Monday morning. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) Shortly after 8 a.m., members of the special weapons team exited the armored vehicle and peered inside the SUV. Deputies also searched the vehicle for possible explosives because of the mans aggressive nature. A shotgun and handgun were found inside the SUV, Katz said. The motive for the shooting remains unclear, sheriffs officials said. Katz said shootings dont usually happen at sheriffs stations. Its a rarity, he said. I think it highlights the danger that our deputies see every day even at our house. Sheriff Jim McDonnell said law enforcement agencies are seeing an increase of assaults against officers. We see these all too frequently now, he said. The gun battle was one of three shootings involving Los Angeles-area officers in the last two days. On Sunday, Huntington Beach police shot a man about 10:30 p.m. near Beacon Hill Lane and Lawn Haven Drive, the Daily Pilot reported. Officers were responding to a report of shots fired in the area, where they found a man and a woman. At some point, police shot the man, who suffered injuries that were not life-threatening. In Van Nuys, two people were arrested about 3 a.m. Monday after shots were fired at Los Angeles police officers near the intersection of Vanowen Street and Haskell Avenue, authorities said. veronica.rocha@latimes.com Twitter: VeronicaRochaLA UPDATES: 3:35 p.m.: This article was updated with sheriffs officials saying the gunman had a felony warrant and that it is unclear if he died of the self-inflicted gunshot wound. 10:35 a.m.: This article was updated with new details about the shooting and gunman. 8:40 a.m.: This article was updated with a department spokeswoman confirming the gunman is dead. 8:25 a.m.: This article was updated with details about the shooting and deputies clearing the scene. This article was originally published at 8:15 a.m. A Los Angeles County judge ruled Monday that four social workers should stand trial on child abuse and other charges in the death of an 8-year-old Palmdale boy they were assigned to protect, allowing prosecutors to push ahead with a case that has sent a chill through the ranks of child protection workers nationwide. Superior Court Judge Mary Lou Villar said that red flags were everywhere during the months before Gabriel Fernandez died and that the social workers mishandled evidence of escalating abuse and failed to file timely reports on what was happening in the boys home before he was allegedly killed by his mother and her boyfriend in 2013. The judge said the workers conduct amounted to criminal negligence. [Gabriels mom] was in the system that was a red flag, he missed school...had injuries, and his teacher called, Villar said. All of this shows that the mother was uncooperative and the parties should have known at that time something was wrong. Advertisement Some defendants broke down in tears after Villar announced that the case would move forward. One of them, Patricia Clement, placed her head in her hands in disbelief. When the judge announced it, I wanted to throw up, she said later. L.A. sheriffs deputies disciplined after horrific torture death of 8-year-old boy Her attorney, Shelly Albert, expressed shock at the judges ruling. This is outrageous and unprecedented. My client, all of them, they did what they were supposed to do, she said. Gabriel died after months of torture and abuse, prosecutors say. The boys mother and her boyfriend are awaiting trial on capital murder charges and have pleaded not guilty. But the case took a highly unusual turn last year when prosecutors accused the four former Department of Children and Family Services employees of felony child abuse and falsifying public records. Prosecutors alleged that caseworkers Clement and Stefanie Rodriguez and supervisors Kevin Bom and Gregory Merritt ignored evidence of repeated abuse and minimized Gabriels injuries. They each face up to 10 years in prison if convicted. The case marked the first time in Los Angeles that county social workers faced criminal charges in performing their duties, prosecutors said, and is one of only a handful of such cases filed nationwide in recent decades. The decision by Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. Jackie Lacey to prosecute the employees surprised many child protection experts, who have expressed fear that the decision could hamper efforts to recruit social workers for public sector jobs. The standard of proof to hold a defendant to answer at a preliminary hearing is far less than the beyond-a-reasonable-doubt threshold required to convict someone at a trial. Still, Mondays decision by Villar will raise alarm among child social workers, many of whom are already dealing with increased public scrutiny and high case volumes, experts said. It could have a real chilling effect on the desire to become a child social worker, said Rebecca Gonzales, director of government relations for the National Assn. of Social Workers California chapter. It is a devastating case for social workers all over the nation and especially in L.A. County. Similar cases brought by prosecutors elsewhere have usually resulted in convictions of less serious charges or been thrown out of court. In January, a judge dismissed felony charges against two Michigan social workers accused of involuntary manslaughter after the killing of a 3-year-old boy they had been supervising. In 2013, prosecutors allowed a New York social worker and his supervisor who had been charged with criminally negligent homicide to plead guilty to misdemeanors in connection with the death of a 4-year-old girl who had allegedly been beaten and starved to death by her mother. Mondays ruling in Los Angeles came after a preliminary hearing in which Gabriels first-grade teacher and other witnesses testified about their mounting concern over signs of physical abuse facial bruises, scabs, missing tufts of hair, busted lips and alarm that their calls to the caseworkers went unheeded. Summerwind Elementary School teacher Jennifer Garcia said in the months before Gabriels death, she repeatedly reported to county child service workers new signs of abuse that prosecutors say came at the hands of his mother, Pearl Fernandez, and her boyfriend, Isauro Aguirre. A few weeks into the 2012-13 school year, Garcia saw a facial bruise the size of a half-dollar on the boy and he revealed he was beaten with a belt buckle, drawing blood, she said. She immediately called a county child abuse hotline and received a call back from social worker Rodriguez, she testified. In January 2013, Garcia said, Gabriel came to school with swollen eyes and a pockmarked face. At first, he said he had fallen, but he then told her, My mom shot me in the face with a BB gun, she testified. Social workers Stefanie Rodriguez, third from left, and Patricia Clement, far left, and supervisors Kevin Bom, second from right, and Gregory Merritt, fourth from right, appear for their arraignment. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) On two occasions, she testified, a fearful Gabriel asked, Can you call that lady? referring to the county social worker he knew she had been calling. Garcia said she began to lose confidence in child protective services as months passed and Gabriel remained with his mother. I kind of started to feel nothing was happening, she testified. At some point, Clement took over the case from Rodriguez. In May 2013, paramedics arrived at the boys Palmdale home to find Gabriel not breathing. His skull was cracked, three ribs were broken and his skin was bruised and burned. He had BB pellets embedded in his lung and groin. Two teeth had been knocked out. An internal DCFS investigator, Jessica Brown, testified that Clement underrated the danger Gabriel faced while she completed an assessment of his case. Brown testified that Clement had wrongly documented the facts in her assessment, omitting his mothers well-documented mental health problems. As a result, the assessment concluded he was at high risk instead of very high risk. Brown told the court that Clements supervisor, Merritt, had signed off on the decision to end his units supervision of the child in April 2013, a month before his death. Deputy Dist. Atty. Ana Maria Lopez argued on Monday that the social workers ignored obvious signs that the abuse was escalating and that they had plenty of chances to remove the boy from his home or to bring his mother to court. The workers, she said, were supposed to provide a safety net for Gabriel and their supervisors were in a leadership position and should have done more. Defense attorneys denied there was any wrongdoing and suggested that the escalation of violence occurred after the case was closed and the family was no longer under their clients supervision. According to testimony of a detective assigned to the case, Gabriels brother said the boy was shot with metal BBs and had his teeth knocked out in the weeks before his death, and alleged violence at the hands of Aguirre increased after he thought Gabriel had taken a knife and a credit card. Albert, Clements attorney, asserted that the four social workers are the target of selective prosecution and that other social workers and mandated reporters, including sheriffs deputies who responded to abuse reports, are being given a pass. Garcia, the boys teacher, said she never spoke directly with the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department. Several deputies who went to the home to conduct welfare checks have been disciplined, according to sheriffs officials. None, officials said, has been fired or faced prosecution. In their final statements to the judge on Monday, defense attorneys argued that there was no evidence that their clients falsified any documents or could have anticipated that Gabriel would be killed. Jim Barnes, Merritts attorney, noted that Sheriffs Deputy Jonathan Livingston had visited the boys home a month before his death and concluded that there was no child abuse going on. He said his client had been assigned to oversee multiple teams not just in Palmdale but also Lancaster and depended on what his social workers were telling him about their cases. He was overworked and understaffed, Barnes said. Rodriguezs lawyer, Lance M. Filer, said the social worker properly investigated allegations but did not see any visible injuries on the boy. She did what she was supposed to do, he said. melissa.etehad@latimes.com richard.winton@latimes.com For more Southern California news, follow us on Twitter: @melissaetehad and @lacrimes ALSO Riverside mother accused of abandoning child at store may have mental health issues, judge says Surveillance video shows man trying to kidnap teen as she walks to school in North Hollywood Inglewood police find autistic man who disappeared after running Los Angeles Marathon UPDATES: 5:40 p.m.: This story was updated with a comment from Gonzales and background about other cases against social workers across the country. 3:40 p.m.: This story was updated with additional details from Mondays court hearing. 11:28 a.m.: This story was updated with comments from Clement and her attorney as well as details from the court hearing. This article was originally published at 10:56 a.m. A 1-year-old boy survived a 25-foot drop down a waterfall near Lake Arrowhead after he was swept away in a creeks fast-moving waters on Sunday, San Bernardino County sheriffs rescuers said. The boy fell down Aztec Falls after 2 p.m. Sunday while he was being carried across Deep Creek by a family member, said Cpl. Michael Gilley. For the record: This article previously reported the incident took place in the Sierra Nevada. It was in the San Bernardino Mountains. Relatives didnt see the boy emerge from the water at the bottom for several minutes and thought the worst, Gilley said. But when emergency responders arrived and airlifted him to a nearby hospital he turned out to be fine, Gilley said. Advertisement When we fly people out of there its usually not good, Gilley said, noting that the falls are a popular diving spot. But actually for this little guy going over, he took it pretty good. The creek is deeper and its waters moving faster than in previous years due to the snowpack in the San Bernardino Mountains. joseph.serna@latimes.com For breaking California news, follow @JosephSerna on Twitter. The clash over President Trumps explosive but still unproven claim that he was targeted for surveillance by the Obama administration will be in the spotlight Monday when FBI Director James B. Comey testifies before the House Intelligence Committee. Comey has come under growing pressure from lawmakers to say publicly whether the FBI conducted wiretapping or other secret surveillance of Trump or his associates before or after the 2016 election as part of a criminal inquiry or a counterintelligence investigation. The Republican and Democratic leaders of the Senate and House intelligence committees told reporters last week that they have seen no evidence to support Trumps claims that the Obama administration had wiretapped him at Trump Tower. Advertisement Watch live: FBI Director James Comey testifies before Congress on Russia and wiretapping I hope that we can put an end to this wild-goose chase because what the president said was just patently false, Rep. Adam B. Schiff (D-Burbank), the ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, told NBCs Meet the Press on Sunday. And the wrecking ball it created now has banged into our British allies and our German allies, its continuing to grow in terms of damage, and he needs to put an end to this. In a statement Friday, the Justice Department said it had complied with requests from leaders of the House and Senate intelligence committees and judiciary committees seeking information related to surveillance during the 2016 election. The statement did not say whether the FBI had uncovered any surveillance that targeted Trump or inadvertently captured him while targeting someone else. Trump first accused Obama on March 4 of wiretapping him and has refused to back down, insisting that he will be proved right. A spokesman for Obama described the claim as simply false, and no evidence has emerged to support it. On Friday, at a news conference with visiting German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Trump appeared to joke about the dispute by reviving a diplomatic flap from Obamas tenure. As far as wiretapping, I guess, by this past administration, at least we have something in common, perhaps, Trump said in response to a question as he stood beside Merkel. In 2013, leaks from Edward Snowden disclosed that the National Security Agency, which conducts surveillance overseas, had eavesdropped on Merkels cellphone as part of its efforts to spy on foreign leaders. Obama later apologized to Merkel and said he had stopped the wiretapping. The two leaders ultimately repaired the rift, and their relationship was among the closest and most crucial Obama had with any world leader. The House hearing Monday will be the first in Congress to publicly address the conclusions of the U.S. intelligence community that Russian spy agencies used cyberattacks and other tactics to interfere with the U.S. presidential race. In a report released on Jan. 6, before Trump took office, the intelligence community assessed that Russian President Vladimir Putin had ordered the operation in an effort to hurt Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton and help Trump. The report said hackers backed by Russian intelligence had stolen and leaked thousands of emails from Democratic National Committee computer systems. Some of the emails were embarrassing to Clintons campaign. Comey also is likely to face questioning about whether the FBI opened a formal investigation into contacts between the Trump campaign and Russian government officials a question the FBI has so far been unwilling to answer in public. Schiff said Sunday that at the outset of the investigation, there was circumstantial evidence of collusion. There was direct evidence, I think, of deception. His Republican counterpart, Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Tulare), chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, disagreed, saying on Fox News Sunday that he has seen no evidence of collusion. Ahead of the hearing Monday morning, Trump took to Twitter to say Democrats had made up claims that Russia was involved with the election. The Democrats made up and pushed the Russian story as an excuse for running a terrible campaign. Big advantage in Electoral College & lost! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 20, 2017 The real story that Congress, the FBI and all others should be looking into is the leaking of Classified information. Must find leaker now! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 20, 2017 Trump defends himself on Twitter against accusations he colluded with Russia to win the election Committee leaders have said classified and sensitive details about the FBI investigation will be discussed in a closed session. Adm. Michael S. Rogers, director of the National Security Agency, will also testify. Numerous Trump associates and campaign aides have had dealings with Russia, but no proof has emerged to indicate wrongdoing by the president or his associates. Trumps first national security advisor, Michael Flynn, was forced to resign last month after leaks indicated he had discussed Obama administration sanctions on Russia during several phone conversations with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak before Trumps inauguration and then had misled Vice President Pence about the conversations. Atty. Gen. Jeff Sessions subsequently recused himself from the FBI investigations into Russias role after news reports revealed he had twice met with Kislyak, including once in his Senate office in September, but had failed to disclose the meetings during his Senate confirmation hearing. The question of whether Trump was the target of surveillance at times has veered into the surreal. White House officials scrambled to explain themselves Friday, for example, after a raucous White House news briefing sparked a diplomatic flap with Britain, one of Americas closest allies. It began when Press Secretary Sean Spicer read a series of news stories to reporters on Thursday in an attempt to defend Trumps claim. One was an allegation from a Fox News commentator, Andrew Napolitano, that Obama had used British spies to avoid any American fingerprints on the surveillance. Britains Government Communications Headquarters, or GCHQ, the British equivalent of the NSA, issued a rare and angry denial. Recent allegations made by media commentator Judge Andrew Napolitano about GCHQ being asked to conduct wiretapping against the then-president-elect are nonsense. They are utterly ridiculous and should be ignored, a GCHQ official told reporters. A spokesman for Prime Minister Theresa May said senior British officials had protested to the White House. Weve made clear to the U.S. administration that these claims are ridiculous and should be ignored. Weve received assurances that these allegations wont be repeated, Mays spokesman said. For its part, Fox News issued a statement saying it knows of no evidence of any kind to support the claim that it had aired. One House Republican called on Trump to apologize to Obama, repeating Intelligence Committee leaders assertions that no evidence has surfaced to support Trumps claim. Frankly, unless you can produce some pretty compelling proof, then ... President Obama is owed an apology in that regard, said Rep. Tom Cole (R-Okla.). Because if he didnt do it, we shouldnt be reckless in accusations that he did. david.cloud@latimes.com Twitter: @DavidCloudLAT ALSO Judge Gorsuch, Trumps Supreme Court nominee, goes before GOP-controlled Senate committee Trumps crackdown focuses on people in the U.S. illegally but not on the businesses that hire them Heres what Trump supporters mean when they talk about the deep state UPDATES: 5:36 a.m.: This article was updated with additional material on President Trumps tweets. The article was originally published at 3 a.m. For what may be a brief moment in Los Angeles, planning is hot. Measure S, the slow-growth, anti-development initiative, failed at the ballot box but succeeded in one very big way: It drew attention to the citys broken land-use process and the need for a new comprehensive vision for how Los Angeles should grow. Measure S forced city leaders and voters to confront the very real challenges facing Los Angeles, such as the lack of affordable apartments, homelessness, gentrification and how to manage the transformation of once-suburban Los Angeles into an increasingly urban city. There was near-universal agreement among proponents and opponents of S that the status quo isnt working. Land-use rules are outdated and routinely ignored. Every new project is a political negotiation and a fight over height, density and community impact, making housing construction a high-stakes gamble and turning residents reflexively into NIMBYs. Yet voters overwhelmingly rejected the solution offered by Measure S: a two-year construction moratorium on certain developments. Clearly, voters do not want to stop building. But what do they want built? Where do they want it built? And can Los Angeles finally fix this broken system that doesnt produce enough housing, erodes public trust in government and doesnt result in well-planned communities? Advertisement The answer is yes, but only if Mayor Eric Garcetti and the City Council embrace the opportunity created by the failure of Measure S. The initiative created a chance to have a transparent, inclusive and wide-ranging civic dialogue about how Los Angeles should grow and evolve. Los Angeles as a whole needs to be far more walkable, bikeable and transit-oriented. Yes, the mayor and council have committed to updating the General Plan and the 35 community plans, which set goals and rules for development in a neighborhood. Those are good long-term reforms, but theyll take four to six years to achieve. In the meantime, all the urgency, advocacy and momentum for change spurred by Measure S will fade away, and Los Angeles runs the very real risk of repeating what it has done time and again: The city develops a plan for growth, homeowner groups oppose it, and then elected officials ignore it. In the 1970s, Planning Director Calvin Hamilton developed the Centers Concept as the citys official vision for growth in the General Plan. The idea was to concentrate denser development in regional centers including downtown, Hollywood, Century City and Warner Center and connect the centers with rapid transit, while largely leaving the surrounding suburban single-family neighborhoods alone. (The plan also called for creating more recreational space by turning flood control channels into streams and lakes, an idea thats been revived with the Los Angeles River restoration project.) But the rapid transit wasnt built, in part because voters kept rejecting sales tax hikes to build rail lines. Real estate interests and City Council members largely dismissed the vision in favor of developing on a case-by-case basis. The city revised its approach to growth in 1996 with the Framework General Plan, a name that told Angelenos absolutely nothing. The Framework said L.A. would channel most new development onto 5% of the land in the city, mostly dense commercial boulevards such as Wilshire, Ventura, Pico and Venice. In those targeted areas, the plan called for dense, walkable neighborhoods where shops and apartments would be mingled rather than separated as in suburban development. Its now 20 years later, and some of the ideas in the Centers Concept and the Framework are still relevant. For instance, it makes sense to concentrate growth in areas served by rapid transit and to mix residential and commercial development to reduce the need to drive for every errand. But Los Angeles as a whole needs to be far more walkable, bikeable and transit-oriented, with most communities within easy reach of frequent bus or rail service and amenities such as parks, libraries and grocery stores. Since 2008 voters have twice approved sales tax increases for public transit. That money will help the county double the size of its rail network, as well as build more bus lanes, bike lanes and pedestrian projects, making it easier for people to get around without a car. Downtown now has added thousands of apartments and condos, becoming a hub of 24-hour activity. And once-industrial parts of downtown like the Arts District are becoming residential neighborhoods. There are ambitious plans underway to restore the Los Angeles River and create a 32-mile swath of green space through the city. Recent elections not only Measure S, but also the decisions in November to raise taxes to build rail lines and homeless housing, and to require affordable housing in certain new developments suggest that Angelenos are open to a more urban city. So its time to take pulse of the residents again and start writing better guidelines for the future L.A. Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg headed for Washington on Monday for the first time since US President Donald Trump was elected, holding talks with senior officials about defeating the Islamic State group, his office said. Stoltenberg will meet US Defence Secretary James Mattis on Tuesday, then meet foreign ministers from the coalition working to defeat the Islamic State Group, his office said. Search Keywords: Short link: Mondays House intelligence committee hearing, billed as the first public inquiry into Russias election meddling, was a spectacle with an obvious lesson: Offense is easier than defense. House Republicans had a good time investigating the Obama administration. How successful those investigations were is a debate for historians. But the fact remains they had the whip in hand, while the Democrats were held hostage to the political necessity of defending the administration. The GOP still has the majority, but it must now protect the administration run by a president who doesnt always make that task simple. With pained expressions, Republicans led by Chair Devin Nunes (R-Tulare) tried to make the main story the unauthorized and illegal leaks of extremely classified information specifically pertaining to President Trumps 24-day national security adviser, retired Gen. Michael Flynn, but also the unlawful leaks of Trumps telephone conversations. Advertisement The Republicans are correct that the leaks should be an enormous scandal, particularly given the often hysterical arguments about the governments intrusions into American privacy over the last 15 years. Leaking a presidents conversations fundamentally undermines the ability of the president any president to talk frankly with foreign leaders, particularly our allies. Thats a huge story. If the Republicans thought the media would take the bait, they were deluding themselves. But moving headlines in that direction was a tall order. The GOPs leaky strategy took a hit when FBI Director James Comey broke protocol (again) to confirm that there is indeed an active investigation of any links between individuals associated with the Trump campaign and the Russians. Doubling down on bad news for the GOP, Comey and National Security Agency chief Adm. Mike Rogers refuted the presidents claim that he was bugged by the Obama administration or British Intelligence. If the Republicans thought the media would take the bait, they were deluding themselves. First, as a practical matter, the media love leaks, believing theyre an indispensable part of a functioning democracy and the bread-and-butter of their vocation. Even if these leaks werent damaging to an administration the media clearly loathe, most mainstream journalists wouldnt help the Republicans make leaking the main issue. More important, Russias meddling, despite all of the gossip and misinformation swirling around it, is also a major story and a much sexier one. Democrats could hardly contain their partisan glee when talking about Russian chicanery or speculating about possible Trump campaign cut-outs like the infamous political henchman Roger Stone. The White House clearly hoped the hearing would help close the Russian chapter. President Trump even tweeted Monday morning that the whole controversy was made up by the Democrats. But it seems unlikely that the FBI would be investigating a fabricated story. Rather, Mondays hearing should be seen as further evidence that Russias meddling is bearing fruit. The intelligence community has concluded that Russia only belatedly wanted Trump to win. Their first priority -- as it is in elections throughout Europe -- was to undermine the legitimacy of the democratic process and to sow chaos in the West. In this, theyve succeeded. Russian meddling led to then-candidate Trumps celebration of it during the campaign I love Wikileaks! which led to illegal partisan leaks, which led to Trump accusing his predecessor of wiretapping Trump Tower and then suggesting that the British did the spying for us. The ensuing chaos required Comey, at the hearing on Monday, to break protocol and divulge that an investigation is taking place. Its like the Chicago way applied to democratic norms. Once one side starts violating them, everyone feels justified in doing likewise. Its embarrassing to have the heads of the FBI and NSA never mind congressional leaders in Trumps own party nod to Russian power and publicly refute numerous incendiary presidential claims. Nothing about any of this is normal. My hunch is that some of Trumps henchmen were involved in skullduggery with Wikileaks and other proxies for Russian intelligence (which may explain why some were fired). But even if no one did anything wrong, the United States clearly needs to take Russia to task which wont happen if the party in control of Congress focuses exclusively on leaks. The challenge for the GOP in the months ahead will be to figure out how to play more than just defense. jgoldberg@latimescolumnists.com Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion or Facebook MORE: Beyond the puppet question, what is Trumps game plan for Russia? Why is Planned Parenthood popular? And if its defunded, could any other organization fill the gap? If sheriffs deputies are involved in misconduct, prosecutors have to know In March 1944, 13-year-old Isamu Carlos Arturo Shibayama, his parents and five siblings were taken from their home in Peru and shipped to New Orleans on an American troop ship. Stripped of their identity papers, the Shibayamas were admitted to the United States as illegal aliens and sent to a prison camp in Texas, where they would spend the next 2 1/2 years. Their only crime was being ethnic Japanese. Shortly after Japans attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, President Franklin Roosevelt signed an executive order that led to the forced relocation and imprisonment of 120,000 ethnic Japanese in America, two-thirds of them U.S. citizens. At the same time, the administration was orchestrating another, less well-known human rights travesty: the roundup of innocent men, women and children of Japanese descent from across Latin America. Part of a pact designed to secure Americas southern border, this covert program provided the U.S. government with hostages to exchange for American civilians held by the Japanese. Advertisement By the fall of 1944, more than 2,200 Japanese Latin Americans had been uprooted from their homes 80% from Peru. The United States has never taken full responsibility for this egregious abuse, which also led to the seizure of thousands of Germans and Italians living in Latin America. On Tuesday, Isamu, who now goes by Art, will get a shot at redressing that injustice. The 86-year-old retired gas station owner and U.S. Army veteran from San Jose is scheduled to appear before the Organization of American States Inter-American Commission on Human Rights in Washington. The commission is considering a petition from him and his brothers accusing the U.S. government of violating international law when it seized their family. Paul Mills, the attorney representing the Shibayamas, sees frightening echoes of this government overreach today in the Trump administrations crackdown on undocumented immigrants and visitors from Muslim countries. Like the Shibayamas during World War II, Mills says, thousands of people could be caught in the gears of Trumps actions without any evidence that they were a threat to the United States. At the outset of World War II, more than a dozen Latin American leaders signed onto the security pact with the U.S., but none was more enthusiastic than Peruvian President Manuel Prado. He welcomed the opportunity to rid his country of Japanese immigrants, whose prosperity, many Peruvians felt, had come at their expense. By the time the program ended in the fall of 1944, more than 2,200 Japanese Latin Americans had been uprooted from their homes 80% from Peru. They included shopkeepers and priests, plantation workers and barbers. None ever was found guilty of espionage. Arts father, Yuzo Shibayama, was a successful tailor in Lima. He lost everything when he was deported. His grandparents were among more than 800 Japanese Latin Americans exchanged for American civilians during the war. Nearly a thousand more were shipped to Japan later. Only a last-minute legal challenge kept Arts immediate family from that fate. It wasnt until the 1950s that they were allowed to become U.S. citizens. In 1988, President Reagan signed a law extending a formal apology and $20,000 in reparations to the ethnic Japanese who were interned during the war. But because the Shibayamas had been designated illegal aliens, they werent eligible. In the 1990s, they were part of a group of Japanese Latin Americans who sued the U.S. government and eventually were offered a minimal apology and $5,000 each. Art and his brothers refused the paltry settlement, calling it an insult. The apology, Art said, wasnt specific, it could have been handed out to anyone on the street; it wasnt even on presidential letterhead. The Shibayama brothers turned to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights in 2003, only after a separate family lawsuit had been rejected by U.S. courts on technical grounds. The commission can act as a mediator or refer cases to the Organization of American States Inter-American Court of Human Rights, but it has no authority to issue penalties. Some argue the commission is a paper tiger. It certainly cannot restore Arts childhood innocence or allow him to say goodbye to his grandparents, whom he never saw again. But as an arm of one of the regions oldest regional alliances, the commission has the power to shame the U.S. and demand a proper apology and fair restitution for those who were imprisoned. Its about time, Art told me. If the commission finds for the Shibayamas, it also will send a strong message to the Trump administration: Even decades after the fact, the U.S. government can be forced to answer for violations of rights that are the fundamental building blocks of American society. Evelyn Iritani, a former Los Angeles Times reporter, is working on a book about the exchange of civilian hostages between the U.S. and Japan during World War II. Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinionand Facebook MORE FROM OPINION Its time for a new conversation about L.A.s future According to Scott Pruitt, states only have the right to pollute, not protect their environments Does the term apartheid fit Israel? Of course it does. Alaskas national refuges are not private game reserves The storm of controversy after Secretary of State John F. Kerrys warning that Israel risked becoming an apartheid state reminded us once again that facts, data and the apparently tedious details of international law often seem to have little bearing on conversations about Israel conducted at the highest levels of this country. As was the case when other major figures brandished the A-word in connection with Israel (Jimmy Carter comes to mind), the political reaction to Kerrys warning was instantaneous and emotional. Israel is the only democracy in the Middle East, and any linkage between Israel and apartheid is nonsensical and ridiculous, said California Sen. Barbara Boxer. Thats that, then, eh? Not quite. Flat and ungrounded assertions may satisfy politicians, but anyone who wants to push the envelope of curiosity even a little bit further might want to spend a few minutes actually thinking over the term and its applicability to Israel. Apartheid isnt just a term of insult; its a word with a very specific legal meaning, as defined by the International Convention on the Suppression and Punishment of the Crime of Apartheid, adopted by the U.N. General Assembly in 1973 and ratified by most United Nations member states (Israel and the United States are exceptions, to their shame). Advertisement According to Article II of that convention, the term applies to acts committed for the purpose of establishing and maintaining domination by one racial group of persons over any other racial group of persons and systematically oppressing them. Denying those others the right to life and liberty, subjecting them to arbitrary arrest, expropriating their property, depriving them of the right to leave and return to their country or the right to freedom of movement and of residence, creating separate reserves and ghettos for the members of different racial groups, preventing mixed marriages these are all examples of the crime of apartheid specifically mentioned in the convention. Seeing the reference to racial groups here, some people might think of race in a putatively biological sense or as a matter of skin color. That is a rather simplistic (and dated) way of thinking about racial identity. More to the point, however, the operative definition of racial identity is provided in the 1965 International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (to which Israel is a signatory), on which the apartheid convention explicitly draws. There, the term racial discrimination is defined as any distinction, exclusion, restriction or preference based on race, color, descent, or national or ethnic origin which has the purpose or effect of nullifying or impairing the recognition, enjoyment or exercise, on an equal footing, of human rights and fundamental freedoms in the political, economic, social, cultural or any other field of public life. A few basic facts are now in order. The Jewish state (for so it identifies itself, after all) maintains a system of formal and informal housing segregation both in Israel and in the occupied territories. Its obvious, of course, that Jewish settlements in the West Bank arent exactly bursting with Palestinians. In Israel itself, however, hundreds of communities have been established for Jewish residents on land expropriated from Palestinians, in which segregation is maintained, for example, by admissions committees empowered to use ethnic criteria long since banned in the United States, or by the inability of Palestinian citizens to access land held exclusively for the Jewish people by the state-sanctioned Jewish National Fund. Jewish residents of the occupied territories enjoy various rights and privileges denied to their Palestinian neighbors. While the former enjoy the protections of Israeli civil law, the latter are subject to the harsh provisions of military law. So, while their Jewish neighbors come and go freely, West Bank Palestinians are subject to arbitrary arrest and detention, and to the denial of freedom of movement; they are frequently barred from access to educational or healthcare facilities, Christian and Muslim sites for religious worship, and so on. Meanwhile, Palestinian citizens of Israel must contend with about 50 state laws and bills that, according to the Palestinian-Israeli human rights organization Adalah, either privilege Jews or directly discriminate against the Palestinian minority. One of the key components of Israels nationality law, the Law of Return, for example, applies to Jews only, and excludes Palestinians, including Palestinians born in what is now the state of Israel. While Jewish citizens can move back and forth without interdiction, Israeli law expressly bars Palestinian citizens from bringing spouses from the occupied territories to live with them in Israel. The educational systems for the two populations in Israel (not to mention the occupied territories) are kept largely separate and unequal. While overcrowded Palestinian schools in Israel crumble, Jewish students are given access to more resources and curricular options. It is not legally possible in Israel for a Jewish citizen to marry a non-Jewish citizen. And a web of laws, regulations and military orders governing what kind of people can live in which particular spaces makes mixed marriages within the occupied territories, or across the pre-1967 border between Israel and the occupied territories, all but impossible. And so it goes in all domains of life, from birth to death: a systematic, vigilantly policed separation of the two populations and utter contempt for the principle of equality. One group stripped of property and rights, expelled, humiliated, punished, demolished, imprisoned and at times driven to the edge of starvation (down to the meticulously calculated last calorie) has withered. The other group its freedom of movement and of development not merely unrestricted but actively encouraged has flourished, and its religious and cultural symbols adorn the regalia of the state and are emblazoned on the state flag. The question is not whether the term apartheid applies here. It is why it should cause such an outcry when it is used. Saree Makdisi, a professor of English and comparative literature at UCLA, is the author of Palestine Inside Out: An Everyday Occupation. When the Times editorial board endorsed Joe Bray-Ali for Los Angeles City Council District 1, we described the election as a choice between competing visions of L.A.s future. On one side is Bray-Ali, a bike activist with dreams of a denser, smarter city with more affordable housing and fewer smog-producing cars; on the other is Councilman Gil Cedillo, a career politician who is hyper focused on building more market-rate housing and operates under the old-school rubric of the councilman as the boss of the district, rather than its servant. In that context, the new vision scored a victory on Friday. That was when the latest ballot count from the March 7 election made it clear that an exceedingly rare thing had happened: A challenger pushed an incumbent council member into a runoff. Advertisement The final results wont be certified until Tuesday, but there are only about 9,000 outstanding ballots out of about 900,000. That makes it all-but-certain that Bray-Ali will go head-to-head on May 16 with Cedillo for the job the next 5 years of representing the district that stretches from Highland Park to Pico-Union. Council incumbents have a huge advantage over challengers and in the last couple of decades they almost always have prevailed. It takes a lot of money to run a successful council race, and those with deep pockets favor those who have already been elected. Add to that a general unwillingness of voters to throw over a council member who hasnt done anything wrong and try someone new, and it makes it nigh impossible. Councilman Nick Pacheco was one exception. In 2003, he lost a reelection bid for Council District 14. But his opponent was a rare political celebrity: Antonio Villaraigosa, the popular former speaker of the California Legislature and future mayor of the city. Two years later Villaraigosa took out another incumbent: Mayor James Hahn. Though Cedillo will have an advantage over Bray-Ali in the May 16 election, he would be wise to not brush-off the trendy, hippy, hipster (his words) constituents in the northeast part of the city who are not happy about what many believe is an unresponsive council representative. Indeed, Bray-Ali may never have launched his campaign if Cedillo hadnt stymied efforts to build bike lanes in Highland Park. That Bray-Ali got 38% of the vote in the primary race signals deep discontent in the district. Cedillo was a champion for immigrants during his time in the state Legislature, particularly those who are undocumented, and that good will surely counted for a lot in this heavily immigrant district. But how long can he coast on that? Like so much of the citys core, Council District 1 has been changing rapidly in recent years in part because of the influx of market-rate housing Cedillo embraces. That means his district is whiter, wealthier and less likely to consider his work on behalf of immigrants as a reason to vote for him. mariel.garza@latimes.com Follow me @marielgarzaLAT 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 Looking at the numbers, Democrats seem to have a better chance seizing control of the Senate in 2018 than winning a majority and clawing their way back to power in the House. Republicans hold a mere 52-48 Senate majority while outnumbering Democrats in the House by 44 seats, with five vacancies. But elections are not about mathematics, or determined by probability. Advertisement Though Democrats need to win just three seats to take over the Senate, the lay of the political landscape appears to strongly favor Republicans, who are defending nine seats in the 2018 midterm elections, compared to more than twice that 25 for Democrats. In the House, Democrats need a gain in the neighborhood of 24 seats to take control.There are about 50 seats, give or take, that appear reasonably competitive. That suggests at least a decent chance that power could shift. The most important factor will be President Trump and his standing with voters by the time November 2018 rolls around. Although he wont be up for reelection until 2020, his policies and performance will be very much on the ballot in the midterm election. (For some, his super-sized personality will also be factor.) Remind me again, when is election day in 2018? On Nov. 6. How many House seats will be up? Unlike in the Senate, where roughly a third of members face reelection every six years, all 435 House seats will be on the ballot. But only about 50 or so are competitive? Well, that could change, especially if Trumps subpar approval numbers fall even further. But for all the talk of voter anger and the widespread contempt for Congress registered in opinion polls, the overwhelmingly majority of incumbents will be sent back to Washington most without having to break a sweat. Nice work if you can get it! Indeed. In many states, politicians did a masterful job drawing congressional boundaries that effectively eliminate serious competition, by loading up districts with voters who can be counted on to vote for one party or the other. Also, the growing inclination of people to live among like-minded peers means that most Republicans and Democrats represent districts that tilt strongly toward one or the other major party. That said, there are 23 Republicans representing districts that Democrat Hillary Clinton carried in 2016, and 12 Democrats sitting in districts that Trump won. Heres why the 2018 Senate election will be crucial for President Trump and his Democratic foes Isnt it right about now you bring up historical trends? Yup, and here we go: The presidents party has lost seats in 18 of the last 20 midterm elections, with an average loss of 33 seats in that time. Whens the last time we had a midterm election with a Republican president? Wow, really down in the weeds, arent you? That would be 2006 which happens to be the year Democrats won control of the House after being in the minority for 12 years. So thats promising for Democrats, isnt it? Yes, but. In this age of Trump, all the usual assumptions and historical patterns have to be taken with that proverbial shaker of salt. Democrats were convinced he would not only lose the White House but prove a major drag on down-ballot candidates. They even entertained visions of a 30-seat House pickup giving them the majority after November. But Democrats won only six seats and, of course, were wrong about whod be sitting in the White House right now. But the dynamics of midterm election are different, no? One would think so. Typically, the midpoint of a presidents term is a chance for voters to weigh in with a progress report of sorts. And, human nature being what it is, the frustrated and discontented are more likely to muster themselves to vote than those who are happy and contented. Thats why the presidents party almost always loses seats. Holy-moly, Im on the edge of my seat! Do we really have to wait until November 2018 to see what happens? Yes, but. There are a handful of special elections in the next few months to fill vacant House seats and while theres a serious danger of over-interpreting the results, the outcome could offer a few clues. In Los Angeles, nearly two dozen candidates are vying to replace state Atty. Gen Xavier Becerra in a district that is virtually certain to elect a Democrat on June 6. (The primary election is April 4.) Similarly, in Montana, Kansas and South Carolina, Republicans seem very likely to hang onto the seats that Ryan Zinke, Mike Pompeo and Mick Mulvaney, respectively, gave up to join the Trump administration. The most intriguing of the contests is taking place in Georgia, in a suburban Atlanta district that Trump barely won. The incumbent, Tom Price, stepped down to become secretary of Health and Human Services. If Democrats could snatch the seat away, or even keep the contest relatively close, that could offer a huge psychological boost. Yeah, but psychology doesnt win elections any more than probability. True enough. But a strong Democratic showing would suggest the oppositional energy that has manifested itself at town halls and street protests could translate into a strong turnout in the midterm election. And that, in turn, could encourage prospective Democrats to take the plunge and run in 2018; right now is prime recruiting time. Im marking my calendar! When is that Georgia election? The first round takes place on April 18. If no candidate receives a majority, the top two finishers, regardless of party, will advance to a runoff on June 20. mark.barabak@latimes.com Twitter: @markzbarabak ALSO Heres why the GOP is struggling to come up with a new healthcare plan: That wasnt the goal Trump wants to shelve fuel mileage rules, inviting a fight with California Is the Scalia theory embraced by Judge Gorsuch a lofty constitutional doctrine or just an excuse to be conservative? The Senate Judiciary Committee begins four days of confirmation hearings today on President Trumps Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch. Lisa Mascaro writes that its the moment Democrats have been waiting for to lay out their opposition to Gorsuch, and by proxy, their opposition to Trump. David Savage has a look at Gorsuchs judicial philosophy, a way of looking at the law that mirrors the late Justice Antonin Scalia. As the Supreme Court fight unfolds, the House Intelligence committee is holding its first public hearing on Russian interference in the 2016 election. Advertisement Im Sarah Wire, and I cover the California delegation in Congress. Welcome to the Monday edition of Essential Politics. The ranking Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), held an impromptu question-and-answer session Friday with a couple of dozen liberal activists who demanded Feinstein take a more outspoken stand against the Trump administration, including filibustering Gorsuchs nomination. It led to a testy exchange with one young protester. Get the latest about the Trump administration on Essential Washington and follow @latimespolitics and keep an eye on our Essential Politics news feed for California political news. RUSSIA INVESTIGATION As the House Intelligence Committee prepares to hold its first public hearing on Russian interference in the 2016 election today, President Trump took to Twitter to defend himself against suggestions that he or people close to him had colluded with Moscow. HEALTHCARE BILL VOTE After making some changes to make their healthcare bill more palpable, Republican leaders are exuding confidence about the chances of passing it in the House on Thursday. Trump privately told House conservatives Friday he was 1,000%" behind the GOPs answer to Obamacare as they incorporated new Medicaid changes, and on Sunday, House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.) said he felt very good about the chances that the House would pass the healthcare bill. Were still having conversations with our members, Ryan said on Fox News Sunday. Were making fine-tuning improvements to the bill to reflect peoples concerns, to reflect peoples improvements. TRAVEL BAN STILL BANNED Over the weekend, the Hawaii judge who halted President Trumps new travel ban last week rejected the governments request to limit his ruling. U.S. District Judge Derrick Watson told federal lawyers who protested the broad scope of his ruling that there is nothing unclear about his order. MR. BROWN GOES TO WASHINGTON Gov. Jerry Brown is headed to the nations capital today. In his first trip east since the arrival of the Trump administration, Brown is expected to gather with the states congressional delegation and others as he continues to assess the impact of the presidents plans on California. The only official item on the governors calendar for now: A meeting of the nonpartisan Nuclear Threat Initiative, for which he serves on the board of directors. Back home, the Brown administration is pressuring lawmakers to support a road-repair funding plan before the state Legislature goes on spring break April 6. Support is lagging for the bill, which would raise the gas tax and vehicle fees to provide $5.5 billion a year for fixing crumbling roads and improving mass transit. IMMIGRATION BUDGET PROPOSAL While Trumps budget includes a number of unprecedented elements for Californians, one familiar fight being picked by the president focuses on illegal immigration and the states prisons. In his Sunday column, John Myers laid out the history of federal subsidies to help pay the cost of incarcerating felons who are in the U.S. illegally. Though staunch immigration critics have championed the program, including a former California governor, the president proposes scrapping it. CHINA PUSHBACK China on Saturday dismissed U.S. efforts to adopt a stronger stance toward North Korea, testing Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and the progress he hopes to achieve in Beijing on the final, most precarious leg of his Asia tour, Jessica Meyers and Tracy Wilkinson report. The day before his visit, Tillerson said all options are on the table with North Korea, reversing the approach of previous administrations and signaling to Beijing that the U.S. has not ruled out military strikes on Chinas ally. Tillerson warned on Saturday in Beijing that the threat from North Korea was at a rather dangerous level. BYPASSING ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW The Los Angeles Rams got their new Inglewood stadium approved in just six weeks and skipped a full review under the states primary environmental law governing development. A new bill from a Riverside assemblyman would prohibit local governments from approving similar projects. SHOULD KEEPING HIV STATUS SECRET BE A FELONY? Having unprotected sex without telling a partner about an HIV-positive status would no longer be a felony under a bill proposed by state lawmakers. Patrick McGreevy has more on the measure by state Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) and others, which would make knowingly exposing others to the disease by engaging in unprotected sex and not telling the partner about the infection a misdemeanor. The proposal has sparked opposition from Republican lawmakers. OTHER ESSENTIALS Nearly two months after Trump took office, there is still no Spanish version of WhiteHouse.gov, and Rep. Lou Correa (D-Santa Ana) is turning to his colleagues in Congress for a fix. Endorsements continue to roll in with a little over two weeks left in the 34th Congressional District race. Danny Glover, a major supporter of Bernie Sanders during last years presidential primary, and National Nurses United have endorsed Arturo Carmona. The Sierra Club and the California League of Conservation Voters are backing Assemblyman Jimmy Gomez. Maria Cabildo, who has been endorsed by the Los Angeles Times, got a nod from Latinas Lead California, an organization that supports Latinas running for office. In this weeks California Politics Podcast, the discussion centers on the big environmental and budget plans announced in Washington last week, as well as a sweeping proposal to make college more affordable in the state. Should the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau be so independent? Brown asked Trump for a fourth federal disaster declaration on Sunday to help speed up recovery and repairs across the state after the winters brutal storms. House Democrats were frustrated after their immigration meeting with the head of Homeland Security on Friday. A new ad for Wendy Carrillos congressional campaign for the 34th District caught the eye of white supremacist David Duke, who tweeted about it. A bill from a Bay Area assemblyman aims to give local school districts money to help build teacher housing. More than 130 housing bills are pending in the California Legislature this year. Democratic and Republican legislative leaders join together to fight campaign finance rule change. A man pulled down a gay pride flag outside Rep. Alan Lowenthals Washington office LOGISTICS Essential Politics is published Monday, Wednesday and Friday. You can keep up with breaking news on our politics page throughout the day for the latest and greatest. And are you following us on Twitter at @latimespolitics? Miss Fridays newsletter? Here you go. Please send thoughts, concerns and news tips to politics@latimes.com. Did someone forward you this? Sign up here to get Essential Politics in your inbox. 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 Libya has in two days rescued 420 migrants trying to cross the Mediterranean to Europe, a navy spokesman said Monday, but three were found dead and 30 reported missing. General Ayoub Qassem said 205 Africans including eight women and a child were rescued early Monday off the coast of Tajura, 30 kilometres (18 miles) east of Tripoli, The migrants "were on two inflatable dinghies that had started to take on water", he said. On Sunday, the coastguard rescued 215 migrants including 47 women off Zwara, 160 kilometres west of Tripoli, Qassem said. The bodies of three women were recovered, he said, and at least 30 people have been reported missing. "They are thought to have jumped or fallen off the boat during the night," the spokesman said. "The smugglers pushed two dinghies crammed with people out to sea before removing their engines and abandoning them to their fate." Qassem did not say where the boats departed, but most leave from western Libya, just 300 kilometres (190 miles) from the Italian coast. The Italian coastguard said it had also rescued another 3,000 migrants off the coast of Libya on Sunday. The North African country has long been a stepping stone for migrants dreaming of a better life in Europe, but people smugglers have stepped up their lucrative trade in the chaos since the 2011 ouster of longtime dictator Moamer Kadhafi. Interior ministers mainly from the central Mediterranean region met in Rome Monday to ramp up efforts to curb migration from Libya. They released a declaration of intent which limited itself to promising increased coordination and information sharing in a bid to tackle the root causes of migration, as well as combat smuggling and strengthen borders. Search Keywords: Short link: President Trumps proposed budget cuts to the United Nations, which runs agencies such as the World Food Program and UNICEF, come at a time when famine is reaching a crisis point in parts of Africa, and children in some countries are dying of starvation. The timing of the proposed cuts has sent chills through the international aid community, which fears that a retreat by the U.S. in relief funding could make a bad situation worse. Just days before Trumps budget was released, U.N. humanitarian chief Stephen OBrien warned that the globe is facing its worst humanitarian crisis since the end of World War II. Advertisement Two years of drought and failed rains across much of Africa have affected 38 million people in 17 countries. Without a massive donor injection of $4.4 billion, aid officials estimate, more than 20 million people face starvation and famine in Nigerias northeast, South Sudan, Somalia and Yemen. The disaster is likely to leave countries fragile for years to come. The United States, through its humanitarian aid and support for the U.N., has traditionally been at the forefront of global efforts to avert catastrophes such as famine, and to relieve the effects of drought on some of the worlds poorest people. The budget process involves negotiations between the White House and Congress that could see changes in Trumps proposal to slash funding for the State Department, as well as the U.S. Agency for International Development and other international programs, by 28%, or $10.9 billion, as he seeks to increase military spending by $54 billion next year. But Scott Paul, senior policy adviser at the humanitarian agency Oxfam, said Trumps budget blueprint sent tremors of alarm through the humanitarian community. The message that it sends is that the U.S. is no longer interested in leading or being part of global efforts to mitigate suffering in the world, he said. Even before Trumps blueprint was unveiled, there wasnt sufficient global support for U.N. and humanitarian efforts to stave off catastrophes in South Sudan, Somalia, northeastern Nigeria and Yemen, Paul added. We have these four emergencies on the verge of famine, which from our point of view already signal a failure of will to prevent this historic level of suffering, he said. Maybe our biggest concern is that looking forward we will see this crisis spiral out of control because the U.S. is stepping away from the table when it comes to the overarching priority of shared prosperity and a stable and peaceful world, he said. For decades, the U.S. has been the largest supporter of the World Food Program as part of a bipartisan congressional commitment to averting famine and starvation. In 2016, the U.S. paid 24% of the food programs $8.6-billion budget, or about $2 billion. But in the future, other countries will have to step up to provide a greater share of disaster assistance, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said in Japan on Thursday. I think it sends a message that the U.S. is turning inward at a time when we are facing these unprecedented crises that require increasing U.S. engagements and humanitarian assistance, said Bernice Romero, senior director for policy and humanitarian response at Save the Children. In 2016 the U.S. contributed $6.4 billion in humanitarian assistance, the largest in the world. Cutting its funding at a time of looming famine in four countries and the worlds largest displacement crisis since World War II is really unconscionable and could really have devastating consequences. Parts of South Sudan and northeastern Nigeria have already experienced famine in the current crisis, with humanitarian agencies warning that Somalia, where half the population is in dire need of help, could be next. The largest fear for us as humanitarians is that there will be less assistance to save lives in the future. Bernice Romero, senior director for policy and humanitarian response at Save the Children At present levels, the U.S. also funds 40% of the Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, 22% of the U.N. Secretariat, as well as 28% of the cost of U.N. peacekeeping operations in places such as South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Darfur in Sudan, Mali and the Central African Republic. The budget proposal caps the contribution to peacekeeping at 25%. Steve Taravella, senior spokesman for the World Food Program, said the budget blueprint sparked concerns that the U.S. was retreating from its historical support for aid to avert starvation and hunger. I think everybody who has seen the numbers that were proposed has some fear that efforts to fend off famine will not get the same support they have in the past, said Taravella. At the time when we are asking the world for even greater amounts to help stave off famine in these parts of the world, what we are looking at is the possibility of a decrease from our major donor. Its not an abstract threat. Right now, people are dying. Theyre dying for lack of food. Were desperately asking for increased funds. We understand that its very difficult to keep turning to the well. Were trying to draw the worlds attention to the threat that famine poses to global stability and peace. Nobody wants to experience a famine like we have in the past. Thats really whats happening now. Ben Parker, an analyst and editor at IRIN, a news agency specializing in humanitarian issues, said the ability of the U.S. to sharply cut its contribution to the U.N. Secretariat and peacekeeping was limited, because these were mandatory shares worked out on a formula agreed by all U.N. members. But humanitarian spending is discretionary. Parker said the U.S. humanitarian contribution was large in dollar terms, but in terms of the percentage of its economy, the U.S. is not very generous. He said the U.S. could default on its obligations to support the U.N. Secretariat and peacekeeping, as it has done in the past, but this would eventually lead to a loss of its voting rights, problematic for one of the five permanent members of the Security Council. More details of the cuts will emerge in coming months, as the budget process continues. Paul said Oxfam was hopeful that Congress would insist on maintaining emergency humanitarian support. But he said there was concern that the global architecture to maintain peace and stability was at risk, with other important funding targeted for cuts, including American contributions to the U.N.s budget, U.N. peacekeeping and other global programs to support development and peace-building. As nationalist and populist movements gain ground across the globe, humanitarians worry about what this might mean for future lifesaving operations. I think theres concern in the humanitarian community that theres a growing sense of looking inward across the globe. The largest fear for us as humanitarians is that there will be less assistance to save lives in the future, said Romero, of Save the Children. Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney attends a March 16, 2017, news briefing in Washington. (Saul Loeb / AFP/Getty Images) Trumps budget director, Mick Mulvaney, told journalists at a news conference Thursday that the president had promised to cut overseas spending during his campaign. Were absolutely reducing funding to the U.N. and to various foreign aid programs. The president said, specifically, hundreds of times you covered him Im going to spend less money on people overseas and more money on people back home, and thats exactly what were doing with this budget. robyn.dixon@latimes.com Twitter: @RobynDixon_LAT ALSO Famine strikes in South Sudan, as people in four countries face starvation In South Africa, a protest against foreigners turns violent. Why was it allowed to go ahead? This week in Trump: taxes, travel ban and the federal budget The corruption investigation that led to the removal of South Koreas president this month appears to have widened yet again, with prosecutors in recent days questioning executives from two more of the nations top conglomerates about the case. Prosecutors began questioning the former president, Park Geun-hye, on Tuesday morning over allegations that she used her office to seek bribes from the nations corporate titans for a longtime confidant, among other allegations. Ahead of that effort, however, prosecutors over the weekend broadened the case by questioning Chey Tae-won, the chairman of SK Group, and Jang Sun-wook, who heads the lucrative duty-free business for Lotte Group, a major retailer. Then on Monday, Kwon Oh-joon, chairman of POSCO, the worlds fourth-largest steelmaker, testified about his own companys relationship to the scandal, which was already under investigation. Advertisement The three executives have been drawn into the criminal case because their firms were asked to donate millions of dollars perhaps, authorities suspect, under political pressure to businesses controlled by the disgraced former presidents confidant, Choi Soon-sil. She remains jailed and is facing trial on numerous charges. The three recent examples of corporate officials being summoned before authorities are the latest revelations in a blockbuster investigation that began six months ago amid allegations that Choi, who had no government title, used her access to the president to see and edit sensitive documents. More than two dozen people have since been charged with various crimes, including the de facto leader of the Samsung Group, Lee Jae-yong, one of the nations most-powerful men. Several former aides to Park have also been charged, including two amid allegations that they created a blacklist to punish artists and others who were critical of the presidents administration. The case could have stalled two weeks ago when a team of appointed special prosecutors cut short their case under a statutory deadline. The president lost her job, in large part because of their work, around that time. Before leaving, a spokesman for the group, Lee Kyu-chul, warned that more people and branches were involved. His statement now appears to carry more weight. The special prosecutors work was turned over to local prosecutors, and it appears to have propelled the case further into the murky ties between politics and business that are characteristic of South Koreas relatively young democracy. The core subject of this teams investigation has been the abuse of power to monopolize state affairs for personal interest and the collusive links between business and politics, said Park Young-soo, who led the special investigation. The prosecutors now appear to be zeroing in on Park Geun-hye, who no longer enjoys presidential immunity after the National Assembly impeached her in December and a constitutional court upheld her removal from office earlier this month. She left the presidential complex more than a week ago to live as a civilian in Seouls upscale Gangnam district. Supporters of South Koreas impeached ex-president, Park Geun-hye, rally in Seoul on Saturday to demand a repeal of her impeachment. (Jung Yeon-je / AFP/Getty Images) Park, the daughter of a former South Korean military dictator, addressed a sea of reporters outside the prosecutors office on Tuesday after a high-speed motorcade from her home wound through the streets of southern Seoul. I feel apologetic toward the nations citizens. Ill cooperate in the questioning sincerely, she said. Park has denied the allegations by saying she never acted outside the nations interest. She also faces questions about whether she abused her power. Park has previously declined to discuss the case with prosecutors or the judges who decided her fate on March 9. Several of South Koreas largest companies, known as chaebol, have admitted donating money to Choi, the daughter of a deceased cult leader. Some have said they felt pressure to donate when asked by the president. In Samsungs case, prosecutors allege that more than $30 million in donations including a $900,000 horse for Chois daughter, an elite equestrian athlete prompted Park to direct officials to help pave the way for approval of a corporate merger. The tech giant has denied that allegation and said the truth will be revealed in court. The details about the executives pulled into the case in recent days are less clear. Chey, chairman of SK Corp., the third-largest South Korean conglomerate with holdings in energy, chemicals and telecommunications, was just released from prison for corporate malfeasance and is back in charge of his company. He received a pardon from Park in the summer of 2015. She said at the time that she granted it to spark the nations economy. Chey smiled to the news media before entering to speak with the prosecutors, but made no statement. He left 13 hours later, at 3 a.m. Sunday. Lotte Group Chairman Shin Dong-bin arrives for trial at Seoul Central District Court on Monday. (AFP/Getty Images) Its unclear what drew Lotte Group, which faces a continuing but unrelated probe involving its family executives, into the Park case. Media reports have speculated that the companys $11 million in donations to Chois businesses, which came in two payments, might have been intended to help it keep a grip on the lucrative duty free business, or gain some other favor. Lotte spent much of 2016 recovering from an embarrassing scandal that began with infighting over dynastic control of the company and a highly publicized raid by prosecutors on its headquarters. Its executives are on trial now for numerous unrelated corporate charges. Its alleged donations to Chois businesses were returned, according to local media reports, but questions remain about whether the original payments were for political favors. Kwon, POSCOs chairman, testified in Chois trial on Monday. He told the court that his company had no pending issues before the government, but that he felt compelled to donate funds to what he considered dubious foundations to avoid corporate complications from government officials. They were made under pressure, rather than voluntarily, Kwon said. Stiles is a special correspondent. ALSO Secretary of State Rex Tillerson in Asia calls for different approach to confront North Korea South Koreas upcoming presidential election could reshape its relations with North Korea and the U.S. He defended the sacred lands of Mexicos Tarahumara people. Then a gunman cut him down UPDATES: 5:50 p.m.: This article was updated with more details, including the former presidents comments outside the prosecutors office. This article was originally published at 9:50 a.m. Pakistans prime minister ordered the reopening of the countrys border with Afghanistan on Monday, ending a protracted closure that has cost businesses on both sides millions of dollars and deepened tensions between the two neighbors. Calling it a goodwill gesture, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif ordered the opening of all the crossings along the boundary, considered the busiest and most lucrative border crossings in South Asia. Pakistan closed the border in mid-February following a string of deadly militant attacks that Islamabad has blamed on militants hiding in Afghanistan. Advertisement Since then, traders have complained of daily losses and prices of goods imported from Pakistan rose sharply in Afghanistan. Pakistan and Afghanistan often accuse the other of harboring militants. They have also exchanged lists of insurgents each says are hiding in the others country, demanding action. Afghanistan has also sent Pakistan the location of 23 suspected insurgent training camps it says are operating on its territory. There has been no information from either Kabul or Islamabad that any insurgents have been handed over. Sharif said he decided on reopening the border because of shared cultural and religious ties between the two nations, as well as the economic losses incurred by the closure despite the presence of militants in Afghanistan. Ziaul Haq Sarhadi, of a joint Pakistan-Afghan chamber of commerce, urged Sharifs government to move quickly to notify the border administration, which he said was waiting for instructions to open the border. However, news of the border opening spread quickly and convoys of trucks that had been waiting to cross began moving toward the border later Monday. Lal Rahim Shinwari, president of the Traders Assn., told the Associated Press that the opening is late in coming but still welcome. We have suffered losses on both sides, he said, speaking from Landi Kotal, which is near the border. He said the timing was auspicious because people in Afghanistan are preparing to celebrate the Persian New Year of Nawroz on Tuesday. We hope that trade and business will flourish without any further interruptions, he added. The deputy spokesman of the Afghan foreign ministry, Khairullah Azad, said that closing borders cant be the solution to problems and cant help us fight terrorism that needs a strong commitment and of course, practical action. Border closure can be harmful and can have negative impact on both Afghanistan and Pakistan, so once again, we appreciate and welcome the decision made to reopen the border, he added. The Mexican government on Thursday announced the arrest of a wealthy entrepreneur who is accused of a multimillion-dollar fraud involving Citibank and the giant Mexican oil monopoly. Amado Yanez Osuna was placed under arrest and will be charged with fraud, the federal attorney generals office said in a statement. He wont go to jail immediately, however, because he is in hospital recovering from surgery. There, officials said, he is under police guard. Yanez was head of the Oceanografia firm, which supplied services to Petroleos Mexicanos, or Pemex, the state oil company. According to prosecutors, Oceanografia fraudulently billed the firm for work not done and took out loans from the Mexican bank Banamex based on those false premises. Banamex is a subsidiary of Citibank. Advertisement Those fraudulent loans could total $400 million, possibly more, prosecutors say. Banamex recently fired 11 employees in connection with the case, apparently for failing to detect the fraud. Citibank also fired an employee said to be involved. The scandal comes as the administration of Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto is promoting a major overhaul of the countrys dwindling oil-production industry. Laws that would open up the long-closed oil and gas business here are in their final stages of debate in Congress. The presidents ability to clean up these alleged misdoings would go a long way in assuring international investors wary of endemic corruption in much of Mexican business and industry, experts say. Michael Corbat, chief executive of Citigroup Inc., said Thursday during an investors conference in New York that employees missed tell-tale signs of the fraud, the Wall Street Journal reported. Yanez was under a form of house arrest before Thursdays order from the attorney generals office. Russia's military will train Kurdish forces in Syria, the militia's spokesman said Monday, in Moscow's first agreement of its kind with the group that controls large parts of the country's north. The move by Russia, a longtime ally of President Bashar al-Assad's regime, is likely to anger Turkey, which considers the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) to be a "terrorist" group. "An agreement was signed between our units and Russian forces operating in Syria that will train us in modern military tactics," YPG spokesman Redur Xelil said. "This is the first agreement of its kind, although we have had previous cooperation (with the Russians) in Aleppo city," he said. Russian forces were already present at the training camp in the Afrin region, one of the three "autonomous" cantons that Kurdish authorities manage in northern Syria, Xelil told AFP. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group said Monday that nearly 100 Russian soldiers have entered the Afrin area. The deal, which Xelil said was part "of the framework of the fight against terrorism", was signed on Sunday and came into force on Monday. Russia has not officially confirmed the announcement of the accord, but confirmed in a statement that it has a presence in Afrin. The YPG makes up the bulk of the Syrian Democratic Forces, a US-backed alliance of Kurdish and Arab fighters that has seized swathes of territory from the Islamic State group (IS) in the north of the country. The SDF receives equipment, weapons and air support from the US-led coalition, and it is backed by several hundred Western special operations forces in an advisory role. Pentagon spokesman Jeff Davis said the Kurds to be trained by the Russians "are not the people we have worked with before". He said the Kurds comprised "a lot of different people". "Some are working with us through the Syrian Democratic Forces to fight ISIS (IS), some are not. We are supporting the ones who are working with us to fight ISIS." Russia is a long-term backer of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, but also recently worked closely with rebel supporter Turkey to try to end the six-year war in Syria. Aaron Stein, a senior fellow at the US-based Atlantic Council, said Russia was now partnering with the Kurds as they had become an important player in Syria. "The Kurds are now the most consequential non-state actor in Syria, alongside Al-Qaeda... They will have a huge say over the future of Syria," he said. Search Keywords: Short link: When she first saw the desolate stretch of coastal swamplands, Griselda Barradas said she felt sure that her harrowing search had finally ended. When I arrived, I had the feeling that here I would find my son, recalled Barradas, whose son, Pedro Huesca, 30, disappeared almost four years ago. Advertisement Huesca, an investigator for the Veracruz state district attorneys office, and his assistant were waylaid by armed men on April 15, 2013, in the city of Cardel. Neither was ever seen again. But investigators using DNA evidence finally determined that Huescas body and that of his assistant, Gerardo Montiel Hernandez, were among the remains found in recent months in a series of clandestine graves outside the city of Veracruz, in an area known as Colinas de Santa Fe. The two are the first positively identified victims from the mass gravesite, where volunteer diggers mostly widows and mothers of the missing, including Barradas have spearheaded an extraordinary effort that has thus far led to the discovery of the remains of more than 250 people in 125 separate graves, activists say. The searchers began digging last summer after receiving a tip about the site, apparently from someone knowledgeable about the illicit activity. The tipster provided a rough map with crosses marking where people had been interred, often buried in black plastic trash bags. The area was apparently used for years as a dumping ground for criminal gangs, including drug cartels like the Zetas, which control much of the illegal trafficking in Veracruz state. Relatives suspect that corrupt authorities in the state, working in league with criminal elements, were fully aware of the macabre traffic back and forth to Colinas de Santa Fe. The wooded area known as Colinas de Santa Fe, on the outskirts of Veracruz, where authorities work to find the remains of people buried in mass graves is seen from the air on March 15. (Jonathan Estudillo / Associated Press) Last week, the mass grave made international headlines when the state district attorney, Jorge Winckler, told the Televisa network that 250 skulls had been unearthed in the sprawling field. He called for national and international aid to help identify the remains unearthed from what likely will end up being the largest mass grave found in Mexico. Veracruz is an enormous grave, he said. Digging continues. Mexicos decade-long war on drugs has yielded tens of thousands of victims. Many are classified as desaparecido disappeared, people who vanished without a trace. Officially, Mexican officials acknowledge some 28,000 disappeared, some dating back to civil unrest in the 1970s. Activists say the number is likely higher and has swelled during the decade of the drug wars. Veracruz is an enormous grave. Jorge Winckler, Veracruz state district attorney The ranks of the vanished include many with no known link to criminal gangs. They may have been kidnapped for ransom, robbery or revenge, or caught in the wrong place at the wrong time, or were victims of mistaken identity. Relatives of the disappeared, like Barradas, have long complained that Mexican authorities were not responsive. Most have endured maddening rounds of visits to police stations, morgues, hospitals and shelters seeking missing loved ones. The official indifference, they say, reflects an insidious reality: Police and other law enforcement authorities have been implicated in illegal abductions, often in cahoots with gangs. Facing institutional apathy, frustrated relatives across the country have taken up picks and shovels and started to dig into the earth in search of any clue to the fates of their kin. Searchers in recent years have found scores of clandestine burial grounds, from Mexicos desert north to its subtropical south. But nowhere has the volume of human remains disinterred matched that unearthed so far in the mosquito-infested field in Veracruz state. That attests to the intensity of the violence and depth of impunity in a coastal state that is along a major corridor of drugs and migrants headed to the United States. Gangs control the lucrative traffic. Killers routinely remove all traces of ID on their victims, greatly complicating efforts to identify those found in secret graves. Despite last weeks comments from Winckler, the Veracruz state district attorney, activists say the state and federal governments have been of little help in the complex effort of identifying victims. The new governor hasnt even approached us, said Lucia Diaz, coordinator and co-founder of the Solecito Collective, the citizens group that has been digging at the Colinas de Santa Fe site. We know that the authorities have no interest in the situation of our disappeared relatives. They do nothing. Members of the Colectivo Solecito search group carry the coffin of Pedro Huesca to a cemetery on March 8. The remains of Huesca, an investigator, were found in a mass grave and identified through DNA. (Felix Marquez / Associated Press) Winckler is part of the new administration of Veracruz Gov. Miguel Angel Yunes Linares, who took office in December under the banner of an opposition party coalition. He succeeded Javier Duarte, a former stalwart of Mexicos ruling party who has become a symbol of corrupt governance in the country a fugitive wanted on charges of money laundering and links to organized crime. In the Televisa interview, Winckler blamed the previous administrations theft of public money for a lack of investigative resources. But activists argue that the current state administration has the means to accelerate what has become a mass murder inquiry. Its very easy to blame previous governments and wash ones hands, said Diaz, whose son, Luis Guillermo Lagunes Diaz, a popular disc jockey and events promoter in Veracruz, disappeared on June 28, 2013, apparently abducted from his home. He was 29. Authorities have collected some DNA samples from grieving relatives but so far only Huesca and Montiel have been identified. Huesca, who had a pair of masters degrees and a passion for law enforcement, sought to use his skill and knowledge to further the cause of justice in Mexico, his mother said. My son was a very honest person, said Barradas, 56, speaking in a telephone interview. He had a lot of dreams, like so many young people who were disappeared and saw their dreams smashed. On April 15, 2013, Barradas said, she heard gun shots in the morning in the city of Cardel. Later, she said, she went out to do some shopping and spotted her sons official SUV. His wife was by the car, crying. Police told the two that an armed group had fired shots, waylaid the investigators vehicle, and taken him and his assistant away. Police escorted the two stunned women to the headquarters of the navy, which is heavily involved in anti-drug efforts. Her son, Barradas noted, had often worked in conjunction with naval personnel in an effort called Veracruz Seguro, or Safe Veracruz. But no one knew anything of her sons fate. In August 2016, Rufino Bustamante, whose son is missing, joined other relatives to search for loved ones possibly buried in a clandestine gravesite on the northern fringes of Veracruz city. (Liliana Nieto del Rio / For The Times) Later, she said, she would learn through the official investigation that the police had helped facilitate her sons kidnapping in concert with the gunmen. Imagine, the same police who turned my son over were at the scene of the crime and took us to notify authorities! recalled Barradas, still finding the scenario hard to believe. Two men have been arrested in connection with her sons disappearance, but Barradas says she considers them lower-level operatives, not the bosses who ordered his killing. She believes her sons slaying was linked to his investigation of criminal activities in Veracruz. Barradas is among the many relatives of the disappeared who have joined the volunteer searchers from the Solecito Collective combing the fenced-off fields of Colinas de Santa Fe on the outskirts of Veracruz city, only a few hundred yards from a housing complex. Something about the forbidding site, she said, led her to believe that it would turn out to be her sons resting place. She also provided DNA samples. Barradas, like others, said she has found some sense of comfort in the physical effort of digging in search of what is left of some of the anonymous multitudes lost in Mexicos wave of violence. Yes, she said proudly, I pick up a shovel myself and I proceed to search in the ground. On Jan. 17, Barradas said, she received a telephone call from the district attorneys office bearing unexpected news: The remains of her son had been identified. I thank God this finally ended the torment of not knowing what happened to my son, said Barradas. The parents who look for their sons, we have no peace, we have no relief, we live day and night in anguish. It is a pain that one cannot explain. To read the article in Spanish, click here Sanchez is a reporter in the Times Mexico City bureau. ALSO He said, Im on my way, Mama. Then, like thousands of others in Mexico, he vanished He defended the sacred lands of Mexicos Tarahumara people. Then a gunman cut him down Under pressure, Mexican-owned Cemex says it wont help build Trumps border wall An Israeli aircraft reportedly launched a strike into Syria on Sunday that left one person dead, in what appeared to be the second cross-border attack in three days as tensions between the neighbors escalated over the weekend. The Israeli attack was reported by the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which said that the strike targeted a car traveling on a road between Damascus and Quneitra, a town in the Golan Heights near the border with Israel. An Israeli army spokesman declined to comment on the report. The Lebanese news service Al Mayadeen said the attack killed Yasser Hussein Asayeed, whom it described as a member of a militia aligned with the Syrian government. It said he was based in Golan. Advertisement Just two days earlier, Syrian forces shot several surface-to-air missiles at Israeli jets that were carrying out an attack in Syria against what Israel said was a weapons shipment bound for the Lebanese Shiite militant group Hezbollah. Israeli soldiers take part in a military training in the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights, near the border with Syria, on Feb. 21, 2017. (Jalaa Marey / AFP/Getty Images) Israel fired its Arrow interceptor missile to knock down one of the surface-to-air rockets headed for its territory, forcing the nations army to issue a rare confirmation that it had carried out an attack inside Syria. It marked the first time Israel had used the Arrow missile, which has been jointly developed with the U.S. over years to defend against long-range missiles from Iran. After the incident, Russias Foreign Ministry summoned the Israeli ambassador to Moscow to protest the attack. Russia is a close ally of Syrian President Bashar Assad. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, meanwhile, vowed to continue to carry out attacks in Syria against weapons shipments that it believes to be bound for Hezbollah. On Sunday morning, Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman responded to the incident with a saber-rattling warning. The next time that the Syrian air defenses fire at us, we will destroy them completely without thinking twice, he said in an interview with Israel Radio. The heightened tension highlights how Russias assistance to Assad has raised the stakes along the border with Israel. For most of the Syrian civil war, Israel has watched from the sidelines, except for occasional strikes against Hezbollah weapons shipments that it says could be strategic game changers in the balance of power. Those attacks havent been challenged by Syria, for the most part. Since Russias entry into the war, Israel and Moscow have come up with an understanding mechanism to avoid clashes between their militaries. But as the fighting tips in the Assad governments favor, Israeli officials have expressed concern that Iran and Hezbollah may gain a permanent foothold in Syria and possibly establish a presence along the border in the Golan Heights. This month, Netanyahu traveled to Moscow to try to convince Russian President Vladimir Putin that Iran shouldnt be strengthened by the war. Putin is unlikely to be persuaded by Israels entreaties to rein in one of his allies, said Eyal Zisser, a professor of political science at Tel Aviv University. The attacks over the weekend highlight the question of whether Moscow will continue to tolerate Israeli forays into Syria against its Shiite allies, he said. We need to ask: Will Russia accept the continuation of Israeli activity in Syria, or will it decide to put an end to it? he said. Mitnick is a special correspondent. ALSO Ryan predicts House will pass Obamacare repeal, but with changes to help older consumers Syrian fighters start evacuating from last rebel-held neighborhood in Homs Tillerson wraps up Asia trip on hopeful note, but uncertainties over North Korea remain All material is subject to strictly enforced copyright terms & conditions and cannot be repurposed or reproduced. 19882022 Latin American Financial Publications Inc. Cancer Drug Nilotinib Believed to Slow or Halt Parkinsons Disease & Alzheimers Disease Scheduled for Rigorous Testing staff@latinoshealth.com By Enzo Hao Mar 19, 2017 09:18 PM EDT Researchers have long been trying to find a single cure for aggressive brain diseases such as the Parkinson's disease and the Alzheimer's disease. To date, all efforts, even to slow them down have failed. That's why scientists are looking forward to the upcoming clinical trials of the cancer drug, nilotinib. In late 2015, scientists at the Georgetown University Medical Center run a clinical trial involving nilotinib, an FDA-approved drug for treating Leukemia. During this particular study, NPR reported that the cancer drug nilotinib appeared to reduce the symptoms in people having Parkinson's disease with dementia. The 2015 study involved 12 patients who were given small doses of nilotinib for 6 months. The outcome of this study revealed that 11 of the participants have improved mental and movement function, showing massive potential in finding a cure for Parkinson's Disease & Alzheimer's Disease. According to Fernando Pagan, director of the Movement Disorders Program at Georgetown University Medical Center, the result of the 2015 study is promising. Of the 12 participants, one patient regained the ability to feed herself, one man was able to stop using a walker, and three nonverbal patients were able to speak again. The result of this study was reported at the Society for Neuroscience convention in Chicago. Backed up with the 2015 study, experts are upbeat about nilotinib's potential as a drug for combating Parkinson's Disease & Alzheimer's Disease. That said, Georgetown is scheduled to launch more rigorous trials involving nilotinib. The trials would be launched in two parts and would involve 75 and 42 patients with Parkinson's Disease & Alzheimer's Disease, respectively. Both the trials are designed with input from the FDA. Pagan, also the medical director of the translational neurotherapeutics program at Georgetown, says that the two trials would help in identifying which results may have been a placebo effect and which may have been a direct result of the medication. The cancer drug nilotinib is believed to work by eliminating toxic proteins in the brains of people with Parkinson's Disease & Alzheimer's Disease. That said, the cancer drug nilotinib facilitates the activation of a certain area in the brain cells that functions as a sort of garbage disposal. Pagan suggests that once the mechanism is turned on, nilotinib may be able to degrade the proteins in the brain cells, thus potentially stop the progression of Parkinson's Disease & Alzheimer's Disease. Subscribe to the latinos health newsletter! As per the President Donald Trump budget proposal for fiscal 2018, NASA's land on Jupiter's icy moon Europa and few Earth science missions will not go forward. The budget proposals of the president were released on March 16. According to Space, NASA's funding for 2018 would be cut from roughly $19.3 billion to $19.1. NASA officials and scientific community were concerned about the budget cut that NASA could face under Trump administration that NASA could face under Trump administration. The budget increases cooperation with industry, that rather focuses on efforts on deep space exploration rather than Earth-centric research.NASA could face the challenge but the initial projects suggest that the space agency can continue with most of its project. Space News has reported that the budget blueprint also cancels NASA's Asteroid Redirect Mission. This is an effort to pluck a boulder off a space rock and tow the piece to lunar orbit. The budget also terminates four Earth science missions (PACE, OCO, DISCOVER Earth-viewing instruments and CLARREO Pathfinder) and reduces funding for Earth science research grants. The news report has stated that the budget cancels the multi-billion-dollar Asteroid-dollar Asteroid Redirect Mission. But the budget encourages NASA's efforts to send American astronauts on deep-space missions. This also reinvigorates robotic exploration of the solar system by providing $1.9 billion for the planetary science program. This fund also included for a mission to repeatedly fly by Jupiter's icy ocean moon Europa and a Mars rover that would launch in 2020. The space agency, NASA receives $19.1 billion in the proposed budget, a 0.8 percent cut from 2017 funding levels. But Trump administration reported they will unveil a more fleshed-out version in May. Meanwhile, the budget creates new opportunities for collaboration with industry on space station operations that supports public-private partnership for deep-space habitation and also exploration systems. But NASA will re-evaluate the risks of incomplete polar coverage by satellites. A car bombing on Monday evening in the Iraqi capital Baghdad killed at least 15 people and wounded 33, an interior ministry official told AFP. The blast happened at around 7:00 pm (1600 GMT) in the busy business district of Hay al-Amel in the west of the city, he said. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the explosion, which bore all the hallmarks of a suicide attack by the Islamic State group. The radical Sunni jihadist group is under assault in both Iraq -- in the country's second city Mosul which IS seized in June 2014 -- and in neighbouring Syria. In that year, the jihadists took vast swathes of Iraqi territory north and west of the capital. Iraqi government forces backed by the US-led international coalition have since retaken many cities, including Tikrit. Search Keywords: Short link: Mar 20, 2017, 11:52am ET French authorities drop Opel emissions investigation An official inquiry found no evidence of fraud. The agency is still pursuing investigations into FCA, Renault and PSA, however. French authorities have closed an investigation into suspicions of Opel emissions violations. The country's Directorate General for Competition Policy, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Control collected and analyzed documents submitted by the automaker, along with test results from two independent labs. "These elements ... have not revealed facts constituting an offense of fraud," the agency said in a statement. The investigation was part of a broader inquiry that sought to survey nitrogen oxides emissions from a dozen vehicles sold in France. The DGCCRF is still pursuing investigations into several other automakers suspected of cheating emissions regulations including Renault, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and PSA Group. A man is headed to state prison for showing a picture of his genitals to a girl getting a manicure at an Allentown salon. Jacky Pham was sentenced to 27 months to five years in state prison on Monday for unlawful contact with a minor. The 58-year-old Pham must also register as a sex offender under the state's Megan's Law for the next 25 years. Pham apologized to the girl in court, but also said he couldn't believe "this happened to him," Assistant District Attorney Sarah Heimbach said. Prosecutors said the 11-year-old girl was getting a manicure with her aunt Dec. 26 at Professional Nails, 727 N. Sixth St. Pham slid the phone over to the girl, and then motioned for her not to say anything, police said. A customer saw what was happening, and got the girl's aunt, who called police, prosecutors said. Investigators found the photos on Pham's cellphone. Sarah Cassi may be reached at scassi@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow her on Twitter @SarahCassi. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook. Wilson Borough police are searching for a driver they say sped through the borough and tried to strike a patrol cruiser before crashing into another car head-on and running away. Charged is Nikolas Erik Davis, 25, of the 1100 block of Idaho Street, Allentown. Just after 2 a.m. Saturday, borough police were alerted by Northampton County 911 Communications a white Chrysler with a Florida license plate was heading into the borough. Pennsylvania State Police had been following the Chrysler and called off the pursuit. At 2:48 a.m., a Wilson Borough police officer spotted the Chrysler parked in the 1800 block of Freemansburg Avenue with Davis, the driver, and a female inside. The officer angled his patrol vehicle to box Davis in and enacted emergency lights, but Davis accelerated and attempted to ram the cruiser, police said. The officer was able to pull forward to avoid a collision. The patrol vehicle followed Davis, who was allegedly speeding. Davis then tried to turn onto the 1800 block of Butler Street and struck a Chevrolet Cavalier head-on with two female occupants. Davis then got out of the Chrysler and ran north on South 18th Street, police said. A witness identified Davis as the driver. The officer also was able to identify Davis after state police provided Davis' driver's license. Davis has a past criminal history. Davis was charged with DUI in December 2010; DUI (highest rate of alcohol) in August 2012; and DUI of a controlled substance in December 2012. His driver's license was revoked for being a habitual offender. In Saturday's incident, Davis is charged with aggravated assault, eluding police, simple assault, reckless endangerment, being a habitual offender and traffic violations. A warrant for his arrest has been filed at the office of District Judge Roy Manwaring. Pamela Sroka-Holzmann may be reached at pholzmann@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow her on Twitter @pamholzmann. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook. It was lightly snowing early Saturday morning when a Kutztown Area High School senior crashed a pickup truck in Lehigh County and died, Pennsylvania State Police said in a news release. Kaci M. Kunkle, 18, of Kempton, was a senior with "an infectious smile" and "hardworking spirit," schools Superintendent George F. Fiore said in a Facebook letter to district families. A support team of psychologists, counselors and pupil personnel workers were to be on hand Monday at the Berks County school and the Berks Career and Technology Center, Fiore said. R.I.P. Kaci kunkle you will be greatly missed. pic.twitter.com/QNLbl8oUY9 Sarah fly (@Fly15Sarah) March 18, 2017 "For those of you who did not know Kaci, we ask that you respect our sadness and support us with your understanding," Fiore said. Friends mourned on social media. "My thoughts and prayers go out to the Kunkle family during this time! Rest In Peace Kaci Kunkle," Brittany Lynn Wixon wrote on Facebook. Kunkle was driving a 1999 Dodge Ram 1500 west down a hill at 4:57 a.m. on two-lane Route 143 -- also known as Kings Highway -- in Lynn Township, state police said in the news release issued Sunday night. The street had a posted 45 mph speed limit and Kunkle was driving at an unsafe speed, according to state police. Kunkle drove onto the north berm of the road for more than 100 feet, near Surf Drive, before the pickup began to spin clockwise and the front end hit a snow mound, state police said. The Dodge then struck a mailbox and the driver's side door severed a utility pole, spilling power lines onto the street, police said. The truck overturned and skidded 12 feet on its roof before stopping. Kunkle was pronounced dead at 7:15 a.m. at the scene by the Lehigh County Coroner's Office. She died from multiple blunt force trauma injuries and her death was ruled an accident, Coroner Scott Grim said. "It is very difficult for all of us to face the death of a young person," Fiore said. A GoFundMe page in Kunkle's memory had raised $4,160 of its $5,000 goal by Monday morning. "It is absolutely amazing to see so many people helping my family during this tragedy," the effort said. "Expenses occurred from the loss a child, is something a parent should never have to face. Every cent that has been donated to Kaci truly shows how big our family has become. Thank you all for the support!" Tony Rhodin may be reached at arhodin@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyRhodin. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook. A North Carolina man is accused of smuggling cigarettes across state lines after being stopped on Interstate 78 with more than 450 cartons in his trunk. Adil Haouam, of Charlotte, North Carolina, was arrested Saturday night and charged with two counts of possessing unstamped cigarettes and a summary traffic violation. The 39-year-old Haouam is free after posting $50,000 bail on Sunday. Haouam is charged under a Pennsylvania law that forbids possession of 1,000 or more unstamped cigarettes unless licensed to sell cigarettes or part of a group specifically exempt under the law. Pennsylvania State Police at the Fogelsville barracks said a trooper stopped Haouam at about 10:20 p.m., and Haouam appeared nervous. After verifying Haouam's identity, the trooper saw that Haouam was holding prayer beads in his hand and his hands were shaking, state police said. The trooper asked Haouam if he had any drugs in the car, and Haouam reportedly said no. The trooper then asked if there were any untaxed cigarettes in the car, and Haouam said no. Haouam allowed the trooper to search the car, and the trooper found 455 cartons of cigarettes -- 91,000 cigarettes -- with no tax stamps on them, police said. Sarah Cassi may be reached at scassi@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow her on Twitter @SarahCassi. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook. Egypt and the World Bank launched on Sunday the $500 million Upper Egypt Local Development Programme, the bank announced. In an e-mailed statement, the World Bank said that the $500 million World Bank loan will help create jobs in Upper Egypt by enhancing the business climate and improving infrastructure and the delivery of services. We are pleased to witness the launch of the new programme and support the governments broader efforts in developing the lagging regions of Egypt. This programme will help create jobs, improve service delivery and realise the potential of economic sectors in both Sohag and Qena, Asad Alam, World Bank Country Director for Egypt, Yemen and Djibouti said in the statement. The programme will focus on the governorates of Qena and Sohag, which are among the poorest in the country. The goal of the programme is to empower sub-national governments in these areas to deliver better infrastructure and services for economic development, job creation and social wellbeing. Private sector coordination and investment, as well as local governance, will be improved, and a participatory approach that engages citizens at all levels will be followed, according to the statement. The programme aims to "enhance the competitiveness of economic sectors with unrealised potentials, support industrial zone management, apply a performance-based grant system and increase the budget of both governorates," Egypts international cooperation ministry said. Upper Egypt, which includes ten governorates, is home to about 38 percent of Egypts population and 67 percent of its poor, the bank said. This programme comes within the framework of the World Bank's Country Partnership Framework (CPF) for 201519, which provides about $8 billion to support vital sectors of Egypt's economy, the statement read. A high-level mission from the World Bank Group met on Sunday with Egyptian Prime Minister Sherif Ismail to discuss improving the business environment in the country. The World Bank finances several projects in Egypt, including projects related to energy, transport, water and wastewater, agriculture and irrigation, population and health, and social safety nets; as well as supporting employment-intensive projects and financing small- and medium-sized enterprises. In late December, Egypt signed with the director of the World Bank in Cairo the second $1 billion tranche of a $3 billion loan package to support Egypts economic reform programme. Egypt received the first tranche of the loan in September. The current portfolio of the World Bank in Egypt includes 26 projects for a total commitment of $5.92 billion, according to its data. Search Keywords: Short link: If a fire erupts in Nazareth, fewer volunteer firefighters likely will be responding to the call, according to Vigilance Hose Co.'s former president. Troy Keenhold, who served as president for three years and a volunteer firefighter for about two decades, resigned in mid-January. So did his brother Danny Keenhold, former chief for the past 27 years and a borough firefighter for 43 years; as well as David Hess, the company's vice president and a firefighter for about 20 years. The reason? All three cited a lack of integrity at the fire company as reasons for their departure. In a 5-0 vote on Jan. 16, the Vigilance Hose Co. trustees approved former Mayor Carl Strye Jr. returning as a lifetime member. The vote came less than a year after Strye was charged with stealing $8,000 from the Vigilance social hall. "I can't be part of an organization that condones their members stealing," Hess said last week. "A crook is a crook is a crook. Would you want someone who stole entering your house or vehicle to help you?" Fire company treasurer Terrie Keenhold, Danny's wife and a member for decades, also got up and quit during a February meeting of the trustees. They say more volunteers could follow suit. A dozen to 15 firefighters are expected to attend Nazareth Borough Council's fire committee meeting at 6 p.m. Monday to raise concerns. The meeting is held at council chambers and is open to the public. Troy Keenhold said public safety is at risk, as well as personal property and homes, with a skeleton crew of fire personnel. "Right now if there's a call, 10 firefighters could show up," he said. "If more people leave, it could be two or three. It's dwindling." John Deutsch, who recently was appointed the new fire chief by borough council, agreed there could be fewer firefighter volunteers if more folks resign, but he disputed that public safety is in jeopardy. Nazareth could seek mutual aid from the Hecktown Volunteer Fire Co., Bushkill Township Volunteer Fire Co. and Upper Nazareth Fire Department if enough volunteers didn't answer a call, he said. Red flags As president, Strye ran the Vigilance Hose Co. social hall from 1987 to 2013. The 54-year-old Strye stepped down when he became mayor and Troy Keenhold took over in 2014. At the time, Strye gave Troy Keenhold a box containing $20,000 that Keenhold said was supposed to be 27 years' worth of fundraising from the illegal poker games and small games of chance at the private club. Poker machines are deemed illegal in Pennsylvania if they offer payouts to people using them. Keenhold last week said while he can't put an amount on it, a bartender told him the box should have totaled at least $100,000 annually. "Multiply that by 27 and it would have been millions," Troy Keenhold said. Keenhold later shared his concerns with other members of Vigilance Hose Co.'s board of trustees. Authorities began investigating Strye in November 2014 and eventually filed charges on the recommendation of a Northampton County grand jury. Strye was accused of pocketing $8,000 in cash garnered from the illegal games. District Attorney John Morganelli approved last summer that, contingent on his resignation as mayor, Strye could enroll in the county court's accelerated rehabilitative disposition program. If he successfully completes the ARD program in six months, the felony theft will be legally cleared from Strye's record. It was no secret that small games of chance and video poker were popular diversions at the Vigilance Hose Co. social hall (as well as other private clubs in Pennsylvania). In January 2015, state Liquor Control Enforcement officers seized at least eight video poker machines and an undetermined amount of cash during a raid at Vigilance Hose and at the East Lawn Social Club in Upper Nazareth Township. Thousands collected annually by the social club often would pay for equipment for firefighters and building upgrades given the company of upward of 50 firefighters is all volunteer, Troy Keenhold said. Strye at one point bought a new pickup truck for the fire company and had provided $8,000 as a down payment, according to Troy Keenhold. When Keenhold came on as president, he said, $19,434 was still owed toward the truck. "It took us about six months of fundraising right there just to pay off the truck," he said. Strye has repeatedly denied taking any money from gambling proceeds for personal gain. However, the ARD program required him to admit to the felony offense in order for it to later be expunged. Already accepted back in the fire company, Strye earlier this month took another step toward assuming a larger borough role. He filed a petition to seek the Republican Party's nomination for borough council in the May 16 primary election. In doing so, Strye said he wanted to regain the public's trust. "My compassion and love for the borough has always been strong. No four people who tried to take me down will affect my love for the borough," he had said. 'Trust in a heartbeat' The Vigilance Hose Co. board initially suspended Strye when he was charged, pending the outcome of his case, Hess said. In approving his lifetime membership Jan. 16, Strye could join the board of trustees, have voting rights and essentially become president and oversee the social hall again, Troy Keenhold said. The vote frustrated the Keenholds and Hess, who now are questioning the overall integrity of the fire company. "My biggest beef is the board of trustees let him back in," Hess said. "How can they allow him to come back?" Danny Keenhold declined comment except to say he hopes borough council's fire committee steps in after Monday to help iron out issues. "Morale is low; it's sad," he said. "This club allows people to steal from them and remain in the company," Troy Keenhold added. "I'm fed up with the board." Mark Morella, president of the board of trustees, declined comment for this story and other board members did not immediately return a voicemail left at the fire station. Deutsch, the new chief, said he trusts Strye and welcomes his return to fighting fires. He said what happened at the social hall is a separate issue from the fire company. Deutsch believes Strye earned his membership over decades of service, which included being instrumental in organizing the annual Halloween parade and carnival. "We're not pulling his life membership; he earned it, he deserves it," Deutsch said. "We're more than willing to take Carl back." "He has never done anything wrong in the fire department yet; never put the public in jeopardy. I would trust him in a heartbeat. What happens at the social club, that's not us." Deutsch likened the strife at Vigilance Hose to two children fighting in a playground. He said it's been that way for years. For now, he said, he'll deal with ongoing issues on a day-by-day, call-by-call basis. "It's 'I'm taking my ball and I'm going home,'" Deutsch said of the turmoil within the company. "There's been a lot of personal fingerpointing." Strye declined to comment on the recent resignations, but said last week that he's eager to some day return to firefighting. "I would like to return to fighting fires when all the dust settles," Strye said. "I truly miss helping out and helping protect the borough as I did since I was 16 years old." Pamela Sroka-Holzmann may be reached at pholzmann@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow her on Twitter @pamholzmann. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook. The railroad is supposed to be a good neighbor. And that is what tortures David Rosenblum, who for a year has had the end of a line of 60-plus boxcars parked less than 100 feet from his front door. "I don't like corporate hypocrisy," he said. "We are the ones who suffer for it." The graffiti-covered cars extend about two thirds of a mile from Rosenblum's home on North Street in Bloomsbury and into Greenwich Township, to the home of Diane Tribble on Warren Glen Road. They even appear on a Google Maps satellite view of the area. At least some of them are destined for the scrap yard, according to Norfolk Southern, which owns the cars and the track on which they are parked. Others are waiting for an increase in demand. "At the moment, we needed a place to put the empties" that didn't disrupt the flow of active lines, company spokesman Dave Pigeon said. But residents and legislators ask: Why there, and why so long? Municipal and state officials have gotten involved in requests to have the cars moved a little farther down the line. "To say they are an eyesore would be an understatement," Greenwich Township's attorney Michael Lavery wrote in a February letter to state Sen. Mike Doherty's office, requesting assistance. The district's state legislators -- Doherty and Assemblymen John DiMaio and Erik Peterson -- this month co-signed a letter to Norfolk Southern President James Squires: "The placement of the graffiti covered boxcars is affecting property values and discouraging home sales in the area, while also continuing to be an embarrassment for the residents. It is difficult to understand why Norfolk Southern would continue to store these 62 graffiti-covered boxcars in the backyards of the residents of Greenwich and Bloomsbury." At the Greenwich end of the boxcars, Tribble said she has caught people in New Jersey Transit vests spray-painting the cars. That exacerbates her fear of criminal activity and vagrancy. "There's plenty of good reason why residents should be up in arms," she said. However, Peterson's office has acknowledged, the railroad is not doing anything illegal. Norfolk Southern's spokesman noted the company has a right to use all of its assets, including property, though he added that they are looking for ways to resolve the situation. "We'll do everything we can but it's not quite as simple as hooking up a locomotive ... because they have to go somewhere," said Pigeon, the spokesman. Rosenblum doesn't buy it. He said the company that has been recognized for its social awareness should do more to respect its neighbors. "I just don't understand the logic: Let's put the cars where the people live and not the open track," he said. He later added: "I'm sorry, but this is not a socially responsible way to conduct business." Steve Novak may be reached at snovak@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @type2supernovak and Facebook. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook. An inmate of Portlaoise Prison who threatened to cut a prison officers throat and later threatened to ram the officers teeth down his throat has been told he may get a suspended sentence if he complies with all court requirements between now and June. Ryan Kelly, Limerick, was convicted of making threats to kill a prison officer, at Portlaoise Prison on two dates in 2014. On February 10, 2014, the accused asked to speak to the chief officer and was told by the prison officer that he would see him soon, at which point he freaked out and said he would cut the prison officers f**king throat. On February 19, Kelly became very aggressive for no reason at all and threatened the officer by saying he would ram his teeth down his throat. Kelly repeated this threat when another prison officer spoke to him. There was also a charge of criminal damage, relating to the accuseds part in what Judge Keenan Johnson called a mini riot at Portlaoise Prison on January 26, 2014. The accused had 46 previous convictions. The case came before Portlaoise Circuit Court a number of times last year, each time adjourned for the court to monitor the accuseds progress in custody. When the matter returned to the circuit court last week, Judge Johnson said that the offences represent a serious attack on the governance of the prison. The judge said that the accused has indicated to a probation officer that when released he intends to live outside Limerick city. I am absolutely convinced that if Mr Kelly goes back to Limerick, he will end up in trouble and back in prison within a very short period of time, he said. For the criminal damage, Judge Johnson imposed 15 months in prison, and said he would suspend the balance of this from June 13 on strict conditions. In relation to the threats to kill, Judge Johnson said he would impose three years and six months, but said he would suspend this if, by June 13, the accused had maintained a misconduct free record he prison; he refrain from alcohol and drugs; he engage with counselling; he secure a residential treatment place for drug addiction; undertake therapy for his anger issues; and put in place plans for employment for after his release. The matter was put back to June 13 for finalisation. The stamp duty would apply to a wider ranger of instruments and the higher duty would be imposed on mergers and acquisitions where more than 33 percent of a company was being sold Egypt's new stamp duty on stock exchange transactions will come into effect in May and include for the first time a 0.3 percent levy for investors acquiring more than a third of a company's stocks, deputy finance minister Amr Al-Munayer said. Egypt's finance minister said last month the government planned to introduce a stamp duty of 0.125 percent on buyers and sellers of stocks, rising to 0.150 percent in the second year and 0.175 percent in the third. But Munayer told Reuters on Monday the stamp duty would apply to a wider ranger of instruments and the higher duty would be imposed on mergers and acquisitions where more than 33 percent of a company was being sold. "It will be imposed on all listed and unlisted papers whether they are shares or bonds or over the counter," he said. The finance ministry is targeting revenues of 1-1.5 billion Egyptian pounds ($54.8 million-$82.2 million) in the first year of the new tax, he said in a telephone interview. Egypt imposed a stamp duty on buyers and sellers in May 2013, collecting more than 350 million Egyptian pounds in revenues before the levy was replaced in July 2014 by a 10 percent capital gains tax. The government suspended the capital gains tax in May 2015 for two years, under pressure from investors. They said it was discouraging business just as Egypt was struggling to recover from a plunge in confidence after a 2011 uprising and subsequent political upheaval. The Higher Investment Council last year extended the suspension of capital gains tax until 2020 as part of efforts to draw investors back. Instead, Egypt plans to revive the stamp duty as part of an economic reform programme that helped it win a $12 billion three-year loan from the IMF. Egypt won final approval for its IMF programme just days after the central bank took the historic step of floating the currency. Together, the moves unleashed a deluge of investment in the Egyptian stock market, which hit record highs. The blue-chip index was roughly unchanged on Monday's news. More than 270 companies are listed on the Egyptian stock exchange and more than 500,000 investors are registered to trade there. Search Keywords: Short link: The streets of Portlaoise are like something out of The Walking Dead, with zombies wandering around out of their heads frightening people. So said Judge Catherine Staines, last week dealing with two separate cases in which young men were so drunk they didnt know where they were and ended up trespassing on peoples property. In one case, children were disturbed by a drunk Portlaoise man, who was banging on their back door before he jumped on the childrens trampoline. Its worse than The Walking Dead, said Judge Staines, ordering both men to pay 500 compensation and write letters of apology. In the first case, Jamie Holohan (21), 50 Beladd, Portlaoise, entered the curtilage of a house on the Mountmellick Road, Portlaoise, at 8.30am on January 30. He looked into a downstairs window and was knocking on the back door, disturbing children in the house, who saw him. When the owner told him the gardai were being called he jumped on the childrens trampoline. He was highly intoxicated, and when the gardai arrived he ran at them with a piece of timber, forcing the gardai to use pepper spray in his arrest. He had no previous convictions. Defence, Mr Declan breen admitted his client had been involved in a binge of drink and drugs from 5pm the previous evening. The accused lived in a bungalow and such was his level of intoxication that when he was walking home, he thought he was at his own house and tried the back door of the injured partys property. In a separate case, Lukasz Libront (21), 14 Kilminchy Court, Portlaoise, was found in the driveway of a house at Aghnaharna Drive, on January 26. Defence, Mr Barry Fitzgerald said that his client, a Polish national, at been at a party in the area where he drank copious amounts of alcohol and then drifted into the wrong house. Judge Catherine Staines said it was the second incident to come before the court within the last half hour, where a young man had admitted he had drank so much he didnt know where he was and was wandering around like a zombie. Its worse than The Walking Dead, theyre just zombies walking around out of their heads frightening people, said Judge Staines. Today is International Happiness Day, but what makes a Laois person happy? We have our own theories... - Getting the turf in. - Meeting new people, finding out who they are related to, and whether they are distantly related to you. - Red Lemonade. - Giving out. - The Ploughing Championships. - Pints of porter. - Seeing Offaly get beat. - Seeing Kildare get beat. - Finding out Mulhall's have a sale on sirloin steaks. - Telling people not from Laois that Kim Kardashian and Kanye West once went to the cinema in Portlaoise. - Stopping in the Poitin Stil for your breakfast, and dinner, on trips to Dublin. - Reminiscing about the Blue Bridge. - Waking up in the morning and realising there is an Eddie Rockets in the county. - Telling people how quick you can get tp places thanks to the motorway (e.g. Jazus I was up in Dublin airport in an hour; Sure you'd be in Cork there in two hours; Limerick is no length away). - Realising it could be worse, and you could be from Carlow. - Telling people your from the county where the Electric Picnic takes place. - Telling people Stradbally also holds the Steam Rally. - Standing around looking at vintage tractors. - A GAA club dinner dance. - A giant 99 cone from Dunne's Garage on the Abbeyleix Road in Portlaoise. - Finding out how your neighbours children got on in the Leaving Cert. - A threshing. - Roundabouts. What makes you happy? Let us know on our Facebook and Twitter pages. Don't Miss this fun 'Brides to Be' Day out. Visit the "Say Yes to the Dress" Bridal Event this Sunday March 26 at Abbey Hotel Roscommon from 12 noon - 4 p.m with free admission. GREAT GIVEAWAYS Win a fabulous Satin Chiffon Beaded Wedding Dress from C & M Bridal, a stunning special occasion Headpiece from Ballinasloe Milliner Ana Victoria Mulcahy, a set of His & Her's Bathrobes from local Lanesboro Business 'Shoot for the Moon' and a free day's Hire on a set of Love Signs from Love Lights Ireland when you register in our free draw on the day. There will also be a sale of Bridal Gowns from leading bridal boutiques giving you a chance to try on your dream wedding dress. Get advice and tips on choosing the perfect Wedding Gown and selecting the right hat for the big day. Browse a selection of Mother of the Bride/Mother of the Groom attire, Wedding Hats, Headpieces and accessories for sale or hire on the day. Visit the Abbey 'Brides to Be' Pamper Zone in the newly refurbished ballroom. Complimentary Hair and Make Up Trials will be available from Grafters, the Hair Lounge and Lisa Naughton MUA. Take home a complimentary Mother's Day Mum & Daughter Digital Photo captured by Monika.ie (T&C apply). There will be a 10 % discount off all Abbey Wedding Packages for one day only. Follow them on Facebook for more details or Tel 090 6626240 for more details. Colm Quinn BMW & MINI, Athlone host a Super Spring Sale this weekend. This three-day sale event running from Friday, 24th March to Sunday, March 26th is not to be missed with massive savings available across a large number of models. A range of Finance Choices are available to suit your individual needs, including HP and PCP Options. Discover BMW Economics contributions savings of up to 6,000, 4.9% APR & 5 years service inclusive on selected vehicles. This offer is only available until 31st March 2017 so it is your last chance to avail of the savings. A purchase contribution of 3,500 is available on all new BMW 1 series, 4,000 on all new 2,3 & 5 series, 5,000 on all new 4 series, X1 & X3 models as well as 6,000 on all new X4 models. Ex-demonstrator 171 models significantly reduced in price. There are a number of ex -demo models currently available for purchase with delivery from April 1st, these cars are ex-management with generous specifications and limited mileage. In addition to the above, Colm Quinn stock Irelands largest selection of BMW Premium Selection and MINI Cherished Models, all of which will carry substantial savings this weekend. Colm Quinn will open all weekend; 8.30am -6pm on Friday/Saturday and from 11am- 4pm on Sunday. During the course of the weekend, the Team at Colm Quinn will be on hand to offer you test drives in your selected vehicle at your preferred time. To book your test drive, contact marketing@colmquinnbmw.ie or contact Nicola/Niamh on 090 64 65 888. Last week we heard that 12 English police forces have sent papers to the CPS, in response to concerns about electoral expenses matters in up to 20 seats won by the Conservatives at the 2015 General Election. Four other forces, including Kent Police, which is investigating what happened during the election in the Thanet constituency, have yet to say where their investigations have led them. Thanet was won by the Conservatives Craig McKinley, much to the disappointment of UKIPs candidate, Nigel Farage. So, and allow me to indulge in pure wishful thinking, what would happen if the courts said that some or all of these contests must be re-run? Would that not go straight to the heart of the legitimacy of the Conservative government and any legislation passed since that administration was formed? Now, the Conservatives might win all or most of the by-elections ordered by the courts (or the Electoral Commission). But they may not and Mrs Mays majority, authority and legitimacy could evaporate. Where would that leave the legal position of the EU referendum Act and the legislation passed just this week to enable Article 50? Indeed, how legitimate would any of the governments post-May 2015 legislative actions be? If it were to transpire that power was won only on the back of electoral malpractice the government would surely fall? Some Remain groups would quickly knock at the door of the Supreme Court seeking constitutional and legal direction and resolution. As I say, wishful thinking, but you never know. Another consequence of by-elections or court actions, or both, would be to again put political party funding on the front pages. Lord Tylers House of Lords efforts last Friday to, once and for all, sort out party funding might yet turn out to be electoral gold for the Liberal Democrats. * Martin Roche is a member of Canterbury Liberal Democrats Tim Farron has commented on Theresa Mays Conservative conference speech: Theresa May has just confirmed that we are going for a Hard Brexit. This means no single market for Britain. This means disaster for British jobs, businesses and our economy. The Lib Dems are now the only party fighting for Britains membership of the Single Market. The Conservatives have lost the right to call themselves the party of business. The Liberal Democrats are the only free market, free trade, pro-business party now. Nigel Farages obsession has officially become government policy. Many politicians protesting, quite rightly, about the unfair hike in National Insurance contributions for the self-employed have missed the real solution. The important contribution is the one paid by employers, at 13.8 per cent of wages for abroad middle range of employees. It is an expensive outlay on workers, and often claimed to be a deterrent to increasing the payroll. More unscrupulous companies, mostly but not all US-owned multinationals, are evading this tax. They do not employ most of their workforce, but engage people labelled as self-employed. As one who has been self-employed for many years, even while holding such executive positions as business editor on national newspapers, I recall that becoming self-employed was beset with hurdles. A principal test was to prove that you decided how the task was to be performed, not those paying you. Thus many were born into self-employment, such as doctors, lawyers, MPs, consultants in a wide range of trades and professions. More of us acquired it, often with difficulty, while vast numbers had self-employment thrust upon them, unwillingly. As Liberals we believe in encouraging the individual spirit of enterprise and entrepreneurs, displayed by many of the self-employed. Some move on to start successful businesses. But as guardians of just and fair play in employment, as in most other areas of life, we Liberal Democrats must condemn those who take improper advantage of the vulnerable and needy. Roughly some 3 million are forced to accept scandalous treatment of so-called self-employment, especially those who endure the inhuman practice of zero-hour contracts that drive a cart-and-horses though the spirit and often letter of employment law. Of course, those who prefer to be self-employed and work part-time, for reasons ranging from childcare responsibilities, study, sport and other hobbies and interests, must be allowed to negotiate more flexible work agreements, fewer or a different pattern of hours. But for the great majority who take home less than a Living Wage, and would prefer to work a fuller week, being paid a proper rate for the job, we must outlaw the bully-boys and robber-bosses who make 19th century mill owners seem enlightened and caring by comparison. First by ensuring their self-employed armies meet existing legal requirements. And by bringing in new legislation if their lawyers find a way round it. By increasing the number of the lawfully properly employed, with all employers paying the full rate of NI, we would raise enough to be able to leave the lower freelance NI rates at their existing level. Receipt of another 3 million Employer NI contributions would allow the Treasury to relax increases for the hard-working self-employed. It is largely a matter of political will, having the guts to treat all workers decently and face down the wrong kind of employer. * Jonathan Hunt is President of Camberwell & Peckham local party and chair of the Southwark Co-ordinating Committee. He is an elected Life Member of the NUJ, and a former parliamentary candidate. The obvious answer is, yes. But do they? Lets track this idea back. In 1979 Christopher Evans published The Mighty Micro. His bold and prophetic book looked at the impact of the microchip on society over the next 10-15 years. In the same year, 1979, I wrote my first computer program on a teletype terminal and stored it on paper tape. Some desk top computers had been built, but they were very uncommon. The chapter that really inspired me when I first read it was the one on Political and Social Issues. He predicted that the 1980s and 1990s would be dominated by virtually infinite data transmission This kind of development will encourage lateral communication the spread of information from human being to human being across the base of the social pyramid. Characteristically this favours the kind of open society the opposite effect on autocracies who like to make sure that all information is handled very firmly downwards The decline of communism is one possibility, he added. He predicted that viewers would be able to watch a debate on a political issue on television programme and then vote on it, though maybe he wasnt thinking in terms of voting Lembit Opik off Im a Celebrity. All this alerted me back then to the essentially subversive nature of Internet. It cannot be controlled, any more than human speech can be controlled. It allows peer to peer communication. It lies beneath the radar. An open Internet is essential to maintain democracy in an open society. At least, that was the vision of the early pioneers of the academic uses of the Internet. And it was Tim Berners-Lees vision too, when, in 1990, he made the Internet accessible to everyone through the World Wide Web. By 1990 PCs were ubiquitous, mobile phones were being used by smart young business types, and I found myself developing expert systems using the glorious user interface on an Apple Mac. Last week, Tim Berners-Lee published an essay in Scientific American to mark the 20th anniversary of his invention of the Web. It was entitled Long Live the Web: A Call for Continued Open Standards and Neutrality He writes: The Web evolved into a powerful, ubiquitous tool because it was built on egalitarian principles and because thousands of individuals, universities and companies have worked, both independently and together as part of the World Wide Web Consortium, to expand its capabilities based on those principles. He then goes on to examine some of the ways in which the principles of universality and net neutrality are being threatened. Universality is defined thus: when you make a link, you can link to anything. You can put anything on the Web, any type of data, any content, any language, and you can access anything on the Web. Universality is possible because of the open standards that Tim Berners-Lee invented. The first of these is the Universal Resource Identifier (now more usually referred to as URL locator). The other standards are http as a method of transferring data, and html as the code for web pages. He is worried that universality is being undermined by a number of sites that do not use the Webs open standards. He points out that social networking sites capture your data and reuse the information to provide value-added servicebut only within their sites. Each site is a silo he says walled off from the others. That happens because each piece of information lacks a URL. The more this kind of architecture gains widespread use, the more the Web becomes fragmented, and the less we enjoy a single, universal information space. The other principle he writes about is net neutrality, which is fundamental to the survival of the Web. This is a policy issue Liberal Democrats must consider. Net neutrality is the idea that all Internet traffic should be treated equally. It could be violated if, for example, an ISP made it easier for you to connect to some websites rather than others, or to download some materials more quickly than others. A recent threat has come from Google and Verizon, who have suggested that net neutrality should not apply to mobile phonebased connections. As Berners-Lee points out, many people in rural areas across the world, especailly in developing nations, only have access to the Internet through mobile phones. He says: A neutral communications medium is the basis of a fair, competitive market economy, of democracy, and of science. Debate has risen again in the past year about whether government legislation is needed to protect net neutrality. It is. Although the Internet and Web generally thrive on lack of regulation, some basic values have to be legally preserved. Ill end with Tim Berners-Lees own words: Why should you care? Because the Web is yours. The Web is also vital to democracy, a communications channel that makes possible a continuous worldwide conversation. The Web is now more critical to free speech than any other medium. It brings principles established in the U.S. Constitution, the British Magna Carta and other important documents into the network age: freedom from being snooped on, filtered, censored and disconnected. In May, Mary Reid stood down as a councillor in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames after serving for 13 years. She blogs at www.maryreid.org.uk As I distract myself from the horrors of Brexit by listening to Eurovision songs from the 1980s and writing blue envelopes for the two people I hope will be the next councillors for Almond ward in Edinburgh, Kevin Lang and Louise Young, It thought you might want the chance to watch Tim Farrons speech from yesterday. Its fine to read the words on the page, but you really need to see him perform it. He puts his heart and soul into it. It has a few funny moments, including the obligaory homage to Dr Paul Nuttall. I did wonder if the comparison between Trump, Putin, Le Pen and May was a bit too much. I absolutely agree with the analysis. For sure, Trump, Putin and Le Pen are all much further down the slippery slope, but Theresa May is at the top of it. Populists in power do their best to rid themselves of anything that would scrutinise them or check their power. Look at how Theresa May has already spent a small fortune of our hard earned taxes trying to circumvent Parliament over Article 50. And then her ministers said nothing while the Daily Fail decried judges as enemies of the people. Theresa May thinks nobody can touch her at the moment and it shows in her actions. The passage about Tory MPs who know that the Government has moved far from the manifesto they stood on and feel uncomfortable has some fairly uncompromising language. I mean, really, Defect, resign, or were coming to get you is not exactly a warm invitation. You get the feeling his preference is the third option. If you dont have time to watch it all, this summary from Alex Wilcock will help you. TL;DR Business fund us. Sensible Tories defect. Labour you've died; stop twitching, we're taking your patch. @timfarron #LDConf Alex Wilcock (@alexwilcock) March 19, 2017 * Caron Lindsay is Editor of Liberal Democrat Voice and blogs at Caron's Musings Egypt's largest listed bank CIB said on Monday it had finalised the sale of a near 75 percent stake in its investment banking arm to a consortium of local and foreign investors in a deal worth EGP 710.2 million ($39.5 million). Commercial International Bank (CIB) signed an agreement in December to sell the majority of its shares in CI Capital to a group of Egyptian and Gulf investors. It did not give the value of the deal at the time. CIB said in a statement on Monday that CI Capital's market value totalled about 950 million pounds and that it had completed the transfer of 74.75 percent of the shares, retaining a minority stake of about 25 percent. Shares in CIB were down 1.14 percent at 11:43 GMT. Mahmoud Atallah, the chief executive of CI Capital, told Reuters a general assembly would be called in the next two weeks to appoint a new board. Market sources have said they expect CIB to eventually offer its remaining shares on the stock exchange. Atallah said the new board would decide what to do with the remaining shares. CIB had been seeking buyers for its investment unit since a planned sale to Beltone Financial, agreed in February last year, failed to win regulatory approval. Beltone Financial is owned by billionaire Naguib Sawiris' Orascom Telecom Media and Technology Holding, which is embroiled in a standoff with Egypt's financial regulator over its shareholding structure. Sawiris had planned to merge CI Capital with Beltone Financial to create one of Egypt's largest investment firms. Search Keywords: Short link: Most, if not all economic and political decisions have two prime factors price and quality. And this includes national healthcare. Decision making involves information. Most, if not all information can be placed on a continuum between the verifiable and the fake. (Ditto News!) Here are some verifiable items of information relevant to our NHS. PRICE: Some national average healthcare costs/prices per person per year: The British pay $3,364 The Japanese pay $3,713 The French pay $4,361 The Germans pay$4,920 The Americans pay $9,086 Source: OECD Health data 2013 QUALITY: Some healthcare rankings: United Kingdom 18 Canada 30 Japan 10 Germany 25 France 1 USA 37 Cambodia 174 Source: The Patient Factor For less than $1000 more per person per year than we pay, the French have the best national healthcare system in the World! Cambodians have low cost, low quality. Americans have a high cost, low quality service. We use the Beveridge Model, by which the government provides and finances healthcare through tax payments, plus some private provision. NHS patients do not get healthcare bills. This model has low average costs per person because the government, as sole payer, controls services and charges. The French use the Bismark Model, an insurance system, usually financed through pay deductions, to cover everybody. Unlike the US insurance industry, Bismark health insurance is on a not for profit basis. Although this is a multi-payer system, firm regulation gives the government much of the cost control of the Beveridge single payer model. In practice it is a single payer system. Canada uses the National Health Insurance Model, a mix of the Beveridge and the Bismark, which uses private-sector providers but payment comes from a government run insurance programme into which every citizen pays. This is a not for profit single payer system which keeps down costs through simplicity, control of services and the power to negotiate affordable prices. The US has a unique Hybrid Model with many separate systems for different groups. For veterans its the Beveridge, for those on Medicare its the National Health Insurance Model, for working Americans with insurance its the Bismark and for the rest of the population (15%?) its the Out-of- Pocket. (See below) Cambodia and other Third World Countries have the Out-of-Pocket Model whereby the rich get medical care, the poor stay sick and/or die and the inbetweeners get something in between, depending upon their finances at the time. Single Payer Systems result in the best healthcare at the lowest prices. Assuming that Out-of- Pocket is not a hidden planned option, we are left with the comparison and choice, between the Single Payer and the Hybrid. The Single Payer, of whichever type, much higher healthcare quality and much lower cost to the US Hybrid. Why are we being persuaded that we cannot afford our lower cost, higher value NHS? Is it relevant that in 2014/5, some 70 MPs had connections with private health-care businesses and by May 2016, 6 out of 9 ex-health ministers took jobs with private health purveyors? Are there plans and moves for deep shifts from our single payer NHS towards the US Hybrid, which costs much more and is much less efficient and caring? Find out for yourself and speak up! * Steve Trevathan is chairperson of Lyme Regis and Marshwood Vale Liberal Democrats. TWO County Limerick men say they wont bet with Paddy Power ever again after they refused to pay out on a winning bet. Mike Sexton and D Deady, from Bruree, staked 50 each on a special bet for Rory McIlroy to shoot par or better on the second day of the Augusta Masters at 14/1. Mike said they didnt want to have to go to the media and wouldnt be ringing the Limerick Leader only that they have a good case. Mr Deady entered a Paddy Power branch in Charleville on the morning of Friday, April 10. He went up to the girls behind the counter and asked them did they have any specials, said Mr Sexton. The girls came up with a special on the screen for Rory McIlroy to shoot level par or better in round two. He asked the girls would you just make sure that price is right as it was a good price. So the girls behind the counter rang head office in Dublin and she got the OK that the bet was fine. He put 50 on for himself and 50 on for me, he added. Mr Sexton said Mr Deady even asked the staff members to write out the bet which they did word for word. They also signed the two dockets. While delighted with the price it wasnt all smooth sailing as Rory proceeded to shoot four over par on the first nine holes before turning it around on the back nine. He came home in five under and the good friends thought they had won 700 each. They went in to collect but when the staff member put the docket through the computer it came up as a loser. They gave them a few days to check it out and eventually Mr Deady got a phone call from head office saying that they would only return their stakes. Mr Sexton said everything was done by the book. If I picked it off the board, wrote it down myself, didnt check it with anyone and they said it was wrong you probably wouldnt have a leg to stand on, said Mr Sexton. The price might have been a mistake but he asked the staff, they checked it out with head office and got the OK. If we wanted to take advantage he would have had more money on it. We did everything that a punter would do just to make sure that everything was above aboard. I just dont think we were treated fairly. We didnt do anything wrong as a punter. We checked with head office and their own person wrote out the bets, said Mr Sexton. The Bruree native says he is not a betting man but whenever he had a wager he liked to have it with Paddy Power as it is an Irish bookmaker. I dont think I will ever go in there and have a bet again, he said. Mr Deady said: I think, to be fair, we are being treated badly. That was three weeks ago last Friday. I have not been back in the office and dont intend going back to the office. I feel let down because I felt that I had placed a bet fair and square, got a little touch and now it is gone. After nine holes he was four over par, the money was gone and we wouldnt have gone back to Paddy Power. A spokesperson for Paddy Power said the special on display on their screens was for Rory McIlroy to shoot a bogey free round at 14/1. However, there was an error in our Epos system, which displayed the special as Rory to shoot par or better which was incorrect. 14/1 to shoot par was clearly a palpable error and would fall under our palpable error rules which are: where a blatant or palpable error is made in transmission on any event on which we offer betting, bets will be settled at the correct price at the time at which the bet was placed. Its regrettable on our part, but the rule is standard across the industry. Last year we offered over 75 million prices and on the law of averages for a number of reasons such as data input, error etc some can be displayed incorrectly. THE truth in the news and the role of quality journalism locally and nationally in an era of fake news will be debated by the media, public relations professionals, politicians and the public, at King Johns Castle in Limerick this Saturday. The discussion, which will begin at 2.30pm, is presented jointly by the Irish South West branch of the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) and the Public Relations Institute of Ireland (PRII), and is hosted by Shannon Heritage and Shannon Group plc. The debate will be chaired by Nandi OSullivan, Head of Communications with the Shannon Group, and the panel of speakers will include Limerick native Emma OKelly, RTEs education correspondent and Cian Connaughton, president of the PRII. Admission is free and members of the media and public relations professionals are welcome to attend, as are the public, however, as numbers are very limited places must be reserved by emailing secretarynujsw@gmail.com with your name and phone number. The Limerick event is part of the NUJs Local News Matters week, which is being held throughout Ireland, Scotland, Wales and England, from March 24 to April 1. MOUNTCOLLINS has taken seriously the call to have working defibrillators in every community and has upgraded its existing defibrillator and set up a Community Response Group. And there was a packed hall when the new regime was unveiled. The community was prompted to take this action following the incident at a camogie match last October in which Newcastle West player Michelle Herberts life was saved by prompt use of a defibrillator at the Feohanagh Castlemahon grounds at Coolyroe. Now, 30 members of the community in Mountcollins have become volunteers in the Community Response Group and 27 of these have been trained in basic CPR and the use of a defibrillator. The volunteers are drawn from the local Community Centre committee, Mountcollins GAA and Mountcollins AFC and ongoing training will be provided with regular updates being provided from instructors. The aim of the Community Response Group is to provide assistance and support until the arrival of the emergency services in the event of medical emergency, the groups chairperson, Mary Lyons explained. This service will be very beneficial to locals, as due to its location it can sometimes take some time for an ambulance to arrive in Mountcollins. During this time assistance can be given which may be lifesaving in some circumstances, or support given during a very difficult time, she added. The defibrillator, which has been upgraded and registered with the Irish Heart Foundation, is located in a weather resistant box in the centre of the village. The parish has been divided up into four, with one group of responders for each of the four areas. Assistance will be available from 6pm to 6am Monday to Friday and from 6pm on Friday to 6am Monday An allocated phone number has been provided to each household in the village from which a co-coordinator will organise the response to each emergency situation. LIMERICK City and County Council has opened an online book of condolence in memory of the helicopter victims of the Rescue 116 tragedy. The Dublin-based Irish Coast Guard helicopter went missing off the coast of Mayo last week. Captain Dara Fitzpatrick, who lived in Limerick during her training in the late 90s, was the sole member of the four-person crew recovered, but later died in hospital. The other crew members lost in the crash Mark Duffy, Ciaran Smith and Paul Ormsby have yet to be recovered, with a massive search and rescue operation still on going almost a week after the tragedy. The Shannon-based Rescue 115 has been extensively involved in the search for its missing sister helicopter and crew. It is believed Rescue 116 may have hit rocks close to Black Rock island, off the coast of Mayo, but poor weather conditions are hampering efforts to recover the helicopter's black box. Capt Fitzpatrick had over 20 years' flying experience and had returned again to Shannon in 2005 to train on the new SikorskyS92 helicopter for a time. She helped out in Milford Care Centre as a volunteer during her various stints in Limerick. She was remembered by former Knock Hill neighbours, where she lived during her training in Shannon, as full of life; she was incredible. She was laid to rest in Dublin on Saturday. A minute's silence was observed before Monday's meeting of metropolitan councillors. The council has this morning opened an online book of condolence. Members of the public can sign the book here. A FATHER and son who pleaded guilty to multiple VAT offences are to begin eight month prison sentences next week. William Slattery, aged 64, of The Forts, Dooradoyle and Jonathan Slattery, aged 36, of Inis Mor, Fr Russell Road were prosecuted in 2014 following a lengthy Revenue investigation. Limerick Circuit Court previously heard the offences happened on dates between December 2005, and March 2008 when both men were directors of Slatterys Ventures Ltd, which has a registered address at Ballycummin Village. At the time, the company, which subsequently entered liquidation, operated three fast-food restaurants in the city and a shop in Clarina. Both men admitted consenting and conniving with the company to knowingly or wilfully deliver incorrect VAT returns to the office of the Collector General at Sarsfield House. They also admitted claiming the repayment of VAT which they knew neither they nor the company was entitled to. In addition, they pleaded guilty to an offence under the Taxes Consolidation Act relating to their failure to keep VAT records, as required by law. Following a sentencing hearing, the defendants received wholly suspended three year prison sentences on June 19, 2015. The Director of Public Prosecutions successfully appealed the undue leniency of the senstence and following a hearing this Monday, the Court of Appeal imposed eight month prison sentences. Giving judgment, Mr Justice John Edwards said the Slatterys noted the company was selected for a revenue audit on account of not having registered for the plastic bag levy. The Revenue officer who conducted the audit identified issues with the z read - a feature of modern tills whereby a report is produced detailing the total sales for a particular day or shift. Once a z read report is produced for a particular day, the z readcounter resets for the next shift or day. Modern electronic cash registers also have a Non Resettable Gross Total (NRGT) function which maintains a running total of all sales which can be accessed at any time. However it is technically possible for a person with the requisite "know how" to disable the NRGT function. Mr Justice Edwards said the company's record keeping appears to have been chaotic. When asked for the company's records, the Revenue officer was "simply presented with two cardboard boxes filled with z reads". On going through them, a pattern of skipping every second z read was discovered from the till at the Ballycummin process. This resulted in a significant amount of cash receipts not being recorded, incorrect sales figures being entered on VAT returns and less VAT being remitted to the Revenue than was due. The cash register in use at Ballycummin was brand new in 2006, Mr Justice Edwards said. The NRGT function was operating for the first seven weeks but thereafter, appears to have been deliberately disabled. The prosecution case was that the practice of skipping every second z read continued for several two-month vat periods and that the disablement of the NRGT function was a deliberate attempt to ensure there was no running total recorded which could be compared with figures actually returned. Mr Justice Edwards said the estimated loss to the Revenue was 223,965 which was over and above the sum of 70,000 already recovered by the Revenue Sheriff. The prosecution case was that the VAT liabilities and irregularities arising out of Ballycummin premises involved premeditated and deliberate fraud. Significant emphasis was placed on the fact that substantial monies, including VAT, received by the company were lodged to the Slatterys' personal bank accounts. Mr Justice Edwards said the Slatterys provided only very limited cooperation in the course of the Revenue investigation. They made no admissions at interview and did not avail of the opportunity to make voluntary disclosures. William Slattery was a married father of six who had worked his whole adult life. His son, Jonathan, was a father-of-one at the time of sentencing. Neither had any previous convictions. They suffered significant hardship since the audit. The company had gone into liquidation, leaving both personally exposed in respect of outstanding debts. There is a risk of losing the family home. It was submitted on their behalf that the will continue to suffer significant social stigma. Mr Justice Edwards, who sat with Mr Justice George Birmingham and Mr Justice Alan Mahon, said the Court of Appeal agreed with the DPP that the case merited a custodial sentence to be actually served. Timothy O'Sullivan BL, representing the DPP, conceded that he could not complain with a three year headline sentence - if that was what the Circuit Court judge decided - but would vehemently contend that the suspension of the whole term gave excessive discount for mitigation. Mr Justice Edwards said the court accepted that there was considerable mitigation in favour of the Slatterys. He said the Court of Appeal would have sentenced them to three years imprisonment with the final 18 months suspended at first instance. But in circumstances where the case had taken 20 months to come on for hearing, in which time Jonathan Slattery had secured employment and William Slattery was much further into his retirement, the court suspended all but the final eight months. The Slatterys were required to undertake to surrender themselves at Henry Street garda station in Limerick on Monday, March 27 next. The Artellewa Auction Cafe was initiated by artists Ahmed Sabry and Wessam Quraish Artellewa Art Space will hold a one day auction titled Auction Cafe, taking place simultaneously at its premises and online on 30 March. The auction will be for a piece of work by artist Huda Lutfi. Lutfi was born in Cairo in 1948. She holds a PhD in Islamic culture and history from McGill University, Canada. In collage, painting, photography, installation, and video art projects, the prolific artist creates works that at times explore the historical narratives of Egypt's Pharaonic, Coptic, Islamic, Arab and African cultural fabric. At other times, her work reacts to the dynamics of contemporary society. In 2014, she won the Alexandria Biennale grand prize. Artellewa Auction Cafe emerged as a collaboration between artists Ahmed Sabry and Wessam Quraish, who observed that cafes have always been attached to artists and intellectuals, and played a historical role in shaping cultural and political movements. The project aims to provide a platform where artists and audience can meet from time to time, holding art and culture roundtables, book signings, print signings, talks on poetry and literature, and opportunities to gather over food, drinks and music. Artellewa Art Space recently celebrated its 10-year anniversary. Founded by artist Hamdy Reda, the space offers exhibitions, workshops to the art community and aspiring artists from under-privileged backgrounds. It also offers residency programmes for artists from Europe and the Arab World and provides opportunities for young Egyptian artists to travel abroad to gain artistic experiences. Programme: Thursday 30 March. The event and auction start at 5pm and end at 11pm Artellewa, 19 Mohamed Ali El-Eseary St., Ard El-Lewa, Giza 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: Mar 19, 2017, 11 PM By Michael Baadke Charles William Eliot is commemorated on a 3 bright purple stamp issued March 28, 1940, in the American Educators set of the Famous Americans series (Scott 871). Eliot, who was born March 20, 1834, taught at Harvard University and at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology before he was chosen to become president of Harvard in 1869. He served 40 years, until 1909, and transformed not only Harvard but the American structure of higher education during his tenure. Harvard today notes that among the reforms and advances brought about by Eliot were Harvard Summer School in 1871, the Harvard Graduate Department (later the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences) in 1872, the establishment of Radcliffe College in 1879, and the schools of landscape architecture around 1901, and business administration in 1908. It was during Eliots Harvard leadership that the school offered students the opportunity to choose their courses, an open-curriculum program that other universities would also adopt. In a tribute to Eliot, the university quotes historian Samuel Eliot Morison: One after the other, the greater universities of the country followed the reforms that Harvard had adopted; it was clear by the middle nineties that the Harvard of Eliot had set new standards for higher education in America. By the turn of the century he was one of the leading public figures of the country; his opinion and support were sought on every variety of public question. 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. From Jungle Book to Rose Red, live-action fairy-tale films to look forward to 'Beauty and the Beast' is only the first of many live-action remakes based on fairy tales due to hit screens in the coming months /how-to-lounge/movies-tv/from-jungle-book-to-rose-red-live-action-fairy-tale-films-to-look-forward-to-111646891529816.html 111646891529816 story Dan Stevens as The Beast and Emma Watson as Belle in a live-action adaptation of the animated classic Beauty and the Beast. Photo: AP New Delhi: Walt Disneys romantic musical fantasy adventure Beauty and the Beast that released in India last Friday is only the first of many live-action remakes based on fairy tales due to hit screens in the coming months. Heres a list of 10 others. 1. Jungle Book: After the spectacular success of the previous version last year, Disney plans to bring the adventure fantasy based on the Rudyard Kipling book to audiences again. Directed by Andy Serkis and starring Rohan Chand, Serkis, Christian Bale, Benedict Cumberbatch, Tom Hollander and Cate Blanchett, the film is due for release on 19 October, 2018. 2. Mulan: The live-action feature film based on Disneys legendary Chinese warrior Hua Mulan from the poem the Ballad of Mulan is due for release on 2 November, 2018. To be directed by Niki Caro, the film will not feature the speaking voice of Chinese-American actor Ming-Na en who dubbed for the previous versions. 3. Cruella: The feature film following the evil exploits of Cruella de Vil, the villain from Dodie Smiths 1956 novel The Hundred and One Dalmatians, is due for release in 2018. Directed by Alex Timbers, it is to star Emma Stone in the lead. 4. Dumbo: The family drama directed by Tim Burton stars Eva Green and Danny DeVito in the lead. The film is based on the storyline written by Helen Aberson and illustrated by Harold Pearl for the prototype of a novelty toy, Roll-a-Book that is centered on Jumbo Jr., a semi-anthropomorphic elephant. 5. Maleficent 2: The film based on the main antagonist of Disneys Sleeping Beauty is in the works though it does not have an official release date yet. Starring Angelina Jolie in the lead, it is a sequel to the 2014 film directed by Robert Stromberg. 6. Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters 2: The sequel to the 2013 American-German dark fantasy action horror comedy is to be directed by Bruno Aveillan. It follows the legendary German fairy tale of the titular siblings who now work as witch exterminators. 7. The Little Mermaid: Chris Bouchard and Blake Harris co-direct the new version of the Hans Christian Anderson tale that is to release this year. Poppy Drayton and William Moseley feature in the lead roles. 8. Night on Bald Mountain: Disney had announced plans to come up with a live-action remake of the musical segment of its 1940 animated classic Fantasia. Matt Sazama and Burk Sharpless who earlier worked on Dracula Untold and The Last Witch Hunter, co-write the script. 9. Winnie the Pooh: Writer-director Alex Ross Perry is developing a live-action remake based on Disneys fictional anthropomorphic teddy bear character. It was first created by English author A. A. Milne for a collection of stories called Winnie-the-Pooh (1926) and The House at Pooh Corner (1928). 10. Rose Red: Adding a twist to its classic Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs tale, Disney plans to bring a live-action film based on the leads sister, Rose Red. The idea, conceptualized by screenwriter Evan Daugherty, will be reworked to fit into the more traditional Snow White narrative. Most American teenagers who abuse opioid drugs first received the drugs from a doctor, a new study finds. Researchers looked at trends in the use of prescription opioids among U.S. adolescents from 1976 to 2015. They found a strong correlation between teens' taking the drugs for medical reasons and then later taking them for "nonmedical" reasons, or in other words, abusing them, according to the study published today (March 20) in the journal Pediatrics. "One consistent finding we observed over the past two decades is that the majority of nonmedical users of prescription opioids also have a history of medical use of prescription opioids," said study author Sean McCabe, a research professor at the University of Michigan. [America's Opioid-Use Epidemic: 5 Startling Facts] But the finding points to a way to prevent teens from abusing opiods: "This means health professionals who prescribe opioid medications to adolescents can play an important role in reducing prescription opioid misuse," McCabe told Live Science. In 2015, the the most recent year of the study, 8 percent of adolescents reported abusing prescription opioids, and the majority of them had been prescribed opioids previously, the researchers found. "We consider any rate of nonmedical use of prescription opioids alarming, based on the known adverse consequences associated with this behavior," McCabe said. Opioids are a class of strong pain medications such as OxyContin and Vicodin. The addictive nature of these drugs can lead to drug abuse, severe complications requiring emergency room visits and overdose deaths. The U.S. consumes about 80 percent of the world's prescription opioid supply. There has been consistent growth in the number of prescriptions written for opioids in the U.S., rising from 76 million prescriptions in 1991 to 207 million in 2013, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. However, the new study revealed that among teens, both medical and nonmedical use of opioid medications has declined in recent years, starting in 2013. The decline may be due to careful prescribing practices, McCabe said. There are several medical procedures that teens may undergo for which opioids are recommended for pain management. But doctors can be careful about the amount of these drugs they prescribe, and limit refills. Parents can make sure that any leftover pills are discarded. [The Drug Talk: 7 New Tips for Todays Parents] "The goal is not to reduce prescription opioids at all costs, but to reach a balance between making sure patients are adequately treated with prescription opioids when medically necessary while minimizing the potential for adverse opioid-related consequences," McCabe said. "The current study and other national studies indicate we have more work to do in order to strike the correct balance." There are some useful strategies to strike such a balance, McCabe said. For example physicians can prescribe the lowest effective dose of opoids, and supplement that with milder pain medication, such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen. Original article on Live Science. On a bet from peers in his high school programming club, a teenager in West Virginia taught himself to build an artificial intelligence program that can rap like Kanye West, according to news reports. Seventeen-year-old Robbie Barrat thought that artificial intelligence (AI) could accomplish tasks better than humans, and his high school programming club told him to prove it, reported Quartz. Using open-source code and 6,000 Kanye West lines, Barrat built a neural network that could mimic the superstar rapper. Barrat completed the project in a week and showed the program to his peers at their next club meeting, according to Quartz. It took one afternoon to write most of the code, Barrat said, but a few more days to optimize the AI's results. The program can now write original material and rap, even using semi-appropriate pauses, reported Quartz. [Super-Intelligent Machines: 7 Robotic Futures] "Originally, it just rearranged existing rap lyrics, but now it can actually write word by word," Barrat told Quartz. At first, the challenge came in understanding where the neural network went wrong, which Barrat said was difficult because machine learning models are not very transparent. The teen therefore relied on open-source code and different software to refine the AI program, according to Quartz. Now, Barrat is developing AI programs that can produce different types of art. For example, he has already built a neural network that can write piano melodies, according to Quartz. Next up: abstract art. Original article on Live Science. Rallies and protest events are a part of political life in the Bay Area. Heres a roundup of whats happening in the next few weeks. Tuesday Protest: The Bay Area Resistance is calling for a boycott of banks to protest the Dakota Access Pipeline and other projects. A rally will be held at 5 p.m. outside the First Congregational Church, 2501 Harrison St., Oakland. The rally will be followed by a march to Wells Fargo, Chase, Bank of America and U.S. Bank in Oakland. Thursday Panel on women: Hosted by the California Historical Society, a panel on the roles women played in resistance and social protest movements in the Bay Area during the 1960s and 70s. The event is free for members, $10 for nonmembers. It is at 6 p.m. at the California Historical Society, 678 Mission St., San Francisco. Saturday Dark money summit: The California Clean Money Campaign hosts a summit on how to get dark money out of politics. The event is from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Unitarian Universalist Church, 505 E. Charleston Road, Palo Alto. Register: www.yesfairelections.org. Danville town hall: Hosted by Mayor Renee Morgan with Rep. Mark DeSaulnier, state Sen. Steve Glazer, Assemblywoman Catharine Baker and Contra Costa County Supervisor Candace Andersen. The event is from 10 to 11 a.m. at the Veterans Memorial Building, 400 Hartz Ave. Contact Nat Rojanasathira, assistant to the town manager, at (925) 314-3328 or nrojanasathira@danville.ca.gov for more information. Sunnyvale town hall: Hosted by Unity in Diversity to celebrate the Bay Areas diversity and address the uptick in hate crimes nationally. The event is from 4 to 6 p.m. at City Hall, 456 W. Olive Ave. Sunday Anti-Trump meetings: A general assembly to discuss strategy and develop plans to resist the Trump administration. Hosted by San Francisco United Against Trump from 1 to 5 p.m. at the Redstone Building, 2926 16th St., San Francisco. Also, a planning meeting to push back at the Trump/Republican agenda will be held from 3 to 6 p.m. at the Noe Valley branch of the San Francisco Public Library, 451 Jersey St. Rally: A rally and walk supporting equality, hosted by the Feminist Majority. Check-in starts at 8:30 a.m. A rally featuring speakers including Rep. Jackie Speier, D-Hillsborough, begins at 9:30 a.m. and will be followed by a walk. The event will be at Rinconada Park, 777 Embarcadero Road, Palo Alto. For more information, go to http://bit.ly/norcalwalkforequality. March 29 Political discussion: Panel talk on sanctuary cities, as well as stories of immigration challenges. The event featuring immigration attorneys and former members of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors begins at 6:30 p.m., 3271 18th St., San Francisco. March 31 Community event: The Asian Pacific Islander Wellness Center will host a free communitywide event to commemorate Transgender Day of Visibility. The event will begin at 5:30 p.m. at SOMArts, 934 Brannan St., San Francisco. Enrique Iglesias and Pitbull announced a joint tour that will come to the Toyota Center in Houston on June 18. Iglesias' most recent album, "Sex and Love," is nearly three years old. He just released a new single, "Subeme La Radio," suggesting a new album may be forthcoming. THE CONCEPT Chef Adam Dorris, who led Pax Americana to greatness, has left that Montrose restaurant for a new venture in the Heights with Charles Bishop, formerly of Southern Goods, and partner Taylor Lee. Their "Texas food hall" is a welcoming neighborhood restaurant that, when it gets its sea legs, will be open for brunch daily and transition to dinner and cocktails. For now, it's dinner, which Dorris and his staff (including chef de cuisine Kenten Marin, who left his executive position at Shade) are managing to get out from their tiny kitchen. THE SPACE The former Java Java location at West 11th at Herkimer has been reimagined and is now full of light, thanks to enormous windows that sport metalwork in a Mondrian-like pattern. The same decorative design is repeated in heavy metal doors that lead to two patios flanking the main dining room. That main room is a bold, open expanse awash in reclaimed wood, clever banquette seating that bisects the room, Spanish-style lamps hanging from the ceiling and a wall papered with old maps, vintage recipe pages and yellowed newspaper ads. Look closely near the entrance to the restrooms, and you'll see a map of Presidio County, which gave the owners the idea for the restaurant's name. THE FOOD Dorris elevates chicken fried steak, making it with 44 Farms slabs of bottom round and serving it with bacon-braised greens, smashed potatoes and country gravy. His taco plate - called Granny Rose's Tacos, an ode to his maternal grandmother - carries crispy foldovers stuffed with 44 Farms ground beef, black olives, sweet onions and pepper jack cheese. Tender pork Milanese comes with heirloom polenta, broccoli salsa verde and preserved lemon. Braised, free-range chicken is first marinated in achiote and served with rice, seared avocado and toasted almond and coconut with a lemongrass broth. There's also fried Gulf amberjack served with harissa hushpuppies and french fries; grilled whole fish with field greens and grilled lemon; roasted pork collar with polenta and roasted vegetables; and a prime rib-eye offered with sweet potatoes, grilled broccoli and charred tomato romesco sauce. THE DRINKS A great cocktail list (try the Smoke & Herb, a merger of cachaca, mezcal, house-made grenadine, Aperol, lemon juice and basil leaves); a nice selection of wines by the glass; and a strong tap list make Presidio an impressive watering hole. THE WORD "I'm more excited about this than anything I've ever done," Dorris said. "Pax was amazing, but aspirations are different. I'm not so enamored of fine dining. I want to do different things." ONE MORE THING There's live music on the patio every weekend (Friday through Sunday) starting at 6 p.m. THE DETAILS 911 W. 11th, 832-740-4574; presidiohtx.com. Open 5 to 10 p.m. (bar open until midnight) Tuesdays through Thursdays, 5 to 11 p.m. (bar open until 2 a.m.) Fridays and Saturdays and 5 to 10 p.m. Sundays. Brunch/lunch hours to come. Currently Reading mySpy: Zombies invade downtown in search of flesh and fun This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate A man arrested in December 2015 during an undercover drug operation at a parking lot off of Calle Del Norte was sentenced Thursday in federal court to serve almost three years in prison, according to court records. In January 2016, a grand jury indicted Jose Ortiz-Caballero, Gerardo Perez and Maria Hernandez-Torres on charges of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine and possess with intent to distribute cocaine. U.S. District Court Judge Diana Saldana granted a motion by the government on March 2, 2016 to dismiss the charges against Hernandez-Torres, records state. On Thursday, U.S. District Court Judge Diana Saldana sentenced Ortiz-Caballero to serve two years and two months in prison. RELATED: TAMIU, City of Laredo to ink 'historic community engagement' accord Ortiz-Caballero pleaded guilty to the conspiracy to possess charge in March 2016 after he reached a plea agreement with the government, according to court records. The second charge was dismissed Thursday as part of the plea agreement. In September, Perez was sentenced to serve three years and five months in prison after pleading guilty to the conspiracy to possess charge. He was ordered to pay a fine of $1,500 and complete 50 hours of community service within his release from prison. Drug Enforcement Administration special agents, task force officers and Webb County Sheriffs Office deputies arrested the trio Dec. 10, 2015. Prior to the arrest, authorities were conducting surveillance on a drug transaction with an undercover agent and Ortiz, states the criminal complaint. RELATED: Man dies while working on Laredo power lines Records state the deal, which occurred in a parking lot off Calle Del Norte, involved the agent buying 1 kilogram of cocaine for $27,000. Ortiz arrived in a Dodge Ram with a man later identified as Perez. A Ford Explorer driven by Hernandez also arrived at the location. Both parked next to a vehicle where the undercover agent was waiting. Ortiz then allegedly handed the undercover agent a black shoebox that contained a square package believed to be 1 kilogram of cocaine. Ortiz stated that the male in the Dodge Ram was his connection for the drugs and that the female in the Ford Explorer was his wife. Ortiz assured the undercover agent that there were no issues with Perez and Hernandez and that they were going to be following to ensure no one was following them, states the complaint. Once the undercover agent verified the drugs, law enforcement entered the area and arrested Ortiz, Perez and Hernandez. Authorities announced Monday the arrest of 16 people accused of driving stolen vehicles from the Laredo and San Antonio areas and into the hands of a criminal organization in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico. Seven more people are wanted. LPD said the case unfolded on Jan. 12, 2016. That day, the Department of Public Safety pulled over a vehicle reported stolen with two occupants. The individuals were detained. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate This story ran on July 4, 1962. The headlines and words are reprinted. Thousands of Texans roared a Texas welcome to the space age here Wednesday to start this city's most moving Fourth of July celebration. A parade through the downtown canyons was Houston's official welcome to America's seven astronauts and personnel of NASA's Manned Spacecraft Center at Clear Lake. This team expects to put an American in the moon by 1970. The 36-car motorcade rolled out from Sam Houston Coliseum at 10 a.m. As the parade formed, 250 cooks and bus boys were busy were busy in the Coliseum preparing an old-fashioned Texas barbecue for the astronauts, their families and about 7000 NASA employees and special guests. The meal: 3000 pounds of beef, 3000 pounds of pork ribs, 1500 fryers, 150 gallons of frijoles (beans, Yankee), 500 pounds of onions and the usual beverages. The barbecue was planned so all the employees of the center could be welcomed by city, county and are officials. The spacecraft center employees had never before assembled as a group. Harris County Sheriff C.V. Buster Kern designated each astronaut an honorary deputy - with gold badges. The Chamber of Commerce, sponsor of the welcome, ordered large, gray ranch-style Stetson hats for the astronauts. And Mayor Lewis Cutrer had a key to the city for each of them. Banker J.W. McLean was parade marshal, with Sen. John Tower and reps. Albert Thomas and Bob Casey in the next cars. After them come Robert R. Gilruth, director of the Manned Spacecraft Center, and Col. John (Shorty) Powers, public affairs director of NASA. Names on Cars The astronauts were interspersed in the parade lineup with other NASA personnel. The Astronauts' convertibles were marked with their names. A reviewing stand was set up at Main and McKinney for the mayors of all the towns in Harris and Galveston counties and the two county judges. A flight-tested model of the Mercury space capsule, similar to that used by the astronauts, was on display. March Music Patriotic oratory and rousing march music at Hermann Park tonight is expected to draw a crowd of several thousand. Sen. John Tower will speak. The band concert will start at 6 p.m. After tower's speech, a fireworks display will start at 8:30 p.m. Don Yarborough, recent candidate for governor, and Criss Cole, Democratic nominee for the state Senate, were speakers for a liberal Democrats barbecue beginning at noon at Deussen Park in Lake Houston. A band concert and free picnic were scheduled at 4 p.m. at 5301 Richmond Rd., where Southwestern Savings Assn. will christen its new Bellaire office. The Houston Colts will wind up Houston's biggest Fourth with two games against Pittsburgh, starting at 5:30 p.m. The day's coverage also included a collection of comments from politicians reprinted below. Vice-President Lyndon B. Johnson called Wednesday's welcome to the Manned Space Center personnel a "proud day for Houston, Texas, and the nation." His congratulations to Houston and to its new residents of the spacecraft center were contained in a special message timed to coincide with the parade and barbecue honoring the astronauts and employees of the MSC. Similar messages were from Senators Ralph Yarborough (D-Tex.) and John Tower (R-Tex.) and from Houston's two congressmen, Albert Thomas of the 8th District on the North Side and Bob Casey of the 22nd District on the South Side. Johnson and Yarborough were unable to come for the Independence Day welcoming parade and barbecue. Tower, Casey and Thomas arrived Tuesday night to participate in the celebration. Said the vice-president: "On this great national holiday, I am happy to add my greetings to the warm welcome Houston is extending to our astronauts and the personnel of the manned spacecraft center. It is a proud day for Houston, for Texas and the nation and we look forward to many proud days ahead as these men and their colleagues reach for the stars." Rep. Albert Thomas, who as Houston's senior congressman was influential in having the spacecraft center located here, said: "All the people of Harris County welcome the astronauts and spacecraft personnel and their families as neighbors and friends. Our civic facilities, schools, churches, our good wishes and our helping hands are extended." Rep. Bob Casey, who as a member of the Houston committee on space worked for location of the center in Houston: "I join with the people of Harris County in extending warm and hearty welcome to our newest Texans All of (them) have earned our admiration and respect for brilliance of achievement. We offer our friendship and hospitality. "Houston and the Gulf Coast will be enriched by (their) presence." Said Sen. Yarborough: "The astronauts and the fine manned spacecraft center personnel bring honor and credit to Texas by their presence, and will bring glory top the nation by their achievements. It is fitting that on this Independence Day as we look back in tribute to our common American heritage, that we also look forward in tribute to this vanguard of mankind's quest for knowledge. Just as men of vision like the late Jesse H. Jones (publisher of The Chronicle, statesman and financier) brought the Gulf Coast inland by creating a Ship Channel and the fabulous Port of Houston, so shall the bold and practical visionaries of the space age bring the moon and the planets within our reach." Sen. Tower, who will speak at 7:45 tonight at the Junior Chamber of Commerce Independence Day rally in Hermann Park: "My congratulations to the astronaut team and members of their families of their good fortune in having their headquarters newly assigned to the NASA center in Houston. My congratulations to Houston on its new community responsibility and opportunity to welcome this history making group of resourceful and most capable conquerors of space. "I am looking forward to the years ahead and expect the scientific and technical accomplishments resulting from this fortunate combination of city and team to bring increased prestige and influence to the United States as free world leader." Harry Cabluck/STF AUSTIN -- After Sen. Eddie Lucio, D-Brownsville, became the lone Senate Democrat to support the "bathroom bill," many in his own party accused the South Texas lawmaker of being a "complete sellout." He was taking so much heat from fellow Democrats, in fact, that his son Rep. Eddie Lucio III came to his defense in a passionate plea for civil disagreement. Wade Goates, fire chief at the City of Rosenberg, retired on Feb. 24 with plans to join the Fulshear-Simonton Fire Department. Rosenberg officials express regret at losing the chief and wish him well in his next venture. The public is invited to join city staff, elected officials, friends, and family in celebration of his career at the Rosenberg Civic Center, 3825 Texas 36 S., on March 23 from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Goates joined the Rosenberg Volunteer Fire Department in 1992 and was hired as a full-time firefighter in 1995. Throughout the course of his career in Rosenberg, Goates received several promotions and accolades for his excellent service. "Chief Goates was known for his commitment to public service and safety," Senior Fire Department Administrator Barbara Smolik said. "His dedication never went unnoticed. In 2001 he received the Firefighter of the Year award and the following year in 2002 he received the American Legion's Firefighter of the Year award." The City of Rosenberg also recognized the level of service that Goates provided to residents and coworkers, awarding him the Willie D. McQueen Award in 2008 for outstanding service. Goates was promoted several times from firefighter to fire marshal, and finally to fire chief in 2012. "I really enjoyed working for Rosenberg Fire Department and the City of Rosenberg, and the opportunities that it brought," Goates said. "During my tenure, I was able to build and continue a career with some of the best people who truly care for the city and community. For the past 25 years, members of the Rosenberg Fire Department have been my second family and I will miss them." This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate A four-month impasse over a key Mission District housing project is headed toward resolution after the developer agreed to new community benefits including discounted trade shop space for local businesses and a $1 million contribution to a cultural district formed in 2014 to preserve the neighborhoods Latino heritage and community. In a deal hammered out with Supervisor Hillary Ronen, Lennar Multifamily Communities has committed to leasing out its six 700-square-foot trade shop spaces at 1515 S. Van Ness Ave. for 50 percent of the market rate. The $1 million contribution would be made through the San Francisco Foundation to a cultural stabilization fund that could be spent on building or acquiring sites for affordable housing. In addition, Lennar, which had previously agreed to make 25 percent of the 157 housing units affordable and to use 100 percent union labor, has agreed to let the city use the current building that is on the property as a navigation center a pop-up shelter for homeless services. That would last roughly nine months to a year, or until Lennar is ready to start construction. Housing projects that both add to our housing stock, and protect what we love about the (Calle 24) Latino Cultural District, is exactly what the Mission needs, Ronen said. The project is one of a pair of market-rate projects that were appealed to the Board of Supervisors after winning approval at the Planning Commission. Opponents argued that both projects the other is at 2675 Folsom St. would accelerate the frenzied pace of gentrification that over the last decade has transformed the Mission District into one of San Franciscos trendiest and most expensive neighborhoods. While Erick Arguello, President of the Calle 24 Council, has frequently opposed market-rate development, he said he felt comfortable with the 1515 S. Van Ness deal. Preventing displacement and preserving our rich Latino culture are our top priorities, Arguello said. When developers work with us and our supervisor to accomplish these goals, we can feel good about moving these projects forward. The project will include 39 units affordable to a range of families making between 55 percent and 120 percent of area median income, or $59,000 and $129,000 for a family of four. With this deal in place, it will be interesting to see what happens to the second project at 2675 Folsom St. As with 1515 S. Van Ness, opponents of that development argued that city planners failed to take into account the impact the complex would have on displacement and gentrification in a district that has been the heart of the citys working-class Latino community. Under the states byzantine California Environmental Quality Act, proposed developments require a detailed analysis of everything from noise to air quality to traffic to historical and biological resources. Up to now, however, efforts by antigentrification advocates to argue that displacement is an environmental impact have gone nowhere. And that point was reiterated last week when the Planning Department released a report on 2675 Folsom, saying that project would not result in indirect displacement of existing residents or businesses as a secondary effect of gentrification. The report was seized on by pro-housing advocates, like Sonja Trauss of the San Francisco Bay Area Renters Federation, which is in favor of more housing at all income levels. The upside of all of this is we have yet another report saying what is true, which is that development is symptomatic of rising population and rising income levels, it doesnt cause it, said Trauss. Attorney Scott Weaver, the appellant in the 2675 Folsom case, said that the study didnt reflect the reality that new high-end condos are changing the neighborhood. After 40 years of representing Mission tenants in eviction cases, Weaver scoffed at the notion that high-end housing doesnt bring with it higher rents, more expensive restaurants and fancier shops. That is just wrong, he said. Development makes a neighborhood more desirable, and rents go up. Any Realtor will tell you that. While she supports 1515 S. Van Ness going forward, Trauss said the project-by-project deal-making undermines city planning laws. If we are going to do deal-making for every project, I dont know what the point is in having zoning in the first place, said Trauss. Its the opposite of planning. Arguello said that he is more comfortable supporting a 75 percent market rate development like 1515 S. Van Ness in part because there are six 100 percent projects totaling 733 units in the pipeline in the Mission. But even though we have more than 700 units coming, we are still in a hole, he said. J.K. Dineen is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jdineen@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @SFJKDineen Edward A. Ornelas /San Antonio Express-News Mayor Ivy Taylors Council on Police-Community Relations will meet tonight to draft policy and procedural recommendations that will be considered by the City Councils Criminal Justice, Public Safety and Services subcommittee. Members will base their recommendations on insight and advice received from the public during subcommittee meetings held throughout San Antonio in the last month. BANDERA The Texas Rangers are investigating the fatal shooting last week of a Pipe Creek man by a Bandera County deputy who was responding to a disturbance call on property where the man lived. Michael Sanders, 47, was killed Thursday night after allegedly brandishing a knife during a confrontation with the unidentified deputy in the 1000 block of Rio Ranchero in Pipe Creek, according to Bandera County Chief Deputy Matt King. WASHINGTON - FBI Director James Comey made one thing abundantly clear Monday: There is zero evidence that Donald Trump or Trump Tower was wiretapped during the course of the 2016 presidential campaign. "I have no information that supports those tweets," Comey told House Intelligence Committee ranking Democrat Adam Schiff o California, confirming that neither the FBI nor the Justice Department had found any evidence of the alleged wiretapping after a very close look. Comey's denial of wiretapping comes on the heels of similar statements by former director of national intelligence James Clapper, former president Barack Obama and House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes, R-Calif. For Trump to continue to make the case that he was wiretapped by Obama during the 2016 election, you must believe that the current FBI director is lying in a public, nationally televised congressional hearing. And that the former director of national intelligence was lying. And that Mike Rogers, director of the National Security Agency, is lying that Britain was not involved in a wiretapping program at the behest of the American government. That's a very, very, very, very tough sell. Now, there are ways around this - and a number of the Republican members on the Intelligence Committee are taking Trump's lead in suggesting them. The prime pushback is that when Trump used the word "wiretapping," he didn't actually mean wiretapping. Instead he meant a broader palette of potential means of surveillance. And so, by denying, specifically, the words "wiretapping," Comey and the rest are playing word games and not broadly denying that someone, somewhere was watching or listening to the Republican presidential nominee. It is possible - in the broadest sense of that word - that such a theory could have some validity. But it is the longest of long shots, and to believe it, you have to believe that people like Comey and Clapper purposely obfuscated when asked direct questions about whether Trump was being surveilled. Given Comey's flat denial of any evidence of Trump Tower being wiretapped, there will be increased pressure on both Trump and Republican members of Congress to back off that position and apologize for it. Reps. Tom Cole, R-Okla., and Will Hurd, R-Texas, have already called on Trump to apologize to Obama. It's hard to imagine that other GOPers won't follow that lead in light of Comey's testimony in front of the House Intelligence Committee on Monday. Trump is another matter. His offhand remark at a joint news appearance Friday with German Chancellor Angela Merkel that perhaps he and she had both been wiretapped by the Obama administration suggests he isn't planning to leave the issue alone - much less apologize for it. And we know that for 35 to 40 percent of the public, that will be enough; they simply trust Trump more than they trust any intelligence official or media outlet. But that's sort of beside the point. Trump is the president of the United States. There is now ample evidence that a very serious accusation he made about a former president is simply not true. Standing by it now is simply irresponsible. Its pouring. In a commentary in this newspaper recently, Texas House Speaker Joe Straus suggested that the Legislature consider dipping into the states so-called rainy day fund to balance the budget and pay for critical needs. It is an excellent idea. This is precisely what the Economic Stabilization Fund its technical name is for. It is a reserve against hard times, when the states needs outstrip its revenues. By most accounts, were there, hence our its pouring remark. The fund now stands at about $12 billion. The San Antonio Republican notes a bevy of needs, including properly funding the states child welfare system, big parts of which are effectively broken. And despite a Texas Supreme Court ruling that says school funding is not unconstitutional, the court noted that no one can make the case that it is adequate. It isnt, not by a long shot. As Straus wrote, Texas needs dictate something other than a cuts-only approach to balancing the budget. He said that the state has dipped into the fund seven times previously and that it can go down to $5 billion without jeopardizing the states credit rating. There are, of course, risks. The fund cannot be a permanent source of revenue for critical spending. The needs do not go away after a budget cycle. In fact, they increase because of population growth and other factors. Both child welfare and adequate public school funding are in that category, but so, in our view, are a host of other needs, including higher education and the states contributions to the safety net for low-income Texans. But using the fund this biennium buys breathing space so the Legislature can undertake a thorough examination of its tax code including tax breaks and whether other sources of revenue can be found. Moreover, no one expects that the plunge in oil and gas prices that spelled less revenue for the state will be a permanent state of affairs. Texas is as familiar with booms as busts. Its clear that Straus premise that this cant be just a cuts-only budget is spot on. The needs are as obvious as is the need to quit this constant mantra of tax cuts. Texas is already a relatively low-tax, low-service state that nonetheless has enormous needs that go unmet. Use the rainy day fund to balance the budget this session. Then get smarter about revenue sources. 1 Afghan shooting: An Afghan soldier opened fire Sunday inside a base in the southern Helmand province, wounding three U.S. soldiers before being shot dead. Navy Cpt. Bill Salvin, a U.S. military spokesman, said coalition forces had killed the soldier to end the attack, but Col. Mohammad Rasoul Zazai, an Afghan army spokesman, said the soldier had made a mistake and had not fired deliberately. Several U.S. troops have been killed in Afghanistan in recent years in so-called insider attacks carried out by Afghan police or soldiers. 2 Damascus clashes: Fierce clashes broke out in the Syrian capital on Sunday after insurgents infiltrated government-held parts of the eastern side of the city through tunnels overnight, state media said. It was a surprising breach of the governments Damascus security perimeter, where it has effectively walled itself off against two opposition enclaves in the eastern parts of the city. Residents said artillery shells and rockets landed inside the heart of the city, and the activist-run Damascus Today Facebook group reported government air raids over the area. Food, Wine, & Dining, Local News, Community, Charity & Cause, Press Releases, Seasonal & Current Events By Long Island News & PR Published: March 20 2017 Experience a taste of Long Islands best restaurants at the Holocaust Memorial and Tolerance Center of Nassau Countys (HMTC) annual Tolerance Benefit: Taste of Long Island. Glen Cove, NY - March 16, 2017 - Experience a taste of Long Islands best restaurants at the Holocaust Memorial and Tolerance Center of Nassau Countys (HMTC) annual Tolerance Benefit: Taste of Long Island. This years benefit features a tasting event and silent auction on Monday, May 1, 2017, at 6 p.m. at Westbury Manor, 1100 Jericho Turnpike, Westbury, NY. In addition, three middle and high-school students will be presented with the Friedlander Upstander Award and one Long Island college student will be awarded the Daniel Gillman Goodfellow Award. The Tolerance Benefit is a way for donors, volunteers, Survivors and members of the community to join together to raise money in support of HMTCs Holocaust, anti-bias and anti-bullying education programs. Those donations make it possible to provide transportation for school groups to visit HMTCs world-class museum and to hear first-hand testimony from a Holocaust Survivor and for nurses and law enforcement officers to participate in free training workshops. An exciting array of auction prizes include an authentic, vintage Judith Leiber handbag, a handmade cuff bracelet from acclaimed repousse silver artist, Michael Galmer, and a studio tour of WFAN with Mike Francesa. Other prizes include overnight stays in hotels, restaurant gift certificates and jewelry. The Friedlander Upstander Award, presented by HMTC and the Claire Friedlander Family Foundation, in conjunction with the Nassau and Suffolk County Police Departments, is awarded to Nassau and Suffolk County middle school and high school students who have acted as Upstanders against bullying or intolerance in any of its forms. Recipients receive a $2,500 scholarship. The Daniel Gillman Goodfellow Award, presented by HMTC and the Gillman family, is given to a college or university student on Long Island who confronted an act of social injustice or intolerance or helped others in need. The recipient will receive a $1,000 award. The Tolerance Benefit is sponsored by Sterling Risk Insurance, the Ike, Molly & Steven Elias Foundation, and Title Associates. Other Sponsorship opportunities are available. Tickets are $125 a person and a ten-pack of tickets is available for $1,125. To make a donation or purchase tickets online visit here. For more information about sponsorship packages and to purchase tickets, contact Deborah Lom at (516) 571-8040 or email. Local News, Business & Finance, Community, Charity & Cause By Long Island News & PR Published: March 20 2017 Unique Opportunity Provided for Small Business Owners Farmingdale, NY - March 20, 2017 - Sustainable Long Island recently completed a series of one-on-one style small business mentoring sessions designed to provide personalized assistance to small businesses and/or aspiring entrepreneurs. Mentoring session themes covered business growth strategies, resources for accessing capital, achieving financial success, how to utilize digital marketing tools, and other topics to assist in the success of a small business. Partners included the City of Sustainable Long Island recently completed a series of one-on-one style small business mentoring sessions designed to provide personalized assistance to small businesses and/or aspiring entrepreneurs. Mentoring session themes covered business growth strategies, resources for accessing capital, achieving financial success, how to utilize digital marketing tools, and other topics to assist in the success of a small business. Partners included the City of Long Beach , the Long Beach Martin Luther King Community Center, the Concerned Citizens of North Park, the Christian Light Missionary Baptist Church and the Long Beach Latino Civic Association. The program included four small business mentoring workshops with financial professionals targeted to the community. Participating mentors included Capital One, SCORE Long Island, the Farmingdale Small Business Development Center, Long Beach Chamber of Commerce, Bridgeworks and Cybernet. Having stemmed from Hurricane Sandy revitalization efforts in Long Beach and made possible by funding provided from Citi and Capital One, this innovative project has done more than offer business resources, and local knowledge it has: Provided critical job training and employment opportunities in the community Promoted personalized education for residents and entrepreneurs Contributed to a sense of place for residents and business owners Supported the regional economy and business infrastructure The Small Business Mentoring Sessions enabled us to equip entrepreneurs and community members with the knowledge, resources, and skills needed to become successful business owners, said L. Von Kuhen Ph.D., Executive Director of Sustainable Long Island. The main objective is to not only provide these local residents with practical business skills, but to help them learn more about growth strategies in an effort to improve financial health. Sustainable Long Island aims to foster a new generation of small business owners who can continue to advance the development of business in Long Beach. In a community with so many small businesses, the partnership between the City of Long Beach, Sustainable Long Island and each of the local organizations involved has provided our residents with a unique opportunity to enhance the knowledge and skills necessary to succeed as a small business owner, said Long Beach City Councilwoman Chumi Diamond. This has and will continue to be a win-win for the entire community. For more information on holding a business mentoring session in your community, please contact Sustainable Long Island. About Sustainable Long Island The Taliban claimed that 67 Mujahideen have graduated from two training camps located in the northwestern Afghan province of Faryab. The group has publicized 12 training facilities throughout the country since late 2014. Forty of the fighters graduated on March 18 from a military camp Intiqam Giran-e-Quran in the surroundings of Shirin Tagab district in Faryab, according to the Taliban. The statement was released on Voice of Jihad, the Talibans official propaganda website. Mujahideen received training about usage of heavy and light weapons, target shooting, information regarding military tolls and explosive materials in the camp, according to Voice of Jihad. A photograph of a group of Taliban fighters in uniform pointing their AK-47s down range accompanied the brief statement, however it is unclear if it is a stock photo or from the Faryab camp. In the past, the Taliban has released videos accompanying the announcements of their training camps. Shirin Tagab district is one of the seven districts contested by the Taliban. In July 2016, RFE/RL reported that at least 35 villages were under Taliban control. In Feb. 2017, the Taliban took control of another village in the district after killing five local policemen. In a second statement, released on March 17, the Taliban said that as many as 27 Mujahideen were graduated from Khalid-Bin-Walik military camp on Thursday. However the title of the statement identified the facility as Khalid-Bin-Walid, which appears to be one of 12 feeder camps identified by the Taliban in late 2015. Faryab province is a known haven for the Taliban. Of the provinces 15 districts, seven are contested by the Taliban and one more is Taliban-controlled, according to data compiled by FDDs Long War Journal. The Taliban used these districts to launch an assault on Maimana, the provincial capital. While Afghan forces prevented the fall of Maimana, they failed to eject the Taliban from the surrounding districts. Jihadist training camps in Afghanistan The Taliban has publicized at least 12 of its training camps since the end of 2014 (see list below). In late 2015, the Taliban announced that its Khalid bin Walid Camp operated 12 satellite facilities throughout Afghanistan, and had the capacity to train up to 2000 recruits at a single time. Additionally, it said the Khalid bin Walid Camp trains recruits in 8 provinces (Helmand, Kandahar, Ghazni, Ghor, Saripul, Faryab, Farah and Maidan Wardak) and has around 300 military trainers and scholars. Other jihadist groups, including al Qaeda, are known to operate camps inside Afghanistan. In 2015, the US raided an al Qaeda camp in Bermal district in Paktika, and two others in the Shorabak district in Kandahar province. The outgoing commander of US forces in Afghanistan, General John Campbell, said that one of the camps in Shorabak was the largest in Afghanistan since the US invaded in 2001. Al Qaeda has also operated camps in Kunar and Nuristan. Harakat-ul-Mujahideen, a Pakistani jihadist group that is closely allied with al Qaeda,operates terrorist training camps in eastern Afghanistan, the US government stated in 2014. The Turkistan Islamic Party, the Islamic Jihad Union, and the Imam Bukhari Jamaat, an Uzbek jihadist group that operates in both Syria and Afghanistan, have all claimed to operate camps inside Afghanistan. Coalition forces have also raided Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan suicide training camps in Samagan and Sar-i-Pul. Training camps promoted by the Taliban since Dec. 2014 Dec. 2014: The Taliban announced the existence of a training camp in Faryab province. Dec. 2014:The Khalid bin Waleed camp in Kunar province. June 2015: The Taliban touted its special forces training camp; the location was not disclosed. Aug. 2015: Training Camp Shaheed Ustaz Aasim in the Lions Den, in Paktia province. Sept. 2015 The Salahadin Ayyubi camp; the location was not disclosed. July 2016: The Omar bin Khattab training camp in Kunduz. Oct. 2016: Abdullah bin Mubarak Jihad Training Camp; the location was not disclosed. Nov. 2015: The Khalid bin Walid Camp; the location was not disclosed. According to the Taliban, it has 12 branches. Nov. 2015: The Abu Dujana Camp, in Sar-i-Pul province. It is one of the 12 branch camps of the Khalid bin Walid Camp. Jan. 2017: Al Farouq Training Camp; the location was not disclosed. March 2017: Intiqam Giran-e-Quran in Faryab. March 2017: Khalid-Bin-Walid, or Khalid-Bin-Walik, in Faryab. Bill Roggio is a Senior Fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and the Editor of FDD's Long War Journal. Are you a dedicated reader of FDD's Long War Journal? Has our research benefitted you or your team over the years? Support our independent reporting and analysis today by considering a one-time or monthly donation. Thanks for reading! You can make a tax-deductible donation here. Jihadists, Islamists and rebels affiliated with the Free Syrian Army (FSA) launched an offensive in the eastern outskirts of the Syrian capital yesterday. The sudden attack began in the Jobar district of Damascus and then spread into a nearby area. Hayat Tahrir al Sham (HTS), a joint venture led by al Qaedas arm in Syria, launched two suicide attacks with vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices (SVBIEDs) at the beginning of the assault. HTS (Assembly for the Liberation of Syria) posted pictures of the two suicide bombers, as well as images glorifying the moment of their martyrdom, on its official Telegram channel. It appears that small drones were used to generate footage of the SVBIEDs from above. Like their rivals in the Islamic State, al Qaedas men in Syria have long used drones to capture the instant when one of their suicide bombers detonates. Other photos show HTS jihadists moving throughout Jobar, a fighter with an amputated lower arm engaged in combat, a garage complex, a smashed regime poster and a truck captured as part of the groups spoils. The images can be seen below. (WARNING: In addition to the aforementioned photos, some of the pictures are graphic, showing dead regime fighters on the streets.) The leader of HTS, Abu Jaber (also known as Hashem al Sheikh), promised just days ago that his men would soon escalate their operations against Bashar al Assads regime. It appears that the Damascus offensive is part of what he meant. In addition, during the weeks leading up to his message, HTS carried out suicide bombings in Damascus and also killed a senior military intelligence official in Homs. [See FDDs Long War Journal reports: Leader of al Qaedas joint venture in Syria promises to escalate operations and Al Qaeda front group claims responsibility for suicide attacks in Damascus.] Ahrar al Sham, which frequently fights alongside HTS and its predecessor (Al Nusrah Front), is also taking part in the effort. The group has released a series of photos from the fighting on its social media sites. One tweet claims that the industrial area between the Jobar and Qabun districts had been mostly liberated after many members of the Assad regimes forces were killed or injured. Ahrars fighters are shown preparing for the battle, fighting in the Damascus neighborhoods, and displaying their booty in the images below. HTS current leader, Abu Jaber, and other senior HTS jihadists were once prominent figures in Ahrar al Sham. However, al Qaedas forces in HTS and Ahrar al Shams members reportedly clashed in northern Syria earlier this year. Indeed, some of Ahrars leadership refused to join HTS, deciding to operate their own entity and absorb other factions in the process. But this hasnt stopped HTS and Ahrar from cooperating on Syrias battlefields. In addition to the fighting in Damascus, the two have also coordinated in Daraa, a southern Syrian city, Homs province and likely elsewhere in recent weeks. Faylaq al Rahman, a FSA-branded organization, has played a significant role in the battle as well. Faylaq al Rahman has used American-made TOW missiles previously, including in recent weeks. FSA-affiliated groups have frequently allied with al Qaedas jihadists, as is the case in Jobar district. Faylaq al Rahmans propaganda from the battle places its members in the same areas as HTS and Ahrar al Shams men. Faylaq al Rahman claimed in a statement that two tanks were destroyed. It has tweeted photos of identification cards that allegedly belonged to regime loyalists in the area. And in one video, a Faylaq al Rahman fighter can be heard calling on Assad regime fighters to surrender, as they are surrounded inside a captured building. Insurgents from all three groups HTS, Ahrar al Sham, and Faylaq al Rahman are pictured wearing the same red and white headbands. It is possible that still other organizations are involved in the fighting. For example, Jaysh al Islam has had a strong presence in the area surrounding Damascus, especially in the eastern Ghouta region. There is an ebb and flow to such battles, so it is too early to tell where the offensive will lead. The rebels (including jihadists and Islamists) have controlled only small pockets in the areas immediately surrounding the center of Damascus. The new effort is likely intended to clear out more space for them to operate, but also to make the Assad regime and its allies fight on additional fronts. Since losing Aleppo late last year, the insurgency has been looking for an opportunity to gain the initiative once again. Hayat Tahrir al Shams propaganda photos from the fighting in Damascus, including images of two suicide bombers. (WARNING: Some of the images are graphic): Ahrar al Shams propaganda from the offensive in Damascus: Faylaq al Rahmans propaganda from the battle in Damascus: 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. Over 800 medical personnel have been killed in Syria since March 2011 with nearly 200 attacks on health facilities in 2016 alone, according to a new study published in The Lancet. Led by the Faculty of Health Sciences, American University of Beirut, the study brings together data from multiple sources to analyse the impact of the crisis on health workers. Published to mark the sixth anniversary of the Syrian crisis, it describes the extent to which health has been weaponised in the conflict, in what human rights organisations have described as a war-crime strategy. The authors say the conflict has revealed serious shortcomings of global governance and call for a new role for global health organisations in responding to health needs in conflicts. So is this situation unique to Syria? And what more can be done to protect healthcare as medical services become targets of war? Dr Karl Blanchet, Director of the Health in Humanitarian Crises Centre at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, said: "This is an important study which raises a very serious but undocumented and under-reported issue. The daily work of thousands of courageous health and relief workers in conflict-affected areas is being jeopardised. "Unfortunately Syria is just the tip of the iceberg. In Afghanistan and Yemen today, international humanitarian organisations such as the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) report attacks on health facilities every week. Patients have been shot while travelling in ambulances in Colombia, ambulances are used in suicide attacks in Afghanistan, doctors are murdered in Somalia, and hospitals bombed in Afghanistan, Yemen and Libya. "The Health in Humanitarian Crises Centre at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine is joining the international campaigns launched by ICRC and MSF, and is calling for consolidated and systematic data collection and reporting on attacks on health facilities and personnel. Stronger national and international legislation to protect healthcare workers during armed conflicts, combined with an awareness campaign amongst combatants on International Humanitarian Law, is urgently needed. "Finally, we also want to make the case for reinforcing medical ethics and the humanitarian principles of impartiality, to ensure that patients are not refused access to healthcare." The Commonwealth Eye Health Consortium programmes are funded by The Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Trust and coordinated by the International Centre for Eye Health at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. The Countess, who is Vice Patron of The Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Trust, visited Lilongwe's Kamuzu Hospital to see how the Consortium is contributing to long-term capacity building for the delivery of quality eye care services. She met with Malawian eye doctors and other health workers who have received scholarships for academic training in public health and clinical fellowships funded through the Consortium. She observed first hand a training session on screening for diabetic retinopathy being conducted by a VISION 2020 LINKS team from Fife, UK. The LINK between Lilongwe and Fife is part of the Diabetic Retinopathy Network which aims to strengthen screening and treatment in DR through developing Diabetic Retinopathy Services within LINK institutions. There are two Diabetic Retinopathy Network LINKS within Malawi supported through the Consortium. The other LINK is between Blantyre and Liverpool. Peek is part of the Consortium and works in partnership with the School. It creates technology including apps and knowledge to empower healthcare providers to deliver quality, eye care to everyone. During the visit, the Countess tested a pupil's vision at Mchesi Primary School with the Peek Acuity app as part of a demonstration of the Peek schools screening system to identify children with visual impairment. She also looked at a retina (the back of the eye) using Peek Retina, a smartphone camera adapter which she first saw as a prototype during a visit to the School in 2015. Since then it has been modified and certified as a medical device and will go on general release soon. Her Royal Highness also travelled to the Kasungu district where she saw Trust-funded activities with the Malawian Ministry of Health and the International Coalition for Trachoma Control to eliminate blinding trachoma. The Countess' visit comes at an exciting time in Malawi as the country reaches an historic milestone in its fight against blinding trachoma: from now on no one in Malawi need lose their sight from this ancient, painful infectious disease. The country is on track to meet by 2018 the World Health Organisation criteria where trachoma is no longer a public health problem and verification of elimination by 2020. Since its launch in 2014, the Commonwealth Eye Health Consortium has sponsored four Malawian ophthalmologists to undergo clinical fellowships around the world; awarded scholarships to two Malawians to study for Masters in Public Health; supported two Malawian LINKS which are part of the Diabetic Retinopathy Network to address diabetic retinopathy through screening and treatment services including training support from the UK/Scottish partners. The Consortium is now supporting training, research and other activities involving 34 Commonwealth countries. Professor Matthew Burton, Professor of International Eye Health and Consortium Director at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, represented the Consortium during the Countess's visit to Malawi. He said: "Malawi is making great strides in its efforts to increase eye care services and tackle avoidable blindness. The scholars and fellows the Countess met today are playing a key role in leading eye-health developments in the country. "I am delighted that the Countess is so supportive of eye health and that she was able to see how our Trust-funded programmes are working to increase capacity and bring long-term and large-scale improvements through people, knowledge and tools." Image: HRH The Countess of Wessex with Nigel Bolster from Peek. Credit: The Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Trust Peek Lifestyle / Travel Home to the northern lights, we take a look at Icelands many charms and find out what it has in store for visitors Mar 20, 2017 | By AFP Relaxnews As widely predicted, Iceland was one of the top travel trends of 2016. In fact, Icelandair airline carried 3.7 million passengers a 20% increase. The country is, above all, popular with adventurous travellers in search of rugged and spectacular natural landscapes. We dive into the five must-see sights for visitors heading to the island country. The Blue Lagoon Travellers in search of relaxation and stunning scenery shouldnt miss the Blue Lagoon, a popular attraction where visitors can bathe in milky waters at temperatures of 36 to 39C. The lagoon is set among the breathtaking scenery of a lava field, making the turquoise blue of the lagoon even more striking. A 40-minute drive from Reykjavik, the lagoon is fed by the water output of a nearby geothermal power plant and has a rich mineral content. The Dettifoss waterfall Dettifoss is the most powerful waterfall in Europe. Located in the north-east of the country, it is 44 meters high and 100 meters wide. When nearing the site, visitors are often surprised by the deafening sound of the 500 cubic meters of water towering over the falls every second. The waterfall is accessed via the Jokulsa a Fjollum canyon, which can be reached by road. A 44 vehicle is highly recommended to ensure visitors reach the waterfall without running into trouble. The Northern Lights at Jokulsarlon The Jokulsarlon glacial lake, in the south of the country, is formed from melted glacier water and is the largest in the country. Its also 200 meters deep. The lake is home to various icebergs that have detached from the glacier, casting blue and black reflections and creating a breathtaking polar landscape. Try to visit the site at the end of the day to enjoy the spectacular dusky light. You could even stay until nightfall in the hope of catching the Northern Lights, another great reason to visit Jokulsarlon. The Strokkur geyser No trip to Iceland would be complete without seeing a geyser. Around 100kilometers from the capital, the Strokkur geyser promises an impressive natural sight, ejecting a 20-meter high column of water and steam every five minutes. Head to the islands Geysir geothermal area, which is the origin of the English word geyser. Lucky visitors might even catch sight of The Great Geysir which, although generally dormant, can have a few episodes of activity during the year. The Great Geysir was regularly active in the early 1990s, with an impressive jet of superheated water and steam reaching up to 60 meters in height. Step inside the Thrihnukagigur volcano Iceland is a highly volcanic country, which is why it has so many geysers. The countrys Eyjafjallajokull volcano also caused widespread disruption to air travel with its 2010 eruption. The country offers curious travellers the unusual experience of visiting the inside of a volcano (an extinct volcano, of course). Organised tours take visitors inside the Thrihnukagigur volcano, which last erupted more than 4,000 years ago. Groups descend into the volcano via the crater and are taken to admire the magma chamber. Although tours can be expensive, Thrihnukagigur is an easy-to-access site thats around 20km from Reykjavik. The biggest tech story heading into South by Southwest was Uberand not just the companys desperate need for a COO or its issues addressing sexual harassment claims. Last year, the city of Austin started requiring ride-hailing companies to fingerprint the drivers to ensure passenger safety. Uber and chief rival Lyft decided to leave the city in protest. Techies descending on Austin for SXSWs interactive programming were concerned: How would everyone get around the city without apps? Well, Austin still has ride-hailing appstheyre just not Uber or Lyft. A crop of homegrown options sprung up after the big two fled the city, and we put them to the test when we arrived in Austin to see if life without Uber would be more difficult. Spoiler alert: Not really. The expectations Leah: We knew this was coming, so I made sure to do some homework. I dug up a few articles in the weeks leading up to SXSW, outlining all of the different apps that Austin has come up with in response to the big boys heading out of town. I think we were adequately preparedor at least we were as mentally ready as possible Caitlin: I had completely forgotten that Uber and Lyft were banned until you sent an article to me, Leah! I downloaded two different apps when I got to the airport but took a cab when I walked outside because the taxi line was shortway different experience than last year. Leah: Yeah! I also took a cab from the airport and didnt have to wait long, so that was a plus. It was a nice reminder of just how efficient plain ol yellow cabs can be. Caitlin: I overheard an airport employee explaining to a few other SXSW arrivals waiting in the cab line that Uber and Lyft were both bannedsome thought it was just Uber. There was a bit of anxiety, because a lot of people didnt realize that other apps had stepped in to fill the hole left by Uber and Lyft. And really, those apps were almost exactly the same as the ones were familiar with. Leah: One thing that kind of worried me before we got there was not knowing which app to pick. Austin has seen a huge boom in the past year of local startups building ride-sharing apps to replace Lyft and Uber. The articles I read mentioned, like, eight different apps, all in the beginning phases competing with each other to rise to the top. And, honestly, I expected all of them to suck. The competition Caitlin: Im not really committed to any particular ride-hailing app. In New York, I use Uber, Lyft, and a taxi app called Curb, and the one I use on a specific day is mainly related to availability (and surge-pricing, to be honest). I installed RideAustin, which is a nonprofit that doesnt take a cut from drivers in its basic class (their version of UberX). The app also allows you to round up your fare and the excess is donated to a charity of your choosing. I mean, it makes taking a cab feel like a civic virtue. I also installed Fasten, which is No. 2 in the Austin ride-hailing market, but there are a slew of other options, most of which allow in-app tipping, which Uber does not. RideAustin RideAustin, Austins head of the ride-share pack. Leah: I exclusively use Lyft in the San Francisco Bay Area, but I still have an Uber account that I use in other cities where Lyft isnt a thing yet. When trying out the Austin apps, I was mostly concerned about picking the one that had the most drivers available, instead of installing and signing up for a zillion apps that Id only ever use this week. Like Caitlin, I also chose RideAustin and Fastenmostly because those were the two that people seemed to be talking about the most. Word of mouth is a good thing. I liked RideAustins donation feature, its ability to accept in-app tips (which Lyft has as well), and the fact that every drivers vehicle has to pass an inspection. I know other cities require that, too, but it varies. Caitlin: I ended up using RideAustin the most, despite the fact that it was constantly surge-pricing. (It felt like Uber never left.) Leah: Im pretty sure I never even used Fasten. The problems Fasten Im sure youre fine, Fasten, but we never got a chance to use you thanks to your buggy app. Caitlin: So just one day into SXSW, ride-hailing apps were put to the test. On Saturday, we went to an event on the east side of Austin. It was rainy and there were tons of people out. When we tried to hail a ride to get back to our Airbnb, we discovered two of the most popular apps, Fasten and RideAustin, had crashed. Leah: Yes. RideAustin wasnt connecting us to any drivers, while Fasten wouldnt even get past the loading screen. We knew it was an outage because everyone else at the event was having a hard time getting rides, too. So, we did the only thing we could think of: We started walking. Caitlin: We had to hunt for cabs in the rain like barbarians! I was actually a little concerned, because Austinites (Austonians?) had warned us that the east side at night is not the best, and the rain wouldnt let up. Luckily we were two blocks from a main thoroughfare and literally ran across the street to hail the only car in sight. Thankfully it was a green cab. Leah: Seriously! I cant believe our luck. I bet it took people ages to get home that night. Again, this was my second reminder in as many days of how efficient the old-school taxi system can be. I wonder if some drivers knew the ride-share apps were down and specifically drove to far-flung parts of town to drum up business? Caitlin: We didnt find out until later what had happened with the apps. Apparently SXSW drove demand 12 times higher than normalwhich, duhand the servers just couldnt handle it. Leah, you and I have both been to SXSW three times in previous years and relied on Uber and Lyft, and never has the demand been so overwhelming that the apps were completely unuseable. It seemed like Austins new crop of ride-hailing apps were more focused on bringing enough drivers into town to handle the wave of visitors, and not on making sure their infrastructure was strong enough to withstand the demand. Leah: Yeah. Interestingly enough, one of our drivers explained that RideAustin had expected to get a huge increase in riders, so they built their platform out to support riders in mass and had done a huge marketing push to lure more drivers. However, what caused the big crash was a huge jump in drivers trying to log in, once Fasten and some of the other apps crashed! Never has this happened during SXSW before, as far as I recallUber and Lyft were always ready for the rush. On top of that, the surge pricing felt really high this year. In previous years, wed experience what felt like a normal demand with the occasional surge price in effect from Lyft and Uber. But this year, RideAustin was almost always surging. Caitlin: The surging was annoying, although Uber and Lyft were almost surging during SXSW, too. The prices were comparable to Uber and Lyft, and honestly it felt like we were using the same exact apps. The design is slightly different, but a ride-hailing app is a ride-hailing app. It goes to show that reliability is the biggest selling point of a service like Uber, and probably the biggest reason its still around despite its myriad issues as a business. Leah: Definitely. Once we were in the car, it felt exactly the same, and using the apps werent that different, either. However, it seems like the app infrastructure is a bit behind Lyft and Uber from the drivers side of things. One driver I spoke to used to drive for Uber, and he told me that RideAustins navigation service leaves much to be desired. Drivers have to leave the RideAustin app for turn-by-turn navigation, where its automatically tied in to Lyft and Uber. This is really problematic when it comes to ride cancellationssometimes, drivers miss the cancellation notification from the RideAustin app, because they have Google Maps open for directions, according to the driver I was chatting with. The takeaways Caitlin: Ubers litany of problems grows longer by the day, and Lyft isnt perfect either. But both companies have been doing this for a long time, and they have the money and engineering talent to ensure that their services are dependable. Getting around Austin without them was relatively easy, but their replacements left us stranded in a bad situation. Other SXSW-goers were in the same boat, and thats a setback that might be tough to come back from. Lyft and Uber might come back to Austin soon, anywaya bill up for consideration in the Texas Legislature would overrule Austins fingerprinting ordinance and establish statewide rules for ride-hailing apps. Leah: Even though there were a few pain points with Austins ride-sharing apps, there were other reliable modes of transportation for us to choose from. SXSW provides a free shuttle service around town, connecting many of the most popular venues. Regular cabs were plentiful, and in unexpected placeslike the residential part of far east Austin on a busy, rainy Saturday night. And though they seem cheesy and kitschy, Austins pedicab culture (stop laughing!) is booming and very efficientand enjoyable! Im telling you, with all of the street closures in place around downtown, pedicabs were often the quickest way to get from Point A to Point B. Theres plenty of room for all of these modes of transportation to exist and thrive within the same city. Caitlin: Watching you roll up to the Marriott in a pedicab, a cyclist towing you and your luggage, was hysterical, I have to admit. But pedicabs are wonderful! And we almost never had a problem getting around SXSW without Uber and Lyft. It can be done. Roanoke-area legislators voiced bipartisan skepticism Monday of GO Virginia, an economic development group that tapped 28 people to serve on a Roanoke-Blacksburg- Lynchburg regional council earlier this month. Legislators at a Roanoke Regional Chamber breakfast said the economic development region is too large and its council members, who are not representative of all the localities within, will have too much power. GO Virginia (short for Virginia Initiative for Growth and Opportunity in Each Region) was founded to foster job creation and regional cooperation by requiring that localities work together on projects to win taxpayer-funded economic development grants. The organization is made up of nine regional councils and a statewide council that ultimately will decide which projects receive funding. Some General Assembly members have had concerns about GO Virginia since its inception last year because they worried about unelected officials spending taxpayer money. Many local board members are business people or affiliated with nearby colleges and universities. The board also includes one member of the Botetourt County Board of Supervisors and a Commonwealth Transportation Board appointee. All of the regional councils intentionally include numerous business people because GO Virginia was designed to bring in more private sector economic development input. My concern specifically is people who are politically connected who are not accountable to the voters, said Sen. David Suetterlein, R-Roanoke County. Lawmakers also worried GO Virginia would create a super committee of people who already have a significant amount of influence on government spending, said Del. Greg Habeeb, R-Salem. The release of the list of the 28 regional board members March 9 did not do much to assuage those fears, he said. Its a list of sort of the same-old, same-old that has always been given control over decisions is now given more, Habeeb said. Sen. John Edwards, D-Roanoke, said the local GO Virginia region, which stretches from Giles and Pulaski counties to Appomattox County, is too large. While metro areas like Roanoke, Blacksburg and Lynchburg are well-represented, some of the regions rural areas have little-to-no representation. The Roanoke regional council represents 778,000 people, which puts it in the middle of low-population GO Virginia regions like far Southwest and Southside and high-population regions in Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads. I think the jury is still out on this, Edwards said. We hope it works. Del. Terry Austin, R-Botetourt, was more optimistic about GO Virginia, saying its a way for the state to think outside the typical economic development model of attracting large companies from outside Virginia to relocate or expand within the commonwealth. GO Virginia gives local community leaders a chance to brainstorm job growth solutions in ways that are specific to their region, he said. Its up to us to posture us to be successful, he said. The city of Springfield is citing the state's Open Meeting Law to deny disclosure of investigation reports into the alleged beating of a group of men by off-duty police officers, in what a First Amendment attorney who reviewed the case is calling an "end run around the public's right to know." For nearly two years, details surrounding the assault of four men outside Nathan Bill's Bar and Restaurant have emerged in fits and starts, largely through media reports, with the city refusing to confirm details or release the investigations due to a pending criminal inquiry. But when that investigation ended in early February, it appeared the dam had broken. Hampden District Attorney Anthony Gulluni announced he would not bring charges in the case due to a lack of solid identification of the officers allegedly involved, but that he was convinced the men had been victims of a crime. included details from the investigations, and the DA' s office released video of the victims' interviews with Springfield Major Crimes Unit detectives, in what Gulluni said was an effort to bring transparency to what had been a slow-moving and frustrating investigation. &amp;amp;lt;br /&amp;amp;gt; &amp;amp;lt;a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/public/search/document%3A%203520418%20document%3A%203520420%20document%3A%203520422%20document%3A%203520423%20document%3A%203520425"&amp;amp;gt;View/search document collection&amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;br /&amp;amp;gt; MassLive again requested the full investigations from the city, but was rejected. According to the state's public records law, all records held by public agencies - from memos to budgets to internal affairs investigations - are by default public information, unless they fall under specific exemptions. The city cited three reasons to refuse turning over the reports. In the first, the city argued that upcoming disciplinary hearings meant that the "investigatory exemption" still applied, despite the closure of the criminal case. In the second, the city claimed the "deliberative process" exemption, saying the investigations were part of a confidential policy-making process. And finally the city cited two other Massachusetts laws, saying that releasing the records would violate the Civil Service Law and Open Meeting Law by publicizing documents discussed during closed disciplinary hearings and executive sessions. MassLive appealed to the Secretary of the Commonwealth's Office, which dismissed the city's first two objections and the Civil Service Law claim. The city presented no evidence that releasing the records would harm law enforcement efforts and factual investigative reports clearly do not fall within the "deliberative process" exemption, Supervisor of Records Rebecca S. Murray wrote. "I find that the city has not met its burden of demonstrating how the requested records may be entirely withheld under Exemptions (a), (d) and (f) of the Public Records Law," Murray wrote in the decision. But the Attorney General's Office, not the Secretary of the Commonwealth, has authority to enforce the state's Open Meeting law - a jurisdictional blind spot that prevented Murray from ruling on that element of the city's denial, and which could further delay the release of the documents by weeks. On Friday, after Murray's office released its decision, the city responded, refusing to turn over the documents. Because the investigations were discussed during a closed executive session of the Community Police Hearing Board, they are secret until the case is resolved, the city wrote. "Executive session minutes and documents used in that executive session can be withheld under [Open Meeting Law] as long as the individual who is the subject of complaints or charges has a privacy interest to protect," City Solicitor Ed Pikula wrote, noting that it could be up to two months before the hearing is held. Robert Bertsche, a First Amendment attorney with Prince Lobel Tye LLP in Boston, who is not working on the case, reviewed the matter at MassLive's request. He was not impressed with the city's response. "The Secretary of State's Office has made it clear that nothing in the public records law permits the city to withhold those reports," Bertsche wrote in an email. "Nevertheless, the city of Springfield is stonewalling, using a clever legal argument that is an obvious attempt to perform an end run around the public's right to know." "The latest decision by the city of Springfield to withhold the internal reports in question is disappointing, particularly in light of the problems within the Springfield police department that have surfaced in the past year," said Ed Kubosiak Jr., editor-in-chief of MassLive. "We'll continue to pursue the release of the records and exhaust all of our legal options to make the reports public." Bertsche also took issue with the city's core legal claim - that an otherwise public record can be made confidential if it is introduced in an executive session. "That argument is nonsense," Bertsche wrote. "Public documents, like the two investigative reports, do not magically become 'secret' simply because they happen to get discussed in a secret hearing." The Open Meeting Law states that "all documents and exhibits" used at an executive session may be kept secret, at least temporarily. But Bertsche said the city's interpretation would "completely undermine" the Public Records Law, allowing agencies to hide public documents by including them on executive session agendas. MassLive is filing an Open Meeting Law complaint with the Attorney General's Office over the city's refusal to release the investigations. But while the Public Records Law has a 10-business day deadline for agencies to respond, the city would have an additional 24 business days to respond to the Open Meeting Law complaint - placing the deadline two-and-a-half months after MassLive asked for the documents. "By engaging in such legal shenanigans, the city of Springfield simply feeds public suspicion," Bertsche wrote. "Instead, the City ought to embrace transparency and the public's right to know, and release the two reports so that the public can understand for itself what happened on that night in April 2015, and determine for itself whether justice has been done." The records sought by MassLive include interviews with victims and uniformed officers who responded to reports of a fight early in the morning of April 8, 2015, after Paul Cumby, Jozelle Ligon, Jackie Ligon and Michael Cintron were allegedly attacked following an argument with off-duty police officers in Nathan Bill's Bar and Restaurant. Hampden District Attorney Anthony Gulluni's review of the case found the victims had been drinking at Nathan Bill's the night of April 7, 2015, when Jozelle Ligon became involved in a verbal dispute with another group of patrons over whether Ligon had whistled at or hit on a woman in the other party. The victims told investigators a bar employee identified the other group as off-duty Springfield police officers. Uniformed police officers who were at Nathan Bill's on an unrelated call confirmed that off-duty officers Daniel Billingsley, Melissa Rodrigues, Christian Cicero and Anthony Cicero were at the bar at 1:15 a.m., about 50 minutes before the assault. Cumby, Cintron and the Ligons were asked to leave the bar to de-escalate the argument. About an hour later they were attacked by a group of men in the parking lot of a Rocky's hardware store a block away from the bar. Cumby suffered serious injuries including a fractured ankle and four damaged front teeth. Jackie Ligon was hit and kicked in the torso and head while on the ground, and Jozelle Ligon and Cintron had cuts and bruises, according to the DA' s report. "The physical assaults committed by several members of the large crowd were intentional and unjustified," the DA' s report said. Gulluni declined to press charges, due to what he described as unclear identifications from the victims, a lack of physical evidence and the accused officers' refusal to speak to investigators. The legal marijuana market in Massachusetts could lead to $64 million in state tax revenue in its first year, according to an analysis released Monday. Officials from the Massachusetts Department of Revenue, which wrote the analysis, on Monday testified in front of the Legislature's Committee on Marijuana Policy as lawmakers seek to change the pot law passed by voters in November. The law broadly legalized recreational marijuana use for adults over the age of 21. Marijuana remains illegal under federal law. Retail marijuana sales are slated to start on July 1, 2018. They were originally set for January 2018, but Massachusetts lawmakers quickly enacted a six-month delay, giving themselves time to make additional changes. The tax rate embedded in the new law could be one of the things they change. Under the current law, there is a 6.25 percent sales tax, a 3.75 percent excise tax and a potential 2 percent "local option" tax. Marijuana legalization activists say a change in the law's tax rate is unnecessary and they said Monday that the Department of Revenue's analysis bolsters their claim. But some lawmakers - and the official tasked with implementing the new law, Treasurer Deb Goldberg - say the rate is too low and point to revenue experts who had a word of caution about the estimates. Goldberg last year pointed to some of the first states to legalize marijuana, like Colorado and Washington, where excise tax on marijuana is 29 percent and 37 percent, respectively. Michael Heffernan, the state's revenue commissioner emphasized to lawmakers on Monday that the revenue estimates came with a "high degree of uncertainty." Heffernan said it's difficult to estimate how many buyers will enter the legal marijuana market, at what volume, at what price, and how much that could change over time. After a ramp-up period, "annual taxable sales of marijuana in Massachusetts could range between $707 million and $1.312 billion, with a middle point estimate of $1.010 billion," the Department of Revenue's analysis said. The analysis added that it's likely that some recreational marijuana will be sold to people who cross the border into Massachusetts. "Given that, relative to Colorado and Washington, Massachusetts has more densely populated neighboring states with easy highway access to the state, it seems reasonable to assume that Massachusetts would have relatively larger visitor demand," the analysis said. The analysis also pointed to a number of factors that could affect the estimates. "As more states legalize the recreational use of marijuana, the legal market may increase over time," the analysis said. That means there is a "great deal of uncertainty as to sales in subsequent years. (e.g., more states legalizing recreational marijuana could potentially impact the marijuana market in Massachusetts)," the analysis added. The analysis said it's "unclear" how the legal recreational market would affect medical marijuana in Massachusetts. The Massachusetts Department of Revenue does not collect taxes on medical marijuana, which voters legalized in 2012. Heffernan said his office had no recommendation on the level of taxation on marijuana. His department's analysis was prepared at the request of state Sen. Michael Rodrigues, D-Westport, according to Heffernan. HOLYOKE - At least two tractor trailers are on fire in the area of Sargeant and Commercial streets, and police have blocked nearby roads while firefighters battle the flames. The fire started at around 7 p.m. Thick smoke is visible for several blocks. Police Lt. Isaias Cruz said Sargeant Street is closed at both Commercial and Main streets. The intersection of Race and Appleton streets is blocked, as well. The cause of the fire is not yet clear. Arson investigators are on the scene. This is a developing story. Stay with The Republican/MassLive for more information as it becomes available. HOLYOKE - Thousands of people wearing green, sporting funny hats and Irish-themed shirts lined the parade route to cheer on bands, police, firefighters, Colleens and other marchers on Sunday. The 66th St. Patrick's parade was deemed a success. This year it was led by Sister Jane Morrissey, who was selected as the parade grand marshal. A member of the Sister's of St. Joseph Morrissey is well known for her many efforts to improve Holyoke, including the creation of the Homework House tutoring center for public school children. This year's winner of the prestigious John F. Kennedy National Award recipient was Holyoke native and accomplished actor Ann Dowd, who has starred on both stage and screen, including in the movies and on television. The parade ended with no arrests, fights or problems. "We had a successful, quiet parade," Holyoke Police Lt. Isaias Cruz said. Here are some of the things people were Tweeting about the parade. 20264289-mmmain.jpg Hampshire College is hosting activist Iris Morales next week. Morales is speaking in Holyoke and in Northampton at Smith College. (Diane Lederman/The Republican) AMHERST -- Iris Morales, who rose to prominence in the Vietnam War era as one of the first female members of the Puerto Rican nationalist group the Young Lords, will give four talks around the Valley this week. On Wednesday, she'll speak at 11 a.m. at Holyoke Community College at the Kittredge Center, Room 301. That night at 7 she will speak in Amherst at Hampshire College's Franklin Patterson Hall and show her documentary "Palante, Siempre Palante! The Young Lords." She will also be signing copies of her book "Through the Eyes of Rebel Women: The Young Lords, 1969-1976." Both works document the history of the Young Lords and Morales's experiences as a member. She will speak Thursday at 7 p.m. in Seelye Hall at Smith College in Northampton. She will also speak at 6 p.m. Friday in Holyoke at El Mercado. At Smith, performance poet Magdalena Gomez, co-founder and artistic director of Teatro V!da in Springfield and member of the Nuyorican literary movement since 1971, will read from her work and introduce Morales. Morales joined the Young Lords as a teenage activist in New York City. The group advocated for the working-class Puerto Rican community and for the decolonization of Puerto Rico, according to a press release. Iris Morales Morales will speak about her insights and approaches to feminist organizing within Latin@/Latinx communities and talk about ways in which the Young Lords and the Black Panther Party offer today's young activists a foundation to think about collaborative organizing for social change. As a member of the Young Lords, "Morales offers both on-the-ground and historical insights to important events and perspectives about and within the organization," said Hampshire College professor Wilson Valentin-Escobar, one of the people bringing her here. In an email, he wrote, "While other members have shared their stories either in print or through numerous public talks, women of the organization were offered scant opportunities to tell their stories and highlight what Morales calls 'the revolution within the revolution,' an attempt to further push the organization to fulfill its goals of advocating for women's equality and working against all forms of oppression, including patriarchy and sexism." Through archival research and first-hand accounts, she offers "an extremely important counter-narrative that centers (on) the power women have within the organization, and their impact upon the initiatives the YLP undertook," Valentin-Escobar wrote. "As March aims to annually showcase and celebrate women's contributions and their ongoing significance, we saw fit to highlight the 'herstory' perspective that Morales includes in her excellent book," he wrote. The younger generation of students and activists "are looking back at the militant activism undertaken by various organizations," Valentin-Escobar said. "They seem interested and attracted to their approaches and platform because the issues they raised continue in the contemporary period: police brutality, mass incarceration of black and brown community members, acute poverty, institutional racism and sexism, homophobia, transphobia, educational inequality, medical and housing discrimination, among numerous others." Morales is a graduate of New York University School of Law and earned a master's degree in integrated media arts from Hunter College. For 30 years, she has helped develop organizations dedicated to grassroots organizing and community empowerment, such as the Manhattan Neighborhood Network, the Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund, and the New Educational Opportunities Network, according to a press release. 21120665-mmmain.jpg (AP) Massachusetts State Police will be on the lookout for inebriated drivers in Western Massachusetts this weekend. Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police Colonel Richard D. McKeon announced on Monday that a sobriety checkpoint will be held in Hampden County Saturday, March 25 into Sunday, March 26. The checkpoint will be held at an undisclosed location during varied hours. "The purpose is to further educate the motoring public and strengthen the public's awareness to the need of detecting and removing those motorists who operate under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs from our roadways," state police said in a press release. The extra details are paid for with a grant from the Highway Safety Division of the Massachusetts Executive Office of Public Safety and Security. Related Photos: RUTLAND, Vermont TheUnited States Attorney for the District of Vermont announced Wednesday that Vermont State Police and the FBI had found the body of 26-year-old Alexandra Rooker wrapped in a tarp and hidden in a back shed on a Poultney, Vermont property. In a written statement, the federal prosecutors said Wayne Oddo, 53, was arrested and arraigned in federal court in Rutland Thursday, but not in connection with Rooker's death. He is being held on a charge of being a drug user in possession of a firearm. Rooker, of Fair Haven, VT, was last seen by friends March 2. She was reported missing by her family March 8. Authorities are awaiting further testing to determine when and how Rooker died. A preliminary autopsy examination did not indicate trauma as a cause of death. Toxicology tests have been conducted, and results are pending. Prosecutors said Rooker's death is considered suspicious and possibly related to drug use. State police detectives along with FBI agents raided Oddo's 1953 Morse Hollow Road property armed with a federal search warrant Wednesday afternoon. Prosecutors said both Rooker and Oddo were heroin users, and Oddo's home is alleged to be a hangout for people who sell drugs. Oddo had been interviewed earlier after police developed information that Rooker had been dropped off at Oddo's home by friends March 3 He told detectives that while Rooker visited the house she had left before police arrived. Police searched the remote property and found Rooker's body in the back shed. She had been dead for perhaps a week, prosecutors said. Oddo was ordered held without the right to bail pending a March 24 hearing. Prosecutors have asked the court to detain Oddo until his trial. According to the federal law, a charge of possession of a firearm by a user of a controlled substance carries a potential penalty of up to 10 years in federal prison. Otis State Forest Entrance State agencies have the right to hear Clean Water Act challenges related to natural gas pipelines, the First Circuit ruled on March 15, 2017. (Mary Serreze photo) BOSTON --An arcane legal battle over the role of states in natural gas pipeline permitting concluded last week with a win by Western Massachusetts activists. A March 15 ruling by the First Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the right of state environmental regulators to hear certain pipeline-related challenges under the U.S. Clean Water Act. Tennessee Gas, a Kinder Morgan subsidiary, had argued in favor of immediate judicial review in the case of the Connecticut Expansion, a delayed project which would traverse the Otis State Forest in Berkshire County. The First Circuit ruled that it has no jurisdiction to hear an appeal of a conditional Section 401 Water Quality Certification issued by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection on June 29. The court affirmed the right of MassDEP to conduct its own permitting process -- from beginning to end -- when it comes to applications from gas pipeline firms to alter streams, ponds, and other water resources under its jurisdiction. "We've won a battle, but the war continues," said Kathryn R. Eiseman, a leading pipeline foe and one of 16 citizen petitioners in the jurisdictional challenge. The legal action was brought by the Berkshire Environmental Action Team, or BEAT, which has been fighting the pipeline. Members of BEAT filed an administrative appeal of the water certificate last summer, and MassDEP expects to issue its final decision by April 3. Any final water certificate could still be challenged in federal court. Much of the argument before the First Circuit had to do with whether the June 29 certificate, which came with 47 conditions, amounted to a "final agency action" eligible for judicial review. The court's judgment is narrow, and applies to state-issued Water Quality Certificates under Section 401 of the Clean Water Act, which are required of pipeline developers under the U.S. Natural Gas Act. "This case helps define the limits to the preemptive powers of the Natural Gas Act, and highlights the pivotal role that key state-decision-making processes play in interstate pipeline permitting," Eiseman said. Eiseman said the pipeline would alter or destroy about ten acres of wetlands in the state forest. Pipeline developers say process introduces costly delays Tennessee argued that any challenge to a conditional water certificate should be heard by the First Circuit, and asserted that letting Massachusetts regulators handle the administrative appeal could lead to a lengthy delay. "Although we are disappointed with the Court's decision, we are confident that we will successfully complete the permit processes, and look forward to executing on this project to increase deliveries of clean, domestic natural gas for New England consumers," said a Kinder Morgan spokesman over the weekend. Tennessee gained a Federal Energy Regulatory Commission certificate for the project in March and had hoped to have the pipeline up and running by November 2016. The Natural Gas Act establishes FERC's power over pipeline permitting, but explicitly preserves states rights under the Coastal Zone Management Act, the Clean Air Act, and the Clean Water Act. Tennessee first filed a state application for its water quality certification on June 30, 2015. In the meantime, trees Tennessee planned to fell last year are still standing. Tennessee can't start work until it gains "authorization to proceed" from FERC, and that won't happen without the water permit. Decision could have broad implications Pipeline projects in other states have hit snags over Section 401 Water Quality Certificates. A project that would cross New York -- the Constitution Pipeline -- has been stymied by that state's failure to grant a 401 Water Quality Certification. In Pennsylvania, a final certification issued by state regulators has been appealed in federal court by the Delaware Riverkeeper Network. It was BEAT itself that asked the First Circuit to hear the water certification appeal, while concurrently asking the court to reject its own petition. One judge called the move "unusual" before agreeing to dismiss the petition for "lack of subject matter jurisdiction." The environmental group filed the circuit court petition in August after Tennessee sued MassDEP in U.S. District Court, challenging the state agency's jurisdictional authority. The BEAT petition was filed "preemptively" to keep a seat at the table in the event Tennessee won that argument, said Eiseman. The Connecticut Expansion has met with other challenges, including a battle over land-taking for the project. A Berkshire Superior Court judge in May upheld the right of Tennessee to take an easement through the state forest using eminent domain. Judge John Agostini rejected arguments that Massachusetts conservation land may not be taken for natural gas pipelines without legislative approval. A compensation package brokered by state officials will have Tennessee pay $640,000 for the easement, with $300,000 to buy new conservation land, $300,000 for mitigation at the state forest, and $40,000 for the fair-market value of the two-mile easement. The new corridor would parallel an existing pipeline easement, but opponents say its impact would still be significant. Tennessee would draw a million gallons of water from the undeveloped Spectacle Pond to test its pipeline. "So we would be destroying Massachusetts resources for lower prices for Connecticut utilities," Eiseman said. "If Connecticut wants the gas, they should absorb the impacts." The Connecticut Expansion would serve three natural gas utilities in Connecticut. Much of the state forest was preserved a decade ago. Mass Audubon provided bridge financing and tactical assistance to protect the land from development. The forest contains core habitat, old-growth trees, and the contested pond. BEAT was represented in the case by Boston lawyer Richard Kanoff. The First Circuit panel included David H. Souter, the New Hampshire resident and retired U.S. Supreme Court Justice. Mary Serreze can be reached at mserreze@gmail.com 1st Circuit Judgment: BEAT v TGP re Section 401 Clean Water Act jurisdiction on Scribd CHICOPEE Following a nationwide search, Pope Francis High School on Monday announced the selection of W. Paul Harrington Jr., as its new head of school, citing his experiences as a Catholic education leader. W. Paul Harrington Jr. The selection occurs as construction of a new Pope Francis school is well under way on Surrey Road in Springfield. The new building is slated to replace the current site in Chicopee, school officials announced, and is being built at the site of the former Cathedral High School, which was destroyed in the 2011 tornado. Harrington is a native of Holliston, who most recently served as head of school for Bishop Garcia Diego High School in Santa Barbara, California, said Jennifer Lopez, spokeswoman for Pope Francis High School. Harrington has experience across the all levels of Catholic education that will allow Pope Francis High School "to fulfill its mission to instill Gospel values and foster academic excellence to a diverse community of learners, continuing the rich traditions of our legacy schools, Holyoke Catholic and Cathedral," Lopez said. Harrington will take over the head of school duties for Pope Francis High School by July 1. SPRINGFIELD -- The Maryland man charged in connection with five incidents of arson in this city also is wanted for a brutal rape in his home state, according to police records. According to police records, three children witnessed that attack, and the suspect -- 30-year-old Mardell Davis -- posted video clips to Facebook. Springfield police arrested Davis Friday night for allegedly setting blazes at five city homes and apartment buildings earlier this month that sent firefighters scrambling and left several residents homeless over a 24-hour period. No one was injured. But, investigators say the fiery tangent was triggered by a romantic downturn Davis left behind in Maryland. Five apartment buildings or multi-family homes at 282, 286 and 292 Union St., plus 125 Andrews St. and 185 Hancock Street were set on fire after midnight on March 12. Nearby homes also were damaged by flames during a frigid night when firefighters battled flames for hours at a time, officials said. Davis was initially a "ghost" to local investigators because he had no criminal footprint in Greater Springfield, according to police Capt. Trent Duda, who led the investigation. Davis was identified as a domestic violence threat by a woman who lived at one of the Union Street addresses that was set ablaze, Duda said. Davis allegedly held that woman's head under water in a tub during an argument. Mardell Davis was arrested by Springfield police in connection with a spate of alleged arsons on March 12. Police reviewed videos of a suspect carting cups of fluid back and forth to Union Street, then spotted videos of him at the sites of other fires. He confessed to police regarding the fires once he was in custody on Friday night, Duda said. After poring over 911 recordings and reviewing surveillance video near the fires, police homed in on Davis, investigators said. Police learned he had outstanding warrants out of Maryland in connection with a violent assault, police reports show. Several city police officers worked to make the arrest. Davis sexually assaulted a woman in numerous ways, according to police reports, and posted video of the attacks on Facebook. He assaulted her and demanded that the woman say to the camera that she was "a whore" lest he cut her hair off, Maryland police reports from the June incident state. Three children under 10 witnessed the assault. Davis also stabbed and slashed the woman several time with a knife in front of the kids, reports state. "The 10-year-old called 911 and (the suspect) fled the scene," records state. Davis is scheduled to be arraigned on the arson charges in Springfield District Court on Monday before he is extradited to Maryland. This is a developing story. The Republican / MassLive will have updated from the arraignment this morning. PFL Tech Inc. is a marketing technology company that provides sales enablement and marketing automation solutions, as well asprinting, mailing, and fulfillment services. They also provide some great Montana Jobs. During the Kalispell Chambers Monthly Luncheon on Tuesday, March 21, the City of Kalispell will be announcing several of the upcoming plans that will help shape the heart of the city. Its no secret that the core area of Kalispell will be undergoing some changes and it is already beginning to see some reinvested energy with new retailers and restaurants moving in. WHY: In the fall of 2015 Kalispell was awarded the TIGER grant for the new rail park, leading to a planned redevelopment of the core area. Recently, the Kalispell Chamber helped ensure a new zoning change for higher densities in the B3 zone and there have been numerous questions as to the traffic plans for Main Street and the Courthouse Couplet. WHO: Available for interviews: Tom Jentz, Kalispell Building and Planning Director Doug Russell, Kalispell City Manager Joe Unterreiner, Kalispell Chamber of Commerce President/CEO Owners of businesses recently investing in the area: Big Sky Public Relations, Montana Coffee Traders, Learned Reality, The Toggery, and Yoga Hive DATE: Tuesday, March 21, 2017 12:00 1:15pm WHERE: Red Lion Hotel 20 N. Main Street Kalispell, MT 59901 RSVP/INFO: There are 250 attendees registered for this event. Please notify Kate Lufkin, Marketing and Communications Specialist for the Kalispell Chamber of your intent to attend: [email protected] or (406) 758-2801. ___ Kate Lufkin, Marketing & Communications Specialist Kalispell Chamber of Commerce Convention & Visitor Bureau 15 Depot Park | Kalispell, MT 59901 (P) 406-758-2801 (F) 406-758-2805 While the number of Koreans studying in the U.S. has just fallen for the second straight year, the number of Chinese students there is skyrocketing, according to an annual report by the Institute of International Education on Monday. Some 70,627 Korean students were enrolled in U.S. universities for the recently ended academic year, making up 8.6 percent of all foreign students to rank as the third-largest group. Some 83 percent were enrolled in undergraduate and postgraduate programs. The largest group of foreign students came from China, with 235,597 studying in U.S. universities last year, making up 28.7 percent of all non-American students. One year earlier, the Chinese made up 21.4 percent of the total. However, more than half were in non-degree programs as the majority had gone to the U.S. as exchange students or to study English. Indians made up the second-largest group (96,754 students), while Saudi Arabians were fourth (44,566), Canadians fifth (27,357), and Japanese seventh (19,568). The states of California, New York, Texas, and Massachusetts have the greatest number of students from overseas. In total, foreign students contribute around US$24 billion to the U.S. economy each year. Meanwhile, the number of Americans studying abroad hit a record high in the 2011-12 academic year as it rose 3 percent on-year to 283,332. The U.K., Italy, Spain, France and China were their preferred destinations. U.S. Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin said the meeting of finance ministers of the G20 countries was a success Saturday despite the ministers not reaching agreement on trade protectionism. "I will leave here confident that my colleagues and I are able to work in partnership to ...foster and promote global growth and financial stability," he said. Citing President Donald Trump's commitment to American companies and workers, Mnuchin pushed back on and effectively omitted a ban on protectionism from the joint statement released at the end of the summit. Mnuchin did, however, say that the United States still believed in free trade. "We believe in free trade, were one of the largest markets in the world, we're one of the largest trading partners in the world," Mnuchin said. "Having said that, we want to re-examine certain agreements," he continued, speaking specifically about NAFTA. Malaysian police are expected to make a few more arrests, including an "important person," in connection with the murder of Kim Jong-nam, the estranged half brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, state media reported Sunday. Police chief Khalid Abu Bakar declined to elaborate on details when speaking to the state media, adding that the arrests would be made at the appropriate time. "I don't deny we are targeting new individuals including North Korean nationals involved in this murder, and we will use all legal channels to apprehend them. Although I can't reveal who they are, we believe there is an 'important person' among them," he told state media. The police chief did not respond immediately when contacted by Reuters for comment. Morgan County Veterans Day Parade slated Nov. 11 Audio Article The Morgan County Veterans Day Parade will be held on Friday, Nov. 11. The parade will form at the Commons, in McConnelsville, at 9:30 a.m. and set out at 10 a.m. The American Legion Post 24 will render honors at the monuments at the Commons, Riecker Building, the Square, at... A concert with two purposes Audio Article Wednesday, Nov. 30, a concert with dual purposes is being held at the Twin City Opera House in McConnelsville, Ohio. Its a thank-you to healthcare workers, who can attend for free, and its a benefit for the Lymphoma and Leukemia Society. In September 2021, Rick Shriver contracted COVID-19. He collapsed... BOE reminder of early voting hours and polling location change Audio Article Remaining early voting hours at the Morgan County Board of Elections are as follows: from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesday, Nov, 2 through Friday, Nov. 4; 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 5; from 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 6; and from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.... Lions Club announces annual Wreaths Across America Audio Article On Saturday, Dec. 17, the Chesterhill Lions Club will be joining with National Wreaths Across America in the laying of wreaths at each of the seven cemeteries located in Marion Township. The mission is to honor the local veterans who have served our nation so their families can rest assured... Governor DeWine awards $6.7 million for domestic violence survivor programs Audio Article Ohio Governor Mike DeWine has announced that he is awarding $6.7 million to support the work of the Ohio Domestic Violence Network (ODVN) to offer mobile and health advocacy services and temporary residential services for domestic violence survivors across the state. The announcement comes during National Domestic Violence Awareness Month.... CDC committee vote wont change Ohio school vaccine requirement Audio Article Ohio Department of Health Director Bruce Vanderhoff, MD, MBA has released the following statement: The CDCs Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommendation for the COVID-19 vaccine to be added to the formulary or schedule of vaccines for children does not mandate this vaccine for school children. Ohio law determines... That is usually code for fresh developments in intercontinental ballistic missile technology. Kim hailed the success as a "new birth" for the country's rocket industry and added, "The development and completion of a new-type high-thrust engine would help consolidate the scientific and technological foundation to match the world-level satellite delivery capability in the field of outer space development," according to the [North] Korean Central News Agency. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un watched the combustion test of a new rocket engine at a launch site in Tongchang-ri, North Pyongan Province, state media reported Sunday. North Korean media did not disclose the test date, but the announcement was timed with U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson's visit to Asia. Tillerson alarmed observers by saying the U.S.' "policy of strategic patience has ended" and pledged to get tougher on the North. A military spokesman here said, "Greater thrust power means that the engine has higher efficiency and thus consumes less fuel. It also means that they can reduce the size of the fuel tank to the extent that they can mount the ICBM on a mobile launch vehicle." But the North Korean media did not give the name of the new engine or its specifications. Experts speculate the thrust test was for the "Paektusan" rocket that was first tested last September, based on images published in state media. A military spokesman here said, "The exercise suggests that the F-35Bs are practicing all processes necessary for precision strikes against targets in North Korea." The F-35B jets would come to the aid of forces in Korea in the event of a war on the peninsula. The U.S. conducted an aerial refueling drill of top-of-the-line supersonic vertical takeoff and landing aircraft in Japan last week. A KC-135 Stratotanker from the air refueling squadron at Kadena Air Base in Okinawa conducted the drill with F-35Bs over the Pacific Ocean on March 14, according to the U.S. Forces Japan. The F-35B can avoid anti-aircraft artillery fire and launch precision strikes against key targets in a war, but its maximum flight range is only 1,670 km and its combat radius 865 km. "It's about 800 km from Iwakuni to Pyongyang, so just enough for the F-35B to carry out a mission in North Korean areas without aerial refueling and return to base," the spokesman added. Meanwhile, the South Korean and U.S. Navies started a massive joint exercise on Sunday to prepare for North Korean provocations in the East, West and South Seas. About 60 vessels and submarines from the two countries are taking part, including the USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier, which arrived at Busan on March 15, and South Korean Aegis ship and some 60 submersibles. by Wendy Davis @wendyndavis, March 20, 2017 A federal judge has rejected a settlement of a class-action lawsuit alleging that Google violates people's privacy by scanning emails for ad-targeting purposes. The settlement called for Google to pay up to $2.2 million to the lawyers who brought the case on behalf of the class, but nothing to individual users. The deal also called for some technical changes to its email scanning system. "Based on the parties' current filings, the court cannot conclude that the settlement is 'fundamentally fair, adequate, and reasonable,'" U.S. District Court Judge Lucy Koh said in a decision issued last week. The rejected deal stems from a complaint filed in September 2015 by San Francisco resident Daniel Matera, who alleged that Google violates a California privacy law and the federal wiretap law by intercepting messages without people's consent. advertisement advertisement Google's terms of service disclose that it analyzes the contents of email messages for features including "tailored advertising." But Matera alleged that he didn't have a Gmail account, and therefore never agreed to those terms. In her decision denying preliminary approval to the settlement, Koh specifically criticized the deal for failing to require Google to inform the public that it scans emails sent by non-Gmail users in order to send targeted ads to people with Gmail accounts. She also said that it wasn't clear how Google's proposed technical changes to its scanning system would remedy any violations of the federal wiretap law or California's privacy statute. Koh also said that a proposed public notification about the settlement terms was not adequate. "The notice does not clearly disclose that Google intercepts, scans, and analyzes the content of emails sent by non-Gmail users to Gmail users for the purpose of creating user profiles of the Gmail users to create targeted advertising for the Gmail user," she wrote. Koh previously approved Yahoo's settlement of a similar lawsuit. That deal required Yahoo to add new language to its privacy policy, and to make some technical changes to the way it scans emails, but didn't require the company to otherwise change its ad-targeting efforts. The agreement also did not call for Yahoo to pay monetary damages to Web users whose privacy allegedly was violated, but provided for payments of up to $4 million to the attorneys who brought the case. Koh said last week that circumstances surrounding the Yahoo settlement justified that deal, noting that more evidence had been developed in that matter than in the Google battle. "The Yahoo settlement took place after more than two years of litigation," she wrote. "The parties and the Court had much more information to assess the risks of litigation and determine whether the class action settlement was fair and reasonable under the circumstances." Koh also noted that Yahoo's privacy policy disclosed that the company scanned non-users' emails, and that the agreement "included additional important disclosures regarding scanning of incoming and outgoing emails and the sharing of information with third parties." by Steve McClellan @mp_mcclellan, March 20, 2017 When DDB North America CEO Wendy Clark took the stage at the Advertising Research Foundation conference Monday morning in New York, she asked the audience if they were wondering -- as she was -- what she was doing there. She was kidding, of course, and stressed that agencies understand the critical role that data and research play in developing the services and capabilities they provide to clients. In fact, data and intelligence are at the core of the new agency that Omnicom created for McDonalds after it won the fast food giants U.S. business last summer. The 225-person agency, We Are Unlimited reports to DDB and has input from nearly 20 other Omnicom agencies, including research and data-focused firms Sparks & Honey and Annalect. advertisement advertisement Clark threw out a bunch of statistics to show how connected the world is today, including the estimate that some 150 million emails are sent every minute of every day. For businesses, speed is critical, or as Clark put it, its their currency, on many levels, including speed to market, distribution and production. And speed is essential to connecting with consumers at every touchpoint. For agencies, that translates to providing services that are good, fast and cheap, she added. For agencies, the days of force fitting a clients needs into a fixed model are over, Clark said. Agencies have to be as dynamic as the businesses and marketplaces they serve. To that end, We Are Unlimited operates in three modes, micro (moments, like a Tweet, for example), macro (stories told in TV ads and other media) and mega (trends that inform the clients universal outreach). Data and research are key to achieving all of that said Clark. Its not a proxy for decision making, she said, but when used properly can help fuel better decisions. And there a lot of decisions to make as McDonalds generates more than 7,500 pieces of content a year in the U.S. alone. To help Unlimited execute all the work, the staffing model is different and comprised of 70% of talent that is fixed at its Chicago headquarters, while another 20% is pulled in from sibling Omnicom agencies. The remaining 10% are third party specialists that work on a variety of projects as needed. That model makes how we work every bit as important as what we make, Clark said. In other words, collaboration is no longer a want its a must. At the root of speed and efficiency is collaboration, she added. You cant move efficiently without it. GM Korea's Bolt electric car has succeeded in traveling the 470.2 km from Seoul to Jeju Island on a single charge. That was significantly longer than the government-certified distance of 383 km, and due to skilled driving the car still had 2.9 km of power left. A GM Korea spokesman said Sunday, "The range of an electric car can vary according to terrain and driving habits." by Tanya Gazdik , March 20, 2017 InterContinental Hotels Group is launching the Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts brands largest consumer media campaign for the Americas region in the past 10 years. With Were All Business, Mostly, Crowne Plaza reaffirms its commitment to making business travel more fulfilling. In June 2016, IHG announced the Crowne Plaza Accelerate program, which includes a $200 million investment in the brand, inclusive of this campaign. The consumer media campaign is a key component of the Crowne Plaza Accelerate program, says Eric Lent, VP, Crowne Plaza and Holiday Inn, The Americas. It includes a 15-second TV spot created by Ogilvy & Mather. We are truly driving a transformation of the brand, ensuring we remain at the forefront of the new way of doing business with design-led, culturally relevant and technology-enabled solutions, Lent says in a release. advertisement advertisement The intent of the platform, which is also the tagline, is to communicate the brands understanding of and ability to blend work and personal pursuits. While the first part of the message, were all business, yields a recognition of why the guest is staying at Crowne Plaza hotels, the mostly provides a nod to the duality of the modern business travelers life, Lent says. Through Kantar Millward Brown, the brand tested the advertising with consumers that fall into the modern business traveler target. Results indicated strong likability of the campaign and people were more likely to purchase or try the brand after seeing the campaign. Compared to a database of over 17,000 ads in the U.S. across industries, the new Crowne Plaza ad scored in the top 18% of all ads for the ability to impact awareness and the top 14% of all ads for impact to persuasion. Over the course of 2017, the Crowne Plaza brand is making physical improvements in properties throughout the Americas portfolio. Most recently, in February, the brand introduced new designer staff uniforms through a pilot program. The uniform collection developed in partnership with notable fashion design team Timo Weiland, represents another step forward in the brands commitment to creating a design-led guest experience and officially will roll out this summer. In addition, Flexible Meetings Spaces and WorkLife Rooms both intended to offer guests a mix of connectivity and flexibility will debut in 2017. Cancer affects tens of thousands of young people each year. Receiving a cancer diagnosis can be emotionally and socially challenging, particularly for adolescents or young adults, who are already experiencing a range of age-related changes. New research investigates the long-term impact of a cancer diagnosis on young adults. Share on Pinterest New research shows that young cancer survivors may experience social difficulties many years after receiving their diagnosis. The American Cancer Society (ACS) estimate that more than 60,000 young adults in the United States receive a cancer diagnosis each year. In the U.S., cancer is the fourth leading cause of death among adults aged between 20 and 39. According to the ACS, survival rates among young adults have remained largely the same over the past few years, and progress in treatment and survival has been slower in this age group. In young adults, as in other age groups, some cancers have a higher survival rate than others. Among teenagers aged between 15 and 19, for instance, around 95 percent of patients with Hodgkin lymphoma or testicular cancer survive for at least 5 years after their initial diagnosis, whereas people with brain tumors have a 65 percent 5-year survival rate. Because adolescence and young adulthood are transitional phases with difficult social and emotional challenges, being diagnosed with cancer at this stage can be particularly trying. Previous research has indicated that many young cancer survivors are more likely to develop chronic medical conditions, have an overall poor quality of life, and have less access to quality healthcare. Additionally, young survivors have also been shown to have more trouble adjusting socially . Some of the difficulties reported include worries about feeling unwell, missing school, and falling behind academically, as well as difficulties continuing the treatment. Although these studies have pointed to the social challenges this age group face immediately after diagnosis, fewer studies have focused on the psychosocial obstacles that these people face over time. New research, led by Olga Husson, Ph.D., of the Radboud University Medical Center in the Netherlands, examines the long-term impact of a cancer diagnosis on the social life of young adults. The findings were published in Cancer. We include products we think are useful for our readers. If you buy through links on this page, we may earn a small commission. Heres our process. Pregnancy tests work by detecting markers of pregnancy in a persons urine or blood. A person can take a test at home or a doctors office. Knowing which type of test is most suitable, and how it works, can help ensure that the results are accurate. In this article, we describe the types of pregnancy test, how to use them, and what the results mean. Types of pregnancy test Share on Pinterest Marko Geber/Getty Images There are two main types: urine and blood tests. Home pregnancy tests are urine tests. Urine tests Whether a person has one in a clinic or at home, these tests check levels of the pregnancy hormone called human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG). This hormone starts circulating once a fertilized egg has attached to the wall of the uterus wall, which usually happens 6 days after fertilization. Levels of hCG change throughout pregnancy. A urine test can typically detect hCG 1215 days after ovulation. Home pregnancy test Home pregnancy tests are available over the counter, and they are typically inexpensive. If a person uses them correctly, they give accurate results. These tests usually give results within 5 minutes , though the timing of different tests may vary. A standard home pregnancy test has a strip that changes color or displays a symbol, such as a plus or minus sign, to indicate the result. Digital tests have a screen that displays pregnant or not pregnant or a symbol. Some can even indicate how far along the pregnancy is. Various pregnancy tests are available for purchase online. Clinical urine test This involves going to a doctors office to give a urine sample. A person may opt for this to avoid some of the handling errors that can happen with home tests. Otherwise, the level of accuracy is the same as with home testing. Like home tests, clinical tests look for the presence of the hormone hCG in the persons urine. Waiting times for clinical results vary. Some facilities provide results immediately, while others may take up to a week. Blood tests These are less common than urine tests, but they can give results earlier in a pregnancy. There are two types . A qualitative hCG blood test checks whether the hormone is present in a blood sample. A quantitative hCG blood test measures the total amount of the hormone present in the persons system and can detect even very small amounts of the hormone. How to use pregnancy tests A person might have a pregnancy test in a clinic or doctors office. Depending on the test, this involves giving either a urine or blood sample. Healthcare professionals may test this immediately or send it to a laboratory for testing. The lab usually takes a day or two to return the results. Home pregnancy tests are simple to use, but it is crucial to follow the instructions carefully. In general, they involve: urinating directly onto the testing stick urinating into a clean cup, then dipping the testing stick into this for a specified amount of time urinating into a clean cup, then using a dropper to apply urine to an area of the testing stick A persons hCG levels change rapidly throughout pregnancy. It is often best to take a pregnancy test 12 weeks after the first missed period. A person may want to wait a bit and test again if they suspect pregnancy but receive a negative result at first. Accuracy Many home pregnancy tests claim to be accurate up to 99% of the time. A positive result is typically correct. A negative result is more likely to be incorrect. However, these accuracy claims assume that the person has used the test correctly. Most tests can produce accurate results on the first day after a missed period, but to ensure accuracy, it is advisable to start testing 1 week after a missed period. For around 1020% of pregnant people, a home pregnancy test does not accurately detect the pregnancy on the first day of their missed period. This might result from a person having irregular periods or miscalculating when their period was due. But various other factors can influence the accuracy of pregnancy tests, including: when the person tests, as hCG levels easier to detect first thing in the morning first thing in the morning the time since conception the time since ovulation how quickly the fertilized egg implants how well the person has followed the testing instructions how sensitive the test is What do the results mean? A positive result typically indicates pregnancy, while a negative result tends to mean that the person is not pregnant. It is more likely for a negative result to be incorrect. It is important for anyone using a home test to follow the instructions carefully and understand what each color change or symbol indicates. If a person takes a clinical test, a healthcare professional explains the results. Positive result A positive result indicates pregnancy. This is true even if the color change, word, or symbol on a home test is faint. Anyone who gets a positive result should contact a healthcare professional right away. Very rarely, a false-positive result occurs. This means that the person taking the test is not pregnant, but the test says that they are. False positives can occur due to: the test kit having expired certain medications early pregnancy loss ovarian tumors liver disease kidney failure Negative result A negative result means that pregnancy is unlikely. However, false-negative results are common. A person who gets a negative result may be pregnant, and the test may not be detecting it. This can occur for a number of reasons, including: taking the test incorrectly testing too soon testing with urine that is too diluted using an expired or faulty test Taking another test within 1 week is a good idea, whether the first result was negative or positive. However, it is especially important if the first result was negative, if there are any signs of pregnancy, or both. When to see a doctor Anyone with questions about pregnancy or their test results should contact a healthcare professional. If a home pregnancy test result is positive, a doctor can confirm this with a clinical test. Next, it is important to make a prenatal care plan with the doctor, and this should include checkups throughout the pregnancy. If a home pregnancy test result is negative, but periods do not resume, contact a healthcare professional to identify the cause of the missed periods. Scientists from the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) have developed a new drug delivery method that produces strong results in treating cancers in animal models, including some hard-to-treat solid and liquid tumors. The study, led by TSRI Associate Professor Christoph Rader, was published online ahead of print in the journal Cell Chemical Biology. The new method involves a class of pharmaceuticals known as antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs), which include some of the most promising next-generation antibody therapeutics for cancer. ADCs can deliver a cytotoxic payload in a way that is remarkably tumor-selective. So far, three ADCs have been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), but neither attaches the drug to a defined site on the antibody. "We've been working on this technology for some time," Rader said. "It's based on the rarely used natural amino acid selenocysteine, which we insert into our antibodies. We refer to these engineered antibodies as selenomabs." Antibodies are large immune system proteins that recognize unique molecular markers on tumor cells called antigens. On their own, Rader noted, antibodies are usually not potent enough to eradicate cancer. However, their high specificity for antigens makes them ideal vehicles for drug delivery straight to tumor cells. "We now show for the first time that selenomab-drug conjugates, which are ADCs that utilize the unique reactivity of selenocysteine for drug attachment, are highly precise, stable and potent compositions and promise broad utility for cancer therapy." Along with its potency, Rader noted, the ADC's stability is critical to its effectiveness. The researchers found that their new ADCs showed excellent stability in human blood in vitro and in circulating blood in animal models. Moreover, the new ADCs were highly effective against HER2 breast cancer, a particularly difficult cancer to treat, and against CD138 multiple myeloma. Importantly, the ADCs did not harm healthy cells and tissues. "The selenomab-drug conjugate significantly inhibited the growth of an aggressive breast cancer," said TSRI Research Associate Xiuling Li, first author of the study. "Four of the five mice tested were tumor-free at the end of the experiment, a full six weeks after their last treatment." The researchers plan to investigate similar ADCs going forward. Rader, along with TSRI Professor Ben Shen, was recently awarded $3.3 million from the National Cancer Institute of the National Institutes of Health to test highly cytotoxic natural products discovered in the Shen lab using selenomabs as drug delivery vehicles. In addition to Rader and Li, authors of the study, "Stable and Potent Selenomab-Drug Conjugates," were Tina Moroni, Pablo Martinez-Acedo and Alex R. Nanna of TSRI; Christopher G. Nelson, David Hymel and Terrence R. Burke Jr. of the National Cancer Institute; and Rajesh R. Nair and Lori Hazlehurst of the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center. The study was supported by the National Institutes of Health (grants U01 CA174844 and R01 CA181258), the Intramural Research Program of the National Cancer Institute, the Lymphoma Research Foundation, the Klorfine Foundation and the Holm Charitable Trust. NEW YORK March 20, 2017 Africa Saudi Arabia Bahrain Kuwait Oman Qatar Saudi Arabia United Arab Emirates /PRNewswire/ --is the second largest and the second most populous continent in the world. It has about 1.1 billion population and 15% of the world's human population.The GCC countries rely heavily on the government funding for providing healthcare services. For instance, as per World Health Organization (WHO), the governments inand UAE spent around 68% of the total healthcare spending in 2012. The countries in the GCC are heavily dependent on an expatriate health workforce. Rising population, increasing per capita income and rising incidences of life style related diseases is driving the healthcare services market in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states of, and the(UAE). Hospitals and outpatient centers are medical facilities that provide diagnostic and medical treatment to patients with a wide range of medical conditions. Outpatient care centers offer medical care or treatment that does not require any overnight stay in a hospital or medical facility.Shared Medical Appointments was the top trend in the hospitals and outpatient centers market as of 2016. The shared medical appointments (SMA) model is a model generally defined as multiple patients being seen as a group by a multi-disciplinary medical care team for follow-up or routine care. It is being adopted by hospitals to create awareness and counsel individual patients dealing with similar medical conditions. The SMA supplements the traditional physician-patient appointment. SMAs provide individual evaluation and disease management for each patient at the same time that they provide counseling to the patient within a group setting. SMAs are currently used to address diabetes, asthma, ulcerative colitis, MS, cancer, HIV, menopause, insomnia and stress. To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/middle-east-and-africa-healthcare-services-market-report-2017-300426419.html SOURCE Reportlinker Advertisement two doses of HPV vaccine are recommended for girls ages 9 to 14 years, with an interval of at least 6 months and up to 12 to 15 months between doses girls who are HIV positive should receive three doses girls who are 15 years or older and have received their first dose before age 15, they may complete the two-dose series if they have not received the first dose before age 15, they should receive three doses vaccination may be given through age 26 years, in both cases girls who received one dose may receive additional doses between ages 15 and 26 years, if sufficient resources remain after vaccinating girls 9 to 14 years boys may be vaccinated in all settings, if there is at least a 50% coverage in priority female target population, sufficient resources, and such vaccination is cost effective Silvina Arrossi et al. Primary Prevention of Cervical Cancer: American Society of Clinical Oncology Resource-Stratified Guideline. Journal of Global Oncology; (2017) doi.org/10.1200/JGO.2016.008151 The guideline includes recommendations according to four levels of resource settings-basic, limited, enhanced and maximal.The levels include financial resources of a country or region and the development of its health system.Cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer among women worldwide. Lesser developed regions face a large and disproportionate burden of the disease.In these regions including Africa and Latin America, about 85% of cervical cancer related diagnoses and 87% of cervical cancer deaths occur.Most cases of cervical cancers are caused by HPV infection.Independent of the resources settings:For maximal and enhanced resource settings:For limited and basic resource settings and for boys:"Because resource availability varies widely, both among and within countries, we need to adjust strategies to improve access to HPV vaccination everywhere," said Silvia de Sanjose, MD, PhD, co-chair of the Expert Panel that developed the guideline and head of the Cancer Epidemiology Research Program at Institut Catala d'Oncologia in Barcelona, Spain."This guideline is unique in offering cervical cancer vaccination recommendations that can be adapted to different resource levels and we expect it to have a major impact on the global health community." Sanjose added."Although HPV vaccine has been around for more than a decade, the uptake of the vaccine has been less than ideal in many places, including in high-resource countries such as the United States," said Silvina Arrossi, PhD, co-chair of the Expert Panel that developed the guideline and an official and researcher at the Instituto Nacional del Cancer in Buenos Aires, Argentina. "As an organization of cancer doctors, ASCO continues to endorse HPV vaccination programs and efforts to help spare more women around the world from this very difficult cancer."The findings are published in theSource: Medindia It was the year 2010 when it all began. Years before Mark Bennington moved from New York to India, he travelled across Jaipur and somehow landed in Mumbai. "Prior to coming here, I had never even seen a Bollywood film. My first trip to India was in 2010 and like every tourist, I traveled North and went to Jaipur. Then, I just happened to come to Bombay. I had just turned 40 and I wanted to do something different." He said. A former drummer, actor and photographer, Mark sought out to look for work in Bollywood since he was in awe of films. "That's really how it started. It was born out of very genuine, innocent curiosity of the acting community," he revealed. Over the years, he clicked a lot of Bollywood stars in their element and compiled the pictures in a book called Living the Dream: The Life of A Bollywood Actor. If youre a Bollywood fan, youre going to love these pictures from his book! Thats Ranveer Singh at the 2011 Global Indian Film and TV Honors, being well, Ranveer Singh. Imgur Deepika Padukone seems to be having a ball at a music video shoot! Mark Bennington This was Ranbir Kapoor filming at the YRF studios in Andheri. Mark Bennington Were convinced Kareena Kapoor is quite the diva. Here she is walking up to the sets during a commercial shoot. Mark Bennington Ratna Pathak Shah and Naseeruddin Shah create magic at Prithvi Theatre. Mark Bennington Thats Salman Khan gearing up to meet his fans in Pune! Mark Bennington Abhay Deol chills over a cup of tea during a promo shoot in Mumbai. Mark Bennington Chinese Finance Minister Xiao Jie refused to meet his Korean counterpart Yoo Il-ho on the sidelines of G20 talks in Germany on Friday and Saturday. Yoo had hoped to mend fences amid economic retaliation from Beijing over Seoul's decision to deploy a Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense battery from the U.S. here. "We were informed that it won't be possible due to scheduling issues," Song In-chang, an assistant deputy finance minister, told reporters Sunday. But a ministry source said, "The Chinese side didn't appear to want to meet with us." Xiao was appointed in November last year and Yoo has not yet had a chance to meet with him. Prospects are thinning as Yoo will be out of a job in early May, when Korea elects a new president. We celebrate and mark the dates for various events like Valentines Day, Kiss Day, Chocolate Day and what not; but there are several significant events that we easily tend to sideline. How many of you remember dates like World Diabetes Day or World Cancer Day? How many of you knew that today is World Head Injury Day? Riding motorbikes or scooters without wearing helmet seems to be latest fad among people. Despite knowing the fatal consequences of moving around without helmets, some people dont seem to give two f**ks to their safety. BCCL While, you might not be worried about your safety, the Bengaluru traffic police are concerned about you. So, to deliver the message of road safety, the cops have initiated a campaign to hand over free helmets to commuters at prominent junctions. This three-day initiative is a collaborative effort of Fortis Hospitals and traffic police. People tend to ignore basic safety equipment like helmets. We want to help at least some commuters by gifting them helmets and educating them, said Dr. Manish Mattoo, zonal director, Fortis Hospitals. BCCL Reportedly, Karnataka has nearly 42 million and Bengaluru has 2 million registered vehicles, the former comprises of 71% two-wheelers and the latter includes 75% two-wheelers. According to World Health Organisation, injuries to head and neck are the main cause of death in road accidents. This three-day campaign started on Friday, and the following areas are being covered Jayanagar 4th Block, Nayandahalli, JP Nagar, near Gopalan Mall, Cunningham Road, Inner Ring Road, Outer Ring Road and Rajajinagar. So, guys, while driving a two-wheeler in Bengaluru, if you get stopped by a traffic cops on Cunningham Road, dont be surprised as they might be trying to give away free helmets to you. It is truly commendable that both Fortis Hospital as well as the Bengaluru traffic police have taken the onus to ensure that the commuters reach home safely. Source: The Times Of India North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has presided over the thrust test of a new rocket engine and declared that "the whole world will soon witness what eventful significance the great victory won today carries." Garbled talk about "satellites" that accompanied the event suggests it was an engine for an intercontinental ballistic missile. Experts believe North Korea's missile technology has now reached the same level as the Soviet Union just before its implosion, or will soon reach that stage. Meanwhile U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said during his visit to Asia that the policy of "strategic patience" with North Korea has failed and warned, "All options are on the table. If they elevate the threat of their weapons program to a level that we believe requires action, then [the military] option's on the table." Tillerson sat down for talks with China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Saturday but their stances remained miles apart. U.S. President Donald Trump tweeted before the talks in Beijing that North Korea has been "behaving very badly" and seemed to blame China for sitting idly by. Speaking to reporters in South Korea, Tillerson urged China to stop supporting the North, but the Chinese foreign minister blamed the North Korean nuclear impasse on the U.S. The leaders of the U.S. and China will hold a summit around April 10, but a breakthrough is unlikely. Of course that is exactly what North Korea wants. Pyongyang may well launch another provocation around that time which could push the U.S. to the limits of its already short fuse and bring tensions on the Korean Peninsula to boiling point. In an interview on Saturday, Tillerson said Washington's goal is the get rid of North Korea's nuclear weapons, but he added that "circumstances could evolve to the point that for mutual deterrence reasons, we might have to consider" South Korea and Japan also arming themselves with nuclear weapons. That was a clear warning to China and suggests that the regional situation is fast headed for a historic turning point. Tillerson called Japan America's "most important ally" but South Korea merely as "an important partner." There is no need to fixate on every word he says, but past U.S. secretaries of state have not referred to South Korea that way. What is more worrisome is that the opposition here, which is leading in presidential polls, appears to be siding with China instead of the U.S. With a president as volatile and inexperienced as Trump, that is a dangerous path to tread if the alliance with Washington is to survive. This is no time to try and score political points off national security. We must renew Europe for all Europeans Sixty years ago, the people of Europe laid the foundations of the European Union - one of the most successful forces for peace, democracy, freedom, equality, prosperity and solidarity. It has had more than its fair share of success stories. There is a lot to be proud of and a lot to be celebrated, but none of this can be taken for granted, and none of it is perfect. Our world is changing enormously. Nationalism is on the march. Populist tensions are resurging. Distracted by narrow national interests, we risk losing sight of common priorities and solidarity among member states. The European Union is perceived as being unable to tackle the current challenges. The trust of European voters is being eroded, and the very foundations of our community are being challenged. More value-based union We are at a crossroads. We will only succeed in relaunching the EU if we take the direction of a more social, more just, more value-based Union now. As European affairs ministers from progressive parties, we have always stood for democracy, solidarity and fundamental rights. These values are at the heart of our shared European identity and they are the foundation on which we must build. Trust can only be restored by promoting genuine equality, fairness and social justice among the entire populace of Europe. Social progress must always mean upward convergence. First, after years of economic stagnation, we need to put our economies back on track in an environmentally and socially sustainable manner, taking into account the digital transition. As progressives in Europe, we have already successfully pushed for more investment, and for an approach which does not only aim for fiscal consolidation, but also prioritises growth and investment. Re-balancing policies Re-balancing these policies is not only in line with good management of public budgets, it also strengthens their sustainability. We will continue to do so, to create upward social and economic convergence both among and within member states, and inclusive and sustainable growth. We will fight for fairness, including fiscal justice, and we will tackle tax fraud and evasion. We will step up our efforts to turn the euro into a driver for growth and convergence in the European Union by complementing and reforming the current Economic and Monetary Union. It is high time we make our European Union into a social union, with strong workers rights, gender equality, secure jobs and income, and tough measures to tackle youth unemployment, wage inequality and vast differences in living standards and social security. We want a minimum wage in all member states, while respecting national practices and the role of social partners in each country. We must work closely with these social partners to develop social protection and a welfare state that meets the needs of fast-changing economies. And we must not tolerate social dumping, wherever it occurs. Rome declaration For all of the reasons above, we want a strong European Union social pillar to be included in the forthcoming Rome declaration, and we look forward to taking new steps for fair jobs and inclusive growth when Europes leaders meet for a major social summit in Sweden at the end of this year. Social rights and inclusion in the EU must be fundamental to the single market, not just an afterthought. The EUs unique promise is for a model that combines economic growth with social security. We need more coherence in our policies to keep this promise alive. This means developing the single market further, reforming our economies and consolidating public budgets. In doing so, we must always take the social impact of our policies into account, and ask whether we stick to the goals we have set for ourselves. For example, we have still not achieved our aim of a 75% employment rate, reached our target for investment in research and education, or reduced gender inequality or the poverty rate to the level we all agreed on. Prioritise social security and social rights Thus, as progressives we will push further to re-balance our coordinated European policies to prioritise social security and social rights. Europe must be relentless in supporting and defending democracy and the rule of law, both on our continent and abroad. If violations are confirmed, there should be consequences. Furthermore, we should position ourselves as international frontrunners on these issues especially in an era where international action on climate change, sustainability and security are being jeopardised by isolationist tendencies. A progressive Europe should set its own standards and demand equally high standards from its partners. We must act to manage the refugee crisis. Europe has always been a continent of migration. We are determined to defend our values, as we always have, with a humanitarian, strong and efficient European asylum policy that includes fair responsibility-sharing mechanisms. We must also work with our neighbouring countries and other partners to tackle the root causes of migration, not just manage its effects. At the same time, it is crucial that we reinforce the control of our common external borders with the new European Corps of Border Guards. The safety and security of Europes citizens is a top priority, but it can only be guaranteed through cooperation and transparency. A common approach is the best way, especially in the fight against terrorism acting transnationally. But we must also fight to protect what we value in our societies tolerance, openness and human rights from those who would seek to undermine it. Europe of tomorrow One thing is certain: the Europe of tomorrow will not be the same as the Europe of yesterday. New shared challenges geopolitical shifts, widespread digitalisation and the green transition require new shared solutions. We need not fear new challenges if we stand united. But we observe different levels of ambition among member states in developing the EU further to meet these challenges, not only as a result of Brexit. The level playing field is crystal clear: we have a treaty that applies to everyone, and that leaves room for some member states to work more closely if a particular issue can be solved better together. We are convinced that common solutions and concrete results are the best way to deal with the current widespread critique. Todays nationalistic tendencies will not solve any of these challenges. The EU is our answer to this globalised world and we will defend it against all threats past, present and future. Signed by: Giorgos Katrougalos, Alternate Foreign Affairs Minister for European Affairs, Greece Harlem Desir, Minister of State for European Affairs, France Tomas Prouza, State Secretary for European Affairs, Czech Republic Michael Roth, Minister of State for Europe, Germany Louis Grech, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for European Affairs and Implementation of the Electoral Manifesto, Malta Sandro Gozi, State Secretary for European Affairs, Italy Margarida Marques, State Secretary for European Affairs, Portugal Here are five noteworthy news stories and events to start your week, from the editors at Military.com. 3 US Soldiers Shot in Afghanistan 'Insider Attack' Three Army soldiers were wounded Sunday when an Afghan soldier opened fire on them inside a base in southern Afghanistan's Helmand Province, Fox News reported. The shooting occurred around 1:30 p.m. local time at Camp Antonik in Washer District in Helmand, the news organization reported. Coalition forces killed the soldier and the American troops are receiving medical treatment, Capt. Bill Salvin, spokesman for U.S. Forces in Afghanistan, told Fox News. About 300 U.S. Marines from II Marine Expeditionary Force are set to replace the Army soldiers in Helmand in coming weeks. Lawmaker: With Funding Restored, Move Coast Guard Under DoD Rep. Duncan Hunter, a Republican from California and a member of the House Armed Services Committee, said he and more than 60 other lawmakers were successful in petitioning the Trump administration to restore funding for the Coast Guard in the fiscal 2018 budget request. The White House Office of Management and Budget had proposed a $1.3 billion cut to the service. Hunter pointed to a Homeland Security Department release from Thursday stating the spending plan "sustains current funding levels for the U.S. Coast Guard." Hunter is also calling on the White House to move the service under the Pentagon to "streamline congressional oversight." In Marine Photo Scandal, Evidence Can Quickly Disappear Naval Criminal Investigative Service agents never visited a Facebook page allegedly used by Marines to circulate photos of nude and partially clad female service members or accessed a Google drive with the images, an official said. Instead, they're scraping together cases against hundreds of members of the "Marines United" page who allegedly disseminated or commented on the images by using secondhand evidence -- some 600 screenshots provided by a source. Watch for the issue to surface at a hearing set for 3:30 p.m. Tuesday of the House Armed Services Military Personnel Subcommittee about the military's social media policies. Rural Vets May See More Health Care Options The Veterans Affairs Department is researching how to improve the quality of care for veterans in rural areas with serious or chronic conditions. A telehealth collaborative care study announced in January is surveying about 800 veterans in rural areas in Texas and Georgia who have been diagnosed with human immunodeficiency virus, or HIV. "Veterans should have easy access to HIV testing and state-of-the-art HIV care regardless of where they live," said Dr. Michael Ohl, who's leading the effort. The Trump administration wants to give rural vets more health care options, from telemedicine to private care, as part of the VA's fiscal 2018 budget. Construction to Begin on National Army Museum The Army Historical Foundation announced Thursday that construction will soon begin on the National Museum of the United States Army on Fort Belvoir, Virginia. Retired Army Lt. Gen. Roger Schultz, the foundations president, "provided Clark Construction Group, LLC of Bethesda, Maryland, the notice to proceed immediately," according to an AHF press releases. Activity on and around the 84-acre Museum site, adjacent to the Fairfax County Parkway, will intensify this month as heavy equipment, site managers and subcontractors begin work on the museum which is projected to open in late 2019, Schultz said. -- Hope Hodge Seck, Oriana Pawlyk, Matthew Cox and Richard Sisk contributed to this report. -- Brendan McGarry can be reached at brendan.mcgarry@military.com. Follow him on Twitter at @Brendan_McGarry. Joseph V. Micallef is a best-selling military history and world affairs author, and keynote speaker. Follow him on Twitter@JosephVMicallef. The Islamic State (IS) is rapidly nearing a point of collapse. It has lost control of eastern Mosul to a coalition comprised of the Iraqi military and Kurdish, Shia and Sunni militias supported by the United States and its NATO allies. That same coalition, which has held together despite a very tenuous political consensus, is now penetrating western Mosul. It has seized the airport and controls the remaining city bridge across the Tigris. Despite tough resistance in the old city sections of eastern Mosul, it is expected that the rest of the city will fall in the next six to eight weeks. In Syria, progress has been slower. Syrian government forces, aided by their Russian and Iranian allies, had previously focused on eliminating the resistance posed by the anti-Assad Syrian rebels and only secondarily on fighting IS militants. The ongoing clash between Turkish forces and those of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), the latter largely consisting of Syrian Kurdish militias, and both nominally US allies, has complicated the ground offensive against Islamic State. The Turkish supported militias lack sufficient strength to mount an independent campaign against IS forces in Raqqa. The Turkish sponsored campaign in Syria, Operation Euphrates Shield, would require the deployment of additional Turkish troops to pose a credible threat to Islamic State's control of the city. Additional Turkish deployment in Syria would be highly unpopular with Turkish voters. Given that the Erdogan government is in the middle of orchestrating a referendum to amend the Turkish constitution to expand the powers of the presidency, an increase of Turkish troops in Syria is unlikely. Moreover, the Turkish troops and their sponsored militias are blocked to the south by Syrian troops loyal to the Assad government and to the east by the Kurdish led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). Neither group is likely to permit the passage of Turkish troops or their affiliated militias. Despite being dealt out of the Raqqa campaign, Turkish forces can still play the role of a spoiler by engaging SDF forces and disrupting their campaign to seize Raqqa. From Ankara's standpoint, a successful role in the seizure of Raqqa would endow the SDF with the prestige and political support from the US and its NATO allies that it could leverage into broader support for the proposed semi-independent Syrian Kurdish state of Rojava. The Erdogan government has made its opposition to the recognition of Rojava unmistakably clear. Back in the spring of 2016, it appeared that Syrian military forces and the US backed SDF were engaged in a "race to Raqqa." The race was perceived as a sort of proxy contest between the US and Russia for the right to claim the defeat of the Islamic State. The race, however, failed to materialize. IS resistance proved stronger than had been anticipated. In the meantime, Syrian military forces turned their attention to Aleppo and to consolidating their hold in the city. The SDF, on the other hand, turned its attention to taking the city of Manbij, a key town west of the Euphrates astride the main M4 highway through the area, as part of the broader campaign to link the Kurdish enclave in Afrin with the rest of the SDF controlled territories to the east. With IS now seen as on its last legs, the "race to Raqqa" seems to be back on. Although the fall of Raqqa, and presumably Mosul, will not mark the end of the Islamic State, it will leave IS shorn of its two major urban centers and consisting of a small collection of towns, the roads connecting them and portions of the city of Deir ez-Zor scattered across a patchwork of largely desert areas and a portion of the Euphrates Valley. Both Washington and Moscow, however, see the capture of Raqqa as an important symbolic victory, a metaphor for which side's campaign has proven to be the most effective. The US has moved quickly in recent weeks to increase its military presence in Syria. The Pentagon has dispatched the 75th Ranger Regiment to Manbij. They are mounted on a combination of Strykers, heavily armed and armored, eight-wheeled vehicles, described as tanks on wheels, Humvees and blast resistant, heavy duty trucks. The vehicles all prominently display the US flag and the Rangers, in an unusual role, have made it a point to be conspicuous. The deployment is intended to discourage the Turkish backed militias on the outskirts of the town and the SDF militias from engaging one another, since an outbreak of hostilities by either side could risk American casualties. Russian aid convoys have been bringing supplies to Syrian military units on the southwest edge of the city, and there are reports of Russian Special Forces operatives also stationed there. That makes Manbij the only city in Syria where US and Russian forces are in such proximity to one another. In addition, approximately 400 Marines from the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) have been deployed to support SDF forces advancing on Raqqa. The Battalion Landing Team 1st Battalion, 4th Marines, the MEU's ground force, will operate an artillery battery of M777 150mm howitzers. The battery can fire conventional rounds with a range of approximately 15 miles, as well as Excalibur GPS-guided rounds with a range of around 25 miles. This is the second time that the Pentagon has deployed an artillery battery manned by Marines in the fight against Islamic State. An earlier deployment at Camp Bell in Iraq was designed to provide fire support for units of the Iraqi Army advancing on IS militants in Mosul. These new deployments are in addition to the 200 or so Special Operations Forces (SOF) that have already been operating in Syria. Unconfirmed reports swirling around Washington have suggested that an additional 1,000 US soldiers may soon be heading for Syria. In the meantime, over the last two weeks, approximately 2,500 Marines have been deployed to a forward base in Kuwait. It appears likely that within the next six to twelve months, the Islamic State will lose direct control of its current territorial domain. What then? Is this the end of the Islamic State? Unfortunately, no! There are five distinct aspects to the Islamic State. First, the Islamic State is a state, albeit one that is not recognized by any other government. It has a defined geographic territory, even if those boundaries are amorphous. It functions like any government: it issues passports, collects taxes, organizes a military force and provides basic services to its citizens. It doesn't do any of these things particularly well, but it does do them. Secondly, Islamic State is an international jihadist movement. The organization has franchises and unofficial affiliates, including the United States, in approximately 50 countries. Both franchises and affiliates are organizations that have publicly pledged their loyalty to IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. Franchises have been formally accepted as part of the Islamic State, while affiliates have not been. In the US, for example, an IS supporter identifying himself as Abu Ibrahim Al-Ameriki claiming to lead an organization of 71 militants, pledged his loyalty to al-Baghdadi, but was never officially recognized. In addition, there are "lone wolf" militants that have pledged their loyalty to IS but are not members of a local organization. Since 2014, Islamic State and its franchises and affiliates have conducted a total of 143 attacks in 29 countries that have killed 2,043 individuals. Thirdly, Islamic State is an insurgency. It conducts such operations directly in Iraq and Syria and through franchises elsewhere. Among its better-known franchises are Abu Sayyaf in the Philippines, Boko Haram in Nigeria and a faction of al Shabaab in Somalia. All three of these organizations predated IS and joined the organization as franchises after it rose to prominence. In addition, IS franchises in Libya, Sinai, Pakistan and Afghanistan have been implicated in widespread, ongoing insurgencies in those countries. Fourth, Islamic State is a budding international criminal organization. IS has smuggling oil and antiquities out of the territory it controls. In addition, it has engaged in kidnapping for ransom and various forms of extortion. Over the last year, IS has become increasingly involved with the drug trade in Europe. Russian news reports that IS earns up to one billion dollars a year from the drug trade have never been substantiated and are probably exaggerated. The DEA, however, has confirmed that ISIS militants are involved with the smuggling of drugs across the Sahara and, usually through the Balkans, into Europe. According to the DEA, IS militants are providing protection to drug smugglers; similar to the role that the Taliban plays in the Afghan drug trade. When it was in power the Taliban destroyed poppy fields. Now it is facilitating both the export of drugs and the import of supplies essential to the manufacture of Afghan heroin. Afghanistan is now the source of roughly 80 percent of the world's heroin. The skill set required to be a successful insurgent and to carry out terrorist attacks lends itself readily to the conduct of international criminal conspiracies. As IS continues to feel the financial impact of its loss of territory, criminal activities will become an ever-growing source of revenue for the organization. Finally, Islamic State is a powerful, seductive idea. Its slick, professional quality propaganda and its ability to exploit social media platforms have resulted in both financial support and a continuing stream of supporters. IS media has been responsible for radicalizing "lone wolf" attackers in both Europe and North America. Moreover, the ability of that media to continue to radicalize individuals continues even after its advocates have been killed. Anwar al-Awlaki, the American-Yemeni Iman and al Qaeda leader who was killed by a US drone strike on September 30, 2011, continues to preach across the Internet. In fact, his sermons are openly advertised on Google. The collapse of the Islamic State "nation" will have a profound effect on the organization, its ability to stage terrorist attacks, the continued loyalty of its franchises and its international appeal to jihadists, but it will not eliminate its ongoing presence. Several analysts have suggested that a physical territory is critical for Islamic State to maintain its caliphate. Presumably, shorn of that territory, the idea of IS as a caliphate will not be credible to its supporters. That is not a foregone conclusion, however. IS has demonstrated that it is a powerful brand. History is full of examples of brands that have survived long after the products associated with the brand disappeared. Consider Pan Am, a brand that is still recognizable more than 25 years after it stopped flying its planes or Polaroid, an iconic brand that has not produced any cameras since 2001. What is more likely is that IS will continue to demonstrate its ability to adapt, adjust and morph to its new reality. The loss of its Syrian and Iraqi territory will likely result in more insurgent activity in those countries. The return of thousands of IS militants to their homes will undoubtedly precipitate an increase in IS inspired terrorist attacks worldwide. Regardless of its lack of territory, Islamic State's ability to radicalize and mobilize new militants will continue undiminished. Islamic State's first chapter will close soon. Its second chapter is just beginning. -- If you would like to submit your own commentary, please send your article to opinions@military.com for consideration. Camp Lejeune Town Halls Aim to Help Those Exposed to Toxic Water. Heres How You Can Go. Retired Marine Master Sgt. Jerry Ensminger made it his mission to tell the world that if they lived or served on Camp Lejeune... The Veterans Affairs Department is researching how to improve the quality of care for veterans in rural areas with serious or chronic conditions. A telehealth collaborative care study announced in January is surveying about 800 veterans in rural areas in Texas and Georgia who have been diagnosed with human immunodeficiency virus, or HIV. Led by Dr. Michael Ohl, the survey focuses on regions where VA has an HIV specialty clinic. "Veterans should have easy access to HIV testing and state-of-the-art HIV care regardless of where they live," Ohl, an infectious disease specialist, said in a release. "We know that compared to their urban counterparts, rural veterans with HIV enter care with more advanced illness, are less likely to receive the latest advances in HIV treatment, and have lower survival rates. We want to change that." In addition, providers and healthcare organizations of telehealth medicine in Alaska, where most communities are rural, may be able to offer their expertise to the effort. Laurali Riley, a former Army combat medic and program manager of a statewide HIV initiative and outreach service through the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium, said the state is one of the forerunners for "having telemedicine for not only having it integrated into our healthcare system but as a solid health care delivery." Riley said she has seen a daily average of 20 to 30 video appointments -- provided by AFHCAN Telehealth Solutions -- between physicians and patients. Alaska is a low-incident state for HIV patients due to its overall low population. However, because communities are so small, care options are few and far between. "But the issue is, if you've got a community of say 400 people, and you have one person affected by HIV, your option for care is going to be diminished greatly," Riley said in a recent interview with Military.com. ANTHC supports the telehealth solutions network, which serves veterans with HIV. Through the VAs research, Ohl, who works out of the Iowa City VA Health Care System, and his team are finding that those offered telehealth choose to use the option. The "VA offers close to 50 telehealth specialties. During fiscal year 2016, more than 700,000 veterans completed approximately 2 million telehealth appointments," the department said. The study, funded through September, claims that approximately 18 percent of the 24,000 veterans in care for HIV infection in the U.S. live in rural areas and have limited access to specialized health care for their disease. From an outside perspective, Riley said it's now up to the VA to get patients to feel "confident in [telehealth] utilization." Each state's healthcare system is reflective of the needs of the patient and the services offered. Alaska, for example, has only 268 miles of paved roads, Riley said. "Every place we have to go to is either by boat or plane," she said. But an infectious disease such as HIV requires constant communication between doctors and patients, Riley said. "Live delivery is really setting up a patient-to-provider video visit, which makes a lot of sense for rural healthcare delivery if we have access to the technology -- which we do," she said. "And it really helps with a lot of chronic disease management, especially HIV," Riley said. Whether the contact is face-to-face or via video, "were still getting the same information that we need" to treat the patient, Riley said. "It's like secure Skype. It's going to be on a secure platform." Even though some of the systems have been available for quite some time, the technology is still evolving -- especially for patients who may not know how to approach telehealth as an option for medical care, she said. "What I've seen the VA do is a lot of patient education on their options," Riley said. Because "people are very averse to change when it comes to their healthcare, and not just veterans. Everybody." Riley said AFHCAN for HIV clinical delivery still encourages televideo conferencing outside the home in some type of clinical setting, because it's much easier to pair up with lab work, medication changes with either a nurse or mid-level physician assistant available to address questions or concerns. Aside from video conferencing -- all provided by a clinic via computer webcam -- Alaska has also been experimenting with store-and-forward technologies for over a decade, she said. "You're thinking about things like labs, you're thinking about things like health records and if you ever need a referral for somebody that is outside of primary care, accessing your records can [sometimes be] a nightmare," Riley said. But with store-and-forward, a cloud-based system, "we can transfer that information securely and be able to keep that information for the patient living outside of" a primary care network, she said. "Telemedicine is all the about the technology that's available," Riley said. Furthermore as providers, "we need to make sure that if we're going to be delivering any sort of telemedicine -- whether it's live or store-it-forward -- that security options are not only put in place, but they've been tested and carried out." Since providers more often than not are in a dense, city environment like Anchorage and patients can reside anywhere, Riley said work evolving in the telehealth field is now focused on deploying protocols, policies and procedures for credentialing purposes. "All of our providers, including myself that deliver telemedicine, were under a telemedicine agreement with other clinics we are providing care to with patients that live outside the Anchorage area. "So we need credentialing agreements that are set up between [a] hospital, and then the patient's site, clinic or 'hub' hospital so that we can work with their nurse case managers," she said. Riley said that while it's hard to quantify, the entire ANTHC -- in both store-and-forward care and live video conferencing for any ailment -- in fiscal 2015 had a total estimated travel cost avoidance of $10.8 million because of telehealth. And as a credentialed service, "we can bill and get reimbursed for the telemedicine visits, which is great for our providers," she added. The goal is simple: keep talking to patients at all costs. "People with HIV, and especially veterans, need that continuity and care; they need that consistency," she said. "Not just in providers, but in a program. They need to know somebody's got their back -- they need to know they're not alone." -- Oriana Pawlyk can be reached at oriana.pawlyk@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at @Oriana0214. The creativity behind Ford Motor Company moving 1,800 employees into a former Lord & Taylor store makes more than mall owners take notice. By turning an anchor tenant space at Fairlane Mall into offices, the automaker is making a statement over how repurposing space can bring new life to buildings that once may have seemed to have a single purpose. But that move - completed in 2016 - is only a part of how Ford is transforming the workspaces of 30,000 employees in Dearborn. By 2026, all of those employees will be working on two green and high-tech campuses that now house 60-year-old facilities. The move to Fairlane is a glimpse of how important the automaker's facilities will be to its future as a mobility provider. "I look at this whole program as having an opportunity to influence how Ford Motor Company will operate in the future," said Roger Gaudette, director of Ford's Dearborn campus transformation through Ford Land Development Co. "We are changing work space. Hopefully we are changing culture." The effort is massive, and centered on both the World Headquarters campus near US-12 and the M-39 highway and on the product development and engineering campus to the south. The work involves "densifying the research and engineering campus," Gaudette said. "At the same time we're building new buildings, replacing some of the infrastructure and tearing down some of the buildings no longer serviceable." One of the first moves was to set up so-called "turnaround space," where the company could build offices to house groups of employees in between their original offices and the final versions. And that's how the 1,800 employees from multiple sites around Dearborn - including research & development and purchasing departments - ending up working in one of Metro Detroit's largest malls. The Dearborn office market is 5.9 million square feet, with a 23 percent vacancy rate at the end of 2016, according to Signature Associates. But only 383,000 square feet was available in Class A buildings, and Ford Land needed to find a larger space fairly quickly. "We had to take a look at potential space out there, but couldn't find it in a single space," Gaudette said. The search could have taken the company to Southfield or Livonia. "We were sitting in a meeting one day, looking out at the mall," Gaudette said. "A question came up: What about the mall?" The Ford Land team soon realized, Gaudette said, "it could be a perfect fit." This Google map shows the Ford Motor Company properties in and near Dearborn. After approaching the mall's newer owners, Starwood Capital Partners, Ford ended up with a 10-year lease for the closed Lord & Taylor. One of five anchors, it had been vacant for several years, even as the University of Michigan-Dearbord and Ford continued other building projects nearby. When Ford Land took over the former two-story store, it still looked like a department store. It had dropped ceilings over product areas, with what Gaudette described as typical mall-store lighting. "We went ahead and modified it into a modern workspace," Gaudette said. Ford takes up the full wing, beyond the footprint of the former store. It removed the escalators, replacing them with stairs. It added soft seating and stand-up work stations. It changed the lighting levels inside, using LED. And it added skylights. The skylights help mitigate the only drawback to the space: A lack of natural light. The company wasn't going to punch holes in the brick exterior to add it, so it looks for ways to make employees feel comfortable without it. "We created a space that allows people to walk around," Gaudette said, describing it as open and collaborative. "... They can work in any space in that whole area." Employee feedback after some pilot projects resulted in some concerns, which Gaudette said his team took into account before the final plans. "Typically, people are look at what privacy is looking like," he said. "They may not have an office, or they may have a lower cube wall. And how to hand the noise situation." Noise was addressed with piped-in white noise. And various work groups may have different configurations. The biggest surprise, Gaudette said, became apparent before staff moved in: "The fact that it was going to work out a lot better than what we thought." The offices in the mall will influence how Ford sets up more of its campus during its transformation, which will involve new construction and refurbishing existing space. "Furniture settings and the strategy for how we're setting up interiors will be the same," Gaudette said. That means smaller "me" space for desks, but more "we space." "That will get people up and moving around," Gaudette said, for what he called a serendipitous collision. The purpose of the campus changes is to elevate the work environment, Gaudette said. Ford needs to be able to recruit top talent, and putting people into redesigned facilities with cutting-edge technology and proximity to colleagues in different work areas affects that. Starting with the mall location, Ford is looking at the office setting as more than a place to work. It's considering the employee environment, with access to the outside, and how health and wellness fits into it, both on the interior and exterior. "We plan to build in fitness facilities, walking paths, add bike sharing," Gaudette said. The varying types of desks - including treadmills - and food options are in play, too. So are other amenities. The campus may end up with a clinic, as an example. Ford is fully participating in the rebound of the auto industry. Its 2016 earnings were its second-best in its history, and its market share is 13.9 percent. Its valued at $46.9 billion, based on a stock price of $12.48 per share on March 17. Ford's work at Fairlane was the early part of phase one of the campus work. It continues through 2023, with a focus on parking decks and infrastructure. Additional projects include a new design studio, a sustainability showcase building, and green areas, the company says. Employees at World Headquarters will start to see some modifications to World Headquarters this year, too, including updated work spaces. Gaudette said his team is working on many specific projects, but understands its overall role to the company. "It lets you put your thumbprint on Ford Motor Company operations of the future." LANSING, MI -- An Ingham County teenager says her parents have always been supportive of her and her sister. So when the teenager won $500,000 playing the Golden Wild Time instant game, she decided that instead of keeping the money for herself, she would give it to her parents. "I'm going to keep about $5,000 for myself to invest, and I'm going to give the rest to my parents," said the player who chose to remain anonymous. "My parents have done so much for my sister and me, helping them takes a big weight off of their shoulders and mine." The 19-year-old bought her ticket at the Sunoco gas station, located at 2635 N. Williamston Road in Williamston. "I stopped at the Sunoco for gas after giving a buddy of mine a ride and they had one Golden Wild Time ticket left, so I bought it," said the player, who chose to remain anonymous. "I scratched off in the store and at first I thought they were playing a trick on me until I saw how excited they were about the ticket." The player visited the Michigan Lottery headquarters in Lansing on Friday to claim her prize. Since winning, the winner said she "can't get the smile off of my face." emu The Eastern Michigan University Police Department is investigating the who might have left behind a business card "advocating hate and racism" found Monday, March 20, inside in Halle Library. MLive file photo YPSILANTI, MI - The Eastern Michigan University Police Department is investigating the who might have left behind a business card "advocating hate and racism" found Monday, March 20, inside Bruce T. Halle Library. The card displays the words "Alt-Right" on one side, with "America was 90% white in 1950. It is now 60%." followed by "Make America Great Again," and "Trump is the first step. We're the next." There also are addresses to white nationalist websites provided at the bottom. The card was quickly removed once discovered. EMU President James Smith issued an email to faculty, staff and students on Monday, denouncing the card while assuring that the incident is a "high priority" for EMU police. "I want to stress again, as I did last fall, that such attacks are hurtful to all of us in the campus community -- students, faculty and staff -- who work every day to make Eastern a welcoming and inclusive campus," Smith said in the email. "These messages are not Eastern; they are not us. And they may not stop anytime soon, likely due to the actions of a few people who seek to divide our community and gain attention for their hateful messages," he added. "Indeed, these are polarizing times, calling for diligent work by all of us to further mutual understanding and support." Smith noted that previous incidents of racist vandalism that took place this past fall on the EMU campus remain under investigation, with a $10,000 reward in effect for information in connection with those crimes. ross.JPG Relations between the United States and China are the focus of a Michigan China Forum hosted at the University of Michigan this weekend. The forum takes place on Saturday, March 25 and Sunday, March 26, at UM's Stephen M. Ross School of Business. ANN ARBOR, MI - Relations between the United States and China are the focus of a Michigan China Forum hosted at the University of Michigan this weekend. The forum takes place on Saturday, March 25 and Sunday, March 26, at UM's Stephen M. Ross School of Business. It features guest speakers including Hong Lei, the consul general of China in Chicago, who is the event's keynote speaker. Other speakers include Gene Ma, chief China economist at the Institute of International Finance; Veronica Wu, former vice president for China Operations at Tesla Motors; Jun Ni, deputy chair of Global Future Council on Future Production at the World Economic Forum; Brian Connors, director of the Michigan-China Innovation Center; Huei Peng, director of MCity; and Carol Cain, senior producer at CBS News. The mission of the forum is to empower future leaders from the United States, China and beyond to lead in a global economy.Conversations and panels will touch on key issues about future relations between the United States and China, disruptive mobility and cross-country entrepreneurship. Saturday's event is a fireside chat focusing on China's economic and financial outlook. The chat takes place at 4 p.m. in Room 1580 of Blau Hall. Sunday's events begin at 9 a.m. and take place throughout the day until 7 p.m. A complete schedule can be found online. tippy-the-killed-dogjpg-8b7389f71eede1e4.jpg Tippy the dog (Courtesy Denise Pickvet) Tyler M. McKeon BAY CITY, MI -- For fatally shooting a dog that interfered with his hunting, a Bay County man is tasked with cleaning and feeding the furry residents of a local animal shelter. Bay County Circuit Judge Joseph K. Sheeran on Monday, March 20, sentenced 34-year-old Tyler M. McKeon to 80 hours of community service, to be performed at Bay County Animal Control. The judge also sentenced McKeon to one year of probation, 30 days in jail, and an additional 60 days deferred. McKeon will only have to serve those deferred days if he violates his probation. McKeon in January pleaded no contest to one count of attempted killing or torturing an animal. The charge is punishable by up to two years' imprisonment, but McKeon's sentencing guidelines ranged from zero to three months. The prosecution dismissed a four-year charge of actually killing or torturing an animal. On Dec. 20, 2015, McKeon was hunting on his father's property in Fraser Township when he shot and killed a Labrador/pit bull mix named Tippy. He shot the dog with both a muzzleloader and a 9mm handgun and claimed he did so because Tippy was chasing deer, according to police. Tippy was owned by Jeffrey and Denise Pickvet, whose 30-acre farm neighbors McKeon's father's property. "From the moment I met him, he has expressed his shame with letting his emotions and the situation get the better of him to where he would do something like this," defense attorney Matthew L. Reyes told the judge just prior to sentencing. "He certainly is sorry for the pain and suffering he's caused the people in this situation. He's a man who made a great big mistake. He doesn't want his life and his family's life to be described or tarnished by one mistake he made in his life." The judge asked McKeon if there was anything he'd like to say. "Just that I'm sorry," McKeon replied. Bay County Assistant Prosecutor Bernard J. Coppolino said gun ownership requires responsibility to accompany its inherent power. "One of the greatest powers we as American citizens have... is the ability to use and possess firearms," he said. "You have a great responsibility when you have firearm. It shouldn't be used when you're ticked off or upset or think in a moment's anger, 'This will take care of it.' The defendant had a firearm, he was upset about something, and he decided to use it." Coppolino added there was no record McKeon had ever made a complaint about Tippy interfering with his hunting, either to the dog's owners, Animal Control, or Bay County Central Dispatch. After Coppolino spoke, Judge Sheeran sat and pondered for a few minutes. "Dog-owners too have responsibilities, which include caring for the animal and also to not let the animal run free, especially when you live right near a hunting area," he said. "The owners failed in this responsibility in this case to keep the dog on their own property." He added the Pickvets had come to court and presented forged documents indicating Tippy had been a highly trained service dog. "Of course, this doesn't excuse the defendant's actions," Sheeran continued. "It's totally inappropriate to use a firearm against a dog." Sheeran allowed McKeon a few days to get his affairs in order before he starts serving his jail term. McKeon is to report to the Bay County Jail at 9 a.m. on Thursday, March 23. BAY CITY, MI -- Forcing a stranger to drive him to a strip club under the threat of death has led to a self-styled outlaw from Indiana to spend some time in a Michigan prison. Bay County Circuit Judge Joseph K. Sheeran on Monday, March 20, sentenced 47-year-old Paul E. Reese Jr. to 29 months to five years in prison. He gave him credit for 138 days already served in jail. Reese in February pleaded no contest to single counts of attempted extortion and failure to stop after a collision. The prosecution dismissed a 20-year charge of extortion and a count of operating a motor vehicle without a driver's license. "I'm sorry for all this messed up stuff," Reese said. "Drinking and using my own stupidity, my own sorrow, caused all this. I got a job here. I got a place here. I left Indiana to come here. Wow." The gravity of the situation apparently hitting him, Reese fought back tears as he continued. "I need help. I can't drink. There's no way. I won't do it no more. There're too many people involved in my world that need me more than I need to drink." He said he's been spending his time in jail reading books on self-help, addiction, and the Dalai Lama. "What'd the Dalai Lama say that appealed to you?" Sheeran asked him. "That there's a different way to be happy," Reese replied. "There's something better around the corner. You can't live in the past; you have to go forward." He added his drinking was exacerbated by grief of having had an ex-fiancee, a sister, and two nephews die within 11 months. One nephew died the day before his crime, he said. Reese at about 9:40 p.m. on Nov. 2 drove a silver van from the Speedway gas station at 1223 Broadway St. and rear-ended another vehicle a few blocks away. Reese exited the van and jumped into the passenger side of a pickup truck that had pulled up to the scene. As police investigated, Bay County Central Dispatch advised them 50-year-old Arlyn R. Willett had called 911 to report he had picked up a man calling himself "Outlaw Paul" from the scene and driven him to Deja Vu, a strip club at 6530 Bay Road in Saginaw County's Kochville Township. Officers went to Deja Vu, located Reese inside, and arrested him. He initially told police the van had been stolen before the crash and that he wasn't involved. He said he saw the crash and asked a passerby to follow another vehicle, then was dropped off at Deja Vu as his coworkers were there. Police later met with Willett at a Bay City McDonald's, who gave a different version of events. To begin with, he said he saw the crash occur. "I turned around to make sure everybody was OK," Willett said. "As I pulled up to the van, I watched a male subject get out of the driver seat holding an open Bud Light can. I had my passenger window down. The male subject lifted the passenger door lock of my truck and got into the passenger seat. He started hitting my dashboard, telling me to drive. I told him I was not leaving the scene of this accident. He told me he was chasing a car. I saw no car. He said, 'You don't know who I am. I am Outlaw Paul.' He told me if I didn't drive he would kill me, my wife and my family." Willett did not appear at Reese's sentencing. Bay County Assistant Prosecutor Bernard J. Coppolino said Willett has expressed fear over Reese seeking retribution, but Reese assured that would not happen. "This was a real serious offense," Judge Sheeran told Reese. "The victim rightly was afraid. It's a terrible experience for him." He then took on an encouraging tone. "You think you can make something good out of this?" he asked Reese. "I know I can," he replied. "Good luck. I hope it's the last time for you," the judge said. "Oh, it will be." DETROIT -- A massive immigration raid involving a possible cockfighting ring took place in southwest Detroit on Saturday. It resulted in the seizure of 100 birds, and arrests of more than 50 people, says U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokesman Khaalid H. Waals. A Department of Homeland Security-led criminal investigation into the possible cockfighting ring and immigration violations is ongoing, Walls said. More than 140 law enforcement agents from multiple agencies, including ICE, Homeland Security, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Internal Revenue Service, Michigan State Police, Detroit police and Trenton police participated in Saturday's raid. "There's a federal search warrant that is under seal," Walls said. "The warehouse was a suspected cockfighting/illegal gambling operation." Walls wouldn't disclose any further details about the investigation or possible immigration violations. Michigan Department of Agriculture employees, assisting the federal agencies, seized "a little over 100 birds" and humanely euthanized them, spokeswoman Jennifer Holton said. "I do know that they were roosters ... " Holton said, adding that they were tied to "the investigation of a cockfighting ring in that area." Southwest Detroit is a popular destination for Hispanic immigrants, many of whom have ties to Latin American countries where cockfighting is popular. Cockfighting is often a source of gambling and pits aggressive male roosters against one another, sometimes in a fight to the death. Cockfighting "isn't something that our office hears a lot about; we're aware that it happens, and of course it is illegal and I don't condone animal cruelty," said state Rep. Stephanie Chang, D-Detroit, who represents portions of southwest Detroit. "My focus right now is really: How do we let people know what their rights are and what their risks are regarding immigration right now at this moment in time?" Chang said a representative of her office was told by law enforcement that the warrant served Saturday had "two main targets." Recent memos issued by the Department of Homeland Security indicate the intent of immigration officials to detain all present during immigration raids, regardless of whether they are participating in illegal activity or if there are immigration violations. Chang wants her constituents, especially those living in the U.S. in violation of immigration laws, to be aware they are at risk of deportation if they are in the presence of anyone who is gang-affiliated, has been convicted of a crime or who has an outstanding arrest warrant. The warehouse raided by law enforcement Saturday is on the 1200 block of North Green. MATHERS **FILE** Kim Mathers, the former wife of Grammy-winning rapper Eminem, appears in court in St. Clair Shores, Mich.,on July 1, 2003, where she pleaded innocent to a drug charge and two driving violations. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya) ((AP Photo/Paul Sancya)) SHELBY TOWNSHIP -- Detroit rapper Eminem's ex-wife Kim Mathers appeared in court Monday after a set of diluted drug test results threatened her completion of a probation period imposed after a 2015 drunken driving incident. She was sentenced to a one-year probationary period of drug and alcohol testing and counseling that began on Nov. 22, 2016 and runs through Nov. 22, 2017. Shelby Township District Judge Douglas P. Shepherd planned to conduct a review and hold another hearing in 90 days, according to a court clerk. Mathers began using Soberlink, a portable breathalyzer that allows daily testing, after the dilution issue surfaced, according to the court. Mathers' defense attorney told the judge during the Monday hearing she didn't intentionally over-hydrate, WXYZ Detroit reports in six test that yielded diluted results between December 2016 and February 2017. "I did nothing wrong. I went above and beyond to prove to the court I'm compliant and that I take the judges orders seriously. I just want to move on," Mathers told WXYZ. In 2015, Mathers was involved in a drunk driving accident and told police afterward she intentionally drank a fifth of rum before driving in a suicide attempt. Demaro Horne.gif Demaro Horne A man suspected of a triple homicide at a home in Detroit Saturday is under arrest and charged for murder. Police responded to the 16600 block of Rutherford in Detroit about 6 a.m. on Saturday. They found a 60-year-old man, 43-year-old woman and 23-year-old man, all Detroit residents, dead inside. An injured 27-year-old man was outside the home and an unharmed 25-year-old woman was inside. Demaro D. Horne, 23, of Southgate, is charged with three counts of felony murder; two counts of assault with intent to murder; first-degree home invasion; felony firearm and being a felon in possession of a firearm. Horne previously served a minimum-four-year prison sentence after being convicted of felony firearm and felony assault stemming from a 2010 incident. According to the Michigan Department of Correction website, he was discharged from supervision Oct. 1, 2016. In the 2010 case, charges for assault with intent to murder and domestic violence were dismissed under the terms of a plea agreement. Horne is expected to be arraigned on the new murder charges Monday. Kannur VC Dr Gopinath Ravindran was the last to respond to Raj Bhavan shortly before the 5pm deadline. Dalai Lama China expressed anger on Monday after exiled Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama attended a Buddhist conference supported by the Indian culture ministry, the latest spat with India over a man whom China brands a dangerous separatist. The Nobel Peace Prize-winning Dalai Lama, who fled into exile in India after a failed uprising against Chinese rule in 1959, denies espousing violence and says he only wants genuine autonomy for his remote Himalayan homeland. The Dalai Lama opened the conference last Friday in eastern India. "Recently, India ignored China's solemn representations and strong opposition and insisted on inviting the 14th Dalai Lama to attend an international Buddhist conference organised by the Indian government," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said. The Dalai Lama also shared the stage with Indian government officials and gave a speech, she told a daily news briefing. "China is strongly dissatisfied and resolutely opposed to this," Hua added. "We urge the India side to clearly recognise the anti-China separatist nature of the Dalai clique, abide by its promises on the Tibet issue, respect China's core interests and avoid further disturbances and harm to China-India relations." The Dalai Lama and Indian Culture Minister Mahesh Sharma inaugurated the conference on Friday, the Indian culture ministry said in a statement. Buddha's teachings were especially relevant in a world facing violence, President Pranab Mukherjee said on Sunday in a closing address to the conference, held at Rajgir in the eastern state of Bihar. In December, Mukherjee hosted the Dalai Lama at his official residence with other Nobel prize winners, the Tibetan leader's first public meeting with an Indian head of state in 60 years. Next month, the government representatives will meet the Dalai Lama when he visits a sensitive border region controlled by India but claimed by China, despite a warning from Beijing that it would damage ties. China has ruled Tibet with an iron fist since it was "peacefully liberated" by the People's Liberation Army in 1950. China denies any repression in Tibet and says its rule has brought development to a once backward and poverty-stricken region. business Government to inject Rs 8000 cr more in cash-starved PSBs The government is looking to inject an additional Rs 8,000 crore into the cash-starved public sector banks by the end of this financial year, reports CNBC-TV18. you are here: live bse live nse live Volume Todays L/H More After an aggressive entry in to the telecom space, Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Industries is looking to ramp up its retail business. Reliance Retail is expected to open 200 fashion stores under Reliance Trends, a similar number of food and grocery stores in its Fresh and SMART formats, and around 300 wholesale outlets as part of Reliance Market over the next three years, reports the Business Standard. The company also has plans to add 500 to 600 fuel stations and the combined business expansion cost is estimated at Rs 2,500 crore, property market sources told the newspaper. Till now, Reliance was focused on Jio and was in consolidation mode with its retail business, Raman Mangalorkar, chief executive at Atom Data Labs told BS. He added that it is now stepping up the growth and roll-out of its retail plans. Vodafone live bse live nse live Volume Todays L/H More Aditya Birla Group firm, Idea Cellular, on Monday said that its Board of Directors at its meeting approved the scheme of amalgamation of Vodafone India and its wholly-owned subsidiary Vodafone Mobile Services with itself. The merger with Vodafone will create Indias largest telecom operator with the widest mobile network in the country and provide pan-India 3G/4G footprint. The transaction is expected to close during the calendar year 2018, subject to approvals. Lets look at some of the highlights of the Vodafone-Idea Cellular merger deal: Ownership structure: Vodafone will own 45.1 percent of the combined company after transferring a stake of 4.9 percent to the promoters of Idea for Rs 3,874 crore billion in cash concurrent with the completion of the amalgamation. The promoters of Idea will hold 26 percent of the Company and the balance will be held by the public. The promoters have the right to acquire up to 9.5 percent additional stake at Rs 130/share from Vodafone under an agreed mechanism with a view to equalizing the shareholding overtime. Merger Ratio: The merger of equals with the joint control of the combined company. The merger ratio is consistent with the recommendations form the joint independent valuers. The implied enterprise value is Rs 82,800 crore for Vodafone India and Rs 72,200 crore for Idea excluding its stake in Indus Towers, valuing Vodafone India at 6.4x EV/TVM EBITDA. If the Vodafone and the Idea Cellular shareholding in the combined entity is not equal after four years, Vodafone will sell down shares in combined entity to equalise its shareholding to that of the Aditya Birla Group Company. Transaction to be accretive for Vodafone cash flows: Vodafone will consolidate Vodafone India immediately. Post-closing, the combined company will be reported as a joint venture by Vodafone which would result in a decrease of Vodafone net debt. Vodafone will contribute Rs 2,500 crore more net debt than Idea at completion. Based on Ideas net debt of Rs 52,700 crore as of December 31, 2016, this would have implied Rs 55,200 crore to be contributed by Vodafone. The cash received from Aditya Birla Group of Rs 3,900 crore would lower Vodafone Groups reported leverage by around 0.3x Net Debt/EBITDA. Synergy Opportunities The run-rate cost and the capex synergies are expected to reach Rs 14,000 crore on an annual basis by the fourth full year post completion. This is equivalent to a net present value of approximately Rs 70,000 crore after integration costs. Operating cost savings represent 60 percent of the expected run-rate savings. Dividend Policy Pro forma net debt as at December 31 2016, was Rs 1,07,900 crore. On that basis, leverage of the combined company would have been 4.4x LTM EBITDA. The parties expect the combined Company to be self-funding going forward but are committed to maintaining appropriate leverage levels. The parties have agreed that the combined company is appropriately capitalised and the excess cash flow is distributed to shareholders. Vijay Mallya at an interview with FT live bse live nse live Volume Todays L/H More It's a residence fit for a king and the erstwhile King of Good Times, Vijay Mallya, has got it readied -- except he may not be able to move in himself. A 35-storey skyscraper in Bengaluru built under a joint venture between United Breweries Holdings Ltd (UBHL) and Prestige Estates Projects Ltd, has a 40,000 square feet penthouse atop it, complete with a helipad and surrounding with a 360-degree view platform, says a report in the Mint newspaper. The rough value of the 'Sky Mansion' is around USD 20 million but the embattled industrialist -- whose Kingfisher Airlines defaulted on a huge loan and who has been staying out of the country despite directives -- may lose the apartment. In the legal battle that has ensued since Kingfisher's default, the debt recovery tribunal in Bengaluru ruled in favour of SBI, the airline's largest lender, and allowed banks to start the process of recovering the Rs 6,203.35 crore owed by the carrier. The liquor baron and his companies -- UBHL, Kingfisher Airlines and Kingfisher Finvest India -- need to pay an amount of Rs 9,000 crore, after adding interest, to banks. "In its application, Kingfisher Towers is listed under other known assets of UBHL, which means it (the apartments owned by the firm) can be sold by the recovery officer to pay the dues of the bank," according to the Mint report. SS Naganand, senior counsel appearing for the bankers' consortium told the newspaper that if Mallya is found guilty under charges of money laundering, the government can also confiscate his or her property. Manipur Chief Minister Nongthombam Biren Singh The five-month-long economic blockade in Manipur was lifted tonight after successful talks among the Centre, the state government and the Naga groups. The blockade was imposed by the United Naga Council onNovember 1 to protest against the creation of seven newdistricts by the erstwhile Okram Ibobi Singh-led Congress government in the state. The blockade on two national highways -- NH-2 and NH-37-- has led to steep rise in prices of essential commodities and severely affected the normal life in the state. It had become a major issue in the recently held assembly polls in the state. Appreciating the "first step of the newly formedgovernment" led by the BJP, Manipur Governor Najma Heptullasaid the lifting of the blockade "will usher in an era of peace and prosperity" in the northeastern state. Chief Minster Biren Singh said the lifting of theblockade was "just the beginning" and that his government wastrying to fulfil the promises Prime Minister Narendra Modi had made to the people of the state. "Our effort is to make it (lifting of blockade)successful. It is just the beginning. The word was given byhonorable Prime Minister Modiji to the people of Manipurduring the election campaign. We are trying to fulfil his words," he told news channel NDTV. Earlier in the day, a joint statement, issued after thetripartite talks held at the Senapati district headquarters,stated that there would be "unconditional release of thearrested UNC leaders and all cases related to the economicblockade against the Naga tribe leaders and student leaders will be closed". It had said that the blockade would be lifted from midnight today. The statement was signed by Joint Secretary SatyendraGarg of the Union Home Ministry, Additional Chief Secretary(Home) J Suresh Babu and Commissioner (Works) Radhakumar Singhof the Manipur government and UNC general secretary S Milan and All Naga Students Association president Seth Shatsang. The tripartite talks were held first on February 7 inImphal for ending the blockade, but they had failed to makeany headway as the UNC refused to allow the seven new districts to be carved out. The stakeholders had earlier met in Delhi on February 4and the Centre had expressed hope that the blockade would end soon. The joint statement said the next round of tripartitetalks would be held within a month at political level. After the Bharatiya Janata Party won a massive mandate in Uttar Pradesh, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanaths first challenge will be fulfilling the election promise to waive off loans given to small and marginal farmers. The Uttar Pradesh government stands to lose Rs 27,420 crore, or 8 percent of its total revenue, if the farm loan waiver scheme becomes a reality, according to State Bank of India. As per data, the total outstanding credit by all commercial banks in 2016 towards the agriculture sector was Rs 86,240 crore in Uttar Pradesh, with an average ticket size of Rs 1.34 lakh. According to Reserve Bank of India data from 2012, 31 percent of the direct agriculture finance went to marginal and small farmers (landholdings up to 2.5 acres). Taking this as a proxy for Uttar Pradesh as well, approximately Rs 27,419.70 crore will have to be waived off in case loan waiver scheme is implemented for the small and marginal farmers for all banks [scheduled commercial banks, cooperative banks and primary agricultural cooperative societies], the countrys largest lender said in a report. It stated that the UP governments total revenue for FY17 was Rs 340,255.24 crore, according to revised estimates. Thus, the amount of Rs 27,419.70 crore to be waived off is approximately 8 percent of total revenue. This will definitely cause some amount of stress for the states fiscal arithmetic in the coming year, read the report. According to the Socio-Economic and Caste Census 2011, 40 percent of rural households of Uttar Pradesh are engaged in cultivation. When it comes to landholdings, 92 percent are marginal and small landholdings, according to 2010-11 Agriculture Census. Banks are against the implementation of the loan waiver scheme as they fear this would affect the credit discipline among that segment of borrowers. SBI Chairman Arundhati Bhattacharya recently said, We feel that in case of a [farm] loan waiver there is always a fall in credit discipline because the people who get the waiver have expectations of future waivers as well. As such, future loans given often remain unpaid. She added that no formal proposal had come to them from the government. A Congress leader submitted a breach of privilege notice in the Maharashtra Assembly against Bhattacharya for insulting farmers and the House with her remarks. In 2009, the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government retained power on its lucrative election promise of Rs 60,000-crore farm loan waiver scheme. This is not the first time that such a concern has been raised by lenders. In 2014, banks had raised opposition to a loan waiver scheme in Andhra Pradesh and had written to the finance ministry expressing their concerns. Former Reserve Bank of India (RBI) governor Raghuram Rajan had also pointed out that the repeated loan waivers by various state governments distort credit pricing, thereby also disrupting the credit market. Incidentally, SBI last month allowed one-time settlements for its tractor and farm equipment loans that make up about Rs 6,000 crore of doubtful and losses on its books. According to the SBI report, the new UP government has to go beyond the traditional solutions and find innovative ways of adding to its revenues. The Yogi Adityanath administration must focus on raising farm productivity, fast track transfer of benefits to the farmers bank accounts, encourage multiple cropping by farmers and increase interstate price parity among other things, it said. H-1B visa woes for employees have worsened with Vishal Sikka-led IT major Infosys deciding to stay away from applying for the US work visa for its junior staffers those with less than four years of experience. The company is trying to avoid any issues arising out of the Donald Trump administrations visa regulations, according to a report in The Economic Times. Domestic IT companies have been trying to come to terms with the protectionist measures being implemented by the US and are aligning their operations to lessen their dependence on H-1B visas. Infosys is in talks with its clients to bring both the work done by junior employees and such staffers to India, according to the report. Also, the company hasnt raised fresh visa requests for candidates in systems engineer and senior systems engineer posts. Infosys declined to comment on ETs story. Earlier this year, the US Congress had proposed tightening of H1B visa norms through The Protect and Grow American Jobs Act which mandates to raise the minimum salary of H-1B visa aspirants to over USD 100,000 per annum from the current USD 60,000. Indians with H1B and L-1 visas contribute USD 1 billion annually to the US, according to industry body NASSCOMs estimates. Indian IT industry contributes to about 4 lakh direct and indirect jobs in the US, contributing for about USD 5 billion in taxes annually. Nearly 60 percent, or about 65,000, of the total H1B visas are issued to Indian contingent, mostly in the IT sector. Stayzilla founder Yogendra Vasupal Moneycontrol News Founders of 73 startups in the country have written an open letter to Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh requesting a fair investigation into the Stayzilla issue. They have sought justice for the company's founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Yogendra Vasupal, who was arrested last week and remains in the custody of Chennai Police. The letter sent to the Union Home Minister is supported by Paytm CEO Vijay Shekhar Sharma, Ola CEO Bhavish Aggarwal, former Infosys Chief Financial Officer Mohandas Pai among others. The letter has also been marked to Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Nirmala Sitharaman, Niti Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister E Palaniswami and Union Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi. Vasupal was arrested last week following complaints from vendors about non-payment of dues. According to a blog post written earlier by Vasupal, some scary dolls were delivered to the home of Stayzilla CEO Sachit Singhvi on March 9 bearing the image of his son. In a video posted by the Stayzilla CEO, a man is seen assaulting a company employee. The letter alleged that Vasupal had been pressurised into confessing a crime he had never committed. It concluded by stating: We are standing up together as a community and believers in the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi for Startup India. Stand-up India to call for a free and fair investigation into the dispute and strongly oppose any abuse of power to subvert the law of land. We humbly request you to look into this matter and ensure that expeditious justice is provided to Yogi [Yogendra Vasupal]. Various startup CEO and investors have already expressed their support for Vasupal on social media. Flipkart founder Sachin Bansal also expressed solidarity with Stayzilla CEO on Twitter. Let the law take its course, but intimidation of #stayzilla founders crosses a line. It's unhealthy for entrepreneurship in India. he tweeted. The supporting list for this letter is still open at Help-yogi.com, a website created to gather support for Vasupal. More than 70 startups in the online grocery and hyper-local delivery segment space have shut shops in the past 24 months. However, Bangalore-based Big Basket started by 54-year-old Hari Menon has survived the storm and continues to dominate the market. Menon who also co-founded FabMall India's earliest e-commerce venture shares his insights on key to sustain this high cash burn segment with Moneycontrol. He also talks about company's strategy to compete with the cash rich rival Amazon Now and his success with Shahrukh Khan as company's brand ambassador. Edited excerpts: Q: What is Big Basket's strategy to compete with Amazon Now? The company is learnt to be burning piles of cash offering customers free deliveries and cashback. A: BigBasket is the market leader today and is in a high growth stage. We have built a high customer centric culture within the company, that cares for its 5 million consumer base. Indian grocery segment (both offline and offline) is a very large market of about USD 400 billion. Markets of this size have enough space for more players. In fact, in markets of this size, consumers open up to new formats much faster when there are more players. Our strategy is simple - focus on execution, innovate with the customer in mind and ensure our customers are the focus. Q: What is the key to crack this high cash burn market in India as several startups have shut shops? A: There is only one key - focus on unit economics and turn profitable. The mantra is profitable growth. Q: What's your comment on media reports suggesting Amazon could likely acquire Big Basket? A: Completely, untrue. Q: At a point in time when competitor Grofers is shifting from instant deliveries to scheduled next day deliveries, Big Basket has ventured into instant deliveries. Please help us understand the need to come out of your conventional shell at this point in time? A: Bigbasket hasn't become an instant delivery company. This is a misconception. The largest chunk of our business is the scheduled/slotted delivery business (85 percent by value and 75 percent by orders). And this mirrors exactly to the way a household buys. In a typical household, about 65 to 70 percent of their buying is planned purchase, for which, they use our scheduled or slotted delivery service. About 20 to 25 percent is weekly purchase of fruits and veggies, other perishables, top ups, emergency needs, etc. We continue to remain in our conventional shell. Q: There were media reports of Big Basket exploring a merger with Grofers. We also learnt that BigBasket had a meeting with Albinder Dhindsa, co-founder of Grofers. Your comment? A: Completely, untrue. Q: You started off with FabMall and were selling, books, toys and jewellery among other things before starting off Big Basket to sell grocery. As you plan to expand, could you look at other product categories? A: We are completely focused on grocery and home essentials as a category and we don't have any plans to expand beyond this. Q: Currently, in how many cities do you operate? What are your expansion plans? A: About 25 cities (currently). We don't plan to expand any further in the current year. We are focussing on going deep in each of the cities in terms of penetration and that's our focus this year. Q: Multiple hyperlocal delivery startups shut down their services in 2016 citing lack of demand especially, in smaller cities. What hygiene would you bring in place while trying to crack these markets? A: Our focus is on offering a good assortment and range in tier-II cities. Convenience is not a very big draw in tier-II cities like it is in tier-I cities. Q: What are the immediate challenges faced by the company in this space and how do you plan to overcome? A: The only challenge we face is in recruiting and retaining our blue collar workforce. We employ about 13,000 people and about 70 percent of our workforce is "blue collar". Q: To what extent Shahrukh Khan's endorsement help the company achieve customer stickiness? Any plans for next round of endorsements? A: SRK as a brand ambassador has helped and worked very well for us. The endorsements has resulted in big surge in new customers coming in. That was our primary objective and that's worked well. Customer stickiness and retaining customers is a function of how BigBasket services its customers and that's going well too. priyanka.sahay@nw18.com Fresh documents reviewed by Moneycontrol reveal that it was an email sent to the board of Shopclues by its cofounder and ex-CEO Sandeep Aggarwal asking for removal of his wife as one of his nominated directors of the company last year that led to a confrontation between the co-founders. In a strongly worded email to the board dated September 8, 2016, Aggarwal said that as the majority holder of the common shares of Clues Network In, I have a right to nominate one board seat. So far I had nominated Radhika Ghai Aggarwal. Consider this e-mail as the official notice that Radhika Ghai is no longer a board nominee for my seat. With immediate effect, Radhika Ghai Aggarwal cannot take any decision as the board nominee for my seat, he wrote. It was after this e-mail that Aggarwal got to know that his legal rights to nominate a board member of his own company had been taken away. As per documents available with the Registrar of Companies, Shopclues India is owned majority by Clues Network Inc. Aggarwal holds about 12.5 percent in Clues Network Inc., that has so far raised about USD 231 million. A statement from Shopclues board issued last week retorted that the rights to nominate besides other things were taken away in a joint consent when Sandeep Aggarwal resigned from his CEO position in October 2013 after a case of insider trading in his previous job in the US came to light. "It was agreed that in an event Sandeep pled guilty or is otherwise convicted or found guilty for the alleged crimes, Sandeep will cease to be a consultant (with Shopclues), will have no operating role in the company and he will relinquish the right to be a board director or have any active ability to elect or remove any non-CEO board directors, a statement by Shopclues board said. The company has received money from investors such as sovereign wealth fund GIC, Tiger Global and Nexus Venture Partners and was valued at over a billion dollars, as per its last funding round. A statement by media team of Aggarwal claims it was only in October 2016, that he came to know that ShopClues changed his right to nominate a board member way back in April 2014. He claimed that he was kept in the dark by other co-founders and the ShopClues board for nearly two and half years. Pursuant to that he has filed a number of cases including that of defamation in Delhi courts against Shopclues current top management. Access full set of documents related to story here. harsimran.julka@nw18.com ICICI Direct 's report on Engineers India Engineers India (EIL), a Navratna public sector enterprise, is one of the oldest companies in the Indian public sector. Over the years, the company has emerged as a market leader in the Indian hydrocarbons segment with expertise in design, engineering and project implementation. EIL has consistently grown its topline & bottomline over the last 10 years at a CAGR of 11.3% and 6.4%, respectively, in FY07-16. Outlook We believe with higher order inflows (9MFY17 order inflow at | 5024 crore), strong balance sheet and recovering margins, EIL will deliver accelerated sales and PAT CAGR of 18% and 29.2%, respectively, in FY16-19E. Accordingly, we value EIL at Rs 182 i.e. 22x P/E on FY19E EPS of Rs 8.3 and initiate coverage with a BUY recommendation. For all recommendations, click here Disclaimer: The views and investment tips expressed by investment experts/broking houses/rating agencies on moneycontrol.com are their own, and not that of the website or its management. Moneycontrol.com advises users to check with certified experts before taking any investment decisions. Read More Copper cooking pots still in use today, some dating back to King George IV, sit on racks in the kitchens at Buckingham Palace in London March 25, 2011. Staff at Buckingham Palace have lifted the lid on preparations for Prince William's wedding next month, giving an insight into what guests can expect and the amount of work they have put in to make the event a success. REUTERS/Nick Ansell/POOL (BRITAIN - Tags: ROYALS ENTERTAINMENT POLITICS FOOD) - RTR2KJGP Achiievers Equities' commodity report on Copper Copper trading range for the day is 384.1-394.3. Copper rose and posted its biggest weekly gain since mid-February in response to a weak U.S. dollar and ongoing mine supply concerns. Striking workers at BHP Billiton's Escondida copper mine in Chile, are blocking attempts by the company to renew operations at a key port nearby. Goldman Sachs said fees to copper smelters in China were falling close to break-even costs of $50-$60 a tonne, at $60-$70 a tonne for now. SELL COPPER APR 2017 @ 389.80 SL 393.80 TGT 386.20-383.20.MCX. Disclaimer: The views and investment tips expressed by investment experts/broking houses/rating agencies on moneycontrol.com are their own, and not that of the website or its management. Moneycontrol.com advises users to check with certified experts before taking any investment decisions. Read More Copper cooking pots still in use today, some dating back to King George IV, sit on racks in the kitchens at Buckingham Palace in London March 25, 2011. Staff at Buckingham Palace have lifted the lid on preparations for Prince William's wedding next month, giving an insight into what guests can expect and the amount of work they have put in to make the event a success. REUTERS/Nick Ansell/POOL (BRITAIN - Tags: ROYALS ENTERTAINMENT POLITICS FOOD) - RTR2KJGP Angel Commodities' report on Copper Last week, LME Copper prices surged 3.5 percent as strike at Cerro Verde, Peru's biggest copper mine, after a meeting between the union and management failed to resolve a dispute over labor demands, boosted supply disruption concerns in addition to strikes at Escondida in Chile and Grasberg in Indonesia. Outlook LME Copper prices are trading lower currently by 0.7 percent currently at $5897/t. Risk appetite came under pressure after G20 leaders failed to agree on a commitment towards free global trade, giving way to protectionism concerns. Also, net longs in CFTC copper were trimmed for the forth week in a row, indicating falling investor interest. However, supply disruption concerns will continue to provide support. We expect MCX copper prices to trade lower today in line with international trends. For all commodities report, click here Disclaimer: The views and investment tips expressed by investment experts/broking houses/rating agencies on moneycontrol.com are their own, and not that of the website or its management. Moneycontrol.com advises users to check with certified experts before taking any investment decisions. Read More business Tyre Dealers' Federation not in favour of imposition of anti-dumping duty In an interview to CNBC-TV18s Latha Venkatesh & Sumaira Abidi, SP Singh of Tyre Dealers' Federation spoke about why anti-dumping duty is not required according to the Tyre Dealers' Federation. 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, March 20, 2017 The False Handshake Story Aims To Delegitimize Trump I dislike Trump and his policies. I dislike Merkel and her policies. Both are my political enemies. But what I dislike even more are lying media which try to deceive for undeclared political aims. A recent example: The pieces linked above go on to speculate about personal animosities between Merkel and Trump and about diverging U.S. and European political directions. While differences may exist between Trump and Merkel they have nothing to do with a handshake in an Oval Office photo op. Not mentioned in the above reports is that Merkel and Trump shook hands with each other several times and in cordial ways. Here as Merkel arrives at the White House: bigger And here at the end of the press conference after their talks: bigger So why the headlines above? Trump rejected to shake hands in the Oval Office. This was at a photo opportunity where typically some 20 to 30 photographers have a chance to snap a picture of an event. During such shootings the photographers try to get the persons in front of lenses into a position that makes for salable pictures. When one watches the video of the event one can clearly hear some photographers urging Merkel and Trump to shake hands. Trump ignores the request. But Merkel does not get it and asks Trump if he wants to shake hands. Trump continues to ignore the request. His faked ignorance was not directed against Merkel though. As one can see above he has no aversion at all to shake hands with here. His behavior was directed against jerky photographers. Consider the headlines of earlier handshakes Trump exchanged with his guests: This seems like a pattern to me: The "awkward" handshake with Abe happened on February 10 during the photo op in the Oval Office after prompting by photographers. The "awkward" handshake with Trudeau happened on February 13 during the photo op in the Oval Office after prompting by photographers. The "refusal" of a handshake with Merkel happened on March 17 during the photo op in the Oval Office after prompting by photographers. Had Trump shaken hands with Merkel at the event the media would certainly have found some "awkward" aspect to it. They would have written similar stories as they have written about the handshakes with Abe and Trudeau. Trump tried to avoid that. But the media now write similar stories about the "rejected" handshake request. This time Trump did not fall for the photographer request for an "awkward" handshake. But there was no escape from the trap. The stories about the "ill behaved Trump" and "bad relations" with Merkel had, in all likelihood, already been written. But why do the media do this? During the election some 98% of all editorial media endorsements went for Clinton. It is no question on which side they are on. They dislike Trump. I understand that, I dislike him too. But that does not mean that I have to shun objectivity. He is the duly elected president of the United States and any analyzing and anticipating of his policies requires to keep that in mind. Analysis based on the false handshake story will inevitably be false. The media are obviously out to get Trump, if not over false claims of Russian influence on him and the elections then over "awkward" handshakes. The current media task is, in military termini, to "soften the target". To drive up his disapproval rates as they successfully do. This to -in the end- enable his impeachment: The intention [.. is ...] to hamstring and delegitimize the new administration coming in, and to bring about the resignation or impeachment of Donald Trump. It is in all intents and purposes a coup, though without military intervention, as it seeks to overturn a completely legal and constitutional election. The now ongoing hearings in Congress about alleged Russian hacking, influence on the election and collusion with the Trump campaign - zero evidence has been provided for these claims - aims in the same direction. We previewed this "elite" coup at this site in December 2016. I still do not understand the end aim the Democrats and their masters have in mind. A president Pence would likely be even more devastating to domestic liberal aims than Trump. His foreign policy would be more hawkish. Is that last point the feature, not the bug, that drives the anti-Trump campaign? Posted by b on March 20, 2017 at 15:12 UTC | Permalink Comments Accident Minor injuries were reported in a four-vehicle collision at the intersection of Tennant Avenue and Butterfield Boulevard March 16. The accident was reported 6:48 a.m. The driver of a dump truck that flipped over in a two-vehicle collision suffered major injuries and was transported by helicopter to San Jose Regional Medical Center. The accident occurred on Monterey Road near the intersection of Burnett Avenue, about 3:20 p.m. March 14. The truck driver suffered head trauma as a result of the accident. The driver of the other vehicle was also transported to Regional Medical Center. Auto burglary A thief or thieves broke into a vehicle on the 14700 block of Monterey Road and defecated inside. Stolen from the vehicle were money, registration papers and charging devices. The crime was reported 1:42 p.m. March 16. Someone broke into a GMC pickup outside Safeway grocery store, 840 E. Dunne Ave. Stolen were money and tools. The crime was reported 8:08 a.m. March 17. A thief or thieves broke into a Nissan Versa parked at In n Out, 895 Cochrane Road, and stole a bag. The crime was reported 5:17 p.m. March 15. Stolen vehicle A green 1997 two-door Honda Civic and a red four-door Honda Civic were stolen from parking spots on Wright Avenue. The crimes were reported 8:26 a.m. March 15. Dogs running loose A man was out jogging with his dog on a leash when two unleashed pet canines approached and bit his dog. The loose dogs were described as an Australian shepherd mix and a greyhound. The incident was reported 5:04 p.m. March 16 on Monterey Road. Theft Someone broke into a cluster of mailboxes at an apartment complex on La Alameda Drive. The crime was reported 8:06 a.m. March 17. All subjects are innocent until proven guilty. Information is compiled from public records. Two employees of the North Carolina School for the Deaf were nominated and awarded a national award by the United States Department of Defense. NCSD Director Audrey Garvin and NCSD Facilities Manager Steve Watts recently were given the Patriot Award during a reception at the school. They were nominated by Edmund Long, environmental services manager for the school, to receive the award. Long is a part of the Army Reserves and currently deployed. The award is given to employers of a National Guardsman or Reservists in any branch of the military that shows outstanding support of employees who are National Guardsmen or Reservists, said Forrest Fleming, western area chairman for the Employer Support for the Guard and Reserve. The award is a part of the national organization called Employer Support for the Guard and Reserve , funded by the Department of Defense , that was created in 1993. It is a very prestigious award for an employer to receive, he said. It is recognized all over the nation it is a honor for an employer to receive the Patriot Award. The organization issues approximately 75 Patriot Awards every year in North Carolina, Fleming said. Once employers names are submitted to the DOD in Washington , they are given to a committee for approval, he said. Being nominated for this award by Edmund is very special, said Garvin, who has been with NCSD for almost six years. She knows Long to be a team leader who models the best attributes of commitment to a purpose. He works hard, stays fit, has an uplifting positive attitude and is the first person to jump in to get a job done, Garvin said. Getting this award while he is deployed surprised Steve and I and it is an example of how thoughtful Edmund is of other people. We cant wait for him to come home, she said. Watts, who has been employed by NCSD for 32 years, holds the same feelings toward being nominated. I feel a great sense of humility from receiving a reward for what I see as just doing my job and being understanding and supportive of Staff Sgt. Edmund Long's greater contribution and sacrifice for our country, he said. Edmund is a leader by example, a highly valued manager at North Carolina School for the Deaf and missed by all during his deployment. Staff Writer Jonelle Bobak can be reached at jbobak@morganton.com or 828-432-8907. NEW YORK Chuck Berry, rock 'n' roll's founding guitar hero and storyteller who defined the music's joy and rebellion in such classics as "Johnny B. Goode," ''Sweet Little Sixteen" and "Roll Over Beethoven," died Saturday at his home west of St. Louis. He was 90. Big banks seem supportive of government intervention to address Torontos affordability issues. Do brokers agree? Take our poll and let us know how you feel. Be sure to also let us know in the comments section what measures you would like to see, if any.Its a controversial subject as is the case whenever discussing macroprudential policy and broker sentiment is already pouring in.Any addition intervention (has) to be GTA specific. Other communities outside the GTA have been flat for several years. Supply is the issue in GTA, one MBN reader commented in the forum. Address building regulations, not mortgage regulations.Brokers flocked to the comment section after one big bank argued region-specific policies are required to address affordability in Toronto.The trajectory of the Greater Toronto Areas (GTA) housing market is not written in stone. Its largely a function of policy, Benjamin Tal, CIBCs chief economist, said in his latest research note. Policymakers are needed because the GTA is not a normally functioning market. Legislation-driven land constraints suggest that we are in a classic case of market failure, in which the invisible hand will not find the optimal path.Its an opinion shared by some brokers, it seems, with one arguing the issue at hand is Torontos costly land transfer taxes that prohibit many from moving up and freeing up important inventory for potential first-time buyers.Supply is the problem and that stems from the double land transfer in the city of Toronto. First time buyers can't afford to trade up which is keeping supply tight, Omer Quenneville, a Toronto-based broker, said. I have a client looking to trade up to a new development and the cost of levies and double land transfer tax comes to $30,000.00. Government tax and regulation policies got us into this mess and it won't get us out. Dairy Queen ins welcoming the first official day of spring on Monday, March 20 by hosting Free Cone Day. They will serve a FREE small vanilla soft-serve cone with its signature curl on top at participating locations. The promo also serves as a kick-off to Childrens Hospitals Week. Customers can leave a donation for Childrens Miracle Network Hospitals, in exchange for the cool treat. Limit one per customer while supplies last. Find the nearest DQ near you. Were excited and ready to go for our Third Annual Free Cone Day, said Barry Westrum, executive vice president of Marketing for American Dairy Queen Corporation (ADQ). Free cones have become a fan tradition they love it. The icing on the cake is supporting Childrens Miracle Network Hospi tals. According to the company, last year the Dairy Queen system raised more than $200,000 in one day for Childrens Miracle Network Hospitals. Ritas Italian Ice is celebrating the first day of spring on March 20 by giving customers a FREE cup of its popular Italian Ice. This is its 25th year of the giveaway and more than a million guests are expected to cool off with the freebie this year. Get your FREE Italian Ice Monday, March 20 from noon to 9 pm at Ritas, located at 3371 E Stroop Rd in Kettering just west of The Greene. Stay tuned for more info on Ben & Jerrys free ice cream day April 4th! HomeGrownStories Tomfoolery Outdoors has a mission to encourage people to live an active outdoor lifestyle while making a difference in the world. The companys founder, Tom Helbig, an outdoor adventure enthusiast, has just returned to Ohio from a 5-week adventure in the Great Exumas region of the Bahamas. This tropical excursion was spent on stand up paddleboards and had Tom and his group camping outside for 34 of the 35 nights spent on the most crystal clear water Tom has ever seen. Tom was interviewed for Miami County Visitors Bureaus new series #HomeGrownStories campaign before he sets off on his next adventure following the blue blazes of the The Buckeye Trail Association, Buckeye Trail in Ohio. On living in Miami County: I live in a camper full-time at Adventures on the Great Miami in Tipp City. I have lived in Miami County on and off since 1998. Im originally from the Cleveland area. My post-college career is what brought me to Miami Co unty where I worked as the Special Olympics Coordinator at Riverside in Troy. After working at Riverside I worked at Five Rivers MetroParks for seven years as the special events and development coordinator. Ive lived north of Dayton, primarily in Miami County since moving to Tipp City in 1998. On starting his own business, Tomfoolery Outdoors: I loved all of my previous jobs, they were very rewarding and had a great impact on the community, but I was spending a lot of hours working especially in the evenings and weekends. My work life balance was not in balance. I did not get to spend much time outdoors. I was approaching 40; Im not going to call it a mid-life crisis, but I started to reflect on my life. I realized I didnt want to spend my life behind a desk. I had always kind of had an entrepreneurial spirit and I had a lot of ideas for teaching people some of the skills I knew. I left my job at Five Rivers MetroParks and started Tomfoolery Outdoors in May 2014. May 3rd this year is my 3-year anniversary. On the community response to Tomfoolery Outdoors: Its been really positive in the first 3 years now. Ive promoted a really playful, fun, whimsical lifestyle, a lot of my events have a quirky nature to them and I think people are drawn to that. A lot of people crave that quirkiness. I am who I am and Im an adventurous spirit. That energy lives within my company and people have embraced it. Why he loves Miami County: I love the people number one. There are a lot of just down to earth, kind and very supportive people in the area. From an outdoor and natural standpoint, I enjoy that we have bikeways and rivers to paddle and hiking trails in the Miami County Park District. Its a very good area for someone that likes the outdoors like myself. Theres a big community focus in Miami County. When I worked for the Special Olympics the community really supported the program. I got to know the athletes families. I saw members of the program graduate from high school and go on their first dates and ski down a mountain for the first time. Theres this amazing community-family feel of Miami County. Now, as a small business owner in Miami County, I take a lot of pride in my foundation of my business that it started in Miami County. How is Miami County different from places he has visited: The outdoor recreation opportunities are really strong which is very unique. I think sometimes we take for granted what we have in our community: the bike path, the recreational trails, and the parks. I really like the small towns in Miami County; Troy, Piqua, Tipp City. I enjoy that corridor in Miami County. Its fun to go somewhere where you know people. Its a like a family, were-all-in-it together type of attitude. His favorite Miami County event and spots: Canoegrass is my favorite event. I think its the best event, even though I might be biased. We put a stage on the Great Miami River and everyone hangs out in the water. We have bluegrass and Americana bands on stage and it feels like youre hanging out with 400 of your best friends on the river. I love 311 Drafthouse in Piqua and I love Leaf AndVine in Troy. My favorite private park is Adventures on the Great Miami and my favorite public park is Charleston Falls Preserve. One might think that Wells Fargos massive fake-account scandal last year would have dealt a blow to the banks success. But youd never tell by looking at the banks mortgage earnings.Last year, it was revealed that Wells Fargo employees, under constant pressure to perform, had opened 2 million customer accounts without those customers knowledge or consent. The ensuing scandal brought with it widespread public condemnation, congressional scrutiny, the ouster of CEO John Stumpf and an internal investigation thats still ongoing.But all that doesnt seem to have hurt the banking giants mortgage business a bit. Wells Fargos annual report showed that the banks origination volume rose from $213 billion in 2015 to $249 billion in 2016, according to a HousingWire report . Wells Fargo also reported that it received $347 billion in mortgage applications in 2016, up from $311 billion the year before.But its not only an increase in applications thats driving up originations. An analysis of the banks numbers show that its also denying fewer applications, and has done so for at least the last two years, HousingWire reported.In 2014, Wells Fargo converted 66.8% of its applications into originations. That approval rate rose to 68.5% in 2015, and in 2016 it was up to 71.8%. But Wells doesnt seem to be getting more mortgage originations because its relaxed its credit requirements, HousingWire noted. Indeed, Wells Fargo loans 30 days or more delinquent on Dec. 31, 2016 totaled $5.9 billion only 2% of total non-PCI mortgages. On Dec. 31, 2015, that number was $8.3 billion 3% of non-PCI mortgages. Professional and community involvement: Ive been a teacher at MISD for the last six years. I started as a bilingual teacher, then I worked as a special education teacher and currently I work as a dyslexia therapist. In 2012, I started Midland Loves Teachers, which was a magazine where local businesses offered special discounts to teachers. Midland Loves Teachers was a vehicle for local business to show the appreciation that teachers deserve. In 2015, I started Midland School Supplies, which is an easy and economic way for parents to shop for school supplies. Last year we teamed up with schools and PTAs and donated part of our profit to schools. Last summer, we donated more than $3,500 to schools and PTAs. How did you decide to serve the community as a teacher, and specifically, a teacher of dyslexic students? Testimonials "Jesus motivates students to maximize their full potential" Jesus Mendoza teaches Take Flight, an intervention program for students diagnosed with dyslexia. He is committed to teaching and is passionate about the success of all students. He sets high expectations and motivates students to maximize their full potential. His ability to collaborate with teachers in order to ensure students receive the most appropriate education proves his ongoing commitment as an educator. Jesus naturally creates trusting relationships with teachers, students and parents. He definitely is the kind of teacher and role model that all our campuses can benefit from. Thank you, Jesus, for your dedication in teaching our students. Lisa Cisneros, supervisor of Special Services for MISD --- "The students are lucky to have him" Jesus is a hard-working, caring and concerned educator. In the past six years, he has taught in many different areas and is continually learning and improving himself to help his students. I was privileged to work with Jesus when he was going through training to become a dyslexia therapist and witnessed what a powerful work ethic he possesses. He was always prepared for the lessons, and if he was ever confused, he was sure to ask for help. Jesus wants to be the best at what he is doing -- which is improving children's lives every day. Jesus is a very kind, compassionate man. He brings a smile to my face and is very fun to work with. The students are lucky to have him. Mary Duggan, MISD dyslexia therapist See More Collapse My mother is a teacher, and she has been my greatest role model and example. I grew up in a home where education was a topic that we discussed very often, so when I needed to decide my profession, without doubt I chose education. I think education is the most important activity within a society, because school is more than tests and homework. School is a place where we teach students how to be functional members of a society. Within education, I think reading is one of the most important skills that we can teach to our students, so being a dyslexia therapist allows me to help my students to develop this essential skill. What led you to establish the school supplies project, and how can people in the community become involved? When I was a bilingual teacher, parents always came to my classroom to apologize because they did not find all the school supplies that I requested. I saw this as an opportunity, and I developed I a website where parents can shop for their kids school supplies in less than five minutes. They just need to go to the website (www.midlandschoolsupplies.com) choose the school, the grade level, and thats it -- they will receive that school supplies kit at their door. I like to describe the project as the Uber of school supplies. Also, parents will get only the items that the teacher requested, and schools will receive part of our profits. What talents and skills do you share with the community through your role at Midland ISD? I think that being a bilingual teacher has opened a lot of doors for me. And especially, being able to teach students who have migrated to the United States recently has been really rewarding. When I moved to the United States, I moved to live in a new country and to live in a new culture, but the difference is that I was an adult. Our students who come from different countries need to deal with the same cultural shock, but they are just kids, and sometimes they do not understand why they are here. It is our responsibility as teachers to understand them, guide them, and show them the opportunity that this country has to offer. What unexpected lesson have you learned while working in the schools? Saying that our kids are the future of the world may sound as a cliche, but when we stop and think and find that it is true, we know that we, as teachers, have a great responsibility. During my experience as a teacher, I have learned that our kids have a lot to offer -- all of them -- and that we need to try our best every single day to achieve their academic and social well-being. How long has Midland been your home, and why have you stayed? Ive been living in Midland for the last seven years. I came from Juarez, Mexico, in 2010. Since my first year, I have only encountered good people who have supported and guided me in a lot of ways. I have the luck to work with wonderful teachers and administrators who truly care about their students. That is really important to me because I have a daughter who eventually will be enrolled in MISD schools. I would like that her teachers show that dedication and passion that my current colleagues show. We are really thankful to have chosen Midland as our home. What else would you like our readers to know about you? I am married, and my wife, Gabriela, is a bilingual fourth-grade teacher at Lamar Elementary. We have a 3-year-old daughter, Julieta, who was born in Midland. WASHINGTON -- Key Texas Republicans with oversight of agricultural issues were already quietly perturbed by President Donald Trump's fierce opposition to the North American Free Trade Agreement and the time it took him to nominate an agriculture secretary. Now the Republican president, swept into office with the help of rural voters, is looking to slash the federal agriculture budget, raising further alarms about how his administration will handle the issues most important to Americas farmers. House Agriculture Committee Chairman Mike Conaway, R-Midland, voiced concern Thursday over Trumps proposal to cut discretionary spending at the U.S. Department of Agriculture by $4.7 billion, a 21 percent decrease, to $17.9 billion. Only the Environmental Protection Agency and State Department were slated for deeper proportional cuts. The significant cuts, Conaway warned in a written statement, could hamper some vital work of the Department. Net farm income has decreased by 50 percent over just the last four years, the Midland Republican noted, placing the agriculture community in an already precarious position. Americas farmers and ranchers are struggling, and we need to be extremely careful not to exacerbate these conditions, he said. The proposed cuts for the USDA would halt funding for rural clean water initiatives and development programs, decreasing county-level staff and some statistical services offered by the agency that many farmers rely on for their planning. Rep. Jodey Arrington, a new member of the agriculture committee in his first term in Congress, said there are plenty of places to cut some fat out of government, a sentiment long shared by conservatives across Capitol Hill. Arrington worked with federal agencies during the George W. Bush administration and said that all departments, including agriculture, could absorb budget cuts by trimming administrative overhead and improving efficiency. But the Lubbock Republican, whose district is heavily dependent on the agricultural economy, is wary about targeting the USDA. In every agency, there are programs that are unnecessary and there are cuts that can be made responsibly across the board, he said. But our safety net has to cushion and consider the unevenness of the international playing field. Fortunately for agriculture watchers, the White Houses overall budget proposal appeared dead on arrival in the Capitol, with congressional Republicans panning a whole host of aspects in the blueprint. House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mac Thornberry, R-Clarendon, reiterated his view Thursday that the $603 billion Trump requested for defense is not enough to do the things the president wants to do in terms of building out the military. Conaway cautioned against getting too worked up about the proposed cuts, noting that this is just the start of a longer, larger process. But the signal Trump is sending by even suggesting such drastic reductions for the agricultural agency may continue to worry the industry. Agriculture has done more than its fair share, Conaway said, highlighting billions of dollars in savings his committee squeezed out in the most recent farm bill in 2014. Cautious Republican concerns paled in comparison to unreserved Democratic pushback to the presidents proposal. I strongly oppose the Trump administrations proposed budget cuts to programs that are critical to farmers, ranchers and families in small towns across America, said Sen. Debbie Stabenow of Michigan, the senior Democrat on the Senate agriculture committee, in a written statement. Trump took weeks after first interviewing former Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue before nominating him for agriculture secretary just a day before his inauguration in January, leaving the industry on pins and needles. Trump was reportedly looking to tap a Hispanic candidate for the last role in his cabinet to tamp down complaints about diversity, and he met with several during the interview process, but industry insiders pushed back on each one. Four Texans were in the running for the job, and Conaways first choice was Susan Combs, the states former comptroller. Because the presidents budget offers a mostly top-level outline, it did not give details about which services could be cut. The changes would not affect mandatory spending, meaning the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program -- also known as food stamps -- and crop subsidies for farmers would go untouched. But the elimination or reduction of programs focused on supporting rural communities could be in the offing. There are some hard choices that are going to have to be made over at the USDA, Conaway told The Dallas Morning News late Thursday. --- Distributed by Tribune Content Agency We are collating signatures to petition ... President Donald Trump View Photos President Trump was Mondays KVML Newsmaker of the Day. Here are his words: This week, I traveled to Nashville, Tennessee to lay a wreath at the grave of Andrew Jackson, on the 250th Anniversary of his birth. Jackson was an American hero. First, as the brilliant general whose crushing defeat of the British at New Orleans saved our independence in the War of 1812. And later, as the seventh President of the United States when he fought to defend the forgotten men and women from the arrogant elite of his day. Does it sound familiar? The memory of his leadership lives on in our people, and his spirit points us to a better future. This week, I also traveled to the Willow Run plant in Michigan. At that facility during the Second World War, the Ford Motor Company built not cars, but entire airplanes. At one point, workers there produced a complete B-24 Liberator every single hour hard to believe. Today on that site is a new facility, where the cutting edge cars of the future will be tested. And this week, the old plant was filled once again with thousands of workers and engineers. I was there to share the good news for the American auto industry. We announced well be reversing an 11th hour executive action from the previous Administration that was threatening thousands of auto jobs in Michigan and across America. And I mean threatening it was very, very sad to see. In fact, we are setting up a task force in every federal agency to identify any unnecessary regulation that is hurting American businesses and American jobs. The first two job reports of my administration show that weve already added nearly half a million new jobs. The days of economic surrender for the United States are over. For too long, special interests have made money shipping jobs overseas. We need a new economic model lets call it the American Model. Under this model, we will lower the burden on American Business but, in exchange, they must hire and grow America and American jobs. This will be a win-win for our companies and for our workers. Lets buy American and hire American. Lets create jobs in America. Lets imagine new industries. And lets build a beautiful future together. Among the workers building B-24 bombers at the Willow Run plant during World War II was one tough lady. You might have heard of her: they called her Rosie the Riveter. And when Rosies country called her, she answered the call. Rosie was famous for her toughness and her strength and for the words that were emblazoned above her famous image. It said very simply: We can do it. If Americans unite and find again within our nation the soul of Rosie and the spirit of JacksonI have no doubt that we can do it, and do it like never before. The Newsmaker of the Day is heard every weekday morning at 6:45, 7:45 and 8:45 on AM 1450 and FM 102.7 KVML. The White House View Photos Sacramento, CA Governor Jerry Brown is asking President Donald Trumps administration to approve a fourth disaster declaration related to a string of powerful storm systems. Record levels of precipitation resulted in widespread flooding, mudslides and power outages throughout January and February. The Trump administration approved three earlier petitions for federal help primarily related to damage in January, and the emergency situation at Oroville Dam, and the latest request covers damage occurred in early to mid-February. In formally requesting another federal declaration yesterday, Brown touted a four step dam safety and infrastructure plan designed to limit the impact of future storms on the states water infrastructure. As reported previously, it includes spending $437-million on near-term flood control and emergency response actions, require emergency action plans for all dams, enhance the existing dam inspection programs and seek federal regulatory action and increased funding to improve dam safety. GET OUR APP Our Spectrum News app is the most convenient way to get the stories that matter to you. Download it here. Originally posted at 10:29 p.m. Sunday, March 19, 2017. An armed man was shot and killed Sunday after refusing to drop his gun, the Volusia County Sheriff's Office said. Man began shooting at wife's office in DeLand He led deputies, officers on a high-speed chase Law enforcement fired shots after he refused to drop gun At 5:06 p.m., deputies received a call about a man who was at his wife's law office "shooting up the place," the release stated. The man has been identified as 45-year-old Mario Simoes, of DeLand. The caller told deputies Simoes had been drinking and was upset about the couple's marital issues. When deputies and DeLand Police officers arrived at the office located at 919 Biscayne Blvd., Simoes fled the scene in his Mercedes-Benz. He led law enforcement on a high-speed chase, with speed topping 100 mph, deputies said. Stop sticks were used on Old Daytona Road to disable the man's vehicle. After hitting the stop sticks, the man crashed into a Ford pickup driven by a couple who were leaving a nearby Lowe's. Law enforcement officials approached Simoes' vehicle, and it appeared he was reloading a gun, a release states. Deputies said they repeatedly told the man to drop the gun, but he refused and "made a move." Two deputies and one officer fired shots. Simoes was pronounced dead at the scene. "We have three independent witnesses who say it felt like two minutes, they just kept hearing deputies and DeLand Police officers saying, 'Drop the gun, drop the gun, drop the gun,' before he was fatally shot," Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood said during a news conference. Andrew Gant, a public information officer for the Volusia County Sheriff's Office, said a preliminary investigation indicates deputies and police called for Simoes to drop the gun and/or show his hands in excess of 30 times during a span of about two minutes leading up to the moments authorities fired shots. The husband and wife in the truck were able to walk away from the crash, deputies said. They were taken to a hospital to be checked. The Volusia County deputies who fired shots have been identified as Deputy Brant Lickiss, 26, who was hired July 7, 2014. The other deputy is Sgt. Mike Chilcot, 49, who was hired Oct. 18, 1993. The DeLand Police officer has been identified as Officer Jason Floryance, 37, who was hired on Aug. 29, 2005. All three have been placed on paid administrative leave. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is investigating the shooting. The Florida Highway Patrol is investigating the crash. A subcontractor of the Florida Department of Children and Families is accused of falsifying a report related to a child neglect investigation, authorities said Monday. DCF subcontractor accused of falsifying records in Kissimmee Vanessa Arias, 38, charged with falsification of records Arias worked for Gulf Coast Jewish Family & Community Services Agents with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement on Monday arrested Vanessa Arias, 38, of Kissimmee, on charges of official misconduct and falsification of records. Arias is a former employee with Gulf Coast Jewish Family & Community Services, a subcontractor of DCF. She was assigned as a caseworker. During an investigation, FDLE agents found that Arias documented she had visited a home in Kissimmee on Jan. 8, 2015, to check on the welfare of several children. She reported the children were "free from any visible signs of abuse/neglect with all their basic needs being met at this time," according to an FDLE news release. About a week later, officers with the Kissimmee Police Department went to the home regarding a report of child neglect. It was later determined that Arias had falsified her report and had not returned more than a dozen phone calls from two of the children in the home, the agency said. "This is a sad case of vulnerable children reaching out to someone in a position to help them, but instead, they were ignored," said Danny Banks, special agent in charge from FDLE's Orlando region. "Thankfully, law enforcement was called and an investigation was launched." Three months after Orlando Police Department kicked off its Safe Place initiative, more than 200 businesses and organizations have joined in. More than 200 businesses now part of OPD Safe Place initiative Program designed after something started by Seattle Police It was launched on 6-month anniversary of Pulse nightclub attack "The business makes a promise that if there's a victim of crime, it's a safe place for them to go," said Lt. James Young, of the Orlando Police Department. "To keep the community safe, we know we can't do that alone." Young, Orlando Police's LGBTQ liaison, said the department has not seen an uptick in reported crimes. Instead, he feels the stickers have served as deterrents for would-be criminals and provided a sense of security for the community. "The business community has really stepped up in Orlando, and the public-private partnerships to keep everyone safe is our main goal," he said. The initiative asks a business to sign up online and display a colorful sticker on its door, denoting their establishment is a safe haven for LGBTQ members who are victims of crime. It was launched on the sixth-month anniversary of the Pulse nightclub attack. "It's keeping our eyes even more wide open and having to deal with any crisis," said Pom Moongauklang, a business owner. "Hit the panic button, call 911. Everybody's trained to keep more of a watchful eye in our neighborhood." Moongauklang owns Pom Pom's Teahouse & Sandwicheria, with locations in Orlando and St. Petersburg paying homage to high tea. Meanwhile, her City Beautiful door reflects respect for the LGBT community. "I think, as an owner of an establishment, it's not only our responsibility to look after our employees, but to look after our clientele," she said. "We've always been a tight-knit community, but now I'm seeing other corporations helping out a lot more that would never." Kirt Earhart, who owns Maxine's on Shine, a restaurant, said people have the right to feel comfortable. "Part of the Safe Place initiative, I think, is people being fit with where they are and being themselves," Earhart said. "A big part of the crowd that we have here is very diverse. We put our heart out there all the time and want people to know there's always a safe place to come, a place to be comfortable and be yourself." Police said they used about $800 of seized money from criminal operations and bought hundreds of decals. The stickers are free for businesses. The initiative is modeled after one launched by the Seattle Police Department in May 2015. Officer Jim Ritter, the LGBTQ liaison officer with the Seattle Police Department, said he couldn't believe how the idea quickly gained traction. The agency has had more than 4,000 businesses sign up. He said law enforcement agencies from around the world are now reaching out to him for guidance. "Success is shown by fact that LGBTQ community leaders are communicating with police in way like never before," Ritter said during a phone interview Monday, adding that Seattle initially saw an uptick of reported crimes. Ritter said it was due to the fact that community members felt more comfortable reporting and that long-standing statistics were misleading. "Hate crimes reporting is inconsistent around the country," he said. "There's a lot of education that needs to be done, informing the public and police departments what hate crimes are. It's talking about a topic that a lot of people don't talk about for a lot of different reasons. It has exploded to a degree we couldn't imagine." Developer Mauro Padilla was sentenced Thursday to 12 years in federal prison for lying to a bank to secure construction funding on a South Side townhouse project that ultimately failed. Padilla appeared to come close to tears after U.S. District Judge Xavier Rodriguez handed down the sentence in federal court in San Antonio. Padilla was immediately taken into custody despite his request that he be allowed to turn himself in this July. Padilla, 59, pleaded guilty in May to defrauding Edinburg-based First National Bank by lying to get a $212,314 construction draw, or installment payment, from a $3.7 million loan on the first phase of Tundra Town Home Village on Texas 16, near the Toyota plant. Padilla diverted some of the money for personal expenses, including a million-dollar mansion, TV-shopping purchases, a son's wedding and funding for his brother in law's car dealership. Rodriguez noted how Padilla lived high on the hog without consideration for his victims, some of whom were elderly and had invested their life savings in Padilla's projects. Padilla, dressed in a charcoal-colored suit, said in a brief statement before his sentencing that he was truly sorry for his actions. I give no excuses or blame to anyone, Padilla said. The responsibility lies with me. Whatever comes today will be the will of God, and I will accept it. The U.S. attorney's office in San Antonio dropped three counts of bank fraud and two other charges of making false statements to a lender in exchange for Padilla's guilty plea. Padilla also must serve five years of supervised release and make more than $6.3 million in restitution. Padilla, though, filed for bankruptcy liquidation last month, listing debts of more than $7.7 million and assets of less than $1.1 million. The Padilla company that obtained the construction financing also is mired in bankruptcy. So it's doubtful his more than 50 victims two banks, subcontractors, investors and customers who gave him down payments to purchase units in the townhouse project will ever be repaid in full. If I could make those investors whole, I would, Padilla said. One of the victims, Jerrell Wilke, lost about $1 million on one of Padilla's projects. Wilke, however, didn't get any satisfaction from the Padilla's punishment. I wish it had been 10 years longer (to) make sure he doesn't get out and to do this to any more people, Wilke said. He has no remorse. Assistant U.S. Attorney James Blankinship declined to comment after the sentencing. In a document filed last week, the U.S. attorney's office said Padilla built Tundra Village in a backwards fashion. Construction on 37 four-plexes started in 2007 without an approved plat, roads, water and sewer lines. Construction eventually was halted by the county fire marshal. The now-failed Tundra project was later foreclosed on by First National Bank. During the sentencing, Padilla's lawyer, Adam Cortez, deflected some of the blame to the bank for failing to verify that Padilla had actually performed required construction work before it awarded him additional construction draws. As part of his scheme, prosecutors contend, Padilla intentionally hired undocumented workers and then threatened to notify immigration authorities when they demanded payment for their work. The subcontractors accepted the losses for wages and materials rather than face possible deportation. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Most of us here in Texas likely celebrate Taco Tuesday with a pronounced gusto on the day after Monday and just before Wednesday, but a national taco chain based in Wyoming is the legal copyright holder of the phrase. Taco Johns owns the copyright to Taco Tuesday in 49 of the 50 states, excluding New Jersey. Of course, it could be argued that every day is Taco Tuesday in Texas, but thats neither here nor there. RELATED: Could breakfast tacos be the newest iconic food of Texas? The company has been known to send cease-and-desist notices to those who might use the phrase during the usual course of business. Dont worry, you can advise your children your family wont be getting sued for your weekly taco party at home. You dont need to change it to Weekly Crispy Tortilla Filled With Meat Day or anything of the sort. Just dont open any restaurants. A representative for Taco John's confirmed this to Chron.com on Monday and pointed us to the United States Patent and Trademark Office's online database. RELATED: Where to get the best tacos in San Antonio Taco Tuesday has been registered to Taco Johns since 1989. Its number 1,572,589. Another taco company owns the rights to the phrase in New Jersey since they got to it first in 1982. Another company in California has the trademark pertaining to packaged taco seasonings. Taco Johns began as a taco stand at a rodeo in Cheyenne, Wyoming, in 1968, just a few years after Taco Bell stuck out its shingle in 1962. There are now nearly 400 locations in 25 states, mostly in the Midwest. The chain is best known for its tacos, hefty burritos and potato oles which are crunchy potato bites, like tater tots. GET OUT!: San Antonio tacos heralded as some of the most iconic 'Tacos of Texas' Chain lore states that an owner of a Taco Johns location in Minnesota began using the phrase in the early 80s in an effort to find something catchy to boost sales on a slow Tuesday. There is an advertisement from the era promoting two hard shell tacos for just 99 cents, years before even Jack in the Box was doing it. The company continues to fight the good fight to keep the phrase from becoming generic, but some call it bullying over a phrase that is already ingrained in the public lexicon. If they do not continued to defend the trademark, then it will be deemed generic. Lawyers argue that common words can be protectable when theyre used for a specific purpose, and Taco Johns does use the phrase for business. The phrase in this case isnt used to describe the tacos themselves. There exist five live trademark claims to Sunday Funday and at least one to Margarita Mondays if you were curious. National Taco Day remains October 4, by the way, as it has always been since 2009. Check out the gallery above to a look at the best tacos in San Antonio, according to Yelp. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate (Bloomberg) -- FBI Director James Comey confirmed the bureau is probing potential ties between President Donald Trumps associates and Russia during the 2016 campaign and said theres no evidence to support the presidents allegation that his predecessor wiretapped Trump Tower last year. I have no information that supports those tweets and we have looked carefully inside the FBI," Comey told the House Intelligence Committee during a hearing Monday that lasted more than five hours. Comey said the Federal Bureau of Investigation is conducting a broad inquiry into Moscows efforts to interfere in the presidential election, an effort he said began in late July of last year. I have been authorized by the Department of Justice to confirm that the FBI, as part of our counterintelligence mission, is investigating the Russian governments efforts to interfere in the 2016 presidential election, Comey said. And that includes investigating the nature of any links between individuals associated with the Trump campaign and the Russian government and whether there was any coordination between the campaign and Russias efforts. Comey cautioned he wouldnt be able to discuss many details of what remains a classified probe and said that his refusal to answer a question shouldnt be taken as a tacit confirmation. Please dont draw any conclusions from the fact that I may not be able to comment on certain topics, he said, adding it really isnt fair to draw conclusions. Nonetheless, Trump tweeted during the hearing: FBI Director Comey refuses to deny he briefed President Obama on calls made by Michael Flynn to Russia. It was a reference to Michael Flynn, Trumps first national security adviser, who was fired for misleading Vice President Mike Pence about the content of phone calls with the Russian ambassador, Sergey Kislyak, a few weeks before Trumps inauguration. Media reports at the time, based on anonymous sources, said the subject of U.S. sanctions against Russia was discussed. White House Reaction White House press secretary Sean Spicer told reporters Monday afternoon that nothing had changed as a result of the hearing and that officials in President Barack Obamas administration had said they had no evidence of collusion between Trumps camp and Russia. Asked whether Trump still has confidence in Comey, Spicer told reporters, Theres no reason to believe he doesnt at this time. While some Republicans on the committee suggested Democrat Hillary Clintons campaign may have collaborated with Russians, Comey bluntly rejected that notion. He said Russian President Vladimir Putins goal was to undermine the former secretary of states candidacy while aiding Trumps, as U.S. intelligence agencies found in a report published in January. Hate For Clinton They wanted to hurt our democracy, hurt her and help him," Comey said. "Putin hated Secretary Clinton so much that the flip side of that coin was that he had a clear preference for the person running against the person he hated so much." As of August and September, the Russians expected Clinton to win based on polling that indicated Trump didnt stand a chance, Comey said, so their thinking was lets just focus on undermining her. Comey addressed the panel alongside the head of the National Security Agency as leaders of the Intelligence Committee debunked Trumps claim that his predecessor listened in on his communications. Representative Devin Nunes, the Republican chairman of the committee, said the fact that Russia hacked U.S. election-related databases comes as no shock to this committee. He also went on to reject the presidents claims that the Obama administration wiretapped Trump Tower last year, saying, Let me be clear: we know there was not a wiretap on Trump Tower. His Democratic colleague, Adam Schiff of California, said there was no crime in Trump or his aides having legitimate connections with Russian interests. But he added, If the Trump campaign, or anybody associated with it, aided or abetted the Russians, it would not only be a serious crime, it would also represent one of the most shocking betrayals of our democracy in history. Classified Leaks Nunes said Mondays public hearing, with Comey and NSA chief Admiral Michael Rogers, was intended to focus on Russias actions, whether campaign officials or other U.S. citizens were improperly monitored and who was responsible for leaks of sensitive information. The Senate Intelligence Committee is conducting its own, separate investigation into similar issues. Both probes are expected to last for months. There is a big gray cloud that youve now put over people in the Trump administration, Nunes told Comey at the end of the public hearing. Looming over Mondays session was the case of Flynn. Republicans focused their questioning on how Flynns identity and his contacts with Ambassador Kislyak were unmasked and leaked, saying it was a crime that has damaged U.S. spy programs. Representative Trey Gowdy, a South Carolina Republican, said theres an agreement between the American people and its government: We the American people give certain powers to the government to keep us safe. But when those powers are misused, citizens may be rethinking their side of the equation. Comey acknowledged it would be a crime if a U.S. persons identity was willfully unmasked and leaked. However, Comey declined to say whether the leaking of Flynns name and phone call with the Russian ambassador was a crime or if its under investigation by the FBI, saying he didnt want to confirm the existence of classified information. Following Flynns dismissal, Attorney General Jeff Sessions recused himself from the Russian probes after acknowledging that he met with the Russian ambassador during the campaign. Trump supporters including Flynn, former campaign chairman Paul Manafort, and energy consultant Carter Page have denied any improprieties in their contacts with Russian officials or intermediaries. Documents released last week by congressional Democrats show Flynn received more than $45,000 from RT, the Russian government-backed media company, for his participation at a December 2015 gala where he sat at Putins table. Spicer told reporters Monday that some of those said to have contacts with Russia were just hanger-ons to Trumps campaign -- a description he said applied to Page, who Trump last March cited as a foreign policy adviser -- and that Manafort, who led Trumps campaign during the Republican convention, played a limited role for a limited time. Read more about documents showing Flynns work with Russian companies Trump preemptively weighed in on the proceedings Monday morning, saying it was part of a political attack meant to undermine his administration, even though the hearing was led by the Republican-majority committee. Trump Tweets James Clapper and others stated that there is no evidence Potus colluded with Russia. This story is FAKE NEWS, Trump tweeted, using an acronym for President of the United States and referring to the former director of national intelligence. The Democrats made up and pushed the Russian story as an excuse for running a terrible campaign. Big advantage in Electoral College & lost! Later Monday, Shawn Turner, a spokesman for Clapper, said the former director of national intelligence under Obama has been clear that, while he was not aware of any conclusive intelligence related to collusion between Trump campaign officials and Russians prior to leaving government, he could not account for intelligence or evidence that may have been gathered since the inauguration on January 20th. Trump also said Congress should be investigating leaks that have harmed his young administration. The real story that Congress, the FBI and all others should be looking into is the leaking of Classified information, the president said in a Twitter post. Must find leaker now! Later Friday, Comey left his congressional interrogators with a cautionary note: Russia may want to repeat its meddling in the future because they introduced chaos and division in the U.S. political system. Theyll be back, he said. Theyll be back in 2020, they may be back in 2018. (Updates with statement from Clapper spokesman under Trump Tweets subheadline.) --With assistance from Nafeesa Syeed To contact the reporters on this story: Chris Strohm in Washington at cstrohm1@bloomberg.net, Billy House in Washington at bhouse5@bloomberg.net, Toluse Olorunnipa in Washington at tolorunnipa@bloomberg.net. To contact the editors responsible for this story: Bill Faries at wfaries@bloomberg.net, Larry Liebert 2017 Bloomberg L.P. OPECs worst enemy isnt U.S. shale drillers. Its the hedges propping them up. American oil explorers who survived the worst of the 2014-2016 market rout are shrugging off the 14 percent slide in prices this year from a high of $55.24 to less than $48 a barrel Tuesday. The price would have to drop to the $30s or lower to dent the bottom line of many drillers now working U.S. shale fields, said Katherine Richard, the CEO of Warwick Energy Investment Group, which own stakes in more than 5,000 oil and natural gas wells. Thats because many producers have already locked in future returns with financial contracts that guarantee the price of their oil for most of the rest of the decade. Such resilience poses a dilemma for countries that agreed to an OPEC-led production cut aimed at tightening supplies to raise prices and relieve their distressed national economies. Were in a boom again in Texas, despite whats happening with prices lately, said Michael Webber, deputy director of the University of Texas Energy Institute in Austin. The cowboy spirit is back. Hedging is playing a big role. Oil prices took another hit on Tuesday after Saudi Arabia dropped a bombshell on the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries: the Saudis, heavyweight of the 13-nation cartel, raised its output last month to more than 10 million barrels a day, reversing about a third of the cuts it made the previous month. Though Saudi Arabia is still meeting its commitment even with the increase, other members are lagging and the disclosure intensified concern that the group wont be able to muster enough of the promised cuts to strengthen the market. No free rides Just last week, Saudi Energy Minister Khalid Al-Falih warned a Houston energy conference that the kingdom wont indefinitely bear the burden of free riders, a veiled shot at Russia, Iraq and the United Arab Emirates, which have yet to deliver all the curbs they promised. At the same time, shale billionaire and Continental Resources Inc. founder Harold Hamm cautioned that unbridled drilling by shale explorers would crush prices and kill the oil market. Prices are probably headed even lower in coming months, Warwicks Richard said. Explorers that own drilling rights in the richest zones of the most profitable shale plays will continue making big returns, prompting them to boost output even more, while weaker companies on the fringes of the best zones will falter, she said. Falling prices West Texas Intermediate, the benchmark for U.S. crude, settled at $47.72 Tuesday on the New York Mercantile Exchange after earlier falling to as low as $47.09 a barrel, the lowest level since late November. For the year, they were still down 10 percent. Hedging is how oil companies shield themselves from a potential market collapse. Risk management teams buy and sell derivatives such as options contracts that set a floor and ceiling on the price a company will receive for its oil. The banks on the other side of the trade get a fee and may record additional gains if the market moves in their favor. If the price drops, the oil company is protected. Pioneer Natural Resources Co., one of the most prolific drillers in the Permian Basin beneath Texas and New Mexico, had 85 percent of its projected 2017 crude output hedged as of last month. Another 10 percent of estimated 2018 production also was protected, according to the Irving, Texas-based company. Pioneers founder and Chairman Scott Sheffield predicted last week that crude will drop to $40 if OPEC and its allies dont extend their output cuts beyond June. Well-hedged Parsley Energy Inc., an Austin, Texas-based explorer created by Sheffields son, Bryan, as of last month had locked in prices for barrels that wont be pumped until 2019. Other well-hedged oil producers include RSP Permian Inc., Chesapeake Energy Corp. and Diamondback Energy Inc. Among those undeterred by falling oil prices is billionaire investor Richard LeFrak, chief executive officer of the LeFrak Organization in New York, who has invested in drilling properties in Oklahoma and the Permian. In a Bloomberg TV interview Wednesday, LeFrak said hes not hedging Im not that smart but that all his projects in the Permian are profitable at $50. Oil has turned into more of a mining business than an exploration business, he said. The technology today is so sophisticated its really not about, Is it there? Its mostly about How much of what is there can I recover and what is it going to cost to do that? The number of rigs searching for crude in U.S. fields has nearly doubled to 617 since hitting a multi-year low in May. And while crude prices are up more than 80 percent since touching a 12-year low of $26.05 in February last year, prices havent topped $55 since the first week of January. The growth in the rig count is expected to taper off if oil prices dont climb above $55 a barrel around the end of this month, Andrew Cosgrove, an analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence, said in a phone interview. It would take oil dropping below $50 for a few months to bring about an actual reduction in the rig count, he said. In recent weeks, even prices above $45 were enough to encourage explorers to rent more rigs, he said. Risk minimized No hint of a coming drop off in the rig count has been seen yet, thanks to explorers hedging underpinned by two years of cost-cutting. A lot of the risk has been carved out of spending budgets, especially for U.S. drillers, James West, an analyst at Evercore ISI, wrote March 13 in a note to investors. So a 10 percent slide in the oil price in March wont have a commensurate impact on activity, he said. Oilfield service companies benefiting from the increased work are focused on not losing their traction during the recovery, West said. The downturn has strengthened the resolve of service companies, and they are unfazed by modest, temporary moves in commodity prices, West wrote. Balance sheets and cost structures have been completely overhauled to profit in a low commodity price environment. Nabors Industries Ltd., the worlds largest land-rig contractor, surveyed its customers working onshore in the U.S. just after the start of the year. Nearly 60 percent plan to add rigs between now and June 30, and none indicated a cutback, the company said late last month. Some of the newest, most technologically advanced rigs available for rent from Nabors are commanding more than $20,000 a day, up from about $17,000 last year. In fact, rental prices for its rigs are moving up so strongly that Nabors is actively trying not to contract too far in advance so it can take the fullest advantage of rising prices, Anthony Petrello, CEO at Nabors Industries Ltd, told analysts and investors Feb. 23 on a conference call. Break even In the best areas of the Eagle Ford of South Texas, oil prices would have to fall considerably for exploration and production companies to lose money on their drilling. In La Salle County, explorers break even when oil is $36 a barrel or higher, and in nearby Gonzales County, the price is $39, according to William Foiles, an analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence. Unless we see a full-scale collapse in prices, I dont think youre going to see a lot of E&Ps totally abandon their production forecasts and their activity commitments, Foiles said in a phone interview. A naked man shot several times Friday by San Jose police officers who thought he was armed was actually holding a harmless caulking gun, officials said Monday. John Bradley Bowles, a 53-year-old from San Jose, remained in critical condition at a local hospital Monday following his shooting by three officers in the crowded parking lot of a shopping center, said San Jose Police Chief Eddie Garcia. Bowles had a history of mental illness, Garcia said while defending the actions of his officers, who maintained they feared for their lives and those of others in the crowded parking lot where Bowles was shot after an erratic, long pursuit. When the individual points what turns out to be a caulking gun but in a threatening manner, as if it were a gun at an officer, I certainly think that there were some issues, Garcia said. All three officers Todd Ahyo, a 24-year veteran, Erick Enderle, a 21-year-old veteran and William Wolfe, a 22-year veteran were placed on paid administrative leave, a routine move after such an incident, officials said. The officer-involved shooting, one of several throughout the Bay Area over the past two weeks, followed a 4-mile-long pursuit of Bowles as he evaded police in a pickup truck, crashing into cars along the way, police said. A caller had reported a naked man walking in the street around Eva Court and Valerie Drive, a residential area in West San Jose, at 1:34 p.m., police said. He approached a woman and a child and ran naked after other children in the area, police said. When officers tried to apprehend the naked Bowles, he fled, striking a parked car and a patrol car in the process, police said. The prolonged chase ended in the parking lot of a shopping center at Stevens Creek Boulevard and Lawrence Expressway, police said. As police surrounded him, Bowles allegedly aimed the caulking gun which police said that from a distance they thought was a real weapon at the officers. One officer then fired, Garcia said. Bowles, still naked, then revved the engine of his pickup and all three officers shot at him, Garcia said. The officers later said they feared Bowles would gun the engine through the parking lot crowded with shoppers, running them down under his truck, the chief said. No one except Bowles was injured, police said. It happened extremely quickly, Garcia said. The Santa Clara County District Attorneys Office was conducting an investigation into the shooting, including examining body camera footage of the involved officers. Bowles was held under $75,000 bail at the hospital on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, annoying or molesting a child, evading police and misdemeanor hit-and-run, authorities said. Jenan Lyons and Michael Bodley are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: jlyons@sfchronicle.com and mbodley@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @jennajourno and @michael_bodley The cost of federal flood insurance likely will rise for thousands of Houston-area homeowners after Congress hits its September deadline to renew and reform the deeply troubled program. The National Flood Insurance Program was created because private insurers couldn't bear the risk of catastrophic loss, but the program is $24.6 billion in debt and struggling to remain solvent. It covers more than 300,000 homes in Harris and Galveston counties. "The program offers rates that do not fully reflect the risk of flooding." U.S. Government Accountability Office concluded in a report last month. Ed Schreiber, Houston region president for Bancorp South GEM Insurance Services, which sells federal flood policies, says long-delayed changes have to come soon. "We have a product whose pricing hasn't been able to support the losses," he said. Congress tried to fix the problem in 2012, but the program lapsed for a month amid the effort, stalling home sales in flood-prone areas. The reforms that finally passed caused some rates to soar, so they were swiftly repealed. Now, a five-year extension is set to expire this fall, demanding fresh action. No one can say exactly what measures lawmakers will take, but one thing seems probable: rates will rise, especially in flood-prone places. Claims costs surge Between 2008 and 2012, the federal program survived a series of 17 short-term congressional renewals that left policy unchanged. Once in 2010, inaction allowed the program to lapse for 33 days. The National Association of Realtors calculated that, in turn, caused the delay or cancellation of about 1,420 home sales per day for that period. A repeat of that lapse is the biggest immediate concern for Houston. "The inability to obtain flood insurance freezes this entire marketplace," said Ed Wolff, co-chair of governmental affairs advisory group for the Houston Association of Realtors. In 2012, lawmakers eventually passed a five-year extension and reform with an act that phased out subsidies for some high-risk homes, which it said paid "artificially low rates." Some homeowners in Florida, in particular, saw their rates projected to rise nearly tenfold. Groups protested, and virtually all key provisions of the 2012 reform were repealed two years later. "They've been punting this ball down the street," said Mark Hanna, spokesman for the Insurance Council of Texas. "Eventually, they've got to come up with some type of remedy." Meanwhile, flood-related claim costs have surged. All but two of the 15 most expensive events for the flood insurance program have occurred since 2000. Hurricane Katrina in 2005 tops the list at $16.3 billion, followed by Superstorm Sandy in 2012, $8.4 billion; Hurricane Ike in 2008, $2.7 billion; and Louisiana floods of 2016, $2.1 billion. Torrential rains that swamped Houston and East Texas in 2015 and 2016 take spots 14 and 15, respectively. There's little to suggest the rising costs of these floods will abate. One priority to reform flood insurance is to deal with properties that flood repeatedly. Harris County has 9,700 "repetitive loss" properties, defined as property for which two or more flood insurance claims of more than $1,000 have been filed within 10 years. There are another 1,965 "severe repetitive loss" properties, defined as a property that has claimed more than $5,000 dollars of flood insurance on at least four separate occasions or has filed at least two claims that amount to more than the structure's worth. Across the state, "a small percentage of structures are responsible for a large percentage of claims," Texas Floodplain Management Association executive director Roy Sedwick said. Buyouts an option FEMA has funded buyouts of more than 2,000 Harris County properties since 1985, primarily targeting homes in the 100-year floodplain, where about 105,000 remain. Bolton's house is not one of them, according to current maps. Besides buyouts, FEMA may address repetitive loss properties by funding improvements, such as raising foundations, that reduce flood risk. In Harris County, 1,860 repetitive loss properties have undergone some sort of risk mitigation, along with more than 900 severe repetitive loss properties. FEMA spent $199 million on such improvements nationwide in 2016, a small expenditure compared with $3.1 billion in flood repair costs that year. Spending more on risk reduction means either finding new funds or cutting expenditures on claims. But FEMA is facing an 11 percent cut in the president's 2017 budget, according to news reports, making emergence of new funding sources unlikely. The most likely outcome of flood insurance reform will be increased privatization of the program to relieve FEMA's burden of risk. In a letter to flood-weary constituents last week, U.S. Rep. Ted Poe, R-Kingwood, wrote that congressional committees are beginning work on flood insurance renewal. "To remain financially viable, the flood insurance program must be restructured," Poe wrote. Virtually all reform proposals issued by industry groups call for increasing privatization of flood insurance, but that won't be cheap. The federal program was created precisely because private insurers couldn't bear the risk of catastrophic loss. A small number of private insurers have begun offering their own insurance in recent years, mostly for extremely high-value properties. "They're going to make it somewhat attractive for the industry to want to take part in this program," Hanna said of the state insurance council. One way to do that, he said, would be to allow insurers to "charge whatever rates they felt necessary, knowing that flooding would be very likely." 'Should be a phase-in' SmarterSafer, a coalition of housing and insurance groups, is lobbying Congress to adopt a more "risk-based" pricing system, by which homes are re-evaluated for flood risk and assessed new premium rates accordingly. "There should be a phase-in," SmarterSafer spokeswoman Jenn Fogel-Bublick said. "People should not be hit with an immediate increase that would displace them." The group also advocated rate subsidies for low-income homeowners in high-risk areas. FEMA acknowledged in a statement that private carriers offer a viable alternative to the federal program. Still, without a renewal of the program this year, the agency noted it would stop selling and renewing policies for millions of properties nationwide. That must not be allowed to happen, NFIP director Roy Wright told the U.S. Senate committee on banking, housing and urban affairs on March 14. "The stability of the real estate and mortgage markets depend on this," he said. Dylan.Baddour@Chron.comTwitter.com/DylanBaddour If Mitt Romney can get a second audition for secretary of state and a dinner invitation from Donald Trump whom he once referred to as a fraud and a phony there may still be hope for John Shaban. The former GOP state representative from Redding, who gave up a safe seat in the Legislature last year to run unsuccessfully for Congress, is angling to fill the highly sought-after post of U.S. attorney for Connecticut. This is one closing argument that could be untenable for Shaban, who distanced himself from Trump during last years campaign and referred to his partys standard-bearer on multiple occasions as a jerk. Shaban, who practices commercial law in Greenwich, said he does not think thats a disqualifier. I actually give his team credit for saying, Were all on one team now. Lets build out the administration, Shaban said. Whatever comments are made or not made, whatever the spin was put on them, who knows. It is what is. If there was an opportunity to serve, that would be clearly one I would be interested in. The competition for the top Justice Department job in the state, which Obama appointee Deirdre Daly is expected to leave later this year, is ratcheting up within the Republican ranks. If history is any indicator, those familiar with the process say, it could take Trumps administration and the DOJ months before nominating Dalys successor. George W. Bush and Barack Obama took a year to make their picks. Obama had the benefit of having two Democrats as sitting U.S. senators to consult him. Trump has no such guidance, with no Republicans holding statewide or federal office from Connecticut. What theyre going to do now, its unclear, said Stanley Twardy, who held the same post from 1985 to 1991. Might he reach out to Linda McMahon, who knows Connecticut, obviously? McMahon, the former CEO of Stamford-based WWE, was confirmed by the Senate last month to lead the Small Business Administration. Among the names Trump could choose from are Ben Proto, the Stratford lawyer who was Trumps state campaign director; John Pavia, of Easton, a former New York City assistant district attorney who was a lead lawyer on Bushs Florida recount team in 2000; Susan Hatfield, a state prosecutor from Pomfret; Ross Garber, onetime chief counsel to former governors M. Jodi Rell and John G. Rowland; and Martha Dean, a former candidate for state attorney general. But those said to be interested in the job tried to avoid giving off the appearance they were campaigning for it. When the president asks you to serve your country, you say, yes, Proto said. Daly is somewhat of an anomaly. Despite submitting her resignation to U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who called for 46 holdover U.S. attorneys from Obamas presidency to step down, Daly is being allowed to stay on until she reaches her 20 years of service with the Justice Department in October. The first woman U.S. attorney in the state, Daly presides over a staff of 64 assistant U.S. attorneys assigned to offices in Bridgeport, New Haven and Hartford. All of them are career employees of the Justice Department. Daly worked for the Justice Department in the 1980s and 90s, and then worked in private practice. She was confirmed as Connecticut U.S. attorney by the Senate in 2014. Her tenure has been marked by the creation of a public corruption task force in 2015 and the successful prosecution of Rowland for violations of campaign finance reporting laws. Under Daly and her predecessor, David Fein, the U.S. attorneys office has taken the lead on Project Longevity, a program aimed at reducing gang violence in Bridgeport, New Haven and Hartford. State GOP Chairman J.R. Romano said Trumps family could play a role in the choosing Dalys successor because of its ties to Connecticut. Trump once owned a home in Greenwich. Im sure theyll take a vested interest in the direction of that office, Romano said. nvigdor@hearstmediact.com; 203-625-4436; twitter.com/gettinviggy GREENWICH The League of Women Voters of Greenwich is holding a discussion on the national movement to circumvent the Electoral College. The forum, which is designed to look at both pros and cons, will be held at 7 p.m. April 4 at the Cole Auditorium of Greenwich Library, 101 W. Putnam Ave. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Refreshments will be served. Rethinking the electoral college has gotten national attention since November when Republican Donald Trump won the presidency over Democrat Hillary Clinton despite receiving nearly three million fewer votes. It was the second time since 2000 that the loser of the popular vote won the nations highest office. The forums discussion will include information on pending state legislation that would add Connecticut to the decade-old National Popular Vote Compact, which is looking to band states together to support the winner of a presidential popular vote. It is free and open to the public. People need to understand what the National Popular Vote Compact is about, said Johnathan Perloe, a Greenwich resident and member of National Popular Vote CT. I think people are not aware of it. When you first talk about it, it seems complicated but its really not and this is a great way to explain it. The public forum is co-sponsored by the League, National Popular Vote CT, Common Cause Connecticut, the Greenwich Library and CTVotersCount.org. Speakers include New Yorker political essayist Hendrik Hertzberg; Pam Wilmot, the executive director of Common Cause in Massachusetts; historian Mark Albertson; and Luther Weeks, executive director of CTVotersCount.org, which opposes of the compact. If the National Popoular Vote Compact bill is approved and signed by Gov. Dannel Malloy, Connecticut would commit all of its electoral votes to whichever candidate won the most popular votes in all 50 states. The compact would go into effect only when the total of the member states equals the 270 electoral votes needed to win the presidency. So far, nearly a dozen states with a total of 165 electoral votes have signed on, including New York, California, New Jersey and Massachusetts. Deirdre Kamlani, a member of the League of Women Voters of Greenwichs board and a member of the program committee, said the bill before the legislature and curiosity from residents was behind the decision to hold the forum. We thought we could provide a service to the community by having this event and showcasing both sides of the issue, Kamlani said. Were going to talk about both the pros and cons and hopefully people will get the full picture. Supporters have said the change would allow for states like Connecticut, which are traditionally ignored as campaign spots over battleground states like Ohio and Florida, to have more of a voice. The current winner-take-all arrangement does not serve the interests of Connecticut voters, especially in comparison to the battleground states, Greenwich resident Sandy Litvack, a member of the National Popular Vote CT Working Group, said. The irrelevance of Connecticut to the presidential election is evident by looking at how much attention our state gets from candidates. Of nearly 400 general election campaign events in 2016, 94 percent were held in just 12 states and only one was held in Connecticut, Litvack said. The bill, which is before the General Administration and Elections Committee in the general assembly, has 28 co-sponsors. In Greenwich, State. Rep. Livvy Floren (R-149th) said last month she wanted to see the bills final language before deciding whether to support it. State Reps. Fred Camillo (R-151st) and Michael Bocchino (R-150th) and state Sen. L. Scott Frantz (R-36th) all said they opposed it. The founding fathers established the Electoral College in the Constitution as a compromise between election of the president by a vote in Congress and election of the president by a popular vote of qualified citizens, Bocchino said. I fully support their decision then and I fully support it today. According to Frantz, The Founding Fathers brilliantly anticipated the concentration of population in certain areas that could overwhelm the interests of those in more rural areas, and all one has to do is look at how red the electoral map is and the popular vote to see the logic in the Electoral College system. The league is a non-partisan organization. Organizers said they are striving to have balance in the presentation. Although there may be disagreements about the merits of the compact, we hope Connecticut residents will see this is not a partisan piece of legislation, league board member Sheila Mehta said, noting the support of not just former Democratic Vice President Al Gore, who famously lost the presidency in 2000 despite winning the popular vote, but also Republicans like former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich and former Congressman Bob Barr, who now is a Libertarian. We want to be sure to fairly present both sides of the debate about the compact to inform our members and the wider community, Mehta said. Perloe, a member of the towns Democratic Town Committee who said he was speaking as a private citizen, urged interested residents, no matter what their political leanings, to attend and ask questions. He noted that without a small margin of votes in Ohio in 2004, Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry would have won the electoral college while losing the popular vote to Republican President George W. Bush. It could happen to Republicans too, Perloe said. This is something that goes both ways. kborsuk@greenwichtime.com This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate STAMFORDAs David Michel walked down Jefferson and Cherry streets last week, the Shippan resident pointed to Styrofoam, plastic bottles and fast-food wrappers piled up along the fence of the Connecticut Rail Equipment Maintenance Facility. Portions of the yards fence lean outward with bent posts, making the area even more of an eyesore, according to Michel. A black fiber mesh the railroad added has only made it worse, he said. It isnt a proper response, because we asked them to clean the yard, Michel said of the mesh. We dont want them to hide or cover it. A coalition of Shippan residents working to keep Stamford Harbor free of litter will meet this week with state Department of Transportation officials to discuss how to control trash from the facility. The group is headed by Michel along with Kathleen Mathews, who founded the Czecik Park Harbor Conservancy, and city Rep. Kieran M. Ryan, R-1. They said the facilitys failing fence is one contributor to trash on Jefferson Street and Magee Avenue that later tumbles or washes into the harbor. Members of the group regularly organize volunteer cleanups of trash-strewn sections of the shoreline at Czecik Park Marina. We consider it a neighborhood, and part of the neighborhood is the rail yard, Mathews said. The rail yard is responsible for generating a huge amount of debris and air-blown material that ends up in our harbor, and the railroad has a responsibility to the neighborhood to keep its yard free of trash. John Bernick, assistant rail administrator for the state Department of Transportation, said Metro-North employees have been doing twice-a-week trash cleanups at the yard and reviewing procedures for cleaning cars to control garbage from escaping the facility. Connecticut DOT has staff monitoring the situation, and I plan on following up with the community group during the onsite meeting about the other concerns, Bernick said. Mathews and Michel said a recent pledge by the city to do a daily trash pickup on the loop of streets, including Harborview Avenue, Jefferson and Magee, reflects a stronger commitment to reduce garbage on the waterfront. The group is trying to clarify responsibility between state and local officials for cleaning up trash along other problem stretches, like the median between Interstate 95 and South State Street, Michel said. Ernie Orgera, director of operations for the city, said Stamford agreed to the daily pickup when the group told him theyve seen trash falling off carting trucks headed to the transfer station on Harborview Avenue. The city is considering a proposal to construct a shed at the station to house trucks during the transfer of paper, Styrofoam and other recyclables, Orgera said. If we cover the load, the wind wont take any material out, Orgera said. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Area leaders say their towns are on track to complete community block grant-funded projects arising out of damage from Superstorm Sandy, contrary to a letter from the state Department of Housing warning them that they are behind schedule. I commend Commissioner (Evonne M.) Klein for sending out his letter well in advance of the deadlines, Fairfield First Selectman Michael Tetreau said. Normally, these letters come too late. Tetreau said the 10 projects Fairfield has taken on will be completed by June 30. These include $2.3 million in improvements at the wastewater treatment plant and $2.5 million for a water pollution control micro-grid, $607,500 for upgrading the Pine Creek culvert and $300,000 for the Pine Creek Dike Expansion. Other Fairfield projects include $200,000 for Riverside Drive coastal resiliency, $100,000 for Fairfield beach engineered design and $225,000 for improvements to the bulkhead at Penfield Beach. We got the letter about a week or so ago, and it took me 30 seconds to send it off to the department heads, Tetreau said. Completion deadlines He said the Public Works, Conservation and Economic Development departments all told him the work would be completed by June 30. The letter warns that Fairfield might jeopardize $5.3 million in grants. The deadline for completion of the earliest project is Jan. 25, 2018, for the design and Feb. 28 of that year for the culvert upgrade. We may have experienced some delays, but everything is on track, Tetreau said. No Fairfield dollars will be at risk. Milford Mayor Ben Blake and Westport First Selectman Jim Marpe echoed those assurances. Milford had 10 funded projects, with three facing deadlines of Feb. 2, 2018. These are $638,250 for Calf Pen Meadow/Beachland Avenue resiliency, $1.7 million for Bayview Beach area flooding control and $501,537 for Milford Point Road flooding control. Weve taken great efforts to ensure these critical coastal improvements are completed the right way and on time, Blake said. While we cannot control all project variables, such as state permitting, we are on track to deliver these much-needed infrastructure improvements. He said the citys Flood and Erosion Control Board interviewed and hired a premier engineering firm to design and professionally manage the job. In Westport, Marpe and Steve Edwards, the public works director, assured residents Friday that the downtown flood resiliency plan on master drainage and stream study would be completed by the March 30, 2018, deadline, and more likely by October. The town will receive $650,000 for this. The study addresses the design of a new culvert around Dead Mans Brook and Myrtle Avenue. It does not address flooding involving the Saugatuck River, Edwards said. Some face loss of funds Marpe said he contacted Klein after receiving the letter and told the commissioner, We are on track to complete within the time frame. Marpe added, I was concerned there was some condition we werent aware of it, he said. We did have a little bit of a delay in getting bids and awarding contracts, but were well ahead of schedule. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development says all funding under the program must be expended within two years of executing a contract with the state. Twelve municipalities received funding under the program to make critical upgrades to their local infrastructure after Superstorm Sandy hit in 2012, and eight of those municipalities are considered to be behind schedule. These grants were awarded directly to the municipalities and are separate from the grants awarded to residents so they can rebuild their homes. Superstorm Sandy will go down in Connecticut history as one of the worst storms to hit the region, Klein said. This storm not only damaged homes but also a significant portion of our states shoreline infrastructure.. Staff writer Jim Shay contributed to this report. Cancer doesn't let up. Neither will volunteers, survivors and their caregivers on Friday, April 7 at War Memorial Stadium in Liberty. The war on cancer will be real for those who have survived, those who are in the fight, their caregivers and all who want to battle for them in the confines of the track that night committed to walking and not stopping. No one should face cancer alone, and while there are 3,500 Relay For Life events planned around the country, the only one that matters is here at home where family members, friends, businessmen, church members find themselves in the throes of warfare against the dreaded disease. What is Relay For Life? It is the signature fundraising event for the American Cancer Society (ACS) that funds research on every front and honors those who are survivors and their caregivers who have fought the fight. "For 16 years, we have had a Relay For Life for South Liberty County," said Crista Adams. Sandra Sterling organized and helped run the event for more than a decade and now Adams is the Event Lead for the race. "We've raised more than $1.3 million over the last 16 years," she said. Sterling is concerned that donations are not where they should be this year. More Information REGISTER/DONATE ONLINE Go to www.relayforlife.org Type in 77575 zip code in Search Events Click on Relay For Life Of South Liberty County See More Collapse "Our goal is $100,000 and we're looking for more sponsors, teams and volunteers across the county to help us pick up the pace on our goal," she said. Currently, there are 26 teams with a total of 218 team members and as of Saturday night, they have raised a combined total of $26,279.12. With two weeks to go, the race is on to close in on their goal. For newbies who have never attended a 'race,' the event fields teams and individuals who walk the track for the six hours of the relay. Teams can trade off to make sure someone is on the track at all times. Individuals may take rests in between. The event kicks off with an opening ceremony, followed by the survivors' lap and caregivers' lap. Once they are finished, teams and individuals may take the track to walk or run for their team to raise money. Teams may raise money by asking for donations of an amount for each lap walked or ran or raise money by selling items or food at the Relay. Around 10 p.m., Adams said they will turn off the lights at the stadium for the Luminary service remembering those who did not survive. Luminaries may be purchased for any amount to remember a loved one. "If you want to pick up the bag prior to the race so that you can decorate it, please contact one of us with the race and we'll be glad to get you a bag ahead of time," she said. During the somber ceremony, there will be songs sung and a poem read, Adams said. They close that ceremony with the symbolic passing of the lantern around the entire track. Walking and running resumes until 11:30 p.m. when they will host the closing ceremonies and final lap. The event is scheduled to end at midnight, she said. "If it rains, we are already scheduled to move it to Dayton High School," she said. There are some new additions to the event this year. "We will have a catered dinner for the survivors following their lap," Adams said. The dinner is donated by area restaurants and a catering company. Adams also said there would be more outdoor activities. "We will have all kinds of games and activities planned throughout the night," she said. Dave Chessher, the voice of the Relay, will be announcing again and Karl Keller is the guest DJ for the night. Adams asked for survivors to get signed up and registered as soon as possible so they can get a head count on food for the dinner. "Anyone who is interested in volunteering or wants to sign up a team, it's not too late," Adams said. "We need lots of help to set up on the day of the event," she said. There is no cost to sign up a team, but Relay officials ask each individual to try and raise $100 in order to get a T-shirt. Teams have already signed up that included Team Hope from FUMC Dayton, Bobby Soxers, St. Stephens Saints and Sinners, FLNB Banking On A Cure, American Legion Cancer Commandos, DHS Spanish Club, Hardin Lions Club and Goin' Postal to name a few. Children 10 and under must register with an adult. "They will receive an arm band that has their name and their parents contact information on it in the event they get separated," Adams said. "There will be some teams fundraising for their own groups by selling tamales, others barbecue sandwiches all to add to their teams' total donations to RFL." There will also be wheelchairs available for those who cannot walk but wish to participate. Can't walk or be there for the event but want to help? Adams suggested going to the RFL website and donating online. Every dollar makes a difference. "At Relay For Life, no donation is too small," Adams said, "and your donations help fund groundbreaking cancer research, patient care programs and make a difference right here in Liberty County," she said. The Relay For Life event was the brainchild of Dr. Gordon "Gordy" Klatt who walked and ran for 24 hours around a track in Tacoma, Wash., raising money to help the ACS. "We thank everyone who has participated in previous years and look forward to seeing them again this year," she said. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate The decision regarding the staff office space in the San Jacinto County Judge's office came up once again during the March 17 Commissioners Court meeting along with an approval of Tammy Russell as the Pct. 2 representative of the county's ESD board. Attorney Laura Prigmore spoke on the matter of office space during public comments and asked the court to more carefully consider their action items in the future as this decision has allegedly led to Don Franks going into retirement. Franks was a part-time employee in the County Judge's office. "We will all live with the consequences of these decisions," she said. The decision in question involves giving office space in the County Judge's office to the probations department, which was opposed by County Judge John Lovett who expressed his need for the space. "That action was not pleasing to me," he said. Lovett also made the point that Franks did resign the day after his office was taken away from him and further stated that the decision to take half of the office space in this manner was not a smart decision. One of the concerns, according to Lovett, is having the probations office, which involves working with convicted felons, on the rotunda where other citizens may be exposed to them. Lovett proceeded to read a speech in front of the court to voice his concerns not only with the decision and alleged tensions between him and the commissioners while also addressing the action of taking the office space without consulting the court. "Maybe the polite thing to do was to ask first," said Lovett, who then discussed how Pct. 4 Commissioner Mark Nettuno allegedly rearranged the offices at the Pct. 4 building without consulting the court. Lovett continued to state that he wants San Jacinto County to be a nice place to live and wishes to be able to work with the commissioners instead of dealing with tension between each other. "This needless and unwelcome agitation really needs to stop," said Lovett. Another area of concern for Lovett revolves around his request in the Feb. 28 meeting to defer action on the agenda item regarding office space to the next meeting. The commissioners continued with the vote, which Lovett feels violates a gentleman's agreement between himself and the commissioners. Pct. 2 Commissioner Donny Marrs spoke on the matter and noted that tensions between himself and Lovett come from a complaint Lovett allegedly filed against Marrs's towing business to the Texas Commission of Environmental Quality (TCEQ). "I went through a month and a half and two months of jumping through every hoop to make sure everything I had was correct," said Marrs. Lovett says he received complaints almost daily about Marrs's business. "I felt the best course of action was to involve the regulators of the industry he is in," he said. Lovett says the investigation found no truth to any of the allegations against Marrs and his business and commends him for the investigation proving this, which Marrs expressed his appreciation to Lovett for doing his job. The court decided to take no action on the item and maintained the decision made to give up half of the office space to the probations department. In other business, Marrs made a motion to appoint Russell as a representative for the ESD board, which was seconded by Pct. 1 Commissioner Laddie McAnally. The court approved it 3-1 with Lovett opposing the motion. This is the third time the motion was brought up to appoint Russell with the last two instances being voted against by Lovett, Nettuno and Pct. 3 Commissioner Thomas Bonds. Nettuno was not present at the March 17 Commissioners Court. The court approved new hours for the county government to be from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. for everyone not under the jurisdiction of an elected official or with a unique schedule. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Sam Houston IV adored Texas history, a characteristic that befitted his bloodline tie to one of the state's most celebrated figures. Houston IV, the great grandson of Sam Houston, the general who in 1836 led the Texian Army to victory in the Battle of San Jacinto to win the Texas Revolution, carried that love for history until the end of his life, family members said. Houston IV died on March 10 in Katy, his longtime residence. He was 85 years old. "He didn't really have interests besides for Texas history. That was his interest," said Houston IV's son, Steven Houston. "He was your typical father; very family-oriented. A lot of the time he spent was with family or (history) organizations." Houston IV honored Texas history through various roles. He frequently spoke at the annual San Jacinto Day celebration in La Porte. He was the president general for the Sons of the Republic of Texas from 1990 to 1992. He also served as the president of the San Jacinto Chapter No. 1 and as knight commander of the Knights of San Jacinto. Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry in 2010 commissioned Houston IV as the commanding general of The Texas Army, a ceremonial and re-enactment group. In 2016, he was named president emeritus of the Sam Houston Chapter. Houston IV received several heritage and service awards, including being one of eight men in the 100-year history of the SRT to receive a lifetime achievement award. His greatest interest, however, was teaching Texas history - particularly that of the Texas Revolution - to schoolchildren across the state. "He talked to hundreds of schools," his wife Virginia Rose said. "He started with fourth graders, and then he did personal invitations all over the state. That took up a lot of his days." Houston IV was born in Claremore, Oklahoma in 1931. He grew up mostly attending private schools, including the Schreiner Institute, Allen Military Academy and St. Michael's College in New Mexico. He also earned a history degree from the University of Houston. He served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War and stayed with the Army Reserves for 16 years, retiring as a lieutenant colonel. Houston IV also held a career in the steel industry for years. He and Rose, a native Houstonian, moved to Katy about 36 years ago. They picked the west Houston suburb, Rose said, because of its then-small size. For years, Houston IV enjoyed goose hunting on the Katy Prairie. He also liked to fish. In recent years, Houston IV battled a number of health issues such as diabetes that untimely lead to his death, according to Nancy Burch, a member of the Harris County Historical Commission and cousin of Houston IV. Burch said Houston IV took great pride in being a descendant of Sam Houston. "We all talked about it of course," she said. "It's obviously a big part of the family history. We were all aware and proud of being connected to that history." Houston IV was proceeded in death by his parents Sam and Ruth Houston and three sisters Laura, Margaret and Eleanor Houston. He is survived by Rose and their children, Vicky Allen and husband Bill, Steven Houston and Kevin Houston, as well as his brother, Temple Houston and grandchildren Sherry, Bridget and Scott and great grandchildren Jessica, Chelsea, Patrick, Mackenzie, Nicole, Sophia and Dylan. The Schmidt Funeral Home in Katy hosted a memorial service for Houston IV on March 15. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Officer Samantha Smith looks forward her Saturday shifts at the Memorial Villages Farmers Market off Voss Road. The officer has been with MVPD for just over a year and sees it as an opportunity to get to know the residents of the cities she patrols. She chats, shakes hands and tries to generate more the goodwill between law enforcement and community members that Memorial Villages are so well known for. On Feb. 4 her shift was going along as most do, the sun was out and shoppers were filling up on produce and crafts. Smith was sitting in her patrol car next to the pedestrianism walk way in between the parking lot and the market. She noticed two young girls running through the path, the smaller one was about three years old. Just then, she also noticed an SUV reversing out of its parking space at the same moment that the younger girl was passing behind moving vehicle. In a flash she leapt out of her patrol car. "I ran and cut her off and put myself between her and the vehicle, I put my arm out to the car, I knocked on the glass and alerted him," said Smith. "There's no way he would have seen her and if both parties would have continued he would be have hit her." Minutes later, the mother arrived at the parking lot and took the girls safely with her. But as they were leaving, throngs of on-lookers crowded around Smith and began shaking her hand and thanking her. Although diverting a near-crisis is not how the Brooklyn, NY native would have liked to meet more Villagers, she's always open to doing just that. She's been an police officer since 2012 and before joining Memorial PD, she was an officer with the Alexandria, Va., Police Department, just outside of Washington, D.C., for four years. Alexandria has a population of 150,000 people and about 200 officers, compared with MVPD's approximate 30-member force, it's a different landscape. "There's a much better relationship between the community and police force than what I experienced up north. It's a great thing to have as a police officer," said Smith. "We got a lot of diverse calls and the experience molded me into the officer I am, but at this point I'm really happy to be here and have the community-oriented model of policing." She made the move south because her wife was already living in Houston. Now, they both live in The Woodlands with their three children who are 6, 10 and 12-years old. With three young kids of her own, she knows the relief of a parent when a near-miss is avoided, like the one at the Farmers Market. When Hunters Creek Mayor Jim Pappas arrived at the market that afternoon, grateful shoppers didn't waste any time sharing with him how Smith rescued the girl from a potentially deadly accident. At the Feb. 28 Hunters Creek City Council meeting Smith was honored by the mayor with an official proclamation recognizing her for her "life saving efforts and her service to her community." Even though she was distinguished by city officials for outstanding work, she feels residents of Memorial Villages are just as important to the success of law enforcement. "It's amazing the way the community comes together, they do their part and that helps to make our job easier." U.S. Rep. John Moolenaar invites all high school students from Michigans Fourth Congressional District to enter their art in the 2017 Congressional Art Competition. The winning student from the Fourth District will have his or her art displayed in the U.S. Capitol for a year and receive two round-trip tickets to travel to Washington, D.C., for an annual event with Congressional Art Competition winners from around the country. Why are you here? Why does your company exist? What makes your company unique or better? Why should I buy from you? These are the some of the questions every single consumer subconsciously asks themselves before buying anything...ever. Right now, even YOU are subconsciously asking, "Why should I listen to you? Is this article valuable to me? as you continue to read this... I'm going to share with you a powerful, but often ignored strategy that will allow you to attract more of your ideal customers, foster a successful company culture, and grow your business faster. Would that valuable to you? The strategy is simple... Create, articulate and circulate your company's core values. Everything revolves around values. For example, lets take our last election and our new President, Donald J. Trump. Whether you love him or hate him, the emotions you're experiencing right now are simply a reflection of your values. Did you happen to watch the Super Bowl and the ensuing media storm that erupted regarding the commercials? Never in the history of the Super Bowl has there been so many companies publicly and openly sharing their values in an effort to let their customers know what they stand for and what they believe in. What do you stand for? What does your company value? If I were to visit your company's About Us area, what would I discover about you and your business? Would I find the typical mundane, resume-style descriptions of the staff? Or would I discover something memorable about your company that could really resonate with me because we share similar values? According to LeadPages.net, the About section is typically one of the four most visited areas of your website. Unfortunately, it's the one area that is typically undervalued and neglected, even treated as an afterthought, by most businesses. When was the last time you spent some time on the About section of your site? See what I mean? Doesn't it make sense to communicate a powerful message about your company's VALUE to the world, by revealing your company's VALUES and how you positively impact your customers lives? According to Verne Harnish, in his book Scaling Up, (which is a MUST read for any entrepreneur), crafting thoughtful and meaningful core value statements are critical to the long-term growth strategy of any company. In the book, Verne tells the story of how CEO Hatim Tyabji grew VeriFone from a $31 million dollar company into a $600 million enterprise in the competitive industry of credit card transactions. Tyabji credits (pun intended) much of that success to his key leadership tool, a nine-page "blue book" that reveals VeriFone's core values. It was ultimately translated into eight languages. He then claims to have "essentially spent the next 11 years repeating myself" to ensure his company adopted these values to grow VeriFone into a global success. Thats the power of living your companys core values on a consistent basis. When asked what hed do differently if he could start his company all over again, Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh had this to say, If I could go back and do Zappos all over again I would actually come up with our values from day one. We actually didn't always have values. It wasn't until about five years into it that we rolled out our values. Image Credit: soundcloud.com If you consider that Zappos sold their business to Amazon for $1.2 BILLION dollars, and the CEO says if he could do ONE thing differently, it would be to create their values at the very beginning, then that should be a sledgehammer of a clue for you to do the same. Rather than trying to teach you how to craft your own core values, Im going to show you what other successful companies are doing with their core values. Use them for inspiration as you set out to articulate your own companys core values. Here are some great examples of core values in the workplace exhibited by successful companies that articulate and circulate their values openly and frequently: Infusionsoft Infusionsoft is an industry leader in the sales and marketing automation space for small to medium-sized businesses. I remember attending a training event at their headquarters in Arizona and their CEO, Clate Mask, made an unannounced appearance. Impromptu, he eloquently and passionately recited their company values from memory... verbatim. Image Credit: Infusionsoft You can read them all here. Honestly, it was hard to not be impressed. It would be interesting to know if articulating their core values was a factor in Goldman Sachs decision to invest $54 million to solidify Infusionsoft's position as a market leader. Regardless, there is little wonder why Infusionsoft has experienced so much success. Their passion to articulate their values and abiding by them is one of the reasons I've remained a loyal customer all these years, even as the marketing automation space has become extremely competitive. It's also a reason why I make it a point to attend their ICON event each year. The 2017 keynote speaker is the uber-successful Marcus Lemonis, aka The Profit. Do you think Marcus Lemonis would speak at their conference if he didn't know and appreciate Infusionsoft's core values? Related: The 8 Values Every Company Should Live By Digital Marketer Digital Marketer is an education company that's on a mission to help 10,000 companies double the size of their business in the next 5 years. How do I know that? Its on their About page. On this page, they also share their beliefs, which a reflection of their values. However, these beliefs are not written. Instead, they have different team members sharing their beliefs in this engaging video. I love that they're not afraid to be bold, while still adding a sense of levity and humility to their video. They even include some fun photos of themselves in their office on the page. I believe that their current success is an extension of their values and beliefs, and is why thousands of the world's top marketers and entrepreneurs attend their Traffic and Conversion Summit each spring. What if you recorded your team sharing your company's values and beliefs? Do you believe it would help to build a stronger team culture and synergy? Of course, it would. You don't need to professionally produce a video to get started, but hopefully, it inspires you to begin the journey to create your own. Related: Stand for Something: How to Establish Authentic Core Values GetUWired GetUWired is an award-winning internet marketing firm dedicated to helping small businesses succeed. I know that because it says so in their mission statement at the top of their Core Values page. They also have an appealing About page which depicts each Tribe member in a friendly-professional photo and shows each of them in a fun or playful pose when you hover over their image. Image Credit: Tribe.com Perhaps its their commitment to their company values that has helped GetUWired to win prestigious awards like making Entrepreneurs Top Company Cultures List for Small Businesses in 2015 and 2017 and hitting Georgia Trend Magazines Best Places to Work in Georgia list in 2016. Related: A Set of Core Values Is What Makes Company Culture a Real Thing eClincher eClincher is emerging as a powerful player in the social media world and offers a comprehensive, yet intuitive, social media management and marketing dashboard that integrates with all the major social networks, including Instagram. Watch as their CEO, Gilad Salamander, reveals eClincher's top 3 core values: eClincher values transparency, communication, and creating value for their customers. Having worked with them before, I can attest to the fact that each of their employees live these three values daily. Related: 6 Steps to Adopting Core Values That Stick Here's just three benefits of creating, articulating and circulating your own company values. USP and Competitive Advantage When I consult with prospective new clients, I always ask them, "What's your USP?" (Unique Selling Proposition) and "How are you better or different from the competition?" Unfortunately, it's usually a canned response like, "We offer the best product in the marketplace" or "We offer the best customer care in the industry." Do these sound bites convey any real meaning... any true value? Instead, here's a powerful and meaningful answer... It's you, your values and your company's values! Your values help define who you are as a person and as a business. They communicate your authenticity and uniqueness. Articulating your companys values will differentiate you from your competitors. Doing so instills confidence and trust in your customers to want to buy from you and will foster longer relationships with your brand. A great example of this was when my wife and I decided to buy a new mattress. The mattress industry has become wildly competitive recently with new direct-to-consumer companies bypassing traditional retail store distribution. After researching the competition, we chose to buy a Leesa mattress, as Leesa makes it perfectly clear about being a social enterprise here. Image Credit: Leesa.com They've even become a certified B Corporation . Leesas rise to success shows that your values and your beliefs as a company matter. People are attracted to values that resemble their own, and your companys clearly articulated core values or lack thereof can be the difference between converting new customers or losing them to your competition. Remember, the price of your product and your ability to sell your product is directly related to the perceived value in the mind of the consumer. Have you ever purchased a product or service that you knew could be purchased for less money, but you were willing to spend more because of the company's values or social mission? I hope so, because if you don't stand up for what you believe, why should anyone buy from you? Related: The Key to Rapid Scale? Authentic Core Values. Attracting talented employees. One of the biggest challenges facing every entrepreneur is finding the right talent to help grow your company. In fact, it's such a headache for most entrepreneurs, myself included, that I recently created an effective system to instantly filter out lazy, unmotivated people. Of course, you don't want a bunch of "yes" people or clones surrounding you, but you do want to attract people with similar values or people who respect your values. Include your company values in your job listings, and you'll attract the people you want into your business. It may sound too simple to work, but thats exactly why it does work. Related: How to Hire People Who Fit a Company's Culture Curating company culture. Do you want your team to get excited about your business? Here's a great team building exercise. Invite them to a meeting, ideally in a venue outside of your office, so it's relaxed and informal. Begin by asking them what their personal values are, so you can deepen your connection with them and get them to talk freely. Otherwise, if you ask for suggestions on your company values immediately, they may just offer ideas based on what you want to hear not what they think they truly should be. As they open up and share their personal values, invite them to contribute to the company's value statements. This will hopefully give them a sense of purpose and ownership by including them in the process. Ideally, most of your team will be inspired and will enhance your company's culture. If some of them are indifferent, it can be a good indicator of their current morale and whether they're truly committed to their future at your company or not. This is an exercise that should be done at least once a year, as your company grows and your team evolves. When your team is in alignment with your company's values, it empowers them to make decisions faster and with ease. This will free your time to be more productive as a company and cultivates strong leadership skills for everyone, including you. Even if you're a solopreneur, it all starts with you. If you neglect this now, someone else will come into your world and impose their values upon you and your business. Are you willing to take that risk? Related: How to Create a Business Culture That Reflects Your Core Values What do you value? I challenge you to gather your team together and craft your company's own values and belief statements. Then post them in the About area of your website and on your homepage, like we've done here at BizFamous. Share them on your social media channels. Share them in your email marketing. Doing so will enable you to authentically connect with your ideal audience, attract new leads, and win more business. Most importantly, share your values openly with your clients, customers, and partners and then invite them to share their values with you. You'll deepen the bond of your existing relationships when you express your values in a meaningful way. As an example, my #1 personal value and our #1 company value is freedom. We cannot succeed as entrepreneurs without freedom. Related: Copyright 2017 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved Happy Spring, Lions! This past Wednesday, our meeting was smaller than usual, which is a-okay - that just means the dedicated members who came in during spring break could be even rowdier than usual, so a good time was still had by all. Lion Wes Carr was on hand to tell terrible jokes and present our program, "Lions Legacy Day." Through his work with the Texas Lions Camp, Lion Wes has travelled the state of Texas, and he has come to know for certain what we have always said was true. Conroe Noon Lions Club is "the Greatest Lions Club in the World." Lion Karl Johnson, who is currently serving as Vice District Governor, came forward to introduce our newest Lifetime Members: Lion Eliud Arrazate, Lion Tommie Brennan (accepted by Pat Brennan), Lion C. Pat Davis, and Lion Irene Guajardo. Thank you to our Life Members for your longtime service and commitment to our club. Jack Wiech was a founding father of the Texas Lions Camp, along with Reagan Smith (a member of Conroe Noon Lions). Together, these two men were instrumental in developing a plan for a camp to be sponsored by Lions Clubs state-wide, and we honor Jack Wiech with fellowships in the names of our Conroe Noon Lions who have committed themselves to Texas Lions Camp. Lion Scott Perry introduced the members who CNLC honored with this award for being outstanding servants of Texas Lions Camp. Thank you to Lion Mark Curlee for your contributions related to construction and Lion Lowie Rice for your contributions of veterinary care of the camp horses for many years. The Melvin Jones Fellowship is the highest honor that Lions can bestow upon our members. Lions Club International Foundation (which is the charitable arm of Lions Clubs) created the Melvin Jones Fellowship in 1973, named after its founder. Though these fellowships maybe purchased by anyone for a $1,000 donation; Conroe Noon holds on to the tradition of purchasing and honoring only a select few of their members based upon their continued contributions to our club and the goals of Lionism. Lion Dick Giuffre (a former Melvin Jones Fellowship recipient) came forward to recognize our first Melvin Jones Fellowship recipient. Lion Robert E. Hataway was recognized for his longtime service to CNLC in a variety of capacities, including heading up various service projects and fundraisers. I have to admit, I got a little misty as I watched Dick pin his longtime friend, whom he calls 'Buster', with his own Melvin Jones Fellowship pin, and we heard from Bob himself about what Conroe Noon Lions has meant to him since 1974. Past District Governor James Stewart was next at the podium, to introduce a fellow Aggie who joined CNLC in 1969. Lion Rolf Lippke, DVM was recognized with a Melvin Jones Fellowship for his longtime service, winning a Master Membership Key award during his tenure, along with serving in CNLC leadership capacities throughout the last decades. I am, as always, amazed at the decades of service to our community that sit in every Conroe Noon Lions Club meeting, and am honored to be blessed by the presence of the men and women who have come before me. If you have ever wondered how you can expand your leadership skills, find a place to serve, or meet some fascinating people, Conroe Noon Lions is the place to do it. The brightest minds, the biggest hearts, and the most diligent hands are in our group, and I am humbled to be a part of it. Until next time, Lions, I leave you with a mighty ROAR! The Conroe Noon Lions Club meets every Wednesday at noon at the Lone Star Convention Center. For more information, please visit our website, www.conroenoonlions.org, or call 936-760-1666 for information on this club and other Lions Clubs in the area. The Plainview High School Theatre Departments one-act play, Twelve Angry Jurors by Reginald Rose, advanced to bi-district competition following the District 3 AAAAA UIL OAP (One-Act Play) competition held at Amarillo College on March 10. Three of the PHS cast members earned district recognition. Isaac McMickings was named Best Actor, Sawyer Tirey was named Outstanding Stage Manager; and Alexis Shedd was named to the All-Star Cast. The San Francisco Unified School District where a snafu has delayed its mailing of all-important school-assignment letters said it was on track to send them Monday night by first-class mail. But the letters may still arrive too late for many parents facing deadlines this week for private-school tuition deposits, and who are counting on the information from the district to make their decisions. The nonrefundable deposits can amount to thousands of dollars, and many parents have been frantic over the prospect of losing large amounts of money. In San Francisco, private schools set their deposit deadlines within a week of the public school district notifying parents about their childrens assignments. That lets parents decide whether to accept the public offer or turn to private school. But this year, unforeseen staffing emergencies delayed the districts mailing of assignments for all 14,000 students, which was supposed to go out on Friday. Now, school district officials say they expected to mail the letters Monday evening, and say the letters could arrive on Tuesday. Or not. The first private-school deadline specifically for high school applicants requesting financial aid is at noon Wednesday. Private elementary and middle-school deadlines are at noon Thursday, and the remaining private high school deadlines are at noon Friday. If parents dont get their deposit in on time, we couldnt guarantee anything, said Danny Curtin, admissions director for Archbishop Riordan High School, a Catholic school for boys, on Phelan Avenue. Other private schools contacted by The Chronicle gave similar answers. The San Francisco district sends out public-school assignments by U.S. mail because the letters provide the documentation families need to register at school sites and serves to further verify their address, spokeswoman Gentle Blythe said. However, parents facing an imminent private-school deadline who havent gotten a letter by Tuesday can email enrollinschool@sfusd.edu. We will do what we can to help you after March 21, says a notice on the districts website. Blythe said she couldnt say more about the staffing problem because of employee confidentiality. She said part of the problem was that the district has to be certain that the assignments 83,000 school options for 14,000 students are correct. Employees are working around the clock to make it work, the website notice said. Parents considering private-school options arent the only ones inconvenienced by the mailing debacle, said Annie Bauccio, interim executive director for the advocacy group Parents for Public Schools. Some people are waiting on job offers that depend on what school they choose, Bauccio said. Others are considering moving across town and have two days to tell the landlord. Things like that feed the frustration, she said. Its a whole universe of potential complications having to do with siblings, family, life choices all waiting for this one piece of information. Nanette Asimov is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: nasimov@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @NanetteAsimov A local state senator who oversaw an interim legislative committee on Texas ports filed bills he said will help ports move infrastructure projects into the fast lane. State Sen. Brandon Creighton, R-Conroe, chaired the Senate Select Committee on Texas Ports between the 84th and 85th Legislature, which was charged to delve into issues surrounding the state's coastal and inland ports. The committee's report, filed in November 2016, outlined issues found in federal funding of port projects and ways it believes Texas can become more competitive in international trade, especially in light of the recent Panama Canal expansion. The report states ship channel projects in the United States are a federal responsibility but require a non-federal sponsor (such as a navigation district or other state entity) to cover up to half of the cost of the project. Texas currently has five port projects underway, four of which are in a "holding pattern" awaiting the federal government to hold up its end of funding the projects, the report states. Creighton hopes four bills he filed recently Senate Bills 28, 1292, 1361 and 1395 will help the state government step in and provide loans to the navigation districts with projects in limbo. The bills would simply set up the mechanism of how the state would help fund the projects through loans, and a later legislature, presumably the 86th Legislature in 2019, would actually put appropriations into the fund the bills would create. None of the projects are slated to commence before 2019, the report states. "With the Panama Canal expansion and those locks and channels open, we have some of the best situated geographical locations in the world," Creighton said. "But yet we were still finding ourselves being edged out by other states." Creighton called this series of bills the second chapter of his charge for helping Texas ports improve. During 2015's 84th Legislature, he filed a successful bill he said helped the Sabine-Neches Navigation District do business more efficiently while the legislature is out of session. Specifically, the Sabine-Neches Navigation District was able to start dredging the Sabine-Neches Waterway to accommodate the new bigger ships that can now travel through the Panama Canal. Creighton hopes projects similar to that can begin soon in other Texas ports with the state loans. "With that effort already accomplished and on its way, we're taking another step to shine a bright light on what these navigation districts need as they're expected to pay the non-federal share currently without much state assistance at all," Creighton said. "While other states have fewer ports and often support their ports with more appropriations than we do, we're allowing through this Ship Channel Improvement Revolving Fund to help these navigation districts secure loans for these projects that specifically would help them fill the gaps in time where our federal partner either may be absent or slow to help them with the timing required on certain projects to keep a competitive edge." This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Children in Jasper will have a new attraction they can add to their list of things to do this summer, but it's not a new feature in Southeast Texas. Jasper Mayor Randy Sayers said the council recently approved the installation of a splash pad at Sandy Creek Park near city hall. The project, which will cost $50,000 to $60,000, is expected to be completed by the time summer arrives, said Sayers. "It's a capital improvement for the city that we've budgeted for," he said. Sayers said residents first pitched the idea two years ago. "I'm hoping the new splash pad gives the children something else they can enjoy in Sandy Creek Park," Sayers said. "It'll give them some relief from the heat." The popularity of splash pads has grown in the past decade, as local officials realized the attractions can be operated at lower costs than swimming pools while providing outdoor fun for residents. Splash parks have become so popular in Southeast Texas communities in recent years, that at least one town had to crack down on the number of users. In 2013, the city of Port Neches passed a resolution that said only city residents could use the splash park at Riverfront Park on Saturdays in June through August. Groves City Manager D.E. Sosa said the city's $174,000 splash pad at Lions Park is being resurfaced for the third time in 10 years. Read more in today's print edition of The Enterprise. Click here to subscribe to the daily eEdition. SFlores@BeaumontEnterprise.com Twitter.com/_saraeflores The last anyone saw of 24-year-old Tori Golka, she left her boyfriend's place in Irving, Texas, to pick up her 3-year-old son. She never showed up. No call. No note. Nothing. That was Monday, March 13. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate A South Texas woman was enjoying her weekend with her family when a creepy creature slid up near her home. Janie Moy, marine coordinator at Valero Energy, lives in Falls City southeast of San Antonio on 25 acres of land. Saturday afternoon, Moy was outside when she noticed something coming up the driveway in the backyard. "I look at the tail. I look closer: Oh no, it's a rattlesnake," Moy told mySA.com, adding she thought, "I can't let this come toward the house." RELATED: Texas fisherman shares surprise encounter with 4-foot-long river snake Moy called her husband, an avid hunter. "Oh my gosh, there's a snake," she said. "Just kill it," he told her. After summoning her 14-year-old to the garage, Moy said the pair carefully and slowly got a 410 shotgun out of the family's truck. The 14-year-old loaded the gun and handed it off to Moy. Keeping a close eye on the reptile, Moy crept up on the snake she didn't want to startle it or it might have run away. Moy said she shot the snake three times, aiming for its head, but hitting it in the middle of its body. In between shots, the rattlesnake tried to lift its head, but Moy had already done enough damage. "It was done," she said. RELATED: 3 snakes use 'synchronized slithering' to mate in state park footage After posing for a photo with the 4-foot-long kill, Moy said she gave the rattlesnake to her husband who discarded it. After the incident, Moy said she's nervous to let her sons, ages 3, 10 and 14, play in the backyard. "My 3-year-old plays outside," she said. "I'm just now so paranoid." The rattlesnake was the first one she's spotted on her family's property since they began building their home five years ago. She said mountain lions, bobcats and pigs have roamed around near her home as well. kbradshaw@express-news.net Twitter: @kbrad5 To live the most fulfilling, economically comfortable and happy life in Texas, don't live in San Antonio, according to a new survey. WalletHub recently released its ranking of the happiest places to live in 2017, and apparently life in the Alamo City is pretty average. San Antonio earned the No. 72 spot out of 150 cities surveyed. Among Texas cities, San Antonio ranks ninth out of 16. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate At first glance, its just quick feet, flowing skirts and an instructor in the middle, elbows raised, making high-pitched yelps. If youre not doing it right, an easy dance will be difficult, Miroslav Marcetic tells his dozens of dancers, who minutes later still are holding hands though the music has stopped. But it doesnt take another glance to realize that the San Antonio Folk Dance Festival, while about dance, is also about family. I think this is what life should be: learning to dance together in one big chain, you know? And the joy you feel when you are all doing these dances together, said Brenda Benton, co-chair of the festival. Theres a powerful force that comes up, it really does, and you feel like, Hey, this is the way it should be. She said the yelps in the dances are to release the energy, erase any inhibitions, free the mind. On Sunday, the San Antonio Folk Dance Festival had its final hurrah, as dancers performed one last time in front of the camera to Scottish, Serbian and Turkish folk music. Instructors and participants from across the nation came for the 59th festival. The workshops were held at Our Lady of the Lake Universitys International Folk Culture Center. In a world broken up by borders, cultures and languages, the festival dance instructors say this is one way to transcend those boundaries. I dont see it as just a dance its more, to me, about understanding, said Ahmet Luleci, who taught Turkish folk dance at the festival. Unfortunately in this country, one of the things missing especially for the younger generation, is people dont travel much outside the United States. And that to me is a big problem, because you dont get to see and meet different cultures, different people, and different ways of life. Luleci is from Konya, Turkey, and founded the Collage Dance Ensemble in Boston, where he works. This was his first year at the San Antonio Folk Dance Festival. So if theyre not traveling, then were coming to you to give them a different perspective on life, he said. Its not a big mission, but every little bit counts. Andy Taylor-Blenis, the festival instructor for international and Scottish dance, said that dance isnt just a way to connect cultures, but also opens a space for people who dont quite fit in. Though she grew up in a family of international folk dancers (her parents founded the Folk Arts Center of New England), Taylor-Blenis said she knew she needed dance when her teachers didnt understand her. In school, some thought she had a learning disability. I was literally told, this is back in the 70s, No youre not smart, just go be a dancer. Only to realize that dancers are exceedingly intelligent, especially if you get into the folk dance fields. They love challenges, they love to get their brains and their bodies connected, she said. Almost 200 people participated in the folk dance festival. Some have been loyal attendees for years, including Jan Bloom of Houston, whos been attending the San Antonio festival for 24 years. Benton said she wishes more people would folk dance simply the act of holding hands, she said, creates a bond between people. It broadens you and you look at people in a different way, Benton said. Everybody is a person, no matter where they came from. We all have the same needs and values at various intensities. It kind of makes you feel like youre not alone in this world. sfosterfrau@express-news.net This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Harris County became one of the first entities in Texas to implement a program that does away with criminal charges for those found carrying small amounts of marijuana, and Bexar County may not be far behind, with the district attorney and several city council members voicing support for the issue, or at least giving it real consideration. Beginning March 1, those caught with small amounts of marijuana in Harris County can take a "decision-making" class and pay a $150 fine instead of being arrested and charged with a crime. We believe that our constituents want us spending their tax dollars making them safer and that they agree that arresting and prosecuting small amounts of marijuana isn't delivering a measurable improvement in people's safety, said Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg, who proposed the policy change, according to the Associated Press. Click through the slideshow above to see what city council members said when asked whether or not they would support relaxing pot policy in San Antonio. Bexar County District Attorney Nico LaHood told mySA.com he was open to working on a program in the Alamo City. Its a win-win for everybody if done correctly, he said. Ive supported cite and release since the law changed, he said, pointing to the 2007 law which allows law enforcement to issue a citation to offenders committing one of six Class A and B misdemeanors, including carrying four ounces or less of marijuana, instead of carting them to jail. Currently, under the Texas Controlled Substances Act of the Health and Safety Code, Texans found in possession of two ounces or less of marijuana commit a Class B misdemeanor, punishable by a fine of up to $2,000 and six months in jail. RELATED: Bill would reduce penalty for marijuana possession in Texas A possible program for Bexar County LaHood could see would use cite and release, with offenders receiving a summons to court, "like a traffic ticket." From there, the accused could decide if they want to enter a program or contest the ticket. "That's more pragmatic," LaHood said. "That's something I've been thinking about for awhile." Were LaHood to create a policy lessening marijuana punishments, he hopes to sit down with city officials and the San Antonio Police Department before barreling ahead with a new program. SAPD spokesman Jesse Salame said the department would like to take a look at what this other jurisdiction has done and see how their program is modeled and work with city leadership and the DAs office to determine if thats something to consider here." RELATED: VIDEO: Texas parents treat daughter's severe autism with marijuana vapor, results are stunning A spokesperson for Mayor Ivy Taylor said she would not make a statement on the matter. When asked why, she said: "Publicly, because were not even considering it right now. Its not something thats on our radar." She added that Taylor doesnt want to comment until it becomes an issue. City councilman Roberto Trevino, District 1, said he would be interested to see how marijuana decriminalization laws would affect San Antonio's large military community. He said natural remedies, like marijuana might be more effective for wounded warriors than a "cocktail version of pain killers." "I think we need to have broader discussions about marijuana and what it means," he said. A Texas Department of Public Safety report found that 61,748 people were arrested for marijuana possession of various quantities in 2015. Bexar County saw 2,477 people arrested for carrying two ounces or less of marijuana in 2016, Salame said. With pot policies on a local level still varying in communities across the state, a move from the Texas state legislature could change things across the board. State lawmakers filed a slew of bills this legislative session that would considerably reduce penalties for marijuana possession. House Bill 81 would eliminate jail time for offenders carrying an ounce or less of marijuana, and remove the threat of arrest. Carrying an ounce or less would instead result in a $250 fine and the marijuana would be seized. RELATED: Texas lawmaker who filed marijuana decriminalization bill works in room 420 Six other bills seeking to lessen punishment for offenders carrying small amounts of marijuana, including one regarding use of medical marijuana, were also filed this session. A total of eighteen states have already legalized medical marijuana and eight others allow the drug for recreational use, according to governing.com. And although it may seem that the country is on the fast track for legal weed everywhere, U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions is on the opposite end of the spectrum he doesn't want to see an America with legal weed. "States, you know, can pass whatever laws they choose, but I'm not sure we're going to be a better, healthier nation if we have marijuana being sold at every corner grocery store," he said in February speech. "We'll have to work our way through that." kbradshaw@express-news.net Twitter: @kbrad5 Bexar County Jail A man was jailed Saturday after he allegedly broke into a 22-year-old man's apartment with two other suspects, shot the man and then stole five pairs of his shoes and marijuana. Paul Joseph Anderson, 28, faces a charge of aggravated robbery. He remains in the Bexar County Jail on a $75,000 bond. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate A Lockhart High School science teacher was arrested Monday after school administrators and police learned that she was allegedly engaged in a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old student. Sarah Madden Fowlkes, 26, faces a charge of improper relationship between an educator and a student, a second-degree felony. RELATED: Former TX teacher gets 10 years probation for having sex with 2 teen boys, won't have to register as sex offender According to a statement from Lockhart Police Chief Ernest Pedraza, school administrators notified police of the relationship on March 10. Police interviewed the student and determined Fowlkes had engaged in "sexual contact with the intent to arouse or gratify the sexual desire of the student," according to Pedraza. A warrant was obtained for her arrest, and she was booked into the Caldwell County Jail. In addition to notifying police, Lockhart administrators said they also contact Child Protective Services about the incident. RELATED: Gov. Abbott, new bill target growing teacher-student sex trend in Texas "Lockhart parents entrust their children to us every day, and it is something we do not take lightly. Student safety is the district's most important priority," said Lockhart ISD Superintendent Susan Bohn. Fowlkes was suspended from the school and "will not return," Bohn said. "The district does not and will not tolerate any improper communication or contact between a teacher and child." RELATED: Indictment: Former TX high school swim coach had sex with minor for years An email was sent to the parents of Lockhart High School students Monday to notify them of Fowlkes' arrest. The email also asks students and parents to contact the Lockhart Police Department at 512-398-4401 if they have any other information about the relationship. "On behalf of the district and Board of Trustees, I want to assure parents we do not tolerate this kind of behavior and are fully cooperating with law enforcement and CPS," Bohn said. "We will always take swift action to make sure concerns are properly investigated and actions taken to ensure student safety." cdowns@mysa.com Twitter: @calebjdowns German Chancellor Angela Merkel's awkward meeting with President Donald Trump has led to intense scrutiny of their body language and facial expressions, but that wasn't the only deeply observed exchange. Photos of first daughter Ivanka Trump sitting next to Merkel have gone viral, after several people on social media have questioned why Ivanka would be in a meeting with the powerful foreign leader. Twitter users have compared the backgrounds and professional qualifications of both women. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Newly declassified, 70-year-old footage of nuclear weapons tests was released last week showing a number of experiments carried out by the U.S. government. Between 1945 and 1962, the U.S. performed 210 atmospheric nuclear tests, according to a Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory news release, and now, 64 tapes have been released to the public and posted on YouTube. Greg Spriggs, a physicist for LLNL, was key part of the film recovery crew, and had some unique insight into what the footage shows. Three bombs included in the footage were called Nutmeg, Tesla and Rushmore. Spriggs said if one of those bombs were to explode in San Antonio, they would destroy an area equivalent to the roughly 3 miles from the Alamo to Brackenridge Park. RELATED: What if a nuclear weapon detonated in San Antonio? He said the Tesla explosion had a yield of 7 kilotons and Rushmore had one of 0.2 kilotons. The largest explosion was the Nutmeg, which had a payload of 25 kilotons. The bomb dropped on Nagasaki, Japan in August 1945, known as "Fat Man," had a 20 kiloton payload and would have destroyed an area about equivalent to Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, news archives show. Spriggs, who made it his mission over the past five years to recover thousands of films showing the nuclear tests, said the original films decompose as they age. "To date, the team has located around 6,500 of the estimated 10,000 films created during atmospheric testing. Around 4,200 films have been scanned, 400 to 500 have been reanalyzed and around 750 have been declassified," according to the release. kbradshaw@express-news.net Twitter: @kbrad5 State Rep. Tom Craddicks fourth attempt to pass a state ban on texting while driving is worthy of bipartisan support in the Texas Senate. The state representative from Midland was successful last week in obtaining a 114-32 vote on legislation that would make it illegal to test and drive in Texas. Its next hurdle is the state Senate, where a similar bill by Judith Zaffirini, D-Laredo, met with a 6-3 vote in the State Affairs Committee. It is her fifth filing of the legislation. Room not an issue Re: Prayer room becomes issue; Frisco superintendent gets letter about AGs concerns, Metro, Monday: Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (and, by association, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick) again show their absolute stupidity in raising a nonissue to complicate life in a public school. For seven years, students of all faiths at Liberty High in Frisco have, on their own initiative, found unused space to meet and pray. Out of the blue, the attorney generals office sends a letter raising concerns, which is bound to send administrators, students, parents and observers into a tailspin, distracting them from all-too-real everyday issues. The nutcases in Austin should spend time working on the real problems facing Texas broken education system instead of dredging up nonissues to create smoke screens to hide their failure to meet their true responsibilities. Al Ely Thats some IQ Re: New boss at the EPA casts doubt on science; Pruitt doesnt buy findings on CO2, front-page March 10: Its exciting they found somebody to run the EPA who is smarter than hundreds perhaps thousands of scientists, plus the folks who now work for him. I wonder if his boss doesnt suffer from the same syndrome. Jim Douglas Make America Grate In George Orwells 1984, the proles (lower socioeconomic class) were denied knowledge of class differences, and even denied the education and vocabulary to define and rise against inequity. In the U.S. today, the appallingly low voter turnout suggests the possibility of our nation approaching the very same conditions. However, as a highly educated 80-year-old, I firmly believe we will maintain the values and beliefs of our Founding Fathers and rise above the Trumpian Make America Grate Again mentality. What say you, my fellow Americans? Don Barnes The bell tolls Re: Trump era increasing stress levels, Bruce Davidson, Other Views, March 12: It wouldnt take long for Sigmund Freud to figure out that anxiety levels rise when a POTUS cannot tell the difference between fiction and nonfiction. And it wouldnt take long for George Orwell to figure out that anxiety levels keep rising when a POTUS administration uses doublespeak like fake news, alternative facts and conspiracy theories to explain its actions. And it wouldnt take long to figure out that anxiety levels will continue rising when Trump-Ryancare really does not care about the health of this nation. Therefore, America, ask not for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee. J.L. Howell A con job Reviewing the White House counselor Kellyanne Conways suggestion that Team Trump may have been surveilled through microwaves and televisions, I realized how aptly she is named Kellyanne CONway. Donald P. Soele Reading list Recommended reading for POTUS: The Boy Who Cried Wolf. Barry Duncan Unethical rhetoric Recent White House contortions to explain what President Donald Trump meant by wiretap, combined with the statement by the House Intelligence Committee chair that there is no wiretap evidence, reaffirms what Democrats and Republicans have known for many months: Richard Nixon notwithstanding, for the first time in modern history perhaps the first time ever we have a president of the United States whose words mean anything and therefore absolutely nothing. Trump cannot be trusted to speak truthfully, accurately and consistently. He seems totally unaccountable for his discourse. This is an extremely dangerous state of affairs. If we cannot take the commander in chiefs words literally, and if Trump and his surrogates interpret and reinterpret his words after the fact to mean anything they desire, where does that leave our ability to communicate and govern? At this point, why would or should anyone whether foreign leaders, members of Congress, citizens, etc. believe or count on him? The only question remaining is: How long will we ignore, excuse and permit Trumps irresponsible and unethical rhetoric to persist? Richard Cherwitz Protecting others Re: Moral equivalent, Your Turn, March 12: I take issue with this assessment by the letter writer. Automobile insurance is not mandated by any government to protect your own property. It is to protect others property in case of an accident due to negligence or carelessness. That is why you have liability insurance mandated in the state of Texas. Most lenders require you to protect your own property for their sake (collision and comprehensive). Those lenders have an investment in you and want it protected. It should be up to you to protect yourself and family. Terry M. Dill Why outsource? Re: How to calm waters for barge contract, Another View, Michael K. Morse, March 10: Hey, city of San Antonio! Do we have to award this contract to an out-of- town company? Chicago? Really? There must be someone in San Antonio qualified to do this efficiently, and will sign a contract to benefit San Antonio! Heck, if you cant find anyone else, Ill do it! Larry Crow, Harlingen If there's a potentially dangerous collection of chemicals in a town, the people who live there - and the first-responders - should know about it. Unfortunately, the Trump administration has delayed for three months a regulation that would ensure that - and might even rescind the rule. The reason cited is a familiar one: terrorism. Theoretically, terrorists could use that information to plan a devastating attack. Yet that could apply to many other large industrial facilities that are already well-known - and which are not being exploited by terrorists. In reality, some businesses don't want to go to the trouble of reporting their potential hazards. A few might even be concealing safety violations. They have found a receptive ear in the new administration. Yet there has to be a balance, a way to avoid killing jobs ... or people. This regulation stems from the disaster in West, 20 miles north of Waco, in 2013 when a fertilizer plant exploded, killing 15 people and injuring dozens. Fertilizer compounds were stored improperly, and firefighters responding to the scene didn't know what they were dealing with. Several of them died because of this lack of basic knowledge. While the tragedy in West was well-known, it was not an isolated incident. The Environmental Justice Health Alliance, an advocacy group, says more than 1,500 chemical releases or explosions occurred from 2004 to 2013, causing 58 deaths and more than 17,000 injuries. Local residents and first-responders should know, at least in general terms, of potential hazards like this. The regulations that the new administration have delayed were developed over a three-year period involving eight public hearings and more than 44,000 public comments. That's hardly a rush job. Public safety should be a priority for Republicans and Democrats. President Trump and new EPA administrator Scott Pruitt should find a way to protect vulnerable areas without hobbling industry. We shouldn't have to choose one or the other. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Trisha Brown, one of postmodern dances greatest pioneers, one of Mills College Dance Departments most illustrious graduates and an artist of infinite wit and invention, died Saturday, March 18, in San Antonio, after suffering for several years from vascular dementia. Ms. Brown was 80 and had long ago ceded the running of her dance company to associates Diane Madden and Caroline Lucas. She made her last dances in 2011, and the company made its last of several Bay Area appearances with Cal Performances in March 2013. Trisha proposed a whole new language of movement, nuanced, articulate and profoundly intelligent, said Brenda Way, the artistic director and founder of San Franciscos ODC. And her performance world knew no boundaries. We are all in her debt. Ms. Browns ascent to international dance icon seemed almost preordained. After a workshop with Marins Anna Halprin, Ms. Brown moved to New York to study dance composition with Robert Dunn and helped to found the Judson Dance Theater in 1962, and the Grand Union Collective and the Trisha Brown Dance Company, both in 1971. In the early years, Ms. Brown fell under the spell of avant-garde dancer and choreographer Merce Cunningham. Her democratic dances additionally shunned virtuosity or regulation footwear. Thus, a walk up a wall (with the aid of a harness) could be a dance. So could simultaneous and contrapuntal actions performed on proximate SoHo Manhattan rooftops (Roof Piece). The latter was revived not long ago with some success. The solo Accumulation, and its later version, Accumulation With Talking Plus Water Motor, were paradigmatic of Ms. Browns brilliance in building phrases out of simple material, fusing text and movement. Ms. Browns routine suggested a master architect laying stones in place. In time, Ms. Brown brought a greater theatricality to her dances and sought notable, experiment-minded collaborators, especially visual artist Robert Rauschenberg, composer-poet Laurie Anderson, artist Donald Judd and composer Alvin Curran. The pieces very titles Set and Reset, Glacial Decoy, Astral Convertible, Lateral Pass summon a golden era for Ms. Brown. Who else ever projected film on the dancers bodies? Such works established and elevated the choreographers reputation in Europe, especially France, where at a dance festival in 2006, one witnessed dance film students greeting Ms. Brown like royalty, hanging on every word. Those 1980s Brown works now seem like the kernel of a singular epoch in the history of the American avant-garde, and so did the companys regular visits to Berkeley and San Francisco, where the dancer introduced her great solo, If You Couldnt See Me. Performed entirely with back to audience (and what an eloquent back Ms. Brown possessed), it elicited much comment among choreographers, even from those whose aesthetics differed markedly from hers. In the last decades of her life, Ms. Brown embraced for her dances conventional classical music, even opera. Schubert, Monteverdi, Bach, Bizet and Rameau inspired full-evening and short creations. Rameau was the music driving Les Yeux et lame, which closed the Berkeley farewell concert. The work glowed with a light that is now sadly extinguished. An earlier Berkeley tour visit provided an insight into Ms. Browns philosophy. It happened in early October 1998, and in the middle of a Brown concert, Zellerbach shook and rumbled from one of the periodic 1989 Loma Prieta aftershocks. The audience bolted for the exits; the performers kept dancing. Asked later about the incident, Ms. Brown could only respond: Dancing is what we do. Chronicle staff writer Leba Hertz contributed to this report. Allan Ulrich is the San Francisco Chronicles dance correspondent. WASHINGTON The two Californians who lead their parties on the House Intelligence Committee framed starkly different interpretations of FBI Director James Comeys blockbuster announcement Monday that his agency is investigating Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, including possible coordination between the Trump campaign and Vladimir Putins government. Comeys revelation marked the first time the agency had publicly confirmed not just the existence of a probe, but whether then-candidate Donald Trumps aides were connected to what Russian officials were allegedly doing. He gave no details whom the probes targets were and offered no timeline for how long the investigation would take. At the very least, the inquiry will be a distraction for President Trump when he is trying to push major initiatives through Congress, including a new health-coverage strategy, huge cuts in discretionary domestic spending and increases in the Pentagons budget, and construction of a wall along the U.S.-Mexican border. The worst-case scenario for Trump is far more dire: the prospect that campaign associates will be implicated in a scheme engineered by Moscow to help get him elected. In his testimony to the Intelligence Committee, Comey also said the FBI has no evidence to back up Trumps tweeted assertions that former President Barack Obama had him wiretapped during the campaign. In the waning days of Obamas administration, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence said U.S. spy agencies had concluded with high confidence that Putin ordered an influence campaign in 2016 aimed at the U.S. presidential election that included hacking Democratic officials emails. Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton was placed on the defensive for weeks as the emails were leaked. As secretary of state, Clinton said Russian elections in 2011 had been neither free nor fair, something Putin took as an attack on him. Comey testified Monday that it was an easy call for intelligence officials to deduct that Putin hated Clinton so much that he clearly wanted Trump to win. Republicans effort to minimize the potential damage to Trump was led by committee Chairman Rep. Devin Nunes of Tulare. The San Joaquin Valley native is in his eighth term in Congress but became a national figure only this year, when he assumed the chairmanship of the intelligence panel after serving on Trumps transition team. I can tell you we dont have any evidence, of collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia, Nunes told Comey. That would be something we really should know about and know about quickly. Theres a big gray cloud youve now put over people who have very important work to do to lead this country. Nunes alleged that the Obama administration had failed to take Russian cyberattacks seriously before intelligence officials concluded that they were aimed at damaging the Democratic presidential nominee. He pressed Comey on illegal leaks from intelligence agencies to the media, and got the FBI director to say that there was no evidence that Russian officials had tampered directly with balloting machines in swing states. Nunes also asked Comey whether he would investigate Clinton if any evidence emerged of Russian ties to her campaign. Trump reacted in a similar vein, responding to the hearing with a series of tweets, bringing up Clinton and insisting, The real story that Congress, the FBI and all others should be looking into is the leaking of Classified information. Must find leaker now! Nunes acknowledged that Trumps wiretapping claim appears to be unfounded, but he raised the possibility that other surveillance tactics had been used against the then-Republican nominee. At a later briefing, White House spokesman Sean Spicer refused to withdraw the wiretapping allegation. Comey, who was named FBI director by former President Barack Obama, declined to comment when Republicans pressed him on whether he had evidence that people leaking information had committed wrongdoing. But he did confirm their assertions that some media reports on the issue have been incorrect and that the leaking is illegal. Republicans argued that anonymous leaks from the intelligence bureaucracy are a threat to democracy. Democratic panel members, given a rare opportunity in the spotlight in a Republican-dominated Congress, were led by Rep. Adam Schiff of Burbank. Like Nunes, he has emerged since January from near obscurity to become a leading spokesman for his party, thanks to the Russia probe. As the panels top Democrat, Schiff used a 15-minute opening statement to construct a circumstantial case against Trump associates. These included the Russian ties and allegedly suspicious actions of former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort; former Trump political adviser Roger Stone; Michael Flynn, who resigned as the presidents national security adviser over lying about meetings with Russian officials; and Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who recused himself from any Russia issues after he failed to disclose a private meeting with the Russian ambassador. All have denied doing anything wrong. Is it possible that all these events and reports are completely unrelated and nothing more than an entirely unhappy coincidence? Schiff asked. He said it is instead more than possible ... that the Russians used the same techniques to corrupt U.S. persons that they have employed in Europe and elsewhere. Two Bay Area Democrats on the panel, Reps. Jackie Speier of Hillsborough and Eric Swalwell of Dublin, followed a similar line. Speier homed in on Secretary of State Rex Tillerson in his former role as chief executive of ExxonMobil, accusing him of cozying up to Igor Sechin, an alleged former agent of the KGB who is close to Putin. Speier accused Russia of using a form of hybrid warfare to undermine the U.S. government. Comey declined to use the term warfare, but said Russia is engaged in a multifaceted campaign of active measures to undermine our democracy, to hurt one of the candidates and hope to help one of the other candidates. Swalwell recited Comeys admonition that anyone who lies should never be believed again, referring the FBI director to his own finding that there is no apparent evidence for Trumps wiretapping claim and implying that the president, by Comeys own rule, should not be believed. Swalwell said in a television interview that the committee should leave open the possibility of subpoenaing Trump and his tax returns. Comeys new role is a striking turn from a few months ago. Less than two weeks before the election, his announcement that the FBI might reopen its investigation into Clintons use of a private email server while she was secretary of state sent her poll numbers tumbling. Comey then said a few days later that there was no reason to reopen the probe, but Clinton campaign officials blamed him for tipping the election. Now it is Republicans who are asking why Comey has gone public with an investigation against the Trump campaign. Our practice is not to confirm the existence of ongoing investigations, especially those investigations that involve classified matters, but in unusual circumstances where it is in the public interest, it may be appropriate to do so as Justice Department policies recognize, Comey said. This is one of those circumstances. Comey said he received authorization from the Justice Department to confirm the existence of the investigation as part of our counterintelligence mission, and that it includes investigating the nature of any links between individuals associated with the Trump campaign and the Russian government and whether there was any coordination between the campaign and Russias efforts. As with any counterintelligence investigation, this will also include an assessment of whether any crimes were committed. Carolyn Lochhead is The San Francisco Chronicles Washington correspondent. Email: clochhead@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @carolynlochhead This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate With the House Intelligence Committee on Monday prepared to hold hearings on Russian influence in the 2016 presidential election, the president issued a series of tweets that did not hold up well as the testimony unfolded. Trump tweeted, "James Clapper and others stated that there is no evidence Potus colluded with Russia. This story is FAKE NEWS and everyone knows it!" He also wrote, "The Democrats made up and pushed the Russian story as an excuse for running a terrible campaign. Big advantage in Electoral College & lost!" But in his opening testimony, FBI Director James Comey announced that a criminal investigation into possible links between Russia and the Trump campaign was indeed active and on-going: "I have been authorized by the Department of Justice to confirm that the FBI, as part of our counterintelligence mission, is investigating the Russian government's efforts to interfere in the 2016 presidential election and that includes investigating the nature of any links between individuals associated with the Trump campaign and the Russian government and whether there was any coordination between the campaign and Russia's efforts. As with any counterintelligence investigation, this will also include an assessment of whether any crimes were committed." In an unusual declassified report released in January, the CIA, FBI and National Security Agency had previously announced that they had "high confidence" that "Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered an influence campaign in 2016 aimed at the US presidential election" and that "Putin and the Russian Government developed a clear preference for President-elect Trump." Comey's statement was the first official confirmation that activities of people associated with the Trump campaign were also being investigated. Moreover, Comey firmly rejected Trump's tweeted claim on March 4 that former President Barack Obama had ordered wiretaps of him in the Trump Tower. "I have no information that supports those tweets and we have looked carefully inside the FBI," Comey said. "The Department of Justice has asked me to share with you that the answer is the same for the Department of Justice and all its components. The department has no information that supports those tweets." Comey made it clear that no president on his own could order a wiretap; such an action must be approved by a judge. Meanwhile, NSA director Michael Rogers dismissed the White House suggestion that Obama asked British intelligence to spy on Trump - a claim already angrily rejected the United Kingdom. Rogers confirmed that such a request would be a violation of U.S. law and White House statements on the matter "clearly frustrates a key ally of ours." The testimony overall was clearly damaging to the White House. But then the president's other Twitter account tried make lemonade out of lemons. He tweeted, "The NSA and FBI tell Congress that Russia did not influence electoral process." This was a strange claim, especially because if you watch the video, Rogers makes clear that, when asked about whether Russian cyber actors changed vote tallies in Michigan and other states, he replied: "I would highlight we are a foreign intelligence organization, not a domestic intelligence organization. So it would be fair to say, we are probably not the best organization to provide a more complete answer." Indeed, when later asked about the presidential tweet, Comey said that it did not reflect what they had said: "It certainly wasn't our intention to say that today." Undeterred, the president's Twitter account sent up another flare. "FBI Director Comey: fmr. DNI Clapper "right" to say no evidence of collusion between Russia and Trump Campaign," he tweeted. But this was also false. Comey was specifically talking about the Jan. 6 document issued by the intelligence agencies - a document that the Trump White House has largely ignored, except to suggest it was fake. Former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper later issued a statement saying it was "in the best interest of all Americans" to investigate possible Trump-Russia ties. Another misleading Trump tweet was this one: "FBI Director Comey refuses to deny he briefed President Obama on calls made by Michael Flynn to Russia. " Comey was very careful not to discuss individuals, such as fired national security adviser Michael Flynn. He noted that the listeners were not to draw any unwarranted conclusions from his refusal to comment. But apparently his warning fell on deaf ears at the White House. --- The Pinocchio Test The president's tweets throughout the day were misleading, inaccurate or simply false. The gravity of the disclosures might have called for a more restrained response, as a White House well of credibility is only so deep. But the president chose another approach -- which clearly backfired, tweet after tweet. Score: Four out of four possible Pinocchios The current bank exchange rates for the ZWL$ today are as follows: USD = ZWL$57.3582 ZWL$ = RAND0.3037 Data according to the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe Black Market Rates: USD = ZWL$95-$105 bluemari Marketwatch Breaking News via Email As the course of events inevitably moves on, many of us eventually can good enough divorce people who were once extremely important to us and say our final goodbyes to them. However, even after we have spoken our final farewells, we usually discover that we are unable to let go of the past and cannot properly develop our present as a result of it. This is the case even if we have said our final goodbyes. The children are the ones who suffer the most, yet the formers receive what they deserve in a Florida online divorce. Even the discipline of psychotherapy has a term for this phenomenon, and its called a emotionally incomplete divorce. What signs can we look for to determine whether or not this divorce has been emotionally resolved? What should you do if the former spouse frequently discusses his or her former partner in conversation? And what do you do in situations where he doesnt even mention the name? Leaving that to the side SENSE OF GUILT To put the blame for a divorce on one partner is, in reality, a mistake. To what extent a relationship succeeds or fails depends on the efforts (or lack thereof) of both parties involved. How can good enough marriage divorce two loving people? Thats what overwhelms a woman, as she thought she was living her dream. Therefore, if a woman holds herself solely responsible for a breakup, it is important to identify the specific causes of divorce that women might hold themselves responsible for. If there are valid reasons, most women will blame themselves. Not in love, unable to listen, jaded, and, consequently, she is the one who can good enough make divorce. How to cope? Be honest with yourself and accept that divorce is your reality and avoid any emotional reasoning. You choose to spend your life with someone who shares your beliefs and values. Having ones opinions and the person sitting next to them shift over time is quite normal. Never put the responsibility on yourself by wondering if, when, or what might have been done differently to prevent the divorce. You acted in accordance with our inner reality as it was at the time. Avoid harsh self-criticism as a result of this. You should not change your history now. The sum of these factors establishes your humanity. Dont beat yourself up for not heeding the advice of your mother or other loved ones; ultimately, fulfilment comes from forging ones own path in life. Do not punish yourself for not being rescued. Relationships need two people to both make significant contributions. If the alternative is to continually glue, heal, and repair massive holes, then it is often preferable to simply cut off. Do not blame yourself, of course, for the children being fatherless. Living under continual stress, sorrow, and suffering is the worst possible way to raise children, who should be raised in a loving, whole family. You wouldnt want to set that kind of example for your kids, would you? LONELINESS After marriage troubles and a breakup, men and women fear being alone. Whoever filed for divorce is irrelevant. Few individuals examine psychological issues during a marriage. Change is a step beyond your typical routine. Its from a location the person knows and can readily understand. People fear being alone. Finding inner strength is crucial. If the fear is intense or prolonged, we may be discussing broader viewpoints. Psychologist-led treatment is needed. A womans loneliness anxiety grows after a divorce. With her divorce, shes portrayed as a victim. They stigmatize and criticize divorcees. Recognizing and accepting truth is vital during and after a divorce. Theres no reason to meet an ex or stalk him on social media. Consider ways to fix the situation. Mental peace cant return until acceptance. FEAR The physiological reaction of fear can act as an early warning system for potential threats that have yet to materialize. This encapsulates the things that have become the utmost priority for us at this time. The fear center of the brain is responsible for processing incoming information as well as issuing commands, such as directing more blood to the limbs in the event that you need to take off running or to the brain in the event that you need to undertake some serious problem-solving. On the other hand, there are times when fear has the opposite effect, paralysing us while we attempt to figure out how to react to whatever it is thats terrifying us. ANGER The public tends to think of violent outbursts and angry outbursts as red flags in a relationship. In most cases, a person will have this sense when they have good grounds to assume that they are being ignored (and some people live with this feeling all the time). One of the benefits of being furious is that it causes certain chemicals, including adrenaline, to be released into the circulation. The body receives a significant increase in its capacity for activity as a result of these compounds. After that, we become acutely aware of our strength and go through a period of increased courage and self-assurance. In addition, if we give in to our anger, it is an indication that we have lost control of the situation and are getting ready to resort to physical force. GRIEF Loss (of a loved one as well as material things in the event of divorce) drives people to retreat within, and grieving assists in this process, allowing them to regain their mental and physical reserves and continue living their lives after the loss has occurred. You might be able to win over yourself, come to terms with the loss, and regain the significance that the circumstance once held for you. When we are surrounded by other people who understand our anguish and are empathetic to our loss, we have a sense of increased safety. MIND AND FEELINGS You may be wondering can good enough marriage make divorce? it can, and it is okay to suffer. We were brought up in a culture in which having self-control (also known as governing oneself) has traditionally been considered as a virtue. Self-control, which is analogous to a vigilant watchdog, acts as a constant reminder that there are some behaviors that should not be displayed in polite company. Among these are the manifestations of powerful feelings such as rage, terror, or even happiness. If we exhibit any traces of emotion, other people may see us as being weak, and their replies to us may be interpreted as being inappropriate, amusing, or even obscene. There arent that many outliers; rather, its the collective elation or terror that arises when several people find themselves in the same conditions at the same time. It is only natural for a crowd to yell and sing slogans in unison during a football game or have a collective moment of horror as they watch a TV news report on a devastating tsunami. Another natural occurrence is for the crowd to have a collective moment of awe when they watch a football game together. To put this in a more diplomatic light, however, it is not normal to dance in the workplace in celebration of a promotion, nor is it customary to exhibit ones discomfort in front of others. Rigid self-control offers a measure of psychological comfort, whereas ritualized expressions of emotion modulate and reduce the state of affect. On the other hand, a significant vulnerability occurs when we are unable to behave in a way that is congruent with our internal condition. Therefore, grant yourself permission to struggle through this difficult period so that you might have joyous sentiments in the future. Breaking News via Email NATIONAL University of Science and Technology (Nust) lecturer Dumisani Madzivanyati has claimed that he sustained head injuries after he was allegedly struck with an iron rod early this month by co-owners of the highly contested Kershelmar Farm in Nyamandlovu, Matabeleland North province. Madzivanyati claims he was assaulted while preparing land on a portion of the farm measuring 50 hectares that was allocated to him by Lands minister Anxious Masuka. The farm was co-owned by Zephania Dlamini, a scientist working at Nust, Siphosami Malunga, the son of late nationalist Sydney Malunga and Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa director, and businessman Charles Moyo before government acquired it. In a written statement to the police, Madzivanyati claimed that the shareholders of the property assaulted him during a visit to a site allocated to him on July 7. At around 12:00 hours, the accused persons came to where I was and asked what I was doing at their farm. I replied that I was the owner of the farm that they passed. At around 13:00 hours, the accused persons came back to where I was working and started recording a video, part of the statement read. I asked them what was transpiring and Dlamini started insulting me, stating that he was the rightful owner of the farm and also saidWhat you are trying to do with your government will fail because this case is in the courts. All the accused persons assaulted me. They struck me once on the head with an iron rod, once on the right arm with an unknown object, grabbed my T-shirt and struck me with fists all over the body. They also uprooted my fencing poles and took my wires, then cut them into pieces. A medical affidavit, now used as an exhibit, signed by a United Bulawayo Hospital doctor stated that: patient (Madzivanyati) still has a pending investigation (brain CT scan) to be reviewed by the general surgeon. The matter is pending in court. Dlamini, Moyo and Malunga have approached the Bulawayo High Court challenging the acquisition of the farm by government. On Monday, through their lawyers Webb, Low and Barry, they filed a notice of opposition at the Bulawayo High Court seeking a stay of the farm acquisition. Court application for a decelerator on the invalidity of the acquisition of applicants land. Take note that the applicant intends to apply to the High Court sitting at Bulawayo for an order in terms of the Draft Order annexed to this notice and that the accompanying affidavit and documents will be used in support of the application, the court papers read. Lands minister, chief lands officer for Matabeleland North province, Registrar of Deeds, Gatsha Mazithulela (CIO co-deputy director general), Madzivanyati, Reason Mpofu and Matabeleland North Provincial Affairs minister Richard Moyo are cited as first to seventh respondents respectively. Mazithulela, Zanu PF secretary for administration Obert Mpofu, and Moyo have been accused of being behind the move to seize the farm. NewsDay Breaking News via Email Since launching glo in Japan, BAT says demand for the tobacco heating product has overwhelmed supply in its Japan-based test market. UNITED KINGDOM British American Tobacco (BAT) is investing heavilymore than $1 billion over the last five yearsin next generation products, a term the company uses to describe new types of alternatives to smoking, including vapor products (e-cigarettes) and tobacco heating products. I see our role in tobacco harm reduction very clearly. Its to help reduce the public health burden of smoking and, to do so, ensure that we have the resources, skills and ambition to develop and market a compelling range of products which will deliver to consumers needs, says Kingsley Wheaton, managing director of next generation products for BAT, in the companys 2016 Sustainability Report. Part of that investment is BATs tobacco heating product, glo, launched in Japan in December 2016. Glo provides a similar experience to that of a cigarette, but by heating, rather than burning, tobacco. BAT says glo delivers a cleaner experience for the consumer with around 90% less toxicants than a standard cigarette. Glo works by heating Neostiks, under the Kent brand, that contain tobacco and are available in different flavors like bright tobacco and fresh mint. Japan is a great market for testing this type of new product as consumers are so open to new technologies, and the country is seen as a unique market and well-suited for this type of product, explained Brett Mather, head of next generation products at BAT Japan, in the companys Sustainability Report 2016. The Kent brand is also one that Japanese consumers already know and trust. Brett calls glo a real game changer for consumersa genuine advancement in tobacco heating products for the Japanese market, adding that BAT spent over a year preparing to launch glo by engaging with the government and public officials, gaining consumer insights through research and focus groups, and educating retailers so they understand and can explain the product to their customers. BATs first flagship store in Sendai, Japan, offers consumers the opportunity to experience the new glo brand. Now in its fourth month of being on the market, BAT told Reuters that demand for glo overwhelmed supply. The news source also notes that these types of heat but not burn tobacco products are rapidly gaining popularity in Japan; Philip Morris says it has more than doubled the supply of its IQOS tobacco device, which was still not enough to meet the demand. Reuters writes that Japan Tobacco Inc. suggested its domestic cigarettes sales volume could decline by 9.6% this year, partly because of the growing popularity of e-cigarettes. The company will begin selling its Ploom Tech e-cigarettes in some parts of Tokyo. BAT indicated that it plans to sell glo throughout Japan later this year. By Lambert Strether of Corrente Politics New Cold War The FBI director also dealt the presidents credibility a blow when he said he has no information that supports Trumps allegation from two weeks ago that President Obama ordered surveillance [not wiretap?] of his communications in Trump Tower during the campaign. Only courts grant permission for electronic surveillance, Comey told lawmakers, and no individual in the United States can direct electronic surveillance of anyone [ NBC ]. Comey did not say, however, that no Trump associate was ever picked up by American surveillance. He declined to comment on anything related to surveillance under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which allows the FBI to eavesdrop, with a court order, on people they suspect are agents of a foreign power. FBI investigating Russias alleged meddling in US election [ TASS ]. The probe includes investigating the nature of any links between individuals associated with the Trump campaign and the Russian government and whether there was any coordination between the campaign and Russias efforts, [FBI Director James Comey] said. Heatlh Care Trump Transition Amid the complaints about last years process, Democrats on Monday described themselves as taking the high road now. Meeting with Judge Gorsuch and participating in the hearing, Senator Richard J. Durbin of Illinois said, represented a courtesy which Senate Republicans denied to Judge Garland' [New York Times ]. Courtesy. Dear Lord. What losers. Trump has proposed canceling federal government subsidies to states that house prisoners and inmates who are in the U.S. illegally. Hes not the first president to try it, and undoubtedly will get an earful from states like California [ Los Angeles Times ]. Realignment and Legitimacy While theyve yet to prove they are capable of being any kind of a force to be reckoned with, a handful of groups that grew out of the Sanders movement have already begun issuing primary threats against Democratic incumbents [NBC]. Splendid! UPDATE Election 2016 [Mike Davis, New Left Review]. I linked to this post this morning, but I want to call out this section: The defection of white working-class Obama voters to Trump was a decisive factor mainly in a lakeshore rim of industrial counties in Ohio and PennsylvaniaAshtabula, Lorain, Erie and so on which are experiencing a new wave of job flight to Mexico and the Southern states. This region is the epicentre of the revolt against globalization. In other depressed areasthe coal counties of southeastern Ohio, the former anthracite belt of eastern Pennsylvania, the Kanawha Valley of West Virginia, the piedmont textile and furniture towns of the Carolinas, Appalachia in generalthe pro-Republican blue-collar realignment in presidential politics (but not necessarily in local or state politics) was already the status quo. So Im not the only one to identify counties flipping from Obama to Trump as critical pathway to misfortune for Clinton. And now the key question: The mass media has tended to conflate these older and newer strata of lost Democrats, thus magnifying Trumps achievement. A fifth of Trump votersthat is to say, approximately 12 million Americansreported an unfavourable attitude toward him. No wonder the polls got it so wrong. There is no precedent, wrote the Washington Post, for a candidate winning the presidency with fewer voters viewing him favourably, or looking forward to his administration, than the loser. It will be interesting to see if a disaggregation of this segment of the Trump vote is possible. This disaggregation could already be happening: Trump has had a 17-pt swing against him *in a week*. 58% Disapprove 37% Approve Gallup daily tracking pic.twitter.com/ugRahMImpM Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) March 20, 2017 The reason? Im guessing the awful Republican health care plan. And while the Democrat Establishment is yammering about saving the ACA, Sanders is out selling universal health care in West Virginia. Successfully! Stats Watch Chicago Fed National Activity Index, February 2017: Led by employment and including strength for production, February was a good month for the economy. The national activity index rose to 0.34 vs a revised minus 0.2 in January, lifting the 3-month average to a 2-year high at plus 0.25: [Econoday]. But and: The single month index which is not used for economic forecasting which unfortunately is what the CFNAI headlines. Economic predictions are based on the 3 month moving average. The single month index historically is very noisy and the 3 month moving average would be the way to view this index in any event [Econintersect]. In the table, see the three month rolling average for the last 6 months it had been staying within a very tight range but this month it broke through the ranges and now is very positive. Retail: We went to Starbucks every day for a week to see how the coffee giant is dealing with its biggest problem [Business Insider]. Interesting in that Starbucks management seems to have no idea at all how its stores operate. (And I confess I rather like Starbucks, at least in Manhattan; the baristas always have great Manhattanite elan.) IT: IBM launches enterprise-ready blockchain service [Reuters]. So I guess in this context, blockchain doesnt have to scale? Debt: Say Hello to $3 Trillion in Forgotten Debt [Bloomberg]. Companies have been on a borrowing binge, but you wouldnt always know the full scale of their liabilities by looking at the balance sheet. This makes it hard for investors to compare businesses that fund their activities in different ways. Happily though, thats about to change.How come? The answer is buried in the notes to financial statements (you know, the ones you dont bother reading). Its here that companies have parked about $3 trillion in operating lease obligations, according to Bloomberg data. Rapture Index: Unchanged [Rapture Ready]. Record High: 189, October 10, 2016. Current: 182. Todays Fear & Greed Index: 45 Neutral (previous close: 45, Greed) [CNN]. One week ago: 64 (Greed). (0 is Extreme Fear; 100 is Extreme Greed). Last updated Mar 20 at 1:11pm. Eew. Heading toward fear. The 420 Vaping etiquette: How to tackle the social minefield [BBC]. News you can use! Water Massive Tijuana sewage spill that polluted San Diego beaches part of larger problem [Los Angeles Times]. Best headline ever! Health Can California Achieve Universal Health Care in the Age of Trump? [The Nation]. That brings us to Newsoms pitch, modeled on a program called Healthy San Francisco, which was instituted in 2007 when he was mayor. This is not single-payer health insurance, but it would guarantee universal access to health care. Its a kind of hybrid between the managed-care craze of the 1990s and the socialized medicine of Britains National Health Service. the universal-care idea differs from the single-payer approach that even Newsoms supporters prefer. Its certainly easier to find the money to fill in the cracks of the current system than it is to overhaul it. But what if those cracks become gaping holes? Medicaid is out of control. Heres how to fix it. [Robert J. Samuelson, WaPo]. I find the Democrat silence on capping Medicaid deafening. Class Warfare A global report on happiness devoted an entire chapter to misery in America [Quartz]. Jeffrey Sachs, an economist at Columbia University and one of the reports lead authors, argues in the chapter that much of US policy directed at solving economic problems misses the point. [S}urvey respondents place[d] themselves on a 10-rung ladder to assess their own happiness. The top rung represents the best possible life they could be having, and the bottom rung represents the worst. Since this measure was first taken, in 2007, American happiness has declined 7%. The report breaks that fall down into six indicators. Two have got better: income per capita and healthy life expectancy. But the other four have all gotten worse. Fewer people said they felt free enough to choose what they do with their lives. Fewer said they had someone to count on in times of trouble. People were less generous, as measured by donations to charity. And they perceived politicians as more corrupt. The decline of neoliberalism is emphatically not the decline of capitalism, so what does it mean to say neoliberalism is past its sell-by date? Neoliberalism is not, after all, just a set of policies that can be discontinued and replaced with something else neoliberal capitalism has birthed a complex global economy that isnt going to change overnight. Moreover, neoliberalism is also an encompassing set of orienting ideas that pervades all spheres of life; its core ethos of faith in private enterprise, ever-expanding commodification, and bootstrap individualism remains robust [Jacobin], The politics that prevail in America will determine whether the transition from neoliberal capitalism to something else is a step forward or a descent into hell. Yep. UPDATE Too Frightened to Change a Hated Order [Perry Anderson, The Nation]. For anti-systemic movements of the left in Europe, the lesson of recent years is clear. If they are not to go on being outpaced by movements of the right, they cannot afford to be less radical in attacking the system, and must be more coherent in their opposition to it. That means facing the probability that the EU is now so path-dependent as a neoliberal construction that reform of it is no longer seriously conceivable. And the United States? News of the Wired How the internet found a better way to prove youre not a robot [Business Insider]. A Google service: The new, invisible reCaptcha aims to tell whether a given visitor is a robot or not purely by analysing their browsing behaviour. Barring a short wait while the system does its job, a typical human visitor shouldnt have to do anything else to prove theyre not a robot. I Am A Number. Am I Prime? [SwaraJaya]. Stop saying DeepCoder steals code from StackOverflow [Smerity]. Ive placed these in order of increasing technical difficulty One last farewell: 'Go Johnny, go.' The wonderful interstellar letter to #ChuckBerry on his 60th birthday from #CarlSagan & Ann Druyan @LettersOfNote pic.twitter.com/ixFdWCf2br Max Planck Society (@maxplanckpress) March 19, 2017 Life is Easier With Guilt Public Information Campaign [Scarfolk Council]. Enjoy! Ha ha. * * * Readers, feel free to contact me with (a) links, and even better (b) sources I should curate regularly, and (c) to find out how to send me images of plants. Vegetables are fine! Fungi are deemed to be honorary plants! See the previous Water Cooler (with plant) here. And heres todays plant (PM): PM writes: Iceland Moss Lichen (Cetraria islandica). Used in Icelandic Schnapps. Had shot of this tonight at a dinner party.. Tastes and smells like a cross between Angostura and Raicilla. Readers, Water Cooler is a standalone entity, not supported by the very successful Naked Capitalism fundraiser just past. Now, I understand you may feel tapped out, but when and if you are able, please use the dropdown to choose your contribution, and then click the hat! Your tip will be welcome today, and indeed any day. Water Cooler will not exist without your continued help. Lambert here: Should be interesting to see how this plays out in 2018 and 2020. By Tsvetana Paraskova, a writer for the U.S.-based Divergente LLC consulting firm with over a decade of experience writing for news outlets such as iNVEZZ and SeeNews. Originally published at OilPrice.com. The oil price slump has put pressure on the budgets of the U.S. oil and coal states that have been struggling with lower energy tax revenues and difficult decisions about which public-sector financing they should reduce. Higher budget deficits have led to cuts across the board, and education has been one of the sectors on the chopping block. This week, Wyoming became the latest in a series of oil and coal producing states that have cut funds from education. Oklahoma, North Dakota and Alaska had already lowered some of the funding for various education programs throughout last year, when the sting of the low oil prices was most painful to monthly tax collections. Last year, six of the top eight oil-pumping U.S. states slipped into recession, S&P Global Ratings said in a report in January. Alaska, Louisiana, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, and Wyoming saw their economies shrink in 2016, while Texas and Montana had GDP growth much smaller than in 2015, estimates in the report show. The sharp pullback in exploration and production during the past 18 months has inflicted considerable damage on the economies of the oil producing states, S&P said back in January. While the oil price crash was affecting drilling and consequently, oil revenues of the states, U.S. coal production was also dropping. In the first quarter of 2016, U.S. coal output hit its lowest quarterly level since a major coal strike in the second quarter of 1981, the EIA said last June, with coal production from the Powder River Basin in Montana and Wyoming declining the most in tonnage and percentage since the previous quarter. Related: Oil Prices Wait And Watch For OPECs Next Move And Wyoming was the latest U.S. state to cut from education funds. Governor Matt Mead approved on March 13 a K-12 education spending plan that cuts $34.5 million from schools. The education funding shortage was a result of the downturn and previous years of generous spending. Wyomings State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jillian Balow told The Casper Star-Tribune in December that historically high spending levels are now untenable. The truth of the matter is that were going to need to think about funding education as a Chevy rather than a Cadillac in the future, Balow told the newspaper. Since around 30 percent of Wyomings spending on education comes from federal mineral royalties, and another 30 percent from property taxes often backed by these minerals, its hardly a surprise that the state has cut some of the education spend. Future funding for some of Wyomings educational programs could really depend on the state of the U.S. oil and coal industries, The Atlantic notes. Across the oil producing states, North Dakotas Revised Executive Budget Recommendation 2017-2019 prioritizes K-12 education, but envisages a $31-million reduction to higher education. In the middle of last year, Alaska Governor Bill Walker cut a total of $150 million in budget allocations to schools, the university and the state education department. I especially struggled with the funding to education, which I have consistently prioritized. But a $4 billion deficit means nothing can be insulated, Governor Walker said. In Oklahoma, some school districts have switched to a 4-day school week to save funds in light of declining oil revenues. Its in Oklahoma, however, that the more stable and relatively higher oil prices since the beginning of this year started turning in increased gross receipts to the Treasury. Mostly driven by rising oil and gas production collections, gross receipts to the Treasury grew by 0.5 percent on the year in January at $990.5 million, putting an end to a 20-month string of shrinking collections, State Treasurer Ken Miller said. Related: Can OPEC Resist The Temptation To Cheat? Low prices and curtailed production in the oil field led us into the latest downturn, and it appears rising prices and production are leading us out. Several data points rising state GDP, rig counts, business conditions, and employment give reason for cautious optimism, Miller noted. Receipts in February also inched up compared to February last year. So, higher oil prices are helping Oklahomas revenues, while Wyomings coal is not thriving, either in production or in revenues for the state. Despite the oil price recovery from last years lows, the U.S. coal and oil states still have substantial budget gaps to fill in, and would be wise to continue sticking to some form of austerity in spending and budgeting. Uber, once the company that could do no wrong, at least in the eyes of the press, now seems to be careening from one PR disaster to another. And in a telling bit of irony, the latest scandal is the result of the president, Jeff Jones, who was brought in a mere six months ago from Target, quitting suddenly. And what was Jones job? To clean up Ubers image! Jones resignation is now the lead story at Bloomberg; the Financial Times, Wall Street Journal and Reuters have their accounts on their front pages above the fold. The immediate trigger for the departure appeared to be Ubers recently-announced search for a #2, in which Jones was not under consideration for the post and was thus effectively being demoted. However, the real dirt came out in industry site Recode. Uber issued a bog standard polite official goodbye, but Kalenick sent out a more tart message internally: And, in a note to staff, Uber CEO Travis Kalanick said: After we announced our intention to hire a COO, Jeff came to the tough decision that he doesnt see his future at Uber. It is unfortunate that this was announced through the press but I thought it was important to send all of you an email before providing comment publicly.[] Indeed, the fact that Jones went out first with the news suggests that there was a lot of tension and/or mistrust before he resigned. Recode next posted Jones statement, which, to put it mildly, isnt the sort of thing you see normally issued by a departing exec who has worked in public companies. And since Jones entire job involves dealing with the press, he knew exactly what he was doing. Again from Recode: Jones also confirmed the departure with a blistering assessment of the company. It is now clear, however, that the beliefs and approach to leadership that have guided my career are inconsistent with what I saw and experienced at Uber, and I can no longer continue as president of the ride sharing business, he said in a statement to Recode. Translation: I couldnt find a way to put enough lipstick on this pig. At a minimum, this is going to make the COO search more complicated. It will be fair game for candidates to press Kalenick hard on whether he is committed to change. Perhaps a candidate from a Fortune 500 company will think twice about how badly he wants this job. Of course, most problems in corporate America can be solved with money, so the pay pot for the role might be sweetened at the margin. The Financial Times reports that Uber was losing staff before the Jones blow-up: Recruiters and rival firms have reported an uptick in job applications from Uber employees in recent weeks, with some saying that workers are losing faith in the companys leadership team. The Journal reminded readers of executive departures: Mr. Jones is among a string of key executive departures in recent weeks, including Ed Baker, vice president of product and growth, and Raffi Krikorian, who helped oversee Ubers self-driving car efforts. Amit Singhal, a top software engineer at Uber, was fired after a month, for failing to disclose allegations of sexual harassment at his previous employer, Alphabet Inc.s Google, a person familiar with the matter said. The Journal also described a recent misfire by Jones: In an ill-fated attempt to respond to driver concerns in February, he held a question-and-answer session on Facebook but addressed only about a dozen of hundreds of questions and signed off after about 30 minutes, despite promising a full hour. Oddly, Bloomberg used the Jones departure as the reason for reciting the local transportation companys litany of transgressions, yet downplayed the content of Jones statement to Recode: The scandals range from allegations of sexual harassment and a toxic work culture to the combative behavior of Chief Executive Officer Travis Kalanick. After Bloomberg published a video on Feb. 28 showing Kalanick berating an Uber driver, he said he would seek leadership help and was planning to hire a chief operating officer. The plan was viewed internally as an effective demotion for Jones, who was hired last year as president of ride-sharing and second in command, a person familiar with the matter said Jones decided to leave because the long string of controversies are not what he signed on for when he left his post as chief marketing officer at Target Corp., according to Recode, which reported his departure earlier Sunday. Joness purview at the closely held company included Ubers brand, which took a beating during his short tenure, largely for reasons beyond his control. Note Bloombergs list does not include Greyball, an app which gave certain customers different views than regular rides, with the intent of stymieing police, and a suit by Alphabet alleging that Uber stole designs from Alphabets self-driving car business. Nevertheless, Jones wasnt merely talking about controversies. The very reason for Jones hiring was that Uber was getting more (deserved) bad press. Jones choice to single out beliefs and approach to leadership says the rot at Uber is coming from the head. An additional issue is if any of the current Uber contretemps escalate into lawsuits, a plaintiff could call on Jones in an effort to bolster an argument that any alleged bad conduct is the result of institutionalized behavior, and not accidents or isolated incidents. While Jones no doubt signed a very tough non-disclosure agreement, they can be set aside in judicial proceedings. A MarketWatch article last week by Rex Nutting posited that Amazon could destroy as many as 2 million jobs, which are as many as one study said were lost to China. While the China estimate strikes me as low, Nuttings math on Amazon appears reasonable. Basically, more and more people have become habituated to online shopping, even for categories like apparel. I have to confess Ive done a fair bit of the little clothes shopping Ive done in the last couple of years on line. On the one hand, I hate dealing with stores because finding anything is so hit or miss, but at least when you find something that looks good in the mirror, its usually a keeper. On the other hand, with online shopping, you can find targets more efficiently, but the hit or miss element shifts to fit, color, and quality of fabric/tailoring. And if you dont have time or patience for returns, you wind up with stuff in your closet that eventually goes to a charity. Here is the guts of Nuttings argument: But for retail workers, Amazon is a grave threat. Just ask the 10,100 workers who are losing their jobs at Macys. M, +0.43% Or the 4,000 at The Limited. Or the thousands of workers at Sears SHLD, +1.00% and Kmart, which just announced 150 stores will be closing. Or the 125,000 retail workers whove been laid off over the past two years. Since 2012, department store jobs have shrunk by 250,000, 14% of that sectors total employment. Retailers now employ 16.5 million, and Nutting backs out categories like gas stations that arent subject to competition from Amazon. Bear in mind that Amazon is trying to move into groceries, but Nutting deems those jobs to be safe for now. He deems the 12 million workers to be at risk, particularly the ones in stores classified as GAFO, for general merchandise (think everything from sporting goods to hardware and electronics), apparel and accessories, furniture and other sales. GAFO merchants are still mainly brick and mortar operators, and rely heavily on malls, which is where Amazon is doing the most damage. Mall anchors like Macys have been particularly hard hit by competition from Amazon, and once a mall loses an anchor for good, its on its way to a death spiral. Nutting again: Theres not much retailers like Macys, The Gap, Best Buy, and Barnes & Noble, can do about it. Their business will be much, much smaller. And now that Amazon is getting serious about groceries, even Wal-Mart is threatened. Although retailers have been laying off workers, they probably arent laying off enough, considering how quickly their sales are eroding. While sales fell 0.6% in 2016, employment at the GAFO stores increased by 1.6%, or about 95,000. You dont make money by hiring more people to sell less. So whats the big deal? Wont the people who once worked at Macys just work at Amazon instead? Well, no. Amazon needs about half as many workers to sell $100 worth of merchandise as Macys does Whats most troubling to brick-and-mortar retailers and their workers is that Amazons sales growth is accelerating (19% in 2014, 20% in 2015 and 28% in 2016), and shows no sign of plateauing. Amazon isnt just taking sales from brick-and-mortar stores; its also taking market share from traditional retailers online stores. Could Amazon actually kill more American jobs than China did? Its quite likely. Economists David Autor, David Dorn and Gordon Hanson have estimated Chinas manufacturing exports to the U.S. may have cost as many as 2 million jobs. If Amazon can capture 40% of the GAFO market within five years (as seems likely), about 1.5 million jobs at brick-and-mortar stores could be lost. Add in the jobs Amazon will kill at grocery stores, drugstores, warehouses and delivery services, and the total would be well over 2 million. And unlike the manufacturing jobs lost to China, which were clustered in a comparatively few counties, those retail jobs are located in every city, town and hamlet in America. Its a remarkable admission of elite blindness for Nutting to depict manufacturing losses as concentrated in a comparatively few counties. Has he ever looked at a map of Rust Belt states? And let us not forget that Obama himself touted Amazon as generating middle class jobs, when its warehouse jobs are both physically exhausting yet poorly paid. As we wrote in 2013: Obama needed a visual to show that, no, really, truly, jobs really are being created somewhere in America for yet another one of his exercises in trying to pretend that hes on the side of ordinary Americans. But its hard finding any really good success stories in an economy with 12.2 million counted as unemployed and over 28 million as disemployed which is the number of people out of work relative to normal labor force participation rates when the economy is in good shape. So Obama chose as his backdrop an American success story, Amazon, which is opening a new a warehouse in Chattanooga and hiring 7,000 people. If you had any doubts that that vision of middle class life was on its way to extinction, the Obama speech made it official. Amazon has been repeatedly cited here and abroad for abusive conditions in its warehouses. So notice, first, that those 7,000 jobs arent in Chattanooga, but all over the US. Second, Amazons cash comp is markedly below local averages. And although it offers a benefits package, its not clear that its better than what other area employers offer. The article doesnt add that some of these 7,000 jobs are part time and/or seasonal. A quick look at a Chattanooga job site shows the hourly for a comparable job at $9 an hour for someone with a minimum of six months recent experience. Thats just above the living wage for a single person in that city of $8.92. The message from Obama is clear: Americans are now expected to celebrate when companies are willing to pay at or not much above a living wage. As long as you pay enough that the workers dont wind up having to seek public assistance in the form of food stamps or emergency rooms for medical care, youll now be promoted as creating better conditions for Americans. Thats true as long as you remember that the Americans that benefit from this grinding down of ordinary citizens are Obamas backers and other members of the elite. Sadly, the Nutting article indicates that the Amazon-induced hollowing out of America could still have a long way to go. Chaos makes carbon materials lighter and stronger (w/video) (Nanowerk News) In the quest for more efficient vehicles, engineers are using harder and lower-density carbon materials, such as carbon fibers, which can be manufactured sustainably by "baking" naturally occurring soft hydrocarbons in the absence of oxygen. However, the optimal "baking" temperature for these hardened, charcoal-like carbon materials remained a mystery since the 1950s when British scientist Rosalind Franklin, who is perhaps better known for providing critical evidence of DNAs double helix structure, discovered how the carbon atoms in sugar, coal, and similar hydrocarbons, react to temperatures approaching 3,000 degrees Celsius (5,432 degrees Fahrenheit) in oxygen-free processing. Confusion over whether disorder makes these graphite-like materials stronger, or weaker, prevented identifying the ideal "baking" temperature for more than 40 years. Fewer, more chaotically arranged carbon atoms produce higher-strength materials, MIT researchers report in the journal Carbon ("Structure-mechanical property relations of non-graphitizing pyrolytic carbon synthesized at low temperatures"). MIT aerospace researchers have demonstrated that some randomness in the arrangement of carbon atoms makes materials that are lighter and stronger, shown at lower right in illustration, compared to a more densely packed and tightly ordered structure, shown lower left. They formed a type of disordered graphite-like carbon material that is often called glassy carbon by baking a phenol-formadehyde hydrocarbon precursor at high temperature in inert gas, a process commonly known as pyrolysis. (Illustration: Itai Stein) They find a tangible link between the random ordering of carbon atoms within a phenol-formaldehyde resin, which was baked at high temperatures, and the strength and density of the resulting graphite-like carbon material. Phenol-formaldehyde resin is a hydrocarbon commonly known as SU-8 in the electronics industry. Additionally, by comparing the performance of the baked carbon material, the MIT researchers identified a sweet spot manufacturing temperature: 1,000 C (1,832 F). These materials were working with, which are commonly found in SU-8 and other hydrocarbons that can be hardened using ultraviolet [UV] light, are really promising for making strong and light lattices of beams and struts on the nanoscale, which only recently became possible due to advances in 3-D printing, says MIT postdoc Itai Stein SM 13, PhD 16. But up to now, nobody really knew what happens when youre changing the manufacturing temperature, that is, how the structure affects the properties. There was a lot of work on structure and a lot of work on properties, but there was no connection between the two. ... We hope that our study will help to shed some light on the governing physical mechanisms that are at play. Stein, who is the lead author of the paper published in Carbon, led a team under professor of aeronautics and astronautics Brian L. Wardle, consisting of MIT junior Chloe V. Sackier, alumni Mackenzie E. Devoe 15 and Hanna M. Vincent 14, and undergraduate Summer Scholars Alexander J. Constable and Naomi Morales-Medina. Our investigations into this carbon material as a matrix for nanocomposites kept leading to more questions making this topic increasingly interesting in and of itself. Through a series of contributions, notably from MIT undergraduate researchers and Summer Scholars, a sustained investigation of several years resulted, allowing some paradoxical results in the extant literature to be resolved, Wardle says. Alexander Constable, a recent MIT Materials Processing Center/Center for Materials Science and Engineering Summer Scholar, explains his 2015 internship under professor of aeronautics and astronautics Brian Wardle. Constable heats a mixture of resin and carbon nanotubes to make and characterize a hard, glassy carbon material that promises lighter and stronger materials for aerospace uses. His work in this area appears in a new scientific publication led by MIT postdoc Itai Stein. (Video: Denis Paiste/Materials Processing Center) By baking the resin at high temperature in inert gas, a process commonly known as pyrolysis, the researchers formed a type of disordered graphite-like carbon material that is often called glassy carbon. Stein and Wardle showed that when it is processed at temperatures higher than 1,000 C, the material becomes more ordered but weaker. They estimated the strength of their glassy carbon by applying a local force and measuring their material's ability to resist deformation. This type of measurement, which is known to engineers as the Vickers hardness test, is a highly versatile technique that can be used to study a wide variety of materials, such as metals, glasses, and plastics, and enabled the researchers to compare their findings to many well-known engineering materials that include diamond, carbon fiber composites, and metal carbides. The carbon atoms within the MIT researchers' material were more chaotically organized than is typical for graphite, and this was because phenol-formaldehyde with which they started is a complicated mix of carbon-rich compounds. Because the hydrocarbon was disordered to begin with, a lot of the disorder remains in your crystallites, at least at this temperature, Stein explains. In fact, the presence of more complex carbon compounds in the material strengthens it by leading to three-dimensional connections that are hard to break. Basically you get pinned at the crystallite interface, and that leads to enhanced performance, he says. These high-temperature baked materials have only one carbon atom in their structure for every three in a diamond structure. When youre using these materials to make nanolattices, you can make the overall lattice even less dense. Future studies should be able to show how to make lighter and cheaper materials, Stein suggests. Hydrocarbons similar to the phenol-formaldehyde studied here can also be sourced in an environmentally friendly way, he says. Up until now there wasnt really consensus about whether having a low density was good or bad, and were showing in this work, that having a low density is actually good, Stein says. Thats because low density in these crystallites means more molecular connections in three dimensions, which helps the material resist shearing, or sliding apart. Because of its low density, this material compares favorably to diamond and boron nitrides for aerospace uses. Essentially, you can use a lot more of this material and still end up saving weight overall, Stein says. This study represents sound materials science connecting all three facets of synthesis, structure, and property toward elucidating poorly understood scaling laws for mechanical performance of pyrolytic carbon, says Eric Meshot, a staff scientist at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, who was not involved in this research. It is remarkable that by employing routinely available characterization tools, the researchers pieced together both the molecular and nanoscale structural pictures and deciphered this counterintuitive result that more graphitization does not necessarily equal a harder material. It is an intriguing concept in and of itself that a little structural disorder can enhance the hardness. Their structural characterization proves how and why they achieve high hardness at relatively low synthesis temperatures, Meshot adds. This could be impactful for industries seeking to scale up production of these types of materials since heating is a seriously costly step. The study also points to new directions for making low-density composite structures with truly transformative properties, he suggests. For example, by incorporating the starting SU-8 resin in, on, or around other structures (such as nanotubes as the authors suggest), can we synthesize materials that are even harder or more resistant to sheer? Or composites that possibly embed additional functionality, such as sensing? Meshot asks. Molecular motor-powered biocomputers (Nanowerk News) Crashing computers or smartphones and software security holes that allow hackers to steal millions of passwords could be prevented if it were possible to design and verify error-free software. Unfortunately, to date, this is a problem that neither engineers nor supercomputers can solve. One reason is that the computing power required to verify the correct function of a many types of software scales exponentially with the size of the program, so that processing speed, energy consumption and cooling of conventional microelectronic processors prevent current computers from verifying large programs. The recently launched research project Bio4Comp aims to develop a biocomputer that can overcome the two main obstacles faced by today's supercomputers: first, they use vast amounts of electric power - so much that the development of more powerful computers is hampered primarily by limitations in the ability to cool the processors. Second, they cannot do two things at the same time. The EU now funds a project that will develop a computer based on highly efficient molecular motors that will use a fraction of the energy of existing computers, and that can tackle problems where many solutions need to be explored simultaneously. The top is an illustration of biocomputing units propelled by molecular motors through a junction within a network of channels. The bottom shows canning electron microscopy images of a network and two types of junctions. (Image: Till Korten, Cornelia Kowol) (click on image to enlarge) The potential impact of the project results is not limited to the design of error-free software: "Practically all really interesting mathematical problems of our time cannot be computed efficiently with our current computer technology." says Dan V. Nicolau, Ph.D. M.D., from the UK-based enterprise Molecular Sense, who had the original idea of using biomolecular motors as computers. This is the limit that the new project aims to push by using biomolecular motors as computing units: The idea is that biomolecular machines, each only a few nanometers in size, can solve problems by moving through a nanofabricated network of channels designed to represent a mathematical algorithm (see image above); an approach the scientists in the project termed "network-based biocomputation". Whenever the biomolecules reach a junction in the network, they either add a number to the sum they are calculating or leave it out. That way, each biomolecule acts as a tiny computer with processor and memory. While an individual biomolecule is much slower than a current computer, they are self-assembling so that they can be used in large numbers, quickly adding up their computing power. The researchers have demonstrated that this works in a recent publication in the Proceedings of the National Academy of the USA ("Parallel computation with molecular-motor-propelled agents in nanofabricated networks"). "We are using molecular motors of the cell that have been optimized by a billion years of evolution to be highly energy efficient nanomachines.", says Prof. Stefan Diez who is heading the participating TU Dresden research team, "and the biological computing units can multiply themselves to adapt to the difficulty of the mathematical problem," adds Dr. Till Korten from TU Dresden, co-coordinator of the Bio4Comp project and equally contributing first author of the PNAS publication. The research consortium will focus on developing the technology required to scale up network-based biocomputers to a point at which they are able to compete with other alternative computing approaches such as DNA computing and quantum computing. In the process, they aim to attract a larger scientific and economic community that will focus on developing the technology into a viable alternative computing approach. To do so, they have received 6.1 Million from the Future & Emerging Technologies (FET) programme of the EU to run a highly interdisciplinary research project touching mathematics, biology, engineering, and computation. Of this funding, 1.1 million will go to the research group of Stefan Diez, Professor for BioNanoTools at B CUBE, a TU Dresden research institute focusing on Molecular Bioengineering, and fellow at the Max Planck Institute of Cell Biology and Genetics (MPI-CBG) Dresden. The role of the group will be to modify the properties of motor proteins, such as kinesin, in order to optimize them for biocomputation, as well as to integrate them into nanofabricated devices. This work will strongly benefit from synergies and collaborations with the Center for Advancing Electronics Dresden (cfaed), one of the current Clusters of Excellence at TU Dresden. "Optimizing the motors not only gives us ideal tools for nanotechnology, but at the same time we learn a great deal about how they work and what they do inside the cell.", Diez says. Liquid storage of solar energy - more effective than ever before (w/video) (Nanowerk News) Researchers at Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden have demonstrated efficient solar energy storage in a chemical liquid. The stored energy can be transported and then released as heat whenever needed. The research is now presented on the cover of the scientific journal Energy & Environmental Science ("Exploring the potential of a hybrid device combining solar water heating and molecular solar thermal energy storage"). Many consider the sun the energy source of the future. But one challenge is that it is difficult to store solar energy and deliver the energy on demand. A research team from Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg, Sweden, has shown that it is possible to convert the solar energy directly into energy stored in the bonds of a chemical fluid a so-called molecular solar thermal system. The liquid chemical makes it possible to store and transport the stored solar energy and release it on demand, with full recovery of the storage medium. The process is based on the organic compound norbornadiene that upon exposure to light converts into quadricyclane. The technique means that that we can store the solar energy in chemical bonds and release the energy as heat whenever we need it. says Professor Kasper Moth-Poulsen, who is leading the research team. Combining the chemical energy storage with water heating solar panels enables a conversion of more than 80 percent of the incoming sunlight. Wallenberg Academy Fellow Kasper Moth-Poulsen, Chalmers University of Technology, is developing a promising new concept using artificial molecules that can capture, store and release solar energy, so that it can be used when the sun is not shining. The research project was initiated at Chalmers more than six years ago and the research team contributed in 2013 to a first conceptual demonstration. At the time, the solar energy conversion efficiency was 0.01 percent and the expensive element ruthenium played a major role in the compound. Now, four years later, the system stores 1.1 percent of the incoming sunlight as latent chemical energy an improvement of a factor of 100. Also, ruthenium has been replaced by much cheaper carbon-based elements. Astronomers to peer into a black hole for first time with new Event Horizon Telescope (Nanowerk News) Ever since first mentioned by Jon Michell in a letter to the Royal Society in 1783, black holes have captured the imagination of scientists, writers, filmmakers and other artists. Perhaps part of the allure is that these enigmatic objects have never actually been seen. But this could now be about to change as an international team of astronomers is connecting a number of telescopes on Earth in the hope of making the first ever image of a black hole. Black holes are regions of space inside which the pull of gravity is so strong that nothing not even light can escape. Their existence was predicted mathematically by Karl Schwarzchild in 1915, as a solution to equations posed in Albert Einsteins theory of general relativity. Astronomers have had circumstantial evidence for many decades that supermassive black holes a million to a billion times more massive than our sun lie at the hearts of massive galaxies. Thats because they can see the gravitational pull they have on stars orbiting around the galactic centre ("Monitoring stellar orbits around the Massive Black Hole in the Galactic Center"). When overfed with material from the surrounding galactic environment, they also eject detectable plumes or jets of plasma to speeds close to that of light. Last year, the LIGO experiment provided even more proof by famously detecting ripples in space-time ("Observation of Gravitational Waves from a Binary Black Hole Merger") caused by two medium-mass black holes that merged millions of years ago. But while we now know that black holes exist, questions regarding their origin, evolution and influence in the universe remain at the forefront of modern astronomy. Catching a tiny spot on the sky On April 5-14 2017, the team behind the Event Horizon Telescope hopes to test the fundamental theories of black-hole physics by attempting to take the first ever image of a black holes event horizon (the point at which theory predicts nothing can escape). By connecting a global array of radio telescopes together to form the equivalent of a giant Earth-sized telescope using a technique known as Very Long Baseline Interferometry and Earth-aperture synthesis scientists will peer into the heart of our Milky Way galaxy where a black hole that is 4m times more massive than our sun Sagittarius A* lurks. Sagittarius A*. This image was taken with NASAs Chandra X-Ray Observatory. Ellipses indicate light echoes. (Image: NASA/wikipedia) Astronomers know there is a disk of dust and gas orbiting around the black hole. The path the light from this material takes will be distorted in the gravitational field of the black hole. Its brightness and colour are also expected to be altered in predictable ways. The tell-tale signature astronomers hope to see with the Event Horizon Telescope is a bright crescent shape rather than a disk. And they may even see the shadow of the black holes event horizon against the backdrop of this brightly shining swirling material. The array connects nine stations spanning the globe some individual telescopes, others collections of telescopes in Antarctica, Chile, Hawaii, Spain, Mexico and Arizona. The virtual telescope has been in development for many years and the technology has been tested. However, these tests initially revealed a limited sensitivity and an angular resolution that was insufficient to probe down to the scales needed to reach the black hole. But the addition of sensitive new arrays of telescopes including the Atacama Large Millimeter Array in Chile and the South Pole Telescope will give the network a much-needed boost in power. Its rather like putting on spectacles and suddenly being able to see both headlights from an oncoming car rather than a single blur of light. The Atacama Large Millimeter submillimeter Array ALMA by night under the Magellanic Clouds. (Image: ESO/C. Malin/wikipedia, CC BY-SA) The black hole is a compact source on the sky its view at optical wavelengths (light that we can see) is completely blocked by large quantities of dust and gas. However, telescopes with sufficient resolution and operating at longer, radio millimetre wavelengths can peer through this cosmic fog. The resolution of any kind of telescope the finest detail that can be discerned and measured is usually quoted as a small angle corresponding to the ratio of an objects size to its distance. The angular size of the moon as seen from the Earth is about half a degree, or 1800 arc seconds. For any telescope, the bigger its aperture, the smaller the detail that can be resolved. The resolution of a single radio telescope (typically with an aperture of 100 metres) is roughly about 60 arc seconds. This is comparable to the resolution of the unaided human eye and about a sixtieth of the apparent diameter of the full moon. But by connecting many telescopes, the Event Horizon Telescope will be about to achieve a resolution of 15-20 microarcsecond (0,000015 arcseconds), corresponding to being able to spy a grape at the distance of the moon. Whats at stake? Although the practice of connecting many telescopes in this way is well known, particular challenges lie ahead for the Event Horizon Telescope. The data recorded at each station in the network will be shipped to a central processing facility where a supercomputer will carefully combine all the data. Different weather, atmospheric and telescope conditions at each site will require meticulous calibration of the data so that scientists can be sure any features they find in the final images are not artefacts. If it works, imaging the material inside the black hole region with angular resolutions comparable to that of its event horizon will open a new era of black hole studies and solve a number of big questions: do event horizons even exist? Does Einsteins theory work in this region of extreme strong gravity or do we need a new theory to describe gravity this close to a black hole? Also, how are black holes fed and how is material ejected? It may even even be possible to image the black holes at the centre of nearby galaxies, such as the giant elliptical galaxy that lies at the heart of our local cluster of galaxies ("Imaging the Supermassive Black Hole Shadow and Jet Base of M87 with the Event Horizon Telescope"). Find the newest releases to watch from National Geographic on Disney+, including favourite documentary series and films Free Solo, The Rescue, Shark Beach with Chris Hemsworth and The World According to Jeff Goldblum. (Natural News) A Maryland man has been arrested after sending a journalist a seizure-inducing GIF. The 29-year-old named John Rayne Rivello used the screen name Ari Goldstein and the Twitter handle @jew_goldstein to send a strobing light message saying, you deserve a seizure. The account no longer exists. Kurt Eichenwald is a senior writer for Newsweek. His most notable accomplishment is writing the book The Informant; Matt Damon starred in the 2009 film adaptation. Eichenwald was also very vocal about his criticisms of President Donald J. Trump throughout the presidential campaign. On 15 December 2016, Eichenwald received a message on Twitter shortly after appearing on Tucker Carlson Tonight. The image included a strobing light that caused him to convulse because it triggered an epileptic seizure. Eichenwald had been very open about his battle with epilepsy. This was not the first time someone had tried to cause Eichenwald to have a seizure by using an image, but it is the first time that it actually worked. After recovering, Eichenwalds Twitter account sent out a message intended for the sender saying, This is his wife, you caused a seizure. I have your information and have called the police to report the assault. The next day, Eichenwald tweeted that he would be working with lawyers and law enforcement to find the person behind the message, and would be pressing charges. He wrote, Last night, for the second time, a deplorable aware I have epilepsy tweeted a strobe at me with the message you deserve a seizure on it. It worked. This is not going to happen again. My wife is terrified. I am disgusted. Since the December incident, more than 40 other people have sent similar strobing images to Eichenwald. (RELATED: Get more news like this at Twisted.news) An affidavit from the FBI shows that Rivello had admitted to several other Twitter users via direct message that he was aware Eichenwald had epilepsy. He said he hoped his GIF would provoke an episode. A search warrant also found that Rivello took a screenshot of a Wikipedia page that had been altered to show that Eichenwald died on the day of the Twitter interaction, even though it had been reported that Eichenwald had in fact survived the attack. It is unclear who altered the page. Rivello is being charged under a federal cyber-stalking statute, and will appear in federal court in Dallas on Monday. Eichenwalds attorney, Steven Lieberman, told Newsweek, What Mr. Rivello did with his Twitter message was no different from someone sending a bomb in the mail or sending an envelope filled with Anthrax spores. Some forms of epilepsy are more prone to being affected by strobing lights than others. For years, the epilepsy community has been trying to figure out how not to be caught off guard by this potential weapon. In 1997, a Pokemon episode was said to have sent nearly 700 Japanese children to the hospital. About a decade ago, hackers attacked an epilepsy support message board with flashing animations and triggered headaches and seizures in some users. Sources: DailyCaller.com NYTimes.com ARSTechnica.com (Natural News) One German official thinks that fake news and hate speech is so serious it ought to permanently bankrupt virtually anyone who is accused or convicted of either. As reported by The Associated Press, German Justice Minister Heiko Maas perhaps worried that theres another Adolph Hitler waiting for the right moment to rebirth the Nazi Party via propaganda spread on social media has proposed fines of up to 50 million euros, or about $53 million, for any social networking site that neglects to quickly police and remove anything deemed as hate speech or fake news. While acknowledging that some social media sites have already begun cracking down on what they have described as hate speech, Maas said the effort isnt satisfactory yet. He said research indicated that Twitter only deletes about one percent of so-called illegal content that is flagged by users; he added that Facebook deletes about 39 percent of said content. The AP noted further: The proposal would require companies to provide a round-the-clock service for users to flag illegal content, which would have to be removed by the site within seven days. All copies of the content would also have to be deleted and social media companies would need to publish a quarterly report detailing how they have dealt with such material. In addition, the proposal instructs social media sites to name someone specifically charged with taking down content and handling speech complaints, and if that person fails to do so quickly or adequately, he or she would then be subject to a personal fine of up to 5 million euros (about $5.3 million). (RELATED: Do College Students Hate Free Speech? Lets Ask Them (Video)) Who would line up to take that job is anyones guess. Oddly, Maas claimed his proposal would somehow not restrict the free speech protections already enshrined into German law, and it wouldnt establish a truth commission of sorts to root out so-called fake news (which would include The New York Times, the Washington Post, CNN, and others, from time to time). Always eager to please Left-wing speech cops, Facebook eagerly acquiesced. We have clear rules against hate speech and are working hard to remove such content from our platform, the company said in a statement, in response to the German proposal. While reasonable people can agree that some speech obviously qualifies as hateful such as derogatory remarks about race, ethnicity, religion, sex and so forth other speech some people have arbitrarily labeled as hate speech simply because they disagree with whats being said. For instance, on many American college campuses, anything a conservative says is branded as hateful, bigoted and, some would argue, slanderous. President Donald J. Trump cant say a word about enforcing immigration law without being branded a racist. And this reporter has been mislabeled as being hateful simply for taking a political position that liberals dont like. So, thats what makes hate speech protection measures like this German proposal such a slippery slope: While advocates keep telling us out of one side of their mouths they arent trying to suppress speech, thats usually the end result. In this era, speech suppression is becoming a real thing and, ironically, it is occurring most rapidly in supposed free speech zones in democratic countries including the United States. In recent months, one survey of college-age Millennials by Yale University found that an incredible 51 percent of students surveyed were okay with their school enacting speech codes that regulate speech for both students and faculty. Speech codes. Worse, this generation of high schoolers is also conflicted about the First Amendment, with more than half saying speech should not be allowed if its offensive. (RELATED: Students Arrested For Handing Out Copies Of The Constitution) But who gets to define what is and is not offensive? Thats the problem, isnt it when you put some person or some entity in charge of deciding what people should and should not be offended by, then you put serious crimps on all speech. Thats not what our founders intended. In fact, they adopted the First Amendments free-speech clause precisely because they wanted to protect speech some may find offensive. Maas proposal might seem ridiculous now, but there is no doubt that the trend regarding free speech in Western democracies is one of suppression, not expansion. Frankly, its dangerous. J.D. Heyes is a senior writer for NaturalNews.com and NewsTarget.com, as well as editor of The National Sentinel. Sources: WND.com TheBlaze.com Freedom.news (Natural News) The devastation imparted by the Fukushima meltdown in 2011 is still in effect, and its likely that the radiation from the nuclear power plant will be in our environment for a very long time. Recent reports have indicated that the level of radiation at the disaster site is still unbelievably high, such that cleaning up the area is expected to take at least another forty years. Honestly, the word disaster hardly seems descriptive enough for the toll Fukushima has taken on the planet. Former nuclear engineer Arnie Gundersen doesnt beat around the bush when discussing the enormous catastrophe that is the Fukushima nuclear accident. In a late February interview with the BBC, Gundersen explained how things could potentially get worse as workers try to get closer to the nuclear reactors. (RELATED: Keep up with the latest news on Fukushima at FukushimaWatch.com) As they get in [the containment vessel at Fukushima Daiichi Unit 2], theyre finding that combination of hot steam these are not just radioactive chemicals, but its a toxic mix of chemicals that are going to react with the steel. So theres rust and hunks of nuclear fuel lying around, and steam, and its raining all the time because of the condensation, he explained. I think its about as close to hell as I could imagine [emphasis added], Gundersen added. Gundersen recently wrote an article for Fairewinds.org, in which he described the explosive nuclear accident as something that no country in the world could have been prepared to handle. He states that what concerns him most about Fukushima is not what happened six years ago, but rather what is continuing to happen today the progressive and devastating impact on real people, as Gundersen puts it. The nuclear expert says that he has met with dozens of victims and refugees who have lost their homes, their families, and their health to the aftermath. According to Gundersen, no one knows where the nuclear cores of the reactors have gone and radiation continues to pour into the Pacific Ocean and the protective ice wall that cost nearly half a billion dollars breaks on a regular basis. He says that there is a massive cover-up, wherein radiation-related illnesses are being attributed simply to stress-related causes instead. Nuclear corporations in Japan, in collusion with the Japanese government and banks, are still trying to recover their financial assets by attempting to restart old atomic power plants, even though a majority of Japanese want those nukes to stay closed, Gundersen states. Nothing exemplifies the cover-up more vividly than the Japanese governments insistence that residents of a neighboring town less than 25 miles away from the Fukushima disaster site return home. The government purports that the area is safe, but a Greenpeace report revealed that many of the homes and the area surrounding them still boast insanely toxic levels of radiation. Activist Ai Kashiwagi likened the amount of radiation present in the small town of Iitate to getting a chest x-ray once a week. Gundersen notes that there are a myriad of concerns still surrounding Fukushima: robots being fried by radiation, missing corium, and radioactive material that is leaking estuaries and aquifers, and contaminating groundwater as well as the Pacific Ocean. All of this will continue on for quite some time, especially given the lengthy half-life some of the radioactive compounds have. Some radioactive elements will be able to remain in the environment for nearly 25,000 years. To put it simply, the impact of the Fukushima nuclear meltdown is practically beyond comprehension and the end is nowhere in sight. Sources: ENENews.com Fairewinds.org NaturalNews.com An ad agency is currently facing a lawsuit for traumatizing a raccoon with an erotic video shoot. According to United Press International, Thomas the raccoon was rented by Moscow studio Art-Msk for a "regular" advertisement last August. After the photoshoot, the zoo noticed that Thomas' behavior has changed. He became "obsessed" with women's breasts. When the zoo saw the behind-the-scenes from the shoot, they found out that Thomas was used in the photoshoot to cover a naked woman's torso. There was also a clip showing the model in a tug of "bra" with the animal. "...we began to notice that he reached for women's breasts. We think to perform several takes the film crew lured him onto the actress' chest with treats. Now he thinks he can always expect a treat near women's breasts," Viktor Kiryukhin, a zoo spokesman told The Telegraph. Animals Aren't Toys, a privately run "contact zoo" filed the case in Moscow's Nikolinsky district court. The action was pursued after their request to take down the images of the raccoon on their website fell on deaf ears, BBC said. "The plaintiff considers it unacceptable to use a raccoon in video and photographs with a naked woman," the suit reads. The suit said that the defebdant has caused damage to the raccoon population by letting the animal pose with a naked woman. "Now everyone who sees this video or photographs will directly associate raccoons with erotica," the suit added. Meanwhile, the ad agency called the lawsuit absurd. As noted by the Huffington Post, the Moscow Studio claimed that there was already something unsettling about the raccoon even before they started the suit. He said that while they asked for a trained animal, the raccoon they gave was "young and ran off all the time." They also said the raccoon was the one who stole the bra and nibbled it right after. Raccoons are not very social creatures. They are nocturnal and sleep during the day. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), while other species of raccoons are not endangered, the pygmy raccoon is critically endangered. A few months from now, the sun will disappear for a brief period of time, making the sky dark in the middle of the day and dropping the temperatures several degrees colder. That event, dubbed as the "Great American Eclipse," will occur on Aug. 21, 2017. The Great American Eclipse is a total solar eclipse that can be viewed by millions of people across the U.S. During a solar eclipse, the moon crosses between the Earth and Sun, blocking the Sun's light. Due to this, daytime will become deep twilight with the Sun's corona shimmering in the darkened sky. As oppose to a normal solar eclipse, the Great American Eclipse will have a "path of totality" that can be observed from the Pacific to the Atlantic. This means that every single spot in the continental U.S. can view the eclipse up to 60 percent. The last Great American Eclipse occurred about 99 years ago, making the event more appealing to the eyes of spectators. The last total solar eclipse to sweep the continental U.S. occurred on June 8, 1918. The path of totality extends from Oregon to South Carolina, passing Idaho, Wyoming, Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia and North Carolina. According to The Gazette, there are about 12 million people living along the path of totality. Angela Speck, co-chair of the American Association for the Advancement of Science's task force on the 2017 eclipse, estimates that an additional 12 million people will visit any of the states in the path of totality, making the number of expected spectators to be 24 million people. The totality is expected to lasts for about two minutes and 41 seconds max. Places such as Madras in Oregon, Snake River Valley in Idaho, Casper in Wyoming, Sand Hills of Western Nebraska, St. Joseph in Missouri, Carbondale in Illinois, Hopkinsville in Kentucky and Columbia in South Carolina are considered to be the best spot to view the solar eclipse. These places will also have a totality that will last for more than two minutes. The proposed federal budget of President Donald Trump shows slashing budget for agencies responsible for climate change programs and initiatives. Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney said during a press conference last week that spending money on programs that address man-made climate change is a "waste of your [tax] money." The $1.1 trillion budget outline revealed cutting the funds of Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) by about one-third. As mentioned by CNN, the proposal would cut $2.6 billion from the agency, and would result in 3,200 fewer jobs. The proposal suggests it would eliminate budget for all Global Climate Change Initiatives, including the Climate Adaptation Plan, which seeks to estimate the financial impact of climate change in the U.S., and the Clean Power Plan, President Barack Obama's signature environmental regulation. Meanwhile, The Boston Globe reports that Trump has increased the budget for the military, veterans and law enforcement. He proposed a $54 billion increase to the military budget and proposed that more money should be spent to border security agents and immigration judges. David Waskow, Director of the International Climate Initiative at Washington DC research group World Resources Institute, told The Independent that investing in combating climate change is "in the US economic and security interests." "If we don't take serious action on climate change, it'll cost us far more money to deal with severe weather events, rising sea levels, and security risks from displacement and resource scarcity," Waskow explained. Meanwhile, Margie Alt, executive director of Environment America, told The Guardian that the proposal of Trump is "dirty and dangerous and fails to protect our health or our planet." "Slashing EPA's overall budget by more than a third means the agency cannot adequately enforce our clean air and clean water safeguards. It is basically a get out of jail free card' for polluters. Congress should reject this budget," she said. Scientists captured a chimpanzee taking care of her dead son and cleaning the corpse's teeth, similar to the way humans prepare their dead for a funeral. It's the first time such behavior has been observed in chimpanzees, potentially offering a peek into the beginnings of human mortuary practices. According to a report from The Sun, Noel is a 33-year-old wild-born female chimpanzee who lives at the Chimfunshi Wildlife Orphanage Trust in Zambia. She was seen by researchers attending to her dead adopted son Thomas, a nine-year-old orphan that Noel started taking care of four years ago. He's believed to have died of a lung infection, a report from Phys Org revealed. Noel was filmed selecting a blade of grass, then using it to carefully remove debris from the dead chimpanzee's teeth. She continued doing this as another female sat watching. The researchers also noted that Noel placed some of the debris in her mouth, possibly to try and understand the cause of her son's death. The team of scientists from the University of St Andrews in the U.K. suggested that the strange human-like behavior could indicate that the chimpanzees' long-lasting social bonds still influence their actions after a partner has died, according to a report from New Scientist. Furthermore, the video shows that chimps treat the deceased with sensitivity and tenderness, like humans do. Lead author Edwin van Leeuwen explained that their findings exhibit how compassion is not exclusive to human beings. As the first ever footage of chimps using tools to clean the deceased, this study could also help researchers learn more about the origins of human mortuary practices. Still, it's difficult to know for sure at this point about the intention behind the chimpanzees' actions. University of St. Andrews' Klaus Zuberbuehler, who was not involved in the study, acknowledges the remarkable behavior of the animals, but cautioned that it's near impossible to conclude the chimps' awareness. "Perhaps, such social behaviour is a manifestation of human-like mourning, perhaps the chimpanzees are just challenged by the fact that a group member has suddenly become completely motionless," he said. The study was published in Scientific Reports. While the rest of humanity is celebrating St. Patrick's Day on Earth, astronaut Thomas Pesquet commemorated this day by capturing magnificent pictures of Ireland and the planet from space. "Happy #StPatricksDay Spectacular #Dublin, Ireland captured by @thom_astro from @Space_Station. Enjoy the #StPatricksFest Parade down there!" said a tweet of ISS commander and NASA astronaut Shane Kimbrough. The stunning photo shows Ireland's capital, Dublin, looking like a giant glowing butterfly. It was taken by French astronaut Pesquet, who has been staying for four months now at the International Space Station. Apart from the amazing picture of Dublin, Pesquet has made a hobby of photographing Earth from space. Using a Nikon D4 camera, Pesquet takes picture of countries around the world as the ISS circles the planet every 90 minutes, Yahoo reports. The European Space Agency astronaut has treated fans with breathtaking photos of the Northern Lights, which he snapped during his lunch. After not looking outside for a few days, I went to take in the view from Cupola for 5 minutes over lunch. Here's what I got to see! pic.twitter.com/DTiC7CmYph Thomas Pesquet (@Thom_astro) March 11, 2017 Pesquet also took advantage of his stay at the ISS to photograph some of the great wonders of the world, such as the Great Wall of China, Pyramids of Giza and the Grand Canyon, only from a different perspective. Astronauts have come up with different ways to celebrate St. Patrick's Day throughout history. According to Space.com, in 2013, Chris Hadfield recorded his rendition of the traditional Irish song, "Danny Boy," while in 2011, Cady Coleman played a 100-year-old Irish Flute. On Monday morning, one of the most aniticpated hearings on Capitol Hill in recent memory takes place as FBI Director James Comey will be called to testify before a House Intelligence Committee investigating Russia's hacking of the presidential election. Two Bay Area lawmakers on the committee will be among those questioning Comey: Democrats Jackie Speier and Eric Swalwell. A political expert from San Francisco State University told NBC Bay Area on Sunday it could be one of the most important congressional hearings in U.S. history. "This would do tremendous damage to the Republican party if there was even the slightest hint of any sort of collaboration with the Trump campaign," says Robert Smith, a political science professor at SFSU. Smith says he hasn't seen anything like it since Watergate. Comey will be testifying about whether President Donald Trump or anyone on his campaign team is being investigated for possibly colluding with Russia and influencing the election. "I don't know what he's going to say, but this would be unprecedented to think that a president, sitting president, collaborated with an advesary, really, Russia," Smith says. Central California Republican Devin Nunes, a Trump transition team member, chairs the House Intelligence Committee and says there is no evidence of collusion. But House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, of San Francisco, says there is proof of deception by Trump administrators, and investigations are needed. Pelosi says she also wants Comey to make it crystal clear that former President Barack Obama was never involved in any wiretapping of Trump or his team members after an explosive claim by Trump that has many in Congress, including Pelosi, outraged. Smith says what happens in the hearing starting Monday will help write history, and he believes Comey will be very careful about how he answers questions about spying and colluding with Russians. "Because I think he knows that if there is even the slightest suggestion of that, he knows if there are signs that he's doing that, it could cause disturbances not only in the country, but also the international community as well," Smith says. It will be Comeys first public testimony since Trump took office. Spring arrives on Monday, but the Bay Area won't be soaking in sunshine and warmer temperatures. Folks will be soaking in more rain. A string of storm systems this week will once again douse portions of the Bay Area, bringing even more precipitation to a region that has been saturated with much-needed rainfall after five years of devastating drought. During this year's rainy season, Bay Area rainfall totals have topped out anywhere from 120 to 173 percent of average. As of Sunday, Santa Rosa had accumulated 52.71 inches of rain this winter in comparison to the average mark of 30.52 inches of precipitation. San Francisco had received 27.75 inches of rain compared to the average standard of 19.93 inches. Oakland had welcomed 24.29 inches of rainfall, a mark that is more than seven inches above its average. Livermore's 22.10 inches of rainfall this winter is 9.06 inches above its average mark. Portions of the South Bay such as Mountain View and San Jose have only collected roughly 15 inches of rain this winter season as of Sunday, but those marks are still above the average standard by more than two inches. Scattered showers and even periods of heavy downpours early this week could bring up to threes inches of rain to the North Bay mountains and the Santa Cruz Mountains by Tuesday afternoon. Most parts of the Bay Area will receive less than one inch of rain after the early systems pass through the area. A chance of rain will linger into Wednesday before subsiding by Thursday, but another storm on Friday could pack even heavier pockets of moisture. The expected spring showers could also deepen the Sierra Nevada snowpack, which is already well above seasonal averages. Snow levels across the Golden State are 166 percent of average as of Sunday. FBI Director James Comey confirmed Monday that the bureau is investigating possible links and coordination between Russia and associates of President Donald Trump as part of a broader probe of Russian interference in last year's presidential election. Comey also said he and the Justice Department have no evidence to support claims Trump has made that former President Barack Obama wiretapped Trump Tower. The extraordinary revelation of an investigation came at the outset of Comey's opening statement in a congressional hearing examining Russian meddling and possible connections between Moscow and Trump's campaign. He acknowledged the FBI does not ordinarily discuss ongoing investigations, but said he'd been authorized to do so by the Justice Department, given the extreme public interest in this case. "This work is very complex, and there is no way for me to give you a timetable for when it will be done," Comey told the House Intelligence Committee, adding that he cannot discuss whose conduct is being examined and asking that the public not speculate about why he cannot comment further. "I can promise you we will follow the facts wherever they lead," he said. The hearing, providing the most extensive public accounting of a matter that has dogged the Trump administration for its first two months, quickly broke along partisan lines. Democrats pressed for details on the status of the FBI's investigation, while Republicans repeatedly focused on news coverage and possible improper disclosures of classified information developed through surveillance. Under questioning from the committee's top Democrat, Rep. Adam Schiff, the FBI director also publicly contradicted a series of tweets from Trump that declared the Republican candidate's phones had been ordered tapped by President Barack Obama during the campaign. "I have no information that supports those tweets, and we have looked carefully inside the FBI," Comey said. The same was true, he added, of the Justice Department. He also disputed allegations that British intelligence services were involved in the wiretapping. He did not say whether Trump Tower was the subject of other surveillance, but he asked that no one read into those comments. Republicans on the committee asked a series of questions probing the leaks of classified information in connection with the alleged Russian election meddling, something Trump railed against early Monday morning. Comey and National Security Agency Director Michael Rogers, who was also testifying, said they were against leaks of classified information, though the classified nature of information prevented them from commenting in detail. White House press secretary Sean Spicer played down the influence of prominent Trump campaign officials named in the hearing, calling former national security adviser Michael Flynn "a volunteer of the campaign" during the election. He referred to Trump's former campaign manager Paul Manafort as someone who "played a very limited role for a very limited amount of time." Spicer singled out Carter Page as being in the category of "hangers-on." Roger Stone was someone who "the president's known for a long time, conceding that they had a long relationship. Manafort issued a statement Monday defending himself against suggestions he played a part. He said he had "no role or involvement" in the DNC cyberhack or disclosure of stolen emails. Asked whether Trump still has confidence in Comey, Spicer said, "There's no reason to believe he doesn't at this time." Rep. Devin Nunes, the California Republican who chairs the committee, noted in his opening statement that there was no physical wiretap on Trump Tower also contradicting the assertion made by Trump but added that it's possible that "other surveillance activities" were used against Trump and his associates. Schiff, the committee's Democratic co-chair, laid out circumstantial evidence of collusion he referred to this weekend, saying that, if it occurred, it would "represent one of the most shocking betrayals of democracy in history." The Senate Intelligence Committee has scheduled a similar hearing for later in the month. Trump offered a "fake news" pre-buttle Monday morning on Twitter, citing Obama's top intelligence official, James Clapper. Trump said "there is no evidence Potus colluded with Russia" and again alleged, without evidence, that the Russia allegations were made up by Democrats to distract from their loss in the election. He said "the real story" is leaking of classified information. Schiff and Nunes had said Sunday that documents the Justice Department and FBI delivered late last week offered no evidence that the Obama administration had wiretapped Trump Tower, the president's New York City headquarters, but the panel's ranking Democrat says the material offers circumstantial evidence that American citizens colluded with Russians in Moscow's efforts to interfere in the presidential election. "There was circumstantial evidence of collusion; there is direct evidence, I think, of deception," Schiff said on NBC's "Meet the Press." ''There's certainly enough for us to conduct an investigation." At a hearing in January, Comey refused to confirm or deny the existence of any investigation exploring possible connections between Trump associates and Russia, consistent with the FBI's longstanding policy of not publicly discussing its work. His appearances on Capitol Hill since then have occurred in classified settings, often with small groups of lawmakers, and he has made no public statements connected to the Trump campaign or Russia. NBC's Asher Klein contributed to this report. President Donald Trumps stance on NATO has some in a Latvian town located 23 miles from the Russian border worried, NBC News reported. Dozens of local residents were interviewed by NBC News during a visit to Rezekne with some speaking of the potential threat posed to their nation by Russia. Some pointed to the annexation of Crimea in 2014, which President Vladimir Putin said was to protect ethnic Russians from mistreatment by Ukraines government. In Rezekne, some said that they fear a similar situation unfolding. Ethnic Russians make up a quarter of the population in Latvia. Others in the town, however, said they didnt believe that Russia is an aggressor. One Russian resident told NBC News that Trump is "a great president." Others expressed feelings of safety, saying they didnt believe that Russia was a threat. Two groups of opposing protesters at a North Texas mosque ended up banding together and even sharing a meal after a third group began insulting some of the demonstrators. The Bureau of American Islamic Relations had previously announced plans to stage a "Trump is Your President" protest outside the Islamic Association of North Texas on Abrams Road in Richardson. Members and supporters of the mosque then planned a counter protest. But on Saturday, before the two opposing sides could voice their opinions with signs and words, a third group of protesters showed up and hijacked the event. The group of about 20 people called themselves the "Dallas Workers Front." They were dressed in all black, wore masks and many were armed with guns or pipes. They blocked members of BAIR from protesting, hurled insults and chanted, "No safe space for fascists." The comments prompted members of the mosque to step in and ask "Dallas Workers Front" members to back off and allow BAIR the freedom to exercise their right to free speech. "I believe they have the full right to protest," said Omair Siddiqi, a community activist and member of the mosque. When that didn't work, the two opposing sides unexpectedly left the rowdy group behind and decided to share lunch together. The two sides talked to one another at Halal Guys Restaurant. "I want what's best for this society," said one member of the mosque. "I don't want terrorists coming in here." Another told members of BAIR that a number of Islamic scholars across the country condemn ISIS and don't believe they're following the principles of Islam. "When these terrorists see this they hate it," said a Muslim man. "They despise that we get to sit together and we can have a conversation." Two hours later, the two sides found common ground and a common enemy. "I've wanted to speak with them for two years now," David Wright of BAIR said. "It's just stuff I already knew, but now we're talking and there's a dialog." Siddiqi said what he wanted people to take away from the lunch is that "love will win and hate doesn't belong anywhere in any community." Both groups told NBC 5 they will now plan a march to protest together against ISIS. This is not the first time BAIR has demonstrated outside of the mosque. A member told NBC 5 another demonstration was already in the works, but members will meet and discuss whether to move forward or cancel the protest. The Democratic field for Illinois governor is adding one more candidate. State Sen. Daniel Biss announced Monday he is joining the growing list of Democrats challenging Gov. Bruce Rauner in his bid for re-election in 2018. Biss, who represents the 9th District, announced his candidacy during a Facebook live, saying he "plans to build a movement to take our state back from wealthy and insider interests." In his announcement, Biss answered questions from users on a number of topics, including how he plans to combat President Donald Trump's stance on immigration, how he plans to fund Illinois' education system and whether or not he thinks Speaker Michael Madigan should remain in office. Biss told Illinoisans they can "resist [Trump's] actions at every turn" and proposed a law that would protect people from the "unethical actions from the Trump administration." He said he was in favor of an elected school board in Chicago and supported term limits for politicians, saying Madigan has "been there too long." Biss joins Chicago Democrat Chris Kennedy and Ald. Ameya Pawar, who both threw their hats in the ring earlier this year. Chicago billionaire J.B. Pritzker also recently filed to create an exploratory committee to run for Illinois governor in 2018. Biss, an Evanston resident, is a former University of Chicago math professor with a doctorate from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and undergraduate degree from Harvard University. He served in the Illinois House from 2011-2012 and has been a member of the state Senate since 2013. He will be giving up his Senate seat amid the run for governor. Though he acknowledged he doesn't have the same funding as other candidates, he hopes to create a "movement of the people to overcome the power of money and the machine." "This is a campaign for the rest of us," he said. Two people were killed and at least 16 others were wounded in shootings across the city between Friday afternoon and Monday morning. One man was killed and another wounded in an Englewood neighborhood shooting Saturday night on the South Side. Ishmael Jackson, 23, was standing in the backyard of a home with a 27-year-old man at 10:44 p.m. in the 5600 block of South Elizabeth when another male opened fire, according to Chicago Police and the Cook County medical examiners office. Jackson was shot in the back and taken to Stroger Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 11:51 p.m. He lived in south suburban Robbins. The 27-year-old suffered a gunshot wound to the face area, and was also taken to Stroger Hospital, where his condition was stabilized. The weekends first shooting left a 17-year-old boy dead in the Marquette Park neighborhood on the Southwest Side. Titus Jackson was discovered unresponsive with gunshot wounds to his chest, leg and buttocks at 6:23 p.m. Friday in the 7100 block of South Washtenaw, according to authorities. Jackson, who lived in the Lawndale neighborhood, was pronounced dead at the scene at 6:36 p.m. The latest nonfatal shooting happened about 12:50 a.m. Monday in the Avondale neighborhood. Two men were walking in the 2200 block of West Diversey when another male walked up and fired shots, police said. A 29-year-old man suffered gunshot wounds to the right leg and buttocks, while a 33-year-old man was shot in the left leg. They were taken to Illinois Masonic Medical Center, where both of their conditions were stabilized. At 5:34 p.m. Sunday, two men and a 17-year-old boy were wounded in an East Garfield Park neighborhood shooting on the West Side. The men, ages 18 and 22, were standing outside with the teenager in the 3200 block of West Maypole when a dark-colored vehicle pulled up and someone inside opened fire, police said. The 22-year-old was shot in the left leg, the 18-year-old was shot in the ankle and the teenager was shot in the foot. They were all taken in good condition to Mount Sinai Hospital. Minutes earlier, a 20-year-old man was wounded in another drive-by shooting about half a mile away. He was outside about 5:30 p.m. in the 300 block of North St. Louis when a vehicle pulled up and someone inside fired shots. He suffered a gunshot wound to the leg and took himself to Mount Sinai Hospital, where he was treated and released. About 11 a.m. Sunday, a 19-year-old man heard gunfire and felt pain in the 3600 block of West Sunnyside in the Albany Park neighborhood on the Northwest Side, police said. He was shot in the chest and taken in critical condition to Illinois Masonic Medical Center. A suspect was in custody and charges were pending. Earlier Sunday, a woman was shot in the Ravenswood neighborhood on the Northwest Side. The 35-year-old was walking about 2 a.m. in the 4700 block of North Virginia when she heard gunfire and realized shed been shot in the right thigh, police said. Her condition was stabilized at Swedish Covenant Hospital. At 9:21 p.m. Saturday, a 21-year-old man was a passenger in a vehicle in the 5900 block of South Sangamon in the South Side Englewood neighborhood when shots were fired and he was struck in the left leg and the right side of his face, police said. The driver took him to St. Bernard Hospital, and the man was later transferred in serious condition to Stroger Hospital. Less than an hour earlier, a 16-year-old girl was grazed by a bullet in an Austin neighborhood shooting on the West Side. She was walking on the sidewalk with a group of people about 9:05 p.m. in the 300 block of South Cicero when someone fired shots from a black car, police said. The girl was taken to West Suburban Medical Center in Oak Park with a graze wound to her buttocks. Her condition was stabilized. At 5:04 p.m., an 18-year-old man was shot in the chest in a backyard in the 7200 block of South Paulina in the West Englewood neighborhood on the South Side, police said. He was able to run from the shooting and was eventually picked up by paramedics and taken to Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, where his condition was stabilized. About that same time, a 16-year-old boy was shot in the right hand in the 7200 block of South Talman in Marquette Park, police said. He later showed up at Holy Cross Hospital, where he was treated and released. Detectives were investigating whether those two shootings the West Englewood and Marquette Park incidents were related. Two men were wounded in a shooting about 3 p.m. Saturday in the South Shore neighborhood. They were in the 2500 block of East 79th Street when they were approached by at least one person who shot at them, police said. A 23-year-old man was shot in the leg and taken to Christ Medical Center, while a 33-year-old was shot in the arm and taken to South Shore Hospital, but was later transferred to Stroger Hospital. They were both listed in serious condition. The weekends first nonfatal shooting happened shortly after 11 p.m. Friday in the Humboldt Park neighborhood on the West Side. An 18-year-old woman was standing outside in the 1300 block of North Rockwell when a black SUV with several females inside pulled up, and at least one of them opened fire, police said. The woman was shot in the leg and taken to Stroger Hospital in serious condition. Last weekend, five men were killed and 15 other people were wounded in citywide shootings. More than 600 people have been shot in Chicago so far in 2017. A former friend of ex-New England Patriots star Aaron Hernandez took the stand in Hernandezs double murder trial this week. Alexander Bradley described the moments leading up to the deadly shooting at a Boston stoplight in July 2012 as the prosecution's star witness against Hernandez Monday. Prosecutors accuse Hernandez of fatally shooting Daniel de Abreu and Safiro Furtado as he rode in a silver Toyota 4Runner after one of the victims bumped into the defendant at Club Cure, spilling his drink. Bradley was allegedly inside the vehicle at the time of the shooting. When they saw de Abreu and Furtado drive away from the club in a BMW, Hernandez and Bradley got into the Toyota and followed them, the witness testified Monday. Hernandez had him roll down the window and told him to watch out before he "said 'What's up now (expletive) and started firing shots into the car," Bradley said. After the murders, Hernandez and Bradley when to the home of Bradley's daughter in Connecticut, and Hernandez's cousin Tanya Singleton arrived, Bradley testified. Singleton and Hernandez allegedly had a hushed conversation, and took the SUV with her when she left. "He told her to take it to clean it up and put the car in a garage," Bradley said on the stand. As police investigated the 2012 shooting, Bradley said Hernandez began showing signs of paranoia around iPhones and helicopters and "just assumed everyone was a detective." Hernandez was also allegedly having nightmares about the shooting. "We kind of just kept our distance from one another a little bit after the murder," Bradley said. Bradley also told the jury about how Hernandez shot him in the face, leaving him without sight in one eye. "I wanted revenge. I didn't want to tell on him," he said. "I wanted to make it even." Hernandez also faces witness intimidation charges for allegedly shooting Bradley in the face in 2013. Bradley settled a lawsuit with Hernandez in court. Hernandez is serving a life term for the 2013 killing of Odin Lloyd, who was dating the sister of Hernandez's fiancee. North Texas contractors are among hundreds submitting proposals to build President Donald Trumps proposed border wall. John P. Garrett runs JP Construction of Fort Worth. Hes currently a subcontractor doing ground work on a Fort Worth warehouse project. Garrett said his experience with excavation and erecting prefabricated concrete walls would be useful for building a border wall. I would do a lot of the excavating work, Garrett said. The wall is going to be six to 10 feet deep underground, so I would have a big part in that. The small businessman said he is not concerned about the controversy wall contractors have been warned to expect if they are selected to work on this project. This is one of the biggest projects in the United States, so I just want to be part of that, Garrett said. Specifications from the government released Friday call for a barrier up to 30 feet high, with a tunneling barrier at least six feet below ground, able to withstand 30 minutes of attack. And it has to be something thats aesthetically pleasing, said Michael Evangelista-Ysasaga, Chief Executive Officer of the Penna Group in Fort Worth. Trump said he wants a big beautiful wall. We take him at his word, As the Hispanic leader of defense contracting firm, Evangelista-Ysasaga said submitting a proposal for a wall was a difficult decision after seeing some proposals like electrified fences, which he considers inhumane. What we decided was that we would rather be a productive part of the solution than sit on the sidelines, he said. Its the biggest project on the planet at this point. There is still strong opposition to the project and nothing is final at this point. The estimated cost is more than $21 billion. A former North Carolina police chief who now works as a law enforcement consultant said Sunday that he's disappointed with his country of 42 years after he was detained at John F. Kennedy International Airport. Former Greenville Police Chief Hassan Aden of Alexandria, Virginia, said he was detained March 13 on his return trip from Paris. He supports the officers of the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol, but he believes his 90-minute detention was unreasonable, he said in a telephone interview. Aden, who is biracial, said a customs officer told him that his name was used as an alias by someone on a watch list. He said one officer told him that he wasn't being detained even though he couldn't use his phone and he had to remain seated. "I know how the databases work," the 52-year-old told NBC News. "It doesn't take 1 hours to check someone out when you have their passport." Aden wouldn't describe the hold as illegal. But, he said, "an hour and a half becomes unreasonable detention." Aden described the scene in a Facebook post Saturday, adding that the officer who told him that he wasn't being detained has an "ignorance of the law and the Fourth Amendment" of the U.S. Constitution that should disqualify him as a customs officer. "I certainly was not free to leave," Aden said. Another agent began "agressively" requesting status updates on his behalf, Aden said, a move that appeared to finally induce his releaase. Aden said he became a naturalized U.S. citizen at the age of 10 when he was an Italian citizen. He worked for the police department in Alexandria for about 25 years, then as Greenville police chief for about two years. Clients of the consulting firm he now owns include the U.S. Justice Department, he said. With family in Italy, France and England, Aden often travels overseas. He says that won't change. But he is rethinking plans to send his 12- and 15-year-old children overseas as unaccompanied minors to spend the summer with relatives because he wouldn't want them to go through the same situation on their own. "This is my country and with things I see happening, I see certain rights eroding in the name of national security. It's worrisome," he said. A U.S. Customs and Border Patrol spokesperson said the agency doesn't comment on individual cases. Hundreds of families of Sept. 11 victims are suing the government of Saudi Arabia, alleging the kingdom knowingly provided material support and resources to al-Qaeda and facilitated the terror attacks that killed thousands in New York, the Washington, D.C. area and Pennsylvania. Fifteen of the 19 plane hijackers in the Sept. 11 attacks were Saudi nationals. The lawsuit was filed in New York City Friday by law firm Kreindler & Kreindler. The families accuses Saudi Arabia of raising and providing money to al-Qaida for terrorist activities, including terrorist training camps in Afghanistan, safe houses, weapons and false passport and travel documents, according to the lawsuit. [NATL] Top News Photos: Pope Visits Japan, and More The lawsuit accuses Saudia Arabia of being "duplicitous": "It presented a public face to the United States and other Western countries of a nation fighting al Qaeda and terrorism while at the same time, as detailed herein, Saudi government actors gave al Qaeda substantial material support and resources." [NATL] Top News Photos: Pope Visits Japan, and More The families are seeking monetary damages, with separate awards for each plaintiff plus interest, costs, punitive damages and other damages and fees. The families of the 9/11 victims are being allowed to sue under legislation passed by Congress, which gives victims' families the rights to sue in U.S. Court for any role that elements of the Saudi government may have played in the 2001 attacks. The bill, called the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act, was vetoed by then-President Obama last September. He said at the time the legislation could backfire by opening up the U.S. government and its officials to lawsuits by anyone accusing the U.S. of supporting terrorism, rightly or wrongly. Congress overturned the veto. A waiter at a Southern California restaurant was fired after patrons say they were asked to show "proof of residency" before being served. Diana Carrillo, 23, said she had often gone to Saint Marc, a pub-cafe in the Paradise Shopping Center on Pacific Coast Highway in Huntington Beach. On March 11, Carrillo went to the upscale eatery with her sister and two other friends and asked to order some drinks. According to Carrillo, the waiter allegedly asked them to show proof of residency. When they asked him to explain what he meant, the waiter replied that he needed to make sure they were legally allowed to be there, Carrillo said. She said the group complained to the manager who called the waiter "one of their best" and was offered to be seated in another section. They declined and left. "At this point, it's more about bringing light to the issue. I feel like this is something we're leaning toward, that every time you go to a restaurant they're going to ask for your proof of residency or just because you speak Spanish, or anyone else if they're speaking a different language, they think it's okay to ask for proof of residency. And that's not okay," the Irvine resident said. The restaurant announced Tuesday afternoon that they fired the employees involved. After Carrillo detailed her experience in a Yelp review post, the restaurant took to Facebook to respond: "We are deeply saddened by this guest's experience and have made the decision to terminate the employees in question. This type of behavior is not representative of the Saint Marc brand and it will not be tolerated. We have established our restaurant in a wonderfully diverse community and intend to uphold our standards of universal acceptance." A restaurant spokesperson said they'd like for Carrillo and her friends to return and have a face-to-face conversation about the incident. She said she'd only be willing to do that if Saint Marc is willing to turn that into a larger community conversation. A Florida Keys woman who had been missing since Thursday has been found safe in Miami, officials said Monday. Kimberly Smith, 56, was reported missing Friday by boyfriend Robert Boyd following an argument at their Key Colony Beach home Thursday night, Monroe County Sheriff's Office officials said Monday. Boyd told detectives she left their house and had only a few dollars with her, so he expected her to return. He also said she had been living with him since February and didn't know many people in the area, officials said. Detectives tried to call her cell phone, but it went straight to voicemail. They also checked local hospitals. Authorities said Smith was found safe in Miami Monday and was being reunited with her family. Italian-Argentine drug-trafficking suspect Franco Lombardi, known as The Wizard, has been sentenced to 14 years in the federal penitentiary after pleading guilty to charges related to cocaine and heroin cases in Florida and New Jersey. The Miami Herald reports U.S. District Judge Joan Lenard's sentencing closes a case that drew international attention when Lombardi was first arrested in Honduras and then extradited to Miami. The indictment to which the 46-year-old Lombardi pleaded guilty this year had been handed down by a grand jury in 2015 in New Jersey. Lombardi pleaded guilty in November in the Miami indictment. When Lombardi was extradited to Miami from Honduras, authorities there described him as a representative of the Sinaloa drug-trafficking cartel. Vice President Mike Pence is culminating his trip to Florida with a Sunday church service in Coral Springs. The vice president attended a Sunday worship at Church By The Glades where he spoke to a large crowd about his faith, his journey during the campaign trail and also about Donald Trump. Outside the church, along Atlantic Boulevard, a group of demonstrators held up signs with rhetoric against the sitting vice president. "It was about Sunday and coming out to church to celebrate God," said Brandon, a churchgoer. "So I'm glad it didn't turn out to to be what we've seen throughout the election." Many church goers after the service told us they were excited to hear the vice president speak on behalf of their religion. "We have more hope than we ever had before and he's a good man who will help lead this country in a good direction," Jack Fields said. On Saturday, Pence spoke to small business owners in Jacksonville alongside Florida Gov. Rick Scott. "The Obamacare nightmare is about to end," Pence said. He called for block grants, the ability to purchase health insurance across state lines, and making medicaid unique for each community. Meanwhile, President Trump spent the weekend at Mar-a-Lago where he met with business leaders to discuss plans to reform veterans affairs. Vice President Pence boarded Air Force Two Sunday afternoon at Fort-Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport. Bill Gates remains atop the list of the world's richest individuals with a personal fortune of $86 billion, following the unveiling of Forbes 31st annual rankings of the globe's billionaires. Joining Gates in the top three is investor/philanthropist Warren Buffet, with a net worth of $75.6 billion and Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, the biggest gainer on the list, with a net worth of $72.8 billion. President Donald Trump comes in on the list at No. 544, with a net worth of $3.5 billion. This is a slight drop from the 2016 list where Trump's fortune was listed at $3.7 billion. Eight of the top 10 on the list hail from the United States. Booming stock markets, higher commodities prices and plain old-fashioned entrepreneurship helped make this a record year in terms of wealth creation around the globe, said Luisa Kroll and Kerry Dolan, Assistant Managing Editors of Wealth at Forbes Media, said in a press release announcing the list. Rounding out the top five are Spanish clothing retailer Amancio Ortega ($71.3 billion), and Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg ($56 billion) Among the other stats revealed on the list: A man attacked a couple in their 60s -- apparently at random -- at the Port Authority Bus Terminal on Monday, and police are still searching for the suspect, law enforcement sources familiar with the case tell NBC 4 New York. The sources said the man and woman were standing at a first-floor information booth when the suspect came up to them and punched both in the face. The male victim suffered a bloody lip. The suspect then fled, the sources said, kicking a door and shattering the glass. Both victims were seen sitting at a table in the transit hub, being tended to by several police officers. Later, FDNY EMTs helped the duo into a waiting ambulance. President Donald Trump defiantly refused to back down Friday from his explosive claim that Barack Obama wiretapped his phones, and sidestepped any blame for the White House decision to highlight an unverified report that Britain helped carry out the alleged surveillance. In brushing off the diplomatic row with perhaps America's closest ally, Trump also revived another: the Obama administration's monitoring of German Chancellor Angela Merkel's calls. "At least we have something in common, perhaps," Trump said during a joint news conference with Merkel. Merkel, who was making her first visit to the White House since Trump took office, looked surprised by the president's comment, which he appeared primed to deliver. The Obama administration's spying infuriated Germany at the time and risked damaging the U.S. relationship with one of its most important European partners. Trump's unproven recent allegations against his predecessor have left him increasingly isolated, with fellow Republican as well as Democratic lawmakers saying they've seen nothing from intelligence agencies to support his claim. But Trump, who rarely admits he's wrong, has been unmoved, leaving his advisers in the untenable position of defending the president without any credible evidence. On Thursday, spokesman Sean Spicer turned to a Fox News analyst's contention that GCHQ, the British electronic intelligence agency, had helped Obama wiretap Trump. The president reiterated Friday that Andrew Napolitano was the source of his information that Obama wiretapped him. That was a statement made by a very talented lawyer on Fox. And so you shouldnt be talking to me. You should be talking to Fox, Trump said. Fox News anchor Shepard Smith said Friday that the network didn't have any evidence that Trump was wiretapped and could not independently verify the reports from Andrew Napolitano, a former judge and commentator who has met with the president. Smith also asked why Trump relied on Napolitanos commentary, rather than information from U.S. intelligence agencies. Of course, the president could learn first-hand whether the building in which he lives was wiretapped, Smith said. All hed have to do is ask the intelligence services; they work for him. The GCHQ vigorously denied the charges in a rare public statement, saying the report was "utterly ridiculous and should be ignored." According to a Western diplomat, Britain's ambassador to Washington, Kim Darroch, had told the White House Tuesday that Napolitano's assertions were not true. Still, it was among several news reports Spicer referenced in his briefing Thursday as part of an angry defense of the president's claims. Darroch and other British officials complained directly to White House officials after the episode, Prime Minister Theresa May's office said it had been assured the White House would not repeat the allegations. Spicer was very apologetic when confronted by Darroch at a White House dinner on Thursday, the Western diplomat said. But Trump himself offered no public apologies and suggested there was nothing wrong with the White House repeating what it had heard. "All we did was quote a certain very talented legal mind who was the one responsible for saying that on television," Trump said during Friday's news conference. "You shouldn't be talking to me, you should be talking to Fox." Spicer was also defiant Friday, telling reporters: "I don't think we regret anything." A White House official confirmed that Darroch and the British prime minister's national security adviser, Mark Lyall Grant, expressed concerns to both Spicer and Trump's national security adviser, H.R. McMaster. Spicer and McMaster said that the press secretary was simply pointing to public reports and not endorsing any specific story, the official said. The U.S. and United Kingdom are members of the Five Eyes intelligence-sharing alliance, which prohibits members from spying on each other. Australia, Canada and New Zealand are the other members. The diplomat and White House official both spoke only on condition of anonymity to discuss private conversations. The president is a voracious consumer of news and frequently repeats information he reads or hears on television, often without verifying it first. It was a story in Breitbart the far-right website once run by his senior adviser Steve Bannon that appeared to spark Trump's March 4 tweets accusing Obama of wiretapping the New York skyscraper where he lived and ran his presidential campaign. The White House has asked the House and Senate intelligence committees to investigate the matter as part of their inquiries into Russia's hacking of the presidential election and possible contacts between Trump associates and Russian officials. But the top lawmakers on both committees have said they have seen no indications that Trump Tower was wiretapped. The Justice Department said Friday that it had complied with congressional requests for information related to any surveillance during the 2016 election. The department would not comment further on what information, if any, was provided. Republicans in Congress also said Trump should retract his claims. Rep. Charlie Dent, R-Pa., called the accusation against Britain "inexplicable" and the Trump's accusation against Obama unfounded. "A president only has so much political capital to expend and so much moral authority as well, and so any time your credibility takes a hit, I think in many ways it weakens the officeholder," Dent said. FBI Director James Comey is sure to be asked about the wiretapping allegations when he testifies on Capitol Hill Monday. The public hearing is the first of several that the intelligence committees are expected to hold on Russia's interference in the election. A man was arrested after he allegedly sexually assaulted a teen girl inside a Berks County church more than a decade ago. Jonathan Scott Buchanan, 34, of Bryn Mawr, is charged with statutory sexual assault, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, sexual assault, aggravated assault and corruption of minors. Detectives from the Berks County District Attorneys Child Abuse Unit began to investigate Buchanan in October of 2016 after they received a sexual assault complaint filed on Childline and a report made to the Berks County Children and Youth Service Department, officials said. During the investigation they spoke with a woman who told them Buchanan sexually assaulted her inside a church in October of 2006 when she was 15-years-old. The woman said Buchanan, who was 25 at the time, was the technical guy who was helping with a dress rehearsal during a church group function in Sinking Spring, Pennsylvania. Buchanan was helping the teen retrieve equipment in the downstairs office area of the church when he sexually assaulted her, according to investigators. He then drove the girl in his vehicle to a secluded parking lot and sexually assaulted her again, police said. Buchanan surrendered to Berks County detectives Monday around 11 a.m. His bail is set at $100,000 unsecured. An inflammatory graffiti display threatening President Donald Trump was found on a wall on the shoulder of eastbound Interstate 8 has been partially covered up, California Highway Patrol (CHP) officers said. The graffiti, which reads Murder Trump ASAP...", is located in between Los Coches Road and Lake Jennings Park Road in San Diego County. NBC 7 was made aware of the graffiti on Saturday and confirmed its existence at around 7:50 p.m. PST. It is unknown how long the graffiti has been up. Since then, CHP officers have begun the process of covering up the graffiti. Sunday morning, CHP officials said they partially covered up the graffiti this morning, and CalTrans officials will cover up the rest. As of Sunday morning, no complaints had been filed with the San Diego County Sheriff's Office, which has acknowledged that the location of the graffiti is within its jurisdiction. Criminal defense lawyer Vik Monder told NBC 7 that the person behind the graffiti can be prosecuted under California State Law Penal Code 422, California's criminal threat law, only "if it was intended to entice a hate crime or criminal act." Monder said if it was meant to entice violence, then the culprit's First Amendment protection is voided. A federal charge would be brought under Title 18 section 871, or Presidential Threat Protection Act of 2000. Nearby resident Rex McNeil recognizes freedom of speech, but feels the graffiti may have gone overboard. I'm disappointed," McNeil said. "Not even being a citizen, I'm extremely disappointed that we would have that. We have freedom of speech but you cant just say and do anything you'd like to do. There are still limits as far as that's concerned and this is definitely over the line." Other residents of the area were fearful of the graffiti's potential impact on their children. "I'm shocked," Jeremy Axelson said. "I dont want my kids to see something like that on their way going to school, why do we want to, why do we want to murder the president?" Prosecutors say a former high school principal made dozens of ATM withdrawals from a school account at a Maryland casino. Leslie Lewis has been indicted in schemes to steal from her school, Baltimore Community High School, the state prosecutor's office announced Monday. A grand jury returned indictments charging Lewis with theft, misappropriation by a fiduciary and conspiracy. A former teacher at the school, Albert Fluker, is also charged with theft and conspiracy. Prosecutors say Lewis stole more than $13,000 from an account she set up for the school, making 49 ATM withdrawals at the Maryland Live! Casino in Hanover, Maryland. Lewis also used deceptive purchase orders to steal more than $40,000 in technology, prosecutors said. Prosecutors allege that Lewis and Fluker worked together to steal four televisions from the school. A Virginia man claimed to have a bomb and an asteroid in the trunk of his car after he was stopped at a White House checkpoint Saturday evening, according to an affidavit filed by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia. The man was the second person arrested by the Secret Service on the White House grounds over the weekend. Sean Keoughan, 29, of Roanoke, Virginia, was arrested by the Secret Service shortly after 11 p.m. on March 18. He was charged with threatening and conveying false information concerning use of an explosive. A judge ordered Keoughan held until a hearing scheduled for Thursday afternoon. The federal charge is punishable by a statutory maximum of 10 years imprisonment. According to a special agent for the Secret Service, Keoughan tried to gain access to the White House grounds twice, claiming he had a meeting with President Donald Trump. During the second attempt, the agent said, Keoughan told the security checkpoint, Theres a bomb in the trunk. After he was arrested, officers asked Keoughan if he, indeed, had a bomb in the trunk of his car. He said he had a very large, very heavy bag in the trunk with an asteroid in it. The Secret Service closed the area around the security checkpoint for about 4 hours overnight Saturday to Sunday. No explosives were found, and officials have not said what, if anything, was located in the vehicle. According to the affidavit, Keoughan claimed Trump spoke to him telepathically through a process called Think Talk. He said it allowed his mind to communicate with high level-officials, such as the president, the Secret Service and Delta Force. Keoughan said he is a peaceful hippie who does not own any weapons. His vehicle was a rental car that was reported stolen from Roanoke. Investigators said the car allegedly was involved in a collision with a construction zone sign along Interstate 66 in Virginia. Another man, William Rawlinson, 58, of Silver Spring, Maryland, was arrested earlier on March 18 after he was spotted behind a security barrier at the White House. According to charging documents, an officer heard the rattling of the barrier and saw Rawlinson in a restricted area, yelling nonsensical statements. A judge released Rawlinson, pending a hearing set for April 12, on the condition he stays away from the White House and its grounds. He is officially charged with unlawful entry, a misdemeanor. Five people, including two children, were injured in a multi-vehicle crash in Newport, Maine, Sunday. According to affiliate WCSH-TV, the crash happened around 2:30 p.m. on Route 7 at the intersection of County Woods Road and Blaisdell Road. Police said a woman driving in an SUV with her two kids clipped the back of a car trying to turn left. The SUV then crossed the centerline, hit the back of a truck and crashed into another truck head-on. The driver and passenger of the truck, as well as the mother and her kids were all taken to hospitals and are expected to recover. A man was held without bail Monday after facing a judge in connection to the murder of a Massachusetts teacher's aide back in February. Jose Melendez, 55, was ordered arraigned on a murder charge for the strangulation death of 49-year-old Sandra Hehir. A judge granted his attorney's motion that his face not be shown in court Monday. Hehir's body was found on the floor of her apartment on Congress St. Sunday, February 5. A neighbor called police. Investigators allege Melendez assaulted and beat Sandra Hehir, killing her. Investigators say his DNA was found at murder scene. Initially police didn't know how she died. It was later determined she was strangled. Hehir, also known as "Buffy", was a beloved middle school teacher's aide in Worcester. She was known as a very kind person, who was friendly and active. "She was an amazing teacher," said Douglas Hill, a former student of Hehir. "She'd come in and was high-spirited. She'd make sure that you were happy." "I think that was her way of giving back to kids," said the victim's nephew, Jim Greene. "She worked in one of the toughest schools in the city of Worcester." Melendez was arrested March 15 on an unrelated warrant out of Lynn and two drug charges out of Worcester. He was being held at the Worcester County House of Correction when he was charged with murder in this case. Human rights activists are planning a rally for Tuesday afternoon outside the Vermont Statehouse in Montpelier, following the arrests last week of three members of the state's migrant farmworker community. According to the advocacy group Migrant Justice, Jose Enrique "Kike" Balcazar Sanchez, 24, Zully Palacios Rodriguez, 23, and Cesar Alexis Carrillo Sanchez, 23, were taken into custody last week by federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. Two of the detainees, Balcazar and Palacios, have been outspoken advocates for migrant farmworkers. Carrillo was a dairy laborer who married a U.S. citizen, according to Migrant Justice. His wife told NBC 5 News last week that the couple had not yet completed paperwork to start the process toward legal residency for her husband, but that she hopes he can be released soon because they have a young child and another on the way. None of the detainees had criminal records, Migrant Justice said. Carrillo had been charged with drunk driving, but Chittenden County's chief prosecutor said that charge was recently dismissed in exchange for completion of reparative board requirements and a suspension of driving privileges. Human rights activists have announced a rally Tuesday afternoon outside the Vermont Statehouse in Montpelier in support of the detainees. That rally is scheduled for 4 p.m. Tuesday, according to organizers. "This entire issue is incredibly complicated," observed T.J. Donovan, Vermont's attorney general, in reference to the arrests. Vermont is home to roughly 2,000 farm workers who don't have government permission to be in the country, yet their labor is widely considered vital to the state's famous dairy industry. Donovan said it appears the agents were following federal law when bringing the three in for alleged immigration violations. "Not to say I like it or [don't] like it, but the question of the legality of it this is permissible," Donovan said of the arrests. "This is legal." "We also have reached out to our Congressional delegation over the weekend," Gov. Phil Scott, R-Vermont, said. "It's a federal issue, obviously, but we're asking for clarification asking to see if it's something we need to be on top of." The administration of President Donald Trump has made national security a priority, and called for an expansion of the ranks of federal immigration agents and border patrol officers. Vermont's Congressional delegation, Sen. Patrick Leahy (D), Sen. Bernie Sanders (I), and Rep. Peter Welch (D) issued the following statement Monday about the immigration actions: "We have expressed our serious concerns to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) about these arrests of several farmworkers and farmworker advocates. We are also reaching out to ICE about the potential impact in Vermont of President Trump's executive order calling for increased immigration enforcement. Instead of focusing on removing those people who pose a threat to public safety or national security, the Trump Administration is targeting all undocumented persons, including the people that help keep our dairy farms and rural economy afloat. "We are seeing the result of the failure of Republican leaders in the House of Representatives to even consider comprehensive immigration reform, including provisions for undocumented agricultural workers. Instead of common sense reform, we now have a divisive and xenophobic executive order issued unilaterally by President Trump that is tearing families and communities apart, and endangering our dairy farms here in Vermont." Opponents of the arrests participated in a large march this past weekend through downtown Burlington, denouncing the detentions. "Vermont will fight for immigrant rights," demonstrators chanted Saturday afternoon as they walked down Church Street and back toward the federal building on Elmwood Avenue. Dairy worker and human rights activist Victor Diaz spoke to the crowd that gathered downtown. He was once detained himself by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE. "It's so sad families separated, to see partners separated one from the other, and it's just an incredibly sad feeling what ICE is doing, tearing our community apart," Diaz told reporters Saturday with the assistance of an interpreter. Donovan predicted nationwide, opponents of federal immigration policy will keep channeling their anger into political action. "Frankly, the change is going to come at the ballot box," Donovan said. An ICE spokesperson did not respond to necn's request for comment before our news deadline. If the agency does respond, this article will be updated. A man arrested in Revere, Massachusetts early Sunday morning after a police chase and fiery crash was held on high bail and ordered not to drive after a Monday court appearance. Robert Silvia, 50, of Cambridge has been charged by Saugus police with breaking and entering, failure to stop for police, and driving with a revoked license, among other violations. At 3:02 a.m. Sunday, Saugus police received a burglary alarm alert from Santoro's Sub-Villa. Surveillance footage from the restaurant showed Silvia in a hooded sweatshirt breaking through the glass front door then heading into the office to search the drawers. Restaurant manager Grady OBrien said the incident happened within minutes and Silvia did not take anything. A witness reportedly saw a U-Haul parked in front of the store at the time of the burglary. When the officers arrived Silvia was gone, but they noticed the U-Haul truck exiting Route 1 in Saugus; Silvia was behind the wheel. Police attempted to stop the U-Haul, but Silvia failed to cooperate and a chase began. The pursuit went from Saugus to Lynn, back to Saugus, and then into Revere. It was later discovered that the U-Haul was stolen out of Somerville. In Revere, the U-Haul struck a police cruiser and then crashed into Gulino's Auto Body, according to police. At this point, police said Silvia fled the U-Haul and entered the building, where he was arrested. No injuries were reported as a result of this incident but Revere police and firefighters responded to the crash scene to combat the ensuing fire. In court Monday, the Essex County District Attorney's Office requested Silvia be held on $75,000 bail. The judge ordered him held on $20,000 bail with condition of GPS-monitored house arrest. Silvia may not drive and must stay away from Santoro's. If he violates those conditions, he can be held without bail for 60 days. Silvia is due back in court April 13. Police in Andover, Massachusetts arrested an armed man over the weekend who was allegedly dealing drugs out of a local hotel room where he was staying with two children. Chay Jomar Gonzalez-Mendez, 26, of Lawrence, was arrested Saturday and charged with trafficking in heroin over 100 grams, possession of a firearm used in a felony, possession of a firearm without a license, unsecured firearm, wanton or reckless behavior to a child and receiving stolen property over $250. The arrest came as the result of an investigation into reports of heroin sales on River Road in Andover. That investigation determined that Gonzalez-Mendez was running a heroin sales operation out of an area hotel room. Andover police obtained a search warrant for the hotel room, where Gonzalez-Mendez was reportedly staying with several other individuals. During their investigation, police learned that the other occupants were juveniles, ages 14 and 17. While executing the search warrant, police found a loaded Glock semi-automatic handgun, more than 100 grams of heroin and $1,000 cash. The gun had been stolen from Manchester, New Hampshire in 2012. Gonzalez-Mendez was expected to be arraigned on Monday in Lawrence District Court. Four A-29 Super Tucano light-attack aircraft arrived for duty at Kabul Air Wing, Kabul, Afghanistan, March 20, 2017, where they will be used by the Afghan Air Force for close-air attack, air interdiction, escort and armed reconnaissance. The latest arrivals, which traveled from Moody Air Force Base, Ga., bring the AAF A-29 inventory from eight to 12 aircraft in country. There are still seven A-29s assigned to Moody AFB where they are used for training pilots. The four additional aircraft will allow us to increase the number of missions we are able to support nationwide, said an Afghan A-29 pilot who cant be identified for security reasons. More targets can be attackedmore ground troops can be supported. The AAF A-29 pilot said sometimes a nation needs their military to pressure the enemy in order to develop peace and stability. The AAF plays a major role in this, he said. We are helping the peace process. When an A-29 is overhead, it gives motivation to the ground troops, and the enemy realizes they can be struck anywhere and will feel the pressure to come to the peace table. This is how we will bring peace and stability to Afghanistan. Brig. Gen. David Hicks, Train, Advise, Assist Command-Air (TAAC-Air) and 438th Air Expeditionary Wing commander, said the A-29s were a game changer in the 2016 fighting season, and he has high expectations for the aircraft and crews in 2017. The AAF pilots are continually gaining proficiency in the A-29, said Hicks. They are capable of providing air attack anywhere in the country. In the past, the Afghan National Army relied on the Coalition for air support. Now, its their own countrymen overhead flying the missions. Hicks said the additional A-29s give the AAF more options to forward deploy airpower throughout the country. Lt. Col. Johnnie Green, 438th Air Expeditionary Advisory Squadron commander, said the AAF and U.S. A-29 pilots have a unique bond. We have developed a close relationship with the Afghan A-29 pilots over several years now, not just in training, but also in the development of their own fighter squadron and advising them while they conduct operations, said Green. Training in the United States allows us the freedom and flexibility to control the environment and instruct to specific objectives, and the standard we hold them to directly translates to what they do in combat. Green said the AAF A-29 pilots are performing remarkably well, and the pilots have demonstrated excellent decision making. The experience they have gained in one year since beginning combat operations is phenomenal, and they are communicating these experiences with each other, said Green. That is so important as the new A-29 pilots return from training and begin flying combat operations themselves. The newest A-29s will undergo a brief reconfiguration after which they will be ready for combat operations in the 2017 fighting season. Another sizeable payment card data breach has been discovered at a U.S. restaurant chain. In the latest example, several high-end eateries run by Select Restaurants in Cleveland were the victims of fraudulent cards used by customers at its restaurants, according to a report posted Thursday on KrebsOnSecurity, a reliable site written by reporter Brian Krebs. Krebs said he learned about the case from anti-fraud teams at multiple financial institutions investigating "a great deal of fraud on cards used at a handful of high-end restaurants around the country." A month ago, hundreds of Arby's restaurants were affected by a breach in their payment systems, Krebs reported. In January, Popeyes restaurants acknowledged it was also hit last summer, in a similar breach. Wendy's reported being hit last summer as well. Fraud from stolen credit and debit cards seems to be happening regularly at U.S. restaurants where older magnetic stripe cards are still sometimes in use instead of more secure chip cards. But even PIN and chip cards can't be defended against the kind of internal POS breaches that occurred at Select Restaurants, said Gartner analyst Avivah Litan. "Chip and PIN won't do anything to stop breaches -- the data can just as easily be stolen," she said Friday. Chip and PIN will, however, thwart the reuse of card data when a thief tries to buy something at another physical location, she said. Card breaches at retailers and restaurants continue happening in the U.S., Litan said. "The cases have only gotten drowned out in the news" because of election hacking and "other cyber espionage," she said. "It turns out that some of the same hackers who break into restaurants to steal credit cards are also conducting cyberespionage and other political activities on behalf of the Russian government. This was documented in the recent Yahoo breach arrests." The extent of the fraud, in dollars or total victims, at Select Restaurants was not disclosed. Select Restaurants did not respond to a request for comment. The company owns eateries including Boston's Top of the Hub, Parker's Lighthouse in Long Beach, Calif. and Rusty Scupper in Baltimore, among others. Krebs traced the Select Restaurant fraud to an intrusion in its point-of-sale (POS) vendor, 24 x 7 Hospitality Technology, a West Chicago company handling card transactions at thousands of hotels and restaurants. 24 x 7 sent a letter on Feb. 14 to its customers warning them of a "sophisticated network intrusion through a remote access application." The letter implied that criminals had guessed or phished a password that was used for 24 x 7's remote access to POS systems at customer locations going back to October 2016. Victims apparently had primarily used magnetic stripe credit and debit cards at payment terminals at the affected restaurants. Mag-stripe cards rely on an older and less secure payment technology than do the newer chip cards. U.S. banks and card networks like Visa, MasterCard and other card companies have been giving customers new cards embedded with smart chips in recent years, although the U.S. is one of the last countries to convert to chip card technology. Banks regularly report progress to replace magstripe cards with chip cards since a liability deadline to make the conversion passed in October 2015. Many merchants, especially smaller retailers and restaurants, have complained about the cost and complexity of converting point of sales terminals to read chip cards, which has slowed the U.S. rollout. Complicating matters, nearly all chip cards also have magnetic stripes containing card data, which are still vulnerable to hackers who can strip the data with special counterfeit readers. Even PIN and chip is vulnerable to internal breaches like those at Select Restaurants. The best defense for restaurants is providing point-to-point encryption of data, Litan said. She also said retailers and restaurants shouldn't store sensitive data. One security industry expert also called for bolstering payments security, including encryption. "To better secure the retail industry, the migration from swipe cards to PIN and chip and further to point to point encrypted (P2PE) solutions must be a priority," said John Christly, global chief information security officer at Netsurion, which provides managed security services for businesses. Unfortunately, P2PE solutions are not widely available and can be costly if a small business has just paid to upgrade to chip payment terminals, Christly said. A Visa spokeswoman said she could not comment on the recent restaurant breaches, but said instances of data breaches reinforce the need for business to protect the security and privacy of customer financial information. Visa also urges customers to regularly monitor their accounts for fraudulent charges and notify their bank of unusual activity. Randy Vanderhoof, director of the U.S. Payments Forum, urged small retailers to enable chip card payments as "quickly as possible. The longer it takes the hospitality and restaurant industry [to support chip cards] the more vulnerable they remain." "The fraudsters know where the weaknesses are and can move quickly," Vanderhoof added. This story, "Credit-card breach hits another restaurant chain " was originally published by Computerworld . Local police in Minnesota are trying to solve a bank fraud scheme by demanding Google give up data on people who looked up key search terms that may be related to crime. The warrant, issued to police in the city of Edina last month, is raising eyebrows among privacy advocates. It's a rare instance of U.S. law enforcement using mass data collection to solve a petty crime, said Nate Cardozo, an attorney with the Electronic Frontier Foundation. Edina police applied for the warrant to investigate a fraud case dealing with $28,500 that was wired out of a victim's bank account back in January. The criminal pulled off the scheme by posing as the victim and faxing over a forged U.S. passport to the bank. However, the image used for the U.S. passport is publicly available on the internet through a Google search, but not on Yahoo or Bing, according to the warrant application. As a result, Edina police suspect the criminal must have queried Google using a certain combination of search terms revolving around the victim's name. The warrant, which a judge signed, asks that Google hand over user information for people who queried the search terms. This includes the user's name, address, telephone number, birth date, payment information, and IP addresses. But the warrant also has limits. For instance, it applies to only users located in Edina, which has a population of about 50,000 and looks only at queries made between last December and Jan. 7. Edina police declined to comment on the case because it is still under active investigation. But according to the warrant, investigators believe the Google data will help them identify the criminal suspect. Others are more worried about the larger implications of the police action. "Could this type of search warrant be used to wrongly ensnare innocent people?" wrote Tony Webster, a public records researcher who initially uncovered the warrant. "Search warrants require supporting probable cause, not just mere suspicion or theory," he added. U.S. authorities regularly do subpoena internet companies such as Google for information relating to criminal investigations. However, in this case, the warrant issued to Edina police is far too broad and unconstitutional, Cardozo contended. Hes particularly concerned that the warrant amounts to a "fishing expedition" that exposes the whole town to an unlawful search. "If this warrant is constitutional, then the California highway patrol could ask Google for information on people who were speeding while using Google Maps," Cardozo said. "The DEA could get a search warrant on whoever emailed a marijuana dispensary." However, Google can stop the Edina search warrant in an appeal, which the local police likely won't win, he said. It's unclear if the internet company ever gave up the data. On Friday, Google said: "We aren't able to comment on specific cases, but we will always push back when we receive excessively broad requests for data about our users." Before the Edina search warrant was granted, Google had previously opposed a separate subpoena from the local county that had also asked for the data. In January, a bank in Edina, Minnesota, received a request for a $28,500 wire transfer from someone claiming to be local resident Douglas Junker. Though bolstered with a faked picture of a passport, the request later turned out to be fraudulent, and local cops were reportedly stymied on how to catch the thief. Until, that is, they came up with a novel idea: Hoping to find out how the fraudster got the picture, Edina Police Detective David Lindman applied for a search warrant to obtain the names, email addresses, account information and IP addresses of everyone in the entire town of 50,000 who had searched for any variation of the victims name between Dec. 1, 2016, and Jan. 7, 2017. + Also on Network World: EFF: Congress considers making it illegal to protect consumer privacy online + Wow, obvious police overreach, right? Google search histories are hardly public information, and stripping privacy from an entire city to try and nab a small-time swindler would surely be casting too wide a net to be acceptable to a judge, right? Wrong. On Feb. 1, 2017, Hennepin County Judge Gary Larson granted a search warrant for "any/all user or subscriber information" of anyone in Edina who searched for the Douglas Junker from Dec. 1, 2016, and Jan. 7, 2017. The request asks for name(s), address(es), telephone number(s), dates of birth, Social Security numbers, email addresses, payment information, account information, IP addresses, and MAC addresses of the person(s) who requested/completed the search." Yikes! Privacy experts freak out Understandably, the internet is up in arms over this obvious over-reach. Defense attorneys called the implications frightening, and they warned the information could become public after the investigation was completed. One local journalist warned that the warrant could stretch beyond Medina residents. Stephanie Lacambra, an attorney for the Electronic Frontier Foundation, was skeptical of this warrants ability to survive constitutional scrutiny, while her colleague Andrew Crocker tweeted, Holy shit. Case name should be In re Minnesota Unconstitutional General Warrant Also in that vein, Teresa Nelson, interim executive director of the ACLU of Minnesota, reportedly said the warrant is breathtakingly broad, while law professor Robert Kahn at the University of St. Thomas, called it a scary slippery slope. You think? Warrant normalizes requests for private information Google reportedly says it plans to fight the expansive warrant, and its not entirely clear whether the search company could supply that information even if it wanted to. But heres the thingeven if this warrant doesnt actually get the information it asks for, the mere act of asking helps to normalize these kinds of outrageous requests. Whatever happens with this incredibly broad warrant, the next one likely will raise fewer eyebrows and be more likely to succeed. And thats could be true even for far more controversialbut not necessarily illegalsearch terms that could have real effects on innocent people swept up in an obvious invasion of privacy. A man accused of sending an animated GIF of a strobe light to a reporter who has epilepsy was arrested and charged with criminal cyberstalking with the intent to kill or cause bodily harm. Back on Dec. 15, 2016, Twitter user @jew_goldstein tweeted a flashing image to Newsweek reporter Kurt Eichenwald along with the message: YOU DESERVE A SEIZURE FOR YOUR POSTS. Eichenwald, who has epilepsy, immediately suffered a seizure. After Eichenwald's wife found him on the floor and called 911, she replied to @jew_goldstein, telling him that the tweet caused a seizure. I have your information and have called the police to report the assault, she wrote. On Friday, the FBI arrested 29-year-old John Rivello at his home in Maryland. The Department of Justice, citing the affidavit, said, evidence received pursuant to a search warrant showed Rivellos Twitter account contained direct messages from Rivellos account to other Twitter users concerning the victim. Investigators claim Rivello sent direct messages to other Twitter folks saying things like I hope this sends him into a seizure, Spammed this at [victim] lets see if he dies, and I know he has epilepsy. Investigators also claimed the search warrant turned up more evidence in Rivellos iCloud account. Rivellos iCloud account contained a screenshot of a Wikipedia page for the victim, which had been altered to show a fake obituary with the date of death listed as Dec. 16, 2016. Rivellos iCloud account also contained screen shots from epilepsy.com with a list of commonly reported epilepsy seizure triggers and from dallasobserver.com discussing the victims report to the Dallas Police Department and his attempt to identify the Twitter user. The cyberstalking charge, according to U.S. District Attorney John Parker of Texas, who is prosecuting the case, could carry a prison sentence of up to 10 years. Steven Lieberman, Eichenwalds attorney, told The New York Times, This electronic message was no different than a bomb sent in the mail or anthrax sent in an envelope. It triggers a physical effect. Dallas News reported that the epilepsy-inducing tweet came after Eichenwald appeared on Fox News show Tucker Carlson Tonight, where he and the host argued about each other's biases and Eichenwald's coverage of Donald Trump during the presidential campaign. After Rivellos arrest on Friday, Eichenwald tweeted, Identifying information about every person who sent me strobes after finding out about the assault is currently in the hands of the FBI. He added, More than 40 ppl sent strobes once they found out they could trigger seizures. Details of their cases are with the FBI. Stop sending them. Eichenwald thanked Dallas Police, Dallas DA, US Attorney in Dallas, the FBI & the Dept of Homeland Security who all played a role in this case. Vivek Krishnamurthy, assistant director at Harvard Law Schools Cyberlaw Clinic, told The New York Times, This is an interesting and unique case in that there are lots of online attacks that can have physical consequences, such as an attack on an electrical grid or the control of air traffic control. But this is distinguishable because it is a targeted physical attack that was personal, using a plain-Jane tool. Last week, I was fortunate to participate in SREcon17 Americas, a conference organized by USENIX for site reliability engineers. Whats a site reliability engineer (SRE)? Ben Treynor, founder of Google's site reliability team, once explained its "what happens when a software engineer is tasked with what used to be called operations." An important role in the DevOps practice, these engineers concentrate on reliability (of course) and scalability (at amazing levels) in highly distributed systems (microservices multiplying like rabbits). They run some of the largest websites on the planet and are inventing a new field of expertise while they do it. Recordings of the conference sessions will soon be posted, so rather than summarize lots of presentations, let me share some of the culture and spirit observed at this notable gathering. The remarkable Julia Evans, an SRE with Stripe, opened the conference with a talk called, "So you want to be a wizard?" Many presentations at other conferences seem designed to convince the audience that the speaker is a Very Serious Expert, so its surprising to read an abstract that begins: I don't always feel like a wizard. I'm not the most experienced member on my team. Like most people, I sometimes find my work difficult, and I still have a TON TO LEARN. Yet this honesty conveys the enticing reality of the work. Distributed systems are inherently complex, consisting of myriad components, any combination of which can cause knotty problems, especially at scale. Like a good detective, a dedicated SRE follows the facts where they lead, learning along the way. The combination of humility, curiosity and bravery makes the work seem as compelling as a good episode of CSI. SRE training, recruiting Training and recruiting were big topics at the conference because current demand for SRE skills greatly outstrips supply. Asked what to say when a novice SRE makes their first big service-impacting mistake, one panelist suggested: Congratulations, and welcome to the club. Many practitioners are self-taught because DevOps in general and site reliability engineering in particular are such new fields. The best-selling compendium Site Reliability Engineering was published just a year ago. Job seeker badge ribbons were available at registration so hungry companies could find talent. For engineers with a networking background, its interesting to compare the Google search trends for DevOps vs. CCIE. Not to suggest that networking expertise is unimportant; on the contrary. But putting that expertise in the context of site reliability is now a key focus. The opportunities and excitement were obvious throughout SREcon. Awesome scale loomed everywhere. Jeff Barber of Facebook recalled when a megabyte seemed large. Now a billion seems like a quotidian number. Casey Rosenthal of Netflix casually mentioned that their streams now account for about a third of the bits on the internet. Even under this staggering load, they purposely kill random parts of their production system as an ongoing test of the hypothesis that their design is resilient to failures. This ongoing Chaos Monkey approach helped ensure that Netflix was not impacted by the recent Amazon S3 outage. Improving diversity Diversity at SREcon seemed better than usual. For instance, compared to other technology gatherings, women were noticeably better represented (though still not half). Why such an SRE affinity should arise is unclear, but its welcome. As an example of the accepting tone, a set of badge ribbons available at registration allowed conference attendees to alert others to their pronoun preference (she/her, he/him, they/them, or fill in the blank). And a session on opening the field to everyone was well attended, with discussion that was sometimes awkward, but always optimistic and in good faith. Incidentally, Susan Fowler who wrote the explosive blog entry about sexual harassment at Uber is a site reliability engineer. Now with Stripe, she wrote another popular book Production-Ready Microservices about the field. A shout out to my hosts for the day at Netsil. The company offers tools for service-level monitoring as a black box, ideal for an SRE who might not be able to instrument code (especially for external services). Read more about this approach in their blog, or better yet, download their tools and try them out. They offer versions for just about every environment, from AWS to containers, and almost everyone who tries it learns something new about their systems. (Disclaimer: I serve as an informal advisor to the company. They sensibly pick and choose which advice to take and which to ignore.) Recordings and slides from the SREcon sessions will be posted in the coming weeks. Explore the program website or follow updates on Twitter. And watch for SREcon events in Singapore (May) and Dublin (August). Its hard to fathom and may be even harder for it to happen but a couple NASA-funded scientists say Mars might have had Saturn-like rings around it in the past and may have them again sometime in the distant future. NASAs Jet Propulsion Lab said Purdue University scientists David Minton and Andrew Hesselbrock developed a model that suggests debris that was pushed into space from an asteroid or other body slamming into Mars around 4.3 billion years ago alternates between becoming a planetary ring and clumping together to form a moon. More on Network World: Elon Musks next great adventure: Colonizing Mars+ The findings, published in the journal Nature Geoscience said that one theory suggests that Mars' large North Polar Basin or Borealis Basin -- which covers about 40% of the planet in its northern hemisphere -- was created by that impact, sending debris into space. "That large impact would have blasted enough material off the surface of Mars to form a ring," Hesselbrock said. The scientists said as the ring formed, and the debris slowly moved away from the Red Planet and spread out, it began to clump and eventually formed a moon. Over time, Mars' gravitational pull would have pulled that moon toward the planet until the planets tidal forces broke it apart. Even now, Phobos, one of Mars' moons, is getting closer to the planet and if the theory holds true, it too will break apart and become a set of rings -- in roughly 70 million years. Minton and Hesselbrock believe this cycle may have repeated between three and seven times over billions of years. Each time a moon broke apart and reformed from the resulting ring, its successor moon would be five times smaller than the last, according to the model, and debris would have rained down on the planet, possibly explaining otherwise inexplicable sedimentary deposits found near Mars' equator. Check out these other hot stories: Cisco issues critical warning after CIA WikiLeaks dump bares IOS security weakness DARPA wants to cultivate the ultimate transistor of the future DARPA plan would reinvent not-so-clever machine learning systems Cisco security advisory dump finds 20 warnings, 2 critical DARPA fortifies early warning system for power-grid cyber assault Ciscos Jasper deal one year, 18 million new IoT devices later, challenges remain Cisco jumps on ex-Juniper exec Davidson for service provider biz Old nemesis spam becoming significant way for attackers to subvert data School marks World of Work programme NEWBURY MP Richard Benyon and mayor Julian Swift-Hook supported a special event at a Newbury school on Friday. The Castle School, in Monks Lane, hosted a third annual celebratory event to mark the schools World of Work programme. The scheme aims to maximise pupils future employability by giving them as much interaction as possible with the workplace. Held at the Castle School Post-16 Unit, guests included representatives of local employers who contributed to the programme. Certificates were presented to Boots, Tesco Metro and Herongate Leisure Centre in recognition of their support. Donnington Valley Hotel & Spa was also recognised with a special certificate for its outstanding commitment to work experience student, Luke, who is now a paid member of their staff. Luke, who presented Donnington Valley with its certificate said: Im so grateful that Donnington Valley have offered me a job. It means a lot to me and my family. My parents, grandparents and teachers are so proud of me. I feel more independent and confident. It proves that I am a proper adult. Thank you to Emma and all the team at Donnington Valley for giving me this opportunity. James Whybra, the schools head of post-16, said: We are passionate about supporting our students into employment, but we could not do this without the support of local businesses. I am so proud to see our students as they go through their personal journey towards employment. The Castle School, which caters for students with learning disabilities, has a vision that any pupil with the desire and drive to gain employment, can. For more information about the Castle School or the World of Work programme contact Louisa McClure or telephone Nicola Hall on (01635) 516424. Offensive 'White zone' flyers were posted in November THE search for people who posted racist flyers in Newbury has been shelved. Flyers advocating white zones were removed from Chestnut Crescent and the A4 underpass leading to Almond Avenue after being reported to police in November last year. The posters were linked to National Action, a neo-Nazi British nationalist youth movement, and depicted a young masked white man adopting a Hitler salute. When asked for an update on the investigation, Thames Valley Police said that nobody had been arrested. Spokeswoman Hannah Jones said: Following officers enquiries, no further posters or stickers had been issued and the case was filed pending any further information coming to light. National Action, proscribed as a terrorist organisation by the Government last year, had said on its website that it was a growing community of young nationalists in the United Kingdom, united in a mission to save our race and generation. The appearance of the posters was met with disgust by Newbury MP Richard Benyon, Northcroft councillor Lynne Doherty and people posting on By Express News Service NEW DELHI: Taking a grim view of the mounting bad loans in public-sector banks, Banks Board Bureau (BBB) chief Vinod Rai has written to the government expressing concerns about the tardy progress made by state-owned lenders in resolving their non-performing assets (NPAs). In his letter to Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and the Prime Ministers Office, Rai suggested a roadmap to resolve the NPA issue. The Banks Board of Bureau was set up by the government last year to monitor the governance of public-sector banks. The gross NPAs of public-sector banks is said to have increased to Rs 6,06,911 crore, even as the total stressed assets of scheduled commercial banks stood at Rs 9.64 lakh crore as on December 31, 2016. Recently, SBI Chairperson Arundhati Bhattacharya had also stated how asset quality continued to be a concern for the bank because of some of the loans, which were given out during the boom years. She had also attributed it to a slower pace of credit growth, which was adding to NPAs, owing to challenges in the farm sector after the demonetisation move. As part of the measures to resolve the situation, Rai suggested expansion of the Oversight Committee to provide guidance under available mechanisms, including deep restructuring, Joint Lenders Forum and Strategic Debt Restructuring. The government has reportedly asked the PSBs to take up forensic audits of the top 50 defaulters of the bank, in order to get a realistic picture of the genuine cases of business failures to the ones where funds have been fraudulently diverted. The finance minister had said last week that RBI had set up an Oversight Committee to look into the cases referred by different banks. Jaitley had also held a meeting with officials concerned to look into the various possible ways in which the issue of stressed assets could be resolved in the public sector banks. RBI Governor Urjit Patel and two deputy governors S S Mundra and Viral V Acharya were also part of this meeting. Bad loans of public-sector banks have risen by Rs 1 lakh crore between April and December 2016-17. Majority of these loans concern with the infrastructure sector including the power, steel, roads and textiles. NEW DELHI: Taking a grim view of the mounting bad loans in public-sector banks, Banks Board Bureau (BBB) chief Vinod Rai has written to the government expressing concerns about the tardy progress made by state-owned lenders in resolving their non-performing assets (NPAs). In his letter to Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and the Prime Ministers Office, Rai suggested a roadmap to resolve the NPA issue. The Banks Board of Bureau was set up by the government last year to monitor the governance of public-sector banks. The gross NPAs of public-sector banks is said to have increased to Rs 6,06,911 crore, even as the total stressed assets of scheduled commercial banks stood at Rs 9.64 lakh crore as on December 31, 2016. Recently, SBI Chairperson Arundhati Bhattacharya had also stated how asset quality continued to be a concern for the bank because of some of the loans, which were given out during the boom years. She had also attributed it to a slower pace of credit growth, which was adding to NPAs, owing to challenges in the farm sector after the demonetisation move. As part of the measures to resolve the situation, Rai suggested expansion of the Oversight Committee to provide guidance under available mechanisms, including deep restructuring, Joint Lenders Forum and Strategic Debt Restructuring. The government has reportedly asked the PSBs to take up forensic audits of the top 50 defaulters of the bank, in order to get a realistic picture of the genuine cases of business failures to the ones where funds have been fraudulently diverted. The finance minister had said last week that RBI had set up an Oversight Committee to look into the cases referred by different banks. Jaitley had also held a meeting with officials concerned to look into the various possible ways in which the issue of stressed assets could be resolved in the public sector banks. RBI Governor Urjit Patel and two deputy governors S S Mundra and Viral V Acharya were also part of this meeting. Bad loans of public-sector banks have risen by Rs 1 lakh crore between April and December 2016-17. Majority of these loans concern with the infrastructure sector including the power, steel, roads and textiles. Pramod Thomas By Express News Service KOCHI : Indias Rs 50,000-crore tyre industry must be thanking demonetisation. According to industry estimates, imports of low-quality truck and bus tyres from China have come down drastically post demonetisation. Earlier, the imports were around 1.3 lakh tyres a month, which came down to less than one lakh. Tyre imports in India have come down significantly. Small private operators have been dominating the tyre imports business in India mostly using unscrupulous trade practices. The sale of such tyres has been taking place on cash basis thus depriving the state of its revenues. Demonetisation sucked out the cash from the system thus dealing a body blow to illegal import and its sale, which was purely cash-driven. However, there is a legitimate concern that such imports will make a comeback with remonetisation unless effective measures are taken to prevent dumping of tyres, said Rajiv Budhraja, director-general, Automotive Tyre Manufacturers Association. Truck and bus radial (TBR) tyres have been the fastest growing segment for the tyre industry accounting for two-thirds of the Rs 35,000-crore investments made in recent years. It accounts for 55 per cent of the tyre industrys revenues in India. Currently, China accounts for 90 per cent of the total TBR import in India. Chinese imports were 1.97 lakh tyres (40 per cent) in 2013-14, which was increased to 5.53 lakh (70 per cent of total imports) in 2014-15. It has increased to a whopping 12.86 lakh units in the following year, accounting for 90 per cent of total imports. Chinas share in TBR import in India has gone up to an unprecedented 95 per cent in 2016-17 so far. Cheap Chinese imports were a major concern for the domestic industry. The trend was strong enough to take on Indian manufacturers as finished tyre from China was cheaper by 30 per cent. But, demonetisation has played a big deal in reducing the imports as the segment mostly deals with cash, said John Devadason, unit head - Chennai, Apollo Tyres. KOCHI : Indias Rs 50,000-crore tyre industry must be thanking demonetisation. According to industry estimates, imports of low-quality truck and bus tyres from China have come down drastically post demonetisation. Earlier, the imports were around 1.3 lakh tyres a month, which came down to less than one lakh. Tyre imports in India have come down significantly. Small private operators have been dominating the tyre imports business in India mostly using unscrupulous trade practices. The sale of such tyres has been taking place on cash basis thus depriving the state of its revenues. Demonetisation sucked out the cash from the system thus dealing a body blow to illegal import and its sale, which was purely cash-driven. However, there is a legitimate concern that such imports will make a comeback with remonetisation unless effective measures are taken to prevent dumping of tyres, said Rajiv Budhraja, director-general, Automotive Tyre Manufacturers Association. Truck and bus radial (TBR) tyres have been the fastest growing segment for the tyre industry accounting for two-thirds of the Rs 35,000-crore investments made in recent years. It accounts for 55 per cent of the tyre industrys revenues in India. Currently, China accounts for 90 per cent of the total TBR import in India. Chinese imports were 1.97 lakh tyres (40 per cent) in 2013-14, which was increased to 5.53 lakh (70 per cent of total imports) in 2014-15. It has increased to a whopping 12.86 lakh units in the following year, accounting for 90 per cent of total imports. Chinas share in TBR import in India has gone up to an unprecedented 95 per cent in 2016-17 so far. Cheap Chinese imports were a major concern for the domestic industry. The trend was strong enough to take on Indian manufacturers as finished tyre from China was cheaper by 30 per cent. But, demonetisation has played a big deal in reducing the imports as the segment mostly deals with cash, said John Devadason, unit head - Chennai, Apollo Tyres. By Express News Service BENGALURU: The State Department of Collegiate Education suspended Begur Ramalingappa, a professor at Maharani Women's College in city as he was facing allegations of sexual harassment. Begur Ramalingappa was suspended on the basis of an internal inquiry conducted by internal complaints committee, said commissioner of collegiate education Ajay Nagabhushan. A student had recently alleged that the professor had sexually assaulted her after a college fest held on the college premises. Meanwhile, another professor has also been suspended for falsely giving out information on the issue in the campus. BENGALURU: The State Department of Collegiate Education suspended Begur Ramalingappa, a professor at Maharani Women's College in city as he was facing allegations of sexual harassment. Begur Ramalingappa was suspended on the basis of an internal inquiry conducted by internal complaints committee, said commissioner of collegiate education Ajay Nagabhushan. A student had recently alleged that the professor had sexually assaulted her after a college fest held on the college premises. Meanwhile, another professor has also been suspended for falsely giving out information on the issue in the campus. Swathi Nair By Express News Service BENGALURU: An American Jew, dressed in kurta with a kasavu neckline, takes the asana position as a group of music enthusiasts and curious Bengalureans sit around him on the floor. Kripya aagya dey, mouths Joel Veena Eisenkramer as he tunes his Indian slide guitar, which he got made for himself from an artisan in Kolkata. Joel plays raag Yaman, an evening raaga. He explains to the audience how the raaga is a combination of 'Jor' (pulsating music) and 'Jala' (sparkling and fast-paced notes). Born in Brattleboro, Vermont in the US, Joel was taught raag Yaman by his guru Dr Ranjan. So, how does an American end up playing Hindustani music on an Indian slide guitar and manage to find an audience in Bengaluru? Well, it all started on one July afternoon in Mussoorie. I was there on a programme to study Hindi literature. While I was walking around one day, I noticed a music CD by Pt Vishwa Mohan Bhatt and saw the Indian slide guitar on the cover, he says. Joel had never seen an instrument or heard a similar sound as one on the CD ever before. I was captivated and decided that I want to learn to play this instrument, he says. In his search for a teacher, Joel reached Delhi University, where he met Pandit Subhash Nirvan, who claims himself to be the greatest tabla player, notes the American. Pandit Subhash introduced him to Dr Ranjan Kumar, who eventually taught him to play the instrument. He always taught me the full form, whether I could match him or not during classes did not matter, recalls Joel. Following raag Yaman, Joel plays the same raaga in teen taal, which is a cycle of 16 beats. As he plays, the audience remains rapt in attention. My teacher is a purist, he says, adding, He wanted me to practise four hours before coming to the class. Coming from the West, the whole concept was unthinkable to me, but soon I learnt that in Indian classical teachings, most work is done by the student. The teacher just shows the path. Joel says that Dr Ranjan could always tell if Joel had fallen short on practice. I don't know how, but he always knew. He could tell I had practised for just 2 hours that day or less, he says. The days Joel came in with lesser hours of practice, he would just have tea and listen to his teacher play in that class. I would then go back and finish my practice for the day, he says. Joel then plays raag Jog, in Dr Ranjan's composition. The music is similar as the blues scale of the West. In his six-month long study programme in India, he completed his thesis on Hindi literature. It wasn't my best work, but my Indian slide guitar stint was going well, he says. Following this, Joel would travel from Vermont to Delhi each year to complete his classes with Dr Ranjan. As I improved, I wished to perform and my teacher asked me to go for it, he says. In the following months, Joel started performing the Indian slide guitar at yoga classes, alternative summits and weddings in the United States. I was still shy of playing in Delhi. People there know a lot about Hindustani music, he laughs. Soon, Joel started jamming with Gordon Korstange, who too had been leaning towards Indian music. Based in Vermont, Gordon first travelled to India as part of the Peace Corps in the 1960s. At that time he started to study Carnatic music and the bamboo flute. We met about three years ago through a mutual friend and began exploring ways to share our musical experiences and create a meaningful fusion between the two, recalls Joel. Gordon is a retired school teacher and a published poet. He plays Bhagyada Lakshmi Baramma that he learnt from his jamming sessions with Gordon. At this point, a few audience members are tapping their thighs with palms, nodding along in appreciation of his performance. Joel then talks about a composition he made on the instrument. It was for a wedding, he says. A Jewish man and a Hindu woman were getting married in the US. They approached me for a composition to be played at the wedding. That's how I came up with The Peacock, he says. Joel started playing guitar at the age of 10 and today, at 30, has an album out. All the compositions on the album are played on the Indian slide guitar. His album - Unexpected Blessings is available on iTunes, Amazon, GooglePlay and BandCamp. Joel recently performed at Taleem Yatra: The Story & Music of Joel Veena at Shoonya - Centre for Art and Somatic Practices in the city. The programme was organised by Gathr, in collaboration with#HouseConcertBangalore. BENGALURU: An American Jew, dressed in kurta with a kasavu neckline, takes the asana position as a group of music enthusiasts and curious Bengalureans sit around him on the floor. Kripya aagya dey, mouths Joel Veena Eisenkramer as he tunes his Indian slide guitar, which he got made for himself from an artisan in Kolkata. Joel plays raag Yaman, an evening raaga. He explains to the audience how the raaga is a combination of 'Jor' (pulsating music) and 'Jala' (sparkling and fast-paced notes). Born in Brattleboro, Vermont in the US, Joel was taught raag Yaman by his guru Dr Ranjan. So, how does an American end up playing Hindustani music on an Indian slide guitar and manage to find an audience in Bengaluru? Well, it all started on one July afternoon in Mussoorie. I was there on a programme to study Hindi literature. While I was walking around one day, I noticed a music CD by Pt Vishwa Mohan Bhatt and saw the Indian slide guitar on the cover, he says. Joel had never seen an instrument or heard a similar sound as one on the CD ever before. I was captivated and decided that I want to learn to play this instrument, he says. In his search for a teacher, Joel reached Delhi University, where he met Pandit Subhash Nirvan, who claims himself to be the greatest tabla player, notes the American. Pandit Subhash introduced him to Dr Ranjan Kumar, who eventually taught him to play the instrument. He always taught me the full form, whether I could match him or not during classes did not matter, recalls Joel. Following raag Yaman, Joel plays the same raaga in teen taal, which is a cycle of 16 beats. As he plays, the audience remains rapt in attention. My teacher is a purist, he says, adding, He wanted me to practise four hours before coming to the class. Coming from the West, the whole concept was unthinkable to me, but soon I learnt that in Indian classical teachings, most work is done by the student. The teacher just shows the path. Joel says that Dr Ranjan could always tell if Joel had fallen short on practice. I don't know how, but he always knew. He could tell I had practised for just 2 hours that day or less, he says. The days Joel came in with lesser hours of practice, he would just have tea and listen to his teacher play in that class. I would then go back and finish my practice for the day, he says. Joel then plays raag Jog, in Dr Ranjan's composition. The music is similar as the blues scale of the West. In his six-month long study programme in India, he completed his thesis on Hindi literature. It wasn't my best work, but my Indian slide guitar stint was going well, he says. Following this, Joel would travel from Vermont to Delhi each year to complete his classes with Dr Ranjan. As I improved, I wished to perform and my teacher asked me to go for it, he says. In the following months, Joel started performing the Indian slide guitar at yoga classes, alternative summits and weddings in the United States. I was still shy of playing in Delhi. People there know a lot about Hindustani music, he laughs. Soon, Joel started jamming with Gordon Korstange, who too had been leaning towards Indian music. Based in Vermont, Gordon first travelled to India as part of the Peace Corps in the 1960s. At that time he started to study Carnatic music and the bamboo flute. We met about three years ago through a mutual friend and began exploring ways to share our musical experiences and create a meaningful fusion between the two, recalls Joel. Gordon is a retired school teacher and a published poet. He plays Bhagyada Lakshmi Baramma that he learnt from his jamming sessions with Gordon. At this point, a few audience members are tapping their thighs with palms, nodding along in appreciation of his performance. Joel then talks about a composition he made on the instrument. It was for a wedding, he says. A Jewish man and a Hindu woman were getting married in the US. They approached me for a composition to be played at the wedding. That's how I came up with The Peacock, he says. Joel started playing guitar at the age of 10 and today, at 30, has an album out. All the compositions on the album are played on the Indian slide guitar. His album - Unexpected Blessings is available on iTunes, Amazon, GooglePlay and BandCamp. Joel recently performed at Taleem Yatra: The Story & Music of Joel Veena at Shoonya - Centre for Art and Somatic Practices in the city. The programme was organised by Gathr, in collaboration with#HouseConcertBangalore. Ram M Sundaram By Express News Service CHENNAI: Rebellion is not the word you would normally associate with the AIADMK led by J Jayalalithaa, since the party functioned with military-like discipline. Party functionaries feared Jayas stick as anyone who sought to step out of line was severely punished. And yet the AIADMK has a history of rebels popping up from time to time, the latest being former chief minister O Panneerselvam. Over the years were several splinter groups, most of which eventually merged with the parent party after facing electoral defeat. The first revolt M G Ramachandran faced was in 1984 - nearly 12 years after he founded the party. He expelled former food minister S D Somasundaram, popularly known as SDS, (who defeated former President R Venkataraman in 1967 Assembly elections) from the party for accusing him (MGR) of corruption. SDS belonged to the Mukkulathor community and wielded considerable influence in the Cauvery delta districts. He launched his own political party Namadhu Kazhagam, but could not win even one seat in the 1984 elections. In 1987, on MGRs return from US after treatment, he merged his outfit with the parent party. A year after MGRs demise in 1987, the party witnessed a fierce battle for succession between MGRs wife V N Janaki and the Jayalalithaa. The first revolt Jaya faced in the faction led by her was in 1988 when four senior members - widely known as the Naalvar Ani - Panruti S Ramachandran (who was then deputy general secretary of Jayas faction), S Thirunavukkarasar (then Thirunavukkarasu) the treasurer of the faction, senior leaders V R Nedunchezhiyan and C Aranganayakam - rebelled against what they termed her autocratic way of functioning and alleged mishandling of party funds. But prior to the 1989 Assembly elections, Thirunavukkarasar and Nedunchezhiyan returned to the Jaya-led faction. However, while Thirunavukkarasar won from Aranthangi, Nedunchezhiyan lost his deposit. Again in 1996, the party almost witnessed a vertical split after the Assembly poll debacle, when AIADMK won just four out of the 234 seats. And Thirunavukkarasar was bang in the centre of controversy. Ousted for anti-party activities, he garnered the support of seven out of the 14 party MPs. He then formed MGR ADMK, popularly known as Poti ADMK - the only AIADMK breakaway faction to record considerable success in the polls. MGR ADMK was part of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in 1998 and 1999 general elections. The party won two seats in the 2001 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections (Aranthangi and Nagercoil). He subsequently became the Union shipping minister in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee-led cabinet in 1999 and served the full five-year term. In 2009, he joined BJPs rival Congress and last year he became the president of the grand old partys Tamil Nadu unit. OPS brought the deja vu moment again after nearly two decades by surprising many last month with his revolt against party general secretary V K Sasikala (Jayas aide and now in prison in an assets case). A striking similarity between the 1996 revolt by Thirunavukkarasar and the present one is that a section of MPs has joined the rebels. Just as 1989 elections established Jaya as the leader, the results of RK Nagar and the upcoming local body polls could decide who would be the undisputed leader of the AIADMK. CHENNAI: Rebellion is not the word you would normally associate with the AIADMK led by J Jayalalithaa, since the party functioned with military-like discipline. Party functionaries feared Jayas stick as anyone who sought to step out of line was severely punished. And yet the AIADMK has a history of rebels popping up from time to time, the latest being former chief minister O Panneerselvam. Over the years were several splinter groups, most of which eventually merged with the parent party after facing electoral defeat. The first revolt M G Ramachandran faced was in 1984 - nearly 12 years after he founded the party. He expelled former food minister S D Somasundaram, popularly known as SDS, (who defeated former President R Venkataraman in 1967 Assembly elections) from the party for accusing him (MGR) of corruption. SDS belonged to the Mukkulathor community and wielded considerable influence in the Cauvery delta districts. He launched his own political party Namadhu Kazhagam, but could not win even one seat in the 1984 elections. In 1987, on MGRs return from US after treatment, he merged his outfit with the parent party. A year after MGRs demise in 1987, the party witnessed a fierce battle for succession between MGRs wife V N Janaki and the Jayalalithaa. The first revolt Jaya faced in the faction led by her was in 1988 when four senior members - widely known as the Naalvar Ani - Panruti S Ramachandran (who was then deputy general secretary of Jayas faction), S Thirunavukkarasar (then Thirunavukkarasu) the treasurer of the faction, senior leaders V R Nedunchezhiyan and C Aranganayakam - rebelled against what they termed her autocratic way of functioning and alleged mishandling of party funds. But prior to the 1989 Assembly elections, Thirunavukkarasar and Nedunchezhiyan returned to the Jaya-led faction. However, while Thirunavukkarasar won from Aranthangi, Nedunchezhiyan lost his deposit. Again in 1996, the party almost witnessed a vertical split after the Assembly poll debacle, when AIADMK won just four out of the 234 seats. And Thirunavukkarasar was bang in the centre of controversy. Ousted for anti-party activities, he garnered the support of seven out of the 14 party MPs. He then formed MGR ADMK, popularly known as Poti ADMK - the only AIADMK breakaway faction to record considerable success in the polls. MGR ADMK was part of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in 1998 and 1999 general elections. The party won two seats in the 2001 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections (Aranthangi and Nagercoil). He subsequently became the Union shipping minister in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee-led cabinet in 1999 and served the full five-year term. In 2009, he joined BJPs rival Congress and last year he became the president of the grand old partys Tamil Nadu unit. OPS brought the deja vu moment again after nearly two decades by surprising many last month with his revolt against party general secretary V K Sasikala (Jayas aide and now in prison in an assets case). A striking similarity between the 1996 revolt by Thirunavukkarasar and the present one is that a section of MPs has joined the rebels. Just as 1989 elections established Jaya as the leader, the results of RK Nagar and the upcoming local body polls could decide who would be the undisputed leader of the AIADMK. By Express News Service HYDERABAD:A group of intermediate second year students, who were prevented from leaving hostel premises a day before an exam, allegedly went on a rampage and set fire to college furniture, damaged a bus and pelted stones on police Saturday night. The incident took place at a corporate junior college within Bachupally police limits. A home guard attached with Bachupally police station and the principal of the college received injuries after being allegedly attacked by the students. According to police, 25 students attempted to leave the campus at around 10.15 pm on Saturday. The college principal saw them arguing with the watchman and intervened. Following a heated argument, the students allegedly assualted him. More students gathered and the group damaged fans, broke windows and damaged the water filter in the kitchen. When hostel staff rushed to stop them, the students allegedly pelted them with stones. The staff then alerted the Bachupally police. On hearing the police siren, the students switched off the main power supply, burnt blankets in an open space and pelted stones at the police personnel, police said. Bachupally police inspector Balakrishna Reddy said the students came to the main road and hurled stones at an RTC bus that was heading to Miyapur. About 16 persons, including driver, were in the bus. The students damaged the windows of the bus and threw stones at police. Home guard Mohammed Riyaz was rushed to the hospital after receiving an injury to his head. Reddy said the situation was brought under control after additional forces were brought in. All the students involved in the rioting have been identified. As they had an exam on Sunday, they were allowed to write it. Students parents will be called and they will be produced before the JJ Board. Cases have been booked under Sections 324, 147, 149 of IPC and PDPP Act, said Reddy. HYDERABAD:A group of intermediate second year students, who were prevented from leaving hostel premises a day before an exam, allegedly went on a rampage and set fire to college furniture, damaged a bus and pelted stones on police Saturday night. The incident took place at a corporate junior college within Bachupally police limits. A home guard attached with Bachupally police station and the principal of the college received injuries after being allegedly attacked by the students. According to police, 25 students attempted to leave the campus at around 10.15 pm on Saturday. The college principal saw them arguing with the watchman and intervened. Following a heated argument, the students allegedly assualted him. More students gathered and the group damaged fans, broke windows and damaged the water filter in the kitchen. When hostel staff rushed to stop them, the students allegedly pelted them with stones. The staff then alerted the Bachupally police. On hearing the police siren, the students switched off the main power supply, burnt blankets in an open space and pelted stones at the police personnel, police said. Bachupally police inspector Balakrishna Reddy said the students came to the main road and hurled stones at an RTC bus that was heading to Miyapur. About 16 persons, including driver, were in the bus. The students damaged the windows of the bus and threw stones at police. Home guard Mohammed Riyaz was rushed to the hospital after receiving an injury to his head. Reddy said the situation was brought under control after additional forces were brought in. All the students involved in the rioting have been identified. As they had an exam on Sunday, they were allowed to write it. Students parents will be called and they will be produced before the JJ Board. Cases have been booked under Sections 324, 147, 149 of IPC and PDPP Act, said Reddy. By Express News Service KOCHI: Tourism Minister Kadakampally Surendran on Monday flagged off the fourth edition of Kerala Blog Express (KBE), the Kerala Tourism initiative under which 30 influential travel bloggers from across the globe will explore the state and pen down their experiences. Flagged off from Kochi, the KBE will take travel writers hailing from 29 countries to Alappuzha, Kumarakom, Thekkady, Munnar, Thrissur, Kozhikode, Wayanad, Kannur and Kasargod before reaching Thiruvananthapuram, its final destination, on April 3. The initiative aims at presenting the state as a must-visit tourist destination to a wider, international audience. Wishing the bloggers a wonderful trip, Surendran said the initiative had augmented Keralas image on the tourism map and helped sustain the tempo of tourism growth, a sector crucial to the states economy. KBE is an innovation we pioneered. We will continue to raise the bar for tourism marketing in the future, he said. The bloggers were selected via voting. Besides UK, Germany, Italy and Spain, travel writers from Moldova and Gibraltar are also travelling in KBE-4. Dipanshu Goyal from New Delhi is the sole Indian writer in the posse of travellers, while Carla Mota from Portugal is the most experienced blogger, having travelled around 82 countries. Most of the bloggers are visiting India for the first time. KBEs history The KBE was introduced in 2014 as a social media campaign comprising familiarisation trips, bloggers meets and road trips to create a pool of global brand ambassadors who experience Kerala at close quarters and reach out to international travellers. Through its past three editions, KBE shaped 87 such ambassadors, who documented their journey, experiences and memories across conventional, digital and social media platforms. KOCHI: Tourism Minister Kadakampally Surendran on Monday flagged off the fourth edition of Kerala Blog Express (KBE), the Kerala Tourism initiative under which 30 influential travel bloggers from across the globe will explore the state and pen down their experiences. Flagged off from Kochi, the KBE will take travel writers hailing from 29 countries to Alappuzha, Kumarakom, Thekkady, Munnar, Thrissur, Kozhikode, Wayanad, Kannur and Kasargod before reaching Thiruvananthapuram, its final destination, on April 3. The initiative aims at presenting the state as a must-visit tourist destination to a wider, international audience. Wishing the bloggers a wonderful trip, Surendran said the initiative had augmented Keralas image on the tourism map and helped sustain the tempo of tourism growth, a sector crucial to the states economy. KBE is an innovation we pioneered. We will continue to raise the bar for tourism marketing in the future, he said. The bloggers were selected via voting. Besides UK, Germany, Italy and Spain, travel writers from Moldova and Gibraltar are also travelling in KBE-4. Dipanshu Goyal from New Delhi is the sole Indian writer in the posse of travellers, while Carla Mota from Portugal is the most experienced blogger, having travelled around 82 countries. Most of the bloggers are visiting India for the first time. KBEs history The KBE was introduced in 2014 as a social media campaign comprising familiarisation trips, bloggers meets and road trips to create a pool of global brand ambassadors who experience Kerala at close quarters and reach out to international travellers. Through its past three editions, KBE shaped 87 such ambassadors, who documented their journey, experiences and memories across conventional, digital and social media platforms. By IANS CHENNAI: Actress Aditi Rao Hydari on Monday said working with ace filmmaker Mani Ratnam in forthcoming Tamil romantic drama "Kaatru Veliyidai" was very nourishing. At the film's audio launch here, Aditi told media: "It's a very special film. My life-long dream to work with Mani Ratnam has come true." She went on to add that to work with the "Roja" filmmaker was like "taking a booster shot of vitamin". "It was nourishing," she added. On a funny note, she also said that Ratnam can't get rid of her and that she would love to collaborate with him again. Paired with Karthi, she plays a doctor in the film. Produced by Sri Thenandal Films, the film is slated for release on April 7. CHENNAI: Actress Aditi Rao Hydari on Monday said working with ace filmmaker Mani Ratnam in forthcoming Tamil romantic drama "Kaatru Veliyidai" was very nourishing. At the film's audio launch here, Aditi told media: "It's a very special film. My life-long dream to work with Mani Ratnam has come true." She went on to add that to work with the "Roja" filmmaker was like "taking a booster shot of vitamin". "It was nourishing," she added. On a funny note, she also said that Ratnam can't get rid of her and that she would love to collaborate with him again. Paired with Karthi, she plays a doctor in the film. Produced by Sri Thenandal Films, the film is slated for release on April 7. By Express News Service NEW DELHI: Hours after bailable warrants were served by Calcutta Police to Justice C S Karnan, in pursuance of the Supreme Court order in a suo motu contempt case, he in another letter to Chief Justice of India stated that he had rejected the same. In a two page letter address to all seven judges who had issued bailable warrant against Justice Karnan for not appearing before the special bench, he said, This kind of demeaning acts from your lordships and further perpetrating the atrocities act is absolutely out of law to the utter embarrassment of a dalit judge. He urged the apex court Judges to abstain from further harassments in order to uphold the dignity and decorum of our courts. Giving reasons for rejecting the warrants against him, Justice Karnan said, Since the West Bengal judicial jurisdiction is a part of his control and command a bailable warrant became improper and untenable. In any circumstances, you should not show any prejudice at the time of holding any cases, but should follow the procedure of law. It is quite evidence that the Judges deliberately and wantonly failed due to lack of legal knowledge, this kind of worst type of acrimonious behavior will only endanger ultimately the General Public. Hence, I request you to close the contempt proceedings and restore my normal court assignments in order to maintain law and justice across the nation and to keep the dignity and decorum of the courts intact. Yesterday, in another letter he had demanded an compensation of Rs 14 crore for disturbing his mind and normal life, failing which he would restrain the judicial and administrative work of these judges. Earlier this month, the court had issued bailable warrant against Judge C S Karnan to ensure he appears before it on March 31. If Justice Karnan fails to appear on March 31, then the court might issue a non-bailable warrant against him. The contempt proceedings have been initiated against Justice Karnan for writing letters to various judges including the Prime Minister, accusing several judges of corruption. NEW DELHI: Hours after bailable warrants were served by Calcutta Police to Justice C S Karnan, in pursuance of the Supreme Court order in a suo motu contempt case, he in another letter to Chief Justice of India stated that he had rejected the same. In a two page letter address to all seven judges who had issued bailable warrant against Justice Karnan for not appearing before the special bench, he said, This kind of demeaning acts from your lordships and further perpetrating the atrocities act is absolutely out of law to the utter embarrassment of a dalit judge. He urged the apex court Judges to abstain from further harassments in order to uphold the dignity and decorum of our courts. Giving reasons for rejecting the warrants against him, Justice Karnan said, Since the West Bengal judicial jurisdiction is a part of his control and command a bailable warrant became improper and untenable. In any circumstances, you should not show any prejudice at the time of holding any cases, but should follow the procedure of law. It is quite evidence that the Judges deliberately and wantonly failed due to lack of legal knowledge, this kind of worst type of acrimonious behavior will only endanger ultimately the General Public. Hence, I request you to close the contempt proceedings and restore my normal court assignments in order to maintain law and justice across the nation and to keep the dignity and decorum of the courts intact. Yesterday, in another letter he had demanded an compensation of Rs 14 crore for disturbing his mind and normal life, failing which he would restrain the judicial and administrative work of these judges. Earlier this month, the court had issued bailable warrant against Judge C S Karnan to ensure he appears before it on March 31. If Justice Karnan fails to appear on March 31, then the court might issue a non-bailable warrant against him. The contempt proceedings have been initiated against Justice Karnan for writing letters to various judges including the Prime Minister, accusing several judges of corruption. By ANI NEW DELHI: The two Sufi clerics of Delhi's Hazrat Nizamuddin Dargah, who are returning from Pakistan, will today meet External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj. Amir Nizami, son of one of the clerics, said they will be picking them from the airport and will go to Hazrat Nizamuddin Dargah to seek blessings of the Allah. They will then meet their family members. I would like to thank the Indian Government, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Sushma Sawarj and Rajnath Singh. We are very happy that our government made their efforts in helping them to return, Nizami told ANI. Swaraj had yesterday stated that she spoke to Syed Nazim Ali Nizami, one of the missing clerics, in Karachi and was assured they were safe and would be back to Delhi on Monday. "I just spoke to Syed Nazim Ali Nizami in Karachi. He told me that they are safe and will be back in Delhi tomorrow," Swaraj tweeted. The two clerics surfaced in Karachi and told that they had gone to meet their devotees in interior Sindh, where there was no phone connectivity. The clerics, identified as Syed Asif Ali Nizami and his friend Nazim Nizami, belong to Delhi's Hazrat Nizamuddin Dargah. Syed Asif Ali Nizami is the head priest of the Dargah. The duo had travelled to Pakistan to visit their relatives in Karachi and then embarked on a pilgrimage to Lahore. One of them went missing in Karachi and the other in Lahore, reports claimed. The Indian authorities had raised the issue with the Pakistan Foreign Ministry seeking its help in tracing their missing citizens. NEW DELHI: The two Sufi clerics of Delhi's Hazrat Nizamuddin Dargah, who are returning from Pakistan, will today meet External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj. Amir Nizami, son of one of the clerics, said they will be picking them from the airport and will go to Hazrat Nizamuddin Dargah to seek blessings of the Allah. They will then meet their family members. I would like to thank the Indian Government, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Sushma Sawarj and Rajnath Singh. We are very happy that our government made their efforts in helping them to return, Nizami told ANI. Swaraj had yesterday stated that she spoke to Syed Nazim Ali Nizami, one of the missing clerics, in Karachi and was assured they were safe and would be back to Delhi on Monday. "I just spoke to Syed Nazim Ali Nizami in Karachi. He told me that they are safe and will be back in Delhi tomorrow," Swaraj tweeted. The two clerics surfaced in Karachi and told that they had gone to meet their devotees in interior Sindh, where there was no phone connectivity. The clerics, identified as Syed Asif Ali Nizami and his friend Nazim Nizami, belong to Delhi's Hazrat Nizamuddin Dargah. Syed Asif Ali Nizami is the head priest of the Dargah. The duo had travelled to Pakistan to visit their relatives in Karachi and then embarked on a pilgrimage to Lahore. One of them went missing in Karachi and the other in Lahore, reports claimed. The Indian authorities had raised the issue with the Pakistan Foreign Ministry seeking its help in tracing their missing citizens. By PTI NEW DELHI: The two Sufi clerics, who went missing in Pakistan last week, today thanked the governments of India and Pakistan for their safe return here but remained tightlipped on what led to their disappearance. Nazim Ali Nizami, one of the clerics, did reject Pakistani media reports that they were in "interior Sindh where there was no communication network". "We did not have visa for Sindh interior region, so how could we have gone there? We come from the school of sufi which teaches peace and brotherhood. There are good and bad elements and those who go against the teachings they have to suffer humiliation," he told reporters, without elaborating further. When asked as to why they were "interrogated", Nazim said they were asked about their visa and other immigration details. Both Nazim and Syed Asif Nizami, who is the the head priest of Hazrat Nizamuddin Dargah, "thanked" the Indian and the Pakistani governments for their return to the homeland. "We thank Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and well-wishers from all religions who prayed for our return," they told reporters. The two are likely to meet Swaraj today. Amir Nizami, son of Syed Asif Nizami, alleged that the duo were "taken away" based on a news report in a local Urdu daily which claimed that they had links with Indian intelligence agency RAW. Asked if Pakistan spy agency ISI was involved in the episode, he refused to comment but made it clear that "no force was used" against them. NEW DELHI: The two Sufi clerics, who went missing in Pakistan last week, today thanked the governments of India and Pakistan for their safe return here but remained tightlipped on what led to their disappearance. Nazim Ali Nizami, one of the clerics, did reject Pakistani media reports that they were in "interior Sindh where there was no communication network". "We did not have visa for Sindh interior region, so how could we have gone there? We come from the school of sufi which teaches peace and brotherhood. There are good and bad elements and those who go against the teachings they have to suffer humiliation," he told reporters, without elaborating further. When asked as to why they were "interrogated", Nazim said they were asked about their visa and other immigration details. Both Nazim and Syed Asif Nizami, who is the the head priest of Hazrat Nizamuddin Dargah, "thanked" the Indian and the Pakistani governments for their return to the homeland. "We thank Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and well-wishers from all religions who prayed for our return," they told reporters. The two are likely to meet Swaraj today. Amir Nizami, son of Syed Asif Nizami, alleged that the duo were "taken away" based on a news report in a local Urdu daily which claimed that they had links with Indian intelligence agency RAW. Asked if Pakistan spy agency ISI was involved in the episode, he refused to comment but made it clear that "no force was used" against them. By PTI CHENNAI: Containers at various ports across the country are being searched by Customs and DRI officials following a tip-off that fake currency notes were being smuggled into the country in ships. The searches are being held for the last two days at various ports, official sources said. "Searches are being conducted at ports across the country. The Customs department is conducting the searches in presence of Department of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) officials," a senior official said. Replying to a question, the official declined to confirm whether containers that arrived from Pakistan and Sri Lanka were being searched as reported in a section of media, and said, "Containers are being searched."Two instances of seizure of fake Rs 2,000 currency notes were reported in West Bengal last month. Two instances of seizure of fake Rs 2,000 currency notes were reported in West Bengal last month. CHENNAI: Containers at various ports across the country are being searched by Customs and DRI officials following a tip-off that fake currency notes were being smuggled into the country in ships. The searches are being held for the last two days at various ports, official sources said. "Searches are being conducted at ports across the country. The Customs department is conducting the searches in presence of Department of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) officials," a senior official said. Replying to a question, the official declined to confirm whether containers that arrived from Pakistan and Sri Lanka were being searched as reported in a section of media, and said, "Containers are being searched."Two instances of seizure of fake Rs 2,000 currency notes were reported in West Bengal last month. Two instances of seizure of fake Rs 2,000 currency notes were reported in West Bengal last month. By Express News Service NEW DELHI: As the two missing Sufi Indian clerics returned to India on Monday, Pakistan summoned Indian Deputy High Commissioner to protest against the allege death of an elderly woman in cross-border firing on March 17. Ali Nizami and Syed Asif Nizami, who is the Sajjadanashin (Head Cleric) returned to India after Minister of External Affairs Sushma Swaraj sought intervention of Foreign Affairs Advisor to Pakistan Prime Minister Sartaj Aziz to secure safe return of the two Indian clerics of Nizamuddin Daragah. The two had gone missing after venerating at the Data Durbar in Lahore. "Whatever we faced during this time, should not mean that India and Pakistan should have another reason to feel bitter about each other. In fact, the efforts to build peace and amity must continue even more," Sufi cleric Nazim Ali Nizami was quoted by PTI after they met Swaraj. Watch the video below Swarajs direct communication with Aziz on the social media has been the first public contact since their meeting over Breakfast in Pokhara, Nepal during the SAARC Ministerial conference in March 2016. After terrorist attack on Pathankot airbase, Uri Army cantonment and Nagrota Army Base derailed the talks, the relations have been strained between the two volatile neighbours. But as three Indian Parliamentarians were allowed to travel to Pakistan ostensibly to participate in a meeting of Asian Parliamentary Assembly, Swaraj sought Azizs intervention and Permanent Indus Water Commission held its meeting in Islamabad; hopes of thaw in Indo-Pak ties were rife. However, on the same day Pakistan summoned Indian Deputy High Commissioner JP Singh to give a demarche over cross-border firing resulting in killing of a 60-year-old woman in a village along the Line of Control. The relation between the two countries for over one year is now defined by slew of demarches and frequent cross-border fighting. India is yet to see tangible action from Pakistan to dismantle the terror network active on its soil, a pre-condition before talks can resume. NEW DELHI: As the two missing Sufi Indian clerics returned to India on Monday, Pakistan summoned Indian Deputy High Commissioner to protest against the allege death of an elderly woman in cross-border firing on March 17. Ali Nizami and Syed Asif Nizami, who is the Sajjadanashin (Head Cleric) returned to India after Minister of External Affairs Sushma Swaraj sought intervention of Foreign Affairs Advisor to Pakistan Prime Minister Sartaj Aziz to secure safe return of the two Indian clerics of Nizamuddin Daragah. The two had gone missing after venerating at the Data Durbar in Lahore. "Whatever we faced during this time, should not mean that India and Pakistan should have another reason to feel bitter about each other. In fact, the efforts to build peace and amity must continue even more," Sufi cleric Nazim Ali Nizami was quoted by PTI after they met Swaraj. Watch the video below window.__ventunoplayer = window.__ventunoplayer||[]; window.__ventunoplayer.push({video_key: 'OTA4ODgxfHw4fHw2fHwxLDIsMQ==', holder_id: 'vt-video-player', player_type: 'vp', width:'100%', ratio:'4:3'}); Swarajs direct communication with Aziz on the social media has been the first public contact since their meeting over Breakfast in Pokhara, Nepal during the SAARC Ministerial conference in March 2016. After terrorist attack on Pathankot airbase, Uri Army cantonment and Nagrota Army Base derailed the talks, the relations have been strained between the two volatile neighbours. But as three Indian Parliamentarians were allowed to travel to Pakistan ostensibly to participate in a meeting of Asian Parliamentary Assembly, Swaraj sought Azizs intervention and Permanent Indus Water Commission held its meeting in Islamabad; hopes of thaw in Indo-Pak ties were rife. However, on the same day Pakistan summoned Indian Deputy High Commissioner JP Singh to give a demarche over cross-border firing resulting in killing of a 60-year-old woman in a village along the Line of Control. The relation between the two countries for over one year is now defined by slew of demarches and frequent cross-border fighting. India is yet to see tangible action from Pakistan to dismantle the terror network active on its soil, a pre-condition before talks can resume. By Express News Service THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Rights activist Irom Sharmila, who is spending a post-election sabbatical in Kerala, said on Monday that the people of Manipur are hypnotised by the system of money and muscle-power based electoral politics. Participating in a meet-the-press programme organised by the Kesari Memorial Journalists' Trust here, she reiterated her resolve to quit politics, but added that she wanted her political outfitthe Peoples' Resurgence and Justice Alliance (PRJA)to survive. ''When people let me down, I felt really shattered. If you don't want me to involve in politics and don't want to use your right to choice correctly, then let it be,'' she said on her electoral debacle in the recently-concluded Assembly polls in which she managed to win only 90 votes. ''And I myself want to get free of it if they don't want it,'' she added. Sharmila, who arrived in the state capital on Monday morning, met Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan in the afternoon. She said the Kerala CM assured her of his support in her struggle against the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA). She also met CPM state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan. On her post-election plans, Sharmila said she wanted to ''lobby the whole world'' against the draconian AFSPA. ''What I really want from the world is mutual sharing of life, worries and happiness; mutual dependence, mutual respect, enjoying together the beauties of the universe,'' Sharmila said. THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Rights activist Irom Sharmila, who is spending a post-election sabbatical in Kerala, said on Monday that the people of Manipur are hypnotised by the system of money and muscle-power based electoral politics. Participating in a meet-the-press programme organised by the Kesari Memorial Journalists' Trust here, she reiterated her resolve to quit politics, but added that she wanted her political outfitthe Peoples' Resurgence and Justice Alliance (PRJA)to survive. ''When people let me down, I felt really shattered. If you don't want me to involve in politics and don't want to use your right to choice correctly, then let it be,'' she said on her electoral debacle in the recently-concluded Assembly polls in which she managed to win only 90 votes. ''And I myself want to get free of it if they don't want it,'' she added. Sharmila, who arrived in the state capital on Monday morning, met Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan in the afternoon. She said the Kerala CM assured her of his support in her struggle against the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA). She also met CPM state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan. On her post-election plans, Sharmila said she wanted to ''lobby the whole world'' against the draconian AFSPA. ''What I really want from the world is mutual sharing of life, worries and happiness; mutual dependence, mutual respect, enjoying together the beauties of the universe,'' Sharmila said. By Express News Service NEW DELHI: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Monday issued a second notice to controversial Salafist preacher Zakir Naik asking him to appear before it on March 30 for questioning in connection with a pending case against him relating to the anti-terror law. In the first notice issued to Naik earlier this month, the agency had asked Naik to appear before it March 14. Naik has been asked to appear before the Chief Investigating Office (CIO) of the case at the agency headquarters here. The notice was sent to the Mumbai residence of Naik who is suspected to be staying in Saudi Arabia. The NIA had registered a FIR in November under the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention Act) and for violation of Indian Penal Code sections relating to promoting communal disharmony and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of peace. Through his alleged inflammatory speeches and lectures, Naik has inspired and incited a number of Muslim youths in India to commit unlawful activities and terrorist act. The Islamic Research Foundation run by him has been declared as an unlawful entity under the UA(P) A. If Naik fails to turn up for questioning on March 30, the agency will yet again issue a notice. If Naik evades the third notice, the agency will move the designated court to declare him a proclaimed offender and initiate attachment proceedings against him, an official said. After issuing the second notice to Zakir Naik, the NIA in a statement issued on Monday night said the agency has so far examined 60 persons in the IRF case. Those examined include family members of Naik, some of his business associates, some employees and staff of the IRF as well as Harmony Media Private Limited. Some of the witnesses have given statements before the Magistrate, wherein they have stated as to how Naik had promoted enmity and hatred among the people of different religious beliefs, through his public utterances, and how he had hurt the religious sentiments of followers of other sects or religions, the agency said. Investigation has also revealed that Naik has procured a number of properties, in and around Mumbai, in the name of his family members, relatives and the companies set up by him. Naik has transferred huge amount of money from his foreign bank accounts to his bank accounts in India in last few years. However, the source of this foreign income is yet to be identified, said the NIA statement. The first notice was issued by NIA against Naik February 28 for joining the investigation at the agency headquarters on March 14. When no response was received from his end, second notice was issued to him for joining the investigation on 30.03.2017. So far, Dr Zakir Naik has not responded to the notices issued by the NIA, added the statement. NEW DELHI: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Monday issued a second notice to controversial Salafist preacher Zakir Naik asking him to appear before it on March 30 for questioning in connection with a pending case against him relating to the anti-terror law. In the first notice issued to Naik earlier this month, the agency had asked Naik to appear before it March 14. Naik has been asked to appear before the Chief Investigating Office (CIO) of the case at the agency headquarters here. The notice was sent to the Mumbai residence of Naik who is suspected to be staying in Saudi Arabia. The NIA had registered a FIR in November under the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention Act) and for violation of Indian Penal Code sections relating to promoting communal disharmony and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of peace. Through his alleged inflammatory speeches and lectures, Naik has inspired and incited a number of Muslim youths in India to commit unlawful activities and terrorist act. The Islamic Research Foundation run by him has been declared as an unlawful entity under the UA(P) A. If Naik fails to turn up for questioning on March 30, the agency will yet again issue a notice. If Naik evades the third notice, the agency will move the designated court to declare him a proclaimed offender and initiate attachment proceedings against him, an official said. After issuing the second notice to Zakir Naik, the NIA in a statement issued on Monday night said the agency has so far examined 60 persons in the IRF case. Those examined include family members of Naik, some of his business associates, some employees and staff of the IRF as well as Harmony Media Private Limited. Some of the witnesses have given statements before the Magistrate, wherein they have stated as to how Naik had promoted enmity and hatred among the people of different religious beliefs, through his public utterances, and how he had hurt the religious sentiments of followers of other sects or religions, the agency said. Investigation has also revealed that Naik has procured a number of properties, in and around Mumbai, in the name of his family members, relatives and the companies set up by him. Naik has transferred huge amount of money from his foreign bank accounts to his bank accounts in India in last few years. However, the source of this foreign income is yet to be identified, said the NIA statement. The first notice was issued by NIA against Naik February 28 for joining the investigation at the agency headquarters on March 14. When no response was received from his end, second notice was issued to him for joining the investigation on 30.03.2017. So far, Dr Zakir Naik has not responded to the notices issued by the NIA, added the statement. By PTI NEW DELHI: 'Mohabbat ka silsila jari rahna chahiye' (efforts to build peace and amity must continue) -- said one of the two clerics from Hazrat Nizamuddin Dargah, on returning home from Pakistan where they had gone missing under mysterious circumstances. Despite the hardship faced in the last few days, the two clerics from Delhi's iconic shrine, are filled with anything but acrimony. "Whatever we faced during this time, should not mean that India and Pakistan should have another reason to feel bitter about each other. In fact, the efforts to build peace and amity must continue even more," Sufi cleric Nazim Ali Nizami told PTI in an interview. Ali Nizami and 80-year-old Syed Asif Nizami, 'Sajjadanashin' of the holy shrine were given a warm reception at the Nizamuddin mausoleum, where special prayers were offered to "thank the almighty" for their return. "We are Sufis and Sufism teaches us the message of love ('paigam-e-mohabbat'). We had gone to Pakistan to spread that message. Some people may not have liked our message. But, I will again go to Pakistan, and go there with greater resolve," he said. News reports had claimed the two clerics were detained by Pakistan's spy agency ISI over suspicion of their links with India's external spy agency RAW and Muttahida Qaumi Movement in that country. Pakistani newspaper Ummat had in a report claimed that the clerics worked for RAW and MQM, an organisation of Muslims who migrated from India to Pakistan after partition and has often been locked in confrontation with the establishment there, a charge strongly rejected by the cleric. "The main purpose of the visit was to visit shrine of Baba Farid and and Data Darbar. I keep visiting Pakistan but my uncle (Asif) was visiting after 26 years to meet his nearly 90-year-old sister in Karachi," Ali Nizami said. Ali Nizami said "aman-chain ki taraf kadam badhne chahiye, (We must work towards peace and amity)" and more and more people should visit each other from both sides of the border. He appealed to both India and Pakistan to increase people-to-people contact as part of peace-building efforts. "I would even appeal to both New Delhi and Islamabad to increase the number of visas so that more and more people can travel and know each other," he added. The two clerics had gone to Lahore on March 8 but disappeared in the middle of last week following which India took up the issue with Islamabad. They were offloaded from Karachi-bound Shaheen Airlines on March 14 at the Allama Iqbal International Airport, Lahore, the Pakistani sources had said. NEW DELHI: 'Mohabbat ka silsila jari rahna chahiye' (efforts to build peace and amity must continue) -- said one of the two clerics from Hazrat Nizamuddin Dargah, on returning home from Pakistan where they had gone missing under mysterious circumstances. Despite the hardship faced in the last few days, the two clerics from Delhi's iconic shrine, are filled with anything but acrimony. "Whatever we faced during this time, should not mean that India and Pakistan should have another reason to feel bitter about each other. In fact, the efforts to build peace and amity must continue even more," Sufi cleric Nazim Ali Nizami told PTI in an interview. Ali Nizami and 80-year-old Syed Asif Nizami, 'Sajjadanashin' of the holy shrine were given a warm reception at the Nizamuddin mausoleum, where special prayers were offered to "thank the almighty" for their return. "We are Sufis and Sufism teaches us the message of love ('paigam-e-mohabbat'). We had gone to Pakistan to spread that message. Some people may not have liked our message. But, I will again go to Pakistan, and go there with greater resolve," he said. News reports had claimed the two clerics were detained by Pakistan's spy agency ISI over suspicion of their links with India's external spy agency RAW and Muttahida Qaumi Movement in that country. Pakistani newspaper Ummat had in a report claimed that the clerics worked for RAW and MQM, an organisation of Muslims who migrated from India to Pakistan after partition and has often been locked in confrontation with the establishment there, a charge strongly rejected by the cleric. "The main purpose of the visit was to visit shrine of Baba Farid and and Data Darbar. I keep visiting Pakistan but my uncle (Asif) was visiting after 26 years to meet his nearly 90-year-old sister in Karachi," Ali Nizami said. Ali Nizami said "aman-chain ki taraf kadam badhne chahiye, (We must work towards peace and amity)" and more and more people should visit each other from both sides of the border. He appealed to both India and Pakistan to increase people-to-people contact as part of peace-building efforts. "I would even appeal to both New Delhi and Islamabad to increase the number of visas so that more and more people can travel and know each other," he added. The two clerics had gone to Lahore on March 8 but disappeared in the middle of last week following which India took up the issue with Islamabad. They were offloaded from Karachi-bound Shaheen Airlines on March 14 at the Allama Iqbal International Airport, Lahore, the Pakistani sources had said. By Express News Service NEW DELHI: India must oppose a resolution in the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) moved by the US, the UK and some other countries on giving two more years until 2019 for Sri Lanka to submit its report on the killing of Tamils, the AIADMK said in Parliament on Monday. AIADMK leader V Maitreyan raised the matter in Rajya Sabha during Zero Hour and urged the Centre to take the initiative to see that an independent international investigation is ordered. Requesting Prime Minister Narendra Modi to bring justice to Eelam Tamils, Maitryean said: I urge the Government of India to oppose this Resolution in the UNHRC in the voting to be held on 22nd March. He said that eight years have elapsed since the systematic genocide of Eelam Tamils in Lanka in 2009, in which over 150,000 Tamils were killed. So far, no reliable investigation has been undertaken and not a single guilty has been punished, he said. He said a resolution was adopted in the UNHRC sponsored by the US and Lanka in 2015 that called for independent investigation of the war crimes in Lanka with the participation of international judges and lawyers and jurists. NEW DELHI: India must oppose a resolution in the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) moved by the US, the UK and some other countries on giving two more years until 2019 for Sri Lanka to submit its report on the killing of Tamils, the AIADMK said in Parliament on Monday. AIADMK leader V Maitreyan raised the matter in Rajya Sabha during Zero Hour and urged the Centre to take the initiative to see that an independent international investigation is ordered. Requesting Prime Minister Narendra Modi to bring justice to Eelam Tamils, Maitryean said: I urge the Government of India to oppose this Resolution in the UNHRC in the voting to be held on 22nd March. He said that eight years have elapsed since the systematic genocide of Eelam Tamils in Lanka in 2009, in which over 150,000 Tamils were killed. So far, no reliable investigation has been undertaken and not a single guilty has been punished, he said. He said a resolution was adopted in the UNHRC sponsored by the US and Lanka in 2015 that called for independent investigation of the war crimes in Lanka with the participation of international judges and lawyers and jurists. Prateek Joshi By China hosted India for the first-ever bilateral strategic dialogue this February, an institutional platform where key issues were discussed. Notwithstanding the unresolved disputes between the nations, the dialogue was no less than a victory in that India and China successfully established a platform for discussing issues that concern the strategic stability of Sino-Indian relations. However, there was a visible consternation displayed by New Delhi over a few irritants which it believes hinder the development of healthy ties. Issues like Chinas opposition over Indias entry to the Nuclear Suppliers Group and Chinas non-cooperation in the UN Security Council over Masood Azhar, the mastermind behind the 2001 attack on the Indian Parliament, are indeed matters of concern. But there is a need to take a relook at Indias opposition to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), for this may run the risk of derailing bilateral ties, which is already burdened with numerous irritants. Chinas invitation to India to be part of the Silk Road summit to be held this May did not go down well with New Delhi given the CPEC factor and as expected, New Delhi declined to be a part of the summit. CPEC is part of this particular initiative ... CPEC violates Indian sovereignty because it runs through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), Indias Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar conveyed to the Chinese during the dialogue. Indias concerns are justified since the CPEC happens to pass through Gilgit-Baltistan, the northern part of PoK. But they would not make any difference. The roots of the Sino-Pak detente lie in the 1962 India-China war, which provided Pakistan an opportunity to upgrade its lukewarm ties with China following which both the nations decided to forego their territorial disputes over the Gilgit-Xinjiang border and negotiated a border agreement in 1963. Bilateral ties were cemented further when Pakistan, aided by China, undertook the construction of the Karakoram Highway linking Havelian (near Islamabad) to Xinjiang. The 1,300 km highway which crosses into China via the 4,700 m high Khunjerab Pass became the sole link connecting the nations directly. The highway was opened for public use in 1978 and has also been secretly used by China to transport missiles and arms to Pakistan. With the construction of several other feeder roads branching out of the highway and linking other towns and villages of Gilgit-Baltistan, the regions economy has witnessed positive changes. But the Pakistan Army continues to be the major player in the regions infrastructure and communications sector; Chinese investments and its FMCG products also have a dominating presence. The CPEC links Pakistan with China via the Karakoram highway. Though India has repeatedly voiced its concerns against the corridor citing its passage through occupied territory, a glance at the projects to be set up under the CPEC shows there are hardly any sanctioned for Gilgit-Baltistan out of the $54 billion worth of allocation. The highlight for the region is the revamp of the Karakoram highway and its connecting roads aimed at allowing heavy cargo traffic to ply smoothly once the corridor starts functioning in full swing. There has been talk of establishing Special Economic Zones and industrial parks in the region, but the details are yet to be unveiled. Gilgit-Baltistan forms the basis of Sino-Pak cooperation and the Chinese have been highly active in the region, decades before the CPEC was announced. Thus New Delhis late opposition is futile. Unfortunately, India has rarely attempted to engage with Gilgit-Baltistan beyond a superficial level. Unlike what strategic thinking and diplomacy demands, India has neither raised its voice against the sectarian crisis the regions Shia community faces, nor made any attempt to reach out to the regions exiled leaders. Rather, the Indo-Pak dispute over Kashmir has got tied around the issues in Kashmir. The recent re-emergence of violence in the Valley clearly shows India is far from tackling the situation there. At the same time, it has been drawn into a diplomatic conflict with Pakistan which has raised the issue at all major international platforms. On the contrary, episodes of violence in Gilgit-Baltistan, notably the sectarian crises of 1988, 2004 and 2012 when the regions indigenous Shias were targeted, have been of scarce concern to India. India continues to turn a deaf ear to the people of Gilgit- Baltistan, unlike Islamabad which has utilised every opportunity to target India over its Kashmir policy. While India could continue to lodge its protests over the Chinese Silk Road, the reality remains that it is no more than a token protest which only elongates the list of irritants that characterise Sino-Indian ties. In a recent article, former Indian diplomat M K Bhadrakumar makes an interesting point analysing the futility of New Delhis rigid stand over CPEC which is taking it nowhere. Taking a cue from the his analysis which cited the recent example of Japan attempting to reset ties with Russia despite the ongoing dispute over Kuril Islands, India could enter into negotiations with China and see if a trilateral cooperation could be worked out over Gilgit-Baltistan. This is not to say that India needs to change its Kashmir policy, but rather that it should look towards a constructive engagement over the landlocked Gilgit-Baltistan. Movement of people and trade continues across the LoC despite the Kashmir conflict, and adding Gilgit-Baltistan may turn out to be a step towards more stable Sino-Indian ties and even de-escalate Indo-Pak tensions. Constructive cooperation on the politico-economic status of Gilgit-Baltistan and its people should be included in the next bilateral strategic dialogue. (The author is a postgraduate in International Relations from South Asian University Email: prat.josh2812@gmail.com) China hosted India for the first-ever bilateral strategic dialogue this February, an institutional platform where key issues were discussed. Notwithstanding the unresolved disputes between the nations, the dialogue was no less than a victory in that India and China successfully established a platform for discussing issues that concern the strategic stability of Sino-Indian relations. However, there was a visible consternation displayed by New Delhi over a few irritants which it believes hinder the development of healthy ties. Issues like Chinas opposition over Indias entry to the Nuclear Suppliers Group and Chinas non-cooperation in the UN Security Council over Masood Azhar, the mastermind behind the 2001 attack on the Indian Parliament, are indeed matters of concern. But there is a need to take a relook at Indias opposition to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), for this may run the risk of derailing bilateral ties, which is already burdened with numerous irritants. Chinas invitation to India to be part of the Silk Road summit to be held this May did not go down well with New Delhi given the CPEC factor and as expected, New Delhi declined to be a part of the summit. CPEC is part of this particular initiative ... CPEC violates Indian sovereignty because it runs through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), Indias Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar conveyed to the Chinese during the dialogue. Indias concerns are justified since the CPEC happens to pass through Gilgit-Baltistan, the northern part of PoK. But they would not make any difference. The roots of the Sino-Pak detente lie in the 1962 India-China war, which provided Pakistan an opportunity to upgrade its lukewarm ties with China following which both the nations decided to forego their territorial disputes over the Gilgit-Xinjiang border and negotiated a border agreement in 1963. Bilateral ties were cemented further when Pakistan, aided by China, undertook the construction of the Karakoram Highway linking Havelian (near Islamabad) to Xinjiang. The 1,300 km highway which crosses into China via the 4,700 m high Khunjerab Pass became the sole link connecting the nations directly. The highway was opened for public use in 1978 and has also been secretly used by China to transport missiles and arms to Pakistan. With the construction of several other feeder roads branching out of the highway and linking other towns and villages of Gilgit-Baltistan, the regions economy has witnessed positive changes. But the Pakistan Army continues to be the major player in the regions infrastructure and communications sector; Chinese investments and its FMCG products also have a dominating presence. The CPEC links Pakistan with China via the Karakoram highway. Though India has repeatedly voiced its concerns against the corridor citing its passage through occupied territory, a glance at the projects to be set up under the CPEC shows there are hardly any sanctioned for Gilgit-Baltistan out of the $54 billion worth of allocation. The highlight for the region is the revamp of the Karakoram highway and its connecting roads aimed at allowing heavy cargo traffic to ply smoothly once the corridor starts functioning in full swing. There has been talk of establishing Special Economic Zones and industrial parks in the region, but the details are yet to be unveiled. Gilgit-Baltistan forms the basis of Sino-Pak cooperation and the Chinese have been highly active in the region, decades before the CPEC was announced. Thus New Delhis late opposition is futile. Unfortunately, India has rarely attempted to engage with Gilgit-Baltistan beyond a superficial level. Unlike what strategic thinking and diplomacy demands, India has neither raised its voice against the sectarian crisis the regions Shia community faces, nor made any attempt to reach out to the regions exiled leaders. Rather, the Indo-Pak dispute over Kashmir has got tied around the issues in Kashmir. The recent re-emergence of violence in the Valley clearly shows India is far from tackling the situation there. At the same time, it has been drawn into a diplomatic conflict with Pakistan which has raised the issue at all major international platforms. On the contrary, episodes of violence in Gilgit-Baltistan, notably the sectarian crises of 1988, 2004 and 2012 when the regions indigenous Shias were targeted, have been of scarce concern to India. India continues to turn a deaf ear to the people of Gilgit- Baltistan, unlike Islamabad which has utilised every opportunity to target India over its Kashmir policy. While India could continue to lodge its protests over the Chinese Silk Road, the reality remains that it is no more than a token protest which only elongates the list of irritants that characterise Sino-Indian ties. In a recent article, former Indian diplomat M K Bhadrakumar makes an interesting point analysing the futility of New Delhis rigid stand over CPEC which is taking it nowhere. Taking a cue from the his analysis which cited the recent example of Japan attempting to reset ties with Russia despite the ongoing dispute over Kuril Islands, India could enter into negotiations with China and see if a trilateral cooperation could be worked out over Gilgit-Baltistan. This is not to say that India needs to change its Kashmir policy, but rather that it should look towards a constructive engagement over the landlocked Gilgit-Baltistan. Movement of people and trade continues across the LoC despite the Kashmir conflict, and adding Gilgit-Baltistan may turn out to be a step towards more stable Sino-Indian ties and even de-escalate Indo-Pak tensions. Constructive cooperation on the politico-economic status of Gilgit-Baltistan and its people should be included in the next bilateral strategic dialogue. (The author is a postgraduate in International Relations from South Asian University Email: prat.josh2812@gmail.com) Karamatullah K Ghori By Political pundits seem to be running out of luck when it comes to foretelling the outcome of elections these days. Narendra Modi has just stunned the Indian pundits with his spectacular performance in Uttar Pradesh the way Donald Trump did at the US elections last November. Even the most charitable of pundits didnt expect Modis BJP to sweep the UP polls the way it has done to steal all the wind from their sails. Modi has charisma and mass appeal, alright, but BJP winning 312 of the 403 seats in Indias most populous state, and that too a state ruled by a party poles apart from it in every sense, was never on their cards. BJPs stunning performance has the pundits biting their nails. So are the pundits in Pakistan scratching their heads over this bolt from the blue. It may be a surprise to many Indianseven those supposedly well up on international relationsthat elections in an Indian state like UP trigger a lot of interest, if not real excitement, in neighbouring Pakistan, too. And the reason for it has more to it than UPs politics. A majority of those Pakistanis who, or their forbears, migrated to Pakistan from India can trace their roots to UP. In fact those dubbed, and also largely treated as, Mohajirs in Pakistan hail mostly from three states of India: UP, Rajasthan and Haryana. But its UP that predominates, not just in numbers but also in the iconic cultural narrative pivoted on the great Ganga-Jamni cultural heritage that still binds Pakistanis of UP provenance with whatever may be going on there. So this most recent exercise in elective politics in UP was watched as keenly as all such previous exercises by those in Pakistan tethered to it viscerally and emotionally. I happened to be physically present in Aligarhvisiting the university thereduring UPs 2012 elections and can still recall how eager my Pakistani friends were, afterwards, in picking my brains on my experience of Indias elections. The Pakistanis have been attuned, for decades, to seeing UP through the blinkers of their Muslim kin there. The Muslims of UP, larger in number than in any other Indian state, were believed to be happy with the ruling Samajwadi Party and, so, were expected to renew its mandate, overwhelmingly. As for the BJP, the Pakistani conventional wisdom ruled out any UP Muslim being prepared to trusting it for myriad reasons. The Muslim allergy list to BJP had the Hindutva syndrome on top of it. Modi himself was faulted in the Pakistani narrative for fanning parochialism and Hindutva-based chauvinism. His objectionable rhetoric included a claim that Pakistan was somehow responsible for the tragic train accident, last November that had killed 148 people. The Pakistanis believed their Muslim kith in UP would be revolted by Modis Pakistan-phobia and turn their backs on him. Now that Modi, like Trump, has proved all pundits and Pakistanis wrong, the latter find themselves stranded at a tangent where they must, to begin with, revisit their earlier projections of UP sounding the death knell for BJP and its expected drubbing at Indias national polls two years hence. With UP in his bag, hardly anyone would dare to disagree that Delhi is his for taking in the next Lok Sabha elections in 2019. That necessitates the Pakistani pundits scurrying to their drawing boards for a new game plan on how to deal with a robustly mandated Modi not pulled down or hampered by the need to look over his shoulder before any new initiative. The opinion is, understandably, divided in Pakistan in the aftermath of Modis stellar performance in UP as to how hes likely to recalibrate his policy vis-a-vis Pakistan from a robustly augmented platform of popular approbation. The optimists are ready to give him all the benefit of their own sanguine expectations that hed be magnanimous in victory and will not be swayed by crowd-courting antics. A robust leader doesnt suffer from insecurity and doesnt pull back from taking bold initiatives. Nixons heroic initiative to level up with China is an example readily cited by Pakistani pundits. They hope Modi would be more forthcoming on Kashmir to take the major irritant out of the way between the two countries. The Pakistani soothsayers express doubts, however, about their own leadership. Nawaz Sharif is on a very slippery slope with the Panama Gate scandal hanging over his head like the proverbial sword of Damocles; his house could come unstuck any day. The Supreme Court of Pakistan has his fate in the balance and, in the event of a verdict against him he could be gone, uncere-moniously. The Jeremiahs of Pakistanand there are plenty of them going aroundfear the worst under a reinvigorated Modi. Freed from any constraints, they argue, Modi would be tempted to act like Hercules unchained and pander increasingly to the Hindutva extremist agenda, one that doesnt believe in giving any quarter to Indias own Muslims, much less to Pakistan. Its unfortunate, to say the least, that in nearly three years of Modis government India, relations with Pakistan have been stymied, if not plummeted further, responsibility for which must equally be apportioned to Pakistan, which on its own part hasnt done much either to turn a page with India. Its record on taking on terrorists hasnt been inspiring. However, those with an un-blinkered take on the India-Pakistan ties, have good reason to hope that a windfall triumph, like this recent one in UP, would bring out the best in Modi and help him turn a decisive corner with Pakistan. Theyd hope that Pakistani leadership, too, rises to the changed scenario and wouldnt disappoint as on many a times before. (The author is a former Pakistani diplomat Email: K_K_ghori@yahoo.com) Political pundits seem to be running out of luck when it comes to foretelling the outcome of elections these days. Narendra Modi has just stunned the Indian pundits with his spectacular performance in Uttar Pradesh the way Donald Trump did at the US elections last November. Even the most charitable of pundits didnt expect Modis BJP to sweep the UP polls the way it has done to steal all the wind from their sails. Modi has charisma and mass appeal, alright, but BJP winning 312 of the 403 seats in Indias most populous state, and that too a state ruled by a party poles apart from it in every sense, was never on their cards. BJPs stunning performance has the pundits biting their nails. So are the pundits in Pakistan scratching their heads over this bolt from the blue. It may be a surprise to many Indianseven those supposedly well up on international relationsthat elections in an Indian state like UP trigger a lot of interest, if not real excitement, in neighbouring Pakistan, too. And the reason for it has more to it than UPs politics. A majority of those Pakistanis who, or their forbears, migrated to Pakistan from India can trace their roots to UP. In fact those dubbed, and also largely treated as, Mohajirs in Pakistan hail mostly from three states of India: UP, Rajasthan and Haryana. But its UP that predominates, not just in numbers but also in the iconic cultural narrative pivoted on the great Ganga-Jamni cultural heritage that still binds Pakistanis of UP provenance with whatever may be going on there. So this most recent exercise in elective politics in UP was watched as keenly as all such previous exercises by those in Pakistan tethered to it viscerally and emotionally. I happened to be physically present in Aligarhvisiting the university thereduring UPs 2012 elections and can still recall how eager my Pakistani friends were, afterwards, in picking my brains on my experience of Indias elections. The Pakistanis have been attuned, for decades, to seeing UP through the blinkers of their Muslim kin there. The Muslims of UP, larger in number than in any other Indian state, were believed to be happy with the ruling Samajwadi Party and, so, were expected to renew its mandate, overwhelmingly. As for the BJP, the Pakistani conventional wisdom ruled out any UP Muslim being prepared to trusting it for myriad reasons. The Muslim allergy list to BJP had the Hindutva syndrome on top of it. Modi himself was faulted in the Pakistani narrative for fanning parochialism and Hindutva-based chauvinism. His objectionable rhetoric included a claim that Pakistan was somehow responsible for the tragic train accident, last November that had killed 148 people. The Pakistanis believed their Muslim kith in UP would be revolted by Modis Pakistan-phobia and turn their backs on him. Now that Modi, like Trump, has proved all pundits and Pakistanis wrong, the latter find themselves stranded at a tangent where they must, to begin with, revisit their earlier projections of UP sounding the death knell for BJP and its expected drubbing at Indias national polls two years hence. With UP in his bag, hardly anyone would dare to disagree that Delhi is his for taking in the next Lok Sabha elections in 2019. That necessitates the Pakistani pundits scurrying to their drawing boards for a new game plan on how to deal with a robustly mandated Modi not pulled down or hampered by the need to look over his shoulder before any new initiative. The opinion is, understandably, divided in Pakistan in the aftermath of Modis stellar performance in UP as to how hes likely to recalibrate his policy vis-a-vis Pakistan from a robustly augmented platform of popular approbation. The optimists are ready to give him all the benefit of their own sanguine expectations that hed be magnanimous in victory and will not be swayed by crowd-courting antics. A robust leader doesnt suffer from insecurity and doesnt pull back from taking bold initiatives. Nixons heroic initiative to level up with China is an example readily cited by Pakistani pundits. They hope Modi would be more forthcoming on Kashmir to take the major irritant out of the way between the two countries. The Pakistani soothsayers express doubts, however, about their own leadership. Nawaz Sharif is on a very slippery slope with the Panama Gate scandal hanging over his head like the proverbial sword of Damocles; his house could come unstuck any day. The Supreme Court of Pakistan has his fate in the balance and, in the event of a verdict against him he could be gone, uncere-moniously. The Jeremiahs of Pakistanand there are plenty of them going aroundfear the worst under a reinvigorated Modi. Freed from any constraints, they argue, Modi would be tempted to act like Hercules unchained and pander increasingly to the Hindutva extremist agenda, one that doesnt believe in giving any quarter to Indias own Muslims, much less to Pakistan. Its unfortunate, to say the least, that in nearly three years of Modis government India, relations with Pakistan have been stymied, if not plummeted further, responsibility for which must equally be apportioned to Pakistan, which on its own part hasnt done much either to turn a page with India. Its record on taking on terrorists hasnt been inspiring. However, those with an un-blinkered take on the India-Pakistan ties, have good reason to hope that a windfall triumph, like this recent one in UP, would bring out the best in Modi and help him turn a decisive corner with Pakistan. Theyd hope that Pakistani leadership, too, rises to the changed scenario and wouldnt disappoint as on many a times before. (The author is a former Pakistani diplomat Email: K_K_ghori@yahoo.com) By Express News Service VIJAYAWADA: Andhra Pradesh Assembly session on Monday witnessed Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu spewing fire at the leader of Opposition YS Jaganmohan Reddy, stating YSRC legislators should be ashamed of their leader, who he alleged went to jail on corruption charges. Lashing out at Jagan Mohan Reddy for his remarks, the CM said those who had spent Rs 6000 crore on Pranahita Chevella, a project which remained a non-starter, has no right to criticise him. He said there was no need for Jaganmohan Reddy to seek half truths. Also, Naidu warned the Opposition with moving a Privilege motion if false information is submitted to the Assembly. "I am determined to have the State developed and will not entertain any hindrance," he said, while warning those who pose obstacles to development programmes. Earlier, criticising the Chief Minister for his speech, Jagan Mohan Reddy pointed out that the figures being presented by the Chief Minister on Gross State Domestic Product were different from those on the CM's Core Dash Board. He said the discrepancy indicate that they were doctored and fabricated. He also added that the TDP-led State government had failed in implementing welfare schemes effectively. In his Reply to Governors Speech, Naidu recalled the state of affairs in the State immediately after bifurcation. In his two hour-long speech, the Chief Minister explained quarterly Gross value added exercise, double digit growth rate, security in various aspects like power, employment, information, income, health, awards backed by the State. The CM also assured that the Polavaram project will be completed soon and explained the State governments efforts for the construction of Amaravati. VIJAYAWADA: Andhra Pradesh Assembly session on Monday witnessed Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu spewing fire at the leader of Opposition YS Jaganmohan Reddy, stating YSRC legislators should be ashamed of their leader, who he alleged went to jail on corruption charges. Lashing out at Jagan Mohan Reddy for his remarks, the CM said those who had spent Rs 6000 crore on Pranahita Chevella, a project which remained a non-starter, has no right to criticise him. He said there was no need for Jaganmohan Reddy to seek half truths. Also, Naidu warned the Opposition with moving a Privilege motion if false information is submitted to the Assembly. "I am determined to have the State developed and will not entertain any hindrance," he said, while warning those who pose obstacles to development programmes. Earlier, criticising the Chief Minister for his speech, Jagan Mohan Reddy pointed out that the figures being presented by the Chief Minister on Gross State Domestic Product were different from those on the CM's Core Dash Board. He said the discrepancy indicate that they were doctored and fabricated. He also added that the TDP-led State government had failed in implementing welfare schemes effectively. In his Reply to Governors Speech, Naidu recalled the state of affairs in the State immediately after bifurcation. In his two hour-long speech, the Chief Minister explained quarterly Gross value added exercise, double digit growth rate, security in various aspects like power, employment, information, income, health, awards backed by the State. The CM also assured that the Polavaram project will be completed soon and explained the State governments efforts for the construction of Amaravati. By Express News Service MYSURU: Nanjangud is set to witness a high-voltage campaign as BJP candidate V Srinivasa Prasad and Congress candidate Keshava Murthy are set to file nomination papers on Monday. Congress and BJP leaders who have completed the first round of campaigning by addressing public rallies in Nanjangud town and hobli headquarters have drawn a roadmap for reaching out to voters in all 155 villages of the constituency. Since the Nanjangud bypoll has turned out to be a prestige battle between CM Siddaramaiah and BJP state president B S Yeddyurappa, political pundits say it will be a key indicator for the 2018 general elections. Both the parties are planning to bring their top leaders to Nanjangud for campaigning. B S Yeddyurappa who inaugurated the BJP campaign from the historic Devanur Mutt along with Sriramulu, a prominent face of Nayaka community, has addressed rallies in Veerashaiva and Nayaka community dominated villages for two days. The Congress held a massive party workers meet in the town which was attended by Siddaramaiah and his cabinet colleagues. Meanwhile, JD(S) leaders are upset with the partys decision of not contesting the bypolls. HCM calls on late min Mahadevs wife District Minister H C Mahadevappa, accompanied by Congress candidate Keshava Murthy, called on Rajamma, widow of former minister M Mahadev. He held talks with Rajamma and hailed Mahadev for his contributions for the development of Nanjangud constituency. MYSURU: Nanjangud is set to witness a high-voltage campaign as BJP candidate V Srinivasa Prasad and Congress candidate Keshava Murthy are set to file nomination papers on Monday. Congress and BJP leaders who have completed the first round of campaigning by addressing public rallies in Nanjangud town and hobli headquarters have drawn a roadmap for reaching out to voters in all 155 villages of the constituency. Since the Nanjangud bypoll has turned out to be a prestige battle between CM Siddaramaiah and BJP state president B S Yeddyurappa, political pundits say it will be a key indicator for the 2018 general elections. Both the parties are planning to bring their top leaders to Nanjangud for campaigning. B S Yeddyurappa who inaugurated the BJP campaign from the historic Devanur Mutt along with Sriramulu, a prominent face of Nayaka community, has addressed rallies in Veerashaiva and Nayaka community dominated villages for two days. The Congress held a massive party workers meet in the town which was attended by Siddaramaiah and his cabinet colleagues. Meanwhile, JD(S) leaders are upset with the partys decision of not contesting the bypolls. HCM calls on late min Mahadevs wife District Minister H C Mahadevappa, accompanied by Congress candidate Keshava Murthy, called on Rajamma, widow of former minister M Mahadev. He held talks with Rajamma and hailed Mahadev for his contributions for the development of Nanjangud constituency. Meera Bhardwaj By Express News Service BENGALURU: With sand boa smuggling rampant in the state and the protected species fetching a high price in the international market, four people were arrested in Kadur in Chikkamagaluru district on Sunday when they were trying to market these species. The accused are Pradeep and Naveen, both residents of Kadur, and Mallesh and Manju, residents of Shivamogga district. They were caught at Anchechoomanahalli gate near Kadur Range, Chikkamagaluru territorial division. The accused with the seized sand boa in Chikkamagaluru |Express The hunters had found the sand boas in an agricultural field and had packed them in a drum full of sand. They were caught while they were transporting it on their motor bike and were making arrangements for its sale. Acting on a tip off, Kadur range officials led by range forest officer Mohan arrested the four and booked a case under the Wildlife Protection Act. The rare and endemic species has been under the radar of international smugglers from China, Vietnam and Nepal. Local residents are encouraged to catch them and sell them to the agents, says G Veeresh, wildlife conservationist. Boas are used in medicines, aphrodisiacs, cosmetics and in black magic rituals. Both the police and the forest department have been keeping a close watch on such smuggling activities and have apprehended many people. Since the species is harmless, it is easy to catch them, he said. BENGALURU: With sand boa smuggling rampant in the state and the protected species fetching a high price in the international market, four people were arrested in Kadur in Chikkamagaluru district on Sunday when they were trying to market these species. The accused are Pradeep and Naveen, both residents of Kadur, and Mallesh and Manju, residents of Shivamogga district. They were caught at Anchechoomanahalli gate near Kadur Range, Chikkamagaluru territorial division. The accused with the seized sand boa in Chikkamagaluru |ExpressThe hunters had found the sand boas in an agricultural field and had packed them in a drum full of sand. They were caught while they were transporting it on their motor bike and were making arrangements for its sale. Acting on a tip off, Kadur range officials led by range forest officer Mohan arrested the four and booked a case under the Wildlife Protection Act. The rare and endemic species has been under the radar of international smugglers from China, Vietnam and Nepal. Local residents are encouraged to catch them and sell them to the agents, says G Veeresh, wildlife conservationist. Boas are used in medicines, aphrodisiacs, cosmetics and in black magic rituals. Both the police and the forest department have been keeping a close watch on such smuggling activities and have apprehended many people. Since the species is harmless, it is easy to catch them, he said. By Express News Service THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Human rights activist Irom Sharmila said she would seek the help of Kerala government in her fight against the draconian Armed Forces (Special Powers) Acts (AFSPA) in Manipur. The Iron Lady of Manipur took a train from Palakad to meet Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and administrative reforms commission VS Achuthanandan on Monday. She was received at Trivandrum Central railway station by the DYFI district committee. She is expected to meet the press later in the evening on Monday. Irom reached Kerala on March 14 after her defeat in the recently held Assembly elections in Manipur. Sharmila, who contested the elections under the banner of the Peoples Resurgence and Justice Alliance (PRJA), against Chief Minister Ibobi Singh, could secure only 90 votes. She had ended her 16-year long fast in August 2016, announcing her wish to contest the elections to bring about a positive change in Manipur. THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Human rights activist Irom Sharmila said she would seek the help of Kerala government in her fight against the draconian Armed Forces (Special Powers) Acts (AFSPA) in Manipur. The Iron Lady of Manipur took a train from Palakad to meet Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and administrative reforms commission VS Achuthanandan on Monday. She was received at Trivandrum Central railway station by the DYFI district committee. She is expected to meet the press later in the evening on Monday. Irom reached Kerala on March 14 after her defeat in the recently held Assembly elections in Manipur. Sharmila, who contested the elections under the banner of the Peoples Resurgence and Justice Alliance (PRJA), against Chief Minister Ibobi Singh, could secure only 90 votes. She had ended her 16-year long fast in August 2016, announcing her wish to contest the elections to bring about a positive change in Manipur. Dhinesh Kallungal By Express News Service KOCHI: His expeditions in search of new varieties of pepper almost 25 years ago led T T Thomas to a unique variety.From then on, the school dropout farmer from Idukki developed and nurtured this high-yielding variety, Pepper Thekken. T T Thomas in his pepper yard The 76-year-old is now reaping honours and recognition for his efforts. The latest to come his way is the Innovative Farmer Award by the Indian Agricultural Research Institute for 2017. Sharing his joy with Express, Thomas said, The cultivar has started spreading to neighbouring states and even countries such as Vietnam, Cambodia and Sri Lanka. But it is yet to get due respect in the farms of Kerala. Although traditionally a black pepper farmer from Kanchiyar panchayat of Idukki, Thomas is now known as the father of Pepper Thekken in the country. Pepper Thekken is a high-yielding variety with the exceptional characteristic of spike branching. However, the variety is yet to find its niche in the pepper farms of the state. I have even received a ministerial request from Cambodia seeking saplings of the rare variety. I have received hundreds of enquiries from Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Goa of late. Recently, the office of the Agriculture Minister asked me to stop selling the saplings outside the state, he said. The idea is to spread the high-yielding variety in the state as there is a shortage of saplings here, the farmer said, emphasising on the quantum jump in the production of pepper likely in the state if the variety is used. Thomas had bagged the Innovation Foundation Award from the President of India for developing this cultivar in 2012. Officers of the Kerala Agricultural University (KAU) said research institutes such as Indian Institute of Spices Research (IISR), Kozhikode, had undertaken studies on this cultivar. The process of registration of this cultivar as farmer variety under Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers Rights (PPV&FR) Act is currently on. An application was submitted for this in 2013 and is under examination. Thomas received the award on Friday during the National Agriculture Fair at IARI, New Delhi. KOCHI: His expeditions in search of new varieties of pepper almost 25 years ago led T T Thomas to a unique variety.From then on, the school dropout farmer from Idukki developed and nurtured this high-yielding variety, Pepper Thekken. T T Thomas in his pepper yardThe 76-year-old is now reaping honours and recognition for his efforts. The latest to come his way is the Innovative Farmer Award by the Indian Agricultural Research Institute for 2017. Sharing his joy with Express, Thomas said, The cultivar has started spreading to neighbouring states and even countries such as Vietnam, Cambodia and Sri Lanka. But it is yet to get due respect in the farms of Kerala. Although traditionally a black pepper farmer from Kanchiyar panchayat of Idukki, Thomas is now known as the father of Pepper Thekken in the country. Pepper Thekken is a high-yielding variety with the exceptional characteristic of spike branching. However, the variety is yet to find its niche in the pepper farms of the state. I have even received a ministerial request from Cambodia seeking saplings of the rare variety. I have received hundreds of enquiries from Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Goa of late. Recently, the office of the Agriculture Minister asked me to stop selling the saplings outside the state, he said. The idea is to spread the high-yielding variety in the state as there is a shortage of saplings here, the farmer said, emphasising on the quantum jump in the production of pepper likely in the state if the variety is used. Thomas had bagged the Innovation Foundation Award from the President of India for developing this cultivar in 2012. Officers of the Kerala Agricultural University (KAU) said research institutes such as Indian Institute of Spices Research (IISR), Kozhikode, had undertaken studies on this cultivar. The process of registration of this cultivar as farmer variety under Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers Rights (PPV&FR) Act is currently on. An application was submitted for this in 2013 and is under examination. Thomas received the award on Friday during the National Agriculture Fair at IARI, New Delhi. BHUBANESWAR: A 19-year-old boy slashed his tongue in a temple as an offering to the Goddess at Kuhudi around 45 km away from the City on Sunday night. The teenager, identified as Deba Taras, was spotted in semi-conscious state, lying in a pool of blood at the sanctum-sanctorum of the temple by a priest in the wee hours on Monday. He was rushed to the nearby Tangi Community Health Centre from where he was shifted to Capital Hospital.The boy's tongue has been severed and he is unable to speak. Taras is a Plus two student at Kuhudi College in Khurda district, said police. According to his family members, Taras had gone to Chandeswar Mahadev Temple, located 5km away from Kuhudi to offer prayers to the deity. He did not return home last night, they said. While the condition of Taras remains critical, Tangi police is probing into the incident and quizzing the teenager's family. Preliminary investigation revealed that Taras had offered puja at the temple and later slashed his tongue with a sharp weapon, a police official said. However, reportedly items like blade or knife were not found from the temple complex. "Since he is unable to speak now, the cause behind the act can be ascertained only after Taras' condition improves," the cop added. BHUBANESWAR: A 19-year-old boy slashed his tongue in a temple as an offering to the Goddess at Kuhudi around 45 km away from the City on Sunday night. The teenager, identified as Deba Taras, was spotted in semi-conscious state, lying in a pool of blood at the sanctum-sanctorum of the temple by a priest in the wee hours on Monday. He was rushed to the nearby Tangi Community Health Centre from where he was shifted to Capital Hospital.The boy's tongue has been severed and he is unable to speak. Taras is a Plus two student at Kuhudi College in Khurda district, said police. According to his family members, Taras had gone to Chandeswar Mahadev Temple, located 5km away from Kuhudi to offer prayers to the deity. He did not return home last night, they said. While the condition of Taras remains critical, Tangi police is probing into the incident and quizzing the teenager's family. Preliminary investigation revealed that Taras had offered puja at the temple and later slashed his tongue with a sharp weapon, a police official said. However, reportedly items like blade or knife were not found from the temple complex. "Since he is unable to speak now, the cause behind the act can be ascertained only after Taras' condition improves," the cop added. By Express News Service NEW DELHI: India must oppose a resolution in the UNHRC moved by the US, UK and some other countries on giving two more years until 2019 for Sri Lanka to submit its report on killing of Tamils, AIADMK said in parliament. AIADMK leader V Maitreyan raised the matter in Rajya Sabha during Zero Hour and urged the Centre to take initiative to see that an international independent investigation is ordered. Requesting Prime Minister Narendra Modi to bring justice to Eelam Tamils, Maitryean said: I urge the Government of India to oppose this Resolution in the UNHRC in the voting to be held on 22nd March, 2017. He said that eight years have elapsed since the planned and systematic genocide of Eelam Tamils in Lanka in 2009, in which more than 150,000 Tamils were killed. So far, no reliable investigation regarding this has been undertaken and not a single guilty has been punished, he said. He said that a Resolution was adopted in UNHRC sponsored by the USA and Lanka in 2015 that called for independent investigation of the war crimes in Lanka with the participation of International judges and lawyers and jurists should be conducted. But within 48 hours, the President of Lanka openly announced that Lanka will not permit any jurists or lawyers from foreign countries. In the intervening period more Tamil areas have been colonized by the Lankan settlement. Lankan army in large numbers is still occupying Tamil areas. Lakhs of Tamils who have disappeared have not been found till date, he said. With the 34th session of UNHRC is in progress in Geneva, Maitreyan said: It is really shocking to the Tamils the world over that the USA, the UK and other countries have sponsored a resolution in the UNHRC, deciding to give two more years until 2019 for Lanka to submit its report. What is more worse is the newly added provision that only with the consent of the Lankan Government, any foreign jurist, lawyer or rapporteur could enter into Lanka on this issue, he added. He also mentioned about a letter written by former TN chief minister Jayalalitha on the matter to PM. Some other members including CPI leader D Raja questioned the government to clear its stand on the issue and wanted the matter to be discussed in details in the parliament. NEW DELHI: India must oppose a resolution in the UNHRC moved by the US, UK and some other countries on giving two more years until 2019 for Sri Lanka to submit its report on killing of Tamils, AIADMK said in parliament. AIADMK leader V Maitreyan raised the matter in Rajya Sabha during Zero Hour and urged the Centre to take initiative to see that an international independent investigation is ordered. Requesting Prime Minister Narendra Modi to bring justice to Eelam Tamils, Maitryean said: I urge the Government of India to oppose this Resolution in the UNHRC in the voting to be held on 22nd March, 2017. He said that eight years have elapsed since the planned and systematic genocide of Eelam Tamils in Lanka in 2009, in which more than 150,000 Tamils were killed. So far, no reliable investigation regarding this has been undertaken and not a single guilty has been punished, he said. He said that a Resolution was adopted in UNHRC sponsored by the USA and Lanka in 2015 that called for independent investigation of the war crimes in Lanka with the participation of International judges and lawyers and jurists should be conducted. But within 48 hours, the President of Lanka openly announced that Lanka will not permit any jurists or lawyers from foreign countries. In the intervening period more Tamil areas have been colonized by the Lankan settlement. Lankan army in large numbers is still occupying Tamil areas. Lakhs of Tamils who have disappeared have not been found till date, he said. With the 34th session of UNHRC is in progress in Geneva, Maitreyan said: It is really shocking to the Tamils the world over that the USA, the UK and other countries have sponsored a resolution in the UNHRC, deciding to give two more years until 2019 for Lanka to submit its report. What is more worse is the newly added provision that only with the consent of the Lankan Government, any foreign jurist, lawyer or rapporteur could enter into Lanka on this issue, he added. He also mentioned about a letter written by former TN chief minister Jayalalitha on the matter to PM. Some other members including CPI leader D Raja questioned the government to clear its stand on the issue and wanted the matter to be discussed in details in the parliament. Anil Kumar By Express News Service WARANGAL: Family members and friends bid an emotional farewell to Mamidala Vamshi Chander Reddy, who was shot dead at Milpitas in Santa Clara county of California on last Sunday. Vamshis father M Sanjeeva Reedy lit the funeral pyre. Union minister of state for labour and employment Bandaru Dattatreya and several local peoples representatives paid homage to Vamshi. Earlier, Vamshis body arrived around 2.45 am at Shamshabad airport from the US and reached his native village Vangapahad around 8.45 am. Heartbreaking scenes were witnessed at the residence where his mother Rama broke down as soon as she saw the coffin of her son. Relatives tried to control her but she hugged the coffin. Fighting back tears, his father tried to console her. Later speaking to media, Rama said the US government should take steps to provide security to Indian students. What has happened to Vamshi, no other students and youth should face. We send our children to the US for higher studies. It is the duty of the US authorities to provide security to our children. My son was killed due to the hate campaign by President Donald Trump, she lamented. It is difficult to come to terms with life without him. We will miss him more than words can express. My son was intelligent and extremely hardworking. He did us proud by becoming the first one in the family to study in the US, Sanjeeva Reddy said. WARANGAL: Family members and friends bid an emotional farewell to Mamidala Vamshi Chander Reddy, who was shot dead at Milpitas in Santa Clara county of California on last Sunday. Vamshis father M Sanjeeva Reedy lit the funeral pyre. Union minister of state for labour and employment Bandaru Dattatreya and several local peoples representatives paid homage to Vamshi. Earlier, Vamshis body arrived around 2.45 am at Shamshabad airport from the US and reached his native village Vangapahad around 8.45 am. Heartbreaking scenes were witnessed at the residence where his mother Rama broke down as soon as she saw the coffin of her son. Relatives tried to control her but she hugged the coffin. Fighting back tears, his father tried to console her. Later speaking to media, Rama said the US government should take steps to provide security to Indian students. What has happened to Vamshi, no other students and youth should face. We send our children to the US for higher studies. It is the duty of the US authorities to provide security to our children. My son was killed due to the hate campaign by President Donald Trump, she lamented. It is difficult to come to terms with life without him. We will miss him more than words can express. My son was intelligent and extremely hardworking. He did us proud by becoming the first one in the family to study in the US, Sanjeeva Reddy said. By Associated Press KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia says it is hunting for more North Korean suspects over the killing of the half brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. National police chief Khalid Abu Bakar said Sunday that the new suspects are in addition to the seven North Koreans already being sought in last month's poisoning death of Kim Jong Nam at Kuala Lumpur's airport. Khalid said the new suspects include an "important person," but he didn't give further details. Four of the seven initial North Korean suspects left Malaysia on Feb. 13, the day Kim was killed. Police have obtained an Interpol red alert notice for the four men, believed to be back in Pyongyang. Police said the other three men are believed to be hiding in the North Korean Embassy in Kuala Lumpur. KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia says it is hunting for more North Korean suspects over the killing of the half brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. National police chief Khalid Abu Bakar said Sunday that the new suspects are in addition to the seven North Koreans already being sought in last month's poisoning death of Kim Jong Nam at Kuala Lumpur's airport. Khalid said the new suspects include an "important person," but he didn't give further details. Four of the seven initial North Korean suspects left Malaysia on Feb. 13, the day Kim was killed. Police have obtained an Interpol red alert notice for the four men, believed to be back in Pyongyang. Police said the other three men are believed to be hiding in the North Korean Embassy in Kuala Lumpur. By IANS ACCRA: At least 16 people died on Sunday after a huge tree fell on tourists and revelers at a waterfall at Kintampo in Brong Ahafo Region, police said. Several others who have been injured in the accident are receiving treatment at the regional hospital, Kintampo divisional police commander Desmond Boampong has confirmed to Xinhua. There are currently different versions of casualties. Another police officer Desmond Oppong Boanu told Xinhua the death toll was 18. The victims, who are mostly senior high school students, were on an excursion and swimming beneath the fall when a rainstorm accompanied by a strong wind and thunder forced the tree to fall over them. Personnel of the Ghana National Fire Service and the police service are currently at the scene to rescue those trapped under the fallen tree. The Kintampo waterfall is one of the highest waterfalls in Ghana. ACCRA: At least 16 people died on Sunday after a huge tree fell on tourists and revelers at a waterfall at Kintampo in Brong Ahafo Region, police said. Several others who have been injured in the accident are receiving treatment at the regional hospital, Kintampo divisional police commander Desmond Boampong has confirmed to Xinhua. There are currently different versions of casualties. Another police officer Desmond Oppong Boanu told Xinhua the death toll was 18. The victims, who are mostly senior high school students, were on an excursion and swimming beneath the fall when a rainstorm accompanied by a strong wind and thunder forced the tree to fall over them. Personnel of the Ghana National Fire Service and the police service are currently at the scene to rescue those trapped under the fallen tree. The Kintampo waterfall is one of the highest waterfalls in Ghana. By Associated Press BAGHDAD: A suicide car bombing in Baghdad killed at least 23 people on Monday and wounded 45 others, according to Iraqi officials. The attack targeted a commercial area in Baghdad's southwestern Amil neighborhood, police and hospital officials said. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to release information. No one claimed responsibility for the attack, but the Islamic State group has been behind previous Baghdad bombings. Iraqi forces have been battling the extremists in Mosul, the country's second largest city, since October. Iraq declared eastern Mosul "fully liberated" in January and is now fighting for the more densely populated western half. Iraqi troops are closing in on Mosul's old city, where some of the fiercest fighting is expected to unfold. The militarized Federal Police say they are some 500 meters (yards) from al-Nuri mosque, where IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi made a rare public appearance in July 2014, announcing a self-styled caliphate in Iraq and Syria. The militants have suffered a string of defeats over the past two years, but have continued to regularly launch attacks in and around Baghdad. A series of large-scale bombings claimed by IS have struck Baghdad since the operation to retake Mosul began. Iraqi and coalition officials have repeatedly warned that IS will return to its insurgent roots as it loses territory. BAGHDAD: A suicide car bombing in Baghdad killed at least 23 people on Monday and wounded 45 others, according to Iraqi officials. The attack targeted a commercial area in Baghdad's southwestern Amil neighborhood, police and hospital officials said. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to release information. No one claimed responsibility for the attack, but the Islamic State group has been behind previous Baghdad bombings. Iraqi forces have been battling the extremists in Mosul, the country's second largest city, since October. Iraq declared eastern Mosul "fully liberated" in January and is now fighting for the more densely populated western half. Iraqi troops are closing in on Mosul's old city, where some of the fiercest fighting is expected to unfold. The militarized Federal Police say they are some 500 meters (yards) from al-Nuri mosque, where IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi made a rare public appearance in July 2014, announcing a self-styled caliphate in Iraq and Syria. The militants have suffered a string of defeats over the past two years, but have continued to regularly launch attacks in and around Baghdad. A series of large-scale bombings claimed by IS have struck Baghdad since the operation to retake Mosul began. Iraqi and coalition officials have repeatedly warned that IS will return to its insurgent roots as it loses territory. By AFP PARIS: France's presidential election moves into high gear on Monday when the top five contenders face off in a TV debate that could help sway legions of undecided voters, a month before they go to the polls. Centrist frontrunner Emmanuel Macron and far-right leader Marine Le Pen are expected to come under attack in the first of three debates ahead of the April 23 opening round in France's most unpredictable election in decades. A total of 11 candidates spanning the spectrum from Trotskyist left to far right are running for president. Six smaller candidates have been excluded from the debates. Advisors to 48-year-old Le Pen, who is running neck-and-neck with Macron in polls for the first round but tipped for a sound beating by him in the May 7 run-off, said she would tear into the "globalist" programme of her pro-EU rival. Former economy minister Macron, 39, will also come under pressure from conservative nominee Francois Fillon, who will attempt to claw back votes lost to the centrist since he became embroiled in a damaging expenses scandal. Polls currently show Fillon, the one-time favourite, crashing out in the first round, behind Le Pen and Macron, following revelations about payments by parliament to his wife and children and loans and lavish gifts from the rich. The 63-year-old former premier, who has been charged with misuse of public funds, will attempt to shift the focus to his programme, including the radical spending cuts he says represent France's only hope for real change. - Ailing left - Two men representing the ailing left -- the Socialist Party's Benoit Hamon and Communist-backed radical Jean-Luc Melenchon, currently running in joint fourth -- are also hoping for a boost from Monday's three-hour television joust. "These elections are a pivotal moment for the French people," Hamon, a 49-year-old leftist rebel who has struggled to make an impact, told a rally in Paris Sunday. In a taste of what awaits Macron on Monday Hamon laid into the former Rothschild banker, casting him as the candidate of the elite. "You're unemployed? Start your own company! You're poor? Become billionaires!" he said, alluding to remarks by Macron, a liberal. - Turnout a major factor - The election, in which several political veterans have already been sent packing by voters fed up with politics as usual, could hinge on turnout. While the Netherlands enjoyed near-record turnout of over 80 percent in its general election, polls in France show only around 65 percent of voters planning to vote in the first round, which would set a record low. Of those, a whopping 40 percent-plus say they are not yet wedded to any candidate. Supporters of Macron, who styles himself as a progressive transcending France's entrenched left-right divide, are among the most volatile while Le Pen's are the most loyal, polls show. "The 2017 campaign is hard to get a handle on," Pascal Perrineau, a political sciences professor at Sciences Po university wrote in Le Monde daily at the weekend, blaming the steady drip of "affairs, real or imagined" for preventing a real debate. While most of the focus has been on Fillon's legal woes and the gulf with the "irreproachable" image on which he won the Republicans nomination, Le Pen also goes into the election with several investigations hanging over her party. Macron, a relative newcomer to politics, has largely avoided scandal but could be tainted by an investigation into possible favouritism over a 2016 event in Las Vegas at which he was the main speaker. PARIS: France's presidential election moves into high gear on Monday when the top five contenders face off in a TV debate that could help sway legions of undecided voters, a month before they go to the polls. Centrist frontrunner Emmanuel Macron and far-right leader Marine Le Pen are expected to come under attack in the first of three debates ahead of the April 23 opening round in France's most unpredictable election in decades. A total of 11 candidates spanning the spectrum from Trotskyist left to far right are running for president. Six smaller candidates have been excluded from the debates. Advisors to 48-year-old Le Pen, who is running neck-and-neck with Macron in polls for the first round but tipped for a sound beating by him in the May 7 run-off, said she would tear into the "globalist" programme of her pro-EU rival. Former economy minister Macron, 39, will also come under pressure from conservative nominee Francois Fillon, who will attempt to claw back votes lost to the centrist since he became embroiled in a damaging expenses scandal. Polls currently show Fillon, the one-time favourite, crashing out in the first round, behind Le Pen and Macron, following revelations about payments by parliament to his wife and children and loans and lavish gifts from the rich. The 63-year-old former premier, who has been charged with misuse of public funds, will attempt to shift the focus to his programme, including the radical spending cuts he says represent France's only hope for real change. - Ailing left - Two men representing the ailing left -- the Socialist Party's Benoit Hamon and Communist-backed radical Jean-Luc Melenchon, currently running in joint fourth -- are also hoping for a boost from Monday's three-hour television joust. "These elections are a pivotal moment for the French people," Hamon, a 49-year-old leftist rebel who has struggled to make an impact, told a rally in Paris Sunday. In a taste of what awaits Macron on Monday Hamon laid into the former Rothschild banker, casting him as the candidate of the elite. "You're unemployed? Start your own company! You're poor? Become billionaires!" he said, alluding to remarks by Macron, a liberal. - Turnout a major factor - The election, in which several political veterans have already been sent packing by voters fed up with politics as usual, could hinge on turnout. While the Netherlands enjoyed near-record turnout of over 80 percent in its general election, polls in France show only around 65 percent of voters planning to vote in the first round, which would set a record low. Of those, a whopping 40 percent-plus say they are not yet wedded to any candidate. Supporters of Macron, who styles himself as a progressive transcending France's entrenched left-right divide, are among the most volatile while Le Pen's are the most loyal, polls show. "The 2017 campaign is hard to get a handle on," Pascal Perrineau, a political sciences professor at Sciences Po university wrote in Le Monde daily at the weekend, blaming the steady drip of "affairs, real or imagined" for preventing a real debate. While most of the focus has been on Fillon's legal woes and the gulf with the "irreproachable" image on which he won the Republicans nomination, Le Pen also goes into the election with several investigations hanging over her party. Macron, a relative newcomer to politics, has largely avoided scandal but could be tainted by an investigation into possible favouritism over a 2016 event in Las Vegas at which he was the main speaker. By PTI HOUSTON: Indian-Americans will honour a 24-year-old American who was injured while trying to intervene during a racially-motivated shooting in Kansas that left an Indian techie dead and another injured. Ian Grillot was injured when he tried to intervene in the shooting by a Navy veteran targetting Indians at a bar in Olathe, Kansas last month. Srinivas Kuchibhotla, 32, was killed and his colleague Alok Madasani was critically injured in the shooting. Grillot will be honoured as 'A True American Hero', at the 14th annual gala of Indian House Houston here on March 25. "Without all the prayers and positive support from everybody, I wouldn't be doing as well as I am right now. It's been a blessing to be alive. I am looking forward to attend India House Gala event on March 25, in Houston, TX. You guys are wonderful and I thank you all for such a support," Grillot said. The annual Gala is the main fundraising event of the India House, with all proceeds going to the day to day community programmes and expansion of India House. Guests of honour this year include many dignitaries including India's Ambassador to the US Navtej Sarna, former US Ambassador to India David Mulford, former US Assistant Secretary of State Nisha Biswal, Mayor Sylvester Turner, Harris County Judge Ed Emmett and Master Chef Vikas Khanna. HOUSTON: Indian-Americans will honour a 24-year-old American who was injured while trying to intervene during a racially-motivated shooting in Kansas that left an Indian techie dead and another injured. Ian Grillot was injured when he tried to intervene in the shooting by a Navy veteran targetting Indians at a bar in Olathe, Kansas last month. Srinivas Kuchibhotla, 32, was killed and his colleague Alok Madasani was critically injured in the shooting. Grillot will be honoured as 'A True American Hero', at the 14th annual gala of Indian House Houston here on March 25. "Without all the prayers and positive support from everybody, I wouldn't be doing as well as I am right now. It's been a blessing to be alive. I am looking forward to attend India House Gala event on March 25, in Houston, TX. You guys are wonderful and I thank you all for such a support," Grillot said. The annual Gala is the main fundraising event of the India House, with all proceeds going to the day to day community programmes and expansion of India House. Guests of honour this year include many dignitaries including India's Ambassador to the US Navtej Sarna, former US Ambassador to India David Mulford, former US Assistant Secretary of State Nisha Biswal, Mayor Sylvester Turner, Harris County Judge Ed Emmett and Master Chef Vikas Khanna. By PTI ISLAMABAD: India and Pakistan must respect the landmark Indus Waters Treaty as it is in the interest of both countries, Pakistan's Minister for Water and Power Khawaja Asif said today. Asif's comments came as officials from India and Pakistan today held Indus Water Commission meeting to discuss the designs of three water projects being built by India on the Chenab. "To respect this agreement [the Indus Waters Treaty] and find a solution through it is in the interest of both countries," the minister said. Asif also spoke about the Kishanganga and Ratle hydroelectric projects for which Pakistan is seeking international court of arbitration (ICA) through the World Bank. Asif said delays had been witnessed in the past in the handling of the Kishanganga project. The minister claimed that, "When we [Pakistan] went to the court of arbitration our position was not as strong as it could have been if we had approached the court in a timely manner." However, he said that the country's position regarding the Ratle project is "very strong." "We are working to make changes to the design of the project that are in Pakistan's interest and which are in accordance with the treaty," the minister said. "Since the Indus Waters Treaty was signed [in 1960], no dispute has been handled including the Ratle dam dispute," Asif said, adding, "We are in the position to fully protect our interests." ISLAMABAD: India and Pakistan must respect the landmark Indus Waters Treaty as it is in the interest of both countries, Pakistan's Minister for Water and Power Khawaja Asif said today. Asif's comments came as officials from India and Pakistan today held Indus Water Commission meeting to discuss the designs of three water projects being built by India on the Chenab. "To respect this agreement [the Indus Waters Treaty] and find a solution through it is in the interest of both countries," the minister said. Asif also spoke about the Kishanganga and Ratle hydroelectric projects for which Pakistan is seeking international court of arbitration (ICA) through the World Bank. Asif said delays had been witnessed in the past in the handling of the Kishanganga project. The minister claimed that, "When we [Pakistan] went to the court of arbitration our position was not as strong as it could have been if we had approached the court in a timely manner." However, he said that the country's position regarding the Ratle project is "very strong." "We are working to make changes to the design of the project that are in Pakistan's interest and which are in accordance with the treaty," the minister said. "Since the Indus Waters Treaty was signed [in 1960], no dispute has been handled including the Ratle dam dispute," Asif said, adding, "We are in the position to fully protect our interests." By ANI JERUSALEM: Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman has warned that the country will destroy Syrias air defense system if it fires an anti-aircraft missile at Israeli aircraft again. "The next time the Syrians use their air defense systems against our airplanes, we will destroy all of them without thinking twice." CNN quoted Liberman as saying on Israel public radio on Sunday. His threat comes after Syria fired anti-aircraft missiles at Israeli military jets overnight Thursday into Friday. The Syrian military said the jets struck a military site near Palmyra, while Israel says they targeted a weapons shipment to Iran-backed Hezbollah. Syria claims their missiles downed one Israeli jet and hit another, which Israel rejected as "absolutely untrue." Meanwhile, the military actions did not go unnoticed both in the Middle East and further afield as in a sign of Russia's displeasure with the strike, Moscow summoned Israel's ambassador to Russia, Gary Koren, less than 24 hours after it happened. It is the first time in recent years that Moscow has summoned Israel's envoy over a strike in Syria, and it comes one week after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited to reaffirm coordination between the two sides over Syria. The two countries established coordination last year to avoid conflicts in Syrian airspace, ostensibly to allow both countries to operate freely. Israel has long focused on stopping the transfer of weapons from Syria to terror groups. JERUSALEM: Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman has warned that the country will destroy Syrias air defense system if it fires an anti-aircraft missile at Israeli aircraft again. "The next time the Syrians use their air defense systems against our airplanes, we will destroy all of them without thinking twice." CNN quoted Liberman as saying on Israel public radio on Sunday. His threat comes after Syria fired anti-aircraft missiles at Israeli military jets overnight Thursday into Friday. The Syrian military said the jets struck a military site near Palmyra, while Israel says they targeted a weapons shipment to Iran-backed Hezbollah. Syria claims their missiles downed one Israeli jet and hit another, which Israel rejected as "absolutely untrue." Meanwhile, the military actions did not go unnoticed both in the Middle East and further afield as in a sign of Russia's displeasure with the strike, Moscow summoned Israel's ambassador to Russia, Gary Koren, less than 24 hours after it happened. It is the first time in recent years that Moscow has summoned Israel's envoy over a strike in Syria, and it comes one week after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited to reaffirm coordination between the two sides over Syria. The two countries established coordination last year to avoid conflicts in Syrian airspace, ostensibly to allow both countries to operate freely. Israel has long focused on stopping the transfer of weapons from Syria to terror groups. PK Balachandran By Express News Service COLOMBO: A former Sri Lankan navy chief who is now an academic, Admiral Dr. Jayanath Colombage, has said that the seizure of an oil tanker by Somali pirates in the Horn of Africa on March 13 after a gap of five years, shows that there is an urgent need for a holistic approach to piracy which should include political, economic, military, administrative, legal and financial components. The pirates had seized the bunkering tanker Aris 13 while it was sailing from Djibouti to Mogadishu. Flying the Comoros flag, the 1188 ton vessel was owned by a company based in Fujairah in the UAE, but the eight-man crew was entirely Sri Lankan. Hence the great concern in Sri Lanka over the incident. While the shipping company in the UAE was negotiating with the pirates, the Sri Lankan government asked the US Ambassador in Colombo, Atul Keshap, and the 41-nation Combined Maritime Force led by an American Admiral based in the UAE, to use their contacts to get the hapless crew released without harm. The US, which had a ship and personnel from the Seventh Fleet in Hambantota at that time carrying out a joint exercise with the Sri Lankan navy, got the President of the Puntland autonomous region of Somalia to intervene. The nail-biting drama ended late in the night of March 16-17, with the Puntland President sending a WhatsApp message to the Sri Lankan Deputy Foreign Minister Harsha de Silva to say that the crew and the ship were released without ransom. The Sri Lankan naval spokesman, Lt.Commander CRP Walakuluge, pointed out that Aris 13 had no Sea Marshals on board; had no naval escort; was a slow vessel going at an average speed of 5 knots; and was hugging the coast rather than going through the open sea in order to save fuel. Little wonder the vessel attracted pirates, he said. Multilateral naval cooperation and provision of naval escorts to ships had reduced the demand for Sea Marshals since 2012. Companies hiring out Sea Marshals were charging a lot - US$ 200 to 300 dollars per man, per day. With each voyage having to have at least four Marshals, if not more, the security bill per voyage was US$ 20,000 to US$ 25,000. According to Adm. Colombage, shipping companies often do a calculation to see the statistical probability of a vessel being hijacked, and fix the security systems accordingly. It all boils down to the question of money, he said. However, Adm. Colombage feels that the reason for the re-emergence of piracy has to be seen in the objective conditions prevailing on land as well as the sea. The roots of piracy are on land and not in the sea. The sea is where piracy takes place, but it stems from conditions on land, he pointed out. Piracy is basically big business with international links as well as local political, official and business connections. Intelligence gathering is done internationally through agents, and the money collected is shared as per systems spread across borders. The boats, weapons and the men are hired and trained professionally. The actual pirates get only the crumbs. It is the big fish on land who get the lions share. Therefore any attempt to curb piracy has to be done not only at sea but on land too, he reasoned. He pointed out that piracy, like all crimes, thrives under political confusion, absence of a firm and normative administrative system, lawlessness, corruption and violence. And there is political confusion in Somalia and the Puntland autonomous region. Following the February elections in Somalia, Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed took over as President. But the opposition Al Shabaab group threatened to eliminate anybody cooperating with the regime. Al Shabaab had assassinated the National Intelligence Agency chief. It had cashed with the Somalian National Army. In the Puntland autonomous region, the regime is opposed by a pro-ISIS Islamic group which has been beheading its opponents in the classic ISIS style. And while lawlessness reigns, the UN has warned that Somalia is heading towards famine. To this, Adm.Colombage adds the devastation caused by international fishing off the coast of Somalia. It has denied Somali fishermen their livelihood and driven into the arms of pirate recruiters, he said. There are flaws in the international maritime security system. The Convention for the Suppression of Unlawful Acts against Safety of Maritime Navigation, covers terrorism but not piracy. There are also no rules for the prosecution and jailing of captured pirates. With the result, captured pirates are let off. Cases cannot be taken to the International Criminal Court as there are issues of jurisdiction plaguing the ICC. COLOMBO: A former Sri Lankan navy chief who is now an academic, Admiral Dr. Jayanath Colombage, has said that the seizure of an oil tanker by Somali pirates in the Horn of Africa on March 13 after a gap of five years, shows that there is an urgent need for a holistic approach to piracy which should include political, economic, military, administrative, legal and financial components. The pirates had seized the bunkering tanker Aris 13 while it was sailing from Djibouti to Mogadishu. Flying the Comoros flag, the 1188 ton vessel was owned by a company based in Fujairah in the UAE, but the eight-man crew was entirely Sri Lankan. Hence the great concern in Sri Lanka over the incident. While the shipping company in the UAE was negotiating with the pirates, the Sri Lankan government asked the US Ambassador in Colombo, Atul Keshap, and the 41-nation Combined Maritime Force led by an American Admiral based in the UAE, to use their contacts to get the hapless crew released without harm. The US, which had a ship and personnel from the Seventh Fleet in Hambantota at that time carrying out a joint exercise with the Sri Lankan navy, got the President of the Puntland autonomous region of Somalia to intervene. The nail-biting drama ended late in the night of March 16-17, with the Puntland President sending a WhatsApp message to the Sri Lankan Deputy Foreign Minister Harsha de Silva to say that the crew and the ship were released without ransom. The Sri Lankan naval spokesman, Lt.Commander CRP Walakuluge, pointed out that Aris 13 had no Sea Marshals on board; had no naval escort; was a slow vessel going at an average speed of 5 knots; and was hugging the coast rather than going through the open sea in order to save fuel. Little wonder the vessel attracted pirates, he said. Multilateral naval cooperation and provision of naval escorts to ships had reduced the demand for Sea Marshals since 2012. Companies hiring out Sea Marshals were charging a lot - US$ 200 to 300 dollars per man, per day. With each voyage having to have at least four Marshals, if not more, the security bill per voyage was US$ 20,000 to US$ 25,000. According to Adm. Colombage, shipping companies often do a calculation to see the statistical probability of a vessel being hijacked, and fix the security systems accordingly. It all boils down to the question of money, he said. However, Adm. Colombage feels that the reason for the re-emergence of piracy has to be seen in the objective conditions prevailing on land as well as the sea. The roots of piracy are on land and not in the sea. The sea is where piracy takes place, but it stems from conditions on land, he pointed out. Piracy is basically big business with international links as well as local political, official and business connections. Intelligence gathering is done internationally through agents, and the money collected is shared as per systems spread across borders. The boats, weapons and the men are hired and trained professionally. The actual pirates get only the crumbs. It is the big fish on land who get the lions share. Therefore any attempt to curb piracy has to be done not only at sea but on land too, he reasoned. He pointed out that piracy, like all crimes, thrives under political confusion, absence of a firm and normative administrative system, lawlessness, corruption and violence. And there is political confusion in Somalia and the Puntland autonomous region. Following the February elections in Somalia, Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed took over as President. But the opposition Al Shabaab group threatened to eliminate anybody cooperating with the regime. Al Shabaab had assassinated the National Intelligence Agency chief. It had cashed with the Somalian National Army. In the Puntland autonomous region, the regime is opposed by a pro-ISIS Islamic group which has been beheading its opponents in the classic ISIS style. And while lawlessness reigns, the UN has warned that Somalia is heading towards famine. To this, Adm.Colombage adds the devastation caused by international fishing off the coast of Somalia. It has denied Somali fishermen their livelihood and driven into the arms of pirate recruiters, he said. There are flaws in the international maritime security system. The Convention for the Suppression of Unlawful Acts against Safety of Maritime Navigation, covers terrorism but not piracy. There are also no rules for the prosecution and jailing of captured pirates. With the result, captured pirates are let off. Cases cannot be taken to the International Criminal Court as there are issues of jurisdiction plaguing the ICC. By IANS BERLIN: Germany does not owe NATO and the US "vast sums" of money for defence, German Federal Ministry of Defense said on Sunday, rejecting the tweets by US President Donald Trump. "There is no debt account at NATO," German Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen said in a statement, elaborating on the distribution of Berlin's military expenditure, which is also allocated to UN peacekeeping, EU operations and anti-terror efforts in addition to NATO missions, Xinhua reported. The minister thus said it was unfair to measure Germany's military and security efforts judging solely on its NATO spending. The statement came a day after Trump wrote on his twitter saying "Germany owes vast sums of money to NATO and the United States must be paid more for the powerful, and very expensive, defense it provides to Germany!" Trump tweeted the words just a day after his meeting with German Chancellor Merkel in Washington, where according to German media, the two had a "Not warm, but not distant" meeting. Trump once called the NATO "obsolete" and threatened to "moderate" its commitment to it if NATO partners fail to meet the mandated defense spending target of two percent of gross domestic product. German government have committed to the target by 2024. In February, Germany's defense ministry announced the plan to expand its national army, the Bundeswehr, in light of "increasing responsibilities," partly seen as a response to Washington's recent pressure. BERLIN: Germany does not owe NATO and the US "vast sums" of money for defence, German Federal Ministry of Defense said on Sunday, rejecting the tweets by US President Donald Trump. "There is no debt account at NATO," German Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen said in a statement, elaborating on the distribution of Berlin's military expenditure, which is also allocated to UN peacekeeping, EU operations and anti-terror efforts in addition to NATO missions, Xinhua reported. The minister thus said it was unfair to measure Germany's military and security efforts judging solely on its NATO spending. The statement came a day after Trump wrote on his twitter saying "Germany owes vast sums of money to NATO and the United States must be paid more for the powerful, and very expensive, defense it provides to Germany!" Trump tweeted the words just a day after his meeting with German Chancellor Merkel in Washington, where according to German media, the two had a "Not warm, but not distant" meeting. Trump once called the NATO "obsolete" and threatened to "moderate" its commitment to it if NATO partners fail to meet the mandated defense spending target of two percent of gross domestic product. German government have committed to the target by 2024. In February, Germany's defense ministry announced the plan to expand its national army, the Bundeswehr, in light of "increasing responsibilities," partly seen as a response to Washington's recent pressure. By PTI WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump has said that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un was "acting very, very badly", hours after Pyongyang conducted a ground test of a new type of high-thrust rocket engine. "He is acting very very badly," Trump told reporters after he held meetings on North Korea with his national security staff at his Florida residence. Trump returned to the White House last night. "Today, President Donald J Trump held meetings regarding North Korea and China," the White House said in a brief readout of his meetings of the day. It said the President also met with military personnel. In brief interaction with reporters at Mar-a-Lago, Trump said that over the weekend he held meeting with his officials on North Korea. North Korea conducted a ground test of a new type of high-thrust rocket engine on Saturday at the Sohae launch site, according to the Korean Central News Agency. It said Kim called the test "a great event of historic significance" for North Korea's indigenous rocket industry. In the last few weeks, the Trump administration has ramped up its rhetoric on North Korea. The US alleges that these tests have been carried out in violation of the UN Security Council resolution. Trump's remarks came as Secretary of State Rex Tillerson headed back home from a three-nation Japan, South Korea and China trip wherein Pyongyang dominated his deliberations. During his three-nation Asia trip, Tillerson not only denounced North Korean tests but also said that the US is open to any pre-emptive strike against Pyongyang. A top Republican lawmaker supported Tillersons remarks. "The closer that the North Korean regime gets to being able to deliver a nuclear weapon, we're going to have to be in a position to take some type of preemptive strike. We hope that it doesn't come to that," Chairman of the House Select Committee on Intelligence Congressman David Nunes told Fox News. In Japan, Tillerson said that the diplomatic and other efforts in the past 20 years have failed and thus there is need for a different approach. "In the face of this ever-escalating threat, it is clear that a different approach is required. Part of the purpose of my visit to the region is to exchange views on a new approach," he said. A day later, Trump used tweeter his favorite social media platform to slam North Korea. "North Korea is behaving very badly. They have been playing the United States for years. China has done little to help," said the US President. Kathleen Stephens, a former US Ambassador to South Korea, said that all these indicates that the US is toughening its stance against North Korea. Senator Bob Corker, Chairman of the powerful Senate Foreign Relations Committee, too has supported Tillerson on North Korea. WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump has said that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un was "acting very, very badly", hours after Pyongyang conducted a ground test of a new type of high-thrust rocket engine. "He is acting very very badly," Trump told reporters after he held meetings on North Korea with his national security staff at his Florida residence. Trump returned to the White House last night. "Today, President Donald J Trump held meetings regarding North Korea and China," the White House said in a brief readout of his meetings of the day. It said the President also met with military personnel. In brief interaction with reporters at Mar-a-Lago, Trump said that over the weekend he held meeting with his officials on North Korea. North Korea conducted a ground test of a new type of high-thrust rocket engine on Saturday at the Sohae launch site, according to the Korean Central News Agency. It said Kim called the test "a great event of historic significance" for North Korea's indigenous rocket industry. In the last few weeks, the Trump administration has ramped up its rhetoric on North Korea. The US alleges that these tests have been carried out in violation of the UN Security Council resolution. Trump's remarks came as Secretary of State Rex Tillerson headed back home from a three-nation Japan, South Korea and China trip wherein Pyongyang dominated his deliberations. During his three-nation Asia trip, Tillerson not only denounced North Korean tests but also said that the US is open to any pre-emptive strike against Pyongyang. A top Republican lawmaker supported Tillersons remarks. "The closer that the North Korean regime gets to being able to deliver a nuclear weapon, we're going to have to be in a position to take some type of preemptive strike. We hope that it doesn't come to that," Chairman of the House Select Committee on Intelligence Congressman David Nunes told Fox News. In Japan, Tillerson said that the diplomatic and other efforts in the past 20 years have failed and thus there is need for a different approach. "In the face of this ever-escalating threat, it is clear that a different approach is required. Part of the purpose of my visit to the region is to exchange views on a new approach," he said. A day later, Trump used tweeter his favorite social media platform to slam North Korea. "North Korea is behaving very badly. They have been playing the United States for years. China has done little to help," said the US President. Kathleen Stephens, a former US Ambassador to South Korea, said that all these indicates that the US is toughening its stance against North Korea. Senator Bob Corker, Chairman of the powerful Senate Foreign Relations Committee, too has supported Tillerson on North Korea. By AFP VATICAN CITY: Pope Francis on Monday begged for God's forgiveness for "the sins and failings of the Church and its members" implicated in the 1994 Rwanda genocide that killed around 800,000 people. The Vatican statement followed a meeting between Francis and the Rwanda President Paul Kagame. The pardon plea followed a request from Rwanda in November for the Vatican to apologise for the role some Catholic priests and religious figures played in the massacres. VATICAN CITY: Pope Francis on Monday begged for God's forgiveness for "the sins and failings of the Church and its members" implicated in the 1994 Rwanda genocide that killed around 800,000 people. The Vatican statement followed a meeting between Francis and the Rwanda President Paul Kagame. The pardon plea followed a request from Rwanda in November for the Vatican to apologise for the role some Catholic priests and religious figures played in the massacres. By ANI ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has ordered the reopening of the Pak-Afghan border with immediate effect as a goodwill gesture, considering the two countries religious, cultural and historical relations. Sharif hoped the Afghan Government would take measures to eliminate terrorists present on their soil. A durable peace in Afghanistan is essential for peace and stability in the region, he said. Sharif asserted that prolonged closure of the Pak-Afghan border was against the interests of the people and the economy of the two countries. Pakistan had closed the border last month post a string of deadly militant attacks, which the military leadership claimed, were carried out by militants operating from safe havens in Afghanistan. However, Pakistan temporarily opened border crossings with Afghanistan at Torkham and Chaman on March 7 and 8 to allow people, visiting the two counties on valid visas, to return. ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has ordered the reopening of the Pak-Afghan border with immediate effect as a goodwill gesture, considering the two countries religious, cultural and historical relations. Sharif hoped the Afghan Government would take measures to eliminate terrorists present on their soil. A durable peace in Afghanistan is essential for peace and stability in the region, he said. Sharif asserted that prolonged closure of the Pak-Afghan border was against the interests of the people and the economy of the two countries. Pakistan had closed the border last month post a string of deadly militant attacks, which the military leadership claimed, were carried out by militants operating from safe havens in Afghanistan. However, Pakistan temporarily opened border crossings with Afghanistan at Torkham and Chaman on March 7 and 8 to allow people, visiting the two counties on valid visas, to return. PK Balachandran By Express News Service COLOMBO: The Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena told the visiting Chinese Defense Minister and State Councilor, Gen.Chang Wanquan, that the pacts which Sri Lanka is to sign with China will not do any harm to the pride, independence and national security of Sri Lanka. Sirisenas assertive remark assumes significance in the context of the raging controversy over the 80 % stake to be given to a Chinese state-owned company in the Hambantota port in south Sri Lanka for 99 years. The proposal to grant of 15,000 acres to establish an Economic Zone in the ports hinterland has also drawn flak. The Joint Opposition led by former President Mahinda Rajapaksa considers the port deal to be a sell out of a strategic national asset to a foreign country and wants the Sri Lanka Ports Authority to have the majority stake and control. The Minister of Ports, Arjuna Ranatunga, however has proposed a modified 60-40 distribution of the stake instead of 80-20. Recently, the government proposed a 60-40 divide ,10 years after the transfer of the port to the joint Sino-Lankan company. The government has also stipulated that it will have control over any military activity in the port making it difficult for the Chinese to use it for military purposes. While underlying the importance of maintaining the pride, independence and security of Sri Lanka, President Sirisena told the Chinese Defense Minister that he trusts that China will continue to provide the required training for the Sri Lankan security forces. The President thanked China for the support given by it for the national security of Sri Lanka, especially the help it rendered during the recent war against separatists in the North and East of the country. On his part, Gen, Chang Wanquan said that a strong foundation has been built for the betterment of the economy, society and the people of Sri Lanka under President Sirisena and that Chinas objective is to build and strengthen a long term relationship with Sri Lanka. The Chinese Defense Minister had detailed discussions on defense matters with the State Minister of Defense, Ruwan Wijewardene. The President is the Defense Minister. Gen.Chang held talks with Defense Secretary Karunasena Hettiarachchi. On Tuesday, Gen.Chang will interact with the Chiefs of the army ,air force and the navy, on a wide range of defense matters especially maritime security ,which is of immediate concern to China in the face challenges from Japan and the US, and lately, India too. Gen.Chang invited the Sri Lankan State Minister of Defense Wijewardene to visit China. The Chinese Defense Minister, who has come with a strong 20-member defense team, was to make this trip in April but it was brought forward apparently because of the heated controversy over the Hambantota port. Meanwhile, the US navys Seventh Fleet had sent a ship to Hambantota for rescue and relief exercises with the Sri Lankan, Japanese and Australian navies. The Japanese navy is to send its largest warship to Colombo in July, and the Indian naval survey ship INS Darshak is to survey the area around Hambantota port in April. COLOMBO: The Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena told the visiting Chinese Defense Minister and State Councilor, Gen.Chang Wanquan, that the pacts which Sri Lanka is to sign with China will not do any harm to the pride, independence and national security of Sri Lanka. Sirisenas assertive remark assumes significance in the context of the raging controversy over the 80 % stake to be given to a Chinese state-owned company in the Hambantota port in south Sri Lanka for 99 years. The proposal to grant of 15,000 acres to establish an Economic Zone in the ports hinterland has also drawn flak. The Joint Opposition led by former President Mahinda Rajapaksa considers the port deal to be a sell out of a strategic national asset to a foreign country and wants the Sri Lanka Ports Authority to have the majority stake and control. The Minister of Ports, Arjuna Ranatunga, however has proposed a modified 60-40 distribution of the stake instead of 80-20. Recently, the government proposed a 60-40 divide ,10 years after the transfer of the port to the joint Sino-Lankan company. The government has also stipulated that it will have control over any military activity in the port making it difficult for the Chinese to use it for military purposes. While underlying the importance of maintaining the pride, independence and security of Sri Lanka, President Sirisena told the Chinese Defense Minister that he trusts that China will continue to provide the required training for the Sri Lankan security forces. The President thanked China for the support given by it for the national security of Sri Lanka, especially the help it rendered during the recent war against separatists in the North and East of the country. On his part, Gen, Chang Wanquan said that a strong foundation has been built for the betterment of the economy, society and the people of Sri Lanka under President Sirisena and that Chinas objective is to build and strengthen a long term relationship with Sri Lanka. The Chinese Defense Minister had detailed discussions on defense matters with the State Minister of Defense, Ruwan Wijewardene. The President is the Defense Minister. Gen.Chang held talks with Defense Secretary Karunasena Hettiarachchi. On Tuesday, Gen.Chang will interact with the Chiefs of the army ,air force and the navy, on a wide range of defense matters especially maritime security ,which is of immediate concern to China in the face challenges from Japan and the US, and lately, India too. Gen.Chang invited the Sri Lankan State Minister of Defense Wijewardene to visit China. The Chinese Defense Minister, who has come with a strong 20-member defense team, was to make this trip in April but it was brought forward apparently because of the heated controversy over the Hambantota port. Meanwhile, the US navys Seventh Fleet had sent a ship to Hambantota for rescue and relief exercises with the Sri Lankan, Japanese and Australian navies. The Japanese navy is to send its largest warship to Colombo in July, and the Indian naval survey ship INS Darshak is to survey the area around Hambantota port in April. By AFP QUAMISHLI: Russia's military will train Kurdish forces in Syria, a spokesman said Monday, in the first agreement of its kind with the militia that controls large parts of the country's north. The move by Russia, a longtime ally of President Bashar al-Assad's regime, is likely to anger Turkey, which considers the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) to be a "terrorist" group. "An agreement was signed between our units and Russian forces operating in Syria that will train us in modern military tactics," YPG spokesman Redur Xelil said. "This is the first agreement of its kind, although we have had previous cooperation (with the Russians) in Aleppo city," he said. Russian forces were already present at the training camp in the Afrin region, one of the three "autonomous" cantons that Kurdish authorities manage in northern Syria, Xelil told AFP. The deal, which Xelil said was part "of the framework of the fight against terrorism," was signed on Sunday and came into force on Monday. The YPG makes up the bulk of the Syrian Democratic Forces, a US-backed alliance of Kurdish and Arab fighters that has seized swathes of territory from the Islamic State group in northern Syria. The SDF receives equipment, weapons and air support from the US-led coalition, and is backed by several hundred Western special operations forces in an advisory role. Russia, meanwhile, is a long-term backer of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, but had recently worked closely with rebel supporter Turkey to try to end the six-year war in Syria. QUAMISHLI: Russia's military will train Kurdish forces in Syria, a spokesman said Monday, in the first agreement of its kind with the militia that controls large parts of the country's north. The move by Russia, a longtime ally of President Bashar al-Assad's regime, is likely to anger Turkey, which considers the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) to be a "terrorist" group. "An agreement was signed between our units and Russian forces operating in Syria that will train us in modern military tactics," YPG spokesman Redur Xelil said. "This is the first agreement of its kind, although we have had previous cooperation (with the Russians) in Aleppo city," he said. Russian forces were already present at the training camp in the Afrin region, one of the three "autonomous" cantons that Kurdish authorities manage in northern Syria, Xelil told AFP. The deal, which Xelil said was part "of the framework of the fight against terrorism," was signed on Sunday and came into force on Monday. The YPG makes up the bulk of the Syrian Democratic Forces, a US-backed alliance of Kurdish and Arab fighters that has seized swathes of territory from the Islamic State group in northern Syria. The SDF receives equipment, weapons and air support from the US-led coalition, and is backed by several hundred Western special operations forces in an advisory role. Russia, meanwhile, is a long-term backer of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, but had recently worked closely with rebel supporter Turkey to try to end the six-year war in Syria. By AFP ANKARA: The Turkish government on Monday warned Europe against falling into the "trap of fascism", as it defended comparisons with Nazi Germany that have angered EU leaders. "We are hearing the marching steps of fascism and Nazism," Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus told reporters in Ankara after a cabinet meeting. "Steps need to be taken against that... we are saying these things (to Europe) so they do not fall into the trap of fascism," added Kurtulmus, who is official government spokesman. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had on Sunday told German Chancellor Angela Merkel she was taking "Nazi measures", after German authorities refused to allow Turkish ministers to campaign for a 'yes' vote in an upcoming referendum on expanding his powers. Germany's Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel branded Erdogan's comments "shocking" and said he had informed Ankara that a "boundary had been crossed here". But Kurtulmus, speaking after a cabinet meeting at the presidential palace chaired by Erdogan, defended the Nazi comparisons and gave no indication that such rhetoric would stop. He said that racism was on the rise in Europe and Turkey needed to warn its partners. "We are making these fascist and Nazi comparisons out of concern for the future of our European friends," he said. "Europe is our close ally, friend and neighbour and a very bad future is awaiting it. "Measures must be taken so that they live in friendship with foreigners. We are telling them not to surrender to these fascist and racist discourses," he added. The current crisis with Europe has raised questions over the future viability of Turkey's bid to join the European Union which has lasted half a century. ANKARA: The Turkish government on Monday warned Europe against falling into the "trap of fascism", as it defended comparisons with Nazi Germany that have angered EU leaders. "We are hearing the marching steps of fascism and Nazism," Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus told reporters in Ankara after a cabinet meeting. "Steps need to be taken against that... we are saying these things (to Europe) so they do not fall into the trap of fascism," added Kurtulmus, who is official government spokesman. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had on Sunday told German Chancellor Angela Merkel she was taking "Nazi measures", after German authorities refused to allow Turkish ministers to campaign for a 'yes' vote in an upcoming referendum on expanding his powers. Germany's Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel branded Erdogan's comments "shocking" and said he had informed Ankara that a "boundary had been crossed here". But Kurtulmus, speaking after a cabinet meeting at the presidential palace chaired by Erdogan, defended the Nazi comparisons and gave no indication that such rhetoric would stop. He said that racism was on the rise in Europe and Turkey needed to warn its partners. "We are making these fascist and Nazi comparisons out of concern for the future of our European friends," he said. "Europe is our close ally, friend and neighbour and a very bad future is awaiting it. "Measures must be taken so that they live in friendship with foreigners. We are telling them not to surrender to these fascist and racist discourses," he added. The current crisis with Europe has raised questions over the future viability of Turkey's bid to join the European Union which has lasted half a century. By AFP DAMASCUS: Syrian government forces clashed with rebels and hammered opposition-held areas of east Damascus on Monday, before calm returned to the capital after a surprise assault. In the north of the country, meanwhile, a Kurdish militia said the Russian military is to train Kurdish forces fighting the Islamic State group. Rebels and allied jihadists, led by former Al-Qaeda affiliate Fateh al-Sham Front, early Sunday attacked government positions in east Damascus, initially scoring gains. But forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad drove them back by nightfall and began a fierce bombing campaign, a monitor said, before calm was restored on Monday afternoon in eastern Damascus where shops reopened and cars returned to the roads. The guns fell silent following what Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, termed "intense air strikes... on opposition-held positions in Jobar from which the offensive was launched". He could not specify whether the raids were carried out by Syrian or allied Russian warplanes. Control of the district -- which has been a battleground for more than two years and is the closest rebel position to the heart of Damascus -- is divided between rebels and allied jihadists on one side and government forces on the other. Earlier Monday, regime forces clashed with rebel groups in an industrial zone between Jobar and Qabun, a besieged opposition-held district to the north. "In their assault yesterday (Sunday), rebels were able to open a road for several hours between Qabun and Jobar, but the area is now a front line and they can no longer cross between the two," Abdel Rahman said. A Syrian military source told AFP the army had recaptured "most of the positions where rebels advanced yesterday". "The army foiled the armed groups' plan to link the Jobar district with Qabun," the source said, adding that "military operations in the area are ongoing". Rebels hit Russian embassy Sunday's rebel assault was their most important incursion inside Damascus in years. After seizing several buildings in Jobar, opposition fighters advanced briefly into the neighbouring Abbasid Square area -- the first time in two years the opposition had broken into that district. Abbasid Square was returning to normal on Monday, AFP correspondents said, as residents surveyed the damage from the latest clashes. Inside the Abbasid Square bus station, which rebels managed to overrun for few hours on Sunday, several soldiers curled up under a blanket to rest after hours of heavy fighting. Aircraft could still be heard overhead, but many of the roads that had been sealed off by troops the previous day were reopened. The clashes killed at least 26 members of the regime forces and 21 rebels and jihadists, Abdel Rahman said. He did not have an immediate toll for Monday morning's air strikes. State news agency SANA said government troops were targeting rebel bases around Jobar on Monday. "The military operations north of Jobar targeted the areas from which the terrorists set out, and a large number of them were killed," it said. The agency reported that opposition fighters on Sunday bombarded the Russian embassy compound in the capital's Mazraa neighborhood but that there were no casualties. New peace talks due The Islamist Faylaq al-Rahman rebel group and the Fateh al-Sham Front -- known as Al-Nusra Front before it renounced its ties to Al-Qaeda -- have a presence in Jobar. Syria's conflict erupted in March 2011 with protests against Assad's rule but has evolved over the years into a complex civil war. More than 320,000 people have been killed and millions more have been displaced by the conflict. Repeated peace talks over the years have failed to bring about a political solution, but another round of negotiations is due to begin in Geneva on Thursday. In recent months, the regime has sought to secure territory around Damascus with renewed offensives on besieged rebel towns along with local "reconciliation" deals. The war saw a turning point when Russia intervened in September 2015 in support of the regime, allowing pro-government forces to regain significant territory they had lost to the rebels. A spokesman for the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) said Monday that Russia's military is to train the militia which controls large areas of northern Syria. The YPG makes up the bulk of the Syrian Democratic Forces, a US-backed alliance of Kurdish and Arab fighters that has seized swathes of territory from the Islamic State group. Also Monday, the US Defence Department said it was investigating allegations that a strike on Thursday targeting Al-Qaeda leaders near a mosque in northern Syria killed numerous civilians. Local reports and the Observatory have claimed dozens of people were killed, including civilians. DAMASCUS: Syrian government forces clashed with rebels and hammered opposition-held areas of east Damascus on Monday, before calm returned to the capital after a surprise assault. In the north of the country, meanwhile, a Kurdish militia said the Russian military is to train Kurdish forces fighting the Islamic State group. Rebels and allied jihadists, led by former Al-Qaeda affiliate Fateh al-Sham Front, early Sunday attacked government positions in east Damascus, initially scoring gains. But forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad drove them back by nightfall and began a fierce bombing campaign, a monitor said, before calm was restored on Monday afternoon in eastern Damascus where shops reopened and cars returned to the roads. The guns fell silent following what Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, termed "intense air strikes... on opposition-held positions in Jobar from which the offensive was launched". He could not specify whether the raids were carried out by Syrian or allied Russian warplanes. Control of the district -- which has been a battleground for more than two years and is the closest rebel position to the heart of Damascus -- is divided between rebels and allied jihadists on one side and government forces on the other. Earlier Monday, regime forces clashed with rebel groups in an industrial zone between Jobar and Qabun, a besieged opposition-held district to the north. "In their assault yesterday (Sunday), rebels were able to open a road for several hours between Qabun and Jobar, but the area is now a front line and they can no longer cross between the two," Abdel Rahman said. A Syrian military source told AFP the army had recaptured "most of the positions where rebels advanced yesterday". "The army foiled the armed groups' plan to link the Jobar district with Qabun," the source said, adding that "military operations in the area are ongoing". Rebels hit Russian embassy Sunday's rebel assault was their most important incursion inside Damascus in years. After seizing several buildings in Jobar, opposition fighters advanced briefly into the neighbouring Abbasid Square area -- the first time in two years the opposition had broken into that district. Abbasid Square was returning to normal on Monday, AFP correspondents said, as residents surveyed the damage from the latest clashes. Inside the Abbasid Square bus station, which rebels managed to overrun for few hours on Sunday, several soldiers curled up under a blanket to rest after hours of heavy fighting. Aircraft could still be heard overhead, but many of the roads that had been sealed off by troops the previous day were reopened. The clashes killed at least 26 members of the regime forces and 21 rebels and jihadists, Abdel Rahman said. He did not have an immediate toll for Monday morning's air strikes. State news agency SANA said government troops were targeting rebel bases around Jobar on Monday. "The military operations north of Jobar targeted the areas from which the terrorists set out, and a large number of them were killed," it said. The agency reported that opposition fighters on Sunday bombarded the Russian embassy compound in the capital's Mazraa neighborhood but that there were no casualties. New peace talks due The Islamist Faylaq al-Rahman rebel group and the Fateh al-Sham Front -- known as Al-Nusra Front before it renounced its ties to Al-Qaeda -- have a presence in Jobar. Syria's conflict erupted in March 2011 with protests against Assad's rule but has evolved over the years into a complex civil war. More than 320,000 people have been killed and millions more have been displaced by the conflict. Repeated peace talks over the years have failed to bring about a political solution, but another round of negotiations is due to begin in Geneva on Thursday. In recent months, the regime has sought to secure territory around Damascus with renewed offensives on besieged rebel towns along with local "reconciliation" deals. The war saw a turning point when Russia intervened in September 2015 in support of the regime, allowing pro-government forces to regain significant territory they had lost to the rebels. A spokesman for the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) said Monday that Russia's military is to train the militia which controls large areas of northern Syria. The YPG makes up the bulk of the Syrian Democratic Forces, a US-backed alliance of Kurdish and Arab fighters that has seized swathes of territory from the Islamic State group. Also Monday, the US Defence Department said it was investigating allegations that a strike on Thursday targeting Al-Qaeda leaders near a mosque in northern Syria killed numerous civilians. Local reports and the Observatory have claimed dozens of people were killed, including civilians. The now-suspended police chief in the district of Yongsan has been booked for an investigation, along with the head of the Yongsan Ward office and two others, on charges of profess... Sorry, that page not found! Please visit our Home Page for latest updates Forever 21 debuts in West Bengal with first store launch in Siliguri New Delhi , Mar 18 : Forever 21, a leading fast fashion brand from Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail Ltd. debuted in West Bengal with their very first store launch in Siliguri. The brand is focusing on strengthening its foothold in the country by exploring newer markets like West Bengal. Forever 21 is a pioneer in the fast fashion category, which makes it the most preferred fashion destination for young and fashion conscious consumers. (Posted on 18 March 2017, 1667843034 173O212O198O32) https://www.newkerala.com/west-bengal-news.php (Posted on 18 March 2017, 1667843034 173O212O198O32) Bollywood sensation Malaika Arora Khan along with Abhinav Zutshi, India Business Head, Forever 21, Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail Ltd. inaugurated the store, which houses the latest Spring Summer 17 collection. Having established a strong affinity with fashionable Indians in Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Pune, Hyderabad and Chennai, Forever 21 is all set to rev up the fashion quotient of Siliguri with global fashion trends straight off the runway."In our four year long journey in India, we have received phenomenal response from our young consumers and as the obvious next step our objective is to make the brand more accessible across India. West Bengal is known for its diverse ethnicity and fashion forward youngsters who love to experiment with edgy styles, which we feel is our core offering. Furthermore, West Bengal is a fairly less explored market that has huge potential, which is why we are keen on expanding our base here," said India Business Head Forever 21, Abhinav Zutshi.The store is spread over 6,000 Sq.ft of retail space and is located in the heart of the city at the Vega Circle Mall. The store houses the latest Spring Summer collection and stocks the widest range of chic fashion at pocket-friendly prices.Complementing Forever 21 apparel and accessories, the store will feature the retailer's other brands, including 21MENa, a line of fresh, fast fashion for men of all ages; Love and Beautya a cosmetics line; and Forever 21's lingerie and shoe line. With this new store, the brand has increased its store count to 16.As part of the promotions, the brand organized canter activities and live performance by Kolkata-based rock band, 'Blood'. (ANI-NewsVoir) Forever 21 Debuts in West Bengal, launches first store in Siliguri Siliguri/Kolkata, March 18 : Forever 21, a leading fast fashion brand from Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail Ltd., debuted in West Bengal with their first store launch in Siliguri. (Posted on 18 March 2017, 1667843035 173O212O198O32) https://www.newkerala.com/west-bengal-news.php (Posted on 18 March 2017, 1667843035 173O212O198O32) The brand is focusing on strengthening its foothold in the country by exploring newer markets like West Bengal.Bollywood actress Malaika Arora Khan along with Abhinav Zutshi, India Business Head, Forever 21, Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail Ltd., inaugurated the store, which houses the latest Spring Summer 17 collection.Having established a strong affinity with fashionable Indians in Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Pune, Hyderabad, and Chennai, Forever 21 is all set to rev up the fashion quotient of Siliguri with global fashion trends.{image_1}Speaking at the launch, Abhinav Zutshi said, In our 4 year long journey in India, we have received phenomenal response from our young consumers and as the obvious next step our objective is to make the brand more accessible across India. West Bengal is known for its diverse ethnicity and fashion forward youngsters who love to experiment with edgy styles, which we feel is our core offering. Furthermore, West Bengal is a fairly less explored market that has huge potential, which is why we are keen on expanding our base here.The store is spread over 6,000 Sq.ft of retail space and is located in the heart of the city at the Vega Circle Mall.The store houses the latest Spring Summer collection and stocks the widest range of chic fashion at pocket-friendly prices.Complementing Forever 21 apparel and accessories, the store will feature the retailers other brands, including 21MEN, Love Beauty, a cosmetics line; and Forever 21s lingerie and shoe line.With this new store, the brand has increased its store count to 16. Shiv Sena's advice to Yogi Adityanath: Steer clear of making controversial remarks Mumbai (Maharashtra), Mar.19 : Shiv Sena, who is already on thin ice with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), gave a wide berth to the controversy and the cries of outrage by the Opposition over Gorakhpur MP Yogi Adityanath being given the reigns of Uttar Pradesh, however, the party added a word of advice for the firebrand priest turned politician. (Posted on 19 March 2017, 1667843036 173O212O198O32) https://www.newkerala.com/maharashtra-news.php (Posted on 19 March 2017, 1667843036 173O212O198O32) Speaking to ANI here, Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut said, "I have no comments to offer on this as the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led BJP government can appoint any one as the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh according to their will."When asked if the controversial MP known for his provocative statements could handle UP, Raut said that it's best if Adityanath steered clear of making notorious remarks, as it will create chaos in the state."The controversial remarks won't work now as he will be the next chief minister of the Uttar Pradesh, India's largest state. If in case he does make such remarks, it will create chaos in the state. Now he should talk about development " he said.Commenting on the Ram temple promise in Ayodhya, Raut asserted that if the Ram temple will not be built even after Yogi Adityanath appointment as UP chief minister, it will never get constructed.The BJP named Yogi Adityanath as the next Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister while Keshav Prasad Maurya and Dinesh Sharma have been appointed as the deputy chief ministers of the state on Saturday.Union Minister Venkaiah Naidu said the oath taking ceremony would take place at 2:15 p.m. today in Uttar Pradesh in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah.Adityanath had flown to New Delhi on Saturday to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi.Adityanath, a five-time MP from the Gorakhpur constituency, was the youngest member of the 12th Lok Sabha at the age of 26.Currently, Adityanath serves as the Mahant of Guru Gorakhnath Temple in Gorakhpur, following the death of Mahanth Aavaidyanath on September 12, 2014.The other contenders in the race were Uttar Pradesh BJP chief Keshav Prasad Maurya, Union Minister Manoj Sinha, BJP leader Shrikant Sharma and Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh. All promises including waiving off farmers' loans will be fulfilled, assures UP Dy CM Dinesh Sharma Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) , Mar. 19 : Deputy Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Dinesh Sharma on Sunday said that all the promises including waiving off farmers' loan would be fulfilled. (Posted on 19 March 2017, 1667843039 173O212O198O32) https://www.newkerala.com/india-news.php (Posted on 19 March 2017, 1667843039 173O212O198O32) "Don't worry. All the promises which were made during elections rally will be fulfilled," Sharma responded to a poser on waiving off farmers' loans..Earlier in the day, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) firebrand leader Yogi Adityanath took oath as the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister while Dinesh Sharma and Keshav Prasad Maurya were sworn-in as the deputy chief ministers of the state.The ceremony, held in the state capital, saw the swearing-in of 21 cabinet ministers, nine Ministers of State (MoS) with Independent Charge and 13 MoS.Prime Minister Narendra Modi was also there to attend the swearing-in ceremony. He also congratulated the newly formed government.Former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav also witnessed the same.In the recently held polls in the state, BJP had bagged 312 seats, and its allies 13, taking the alliance's tally to 325 in the 403-member Assembly. BJP betrayed Dalits, Brahmins by appointing Adityanath as UP CM Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) , Mar. 19 : Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati on Sunday cornered the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) saying that the saffron party has betrayed the backward and Brahmins by appointing Yogi Adityanath as Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister. (Posted on 19 March 2017, 1667843040 173O212O198O32) https://www.newkerala.com/more-news.php (Posted on 19 March 2017, 1667843040 173O212O198O32) "With an intention to fulfil their RSS agenda, the BJP has named Adityanath as Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister who belongs to 'Khastriya Samaj' and by doing so the party has also insulted the 'Brahmin Samaj'. The anti-backward class face of BJP has been exposed. The BJP has betrayed and misled the other backward and Brahmin class," Mayawati told ANI.The BSP chief further said the BJP has insulted the other backward class by naming Kehasv Prasad Maurya as deputy chief minister which is a post lower than that of chief minister."The BJP has betrayed Maurya by not appointing him the Chief Minister. He can't even raise his voice because if he does then the BJP will throw him out of the party. He could not take the shock and that is why he got admitted in the hospital," she added.The former Uttar Pradesh chief minister further said that the BJP lured and gathered votes of Other Backward Classes (OBCs) by advancing Keshav Prasad Maurya in the party and assuring him the Chief Minister post in rallies.Mayawati said the decision to appoint Adityanath as Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister is wrong and it is one of the strategies of BJP to end reservation."This is a conspiracy against reservation system. BJP appointed a person as UP Chief Minister who is a follower of the RSS," Mayawati added. UP CM requests ministers to refrain from making hurtful statements Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) , Mar. 19 : In contrast to his firebrand image, newly elected Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday requested his cabinet ministers to refrain from making statements that might hurt people's sentiments. (Posted on 19 March 2017, 1667843041 173O212O198O32) https://www.newkerala.com/india-news.php (Posted on 19 March 2017, 1667843041 173O212O198O32) "CM has requested cabinet ministers to refrain from making unnecessary statements which can hurt someone's sentiment," Uttar Pradesh minister Shrikant Sharma told the media here.Taking the charge on his shoulders, Adityanath has also asked the ministers to give details of their income, movable and immovable property within fifteen days to Chief Minister Secretary & organisation.Soon after his swearing-in earlier in the day, Adityanath asserted that all the promises mentioned in the manifesto would be fulfilled.The Chief Minister said that the government would work for all sections of the society without any discrimination, adding that women safety would be prioritised."Our Government will work for the welfare of the people. We will work for all the sections of the society without any discrimination. Special efforts will be made for the welfare of the poor, Dalits and backward classes," he said while addressing the media here.Adityanath assured that their government would also work towards the betterment of the law and order situation in the state."The people have born a heavy loss due to the deteriorated situation of law and order and corruption. Our Government will work for the welfare of the people," he said.Adityanath said that in the last 15 years Uttar Pradesh has been left behind in all respects, adding that they would take the state on path of growth and development. Tripura Govt. fails to utilize central fund: Radha Mohan Singh Nutannagar (Tripura) , Mar. 20 : Union Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh has criticized the Left Front government in Tripura for not utilizing the Central Government's fund especially for the development of the farming section. (Posted on 20 March 2017, 1667843041 173O212O198O32) https://www.newkerala.com/india-news.php (Posted on 20 March 2017, 1667843041 173O212O198O32) Singh was here to attend a programme at the College of Fisheries.The Minister said, "I do not understand whether the (central) fund coming to Tripura for development is being utilized for public welfare or party welfare."He alleged that the Left Front government blames the Central Government for not sanctioning enough funds for development of the state but the actual fact is that despite releasing enough funds the Tripura Government is not utilizing the fund properly for upliftment of the poor.Singh said that during the last five years of the UPA regime, from 2010-11 to 2014-15 fiscal, the government had sanctioned Rs.7,646 crore, but after the Modi government came to power in 2014 it has sanctioned Rs. 2,3655 crore in agriculture sector for Tripura."In last three years, the Central Government headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has sanctioned three times more than what the previous government did in last five years," he added.Singh alleged that in the last two years, the Central Government had sanctioned more than Rs. one crore for allotting soil health cards to one lakh eighty one thousand farmers of Tripura, but the state government could use only Rs.60 lakh and sanction health card to only 40 percent of the total farmers of the state.He further alleged that the Central Government had sanctioned Rs. three crore fifty six lakh for setting up of soil testing laboratories in various districts, and Rs. eight crore fifty lakh for micro irrigation but on date the state government has not furnished any progress report or utilization certificate.The Union Minister also made allegations that the Left Front Government was partisan in nature and they have no tolerance for the people supporting the opposition political parties, which is unacceptable in a democratic system. Adarsh Credit Cooperative Society welcomes RBI's move to open up UPI New Delhi , Mar 20 : Digital wallets are set to be inter operable as Reserve Bank of India (RBI) prepares to open up the Unified Payments Interface platform as a part of government's digitization program. RBI is expected to issue guidelines shortly on interoperability and 'Know Your Customer' (KYC) norms for digital wallet companies. (Posted on 20 March 2017, 1667843043 173O212O198O32) https://www.newkerala.com/business-india-news.php (Posted on 20 March 2017, 1667843043 173O212O198O32) Interoperability will allow direct money transfers to other digital wallet providers without having to go through a traditional bank.As soon as RBI clears the norms and prescribes guidelines for it, it will become easier to transfer and pay money from one wallet to another wallet.Adarsh Money, which already has a tie up with Oxigen Wallet can also be used to send money directly to a merchant with other digital wallets such as Paytm and MobiKwik, expanding the usability of Adarsh Money. This is a bold and encouraging step taken by RBI which will encourage more digital transaction among its users. Adarsh Money which already has a tie up with Oxigen digital wallet and is powered by strong technology and innovation which will bring more people to the digital system and help promotion of digitalization in India and is indeed a right step towards cashless economy."Traditionally banks have very less visibility in rural areas. Adarsh Credit Cooperative Society has played an important role in connecting rural masses with financial services with the help of its mobile money application popularly known as "Adarsh Money". Adarsh Money helps in digitalizing cash transactions in rural India. By Adarsh Money Application, we are providing doorstep facility in providing financial services so that people in rural areas do not have to go to a bank which is in far-flung area in cities.Adarsh Money has played a pivotal role in financial inclusion in rural India and bringing down the use of cash transactions and also helped in lowering costs and improving transparency", says Rahul Modi, Managing Director of Adarsh Credit Cooperative Society.'Adarsh Money' has been a revolutionary step in the co-operative sector providing financial transactions like money transfer, NEFT/RTGS to any bank account in India, mobile recharges and digital transactions. Adarsh Money also enables its user to accomplish all types of transaction which otherwise would have been possible only by visiting the branch of the society.Adarsh Credit Cooperative Society has a base of 1.7 million members and this kind of transition in technology has been used by the first and only co-operative society in India. Sunil Grover is like my elder brother; we'll sort this out: Kapil Sharma New Delhi , Mar. 20 : Following the recent scuffle with Sunil Grover, Kapil Sharma on Monday took to Facebook and said that the two had an argument and it was the first time in five years that he shouted at the former. (Posted on 20 March 2017, 1667843044 173O212O198O32) https://www.newkerala.com/television-news.php (Posted on 20 March 2017, 1667843044 173O212O198O32) He also added that it's their family matter and they would resolve the issue pretty soon.He wrote, " Hi.. good morning friends .. was celebrating my best time n suddenly I heard a news about me n sunil paji fighting.. first of all see where it is coming from.. what r the intentions behind this.. if I fought with him in the flight then who saw it n informed u.. is he trustworthy..? Some people enjoy these kind of stuff.. we eat together .. we travel together.. I meet my brother once in a year.. n spending almost everyday with my team.. specially sunil .. I love him.. I respect him.. yes I had a argue with him.but r we not normal people..?I shouted at him first time in 5 years .. itna to chalta hai bhai.""We will sit n talk that where is the problem.. I love him as a artist as a human being.. he is like my elder brother.. why so much negativity all the time.. I respect our media.. there r some other serious issues which we need to focus. Is me n sunil's issue is so important n realted with the security of my country ..? We spend a lot of time together rather then our families .. n sometime it happens in family.. its our family matter.. we will sort this out.. zyada maze mat liya karoo. OK now m tired typing .. n one more thing.. I m going for the final schedule of Firangi. Hahahahaha.. sorry again promotion.. thank u so much for ur love n blessings... keep smiling n stay happy always :)) love u all (sic)," added 'The Kapil Sharma Show' host.Kapil and Sunil reportedly had a fight as they were flying down with their team to Mumbai from Australia after a show.Apparently, the 'Kis Kisko Pyaar Karoon' actor got drunk and belittled Sunil and also physically assaulted him. There are rumours that Sunil, a key actor, has decided to quit the show following the spat. Manipur: Biren Singh Govt. wins floor test Imphal (Manipur) , Mar. 20 : The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) led by Chief Minister Nongthombam Biren Singh on Monday won floor test. (Posted on 20 March 2017, 1667843044 173O212O198O32) https://www.newkerala.com/india-news.php (Posted on 20 March 2017, 1667843044 173O212O198O32) The victory was marked with the support of 32 of the total 60 MLAs in the Manipur Assembly.The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) left no stone unturned to form the government in the state and lodged all its legislators in a Guwahati hotel along with an Independent and a Trinamool Congress lawmaker since Thursday.N. Biren Singh was sworn in as the first BJP Chief Minister of Manipur on March 16.Only two BJP MLAs including the Chief Minister were inducted in the BJP-led ministry, while four MLAs of NPP, one each of NPF, LJP and the Congress legislator who joined the saffron party, were included in the ministry.The BJP won 21 seats and formed the state government with support of four MLAs each of NPP and NPF, one MLA of LJP and one each lawmaker of Congress and Trinamool Congress who joined the saffron party. Pak newspaper posed us as RAW agents, reveals cleric New Delhi , Mar. 20 : Giving hint towards Pakistan's conspiracy to convict innocent Indians, one of the Sufi clerics, who had gone missing in Pakistan, on Monday revealed that one of the papers in the neighbouring country had printed false news of them being Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) agents. (Posted on 20 March 2017, 1667843045 173O212O198O32) https://www.newkerala.com/india-news.php (Posted on 20 March 2017, 1667843045 173O212O198O32) Nazim Nizami, one of the two clerics, told the reporters that a newspaper 'Ummat' in Pakistan printed false statements of them being "RAW spies"."There is a newspaper Ummat (in Pakistan) which has printed false statements (of the two clerics being RAW spies) and photos," Nizami told the media here.The cleric thanked the Indian Government, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh for their efforts.The two clerics marked a safe arrival in India earlier today.The duo will be meeting Sushma Swaraj later in the day.The two clerics surfaced in Karachi and told that they had gone to meet their devotees in interior Sindh, where there was no phone connectivity.The clerics, identified as Syed Asif Ali Nizami and his friend Nazim Nizami, belong to Delhi's Hazrat Nizamuddin Dargah.Syed Asif Ali Nizami is the head priest of the Dargah.The duo had travelled to Pakistan to visit their relatives in Karachi and then embarked on a pilgrimage to Lahore.One of them went missing in Karachi and the other in Lahore, reports claimed.The Indian authorities had raised the issue with the Pakistan Foreign Ministry seeking its help in tracing their missing citizens. PHD Chamber signs MoU with Maharashtra Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture New Delhi , Mar 20 : In a significant and historic development, PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry signed an MoU with Maharashtra Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture (MACCIA) to expand its activities towards the western region of India. (Posted on 20 March 2017, 1667843046 173O212O198O32) https://www.newkerala.com/business-india-news.php (Posted on 20 March 2017, 1667843046 173O212O198O32) Mr. Gopal Jiwarajka, President, PHD Chamber and Shantanu Bhadkamkar, President, MACCIA signed the MoU in the presence of Suresh Prabhu, Minister of Railways, Government of India at the Ministry of Railways, New Delhi.Both the chambers have agreed to work on common interests to push forward India's growth story. They have agreed to conduct joint research activities on crucial economic areas and make representations to the government on areas such as agriculture, industry, ease of doing business and socio-economic development at the grassroots for the upliftment of living standards of the people.Joint activities would also include organizing programs, roundtables, exhibitions on various industrial and socio-economic areas in the coming times."This is a major breakthrough for both the chambers as collaborative efforts with their respective strengths would not only be fruitful for their respective regions but also for the overall socio-economic development of the country," said Gopal Jiwarajka, President, PHD Chamber.Industry dignitaries from the MACCIA who joined at the signing of MoU include Mr. Shantanu Bhadkamkar, President, MACCIA, Mr. Santosh Mandalecha, Sr. Vice President, MACCIA, Mr. Samir Dudhgaonkar, Vice President, MACCIA, Mr. Anil Kumar Lodha, Vice President, MACCIA, Mr. Lalit Gandhi, Vice President, MACCIA, Mr. Sagar Nagare, Acting Secretary General, MACCIA among others.Industry leaders from PHD Chamber including Mr. Gopal Jiwarajka, President, PHD Chamber, Mr. Rajeev Talwar, Vice President, PHD Chamber, Mr. Sharad Jaipuria, Former President, PHD Chamber, Mr. Sandeep Aggarwal, Chairman, Railways Committee, PHD Chamber, Mr. Saurabh Sanyal, Secretary General, PHD Chamber, Mr. Jagmohan Bhanot, Advisor, PHD Chamber, Dr. S. P. Sharma, Chief Economist, PHD Chamber among others were present while signing the MoU with MACCIA.The members of MACCIA appreciated the establishment of foundations - FWF and RDF at PHD Chamber which no other chamber has done so far and also valued research work undertaken by PHD Research Bureau, the research arm of PHDCCI.Both the presidents of Chambers Gopal Jiwarajka, President, PHD Chamber and Mr. Shantanu Bhadkamkar, President, MACCIA assured maximum support to each other for the mutual benefit of all members and stakeholders of both the chambers. Naidu slams Oppn, says Adityanath will serve society without discrimination New Delhi , Mar. 20 : Lashing out at the opposition for criticising the appointment of Yogi Adityanath as the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting M. Venkaiah Naidu on Monday told ANI that the former would serve all sections of the society without any discrimination. (Posted on 20 March 2017, 1667843046 173O212O198O32) https://www.newkerala.com/india-news.php (Posted on 20 March 2017, 1667843046 173O212O198O32) "I am surprised that a few people are opposing the appointment of Uttar Pradesh's Chief Minister. He said on the very first day "sabka sath, sabka vikas". Modi has defied the caste, religion and region and same thing will be done by Yogi Adityanath. He will take care of all sections of the people and he will see to it that UP develops in a faster manner and along with the country," the Union Minister said.Naidu further said that the newly elected Chief Minister will prove the critics wrong with his dedication and work."People have given him mandate to work with Modi and that's what Yogi is going to do. He will become one of the most successful Chief Ministers of UP," he said.The Union Minister also took to the occasion to assert said that there is no pressure from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) on Adityanath."All these speculations and criticism of some of the parties are claiming that there is RSS pressure and BJP pressure but there is no pressure at all. He was elected by the MLAs and selected by the party. We discussed together and I was the observer," he asserted.Adityanath, yesterday after taking oath as the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, said he will not indulge in any discrimination against people and will work for "sabka saath, sabka vikas".His detractors have been accusing that the newly appoint UP chief is a Hindutva icon and that will be vindictive in his governance.Adityanath ruled that UP has lagged behind on the development front in the last 15 years that the BJP was out of power and promised to take effective steps to ensure that the state makes progress under."My government is committed to lok kalyan (welfare of the people) without any discrimination against anybody," Adityanath said. Will make it compulsory for MLAs to provide details of properties: Uttarakhand CM Dehradun (Uttarakhand) , Mar. 20 : Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat on Monday asserted that their government would soon make it compulsory for ministers to provide details of their properties. (Posted on 20 March 2017, 1667843047 173O212O198O32) https://www.newkerala.com/india-news.php (Posted on 20 March 2017, 1667843047 173O212O198O32) "During BJP government, it was compulsory for ministers, MLAs to provide details of their properties annually. I will implement it again in my state too," said Rawat at a press conference.Rawat also stated that currently Uttarakhand is undergoing loss and he is keen to check on the new sources of income for the state."Uttarakhand presently is in loss and debt. We will check unnecessary expenditure and discuss on new sources of income for uplifting the state," said Rawat.Further Rawat claimed that his government will be effectively look into matters related to Gauvansh Sanrakshan (Beef-Ban)."Law on Gauvansh Sanrakshan, which was brought during our government, will be effectively implemented and worked on," said Rawat.Rawat took oath as the ninth Chief Minister of Uttarakhand on March 19.Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief Amit Shah, Union Ministers Rajnath Singh, Jagat Prakash Nadda and Uma Bharti were among the several dignitaries, who attended the swearing-in ceremony that held yesterday. Poor Device, app care leaves users drowning in digital clutter, says Kaspersky study New Delhi , Mar 20 : Digital clutter is growing due to an explosion in application usage and advances in the storage capacity of devices. But poor maintenance of these apps is leaving devices vulnerable to security threats. A new report by Kaspersky Lab reveals the scale of the digital clutter problem among Internet users worldwide. (Posted on 20 March 2017, 1667843047 173O212O198O32) https://www.newkerala.com/business-india-news.php (Posted on 20 March 2017, 1667843047 173O212O198O32) The study found that users typically install 12 Android apps every month but delete only 10, in effect adding two apps to their device on a monthly basis.With more apps installed on devices, managing apps is important inpreventing digital clutter. However, we found that in only half (55 percent) of cases users regularly refresh and revise the contents of their device and delete unused docs and apps.The findings are part of a new report compiled by Kaspersky Lab called "Digital clutter and its dangers". The study is based on insight gained from a unique combination of an online survey across 17 countries, statistical analysis from the Kaspersky Security Network (KSN) and an experiment into app performance by Kaspersky Lab internal testers.The build-up of digital clutter means that app cleansing and updating are now more important than ever in order to combat malware that use apps' vulnerabilities to penetrate devices. But the survey found that in a quarter of cases (28 percent) users only update apps on their devices when they are forced to, and in 10 percent of cases they try not to do it at all.One of the main dangers is that the apps themselves can put user data and devices at risk due to their everyday activity. Technical findings from Kaspersky Lab show that of 100 Android apps users can manage (i.e. install and delete), 83 have access to sensitive user data, such as contacts, messages and data, and can even make calls and send SMSs.Additional findings from KSN show how apps can operate without user permission. On average users have 66 apps on their Android device. When a representative sample of 66 of the most popular Android apps were tested, 54 launched in the background without users even touching them, consuming, on average, 22Mb traffic per day without any user interaction.App settings give users a degree of control over what the app can access and interact with on the device. However, the survey found that only 40 percent of people intentionally adjust the settings of each application on their smartphone. Furthermore, only 32 percent can refuse to install a mobile app if they are not satisfied with the content of license agreements."Users are exposing devices and personal data to security threats by failing to undertake simple but essential care for their device that cleans and updates software and apps, adjusts settings, and uninstalls apps that are no longer used. The build-up of digital clutter on our devices means that we increasingly overlook the maintenance of these apps. But we do so at our peril because this can lead to a wide range of problems such as device glitches, battery life issues or malware infection. Apps have access to some of the most sensitive and personal data we have on our devices and users are often unaware this information is being shared. We urge users to put their digital houses in order. Just like a clean, uncluttered room breathes fresh energy into your home and life, in the same way, an uncluttered computer or smartphone results in a more enjoyable, and a crucially, safer experience," said head of consumer business at Kaspersky Lab, Andrei Mochola.In order to combat the clutter and protect your personal data, users are advised to take the following steps:-Understand what's stored where and take some time to go through your devices and work out what information is stored on which apps and files on your device.-'Spring clean' your device and spend some time to get your digital house in order by regularly clearing out and refreshing the information stored on your devices.-App and software updates software and regular updates should be undertaken as soon as new versions are released.-Use dedicated software and for example, software cleaners such as the one integrated into Kaspersky Lab's flagship security solutions, scan all applications installed on your device and mark those posing potential risk or are rarely used. The two Sufi clerics reported missing in Pakistan return to Delhi New Delhi, Mar 20 : : The two Sufi clerics of Delhi's Hazrat Nizamuddin Dargah, who had gone missing in Pakistan, returned to the national capital on Monday,reports said. (Posted on 20 March 2017, 1667843049 173O212O198O32) https://www.newkerala.com/india-news.php (Posted on 20 March 2017, 1667843049 173O212O198O32) After their arrival in New Delhi, the two clerics- Syed Asif Nizami and Nizam Ali Nizami thanked External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj for her efforts.Both are expected to meet Swaraj.The two clerics were reported missing after they travelled to Lahore on March eight.On Sunday, Swaraj said she had spoken to Syed Nazim Ali Nizami in Karachi and was assured they were safe and would be back to Delhi on Monday.On Saturday, she took up the issue of the clerics disappearance with Pakistan Prime Ministers Adviser on Foreign Affairs, Sartaj Aziz. ICICI Bank announces launch of 'Mera iMobile' Mumbai, Mar 20 (IBSN): ICICI Bank Ltd. has announced the launch of a unique mobile banking app for rural customers that allow them to access banking services as well as information on agri services, an official release stated. (Posted on 20 March 2017, 1667843049 173O212O198O32) https://www.newkerala.com/business-india-news.php (Posted on 20 March 2017, 1667843049 173O212O198O32) Anyone including non-ICICI Bank customers can also download and use the app which is available in eleven Indian languages.Christened, Mera iMobile, it allows users in rural areas to avail as many as 135 services on their mobile phone, helping them to save the time and cost of visiting a branch to avail these services.The list of services include Kisan Credit Card, Gold Loan, Farm Equipment Loan and loans to Self-Help Groups (SHGs).The app also enables them to undertake an array of frequently used banking services from their smartphone, without using mobile internet services.Additionally, it is the first banking app to offer agriculture related information like crop-wise mandi prices of nearly 230 crop varieties across 460 mandis.It also displays taluka-wise weather update for close to 3700 talukas across and over 300 districts, aiding farmers to plan their sowing and harvesting activities conveniently and in an informed manner.Chanda Kochhar, MD CEO, ICICI Bank said, At ICICI Bank, we believe in investing in innovative technology much ahead of its time. In line with this philosophy, ICICI Bank has pioneered many innovative solutions for its customers like internet, mobile, Tab and Touch Banking branches among others. Today, India has the second largest - internet user base and smartphone market globally. We envisage that the next wave of growth in internet usage will come from rural India due to growth in cheaper smartphone handsets, spread of wireless networks and evolving consumer behavior.With the new Mera iMobile, we will offer our rural and semi-urban customers a unique and unparalleled experience in their interactions with the bank. Mera iMobile is a result of extensive research and has evolved into the countrys first comprehensive offering for rural customers on smartphone with 135 services and in eleven Indian languages. It enables any user, even if they are not ICICI Bank customers, to download the app and get access to agri related advisory on mandi prices and weather. These aid in saving time and effort of travel to the branch and the mandi for various services. We believe this app will resonate with the needs of the rural customers and aim to have over half a million downloads in the next six months, Kochhar added.Any ICICI Bank customer with a rural savings account / Kisan Credit Card/ Gold Loan/ Self-Help Group/ other agri loans can download Mera iMobile from Google Play store on their Android smartphone.Non-ICICI Bank customers can also download to use the agriculture advisory related services.The key services of Mera iMobile are:Integrated offering of rural banking accounts in the app: It is the only banking app to offer rural banking services like Kisan Credit Card (KCC), gold loan, loans to SHG and tractor loans. Customers can now view details including outstanding interest, available limit, account statement, among others, on the app itself. They can also make payments from within the app from their linked savings account for KCC. Shortly, customers will also be able to renew these loans from the app itself.Value- added services of agri-information: Users can avail information on weather and prevailing crop prices from the app. It is the first banking app to offer these additional services. Anyone, including non ICICI Bank customers can download the app to avail the advisory related services. To begin with, this information will be available in agri-dominant districts.Availability of services without using mobile internet services: The app offers 14 frequently used banking services which can be used without using mobile internet services. These SMS based services that can be done from Mera iMobile are a marked improvement over the SMS Banking services available in feature phones. Available as pre-formatted templates, customers can conveniently complete their frequent transactions by simply adding few details. These services include fund transfer, bill payment, cheque book request, recharges and balance enquiry among others.Offers the app in multiple languages: The app is available in eleven Indian languages and English. The languages include Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Bengali, Odia, Assamese and Punjabi. It is also the first banking app to offer UPI services in multiple Indian languages. Read, implement BJP's 'sankalpatra' properly: Adityanath asks Govt. officials Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) Mar. 20 : Newly appointed Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Monday directed all the government officials to read the 'Sankalpatra' released by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and implement it efficiently. (Posted on 20 March 2017, 1667843051 173O212O198O32) https://www.newkerala.com/india-news.php (Posted on 20 March 2017, 1667843051 173O212O198O32) The move came during the first meeting held by Adityanath with senior officials of all departments in Lok Bhawan.Deputy chief ministers of the state Keshav Prasad Maurya and Dinesh Sharma were also present in the meeting.Meanwhile, the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister also directed the officials to provide details of their movable and immovable properties and income tax within 15 days.Adityanath yesterday requested his cabinet ministers to refrain from making statements that might hurt people's sentiments."CM has requested cabinet ministers to refrain from making unnecessary statements which can hurt someone's sentiment," Uttar Pradesh minister Shrikant Sharma told the media here.The Chief Minister said that all the promises mentioned in the manifesto would be fulfilled and the government would work for all sections of the society without any discrimination."Our Government will work for the welfare of the people. We will work for all the sections of the society without any discrimination. Special efforts will be made for the welfare of the poor, Dalits and backward classes," he said while addressing the media here.Adityanath assured that their government would also work towards the betterment of the law and order situation in the state.Adityanath, a five-time Lok Sabha MP from Gorakhpur, yesterday sworn-in as the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister while Keshav Prasad Maurya and Dinesh Sharma took oath as deputy chief ministers of the state. Goa CM Parrikar allots portfolios to Cabinet Ministers New Delhi , Mar. 20 : Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar on Monday allotted portfolios to his Cabinet Ministers. (Posted on 20 March 2017, 1667843052 173O212O198O32) https://www.newkerala.com/india-news.php (Posted on 20 March 2017, 1667843052 173O212O198O32) While, the former defence minister will hold Home, Finance, Personnel, General Administration, Vigilance (GAD) and Transport department, Public Works Department (PWD) has been handed over to Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) chief Sudin Dhavalikar.Goa Forward Party leader Vijai Sardesai holds Town and Country Planning portfolio, while Vinod Paliencar is the Water Resources Minister and Jayesh Salgaonkar will hold Housing Ministry.Independent MLA from Porvorim Rohan Khaunte has been given Revenue portfolio and Pandurang Madkaikar will handle Power Ministry. Manohar 'Babu' Azgaonkar has been given the Tourism portfolio, Art and Culture with Govind Gaude rests to Govind Gaude while Francis D'Souza will retain his Urban development portfolio.Earlier on March 14, Parrikar took oath as the 13th Chief Minister of Goa.The BJP, which won 13 seats in the 40-member Goa Assembly, managed to garner support from other parties and Independents to attain majority under Parrikar.Three MLAs of the Goa Forward Party, three of the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) and two Independents have pledged their support to Parrikar.The Congress won 17 seats in the recently concluded polls. Were kept safely in a VIP room in Pakistan: Indian cleric Asif Nizami New Delhi Mar. 20 : Syed Asif Nizami, one of the two Indian clerics who had gone missing in Pakistan, on Monday said they were not troubled and kept safely in a VIP room. (Posted on 20 March 2017, 1667843053 173O212O198O32) https://www.newkerala.com/india-news.php (Posted on 20 March 2017, 1667843053 173O212O198O32) "We went to the shrine of Baba Farid Ganj and Data Darbar to offer prayers. We were kept in VIP rooms and were not troubled. I was taken to a place quite far from Karachi, with my face covered. I was offered food and they prepared tea for me," Asif Nizami told ANI.He further said that he was asked about the details regarding his identity."They asked about my details and about Dargah too. The Station House Officer (SHO) took my details," he added.Earlier in the day, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj met the two Sufi clerics, Syed Asif Nizami and Nazim Ali Nizami.Meanwhile, one of the Sufi clerics said that they went Pakistan to spread the message of peace and love and will again visit there."We went there spread the message of Nizammuddin Dargah of peace and love. There are people who disagree with this message of peace and love. They said they had gone to the interior province of Sindh. We did not. We don't have the visa for that place. We are thankful to the Indian government because of whom, we are here. Negative people in Pakistan don't want us to go there again but we will go there again to spread the message if peace," Nazim Nizami told media here.The two clerics, who belong to Delhi's Hazrat Nizamuddin Dargah, marked a safe arrival in India earlier today.They surfaced in Karachi and told that they had gone to meet their devotees in interior Sindh, where there was no phone connectivity.The duo had travelled to Pakistan to visit their relatives in Karachi and then embarked on a pilgrimage to Lahore.One of them went missing in Karachi and the other in Lahore, reports claimed. Here's why Akshay Kumar is excited to produce 'Naam Shabana' New Delhi , Mar. 20 : Akshay Kumar reveals his excitement over producing 'Naam Shabana,' a film which showcases the making of a spy. (Posted on 20 March 2017, 1667843053 173O212O198O32) https://www.newkerala.com/bollywood-news.php (Posted on 20 March 2017, 1667843053 173O212O198O32) He wanted to make such a movie for its exciting content. On that note, 'Naam Shabana' is a first of its kind in Indian Cinema, with a woman spy.He said, "I am very excited to produce a film about making of a spy. It's never been shown before in a film. In all films we are already spies who are on various missions."'Naam Shabana' showcases Shabana's journey, portrayed by Taapsee Pannu, of becoming an undercover agent and highlights her intense martial arts training sessions and action stunts.The Khiladi actor also trained Taapsee for the film, which is India's first spin-off, based on her character in 'Baby.'Neeraj Pandey's 'Naam Shabana,' directed by Shivam Nair, is all set to release on March 31. Halting traffic, delaying flights for ministers 'on duty' is fine: Uma Bharti Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh) , Mar. 20 : Days after Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh banned the use of red beacon atop government vehicles, Union Minister Uma Bharti on Monday expressed dissent over the decision, saying that delaying flights and stopping traffic for ministers is not a big issue. (Posted on 20 March 2017, 1667843054 173O212O198O32) https://www.newkerala.com/india-news.php (Posted on 20 March 2017, 1667843054 173O212O198O32) "If any minister is going for his duty, then red beacon and stopping traffic is fine and even a flight can get delayed by five to seven minutes if minister is going to attend crucial meet because it might result in loss of crores of Rupees," Bharti told media here.However, Bharti further said that if a minister is going for any personal visit, then this privilege should not be given to them.In its first cabinet meeting, chaired by Singh, the newly formed Punjab government decided to completely shun the VIP culture by removing the red, yellow and blue beacons from their official vehicles."My cabinet has decided to rid the state of VIP culture. All beacon lights to be removed from vehicles of Ministers, MLAs and bureaucrats," Singh had tweeted.Soon after the decision beacons were removed from the vehicles of the Chief Minister and other members of the council of ministers yesterday itself. UP CM Adityanath administers cleanliness pledge to Govt. officials Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) , Mar. 20 : Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Monday administered a cleanliness pledge to the government officials. (Posted on 20 March 2017, 1667843055 173O212O198O32) https://www.newkerala.com/india-news.php (Posted on 20 March 2017, 1667843055 173O212O198O32) The officials also pledged to give their 100 hours annually for the cause.Earlier in the day the newly appointed Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister directed all the government officials to read the 'Sankalpatra' released by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and implement it efficiently.The move came during the first meeting held by Adityanath with senior officials of all departments in Lok Bhawan.Deputy chief ministers of the state Keshav Prasad Maurya and Dinesh Sharma were also present in the meeting.Meanwhile, the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister also directed the officials to provide details of their movable and immovable properties and income tax within 15 days.Adityanath yesterday requested his cabinet ministers to refrain from making statements that might hurt people's sentiments."CM has requested cabinet ministers to refrain from making unnecessary statements which can hurt someone's sentiment," Uttar Pradesh minister Shrikant Sharma told the media here.The Chief Minister said that all the promises mentioned in the manifesto would be fulfilled and the government would work for all sections of the society without any discrimination."Our Government will work for the welfare of the people. We will work for all the sections of the society without any discrimination. Special efforts will be made for the welfare of the poor, Dalits and backward classes," he said while addressing the media here.Adityanath assured that their government would also work towards the betterment of the law and order situation in the state.Adityanath, a five-time Lok Sabha MP from Gorakhpur, yesterday sworn-in as the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister while Keshav Prasad Maurya and Dinesh Sharma took oath as deputy chief ministers of the state. Jacqueline Fernandez to play host to Justin Bieber New Delhi , Mar. 20 : Jacqueline Fernandez is gearing up to play the perfect host to Grammy winning artist Justin Bieber, who will be in Mumbai on May 10 for his acclaimed 'Purpose Tour.' (Posted on 20 March 2017, 1667843055 173O212O198O32) https://www.newkerala.com/bollywood-news.php (Posted on 20 March 2017, 1667843055 173O212O198O32) The sultry actress turned entrepreneur, who recently made it to the headlines for her restaurant venture, intends to take Bieber to the Gateway Of India, Iskon Temple, Colaba Causeway and maybe also on auto ride through the buzzing streets of Bandra apart from a tour of Film City.Jacqueline plans to curate a full blown meal comprising Maharashtrian, South Indian and Gujarati gourmet and have Bieber splurge at her spanking new restauraunt. What's more she has also planned a day out with underprivileged children at Dharavi SlumsOn this note, she shared, "I am a huge fan of Bieber and I already have quite a few things I've thought of that would make his visit multi-dimensional. While he's in India I'd love to take him around and give him a taste of all things desi and be his tour guide!"Arjun Jain, Director, White Fox India said, "We are working towards finalizing the itinerary and we hope to give Bieber a multi-dimensional perspective about India and make it a memorable event indeed."White Fox India will be bringing the 23-year-old Canadian megastar's 'Purpose World Tour' to India's DY Patil Stadium, Mumbai on May 10, 2017. Bieber's latest jaunt is in support of his fourth album, the critically acclaimed Purpose, wherein he experimented with more exploratory electronic sounds. Apart from India, the Asia leg of the tour comprises Tel Aviv in Israel and Dubai in the United Arab Emirates.Touring in support of his fourth studio album Purpose - which debuted at #1 in over 100 countries and has sold over 8 million copies worldwide, Bieber is without a doubt one of the most successful pop stars in the world today with a recent world tour imbibing sold out dates across countries. Jet Airways signs codeshare agreement with Jetstar Asia for flights through Singapore Mumbai/Singapore, Mar 20 : Jet Airways, India's premier international airline, and Jetstar Asia, Singapore-based low-fares carrier, on Monday announced a codeshare agreement for flights from Singapore. (Posted on 20 March 2017, 1667843057 173O212O198O32) https://www.newkerala.com/travel-india-news.php (Posted on 20 March 2017, 1667843057 173O212O198O32) Under this agreement, Jet Airways will place its marketing code 9W on Jetstar Asia flights operating from Singapore to 11 destinations across in the Asia Pacific region: Bangkok and Phuket in Thailand, Perth and Darwin in Australia, Jakarta, Denpasar Bali and Surabaya in Indonesia, Ho-Chi-Minh City in Vietnam, Kuala Lumpur and Penang in Malaysia and Hong Kong.With this codeshare, Jet Airways will extend its codeshare foot-print to three brand new destinations: Darwin, Phuket and Penang.Phuket and Penang are well-known global tourist hotspots, famous for their beaches and food, while Darwin is now an increasing feature in the itineraries of Indian travellers seeking newer leisure destinations. Situated at the northernmost tip of Australia, Darwin is quite literally, the stepping stone into the continent. Named after the famous British evolutionist - Charles Darwin, in addition to its rich iconic past traversing over 150 years, it also offers an ecologically diverse backyard for the nature enthusiast.The codeshare will allow Jet Airways to offer seamless travel options to its guests from its ever-expanding and convenient bouquet of business and leisure destinations.Most importantly, the latest codeshare will not only strengthen traffic flows via Singapore, but will also offer guests the advantage of twin/ tri-city itineraries options through Singapore, either via Bangkok or Hong Kong, owing to codeshares on both sectors. This will make a guests travel experience even more seamless and convenient, since one can now fly from India to Singapore with Jet Airways, and onward to Hong Kong or Bangkok on a codeshared Jetstar Asia flight, returning to India on Jet Airways directly from Hong Kong or Bangkok, all on a single itinerary.Jayaraj Shanmugam, Chief Commercial Officer, Jet Airways, said, Jetstar Asia flies to some of the most popular leisure and business destinations across the Asia Pacific. With this codeshare agreement, our guests will now be able to conveniently tap into this extensive network to explore new and exotic destinations across Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Hong Kong and Australia via Singapore.Jet Airways guests from India travelling from Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai or Bengaluru to Singapore can seamlessly connect onto Jetstar Asias network to travel beyond Singapore. This once again reinforces our core network strategy of connectivity, choice, convenience and comfort, said he.The codeshare will also bring immense value to JetPrivilege members who will be able to accrue JPMiles on the codeshare flights operated by Jetstar Asia. Moreover, the accrued miles will count towards their tier status as well.For Jetstar Asia, this codeshare allows it to participate in the high growth traffic trends between India and the codeshare markets which have demonstrated a CAGR of over 17 percent over the last 5 years in the Asia Pacific region.Francis Loi, Head of Commercial, Jetstar Asia said: The Jetstar Asia codeshare partnership builds on the expanding base of leading full-service carriers choosing to partner with us.As the first low-fare codeshare partner for Jet Airways, this partnership is testament of the confidence full-service carriers have in our product and customer service on board our flights.Jetstar Asia recently listed as one of the worlds safest low-fare carriers in 2017, currently flies to 25 cities in Southeast Asia, China and Australia and this codeshare will enhance Jetstars regional footprint.Guests of Jet Airways will now have access to the airlines extensive network while enjoying Singapore Changi Airports world-class transfer facilities.Jet Airways guests transiting through Singapore will also enjoy the seamless transfer of baggage being checked and onward boarding passes being received at the initial departure point.Jet Airways will be the ninth codeshare partner for the Jetstar Group.Bookings for the codeshare flights open for sale on March 22, for travel commencing March 26. A new restaurant has plans to move into the former Carmella's Pizzeria Champaign, IL (61820) Today Sunshine to start, then a few afternoon clouds. High 58F. Winds NE at 10 to 15 mph.. Tonight Some clouds. Low 38F. Winds ENE at 10 to 15 mph. Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) is a term used to describe the infection and inflammation of the upper genital tract in women, commonly involving the ovaries, fallopian tubes and surrounding structures. It is a frequent and serious complication of certain sexually-transmitted diseases, most notably chlamydia and gonorrhea. Physicians should always be aware of PID and initiate treatment in all women at risk that present with uterine, cervical or adnexal motion tenderness during bimanual examination. The end-goal is to adequately treat the infection, minimize tubal damage and prevent adhesions, avoiding in turn looming sequelae of tubal damage. Antibiotic treatment Any damage to the female reproductive tract that arises as a result of PID is most often irreversible; hence, timely antibiotic treatment is of uttermost importance to prevent scar development. In any case, treatment regimens for this clinical entity must consist of empiric and broad spectrum coverage of pathogens that are likely implicated in its development. Different oral and parenteral antimicrobial regimens have shown comparable efficacy in women presenting with mild or moderately-severe PID. In more severe cases initial therapy is usually parenteral, but clinical experience should guide a further decision-making whether a transition to oral therapy should be pursued (most often within 24 to 48 hours of clinical improvement). The decision to hospitalize patients with PID should be based on the clinical judgement of the provider. However, inpatient hospitalization for treating this condition is not considered economically feasible, thus the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommendations are supporting oral regimens in the outpatient setting whenever feasible. On the other hand, inpatient treatment is advocated for women who meet certain criteria, such as the inability to clinically exclude a potential surgical emergency, pregnancy, the presence of tubo-ovarian abscess, severe illness (characterized by vomiting and high fever), inability to follow a proposed outpatient regimen, as well as failure to respond to prescribed oral antibiotics with persistent or worsening symptoms. In addition, all patients who received the treatment should be reevaluated by an attending clinician within 72 hours in order to assess the clinical status of the affected individual this is especially important, taking into account the rise of multidrug-resistant Neisseria gonorrhoeae. Considering the latter, it must be noted that the spread Neisseria gonorrhoeae resistant to cephalosporin antibiotics is estimated to cause an additional 75 thousand cases of PID during a 10-year period. Surgical approaches Surgery may be warranted in cases of acute spreading peritonitis, intestinal obstruction and ruptured tubo-ovarian abscess (which are considered complications of PID), but also when treating pelvic abscesses by posterior colpotomy or evacuating septic products of conception. Furthermore, chronic PID necessitates surgical treatment since there is always some kind of pelvic pathology following the acute infection. In cases of tubo-ovarian abscess minimal invasive surgery may also be a choice if the abscess fails to respond to antibiotics in 48-72 hours, if it ruptures, or if pyoperitoneum develops. Such procedures have the advantage of minimal ovarian tissue damage in young women, albeit adequate follow-up is essential. Laparoscopic breaking of external adhesions (either by electrocauter or by laser) is indicated if the tubal blockage is due to external adhesions. Furthermore, cannulation or hysteroscopic balloon catheter-plasty are successful if the blockage us due to luminal detritus or mild stricture. Prognosis of pelvic inflammatory disease The prognosis of PID depends mostly on the awareness of adolescents to look for timely health care and to prevent future episodes of sexually-transmitted infections. Each episode of PID, depending on the degree of severity, opens the door for the potential development of complications, with infertility as the most striking example. In light of this, sexually active women (especially in adolescence) who have had PID before should also undergo active screening for sexually-transmitted infections. The use of barrier contraceptives, adherence to proper asepsis during instrumental manipulations and swift treatment of suspected infections are still the top-notch approaches for safeguarding the patient from infections that may result in PID. There are also female condoms which cover the cervix, entire vagina and the external genitalia that may be used for protection against sexually-transmitted infections. In conclusion, behavioral interventions that are designed to enhance physician and patient adherence to treatment guidelines were shown to work, but in order to improve population outcome they must be implemented widely. The need for vigilant screening for asymptomatic sexually-transmitted pathogens in women at risk is key in preventing PID. Sources https://www.cdc.gov/std/tg2015/pid.htm http://www.aafp.org/afp/2006/0301/p859.html http://www.nejm.org/doi/pdf/10.1056/NEJMra1411426 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3843151/ www.dovepress.com/pelvic-inflammatory-disease-improving-awareness-prevention-and-treatme-peer-reviewed-fulltext-article-IDR Barash JH, Hillson C, Buchanan E, Suaray M. Pelvic Inflammatory Disease. In: Skolnik NS, Clouse AL, Woodward JA. Sexually Transmitted Diseases: A Practical Guide for Primary Care. Springer Science & Business Media, 2013; pp. 71-84. Further Reading About 12 percent of patients undergoing aortic valve replacement developed non-symptomatic blood clots around the valve leaflets (known as subclinical leaflet thrombosis) that reduced the motion of the valves, according to an observational study presented at the American College of Cardiology's 66th Annual Scientific Session. The study is the largest to date investigating thrombosis as a potential cause of reduced valve motion after aortic valve replacement. It confirms a previous, smaller study that suggested blood clots that are detectable with computed tomography (CT) scans but not with more commonly-used echocardiogram (ultrasound) scans can develop around the valve and constrain the valve's motion. In the new study, the CT-detected valve-associated clots were found to increase the risk of transient ischemic attacks, also called "mini-strokes," but were not associated with an increased risk of death, heart attack or stroke. Anticoagulant therapy, but not anti-platelet therapy, was associated with a significantly lower risk of developing valve-associated clots. "This phenomenon of subclinical leaflet thrombosis can be missed if you just use transthoracic echocardiogram," said Raj Makkar, MD, associate director of Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute in Los Angeles, and the study's lead author. "Based on our study, CT is clearly a more sensitive and appropriate technique to actually make a diagnosis of subclinical leaflet thrombosis. This suggests clinicians might want to have a lower threshold to do a CT scan if there is suspicion of reduced motion in the valve, such as from slightly elevated mean gradients on echocardiogram." CT scans expose patients to more radiation than echocardiogram alone. The researchers analyzed CT scans and other health records from 850 patients enrolled in two single-center medical registries, known as RESOLVE (which includes patients treated at Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute) and SAVORY (which includes patients treated at Rigshospitalet hospital in Copenhagen, Denmark). The patients had undergone CT scans an average of three months after transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) or surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR), two procedures used to replace a patient's faulty aortic valve with an artificial valve. In TAVR, clinicians thread the new valve to the heart through a catheter in the groin or chest; this procedure is generally used for patients at intermediate to high cardiovascular risk, which typically includes older patients and those who have multiple health problems. SAVR is an open-heart procedure used in lower-risk patients. A total of 720 patients in the two registries had undergone TAVR and 130 had undergone SAVR. Analysis of CT scans revealed subclinical leaflet thrombosis in 13.6 percent of TAVR patients and 3.8 percent of SAVR patients, for an overall rate of 12.1 percent among all patients combined. Although thrombosis was observed in a significantly greater proportion of TAVR patients than SAVR patients, this difference may be attributable to the younger average age and better overall health of patients undergoing SAVR, Makkar said. The results also showed that subclinical leaflet thrombosis was significantly more common in patients on antiplatelet therapy (typically aspirin plus a P2Y12 inhibitor) compared to those taking anticoagulants. A total of 14.8 percent of patients on antiplatelet therapy had thromboses compared to 4 percent among patients taking warfarin and 3 percent among patients taking non-vitamin K antagonist anticoagulants, or NOACs. There was no significant difference in risk observed among those taking warfarin versus NOACs. "We need to further study whether routine anticoagulation may be useful for this patient population," Makkar said. "Dual antiplatelet therapy was not effective in preventing and treating subclinical leaflet thrombosis, and it does have a small risk of bleeding, particularly in older patients. There is an impetus to study the risks and benefits of dual antiplatelet therapy further in randomized clinical trials." An analysis of a small group of patients (58) who underwent a second CT scan showed subclinical leaflet thrombosis resolved over time in the vast majority of patients who were started on oral anticoagulant therapy after the first CT scan and that thromboses resolved in only a small portion of patients who were not started on anticoagulants. The study also showed that subclinical leaflet thromboses detected with CT scans were reflected in significantly higher mean gradients, a measure used to assess functioning of the aortic valve using echocardiogram. However, Makkar said this difference was not large enough to enable clinicians to diagnose subclinical leaflet thrombosis using echocardiogram alone. As an observational study, the results do not directly assess cause and effect. Makkar said ongoing randomized clinical trials that include CT scans as part of the protocol should help to further elucidate the factors that contribute to subclinical leaflet thrombosis after aortic valve replacement. "Our study findings can help optimize the use of different blood thinning medications in patients undergoing aortic valve replacement, which might potentially result in further improvements in valve hemodynamics and clinical outcomes," Makkar said. Source: https://www.acc.org/about-acc/press-releases/2017/03/18/08/47/sun-8am-ct-scans-reveal-reduced-leaflet-motion-after-aortic-valve-replacement?w_nav=S Injection of a novel form of synthetic high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), or good cholesterol, into the arteries of patients who had recently had a heart attack did not reduce the volume of fatty deposits, or plaque, in the arteries, compared with placebo injections, according to research presented at the American College of Cardiology's 66th Annual Scientific Session. The Phase 2 CARAT trial failed to meet its primary endpoint of change in the volume of fatty deposits in a coronary artery that had previously been shown to be at least 30 percent blocked, said Stephen Nicholls, MBBS, PhD, director of the Vascular Research Centre at the South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute in Adelaide, and the study's lead author. "In general, CER-001 was well-tolerated, but it had no discernible effect on arterial plaque compared with placebo injections," Nicholls said. "This suggests that low-dose CER-001 does not appear to be a promising agent for use in patients with acute coronary syndrome." Acute coronary syndrome, or ACS, occurs when blood flow to the heart is suddenly blocked. It may take the form of a heart attack or unstable angina, chest pain that may signal an imminent heart attack. Studies suggest that about 12 percent of patients with ACS will experience another blockage of blood flow to the heart within a year of the first event, despite taking medication to reduce their risk. Standard treatments to reduce the risk of both heart attack and stroke have focused on reducing blood levels of LDL cholesterol (LDL-C), known as "bad" cholesterol because it contributes to the development of plaque in the lining of arteries, making them narrower, stiffer and more prone to being blocked by a blood clot. However, some researchers have sought to develop treatments that increase HDL cholesterol (HDL-C). Studies suggest that healthy levels of HDL-C (above 40 in men, above 50 in women) may protect against heart attack and stroke, due in part to HDL-C's role in clearing bad cholesterol from the arteries, thereby reducing inflammation and preventing blood clots. Low levels of HDL-C, by contrast, have been shown to increase risk for heart attacks and strokes. One strategy for increasing HDL-C levels has been to create synthetic HDL-C that mimics the biological structure and function of natural HDL-C. The idea is that the synthetic HDL-C, when injected into the blood, will help to clear more fat and bad cholesterol, shrink arterial plaque, and reduce heart attack and stroke risk. CER-001 is a form of synthetic HDL-C. Early studies suggested that CER-001 could increase the removal of LDL-C from the arteries and that, in patients with inherited cholesterol abnormalities such as familial hypercholesterolemia, it could reduce arterial plaque. However, other previous studies have found no benefit from CER-001 in reducing fatty deposits in arteries. In the CARAT trial, researchers enrolled 301 patients (average age about 60, 80 percent male) who had had a recent heart attack and who had at least one coronary artery that had been shown in an ultrasound examination to be more than 30 percent blocked with fatty deposits (that is, to have atheroma volume of more than 30 percent). Patients with uncontrolled diabetes, extremely elevated triglyceride levels, heart failure, or liver or kidney disease were excluded. The study was conducted in Australia, Hungary, the Netherlands and the United States. Trial participants were randomly assigned to receive 10 weekly infusions of either CER-100 or a placebo. One to three weeks after the last infusion, they underwent a second ultrasound examination of the same coronary artery that had previously been shown to be at least 30 percent blocked. In addition to comparing the two ultrasounds and measuring the change in the volume of fatty deposits (the primary study endpoint), Nicholls and his colleagues also looked at additional measures of plaque volume, cholesterol levels, and safety and tolerability. Results showed the primary endpoint decreased by 0.41 percent in the placebo group and by 0.09 percent in the CER-001 group, a non-statistically significant difference. Analysis of the major secondary endpoints revealed a reduction in total atheroma volume of 6.6 mm3 in the placebo group and 5.6 mm3 in the CER-001 group and regression of percent atheroma volume in 57.7 percent of placebo patients and 53.3 percent of CER-001 patients. Neither of these findings met the cutoff for statistical significance. Levels of LDC-C declined equally in the CER-001 and placebo groups. Rates of adverse events were low and were similar in both groups. "We are disappointed that low-dose CER-001 did not show a benefit in a patient population at elevated risk for an ACS event," Nicholls said. "We will continue to analyze the CARAT data in order to fully understand the study's findings, and we will continue to search for effective therapies targeting residual risk for ACS events." Eminent UK reproductive and genetics experts have become the first in the world licensed to provide a revolutionary IVF procedure using donor DNA which they spent decades developing enabling women carrying potentially fatal mitochondrial disease to have healthy, genetically-related babies. Mitochondrial donation to prevent mitochondrial disease has been permitted in the UK since pioneering legislative changes in 2015 and endorsement in 2016 by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA), establishing the worlds first regulated system to provide mitochondrial donation. Today the HFEA granted the first clinical mitochondrial donation licence to the Newcastle Fertility Centre at the International Centre for Life in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, United Kingdom. Australian Mitochondrial Disease Foundation (AMDF) CEO Sean Murray applauded the licensing as a major step forward for the mitochondrial disease community worldwide, and congratulated Mary Herbert, Professor of Reproductive Biology at the Institute of Genetic Medicine, and her team. Professor Herberts work developing and refining mitochondrial donation has been widely published and is internationally-renowned, along with colleague Professor Sir Doug Turnbull, director of the Wellcome Trust Centre for Mitochondrial Research at the Institute of Neuroscience, Mr Murray said. Its very exciting that women can now access mitochondrial donation through licensed, reputable clinicians in the UK who are world experts in mitochondrial disease and reproductive technologies. The UK Government and regulators have undertaken a rigorous and comprehensive global scientific and ethical review of the treatment over a ten-year period. Each painstaking step has added to the evidence the AMDF expects the Australian Government to consider in changing our laws to make mitochondrial donation available to Australian women, he said. Mitochondrial donation in the UK is restricted to women at risk of having a baby suffering severe mitochondrial disease, a debilitating genetic disorder that starves the bodys cells of energy, impairing major organs like the brain, heart, liver, muscles, ears and eyes. The disease has few treatments and no cure and can cause any symptom in any organ at any age. The procedure is subject to numerous safeguards overseen by the HFEA such as carefully selecting women to undergo the procedure as a clinical risk reduction treatment, providing full information about potential limitations and risk, undertaking genetic testing when the embryo is at 15-weeks gestation, and closely monitoring the outcomes over time. Mitochondrial donation could prevent at least 60 Australian babies each year from suffering a severely disabling and life-threatening form of mitochondrial disease, Mr Murray said. The Australian Mitochondrial Disease Foundation and local families affected by mitochondrial disease looks forward to the Australian Government following the UKs lead and amending our laws to give families here the choice to access mitochondrial donation to have healthy biological children. Meanwhile, the first live birth of an apparently disease-free baby to a woman at risk of passing mitochondrial disease to her child was announced in September 2016 by US scientists who carried out the procedure in Mexico, where laws do not preclude it. Genetics & Genomics eBook Compilation of the top interviews, articles, and news in the last year. Download a copy today However, although the AMDF cautiously welcomed the news, Mr Murray said there is concern about the lack of published information, regulation or independent monitoring. While this appears to be a promising development demonstrating a successful outcome for mitochondrial donation to prevent mitochondrial disease, the AMDFs Scientific and Medical Advisory Panel looks forward to details being published in a peer-reviewed journal so we can closely assess the matter, Mr Murray said. Ukrainian scientists also announced the birth in January 2017 of a baby with donor mitochondrial DNA to a woman with unexplained infertility, but without mitochondrial disease, who had been unable to conceive with conventional IVF. Details have not been published to date. The AMDF supports making mitochondrial donation techniques available to women at risk for having children with severe forms of mitochondrial disease that could lead to a child's early death or substantial impairment, he said. We also support regulation and strict oversight of clinics offering the procedure and recognise it will be important to monitor outcomes closely, as it would be with any new IVF technique. The AMDF does not currently support mitochondrial donation to treat infertility. As far as we are aware, its use for purposes other than preventing inheritable disease has not been subject to rigorous scientific and ethical review or research, as has been the case for preventing mitochondrial disease. Mitochondrial donation involves transferring nuclear genetic material from the affected mothers egg into a donor egg that has had its nuclear DNA removed and retains only its healthy mitochondrial DNA. The mothers and fathers nuclear DNA contributes more than 20,000 genes or 99.9 per cent of the babys genetic make-up and determines its appearance, intelligence, behaviour and other personal characteristics. The 0.1 per cent contribution (37 genes) from the donor egg means the resulting babys cells can effectively convert food and oxygen into the energy needed to power its organs. Mitochondria are the powerhouses of our cells that generate 90 per cent of the energy fuelling our bodies, particularly muscles and major organs. Depending on which parts of their bodies are most affected and to what extent, people with mito can lose their sight or hearing, be unable to walk, eat or talk normally, have strokes or seizures, develop liver disease or diabetes, suffer cardiac, respiratory or digestive problems, or experience developmental delays or intellectual disability. More than 1 in 200 Australians at least 120,000 people have genetic mutations that predispose their mitochondria to fail early, and may develop mitochondrial disease sometime in their lives. Many people are symptomatic but undiagnosed or misdiagnosed, some are not yet symptomatic, and others are unknowingly at risk of passing the disease to their unborn children. Source: http://www.amdf.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Media-release-Disease-free-babies-on-the-way-as-renowned-UK-clinic-approved-for-mitochondrial-donation-170317-2-1.pdf New Delhi: The Union Cabinet approved bills to supplement the Goods and Services Tax (GST) legislation on Monday. The government will try to introduced these bills in Parliament this week as money bills. A set of four supporting legislations -- the Compensation Law, the Central-GST or C-GST, Integrated-GST or I-GST and Union Territory-GST or UT-GST -- were passed by the Cabinet for approval of the legislature. The GST Council, in its previous two meetings, had given approval to the four legislations as also the State-GST (S-GST) bill. While the S-GST has to be passed by each of the state legislative assemblies, the other four laws have to be approved by Parliament. Once approved, levy of GST will get legal backing. The government is hoping the C-GST, I-GST, UT-GST and the GST Compensation laws will be approved in the current session of Parliament and the S-GST by each of the state legislatures soon to help roll out the new indirect tax regime from July 1. While a composite GST will be levied on sale of goods or rendering of services after the new indirect tax regime is rolled out, the revenue would be split between Centre and states in almost equal proportion. This because central taxes like excise and service tax and state levies like VAT will be subsumed in the GST. While the C-GST will give powers to the Centre to levy GST on goods and services after Union levies like excise and service tax are subsumed, the I-GST is to be levied on inter-state supplies. The S-GST will allow states to levy the tax after VAT and other state levies are subsumed in the GST. The UT-GST will also go to Parliament for approval. Sources said the Council has already finalised a four-tier tax structure of 5, 12, 18 and 28 percent, but the model GST law has kept the peak rate at 40 percent (20 percent to be levied by the Centre and an equal amount by states) to obviate the need for approaching Parliament for any change in rates in future. Similarly, the cess to be levied on top of peak rate on selected demerit goods like luxury cars for creation of a corpus that will be used for compensating states for any loss of revenue from GST implementation in the first five years, has been capped at 15 percent. Sources said the government may attempt for all the four laws to be taken up for approval in Parliament together during the ongoing Budget session that ends on April 12. (With PTI inputs) New Delhi: Ending a 17 month impasse between the judiciary and the Centre, the Supreme Court bench led by Chief Justice of India, J.S. Khehar on Monday stated that the Memorandum of Procedure (MoP) for the selection of judges have been cleared by SC and has now been forwarded to be studied by the Centre. Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi informed the press that the Collegium had sent the finalized MoP to the Centre on March 14 for studying it. It was in October, 2015, that the apex court while striking down the National Judicial Appointments Commission (NJAC) upheld the Collegium system of appointment of judges but stated that the MoP needs changes in order to meet the demands of transparency. In the past several months, the clause of National Security had continued to be a bone of contention between the judiciary and executive. But now there has been a consensus that national security will be a part in appointing the judges when SC conceded to the Centres demand. This national security clause gives a veto right to the government to reject a name recommended by the Collegium. Former CJI TS Thakur had said that this particular clause was vague and needs to be narrowly defined. Even the issue of whether an independent secretariat on judicial appointments must be set up in high courts and the apex court to maintain databases on judges and assist the Collegium was pending, but now SC has dropped this reservation as well. The apex court Collegium consists of the courts five senior-most judgesChief Justice J.S. Khehar, justices Dipak Misra, J. Chelameshwar, Ranjan Gogoi and Madan B. Lokur. Today the court disposed off the petition on judicial appointments who stated that despite the order of the Collegium several months ago, several judges of the High Court and Chief Justices have not been transferred and nearly 500 appointments to HCs were pending. The SC bench led by CJI said that How can you ask for increasing no of seats for judges when we cannot fill the existing number of judges? But there is no disputing the fact that there is large number of vacancies. In so far as district court is concerned, order has already been passed to fill the vacancies and to increase the number of judges. Recently, Dushyant Dave, a senior advocate and the former president of the Supreme Court Bar Association, expressed concern on the way MoP has turned out with Collegium giving up on almost all its prior reservations it had with the Centre. New Delhi: A BSP leader has been shot dead in Allahabad by bike-borne assailants. Mohammad Shami was shot dead inside his home by unknown assailants who then escaped on a bike on Sunday night. The motive behind the 55-year-old former block presidents murder is not yet known. Police said that so far it doesn't seems to be a fallout of any political rivalry and is not related to recently concluded Assembly elections. Shami was associated with the BSP. However, Shamis family has alleged that the murder was a result of a conspiracy. On their complaint, a case of conspiracy had been registered against some local leaders said to be associated to BJP. According to BSP sources, Shami had joined the party last year soon after losing the panchayat polls, ending his long association with the Samajwadi Party. He had also contested the assembly polls in 2002 on an SP ticket from Kunda against controversial independent MLA Raghuraj Pratap Singh alias Raja Bhaiya who went on to become a minister in the previous Akhilesh Yadav government in Uttar Pradesh. Reacting to the murder, Mayawati said, Either BJP or SP in UP cannot control the law and order conditions. Yogi Adityanath is the CM now and being a mahant he will just communalise UP and won't be doing any development in the state. Adequate deployment of police has been made in the area to keep the situation under control and Shami's supporters who were squatting on the highway have been dispersed, Senior Superintendent of Police Shalabh Mathur said, adding that a search was on to nab those named in the FIR lodged by Shami's family members. UP DGP Javeed Ahmed said, "An investigation is going on and action will be taken." (With PTI inputs) Ballia: Raising questions over the education system, dozens of Class 10th students were caught on camera, writing their examinations with the help of books in Ballia district of Uttar Pradesh on Monday. Surprisingly, no invigilator was seen in the classroom when the said incident occurred. Not only were the students seen using cheating papers, some of the touts helped them solve the Mathematics question paper. Meanwhile, no action has been taken against the school or the students as of now. The photographs of mass cheating in Bihar had gone viral on social media earlier in 2015. The exams for classes 10th and 12th for the Uttar Pradesh Board had begun on March 16. Secretary of the Board, Shail Yadav informed that 11,413 centre have been made across the state for conducting the exams. About 34 lakh students are appearing for the class 10 exams and 26.56 lakh students for class 12th. There is a newspaper Ummat (in Pakistan) which has printed false statements (of the two clerics being RAW spies) and photos: Nazim Nizami pic.twitter.com/bFM87q5YOp ANI (@ANI_news) March 20, 2017 Two clerics, including the head priest of Delhi's Hazrat Nizamuddin Dargah, who went missing in Pakistan, reached New Delhi on Monday morning.Speaking to CNN-News18 over telephone, Nazim Ali Nizami said, "We went there to spread the message of Sufism. The Indian government came out strongly to help us. We also thank the media for helping us. There was no network in many places where we went.""First and foremost I thank Allah. I thank Sushma ji and Rajnath ji. I would also like to thank the Pakistan government who ended the confusion," he added.However, they didn't reveal much about their missing mystery in Pakistan.The two clerics - Syed Asif Nizami, the head priest (Sajjadanashin) of Hazrat Nizamuddin Aulia Dargah, and his nephew Nazim Ali Nizami, had gone to Lahore on March 8 and were to return to India on March 20. The main purpose of the visit of 80-year-old Asif to Pakistan was to see his sister in Karachi.On Sunday, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj tweeted, "I just spoke to Syed Nazim Ali Nizami in Karachi. He told me that they are safe and will be back in Delhi tomorrow."Both of them are likely to meet Swaraj today after their arrival in the national capital. The Indian agencies are also planning to meet them to know certain facts after they went missing in Pakistan.Yesterday, Pakistan had conveyed to India that the clerics were traced and reached Karachi last evening.Swaraj had taken up the issue with Pakistan Prime Minister's Adviser on Foreign Affairs, Sartaj Aziz yesterday and requested him to trace the missing clerics.According to Pakistani media reports, both clerics had been in "interior Sindh where there was no communication network" and that is why they could not inform their relatives about their whereabouts.Earlier, Pakistani sources had said the two clerics were in the custody of Pakistan's intelligence agency over their alleged links with the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM).They were offloaded from Karachi-bound Shaheen Airlines on March 14 at the Allama Iqbal International Airport, Lahore, the Pakistani sources had said.A senior Pakistani police official said the two clerics were being questioned on their exact whereabouts since March 15 when they went missing.(PTI inputs) Lahore/New Delhi: The two-day meeting of Permanent Indus Commission (PIC) between India and Pakistan will be held in Islamabad on Monday. A 10-member Indian delegation already reached Lahore on Sunday. The delegation, which will take part in the two-day meeting, is led by India's Indus Water Commissioner PK Saxena and comprises of Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) officials and technical experts. The Pakistan delegation will be headed by Mirza Asif Saeed. Senior Pakistani officials and Indian High Commission officials greeted the delegation at the Wagah border. Media personnel gathered at the Wagah border were not given access to the delegation. The delegation later left for Islamabad by road amid high security. The meeting is taking place nearly six months after the government decided to suspend talks on the pact in the wake of the Uri terror attack by Pakistan-based outfits, is yet to be finalised. Pakistan had raised objections over designs of 240 MW Uri-II and 44 MW Chutak projects, built in Baramulla and Kargil districts of Jammu and Kashmir respectively, saying these will deprive it of its water share under the pact. Similarly, Pakistan has been flagging concern over designs of India's five other hydroelectricity projects - Pakal Dul (1000 MW), Ratle (850 MW), Kishanganga (330 MW), Miyar (120 MW) and Lower Kalnai (48 MW) - being built or planned in the Indus river basin, contending these violate the treaty. It had approached the World Bank - the mediator between the two countries of the 57-year-old water distribution treaty - in August last year raising issues over Kishanganga and Ratle projects in Jammu and Kashmir. Pakistan is set to raise issues related to three dams 1000 MW Pakuldul on Chenab, 120 MW Miyar, located across Miyar Nalla which is a right bank main tributary of River Chenab and the 43 MW Lower Kalnai hydro project on Lower Kalnai Nalla, a tributary of river Chenab. (With PTI inputs) Mumbai: Medical services in 17 government hospitals in Maharashtra were severely hit on Monday after over 4,000 resident doctors went on a mass Casual Leave to protest growing incidents of attacks by patients' relatives. In the absence of any concrete measures by the government on their security, the resident doctors are likely to go on mass leave for a second day on Tuesday, the Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors (MARD) said. There have been at least five attacks on resident doctors in one week, including two in the past 24 hours, said Indian Medical Association (Youth) state President Sagar Mundada. "We met Mayor Vishwanath Mahadeshwar but we have not got any concrete assurances on our physical safety while on duty," Mundada said, hinting at continuing the agitation on Tuesday. Late in the evening, the BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) announced a series of tough measures to curb violence against medicos, including limiting the number of relatives who will be permitted to accompany patients. Henceforth, only two relatives of any patient shall be allowed with special passes and those found without passes shall be prosecuted, said Additional Municipal Commissioner I.A. Kundan. Earlier, while admitting that it was the duty of the civic body to ensure security, Mahadeshwar urged the medicos to resume duty by evening failing which the civic body would consider taking action against them. In this context, the BMC will ask for additional armed forces from the Maharashtra State Security Force which will be deployed in the hospitals. And entry points of each hospital would be designated for different types of patients. MARD President Yashowardhan Kabra said the sudden spate of attacks on medicos had left shattered them and "it was difficult to work under such life-threatening conditions". "There have been attacks on medicos in Mumbai Sion and Wadia hospitals after which our members decided to go on individual action of availing CL," Kabra told IANS. Simultaneously, the MARD is filing an affidavit in the Bombay High Court to highlight how its orders on doctors' security and related aspects have allegednly not yet been implemented by the state government. "In fact, last Friday we had planned a day's mass bunking which we cancelled after assurances from the government. "But that same night medicos were attacked in Sion Hospital followed by another attack yesterday," Kabra said. In Mumbai, the government hospitals hit were KEM, Sion LTMG, Nair and Sir JJ Group where a large number of resident doctors work. Their counterparts in Kolhapur Government Hospital continued to work but sported black bands. Several thousands of patients were deprived of medicare in the absence of resident doctors though senior doctors and others were handling serious or emergency cases. The matter was with regard to how industries are using material from River Gangas boundary and involving in activities of stone crushing. This is weakening the boundaries of the River Ganga and is therefore making it dangerous for nearby settlements as the chances of floods are only increasing by such activities, said Miglani. The river became the first in the world to be legally recognized as a living entity and was granted the same rights as a human being. : In a landmark ruling by the Uttarakhand High Court in Nainital, River Ganga and River Yamuna have been accorded the status of Indias first living entity and shall have all the fundamental rights available to a person under the Indian Constitution.Uttarakhand HC has also ruled that the Centre should form a Ganga Administration Board for cleaning and better maintenance of the most sacred river of the country.Advocate Lalit Miglani of Uttarakhand HC told News18 that the present matter dealt with the issue of Khannan (Stone crushing) by the boundaries of River Ganga.Last Friday, Uttarakhand HC slammed the Union government as well as the state government for having misplaced priorities like locating the missing River Saraswati but doing nothing concrete in cleaning River Ganga.The matter has been decided by the division bench of Justice Rajiv Sharma and Justice Alok Singh. The same bench had expressed serious concern last week as to why the Supreme Court directives issued in December, 2016, were not adhered to.While hearing a PIL by Advocate Lalit Miglani last December, the court had taken serious note of irregularities in the use of funds allocated to clean the river and had ordered a special audit by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of expenses related to various schemes to clean Ganga. The HC had also ordered the CAG report to be submitted to the President of India within six months.But River Ganga is not the only one which has been accorded such a status. A similar ruling was also passed in New Zealand when their parliament passed a bill declaring 145km long Whanganui River as legal person.Ecuador was also the first country to recognize Rights of Nature in its Constitution. Ecuador redrafted its Constitution in 2007-2008 and it was ratified by referendum by the people of Ecuador in September 2008. The new Ecuadorian Constitution includes a Chapter: Rights for Nature. #WATCH Subramanian Swamy says he has independent information that Indian clerics who went missing in Pakistan were working against country. pic.twitter.com/rFyWWImURp ANI (@ANI_news) March 20, 2017 The two Sufi clerics, who went missing in Pakistan last week, on Monday thanked the governments of India and Pakistan for their safe return but Subramanian Swamy alleged that they were working against the country.The clerics have remianed tightlipped on what led to their disappearance.Both Nazim and Syed Asif Nizami, who is the the head priest of Hazrat Nizamuddin Dargah, "thanked" the Indian and the Pakistani governments for their return to the homeland."We thank Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and well-wishers from all religions who prayed for our return," they told reporters.The clerics met Sushma Swaraj upon their return.Amir Nizami, son of Syed Asif Nizami, alleged that the duo were "taken away" based on a news report in a local Urdu daily which claimed that they had links with Indian intelligence agency RAW.Asked if Pakistan spy agency ISI was involved in the episode, he refused to comment but made it clear that "no force was used" against them. Mumbai: This has not been a good year for Kamal Haasan. The actor-extraordinaire is being dealt one crippling blow after another by Fate. "Fate, if that's what you call it, is certainly giving me a lot of attention," said Kamal Haasan mirthlessly, hours after his eldest brother Chandrahasan passed away. In January, Kamal Haasan lost his bhabhi (sister-in-lw), Chandrahasan's wife. Prior to that, the actor had a nasty fall which almost killed him and has kept him confined to his bed and home for six months now and still some to go. Right after the multiple fractures in his leg, Kamal Haasan's companion and partner for 13 years Gautami decided to quit the relationship. The latest tragedy in the family has stunned the Haasans. "My brother was on the way back from the US where he had gone to be with his son after my bhabhi passed away. We wanted him to get a change of environment. He was with his son for a few months. He was in London with my niece, his daughter, for a short break from his journey when the heart attack happened," said Kamal Haasan. The family now waits for the body to be released. "In the UK even a minor heart attack is cause for a post-mortem. We're waiting for the coroner's report before we decide what is to be done. In any case we Hassans are not much into rituals. So it would be a quiet family funeral service. We would request all friends and well-wishers to respect the family's privacy," Haasan added. Recalling the good times with his brother, Kamal Haasan said: "He was 20 years elder to me and almost a father figure. A lot of what I am was determined by what he was. My brother was completely self-made. Do you know, he washed his own clothes till the very last day of his life. "When my bhabhi died this year, it somewhere broke him from inside. It was the only time I've seen him break down. I mean, otherwise his eyes would well up during emotional scenes in films. But the first and only time he cried in real life was when he lost his wife. "He played a very important role in the running of my production house. When 'Vishwaroopam' was in a controversy, he mediated and held peace talks with the protestors. Will I miss him? I suppose I will. He lived a full life. I'd like to live the way he did." Ranbir Kapoor and Mahira Khan backstage at the Global Teacher Prize Ceremony - 2 #RanbirKapoor #Ranbir #MahiraKhan #GlobalTeacherPrizeCeremony A post shared by Ranbir Kapoor Universe (@ranbirkapooruniverse) on Mar 19, 2017 at 9:08am PDT #Homannjahaan 23rd of march on ARY. Tune in y'all pic.twitter.com/Vi3t40TviV Mahira Khan (@TheMahiraKhan) March 18, 2017 A lot of girls would like to be in Mahira Khan's place right now. The Pakistani actress, who played SRK's leading lady in Raees, recently chatted up with Ranbir Kapoor backstage during a awards ceremony.The duo met at Global Teachers Awards in Dubai, and chatted up backstage. A video featuring Mahira and Ranbir has been doing the rounds of internet since Monday morning which shows the two having an animated conversation. Dressed in a red outfit Mahira looks stunning, while Ranbir looks dapper in a black suit. The two even posed together on the red carpet.Mahira was also seen promoting her film with her Humsafar co-star Fawad Khan recently. The actress shared a photo on Twitter as well.Incidentally, Fawad and Mahira are currently working on a film called Maula Jatt 2. Bhopal: Giving a tough time to his own government in Madhya Pradesh (MP), former state CM Babulal Gaur on Monday extended support to a Congress legislator who had accused multi-crore corruption in the land deals, pertaining to Merger Agreement. Putting Shivraj Singh Chauhan-led government in MP on a sticky wicket, Gaur said: How come the private land belonging to the people, who shifted to Pakistan, was included in government records in Bhopal? Congress MLA Harsh Yadav had on Monday raised the issue of widespread corruption in the mutation of land, belonging to the merger agreement in Bhopal and Sagar. The legislator also demanded to quash the title change. Notably, the merger agreement was inked by the Nawab of Bhopal and the Government of India post-independence and properties of the Nawab were annexed by the government after this agreement. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Narottam Mishra replied to the question, saying the matter had discrepancies as merger agreement could not be implemented properly in 1950. The matter got delayed as an had NGO approached the Supreme Court, he said. Gaur, who had the documents of the said land, jumped in, saying that all such title changes should be declared null and void, and an assembly committee be formed to probe the anomalies. As minister Mishra said that action would be taken against the guilty, Gaur asked: How private land of those who went to Pakistan was declared as the government land? Gaur further rebutted by asking why the House was misled on the matter. Mishra, though, again assured the house that the matter would be probed. The aforementioned land belongs to the family of actor Saif Ali Khan. It was declared an Enemy Property by the Ministry of Home Affairs as the heir to the Bhopal princely state had moved to Pakistan after independence. Interestingly, soon after his sacking from the Shivraj cabinet, Gaur has cornered his own government on several issues. New Delhi: A poster appeared outside the Congress party office in Lucknow announcing a reward of Rs 5 lakh to the person who can find poll strategist Prashant Kishor and bring him before party workers. The poster was put up by Rajesh Singh, a secretary in the Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee. Congress state president Raj Babbar, who saw the poster just before entering the office, asked party workers to immediately remove it. Following reports that he had been suspended for the act, Singh denied them and told CNN-News18 that he had not been suspended. For the last one year, we have been made to work like foolswithout asking any questions. We were told to work as he (Kishor) wanted us to but without any ifs and buts. We did so thinking that probably it was best for the revival of the party. But now we need answers, he said. New Delhi: Over the past few years, and especially during the run-up to the Uttar Pradesh elections, Yogi Adityanath has been sloganeering for a Ram Mandir at Ayodhya. Now, that he has the power to call the shots will he take the executive route? Legal experts point out that one of the options open before him was the route explored by Tamil Nadu to bring back the bulltaming sport of Jallikattu banned by the Supreme Court. Ranjana Agnihotri, counsel for Lord Ram in the pending civil suit related to Babri Masjid demolition told News18 that an ordinance can help in building the temple immediately. The ordinance has to specifically focus on Ram Temple construction and such an ordinance can certainly be brought in now. The ordinance will not only facilitate building the temple but will also avoid other legal hurdles. Now, with government inching towards a majority in the Rajya Sabha, there need not be any re-promulgation of ordinance and legislation can also be easily passed, said Agnihotri. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath can also bring in a Temple Building Ordinance with a key clause on building the Ram temple at the official birthplace of Ram Lalla, which is the disputed site. This was also the route taken by Rajiv Gandhi in 1986 when he brought in legislation to bypass the Shah Bano verdict on alimony for Muslim women. A top Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader told News18 that the ordinance route to construct the temple should happen now that the BJP is in power with such a huge majority. What the nation witnessed during Jallikattu is an important precedent here. We have always demanded that legislation be brought in Parliament just like in the Shah Bano case to facilitate the construction of the temple. If an Ordinance can be brought in to save Jallikattu, then a similar ordinance can help in the construction of the temple, Dr. Surendra Kumar Jain, VHP International Joint General Secretary said. Presently, the civil and the criminal suit in the case of Babri Masjid demolition is pending in the SC. Earlier this month, the Supreme Court had said it would consider asking the CBI to restore conspiracy charges against BJP and RSS members. And then, even if Adityanath decides to adopt the ordinance route, a verdict looms over re-promulgation of ordinances with the SC already having called it "a fraud on the Constitution". However, Advocate Asim Sarode, lawyer in the Bombay HC differed with the VHP spokesperson and told News18 that there can be no comparison of this case with the matter of Jallikattu in Tamil Nadu. Precisely, its a land dispute and is presently pending in the SC. In such a situation even an ordinance cannot help in building a temple on a disputed land. The dispute here is regarding an immovable property whereas Jallikattu was a cultural practice, hence there can be no ordinance in this regard, Sarode said. Other experts point out that the UP can avoid the ordinance route altogether if the BJP passes legislation in both Houses of Parliament. The party is expected to add considerably to its numbers in Rajya Sabha after the big victories in UP and Uttarakhand. With the recent electoral victories, BJP is set to become the majority party in the Rajya Sabha, said Shiv Vishwanathan, social scientist and commentator. BJP members in the 243-member House are likely to go up by at least 12 seats to 68 by June 2018, while the Congress tally may come down to 51. Although the NDA with at least 98 members in the House by June next year - may still not have a majority, it can look to manage the floor with parties like AIADMK. Is there any force that can stop the construction of temple? When they could not stop demolition of Babri Masjid, how can they stop you on this," Adityanath had told party workers in June 2016. In the run-up the state polls he indicated that hurdles are being removed and that the construction will "start soon". Now that he is in power, many of those who cheered him on along the way will watch expectantly what he does next. Bhopal: Union Minister for Water Resources Uma Bharti on Monday said the newly-appointed Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath was the most suitable candidate for the job. "Yogi-ji is a balanced person. He has long experience in Parliament and has carried forward an ideology. I think he is most suitable for a state like Uttar Pradesh and would establish new dimensions (of governance)," Bharti said here. "One should not judge him by his robes. He has taken 'sannyas' and it is his personal life style. We have to see whether he is a good politician, whether he has the capacity to take along everyone...and he is most suitable from these viewpoints," she said. Adityanath was the unanimous choice for CM's post, Bharti claimed. Asked about his image as a Hindutva hardliner, Bharti said maximum number of shops at his ashram in Gorakhpur are owned by Muslims. On rising opposition to EVMs following the Uttar Pradesh poll results, Bharti, who herself once opposed these machines, said, "Election Commission has settled this issue long back. It has demonstrated that EVM cannot be tampered with and its view should be accepted." When asked whether she made a mistake by quitting as Madhya Pradesh CM in 2004, Bharti defended her decision. She decided to resign because of a case related to the national flag, and she had no regrets, the senior BJP leader said. She also praised the Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan's leadership, and denied having called him "Baccha Chor" (child lifter) when she was denied power in 2005. "I had said this about someone who is no more," she said. "I wish he (Chouhan) breaks my record (of winning 173 seats) by winning more than 175 out of the 230 Assembly seats in MP," she added. Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus (top to bottom) in black sky, orchid grey and arctic silver (left to right) pic.twitter.com/ISo7W10sYV Evan Blass (@evleaks) March 19, 2017 S8 - 799 S8+ - 899 DeX - 150 GearVR - 129 Gear360 - 229 https://t.co/vVm6DRMkX5 Evan Blass (@evleaks) March 19, 2017 Samsung Electronics Limited is riding big on its upcoming featured smartphones release, the Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus. Due to be unveiled at Samsungs Unpacked event on March 29 in New York, the phones have since long sparked many rumours which are now doing rounds on the internet.As per the latest leaks, the Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus are rumoured to come out in three different shades.The leaks were posted by US Blogger Evan Blass on his twitter account, who is known for leaking details about upcoming smartphones.The photo posted by Blass shows Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus in three colours each: Black Sky, Orchid Grey and Arctic Silver.Hours before leaking the pictures, he also posted the prices at which these smartphones can be expected. According to Evan, the Samsung Galaxy S8 will be launched for a price of 799 (~Rs 56,000) whereas, its bigger version, the S8 Plus will be available at a price of 899 (~Rs 62,000).Earlier, Samsung released a teaser advertisement for the Smartphones which strongly hinted at a bezel-less design. All the other leaked pictures of the smartphone also confirmed the same.The design also seems to miss out on a physical home-button, a move in which even Apple showed much interest.Putting all the other rumours together, the Galaxy S8 is expected to come out with a dual-edge display with 3D touch and a fingerprint scanner at the back, right next to its primary camera.The smartphone is expected to come with facial recognition technology, a smart-assistant named Bixby (which will act as Samsungs own Siri), a USB Type-C connectivity, all of this housed in a Water and Dust resistant body just like its predecessor the Galaxy S7 Edge.On the specifications front, the smartphone can be expected to come with a 5.8-inch screen, Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 Octa-core processor, 12-megapixel primary camera along with a 8-megapixel selfie camera.One aspect that Samsung might keep a check on is the battery of the Samsung Galaxy S8. After the Note 7 Fiasco, Samsung Electronics Limited is in no position to dwell into an experiment with the battery again. This means that the phones might come with a 3,000 mAh battery as compared to the 3,600 mAh battery of the Galaxy S7 Edge.The interesting question is whether Samsung will ditch the 3.5 mm headphone jack, just like Apple. If so, be prepared for a set of high-priced earphones as an additional accessory with the smartphone.The Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8 plus will be unveiled on March 29 and as per Evan Blass, are expected to hit the markets on April 28. London: The British Parliament could be burdened with scrutinising up to 15 new bills for Britain's exit from the European Union (EU), a new report has warned. The UK-based think tank, the Institute for Government (IFG) in its report, "Legislating Brexit" issued on Sunday, said the legislation will be needed to establish new policies on areas such as customs and immigration, the BBC reported. The extra measures will place "a huge burden" on the Parliament and government departments, the think tank said. In the report, the IFG said that with the average Queen's Speech announcing only 20 new bills, the introduction of 15 Brexit bills before the UK even exits the EU "will leave very little space for non-Brexit related legislation". The report comes as Prime Minister Theresa May travels to Swansea on Monday with Brexit Secretary David Davis, where she will talk about the "precious union" of the UK. May will meet First Minister of Wales Carwyn Jones, as well as local businesses, as she tries to show she is including all areas of Britain in negotiations with the EU. The report anticipates the new bills will be in addition to the Great Repeal Bill, which will scrap the 1972 European Communities Act that paved the way for the UK to enter the then-European Economic Community, ending the legal authority of EU law. "The legislation required for Brexit will leave little parliamentary time for anything else -- and making a success of it will require a large volume of bills and secondary legislation to be passed by Parliament against a hard deadline," the BBC quoted Hannah White, IFG's director of research, as saying. "It will be a challenge for both the government and Parliament to do all this while still ensuring full scrutiny and leaving room for the government's domestic policy agenda." The Queen gave Royal Assent to the European Union (Notification of Withdrawal) Bill last week, clearing the way for Prime Minister May to start talks to leave the EU. The Bill allows the premier to notify Brussels that the UK is leaving the EU, with a two-year process of exit negotiations to follow. May says she will trigger the process by the end of the month. Houston: Indian-Americans will honour a 24-year-old American who was injured while trying to intervene during a racially-motivated shooting in Kansas that left an Indian techie dead and another injured. Ian Grillot was injured when he tried to intervene in the shooting by a Navy veteran targetting Indians at a bar in Olathe, Kansas last month. Srinivas Kuchibhotla, 32, was killed and his colleague Alok Madasani was critically injured in the shooting. Grillot will be honoured as 'A True American Hero', at the 14th annual gala of India House Houston here on March 25. "Without all the prayers and positive support from everybody, I wouldn't be doing as well as I am right now. It's been a blessing to be alive. I am looking forward to attend India House Gala event on March 25, in Houston, TX. You guys are wonderful and I thank you all for such a support," Grillot said. The annual Gala is the main fundraising event of the India House, with all proceeds going to the day-to-day community programmes and expansion of India House. "We are privileged to honour Ian Grillot at our biggest event of the year. We invite all Houstonians to come, celebrate Ian's true American spirit and support India House s annual fundraising event," said Jiten Agarwal, Board Member and 2017 Gala Chair of India House. Guests of honour this year include many dignitaries including India's Ambassador to the US Navtej Sarna, former US Ambassador to India David Mulford, former US Assistant Secretary of State Nisha Biswal, Mayor Sylvester Turner, Harris County Judge Ed Emmett and Master Chef Vikas Khanna. Washington: US lawmakers from both parties said on Sunday they had seen no proof to support the claim by Republican President Donald Trump that his predecessor Barack Obama had wiretapped him last year, adding pressure on Trump to explain or back off his repeated assertion. Several Republicans last week urged Trump to apologize for the allegations he made in a series of tweets on March 4. The maelstrom also caused tension with key US allies and threatens to distract Republicans from campaign promises on health care and taxes. "I don't know the basis for President Trump's assertion," US Senator Susan Collins, a Republican, said on NBC's "Meet the Press." "I do believe he owes us that explanation." Collins said she supported Trump as president, but she wouldn't side with him if he "misstated what the facts are." FBI Director James Comey is expected to be asked about Trump's claims when he testifies at a rare public hearing on Monday about alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election. Russia has denied the assertion it was involved in hacked emails and other attempts to influence the race. Representative Adam Schiff, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee holding the hearing, called Trump's claims "patently false" and said he expected Comey to say as much on Monday. The Justice Department on Friday delivered documents to congressional committees to help clear up whether the Obama administration spied on Trump. Republican Representative Devin Nunes, who leads the House intelligence panel, said after receiving the material, he saw no evidence of wiretapping. But Nunes, who served on Trump's transition team, joined the White House in seeking to shift attention away from the controversies by calling for investigations of leaks to the news media. Nunes said on "Fox News Sunday" that leaks to reporters about former Trump national security adviser Michael Flynn were criminal and that his panel was probing whether other names were leaked. Trump has been dogged by allegations that his associates had ties to Russian officials. He fired Flynn last month after reports he had discussed sanctions with Russia's ambassador before Trump took office, without telling other White House officials. "The one crime we know that's been committed is that one: the leaking of someone's name," Nunes said. "Were there any other names that were ... leaked out?" Nunes also said ahead of Monday's hearing he had seen "no evidence" of collusion between Russia and Trump's team. But Schiff, the panel's top Democrat, said there was enough "circumstantial evidence" that he still had questions. NOT BACKING DOWN Meanwhile, the White House has not backed down on Trump's surveillance claims. The administration was forced to reassure key ally Britain after White House press secretary Sean Spicer repeated a Fox News analyst's claim that a British intelligence agency helped Obama wiretap Trump. The British government strongly denied it. The issue led to an awkward moment on Friday at a joint press conference with visiting German Chancellor Angela Merkel when Trump was asked about the wiretap claims by a German reporter. Trump said he and Merkel had "something in common," apparently referring to reports during the Obama administration that Merkel's phone was bugged. The quip left the German leader looking bewildered. Senior Republican Representative Tom Cole told reporters on Friday that Trump owed Obama an apology. Representatives Charlie Dent and Will Hurd, also Republicans, made similar comments. "I see no indication that that's true," Cole said of the wiretapping charge. Unless Trump produces convincing proof, Cole added, "President Obama is owed an apology." More than a dozen new pair of eyes took a look at the city of Lynchburgs proposed 2017-18 fiscal year budget Sunday as 14 student members of the Mayors Youth Council brainstormed city funding and finances. Members of the Mayors Youth Council a leadership and civic engagement program for high school students met with City Manager Bonnie Svreck, who addressed the budget presented to City Council last week and offered the students a chance to weigh in on the proposal. Svrcek noted challenges that go into running a city and crafting a balanced budget. She asked students gathered in the council chamber in City Hall to consider how to manage a projected $4.7 million gap between revenues and expenditures. Student suggestions on closing the budget gap varied and included out-of-the-box ideas, such as increased car rental fees at the Lynchburg Regional Airport and, though such a measure would require state level approval, legalizing marijuana to generate tax revenue and create jobs. Other ideas included raising fees for concealed weapon permits and taxi cab operator permits, increasing meals and lodging taxes, cuts to street maintenance and parks and city grounds maintenance, cuts to maintenance at Lynchburg City Stadium, a $2 million cut for Lynchburg City Schools and an increase in the tobacco tax. Throughout the nearly two-hour meeting, Svreck and Mayor Joan Foster explained to students how cutting services or increasing taxes could have repercussions throughout the Lynchburg community. This is what it costs to run a city, Foster told students as they broke down the upcoming budget. Svrcek also explained the balancing act of keeping taxes down while improving city services, such as replacing aging police and court facilities that the Lynchburg Police Department has outgrown. While no tax increases are proposed for the operational budget, Svrcek noted property taxes, and meals and lodging taxes are expected to go up to fund a capital improvement plan which calls for a total of $4.7 million in improvements across the city. Im very deliberate and thoughtful, I believe, when proposing these tax increases to fund infrastructure maintenance and replacement, Svrcek told members of the Mayors Youth Council. The proposed increases are a real estate tax jump from $1.11 to $1.16 per $100 assessed value, a shift of 6.5 percent to 7 percent for the city meals tax and a lodging tax increase from 5.5 percent to 7.5 percent. It was enlightening to learn about the different things that influence the budget, said Ian Winstead, president of the Mayors Youth Council and a senior at E.C. Glass High School. Winstead said the council typically works on social issues within the community that affect city youth, but it was helpful to see how the city budget is structured. Molly Graham, councils vice president and a junior at Holy Cross Regional Catholic School, said the experience offered valuable insight into local government functions. She added the council typically centers on service activities and field trips. Its an interesting experience to have as a high-schooler because you get to be in a group with your mayor and meet City Council, along with a lot other students in the city, Graham said. Students on the council are all high school level, ranging in grade from freshmen to seniors, and come from a wide cross section of schools including E.C. Glass High School, Heritage High School, Virginia Episcopal School, Holy Cross Regional Catholic School and home school. For more information, or to become involved, visit: lynchburgva.gov/mayors-youth-council. A budget for Lynchburg's Future I sent the following letter to Lynchburg City Council members the other day: First, I want to congratulate you all for hiring a city manager who has the courage to submit a proposed budget with a tax increase. In this anti-tax era I find it refreshing. You have each undoubtedly already been inundated with messages from those who will oppose any tax increase for any reason. Let me start by giving my own negative view of the budget proposal. I regret that there is no wage increase for city or school employees. I believe in paying a living wage and think that one reason 24 percent of Lynchburg residents live in poverty is because wages are too low. I think the city budget is one place that problem should be attacked. You should face no political problems for increasing taxes to pay for infrastructure repairs. Even in Washington, D.C. where bipartisanship is a rare animal, there is agreement that the infrastructure in this country needs attention. This is equally true in Lynchburg, and there should be a 70 vote to do what is necessary to provide the financing for needed improvements in the infrastructure. There will be cries that the poor cannot afford a tax increase. I think a $75 annual increase in the tax on an average home in Lynchburg valued at $150,000 makes that argument disingenuous. This is a very affordable increase. Since Lynchburg has provisions to assist the elderly with property taxes, the cry of poverty seems even less valid. Some people will say that we should not be increasing the rate of the real estate tax because increased city revenue should come as a result of increased development and an increased tax base. I suspect you would find it would be those same people who reject raising the tax rate who also object to a publicprivate partnership in development saying this is not a proper role for government. I think the city role in encouraging and supporting development has been most appropriate. I have lived downtown for almost 14 years and applaud the city leadership in downtown redevelopment. I look forward to a reasoned and thoughtful debate by the City Council about the proposed tax increases. There will be considerable knee-jerk and fact-free opposition. I hope council will summon the courage that has been shown by the city manager and enact this most modest tax increase, sending a message that Lynchburg is indeed a progressive community able to thoughtfully go against the anti-tax tide. LARRY BASSETT Lynchburg Cut the waste, council A Lynchburg tax increase proposal? Its nice to live in a community where Lynchburg asks for a $300,000 grant (free money) to extend the Blackwater walking trail at most half a mile across Langhorne Road. Oh, yes, I forgot the total cost of this questionable project is $1.2 million. That appears to me to be a cost to the city tax payers $900,000. So easy to spend other peoples money. I believe that before raising taxes the management of Lynchburg City needs to cut wasteful projects and be realistic in addressing the needs of the residents. This is just one mans humble opinion. DAVID BURNETT Lynchburg A no-show representative Rep. Bob Goodlatte, last week, I met with an impressive group of Lynchburg-area women to discuss how shocked, anxious and unrepresented we are in this current political environment. We are teachers, professors, stay-at-home moms, doctors, nonprofit leaders, technology experts and community servants who are pouring time, talent and resources into our local economy. We ache for our immigrant neighbors who constantly live in fear, and we worry about the future of education for the children in our community. We are deeply disturbed that one in five non-student Lynchburg residents lives in poverty, according to a December 2015 study by the University of Virginia Demographic Research Group. We see how repealing the Affordable Care Act could have fatal consequences for our patients. We know that reversing environmental protections are going to destroy our beloved natural resources and defunding the arts will be detrimental to us all. We know that our freedom of speech is being threatened with each passing day. We have called you. We have emailed you. We have tried to engage in your telephone town halls. We have shown up to your local town hall meetings even when you consistently do not. We have not heard any responses. Our voices are not being represented. Therefore, we are mobilizing in Lynchburg, and all over your district, to find a leader who shows up and who listens. We are committed to identifying a leader who represents our voices and we will elect him or her into office in 2018. MEGAN HUFFMAN Lynchburg Many companies have been noisily publicizing their cushy parental leave policies in recent years, telling the world theyre bestowing workers with an increasingly generous length of time to take off and bond with their newborns. Deloitte now gives new moms and dads 16 weeks of paid leave. Etsy hands out a full six months. Netflix said in 2015 that its workers could take off a childs first year. But while the headlines may be making a splash, the more generous policies arent making much of a dent in the overall numbers. The average number of weeks employers are giving workers actually fell slightly over the past decade, even as a greater percentage of companies offered 12 weeks or more in annual leave, according to new data from a nationally representative sample of more than 900 companies. Even though those have been the focus of media stories, they dont show the whole picture, said Ellen Galinsky, senior research adviser for the Society for Human Resource Management, which publishes the survey. In 2005, Galinsky said, employers with at least 50 workers allowed an average maximum of 15.2 weeks in maternity leave, compared with 14.5 weeks in 2016. That average is slightly higher than the length of time found in 2014 and 2012 but lower than the one in 2008 and 2005. The data was first reported by Bloomberg News. The report also shows that more companies are paying women who go on parental leave 58 percent of companies now offer some pay during leave. The number has been roughly flat since 2012 but is up from 46 percent in 2005. However, the percentage of employers offering workers 100 percent of their regular pay during leave has actually dropped, according to Galinskys data, declining from 17 percent in 2005 to just 10 percent last year. What explains the trend? While its possible some companies have cut back their benefits over time, Galinsky said thats unlikely, as maternity leave isnt usually the kind of perk companies trim. Some slight changes to survey logistics in 2016, H.R. managers could complete the survey online, rather than only by telephone, and were pushed with more follow-up questions could have had some effect on how companies respond or describe their policies. But Galinsky and senior researcher James T. Bond noted that the drop in weeks is probably best explained by some differences in the sample. The study is not longitudinal in other words, the same 900 companies werent examined over the 11-year period but is a nationally representative sample of the U.S. economy each year the study is done, weighted by employer size. A larger percentage of all employers offered new moms 12 weeks off in 2016. But at the high end, surprisingly, the group of companies surveyed in 2005 were even more generous than those surveyed last year. Netflix may have gotten much attention for offering a full year off for new parents, but there were companies in the 2005 survey that offered new mothers, at least, the same. And among employers that offered the most leave in 2005 more than three months off the average number of weeks offered was 28 weeks, much higher than the 21 weeks among that generous group in 2016. The shift in employers covering womens entire paycheck while out on leave is probably due to a slight rise in companies that offer short-term disability leave, shifting the mix toward partial pay, Galinsky said. Still, Galinsky thinks what is clear is that the ample perks giving companies in certain industries good P.R. havent yet translated into better benefits for everyone. It still could, however. The companies that are one-upping each other by offering more and more wonderful leaves are doing so for the same reason all companies do so: for the retention of their talent, she said. Now, if youve got 78 percent of employers saying theyre having difficulty attracting the right employees, she said, that could change. We just havent seen it yet. Other recent studies have also shown that efforts to increase parental leave whether via state legislation or individual corporate benefits have done little to improve how many women actually use the leave theyre offered. A recent study by Jay Zagorsky, a research scientist at the Center for Human Resource Research, used data from the U.S. Census Bureaus Current Population to find that the number of U.S. women taking maternity leave has been about the same over the past two decades, despite an improving economy and changes to some state laws that now mandate paid leave. (Use of paternity leave, meanwhile, tripled over the same period.) Zagorskys data found that only about 47.5 percent of women were compensated in 2015 for taking maternity leave, a percentage that is increasing, though only by 0.26 percentage points per year. At that rate, it could take another decade before even half of women will get paid time off during maternity leave. We are a much richer country since the 1990s, Zagorsky said in an interview in January. Looking at the maternity data, it does not suggest that any of the increased wealth has flown toward new working mothers. A Putin-Trump pact It arose to combat large global standing armies in the form of NATO and the Russian/former Soviet army. That is, to put it graphically, IEDs (improvised explosive devices) and suicide bombers, on the one hand, versus large tank, mortar, artillery and aircraft formations; legally allowed bombs of mass destruction; long-range cruise missiles; and drone attacks. Jihad ingenuity and terror versus largescale conventional military terror . David versus Goliath. There was no way that David could confront Goliaths formations frontally and win . Radical Islamic terror arose in response to global systems of mass surveillance, the CIA and the Russian intelligence services. (Such mass surveillance, which Edward Snowden, Julian Assange and Chelsea Manning, in their own ways, have brought to light; not by supposition and declaration but by hard data. And therefore, now exiled, holed up, or in jail.) And, additionally, to combat the routine work of CIA and Russian espionage: lies, disinformation, electronic warfare; opportunistic intervention and fomenting of civil war; the coercion, or assassination, of national and international leaders by disease, fungi, bombings, poisoning and so on . Radical Islamic terror also arose to combat the scourge of private mercenary contractor armies, which run thousands of programmes in the theatre of NATO wars. Mercenary and contractor armies are dedicated to both electronic warfare and paramilitary ground operations; and often act with impunity . It arose to combat its totalitarian global chain of command: from the cheerleaders and gospellers of war, demonising enemies, subverting facts, suppressing information, CNN, BBC, Fox, MSNBC, to the contractors in charge of prisons, arms exchange and sale, covert instruction and supply of arms to moderate terrorists, logistical support to standing armies, and drone assassination. It has christened this totalising force Christian, Western . The US and NATO created mayhem, terror and havoc in the Middle East, from Turkey to Egypt to Mali, up beyond the Caucasus. This barbarianism precipitated backlash: radical Islamic terror, the refugee crisis in Europe, the instability of the European Union . The point is that radical Islamic terror is effect; and not cause. And President Trump knows this. He says if the NATO leaders, George HW Bush, Bill Clinton, Barack Obama etc had gone on a holiday, gone to the beach of something, done nothing, the Middle East would have been in a better position today. He has vowed to bomb the hell outa ISIS. However, ISIS is just the latest incarnation of jihadism, a movement of fragments which morphs and confounds by its scale, intentions, capacities, complexity and difference . As long as there is an invasive NATO or Russian neo-colonial or imperialist standing army there will be an ISIS. The genie has been let out of the bottle . You cannot wage interminable war against a civilization, culture, a people, without expecting sudden impact, the ingenuity of terror to take hold and resist. So, the status quo is terror versus terror; the terror of NATO and Russia versus jihad terror; terror does not have a party, a race, a culture, a civilization, a face. Terror is an ideology: it is shared. Radioactive . Trump has been called a Hitler, reckless, a demagogue. However, he has called the Middle East a disaster. He has vowed to end US nation-building, an euphemism for US terror. He has said what no other US president has dared say . Responding to a question calling Putin a killer, Trump responded, There are a lot of killers. You think our country is so innocent? On Syria, he had said, I have tremendous feeling for the people involved in this horrific humanitarian crisis in Syria. My first priority will always be to protect and serve our country, but as President I will find ways to help all those who are suffering. He has said, I will give it one hell of a shot, referring to his intention to vie for a peace deal between the Palestinians and Israelis . He has pledged to be neutral in this deal. Both Putin and Trump are cool and savoir faire practitioners . They must make an authentic anti-terror pact. They must first sit with the Israelis, Palestinians, and their Middle Eastern counterparts, and make peace. Peace between the Israelites and Palestinians will precipitate more peace, and will set the mood, tone, template, high moral impetus for peace globally . This is a rare opportunity for global d?tente on terror . Let us hope the CNN, the CIA and the crooks do not put a spanner in their spokes . * The article in this space last week Monday was written by KEN ALI It May Not Be the Time You Think It Is A Texas businesswoman has been unmasked as the Good Samaritan who saved a distraught father in a bind. The man was checking in for a flight earlier this month at Omaha's Eppley Airfield with his toddler when he hit a snag. CBS News reports the agent asked him the girl's age and when he replied "she just turned 2," the agent told him she could not fly without a ticket. (The cut-off is age 2, and he had bought his ticket a while back.) In a Facebook post by Love What Matters that went viral, fellow traveler Kevin Leslie described what happened next: "The man was confused because he was under the impression she could ride for free. ... He mentioned he couldn't afford to rebook this flight or get her the ticket with such short notice. He stepped aside and tried to make a few calls. Hugging his daughter ... you could tell he was heartbroken." That's when a woman stepped up, asked him what was wrong, and told the agent she wanted to purchase the ticket. The agent questioned whether the woman realized just how expensive the ticket was. "Seven hundred something?" she replied, as she handed over a credit card and paid the $749 fare. The father hugged her, offering to pay her back. "Don't worry about it," she replied. The hero has been revealed as Debbie Bolton, co-founder and global sales chief at Norwex, a company that makes chemical-free home and personal care products, reports the Omaha World-Herald. Workers there praised their boss, with one calling Bolton "a humble person who really cares about people." The chief marketing officer says Bolton's act wasn't surprising. "Shes kind, caring, and generous." (This woman was hailed as "epitomizing the true Good Samaritan.") You can expect your waiter to ask all kinds of questions when he approaches the table, but, "Can I see your proof of residency?" is not among them. Nevertheless, that's what four female diners experienced at the upscale Saint Marc restaurant in Huntington Beach, Calif., earlier this month, reports the Orange County Register. One of them, 23-year-old Brenda Carrillo, recalls to the Los Angeles Times that she was dumbfounded as the waiter elaborated, "I need to make sure you're from here before I can serve you." The four women complained to a manager and left the restaurant, and Carrillo's sister, Diana, then posted about their treatment online. After the post began drawing reactions, the restaurant apologized online and said the waiter had been fired. "In no way are the actions of this former employee representative of the Saint Marc brand nor are they reflective of the opinions of anyone else on our team, including executive management," said a restaurant statement. A Saint Marc exec says the waiter explained that he meant the question as a joke, but the women say he clearly did not. Saint Marc offered to bring the women back for VIP treatment and donate 10% of the night's proceeds to a charity of their choice. They declined the first but asked that the money go to a group that helps undocumented immigrants. The Carrillo sisters, described by Brenda as "light-skinned Latinas," do not fall into that category, for the record. They were born and raised in California. "It sends a chill through your entire body," says Diana of the incident. (Read another story of dining-gone-wrong in California.) FBI Director James Comey testifies before the House Intelligence Committee on Monday and there may be some angry tweets from the White House soon afterward: Comey is widely expected to tell lawmakers that there is no evidence to support President Trump's claim that former President Obama had him wiretapped, CNN reports. Rep. Devin Nunes, the committee's GOP chairman, said Sunday that documents received from the Justice Department on Friday indicated there was no wiretapping, the Washington Post reports. "Was there a physical wiretap of Trump Tower? No, but there never was, and the information we got on Friday continues to lead us in that direction," he told Fox. Nunes also called for an investigation of leaks to the news media, reports Reuters. The hearing, scheduled from 10am to 1pm, will focus on allegations of Russian interference in last year's election, and Nunes say he has seen no evidence of collusion between Moscow and the Trump campaign. Comey is expected to be asked to confirm or deny the existence of Russia-related criminal investigations of Trump or his staffers, reports Politico, which notes that he might decline to comment to avoid jeopardizing active investigations, a move that would bring accusations of hypocrisy from Democrats still angry about Comey's decision to release information on the Hillary Clinton email investigation days before the election. (Read more wiretapping stories.) A British teenager accused of wasting police time with a complaint about her ex-boyfriend was murdered by the same man less than six months later, prosecutors say. Shana Grice, 19, was found dead with her throat cut in her Brighton home in August last year, the Independent reports. In March, she had been charged with "having caused wasteful employment of police by making a false report" after she accused 27-year-old Michael Lane of assaulting her but failed to tell officers that they had an on-and-off relationship. A month before that report, she had complained to police that Lane was stalking her and left a note on her new boyfriend's car saying, "Shana will always cheat on you." Lane is now on trial for the murder. The jury was told last week that the month before the killing, he received a caution from police after stealing a key and letting himself into Grice's home to watch her sleep, the BBC reports. A few days later, she told police that Lane was following her, but the incident was classed as "low risk." Prosecutors say Lane was obsessed with Grice and became murderous after she decided to go back to another ex-boyfriend. He denies killing her, though he has admitted fitting a tracking device to her car. He told the court that he found her body after entering Grice's home through the open front door, then fled in panic and went home to shower instead of calling police. (A Tennessee woman found her ex hiding under her bed.) A man arrested at a security checkpoint near the White House on Saturday night was driving a stolen car and falsely claimed he had a bomb in the trunk, a police report states. The suspect, identified Sunday as 29-year-old Sean Patrick Keoughan of Roanoke, Va., told officers "This is a test" as they brought him to the ground, according to the report obtained by NBC. He faces charges of unauthorized use of a vehicle and making a false bomb threat, the New York Daily News reports. Another man was arrested Saturday after jumping a bike rack outside the White House fence with a letter for President Trump, who was at his Florida estate. (A week earlier, a fence-jumper was on the grounds for nearly 17 minutes.) An American diplomat has been kicked out of New Zealand, taking a black eye and a broken nose with him and leaving a lot of questions behind. New Zealand asked the US to remove the man, an embassy staff member, after the embassy refused to waive diplomatic immunity when he was wanted for police questioning, the BBC reports. Police said they wanted to speak to the man after an incident in which they were called to a home outside Wellington on March 12 and found that he had already left, apparently with facial injuries, reports TVNZ, which identifies the embassy staff member as Chris White. New Zealand Prime Minister Bill English says he doesn't know why the US refused to waive immunity for the man, the New Zealand Herald reports. "We expect all diplomats here to obey our law, and if it is broken we would expect our police to investigate," he told reporters Monday. "There are a set of procedures around how these things are dealt with diplomats. We regret they didn't give us a waiver on immunity, but they didn't." He added he doesn't know if the failure to waive immunity was the result of a new Trump administration policy. The US embassy wouldn't comment on specifics but said it takes "seriously any suggestion that our staff have fallen short of the high standards of conduct expected of US government personnel." (Read more New Zealand stories.) "I'm a born burglar," says Octave Durham, per the New York Times, which looks at a new documentary about Durham's notorious theft of two Vincent Van Gogh paintings. Set to be broadcast Tuesday on Dutch TV, the 45-minute special by filmmaker Vincent Verweij gets the inside scoop on the 2002 heist Durham says took less than four minutes and nabbed him two works the Times deems "of inestimable value": Congregation Leaving the Reformed Church in Nuenen and View of the Sea at Scheveningen. Durham, who was convicted for the burglary in 2004 and spent just over two years in prison, says he passed cops in his getaway car and brags that he'd pulled off "more spectacular jobs than this"after years of denying he had any involvement in the theft, per Versopolis.com. In one reveal that may insult art lovers everywhere, Durham notes he didn't run off with the Van Goghs because of any particular love for the great master, or for art in general: He did it because it was an opportunity for a big get. "That's the eye of a burglar," he says. Per NLTimes.com, Durham told a Dutch paper over the weekend he'd wanted to steal two other Van Gogh paintingsSunflowers and The Potato Eatersbut one was too big to slip out and the other was under heavy security, so he and partner Henk Bieslijn settled on the other two. The Times notes the Van Gogh Museum is still "furious" with Durham, who didn't get paid for the film, and refused to help Verweij. The filmmaker defends his choice of cinematic subject, noting, "You never see documentaries or articles about art theft from the perspective of the thief." (The Van Gogh Museum was pretty stoked when the paintings were recovered.) Toxicology tests have been completed on the attacker shot dead at a French airport Saturday, and his blood contained a cocktail of intoxicants, the AP and Guardian report. Per the Paris prosecutors' office, 39-year-old Ziyed Ben Belgacemwho, with possible terror motives, tore away a soldier's rifle at France's Orly Airport before being shot dead by two of her colleagueshad a blood alcohol content of 0.93 grams per liter of blood, which is almost twice the country's legal driving limit. The presence of cannabis and cocaine was also found in Belgacem's system. This news jibes with what a man who identified himself as Belgacem's father told a radio station Sunday about his son, who was also involved in a police incident earlier Saturday in which he fired birdshot at cops during a traffic stop. The father told Europe 1 that Belgacem called him right after that incident and said, "Daddy, please forgive me. I've screwed up with a police officer," per the Guardian. The father insisted his son wasn't a terrorist, nor a practicing Muslim. "Under the effects of alcohol and cannabis, this is where one ends up," he said. (Read more France stories.) The Danes are no longer residents of the happiest nation. The latest World Happiness Report gives the new No. 1 ranking to Norway, thanks to factors including a sense of community, low unemployment, low income inequality, and a per-person annual income of $100,000, reports USA Today. The latter figure, largely based on oil, is about double that of the US, which drops one spot to 14th in the rankings of 155 nations. "Happy countries are the ones that have a healthy balance of prosperity, as conventionally measured, and social capital, meaning a high degree of trust in a society, low inequality, and confidence in government," Jeffrey Sachs, director of the UN's Sustainable Development Solutions Network, tells Reuters. He says the US dropped because it is "becoming more and more mean-spirited," and he cites rising corruption and income inequality, per the AP. Top 10 happiest: Norway, Denmark, Iceland, Switzerland, Finland, Netherlands, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, and Sweden. Norway, Denmark, Iceland, Switzerland, Finland, Netherlands, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, and Sweden. 10 least happiest: Central African Republic finishes last, just ahead of Burundi, Tanzania, Syria, Rwanda, Togo, Guinea, Liberia, South Sudan, and Yemen. Central African Republic finishes last, just ahead of Burundi, Tanzania, Syria, Rwanda, Togo, Guinea, Liberia, South Sudan, and Yemen. Others: Germany (16), the UK (19), and France (31). Germany (16), the UK (19), and France (31). Tidbits: Mental illness is the biggest source of unhappiness in richer countries, while unemployment generally translates to a big drop in happiness. (Read more Norway stories.) More than three years after their deaths, a former Pennsylvania state trooper has been charged in the fatal shooting of his pregnant wife, which also resulted in the death of the baby she was carrying. Joseph Miller, who resigned from the state police Wednesday, told dispatchers during the 911 call in 2014 that he was preparing to clean his gun when he released the slide and pulled the trigger, not realizing there was a round in the magazine at the time. His wife was sitting on the floor nearby sorting baby clothes, per CBS Philadelphia, and was shot in the head; their daughter, who was at 24 weeks gestation, was delivered via emergency c-section. Neither survived. Miller, now 36, was initially cleared in the shooting, but subsequent investigation revealed that he lied to authorities, police say. He has been charged with two counts of involuntary manslaughter, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports. Tests found that Joanna Miller, 34, was shot from 3 to 6 inches away; thus, Miller "lied to police when he stated he did not know where Joanna was at the time of the shooting" and "also lied" when he told police he was 8 to 10 feet away from her, then "lied again when he changed his answer" and said he was about 2 feet away from her, per the affidavit of probable cause filed last week. "Miller should have been aware that his wife was seated right next to him, and that the muzzle was pointed directly at her head, when he pulled the trigger and shot her to death," it states, adding that he also disregarded safety measures with which, as a state trooper, he should have been familiar. The Millers had two other children together, and Joanna Miller also had two children from a previous relationship. Joseph Miller can be heard consoling children on the 911 recording, ABC News reports. (Read more involuntary manslaughter stories.) It's one of Ghana's top tourist draws, and on Sunday, the scene of a freak tragedy. Some 20 high school students were killed at the Kintampo waterfalls when a tree or trees (media reports differ on the number) fell at the top of the falls and toppled on them below, an official tells the AFP. "They were swimming in the river when there was a storm, a windy atmosphere that had uprooted some of the trees," says a national fire service spokesman. "A huge tree fell at the top when the rains began and crashed the revelers," a witness tells Starr FM. Rescue teams worked with chainsaws to clear those who were trapped. The spokesman says 18 died at the scene and two died later at the hospital; another official tells the BBC that 22 were injured, though media reports differ on that number, too. Most of the victims attended the Wenchi Methodist Secondary School and the University of Energy and Natural Resources, per the AP. President Nana Akufo-Addo tweeted, "My deepest condolences to the families of all those affected by this unfortunate and tragic incident." Ghana tourism minister Catherine Abelema Afeku issued a statement, per the AFP, extending her sympathies to the families and prayers for those injured. The Kintampo waterfalls, one of the country's highest with a drop of 82 feet, is located on the Pumpum river about 250 miles from the capital, Accra. (Strong winds blew a truck off a bridge in Virginia, killing the driver.) The Alabama nursing student whose brave kidnapping escape was caught on a gas station's surveillance video last week revealed that her insulin pump played a role in her getaway. In an exclusive interview with the Today show on Monday, Brittany Diggs, 25, said the faint light of her insulin pump helped her find the emergency release lever in her trunk. (Since September 2001, all new cars must have such a lever there.) Diggs waited until the gunman who abducted her last Tuesday was pulling out of the gas station before she yanked the latch and leapt from the vehicle. She described what was going through her mind, knowing she had just seconds to act. "I'm holding the latch like this, waiting for him to get back in the car. ... He's yelling, and I feel the car reversing, and he's pulling out pretty fast, so I'm, like, 'Oh shoot, I better get out of here.'" Diggs says the abductor grabbed her outside her apartment and, after learning she didn't have money on her, asked to look in her trunk. She showed him it was empty; Diggs says he made her get in, then drove her around trying to use her ATM card. He was allegedly attempting to use it at the gas station before her escape. He's still at large and has personal details about Diggs, including her wallet and phone. Worried about her safety, she plans to move. "I try to put it in the back of my head so I can just ... get through the day, but that was like the scariest thing I've ever had to deal with." Birmingham police are optimistic they'll catch her abductor. "We're working really hard to get this guy identified," Police Chief AC Roper tells AL.com. Diggs' friends have set up a GoFundMe page to help her relocate and start anew; more than $30,000 had been donated as of Tuesday morning. (Another kidnapping grabbing national headlines involves a Tennessee teacher.) Richard Steeves is 75 years old, plays the piano, and has just one wish in life. But as Bob Hohler details for the Boston Globe, that wishfreedomis complicated by the fact that Steeves is a convicted serial killer who's been in prison for three decades. Hohler has long covered Steeves' case, including his clemency push, which the inmate at Maine's Mountain View correctional facility says would give the state a chance to show off a real "success story" of prisoner rehabilitation. To bolster his case, Steeves, who has Parkinson's disease, has been highlighting evidence of his turnaround, including his hospice work and piano instruction for other inmates, caring for neglected dogs through a prison program, and woodworking contributions to the facility's store. "Keeping me in prison longer is no benefit to anyone," he recently told the Governors Board on Executive Clemency. But it's hard to overlook Steeves' past, which included killing five mostly elderly men in the mid-'60sand then a sixth man in 1985, just months after he'd been set free from prison. Hohler reveals Steeves' backstory, which includes physical abuse by his dad (who later killed himself), alleged sexual abuse in the orphanage where he was placed, and a lifetime spent confined: Hohler notes Steeves, long ago diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, has only been free from various institutions for about 18 months since he was 12. "I can't recall ever meeting a more dangerous person in an institution," noted a psychiatrist in 1972. But Steeves says he's vanquished his demons, noting, "I've changed to be a better person." One person who doesn't agree: the head of Maine's AG criminal unit, who insists she's "vehemently opposed" to the release of a man with such a "violent, unpredictable past." His story is at the Boston Globe. (Meanwhile, this serial killer is pushing for his right to die.) Stephen Hawking is afraid he might be persona non grata in America, reports the Guardian, due to the Trump administration's views on the environment and British cosmologist's past criticism of those views. In a conversation Monday with ITV's Good Morning Britain, Hawking said the US has swung "to a right-wing, more authoritarian approach," including the new government's January freeze on EPA hiring and information disseminationwhich Hawking roundly denounced, per CNBC. "I would like to visit again and to talk to other scientists, but I fear that I may not be welcome," he says. He adds President Trump should dump EPA chief Scott Pruitt, noted for his skepticism toward climate change, which Hawking calls "one of the great dangers" the world is dealing with. The 75-year-old calls the US "a place I like and admire in many ways," but he isn't quite as complimentary about voters who put Trump into office, calling them "neither liberal nor that well informed." He also revealed what may be a bit of a feminist bent, lauding the rise of women around the world, like Angela Merkel and Theresa May, to top political positions, calling it a "seismic shift." "I welcome these signs of womens liberation," he said. As for Britain's upcoming break from the EU, Hawking thinks the UK should resist a "hard Brexit" and keep close ties to both Europe and China. A final reveal in the interview: Hawking says Virgin Group founder Richard Branson has offered him a seat on his spaceship when it launches into the cosmos, the Independent reports. "I thought no one would take me," Hawking said. (Read more Stephen Hawking stories.) As a manhunt continues for a 50-year-old teacher accused of kidnapping a 15-year-old female student, details about the pair's alleged relationship are being revealed by way of school documents. WKRN reports on a report produced by Tennessee's Maury County School Administration after its investigation into Tad Cummins' relationship with the minor. Elizabeth Thomas was a student in Cummins' Forensics class at Culleoka Unit School, and per the report, a middle-school student observed the pair kissing"It wasn't a makeout kiss, just a peck on the lips," said the studenton Jan. 23. Distressed, the student asked Cummins the next day about the nature of his relationship with the freshman. He allegedly said he was a father figure to Elizabeth, whom he said was dealing with an abusive home life, and saw her as a best friend. The student reported the two to administrators. Cummins and Elizabeth denied the kiss, but the freshman was taken out of his class and the two were told not to be in the same room at any point. Elizabeth was observed in his classroom for 30 minutes on Feb. 3, and Cummins was suspended on Feb. 6. The teen has been missing since last Monday, and the two are believed to be together. CBS News reports the two posted what it calls "cryptic" messages on Instagram last Monday, Elizabeth's about Beauty and the Beast, and Cummins' reading, "Good morning all! This is going to be an amazing day! Let's do this! #strong #unbreakable #love." The Maury County Sheriff told WKRN they have reason to believe Cummins had been preparing to live off the grid; per the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, "investigative efforts ... indicates [sic] he potentially planned this abduction prior to Monday." It has fielded tips from 24 states. (Read more missing teen stories.) FBI Director James Comey's testimony before Congress on Monday is making headlines on two main fronts: First, he publicly contradicted a series of tweets from President Trump in which Trump alleged that then-President Obama had wiretapped him during the campaign. "I have no confirmation that supports those tweets, and we have looked carefully inside the FBI," Comey said, per the AP. The same was true, he added, of the Justice Department. Second, he confirmed that the bureau is investigating possible links and coordination between Russia and associates of Trump as part of a broader probe of Russian meddling in the election. It's the first public confirmation of an investigation that began last summer, and it came in Comey's opening statement before the House intelligence committee. Comey acknowledged that the FBI does not ordinarily discuss ongoing investigations, but said he'd been authorized to do so given the extreme public interest in this case. "This work is very complex, and there is no way for me to give you a timetable for when it will be done," Comey told the House panel. The hearing, providing the most extensive public accounting of a matter that has dogged the Trump administration for its first two months, quickly broke along partisan lines. Democrats pressed for details on the status of the FBI's investigation, while Republicans repeatedly focused on news coverage and possible improper disclosures of classified information developed through surveillance. The Senate Intelligence Committee has scheduled a similar hearing for later in the month. (Read more James Comey stories.) On Saturday night, an advanced U.S. military satellite named Wideband Global SATCOM - 9 or WGS-9 propelled to the orbit. It is reported that the satellite would be used for the communication needs of the military. The $445 million dollar project was carried by Delta IV rocket, and the satellite is the ninth member of a ten-member satellite group. The satellite was lifted from the Cape Canaveral launching pad at 8:18 p.m. EDT, and it was built and launched by United Launch Alliance (ULA). Interestingly, ULA is a joint venture of Boeing Co. and Lockheed Martin Corp. The geostationary satellite is placed in orbit that is 22,000 miles from the equator. The tenth satellite in the constellation will be launched late 2018, and some of the satellites in the group are built in cooperation with other countries including New Zealand and Canada. The WGS network satellites are being used in various television broadcasts, exchanging high-bandwidth data, video conferences and images between aircraft, ships, operation centers and ground forces. This is even used by the White House, the State Department, and other partners worldwide. The satellites support both Ka-band and X-band, and this means that it can be used for data transmission efficiently. The satellites can also help transferring the voice, video, data, and other communication types. "The satellite group can provide anywhere, anytime communication for forces including sailors, airmen, soldiers, etc.," said the director of Air Force Space Command in Los Angele's Military Satellite Communications Systems Directorate, Robert Tarleton. Interestingly, the new satellite received contributions from Canada, Luxembourg, New Zealand, Denmark, and the Netherlands, and these countries will be able to use its bands for communication needs. According to the communication from the Air Force, the countries would have proportional access to the bandwidth of constellation according to the amount they contributed. The reports confirm that altogether the contribution from the countries stand at $442 million. Sorry! This content is not available in your region New Delhi: As many as five sectors including defence, ports and coal have failed to attract any foreign direct investments during the April-December period of the current fiscal, Parliament was informed on Monday. The other two segments which were not able to attract the foreign inflows are - photographic raw film & paper and coir, according to the data shared by Commerce and Industry Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in a written reply to the Lok Sabha. Barring defence industries, the other four sectors had not received any FDI in 2015-16 either. Last year, the government relaxed FDI norms in several sectors including defence. India imports 70 per cent of its military hardware from different countries. As per the current policy, foreign investment beyond 49 per cent has been permitted in the defence sector through the approval route in cases resulting in access to modern technology in the country or for other reasons. However, the sectors which have attracted maximum FDI in the April-December period of this fiscal include services (USD 7.5 billion), trading (USD 2 billion), metallurgical industries (USD 1.25 billion), electrical equipment (USD 2 billion), telecommunications (USD 5.54 billion) and computer hardware & software (USD 1.81 billion). During the 9-month period of 2016-17, India attracted a total of USD 35.84 billion in foreign inflows. New Delhi: The 'rumoured' altercation between comedian Kapil Sharma and his co-star Sunil Grover may snowball into an all-out fight as reports are doing the rounds that the latter might retaliate by quitting 'The Kapil Sharma Show' once again. After allegedly being assaulted by Kapil during a flight from Australia, Sunil Grover is now reportedly mulling other options. If this report turns out to be true, it will surely disappoint his fans as they will miss 'Rinku Bhabhi' and Doctor Mashhoor Gulati- the charecters played by Sunil in the famous comedy show. According to a media report, Sunil is quite hurt with Kapil's disrespectful behaviour. It's no secret that Sunil Grover had once left the show over alleged differences, though after a while he was back on the show in a 'new and improved' avatar. While Sunil has chosen to remain tight-lipped on this latest buzz, Kapil, the protagonist of the show, has played down the matter. To clarify things, Kapil took to Facebook on to dismiss reports of any rift between the two comedians. In the post, Kapil tried to put all the rumours to rest by saying that he loves his co-star as an artist and considers him as his elder brother. "(I) was celebrating my best time and suddenly I heard a news about me and Sunil paji fighting first of all, see where it is coming from, what are the intentions behind this. If I fought with him in the flight then who saw it and informed you.. Is he trustworthy? "Some people enjoy these kinds of stuff, we eat together, we travel together. I meet my brother once in a year and spending almost everyday with my team especially Sunil... I love him... I respect him," wrote Kapil. Also Read: Kapil Sharma BREAKS SILENCE on assaulting Sunil Grover He further admitted to have had an argument with Grover but said they fought like normal people and that all is well between them. "Yes I had a arguement with him. But are we not normal people? I shouted at him first time in five years.. 'itna to chalta hai bhai' (that much is ok). We will sit and talk that where is the problem. "Why so much negativity all the time? I respect our media. There are some other serious issues which we need to focus. Is me and Sunil's issue is so important and related with the security of my country?" he added. Kapil added that they spend a lot of time together than they do with their families and sometimes such fights are normal. "It's our family matter... we will sort this out... 'zyada maze mat liya karo' (don't put a spin on things)," he added. Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Monday directed state DGP Javeed Ahmed to ensure that there was no laxity in improving law and order situation, hours after a BSP leader was shot dead in Allahabad. Official sources said Adityanath expressed concern over the incident and stressed that restoring law and order was the top priority of his government. 60-year-old BSP leader Mohd Shami was on Sunday night gunned down by assailants close to his residence in Mauaima police station area, 40 km from Allahabad. Lucknow: CM Yogi Adityanath holds meeting with senior officials of all depts in Lok Bhawan. Dy CMs KP Maurya, Dinesh Sharma also present. pic.twitter.com/buYzVCUCNn ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) March 20, 2017 The Uttar Pradesh DGP has been asked to hold video conference with the district magistrates and the superintendents of police of all the 75 districts of the state to take stock of law and order situation and other administrative issues, they said. Deputy chief ministers Keshav Prasad Maurya and Dinesh Sharma also met Adityanath. Who is Yogi Adityanath: Hindutva mascot, controversy's favourite child, five-term MP from Gorakhpur and now 21st CM of Uttar Pradesh Maurya told reporters that the first meeting of the state Cabinet would discuss all key issues mentioned in BJP's 'sankalp patra', which include loan waiver to farmers and ban on mechanised slaughter houses. Sharma told media persons that his meeting was just a courtesy call. "We will work for the welfare of the people with full vigour and ensure that the work is visible on the ground," he said. Also Read | When Yogi Adityanath's motorcade was attacked by a mob in Azamgarh in 2008 | Video Earlier in the day, Chief Secretary Rahul Bhatnagar, the DGP and Principal Secretary Home Debashish Panda met the chief minister at the VVIP Guest House here ahead of his meeting with the senior officials of the state. The portfolios to the new ministers are likely to be announced soon. A 47-member Council of Ministers, including two deputy CMs, was administered the oath of office and secrecy by Governor Ram Naik on Sunday. Also Read | Gorakhnath Mutt: A temple that imbibes soul of Uttar Pradesh politics 44-year-old Adityanath, who was sworn-in as the 21st Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, has promised to work for all sections of the society without any discrimination, pursuing the agenda of 'sabka sath, sabka vikas'. As one of the first steps in that direction, Adityanath has directed all government officials to declare their movable and immovable assets within 15 days. On Sunday, new UP CM had given the same order to his ministers soon after taking oath to office. Read | UP CM Yogi Adityanath's first order to ministers after assuming office: Give income, asset details in 15 days In his maiden trip to his office at 5KD, Adityanath held an oath taking ceremony for his officials, wherein they pledged to PM Modi's 'Swachhta' mission. According to sources, CM Yogi was in his office for only 10 minutes. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: Hours after swearing-in ceremony of new Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, a Bahujan Samaj Party leader Mohammed Shami was shot dead in Allahabad on Sunday. Criminals fired many rounds of bullets on Mohammed Shami. A total of five bullets were retrieved from Shamis body. BSP leader and former block head Shami was murdered while he was getting back to his home. Shami had recently shifted from Samajwadi Party to BSP. In 2012, Shami had contested election against Raja Bhaiya on Kunda seat in Pratapgarh. But, despite having SPs ticket, he lost that election badly and couldn't even save his security deposits. Shamis supporters protested after his murder on Sunday night. They blocked Allahabad-Faizabad highway for some time as well. Police have initiated investigation into the matter. Nobody has been arrested in this matter so far. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: The two Sufi clerics, who went missing in Pakistan last week, on Monday thanked the governments of India and Pakistan for their safe return here but remained tightlipped on what led to their disappearance. Nazim Ali Nizami, one of the clerics, did reject Pakistani media reports that they were in interior Sindh where there was no communication network. We did not have visa for Sindh interior region, so how could we have gone there? We come from the school of sufi which teaches peace and brotherhood. There are good and bad elements and those who go against the teachings they have to suffer humiliation, he told reporters, without elaborating further. ALSO READ | Nizamuddin Dargah head priest, nephew who went missing in Pakistan return to Delhi When asked as to why they were interrogated, Nazim said they were asked about their visa and other immigration details. Both Nazim and Syed Asif Nizami, who is the the head priest of Hazrat Nizamuddin Dargah, thanked the Indian and the Pakistani governments for their return to the homeland. We thank Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and well-wishers from all religions who prayed for our return, they told reporters. ALSO READ | Two missing Indian clerics are safe, will be back in Delhi soon, says Sushma Swaraj The two are likely to meet Swaraj on Monday. Amir Nizami, son of Syed Asif Nizami, alleged that the duo were taken away based on a news report in a local Urdu daily which claimed that they had links with Indian intelligence agency RAW. Asked if Pakistan spy agency ISI was involved in the episode, he refused to comment but made it clear that no force was used against them. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi : In a major breakthrough, the Centre and Haryana government successfully convinced the Jats to call off their quota agitation scheduled for Monday in the national capital. With a strategy to deal the issue in a speedy manner, the union government pressed its two Union Ministers Birender Singh and PP Chaudhary, who also represented the Jat community, along with Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar to take out a solution for longstanding demands of the community. According to sources, the government did not want to repeat a situation which had created bedlam three decades ago in 1988 when Bharatiya Kisan Union leaders had seized the India Gate with lakh of supporters to press their demand. "Centre and state will soon begin the process of giving reservation, following the Delhi High court order," Khattar told reporters in a joint press conference along with All India Jat Aarakshan Sangharsh Samiti (AIJASS) Chairperson Yashpal Malik. Appeal to the people that they should cooperate to maintain peace and harmony: Haryana CM #JatAgitation pic.twitter.com/N2z0vZaDSX ANI (@ANI_news) March 19, 2017 He also appealed to people in the state to cooperate in maintaining peace and harmony. "Ab Jat Dilli na aa rahe (Now Jats are not coming to Delhi). We have called off our agitation and march towards Delhi. The state government has agreed to our demands," Malik told reporters after the meeting. He added that the community will call off its dharna from most of the places in the state, barring few where it will continue with symbolic protests. Besides quotas, the Jats have been demanding release of people jailed during last year's agitation, withdrawal of cases slapped during the protests and government jobs for the kin of those killed and injured while taking part in the stir. The Jats have been sitting on dharna in various parts of Haryana since January 29. "The government will now work according to the law and will undertake a survey and check ground realities so that the decision that we finally take will stand in court," P P Chaudhary," Minister of State for Law and Justice said. Also Read | Jat agitation called off: No traffic restriction in Delhi, NCR on Monday; Metro operations to be normal For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: A Kerala-based laymans outfit has come out with a demand that nuns be allowed to perform the sacrament of confession for women and minors instead of priests. Kerala Catholic Reformation Movement, which stands for reforms in the church, held a sit-in dharna outside the Bishop House in Kochi on Sunday to press their demand. Indulekha Joseph, a member of the outfit, said they were raising the demand in the wake of the increasing instances of sexual abuses allegedly involving Christian priests. The stir was attended by a number of people, including women and senior citizen, in front of the Major Archbishops House at Marine Drive in Kochi. ALSO READ | Kerala: Kunnur priest arrested on charge of impregnating minor girl The participants at the dharna held banners with slogans Let nuns perform the sacrament of confession of women, women are afraid of confession booths of priests and so on. Joseph also claimed that Bible does not say anywhere that the sacrament of confession be done by priests only. The Kerala Catholic Bishop Council dismissed the protest by the group, saying there was no need for a discussion on the issue right now. The agitation is just to get media attention and also without understanding the core principles of Holy Bible, Fr He said the protesters should take church matters with much more seriousness and study the Bible. We are not rejecting the issue raised by them with contempt. But, there is no seriousness in their demand. They should approach the church matters seriously and study Bible, he added. The stir comes in the wake of the recent incident of the rape of a minor girl allegedly by a Catholic priest in Kottiyoor in Kannur district. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: Syed Asif Nizami and his nephew Nazim Ali Nizami were welcomed at the airport by their family members and a group of well wishers. Amir Nizami, son of Asif Nizami who is the head priest (Sajjadanashin) of Hazrat Nizamuddin Aulia Dargah, thanked the Indian government for its intervention in ensuring the return of his father and Ali Nizami. "Both are fine. We are thankful to the Indian government for all the support in securing their return," Amir told PTI. The two clerics did not speak to the waiting media. Ibrahim Nizami, the grandson of the 80-year-old head priest, said special prayers will be offered at the Nizamuddin Dargah to "thank the almighty" for their return. Asif Nizami and Nazim Ali Nizami had gone to Lahore on March 8 but went missing in the middle of last week following which India took up the issue with Islamabad. Read | Missing Indian clerics traced in Karachi, to return India on Monday The main purpose of the visit of Asif to Pakistan was to see his sister in Karachi. On Saturday, Pakistan had conveyed to India that the clerics were traced and had reached Karachi. External affairs minister Sushma Swaraj had taken up the issue with Pakistan Prime Minister's adviser on foreign affairs Sartaj Aziz and requested him to trace the missing clerics. Swaraj had spoken to Asif Nizami on Sunday said they were safe. According to Pakistani media reports, both clerics had been in "interior Sindh where there was no communication network" and that is why they could not inform their relatives about their whereabouts. Earlier, Pakistani sources had said the two clerics were in the custody of Pakistan's intelligence agency over their alleged links with the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM). They were offloaded from Karachi-bound Shaheen Airlines on March 14 at the Allama Iqbal International Airport, Lahore, the Pakistani sources had said. (With inputs from PTI) For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Bhopal: Union Minister for Water Resources Uma Bharti on Monday said the newly-appointed Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath was the most suitable candidate for the job. Yogi-ji is a balanced person. He has long experience in Parliament and has carried forward an ideology. I think he is most suitable for a state like Uttar Pradesh and would establish new dimensions (of governance), Bharti said here. One should not judge him by his robes. He has taken sannyas and it is his personal life style. We have to see whether he is a good politician, whether he has the capacity to take along everyone...and he is most suitable from these viewpoints, she said. Adityanath was the unanimous choice for CMs post, Bharti claimed. Asked about his image as a Hindutva hardliner, Bharti said a maximum number of shops at his ashram in Gorakhpur are owned by Muslims. ALSO READ | Will CM Yogi Adityanath fulfil BJP's farmer loan waiver promise? Report says scheme to cost Rs 27,420cr to banks and may cause stress on UP's economy On rising opposition to EVMs following the Uttar Pradesh poll results, Bharti, who herself once opposed these machines, said, Election Commission has settled this issue long back. It has demonstrated that EVM cannot be tampered with and its view should be accepted. When asked whether she made a mistake by quitting as Madhya Pradesh CM in 2004, Bharti defended her decision. She decided to resign because of a case related to the national flag, and she had no regrets, the senior BJP leader said. She also praised the Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhans leadership, and denied having called him Baccha Chor (child lifter) when she was denied power in 2005. I had said this about someone who is no more, she said. I wish he (Chouhan) breaks my record (of winning 173 seats) by winning more than 175 out of the 230 Assembly seats in MP, she added. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: NIA issued notice to Islamic preacher Zakir Naik asking him to appear before NIA headquarter on 30 March. Naik's Islamic Research Foundation official has received the second notice on Friday. This notice will only add to the list of summons that has been issued to Naik by Enforcement Directorate (ED). The previous notice had asked him to appear on March 14. Naik has been accused along with other unnamed officials of IRF for promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion. He is also accused of indulging in acts prejudicial to the maintenance of harmony besides various sections of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA). Zakir Naik is an Indian Islamic preacher and the founder and president of the Islamic Research Foundation (IRF). He is also the founder of the 'comparative religion' Peace TV channel. Also Read: Amid fears of arrest, Zakir Naik asks ED to send questionnaire For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi/Lucknow: Bharatiya Janata Party's Hindutva mascot Yogi Adityanath has taken the charge of Uttar Pradesh government with an iron fist. His first day in office was marked by a series of strict actions and tough directives. In first official meeting, Gorakhpur MP gave a series of orders that are likely to set precident for a fair and inclusive BJP-rule in the state for next five years. As one of the first orders of the business, CM Yogi Adityanath dealt with the incident of BSP leader's murder in Allahabad on Sunday night. Official sources said Adityanath expressed concern over the incident and stressed that restoring law and order was the top priority of his government. 60-year-old BSP leader Mohd Shami was on Sunday night gunned down by assailants close to his residence in Mauaima police station area, 40 km from Allahabad. The meeting, sources said, was focused on fulfilling promises mentioned in BJP's 'sankalp patra'. Read | Adityanath Govt swings into action on Day 1: Law and order, farmers' loan waiver, ban on mechanised slaughter houses top priority for BJP govt in UP Here are the 10 main decisions taken on Day 1 of Yogi Adityanath Govt in UP 1) All Ministers and officials directed to submit information of their movable and immovable assets within 15 days. 2) UP Assembly session to be held in first week of April 3) Hriday Narayan Dikshit to be Speaker of UP Assembly 4) Yogi Adityanath Govt's first budget to be presented between June 15 and July 15. Officials directed to started working on budget 5) Officials directed to start planning schemes on the basis of BJP manifesto 6) New schemes to focus on increasing investments in Uttar Pradesh; Govt to focus on increasing industrial development policy 7) Job recruitments to be based on merit 8) No political pressure on district administrations and police stations across the state for better law and order and corruption-free regime; Zero-tolerance for lawlessness 9) All officials asked to pledge support to PM Modi's Swachhta campaign 10) Officials directed to change their negative attitude towards women Read | Who is Yogi Adityanath: Hindutva mascot, controversy's favourite child For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Lucknow: Portfolios to new ministers of Uttar Pradesh are likely to be allotted very soon, cabinet minister Siddharth Nath Singh said on Monday. A 47-member Council of Ministers, including two deputy chief ministers, was sworn in by Governor Ram Naik Sunday. The portfolios are being worked out. The process for allocation of departments is on and hopefully it will be done very soon, Singh told PTI here. Singh and Shrikant Sharma are the two UP ministers entrusted with the task of acting as an interface between the government and the media. He said that soon after the allocation of portfolios, the date of the Assembly session would be finalised after consultation with the Governor, who organised an At Home at Raj Bhawan this evening for the new council of ministers. ALSO READ | Hours after Yogi Adityanath taking over in UP, 2 slaughterhouses sealed in Allahabad Besides two deputies, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanaths team has 22 cabinet ministers, nine ministers of state with independent charge and 13 ministers of state. Earlier in the day, the chief minister said the state budget for 2017-18 will be prepared keeping in mind the promises made in BJPs sankalp patra. Adityanath, who was sworn-in as the 21st Chief Minister of UP yesterday, has promised to work for all sections of the society without any discrimination, pursuing the agenda of sabka sath, sabka vikas (with all, development for all). In first official meeting, Gorakhpur MP gave a series of orders that are likely to set precident for a fair and inclusive BJP-rule in the state for next five years. ALSO READ | Will CM Yogi Adityanath fulfil BJP's farmer loan waiver promise? Report says scheme to cost Rs 27,420cr to banks and may cause stress on UP's economy As one of the first orders of the business, CM Yogi Adityanath dealt with the incident of BSP leader's murder in Allahabad on Sunday night. Official sources said Adityanath expressed concern over the incident and stressed that restoring law and order was the top priority of his government. (With Inputs from PTI) For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Chennai: The Madras High Court on Monday ordered the heads of censor board to appear before it on March 27, saying the poorly censored films are responsible for obscenity in cinema, which is affecting the youths diversely. The heads of censor board are directed to appear before the court on March 27 to explain as to why necessary action should not be taken against the board which is responsible for exhibition of such cinemas involving POCSO Act offences, said a bench of Justice S Nagamuthu and Justice Anita Sumanth. The judges issued the summons as a minor girl, traced in February after eloping with her 22-year-old boyfriend last May, deposed before the court that she had eloped under the influence from similar episodes in films. Her father had lodged a complaint on May 16, 2016 that his daughter studying in class XII in Myladuthurai was missing. It was later found that she had eloped with a local youth. The police investigation revealed the youth was involved in several criminal cases in Myladuthurai region. The police later traced the youth to Kozhikode on the basis of his mobile phone location, but the police could not find him there as it reached there on February 10. The couple surfaced later and with the girls father having filed a habeas corpus petition in the court, they were produced before it with the girl being four-month pregnant. On quizzed by the court, the girl told the judges that she had eloped with the youth on her own volition after seeing and being influenced by Tamil films. At this, the judges observed that the society has been spoilt by bad films. They said the poorly censored films ere responsible for obscenity in cinema which in turn are having adverse effect on the youths. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Bhagalpur: Tilka Manjhi Bhagalpur University (TMBU) in Bhagalpur on Monday cancelled the law degree of former Delhi Law Minister and AAP MLA Jitender Singh Tomar. The decision to cancel Tomar's degree was taken by Senate members of the University, Vice-Chancellor Chemendra Kumar Singh told PTI. Chancellor and Bihar Governor Ramnath Kovind had authorised the University Senate, the highest decision-making body of the university, to take a decision on law degree of the former Delhi minister after University's Examination board had on September 21 last year send a recommendation to him in this regard. The university committee had earlier found the migration certificate of the former Law Minister of the Arvind Kejriwal government wrong and on the basis of it had recommended cancellation of the Law degree. The controversy relates to the acquisition of Law degree by Tomar on the basis of a doubtful enrolment at Biswanath Law College in Munger in the academic session 1994-95. He had claimed to have passed the law examination in 1998-99. Tomar was arrested and later released on bail in 2015 in the Law degree issue and had to resign from the Kejriwal ministry. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Allahabad : The Allahabad Nagar Nigam on Monday sealed two slaughter houses in city just a day after newly sworn-in chief minister Yogi Aditya Nath took the charge of the state. It was not cleared that the move came after an issuance of executive order or it was a prerogative action of the civic authorities. Adityanath, who is also observed as hardline mascot of Hindutava, has been advocating for the closure of illegal slaughter houses. The new chief minister had vowed during poll rallies to shut down slaughter houses across the state if they had voted to power. Adityanath is also the founder of the organisation Hindu Yuva Vahini that has been leading drives against cow slaughter and love jihad. It remains to be seen whether the step was a poll promise. #FLASH: Two slaughter houses in Uttar Pradesh's Allahabad sealed by Nagar Nigam authorities. pic.twitter.com/LaAQtUx0Wc ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) March 20, 2017 Also Read: SC refuses to hear PIL seeking total ban on cow slaughter For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: Newly appointed Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Yogi Adityanath is going to meet senior officials of the state ministries on Monday. Later at 5 PM, Adityanath will also meet Governor. Yogi Adityanath will also enter his new residence at 5 Kalidas Marg in Lucknow. He will enter government residence during an auspicious time. Seven priests have performed prayers at the new residence. Yogi Adityanath took oath as Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister in Lucknow on Sunday. During the oath taking ceremony, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP President Amit Shah were also present. In a move that surprised many, the 44-year-old five-term MP from Gorakhpur was elected the BJP legislature party leader at a meeting of the newly elected MLAs, a week after BJP won a resounding three-fourth majority in the key Hindi heartland state, making a comeback to power after 15 years. Also read: UP CM Yogi Adityanath's first order to ministers after assuming office: Give income, asset details in 15 days For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: NASA has been studying about our solar system and in order to find out more about it, the US space agency has picked up four new research teams. The new team will study the asteroids near Earth, the Moon and other components of the solar system. NASAs nine existing teams are already involved in the research and now the four new teams are all set to join them in SSERVI. The NASA research teams in collaboration with international partners will try to find out answers to scientific queries about the Moon, asteroids near Earth, the Martian moons Phobos and Deimos and the environments near them. A report in Engadget suggests that the first team belongs to the University of Colorado and will study on robotics, cosmology, astrophysics and heliophysics in order to advance manned space exploration. The second team will work on a project called "Toolbox for Research and Exploration" which develops tools and methods for the manned exploration of celestial bodies. "The third group from Georgia Institute of Technology will explore how radiation affects human-made composite materials. They'll also look into how real-time detectors can help minimise astronauts' exposure to harmful radiation," the report said. The fourth team is Exploration Science Pathfinder Research for Enhancing Solar System Observations or ESPRESSO. It will help NASA understand the events that are hazardous for robotic and human explorers in space. Disasters can be predicted and managed with the better knowledge of hazardous events in space. ALSO READ | NASA's software catalogue for 2017-18, offered FREE for public to download and explore the space "NASA will set aside $3 to $5 million of its budget per year to fund the teams' research for the next five years," the report said. NASA came up with the Solar System Exploration Research Virtual Institute or SSERVI to advance basic and applied research for lunar and planetary science, and advance human exploration of the solar system through scientific discovery. ALSO READ | NASA Europa Clipper mission to probe icy moon for ingredients necessary for life For all the Latest Science News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: A Space X Dragon cargo ship loaded with nearly 4,000 pounds of science samples, old equipment and trash was released from the International Space Station. The cargo ship returned to Earth on Sunday and splashed safely into the Pacific Ocean, the company said. The Dragon capsule -- the only such vessel capable of returning research samples and other material to Earth -- remained docked with the ISS for nearly a month after it delivered more than two tons of food, water and scientific equipment for NASA on February 23. This was the 10th of more than two dozen planned Space X station resupply mission carried out under multiple NASA contracts totaling more than $2 billion. Released by the ISS's robot arm at 0900 GMT, the capsule undertook a more than six-hour journey back to Earth, landing off the coast of Mexico just before 1600 GMT, its final descent slowed by three giant parachutes. For all the Latest Science News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Berlin: Germany angrily warned Turkey on Sunday that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had "gone too far" after he accused Chancellor Angela Merkel of using "Nazi measures" in an escalating diplomatic feud. Turkey and the European Union are locked in an explosive crisis that threatens to jeopardise Ankara's bid to join the bloc, as tensions rise ahead of an April 16 referendum on expanding Erdogan's powers. The row erupted after authorities in Germany and other EU states refused to allow some Turkish ministers to campaign for a 'yes' vote on their soil, provoking a volcanic response from the Turkish strongman who said the spirit of Nazi Germany was rampant in Europe. "When we call them Nazis they (Europe) get uncomfortable. They rally together in solidarity. Especially Merkel," Erdogan said in a televised speech. "But you are right now employing Nazi measures," Erdogan said referring to Merkel, pointedly using the informal "you" in Turkish. "Against who? My Turkish brother citizens in Germany and brother ministers" who planned to hold campaign rallies for a 'yes' vote in next month's referendum, he said. Germany's foreign minister Sigmar Gabriel branded Erdogan's comments "shocking". "We are tolerant but we're not stupid," he told the Passauer Neue Presse newspaper. "That's why I have let my Turkish counterpart know very clearly that a boundary has been crossed here." Germany, home to 1.4 million Turkish voters, hosts by far the largest Turkish diaspora community in the world but the partnership between Ankara and Berlin has been ripped to shreds by the current crisis. Turkey reacted furiously to a Frankfurt rally on Saturday urging a 'no' vote where protesters brandished insignia of outlawed Kurdish rebels, accusing Germany of double standards. "Yesterday (Saturday), Germany put its name under another scandal," presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin told CNN-Turk. He said the German ambassador had been summoned although this was not confirmed by Berlin. The Turkish foreign ministry accused the German authorities "of the worst example of double standards" for allowing the pro-Kurdish protest while preventing Turkish ministers from campaigning there for a 'yes' vote. Many protesters carried symbols of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), listed as a terror organisation not just by Turkey but also the EU and the United States. Ankara also reacted with indignation after Germany's intelligence chief said he was unconvinced by Turkish assertions that US-based Islamic preacher Fethullah Gulen was behind the failed July coup aimed at overthrowing Erdogan. Kalin said Europe was seeking to "whitewash" Gulen's group, while defence minister Fikri Isik said the comments raised questions about whether Berlin itself was involved in the putsch. For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Washington: Indian-Americans, particularly Hindus and Sikh, have become victims of Islamophobia and xenophobia in the US, the community members said as they held an awareness rally against hate crimes in front of the White House seeking President Donald Trump's intervention in the matter. "Hindus have been recently affected and victimised (in the US) as a result of Islamophobia. It does affect our community as well," Vindhya Adapa, 27, a Virginia-based corporate lawyer, told PTI outside the White House on Sunday. Adapa along with a few dozen Indian-Americans representing various Indian-American groups from in and around the Greater Washington Area held a peaceful demonstration in view of the recent surge in hate crimes against the community. "A recent example of that is recent shooting and murder of an IT personnel in Kansas, who was mistaken for being an Arab and a Muslim. I do think that the current political climate is eventually going to target all communities including Hindu-Americans," said S Sheshadri, a young Indian-American doctor and Adapa's friend. "We are here today to raise awareness against hate crimes particularly against people of Indian origin. This is not necessarily a protest against the Trump Administration. We are here to seek bipartisan support against the hate crimes that has been happening recently against Indian-Americans," Adapa said, urging the President to acknowledge and condemn what is happening. "I would say what is happening against the Indian-American community is a result of xenophobia, Islamic phobia and the anti-immigrant statements that have come out from the Administration," she alleged. "A lot of Sikh people and Hindu people are mistaken for being Muslim, for being Middle eastern," she said, adding that the way to tackle that is to spread awareness about these different communities. In a petition memorandum submitted to President Trump, the recently established Coalition of Indian American organisations of the USA, which organised the event, urged him to intervene in the matter and take steps to punish the culprits under federal hate crimes law. It also urged the President to allay the fears of the Indian-American community and show his support, and take remediation steps to eliminate the hate. "A message should go out to the people of this country from the administration that no citizen should take the law into their hands and it will not be tolerated by the government," said the petition. The peaceful protest was organised in the aftermath of a series of hate crime incidents against Indian-Americans. For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Melbourne: In an apparent racist attack, an Indian-origin Catholic priest was stabbed in the neck at a church in Melbourne by a man who called him unqualified to say mass as he was an Indian. A man armed with a knife approached Tomy Kalathoor Mathew, 48, in the church foyer moments before the Italian-language mass at St Matthew's Parish in Fawkner on Sunday. It's believed that the offender told the priest that because he was Indian, he must be a Hindu or a Muslim and therefore unqualified to say mass, local media reported. "There was some shouting and a lot of movement at the back of the church and then I saw Father Tommy coming to approach me. He waved me over and asked me if I could look at his neck because he said 'I've just been stabbed'," said Melina, one of the parishioners. A 72-year-old man from Fawkner was arrested and charged with intentionally and recklessly causing injury. He was bailed?to appear in Broadmeadows Magistrates' Court on June 13. "At this stage, we believe the incident is isolated. There's nothing to suggest he's a danger to anyone else," detective senior constable Rhiannon Norton told reporters. Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne spokesperson Shane Healy described the incident as "appalling". "People should never be treated like this. This fellow is doing wonderful work for his parishioners and this is really a blight on the great work that many, many Catholic priests are doing," he said. Father Tomy Mathew suffered minor upper-body injuries and remains in a stable condition at The Northern Hospital. Vicar General Monsignor Greg Bennet said the priest was doing well in the hospital and wanted to get back to work soon. For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Washington: US President Donald Trump has said that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un was acting very, very badly, hours after Pyongyang conducted a ground test of a new type of high-thrust rocket engine. He is acting very very badly, Trump told reporters after he held meetings on North Korea with his national security staff at his Florida residence. Trump returned to the White House last night. Today, President Donald J Trump held meetings regarding North Korea and China, the White House said in a brief readout of his meetings of the day. It said the President also met with military personnel. In brief interaction with reporters at Mar-a-Lago, Trump said that over the weekend he held meeting with his officials on North Korea. North Korea conducted a ground test of a new type of high-thrust rocket engine on Saturday at the Sohae launch site, according to the Korean Central News Agency. It said Kim called the test a great event of historic significance for North Koreas indigenous rocket industry. In the last few weeks, the Trump administration has ramped up its rhetoric on North Korea. The US alleges that these tests have been carried out in violation of the UN Security Council resolution. Trumps remarks came as Secretary of State Rex Tillerson headed back home from a three-nation Japan, South Korea and China trip wherein Pyongyang dominated his deliberations. During his three-nation Asia trip, Tillerson not only denounced North Korean tests but also said that the US is open to any pre-emptive strike against Pyongyang. A top Republican lawmaker supported Tillerson's remarks. The closer that the North Korean regime gets to being able to deliver a nuclear weapon, were going to have to be in a position to take some type of preemptive strike. We hope that it doesnt come to that, Chairman of the House Select Committee on Intelligence Congressman David Nunes told Fox News. In Japan, Tillerson said that the diplomatic and other efforts in the past 20 years have failed and thus there is need for a different approach. In the face of this ever-escalating threat, it is clear that a different approach is required. Part of the purpose of my visit to the region is to exchange views on a new approach, he said. A day later, Trump used twitter his favorite social media platform to slam North Korea. North Korea is behaving very badly. They have been playing the United States for years. China has done little to help, said the US President. Kathleen Stephens, a former US Ambassador to South Korea, said that all these indicates that the US is toughening its stance against North Korea. Senator Bob Corker, Chairman of the powerful Senate Foreign Relations Committee, too has supported Tillerson on North Korea. For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: This is time in the year for celebration with Nowruz, the Persian news year and first day of spring just days away however, in US the enthusiasm of Novruz is diminished due to Trump Travel ban. For hundreds of Iranian-Americans in Southern California, who traditionally travel back and forth to be with family for Nowruz, long-held plans and family gatherings have been disrupted because of uncertainty over the ban. Some of the people in Iran are stuck with their visas cancelled after the Trump administrations initial travel ban, which meant to bring them in US for Nowruz festivities, beginning on Monday. So what exactly is Navruz and how important it is for middle-east countries? Navruz marks the New Year across parts of the Middle East, the Balkans, the Caucasus and Asia. It can be spelled Novruz, Nowrouz, Nooruz, Navruz, Nauroz or Nevruz depending on the region. It is celebrated in places such as Afghanistan, Albania, Azerbaijan, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Georgia, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, the Iraqi Kurdistan, Tajikistan, Turkey, Uzbekistan, Pakistan and Turkmenistan. The exact day of Nowruz is 20th of March but it changes depending upon the exact calculation of when the length of the day and the night are equal. For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate GREENWICH Sometime during the middle of this week on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., a lawyer from Cos Cob will offer his remarks to a sub-committee for the U.S. Senate, making the case that Neil Gorsuch should be named to the United States Supreme Court. Its the least he can do for an old friend. Its also what he believes is the right thing to do. Michael Behringer has a longstanding friendship with the Supreme Court nominee, since their days together as college students in upper Manhattan. I know him really well, and hes an excellent choice for the court, regardless of your political ideology, Behringer said. The Cos Cob resident said he can speak to Gorsuchs character after decades of friendship. He spearheaded a recent petition drive among fellow Columbia University alumni in support of the nomination. We hail from across this great country: North to South, East to West, and most places in between, reads the petition, which includes signatures from a significant number of southern Connecticut residents. We are of different faiths and ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds. We are Democrats, Republicans and Independents. As diverse as we are, we share a common belief that Neil Gorsuch would be an exemplary Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court. Behringer, who has moved from a legal career into private equity, said it wasnt that hard to get fellow Columbia alums to support Gorsuch, including Democrats and others who opposed President Donald Trumps election even those with lingering resentment over the way President Obamas pick for the court, Merrick Garland, was stymied by political maneuvering. People who were really anti-Trump, and felt the Garland nomination was handled poorly, signed it, said Behringer. The two men met on the first day of class at Columbia in the mid-80s, and theyve been friends ever since. They belonged to the same fraternity, and theyve been groomsmen at each others weddings. When a work re-assignment took Behringer to Colorado, where Gorsuch was living, Behringer recalled how much his old friend did to help him get adjusted to his new surroundings. Behringer, who graduated from law school at the University of Michigan, worked in mergers and acquisition. His career took him to business development at the Discovery Channel, then into the software field. He is currently in private equity at Warburg Pincus. Rounding up his Columbia connections, Behringer got 154 names on the petition. He said his old classmate had an impact at the school they attended. Gorsuch founded The Federalist Paper, which provided a conservative voice on an avowedly liberal campus. But while the publication tended to adhere to the right, Behringer said, He made it a point, he was not an ideologue. He made sure there was a point-counterpoint, that all sides were heard. Behringer does not belong to a major party, and he said hes a true independent in political orientation. He noted that hes contributed to Sen. Richard Blumenthal, a Democrat, and hes also supported Republicans. Gorsuch is likely to face opposition from Democrats on Capitol Hill. Rep. Jerrold Nadler, a New York Congressman associated with the liberal wing of the party, put out a statement in January that read: Judge Gorsuch is Justice Scalia on steroids. His record demonstrates that, if confirmed, he would rely on his conservative, originalist philosophy to overturn critical precedents and to disregard the rights of everyday Americans while bolstering protections for corporations and special interests. More than 100 civil rights organizations have gone on the record to oppose Gorsuchs nomination. Behringer understands the partisan divide in Washington and the lingering resentments over Garland. But hes a great person for the court, the Cos Cob lawyer said of his old friend. Review him on the merits, rather than a referendum on Trump or how Garland was handled. Thats where public opinion comes into play. Behringer said he hopes the petition and public input will have some sway on Connecticuts senators as deliberations begin. I hope they do the right thing and vote to confirm, he said. Behringer is also looking forward to giving his remarks about Gorsuch at the Senate sub-commitee, and said hes not nervous at all about appearing in front of cameras and a room-full of Washington power-brokers. I really couldnt be prouder to do it, he said. rmarchant@greenwichtime.com OTTAWA, March 20, 2017 /CNW/ - Prospects for Canada's natural gas producers continue to deteriorate as continued strength in U.S. production results in weaker demand for Canadian gas and low prices, according to The Conference Board of Canada's latest Canadian Industrial Outlook: Gas Extraction. "North America's regional natural gas market has changed greatly over the last decade. Rising U.S. shale production has increasingly squeezed Canadian natural gas out of some U.S. markets," said Carlos A. Murillo, Economist, The Conference Board of Canada. "And not only is the U.S. market moving toward self-sufficiency, but the U.S. gas industry is also beating Canadian competitors in the race to enter global liquefied natural gas (LNG) markets." Highlights Following pre-tax losses of $7.6 billion in 2016, Canadian natural gas producers can expect losses to narrow down to $2.8 billion this year, mainly as result of rising commodity prices. in 2016, Canadian natural gas producers can expect losses to narrow down to this year, mainly as result of rising commodity prices. Rising U.S. production levels are increasingly squeezing Canadian natural gas out of some U.S. markets. Natural gas prices across North America reached their lowest levels in nearly two decades last year, but are expected to steadily climb over the next five years. reached their lowest levels in nearly two decades last year, but are expected to steadily climb over the next five years. Upside to the industry's outlook is possible given the recently successful open-season results for TransCanada's mainline. The current outlook does not incorporate the potential impact from this deal on Canada's industry. U.S. natural gas production increased by 40 per cent in the last decade, mainly due to rapid increases in U.S. shale gas output. In the meantime, total Canadian production stagnated. Today's U.S. shale production is about three times greater than total Canadian production. With U.S. shale gas production displacing imports of Canadian gas, Canadian exports are now 25 per cent lower than they were 10 years ago. North American natural gas demand is expected to remain relatively flat over the forecast and Canadian exports to the U.S. could continue to decline over the next five years. Although natural gas use in Canada's electricity generation and industrial sectors will increase, these gains will not be enough to offset a potential decline in exports. "The need for Canadian gas in North America will continue to fall over the forecast. Unless a large domestic LNG export facility is built, Canadian production levels will continue to fall in the coming years", explained Murillo. But it is not all bad news for Canada's industry. The rapid buildup of US LNG export capacity in the coming years, and the associated contractual obligations, indicate that export increases will outpace production gains south of the border. This creates an opportunity for Canadian gas to help fill some regional demand in the United States. Moreover, some Canadian producers are signing contracts to export gas as LNG via the United States indicating that, while LNG export facilities in the US are competing head on with Canadian projects, they may also provide a new marketing outlet. TransCanada's recent success in securing long-term commitments for its mainline is another positive development for the industry. "Key to this deal is that Western Canadian gas may manage to hold on to, and possibly increase, its market share in Central Canada and the northern United States. Since our current outlook doesn't incorporate the impact of this deal, it shows the potential effects on Canada's industry from failing to reach such necessary consensus between shippers and pipeline owners." added Carlos. Last year, above average temperatures helped drive natural gas inventories well above historical norms. Combined storage levels in Canada and the U.S. in 2016 were close to 20 per cent higher than their five-year average. This, in turn, sent prices to their lowest levels in nearly two decades. However, prices are expected to recover, as rising U.S. exports and increased industrial domestic demand help push prices higher starting this year. Canadian (AECO) prices are forecast to rise from $3.13 per million British thermal unit (MMBtu) in 2017 to $3.82 by 2021. On the financial side, the industry will remain in survival mode in the coming years. While industry revenues are expected to increase over the forecast, this is due mainly to higher prices rather than greater production volumes. Furthermore, although industry losses are beginning to narrow, it will take until late in 2018 for the industry to return to profitability. Following pre-tax losses of $7.6 billion in 2016, Canadian natural gas producers can expect losses to narrow down to $2.8 billion this year. Follow The Conference Board of Canada on Twitter. A copy of the report is provided for reporting purposes only. Please do not redistribute it or post it online in any form. For those interested in broadcast-quality interviews for your station, network, or online site, The Conference Board of Canada has a studio capable of double-ender interviews (line fees apply), or we can send you pre-taped clips upon request. If you would like to be removed from our distribution list, please e-mail [email protected]. SOURCE Conference Board of Canada For further information: Natasha Jamieson, Media Relations, The Conference Board of Canada, Tel.: 613- 526-3090 ext. 307, E-mail: [email protected]; Juline Ranger, Director of Communications, The Conference Board of Canada, Tel.: 613- 526-3090 ext. 431, E-mail: [email protected] Related Links http://www.conferenceboard.ca BMM: TSX-V VANCOUVER, March 20, 2017 /CNW/ - Black Mammoth Metals Corporation (TSX-V: BMM / Frankfurt: LQK / OTCBB: LQRCF) ("Black Mammoth" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the appointment of Geoff Goodall, B. Sc., P. Geo. to the Company's technical advisory board. Mr. Goodall is an exploration geologist with over three decades of international experience evaluating, planning and executing exploration programs in a wide variety of geologic environments and for a broad range of base and precious metal deposit types. As a consulting geologist Mr. Goodall has worked for junior, middle tier and major mining companies on the identification and discovery of deposits worldwide. Clients have included Newmont, Barrick, BHP, Hemlo, Phelps Dodge as well as numerous junior mining companies. Mr. Goodall has worked on numerous deposit styles including epithermal gold vein systems (South Pacific, Nevada), porphyry copper deposits (Southwest USA, Chile, Canada) and base metal mineralization (Bolivia, British Columbia). Mr. Goodall's consulting team was instrumental in the discovery and definition of two gold deposits in Nevada. He is a member of the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of British Columbia. Black Mammoth's President and CEO, Dustin Henderson commented, "We are very pleased that Geoff Goodall has agreed to join the Company's technical advisory board. He is a well respected geologist offering invaluable expertise to the future development of the Company and to our newly leased Blanco Creek gold property, that is subject to TSX-V approval." About Black Mammoth Metals Corporation: Black Mammoth has recently assumed a long-term lease for a 100% interest, subject to underlying royalties, in the Blanco Creek gold property (the "Property") in central Idaho. The Property has road access and consists of 40 Unpatented Federal Lode Claims hosting three historic underground mines along 3658 metre (12,000 feet) of strike on the north-east trending regional Blanco Creek Sheer Zone. Exploration by two previous operators identified a geological target for the Blanco Creek property in the order of 1.7 to 2.48 million tons, grading 0.20 to 0.33 oz/ton Au (1.54 to 2.24 million tonnes, grading 6.85 to 11.31 g/tonne Au), see the Company's press release on February 14th, 2017. Black Mammoth cautions investors to note the potential quantity and grade of the geological target are conceptual in nature. A qualified person has not done sufficient work to classify the geological target as mineral resources as defined by NI 43-101, and it is uncertain if future exploration will result in the target being delineated as mineral resources. The geological target is based solely on surface and underground rock chip sampling and geological mapping that is not of sufficient detail to qualify it as mineral resources. The work required to advance this geological target to mineral resources will include a full compilation of historic data, detailed geological mapping, geochemical sampling and possibly geophysics, followed by drilling. Mr. R. Tim Henneberry, P. Geo. of Mammoth Geological LTD. has been retained to prepare a NI 43-101 Technical Report for the Property. Upon TSX-V approval, the Company anticipates that Blanco Creek will become Black Mammoth's flagship property and primary focus. On behalf of the board, "Dustin Henderson" Dustin Henderson, BBA President, CEO and Corporate Secretary "Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release." This press release contains forward-looking statements and forward-looking information (collectively, "forward looking statements") within the meaning of applicable Canadian and United States securities laws. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein, including statements regarding the anticipated content, commencement, duration and cost of exploration programs, anticipated exploration program results, the discovery and delineation of mineral deposits/resources/reserves, the timing of the receipt of assay results, the visual continuity of certain mineralized intervals and business and financing plans and trends, the potentially open nature of the mineralized zones on the property and the potential for future discoveries of additional mineralization on the property are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are typically identified by words such as: believe, expect, anticipate, intend, estimate, postulate and similar expressions or are those which, by their nature, refer to future events. Although the Company believes that such statements are reasonable, there can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. The Company cautions investors that any forward-looking statements by the Company are not guarantees of future performance, and that actual results may differ materially from those in forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause actual events and results to differ materially from the Company's expectations include those related to weather, equipment and staff availability; performance of third parties; timing of receipt of assay results from third party analytical facilities; risks related to the exploration stage of the Company's projects; market fluctuations in prices for securities of exploration stage companies and in commodity prices; and uncertainties about the availability of additional financing; risks related to the Company's ability to identify one or more economic deposits on the properties, and variations in the nature, quality and quantity of any mineral deposits that may be located on the properties; risks related to the Company's ability to obtain any necessary permits, consents or authorizations required for its activities on the properties; and risks related to the Company's ability to produce minerals from the properties successfully or profitably. Trading in the securities of the Company should be considered highly speculative. All of the Company's public disclosure filings may be accessed via www.sedar.com and readers are urged to review these materials, including the latest technical reports filed with respect to the Company's mineral properties. All geological information provided in this press release, including all information on the Blanco Creek Property has been gathered during the Company's due diligence process and has not been independently verified by management. This press release is not, and is not to be construed in any way as, an offer to buy or sell securities in the United States. SOURCE Black Mammoth Metals Corp For further information: Black Mammoth Metals Corporation: 1(604) 347-9101 - Email: [email protected], Website: www.blackmammothmetals.com OHSWEKEN, ON, March 20, 2017 /CNW/ - To celebrate Canada's 150th Anniversary of Confederation, the Government of Canada established the Canada 150 Fund selecting a few Canadian signature projects from thousands of applicants to participate in celebrations across Canada and to showcase events that are unique to the selected organizations. Indspire was selected for its focus on supporting Indigenous education. Indspire received funding to showcase their Indspire Youth Laureates Cross Canada Tour, which will feature highly-interactive, youth-led panel discussions in seven Canadian cities Calgary, Montreal, Ottawa, Saskatoon, Vancouver, Winnipeg and Yellowknife. "Our vision is to enrich Canada through Indigenous education and by inspiring achievement," Roberta Jamieson, President and CEO, Indspire. The objective of the Tour is to encourage dialogue between Indspire Youth Award recipients and local Indigenous and non-Indigenous students, educators, parents and community members to reinforce the importance of education and to highlight how Indspire can help students achieve their dreams for a brighter future. At each event, the Youth Laureate panelists will share motivational stories from their childhood, education, life challenges and post-graduate success. They will share stories on how Indspire supported them and encouraged them to dream big, move forward and create a better life. After the storytelling, the Q&A will create a highly interactive panel session geared towards Indigenous and non-Indigenous youth. The first tour will launch at the Indspire Soaring Career Conference to be held in Ottawa on March 23, 2017 at The Westin Hotel. Following the launch, there will be one tour held on a university campus each month (except for July and August) until November 2017, with the closing celebration to follow in conjunction with the Indspire National Gathering at the Fairmont Queen Elizabeth in Montreal. In addition to funding from the Government of Canada, TransCanada Corporation is supporting the Tour as part of a series of initiatives in celebration of Canada's 150th. "As a company who has operated in Canada for over 65 years, we are proud to give back via organizations like Indspire who share our sense of purpose around creating lasting and positive impacts in communities through education," says Kristine Delkus, Executive Vice President, Stakeholder Relations and General Counsel, TransCanada. "As a long-time partner with Indspire, we feel our support of the Tour is a natural addition to our Canada 150 gift and we are very excited to play a small role in celebrating these incredible youths who have achieved so much." Additional support is being provided by Shaw Communications Inc. as Youth Laureate Sponsor, helping provide a platform for the Youth Laureates to share their inspiring personal experiences, while motivating and engaging the next generation of youth in a conversation about the importance of education. Each event will start with a VIP reception for host sponsors, local government officials, school faculty, media, laureates, board members, the MC and Indspire staff and will allow for interview and photo opportunities prior to the panel discussion. Panel discussions will be approximately two hours long and will include a Q&A session. The opening and closing sessions will be taped for broader distribution and posted on the Indspire website. Attendance is free. To reserve your seat, please visit: indspire.ca/canada150 This project has been made possible in part by the Government of Canada. About Indspire Indspire is an Indigenous-led registered charity that invests in the education of Indigenous people for the long term benefit of these individuals, their families and communities, and Canada. With the support of its funding partners, Indspire disburses financial awards, delivers programs, and shares resources with the goal of closing the gap in Indigenous education. Through the K-12 Institute, it provides resources to educators, communities, and other stakeholders who are committed to improving kindergarten to grade 12 success for Indigenous youth. In 2015-16, Indspire has provided $12.2 million through 3,792 bursaries and scholarships to First Nations, Inuit, and Metis students. Each year, the organization presents the Indspire Awards, a celebration of the successes achieved by Indigenous people that is broadcast nationally. www.indspire.ca About TransCanada With more than 65 years' experience, TransCanada is a leader in the responsible development and reliable operation of North American energy infrastructure including natural gas and liquids pipelines, power generation and gas storage facilities. TransCanada operates a network of natural gas pipelines that extends more than 91,500 kilometres (56,900 miles), tapping into virtually all major gas supply basins in North America. TransCanada is the continent's leading provider of gas storage and related services with 653 billion cubic feet of storage capacity. A large independent power producer, TransCanada currently owns or has interests in over 10,700 megawatts of power generation in Canada and the United States. TransCanada is also the developer and operator of one of North America's leading liquids pipeline systems that extends over 4,300 kilometres (2,700 miles), connecting growing continental oil supplies to key markets and refineries. TransCanada's common shares trade on the Toronto and New York stock exchanges under the symbol TRP. Visit TransCanada.com and our blog to learn more, or connect with us on social media and 3BL Media. About Shaw Communications Shaw Communications Inc. is an enhanced connectivity provider. Our Consumer division serves consumers with broadband Internet, Shaw Go WiFi, video and digital phone. Our Wireless division provides wireless voice and data services through an expanding and improving mobile wireless network infrastructure. The Business Network Services division provides business customers with Internet, data, WiFi, telephony, video and fleet tracking services. The Business Infrastructure Services division, through ViaWest, provides hybrid IT solutions including colocation, cloud computing and security and compliance for North American enterprises. Shaw is traded on the Toronto and New York stock exchanges and is included in the S&P/TSX 60 Index (Symbol: TSX - SJR.B, SJR.PR.A, SJR.PR.B, NYSE SJR, and TSXV SJR.A). For more information, please visit www.shaw.ca SOURCE Indspire For further information: MEDIA CONTACTS: Anne Marie Gabriel, CAE, Vice President, Communications, P: 416 987 0260, E: [email protected]; Pour de plus amples renseignements en francais, communiquez avec Anne Marie Gabriel, FGA; TransCanada Media Enquiries: Shawn Howard, 403.920.7859 or Mark Cooper, 800.608.7859; Shaw Communications Media Enquiries: Chethan Lakshman, VP, Communications and Public Relations, P: (403) 930-8448, E: [email protected]sjrb.ca Related Links https://indspire.ca/ H&R Block Tax Expert available to provide commentary and analysis of the Government of Canada's budget and what it means for Canadian tax filers CALGARY, March 20, 2017 /CNW/ - Canadians from coast-to-coast-to-coast will learn this Wednesday how they will fare under the Federal government's new budget when it is released. H&R Block Canada will be on-hand in Ottawa to learn firsthand what's in store for the coming fiscal year, and will be available to discuss the impact of the Federal budget and how Canadians can plan to get what's theirs in the coming year. Lisa Gittens, H&R Block Tax Expert, will be available to discuss the impact of this year's Federal budget including; Impact on middle-class Canadians What's in store for families with young children How retirees and the soon-to-be retired are affected by this budget How the budget impacts Millennials And more About H&R Block Canada H&R Block Canada has more than 50 years of Canadian tax return experience. Headquartered in Calgary, Alberta, the company serves Canadian taxpayers in 1,200 offices across the country. H&R Block Canada, Inc. is a subsidiary of H&R Block, Inc., a diversified company with subsidiaries providing a wide range of financial products and services. Additional information about H&R Block Canada is available at 1-800-HRBLOCK or visit www.hrblock.ca. SOURCE H&R Block Canada Inc. For further information: Giovana Chichito, Ketchum Public Relations, (416) 355-7422, [email protected] WHEN: Tuesday, March 21, 2017 WHERE: Atrium of the CRTC building 1 Promenade du Portage, Gatineau, Quebec TIME: 1:30 3:00 PM OTTAWA and GATINEAU, QC, March 17, 2017 /CNW/ - To mark Canada's 150th anniversary of the Confederation the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) will be honouring outstanding individuals who, through their achievements, values and ideals, have positively impacted Canadian communications over the last 150 years. Families of these outstanding individuals will be present at the event. For media interested in attending the event, please contact Media Relations at 819-997-9403 or [email protected] For media interested is setting up camera equipment we would ask you to arrive no later than 12:45 p.m. Follow and Like our Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/crtceng SOURCE Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission For further information: CRTC Media Relations: Tel: 819-997-9403, Fax: 819-997-4245, [email protected] Related Links http://www.crtc.gc.ca THE INFORMATION CONTAINED WITHIN THIS ANNOUNCEMENT IS DEEMED BY SDX TO CONSTITUTE INSIDE INFORMATION AS STIPULATED UNDER THE MARKET ABUSE REGULATION (EU) NO. 596/2014 ("MAR"). ON THE PUBLICATION OF THIS ANNOUNCEMENT VIA A REGULATORY INFORMATION SERVICE ("RIS"), THIS INSIDE INFORMATION IS NOW CONSIDERED TO BE IN THE PUBLIC DOMAIN. LONDON, March 20, 2017 /CNW/ - SDX Energy Inc. (TSXV, AIM: SDX), the North Africa focused oil and gas company, is pleased to announce the commencement of drilling operations on the SD-1X well at its South Disouq concession in Nile Delta area of Egypt. The well is targeting gas in the upper Abu Madi section and oil in the lower AEB & Abu Roash sections. Drilling operations are anticipated to take between 30 and 45 days, depending upon what is encountered in the targeted intervals. The Company is also pleased to confirm that upon commencement of operations it has been granted a six-month extension to the first exploration period, until 19 September 2017. This will allow sufficient time for the SD-1X well results to be fully evaluated prior to making any decision to enter into the second exploration period at South Disouq. Paul Welch, President and CEO of SDX, commented: "We are extremely pleased to announce the start of this drilling campaign, as well as the extension to the exploration period. This is one of several activities, across the expanded SDX portfolio, that has the potential to further increase our reserve base and ultimately add to our high margin production base. We look forward to providing updates over the course of the campaign." About SDX SDX is an international oil and gas exploration, production and development company, headquartered in London, England, UK, with a principal focus on North Africa. In Egypt, SDX Energy has a working interest in two producing assets (50% North West Gemsa & 50% Meseda) located onshore in the Eastern Desert, adjacent to the Gulf of Suez. In Morocco, SDX has a 75% working interest in the Sebou concession situated in the Rharb Basin. These producing assets are characterised by exceptionally low operating costs making them particularly resilient in a low oil price environment. SDX Energy's portfolio also includes two high impact exploration opportunities, South Disouq in Egypt and Lalla Mimouna in Morocco. For further information, please see the website of the Company at www.sdxenergy.com or the Company's filed documents at www.sedar.com. Unless otherwise defined, capitalised terms used in this announcement have the same meaning as set out in the Acquisition Announcements. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as such term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Forward-looking Information This news release contains statements that may constitute "forward-looking information" as such term is used in applicable Canadian securities laws. Forward-looking information reflects management's expectations regarding the future growth, results of operations, and performance of the Company based on information currently available to the Company. These statements relate to analyses and other information that are based upon forecasts of future results, estimates of amounts not yet determinable and assumptions of management. Any statements that express or involve discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions or future events or are not statements of historical fact and should be viewed as forward-looking statements. In particular, statements concerning the future prospects and strategy of the Company and its assets, and the results referenced or implied herein should be viewed as forward-looking statements. Forward looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such risks and other factors include, among others, costs and timing of exploration and production development, availability of capital to fund exploration and development and political, social and other risks inherent in carrying on business in Egypt and Morocco. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate as actual results and future events could vary or differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements contained in this news release. Forward-looking statements are made based on management's beliefs, estimates and opinions on the date the statements are made and the Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements and if these beliefs, estimates and opinions or other circumstances should change, except as required by applicable law. Although SDX 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. Investors are cautioned that such forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially from those currently anticipated. SDX's Annual Information Form for the year ended December 31, 2015, filed on the Company's SEDAR profile on April 29, 2016, has a full description of the risks and uncertainties associated with the Company's business, including its exploration activities. Such risk factors and uncertainties, as well as the information set out under the headings "Risk Factors Risks relating to Egypt" and "Risk Factors Risks relating to Morocco" in the news release of the Company dated January 24, 2017, which is available on the Company's SEDAR profile, should be referred to and read in their entirety. The forward-looking statements contained herein are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. SOURCE SDX Energy Inc. For further information: SDX Energy Inc.: Paul Welch, President and Chief Executive Officer, Tel: +44 203 219 564; Mark Reid, Chief Financial Officer, Tel: +44 203 219 5640; Cantor Fitzgerald Europe (Nominated Adviser): Sarah Wharry/Craig Francis, Tel: +44 207 7894 7000; GMP FirstEnergy (Joint Broker): Jonathan Wright/David van Erp, Tel: +44 207 448 0200; Celicourt (PR): Mark Antelme/Joanna Boon/Jimmy Lea, Tel: +44 207 520 9260 Singapores healthcare system has excellent health outcomes while spending, as of 2014, is just 5 percent of G.D.P. on health care. By comparison, a typical Western European country that year spent around 10 percent; the United States spent 17 percent. Singaporean vision is built around personal responsibility and private spending, but also a degree of statism and paternalism that present-day American conservatism instinctively rejects. 1 .Singaporeans do not spend money voluntarily saved in health-savings accounts. Under their Medisave program, they spend money saved in mandatory health-savings accounts, to which employers contribute as well. 2. Their catastrophic insurance doesnt come from a bevy of competing health insurance companies, but from a government-run single-payer system, MediShield. And then the government maintains a further safety net, Medifund, for patients who cant cover their bills, while topping off Medisave accounts for poorer, older Singaporeans, and maintaining other supplemental programs as well. The federalist health care compromise floated recently by Senators Bill Cassidy (R) and Susan Collins (R) is a little closer to Singapore than many Republican plans to date. The senators propose that states be allowed to experiment with an Obamacare alternative that would 1) auto-enroll the uninsured in catastrophic coverage and 2) directly fund health savings accounts for the working class and poor. The first isnt MediShield (theres no public option) and the second isnt Medisave (no mandatory saving). But together, theyre more Singaporean than what RyanCare does and doesnt do, and better for it. Nextbigfuture has looked at the other best healthcare systems in the world. Singapore spends just 4.7 percent of its GDP on health care (World Bank Health Data, 2014). Cost is controlled in a number of ways, perhaps foremost by the manner in which the government both fosters and controls competitionintervening when the market fails to keep costs down. Public and private hospitals exist side by side, with the public sector having the advantage of patient incentives and subsidies. Because it regulates prices for public hospital services and regulates the number of public hospitals and beds, the government is able to shape the marketplace. Within this environment, the private sector must be careful not to price itself out of the market. At the same time, the government sets subsidy and cost-recovery targets for each hospital ward class, thereby indirectly keeping public sector hospitals from producing excess profits. Hospitals are also given annual budgets for patient subsidies, so they know in advance the levels of reimbursement they will receive for patient care. Within their budgets, hospitals are required to break even. Singapore currently has the second lowest infant mortality rate in the world and among the highest life expectancies from birth, according to the World Health Organization. Singapore has one of the most successful healthcare systems in the world, in terms of both efficiency in financing and the results achieved in community health outcomes, according to an analysis by global consulting firm Watson Wyatt. Singapores system uses a combination of compulsory savings from payroll deductions (funded by both employers and workers) a nationalized health insurance plan, and government subsidies, as well as actively regulating the supply and prices of healthcare services in the country to keep costs in check; the specific features have been described as potentially a very difficult system to replicate in many other countries. Many Singaporeans also have supplemental private health insurance (often provided by employers) for services not covered by the governments programs Some Niger Delta stakeholders have commenced the enumeration of artisanal refineries and crude oil distillation camps in the region ahead of Federal Government liberalisation of modular refineries.Vice President Yemi Osinbajo had, on February 14 during the tour of oil communities, announced the policy of deploying modular refineries to drive the economic development of the region.Speaking at a sensitisation event, a social activist, Pat Obiene, explained that it was a preparation for Federal Governments new policy to formalise the registration of artisanal refineries.Obiene, who convened the event, said that three groups, Masses Congress, Bayelsa Business Roundtable and Modular Refineries Business Association were collaborating on the data collection to determine the total capacity of the local refineries. More than 200 operators of crude oil distillation camps referred in local parlance as kpo Fire camps turned up for the exercise.According to Obiene, This is a follow-up to the pronouncement on the Federal Governments desire to use modular refineries open up the Niger Delta and fast-track development, so we thought it wise to kick-start this initiative.He explained: We have designed the forms to classify the artisans into Crude Point Owner, Loader, Cooker/Refiner and Dumpsite Owner to capture data on number of workers, daily crude volume and daily turnover.Olaitari Ikemike, President of Bayelsa Business Roundtable, an affiliate of the African Business Roundtable, explained that the initiative was aimed at networking and cross-fertilisation of ideas among stakeholders.Mrs. Faith Wilkinson, a local manufacturer of lubricants, urged women involved in local refineries to embrace the emerging opportunity to add value to the crude oil endowments of the region.Roland Kiente, who operates a local refinery in Peremabiri Community in Southern Ijaw Local Government in Bayelsa, canvassed further sensitisation in the creeks to enable all operators to register.Chairman, Modular Refineries Business Association in Bayelsa, Clever Oyabara, noted that formalisation would eradicate youth restiveness.Meanwhile, the Ndokwa Keku Union (NNU) in Delta State has said the Vice Presidents visit to the Niger Delta region would not be meaningful if efforts were not made to correct the degradation and neglect of the area.The President-General of NNU, Chief Johnson Opene yesterday in Asaba urged the Federal Government to implement the stepping down of the power project in Ndokwa East, establish a federal skill acquisition centre in the area, remain faithful to the amnesty programme and carry along the Ndokwa nation in decisions concerning the region. The Personal Assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on Social Media, Lauretta Onochie has stressed that Buhari has never been involved in... The Personal Assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on Social Media, Lauretta Onochie has stressed that Buhari has never been involved in fraudulent acts to enrich himself.Onochie stated this in reaction to concerns by some Nigerians over the recent order by the President that the second tranche of the Paris club refund be released to state governors.The Presidential aide explained that the directive was aimed at alleviating the sufferings of Nigerian workers.Onochie, who took to her Facebook page stressed that the President was not a businessman and had always depended on his salary.She wrote: Our President Muhammadu Buhari is not a businessman. He has never been involved in doing business.He has never been involved in sharp practices to unfairly line his pockets, all his life.He has always worked in areas where he earned salaries. Thats how he managed his family finances. Salaries.So he can never understand how families are expected to survive these harsh economic realities when they go month by month, without their salaries.President Buhari has run out of patience with Governors who are owing salaries and has ordered CBN, Finance Ministry to release the Paris Club refunds to states immediately.She, however, urged Nigerians in states where salaries are owed to rise and speak out against such action.Nigerians in the states where salaries are owed, must become active citizens by insisting that their salaries be paid.They must camp in front of the government houses, peacefully till their salaries are fully paid.Enough of this taking Nigerians for a ride. Lets stop making excuses for those who are standing on our heads, she added. Dino Melaye, the senator representing Kogi West at the National Assembly is in for another controversy following a revelation that he neve... Dino Melaye, the senator representing Kogi West at the National Assembly is in for another controversy following a revelation that he never graduated from the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria as is being claimed.Melaye recently alerted Nigerians that there were plans to carry fictitious allegations against him.Melaye thinks this move was being planned to get him to face the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) because he was a major factor that stood against the confirmation of Ibrahim Magu as chairman of the anti-corruption organisation.Sahara Reporters is confirming that Melaye never graduated from the department of geography from ABU.The report also claims that the DSS was alerted over this but that the security agency covered it up and allowed the man blossom.At least three exam officers at ABU, Zaria insists that @dino_melaye never graduated from geography department, DG DSS alerted but covered it up, the report said.They said Dino's name was not on graduation list and further accused him of bribing his head of department.Wikipedia reports that Dino Melaye graduated with a Bsc in geography from Ahmadu Bello University Zaria adding that about 30 undergraduates are currently enjoying scholarship under his education empowerment fund. Ekiti State Governor Ayo Fayose has slammed the Police in Ekiti State for the brutalization of a woman, Mrs. Toyin Adeyeye by some policem... Ekiti State Governor Ayo Fayose has slammed the Police in Ekiti State for the brutalization of a woman, Mrs. Toyin Adeyeye by some policemen on Friday for allegedly refusing to give them bribe at a checkpoint.Mrs. Adeyeye, her two-month-old baby, Heritage and younger brother, Adeniyi Dada, were detained at New Iyin Road Police Station but were later released following the intervention of the state chapter of International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA).While the husband of the woman, Akanni Adeyeye, claimed that about five policemen battered his wife for refusing to grease their palms, the Commissioner of Police, Abdullahi Chafe, alleged that Mrs. Adeyeye slapped one of the policemen.But Fayose vowed that manhandling of women in any guise will no longer be condoned in the state adding that it was unlawful for any policeman to raise his hand against a woman.According to a statement on Monday by his Chief Press Secretary (CPS), Idowu Adelusi, Fayose made the vow during an interview shortly before the commencement of the states Meet Your Governor programme, March edition, on Sunday night.Fayose said he heard about the attack on Mrs. Adeyeye, at the checkpoint which prompted a meeting with the state commissioner of police over the matter.It is highly irresponsible for any man to brutalise a woman for any reason. The law that forbids violence against women is still operative in this state.And I can never allow any form of brutality of women under my watch as governor in Ekiti State. Women are even described as the weaker vessel. As such even if you marry her, does that deny her of her rights?It is particularly sad that such a report was coming barely week after we celebrated International Womens Day in an unprecedented style in this state. I have already ordered investigation into the matter. Anybody found culpable in the case will face the court of law.I am also using this opportunity to sound a note of warning to policemen who take peoples vehicle particulars, put them under their armpits and demand for bribe. Such cannot be allowed any longer in Ekiti State.We will get to the root of the matter and make justice to prevail. Luck ran out of a man believed to be in his 30s on Monday as he attempted to withdraw N110, 000 (One Hundred and ten thousand naira) fro... Luck ran out of a man believed to be in his 30s on Monday as he attempted to withdraw N110, 000 (One Hundred and ten thousand naira) from another customers account after stealing his transfer slip, then forging the victims signature on a bank withdrawals slip right there in the bank before proceeding to carry out the fraud.However, he was arrested by the Banks security personnel who handed him over to the Police when his face could not match that of his victims.The suspect who gave his name as Lukeman Ibrahim said he is from Bauchi state and a graduate of Pure Mathematics from the University of Maiduguri. The victim, Mr. Theophilus Agada who spoke with newsmen said he had gone to GT bank, Garki branch, Abuja to deposit some money when the fraud was attempted on his account.He said, unknown to him, the suspect who was wearing a ring believed to be fetish perhaps trailed him to the bank, stole his deposit slip after he had deposited the money and gone and then attempted to withdraw the said sum before he was caught. He said it was the bank who called his attention to the attempted fraud. According to him, I was already out of the bank premises when they called me and said someone wanted to make a withdrawal of N110, 000 from my account.They said they had to call me because the suspects face did not match mine. Continuing, Mr. Agada said, on getting to my bank, i saw that the suspect forged exactly my signature and my full name. Everything was perfect except his face which gave him away. Mr. Agada said he wants everybody going to transact in the banks to always be wary of the person next to them as such a person could be a fraudster. This is the second time the suspect is trying to defraud people at the bank.Last week, he attempted defrauding another person at the Area 3 branch of GT Bank but was arrested and later bailed only for him to repeat the same crime at Area 11 today. I want everybody to learn from this and know that while at the bank, they should be very alert as someone standing next could be a thief claiming to equally be a bank customer.The suspect was taken to Garki police station where he was remanded. He said at the police station that the suspect who is visibly under the influence of some drugs pleaded that he went into the fraud business because he was hungry. The ring believed to be fetish was however taken from him by the police personnel. Mr. Agada also revealed that both the state and the bank are pressing charges on the suspect as he would be charged to court. Ifeanyi Ubah, chairman of Capital Oil and Gas Industries Ltd, has denied the allegation that his company is owing the Nigerian National P... Ifeanyi Ubah, chairman of Capital Oil and Gas Industries Ltd, has denied the allegation that his company is owing the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), saying the oil firm is indebted to Capital Oil to the tune of millions of dollars.NNPC had said Ubahs company could not account for 100 million litres of petrol stored in its depot in Lagos.The NNPC similarly accused MRS, another oil company of being in possession of its product, but said the company had returned 30 million litres that it initially diverted.But Ubah described the allegation against his company as mischievous and misleading.He said the NNPC also failed to tell the public that is owing Capital Oil from their mutual business transactions.It is normal for parties in businesses to owe each other in business relationships and that if reconciliation is carried out with the NNPC, the firm will find out that there may be very little or nothing for Capital Oil to pay the corporation, he said in a statement.In the last four months, NNPC has borrowed products running into millions of litres from Capital Oil.He said the management of NNPC should have called for account reconciliation by both parties before issuing a false statement, accusing his company.We have an ongoing relationship and we need to sit down and reconcile our accounts, he said.NNPC has a subsisting contract with our company which is on throughput basis. The corporation has consistently been in breach of our contractual agreement by owing us money for services rendered.Payments from NNPC for services rendered by our company has consistently been delayed for periods spanning over one year and remains unpaid till date.Currently, NNPC owes us for services rendered to the corporation at very critical periods to salvage nationwide fuel scarcity since 2015 (more than two years now), amounting to millions of dollars and billions of naira.The corporation has failed to deliver products to us which were duly paid for.It is instructive to note that Capital Oil and Gas has trucked out over seven billion litres of petroleum products for the NNPC over the last few years making us their biggest partner in the downstream sector of Nigerias oil and gas industry.We have written the NNPC several times, requesting for our outstanding payments and delivery of products duly paid for by us.Rather than honour our request, we are shocked that the corporation has resorted to this needless campaign of calumny, while refusing to make payments and deliver our products to us till date.Ubah said the company respected the fact that NNPC was its biggest partner in the downstream sector and had always stood by the corporation, especially in times of product scarcity.We have proudly rendered intervention services at all critical times in the life of our nation, he said.It is on record that few months ago, when the same NNPC had a serious break in its supply chain and in a bid to avert an imminent national scarcity, Capital Oil and Gas Industries Ltd lent the corporation millions of product to close the gap.It is our sincere hope that the corporation will respect our contract with it by paying all outstanding bills as well as deliver cargoes which have been duly paid for by us to end this situation.We view this as a deliberate attempt to stifle our business bearing in mind that in spite of its unfair treatment, we still manage to retain thousands of employees in this critical period of the nations economy where even banks and multinationals are retrenching.This act of strangulation has been reported by our company to the Nigerian Senate in a petition against the NNPC that was read on the floor of the Senate on Wednesday, 8th of March 2017.A similar petition was also submitted to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) as well as the Department of State Services (DSS). Allwell Oji, a Port Harcourt-based nurse, has released a video to fault the attempt to link him to Allwell Orji, the medical doctor who en... Allwell Oji, a Port Harcourt-based nurse, has released a video to fault the attempt to link him to Allwell Orji, the medical doctor who ended his life on Sunday.Orji had jumped into the lagoon from the Adekunle axis of the third mainland bridge in Lagos.But Oji, whose picture is being used to depict Orji, says he is alive and well.While the suicide victim was a doctor, Oji said he is a nurse.Good afternoon, my beloved friends and well-wishers. My name is Oji Allwell, I am a nurse. I am making this online live video in regards to the news that has been trending online about me being a medical doctor who jumped into the lagoon, Oji said in the incomplete Facebook video.The suicide victim, Orji, was said to have ordered the driver of his grey coloured Nissan SUV with registration number LND 476 EE, to stop before jumping into the water.Kehinde Adebayo, spokesman of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), had said efforts were being made to recover Orjis corpse.The agency received a distress call of a man who parked his grey coloured Nissan SUV with registration number LND 476 EE at about 4.50 pm today Sunday, 19th March 2017 around Adekunle, inward 3rd Mainland bridge and jumped into the Lagos Lagoon, Adebayo said after the incident.Preliminary investigation at the scene revealed that the man said to be medical doctor named Orji who was said to be driven by his driver and suddenly ordered the driver to pull over, dropped from the car and suddenly jumped into the water from the bridge, he added.Allwell Oji, according to the information on his Facebook page, studied at Global Hospital & Health City, Chennai and also attended the school of nursing, Amachara, Umuahia, Abia state. Former governor of Delta state, James Ibori, has challenged his 2012 conviction for fraud at the British court of appeal. Former governor of Delta state, James Ibori, has challenged his 2012 conviction for fraud at the British court of appeal.His media assistant, Tony Eluemunor, in a statement said his principals lawyer made this known at the Southwark London court on Friday, March 17, during the ongoing asset seizure trial.The confiscation trial which is presided over by David Tomlinson, is to determine if Iboris assets should be seized.In light of the information, the court indefinitely adjourned the ongoing proceedings on the confiscation case, Eluemunor said.The UKs National Crime Agency has investigated alleged evidence of police corruption and claims that the crown prosecution service withheld key evidence in Iboris money laundering trial.Bhadresh Gohil, Iboris former lawyer and co-accused, had alerted the authorities of police corruption at the heart of his and Iboris investigation and prosecution.He also claimed that he was unlawfully detained for 33 days between November 20 and December 22, 2015.Gohil, in July 2016, received 20,000 from the crown prosecution service as compensation for deprivation of his rights.He was jailed for 10 years in 2010 for helping Ibori launder money.Ibori was jailed for 13 years in 2012 after he pleaded guilty to laundering money in the United Kingdom.He returned to Nigeria on February 4, six years after he was arrested in Dubai by Interpol operatives. Students of Government Secondary School, Lafia, the Nasarawa state capital, have staged a protest over the alleged killing of their fellow... Students of Government Secondary School, Lafia, the Nasarawa state capital, have staged a protest over the alleged killing of their fellow student by one of the sons of the Governor, Khaleel Umar Al-Makura.They took to the streets carrying leaves and placards with inscriptions demanding justice for the killing of Ovye Amos, a Junior Secondary School two student.It however took the intervention of the police, officers of the Nigeria Security Civil Defence Corps, their teachers and government to calm them down.The school Head Boy, Goodluck Agwu, revealed that the deceased, Ovye, had gone out to buy batteries for his torch light when he was hit by a car allegedly belonging to Khaleel around 8:00pm.According to him, the issue originated from the fact that the school lacks electricity supply.Furthermore, he complained about insecurity, stating the fact that people come in and out of the premises at any time because of the absence of security men.Addressing the students at the school parade ground, the Nasarawa state government who was represented by the Commissioner of Education, Aliyu Tijjani, expressed his sympathy and promised to bring the perpetrator to book.I want to express my profound dismay and sadness over what happened here yesterday. It is unfortunate, very very unfortunate. The government of Nasarawa state has already taken measures into ensuring that the person that perpetrated this killing is brought to book. He has already been arrested The children seem to be adamant and do not believe the disposition of the government as they all shouted after the governments position was made.The police who were also at the school to calm the students say investigations are ongoing.The area commander of Lafia area office, ACP Maikudi Shehu assured the students that they would be briefed on the development.It is a painful thing, we sympathise and empathise with you and we assure you that investigation is ongoing and that particular culprit as we are speaking now is under detention in our custodyWe will keep you informed of developments as they unfold Tragedy struck on the third mainland bridge in Lagos on Sunday, as a medical doctor simply identified as Orji ended his life by jumping... Orji was said to have ordered the driver of his grey coloured Nissan SUV (pictured) with registration number LND 476 EE, to stop before jumping into the water.Kehinde Adebayo, spokesman of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), said efforts were being made to recover Orjis corpse.The agency received a distress call of a man who parked his grey coloured Nissan SUV with registration number LND 476 EE at about 4.50 pm today Sunday, 19th March 2017 around Adekunle, inward 3rd Mainland bridge and jumped into the Lagos Lagoon, Adebayo said in a statement.Preliminary investigation at the scene revealed that the man said to be medical doctor named Orji who was said to be driven by his driver and suddenly ordered the driver to pull over, dropped from the car and suddenly jumped into the water from the bridge.The vehicle and the driver has been taken to Adeniji Adele Poice Station for further investigation, while effort is ongoing to recover his body from the Lagoon.The General Manager LASEMA Mr Adesina Tiamiyu said that proper investigation would be conducted on the incident by the appropriate authorities.Third mainland bridge links the Island part of the city to the mainland. Thousands of vehicles make use of the bridge on a daily basis. 5 State Governors belonging to the Ahmed Makarfi faction of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP have defected to the Ali Modu Sheriff factio... 5 State Governors belonging to the Ahmed Makarfi faction of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP have defected to the Ali Modu Sheriff faction of the party.According to reports, at least 5 of the 11 governors in the PDP, are openly engaged with the Senator Ali Modu Sheriff leadership of the party. The media house however only named two of the said Governor - David Umahi of Ebonyi state and Ben Ayade of Cross River.Meanwhile, Sheriff, has applied to the Supreme Court seeking to stop Makarfi from using the name of the party to challenge the ruling of the Court of Appeal in Port Harcourt which affirmed him as the authentic chairman of the party. Search and rescue efforts by officials of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency are on for a Medical Doctor who reportedly jumped ... Search and rescue efforts by officials of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency are on for a Medical Doctor who reportedly jumped into the Lagoon on the Third Mainland Bridge.Spokesman of LASEMA Kehinde Adebayo said the agency was alerted by concerned Nigerians. He identified the man as Orji. He did not give any other name.Earlier reports had said the man was a medical doctor. Reports said he ordered the driver of his Nissan X-trail, LND 476 EE to stop on the bridge. Then he reportedly ran out and jumped into the water.According to Adebayo: The Agency received a distress call of a man who parked his grey coloured Nissan SUV with registration number LND 476 EE at about 4.50 pm today Sunday.The incident happened around Adekunle, inward 3rd Mainland bridge and jumped into the Lagos Lagoon.Preliminary investigation at the scene revealed that the man, said to be a medical doctor named Orji who was said to be driven by his driver and suddenly ordered the driver to pull over. He dropped from the car and suddenly jumped into the water from the bridge. The vehicle and the driver have been taken to Adeniji Adele Police Station for further investigation.There are efforts to recover his body from the Lagoon, he said.The spokesman said that the General Manager of LASEMA, Mr Adesina Tiamiyu has assured for a proper investigation on the incident by the appropriate authorities A businessman, Friday Aigbogun and his lover, Olamide Fashanu, charged with biting off a womans ear appeared at an Ikeja Magistrates Cou... A businessman, Friday Aigbogun and his lover, Olamide Fashanu, charged with biting off a womans ear appeared at an Ikeja Magistrates Court in Lagos on Monday.The accused: Aigbogun, 40, and Fashanu, 26, residents of Adegbule Street, Mushin, Lagos State are facing four counts of a breach of the peace, conspiracy, assault and grievous harm.According to the prosecutor, Insp. Rita Momoh, the accused committed the offences on March 14 at No. 43, Ayantuga St., Mushin.She said that the accused conspired to unlawfully assault Mrs Ajoke Wasiu by biting off her right ear completely.The accused beat and inflicted wounds on the complainants right ear, she said.Momoh said that the accused went to buy N30 worth of sachet water popularly called `pure-water from the complainant.The accused gave the complainant N30 being the cost of three `pure water, the complainant then gave them the water.But the accused insisted that the complainant must put them inside a nylon bag.The complainant told them that she did not have a nylon bag and they asked for a refund of their money, and she did.The accused started cursing and abusing the complainant calling her unprintable names.And when the complainant responded, the accused grabbed her and started beating her.In the process, the second accused, Fashanu, chopped off the right ear of the complainant with her teeth the prosecutor said.The prosecutor said that the part of the ear that was chopped-off was recovered at the scene of the incident.She said the offences contravened Sections 166, 171, 243 and 409 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Section 243 prescribes seven years jail term for grievous harm.The accused pleaded innocence to the counts and were granted bail in the sum of N50, 000 each with two sureties each in like sum.The magistrate, Mr M.K.O. Fadeyi adjourned the case until April 10 for mention. A kinsman of former President Goodluck Jonathan, Chief Richard Kpodoh, has declared that the people of the Niger Delta will massively vote... A kinsman of former President Goodluck Jonathan, Chief Richard Kpodoh, has declared that the people of the Niger Delta will massively vote for President Muhammadu Buhari in 2019.Kpodoh made the declaration while reacting to Jonathans recent claims that the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, will reclaim power in 2019.In an open letter to the President, the Bayelsa State elder statesman stressed that Buharis two years in power had exposed the rot perpetrated by the Jonathans administration.Kpodoh said Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, recent clampdown on those he described as, Jonathan boys in Bayelsa and other parts of the country has shown that the administration of the former President was the worst in the history of Nigeria.Describing Jonathans reign as years of holocaust, Kpodoh said the former president shortchanged the people of the region in his six years in power by selfishly empowering a few individuals from his Ogbia Local Government Area while sidelining people from other local councils.The letter reads, It was this same sleeky and selfish attitude that he (Jonathan) brought to bear on his six years leadership of the country which saw to the impoverishment of our Bayelsa and the Niger Delta People, except for a few of his Ogbia kinsmen including the Turners, the Eruanes, the Azibaolas and by extension, the Diezanis.For good six years, former President Jonathan, our own son presided over the helm of affairs in Nigeria and yet his own Bayelsa State, and the Niger Delta states which gave him all the support, are crying out for human and infrastructural development.This, in my opinion, is absolutely inexplicable and smacks off of his glaring wickedness even to his kits and kin.The elder statesman sympathised with the current President over the nature of the economy he inherited from Jonathan.The letter reads further, I also know that the job of bringing Nigeria back to reckoning among the comity of states is not yours alone. But the Job is of God and you are his vessel to alleviate the sufferings of Nigerians in spite of the desperation by evil politicians to truncate the divine assignment through propaganda and misinformation.Or how do you describe the sponsored protest in Lagos calling for your resignation? These were evil doers at work I have closely followed your successes and difficulties in the ongoing fierce battle against corruption and corrupt persons.We are happy that stolen monies were recovered and guilty ones exposed. We are more elated by the recent successes recorded in the Niger Delta region, particularly with the funds recorded from the kinsmen of the past President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan.Mr. President, the six years under Former President Goodluck Jonathan were years of holocaust for the people of Niger Delta.While the few known Jonathan boys were made stupendously rich without known sources of livelihood, the majority of the Niger Delta people were subjected to sad ends along the uncompleted East-West road, poor power generation and installations of political power brokers without democratic values.Mr. President, I challenge Dr. Jonathan to point at one individual in BayelsaState and even in Ijaw land in particular, that he can boldly claim to haveempowered throughout his tenure outside his Ogbia enclave.This selfish tendency is not part of an Ijaw man, who today, is being recorded as having taken a slot at the Presidency and even being called names as his kinsmen. What an irony of fate!For instance, the cache of looted funds allegedly recovered from Mr. George Turner and Mr. Robert Azibaola by officials of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has put a question mark on the integrity of an average Ijaw man in the country.Does one even need to talk about the alleged huge financial transactions involving Mrs. Patience Jonathan?Mr. George Turner is a 34years old godson of Goodluck Jonathan, was a Presidential political appointee attached to the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC). The decision by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to uncovered N2 billion in his account shocked many in the State.Following the discovery, operatives of the EFCC arrested Turnah in Port Harcourt, Rivers State in connection with alleged possession of funds running into N2 billion, suspected to be funds siphoned from the NDDC while serving there as an adviser and a close associate to former President Jonathan.Take a look at another case of Mr. Robert Azibaola, a cousin to former President Goodluck Jonathan.He is in court and under investigation for collecting over $40million that was paid to his company, OnePlus Holdings Limited. He and his wife, Stella are standing trial over alleged receipt of billions of naira from the arms funds from the former National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki.Under the Jonathans administration, there was affirmed impunity. The same Robert Azibola, owner of Kakatar Construction and Engineering Company, became a serial conduit pipe for monies on abandoned road projects in Abuja and different parts of the Niger Delta.While he is under investigation, he merely rushed to commence work on the Apo-Karshi road, in the Nigerias capital. The road, which is worth N6.4billion and was designed to ease the gridlock at the AYA-Nyanya-Mararaba section of the Abuja-Keffi road that links the Abuja metropolis with some densely populated satellite towns including Karshi, and neighbouring Nasarawa State, was abandoned.Robert Azibola, inspite of being from Ogbia stock of Bayelsa State, also provoked his people from the Okoroba community in Nembe Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, to protest against his acts of abandoning road.There is one King A. J. Turner alias Obigbo Mikimiki who is one of the greatest benefactors of Dr. Jonathans largess by way of contracts and other forms of empowerment. Some of these contracts are yet to be executed, according to reports.Besides the Turners, there is Dr. Azibabu Eruane whose sudden rapport with Dr. Jonathan as president has now remained questionable. Today, he prides himself a successful business man with copious diversification of companies and houses in Bayelsa, Abuja and Lagos.Mr. President, Dr. A. Eruane is a medical doctor who was the State commissioner for Health under former Governor Timipre Sylva for about four years. Apart from the myriad of companies in his kitty, Dr. Eruane today boasts of fleet of helicopters, cars and planes. He is currently constructing a Modula private refinery in Bayelsa.Your Excellency, before I am misunderstood, let me say that my comment is not out of envy or jealousy, but purely based on public interest and the untoward manner with which the former President exclusively deployed Nigerias wealth to the empowerment of his kinsmen only, leaving the rest Bayelsans to be wallowing in abject poverty. What an injustice. The Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun, on Monday said Nigerians would not get the full details of the disbursements to the 36 state gove... The Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun, on Monday said Nigerians would not get the full details of the disbursements to the 36 state governments in respect of the Paris Club Refunds until the final reconciliation of the records were completed.Mrs. Adeosun said the Federal Government had consistently complied with all extant rules and regulations in the disbursement of the Paris Club refunds to state governments.The Federal Governments disbursement process is transparent and targeted at the attainment of specific economic objectives, she said.The inability of some sub-national governments to meet salary and other obligations was considered inconsonant with the Federal Governments economic stimulus programme.She pointed out that claims (by state governments) with regard to over deductions had been made to the Federal Government, consistently since 2005.To reconcile the records and facilitate full disbursement, Mrs. Adeosun said the Debt Management Office, DMO, saddled with the responsibility had initially requested for a period of 22 months to complete.That DMO is handling the reconciliation in conjunction with the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation, OAGF and the relevant state governments.However, President Muhammadu Buhari had directed that the exercise be completed within 12 months, considering the plight of salary earners and pensioners and the need to stimulate the economy.This followed the inability of majority of Nigerias 36 states to pay workers salaries despite receiving government bailout.To give the states additional support and enable them meet those challenges, the minister said the president gave an express anticipatory approval for the release of up to 50 per cent of the claim of each state, pending final reconciliation.She said the disbursements were staggered in batches and payments made only when the claims of each state had been reconciled with the facts at the disposal of the federal government.Specifically, information was available that some states had been paid, either in full or in part, under previous administrations. This necessitated a more detailed review, for the states in question.The release of the first tranche, representing up to 25% of claims, being N522.7 billion commenced in December 2016. Disbursement was subject to an agreement by state governments that 50% of any amount received would be earmarked for the payment of salaries and pensions, the minister explained.Besides, she said, each state governor had given an undertaking that excess payments would be recovered from their share during the Federation Accounts Allocation Committee, FAAC, meeting if the final reconciliation found the amount paid under the anticipatory approval exceeding what was due to them.Giving an update on the reconciliation exercise so far, Mrs. Adeosun said to date, nine batches have been processed, while some balances were outstanding to the possible credit of some states.She then said disclosure can only be made after full reconciliation.Given the foregoing, complete and final figures can only be released and published after each state and the Federal Government have reconciled and agreed on the sums due, she said.She said that during the last National Economic Council meeting on Thursday March 16, 2017, President Muhammadu Buhari had instructed her and the Central Bank of Nigeria governor, Godwin Emefiele, to commence the process of resolving the balance of the approved amount.The overriding consideration for any further releases will be the current and projected cash flows of the Federation as well as the outcome of the independent monitoring of the compliance with terms and conditions attached to the previous releases.The Minister of Finance would like to reaffirm the commitment of the administration to publish all relevant information on the Paris Club refunds, she said. Contrary to reports that US President Donald Trump refused to shake hands with German Chancellor, Angela Merkel when she visited White ... Contrary to reports that US President Donald Trump refused to shake hands with German Chancellor, Angela Merkel when she visited White House last Friday, White House Press Secretary, Sean Spicer has denied so.Spicer says President Trump didn't shake German Chancellor Angela Merkel's hand during their meeting on Friday because he didn't hear requests from photographers.In a video that went viral over the weekend, Trump appears to snub Merkel's request to shake his hand.Spicer insisted that the President's failure to respond to her gesture wasn't deliberate.He told Germany's Der Spiegel that Friday's incident was a misunderstanding, and insisted it was not meant as an insult. NOPD said the barely recognizable figure show in this surveillance image is the man who traded gunfire with the sedan. 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. Learn how Colorado calculates the amount of compensation you may receive for a work-related injury or illnessand how workers' comp eligibility rules apply to contagious diseases like COVID-19. If you were injured or got sick because of your job in Colorado, you may be eligible to receive benefits through the state workers' compensation system, including medical treatment. The benefits you actually receive will depend on the nature of your injuries, your ability to return to work, how much you normally earn, and other factors unique to your case. This article explains how the most important workers' comp benefits are calculated in Colorado. (To get these benefits, you'll need to file a workers' comp claim and show that your injury or illness is work related.) Can You Get Workers' Comp in Colorado If You Get COVID-19 on the Job? Under Colorado law, you may get workers' comp coverage for an occupational disease if you can trace the cause of the illness to your job, but not if the disease results from a hazard to which you would have been equally exposed outside of work. Colorado employersincluding meatpacking plants in the state with large outbreakshave been routinely denying most workers' comp claims for COVID-19. Employees can appeal those denials. But in the context of the coronavirus pandemic, it would be very difficult for most employees to prove that they actually contracted COVID-19 at work because of the particular nature of their job. In response to the pandemic, several states have enacted measures making it easier for certain employees to get workers' comp benefits for COVID-19 by presuming that the disease is work related unless the employer proves otherwise. The Colorado legislature indefinitely postponed a similar bill in June 2020. Temporary Disability Benefits in Colorado You may be eligible for benefits meant to replace part of your lost wages if you can't work at all or can't perform your regular job duties while you're recovering from your injuries. In Colorado, temporary disability benefits aren't paid for your first three days off work, unless your disability lasts more than two weeks. (Colo. Rev. Stat. 8-42-103 (2020).) Temporary Total Disability If you're unable to perform any type of work due to your injury, you'll receive temporary total disability (TTD) benefits equal to two-thirds of your average weekly wages when you were hurt or got sick. However, there's a cap on these benefits that's based on a percentage of statewide average wages at the time of your injury. For injuries between July 1, 2020, and June 30, 2021, the maximum TTD benefit is $1,074.22 per week. To hit that cap, your pre-injury weekly wages would have be to at least $1,611.33. (The Colorado Workers' Compensation Benefits Calculator will show the maximum benefit rate for other years.) Unless you're receiving vocational rehabilitation services, TTD benefits will stop when the earliest of the following events happens: you return to work, either at your regular job or with modified duties that accommodate your limitations you haven't gone back to work after your doctor has released you to return and, if that release was for modified duties, your employer has offered you that type of work; or you've reached what's known as "maximum medical improvement" (MMI), which means that your condition has stabilized and isn't likely to improve, even with further treatment. (Colo. Rev. Stat. 8-42-102, 8-42-105 (2020).) Temporary Partial Disability If you're working during your recovery but aren't earning as much as you used to because of your injuries, you may receive temporary partial disability benefits. These benefits are calculated as two-thirds of the difference between your pre-injury wages and what you're currently earning. For example, if you used to earn $900 a week but are now earning $600 for light-duty or part-time work, you would receive $200 in benefits. These benefits have the same maximum as for TTD, and they end when you've reached MMI or have refused a modified work offer. (Colo. Rev. Stat. 8-42-106 (2020).) Permanent Partial Disability Benefits in Colorado Once you've reached MMI, a doctor will evaluate you to determine if your work injury or illness has left you with any permanent lost function or impairment to part of your bodyand if so, to what extent. In most cases with any lasting impairment, you'll receive permanent partial disability benefits. Depending on the affected part or parts of your body, you'll receive a scheduled loss award and/or an award for nonscheduled whole person impairment. You may ask to receive up to $10,000 of your permanent partial disability benefits in a lump sum (less a discount). If you're owed any remaining benefits, you'll get that money in periodic payments. (Colo. Rev. Stat. 8-42-107 (2020).) Scheduled Loss Awards You'll receive a scheduled loss award if you've permanently lost any use of a body part included in a schedule in Colorado law (mostly covering the extremities, eyes, and ears). The schedule shows how many weeks of compensation you would receive for an amputation or complete loss of use for each of the listed body parts. For less than total loss of use, you'd receive compensation for a number of weeks proportional to the percentage of your impairment. For example, the schedule lists 208 weeks for the total loss of an arm. If you've lost 50% of the use of an arm, you would receive compensation for 104 weeks. For scheduled injuries, the weekly amount of compensation is a set amountnot based on your pre-injury earningsthat changes every year. For injuries in the year beginning July 1, 2020, the scheduled impairment rate is $337.11 per week. (Colo. Rev. Stat. 8-42-107 (2020).) The Colorado benefits calculator, mentioned above, will show you the impairment rate for your date of injury, as well as the appropriate number of weeks for the scheduled body part and the percentage of your impairment. Whole Person Impairment If you have a permanent impairment to a part of your body not listed in the schedulesuch as your back, neck, or an internal organyou'll receive nonscheduled whole person impairment benefits. A number of factors go into the calculation of these benefits. First, your doctor will assign you an impairment rating, expressed as a percentage. Next, you will be assigned an age factor, based on how old you were when you reached MMI. Your benefit will be calculated by multiplying your impairment rating by your age factor and then by 400 weeks. You will receive benefits for the resulting number of weeks at the TTD rate. (Here again, the online benefits calculator will show the amount and duration of your benefits after you fill in the appropriate information.) (Colo. Rev. Stat. 8-42-107 (2020).) Awards for Disfigurement If your injury left you with a serious, permanent disfigurement on a part of your body that's normally exposed to the public, you may receive an additional award. The maximum amount of this award also changes each year. (Colo. Rev. Stat. 8-42-108 (2020).) Colorado's Cap on Combined Benefits Colorado also places a limit on how much you can receive in combined temporary disability benefits and permanent partial disability benefits. This cap changes each year. For injuries occurring in the year beginning on July 1, 2020, the maximum is $99,094.93 if you have a whole person impairment rating of 25% or less, or $198,187.35 with a whole person impairment rating above 25%. (Colo. Rev. Stat. 8-42-107.5 (2020).) Permanent Total Disability If your injury or occupational illness permanently prevents you from performing any type of work, you will be entitled to permanent total disability benefits at your TTD rate for as long as you're completely disabledpotentially for life. (Colo. Rev. Stat. 8-42-111 (2020).) Other Workers' Comp Benefits in Colorado Colorado workers' compensation also provides additional benefits, including: Medical care. Workers' comp pays for all medical treatment that's reasonable and necessary for your work-related injury or illness, without any copays or deductibles. (Learn about getting medical treatment through workers' comp Workers' comp pays for all medical treatment that's reasonable and necessary for your work-related injury or illness, without any copays or deductibles. (Learn about Vocational rehabilitation. Colorado law doesn't require that you receive vocational rehabilitation, but many insurance companies offer these services. You won't be eligible to receive permanent total disability benefits if you refuse an offer of vocational rehabilitation that would enable you to earn any wages. (Colo. Rev. Stat. 8-42-111 (2020).) Colorado law doesn't require that you receive vocational rehabilitation, but many insurance companies offer these services. You won't be eligible to receive permanent total disability benefits if you refuse an offer of vocational rehabilitation that would enable you to earn any wages. (Colo. Rev. Stat. 8-42-111 (2020).) Death benefits. When an employee dies as a result of a work injury, the surviving dependents may be eligible to receive death benefits at the TTD rate. These benefits will be partially offset by certain other benefits the survivors may be receiving, including Social Security survivors' benefits. Death benefits to surviving spouses end when they remarry; benefits to dependent children end when they turn 18 (or 21 if they're full-time students), unless they're incapable of earning their own living. (Colo. Rev. Stat. 8-42-114, 8-42-115, 8-42-120 (2020).) When an employee dies as a result of a work injury, the surviving dependents may be eligible to receive death benefits at the TTD rate. These benefits will be partially offset by certain other benefits the survivors may be receiving, including Social Security survivors' benefits. Death benefits to surviving spouses end when they remarry; benefits to dependent children end when they turn 18 (or 21 if they're full-time students), unless they're incapable of earning their own living. (Colo. Rev. Stat. 8-42-114, 8-42-115, 8-42-120 (2020).) Funeral and burial costs. Workers' comp also pays up to $7,000 in reasonable funeral and burial expenses for an employee who died from a work-related injury or illness. (Colo. Rev. Stat. 8-42-123 (2020).) Getting Help Collecting Workers' Comp Benefits If your employer's insurance company has denied your workers' comp claim, is delaying or refusing to pay benefits, or won't authorize needed medical treatment, you should consider speaking with a workers' comp lawyer. A local attorney who's experienced in this area can evaluate your case, discuss whether it makes sense to file an appeal, make sure your rights are protected in a settlement agreement, and help you get all of the benefits you deserve. (Learn more about how a good workers' comp lawyer can help.) The Future of Writing Prompts AI-generated writing prompts can help you overcome writer's block by providing you with new and unique ideas to explore. This app uses GPT-3 to generate prompts from different author genres and grade levels, so you can find the perfect prompt. The most popular writing prompts are upvoted by real humans to ensure that the best prompts are at the top of the list. 11 Random Writing Prompts George Burgess, Hymel Hunt and Braidon Burns have all taken the early guilty plea for charges arising from Saturday's game against the Newcastle Knights. George Burgess was charged with a grade two striking charge and will miss two matches. Hymel Hunt was charged with a grade two reckless high tackle charge and will miss four matches. Braidon Burns was charged with a grade one shoulder charge and will miss one match. Meanwhile, Broncos forward Sam Thaiday will plead not guilty at the judiciary to his contract conduct charge, while Eels back-rower Tepai Moeroa will miss a week after pleading guilty to a shoulder charge on Ashley Taylor. Newcastle's Josh Starling and Manly's Apisai Koroisau will both be free to play after entering guilty pleas to their charges. You are clearly a super-user of NUVO.net. Thats a good thing. It means you depend on independent and local news sources to keep you informed. You are a smart person. Coincidentally, independent and local news sources depend on you too. Youve read 25 articles this month and now, wed like you to be join our mission and become a NUVO Supporter. For as little as $4 a month, you can keep us alive and fighting -- and can have unlimited access to the independent news that cant be found anywhere else. The Northwest Indiana agency that has distributed home heating aid to more than 10,000 low income households this winter is decrying President Donald Trump's proposal to cut off all funding for the program. "If cuts have to happen, we understand," said Northwest Indiana Community Action CEO Gary Olund. "But not if it's on the backs of folks who can least afford for that to happen." The president's proposed budget released last week proposed eliminating the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, known as LIHEAP, which distributes more than $3 billion per year to help people with heating bills. In addition, Trump proposed eliminating Department of Energy funding for a popular weatherization program. The LIHEAP assistance is available to households making up to 150 percent of the federal poverty level, which is adjusted according to household size. It is currently set at $36,450 for a family of four in Indiana. The assistance basically comes in the form of a voucher that goes directly to the utility or other home energy provider. Because of the income limits, it helps mainly the elderly, disabled and the poor. Northwest Indiana Community Action administers the program in Lake, Porter, Newton and Jasper counties. Three years ago, the program was critical in aiding rural households that saw their propane bills skyrocket because of a shortage in the fuel. "It allows folks to not have to make choices between medicine, heat and food," Olund said. The Trump administration says its budget proposal puts security and safety first, with the U.S. military in for a $54 billion increase in spending. The budget is ultimately set by the the U.S. Congress, but the president's proposed budget signals the administration's priorities and kicks off a long negotiating process that will take place throughout the summer and into the fall. In addition to LIHEAP and the weatherization program, many other federal programs would be eliminated under Trump's proposed budget. In addition, many agencies would see deep cuts in their budgets. This winter, Northwest Indiana Community Action distributed home heat aid to more than 10,000 households, according to agency figures. People can still ask for LIHEAP assistance, so that number will probably grow. The program also has been used at times to aid people with cooling costs in the summer. The agency also runs a weatherization program in Lake County, which is funded both by the Energy Department program slated for elimination and LIHEAP. That program has assisted 58 households since April. Work done can be extensive, including a new furnace if needed. The average household participating in the program in Northwest Indiana had $7,000 in weatherization work done this past year, according to Community Action. The weatherization program was established by an act of Congress in 1976 and signed into law by President Gerald Ford. As of last year, weatherization work had been completed on more than 7.4 million homes throughout the nation. NEW YORK Jimmy Breslin scored one of his best-remembered interviews with President John F. Kennedy's grave-digger and once drove straight into a riot where he was beaten to his underwear. In a writing career that spanned six decades, the columnist and author became the brash embodiment of the street-smart New Yorker, chronicling wise guys and big-city power brokers but always coming back to the toils of ordinary working people. Breslin, who died Sunday at 88, was a fixture for decades in New York journalism, notably with the New York Daily News, and he won a Pulitzer Prize for pieces that, among others, exposed police torture in Queens and took a sympathetic look at the life of an AIDS patient. "His was the triumph of the local, and to get the local right, you have to get how people made a living, how they got paid, how they didn't get paid, and to be able to bring it to life," said Pete Hamill, another famed New York columnist who in the 1970s shared an office with Breslin at the Daily News. "Jimmy really admired people whose favorite four-letter word was work," said Hamill, speaking from New Orleans. Breslin died at his Manhattan home of complications from pneumonia, according to his stepdaughter, Emily Eldridge. It was the rumpled Breslin who mounted a quixotic political campaign for citywide office in the 1960s; who became the Son of Sam's regular correspondent in the 1970s; who exposed the city's worst corruption scandal in decades in the 1980s; who was pulled from a car and nearly stripped naked by Brooklyn rioters in the 1990s. With his uncombed mop of hair and sneering Queens accent, Breslin was a confessor and town crier and sometimes seemed like a character right out of his own work. And he didn't mind telling you. "I'm the best person ever to have a column in this business," he once boasted. "There's never been anybody in my league." He was an acclaimed author, too. "The Gang that Couldn't Shoot Straight" was his comic account of warring Brooklyn mobsters that was made into a 1971 movie. "Damon Runyon: A Life" was an account of another famous New York newsman, and "I Want to Thank My Brain for Remembering Me" was a memoir. Breslin was "an intellectual disguised as a barroom primitive," wrote Jack Newfield and Wayne Barrett in their book "City for Sale." He acknowledged being prone to fits of bad temper. After spewing ethnic slurs at a Korean-American co-worker in 1990, Breslin apologized by writing, "I am no good and once again I can prove it." But under the tough, belligerent personality was someone else a son whose hard-drinking father left home when he was 6 to get a loaf of bread and never returned, Hamill said. Breslin's mother supported the family by working as a welfare system administrator, raising the boy along with her two sisters. "The gruff personality was a mask a guy would don to get through the day," Hamill said. "Under the mask, what you found at his core was being raised by women, so life is more complicated than a punch in the jaw." In the 1980s, he won both the Pulitzer for commentary and the George Polk Award for metropolitan reporting. The Pulitzer committee noted that Breslin's columns "consistently championed ordinary citizens." A few days after the 2001 World Trade Center attacks, he wrote of the dwindling hopes for families. "The streets have been covered with pictures and posters of missing people," he wrote. "The messages on the posters begging for help. Their wife could be in a coma in a hospital. The husband could be wandering the street. Please look. My sister could have stumbled out of the wreckage and taken to a hospital that doesn't know her. Help. Call if you see her. But now it is the ninth day and the beautiful sad hope of the families seems more like denial." In other columns, Breslin presented an array of recurring characters Klein the Lawyer, Shelly the Bail Bondsman, Un Occhio the mob boss. They seemed to blur the line between fact and fiction, until the first pair became key figures in Breslin's 1986 exclusive on the multimillion-dollar Parking Violations Bureau scandal. "Of course I would betray a friend for the biggest story of the year," he said after doing just that on the last manual typewriter in the News' old 42nd Street newsroom. After such successes, he held court in Costello's bar in midtown Manhattan until he quit drinking in his post-Pulitzer years. Breslin demonstrated few early skills as a wordsmith, graduating from high school before a brief, undistinguished stay at Long Island University starting in 1948, while he was already working at the Long Island Press. As a sportswriter, he bounced between papers until he landed at the New York Herald Tribune. He became a news columnist in 1963 and quickly found a story when none seemed left to tell. As reporters from around the world arrived to cover President Kennedy's funeral, Breslin alone sought out the presidential grave-digger, Clifton Pollard, and began his report with Pollard having a breakfast of bacon and eggs at his apartment on the Sunday following JFK's assassination. "Pollard was in the middle of eating them when he received the phone call he had been expecting. It was from Mazo Kawalchik, who is the foreman of the gravediggers at Arlington National Cemetery, which is where Pollard works for a living," Breslin wrote. "Polly, could you please be here by eleven o'clock this morning?' Kawalchik asked. 'I guess you know what it's for.' Pollard did. He hung up the phone, finished breakfast and left his apartment so he could spend Sunday digging a grave for John Fitzgerald Kennedy." Breslin later covered Robert Kennedy's assassination, in 1968, from a much closer angle. He was standing 5 feet away when Sirhan Sirhan struck at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles. In 1969, Breslin joined author Norman Mailer on a twisted political ticket: Mailer for mayor, Breslin for city council president. After their predictable loss, Breslin observed, "I'm mortified to have taken part in a process that has closed the bar for the better part of the day." By then, he was a successful author with a second book, "Can't Anybody Here Play This Game?" It was praised for its tales of the sad-sack New York Mets. Breslin dabbled in television and magazine writing but returned to the newspaper business in 1976 as a Daily News columnist and became part of one of the city's most horrifying stories, the "Son of Sam" killings in 1977. David "Son of Sam" Berkowitz sent Breslin several letters and impressed the columnist enough for him to observe: "He's the only killer I ever knew who knew how to use a semicolon." He jumped to New York Newsday in 1988, signing a contract for more than $500,000 a year. During the Crown Heights riots in 1991, the then-61-year-old columnist commandeered a cab and ordered the driver to head directly into the action. About 50 rioters yanked Breslin from the taxi, robbed and beat him. He was left with only his underwear and his press card. Three years later, he underwent successful surgery for a brain aneurysm an episode that led to his memoir. While Breslin had crowds of admirers, he created an equal number of enemies. One of his most enduring feuds was with ex-Mayor Edward I. Koch, who once promised to "give the eulogy at Jimmy Breslin's funeral." Koch died in 2013. Breslin had two daughters and four sons with his first wife, Rosemary, who died of cancer in 1981. He later married Ronnie Eldridge, a former New York City councilwoman. On Sunday, just hours after her husband's death, she summed up their life together, saying: "We were married for 34 years and it was a great adventure." ___ This story has been corrected to show Breslin was 88, not 87. BLOOMINGTON, Ind. The director of an art museum at Indiana University says its lengthy, $30 million renovation will make the building a lot more engaging for visitors. The museum is expected to close to the public for renovations May 14, according to The Herald-Times. The target for reopening the museum is the fall semester of 2019. Eskenazi Museum of Art director David Brenneman said the renovation is necessary because the building is old. "Museums are basically these incredible preservation machines," he said recently from his office on the third floor of the museum. "And like any machine, the parts get old, need to be replaced, need to be updated, and I'm simplifying, but that's basically why buildings need to be renovated." But he said a renovation is also needed because it's extraordinary for a small Midwestern city to have a museum with such an extensive collection. "If we were in just about any Southern major city, we would be the major city art museum. We'd be the encyclopedic collection," Brenneman said. "It's hard to understand that, to grasp that, but I'm telling you it's true." Brenneman said many people aren't aware of the gems hidden in the triangular concrete structure in the heart of Indiana University's main campus. "I think part of our challenge is no one knows what's inside this building," Brenneman said. "In a way, we've kind of made the building the main feature of who we are." The monumental task of moving the museum's entire collection out of the building has already begun. The museum's building was designed by world-renowned architect I.M. Pei. Construction began in 1978, and it was completed in 1982 after opening in stages. Police look into complaints of stray bullets near gun range SPENCER, Ind. Police are investigating the origin of stray bullets that have struck two homes located north of the Precision Gun Range in Owen County. The Bloomington Herald-Times reports that the gun range has temporarily closed as officers from the Indiana State Police and the Owen County Sheriff's Department look into complaints about the stray bullets. An owner of the gun range is waiting until the investigation is complete to comment but says she wants proof the bullets came from the gun range and not elsewhere. Jerry and Kathy Wise say they found bullet holes on their property. They also say a .223-caliber rifle bullet was lodged into the siding on their house. Police found an additional bullet hole at a residence west of the Wise home. The investigation is ongoing. In 1937, Europe was on the verge of World War II. It was a dangerous time for a 15-year-old Jewish boy from Whiting to tour the continent, but David Kaplan is glad he went. "For boys who had not had a lot of the finer things in life, because after all this was still a Depression time," the trip was "a wonderful adventure," Kaplan said. Kaplan, 94, of St. Augustine, Florida, is perhaps the last surviving member of Father John Lach's Slovak Symphonic Band from Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Whiting. The two band members younger than him have since died. All across Europe, audiences thrilled to the American marches, Kaplan said. The all-boys band played up to seven encores at each concert. "I think everybody's favorite ended up being the 'Stars and Stripes Forever,'" Kaplan said. "The European audiences, they went crazy for that. A lot of times we had to play it twice. They wouldn't stop. They kept pounding and applauding." Kaplan played oboe and English horn. Tanya Lesinsky Carey, whose father, Adam Lesinsky, was band director, edited the book about that troop. Carey was born two years after her parents returned. She drew heavily on her father's diary, as well as that of band member Harold Kosanke, and her mother's unfinished manuscript. The result is "Father Lach's Slovak Boys Band: 1937 European tour." Preparing for the trip The band sailed for Europe on June 19, 1937, but preparations began long before. Father Lach raised money for the boys and their chaperones for the tour, not an easy task during the Great Depression. The cost was estimated at $35,000, or $592,090 in today's dollars. "If you'd have asked us a year before we went, we would have all said no, we were just doing it because we liked to play," Kaplan said. Father Lach appealed for donations from Slovaks in the United States through the Slovak newspaper Father Lach owned. "What did people do in those days? They had raffles," Carey said. The woman who sold the most tickets would be named queen and get to accompany the band. So accompanying the 70 boys, ages 12 to 22, were Father Lach, Lesinsky and his wife, May, and Carey's 6-year-old sister, along with nurse Anne Luptak and the queen, Elizabeth Harchar,* of Bentleyville, Pennsylvania. The European concerts were on a 60/40 basis, with the band gaining 60 percent of the proceeds and the sponsor the remaining 40. Each band member also had to chip in $50 $845.84 in 2017 dollars toward the trip. That was difficult for Kaplan's father, a carpenter who had trouble finding work during the Depression. "I think I had one pair of pants and a couple of shirts. That was my wardrobe, because we just couldn't afford any more," Kaplan said. The journey begins Kaplan counts himself as lucky for being one of the few boys who didn't get seasick. "Father went first class, but the band went third class," Kaplan said. The cabin he shared with five other boys was near the bow of the Ile de France, a French ocean liner. "All running through this is the unrest at Europe that happened at that time," Carey said. "They got it at borders, they got it in towns." Border crossings often proved burdensome. "Some places, they wanted to open every suitcase and every band instrument," Kaplan said. The band had scheduled concerts and would often have to cross national borders to get to their next location in time. NBC was offering advice to Father Lach about conditions in Europe at the time, "advising where they could or couldn't go." The rest of the German trip was canceled after two concerts because of concerns about Kaplan and the other two Jewish boys in the band. "Germany was being so miserable to the Jewish people," said Kaplan, who later became an architect. "This was in 1937. The war started in 1939. I mean, bullets were flying." Memories lingering One memory Kaplan said he will never forget is when the buses stopped above the snow line in the Alps and the group had a snowball fight. "That was fun," he said. But he also remembers when the ships' crews "realized that this was not just some ragtag bunch of kids, but these kids could really play," Kaplan said. The band gave a concert during the farewell dinner for the first class passengers. Kaplan and the other younger kids went to bed afterward, but the older boys were allowed to stay and dance. The final concert from that tour was Sept. 5, 1937, at Wicker Park in Highland, where more than 2,000 people welcomed the band back home, according to a short history by Anthony Borgo of the Whiting Public Library. Immaculate Conception Catholic Church, which sent the boys, is expected to be razed this year, but Carey is trying to make sure her father's musical legacy there won't be lost in the rubble. Lesinsky was a renowned musician and educator. He was bandmaster in John Philip Sousa's Great Lakes D Band during World War I. Along with Joseph E. Maddy, he organized the National School Orchestra Association in 1929, and he was among the first instructors at the National Music Camp at Interlochen, Michigan. But it was his Slovak boys band trip to Europe in 1937, shortly before World War II broke out, that his daughter has immortalized. "It was an experience that I have remembered my whole lifetime," Kaplan said. *This story has been changed from the original, to correct the spelling of Elizabeth Harchar's last name. MERRILLVILLE More than 60 detectives from Lake and Porter counties this week will examine how they can work together more efficiently to investigate "the ultimate crime" and help prosecutors secure more convictions. The five-day homicide and cold case death investigation course marks the first time many of the detectives have gathered in one place for such training, said Robert Byrd, past president of the Northwest Indiana Major Crimes Task Force. Some of the detectives listening Monday to opening remarks completed homicide investigation training at outside schools, but the opportunity to train together regionally is a great thing, said Griffith Police Chief Greg Mance, president of the task force. The 61 detectives from 27 police agencies across Lake and Porter counties have all been called out to difficult cases and have always worked together, said Jason Gore, acting resident agent at the Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Bureau's Merrillville office and deputy commander of the task force. "The hope of this school is to get us all on the same sheet," he said. "So we all know exactly what we're doing, what techniques we're employing, what kind of interviews were going for," he said. "And we're all going to be working in concert." The course will be taught by instructors from Police Training Services, a company comprised of veteran homicide investigators from the Washington, D.C., and Albuquerque, New Mexico, police departments. It's sponsored by the task force, the Lake County prosecutor's office, the ATF and the Northwest Indiana Law Enforcement Academy. Lake County Prosecutor Bernard Carter told the detectives his office typically has 50 homicide cases or more pending at any given time. Lake County Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Michelle Jatkiewicz, who works closely with the Lake County/Gary Metro Homicide Unit, will speak to the group Friday. The goal is to train detectives to give prosecutors better cases that result in more convictions, Gore said. "We're paid not to fail, and when we do fail, bad buys get back out on the street and they perpetrate more crime," Gore said. "It makes the lives of the people who live in these communities harder. It makes our jobs harder. Maybe today is a big step forward in taking a bite out of that situation." Dyer police Detective Cmdr. Don Foley, who also serves as commander of the task force, said homicide investigations are important. "This is the ultimate crime, and this is where we need to be our best," he said. HAMMOND Indiana's newest U.S. senator is taking a central role in making long-term changes to the face of federal courts of Indiana. Only months after scoring an upset victory over Evan Bayh, Republican U.S. Sen. Todd Young has taken office in time to nominate several individuals vying to be federal court judges, U.S. attorneys and U.S. marshals here and in Indianapolis. Jay Kenworthy, a spokesman for Young, said Friday the senator and his staff are consulting with attorneys and judges before forwarding his choices to President Donald Trump for appointment and the U.S. Senate for confirmation. He said the office won't comment on how many or who applied. U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions made headlines March 10 when he demanded the resignation of 46 U.S. attorneys, including David Capp, who served 31 years in the Hammond office. Federal law authorizes the president to appoint 93 U.S. attorneys who serve as federal prosecutor and 94 U.S. marshals who provide court security, arrest fugitives, oversee federal detainees and asset forfeiture across the country. President Donald Trump's election to the White House authorizes Senate Republicans to nominate U.S. attorneys and U.S. marshals who will serve the next four years as well as all candidates for federal court judicial vacancies, which are typically lifelong appointments. Indiana has or is about to have judicial vacancies in the federal courthouses in Hammond, South Bend and Fort Wayne as well as Indianapolis, and on the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago. The U.S. Court website indicates U.S. District Court Judge Joseph Van Bokkelen, who has been on the bench since 2007, is scheduled to attain senior status, a form of semi-retirement, Sept. 29, which likely will trigger a court vacancy. U.S. District Court Clerk Robert Trgovich said Friday that Judge Robert Miller Jr. in South Bend, who has served since 1986, became a senior judge more than a year ago, which created a vacancy. He said a judicial vacancy is anticipated in Fort Wayne, although no judge has yet announced plans to retire or become senior judge. Kenworthy said Young's staff sent notices of the vacancies to the state bar association of lawyers and the prosecuting attorneys association several weeks ago. "We have been taking applications the last three to four weeks. Sen. Young and his staff will be reviewing those applications and letters of recommendation," Kenworthy said. "Then we will make a recommendation to the White House and, ultimately, President Trump, who will make his selections and it then comes through the Senate for its confirmation. It will be a months-long process." Kenworthy said there is no hard deadline for Young to make his choices, but it should happen this spring. "We will try to be expeditious. We understand the vacancies can cause a strain on the system, and it's something we want to minimize." INDIANAPOLIS Domestic abuse victims who move away from their attackers are close to getting new certainty in maintaining their contacts and protecting their pets. The Indiana House voted 95-0 Monday for Senate Bill 323, permitting judges to separate joint wireless telephone accounts and award custody of pets when issuing a protection order. "This is an important step in making sure that abusers do not have the ability to monitor who their victim is calling or determine the whereabouts of the victim by tracking the phone," said state Rep. Wendy McNamara, R-Evansville, the sponsor. State Rep. Linda Lawson, D-Hammond, a co-sponsor, said the pet custody provision is especially important because often victims won't flee their abusers if they have to leave a beloved pet behind. "You need to understand that another way to have dominance and control over a family is through their pet," Lawson said. Both representatives said they hope the legislation takes power from abusers and empowers victims to leave dangerous situations. The measure now returns to the Senate for members to either consent to House changes or decide to send it to a House-Senate conference committee. Once the proposal is approved by both chambers with identical language it will go to Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb for his signature or veto. INDIANAPOLIS Demetrice Hicks was 13 when the state of Indiana pulled him from an abusive Lake County home and placed him in foster care. He had no way of knowing what was ahead of him in terms of court hearings, visitation and myriad other issues often too complicated for a teenager to deal with on his own. Fortunately, by his side throughout it all was Danielle Przybocki, of St. John, one of the 4,034 court-appointed special advocates (CASAs) who last year volunteered 348,213 hours serving as independent voices for 26,762 children in Indiana's child welfare system. "My CASA was not only my court advocate, but she was my ultimate champion at a time when I desperately needed one," Hicks said. Now 24, Hicks is himself a CASA in Indianapolis where CASAs across Indiana gathered Monday to recommit themselves to the program and thank state leaders for continuing to support it. Indiana Supreme Court Justice Steven David told the CASAs their work is more important than ever, as child abuse cases are on the rise and Hoosier children need adults who will look out for their best interests. "But for you our children would, in many cases, be hopelessly lost in the darkness of abuse and neglect," David said. "You are that shining beacon, you are that light guiding the way, the light at the end of the tunnel." Likewise, Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb praised the essential tasks performed by CASAs on behalf of Indiana's most vulnerable children as he officially proclaimed Monday to be CASA Day throughout the state. Both the House and Senate also unanimously recognized CASA volunteers for their commitment to Indiana's children. EAST CHICAGO A woman remained in critical condition Monday after being rescued last weekend from a burning home on the city's North Side, an official said. East Chicago firefighters were called about 6:30 a.m. Saturday to the home in the 4200 block of Northcote Avenue and found her home and another single-family home to the north in flames, Interim Fire Chief Anthony Serna said. Firefighters entered her home after receiving information she and her children might be inside, Serna said. It was later determined her children were not in the home. The woman suffered smoke inhalation, he said. East Chicago firefighter/EMTs gave her oxygen at the scene before a Prompt Ambulance crew took her to a local hospital for treatment. The fire started at the woman's home and spread to the second home, he said. The woman's home sustained heavy damage, while the second home sustained moderate damage. The origin and cause of the fire remained under investigation Monday by the East Chicago Fire Department and Indiana state fire marshal's office. As crews battled the blaze, a gas meter at one of the homes exploded and caught fire, Serna said. Firefighters were able to keep the flames under control until NIPSCO arrived and stopped the flow of gas, he said. "Our crews did an outstanding job," Serna said. MUNSTER An idea to engage and inspire area youths and young adults to become outstanding and involved citizens will receive the 2017 anti-bullying award at a gala dinner during the second World Civility Day on April 13. Demonstrating Outstanding Citizenship (DOC) took root in Munster last spring and became an Indiana Bicentennial Legacy Project under the leadership of Louise Chickie-Wolfe, founder of the Munster Junior Historical Society, education director and DOC 200 Project administrator. Launched in the spring of 2015 by the Gary Chamber of Commerce and The Times Media Co., the Community Civility Counts campaign sponsored this years contest that honors efforts to create civility. The DOC project will receive the anti-bullying award at Avalon Manor in Hobart in a ceremony that concludes the second World Civility Day. The kids will be thrilled, said Chickie-Wolfe about the anti-bullying award. We are very proud to receive this recognition. Tickets $60 each, $550 for a table of 10 are available for the awards dinner by calling the Gary Chamber at 219 885-7407. She said the DOC 200 project was originally based on Indianas Bicentennial. It guides and inspires Indianas students in grades kindergarten through college to become outstanding citizens by teaching 50 specific life skills covering four areas integrity, acceptance, service and patriotism. The number 200 celebrates the states bicentennial and is the number of actions the students need to demonstrate and report on. Chickie-Wolfe said the Indiana Bicentennial Committee judged the Demonstrating Outstanding Citizenship 200 project to be culturally inclusive, celebratory, engaging and inspiring to young and young adults, and creating a legacy for the future. In writing the bicentennial committee application for the DOC 200, she said three community endorsements were needed and came swiftly from the School Town of Munster, the Munster Police Department and The Times Media Co. Students are asked to practice outstanding citizenship at home, in school and in their community. It will take at least 100 days because the students can only do two acts of outstanding citizenship a day, Chickie-Wolfe said in December during a ceremony to recognize the 13 students who completed this inaugural project. Those 13 included elementary students from Elliott, Frank Hammond and St. Pauls Lutheran School as well as those enrolled at Wilbur Wright Middle School and Munster High School. Students from Munster High School comprise the next class of students to participate in the DOC project, Chickie-Wolfe said. She said that it is a free program. Parents can find information and registration applications at the website, www.DOC200Project.com. The project also has a Facebook page. The program cant help but do good, Chickie-Wolfe said. Its a win-win for everybody. Cyber attacks are costing small businesses in New Zealand an average of $19, 000 per attack, research has revealed. The New Zealand figure was more than twice as much as that seen in Australia ($6,500), according to Nortons recent SMB Cyber Security Survey. The research also found that the biggest impact of cyber attacks on small businesses was downtime (45%), followed by inconvenience (41%) and the expense of re-doing lost work (29%). While cyber attacks are costing New Zealand businesses more than ever, uptake in cyber insurance remains perilously low, with only 6% of small business owners currently covered and a further 9% looking at the cover over the next 12 months. Want the latest insurance industry news first? Sign up for our completely free newsletter service now. Mark Gorrie, director of Norton Business Unit, Pacific region, Symantec, said that the data is relevant for brokers as it shows the different reasons businesses need cyber cover. We asked the question, how long could you survive without your business data, and 31% said they couldnt survive beyond a week, Gorrie told Insurance Business. Most people would look at it as a financial loss but clearly for those that have suffered an attack, time became a big issue. For brokers, they can ask whether a client can afford to have three days down time in their business. That has a real cost to it. Gorrie warned that cyber insurance cannot be seen as a form of protection. Investments in security and training are still needed as, in the long run, they will help keep cyber insurance pricing low and ensure that businesses are as secure as possible. Gorrie said that brokers can advise their clients to remember the basics of cyber security, as many ignore easy ways to stay safe. Using complex passwords, different passwords for different accounts and ensuring that cyber security software is on all PCs and mobile devices is a good way to start. Gorrie added that backing-up data is paramount. With a lot of these threats, you can continue to invest in technology but you can never guarantee to have 100% protection, he explained. He added that businesses that do the basics they have security in place, they do back-ups are well placed. However, its cyber insurance that is really the catch-all beyond that mitigated risk. This article is from sister site Insurance Business NZ by Jordan Lynn. Twenty passengers and five crew members from a charter fishing vessel based in San Pedro were safely returned to shore Sunday, March 19, after the boat struck a submerged object in the ocean and began taking on water off San Clemente Island. The Coast Guard, the Navy and two Vessel Assist crews helped get the 63-foot charter boat Truline to Newport Beach Shipyard, the Coast Guard said in a statement. The passengers were returned to 22nd Street Landing in San Pedro, where the Saturday night fishing excursion had begun. There were no reported injuries, the Coast Guard said. The overnight charter had left San Pedro at around 8:15 p.m. Saturday and the boat was about 60 miles south a half-mile south of San Clemente Island shortly before 3 a.m. when it struck an unknown object. Its pretty rocky in that area, Coast Guard Petty Officer Rob Simpson said, although it wasnt known what the vessel hit. Informed that the vessel was taking on water, the Coast Guards San Diego sector dispatched an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter, a 45-foot response boat and the Coast Guard cutter Sockeye, authorities said. A Navy ship operating in the area was diverted to the scene. The Navy crew, arriving at 4:30 a.m., began to de-water the Truline and the Sockeye, arriving at 7 a.m., took over, able to keep up with the flooding while the Truline was escorted to Newport Beach, the statement said. Vessel Assist crews from Catalina Island and San Pedro assisted. We were able to keep up with the flooding, Simpson said. At 8:30 a.m. the 20 passengers were transferred to the Sockeye, with five crew remaining on the Truline, the Coast Guard said. At 1:30 p.m. the Sockeye delivered the passengers to San Pedro and at 4:45 the Truline was safely moored at the Newport Beach Shipyard, the Coast Guard reported. The good thing is, they were able to float her back into the harbor, said Alex Berlin, a reservations agent for the charters. Everyone was safely dropped off by the Coast Guard ship. He said the plan is to return Truline to service once repairs are completed. Thats what we are hoping for, he said. Contact the writer: fswegles@scng.com or 949-492-5127 WASHINGTON She is a female trailblazer in a Senate where women remain a minority, a formal and wealthy institutionalist from one of the nations most liberal states whose partisanship is at times eclipsed by propriety. He is a plain-spoken Midwesterner who has long prided himself on his tough-mindedness with officials from both parties in Washington and a compulsive availability to voters back home, with a reputation for thrift perhaps best validated by his habit of cutting the engine on his car as he rolls it into the Senate garage, just to save on gas. What neither Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., nor Sen. Charles E. Grassley, R-Iowa, has is a law degree. Yet as the highest-ranking Democrat and the chairman on the Senate Judiciary Committee, they will preside over the hearings on Judge Neil M. Gorsuch, President Donald Trumps nominee for the Supreme Court, that begin on Monday. Feinstein and Grassley, both 83, will face tremendous pressure from their respective parties to deliver a vindication of their views not just of Gorsuchs worthiness to serve on the court but also of the process leading him there. Liberal activists remain bitter about Grassleys role in preventing even a beginning to the confirmation process of Judge Merrick B. Garland, President Barack Obamas nominee for the Supreme Court vacancy left by the death of Justice Antonin Scalia more than a year ago. Many are looking to Feinstein the first woman to serve on the committee and the Senates most senior woman to shoulder the weight of that political burden, and to rigorously challenge Gorsuch on his constitutional views. This is an important process that needs to be carried out with the kind of dignity and perseverance that it warrants, Feinstein said. Because this is so pivotal, as the decisive vote on the court, this is a huge responsibility. This is complicated by what came before, which was the Republican treatment of Merrick Garland, which I found very disagreeable and unprecedented. Grassleys role is strategically and procedurally easier: It is up to him to make Gorsuchs week on Capitol Hill painless even in the face of tough questioning from Democrats on the committee. His approach to the hearing will likely mirror what we have seen in recent weeks back here, Matt Strawn, a former chairman of Iowas Republican Party, said of Grassley. He has given Iowans every opportunity to weigh in on town hall meetings. There is a reason he is our longest-serving public servant here, because he listens and is respectful even if he disagrees with someone. Grassley has been a strong defender of the most conservative of the 13 nominees he has voted for, but he also helped approve Stephen G. Breyer and Ruth Bader Ginsburg under President Bill Clinton. Feinstein has never voted for a Republican nominee. Grassleys reputation for independence took a hit when he instantly went along with Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the majority leader, to block Garland from even a single hearing last year. Im not sensitive talking about it, Grassley said. I had to defend my position I had to defend it up to my election. He added that he believed it was appropriate to wait for a new president to approve a new Supreme Court nominee, saying, I would do the same thing in 2020. But both senators, who express respect for each other, have a reputation for a seriousness that transcends party politics, an increasingly rare trait in the modern Congress. They are the leaders of a caucus dedicated to combating the narcotics trade. These days there are immense party pressures that will push Chuck, that will push Dianne, said former Sen. Max Baucus, a Democrat of Montana who served as a chairman with Grassley on the Senate Finance Committee. But they will both try to do the right thing. Feinstein has been spending weekends poring over thick binders of Gorsuchs decisions, discussing them with her daughter, a retired Superior Court judge. I think I have a good sense of him, the senator said. Grassley said he had relied more on staff briefings and secondary sources about Gorsuchs record. The guy is so precise, he said. I suppose because hes an intellect and partly because its legal and me not being a lawyer, I found looking at some of his cases kind of difficult to get through. Feinstein said she appreciated Grassleys candor. He tells you exactly what he thinks, she said. Some people are full of artifice, and you never get to what they think. Also, he is a very good man. CAKAJOVCE, Slovakia Head bowed in reverence, Robert Svec gently placed a of blood-red flowers at the foot of the only known statue of Jozef Tiso, Slovakias wartime fascist leader, in a weedy monument park known as the Pantheon of Slovak Historical Figures. For years, Svecs neo-fascist cultural organization, the Slovak Revival Movement, was a tiny fringe group. But now his crowds are growing, as 200 people recently gathered with him to celebrate the countrys fascist past and call fascist-era greetings Na Straz! or On the guard! Svec is so emboldened that he is transforming his movement into a political party, with plans to run for Parliament. You are ours, and we will forever be yours, Svec said at the foot of the statue, having declared this as the Year of Jozef Tiso, dedicated to rehabilitating the image of the former priest and Nazi collaborator, who was hanged as a war criminal in 1947. Once in the shadows, Europes neo-fascists are stepping back out, more than three-quarters of a century after Nazi boots stormed through Central Europe, and two decades since a neo-Nazi resurgence of skinheads and white supremacists unsettled the transition to democracy. In Slovakia, neo-fascists are winning regional offices and taking seats in the multiparty Parliament they hope to replace with strongman rule. They are still on the edges of European politics, yet offer another reminder of how turbulent politics have become. Just as the rise of far-right parties is forcing many mainstream politicians to pivot rightward, so, too, has the populist mood energized the most extremist right-wing groups, those flirting with or even embracing fascist policies that trace back to World War II. Before, pro-fascist sentiments were kept hidden, said Gabriel Sipos, director of Transparency International Slovakia. Parents would tell their children, You cannot say this at school. Now, you can say things in the public space that you couldnt say before. Although nationalist parties have thrived across Europe in recent years, only a few Golden Dawn in Greece and the National Democratic Party in Germany, to name two embrace neo-fascist views. Some, like Jobbik in Hungary, are extremist in their right-wing views but stop short of outright fascism. Instead, the broader effect of these groups has been measured in how they have pushed mainstream parties in a more firmly nationalist direction especially on immigration to slow the defection of supporters. Now, extremists and fascists are part of the system, said Grigorij Meseznikov, president of the Institute for Public Affairs, a liberal research group. In Slovakia, neo-fascism has established something of a beachhead. Svec is joining a political field where a party with an established neo-fascist leader, Marian Kotleba, demonstrated surprising strength in last years parliamentary elections, winning 14 seats in the 150-member chamber. Pre-election polls showed his party getting less than 3 percent of the vote, but his result 8 percent was built on strong support from young people and other first-time voters. More recent polls show his support nearing 13 percent. He had already stunned Slovakia in 2013 by winning the governorship of Banska Bystrica, one of Slovakias eight regions. Kotleba, 39, who recently renamed his party Kotleba Peoples Party Our Slovakia, used to appear in uniforms reminiscent of those worn during the wartime Slovak State. Once he and his party got into Parliament, the uniforms disappeared and he shifted his attacks from Jews to immigrants and the countrys Roma minority. They used to turn up at gay pride parades, show their muscle, turn up the heat, said Michal Havran, a television talk-show host and political commentator. Now, they dont go; they are worried about their image. But the underlying message of groups like Kotlebas and Svecs has not shifted Slovakia was better off under a fascist government. Something very dark and very troubling from the past is coming back, Havran said. They feel they are fighting for something very pure, something very old and sacred. A few years ago, they were ashamed to talk about it. Now, they are proud. Kotlebas party has been especially effective on social media, with more than 140 interconnected Facebook pages. When a local retiree, Jan Bencik, 68, began blogging to expose the countrys neo-fascists, his name appeared on a list of opponents of the state. They called me a Jew, said that I should die, die, die, Bencik said. They said that people like me would be dealt with in the future. One of the ironies of Kotlebas coming to power in Banska Bystrica is that it was the center of the anti-fascist Slovak National Uprising during the war and is home to the national museum commemorating that event. Stanislav Micev, the museum director, characterized Kotlebas message as fascism with elements of Nazism, mixing Mussolinis strongman rule with Hitlers demonization of minorities. They are against Americans, Hungarians, Jews, black people and yellow people, Micev said. His current positions are right on the edge of what is legal. As a newcomer on the neo-fascist political scene, Svec regards Kotleba as a potential rival for the same angry vote. At the Jozef Tiso memorial ceremony, the top officials in Svecs movement wore matching dark suits with white shirts and bright red ties. A table in the back of the room did a brisk business selling Slovak Revival Movement patches, stickers, key rings, calendars, cookies and bottles of wine (white only) labeled Year of Jozef Tiso. The people in power want Slovaks to be ashamed of their history, said Martin Lacko, a historian and supporter of Svec. They want them to keep apologizing. Thats why they keep talking about deportations of Jews during the war and other negative things. Ubers woes keep getting worse. On Sunday, President Jeff Jones quit after just six months, becoming the latest executive to leave the worlds most valuable startup. Jones exit comes in the wake of a long string of controversies, ranging from allegations of sexual harassment and a toxic work culture to the combative behavior of Chief Executive Officer Travis Kalanick. After Bloomberg published a video on Feb. 28 showing Kalanick berating an Uber driver, he said he would seek leadership help and was planning to hire a chief operating officer. The plan was viewed internally as an effective demotion for Jones, who was hired last year as president of ride-sharing and second in command, a person familiar with the matter said. In an email to staff on Sunday, Kalanick said Jones made an important impact on the company during his six months there. After we announced our intention to hire a COO, Jeff came to the tough decision that he doesnt see his future at Uber, Kalanick wrote, according to a copy of the email obtained by Bloomberg. We want to thank Jeff for his six months at the company and wish him all the best, Uber wrote in an emailed statement. San Francisco-based Uber has been in the news for all the wrong reasons this year. The ride-hailing app was accused of undermining a taxi strike against U.S. President Donald Trumps immigration ban in January. Kalanick stepped down from Trumps business advisory council after a #DeleteUber movement began to pick up steam. In February, a former employee wrote a blog post about her experiences of sexual harassment while working for the company, and Uber is also facing a lawsuit from Alphabet Inc.s autonomous car company Waymo for allegedly stealing trade secrets. Such events are not what Jones signed on for when he left his post as chief marketing officer at Target Corp. The beliefs and approach to leadership that have guided my career are inconsistent with what I saw and experienced at Uber, and I can no longer continue as president of the ride sharing business, Jones wrote in a statement provided to Recode, which was the first publication to report his resignation. Joness purview at the closely held company, included Ubers brand, which took a beating during his short tenure, largely for reasons beyond his control. Brian McClendon, a vice president responsible for the companys mapping program, also said over the weekend that he was planning to return to his hometown in Kansas. Saddam Hussain, a marine engineer from Jamshedpur, India, claims that having the same name as the notorious former dictator of Iraq has made it impossible for him to secure a job in the field he has trained so hard in. When Saddams grandfather chose his name, 25 years ago, he had no idea that it would one day become a huge burden. After all, the name is very popular among Indian Muslims, but due to his career choice it is proving an insurmountable hurdle. Two years after graduating from Tamil Nadus Noorul Islam University as a marine engineer, Saddam Hussain is still struggling to find work, despite ranking second in his batch of 2014. All of his former colleagues have secured jobs with companies around the world, but he keeps getting rejected. He has showed up for interviews with multinational shipping companies some 40-odd times, but they all ended in rejection. Photo: The Hindustan Times After numerous failures in the first six months of job hunting, Saddam was clueless to why no one wanted to hire him, so he decided to contact the HR department of the companies he had applied to, and some admitted that it had to do with his name. I then inquired with the HR departments of the companies and some of them told me my name was the problem, he told The Hindustan Times. People are scared to hire me It turns out that having an employ who shares the name of Iraqs former dictator can be an operational nightmare, especially when his job requires routinely crossing national borders. Despite the minor different in spelling Huassain not Hussein and the death of the controversial Iraqi leader, the name instantly arouses suspicion, so having a crew member named Saddam Hussein could create unnecessary troubles for the company. If the issue involves crossing the borders, then nothing can be done as border patrol and airport authorities are very process-driven and if there is a red flag, they will check out, top executive of Delhi-based TeamLease Services, a leading recruitment consultant, told The Hindustan Times. If the persons job involves frequent travel abroad, he might just keep getting stuck or the company has to pull him out of the sticky situation, making the hire cumbersome. Even Shah Rukh Khan the famous Bollywood actor gets detained at US airports. What is this Saddam in comparison? the consultant added. Convinced that he could never work as a marine engineer with such a problematic name, Saddam decided to legally change his name to Sajid, but that only made things worse. Although his current documents including passport, voter ID and driving licence feature his new name, on his educational certificates his name still shows up as Saddam Hussain. That makes companies even more reluctant to hire him. The Noorul Islam University has refused to change the documents until he got his Class 10 and 12 exam certificates changed first, but after appealing to the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) for the change, he has yet to receive a response. Desperate to find a job, Sajid has recently addressed the Jharkhand high court with a plea to direct the CBSE to change his name. The first hearing has been set for May 5. I am an innocent victim of somebody elses crimes, Sajid concludes. 21/03/2017 - New Zealanders enjoy a high environmental quality of life and access to pristine wilderness. However, New Zealands growth model, based largely on exploiting natural resources, is starting to show its environmental limits with increasing greenhouse gas emissions and water pollution, according to a new OECD report. While the country only accounts for a tiny share of global emissions, the OECDs third Environmental Performance Review of New Zealand finds that intensive dairy farming, road transport and industry have pushed up gross GHG emissions by 23% since 1990. Despite generating 80% of its electricity from renewable sources, among the highest in OECD countries, New Zealand has the second-highest level of emissions per GDP unit in the OECD and the fifth-highest emissions per capita. Having largely decarbonised its power generation, New Zealand needs to ensure its climate policies are effective in curbing emissions in all sectors, notably transport and agriculture, said OECD Environment Director Simon Upton, presenting the report in Wellington. This means strengthening the Emissions Trading Scheme and ensuring sectoral policies are aligned with the need for a low emissions transition. With respect to agriculture which accounts for 49% of emissions the highest share in the OECD the report suggests either incorporating emissions from agriculture into the Emissions Trading Scheme, or developing alternative measures to counter the pressures of farming. The use of environmentally related taxes, charges and prices should be expanded. Growth in intensive dairy production has increased the level of nitrogen in soil, surface water and groundwater. The nitrogen balance (the difference between nutrients entering and leaving the system) increased more than in any other OECD country from 2000 to 2010. Aware of the need to safeguard water quality, New Zealand has begun a process of freshwater policy reforms with a Clean Water Package of proposals in February that address some of the OECD recommendations. Further government support is needed to assist local authorities with setting rigorous goals and to speed up implementation. The review also looks at New Zealand's fast-growing cities and suggests that a simpler urban planning system, less restrictive land-use regulations and better co-ordination between land, transport and infrastructure planning could help ease the pressure. Car ownership in cities is high and many vehicles and old and emission-intensive. Current vehicle standards and taxes do not sufficiently encourage a shirt towards cleaner, more efficient technologies. Other recommendations include: Develop a long-term vision for a transition towards a low-carbon, greener economy Strengthen national-level management of air and water pollution and hazardous waste with more guidance and support to local authorities Accelerate implementation of water management reforms and ensure water quantity and quality limits are sufficiently ambitious. Expand the use of economic instruments to encourage more efficient water use and reduce pollution Build capacity of Maori communities to ensure their adequate participation in natural resource management planning Download an embeddable version of the Review Read the Review Highlights online Read more on the OECDs Environmental Performance Reviews: www.oecd.org/environment/country-reviews/about-env-country-reviews.htm. For further information, or to arrange an interview with the author, journalists should contact Louise Fietz in the OECD Media Office (+33 1 45 24 97 00). Working with over 100 countries, the OECD is a global policy forum that promotes policies to improve the economic and social well-being of people around the world. WASHINGTON Meals on Wheels, the popular nationwide program that provides hot meals to needy senior citizens, has become a rallying point for critics of President Donald Trump's proposed budget, which slashes spending on social initiatives to beef up military spending. But on Sunday, the Trump administration answered an emphatic "no" to the question of whether the budget would gut Meals on Wheels. Mick Mulvaney, the Office of Management and Budget director, said that the funding source the administration seeks to eliminate the Department of Housing and Urban Development's community development block grants accounts for just 3 percent of Meals on Wheels' overall funding. "Some of the stories are just either grossly wrong or nearly grossly wrong, all the stories about how we cut Meals on Wheels," Mulvaney said on NBC's "Meet the Press." Meals on Wheels is not a federal program, nor do its local groups directly receive federal funding. Rather, the groups run on a mix of local, state and federal money, as well as private donations and the work contributions of volunteers, which vary depending on the funding structure of each affiliate. Most federal money that ends up supporting Meals on Wheels comes from a separate program run by the Department of Health and Human Services. The Trump administration has proposed cutting the overall HHS budget by 17.9 percent, but has not yet detailed where those cuts would fall and whether they would impact the Administration for Community Living, which funds nutrition programs for the elderly, as the Washington Post's Fact Checker columnist Glenn Kessler explained. A top official at Meals on Wheels told Kessler that the organization anticipates the cuts will impact its funding. Democrats sought Sunday to shame the Trump administration for a budget that takes away resources for programs like Meals on Wheels. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said the Trump budget would "take money from Meals on Wheels and give it to the Defense Department." "We take an oath to protect and defend our country, but our strength is measured in more ways than just taking money for the health, education and well-being of the American people, which is a source of our strength," Pelosi said on CBS's "Face the Nation." "So compassionate acts of mercy? I don't know what faith that is." Mulvaney defended the administration's budget from criticism that its cuts to social programs would be painful for millions of working-class voters in rural states like West Virginia, where voters went heavily for Trump in last fall's election. "The president knows who his voters are," Mulvaney said, arguing that the budget demonstrates "compassion." Noting that Trump supporters are sensitive to how their tax dollars are spent, he added, "Could I, as a budget director, look at the coal miner in West Virginia and say, 'I want you, please, to give some of your money to the federal government so that I can give it to the National Endowment for the Arts?' And I just think we finally got to the point in the administration where we couldn't do that." Former Gordmans Chief Executive Jeff Gordman said Monday that he plans to submit a bid to operate a majority of the bankrupt department stores locations on an ongoing basis, while closing others. The plan of Gordman whose great-grandfather founded the 100-store chain in 1915 as a single shop was joined Monday by at least one other bidder that contemplates operating at least some of the stores on an ongoing basis. I love this company, Gordman said in an interview with The World-Herald. I am doing it for the most important stakeholders, the employees that are the heart and soul. I feel an obligation to them. Houston-based retailer Stage Stores Inc. also says it is seriously considering submitting an offer to Gordmans for the purchase of stores and assets so that it would operate at least some of the locations and one warehouse on an ongoing basis. That also would rescue at least part of the bankrupt Omaha retailer from total liquidation. Any plan to settle the affairs of Gordmans, which filed for bankruptcy protection last week after years of cratering sales, would require approval by the bankruptcy court as being fair to creditors, such as landlords nationwide and lender Wells Fargo Bank. Total debts are $131 million. If we can get a going-concern bid, from the perspective of the employees, the community perspective, it is going to be the best thing for the community, U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Thomas Saladino said at a hearing Monday in Omaha, referring to the prospective bidders who contemplate ongoing operations. Gordman worked for the department store starting in 1990 as an assistant manager. He became chief executive in 1996, and sales over the years during his tenure rose from $197 million to $443 million, according to the court documents he filed in support of his bid. Gordman said he intends to make a bid amenable to creditors and the court but said there are no guarantees that he will succeed in doing so. Gordman abruptly quit as CEO in 2013 after new majority owners he sold the company to a private equity firm in 2008 that later sold shares to the public insisted on a $70 million special dividend that depleted cash and required a $45 million loan from a business lender. It is in my blood, Gordman said. I really love it. The Gordman court filing said his bid contemplates paying secured creditors such as banks 100 percent of their claims, while reducing unsecured claims from creditors such as landlords through the assumption of store leases; Gordmans owns none of its store premises, nor does it own the Aksarben Village headquarters or warehouses in Omaha and Indianapolis. Also envisioned, according to the filing, is the retention of thousands of employees. Gordman said in the World-Herald interview that he is attempting to line up financing for the purchase and that further details will be forthcoming as the bankruptcy court assesses any offers for the whole company, some or all of its stores and some or all of its apparel and home goods on hand in a going-out-of-business sale. The procedures should be decided by the end of the month. Attempts to contact officials with Gordmans via email and telephone were unsuccessful Monday. Last week the chain told the Nebraska Department of Labor that it is closing the Aksarben Village headquarters with about 300 employees and the Omaha warehouse with about 150 for good in May. It told the same to authorities in Indiana, where 140 people work in another warehouse. Gordman looks to have some competition if he chooses to bid. Stage Stores has continued to seriously explore a bid for a number of the debtors stores as a going concern, Stage Stores said in a filing with U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Omaha on Monday. Stage operates about 800 stores under a variety of names in 28 states. Stores operated by the company include Bealls, Peebles and Goodys. Stage went on to say its offer would include assumption of a substantial number of Gordmans 100 stores leases in 22 states, and the offer of employment to certain store and warehouse workers. Attempts to reach officials with Stage Stores were unsuccessful via email and telephone Monday. Gordmans said in its Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing a week ago that it has already tried to find a buyer, with no success. More than 100 prospective buyers were invited in over many months to scour the books and operations with an eye toward a deal. There were no takers for the company whose sales at stores open at least a year fell for five out of the past six quarters. Gordmans said in its bankruptcy papers it is preparing for a going-out-of-business sale to raise the most money possible for creditors owed the $131 million; the company says it has apparel and home goods on hand that would fetch at least $74 million in a liquidation. A company attorney said at a hearing Monday to hash out deadlines and procedures that the company welcomes any bids that would operate stores on an ongoing basis, as well as combination bids that would seek to operate some and close others after a going-out-of-business sale. As for Stage Stores, which had sales last year of $1.4 billion, it doesnt operate much in the Upper Midwest, where Gordmans is concentrated, so the acquisition would make sense at least geographically, said Ken Perkins, president of the Boston-based Retail Metrics research firm. Its unlikely that Stage would continue operating all of the stores, Perkins said. The company could keep the Gordmans name, as Stage operates several other department store brands as well. Stage also has ties to Gordmans President and Chief Executive Andy Hall, who came from the Texas-based chain before landing at Gordmans in 2014. Still, bringing in a new operator may just be delaying the inevitable. In todays environment, just look around the landscape. Its almost impossible to bring these things back, Perkins said, citing as examples Radio Shack and Wet Seal, each of which recently declared bankruptcy for a second time. Stage is facing the same problems as Gordmans: tough competition from online retailers, off-price stores like TJ Maxx and fast fashion chains like H&M and Zara. Its a difficult business thats been getting squeezed for a long time, Perkins said of department stores. Some of the retail peril that slammed Gordmans has brushed up against Stage. The company reported same-store sales declines of 8.5 percent in the fourth quarter last year. It also has pared back from 820 stores in 2014 to 798 at the end of 2016. I dont know what the benefit to them would be, other than cherry-picking the most profitable Gordmans stores and adding those to the fold, Perkins said. The University of Nebraska at Omaha will host a photo exhibit on modern slavery. The exhibit, which opens Thursday, will remain on campus through May 19 and will feature a decades worth of photos and stories from humanitarian photographer Lisa Kristine. The title of the free exhibit is Enslaved: A Visual Story of Modern Day Slavery. The majority of the exhibit will be displayed in UNOs Criss Library, with an additional display in the Weitz Community Engagement Center. Both buildings will host related events during the exhibition. Kristine will deliver the annual Leonard and Shirley Goldstein Lecture on Human Rights at 7 p.m. April 6 at the Weitz Community Engagement Center. That event is free and open to the public, too. 'Lutheran Hour' host to speak on Reformation at Concordia The Rev. Gregory Seltz will speak tonight at 7 as part of the 500th Anniversary Reformation Lecture Series at Concordia University in Seward. Seltz will present Reformation Mission in the Weller Campus Auditorium. He will be available to take questions afterward. He also will speak during chapel at 11 a.m. Tuesday. Both presentations are free and open to the public. Seltz hosts The Lutheran Hour radio program, an outreach show that has more than a million listeners and airs on more than 1,600 stations across North America as well as on the American Forces Network. Concordia has about 2,600 students and offers more than 100 programs. Hastings College is recognized as a Tree Campus USA Hastings College has been recognized by the Arbor Day Foundation as a Tree Campus USA. Besides caring for existing trees, a team of volunteers and grounds staffers at the college last year planted 68 trees of 22 species. The volunteer team was made up of students, faculty members and retirees, who volunteered 710 hours. Students are eager to volunteer in their communities and become better stewards of the environment, said Matt Harris, chief executive of the Arbor Day Foundation. Participating in Tree Campus USA sets a fine example for other colleges and universities while helping to create a healthier planet for us all. Where do the Omaha Public Schools go from here? Thats the question dogging board members now that all three superintendent finalists have bowed out. First up, board members are likely to name an interim superintendent as they hash out what went wrong: Was the search process flawed? Or is the board hopelessly divided? Bridget Donovan, the president of the Omaha Education Association teachers union, said the board needs to look inward and ferret out the source of dissent. Without knowing why the board is split, I do think they need to slow down and take a breath, she said. They need to ... see whos compromising and whos trying to find the middle ground, and whos just staying entrenched in their positions. Donovan backs picking an interim superintendent from the ranks of OPS and said the board must listen to staff, families and other community members. Names floated as possible interim candidates include OPS Superintendent Mark Evans and Assistant Superintendent ReNae Kehrberg, a finalist for OPS superintendent in 2012. Evans and Kehrberg are both retiring at the end of the school year. Neither returned calls Sunday. A week ago, the first of three finalists quit the race. Jane Stavem, an associate superintendent in the Lincoln Public Schools, said she didnt think the job was the right fit and voiced qualms with the search process. On Saturday, the two other finalists withdrew: Paul Gausman, superintendent of Sioux City Community Schools in Iowa, and Khalid Mumin, superintendent of Reading School District in Pennsylvania. Sunday, board members reiterated that they couldnt come to a consensus on either Gausman or Mumin. Some board members cited the fact that Gausman and Mumin came from districts roughly one-third the size of OPS, which enrolls more than 50,000 students. Others said neither fully inspired the community or school board. Board member Matt Scanlan said he read through feedback from community meet-and-greet sessions with the candidates. Some attendees worried that a larger, more complex district would be a big leap for Gausman. Others were concerned that Mumin had a track record of changing jobs and might not be in Omaha for the long haul. Id like for seven, eight, nine people (on the board) to be really excited about this one candidate, the wow candidate, Scanlan said. In a statement, board vice president Marque Snow said his subdistrict and members of the OPS community were energized by Mumin and his vision for the district. Gina Miller, an OPS parent who attended all public sessions with the finalists, said she had reservations about each. But she noted that people were buzzing about Mumin. If hired, he would have been OPSs first black superintendent. On Sunday, Miller wrote the board, telling members to halt the search until they made public how and why it broke down. There needs to be some accountability, she said. When you have three candidates drop out, thats beyond serious. Board members Snow, Scanlan and Amanda Ryan said they have concerns about the compressed timeline for the search. Evans announced in October that he would step down in June. The board hired a search firm, McPherson & Jacobson, in November with a goal of hiring a new superintendent by March. Complicating the search was the November election and changes in the board makeup. Four new board members have been sworn in since January. Asked why the board didnt pump the brakes, Scanlan conceded, we probably should have ... but thats all hindsight. Thomas Jacobson, the CEO and founder of the search firm, declined to comment Sunday and referred questions to OPS, saying a districts attorney had reminded him that there is a confidentiality clause in the firms contract. The firm is to be paid $28,900 plus expenses. It received half upfront and is to receive the other half at the end of a successful search. The board meets publicly at 6:30 p.m. today to decide how to move forward so a leader is in place for the next school year. Board members acknowledged that the stalled search was another black eye for OPS and could jeopardize its chances to attract top candidates. I want to say, just trust us, it will be OK, Ryan said. But with (the) distrust we do have, I cant say that and just expect people to jump onboard. There are bridges we have to mend. Former board member Marian Fey finished her second term on the board in December. She served during two superintendent searches, including one that ended with the appointment of an interim superintendent. This is dramatic, but its not fatal, she said. Right now, they need to lead, they need to come together. The superintendent of the 55th Wings safety office at Offutt Air Force Base has won the Air Forces Safety Professional of the Year award for 2016. Master Sgt. Roger Scott, 32, received the servicewide award for his contributions to safety at Offutt as well as at several bases in the Middle East that support the coalition effort to defeat Islamic State terrorists in Iraq and Syria, a 55th Wing press release said. The award is presented annually by the U.S. Air Force chief of safety. According to the release, Scotts accomplishments included: Setting up a joint occupational safety program with three U.S. military partners and 10 other organizations that helped ensure the safety of 2,500 people in the Middle East. Leading a 10-member mishap-prevention team for the 2016 Defenders of Freedom Open House and Air Show at Offutt. Overseeing training programs that educated more than 1,300 people. Reducing safety mishaps at Offutt by 33 percent. Scott, who is from Cleveland, Tennessee, has served 13 years in the Air Force, the past three years at Offutt. Col. Marty Reynolds, the 55th Wing commander, will present him with the award in the next couple of weeks, said Drew Nystrom, a wing spokesman. SAN FRANCISCO A Mexican immigrant who twice entered the U.S. illegally has one man in particular to thank for being able to live and work in Oklahoma City with his family: Judge Neil M. Gorsuch. Gorsuch, the nominee President Donald Trump is betting on to be his Supreme Court tie-breaker, wrote a 2016 ruling permitting Hugo Rosario Gutierrez-Brizuela to stay in the U.S. and, his lawyer hopes, within a few years become a citizen. Without it we were done, said Timothy Cook, the attorney. Had the decision gone the other way, Gutierrez-Brizuela would have been promptly deported, he said. As Trump vows to fight all the way to the nations top court to preserve his temporary ban on travel from six mostly Muslim nations and immigration agents turn to more aggressive tactics on city streets, Gorsuchs conservative credentials have been hailed as likely to swing the divided court in the presidents favor. But as lawmakers scrutinize Gorsuchs decadelong tenure on a federal appeals court for clues about how he might rule on hot-button issues such as abortion and gun control, his record shows that on immigration rights, he cant be easily categorized. Moreover, some experts and academics say Gorsuchs criticism of executive overreach in the Gutierrez-Brizuela case and others could lead him to reach decisions at odds with the Republican presidents policies. The judges thinking in those cases is likely to be a subject of intense interest in confirmation hearings this week. Four days of hearings are set to begin today, when Gorsuch will sit and listen for several hours as members of the Judiciary Committee read opening statements. He is poised to deliver his opening statement this afternoon, giving senators and the nation an early indication of how he might serve on the court. On Tuesday and Wednesday, Gorsuch is set to face at least 50 minutes of questioning by each member of the panel. The proceedings are expected to conclude Thursday with a panel of witnesses speaking for or against Gorsuch. The American Immigration Council, which advocates for immigrant rights, said a review of the few relevant opinions Gorsuch has issued over the past decade shows that he has at times been sympathetic to victims of outdated and harsh immigration laws. In cases argued by Cook and Laura Lichter, a Denver lawyer whose immigrant client won an appeal before Gorsuch in 2015, Gorsuch blocked immigration officials from changing the rules midgame. Both immigrants had sought residency under regulations that wouldnt disqualify them for past missteps, but their applications wound up being retroactively reviewed under a stricter policy that required them to first serve a 10-year waiting period outside the U.S. Gorsuch summed up that switch as effectively pulling out from petitioners like Mr. Gutierrez-Brizuela a rug that the agency itself set under them. The judges answer was to let the new, stricter rule apply only going forward. To legal scholars, what stands out about the ruling is Gorsuchs attack on what he called a behemoth Supreme Court legal precedent, a 1984 decision that upheld the Environmental Protection Agencys interpretation of the Clean Air Act in favor of Chevron. The Chevron doctrine holds that when a law is ambiguous, courts must defer to an expert agencys interpretation as long as its reasonable. In the case of Gutierrez-Brizuela and others in his shoes, the agency was the Board of Immigration Appeals, operating under the U.S. attorney general. Gorsuch concluded that relying on the Chevron case and applying the required waiting period retroactively may violate constitutional guarantees of fairness and equal protection under the law. Eliminating the Chevron doctrine, he suggested, would allow citizens to organize their affairs with some assurance that the rug will not be pulled from under them tomorrow, the next day, or after the next election. The opinion suggests Gorsuchs disposition to resist overweening exercises of executive power, said Michael W. McConnell, a professor at Stanford Law School and a former judge who served on the Denver-based appeals court with Gorsuch. Gorsuchs critics, however, argue that he applies that reasoning selectively, to advance an agenda more conservative than that of his hero, the late Justice Antonin Scalia. They worry that doing away with Chevron would empower judges to gut regulations by overruling agency experts charged with enforcing protections for workers, as well as food, medicine, air and water. Gorsuch takes a very different posture on executive power when its applied to police or governors, said Dan Goldberg, legal director of the liberal Alliance for Justice. Goldberg pointed to a case involving Utah Gov. Gary Herberts decision to unilaterally suspend funding of Planned Parenthood after the 2015 release of videos that purported to show officers of the health care provider discussing a fetal tissue donation program. Gorsuch broke ranks with colleagues who ruled that the Republican governor had overstepped his authority. He unsuccessfully pushed for a rehearing, saying the appeals court should have respected a trial judges conclusion that the governor was acting with a legitimate motive. The judge who led the majority said Gorsuchs opinion mischaracterizes this litigation and the panel opinion at several turns. To Goldberg, the case shows Gorsuch was willing to ignore court practice and custom in an ideologically-driven dispute to defend an otherwise illegal act. Not a single Democrat has pledged support for Gorsuch. That is partly fueled by a liberal base that has been agitating for a win since Trump was inaugurated Jan. 20. Unable to block the large majority of Trumps executive branch nominations, some Democrats want to draw blood and force Gorsuch to clear procedural hurdles that require 60 senators to vote in his favor. Republicans hold 52 seats, so they would need eight Democrats to vote with them. Mounting a filibuster to force such a vote could amount to a declaration of war against Republicans that some Democrats, particularly those from conservative states that voted for Trump last year, may be unwilling to do. This report includes material from The Washington Post. BOULDER, Colo. (AP) Firefighters made progress Sunday in battling a small wildfire that forced people to flee from hundreds of homes in the mountains just outside downtown Boulder, Colorado, and ignited dead trees that exploded into black plumes of smoke, authorities and residents said. Wind was pushing the flames in the wooded area a couple of miles west of Pearl Street, the shopping and dining hub in the heart of the university city. Crews partially contained the fire that had burned just over 60 acres, but officials worried that stronger gusts expected later in the day could fan the flames. The Boulder Office of Emergency Management said 426 homes were evacuated before dawn and residents of an additional 836 were warned to get ready to leave if conditions worsened. There were no reports of injuries or damage to homes, emergency officials said. Several aircraft were dropping water and retardant on the flames, and a community center has opened as an evacuation shelter. Officials were not sure how the fire started in the Sunshine Canyon area that is dotted with a mixture of expensive homes and rustic mountain residences. Seth Frankel, who was warned that he and his family may need to evacuate, said he had packed up generations of things that cant be replaced and was ready to go if the air quality got worse. He said smoke was pouring toward neighborhoods and many dead trees were combusting and sending black smoke into the air less than a half-mile from his home. But he and his wife, a Boulder native, and three daughters have dealt with fires and floods before. Its always alarming and always on your mind, but its not an uncommon sensation around here, said Frankel, who has lived in Boulder for 20 years. In 2010, a wildfire destroyed nearly 200 houses in the mountainous area west of the city, home to the University of Colorado, Boulder. Frankel got word of the fire early Sunday from a neighbor who received a warning call, and he was outside with neighbors watching the flames and smoke. But he let his daughters, 9, 11 and 13, sleep in. Its still alarming, but theres no panic, Frankel said. We will be long since gone when parents are no longer smiling. WASHINGTON Judge Neil Gorsuch enters the make-or-break phase of his nomination to the Supreme Court on Tuesday when members of the Senate Judiciary Committee start their grilling. Committee members previewed their lines of questioning Monday when Gorsuch appeared before them in a session that featured only opening remarks. The top Democrat on the panel, Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California, said the hearings are important given the courts final say on so many issues that affect Americans daily lives. The Supreme Court has the final say on whether a woman will continue to have control over her own body, or whether decisions about her health care will be determined by politicians and the government, Feinstein said. It decides whether billionaires and large corporations will be able to spend unlimited sums of money to buy elections and whether states and localities will be able to pass laws and make it harder for poor people, people of color, seniors and younger people to vote. Expect Democrats to probe his views on those topics, as well as gun control, environmental regulations and others when Gorsuch starts answering questions Tuesday and probably Wednesday as well. Outside witnesses will testify later in the week. The committee is likely to vote on the nomination April 3, with the full Senate following quickly in order to finish before the Easter recess, said Chairman Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa. Monday, Republicans focused heavily on Gorsuchs credentials and touted his commitment to not inject his personal feelings into cases he hears. Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Neb., focused his opening statement on the plain black robes that judges wear, casting them as symbols of judicial neutrality. When the judge puts on his or her robe, it forces their personalities into the background so that we can focus on the important but the modest job that they have to do, which is to drill down on facts and law, Sasse said. Sasse said Gorsuch probably holds policy preferences but they cant be determined from reading his opinions. I expect by the end of this week it should be clear that Judge Gorsuch, the judges judge, will faithfully embody the spirit of that black robe, Sasse said. The American people deserve the comfort of a judiciary that is cold and impartial, not seeking to be super-legislators. The nominee himself delivered a 15-minute statement that included much about his personal background and family, including a grandmother he said grew up on a Nebraska farm where an icebox wasnt something you plugged into the wall it was something you lowered into the ground. Gorsuch pledged to be a faithful servant to the Constitution and the law and sought to counter Democratic suggestions that hes in the tank for big business. Ive ruled for disabled students, for prisoners, for the accused, for workers alleging civil rights violations and for undocumented immigrants, he said. Sometimes, too, I ruled against such persons. My decisions have never reflected a judgment about the people before me, only a judgment about the law and the facts at issue in each particular case. Democrats repeatedly used their time Monday to contrast Gorsuchs consideration with GOP refusal last year to take up Merrick Garland, President Barack Obamas pick for the seat vacated by the death of Antonin Scalia. While blasting that move as unprecedented disrespect toward Garland, they said they will take the high road and give Gorsuchs nomination a fair hearing. But they also said they dont plan on giving him a pass and highlighted concerns they will emphasize this week, describing Gorsuchs record as favoring Republican-favored special interest groups and ideological positions. They said his past writings suggest he would overturn the landmark abortion rights Roe vs Wade case. And they cast his jurisprudence as elevating corporate interests over individual rights. There were spots of levity in the day. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said he disagreed with the approach to the law shown by President Barack Obamas first two nominees to the Supreme Court and was concerned particularly about their positions on gun rights and abortion. But he voted for them because they were qualified. In reference to Republican blockade of Garland, Graham nodded to his own criticism of Trumps presidential campaign. And if you believe this has been a great plan to get a Trump nominee on the court, then you had to believe Trump was going to win to begin with, Graham said. I didnt believe that. Obviously, I didnt believe that, saying all the things I said. Amid laughter from the audience, Graham added Followed closely by Ben with a gesture toward Sasse, who also was highly critical of Trump during the campaign. After the hearing, Grassley told reporters that he doesnt think suggestions that Gorsuch is against the little guy will gain traction. Ive gone through his cases and I dont think that that can hold water and I think hell demonstrate that very clearly, Grassley said. On another front, Grassley was asked about a letter from one of Gorsuchs former law students claiming that he once implied in class that women manipulate companies in order to get maternity benefits. Grassley noted that others have disputed those claims. We have many more statements of support for him and refuting that statement than just the one person that made it, Grassley said. ARTHUR BAY, Neb. A large grass fire at the north end of Lake McConaughy forced some residents to evacuate on Sunday. Officials say the initial fire, believed to be human-caused, started at 10:44 p.m. Saturday on West Highway 92 near Arthur Bay. The Nebraska State Patrol evacuated homes on the north side of the lake. The fire traveled 4 miles before it was contained, and fire departments from Ogallala, Brule, Paxton, Madrid, Hershey, Sutherland, Grant and Keystone Lemoyne were released at 6 a.m. Sunday. The fire rekindled at 11 a.m. Sunday, knocking out power to nearby homes. Twenty volunteer fire departments across the region responded to the scene. The fire chief of Keystone Lemoyne Fire and Rescue said the blaze was under control as of Sunday night, and those who were evacuated from their homes will be able return in a few days. First responders were expected to remain at the scene overnight. One firefighter was injured and transported to a North Platte hospital. There was no word on the firefighters condition. No other injuries have been reported. The Keith County Sheriffs Office warned people to stay out of the area near Martin Bay and Arthur Bay because of the situation. The Nebraska State Patrol closed Highway 61 from the south end of Kingsley Dam to the north of the Keystone Fire Hall, due to smoke and dangerous conditions. Highway 92 from Lewellen east to the dam was also closed. Arsenic sulphide was main ingredient in Ghorasan bomb India oi-Vicky By Vicky The forensic report obtained by the National Investigation Agency states that a substance called arsenic sulphide was used in the bomb found on the railway track at Ghorasan in Bihar. A chemical that is used in firecrackers was found in the pressure cooker bomb that was planted on the track. The bomb was planted on the track on October 1 last year. However, villagers found it and after reporting the same to the police the bomb was defused. In February it was the Bihar police which first brought to light an Inter-Services Intelligence hand in the incident. Three persons were arrested by the Bihar police and during their questioning, it was revealed that they had planted the bomb at the behest of an ISI operative in Nepal. Shamshul Hoda, the ISI operative arrested by the Nepal police confessed to his role in the Ghorasan incident. He, however, ruled out playing any role in the Kanpur and Kuneru train accidents in which nearly 200 people had died. OneIndia News Biren Singh to take floor test in Manipur assembly today India oi-Vicky By Vicky The Biren Singh government in Manipur will face the floor test on Monday. Singh, from Bharatiya Janata Party, was sworn in as chief minister of Manipur last week. There was a big battle between the BJP and the Congress to form the government. The Congress said that they were not invited to form the government despite being the single largest party in the state that they ruled for 15 years. For Singh to sail through the floor test, he will need to get to the magic number of 31 in the 60 member house. In the letter of support, Singh had told the governor that he enjoys the support of 32 MLAs. He has handed out letters of support from the NPP with 4 MLAs, NPF-4, TMC-1, LJP-1 and one independent. This takes the BJP's tally to 32. The Congress too claimed to have the support of 32 MLAs. The Congress won 28 seats and said that it had the support of four NPP MLAs. The NPP had however disputed the letter and called it fake. OneIndia News UP polls: BSP worker Arshad Rana bitterly cries for not getting ticket in viral video UP elections: 23 Muslims, 10 SC candidates in second list of BSP candidates Good of Shah to acknowledge BSP will get Dalit votes: Mayawati BJP ki pol khol yatra to be held by BSP across Maharashtra BSP leader Mohd Shami shot dead in Allahabad India oi-Madhuri Bahujan Samaj Party Leader Mohd Shami was shot dead by bike-borne assailants in Allahabad on Monday early morning, hours after Yogi Adityanath was sworn in as the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh. UP: BSP Leader Mohd Shami shot dead by bike borne assailants in Allahabad pic.twitter.com/0hpitOPwjl ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) March 20, 2017 Shami died after being reportedly shot at five times. According to reports, a case has been registered against local leaders linked to BJP. The incident took place in Allahabad's Mau Aima when Mohammed Shami was sitting outside his home, when he was fatally shot. It is also learnt that Shami had recently joined the bahujan Samaj Party during the UP assembly election. Earlier, he was working for Samajwadi Party where he was a close aid of Mulayam Singh Yadav. Even when he was in working for Congress party, he was very close to late prime minister Rajiv Gandhi. Earlier this week, a report stated that son of Bahujan Samaj Party MLA Lalji Verma attempted suicide by shooting himself. The incident took place at his house in Akabarpur police station area of Ambedkar Nagar district. OneIndia News In UP 166 criminals killed in encounters in past five years: Yogi Can Yogi come out of the communal shadow and be UPs development face? India oi-Vikas By Vikas With firebrand leader Yogi Adityanath, who is known for making communal remarks, being made Uttar Pradesh chief minister, the opposition parties are hoping that he would focus on development and not making provocative comments. The Congress and its allies such as the JD-U were quick to accuse the BJP of deviating from their development agenda and focusing on polarisation ahead of 2019 polls. Some, in fact, hinted that Yogi's acension to the top post could have just been a move aimed at dividing the state on communal lines ahead of Lok Sabha polls. Congress leader P C Chacko told ANI that 'we all hope that he will show maturity and not make procative statements aimed at certain communities'. Chacko, however, said that BJP 'development pitch before every election might actually be a 'ploy'. The JD-U also seemed apprehensive about Adityanath's choice as CM for politically significant state. Party leader Ali Anwar told ANI that there is a difference between what PM Modi says and does. Yogi's appointment as CM sends a clear message out to the Hindus of UP that the BJP is keen on pushing its Hindutva agenda coupled with development. The saffron party faced severe criticism for selecting a man known for his anti-minority politics for the top post. In order to fit Adityanath into Prime Minister Narendra Modi's narrative of Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas, the BJP is planning to give the new Uttar Pradesh CM an image makeover. According to a report by Reuters, Adityanath would undergo a complete image makeover to repackage him as a moderate reformer. The Hindutva poster boy, who is the current mahant (head priest) of the Gorakhnath Mutt and a five-time BJP Member of Parliament from the Gorakhpur constituency, was sworn-in as the CM of Uttar Pradesh in Lucknow on Sunday. OneIndia News Environment minister: Government is working for protection of river dolphins India pti-PTI New Delhi, March 20: Important strategies have been chalked out for protection of river dolphins, the government on Monday said and acknowledged that concerns have been raised by various groups on survival of Gangetic river dolphins due to the proposed National Waterways Project. "Yes, sir. The Conservation Action Plan for the Gangetic Dolphin (2010-2020) has also identified threats to Gangetic dolphins and impact of river traffic, irrigation canals and depletion of prey-base on dolphin populations," Environment Minister Anil Madhav Dave said in a written reply in Rajya Sabha. He was asked whether conservationist groups have expressed concern regarding the survival of Gangetic river dolphins on account of the National Waterways Project. He said that the important strategies and action points for protection of dolphins highlighted in the Dolphin Conservation Action Plan include reduction of incidental mortality through rescue and release efforts and habitat protection and restoration and reduction in environmental pollution. The plan also includes minimising daily fluctuations in water flow, preservation of floodplains for ensuring adequate prey-base and community involvement in river dolphin conservation and management. PTI APJ Abdul Kalam On September 29, 2011, Former President late APJ Abdul Kalam was twice subjected to frisking at New York's JFK Airport with US security officials even taking his jacket and shoes to check for explosives. The incident took place while he was returning home from New York after attending a series of events. Praful Patel In September 2010, then civil aviation minister Praful Patel was quizzed by US immigration authorities at Chicago airport because his name and date of birth matched with that of another Praful Patel, who is on the US' watch-list. George Fernandes Former defence minister George Fernandes was twice strip-searched at Washington airport while on official business in 2002 and 2003. Meera Shankar Meera Shankar, the Indian ambassador to the US between 2009 and 2011, at a Mississippi airport for a pat-down search, despite she was travelling on a diplomatic status. Azam Khan In 2013, Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan was detained briefly for questioning at the Boston Logan International Airport. Hardeep Puri In Dec 2010,former Indian diplomat Ambassador Hardeep Puri was held for 30 minutes at Houston airport in Texas after refusing to remove his turban. COLUMN: Future of Cauvery Water lies in the past India oi-Oneindia By Hema and Hari D K Politicians of the day have made it seem like that the dispute over Cauvery water sharing is a conflict without a solution. They have been so successful in this that today farmers of the riparian states of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu believe there is no life for them without Cauvery waters and hence are willing to stake their life for the cause. In reality, this is yet another example of how a short-sighted vision can complicate matters for one and all. There can be, and there is, a prosperous life for farmers of the riparian states beyond Cauvery waters. The concept of water sharing in India, is as old as the early civilization of the land. History stands testimony to this.The sharing of waters went on without any noticeable acrimony till the 1960s. Till then, there existed arrangements among people which ensured that what was available was shared amicably among the riparian states in an equitable manner. One such arrangement was a formal agreement entered into in 1860 between the Mysore Maharaja Government and the Madras Presidency, under British administration for how the waters of the Cauvery would be shared for the next 100 years. In 1960, this 100-year agreement came to an end but was not renewed by those in power. But more than such agreements, what had ensured a harmonious sharing was the fact that both these states did not solely depend upon River Cauvery for their water needs. They had a decentralized form of water harnessing called the Chain Tank System, which met their water needs. The Cauvery was only a supplementary source to the Chain Tank System. However, in the last 50 years of modern development, both Karnataka and Tamil Nadu have neglected the decentralized form of water harnessing, the Chain Tank System, which was a sustainable form of water replenishing. The Chain Tank system of the Carnatic was conceived and built about 1500 years ago, around 500 CE to 900 CE. It was built on the leeward side of the Western Ghats taking into cognizance the gradient of the land, sloping towards the Bay of Bengal. This region was known as the Carnatic. Every village in this region had tanks which formed part of a Chain Tank System. The tanks were called Kere in Karnataka, Eri in Tamil Nadu and Cheruvuin Andhra Pradesh. In a chain, the Kere, Eri and Cheruvu of every village was linked to the other, right from the Western Ghats to Bay of Bengal. Rain waters were collected and stored in these local tanks as and when the rains came. Once a tank filled up, the overflow was channelled to the next in the gradient. The water thus collected flowed through every village of the Carnatic, from the slopes of the Western Ghats to the Bay of Bengal. This chain of tanks ensured that every village in this region got water irrespective of whether it had rained there or not. This Chain Tank was decentralized and did not depend only on Cauvery waters. Just as the river Cauvery uses the gradient to flow from Western Ghats, the Chain Tank system too used the same gradient of land. Cauvery was an arterial river in this web of feeder and distribution canals. The ingenuity lies in how the rain water was harnessed in this land across generations, ensuring prosperity to the land for thousands of years. However, in the last 50 years of modern development, this Chain Tank System has become defunct. The decentralized approach which was the back bone of the Agrarian society has been replaced by a centralized approach of solely depending on Cauvery for both agriculture and industries as well as for water table management. This has created an unnecessary strain on the water resources. Though there exists a web of feeder canals to and from the Cauvery and the Chain Tanks, they are blocked with silt owing to lack of maintenance over the last seven decades. Making them functional again will create a situation for balancing water between the Chain Tank and the river. Water sharing agreements, however satisfying they may be, only address rainy season needs. The real sustainable solution lies in making the decentralized system of water harnessing using the Chain Tank System, functional again. This system can harness the water when it rains, where it rains and make it available to the people when they need it, in every nook and corner of the land. The surplus waters from this ystem, which will be in plenty when the system functions, can be shared with the rivers like Cauvery of this region. The excess from the rivers such as Cauvery, when in spate can also be shared with the Chain Tanks, thus balancing the water flows. This will ensure that seasonal floods and droughts are avoided. As a civilized society, if we can restore what our ancestors had created for us, we can again be prosperous and harmonious for centuries to come. Ideally, the acrimony over scarce Cauvery waters should have pushed modern-day politicians and administrators to clever ways of harnessing waters. Sadly, it has been long used as a political tool. In reality a solution to this vexed problem in not so far away. It is just a few decades back in the past. (The authors are the founders of Bharath Gyan, a Knowledge Foundation. More on their work can be found at http://www.bharathgyan.com) Gundlupet bypoll: Congress hopes to ride the sympathy wave India oi-Anusha The Congress in Karnataka is fighting hard to retain two of its assembly seats in Gundlupet and Nanjangud in the upcoming bypolls. With candidates from the BJP and the Congress filing nominations on Monday, the stage is set for a fierce two-way battle. While Nanjangud is the real challenge for both parties, Congress hopes to sail smoothly on a sympathy wave in the Gundlupet bypoll. The seat fell vacant after the sudden demise of Karnataka cabinet minister H S Mahadeva Prasad. The five-time legislator from the constituency had an impressive record and enjoyed mass support. Banking on his vote bank, image and consecutive wins along with the sympathy wave they could reply on, the Congress was quick to announce his wife, Geetha Mahadev Prasad, as their candidate for the bypoll. Geetha who is a novice has always maintained a distance from politics but has jumped into the fray on Siddaramaiah's assurance of full support. Her interests have always been academics and never politics, but her husband's appeal in the constituency is what the Congress hopes to tap along with riding the sympathy wave. For the BJP, winning the Gundlupet bypoll is important to prove a surge ahead of the 2018 assembly polls. While the Nanjangud seat may seem like a cakewalk, Gundlupet is the real challenge for the BJP. The BJP has fielded Niranjan Kumar who contested from the constituency in 2008 on a BJP ticket but followed B S Yeddyurappa to the Karnataka Janata Paksha. Niranjan Kumar is a B S Yeddyurappa loyalist and was his pick for the bypoll. While B S Yeddyurappa is vigorously campaigning in both constituencies, he has appointed C T Ravi and Aravind Limbavali to focus on Gundlupet. For the Congress, it is a fight to retain its seats and prove BJP's claims of anti-incumbency wrong while for the BJP it is a matter of breaching Congress bastions in the Mysuru region. While BJP hopes that Geetha Mahadevprasad's lack of political experience helps them gain votes, the Congress is banking on Mahadevprasad's mass appeal and the sympathy wave to work for them in the April 9 bypoll. OneIndia News Hate crime against Indians in Australia: Priest brutally attacked in church International oi-Oneindia By Oneindia Staff Writer Melbourne, March 20: After the US, an incident of hate crime against an Indian has been reported from Melbourne, Australia, on Sunday. According to ANI, an Indian Catholic priest was attacked by a 72-year-old man while leading the Sunday mass in a Melbourne church. The victim has been identified as Reverend Tomy Kalathoor Mathew, a 48-year-old Indian-origin priest. The accused attacked Mathew with a sharp weapon on his neck. The attack happened just before the priest was due to give the 11am Italian-language mass on Sunday. The 72-year-old man has been charged for stabbing Mathew. Racism may be the reason the priest was stabbed in the neck moments before he was about to say mass at a Melbourne church, reports News.com.au. Media reports say the accused told the priest that because he was an Indian, he must be a Hindu or a Muslim and therefore can't be saying mass prayers. The accused has been charged with intentionally and recklessly causing injury and bailed to appear in the Broadmeadows Magistrates' Court on June 13. Currently, the priest is recovering from non-threatening injuries in a hospital in Melbourne. In recent times, we have been witnessed several hate crimes being committed against Indian-origin people in the US. The most gruesome was the killing of Srinivas Kuchibhotla, a native of Hyderabad, who died in a shooting incident in Kansas recently. OneIndia News Uttar Pradesh: Illegal slaughterhouses shut in Allahabad India oi-Anusha Officials from the Allahabad Nagar Nigam (civic agency) shut two illegal slaughterhouses on Monday. A day after Yogi Adityanath took over as the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh the government has moved towards fulfilling its poll promise. Shutting down of illegal slaughterhouses was a prominent poll promise of the BJP and the initiation of the process has begun just a day after government formation. The shutting down of the illegal slaughterhouses is being viewed as a direct effect of Yogi Adityananth. BJP National president Amit Shah, had vowed to shut illegal slaughter houses in the state while addressing a rally in Maharajganj. The same was reiterated on multiple platforms and Monday's crackdown seems to be a translation of the promise on ground. OneIndia News In Pics: Indo-Nepal joint military exercise India oi-Gulam Rabbani By Gulam Rabbani Pithoragarh: The 11th edition of combined Indo-Nepal Batallion Military Exercise Surya Kiran XI, which began on March 7 under the aegis of Panchshul Brigade of Central Command, concluded on Monday in Pithoragarh, Uttarakhand. The SURYA KIRAN series of training, which is a bi-annual event is conducted in India and Nepal alternatively. During the exercise, new battalions - one each from India and Nepalese Army were trained together. They were allowed to share their experiences on counter-terrorism and forest warfare in mountain terrain. The main focus of this training was to enhance inter-operability between the two armies in counter-terrorism and jungle warfare operations. The exercise also focussed on humanitarian aid and disaster relief which includes aviation and medical support. Both the armies get benefitted mutually from shared experiences. The combined training will strengthen the defence forces and strategic ties between India and Nepal. The Nepal Army was being represented by the officers and troops of the elite Durga Baksh battalion while the Ekta Shakti Battalion of the Punjab Regiment is participating on behalf of the Indian Army. This is 11th such battalion level exercise between the two countries aimed at training of troops in counter insurgency operations in mountainous terrain. It formally incorporates issues related to humanitarian assistance and disaster management, and will help enhance defence co-operation and military relations between the two countries. Planning for the day The day begins with planning. The Commanders are seen giving guidance to the forces from India and Nepal which conducted a joint military exercise. Photo courtesy:@PIB_India/Twitter Dividing the into teams Before the exercise, an officer divides the teams. Senior officials were seen giving instructions to the young officers and jawans. Photo courtesy: @PIB_India/Twitter Alert all the way Alertness is the key in any anti-terrorism operation. It is important that the forces remain alert at all times. Photo courtesy:@PIB_India/Twitter In-action Soldiers in action. Firing practise was one of the exercises that was conducted during the joint military operation. Photo courtesy:@PIB_India/Twitter OneIndia News Karnataka: The battle of Exes in Nanjangud bypoll India oi-Anusha The bypoll for Nanjangud constituency is much more than a mere election for the BJP and the Congress in Karnataka. For the ruling Congress, a victory in the bypoll has become a matter of pride and a referendum for the 2018 assembly polls as far their clout in the traditional bastion of Mysuru belt is concerned. For the BJP, a victory in Nanjangud does not only mean breaching a Congress bastion but also managing to impress the Dalit vote banks in the region. What makes this election interesting is also the fact that parties have fielded candidates who left their mother parties recently. Srinivas Prasad, a Dalit strongman and formerly a close friend and confidante of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah was also the cabinet minister till 2016. He had won the Nanjangud assembly constituency on a Congress. Miffed over being dropped from the cabinet, Srinivas Prasad quit the Congress leaving his seat from Nanjangud vacant. The BJP welcomed the Dalit leader with open arms and has now fielded him in his own constituency. The BJP had never been more confident. An Ex-Congressman is now the BJP's candidate in a traditionally Congress bastion. The Congress that came to power in Karnataka with the promise of 'inclusive development' rides high on the support it has from Dalit, backward classes and minorities. The bypoll in Nanjangud can alter these calculations at least on the Dalit support front. The Congress spent months looking for a candidate to field against strongman Srinivas Prasad. The name of Bose, Congress Minister Mahadevappa's son did the rounds initially but sensing the challenge ahead, Mahadevappa was smart to pull his son back from the race. He did not want a fractured entry into politics for his son. In February, Kalale Keshavamurthy a Janata Dal-Secular leader who had lost to Srinivas Prasad by a mere 8,000 votes difference announced his decision to join the Congress party. Thus, the Congress imported a candidate from the JD-S to fight the NAnjangud bypoll on their ticket. The Congress hopes that its secure vote bank, as well as the Keshavamurthy's supporters, are able to patch the 8,000-mark difference and emerge victorious against Srinivas Prasad who is a popular face in the constituency. Congress also hopes to eat into Srinivas Prasad's individual voters. The JD-S, meanwhile, has decided to stay out of the bypoll. Their initial pick was KAlale Keshavamurthy but his decision to jump to the Congress resulted in the JD-S withdrawing from the bypoll. "The bypoll is a waste of money and time for us," said JD-S' state president H D Kumaraswamy. While the JD-S claims it a waste of time, the BJP sees a ploy hatched by the JD-S and Congress to consolidate their votes to ensure Srinivas PRasad's defeat. Party patriarch and former prime minister H D Devegowda however, has asked party voters to be neutral, an appeal that the BJP has termed a farce. With a former Congressman contesting on a BJP ticket and a former JD-S man contesting on a Congress ticket, the Nanjangud bypoll is surely a battle of the exes. OneIndia News Five years of demonetisation: Notes in circulation on rise; so are digital payments PM Modi should admit that demonetistion a failure: Owaisi on cash seizure in UP MoS Finance says Demonetisation will reduce rich-poor divide India ians-IANS By Ians English New Delhi, March 20: Demonetisation will lead to narrowing of the divide between the rich and the poor, Minister of State for Finance Arjun Ram Meghwal said on Monday. Replying to a debate in the Lok Sabha on supplementary demands for grants, the minister said the note ban will eventually lead to increase in Gross Domestic Product. Quoting Bhimrao Ambedkar, the minister said political equality without social and economic equality means nothing. "Why did you not work towards bringing social and economic equality," Meghwal said targeting the opposition Congress. "This programme of demonetisation will do it," he said. The minister then said the divide between the rich and the poor was increasing when other parties were in power, and post-demonetisation it is being reduced. He said demonetisation brought transparency, which will lead to increase in GDP. "Post-demonetisation, with digital transaction, everything will be counted, consumption will rise, investment will rise, export will rise and GDP will also rise," he said. Talking about the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections, he said: "You have seen the results in the elections... They are saying demonetisation was not an election issue... why not? It was a major issue... People gave their verdict." He also took a jibe at the opposition parties in Uttar Pradesh and said: "The results were such because you were nurturing one section and depriving the other." IANS NIA issues another notice to Zakir Naik India oi-Vicky By Vicky The National Investigation Agency has issued another notice to controversial Islamic preacher, Dr Zakir Naik. The NIA has directed Naik to be present at its office in Delhi on March 30. This is the second notice that has been issued to Naik in March. The last time the NIA had issued notice to Naik and ordered him to face questioning on March 14. Naik, however, did not respond to the notice. The notice was received by his brother. He had on an earlier occasion sought permission to depose through video conferencing, but the plea was rejected. Naik, who is currently in Saudi Arabia is the founding trustee of the Islamic Research Foundation, which was banned by the Home ministry recently. The NIA is probing several cases against Naik. They include forcible conversions and also indoctrination of youth who took to terror. The Dhaka Cafe attacker had said that he was inspired by Naik to take up jihad. OneIndia News 'Two-finger test' should be banned in matrimonial dispute cases too, says Maharashtra doctor Nitin Gadkari: Work will begin soon on Mumbai-Vadodara Expressway India pti-PTI New Delhi, March 20: Work on Rs 44,000 crore Mumbai-Baroda Expressway will be launched soon, Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari said on Monday. "Land acquisition for the project is complete. We will start the work on it soon," Gadkari said at Growth Net annual summit, organised by Ananta Centre and CII here. He said the project cost of the expressway is estimated at Rs 44,000 crore. "We will offer it on BOT (build, operate & transfer) first and if no response is there, we will go for engineering, procurement and construction mode," he added. The 380-km-long Expressway is part of golden quadrilateral project. The proposed expressway passes through various locations in Thane district in Maharashtra besides union territories of Dadar and Nagar Haveli as well as Valsad, Navsari, Surat and Bharuch in Gujarat. PTI BSF seizes Rs 3 lakh in Pak currency from man, grandmother returning from Kartarpur Sahib In a joint op by BSF & Assam Police, heroin worth over Rs 45 cr seized BSF shoots down drone along Pakistan border in Punjab J&K: BSF medical officer arrested in recruitment case sent to 10-day CBI remand Pakistani intruder handed over by BSF India ians-IANS By Ians English Chandigarh, March 20: The BSF has handed over to Pakistan a Pakistani who crossed into India by mistake in the Ferozepur sector, BSF officials said on Monday. The Pakistani, aged around 50 years, was apprehended by BSF troopers on Sunday after he inadvertently crossed the International Boundary, a Border Security Force spokesman said. "The Pakistan Rangers were contacted today and the Pakistani national was handed over to them on humanitarian grounds," the spokesman added. This year, the BSF has handed over five Pakistani border crossers to the Pakistan Rangers. IANS As Punjab readies for 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Religion again in the fore PM Modi speaks to SAD leader Parkash Singh Badal after he tests positive for Covid-19 'No thank you,' Parkash Singh Badal says when offered a government bungalow India oi-IANS By Ians English Out of power after helming Punjab as Chief Minister for 10 years since 2007, Parkash Singh Badal is in a house-hunting mode nowadays. On Sunday, he 'politely' declined the new Congress government's offer of free government accommodation in the state capital Chandigarh. The Amarinder Singh government had offered a suitable bungalow in the City Beautiful to Badal, a five-time chief minister of Punjab. Badal said, "I am thankful to Chief Minister Amarinder Singh for his gracious gesture. It is very graceful of him to make this offer. But I am making my own arrangements for stay. I value his sentiment highly and fully reciprocate it." The veteran Akali leader's aides are hunting for a house for him in Sector 8 in Chandigarh for a week now. Badal's family owns two big-sized plots of residential land, measuring almost 1.5 acres, in upscale Sector 9, but a new structure is coming up after the old one was pulled down. Badal, 89, lived in the chief ministerial bungalow in Chandigarh's tony Sector 2, before his Shiromali Akali Dal was routed in the February 4 assembly elections. Since Badal is only a legislator from Lambi and his party has only 15 legislators in the new assembly, he does not qualify for the status of leader of opposition and hence not officially entitled to a government bungalow. Badal, the country's oldest serving chief minister till his party was decimated in the electoral battle, did not attend Amarinder Singh's swearing-in on March 16. IANS 'Two-finger test' should be banned in matrimonial dispute cases too, says Maharashtra doctor Khota sarkar left with egg on their faces: Team Uddhav on Andheri win Maharashtra: Patients suffer as 4,000 doctors go on mass leave India ians-IANS By Ians English Mumbai, March 20: Medical services in 17 government hospitals in Maharashtra were severely hit on Monday after over 4,000 resident doctors went on a mass Casual Leave to protest growing incidents of attacks by patients' relatives. In the absence of any concrete measures by the government on their security, the resident doctors are likely to go on mass leave for a second day on Tuesday, the Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors said. There have been at least five attacks on resident doctors in one week, including two in the past 24 hours, said Indian Medical Association (Youth) state President Sagar Mundada. "We met Mayor Vishwanath Mahadeshwar but we have not got any concrete assurances on our physical safety while on duty," Mundada said, hinting at continuing the agitation on Tuesday. Late in the evening, the BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation announced a series of tough measures to curb violence against medicos, including limiting the number of relatives who will be permitted to accompany patients. Henceforth, only two relatives of any patient shall be allowed with special passes and those found without passes shall be prosecuted, said Additional Municipal Commissioner I.A. Kundan. Earlier, while admitting that it was the duty of the civic body to ensure security, Mahadeshwar urged the medicos to resume duty by evening failing which the civic body would consider taking action against them. In this context, the BMC will ask for additional armed forces from the Maharashtra State Security Force which will be deployed in the hospitals. And entry points of each hospital would be designated for different types of patients. MARD President Yashowardhan Kabra said the sudden spate of attacks on medicos had left shattered them and "it was difficult to work under such life-threatening conditions". "There have been attacks on medicos in Mumbai Sion and Wadia hospitals after which our members decided to go on individual action of availing CL," Kabra told IANS. Simultaneously, the MARD is filing an affidavit in the Bombay High Court to highlight how its orders on doctors' security and related aspects have allegednly not yet been implemented by the state government. "In fact, last Friday we had planned a day's mass bunking which we cancelled after assurances from the government. "But that same night medicos were attacked in Sion Hospital followed by another attack yesterday," Kabra said. In Mumbai, the government hospitals hit were KEM, Sion LTMG, Nair and Sir JJ Group where a large number of resident doctors work. Their counterparts in Kolhapur Government Hospital continued to work but sported black bands. Several thousands of patients were deprived of medicare in the absence of resident doctors though senior doctors and others were handling serious or emergency cases. IANS PM's promise to lift blockade kept, first win for BJP in Manipur India oi-Anusha The BJP government in Manipur emerged the hero on Sunday, managing to bring to an end the economic blockade that was imposed for five months. "The economic blockade has crippled the north-eastern state. No blockade will be allowed once the BJP comes to power," Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said at an election rally in Langjing Achouba ground in February. On the day N Biren Singh takes a floor test in the Manipur assembly, the BJP takes the credit for ensuring the end of a 130-day economic blockade which began as a protest against the formation of two hill districts by the previous Congress government. Biren Singh, Manipur's chief minister, told the media on Sunday that Modi's promise for Manipur had been fulfilled. The decision to lift the economic blockade was announced after Naga leaders met representatives of the Centre and the state government on Sunday and the same was lifted from Sunday night. The agreement comes with a price of dropping all cases relating to the blockade against the Naga tribe leaders and students and unconditional release of the arrested United Naga Council leaders. OneIndia News President gives gallantry medals to surgical strike heroes India pti-PTI New Delhi, March 20: Major Rohit Suri, who led the army team that carried out the daring cross-border surgical strike last year, was on Monday decorated with second highest peacetime gallantry award Kirti Chakra by President Pranab Mukherjee. Corporal Gursevak Singh of Indian Air Force was posthumously conferred the Saurya Chakra for putting up a valiant fight against terrorists who had attacked the frontline Pathankot air base in January last year. The gallantry awards were given by the President at Rashtrapati Bhavan in the presence of Vice President Hamid Ansari, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Defence Minister Arun Jaitley among others. Suri, from the Parachute Regiment, was the mission leader of the team which was tasked to carry out the operation against the hideout of the terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir, an official release briefing about the awardees said. It said Major Suri showed exemplary leadership and courage beyond call of duty and "once all terrorists were neutralised", he directed the strike team to move to jungle towards North West of the target." Suri displayed utter disregard to his personal safety and showing "raw courage", neutralised two terrorists in a close quarter combat, it said. Naib Subedar Vijay Kumar was conferred the Shaurya Chakra for his daredevilry in killing two terrorists in the operation despite coming under fire. "Naib Subedar Vijay Kumar opened extremely heavy volume of fire onto the terrorist hideout, thereby enabling smooth closing in by the assault group to the target," the release said. A number of other personnel who had participated in the operations were also awarded. The army conducted surgical strikes on terrorist launchpads across the Line of Control in September last year, after a militant attack on an army camp in Uri in Jammu and Kashmir claimed the lives of 19 jawans. The government, so far, has not revealed the number of terrorists killed in the strike. Lt General Devraj Anbu, Lt Gen Abhay Krishna and Lt Gen Rajendra Nimbhorkar were conferred Uttam Yuddh Seva medal. A total of 22 personnel were given Ati Vishisht Seva medal, while 15 were bestowed with Param Vishisht Seva medal. Corporal Singh was awarded the Shaurya Chakra for displaying exemplary courage in preventing terrorists from entering the technical area of the Pathankot airbase, thereby ensuring safety of all aircraft and other strategic assets. Those who were conferred Shaurya Chakra included Naik Bir Singh of 21st Parachute Regiment (Special Forces), Captain Gaurav Sharad Jadhav of 36th Battalion, Rastriya Rifles, Major Rahul Dev Singh of third battalion, Rashtriya Rifles and Sepoy Hari Chettri, 9th Battalion of Rastriya Rifles. The personnel who were given the award posthumously are Naik Shinde Shankar Chandrabhan from 41st Battalion, Rastriya Rifles, Captain Tushar Mahaja of 9 Para, Captain Pawan Kumar of 10 Para and Lance Naik Om Parkash of 9 Para. PTI Who is Pushkar Singh Dhami, the new Chief Minister of Uttarakhand Pushkar Singh Dhami to take oath as new Uttarakhand CM today, swearing-in ceremony at 6 pm PM Modi to interact with Chief Ministers of six states on COVID-19 situation today A Look back at CMs who completed full 5-year term in history of Karnataka Nitish Kumar, the 8th time Bihar CM in 22 years | A look at sushasan babu's turns and u-turns so far Prioritise law and order, Adityanath tells police chief India oi-Vikas By Vikas Asserting that law and ordered would be the priority of his government in Uttar Pradesh, newly-elected Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Monday met state police chief over the murder of Bahujan Samaj Party Leader Mohd Shami. Even on Saturday after being appointed as CM, Adityanath had said that his priority would be development and strengthening of the law and order situation in the state. He vowed to abide by Prime Minster Modi's idea of sabka saath, sabka vikas. "Safety of people is of prime importance. There will be zero tolerance towards crime: Shrikant Sharma," UP minister Shrikant Sharma was quoted by ANI as saying. BJP leaders are in pitching for development and zero tolerance for crime in unison after Adityanath's swearing in. They are definitely trying to portray Adityanath as a champion of development in order to gain acceptance for him across Uttar Pradesh. shot dead by bike-borne assailants Shami died after being reportedly shot at five times. A case has been registered against local leaders linked to BJP. OneIndia Spread happiness Since 2013, the United Nations has celebrated the International Day of Happiness as a way to recognise the importance of happiness in the lives of people around the world. In 2015, the UN launched 17 Sustainable Development Goals that seek to end poverty, reduce inequality, and protect our planet -- three key aspects that lead to well-being and happiness. Picture credit: un.org Save sparrows, save nature In recent times, India has witnessed dwindling population of sparrows. The day is celebrated to raise awareness about the house sparrow and other common birds to the urban environment. Picture credit: @IndoreKaGaurav Have a hearty meal and be happy This is how Odiyas enjoy a hearty meal-Pakhala. Isn't the assortment of food in the picture looks yummy? Picture credit: @swetapadma07 Celebrate food on sand In the picture, sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik is seen celebrating the Pakhala Dibasa with his unique art work. Picture credit: @the_akashkar Lets do some balle balle! This file image of the Border Security Force jawans performing Bhangra during a function held to celebrate the 70th Independence Day at Attari- Wagah Border last year has nothing to do directly with the International Day of Happiness. But, what is wrong in dancing like the jawans on Monday. Picture credit: PTI Sufi clerics recount Pak experience on return India oi-Lisa New Delhi, March 20: The two Sufi clerics, Syed Asif Nizami and Nazim Ali Nizami from Delhi who had gone missing in Pakistan and were in the custody of Pakistan's intelligence agencies returned to India on Monday and met External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj. The cleric Nazim Nizami who had gone missing on return told that he will go to Pakistan again and spread message of love. Asif Nizami who also had gone missing described his experience there and said that he had gone to the shrine of Baba Farid Ganj to offer prayers. He had also gone to Data Darbar. He said that, "We were kept in VIP rooms, SHO took my details." Azim Nizami said that, "We were not troubled, and were kept in VIP rooms. My details were asked, Dargah's details too." Asif Nizami added that, "I was taken to a place quite far from Karachi, with my face covered. I was offered food, they prepared tea for me and biscuits." BJP leader Subramanian Swamy meanwhile, had said that he had independent information that Indian clerics who went missing in Pakistan were working against country. OneIndia News For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Monday, March 20, 2017, 19:04 [IST] Sushma Swaraj says Indians' interest more important than ties with US India ians-IANS By Ians English New Delhi, March 20: External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Monday said that strategic ties with Washington won't prevent India from raising issues concerning Indians and Indian Diaspora with the US. Replying to a question in the Rajya Sabha on hate crimes against Indians in the US, she said that for the Modi government, the interests of Indians preceded strategic partnership with any country. "Strategic partnership does not mean we will ignore the interests of the Indians (living in US)," she said in reply to a question raised by CPI's D. Raja. "For us, strategic partnership is secondary. The safety and security of Indians and people of Indian origin is primary. Have no doubts that we would keep silent because we have strategic relations with a country." Addressing concerns raised by members as to whether a trend in hate crimes was emerging in the US, Sushma Swaraj said New Delhi was "closely monitoring" the situation. "Till date, the US authorities are saying these are sporadic incidents. But we are watching if a trend is emerging. We are sure the US authorities would not let it become these hate crimes a trend." In last few weeks, at least three incidents of attacks on Indians in the US have been reported. On February 22, Srinivas Kuchibhotla, a 32-year-old Indian engineer, was shot dead by a US national, Adam Purinton, in a bar in Kansas. On March 2, Harnish Patel, a US national of Indian origin, was shot dead by unknown individuals in Lancaster, South Carolina. On March 4, Deep Rai, also a US national of Indian origin, was shot by an unknown person near Seattle, allegedly after being asked to leave the country. "The government has taken up this issue with the US government at very high levels and conveyed our deep concerns. We have called for necessary measures to ensure the safety and security of Indian Diaspora and expeditious investigation into these incidents," she said in her statement earlier. She pointed out that President Donald Trump said on February 28 that the US "stands united in condemning hate and evil in all its forms". "Several Senators and Congressmen have also expressed their condolences and regret over the tragic incidents. They have been deeply appreciative of the contribution and role of the Indian community in the US. "I would like to reassure this House and the members that safety and security of Indian Diaspora abroad remains a top priority for this government. "We are in a continuous dialogue with the US government. Close contacts with the local Indian community groups are being maintained through our embassy and consulates to address any emergent issues," she said. IANS The joy of our lives: Sushma Swaraj's husband warm birthday wishes for late leader Remembering Sushma Swaraj on her death anniversary: Facts about Iron Lady of India Sushma Swaraj sends help to Indian woman in distress in Pak India oi-Lisa New Delhi, March 20: External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj again responded to SOS message posted as video on YouTube and ensured safety of an Indian woman married in Pakistan. Sushma alerted Indian High Commission in Pakistan on Monday after a father posted a video saying that his daughter was being mistreated by her in-laws in Pakistan. High Commission met the woman and endured that she can return to India safely. After all the arrangements were made for the safe return of the Indian woman she tweeted, "I received a Youtube message from Shri Mohammad Akbar that his daughter Mohammadia Begum an, Indian national was married in Pakistan and was being ill-treated by her in-laws Our mission sent a Note Verbale requesting the safety, security and well-being of Mohammadia Begum." I received a Youtube message from Shri Mohammad Akbar that his daughter Mohammadia Begum an, Indian national was married in Pakistan Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) March 20, 2017 and was being ill-treated by her inlaws Our mission sent a Note Verbale requesting the safety, security and well-being of Mohammadia Begum. Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) March 20, 2017 "Our High Commission officials met Mohammadia Begum and she expressed her desire to return to India." Our High Commission officials met Mohammadia Begum and she expressed her desire to return to India. Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) March 20, 2017 "I have asked Indian High Commission to renew her Indian passport and facilitate her return to India." I have asked Indian High Commission to renew her Indian passport and facilitate her return to India. Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) March 20, 2017 Sushma Swaraj is known for responding quickly to SOS messages posted by and for Indians living in foreign countries. OneIndia News For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Monday, March 20, 2017, 22:27 [IST] Tamil Nadu rationslist murder: Third accused surrenders India oi-Anusha Three days after H Farook, a rationalist was hacked to death in Coimbatore, the third accused in the case, identified as Shamshuddin, surrendered before a court on Monday. Two other suspects had surrendered earlier while another is still at large. Farook was hacked to death for his atheist ideologies and active social media engagement in propagating rationalism. Investigating authorities claimed that the 31-year-old rationalist was killed after he refused to shut down a social media group that had close to 400 members, mostly Muslims, where he propagated the ideology of atheism. Officials also claimed that Farook's atheism was deemed 'anti-Islam' by his assailants who had warned him against the same. Farook's post showing one of his children holding posters with the words ' No god, no god, no god', in Tamil, is suspected to have irked the assailants. Farook's decision to raise his children as atheists led to the deadly attack, say investigating officers. Farook, a follower of Periyar was active on social media posting against the ideas of religion, god, caste and blind beliefs. Officials also believe that the increasing number of people Farook had started influencing was perceived as a threat to their beliefs by the assailants who first threatened Farook for days and ultimately hacked him to death. Investigating authorities have identified the assailants as Saddam Hussain, Shamsuddin, Akram and Munaf. They are in the process of verifying if the case has any connection with a prisoner lodged in Bengaluru central jail who was arrested in connection with a blast in Bengaluru. One of the accused, Saddam Hussain is said to be the brother-in-law of the blast accused, according to a report in the Indian Express. Hussain is also an accused in another murder case. OneIndia News 90 Percent of Indias Online Skill Gaming Industry Says 28 Percent GST over GGV Will Be Catastrophic GST collections up by 16.6% to Rs 1.52 lakh crore in October, says Centre Tobacco farmers seek low tax under GST India ians-IANS By Ians English New Delhi, March 20: The Federation of All India Farmers Associations on Monday urged the health and the finance ministries to levy low taxation on tobacco crops under the new GST regime as it will affect the economic condition of the farmers. The livelihood of nearly 4.6 crore farmers depends on the tobacco crop, which already sees imposition of high taxation due to the health problems caused by it. "GST is a once in a lifetime opportunity for the government to remove anomalies in tobacco taxation in India and bring a fair relief to the tobacco farmers without compromising on its tobacco control goals," said Murali Babu, General Secretary, FAIFA in a statement. "The last prevailing taxation framework has been taking away livelihood of Flue-Cured Virginia/Traditional tobacco farmers and has promoted smuggling of cigarettes which has reached alarming levels," he added. Apart from Health Minister JP Nadda and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, FAIFA, which represents millions of farmers growing commercial crops, has written to the Prime Minister's Office, Ministry of Agriculture and Ministry of Commerce and Industry. According to FAIFA, while most industry segments are cheering and eagerly waiting for an early roll-out of GST, the FCV tobacco farmers are concerned that it should not spell doom for their livelihood. The farmers have urged the government not to discriminate against the tobacco growers under GST. "GST is an opportunity to remove tax arbitrage in tobacco taxation and disincentivise illegal and contraband products which have been flooding the Indian market. GST is also an opportunity to remove discrimination among various classes of tobacco farmers. There should not be any discrimination among cigarette, bidi, chewing tobacco farmers," said Babu. This labour-intensive crop which provides livelihood to 4.6 crore farmers and farm labour besides retailers and bidi workers etc. has been witnessing a continued onslaught in terms of punitive and sustained increase in taxation and impractical regulations over the past few years now. FAIFA said that for the first time in independent India, 22 FCV farmers have committed suicide in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Karnataka. According to the FAIFA General Secretary, the suicides of tobacco farmers were a result of the excessive increase in the excise duties levied on tobacco products. Stating that no other country in the world has a huge and widespread dependence on the tobacco crop for livelihood, FAIFA said the ongoing distress of the farmers and others dependent on tobacco for their livelihood makes it very important for policy makers in India to strike a balance between the country's excessive cigarette taxation and regulations and the livelihood of people. "The socio-economic importance of tobacco and its employment-generation capacity should not be overlooked while framing tobacco taxation and regulatory policies in India," said Babu. IANS Two missing Sufi clerics return to India from Pakistan India oi-Madhuri The two Sufi clerics of Delhi's Hazrat Nizamuddin Dargah, who had gone missing in Pakistan have returned safely to India. Both of them are expected to meet External Minister Sushma Swaraj after their arrival at Delhi airport. Delhi: The two Hazrat Nizamuddin clerics who had gone missing in Pakistan, return to India pic.twitter.com/Yf4teR2k73 ANI (@ANI_news) March 20, 2017 Swaraj had on Sunday stated that she spoke to Syed Nazim Ali Nizami, one of the missing clerics, in Karachi and was assured they were safe and would be back to Delhi on Monday. "I just spoke to Syed Nazim Ali Nizami in Karachi. He told me that they are safe and will be back in Delhi tomorrow," Swaraj tweeted. The two clerics identified as Asif Nizami and Nazim Nizami belong to Delhi's Hazrat Nizamuddin dargah. They had travelled to Pakistan to visit their relatives in Karachi and then embarked on a pilgrimage to Lahore on March 13 to offer a chadar at Baba Farid's shrine. On March 14, they offered another chadar at the Data Darbar Sufi shrine, also in Lahore. On March 15, when they reached the airport to take a return flight for Karachi, Nazim Nizami was stopped to clear some documentation and Syed Asif Nizami was asked to board the flight. As per reports, one of them went missing in Karachi and the other in Lahore. The families of the clerics back in India tried to contact them through phones but their mobile phones have been switched off. According to Pakistani media reports, both clerics had been in 'interior Sindh where there was no communication network' and that is why they could not tell their relatives about there whereabouts. Earlier, Pakistani sources had said the two clerics were in the custody of Pakistan's intelligence agency over their alleged links with the Muttahida Qaumi Movement. They were offloaded from Karachi-bound Shaheen Airlines on March 14 at the Allama Iqbal International Airport, Lahore, the Pakistani sources said. "An intelligence personnel took both the clerics into custody after getting them offloaded and shifted them to an undisclosed location for investigation," a source had said. They further said both clerics had been detained for their alleged links with Altaf Hussain's Muttahida Qaumi Movement. OneIndia News (With inputs from agencies) Uphaar tragedy: Gopal Ansal surrenders before the Tihar jail India oi-Oneindia By Oneindia Staff Writer New Delhi, March 20: After the Supreme Court declined any relief to Gopal Ansal in the 1997 Uphaar fire tragedy case, Gopal Ansal surrendered before the Tihar jail authorities. He is to serve one-year jail term in the case. A bench comprising Chief Justice JS Khehar and Justices DY Chandrachud and SK Kaul had rejected his plea seeking more time to surrender. Ansal has moved mercy plea before the President Pranab Mukherjee. The bench had said no to senior advocate Ram Jethmalani when he sought more time for Ansal to surrender saying they have approached the President with mercy plea. Ansal has served four-and-half months in jail in connection with the Uphaar fire tragedy in which 59 people had died during the screening of Hindi movie Border on June 13, 1997. OneIndia News Check if your university is fake: Here is the list India oi-Madhuri The University Grants Commission and the All India Council for Technical Education on Monday released on its website a list of 23 fake universities and 279 fake technical institutes across India. Delhi tops the list with 66 fake colleges while Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Maharashtra also have a huge number of such institutes. [Also read: States clueless over existence of 23 fake universities] According to the UGC, these colleges don't have the authority to grant degress without its permission. If any person issues education certificates from these mentioned colleges, then its nothing but worthless pieces of paper. Warning the students for the same, an official was quoted sating in Hindustan Times, "We send the list of unapproved and unregulated technical institutions to concerned state authorities for taking appropriate action against such institutions''. The official added, "Public notices are published in newspapers cautioning the students not to take admission in such unapproved institutions." Here is the list of fake universities by UGC: Maithili University/Vishwavidyalaya, Darbhanga, Bihar. Commercial University Ltd., Daryaganj, Delhi. United Nations University, Delhi. Vocational University, Delhi. ADR-Centric Juridical University, ADR House, 8J, Gopala Tower, 25 Rajendra Place, New Delhi - 110 008. Indian Institute of Science and Engineering, New Delhi. Viswakarma Open University for Self-Employment, Rozgar Sewasadan, 672, Sanjay Enclave, Opp. GTK Depot, Delhi-110033. Badaganvi Sarkar World Open University Education Society, Gokak, Belgaum, Karnataka. St. John's University, Kishanattam, Kerala. Raja Arabic University, Nagpur, Maharashtra. Indian Institute of Alternative Medicine, Kolkatta. Institute of Alternative Medicine and Research,8-A, Diamond Harbour Road, Builtech inn, 2nd Floor, Thakurpurkur, Kolkatta - 700063 Varanaseya Sanskrit Vishwavidyalaya, Varanasi (UP) Jagatpuri, Delhi. Mahila Gram Vidyapith/Vishwavidyalaya, (Women's University) Prayag, Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh. Gandhi Hindi Vidyapith, Prayag, Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh. National University of Electro Complex Homeopathy, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh. Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose University (Open University), Achaltal, Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh. Uttar Pradesh Vishwavidyalaya, Kosi Kalan, Mathura, Uttar Pradesh. Maharana Pratap Shiksha Niketan Vishwavidyalaya, Pratapgarh, Uttar Pradesh. Indraprastha Shiksha Parishad, Institutional Area, Khoda, Makanpur, Noida Phase-II, Uttar Pradesh. Gurukul Vishwavidyala, Vridanvan, Uttar Pradesh. Nababharat Shiksha Parishad, Anupoorna Bhawan, Plot No. 242, Pani Tanki Road, Shaktinagar, Rourkela-769014. North Orissa University of Agriculture & Technology, Odisha. OneIndia News Wearing of helmets is not against citizen's freedom: SC India oi-Vicky By Vicky The Supreme Court on Monday rejected a petition that sought a directive not to make wearing of helmets compulsory. The Supreme Court held that it would not pass any order on this matter and dismissed the petition. The petitioner contended that wearing of helmets is against citizen freedom. Hence it cannot be made compulsory. The SC, however, did not find merit in the petitioner's arguments and rejected the petition. In 2010, the SC had made selling of helmets along with two wheelers compulsory. The court said that the manufacturers would have to give BSI certified helmets as original equipment. OneIndia News Why BJPs continuous defence to protect naughty guy Yogi Adityanath is not convincing India oi-Oneindia By Oneindia Staff Writer Lucknow, March 20: As soon as the Bharatiya Janata Party announced the name of priest-turned-politician Yogi Adityanath as the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh on Saturday, the party's top leadership stood united in defending the controversial politician, infamous for his communal rhetoric. The two explanations on which the saffron party is trying hard to protect their 'naughty guy'--as author Chetan Bhagat addressed the new CM of Uttar Pradesh in a tweet--are the BJP's core 'developmental agenda' and 'give Adityanath a chance to prove his critics wrong'. After Adityanath's swearing-in ceremony, Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted that the BJP's mission and motive is development. "Our sole mission and motive is development. When UP develops, India develops. We want to serve UP's youth and create opportunities for them." On Monday, union minister Venkaiah Naidu told reporters, "Yogi Adityanathji will care for all sections of people and will prove critics wrong. He will become one of the most successful chief ministers." Since Saturday, a long list of leaders including veteran Murli Manohar Joshi have been trying to defend Adityanath as critics slammed the BJP for choosing a rabble-rouser mahant (head priest) of the Gorakhnath Mutt and a five-time BJP Member of Parliament from the Gorakhpur constituency. No matter how much the BJP gives explanations in defence of the 44-year-old leader, his communal statements and criminal track record fail to convince voters. Right from his comments of 'raping Muslim women' to the self-declaration of criminal records which include charges of murder and rioting in front of the Election Commission--the Hindutva poster represents everything the BJP promised to fight against during the campaign of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections. It looks like the BJP is eyeing politics of polarisation during the Lok Sabha elections of 2019, when PM Modi will once again stake his claim to become the prime minister of the country for the second time in a row. OneIndia News For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Monday, March 20, 2017, 13:39 [IST] Why Yogi's appointment as UP CM is a preemptive strike on a united opposition India oi-Vicky By Vicky The elevation of Yogi Adityanath as chief minister of Uttar Pradesh took many by surprise. There were a lot of factors that went into Yogi being appointed as the CM. The vote share of the Bharatiya Janata Party in the recently concluded assembly elections was 40 per cent whereas the Samajwadi Party, the Bahujan Samaj Party and the Congress together got a 52 per cent vote share. [Is the apprehension in UP justified?] If the opposition decides to unite for the 2019 elections, then the BJP may face problems. Hence Yogi's appointment could be a preemptive strike to beat a united opposition. The BJP is pushing for a development agenda coupled with Hindutva to counter the opposition. [PM Modi calls for 'Uttam Pradesh' as Adityanath takes charge of UP] Yogi's appointment as CM may have been surprising for many. However, the manner in which the BJP won the UP elections only showed that it was a mandate for both development and Hindutva. In such an event, Yogi's appointment was hardly surprising at all. The BJP won big in most of the Muslim-dominated areas of UP and this was a result of a consolidation of Hindu votes. Yogi's appointment as CM sends a clear message out to the Hindus of UP that the BJP is keen on pushing its Hindutva agenda coupled with development. The BJP is aware that the Muslims in UP will not be supporting the party anytime soon. Although, it was said that many Muslims had in fact voted for the BJP, there is no evidence to prove the same. The Muslim votes split between the SP and BSP, and in the bargain, the Hindu voters voted in large numbers for the BJP. One more key aspect that Adityanath, despite his controversial remarks, is a five-time parliamentarian. He is a serious lawmaker with an attendance of 77 per cent in the Lok Sabha. Moreover, he has asked 284 questions in the Lok Sabha, moved three private bills and debated 54 issues. Yogi ensured that an AIIMS was built in Gorakhpur his constituency and even got a closed fertiliser plant revived. In the Lok Sabha if one looks at his debates he pushed development with a Hindutva agenda. This for the BJP could be a good mix while ruling Uttar Pradesh. OneIndia News Yeh Dil Maange More! Now, Yogi Adityanaths father, fans want UP CM to be PM India oi-Oneindia By Oneindia Staff Writer Lucknow, March 20: Till Saturday, very few could have imagined that a priest-turned-politician known for his firebrand politics, mostly attacking the Muslims, will be the chief minister of the country's most populous state, Uttar Pradesh. Today, it is a reality as Yogi Adityanath took the charge as the Uttar Pradesh CM at a big bash hosted by the Bharatiya Janata Party in Lucknow on Sunday. Now, his supporters and fellow Hindu priests feel that the 44-year-old Uttar Pradesh CM is all set to become India's next prime minister. The Hindutva poster boy, who is the current mahant (head priest) of the Gorakhnath Mutt, is also a five-time BJP Member of Parliament from the Gorakhpur constituency. "Today he is chief minister of the state; in future he would be leader of the country," Mahant Manvendra told The Telegraph. An aide to Adityanath added, "The prime minister may have chosen Yogiji as chief minister so he (Prime Minister Narendra Modi) can sail through the 2019 general election by continuing the polarisation of votes, but Yogiji may grow bigger than Modi by 2024." His father Anand Singh Bisht, who is a resident of a small hamlet Panchur in Uttarakhand, also hopes that one day his son would become the country's top leader. "He'll now be serving India's most important state but soon he'll be at the Centre, serving the entire country," Bisht told reporters. Although his family watched Adityanath's swearing-in ceremony on television in its modest home in Panchur village, hundreds of sadhus wearing saffron robe attended the mega-function where PM Modi was the chief guest. During the oath-taking ceremony, his supporters chanted 'Har Har Yogi'. Several top leaders from across the country attended the swearing-in at the Kanshi Ram Smriti Upvan in Lucknow. Apart from Modi, there were BJP national president Amit Shah, party veteran LK Advani, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and BJP ally N Chandrababu Naidu, Samajwadi Party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav, former chief minister Akhilesh Yadav and over a dozen Union ministers. However, no one from the Bahujan Samaj Party attended the function. OneIndia News Yogi Adityanath bans Lal Batti culture in UP India oi-Vicky By Vicky In a bid to put an end to VVIP culture, newly- elected Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Yogi Adityanath has said no to red beacons. The CM of UP decided to completely do away with the lal batti culture. This would mean no minister would don red beacon lights on their official cars. [Red beacons removed from CM's, ministers' vehicles in Punjab] The decision was made at the ongoing cabinet meeting in Lucknow. Adityanath chaired his first cabinet meeting after he was sworn in as the CM of Uttar Pradesh at a grand ceremony on Sunday. The decision comes a few days after the Punjab government during its first cabinet meeting after the Congress won the elections decided to do away with the lal batti culture. It was decided that legislators and top officials will not use the red beacon on their official vehicles. In Punjab, it was also decided that the Chief Minister, legislators and ministers will not lay foundation stones or carry out inaugurations. OneIndia News The two maths in Yogi's life Born to a forest ranger father, Adityanath holds a bachelor's degree in Mathematics from the Hemwati Nandan Bahuguna Garhwal University in Srinagar of Uttarakhand. Born as Ajay Bisht, he renounced his family at the age of 21 and became Yogi Adityanath. He became a disciple of Mahant Avaidyanath. He left home to join the Ayodhya Ram temple movement. Yogi in public life Adityanath contested the Lok Sabha elections in 1998 and got elected for the first time with a margin of over 26,000 votes. His popularity has been soaring ever since and in the 2014 general elections, he won Gorakhpur Lok Sabha seat by more than 3 lakh votes. Adityanath is credited with establishing a school in his ancestral village in 1998. At the age of 44, he has been a five-time MP. Adityanath was the youngest member of the 12th Lok Sabha. He has raised questions on agriculture, health, civil aviation, climate change, Finance etc in the Lok Sabha. The cow crusader Adityanath is credited with championing the cause of cows in Gorakhpur. He founded Hindu Yuva Vahini, which according to him is a reformist outfit that works for the betterment of villages and protection of cows. The outfit, however, has been held responsible for riots, arson in Uttar Pradesh. Adityanath calls himself a gau-sevak is known for spending a lot of his time and energy in the cowshed maintained at Goraksh Nath Math. During campaigning for Uttar Pradesh elections, Adityanath had promised to shut down all the illegal slaughterhouses in Uttar Pradesh. The Trump way Adityanath had hailed Donald Trump's decision to enact a ban on immigration for citizens from Muslim-majority countries and had suggested that India also adopts such measures to 'counter terrorism'. Trump's move may have been criticised worldwide but Yogi, in a rally in Bulandshahr had said, "Similar action is needed to contain terror activities in this country." Not a surprise pick after all Contrary to reports, many leaders of the BJP claimed that Adityanath was a contender for Uttar Pradesh chief minister's post months before the elections. The master strategist of the BJP's victory in Uttar Pradesh Amit Shah had considered Yogi's candidature for CM post much before the elections were announced. It is also said that BJP president Amit Shah bargained hard for Adityanath's appointment as the chief minister. The 'angry young' yogi A 'non-violent agitation' that Adityanath initiated turned violent in Gorakhpur leading to his arrest. This and the aftermath led to his 'angry young man' image. He began a non-violent agitation after a Hindu boy was killed when some miscreants opened fire during Moharram procession in Gorakhpur. Inflammatory speeches led to mercury levels rising and all hell broke loose. He led a march and gave a speech vowing to deliver justice despite prohibitory orders. He was arrested but his popularity touched new heights in Gorakhpur. His outfit was accused of riots, arson and vandalising post his arrest. Man of many controversies In 2014, Adityanath, during a rally in Noida had said that more communal riots take place in localities that houses minorities. "In places where there are 10 to 20% Muslims, stray communal incidents take place. Where there are 20 to 35% of them, serious communal riots take place and where they are more than 35%, there is no place for non-Muslims," he had said. Idea of an idol in every mosque During Vishwa Hindu Parishad's Virat Hindu Sammelan in 2015, Adityanath accused the Gyanvapi mosque of taunting Hindus visiting the famous Kashi temple Vishwanath temple. "Given a chance, we will install idols of Goddess Gauri, Ganesh and Nandi in every mosque," he had said. The 'mother' of all controversies of Yogi Adityanath spared no one when it came to defending Hindutva. In June 2016, he had alleged that Mother Teresa was a conspirator who wanted to Christianise India. "Teresa was part of a conspiracy for the Christianisation of India. Incidents of Christianisation is what has led to separatist movements in parts of Northeast India," he had said about the Nobel peace prize winner. The Yogi of Yoga In June 2015 speaking about Yoga in general and Suryanamakara in specific, Adityanath had asked all those who wanted to avoid Yoga to leave the country or live the rest of their lives in a dark room or drown. "My humble request, to those who see communalism even in the Sun God, would be to drown themselves in the sea or live in a dark room for the rest of their lives." Fact Check: Old images of Imran Khan shared as ones from recent shooting incident Imran Khan discharged from hospital, to resume long march from same point where he was shot This cop from Pakistan became a millionaire overnight: Here is how India's deputy HC summoned by Pak over LoC firing International pti-PTI Islamabad, March 20: Pakistan on Monday summoned India's Deputy High Commissioner over alleged "unprovoked" firing by Indian troops along the Line of Control. Director General (South Asia and SAARC) Mohammad Faisal summoned India's Deputy High Commissioner J P Singh and "condemned the unprovoked ceasefire violation" by the Indian forces on March 17 on the LoC in Kotli area, the Pakistan Foreign Office said in a statement. Pakistan has claimed that a 60-year-old woman was killed and at least three other civilians were injured due to alleged firing by Indian forces over the weekend. "The deliberate targeting of civilians is indeed condemnable and contrary to human dignity and international human rights and humanitarian laws," Faisal said. The Director General urged the Indian side to respect the 2003 ceasefire understanding, investigate this and other incidents of "ceasefire violations" and instruct the Indian forces to respect the ceasefire, in letter and spirit and maintain peace along the LoC, the statement said. Tension has been running high between the two countries along the border. PTI Indian-Americans hold rally against hate crimes in front of the White House International pti-PTI Washington, Mar 20: Indian-Americans, particularly Hindus and Sikh, have become victims of Islamophobia and xenophobia in the US, the community members said as they held an awareness rally against hate crimes in front of the White House seeking President Donald Trump's intervention in the matter. "Hindus have been recently affected and victimised (in the US) as a result of Islamophobia. It does affect our community as well," Vindhya Adapa, 27, a Virginia-based corporate lawyer, told PTI outside the White House on Monday. Adapa along with a few dozen Indian-Americans representing various Indian-American groups from in and around the Greater Washington Area held a peaceful demonstration in view of the recent surge in hate crimes against the community. "A recent example of that is recent shooting and murder of an IT personnel in Kansas, who was mistaken for being an Arab and a Muslim. I do think that the current political climate is eventually going to target all communities including Hindu-Americans," said S Sheshadri, a young Indian-American doctor and Adapa's friend. [Also read: US: Sikh leader calls for unity among Indian-Americans] "We are here today to raise awareness against hate crimes particularly against people of Indian origin. This is not necessarily a protest against the Trump Administration. We are here to seek bipartisan support against the hate crimes that has been happening recently against Indian-Americans," Adapa said, urging the President to acknowledge and condemn what is happening. "I would say what is happening against the Indian-American community is a result of xenophobia, Islamic phobia and the anti-immigrant statements that have come out from the Administration," she alleged. "A lot of Sikh people and Hindu people are mistaken for being Muslim, for being Middle eastern," she said, adding that the way to tackle that is to spread awareness about these different communities. In a petition memorandum submitted to President Trump, the recently established Coalition of Indian American organisations of the USA, which organised the event, urged him to intervene in the matter and take steps to punish the culprits under federal hate crimes law. It also urged the President to allay the fears of the Indian-American community and show his support, and take remediation steps to eliminate the hate. "A message should go out to the people of this country from the administration that no citizen should take the law into their hands and it will not be tolerated by the government," said the petition. The peaceful protest was organised in the aftermath of a series of hate crime incidents against Indian-Americans. PTI Indus Water Treaty: India, Pakistan to hold talks today International pti-PTI Islamabad, Mar 20: Indian and Pakistani officials will attend a two-day meeting of the Permanent Indus Commission starting here on Monday. A 10-member Indian delegation led by Indus Water Commissioner P K Saxena arrived here yesterday to attend the the meeting. The delegation comprises of Ministry of External Affairs officials and technical experts. The Pakistan side will be headed by Indus Water Commissioner Mirza Asif Saeed and he will be assisted by officials of Ministry of Water and Power and other experts. Sources said that Pakistan would highlight concerns about the three Indian hydro projects being built on the rivers flowing to Pakistan. They are 1000 MW Pakul Dul on Chenab, 120 MW Miyar, located across Miyar Nalla which is a right bank main tributary of River Chenab, and the 43 MW Lower Kalnai hydro project on Lower Kalnai Nalla, a tributary of river Chenab. Pakistan contends that the projects were violating the Indus Water Treaty of 1960, which has come under strain during the current tension between the two sides. Pakal Dul and Lower Kalnai are being built in Jammu and Kashmir at a cost of Rs 7,464 crore (November 2008 price level) and Rs 396 crore respectively. Miyar hydroelectricity project, located in Himachal Pradesh's Lahaul Spiti district, is estimated to cost Rs 1,125 crore. Today's meeting is the 113th session of the Permanent Indus Waters Commission which was established in 1960. The last meeting of the commission was held in 2015. Another meeting planned in September 2016 was cancelled due to tension due to Uri terror attack by Pakistan-based outfits. PTI Iraq: Forces retake more areas in Mosul International ians-IANS By Ians English Mosul, March 20: Iraqi government forces battling the Islamic State retook control of more areas in the old city centre of western Mosul, while an international airstrike on the IS positions killed six leaders of the extremist group in the city, the Iraqi military said on Sunday. The commandos of the Counter-Terrorism Service fought heavy clashes against the IS militants during the day and freed the neighbourhood of Nablus in west of the old city centre and raised the Iraqi flags over some of its buildings, Abdul-Amir Yarallah from the Joint Operations Command (JOC) said in a statement, Xinhua reported. The elite CTS special forces are also fighting the IS militants in several nearby neighbourhoods, as they have been advancing closer to the western edge of Mosul's densely populated old city centre, where hundreds of thousands of civilians are believed to still be trapped under the IS rule. Meanwhile, the progress by the federal police and Rapid Response brigades, the elite Interior Ministry units, was slowed by bad weather and fierce resistance of the IS militants in the newly-freed Bab al-Toub neighbourhood and adjacent areas. Also in the day, the US-led international coalition conducted an airstrike and killed six IS leaders in Souq al-Shaareen area in the IS-held city centre in western Mosul, locally known as the right bank of the Tigris River, which bisects Mosul, the JOC statement said. Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, who is also the commander-in-chief of the armed forces, announced the start of an offensive on February 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 the 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. IANS Irked by Erdogan's Nazi jibe, Germany says he has 'gone too far' International pti-PTI Berlin, Mar 19: Germany angrily warned Turkey on Monday that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had 'gone too far' after he accused Chancellor Angela Merkel of using 'Nazi measures' in an escalating diplomatic feud. Turkey and the European Union are locked in an explosive crisis that threatens to jeopardise Ankara's bid to join the bloc, as tensions rise ahead of an April 16 referendum on expanding Erdogan's powers. The row erupted after authorities in Germany and other EU states refused to allow some Turkish ministers to campaign for a 'yes' vote on their soil, provoking a volcanic response from the Turkish strongman who said the spirit of Nazi Germany was rampant in Europe. "When we call them Nazis they (Europe) get uncomfortable. They rally together in solidarity. Especially Merkel," Erdogan said in a televised speech. "But you are right now employing Nazi measures," Erdogan said referring to Merkel, pointedly using the informal 'you' in Turkish. "Against who? My Turkish brother citizens in Germany and brother ministers who planned to hold campaign rallies for a 'yes' vote in next month's referendum," he said. Germany's Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel branded Erdogan's comments 'shocking'. "We are tolerant but we're not stupid," he told the Passauer Neue Presse newspaper. "That's why I have let my Turkish counterpart know very clearly that a boundary has been crossed here." Germany, home to 1.4 million Turkish voters, hosts by far the largest Turkish diaspora community in the world but the partnership between Ankara and Berlin has been ripped to shreds by the current crisis. Turkey reacted furiously to a Frankfurt rally on Saturday urging a 'no' vote where protesters brandished insignia of outlawed Kurdish rebels, accusing Germany of double standards. "Yesterday (Saturday), Germany put its name under another scandal," presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin told CNN-Turk. He said the German ambassador had been summoned although this was not confirmed by Berlin. The Turkish foreign ministry accused the German authorities 'of the worst example of double standards' for allowing the pro-Kurdish protest while preventing Turkish ministers from campaigning there for a 'yes' vote. Many protesters carried symbols of the Kurdistan Workers' Party, listed as a terror organisation not just by Turkey but also the EU and the United States. Ankara also reacted with indignation after Germany's intelligence chief said he was unconvinced by Turkish assertions that US-based Islamic preacher Fethullah Gulen was behind the failed July coup aimed at overthrowing Erdogan. Kalin said Europe was seeking to 'whitewash' Gulen's group, while Defence Minister Fikri Isik said the comments raised questions about whether Berlin itself was involved in the putsch. PTI FM Nirmala Sitharaman hints at possibility of Centre considering restoration of state status to J&K Kashmir election bigger challenge for security forces India ians-IANS By Ians English Srinagar, March 20: Fighting elections in Jammu and Kashmir since militancy began in the early 1990s has been a challenge to politicians, but not as big as it has been for security forces to secure the process. Amid poll boycott appeals by separatist leaders and grave threats from militants, sticking one's neck out to vote has become a risky task for the common Kashmiri. The by-election for the two Lok Sabha constituencies of Srinagar and Anantnag is scheduled next month. The National Conference and the Congress are fighting the elections together. Their main challenge comes from the ruling Peoples Democratic Party. Jammu and Kashmir Police chief S.P. Vaid has expressed confidence that the elections will be fully secured by the security forces. The state government has demanded 100 additional companies of paramilitary forces from New Delhi to augment the existing strength of the security forces. The National Conference has blamed the state government for withdrawing the security cover of some of its senior leaders. "How can anyone campaign without proper security? It seems the government does not want enough participation of people in these elections," said a senior National Conference leader. Elections have always been held under the shadow of guns in the Kashmir Valley since separatist violence erupted. Security forces wield guns to secure the electoral process so that a semblance of normalcy is seen in one of world's most highly militarised zones. National Conference President and former Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah is contesting from Srinagar while state Congress President G.A. Mir is fighting from Anantnag. Farooq Abdullah lost the 2014 Lok Sabha election in Srinagar to Tariq Hameed Karra of the PDP. Karra resigned last year both from the PDP and Parliament, triggering the by-election. He has since joined the Congress and would now be campaigning for Farooq Abdullah. The PDP has this time fielded Nazir Ahmad Khan, who defected from the Congress to join the ruling party. Compared to Khan, Farooq Abdullah is a political heavyweight but the Goliath's victory in Srinagar is by no means a foregone conclusion. Asked whether he was 100 per cent sure about his father's victory, National Conference leader and former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said: "Nobody can be 100 per cent sure of victory in elections." The Anantnag seat fell vacant after Mehbooba Mufti became the Chief Minister last year following the death of her father and predecessor Mufti Muhammad Sayeed. The PDP has fielded Mehbooba's brother Tasaduq Hussain Sayeed -- a debutant in politics -- from Anantnag. He is otherwise known as a Bollywood cinematographer who made his mark in "Omkara" and "Kaminey". Anantnag is the home constituency of the Muftis and the PDP represents 11 of the constituency's assembly segments. The National Conference and the Congress hold two assembly seats each and the CPI-M one. Statistically, it should have been a cakewalk for Tasaduq. Unfortunately for the PDP, Anantnag is no longer the same place politically from where the Muftis rose to power. The 2016 unrest has eroded most of PDP's political base in south Kashmir areas which form the Anantnag parliamentary seat. Not that the National Conference or the Congress has made any inroads in south Kashmir to claim the PDP's lost ground. A PDP election meeting in south Kashmir's Kulgam district on Sunday was disrupted by stone-pelting youths. Three PDP workers were injured in the incident but the meeting continued as per schedule. Most election meetings in Srinagar constituency have so far been held in the 'Nawa-e-Subha' complex of the National Conference. One meeting was held in Beerwah assembly segment, represented by Omar Abdullah in the state assembly. IANS US: Trump to host Iraq PM at White House International ians-IANS By Ians English Washington, March 20: US President Donald Trump will host Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi at the White House on Monday. As he left Iraq for the US on Sunday, Abadi said Iraqi forces were close to ridding the country of the Islamic State (IS) and that he would talk to the US administration about the final steps needed, CNN reported. "We are in the last chapter, the final stages to eliminate IS militarily in Iraq," he said in a video statement. Abadi said he hoped the US and other allies would continue to offer economic assistance to Iraq, which he said faced a financial crisis as a result of the war against the militant group. Trump last week announced a $54 billion increase in US defence spending. If approved by the Congress, over $3 billion of the additional money would be allocated to the fight against the IS, including $2 billion for a flexible fund that would allow the Pentagon to decide how to utilise resources in support of the new counter-IS strategy. Iraq was removed from the revised version of Trump's travel ban order, following intensive lobbying from Baghdad at the highest levels, a senior US official told CNN. The pressure from the Iraq officials included a phone call between Trump and Abadi on February 10 and an in-person conversation between Abadi and Vice President Mike Pence in Munich, Germany, on February 18. IANS 2008-2022 One News Page Ltd. All rights reserved. One News is a registered trademark of One News Page Ltd. Rumble 18 Aug 2022 Ralph went into a plethora of subjects in this episode. Did you know that Roosevelt and others knew and planned the Second World.. Upworthy 08 Dec 2021 A person detained in connection with the killing of Saudi Arabian journalist Jamal Khashoggi at a Paris airport was not the wanted.. New Zealand Herald 29 Aug 2022 Nasa called off the launch of its mighty new moon rocket on its debut flight with three test dummies aboard on Monday, after a.. GlobeNewswire 02 Nov 2022 Syn hf.s Condensed Consolidated Interim Financial Statement for the first nine months of 2022 was approved by the board of.. Our website uses cookies to improve your experience. Learn more ViGE Kicks-off Today, Gives Central Europe a Much Needed Networking and Exposition Hub Published March 20, 2017 by Lee R Austria is offering a comprehensive array of opportunities for seamless entry into regulation-rich Central Europe. Central Europes newest gaming exhibition and seminar is kicking off today, with gaming companies from all over the world set to showcase their products and innovation. The Venue The long-awaited Vienna International Gaming Expo 2017 is taking place in Vienna, Austria from the 20th to the 22nd of March at Austria Vienna Center. With the city center just 7 minutes away from the conference hall via a modern transportation system, and right next door to the UN Headquarters, Austria Center Vietnam offers a huge space to stage the biggest gaming show in Central Europe. Conference Goals ViGE is uniting the global online and land-based gaming industry to reach out to worldwide markets, with this first annual edition set to break new ground in Central Europe as a networking hub where industry experts, regulators, third parties, and media leaders can strike new deals! Breaking New Ground The introduction of networking and business development opportunities in Austria and surrounding areas also offers a whole new territory for senior iGaming executives and new market entrants alike to gain the first footholds in the region. Network Hotbed ViGE will bring together the top companies from all over the world and Central Europes brightest to exhibit and network with a diverse array of professionals which includes operators, vendors, software providers, investors, service providers, regulators and more. Key Speaker A key presentation will be provided by PaynetEasy VP Boaz Gam, who will be a keynote speaker at the Recent Trends in Online Marketing panel at Vienna International Gaming Expo focusing on the latest developments in the online marketing sphere. The PaynetEasy Solution As a technology company specializing in payment technology, data security and integration services, PaynetEasys innovations include payment service provides (PSPs), banks and other financial institutions via a white-label, fully-customized, PCI-DSS compliant, payment-gateway. Attendees ViGE has confirmed international attendance of delegates registering from all over the world, with representation joining the Viennese experts ranging from the Republic of Kosovo to England to Curacao to Israel to Germany and the Netherlands. So there will be opportunities for all levels of experience and all sizes of scale. Companies The list of companies is almost endless, with attending companies ranging from AD Eleven GmbH to the Austrian Association for Betting and Gaming to Endorphina to Austrias Gambling and Addiction Institute. Forecast Austria has loaded its regional representation with ethical professional and government representative to ensure that the Austrian and surrounding Central European environment is proactively prepared to welcome operators and iGaming technology, and the launch of ViGE is an opportunity that should not be missed. Opalesque Industry Update - Alcentra Group, the alternative fixed income specialist of BNY Mellon Investment Management (IM), further builds its global structured credit team. Hiram Hamilton, Global Head of Structured Credit, will be re-locating to the firm's New York office in April of this year. Hamilton joined Alcentra in 2008, and has been located in the firm's London office, managing a business platform of over US$4.0 billion in assets under management, and leading a dedicated team of four experienced investment professionals. Prior to joining Alcentra, Hamilton was Executive Director and Head of the European CDO Group at Morgan Stanley. The firm also announced that as part of the firm's build-out of its US capability/team, Brandon Chao has joined the firm as a Senior Vice President in New York, reporting to Hamilton. Brandon joins Alcentra from Omega Advisors, where he was employed for five years as a Senior Analyst for structured products and corporate credit. He was part of a team of four investment professionals managing a credit portfolio of approximately US$1 billion, and had a particular focus on CLO mezzanine and equity investing. Prior to Omega, Chao worked at King Street Capital Management as a trader for six years, focusing on corporate and structured credit. Alcentra's structured credit investment capabilities have experienced positive performance and growth in assets under management. Strategies include dedicated capital for each of CLO equity, mezzanine and investment grade debt, and vehicles include open and closed end funds, and separately managed accounts. Alcentra's structured credit platform has been the recipient of numerous industry recognitions, including from: Barron's, HFM, Private Debt International, EuroHedge, Global Capital, Hedge Fund Review and Creditflux. David Forbes-Nixon, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer from Alcentra, commented: "We are excited about enhancing our dedicated resources for structured credit investing. We have delivered compelling returns for our clients and continue to see attractive opportunities. Our expertise and capabilities in structured credit are a natural extension of Alcentra's position as a leading global loan and CLO manager." Hiram Hamilton, Global Head of Structured Credit from Alcentra commented: "Expanding our structured credit presence in the US is a natural next step for a business that already invests in CLOs globally with substantial US assets. We are excited about the experience and skills Brandon brings to our structured credit team." Opalesque Industry Update - British Prime Minister Theresa May has said that Britain will trigger Article 50 of the European Union's Treaty on Lisbon by the end of the month, a move that will officially start the clock on the two year period during which the UK must negotiate the specific conditions for its withdrawal from the EU. Though May has revealed a 12 point plan summarizing her main objectives for Brexit from the promise to maintain transparency throughout the process, to ensuring free trade with European markets and entering into new trade agreements with other countries no specifics have yet emerged. With literally thousands of details to workout regarding Brexit, from both legal and financial points of view, ongoing uncertainty about Brexit has already translated to volatility for the British pound, which has yet to return to its pre-Brexit value. And many market prognosticators believe the pound will again plummet once the process officially begins. With heightened volatility for the pound more than likely to create turbulence in both the FX markets and financial markets in general, Brexit will undoubtedly impact global markets in one way or another. Given this reality, the New York Hedge Fund Roundtable recently delved into Brexit and its potential ramifications. Why the Alternative Investment Community Should be Focused on Brexit was the topic of the Roundtable's February event, where H.E. Ambassador Christian Braun, Luxembourg Permanent Representative to the UN and former Permanent Representative of Luxembourg to the European Union, discussed some of the concerns related to Brexit and how they could potentially impact global markets. "With the ins and outs of how Britain will actually unwind itself from the European Union still unknown, and mixed views on the result still being discussed, the only thing that is clear is that Brexit will be one of the most closely watched issues over the next two years, given its potential to impact markets around the world," said Adam Weinstein, president of the New York Hedge Fund Roundtable. Roundtable members believe that there will be more market turbulence as details of how Britain will unwind for the EU emerge, but that it is still too early to determine whether Brexit will have a long-term impact on the global economy. New York Hedge Fund Roundtable members had the opportunity to weigh in on this topic both at the Roundtable's February event as well as through an online electronic poll. *Of the respondents to this survey, 31% were fund managers; 13% were allocators; 16% were risk management or trading; 33% were service providers; and 7% were other industry participants. Following are some of the key findings: Asked whether or not they believe we have seen the end of the Brexit fallout, 60% of respondents said that given Britain's own lack of clarity about how the country will unwind from the EU and how everything will play out, there will most certainly be more market turbulence as details begin to emerge; 31% believe it is still too early to determine whether or not Brexit will have a long-term impact on the global economy; and 9% think that the market's rapid rebound from the initial news proved that fears were blown out of proportion. When asked if the current economic recovery is sustainable, 53% of respondents said that even though economic downturns tend to be cyclical and occur roughly every seven years, there is no indication that a downturn is on the horizon; 47% of respondents think that the boost the equity market has experienced since the president election has nothing to do with companies' fundamentals and that, combined with President Trump's unpredictability and America first attitude toward trade with other countries, will ultimately lead to a significant downturn of the U.S. economy. 77% of respondents think that the Federal Reserve will raise rates at one of its next couple of meetings, now that the Brexit vote and the U.S. presidential election have passed; 23% think that given the recent slowdown in jobs growth and languishing wage growth it is likely the Fed will not raise rates again until the summer and that any increase will be minimal. Asked if the 10-year Treasury yield's next 25 basis point move will be up or down, 75% of respondents said they believe it will be up and the remaining 25% think it will be down. When asked where the best investment opportunities currently are for the alternative investment industry, 78% of respondents think that, following a 3 year lag in emerging markets, it is now time to begin increasing exposure to the sector; 22% of respondents think that, following Brexit and a loss of confidence in Britain, betting against the pound and British stocks is the best bet. Dimethylolpropionic Acid Market Poised to Rake in US$ 115.9 Mn by 2020 http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-339 http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/askus/rep-gb-339 www.futuremarketinsights.com Dimethylolpropionic acid is a free flowing white crystalline solid consisting of one tertiary carboxylic group and two hydroxyl groups. The carboxylic acid group is less reactive and hence, DMPA act as a diol. The free acid group promotes resin water solubility, eases the introduction of a polar group in order to improve coating adhesion and synthetic fibre dye receptivity. In addition, the free acid group also increases the alkali solubility of deposited films, which finds numerous applications in processing of water soluble resins. The key raw materials for producing DMPA are formaldehyde and propionaldehyde. DMPA is most widely used in Polyurethane Dispersions (PUDs) in order to improve hydrophilic properties of polyurethane polymer. PUDs is further used in applications such as adhesives, glass fibre sizing, automotive topcoats, wood finishing and other such applications. In resin coating application, DMPA is used in water soluble alkyd resins and polyester resins for improved hydrolytic stability, minimal coupling solvent. DMPA improves early water spot resistance in air dried resins. In powder coatings application, DMPA is used in epoxy-polyester systems to improve gloss, impact resistance and flow properties and flexibility of coatings. Usage of DMPA in electrodeposition coatings improves the cure response and enables the resin to be water soluble. Overall revenue of the powder coating market is witnessing substantial growth. Appliances industry is the foremost end-user of powder coating, accounting for over 20% share. The automobile industry is the fastest growing end-user of powder coating, owing to which demand for powder coating is projected to increase at a CAGR of 6.5% during the forecast period. This in turn is expected to fuel demand for DMPA. Increasing urbanisation, changing lifestyles and growing building and construction industry is bolstering growth of the global polyester resin market. The global polyester resin market recorded revenue of US$ 10.98 Bn in 2014, which is anticipated to increase at a CAGR of 7.3% during the forecast period. Availability of large number of substitutes for DMPA such as TMP, TME and DMBA are available at a lower cost and thus pose a threat to growth of the global DMPA market. DMBA holds one tertiary carboxylic acid group and two reactive hydroxyl groups, which is similar to DMPA. Over the past few years, penetration of DMBA in the polyurethane dispersion industry has increased at a faster rate in comparison to DMPA. This continues to negatively impact demand for DMPA, prompting some manufacturers globally to shut down plants.Request Report Sample@Drivers & TrendsGrowing polyurethane dispersion industry, especially in developing economies, coupled with intensifying penetration of powder coatings in the automobile industry is fuelling demand for DMPA. Demand for DMPA is also driven by the substantial increase in application in polyurethane dispersions, primarily in Asia Pacific Excluding Japan (APEJ).Also, increasing application of powder coatings in the automobile industry and increasing investments in the polyesters resins market is driving growth of the global DMPA market.DMPA is primarily used in the manufacture of polyurethane dispersions and resins. However, it also finds application in the production of various products such as printing inks and photographic chemicals. Over the past two years, demand for these products has increased substantially across the globe. This in turn is likely to fuel growth of the global DMPA market in the near futureAnalysis by GeographyGeographically, the global Dimethylolpropionic Acid (DMPA) market is segmented into seven regions: North America, Eastern Europe, Western Europe, Asia Pacific Excluding Japan (APEJ), Middle East and Africa (MEA), Latin America and Japan, of which the most prominent regional markets are Western Europe and APEJ, which together constituted around 58.4% of the revenue in 2014.APEJ market is expected to remain dominant in the global DMPA market throughout forecast period, 20142020, owing to increasing consumption in the concerned region. MEA region is expected to witness a moderate increase in Y-o-Y growth rate over the forecast period. Increased investments in the chemicals and petrochemicals industry is also expected to contribute to growth of the DMPA market in the region.Send An Enquiry@The market in the North America is expected to account for US$ 14.0 Mn by 2020 end, from US$ 9.1 Mn in 2013, expanding at a CAGR of 6.8% over the forecast period. Demand for DMPA in Latin America is expected to increase significantly due to increasing applications in protective coatings, wherein PUDs and resins are used. Demand for DMPA from developed countries in Western Europe such as Germany, Italy, France and the U.K. was second highest as compared to countries in other regions in 2014. Europe was second largest in terms of manufacturing capacity of polyurethane dispersions, wherein Western European countries accounted for higher manufacturing capacity as compared to Eastern European countries in 2014. Owing to increased production of PUDs, demand for DMPA was high in Western Europe.About Us Future Market Insights is the premier provider of market intelligence and consulting services, serving clients in over 150 countries. FMI is headquartered in London, the global financial capital, and has delivery centers in the U.S. and India.Contact Us:Future Market Insights616 Corporate Way,Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage,New York 10989,United StatesTel: +1-347-918-3531Fax: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite: automated CPR devices market is estimated to be worth US$ 159 Mn by 2025 with a CAGR of 11% http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-720 http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/askus/rep-gb-720 www.futuremarketinsights.com CPR Devices are chest compression systems that provide high quality compression to chest of patients suffering from sudden cardiac arrest to provide a steady flow of oxygen and blood in the brain as well as heart. The CPR device finds application in EMS, hospitals, ambulances, coronary & intensive care units, cardiac catheterization labs, air medevac units, EMT rescue units, etc.The devices does the Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) process mechanically. CPR is a compression technique used in various medical emergencies to maintain or initiate blood circulation in the heart and oxygen supply in the brain.The observational studies have demonstrated that improved hemodynamic effect & better coronary perfusion and increased incidence of return of spontaneous circulation can be achieved by mechanical and automated CPR devices. On the basis of power source used the devices are classified as Pneumatically Driven CPR devices, Battery Driven CPR Devices, and Mechanically Actuated and Battery Driven CPR devices. On the basis of kind of device the CPR devices can be classified as Piston Devices, Load Distribution Devices, and 3D Compression Devices.Request Report Sample@In terms of revenue the global automated CPR devices market was valued at US$ 50.7 Mn in 2014, and is estimated to be worth US$ 159 Mn by 2025 with a CAGR of 11%.Drivers & TrendsIncreasing demand from EMS (Emergency Medical Services), surge in public awareness about cardiac arrest and clinical benefits of the CPR devices, increasing government funding and grants and growing geriatric population are some of the major drivers of the market. The increasing incidences of cardiovascular diseases and increasing out-of-hospital cardiac arrest across the globe are also expected to drive the automated CPR devices market significantly.Conversely, high cost of automated CPR device, its substantial weight, high training requirements and conflicting results of observational studies are some minor restraints in the global automated CPR devices market.Analysis by GeographyGeographically, the global automated CPR devices market is segmented into five regions: Europe, North America, Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa and Latin America of which the most prominent regional markets are Europe and North America which together constituted around 62.4% of the current market 2014.Europe market is expected to remain dominant in global automated CPR devices market throughout the forecast period. Highly advanced EMS, high adoption rates of CPR technologies and high consumer understanding of clinical benefits in charge to the increasing need of automated CPR devices in the concerned region.Despite huge investments by key players and new entrants in the North America market the North America market is expected to be at second position owing to some inhibitors such as reluctance of the health professionals to do the CPR process and high capital requirements for employment of CPR devices in the large EMS systems of U.S.Send An Enquiry@Technological advancements coupled with rising awareness of cardiac arrest management in developing regions such as Asia Pacific and Latin America are projected to boost demand for automated CPR devices. This is further expected to present new opportunities for global and regional niche players to enter the markets in these regions with cost-effective offerings in order to gain large market shareMiddle East and Africa market is expected to exhibit a comparatively higher CAGR than other segments.About Us Future Market Insights is the premier provider of market intelligence and consulting services, serving clients in over 150 countries. FMI is headquartered in London, the global financial capital, and has delivery centers in the U.S. and India.Contact Us:Future Market Insights616 Corporate Way,Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage,New York 10989,United StatesTel: +1-347-918-3531Fax: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite: Electronic Medical Record (EMR) Market is expected to increase at 5.6% CAGR through 2025 http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-387 http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/askus/rep-gb-387 www.futuremarketinsights.com Electronic medical record systems are defined as healthcare information tools that captures and records patient data gathered from various authorized clinicians office under one healthcare organization. These systems enhances workflow efficacy and improves the quality of patient care. Whereas it also provides access to physicians regarding patient information such as lab results, diagnosis and medication. The EMR system is gaining high traction among healthcare service providers, mainly due to its operational efficiencies and the rising need for integrated healthcare facilities worldwide. Over the years, there has been a surge in the need to connect laboratories to hospitals and clinics, and hospitals or clinics to pharmaceutical centers. This has led to the rise in emphasis on product innovation. Thus, increasing number of players are entering the EMR market with varied service offerings.The global electronic medical record market is estimated to account for US$ 11,417.5 Mn by the end of 2015, and is projected to witness a significant increase in its market value due to rising demand for EMR systems from the concerned end-use segments.Request Report Sample@Drivers and TrendsRise in number of diseases and increasing demand for quality care by the patients is paving the way for the overall growth of the electronic medical record technology globally. Advent of integrated healthcare services delivery platform with the help of EMR technology has led to the wide popularity of EMR software among hospitals and clinics. Rise in the number of hospitals and clinics is also expected to boost the overall demand for electronic medical record technology globally.Currently, electronic medical record technology is widely used in North America due to the various supporting initiatives taken by the government in the region through The Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act of 2009, which directed the Office of the National Coordinator (ONC) for Health Information Technology to promote the adoption and meaningful use of electronic medical records in the region. Also, there is an incentive plan for the hospitals and clinics in the U.S. for facilitating the meaningful use of EMR technology.The EMR market is expected to expand at a significant CAGR in the regions such as Western Europe and Asia Pacific over the forecast period. Also, the EMR industry is consolidating, as the players in the electronic medical record industry are getting into partnerships, mergers and acquisitions, well-planned distribution strategies to capitalize over the opportunities present in the untapped markets in Latin America and Eastern Europe. Though this market is growing at a significant rate, the high cost of EMR software and implementation services, coupled with the negative perception about the electronic medical record technology, is proving to be a major hindrance in the overall growth of the market.Analysis by RegionGlobally, North America is expected to hold market dominance throughout the forecast period and is projected to expand at a CAGR of 5.5% over the forecast period. The U.S is expected to dominate the North America electronic medical record market throughout the forecast period in view of the supporting government policies imposed in accordance with the American Reinvestment & Recovery Act (ARRA). The North America EMR market is followed by the Western Europe market as more number of players are expected to enter into the North America market over the forecasted period. Asia Pacific is expected to be the next lucrative market for EMR companies, as the market in this region is projected to witness an above average CAGR of 6.2% in terms of value during the forecast period.Analysis by ProductThe global electronic medical record market is segmented into hospital and ambulatory EMR. Among these products, it is estimated that, presently, the hospital EMR segment accounts for a major share of the global market, whereas the ambulatory EMR segment is expected to witness an impressive growth during the forecast period.Analysis by DeploymentBy deployment, the electronic medical record market is segmented into client server setups, cloud-based server setups and hybrid server setups. The cloud based segment is expected to dominate the overall electronic medical record market by the end of forecast period, i.e. by 2025. The client server setups segment is projected to register an average growth rate over the forecast period. Meanwhile, the cloud server setups segment is projected to register the fastest CAGR over the forecast period in terms of value, this is attributed to optimum cost and ease of installation of the software in clinical setups.Analysis by End-useBased on end user, the market has been segmented into hospitals, specialized clinics, general physician clinics and ambulatory surgical centers. In terms of value, the clinical segment is estimated to account for 27.2% share of the global market by 2025 end, whereas hospitals is expected to remain the most dominant segment in the overall market over the forecast period.Market Segmentation, by ComponentOn the basis of components, the market has been segmented into software and services. The services segment is expected to emerge as the most lucrative components segment in the global electronic medical record market over the forecast period. The services segment is currently the most attractive segment in terms of revenue in the market, and is estimated to account for over 60.12% market share by 2015 end. However, market acceptance of new software products and rise in product enhancements and modifications is expected to drive the advent of innovative EMR systems over the forecast period.Send An Enquiry@Competitive LandscapeSome of the key players identified in the global electronic medical record market report include Cerner Corp, McKesson Corporation, Medical Information Technology Inc., Epic Systems Corporation, NextGen Healthcare Information Systems, LLC, Greenway Health, LLC and GE Healthcare. The report is enriched through the identification of company-specific strategies related to software development, market consolidation initiatives and analyses of the various market players specific strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats.About Us Future Market Insights is the premier provider of market intelligence and consulting services, serving clients in over 150 countries. FMI is headquartered in London, the global financial capital, and has delivery centers in the U.S. and IndiaContact Us:Future Market Insights616 Corporate Way,Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage,New York 10989,United StatesTel: +1-347-918-3531Fax: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite: magnesium hydroxide market is expected to increase at a CAGR of 5.8% during the forecast period 2016-2026 http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-1585 http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/askus/rep-gb-1585 www.futuremarketinsights.com Magnesium hydroxide is a white, odourless, inorganic alkaline compound, which has strong neutralizing properties compared to conventional neutralizing agents such as caustic soda. Magnesium hydroxide is abundantly found in nature in the form of brucite minerals or produced from brine sea water by the precipitation method. It finds variety of application across diverse set of industries. Some of the prominent applications include environmental applications such as flue gas desulphurisation and wastewater treatment. It provides superior and cost effective solution as a neutralizing agent in waste water treatment application, as compared to the conventional water treatment chemicals such as caustic soda. In flue gas desulphurisation, it is used as an absorber to recover sulphur di oxide from flue gas. Another protruding application of magnesium hydroxide is in pharmaceuticals. Its suspension, also known as milk of magnesia is used as an antacid or laxative to recover gastrointestinal illnesses. It also used as flame retardant or smoke suppressant in plastics such as polyamide, polyvinyl chloride, and polypropylene, etc. Its endothermic degradation at relatively higher temperature and thermal stability marks it a potential choice as an additive over other flame retardant additives present in the market. Other magnesium hydroxide applications include cellulose protector in pulp and paper industry, as a source of magnesium for different applications, manufacturing of magnesium salts, ceramic, food additives, and lubricants.Global magnesium hydroxide market is estimated to be valued at US$ 551.4 Mn in 2015, and is expected to register a moderate single digit CAGR in terms of value during the forecast period, 2016-2026.Request Report Sample@Market DynamicsThe increasing consumption of magnesium hydroxide in environmental applications is expected to be the primary driver for magnesium hydroxide market growth. Increasing wastewater treatment investment by oil & gas industries, chemical industries, power plants and municipal corporations, globally is anticipated to drive the magnesium hydroxide market growth, further. Besides, rising efforts of environmental organizations toward reducing the use of halogenated flame retardants is anticipated to drive the magnesium hydroxide market, over the forecast period. The rising use of flame retardants is resulting in increasing concern about its adverse effects on human health. This in turn followed by stricter governmental regulations on halogenated flame retardant additives by governments. In 2009, EPA through its EPA-Industry initiative phased out the production of some of the brominated flame retardants additives. Moreover, the growing use of magnesium hydroxide in pulp & paper industry as an alternative neutralizing agent and a cellulose protector is expected to drive the magnesium hydroxide growth, over the forecast period. Magnesium hydroxide provides cost effective and superior solution in both mechanical and chemical bleaching processes in pulp & paper industries. The pulp and paper industry which is growing in emerging markets, due to booming packaging industry is showing slight decline in the developed markets due to replacement of paper media by digital media. The pulp & paper industry in developed region is anticipated to show comparatively lower demand for magnesium hydroxide. The reconfiguration cost involved in replacement of caustic soda by magnesium hydroxide for waste water treatment application is estimated to be the major restraining factor for magnesium hydroxide market.Global Magnesium Hydroxide Market TaxonomyGlobal magnesium hydroxide market is segmented as follows:By ApplicationBy RegionBy application, global magnesium hydroxide market is segmented into environmental, pharmaceuticals, flame retardants, chemicals & others. In terms of volume, the environmental application segment is estimated to dominate the magnesium hydroxide market over the forecast period.Regional AnalysisOn the basis of regions, the global magnesium hydroxide market is segmented into seven key regions, namely, North America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, APEJ, Japan, Latin America and Middle East and Africa. In terms of market value, Asia Pacific excluding Japan is estimated to dominate the magnesium hydroxide market throughout the forecast period, registering a CAGR of 7.4% during 2016-2026Send An Enquiry@Key PlayersKey players reported in this study on the global magnesium hydroxide market are Nedmag Industries Mining & Manufacturing B.V., Nabaltec AG, Huber Engineering Materials, Kyowa Chemical Industry Co. Ltd., Konoshima Chemical Co. Ltd., Tateho Chemical Industries Co., Ltd, Baymag Inc., Sakai Chemical Industries Co. Ltd, Lehmann & Voss CO. & KG., Martine Marietta Materials Inc., Xinyang Minerals Group, Premier Periclase Ltd., Israel Chemicals Ltd., Premier Magnesia LLC.About Us Future Market Insights is the premier provider of market intelligence and consulting services, serving clients in over 150 countries. FMI is headquartered in London, the global financial capital, and has delivery centers in the U.S. and India.Contact Us:Future Market Insights616 Corporate Way,Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage,New York 10989,United StatesTel: +1-347-918-3531Fax: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite: Global Ammonium Sulphate Market- OCI Nitrogen, Honeywell, Sanning, Ostchem, GSFC https://goo.gl/msynh3 https://goo.gl/d26N74 https://market.biz/ http://emarketresearch.us/ Global Market Study Evaluate on Ammonium Sulphate Industry by Type, Manufacturers, Application, Type, and Regions, Forecast up to 2022The scope of the global Ammonium Sulphate market report is:This report offers a comprehensive evaluation of the Ammonium Sulphate market. It does so by in-depth qualitative insights, historical Ammonium Sulphate market data, and verifiable projections about global Ammonium Sulphate market size. The projections featured in the Ammonium Sulphate market report have been derived using proven research assumptions and methodologies. By doing so, the Ammonium Sulphate market research report serves as a repository of analysis and Ammonium Sulphate industry information for every facet.The global Ammonium Sulphate market can be segmented on the basis of Type, Ammonium Sulphate Manufacturers, Regions, and Applications. Geographically, Ammonium Sulphate market can be divided into Europe, Asia-Pacific, Middle-East & Africa (MEA), and South America.Enquire Here Before Accessing the Ammonium Sulphate Report with complete TOC atGlobal Ammonium Sulphate Market Segment: By Key Players/Manufacturers Analysis* Zhejiang Hengyi* UBE* Tian Chen* Sinopec* Shandong Wolan Biology* Shandong Haili* Sanning* Ostchem* OCI Nitrogen* LANXESS* KuibyshevAzot* Juhua* JSC Grodno Azot* Hongye Group* Honeywell* GSFC* Domo Chemicals* Datang Power* DSM Chemicals* BASFGlobal Ammonium Sulphate Market Segment: By Applications Analysis* Fertilizer* Industrial Use* Food additive* OthersGlobal Ammonium Sulphate Market Segment: By Type Analysis* Coke-Oven Gas Production Route* Caprolactam by-Product Production Route* OtherGlobal Ammonium Sulphate market regional analysis covers:* Latin America Ammonium Sulphate Market (Middle and Africa)* EuropeAmmonium Sulphate Market (Germany, France, UK, Russia and Italy)* Asia-Pacific Ammonium Sulphate Market (China, Japan, Korea, India and Southeast Asia)* North America Ammonium Sulphate Market (Canada, Mexico and USA)Highlights of Global Ammonium Sulphate market report:Global Ammonium Sulphate Market includes Manufacturers Profiles in Ammonium Sulphate Market with their Business OverviewIt also includes Ammonium Sulphate market by Type and ApplicationAmmonium Sulphate Market by Price, Revenue, Sales and Ammonium Sulphate Business ShareGlobal Ammonium Sulphate Market Competition, by manufacturer, Ammonium Sulphate Sales and Ammonium Sulphate Revenue by Regions (2012-2017)Request Sample Ammonium Sulphate Research Report atGlobal Ammonium Sulphate Market report mainly covers 12 sections. They are as follows:Section 1 gives us Ammonium Sulphate Introduction, market overview, product scope, Ammonium Sulphate market opportunities, market threat, Ammonium Sulphate market driving force;Section 2 shows the global Ammonium Sulphate market by regions, with sales, Ammonium Sulphate market share and revenue of Ammonium Sulphate, for each region, from 2017 to 2022;Section 3 and 4 displays Ammonium Sulphate market forecast, by regions, application and type, with revenue and sales of Ammonium Sulphate market, from 2017 to 2022;Section 5 shows the competitive situation among the top manufacturers, with sales, revenue and market share of Ammonium Sulphate market in 2016 and 2017;Section 6 covers the global Ammonium Sulphate market key regions, with sales, market share and revenue by key countries in these regions, from 2012 to 2017;Section 7, 8 and 9 analyzes the top manufacturers of Ammonium Sulphate, with revenue, sales and price of Ammonium Sulphate, in 2016 and 2017;Section 10 shows the global Ammonium Sulphate market by type and application, with sales Ammonium Sulphate market share and growth rate by type, application, from 2012 to 2017;Section 11 and 12 at last, gives details about Ammonium Sulphate sales channel, traders, distributors for Ammonium Sulphate industry, dealers, Research Findings and Conclusion, appendix and data source;About Us:Market.Biz is designed to provide the best and most penetrating research required to all commercial, industrial and profit-making ventures in any sector of online business. We take pride in our ability to satisfy the market research needs of both domestic and international businesses.Market.Biz has access to the worlds most comprehensive and up-to-date databases in your business sector, including countless market reports that can provide you with valuable data relating to your business. We understand the needs of our clients, and keep our reports updated as market requirement changes.Contact Us:James JohnsonS. no. 51/14 First Floor,Office No. 4, Vishwa Arcade,Near Navale Lawns, Pune.Tel: +1(857)2390696Email: inquiry@market.bizWebsite:Blog: Global Electric Heating Cable Market Analysis by Application, Type, Revenue, Price and Trend 2017 - 2022 https://marketsizeforecasters.com/get-sample/13589 https://marketsizeforecasters.com/enquire-for-discount/13589 https://marketsizeforecasters.com/global-north-america-europe-and-asia-pacific-south-america-middle-east-and-africa-electric-heating-cable-market https://marketsizeforecasters.com/world-electronic-cumulative-timer-market-research-report-2021covering-usa-eu-china-south-east-asia-india-japan-and-etc http://marketsizeforecasters.com/ Global Electric Heating Cable Industry 2017 Market Research Report is a professional and in-depth study on the current trends and Future Forecast.An Electric Heating Cable is a wire cable that produces heat, also referred to as heat trace cable amongst the industry. It is used for a wide range of applications including heat loss replacement, pipe tracing, freeze protection, viscosity control, temperature process maintenance, roof and gutter, and much more. In this report, it mainly focuses on the industrial applications.Scope of the Report:This report focuses on the Electric Heating Cable 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 Electric Heating Cable Market Segment by Manufacturers, this report coversRaychemSSTAnhui HuanruiThermonBartecWuhu JiahongEmersonAnbangElthermRequest a sample copy of Global Electric Heating Cable Market Research Report @Global Electric Heating Cable 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 Electric Heating Cable Market Segment by Type, coversSelf-regulating Heating CableConstant Wattage Heating CableMineral Insulated Heating CableSkin-Effect Heat-Tracing CableThe listed pricing for this Global Electric Heating Cable Market report starts at $ 4880. Request Discount for Global Electric Heating Cable Market Research Report @Market Segment by Applications, can be divided intoIndustrialResidentialCommercialOtherBrowse full table of contents and data tables For Global Electric Heating Cable Market Report @Related Reports: -World Electronic Cumulative Timer Market Research Report 2021(Covering USA, EU, China, South East Asia, India, Japan and etc)The industry report lists the leading competitors and provides the insights strategic industry Analysis of the key factors influencing the market.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 Metallized Glass Fiber Market 2017 - Electronic Tapes, EMI Shielding Laminates, Laird Technologies, Insulfab, Leader Tech Metallized Glass Fiber https://goo.gl/sLCkg1 https://goo.gl/m5NPdC http://www.apexmarketreport.com The Global Metallized Glass Fiber Market 2017 Industry Research Report focused on global and regional market, major manufacturers, as well as the current state of the Metallized Glass Fiber industry. First, "Global Metallized Glass Fiber Industry 2017" report analyzed the basic scope of this industry like definition, specification, classification, application, industry policy, news analysis and Metallized Glass Fiber industry chain structure.Major Companies Covered in this report:-3M CompanyElectronic TapesEMI Shielding LaminatesLaird TechnologiesInsulfabLeader TechKitagawa IndustriesRequest For Report Sample @The analysis on Metallized Glass Fiber industry is provided including the up and down stream industry also with the major market players., Metallized Glass Fiber industry competitive landscape analysis.Second, Metallized Glass Fiber industry manufacturing process, cost structure and major plants distribution is conducted for Metallized Glass Fiber market. This report "Worldwide Metallized Glass Fiber Market 2017" also states major market data like capacity, gross margin, supply, price, revenue, import/export, consumption and Metallized Glass Fiber market's growth rate by regions (Europe, North America, South America, Asia, China and ROW), as well as other regions can be added in Metallized Glass Fiber Market area.Then, the report focuses on global Metallized Glass Fiber market key players with information such as company profiles, contact information with product picture as well as specification.Enquiry Before Buying @Related information to Metallized Glass Fiber market- Capacity, Production, Capacity Utilization Rate, Price, Revenue, Cost, Gross and contact information. Also includes Metallized Glass Fiber industry's - Upstream raw materials, equipment, Manufacturing and downstream industry consumers analysis is also carried out. Whats more, the Metallized Glass Fiber market development trends and Metallized Glass Fiber industry marketing channels are analyzed.Finally, "worldwide Metallized Glass Fiber market" report is a valuable source of guidance for manufacturers, suppliers, distributors, customers, investors and individuals who have interest in this market.About UsApex Market Report is a global market research reports provider which covers the reports related to industry trends, market size, market growth, market forecast and competitor analysis by industry experts.Contact UsFrank ValadezBusiness Development HeadEmail id - sales@apexmarketreport.comWebsite - Global Electric Winch Market, Share, Trends and Analysis, Growth and Forecast 2017 - 2022 https://marketsizeforecasters.com/get-sample/13590 https://marketsizeforecasters.com/enquire-for-discount/13590 https://marketsizeforecasters.com/securecheckout/paymenta/13590?msfpaycode=sumsf https://marketsizeforecasters.com/global-north-america-europe-and-asia-pacific-south-america-middle-east-and-africa-electric-winch-market https://marketsizeforecasters.com/china-hydraulic-winches-market http://marketsizeforecasters.com/ Global Electric Winch Market 2017 Research Report was a professional and depth research report on Global Electric Winch Market industry that you would know the world's major regional market conditions of Electric Winch Market industry, the main region including North American, Europe and Asia etc, and the main country including United States, Germany, Japan and China etc.Electric winches are most commonly used to pull an automobile, boat, crane, truck, or other piece of Machinery & Equipment from a problematic area. If a car goes off the road and down into a ravine, for example, trucks with these types of winches are used to hook the car and pull it back to the road. They can also be used to tug boats to safety. There have even been rare instances in which they have helped save large animals from tricky holes and pits.Scope of the Report:This report focuses on the Electric Winch 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 Electric Winch Market Segment by Manufacturers, this report coversMile Marker Industries, LLCIngersoll RandHarkenCOMEUP IndustriesWARNSuperwinchRamsey WinchWinchmaxRequest a sample copy of Global Electric Winch Market Research Report @Global Electric Winch 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 Electric Winch Market Segment by Type, coversSingle ReelDouble ReelOtherThe listed pricing for this Global Electric Winch Market report starts at $ 4880. Request Discount for Global Electric Winch Market Research Report @Table of Contents in Global Electric Winch Market Research Report1 Market Overview1.1 Electric Winch Introduction1.2 Market Analysis by Type1.3 Market Analysis by Applications1.4 Market Analysis by Regions2 Manufacturers Profiles2.1 Mile Marker Industries, LLC2.1.1 Business Overview2.1.2 Electric Winch Type and Applications3 Global Electric Winch Market Competition, by Manufacturer3.1 Global Electric Winch Sales and Market Share by Manufacturer (2016-2017)3.2 Global Electric Winch Revenue and Market Share by Manufacturer (2016-2017)3.3 Global Electric Winch Price by Manufacturer (2016-2017)Global Electric Winch Market of 124 pages having tables and figures is available for purchase atMarket Segment by Applications, can be divided intoMarineMineCableOtherBrowse full table of contents and data tables For Global Electric Winch Market Report @Related Reports: -China Hydraulic Winches Market by Manufacturers, Regions (Province), Type and Application, Forecast to 2022The spool can also be called the winch drum. More elaborate designs have gear assemblies and can be powered by electric, hydraulic, pneumatic or internal combustion drives.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 Global Automotive Steel Market- HYUNDAI steel, United States Steel Nucor , JFE , Tatasteel , HBIS Global Automotive Steel Market http://bit.ly/2nCcQc0 http://bit.ly/2mZAGeR https://market.biz/ http://emarketresearch.us/ Global Automotive Steel Market report 2017 is an in-depth research on the current situation of the Automotive Steel industry.The Scope of the Automotive Steel research report:The Global Automotive Steel Market primarily includes a basic overview of the Automotive Steel industry. It also includes Automotive Steel definitions, classifications and applications. It segments the market by applications, types, regions, competitive players and also analyzes Automotive Steel market size, business share and Automotive Steel revenue, price and sales. The report mainly covers the Automotive Steel market in North America, the Automotive Steel market in Europe, the Automotive Steel market in Asia-Pacific, the Automotive Steel market in Latin America, Middle as well as Africa.Enquire Here Before Purchasing The Global Automotive Steel Market Report with TOC:Global Automotive Steel Market Segment By Key Players/Manufacturers ArcelorMittal ThyssenKrupp Nippon Steel POSCO Baosteel HYUNDAI steel JFE Tatasteel HBIS United States SteelNucorGlobal Automotive Steel Market Segment By Type Low-strength Steel Conventional HSS AHSS OtherGlobal Automotive Steel Market Segment By Applications Commercial Vehicle Passenger VehicleMarket Segment by Regions, regional analysis cover up North America Automotive Steel Market (Canada, Mexico and USA). Latin America Automotive Steel Market (Middle and Africa). Automotive Steel Market in Europe (Germany, France, Italy, UK and Russia). Asia-Pacific Automotive Steel Market (South-east Asia, China, India, Korea, and Japan).Request Sample Automotive Steel market Research Report atThe report (Automotive Steel market) focuses on worldwide major leading Automotive Steel industry players, which further includes information like company profiles, Automotive Steel price, Companys Automotive Steel market revenue etc. Growth prospects of the overall Automotive Steel industry have been presented in the report. However, to give a detailed view of the readers, detailed geographical segmentation within the globe Automotive Steel market has been covered in this study. The key regions along with their revenue forecasts are included in the report.Report on (Automotive Steel Market Report) mainly covers 15 Topics acutely display the global Automotive Steel market.Topic 1, to describe Automotive Steel market Introduction, Scope of the product, Automotive Steel market overview and market opportunities, Automotive Steel market risk, market driving force;Topic 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6, to analyze the key regions, with sales, revenue and Automotive Steel market share by key countries in these regions;Topic 7, to show the global market by regions, with sales, revenue and market share of Automotive Steel, for each region, from 2012 to 2017;Topic 8, analyzes the top manufacturers of Automotive Steel, with sales, revenue, and price of Automotive Steel, in 2016 and 2017;Topic 9 and 10, shows the Automotive Steel market by type and application, Automotive Steel market share, with sales and growth rate by type, application, from 2012 to 2017;Topic 11, Automotive Steel market forecast, by regions, application and type, with revenue and sales, from 2017 to 2022;Topic 12, to display the competitive situation among the top leading manufacturers, with sales, revenue and Automotive Steel market share in 2016 and 2017;Topic 13, 14 and 15, to describe Automotive Steel sales channel, distributors, dealers, traders, Conclusion and Research Findings, data source and appendix;About Us:Market.Biz is designed to provide the best and most penetrating research required to all commercial, industrial and profit-making ventures in any sector of online business. We take pride in our ability to satisfy the market research needs of both domestic and international businesses.Market.Biz has access to the worlds most comprehensive and up-to-date databases in your business sector, including countless market reports that can provide you with valuable data relating to your business. We understand the needs of our clients, and keep our reports updated as market requirement changes.Contact Us:James JohnsonS no. 51/14 First Floor,Office No. 4, Vishwa Arcade,Near Navale Lawns, Pune.Tel: +1(857)2390696Email: inquiry@market.bizWebsite:Blog: Global Absorption Chiller Market share worth over USD 980mn by 2023 : Global Market Insights Inc. https://www.gminsights.com/request-toc/upcoming/145 https://www.gminsights.com/inquiry-before-buying/145 https://www.gminsights.com/industry-analysis/commercial-refrigeration-equipment-market https://www.gminsights.com https://gminsights.wordpress.com U.S. Absorption Chiller market share is anticipated to witness considerable growth. The surge in demand can be attributed to high concentration of industries such as petroleum, processed food and chemicals in the region.Europe is expected to exhibit high growth due to the presence of large number of industries in the region. Latin America and Middle East & Africa are also forecast to witness moderate growth owing to growing adoption across various nations over the forecast period.Global absorption chiller market size is projected to exceed USD 980 million by 2023 and it is likely to grow at a CAGR of over 3.5% from 2016 to 2023. These are the refrigerants that use heat energy for cooling rather than employing mechanical energy. Rising government concern regarding energy conservation accompanied by escalating process cooling needs in various industrial applications is likely to drive industry demand.Increasing demand for energy efficient cooling solutions is predicted to propel the industry growth over the forecast period. In addition, lack of electricity infrastructure in developing nations is estimated to boost absorption chillers market size.Request for an in-depth table of contents for this report @Escalating electricity prices along with electricity supply shortages may positively impact the industry over the upcoming years. Furthermore, proliferating usage of these chillers in solar cooling projects is expected to fuel demand. Attributes such as vibration-free and inaudible operation offered by these systems is predicted to surge the demand from 2015 to 2022. Low maintenance and operating cost offered by these machines is also likely to spur the absorption chiller market size over the forecast period.High system installation cost is expected to hamper industry growth. Lack of consumer awareness accompanied by low efficiency offered by these machines is likely to hinder demand. In addition, rising competition from centrifugal chillers is expected to negatively impact the industry over the forecast period. Strict regulatory norms on chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) refrigerants are predicted to furnish massive growth avenues for the absorption chiller market size over the forecast period. Furthermore, flourishing applications of these systems in petrochemical industry is anticipated to exhibit high growth opportunities to the industry participants. Evaporator, generator, absorber and condenser are the various components integrated in these machines. It also includes lithium bromide water (LiBr/H2O) and ammonia water in order to carry out refrigeration process in the system.Hot water fired, steam fired, natural gas fired and exhaust gas are the various types of chillers. Various technologies involved include single effect, double effect and triple effect absorption. Single effect technology is predicted to experience intensifying growth owing to its low coefficient of powers (COP). This technology is primarily used in various industries such as boilers and power plants and is available in range of capacity between 7.5 tons and 1,500 tons. Double effect absorption chiller market is widely employed in high pressure steam application namely district heating. These are more efficient than their single effect counterparts; however they also involve high manufacturing cost. Based on application, the industry can be segregated into numerous industry sectors such as chemicals, refrigeration, geothermal appliances, oil & petroleum as well as freezing & food canning.Make an inquiry for buying this report @Asia Pacific absorption chillers market share is predicted to observe significant growth over the several upcoming years. This can be attributed to rising demand from developing markets, mainly China and India. In addition, electricity shortfalls along with improper electrical distribution in developing nations are likely to fuel the adoption of these appliances in the region over the forecast period.Key industry participants accumulating major absorption chiller market share include Century Corporation, Shuangliang Eco-Energy Systems, Johnson Controls, Thermax, Broad Air Conditioning, Yazaki Energy Systems and Carrier Corporation. Other prominent industry players are Hitachi Appliances, EAW Energieanlagenbau, LG Air Conditioning, Robur Group, Shuangliang Eco-Energy Systems, and Trane.Browse Related Reports: Commercial Refrigeration Equipment Market Size By Application (Food & Beverage Retail, Food & Beverage Distribution, Food & Beverage Production, Food Service), By Product (Refrigerators & Freezers, Transportation Refrigeration Equipment, Beverage Refrigeration), Industry Analysis Report, Regional Outlook (U.S., Germany, UK, France, Italy), Application Potential, Price Trend, Competitive Market Share & Forecast, 2016 2023About 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 HegdeCorporate Sales, USAGlobal Market Insights, Inc.Phone: 1-302-846-7766Toll Free: 1-888-689-0688Email: sales@gminsights.comWeb:Blog:Connect with us: Facebook | Google+ | LinkedIn | Twitter Customers leave an Albertsons grocery store with their purchases in Burbank, California July 17, 2012. REUTERS/Fred Prouser By Lawrence Delevingne NEW YORK (Reuters) - Grocery business Albertsons Cos held preliminary talks to merge with Sprouts Farmers Market Inc (SFM.O), Bloomberg reported on Sunday, citing people familiar with the situation. Bloomberg said the early stage discussions took place in recent weeks and involved a plan to take Sprouts private. Doing so would add the natural and organic foods-focused business to the Albertsons suite of supermarket brands, which includes Safeway, Vons and Shaw's. Albertsons is backed by private equity firm Cerberus Capital Management. Representatives for Albertsons and Sprouts did not immediately respond to requests for comment, while a spokeswoman for Cerberus declined to comment. Shares of Sprouts spiked to a four-month high on Thursday and Friday amid a surge in stock options trading. (Reporting by Lawrence Delevingne; Editing by Mary Milliken and Peter Cooney) Wood Based panel market to grow at CAGR of over 13% from 2015 to 2023 : Global Market Insights Inc https://www.gminsights.com/request-toc/upcoming/199 https://www.gminsights.com/inquiry-before-buying/199 https://www.gminsights.com/industry-analysis/window-and-door-market https://www.gminsights.com https://gminsights.wordpress.com In 2014, China Wood Based Panel market accounted for more than 50,000 products for manufacturing and trading enterprises, employing more than 10 million workforce and generating an output of USD 155 billion. The utilization by these enterprises exceeds 520 million and the value of exports was USD 75 billion in 2014. However, the sector suffers from a poor image due to quality scandals. In 2015, Italy has recorded gain of 7%, with an optimistic business climate for the third consecutive quarter.Wood based panel market size was valued over USD 16 billion in 2015 and is anticipated to grow at CAGR of over 13% and exceed USD 35 billion by 2023.Request for an in-depth table of contents for this report @China exported 5.8 million tons of wood based panels which cost around USD 5,813 million in 2014, growing at a CAGR of 15% over the previous year. China trades with the U.S., where it exports around 15% of its total panel, accounting for 55% of the U.S. total imports. One of the challenges that both the North American and European panel makers are facing is the increasing imports from China. In 2014, China and Indonesia are identified as the foremost global suppliers of the panels with a combined share of over 55% of total exports. China significantly strengthened its position in the global export structure, from 31% in 2007 to 39% in 2014.Increasing deforestation has lead towards the global warming which has boosted the demand growth for efficient and effective utilization of timber. This is expected to fuel the industry demand over the forecast period. In addition, technological innovation and advancement along with the mounting efficiency in manufacturing is likely to bolster the demand from 2016 to 2023. However, rapid increases in the cost pertaining to the petroleum based fuel and products continue to amplify the marketing and production cost of the industry, which in turn obstructing its growth over the forecast period.The changes in incorporating newer definitions of structural use panels by American Plywood Association (APA) is likely to boost the global demand in South America as well as in North America region. Modernization in infrastructure and rapid industrialization in developing economies of Asia Pacific is likely to be a chief industry driver for the global wood based panel market over the next few years.The wood based panel industry can be segmented on the basis of product which includes veneers and sheets less than 6mm thick, plywood, oriented strand board, veneered panels and related, particle board & wafer board, insulation boards, hardboards and fiberboard. Moreover, the industry can be further bifurcated on the basis of region which includes North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America and MEA. In the U.S., plywood and OSB are the leading panels that are being employed and the huge capacity augment in OSB has declined the prices for panels, which impacts the margins of the panel makers over the coming few years.Make an inquiry for purchasing this report @Europe wood based panel market has generated huge profitability and strong growth in the last few years on account of the growth of the furniture sector and rising construction industry. However, increasing cost of a range of inputs such as wood, energy and resin is expected to challenge the panel manufacturers across the Europe over the forecast period. In addition, the European panel producers are competing with the biomass industry for the procurement of wood.Major manufacturers for the global wood based panel market share include Lin Shi Tong Wood Co. Ltd, China Foma, Xinxiel Groupt Co, Caihong Wood Co Ltd., Timber Products Company, Yalian machinery Co, D.I.V.A Aluminium Products, Changzhou Hengyi Wood Products Co Ltd, Qingdao Nianlum Wood Processing Co. Ltd., SKLEJKA PISZ PAGED S.A., Jechen Group, Daregroup, Linyi Guangsha Wood Industry Co Ltd, Shanghai Wood-Based Panel Machinery Co, Mebelny Kombinat Rassvet and Main Land Trading Company among others.Browse Related Reports: Window And Door Market Size By Material (uPVC, Wood, Metal), By Application (Residential [New Residential, Improvement & Repair], Commercial [New Commercial, Improvement & Repair]), Industry Analysis Report, Regional Outlook (U.S., Canada, Germany, UK, Italy, France, Russia, Belgium, Poland, China, India, Japan, South Korea, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mexico, Brazil, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, UAE, South Africa), Application Potential, Price Trends, Competitive Market Share & Forecast, 2016 2024About 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 HegdeCorporate Sales, USAGlobal Market Insights, Inc.Phone: 1-302-846-7766Toll Free: 1-888-689-0688Email: sales@gminsights.comWeb:Blog:Connect with us: Facebook | Google+ | LinkedIn | Twitter Global Hydraulic Excavator Industry Key Trends, Size, Growth, Shares And Forecast Research Report (2014-2019) http://www.researchmoz.us/enquiry.php?type=S&repid=272141 http://www.researchmoz.us/enquiry.php?type=E&repid=272141 http://www.researchmoz.us/ http://bit.ly/1TBmnVG Researchmoz added Most up-to-date research on "Global Hydraulic Excavator Market: Trends and Opportunities (2014-2019)" to its huge collection of research reports.The report titled Global Hydraulic Excavator Market: Trends & Opportunities (2014-2019) provides an in-depth analysis of the global hydraulic excavator market (including crawler mounted hydraulic excavator) with detailed analysis of market sizing and growth, market share and economic impact of the industry. Detailed analysis of global hydraulic excavator resale and auction market is also presented in this report.The report also assesses the key opportunities in the market and outlines the factors that are and will be driving the growth of the industry. Growth of the overall global hydraulic excavator industry has also been forecasted for the period 2014-2019, taking into consideration the previous growth patterns, the growth drivers and the current and future trends. In addition to global hydraulic excavator market, detailed country/regional analysis of China, Japan, Europe, the US, India, Oceania and Asia is also provided. Further, key players of the hydraulic excavator industry like Caterpillar, Hitachi; Komatsu and Liebherr are also profiled with their financial information and respective business strategies.To Get Sample Copy of Report visit @Country Coverage- China- Japan- Europe- United States- India- Oceania & AsiaCompany Coverage- Caterpillar Inc.- Hitachi- Komatsu- LiebherrExecutive SummaryExcavators are construction heavy machinery used for excavation or move large and heavy objects. Hydraulic excavators employ the fluid mechanism for efficient working. They are especially used for heavy duty excavation work where superb efficiency is required.Hydraulic excavator is a multipurpose earthmoving machine, which can perform many duties, in the field, such as digging earth, mining, loading, quarrying, etc., apart from other activities like well-digging, material handling. The excavator is the only ""Earthmoving"" machine, capable of working in three dimensions and in all directions.Large number of excavators used in the industry today makes use of hydraulics as hydraulics can supply great amount of power using minimal resources. All movement and functions of such excavator are accomplished through the use of hydraulic fluid, with hydraulic cylinders and hydraulic motors.Despite a decline in sales in the years 2012 and 2013, the global hydraulic excavator market is anticipated to grow at a sustained pace. Factors like increasing spending on construction, growing construction equipment market and improving economic conditions will be driving the growth of this market. Like Europe, the hydraulic excavator market in the US experienced steep decline during the recession period because of the depressed construction expenditure in housing market and low investment in the non-residential construction market.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 Child Day Care Service Industry Key Trends, Size, Growth, Shares And Forecast Research Report (2014-2019) http://www.researchmoz.us/enquiry.php?type=S&repid=246150 http://www.researchmoz.us/enquiry.php?type=E&repid=246150 http://www.researchmoz.us/ http://bit.ly/1TBmnVG Researchmoz added Most up-to-date research on "Global Child Day Care Service Market: Trends and Opportunities (2014-2019)" to its huge collection of research reports.The report titled Global Child Day Care Services Market: Trends and Opportunities (2014-2019) analyzes the potential opportunities and significant trends in the global child day care service industry. The report provides detailed analysis of the global child day care service market including the country analysis of the U.S., Japan, India and Australia. It also provides specific data about the different types of child care services and large local players in the U.S., Japan, India and Australia child day care service market.In depth analysis of key market growth drivers and challenges and the major observable trends in the global child day care service market are also evaluated in the report. Leading companies operating in the global child day care service market, namely G8 Education, Bright Horizons Family Solutions and JP Holdings, have been profiled with their respective business strategies and financial overview. The growth of the market has been projected taking into consideration various aspects like previous growth patterns, the current trends, the growth drivers and challenges prevailing in the child day care service market.To Get Sample Copy of Report visit @Country Coverage- United States- Japan- India- AustraliaCompany Coverage- Bright Horizons Family Solutions- G8 Education- JP HoldingsExecutive SummaryChild day care services are becoming a necessary expense for working parents. Over the past five years, revenue has continued to grow despite of recession, driven mostly by increasing birth rates, increase in workforce requirements and increasing women workforce. The child daycare services industry revenue is expected to increase in the long run due to increase in number of parents returning to the workforce after recession, higher female workforce participation, increase in dual income households, growth of the disposable income and increasing focus on early education and child development.The employers are also adding the child daycare facilities to their employee benefit package to attract the talented employees and also to retain the existing employee. This employer sponsored provider market is very attractive and profitable and the large players are including this segment in their business mix to gain revenues.In the few past years, the number of companies offering child day care services has grown globally, due to rising demand for child day care services and the industrys low barriers to entry. Increasing mergers and acquisitions among major players have led to a gradual shift toward large establishments. This acquisition trend has temporarily slowed as a result of the slow economic recovery. However, companies such as Bright Horizons Family Solutions, Goodstart Early Learning, JP Holdings and G8 Education are expected to expand their global presence quickly over the next few years.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 Pressure Vessel Market to register high demand rate by 2024 https://www.zionmarketresearch.com/sample/pressure-vessel-market https://www.zionmarketresearch.com/toc/pressure-vessel-market https://www.zionmarketresearch.com/report/pressure-vessel-market https://www.zionmarketresearch.com/custom/1311 http://www.zionmarketresearch.com Zion Market Research, the market research group announced the analysis report titled "Pressure Vessel Market: Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecasts 20162024"Global Pressure Vessel Market: OverviewPressure vessels are containers designed to store high-pressure liquids and gasses. According to the application and regional regulations requirement, the properties of pressure vessels may vary; however, the primary role of pressure vessels is to withstand high pressure. The materials used in pressure vessels are steel and composite materials, such as carbon fiber and polymer, which can withstand the high pressure and high temperature. Pressure vessels are used as recompression chambers, distillation towers, pressure reactors, autoclaves and in mining industries, petrochemical plants, oil refineries and nuclear reactors. They are also used in storage of LPG, chlorine, and gasses in liquid forms. Traditional pressure vessels were more accident prone as compared to modern designs of pressure vessels. Modern designs and techniques are used to build pressure vessels with the help of research and development department.Request Free Sample Report @Global Pressure Vessel Market: Growth FactorsHigher demand from chemical and oil & gas industries is the major driving factor for the growth of the global pressure vessels market. The worldwide increase in the energy consumption is also expected to foster the global market growth. Government support for renewable energy expansion is also benefitting the pressure vessels market. Development in the chemical industries has opened up new growth opportunities for pressure vessel market. Acceptance of new technology is the key driver for the market. However, increasing environmental awareness relating to mining activities is hampering the global market to some extent.Global Pressure Vessel Market: SegmentationThe global pressure vessel market is segmented into the end-user industry, material, type and geography. The end-user industry is segregated into power, chemicals, oil & gas and others. On the basis of the material, the global market is divided into steel alloys, composites and other alloys. Based on the type, the global pressure vessel market is diversified into nuclear reactors, boilers, separators and others. Boilers type segment is the dominant segment in the global market and is used in few energy generation procedures. Regionally, the market is diversified into Asia-Pacific, Europe, North America, Latin America and the Middle East and Africa.Request Report TOC (Table of Contents) @Global Pressure Vessel Market: Regional AnalysisAsia Pacific is expected to be the largest market for pressure vessel due to the rapid expansion of power sector in this region. Installation of nuclear powerhouses and increasing oil and gas industries along with chemical industries are opening up opportunities for growth of the global market in the Asia Pacific region. Major players in North America and Europe regions in the pressure vessels market are focusing to expand capabilities of pressure vessels. The Middle East & Africa is significantly investing in new power projects and well-established oil & gas infrastructure are other factors influencing the regional demand. The development of urban and industrial infrastructure of Latin America is also expected to give rise to pressure vessels market in this region.Global Pressure Vessel Market: Competitive PlayersProminent players dominating the global pressure vessel market include Larsen & Toubro Ltd., Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd., Doosan Heavy Industries & Construction and Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd.Browse detail report @Global Pressure Vessel Market: Regional Segment AnalysisNorth AmericaU.S.EuropeUKFranceGermanyAsia PacificChinaJapanIndiaLatin AmericaBrazilMiddle 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: Eyewear Market Worth US$ 145.0 Billion Globally by 2020 https://www.marketresearchengine.com/reportdetails/eyewear-market https://www.marketresearchengine.com/requestsample/eyewear-market https://www.marketresearchengine.com/ New York, March 20: Market Research Engine has published a new report titled as Eyewear Market (Spectacles, Contact Lenses, Plano Sunglasses) - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth and Forecast 2015 - 2023The Global Eyewear Market is likely to reach around 145 billion by 2020, at a CAGR of 3% during the forecasted period.Browse Full Report:Eye wears provide safety to the human eye from dust and UV rays in daylight. Eye wears consist of various product types which include spectacles, sunglasses and contact lenses. Spectacles eye wears are mainly for those who have trouble seeing objects from a specific distance. A ophthalmologist specifically prescribes the spectacles which further enables the consumers to look clearly without causing strain on their eyes. Contact lenses can also replace spectacles but colored contact lenses are not prescribed by any medical practitioner. Similarly sunglasses are the reason the eyewear market is leading.Europe is the largest consumer of Eyewear market followed by by North America in 2015 and likely to maintain the same ranking till the forecasted period. APAC is the fastest growing market and will continue to grow at the same rate during the forecast period.Tremendous growth in eyewear market is owing to increasing demand for sunglasses. Increasing standards of life and sabotaged weather conditions is triggering the demand for sunglasses. Potential increase in population rate with refractive errors is boosting the demand for spectacles and hence increasing global eyewear market in terms of revenue and volume. Counterfeit eyewear products and replicas are a major threat to the key market players in this industry. North America is leading the global eyewear market by volume with outstanding figures.The global eyewear market is segmented based on its product types which include spectacles, plano sunglasses and contact lenses. The market segments in terms of geographical regions include North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific and Rest of the World (ROW).This report provides:1) An overview of the global market for eyewear 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 eyewear market.4) Discussion of research and development, and the demand for new products and new applications.5) Comprehensive company profiles of major players in the industry.Download Free Sample Report:REPORT SCOPE:The scope of the report includes a detailed study of global and regional markets for various types of eye wears 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 Luxottica Group SpA Bausch & Lomb Carl Zeiss Charmant Group CIBA Vision CooperVision De Rigo SpA Essilor Fielmann AG Hoya Corporation Johnson & Johnson Marchon Eyewear Marcolin Eyewear Rodenstock Safilo Group SpA Seiko Corporation Shamir.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 Eyewear Market has been segmented as below:By Product Type Spectacleso Spectacles Frameso Spectacles Lenses Contact Lenses Plano Sunglasseso Polarized Sunglasseso Non Polarized Sunglasseso CR-39 Sunglasseso Polycarbonate Sunglasseso Polyurethane Sunglasseso OthersBy Geography North America Europe Asia-Pacific Rest of the World (ROW)Reasons to buy this Report:1) Obtains the most up to date information available on all active and planned eyewear industry globally.2) Identify growth segments and opportunities in the industry.3) Facilitate decision making on the basis of strong historic and forecast of eyewear industry and unit capacity data.4) Assess your competitors refining portfolio and its evolution.About 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 Connected Cars Market Worth US$ 200 Billion Globally By 2021 https://www.marketresearchengine.com/reportdetails/global-connected-cars-market https://www.marketresearchengine.com/requestsample/global-connected-cars-market https://www.marketresearchengine.com/ New York, March 20: Market Research Engine has published a new report titled as Global Connected Cars Market, By Technology (2G, 3G, 4G, GNSS), By Connectivity (Embedded, Integrated, Tethered), By Applications (Location Based, Infotainment & HMI, Safety & Security, Convenience, Driver Assistance), By Regions Trends & Forecast: 20152020The market revenue is estimated to reach $153.60 billion by 2020, The connected cars market is growing rapidly with the CAGR of 33.38% during the period 2015-2020. The market is growing due to increase in safety reasons and need for driver assistance.Browse Full Report:The connected car, which once was a concept and limited to science fiction movies, is a reality today. Cars are extremely well connected these days and with extensive embedded hardware components combined with smart connectivity capabilities use an array of protocols to deliver key electronic, monitoring and diagnostic functions. It is now the hottest market where everybody is trying to be a part of it considering enormous potential the market holds.The global connected car market is a very fragmented market and it is in a growing stage, where many stakeholders of the eco-system are forging strategic collaborations to create connected car solutions.The global connected car applications market is divided into Location Based Applications, Infotainment & HMI, Safety & Security, Convenience, Driver Assistance, and Others. Safety & Security application contributes the most to the applications market. Government initiatives and customers are concerned about overall safety, and accident is the major driving force behind customers adopting cars enabled with connectivity.The global connected car regions market is divided into North America, Western Europe, Asia-Pacific, Central Eastern Europe (CEE), Middle East & Africa and Latin America. North America has the most matured connected market owing to its extensive infrastructure and the number of companies investing in the market. Western Europe, now, is the second hottest market for connected cars as the government regulations such as mandate of eCall will drive more investments into the market.Download Free Sample Report:In the next forecasted years, connected cars market will see innovative revenue models and evolution of standardized platforms. This would considerably increase security measures; reduce cost of the connected cars.The report provides unique insights into an in-depth analysis of global connected cars market, drivers and restraints as well as growth opportunities. It also contains analysis and forecast revenues, competitive landscape, company profiles and industry trends.About 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 Vitamin Ingredients Market: Production Volume to Reach 63,512.4 tons by 2025 http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/vitamin-ingredients-market.html http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=S&rep_id=18266 http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com The global vitamin ingredients market is highly concentrated and competitive in nature, finds a report by Transparency Market Research (TMR). The top five companies in this market, namely, BASF, DuPont, Koninklijke, Amway, and Lonza, collectively accounted for nearly 70% of this market in 2015. The scenario is not expected to change in the next few years; although the competition is likely to intensify further due to the ongoing mergers, acquisitions, and partnerships activities.Browse Market Research Report @As per the report, the worldwide vitamin ingredients market, which was worth US$5.3 bn in 2016, is estimated to proliferate at a 4.90% CAGR during the period from 2017 to 2025 and touch US$8.1 bn by the end of the forecast period. In terms of volume, the market is anticipated to reach 63,512.4 tons mark by 2025. Pharmaceuticals has emerged as the key application area of vitamin ingredients and is anticipates to remain so over the coming years.Asia Pacific to Continue on Top PositionThe report also presents a geographical analysis of the worldwide market for vitamin ingredients. According to it, the market stretches across Latin America, Asia Pacific, Europe, North America, and the Middle East and Africa. Asia Pacific, which is the current market leader, is anticipated to retain its position throughout the forecast period, owing to the rising population, increasing concerns of consumers over health issues, and the escalating patient pool suffering from vitamin deficiency in this region. Researchers estimate this regional market to rise at a CAGR of 5.40% over the period of forecast, thanks to the surge in the disposable income of the working-class people, enabling them to spend on expensive items, advancing infrastructure of healthcare facilities, and the availability of a wide-ranging distribution network.Make an Enquiry @North America, which stood second in 2016, is also projected to exhibit healthy growth in its market share. As a number of North American consumers prefer prevention over cure, the demand for vitamin-based food and drugs has been tremendously high in this region and this trend is likely to remain increasing over the next few years, leading to a considerable progress in the North America vitamin ingredients market. The U.S. is the leading domestic market for vitamin ingredients in this region and is expected to remain seated in this position throughout the forecast period, thanks to a well-established medical and healthcare industry, reports the study.Growing Prevalence of Nutritional Deficiencies to Boost Demand for Vitamin IngredientsThe increasing concerns, as well as awareness about health and fitness, have prompted consumers to take accountability of their well-being, which has boosted the uptake of vitamins, consequently influencing the sales of vitamin ingredients across the world, says a TMR analyst. With the growing prevalence of nutrition-based deficiencies and chronic diseases, such as Alzheimer's, which is caused by the deficiency of vitamin D, the focus of consumers has shifted from curing a disease to preventive healthcare. This, as a result, has propelled the global market for vitamin ingredients substantially. The rise in the knowledge of consumers about the benefits of the various type of vitamins, especially vitamin C, is also boosting the growth of this market significantly.Although these factors point towards a thriving future of this market, the growing preference among consumers for direct consumption of natural vitamin sources, such as fruits and nuts, may limit the markets progress to some extent in the near future, states the research 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.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite: Global Polyester Fiber Market is Expected to Cross USD 115.0 Billion in 2020 Polyester Fiber Market https://goo.gl/idXp7U http://www.marketresearchstore.com/report/polyester-fiber-market-for-carpet-z37560 http://www.marketresearchstore.com Zion Research has published a new report titled Polyester Fiber Market (Solid and Hollow) for Carpet & Rugs, Nonwoven Fabrics, Fiberfill and Other Applications: Global Industry Perspective, Comprehensive Analysis, and Forecast, 2014 2020. According to the report, global demand for polyester fibers was valued at USD 73.5 billion in 2014 and is expected to cross USD 115.0 billion in 2020, growing at a CAGR of slightly over 5% between 2015 and 2020. In terms of volume, the global polyester fiber market stood at 42 million tons in 2014.Polyester fibers are derived polymers. They are specially derived from the chemicals like napolyethylene terephthalate (PET) and monoethylene glycol. The nonwoven bonded fabrics provide frequent folding property to the product. The polyester fiber provides the features like good elasticity, wear and tear property, low humidity absorption, creases free, quick drying, abrasion free, and water resistance and low humidity absorption capability.Get a copy of Sample Report@Polyester fiber market on the basis of product is segmented as solid polyester fiber and hollow polyester fiber. The solid polyester fiber dominated the market and accounted for around 80% shares in total volume consumption in 2014. The polyester fiber market is mainly driven by rising demand for solid fibers. Owing to its unique characteristics, solid polyester fiber has been emerged as a potential substitute for traditional fibers such as cotton and nylon and expected to grow the market size for the years to come.The polyester fiber on the basis of the application is segmented as carpets and rugs, nonwoven fabrics, fiberfill and others. Rising disposable incomes in addition to dynamic lifestyles is expected to drive the growth of home furnishings market. Thus, the carpets and rugs are accounted for a notable share of the home furnishings market. The rapid growth is expected in this application segment due to the growth of building and construction industry. In addition, the consumers focus on enhancing interiors, particularly in business and company environments, is probably going to boost the demand for wall-to-wall carpets and successively the polyester fiber market.Browse the full report at:Polyester fiber market is growing across different regions like North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East and Africa. Asia Pacific dominated the global polyester fiber market in terms of volume as well as revenue. It accounted for around 80% in total volume consumption and revenue generated in 2014. Strong demand for polyester fiber from emerging economies such as China, India, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, etc. is expected to further trigger the growth of this industry in the region. North America, Latin America, Europe accounted for small share of the global polyester fiber market.The key manufactures profiled within the report include Alpek S.A.B de C.V, Indorama Ventures Public Company Ltd., Sinopec Yizheng Chemical Fiber Company Ltd., Far Eastern New Century Corporation, Jiangsu Sanfangxiang group, Reliance Industries limited, Mossi Ghisolfi group, Tongkun group, Nan Ya Plastics Corporation, Zhejiang Hengyi group Co. Ltd., and Zhejiang Hengsheng Chemical Fiber Co., Ltd.Polyester Fiber Market Product Segment AnalysisSolidHollowPolyester Fiber Market Application Segment AnalysisCarpets & rugsNonwoven fabricsFiberfillOthers (Apparel, home textiles, industrial, etc.)Polyester Fiber Market Regional Segment AnalysisNorth AmericaU.S.EuropeGermanyUKFranceAsia PacificChinaJapanIndiaLatin AmericaBrazilMiddle 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: Major Driving Factors for Processed Fish Market http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/processed-fish-market.html http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=18899 http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com The word fish is associated with eatable aquatic species such as finfish, crustaceans, and mollusk. Fish is one of the delicate food which demands proper handling for a long shelf life so that it do not lose its nutritional value and desired quality, the primary concern from which fish is to be protected is the deterioration issue. Many contributors are involved in fish processing such as fishermen, fish sourcing suppliers, seafood processors, manufacturers, logistics and distribution, marketing & sales, and end-use industries or consumers. Hence processed fish or fish products are obtain by undergoing series of operations from the time fish were harvested; till the time fish or fish products are delivered to the consumers. Mostly, big business in fish processing operates their own fish farming operations. Earlier fishery products were dependent upon very simple methods majorly on knives and salt, this hinder quality of the fish product when reached to the consumers at distant places. In 1980 market price of fish products totally liberalized, this brought a great change in seafood industry; all modern techniques adopted while giving the variety of processed fish food globally.Obtain Report Details @Processed Fish Market: Market DynamicsThe growth in the processed fish market is primarily attributed to the increasing demand for processed seafood among consumers and economic growth landing to rising disposable income are driving the growth of the processed fish market. Besides, change in lifestyle pattern, particularly in the developing countries, are increasing demand for processed fish. Due to hectic lifestyle, time-strapped people prefer processed fish products over others as it provides healthy food options which are convenient to cook and minute ready to eat. On the other hand, the major factor restraining the growth of processed fish market is the increase in the price of raw material used for manufacturing processed fish.Processed Fish Market: Market SegmentationThe global processed fish market is segmented into four categories based on the product type, sources, species, equipment, and applications.Enter your information below to receive a sample copy of this report @Based on the product type, the global processed fish market is segmented into:FrozenCannedSurimiFish MealSun-DriedCuredRoastSmokedSaltedOthersBased on types of source, the global processed fish market is segmented into:MarineInlandBased on species, the global processed fish market is segmented into:FishMolluskCrustaceansOthersBased on the type of equipment used, the processed fish market is segmented into:SlaughteringGuttingScalingFilletingDeboningSkinningOthersBased on the type of applications, the global processed fish market is segmented into:FoodNon-FoodProcessed Fish Market: Regional OutlookRegarding geography, the processed fish market has been categorized into seven key regions including North America, Latin America, Eastern Europe, Western Europe, Asia-Pacific excluding Japan, Japan, and the Middle East & Africa. The Processed Fish market is expected to register healthy CAGR during the forecast period. Asia Pacific excluding Japan is experiencing the rapid increase in the production capacity of processed fish market as a demand ready to eat seafood as a substitute for protein is rising in developing countries such as China, India, and South Korea. The Eastern and Western Europe are projected to register healthy growth in countries such as UK, Portugal, Italy, France, Germany shows increment in the usage of marine food in catering while demanding processed seafood. North and Latin America is also witnessing steady growth in processed food market.Processed Fish Market: Key playersSome of the key players global processed fish market are Iglo Group, High Liner Foods, Norway Pelagic ASA - Pesconova S.A., Royal Greenland A/S, Leroy Seafood Group, Thai Union Frozen Products Public Company Limited, Marine Harvest, Dong Won Fisheries, Nippon Suisan Kaisha, Ltd., Leroy Seafood Group ASA, Empresas Aqua Chile, Beijing Princess Seafood International Trading, Findus Group, Faroe Seafood, Kverva, Hansung Enterprise, Maruha Nichiro Corporation, and Charoen Pokphand Foods PCL among others.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite: Global Spray Polyurethane Foam Market to Expand at 7% CAGR from 2015-2020 Spray Polyurethane Foam Market https://goo.gl/BQSj4e http://www.marketresearchstore.com/report/spray-polyurethane-foam-market-for-residential-walls-residential-z37622 http://www.marketresearchstore.com Zion Research has published a new report titled Spray Polyurethane Foam (Open Cell, Closed Cell and Others) Market for Residential Walls, Residential Roofing, Commercial Walls, Commercial Roofing and Other Applications Global Industry Perspective, Comprehensive Analysis and Forecast, 20142020. According to the report, the global spray polyurethane foam market was valued at USD 1.30 billion in 2014 and is anticipated to reach USD 1.90 billion by 2020, growing at a CAGR of 7% between 2014 and 2020. In terms of volume, the global spray polyurethane foam market stood at 530 kilo tons in 2014.Spray polyurethane foam commonly denoted to as SPF. SPF is a spray-applied plastic that can form a constant insulation and air sticking on around corners, walls, roofs, and on all contoured surfaces. Polyurethane foam is commonly used in wall insulation, roofing, manufactured homes, seal cracks and gaps containers and Warehouses. Spray polyurethane foam is made by reacting isocyanates such as MDI (Methylene diphenyl diisocyanate) and polyols in the presence of catalysts and blowing agents. MDI (Methylene diphenyl diisocyanate), TDI (Toluene diisocyanate), polyols and amines are the key raw materials of SPF.Get a copy of Sample Report@Spray polyurethane foam market is mainly driven by strong demand from construction industry. Spray polyurethane foam is widely used in construction industry in various applications such as insulation, sealing, etc. With the revival of global economy, global construction industry is expected to witness surge in the years to come. Moreover, rising demand for green buildings in North America and Europe is expected to further fuel growth of spray polyurethane foam market. However, volatile raw materials prices are expected to be major concern for SPF manufacturers. Moreover, raw materials such as MDI and TDI that are used in the production of SPF cause severe health hazards including asthma and skin irritation. This may affect growth of SPF market.Open cell are closed cell are the key product segment of spray polyurethane foam market. The open cell SPF dominated the market and accounted for over 45% of the total volume consumed in 2014. Spray polyurethane foam market is mainly driven by open cell SPF and closed cell SPF. Open cell SPF are expected to grow faster as compared to other product segments.Key application markets for spray polyurethane foam include residential walls, residential roofing, commercial walls, commercial roofing and others. Commercial walls application is expected to be the fastest growing segment in terms of revenue during the forecast period. The rapid growth is expected in this application segment due to the growth of construction industry. In addition, the increasing demand for spray polyurethane foam can be attributed to the government regulations emphasizing the importance of energy efficiency structures. Residential roofing was the largest application market for spray polyurethane foam market in 2014. It accounted for over 30% share of the total volume consumed in 2014.Browse the full report at:Spray polyurethane foam market is growing across the world. North America Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East & Africa are the key regional markets for spray polyurethane foam. North America dominated spray polyurethane foam market in 2014 and accounted for over 44% of the global SPF consumption in 2014. Europe and North America are mainly driven by stringent government regulations.Key players operating in Spray polyurethane foam market include BASF SE, Bayer MaterialScience, Lapolla Industries Inc., Dow Chemical Company, Rhino Linings Corporation, CertainTeed Corporation, Premium Spray Products, and NCFI Polyurethanes.About 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: Software Defined Infrastructure Market Drivers, Opportunities, Trends, and Forecasts, 2016-2022 https://www.marketresearchengine.com/reportdetails/software-defined-infrastructure-market https://www.marketresearchengine.com/requestsample/software-defined-infrastructure-market https://www.marketresearchengine.com/ Florida, March 20: Market Research Engine has published a new report titled as Software Defined Infrastructure Market Analysis, By [Solutions (SDS, SDN, SDC), Services (Consulting, Implementation & Maintenance, Integration), Verticals (BFSI, Retail, Manufacturing, Telecom, Healthcare, Education, Transportation, Utilities & Energy) By Regions Global Market Drivers, Opportunities, Trends, and Forecasts, 2016-2022.Browse Full Report:With its recently published study on Global Software Defined Infrastructure Market, Trends & Forecast 20162022, it predicts that Software Defined Compute (SDC) Solution is expected to dominate in SDI market followed by Software Defined Storage (SDS). The increasing demand and adoption rate of cloud, mobile, and big data analytic are few of the key drivers which are driving SDI market. The Global, SDI market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 24.6% during the period 20162022. The BFSI & Retail industry verticals are expected to outperform for SDI market growth followed by Telecom industry.As per the market study, Americas and Europe regions are the strongest performers for SDI market during the period 20162022. Moreover, Asia-Pacific region is set to be an emerging market for SDI growth followed by MEA. US, Canada, and Brazil countries are expected to outperform for SDI solution market growth in Americas region. In Asia Pacific, India and China are the dominating countries which are supporting for SDI growth.Currently, Software Defined Infrastructure is at an intial stage; service providers also have a huge business opportunity in this market and hybrid cloud is expected to play a key role in this market.Download Free Sample Report:Market DynamicsDrivers Increased Importance and Growth Rate of Cloud Computing Evolving Enterprise Demand for Better Alignment of IT Infrastructure High Growth of Data Creation Leads to Outstrips StorageRestraints Lack of Knowledge and Expertise Multi-player EnvironmentsOpportunities Hybrid Cloud in Demand Demand of Analytics in SDI Demand for Security Vendors-software Defined SecurityKey Insights of Global SDI Market Report 20162022 The Global SDI market is analyzed by Solutions, Services, Verticals and Regions In-depth analysis of the major services in SDI market Vertical industry outlook, IT spending, emerging trends, drivers, trends, and challenges SDI market opportunity in each verticals Latest trends, current market scenario, government initiative for SDI market growth The regions covered in this report are Americas, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and the Middle East & Africa. Further the market is analyzed country wise.About 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 KADUNA STATE GOVERNMENT LAUNCHES #TravelThruKaduna campaign. www.travelthrukaduna.com www.travelthrukaduna.com The Kaduna State Government announces the launch of its #TravelthruKaduna campaign which has at its core, travel information website;. The site has been designed as the ultimate travel guide providing up to date transit information for passengers, hotel information and local attractions in the state.It became necessary to make sure that travellers through Kaduna were made aware of the transit options for them to reach their destinations, hospitality options and other local attractions in Kaduna, said Muyiwa Adekeye, Media Adviser to the Kaduna State Governor, El Refai. We want to assure them that we are doing everything to ensure a pleasant and safe transition regardless of their mode of transfer.The Travel-thru-Kaduna website brings you regularly updated travel information for all modes of transit from the Kaduna Airport to the Abuja Airport. Created with the user experience firmly in mind, the website has been designed to provide quick, sharp information on the go, even from mobile devices. Awareness for the website is currently being driven through paid and owned digital channels.Visitfor more information.Media Contact:Media OfficeOffice of the GovernorKaduna StateAbout Travel Thru Kaduna is an initiative of the Kaduna State Government to help in ensuring that passengers flying through the Kaduna International Airport are kept informed of available flights, transit options, where to stay in the state, interesting sights, etc, to make for a smooth and pleasant journey for all.27A Macarthy Street (Spaaco House)Onikan, Lagos,Nigeria Hospital Linen Supply and Management Services Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast 2016 - 2024 http://www.researchmoz.us/enquiry.php?type=S&repid=893332 http://www.researchmoz.us/retail-market-reports-137.html http://bit.ly/1TBmnVG http://deep-research-report.blogspot.com/ ResearchMoz added Latest Research Report titled " Hospital Linen Supply and Management Services Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast 2016 - 2024 " to it's Large Report database.Global Hospital Linen Supply and Management Services Market: OverviewThis report on the global hospital linen supply and management services market presents a comprehensive analysis and forecast of this market on a global and regional level. The study provides historic data of 2015 along with forecast for the period between 2015 and 2024 based on revenue (US$ Bn). The drivers and restraints governing the dynamics of the market along with their impact on demand during the forecast period have also been discussed in this study. Further it includes potential opportunities in the hospital linen supply and management services market on the global and regional level.The report includes a detailed value chain analysis to provide a comprehensive view of the hospital linen supply and management services market. Analysis of distribution channel has also been included to help understand the competitive landscape in the market. The study encompasses market attractiveness analysis, wherein end users have been benchmarked based on their market size, growth rate, and general attractiveness for future growth.Request for Sample PDF of Premium Research Report with TOC:The market has been forecast based on number of hospitals, clinics, and other healthcare institutes in each country/ region. Demand for hospital linen vary in each region and are a result of number of hospitals and implementation of their linen hygiene policies. Individual product type, material type and end users has been taken into account while estimating and forecasting overall revenue.The report provides the size of the hospital linen supply and management services market in 2015 and the forecast for the next nine years up to 2024. The size of the global hospital linen supply and management services market is provided in terms of revenue. Market revenue for regions is defined in US$ Bn. The market size and forecast for each product segment is provided in the context of global and regional markets. Numbers provided in this report are derived based on demand generated from different products, end users and types of materials. Market dynamics prevalent in North America and Europe have been taken into account for estimating the growth of the global market.Read All Retail Market Research Reports @Table of ContentChapter 1 Preface1.1 Report Scope & Market Segmentation1.2 Research HighlightsChapter 2 Assumptions & Research Methodology2.1 Acronyms Used2.2 Research MethodologyChapter 3 Executive Summary3.1 Hospital Linen Supply and Management Services Market, 2016 2024 (US$ Bn)3.2 Hospital Linen Supply and Management Services Market: Market SnapshotChapter 4 Hospital Linen Supply and Management Services Market Market Dynamics4.1 Introduction4.2 Drivers & Restraints Snapshot Analysis4.3 Market Drivers4.3.1 Rising demand of hygienic & sophisticated healthcare facilities4.3.2 Increased outsourcing of hospital linen supplies and services4.3.3 Value added services by key players4.4 Restraints4.4.1 Shortage of hospital linen supplies4.5 Opportunity4.5.1 Asia Pacific and MEA to be major markets for providing novel services4.6 Competitive strategies adopted by major players4.7 Distribution Channel Analysis4.8 Global Hospital Linen Supply and Management Services Market Analysis, 2015-2024About ResearchMozResearchMoz is the world's fastest growing collection of market research reports worldwide. Our database is composed of current market studies from over 100 featured publishers worldwide. Our market research databases integrate statistics with analysis from global, regional, country and company perspectives. ResearchMoz's service portfolio also includes value-added services such as market research customization, competitive landscaping, and in-depth surveys, delivered by a team of experienced Research Coordinators.Contact Us:Mr. Nachiket Ghumare90 State Street, Albany NY, United States - 12207Tel: +1-518-621-2074 / Tel: 866-997-4948 (Us-Canada Toll Free)Email: sales@researchmoz.usFollow us on LinkedIn at:Follow me on Blogger at: Global Naval Combat Systems Market to grow at a CAGR of 3.48% 2017-2021: Key Vendors are Saab, Thales, Raytheon, BAE Systems, Lockheed Martin http://www.researchmoz.us/enquiry.php?type=S&repid=1027674 http://www.researchmoz.us/defense-market-reports-91.html http://bit.ly/1TBmnVG http://deep-research-report.blogspot.com/ ResearchMoz added Latest Research Report titled " Global Naval Combat Systems Market 2017-2021 " to it's Large Report database.About Naval Combat SystemsA naval combat system is an integrated system for naval vessels that are fitted with command and control, communication, surveillance, and firearm-launching equipment.Technavios analysts forecast the global naval combat systems market to grow at a CAGR of 3.48% during the period 2017-2021.Covered in this reportThe report covers the present scenario and the growth prospects of the global naval combat systems market for 2017-2021. To calculate the market size, the report considers the new installations, shipments, sales, volume, value, retrofit, replacement, spares, and aftermarket services.Request for Sample PDF of Premium Research Report with TOC:The market is divided into the following segments based on geography:AmericasAPACEMEATechnavio's report, Global Naval Combat Systems 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 vendorsBAE SystemsLockheed MartinRaytheonSaabThalesRead All Defense Market Research Reports @Table of ContentsPART 01: Executive summaryPART 02: Scope of the reportPART 03: Research MethodologyPART 04: IntroductionKey market highlightsPART 05: Market landscapeNaval vessels: An overviewNaval combat systems: Market overviewMarket size and forecastFive forces analysisPART 06: Market segmentation by systemGlobal naval weapon systems marketGlobal naval C4ISR systems marketGlobal naval electronic warfare systems marketPART 07: Market segmentation by platform typeGlobal underwater-based naval combat systems marketGlobal surface-based naval combat systems marketAbout ResearchMozResearchMoz is the world's fastest growing collection of market research reports worldwide. Our database is composed of current market studies from over 100 featured publishers worldwide. Our market research databases integrate statistics with analysis from global, regional, country and company perspectives. ResearchMoz's service portfolio also includes value-added services such as market research customization, competitive landscaping, and in-depth surveys, delivered by a team of experienced Research Coordinators.Contact Us:Mr. Nachiket Ghumare90 State Street, Albany NY, United States - 12207Tel: +1-518-621-2074 / Tel: 866-997-4948 (Us-Canada Toll Free)Email: sales@researchmoz.usFollow us on LinkedIn at:Follow me on Blogger at: Personal Mobility Devices Market Worth US$ 12 Billion Globally by 2023 https://www.marketresearchengine.com/reportdetails/personal-mobility-devices-market https://www.marketresearchengine.com/requestsample/personal-mobility-devices-market https://www.marketresearchengine.com/ New York, March 20: Market Research Engine has published a new report titled as Personal Mobility Devices Market: (Medical Mobility Aids & Ambulatory Devices: Wheelchairs {Manual and Electric (Standard, Rehab, Bariatric)}, Scooters, Canes & Crutches, Walkers, Stair Lifts, and Others; Medical Furniture & Bathroom Safety Products: Patient Lifts, Medical Beds, Bars & Railings, Commodes & Shower Chairs, and Others) - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast 2015 - 2023The global personal mobility devices market was accounted around USD 7.0 billion in 2015. It is expected to grow at a CAGR of more than 7.0% during the forecast period. North America was leading market of the personal mobility devices in 2015. Europe accounted for around 35% of the market share in the personal mobility devices market by revenue in 2015 and is the successive market during the forecast period. Asia-Pacific is anticipated to increase at highest CAGR over the forecast period.Browse Full Report:Personal mobility devices are assistive devices which helps persons with impairment or disability to move from one place to another. These devices provide independence to the people with disabilities to perform basic activities.Increase in population rate of senior citizens is driving this market. Also increasing number of accidents causing impaired hands or legs is one of the driving factors. Continuous advancements in personal mobility devices technology is stimulating the growth of personal mobility devices market globally.The global personal mobility devices market is segmented based on its products which include walking aids (rollators and other walking aids), wheel chairs (manual and powered) and scooters. The market segments in terms of geographical regions include North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific and Rest of the World (ROW).This report provides:1) An overview of the global market for personal mobility devices 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 2023.3) Identifications of new market opportunities and targeted promotional plans for personal mobility devices market.4) Discussion of research and development, and the demand for new products and new applications.5) Comprehensive company profiles of major players in the industry.Download Free Sample Report:REPORT SCOPE:The scope of the report includes a detailed study of global and regional markets for various types of personal mobility devices 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: Carex Health Brand Incorporation TOPRO Invacare Drive Medical Design & Manufacturing Sunrise Medical Electric Mobility Pride mobility Kaye Products Briggs Healthcare Nova Patterson Medical Graham-Field Health Products Incorporation Eurovema ABCompany 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 Personal Mobility Devices Market has been segmented as below:By Product Walking Aidso Rollators? Premium? Low Costo Other Walking Aids (Walkers, Crutches & Cranes) Wheel Chairso Manualo Powered ScootersBy Geography North America Europe Asia-Pacific Rest of the World (ROW)Reasons to buy this Report:1) Obtains the most up to date information available on all active and planned personal mobility devices industry globally.2) Identify growth segments and opportunities in the industry.3) Facilitate decision making on the basis of strong historic and forecast of personal mobility devices industry and unit capacity data.4) Assess your competitors refining portfolio and its evolution.About 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 China Thin-Film Sensors Industry 2016 Market Research Report Competitive Landscape Analysis, Technology and Pipeline Insights http://www.researchmoz.us/enquiry.php?type=S&repid=568756 http://www.researchmoz.us/semiconductors-market-reports-63.html http://bit.ly/1TBmnVG http://deep-research-report.blogspot.com/ ResearchMoz added Latest Research Report titled " China Thin-Film Sensors Industry 2016 Market Research Report " to it's Large Report database.The China Thin-Film Sensors Industry 2016 Market Research Report is a professional and in-depth study on the current state of the Thin-Film Sensors industry.The report provides a basic overview of the industry including definitions, classifications, applications and industry chain structure. The Thin-Film Sensors market analysis is provided for the China 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.Request for Sample PDF of Premium Research Report with TOC:The China Thin-Film Sensors Industry 2016 Market Research Report is a professional and in-depth study on the current state of the Thin-Film Sensors industry.The report provides a basic overview of the industry including definitions, classifications, applications and industry chain structure. The Thin-Film Sensors market analysis is provided for the China 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.Read All Semiconductors Market Research Reports @The report focuses on China 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 Thin-Film Sensors industry development trends and marketing channels are analyzed. Finally the feasibility of new investment projects are assessed and overall research conclusions offered.With 150 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.About ResearchMozResearchMoz is the world's fastest growing collection of market research reports worldwide. Our database is composed of current market studies from over 100 featured publishers worldwide. Our market research databases integrate statistics with analysis from global, regional, country and company perspectives. ResearchMoz's service portfolio also includes value-added services such as market research customization, competitive landscaping, and in-depth surveys, delivered by a team of experienced Research Coordinators.Contact Us:Mr. Nachiket Ghumare90 State Street, Albany NY, United States - 12207Tel: +1-518-621-2074 / Tel: 866-997-4948 (Us-Canada Toll Free)Email: sales@researchmoz.usFollow us on LinkedIn at:Follow me on Blogger at: Hail To the Chief US President Donald J Trump Coin Released http://www.vision-strike-wear.com/Donald-J-Trump-Commander-In-Chief-Presidential-Coin.html Just For the record as US Veterans we support the role and mission of the POTUS and respect the duties of the office of Commander In Chief.As a business Vision-Strike-Wear.Com was not in the business of developing some of the most beautiful, original and highly collectible coins when the first 44 Presidents rolled into office. Many people ask them why they never did a President Obama coin, a President Clinton coin or any of the other Presidents from time honored pasts. Simply. They werent making coins then and when the mints at VSW were turned on it came at a time when newly electedPresident Donald J Trump came into office. As the Commander In Chief the US active duty and veterans that make up VSW knew it was a coin that had to be made. They felt it was important to do regardless of political affiliations. No in 4 years if this country receives a new President a new coin will be made at that time and in continuum.The President Donald J Trump and Commander In Chef coin measures 2 inches, is 4mm thick and s built in a 3d relief fashion brining out more rich colors and detail only achievable at Vision-Strike-Wear.Com.For over 9 years the men and women of Vision-Strike-Wear.Com have been producing custom military shirts for their brothers and sisters in every branch of the US military. Their designs have been seen on the ground in Iraq, Afghanistan, on aircraft carriers, destroyers, in hangars for squadrons, on deployment shirts from Djibouti, Africa to Subic Bay Philippines to Japan and more places than you can shake a stick out. Their art has been sought after because they do not compromise. They also dont cut and past their art together on the cheap like so many of their competitors do. Their art is original and it is built with a collaboration between artists and the point of contact for the unit or the command.They are busy as artists go but that is because they spare nothing when it comes to the detail that others will not do but VSW will on a daily basis. Another reason why so many of their designs are copied and fail to pass inspection.So when the American public asked for the Donald Trump coin it was made. Check it out The mission is to produce the most detailed, cost efficient, USA Made muscle car products in the industry. With offices located throughout the United States from Oregon to California, Texas to Florida each of our offices brings a dedication to serving America with design and printing found on everything from apparel items like shirts and hoodies, to drinkware including steins, coffee mugs and more. Their design expertise with their combined knowledge and background as US Veterans and a fervent desire to provide the very best military designs and products is at the heart of everything they do.Vision Strike Wear4802 SW Scholls-Ferry Rd Ste CPortland, OR 97225 FastComet Announces Launch of New Cloud Hosting Packages Simple Cloud Hosting. Activate. Innovate. www.fastcomet.com www.spamexperts.com www.fastcomet.com San Francisco, California - March 20th, 2017 - FastComet, a San Francisco-based company that provides premium web and cloud hosting solutions hosting for small business owners, entrepreneurs, and developers, has implemented comprehensive email security software that is provided by SpamExperts.FastComet, a Web Hosting company based in San Francisco, has implemented SpamExperts Outgoing Filter & Email Archiving and joined the Hosting Partner Program to effectively protect its network and get rid of blacklisting issues. This partnership was effectuated after FastComet had been using SpamExperts for 6 months, which prevented 100% of their services from any blacklisting issues.FastComet purchased a license to protect its outbound traffic because manually dealing with blacklisting issues meant a significant amount of human resources going to waste. Prior to installing SpamExperts on the Local Cloud, they were protecting its vast client-base making use of automated malware scans via an in-house developed solution but recognized it could be further enhanced and optimized for efficiency and customer protection.We are thrilled to be partnered with Spam Experts, said Daniel Lee, Director of Product. The Outgoing Spam filtration service made the amount of spam sent from our servers dramatically low which translate to less blacklisting issues and happier customers. Additionally, it gave us an easy way of identifying the spam senders sparing countless hours of looking into the mail logs of the servers and trying to identify spam senders.With the Dutch companys email security systems in place, FastComet doesnt have to worry about blacklisting problems or manually suspending websites and can focus on more business-important developments. After implementing SpamExperts Outgoing Filter via the Local Cloud deployment, the company saw a positive increase in customer experience and found that the decision proved to be more efficient in terms of maintenance.We are very excited to welcome FastComet as one of our Hosting Partners. With SpamExperts email security, FastComet will provide their customers with a safe and clean network. Anca Teodorescu, Account Manager, SpamExperts.About FastCometFastComet Inc. is a full service web hosting provider located in San Francisco, California focusing on server stability, excellent customer service and ease in web hosting. They continue to impress current and potential clients with speedy replies and exceptional support.FastComet Team has been in the web hosting business for more than 7 years. While providing professional services in the field of System Administration to private and business clients, the team grasped the opportunity to launch our public cloud hosting service in late 2013. By doing so FastComet preserved their core values and built on our previous experience to deliver a finely crafted PaaS (Platform as a Service). Learn more atAbout SpamExpertSpamExperts delivers managed email security in the cloud or on premises, tailored for web hosts: Incoming -, Outgoing email filtering, and Email Archiving. Reduce churn, increase revenue, be 100% secure! Full API & standard integration and automation plugins for cPanel, Parallels products, DirectAdmin; Redundant, synchronized, and scalable; 4-Tier Control Panel; multi-level branding options; 24/7 support & SLAs; Fast release cycles and frequent updates! For more information about SpamExperts visit:ContactFind us anytime at, on Twitter @FastCometCloud or on Facebook.1714 Stockton StreetSuite 300 - #436 Great Lakes Business Intelligence and Big Data Summit Brings Industry Leaders to One-Day Conference www.greatlakesbisummit.com/2017 www.witinc.com Troy, Michigan March 20, 2017 WIT Inc. is pleased to host the fifth annual Great Lakes Business Intelligence (BI) and Big Data Summit on Thursday, March 30, 2017 at the Detroit Marriott Troy in Troy, Michigan. This is the premier business analytics conference for any IT or BI professional interested in discovering industry best practices to tackle real-world data issues.In its fifth year, the Summit is estimated to attract more than 350 BI practitioners from across the Midwest to share their expertise on big data and to make lasting connections. The event offers attendees ample learning and networking opportunities throughout the day, with two keynote speakers, 15 breakout sessions, exhibitor booths and interactive software demos.The speaker line-up at the 2017 Summit includes IT leaders from companies like Dow Chemical, Meridian Health Plan, IBM Watson, Covisint, Oakland University, General Motors, the State of Michigan, BorgWarner and Delphi. Breakout session topics include; big data, IoT, machine learning, data security, enterprise-wide analytics and data visualization. Keynote addresses will be presented by Susan Etlinger, an industry analyst with Altimeter who was recognized as one of LinkedIns Top Voice of 2016, and Donald Farmer, Principal at TreeHive Strategies. Susan Etlinger will be discussing the importance of ethics as data trends like artificial intelligence and machine learning become a part of everyday life, while Donald Farmer will be delivering a keynote on governance in the age of self-service business analytics tools.Registration instructions and event information can be found on the Summit website:About WIT Inc.WIT is a business analytics consulting firm founded in 1996. We help our clients achieve superior performance by fully realizing the potential of analytics and business intelligence technology and processes, whether its through executive dashboards, data discovery, big data, enterprise reporting, or data in the cloud. Clients range from small businesses to Fortune 500 companies across all major industries. For more information, please visit900 Tower Drive, Suite 325Troy, MI 48098 Edupliance Announces Webinar To Discuss Multi-State Payroll Taxation 2017 https://www.edupliance.com/webinar/multi-state-payroll-taxation-2017?utm_source=openpr&utm_medium=pr www.edupliance.com Hillsboro, Oregon (March 20, 2017) Edupliance announces webinar titled, Multi-State Payroll Taxation 2017 that aims to update attendees on the right measures in complying with various payroll laws and determine tax guidelines for employees who live and work in different states. The webinar goes LIVE on Thursday, March 30, from 01:00 PM to 02:00 PM, Eastern Time.The attendees will gain insight into laws in each state and the tax guidance on how to determine taxation when employees live in one state and work in another or for employees that work in multiple states or travel for work. Other state laws that affect payroll will be discussed. Withholding rules, reciprocity and residency definitions will also be covered.The 60-minute webinar will be conducted by Dayna Reum, who has been heavily involved in the payroll industry for over 17 years and is a Certified Payroll Professional through the American Payroll Association. She is currently the Payroll Tax and Garnishment Manager at PetSmart Inc.Webinar attendees will learn: Residency Reciprocity Agreements Resident/Non-Resident Withholding Rules Evaluating taxation for multiple states What wages are subject to taxation? Withholding compliance issues State Unemployment Insurance Traveling Employees Administrative Concerns HR Concerns Local tax residency rules Case StudiesTo register for the webinar, visitMedia Inquiriessupport@edupliance.comEdupliance is an online information and compliance training provider which offers webinars (Live and On-Demand), DVDs and downloadable resources that cover concurrent topics pertaining to various industries. With an expert panel of guest speakers, Edupliance brings state-of-the-art virtual technology solutions and industry-leading training sessions that are easy to learn, easily accessible and cater to people with varied interests. Edupliance is privately held and located in Hillsboro, Oregon. For more information, visit101, 4660, NE Belknap Court, Hillsboro, Oregon 97124Ph: +1-(844) 810-1151Email: support@edupliance.com President Donald Trump has butted heads with Apple Inc. (ticker: AAPL) in the past over the company's stance on user privacy and its reliance on Chinese labor. But regardless of their personal feelings toward the president, Apple investors could be major beneficiaries from Trump's proposed corporate tax repatriation holiday. Pacific Crest analyst Andy Hargreaves says Apple could use repatriated cash to double its dividend in the years ahead. Apple has $227 billion in cash held overseas, more than any other American company. At Trump's proposed repatriation rate of only 10 percent, Apple could free up more than $200 billion of that cash to return to shareholders. "In a repatriation scenario, we believe the company could comfortably double the per-share payment to $4.56 while still leaving ample capacity for continued buybacks or strategic acquisitions," Hargreaves says. Apple expects to pay less than $13 billion in total dividends to shareholders in 2017. If Apple chooses to double its payout, the stock's yield could exceed 3.2 percent. Pacific Crest is projecting iPhone unit sales growth to reaccelerate to 5 percent in fiscal 2017 and 7 percent in fiscal 2018. In addition to those solid growth numbers, a 3.2 percent yield would make Apple one of the best dividend stocks in the world. [See: 7 Things That Happened When Donald Trump Met With Tech Leaders.] Earlier this year, Apple CEO Tim Cook told investors Trump's repatriation holiday would be "very good for the country and good for Apple." Trump's 10 percent proposed holiday tax rate is significantly lower than the 35 percent rate U.S. companies would pay to repatriate cash today. The last time the government provided a repatriation holiday for U.S. companies was back in 2004 when corporations were allowed to pay a one-time tax rate of 5.25 percent. [Read: Apple Desperately Needs a New Brilliant Product.] More From US News & World Report Yale Celebrates 2016 GOOD DESIGN Award GREENVILLE, N.C. (March 20, 2017) Yale Materials Handling Corporation is honored to accept a 2016 GOOD DESIGN award for the MPB045VG walkie pallet truck with lithium-ion battery, announced at the GOOD DESIGN gala in New York. Since its inception in 1950, the GOOD DESIGN awards remain one of the oldest, most recognized programs for design excellence worldwide.The MPB045VG walkie pallet truck with lithium-ion battery offers the first commercially available Underwriters Laboratories (UL) recognized lithium-ion battery pack in the forklift industry. The lithium-ion powered walkie was selected based on its extended run times, fast and convenient charging capabilities, exceptional maneuverability and reduced environmental impact.Compared to lead-acid batteries, the new lithium-ion option is designed to last five times longer, drastically reducing downtime, expensive battery replacements and the associated landfill waste. It can also be charged repeatedly to 100 percent capacity without an equalization charge, allowing for opportunity charging without any negative memory effects.Todays operations must do more with less. They have to be more productive and house larger inventories while using less space and reducing environmental impact, says Mick McCormick, vice president of warehouse solutions, Yale Materials Handling Corporation. The lithium-ion powered walkie pallet truck is designed to meet these demands, providing a solution that is cutting-edge, yet very practical ideal for the challenges facing todays supply chain operations.The 2016 GOOD DESIGN Awards are presented by the Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design, the European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies to designers and manufacturers who have successfully undertaken the design challenge to produce the best and most outstanding design products. The 2016 winners were selected from several thousand submissions from around the globe. Among this years winners are Apple, Inc., Google Inc., Nike Inc., BMW AG., Audi AG., The Coca-Cola Company, and Hewlett Packard Inc.Yale Materials Handling Corporation markets a full line of materials handling lift truck products and services, including electric, gas, LP-gas and diesel powered lift trucks; narrow aisle, very narrow aisle and motorized hand trucks. Yale has a comprehensive service offering including Yale Vision wireless asset management, fleet management, Yale service, parts, financing and training. Yale trucks are manufactured in an ISO 9001:2008 registered facility and range in capacity from 2,000 to 36,000 lbs.Yale Materials Handling Corporation is a division of Hyster-Yale Group, a wholly owned subsidiary of Hyster-Yale Materials Handling, Inc. (NYSE:HY). Hyster-Yale Materials Handling, Inc. and its subsidiaries, headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, employ approximately 6,500 people world-wide.Yale truck and PEOPLE. PRODUCTS. PRODUCTIVITY. are trademarks, service marks or registered marks in the United States and certain other jurisdictions.Jennifer Timblin1400 Sullivan DriveGreenville, NC27834Yale Materials Handling Corporation252-931-5747jennifer.timblin@hyster-yale.com Global Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) Market By Analysis of Major Industry Segments 2014 - 2020 http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/pcr-technologies.html http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=830 http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com According to a report, recently published by Transparency Market Research (TMR), the global polymerase chain reaction (PCR) market is estimated to expand at a CAGR of 6.60% between 2014 and 2020. Analysts expect its register a rise from US$6.1 bn in 2013 to US$9.6 bn by 2020.The research report is titled Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast 2014 - 2020.Browse the full Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) Market (Products: Instruments, and Reagents & Consumables; End-users: Pharmaceutical and Biotech Industries, Clinical Diagnostics Laboratories, Academics and Universities; and Applications: Clinical Diagnostics, Life Sciences and Others - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast, 2014 - 2020 report atPolymerase chain reaction (PCR) is a technique of producing a number of replicas of a particular DNA sequence, which involves recurrent reactions with a polymerase. This method is highly efficient in the detection and the monitoring of genetic diseases and is extremely useful in studying the operation of targeted segment and forensic examinations.The growing demand for innovative molecular diagnostic techniques in the accurate identification of several diseases is boosting the global PCR market significantly. Constant advancements in diagnostic techniques are also driving the growth of this market. In addition to this, the growing need for automated devices and the increasing production of customized medicines are expected to propel this market over the forecast period, states the report.In this study, the global PCR market has been assessed on four fronts: Product, application, end user, and the region. On the basis of product, the market has been categorized into the instruments segments and the reagents and consumables segments. In 2013, the global market was dominated by the reagents and consumables segment with a share of 67%.Based on application, the market has been classified into life sciences, clinical diagnostics, and other application. The life sciences segment led the worldwide market for PCR in 2013 with a share of 48%.By end user, the market has been segmented into pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries, hospitals and clinical diagnostics labs, academic and research organizations. The academics and research organizations segment acquired the leading position among the end users of PCR across the world in 2013, states the report.Geographically, the report segments the worldwide market for PCR into Asia Pacific, North America, Europe, and the Rest of the World. North America led the global market in 2013. It attained a value of US$2,614 mn that year and is likely to reach US$3,944.6 mn by the end of the forecast period. On the flip side, the Asia Pacific PCR market is anticipated to record the highest growth rate among all the regional markets over the forecast period, notes the study.The report also provides a competitive analysis of the worldwide PCR market. According to the assessment, the market has a consolidated structure. The leading participants in this market mentioned in the report are GE Healthcare, Affymetrix Inc., Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., Agilent Technologies Inc., Bio-Rad Laboratories Inc., Becton, Dickinson & Co., F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd., QIAGEN, Beckman Coulter Inc., Abbott Laboratories, and Sigma-Aldrich Co.Download Exclusive Brochure of This Report :The global polymerase chain reaction (PCR) market is segmented into:By ProductInstrumentsStandard PCR SystemsReal Time PCR SystemsDigital PCR SystemsReagents and ConsumablesBy ApplicationClinical DiagnosticsLife SciencesOthersBy End UserPharmaceutical and Biotechnology IndustriesClinical Diagnostics Labs and HospitalsAcademic and Research OrganizationsBy RegionNorth AmericaInstrumentsReagents and ConsumablesEuropeInstrumentsReagents and ConsumablesAsia PacificInstrumentsReagents and ConsumablesRest of WorldInstrumentsReagents and ConsumablesAbout 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.ContactMr.Sudip S90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite: Heat Shrink Tubing Kits Market 2017 - 3M, Alpha Wire, Hellermann Tyton, Molex Heat Shrink Tubing Kits https://goo.gl/9QbPFG https://goo.gl/YosDAV Heat Shrink Tubing Kits Market 2017 -A market study based on the "Heat Shrink Tubing Kits Market" across the globe, recently added to the repository of Market Research, is titled Global Heat Shrink Tubing Kits Market 2017. The research report analyses the historical as well as present performance of the worldwide Heat Shrink Tubing Kits industry, and makes predictions on the future status of Heat Shrink Tubing Kits market on the basis of this analysis.Get Free Sample Copy of Report Here :Top Manufacturers Analysis Of This Report3MAlpha WireHellermann TytonMolexPanduitQualtekTE ConnectivityThe report studies the industry for Heat Shrink Tubing Kits across the globe taking the existing industry chain, the import and export statistics in Heat Shrink Tubing Kits market & dynamics of demand and supply of Heat Shrink Tubing Kits into consideration. The 'Heat Shrink Tubing Kits' research study covers each and every aspect of the Heat Shrink Tubing Kits market globally, which starts from the definition of the Heat Shrink Tubing Kits industry and develops towards Heat Shrink Tubing Kits market segmentations. Further, every segment of the Heat Shrink Tubing Kits market is classified and analyzed on the basis of product types, application, and the end-use industries of the Heat Shrink Tubing Kits market. The geographical segmentation of the Heat Shrink Tubing Kits industry has also been covered at length in this report.The competitive landscape of the worldwide market for Heat Shrink Tubing Kits is determined by evaluating the various industry participants, production capacity, Heat Shrink Tubing Kits market's production chain, and the revenue generated by each manufacturer in the Heat Shrink Tubing Kits market worldwide.Enquire Here :The global Heat Shrink Tubing Kits market 2017 is also analyzed on the basis of product pricing, Heat Shrink Tubing Kits production volume, data regarding demand and Heat Shrink Tubing Kits 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 Heat Shrink Tubing Kits across the globe.About UsQY Market offer latest market research reports and update to serve you with immediate on-line access to professional insights on global industries, companies, products, and trends. Customers can buys different reports across various categories such as Chemica1l and Material, Biotechnology, Healthcare, Food and beverages, Automobile and various sectors. Our Website offers safe and secure online ordering experience, convenient payment options.Contact UsFrank ValadezBusiness Development HeadQY Market,155 North Wacker Drive,Suite 4250Chicago, IL 60606USA+17739042683sales@qymarket.biz Wireline Services Market - Industry Analysis, Share, Size, Forecast 2022 http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/wireline-services-market.html http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=S&rep_id=2896 http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/ Transparency Market Research has released a new market report titled Wireline Services Market Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast 2014 2022. According to this report, the global wireline services market revenue for stood at USD 18,052.1 million in 2013 and is expected to reach USD 33,845.2 by 2022 at a CAGR of 8.94% from 2014 to 2022.Browse Market Research Report @Wireline is a cabling technology used to lower measurement devices and equipment inside the well for the purpose of well intervention, logging, completion, and reservoir evaluation. The measurement tools and equipment provide real-time data from the wells which helps field engineers to control the process parameters. Wireline services can be segmented on the basis of technology into slickline and electric line. Slickline consists of a metal wire of diameters ranging from 0.108 to 0.125 inches. Electric line comes in the category of strong and heavier wirelines. The inner wire in electric line is insulated and transmits electrical power to other electric tools and equipment inside the wellbore. Companies providing wireline services offer the same in two forms: wireline fleets or wireline units mounted along with the drilling rig.Electric line services are primarily required for well logging and tube-perforating operations that require continuous evaluation through electric tools. Electric line and slickline services are different for open-hole and cased-hole well operations. Open-hole operations involve the deployment of electric tools through the electric line into a newly drilled well. Cased-hole operations involve the evaluation of the well through deployment of evaluation tools after the completion process or when the well is packed with casing. Slickline services are primarily used for recovering and placing the wellbore equipment into the well. In offshore regions, slicklines are used in the form of braided lines to lower the blowout preventer (BOP) and other supporting equipment to the surface. Slickline services accounted for nearly 70% share of the wireline services market in 2013. Slickline services are very important for maintaining the production levels of wells through logging and intervention processes.The wireline services market has also been segmented on the basis of application into well intervention, well logging, and well completion. The intervention process is an operation carried out on hydrocarbon wells for estimating the feasibility of conducting secondary recovery procedures in order to boost the production rates of the well. The well intervention operations improve performance by increasing the operational life of a mature well. The well intervention segment accounted for the lowest percentage of the total wireline services market in 2013. Well logging is primarily based on carrying out physical measurement of geophysical logs. This is done through visual inspection of a log or through electric tools lowered into the wellbore. Slicklines are preferably utilized for taking samples of a log from the wellbore for visual inspection. On the contrary, electric lines are used to get real-time data through an electric tool. Well completion mainly requires wireline services for continuous monitoring purposes. For the completion processes, there are a series of operations that require wireline services, especially to ensure safe installation. The well completion application segment accounted for nearly 65% share of the total wireline services market in 2013.In the future, the requirement of wireline services is expected to increase gradually as a result of rise in drilling activities and exploration of unconventional hydrocarbon sources across the globe.The global market for wireline services has been segmented as follows:-Wireline Services Market: By Application-Well Intervention-Well Logging-Well CompletionWireline Services Market: By Technology-Slickline-Electric LineFill the form to gain deeper insights on this market @Wireline Services Market: By Region-North America-U.S.-Rest of North America-South & Central America-Brazil-Rest of South & Central America-Europe-Russia-Norway-Rest of Europe-Asia Pacific-China-Australia-Malaysia-Rest of Asia Pacific-Middle East & Africa-Nigeria-Saudi Arabia-Rest of Middle East & AfricaAbout 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: Global Crystalline Polyethylene Terephthalate Market Research Report 2016 https://www.reportsworldwide.com/report/global-crystalline-polyethylene-terephthalate-market-research-report-2016 https://www.reportsworldwide.com/enquiry?report_id=6560 ReportsWorldwide has announced the addition of a new report title Global Crystalline Polyethylene Terephthalate Market Research Report 2016 to its growing collection of premium market research reports.The Global Crystalline Polyethylene Terephthalate Market Research Report Forecast 2016-2021 is a valuable source of insightful data for business strategists. It provides the Crystalline Polyethylene Terephthalate industry overview with growth analysis and historical & futuristic cost, revenue, demand and supply data (as applicable).The research analysts provide an elaborate description of the value chain and its distributor analysis. This Crystalline Polyethylene Terephthalate market study provides comprehensive data which enhances the understanding, scope and application of this report.This report provides comprehensive analysis of: Key market segments and sub-segments Evolving market trends and dynamics Changing supply and demand scenarios Quantifying market opportunities through market sizing and market forecasting Tracking current trends/opportunities/challenges Competitive insights Opportunity mapping in terms of technological breakthroughsTo view a detailed description and Table of Contents please visit:Market Analysis by Countries: North America Europe China Japan Southeast Asia IndiaThe Major players reported in the market include: Eastman Chemical Company Bayer MaterialScience AG La Seda De Barcelona Petrotemex S.A. de C.V. Quadrant Indorama Ventures Public Limited Company DAK Americas LLC Treform Packaging Ab The Dow Chemical CompanyReasons for Buying this Report: This report provides pin-point analysis for changing competitive dynamics It provides a forward looking perspective on different factors driving or restraining market growth It provides a six-year forecast assessed on the basis of how the market is predicted to grow It helps in understanding the key product segments and their future It provides pin point analysis of changing competition dynamics and keeps you ahead of competitors It helps in making informed business decisions by having complete insights of market and by making in-depth analysis of market segments It provides distinctive graphics and exemplified analysis of major market segmentsTo 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 Hexyl Isobutyrate (Cas 2349-07-7) Market 2017 - LYS Chem, CMS Chemicals, Carbosynth, Ventos Hexyl Isobutyrate (Cas 2349-07-7) https://goo.gl/cCN5A2 https://goo.gl/QjR9C6 Hexyl Isobutyrate (Cas 2349-07-7) Market 2017 -A market study based on the "Hexyl Isobutyrate (Cas 2349-07-7) Market" across the globe, recently added to the repository of Market Research, is titled Global Hexyl Isobutyrate (Cas 2349-07-7) Market 2017. 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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 Hexyl Isobutyrate (Cas 2349-07-7) across the globe.About UsQY Market offer latest market research reports and update to serve you with immediate on-line access to professional insights on global industries, companies, products, and trends. Customers can buys different reports across various categories such as Chemica1l and Material, Biotechnology, Healthcare, Food and beverages, Automobile and various sectors. Our Website offers safe and secure online ordering experience, convenient payment options.Contact UsFrank ValadezBusiness Development HeadQY Market,155 North Wacker Drive,Suite 4250Chicago, IL 60606USA+17739042683sales@qymarket.biz Precision Medicine Market Research Report by regional analysis with forecast upto 2024 http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/precision-medicine-market.html http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=16385 http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com Precision medicine is an upcoming disease treatment approach which is devised based on individual variability in genes, environment, and lifestyle for each person. Often the term is used interchangeably with personalized medicine, however, precision medicine is not the same as simple individualized medicine, but rather a medicine mode which combines standardization with individualization. The benefit rendered by such a treatment approach is the accurate prediction of the treatment and prevention strategies for a particular disease will work in particular groups of people. The standard medicines available in the market, often present the limitation of a one-size fits-all approach, which may not be suitable for every individual due to genetic differences. Precision medicine is an answer to this limitation. Precision medicine is a completely new concept and technology which has been gaining momentum in the past few years, and by doing so, has become a promising domain for business investment for major pharmaceutical companies. Precision medicine makes possible the diagnosis and treatment of diseases by relying on genomics and specific biomarker techniques. A precision based approach to formulating medicine could lead to new insights into disease biology and occurrence whose applications may be population wide. By doing so it is likely to be easier for doctors to select the right drugs, optimal dose and time for medicine usage along with the least side effect. The enhancement in popularity of precision medicine in the recent past can be gauged by the increase in research pertaining to precision medicine during the past few years. For instance, in 2015, there were 1737 papers with the term precision medicine on Pubmed versus just a single paper mentioning precision medicine in 2005. Moreover, rising awareness regarding the benefits of adapting to precision medicine as promoted by the Precision Medicine Initiative by President Obama in January 2015. The overall market for precision medicine shall be driven by increase in research, coupled with unmet needs in several diseases, especially oncology. The market growth shall be bolstered by favorable government regulations and support, especially in developed countries. However, the high cost of these therapies is anticipated to restrain market growth.The market for precision medicine has been segmented on the basis of type of technology, application and geography. Based on type of technology, the market has been segmented into drug discovery, companion diagnostics, sequencing, bio-informatics and big data analytics. The companion diagnostics and drug discovery segments are anticipated to lead the market in terms of revenue share owing to a greater utilization rate of these technologies in congruence with precision medicine. For instance, in 2012, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved a new cystic fibrosis medication called Kalydeco (ivacaftor). The approval of Kalydeco was noteworthy since it was a precision medicine based approach which targeted one of the causal genetic mutations of the disease rather than a more traditional approach focused on symptom relief.Browse full report on Precision Medicine Market -Based on application, the market has been segmented into oncology, hematology, Infectious disease, cardiology, neurology, endocrinology and others. The others segment includes ophthalmology, nephrology, rare diseases and pulmonary diseases). The oncology segment is anticipated to witness high revenue share owing to the rise in cancer incidence, prevalence and suitability of precision medicine for the same. Patients with several forms of cancer, such as breast, lung, and colorectal cancers, as well as leukemias and melanomas, regularly undergo molecular testing as part of patient care and treatment regime, and this enables physicians to select treatments that increase chances of survival at the same time reducing exposure to adverse side effects.Based on geography, the market has been segmented into the following regions: North America, Europe, Latin America, Asia Pacific, Latin America and Middle East and Africa. North America is expected to be the leading markets in the precision medicine market, owing to greater adoption to leading edge technologies coupled with a favorable legal environment created through grants and initiatives by the government. For instance, in January 2015, the President of the U.S., Mr. Barrack Obama launched the Precision medicine initiative which included an increased funding request of US$ 215 million in the 2016 federal budget. Moreover, initiatives for precision medicine research and its implementation are already underway at major centers in the U.S., which shall fuel the market growth in the region. For instance, the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Brigham and Womens Hospital, Boston Childrens Hospital, and the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard formed the Joint Center for Precision Cancer Medicine. This collaboration aims to create precision medicine pathways for patients with advanced cancers, thus enabling the fast development of personalized therapies.The major players operating in the precision medicine market include F-Hoffmann La Roche, Pfizer, Inc., Teva Pharmaceuticals, Novartis AG, Qiagen, Inc., Medtronic, Illumina, Inc. and Quest Diagnostics.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.The study is a source of reliable data on:Market segments and sub-segmentsMarket trends and dynamicsSupply and demandMarket sizeCurrent trends/opportunities/challengesCompetitive landscapeTechnological breakthroughsValue chain and stakeholder analysisThe regional analysis covers:North America (U.S. and Canada)Latin America (Mexico, Brazil, Peru, Chile, and others)Western Europe (Germany, U.K., France, Spain, Italy, Nordic countries, Belgium, Netherlands, and Luxembourg)Eastern Europe (Poland and Russia)Asia Pacific (China, India, Japan, ASEAN, Australia, and New Zealand)Middle East and Africa (GCC, Southern Africa, and North Africa)The report has been compiled through extensive primary research (through interviews, surveys, and observations of seasoned analysts) and secondary research (which entails reputable paid sources, trade journals, and industry body databases). The report also features a complete qualitative and quantitative assessment by analyzing data gathered from industry analysts and market participants across key points in the industrys value chain.A separate analysis of prevailing trends in the parent market, macro- and micro-economic indicators, and regulations and mandates is included under the purview of the study. By doing so, the report projects the attractiveness of each major segment over the forecast period.Highlights of the report:A complete backdrop analysis, which includes an assessment of the parent marketImportant changes in market dynamicsMarket segmentation up to the second or third levelHistorical, current, and projected size of the market from the standpoint of both value and volumeReporting and evaluation of recent industry developmentsMarket shares and strategies of key playersEmerging niche segments and regional marketsAn objective assessment of the trajectory of the marketRecommendations to companies for strengthening their foothold in the marketRequest for brochure 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: New Study: 2017-2022 Global Data Lakes Industry Trend and Forecast Report https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/1601 https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/data-lakes-market Global Data Lake Market, by Service (Data engineering, Support & maintenance, Managed services), by Structure (Data ingestion, Hadoop distribution, Data query), by Application (Banking, Healthcare & life sciences, Government) - Forecast 2022Objective Study of Data Lakes Market: To provide detailed analysis of the market structure along with forecast for the next five years of the various segments and sub-segments of the global Data Lakes Market. To provide insights about factors affecting the market growth. To Analyze the Data Lakes Market based on various factors- porters five force analysis, mega trend analysis, macroeconomic indicators etc. To provide historical and forecast revenue of the market segments and sub-segments with respect to four main geographies and their countries- North America, Europe, Asia, and Rest of the World (ROW). To provide country level analysis of the market with respect to the current market size and future prospective. To provide country level analysis of the market for segment by structure, by services, by application and sub-segments. To provide strategic profiling of key players in the market, comprehensively analyzing their core competencies, and drawing a competitive landscape for the market To track and analyze competitive developments such as joint ventures, strategic alliances, mergers and acquisitions, new product developments, and research and developments in the global Data Lakes Market.Get a Sample Report @Market Synopsis of Data Lakes MarketMarket ScenarioThe major growth driver of Data Lakes Market includes growing advancement in service excellence and quality in data delivery services by organizations, growing adoption of internet technologies and growing cloud-based infrastructure market among others.Hence the market for Data Lakes is expected to grow at XX% CAGR (2016-2022).However, lack of technical expertise and threat to data security are some of the factors which are hindering the growth of Data Lakes Market.SegmentsGlobal Data Lakes Market can be segmented as follows:Segmentation by Structure: Data sources, hadoop distribution, data ingestion, data query and data stores among others.Segmentation by Services: Data engineering, managed services, support & maintenance and data discovery & visualization among others.Segmentation by Application: Healthcare & life science, Industrial, Banking & finance, government, and media among others.Regional Analysis of Data Lakes Market:North America is dominating the Global Data Lakes Market with the largest market share in the region due to established technical market, and therefore accounting for $XX million and is expected to grow over $XX million by 2022. Data Lakes Market in Asia-Pacific market is expected to grow at CAGR of XX% from $ XX million in 2016 to $XX million by 2022. The Europe market for Data Lakes Market is expected to grow at XX% CAGR (2016-2022).Key PlayersSome of the major players in Global Data Lakes Market include Microsoft Corporation (U.S.), Capgemini (France), Oracle Corporation (U.S.), Zaloni (U.S.), Cloudera Inc. (U.S.), SAS institute (U.S.), SAP SE (Germany), EMC Corporation (U.S.), ATOS SE (France), and Teradata Corporation (U.S.) among others.Industry News:Capgemini has formed a strategic partnership with SAP SE in September 2016 to provide assistance to manufacturing industries in managing their digital transformation and thus to increase the profitability of the industries.- Zaloni has launched big data lifecycle management solution for data lake services in September 2016. This big data management would provide user-friendly interface for defining custom rules and leveraging Hadoops cost-effective storage system.Browse Report @Target Audience: Research Organizations OEMs Media Investment firms Corporate Resellers and Distributors Government AgenciesData Lakes is a storage system which holds wide range of raw data available in structured, unstructured and semi-structured format. Unlike other data storage, data flake uses flat architecture to store data. Growing penetration of cloud platform market and increasing demand for more efficient data storage system is building need to understand growing demand for data lake market and its related software solutions.The report for Data Lakes Market of Market Research Future comprises of extensive primary research along with the detailed analysis of qualitative as well as quantitative aspects by various industry experts, key opinion leaders to gain the deeper insight of the market and industry performance. The report gives the clear picture of current market scenario which includes historical and projected market size in terms of value, technological advancement, macro economical and governing factors in the market. The report provides details information and strategies of the top key players in the industry. The report also gives a broad study of the different market segments and regions.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 Future Office No. 524/528, Amanora Chambers Magarpatta Road, Hadapsar Pune - 411028 Maharashtra, India Insomnia Market Research Report by Regional Analysis, Key Players and forecast 2026 http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/insomnia-market.html http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=20246 http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com Global Insomnia Market: Brief AccountThe world insomnia market is envisaged to recoup promisingly from its drowsy growth in the past with a number of worthwhile and well-timed opportunities to take advantage of. Insomnia drugs could find an application in the treatment of Parkinson and Alzheimers disease as sedatives. The younger population can increase the global demand as intensively as the geriatric group with rising stress levels and persisting diseases such as cancer at the forefront. The launch of new products such as E-2006 by Eisai Co. Ltd. and Belsomra by Merck & Co. Inc. is forecasted to stimulate the market growth handsomely.The global insomnia market could be segmented according to over-the-counter (OTC) treatment, non-pharmacological treatments, and pharmacological treatments, where each category is evaluated to contribute their part toward the global growth.The researchers who have authored this report prioritize painstaking primary and secondary research to compile statistical data and other analytics of the global insomnia market. Players in the market can gain a decisive insight into the guidelines required to extend their portfolio in the right direction and achieve a tangible success in the market.Browse full report on Insomnia Market -Global Insomnia Market: Key TrendsWith the two premier categorizations of the worldwide insomnia market into play, viz. non-pharmacological treatments and pharmacological treatments, manufacturers can expect lucrative prospects from both the segments. The cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBTI) listed under non-pharmacological treatments extends the ability of physicians to heal patients or understand their health issues in a comprehensive manner. Such treatments including hypnotherapy can be employed by doctors to take multiple approaches during the treatment of their patients. There are other treatments such as aroma music, bright light, biofeedback, acupuncture, and yoga therapies which could contribute to the growth of the non-pharmacological treatments market.Likewise, pharmacological treatments are prognosticated to lay a strong platform for the global insomnia market to find more growth prospects on the back of key segments such as OTC sleep aids and prescription sleep aids.The international insomnia market could go through a downtime period due to inferior diagnosis rate, below par patient compliance, patent erosion, and ascendancy of generic products. Howbeit, the surging incidences of insomnia and unfulfilled medical needs, for instance, the inefficiency of central nervous system (CNS) drugs, are foreseen to compensate for the probable decline in growth.Global Insomnia Market: Geographical StudyFor the most part of the share in world insomnia market, the Americas including North America are foretold to showcase extensive dominance while offering some groundbreaking opportunities for global players. In the U.S., the OTC treatment market is anticipated to register a higher CAGR to address its growth in the insomnia pharmacological treatment sector. The OTC sleep aids market can be classified into valerian roots, melatonin, and antihistamines. An increasing number of patients are convinced to adopt OTC sleep aids because of the infamous side effects caused by prescription drugs and low prices and easy availability of OTC treatments. The U.S. insomnia market is predicted to gain support from the rising consumption of valerian roots and melatonin, owing to their crucial advantages such as decreased stress levels and less side effects.The Americas could be followed by Europe, the Middle East, and Africa on account of the augmenting interest in spreading health awareness through various programs and inflating geriatric population. The insomnia market in Asia Pacific is also looked upon as a decent opportunity for vendors to capitalize on with the elevating disposable income and upsurge in the occurrence of chronic diseases.Global Insomnia Market: Top CompaniesSome of the prominent companies functioning in the international insomnia market are Purdue Pharma L.P., Pernix Therapeutics, Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Ltd., Sanofi, Pfizer, Inc., Meda Consumer Healthcare Inc., Merck & Co. Inc., and Eisai, Co. Ltd.The report offers a comprehensive evaluation of the market. It does so via in-depth qualitative insights, historical data, and verifiable projections about market size. The projections featured in the report have been derived using proven research methodologies and assumptions. By doing so, the research report serves as a repository of analysis and information for every facet of the market, including but not limited to: Regional markets, technology, types, and applications.The study is a source of reliable data on:Market segments and sub-segmentsMarket trends and dynamicsSupply and demandMarket sizeCurrent trends/opportunities/challengesCompetitive landscapeTechnological breakthroughsValue chain and stakeholder analysisThe regional analysis covers:North America (U.S. and Canada)Latin America (Mexico, Brazil, Peru, Chile, and others)Western Europe (Germany, U.K., France, Spain, Italy, Nordic countries, Belgium, Netherlands, and Luxembourg)Eastern Europe (Poland and Russia)Asia Pacific (China, India, Japan, ASEAN, Australia, and New Zealand)Middle East and Africa (GCC, Southern Africa, and North Africa)Request for brochure 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: Cerebral Vasospasm Market Research Report with different treatment according to region by 2027 https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/1418 https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/cerebral-vasospasm-market https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/request-toc/1418 Market Highlights:Cerebral vasospasm is physical narrowing of blood vessel due to over-contraction of the vessel wall in the brain. It generally occurs as complication in ruptured brain aneurysm resulting in a subarachnoid hemorrhage. And it also occurs rarely as a complication of hemorrhage from another blood vessel abnormality or trauma.Market for Cerebral Vasospasm will grow due to emerge for several treatments and some prospective clinical trials are presently available.Market Segments:Global Cerebral Vasospasm market has been segmented; On the basis of Type; which comprise of nimodipine, triple-H therapy On the basis of End Users; market is segmented into Hospitals, clinicsRequest a Sample Report @Key Players for Cerebral Vasospasm market:Some of the key players in this market are: Head sense Medical Ltd (Israel) Minnetronix Inc. (US) B. Braun Melsungen AG (Germany)Intended Audience: Companies into Cerebral Vasospasm Government research Laboratories Research and Development (R&D) Companies Independent Research Laboratories Market Research and Consulting Service Providers Medical Research LaboratoriesBrowse Report Details @Study Objectives of Cerebral Vasospasm Market: To provide detailed analysis of the market structure along with forecast for the next 10 years of the various segments and sub-segments of the Cerebral Vasospasm market To provide insights about factors affecting the market growth To analyze the Cerebral Vasospasm market based on various factors- price analysis, supply chain analysis, porters five force analysis etc. To provide historical and forecast revenue of the market segments and sub-segments with respect to four main geographies and their countries- Americas, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Middle East & Africa. To provide country level analysis of the market with respect to the current market size and future prospective To provide country level analysis of the market for segments by type, by end users and its sub-segments. To provide overview of key players and their strategic profiling in the market, comprehensively analyzing their core competencies, and drawing a competitive landscape for the market To track and analyze competitive developments such as joint ventures, strategic alliances, mergers and acquisitions, new product developments, and research and developments in the global Cerebral Vasospasm market.Request Table of Contents for this Report @Regional Analysis of Cerebral Vasospasm Market:Globally North America is the largest market for cerebral vasospasm. The North American market for Cerebral Vasospasm is expected to grow at a CAGR of and is expected to reach at US$ Million by the end of the forecasted period. Robust research & development practices and growing advancements in the field of neurology in North American countries. Europe is expected to be the second-largest market for Cerebral Vasospasm which is expected to grow at a CAGR.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 Global Urology Devices Market Information Research Report- Forecast to 2027, Key Players, Market Regional Segment Global Virtual Reality Market Information https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/1120 https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/urology-devices-market Market IntroductionGlobally the market for Urology Devices is increasing rapidly. The factors that influence the growth of Urology Devices market; increasing growth in advance healthcare devices , patients with kidney diseases and find diseases faster and accurate and many others.Market SegmentsThe market for Urology Devices is segmented into mainly two; by types and by application and its various sub-segments. By types include Dialysis Equipment, Urinary Stone Treatment devices, Endoscopy Devices, Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia Treatment Devices and others. Whereas by treatment it includes chronic kidney diseases, urinary incontinence and othersStudy Objectives of Urology DevicesTo provide detailed analysis of the market structure along with forecast for the next 10 years of the various segments and sub-segments of the global Urology Devices marketTo provide insights about factors affecting the market growthTo Analyze the Urology Devices market based on various factors- price analysis, supply chain analysis, porters five force analysis etc.Request a Sample @To provide historical and forecast revenue of the market segments and sub-segments with respect to four main geographies and their countries- Americas, Europe, Asia, and Rest of the World (ROW)To provide country level analysis of the market with respect to the current market size and future prospectiveTo provide country level analysis of the market for segment by Device type, by application and its sub-segments.To provide strategic profiling of key players in the market, comprehensively analyzing their core competencies, and drawing a competitive landscape for the marketTo track and analyze competitive developments such as joint ventures, strategic alliances, mergers and acquisitions, new product developments, and research and developments in the global Urology Devices marketKey PlayersAmerican Medical Systems (U.S.)Boston Scientific (U.K.)Olympus (U.S.), Coloplast (Denmark)Endo Health Solutions Inc. (U.S)AmericasNorth AmericaUSCanadaLatin AmericaEuropeAccess to report@Western EuropeGermanyFranceItalySpainU.KRest of Western EuropeEastern EuropeAsia PacificAsiaChinaIndiaJapanSouth KoreaRest of AsiaPacificThe Middle East & AfricaThe report for Urology Devices of Market Research Future comprises of extensive primary research along with the detailed analysis of qualitative as well as quantitative aspects by various industry experts, key opinion leaders to gain the deeper insight of the market and industry performance. The report gives the clear picture of current market scenario which includes historical and projected market size in terms of value and volume, technological advancement, macro economical and governing factors in the market. The report provides details information and strategies of the top key players in the industry. The report also gives a broad study of the different market segments and regions.About Market Research Future:At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.MRFR team have supreme objective to provide the optimum quality market research and intelligence services to our clients. Our market research studies by products, services, technologies, applications, end users, and market players for global, regional, and country level market segments, enable our clients to see more, know more, and do more, which help to answer all their most important questions.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 membersAbout 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.Akash Anand,Market Research FutureOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, Hadapsar,Pune - 411028Maharashtra, India+1 646 845 9312Email: akash.anand@marketresearchfuture.com Global Continuous variable transmission Market Key Manufacturers and 2022 Forecasts Analysis https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/1832 https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/continuous-variable-transmission-market Market ScenarioContinuous variable transmission is a type of automotive transmission, changes gears perfectly through an infinite number of effective gear ratios. CVT has replaced planetary gear set in the automotive transmission with two variable pulleys and metal belt/chain running between them. Automotive industry is focusing on transmission systems to comply with the emission norms and to get fuel efficient system and CVT system has emerged to provide fuel efficiency and enhanced driving experience with respect to auto gear shifting & improved acceleration. Moreover, CVT engines are demandable in automotive industry as it provides better fuel economy, more power, and convenient driving experience than traditional automotive transmission systems.enquiry before buying this Report @Study Objectives of Global Continuous variable transmission MarketTo provide detailed analysis of the market structure along with forecast for the next six years of various segments and sub-segments of the global Continuous variable transmission marketTo provide insights about factors affecting the market growthTo analyze the global Continuous variable transmission market based on various factors such as supply chain analysis, and Porters five forces analysisTo provide historical and forecast revenue of the market segments and sub-segments with respect to four main geographies and their countries - North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and ROW.To provide country level analysis of the market with respect to the current market size and future prospectiveTo provide country level analysis of the market for segment by types, fuel, and regionTo provide strategic profiling of the key players in the market, comprehensively analyzing their core competencies, and drawing a competitive landscape for the marketTo track and analyze competitive developments such as joint ventures, strategic alliances, mergers and acquisitions, new product developments, and research and developments in the global continuous variable transmission marketRegional Analysis of Global Continuous variable transmission MarketNorth American and European region has stringent emissions and fuel efficiency regulations. Manufacturer and supplier are developing a transmission system to comply with the emission norms in the market. CVT systems are fuel efficient & provide more power is expected to drive the market in the North America. Also the higher technological development in the region is also a driving factor for the growth of continuous variable transmission market.Continuous variable transmission Market, by Region (USD Million)Browse Report @Key PlayersThe key players of Global Continuous variable transmission Market report include- BorgWarner, Jatco, Punch Powertrain, Toyota Motors, ZF Friedrichshafen AG, Aisin Seiki, Efficient Drivetrains, Folsom Technologies International, Hunan Jianglu & Rongda, and Hyundai Motor.Target AudienceContinuous variable transmission manufacturer/dealer/supplier.Raw material ProviderGovernment and research organizationInvestment bankers and M&A ConsultantsGeographic AnalysisGeographical analysis across 17 countriesCompany InformationProfiling of 10 key market playersSWOT analysis, and strategy information of top five players in the marketCompetitive landscape including emerging trends adopted by major companiesThe report for Global Continuous variable transmission Market of Market Research Future comprises of extensive primary research along with the detailed analysis of qualitative as well as quantitative aspects by various industry experts, key opinion leaders to gain the deeper insight of the market and industry performance. The report gives the clear picture of current market scenario which includes historical and projected market size in terms of value and volume, technological advancement, macro economical and governing factors in the market. The report provides details information and strategies of the top key players in the industry. The report also gives a broad study of the different market segments and regions.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 Future (MRFR)Amanora Town Centre, Office No. 528,, Amanora Chambers, Hadapsar, Pune, Maharashtra 411028 Global Automotive Remote Diagnostics Market Information By Vehicle Type, By Application, By Connectivity and By Region - Forecast to 2022 https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/1842 https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/automotive-remote-diagnostics-market Market ScenarioAutomotive remote diagnostics is a solution to monitor the health of a vehicle, figures the root cause of the issues and also enables the customer to access information about the vehicle. The awareness regarding vehicle diagnostics, the rising demand regarding safety and security of vehicles, and the growing inclination towards premium vehicles are some factors expected to drive the market. In connectivity segment, bluetooth is expected to have largest share in the automotive remote diagnostics market. As bluetooth offers various features and one of them is it connects the vehicle to the internet via smart phone to transfer data from and with server. There are various trends in the market such as integration of mobile phones with telematics systems and vehicle diagnostic-based insurance programs. The global Automotive Remote diagnostics market is expected to show a growth at CAGR of about 16.90% from 2016 to 2022.Request a Sample Report @Study Objectives To provide detailed analysis of the market structure along with forecast for the next five years of various segments and sub-segments of the global Automotive Remote diagnostics market To provide insights about factors affecting the market growth To analyze the global Automotive Remote diagnostics market based on various factors such as supply chain analysis, and Porters five forces analysis To provide historical and forecast revenue of the market segments and sub-segments with respect to four main geographies and their countries - North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and ROW. To provide country level analysis of the market with respect to the current market size and future prospective To provide country level analysis of the market for segment by vehicle type, application, connectivity, and region To provide strategic profiling of the key players in the market, comprehensively analyzing their core competencies, and drawing a competitive landscape for the market To track and analyze competitive developments such as joint ventures, strategic alliances, mergers and acquisitions, new product developments, and research and developments in the global automotive Remote diagnostics marketRegional AnalysisThe North America region has a largest share in the automotive remote diagnostics market. Also, Asia-Pacific is expected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period. This region is led by China and India due to increasing population, increasing per capita income, improving living standards, and hence increasing demand for purchase of high end vehicles. And this will significantly drive the market of automotive remote diagnostics.Key PlayersThe key players of Global Automotive Remote diagnostics Market report include- Robert Bosch GmbH, Continental AG, Delphi Automotive PLC, Onstar LLC, Snap-On Inc., Magneti Marelli, Softing AG, VOXX International Corporation, Vector Informatik, and Vidiwave Ltd.Target Audience Remote vehicle diagnostics solution providers Remote vehicle diagnostics solution software developers Distributors and suppliers of remote vehicle diagnostics solutions Government and research organization Investment bankers and M&A ConsultantsGeographic Analysis Geographical analysis across 17 countriesCompany Information Profiling of 10 key market players SWOT analysis, and strategy information of top five players in the market Competitive landscape including emerging trends adopted by major companiesAccess Report Details @The report for Global Automotive Remote diagnostics Market of Market Research Future comprises of extensive primary research along with the detailed analysis of qualitative as well as quantitative aspects by various industry experts, key opinion leaders to gain the deeper insight of the market and industry performance. The report gives the clear picture of current market scenario which includes historical and projected market size in terms of value and volume, technological advancement, macro economical and governing factors in the 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.Contact:Akash Anand,Market Research FutureOffice No. 524/528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, HadapsarPune - 411028Maharashtra, India+1 646 845 9312Email: akash.anand@marketresearchfuture.com Medical Waste Management Market: Evolving Market Trends & Dynamics 2023 http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/us-medical-waste-management-market.html http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=11315 http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com As government agencies and NGOs in the U.S. become more actively involved in the management of medical waste, the U.S. medical waste management market will move towards maturity, in terms of technologies and innovative strategies, states TMR in a new report.Millions of tons of medical waste of complex characteristics and varying sources is generated in the U.S. every year, presenting waste management companies with a challenging operational environment and manifold growth opportunities. The oligopolistic market has only a few large companies and features the dominance of small- and medium-sized companies, which collectively account for more than half of the overall market.Stericycle, the largest waste management company in the U.S. was the only company to have a major share in the market; it accounted for a share of 23.2% in 2014. Small-scale medical waste management companies in the country, however, collectively accounted for 53.1% in the market in the same year.Thus, the acquisition of smaller companies holds huge promise for large companies and new entrants, allowing them an easy way of enhancing the operational efficiencies and expand both consumer base and service capabilities in the U.S in the coming years, says TMR. Credited with the acquisition of 348 businesses since 1993, Stericycle has profitably tapped this trend and has become the prime provider of several specialty services in the U.S. medical waste management market.Browse Global Strategic Business Report:Strict Regulatory Policies to Prompt Healthcare and Pharmaceutical Industries to Spend More on Waste ManagementU.S. has observed the emergence of vast numbers of pharmaceutical companies, diagnostic laboratories, hospitals, and pharmacy centers in the past few years. The country is also the worlds largest medical devices market and is projected to produce exponential volumes of a variety of medical waste in the future. To meet the strict regulatory compliances regarding the management of all this waste, companies in the healthcare industry in the U.S are likely to invest more in the proper management of medical waste from 2015-2023.Air emission limits in the country have become more stringent after EPA regulations under the Clean Air Act (CAA) came into action. This has led waste management companies in devising non-incineration technologies such as non-ionization radiation treatment, chemical treatment, and steam autoclave treatment. These technologies have fewer emission concerns compared to conventional incineration-based medical waste management technologies and are less capital intensive and are observing increased adoption.Non-Infectious Waste to Account for Major Market ShareThe U.S. waste management growth opportunity is worth rising US$7,994.6 mn in 2023. Non-infectious type of waste will be the largest segment in the market in terms of revenue at the end of the forecast period, reaching US$ 4,922.1 by 2023. The continuously rising number of hospitals, clinics, and other healthcare facilities in the country will contribute largely to the vast production of non-infectious waste in the country over the forecast period. However, infectious and pathological waste is expected to emerge as the fastest growing medical waste type in the U.S. over the forecast period, owing to the rising demand for proper disposal of infectious and pathological waste in the country. In terms of medical waste management services in the U.S. market, disposal services dominated owing to the introduction of innovative disposal techniquesThe analysis has been drawn from a recent market research report published by Transparency Market Research. The report is titled Medical Waste Management Market - U.S. Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast, 20152023.Download Exclusive Brochure 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: Mobile Advertising Market Provides a Solution to Advertisers to Reach Targeted users through Various Devices http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/mobile-advertising-market.html http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=S&rep_id=1296 http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com Mobile advertising is a form of advertising using mobile devices. It is a subgroup of mobile marketing. Mobile advertising provides information/content developed/designed by advertisers intended for customers/mobile device users.The different types of advertising includes display advertising, In-app, In-game, rich media, search, sms/mms/P2P messaging and others. Mobile advertising provides a solution to advertisers to reach targeted users through various devices to deliver information about innovative tools and technology.Browse Market Research Report:Mobile advertising solutions enables advertisers to target users, such as advertising campaign solutions, in order to a reach defined set of goals which includes raising brand awareness, establishing brand and increase rate of conversions and so on.Key factors driving the growth of the mobile advertising market include rising concerns about security, and privacy, deletion, and misuse/manipulation of data are some of the major fears that persist among online users.In Global Mobile Advertising Market by Devices, smartphone segment holds the largest share due to high penetration rate of smartphone devices across the world. The smartphone segment is also expected to be fastest growing segment in the forecast period due to increasing adoption rate of smartphones in the emerging economies such as India and Brazil.In 2014, the search advertising type was the largest segment in the global mobile advertising market. The search advertising type is majorly preferred by the sectors such as BFSI, telecommunication and IT, and FMCG. Search advertising offers an opportunity to place online advertisements on the webpage that shows results from search queries; however this type is majorly adopted by advertisers.In-App advertising is anticipated to be the fastest growing segment in the forecast period due to increasing number of mobile applications for various industries such as banking, logistics and retail.Advertisement Campaign solutions holds the largest share as political parties are using these solutions for attracting the attention of population in their region during different stages of elections which include local body to national level elections.The reporting & analytics solution is expected to be the fastest growing segment in the forecast period due to rising adoption of data analytics solutions in understanding the mindset of customers.Make an Enquiry:In the mobile advertising market by region, North America is the major contributor for the revenue generated in the global mobile advertising market.The APAC region is anticipated to be the fastest-growing segment during the forecast period due to high growth in mobile innovation and high usage of Internet through by consumers in the region. The North America mobile advertising market revenue is mainly contributed by the government and BFSI sectors.About TMRTMR is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The companys exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.Contact TMR90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email:sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite: public_safety_oregonian_100.JPG (The Oregonian/OregonLive) Update 10:30 a.m. with information from police. Detectives have a suspect in connection with the death of two men Sunday in Vancouver, and police have found a car believed to be seen leaving the homicide, a spokeswoman said. Officers found the men after responding at 5:15 p.m. to reports of shots fired at a home in the 1500 block of Northeast 140th Avenue. The suspect and victims knew each other, but their identities have not been released, spokeswoman Kim Kapp said in a press release. "Detectives are still gathering information and confirming facts from possible witnesses," Kapp said. Kapp said both men died from gunshot wounds. She did not have information about occupants, if any, inside the home at the time of the shooting, she said. The Major Crimes team is processing the car, but she did not indicate where it was found Monday, Kapp said in a news release. "Anytime we have a suspect responsible for the death of someone, of course it is concerning when that person is outstanding. So there is certainly an urgency for us to arrest the person responsible," Kapp said when asked if the public was in danger. The investigation continues and more information will be released when available. -- Tony Hernandez thernandez@oregonian.com 503-294-5928 @tonyhreports Forest grove police car Not every police agency keeps a log of its responses, and few do it with the finesse of the Forest Grove Police Department. Every week, we post the goings on as provided by this community 25 miles west of Portland, not because it's earth-shatteringly important, but because it provides a glimpse into the world of modern small-town policing. March 12 * A man was invited to his father's residence and then asked to leave, with police assistance, after he apparently overstayed his welcome. * A man called for police after his daughter's boyfriend refused to leave the residence. The boyfriend soon realized he should have just left when told, because officers found a warrant for his arrest. He was taken to the Washington County Jail. * The driver of a tow truck lied about his identity after an officer stopped him for expired tags. After the officer spotted a suspected methamphetamine pipe in the truck cab, the rest of the story unraveled, revealing the man had a warrant for his arrest. The man was taken to jail and his tow truck was towed by another tow truck. March 13 * The clerk at a local convenience store called police about a bird inside the business scaring customers. The officer only had to warn the bird once before it agreed to leave the business. * A citizen reported that an acquaintance who recently moved to Salt Lake City was calling her to report that he was a CIA operative and that people were trying to kill him. He also told the caller he was going to kill everyone and that "a war was coming." FGPD contacted Salt Lake City Police, who found the man and took him into custody. * A woman reported to police that the government was making her not feel well and complained of pain in her stomach. She felt so much better after talking to the officer, who she described as "well fit for the job," that she called back asking to speak to him again. March 14 * After spotting a wrong way driver, an officer stopped the vehicle and arrested the woman after she showed signs of intoxication and Hydrocodone was found in her possession. * After a ServPro truck driver pulled over to assist another driver who had struck a dog, a woman jumped into the truck and drove away, crashing the truck nearby outside the City. The woman was taken into custody by a Sheriff's deputy. * A caller reportedly heard a man scream "Come here and take this bullet!" on 22nd Avenue. Police found no people or weapons in the area. March 15 * A caller reported that a woman who appeared to be on drugs was wandering down the street flipping people off. An officer contacted the woman and told her to stay out of the road. The woman told the officer she needed a hot cup of coffee and marijuana. The officer told her that more marijuana was not going to help her situation, but did agree to buy her a cup of coffee. * Campus Public Safety reported a man on the Pacific University campus who might be on drugs. Officers agreed with the assessment and arrested the man after learning he was wanted on a warrant for his arrest. March 16 * A caller reported their son wanted to kill himself and had locked himself in his bedroom with a handsaw. Officers took the son into protective custody and transported him to the hospital. * Police responded to a laundromat after a caller phoned 911 but would not speak. The dispatcher could hear arguing in the background. Police found a woman and her boyfriend in a disagreement at the laundromat and asked both to leave the location. March 17 * A driver was cited after hitting a pedestrian in a crosswalk near Mountain View Lane. * Officers assisted deputies looking for a wanted subject in Cornelius. The man was not located. Later, an alert FGPD officer spotted the man in Forest Grove and arrested him. * A concerned mother calling from California wanted police to check on her son who reportedly shared that he had just been followed home by five men with guns. Police contacted the son, who had no idea what his mom was talking about and denied any such thing occurred. March 18 * Police responded to a report of a man who consumed an unknown quantity of medications in an attempt to kill himself. The man was combative and eventually taken into protective custody before being transported to the hospital. * An officer stopped to speak with a woman walking at night on 21st Avenue. A records check revealed the woman had a felony warrant for a previous arrest on possession of methamphetamine. The officer located more suspected methamphetamine on her person during the arrest procedure. She was charged with another offense and taken to jail. * A woman reported to police that her ex-husband refused to give her cat back. It turns out they were still married and the husband had equal rights to the cat. 20130114_0001_bn.eviction.jpg As Oregonians struggle to find affordable and stable housing, a Portland-based grocery chain is calling on Oregon's legislature to ban no-cause evictions. (Bruce Ely/2013) Wendy Collie All Oregonians need a safe, stable and affordable place to call home. Home is important to all of us - it's the place we raise our kids, relax after work, prepare meals and spend time with family and loved ones. Home is the place where we can truly be ourselves. At New Seasons Market, we believe that our employees should be able to live and thrive in the neighborhoods where they work, and that customers should be able to afford both their housing, as well as healthy food and other necessities. Stable, affordable housing is critical to realizing these deeply held values, for our employees and customers. And for all Oregonians. New Seasons Market has been a socially conscious, mission-driven company since the day we started 17 years ago. We've always been committed to offering industry-leading compensation and benefits packages, and we have provided starting wages above the federal and state minimum for more than a decade. In recent years, it has become clear that delivering on our mission to support thriving employees and healthy communities will not be possible unless businesses like ours engage at the state level to address the very significant social and economic challenges that we face today. We went to Salem for the first time during the 2016 session to support raising the minimum wage. We shared our concern about the rapid increase in the cost of living in Oregon. When our neighbors, customers and employees can't afford the basics like food, rent and childcare, it hurts all of us. Raising wages was a critical first step toward addressing economic inequality. Now, we urge lawmakers to take the next step to address the urgent need for stable and affordable housing by ending the harmful practice of no-cause evictions. Under current Oregon law, landlords can evict a family at any time after a lease has ended without explanation. These no-cause evictions make removing a tenant all too easy and some landlords are using them as a shortcut to raise rents, to retaliate when tenants ask for repairs or, even worse, to discriminate against certain groups of people. When our neighbors are handed a no-cause eviction notice, it disrupts their lives. For families already living on the edge, an eviction can be the trigger that causes the loss of a job, wipes out savings and, in a rental market with very few vacancies, pushes people into homelessness. Updating state law to require that landlords provide a valid reason for evicting tenants will add fairness to Oregon's rental market by offering stability to families who rent their homes and preserving the ability of landlords to generate a return on their investments. Share your opinion Submit your essay of 500 words or less to commentary@oregonlive.com. Please include your email and phone number for verification. It seems like pretty basic business sense, but it's worth saying: if your employees are stressed and worried by uncertainty about where they're going to live -- or if they actually lose their homes -- workplace productivity suffers. Our stores' neighbors are both our employees and our customers. When our neighbors are removed from their homes and can't afford to stay in their community, we feel the impact as a company and as Oregonians. No matter who we are, we all need a safe, stable place to call home. In fact, the strength of our neighborhoods and our economy depends on it. By taking action to end no-cause evictions here in Oregon, our Legislature can bolster our business climate and help our community thrive. Wendy Collie is president and chief executive of New Seasons Market. She lives in Northwest Portland. NEW YORK (AP) David Rockefeller was the last of his generation in a famous American family that taught its children that wealth brings great responsibility. Even as children, he and his siblings had to set aside portions of their allowances for charitable giving. That lesson lasted throughout his life; to mark his 100th birthday in 2015, Rockefeller gave 1,000 acres of land next to a national park to the state of Maine. Rockefeller died Monday in his sleep at his home in Pocantico Hills at age 101, according to his spokesman, Fraser P. Seitel. He was the grandson of Standard Oil co-founder John D. Rockefeller and the youngest of five sons and one daughter born to John D. Rockefeller Jr. He was also the guardian of his family's fortune and head of a sprawling network of family interests, both business and philanthropic, that ranged from environmental conservation to the arts. Unlike his brothers Nelson, the governor of New York who hungered for the White House and was briefly vice president, and Winthrop, a governor of Arkansas, David Rockefeller wielded power and influence without ever seeking public office. Among his many accomplishments were spurring the project that led to the World Trade Center. "No individual has contributed more to the commercial and civic life of New York City over a longer period of time than David Rockefeller," said Michael Bloomberg, a former mayor and fellow billionaire. "I have long admired his commitment to the city, which began with a dollar-a-year job working as a secretary to Mayor Fiorello La Guardia. During my time in City Hall, he was always there for the city when we called." Unlike his other brothers, John D. 3rd and Laurance, who shied from the spotlight and were known for philanthropy, David Rockefeller embraced business and traveled and spoke widely as a champion of enlightened capitalism. "American capitalism has brought more benefits to more people than any other system in any part of the world at any time in history," he said. "The problem is to see that the system is run as efficiently and as honestly as it can be." Story continues Rockefeller graduated from Harvard in 1936 and received a doctorate in economics from the University of Chicago in 1940. He served in the Army during World War II, then began climbing the ranks of management at Chase Bank. That bank merged with the Manhattan company in 1955. He was named Chase Manhattan's president in 1961 and chairman and CEO eight years later. He retired in 1981 at age 65 after a 35-year career. In his role of business statesman, Rockefeller preached capitalism at home and favored assisting economies abroad on grounds that bringing prosperity to the Third World would create customers for American products. He parted company with some of his fellow capitalists on income taxes, calling it unseemly to earn a million and then find ways to avoid paying the taxes. He didn't say how much he paid in taxes, and he never spoke publicly about his personal worth. In 2015, Forbes magazine estimated his fortune at $3 billion. As one of the Rockefeller grandchildren, David belonged to the last generation in which the inherited family billions were concentrated in a few hands. The next generation, known as "the cousins," are more numerous. Rockefeller was estimated to have met more than 200 rulers in more than 100 countries during his lifetime, and often was treated as if he were a visiting head of state. In addition to the philanthropy that "touched and lifted innumerable lives," Rockefeller's "connections and keen aptitude for issues made him a valuable adviser to presidents of both parties yours truly certainly included," said former President George H.W. Bush. He said Rockefeller was a "wonderful friend" to him and his wife, Barbara. Under Rockefeller, Chase now known as JPMorgan Chase was the first U.S. bank to open offices in the Soviet Union and China and, in 1974, the first to open an office in Egypt after the Suez crisis of 1956. In his early travels to South Africa, Rockefeller arranged clandestine meetings with several underground black leaders. "I find it terribly important to get overall impressions beyond those I get from businessmen," he said. But Rockefeller took a lot of heat for his bank's substantial dealings with South Africa's white separatist regime and for helping the deposed, terminally ill Shah of Iran come to New York for medical treatment in 1979, the move that triggered the 13-month U.S. embassy hostage crisis in Tehran. Rockefeller maintained the family's patronage of the arts, including its long-standing relationship with the Museum of Modern Art, which his mother had been a fervent patron of. His private art collection was once valued at $500 million. The Rockefeller estate at Kykuit, overlooking the Hudson River north of New York City, is the repository of four generations of family history, including Nelson's art and sculpture collection. One of the major efforts of Rockefeller's later years was directed at restoring family influence in the landmark Rockefeller Center, most of which had been sold in the 1980s to Japanese investors. He eventually organized an investor group to buy back 45 percent of the property. His philanthropy and other activities earned him a Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor, in 1998. "Throughout his life he used his fame and fortune to do good here and abroad," former President Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton said in a statement. "His tremendous support of arts and humanities in America gave millions of people in communities across the country the opportunity to experience our great heritage of painting, dance, music, and so much more." Rockefeller and his wife, the former Margaret McGrath, were married in 1940 and had six children David Jr., Richard, Abby, Neva, Margaret and Eileen. His wife, an active conservationist, died in 1996. Brazil's President Michel Temer has told foreign trading partners that they should not lose their appetite for steak in an effort to temper concerns after the country's lucrative meat industry was thrown into turmoil over a corruption scandal. President Temer met on Sunday with foreign diplomats and executives from Europe, the U.S. and China to say that his government was confident about the quality of Brazilian meat after a series of raids on Friday suggested that some of the country's top meat producers had been selling rotten meat for years. "The federal government wants to reiterate its confidence in the quality of our national product," commented President Temer. "This standard of excellence is that over time it has opened the doors of more than 150 countries, with permanent audit, monitoring and risk assessment." Brazil is the world's largest producer of red meat and relies heavily on exports to Europe, China and the U.S., which provide a $12 billion boost each year to the country's embattled economy . However, Friday's investigation, which culminated in the closure of three meat-packing plants and deeper probes into a further 21, has thrown the health of the industry into question. Of the 21 under investigation, six ship to international markets. It is claimed that managers within the firms bribed health inspectors and politicians to obtain government certificates for their products. So far, 30 senior civil servants have been suspended and are under investigation for corruption. Among the accused are JBS, the world's largest beef exporter, and BRF, the biggest poultry producer. Both companies have denied the allegations. "We will not tolerate deviations and acts of corruption. We are taking aggressive measures against servers and companies and sharing information with the Federal Police and the Public Prosecutor's Office," Eumar Novacki, executive secretary of the case within Brazil's Federal Police force said on Friday. Agricultural production employs 6 million people in Brazil and is home to more than 4,800 meatpacking businesses. Follow CNBC International on Twitter and Facebook. Take a close look at your paycheck and you'll probably notice a line item for Social Security tax withholding. Though those taxes might seem like nothing but a nuisance at first, once you start to read up on Social Security, you'll discover how crucial it is to retirees. To further your education, here are some surprising Social Security stats you probably weren't aware of. 1. More than 65 million people collected Social Security benefits in 2015. And it's not just seniors who took home those benefits. Social Security helps countless disabled Americans stay afloat financially as well. 2. An estimated 61% of senior beneficiaries received at least half of their income from Social Security in 2014. If it weren't for the words "at least," that statistic wouldn't be so bad. But relying on Social Security for more than half of one's income is a dangerous strategy. 3. The average Social Security recipient gets just $1,360 a month in benefits. Many workers assume that they'll be able to retire on Social Security alone, but in reality, those benefits are only designed to replace about 40% of the average worker's pre-retirement income. Depending on Social Security in the complete absence of independent savings or another form of outside income would force the typical recipient today to live off just $16,320 a year. 4. Social Security is facing an $11 trillion shortfall. The latest projection from the program's Board of Trustees is pretty dire. Social Security relies on incoming tax revenue to keep up with payments, but because more people have been leaving the workforce than entering it, the program also depends on its trust funds to make up whatever deficit it faces. Once those trust funds run out, which is expected to happen in 2034, Social Security won't be able to sustain its benefit payments at their currently scheduled level. 5. More than 75% of current workers are convinced that Social Security won't be around when they retire. At least that's what the latest data out of Transamerica tells us. But while future recipients will most likely see a reduction in benefits in the absence of congressional relief, even in a worst-case scenario, the program should still have enough income to pay out approximately 79% of scheduled benefits. Furthermore, based on current estimates, Social Security can continue paying benefits at that level until 2090. 6. Social Security lost $1 billion to erroneous payments over the past decade. A recent audit found that over the past 10 years, the agency paid $1 billion in benefits to over 22,000 individual recipients without valid Social Security numbers. 7. Social Security stands to lose an additional $182.5 million per year to fraudulent payments. Unless the agency steps up its game and improves its process for validating payments, its financial woes will only get worse over time. 8. If you earn $127,200 per year, you'll pay the same amount of Social Security tax as a billionaire. If that seems unfair, you're not alone. Countless politicians have lobbied to raise the income tax cap so that wealthier Americans pay more into the program. But under the current system, those who earn a sizable yet modest living wind up paying the same amount of Social Security tax as the country's richest individuals. 9. If you make more than $25,000 a year in retirement, your benefits may be taxed. Though many recipients don't pay taxes on their Social Security benefits, if your provisional income (calculated as your non-Social Security income, including tax-free interest income, plus 50% of your benefits) falls between $25,000 and $34,000, and you're a single tax filer, you could be taxed on up to 50% of your benefits. The same holds true if you earn between $32,000 and $44,000 as a joint filer. Furthermore, if your provisional income exceeds $34,000 as a single filer, or $44,000 as a couple filing jointly, you could be taxed on up to 85% of your benefits. 10. There are 13 states that tax Social Security benefits. Provisional income aside, if you live in a state that taxes Social Security, you could lose a portion of your benefits right off the bat. Residents of Colorado, Connecticut, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Rhode Island, Utah, Vermont, and West Virginia -- consider yourselves warned. Now that you've been semi-schooled in Social Security, it pays to learn more about the things you can do to maximize your benefits. The more informed and strategic you are, the more you stand to gain in the long run. The $16,122 Social Security bonus most retirees completely overlook If you're like most Americans, you're a few years (or more) behind on your retirement savings. But a handful of little-known "Social Security secrets" could help ensure a boost in your retirement income. For example: one easy trick could pay you as much as $16,122 more... each year! Once you learn how to maximize your Social Security benefits, we think you could retire confidently with the peace of mind we're all after. Simply click here to discover how to learn more about these strategies. Register for more free articles. Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading. Build your health & fitness knowledge Sign up here to get the latest health & fitness updates in your inbox every week! Sign up! Already a Subscriber? Already a Subscriber? Sign in Terms of Service Privacy Policy SAO PAULO, March 20 (Reuters) - Brazil's government plans levy a pension tax on rural workers to raise funds for the country's public pension system, Mansueto Almeida, Secretary for Economic Monitoring at the Finance Ministry, said at an event on Monday. The new tax could be equivalent to less than 5 percent of the minimum wage, Almeida said. The Brazilian government has sent to Congress a bill to overhaul its pension system as it seeks to plug a widening budget gap. (Reporting by Eduardo Simoes; Writing by Silvio Cascione; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama) BLOOMINGTON More than 800 images of child pornography allegedly found by police on a Shirley man's cell phone are the basis of nine felony charges filed against him in McLean County Circuit Court. Austin S. Graf, 20, is accused of possession and solicitation of child pornography. He is being held in the county jail in lieu of $50,035. According to a statement read in court by a prosecutor on Monday, Illinois State Police began an investigation in November 2016 into the alleged sexual assault of a minor at Weldon Springs State Park in Clinton. During a police interview, Graf admitted to having more than 300 photos of girls, including some who were minors, according to the statement. Graf directed police to a calculator app on his phone where the images were kept. A search of Graf's phone produced 883 pictures "stored in different files labeled with the victim's name," according to the statement. Two girls told authorities that Graf threatened to end his relationship with them if they did not continue to send him sexually explicit photos. Both girls allegedly discussed their ages with Graf and he continued to pursue them, said prosecutors. Charges remain under review in DeWitt County, said State's Attorney Dan Markwell. An April 7 arraignment is scheduled in McLean County. NORMAL Registration is open for the Illinois Summer Research Academy at Illinois State University for high school students. At the academy, which takes place June 25-30, current high school freshmen, sophomores and juniors will have opportunities to work with professors on various hands-on research projects. The academy is sponsored by ISU's Center for Mathematics, Science and Technology. Students will learn about tools and techniques used in current research projects by ISU faculty members. They will contribute to the faculty projects and/or work on their own research projects with peers. This year's research opportunities will be in the areas of molecular neuroscience, biochemistry, organic chemistry and computing and information technology. The academy attracts students from across the country. The costs is $650, which includes on-campus housing, all meals, evening social activities, an overnight parking pass (if needed) and a T-shirt. Commuter students who do not need the full meal plan and housing pay $330. Scholarships are available. The initial application deadline is April 1. Interested people can download an application online at http://cemast.ilstu.edu/students/high-school/summer-academy/. Amy Bloom, CeMaST assistant director of outreach, can answer questions at 309-438-8115 or ambloom@ilstu.edu. Application review and placement in research opportunities will begin April 1. Applications received after that date 1 will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis as space is available, but no applications will be accepted after May 1. Faculty members who will be involved in the academy include Andres Vidal-Gadea, professor of molecular neuroethology; Marjorie Jones, professor of biochemistry; Abndrew Mitchell, associate professor of organic chemistry; and Glen Sagers, associate professor of information systems. NORMAL About 250 town of Normal employees are in line to get small raises next month. Effective April 1, 249 classified employees not including police and fire employees and City Manager Mark Peterson, who work under separate contracts will receive 0.2 percent cost-of-living adjustments to their salaries, pending Normal City Council approval. The town would pay about $55,000 for the raises, said Finance Director Andrew Huhn. The town gives raises to those employees based on the Consumer Price Index for Urban Consumers released twice each year by the federal government, Peterson said. The last four CPI changes were 0 percent in April 2015, 1.63 percent that October, 0 percent April 2016 and 1.91 percent last October, according to a memo from Huhn to the council. Members of the Normal firefighters and police unions get 2.75 and 2.85 percent annual raises, respectively, every April 1 through 2019 under collective bargaining agreements that took effect April 1, 2016. The council approved a 3.5 percent annual raise for Peterson last October. Public-comment policy The council, which will meet at 7 p.m. Monday on the fourth floor of Uptown Station, also is expected to take up an amendment to the public comment policy for the council and other town boards and commissions. Under the changes, speakers would be able to address the council at as many meetings as they wish, rather than once every 45 days; speak for three minutes per appearance rather than two; and speak for six minutes rather than five if they represent an organization, with prior notice. The changes also would expand the time for comments at each meeting from 10 minutes to 20 and create a lottery for speakers if more sign up than will fit in the time allotted, according to a memo from Corporation Counsel Brian Day. Currently, the mayor decides in what order speakers will appear. The proposal was developed at the same time as the Illinois attorney general's office reviewed the legality of the council's current policy. Deputy Public Access Counselor Neil Olson wrote Thursday that the 45-day rule violates the Open Meetings Act and the policy should be changed. Olson also suggested the town allow speakers to talk about whatever they want, rather than agenda items only; speak without notifying officials two hours before a meeting; and speak without giving a home address. Mayor Chris Koos said the first two rules will be kept in place. In other business, the council will consider: A $948,000 project with George Gildner Inc. to replace water mains near Ironwood subdivision and the 300 block of Hovey Avenue. Work will take about four months, according to a memo from interim Water Director Greg Troemel. A one-year, $53,000 agreement with Cardinal Infrastructure LLC for federal lobbying services. The company replaces CHG and Associates, with which the town had a similar agreement before its president started Cardinal, Peterson said. That agreement has since expired. CLINTON A Clinton man was killed early Monday morning after being struck by a car near the Caseys store at the intersection of Illinois 54 and East Washington Street. The Clinton police and fire departments were notified at 6:40 a.m. and confirmed a pedestrian was walking west across Illinois 54 when he was struck by a car, also traveling west. He was identified as William Towns, 85, of Clinton. The victim was transported to Warner Hospital and Health Services where he was later pronounced dead. An autopsy is planned. The accident investigation has been turned over to the Illinois State Police District 6 and the Dewitt County Coroner's Office. Further details, including information about the driver, were not immediately available. Lauren Giraldo has always had the kind of personality people flock towards. The 19-year-old acquired internet fame at an early age via Vine, posting hilarious 6-second videos that highlighted her youthful fearlessness. She soon found herself with a loyal following across platforms, and now that she's a little older, the ability to translate that fame into a successful acting and music career. She's currently working on a debut EP, but when she's not in the studio, you can catch her spreading feminist doctrine via her Fullscreen short-form video program Lady Bits and starring in indie flicks like Hope Springs Eternal. We called Giraldo to talk about growing up in the public eye, growing a thick skin, and learning to shut down slut-shamers. Have you always been interested in social media? I was the only one in my entire school who wasn't allowed to have any social media. I remember everyone talking about Instagram and I couldn't have one because of my parents. I eventually made social media accounts without them knowing about it and, accidentally, they got really big. The cat was out of the bag. I started posting funny videos on Vine. It got a lot bigger than I was expecting it to get. When I first got social media, it was to talk to my friends and post pictures for them and my family to see. Having a bunch of people follow me was different and weird and it's now something I love so much. How old were you when you started on Vine? It was the first platform that I went on. I was 15. Because of the experience I had on Vine, having an audience, I started speaking to people everyday. Now I go on Snapchat everyday and say, "Hey guys!" and talk about my day. Before I would've never done that. With Twitter as well, I tweet things I wouldn't necessarily just tell my friendsI know how to do it now. How did your platform start to grow? Through that I started on YouTube, posting a bunch of covers and on my Instagram as wellI've started doing what I really want to do on the internet. It's given me the opportunity to move to L.A. and live as an adult, which is so weird. Indirectly a lot of things in my life have happened because of it. I was thrown into this adult world. I've dealt which a lot of issues that I probably wouldn't have had to deal with if I just went to college, a lot criticism on the things that I wear and the things that I do in general, a lot of inequality in the work place that I probably wouldn't have been affected by [in the same way]. I have a voice now, and that's one of the things I'm most thankful for. I have a platform to talk about what's important. I do a show called Lady Bits where I talk about feminism, things that have happened to me and things that have happened to my friends. We have social double standards that some of us choose to accept and say "That's life!" I want to use my platform and my voice and be defiant. If I hadn't gotten big on the Internet I wouldn't have been able to speak to as many people about what I'm passionate about. Have you always felt the responsibility to use your platform for important dialogue? I've dealt with so many inequalities in childhood. I remember being told, "Don't wear that, you're going to look like a whore!" or "You're such a slut, you kissed a boy," and if a boy kissed a girl it wouldn't matter. Moving to L.A., I dated this guy that was 26 and he was like, "My wife will never work. She'll just stay home with the family." I was like, "That's a real big reach for you, you're 26 and living off your parents' money and I work every single day." Being a Latina, it's so much different from being a white guy. My whole life, I would always question everything. I'd call my parents out, ask "Why is this happening?" When I was 15 or 16, my nude photos leaked on the internet. Because it was me, it went viral. I was at the MTV Music Video Awards and it was the number one trend on Twitter above the performances, above everything else. Through that experience, I learned a lot. As much as it did suck, I learned to question it. If I'm a minor and my photos are being distributed without my consent, that's not on me. Everyone distributing that photo was the one doing something wrong. Learning those hard lessons in life through having a lot of eyeballs on you made me want to speak on it; that was one of the reasons I wanted to do Lady Bits. For millennials and people my age I felt that there was nothing at the time, no one for me to look to directly and say "She gets it. She understands what I'm saying." That's why I wanted to do it. Have you developed a thick skin because of your fame? There are some days I feel confident, there are some days I don't. I've learned that if you want to change something about the world you literally can. It's been super empowering for me to have a voice. I just got off tour and a lot of girls would come up to me after the show and say, "You changed my life. Your message means so much to me." It's one thing to read it on the computer, to have it in your face is really cool. What advice do you offer those girls? My main message is, "If it feels right, it is right." It sounds really cliche and corny but it goes back to chasing your passions and not really giving a fuck about societal standards and all that stupid shit some people allow themselves to live by. When I first got in the studio I was nervous to write about something too out there because I'm a girl and I'm young and I didn't want to be perceived as something negative. I grew up watching people like Miley Cyrus get slammed because she was singing about what she wanted. I grew up watching Ariana Grande make the transition from acting to singing while I was coming to a transitionI'm going through a transition and will release my own music. It was disheartening to watch her make this change and have people say, "She looks like a 12-year-old, she shouldn't be singing about sex." Those things were intimidating to me as I'm in the studio. "Should I write about sex? Are people going to drag me?" Then again, fuck it. If it feels right, it is right. When did you start seriously pursuing music? I grew up doing musical theater and I loved it. I was Annie. The second that I got big on the internet I was in the studio with huge producers, working on music. This was years ago, making music that didn't really feel right to me. Now it feels like I'm at a point where I'm old enough and I know what music I want to make. I'm working with the perfect producer. I have one song out and I love it so much. I can honestly say I love everything I'm doing career-wise right now. You mean the single, "Only Lovers." I wrote "Only Lovers" and I was apprehensive to release it because it was about this guy I was sleeping with again and again and again ,and it got to this point that we weren't just fucking, we were going on dates and we were calling each other "babe." I was so confused because we were doing the things that only lovers would do. At the end of the day we didn't have titles and I was so frustrated and that's what that song is about. What's in store for the future? I'm releasing a new song soon. Without giving too much away, it's about being really into someone who is way too old for you. At first I was terrified to write about that but then I'd think about the Weeknd and Drake and all the male artists and rappers who sing about that shit all the time and it's totally accepted. If they can do it, I'm going to. You're so busy! Do you ever have downtime? If you don't have a social life, what are you going to write songs about? You're going to write about how busy you are and how emotionally unavailable you are? I will always make sure I have time to hang out with my very open-minded, chill, cool friends. We hang out so much we'll say the same things at the same time. It's almost creepy. They complain that I work too much but, like, whatever. What are you listening to these days? I love Hey Violet. In Chicago at the venue I preformed at I was looking at the posters and they were at the same venue a week after. I was like, "Fuck!" I love them so much. Splash image via Instagram "Sesame Street" is now another platform to inform people about autism as the show debuted its first ever Muppet with autism. The Muppet's name is Julia and she will be introduced on the show this April. She made her first appearance on "60 Minutes" on Sunday night. The new Muppet had orange hair and green eyes and Elmo and Abby Cadabby introduced the newcomer to Big Bird. The new character seemed reluctant when Big Bird wanted to shake hands and "60 Minutes" reported, Lesley Stahl, joined in to speak to the other characters about how they helped Julia adjust to the new situation, CBS News reported. Elmo told Stahl, "We had to explain to Big Bird that Julia likes Big Bird. It's just that Julia has autism. So sometimes it takes her a little longer to do things." "Sesame Street" writer Christine Ferraro also talked about the character, saying it is tricky to incorporate someone with autism into the show because it is different for every person who has autism. Ferraro added she would love Julia not to be the kid on "Sesame Street" with autism but just as Julia. Ferraro, who is in her 25th year with "Sesame Street" as a writer, said they always base their characters and content on extensive research with the help of educators and child psychologists. This time around, for Julia's character, they worked with autism organizations to decide what characteristics would be shown as well as how to normalize autism, New York Daily News shared. Stacey Gordon was the person enlisted to voice Julia. Gordon, who has a son with autism, said having Julia on the show made them feel their kids are important enough to be seen in society. The mother and puppeteer shared she channeled her son's experiences in order to better make people understand Julia on "Sesame Street." Julia appeared in the episode called "New Kid on the Street." The episode ended with the characters playing tag and Julia being part of the group. The episode will let viewers understand how they can help children with autism be comfortable around new people. Police confirmed they continue to investigate the case regarding two immigrant teens accused of raping their 14-year-old classmate in Maryland. One of the accused teens is on the alien removal list. Reports said the two teens forced the classmate into a bathroom stall last Thursday morning then raped her. Authorities identified the suspects as 18-year-old Henry E. Sanchez and 17-year-old Jose O. Montano, who attended Rockville High School as ninth graders. Montano went to the United States from El Salvador and Sanchez from Guatemala. Both Sanchez and Montano appeared in court on Friday. The judge charged them with first-degree rape and first-degree sexual offense. Fox News reported Montano will be tried as an adult, while both are held without bond. Police noted the girl, identified only as Victim A, walked along a hallway when the two teens approached her. Montano asked the girl for sex but she declines. Montano then forced the girl into a bathroom when she expressed she did not want to have sexual intercourse with him. The girl tried to fight back but to no avail. Montano pushed her inside a stall and Sanchez took part by holding the girl so Montano could rape her. Sanchez also raped the teenager but when he heard noises, he fled. Montano continued with the assault but luckily, the girl broke free then told a staff member about the incident, The Washington Times shared. A Montgomery County Public Schools spokesperson said in a letter to the parents at the area, "Ensuring a safe, secure and welcoming learning environment for all of our students is our top priority. Our staff remains vigilant in the monitoring of our school each and every day." Details about the pending alien removal case of one of the teens remained unclear. Police did not confirm who of the two faces that case. They said the two teens just got to the country but did not provide when exactly did they migrate. If the reports are accurate, Mr. Don Peay, who headed the presidential campaign for Mr. Donald J. Trump in Utah last year, exceeded his ecclesiastical authority big time the other day, and blurred the distinction between church and state in a rather offensive and quite inappropriate manner: Trumps Utah point man calls out voters, Mormons who didnt back the new prez Here are a couple of responses to Mr. Peays overreach: LDS repent for not voting Trump? Thats not what the apostles say Apologize for grand theft auto but not for voting And heres a brief reaction from me, myself: I can imagine that there are some cases in which people ought to repent for holding a political opinion or casting a ballot. Any Latter-day Saints who supported Adolf Hitler for the chancellorship of Germany in 1933, for instance, soon had good reasons to regret their vote and to repent of their enthusiasm for a candidate who was plainly a racist autocrat, unconcerned with human freedom, who sought to make Germany great again through violence at the expense of its neighbors and by dividing its people. But Latter-day Saints are entirely free to vote for or against legitimate candidates in democratic elections, to act as free citizens, and they shouldnt be called to repent for voting their consciences according to their best judgment. Even when an active Latter-day Saint won the Republican presidential nomination in 2012, the Church took absolutely no position as to how American Mormons should vote and (as it has long done) barred the use of its chapels and facilities for partisan political purposes. Mr. Peays comments, if accurately reported, were very much out of line. Shameful, even. Interestingly, a controversy based on thinking thats apparently somewhat similar to Mr. Peays is causing turmoil in Americas largest Protestant denomination. Here are a couple of short pieces about that controversy: The Baptist Battle over Russell Moore Really MattersHeres Why Why evangelical opposition to Russell Moore is deluded Posted from Newport Beach, California feature: Prayer, reparation, and praising God are the focus of a new Benedictine priory in Ireland, which focuses especially on reparation for the sins of priests. It was never our predetermined plan to come to Ireland, Silverstream Priorys Father Benedict Anderson, O.S.B., told Catholic News Agency. But we believe that, through circumstances that we could never have foreseen, Divine Providence placed us here to play some sort of role, however modest, in the life of the Irish Church. Silverstream Priory is the home of the Benedictine Monks of Perpetual Adoration of the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar. The priory is a former residence of the Visitation Sisters in Stamullen, a village about 22 miles north of Dublin. It is believed to be the first monastery established in Irelands County Meath since King Henry VIII suppressed them. Sure, theres probably tons written about this in the academic literature, but remember, Im just an actuary, who blogs as a way of thinking about issues that are interesting to me, rather than with (most of the time) a specific agenda to promote. Something thats always seemed off to me is the explanation that secularism is the inevitable result of the prosperity of our current times, so that religious observance will inevitably, absent a catastrophe that sends us back into collective poverty, disappear in the United States just as it (nearly) has in Europe. I wrote about this a couple years ago: But the funny thing is, taken on an individual basis, Christianity is not, and has not, necessarily been a religion of the poor. The first Christians tended to be not the poor, but the wealthy (or at least middle-class) and educated, looking for something that was more meaningful and made more sense to them than the worship of the gods of their fathers and mothers. A favorite sort of conversion story was that of the wealthy man or woman rejecting wealth, and Francis of Assisi was the son of a merchant. In fact, the story around St. Francis goes like this: the economic growth of the High Middle Ages produced this new breed of voluntarily poor Brothers and Sisters such as the Franciscans and the Poor Clares, as a way of responding to their un-ease about the new money economy. At least, thats what I remember from a book from my Medieval history grad student days. And now? Im still reading Robert Putnams Our Kids, and just saw a chart saying something Id seen before, that, in the United States, its the poor who are losing their religion and theres a sharp divergence, as the middle-class and better educated are not only doing a better job keeping their families intact, but are keeping up church attendance in a way that the less-educated and poorer class arent. I have the impression, too, that in China the rise of Christianity is a middle-class phenomenon, too. I was mulling over this again more recently, and asking myself the question, why is it that new-found wealth seems to be bringing more people to religious observance but in the U.S. the conventional wisdom says the reverse is true? But is it really more simple than that? is it the case that transitions of various kinds bring about religious observance? In China, there is a definite economic transition thats leading people not everyone, but a significant number to search out some sort of larger meaning of life. In the United States, well, in some ways, you might say that people are seeking out different ways of finding that meaning of life, whether its new age practices or pursuing a cause such as environmentalism. But Im not so sure thats the answer. Theres a book out now, The Complacent Class, by Tyler Cowen, the blurb for which on Amazon states, Since Alexis de Tocqueville, restlessness has been accepted as a signature American trait. Our willingness to move, take risks, and adapt to change have produced a dynamic economy and a tradition of innovation from Ben Franklin to Steve Jobs. The problem, according to legendary blogger, economist and best selling author Tyler Cowen, is that Americans today have broken from this traditionwere working harder than ever to avoid change. Were moving residences less, marrying people more like ourselves and choosing our music and our mates based on algorithms that wall us off from anything that might be too new or too different. Match.com matches us in love. Spotify and Pandora match us in music. Facebook matches us to just about everything else. Of course, this matching culture brings tremendous positives: music we like, partners who make us happy, neighbors who want the same things. Were more comfortable. But, according to Cowen, there are significant collateral downsides attending this comfort, among them heightened inequality and segregation and decreased incentives to innovate and create. So heres a theory to test: Traditional societies, that is, those with a strong in-group pressure to maintain cultural practices = continuity of whatever religious practices already exist. Complacent modern societies => decline in religious practice. Dynamic modern societies => growth in religious practice. Why would dynamic societies produce more religiosity? Because it is in time of social and political change that people are looking for some sense of meaning, a greater purpose, and also because of the concrete benefits of mutual aid and support for people uprooted from traditional communities. After all, why should it be that the United States was historically more religiously observant than Europe, when subsequent to the initial immigration by Puritans, the new arrivals were no longer distinguished by any particular levels of religiosity? In fact, the level of religious observance in the U.S. also waxed and waned, with various Great Awakenings throughout its history. Are there correlated with periods of change?` And what about the ancient Roman world? Bear in mind, in addition to my statement in my prior post that the first Christians were not necessarily the poor but the wealthy, the context was not simply one of pagans converting to Christianity, the end, but instead, Christianity fell on fertile soil as there was already an interest in something other than the traditional gods, and by this I dont simply mean the mystical cults of which Christianity is sometimes accused of having started out as. In fact, previously Judaism had its own converts, or, rather, the ancient Roman version of seekers who were not interested in becoming Jewish with its circumcision and ritual practices, but were attracted by its monotheism and ethics, and subsequently those people found that Christianity gave them what they were looking for while being fully welcomed into the community. (Or something like that I dont recall the particulars, but do recall having read that Jews and Christians initially viewed themselves as rivals for converts from paganism.) And, again going purely on memory, when we think of the Roman Empire, we think of bread-and-circuses and brutal emperors, and the Fall of the Roman Empire with its barbarian hordes, but Christianity grew prior to that, at the time of the Pax Romana, which I would think would have been a very dynamic time. Now, what about the notion that it is poverty and catastrophe which brings about religious observance, as everyone flocks to the temple to pray for a cure/rain/success in battle/etc., or simply to seek out comfort? Is this based on evidence, or just an assumption? Heres an example: the Holocaust. Its my understanding that there were those who turned towards prayer, but there was a large segment of Jews who lost their religion as well. As a present-day example, I dont see any reports of a resurgence in religion in those regions of the country hit hard by the opioid epidemic, neither among addicts nor those who suffer because of the addictions of others. So itd be interesting to explore more deeply the particular circumstances in which religious revivals occur because when I say dynamism Im not entirely sure myself what I mean by this but it seems like at least a tool to thinking about this more than the simplistic European countries are more secular because theyre taken care of by their social welfare programs. Readers, your thoughts please. (And, no, mocking comments about the foolishness of believing in a deity dont really further the conversation.) Image: https://pixabay.com/en/baptism-christianity-jordan-river-1959655/; public domain Iranians Celebrate Ancient Festival Of Norooz Marking The New Year 03/20/17 Source: Press TV Monday, March 20th, marks the grand festival of Norooz (Nowruz). On this day, Iranians usher in the Persian New Year at the exact moment of the vernal equinox which marks the start of spring. Norooz, a festival of Persian origin, Norooz is also celebrated by hundreds of millions of people from other ethno-linguistic groups in a dozen countries. Haft-Sin table with seven symbolic items representing: health, prosperity, longevity, reproduction and happiness (source: Islamic Republic News Agency) Norooz is widely celebrated in Iran's neighboring countries Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Turkey as well as in countries as far away as Georgia, Albania, Kosovo, China and India. Norooz festivities last for two weeks and are preceded by "Chaharshanbeh Suri" or the Festival of Fire during which people make bonfires and jump over them. The symbolic tradition is meant to trade one's ailments and problems with the flames' warmth, energy and power of life. Iranian children partake in Norooz celebrations in the city of Urmia (photo by ISNA) The Persian New Year comes with its own special rituals. Families take advantage of the two-week holidays to join together for house visits and outdoor fun events. One of the special observances of the occasion is the table setting known as Haft Sin, which means the seven S's in Persian. The table features seven items all of which start with the letter S in Persian. Families gather around the table and pray while waiting for the exact moment of the spring equinox. These symbolic items represent health, prosperity, longevity, reproduction and happiness for the family members throughout the year. One of the customs of Norooz is to exchange house visits during which guests are served tea, pastries, nuts and fruits. People also exchange gifts and money to congratulate each other on the advent of the New Year. Literally translated into New Day, Norooz is the first day of the Iranian solar calendar. The UN's General Assembly recognized the International Day of Norooz in 2010, describing it as a spring festival of Iranian origin, which has been celebrated for over 3,000 years. Also in 2009, Norooz was officially registered on the UNESCO List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Norooz festivities culminate in Sizdebedar, the last day of the holidays which falls on the 13th day of the New Year. This is a day that has to be spent outdoors. Families leave their houses for picnics, outdoor games and strolls in nature. About Haftsin: A major part of the Persian New Year rituals is setting a special table called Haftsin with seven specific items (all starting with the letter "S" in the Persian alphabet) present. In the ancient times, each of the items corresponded to one of the seven creations and the seven holly immortals protecting them. The Haftsin items are: 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 Nokia 3310 phone, a replica of its iconic namesake, took Mobile World Congress by storm last month. It was a surprising show of enthusiasm for so-called candy-bar phones, which remain popular in developing countries because of their rock-bottom prices. Qualcomm believes theres an untapped opportunity in such feature phones and believes it can bring smartphone-like capabilities to these handsets. So it made the 205 Mobile chip, which will bring LTE capabilities, better graphics, and more responsiveness to candy-bar phones. There is a big need for a chip like the 205, especially when you look at the limited features of the new Nokia 3310. The Nokia 3310 offers only 2G connectivity capabilities for texting and calling, while newer candy-bar phones with the 205 chip will be LTE capable. LTE will mean more reliable connections and better call quality. Users will be able to do basic web browsing, send email, and engage in social networking via Twitter or Facebook. Qualcomm estimates 20 percent of all mobile phone shipments are feature phones, and most will move to LTE in the future. The 205 chip supports CDMA and GSM networks. Gaming on candy-bar phones and their small screens will also look better and less pixelated, which should make long train rides home more fun. Users will be able to see streaming video on the 480p candy-bar phone screens thanks to the Adreno GPU in the chip. Imagine dual-cameras on a candy bar phonethat will also be possible with the 205 chip. The chipset supports a 3-megapixel rear camera and a modest 0.3-megapixel front camera. Candy-bar phones will also get voice-over-LTE and secure payment capabilities via the chipset. Those features are important in developing countries, where mobile payments are gaining steam. Feature phones will also get Bluetooth 4.1 capabilities. The dual-core 205 chip will operate at 1.1GHz, which could be like putting a jet engine in an extremely low-cost phone. The chip could also fit in low-end smartphones. But the camera and graphics needs of such phones are much heavier than the 205 can provide. The chip is mainly targeted at phones based on embedded Linux, not Android or Windows. Feature phones with the 205 Mobile chip will ship in the second quarter this year. Two teams of researchers managed to win the biggest bounties at this years Pwn2Own hacking contest by escaping from the VMware Workstation virtual machine and executing code on the host operating system. Virtual machines are in used in many scenarios to create throw-away environments that pose no threat to the main operating system in case of compromise. For example, many malware researchers execute malicious code or visit compromise websites inside virtual machines to observe their behavior and contain their impact. One of the main goals of hypervisors like VMware Workstation is to create a barrier between the guest operating system that runs inside the virtual machine and the host OS where the hypervisor runs. Thats why VM escape exploits are highly prized, more so than browser or OS exploits. This year, the organizers of Pwn2Own, an annual hacking contest that runs during the CanSecWest conference in Vancouver, Canada, offered a prize of US$100,000 for breaking the isolation layer enforced by the VMware Workstation or Microsoft Hyper-V hypervisors. Friday, on the third and final day of the contest, two teams stepped up to the challenge; both of them from China. Team Sniper, made up of researchers from the Keen Lab and PC Manager divisions of internet services provider Tencent, chained together three vulnerabilities to escape from the guest OS running inside VMware Workstation to the host OS. The other team, from the security arm of Qihoo 360, achieved an even more impressive attack chain that started with a compromise of Microsoft Edge, moved to the Windows kernel, and then escaped from the VMware Workstation virtual machine. They were awarded $105,000 for their feat. The exploit scenarios were difficult to begin with, because attackers had to start from a non-privileged account on the guest OS, and the VMware Tools, a collection of drivers and utilities that enhance the virtual machines functionality, were not installed. VMware Tools would have probably provided more attack surface had they been present. Also on the third day, researcher Richard Zhu successfully hacked Microsoft Edge, complete with a system-level privilege escalation that earned him $55,000. It was fifth Microsoft Edge exploit demonstrated during the competition. Apples Safari fell four times, Mozilla Firefox once, but Google Chrome remained unscathed. Researchers also demonstrated two exploits for Adobe Reader and two for Flash Player, both with sandbox escapes. The contest also included many privilege escalation exploits on Windows and macOS. The Qihoo 360 team won the most number of points and were crowned Master of Pwn for this years edition. It was followed by Tencents Team Sniper and a team from the security research lab of China-based Chaitin Technology. The researchers have to share their exploits with security vendor Trend Micro, the contests organizer, which then reports them to the affected software vendors. There was a time when routers were boring gray boxes that delivered the Internet. These days, the more expensive ones look like spaceships bristling for war with an impressive feature set to boot. Thats exactly the look of the Netgear Nighthawk X10, a cutting-edge 802.11ad router on sale at Amazon today for $350. Originally priced at $500, the Nighthawk X10 has since dropped to around $450 or so, meaning the savings on this deal is about $100, not $150. Nevertheless, thats still a pretty good deal for a router this chock-full of features. First up, it of course supports 802.11ad Wi-Fi, a short-range super-fast wireless standard that isnt widespread just yet but offers much faster throughput than the 802.11ac standard. Perhaps more importantly for the moment, this router also offers 44:4 802.11ac Wi-Fi, which means it has four receiving and four transmitting antennas with four spatial streams. The router supports 2.4 and 5GHz bands as well. Beyond its wireless chops, the X10 packs a Plex Server for dealing with your personal media library. The X10 can also act as a backup server for Windows if you attach an external drive to the router, and it can share USB drives and printers on the network too. There are six gigabit Ethernet ports, and a 10 Gigabit-per-second SFP+ port is available for any NAS that has the chops to use it. Finally for you smart-home fanatics, the Nighthawk works with Amazons Alexathough we doubt Hey Alexa, speed up my Wi-Fi will do much for you. Netgear [ Todays deal: Netgear Nighthawk X10 for $350 ] A dissolving stent made in Temeculas Abbott Laboratories facility could be a lifesaver for patients at Loma Linda University Medical Center Murrieta. The hospital recently announced that it is using the stent on patients who may benefit from the unique properties of the device, a tiny, mesh-wire tube that props open arteries after they have been cleared of fatty plaque. Unlike traditional stents, Abbotts Absorb stent is made of a degradable material thats designed to stay intact and release medicine for a year, then break down over the next two years. It was approved for use in the U.S. in the summer of 2016 after years of use by doctors in Europe and multiple studies. Dr. Steve Jin, an Interventional Cardiologist at LLUMC-Murrieta, said he expects his hospital will implant dozens or more each year. Not all cases are suitable for BVS (bioresorbable vascular scaffold), which are less tolerant of imperfections than metal stents, he said. They require due diligence of lesion preparation. Ideally, the stenoses are in straight proximal segments of coronary arteries, and are not heavily calcified. Loma Linda Murrieta is the only hospital in the western region of the Inland Empire to offer the stent and one of only a handful in the region, according to Abbotts website. Other hospitals that offer the device which is more expensive than a traditional stent and requires special training for doctors who perform the implantations are in the Los Angeles, Palm Springs and La Jolla areas. The Absorb stents are constructed in Temecula at a large facility that employs around 1,500 people, which makes it one of Southwest Riverside Countys largest employers. The facility used to house around 4,000 employees, but Abbott has scaled back the workforce in recent years via a series of layoffs. Abbott, which does not release sales figures for competitive reasons, developed the stent to help address the complications that can sometimes accompany implantation of traditional, metallic stents, which over time can end up causing new blockages in nearby sections of a treated artery. This is a major milestone for the cardiac services program at Loma Linda University Medical Center Murrieta, said Dr. Niraj V. Parekh, Cath Lab Medical Director, in a statement. We are now able to offer patients with coronary artery disease a new treatment option that literally disappears over time. One of the major benefits of that disappearing act, according to hospital officials, is the ability of the vessel to heal and start acting like a normal vessel again. It also helps surgeons who need to later insert additional stents in an artery that is not functioning properly. The 106-bed hospital is one of the anchors of the citys white collar corridor along Interstate 215. It opened in 2011 to cheers from city officials and area residents who pined for more health care options in the region, which for a long time was served by only the Southwest Healthcare System hospitals in central Murrieta and Wildomar. LLUMCMurrieta, which recently fired 20 people in a management shakeup, is a part of Loma Linda University Health the umbrella organization encompassing Loma Linda Universitys eight professional schools, Loma Linda University Medical Centers six hospitals and more than 900 faculty physicians located across the Inland Empire in Southern California. A Seventh-day Adventist organization, Loma Linda University Health is a faith-based health system with a mission to continue the teaching and healing ministry of Jesus Christ. Many of the 2.5 million Southern California residents insured by President Obamas Affordable Care Act could lose coverage under the Republican replacement plan, local health experts say. Riverside University Health System staff worry many of the 500,000 people getting outpatient primary care and specialty care at its medical center in Moreno Valley and 10 community clinics may lose their insurance, leaving them to decide between buying medicine or putting food on the table. Most of them are working, productive citizens, said Dr. Geoffrey Leung, chief medical officer for the federally qualified clinical services. Theres nothing worse than to be worried about your health and being worried about not being able to pay for your healthcare, he said. When they have health insurance, it alleviates that worry and allows them to thrive. The uninsured rate in California has reached a record low of 7 percent since the passage of the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare. In Riverside, San Bernardino, Los Angeles and Orange counties, about 674,025 people have subsidized plans through Covered California, the state private health insurance exchange, and 1.8 million through expanded Medi-Cal, Californias Medicaid program. The Congressional Budget Office last week released estimates the number of people without health insurance could reach 24 million by 2026 through reduced subsidies and cuts to Medicaid, the insurance program for the poor. That projection has not been extrapolated regionally, but health policy experts say that coverage would be in jeopardy for many of the roughly 5 million Californians whose plans are funded by the ACA. We are confident, sadly, that it would be millions, said Peter Lee, executive director of Covered California. Exactly how many, and where, is going to take further analysis. Comparing subsidies According to the states exchange, last year 1,484,537 Californians received $4.2 billion in tax subsidies to help pay for their coverage. The GOP proposal would offer a flat tax credit based on age, while the Affordable Care Act also considers income, family size and local insurance costs when calculating the amount of assistance. For the four-county region, younger adults and higher earners would fare best under the Republican tax credit proposal. A 25-year-old earning $75,000 would not qualify for a subsidy under Obamacare but would receive $2,000 a year in tax credits from the GOP plan. A 60-year-old making $75,000 would get a $4,000 tax credit but nothing under the ACA. The toughest squeeze would be on older, low-wage earners. Under the Republican plan, a 60-year-old making $20,000 a year would receive a $4,000 tax credit. But the ACA subsidies are much larger, ranging from $6,800 in Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties to $7,080 in Riverside County and $8,030 in Orange County, according to a Kaiser Family Foundation analysis. Dr. J. Mario Molina, chief executive officer of Long Beach-based Molina Healthcare, which offers Covered California plans in the four-county region, said without adequate subsidies, most of their members wont be able to afford coverage. Before the ACA passed, the biggest reason for personal bankruptcies was medical bills, Molina said. Thats almost died. After this bill is passed, its going to come right back. Expanded healthcare access Chris Winter, 60, of Big Bear City in the San Bernardino Mountains, bought private insurance through Covered California. Even with a $5,000 deductible, Winter said he saved more than $150,000 and avoided bankruptcy after having an appendectomy and a heart attack that required an airlift, emergency room visit and heart-related surgery. Town hall meetings supporting SB 562, state legislation introduced in February to establish a universal, single-payer health coverage program and healthcare cost control, were held over the weekend in Riverside, Fullerton, Pomona and Covina. Sponsored by the California Nurses Association and other organizations, a march and rally will be held Sunday, March 26, in Los Angeles. With Californias expansion of Medi-Cal through Obamacare, single residents qualify if they earn $16,395 a year or less. The coverage is free. About 45,000 Riverside County health system patients got coverage under expanded Medi-Cal. After going without regular care, their health problems had progressed to multiple serious conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease and chronic stress. There were some who hadnt seen a doctor in 10 or 20 years. In many cases, we were the first people to take care of them in a long time, Leung said. That was a life-changing event for them. Deteriorating health strains all parts of peoples lives, including work, self-confidence, family and other relationships, Leung added. Weve seen many cases in the past where, if you can help someone with their physical health, then other parts of their life start to get better as well, he said. Before the Affordable Care Act, Riverside Countys health system charged income-based sliding scale fees for Inland residents without insurance. Leung urged people to continue seeking the care they need to stay healthy and said the county medical system will help them, despite changes to the Affordable Care Act. Our doctors and nurses, hospital and clinics are always there for our community, he said. The man who officers say caused a six-car pileup and injured seven people when he drove the wrong way on the 91 Freeway early Sunday, March 19, is suspected of driving under the influence. California Highway Patrol Officer Dan Olivas identified the man as 47-year-old Dexter Bailey, of Monrovia. Bailey has not been booked into jail, according to booking records. According to a CHP report, Bailey got onto Interstate 15 at Magnolia Avenue, the entrance just south of the 15/91 interchange. Its not clear how, but he ended up heading west in the eastbound lanes of the 91, where he drove for about 6 miles. About 2:20 a.m. near the 71 Freeway, he crashed his 2006 Mercedes-Benz head-on into another vehicle, causing four other vehicles to crash as well. A road crew working on the final weekend of the three-year 91 Express Lane project helped extricate some of the victims in the crash, Sgt. Clarence Bullen said Sunday. In all, seven people were injured. Bailey suffered major injuries, said Olivas, who didnt have specifics. Six others were hospitalized with minor or moderate injuries. This story is developing. Check back for updates. Riverside County supervisors will consider their options in a California with legal marijuana during a workshop Tuesday, March 21. Prop. 64 passed by voters last November legalized the recreational use of marijuana and the growing of marijuana plants at home, subject to certain restrictions. The Board of Supervisors requested a workshop to learn its options under Prop. 64. Supervisors must decide whether or not to allow pot-related businesses in the countys unincorporated areas. Currently, the county bans medical marijuana dispensaries, deliveries and cultivation in unincorporated communities with a narrow exemption for pot grown at home for medicinal purposes. Tuesdays workshop starts at 1:30 p.m. at in the first-floor board chambers of the County Administrative Center, 4080 Lemon St. in Riverside. A new law that allows cities, counties and law enforcement agencies to request the California Highway Patrol to inspect more of the tour buses that pass through their territory is receiving scant attention locally and statewide despite a number of calamitous collisions in recent years. In fact, not one municipality or agency in the state has inquired with the CHPs Commercial Vehicle Section since AB1677 went into effect in January, CHP spokeswoman Janelle Dunham said. The law requires the local jurisdiction to pay for the inspections. The CHP has not set a cost, Dunham said. The laws author, Assemblyman Phil Ting, D-San Francisco, introduced the legislation in January 2016 after a sightseeing bus went out of control near Union Square and injured 20 people. Dangerous buses fall through the cracks of todays tour bus safety inspections, Ting said in announcing the legislation. Its time to give communities new tools to take charge and keep local streets safe. Innocent people are paying the price for failure. The CHP every 13 months inspects buses that deliver travelers to casinos, ski resorts, theme parks and other destinations for mechanical deficiencies. Company maintenance records and driver logs are also examined. But not every bus only about 30 percent of the fleet is inspected at any one time. The law provides for inspections of additional buses at the company terminal or at the destination, said Cullen Sisskind, manager of the CHPs Motor Carrier Safety Program. WHAT LAW? Officials at some agencies said they were unaware of the law. Others said they had no plans to request the additional inspections. Still other officials did not respond to requests for comment. At least 22 people have died in tour bus crashes in the Inland Empire in the past four years. On Feb. 3, 2013, a bus carrying passengers back to Mexico from the Big Bear area lost its brakes and crashed in Yucaipa, killing eight people. Officials at the city of Yucaipa did not return messages seeking comment on the new law. Big Bear Lake spokeswoman Sarah Siep said the city was unaware of the law. On Oct. 23, 2016, 13 people were killed on the 10 Freeway near Palm Springs when a tour bus headed back to Los Angeles from a casino near the Salton Sea rear-ended a big-rig that had slowed almost to a stop because of traffic. The cause of the collision is still under investigation, CHP Officer Ramon Perez said. Sgt. William Hutchinson, spokesman for the Palm Springs Police Department, said, We do not request inspections by the CHP currently or have any plans to ask for additional inspections of tour bus companies. On Feb. 27, 2017, one person was killed and about two dozen were injured when a bus traveling on Highway 58 in the High Desert drifted over the center line and hit another vehicle, the CHP said. San Bernardino County sheriffs spokeswoman Cindy Bachman said the department was unaware of the opportunity to request additional bus inspections. And in a collision that killed 10 people, including students from Los Angeles, El Monte and Riverside, and a Cal State San Bernardino alumnus, a FedEx truck crossed the I-5 median in the Northern California city of Orland and struck a bus full of students headed to Humboldt State on April 10, 2014. Officials at the cities of Burbank, Long Beach and Anaheim the latter the home to the popular tourist destination Disneyland Resort did not respond to requests for comment. LAW JUST FOR SHOW? When Assemblyman Tings office was asked to comment on the apparent lack of interest in the additional inspections, Ting spokesman Anthony Matthews wrote in an email, No comment. Thank you for your interest in this bill. San Francisco County Supervisor Jane Kim had promised to lead a legislative initiative on tour bus inspections there if the law passed. Every single one of these tour buses needs to be inspected, she told the San Francisco Examiner. The status of that initiative was unclear as her office did not respond to requests for comment. Rosemary Shahan, president of Consumers for Auto Reliability and Safety, an advocacy group based in Sacramento, said she is familiar with the legislative reaction to the San Francisco crash. This happens all the time where there is a tragedy. They want to appear to do something that appears to be responsible and timely when there is news coverage and its on peoples minds, she said. They know when they pass things like this its not going to help. Shahan said the legislature should have allocated money to the CHP to pay for the additional inspections. Robert Berkstresser, a bus safety expert in San Diego Countys Fallbrook, attributed the lack of interest to the cost. It may not be high on their priority list until a number of folks get killed, he said. Berkstresser wondered whether the laws authors first asked decision-makers in local jurisdictions whether they would be willing to pay for the inspections. Its one thing to enact the thing, but if its not going to be used what good is the exercise other than just a feel-good type of thing? he said. The CHPs Sisskind noted that tour bus crashes are rare, but Anytime a bus crashes and people are injured, its serious. Were supportive of any increase in safety, he added. If that means increased bus inspections, then absolutely (the CHP encourages them). Tigo Business, the enterprise arm of Mobile Network Operator, Tigo, which offers world-class digital solutions for large corporate, government agencies and SMEs to connect better with their customers and improve on efficiency has announced its partnership with the 2017 Ghana Economic Outlook and Strategy Conference (EOBS). The annual thought leadership conference has over the years brought together government officials, banking executives, heads of mobile telecommunication companies, policy-and-decision-makers, among others; with the aim of deliberating and addressing pertinent issues of national and economic interest. This year, the fifth conference is on the theme, Unlocking Ghana's Economic Potential with Mobile Money and Payment System. Commenting on the partnership, the Chief Business Officer for Tigo Business, Stephen Essien, said: We are delighted to be a part of this years conference which to all intents highlights a topic which relates to our industry. As a responsive business, we have over the years demonstrated our commitment towards activities that promote economic development. The theme for the event is important to us because Tigo has been at the fore-front of championing financial inclusion across the country. We believe that mobile money, as a payment system holds enormous potential to unlock Ghanas economic growth and development. As a business, we look forward to it being the preferred mode of payment and will continue to ensure its development and growth through partnerships and innovations, he added. The Ghana Economic Outlook and Business Strategy Conference is organized by Africa Business Media (ABM), in conjunction with Ghana Business & Finance magazine (GB&F). The conference, will be a full day event, will take place at Tang Palace Hotel, Roman Ridge, Accra on 22nd March, 2017. Speakers include His Excellency Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, Vice President of the Republic of Ghana, Nana Osei Bonsu CEO of Private Enterprise Foundation, among other notable speakers and panel members. Other sponsors include Unibank, GCNet, Margins, the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT). Partners include the Private Enterprise Foundation (PEF), the Ghana Telecoms Chamber, the Association of Ghana Industries (AGI), and the Bank of Ghana among several others. Source: Peacefmonline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video FILE PHOTO: China's President Xi Jinping meets U.S. State of Secretary, Rex Tillerson at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, March 19, 2017. REUTERS/Thomas Peter/File Photo By Kevin Yao BEIJING (Reuters) - China's government has been seeking advice from its think-tanks and policy advisers on how to counter potential trade penalties from U.S. President Donald Trump, getting ready for the worst, even as they hope for business-like negotiations. The policy advisers believe the Trump administration is most likely to impose higher tariffs on targeted sectors where China has a big surplus with the United States, such as steel and furniture, or on state-owned firms. China could respond with actions such as finding alternative suppliers of agriculture products or machinery and manufactured goods, while cutting its exports of consumer staples such as mobile phones or laptops, they said. Other options include imposing tax or other restrictions on big U.S. firms operating in China, or limiting their access to China's fast-growing services sector, they added. Beijing was a particular target of Trump's rhetoric during last year's election campaign, and officials see some friction as inevitable due to China's large trade surplus, according to several sources involved in the internal discussions. China's State Council Information Office, the government public relations arm, and the Ministry of Commerce did not return requests for comment. "There is still room for both sides to resolve problems through co-operation and consultation, rather than just resorting to retaliation," said a policy adviser who spoke on condition of anonymity. "But we should have plans in case things go wrong." Premier Li Keqiang said last week that Beijing did not want to see a trade war with the United States and urged talks between both sides to achieve common ground. U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin also said last week that the Trump administration did not want trade wars, but that certain trade relationships needed re-examining to make them fairer for U.S. workers. No major U.S. measures have been announced, and there were no public indications of Washington's intentions on trade at the weekend when Secretary of State Rex Tillerson visited China. Story continues Trump is expected to host President Xi Jinping next month. A glimpse of the uncertain future, however, came on Saturday in a communique after a meeting of finance ministers at the G20 in Germany, which dropped a pledge to keep global trade free and open, acquiescing to an increasingly protectionist United States after the two-day meeting failed to yield a compromise. GOODWILL GESTURE The sources said China could step up some imports from the United States and boost its investment there to help create more jobs as a goodwill gesture, but would not meekly accept any unilateral U.S. action. "We will have contingency plans to cope with the worst policies from Trump," said a second policy adviser. Trump has previously threatened a 45 percent tariff on China's exports and frequently said on the campaign trail that he would label China a currency manipulator, even though Beijing has not been actively weakening the yuan in recent years. In an interview with Reuters on Feb. 23, he declared China the "grand champions" of currency manipulation. "It's hard to say his views have changed or he has become more pragmatic," said the first adviser. Mnuchin has pledged a more methodical approach to analyzing Beijing's foreign exchange practices. Under the three criteria set by the U.S. Treasury to determine whether a country is manipulating its currency for a trade advantage, China only meets one: running a trade surplus of more than $20 billion with the United States. The U.S. Treasury's next report on the issue is due in April. China's surplus with the United States fell by $20.1 billion to $347 billion in 2016, the U.S. Commerce Department said on Tuesday, while Chinese data put it somewhat lower. One of the sources said he thought it unlikely that Trump would label China a currency manipulator. "If he does that, China will let the yuan go, and the yuan will fall sharply," the source said. Weakening the yuan or dumping some of China's massive holdings of U.S Treasuries could be considered only when trade relations deteriorate sharply, the sources said. Earlier this month, former commerce minister Gao Hucheng said during the annual meeting of parliament that China was not afraid of a trade war, though it hoped to avoid one. "We are willing to deal with it properly, but we are not afraid. Once the U.S. side take certain measures, we will evaluate and analyze such measures, and take actions when necessary," Gao said. (Additional reporting by Elias Glenn; Editing by Will Waterman) NonCitizen Ghana Card: How Consistent With The Spirit And Letters Of The ECOWAS Treaty And Free Movement Protocols? In January 2013, the National Identification Authority (NIA) began an exercise to register all foreign nationals living in Ghana. This exercise was part of a comprehensive process to issue all people living in Ghana, both nationals and non-nationals, with modern and highly secure identity cards known as the Ghana Card. The cost of obtaining the ID card (known as the Non-Citizen Ghana Card) for non-nationals, is put at a Hundred and Twenty Dollars ($120) and is renewable every year at the cost of $60. For nationals, the ID card is obtained at no cost and renewable every five years. Regulation 7(2) of the National Identity Register Regulations, 2012 (LI 2111) of the Republic of Ghana obliges service providers to demand the presentation of the Ghana Card (i.e. the National Identity Card and the Non-Citizen Ghana Card) before offering any of the services stated in Regulation 7(1) and the Ghana Gazette No.65 dated July 8, 2015. These services include the issuance of a Residence Permit to a foreign national resident in Ghana; admission into any educational institution in Ghana; opening of bank accounts and other financial transactions; registration of SIM cards; purchase of insurance policies; transactions that have social security implications and pensions; and application for public or Government service such as Drivers License, purchase, transfer and registration of land and payment of taxes, among others. The regulation states further that service providers who offer any of the stipulated services to foreign nationals without recourse to the Ghana card are liable to sanctions under the law and according to Section 73 (2) of the National Identity Register Act, 2008 (Act 750) the penalty for the contravention of the regulation shall be a fine of not more than 2,500 penalty units or imprisonment for a term of not more than five (5) years. Where the offence is committed by a body corporate, every director, manager, partner, secretary or officer of that body corporate or a person purporting to act in that capacity is liable on summary conviction to the above stated penalty. The only category of persons exempted from the requirement of the Ghana Card are members of the diplomatic community, meaning that all other ECOWAS Community citizens living in Ghana together with their spouses and family members cannot receive immigration services unless and until they have acquired and attached a copy of the Non-Citizen Ghana card. The implementation of this policy comes at the back of the desire by the sub-regional bloc - ECOWAS to ensure regional integration among its members by promoting the free movement and residence of citizens of the economic community. According to the ECOWAS Revised Treaty of 1993, the aims of the ECOWAS Community are to promote co-operation and integration, leading to the establishment of an economic union in West Africa in order to raise the living standards of its peoples, and to maintain and enhance economic stability, foster relations among Member States and contribute to the progress and development of the African continent. To achieve this, the Treaty provides under Article 3(2) (d) (iii)) that the Community shall, by stages, ensure among others the establishment of a common market through the removal, between Member States, of obstacles to the free movement of persons, goods, services and capital, and to the right of residence and establishment. Furthermore, the Protocol relating to Free Movement of Persons, Residence and Establishment (Protocol A/P.1/5/79) provides that ECOWAS citizens have the right to enter, reside and establish in the territory of Member States. From the provisions of the National Identity Register Regulations, it is clear that the requirement of a non-citizen Ghana card for foreigners is not for the purposes of effecting the right of residence of community citizens in Ghana as provided by Protocol A/P.1/5/79, however, the requirement that ECOWAS citizens living in Ghana should hold an ID Card places an obstacle on their right of residence and establishment contrary to the provisions of the ECOWAS Treaty and Protocol. This is because obtaining the non-citizen Ghana card has been made a pre-condition for obtaining immigration services; meaning that if any Community citizen living in Ghana is unable to afford the sum of $120 for the card, such a person cannot obtain a work or resident permit to enable the exercise of the right of residency and establishment in Ghana. This payment of $120 is in addition to the Five Hundred Dollar ($500) fee for obtaining a resident permit, making a total of $620 (GHC2, 852). In the event of a delay in obtaining the required resident permit, the citizen risks paying a penalty of (GHC60) for every month that the delay occurs, while failure to renew this card after a period of one year would result in making a fresh application at the cost of $120. What is more interesting is that, contrary to the provisions of Regulation 7(2) of the National Identity Register Regulations, 2012 (LI 2111), the Non-Citizen Ghana card is not recognised for transactions by most service providers within the banking and the telecommunication industries. This writer was particularly surprised, on presenting the Ghana card for transaction, at the ease with which the bank personnel discountenanced the card as a valid proof of identity. A similar experience happened when this writer proposed to use the card for the purchase of a sim card at one of the biggest telecommunication companies in the country. The companys response was more shocking: for foreigners we only accept the national passport. Conclusively, not only is the non-citizen Ghana card a stumbling block to the right of community citizens to reside and establish in Ghana, it also clearly tags them as foreigners creating an opportunity for prejudice. This practice of roping in ECOWAS citizens with other third countries citizens as foreigners is clearly very inimical to the integration agenda of ECOWAS. Undoubtedly ECOWAS Member States have the right to make laws and policies within their territory, however, the net effect of such laws and policies should not strike at the root of the integration agenda. Where this is the case, then such laws become questionable. The requirement that community citizens must obtain, as condition for obtaining their work/ resident permit, an ID card which is not valid for any transaction in the country, at an exorbitant fee of $120 dollars; and which is to be renewed every year at $60, is discriminatory, particularly because the national ID card, which was put in place to achieve similar objective as the non-citizen Ghana card, is issued at no cost to nationals and renewable after five years. Article 23(1) of the ECOWAS Supplementary Protocol on the Second Phase of the Protocol on Free Movement of Persons, the Right of Residence and Establishment (Protocol A/SP.1/7/86) provides as follows: No matter the conditions of their authorisation of residence, migrant workers who comply with rules and regulations governing residence, shall enjoy equal treatment with nationals of the host Member State Paragraph 2 of same Article goes further to state that Migrant workers who comply with the rules and regulations governing residence shall enjoy equal treatment with nationals of the host Member State in the holding of employment or the practice of their profession. A combined reading of the ECOWAS Treaty and the Free Movement Protocol and Supplementary Protocol cited above shows that the application of any national law in determining the process of issuing resident permits to community citizens should neither deprive the citizens of their community rights nor be applied in a manner that discriminates against non-nationals. As such, where exorbitant fees are charged for resident permits or where conditions are placed for obtaining same and where such conditions, if not met would amount to a denial of the right of residence/establishment of the Community citizen, then such national laws would be considered discriminatory under ECOWAS Community law. The current practise of requiring Community citizens to hold a non-citizen Ghana card before they can obtain work/resident permit and the exorbitant fee of $500 for obtaining the permit raises fundamental questions in regard to Ghanas commitment to the ECOWAS regional integration agenda. In Nigeria for example, the official fee for obtaining a resident permit for Ghanaians living in that jurisdiction is only Five Hundred Naira (N500), which is about $2 or GHC8. Having considered these practices in the light of economic reality, one wonders if these excessive charges are a veiled strategy to send away ECOWAS citizens who cannot afford to pay and, by extension, prevent them from residing in Ghana. Another pertinent question that need clarification is: why are ECOWAS citizens treated the same way as other citizens from Asia, Europe and other third countries? Are citizens from ECOWAS Countries really at par with citizens of third party countries in Ghana? If the answer is yes, what then is the purpose of regional integration and free movement as provided by the ECOWAS Treaty and Protocol? What happens if all other ECOWAS Member States are to apply similar directly discriminatory policies? Source: Ugonna Ukaigwe, ECOWAS Citizen 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 Vice President, Alhaji Dr Mahamudu Bawumia says students and old students of St Augustines college (AUGUSCO) in Cape Coast in the Central Region must raise their heads high because the college is a great one. According to him, the list of old boys of the school who had contributed to the development of the nation speak for itself, hence the need for them to feel proud. He made particular reference to Dr Papa Kwesi Nduom, Mr Hackman Owusu Agyemang and Dr Paul Acquah, all products of St. Augustines College whom he said, their contributions to the nations development cannot be swept under the carpet. Dr Paul Acquah was my former boss and judging from his expertise as well as that of other well-known Ghanaians who passed through this college, there is no doubt that Augusco is a great college. You must therefore be proud of this school, he stated. The Vice President said this during the 87th Speech and Prize giving day of the college in Cape Coast over the weekend. Speaking at the function as the special guest of honour on the theme Raising ethical leaders for nation building; the pivotal role of students, the Vice President noted that unemployment rate in the country today puts a lot of pressure on the youth. He bemoaned the rate at which the youth have resorted to galamsey in their quest to fend for themselves, adding it is prudent for every government to pay attention to education and its quality delivery hence his governments free Senior High School (SHS) to build human capacity Ghana needs for growth. Dr Bawumia disclosed that government will soon come out with a clear cut policy on galamsey to stamp it out once and for all. This is why the recent budget deliberates on moving the country to a whole new pedestal to provide jobs for the youth, he added. He further disclosed that this year, Ghana will chart a new path by putting in place a national identification system for everyone to be uniquely identified. He explained that all major stakeholders as well as the technical team had been put together and the exercise will hopefully roll out by the third quarter of this year. Dr Bawumia again pointed out that a unique property addressing code or system will also be introduced in July to formalise the economy and also to prevent people from engaging in unethical and deviant behaviours. Businesses can deliver services to any address easily with this kind of system, he stated. The Vice President hinted that to motivate teachers to give off their best, his government will put up affordable housing schemes for teachers nationwide and institute regular training programmes to enable them upgrade themselves. He stated that government was going to take up all abandoned projects In the second cycle institutions across the country and get them work again.. The headmaster of the college, Mr Joseph Connel mentioned the dwindling number of non-teaching staff who are not replaced upon retirement as well as inadequate security for the school as the major challenges facing them. He appealed to government to look at whatever is stalling recruitment of non-teaching staff to reduce the pressure on heads of schools who have no power to recruit. Source: Today Newspaper 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 reverend minister-cum-Member of Parliament for Assin South , Ntim Fordjour, is leading a crusade against people who have taken advantage of the loopholes in the system to establish unlicensed gambling in the country. He observed that the Gaming Act of 2005 [Act 721] needs some strengthening in a form of amendment to check the proliferation of unlicensed gambling spots across the country. Making a statement in Parliament Mr Fordjour said though Ghana between 2011 and 2014 got GHC7 million in revenue through gaming licencing, the damage and negative impact it has on society cannot be quantified in monetary terms . He said research has proved that 65 per cent of gamblers later depends on other people like friends for survival, adding gambling has tendencies of causing clinical psychological disorder known pathological gambling syndrome. That syndrome, he said, is a behavioral disorder which is difficult to bring under control, saying it leads to addiction, depression and in some cases suicide. According to the MP, it gambling also promotes other social vices, divorce, financial crisis and crime such as theft and fraud. Mr Fordjour has thus called on the Ministry of the Interior, the Gaming Commission, MMDCES and other stakeholders to help from a regulatory task force to check the menace. Former Deputy Minister of the Interior, James Agalga agreed with Mr Fordjour on the issue of proliferation of unlicensed gambling, adding under his tenure, the Ministry did its best to curb the menace. He, however, admitted gaming has been one source of revenue generation by the government Source: 3news Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video President Akufo-Addo has assured stakeholders in the creative arts industry that his government will be efficient in working to boost the potential of the industry. According to him, the government has already put in place measures to transform the literary arts industry. The President said his government is committed to building ultra-modern theaters in Tamale, Kumasi and Takoradi to promote local arts. We are committed to building multi-purpose theaters in Takoradi, Kumasi and Tamale. It is sad that it has taken this long, but we should make good this serious omission in our artistic and cultural infrastructure, the president said. Speaking at the 10th Anniversary of Ghana International Schools annual Drama night, Nana Akufo-Addo bemoaned the seeming neglect of the book industry in the country. He expressed worry that most books on Ghanas history and culture were published overseas rather than in the country. He has however pledged governments commitment to support local authorship. My government has put in place plans to promote the literary arts, by encouraging our writers and publishers to produce books that portray are rich culture. Today, the most beautiful books on Ghanas culture are predominantly written by foreigners or published abroad. We intend to support the book industry and promote local authorship. The music industry is going to be given a boost to meet its potential. Well source support and enforce priority piracy law for the industry to promote our musicians, he said. 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 Two men of God are currently at each others throat over who first predicted the Kintampo Waterfalls disaster where about 18 lives were lost and more than 30 persons suffering various degrees of injuries. Whereas Kumasi-based prophet Reynolds Oduro Gyebi of the General Overseer of Gods Crown Chapel claims he should be credited for predicting the unfortunate incident, an Accra-based Prophet Samuel A Offei, the General overseer of the Lamb Apostolic Ministry Lapaz- Accra thinks otherwise. According to Prophet Reynolds Oduro Gyebi he prophesied the incident while preaching on Kumasi-based Abusua Fm just last week stating I have seen in a vision that a school is about to embark on an excursion to Kintampo Waterfalls, but they had an accident and all of them died. I want them to cancel the trip or postpone it. His colleague on the other hand in an interview following the recent spate of suicides in the country was reported as saying until government sets aside a national day of prayer in schools across the country to overpower demonic plans against the country, the needless deaths will continue unabated. He said prayers in this regard should not be restricted to only Christians but Muslims could also play a pivotal role in stemming this negative tide he said is characterized by suicides and accidents. I have seen in the spiritual realm accidents, natural disasters and strange diseases occurring to school children/ students which has resulted their death. We need to pray against these things. The youth are our future leaders so Satan has planned to destroy them, he said. Prophet Offei called on the Ghana Education Service (GES) and School heads to commit sometime during their studies to pray. The mission of Satan this year is to destruct, destroy and kill so what happened at Asikuma Odoben in the central region, Kumasi K T I incident, the Legon level 400 girl and yesterday four female students who died in an accident at Sunyani is just a warning , he revealed. Meanwhile, families of deceased persons have started claiming bodies after identification was conducted on Monday March 20, 2017. Source: mynewsgh.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 Vice Chairperson of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) Anita Desoso has warned one of the partys popular serial callers, Frank Appiah aka Appiah Stadium, that hell soon run away from Kumasi for his dear life if his cover is blown. According to her, Appiah Stadium has done the NDC a lot of wrongs which have worked against the interest of the party, adding that it is nauseating to hear the same person point accusing fingers at some leading members of the NDC. Her threats come in the wake of allegations made by Appiah Stadium, that she Anita Desoso and Deputy General Secretary of the NDC, Koku Anyidoho have a grand agenda to ruin the political future of ex-President John Mahama. Appiah Stadium who defected from the NPP to the NDC told Kasapa News that the duo have hatched a plan to make it impossible for Mr Mahama to stage a comeback to lead the NDC in 2020 elections. He said his claim has been reinforced by an interview Koku Anyidoho granted GHOne TV a few days ago during which he made a statement to the fact that leadership will rotate, I loved President Mills, but I worked for President Mahama. Anita also recently accused the various campaign groups that were formed for Mahama of contributing largely to the parties defeat in last years elections. Appiah Stadium warned both party executives to stop their moves to make John Mahama unpopular or hell strip them naked by exposing their evil agenda. But responding to the allegations by Appiah Stadium, in an interview with Kasapa News, Anita Desoso vowed not to allow the former whom she described as a stranger, to be made a chief in NDC. Today you Appiah Stadium, you are the cause of the death and maiming of some NDC supporters in Kumasi just before the 2008 elections, which forced Ambassador Ohene Agyekum and me to invoke curses on our opponents a move that saved our party and brought us to power. Today you think youre better off so you insult me and claim youll strip me nakedgo ahead. I dont blame you, youre now a royal in the NDC and some of us have become slaves. Youre a Judas who has turned into a Jesus Christ, today you love John Mahama than I do? Tell your paymasters that I say they should come forward themselves. With the sort of treatment you meted out to the NDC in Ashanti Region before 2008, if the NPP were to do same to you now, you would have been dead. Anita added: The NDC is bigger than both of us, you should know that you joined the party from the NPP and Ill not allow you to be a chief in NDC. If Appiah Stadium doesnt take care, hell soon run away from Kumasi and seek refuge elsewhere when his wrongs against the party are exposed. Source: kasapafmonline.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 Few things are less welcome than the shrill bark of the Monday morning alarm. And anything that wakes you up in the wee hours before then should be considered cause for justifiable murder. So if any of you happen to work with someone who lives along Melbournes Port Phillip Bay area, it might be best to give em a wide berth this morning. Residents around the waters edge copped a pretty harsh awakening at around 5:15am this morning when a ships emergency siren decided to have a good old fashioned doot for around half an hour. The horn could reportedly be heard from Newport all the way down to Hampton (which we assure you are two real places in Melbourne and not just the set locations in an episode of The OC) and managed to stir more than a handful of peeps from an otherwise peaceful Sunday night snooze. Is it fair game to torpedo a ship that sounds its horn for half an hour at 5am and prevents you from sleeping? James Wagstaff (@james_wagstaff) March 19, 2017 To the ship that is in the Melbourne port and decided to sit on his horn for 30 minutes at 5am F you, Trying to sleep. Alyssa Jones (@Lyssarjones) March 19, 2017 Has half of Melbourne been woken up by this ship horn? Its out of control #STFU ?? Lachie McDonald (@Lachie_McD) March 19, 2017 What was up with that ship sounding the general emergency signal on its horn in Melbourne at 5am? Anyone know? u???n? (@jurgen) March 19, 2017 Is that a ship in melbourne sounding its horn over and over? Courtney Carthy (@ccarthy) March 19, 2017 I wish the captain of what ever ship is in Hobson Bay / the Yarra / port of Mlbourne would stop with its fog horn. Kim (@SirRubalot) March 19, 2017 For reference, a ships emergency siren sounds a little like this: Instead of the dulcet tones of marimba, a big heap of Melburnians got woken up at the arse-crack of dawn to the looming arrival of the Spanish Armada. Victoria Police assert that the siren was merely a false alarm, which Im sure must be very reassuring to the bleary-eyed residents of *checks map* Elwood. Source: Herald Sun. Photo: Auscape/Getty. Sydney make-up artist and eyebrow tattooing warlock Gordana Poljak has published a Facebook post accusing ritzy venue Coogee Pavilion of turning her away because of her tattoos. Poljak has a number of tatts, including on her neck and hands, but she says that she had never had a problem gaining entry to the place before Saturday night. Speaking to news.com.au, she said: They stopped me and said Im sorry you cant come in and I said Why? Im here often, I was here a couple weeks ago. They said Your tattoos.' According to Poljak, the security took the issue up with the manager, who treated [her] like crap. Weirdly, they eventually let her in but restricted her to the downstairs family dining area, rather than letting her go upstairs to the bar, which is only open to adults. I can go downstairs and allow all the kiddies see me tattooed neck to hand but I cant go upstairs with the adults, she said. I was dressed nicely, my hair was up. Its not like I looked like I was going to beat someone up or do drugs in the bathroom. I dont care if people dont like my tattoos. I get it all the time, but to actually be turned away from a venue I should not be criticised for having neck and hand tattoos. People commenting on her Facebook post have been quick to source a number of images from social galleries showing patrons in the upstairs bar with visible tattoos. Hotel licensees are allowed under NSW law to deny anyone entry, as long as it doesnt constitute discrimination based on someones age, race, sex, disability, sexuality, trans* status or marital or domestic situation. Source: News.com.au. Image: Facebook / Gordana Poljak. The Bachelor host & rose ceremony officiator Osher Gunsberg has welcomed the Australian Press Councils findings today that a Daily Mail article about him from last year was completely out of order. ICYMI, the Daily Mail last September published a series of less-than-flattering paparazzi pics of a shirtless Osher, writing that the hunky reality TV host who never has a hair our of place showed a different side of himself [and] revealed his portly frame and unkempt hair. The pics were taken while the bloke was going for a dive on his one day off from filming The Bachelor finale in Bali it was a 30 degree day and he was in a wetsuit. Half stripping off is not just a comfort thing but a necessity to prevent over-heating. The Press Council today ruled that in posting the story, the publication breached several press principals, and that despite being a public figure, this story was in no way in the public interest. The Council considers the subject matter of the article did not relate to the complainants public activities, it said. Photographs of a celebrity will frequently not breach a reasonable expectation of privacy. However, given the fairly remote location, the care exercised by the complainant in the past to not be photographed shirtless, his lack of alternatives in the circumstances and the covert nature of the photographs, he retained a reasonable expectation of privacy which was intruded upon by the photographs and the references to Bali belly. There was no public interest to justify such an intrusion. Osher told PEDESTRIAN.TV that hes happy with the findings. I welcome the release of the Australian Press Council findings today that acknowledge that everyone has a right to some level of privacy, he said. It was important to me to make a stand, regardless of the outcome. Good on ya mate. And PS please look after Matty J for us Photo: Channel 10. The Press Council has smacked down the Daily Mail over an article it published in September last year, which made fun of The Bachelor host Osher Gunsbergs weight gain. The piece published a bunch of paparazzi pics of a shirtless Osher while on location in Bali for the finale of The Bachelor. It was basically a body-shaming hit piece, using phrases like portly frame and unkempt hair while dedicating the entire second half of the article to a history of Oshers public comments about his weight. Osher has spoken publicly in the past about his dealings with mental illness, and in his formal complaint to the Press Council, attributed his weight gain to a side effect of the medication he was taking to manage said mental illness. (In fact, the Daily Mail actually included a reference to his mental illness, albeit in an old quote republished to prove a point about his weight history: I was in Weight Watchers when I was eight. I told you, OCD starts early.) He also said that he has taken great care not to be photographed shirtless in the past, regardless of his weight. The Daily Mail justified its trash article by bringing up Oshers status as both a public figure and as someone who has discussed both his weight and his mental illness in the past. It was unreasonable for the publication to assume the article would cause him substantial distress, it said. It also made the staggeringly big claim that the reference to Bali belly was a pun based on his being in Bali and showing his belly, and was not intended as an insult. The Press Council handed down its ruling today, and found that the piece absolutely was not in the public interest, and that the Daily Mail failed to take reasonable steps to ensure substantial offence or distress was caused. The Council considers the subject matter of the article did not relate to the complainants public activities, it said. Photographs of a celebrity will frequently not breach a reasonable expectation of privacy. However, given the fairly remote location, the care exercised by the complainant in the past to not be photographed shirtless, his lack of alternatives in the circumstances and the covert nature of the photographs, he retained a reasonable expectation of privacy which was intruded upon by the photographs and the references to Bali belly. There was no public interest to justify such an intrusion. Accordingly, the publication breached General Principle 5 and Privacy Principle 1. The Council considers the complainants history of mental illness and weight gain are in the public domain as a result of the complainants own doing and are well known. But by referring to Bali belly, and using the photographs in the manner it did, the article went beyond those matters to ridicule the consequences of his mental illness medication and was likely to cause substantial offence or distress to the complainant for concerns he acknowledged. In this respect, the publication failed to take reasonable steps to avoid causing offence, distress or prejudice to the complainant, without a justifying public interest. Accordingly, the publication breached General Principle 6 in this respect. However, it found the Daily Mail did not omit key facts or publish blatant lies. It was just a really shit article. Recently, the Daily Mail vowed to stop fat-shaming after it published pics of Sam Armytage wearing giant granny panties and was swamped with a tidal wave of backlash. According to Fairfax Media source, the publication panicked over the backlash, and that the showbiz team that runs the sidebar of shame were aiming to bring up the quality of the publication. Well, good luck to ya. PEDESTRIAN.TV has reached out to Osher for comment. Weirdly enough, neither Osh nor the Press Council had anything to say about this absolute travesty: Osher, who now splits his time between Sydney and Los Angeles, is better known to fans as Andrew G. Photo: Channel 10. Camilla Franks, purveyor of shimmery, flowy, and exxy garments, has revealed shes hired full-time security to guard several of her Sydney outlets after an unfortunate history of brazen thefts. The move comes after a woman allegedly pilfered bags full of dresses and kaftans from the wildly popular brands Paddington warehouse sale while pretending to be a security guard last month. The queue for the @camillawithlove warehouse sale ??#queuelife #camillasale #mustwantitbad A post shared by Angela Chezzi (@chronicle_of_being) on Feb 23, 2017 at 3:51pm PST Of course, thats not even mentioning the bloody ramraids Camilla stores suffered a few years back. Ramraids. For kaftans. Speaking to Fairfax, Franks says the muscle has been installed at her Bondi and Paddington stores. Boots are also on the ground 24/7 at the cult Australian brands new home base over in Alexandria. Franks revealed the new security regimen means I can sleep at night, and also emphasised the personal importance of the threads, saying for us they are sacred. We work so hard on developing, designing, producing and marketing them that its heartbreaking when this happens. As for that recent five-finger discount at the warehouse sale, Franks let on that its a compliment in a really funny way. A compliment which could have conceivably ended up with losses in the thousands, but hey. FWIW, theres no word on whether the guards will be required to wear some kind of vibrantly-patterned shawl as part of their uniforms. Source: Sydney Morning Herald. Photo: @CamillaWithLove / Instagram. A UK coroner has issued a warning after a man was reportedly electrocuted to death in his bathtub while charging his iPhone. Richard Bull, 32, was believed to have connected his iPhone to an extension cable while he was in the bath in December last year, laying the device on his chest while it charged. He suffered severe burns on his chest, arm and hand when part of the phone touched the water. His wife called paramedics upon finding him, describing his injuries as so bad that it looked like he had been attacked. He was already dead by the time the ambulance arrived on the scene. These seem like innocuous devices but can be as dangerous as a hair dryer in a bathroom, said Dr Sean Cummings, the coroner. They should attach warnings. I intend to write a report later to the makers of the phone. Mr. Bulls brother Andrew spoke about the incident, saying it was an important warning. We can all be careless at times. You dont think there is enough electricity to do this, but there is. It was such a needless and tragic accident. Source: The Sun. Photo: Facebook. Tony Award nominations 2016 This image released by The Public Theater shows Lin-Manuel Miranda, foreground, with the cast during a performance of "Hamilton," in New York. "Hamilton," the hip-hop stage biography of Alexander Hamilton won the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for drama on Monday, April 18, 2016. (Joan Marcus/The Public Theater via AP) Smash hit musical "Hamilton" is coming to Philadelphia in the 2018/2019 Broadway season at the Kimmel Center -- but if you want tickets you'll have to get started now. Want to be in the room where it happens? There's only one way to guarantee a seat. Full season subscribers for the 2017/2018 Broadway Season at the Kimmel Center who renew their full season subscription for the 2018/2019 season will have first dibs on "Hamilton" seats. That means they'll have seats before the general ticket can even make an attempt to purchase them. So how much is a full season subscription for 2017/2018? Prices start at $219 and go as high as $839, depending on what day you choose to have your tickets for and where you want your seats to be. That subscription gives you a seat to seven shows: "Aladdin," "Something Rotten," "Finding Neverland," "School of Rock," "The Color Purple," "Waitress" and "On Your Feet." You can also buy additional seats at a subscriber discounted price. There is also a $30 processing fee. For more information on being a subscriber visit kimmelcenter.org; just remember you have to purchase a full subscription for 2017/2018 and renew for 2018/2019 when the time comes to have a guaranteed seat for "Hamilton." "Hamilton" is a hip-hop musical about the founding of America and the story of Alexander Hamilton in particular. Hamilton, who famously died in a duel, was critical in shaping the United States of America. It was written by and starred Lin-Manuel Miranda. The musical won the Pulitzer Prize for drama in 2016 and numerous Tony awards. For those who cannot wait until 2018/2019, the touring production of the show is also coming to Baltimore's Hippodrome Theatre. The show is also going to be performed in Pittsburgh. The musical also has some Pennsylvania ties -- beyond the fact it covers the Constitutional Convention (which was held in Philadelphia). Original cast member Leslie Odom, Jr.,who played Aaron Burr, grew up in Philadelphia and went to Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh. Jonathan Groff who played King George in the original cast, is from the Lancaster-area and also attended Carnegie Mellon. Javier Munoz, who played Hamilton after Miranda, used to work at Hersheypark. This story has been updated to include Pittsburgh performances. A man and woman in Berks County were found dead today in an apparent murder-suicide, authorities say. Pennsylvania State Police. Carol Zimmerman, 50, of Mohrsville, was found dead of a gunshot wound around 2:30 a.m., said state police in Hamburg. Zimmerman called 911 at 1:07 a.m. as banging at her door and a gunshot were heard, after which she told dispatch "Garry shot me," police say. She was pronounced dead at the scene. Garry Maurer, 61, of Shoemakersville, who lived about 50 yards away, was found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound in his home in the 400 block of Chestnut Street at 4:25 a.m., police said. Trooper David Beohm said police believe Maurer shot Zimmerman, then himself. Warren Yerger.png Warren Yerger A convicted child molester who is serving a 339- to 690-year prison term deserves every second of his punishment for the horrors he inflicted on his four victims over more than two decades, a state Superior Court panel has concluded. The judges made that call in a recent opinion by Judge Carl Solano rejecting Warren E. Yerger's claim that his sentence is excessive. Solano also shot down the former Chester County man's claims that evidence of his cruelty to animals, as well as his abuse of the children, should not have been introduced during his December 2014 trial. That trial ended with Yerger's conviction on 158 counts of molestation of both boys and girls that occurred from 1989 to 2012, when the victims finally reported it. Investigators said Yerger, now 54, abused the children himself and made them perform sex acts with each other. The youngest victim was 2 years old when the assaults began. Police said Yerger, who accused his victims of lying, committed most of his crimes in Chester County, but that some also occurred in Berks, Montgomery and McKean counties. In his failed appeal to the state court, Yerger argued that prosecutors at his trial should not have been allowed to present evidence of his abuse of animals. That unfairly prejudiced the jurors against him, he contended. Solano found the introduction of the animal cruelty evidence was acceptable because it helped show why the victims were afraid to immediately report the molestation by Yerger. That evidence included claims that Yerger had shot and beaten dogs and kittens and had stomped a kitten to death. As for the length of Yerger's prison term, Solano cited a statement county Judge William P. Mahon made in imposing it. "This is the worst case of child sexual abuse I've ever heard of," said Mahon, who also deemed Yerger to be a sexually violent predator, the most dangerous type of sex offender. "The crimes committed by (Yerger) were horrific," Solano agreed. He wrote that Yerger saw his victims "as mere fodder for a relentless barrage of sexual and violent abuse - a sickening 'reign of terror' - that continued for 23 years, and who accepted no responsibility when the time came to face his punishment." A Lebanon County man was charged with failing to register as a sex offender in Rhode Island. Christopher Coleman, 44, of Jackson Township, was arrested Monday by U.S. marshals and taken to Lebanon County Central Booking before extradition to Rhode Island. Coleman is accused of failing to register as a sex offender in Pawtucket, R. I. since 2015. He had been convicted there in 1993 of second degree child molestation, which required him to register as sex offender. Heroin PennLive .jpg PennLive file photo. ((David Wenner, PennLive)) Even with all the attention focused on the heroin and opioid painkiller overdose crisis, the number of deaths rose again in 2016, according to data released by coroners in assorted Pennsylvania counties. In York County, overdoses involving heroin claimed 70 lives in 2016, up from 64 the year before, the York Dispatch reported last month. In Bucks County, the number of overdose deaths involving opioids -- heroin and opioid-based prescription painkillers -- rose to 185 last year, up nearly 50 percent from 2015, philly.com recently reported. Philly.com further reported that overdose deaths rose by 43 percent in Montgomery County, claiming 253 lives. And the total in Philadelphia surpassed 900 -- more than triple the number of homicides, Philly.com reported. The surge is being attributed in part to heroin cut with fentanyl, which can dramatically increase the potency. It comes even as more and more lives are being saved by Naloxone, which can reverse an overdose, and which is now commonly carried by police and firefighters and also available to families of addicts. In York County, for example, Naloxone was used to revive 232 people, the York Dispatch reported. There's also increased focus on heroin dealers. For example, police in Bucks County recently broke up a 13-member heroin ring, Philly.com reported on Sunday. Donald Trump President Donald Trump speaks at the American Center for Mobility, Wednesday, March 15, 2017, in Ypsilanti Township, Mich. (Paul Sancya / AP) By Dick Polman Sometimes it's possible to tell a big story in few words - as evidenced by an episode earlier this week that nicely illustrates this president's addiction to infauxmation (via Fox News) and blatant lying (via Twitter). Dick Polman (PennLive file) Basically, it's a closed loop. Fox News pumps bilge into his brain, and he spews it out through his fingers. Here's how it works: At 6:12 a.m. Tuesday, Trump was watching cable, as he is wont to do, and he saw this breaking news on Fox: "A win in the war on terror. The Trump administration just killed a former Guantanamo Bay detainee released by Barack Obama. Yasir al-Silmi, once considered the worst of the worst, killed in a U.S. airstrike in Yemen. He had been released back in 2009 even though the Department of Defense recommended that he stay behind bars. One hundred twenty-two prisoners released from Gitmo have returned to the battlefield." It was a classic Fox pseudo-story, and it got Trump's full attention - no surprise, given his current heightened obsession with President Obama. It's true that Yasir al-Silmi was released by Obama; it's true that he was a recidivist who'd returned to terrorism. But when Fox said that 122 prisoners released from Gitmo have returned to terrorism, it left the impression - without explicitly saying so - that Obama had freed them all. So Trump thumbed his phone and explicitly decreed on Twitter that Obama had freed them all. Trump didn't bother to run a fact-check, even though presidents have unparalleled access to data and stats. Nah, he just tweeted on impulse and animus: "122 vicious prisoners, released by the Obama Administration from Gitmo, have returned to the battlefield. Just another terrible decision!" According to facts that are readily available in the real world - facts attributed to the U.S. director of national intelligence - 113 of those 122 Gitmo prisoners, "confirmed of re-engaging in terrorist activity," were actually released from Gitmo by ... George W. Bush. And of the 86 Gitmo prisoners who are "suspected on re-engaging in terrorist activity," 75 were released by George W. Bush. I suppose this is not a surprise, given Trump's obsession with spewing fake news about Obama - ranging from his multi-year falsehoods about Obama's place of birth to his evidence-free contention that Obama illegally wiretapped his Manhattan tower - but it's instructive nonetheless to track Tuesday's episode from Fox News' insinuation to Trump's outright concoction. This is the world we now live in, and I almost feel sorry for Sean Spicer (almost), because it's his job to mop up for his boss' BS. At a press briefing a few hours after Trump's big little lie, Spicer was asked: "Will the president offer a correction to his tweet this morning that states that 122 prisoners were released from Gitmo by the Obama administration and then returned to the battlefield?" Spicer's reply:"Yes, I mean, obviously the president meant in totality the number that had been released on the battlefield - that have been released from Gitmo since - individuals have been released. So that is correct." If you can fork your way through that word salad, you'll discover that Spicer did two contradictory things: He basically acknowledged that Trump had lied, but he also appeared to insist that Trump's lie had been inadvertent, because "obviously the president meant in totality the number." Whatever. The bottom line is that we're stuck with a president whose habit is to pollute the information stream by taking stuff from Fox News and conflating it into fake news. In recent years numerous studies have concluded that Fox devotees are less well-informed than those who get most of their news from other outlets. It's our national tragedy, and an assault on truth itself, that a Fox superfan is occupying the White House. Dick Polman is the national political columnist at NewsWorks/WHYY in Philadelphia (newsworks.org/polman) and a "Writer in Residence" at the University of Pennsylvania. His work appears on Mondays on PennLive. readers may email him at dickpolman7@gmail.com. [*This post has been updated with additional material and to clarify a quote from Dr. John Mission] There's legislation pending in the Pennsylvania state House and Senate that, if it were ever signed into law, would impose some of the toughest restrictions on a woman's access to abortion of any state in the country. The House and Senate bills, respectively sponsored by Rep. Kathy Rap and Sen. Michele Brooks, two northwestern Pennsylvania Republicans, would: Limit abortions to cases of medical necessity after 20 weeks of pregnancy rather than the current 24-week ceiling. Sharply curtail the use of a common, second trimester abortion procedure known as dilation and evacuation, in which the fetus is extracted with tools, their bodies often torn apart in the process. Brooks' bill cleared the Senate in February, on a 32-18 vote, where opponents garnered just enough votes to sustain an expected gubernatorial veto. It's now in the House where it, and Rapp's proposal, are before the House Health Committee. Brooks' bill angered physicians, who complained that they hadn't been consulted about the legislation, which sailed through the Senate Judiciary Committee without a public hearing. On Monday, a group of eight obstetrician/gynecologists from across Pennsylvania, working together, arrived in Harrisburg to urge lawmakers to oppose legislation that would punish them with a third-degree felony for providing a rarely needed, but no less critical, medical service for some women. "I couldn't not be here," said Dr. Lisa Perriera of Philadelphia. "What this [bill] proposes would impact on what I do every day. We decided we were going [to Harrisburg]. They were going to hear from us." Only 1,588 of the 31,818 abortions performed in 2015, or less than 5 percent, were done by the dilation and evacuation procedure. But those procedures do represent more than 60 percent of all abortions completed after the fifth month of a pregnancy. And just 380 abortions, or 1.2 percent, were performed after 20 weeks of pregnancy. Based on interviews with mothers and experts, they are not undertaken freely. These are parents who are decorating nurseries, buying clothes and picking out names, only to learn, tragically, that the child they're expecting has a medical condition or suffers from an abnormality that would doom it to a short, painful life if the pregnancy were brought to term. Talk to some of these women - and I have - and the pain is palpable months and years after it happens. It's a trauma that none would have undergone willingly. But they also know it's a deeply private choice that some parents - free of state interferences - may someday have to make. Three physicians interviewed Monday: Perriera, Dr. Catherine Chappell and Dr. John Mission, both of Pittsburgh, said they found receptive audiences among lawmakers, even as they corrected what they described as misconceptions about their work. *"We generally counsel people that a fetus begins to be able to survive outside of the womb sometime between 23 and 25 weeks of pregnancy," Mission said. "There were some who thought they could survive a month earlier than that." The fetus's ability to survive outside the womb, known as "viability" has been a key issue in debates over abortion over the years. And the current Pennsylvania bills are no exception. In Roe v. Wade, the 1973 U.S. Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion nationwide, the ruling hewed to medical knowledge at the time, declaring that a fetus was viable between the 24th and 28th weeks of pregnancy. Proponents of the Pennsylvania ban say the court's decision is no longer in keeping with current medical knowledge, and say a fetus can survive much earlier outside the womb. Right now, 19 states have passed laws that ban abortion at 20 weeks of pregnancy, with laws in effect in 16 of those states. Seven states have laws similar to the procedural ban proposed in the Brooks bill, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a Washington D.C.-based reproductive health rights organization. In most of those states, the D&E bans are either still facing court challenges or haven't taken effect yet. "They put restrictions on our practice after 20 weeks of pregnancy," Chappell said, arguing that the Legislature's intrusion into the doctor/patient relationship was unacceptable. "This is the craziest piece of legislation I've ever seen," she said, adding later, "the risk of [violation] is a felony charge, which really ups the ante." What's really, crazy, and Chappell is too reserved to bring it up, is the fact that these very busy doctors had to schlep into Harrisburg to lobby lawmakers against this solution in search of a problem in the first place. You'd think that they, like lawmakers, would have other, more important things to do with their time. For the 253 members of the General Assembly, there's the small matter of the state budget to take care of. But, this being Harrisburg, rank-and-filers like Rapp and Brooks are mere bit players until the grown-ups descend from on high with a completed spending plan and tell them how to vote for it. But they can't do that unless conservatives like Brooks and Rapp are on side. Thus they allow votes on their pet causes, even as those close to the leaders hold their noses, brace against the inevitable embarrassing star turn in the national spotlight, and hope against hope that the GOP-controlled chambers don't actually do something as dumb as actually pass these bills. Republicans pushed a similar bill in last year's legislative session, only to see it fall short of the goal line. Opponents say the test vote in the Senate, which garnered one more vote than needed to sustain Gov. Tom Wolf's promised veto, was a critical win. Even still, doctors like the trio I spoke with Monday are sweating the Legislature's vote. And they're warning couples, who might have to make the gut-wrenching decision to end a pregnancy because of some life-ending fetal abnormality, that busybodies in Harrisburg may soon take that option away from them. Craziest thing she's ever seen? Chappell's being polite. Rex Tillerson,Wang Yi In this Saturday, March 18, 2017 photo, U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, left, and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi reach to shake hands at the end of a joint press conference following their meeting at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing, China. Tillerson pushed for closer China-U.S. cooperation on dealing with North Korea's nuclear program in his first face-to-face talks Saturday with leading Chinese diplomats. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, Pool, File) (Mark Schiefelbein) (Editor's note: The editorial below first appeared in The Dallas Morning News.) As Winston Churchill warned, if we ramp up the arms race, we'll just "make the rubble bounce." The stakes are even higher today because so many countries have nuclear weapons _ and they could set the world on fire. This moment calls for a strong, but nuanced and strategic policy, not incendiary bluster. (Attention, you-know-who). In Europe, there's increased talk of a European Union nuclear weapons program that would refocus France's arsenal to protect the rest of Europe and operate under a common European command. Supposedly this plan would be enacted only if the Continent could no longer count on American protection. Therein lies the problem. The world is rapidly moving away from reducing nukes toward adding nukes, an escalation in Europe's military power and a break with American leadership. This is one of the consequences of Europe's insecurity about the White House's relationship with Russia and Russia's more aggressive policies. Similar angst is being stirred in Asia, where Kim Jong-un has forced the proliferation issue like a teen-ager playing "chicken" by firing four ballistic missiles toward Japan. To counter his continuing recklessness, the U.S. is in the process of sharing its Terminal High Altitude Area Defense _ known as THAAD _ with South Korea, which is most immediately at risk. Both China and Russia have yelped loudly in protest _ they complain the THAAD radar might allow us to peep into their military activity. But the U.S. already has that capability in other radar systems and has every right to defend itself. At the same time, Russia has escalated stakes in the region by launching a cruise missile in violation of the 1987 INF treaty. The U.S. is being tested on multiple fronts. President Trump's statements have been divergent: He is on record saying, "Let it be an arms race. We will outmatch them at every pass and outlast them all." He also talked of reaching a new arms agreement with Moscow that would reduce arms "very substantially." A show of strength is warranted, but it's good to keep in mind the American arsenal is as much about reassuring allies as deterring enemies. Reassurance is about credible commitments backstopped by steady leadership. Both are now in question. Projecting an image of sobriety and resolve must be at the core of our statecraft. We might not convince Russia and China of our best intentions, but we do have allies who want to be reassured. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson made a start toward that goal on his Asia tour last week. When President Trump meets with President Xi Jinping in April, he should emphasize the THAAD system wouldn't be necessary if China leaned harder on Kim Jong-un to stop provocative missile launches. And he should let his friends in Russia know _ preferably by high-level talks rather than tweets _ that we will make sure NATO's deterrence forces are well-prepared with the latest technology to counter a first-strike from Russia. An arms race is hard to stop, but U.S. policy shouldn't speed it up. Industrial hemp Hemp, a member of the cannabis species, was once a major Pennsylvania cash crop used to make rope and other fabrics and it may be once again. (Shutterstock photo) Hemp was once a major Pennsylvania cash crop used to make rope and other textiles. If you ever wondered how the various Hempfield townships got their name, you need look no further than this non-psychotropic cousin of marijuana. Now, with the state Department of Agriculture's approval of 16 research projects that explore possible uses for and the viability of industrial hemp, the industry could soon see a resurgence. "It can be a billion-dollar crop if we wanted it to be," said Geoff Whaling, president of the Pennsylvania Hemp Industrial Council. Hemp was once a major cash crop until it was outlawed alongside marijuana, despite not having anywhere near the same level of the psychotropic chemical tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). Its return was precipitated by the 2014 federal farm bill, which opened the door for states to reauthorize hemp farming. A 2015 Congressional Research Service report found that hemp was used in 25,000 products, including beverages, foods, nutritional supplements, paper and textiles. The United States was the largest importer of hemp, where it was a $600 million industry. Canada and a number of European countries saw the return of the industry in recent decades. Stateside, Kentucky saw its planting double last year. The crop had grown to 2,350 acres under that state's program and will likely spread even further in 2017. Last year, legislation signed by Gov. Tom Wolf created a pilot program allowing a limited number of research permits. "Industrial hemp has a long history in the U.S. and in Pennsylvania, but it has been missing from the landscape since the mid-20th century," Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding said, in a written statement. "As a result, we have missed out on many economic opportunities." Researchers will be able to use plants, which are grown for their fiber and seeds, with a concentration of THC below the legal threshold of 0.3 percent. The Department of Agriculture is currently awaiting approval from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency to obtain the hemp seeds that will be utilized by the projects. Federal regulators recently completed a site visit as part of their review. A 1918 photo from inside a New York factory that manufactured rope from hemp fibers. Whaling, who owns a Berks County farm and was involved in the industry in Canada, said progress had been delayed somewhat by bureaucratic wrangling over jurisdiction and regulation. But he's optimistic that the state will be able to secure the necessary permits to begin planting seeds by late May or early June. Hemp plants require 120 days to grow to their full height. Depending on the variety, he said, plants can reach as high as 18 feet. If the state misses that window, however, Whaling said the projects may be delayed until next year's growing season. He's become an advocate for hemp, he said, "because I can watch from my own farmhouse the work that the farmers have to put in to try to make a living." With so many different uses, hemp would provide a lucrative alternative to other cash crops. Here are the 16 projects approved by the state Department of Agriculture: State lawmakers want those who committed the acts of violence and terrorism against Pennsylvania's Jewish community to know their hate is unwelcome here. A contingent of Republicans and Democrats from the House and Senate gathered on Monday to speak out against the bomb threats received last month by Jewish community centers in York and Susquehanna Twp. as well as the toppled headstones in a Philadelphia cemetery. Although a few weeks have passed since these incidents occurred, "the sting of these irreverent and insensitive actions still linger," said Rep. Kristin Phillips-Hill, R-York County. "Acts against a particular faith when they are committed against a particular faith, they are committed against all of us if we are truly all in this together. We cannot be defined by these acts but rather our collective response to them." As part of that response, resolutions have been introduced in the House and Senate condemning the acts of violence against the Jewish community here and elsewhere in America and encouraging education of young people and adults to understand and appreciate cultural and religious differences. Rep. Jared Solomon, D-Philadelphia, and Sen. Scott Wagner, R-York County, are sponsoring those resolutions. Rep. Dan Frankel, D-Allegheny County, whose district encompasses the heart of the largest Jewish community in western Pennsylvania, voiced his appreciation for the bi-partisan, bicameral support for standing up against the acts of hate. "To see this type of hatred being expressed in our commonwealth and across the country is extremely disturbing and I know that in my city, in my community the level of anxiety has been heightened greatly," Frankel said. He said the bi-partisan united front on this issue reminded him of a quote from John F. Kennedy that was from Dante's "Inferno." "He said the hottest places in hell are reserved for those in a time of moral crisis maintain their neutrality," Frankel said. "I'm glad to say the Pennsylvania Legislature is not going to maintain its neutrality. Unfortunately, other leaders across this country have. We're standing up." The first of two eggs in the bald eagle nest near Hanover - the nest that is the focus of a webcam livestreaming through the Pennsylvania Game Commission website - has hatched. A newly hatched chick was spotted in the nest Monday morning, after a pip - the spot where the chick first pecks a small hole in its eggshell to begin the process of breaking out of the egg - was seen on the egg on Sunday afternoon. The hatched egg is likely the first of this year's eggs, which was laid at about 5:45 p.m. Feb. 10, according to the commission. The second egg was laid at about 5:15 p.m. Feb. 13. Bald eagle eggs typically hatch after 35 days of incubation in the nest, but the egg in the nest near Codorus State Park appears to have taken about 37 days to hatch. Last year, the female laid the first egg on Feb. 18 and the second on Feb. 21. One of the eggs hatched on March 28, but the chick died. The other egg never hatched. In 2015, the first egg was laid on Feb. 14 and the second on Feb. 27. The first hatched on March 24. The second hatched on March 25. The two eaglets fledged on June 22. The commission noted that the first record of an active bald eagle nest in the area of Codorus State Park at Hanover came in 2005. Records indicate that eaglets have fledged eight times, most often two at a time. There are no records indicating that any of the adult nesting eagles have been banded or otherwise marked. The webcams, provided by HDOnTap, were installed in November 2015. The cameras are powered by a hard line running down the tree to an electrical panel several feet from the base of the tree. Comcast Business is providing the internet service. Friends of Codorus State Park supplied the bucket lift and other items necessary for installation and the landowner is donating the electricity to power the camera. Codorus State Park has provided on the ground staff and facilitated the project. For more Pennsylvania outdoors, life and culture news: This image released by Disney shows Dan Stevens as The Beast, left, and Emma Watson as Belle in a live-action adaptation of the animated classic "Beauty and the Beast." DisneyAos film Beauty and the Beast has been pulled from cinemas in Kuwait after the countryAos censors raised concerns over the filmAos content. Duaij Al-Khalifa Al-Sabah, a board member at the National Cinema Company that operates 11 of KuwaitAos 13 movie theaters, told The Associated Press on Monday, March 20, 2017 a newly edited version of the movie may be back in theaters later this week. (Disney via AP) Cecilia Malmstrom, Commissioner for Trade, European Union gestures during a joint news conference with ASEAN Trade and Economic Ministers in the ongoing 15th ASEAN Economic Ministers-European Union Trade Consultations Friday, March 10, 2017 in suburban Pasay city, Philippines. Malmstrom says Canada is a key partner against the job-killing, anti-trade sentiment coming from Donald Trump's administration. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP/Bullit Marquez FILE - In this March 15, 2017 file photo, President Donald Trump speaks at a rally in Nashville, Tenn. Trump is taking his message directly to his ardent supporters. At a series of upcoming rallies, heAos working to recapture the enthusiasm of his campaign and reassure his supporters about his tumultuous early days in the White House. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey, File) FILE - In this May 8, 1984 file photo, David Rockefeller, left, chairman of the Council Americas, shakes hands with President Ronald Reagan at the State Department in Washington. David Rockefeller, the billionaire philanthropist who was the last of his generation in the famously philanthropic Rockefeller family died, Monday, March 20, 2017, according to a family spokesman. (AP Photo/Ira Schwarz, File) In this Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2017 photo, Chief Minister of Gibraltar, Fabian Picardo , speaks during an interview with The Associated Press in No. 6 Convent Place, the seat of Gibraltar's government, in the British territory of Gibraltar. As Gibraltar braces itself to be dragged out of the European Union along with the United Kingdom, the livelihoods of nearly 300,000 people living in an economic region spanning two countries, have been thrown up in the air. (AP Photo/Daniel Ochoa de Olza) FBI Director James Comey confirmed for the first time Monday that the agency is investigating Russia 's influence on the 2016 U.S. election, including any "links" between Moscow and Trump campaign officials. Comey and National Security Agency Director Adm. Michael Rogers appeared before a extraordinary hearing by the House Intelligence Committee on the extent of Russia's meddling in the presidential election. The committee's top Democrat, Rep. Adam Schiff, said if it can be proven that the Trump campaign worked with Russia to swing the election to President Donald Trump, it would represent "one of the most shocking betrayals of our democracy in history." In his opening statement, Comey publicly acknowledged what has been widely reported for months: "The FBI, as part of our counterintelligence mission, is investigating the Russian government's efforts to interfere in the 2016 presidential election. And that includes investigating the nature of any links between individuals associated with the Trump campaign and the Russian government, and whether there was any coordination between the campaign and Russia's efforts," Comey told lawmakers. Comey did not signal whether collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia took place. He also did not say whether any Trump affiliates, specifically, were targeted in the investigation. The investigation began in July, months before the election, Comey said, adding that he cannot predict when it will conclude. The FBI director said he cannot say more "about what we are doing and whose conduct we are investigating" because the investigation is ongoing and classified. "We just can't do our work well or fairly if we start talking about it while we're doing it," Comey said. The U.S. intelligence community has accused Moscow of trying to influence the election, saying it initially wanted to derail then-candidate Hillary Clinton and then developed a preference for Trump. National Security Agency Director Michael Rogers, who also testified Monday, said the agency stands by the intelligence community's earlier report on Russian meddling and its level of confidence in the findings has not changed. But he added that he could not divulge information beyond what was released in an unclassified report. Story continues White House press secretary Sean Spicer said Monday that the House hearing did not show any collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia. "Following this testimony, it's clear that nothing has changed. Senior Obama intelligence officials have gone on record to confirm that there's no evidence of a Trump-Russia collusion," he told reporters at his daily briefing. Spicer added that he did not know of any White House officials under investigation and said Trump's confidence in Comey has not changed. Spicer instead pointed to concerns about so-called unmasking of U.S. officials, pointing to the release of information about calls related to former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn. Comey and Rogers deflected many questions about specific parts of the probe or surveillance activities, saying they could not publicly discuss sensitive information. They repeatedly declined to answer questions about specific American people, including Flynn, Trump ally Roger Stone and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. Comey stressed several times that his decision not to answer certain questions should not be read as an indication of what the FBI is or is not investigating. The FBI typically does not comment on ongoing investigations, especially those involving classified information, he said. Comey added that the Department of Justice gave him permission to do so under the circumstances. After Comey confirmed the investigation, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., tweeted that Trump and the Justice Department should let the investigation go on without any "interference or political pressure of any kind whatsoever." Attorney General Jeff Sessions has recused himself from probes related to the Trump campaign. The Trump administration has denied that the president's campaign cooperated with Russia before the election. Trump alleged earlier Monday that Democrats "made up and pushed the Russia story" to cover up the presidential election loss and argued that finding people who leaked information about his associates is "the real story." The top Republican and Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee differed in public statements on the evidence of collusion Sunday. Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Calif., told Fox News that he saw no information to show collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia. However, Schiff told "NBC's Meet the Press" he saw "circumstantial evidence of collusion" and direct evidence of "deception." The California congressman said Monday that "we do not yet know" whether Russia had help in its campaign from U.S. citizens, including people related to Trump's campaign. "If the Trump campaign, or anybody associated with it, aided or abetted the Russians, it would not only be a serious crime, it would also represent one of the most shocking betrayals of our democracy in history," Schiff said. Both Rogers and Comey said they did not have evidence that Russia influenced vote tallying in key states that helped to decide the election. Comey added that the FBI saw efforts to penetrate voter registration database but not voting machines or tabulation processes. This is breaking news. Please check back for updates. More From CNBC Here, there, everywhere why car washes seem to be on every corner Petrobras still no able to sale assets due to judicial entanglement BRASILIA Petroleumworld.com 03 20 2017 A regional oil workers' union said on Thursday that an injunction freezing sales of assets by Brazilian state-run oil company Petrobras, including its fuels distribution unit, will continue to block divestiture, despite an audit court ruling allowing sales to go ahead. Brazil's federal audit court TCU on Wednesday allowed Petroleo Brasileiro SA to proceed with its divestment program, but required the company to restart the processes in all but two projects. The TCU ruling overturned an injunction that suspended sales in December and would allow Petrobras to proceed with the sale of a controlling stake in BR Distribuidora. However, the lawyer for the Sindipetro-AL/SE union, Raquel Sousa, said the union's injunction obtained in the state of Sergipe remained in effect. "BR Distribuidora still cannot be sold. The TCU ruling does not overrule previous judicial decision," she told Reuters. Petrobras did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Besides the distribution company, the injunction has blocked the sale of the Bauna and Tartaruga Verde oil fields, the Bauna and Tartaruga Verde oil fields, as well as inland fields in the states of Ceara, Rio Grande do Norte, Sergipe, Bahia and Espirito Santo. "The National Oil Workers Federation's fight against the sale of Petrobras assets continues," Sousa said. The injunction issued in November forced Petrobras to suspend talks with Karoon Gas Australia Ltd on the sale of a 100 percent stake in the 45,000 barrels-per-day Bauna field, in the Santos Basin, and a 50 percent interest in Tartaruga Verde, still in development, in the Campos Basin. Karoon said in a statement that it understood that Petrobras is continuing with court proceedings to have the injunction lifted. It said the TCU decision was "separate and distinct" from the Sergipe court proceedings against Petrobras. Oil prices steady Friday, heading for modest weekly rise LONDON/NEW YORK Petroleumworld.com 03 20 2017 Oil prices were largely steady on Friday, and looked set to finish the week with modest gains after losing almost 10 percent last week on concerns that an OPEC production cut was failing to reduce a global supply overhang. Crude traded in a narrow band this week, with Brent and West Texas Intermediate bouncing in a $2.50 range as investors weighed the impact of the first oil cut from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries in eight years against rising U.S. shale oil output and high inventories. However, oil has not been able to reclaim the range that prevailed through most of 2017 before last week's rout. Instead of rebounding to $53 a barrel, U.S. crude has remained stuck around $49. Analysts anticipate that regaining the old levels may be difficult without significant drawdown in inventories. "I think that most are just reassessing the current state of direction. Everyone who was bulled up the past few months has turned," said Carl Larry, president of Oil Outlooks and Opinions in Houston. The potential for increased U.S. production continues to build, as Baker Hughes weekly rig count data showed an increase of 14 drilling rigs in the United States. The market even failed to rebound after Saudi Arabia Minister Khalid al-Falih said on Thursday the cuts by the OPEC and non-OPEC producers could be extended beyond June if oil stockpiles stayed above long-term averages. "Neither a weaker dollar nor Saudi talk of doing 'whatever it takes' to bring inventories down to healthier levels is inspiring much buying," said Timothy Evans, analyst at Citi Futures in New York, in a note Friday. Evans noted that market sentiment may further weaken in the absence of a strong rebound to the previous range. Volume was low on Friday, with fewer than 125,000 futures contracts on CME changing hands by 1:15 p.m. EDT (1815 GMT), after the market's busiest stretch of the year last week. By 1:15 p.m. (1815 GMT), Brent crude edged down 1 cent to $51.73 a barrel while U.S. light crude was unchanged at $48.75 a barrel. Both benchmarks were on track for gains of about 20-30 cents for the week. Six of 10 analysts polled by Reuters said they believed OPEC would prolong its output reductions past the deal's six-month duration. Saudi Arabia has cut output by more than its share under the November 2016 deal. Some ask whether Riyadh has the appetite to continue while several OPEC and non-OPEC states fail to comply and as shale production is expected to rise. OPEC and non-OPEC members agreed last year to cut output by a combined 1.8 million barrels per day (bpd) in the first half of 2017. But OPEC's monthly report showed global oil stocks rose in January to 278 million barrels above the five-year average. Later Friday, the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission releases calculations of net long and short positions in the crude futures market. Japan not supporting Toshiba on sharing information with U.S. TOKYO Petroleumworld.com 03 20 2017 The Japanese government said it was not considering steps to support embattled Toshiba Corp and will share information with Washington on developments involving the firm and its U.S. nuclear unit Westinghouse. But Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga added the government would closely monitor the sale of Toshiba's chips business - the world's biggest NAND flash memory producer after Samsung Electronics Co. While the government has been adamant that it will not be stepping in to rescue Toshiba, sources familiar with the matter have said a state-backed fund may invest as a minority shareholder to prevent a sale to bidders deemed risky to national security. "Toshiba's chip business is highly competitive globally and important in terms of keeping jobs in Japan," Suga told a news briefing. "Flash memory is also expected to increase in importance from the standpoint of information security." Toshiba's crisis has only deepened this week. It missed submitting audited third-quarter earnings for a second time and said it would consider selling a majority stake in Westinghouse which is at the centre of its financial troubles. On Friday, Standard & Poor's cut its long-term credit ratings for Toshiba by two notches to CCC-, saying that it was increasingly likely that the conglomerate would be unable to fulfil its financial obligations in timely manner. It added that Toshiba's creditor banks are likely to find it difficult to accept any potential request for further funding, given that the stock exchange has place Toshiba's stock under supervision having seen insufficient improvement in its internal controls. Sources have said bankruptcy lawyers have been hired as an exploratory step for Westinghouse which has been plagued by huge cost overruns at two U.S. projects in Georgia and South Carolina. Toshiba has flagged an upcoming $6.3 billion writedown for the nuclear unit and is worried about the future potential losses. The Yomiuri newspaper reported earlier on Friday that the White House was opposed to a Chapter 11 filing for Westinghouse, citing an identified source familiar with Department of Commerce deliberations. Suga said he was not aware that this was the White House's stance. The agreement to share information was reached between a meeting with Trade Minister Hiroshige Seko and U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross as well as other U.S. officials on Thursday. LATAM trying to switch from fuel imports to increase its own production and refining HOUSTON Petroleumworld.com 03 20 2017 Latin American countries are becoming more reliant on costly fuel imports amid floundering efforts to bolster domestic oil output and expand refinery capacity. Incomplete reform projects and budget cuts that have stalled investments are aggravating the situation for many Latin American countries. For refiners in the United States, it is a bonus: they have in their own backyard a ready market for rising fuel exports. Overall, the 30 nations in the region bought 2.32 million barrels per day (bpd) of diesel, gasoline and other fuels last year from the United States, up 67 percent from 2011, according to the Energy Information Administration. Demands for United States imports are rising in the region's biggest economies, up 199,000 bpd or 29 percent last year in Mexico and 75,000 bpd or 94 percent in Brazil, contributing to the gains. "We need to build joint ventures to find the capital the refineries require," said the head of Mexico's oil regulator, Juan Carlos Zepeda, referring to his own country. "And we need to produce more gas," he added in comments earlier this month. But getting there will take time and in Mexico, energy reform is likely to lead to more imports as the retail market is liberalized, before upstream reforms can boost domestic production. Cheaper fuel prices have made it easier for these countries to buy in recent years. Latin America's bill for fuel imports from the United States fell to about $47 billion last year from $51 billion in 2015. GROWING DEMAND But if last year's imports were measured at 2012's peak prices, the fuels' tab would have been twice as large. Any spike in oil prices would hit countries hard, given the increased volumes they need. "With demand increasing and a stable refining capacity, the region's import needs will continue to grow," said Jake Fuller, a senior analyst at consultants IHS Markit. American refiners along the Gulf Coast are well-placed to continue supplying the region. In contrast, Latin America's state-controlled refinery firms have little capital or outside investment interest in expansions or overhauls, Fuller said. As fuel imports rise, crude shipments from the region's energy producers are falling. Latin America exported 5.2 million bpd in 2016, according to Reuters Trade Flows figures. The United States buys just under half of the region's crude exports. Reforms that encourage producers to bring capital to oilfields are under way in Mexico and Argentina. "We are in the right path," said Miguel Gutierrez, president of Argentina's state-run YPF SA, when asked about political change in his country earlier this month. REFINERIES WANTED Analysts offer a simple fix for Latin America's dependence on fuel imports: build more refineries and halt the subsidies that push up demand. Political realities often collide with such remedies, however. In Ecuador, Venezuela and some Caribbean nations, heavy consumer subsidies have stymied efforts to attract outside investment. Mexico this year raised prices on gasoline by up to 20 percent in a move that caused public protests. "We made this very unpopular move to increase prices. Mexico was along with Ecuador and Venezuela in the group of Latin American countries with the cheapest gasoline in the world," said Pemex director Jose Antonio Gonzalez Anaya. A GOOD MIX Brazil is tackling its needs using third-generation fuels from sugarcane and power generated from biomass waste. "Brazil is in a good position to lead the regional change," Decio Oddone, director of Brazil's oil regulator ANP, told Reuters. "Diversity has been key to address the consumption growth." Brazil, the world's second-largest producer of ethanol after the United States, is able to offer gasoline blended with more than 25 percent biofuel thanks to its huge production volumes. Hydroelectric also provides two-thirds of its power generation. But for now, Brazil stands out in a region where recent economic struggles have curtailed most investments in such alternative energy sources. Sinopec nears deal to buy Chevron's South African assets NEW YORK/SINGAPORE Petroleumworld.com 03 20 2017 China's Sinopec is nearing a deal to buy Chevron's South African oil assets for up to $1 billion to secure its first major refinery on the continent, several people familiar with the matter said. China Petroleum and Chemical Corp, or Sinopec, Asia's largest oil refiner, was the last bidder remaining, and close to a deal with Chevron after an auction that spanned more than a year for its refinery, retails business and storage terminals. French oil firm Total and commodity traders Glencore and Gunvor looked at the assets, Reuters reported last year. The South Africa government's desire to keep the refinery operating has nevertheless proven to be a major stumbling point for buyers who would prefer to convert the site into a more profitable storage terminal, sources said. Sinopec is in discussions with the government on ways to keep the 110,000 barrels per day refinery in Cape Town running, but talks could still fail, sources said. The sources declined to be identified because they were not authorised to discuss the matter publicly. Chinese oil companies and merchant traders have become more visible in chasing refinery assets that come on the market as oil majors reshape asset portfolios. Sinopec declined to comment. Chevron spokesman Braden Reddall said "the process of soliciting expressions of interest in the 75 percent shareholding is ongoing". Plans to sell the stake in the South African business, including the Cape Town refinery, were first announced in January 2016. Besides the refinery, Chevron has interests in a lubricants plant in Durban on the east coast, storage tanks and a network of Caltex service stations, making it one of South Africa's top five petroleum brands. Financial advisor Rothschild & Co is helping Chevron on the sale of the assets. The remaining 25 percent interest is held by a consortium of Black Economic Empowerment shareholders and an employee trust. Nigerian government order by court to overturn seizure of oilfield from Shell and Eni ABUJA Petroleumworld.com 03 20 2017 A Nigerian court on Friday overturned a request by Nigeria's financial crimes agency to seize an oilfield from Royal Dutch Shell and Eni . In January, a court had ordered the seizure of the OPL 245 oil block and transfer of operations to the federal government on the request of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). Oil companies Shell and Eni had filed motions to dispute this. The EFCC is investigating whether the $1.3 billion purchase of OPL 245 in 2011 involved "acts of conspiracy, bribery, official corruption and money laundering", according to court papers seen in January by Reuters. "The chairman of the EFCC failed to meet the precondition for making an application for interim attachment of properties. So the application as such was irregular and the order granted on its basis ought to be discharged," Justice John Tsoho of the Federal High Court said. "Eni reaffirms the correctness of its conduct within the acquisition of the license," Eni spokesman Roberto Carlo Albini said following the ruling. Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company (SNEPCO) said it welcomed the judgment. "As the case itself, relating to the 2011 settlement of the associated long-standing disputes of the offshore block, is the subject of ongoing investigations, it would be inappropriate to comment further," a SNEPCO spokesman added. Shell had previously said the EFCC conducted "a gross abuse of process and an abuse of power" to get a court order asking for the forfeiture, according to a document obtained by Reuters. The Nigerian court case is the latest of several inquiries, following those by Dutch and Italian authorities, into the purchase of OPL 245, which could hold up to 9.23 billion barrels of oil, according to industry figures. The oilfield's licence was initially awarded in 1998 by former Nigerian oil minister Dan Etete to Malabu Oil and Gas, a company in which he held shares. The licence was then sold for $1.3 billion in 2011 to Eni and Shell. A British court document has shown that Malabu received $1.09 billion from the sale, while the rest went to the Nigerian government. Price falls below $50, bullish crude bets cut by most ever Money managers' WTI net-long position slips to 3-month low NEW YORK Petroleumworld 03 20 2017 The exodus of oil-price optimists has begun. Money managers cut bets on rising West Texas Intermediate crude by a record amount during the week ended March 14, while wagers on a further price drop doubled as oil remained below $50 a barrel. "It's sort of a negative feedback loop, where money managers were selling because the price was falling, and the price was falling in part because money managers were selling, said Tim Evans, an analyst at Citi Futures Perspective in New York, in a telephone interview. Bets on rising WTI crude during the report week were reduced by the most on record in data going back to 2006, the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission announced Friday. The cuts came as prices tumbled below $50 a barrel for the first time this year, and anxious executives discussed rising U.S. rig counts at an industry meeting in Houston. On Monday, oil slid 39 cents, or 0.8 percent, to $48.39 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange at 12:48 p.m. in Hong Kong. Saudi Arabia and Russia sent mixed messages as the week ended on the future of the production cuts agreed to by the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries and 11 other nations for the first half of the year. Saudi Arabia is ready to extend the cuts into the second half if supplies stay above the five-year average, Energy Minister Khalid Al-Falih said on Bloomberg Television . Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak countered it was too early to discuss an extension. An OPEC panel is scheduled to meet this month to review compliance with the current deal. Room to Grow' If you make it through this next OPEC compliance meeting and we don't have further jawboning by the Saudis and Russia, or more compliance, I think that you have room to grow on the short side, which is worrisome, Brent Belote, founder of Cayler Capital LLC, which manages $5 million in oil-related assets, said by telephone. During the week ended March 14, hedge funds decreased their net-long position, or the difference between bets on a price increase and wagers on a decline, by 23 percent to 288,774, the largest decline on record and the lowest level since December. WTI tumbled 10 percent during the period. Longs fell 8.9 percent to the lowest level since early January, and shorts doubled from the prior week to the highest since November. Producers and merchants increased their short positions, or bets on lower prices, to 739,736 futures and options during the report week, the highest level in a month. The U.S. benchmark slipped below $50 a barrel on March 9 as oil executives gathered in Houston for the annual CERAWeek by IHS Markit conference. Industry players at the meeting aired their concerns that growing U.S. output may thwart OPEC's efforts to trim stockpiles and raise prices, an idea underpinned by U.S. government data released during the week showing inventories at record high levels. Many shale producers view $50 as a benchmark price for profitability. Bets on OPEC The rise to record inventory levels in the U.S. is a challenge to the idea that the market has already fully rebalanced and that the downside risk is negligible," Evans said. There's still hope OPEC will continue its efforts to reduce the global glut. Deutsche Bank AG Thursday predicted OPEC will extend the cuts not only through the end of this year, but also through the end of 2018. Citigroup Inc. said OPEC's output cuts aimed at easing the glut are real and already are cleaning up the market. We're close to the $49 mark, not too far from $50, Harry Tchilinguirian, head of commodity markets strategy at BNP Paribas SA in London, said by telephone. It seems like there are a lot of people who still have faith in OPEC delivering the kind of cuts that would allow prices to increase. DailyFX.com - Talking Points: Crude oil prices may fall as markets sour after Mnuchin G20 debut OPEC output cut extension may be discussed at Berlin energy summit Gold prices look to Fed commentary for post-FOMC direction cues Crude oil prices marked time, seemingly unable to reconcile conflicting comments from Saudi Arabia and Russia about the future of the OPEC output cut deal with some of the leading producers outside the cartel. The kingdoms Energy Minister Khalid Al-Falih said his country was prepared to extend the accord beyond mid-year but his Russian counterpart Alexander Novak said it was too early to discuss doing so. A gathering of industry bigwigs for the Energy Transition conference in Berlin may bring market-moving commentary early in the week. Otherwise, risk appetite may assert its influence over cycle-sensitive energy prices. That may bode ill for the WTI benchmark in the near term. S&P 500 futures trading significantly lower to start the week, suggesting that a risk-off mood may be setting in. The markets sour mood may follow from worrisome headlines emerging out of a meeting of G20 finance ministers and central bank governors over the weekend. The final communique conspicuously dropped a pledge to resist protectionism, reportedly at the behest of new US Treasury Secretary Mnuchin. This fuels concerns that the Trump administration may upend international trade norms, hurting global growth. Gold prices continued to edge higher as Treasury bond yields declined and the US Dollar touched the lowest level in five weeks. The move seemed to reflect lingering reverberations from the FOMC rate decision. The central bank raised rates as widely expected but offered nothing to propel the hawkish narrative beyond status-quo projections, sending the yellow metal upward (as expected). From here, a thin economic data docket is likely to put Fed-speak in the spotlight as comments from Charles Evans, President of the US central banks Chicago branch, come across the wires. Rhetoric reiterating policymakers intent to continue raising rates this year may remind investors that the Fed is alone among its G10 peers in pursuing stimulus withdrawal. That may help cap golds gains. Story continues How did our gold and crude oil forecasts fare in the first quarter? Find out here! GOLD TECHNICAL ANALYSIS Gold prices may continue to recover after prices narrowly closed above resistance at 1227.99, the 23.6% Fibonacci expansion. From here, a further push above the 38.2% level at 1248.58 targets the 50% Fib at 1265.23. Alternatively, a turn back below 1227.99 now recast as support paves the way for a retest of the 14.6% expansion at 1215.29. Crude Oil Prices May Fall as Markets Sour After Mnuchin G20 Debut Chart created using TradingView CRUDE OIL TECHNICAL ANALYSIS Crude oil prices continue to mark time in familiar territory. From here, a break below the 50% Fibonacci retracementat 47.22 exposes the 61.8% level at 45.33. Alternatively, a daily close above the 38.2% Fib at 49.11 sees the next upside barrier at 51.44, the 23.6% retracement. Crude Oil Prices May Fall as Markets Sour After Mnuchin G20 Debut Chart created using TradingView --- Written by Ilya Spivak, Currency Strategist for DailyFX.com To receive Ilya's analysis directly via email, please SIGN UP HERE Contact and follow Ilya on Twitter: @IlyaSpivak original source DailyFX provides forex news and technical analysis on the trends that influence the global currency markets. Learn forex trading with a free practice account and trading charts from IG. CAIRO, March 20 (Reuters) - Egypt's new stamp duty on stock exchange transactions will come into effect in May and include for the first time a 0.3 percent levy for investors acquiring more than a third of a company's stocks, deputy finance minister Amr al-Munayer said. The finance ministry is targeting revenues of 1-1.5 billion Egyptian pounds ($54.8 million-$82.2 million) in the first year of the new tax, he told Reuters. The duty will also be applied to purchases of treasury bills and bonds, he said. ($1 = 18.25 Egyptian pounds) (Reporting by Ehab Farouk; Writing by Lin Noueihed; Editing by Dominic Evans) By Heekyong Yang SEOUL (Reuters) - The 94-year-old founder of Lotte Group, South Korea's fifth-largest conglomerate, threw his cane to the floor of a court on Monday and demanded to know where he was on the first day of a trial of him and family members. Shin Kyuk-ho appeared confused as he entered the court in a wheelchair, and tried to resist aides' efforts to wheel him out, by dragging his feet. "Lotte is a company that I made, I have 100 percent of the shares, who indicted me?" the agitated Shin Kyuk-ho shouted upon his return to the court, throwing down his cane. His lawyer said he denied charges of embezzlement and breach of trust, as the first day of arguments got off to a dramatic start, with the judge asking the Lotte Group founder to be quiet and aides checking his blood pressure. The investigation behind the trial is separate from the one that led to the recent dismissal of President Park Geun-hye, over suspected corruption linked to dealings with other big conglomerates, including the Samsung Group and SK Group. In a courtroom packed with lawyers, reporters and members of the public, Lotte Group Chairman Shin Dong-bin, 62, his older brother Shin Dong-joo, and his father and Lotte founder, Shin Kyuk-ho, were in attendance as defendants on Monday. Prosecutors indicted 22 people at the end of an investigation over several months last year into suspected corruption at Lotte Group. The elderly group founder, Shin Kyuk-ho, has been indicted for tax evasion, embezzlement and breach of trust, involving a total 223.8 billion won ($200 million). His son, group chairman Shin Dong-bin, has been charged with embezzlement of about 50.8 billion won ($45 million) and breach of trust over about 124.9 billion won, concerning suspected irregular payments to family members and unlawful support of group companies. A lawyer for him said the payments in question were organized by the father, Shin Kyuk-ho, without Shin Dong-bin's involvement. Story continues A lawyer for Shin Dong-bin's older sister, Shin Young-ja, said she denied breach of trust, adding that a payment under suspicion, from Lotte Cinema to her company, was also organized by Shin Kyuk-ho, and she was not in a position to influence the founder. Shin Kyuk-ho's lawyer said he denied all charges, without elaborating. Lotte Group had been preparing a $4.5-billion initial public offering (IPO) of Hotel Lotte Co Ltd [HTLOT.UL] last year, but shelved the plan after prosecutors' investigation became public. South Korea holds a presidential election on May 9 to find a replacement for Park and reform of big family-run conglomerates, known as chaebol, is a campaign issue. (Reporting by Heekyong Yang; Writing by Joyce Lee; Editing by Robert Birsel and Clarence Fernandez) Last week at The Planetary Society's headquarters in Pasadena, Bill Nye listened intently as engineers recapped all the changes they've made to the organization's LightSail 2 spacecraft. Nye has been busy lately. A new documentary film on his life, "Bill Nye: Science Guy," recently debuted at South by Southwest. His new Netflix show, "Bill Nye Saves the World," comes out next month. And he's also been reaching out to the Trump administration with ideas for America's space program. Despite all this, Nye spent a day in a conference room for LightSail 2's pre-ship review, a common space mission milestone where engineers and program managers decide whether a spacecraft is ready to be handed off for final integration and launch. These meetings sometimes wander deep into the technical weeds, but Nye, ever the bridge between engineering-speak and everyday language, occasionally stopped the conversation to ask for further clarification. At one point, the discussion touched on stiffener brackets that were added to allow LightSail to fit more smoothly inside its P-POD, a spring-loaded enclosure used to push CubeSats into space. "The brackets ensure there's no interaction between the solar panels and the side of the P-POD," a presenter said. "By interaction, you mean scraping?" Nye said. There was some nervous laughter. The reply was yes. "Ah, a technical term," Nye said. "Like the way a car accident involves two fenders interacting." Everyone laughed again, and the mood of the room grew more relaxed. "Sorry, carry on," said Nye, smiling. "You're going after all these little things. It's really good." (Updates Sunday story with Schaeuble comment) BERLIN, March 20 (Reuters) - The European Stability Mechanism (ESM) -- the euro zone's bailout fund -- should ultimately be turned into a European version of the International Monetary Fund, the head of euro zone finance ministers said on Monday in a German newspaper. "I think it would make a lot of sense for the euro zone bailout fund ESM to be developed into a European IMF in the medium to long term," Jeroen Dijsselbloem told the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ). He said that would also mean that Greece's current "troika" of lenders - the European Commission, European Central Bank and the IMF - would need to be broken up in the longer term. "The ECB feels increasingly uncomfortable in its troika role, and rightly so I think," Dijsselbloem said, adding that the European Commission had other "important tasks" that it should concentrate on. He said the ESM should "build up the technical expertise that only the IMF has at the moment". German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble has also proposed turning the ESM into a European monetary fund to improve the management of crises in Europe. "With the approval of an ESM programme, the participation of creditors in the restructuring of debt could in future be anchored in accordance with clear and predictable principles," Schaeuble wrote in an opinion piece for the FAZ. A transparent and predictable mechanism for restructuring public debt would help strengthen market discipline, reinforcing the "no bailout" principle in the EU treaty, Schaeuble said. Schaeuble did not mention Greece in conjunction with the ESM and debt restructuring. Greece restructured privately-owned debt in 2012. Public creditors have lent Athens hundreds of billions of euros, but were spared in the 2012 restructuring. Dijsselbloem said the institutions should maintain their roles in Greece's current bailout and said he still expected the IMF to decide on a new programme, adding that it would be "most welcome" if this happened by the summer. Story continues Germany, which holds elections in September, wants the IMF on board before new money is lent to Athens. But it disagrees with the IMF over debt relief and the fiscal targets that Greece should maintain after the bailout programme ends in 2018. The IMF believes Greece's debt load is unsustainable. Dijsselbloem said he did not expect the current review of Greece's bailout programme to be concluded quickly, adding that he did not think the institutions will complete it before a Eurogroup meeting in Malta in April. Greece and its international creditors remain divided over the terms of a review, a senior euro zone official said on Thursday, a gap that will prevent Athens from getting fresh financial support. (Reporting by Michelle Martin and Paul Carrel) An astute and longtime observer of the U.S. military floored me last week when she asked: Are the Marines, given this naked-pictures scandal, she asked, worse when it comes to this kind of stuff than the other services? Newsreels of decades of naughty behavior in the ranks that Ive covered as a reporter flickered through my mind: the Armys 1996 Aberdeen sexual-harassment scandal, the court martial of its top enlisted soldier two years later, the sergeant who filmed women at West Point in the shower while serving there from 2009 to 2013; similar Air Force outrages in basic training that began in 2009 and 2003 academy outrages; the Navys 1991 Tailhook fiasco and the clandestine videoing of naked women aboard a nuclear submarine in 2014. Um, I told my interlocutor. Nothe Marines are no worse, or better, than the other services in this regard. But that got me to thinking: after nearly 40 years of reporting on the services, just how do they differ from one another? Bottom line: there obviously are great men and women in all four of what most members of the public deem the services (and we know the Coast Guard, and elements of the Public Health Service and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration are deemed uniformed services, too). But, not immune to human foibles, each has occasional stray dogs. Unfortunately, without adequate command, sometimes such stray dogs become packs. And, as highlighted by these never-ending sex scandals, the packs can become feral. You have to understand that all of the branches are just more aggressive versions of the post office. But there are difference among the services. Stereotypes are dangerous, but theyre stereotypes for a reason: they have an element of broad-brushed truth to them. The Navy likes to think of itself as apart from the other services. And it was, literally, until the Department of War and the Department of Navy were joined in a 1947 shotgun marriage to create the Department of Defense. In the days before radionever mind GPS and ship-to-shore emaila U.S. Navy ship was truly isolated when on the high seas, and its captain was truly in command. The Army and the Marines are the ground-pounders, down in the mud and blood of ground combat. Thats one reason theyre the last services to open up combat slots to women. By comparison, the Air Force and Navy wage war more antiseptically, flinging weapons from their ships and planes from afar. There was plenty of grumbling from the Air Force and Navy during the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq about all the playing time the Army and Marines were getting on the battlefield. And theres been backbiting from the ground-pounders that the war against ISIS has dragged on for so long because it is being waged largely from the air by Air Force and Navy warplanes. But there is also much good-natured rivalry among the services. You have to understand that all of the branches are just more aggressive versions of the post office, one anonymous, but wise, poster said on Reddit. They each have a preferred method of delivering packages to people and addresses that need them. S/he elaborated: The Air Force wants to deliver from an airplane and get back to the comfort of the corporate office as quickly as possible. The Navy would like to load the package on a ship at some point before delivering it even if it has to travel the last bit by plane or maybe even hand delivery. The Army moves the package overland most of the time and does a great deal of deliveries from some sort of truck. They tend to set up local offices and maintain regular routes, really getting to know the end users. The Marines are like a merger of the Army and Navy, only they prefer to be miserable the whole time. Sergeants in the Army and Marines tend to be preoccupied with fixing balky personnel, while senior non-commissioned officers in the Air Force and Navy spend more of their time tinkering with faulty avionics and wayward radars. These fundamental building blocks tend to draw different kinds of men and women to enlist. The differences seem most pronounced among the senior enlisted ranks, where service loyalties have been steeped in years of service, undiluted by joint assignments serving along those wearing a different services uniform. By the time you get to the three- and four-star ranks, a lot of service-specific idiosyncrasies have been sacrificed to win promotions. Reporters used to pay a lot of attention to the service of an incoming chairman of the Joint Chiefs, thinking that the color of his uniform would be a clue to what sort of military the nation would have. It doesnt work that way. As the chief military adviser to the president, a chairman is among the first to concede that he can only recommend, and then carry out, the orders of the commander-in-chief. Any impact he has is only at the margins. Over the decades, I have been with troops of every service in Afghanistan, the Balkans, Cuba, Europe, Iraq, the Philippines and elsewhere around the world. By and large, they make for great company and are willing to help an outsider feel at home. The differences among members of a single services unit are far greater than the variations among units from different services. In fact, as I wrote in my prior life at Time, the real, and far more consequential, gap is between U.S. troops and the rest of us (I never served in the military). Each service is proud of its ethos, and most of its members believe their service is the best. And while nearly all acknowledge that their service cant do the job alone, they are mighty territorial when it comes to protecting the roles and missions they have been assigned over the years. The Air Force (321,000 in active-duty uniforms), rules the skies (helicopter excepted, which are an Army responsibility). The Navy (324,000) reigns supreme over the seas. The Marines take pride in their small size (185,000), which allows them to set higher standards for enlistment (although they are forever seeking to keep from shrinking too much and being swallowed whole by the Army). The Army, given its sheer size, is the least picky when it comes to who can sign up. But its 476,000 members make it the most reflective of America. Among its ranks are some of the nations smartest officers and enlisted troops. But, being the largest, it also includes some of the stupidest. But, as the Marines latest woes show, no single service has a monopoly on stupidity. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Email Print As a few Americans have been learning as of late, there is seemingly no barrier to the Trump camp and Republican Congress willingness to make being sick, infirm, or injured either prohibitively costly or deadly. One of the favorite claims of Republicans, and now Trump, is that the primary goal of wiping out the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) is to make healthcare accessible to all Americans. Healthcare, like prescription medicine, has always been accessible to all Americans if they could afford it; it is why the Affordable Care Act was enacted. In what turns out to be yet another blatant Trump lie, when tiny hands promised to take decisive action to reduce the rising cost of medicine, and stop pharmaceutical corporations from getting away with murder with exorbitant and ever-rising drug prices, he didnt get approval from the big pharmaceutical companies. Trump took decisive action all right, but it was contrary to his pledge and another sign that his government exists to help corporations, in this case drug companies, continue getting away with murder. And to keep big pharmas shareholders concerns about murderous drug prices out of public earshot. Shareholders and investor groups with 13 pharmaceutical companies acutely aware of skyrocketing drug prices filed shareholder resolutions last year to force their governing boards to more meticulously detail their price increases for major medicines, and to provide the rationale and criteria used for these price increases. That level of scrutiny outraged the drug industry and a couple of days after big pharmas CEOs met with the Trump at the White House, his Republican SEC commissioner quickly obeyed the CEOs and blocked the shareholders resolutions from even being voted on. Shareholders had sought transparency initiatives specifically designed to bring more scrutiny to never-ending drug price increases, a serious issue and cause for concern among the shareholders, investor groups, and the general population; Trump never cared about drug price increases no matter his pledge to the people. The Trump SEC action was yet another win for the pharmaceutical industry and represents the latest victory for the industry that has been ramping up efforts to stop governments from taking action to reduce, or force more disclosure regarding, ever-increasing drug pricing. It was another assault on healthcare access as just last month federal lawmakers did big pharmas bidding by blocking legislation allowing Americans to purchase lower-priced FDA-approved medicines from Canada. Over the past two years, big pharma has been incredibly successful in their war to prevent passage of drug pricing transparency bills. Big pharmas lawyers pressed Trumps Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) regulators to approve their prohibition on the people who own the companies, investors and shareholders, from voting on initiatives about skyrocketing drug prices. The resolutions proponents issued a press release expressing outrage that their push for more information was so forcefully opposed by the Trump SEC doing big pharmas bidding. According to Donna Meyer of Mercy Investment Services, one of the shareholder groups responsible for filing the resolutions: Skyrocketing drug prices have thrust pharmaceutical companies into the public eye as health care is a growing concern for the public. As shareholders concerned about the long-term prosperity of these companies, we are mystified as to why they are not willing to engage in a more fulsome discussion of pricing strategies. This active obstruction to a simple request for transparency has raised some serious concerns about their commitment to those who rely on these critical drugs versus their commitment to profits. A different investor groups spokeswoman, Susan Vickers of Dignity Health, approached the issue from a slightly different, but equally valid angle claiming the Trump SEC-big pharma move blocking a vote denied shareholders access to vital corporate information they are entitled to as owners of the companies. Ms. Vickers said: Apart from the obvious risk to public health, we view transparency around how prices are developed as a fundamental tenet of good governance. Investors believe the information to be material, as we see continued secrecy around pricing strategies as a clear legal, reputational and financial risk to our investments. Ms. Meyer also said that even though shareholder resolutions opposed by corporate typically dont pass, just the fact they get on the ballot makes them powerful tools to pressure corporate boards to change. The value of having a resolution like this on the proxy is that so many people become aware of the concern, and you can try to get large institutional investors on board. If you get 20 or 30 percent support on a resolution, then then the board is more likely to listen to the [shareholders] concerns. Obviously, Trumps SEC chief agrees with big pharmas CEOs that they cannot allow people to be aware of the shareholders concerns regardless they are the real owners of the companies. It is noteworthy that the SEC under the Obama Administration did not side with big pharma on a nearly identical set of resolutions in 2015 resolutions big pharmas CEOs sought to quash with the same zeal as the most recent ones. With a Democrat in the White House, the SEC informed Gilead Sciences and Vertex Pharmaceuticals that the corporations were obligated to let shareholders vote on a separate proposal that would have forced the companies to disclose the risks they face from their pricing policies. Although it is true the two corporations investors and shareholders defeated the measures, the publicity and vote did bring the issue to the fore and likely incited the most recent resolutions from investors and shareholders. Pharmaceutical companies claim that investors and shareholders have no business knowing anything about these pressing pricing issues, even though they do technically own the companies. But in the same manner the Trump and Republicans refuse to abide by the will of the voters who technically own the U.S. government, it is folly to think Trumps SEC will ever do anything any differently; especially when pharmaceutical corporations that own Republicans are involved. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Email Print Robby Mook, Hillary Clintons former campaign manager, called for members of the Trump campaign to be prosecuted for treason if they conspired with Russia to help Trump win the election. Mook told The Hill, We need to find out exactly what happened. If US campaign aides helped the Russians, knew about the Russians plans, or asked the Russians to intervene in any way, they should be prosecuted for treason and measures should be put in place to make sure this never happens again. Some members of Congress have been suggesting that impeachment is a possibility for Trump if the Russian connections and collusion is proven to be true, but the crime of treason is whole different level. Mook was talking about people associated with the Trump campaign being found guilty of a crime against the United States of America and going to federal prison. Republicans will automatically dismiss Mooks statements as sour grapes, but never in US history has impeachment and treason been discussed as early as it is being whispered about Donald Trump and his people in his White House. Treason is the most serious crime that a citizen can commit against their own country. If the Trump campaign conspired with an enemy of the United States to win a presidential election, it would fit the textbook definition of the crime. If members of the Trump campaign are ever charged with treason, there will be no way that Trump and Pence will survive. Treason isnt a crime that is thrown around lightly. If the evidence emerges, the Trump/Russia scandal may be worse than anyone imagined. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Email Print White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer said Monday that President Trump wont apologize to President Obama for his false wiretapping claim, even though FBI Director James Comey testified today that it never happened. Then Spicer tried to suggest that nothing has changed, even the the FBI confirmed for the first time today that it is investigating possible connections between Russia and the Trump camp. NBCs Bradd Jaffy noted the willful blindness (my words): Spicer says Trump won't apologize to Obama for his wiretap claim, which Comey just said didn't happen; says more needs to be investigated Bradd Jaffy (@BraddJaffy) March 20, 2017 It's clear nothing has changed, Spicer says, after Comey confirmed FBI is investigating possible links between Trump associates and Russia Bradd Jaffy (@BraddJaffy) March 20, 2017 Donald Trump wont apologize for the accusations that he made based on his conspiracy oriented beliefs. We are back to Donald Trump the birther; the one who won the Republican primary. Only this time hes in the White House, with his hand on the red button. Nothing has changed? Oh, except for the confirmation that Donald Trump is being investigated by the FBI for possible collusion with the Russians, who did interfere in the U.S. election in order to get him elected. Spicer tried to claim that the media has carried on this Russia narrative, Theres an assumption, that because theres an investigation, it must be about something. Well, yes. A real investigation, unlike say a conspiracy-oriented investigation or accusation, is based upon evidence suggesting that there might have been a crime committed. Unlike Donald Trump calling Hillary Clinton guilty because her emails were being investigated, an investigation does not mean that Trump is guilty. It means there was enough evidence to warrant an investigation. And for the Trump White House, by enough evidence I do not mean to suggest anything found in the microwave or Alex Jones InfoWars. I mean actual evidence. Somewhere President Obama is trying very hard to hide his Obama WTF face. Even if Obama is used to this kind of treatment, that doesnt make it okay. The former President had to let a lot of things roll off of his back while he was president, but this is more than an insult. This is an allegation of criminal activity, waged without evidence by the most corrupt president in modern history against the most ethical president in recent history. Donald Trump might be unwilling to apologize, but that doesnt mean that the American people shouldnt demand that he apologize. This discredited smear by the birther chief must not be allowed to stand. Its despicable and disgusting. President Trump wants to kill the incentive for US multinational to stash profits in foreign countries where the tax rates are lower. He might be surprised to learn that so does much of Europe. It might even make sense for Europe and the United States to team up in the effort to prevent tax avoidance. We are concerned about that just like you are, Marian Harkin, an Irish representative in the European Parliament, tells Yahoo Finance. We should work with the US to see how can we find ways that will have global impact. You never know what Donald Trump will do, and maybe this is something he will do to make sure companies pay their fair share of tax. Trump doesnt favor new laws to prevent US firms, which currently hold roughly $2 trillion in profits in foreign countries, from moving their money around. Instead, he wants to slash the tax rate on US business income from the current 35% to 15%. That would undercut federal tax rates in most other developed nations, except for Switzerland (where its 8.5%) and Ireland (12.5%), creating a strong incentive to bring profits home. It might even tempt foreign companies to seek ways to shift income to the United States. Donald Trump and Irelands prime minister, Enda Kenny. (AP) While theres a large mismatch between the high US rate and the lower rates in several other countries, there are also large mismatches between the tax rates within Europe itself, which range from Ireland and Switzerland at the bottom to 25% in Spain and the Netherlands, 33% in Belgium and nearly 35% in France. A few key countries are also notorious for lax rules that essentially make them tax havens, most notably Luxembourg. The European Union has tried to curb the use of tax havens by publishing a list of the worst offenders, a kind of shaming strategy that has essentially failed to change anything. The Organization for Economic Development is working on a broader set of guidelines for dozens of countries that would prevent profit shifting for the purpose of tax avoidance. The United States has participated in that effort, but enforcing many OECD guidelines would require new laws passed by Congress. Story continues Thats where opportunity could arise for Trump. New legislation on taxes seems certain within the next two years, since Republicans who control the House, the Senate and the White House have vowed tax reform that cuts rates and simplifies the rules. Trump hasnt indicated any desire to coordinate with Europe on tax reform, and has in fact been somewhat dismissive of the EU, praising the UK for its Brexit vote to leave the union last year, for instance. But Trump sometimes warms to new ideas (and people) as he gets familiar with them. So Europeans who favor a unified crackdown on profit shifting might want to get on Trumps calendar. Then, says Harkin, we wouldnt be looking across the Atlantic at each other enviably. Read more: Trump paid a lot of income taxonce Trump now owns Obamacare The GOP is outlining future entitlement cuts Confidential tip line: rickjnewman@yahoo.com Rick Newman is the author of four books, including Rebounders: How Winners Pivot from Setback to Success. Follow him on Twitter: @rickjnewman Facebook Twitter Pinterest Email Print In an interview with Chris Wallace Sunday on Fox News, California Republican and House Intelligence Committee chairman Rep. Devin Nunes, whose committees hearings begin today, said there is No evidence of collusion between Donald Trump and Russia. As Jason Easley said here, Rep. Nunes was a Trump campaign official, so of course, he is going to say that there is no evidence of collusion and is risking the Republican majority if Trump is indeed found guilty. That is not Nunes only blunder, however. As first captured and transcribed by ShareBlue reporter Tommy Christopher, Nunes can be heard quite plainly saying (emphasis added), If you look at the folks who are working at the White House today that are involved in the Trump administration, I dont think there is any but one there that is under any type of investigation or surveillance activities at all. Watch the video from Fox News: Huh? Devin Nunes says of "people working at the White House now," none are under intel investigation or surveillance "but one." pic.twitter.com/9lxN79cbgl Tommy Christopher (@tommyxtopher) March 19, 2017 With that But one, Nunes just revealed to somebody that they are under investigation. That is obstruction of justice, as former conservative MP and independent journalist Louise Mensch pointed out: Why are you revealing to a suspect he is under investigation @DevinNunes ! Stop obstructing justice! Resign! https://t.co/N67sYwfCbp Louise Mensch (@LouiseMensch) March 19, 2017 Of course, this is very bad. It happened so fast, Chris Wallace didnt even notice it, so it passed without further comment. But Mensch, whose reporting revealed the existence of a FISA warrant in November, pointed out in another tweet, Nunes has tried to deny he even said it, telling The Daily Caller that Nunes didnt mean what he clearly said: Its a bit garbled in the video but he didnt mean to say there is one person under surveillance, hes saying there is no one under surveillance, which is why he says at all at the end of the sentence. There is nothing garbled at all. Listen to it all you want. Nunes still says what Nunes says. Mensch has been called a conspiracy queen but Nunes said what he said and it doesnt take an obsession with conspiracy to point to an act of obstruction of justice. Nor does anything, including Nunes denials, change the fact that as Bill Palmer writes at The Palmer Report that Even as Nunes tries to paint Trump as being innocent, hes unwittingly pointing to Trumps guilt. In other words, Devin Nunes is not only not doing the Republican Party any favors, but with friends like Nunes, Donald Trump doesnt need any enemies. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Email Print Republican strategist and MSNBC contributor Nicolle Wallace said that people outside of the administration who have spent time with Trump said that the president is showing signs of paranoia and delusion over his belief that Obama wiretapped him. Video: Wallace said, I sense that they have no plans today of walking away from this claim. This is still the presidents belief. Some folks still close to the president, but not on the White House staff said its a word I cant say on family-friendly TV, but the initials are B and S. Another person who spent time with the president this weekend in Florida said it was signs of paranoia and delusion around this idea that hes so right. Interestingly, he has sought to have people outside the government corroborate this wiretapping claim, which either suggests this observation of paranoia and delusion is in fact operation or extreme ignorance of all the powers at his disposal and all the investigative powers of the federal government. These are Republicans close to Trump who claimed that the President Of The United States is paranoid, delusional, and believes that Obama wiretapped him. Wallaces comments on MSNBC were a statement that the President might be mentally ill. Before anyone asks, the constitutional standard for the removal of a president contains no discussion of mental fitness. It would be difficult to nearly impossible to remove Trump from office due to mental illness. It would have to be demonstrated that Trump is physically unable to perform the job of president. The Trump claim that Obama wiretapped him was not some brilliant diversion. Trumps belief that Obama spied on him is the mark of a paranoid, and mentally ill president. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Email Print The following is an editorial by PoliticusUSAs co-publisher and managing editor Sarah Jones. Sounding a lot like many smug conservatives and some smug liberals, President Trump issued a hopeful, preemptive tweet that the Democrats made up the Russian interference story to cover for their terrible campaign. Right. It couldnt possibly be as all 18 intelligence agencies have repeatedly said: Russia interfered in the 2016 election for the purpose of electing Donald Trump, politically harming Hillary Clinton, and ultimately undermining western democracy. All of the pundits who keep going on and on about Hillary Clintons horrible campaign, the conservatives who keep saying that Democrats need to get it together because they had a horrible message, and the liberals who claim Clinton would have won if only she talked about the economy (having covered Clintons 2016 campaign, I just want to ask if these people ever listened to Clinton speak because she talked pretty much nonstop about economic issues) should be praised for repeating Donald Trumps talking points. Donald Trump won the 2016 election by a small 78,000 vote advantage in three states, having lost the popular vote by almost 3 million, and he did that with the help of a hostile foreign power. If the topic of how Democrats lost 2016 is being discussed, the Russian interference should be the lead. To leave this out is to be disingenuous and intellectually dishonest to the point of outing ones emotional bias. This is not a reflexive defense of Hillary Clinton; I criticized her during the campaign for not doing press conferences. I also criticized the handling of her, which mimicked the 2008 handling, where it almost felt like people behind the scenes (hello, President Bill Clinton) were trying to turn her into Bill Clinton instead of embracing her authentically nerdy and overly prepared side. But to suggest that Hillary Clinton was a weak candidate with a bad campaign who never addressed the economy and didnt appeal to Trump voters (aka, white voters) and thus Democrats lost because their message sucked is lazy and embarrassing. The surprising loss of the 2016 election opened the door for a lot of people and factions that dont control the Democratic Party to try to take advantage and seize control of the overall message. Many strategists and pundits have tried to elevate their own standing by taking this loss as proof that their message is the right one. None of these people have ever run against the Russians. Republicans and conservatives have zero insight into their win, because they didnt win this election on their message. Liberals who didnt run in the general have zero insight into the loss because they didnt run against the Russians. It displays ironically Trumpesque narcissism for anyone to think that they could run against the Russians hacking into their emails, their friends emails, their campaign, their entire life, and possibly dropping a bit of fake info into their leaks, and they would win because their message would be so compelling. This kind of muddled thinking is only helping the Russians in their attempted takedown of our democracy. Message? Is anyone paying any attention? If message mattered, the Democrats would have won sorry but poll after poll shows the American people agree more with Democrats on message and policy, especially social issues. This is not to suggest they know they agree with Democrats, which is another story but also doesnt fall only at the feet of the Democratic Party. The truth is that Hillary Clinton ran against a lot of dark money and big power: She ran against the most powerful lobby in the USA, the NRA. She ran against Citizens United. She ran against a drip drip Benghazi investigation that was purely political and also a sham, which was leaked to a willing press to damage her in 2016. She ran against the Russians. She ran against hacked emails. She ran against an FBI leak about her non-existent email scandal. She ran against fake news from Macedonia, stories that by the way were very popular here in Pennsylvania among Trump voters. Was Clintons campaign run perfectly? No. Is she as charismatic as her husband or President Obama? No. That is not a campaign failure, and if it is a candidate failure, we must resign ourselves and these pundits and strategists must resign themselves- to only backing charismatic candidates. Good luck with that. They cant all be Kennedy Obama types. Perhaps it takes a Kennedy Obama type to overcome fake accusations and illegal attacks. This opens the door for demagogues like Trump, and isnt exactly good news. The visceral hatred for Clinton by so many of these predominately male pundits and strategists is hard to miss as a woman. While I didnt jump on the gender train post-election, its unavoidable at this point, because there is no other reason for avoiding the Russia issue in order to snarl more about Hillary. Since they have been so vocal in patronizingly telling us that Clinton was a horrible candidate and anyone who criticizes Trump voters is a smug liberal (waving hi to Andrew Sullivan, but he was hardly the first to jump on this predictable train), allow me to turn the tables for a moment. I live among Trump voters and can assure these alleged strategists that I havent met one yet who cares about economic issues, unless that is a disguise for other feelings. Suffice it to say, whitelash is a thing and Clinton suffered because of it. Even the educated and very nice Trump voters have an insular (and very white) vision of the old fashioned America of their dreams. Being called a smug liberal by currently coastal elites (this narrative has been repeated ad nauseam since the election) is something of a burn, especially when they go on TV to proclaim that they understand these Trump voters in a way that Midwestern people who live among them do not. (Yes, I used to live in LA, but now I live among Trump voters in very rural Pennsylvania. Please do not tell me how to win these voters unless you agree to live here for a year and talk to them every day.) Trump voters here dont care about economic issues. That is laughable. They hate Hillary Clinton, but not as much as the pundits and strategists who make these claims. And thats sad. Because hate is an emotion that colors facts and evidence. Their emotional hysteria about Hillary Clinton has distorted their ability to sift through the actual facts in evidence as they post mortem this election. Clintons emails are not a thing, they never were and anyone who has covered politics for more than 8 years knows this. The press ran with them and that has yet to be explained, but Republicans certainly fed the press enough leaks to keep the non-story going. Maybe the question is, Do you like Hillary Clinton? And the answer is obviously no, the pundits and strategists ignoring Russia to smear Clinton with their emotional excesses and excrement do not. Since they took it upon themselves to lecture the rest of us about our smugness, allow me to return the favor. It looks to a lot of women as if you boys do not like women, specifically women in power who stand up for other women and minorities, that is to say, who dont always agree with the predominately white male power structure. (Note: There are plenty of white men who do not agree with it either.) That would be a you problem. Hillary Clinton was far from a perfect candidate, but that is only because many people put their (vague, unsubstantiated but prevailing) feelings about her ahead of her actual qualifications. On the issues, she was informed, detailed and more than qualified. If a pundit or strategist cant admit that the Russians interfered in this election, as Comey testified today with an effort to help Trump and harm Clinton, and they cling to the result of that Russian effort that smeared Clinton because it confirms their feelings, then they dont deserve to be called a political pundit or strategist. The story here is the Russian interference in a U.S. election that managed to take out the most qualified candidate in modern history. This is not a story about some mens feelings about powerful women. To these certain types of men, women who disagree with them have no legitimacy. They embrace the women who agree with them, the cool women, as proof that they have a black friend, if you will. Its not subtle, its not working and its so stale even the mold is bored. Women are the majority in this country. Wed appreciate it if yall could get over yourselves and try to be part of the solution without trying to grab all of the power for yourselves, again. This means you are not the hero with the answers as you point fingers at Clinton and claim her message of inclusion sucked. There are more Americans who voted for it than against it, FYI. This isnt to suggest there werent ways Clinton could have run a better campaign. It is to say that ignoring the impact of Russian interference is willful blindness that can only be accounted for by a particularly strong emotional bias teetering on hysteria. The testimony in Mondays House Intelligence Committee hearings should put an end to the opportunists claiming they could have saved the Democratic Party. And if not, I have to ask what it was about Hillary Clintons economic message that caused these men to not hear it, and to imagine it didnt exist. Because it was in almost every speech she gave. Heres a hint: Women know what caused this and they are beyond disgusted at this point with the mostly male politicians, mostly male strategists and mostly male pundits using Russian interference to place all of the blame on the first woman candidate on a major political party ticket. Check yourselves. Watchdog and Public Service reporter Thad Moore is a reporter on The Post and Couriers Watchdog and Public Service team and a graduate of the University of South Carolina. To share tips securely, reach Moore via ProtonMail at thadmoore@protonmail.com or on Signal at 843-214-6576. The former North Charleston home of Titan Atlas Manufacturing and Titan Atlas Global is now owned by D B Pace Acquisition, which was formed by Donald Trump before he became president. File The Men's Center in Mount Pleasant seeks to provide a comfortable place for men to address health concerns that doesn't feel like a trip to the doctor's office, while getting the help they need for things like erectile dysfunction. Read morePutting men in their place: Men's Center focuses on male health issues James Comey FBI Director James Comey confirmed that an investigation into Russia's election-related meddling includes an examination of contacts between Trump associates and Russia during the campaign. The investigation was opened in July 2016, but due to "sensitivities" the FBI could not inform Congress until now. Comey said there was "no evidence" to support Trump's claims that he was wiretapped by President Obama. FBI Director James Comey and National Security Agency Director Mike Rogers, in extraordinary testimony before the House Intelligence Committee on Monday, confirmed an investigation into President Trump's ties to Russia and disputed his explosive claims of wiretapping from his predecessor. The hearing was the first time either Comey or Rogers has testified publicly since Trump was inaugurated. It came just over two weeks after Trump tweeted, without presenting evidence, that Obama had Trump Tower's "wires tapped" during the presidential campaign. Comey said in his opening statement that "our practice is not to confirm the existence of ongoing investigations ... but, in unusual circumstances, where it lies in the public interest, it may be necessary to do so." "I have been authorized by the Department of Justice to confirm that the FBI is investigating Russia's interference in the US election," Comey added, which "includes whether there was any coordination between the campaign and Russian efforts. This will also include an assessment of whether any crimes were committed. I can not say more about whose conduct we are investigating." He added that the leak of classified intelligence "simply cannot be tolerated." Both the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, Rep. Devin Nunes, and the committee's top Democrat, Rep. Adam Schiff, have said that the committee had not found any evidence to support Trump's claim that Obama had Trump Tower phones "tapped" before the 2016 election. But in an example of their seemingly divergent priorities, Nunes and other Republicans focused much of their attention on Monday on grilling Comey about leaks from within the intelligence community to the press. Story continues "I hope you find those guys and I hope you crack them on the head," Republican Rep. Chris Stewart told Comey. At one point, Nunes asked Comey whether he thought it was possible that the Russians had colluded with the Clinton campaign, too, and asked if he would take evidence of such collusion seriously if it surfaced. Comey said he could not comment on hypotheticals but said he would take any evidence seriously. Devin Nunes Schiff and other Democrats, meanwhile, focused their questions on whether the FBI had evidence of collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia. When asked whether he could confirm that Trump associates ever contacted Russian officials, Comey said he couldn't comment. He also declined to comment on whether any current administration officials are currently under FBI investigation, and said he could not comment on whether the intelligence community had found any evidence of direct collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia. "All I can tell you is what we're investigating, which includes an investigation into whether there was coordination between the Trump campaign and the Russians," Comey said, adding that there was "no way to give a timetable" for when the investigation would conclude. The FBI opened its investigation in late July, after WikiLeaks started publishing emails that had been stolen from the Democratic National Committee. Congress was not informed until now, due to "sensitivities," about the investigation involving Trump's contacts with Russia, Comey said. He added noted that by December, the intelligence community became confident that Russia engaged in a "multifaceted campaign" that involved "active measures" to "hurt" Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton and "help" Trump. "It was a fairly easy judgment for the community," Comey said. "Putin hated Secretary Clinton so much that he had a clear preference to the person running against her." "Do Russians historically prefer Republicans to Democrats?" Nunes asked Comey and Rogers. Both appeared confused and replied that they had not assessed the Russians' preferences in past elections. Donald Trump Comey confirmed later that the FBI had warned the DNC in August 2015 that an attempt had been made to infiltrate DNC computer servers, but that the bureau had not been given access to the servers to investigate the hack further. Comey appeared to regret not pushing the DNC harder to let the FBI investigate the hacks. "I might have walked over there myself, knowing what I know now," he said. When asked about Trump's claim on Monday, via Twitter, that Comey had said the Russian inteference did not influence the electoral process, Comey replied that "we have no information" about "the potential impact" the Russian interference had on the presidential election. "That is not something that we assessed," Comey said. He confirmed that while the FBI "saw no indication" that the Russians attempted to hack into voting systems, there were Russian efforts to penetrate voter registration rolls. He also confirmed that the Russians hacked both Democrats and Republicans, but didn't release any of the stolen GOP information. "Absent some change, this behavior is not likely to stop," Rogers said. "This won't be the last time we have these discussions." 'We don't have any information that supports those tweets' Comey suggested during the hearing that there was no evidence supporting Trump's claim that Obama had wiretapped him. "No individual can direct electronic surveillance of anyone," Comey said, adding that "no president could" unilaterally order a wiretap of anyone. "We don't have any evidence or information that supports those tweets," he said. Law-enforcement and intelligence agencies wishing to monitor signal intelligence they deem relevant to an investigation in this case, suspected Russian interference in the 2016 election must obtain what is known as a FISA warrant from the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court. Rep. Trey Gowdy, a Republican, asked Comey whether he thought such warrants were"critical to our national security," to which Comey replied affirmatively. Gowdy asked if the "unauthorized dissemination" of information about the existence of a FISA warrant was a felony. Comey replied that it was. "Has the investigation into the leak of classified information begun yet?" Gowdy asked Comey. Comey declined to comment, citing concerns about confirming or denying whether such classified information exists. It had been unclear whether such a warrant was ever granted to surveil foreign actors operating inside the US that might have been communicating with Trump aides. But Comey hinted Monday that the warrant may have been granted, noting in the hearing that the FBI is "obsessive" about maintaining protocol when it comes to FISA warrants, and "an unauthorized disclosure of a FISA is an extraordinary event." "We are taking it very seriously," Comey added. Rogers, of the NSA, was pressed about the criteria needed to obtain a FISA warrant, and what happens when US persons are caught up in legal surveillance of foreigners on US soil. "In broad terms," Rogers replied, when collective information via surveillance, the NSA assesses whether there is "criminal activity" or an imminent threat if there is no intelligence value, then the information is discarded. Rogers was asked if the FBI is required to cease collecting incidental communications obtained through lawful surveillance if the US persons caught up in those incidental communications were part of an incoming administration. Rogers replied that the NSA was "not automatically required" to do so. Trump's explosive claims of wiretapping caused an international row last week when press secretary Sean Spicer read from unverified reports that said a British intelligence agency, the Government Communications Headquarters, or GCHQ, conspired with Obama to wiretap Trump. The comment prompted a near-immediate reaction from GCHQ, which released a rare public statement categorically denying any involvement and calling the accusation "utterly ridiculous." Rogers, of the NSA, denied ever asking the GCHQ for help in this kind of surveillance. He said on Monday that while the international upset is "something we'll be able to deal with," the accusation "clearly frustrates a key ally of ours." Sergey Kislyak Flynn, Kislyak, and the Trump-Russia dossier Reports have suggested that communications between Trump's former national-security adviser, Michael Flynn, and Russia's ambassador to the US, Sergey Kislyak, were picked up by US intelligence officials who had been eavesdropping on Kislyak not on Flynn. Current and former US officials have also told several media outlets that they have intercepted communications between associates of Trump and Russian officials. Comey confirmed during the hearing that he views communications between US persons and Russia differently from communications between US persons and other countries because Russia "is a foreign adversary." The House Intelligence Committee has asked the FBI, the CIA, and the NSA to give them a full list of people whose conversations may have been picked up in that kind of incidental surveillance. So far, only the NSA has "partially" complied, according to The Washington Post. Neither Comey nor Rogers would comment during the hearing on the specific people who may or may not have been caught up in the intelligence community's routine surveillance. In a lengthy opening statement, Schiff invoked the explosive but unverified dossier written last year by former British spy, Christopher Steele, detailing the Trump campaign's alleged communication with Russian nationals and officials during the campaign. Kislyak and Flynn along with Trump's former campaign manager, Paul Manafort, and an early foreign-policy adviser, Carter Page were all named in the dossier as complicit in the Russian meddling. Rep. Joaquin Castro, a Democrat, also invoked the dossier, asking whether it was plausible that the Russians "might seek out Americans" to help with their intelligence-gathering operations. Comey confirmed that it was a "core part" of the Russians' intelligence methods to "try and recruit Americans." Castro asked if Manafort was one of the subjects of the FBI's investigation, but Comey declined to comment. The dossier was published in full by BuzzFeed in late January after CNN reported that Comey and other top US intelligence officials had briefed Trump and President Obama on its contents. Rep. Pete King, a Republican, asked Comey if it was illegal that the fact that those briefings occurred was leaked to the media. Comey said he could only comment on the fact that leaking classified information is a very serious matter. "Often, it doesn't come from people who know the secrets. ... It is an enormous problem, though, whenever you find information that is actually classified in the meeting. We don't comment on it because we don't want to confirm it," he said. Flynn was forced to resign in early February after reports surfaced, based on conversations that were reportedly intercepted during routine surveillance of Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak, that Flynn had discussed US sanctions on Russia with Kislyak in December. Comey refused to comment on why he thought Flynn had spoken with Kislyak, and what the FBI knew about their phone calls. Comey was asked if he was aware Flynn "ever communicated to the Russian government that the Trump administration in the future" would rescind US sanctions on Russia. Comey replied that he couldn't comment because he didn't want to talk about anything relating to a US person that may be under investigation. NOW WATCH: 'F--- you for that': Milo Yiannopoulos attacks the media in a press conference after resigning from Breitbart More From Business Insider 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 Chad Oness is a poet. He began writing poetry at 22. Oness's mind worked in crazy ways, and he found that verse allowed him to make connections between widely disparate things and express himself like no other medium. Now 54, the Rollingstone poet's profile has been on the rise lately as one of four poets to reach the finalist stage of the Dublin-based Ballymaloe International Poetry Prize . The prize is considered one of the most sought-after poetry contests in the world for a single unpublished poem. The winner receives about $12,000 and the runners-up about $1,200. The prize is run by the Dublin-based literary magazine " The Moth ." The winner will be announced April 27 at a special ceremony at Poetry Ireland in Dublin. Oness' poem, "On the Sprocket Side of the Hay Rake," was selected from more than 4,000 entries from around the world. "Out of however many thousands of entries, you're one of four," Oness said on reaching the shortlist. "You've already won." ADVERTISEMENT Oness, a former University of WisconsinLa Crosse poetry professor, is the author of two books of poetry, "Oracle Bones," a Lewis & Clark Poetry Prize winner, and "Water Becomes Bone." He describes his Ballymaloe entry as a wacky meditation on an agricultural device that takes readers "to the moon and covers some distance in a short space." Oness trained as a poet at the Iowa Writers Workshop at the University of Iowa, and completed his doctorate at the University of Missouri, where he studied Anglo Saxon language and literature and 20th British and American Literature. "Hay Rake" comes from a series of poems for which Oness, who goes by C. Mikal Oness, received a $5,000 grant from the Southeast Minnesota Arts Council. Between that, running a literary fine press with his wife, Elizabeth, who is also a Winona State University professor, and dabbling in real estate, Oness keeps what he calls his "charmed life" afloat. Oness is also an alpinist and a potter. "I kind of have this charmed life where I can have a fantasy of doing what I want to do, and I get a chance to do it," Oness said. "I have a very understanding wife." The other finalists are Texas poet Greg Geis for his poem, "Marriage," British poet Katie Hale for "You're in my Blood like Holy Wine," and Maine poet Lee Sharkey for "Letter to Al." All four poems appear in The Moth's spring issue and on www.themothmgaazine.com . Although he self-identifies as a poet, Oness says he makes the point of almost never telling people say, the person sitting next to him on a plane that poetry is part of what he does to make a living. "You don't do it, because everyone is a poet," he said. ADVERTISEMENT Oness said he hasn't yet received his $1,000 prize money, but it's already been spent on plane tickets for him and his wife. After the unveiling of the winner, Oness plans on heading to Scotland to climb its biggest mountain, Ben Nevis. "What I'm jacked up about after that is going on to Scotland," he said. ----- On the Sprocket Side of the Hay Rake There in the middle of working, I thought of your clavicle. You must think Ive been trying to draw it out Through your skin after 23 years of nightly kissing As if the way to your heart is through that knuckle ADVERTISEMENT Of chest bone there Ive said it. Its a key Just as the anatomists thought. It came to me After I puzzled over the barrel pin in the axle cap, Caked and filled with grease like honey in the comb, Old fashioned and unseen, pointed out finally By a hoary mechanic stinking of his boney dog. Barrell pin, and a single special tool to pound it out; They think of everything, the old fathers. And then past the hub and under the sprocket lay The slim part Im now singing for, a half circle Of solid steel slipping into a confederate notch a half moon axle key not what Marianne Moore Might have called it but the machinist? The sour Mechanic? Named, perhaps, for the side of the moon we see, Ignoring the dark where aliens are staging themselves Waiting to see what will come of D-Day, the A-Bomb, 9/11 And Greece, waiting to intervene to save us, their spawn, Or their planet. Or perhaps it is named for the dark side, what terror it holds at the heart of matter. Something is out there, An unseen shim holding us in place, keeping the power moving From ground to chain to the tines flipping dry grass to the air, Holding it all steady, and--here maybe the cliche will work keeping the wheels from coming off. Grease or no grease, Somebody must love us. BEAVER TOWNSHIP Authorities managed to resolve a situation involving a man suffering a mental health crisis and in possession of a gun Friday night in Fillmore County. The Fillmore County Emergency Communications Dispatch was notified by the Olmsted County Sheriff's Office at 7:46 p.m. of an individual in a mental health crisis in Fillmore County, and that individual was reported to possess loaded weapons and threatened to harm himself, according to a news release. About 8:45 p.m., the victim was found in Fillmore County near 110th Avenue and 131st Street in Beaver Township, about one mile west of U.S. Highway 63 and about one mile north of the Iowa border. The victim was alone in his vehicle and had stopped, according to the Fillmore County Sheriff's Office. A perimeter and containment was set up by deputies, along with Minnesota State Patrol, Mower County Sheriff's deputies and Olmsted County deputies. Authorities made contact with the victim in attempts to de-escalate the crisis. About 9:20 p.m., the victim attempted to leave the area in his vehicle, and law enforcement was able to disable his vehicle by deflating his tires using "stop sticks." ADVERTISEMENT Eventually, the victim surrendered himself to officers on scene without incident. He was transported to Rochester for a medical mental health evaluation. While searching the vehicle, a loaded handgun was recovered and taken into evidence. "As Fillmore County Sheriff, I would like to thank and recognize all the officers involved in this situation for their efforts and professionalism that resulted in a peaceful resolution," said Sheriff Tom Kaase. Donald Trump FBI Director James Comey said on Monday during a public hearing before the House Intelligence Committee that the bureau opened its investigation into Russia's interference in the US election in July and concluded by December that Russia had interfered to "hurt" Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton and "help" President Donald Trump. Comey told the House Intelligence Committee that the investigation, which "includes whether there was any coordination between the Trump campaign and Russian efforts," was still in its early stages and that he had "no timetable" for its conclusion. But the FBI's opening of its investigation coincided with a flurry of events that increased scrutiny of the Trump campaign's friendly attitude toward Russia. Those events included a hack of the Democratic National Committee in June that was attributed to Russia, an early foreign-policy adviser's trip to Moscow in early July, a change made before the Republican National Convention in July in the GOP platform's policy toward arming Ukraine, WikiLeaks' release of stolen DNC documents in late July, and Trump's subsequent urging of Russia to hack Clinton's email server. The DNC confirmed in mid-June that it had been hacked, and the cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike said that it had concluded with "a very high degree of confidence" that the hack was linked to the Russian government. Shortly after the DNC hack was made public, Carter Page, then a foreign-policy adviser to Trump's campaign, traveled to Moscow, where he delivered a commencement speech at the New Economic School that was highly critical of US foreign policy. Page had served as an adviser "on key transactions" for Russia's state-owned energy giant Gazprom before setting up his own energy investment fund, Global Energy Capital, with Sergey Yatesenko, a former Gazprom executive. Page was in Moscow for three days, but it's unclear what he did or whom he met with before and after the speech. Yahoo's Michael Isikoff, citing a Western intelligence source, reported in September that Page had met with Igor Sechin, a Russian oligarch and the CEO of Russia's state-owned oil company, Rosneft. Page has denied those reports, but he resigned from the campaign shortly after the report was published. Story continues carter page In July, while Paul Manafort was Trump's campaign manager, an amendment to the GOP's draft policy on Ukraine, which had proposed sending "lethal weapons" to the Ukrainian army to fend off Russian aggression a stance that was generally consistent with the Republican Party's position was watered down to say "provide appropriate assistance." Manafort had advised the Russia-friendly Ukrainian leader Viktor Yanukovych, whom he helped win the presidency in 2010. The language change was orchestrated by two national-security experts sent to sit in on a national-security subcommittee meeting on behalf of the Trump campaign, according to one of the experts, J.D. Gordon, and the original amendment's author, Diana Denman, who was also in the meeting. As Business Insider has reported, the circumstances around the language change are controversial, and there are conflicting accounts about the reason for the change. The policy amendment with the softer language was ultimately included in the GOP platform. A report written by former British spy Christopher Steele as part of an opposition research project financed by Never Trump Republicans in September 2015 indicated that the language change was part of a quid-pro-quo between Russia and the Trump campaign. That report was reportedly passed along to the FBI in late July. Steele continued compiling reports on alleged collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia through December 2016. In October, the FBI offered to pay him to continue his work, the Washington Post reported. On July 22, WikiLeaks began publishing emails that had been stolen from the DNC and the Clinton campaign. The timing coincided with the start of the Democratic National Convention the following week. Roger Stone WikiLeaks didn't reveal the source of the documents. But the emergence in early August of a shadowy figure who called himself Guccifer 2.0 claiming responsibility for the DNC cyberattack added to suspicions that the hacking and disinformation campaign was linked to the Russian government. Guccifer 2.0, who said he targeted Democrats in the heat of the election last summer, has denied having any links to Russia. But ThreatConnect, a cybersecurity firm based in Arlington, Virginia, has concluded that Guccifer 2.0 used the Russian-based virtual private network Elite VPN to secure later communications with politicians and reporters. Roger Stone, a former Trump adviser and longtime confidant, said he exchanged private messages with Guccifer 2.0 in mid-August that were "short and innocuous." During a press conference on July 27, Trump called on Russia directly to hack his opponent. "Russia, if you're listening, I hope you're able to find the 30,000 emails that are missing," Trump said, apparently referring to the emails that were deleted from Clinton's private email server before it was handed over to the FBI in late 2015. "I think you will probably be rewarded mightily by our press," Trump added. (There had been a media frenzy surrounding WikiLeaks' release of the DNC emails.) On October 7, shortly after an "Access Hollywood" video surfaced of Trump making lewd remarks about women, WikiLeaks published the first batch of emails stolen from Clinton's campaign chairman, John Podesta. Seventeen US intelligence agencies concluded in January that Russia interfered in the US election hacking into the DNC and Podesta's inbox and leaking the stolen documents to WikiLeaks to undermine Clinton. Comey and National Security Agency Director Mike Rogers said on Monday that that assessment had not changed. NOW WATCH: Obama's White House photographer has been trolling Trump on Instagram More From Business Insider Spring is arriving in the Med City and it looks like it will be a very convenient one. It should come as no surprise that there is a lot of construction in Rochester's pipeline, just waiting for things to thaw a bit more. Within that development wave set to sweep across the city are, at least, three new convenience stores. Kwik Triphas plans in the works to add two more gas stations/C-stores to its current Rochester line-up of 13 locations. And Casey's General Storesis planning to start work on its third one. As a first move in a planned 50-acre development at the northwest corner of West Circle Drive Northwest and Valleyhigh Road Northwest, Kwik Trip is planning to build a 10,000-square-foot store with car wash near the intersection with Superior Drive Northwest. ADVERTISEMENT That will open the door to more projects in development area, which is managed by Kwik Trip's Northwest Investmentsfirm. The preliminary plan shows 17 lots and one outlot. It is expected to follow a path similar to the nearby 100-acre Costcodevelopment, which was also developed by Northwest Investments/Kwik Trip. Kwik Trip also plans to build a new station at 65th Street Northwest and Bandel Road to tap into the growing northern spur, across U.S. Highway 52 from the North Menardsdevelopment area. That station is planned to also include a car wash plus compressed natural gas (CNG) pumps. The groundwork for this project was laid at the end of 2014, when Kwik Trip purchased property at 6415 Bandel Road NW from Shamrock Enterprisesof Rochester for $2.28 million. The company also owns land on the west side of the highway, near Menards. Kwik Trip's Hans Zeitlowhas described that spot as "kind of speculative" due to issues related to nearby dead-end 34th Avenue. While Kwik Trip is setting its sights on the major thoroughfares and highways, Casey's is aiming a more neighborhood-like setting. The Ankeny, Iowa-based Casey's chain plans to build on an empty lot at 937 Valleyhigh Drive NW. The open lot at the corner of Valleyhigh Drive and Seventh Street Northwest is just west of Rochester Meats. That isn't the only construction Casey's has planned in the Med City. The Iowa firm also has filed plans to build a small addition to its station at 4500 18th Ave. NW. ADVERTISEMENT Casey's, which has about 1,900 stores in 14 states, is the fourth largest C-store chain in the U.S. It definitely has a larger national footprint than Kwik Trip or Holiday gas stations. Rochester's immigrant community have forged an important connection with state and federal lawmakers. A listening session, organized by the Engaged Local Citizens group, was held at Rochester STEM Academy . The event, publicized by word of mouth, was intended to give the community a chance to meet with their representatives at a personal level, said Ahmed Aden, co-founder of the citizens group. Also, the event was intended to answer questions and debunk rumors people might have heard from unreliable sources. The elected officials were able to address questions about visas, education, and any other topic in face-to-face conversations. "I think they're wanting to get some reassurance that everything is going to be OK, and that they shouldn't have to worry," Aden said. Interpreters were available in languages including Lao, Somali, Swahili, Italian and Arabic. ADVERTISEMENT Some immigrants felt "uneasy" after experiences in town involving verbal although no physical exchanges, according to Aden. Some children reported bullying in schools by other students, and some women felt nervous to go to restaurants or bakeries wearing their headscarves. Even the atmosphere in town mosques felt different, Aden said, where practitioners of Islam were nervously "checking for exits" more frequently. "They've always been cautious, but they're being extra cautious now," he said. "They don't feel safe." Saturday's event was an effort for those immigrants to empower themselves by speaking to their representatives about their experiences and ask questions. Omar Nur, founder and director of the Somalia Rebuild Organization , had an opportunity to sit down with officials who came to the listening session. "They fight for us, and they want to work together to answer questions we have," Nur said. "The American people are standing together with us." Aden shared that he hopes that continuing dialogues would be a chance for those who feel uneasy to feel more involved in their communities. "We gotta keep it going," he said. "They're hopefully reassured that Rochester is different and Somalis are proud that Rochester is their home. It's going to be OK." Here is what officials and representatives shared with the Post-Bulletin on Saturday about their experience at the listening session: ADVERTISEMENT Sen. Dave Senjem For Senjem, the session provided a chance to learn more from constituents he may not necessarily have been able to interact with before, and to listen more about their concerns regarding things such as K-12 education and immigration. "This is why we run (for office)," he said. "It's not often we get to meet constituents on a fairly intimate basis. This is an arrangement that I found beneficial. I am appreciative and grateful. I think (Engaged Local Citizens) did an outstanding job. I hope they do it again." The Republican senator also shared that he and his colleagues have had difficulties finding ways to reach out to the immigrant communities in Rochester. Mostly, they had no idea where to start. Saturday's listening session provided a valuable opportunity to listen. "We are always looking for a front door," he said. "We've asked, 'Where is the door?' and how we can reach out to them (immigrants). We want to find out what's important to them. A door's finally opened, and it's a good one." Sen. Carla Nelson The Republican senator said there seemed to be an overall feeling that, while there is support for immigrant communities in the metro area of the state, those who live in Greater Minnesota feel forgotten, and that there is a lack of support in the region when it comes to immigrant communities. "I heard their concerns that it feels like sometimes the focus is just on metro areas and that all the energy and funds are in the metro areas," Nelson said. "I'm really hoping to combat the idea that metro areas are the only places with immigrant populations." ADVERTISEMENT The legislator thought that Rochester's strength was diversity, and hoped to push for more support at the state level for the area's immigrant communities. "I'm making sure to be a strong voice in the senate," she said. Rep. Duane Sauke Having interpreters available at the event provided a bridge over obstacles that may have prevented individuals from interacting with their government officials, said Sauke, a DFL representative. Taking proactive approaches to meeting with constituents who may not necessarily be easily accessible is the next step in ensuring that all have a place at the table for discussion, he said. "Interpreting, that's the most significant thing about today," Sauke said. "Today was an intentional effort to help people who normally wouldn't feel comfortable because of a language barrier. It's a direct attempt to remove that barrier." Sauke also said that the communities in Rochester are also attempting to find inclusivity in all areas of life. "It's one of the things that helps Rochester be a stronger community." Mark Krogmann, casework manager for Congressman Tim Walz Krogmann's role during the session was to take note of any concerns or questions constituents had that they wanted to bring to the attention of Walz, more specifically regarding the travel ban. "We hope to stay connected to these communities," Krogmann said. "We're glad to be here and have an ongoing dialogue and engage with the community more frequently." Miranda Morgan-Lilla, constituents director for Sen. Al Franken Morgan-Lilla brought information resources to give residents regarding mental health, immigration and education. She noted there is an office in Rochester for those who need additional assistance. "There's a lot of people looking for help," she said. Siad Ali, outreach director for Sen. Amy Klobuchar Ali said that Klobuchar sought to make sure that the immigrant community's voice is represented strongly at all levels of government. "It's very important to make sure they have a voice in the United States Senate," Ali said. "We're here to listen to concerns that our constituents have," Ali said. "We want to help them with any questions they may have. They deserve our attention and all the time." Republicans' plans to replace the Affordable Care Act will be getting a big test later this week. The U.S. House is expected to vote on the GOP health care plan on Thursday. During the weekend, House Speaker Paul Ryan said he expects changes to be made to the plan before the vote that aim to provide more help to older Americans. Several health care groups and hospitals have come out against the American Health Care Act in recent days. Last week, the Minnesota Medical Association issued a statement opposing the bill and urged physicians to contact their members of Congress and ask them to vote against the bill. "The Minnesota Medical Association, which represents 10,000 physicians, residents, fellows and medical students in Minnesota, has long supported insurance coverage for all as a core health care reform principle. On this alone, the MMA opposes the American Health Care Act. The legislation represents a significant step backward as an estimated 14 million fewer Americans would have coverage in 2018, growing to 24 million without coverage by 2026," said MMA President Dr. David Agerter. Meanwhile, the bill has faced criticism from some conservatives in Congress who have dubbed it "Obamacare lite." They are concerned that proposed tax credits in the bill to help people purchase insurance amounts to a new GOP-backed entitlement program. ADVERTISEMENT Where do Walz and Lewis stand? First District DFL Rep. Tim Walz recently asked constituents to contact his office and weigh in on the measure. He hasn't said whether or not he will vote for the bill. However, Walz has indicated he has serious concerns about the measure. He recently tweeted, "Any proposed #ACA fix or replacement should expand coverage to Americans, not take health insurance away from those who need it the most." He also tweeted, "I cannot support any proposed #ACA fix or replacement that would add to the high insurance costs many rural Minnesotans are already facing." Second District GOP Rep. Jason Lewis voted for the Obamacare replacement bill during a recent House Budget Committee hearing. "I'm proud to be keeping my promise to start real health care reform. The American Health Care Act is about lowering premiums, giving universal access to quality care and letting the patient choose a plan that works, not the plan government thinks they should have," Lewis said in a statement. More political fallout from Noseworthy's remarks Last week, Gov. Mark Dayton and Lt. Gov. Tina Smith responded to comments Mayo Clinic CEO Dr. John Noseworthy recently made to employees. The Star Tribune reported last week that Noseworthy told staff members late last year that the clinic would give preference to patients with private health insurance over those with Medicaid or Medicare. The newspaper received a leaked transcript of the speech. On Friday, Dayton was asked to comment on Noseworthy's remarks. ADVERTISEMENT "It really astonished me. I don't know what to make of it," Dayton said. He later added, "It is so contrary to what I know about Mayo." Smith, who is chairwoman of the Destination Medical Center Corporation Board, also was asked for her thoughts. In 2013, lawmakers approved a bill allowing up to $585 million in public dollars to be spent on infrastructure upgrades to support Mayo Clinic's planned expansion as part of DMC. The reporter asked, "There's a lot of public money that is potentially going to the Mayo expansion. Should there be some slow down or pause given this comment about prioritizing people with private insurance?" Smith responded that DMC is an economic development project that not only benefits Mayo Clinic, but also Rochester and southeast Minnesota. She did not weigh in on whether funding for DMC should be cut back. She did say she fully supports Department of Human Services Commissioner Emily Piper's decision to investigate Noseworthy's comments for possible violations of civil and human rights laws. Smith added, "They need to also accept their responsibilities for treating everybody in Minnesota." MINNEAPOLIS A black man who was fatally shot by St. Paul police had pointed a gun at officers twice after he was ordered to drop it, authorities said Saturday. The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension also said authorities have video from a nearby building that shows the man with a gun, but does not capture the full incident. Cordale Quinn Handy, 29, of Waukegan, Illinois, died of multiple gunshot wounds early Wednesday after police say they were called to a report of a domestic incident that was physically violent. An attorney for Handy's family disputes the police version of events and called for an independent investigation. "It is our understanding that the police seized cellphone video that may or may not have captured the actual shooting, and it's our understanding that Cordale never presented a threat to the officers," said family attorney Andrew M. Stroth. "It's imperative that BCA releases all video of the incident." Stroth added that he believes authorities also seized audio of the incident. ADVERTISEMENT When asked about cellphone video, Department of Public Safety spokesman Bruce Gordon said he can't discuss what additional evidence is part of the investigation. The information released Saturday by authorities makes no mention of cellphone video or audio, but notes officers were not wearing body cameras. The BCA said video and other data will be released when the case is closed. According to the BCA, officers were responding to a domestic call at an apartment building when they encountered Handy outside with a handgun. "After repeated commands to drop the gun, Handy pointed the weapon twice at officers," the BCA said in a statement. "Two officers fired their weapons, striking Handy. Officers located a handgun next to Handy. The handgun was kicked away by officers to secure the scene and recovered several feet away." The officers who fired their weapons were identified Saturday as Mikko Norman and Nathaniel Younce. Both have been with St. Paul police for just over two years. Neither officer has any disciplinary action in his personnel file, and Norman has one commendation, though details about it were unavailable Saturday. The BCA said a third officer didn't see the shooting. All three officers are on standard administrative leave. Stroth said the narrative put forth by authorities contradicts witness accounts. When asked about the domestic incident, Stroth said: "From what we understand, Cordale was upset, but it was not a domestic incident." There were reports of shots fired, and the BCA recovered spent shell casings inside the apartment. The BCA said its investigation is ongoing. The Manhattan Institutes City Journal has posted my column on the restoration to print of Norman Podhoretzs Making It by New York Review Books. With a nod to Kander and Ebb, I called it If Making It can make it there. By there, I mean the publisher of the new edition of Making It, which trashed it upon the original publication of the book 50 years ago. Now it rightly certifies the book as a classic. Somethings happening here: When it first appeared, Making It met with a publishing equivalent of a lynch mob. It included Podhoretzs friends and fellow members of the New York literary/intellectual establishment, famously dubbed the Family by Murray Kempton. They found Podhoretz guilty of crimes against taste and discretion. For his part, Podhoretz forthrightly declared that he sought wealth and fame with the book; he harvested mostly condemnation. Though he has taken up the reaction to the book briefly in subsequent autobiographical reflections, he still finds the experience painful to discuss in print. The New York Review of Booksunder whose auspices the NYRB Classics series appearsset out to demolish the book. Its first choice to review Making It, the prominent critic Hilton Kramer, disliked the book, and was afraid he may have been overly harsh in the draft he submitted. When I sent it on to the New York Review, Kramer subsequently told Podhoretz biographer Thomas Jeffers, he was amazed to hear that the New York Review wasnt interested in publishing a valentine to Norman Podhoretz! Seeking something tougher still, the editors called on sociologist Edgar Z. Friedenberg (whom Podhoretz had discovered for Commentary in 1960, Jeffers dryly notes), who delivered the desired pan. I am grateful to the editors of City Journal for publishing this New York-centric piece paying tribute to a great American autobiography. Please check out the whole thing here if you might find it of interest. Liberals in Minnesota are alarmed about their loss of support in the rural and small-town parts of the state. The same phenomenon that is occurring across the countryeveryone is abandoning the Democratic Party except urban dwellersis going on here. Two Sundays ago, the Minneapolis Star Tribune ran an op-ed by two liberals about how city mice and country mice can get along better. The key, they suggested, was for all of us to be united as recipients of government largesse. That prompted me to write a response, which the Star Tribune printed today. My op-ed includes a vision statement for Minnesota which will also appear in the next issue of Thinking Minnesota. Here is my op-ed, in its entirety: In Bridging our city mouse/country mouse divide (March 5), Dane Smith and Vernae Hasbargen of the liberal policy group Growth & Justice write that they have witnessed far too much warfare between metro and rural mice. We are worried that its getting worse. Smith and Hasbargen see a cultural divide between urban and rural Minnesotans. They diagnose metro condescension in the cities and rural resentment in Greater Minnesota. Some metropolitan progressives think rural people are gullible hayseeds, while some rural voters have wrongheaded sentiments and are excessively fearful and resentful of the Twin Cities. On top of all that, they think that too many Minnesotans in all regions are unfriendly to newcomers and people of color. To remedy the friction between city and country, Smith and Hasbargen offer a series of proposals that have one thing in common: They all involve the state spending more money, as though higher taxes and more spending were the solution to all problems. Residents of town and country will be united, in this vision, as cashers of government checks. Smith and Hasbargen accept the idea that urban and rural Minnesotans are fundamentally unalike: mice from different places like different things, and thats just as it should be, they say. This is not how we conservatives view our state. We see urban and rural Minnesotans as having the same needs and desires, and as benefiting from the same basic policies. Less government and more freedom is a formula that works no matter where you live. Conservatives have a vision of a Minnesota whose citizens are united by a love of liberty, an ambition for prosperity, and an appreciation of our states natural resources and beauty not by a shared goal to become government dependents. Our vision for Minnesotas future is a state where: A thriving economy creates the best job opportunities in America for our children and grandchildren. Economic growth inspires people and businesses to move into Minnesota rather than out of Minnesota. Small-town values are respected, and a farmers biggest worry is the weather, not regulations coming out of St. Paul. The states natural resources minerals, timber, farmland, game and fish are optimally developed for the use and enjoyment of Minnesota residents. Families can choose health care plans and programs that best meet their needs, without being dictated to by government. The states transportation system is designed to help Minnesotans get where they want to go efficiently, not to serve the cause of social engineering. Cities and counties can govern themselves without undue interference from state and regional authorities. Minnesotas sparkling, sky-blue waters are a model of environmental quality. Parents can choose the schools that best suit their children from among multiple public and private options, knowing that wherever they go to school, their children will be safe. Is that a vision for urban Minnesota? Yes. Is it a vision for rural Minnesota? Yes. It is a common-sense vision that all Minnesotans can share. Glenn Greenwald has said that many media figures and online charlatans are personally benefiting from feeding the base increasingly unhinged, fact-free conspiracies, notably a Trump/Russia conspiracy for which, at least as of now, there is no evidence. Among those he references are Rachel Maddow and Ken Gude of the Center for American Progress. I would add another name Louise Mensch, journalist, digital media executive at the News Corporation, and former member of UK Parliament. Alex Pfeiffer of the Daily Caller describes some of Menschs pet conspiracy theories. According to Pfeiffer, she has written that Breitbart and Russia are 100% linked; that Jeff Sessions is a Russian partisan; and that the 15-year-old girl with whom Anthony Weiner sexted online was actually a Russian hacking ring. Taking the alleged Breitbart-Russia connection one absurd step further, Mensch has tweeted: I absolutely believe that Andrew Breitbart was murdered by Putin. . . (Greenwald responded absolutely. Given his contempt for theories less egregious than this one, I imagine Greenwald was having a laugh.) Mensch, then, would seem like a strange candidate for a place on the opinion section of the New York Times. But there she is, with a column called What to ask about Russian Hacking. Thats how committed the Times is to the anti-Trump resistance. No one is too loony or too opportunistic for the Times to turn down if he or she can advance the unsubstantiated Trump-Russia collusion story. Menschs piece consists mainly of questions she would like the House Intelligence to pose to various individuals. These are typical: [For Jeff Sessions] To your knowledge, did you break the law during the campaign? If so, how? To your knowledge, did anyone else related to the Trump campaign break the law during the campaign? And: [For Carter Page] Stephen Miller, then a campaign spokesman, stated that Jeff Sessions was putting together the foreign policy team. How were you recruited to that team? What contact did you have with its head, Mr. Sessions? As far as I know, neither Sessions nor Page is on the Committees witness list. The same is true for others Mensch has drafted questions for. Her lengthy witness wishlist includes Peter Thiel, Mark Zuckerberg, and Michael Anton. Its a wonder Steve Hayward didnt make the list. Were any of the people for whom Mensch has drafted questions to testify, many of her questions could be handled with one of two responses: No or Who gives a sh*t? Near the end of her romp on the Times opinion page, Mensch tell us: Never in American history has a president been suspected of collaborating with a hostile foreign power to win an election. She may be right as to past presidents, but her statement assumes that the suspicion of Trump is reasonable. If so, it would have been reasonable to suspect that President Obama collaborated with Russia during his election campaign. We know that Obama told the Russian president that he would have more flexibility to deal with contentious issues like missile defense after the U.S. presidential election. A conspiracy theorist might ask: What did Russia agree to do to aid Obamas campaign in exchange for this promise of flexibility? I dont consider Obamas statement evidence of collusion. But there is at least as much reason to view it as such as there is to suspect that Russias hacking of certain Democrats emails was the product of collusion with the Trump campaign. Its telling that the New York Times had to reach down to Louise Mensch to maintain the Trump-Russia collusion drumbeat. It publishes her piece at a time when Mike Morell and James Clapper are saying theres no evidence of collusion, and congressional Democrats tamping down the expectations of their left-wing base. Its equally telling that the Times would reach down to an inveterate conspiracy theorist like Mensch. HELSINKI (Reuters) - The Finnish aviation employees' trade union IAU and business representatives reached a deal on airport workers' wages and benefits after a final, 30-hour round of negotiations, Finnish National Conciliator Minna Helle said late on Monday. The settlement averts another round of strikes at Helsinki airport that the union had threatened to start on Wednesday. The Finnish Aviation Union IAU implemented work stoppages at Helsinki airport in early March, saying the service company Airpro's collective agreement fell short of benefits that workers in the sector get on average. According to the national conciliator, the parties reached a three-year deal giving collective agreement contracts to service workers in Finland's two biggest airports, Helsinki and the northern city of Oulu. Finland's state-controlled airline Finnair (FIA1S.HE), which was not a party to the dispute, had to cancel more than 200 flights during the work stoppages. (Reporting by Tuomas Forsell; Editing by Hugh Lawson) Im actually on a train todayyes, a train in Californiaand so I cant watch either the intelligence committee hearings or the Gorsuch nomination hearings. But I see that Paul is on the case, so weve got it covered. I cant think the left and the media (but I repeat. . .) are happy to have both of these hearings going on simultaneously, because they commit fratricide against their outrage efforts. In any case, the internet on my train is surprisingly good, so I can, alas, still read the fake news. So desperate are the media and the left to undermine President Trump that theyre even willing to attempt a reverse-remake of the 1966 classic The Russians Are Coming! The Russians Are Coming! That was one of the first films, along with Dr. Strangelove, that attempted to portray the Cold War as some kind of grand misunderstanding or comic misadventure. At the end of that movie, you may recall, the local townsfolk help the loveable, cuddly, and unthreatening Russians get away in their submarine by providing a protective flotilla against an attack from our terrible, horrible, no good military industrial complex. It helped that the Russians of The Russians Are Coming were seen as bumblers, and not the evil power seekers we know them to have been in the Soviet era. The reverse remake currently underway as a sort-of reality TV series has the evil Russians 10 feet tall again, and the Democratic Party as the bumblers who couldnt make anything out of this during the fall campaign. So now the media need to help these bumblers out by keeping the story alive. Take James Hohman of the Washington Post, who usually writes halfway sensible news analysis. Today he says: While there remains uncertainty about the degree of meddling and the full extent of contacts Trumps advisers had with Russians, there is consensus among Kremlinologists that Vladimir Putin preferred Trump to Hillary Clinton. Seriously? Hes going to go with consensus among Kremlinologists?? These would be the same people whose Cold War batting average was worse than Bob Uecker. (Uecker not only couldnt hit, but also led the league in passed balls one seasonsomething else Kremlinologists have in common with him.) Anyway, the circumstantial evidence Hohman offers consists of this: Among the substantive reasons the businessman was apparently attractive to Moscow: His promises to turn America inward, criticisms of the NATO alliance, support for spheres of influence, desire to cut deals and relative lack of concern about human rights. Moreover, there was a general sense that Trump would sow instability in the west, and it has been a truism for centuries that a divided Europe allows for an ascendant Russia. It would be tedious to refute this fake news point by point. Better to refer readers back to a trenchant strategic analysis we highlighted here a couple months ago from Brian Kennedy, about all of the reasons why Russias real interests would have led them to wish for a Hillary Clinton presidency. The whole thing is a nice ice bucket challenge to the superficial thinkers of the news media, but here are the best two paragraphs: We are being asked now to believe that the Russians wished to influence a U.S. presidential election. This master stroke of statecraft by Putin was designed, however, to bring to power a man, Donald J. Trump, who has pledged to rebuild the United States militarily and economically. Trump has detailed his intent to build a national missile defense, modernize our strategic arsenal to match that of Russia and China, ensure our ability to dominate the high seas with an expanded and more technologically advanced navy, guarantee our ability to project power with an improved air force, and have an intelligence and cyber capability second to none. How any of this is in the Russian strategic interest is yet to be explained. By contrast, Hillary Clinton, following the policies of Barack Obama, stated she would, by not building missile defensesno small strategic mattercontinue the policy of vulnerability to Russian, Chinese, and Iranian ballistic missiles; delay the upkeep and modernization of our nuclear weaponry; and, pursue a reduction of our conventional military forces. On traditional strategic grounds, it defies logic that Putin would have preferred Trump to Clinton. To which must be added that Trumps energy policy will put downward pressure on oil and gas prices, thus reducing income from Russias principal export product. St. Pauls University of St. Thomas is in the news and the news is ugly. The linked story includes the full text of the messages/statements cited in the column below by Robert J. Delahunty, UST Le Jeune Chair and Professor of Law; Willis Krumholz, UST JD/MBA 2014; and Daniel Berlinger UST JD candidate 2017. Professor Delahunty et al. write: The University of St. Thomas is in the news, and the news is very ugly. Several days ago it came to light that Mayzer Muhammad, the head of USTs student government, had a long record of making anti-Semitic remarks on social media, including an implicit call for the genocide of the Jewish people. [Y]ahood [Jews] will get what coming for them, Muhammad tweeted. Muhammad was the president of the UST chapter of the Muslim Student Association before his election in April 2016 as head of the UST student government. His comments about Jews and supporters of the state of Israel covered a two-year period from 2014 to 2016, not long before his election as student president. During that time, he repeatedly gave coarse expression to his hatred. For instance, in July 2014 he wrote: If you support Israel in anyway, shape, or form, please unfollow me right now cause those people are the scum of the earth. For full documentation, see here. When the disclosures appeared, Muhammads reaction was to attack his accusers rather than to apologize for what he had written. In a message to UST undergraduates, he claimed that he was the victim of a smear campaign by two Islamophobic organizations. The two organizations in question were the Algemeiner and Canary Mission. The Algemeiner is a mainstream if lesser known American Jewish publication. Algemeiner ran the story of Mr. Muhammads statements, noting that he was the head of the UST student government. Muhammads statements had been collected by Canary Mission, which scours social media accounts to monitor anti-Semitism on college campuses. It does so on the understanding that the line between anti-Zionism and anti-Semitism is frequently blurred and indistinct. Indeed, Muhammads comments, which attacked both Israeli government policies and Jews as such, make for a case in point. In his message to UST students, Muhammad gave no sign of a willingness to resign or even to apologize, which might limit the damage he has done to UST and mitigate the offense he given to Jewish people. In our view Muhammads stance leaves UST tainted with his public anti-Semitism. As members of the UST community, this concerns us deeply. Muhammad continues to occupy the most prominent position in USTs student government. Instead of resigning from his position as would have been honorable he assailed the motives of the watchdog groups that exposed him, accusing them of a smear. To be sure, criticizing the policies of the State of Israel cannot necessarily be equated with anti-Semitism. A university like UST should be a forum for open and vigorous debate on a whole range of issues. Indeed, it is regrettable that university administrators nowadays are so often unwilling to protect diversity of opinion, including opinions that many would find repulsive. Reasonable minds may well disagree on Israels actions in the Gaza Strip the alleged occasion of some of Muhammads tweets. But it is also true that criticism of Israel frequently masks an underlying anti-Semitism. Why? Because Israel is not just any nation-state. It was founded as a refuge for a people who had been persecuted, expelled and murdered for many centuries. The persecution of Jews occurred in both Christendom and Muslim lands and has continued to the present. Between 1948 and 1972, about 820,000 Jews were forced to leave their homes in Arab countries. Of these, about 586,000 were resettled in Israel. Given this long and tragic history, attacks on the State of Israel, especially when the attacker expresses himself in terms of naked hatred or turns a blind eye to the atrocities committed by Israels enemies against her people, can come close to classic anti-Semitism close enough to raise reasonable suspicions that more is at work than a policy disagreement. In Muhammads case, there can be no doubt that he crossed the line from anti-Zionism to anti-Semitism. To say [Y]ahood [Jews] will get what coming for them is not just to criticize the State of Israel. It is to call, in plain enough terms, for the mass murder of Jewish people, whether in Israel or elsewhere. If Muhammad or his defenders think otherwise, then they must have spent their lives in a kind of coma, unaware of or indifferent to the Holocaust and the discourse about Jews and Judaism that preceded it. In crossing the line between anti-Zionism and anti-Semitism, Muhammad also crossed the line between what is tolerable in our community and what is not. In these circumstances, we would have expected the swift, decisive and unequivocal repudiation of Mr. Muhammads remarks from the UST administration. Late last Friday, UST President Julie Sullivan circulated a message to the entire UST community. We welcome President Sullivans intervention. There are many true and useful observations in her message. Moreover, we appreciate the difficult position in which she was place by Muhammads tweets and their disclosure. Any university president will have to weigh the interests and opinions of the universitys varied constituencies and to evaluate the complications that a hasty, thoughtless or insensitive intervention in a matter like this may occasion. President Sullivan has taken other encouraging steps including the hiring of Rabbi Alan Shavit-Lonstein as an Associate Chaplain at UST. Nonetheless, we would have expected a firmer and clearer response from Dr. Sullivan to her student government leaders anti-Semitism. Even if the emotions Muhammad expressed were those of an adolescent, and even if he has not repeated the offense since becoming UST student president, he has not resigned or withdrawn his remarks or apologized. The millstone he placed around USTs neck remains there. Our main concerns about Dr. Sullivans letter are three. First, she did not unequivocally brand any of Mr. Muhammads remarks as anti-Semitic. She merely stated that he had been accused of anti-Semitic discourse. On the merits of that accusation, she was silent. Commendably, she did say that the school strongly denounces the 2014 statements that have circulated on social media. And she condemned, in generic terms, all hateful anti-Semitic, anti-Christian or anti-Muslim posts. However, her harshest criticism was directed, not at Mr. Muhammad, but at the two Jewish organizations that had brought Mr. Muhammads comments to light. At least, that is how we understand her somewhat cryptic remark that [a]t the same time, we are deeply concerned about the vitriolic and hateful discourse that targets young voices (emphasis added). This seems to replay Muhammads tactic of shooting the messenger. Second, she took no institutional responsibility for repairing the damage Muhammad had caused. Instead, she seemed to be assigning the sole responsibility to the UST undergraduate student body to deal with Muhammad. She alluded to the possibility that he might be removed or recalled from office by the actions of his peers, or at least be subjected to a vote of no confidence from them. And we are pleased to say that a movement to do so has already started. See here. An impeachment vote by the UST undergraduate student government is likely to occur after undergraduate classes resume on March 27. But UST cannot shed its millstone so easily. Consider the possibility that Muhammad is not removed from office, forced by peer pressure to withdraw or given a vote of no confidence. In the light of what is now public knowledge, any of those outcomes could be interpreted as a sign that the UST undergraduate body had endorsed Muhammads views. In plain terms, it could be taken to show that our students were indifferent to anti-Semitism, or even sympathized with it. Is that a consequence that our university President could accept? Third, nothing in Dr. Sullivans letter imposes any kind of sanction on Mr. Muhammad, or even hinted at one. It would not have required undue creativity to devise an appropriate sanction, even one well short from removing Mr. Muhammad from his office. He might have been required to do some form of community service. If some local Jewish organization or place of worship were willing to accept such service from him, he could have been told to perform them there. Or he might have been required to organize and speak at a student government-sponsored event dedicated to discussing the alarming rise of anti-Semitism on the nations campuses. The speakers at such an event could include leaders of both the American Jewish and American Muslim communities, among them representatives from the Jewish groups that exposed Mr. Muhammads tweets. UST itself should take further action to address the problem of anti-Semitism. As we have noted, anti-Semitism is on the rise at our universities a conclusion amply documented by researchers at Brandeis University in a 2016 study. UST might also offer a course dedicated to the study of anti-Semitism throughout the years. Such a course would cover the persecution of the Jewish people by Christians, by Muslims, and by the neo-pagan Nazis that culminated in the Holocaust. Some of our students are evidently unaware of the past 2000 years of the Jewish experience. This ignorance may have fed into a misunderstanding about what constitutes anti-Semitism and what does not. UST has responsibilities to its Jewish students, neighbors, friends and benefactors. Jewish students need to be certain that UST will provide an environment in which they are welcome and honored. We are not talking about creating any kind of safe space in which robust and informed disagreement is stifled. We are talking about a genuinely Catholic university in which our Jewish elder brothers and sisters in the Lord are cherished and honored. The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC on Monday disclosed it plans to generate about 4,000 megawatts of electricity in the next 10 years to boost the supply in the country. Data from the Transmission Company of Nigeria, TCN, on the current total power available to the 11 distribution companies as at February 28 stood at about 3868.39 MW. But, NNPCs Chief Operating Officer, COO, in charge of Gas and Power, Saidu Mohammed, said at the 2017 retreat of his autonomous business unit, ABU (Gas and Power), in Kaduna, that this the corporation hopes to realise its agenda to generate additional 4,000MW through building of independent power plants, IPPs at various locations in the country. Mr. Mohammed said the power plants would be built in the next three to 10 years by the Incorporated Joint Venture Companies that would involve NNPC, International Power Companies and other Nigerian investors to be structured after the Nigerian Liquefied Natural Gas, NLNG, business model. Power generation is a big business. As at today, NNPC has interest in two power plants located in Okpai, Delta State and Afam in Rivers State, which were built by our Joint Ventures with Nigerian Agip Oil Company (NAOC), and Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) respectively, he said. He said the two power plants, which collectively generate about 1,000 MW of electricity, were the most reliable and cheapest sources of electricity to the national grid in the country today. Mr. Mohammed said plans were already underway to commence Okpai Phase 2 Power plant, apart from the other JV power plants, like Obite & Agura, would also be progressed soon to boost power generation in the country. The Autonomous Business Unit, ABU, gas and power initiative, Mr. Mohammed explained, would require about $15 billion investment to realise. He said discussions are ongoing with prospective investors to help address gas deficit by building on the already existing gas infrastructure in the country. The new thinking involved the extension of the NNPCs major gas pipeline infrastructure into a robust network to connect various parts of the country. The implementation of the Ajaokuta to Abuja-Kaduna-Kano (AKK) extension has progressed. The main base-loads to justify such infrastructure are power plants that would consume the gas and for that, we are planning to build about 2,000 to 3,100 megawatts plants, combined, in these three cities. The partnership will involve players who will bring in their various capacities as operators, builders of power plants and as investors. NNPC will also bring its strength of being a dominant player in the Nigerian gas value chain, Mr. Mohammed said. He said the NNPC as an interested party in the gas value chain had developed capabilities in processing, transportation and marketing of gas for export and domestic utilisation. With the nations gas resources, Mr. Mohammed said, there was huge potentials to change the landscape of the Nigerian economy for the better. If you generate enough power, the multiplier effect will revive most of the moribund industries across the country. NNPC intends to capture 50 per cent of the gas market in Nigeria by growing the Nigerian Gas Marketing Company, NGMC, from the current 500 million standard cubic feet of gas per day to about 3 to 4 billion standard cubic feet per day in the next 10 years, he said. In line with the Nigerian gas master plan, the official said the NNPC would be producing gas with its IJV partners, along with other interested Nigerian investors, to build treatment plants to achieve the deadline. We are going to unbundle the upstream by delineating the midstream so as to allow other players operate, while NNPC as the operator of the pipeline network will continue to deliver gas to the downstream sector and ultimate consumers, he stated. Share this: Twitter Facebook A Federal High Court in Lagos on Monday granted leave to the Federal Government to amend its statement of claims in a suit filed against Shell Western Supply and Trading Ltd over crude oil shipment allegedly resulting in revenue loss of about $406.8 million. The suit no. FHC/L/CS/336/16, was filed by FGs counsel, Fabian Ajogwu, and is pending before Justice Mojisola Olatoregun. It has as defendants, Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nig. Ltd and its subsidiary Shell Western Supply and Trading Ltd. When the suit was mentioned on Monday, counsel to the plaintiff, Ituah Imhanze, informed the court of an application to amend the plaintiffs statement of claims. He urged the court to grant his application and allow the plaintiff leave to tidy up its pleadings. The defence counsel, however, did not oppose the application for amendment. In a short ruling, Justice Olatoregun, granted the application, but noted that besides applications for amendment of processes, there had been no remarkable progress in the suit since it was filed. She, however, adjourned the case until May 31 and June 1 for hearing, and directed that the plaintiff should ensure that the amended processes were served on the defence. The plaintiff is claiming $406.8 million from the defendants, being the shortfall of money paid into the Federal Governments account with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). The money was said to be for crude oil lifted in 2013 and 2014. In a supporting affidavit, the federal government had accused the Anglo-Dutch company of not declaring or under-declaring crude oil shipments during the period. It said the discovery followed forensic analysis of bills of laden and shipping documents, adding that Shell cheated Nigeria of the huge revenue. According to the affidavit, the consortium of experts tracked the global movements of the countrys hydro-carbons, including crude oil and gas. They identified the companies engaged in the practices that led to missing revenues from crude oil and gas export sales to different parts of the world. They also revealed discrepancies in the export records from Nigeria and the import records at U.S. ports. The federal government averred that the undeclared shipments between January 2013 and December 2014 brought the total value of the entire revenue shortfall to $406.75 million. The defendants were said to have failed to respond to a government letter through its legal representative, seeking clarification as to the discrepancies. The government is, therefore, seeking a court order to compel the two companies to pay $406.8 million, being the total value of the missing revenue and interest payment at 21 percent per annum. In addition, the government is also asking Shell to pay general exemplary damages in the sum of $406.75 million as well as the cost of the legal action. The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the government had also sued Chevron, Total and Agip in a similar case before the court. The government is asking for a total of $12.7 billion over alleged non-declaration of 57 million barrels of crude shipped to the U.S. between 2011 and 2014. The oil companies are among the 15 oil majors targeted by the government for the recovery of $17 billion in deprived revenue. (NAN) Share this: Twitter Facebook Business and economy experts and stakeholders have canvassed for the promotion of corporate governance and sustainability among business owners and companies around the country. The stakeholders who spoke at a one-day seminar tagged Sustainability and Corporate Governance: Building long term Value, also reiterated the importance of disclosures by corporate organisations. Ola Bello, executive director of Good Governance Africa, noted that companies should be spurred to make as much disclosure as the law permits, adding that the Nigerian business environment is not over-regulated. Mr. Bello, who spoke as a discussant, said efforts should be intensified on moves to ensure transparency and sustainability in the business and economy sector. For Nornay Awoh, a business expert and contributor, investors should be charged to raise questions about the financial state of their companies. Mr. Awoh, who disclosed that ignorance of the workings of the companies also contribute to lack of corporate governance, called on the media and other regulatory bodies to put companies directors on their toes. The judiciary, the police, regulators and the press should report contradictions in companies (financial) reports, he said. Chinyere Almona, Africa Corporate Governance Program Manager at the International Finance Corporation, IFC, said educational institutions should be equipped to train and raise young directors that will take over the corporate world from old directors. Ms. Almona, who explained that solving the problem of corporate governance is a collective effort, charged the regulatory bodies to intensify their efforts. Olumide Orojimi, head of corporate communications at the Nigeria Stock Exchange, on his part, said campaign should be intensified on how corporate governance disclosures can be improved upon. Mr. Orojimi also enjoined investors to be sensitive to happenings in the companies where they have stake, noting that questions should be asked on issues especially during Annual General Meetings, AGMs. The sustainability seminar, held in Lagos, was put together by the Nigerian Stock Exchange, NSE, in conjunction with the Global Reporting Initiative, GR, as well as the EY. Joseph Owolabi, West Africa Lead, Climate Change and Sustainability Service at the EY, said the discourse centred around the need to raise awareness about the importance of disclosures and corporate governance in a companys sustainability drive. Share this: Twitter Facebook Regional officials in Ethiopia are demanding that foreign cement producers in the east African country, including Dangote Cement Plc, surrender control of some parts of their businesses to unemployed youth, Bloomberg reported Monday. Dangote Cements 2.5 million metric tons per annum plant in Ethiopia is facing protests by youth groups demanding control of a section of the plant. The protest by youth from communities adjoining the companys plant located in Mugher, about 90 kilometers north of Addis Ababa, is coming months after a similar protest by Oromo communities forced the company to halt production. According to Bloomberg, an agreement drafted by Oromia states East Shewa Zone administration this month, proposed the cement companies allow the youth to run their Pumice mines. Pumice is an additive used in cement manufacturing and its extraction was overseen by local bureaucrats, rather than Ethiopias central government, the financial news organisation said. The youth have to get the advantage from the resource, and side-by-side the companies must get advantage from this resource, head of East Shewas Yohan Tesso, urban employment creation and food security office, told Bloomberg. Its a win-win. Oromia has 1.2 million unemployed youth, according to the Addis Ababa-based Walta Information Center news service, which cited a local youth affairs office. The state is targeting the creation of 950,000 new jobs for young people, it said. The Oromia administration shut down Dangote and Derbas operations amid discussions about the proposals, the Addis Ababa-based newspaper The Reporter said on March 11. Derbas chief executive officer and chairman of the Ethiopia Cement Producers Association, Haile Assegidie, said proposals to give control of pumice to youth cooperatives came without warning, according to the paper. Dangote Cement CEO, Onne van der Weijde, said the disruptions could not have forced the plant to stop production. The Nigerian company is discussing the proposal with Oromo officials and may be willing to sign a contract. As long as that doesnt involve higher costs and lower quality and the quantity can still be delivered, he said. A director of mineral marketing in Ethiopias federal mines ministry, Teweld Abay, was quoted by Bloomberg as saying that he was aware of East Shewas plans, but the local administration was yet communicate them to the ministry. Mr. Abay condemned the youth attack on the companies, saying they did not have any right to demand that cement companies sign the contract. Share this: Twitter Facebook The hundreds of delegates pouring into the glittering Marriott Marquis hotel for this months Powering Africa Summit were experiencing a stark, if unstated, contrast. On a good day this year, Nigeria the largest per capita of Africas 55 countries, produced enough electricity to operate around five eco-friendly hotels, the size of the three-year old Marriott. The market opportunities are massive, participants agreed; the challenges equally large. By the end of two days of discussions, a consensus emerged around three themes: There is a wall of money available to electrify Africa with bankable projects There is hopeful optimism that U.S. President Trumps administration might be supportive, and There are enormous opportunities for those with ideas, stamina and, most of all, patience to make money while doing good on and off the grid. To unlock that wall of money, says Standard Banks head of power and infrastructure, David Humphrey, Africa has to grow, develop, and become a place where that wall of money is happy to invest, and can take and understand the associated risks. Mr. Humphreys assessment is underpinned by 150 years of African experience by Standard Bank, Africas largest bank by asset. Power Africa, an initiative to light up Africa launched by President Barack Obama during a visit to three African countries in 2013, aims to see 60 million new connections and 30,000 megawatts (MW) of new and cleaner power generation. Nigeria, Africas most populace nation, is key to meeting those goals, Andrew Herscowitz, the Power Africa coordinator, told attendees. If we succeed in Nigeria, we can be successful anywhere in the continent, he said. Nigeria has some 12,000 MW of installed generation capacity and can transmit 7,000 MW on the existing grid, he said. Typical output ranges from 3,000 to 4,000 MW, of which only about 2,000 MW is being paid for. Investors and developers new to Africa often need reminding that there are 55 countries on the continent, which compares in land area to the United States, China, Japan, Mexico, India and eastern and western Europe combined. There are tremendous variations by region and often within individual countries. Some countries have policy, regulatory and community frameworks already in place which make it easier to do business. But easier is still not easy compared to more developed regions, conference participants noted. In economic terms, says Mr. Humphrey, Africa is at the crossroads. Weve seen a lot of progress with democracy and democratic institutions, whether in Nigeria, Uganda, even in The Gambia where [a recent coup attempt] was peacefully resolved. There have been peaceful transitions in Zambia and in Ghana. Those trends, he says, have made a difference in investor interest. Twenty years ago an investor might ask why would I go to Africa, he says. Now were having interesting conversations at the individual government level and individual client level about how you unlock that potential. Theres a lot at stake for Africas people. More than 620 million live without electricity. The people of Gbarnway, Liberia, a rural community about 100 miles from the capital Monrovia, illustrate the problems and opportunities. The Liberian government estimated that it could take at least 10 years for the national grid to reach Gbarnway and other rural areas and that was before the setbacks brought on by the Ebola crisis of 2014-16. Power Africas more than 100 private sector partners have committed to develop some 16,000 MW of generation. These include a number of non-profits focusing on delivering off-grid power to Africas rural population. One of these, the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA), has committed $400,000 to bring reliable and affordable electricity to Liberia with a solar-diesel hybrid system. The fifty-four-year-old not-for-profit U.S. organization has helped Liberians launch three electric cooperatives and has provided training in maintenance, service provision and financial management. Gbarnway now enjoys electricity with solar panels that NRECA supplied. Korto Gizzie, a resident, says We were living in darkness, and living in this place was hard. The houses were dark for the children. But now, we have light here, and this place is just like a city. I am so happy to see a town like this. Gizzies power came as part of USAIDs Power Africa Beyond the Grid project. The Obama administration launched the Power Africa initiative in 2013 with the goal of connecting 60 million people to power by 2030 through public/private partnerships. One of the questions buzzing among delegates in between panels, round tables and keynote addresses, was the future of the initiative under the new U.S. administration. Power Africa, the initiative housed at USAID, involves many options including development finance and Independent Power Producers (IPPs)all of which are favourable to businesses. The hope is that President Trump, with his background, might see a good opportunity for U.S. business. Republican Congressman Ed Royce, Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, in a Summit keynote, extolled the chance to create technology and long term power deals while increasing global security and social stability. He said that for American companies who maintain their competitiveness, opportunities abound as Africas economies grow. You cant run a factory on a generator, he said, referring to the private generators that currently provide much of the electricity to African homes, schools, clinics, offices and businesses, including banks. Mr. Royce was lead sponsor of the Electrify Africa Act of 2015, which supports and broadens the Power Africa initiative. African consumers are driving an accelerating process of renewable energy installations, while African governments and big utility companies are often stuck in the grid paradigm, some delegates said. Almost everyone wants the ability to be connected to a reliable electricity grid. But as a result of Africas sheer size, the number of rural residents, and the lack of existing generating and distributing capacity, it is likely that many millions of people will get electricity from emerging, clean technologies including solar, wind, hydro and biogas, before a grid reaches them. The cost of these technologies is dropping, making off-grid and mini-grid renewable energy affordable, even for the very poor. Some require little upfront capital investment and have the advantage of delivering energy quickly, replacing costly and unhealthy fuel sources like firewood and kerosene. Noluthando Crockett-Ntonga is a contributor to AllAfrica. Share this: Twitter Facebook Isiolo County police commander Charles Ontita on Monday confirmed that a gun battle between two pastoralist communities competing for grazing killed no fewer than 10 people in northern Kenya on Sunday morning. Mr. Ontita said that armed cattle herders from Isiolo and Samburu counties fought over grazing access along the two county borders, Ten bodies have been recovered from the scene. Scores of people sustained gunshots wounds, Mr. Ontita said during a press briefing at his office. He said that Sundays violence took place further to the east, at Kom, 100 kms (62 miles) northeast from the town of Isiolo. Mr. Ontita said extra police and paramilitary forces had been sent to Kom. Northern Kenya is suffering a severe drought, which has worsened competition for grazing and water holes. Some residents say local politicians are fuelling the violence in an effort to win votes from particular ethnic blocs in national elections scheduled for August. On Friday, President Uhuru Kenyatta announced he was sending troops to the northern regions of Laikipia and Baringo. Both have suffered a string of deadly attacks in recent months as armed cattle herders searching for grazing have driven cattle onto private farms and ranches. At least 15 people have already been killed in clashes along the border between Isiolo and neighbouring Marissa County in the past month. (Reuters/NAN) Share this: Twitter Facebook South Sudan and Equatorial Guinea announced a historic partnership today in Juba, setting out the terms for a strong bilateral relationship between the African oil and gas producers. The Memorandum of Cooperation was signed by Equatorial Guineas Minister of Mines and Hydrocarbons, Gabriel Lima, and South Sudans Minister of Petroleum, Ezekiel Gatkuoth. The two nations will use the new partnership as a basis for exchanging information on policy and regulation; promoting upstream, downstream and infrastructure projects; and collaboration between the national oil companies, Nilepet and GEPetrol. Partnership is what fuels the oil industry said Mr. Gatkuoth. South Sudan is proud to share its experiences with Equatorial Guinea, and to learn from the great work of our fellow African producer. The petroleum industry is crucial to our nations development. This agreement signals our dedication to investing in the sector as a driver for South Sudans growth. The sharing of resources and knowledge between African oil and gas countries is critical, said Mr. Lima. Going forward, Equatorial Guinea will work closely with South Sudan for the benefit of our people and our national economies. The lines of communication are open and we look forward to a deep and lasting collaboration. Extending its expertise in oil and gas licensing rounds; gas monetisation and eliminating flaring; investing in power plants using flared gas; local content and offering to provide training to South Sudanese personnel, Equatorial Guineas Ministry of Mines and Hydrocarbons will use its experience and resources to assist South Sudans Ministry of Petroleum in revitalising the countrys oil and gas industry. Both countries bring decades of oil production experience to the table, and South Sudan is now working to more than double oil output to 290,000 barrels per day. Equatorial Guinea is nearing the close of its EG Ronda 2016 licensing round. The EG Ronda will conclude at the Africa Oil & Power 2017 conference in Cape Town, where South Sudanese President, Salva Kiir, will deliver a keynote speech and the ministers of both nations will meet investors and promote their oil and gas industries and projects. Share this: Twitter Facebook South African airport customs officials on Monday confiscated male sexual enhancement tablets worth $1.63 million en route to Swaziland from India. The revenue service said customs officers found 80,000 tablets and 126,000 oral jellies in transit sheds at Johannesburgs OR Tambo airport. The pills were wrapped in brown sacks sent from Mumbai. These tablets are restricted and controlled substances and must have permits when being imported, the South African Revenue Service (SARS) said in a statement. The shipment has been handed over to the Medical Council of South Africa for further investigation. SARS spokesman Sandile Memela said the police would investigate who had sent the pills and the intended recipient. (Reuters/NAN) Share this: Twitter Facebook New Zealand on Monday expelled an attache at the U.S. Embassy after Washington declined to waive his right to diplomatic immunity after an incident which gave him a broken nose and a black eye, media and authorities said. New Zealand police said they responded to the incident near the capital Wellington on March 12 involving an employee of the U.S. Embassy. They did not say what work the employee did or give any other details. The New Zealand Herald at the weekend identified the man as an embassy attache and said he had left the country with a broken nose and black eye. A spokeswoman for the U.S. Embassy said it was in touch with New Zealand authorities. We take seriously any suggestion that our staff have fallen short of the high standards of conduct expected of U.S. government personnel, the spokeswoman said. (Reuters/NAN) Share this: Twitter Facebook The National Dental Association, NDA, has said poor public awareness on oral hygiene and available dental services is affecting dental care in Nigeria. The association made the observation on Monday in Abuja on the occasion of the World Oral Health Day. The World Oral Health Day is celebrated every March 20 globally to educate the public on the benefits of a healthy mouth and create awareness on issues surrounding oral health, and to promote oral hygiene among people. According to FDI World Dental Federation, a consortium of dentists all over the world, 3.9 billion people around the world suffer from oral diseases. Speaking on this years theme Live Mouth Smart, Vice President of NDA, Funmi Ashiwaju, said the mouth should be kept healthy with no dirt, plaque, calculus, illness or ailment whatsoever. She said the association was joining its counterparts across world to promote oral hygiene by raising public awareness on the subject and available dental services in the country. Interviews with some residents of Abuja indicate that many Nigerians resort to traditional medication for oral disease because they think most of the available dental care facilities are private-owned and too expensive, while those in public hospitals, though affordable, are usually overcrowded. Iyabo Umokoro, a resident of the city, said though she has a hole in her teeth that gives her pain, she has not been able to take care of it because of the cost. I have hole in my teeth and I intend going to a General Hospital to get treatment because I heard private dental service is expensive, she said. The NDA Vice President, Ms. Ashiwaju, said people should see their dentists every six months whether they have pain or not and also brush their teeth twice every day; morning and last thing at night. The problem is that most people are not aware of how to take good care of their mouth and the knowledge of dental services available in the country is poor. She however said the situation is improving due to the efforts of groups like her own. Compared to what was obtainable 10 years ago, there has been an upward movement in awareness. The National Dental Association, in collaboration with FDI World Dental Federation, has embarked on various campaigns and advocacy programmes, such as going to communities and schools, especially among the children, educating them on their oral health so that they can be more aware because the earlier you start taking care of your mouth the better, she said. Kenneth Ighalo, an Abuja-based dentist, said Nigerians generally do not care about oral health until they start having issues with their teeth. Most times they often find a way around it by engaging traditional healers who often times compound the problems, instead of visiting the dentist, he said, insisting that traditional healers do not cure tooth problems. The lack of awareness of where to get affordable dental services is more likely the reason why most people dont visit the dentist. Mr. Ighalo said though the cost of services at the private clinics are on the high side for most Nigerians, most people are not aware that there are dental clinics in almost all the General and Teaching Hospitals across the country with qualified dentists, good dental services and equipment. It is when you are aware of something and the alternative services that you can think about getting the care, he said. Ms. Ashiwaju said the reason why private services seem to be high is because the equipment are very expensive. The cost of buying and maintenance of dental equipment are very high. As such, it affects the price of private services, making it quite unaffordable to many. The non-availability of dental clinics in most rural areas has a negative effect on dental services in the country because most of these services are located in the urban areas, making them not accessible to those in the rural areas and thereby making them consult traditional healers who often worsen their predicament, because there is no how worms come out from the tooth. However, government dental clinics are also well-equipped with professionals working there as well. Nigerian need to move from the fire brigade approach of dental care to the preventive ones, she said. Mr. Ighalo urged Nigerians to visit dentists for routine oral medical checks, care for their oral hygiene, brush their teeth twice and visit a dentist whenever they have tooth ailment. Ms. Ashiwaju, however, implored the government to implement dental policies that would encourage oral dental care in the country. The government should incorporate policies on oral healthcare at all health centres across the states, especially the rural level where Nigerians will be able to access and afford of care, she said. Share this: Twitter Facebook Nigeria has been ranked the 95th happiest nation of the world and sixth in Africa in the 2017 World Happiness Report. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the ranking assessed 155 countries by their happiness levels. It was released on Monday by the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) as part of the UN World Happiness Day March 20. According to the report, Nigeria advanced from 103 position in the world and maintained its stand as the sixth happiest country in Africa as indicated by 2016 happiness ranking. Nigerias position showed that in spite of its current economic recession and security challenges, its citizens remained happy. Algeria maintained its lead as the happiest country in Africa, followed by Mauritius, while crisis-torn Libya is surprisingly ranked third ahead of Morocco. The report also indicated that Somalia, another crisis-torn nation, is Africas 5th happiest country ahead of Nigeria and South Africa which ranked 7th. Tunisia is placed at number eight; Egypt stands at nine and Sierra Leone in the 10th position. At the bottom 10 are Republic of Benin, Madagascar, South Sudan, Liberia, Guinea, Togo, Rwanda, Tanzania, Burundi and the most unhappy, Central African Republic. On the global stage, Norway has trumped Denmark as the worlds happiest country in a report that calls on nations to build social trust and equality to improve wellbeing. Denmark, Iceland, Switzerland, Finland, the Netherlands, Canada, New Zealand, Australia and Sweden rounded out the top 10 countries. Germany was ranked 16th, the U.K. 19th and France 31st while U.S. dropped one spot to 14th. According to the report, countries in sub-Saharan Africa, along with Syria and Yemen were the least happy. South Sudan, Liberia, Guinea, Togo, Rwanda, Tanzania, Burundi and Central African Republic were at the bottom. NAN reports that the World Happiness Report, an initiative of the UN, is a landmark survey of the state of global happiness, aimed at influencing government policy. The report reviews the state of happiness in the world and shows how the new science of happiness explains personal and national variations in happiness. It reflects a new worldwide demand for more attention to happiness as criteria for government policy. The rankings are based on six factors per capita gross domestic product, healthy life expectancy, freedom, generosity, social support and absence of corruption in government or business. The lowest countries are typically marked by low values in all six variables. (NAN) Share this: Twitter Facebook A Federal High Court in Lagos on Monday ordered the remand in prison of two Chinese, Tao Shen and Jing Yau, charged with importation of fake tyres. Shen, 36, and Yau, 22, are charged alongside a Nigerian, Chinedu Madubuike, and two companies, Sino Nig. Import and Export Ltd, and Nedeca International Ltd for importing fake tyres into the country. The accused are standing trial on four counts bordering on importation of substandard products. When the charges were read to the accused, and translated into Chinese language by an interpreter, they pleaded not guilty. The trial judge, Mojisola Olatoregun, consequently, fixed March 21 to determine the bail application for the accused. In the charges, the accused were said to have committed the offence in February (this year) by conspiring to import tyres which did not meet the relevant Nigeria industrial standard. They were alleged to have stuffed various sizes of tyres into one, knowing same to be in a dangerous state, or being injurious to human lives. The accused were said to have imported the tyres which did not comply with the mandatory Nigeria standard by stuffing different sizes into one, thereby, making the tyres to be unfit for its purpose. The tyres were said to have failed to meet the relevant Nigerian industrial standard and likely to endanger human lives. Again, the accused were alleged to have failed to furnish returns on the conditions of the imported tyres as required by law. The offences are said to have contravened the provisions of Sections 320 and 510 of the Criminal Code Act, Cap C38, Laws of the Federation, 2004. They are also said to have contravened the provisions of Sections 26 and 32 of the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) Act, No 14, Laws of the Federation, 2004. The News Agency of Nigeria reports that SON arrested the two Chinese nationals, Taolung Shen and Xu Jing Yau, for importing substandard tyres worth over N5 billion in a statement it issued late February. The suspects, according to the statement, were paraded after their arrest, and the warehouse where they had been cloning different sizes of tyres under different brand names was sealed. They were first arraigned in a Federal High Court sitting in Lagos on March 8, 2017. (NAN) Share this: Twitter Facebook The Independent National Electoral Commission has unveiled an electronic collation and results transmission system with a view to eliminating manual collation which the commission says enables malpractices. INECs Director of Information and Communication Technology, Chidi Nwafor, disclosed the development on Thursday during a media parley chaired by the commissions chief, Mahmood Yakubu, in Abuja. In his presentation centred on deployment of technology and innovations to drive Nigerias electoral system ahead of the 2019 general elections, Mr. Nwafor highlighted the weakness of current collation system which involves manual transmission of results sheets from one stage to the next up to the point of final collation in the course of which malpractices are perpetrated. Observations have shown that most election malpractices that take place do not take place at polling units, said Mr. Nwafor, a fellow of Nigerian Society of Engineers who supervised the deployment of permanent voters cards and smart readers for the 2015 elections. He said it was barely possible to rig at polling units where everybody participates in the process of counting of ballot papers and recording of scores. The challenge has been after the poll between the polling units and the collation centres and at the collation centre. INEC has therefore decided to securely transmit results from all polling units to central database such that only viewing access is allowed at the wards and local government levels which ultimately eliminates manual collation processes. The new e-collation system has four procedures, namely: Results from polling units will be entered into the e-collation application on the smart card reader; Results are transmitted to a central server; Results are auto-collated and can be viewed at the RAs (wards) and ECA8s can be scanned at that level; and Result audit and confirmation takes place at collation centres at LGAs, state and national level. Mr. Nwafor said the new system could be used for all elections, from local council polls which INEC conducts in the Federal Capital Territory to the presidential election. He added that the system had a flexible dashboard to with a real-time user interface showing graphical presentation of status of results collated per given time. It is expected that the e-collation system further improves the credibility of Nigerias electoral process, as did PVC and smart card reader when deployed for the 2015 elections, reputed as the most credible since the inception of the Fourth Republic in 1999. INEC said the new system would be first deployed for the November 2017 Anambra State governorship election as pilot phase. INEC is preparing for the 2019 elections and is further deploying technology to improve its service delivery and make its processes less prone to manipulations, said Mr. Nwafor. At the media parley, the chairman of the commission, Mr. Yakubu said the commission had been meeting with security, intelligence and military agencies to improve security of elections in Nigeria. INECs last outing in Rivers States was widely condemned for widespread violence and malpractices, which ensured the commission had to wait till February 26 before concluding an exercise that started on December 10 of the previous year. But Mr. Yakubu said 29 staff suspected to have been involved in the misconducts during the Rivers polls had been interdicted pending the outcome of investigation and prosecution by the police. Share this: Twitter Facebook The Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun, on Monday said Nigerians would not get the full details of the disbursements to the 36 state governments in respect of the Paris Club Refunds until the final reconciliation of the records were completed. In what appears a reaction to aPREMIUM TIMES exclusive report, which accused the government of lack of transparency by refusing to avail the public of the details of disbursement so far, Mrs. Adeosun said the Federal Government had consistently complied with all extant rules and regulations in the disbursement of the Paris Club refunds to state governments. The Federal Governments disbursement process is transparent and targeted at the attainment of specific economic objectives, she said. The inability of some sub-national governments to meet salary and other obligations was considered inconsonant with the Federal Governments economic stimulus programme. She pointed out that claims (by state governments) with regard to over deductions had been made to the Federal Government, consistently since 2005. To reconcile the records and facilitate full disbursement, Mrs. Adeosun said the Debt Management Office, DMO, saddled with the responsibility had initially requested for a period of 22 months to complete. That DMO is handling the reconciliation in conjunction with the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation, OAGF and the relevant state governments. However, President Muhammadu Buhari had directed that the exercise be completed within 12 months, considering the plight of salary earners and pensioners and the need to stimulate the economy. This followed the inability of majority of Nigerias 36 states to pay workers salaries despite receiving government bailout. To give the states additional support and enable them meet those challenges, the minister said the president gave an express anticipatory approval for the release of up to 50 per cent of the claim of each state, pending final reconciliation. She said the disbursements were staggered in batches and payments made only when the claims of each state had been reconciled with the facts at the disposal of the federal government. Specifically, information was available that some states had been paid, either in full or in part, under previous administrations. This necessitated a more detailed review, for the states in question. The release of the first tranche, representing up to 25% of claims, being N522.7 billion commenced in December 2016. Disbursement was subject to an agreement by state governments that 50% of any amount received would be earmarked for the payment of salaries and pensions, the minister explained. Besides, she said, each state governor had given an undertaking that excess payments would be recovered from their share during the Federation Accounts Allocation Committee, FAAC, meeting if the final reconciliation found the amount paid under the anticipatory approval exceeding what was due to them. Giving an update on the reconciliation exercise so far, Mrs. Adeosun said to date, nine batches have been processed, while some balances were outstanding to the possible credit of some states. She then said disclosure can only be made after full reconciliation. Given the foregoing, complete and final figures can only be released and published after each state and the Federal Government have reconciled and agreed on the sums due, she said. She said that during the last National Economic Council meeting on Thursday March 16, 2017, President Muhammadu Buhari had instructed her and the Central Bank of Nigeria governor, Godwin Emefiele, to commence the process of resolving the balance of the approved amount. The overriding consideration for any further releases will be the current and projected cash flows of the Federation as well as the outcome of the independent monitoring of the compliance with terms and conditions attached to the previous releases. The Minister of Finance would like to reaffirm the commitment of the administration to publish all relevant information on the Paris Club refunds, she said. Share this: Twitter Facebook The Bayelsa State Governor and Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Reconciliation Committee, Seriake Dickson, on Saturday called on key actors in the party to sheathe their swords and embrace peace to move PDP forward. According to him, it would be unhealthy for both Ahmed Markafi and Modu Sheriff to be trading words at this critical period when all hands should be on deck to resolve the lingering crisis that has robbed the party of its leadership status. In an interview with journalists in Abuja, Mr. Dickson said the report of the committee submitted to the national chairman of PDP, Mr. Sheriff was to unify, strengthen and reposition the party, contrary to misconception. He said the PDP, having lost its leadership status to the ruling All Progressives Congress, (APC) should be a formidable opposition party but regretted that the reverse had been the case as a result of internal crisis. Dialogue, consultation and meetings formed part of the recommendations of the committee as they remain panacea to the lingering crisis. I am therefore calling on the leadership of the party to put aside their personal interests and work for the interest of PDP. In order to salvage the situation, there is need for consultation and dialogue; that is part of the recommendation of the committee, Mr. Dickson said. He said the committee, having examined the ongoing crisis in the party, decided to present a template that is engaging the tools of politics being misconstrued by Mr. Markafi and some of his followers. The governor added that politics was all about dialogue, engagement and meetings, saying this is the only way to get out of the present imbroglio and reshape the party ahead of subsequent elections. He added that without prejudice to the appeal filed at the Supreme Court to challenge the verdict of the Federal High Court in Port Harcourt which ruled in favour of Mr. Sheriff as the acting chairman, the committee in its report recommended the holding of unity convention. You need to engage Sheriff before you lose the party and the only way to achieve this is the adoption of the recommendations of the National Reconciliation Committee which include engagement of political tools and holding of unity convention, the governor said. Mr. Dickson said, I wasnt happy with what happened in Edo and Ekiti States and in order to prevent its re-occurrence, we started meeting with notable leaders of PDP including the former President, Ibrahim Babangida, Gusau to mention but few. It will surprise you that when Gusau advised the two factional chairmen to resign in the interest of the party, Ali Modu Sheriff willingly obliged but Makarfi refused. If I were him, I would have jumped at the opportunity and put an end to the unwarranted crisis. This event happened before the Court of Appeal judgement. I still maintain my position that you deploy a political means to resolve a political problem. You cannot come out of the court and be smiling. I am a lawyer but Makarfi is not. Some people are of the opinion that Makarfi is having the support of the majority, politics is not like that, every soul matter. That is why we need to deploy political means which is consultation to resolve this matter. Share this: Twitter Facebook A group of protesters on Monday barricaded the Abuja office of Amnesty International and asked the international organisation to quit Nigeria within 24 hours. Speaking for the protesters, Melvin Ejeh warned that the group would lead other Nigerians on a five-day Occupy Amnesty International protest as a first warning, if the organisation does not shut down its operations and leave Nigeria in the next 24 hours. Let us warn at this point that there will be no interval of respite if AI failed to leave Nigeria at the end of the five days as we will activate other more profound options to make them the organization leave Nigeria, Mr. Ejeh, who is Executive Director, Global Peace and Rescue Initiative, GOPRI, said. He called on Nigerians to join the movement to get this evil out of our land before it plunges us into real war. Mr. Ojeh said organisations like the National Human Rights Commission, NHRC, and the Global Amnesty Watch had condemned a recent report by AI which alleged human rights abuses by Nigerian security agencies against arrested Boko Haram suspects. He accused AI of having ulterior motives. Previous calls by concerned groups for the government to kick Amnesty International out of Nigeria for the safety of citizens have gone unheeded. Unfortunately, if this organisation is allowed to continue carrying out its atrocities here it will destabilise Nigeria. Unlike our leaders, most of us do not have the resources to relocate our loved ones to other lands if Amnesty International succeeds in ruining this nation. Like the victims of AIs operation in the Middle-East, we would be left without a country and we would not be welcomed in other nations. We will become mere footnotes in its next annual report since it stops showing interest in places it has successfully destroyed. Amnesty International in its report alleged human rights abuses by Nigerian security agencies in the war against Boko Haram and in quelling protests in other parts of Nigeria. The organisations latest reports stated that 240 people, including infants, died in a military detention centre in Borno in 2016, while 177 pro-Biafran agitators were extra-judicially killed in the same year. However, the military denied the claims contained in the report, saying they were contrived lies orchestrated to blackmail and ridicule the Nigerian Armed Forces. Share this: Twitter Facebook Nigeria has asked the United Nations International Childrens Emergency Fund, UNICEF, for support in building capacity of health extension workers working at the primary health care centres in communities across the country. The Minister of Health, Isaac Adewole, tabled the request on Monday during a meeting with officials of the agency in Abuja. The concept of health extension workers was introduced by a late minister of health, Olikoye Ransome-Kuti, to provide healthcare services at community levels across Nigeria. According to a statement by the ministry, Mr. Adewole said improving the capacity of the health workers would help in achieving the objective of the Saving One Million Lives Programme for Result Initiative, which the federal government introduced to improve the health of mothers and children in Nigeria. UNICEF is a United Nations programme that provides humanitarian assistance to children and mothers in developing countries. He said the government believes that investing in primary healthcare system at the community level was the only way to improve the health indices of Nigeria. When you look at our healthcare indicator, our problem is not the rich, not the educated, 95 per cent of educated Nigerians receive antenatal care, 20 per cent of the poor receive antenatal care. So if we want to truly address maternal mortality, we must focus on the rural and the poor. Same goes for immunisation, the rich can take care of themselves, they can take the next available flight out of Nigeria to access care but the poor have nowhere to go, Mr. Adewole said. The minister appreciated the support of UNICEF in the fight against polio, child survival, prevention of mother to child HIV/AIDS transmission and nutrition Speaking earlier, the Deputy Executive Director, Programme, UNICEF, Omar Abdi, restated the agencys commitment to improving maternal and child health, strengthening immunisation and revitalisation of primary healthcare system in Nigeria. Mr. Abdi said UNICEF and the ministry of health have a long history of partnership in improving healthcare system in Nigerian. Also speaking, Marie Pierre Poirier, from the agencys West and Central Africa Regional Office, Dakar, Senegal said UNICEF considered Nigeria a very important country in West and Central African Region. She said that sharing ideas between the minister and UNICEF may offer solutions to some of the numerous challenges confronting the Nigerian health sector. We sought for a conversation with you to hear your vision and strategy so that we can support it, we want to set specific objectives, which would include immunization component which may support the fight against polio in the country. We want your guidance, we are on the process of shaping the next five years programme, so we want to make sure that what we want to do in the health sector in Nigeria is in line with your priority, but also we shall together define it in terms of actual result that we would achieve on children. Share this: Twitter Facebook A 32-year-old man, Chibuike Marizu, who allegedly raped an 11-year-old girl, was on Monday granted a bail of N500,000 on the orders of a Surulere Chief Magistrates Court in Lagos. Mr. Marizu is facing a charge of defilement to which he pleaded not guilty before Chief Magistrate Ipaye Nwachukwu. She said one of the sureties must be a civil servant of not less than Grade Level 14, while the other surety must be a landed property owner in Lagos with an evidence of tax payment. Ms. Nwachukwu directed that the case file should be duplicated and a copy sent to the State Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) for advice. The prosecutor, Anthonia Osayande had told the court that the accused committed the offence at No. 3, Yinka Bello St., NEPA Bus Stop in Ejigbo area of Lagos at about 8.00 a.m. on February 23. She said the accused, whose shop is located at No. 3, Yinka Bello Street, sent the 11-year-old girl on an errand and on her return, he closed the door of the shop and assaulted her sexually. Ms. Osayande, a police sergeant, said the girl reported the incident to her mother which led to the arrest of the accused. The offence contravened Sections 137 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State 2011. The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the section prescribes life imprisonment for child rape. The case was adjourned until May 9. (NAN) Share this: Twitter Facebook While locals have adjusted to an Austin, Texas without Uber and Lyft, the nearly 100,000 South by Southwest attendees who descended upon the city last week werent so sanguine. Out-of-towners might not have been familiar with alternatives that have cropped up, but startups like Fasten and Fare have been filling the void that Uber and Lyft left behind. The two behemoths opted to leave after voters decided to keep regulations on ride-hailing services like fingerprint-based background checks. Source: Ride Austin One service, Ride Austin, started by replicating the standard model charging 20% commission on all rides and has since pivoted to a radically different approach: its operating as a nonprofit. Now, Ride Austin is a 501(c)(3) funded in part by cash donations and volunteer hours from the Austin tech community. Ride Austin has also teamed up with charities across the city, making it easy for users to round up their fares, so they can donate a few cents to a cause of their choosing. The driver gets 100% of the fare that the passenger pays but Ride Austin takes a $2 booking fee, 1% city fee and a small processing fee. This leaves a lot of the fare in the pockets of the drivers. Source: Ride Austin CEO Andy Tryba told Yahoo Finance that witnessing Uber CEO Travis Kalanicks tumultuous few months has been a wake-up call for him. Perhaps [Traviss] company culture and his mentality is a little bit different than the way that we run Ride Austin. Of course, were built from the ground up as a community asset. So I think that [community] mentality permeates through all of our drivers and all of the people that we have, she said. Ranging from the consumer-led movement to #DeleteUber to allegations of sexism and sexual harassment, the latest troubling press to sully the company came on Sunday, when Ubers President Jeff Jones the companys No. 2 executive resigned after only six months. It is now clear, however, that the beliefs and approach to leadership that have guided my career are inconsistent with what I saw and experienced at Uber, and I can no longer continue as president of the ride sharing business, Jones said, in a statement to Recode. Story continues Tryba said Kalanick has got a really tough job, and that he must give credit to where credit is due. At the end of the day, its really Uber thats really pushed this market forward and hes having to fight a lot of issues with governments around the world as he brings it into a bunch of different markets. I think he gets put in a really tough position so I feel his pain, he said. But, Tryba said being a non-profit has helped ensure the company can grow at a measured pace and maintain a balanced work culture. Tryba is also the CEO of Crossover, a job placement startup based in Austin. Seeing the opportunity to build a ride-sharing business, Tryba said, Obviously with Uber and Lyft deciding to leave the city, that left a huge hole where we had 10,000 drivers that were instantaneously out of a job. And you had another 125,000 rides that were going around on a weekly basis. Those are people that are part of the community. What we wanted to do was really get the city back up and going and look forward as opposed to complaining and looking backward. Ride Austins road ahead Though the company has only been around for nine months, it has experienced a few hiccups along the way, experiencing an outage of several hours the first weekend because of such a huge surge in demand. Still, Tryba said the company has done over 125,000 rides during the 10 days of SXSW, and has been in communication with local government officials across the country, who are curious about the alternatives to incumbents like Uber and Lyft. Were still super new. We are absolutely learning every single day. In human terms, itd be a baby just barely crawling right now, he said. But Tryba said that above all else, providing transparency is his No. 1 value for both drivers and customers. Its very natural for new companies to go through these ups and downs. We hate it but as long as we learn from it, and as long as were also open about it. We truly believe that [being] open and honest and transparent about everything that goes on within our world is really important to us. Melody Hahm is a writer at Yahoo Finance, covering entrepreneurship, technology and real estate. Follow her on Twitter @melodyhahm. Read more: How a 114-year-old automaker is taking cars off the road How song-identifying app Shazam uses augmented reality to make money How Trumps election inspired a new investing model The Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, has urged the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) to review its registration fee and process to give equal opportunities to secondary school leavers. Mr. Adamu made the call on Monday in Abuja when he received WAECs governing council, led by the chairperson, Evelyn Kandakai. According to him, many parents and guardians complain about the exorbitant fees charged by the council, as their children and wards fail to write the examinations upon completing secondary education. The Minister of State for Education, Anthony Anwukah, commended WAECs contributions to the development of education in Nigeria and other member countries, namely Ghana, Gambia, Sierra-Leone and Liberia. He urged the WAEC governing council chairperson to use her position as a role model for the promotion of the girl-child education in the sub-region. Responding, Mrs. Kandakai acknowledged Nigerias outstanding contributions toward the sustenance of WAEC over the years. Founded in 1951, WAEC is an examination board that conducts the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) for universities and Joint Admission Matriculation Board (JAMB) entry examination in West Africa countries. (NAN) Share this: Twitter Facebook There is a perception that our government has been captured by a shadowy public service/PDP cabal such that we have won elections but the country is still run largely by these elements that are hostile to you and to us all. Nasir El-Rufai, the Governor of Kaduna State, said to President Muhammadu Buhari in a memo he sent to the president in September 2016 alerting him that his administration wasnt doing well (Source: Premium Times) Its often said that look at the message and not the messenger, but there are times when you can only decipher the message by looking at the messenger. Shehu Sani, a senator from Kaduna State, calling on President Muhammadu Buhari and the APC to punish the Governor of the state, Nasir El-Rufai, for a rare memo the governor sent to the president, informing him that the APC and the Buhari administration were losing momentum. The senator and the governor are political rivals within the APC (Source: Premium Times) We dont fight with our mouth; we fight with our knees. We cant do certain things and still carry the anointing that we carry, no we dont do that nonsense. Johnson Suleman, a clergy and General Overseer of the Omega Fire Ministry Worldwide, speaking on his alleged involvement in sex scandals (Source: Premium Times) I will not rest until I address those issues that affect our people. President Muhammadu Buhari responding to suggestion by governors that he should take time to rest after returning from medical vacation in London (Source: Vanguard newspaper) It is a not a crime for poor people to live where rich men are. Ahisu Celestine, resident of Otodo-Gbame slum in Lagos State, cried out for help after the state government reportedly demolished the homes of nearly 4,700 people to pave way for development (Source: Al Jazeera) The Senate should insist that he (Hameed Ali) appears before them stark naked. If he refuses they should arrest him and have him brought in chains. Femi Fani-Kayode, a former minister of Aviation and a PDP chieftain, on the face-off between the senate and the Comptroller-General of the Nigerian Customs Service, Hameed Ali. The senate is insisting that Mr. Ali must appear before it, wearing the customs uniform (Source: Twitter) Development at a cost of humanity is just another name for evil. The lives youre destroying are not worth less than those youre helping. Ayo Sogunro, a lawyer and a writer, condemning the government demolition of Otodo-Gbame slum in Lagos State (Source: Twitter) I am a politician of conviction, not a politician of convenience. Whether anybody likes Sheriffs face or not, the Makarfi-led caretaker committee was stripped of its authority to manage the affairs of the party the day the (appeal court) judgment was delivered. Seriake Dickson, the Governor of Bayelsa State, calling on the PDP factional Chairman, Ahmed Makarfi, to step down and allow Modu Sheriff to run the party affairs. Mr. Dickson is the Chairman of the PDP Reconciliation Committee (Source: Premium Times) Show us your work in your constituency as a senator. Not fleet of perishable cars. Its a shame. This man will leave a legacy of garage-filled-cars. Festus Okenwa, a Nigerian citizen, disapproving of the display on Facebook, the exotic cars reportedly owned by a Nigerian senator, Dino Melaye (Source: Facebook) Every time we fix a broken gas pipeline, it is Broken Again! Tunde Fashola, Nigerias Minister of Power, Works and Housing, speaking on vandalism and the problem of power generation in the country (Source: Channels Television) Share this: Twitter Facebook The Federal Government has officially confirmed that Nigeria has attained self-sufficiency in the production of cement and is now an exporter of the commodity, ascribing the feat to Dangote Cement which spearheaded the backward integration policy introduced by the government. The Minister for Solid Minerals Development, Kayode Fayemi, who led a government team to the Dangote Cement plants in Ibese, Ogun State, at the weekend, said the government was happy with the leadership role played by Dangote Cement in executing the backward integration policy in the cement industry. The Group Managing Director of Dangote Cement, Onne Van der Weijde, had last month, while presenting the companys financial results, declared that the company had commenced exportation of cement to Nigerias neighbouring countries. He said: We exported nearly 0.4mt into neighbouring countries and in doing so, we achieved a great milestone by transforming Nigeria into a net exporter of cement. This is a remarkable achievement, given that only five years ago, in 2011, Nigeria was one of the worlds largest importers, buying 5.1Mt of foreign cement at huge expense to our balance of payments. We will increase our exports substantially in 2017. The minister said it is a success story that Nigeria, which few years ago imported over 60 per cent of her cement needs, now can produce to meet local demands and still export to other nations. The Minister said: As you all know, as the Federal government moves to diversify the economy away from oil, two areas the government is focusing on are agriculture and solid minerals, this is why we are embarking on tour of mining operations across the country to know the challenges they face and what could be done to tackle those challenges. What Dangote is doing is marvelous. We need to commend them. The way they led the backward integration policy to turn around our fortunes in the cement industry. I am delighted to see the development here bigger than what I saw the last time. And we are looking at how we can replicate the successes in the cement industry in other non-oil sectors of our economy. Mr. Fayemi said besides the mining operations, the government was also trying to see how the big plants were deployed in an environmentally-friendly manner. We need to collaborate and partner in these areas at this time that government is trying to reduce the dependence on oil. We need to turn around our mineral resources just as what obtained in cement sector, the minister said. When you look at the our solid mineral industry, there is a wide gap between what we can produce and what is consumed, importation in these sector is huge. Earlier, while welcoming the Minister and his delegation, the honourary adviser to the president of Dangote Group, Joseph Makoju, explained that Dangote Cement operates the largest cement mining operations across the country. He explained that Dangote Dangote cement also operates the largest coal mining to generate power as alternative to gas since the supply of gas has been plagued with incessant disruptions. He added that over 50 per cent of power need of the cement plants are generated from coal. The Ibese Plant Director, Amando Martines, made a presentation on the Ibese plants, how it was expanded from two lines of six million metric tons per annum to four lines and can now produce 12 million metric tons per annum. Dangote Cement is Africas leading cement producer with nearly 46Mta( million metric tons per annum) capacity across Africa, a fully integrated quarry-to-customer producer with production capacity of 29.25Mta in Nigeria. Its Obajana plant in Kogi state, Nigeria, is the largest in Africa with 13.25Mta of capacity across four lines. The Ibese plant in Ogun State has four cement lines with a combined installed capacity of 12Mta. The Gboko plant in Benue state has 4Mta. The company plans to build new factories in Ogun State (3-6Mta) and Edo State (6.0Mta). In addition, it has invested several billion dollars to build manufacturing plants and import/grinding terminals across Africa. Our operations are in Cameroon (1.5Mta clinker grinding), Congo (1.5Mta), Ghana (1.0Mta import), Ethiopia (2.5Mta), Senegal (1.5Mta), Sierra Leone (0.7Mta import), South Africa (3.3Mta), Tanzania (3.0Mta), and Zambia (1.5Mta). Share this: Twitter Facebook Ali Modu Sheriff, the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has advised Dayo Adeyeye, the publicity secretary of the partys illegal National Caretaker Committee, to stop parading himself as spokesman of the PDP . In a statement released by the partys acting publicity secretary, Benard Mikko, on Sunday, Mr. Sheriff said Mr. Adeyeye could not speak for the PDP or use its logo and franchise without the authority and permission of the national leadership of the party. He condemned what he described as desperation of Adeyeye, at a time the efforts of the Peace and Reconciliation Committee of the party under the chairmanship of Gov. Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa state was ongoing. We appeal to all party faithful, loyal party members and strategic stakeholders to remain calm and committed to the PDP. They should continue to have faith in the Peace and Reconciliation report as the panacea for a united and cohesive party waiting for your mandate to tackle the developmental deficits and other adverse conditions we now face in Nigeria, Mr. Sheriff said. Mr. Adeyeye, in a statement issued on behalf of the National Caretaker Committee on Saturday had said that the claim of Mr. Mikko as a member of PDP National Working Committee (NWC) was illegal. Mr. Adeyeye said the claim was contrary to the judgment by the Appeal Court on February 14 which ordered reversal to status quo ante May 21, 2016. The continued parade of Dr Cairo Ojougboh as Deputy National Chairman and Bernard Mikko as Acting National Publicity Secretary of the PDP are acts of impunity and will be challenged in court. It is a known fact that no meeting of the National Working Committee (NWC) nor National Executive Committee (NEC) was held to appoint these men nor confirm them in such positions, respectively, Mr. Adeyeye said. (NAN) Share this: Twitter Facebook Following the health crisis rocking Queens College, Lagos, resumption of academic activities at the school has been postponed indefinitely. There had been an outbreak of water borne diseases in the school, leading to deaths of students and panic among parents. PREMIUM TIMES reported that two students have died since the outbreak of the diseases, with more than 50 others currently on admission in the schools clinic after eating spaghetti and drinking water in the refectory. In its reaction, the Lagos State government had advised an indefinite shutdown of the school. Addressing journalists in Lagos Thursday, Jide Idris, the states Commissioner of Health, said the schools resumption should be delayed until appropriate health measures are put in place for the safety of the students. Similarly, the Unity School Old Students Association, USOSA, on Sunday called for the declaration of public health emergency at the school. The school, a federal government-owned institution, had been billed to reopen from its midterm break on Sunday March 19. But Chidi Odinkalu, president-general of USOSA, said in a statement that pending independent certification of the school as safe for human activity, it should remain closed. School officials did not agree to speak to journalists on the record. But they confirmed that the resumption date had been rescheduled indefinitely. When PREMIUM TIMES visited the school on Monday, the staff said students had been informed of the postponement via text messages. A teacher in the school who declined to have her name in print told PREMIUM TIMES that the messages were sent Sunday evening to inform parents of the postponement. But when probed about the new date fixed for resumption, she said there was no official statement to that effect. For now, those in SS3 and JSS3 are coming in as day students from today, Monday, in order to prepare them for their WAEC exams, another staff said. John Simeon, a parent told PREMIUM TIMES that the decision to close down the school was right, adding that it would have been too risky to expose the students to health hazards. It is the best decision; they should only work on the appropriate measures to arrest the situation so students can resume on time, he said. A student who identified herself as Bimpe confirmed the presence of the SSS3 and JSS3 students in school. She also said that classes were on-going to prepare them for their forthcoming West African Examination Council, WAEC, exams. Share this: Twitter Facebook A senator, Sabi Abdullahi, says he will move for a law that will make only career civil servants head government agencies and parastatals. Mr. Abdullahi, who is the spokesperson of the Senate, made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja. He was reacting to Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service, Hameed Alis refusal to wear the services uniform and on the proposed policy for vehicle owners to pay duty on their vehicles. He said it was a disservice for civil servants not to be given the opportunity to head organisations they laboured decades to build. The lawmaker added that bringing people from outside to head the agencies and parastatals had done more harm than good to the organisations. According to him, some of the appointees have little knowledge of the workings of organisations they head, and this leads to anti-people policies, reduced productivity and other problems. I have a Bill I am working on; I am trying to bring my experience of how little things have brought the public service to what it is now. There has been reform but it has not changed anything. It is a disservice for me to be eyeing a career peak and just when I think the opportunity for me to get to that career peak is going to come, something happens. And, it is not just this one happening in the Customs, it happens in many parastatals; that is the fate they suffer unfortunately. So, we have to begin to choose between what is a career peak and a political appointment. Even within the career peak, for example, the Head of Civil Service; it is a political appointment but it is done among those who are in the career service, he said. On concerns by some Nigerians that allowing civil servants to rise to the point of heading organisations could lead to corruption, Mr. Abdullahi said it was not a good reason to deny them the opportunity. The question there is that, is the system not having a way of sanctioning and discipline? There is a way of sanctioning and discipline; every career does. In companies, the private sector, if you are doing the wrong thing there is a discipline for you and if it means taking you out of the system, they take you out of the system. My take is that it is a wrong thing that I serve as officer, maybe grade level 8, rose to grade level 16 or 17, without a query, and I have very good record of performance, with promotion and everything. Just at that last stage, you say that if you give it to me I am going to be corrupt. The person who is brought in, what will he protect in the system. But the career person has contributed to the system, has defended and protected it, and has promoted the system. So, those who are in service have more to protect for the interest of the system than those who are brought in because they have nothing to lose, he said. He gave some instances of where heads of organisations, who were appointed from outside, did not contribute meaningfully to the sustenance of the organisations. I have a lot of examples while in service. We were managing about 26 research institutes and colleges. I will tell you that over the past 10 years or 15 years that I know in the research institutes, for example, all the executive directors brought from outside remained the worse executive directors in those institutes. The case of Cocoa research is there, you can go and investigate; Lake Chad Research Institute is also there, just as Nigerian Stored Products Research Institute (NSPRI), Ilorin. There are many examples. We have many people who are brought from outside and they just come and mess the whole place up and mess those people who have given their whole life to a system, he said. The lawmaker said that it was time such disservice was corrected, adding that in most cases, people who were appointed from outside an organisation worked contrary to the mandate of such organisation. (NAN) Share this: Twitter Facebook The Ahmed Makarfi faction of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has said it found a recommendation by the Bayelsa Governor, Seriake Dickson-led reconciliation committee, for the faction to resign shocking and embarrassing. Mr. Dickson had advised the party to recognise Modu Sheriff, and not Mr. Makarfi, as chairman of the party, in obedience to an Appeal Court ruling. The governor said while he was not initially in support of Mr. Sheriff, backing him based on the ruling of the court, would help the party quickly resolve its lingering leadership crisis. The call effectively demanded the resignation of the Makarfi-led National Caretaker Committee. The Makarfi faction, in statement by its spokesperson, Dayo Adeyeye, said the statement coming from one of the most respected Governors is to say the least shocking and embarrassing. Mr. Adeyeye said the committee did not appoint itself. He said it is a creation of the national convention of the party which held at Port Harcourt last year. As the Governor admitted in his statement, the NCC was put in place and enjoys the support of over 80 percent of members of the Party. That being the case, the proper thing to do if Gov Dickson wants the NCC to be disbanded is to persuade and convince the 80 percent of the members on the merits of his point of view, Mr. Adeyeye said. He said the Makarfi-led executive is merely the agent of the party. He said the principals are the organs of the party and the 80 percent of members that Mr. Dickson alluded to. The NCC has no choice than to obey the command of its principals, he said. He also said it was unfair to cast aspersions on members of the caretaker committee. He said Mr. Dickson should know where to direct his efforts. He should convince our principals who are the organs of the Party on the need for the NCC to resign. We cannot and will not do his job for him. As men of integrity, we have said it countless number of times, and we are repeating it now for emphasis sake, that the NCC members will quit office immediately the Party organs that put it in place ask us to disband. We are no sit tight like Senator Sheriff. Nigerians are aware that former President, Goodluck Jonathan had suggested the resignations of Senator Sheriff and that of the NCC as a solution to the crisis in the context of finding a suitable political solution to the crisis. While the NCC agreed to step down in the interest of peace, Senator Sheriff has bluntly refused. Who should we blame for the lingering crisis in the light of this? Definitely not the NCC. It is therefore most unfair to say that the NCC is averse to finding a political solution to the crisis, Mr. Adeyeye said. Mr. Adeyeye said for Mr. Dickson to successfully accomplish the task of reconciliation, it is important for him to be seen by all sides as an impartial and honest broker. We are worried that Gov Dickson has seriously undermined the work of his committee by taking sides with Sheriff. We are even more concerned about his open declaration of war on the NCC. Rather than reconciling, the party is being further pulled apart, he said. Share this: Twitter Facebook The Deputy Governor of Adamawa, Martins Babale, on Monday assumed office as Acting Governor following Gov. Muhammadu Bindows commencement of two-week vacation. A statement by the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Ahmad Sajoh, in Yola said the development was in line with Section 190 of the 1999 Constitution of Federal Republic of Nigeria as amendment. His Excellency, Gov. Muhammad Jibrilla has transmitted a letter to the Adamawa State House of Assembly, intimating it of his intention to proceed on two weeks vocation, effective from March 20, 2017. The House at plenary deliberated and approved the request. The approval was transmitted to His Excellency, the Governor, through the office of the Secretary to the State Government in a letter signed by Clerk of the House. The statement urged members of cabinet, Special Advisers, and Permanent Secretaries to accord Mr. Babale the needed maximum support to succeed during the acting period. (NAN) Share this: Twitter Facebook A High Court sitting in Koton-Karfi in Kogi on Monday sentenced a herbalist, Ibrahim Muhammed, to death by hanging for murdering two brothers. In his judgement, the presiding judge, Alaba Omolaye-Ajileye, who sentenced the convict to death described his act as high level of exceptional wickedness. Mr. Omolaye-Ajileye held that the prosecution had proved its case beyond reasonable doubt. This is more so, he said, as the convict had corroborated the prosecutions submission that he poisoned Mohammed Kudu Abubakar and Umar Tanko Abubakar after snatching their car. I hold that after poisoning the two brothers as the accused confessed in his downright criminality, he hit their heads with pestle (Exhibit P7) to hasten their annihilation. And, in order to avoid any trace of his brutal and inhuman act, the accused buried the dead bodies of Tanko and Mohammed in his compound. Unfortunate for him, since nothing is hidden under the sky, nemesis caught up with him. By the application of an unusual but most excellent investigatory dexterity, the Special Anti-Squad (SARS) of the Nigeria Police, Kogi State, exposed the apparently hidden crime. By your own word, after poisoning both Tanko and Mohammed and they refused to die, you used a pestle to hit them on their heads. That was a brutal homicide committed with determination and ruthlessness. The manner you committed it by your own description, makes it a high-level exceptional wickedness that it can only be properly marked by death sentence, which is the only sentence I can pass on you, Mr. Omolaye-Ajileye ruled. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the convict was charged with robbery and culpable homicide, contrary to and punishable under Sections 298(a) and 221 (a) of the Penal Code to which he pleaded not guilty. According to the Police First Information Report, the convict committed the offence sometime in January 2016 at Kungbani Village in Kogi Local Government Area. He robbed Mr. Abubakar and his brother, Mohammed, of a Toyota Carina E Wagon with registration number Niger: BDA 902 AA and later poisoned, killed and buried them. Investigation by the police, however, led to the discovery of the plot by SARS, culminating in the exhumation of the decomposing bodies of the victims. (NAN) Share this: Twitter Facebook The corruption trial of the Vice Chancellor of the Federal University of Technology, FUTA, Adebiyi Daramola, was on Monday stalled following the withdrawal from the case by the trial judge, Ademola Bola. The judges withdrawal followed a petition by the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities, SSANU, FUTA branch and other unions in the university, alleging that the judge was biased. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, filed a nine-count charge against Mr. Daramola, alongside the institutions Bursar, Ayodeji Oresegun, bordering on abuse of office, conspiracy and obtaining by false pretence. The judge, while describing the petition as frivolous, transferred the case to another judge for continuation on March 30. Shortly after counsel had announced their appearance, Mr. Bola drew the attention of the court to the petition which accused him of bias and being tele-guided by a certain person on the case. The judge who was obviously angry by the allegation, said the petition by FUTA Joint Action Committee, comprising Non Academic Staff Union of Universities, SSANU and NAAT, was the first of such against him in his eight years as a chief magistrate and 15 years as a judge. While calling on the union leaders, namely Bayo Aladerotohun, Dele Durojaye and Omoraka Ejiro to confirm they actually wrote the petition, only Mr. Aladerotohun of NASU was physically present in court. Mr. Aladerotohun insisted they stood by their petition when the judge gave him an opportunity to review their position. The judge then announced his withdrawal from the case, after stating that he would never compromise his integrity as a judicial officer. In his reaction, counsel to EFCC, Benedict Ubi, expressed disappointment over the development, adding that the commission was not aware of the petition as it had prepared four witnesses in readiness for the case. The counsel to the Vice Chancellor, Adebayo Adenipekun, said the action of the unionists was to sabotage the case despite not being parties to the matter. Mr. Aladerotohun, on his part, said the unions were interested parties, being the ones who wrote the petition that led to the trial by EFCC. Mr. Daramola and the unions have been at loggerheads since 2015 after some of their members were sacked following a new Federal Government policy on the running of university staff schools. The unions insist that following the indictment and trial of the vice chancellor, he should be suspended until the case was dispensed with. They also made attempts to thwart the last Saturdays convocation ceremony, rejecting the presence of the professor at the occasion, since he was still facing his corruption charges. Heavy security deployment at the convocation ceremony ensured the event held as scheduled. Share this: Twitter Facebook As technology progresses, maker culture has developed among thinkers and creators of all ages. In New Jersey, the weekend of March 24-25 is a time for residents to see whats going on in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math)-related fields, for children to learn about technology and for crafts and science projects to take over libraries and schools. There are plenty of New Jersey Makers Day events its actually a weekend right here in our backyard, and the following is a guide to some of those. FRIDAY, MARCH 24 Atlantic City Free Public Library 1 N. Tennessee Ave., Atlantic City 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. A Photoshop booth will allow participants to take photos in front of a green screen and choose from an array of backgrounds. Demonstration tables will include a 3-D printer, STEM learning toys for kids, equipment that produces music, T-shirt designing, and knitting and crocheting. For more information, visit acfpl.org, or call 609-345-2269, ext. 3050. Atlantic County Library System Brigantine 201 15th St. South 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday Drop in anytime and pick up a craft kit to take home and make. Visit atlanticlibrary.org/brigantine_branch or call 609-927-7113. Somers Point 801 Shore Road 1 to 4 p.m. All ages can decorate a ceramic heart-shaped bank. Visit atlanticlibrary.org/somers_point_branch or call 609-927-7113. Galloway Township 306 E. Jimmie Leeds Road 2 to 4 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to noon Saturday All ages can participate in a bookend-decorating craft. Jazz up your own set. Dress in painting clothes. Visit atlanticlibrary.org/galloway_township_branch or call 609-652-2352. Ventnor 6500 Atlantic Ave. 3 p.m. Discover the Ventnor branchs array of STEM science projects that are completed using household items and learn why they work. Recommended for ages 8 and older. Visit atlanticlibrary.org/ventnor_branch or call 609-823-4614. SATURDAY, MARCH 25 Hammonton 451 S. Egg Harbor Road All day All ages are invited to check out the 3-D printer, Arduino, and Little Bits circuit kits. Visit atlanticlibrary.org/hammonton_branch or call 609-561-2264. Egg Harbor Township 1 Swift Ave. 2 to 4 p.m. Build your own stringed instrument by bringing a shoebox with a lid or make a button. Bring in a photo to fit or choose one of our designs. Visit atlanticlibrary.org/egg_harbor_township_branch or call 609-927-8664. Mays Landing 40 Farragut Ave. 2 to 4 p.m. Suggested for ages 5 and older. Engage your inner maker at multiple, unique stations. Visit atlanticlibrary.org/mays_landing_branch or call 609-625-2776, ext. 6304. Pleasantville 33 Martin Luther King Jr. Ave. 2:30 to 4 p.m. Participate in the mystery makerspace hangout. Suggested for ages 13 and older. Bring your imagination to see what can be created. Take and Make kits will be available throughout the week while supplies last. Email ckramer@aclsys.org or call 609-641-1778. Northfield Otto Bruyns Public Library 241 W. Mill Road All day Activities include the use of iPads and Dash and Dot robots. Call 609-646-4476 for more information. Cape May County Library, main branch 30 Mechanic St., Cape May Court House All day Friday and Saturday Check out the branchs technology and special guests, including the 4-H robotics club and the local wireless aircraft club. Visit cmclibrary.org or call 609-463-6350. Millville Public Library 210 Buck St. 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Call 856-825-7000. Bridgeton Public Library 150 E. Commerce St. 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Registration is required for some activities. Visit bridgetonlibrary.org or call 856-451-2620. BEIJING (AP) Israel wants to boost cooperation with China in technology, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told China's premier Monday, as he led a large business delegation on a visit to Beijing to promote commercial ties with the Asian giant. Netanyahu said in opening remarks at a meeting with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang that Israel and China could explore "many ways of technological cooperation." Earlier Monday, Netanyahu told a meeting of more than 600 Israeli and Chinese businesspeople that Israel is well-positioned to help China upgrade its products, services and utilities with better technology. "I think that there is an extraordinary capacity for China to assume its rightful place, as it's doing, on the world stage," Netanyahu said. "We are your perfect junior partner for that effort," he said, adding that the governments would sign a series of agreements. "I believe this is a marriage made in heaven." Netanyahu also met with the heads of large Chinese corporations including the conglomerate Dalian Wanda Group, e-commerce giant Alibaba Group, computer maker Lenovo Group and Baidu Inc., an internet search company. "I told them that in today's world there are several concentrations of technology, not many; the U.S., Israel, and Israel is open for business with China," Netanyahu was quoted as saying in a government statement. During his visit, Netanyahu also is to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping, who will host an official banquet. Netanyahu said the countries would discuss a free trade agreement. Netanyahu also told Li that he looked forward to discussing the region's security situation with China. "There is a great deal of convulsion in the world, including in our part of the world and I would like to have the opportunity to exchange views with you and see how we can cooperate together" for stability and peace, he said. Along with playing a more active diplomatic role in the Middle East, Beijing has also been expanding its security presence in the region, including the building of ties with Iran and Saudi Arabia through joint military drills and port visits. China has also backed the government of President Bashar al-Assad in the Syrian conflict. While deepening its ties with Israel, Beijing continues to maintain support for the Palestinian cause and their bid for statehood, reportedly providing the Palestinian National Authority with financial and technical help and training for Palestinian officials. ATLANTIC CITY For the first time since 2015, The Who, the legendary British rock band, will make a stop in the resort. The band, who was inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990, will play historic Boardwalk Hall on July 22. Tickets for the show will go on sale to the public Friday at 11 a.m. Ticket prices range from $49.50 to $154.50, according to the venues website. This is the bands third stop at Boardwalk Hall since 2012, including its 2015 The Who Hits 50! tour. Mayor Don Guardian said the announcement caught him completely off guard. I think its great that theyre still alive, just like Atlantic City, Guardian said. Im glad theyve got to come back. Maybe thats fitting that theyre here and they have a comeback and are still loved. Lets hope my city has a comeback and we will be loved once again. The band is famous for such hits as Tommy and Baba ORiley. The most famous version of the Who featuring Roger Daltrey, Peter Townshend and the rhythm section of drummer Keith Moon and bassist John Entwistle lasted from the bands birth in 1964 to 1978 when Moon died at age 32. Entwistle was in the band until 2002, when he died of a heart attack at age 57. Moon and Entwistle were each among the best in rock history on their instruments. The Who have sold more than 100 million records. It just goes to show theres something for everybody in Atlantic City, and I think its great theyre coming to Boardwalk Hall and I hope to buy a ticket and meet them, Guardian said. The show will give Guardian a chance to relive his youth, he said. Back when I was in college there was a department store, and on Fridays they sold the albums for $1.99 instead of $5.99, and it was only the top-selling albums of that particular week, Guardian said. I had a couple of Who albums back when you had a turntable and stacked them and they just played forever and they scratched up all your records and such. Reporter Christian Hetrick contributed to this story. 11:10 a.m. FBI Director James Comey says the FBI and Justice Department have no information to substantiate President Donald Trump's claims that former President Barack Obama wiretapped him before the election. Comey says no individual can order surveillance of an American. He says courts grant this permission after a rigorous application process. Comey was testifying before the House intelligence committee. Comey said the Justice Department also asked him to share with the committee that the answer also applies to the Justice Department and its various components. The Justice Department oversees the FBI and other law enforcement agencies. ___ 10:48 a.m. FBI Director James Comey and Mike Rogers, the director of the National Security Agency, say they have no evidence or intelligence that Russian cyber actors changed vote tallies in key states during last year's presidential election. Testifying at a highly politically charged congressional hearing in the House, both said they had no evidence that any vote tallies were changed in Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Florida, North Carolina or Ohio. The House intelligence committee is holding a hearing on Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. ___ 10:45 a.m. National Security Agency Director Michael Rogers says the intelligence community stands behind its January assessment that it is highly confident Russia interfered in the 2016 election with the goal of electing Donald Trump. In a Monday morning tweet, Trump blamed Democrats for the investigation into his contacts and said the House intelligence committee should be focus on investigating leaks. Rogers said that his agency is working to provide Congress the material it needs to investigate the intelligence agencies' findings. Rogers was testifying before the House intelligence committee alongside FBI Director James Comey. ___ 10:35 a.m. FBI Director James Comey is publicly confirming for the first time that the FBI is investigating Russia's efforts to interfere in the 2016 presidential election, including any potential coordination between Trump campaign associates and Russia's government. Comey is testifying before Congress. He says he's authorized by the Justice Department to make the disclosure. Typically, the FBI does not discuss or even confirm the existence of ongoing investigations. Comey says the probe is part of the FBI's counter-intelligence mission. He says the investigation includes the nature of any links between individuals associated with Trump's campaign and the Russian government, and whether there was any coordination between Russia's efforts and the campaign. Comey says the investigation will also look at whether crimes were committed. He says he can't provide details about the investigation. -- U.S. Rep. Frank LoBiondo will attend and question witnesses in the open House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence hearing Monday morning, examining Russian activity in the 2016 presidential election. The hearing features FBI Director James Comey, who will testify with Michael Rogers, the director of the National Security Agency. The committee, with LoBiondo, also chairman of the House CIA Subcommittee, is investigating Russian hacking that intelligence officials said could have influenced the election. The committee is also looking into any connection between Russia and President Donald Trump's associates. The hearing will be held at 10 a.m. Monday. Follow along with the Press for a live stream of the event. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Proposals in President Donald Trumps initial budget outline could have a far-reaching impact on South Jersey. The $1.15 trillion plan submitted to Congress last week provides for a $54 billion increase in defense spending by slashing other departments and programs, including the National Flood Insurance Program and the Environmental Protection Agency. The NFIP, which is under the Federal Emergency Management Agency, provides affordable flood insurance and encourages communities to adopt floodplain regulations, according to its website. Trumps outline calls for eliminating $190 million in funding for the NFIPs Flood Hazard Mapping Program. The cuts are to make sure only those who directly benefit from the program are paying for it, the budget document said. That would result in flood insurance maps not being updated which could lead people to unknowingly build homes in high-risk flood areas or a move to pass the cost of the mapping process on to policyholders in the form of a surcharge, according to the nonprofit Consumer Federation of America. Either of those outcomes could hurt the states real estate market, according to Jarrod Grasso, chief executive of New Jersey Realtors. Inaccurate flood maps have the potential to cost a homeowner thousands of dollars in unnecessary insurance premiums if the property is inaccurately placed in the wrong zone, Grasso said. In a high-cost state like New Jersey, any increase to the cost of purchasing and owning a home could have a detrimental effect on the market, he added. More than 230,000 NFIP flood-insurance policies are in effect in New Jersey, including 54,347 in Cape May County, 51,288 in Ocean County and 29,975 in Atlantic County as of Jan. 31, according to statistics on the programs website. U.S. Rep. Frank LoBiondo, R-2nd, has come out against the reduction, which he said will increase flood-insurance rates for property owners. South Jersey families and businesses are still recovering from Superstorm Sandy, appealing unjustified FEMA flood maps and claims decisions, and adjusting to a regional economy not fully recovered we cannot and should not ask them to take on more of a financial burden, LoBiondo said in a statement Thursday. LoBiondo said he has been working with a group of lawmakers representing coastal districts ahead of the NFIPs reauthorization date, which is Sept. 30. Georgina Shanley, who has lived in Ocean City for 33 years, said she worries cuts to the EPA could hinder research into climate change, which she believes threatens people living on South Jerseys barrier islands. As the coastline is sinking, as the seas are rising, we are in immediate danger of storms, Shanley said. Areas in Ocean City that never flooded are flooding. Trump targeted the EPA in his budget outline, calling for a 31 percent reduction in the agencys funding. Its a move that would lead to 3,200 fewer jobs at the agency, according to the budget document. He should be thinking of the next generation, said Shanley, who co-founded the Ocean City-based Citizens United for Renewable Energy. We are all going to be affected by climate change. Jeff Tittel, director of the New Jersey Sierra Club, said the presidents proposed cuts to the EPA would hurt New Jersey more than any other state. He said thats because the state Department of Environmental Protection relies on EPA funding, the high number of Superfund toxic waste sites in New Jersey and the money spent by the EPA in the state in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. In a statement accompanying the budget outline, Trump downplayed the potential effects of the cuts. These cuts are sensible and rational, he said. Every agency and department will be driven to achieve greater efficiency and to eliminate wasteful spending in carrying out their honorable service to the American people. One organization that could be spared possible cuts is the U.S. Coast Guard. The Coast Guard didnt warrant a mention in the budget outline, despite reports earlier this month the administration was considering significant cuts to the military branch. The White House will release a full budget proposal later this spring, according to the outline. 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. HAMILTON TOWNSHIP Atlantic County officials are embarking on a countywide marketing campaign for the first time in decades, arguing the area can no longer rely on Atlantic Citys brand alone to bring tourists and businesses to the region. Earlier this month, the Atlantic County Economic Alliance voted unanimously to spend $40,000 on a one-year marketing campaign headed by NJ Southern Shore DMO to promote tourism beyond the casinos in Atlantic City. The campaign, the first of its sort in nearly 30 years, is part of a broader effort by the county to diversify its economy beyond just gambling. This is something that was laid out in the report, said Leo Schoffer, interim chairman of the ACEA, referring to the Angelou economic report commissioned in 2015. The ACEA is a nonprofit tasked with bringing new business into the county, an effort strongly recommended in the Angelou report. It holds monthly meetings at the Hamilton Mall that are open to the public. Most counties have a countywide marketing campaign, said James Rutala, a planning consultant for several towns across the county. Atlantic County hasnt had that because weve relied on the casinos. Atlantic County brings in nearly $6.7 billion per year in tourism revenue, Rutala said. Of that, about $2.6 billion comes from casinos. That means the remaining revenue streams are from smaller towns such as Hammonton and Buena Vistas Richland section, among many others. NJ Southern Shore DMO already markets Cape May and Cumberland counties. The DMO, or destination marketing organization, promotes those counties on its website and at trade shows throughout the United States and Canada. Some of the sites they promote for Cape May County are Cape May Brewing Co., Cape May County Park & Zoo, Gillians Wonderland Pier and the Jersey Cape Wine, Beer & Distillery Trail. In Cumberland County, the DMO markets the Millville Army Airfield Museum and the Cumberland Mall, among other destinations. Several towns across the county had considered creating their own destination marketing organizations before the ACEA agreed to invest in the marketing campaign, Rutala said. Now, those towns are enthusiastic about the new effort. When you look at successful marketing campaigns they market the whole regions, Rutala said, pointing to marketing campaigns in the Florida Keys that promote all the towns collectively. This is a whole new regional effort. john oliver donald trump wiretap last week tonight HBO John Oliver examined the series of events that followed President Donald Trump's allegation that former President Barack Obama had Trump's telephones tapped during the election campaign. After multiple American and international intelligence agencies, as well as fellow Republicans, have said that there's no evidence Obama ordered surveillance of Trump, HBO's "Last Week Tonight" host slammed the president for saying he got his information from Fox News Channel contributor Judge Andrew Napolitano. "He only said it because he heard it on television is barely an acceptable excuse for why your parrot said a racial slur. 'No, no, no, we've been watching 'The Wire,'" Oliver joked, referring to the strong language on the HBO cop drama from the early 2000s. In response to Trump's claim, Fox News issued its own statement saying that there was "no evidence" that Obama wiretapped Trump. After all that, Oliver mocked the president by pointing to CNN's Fareed Zakaria, who said Trump's M.O. is "bulls----ting." "Yeah, Donald Trump is a bulls--- artist," Oliver said. "I know Trump might want to refute that. But to be fair, someone on TV did say it and I am repeating it. So therefore, it must be true." You can watch the full episode over on HBO's website, or watch the segment on Trump's wiretapping claims in the clip below: NOW WATCH: Trump, confronted on wiretapping claims, tells Merkel: 'At least we have something in common, perhaps' More From Business Insider 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. LONDON, March 20, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- - New investment will bring irrigation and access to export markets for local farmers - A new US$11.5m investment in Jacoma Estates has been announced today by CDC, the UK's development finance institution, and AgDevCo, a social impact investor targeting sub-Saharan Africa. The new financing - US$8m of equity from CDC, and US$3.5m from AgDevCo structured as debt and preference shares - will help Jacoma expand its farming operations at its Tropha Estates in Northern Malawi, where it produces high value macadamia nuts, chilli and paprika. The funding will also provide up to 100 hectares of year-round irrigation to local smallholder farmers, extend existing outgrower schemes and further strengthen the company's impact in neighbouring communities. (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20151215/295904LOGO ) (Logo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/479740/CDC_Logo.jpg ) AgDevCo first provided a $2.0 million loan Tropha Estates in 2014, which alongside equity from the founding shareholders, enabled the company to install irrigation, plant an additional 370 hectares of macadamia trees and build an on-farm macadamia processing factory, which is nearing completion. In a country where farmers face significant challenges from climate change, lack of access to international markets and low-quality yields, the new investment will enable a further 1000 local farmers to reach export markets and benefit from a company scheme that provides yield-boosting seedlings and other agricultural inputs. The new financing for Jacoma, which follows a recent US$0.5m investment from the African Agriculture Capital Fund, is expected to create at least 350 new jobs and bring about climate-smart agricultural practices that allow local smallholders to manage resources better and protect themselves from extreme climate change. Duncan McDavid, CEO of Jacoma, said: "Malawi is a high-quality macadamia nut producer. With investment in irrigation and processing we can help the country further build a globally competitive macadamia industry. Smallholders can play an important role in the value chain. This will in turn give their families a reliable source of income." Chris Isaac, AgDevCo's Investment Director covering Malawi, said: "Jacoma is a good example of the benefits a socially-responsible agribusiness can deliver to local communities. We are particularly pleased that irrigation will be extended to smallholder farmers in an area prone to drought." Daudi Lelijveld, CDC's Investment Director, added: "CDC's investment in Jacoma will boost agricultural growth and poverty reduction in Malawi. Jacoma plays a vital role in Northern Malawi, providing good quality jobs, as well as new markets for local farmers." Tropha has also established a successful outgrower scheme for chillies and paprika which engages with over 4,000 smallholder farmers. With a separate working capital loan from AgDevCo of $450,000, the company provided seeds and training to farmers and purchased 540 tonnes of their produce over the past three years, injecting more than $900,000 into the local community. The chillies and paprika were sold to international clients in South Africa and Europe. With grant support from AgDevCo's Smallholder Development Unit, which is backed by the MasterCard Foundation, Tropha is expanding the outgrower programme to include macadamia. The company is already enrolling and training farmers and will distribute over 50,000 seedlings (which have been grown on the farm in a high quality nursery) during 2017. CDC's investment will be accompanied by an additional technical assistance grant that will help Jacoma have greater development impact to become a model for sustainable agriculture and social management. The grant will initially support the company to strengthen its environmental and social practices, helping it reach international standards designed to support smallholders, including climate smart agriculture and efficient irrigation infrastructure that helps improve yields and enhance resilience. ABOUT AGDEVCO AgDevCo is a social impact investor incorporated in the UK. With financial backing from the UK's Department of International Development (DFID), AgDevCo invests patient capital in the form of debt and equity into early-stage agribusinesses in sub-Saharan Africa. AgDevCo's mission is to reduce poverty and improve food security. AgDevCo has invested over USD90 million in 55 agribusinesses to date, connecting 160,000 farmers to markets and supporting c.4,500 jobs. In Malawi, AgDevCo has investments in sugarcane, groundnuts, macadamias and chillies. AgDevCo plans to invest a further USD 12 million in Malawi over the next three years. About CDC CDC Group plc is the UK's development finance institution. Wholly owned by the UK Government, it invests in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia with the aim of supporting economic development in order to create jobs. CDC provides capital in all its forms, including equity, debt, mezzanine and guarantees. It has net assets of 3.9bn and has invested in Africa and Asia since its establishment in 1948. Find out more at http://www.cdcgroup.com. CDC's investment in Jacoma is made from the Impact Accelerator (IA). IA is a separate facility managed by CDC and funded by DFID, the UK's Department for International Development. IA invests capital in highly developmental businesses that the facility believes can achieve commercial sustainability in the medium term. The IA mandate means it can invest in ventures with more challenging risk-return profiles than typically considered by purely commercial investors, while capitalising on CDC's long-standing reputation as the oldest DFI and its experience and networks in Africa and South Asia. This will over time, and in the successful cases, pave the way for commercial investors to follow once investee businesses have scale and traction, delivering both commercial sustainability and development impact. For more information: Chris Isaac cisaac@agdevco.com +44-20-7539-2650 Rhyddid Carter Corporate Communications Manager, CDC rcarter@cdcgroup.com +44-(0)20-7963-4741 SOURCE AgDevCo and CDC SAN FRANCISCO, March 20, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The global algae biofuel market is expected to reach USD 10.73 billion by 2025, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. Depleting fossil fuel resources as well as rising awareness towards environment protection is expected to be the key factor for driving industry growth. (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150105/723757 ) Algae has the ability to offer 2 to 20 times higher yield than existing biofuel feedstock including corn stover, corn, sorghum and beet which is likely to open new avenues for the industry growth over the projected period. Increasing R&D conducted by numerous startup companies as well as various oil & gas majors, and university-led research consortiums are expected to propel production of the over the projected period. However, technological challenges and high capital investment in algae biomass and fuel production are expected to limit the industry growth. Growing demand for low cost, reliable and sustainable energy sources to ease acute vulnerability to petroleum supply chain and meet the rising fuel demand by automotive and aviation sector is expected to have a positive impact on the industry growth over the forecast period. The industry is experiencing three major hurdles including maintaining algae biomass cultivation consistency across various regions and climates, high water demand for algae production and lack of technology innovation to commercial scale up. As a result, the market is expected to foresee regional partnerships and collaborations to capitalize the production and technology exchange for large scale productions. Browse full research report with TOC on "Algae Biofuel Market Estimates & Trend Analysis By Application (Transportation, Others), By Region (North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Rest of World), By Country, And Segment Forecasts, 2018 - 2025" at: http://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/algae-biofuel-market Further key findings from the report suggest: Transportation is expected to dominate the algae biofuel market accounting over 70% of the overall demand by 2025, owing to its high potential to replace diesel and gasoline in automotive vehicles In Europe , the demand for the product in transportation application is expected to grow at a CAGR of over 12% from 2018 to 2025. High demand for biodiesel in the European countries owing to the government regulations and high adoption rate in the region is expected to propel industry growth. , the demand for the product in transportation application is expected to grow at a CAGR of over 12% from 2018 to 2025. High demand for biodiesel in the European countries owing to the government regulations and high adoption rate in the region is expected to propel industry growth. North America is expected to be the largest market accounting over 30%, owing to high investment by the start-up companies and the U.S. government to support renewable energy sector over is expected to be the largest market accounting over 30%, owing to high investment by the start-up companies and the U.S. government to support renewable energy sector over Asia Pacific is expected to grow at a CAGR of over 8% to reach the revenue of over 2 billion by 2025, owing rapid technological advancements and low raw material costs in the region is expected to grow at a CAGR of over 8% to reach the revenue of over 2 billion by 2025, owing rapid technological advancements and low raw material costs in the region In 2010, the U.S. based Solazyme, Inc. delivered over 36,000 liters of 100% algae-derived biofuel to the U.S. Navy, for testing and certification purpose, which was seen as key step towards product commercialization The major players in the algae biofuel industry include Algenol, Blue Marble Production, Solazyme Inc., Sapphire Energy, Culture Biosystems, Origin Oils Inc., Proviron, Genifuels, Algae Systems, Solix Biofuels, Algae Production Systems and Reliance Life Sciences Browse related reports by Grand View Research: Starch Polymers Market - http://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/starch-polymers-market Bio Based Functional Polymers Market - http://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/bio-based-functional-polymers-market Bio-Based Adipic Acid Market - http://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/bio-based-adipic-acid-market Renewable Aviation Fuel Market - http://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/renewable-aviation-fuel-market Grand View Research has segmented the global algae biofuel market on the basis of application, and region: Algae Biofuel Application Outlook (Volume, Million Gallons, Revenue, USD Million, 2018 - 2025) Transportation Others - 2025) Algae Biofuel Regional Outlook (Volume, Million Gallons, Revenue, USD Million, 2018 - 2025) North America U.S Europe Asia Pacific Rest of the World 2025) Read Our Blog: Algae biofuel market is expected to be USD 10 billion industry by 2025 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. HELSINKI, Mar. 20, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --Caverion to deliver life cycle projects for schools and day-care centres in Espoo, Finland together with YIT Caverion has signed an agreement worth approximately EUR 40 million with the City of Espoo to carry out the renovation of Kirsti school and day-care centre and the renovation and expansion of Viherlaakso school and high school using the life cycle model. The project will be carried out in cooperation with YIT. Caverion will be responsible for Total Technical Solutions, including all building systems, Technical Maintenance of properties, and Managed Services for an agreement period of 20 years. YIT will be responsible for the project's construction work. "Espoo is executing the project the same way as the previous life cycle projects, with Kiinteisto Oy Espoon Toimitilat running the finances. The previous life cycle projects have been a positive experience for Espoo," says Olli Isotalo, the Chairman of the Board of Kiinteisto Oy Espoon Toimitilat. "The new life cycle project strengthens our collaboration with the City of Espoo and expands our service operations together with the previous life cycle projects at Lintuvaara and Paivankehra schools. The life cycle model has already proven its practical suitability in municipal service construction, and Caverion is one of the leading life cycle project providers in Finland," says Ville Tamminen, Executive Vice President & CEO, Division Finland. Caverion's Total Technical Solutions delivery covers the design and execution of all building systems and project management. Once the renovation and expansion are completed, Caverion will be responsible for the Technical Maintenance for the properties, as well as Managed Services, which in addition to technical services include, for example, managing services related to cleaning and outdoor area maintenance. Caverion is thereby responsible for the properties' usability, conditions, safety, general condition, and energy use during their entire life cycle. The sites are connected to Caverion's HelpDesk service and 24/7 remote monitoring and management, which ensures meeting the goals agreed on the use of the properties. "These projects are a continuation of our life cycle projects that are built on collaboration with highly competent partners. This marks the third life cycle project with the City of Espoo," says Hannu Soikkeli, Project Development Director at YIT. The client's developer is the City of Espoo's Premises Department, which is a public utility. The total surface area of the buildings is over 20,000 gross square metres. The project planning is set to begin immediately, and the buildings will be completed in phases during 20182020. When completed, the schools and the day-care centre will be able to house approximately 1,500 pupils and children. The City of Espoo belongs to Caverion's public sector client segment. Read more about our services for educational buildings For more information, please contact: Kirsi Hemmila, Communications Manager, Caverion Finland, Tel. +358-50-390-0941, kirsi.hemmila@caverion.com This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com http://news.cision.com/caverion/r/caverion-to-deliver-life-cycle-projects-for-schools-and-day-care-centres-in-espoo--finland-together-,c2218987 The following files are available for download: Related Links http://www.caverion.com/client-segments/public/education SOURCE Caverion SINGAPORE and DUBAI, UAE, March 20, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- It Will Ensure 1,21,000 Girl Children Across India Access Schools and Finish Their Education In the village Bansipur of district Munger in the eastern state of Bihar in India, Julie Kumari has become a household name. Despite the nearest college being two hours away, Julie has defied odds to be the first in her village to attend college. While Julie had always dreamt of becoming a doctor, her hopes plummeted as her parents decided to get her married while she was studying in class IX. While she made her resolve to study further, such resistance was unheard of in this extremely poor and backward village. It is at this point, that CRY-supported project DishaVihar intervened and after persistent counseling, Julie's parents decided to call off the wedding. Julie's unwavering participation in the project's Children's collective also empowered her to stand up for herself. Julie, today, has not just finished her schooling but is attending college, a step closer to her dreams of becoming a doctor. While there are many other stories of change like Julie's, millions of girls in India still face hurdles in accessing and finishing their education which include discrimination due to gender bias, early marriage, child labour, lack of secondary schools and girls' toilets. 1 in every 5 girls enrolled in schools in India drops out after class 8. A shocking 25.6 million girls in the age group of 14-18 do not go to school. CRY's campaign 'Right to School' will ensure that 1,21,000 girl children across India are able to overcome these hurdles and finish their education. CRY mobilizes communities, works with local authorities to ensure schools are compliant with the Right to Education Act, works towards access to secondary schools and lobby for schools where they aren't available. Susan Varghese, Head, Global Operations, CRY, said, "Girl children, if given proper education, can bring about a cycle of positive change. They are empowered to stand up against abuse and early marriage, stay away from child labour and go on to become strong independent members of the society. They transform not just their families, but influence change for entire communities." Supporting the CRY campaign, 'Right to School' will help ensure girl children have access to schools and finish their schooling. Know more at http://www.cry.org. For further information, contact: Susan Varghese +91-9818605343 susan.v@crymail.org SOURCE CRY One of Several Additional Sales and Customer Support Centers Recently Established DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, March 20, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- DataPath, Inc., a leading provider of remote field communications and information technology solutions to the aerospace, broadcast, government, and infrastructure markets announced today that it has opened an office in Dubai. The company already serves customers in the area but identified greater interest and requirements for DataPath's critical communications solutions than previously supported. The Dubai office opening is part of an extended DataPath initiative to invest in infrastructure expansion. To enhance customer and partner relationships, the company has also recently opened offices in New Delhi, India; Washington, D.C.; and Singapore. "DataPath has proudly supported customers in the Middle East with reliable communications for decades, first through SWE-DISH Satellite Systems, continuing on through its evolution and integration into DataPath," said David Myers, President and CEO of DataPath. "We are excited to be able to better serve both existing and new customers in the area with solutions tailored to the local market's requirements." DataPath will be exhibiting at CABSAT 2017, held March 21-23 at the Dubai World Trade Centre. Please visit the DataPath stand, 710 in Hall 7, to learn more about DataPath's solutions or local services. About DataPath Inc. In remote and high-risk operating environments, dependable real-time communications are critical to situational awareness and mission success. DataPath specializes in advanced communications solutions tailored to the unique requirements of aerospace, broadcast, government, and infrastructure clients. Our solutions include a range of both custom and commercial off-the-shelf field communications and information technology products, including satellite communication systems, network management software, and cybersecurity services. All of our offerings are backed by 24x7 customer care and global field support. At DataPath we are passionate about helping our clients achieve mission success. For more information, visit www.datapath.com. Contact: DataPath, Inc. Anna Fry anna.fry@datapath.com Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/216981/datapath_logo.jpg Related Links http://www.datapath.com SOURCE DataPath, Inc. Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/480308/Intelliber_Technologies_Inc_Socialyk_Landing_Page.jpg Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/480307/Intelliber_Technologies_Inc_Ranjan_with_his_team_at_Intelliber_Technologies.jpg Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/480306/Intelliber_Technologies_Inc_Employrr_Landing_page.jpg Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/480309/Intelliber_Technologies_Inc_Convask_Landing_Page.jpg Intelliber Technologies first started with a news and content distribution site called Contentuals for marketers. Intelliber Technologies has also confirmed that Contentuals is going through a branding review and will soon start being known as Peprfeed. Intelliber Technologies later added the first version of Socialyk World's first human centric SaaS based networking platform to its portfolio in December of 2015. Over the past 2 years, Intelliber Technologies has gone from being a product startup to being a global brand with an entire suite of platforms for marketers, sellers, accountants, HR and other domains fully automating their operations. Their rise can be easily gauged from the fact that they were chosen as one of the most promising companies in USA in 2014 by CIO Review and then also getting selected as the 332nd best entrepreneurial company in America by the well-known Entrepreneur Magazine. The overall growth of Intelliber Technologies is currently in double digits MoM (month on month). They later added Convask which is a project and task management platform for companies of all size. The latest addition is Employrr An End-To-End job search and recruitment platform. Where is it taking Intelliber Technologies? Multiple sources of revenues: Intelliber Technologies is a much more diversified company as of today's date. It has multiple sources of revenue in its products like Socialyk, Employrr, Convask, Peprfeed and the IT Services arm; ITMRD. Intelliber Technologies is a much more diversified company as of today's date. It has multiple sources of revenue in its products like Socialyk, Employrr, Convask, Peprfeed and the IT Services arm; ITMRD. Product growth: As of today's, date, the most popular product of Intelliber Technologies is Socialyk followed by Employrr and Convask. Peprfeed is still in pre-revenue phase As of today's, date, the most popular product of Intelliber Technologies is Socialyk followed by Employrr and Convask. Peprfeed is still in pre-revenue phase In the news: Socialyk and Intelliber Technologies continue to get major attention from the media with almost an average of 2 articles every week from major influencers. Over 50 employees in the last six months Intelliber Technologies is slowly hiring talents from premier institutions and its employee strength has crossed 50 in just the last 6 months. This development is critical because Intelliber Technologies had to fire the majority of its employees for non-performance and unethical behaviors in July of 2015. Intelliber Technologies started from scratch again and grew one step and one brick at a time. They will be 100+ employees by the end of June 2017. Focused diversification continues Intelliber Technologies is more diversified and has a very strong suite of platforms as compared to the last 2 years. Their focus on being Sassy continues and they have not deviated at all. All these new platforms in its suite of applications has only made the company more valuable and continues to grow further. Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/479512/Socialyk_Logo.jpg Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/479506/Intelliber_Logo.jpg Related Links http://www.intelliber.com SOURCE Intelliber Technologies Inc. DUBLIN, Mar. 20, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Research and Markets has announced the addition of the "Electric Vehicles (EVs) - Global Strategic Business Report" report to their offering. The report provides separate comprehensive analytics for the US, Canada, Japan, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Rest of World. Annual estimates and forecasts are provided for the period 2014 through 2022. Market data and analytics are derived from primary and secondary research. Company profiles are primarily based on public domain information including company URLs. This report analyzes the worldwide markets for Electric Vehicles (EVs) in Units by the following Product Segments: Battery Powered Electric Vehicles Hybrid Electric Vehicles Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles The report profiles 77 companies including many key and niche players such as Tesla Motors Inc. ( USA ) ) Lucid Motors ( USA ) ) Faraday Future ( USA ) ) NextEV ( China ) ) Karma Automotive LLC ( USA ) ) NEXT Future Transportation, Inc. ( USA ) ) Global Electric Motorcars (GEM) ( USA ) ) FDG Electric Vehicles Limited ( Hong Kong ) ) Dongfeng Electric Vehicle Co., Ltd. ( China ) ) The Geely Group ( China ) ) Bayerische Motoren Werke AG ( Germany ) ) BYD Company Limited ( China ) ) Daimler AG ( Germany ) ) Ford Motor Company ( USA ) ) General Motors Company ( USA ) ) Groupe Renault ( France ) ) Honda Motor Co., Ltd. ( Japan ) ) Hyundai Motor Company ( South Korea ) ) Mitsubishi Motors Corporation ( Japan ) ) Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. ( Japan ) ) Toyota Motor Corp. ( Japan ) ) Volkswagen AG ( Germany ) Key Topics Covered: 1. Industry Overview 2. Technology Innovations: A Quick Review 3. Technology Overview 4. Product Innovations/Introductions 5. Recent Industry Activity 6. Focus On Select Global Players 7. Global Market Perspective Total Companies Profiled: 77 (including Divisions/Subsidiaries 95) - The United States (28) - Canada (1) - Japan (10) - Europe (26) - France (2) - Germany (6) - The United Kingdom (10) - Italy (1) - Rest of Europe (7) - Asia-Pacific (Excluding Japan) (30) For more information about this report visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/54hwrs/electric_vehicles 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 20, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Research and Markets has announced the addition of the "Global Offshore Drilling Rigs Market Analysis & Trends - Industry Forecast to 2025" report to their offering. The Global Offshore Drilling Rigs Market is poised to grow at a CAGR of around10.2% over the next decade to reach approximately $190.25 billion by 2025. This industry report analyzes the market estimates and forecasts for 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. 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. Key Topics Covered: 1 Market Outline 2 Executive Summary 3 Market Overview 3.1 Current Trends 3.1.1 Semi submersible rigs utilization rate is likely to emerge as one of the most attractive markets 3.1.2 New drilling programs at offshore Nigeria, Ghana, Angola, and Cote d'Ivoire will drive the majority of the increases 3.1.3 Rig day rates are near or below operating costs for some rig types in few regions 3.1.4 Discoveries in the Arctic Region is leading to new development 3.2 Drivers 3.3 Constraints 3.4 Industry Attractiveness 4 Offshore Drilling Rigs Market, By Application 4.1 Deep Water Rigs 4.1.1.1 Deepwater Floaters 4.1.1.2 Midwater Floaters 4.2 Shallow Water Rigs 4.2.1.1 Commodity Jackup Rigs 4.2.1.2 Premium Jackup Rigs 4.3 Ultra-Deep Water Rigs 5 Offshore Drilling Rigs Market, By Type 5.1 Drillships 5.2 Jackup Rigs 5.3 Semi-Submersible Rigs 5.3.1.1 Active Mooring 5.3.1.2 Passive Mooring Systems 6 Offshore Drilling Rigs Market, By Geography 7 Key Player Activities 7.1 Acquisitions & Mergers 7.2 Agreements, Partnerships, Collaborations and Joint Ventures 7.3 Product Launch & Expansions 7.4 Other Activities 8 Leading Companies Aban Offshore Atwood Oceanics Diamond Offshore Drilling Inc. Ensco PLC. Fred. Olsen Energy ASA Halliburton Hercules Offshore KCA Deutag Maersk Drilling Nabors Industries Ltd Petroleo Brasileiro S.A. (Petrobras) Noble Drilling Rowan Companies Scientific Drilling International (SDI) Seadrill Limited Transocean Ltd. Weatherford International Ltd Cameron International Corporation For more information about this report visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/799kqk/global_offshore Media Contact: Research and Markets Laura Wood, Senior Manager press@researchandmarkets.com For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470 For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900 U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907 Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716 Related Links http://www.researchandmarkets.com SOURCE Research and Markets Will demonstrate a 100G SWDM optical link over 100 meters at OFC, 2017 PLEASANTON, California, March 20, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Zephyr Photonics, LLC an optical solutions provider for defense and aerospace markets, and Inneos LLC, a manufacturer of CWDM optical solutions, today announced they have merged operations. The combined entity will be vertically integrated, entirely US-based and operate under the Inneos name. Inneos will demonstrate a 100G SWDM optical link running 100 meters at OFC 2017. "Inneos has nearly 20 years of experience developing optical modules using 3rd party lasers." said Brian Peters, Inneos CEO. He continues, "As a developer of highly robust VCSELs, Zephyr Photonics' business was highly complementary to our own. The new Inneos will be vertically integrated with highly automated manufacturing, allowing us expand our product line in the rapidly growing 4K Videocom market as well as enter the highly cost-competitive 40G and 100G Datacom markets." Inneos started business in 1998 as Blaze Network Products, an early pioneer of Coarse Wave Division Multiplex or CWDM technology. Originally developing 10G transceivers for Datacom, the company lost a key industry standards effort and refocused on the video-over-fiber video market. In 2005, Blaze was acquired by Omron, a Japanese industrial conglomerate and was later spun out in a management buy-out, becoming Inneos in 2014. Since 2003, Inneos has developed and manufactured embedded optical modules with CWDM technology used to transmit high definition video in medical, industrial, and consumer A/V markets. The rapid adoption of 4K televisions, and 4K video in smart phones and streaming content, has accelerated the need for high speed optical solutions for the Videocom market. Inneos' Real4K solutions overcome the limitations of copper cabling by delivering the full 18G required by HDMI 2.0 up to 1000 meters. With the advent of 8K video, Inneos' Real8K products will deliver a full 48G for uncompromised video quality. Zephyr Photonics has been quietly developing wide temperature lasers and ultra-robust optical interconnects for defense and aerospace applications for more than 25 years including projects with DARPA and AFRL. Zephyr Photonics is ITAR compliant as well as AS9100C and ISO 9001:2008 certified. The company's R&D and manufacturing operations in Zephyr Cove and Minden, Nevada have been integrated with Inneos business operation in Pleasanton, California. The new Inneos will Design and manufacture highly robust, multi-wavelength 10 Gbps and 25 Gbps VCSEL lasers Maintain high level defense and quality certifications necessary to provide highly robust optical interconnect solutions for defense and aerospace applications Design, market, and sell Real4K Embedded Optical Modules and Real4K HDMI Optical Cables Develop and introduce to the market 40G and 100G Datacom transceiver and AOC products Come visit Inneos at OFC, Booth number 2361 March 22-24 in Los Angeles, California. About Inneos Inneos is a US-based, vertically integrated provider of multi-channel optical solutions for Videocom and Datacom. Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150615/223130LOGO Related Links http://www.inneos.com SOURCE Inneos DUBAI, UAE, March 20, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Aston Martin has announced that it will equip all of its Valkyrie hypercars with MICHELIN Pilot Sport Cup 2 ultra-high performance tyres in 265/35 ZR20 front and 325/30 ZR21 rear sizes. (Photo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/479336/Aston_Martin_Valkyrie_Michelin.jpg ) (Photo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/479338/Michelin_PSCup2.jpg ) Blurring the line between motorsport and road tyres, the MICHELIN Pilot Sport Cup 2 is the latest generation of road-legal track tyres specially designed for ultra-high performance cars that are used on road and track. With its high-power, high-downforce, low-weight philosophy the Aston Martin Valkyrie promises to redefine the limits of road car performance and in order to explore these limits on a race track, the Valkyrie will put unprecedented demands on its tyres. The MICHELIN Pilot Sport Cup 2 uses an innovative range of motorsport-derived technologies such as Bi-Compound technology, which involves the use of different rubber compounds on the inner and outer sections of the tread and Track Variable Contact Patch 3.0, which optimises pressure in the tyre's contact patch so the same amount of rubber is always in contact with the road or track. This means that whether driving in a straight line or cornering, the MICHELIN Pilot Sport Cup 2 offers drivers a unique balance between safety and driving enjoyment that makes it suitable for everyday road use as well as in very demanding conditions on the racetrack. To achieve this level of performance, Michelin engineers focused on simultaneously improving performance in different areas in-line with the Group's Total Performance strategy. As a result of this strategy, compared to its predecessor the Pilot Sport Cup+, the Pilot Sport Cup 2 lasts up to 50 per cent longer on track while offering faster lap times*, improves resistance to aquaplaning in wet weather and maintains high levels of driver safety and enjoyment. *Internal Michelin tests About Michelin Michelin, the leading tire company, is dedicated to enhancing its clients' mobility, sustainably; designing and distributing the most suitable tires, services and solutions for its clients' needs; providing digital services, maps and guides to help enrich trips and travels and make them unique experiences; and developing high-technology materials that serve the mobility industry. Headquartered in Clermont-Ferrand, France, Michelin is present in 170 countries, has 111,700 employees and operates 68 production facilities in 17 countries which together produced 184 million tires in 2015 (http://www.michelin.com). Dubai is the regional headquarters for Michelin Africa, India & the Middle East (AIM). You can connect with Michelin in the Middle East on http://www.facebook.com/MichelinArabia. SOURCE Michelin AIM STOCKHOLM, Mar 20, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The shareholders of Seamless Distribution AB (publ) ("Seamless" or the "Company") are hereby summoned to the annual general meeting (the "Meeting") to be held on Thursday 20 April 2017 at 10.00 CEST in Elite Palace's office premises, Gastrikesalen, address Elite Palace Hotell, S:t Eriksgatan 115, 100 31 Stockholm. Right to participate at the Meeting To be entitled to participate at the Meeting, shareholders shall - be recorded in the register of shareholders maintained by Euroclear Sweden AB (the Central Securities Deposit) on Wednesday 12 April 2017, and - notify the Company of their intention to attend the Meeting no later than at 12.00 CEST on Wednesday 12 April 2017. The notification must be sent in writing to Seamless Distribution AB (publ), S:t Eriksgatan 121, 113 43 Stockholm, via e-mail to info@seamless.se or per facsimile to +468-564 878 23. When notifying the Company of its intention to attend the Meeting, shareholders shall provide their name, social security number/company registration number, shareholding, address, daytime telephone number and, where applicable, information regarding advisors (a maximum of two allowed) and, where applicable, information regarding proxy. Proxies Shareholders who are represented by a proxy must authorise the proxy by issuing a dated power of attorney. The power of attorney is valid one year from issuance, or such longer period as specified in the power of attorney, however maximum five years from issuance. If such authorisation is issued by a legal entity, a certified copy of a certificate of registration or similar must be attached. The original power of attorney and certificate of registration, where applicable, should be sent to the Company well in advance of the Meeting to the address stated above. A proxy form is available on the Company's website www.seamless.se or is sent to shareholders who so request. Nominee registered shares Shareholders whose shares are registered in the name of a nominee through the trust department of a bank or similar institution must, in order to be entitled to participate in the Meeting, request that their shares are temporarily re-registered in their own names in the register of shareholders maintained by Euroclear Sweden AB. Such registration must be effected on Wednesday 12 April 2017. Shareholders are requested to inform their nominees in good time prior to this date. Number of shares and votes Per the date of this notice there are in aggregate 58,765,305 issued shares and votes in the Company. Per the day of this notice, the Company holds 1,000,000 treasury shares. Proposed Agenda Opening of the Meeting Election of the chairman of the Meeting Drawing-up and approval of the voting list Approval of the agenda Election of at least one person to approve the minutes Resolution on whether the Meeting has been duly convened Presentation of the annual report and the audit report as well as the consolidated accounts and audit report on the consolidated accounts Resolution regarding adoption of the profit and loss statement and the balance sheet as well as the consolidated income statement and the consolidated balance sheet Resolution regarding appropriation of the Company's results in accordance with the approved balance sheet Resolution regarding discharge from liability of the members of the Board of Directors and the CEO The Nomination Committee's proposal and motivated statement regarding their proposal of Board of Directors Resolution on the number of members and deputy members of the Board of Directors and the number of auditors and deputy auditors Resolution on the remuneration that shall be paid to the members of the Board of Directors and the auditor Election of chairman and other members of the Board of Directors as well as auditors Resolution on guidelines for remuneration of the management Resolution on nomination committee for the next annual general meeting Resolution to authorise the Board of Directors to resolve upon issues of shares and/or warrants and/or convertibles Resolution to authorise the Board of Directors to acquire and sell treasury shares Resolution on stock options program and resolution to authorise the Board of Directors to issue warrants Resolution on amendment of the articles of association Resolution to authorise the Board of Directors to divest the subsidiary Seamless Distribution System AB Closing of the Meeting CONTACT: Dominique Tilleman - Head of Communications +32-473-27-04-90 This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com http://news.cision.com/seamless-distribution-ab/r/notice-of-annual-general-meeting-in-seamless-distribution-ab-publ-,c2218817 The following files are available for download: http://mb.cision.com/Main/4815/2218817/645200.pdf NOTICE OF ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING IN SEAMLESS DISTRIBUTION AB (publ) SOURCE Seamless Distribution AB NEW YORK, March 20, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Personetics, the leading provider of cognitive applications for the financial services sector, today announced that it was awarded a patent for its innovative approach to conversing with a chatbot, offering superior interpretation of customer intent. Using real-time analysis of customer data combined with high-quality Natural Language Understanding, the Personetics Cognitive Chatbot is able to interpret customers' intent in the context of their personal financial situation, conducting an intelligent conversation that accurately responds to service requests and proactively offers personalized guidance. For example, when a customer asks about overdraft options, the Personetics chatbot is able to interpret the question in the context of the person's account status at that moment, such as current funds available and whether overdraft protection is in place. Using predictive analytics capabilities, it would even consider whether the account is expected to be overdrawn in the coming weeks and tailor the response accordingly. Financial Institutions Are Bullish About Chatbots A recent survey conducted by Personetics shows that almost half of the financial institutions surveyed have active chatbot projects in place, and more than three quarters expect it to be a viable commercial solution within the next two years. In fact, over the past several months, several financial institutions including Bank of America, Capital One, and BRD Groupe Societe Generale have already announced their plans to launch a chatbot solution. Celent analyst Kelley Byrnes sees a similar trend: "In the next 12 months, we will likely see many of the largest consumer banks rolling out new chatbots within their consumer banking and wealth management arms. This could be a major turning point as these financial institutions begin to catch up with leading technology companies, making the transition from testing to implementation of chatbots in order to deliver their customers with the most customized experience possible." Data is a Critical Component for Helpful Customer Interactions While financial institutions see the chatbot as an opportunity to engage customers in natural conversations, they also face the risk of creating an experience that falls short of customer expectations. Without a good understanding of the customer situation, even the best natural language processing model may fail to adequately address customer needs. When dealing with financial matters, the bar is quite high accurate understanding of the customer intent and needs in the course of an interactive conversation requires real-time analysis of transaction and account information as relaying information that is not 100 percent current can be misleading and damage the reputation of the bank. "Natural Language Understanding is a necessary requirement for any bot that is currently being built, but it's not sufficient on its own to truly be helpful to the customer," said Danny Vatnik, Chief Technology Officer at Personetics. "In order for a bot to deliver value, it must be combined with real-time data analysis to provide an accurate picture of the customer's financial situation and needs. Without the data, it's like having a banker that can speak the language of the customer, but doesn't understand how banking works or what the customer financials look like." Financial Domain Proficiency is Key to Quality Conversations The Personetics Cognitive Chatbot is a white label solution used by financial institutions to interact with their customers in a personal and conversational manner across all digital channels web, mobile, as well as messaging applications such as Facebook Messenger and personal voice assistants such as Amazon's Alexa. In addition to advanced Natural Language Understanding (NLU), Personetics has extensive domain-specific capabilities embedded into the conversation models used by its chatbot. Large data sets from financial services transactions are used to train and test the Personetics NLU model, achieving superior results compared to chatbots powered by generic NLU models that have not been proven with financial services customers. "A banker or customer service representative needs expertise to be as effective as possible; so do chatbots," said Dan Latimore, Senior Vice President of Celent's Banking. "Deep knowledge of the personal finance domain is critical if chatbots are going to deliver the kind of customer experience that will engage customers and help them live better financial lives." To learn more visit: Personetics Cognitive Chatbot for Financial Services Chatbot Learning Center: How banks and other financial institutions can deploy a successful chatbot solution About Personetics Trusted by millions of customers, Personetics' Cognitive Financial Services Applications provide personalized guidance, conversational self-service, and automated self-running programs that help customers reach their financial goals. Combining built-in financial intelligence and conversational proficiency with advanced cognitive capabilities, the Personetics framework is able to engage in natural conversations and knowledge-rich interactions, execute tasks on behalf of the customer, and constantly adapt and improve based on prior behavior. Ready-to-deploy within existing digital channels and across popular messaging platforms, Personetics' Cognitive Financial Services Applications enable financial institutions to take a leadership position by delivering a highly engaging branded customer experience, reducing the cost of service, and increasing share of wallet with innovative new products and services. Led by a team of seasoned FinTech entrepreneurs with a proven track record, Personetics has been named a Gartner Cool Vendor, a Top Ten FinTech Company by KPMG, and a Top Ten Company to Watch by American Banker. For more information, visit http://personetics.com. Related Links http://personetics.com SOURCE Personetics BEIJING, March 20, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- On March 19, Chairman and CEO of Inspur Group Peter Sun met with Chairman of Ericsson Leif Johansson in Beijing. The two sides conducted in-depth discussions on the development of their joint venture and cooperation in cloud computing, big data, IoT, media and other areas. In the last dozen years, Inspur has been in good cooperation with Ericsson in multiple areas. In 2002, the two companies established a joint venture, Ericsson Inspur Wireless Technology Co., Ltd, to develop and promote wireless communication technology, with products covering bluetooth, GPRS, mobile Internet, 3G and other areas, which greatly accelerated China's development of wireless communication. On July 13, 2016, Inspur and Ericsson continued partnership and jointly announced the signing of an MoU. The two companies expanded their collaboration into cloud infrastructure, TV and media, and the Internet of Things (IoT). The two companies will test and verify the compatibility and/or performance of selected Ericsson software solutions related to areas such as Network Functions Virtualization (NFV), IoT, OSS/BSS and cloud on Inspur's hardware platform, develop and promote the total solutions of next generation of media cloud and IoT solutions for various vertical industries. Inspur and Ericsson will also design and build data centers and communication infrastructure to address China's "One Belt, One Road" initiative. The two companies will provide more complete solutions to operators, enterprises and industry customers around the world. As China's leading cloud computing and big data service provider, Inspur keeps close cooperation and investment partnerships with Fortune 500 companies including Microsoft, Ericsson, Intel, LG and SAP, among others. In 2016, Inspur's joint ventures with Cisco and Diebold were launched with world-class server, storage, network, operating system, cloud security products and cloud data center construction total solutions. SOURCE Inspur Group PUNE, India, March 20, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- According to a new market research report "Service Integration and Management (SIAM) Market by Solution (Business Solutions, Technology Solutions), Service (Advisory, Implementation, and Automation), Organization Size, Vertical, and Region - Global Forecast to 2021", published by MarketsandMarkets, the SIAM market size is expected to grow from USD 2.85 Billion in 2016 to USD 4.35 Billion by 2021, at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 8.8%. (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160303/792302 ) Browse 65 market data tables and 45 figures spread through 142 pages and in-depth TOC on "Service Integration and Management (SIAM) Market" http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/service-integration-management-market-243697815.html Early buyers will receive 10% customization on this report. Request Report Brochure @ http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/pdfdownload.asp?id=243697815 The major factors that are driving the market includes changing landscapes of service and supplier were more advanced approach for service integration are using multi-supplier contract, rather than a single sourced lead supplier. The increasing demand for improved technology and services in the industry and emerging trend of connected and intelligent devices are influencing the market. Infrastructure solutions is likely to hold the largest market share in the SIAM market Increasing globalization and need for advanced infrastructure system is driving the need to develop service integration solutions for the entire industry. Infrastructure solution provides services to organizations searching for the best ways to streamline their operation across the world and thus these service companies are receptive toward the technological advancements for further enhancing their services. The implementation of infrastructure solution has increased owing to the growing number of advanced technologies. Application segment is expected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period The application improvises accessibility, functionality, ownership, and usability area. helps the clients to meet their IT goals and strategic priorities while enabling innovation that drives dynamic top-line growth. Hence, the application segment is important for the organizations as they face considerable challenges in keeping their applications associated and aligned with their business strategies. This helps the organization in increasing the efficiency of their business activities, business analytics & development, revenue management, planning, business operations, and technology. North America is expected to hold the largest market share in the Service Integration and Management Market As per the geographic analysis, North America is the largest consumer market and is likely to benefit from its technological advancements, further helping in the seamless adoption of SIAM model. Countries such as the U.S., Canada, and Mexico are the major growth drivers of the region. Strong financial position allows these countries to invest heavily in leading tools and technologies in the SIAM market. The major vendors covered in the Service Integration and Management Market include Wipro Limited (Bengaluru, India), Capgemini (Paris, France), HCL Technology Limited (Noida, India), Accenture (Illinois, U.S.), Quint Wellington Redwood (Amstelveen, Netherlands), and Fruition Partners (Chicago, U.S.), TCS (Mumbai, India), Hewlett-Packard Enterprises (California, U.S.), CGI (Quebec, Canada), and Fujitsu (Tokyo, Japan). Make an Enquiry @ http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Enquiry_Before_Buying.asp?id=243697815 Browse Related Reports: Integration Platform as a Service Market by Service (Cloud Service Orchestration, API Management, Application Integration, B2B and Cloud Integration, Data Integration), Deployment, Organization Size, Vertical, & Region - Global Forecast to 2021 http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/integration-platform-as-a-service-market-134216323.html System Integration Market by Infrastructure Integration (Building Management System and Cloud Integration), Application Integration (Unified Communication), Consulting Service, Vertical (BFSI), and Region - Global Forecast to 2021 http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/system-integration-market-1304.html Know More About our Knowledge Store @ http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Knowledgestore.asp About MarketsandMarkets MarketsandMarkets provides quantified B2B research on 30,000 high growth niche opportunities/threats which will impact 70% to 80% of worldwide companies' revenues. Currently servicing 5000 customers worldwide including 80% of global Fortune 1000 companies as clients. Almost 75,000 top officers across eight industries worldwide approach MarketsandMarkets for their painpoints around revenues decisions. 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. MarketsandMarkets now coming up with 1,500 MicroQuadrants (Positioning top players across leaders, emerging companies, innovators, strategic players) annually in high growth emerging segments. MarketsandMarkets is determined to benefit more than 10,000 companies this year for their revenue planning and help them take their innovations/disruptions early to the market by providing them research ahead of the curve. MarketsandMarkets'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. Contact: Mr. Rohan MarketsandMarkets 701 Pike Street Suite 2175, Seattle, WA 98101, United States Tel : 1-888-600-6441 Email: sales@marketsandmarkets.com Visit MarketsandMarkets Blog @ http://www.marketsandmarketsblog.com/market-reports/telecom-it Connect with us on LinkedIn @ http://www.linkedin.com/company/marketsandmarkets Website @ http://www.marketsandmarkets.com SOURCE MarketsandMarkets How much brighter does it get? ALLENTOWN, Pennsylvania, March 20, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- When it comes to highly reflective coatings, the brighter the better. Market studies show end-use customers seek fashionable products with enhanced brilliance globally. At the forefront, SILBERLINE steps up by introducing their SPARKLE SILVER Elite and SPARKLE SILVER Elite Liquid Metal families for just this effect. SPARKLE SILVER Elite 010 offered at 10 microns (m) & SPARKLE SILVER Elite 012 at 12 microns (m) - Both with enhanced silver dollar geometry. Creating brilliance and high gloss masstone silver colors as well as clean and vibrant tints that can be used in Automotive OEM, refinish or any industrial coating requiring high gloss and brilliant metallic sheen or "real metal" appearance. SPARKLE SILVER Elite Liquid Metal 011 & SPARKLE SILVER Elite Liquid Metal 015 offered at both 11 & 15 microns (m) - With fine silver dollar geometry and a highly polished surface. These products can be used in a multitude of coatings ranging from Automotive OEM, refinish, interior auto, wheel coatings, 3C as well as General Industrial applications. If you would like more information visit us at the 2017 European Coatings Show in Nuremberg, Germany April 4th-6th Hall 7, stand 7-129 or review our 2017 Global Coatings Brochure. Dena Williams 570-668-8443 williamsd@silberline.com PDF - http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/478936/SILBERLINE_GLOBAL_COATINGS_web_2017.pdf Related Links http://www.silberline.com SOURCE Silberline LONDON, March 20, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Emma Tweedie and Euan Steedman chosen as this year's Suzy Ferguson Spirit Award winners New categories for 2017: Inspiration and Rising Star The 4th annual Suzy Ferguson Spirit Award ceremony took place in London today, recognising the unsung heroes of the UK communications industry. Unlike other results-driven awards, it acknowledges individuals of exceptional character, principle and determination. (Photo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/480088/2017_Suzy_Spirit_alumni.jpg ) (Photo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/480097/Emma_Tweedy_Inspiration.jpg ) (Photo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/480098/Euan_Steedman_Rising_Star.jpg ) This year, for the first time, two outstanding individuals were honoured, following the creation of two award categories: Inspiration and Rising Star. Emma Tweedie, Director at Teacake Tuesday, was chosen as the first recipient of the Suzy Spirit Inspiration Award from a shortlist of four, while Euan Steedman, Press Officer at the BBC, scooped the first, strongly contested, Rising Star Award. Both winners were praised by the judges during the award ceremony for their dedication, compassion and kindness towards others. The award was launched by LEWIS, in partnership with Gorkana, in 2014. It recognises those who have made a real difference to others in the industry and honours LEWIS' former employee, Suzy Ferguson, who passed away from bowel cancer in 2012, aged 31. At today's ceremony, a donation of 4,000 was made to Bowel Cancer UK to support its work and research to save lives and improve the quality of life for all those affected by bowel cancer. The Suzy Spirit Inspiration Award is aimed at established PR and comms professionals who set a shining example through mentoring and championing others. The Suzy Spirit Rising Star Award is aimed at industry newcomers who may only be at the beginning of their careers, but who already demonstrate Suzy's qualities and characteristics at work and while volunteering in their community. This year's winners were selected from a shortlist of seven finalists. The judging panel comprised Suzy's father, Canon John Carter; Suzy's widower, Alex Ferguson; Sally O'Neill, VP International at LEWIS; Jeremy Thompson, CEO (EMEA & India) at Cision and PR Newswire and last year's winner, Henry Playfoot. "It's fantastic to see the Suzy Ferguson Spirit Award growing every year. With the introduction of two categories, and Gorkana's help in reaching so many people across the comms industry, we saw more nominations this year from in-house and agency, and across the UK", said Sally O'Neill, VP International at LEWIS and one of the judges. "It was a tough decision as all the finalists showed such dedication, strong ethics and clearly inspire everyone around them without even realising it. It's this spirit that we want to encourage, and Emma and Euan are very worthy winners." Grace Garland, who nominated Emma, said she is great fun to work with, has a natural warmth and is in her element when using her incredible networking skills to bring people and projects together. "Emma has a reassuring and inspiring presence and isn't afraid to take risks - something I find extremely admirable." Emma has helped inspire women over the years through a programme of mentoring. She has also supported a variety of charitable and sustainable organisations. Recently, she volunteered for the global humanitarian initiative, Live to Love. Here, she organised a TV and radio campaign (three weeks before her wedding), a celebrity fundraiser, an auction at BAFTA and a screening of the Pad Yatra Long Walk to Freedom to raise awareness of how pollution in the Himalayas is affecting climate change. The winner of the Rising Star award, Euan Steedman, has been described as an ambitious and determined spirit by Natalie Clark, Press Officer at the BBC. "He constantly embraces new opportunities and never says no to a new challenge." Expressing an interest in Fairtrade and sustainable production during university, Euan set up a Fairtrade group and later volunteered in Northern Ghana on a project devoted to the cause. Its success meant that Euan was later invited to help promote Fairtrade in Scotland, acting as the sustainability lead. He went on to receive the Ryder Cup Scholarship, which recognised his business ambition. The other five finalists shortlisted for the 2017 Suzy Ferguson Spirit Award were: Polly Kennedy, Director at APCO Worldwide; Camilla Swain, PR Manager at Girlguiding; Claire Foster, Deputy Head of News at Direct Line; Connor Mahon, Account Executive at FleishmanHillard Fishburn and India Smyth, Media Relations Manager at Barclays. Last year, the award went to Henry Playfoot, then Strategy Director at Claremont Communications and now running his own business, Pitch Doctor. Nicola Green, Director of Communications and Reputation at O2 was presented with the award in 2015 and the inaugural award winner (2014) was Rosie Warin, who worked at Forster Communications at the time, but has since taken up the role of CEO at Kin&Co. For further information or images, please contact: Mike Chivers at LEWIS on +44(0)20-7802-2626 / michael.chivers@teamlewis.com SOURCE Gorkana and LEWIS Music's Biggest Night enjoys impressive ratings increase from previous year's U.S. run on CBS PALISADES PARK, N.J., March 20, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Following an extraordinary evening of GRAMMY Moments musical mash-ups, political declarations and unforgettable tributes Alfred Haber, President of Alfred Haber, Inc. (AHI), announced today that the recently aired 59th Annual GRAMMY Awards has been cleared in a record number of 197 territories around the world. Photo - http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/480056/Alfred_Haber_Inc_Grammy_Awards_Bruno_Mars.jpg Key sales for the world's most popular annual televised music event include: 4Music (UK), City TV (Canada), WOWOW (Japan), Sichuan Satellite Television (China), Tencent (China), FOX (Southeast Asia), Turner (Latin America), TV One (Russia), MNET (South Africa), DK (Denmark), and NRK (Norway). "This year's GRAMMY broadcast in the U.S. dominated the evening's ratings and was the talk, and tweet, of social media," commented Haber. "It's clear, given our record number of territories, that without a doubt, the GRAMMY Awards continue to be the world's preeminent music award special." This year's star-packed GRAMMY Awards, which was seen live on CBS in the U.S. on Sunday, February 12, 2017, was an electrifying affair that featured such memorable GRAMMY Moments as the remarkable Beyonce appearance, two Adele performances, the extraordinary Lady Gaga/Metallica mix, Katy Perry's triumphant return to the GRAMMY stage, Ed Sheeran's unplugged intensity, the magnetic pairing of The Weeknd and Daft Punk, and the brilliant Bruno Mars tribute to the late legend, Prince, among many other top musical acts. ABOUT THE RECORDING ACADEMY Established in 1957, The Recording Academy is an organization of musicians, songwriters, producers, engineers, and recording professionals dedicated to improving the cultural condition and quality of life for music and its makers. Internationally known for the GRAMMY Awards the preeminent peer-recognized award for musical excellence and the most credible brand in music The Recording Academy is responsible for groundbreaking professional development, cultural enrichment, advocacy, education and human services programs. The Academy continues to focus on its mission of recognizing musical excellence, advocating for the well-being of music makers and ensuring music remains an indelible part of our culture. For more information about The Recording Academy, please visit www.grammy.com. For breaking news and exclusive content, follow @RecordingAcad on Twitter, "like" Recording Academy / GRAMMYs on Facebook, and join The Recording Academy's social communities on Google+, Instagram, Tumblr, and YouTube. ABOUT THE ALFRED HABER COMPANIES ALFRED HABER, INC., ALFRED HABER DISTRIBUTION, INC., and ALFRED HABER TELEVISION, INC., now celebrating 49 years of business, together form the world's largest distributor of U.S. network annual event programming and are major independent distributors of primetime series and specials, including unscripted reality, crime and investigation, clip shows, pop science, music events, and films. For more information about the Alfred Haber companies, please visit www.alfredhaber.com. SOURCE Alfred Haber, Inc. DOHA, Qatar, March 20, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- After reaching the mark of two million users per month to become the largest flight metasearch engine in Brazil, Travel Capitalist Ventures announces a substantive investment in Voopter. The "Series B" comes from Travel Capitalist Ventures (Qatar office), a travel focused investment firm providing capital, hands-on advice and resources, as well as a co-investment with No Borders Investments Limited (Doha). The investment supports the expansion of Voopter's operations as well as future partnerships for the company in the tourism trade. According to Abrar Ahmad, Managing Partner at Travel Capitalist Ventures, "Voopter epitomizes the kind of 'must do' investment we love to make at Travel Capitalist Ventures. The challenging regional climate overshadows lucrative travel investment opportunities, and there's no better example than our Series B investment in Voopter." Travel Capitalist Ventures' investment adds to the round from Global Founders Capital, a German venture capital company that trains talented entrepreneurs globally. This is their second investment in the Brazilian flight search startup. Voopter's unique offerings are geared to Brazilian consumers, who prefer to receive personalized promotional information and to plan trips in advance. Voopter provides tools adapted to this traveler profile such as a multi-dates calendar, collaborative alert system and curated content. "This investment will help us to speed up our growth in the Brazilian market, where Voopter is already the leading metasearch," says Pettersom Paiva, CEO of Voopter. "But there is still great potential for growth. It will also back the launch of our 'media' and 'data' divisions, which will consolidate our offers for other travel business than airlines and OTA's." About Travel Capitalist Ventures Founded in 2010, Travel Capitalist Ventures is the first multi-stage investment firm focused exclusively on travel private equity and venture capital investments worldwide. Travel Capitalist Ventures investments collectively transact over $1B USD annually, and they invest in an average of three to five companies in key travel markets such as the Middle East, India, Brazil, and South Africa through offices in Irvine, California; Doha, Qatar; and, Durban, South Africa. Travel Capitalist Ventures invests capital and provides actionable travel industry-specific advice, introductions to suppliers and customers, and hands-on help to expand within and across travel markets. Learn more at www.travelcapitalist.com. About Voopter Voopter is the leading flight metasearch in Brazil, with more than two million users and 250,000 cross tickets per month. The company presents the best fares available both through airlines and online travel agencies. Available at no cost on the web, and on iOS and Android systems, it features a unique multi-dates calendar, while the system shows users the cheapest trip combination. In addition, Voopter offers users the option to create alerts, which generates notifications when the ticket price is within the range the user is willing to pay. More information can be found at www.voopter.com.br. Contact: Florence Yaeger Communications Director Travel Capitalist Ventures +1 720.985.1450 fyaeger@travelcapitalist.com www.travelcapitalist.com Related Links http://www.travelcapitalist.com SOURCE Travel Capitalist Ventures NEW YORK, March 20, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Latest report says between 2019 and 2025, the 5G network infrastructure market to aggressively grow at a CAGR of nearly 70%, eventually accounting for $28 billion in annual spending by the end of 2025. These infrastructure investments will be complemented by annual shipments of up to 520 Million 5G-capable devices. (Logo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/480013/Market_Reports_Center_Logo.jpg ) MRC announces an addition of a new study based research on the market condition of the 5G wireless ecosystem to their suite of offerings. It provides a comprehensive analysis of the emerging 5G wireless ecosystem with thorough details about various crucial factors that impact the market growth like market drivers, impediments, trends and technologies, operator strategies, vertical market applications, spectrum bands, and wireless carrier installation commitments. In addition to this, the report also includes projections each for 5G wireless system subscriptions and investments. Considering the surge in use of technology, and mobile usage, the 5G wireless ecosystem is a pioneering paradigm shift in wireless networking to reinforce the latency, output, and scalability needs for potential use like connectivity management for billions of M2M (Machine to Machine) devices and intense bandwidth amplified reality applications. Avail discounted copy using 'save10' coupon at https://marketreportscenter.com/buy-now?sku=SNSMAR171701 The 5G wireless ecosystem industry is expected to exhibit growth in the near future owing to the initiatives taken by national, regional governments, as well as network providers and wireless carriers. Mobile operators and vendors have already started focusing on research and development of 5G. This next evolution is mobile networking which is likely to offer a sole network surrounding to offer mobile broadband and IoT services as well as innovative additions of cloud robotics, self-driving cars, remote surgery, 3D holographic telepresence and lots more. Get PDF sample to your email https://marketreportscenter.com/request-sample/527384 Though the 3GPP and other Standards Development Organizations (SDOs) are engaged in defining the 1st phase of 5G specifications, there is a rush in mobile operators to be the first to offer 5G services. Pre-standards 5G network rollouts are already in progress, most remarkably in the South Korea and the United States. Pre-standards 5G network investments are projected to surpass $250 Million by the end of 2017. The 363-page research report is aided with a datasheet suite offering quantitative data from all numeric estimations covered in the report. This report offers an in-depth evaluation of the 5G wireless ecosystem industry spread across various geographical markets and sub-segments including Latin and Central America, North America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, APAC, and Africa and the Middle East. Report Highlights: - In-depth overview of parent market - Changing market dynamics of the 5G wireless ecosystem industry - Detailed market segmentation on the basis of application, geography, and region - Current industry scenario, trends, technologies and development - Historical data and market size estimation in terms of value and volume - Competitive scenario and profiles of key market participants - Business strategies and product offerings - Potential and niche regions and segments exhibiting growth prospects for the predicted time frame This study-based research report provides detailed discussions on 5G New Radio (NR) and Next Generation (NextGen) system architecture, along with 5G requirements and usage scenarios. It also throws light on the key enabling technologies like higher frequency radio access, air interface design, flexible duplex schemes, advanced antenna systems, dynamic spectrum access, D2D (Device-to-Device) connectivity, self-backhauling and network slicing. The report also features competitive assessment of vendor strategies and includes the review of investments in R&D and pre-standards 5Gnetworks forecasts till 2030. For more information about this report https://marketreportscenter.com/reports/527384/the-5g-wireless-ecosystem-2017-2030-technologies-applications-verticals-strategies-forecasts Forecast Segmentation Market forecasts are provided for each of the following submarkets and their subcategories: 5G R&D Investments - New Air Interface and Millimeter Wave Radio Access - MIMO, Beamforming and Advanced Antenna Technologies - Spectrum Sharing, Aggregation and Interference Management - Virtualization and Cloud RAN - Network Slicing and Other Technologies Pre-Standards 5G Network Investments - Pre-Standards Base Stations - Pre-Standards User Equipment - Transport Networking and Other Investments Standardized 5G Infrastructure Investments - 5G NR (New Radio) - Distributed Macrocell Base Stations - Small Cells - RRHs (Remote Radio Heads) - C-RAN BBUs (Baseband Units) - NextGen (Next Generation) Core Network - Fronthaul and Backhaul Networking Standardized 5G User Equipment Investments - Handsets - Tablets - Embedded IoT Modules - USB Dongles - Routers 5G Operator Services - Subscriptions - Service Revenue Key Questions Answered The report provides answers to the following key questions: - How big is the opportunity for 5G network infrastructure, user equipment and operator services? - What trends, challenges and barriers will influence the development and adoption of 5G? - How will 5G drive the adoption of AR (Augmented Reality)/VR (Virtual Reality) applications such as 3D holographic telepresence and 360 degree streaming of live events? - How have advanced antenna and chip technologies made it possible to utilize millimeter wave spectrum for mobile communications in 5G networks? - How can non-orthogonal multiple access schemes such as RSMA (Resource Spread Multiple Access) enable 5G networks to support higher connection densities for Millions of IoT devices? - What will be the number of 5G subscriptions in 2019 and at what rate will it grow? - Which regions and countries will be the first to adopt 5G? - Which frequency bands are most likely to be utilized by 5G networks? - Who are the key 5G vendors and what are their strategies? - Will 5G networks rely on a disaggregated RAN architecture? - How will 5G impact the fiber industry? - Will satellite communications and aerial networking platforms play a wider role in 5G networks? Key Findings The report has the following key findings: - The Unites States and South Korea are spearheading early investments in pre-standards 5G trial networks, as mobile operators rush to be the first to offer 5G networks. Research estimates that by the end of 2017, pre-standards 5G network investments are expected to account for over $250 Million. - Following completion of the 3GPP's first phase of 5G specifications in March 2018, SNS Research expects that early adopters across the globe will simultaneously begin commercializing 5G services in 2019. - Between 2019 and 2025, we expect the 5G network infrastructure market to aggressively grow at a CAGR of nearly 70%, eventually accounting for $28 billion in annual spending by the end of 2025. - Although early 5G R&D investments have primarily targeted the radio access segment, network-slicing has recently emerged as necessary 'end-to-end' capability to guarantee performance for different 5G applications which may have contrasting requirements. - In order to support diverse usage scenarios, 5G networks are expected to utilize a variety of frequency bands ranging from established sub-6 GHz cellular bands to millimeter wave spectrum. About Market Reports Center: Market Reports Center is an e-commerce platform obliging the needs of knowledge workers, experts, professionals who are subject to market research information for their work, or to make strategic business decisions. We are dedicated to create a comprehensive offering of market research which is accurate, credible and affordable. Market Reports Center currently has more than 4,00,000 plus titles and 50+ publishers on our platform and growing consistently. We cover more than 35 industry verticals being: Automotive, Electronics, Manufacturing, Pharmaceuticals, Healthcare, Chemicals, Construction, Agriculture, Food, Beverages, Banking & Finance, Media and Government, Public Sector Studies. Connect for more details: Sam Collins Market Reports Center 1-646-883-3044 (US) Email: [email protected] Website: https://marketreportscenter.com Follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/market-reports-center Read our blog: https://marketreportscenter.com/blog/ SOURCE Market Reports Center The new law, which ensures hospital patients' designated family caregivers are offered instruction in providing needed care at home, won unanimous support in both houses of the Legislature: 31-0 in the Senate and 95-0 in the House. Ohio is the 35th state to put a version of the AARP CARE (Caregiver Advise, Record, Enable) Act on the books. The law, which officially goes into effect today, will help as many as 1.4 million Ohioans who provide unpaid care to family and loved ones at any time. The value of this unpaid care in Ohio alone is estimated at $16.5 billion a year. More than 70 percent of Ohio caregivers also perform complex medical tasks though only half receive training on how to do so when a loved one leaves the hospital. Ohio voters aged 50 and older overwhelmingly support the bill, with 92% saying hospitals should "explain and demonstrate" to family caregivers medical tasks they'll have to perform when their loved ones are sent home from the hospital, a 2014 AARP survey found. This act makes this a requirement. "This is a great day for family caregivers across Ohio who are doing all they can to help their loved ones live at home for as long as possible," said Barbara Sykes, State Director of AARP in Ohio. "Senator Lehner, Representative LaTourette and all of our lawmakers are making a real and positive difference in the lives of millions in passing this bill." "Information is power, and the Ohio Caregiving Act will empower millions of family caregivers." The Ohio Caregiving Act requires hospitals to: Designate a family caregiver in the patient's medical record. Inform the family caregiver when the patient is to be discharged. Offer the family caregiver instruction and demonstrations of medical tasks they will be expected to provide for their loved ones at home, such as administering multiple medications, dressing wounds and operating medical equipment. "The Ohio Caregiving Act recognizes the critical role family caregivers play in keeping their loved ones out of costly institutions. It utilizes the existing hospital discharge process to put in place some small, but meaningful supports for caregivers during hospital transitions, a difficult and stressful time for both patients and caregivers," said Senator Peggy Lehner of Kettering, one of the co-sponsors of the new law. "Family caregivers are already the 'new normal' and have become the default providers for complex chronic care in home. I myself have been in this very situation," said co-sponsor Representative Sarah LaTourette from Bainbridge Township. "As Ohio's population ages, this normal will become even more critical and it will become incumbent to keep family caregivers better informed, notified, and instructed in after-care tasks, so that they have a better chance to keep their loved ones safely at home." "I was not in the ER observation unit to advocate for my Mom when it was most needed, and they were going to send her on her way into the cold with a 'follow up' appointment and some pills she couldn't swallow," said Andrea Tayek of Shaker Heights, who cares for her mother Marcia. "Now that won't happen. Family caregivers like me will be engaged at the start and allowed to play a key role in the medical care of their loved ones." "This law is a perfect example of how common sense solutions can be found when stakeholders work together," said State Advocacy lead for AARP Ohio, Trey Addison. "Family caregivers will be given crucial guidance on how to care for their loved ones after leaving the hospital and help older Ohioans avoid nursing homes and other institutional care. We commend our state lawmakers for working with us on this new rule to recognize the vital role caregivers play in the health of those who rely upon their care." Follow us on Twitter: @AARPOhio and Facebook: AARP OH AARP is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization, with a membership of more than 37 million, that helps people turn their goals and dreams into real possibilities, strengthens communities and fights for the issues that matter most to families such as healthcare, employment and income security, retirement planning, affordable utilities and protection from financial abuse. We advocate for individuals in the marketplace by selecting products and services of high quality and value to carry the AARP name as well as help our members obtain discounts on a wide range of products, travel, and services. A trusted source for lifestyle tips, news and educational information, AARP produces AARP The Magazine, the world's largest circulation magazine; AARP Bulletin; www.aarp.org; AARP TV & Radio; AARP Books; and AARP en Espanol, a Spanish-language website addressing the interests and needs of Hispanics. AARP does not endorse candidates for public office or make contributions to political campaigns or candidates. AARP Foundation is an affiliated charity of AARP that is working to win back opportunity for struggling Americans 50+ by being a force for change on the most serious issues they face today: housing, hunger, income and isolation. AARP has staffed offices in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Learn more at www.aarp.org. SOURCE AARP Ohio Related Links http://www.aarp.org "Judge Gorsuch is exceedingly qualified to fill the seat of the late Justice Antonin Scalia's seat on the Supreme Court," said Jay Sekulow , Chief Counsel of the ACLJ, who has appeared before the Supreme Court in numerous cases. "Judge Gorsuch embraces the Constitution and the rule of law. The obstructionists are vowing to oppose this nominee because of his conservative judicial philosophy. It is time for this confirmation process to move forward and we're calling on the Senate to confirm Judge Gorsuch without delay." Judge Gorsuch was approved by a voice vote by the Senate when he was appointed to the federal appeals court by President George W. Bush. If Senate Democrats attempt to filibuster Judge Gorsuch, President Trump has said that he is in favor of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell using the so-called "nuclear option" which was first used by Democrats to constitutionally change the rules of the Senate requiring a simple majority of 51 votes instead of the 60 now required to confirm a Supreme Court nominee. The ACLJ has launched a national media campaign to advocate for the confirmation of Judge Gorsuch. The ACLJ has more than one million members and will utilize radio, television, online and social media to urge the Senate to act without delay and confirm Judge Gorsuch. Nearly 130,000 people have signed on to an ACLJ petition demanding his confirmation. Led by Chief Counsel Jay Sekulow, the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ), focusing on constitutional law, is based in Washington, D.C. and is online at www.aclj.org. MEDIA CONTACTS: For Print: Gene Kapp (757) 575-9520 For Broadcast: Anna Hutsell or Christine Cape (770) 813-0000 SOURCE American Center for Law and Justice Related Links http://www.aclj.org COLUMBUS, Ga., March 20, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Aflac Incorporated announced today it is pursuing investment opportunities targeting early-stage companies whose mission is relevant to Aflac's core business. Designed to help the company enhance its strategic and innovative focus in both the U.S. and Japan, Aflac Corporate Ventures partners with technology accelerators to create the agility required to quickly identify and invest in early-stage companies, helping them accelerate innovation across the insurance value chain, including digital solutions that enhance the customer experience. In support of this effort, Aflac Corporate Ventures will maintain offices in Charlotte, North Carolina, and in Sunnyvale, California, as part of a partnership agreement with a technology accelerator. The company intends to build up to a $100 million fund over three years, investing in early-stage companies in both the U.S. and Japan, depending on the quality and viability of the opportunities. "With a greater focus on the customer experience, we feel that it is vital that Aflac prioritizes potential partners that will help us enhance services and shareholder value, while building our future growth engine," Aflac President of Global Operations Paul S. Amos II said. "By investing in companies that we see as vital to our core business, we will be positioned to innovate as these early-stage companies continue to mature." Just over a year ago, Aflac acquired Empowered Benefits, a technology company located in Charlotte, North Carolina, providing cloud-based benefits administration and exchange platform solutions to insurance carriers, brokerages and employers. In the U.S. and Japan, Aflac is actively pursuing investment opportunities as part of its overall corporate venture strategy. Serving as the president of Aflac Corporate Ventures is Nadeem Khan, who has held numerous positions of increasing responsibility at Aflac since joining the company in 2004, including senior vice president of Corporate Development. He has also been serving as president of Empowered Benefits, a position he will continue to fill. "Nadeem is the obvious choice to lead Aflac Corporate Ventures," remarked Amos. "He is a key member of our leadership team with a very successful record. I am confident he will continue to be successful in creating valuable partnerships that will help Aflac continue to find innovative ways to enhance the experience of our customers." About Aflac When a policyholder gets sick or hurt, Aflac pays cash benefits fast. For six decades, Aflac insurance policies have given policyholders the opportunity to focus on recovery, not financial stress. In the United States, Aflac is the leader in voluntary insurance sales at the worksite. Through its trailblazing One Day PaySM initiative, Aflac U.S. can receive, process, approve and disburse payment for eligible claims in one business day. In Japan, Aflac is the leading provider of medical and cancer insurance and insures 1 in 4 households. Aflac insurance products help provide protection to more than 50 million people worldwide. For 11 consecutive years, Aflac has been recognized by Ethisphere as one of the World's Most Ethical Companies. In 2017, Fortune magazine recognized Aflac as one of the 100 Best Companies to Work For in America for the 19th consecutive year and included Aflac on its list of Most Admired Companies for the 16th time. In 2015, Aflac's contact centers were recognized by J.D. Power by providing "An Outstanding Customer Service Experience" for the Live Phone Channel. Aflac Incorporated is a Fortune 500 company listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol AFL. To find out more about Aflac and One Day PaySM, visit aflac.com or espanol.aflac.com. Aflac herein means American Family Life Assurance Company of Columbus and American Family Life Assurance Company of New York. Media contact Jon Sullivan, 706.763.4813 or [email protected] Analyst and investor contact Robin Y. Wilkey, 706.596.3264 or 800.235.2667, FAX: 706.324.6330, or [email protected] SOURCE Aflac Related Links http://www.aflac.com HIWATHA, KS, March 20, 2017 /PRNewswire/ - AgJunction, Inc. (TSX: AJX), a leading provider of innovative hardware and software solutions for precision agriculture, is pleased to announce a new strategic agreement with Hemisphere GNSS, Inc., a world-class provider of global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) technology. For an undisclosed, one-time payment and a new long-term supply agreement, AgJunction has agreed to release Hemisphere from a license restriction that prevented them from selling their GNSS products directly into the global agricultural market. Supply and market restriction agreements previously created between AgJunction and Hemisphere ended in 2016 while the market restriction agreements continued indefinitely. The agreement is expected to provide customers a more direct relationship with their GNSS supplier, creating better efficiencies for original equipment manufacturers, value-added resellers and growers alike. This agreement is also consistent with AgJunction's desire to provide its steering customers the ability to choose among several possible GNSS options. Regarding the agreement, Dave Vaughn, CEO of AgJunction said: "AgJunction is pleased with the signing of this agreement as it will insure our customers, who have chosen Hemisphere's GNSS receivers and antenna technology, direct access and an uninterrupted supply. As a leader in the precision steering machine control business, it is incumbent upon us to provide the GNSS solution our customers prefer, and this agreement does just that." This agreement does not affect AgJunction's exclusive right to sell certain steering and machine control technology covered by the Company's extensive IP portfolio into the agriculture market. Hemisphere's President & CEO, Farlin Halsey, stated, "Hemisphere is excited to work more directly with our OEM agriculture partners. This new supply agreement will forge a deeper relationship, providing faster response to sales and support requests and increased customer feedback, resulting in stronger innovation and solutions." Halsey added, "We would also like to thank AgJunction, and look forward to both companies' future success." Specific terms of the transaction were not disclosed. About Hemisphere Hemisphere GNSS is an innovative technology company that designs and manufactures high-precision positioning products and services for use in OEM/ODM, machine control & guidance, L-band correction services, marine, monitoring, and unmanned systems markets. Hemisphere holds numerous patents and other intellectual property and sells globally with several leading product and technology brands including Athena, Atlas, Crescent, Eclipse, and Vector for high-precision applications. Hemisphere is based in Scottsdale, AZ, USA, with offices located around the globe, and is part of Beijing UniStrong Science & Technology Co., Ltd. For more information, please visit www.HGNSS.com. About AgJunction AgJunction (www.agjunction.com) provides innovative hardware and software applications for precision agriculture worldwide. The Company holds more than 140 patents and markets its products and services under leading brand names including Novariant, Outback Guidance and Satloc. AgJunction is headquartered in Hiawatha, Kansas, with executive offices in Fremont, California, and facilities in Scottsdale, Arizona; Winnipeg, Manitoba; and Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. AgJunction is listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX) under the symbol "AJX." For more information, please visit www.agjunction.com. Reader Advisory and Note Regarding Forward Looking Information This press release contains forward-looking information and forward-looking statements (collectively, "forward-looking information") within the meaning of applicable securities laws and is based on the expectations, estimates and projections of management of AgJunction as of the date of this news release, unless otherwise stated. The use of any of the words "expect," "anticipate," "may," "will," "should," "believe," "intends" and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking information. In respect of the forward-looking information, AgJunction has provided such information in reliance on certain assumptions that it believes are reasonable at this time. Readers should not place undue reliance on such forward-looking information contained in this press release since forward-looking information addresses future events and conditions, such information by its very nature involves inherent risks and uncertainties. Actual results could differ materially from those currently anticipated due to a number of factors and risks. This press release is for informational purposes only and does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation to buy any security which may be referenced herein. SOURCE Agjunction Inc. KNOXVILLE, Tenn., March 20, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- For the fifth consecutive year, AtWork Group, a leading national multi-specialty staffing franchisor, has been named one of Inavero's 2017 Best of Staffing Client and Talent Award winners. Inavero partners with CareerBuilder to present this award to the companies and industries that have proven track records of exceptional performance and client satisfaction. "Staffing firms are giving top companies a competitive advantage as they search for talent in North America," said Inavero's CEO Eric Gregg. "The 2017 Best of Staffing winners have achieved exceptionally high levels of satisfaction and I'm proud to feature them on BestofStaffing.com." Inavero's Best of Staffing is a list of staffing agencies that are recognized for outstanding service quality based on satisfaction ratings given to them by their clients and job candidates. Inavero's Best of Staffing list provides the only statistically valid and objective service quality benchmark for the staffing industry. BestofStaffing.com showcases the staffing agencies that have proven to be the best agencies for companies and job seekers to call when they are in need. An elite award earned by fewer than 2 percent of all staffing agencies in the U.S. and Canada. "Making the Best of Staffing list five years in a row and becoming a Diamond Award Winner is reassurance that everything we are doing for our clients and employees are being done at the highest level," said Jason Leverant, COO and president of AtWork Group. "To be recognized by those that you work for every day is a complete honor and a direct reflection of the time and effort that the AtWork team puts in to not only achieve company goals, but goals for our clients and the people we put to work every day." AtWork provides companies with flexible employment solutions with the highest level of service available. In addition to securing a spot on Inavero's 2017 Best of Staffing Client and Talent Award list, AtWork was also recently named No. 139 in Entrepreneur Magazine's 2016 Franchise 500 list, No. 2605 in Inc. Magazine's Inc. 5000 list, and received a fourth time ranking on Franchise Times' Top 200+ list. For more information, visit http://www.atworkfranchise.com/ or call 972-460-9295. About Inavero Inavero administers more staffing agency client and talent satisfaction surveys than any other firm in the world. Inavero's team reports on over 1.2 million satisfaction surveys from staffing agency clients and talent each year, and the company serves as the American Staffing Association's exclusive satisfaction survey partner. About Inavero's Best of Staffing Inavero's Best of Staffing Award is the only award in the U.S. and Canada that recognizes staffing agencies that have proven superior service quality based completely on the ratings given to them by their clients and job candidates. Award winners are showcased by city and area of expertise on BestofStaffing.com an online resource for hiring professionals and job seekers to find the best staffing agencies to call when they are in need. About AtWork Group AtWork Group is an award-winning and nationally-known franchisor of staffing services including @WORK Personnel Services, @WORK Medical Services, @WORK HelpingHands Services, and @WORK Search Group under the umbrella of the AtWork Group. The foundation for AtWork began in the 1980s, and today, AtWork has grown to be cited as one of Staffing Industry Report's top U.S. staffing firms. AtWork Group's remarkable growth is fueled by the vision of founders John and Glenda Hall: think ahead, create opportunity, give exceptional support to franchise offices, and always look for the better way, every day. For more information, visit www.atwork.com or call 800-383-0804. MEDIA CONTACT: Heather Ripley Ripley PR 865-977-1973 [email protected] SOURCE AtWork Group Related Links http://www.atwork.com Purchase further expands Avison Young's business-line coverage in North Carolina; Banks Hunter becomes Principal, 11 members join TORONTO, March 20, 2017 /PRNewswire/ - Mark E. Rose, Chair and CEO of Avison Young, the world's fastest-growing commercial real estate services firm, announced today that it has acquired Raleigh, NC-based Hunter & Associates, LLC. Founded in 1989 by Banks Hunter, Hunter & Associates is a full-service commercial real estate company specializing in retail leasing, property management and brokerage services. Effective immediately, Hunter & Associates is rebranded as Avison Young and 11 new members join the firm. Banks Hunter becomes a Principal of Avison Young and will continue to focus on assisting clients with sales and lease transactions as well as business development. The purchase further expands Avison Young's property management, retail real estate brokerage, and landlord and tenant-representation service offerings in the Carolinas. As a result of the acquisition, Avison Young adds more than 1.7 million square feet (msf) of retail and office properties under management in the Triangle area, and 3.5 msf of retail and office lease listings (including 65 shopping centers) from Charlotte to Myrtle Beach, SC. (Avison Young currently has 7 msf of commercial property under management in North Carolina and more than 100 msf of retail, industrial and office properties under management in North America.) "We're thrilled that Banks and his highly experienced team of brokers and property management specialists are joining the Avison Young family in Raleigh," comments Rose. "They will help us provide an even higher level of service to clients throughout the Carolinas and in other national and international markets. With Hunter & Associates, Banks has built one of the largest retail real estate brokerage organizations in the Raleigh region. His market knowledge, positive client and business relationships, outstanding leadership skills and entrepreneurism will be of tremendous benefit to our company, clients and partners alike as we continue to expand our full-service business line coverage throughout Raleigh, the Carolinas and across the U.S." With one property under management, the historic Professional Building in downtown Raleigh, Banks Hunter founded Hunter & Associates to provide property owners with a comprehensive resource for leasing, management and brokerage services. The company continued to grow its inventory of properties and became the largest local retail brokerage firm in the region while co-ordinating the renovations of several centers, including Saltbox Village and Homestead Market. The firm focused on leasing and/or managing properties that ranged from small neighborhood strip centers to regional community centers to smaller service-oriented sites, while grocery-anchored locations became the staples of the business. Over the past 28 years, Hunter & Associates has represented a variety of interests, from smaller landlord entities to major retail developers as well as institutional clients such as Prudential Financial, Inland American Retail Group, Simon Property Group and Principal Real Estate Investors. Hunter & Associates has also been heavily involved in ground-up leasing at properties such as East 54 in Chapel Hill, Wake Forest Crossing, Alexander Village at Brier Creek, and Lynncroft in Greenville, NC. Also joining Avison Young from Hunter & Associates are: David Stowe and MaryAnn Peterson, Senior Vice-Presidents; Lin Gaudette and Tommy Honey, Vice-Presidents; Rebekah Faile, Brokerage Assistant; Ashely Cicero, Heather Langdon and Scott Mettler, Property Managers; Stefanie Scott, Client Services Co-ordinator; and Margaret Williams, Property Accountant. "Banks Hunter and his team will play a critical role in expanding Avison Young's footprint in a region that we consider to be under-serviced by the commercial real estate industry, particularly when it comes to retail assets," notes Earl Webb, Avison Young's President of U.S. Operations. "This group of seasoned professionals understands that property management is an essential part of the operation and success of any commercial development. Furthermore, Banks and his team strongly value a collaborative culture and detailed management approach while emphasizing open communication with all parties and continuously striving to operate each property in a proficient and professional manner. Simply stated, Banks and his team are an ideal fit and this acquisition will be seamless when it comes to serving new and existing clients." Avison Young entered the North Carolina market in October 2012 through the acquisition of Thomas Linderman Graham Inc. (a full-service commercial real estate services company) and resultant opening of new Avison Young offices in Raleigh and Chapel Hill. Following that acquisition, Avison Young opened a new office in Charlotte in May 2013. "We are excited to have the opportunity to work more closely with Banks Hunter and his team," says John Linderman, Avison Young Principal and Managing Director for North Carolina. "This acquisition will enable the new team to provide greater marketing depth and services to clients, and will also strengthen Avison Young's retail services platform across North Carolina and the rest of the U.S. I have known Banks and many members of his team for decades; we're looking forward to having Banks as a partner." Before launching his own firm in 1989, Hunter spent eight years working with Lincoln Developers (now BPG Properties) in Raleigh, where he concentrated on both leasing and the subsequent sale of investment properties. Early in his career, he was involved with managing the sales of the converted Cameron Village condominiums. In this role, he sold more than 150 condominiums on behalf of developer York Construction Company. "Our team is looking forward to capitalizing on Avison Young's global brand as well as its comprehensive market knowledge and international network of leading real estate professionals," says Hunter. "Our organization had expanded to the point where we needed to partner with a leading company that believes in aggressive growth, collaboration and a client-centric approach that is closely aligned with our own. We look forward to expanding Avison Young's business-line coverage here in Raleigh and facilitating more multi-market property management and retail sales and leasing transactions in conjunction with our new colleagues across the U.S. and in Canada, Mexico and Europe." Hunter holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. He is a member of the International Council of Shopping Centers and the Triangle Commercial Association of Realtors, and holds the CCIM (Certified Commercial Investment Member) designation. 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. Today's announcement comes on the heels of Avison Young acquiring Rutherford, NJ-based Cresa NJ-North/Central, LLC (CNJ) on March 6, 2017 and Atlanta-based Hotel Assets Group, LLC on Jan. 17, 2017. 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. The matters discussed in this news release may include forward-looking statements, which could involve a number of risks and uncertainties. When used in this press release, the words "will," "believes," "intends," "anticipates," "expects" and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Actual results could differ materially from those expressed in, or implied by, such forward-looking statements. Except as expressly required by any applicable securities laws, Avison Young undertakes no obligation to update such factors or to publicly announce the results of any of the forward-looking statements. For further information/comment/photos: Sherry Quan , Principal, Global Director of Communications & Media Relations, Avison Young : 604.647-5098; mobile: 604.726-0959 , Principal, Global Director of Communications & Media Relations, : mobile: Mark Rose , Chair and CEO, Avison Young : 416.673.4028 , Chair and CEO, : Earl Webb , President, U.S. Operations, Avison Young : 312.957.7610 , President, U.S. Operations, : John Linderman , Principal & Managing Director, Raleigh , Avison Young : 919.420.1559 , Principal & Managing Director, , : Banks Hunter, Principal, Avison Young : 919.821.8023, ext. 206 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 Editors/Reporters Please click on link to view and download photo of Banks Hunter: http://www.avisonyoung.com/sites/default/files/content-files/Media_Room/Temp/Banks_A_Hunter.jpg SOURCE Avison Young Commercial Real Estate (BC) Related Links www.avisonyoung.com LAS VEGAS, March 20, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Azoya International ("Azoya") announced at the annual Shoptalk retail and e-commerce conference in Las Vegas that it has already completed the third round of capital raising, led by CLSA Capital Partners' ARIA IV ("ARIA IV"). As a 'bridge to China retail,' Azoya is an integrated turnkey e-commerce solution provider, helping global retailers enter the large and growing Chinese market through a fully-managed cross-border e-commerce model. The Shoptalk conference runs March 19-22, 2017 at Aria, Las Vegas; Azoya is at Booth #PK13. Azoya Corporate Video China is the world's largest e-commerce market. Increasing affluence among Chinese shoppers has led to stronger demand for U.S. products, which consumers can now purchase online through cross-border e-commerce. A recent report from iiMedia estimates that Chinese cross-border e-commerce trading volume reached US$ 920 billion in 2016 with YoY growth of over 23%. By 2018, market size of Chinese cross-border e-commerce will reach US$ 1,280 billion, representing a lucrative opportunity for U.S. retailers seeking new growth drivers overseas. As a leading, cross-border e-commerce solutions provider in China, Azoya offers a low risk solution for retailers around the world to gain access to China's online retail market with comprehensive offerings including setup of e-commerce platform, merchandising, localized marketing, payment, fulfillment and logistics, as well as post-transaction customer services. Azoya's O2O solution is an effective omni-channel strategy that manages online and offline traffic through extensive promotions and branding activities in China on behalf of retailers in overseas to drive sales and create loyalty. It converts outbound offline traffic (e.g. tourist) to online and encourages online subscribers to visit brick-and-mortar stores through integrated cloud-based e-commerce systems. To help U.S. retail companies achieve growth in a fast and sustainable fashion, Azoya sets up the Chinese sites, manages a broad scope of on-the-ground operational services to connect U.S. retailers directly with Chinese consumers, and adds value to their China businesses via long-term partnerships. Unlike other competitors, Azoya shares the risk as an accountable partner, and aids in strategic planning, financing solution and operational consulting for the retail partners. Since its official U.S launch in January 2017, Azoya has already achieved rapid growth. In earlier this month, Azoya augmented its global network of retail partners by signing with Babyhaven, a California-based retailer, with a target of launching its e-commerce site in China in June 2017. Babyhaven is a premium retailer that sells mom and baby products, including clothing, accessories and toys. According to iResearch, mom and baby products are the second most popular category for e-commerce sales in China, only behind cosmetics and personal care. ARIA IV is the fourth generation pan-Asia private equity fund managed and advised by CLSA Capital Partners ("CLSA CP"). For more than two decades, CLSA CP has tracked the dynamic consumption patterns shaped by demographic and socioeconomics across Asia. Azoya co-founders, Alex Huang and Don Zhao said, "ARIA Funds are among the most respected and experienced private equity investors in Asia. Their investment in Azoya is recognition of our strong business model and high growth performance over the past three years." About Azoya Established in 2013, Azoya International is a leading solutions provider in cross-border e-commerce to China, assisting global retailers to expand into China through cross-border e-commerce model, a cost-effective and lower risk method. To date, over 35 retailers in 11 countries are partnering with Azoya to expand into China with ease, including French fashion retailer La Redoute, Australia's largest pharmacy group, Sigma, as well as Feelunique, the largest online beauty retailer in Europe. About CLSA Capital Partners CLSA Capital Partners is the alternative asset management arm of CLSA, an award winning institutional equity brokerage and investment group. CLSA Capital Partners has more than US$3 billion under management and offices across the region, including Hong Kong, Singapore and Tokyo. CLSA Capital Partners offers a diversified and increasing range of investment strategies managed by a diverse team of industry professionals with expertise in private equity, banking and finance, law and accountancy, and various industry specializations. Contact: Dan Dyer Tier1pr For Azoya Ph: 513-478-7818 E-mail: [email protected] SOURCE Azoya Related Links http://www.azoyagroup.com WHIPPANY, N.J., March 20, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Bayer's Raymond F. Kerins, Jr., has won PRWeek's 2017 "Outstanding In-House Professional Award," the communications industry's highest honor for personal achievement. Ray Kerins, SVP, Head of Communications, Government Relations and Policy Kerins, who has served as senior vice president and head of communications, government relations and policy for Bayer in the United States since 2013, was honored by PRWeek for his influence, effectiveness and impact. Kerins serves as chairman of the company's political action committee, BAYPAC, and is executive sponsor for two Bayer employee resource groups: Blend, the global resource for Bayer's LGBT employees and supporters, and Bayer Resources for Armed Forces Veteran Employees (BRAVE). Under his leadership, both groups have grown in size and community outreach activities. In addition, PRWeek cited Kerins' leadership by appearing on CNBC in opposition to the so-called anti-LGBT law in North Carolina, which would have sanctioned discrimination against LGBT people and prohibited transgender people from using bathrooms of their choice. Kerins stood out on the issue by advocating for dialogue, equality and tolerance. For several years, Kerins has served on the CDC corporate roundtable on global health threats, which brings together the public health organization with the private sector to build programs that make the world healthy and safe. Thanks to Kerins' longstanding relationship with the CDC, Bayer led corporate efforts against the Zika virus. "Ray is an excellent leader who has demonstrated a strategic and innovative approach to comms," according to one PRWeek judge. PRWeek, which hosted the annual awards dinner last week in New York City, honors and celebrates the best of the corporate, agency, nonprofit and education teams and the work that they do. The outstanding in-house professional award honors the personal achievement within the client side of the PR industry, which is covered by this year's awards, along with any additional career achievements to date. "I am grateful to receive this award on behalf of the outstanding Bayer team in the United States. Nobody ever accomplished anything in this world alone," Kerins said. "PRWeek is the gold standard of the industry, and to be recognized by your peers in this extraordinary industry is truly special and humbling. I thank PRWeek for this honor." A graduate of Iona College, where he earned bachelor's and master's degrees, Kerins has long been recognized for outstanding work during his communications career. Just last fall, he was named to PRWeek's Health Influencer 50 List. Kerins lives in Katonah, N.Y., with his wife and three children. Bayer: Science For A Better Life Bayer is a global enterprise with core competencies in the Life Science fields of health care and agriculture. Its products and services are designed to benefit people and improve their quality of life. At the same time, the Group aims to create value through innovation, growth and high earning power. Bayer is committed to the principles of sustainable development and to its social and ethical responsibilities as a corporate citizen. In fiscal 2016, the Group employed around 115,200 people and had sales of EUR 46.8 billion. Capital expenditures amounted to EUR 2.6 billion, R&D expenses to EUR 4.7 billion. These figures include those for the high-tech polymers business, which was floated on the stock market as an independent company named Covestro on October 6, 2015. For more information, go to www.bayer.us. Social Media Channels - Facebook: facebook.com/BayerUnitedStates - Twitter: twitter.com/BayerUS - Instagram: instagram.com/BayerUS - YouTube: youtube.com/BayerUS Bayer and the Bayer Cross are registered trademarks of Bayer. Forward-Looking Statements This release may contain forward-looking statements based on current assumptions and forecasts made by Bayer Group or subgroup management. 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. These factors include those discussed in Bayer's public reports which are available on the Bayer website at www.bayer.com. The company assumes no liability whatsoever to update these forward-looking statements or to conform them to future events or developments. SOURCE Bayer Related Links http://www.bayer.us LONG BEACH, Calif., March 20, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- It matters who makes your beer. Beachwood Brewing adheres to rigorous quality standards and cares about quality over profit shares. Craft beer has experienced tremendous growth in recent years and with that, big beer companies have been snatching up smaller breweries as a way to remain relevant in the changing landscape of the craft beer world. Big beer corporations have hijacked what it means to be craft, diluting and minimizing the meaning of craft beer. In fact, these big beer corporations create an uneven playing field for small independently owned breweries, by increasing their hold on raw materials, controlling distribution channels and lobbying behind the scenes. Invasive Species 4 packs Here's what Gabe Gordon, Co-Owner of Beachwood Brewing, had to say: "Everyone is making good beer. It would be crazy of me to expect everyone to boycott fake craft (breweries owned by multinational beverage corporations). We want people to realize there are good if not better options out there and you should try them. Not only, might you find your next favorite beer but you can feel good about supporting independent small businesses." With this in mind, Beachwood Brewing has decided to release Invasive Species. Invasive Species, a not so subtle, but definitely tongue-in-cheek reference, to a series of beers brewed by their "neighbors" down the road who recently were acquired by a big beer corporation. The Beachwood Brewing Invasive Species features an IPA, Habanero flavored IPA, Grapefruit flavored IPA and a Mango flavored IPA. Similar styles made by their "neighbors". Invasive Species 4 packs will be available March, 21. Beachwood's release of this beer is meant to be less about those who are owned by big beer corporations and more of a means to draw attention to the distinction between craft beer and big beer. Beachwood Brewing wants to start a conversation about why it matters who makes your beer. About Beachwood Brewing Beachwood Brewing was established in 2011 when Beachwood BBQ co-founders Gabriel Gordon and Lena Perelman partnered with brewmaster Julian Shrago to open a full service brewpub in Long Beach, CA. Beachwood Brewing is an independent, multiple award winning brewer known for locally-made, distinctive West Coast-Style IPAs, superior quality stouts, and the skillfulness to brew many variations and varieties of finely crafted beers. With expansions in 2015 and 2016, the Beachwood family now includes Beachwood Blendery, designed to explore beers inspired by the intimate and often whimsical world of Belgian lambics in a custom built barrel-aging and blending facility, plus a full-scale production brewery and tap room in Huntington Beach, CA to meet the growing demands for a diverse lineup of core beers, seasonal favorites and limited releases. Beachwood is steadfastly independent and committed to the highest standards of quality in the art of creating great beer. http://Beachwoodbbq.com https://www.facebook.com/BeachwoodBrewing/ https://www.instagram.com/beachwoodbrewing/ For PR inquiries contact Craig at [email protected] Related Files Beachwood Brewing Invasive Species 4 Packs Final-1.pdf SOURCE Beachwood Brewing WASHINGTON, March 20, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Pioneering sustainable seafood company Blue Circle Foods announces the hire of David Pilat as its new vice president of business development. Industry leader Pilat spent the bulk of his career as the first global seafood coordinator for Whole Foods Market. A Boston native, Pilat served as the seafood team leader in Whole Foods Market stores across the country early in his career before beginning his tenure as regional coordinator of both the North Atlantic and developing Northeast regions. This role included operations management overseeing Pigeon Cove, the fresh and frozen seafood processing facility and active dock owned by Whole Foods Market. After years as the regional seafood coordinator, Pilat, recognized for his commitment to responsible seafood, was awarded the opportunity to become Whole Foods Market's first global seafood coordinator. Pilat forged groundbreaking firsts for the industry by establishing aquaculture and wild standards which propelled Whole Foods Market to become the world's most sustainable seafood retailer. "David is a true industry leader and spurred a retail revolution as it applies to creating stringent seafood standards," said Bill Cole, president of Blue Circle Foods. "His breadth and depth of experience working hand in hand with fisheries to develop greater sustainability practices is the perfect complement to Blue Circle Foods' vision of changing the industry. We're thrilled to have him on board to help us continue to make seafood more environmentally friendly and accessible to consumers." Blue Circle Foods offers a variety of fresh, frozen and value-added responsibly sourced seafood products. The company works directly with Kvary, a three-generation family-run farm located on a small Norwegian island situated south of the Arctic Circle with only 70 residents and Arnarlax, a network of farms located in the remote Westfjords region of Iceland. The company's tuna is pole and line caught by independent fisherman from the Maldives who meet the highest international fishing standards. Blue Circle Foods adheres to many standards of environmental protection including those established by the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch and the Marine Stewardship Council, as well as the traceability requirements set forth by Trace Register. Blue Circle Foods voluntarily agrees to third party auditing by the Institute for Marketecology. Blue Circle Foods Norwegian Salmon and Maldives Tuna has earned rare 'Good Alternative' ratings from Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch. About Blue Circle Foods Founded in 2005, Blue Circle Foods is at the forefront of a revolution in production, practice and taste in seafood. With deep roots in the organic industry, Blue Circle Foods brings its groundbreaking spirit to the oceans with a bold mission to change the diminishing seafood landscape for good. Blue Circle Foods sources, imports and distributes the most responsible farm-raised and wild-caught fish to ensure that both present and future consumers can enjoy high quality seafood. Blue Circle Foods is the parent company of the Changing Seas sustainable seafood brand, sold exclusively at Whole Foods Market. For more information on Blue Circle Foods and Changing Seas, visit www.bluecirclefoods.com. SOURCE Blue Circle Foods Related Links http://www.bluecirclefoods.com MCLEAN, Va., March 20, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- On Tuesday, April 25, 2017, at approximately 4:05 p.m. Eastern Time, Capital One Financial Corporation (NYSE: COF) will release its First Quarter 2017 earnings results. Additionally, the company will host a conference call at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time to review financial and operating performance for the quarter ending March 31, 2017. The call will be webcast live and the earnings release will be available on the company's homepage at www.capitalone.com. A replay of the webcast will be available 24 hours a day, beginning two hours after the conference call, until 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on May 9, 2017, through the company's homepage. About Capital One Capital One Financial Corporation (www.capitalone.com) is a financial holding company whose subsidiaries, which include Capital One, N.A., and Capital One Bank (USA), N.A., had $236.8 billion in deposits and $357.0 billion in total assets as of December 31, 2016. Headquartered in McLean, Virginia, Capital One offers a broad spectrum of financial products and services to consumers, small businesses and commercial clients through a variety of channels. Capital One, N.A. has branches located primarily in New York, Louisiana, Texas, Maryland, Virginia, New Jersey and the District of Columbia. A Fortune 500 company, Capital One trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "COF" and is included in the S&P 100 index. Visit the Capital One newsroom for more Capital One news. SOURCE Capital One Financial Corporation Related Links http://www.capitalone.com THE WOODLANDS, Texas, March 20, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- CB&I (NYSE:CBI) today announced it has been awarded a contract valued at approximately $460 million by NefteGazIndustriya, LLC, through project developer China National Chemical Engineering Co., for the Afipsky Oil Refinery Expansion Project in Krasnodar, Russia. The project was included in CB&I's backlog in the third quarter of 2016. The scope of work includes detailed engineering, procurement services, construction management services and commissioning services of multiple process units, including a 2.5 million ton per annum hydrocracker unit licensed by Chevron Lummus Global, a joint venture between CB&I and Chevron. CB&I previously announced awards for the technology license and FEED contract for multiple process units, as well as detailed engineering, procurement, fabrication and supply of a steam methane reformer for a large-scale hydrogen plant, hydrocracking heaters and Breech-Lock exchangers. "CB&I is pleased to extend our relationship with NefteGazIndustriya and appreciate their confidence in our integrated capabilities," said Philip K. Asherman, CB&I's President and Chief Executive Officer. "The Afipsky refinery modernization is significant for NefteGazIndustriya and building this high-conversion unit will allow it to become one of the most modern and competitive refineries in Russia." About CB&I CB&I (NYSE:CBI) is a leading provider of technology and infrastructure for the energy industry. With over 125 years of experience and the expertise of more than 40,000 employees, CB&I provides reliable solutions to our customers around the world while maintaining a relentless focus on safety and an uncompromising standard of quality. For more information, visit www.CBI.com. Important Information For Investors And Shareholders Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements regarding CB&I and represents our expectations and beliefs concerning future events. These forward-looking statements are intended to be covered by the safe harbor for forward-looking statements provided by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties. When considering any statements that are predictive in nature, depend upon or refer to future events or conditions, or use or contain words, terms, phrases or expressions such as "achieve," "forecast," "plan," "propose," "strategy," "envision," "hope," "will," "continue," "potential," "expect," "believe," "anticipate," "project," "estimate," "predict," "intend," "should," "could," "may," "might" or similar forward-looking statements, we refer you to the cautionary statements concerning risk factors and "Forward-Looking Statements" described under "Risk Factors" in Item 1A of our Annual Report filed on Form 10-K filed with the SEC for the year ended December 31, 2015, and any updates to those risk factors or "Forward-Looking Statements" included in our subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q filed with the SEC, which cautionary statements are incorporated herein by reference. Investors: Scott Lamb, +1 832 513 1068, [email protected] Media: Gentry Brann, +1 832 513 1031, [email protected] SOURCE CB&I Related Links http://www.cbi.com WHITEHOUSE STATION, N.J., March 20, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- A new online system from Chubb will help independent agents quote and issue a comprehensive workers' compensation policy for small businesses. "Our new workers' compensation system is efficient and fully automated, making it easier for our agents to place and service small business accounts," said Jim Williamson, Division President, Small Commercial Insurance, Chubb North America. Chubb's workers' compensation policy for small business owners is designed to meet the needs of a wide range of industries, and includes the following coverage highlights: Provides coverage for small businesses with as few as one employee up to businesses with revenues of $10M Includes small business protection for medical expenses and lost wages to employees, providing security and peace of mind for employers Incorporates versatile coverage options including waiver of subrogation and various employer liability limits Easy, 24/7 automated system access with the ability to generate a quote and issue a policy in just minutes When combined with Chubb's business owner's policy (Chubb BOP), Chubb's workers' compensation policy for small businesses provides customers an insurance solution with broad coverage and Chubb's exceptional policy and claim service capabilities. Williamson added, "At Chubb we understand that employees are a small business' most valuable asset and are often like family. Our goal is to provide small business owners the confidence of knowing if an injury or illness occurs on the job, they'll have the right coverage in place to ensure their employees, and their businesses, will return to normal as quickly and cost-effectively as possible." Additional information on Chubb Small Commercial Insurance workers' compensation offerings can be found at chubb.com. About Chubb Chubb is the world's largest publicly traded property and casualty insurance company. With operations in 54 countries, Chubb provides commercial and personal property and casualty insurance, personal accident and supplemental health insurance, reinsurance and life insurance to a diverse group of clients. As an underwriting company, we assess, assume and manage risk with insight and discipline. We service and pay our claims fairly and promptly. The company is also defined by its extensive product and service offerings, broad distribution capabilities, exceptional financial strength and local operations globally. Parent company Chubb Limited is listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: CB) and is a component of the S&P 500 index. Chubb maintains executive offices in Zurich, New York, London and other locations, and employs approximately 31,000 people worldwide. Additional information can be found at www.chubb.com. SOURCE Chubb Related Links https://www2.chubb.com/us-en WASHINGTON, March 20, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Fasoo Inc., the leader in data and application Security, today announced its sponsorship of a Ponemon Institute survey to determine the readiness of financial firms doing business in New York State to comply with new cybersecurity regulation (NYDFS 23 NYCRR 500). The new governance went into effect on March 1, 2017 and includes deadlines for firms to implement procedures and solutions to achieve compliance with the new standards. "The survey is aptly titled "Countdown to Compliance," said Dr. Larry Ponemon. "Our goal is to provide insight into the challenges these organizations face in complying with the demanding new requirements which apply to all 'nonpublic information' at rest, in-transit and shared with third parties. The survey will provide insight into their efforts to comply over the next 180 to 365 days." To obtain an early release copy of the "Countdown to Compliance" survey and keep apprised of Fasoo, Inc. sponsored NYDFS events, please register. This is the second Ponemon Institute survey sponsored by Fasoo, Inc. during the past year. The previous research, titled "Risky Business: How Company Insiders Put High Value Information at Risk" polled IT security practitioners on risks of data breaches by trusted insiders. "Both of these Ponemon surveys build market awareness and inform CIO/CISO and Compliance Officer leadership as to the need and now the mandatory New York State requirements for data-centric security, audit, and compliance solutions," said John Herring, CEO of Fasoo, Inc. "We are joining with leading Legal, GRC and Insurance cybersecurity professionals to sponsor several events across New York State to highlight strategies and enterprise ready data-centric solutions to address regulatory compliance." About Ponemon Institute The Ponemon Institute is dedicated to advancing responsible information and privacy management practices in business and government. To achieve this objective, the Institute conducts independent research, educates leaders from the private and public sectors and verifies the privacy and data protection practices of organizations in a variety of industries. About Fasoo Fasoo's data-centric security solutions help customers prevent unintended information disclosure through over 2,000 projects deployed worldwide. Since 2000, Fasoo has helped customers create a secure information sharing environment and simplified secure collaboration internally and externally. Its award- winning enterprise DRM (Digital Rights Management) solutions are securing more than 2.5 million users enterprise-wide. Fasoo is seeing continuous improvement in its global market position, based on its unique technology, ongoing R&D and strategic approach to comprehensive product capabilities. Fasoo has also expanded its product portfolio through static code analysis (SPARROW) and innovative content-centric document management (Wrapsody) solutions. For more information, please visit www.fasoo.com. SOURCE Fasoo Inc. Related Links http://www.fasoo.com MILWAUKEE, Wis., March 20, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Crisis Prevention Institute (CPI), the world leader in crisis prevention and de-escalation training, today announced that they have finalized the acquisition of UK-based Pivotal Education Ltd, an award-winning education consultancy and training company. The acquisition of Pivotal Education will enable CPI to extend and deepen its customer reach in the education sector. The products and services provided by CPI and Pivotal Education are complementary and the combined businesses will offer education markets across the globe unrivaled solutions and provide the best care, welfare, safety, and security to everyone. Martyn Dadds, Managing Director of CPI international offices based in the UK said: "These are exciting times for CPI and we're delighted to be working with Paul and Ellie Dix and the team at Pivotal Education "With Pivotal Education as part of our fast growing team, it will enable us to combine their expertise with our own extensive behavior management experience and provide even better and broader solutions for our customers." Paul Dix, Chief Executive Officer at Pivotal Education, added: "CPI and Pivotal are a perfect match. Our values, expertise and commitment to safer environments for young people are beautifully aligned. The whole team at Pivotal are excited. We are determined to take Pivotal behavior programs to thousands more schools and colleges. With CPI we know that more teachers and students than ever will benefit from calm focused classrooms that manage behavior brilliantly." CPI (www.crisisprevention.com) is an international training organization committed to best practice and safe behavior management methods that focus on prevention. Through a variety of specialized programs and innovative resources CPI's training educates and empowers, creating safe and respectful work environments. With this knowledge and the skills learned professionals are able to enrich both their own lives, and the lives of the individuals in their care. CPI provides de-escalation and intervention training for professionals working within the health, education, social care, mental health, and learning disability sectors. More than one million people receive CPI training every year in more than 17,000 facilities around the world by more than 31,000 certified instructors. Pivotal Education Ltd (www.pivotaleducation.com) is an education training consultancy working across the whole of the UK and internationally. Pivotal Education is the leading specialist in behavior and classroom management in the UK. Over 1,000 schools and colleges use the Pivotal approach to behavior management, a proven system that works in every classroom, with every adult, and every learner.From high performing mainstream schools and schools with challenging situations to vast Further Education colleges, from Independent Schools to Free Schools and Multi-Academy Trusts, from early years to adult, Pivotal Education serves a wide array of education professionals. For further information contact: Geoff Turner, Marketing & Communications Manager Crisis Prevention Institute UK offices 01782 940 055 [email protected] Related Links Pivotal Education Ltd Crisis Prevention Institute (CPI) This content was issued through the press release distribution service at Newswire.com. For more info visit: http://www.newswire.com SOURCE Crisis Prevention Institute (CPI) Related Links https://www.crisisprevention.com HIAWATHA, Iowa, March 20, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Crystal Group Inc., a trusted designer/manufacturer of rugged commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) and custom computers, displays, switches, and storage devices, has joined the Intel Internet of Things Solutions Alliance, reaffirming its longtime commitment to delivering revolutionary technology in rugged and reliable systems. Over the past 30 years, Crystal Group has designed, manufactured, tested, and delivered highly reliable computer and electronic systems that leverage the most advanced hardware and software available. As an Intel Technology Platinum Provider, Crystal Group adheres closely to the Intel Roadmap to bring the very latest Intel innovations to aerospace and defense, automotive, commercial, industrial, and other discerning customers quickly and efficiently. Now Crystal Group takes the Internet of Things (IoT) and enterprise-level capabilities to the edge, through its expanded relationship with Intel and participation in the Intel Internet of Things Solutions Alliance. Crystal Group and its broad portfolio of ruggedized, field-tested products put powerful IoT technologies and countless enterprise capabilities within reach of customers and applications in harsh environments whether land, sea, air, or space where traditional computer hardware would be destroyed. "The Intel Internet of Things Solutions Alliance is a perfect fit for Crystal Group, which has been dedicated to delivering smart, capable systems everywhere they're needed, even the most inhospitable environments, for decades," says Scott Kongable, president at Crystal Group. "Intel and the Internet of Things continue to change and enhance the way people work, live, and play. Crystal Group is proud to partner with Intel and collaborate with other Intel Internet of Things Solutions Alliance members to provide robust systems and IoT functionality to meet the needs of end users everywhere." The Intel Internet of Things Solutions Alliance is a global ecosystem of more than 500 industry leaders and more than 6,000 solutions including Crystal Group servers, workstations, embedded computers, networking equipment, storage systems, and displays helping to fuel IoT success. About the Intel Internet of Things Solutions Alliance From modular components to market-ready systems, Intel and the 400+ global member companies of the Intel Internet of Things Solutions Alliance provide the performance, connectivity, manageability, and security developers need to create smart, connected systems. Close collaboration with Intel and each other enables Alliance members to innovate with the latest technologies, helping developers deliver first-in-market solutions. Learn more at: http://www.intel.com/iotsolutionsalliance. Additional Crystal Group Resources Newsroom: https://www.crystalrugged.com/newsroom/ Innovation blog: https://www.crystalrugged.com/innovation-blog/ White papers: https://www.crystalrugged.com/white-papers/ Case studies: https://www.crystalrugged.com/case-studies/ Website: http://www.crystalrugged.com About Crystal Group Inc. Crystal Group Inc., an employee-owned small business located in Hiawatha, Iowa, USA, is a technology innovation leader specializing in both custom and COTS products for defense, government and industrial markets since 1987. Crystal Group designs and manufactures installation-ready rugged servers, displays, networking devices, embedded systems, power supplies and storage devices that fit critical applications in demanding environmental conditions. The company is certified to quality management standards AS9100C:2009 and ISO 9001:2008. Crystal Group products meet and exceed MIL-STDs 810, 167-1, 461, MIL-S-901, IEEE and IEC industrial standards. Additionally, the company offers integration services, configuration management, product life-cycle planning and 5+ year warranties. crystalrugged.com 2017 Crystal Group Inc. All rights reserved. All marks are properties of their respective owners. Design and specifications are subject to change. SOURCE Crystal Group Inc. Related Links https://www.crystalrugged.com GLEN BURNIE, Md., March 20, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- CSSi LifeSciences's Jim Sergi and Heidi Nelson-Keherly, PhD recently served as professional mentors at the NIH CAP FeedForward Sessions in Irvine, CA (March 6-7, 2017) and Washington, D.C. (March 16-17, 2017). Managed by Larta Institute, this year's events brought in 58 bioscience companies who received feedback from nearly 260 industry and domain experts, including representatives from GE, UMBC, Focus Bankers, and the FDA. Larta Institute Logo During the two-day workshops, Jim and Heidi provided the 2016-17 cohort of award-winning startup companies with the useful tools and resources as well as real world, pragmatic advice and solutions needed to meet their development and commercialization goals. These interactive discussions focused on servicing each company's specific needs and covered pertinent industry topics such as identifying the best target market, designing the program studies for IND and NDA/BLA submissions, accessing capital, establishing product pricing, and preparing for possible commercial exits. "During the FeedForward Sessions in Irvine, I had the honor and privilege of working alongside some of the industry's most influential business leaders, executives and accredited investors in the industry," said Jim Sergi, President of CSSi LifeSciences. "We all gathered together for the common purpose of guiding and inspiring some of the brightest entrepreneurial minds to help them create a successful future for themselves. I was extremely grateful for the opportunity and appreciate Larta Institute for hosting and inviting CSSi LifeSciences to these wonderful events. We look forward to returning in the future!" "Participating as a mentor was a very rewarding experience, as it allowed me to connect with aspiring entrepreneurs on both a professional and personal level," said Heidi Nelson-Keherly, PhD, Executive Director of Preclinical Research. "This was not only a transformative experience for the mentees, but it also helped create a monumental opportunity for the mentors to discover and interact directly with emerging companies from all over the country. These events are valuable for addressing the business needs of both the mentor and mentee and establishing long-lasting strategic relationships. I thoroughly enjoyed the D.C.-based event and the opportunities it provided to CSSi LifeSciences, the entrepreneurs and the industry as a whole!" Larta Institute's FeedForward Sessions have become a scouting ground for industry and early-stage investors to discover and meaningfully connect with companies in successive CAP cohorts. For the past 11 years, the program has remarkably obtained 39 acquisitions (most recent being Avalon Biomed, acquired by NuSmile and Advanced Circulatory Systems, acquired by Zoll), and $925M+ in funding generated by NIH CAP alumni companies. "We truly appreciate CSSi LifeSciences's recent participation in our FeedForward Sessions, as the need for industry leaders to collaborate and foster the sharing of best practices with startup companies has never been greater," said Judy Hsieh, Program Director, Larta Institute. "Jim and Heidi brought their exceptional preclinical and clinical research knowledge and therapeutic drug and device expertise to our mentee companies, who are in need of perfecting their business models in order to successfully transition their innovations into the marketplace. Getting the right people in the room for each company's need has been a Larta trademark for the past twelve years." About CSSi LifeSciences: CSSi LifeSciences ensures a successful and expeditious pathway to commercialization for our clients' drugs and medical devices by providing insight-driven analysis that saves time, development costs, and resources. CSSi LifeSciences enables faster, more informed decision making to increase commercial success, while reducing the risk of late-stage failures and post-authorization action. CSSi LifeSciences is headquartered in Baltimore, MD, with additional offices in San Francisco, CA, London, UK, and Hyderabad, India. For more information, visit www.cssilifesciences.com, email [email protected], or call (888) 279-8388. About Larta Institute: Larta Institute, founded in Los Angeles in 1993, is an internationally recognized and mission-driven innovation accelerator that provides a runway of success for world-changing ideas in agriculture, energy and healthcare. Larta Institute has helped more than 10,000 companies transform ideas into commercialized innovations that feed, fuel and heal the world. With a global network of entrepreneurs, mentors, investors, industry leaders, research institutions, government agencies and support organizations, Larta conducts commercialization assistance programs throughout the U.S. and in more than 20 countries. Follow us on [email protected] About the National Institutes of Health CAP: The NIH Commercialization Acceleration Program (NIH CAP), Larta Institute's longest running commercialization program, provides tailored one-on-one advisors and business assistance to NIH's top tier grantees in Phase II of the SBIR/STTR program. Through Larta's trademark network-centric practice, the entrepreneurs receive the guidance and tools they need to transition their technologies to the marketplace. Designed to service each company's unique needs, the NIH CAP has a notable track record of 39 acquisitions (most recent being Avalon Biomed, acquired by NuSmile & Advanced Circulatory Systems, acquired by Zoll), and $925M+ in funding generated by NIH CAP alumni companies. About FeedForward Sessions: FeedForward Sessions are closed-door, invitation-only workshop sessions for participating NIH CAP companies to present their 18-month strategic plans to industry and domain experts drawn from senior stakeholders, investors and other representatives in the medical and healthcare community. Larta designs each session with specific company needs in mind, for feedback on everything to do with their business and marketing model and practical advice on building and operating their companies. Media Contacts: Courtney Megaughey Public Relations & Marketing Coordinator CSSi (443) 308-5831 [email protected] Corey Carleton Communications Director Larta Institute (213) 538-1441 [email protected] SOURCE CSSi LifeSciences Related Links http://www.cssilifesciences.com LONDON, March 20, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Kaspersky Lab and Royal Holloway University join forces to host 'Cyber Day' to enthuse young people about entering cybersecurity careers The IT security sector is overlooking an entire generation of cyber-defenders, by basing key recruitment decisions on experience and expertise rather than enthusiasm, skills and core attributes, further deepening the European-wide security skills shortage crisis. This was a main talking point at yesterday's one-day event organised by Kaspersky Lab and Royal Holloway University, designed to build interest and familiarity with the cybersecurity sector and encourage more students to consider cybersecurity as a profession. The event, mainly for MSc Business Information Systems and MBA students, was comprised of interactive sessions aimed to develop a deeper understanding of the assets of cybersecurity careers. In the morning session, students took part in Kaspersky Lab's Cyber Safety Management Game, where they got the chance to test their readiness to develop and keep a company "cybersafe". In the afternoon session, students were invited to take part in a cyber security quiz, giving them in-depth practical knowledge on the characteristics needed to help in the fight against cybercrime. Alongside the interactive sessions, David Emm, Principal Security Researcher at Kaspersky Lab, delivered a presentation to students on targeted attacks: your personal survival guide. Throughout the day, students also had the opportunity to network with the industry, discussing the pathways to obtaining a career in the cybersecurity industry with Kaspersky Lab managers. Kaspersky Lab's recent research into the cybersecurity skills crisis, in which 12,000 consumers and IT professionals from across the US and Europe were surveyed, found that a third (30 per cent) of IT professionals feel that proven experience in the field is the most valuable asset for an IT security candidate to possess, closely followed by knowledge of IT systems (24 per cent). However, our study shows that what graduates and school leavers lack in proven IT security experience, they make up for in personality characteristics that are ideal for cybersecurity careers. The survey found that IT professionals view the most important characteristics for working in IT security as being able to think outside of the box (44 per cent) and work outside of normal environments (39 per cent) and formal structures (38 per cent). A third (35 per cent) also agree that it's important to be naturally curious about how things work. Large majorities of IT professionals regard young people as having these key attributes. Three-quarters (76 per cent) say they can think outside of the box. 72 per cent say they work outside of normal environments and 80 per cent outside of formal structures. 81 per cent agree that they are naturally curious about how things work. Although young people may have the characteristics needed to help in the fight against cybercrime, a lack of engagement by the security industry is resulting in a missed opportunity. 71 per cent are not aware of cybersecurity graduate opportunities and 73 per cent have never considered a career in cybersecurity. Almost half (47 per cent) of young people have little or no knowledge of what a cybersecurity expert does. "The IT sector needs a reality check when it comes to the widening skills gap that overshadows recruitment into the security industry," says David Emm, Principal Security Researcher at Kaspersky Lab. "As a company, this year we're celebrating our 20th anniversary. In the past two decades, the cybersecurity industry has matured immensely, but in other ways, we've made very little progress. "By overlooking young people, the industry is failing to make the most of a valuable, rising resource. As our survey shows, this is paradoxical because young people are widely seen as having the very characteristics that the industry views as important. It's time to take action in tackling the cultural constraints that exist around cybersecurity recruitment before it's too late." About Kaspersky Lab Kaspersky Lab is a global cybersecurity company founded in 1997. Kaspersky Lab's deep threat intelligence and security expertise is constantly transforming into security solutions and services to protect businesses, critical infrastructure, governments and consumers around the globe. The company's comprehensive security portfolio includes leading endpoint protection and a number of specialised security solutions and services to fight sophisticated and evolving digital threats. Over 400 million users are protected by Kaspersky Lab technologies and we help 270,000 corporate clients protect what matters most to them. Learn more at www.kaspersky.co.uk Editorial contact: Berkeley Global Lauren White [email protected] Telephone: +44-(0)-118-909-0909 1650 Arlington Business Park RG7 4SA, Reading Kaspersky Lab UK Stephanie Fergusson [email protected] Telephone: +44-(0)-771-410-7292 2 Kingdom Street W2 6BD, London SOURCE Kaspersky Lab KANSAS CITY, Mo., March 20, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- National Society of Newspaper Columnists Education Foundation (NSNCEF) is accepting applications for the Dear Abby College Columnist Scholarship Contest. The contest is open to undergraduates who write bylined, general interest, editorial page or specialized columns that appear in the print or online editions of their college newspapers. The first-prize winner, chosen by a panel of judges appointed by the NSNCEF, will receive a scholarship of $1,500 and will be a guest of the NSNCEF at the annual convention of the National Society of Newspaper Columnists in Manchester, New Hampshire, on June 8-11. Second- and third- prize winners will be selected and recognized with certificates and awards of $250 and $100, respectively. Eligibility, submission guidelines and the application form are available at dearabby.com/scholarship. The deadline for submissions is April 21, 2017. The Dear Abby College Columnist Scholarship Program is made possible through the generous support of Jeanne Phillips aka Dear Abby. Media Contacts: Julie Halper Andrews McMeel Syndication [email protected] Mike Leonard National Society of Newspaper Columnists Education Foundation [email protected] About National Society of Newspaper Columnists Education Foundation Founded in 2003, the NSNCEF is a tax-exempt non-profit foundation [501(c)3] devoted to the education and training of new and experienced columnists. The core mission of the foundation is to foster training opportunities for columnists and others interested in column writing. The foundation works with the National Society of Newspaper Columnists and others to serve as a training tool for aspiring and published columnists in all media. It has a special emphasis on assisting college columnists. About Dear Abby Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren, also known as Jeanne Phillips, whose career as an advice columnist began at age 14. As she helped her mother answer incoming letters from advice-seeking teens, Phillips discovered that she truly loved the work. She wrote for the column behind the scenes until December 2000, when Pauline Phillips recognized Jeanne Phillips as co-creator of Dear Abby and officially retired. With a worldwide readership of more than 110 million, Dear Abby has a devoted following who wouldn't dream of starting each day without her. The most widely syndicated columnist in the world and a true household name, Dear Abby is well-known for sound, compassionate advice, delivered with the straightforward style of a good friend. Phillips is one of few laypersons to be granted a prestigious Life Consultant membership in the Group for Advancement of Psychiatry (GAP), an organization of nationally respected psychiatrists dedicated to shaping psychiatric thinking, public programs and clinical practice in mental health. In addition, Phillips sat on the Board of Judges for the Talbots Charitable Foundation Women's Scholarship Fund, as well as the Advisory Boards of the National Alzheimer's Association, the Children's Rights Council, Mothers Against Drunk Driving and the National Kidney Foundation. She has received awards from the National Office of Drug Policy, the American Academy of Dermatology for excellence in public education of dermatology issues, American Ex-Prisoners of War, Overeaters Anonymous and the national Minority Organ Tissue Transplant Education Program. She is the recipient of the 2015 Proxmire Award for leadership in public awareness of Alzheimer's disease and dementia, and the Hearing Loss Association of America's 2015 Walter T. Ridder Award. In 2007, Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) honored Phillips with the Straight for Equality Award for her support of equality. SOURCE Andrews McMeel Syndication RICHMOND, Va., March 20, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Dominion (NYSE: D) today announced that it plans to construct, own and operate 81 megawatts (AC) of solar generating capacity in Jasper County, S.C. Two projects a 71.4-megawatt facility that would be South Carolina's largest and a 10-megawatt array are expected to enter service in 2017. "Dominion is excited to work with a number of partners including Solvay and South Carolina Gas & Electric not only to bring additional non-carbon-emitting solar generation to the power grid but also to add to our South Carolina energy infrastructure portfolio," said Thomas F. Farrell II, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Dominion. "We are proud of the work we are doing in South Carolina to help people, electric and gas distribution companies and industry access clean energy." Said South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster, "Every time a company invests in our state, it shows a commitment to succeeding here, and that couldn't be more important to our people. This investment represents the continuance of a lasting partnership between the State of South Carolina and Dominion." Dominion's Solvay Solar Energy-Jasper County, S.C., facility, located near Ridgeland, S.C., will occupy nearly 900 acres in Jasper County. South Carolina Electric & Gas (SCE&G) has signed a long-term power purchase agreement (PPA) for the electricity produced at the facility. Solvay an international chemicals and advanced materials company with U.S. sites, among others, in Charleston, Greenville, Piedmont, Rock Hill and Spartanburg will purchase all of the associated renewable energy credits (RECs) for 15 years. Jean-Pierre Clamadieu, chief executive officer of Solvay, said, "This new agreement will help us reduce our CO2 intensity, one of Solvay's main sustainability goals. It enables the development of additional renewable energy capacity in a region where we have a significant presence and allows us to better serve customer expectations through sustainability." SCE&G has also signed a PPA on Dominion's 10-megawatt Ridgeland Solar project, on about 80 acres in Ridgeland, S.C., and will retain the RECs. "SCE&G is excited to be part of building a clean energy future for South Carolina," said Danny Kassis, vice president of Customer Relations and Renewable Energy for SCE&G. "Utility-scale solar represents the least-cost approach to solar energy and provides clean energy for our state. The Jasper County solar projects demonstrate the continuing emergence of solar energy as a resource that can supplement reliable, resilient, and safe service that customers in South Carolina need to grow our economy." Dominion acquired the two developments from developer Adger Solar in November 2016. Mortenson, a leading national renewable energy company headquartered in Minneapolis, will serve as the engineering, procurement and construction contractor on the projects. Approximately 200 jobs are expected to be created during construction in 2017. "Jasper County is showing South Carolina that large-scale solar can be built and sustained in all 46 counties across the Palmetto State," said Bill Moore, principal of Adger Solar. "Adger Solar has been working in South Carolina since 2014 and we have over a half-dozen large-scale solar projects underway. These projects will provide new jobs to the local communities, tax revenue to the counties and clean power to the citizens and companies of this state. We are pleased to be part of the emerging solar energy industry during this exciting time in South Carolina." Praise from local and state South Carolina officials "South Carolina's renewable energy sector continues to grow by leaps and bounds, providing energy to our citizens while protecting our beautiful natural resources. This new $100 million investment will make a big difference in the Lowcountry community, and we congratulate Jasper County on this great announcement." Secretary of Commerce Bobby Hitt "Dominion's investment in alternative energy in Jasper County is an investment in the future for South Carolina. SouthernCarolina Alliance is supportive of diversified energy generation and other solutions that make energy more affordable and reliable to our industries and our residents." Buddy Phillips, chairman of the SouthernCarolina Regional Development Alliance "We are appreciative that Dominion chose Jasper County for this clean energy project, which will bring 200 temporary construction jobs to the county while diversifying our energy generation. Jasper County is proud to be a business-friendly county that attracts cutting-edge alternatives as we grow our energy capacity and our residential and industrial communities." Martin Sauls, chairman of the Jasper County Council and chairman of the Jasper County Chamber of Commerce Dominion's energy footprint The developments announced today would expand Dominion's operating solar fleet to nine states and more than 1,500 megawatts by the end of this year. The company has developed and operates solar generation in neighboring North Carolina and Georgia. It also operates Columbia, S.C.-based Dominion Carolina Gas Transmission, a Federal Energy Regulatory Commission-regulated, 1,500-mile natural gas interstate transmission system with operations in Georgia and South Carolina including in Jasper County. "Today's announcement by Dominion's power generation segment further solidifies our company's commitment to South Carolina," said Daniel A. Weekley, vice president-Southern Operations for Dominion. "Our continued aim is to develop projects in the Palmetto State to provide cleaner energy to our customers," he added. Dominion has spent or is spending about $200 million since 2015 on Dominion Carolina Gas Transmission expansion projects serving SCE&G; industrial customers such as International Paper, Flakeboard and Wyman Gordon; and the 606-megawatt, gas-fired Columbia Energy Center power generation facility in Gaston, S.C. The company recently received FERC approval for the Charleston project, which is expected to enter service at the end of 2017. Dominion is one of the nation's largest producers and transporters of energy, with a portfolio of approximately 26,400 megawatts of generation, 15,000 miles of natural gas transmission, gathering and storage pipeline, and 6,600 miles of electric transmission lines. Dominion operates one of the nation's largest natural gas storage systems with 1 trillion cubic feet of storage capacity and serves more than 6 million utility and retail energy customers. For more information about Dominion, visit the company's website at www.dom.com. SOURCE Dominion Related Links http://www.dom.com SAN FRANCISCO, March, 20, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- CoreMedia, a leading digital experience (DX) company, today announced that Emerson, a global leader in technology and engineering, has launched its new content-driven B2B website, Emerson.com, using CoreMedia LiveContext. Emerson used CoreMedia's content and digital asset management capabilities to align the company's online properties. The new site is designed to be a unique hybrid experience that seamlessly blends brand content, catalog, product-related storytelling and rich media. With customers and authors spanning multiple regions and covering a wide variety of content types, Emerson needed a solution that allowed for templated authoring, workflow management and asset delivery. The company chose CoreMedia LiveContext based on its ability to provide a seamless authoring experience that optimizes content delivery across any digital channel, site, language or region. "We are pleased to support Emerson's goal of improving its customers' digital experiences across all channels," said Soeren Stamer, chief executive officer at CoreMedia. "Diverse global companies like Emerson rely on CoreMedia to deliver seamless integration with content and catalog data across various brand sites, ensuring rich interactive experiences that are both engaging and informative." "CoreMedia LiveContext's ability to enhance the experience across all levels of pages and its ability to support critical B2B functions were factors in our decision," said Cathy Ash, Director. "We were also impressed that the solution provided a single seamless user interface that could support both content and catalog-driven publishing workflows." CoreMedia LiveContext is a content and digital asset management solution that enhances the capabilities of existing commercial and in-house e-commerce systems with a range of capabilities including: Blend product data, branded content and rich media Responsive templates, reusable content assets and adaptive image handling Flexible navigation management Editable text overlays "Drag and drop" image maps and real-time multichannel previews Advanced personalization of content elements CoreMedia's robust, mature APIs and productized integration with leading in-house and e-commerce systems, including both IBM WebSphere Commerce and SAP Hybris, allows it to create seamless and real-time links with existing content repositories, product catalogs, pricing systems and front-end modules. And unlike some vendors, CoreMedia doesn't force its customers to completely rebuild their existing sites or recreate front-end business logic. Customers can re-energize their existing investments without sacrificing years of effort or putting existing operations at risk. About CoreMedia CoreMedia is a leading content management and digital experience management company that has been powering the online strategies of global enterprises for more than two decades. We help clients reach their target groups at every touchpoint. We seamlessly blend branded content with transactional processes and contextual data in real time, to accelerate time-to-market and boost the productivity of business users. By merging compelling multimedia content with other digital content, CoreMedia transforms cloud or on-premises e-commerce systems, digital marketing and corporate communications into mobile digital experiences - at every point of the customer journey. The result: greater customer activation, stronger loyalty and higher sales. Established in 1996, CoreMedia is headquartered in Hamburg, Germany, with offices in San Francisco, Washington D.C., London and Singapore. CoreMedia's clients include a wide range of leading brands, such as the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), BILD, Boots, Calvin Klein, CLAAS, Continental, Deutsche Bahn, Deutsche Telekom, dm-drogerie markt, DMG Mori Seiki, Deutsche Borse Group, Henkel, Homebase, Office Depot, Telefonica Germany and Tommy Hilfiger. About Emerson Emerson, headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri (USA), is a global technology and engineering company providing innovative solutions for customers in industrial, commercial and residential markets. Our Emerson Automation Solutions business helps process, hybrid, and discrete manufacturers maximize production, protect personnel and the environment while optimizing their energy and operating costs. Our Emerson Commercial and Residential Solutions business helps ensure human comfort and health, protect food quality and safety, advance energy efficiency and create sustainable infrastructure. For more information visit Emerson.com. Media Contact : Ben Jolley Connect Marketing +1.801.373.7888 [email protected] SOURCE CoreMedia CHICAGO, March 20, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The Federal Home Loan Bank of Chicago (Bank) is pleased to announce a recipient of its 2017 Community First Awards today at its member meeting in Oak Brook, Illinois. The awards recognize outstanding achievements of the Bank's member institutions and their local partners as they work together to strengthen their communities through affordable housing and economic development initiatives. Award categories include partnership, project or program, pioneer, and emerging leader. Award winners identify a nonprofit organization to receive up to $10,000. Emerging Leader Award Beto Sanchez, an underwriter with Cinnaire Lending Corporation (www.cinnaire.com), has received a $10,000 emerging leader award. In coordinating Cinnaire's participation in the FHLBC's competitive Affordable Housing Program, Sanchez balances the most important aspects of each project with the big-picture vision needed to complete the deal. "The momentum of community development depends on those leading the efforts, so it's exciting to recognize Beto as an emerging leader in the field," said Suzi Thackston, FHLBC Community Investment Officer. "We look forward to continuing our partnership with Beto for years to come." "Beto has led successful applications for 12 projects representing 641 new homes, providing each deal with the critical financial resources needed to create safe, affordable, high-quality housing for those who need it most," said Cinnaire's President, Katey Forth. "Beto embodies Cinnaire's mission of supporting community and economic development throughout our region." The Bank will announce two more Community First Award winners this month at its member meetings in Madison and Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Bank also supports the community investment activities of its members by offering: Forgivable grants for eligible projects through its competitive Affordable Housing Program Down payment and closing cost assistance through its Downpayment Plus Programs Programs Favorably priced loans and credit products through its Community Investment Cash Advances Lower-interest-rate, longer-term financing for community development organizations through its Community First Fund Grants to grow and strengthen nonprofit lenders through its new Community First Capacity-Building Grant Program Direct relief funding to members' communities through the Community First Disaster Relief Program About the Federal Home Loan Bank of Chicago For more information on the FHLBC and its full range of Community Investment programs, please visit www.fhlbc.com or @FHLBC. "Community First" and "Downpayment Plus" are registered trademarks of the FHLBC. SOURCE Federal Home Loan Bank of Chicago Related Links http://www.fhlbc.com Company invites individual and institutional investors as well as advisors to log-on to VirtualInvestorConferences.com to view presentation OWENSBORO, Ky., March 20, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- First Security Inc. (OTCQX: FIIT), the holding company for First Security Bank, Inc., a Kentucky based banking corporation, today announced that the March 15 presentation from Michael F. Beckwith, President and Chief Executive Officer, is now available for on-demand viewing at VirtualInvestorConferences.com. LINK: https://tinyurl.com/0315post First Security Inc.'s presentation will be available 24/7 for 90 days. Investors and advisors may download shareholder materials from the "virtual trade booth" for the next three weeks. "We enjoyed participating in the Virtual Investor Conference, to share our story and plans for the future. We appreciated the opportunity to connect with investors and advisors, and hope to continue to build those relationships," stated Michael F. Beckwith, President and Chief Executive Officer. Learn more about the event at www.VirtualInvestorConferences.com. 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 GAINESVILLE, Fla. and BOCA RATON, Fla., March 20, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Florida Institute for the Commercialization of Public Research (the Florida Institute) announced today that it has finalized a funding agreement with Curtiss Healthcare, Inc., an Alachua-based company with technology developed at the University of Florida. The Florida Institute supports new company creation based on publicly-funded research, and bridges early funding gaps for companies spinning out of Florida-based universities and research institutions. Curtiss Healthcare is providing a disruptive vaccine technology focused on improving food safety and food quality. Their Salmonella vaccine (RASV) vector platform can be used to develop vaccines against any bacterial, viral or parasite pathogen in animal species and humans, requiring only the identity of the protective antigens. "There are 48 million food-borne infections each year, costing the U.S. economy $15 billion annually," said Thomas Bigger, Curtiss Healthcare Chief Executive Officer. "Bacterial infections will always be present in agriculture. The RSAV vector platform is a highly efficient penetrator in the gastro-intestinal tissues of target species, and produces robust immune stimulation and longer protective immunity." "Curtiss Healthcare's platform utilizes orally administered live vaccines that stimulate immunization against clinically important bacteria and other pathogens," saidJackson Streeter, MD, Florida Institute Chief Executive Officer. "The Institute looks forward to supporting Curtiss Healthcare as they continue to develop vaccines that improve food quality and safety, and help treat and prevent serious infections." About the Florida Institute Formed by the Florida Legislature in 2007, the Florida Institute for the Commercialization of Public Research is a non-profit organization that works collaboratively with the technology licensing and commercialization offices of Florida's state universities and private research institutions to leverage a $2.5B+ research base and form investable companies that create clean jobs in new industries that are driving the global economy. With funding from the State of Florida through the Department of Economic Opportunity, and through the generosity of mentors, advisors and donors, the Institute provides company building services, and seed funding through the Florida Technology Seed Capital Fund, to promising Florida startups. Sixty-six companies have been funded to date, and the Institute's economic impact through June 30, 2016 in the State of Florida was $630 million. About Curtiss Healthcare, Inc. Curtiss Healthcare was founded in July 2015 to commercialize a platform to develop new vaccines to help make our world a safer place through technologies that improve food quality and safety and help treat and prevent serious infections in animals and humans. Curtiss Healthcare possesses and controls all the intellectual property for its innovative superior recombinant attenuated Salmonella vaccine (RASV) vector platform that can be used to develop vaccines against any bacterial, viral or parasite pathogen in animal species and humans, requiring only the identity of the protective antigens. CONTACT: Jane Teague Chief Operating Officer Institute for the Commercialization of Public Research 561-368-8889 [email protected] SOURCE Florida Institute for the Commercialization of Public Research Related Links http://www.florida-institute.com (Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161012/427743 ) (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160908/823123 ) "We understand the pressure on organizations to meet regulatory compliance requirements, respond quickly to incident queries and report seamlessly, so we're pleased to invite Health & Safety, IT, Projects and Facilities Managers to attend our upcoming Incident Management and Risk Assessment Seminar to learn how to tackle these challenges, " said Neil Young, CEO, FlowForma. At this event, Paul Callaghan, ICT Manager at St John of God will share how this Not-for-Profit body deployed FlowForma Workflow to automate their essential incident management process, while driving process efficiency and maximizing their existing Microsoft investments. Attendees will hear how an approach towards no code workflow supports organizations such as charities, sporting bodies and care homes to drive productivity and transparency, mitigate risk and ensure compliance. The FlowForma team will demonstrate how FlowForma's self-service BPM tool is the ideal tool for deploying processes to support compliancy such as incident management, complaints management, electronic vetting and risk assessment processes. Use cases will reveal the intuitiveness of this no code, logic only workflow tool and reveal how power users can build and publish processes to help meet regulatory compliance, with speed and flexibility, with little or no help from the IT department. This is a free event but registration is compulsory. Secure your complementary place today to share your regulatory challenges, network with peers and get best practice advice from both FlowForma and Microsoft experts. Seminar Details When: Thursday, 30th March 2017 from 9.30am to 1.00pm Where: Microsoft Atrium Building, Sandyford, Dublin 18, Ireland Who: Health & Safety, IT, Projects and Facilities Managers This is a free event but registration is compulsory, secure your complementary place today. Supporting Resources To learn more about FlowForma ' s upcoming Meeting Regulatory Compliance event visit: www.flowforma.com/allevents/meeting-regulatory-compliance www.flowforma.com/allevents/meeting-regulatory-compliance To read a case study on how Eurofound adopted FlowForma BPM to drive 75% efficiency improvement visit: www.flowforma.com/flowforma-bpm-becomes-a-strategic-asset-for-eurofound-download To find out how the FlowForma Cloud BPM tool works visit: www.flowforma.com/howitworks To download a free trial of FlowForma BPM visit: www.flowforma.com/trial About FlowForma FlowForma, the leading provider of Business Process Management (BPM) tools for Microsoft Office 365 has been revolutionizing the traditional BPM space with an innovative approach to developing award winning BPM products that empower users to get work done, smarter and faster, on the familiar SharePoint platform, without any coding. FlowForma is a Microsoft Partner, with over 100 customers across Europe, South Africa and North America. The company is headquartered in Dublin with offices in London and Boston and is motivated by its values to innovate, evolve and achieve with employees, customers and partners. For further information, visit http://www.flowforma.com SOURCE FlowForma WASHINGTON, March 20, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- If you purchased Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation ("Freddie Mac" or the "Company") common stock at any time between April 18, 2000 and June 8, 2003, inclusive ("Eligible Trading Period") and suffered a Recognized Loss per the Plan of Allocation, you may be entitled to receive a monetary Distribution Payment from the Freddie Mac Fair Fund. UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION, Plaintiff, v. FEDERAL HOME LOAN MORTGAGE CORPORATION, DAVID W. GLENN, VAUGHN A. CLARKE, ROBERT C. DEAN, and NAZIR G. DOSSANI, Defendants. : : : : : : : Civil Action No. : 07-CV-1728-RCL : : : SUMMARY NOTICE OF FREDDIE MAC FAIR FUND On December 28, 2016, Chief Judge Royce C. Lamberth, United States District Judge for the District of Columbia issued an Order approving the Distribution Plan in the matter of SEC v. Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation, David W. Glenn, Vaughn A. Clarke, Robert C. Dean and Nazir G. Dossani ("Defendants"). The Distribution Plan provides that the disgorged profits, prejudgment interest and civil penalties paid to the Clerk of the Court and placed into an interest-bearing account with the Court Registry Investment System ("CRIS"), totaling approximately $50.75 million ("Freddie Mac Fair Fund"), shall be distributed for the benefit of injured investors who purchased Freddie Mac common stock and suffered a Recognized Loss pursuant to the Plan of Allocation. The Court has appointed Gilardi & Co. LLC as the Distribution Agent to distribute to Freddie Mac investors who qualify under the Court-approved Plan of Distribution. HOW TO OBTAIN COMPENSATION If you believe you are a Potentially Eligible Claimant and would like to participate, you must complete the Proof of Claim Form completely, sign it, include copies of all required supporting documentation, and return it to: Freddie Mac Fair Fund c/o Gilardi & Co. LLC Distribution Agent P.O. Box 43452 Providence, RI 02940-3452 A Proof of Claim Form can be obtained by visiting the website, www.FreddieMacFairFund.com, clicking the Case Documents tab, and choosing the "Proof of Claim Form." You can also request that a Notice and Proof of Claim Form packet be sent to you via mail by calling (877) 401-1797. YOUR COMPLETED AND SIGNED PROOF OF CLAIM FORM, WITH ALL OF THE REQUIRED SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION, MUST BE POSTMARKED NO LATER THAN JULY 10, 2017 (THE "FILING DEADLINE"), AND SENT TO THE DISTRIBUTION AGENT. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION This notice provides only summary information regarding the action. We strongly recommend that you read the Plan of Distribution, including the Plan of Allocation, and other relevant case documents in their entirety for more complete details. The documents can be found at www.FreddieMacFairFund.com or the website maintained by the Commission at https://www.sec.gov/divisions/enforce/claims.htm , by calling the dedicated toll-free number at (877) 401-1797 or by sending an email inquiry to [email protected]. SOURCE Freddie Mac Fair Fund Distribution Agent Related Links http://www.freddiemacfairfund.com NEW YORK, March 20, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Summary This report provides all the information you require to better understand Galapagos and its partnering interests and activities since 2010. 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? Read the full report: http://www.reportlinker.com/p03605580-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 FARMINGTON HILLS, Mich., March 20, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- As we celebrate Women's History Month, Gale, a Cengage company, has launched a new archive on women's studies that explores the many contributions of women throughout history. Part of the growing Gale Primary Sources program, the Women's Studies Archive represents Gale's focus on publishing material that supports diversity studies and provides historical context around current topics. "We're witnessing a tremendous amount of activity and interest in support of women's rights," said Phil Faust, vice president of academic product at Gale. "To understand the issues being discussed today in the media and in classrooms across the country, it's imperative to have resources that can help us understand our past. It's exciting to bring our customers such an important archive on women's history at this pivotal time." The first collection within the Women's Studies Archive, titled Women's Issues and Identities, traces the path of women's issues from past to presentpulling primary sources from manuscripts, newspapers, periodicals, and more. It captures the foundation of women's movements, struggles and triumphs, and provides researchers with valuable insights. Molly Murphy MacGregor, founder of the National Women's History Project and a leader in establishing March as Women's History Month, notes the importance of primary sources in particular when it comes to understanding and studying women's history. "When I first began my research in women's studies I was shocked at how few resources existed when it came to primary sources and women's history," said Murphy MacGregor. "It can be hard to trust material of the past as well as material today, but primary sources offer a more accurate account of important women's issues," she continued. "Gale's Women's Studies Archive is an important contribution to our field at the right time." Covering the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, the Women's Issues and Identities collection includes one million never-before-digitized pages of primary source material, all aligned with the issues that have affected women and the many contributions they have made to society. Some of the key events and issues covered include the birth control movement and the efforts during the 1950's, 60's, and 70's that ultimately propelled women to high profile government positions. The archive also brings together some of the most important political, professional and popular periodicals written by and for women across Europe during the critical period of the women's movement (1840-1940). It will support study across disciplines such as gender and women's studies, history, anthropology, interdisciplinary studies, sociology and more. Women's Studies Archive: Women's Issues and Identities is available on the Gale Primary Sources platform, meaning it is cross-searchable with other Gale Primary Sources collections, like the Archives of Sexuality & Gender and American Civil Liberties Union Papers, 1912-1990. Students, faculty and researchers can integrate content from complementary primary source products in one intuitive environment to make never-before-possible research connections. Users can also benefit from the platform's downloadable Optical Character Recognition (OCR) feature which enables monographs, newspapers, and ephemera to be keyword and full-text searchable. In addition, content from within the archive can be purchased in multiple formats to aid customers in their own text and data mining and projects. For more information on Gale's Women's Studies Archive, please visit www.gale.com/WomensStudies or stop by the Gale booth (#341) at the Association of College Research Libraries (ACRL) conference in Baltimore, March 22-24. On Thursday, March 23, Gale will also host a session at ACRL "Exploring Diversity Through The Lens Of History" which will focus on the use of primary sources for study in subjects such as civil liberties, LGBTQ issues, and women's rights. To access a recorded webinar for an overview of Women's Studies Archive: Women's Issues and Identities, please visit http://www.choice360.org/librarianship/webinars/celebrating-women-s-history-with-library-resources. About Cengage and Gale Cengage is the education and technology company built for learners. The company serves the higher education, K-12, professional, library and workforce training markets worldwide. Gale, a Cengage company, provides libraries with original and curated content, as well as the modern research tools and technology that are crucial in connecting libraries to learning, and learners to libraries. For more than 60 years, Gale has partnered with libraries around the world to empower the discovery of knowledge and insights where, when, and how people need it. Gale has 500 employees globally with its main operations in Farmington Hills, Michigan. For more information, please visit www.gale.com. Media Contact : Kristina Massari Cengage (203) 965-8694 [email protected] SOURCE Cengage Related Links http://www.cengage.com (Photo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/480084/Dermalog_Merkel_Abe.jpg ) Passwords and PIN-Numbers are already being replaced with biometrics - for example with fingerprints. Biometrics are easy to use and the user has no need to remember any annoying passwords anymore. DERMALOGs founder and CEO Gunther Mull presented the latest fingerprint scanners and "Liveness Detection" to the state guests. This technology helps to fight fraud and makes biometric identification even safer. In addition, the visitors were able to see a new type of All-in-One-Scanner, which is able to capture fingerprints, passports, tickets and other documents using the same scanning surface. There is no longer a need for different devices, as the new VF1 is able to scan everything using the same surface. The new scanner is suitable for eGates and Kiosks, as well as for national registration offices and banks, and can even be used for access to events or arenas. As the next Olympics will take place in Tokyo, Japan, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe showed great interest in the new VF1 device and in new types of mobile biometrics units. During her visit, the Chancellor had a close look at the DERMALOG ZF1 Finger Scanners, which are part of the equipment in the German national registration offices, as well as the LF10 Fingerprint Scanners which are used for refugee registration in Germany since the last year. Furthermore, she was shown the DERMALOG REAL TIME AFIS, by which every person can be found within three seconds even in extremely large-scale databases. With a new type of biometric kiosk the two high-ranking visitors were shown how multi-biometrics works. This is a combination of different types of biometrics like face and fingerprint. Only if two or more biometrics are identical, access will be granted. Multi-biometrics are being used to further enhance security. DERMALOGs biometric systems are "Made in Germany" and are used in more than 220 large-scale government installation and by many banks in 83 countries, especially to prevent fraud and double payments. In the Philippines DERMALOGs biometrics system prevents from duplicate voters. The company's systems are furthermore used for Border Control and to issue passports and ID Cards - whenever it comes to prevent from double or false identities. Press contact: DERMALOG Identification Systems GmbH Jan Runzheimer Press Relations Mittelweg 120 20148 Hamburg Germany Tel: +49(40)413227-0 Fax: +49(40)413227-89 Email: [email protected] SOURCE Dermalog Identification Systems GmbH TEL AVIV, Israel, March 20, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- HearMeOut (www.hearmeoutapp.com), the voice-based social media platform, today announced they are the latest app to become part of the SmartDeviceLink (SDL) platform (www.smartdevicelink.com). HearMeOut is a social app empowering consumers and content creators to share short audio clips, allowing them a more personable means of communication and enabling a handsfree experience in the connected car space, making them a great fit for the SDL platform. SDL is the industry standard for open-source in-vehicle connectivity and is empowering the developer community to integrate applications into the connected car. Overseen by the SmartDeviceLink Consortium, established by Ford Motor Company and Toyota Motor Company, the SDL also includes manufacturers such as Mazda Motor Corporation, Subaru, Suzuki, PSA and Daihatsu as members. "Joining and ultimately supporting SDL validates HearMeOut's unique value proposition within the connected car space," said Moran Chamsi, CEO of HearMeOut. "We look forward to building on our work to date with Ford and extending this to other members of the Consortium to offer their drivers the ability to consume hands-free social content." Having only recently launched in the United States, this relationship with SDL highlights the value proposition and significant opportunities HearMeOut brings to the connected car space. HearMeOut is unique in its offer of a social network that is focused on the recording and targeted consumption of audio content. By supporting SDL HearMeOut will now be available to the industry's largest consortium of automakers looking to enrich the driving experience through connected apps. HearMeOut's first foray into the car was with Ford in 2015, by enabling HearMeOut to work via SYNC AppLink. Currently, HearMeOut is supported within Ford vehicles in the UK and Ireland, with plans to be rolled out in additional markets in 2017. "HearMeOut is a great fit for us because it's a promising social audio network built to be hands-free from the ground up," said Doug VanDagens, chairman of SmartDeviceLink Consortium. "We are excited that HearMeOut has decided to support SDL and become a safe social component into the ecosystem we are creating." About HearMeOut HearMeOut (ASX: HMO) is an Israeli-based global company that provides a revolutionary voice-based social media platform that transforms the way people engage with and consume social media. The platform enables users to share and listen to 42-second audio posts through the platform's native feed or on other social networks, such as Twitter or Facebook. Through this app, people can express their authentic voice and put their unique signature on social media interactions. For more information on HearMeOut, please visit hearmeoutapp.com. SOURCE HearMeOut Related Links http://www.hearmeoutapp.com LAS VEGAS, March 20, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- IBM InterConnect - IBM (NYSE: IBM) today announced new and expanded capabilities that enhance IBM Watson's data analysis and discovery capabilities on the IBM Cloud. By expanding Watson Discovery Service with new functionality and introducing Watson Company Profiler, an experimental platform solution built with Watson Discovery, IBM is further empowering developers and enterprise users with best-in-class offerings to quickly and easily source insights from massive amounts of data. IBM Enriches Watson Discovery Service with New Beta Functionality In April, IBM will roll out new beta functionality in the Watson Discovery Service. The functionality will enable relevancy training and passage retrieval capabilities to find better answers, adding to the service's existing ability to identify useful patterns and insights in large datasets. Many data scientists spend as much as 80 percent of their time on "data janitor" work collecting, cleaning and organizing data sets. With the Watson Discovery Service, IBM is giving users the power to unlock value in data without having to spend unnecessary resources on complex data pipeline engineering and data wrangling challenges. Today, developers go through many cumbersome steps to create solutions that can extract insights from unstructured data, often requiring developers to integrate multiple services to achieve the desired result. The Watson Discovery Service packages core Watson AI capabilities with simple tooling and APIs that enable developers to quickly upload, enrich, and index large collections of your private data and use this with NLP-enriched public data provided out of the box with Watson Discovery. "To date, we've only explored a tiny fraction of the world's existing data. Watson represents a new partnership between technology and people, to revolutionize the way we discover things and make better decisions all at incredible speed and scale," said Beth Smith, general manager, IBM Watson AI. "With the advanced discovery capabilities of the Watson platform, IBM is shining a light on dark data by unlocking patterns, trends, and relationships in data that were previously invisible." With the newest beta capabilities, developers can improve end user experience by displaying answers that are within passages without any additional configuration or special processing. Additionally, developers can take advantage of the relevancy training module to further customize responses using a machine learning model. Using the full power of the Watson Discovery Service, industry professionals are able to do the following: A legal research team can quickly extract relevant details from dense legal briefs, past legal proceedings and other lengthy documents to provide consolidated specific insights for a legal proceeding rather than identify documents that mention a key word or term. A marketer could gain real-time insight into brand perception, monitoring both social media and news sources for discussions around relevant topics, assess the results to quickly identify a trend and act to address a customer issue in real time. A customer service department manager can find insights on customer pain points, reduce customer churn and improve agent productivity without having to sift through individual customer call transcripts, social media and forum data content, and other internal content sources. Rocket Fuel, a predictive marketing platform, has been applying the NLP-enriched news content function of Watson Discovery Service to help their digital marketing clients target advertisements in the right context, in real time. By using Watson Discovery Service, Rocket Fuel can analyze and annotate 300,000 English language news articles each day, and scan the top 10,000 sources every 7 minutes to provide immediate trend analysis. Clients can then use Rocket Fuel's interactive user interface to quickly hone in on new brand-related keywords that appear in news stories and control whether to increase, decrease, ignore or stop serving ads alongside these keywords as they appear in online news stories. For example, an automotive brand may wish to increase its advertising on pages with the keyword "J.D. Power"; conversely, it may wish to pause a campaign when the keyword "recall" appears. "Our company's fundamental value is in using Artificial Intelligence to enable brands to make smarter, faster decisions with their online marketing," said Randy Wootton, CEO, Rocket Fuel. "Given the exponential rate of digital information being generated and consumed, it's increasingly challenging for marketers to keep track of their digital presence and identify where and when to place ads for maximum impact. That's why Watson Discovery Service is such a game-changer for our clients. Rocket Fuel's Predictive Marketing Platform is now responsive, in real-time, to sentiment in breaking news headlines. Rocket Fuel clients can use Watson Discovery Service to control their association with specific keywords and optimize media spend automatically based on the positive or negative sentiment impact. This means better performance, improved brand safety, and deeper intelligence for our business." IBM Introduces Experimental Solution, "Watson Company Profiler" Additionally, IBM will soon release an experimental platform solution called Watson Company Profiler, a pre-built cognitive discovery solution that will enable company intelligence and analysis for business users. Built using Watson Discovery Service, Watson Company Profiler accesses Dun & Bradstreet's commercial database of 265 million business records and sifts through 30,000 global data sources to identify relevant insights about a company. Surfacing publicly available data, like content from news outlets, social media, journals or annual reports, as well as Dun & Bradstreet proprietary data, Watson Company Profiler can help businesses glean meaningful insights. To better understand how Watson Company Profiler will be used, consider the job of a financial services leader looking to strengthen her/his company's capabilities. This person will use Watson Company Profiler to acquire market intelligence needed to better understand competitive landscape, product positioning and potentially to identify new targets for a merger or acquisition. To learn more about Watson Company Profiler or to sign up for release updates, visit the Watson Company Profiler landing page . The expanded Watson Discovery Service capabilities and upcoming roll out of Watson Company Profiler demonstrate IBM's commitment to providing developers and businesses with the tools and features to execute on their vision and, in turn, bring to market a new class of cognitive innovations to transform how businesses make decisions. About IBM Watson: Pioneering a New Era of Computing Watson represents a new era in computing called cognitive computing, where systems understand the world in a way more similar to humans: through senses, learning, and experience. Watson continuously learns from previous interactions, gaining in value and knowledge over time. With the help of Watson, organizations are harnessing the power of cognitive computing to transform industries, help professionals do their jobs better, and solve important challenges. As part of IBM's strategy to accelerate the growth of cognitive computing, Watson is open to the world, allowing a growing community of developers, students, entrepreneurs and tech enthusiasts to easily tap into the most advanced and diverse cognitive computing platform available today. Watson solutions are being built, used and deployed in more than 45 countries and across 20 different industries. For more information on the Watson Discovery Service, visit: Ibm.biz/WatsonDiscovery. For more on IBM Watson, visit: https://www.ibm.com/Watson. Join the conversation at #ibmwatson. InterConnect is IBM's cloud and cognitive conference where more than 20,000 developers, clients and partners are being introduced to the latest advancements in cloud computing through 2,000 sessions, labs and certifications. IBM is positioning both enterprise and startup clients for success with a complete portfolio of cloud services and marquee partnerships, supporting a wide range of applications including: big data, analytics, blockchain and cognitive computing. For more information, visit: https://www.ibm.com/cloud-computing/. Engage in the conversation through @IBMCloud and #ibminterconnect. Contact: Gabrielle Gugliocciello IBM Media Relations [email protected] SOURCE IBM NEW YORK and LONDON, March 20, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, at the Gartner Data and Analytics Summit 2017 in London, Information Builders, a leader in business intelligence (BI) and analytics, data integrity, and integration solutions, announced that it is offering its iWay Big Data Integrator (iBDI) product via the cloud on the Microsoft Azure Marketplace. The solution simplifies the creation, management, and use of Hadoop-based data lakes, providing a modern integration and management approach that ensures the high levels of capability, compatibility, and flexibility required to derive value from big data initiatives. Tweet this: [email protected] offers iWay #BigData Integrator to accelerate benefits of #Hadoop http://ow.ly/oevy30a0I06 Big data has the potential to help companies improve performance and profitability, and many organizations rely on Hadoop to support their big data strategies. However, to reap the full return on this investment, organizations need the ability to perform data management inside the Hadoop cluster. iWay Big Data Integrator provides this capability natively, unlike competitor solutions that require organizations to pull information out of Hadoop to manage it. In addition, the solution's intuitive interface ensures users can use it without extensive knowledge or training in Hadoop. Product highlights include: Spark Pipeline: An Apache Spark-based pipeline can be configured in iBDI to transform, cleanse, join, or perform other operations on incoming data. This enables many operations to be performed in-memory on the Spark cluster, increasing efficiency and saving resources, time, and read/write operations An Apache Spark-based pipeline can be configured in iBDI to transform, cleanse, join, or perform other operations on incoming data. This enables many operations to be performed in-memory on the Spark cluster, increasing efficiency and saving resources, time, and read/write operations Data Ingestion: iBDI hides the complexity of data ingestion, replacement, and de-duplication using a variety of technologies all without programming iBDI hides the complexity of data ingestion, replacement, and de-duplication using a variety of technologies all without programming Data Transformation: iBDI leverages the Hadoop ecosystem and native components to transform data from many sources to one or many targets As a result of these and other key iWay Big Data Integrator features, companies can leverage their Hadoop implementations to streamline operations, use existing talent to speed up adoption, ensure greater agility at less cost, enhance customer relationships, manage risk more effectively, and identify new sources of revenue. Gerald Cohen, president and CEO, Information Builders, said: "Many organizations have seen the benefits of big data, but mistakenly believe that integrating Hadoop into their data management strategy necessitates new developer tools, user interfaces, and technical skills in an entirely new environment. iWay Big Data Integrator eliminates these challenges and makes using Hadoop easy, allowing organizations to support any kind of use case within the cluster in an intuitive, accessible manner. We encourage companies to experience the benefits of our Big Data Integrator firsthand." Access the iWay Big Data Integrator on the Microsoft Azure Marketplace today, and visit our product page to learn more about the solution and its benefits. About Information Builders Information Builders provides solutions for business intelligence (BI), analytics, data integration, and data quality that help drive performance improvements, innovation, and value. Through one set of powerful products, we enable organizations to serve everyone analysts, non-technical users, even partners, customers, and citizens with better data and analytics. Our dedication to customer success is unmatched with thousands of organizations relying on us as their trusted partner. Founded in 1975, Information Builders is headquartered in New York, NY, with global offices, and remains one of the largest independent, privately held companies in the industry. Visit us at informationbuilders.com, follow us on Twitter at @infobldrs, like us on Facebook, and visit our LinkedIn page. Press Contacts Kathleen Moran Information Builders (917) 339-6313 [email protected] Kate Finigan LEWIS (781) 761-4500 [email protected] SOURCE Information Builders Related Links http://www.informationbuilders.com DUBLIN, March 20, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Allergan plc, (NYSE: AGN), a leading global pharmaceutical company, today announced that the company has received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to market JUVEDERM VOLLURE XC, for correction of moderate to severe facial wrinkles and folds, such as nasolabial folds, in adults over the age of 21.1 In the US pivotal clinical trial, a majority (59%) of subjects saw improvement in moderate to severe nasolabial folds for up to 18 months.* Patient satisfaction in the pivotal study was also high: 82% of patients said they were very satisfied at 6 months and 68% at 18 months.2 "The FDA approval of JUVEDERM VOLLURE XC demonstrates Allergan's imperative to develop next-generation HA fillers designed to meet different patient needs," said David Nicholson, Chief Research and Development Officer at Allergan. "This commitment to ongoing scientific research and development is one of the factors that make JUVEDERM, the number one selling collection of dermal filler products."3 JUVEDERM VOLLURE XC is formulated with Allergan's proprietary VYCROSS technology, which blends different molecular weights of hyaluronic acid, contributing to the gel's duration.4 Our first product featuring VYCROSS technology, JUVEDERM VOLUMA XC, was FDA-approved to increase volume lost due to aging in the cheek area,5 followed by JUVEDERM VOLBELLA XC, FDA-approved for lip augmentation and correction of perioral rhytids.6 Now with JUVEDERM VOLLURE XC, the advanced VYCROSS technology yields a custom engineered injectable gel product which was studied in the nasolabial folds, the number one dermal treatment area. It delivers a long-lasting result, up to 18 months*, that patients appreciate.2,4,7 JUVEDERM VOLLURE XC is specifically tailored with a balance of gel firmness and low cohesivity, yielding a versatile formulation that adds subtle volume for the correction of moderate to severe facial wrinkles and folds.2,4 "What's exciting about JUVEDERM VOLLURE XC is that it was shown to last up to 18 months from the initial or touch-up injection in a majority of subjects, which is the longest lasting result shown in a clinical study in the nasolabial folds,"2 said Dr. Joely Kaufman, a board-certified dermatologist and clinical trial investigator. "As the number of patients seeking dermal filler treatments continues to grow,7 I am pleased that the technology created by Allergan has also followed that same trend, with a full range of products that will allow for tailoring of treatment based on specific patient needs." The most common side effects seen in the clinical study were temporary injection site responses at the treatment site such as swelling, tenderness, bruising, firmness lumps/bumps, redness, pain, discoloration, and itching. Most of these side effects resolved within 1 week.2 JUVEDERM VOLLURE XC was first approved in Europe as JUVEDERM VOLIFT in 2013. The JUVEDERM family of products is marketed and sold in more than 80 countries outside the United States. JUVEDERM VOLLURE XC will be available to physicians in April 2017. For more information about JUVEDERM VOLLURE XC and the JUVEDERM Collection of fillers or to find a doctor, please visit www.juvederm.com. JUVEDERM VOLLURE XC Important Information APPROVED USES JUVEDERM VOLLURE XC injectable gel is for injection into the facial tissue for the correction of moderate to severe facial wrinkles and folds, such as nasolabial folds in adults over the age of 21. IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION Are there any reasons why I should not receive JUVEDERM VOLLURE XC injectable gel? Do not use this product if you have a history of multiple severe allergies or severe allergic reactions (anaphylaxis), or if you are allergic to lidocaine or the Gram-positive bacterial proteins used in this product. What precautions should my doctor advise me about? Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or breastfeeding. The safety of this product for use during pregnancy or while breastfeeding has not been studied The safety of JUVEDERM VOLLURE XC in patients under 22 years has not been studied The safety and effectiveness of JUVEDERM VOLLURE XC in areas other than facial wrinkles and folds have not been established in clinical studies Tell your doctor if you have a history of excessive scarring (e.g., hypertrophic scarring and keloid formations) or pigmentation disorders, as use of this product may result in additional scars or changes in pigmentation Tell your doctor if you are planning other laser treatments or a chemical peel, as there is a possible risk of inflammation at the treatment site if these procedures are performed after treatment Patients who experience skin injury near the site of injection with this product may be at a higher risk for side effects Tell your doctor if you are on immunosuppressive therapy used to decrease the body's immune response, as use of this product may result in an increased risk of infection Tell your doctor if you are using medications that can prolong bleeding, such as aspirin, ibuprofen, or other blood thinners, as this may result in increased bruising or bleeding at the injection site Minimize strenuous exercise, exposure to extensive sun or heat, and alcoholic beverages within the first 24 hours following treatment What are possible side effects? The most commonly reported side effects with JUVEDERM VOLLURE XC injectable gel included injection-site redness, swelling, pain, tenderness, firmness, lumps/bumps, bruising, discoloration, and itching. Most side effects were mild or moderate and lasted 7 days or less. One of the risks with using this product is unintentional injection into a blood vessel, and, while rare, the complications can be serious and may be permanent. These complications, which have been reported for facial injections, can include vision abnormalities, blindness, stroke, temporary scabs, or permanent scarring. As with all skin injection procedures, there is a risk of infection. To report a side effect with JUVEDERM VOLLURE XC please call Allergan at 1-800-433-8871. Please visit Juvederm.com or talk to your doctor for more information. Available by prescription only. * Including optional touch up at 1 month for optimal correction Gel properties assessed with in vitro studies. Clinical significance is unknown. 1. JUVEDERM VOLLURE XC Directions for Use, 2017. 2. JUVEDERM VOLLURE XC Patient Labeling, 2017. 3. Data On File Allergan, Inc.; Proforma Sales JUVEDERM VOLUMA XC, 2015. 4. Bernardin A et al. VYCROSS : An innovative dermal filler technology. Poster presented at: 1st Annual Anti-Aging Medicine European Congress (AMEC ); October 11-12, 2013; Paris, France 5. JUVEDERM VOLUMA XC Directions for Use, 2013. 6. JUVEDERM VOLBELLA XC Directions for Use, 2016. 7. Data On File Allergan, Inc.; Facial Injectables Patient Records Tracking Study Fillers, 2016. About Allergan plc Allergan plc (NYSE: AGN), headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, is a bold, global pharmaceutical company and a leader in a new industry model Growth Pharma. Allergan is focused on developing, manufacturing and commercializing branded pharmaceuticals, devices and biologic products for patients around the world. Allergan markets a portfolio of leading brands and best-in-class products for the central nervous system, eye care, medical aesthetics and dermatology, gastroenterology, women's health, urology 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 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 reflect Allergan's current perspective of existing trends and information as of the date of this release. Except as expressly required by law, Allergan disclaims any intent or obligation to update these forward-looking statements. Actual results may differ materially from Allergan's current expectations depending upon a number of factors affecting Allergan's business. These factors include, among others, the difficulty of predicting the timing or outcome of FDA approvals or actions, if any; the impact of competitive products and pricing; market acceptance of and continued demand for Allergan's products; difficulties or delays in manufacturing; and other risks and uncertainties detailed in Allergan's periodic public filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including but not limited to Allergan's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2016. Except as expressly required by law, Allergan disclaims any intent or obligation to update these forward-looking statements. 2017 Allergan. All rights reserved. All trademarks are the property of their respective owners. CONTACTS: Investors: Karina Calzadilla (862) 261-7558 Media: Mark Marmur (862) 261-7558 Ember Garrett (714) 246-3525 SOURCE Allergan plc Related Links http://www.allergan.com ROCKVILLE, Md., March 20, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Roche, Alere, Abbott, Siemens are among the largest companies in point of care (POC) diagnostics in terms of revenues, according to Kalorama Information. Point-of-care systems are designed to deliver test results in a location and timing to be useful during a patient visit. They consist of devices such as glucose meters, operated by a patient, or small analyzers operated in a physician office lab. Together these companies make up three-fourths of the entire market for point of care diagnostics. The market research firm with a specialty in IVD made the assessment in its latest report The World Market for Point of Care Diagnostics. According to the report, the top seven companies in POC testing are: Roche Alere Abbott Danaher (Beckman and Radiometer Divisions) LifeScan Ascensia Diabetes Care Siemens Healthineers The firm said 2016 revenues were used to make the assessment. Market share within POC categories can be found in Kalorama Information's report. The firm said that Roche dominated POC diagnostics as it leads in several IVD categories. Coagulation and glucose testing are key areas. In June 2015, Roche introduced the cobas c 513 blood glucose analyzer. It is a dedicated, high-throughput HbA1c analyzer suitable for diagnosis, monitoring and risk identification of diabetes patients. Waltham, MA-based Alere secured the second market position Alere participates in nearly all POC test segments but has a dominating position in rapid cardiac markers, blood glucose including HbA1c, coagulation, drugs of abuse, infectious disease, lipid and pregnancy and fertility testing. The company has had challenges recently. The company said it was examining "inappropriate conduct" at the South Korean unit, Standard Diagnostics and federal investigations into Alere's government billing practices and foreign sales plagued the company last year. Yet in the point of care market, it is a dominant brand. Abbott Laboratories, who had made a bid to acquire Alere last year, (now tied up in court and not likely to result in a merged company) held the third position. Abbott offers a good selection of POC tests. Abbott's strongest area of sales is in the blood glucose monitoring market. The introduction of the i-STAT Total -hCG, a handheld blood test for pregnancy has helped POC sales for Abbott. Danaher is fourth. Its Beckman Coulter unit participates in several POC testing segments and is a leader in POC blood and electrolytes testing, colon cancer screening, infectious disease and cancer testing markets. And Danaher's Radiometer participates in the blood and electrolytes and cardiac marker testing. LifeScan is a leader in the blood glucose monitoring and large volume sales there put the company in fifth place. Participating companies in the blood glucose market have been targeted by generics and discounted products available online the company and its Ultra line was hard hit. Ascensia Diabetes Care secured sixth place in the market due to the aforementioned issues in the glucose testing market. Siemens Healthineers is a major participant in POC testing for blood and electrolytes, rapid coagulation, rapid cardiac markers, drugs of abuse and urinalysis tests and earned seventh place. The remaining market share is held by large, small and start-up companies including Abraxis, Accriva, bioMerieux, Ortho Diagnostics, Response Biomedical, Church & Dwight, Quidel, Prestige Brands, Meridian BioScience, Helena Labs, Polymedco, Enterix, Exact, OraSure, Trinity Biomedical, Abaxis, Polymer Technologies, EKF Diagnostics, Eiken Chemical, IL, Nova Biomedical, OPKO Health, Sysmex, and many others, Together these companies account for approximately $4.1 billion in revenues for 2016. Kalorama Information's Point of Care (POC) Diagnostics is available at https://www.kaloramainformation.com/Point-Care-POC-10616559/. More of Kalorama's diagnostics market reports can be found at: https://www.kaloramainformation.com/diagnostics-market-c1125/. About Kalorama Information Kalorama Information, a division of MarketResearch.com, supplies the latest in independent medical market research in diagnostics, biotech, pharmaceuticals, medical devices and healthcare; as well as a full range of custom research services. Reports can be purchased through Kalorama's website and are also available on www.marketresearch.com and www.profound.com. We routinely assist the media with healthcare topics. Follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn and our blog on our company website. Please link any media or news references to our reports or data to http://www.kaloramainformation.com/. Press Contact: Bruce Carlson 212 807 2262 [email protected] SOURCE Kalorama Information Related Links http://http://www.kaloramainformation.com/ IRVINE, Calif., March 20, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Kelley Blue Book www.kbb.com, the vehicle valuation and information source trusted and relied upon by both consumers and the automotive industry, today announced its first in a series of international launches with the introduction of Kelley Blue Book in Portugal at KBB.PT. According to a 2017 TGI Grupo Marktest study, price was the No. 1 important factor for both new- and used-car shoppers in Portugal, with 74 percent of new-car buyers and 72 percent of used-car buyers indicating the importance of price in their purchase decision. In the United States, Kelley Blue Book is the most used third-party vehicle valuation and information site1, visited by more than 20 million unique visitors each month. Kelley Blue Book is the fourth Cox Automotive brand to join the Portugal market, with Manheim Portugal, which recently celebrated its 10-year anniversary, along with Incadea and Auto SAPO Venda Ja. "Kelley Blue Book's expansion to Portugal is a testament to our 90-year history of providing car buyers and sellers with trusted vehicle values, fair pricing and automotive expertise to make well informed purchasing decisions," said Dan Ingle, vice president of international business development for Cox Automotive Media Solutions Group, which includes Kelley Blue Book and Autotrader. "We're confident KBB.PT will quickly become the market standard for vehicle pricing and valuations in Portugal, offering the industry and consumers with effective transparency within the car market." Built in partnership with Janela Digital, a leading supplier of technological solutions, KBB.PT is a completely re-envisioned web-based consumer and valuation platform. KBB.PT was created in collaboration with our partners in Portugal, who worked alongside our specialists in the United States, including data scientists, web designers and other in-house experts. Kelley Blue Book will seek to replicate the consumer and valuations platform as it expands into other markets. Visitors to KBB.PT will have free access to trade-in, private party, used-car retail and new-car retail pricing. Specifically for the automotive industry, Kelley Blue Book Auction Values also will be available in an industry-facing software product coming to the Portugal market. "Intended to address the need for a more sophisticated vehicle valuation solution in most markets around the globe both from an industry and consumer perspective we built a new multi-currency, multi-language vehicle valuation engine that can be adapted to other international markets," said Nuno Castel Branco, business development director at Cox Automotive, parent company of Kelley Blue Book. "We expect the development and architecture behind the new Kelley Blue Book Portugal platform to increase operational efficiencies when we launch in other territories." For KBB.PT, Kelley Blue Book also partnered with Auto SAPO, a leading provider of automotive classified listings in Portugal, which will help provide classified pricing data in Portugal, one of a variety of data inputs used to fuel the valuations engine. "For SAPO it is of utmost importance to partner with Kelley Blue Book, a leader in vehicle valuation and automotive research," said Filipa Martins, director of SAPO. "SAPO's partnership with Kelley Blue Book strengthens the offerings to the automotive industry in Portugal. Kelley Blue Book provides vehicle values, a needed service in the market, to help bring consumers and dealers closer together. Kelley Blue Book also provides vehicle research, news and advice, and information about auto shows through our dedicated area of the SAPO website, Motores, where users can navigate through the articles, as well as offers to sell or purchase a vehicle." In addition, Kelley Blue Book Portugal will offer auto intenders and enthusiasts with an array of content developed by the newly formed KBB.PT Editorial Team, which has been working closely with KBB.com's award-winning editorial experts. For more information on the launch of Kelley Blue Book Portugal (KBB.PT), please contact a member of the Kelley Blue Book Media Relations teams. 1 Cox Automotive 2017 Car Buyer Journey study About Kelley Blue Book (www.kbb.com) Founded in 1926, Kelley Blue Book, The Trusted Resource, is the vehicle valuation and information source trusted and relied upon by both consumers and the automotive industry. Each week the company provides the most market-reflective values in the industry on its top-rated website KBB.com, including its famous Blue Book Trade-In Values and Fair Purchase Price, which reports what others are paying for new and used cars this week. The company also provides vehicle pricing and values through various products and services available to car dealers, auto manufacturers, finance and insurance companies, and governmental agencies. In the United States, Kelley Blue Book's KBB.com is ranked highest in its category for brand equity by the 2016 Harris Poll EquiTrend study and has been named Online Auto Shopping Brand of the Year for five consecutive years. Kelley Blue Book Co., Inc. is a Cox Automotive brand. About Cox Automotive Cox Automotive Inc. is transforming the way the world buys, sells and owns cars with industry-leading digital marketing, software, financial, wholesale and e-commerce solutions for consumers, dealers, manufacturers and the overall automotive ecosystem worldwide. Committed to open choice and dedicated to strong partnerships, the Cox Automotive family includes Autotrader, Dealer.com, Dealertrack, Kelley Blue Book, Manheim, NextGear Capital, vAuto, Xtime and a host of other brands. The global company has 33,000 team members in more than 200 locations and is partner to more than 40,000 auto dealers, as well as most major automobile manufacturers, while engaging U.S. consumer car buyers with the most recognized media brands in the industry. Cox Automotive is a subsidiary of Cox Enterprises Inc., an Atlanta-based company with revenues exceeding $20 billion and approximately 60,000 employees. Cox Enterprises' other major operating subsidiaries include Cox Communications and Cox Media Group. For more information about Cox Automotive, visit www.coxautoinc.com. About Auto SAPO Launched in 2005, Auto SAPO is one of the leading online references in Portugal for the acquisition and sale of Automobiles, receiving more than 750,000 Monthly Visits that consult the 22,000 plus vehicles announced. Auto SAPO also has a private vehicle acquisition service (Auto SAPO Venda Ja) and an innovative service that facilitates cars transactions between Individuals (Auto SAPO Premium). This auto Marketplace is part of the SAPO universe, the leading internet portal in Portugal with more than 1 million daily visits, which is owned by the Altice group. SOURCE Kelley Blue Book Related Links http://www.kbb.com CHICAGO, March 20, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Beverly Kim, a 2000 graduate of Kendall College School of Culinary Arts in Chicago, has been named a 2017 James Beard Award finalist. Kim and her husband Johnny Clark own and operate Parachute, a Korean and American cuisine restaurant in Chicago, and their expertise and creativity has them in the running for the Best Chef Great Lakes category, which includes Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Ohio. "We are humbled and honored to be recognized by the James Beard Association, and we could not be more excited," said Kim. "We have an amazing team that works tirelessly and passionately day in and day out, and it is because of them that Parachute has become what it is." The James Beard Awards are one of the food industry's most prestigious honors. Three Kendall College alumni, in addition to Kim, were among this year's James Beard Association semifinalists: Ryan McCaskey (1996 graduate) was a semifinalist in the Best Chef Great Lakes category. McCaskey owns and operates Acadia, a contemporary American establishment in Chicago. Dan Fox (2003 graduate), owner and executive chef of Heritage Tavern in Madison, Wisconsin was a semifinalist for the Best Chef Midwest honor. And Michelle Gayer (1990 graduate) was a semifinalist in the Outstanding Baker category. Gayer owns and operates Salty Tart, a bakery located in Minneapolis. "I had the pleasure of teaching Beverly at Kendall College and could not be more proud of her," said Chris Koetke, vice president, Kendall College School of Culinary Arts. "The students, in particular, love to see individuals who once studied in the same classrooms and kitchens being recognized by the James Beard Association because it lets them know that anything is possible. Beverly is a strong example of what our students can achieve through hard work and dedication. Our Kendall College students, faculty and fellow alumni are rooting for Beverly and Johnny." For the second year in a row, Kendall College is proud to sponsor and be the exclusive culinary education partner of the James Beard Foundation Awards. Kendall College will host the James Beard Award brunch and panel on Sunday, April 30, 2017. The James Beard Awards Reception & Gala will take place on Monday, May 1, 2017, at the Lyric Opera of Chicago. For more information about Kendall College and its degree programs, visit www.kendall.edu. About Kendall College: Kendall College, founded in 1934 and located in Chicago, offers undergraduate degrees in culinary arts, hospitality management, business and early childhood education that combine strong academics with practical experience and international opportunities. Kendall College was ranked the No. 1 program in Chicago for preparing students for careers in hospitality management and culinary arts in a survey of hiring managers at Chicago's leading hotels and Michelin Guide restaurants (TNS Global - 2013 Survey). Kendall College is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission. Kendall is one of more than 70 institutions in 25 countries that comprise the Laureate International Universities network. For more information about Kendall visit www.kendall.edu. SOURCE Kendall College Related Links http://www.kendall.edu DETROIT, March 20, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Lauren Lawrence, MBA, RHIA, has been promoted to vice president of Karmanos Cancer Network, effective immediately. She will report to Justin Klamerus, M.D., MMM, president of Karmanos Cancer Hospital and Karmanos Cancer Network. Lawrence most recently served as executive director of Community-Based Programs at the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute and assumes her new leadership role for Karmanos' network of 14 cancer centers throughout Michigan. "I am extremely pleased to announce Lauren's promotion," said Dr. Klamerus. "She has been an outstanding leader and has demonstrated that not only does she have the administrative and leadership skills to succeed in this position, she also has the ability to bring people together within Karmanos and the entire McLaren Health Care System. She has my full confidence that she will provide the direction that we need as the state's largest cancer care and research network." As vice president of Karmanos Cancer Network, Lawrence will provide oversight and leadership for cancer program administration, including interacting with network regional directors, radiation services leadership, site administrators and McLaren subsidiary leadership. She also will develop long-range goals, annual objectives and strategic initiatives within the network. Other job responsibilities include developing and managing the network's fiscal operational budget; facilitating efficient network referral processes for patients to Karmanos Cancer Hospital for Phase I Clinical Trials, rare-complex surgeries, second opinions and other services; and collaborating with Karmanos and McLaren leadership to develop strategies for business development, volume growth and improved market share. "I am excited about and energized by this new opportunity within the Karmanos Cancer Network," Lawrence said. "I share the same focus and mission that all network employees do in providing the best cancer care to all Michigan's residents. In my capacity as vice president of the network, I will work diligently to further Karmanos' cause of eliminating cancer by providing the skills that will allow the network to operate smoothly and successfully." Prior to joining Karmanos Cancer Institute/McLaren Health Care, Lawrence was executive director of the Seidman Cancer Center at Lake Health University Hospitals in Mentor, Ohio. She resides in Mount Pleasant. About the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute Located in mid-town Detroit, Michigan, the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute, a subsidiary of McLaren Health Care, is one of 47 National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer centers in the United States. Karmanos is among the nation's best cancer centers. Through the commitment of 1,000 staff, including nearly 300 physicians and researchers on faculty at the Wayne State University School of Medicine, and supported by thousands of volunteer and financial donors, Karmanos strives to prevent, detect and eradicate all forms of cancer. Its long-term partnership with the WSU School of Medicine enhances the collaboration of critical research and academics related to cancer care. Gerold Bepler, M.D., Ph.D., is the Institute's president and chief executive officer. For more information call 1-800-KARMANOS or go to www.karmanos.org. SOURCE Karmanos Cancer Institute Related Links http://www.karmanos.org RESTON, Va., March 20, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- With a growing worldwide demand for a technical workforce, Leidos (NYSE: LDOS), a global science and technology company, is looking to inspire the next generation of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) professionals through cybersecurity training. The company is excited to announce the beginning of its 2017 Cyber Challenge season and its sponsorship of events using Leidos' CyberNEXS platform. The company plans to sponsor a number of challenges and demonstrations across the world with industry and school partners. Inter-ACE, the first cyber challenge event, occurred on March 18 at the University College Cambridge, in the United Kingdom, and is the preliminary competition for a larger cross-nation cyber battle known as Cambridge 2 Cambridge, beginning in July. Leidos will also participate in the SoCal Cyber Cup Challenge in San Diego and a challenge with Augusta University in Georgia, as well as hold demonstrations at tradeshows including, Sea Air Space, Special Operations Forces Industry Conference and Air Force Association's Annual Conference. CyberNEXS is a scalable cybersecurity trainer that provides hands-on learning experience for both students and industry security professionals. The platform uses scenario-based exercises and a secure virtual environment to assess network and system attack-and-defend, forensics, and penetration strategies. "Leidos is a strong supporter of STEM activities, and sees its importance in attracting and inspiring cybersecurity talent," said Doreen Harwood, Leidos senior vice president, Cyber & SIGINT Solutions. "By introducing students and professionals to CyberNEXS, we hope to increase their interest in this evolving field, and grow the future workforce to support critical global 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 MONTGOMERYVILLE, Pa., March 20, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- LEM Products, Inc. owner and CEO Maureen O'Connor announces the relocation and expansion of the company to a new 43,000 square foot facility in Montgomeryville, PA. Combined with an aggressive capital expenditure program, this move more than doubles manufacturing capacity and adds advanced digital printing and finishing capabilities to an already multi-faceted production operation. This significant investment in American jobs is in stark contrast to a major competitor, which recently moved over 100 jobs to Mexico. For 50 years, LEM Products, Inc. has produced industrial identification decals, tags, signs, fleet graphics and other durable electrical and industrial identification products that are used to mark sites, facilities and equipment for OSHA compliance and corporate branding and asset management. This industry leader provides clients with a variety of different products that are integral in maintenance, repair and operation (MRO). The OSHA safety signs that are used in the MRO process include calibration labels, lockout tags, machine warning labels and tags. Additionally, LEM tags, labels and signs are used by watercraft and wind turbine manufacturers, underground and aerial utility facilities, and for many other applications, and are available in multilingual versions and custom constructions. LEM Products, Inc. provides quick response to customer requests, strives to help them achieve their goals and supports initiatives for inventory reduction, cost savings, vendor consolidations and diversity. Interested parties can learn more about LEM Products, Inc., their hazard labels and their recent relocation and expansion by calling 800-220-2400 or visiting the company online at http://www.lemproductsinc.com/. About LEM Products, Inc.: LEM Products, Inc. is an industry leader in the manufacture of identification products that protect people by identifying potential hazards, provide instructional and facility/site safety information. Precision manufacturing, a dedication to customer satisfaction and a commitment to achieving corporate targets for growth and social investment set LEM apart in the industry. LEM Products, Inc. is a WBENC certified company with the reputation as a leading safety identification supplier in North America and beyond. They are certified by the California Public Utilities Commission and the Pennsylvania Department of General Services. Business placed with LEM Products, Inc. qualifies for Federal and State Diversity Spend initiatives. For 50 years, LEM Products, Inc. has been providing wire marking, pipe marking, safety signage, lockout tags and other products to utilities, corporations, and manufacturers to mark facilities and products for OSHA/ANSI compliance and safety. Maureen O'Connor, CEO, has received numerous awards for her leadership, her commitment to diversity in the workplace and community involvement. LEM has built a solid reputation, across industries as a dependable supplier of industrial products ranging from safety labels and safety signs to lockout tagout to custom tags and more. For more information, please visit http://www.lemproductsinc.com/. SOURCE LEM Products, Inc. INDIANAPOLIS, March 20, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE: LLY) today announced that its MONARCH 2 trial of abemaciclib met the primary endpoint of progression-free survival (PFS). The Phase 3 study evaluated abemaciclib, a cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) 4 and CDK 6 inhibitor, in combination with fulvestrant in women with hormone-receptor-positive (HR+), human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative (HER2-), advanced breast cancer who have relapsed or progressed after endocrine therapy. The results demonstrated the addition of abemaciclib to fulvestrant resulted in a statistically significant improvement in PFS, when compared to the control arm of placebo plus fulvestrant. Detailed efficacy and safety results will be presented at an upcoming medical meeting. "We are excited about the outcome of our first Phase 3 study for abemaciclib. These data are an important milestone in our goal of bringing abemaciclib to patients with advanced breast cancer, and we look forward to our upcoming conversations with regulators," said Levi Garraway, M.D., Ph.D., senior vice president, global development and medical affairs, Lilly Oncology. "This is another example of Lilly's commitment to delivering breakthrough treatments and improving outcomes for patients with cancer." The global Phase 3, double-blind study was designed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of abemaciclib, in combination with fulvestrant, in patients with advanced (locoregionally recurrent or metastatic) breast cancer. The intent-to-treat population of 669 patients was randomized to receive abemaciclib or placebo orally twice a day on a continuous dosing schedule, given in combination with fulvestrant at its approved dose and schedule, until disease progression. Patients enrolled in the study had experienced disease progression on or within 12 months of receiving endocrine treatment in the neoadjuvant or adjuvant setting or while receiving first-line endocrine therapy for metastatic disease. Patients who had received chemotherapy in the metastatic setting were not eligible for the study. The most common adverse events observed were diarrhea, neutropenia, nausea and fatigue, and were consistent with the previous studies of abemaciclib. Lilly intends to submit a new drug application (NDA) for single-agent abemaciclib in the second quarter of 2017, based on the MONARCH 1 study, for the treatment of refractory metastatic breast cancer patients whose disease had progressed following multiple prior treatments, including endocrine therapy and one to two chemotherapy regimens in the metastatic setting. Lilly plans to submit an additional application for MONARCH 2 in the third quarter of this year. Along with MONARCH 1 and MONARCH 2, Lilly currently has additional trials evaluating abemaciclib in breast cancer. MONARCH 3 is a Phase 3 trial of abemaciclib in combination with a nonsteroidal aromatase inhibitor in patients with HR+, HER2- advanced breast cancer. Additionally, there is a Phase 2 MONARCH trial under way: monarcHER, which is evaluating abemaciclib plus trastuzumab (with or without fulvestrant) in women with HR+, HER2+ locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer. In each of these studies, abemaciclib is administered on a continuous dosing schedule. About Metastatic Breast Cancer Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women worldwide with nearly 1.7 million new cases diagnosed in 2012.[1] In the U.S. this year, approximately 252,710 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed and about 40,610 people will die from breast cancer.[2] Of all early stage breast cancer cases diagnosed in the U.S., approximately 30 percent will become metastatic, spreading to other parts of the body. In addition, an estimated six to 10 percent of all new breast cancer cases are initially diagnosed as being stage IV, or metastatic.[3] Metastatic breast cancer is considered incurable, but is generally treatable. About Abemaciclib In many cancers, uncontrolled cell growth arises from a loss of cell cycle regulation due to increased signaling from CDK 4 and CDK 6. Abemaciclib (LY2835219) is an investigational, oral cell cycle inhibitor, designed to block the growth of cancer cells by specifically inhibiting cyclin-dependent kinases, CDK 4 and CDK 6 and was most active against Cyclin D1 and CDK 4 in cell-free enzymatic assays. In breast cancer, Cyclin D1/CDK 4 has been shown to promote phosphorylation of the retinoblastoma protein (Rb), cell proliferation, and tumor growth. In hormone receptorpositive breast cancer cell lines, sustained target inhibition by abemaciclib reduced phosphorylation of Rb, inducing cell cycle arrest. In 2015, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted abemaciclib Breakthrough Therapy Designation based on data from the breast cancer cohort expansion of the company's Phase 1 trial, JPBA, which studied the efficacy and safety of abemaciclib in women with advanced or metastatic breast cancer. In addition to its current MONARCH clinical trials evaluating abemaciclib in breast cancer, a Phase 3 trial of abemaciclib in lung cancer is also under way. For more information on additional abemaciclib trials, a complete listing can be found on ClinicalTrials.gov (in the search box on the home page, type in "abemaciclib"). About Lilly Oncology For more than 50 years, Lilly has been dedicated to delivering life-changing medicines and support to people living with cancer and those who care for them. Lilly is determined to build on this heritage and continue making life better for all those affected by cancer around the world. To learn more about Lilly's commitment to people with cancer, please visit www.LillyOncology.com. About Eli Lilly and Company Lilly is a global healthcare leader that unites caring with discovery to make life better for people around the world. We were founded more than a century ago by a man committed to creating high-quality medicines that meet real needs, and today we remain true to that mission in all our work. Across the globe, Lilly employees work to discover and bring life-changing medicines to those who need them, improve the understanding and management of disease, and give back to communities through philanthropy and volunteerism. To learn more about Lilly, please visit us at www.lilly.com and www.lilly.com/newsroom/social-channels. P-LLY Lilly USA, LLC 2017. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Fulvestrant (Faslodex), MedImmune/AstraZeneca. MedImmune Limited/AstraZeneca provided fulvestrant for this trial. Lilly Forward-Looking Statement This press release contains forward-looking statements (as that term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995) about abemaciclib as a potential treatment for patients with breast cancer and reflects Lilly's current beliefs. However, as with any pharmaceutical product, there are substantial risks and uncertainties in the process of development and commercialization. Among other things, there can be no guarantee that abemaciclib will receive regulatory approvals or be commercially successful. For further discussion of these and other risks and uncertainties, see Lilly's most recent Form 10-K and Form 10-Q filings with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission. Except as required by law, Lilly undertakes no duty to update forward-looking statements to reflect events after the date of this release. [1] World Cancer Research Fund International. Breast Cancer. http://www.wcrf.org/cancer_statistics/data_specific_cancers/breast_cancer_statistics.php. Accessed: March 18, 2017. [2] American Cancer Society. What are the key statistics about breast cancer? http://www.cancer.org/cancer/breastcancer/detailedguide/breast-cancer-key-statistics. Accessed: March 18, 2017. [3] Metastatic Breast Cancer Network. 13 Facts about Metastatic Breast Cancer. http://www.mbcn.org/13-facts-about-metastatic-breast-cancer/. Accessed: March 18, 2017. SOURCE Eli Lilly and Company "With his focus on building operational excellence and producing results through process improvement, Mark Good's leadership skills are a great fit for WASH during this exciting time of extraordinary expansion and deepening of enterprise capabilities," says Doug Gilstrap, Chairman, WASH Board of Directors. Additionally, Good's demonstrated experience with successful mergers and acquisitions will enable new strategic partnership opportunities, continued territory expansion, and potential extension into adjacent business lines. "On behalf of the Board and the company, it is my pleasure to welcome Mark to WASH," adds Gilstrap. "I am excited about this new opportunity," says Mark Good. "WASH is positioned to be a world-class leader in the multifamily service industry. I look forward to putting my decades of executive experience and hands-on operational know-how to work with the rest of the management team and the board as we guide WASH during this historic, transformative phase of growth and development," Good continues. Mark Good is an accomplished senior executive with a proven track record of driving profitable growth in the consumer services and self-storage industries. Prior to joining WASH, Good served as co-founder and CEO of LifeStorage, LP, where he rapidly scaled growth of the company by leading acquisitions, organizational build-out and brand positioning, resulting in building the fourth largest private owner/operator of self-storage facilities in the U.S. in just four years. Before that, Mark served as chief operating officer of Public Storage, the largest publicly traded self-storage company in the world. Prior to that, Mark served as executive vice president of Sears Holdings and president of Sears Home Services, the largest home-related services organization in North America, which provides appliance sales, installation and aftermarket services to over 22 million residential and commercial customers. Mark also served on the Board of Directors of LifeStorage, Sears Canada, Inc., A&E Factory Servicethe nation's second largest appliance repair provider and a joint venture between Sears and Whirlpool Corporationand the Lincoln Park Zoo of Chicago. He holds an MBA from San Francisco State University and a BA from the University of California at Berkeley. About WASH WASH is a leader in technology-advanced, eco-friendly laundry room operations. Its "best-in-class" facilities management services can be found at apartment properties, condominiums, college and university residence halls, military bases and other multi-housing locations. More than 7 million people do their weekly laundry at a WASH facility. WASH is a privately held company founded in 1947 and based in El Segundo, Calif. and operating in 20 U.S. states and all Canadian provinces. Through its subsidiary Coinamatic Canada, WASH also operates a commercial laundry distributorship and ParkSmart, a parking facilities services business. For more information, please visit www.washlaundry.com or call 800-421-6897, ext. 1600. Contact: Cathy Jackson WASH Multifamily Laundry Systems (310) 297-9437 [email protected] SOURCE WASH Multifamily Laundry Systems Related Links http://www.washlaundry.com NEW YORK, March 20, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- MetTel has won its third consecutive Stevie Award for market-leading customer service, the company announced today. The award was based on its work on behalf of enterprise clients, including a dramatic rescue mission in which MetTel rescued the communications network of a national chain from another provider's outage in a matter of weekend hours. MetTel was alerted late one Friday afternoon by an urgent call for assistance from the client, a national chain that operates more than 2,000 service locations across the United States and Canada. The client's voice services had gone down and the company's existing provider was unable to restore service in a reasonable time frame, a fact that could cost the company a significant amount of business. A 2016 study by IHS Markit found that each IT-related outage costs large North American enterprises $60 million on average. Voice services were particularly important to this client, as nearly all of its business is obtained by use of voice services. MetTel's Customer Care team knew they would have to work very quickly to understand what services and equipment the chain had in place before they would be able to design and implement a solution. Working together with the client's operations and IT teams, MetTel was able to determine that while the customer had an active data network at the affected locations, they would need to build out a Cloud PBX solution via client-provided bandwidth. To complete the solution, MetTel would need to deploy hardware and field resources, as well as coordinate Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) changes to re-route the traffic to its Broadsoft network. That, in turn, would entail deploying various routers and phone sets to replace what the customer already had on-site to each of the affected locations within hours of first receiving the emergency call for help. Complicating matters further, MetTel would also have to dispatch a power supply to each location. This meant MetTel's team had to coordinate numerous field technicians to manually configure each new phone and run structured cabling. Only 20 hours later -- less than one weekend day the customer's voice system was back up and running and MetTel had another example of its award-winning customer service. Since its founding 21 years ago, MetTel has staked its claim on consistently providing superior customer service. Every customer receives the same "white glove" level of care that has become synonymous with the MetTel name. "MetTel's Customer Care team parachuted in and solved a customer crisis in record time," said Marshall Aronow, CEO of MetTel. "This lightning response and heroic effort is something we take pride in and our customers truly appreciate as shown by their continuing business." MetTel's customer service invests in advanced technology and continuing education to keep its troubleshooters sharp. In 2016, MetTel introduced new software tools to provide: A refined, automated update to client/ticket contacts with live new data at the client's preferred milestone level. Robust information technology infrastructure library (ITIL) service level agreement (SLA) based workflow engine to ensure proper management of inbound requests from clients and revamped inbound IVR to minimize call wait times. About MetTel MetTel is a leading global provider of integrated digital communications solutions for enterprise customers. By converging all communications over a proprietary network, MetTel enables enterprise companies to easily deploy and manage technology-driven voice, data, wireless and cloud solutions worldwide. MetTel's comprehensive portfolio of customer solutions boosts enterprise productivity, reduces costs and simplifies operations. Combining customized and managed communication solutions with a powerful platform of cloud-based software, the company's MetTel Portal enables customers to manage their inventory, usage, spend and repairs from one simple, user friendly interface. For more information visit www.mettel.net, follow us on Twitter (@OneMetTel) and on LinkedIn, or call us directly at 877.963.8663. MetTel. Connect Smarter. *MetTel is a registered trademark of Manhattan Telecommunications Corporation. Other product and company names mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners. SOURCE MetTel Related Links http://www.mettel.net Online marketplace will unveil basis, futures and payment options to facilitate larger transactions and improve deal flow CHICAGO, March 20, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- FarmLead, North America's leading online grain marketplace, today announced a $6.5 million USD Series A raise led by Monsanto Growth Ventures (MGV), with additional investments from Avrio Ventures, the MaRS Innovation Accelerator Fund and Serra Ventures. The close supports FarmLead's expansion into the U.S. market and the opening of its U.S. headquarters in Chicago, a key access point to prominent U.S. grain production regions. Kiersten Stead of MGV and Aki Georgacacos of Avrio Ventures will join FarmLead's Board of Directors. Since its inception in 2013, FarmLead has grown to serve more than 4,000 farms across North America and has seen levels of tonnage traded rise 200-300% higher YoY. As the center of commerce for grain traders, the FarmLead Marketplace extends users' market reach and the opportunity to achieve higher ROI. Once limited by highly localized, relationship-dependent practices, farmers now have access to a wealth of buyers online to garner the best pricing possible for their grain. Key additions to FarmLead's product line include an innovative forward contracting service that will allow growers to sell to interested buyers based on forecasted grain yields - enabling better financial management of farm operations. "Despite the recent levels of technology innovation in agriculture, very few companies are aimed at the critical commerce piece of the equation that helps farmers realize profits from day one," said Kiersten Stead, Investment Director at MGV. "FarmLead built a platform that can do just that and is a key part of a diversified approach to marketing and trading grain. We are delighted to support a great team and to partner with committed investors to enable an open marketplace that gives the industry more options and a differentiated advantage." Through its award-winning platform, FarmLead allows farmers to post their bids online or engage directly with farmers who have listed their grain for sale. No other marketplace provides the same level of flexibility when it comes to negotiating physical cash for conventional, organic, or identity preserved grains. Now, as Farmlead expands its Midwest office in Chicago, the company is actively recruiting regional Customer Success and Business Development representatives, along with key US-based operational roles to better service customers in key crop markets. "This investment signals the appetite for a solution that accelerates the rates of commercial grain marketing transactions," says FarmLead CEO and Co-Founder, Brennan Turner. "Our ability to increase deal flow for farmers, enabling them to negotiate better prices and other key trade terms online, allows farms to take ownership of their grain production and marketing lifecycle. This is the future of grain trading and we are truly poised to transform the way agricultural commodities are traded worldwide." About FarmLead FarmLead is North America's cash grain marketplace. The online platform allows buyers and sellers to list, negotiate and finalize grain deals. Registering, browsing, posting and negotiating grain deals on the FarmLead Marketplace is 100% free. Buyers and Sellers on the FarmLead Marketplace only pay when a deal is finalized. FarmLead is headquartered in Ottawa, Ontario and operates offices across Canada. For more information visit www.farmlead.com or follow us on twitter.com/farmlead. About MGV MGV is the Venture Capital arm of Monsanto, and invests in emerging teams and ideas that improve agriculture across all technology stacks. Monsanto is committed to bringing a broad range of solutions to help nourish our growing world. We produce seeds for fruits, vegetables and key crops such as corn, soybeans, and cotton that help farmers have better harvests while using water and other important resources more efficiently. We work to find sustainable solutions for soil health, help farmers use data to improve farming practices and conserve natural resources, and provide crop protection products to minimize damage from pests and disease. Through programs and partnerships, we collaborate with farmers, researchers, nonprofit organizations, universities and others to help tackle some of the world's biggest challenges. To learn more about Monsanto, our commitments and our more than 20,000 dedicated employees, please visit: discover.monsanto.com and monsanto.com. Follow our business on Twitter at twitter.com/MonsantoCo, on the company blog, Beyond the Rows at monsantoblog.com or subscribe to our News Release RSS Feed. About Avrio Capital The Avrio group of entities was established in 2002 to identify and invest in innovative food and agriculture companies that provide solutions to global challenges in the areas of health, wellness and sustainability. As the global pioneer in ag and food technology investing, the team has been an active investor in the space for almost 15 years, having completed over fifty investments since its inception. Avrio is a highly engaged investor, working closely alongside of their portfolio companies to provide the support and resources needed to transform emerging companies into global leaders. Website: http://www.avriocapital.com/ Twitter: @avriocapital About MaRS MaRS Innovation is the commercialization agent for 15 of Ontario's leading academic institutions. It provides investors and licensees access to technology assets emerging from MaRS Innovation's members, who receive over a billion dollars in annual research and development funding. Supported by the Government of Canada through the Networks of Centres of Excellence, by the Government of Ontario through the Ontario Centres of Excellence, Ministry of Research, Innovation and Science, and by its members, MaRS Innovation is a transformational partnership that turns research strengths into commercial opportunities through industry partnerships, licensing and company creation. Website: http://www.marsinnovation.com Twitter: @marsinnovation About Serra Ventures Serra Ventures is an early stage venture capital firm investing in technology companies in emerging Midwest technology centers and selected other geographies. Sectors of focus include information technology, devices/instrumentation and agricultural technologies. Serra Ventures is headquartered in the University of Illinois Research Park in Champaign, Illinois. Website: http://serraventures.com/ Twitter: @SerraVentures Contact: MissionCTRL Communications for FarmLead [email protected] SOURCE FarmLead Related Links http://www.farmlead.com Motiv has met Ford's stringent assessment criteria verifying the company meets the manufacturing, assembly, workmanship, customer service and quality requirements of the eQVM program. Customers can be confident that their Motiv-powered electric work trucks are in compliance with Ford guidelines and retain their factory warranties. Motiv's inclusion in the program aligns with the company's longstanding mission to offer a scalable electric powertrain option for fleet vehicles, thereby reducing emissions and environmental impact of industrial vehicles. Motiv's technology aims to fundamentally change the way fleet vehicles are powered and inclusion in Ford's program is a logical step in this goal. "Motiv is committed to freeing fleet vehicles from their dependency on fossil fuels. Our powertrains coupled with Ford's existing commercial vehicle chassis are an ideal match. Partnering with Ford in programs like this will work towards our greater goal: making electric-powered commercial vehicles the norm not the exception," said Jim Castelaz, founder and CEO of Motiv Power Systems. Motiv's patented Powertrain Control System uses independent battery and accessory control combined with commercially proven electrical components to provide a unique, modular and scalable all-electric powertrain. The inherent flexibility in this architecture enables matching of major components such as batteries and motors to meet the exact needs of a vehicle's route requirements. This enables reliable battery electric trucks and buses to be built on the same chassis and bodies as their fossil-fueled counterparts. Vehicle applications utilizing Motiv's technology include delivery vehicles, shuttles and school buses across a variety of Ford Chassis, most notably the E-450 and F59. Named one of Popular Science's Best of What's New technologies, the Motiv All-Electric Powertrain has successfully been scaled across a variety of Ford Chassis, most notably the E-450 and F59. Current trucks powered by Motiv include school buses for Kings Canyon Unified School District, walk-in vans for AmeriPride Services, shuttle buses funded by Google and the CEC, and North America's first all-electric refuse truck deployed by the City of Chicago. These zero-emission trucks and buses have shown a reduction of total operating costs by up to 87 percent compared to diesel trucks. About Motiv Founded in 2009 and based in Foster City, CA, award-winning Motiv Power Systems designs and builds flexible and scalable Electric Powertrains for commercial medium and heavy-duty trucks and buses. Motiv partners with existing truck builders who manufacture electric versions of their traditional fossil-fueled vehicles on their current assembly lines using the Motiv Powertrain Control System. Common vehicle types from these builders include work, delivery and refuse trucks, as well as school and shuttle buses. The Motiv Powertrain Control System is installed at the time of vehicle manufacture, similar to a natural gas or propane upfit. For more information and career opportunities, please visit www.motivps.com and follow us on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. SOURCE Motiv Power Systems Related Links http://www.motivps.com MIAMI, March 20, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- dotCMS, a leading edge, open-source Java based content management platform, is proud to announce the launch of their new UI/UX with the unveiling of dotCMS 4.0. Built using Angular 2 JS and coupled with inspiration from the concepts of Google's Material Design, this anticipated major version release introduces the dotCMS 4.x series: A series focused on the redesign and advancement of the platform's UI/UX. "We've been working hard to create an updated product UI that takes advantage of some of the latest trends as well as emphasize what matters most: a better user experience," said Jason Smith, dotCMS Chief Creative Officer. "This is only the first step of an agile process rollout as we continue to unveil the new redesign in the 4.x series throughout 2017." The first release in the 4.x series includes enhancements to the platform aimed at increasing usability, efficiency, and all around improved user experience. A major enhancement in 4.0 is the single page app layout that allows for a consistent menu on all pages. The seamless experience provides is an improved experience from past versions that required users to migrate between sections to complete tasks. This new improvement will be especially welcomed by content editors. Users will notice new notifications at the top of the page with the single page app layout. These are comparable to the notifications on smartphones and inform users when tasks are completed. A new, centralized "Actions Button" has also been added to provide users quick access to their most recent content and widgets, pages, files, and personas. Moreover, a fully manageable and customizable device preview allows editors to preview content on mobile in addition to desktop. For more information, please visit www.dotcms.com/dotcms-4. About dotCMS dotCMS is a leading, open source Java content management platform for companies that want innovation and performance driving their websites and other content-driven applications. Founded in 2003, dotCMS is a privately owned US company with offices in Miami, Boston, and San Jose, Costa Rica. Notable dotCMS customers include: TELUS, Standard & Poors, Hospital Corporation of America, Royal Bank of Canada, DirecTV, Nomura Bank, Thomson Reuters, China Mobile, Aon, DriveTest Ontario and ICANN. SOURCE dotCMS Related Links http://www.dotcms.com BANGKOK, March 20, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- A new Independent film called M.I.A. A Greater Evil, produced by MIAAGE Company, Ltd, is likely to reopen old wounds from the Vietnam War. Scheduled for a summer release, the supernatural thriller deals with uncomfortable truths about the Vietnam conflict, including the fate of American POWs allegedly left behind after the war ended. More than 1,600 families are still searching for information about loved ones listed as missing in action from the war. Actress Sarah Ball in a scene from M.I.A. A Greater Evil. On location in the jungle, shooting M.I.A. A Greater Evil. Set on the Vietnamese-Laotian border, the film follows a group of young Americans searching for gold. Lost after an unplanned detour, they're forced to confront uncomfortable truths about the War as they are tracked and hunted through the jungle. Peter Alan Lloyd, the film's British screenwriter, has written books and articles about the Vietnam War, the Secret War in Laos and the Ho Chi Minh Trail. He has also travelled extensively in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia looking for clues about missing POWs and MIAs. "I believe some men were left behind after the Vietnam War ended," says Lloyd. "And I've written a modern-day film dealing with unsolved mysteries dating back to that conflict." Director Abishek J Bajaj also has a strong interest in the War and what it represented in the wider context of American history. "To bring an intriguing modern-day narrative into the context of that war is, creatively, very challenging," he says. Lloyd believes the film will lead to renewed demands for a full accounting of those men still missing from the Vietnam War. "Not one POW was ever released from Laos, other than those sent to the Hanoi Hilton and released during Operation Homecoming," adds Lloyd. "Others simply disappeared." Shot entirely on location in the jungles, caves and mountains of Thailand, the film stars Sahajak Boonthanakit, an American-Thai actor who recently appeared in the Hollywood films No Escape and Gold. M.I.A. A Greater Evil might be one of the most important films of the year, dealing with highly emotional and disturbing issues that have seemingly been swept under the rug. For additional information, contact Abishek Bajaj at [email protected]. A trailer for MIA: A Greater Evil is available on YouTube: www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z10GIMX8-r0. Contact: Abishek Bajaj +66-86-146-8766 [email protected] SOURCE MIAAGE Company, Ltd. The safety train kicks off March 21 in Hagerstown, Md., with three days of training at Norfolk Southern's rail terminal. Additional stops include communities in Pennsylvania, Delaware, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, North Carolina, Virginia, Alabama, Louisiana, Georgia, and South Carolina. The full schedule is available at the OAR program website, JoinNSOAR.com . The OAR safety train is composed of a 2,000-horsepower, 273-ton locomotive painted in honor of emergency responders; two boxcars converted into 30-seat classrooms; four styles of tank cars: DOT-105, DOT-111, DOT-112, and DOT-117; and two 89-foot flatcars used to transport intermodal containers. Each four-hour training session includes classroom instruction and hands-on training inside a locomotive and on rail cars. The sessions are recommended for representatives of fire and law enforcement departments, emergency medical services and hazmat response teams, military and homeland security personnel, and railroad customers and suppliers. "We're committed to moving all materials on our railroad safely," said John Irwin, Norfolk Southern assistant vice president safety and environmental. "Important components of our safety culture include building relationships with first responders in the 22 states where NS operates and providing in-person educational opportunities like the OAR train." NS is a 16-time national TRANSCAER Achievement Award winner. The award recognizes exceptional achievement in voluntary efforts by companies to help communities prepare for and safely respond to incidents involving transport of hazardous materials. During 2016 Norfolk Southern provided training for about 5,600 emergency responders, government officials, and others in 18 states. The training included classroom seminars, hands-on sessions with rolling stock, table-top simulations, full-scale drills, and exercises at training centers operated by NS and the Association of American Railroads. Norfolk Southern also was instrumental in developing the AskRail mobile app, which provides real time rail information to first responders. About Norfolk Southern Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE: NSC) is one of the nation's premier transportation companies. Its Norfolk Southern Railway Company subsidiary operates approximately 19,500 route miles in 22 states and the District of Columbia, serves every major container port in the eastern United States, and provides efficient connections to other rail carriers. Norfolk Southern operates the most extensive intermodal network in the East and is a major transporter of coal, automotive, and industrial products. SOURCE Norfolk Southern Corporation Related Links http://www.nscorp.com Wechsler-Reya is an authority on the molecular mechanisms that regulate cell growth and tumorigenesis in the nervous system, with particular emphasis on the genes and signaling pathways that contribute to medulloblastoma. Medulloblastoma is the most common malignant brain tumor in children. Its rapid growth and tendency to spread through the nervous system make it difficult to treat, and many of the children who develop the disease die from it. Moreover, those who survive treatment often suffer life-long cognitive deficits, and develop other cancers later in life. "We are thrilled to have Rob join our team," said Dr. Stephen Kingsmore, president and CEO of RCIGM, "Given our plans to rapidly deploy our sequencing process to all critically ill children at Rady Children's Hospital, Rob's subject matter expertise and ties to the research community provide just the right combination to attack the devastating diagnosis of childhood brain cancer." The Joseph Clayes III Research Center for Neuro-Oncology and Genomics is applying state-of-the-art sequencing and analysis technologies to each patient's tumor to establish a profilea fingerprintthat is used to tailor therapy. This includes rapid whole genome sequencing, RNA sequencing, and epigenetic analysis on every child's tumor. This information is evaluated by a team of expertsincluding physicians, biomedical scientists and computational biologists to classify tumors and to identify optimal therapeutic strategies for each patient. "Improved treatment of medulloblastoma, as well as other pediatric brain tumors, will likely come from a deeper understanding of the genes and signals that control normal brain development, and how these go awry in tumor development," says Wechsler-Reya. Historically there has been a gap between what is learned in the research lab and what is done in the clinic. The Joseph Clayes III Research Center will bridge this gap by using expertise in tumor biology to identify key mutations and signaling pathways in each patient's cancer, and then using them to design appropriate therapies. This holistic approach will also be used to design clinical trials for patients whose tumors share certain molecular profiles. This strategy brings patients with similar tumor features under the same umbrella and maximizes their potential to respond to new drugs. "This is a great opportunity for Roband SBPto connect our biomedical research and drug discovery capabilities with the clinical teams at RCIGM to improve outcomes for children with brain cancer," said Perry Nisen, MD, PhD, CEO of SBP. "On behalf of the faculty and staff at SBP, we extend our congratulations to Rob on his new position with RCIGM." Future plans include leveraging the drug screening capabilities at SBP's Conrad Prebys Center for Chemical Genomics to help Rady Children's Hospital clinicians get the right drugs for each patient on the first try. "By increasing the amount of information we have about a child's brain tumor up front, we hope to avoid therapies that won't work and go straight to treatments that we believebased on molecular evidencewill target the tumor," says Wechsler-Reya. The Joseph Clayes III Research Center for Neuro-Oncology and Genomics was made possible by a $10 million gift from the Joseph Clayes III Charitable Trust and brings together childhood brain cancer researchers to accelerate translation of new findings and knowledge into prevention, diagnosis, treatment and cures. "My Uncle Joe would be so proud to know he's helping these vulnerable childrenand so proud of the efforts within the Center to stop this terrible disease for future generations." said Trulette Clayes, Joseph Clayes' niece, and co-trustee with Brendan Holmes, of the Clayes Charitable Trust. Click here to view and download a video interview with Dr. Robert Wechsler-Reya (https://vimeo.com/208862601) About Rady Children's Institute for Genomic Medicine: Rady Children's Institute for Genomic Medicine was founded by Rady Children's HospitalSan Diego to bring together world-class scientists and clinicians into shared research infrastructure for accelerated translation of research discoveries into prevention, early diagnosis, precise treatments and cures for childhood diseases at Rady Children's Hospital. This integrated approach to precision medicine includes genomics, epigenomics, metabolomics, proteomics and informatics. This research provides a comprehensive view of a child's health status and risk factors for disease. www.RadyGenomics.org About Rady Children's Hospital - San Diego: Rady Children's Hospital - San Diego is a 551-bed pediatric care facility providing the largest source of comprehensive pediatric medical services in San Diego, Southern Riverside and Imperial counties. Rady Children's is the only hospital in the San Diego area dedicated exclusively to pediatric healthcare and is the region's only designated pediatric trauma center. In June 2016, U.S. News & World Report ranked Rady Children's among the best children's hospitals in the nation in nine pediatric specialties. Rady Children's is a nonprofit organization that relies on donations to support its mission. For more information, visit www.rchsd.org and find us on Facebook, Twitter and Vimeo. About Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute: Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute (SBP) is an independent nonprofit research organization that blends cutting-edge fundamental research with robust drug discovery to address unmet clinical needs in the areas of cancer, neuroscience, immunity, and metabolic disorders. The Institute invests in talent, technology, and partnerships to accelerate the translation of laboratory discoveries that will have the greatest impact on patients. Recognized for its world-class NCI-designated Cancer Center and the Conrad Prebys Center for Chemical Genomics, SBP employs more than 1,000 scientists and staff in San Diego (La Jolla), Calif., and Orlando (Lake Nona), Fla. For more information, visit us at SBPdiscovery.org. The Institute can also be found on Facebook at facebook.com/SBPdiscovery and on Twitter @SBPdiscovery. Media Contact: Ben Metcalf (858) 966-8579(o) (619) 822-8593 (c) [email protected] SOURCE Rady Childrens Hospital-San Diego Related Links http://www.rchsd.org BOSTON, March 20, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Actifio, the Enterprise Data-as-a-Service (EDaaS) company, today announced a partnership with Online Tech, a leader in hybrid IT and cloud services. The partnership will equip Online Tech clients with the agility they need with an easily manageable long-term data retention solution and the ability to recover large data sets instantly. Online Tech is a leading IT-as-a-Service (ITaaS) company who provides its clients with on-demand, secure and compliant hybrid cloud, colocation, disaster recovery and offsite backup services. The company's managed IT infrastructure protects mission-critical applications to ensure they are always available, secure and comply with government and industry regulations. Many companies are challenged with minimizing their data loss and retaining their long-term data to keep their businesses running continuously. From a risk perspective, data protection and long-term data retention are critical, but they are also costly. Leveraging Actifio's long-term data retention solution, OnVault, enables their enterprise customers to reuse data for business intelligence, data analytics, compliance and data warehousing tools to unlock insights, while also reducing cost and risk for backup, disaster recovery and long-term data retention. "We are really excited to be able to partner with a Actifio for such a unique long-term data retention solution," said Jason Yaeger, Senior Director of Solutions Architecture at Online Tech. "Long-term storage is particularly important for our healthcare clients, who often need to retain data for seven years or longer. These clients benefit from the instant data recoverability Actifio software offers." "The EDaaS approach for long-term data retention and data resiliency delivers instant access to data to help customers drive business acceleration in other areas," said Ash Ashutosh, founder and CEO at Actifio. "Online Tech's customers now have a single data management tool to handle the entire lifecycle of data generated by business applications and other sources; from creation, protection, analysis and compliance, both on-premise or in the cloud." Online Tech and Actifio will be hosting an IT networking event to celebrate and kick off their partnership April 6 at Drake's in Indianapolis. To learn more and to register, visit www.onlinetech.com/actifioevent. About Online Tech Online Tech is the Midwest's leader in secure, compliant hybrid cloud, colocation, disaster recovery and offsite backup services. The company's network of five data centers protect mission critical applications to ensure they are always available, secure and comply with government and industry regulations. Backed by independent HIPAA, PCI, SSAE 16, EU-US Privacy Shield and SOC 2 audits, Online Tech delivers exceptional experiences for companies in need of a strategic hosting partner. For more information, call (877) 740-5028, email [email protected] or visit www.onlinetech.com. About Actifio Actifio is the world's leading Enterprise Data-as-a-Service (EDaaS) platform. It enables thousands of users around the world to deliver their data just as they deliver their applications and infrastructure as a service available instantly, anywhere. An enterprise-class software platform powered by patented Virtual Data Pipeline technology, Actifio frees data from traditional infrastructure to accelerate adoption of hybrid cloud, build higher quality applications faster, and improve business resiliency and availability. For more, visit Actifio.com or follow us on Twitter @Actifio. Media Contact: Meredith Kelly Bite for Actifio [email protected] SOURCE Actifio Related Links http://www.actifio.com SAN MATEO, Calif., March 20, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Oracle NetSuite Global Business Unit (GBU), the industry's leading provider of cloud financials/ ERP and omnichannel commerce software suites and a wholly-owned subsidiary of Oracle, today announced the addition of new partners to the NetSuite Solution Provider Program. WithumSmith+Brown, Kranz & Associates, AdaptaLogix and Phoenix Systems Group have joined the NetSuite Solution Provider Program to capitalize on the fast-growing demand for cloud ERP software. The industry leading partner program enables each solution provider to build a high margin, recurring revenue-based cloud practice and helps them provide clients with the superior business visibility, efficiency, scalability and agility possible with NetSuite. The flexibility of NetSuite's platform allows partners to uniquely build intellectual property that differentiates their offerings to better meet the needs of its clients. Launched in 2002, the NetSuite Solution Provider Program is the industry's leading cloud channel partner program. Since its inception, NetSuite has been a leader in partner success, breaking new ground in building and executing on the leading model to make the channel successful with NetSuite. A top choice for partners who are building new cloud ERP practices or for those expanding their existing practice to meet the demand for cloud ERP, NetSuite has enabled partners to transform their business model to fully capitalize on the revenue growth opportunity of the cloud. The NetSuite Solution Provider Program delivers unprecedented benefits that include highly attractive margins and range from business planning, sales, marketing and professional services enablement, to training and education. For more information about the NetSuite Solution Provider Program, please visit www.netsuite.com/portal/partners/solution-program.shtml. Joining the NetSuite Solution Provider Program gives each organization an advantage in serving clients who want to eliminate the inflexibility, on-going maintenance and high costs of in-house on-premise systems by turning to the cloud. All of the new partners are building cloud ERP practices with NetSuite on the basis of strong client demand for unified, flexible cloud ERP solutions. WithumSmith+Brown Expands Management Consulting Practice with #1 Cloud ERP WithumSmith+Brown, PC (www.withum.com), founded in 1974, ranks in the top 30 largest public accounting and consulting firms in the country, with 14 offices and more than 800 employees. To meet the changing business needs of its customers, Withum recently expanded its management consulting practice and selected NetSuite as the ideal technology partner to serve businesses in a variety of industries including wholesale/distribution, manufacturing, nonprofit, financial services, and professional services. Withum serves clients from startup to large organizations, and NetSuite's rapid deployment and scalability make it an obvious fit. Withum's clients have long asked about cloud ERP solutions and NetSuite in particular, so the transition is an easy one. As trusted technology advisors, Withum will offer a broad-spectrum of cloud technology consulting and services, from readiness auditing to NetSuite implementation and optimization. Withum will also leverage NetSuite's flexible and agile SuiteCloud platform to provide customers with industry-specific customizations and software integrations. "At Withum, we believe our clients need more than the traditional tax and accounting services offered by most firms today," said Jim Bourke, Partner Technology Practice Leader at Withum. "As trusted advisors to our clients, our NetSuite cloud ERP practice is a critical piece of our services offering." Kranz & Associates Powers Tomorrow's Startup Successes with NetSuite Kranz & Associates (www.kranzassoc.com) specializes in providing financial and administrative consulting services to early-stage venture-backed companies. As the firm's clients grow and mature, they routinely run up against the limitations of early-stage accounting systems. Moving to NetSuite is the next logical step. Kranz often serves as an accountant, accounting manager, or CFO for growth-mode companies, so the conversations about transitioning to NetSuite are born of mutual interest. "Startup founders love having access to data on a mobile-friendly, cloud-based platform," said Bud Austin, President of Kranz & Associates. "NetSuite gives them the ability to manage expenses, revenue, and processes much better than a small business system would." Kranz experienced quick success with NetSuite, with several clients having already transitioned to NetSuite. By working closely with joint clients at every stage of growth, Kranz and the flexibility afforded by NetSuite are combining to make it easier for venture-backed firms to successfully drive growth. "We are in tune with the needs and responsibilities of our clients, and the natural way to grow with them was through this partnership with NetSuite," Austin said. AdaptaLogix Prescribes NetSuite ERP to High-Growth Pharma Companies AdaptaLogix (www.adaptalogix.com) is an ERP consulting company with a very specific focus--small biotech and pharmaceutical companies. Small, growth-stage biotech and pharma companies have very particular requirements unique to the industry. They are not yet generating revenue, yet add staff and complexity over time. They must be prepared for extremely rapid expansion if a new drug or treatment clears clinical trials and reaches the market. And they often have financial reporting and regulatory requirements in multiple nations, because of the international nature of the industry. After evaluating other cloud ERP providers, AdaptaLogix selected to partner with NetSuite to develop and implement solutions for these specialty firms with tremendous upside. "NetSuite gives our clients sophisticated financial infrastructure at an affordable price and on a quick timeline, without having to add more staff to manage software," said James Neal, AdaptaLogix Partner. A growth-oriented pharmaceutical company with a new drug in trials can grow from just 30 employees to 500 in just a two or three year span, with a fully global sales and marketing organization and intricate relationships with contract manufacturers and distributors. Public offerings often follow not far behind. "There are a lot of very specific needs in the pharma world, and NetSuite is very well suited to be tailored to that industry," Neal said. "NetSuite makes it possible for us to deliver a faster implementation and better solution with less risk and reduced costs." Phoenix Systems Group Revitalizes Ecommerce Solutions with NetSuite Phoenix Systems Group (PSG) (www.phoenixsystemsgroup.com), which has developed ERP systems for catalog and ecommerce merchants for 22 years, joined the NetSuite Solution Provider Program to transition its legacy code base and existing customers to the NetSuite cloud. After considering several ERP solutions as a new platform, PSG quickly recognized that NetSuite offers the right combination of technology, capabilities, and flexibility for modern ecommerce operations. PSG's custom capabilities, which optimize package dimensions and shipping rates, will be adapted to the SuiteCloud platform, ensuring that clients continue to receive all the benefits of the previous solution while enjoying the enhancements of a fully modern ERP solution. "We live in a unified commerce world today, and NetSuite's comprehensive solution greatly reduces complexity for ecommerce vendors," said Jeff White, PSG president and CEO. "Because NetSuite is already a single unified system, it eliminates most of the cost and complexity associated with ecommerce, while still giving us tremendous opportunities to customize and configure for every client." Learn about NetSuite's customer and partner success at SuiteWorld17. SuiteWorld17 is the industry's leading Cloud ERP conference, being held at the Sands Expo & Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nev. on April 24-27. For more information and to register, please visit www.netsuitesuiteworld.com. About Oracle NetSuite Global Business Unit Oracle NetSuite Global Business Unit, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Oracle, pioneered the Cloud Computing revolution in 1998, establishing the world's first company dedicated to delivering business applications over the Internet. Today, Oracle NetSuite Global Business Unit provides a suite of cloud-based financials / Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and omnichannel commerce software that runs the business of companies in more than 100 countries. For more information, please visit www.netsuite.com. Follow Oracle NetSuite Global Business Unit's Cloud blog, Facebook page and @NetSuite Twitter handle for real-time updates. About Oracle Oracle offers a comprehensive and fully integrated stack of cloud applications and platform services. For more information about Oracle (NYSE:ORCL), visit www.oracle.com. Trademarks Oracle and Java are registered trademarks of Oracle and/or its affiliates. Other names may be trademarks of their respective owners. SOURCE Oracle NetSuite Global Business Unit Related Links http://www.oracle.com MILESBURG, Pa., March 20, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Insurance Commissioner Teresa Miller, Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency Director of the Bureau of Recovery and Mitigation Steve Bekanich, and State NFIP Coordinator Dan Fitzpatrick of the Department of Community and Economic Development, today presented information on flood insurance and potential grant availability to homeowners in Centre County hard hit by flooding in October 2016. "While the immediate problems caused by the flooding here are over, Governor Wolf wants the people of Centre County, and surrounding counties to know that state government remains ready to help as recovery continues, and to provide information to help residents choose the best protection for their properties going forward," Insurance Commissioner Teresa Miller said. In what officials called the worst flooding in a decade, more than 100 residents of the Milesburg and Howard areas had to be evacuated, and many homes and businesses sustained extensive damage following a prolonged downpour on October 20 and 21 of last year. "More than a year ago, as part of Governor Wolf's consumer protection and education initiative, the Insurance Department established a one-stop shop website for information on flood insurance," Commissioner Miller said. "We are here today providing information on flood coverage, both through the federal government program, and in the emerging private flood insurance market, so residents can have the best information available to decide whether they want this coverage, and be able to get the coverage they want at the best price." Homeowners in high-risk flood zones known as Special Flood Hazard Areas (SFHAs) with mortgages backed by the federal government must buy flood insurance, which until a few years ago was available almost exclusively through the federal government's National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). However, due to changes in that program, including the phasing out of subsidies for high-risk properties, private insurers are now in the residential flood insurance market. Commissioner Miller said her department has found in many cases, homeowners can get comparable coverage in the private market at substantial savings to that offered through the NFIP. "Many of the homes damaged by flooding in Centre County last October, as is the case throughout Pennsylvania each year, are outside of the SFHAs, where flood insurance is mandatory," Commissioner Miller said. "I encourage homeowners to consider getting this additional protection for their families and properties, even if it is not required by a mortgage lender." Commissioner Miller added, for homes outside of SFHAs, coverage may be less expensive through both the NFIP and private coverage. She reminded residents that standard homeowners' insurance does not cover flood damage. Bekanich said there are three FEMA Hazard Mitigation Assistance grants that have been successfully utilized by other municipalities within the commonwealth for hazard mitigation activities to help communities becoming more flood resilient. PEMA has mitigated over 2,000 structures through eligible acquisition, elevation, and flood retrofitting activities. Homeowners can challenge whether their property should be included in a special flood hazard area. The homeowner may be required to hire a licensed land surveyor, professional engineer or geologist or surveyor to determine whether what is called the lowest adjacent elevation is within the special flood hazard area. The lowest adjacent elevation is the lowest point of the ground immediately next to the dwelling or insured structure. "We have information on how homeowners can challenge their inclusion in a special flood hazard area, but the cost to do this can be significant. We want homeowners to have as much information as possible when they consider whether to challenge a flood map," said Dan Fitzpatrick, State NFIP Coordinator in the Department of Community and Economic Development. Information on flood insurance is available at www.insurance.pa.gov, by clicking on the "Flood" icon on the right side of the page under "Insurance Coverage Resources." MEDIA CONTACT: Ron Ruman, Insurance, 717-787-3289 Ruth Miller, PEMA, 717-651-2009 Heidi Havens, DCED, 717-783-1132 SOURCE Pennsylvania Department of Insurance Related Links http://www.insurance.pa.gov ORLANDO, Fla., March 20, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Petmate, the worldwide leader of solutions and excellence in the pet industry providing trusted, quality products to enhance the lives of pets and their families, announces its newest innovations in pet care products and toys at Global Pet Expo 2017 in Orlando, Florida. This year's new collections are highlighted by an innovative new approach to help soothe dog anxiety, captivating new additions to the play category and an expanded product line from Jackson Galaxy. The company is also introducing new training tools from Brandon McMillan, a new bite on treat toys from JW, a breath of fresh air on fetch play from Chuckit! and new technology in the retractable leash category with the K-9 Control Retractable Leash. "Year after year we strive to develop products that best foster the special bond between pets and their families," said Chris Wilson, executive vice president of marketing and product development. "It's especially exciting to break new ground with this year's innovations in pet care and play with new products that showcase our innovation in technology, design, and fun." CALMZ Petmate debuts CALMZ Anxiety Relief System for dogs combining high-tech innovation with acupressure in a revolutionary new non-invasive, drug-free treatment that soothes common anxiety that often arises as a result of thunderstorms, fireworks, encounters with strangers, travel, separation, and loud noises. This innovative system features an adjustable Comfort Fit Vest that holds the Calmz device over specific acupressure points on your dog's spine. When the device is activated, the clinically proven NeuroSync Technology takes over. NeuroSync Technology combines a therapeutic medley of classical music and a specially calibrated tone to create a vibration. This multi-faceted approach eases anxiety in a completely new way. The system employs vestibular (audible) and peripheral sensory (tactile) stimulations to achieve test-proven anxiety relief in dogs Vestibular stimulation is the result of a low-frequency C-note tone that is blended with a modified version of the classical piece, Beethoven's Fur Elise Peripheral sensory stimulation comes from the massaging sensation generated from the device when placed on acupressure calming points along the spine Cat Play Petmate continues to expand its award-winning cat product line developed with renowned cat behavior expert and animal advocate Jackson Galaxy, star of Animal Planet's "My Cat from Hell." The Jackson Galaxy Collection by Petmate features captivating play products and expands into new categories including feeding and watering, litter, carriers, bedding and more. Each product speaks to natural cat behaviors Hunt, Catch, Kill, Eat, Groom and Sleep. Highlighting this year's collection: The Butterfly in a Ball creates the ultimate in satisfying hunt play with its sensor-activated action that sets the butterfly fluttering within the ball when it is pushed by a stalking cat. creates the ultimate in satisfying hunt play with its sensor-activated action that sets the butterfly fluttering within the ball when it is pushed by a stalking cat. The Whisker-Stress Prevention Bowl and Less-Mess Bowl feature a unique concave design to help relieve whisker stress during meals and a smooth stainless steel surface to prevent cats from developing chin acne. Brandon McMillan Training Products Petmate has teamed up with celebrity dog trainer Brandon McMillan, host of the Emmy-award winning Lucky Dog show on CBS TV, to debut a new line of dog training products featured in his new book, Lucky Dog Lessons . Shake & Break is a training tool to help stop unwanted pet behavior. The noise made by shaking the tool breaks the dog's focus and stops bad behavior in its tracks. is a training tool to help stop unwanted pet behavior. The noise made by shaking the tool breaks the dog's focus and stops bad behavior in its tracks. The new Lure Stick, is a treat reward training tool, designed to encourage dogs to heel, keep them from pulling on the leash and redirects their attention; it literally lures the dog back to the pet parent. Dog Toys Petmate expands its popular Chuckit! toy line, offering More Ways to Play outdoors: Chuckit! Breathe Right Fetch Ball is a high performance ball designed to facilitate breathing and airflow into dogs' lungs while running and fetching and is compatible with all Chuckit! Launchers. Always a favorite for play time, the JW Collection, known for its durability and multifunction action, expands with new dog toys that are designed with intelligent ideas and patented manufacturing. This year's collection features an extra element of fun with mixed materials and a new take on the popular Hol-ee toys: Inspired by the best-selling Hol-ee Roller, the Hol-ee Gourmet line offers a variety of 2 in 1 treat toys that encourage dogs to play. Fill the rubber outer shell with harder larger treats and the inner nylon bone with soft spreadable treats. These fun toys are featured in the shapes of a peanut, turkey leg and steak. K-9 Control Retractable Leash Petmate redefines the functionality of retractable leashes for more control and safety with the first-ever leash that can be retracted in the lock mode. This new technology represents the first functional change in retractable leashes since their introduction in 1971. The K-9 Control Retractable Leash features the new patented Zero Slack Technology that keeps the leash taut while locked or in the temporary brake position. This gentle tension provides control and keeps the dog from moving forward. The owner can safely pull back the dog without worrying about excess slack. Feeding Petmate puts a new twist on healthy eating with the new Diggin' Diner 2 Cup Feeder. This unique feeder is designed to slow pet's intake of food with a strategic opening that allows dry food to fall out at a healthy pace while encouraging physical and mental stimulation. About Petmate Founded in 1963, and headquartered in Arlington, Texas, Petmate is passionate about providing fun, trusted quality products worldwide to enhance the lives of pets and their families. The company's vision, to be the worldwide leader of solutions and excellence in the pet industry, encapsulates its commitment to deliver award- winning, innovative ideas daily to each of its product categories including bedding, kennels, dog houses, feeding and watering products, litter maintenance products, toys, collars, leads and travel. Petmate's portfolio of pet, family-favorite brands include Aspen Pet, Chuckit!, Dogzilla, Jackson Galaxy, JW, MuttNation Fueled by Miranda Lambert and WWE. For more information, visit www.petmate.com. MEDIA CONTACTS Chelsea Kapotes/ [email protected] Ellie Bagli/ [email protected] Southard Freeman Communications Southard Freeman Communications 973-470-0400 x 13 973-470-0400 x 17 SOURCE Petmate Related Links http://www.petmate.com DUBLIN, Mar 20, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Research and Markets has announced the addition of the "STMicroelectronics Time of Flight Proximity Sensor in the Apple iPhone 7 Plus" report to their offering. Located in the front above the main speaker, the proximity sensor is packaged using optical LGA. The iPhone 7 Plus features the smallest Time of Flight sensor provided by STMicroelectronics. As always, Apple has ordered a custom version of the device. Compared to STMicroelectronics's portfolio, the custom device is two time smaller (2.80 x 2.40 mm) than the actual proximity sensor proposes by the firm. The sensor is based on FlighSenseTM technology that featured an illumination device which is a Vertical-Cavity Surface-Emitting Laser (VCSEL) and a collector which is based on the Single Photon Avalanche Diode (SPAD) developed by STMicroelectronics. To provide such device, STMicroelectronics has made some improvement on the SPADs and the VCSEL from the actual devices that are studied and detailed in the report. The report featured also a function and a field-of-view comparison with the VL53L0X and VL6180X. Key Topics Covered: Overview /Introduction - STMicroelectronics Company Profile & Time of Flight technology - Apple iPhone 7 Plus Teardown Physical Analysis - Physical Analysis Methodology - Package - View and Dimensions - Package Opening & Wire Bonding Process - Package Cross-Section: Adhesives, PCB, Filters, FOV - VCSEL Die - View & Dimensions - Wire Bonding, Cavity - Cross-Section - Process Characteristics - ASIC Die - View, Dimensions & Marking - Die Overview: Active Area, SPADs technology - Die Delayering, Main Blocks ID & Process - Cross-Section: Metal Layers, SPADs - Process Characteristics Physical Comparison with VL53L0X and VL6180X - Package, Functions, FOV, Optical Blocking Package, ASIC & VCSEL, SPADs Manufacturing Process Flow - Overview - ASIC Front-End Process - VCSEL Front-End Process - ASIC Wafer Fabrication Unit - VCSEL Wafer Fabrication Unit - Packaging Process Flow - Final Assembly Unit Cost Analysis - Cost Analysis Synthesis - The Main Steps Used in the Economic Analysis - Yield Hypotheses - ASIC & VCSEL Die Cost - Front-End Cost - Back-End: Tests and Dicing - Wafer and Die Cost - Component - Packaging Cost - Packaging Cost per Process Steps - Component Cost Estimated Price Analysis For more information about this report visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/hw9l8b/stmicroelectronics About Research and Markets Research and Markets is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends. Media Contact: Research and Markets Laura Wood, Senior Manager [email protected] For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470 For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900 U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907 Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716 SOURCE Research and Markets Related Links http://www.researchandmarkets.com PARSIPPANY, N.J., March 20, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Provenir, provider of risk analytics and decisioning solutions, today unveiled the new Provenir Adapter for Amazon Machine Learning for financial institutions seeking to add machine learning to their toolkit without the time and resources typically associated with development. The latest in Provenir's suite of adapters automatically feeds the predictive score returned by the Amazon Machine Learning model into the risk decisioning process. The Provenir Platform then automates that process, instantly executing a pass, fail or refer result from a risk score. Provenir Adapter Makes Machine Learning More Accessible to Lenders "While Machine Learning has massive implications in financial services, few organisations are able to dedicate full time resources to the development of homegrown machine learning capabilities" said Larry Smith, CEO and Founder, Provenir. "The Provenir Adapter for Amazon Machine Learning makes machine learning accessible to those companies who are focused on their core businesses by eliminating the need for a dedicated expert." Inexperienced Developer Deploys ML Model in Less Than 20 Minutes Smith shared an example. "With no experience in machine learning, one developer on our team was able to build and deploy a machine learning model in less than 20 minutes, operationalizing that model in the Provenir Platform in just hours. Historically, that would have taken a team of people a month to achieve." Visually Configurable, Real-Time, Risk Analytics To meet customer expectations of speed, efficiency and cost, financial service providers need risk management solutions that are visual and intuitive, don't require coding expertise or development skills to update, and are flexible enough to adapt in changing situations. This integration pairs Provenir's visually configurable risk platform with Amazon Machine Learning for real-time, user-friendly, risk analytics and decisioning. About Provenir Provenir makes risk analytics faster and simpler for financial institutions. The Provenir risk analytics and decisioning platform is a powerful orchestration hub that can listen to any channel, integrate with any data service and operationalize any analytic model. Helping clients process more applications with greater efficiency and increase sales conversions with instant, real-time risk decisioning, Provenir serves clients across a broad range of financial verticals including consumer, cards, payments, ecommerce and auto financing. Provenir is headquartered in Parsippany, New Jersey with EMEA operations based in England and APAC operations in Singapore. For more information please visit www.provenir.com. Media contact: Adi Reske Provenir T: 973-316-8680x1117 E: [email protected] SOURCE Provenir Related Links http://www.provenir.com TSX -NYSE: RIC TORONTO, March 20, 2017 /PRNewswire/ - Richmont Mines Inc. (TSX: RIC) (NYSE: RIC) ("Richmont" or the "Corporation"), announced the filing of a technical report for the Island Gold Mine with respect to the updated 2016 Reserves and Resources announced on January 31, 2017. The technical report supports the scientific and technical disclosure in that press release. The Technical Report is available at www.sedar.com. About Richmont Mines Inc. Richmont Mines currently produces gold from the Island Gold Mine in Ontario, and the Beaufor Mine in Quebec. The Corporation is also advancing development of the significant high-grade resource extension at depth of the Island Gold Mine in Ontario. With 35 years of experience in gold production, exploration and development, and prudent financial management, the Corporation is well-positioned to cost-effectively build its Canadian reserve base and to successfully enter its next phase of growth. Forward-Looking Statements This news release contains forward-looking statements that include risks and uncertainties. When used in this news release, the words "estimate", "project", "anticipate", "expect", "intend", "believe", "hope", "may", "objective" and similar expressions, as well as "will", "shall" and other indications of future tense, are intended to identify forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements are based on current expectations and apply only as of the date on which they were made. Except as may be required by law or regulation, the Corporation undertakes no obligation and disclaims any responsibility to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements or information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. The factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated in such forward-looking statements include, without limitation, changes in the prevailing price of gold, the Canadian-United States exchange rate, grade of ore mined and unforeseen difficulties in mining operations and mine development that could affect revenue and production costs and future production. Other factors such as uncertainties regarding government regulations could also affect the results. Other risks may be set out in Richmont Mines' Annual Information Form, Annual Reports and periodic reports. The forward-looking information contained herein is made as of the date of this news release. Cautionary note to US investors concerning resource estimates Information in this press release is intended to comply with the requirements of the Toronto Stock Exchange and applicable Canadian securities legislation, which differ in certain respects with the rules and regulations promulgated under the United States Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended ("Exchange Act"), as promulgated by the SEC. The requirements of National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101") adopted by the Canadian Securities Administrators differ significantly from the requirements of the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"). U.S. Investors are urged to consider the disclosure in our annual report on Form 20-F, File No. 001-14598, as filed with the SEC under the Exchange Act, which may be obtained from us (without cost) or from the SEC's web site: http://sec.gov/edgar.shtml. National Instrument 43-101 The geological data in this news release has been reviewed by Mr. Daniel Adam, Geo., Ph.D., Vice-President, Exploration, an employee of Richmont Mines Inc., and a qualified person as defined by NI 43-101. SOURCE Richmont Mines Related Links http://www.richmont-mines.com ST. LEO, Fla., March 20, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The United States is a country divided, according to a recent survey by the Saint Leo University Polling Institute. The nonpartisan poll shows 82.1 percent of respondents agree the nation is more divided than ever before following a contentious presidential election and the installation of a new administration. The sentiment is felt across political leanings. Among respondents who say they are conservative, 83 percent say the country is more divided, while 79.6 percent who identified themselves as moderate, and 89.2 percent who say they are liberal, agree. Saint Leo's poll indicates hope for reconciliation. The poll shows that 49.4 percent say that despite a sense of division in their communities, they are optimistic about reducing political discord. Another 37.2 percent say they do not think the divide can be bridged and 13.4 percent say they do not know. "These new findings confirms the feeling that the country is very, very divided," said Frank Orlando, director of the Saint Leo University Polling Institute and a political scientist. "One of the most interesting things we find is that both people who voted for the president, and those who didn't, worry that the country is in trouble. It points to the fact that perhaps people believe that the problems facing the country run deeper than something politics can fix." Poll respondents say the new White House administration is leading the nation toward authoritarianism with 51.9 percent reporting they strongly or somewhat agree, and 31.7 saying they strongly or somewhat disagree. When considering the concept of free speech, most say free speech should be protected. Support varies among age groups, though, with 40.9 percent of respondents younger than 35 saying they agree with a statement that not all speech should be protected. The popularity of that view diminished with age. Results show 34.8 percent of those ages 36 to 65 agree not all speech should be protected; that view is held by 28.2 percent of those older than 65 agree. The Saint Leo University Polling Institute survey results about Florida and national politics, public policy issues, Pope Francis' popularity, and other topics, can be found here: http://polls.saintleo.edu. You can also follow the institute on Twitter @saintleopolls. SOURCE Saint Leo University Polling Institute Related Links http://polls.saintleo.edu ALTOONA, Pa., March 20, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Sheetz, one of America's fastest-growing family-owned and operated convenience retailers for more than 60 years, today announced the opening of a fully-stocked beer cave at its store located at 12604 Dunnings Highway in Claysburg, Pa. "At Sheetz, we pride ourselves in giving our customers what they want, how they want it and when they want it, 24 hours a day and 365 days per year," said Ryan Sheetz, AVP of Brand Strategy. "Purchasing beer at Sheetz locations across Pennsylvania is something our customers have looked forward to for years and we are proud to bring that goal one step closer to reality." With the opening of the Claysburg beer cave, Sheetz now has nine stores in Pennsylvania which offer beer sales. Additionally, wine is offered at six locations in the state and will soon be offered at the Claysburg location. At each location which offers alcoholic beverages, Sheetz is committed to responsibly complying with all current laws and regulations, including the enforcement of a 100 percent proof-of-age policy. Employees will ask for proper identifications, a valid driver's license, passport or military identification card, from any customers wanting to purchase alcohol, regardless of age. Each location also abides by time-of-day sales restrictions on alcohol. Sheetz currently sells beer in the five other states located in the company's footprint. 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 $6.9 billion in revenue and more than 17,500 employees. The company operates over 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). SOURCE Sheetz, Inc. Related Links http://www.sheetz.com HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif., March 20, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Premier e-commerce agency SmartOSC announces Bart Jensen as Vice President of Americas. This brings cost effective, scalable resource, and e-commerce focused solutions directly to the Americas merchants. SmartOSC Bart's career spans over 20 years of e-commerce experience. He started his work with eBay Inc. where he took different leadership roles during the fast growing early years. He was later appointed as Head of Global Customer Success at Magento. Throughout his career, Bart gained a unique perspective via serving clients from a wide variety of industries and regions. Bart shared, "I'm thrilled to join SmartOSC, at what I think is just the start for us in N. America. We have a unique opportunity to leverage a deep bench of technical talent, across multiple platforms. I look forward to growing along with our Americas business." Last February, Magento recognized SmartOSC as an Enterprise Solutions Partner - the only agency headquartered in Southeast Asia achieving this partnership level. The company is also known as a key partner to Sitecore and Adobe. Thai Son, Partner & CEO at SmartOSC, commented, "I am excited to have Bart joining us as Vice President of Americas. We have talented people in place across our business, plus the recognition as a Magento Enterprise Solutions Partner, this provides a greater confidence for merchants working with us. We are positive about the future of the Americas e-commerce market as well as our capability to effectively serve merchants across this region." SmartOSC built its reputation through focusing on e-commerce, cost effectiveness, and providing a faster go to market service. With 198 Magento 2 trained specialists, the company ranks amongst the top solution partners when it comes to providing Magento 2 expertise. Through its resource scalability offering, SmartOSC has a track record of successfully delivering complex enterprise level projects. The company is behind the success of e-commerce solutions for brands such as PayPal, Boozt, SpaceX, Smartbox, Lotte, Priceline Pharmacy, and Delta Apparel. About SmartOSC Established in 2006, SmartOSC is a premium, full-service e-commerce agency. SmartOSC employs over 350 specialists across its office locations in Vietnam, Australia, Singapore, the US, and the UK. The company's technical and business expertise are built around key selected platforms including; Magento, Sitecore, Adobe, and Hybris. For more information about SmartOSC, please visit http://www.smartosc.com Media contact: Trieu Trong Marketing Manager [email protected] (+844) 3762 0248 Related Links SmartOSC website Magento Enterprise Solutions Partner This content was issued through the press release distribution service at Newswire.com. For more info visit: http://www.newswire.com SOURCE SmartOSC Related Links http://www.smartosc.com DALLAS, March 20, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- SOMMA Foods, an innovative foodservice company that provides clean label, great tasting food products, today announced Vickie Seltenreich as senior director of FSQA, effective immediately. As senior director of FSQA, Seltenreich will provide leadership in all areas of food safety, quality assurance and USDA regulatory compliance, ensuring that SOMMA customers receive the highest quality clean label protein products available. "We're very excited to add Vickie to our team," said Michael Turley, Co-founder and President of Foodservice at SOMMA Foods. "We hold ourselves and our supplier-partners to the highest standard, and our customers count on us every day to deliver on our quality and safety promise. With Vickie's experience and vision leading our FSQA efforts, our company and our customers are in the best possible hands as we continue to grow. We look forward to seeing the positive impact she makes in this new role." Seltenreich brings a wealth of experience in quality systems implementation and food safety, previously holding leadership positions at AdvancePierre Foods and Pepper Source, where she consistently maintained safe facilities and applied quality management strategies that resulted in safer products for customers. Seltenreich has built an impressive history of success, beginning her career at AdvancePierre in FSQA more than 20 years ago. Her extensive expertise with protein products for foodservice and retail channels will enable her to support the strategic growth of SOMMA's Chickentopia and Merrywood Farms brands, ensuring customer satisfaction at all touchpoints. Seltenreich holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Oklahoma Wesleyan University, as well as several certifications from the FDA, American Meat Institute (AMI) and Food Allergen Research and Resource Program (FARRP). About SOMMA Foods: SOMMA Foods is a diversified provider of premium-grade chicken, beef, dairy and finished food products for foodservice and retail end markets. SOMMA products are produced under a portfolio of brands including Chickentopia no antibiotics ever, 100% vegetable fed chicken products and Merrywood Farms all natural, clean label beef, poultry and dairy products. These dynamic brands deliver unique, leading-edge food solutions and uncompromised quality with the health and satisfaction of the end consumer in mind. To learn more about SOMMA Foods, visit www.sommafoods.com. SOURCE SOMMA Foods Related Links http://www.sommafoods.com/ MADISON, N.J., March 20, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Sotheby's International Realty Affiliates LLC today announced the appointment of Kevin Thompson, a seasoned global luxury brand marketing professional, as chief marketing officer. In this role, Thompson is responsible for overseeing the Sotheby's International Realty brand's marketing, advertising, and public relations initiatives worldwide. "Kevin Thompson has an extensive background working with globally recognized luxury brands and brings a passion for creating exceptional consumer experiences through the strategic use of marketing and branding," said Philip White, president and chief executive officer of Sotheby's International Realty Affiliates. "He has a comprehensive understanding of the luxury consumer, which is an invaluable insight for our business, and his drive to inspire while also innovating aligns with the Sotheby's International Realty brand mission. We welcome his marketing acumen as our brand continues to pioneer in the luxury residential real estate industry and we are proud to have him join our team." Thompson will lead a team of global marketing professionals, spearheading the strategic planning and execution of the Sotheby's International Realty brand's global media program, services and resources to drive awareness for the brand and its affiliates worldwide. "The Sotheby's International Realty brand represents unparalleled quality, tradition and service," said Thompson. "I am thrilled to join this organization of industry-leading professionals and to work with them to further define the Sotheby's International Realty brand narrative for a global audience. The renowned history of the brand, combined with a modern, forward-looking approach to delivering an exceptional consumer experience sets it apart from the competition. I am proud to be named chief marketing officer of Sotheby's International Realty Affiliates and have the opportunity to be a part of the evolution of this illustrious brand." Prior to joining Sotheby's International Realty Affiliates, Thompson served as vice president of marketing and customer experience for Simon Property Group, a global leader in retail real estate ownership, management and development. He has also held senior marketing positions within globally recognized luxury brands, most recently Barney's New York and Gucci. His well-rounded executive leadership experience spans across an array of specialties including marketing, management, project development, operations, and training, in a variety of industries, such as, luxury fashion, real estate and public institutions. Thompson is also a Co-founder of Ruiru Rising, a not-for-profit organization that funds higher education programs for at-risk youth in Rural Kenya. The Sotheby's International Realty network currently has more than 20,000 affiliated independent sales associates located in approximately 880 offices in 66 countries and territories worldwide. Sotheby's International Realty listings are marketed on the sothebysrealty.com global website. In addition to the referral opportunities and widened exposure generated from this source, the firm's brokers and clients will benefit from an association with the Sotheby's auction house and worldwide Sotheby's International Realty marketing programs. Each office is independently owned and operated. About Sotheby's International Realty Affiliates LLC Founded in 1976 to provide independent brokerages with a powerful marketing and referral program for luxury listings, the Sotheby's International Realty network was designed to connect the finest independent real estate companies to the most prestigious clientele in the world. Sotheby's International Realty Affiliates LLC is a subsidiary of Realogy Holdings Corp. (NYSE: RLGY), a global leader in real estate franchising and provider of real estate brokerage, relocation and settlement services. In February 2004, Realogy entered into a long-term strategic alliance with Sotheby's, the operator of the auction house. The agreement provided for the licensing of the Sotheby's International Realty name and the development of a full franchise system. Affiliations in the system are granted only to brokerages and individuals meeting strict qualifications. Sotheby's International Realty Affiliates LLC supports its affiliates with a host of operational, marketing, recruiting, educational and business development resources. Franchise affiliates also benefit from an association with the venerable Sotheby's auction house, established in 1744. For more information, visit www.sothebysrealty.com. CONTACT Lindsey Scharf Director, Public Relations and Communications Sotheby's International Realty Affiliates LLC 175 Park Avenue Madison, NJ 07940 (973) 407-5596 [email protected] SOURCE Sotheby's International Realty Affiliates LLC Related Links http://sothebysrealty.com "At Rita's, we believe it's important to celebrate the everyday moments that make life special from good grades on tests to job promotions, hitting the homerun in the little league game to a perfect pirouette in a ballet recital," said Mike Lorelli, CEO of Rita's Italian Ice. "And while we believe all those tiny moments deserve sweet celebrations here at Rita's, the First Day of Spring celebration holds a special place in the hearts of Rita's treat teams everywhere." Phyllis Levy, SVP and CMO at Rita's Italian Ice adds, "As we've marked the change in seasons from winter to spring by giving away free Italian Ice for the past 25 years, we've given away millions of cups of Italian Ice to guests all across the country over the course of our annual springtime celebration, and we view that as just the beginning." More Reason to Celebrate Not only will Rita's fans get to enjoy a free Italian Ice this year, but PEEPS Italian Ice will also be available at select stores nationwide on the First Day of Spring and at all Rita's locations for a limited time only beginning on March 27. This mouth-watering combination, which has the same great taste as the iconic springtime candy, will mark the start of a tasty treat season to come, which will include TWIZZLERS Italian Ice and HAWAIIAN PUNCH Italian Ice. Rita's also offers a new Stuffed Blendini, which allows guests to "stuff" Hot Fudge, Hot Caramel, Strawberry Sauce or Peanut Butter in the center of the treat for a new twist on the classic. Spreading Ice, Custard and Happiness Guests are encouraged to help spread "Ice, Custard and Happiness" this First Day of Spring by snapping a photo and sharing it on social media using #RitasFirstDayOfSpring to enter into the Rita's First Day of Spring Photo Contest. All guests who submit a photo between March 20 and March 24 will be entered for a chance to win one of 25 prizes, including a chance at the grand prize of free Italian Ice for a year. For more information on how to enter to win or to view the official rules, please visit https://ritasice.com/fdoscontestrules/. To find a Rita's location near you, visit www.ritasice.com. About Rita's Italian Ice Rita's Italian Ice opened its doors in Bensalem, Pa. in 1984, and has been dedicated to spreading "Ice, Custard, Happiness!" ever since. Now with more than 600 locations worldwide, guests around the world visit Rita's to celebrate their everyday moments with freshly made cool treats in a fun-filled atmosphere. Known for its famous Italian Ice, made daily featuring real fruit, and award-winning Frozen Custard, Rita's serves a taste of happiness with each delicious treat. For more information about Rita's Italian Ice, please call 1-800-677-7482 or visit www.ritasice.com. About Just Born Quality Confections Just Born Quality Confections is a third-generation family-owned company that has grown into the 9th largest candy company in the U.S. Just Born is the maker of some of America's most beloved and iconic brands PEEPS, MIKE AND IKE, HOT TAMALES and GOLDENBERG'S PEANUT CHEWS. In 1923, the founder, Sam Born, opened a small candy-making and retail store in Brooklyn, New York, where he marketed the freshness of his daily-made candy with a sign that declared, "Just Born." Together with Born's brothers-in-law, Irv and Jack Shaffer, the company thrived in spite of the economic depression of the 1930s and, in 1932, moved its operations to Bethlehem, PA, which is still home to their iconic candy brands. All Just Born candies are proudly made in the U.S.A. For more information, please visit www.justborn.com and see the breadth of candy and high-quality branded items at www.peepsandcompany.com. Follow us: facebook.com/JustBornInc, twitter.com/JustBornInc. SOURCE Rita's Italian Ice Related Links http://www.ritasice.com David MacQueen, Executive Director of the Virtual Reality Ecosystem research program, said, "The exceptional reception the PS VR has had bodes well for Sony in the console wars, and for its publisher and developer partners who have committed significant resources on what many people saw as an uncertain technology. It's not an exaggeration to say that consumers seem to have fallen in love with it, since 'love' is mentioned nearly 200 times, and an unprecedented 73% of the reviews gave the device 5 stars out of 5." "Naturally, a lot of the reviews mentioned specific games, and the software ecosystem is a key part of the PS VR's success. Beyond that, it's also worth noting that the PS VR scored highly for comfort (94 mentions) and ease of set up (80 mentions). The market for VR hardware is becoming more mainstream; it is important that factors such as these are taken into consideration by other vendors who might look to replicate Sony's success." David Kerr, VP at Strategy Analytics, added more cautious comments. "There were some concerns raised by consumers. The majority of complaints centered on nausea. Key words used were sickness, nausea, sick, headache and vertigo. Overall, 108 reviews mentioned these key words, although only 79 in a negative context (the other 29 mentioned this as a concern but noted not experiencing such side effects). Complaints of a blurry or pixelated screen were the second most common complaint, and this may impact nausea. But technical specifications may not be the only solution many of the mentions of nausea also mentioned specific games, so the industry should be aware that VR software design can also influence hardware usability." 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 European Contact: David MacQueen, +44(0) 1908 423 623, [email protected] US Contact: David Kerr, +1 617 614 0720, [email protected] SOURCE Strategy Analytics Related Links http://www.strategyanalytics.com NEW YORK and AUSTIN, Texas, March 20, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Taskstream and Tk20 today announced a definitive merger agreement, bringing together two leading providers of assessment management solutions for higher education to help colleges and universities measure, analyze and report learning data to improve student and institutional outcomes. Kevin Michielsen, Taskstream's CEO, will serve as the CEO of the new combined organization, which will be called Taskstream-Tk20. Former Tk20 President, Bhupi Bhasin, will take on the role of Chief Product Officer and Executive Vice President of International Operations. "It is an exciting time for Taskstream, Tk20, and our partner institutions," said CEO Kevin Michielsen. "With this merger, we will be better able to serve our partners, support our employees, and achieve our shared mission to help more institutions engage in meaningful assessment practices and help more students achieve their educational goals." Taskstream has been providing cloud-based solutions for assessment, accreditation, and e-portfolios in higher education since its founding in 2000. In 2014, the company announced its selection as the technology partner to the Multi-State Collaborative to Advance Quality Student Learning, in partnership with the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) and the State Higher Education Executive Officers Association (SHEEO). Founded in 2003, Tk20 has similarly focused on providing comprehensive solutions for higher education assessment and accreditation. Based in Austin, TX, with operations in India, the company has successfully grown its user base and demonstrated continued innovation of its products. The company released its latest version of the software, called Graphite, earlier this year. "I have been quoted as saying that we believe partnerships go much further and do much more than a product can on its own," said Tk20 President and Co-Founder, Bhupi Bhasin. "I believe that we have found an ideal partner in Taskstream to advance our shared mission to help institutions improve. We also share similar visions for the future, and values on which we have built two highly successful companies. I am excited about what we will be able to accomplish together." Collectively, the new company supports nearly 1,000 institutions of higher education throughout North America, as well as institutions located internationally. Both companies are praised by their user communities for their level of commitment, appreciation of their users' needs, and the quality of the support they offer. Together, more than 200 employees will be dedicated to serving this growing user community with innovative solutions and world-class support services. "We are very excited to be able to support Taskstream's growth strategy and mission," said James Tieng, Taskstream board member and a principal at Quad Partners. "We are confident that this merger will result in greater innovation for the higher education technology market." With this merger, Taskstream-Tk20 remains focused on its mission to promote meaningful assessment practices, support student progress, and empower colleges and universities with better ways to measure, demonstrate, and analyze performance to inform improvements at all levels. Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel LLP provided legal advice to Taskstream and Webster Bank provided financing for the transaction. SunTrust Robinson Humphrey, Inc. acted as exclusive financial adviser to Tk20 and Kastner Huggins Reddien Gravelle LLP served as legal counsel. About Taskstream Taskstream partners with institutions of higher education and national associations to improve student learning and institutional quality with proven, reliable, and user-friendly assessment management and e-portfolio solutions and supporting services. For more information, visit www.taskstream.com. About Tk20 Tk20 simplifies assessment and streamlines accreditation with one comprehensive solution that's easy to use and tailored to fit each institution. Known for our collaborative approach and service excellence for the life of every partnership, Tk20 offers colleges and universities a better way forward. www.tk20.com Contact: Courtney Peagler Office: 212-868-2700 Email: [email protected] SOURCE Taskstream-Tk20 Related Links http://www.taskstream.com According to a poll on the eve of the French presidential debate, centrist frontrunner Emmanuel Macron is expected to lead the first round of the elections on April 23, 2017. Macron is expected to win 26.5% of the votes, marginally ahead of his far-right opponent, Marine Le Pen with 26% share. The poll further predicts that he would beat Le Pen 64-36 in the run-off on May 7, 2017. The former frontrunner, Francois Fillon is expected to lose in the first round of elections, with 19% of the votes. He is expected to fall short of the centrist candidate because of the controversy regarding payments made to his wife and children for services they apparently did not perform. He was also involved in a controversy regarding accepting loans from the rich. Macron is expected to be the pick of his opponents in the debate owing to his lack of experience and former investment banker status, which according to some makes him a prospective President of the elite. He will be attacked by both sides due to his centrist status and the French people will be observing him closely to look at his ability to take attacks and respond to them. The other two candidates participating in the debate are Benoit Hamon from the Socialist party and left-wing Jean-Luc Melenchon, who are at the fourth and fifth positions respectively, according to polls. Though a total of eleven candidates are contesting for the elections, the other six candidates were excluded from the debate owing to lack of adequate support. The debate is scheduled to happen just two days after a man seized a soldiers weapon at Orly Airport before being killed by officers. In a nation facing terrorism issues, with 230 people dead due to human acts of terrorism in the past two years, Macron is expected to face questions regarding security. Investors are concerned about a potential Le Pen victory, who has promised to hold a referendum to take France out of the EU if she wins. Citigroup Inc. has said that French banks could lose up to 25% in market cap in case such an event happens in the elections. Polls can be wrong as they have been in the recent past. Hence, completely wiping out the probability of a Le Pen victory will not be wise (read: Are European ETFs a Good Buy Amid Political Uncertainty?). Story continues Despite the uncertainty, the following ETFs that offer exposure to France can be considered: iShares MSCI France ETF EWQ This fund is the only pure play on France available in the market. It is a relatively concentrated fund with over 46% allocated to its top 10 holdings. The fund manages AUM of $354 million and charges 48 bps in fees per year. The top three sector holdings of this fund are Industrials, Consumer Cyclical, and Financials, having more than 50% of holdings. The threat to the financial sector in France is a potential Le Pen victory, as her victory will lead to a Frexit referendum. This fund returned 5.84% in the year-to-date time frame and 10.33% in the past one year. Moreover, this ETF is not currency hedged. This increases the risks of investing in this ETF in case there is an upset in the elections. As such, this ETF has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) with a Medium risk outlook. We would now discuss the currency hedged options to gain exposure to the French economy. However, these ETFs are not pure plays as they have less than 35% exposure to France, with investments in other major Euro nations as well (read: 3 Reasons Why These European ETFs Compelling Bets Now). iShares Currency Hedged MSCI Eurozone ETF HEZU Even though this fund has investments all over Europe, the highest amounts of assets have been allotted to France, at around 31% . The fund manages AUM of $1.25 billion and charges 50 bps in fees per year. The top three sector holdings of this fund are Financials, Industrials, and Consumer cyclical, having almost 50% of assets allotted to them. This fund returned 6.02% in the year-to-date timeframe and 18.75% in the past one year. As such, this ETF has a Zacks Rank #3 with a Medium risk outlook (read: 3 Reasons to Buy Eurozone ETFs Now). SPDR EURO STOXX 50 Currency Hedged ETF HFEZ: This Euro ETF is not a pure play on France. However, the highest number of assets has been allotted to France, at around 36%. The fund manages AUM of $23 million and charges 32 bps in fees per year. The top three sector holdings of this fund are Financials, Industrials, and Consumer Cyclical, which have almost 50% of the assets allotted to them. This fund returned 5.71% in the year-to-date time frame and 17.68% in the past one year. As such, this ETF has a Zacks Rank #3 with a High-risk outlook. What to Expect? It can thus be seen that currency hedged ETFs with a broader exposure to the Euro zone economies have been performing relatively better than a pure play ETF on France, which does not hedge against currency movements. Further, shifts in the market are expected post the presidential debate as the contenders wage a war of words with their proposed policies to better their odds of winning. We, therefore, believe its best to remain on the sidelines for now as the outcome of poll surveys may be misleading. Want key ETF info delivered straight to your inbox? Zacks free Fund Newsletter will brief you on top news and analysis, as well as top-performing ETFs, each week. Get it free >> 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 ISHARS-FRANCE (EWQ): ETF Research Reports SPDR-ES50 CH (HFEZ): ETF Research Reports ISHARS-CH MS EM (HEZU): ETF Research Reports To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research 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 PLANTATION, Fla., March 20, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Goodwin Biotechnology, Inc., a biological Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization (CDMO) that specializes in bioprocess development and cGMP manufacturing of biopharmaceuticals, today announced that it was recently selected by the Minneapolis Medical Research Foundation (MMRF), a non-profit subsidiary of the Hennepin Healthcare System, Inc. in Minneapolis, Minn., to help develop vaccines to treat heroin and prescription opioid addiction and ready these vaccines for clinical evaluation. This research is funded by a three-year grant to the MMRF from the National Institute on Drug Abuse. "Opioid pain relievers are generally safe when taken for a short time and as prescribed by a doctor, but they are frequently misused because they produce euphoria in addition to pain relief," according to Marco Pravetoni, Ph.D., MMRF researcher, Associate Professor at the University of Minnesota Medical School and one of the study's principal investigators. "Regular use, even as prescribed by a doctor, can produce dependence, and when misused or abused, opioid pain relievers can cause a fatal overdose. The current epidemic of heroin and prescription opioid abuse has led to increased opioid-related overdoses, now the leading cause of accidental death in the United States. It is important to effectively treat opioid addiction in order to help break the close correlation of addiction with overdosing. The vaccines being developed by MMRF investigators are intended to provide an additional option for treating opioid addiction." "For over 15 years, Goodwin Biotechnology has been one of the pioneers in providing development services and GMP manufacturing of a broad portfolio of Antibody:Drug Conjugate (ADC) and Protein:Drug Conjugate (PDC) projects, including cytotoxic ADCs, Radio-Immunoconjugates, Antibody:Peptide Conjugates, Antibody:Dye Conjugates, PEGylated proteins, and other bioconjugates including Biobetters," said Muctarr Sesay, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer at Goodwin Biotechnology. "Our experience in Bioconjugation has resulted in several patents and publications, as well as proprietary processes that enable us to help our clients overcome some significant challenges in developing their next generation of bioconjugates. When including our experience in manufacturing vaccines for use in early- and late-stage clinical trials, we found the Minneapolis Medical Research Foundation project to be highly intriguing." "This is not an unusual approach for us when we initiate a project because we collaborate with many of our clients in the early stages of proof of concept/development by empirically recommending the appropriate processes to create a viable ADC or PDC candidate," Dr. Sesay continued. "We then blend that with a solutions-oriented approach to help our clients overcome significant challenges to ensure that the process for their candidate is robust, compliant, economical, and scalable." "We are proud to help advance the treatment for this growing public health concern because we're confident in the expertise that our highly skilled scientists have developed in the areas of ADCs and PDCs, based on the successful work that we have done with over 400 client projects over the last 24 plus years," said Karl Pinto, Chief Executive Officer at Goodwin Biotechnology, Inc. "Our Bioconjugation capabilities complement our experience in successfully developing and manufacturing monoclonal antibodies, recombinant proteins, and vaccines through mammalian cell culture expression systems. So, as part of our Single Source Solution, Goodwin is uniquely qualified to partner with our clients to meet their needs by developing customized and flexible approaches for manufacturing antibodies and recombinant proteins, for example, and / or design the appropriate conjugation activities to cost effectively deliver their product candidates on time." About the Minneapolis Medical Research Foundation The Minneapolis Medical Research Foundation (MMRF) is a subsidiary of Hennepin Healthcare System, Inc., and operates as the research arm of Hennepin County Medical Center, an acute care research and teaching hospital in Minneapolis. MMRF is one of the largest nonprofit medical research organizations in Minnesota and consistently ranks in the top 10 percent of all institutions receiving research funding from the National Institutes of Health. To learn more, visit mmrf.org. About Goodwin Biotechnology, Inc. Goodwin Biotechnology is a uniquely qualified CDMO that offers a Single Source Solution for our clients from cell line development (through our strategic partner), exploratory proof of concept projects through process development and cGMP contract manufacturing of monoclonal antibodies, recombinant proteins, vaccines, and Biologic Drug Conjugates including Antibody:Drug Conjugates (ADCs) for early and late stage clinical trials. By working with Goodwin Biotechnology, clients can enhance the value of their product candidates with clear development and manufacturing strategies, as well as a road map to meet the appropriate quality requirements from the milligram and gram range to kilogram quantities as the product candidates move along the clinical development pathway in a cost-effective, timely, and cGMP compliant manner to enhance patients' lives. With over 20 years of experience as an independent integrated contract manufacturer, Goodwin Biotechnology has worked as a strategic partner with numerous companies of all sizes from small university spin-offs to major research institutes, government agencies and large, established and multi-national biopharmaceutical companies. Based on the impressive track record, Goodwin Biotechnology has been awarded Frost & Sullivan's Customer Value and Leadership Award for Best Practices in Mammalian Contract Manufacturing in 2014. In addition, Goodwin Biotechnology was awarded 'Best in Sector: Biopharmaceutical Contract Development & Manufacturing' at Acquisition International magazine's 2015 Sector Performance Awards. Most recently, Goodwin Biotechnology received Global Health & Pharma's award for Best for BioProcess Development & cGMP Manufacturing in 2016, and Best in Mammalian Cell Culture Process Development & cGMP Manufacturing 2017. Click here to view the press releases! Additional information may be found at http://www.GoodwinBio.com. Funding for this study was supported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number U01DA038876. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health. For more information, please contact: Goodwin Biotechnology: Amita Quadros, Ph.D. Associate Vice President, Client Services 954-327-9613 [email protected] or [email protected] SOURCE Goodwin Biotechnology, Inc. Related Links http://www.goodwinbio.com The "Millennials Deconstructed" initiative was supported by a nationally representative online research study conducted among 1,000 Millennials aged 18 to 34, with representation across White, Black, Hispanic, and Asian ethnicities. The quantitative findings were enhanced with qualitative ethnographic interviews, a comprehensive social media listening effort, and academic desk research to provide an in-depth look into the subtle differences among today's highly diverse multicultural Millennial groups. Richards/Lerma and The University of Texas at Austin, Stan Richards School of Advertising & Public Relations will provide free access to all findings through the release of a series of research reports. The first report, "New Political Beat" on Millennial political beliefs was release last October, and today marks the unrestricted release of the second report, "American Dreams," centered on Millennials' varied aspirations and attitudes toward the American Dream. Findings are eye-opening and often counterintuitive to what is portrayed in mainstream media: Expecting to uncover at least hints of despair, apathy, and hopelessness in Black Millennials, we found the opposite. They are the most optimistic segment. With a heightened sense of control over their future, they have the most faith that their hard work will pay off. Many Hispanics feel misrepresented as cultural intruders, blamed at least in part for what some see as a deteriorating American society and culture. But the data suggests that there's been a misdiagnosis. Hispanic Millennials are the most traditional keepers and seekers of the American Dream. The minority Millennial segments will contribute the most energy toward pursuing and keeping alive the American Dream. Their racial setbacks fuel their motivation and oddly their optimism and traditional values as well. With more achievement in their family history, White Millennials are less energetic about the American Dream and future aspirations than the other three ethnic segments. Over coming months, the third and final report will be released by Richards/Lerma and The University of Texas at Austin featuring findings about Millennial media behavior broken out by various ethnic segments. To learn more about the "Millennials Deconstructed" research project and download the comprehensive second report, "American Dreams," visit www.millennialsdeconstructed.com. About Richards/Lerma Richards/Lerma is a full-service branding and creative agency dedicated to crafting insightful and relevant communications for the multicultural market. Based in Dallas, Richards/Lerma was founded by Pete Lerma and Stan Richards, creative director of the nation's largest independent branding agency, The Richards Group. Current clients include Avocados From Mexico, Bud Light, Budweiser Chelada, Chrysler, Clamato, Dr Pepper, MetroPCS, Mission, The Home Depot, and Ram Trucks. Richards/Lerma can be found online at richardslerma.com and on Twitter at @richardslerma. About The University of Texas at Austin, Stan Richards School of Advertising & Public Relations The University of Texas at Austin, Stan Richards School of Advertising & Public Relations defies categorization as a catalyst for growing exceptional communication specialists who are eager to enter the business world, as well as a Research I academic institution launching innovative scholars via the advanced study of advertising and public relations at both the master's and Ph.D. levels. More information can be found online at http://advertising.utexas.edu. SOURCE Richards/Lerma Related Links http://richardslerma.com HOUSTON, March 20, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Three lawyers with Texas-based Roberts Markel Weinberg Butler Hailey PC have earned recognition among the top young lawyers in the state with their selection to the Texas Rising Stars list for 2017. Kelley Bentley, honored for her work in Elder Law, also is listed among the Top 100 Up and Coming Lawyers in Texas and the Top 50 Up and Coming Women Lawyers. This is her fifth consecutive year to make the Rising Stars list. Ms. Bentley, who is a Certified Elder Law Attorney by the National Elder Law Foundation, as well as Board Certified in Probate and Estate Planning by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, advises clients on eligibility for Medicaid long-term care and other benefits, estates, trusts, and guardianships. She is based in the firm's Fort Bend County office. Firm shareholder Rick Anderson, a high-stakes commercial litigator, is making his sixth appearance on the Rising Stars list. He is being honored for his Professional Liability defense work. He recently earned his Board Certification in Consumer Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. He is based in the firm's Houston office. Justin Markel, recognized for his Employment & Labor practice, was selected for the third year in a row. He recently earned Board Certification in Labor and Employment Law. He is based in the firm's Houston and Fort Bend County offices. "These young lawyers work hard every day to do their best for our clients. This honor is a well-deserved testament to their skill and dedication," said Marc Markel, shareholder and one of the firm's founders. Rising Stars recognizes no more than 2.5 percent of eligible attorneys in Texas and involves nominations, independent research and peer evaluations. Part of the Super Lawyers rating service owned by Thomson Reuters, the listing will be published in the Texas edition of Super Lawyers magazine and the April issue of Texas Monthly. About the Firm Roberts Markel Weinberg Butler Hailey PC is committed to providing an enhanced level of service to clients seeking counsel in professional liability, directors and officers litigation, fiduciary litigation, commercial disputes, labor and employment, energy arbitration, appeals, community association law, and corporate and real estate transactions. The firm has offices in Houston, Austin, Dallas, San Antonio and Fort Bend County. To learn more, please visit http://www.rmwbhlaw.com/. For more information, please contact Kit Frieden at 800-559-4534 or [email protected]. SOURCE Roberts Markel Weinberg Butler Hailey PC Related Links http://www.rmwbhlaw.com CONSHOHOCKEN, Pa., March 20, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Thrivest Funding, LLC ("Thrivest") is proud to announce that its President and CIO Joseph Genovesi has been appointed to the governing board of directors of the Big Brothers Big Sisters Independence Region in Philadelphia. As one of the earliest youth mentoring organizations in the Philadelphia area, the Independence Region agency is highly regarded among the community for its work helping at-risk youth. Mr. Genovesi has been a volunteer with the organization since 2001, and joined the board of directors for the Big Brothers Big Sisters Foundation of New Jersey in February 2013. With more than 15 years' experience in the alternative investment industry, Mr. Genovesi cofounded Thrivest in 2015. He earned an MBA in finance from Rutgers University and a BS in finance from Villanova University. He is a council member of Villanova University's Center for Innovation, Creativity and Entrepreneurship. Big Brothers Big Sisters is a national organization based in Tampa, FL with offices all over the country. Its mission is to help at-risk youth through its youth mentoring program which helps children of all ages in communities across the country. It is ranked by Forbes Magazine as one of the largest charities worldwide. Thrivest is a leading provider of flexible financial options to help businesses and individuals meet their cash flow needs. They provide a customized approach to serving the financial needs of their clients via a proprietary suite of legal funding and receivable acceleration products. Through legal and specialty finance, Thrivest provides financial solutions to businesses, professionals, and consumers alike. For more information, please visit https://thrivest.com or call 267-457-4540. Media Contact: Joseph Genovesi Phone: 267-457-4540 Email: [email protected] Related Images image1.jpg image2.jpg Related Links Joseph Genovesi's LinkedIn Profile Thrivest Funding's LinkedIn Page This content was issued through the press release distribution service at Newswire.com. For more info visit: http://www.newswire.com SOURCE Thrivest Funding, LLC Related Links https://thrivest.com CHICAGO, March 20, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Vertical Gallery, Chicago's premier urban-contemporary art gallery, celebrates their 4-year anniversary with Blek le Rat, the founder of the international stencil art movement. The exhibition "Ratical" is April 1 29, 2017, with an opening reception with the artist on Saturday April 1, 6:00 10:00pm. Spray paint and acrylic on canvas 37 x 33 in., 94 x 84 cm Blek Le Rat (Xavier Prou) was born in Paris, France in 1951. Frequently called the godfather of modern street art, Blek le Rat inspired hundreds of artists around the world with his stenciled style. He is frequently cited as a major influence of artists like Banksy and Shepard Fairey; and through his work in Paris, he established a style of urban art that quickly spread through Europe and the United States. Blek describes his early work as apolitical, explaining that he just wanted a way to stand out and to free himself from the feeling of anonymity caused by living in a major city. He was the first people to use stencils to make public art on the street using icons instead of writing his name. He started decorating the streets of Paris in 1981 with a rat stencil, hoping to create an invasion of rats - "the only free animal in the city", while creating a style that would suit Paris and not copy the American style. His street name is said to originate from a childhood cartoon "Blek Le Roc", also using "rat" as an anagram for "art". He studied fine art and architecture at Beaux-Arts in Paris, graduating in 1982. Before his graduation, Prou visited New York City and developed a fascination with the city's graffiti and street art. "To me, the most interesting aspect of street art is the constant opportunities to be surprised and/or amazed. I lose interest when something becomes routine," said Blek. Blek has created street art around the world, and has had exhibitions in Paris, London, New York, Milan, Melbourne, San Francisco, Munich, and Los Angeles. Blek le Rat: Ratical April 1 29, 2017 Opening reception with artist, Saturday, April 1, 6:00 10:00 pm. Vertical Gallery, 1016 N Western Ave., Chicago About Vertical Gallery: Vertical Gallery is Chicago's premier urban-contemporary art gallery. Established in 2013 in the Ukrainian Village neighborhood, the gallery focuses on work influenced by street art, urban environments, graffiti, pop culture, graphic design and illustration. New monthly exhibits highlight significant emerging and established local, national and international artists. You may view and purchase past and current work either in the gallery space or online. Vertical Gallery also consults on creating personal and corporate collections, and secondary market artwork. The gallery is located in Chicago at 1016 N. Western Avenue, and online at www.verticalgallery.com . Gallery hours: Tuesday Saturday, 11:00am 6:00pm, or by appointment. Media Contact: Patrick Hull [email protected] 773-697-3846 Related Images image1.jpg image2.jpg image3.jpg image4.jpg This content was issued through the press release distribution service at Newswire.com. For more info visit: http://www.newswire.com SOURCE Vertical Gallery Related Links http://www.verticalgallery.com NAMUR, Belgium, March 20, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- VolitionRx Limited (NYSE MKT: VNRX) today announced the creation of a wholly-owned U.S. subsidiary, Volition America, Inc., which will be based in Austin, Texas. Dr. Jason Terrell, Chief Medical Officer of Volition, has been appointed as President and Chief Executive Officer of Volition America. Scott Powell, Executive Vice President of Volition, will serve as Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Volition America. Dr. Terrell will lead the commercialization efforts of the Nu.QTM cancer tests in the United States, focused on implementing 510(k) and PMA trials for Colorectal Cancer. Speaking about the announcement, Cameron Reynolds, Volition's Chief Executive Officer said: "Having achieved significant milestones in our European commercialization strategy, we are now focusing our attention to include the U.S. market. Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related death in the United States." The Wallonia region of Belgium, where Volition's R&D activities are based, has strong economic links with Texas. At the end of 2016, the Texas Economic Development Corporation signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Wallonia Foreign Trade & Investment Agency. This agreement supports organizations wishing to relocate or expand in Belgium or Texas through integration into local networks and industry clusters as well as access to business incubators and university resources. Dr. Terrell commented: "The fact that Texas is one of the leading life science states was a key driver in our decision to make this the home of Volition America, Inc. Texas has the second largest workforce in the nation and is home to one of the largest concentrations of life science professionals. In addition, the economic ties with Belgium make the state even more attractive and we have been working closely with Texas economic development and grant programs to try and maximize the potential return on our investment." About Volition Volition is a multi-national life sciences company developing simple, easy to use blood-based cancer tests to accurately diagnose a range of cancers. The tests are based on the science of Nucleosomics, which is the practice of identifying and measuring nucleosomes in the bloodstream or other bodily fluid -- an indication that disease is present. As cancer screening programs become more and more widespread, our products aim to help to diagnose a range of cancers quickly, simply, accurately and cost effectively. Early diagnosis has the potential to not only prolong the life of patients, but also to improve their quality of life. Volition's research and development activities are currently centered in Belgium, with additional offices in London, New York, Texas and Singapore, as the company focuses on bringing its diagnostic products to market first in Europe, then in the U.S. and ultimately, worldwide. For more information about Volition, visit Volition's website (http://www.volitionrx.com) or connect with us via: Twitter: https://twitter.com/volitionrx LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/volitionrx Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VolitionRx/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/VolitionRx The contents found at Volition's website address, Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, and YouTube are not incorporated by reference into this document and should not be considered part of this document. The addresses for Volition's website, Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, and YouTube are included in this document as inactive textual references only. Media / Investor Contacts Safe Harbor Statement Statements in this press release may be "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, that concern matters that involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated or projected in the forward-looking statements. Words such as "expects," "anticipates," "intends," "plans," "aims," "targets," "believes," "seeks," "estimates," "optimizing," "potential," "goal," "suggests," "could," "would," "should," "may," "will" and similar expressions identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements relate to the effectiveness of Volition's bodily-fluid-based diagnostic tests the results and developments of clinical studies as well as Volition's ability to develop and successfully commercialize such test platforms for early detection of cancer. Volition's actual results may differ materially from those indicated in these forward-looking statements due to numerous risks and uncertainties. For instance, if we fail to develop and commercialize diagnostic products, we may be unable to execute our plan of operations. Other risks and uncertainties include Volition's failure to obtain necessary regulatory clearances or approvals to distribute and market future products in the clinical IVD market; a failure by the marketplace to accept the products in Volition's development pipeline or any other diagnostic products Volition might develop; Volition will face fierce competition and Volition's intended products may become obsolete due to the highly competitive nature of the diagnostics market and its rapid technological change; and other risks identified in Volition's most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, as well as other documents that Volition files with the Securities and Exchange Commission. These statements are based on current expectations, estimates and projections about Volition's business based, in part, on assumptions made by management. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions that are difficult to predict. Forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this release, and, except as required by law, Volition does not undertake an obligation to update its forward-looking statements to reflect future events or circumstances. Pursuant to the disclosure requirements of the NYSE MKT Company Guide Section 610(b), Volition is reporting that its audited consolidated financial statements for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2016, included in Volition's Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 10, 2017, contains an audit opinion from its independent registered public accounting firm that includes an explanatory paragraph related to Volition's ability to continue as a going concern. Nucleosomics, NuQ, Nu.QTM and HyperGenomics and their respective logos are trademarks and/or service marks of VolitionRx Limited and its subsidiaries. All other trademarks, service marks and trade names referred to in this press release are the property of their respective owners. SOURCE VolitionRx Limited Related Links http://volitionrx.com BALTIMORE, March 20, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation, one of the largest private foundations in the United States, has named Craig Mellendick as the new Chief Financial Officer (CFO) for the Foundation. He assumes, and expands upon, duties previously executed by Barry I. Schloss, who concluded his role as the CFO for the Foundation, but continues to serve as an external trustee. Mellendick will provide leadership and support to all financial aspects of the Foundation, effectively guiding and monitoring all financial transactions. His responsibilities will include managing the Foundation's relationships with banks and other financial intermediaries. Mellendick will work closely with the Foundation's Board of Trustees, investment and finance teams, and President and CEO Rachel Garbow Monroe. Monroe commented, "Just as the Foundation's growth prompted the creation of an in-house investment team several years ago, now is the appropriate time to add a dedicated Chief Financial Officer to the Weinberg Foundation's professional team. Craig will manage the Foundation's finances and reporting, will work closely with the Foundation's auditors, and will manage a multitude of complicated cash transactions related to real estate and other assets." Monroe added, "After an extensive national search, we were thrilled to find a superior local candidate who brings more than 20 years of experience in the financial and accounting fields, most recently within the nonprofit sector. We are delighted to have Craig join the Foundation as Chief Financial Officer and believe he will quickly become an important asset to the Foundation's work." Prior to joining the Weinberg Foundation, Mellendick was the Chief Financial Officer and Chief Administrative Officer of Enterprise Community, a national nonprofit organization that creates opportunity for low- and moderate-income people through affordable housing in diverse, thriving communities. He has also held accounting and finance positions with two real estate investment trustsGeneral Growth Properties and The Rouse Company. In addition, Mellendick has performed audit and consulting services for KPMG, one of the nation's largest accounting firms. "I could not be more excited about joining The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation,"Mellendick remarked. "Through its funding to nonprofits that provide direct services to low-income and vulnerable individuals and families, this organization is making such a meaningful difference in so many lives. I am honored and humbled to be part of this mission and look forward to enhancing the Weinberg Foundation's financial and operational performance." Mellendick's first day in the office will be March 20, 2017. He is a graduate of Loyola University where he earned a degree in Business Administration, with a concentration in accounting. Mellendick is a certified public accountant and resides in Sykesville with his wife and three daughters. About The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation, one of the largest private charitable foundations in the United States, provides approximately $100 million in annual grants to nonprofits that provide direct services to low-income and vulnerable individuals and families, primarily in the US and Israel. Grants are focused on meeting basic needs and enhancing an individual's ability to meet those needs with emphasis on older adults, the Jewish community, and our priority communities of Maryland, Northeastern Pennsylvania, Chicago, and Hawaii. The trustees, some of whom also serve as executive officers of the Foundation, are Alvin Awaya, Donn Weinberg, Robert T. Kelly, Jr., Fay Hartog-Levin, and Chair Barry I. Schloss. Rachel Garbow Monroe serves as the Weinberg Foundation's President and Chief Executive Officer. For more information please visit www.hjweinbergfoundation.org. Media Contact: Craig Demchak, 443-738-1159 [email protected] SOURCE Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation Related Links http://www.hjweinbergfoundation.org LOS ANGELES and HILO, Hawaii, March 20, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Since its founding in 2012, Waiakea Hawaiian Volcanic Water has donated over 1 billion liters of clean water to those in need in Malawi through their work with nonprofit partner Pump Aid. Through the installation of UN awarded Elephant Pumps, Pump Aid provides clean water to those in desperate need. Lifting the immense burden of finding clean water leads to exponential, positive change at many levels within the community. Access to clean water has a direct correlation to growth in education, opportunities, employment, independence, prosperity, and health. The UN's annual World Water Day will take place on Wednesday, March 22nd, and is devoted to focusing critical attention on the water crisis that plagues over 650 million people throughout the globe. "Supporting clean water as a social initiative was an obvious decision for us as a company. Sanitation and safe water access is the root to so many of these communities' hardships, and is grossly overlooked. There is a simple solution that we can implement together that can and does have profound impact", said Ryan Emmons, founder of Waiakea Hawaiian Volcanic Water. Waiakea is honored to contribute to that impact. With each case of Waiakea water sold, 7,800 liters of clean drinking water are donated to communities in need through the installation of Elephant Pumps. Waiakea will be celebrating World Water Day with 20% off a case of Hawaiian Volcanic water, now through March 26th. Visit this link for more information and help support the installation of pumps in Malawi through this high-impact program: http://aloha.waiakeasprings.com/world-water-day-2017 About Waiakea Hawaiian Volcanic Water Originating as both snowmelt and rain on the Big Island's Mauna Loa volcano, Waiakea Hawaiian Volcanic Water is filtered through thousands of feet of porous volcanic rock, producing one of the most delicious, naturally alkaline and electrolyte-rich waters in the world. Almost five percent of Waiakea's revenue goes toward local community programs and nonprofits, such as The Kama'aha Initiative, INPEACE, and Kupu, fostering education and environmental stewardship. Additionally, for every liter bought, Waiakea donates 1 month of clean water to someone in need in Malawi through its clean water projects in partnership with Pump Aid. In accordance with the Hawaiian practice and notion of "malama i ka 'aina" (to protect and care for the land), Waiakea is proud to be the first premium bottled water in the U.S. to be certified CarbonNeutral for its variety of sustainability initiatives, which include using one of the most sustainable fresh water resources in the world, using only 100% RPET bottles with a 90% smaller CO2 footprint than competitors, utilizing low emission shipping, and actively participating in regional reforestation. SOURCE Waiakea Hawaiian Volcanic Water (Refiles to fix title and spelling of India's Modi, paragraph 6) * Israel-China trade stands at $8 billion * China building ports, infrastructure in Israel * Netanyahu wants to pivot economy towards Asia By Yuval Ben-David and Michael Martina JERUSALEM/BEIJING, March 20 (Reuters) - China's economy may be 35 times larger than Israel's, but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is hoping to use that to advantage during a three-day visit to Beijing as he looks to reorient Israel's economy towards Asia over Europe and the United States. A week after U.S. chip giant Intel agreed to buy Israeli technology firm Mobileye for $15.3 billion, Netanyahu wants to enlarge Israel's high-tech presence in China while encouraging further Chinese investment in Israel, where infrastructure and construction projects are growing apace. More than 100 technology executives have joined Netanyahu on the visit, with meetings planned with Chinese business leaders. Bilateral trade has been hovering at around $8 billion for the last few years, but over the past decade, Israel's exports to China have tripled to $3.3 billion in 2016, with technology - from cybersecurity to agri-tech - leading the way. Half the investments in Israeli funds in 2015 involved at least one Chinese investor, and 40 percent of funds raised by Israeli venture capital firms came from Chinese backers, according to the Economy Ministry. "Israel is pivoting towards Asia in a very clear and purposeful way," Netanyahu said last month in Singapore, which he visited along with Australia. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Israel in the summer, underpinning the Asia trend. While the European Union remains Israel's largest trading partner, Asia is steadily closing the gap and politically it tends to put far fewer demands on Israel than the EU does. Matan Vilnai, Israel's former ambassador to Beijing, said China's interests in Israel were almost purely economic. The Chinese leadership seeks to learn from Israel's culture of high-tech innovation and doesn't push beyond that. "It's very simple: technology, technology, technology," he told Reuters. Story continues Chinese firms are driving major infrastructure projects in Israel, including Tel Aviv's metro system and new Mediterranean ports in Haifa and Ashdod. A deal for 6,000 Chinese construction workers to come to Israel was signed earlier this year, with the possibility of extending it to 20,000. Ilan Maor, Israel's former consul-general in Shanghai and the managing partner of Sheng BDO, a business advisory firm, said he thinks China's leadership is keen to limit discussions with the Israeli delegation to economics, even if Beijing has become more outspoken on Middle East issues. "The place (Netanyahu) can make a significant contribution is opening the door to more trade, moving forward to free trade, and making a clear message that we want Chinese investment," he said. The countries are negotiating a free-trade agreement, although it remains unclear how far advanced talks are. From Netanyahu's point of view, while China and Israel may be vastly different in terms of population, physical size and resources, there is a strong fit: while Israel innovates, China concentrates on mass marketing and commercialisation. "Given the basic infrastructure of initial and secondary development - airports, sewage lines, water - once you've done that, the way to go up and up and up is to constantly improve your products and services and utilities with technology," Netanyahu told Chinese business leaders in Bejing. "We are your perfect junior partner for that effort." (Editing by Luke Baker and Alison Williams) (Adds details on Peruvian mine output, quote from minister, comment from mining company, industry association, paragraphs 3-10) LIMA, March 20 (Reuters) - Heavy rains in Peru have disrupted train transport of minerals from the country's central region to the Pacific Coast, and the train line could take at least 15 days to fix, Vice President and Transport Minister Martin Vizcarra said on Monday. The government is coordinating with mining companies to find alternative routes, Vizcarra said. The intense floods have killed more than 70 people and destroyed tens of thousands of homes since the start of the rainy season. Central Peru accounts for at least one-fifth of Peru's metals production, according to the National Society of Mining, Petroleum and Energy (SNMPE), an industry group. Peru is the world's second-largest copper producer, the third-largest zinc and silver producer and the sixth-largest gold producer. The region is home to Chinalco Mining Corp's 300,000 tonne-per-year Toromocho copper mine, a zinc and silver mine owned by Volcan Compania Minera and some precious metals mines owned by Compania de Minas Buenaventura . An SNMPE spokesman said warehouses at Peru's El Callao port had enough supplies to fulfill companies' commitments for up to 30 days. Alvaro Barrenechea, director of corporate affairs at Chinalco's Peruvian affiliate, said the company would be affected if the railway does not re-open within a month. "I expect the situation will improve in 10 days," he said. Speaking to local radio station RPP, Vizcarra said at least one kilometer of the rail line that links the center of the country with the coast was destroyed by flooding from the Rimac river in the outskirts of Lima. The intense rains began a week ago, due to an unexpected climate phenomenon known as "Coastal El Nino" that could last through April. "This railway was attached to the river bank," said Vizcarra, who also serves as Peru's vice president. "We need the river flow, which is rising, to recede, and that will not happen in less than 15 days. Then, we will be able to install the line." (Reporting by Ursula Scollo and Marco Aquino; Writing by Caroline Stauffer and Luc Cohen; Editing by David Gregorio) 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 Imphal, March 13 : Former editor and minister Nongthombam Biren was on Monday unanimously elected as the BJP legislature party leader in Manipur, and will stake claim to form the next ministry, the party said. The election was held under the supervision of Union HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar and Union Power Minister Piyush Goyal here. His name was proposed by Thongam Bishwajit, MLA and seconded by Radheshyam, Nemcha Haokip and some others. All the 21 BJP MLAs were present in the crucial meeting. Earlier, Bishwajit was one of the contenders. But he later withdrew to choose Biren unanimously. Biren will be meeting Governor Najma Heptulla to stake his claim to form the next ministry. The Bharatiya Janata Party now has the support of 32 members in the 60-member Assembly. Biren had been editor of Maharolgi Thoudang, a vernacular daily. Later he joined politics and got elected from his Heingang constituency. He had been a cabinet minister in the Congress government for over 10 years holding important portfolios. He had resigned from the membership of the House and the primary membership of the Congress party last year and joined the BJP. He got elected from Heingang in the March elections. Biren told IANS that people had voted against corruption and atrocities, including fake encounters. "Our government shall probe various corruptions and book those guilty of fake encounters. We are thankful to the people for voting us to power and we will not let down the people," Biren said. He was one of the Congress ministers who were critical of Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh who had faced ouster campaigns. In another development, Manipur Chief Minister Ibobi Singh, in a sudden turn-around, on Monday evening announced that he will tender resignation within 24 hours. Governor Heptulla had instructed him to resign so that she could proceed with the conduct of the swearing in ceremony for the next Chief Minister. Ibobi had been refusing to resign pointing out that he enjoys majority support. However, he has been unable to cobble up support. He claimed to enjoy the support of the four MLAs of the National People's Party on the basis of a letter he got from the party soon after the declaration of the assembly results. He may use the next 24 hours to fight a last ditch battle to woo other MLAs. However, Vivekraj Wangkhem, general secretary of the NPP said: "There have been changes. We have decided to support the BJP. This is final. There is no question of our party supporting the Congress even if Ibobi is given a chance." Heptulla had pointed out to Ibobi that just a letter of support would not suffice and insisted on the physical presence of the four NPP MLAs. Srinagar, March 15 : The National Conference and the Congress announced on Wednesday they will fight the by-elections to the Lok Sabha from Srinagar and Anantnag in Jammu and Kashmir as allies. National Conference President Farooq Abdullah will contest from Srinagar while state Congress leader G.A. Mir will be the candidate at Anantnag, former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah told the media. "We have had exhaustive deliberations within the NC and so has the Congress to work out a joint strategy to give a fight to the ruling PDP in Srinagar and Anantnag," the National Conference leader said here. "After exhaustive exercise, it has been decided the National Conference and the Congress would fight the by-elections jointly. "The Congress has assured us that all its workers and well-wishers will ensure a landslide victory for Farooq Abdullah in Srinagar while our rank and file in Anantnag will work for the victory of Mir Sahab," he told the media. Asked how confident he was of winning, Omar Abdullah said: "Nobody can go into elections with 100 per cent surety but we are pretty sure of winning both these seats." The Peoples Democratic Party has announced that Tasaduq Hussain Sayeed, brother of Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, would contest from Anantnag and Nazir Ahmad Khan, who defected from the Congress, from Srinagar. London, March 16 : Britain's Queen Elizabeth II has granted royal assent to the Brexit bill, paving the way for Prime Minister Theresa May to start the country's departure from the European Union. The European Union (Notification of Withdrawal) Bill was signed by the Queen on Thursday after it was cleared by both chambers of the British Parliament earlier this week, reported the Independent. "I have to notify the House in accordance with the Royal Assent Act 1967 that her Majesty has signified her royal assent to the following acts... European Union (Notification of Withdrawal) Act 2017," Commons Speaker John Bercow told lawmakers during a session of the house. The bill gives May the legal authority to trigger Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty, the laid down procedure within the EU for a member state wishing to leave. Once Article 50 is triggered, it kickstarts a two-year process for negotiating a new relationship between both sides. The Prime Minister is now free to trigger the exit clause, but is not expected to do so until as late as March 29, the newspaper reported. A Downing Street spokesman said: "The legislation has been passed unamended, we are pleased that's the case. The legislation has got Royal Assent and we look forward to triggering negotiations by the end of March." Senior figures in Brussels have warned that the timetable will be too tight if May triggers Article 50 in the last week of March, said the report. London, March 16 : Britain's Queen Elizabeth II on Thursday granted royal assent to the Brexit bill, giving Prime Minister Theresa May the legal power to start negotiations with the European Union. House of Commons Speaker John Bercow announced that the European Union (Notification of Withdrawal) Bill was signed by the Queen after it was cleared by both chambers of the Parliament earlier this week, the Guardian reported. "I have to notify the house in accordance with the Royal Assent Act 1967 that her Majesty has signified her royal assent to the following acts... European Union (Notification of Withdrawal) Act 2017," Bercow told lawmakers. The bill gives May the legal authority to trigger Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty, the laid down procedure within the EU for a member state wishing to leave. Once Article 50 is triggered, it kickstarts a two-year process for negotiating a new relationship between both sides. The Prime Minister is now free to trigger the exit clause, but is not expected to do until as late as March 29, the newspaper reported. A Downing Street spokesman said: "The legislation has been passed un-amended, we are pleased that's the case. The legislation has got Royal Assent and we look forward to triggering negotiations by the end of March." Brexit Secretary David Davis said: "The Queen has today given royal assent to the Article 50 bill, giving the government the formal power to it and deliver on the will of the people." Indian-origin lawyer in Britain Sarosh Zaiwalla said: "The biggest headache for the Prime Minister now is the announcement by Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon calling for a second referendum on the independence... If Scotland becomes independent, the UK will break up, and England will become little England. This has to be kept in mind." Thiruvananthapuram, March 19 : Senior Kerala Congress leader V.M. Sudheeran on Sunday slammed Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi for overriding an apex court ruling on liquor outlets along highways and asked him to resign. Sudheeran said Rohatgi has not done any justice to the constitutional office and failed to fulfil his role as envisaged by Article 72 of the Constitution. The Congress leader's attack came as Rohatgi advised the Kerala government that bar hotels and beer-wine parlours across the national highways and state highways can be retained. This was despite a December 2016 ruling by the Supreme Court that banned such sales within 500 metres of the highways across the country. The ruling had forced around 300 such outlets comprising beer and wine parlours, five star hotels and state-owned liquor retail outlets to look for new places in the state. They were expected to move by the beginning of the new fiscal. "There is every reason to believe that the said advice (by Rohatgi) was given at the behest of a few bar hotel owners in the state," Sudheeran said. He also slammed the Attorney General for appearing for a bar hotel owner in a case challenging the erstwhile Kerala government's liquor policy "even while holding the esteemed office". "Such appearance was neither fair nor ethical. I am pained to say that your above said conduct was not correct - legally, constitutionally, ethically or politically," added the former president of the Congress party who quit last week, owing to his poor health. "It is therefore my considered view that you have not done justice to the constitutional office that you hold and I can only make an earnest request to you to give up the constitutional seat," Sudheeran said. Thiruvananthapuram, March 19 : Congress leader V.M. Sudheeran on Sunday asked Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi to resign for allegedly acting at the "behest of a few bar hotel owners" in Kerala. In December, the Supreme Court banned the sale of liquor within 500 meters of national and state highways across the country. But Rohatgi advised the Kerala government that retail outlets for sale of liquor alone need to be removed and that bar hotels and beer-wine parlours along the national and state highways can remain. "There is every reason to believe that the said advice was given at the behest of a few bar hotel owners in the state," Sudheeran said in a letter to Rohatgi. "As your good self is well aware, even while holding the esteemed office of the Attorney General of India, your good self has appeared for a bar hotel owner in a case challenging the erstwhile Kerala government's liquor policy to reduce the availability of liquor in the state," he said. "You have again advised the state government with respect to a judgment, with an instruction which has the effect of flouting the very purpose of the judgment. "There is every reason to believe that you have given such advice ... only to help a few bar hotel owners in the state," Sudheeran said. The Congress leader urged the Attorney General to "give up the constitutional seat you now occupy". Berlin, March 20 : German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe have called for free trade with fair and democratic rules, saying they were committed to moving towards an agreement between the European Union and Japan. Speaking at the inauguration of the CeBIT technology fair on Sunday, Merkel and Abe emphasised the benefits of world trade and vowed to work together and act as "driving force" behind the agreement, Efe news reported. "We want free, open markets. We certainly don't want any barriers but at a time of an 'Internet of things' we want to link our societies with one another and let them deal fairly with one another, and that is what free trade is all about," Merkel said. The comments came after the US hampered negotiations on the issue on Saturday at the annual meeting of G20 leaders. The G20 leaders did not condemn economic protectionism as it had done on previous occasions, but the US once again questioned some of the signed agreements, such as North American Free Trade Agreement (Nafta), which it plans to revise. "In times when we have to argue with many about free trade, open borders and democratic values, it's a good sign that Japan and Germany no longer argue about this but rather are seeking to shape the future in a way that benefits people," Merkel said. Abe expressed his commitment to maintaining ties and growth, pointing out that Japan has grown "through reaping the benefits of trade and innovation." The Japanese Prime Minister then vowed to "uphold the open system alongside Germany." Abe also endorsed a free trade agreement with the European Union, and highlighted the economic and industrial cooperation agreements already signed by the governments of both countries. Merkel vowed to be a driving force behind the negotiations for the free trade agreement with Japan and defended the rules of the social market economy. Recognising that much of the innovation in both Japan and Germany originates in small- and medium-sized enterprises, Merkel guaranteed support for such diversity in order to deal with monopolies. The 2017 CeBIT has gathered some 3,000 exhibitors from 70 countries and is expected to attract over 200,000 visitors, while more than 100 companies exhibiting in the event are based in Japan. New Delhi, March 20 : The Supreme Court on Monday declined Uphaar theatre owner Gopal Ansal's plea for more time to surrender, as he said he has moved the President for mercy and pardon. "Sorry, we can't," said a bench of Chief Justice Jagdish Singh Khehar, Justice D.Y. Chandrachud and Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul as senior counsel Ram Jethmalani urged the court to give a few more days to Ansal to surrender. The apex court had earlier asked Gopal Ansal to surrender to undergo the remaining part of his sentence in the Uphaar fire tragedy case. A huge fire broke out at the Uphaar cinema hall 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. For 20 years the case has dragged on. Mumbai, March 20 : Indian actress Priyanka Chopra says she is blessed to work with great actors like Marcia Cross, Blair Underwood and Aunjanue Ellis in the second season of American drama series "Quantico". "So blessed to work with such great actors... Marcia Cross, Blair Underwood and Aunjanue Ellis... Don't miss 'Quantico' tomorrow night," Priyanka tweeted on Sunday night. The actress also shared a photograph of herself along with the actors. The 34-year-old Bollywood actress will soon be seen making her Hollywood debut with the upcoming film "Baywatch", which also stars Dwayne Johnson and Zac Efron. -*-Alia Bhatt emerging as finest actress: Shekhar Suman Veteran actor Shekhar Suman has lauded actress Alia Bhatt and said she is emerging as one of the finest and successful actresses in Bollywood. "Alia Bhatt slowly emerging as the finest n the most successful actress leaving all her peers and contemporaries behind by miles! You go gal," Shekhar tweeted on Sunday night. He also complimented actor Varun Dhawan and Alia for their performances in the recently released film "Badrinath Ki Dulhania", directed by Shashank Khaitan. "Extremely competent performances by Varun and Alia 'Badrinath Ki Dulhaniya'... Kudos! Congratulations on the huge success," he added. On the acting front, Shekhar is currently busy filming actor Sanjay Dutt's comeback film "Bhoomi", which revolves around a father-daughter relationship. The film also stars actress Aditi Rao Hydari. -*-Big B in billboard dilemma Megastar Amitabh Bachchan pondered over how billboards across Mumbai have taken over road direction boards in the city. "Welcome to Mumbai, the Billboard City! Official formal destination and road direction boards drowned in their presence," tweeted the 74-year-old actor. "Wish to give directions for a destination or address or route in Mumbai... Turn right/left from 'so and so Billboard'," he added. On the acting front, Amitabh is gearing up for the release of the third instalment of the "Sarkar" franchise, which is directed by Ram Gopal Varma. The film also stars Jackie Shroff, Amit Sadh, Manoj Bajpayee and Yami Gautam. Big B will also be seen in "Thugs Of Hindostan", which also features superstar Aamir Khan. Jaipur, March 20 : The "forgotten recipes" of Persia are about to be revived at a 13-day food festival that promises an authentic culinary fare through the subtle flavours that originated in Iran centuries ago. Heralding Nowruz, the dawn of the Persian New Year, Fairmont Jaipur is launching the food fest on Marh 21 at the hotel's signature Indo-Persian restaurant "Zarin" -- a name inspired by the Persian connotation for gold -- that celebrates the fusion of two ancient culinary traditions of Asia. "Zarin is a unique restaurant that adds drama and flair to our repertoire of dining facilities at Fairmont Jaipur. The restaurant evokes heart-warming nostalgia of grandiose culinary traditions of the warrior kings and emperors across Persia," Srijan Vadhera, General Manager, Fairmont Jaipur, said while announcing the launch of the festival at an event here over the weekend. The Persian food festival that also marks the launch of a new menu at Zarin will offer guests a wide selection of vegetarian and non-vegetarian delicacies, including Iranian Haleem, Mutton Dhansak, Tabriz Koftey -- stuffed chicken dumpling filled with nuts and spices - and Patrani Paneer Kebab -- banana leaf wrapped grilled cottage cheese flavoured with garlic and cinnamon. "The new menu at Zarin will offer diners a delightful insight into a bygone era that has influenced our cuisine in countless ways. The food festival that celebrates Nowruz is a compilation of highlights from the new menu breathing life into the forgotten recipes of Persia," Manpreet Singh, Executive Chef, Fairmont Jaipur, said. The 200-room Farirmont Jaipur Hotel that integrates the Rajputana decor with the majesty of Mughal architecture to offer guests the grandeur of a palace with all modern amenities is located just 10 kms from the famous Amer Fort. Besides the Indo-Persian restaurant "Zarin", the hotel also boasts of a multi-cuisine restaurant "Zoya", and a library-bar where one can sip the selected choice of premium scotch whiskeys or fine wines while reading a book or watching the best of Charlie Chaplin films. New Delhi, March 20 : The Autumn/ Winter 2017 edition of Amazon India Fashion Week (AIFW) not only celebrated a day dedicated to young students and their creative side, but also the 'guru-shishya' tradition in the form of a finale show. The emphasis this time was on minimalism in fashion. Some of the country's top notch designers showcased their line on the first four days of the fashion gala, with the fifth day dedicated to the GenNext in fashion at 'Pearl Portfolio'. Pearl Academy showcased the work of over 350 budding designers from its school of fashion, styling and textiles. "I am highly impressed with the collections that have been put together by the students and I think they are ready to join the industry already," said Sunil Sethi, President of Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI), the country's apex fashion body. Overall, AIFW, which happened at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium here, showcased some of the best of fashion trends exuding minimalism and endorsing the rich handloom culture that India is known for. In the opening show on March 15, FDCI and The Handloom School acknowledged the anonymous makers who create magic with thread. It featured ensembles from 13 designers and labels like Akaaro, Antar-Agni, Eka, Good Earth, Neeru Kumar, Nicobar, Pero, Rajesh Pratap Singh, Raw Mango, Rohit Bal and Suket Dhir. Day one witnessed 71 designers showcasing their works. One standout feature was ace designer Madhu Jain showcasing at an Indian fashion week for the first time in her 30-year-old career. Ranging from different pleated blouses to saris in Ikat weaves with a touch of gota patti work, the collection personified the power of the country's handloom. Ace designers David Abraham and Rakesh Thakore explored the everyday workday looks through their collection titled 'Back to Work', which also showed how one can look stylish with the minimal. And the same held true for Aneeth Arora's designs. The four-day fashion extravaganza ended on a spectacular note when 'guru-shishya' duo Tarun Tahiliani and Amit Aggarwal showcased more than 80 garments together on the ramp and left fashionistas asking for more. The fashion week also saw some of the retail brands like Satya Paul, Casa Pop and H&M showcasing their new lines. And not to miss was the presence of Bollywood celebrities like Alia Bhatt, Vaani Kapoor, Richa Chadha and Dia Mirza, who added the glamour to the gala. New Delhi : It was a spectacular celebration. The beating of drums, sprinkling of colours, group songs, dancing continued well after dusk. As I watched from my window, a thought crossed my mind: Why had we not been invited? Ours is the only Muslim home in the colony, but a pride of place has always been accorded to us in all celebrations, including Holi. We have inherited this knack of integration from our elders. The Mahant of Shiv Sharan Das temple in Lucknow always made special "bhang"-free "thandai" for my father on Holi. I called up the President of the Residents Welfare Association (RWA) to register my protest. He was vacationing at Corbett Park. There had been deaths in the neighbourhood; RWA had therefore not organised a Holi celebration. It was private initiative -- some friends had come together for the festivities. We know them well, but they probably did not include us in their list of revellers because they thought we may not be in the celebration mode or in depression at the turn of political events. Such are the ogres imagination conjures up. Yes, one is afflicted by deep anxiety, but Narendra Modi's extraordinary victory is only a fraction of the problem. The anxiety is accentuated by the context in which politics is unfolding. Spaces for open discussion -- political, social, economic and cultural -- are shrinking. In any case they are all in the hands of philistinism and propaganda. This afflicts not all of the media, but a large chunk of it. A creeping voicelessness therefore is our anxiety. I was with family in Mustafabad, my village near Rae Bareli, where my sister keeps a television with its tube burnt out -- no images only sound. It is surrealistic. We heard the election results in stupefied, stunned silence. My cousin Asghar broke the silence. "The state of the Muslims in the country is just like your television, Suraiya -- blind but noisy." Suraiya asked: "How have the Muslims fared?" Asghar: "They have helped the BJP win and now they are terrified at the outcome: Khuda ko aihle Jahaan Jub banaa chuke to, Firaq Pukar uthe ki, isi ne Hamein banaya tha. (After men had completed making their God. Look, they screamed, it is He who made us)" Juggle around with this couplet and you get a fair idea of how Muslims are themselves responsible for the rise of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). First they help strengthen the BJP, then they cry: We are afraid. Suraiya was angry. She sought my intervention. "Why blame the Muslims?" she asked. I said: "Asghar is right. Blindfolded by their myopic mullahs, Muslims have since Partition followed false Gods." Asghar chipped in: "The headline story one day was: Mayawati to field 100 Muslim candidates. The media lapped it up. The 100 Muslim candidates became a chant, mornings, afternoons, evenings." Next headline: Akhilesh-Rahul Gandhi alliance will attract Muslim votes. Will Rahul repel Muslim votes because of Congress inaction during the demolition of Babri Masjid? Will Akhilesh be able to neutralise Muslim anger against the Congress? Muslim, Muslim, Muslim. Do you think this "Muslim, Muslim" incantation is honeyed music even to the most moderate Hindu? It is custom-made for Hindu consolidation. Suraiya asked: "Which party then should the Muslims have supported?" There was silence. "None," I said. "What do you mean?" Suraiya persisted. "The only role at this juncture for Indian Muslims in India's electoral politics is to enable Hindu consolidation. This may not occur to the Muslim voter, but this is the consequence of his politics." Basically, the Muslim is not at fault. The Congress is -- from the very beginning. When it agreed with Lord Louis Mountbatten and Mohammad Ali Jinnah to Partition the country on religious lines, it had diluted its own stand on the two-nation theory -- Hindus and Muslims constituted two separate nations. Once you created Muslim Raj (Pakistan), India had glided seamlessly from British Raj to Hindu Raj. I have argued this case in my book: "Being the Other: The Muslim in India". A fair bargain could have been struck with the Muslim even at that stage, avoiding all the hypocrisy about secularism. The leaderless Muslim, mesmerised by Nehruvian blandishments, pitched his tent in the Congress park as its permanent vote bank. In the 1980s, V.N. Gadgil, General Secretary of the Congress, took me into confidence. "Muslim appeasement is beginning to rankle with the Congress' Hindu base." This "appeasement" was exposed by the Sachar Committee Report in 2005. Successive Congress governments had brought Muslim socio-economic status down even below the Dalits. Some appeasement. After the Muslim vote defected en masse from the Congress following the demolition of Babri Masjid in 1992, a seering truth has settled in the Muslim mind. The Congress had cheated the community from day one. So he left the Congress but having done so, where should he go? Rank casteist parties -- Samajwadi Party (SP) and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) -- opened their doors. In a daze, the Muslim walked in as an enabler of casteist power. There was nothing in it for him. And now, Congress, SP, BSP are all fallen icons, piled up in a lifeless heap. Where should the Muslim go? Suraiya's was the last word. "Are you saying we should not complain about the BJP's anti-Muslim plank? They were open on where they wanted to take the nation? Our plaint should be registered against parties which pretended to protect our interest but knowingly or unknowingly facilitated the BJP's Hindu Rashtra? With rampaging hatred against Pakistan, unsettled conditions in Kashmir, it is custom-made to target us as the Other against which Hindu consolidation will progress." Had "Hindu Raj" been accepted at the outset, she added profoundly, the excruciating process of welding "Hindu Rashtra" from the caste pyramid would have been avoided. The Muslim was used as a foil in this process. This hurt. (A senior commentator on political and diplomatic affairs, Saeed Naqvi can be reached on saeednaqvi@hotmail.com. The views expressed are personal.) New Delhi, March 20 : BJP MP Subramanian Swamy on Monday said the two Indian clerics who returned to Delhi after reportedly going missing in Pakistan were involved in anti-India activities. Syed Asif Ali Nizami and his nephew Nazim Ali Nizami, both clerics of Delhi's Hazrat Nizamuddin Dargah, flew back to the Indian capital. While Nazim Ali has trashed Pakistani media claims that they had links with the Indian intelligence agency Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), Swamy claimed to have "independent information" that they were working against New Delhi's interests. "They are lying ... to get sympathy," Swamy told the media. "We have independent information that these two were working against the country." Nazim Ali said they had gone to Pakistan to meet Asif Ali Nizami's sister in Karachi. Agartala, March 20 : The Border Security Force (BSF) has ordered a court of inquiry into the killing of three tribals in firing by its troopers in Tripura last week, officials said here on Monday. "A court of inquiry has been ordered by the BSF into the incident. Senior BSF officials outside the Udaipur (southern Tripura) sector would conduct the court of inquiry," BSF Deputy Inspector General Hardeep Singh said. "Appropriate administrative actions have been initiated to prevent recurrence of such incident in future," he said. Three tribals, including a woman, were killed and two others were injured in BSF firing in southern Tripura's Chittabari village along the India-Bangladesh border on March 17. The probe order came after Kolkata-based BSF Additional Director General (Eastern Command) R.P. Singh visited the tension-ridden border areas and held a series of meetings with top Tripura government officials on Sunday and Monday. "The BSF's Additional DG along with other senior officials on Monday held meetings with Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar and discussed the incident. Sarkar asked the BSF officials to take apt steps against the accused BSF personnel," a Tripura Home Department official said. Tripura Chief Secretary Sanjeev Ranjan and Director General of Tripura Police K. Nagaraj were also present in the meeting. Earlier, the BSF said in a statement that its troopers were trying to stop smuggling of cattle to Bangladesh on Friday when they were attacked by villagers with sharp weapons and batons. The troopers then opened fire, killing three persons. However, locals told the police that three BSF men tried to molest a young tribal woman and when the villagers resisted, they opened fire. Tripura shares a 856-km border with Bangladesh, a portion of which is still unfenced. Bank of Ireland UK advised that it will now consider applications from professional self-employed contractors who have been trading for at least 12 months and will use the current contract for the purpose of verifying income. The Bank will also lend up to 90% LTV and will accept a minimum gross contracting income of 50,000 and affordability based on 80% of the applicants gross contract income. Alison Pallett, Director of Sales at Bank of Ireland UK, commented: As the employment landscape evolves, we must recognise that the needs of our customers are also changing. Contractors are a growing segment of the market, and we are delighted to respond to feedback from our intermediary network partners. By introducing these changes the Bank will provide further support to the self-employed. For the third consecutive year, Astellas USA Foundation will continue to help support the delivery of measles vaccines to children in Latin America. To date, funding provided by the Astellas USA Foundation to the Shot@Life campaign of the United Nations Foundation has been used to help immunize more than 200,000 children in Latin America against measles as well as provide disease monitoring and surveillance that are essential to ensure that hardest to reach and most vulnerable children are vaccinated. Measles, a highly contagious disease caused by a virus, kills nearly 135,000 children each yearthat is more than 360 deaths every day. Children under the age of five living in poverty are especially susceptible to death and disability as a result of contracting the disease. However, coordinated worldwide vaccination efforts have made significant progress resulting in a 79% drop in measles deaths. Supporting access to health care and well-being is one of Astellas USA Foundations core areas of focus. We are committed to working toward enriching the quality of life by promoting good health, said Moyra Knight, president of Astellas USA Foundation. As we enter into the third year of supporting the Shot@Life campaign, we look forward to helping our societys most vulnerable access the care they deserve to grow up healthy. In 2016, Latin America and the Caribbean became the first region in the world to have eliminated measles. This historic milestone represents decades of commitment from health workers, volunteers, and generous donors to ensure children across the region have access to life-saving vaccines. While the elimination has been an outstanding accomplishment, it is critical for the Region of the Americas to continue to reach all children to sustain high vaccination rates against measles and prevent outbreaks in the region. We are proud to partner with the Astellas USA Foundation to continue the fight to eliminate measles throughout Latin America, said Martha Rebour, Director of the Shot@Life campaign. The funding provided by the Foundation will help support the delivery of measles vaccinations and extend the campaigns reach to all children in the regoin through strong immunizations programs. Shot@Life, a campaign of the United Nations Foundation, educates, connects and empowers individuals to champion global vaccines as one of the most effective ways to save the lives of children in developing countries. # # # Contact Anna Kavaliunas Communications Manager, Shot@Life akavaliunas(at)unfoundation(dot)org 570.259.2205 About Shot@Life The United Nations Foundations Shot@Life campaign collaborates with many organizations and corporations to broaden American support for childhood immunizations in developing countries against diseases like pneumonia, diarrhea, measles and polio. Together, these partners are working with Shot@Life to benefit UNICEF, the World Health Organization and other implementing partners to save lives and improve the health of millions of children around the world through life-saving vaccines. Go to ShotAtLife.org to learn more. About The United Nations Foundation The United Nations Foundation builds public-private partnerships to address the worlds most pressing problems, and broadens support for the United Nations through advocacy and public outreach. Through innovative campaigns and initiatives, the Foundation connects people, ideas, and resources to help the UN solve global problems. The Foundation was created in 1998 as a U.S. public charity by entrepreneur and philanthropist Ted Turner and now is supported by philanthropic, corporate, government, and individual donors. Learn more at: http://www.unfoundation.org. About Astellas USA Foundation Astellas USA Foundation is a tax-exempt, non-profit corporation that awards grants to support charitable, scientific, literary and educational purposes. To learn more about Astellas USA Foundation please visit: http://www.astellasusafoundation.org. Delaware Board of Trade We see the Delaware Board of Trade as a venue to pursue our philosophy and bring our skills and hard work to the United States. The Delaware Board of Trade the holding company of DBOT ATS LLC, an SEC-recognized alternative trading system (ATS) has launched the system in March, 2017. The ATS trades over-the-counter unlisted equity securities and unlisted ADRs of companies trading on foreign stock exchanges. DBOT ATS is a centralized limit order book that matches orders on an automated basis. The Delaware Board of Trade Holdings and its subsidiaries are headquartered in the historic Hercules Building, located in the financial district of Wilmington, Delaware. Atlantic Bridge Investments, part of S.S. Lootah Holdings Group is pleased to be a part of the Delaware Board of Trade. The group looks forward to contributing to establish it as the premier alternative trading system and platform of choice for technology startups and for foreign companies looking to access capital in the United States. Our group was established by Haj Saeed Bin Ahmed Al Lootah in 1956 and our first joint venture was in construction, said a S.S. Lootah Holdings Group spokesperson. From construction, our group branched out to finance and education and we built the first Islamic bank, Dubai Islamic. Our philosophy has always been to make things better by empowering people to excel at everything they do. We see the Delaware Board of Trade as a venue to pursue our philosophy and bring our skills and hard work to the United States so that S.S. Lootah Holdings is a part of a premiere U.S. alternative trading system that will build new opportunities for people and business. We are very excited to have S.S. Lootah Holdings Group partner with us, said DBOT Chairman John F. Wallace. With this investment, S.S. Lootah Holdings Group is expressing a vote of confidence on our business model. Lootah's participation in posting portfolio companies on DBOT ATS is a strong endorsement and a show of support to a new breed of market center focused around OTC and small cap securities. DBOT foresees growth opportunities in its new partnership with S.S. Lootah Holdings Group into regions beyond the US, the Middle East. Delaware Board of Trade Holdings Inc. The Delaware Board of Trade Holdings Inc. operates three companies: (i) DBOT ATS LLC, their SEC-recognized Alternative Trading System; (ii) DBOT Issuer Services LLC, focused on setting and maintaining issuer standards, as well as the provision of issuer services to DBOT designated issuers; and (iii) DBOT Technology Services LLC, focused on the provision of market data and marketplace connectivity. DBOT ATS LLC (DBOT) DBOT is a fully automated, auto-execution, FINRA Broker-Dealer which is a U.S. Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) recognized Alternative Trading System (ATS). S.S. Lootah Group Established in Dubai in 1956, S.S. Lootah Group is a family-owned diversified business house with ventures across key industries from Construction, Real Estate, Energy, Food and Hospitality to Financial Services, Applied Research, ICT, Education and Healthcare among others along with a remarkable portfolio of not-for-profit educational institutions. From the first contracting company and first medical College in the United Arab Emirates to the first Islamic bank in the world, the entrepreneurial spirit of S.S. Lootah Group has been the catalyst that has brought home-grown business and community ventures to the global stage. This extraordinary portfolio carries the hallmark of the visionary Haj Saeed Bin Ahmed Al Lootah, the founder and Chairman of S.S. Lootah Group. Media Contact Information: Ronnie Pasternak Office: 302-300-4980 Cell: 201-320-5570 ron.pasternak(at)dbotholdings(dot)com This years Spring Meeting was especially timely as it is historically our regulatory-focused conference, and we are currently in the midst of trying to navigate the ACA restructure ahead. Hosting its annual Spring Meeting in Washington D.C. last week from March 15-17, the Society of Professional Benefit Administrators (SPBA) covered a variety of regulatory topics affecting employee benefit plans. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) and its future reform was a focal point as third party administrator (TPA) members and attendees discussed the possible direction the rule could take under the new administration and the would-be effects on self-funded plans. Other key topics related to the ACA included employer plan reporting requirements with Forms 1094 and 1095 as well as the non-discrimination provision in Section 1557 and how it applies to self-funding. This years Spring Meeting was especially timely as it is historically our regulatory-focused conference, and we are currently in the midst of trying to navigate the ACA restructure ahead, said Anne Lennan, SPBA president. More than 350 people attended the Spring Meeting, which included SPBA members, government officials, lawyers, industry experts and members of Congress. It is very beneficial to have this diverse range of perspectives in the room when discussing such complex regulations and issues, Lennan said. Our Association and its TPA members work closely with policymakers on a regular basis, and there is a lot of good that comes from this open exchange of ideas. Throughout the three-day conference, SPBA members learned about: HIPAA privacy and security as it relates to compliance, audits and enforcement Employee benefit litigation of interest to TPAs Health care fraud challenges and detection tactics for TPAs Developing a compliant workplace wellness program IRS initiatives for employer-shared responsibility Participants were also able to select from topic-specific workshop options that explored PPO networks, stop loss insurance, Taft-Hartley Plans and Cafeteria Plans. Education has always been a cornerstone of SPBA membership and it is something that is of significant emphasis at our Spring Meetings, Lennan said. As regulations and compliance needs constantly evolve in employee benefits, we remain committed to keeping TPAs in the know with the latest information. For more information about SPBA, contact: General Inquiries Fred Hunt, SPBA Active Past President, fred(at)spbatpa(dot)org or 301-718-7722 Membership Inquiries Kathy Strauss, Director of Member Services, kathy(at)spbatpa(dot)org or 301-718-7722 SPBA is the national association of Third Party Administration (TPA) firms that manage client employee benefit plans. It is estimated that over 70% of U.S. workers and their dependents in non-federal health coverage are in plans administered by TPAs. The clients of TPA firms include every size and format of employment, including large and small employers, state/county/city plans, union, non-union, collectively bargained multiemployer plans, as well as most industries and professions. "As this is our inaugural year for the Marin Design Awards, it is important that we recognize the contributions these luminaries have made to the Marin Design Community," said Kevin Patsel Vanguard Properties today announced that the first awards to be presented at the upcoming Marin Design Awards will honor six Marin design industry luminaries. The awards show, an event created and produced for the first time by Vanguard Properties, will also see an additional six awards presented in the same design categories on Thursday, May 18th from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. at the Mill Valley Community Center. Marin Design Luminaries to be honored, include: Architecture: Jared Polsky, Polsky Perlstein Architects Interior Design: Robert Federighi, Robert Federighi Design Landscape Design: Michael Yandle, Michael B. Yandle Landscape Architecture Home Decor: Monelle Totah and Gary McNatton, Hudson Grace Floral: Jennifer Brant, Green Bouquet Floral Design Fashion: Nadine Curtis, 7 on Locust "As this is our inaugural year for the Marin Design Awards, it is important that we recognize the contributions these luminaries have made to the Marin Design Community," said Kevin Patsel, organizer of the event and sales manager of Vanguard Properties for Marin County. "Each has added significantly in their own way to their respective categories and it's appropriate that we take a moment to honor their work." In addition to honoring these six luminaries, winners will also be awarded in the categories of Architecture, Interior Design, Landscape Design, Home Decor, Floral and Fashion. Those nominees will be announced in April in preparation of the awards ceremony on May 18, 2017. Nominees based in Marin County are considered on the body of their work, creativity, innovation and their contributions to the design community in Marin. Winners will be announced in each category. The Marin Design Awards will bring together the Marin design community, as well as all those who appreciate the importance of good design in our everyday lives. The evening, which will be a celebration of design in Marin County, will feature food/drink, a fashion show and an awards presentation. Proceeds from the $50 tickets will go to benefit Home for a Home, a local non-profit that partners with other organizations in Guatemala to construct simple, yet solid homes for families lacking adequate housing. The Marin Design Awards is also pleased to announce that Interiors Magazine has signed on to be our primary media sponsor for the event. For more information on sponsorship or advertising opportunities, or to purchase tickets, please visit http://www.MarinDesignAwards.com Since its founding in 1986, Vanguard Properties is now among the top real estate brokerages in San Francisco and has since expanded to Marin & Sonoma Counties. The company has achieved a reputation for its uniquely fresh and exciting approach to buying and selling homes, as well as its collaborative culture. Vanguard Properties provides its 400+ agents with one of the most comprehensive and technically advanced marketing, advertising and PR programs in the real estate industry. Together, were committed to helping NJHA members stay ahead of the swift and ever-changing healthcare information security landscape. The New Jersey Hospital Association, the leading advocate for New Jersey's healthcare provider community, and BluePrint Healthcare IT, announce the formation of a strategic alliance, offering their healthcare information security, privacy and compliance services, as well as free education, to NJHA members. NJHA sees this partnership with BluePrint Healthcare IT as an important move to address the evolving bombardment of information security threats to our member organizations and their patients, said Michael Guerriero, senior vice president of NJHA Healthcare Business Solutions. Together, were committed to helping NJHA members stay ahead of the swift and ever-changing healthcare information security landscape. Vikas Khosla, president and CEO of BluePrint Healthcare IT, shared in NJHAs commitment, Weve been working with NJHA as a consulting partner, as well as with some of their members. As a company solely focused on the key cybersecurity issues that healthcare faces, were very encouraged at the opportunity to bring our savvy and tested expertise to the entire NJHA community. NJHA members are looking for ways to respond to pressing cybersecurity threats as well as develop a strategic approach for how they can be nimble and prepare for the future of healthcare information security. Weve proven ourselves ready to tackle the issues within New Jersey and beyond, added Mark E. Ferrari, MS, PMP, CISSP, HCISPP, HITRUST Certified Practitioner and CISO of BluePrint Healthcare IT. The first educational webinar in an exclusive webinar series for NJHA members is slated for Thursday, April 13, 2017 from 11:00 am-12:00 pm ET. Titled Building Your Information Security Management Program Roadmap, this topic will feature BluePrint Healthcare ITs cybersecurity experts and NJHAs own CIO, Joseph Carr. Members can register online or via http://www.njha.com. About NJHA NJHA is a leader in advocacy, education, information and business services. It partners with its hospital, health system and post-acute care members so that they can better provide accessible, affordable and quality healthcare. NJHA offers its members and other healthcare providers an extensive portfolio of products and services, including customized cost management solutions, through its subsidiary, NJHA Healthcare Business Solutions. For more information, visit http://www.njha.com. About BluePrint Healthcare IT BluePrint Healthcare IT (BluePrint) has been a leader in healthcare privacy and security for over a decade. Unlike many other information security companies, we are 100% focused on serving the needs of healthcare providers and business associates. BluePrint was one of the first organizations to publish a comprehensive roadmap for hospitals and health systems to comply with the HIPAA Security rule in 2005. Since that time, BluePrint has worked as a trusted partner with dozens of healthcare systems, medical centers, physician networks, business associates and hospital associations to help protect their healthcare data. In 2011, BluePrint became the first healthcare focused HITRUST Certified Assessor. The HITRUST Common Security Framework (CSF) has become recognized as the gold-standard in security frameworks for healthcare. BluePrints clients benefit from its inclusion within their core methodology. For more information, visit our website at http://www.blueprinthit.com or follow us on Twitter at @BluePrintHIT. Avoka Digital Sales Readiness Matrix "Banks are conducting digital marketing with success. But a troubling disconnect occurs when digital marketing transitions to digital sales." - Phil Copeland, CEO, Avoka Avoka, the global leader in digital customer acquisition for financial services, today released its 2017 State of Digital Sales in Banking Report. The second annual report ranks and compares the digital account opening capabilities of 32 of the largest banks in North America, Europe and Australia, both in the breadth of their digital offerings and in the quality of their customer experience. Although findings from this years report indicate that banks in North America and Europe have made headway in improving their digital capabilities, banks in both regions still fail to capitalize on opportunities to retain and grow their increasingly on-the-go, mobile-first customer base in the face of increasingly stiff competition. Banks are conducting digital marketing with success. They are promoting their products via social media, internet search, online ads, their websites, and more. But a troubling disconnect occurs when digital marketing transitions to digital sales, the report noted. New to this years edition of the report is Avokas proprietary Digital Sales in Banking Readiness Matrix. The Matrix is a tool which anonymously maps out the banks which are lagging behind in their digital sales implementation, those which have prioritized digital readiness, and finally, highlights the roughly one third of banks that that have reached the optimal Digital Promised Land. The Matrix is the only tool of its kind to measure both the quality and the quantity of banks digital offerings. As per the Matrix, the majority of North American and European banks fall into the least digitally prepared category the Digital Under-Achievers, while many also fail to move past the Legacy Lover stage. Dominating the Digital Promised Land category are six Australian banks, which made the cut in their outstanding digital preparedness. According to the report, mobile still lags desktop online capabilities for many banks, with North American banks showing the least amount of mobile innovation. Although there has been considerable advances in customer acquisition for personal banking products with 42% of products that can be opened on a mobile device, up from 31% in 2016, European and Australian banks led the increase, with North American banks showing only a 6% increase in the number of products that could be applied for from a mobile device. The report found there had been little change in the number of small business banking services that could be applied for digitally: (26% versus 24%) or via mobile (7% versus 9%). What we have found is that many banks have made progress on the experience of their flagship deposit account, but the breadth of offering across all personal, wealth and business banking accounts lags behind, said Phil Copeland, Avoka CEO. Mobile sales capability is still well below desktop access, important given the growing customer desire to engage from a smartphone. Importantly, there has been no change in the number of products with advanced digital features, such as Save and Resume, that are required for an Omnichannel experience, Copeland said. Overall, the good news is that banks have responded to the message that consumers want to engage and sign up for banking products over mobile devices, Copeland said. Avoka is proud to be at the forefront of research into the digital sales landscape, and to be the global leader in helping banks to achieve their digital sales results. The 2017 State of Digital Sales in Banking Report can be downloaded here. About Avoka: Avoka accelerates customer-centric digital transformation in financial services and government. Avoka Transact creates seamless omni-channel customer experiences that increase business agility and accelerate customer acquisition. Avoka was founded in 2002 and has digitized over 100 million transactions for 150+ global clients. Avoka is based in Denver, CO, London, England and Sydney, Australia. Visit us at http://www.avoka.com/. Media Contacts: US: Bar Cudkevich Bar.cudkevich(at)aspectuspr(dot)com +1 646-793-3150 UK: Lucinda Armitage Lucinda.Armitage(at)aspectuspr(dot)com +44 (0) 20 7242 8867 A recent member survey from Simply Holiday Deals reveals that nearly 90% of respondents intend to take a summer holiday in 2017. This is despite Brexit, terrorism threats in popular destinations and the falling pound. See full results at http://simplyholidaydeals.co.uk/travel-blog/planning-a-2017-summer-holiday-heres-what-our-members-say-survey-results/. Over 30% of members have allocated between 301 and 500 per person for a trip to popular destinations, including Spain, Greece, Portugal and the USA. Staycations are on the rise, to the family favourite seaside spots of Devon and Cornwall, as well as Yorkshire and the Lake District. Surprisingly, nearly 80% of those surveyed claimed that Brexit and the falling pound have had no impact on holiday plans. However, terrorism and violence in different parts of the world have influenced destination decisions. Very few members opt to book holidays via the phone or in person, with over 80% choosing to plan and research entirely online, via search engines and holiday deal sites. We are very happy to see Brits determined more than ever to enjoy their traditional summer holiday, even in the face of world events like Brexit, the falling pound and the threat of terrorism in certain regions of the world. Favourites such as Spain, Portugal and Greece are always on the list. Even with the Trump Effect that is often in the news, it appears many Brits are still planning a long-haul trip to the USA, many of which go to Florida for its beaches and New York for its culture and nightlife. Although it is not a surprise search engines are the number one resource used when planning their holiday, we were excited to see more people using deal sites like Simply Holiday Deals than visiting booking sites directly. With the falling pound we believe people are shopping around more and seeking true deals, says Brian Jones, Managing Director of Simply Holiday Deals. 395 members took part in the survey. Of those respondents, just over 60% were in the age range of 56 or older and female. Simply Holiday Deals, http://simplyholidaydeals.co.uk, is a comprehensive online travel destination, sourcing the best hand-picked travel deals across the web for UK members. The company also provides travel guides, search tools and advice to help travellers on their way towards safe, budget-friendly and happy holidays. Frederick Strathmann MS, PhD, DABCC Vice President of Quality Assurance, NMS Labs Existing methods using LC-MS/MS suffer from matrix interference and require expensive and laborious sample preparation methods in order to reduce the impact on instrumentation. ICP-MS is a robust and specific analytical method that is often underappreciated outside of the area of elemental analysis. This presentation will discuss the pros and cons of using LC-ICP-MS for the analysis of thyroid hormones. Participants will engage in a discussion over the basics of LC-ICP-MS including similarities and differences to other mass spectrometers, as well as compare and contrast workflows for thyroid hormones by LC-ICP-MS and LC-MS/MS. These participants will be able to better determine the applicability of LC-ICP-MS for the routine analysis of thyroid hormones. Dr. Frederick Strathmann, vice president of quality assurance at NMS Labs, will be the speaker for this presentation. Strathmann received a doctorate of pathology and laboratory medicine from the University of Rochester in New York, after which he conducted an academic postdoctoral fellowship in the Biomedical Genetics Department at the University of Rochester, and completed a ComACC accredited Clinical Chemistry fellowship at the University of Washington in Seattle. He currently serves as the vice president of quality assurance at NMS Labs. Prior to his current position, he was a medical director of toxicology and director of high complexity platforms - mass spectrometry at ARUP Laboratories and a tenure-track Assistant Professor of Pathology at the University of Utah School of Medicine. LabRoots will host this event April 5, 2017, commencing at 10:00 a.m. PT, 1:00 p.m. ET. To read more about this event, learn about the P.A.C.E. CE and Florida CE credits offered, or to register for free, click here. For Research Use Only. Not for use in diagnostic procedures. ABOUT AGILENT TECHNOLOGIES Agilent Technologies Inc. (NYSE: A), a global leader in life sciences, diagnostics and applied chemical markets, is the premier analytical laboratory partner for a better world. Agilent works with customers in more than 100 countries, providing instruments, software, services and consumables for the entire analytical laboratory workflow. The company generated revenues of $4.20 billion in fiscal 2016 and employs about 12,500 people worldwide. Information about Agilent is available at http://www.agilent.com. ABOUT LABROOTS LabRoots is the leading scientific social networking website and producer of educational virtual events and webinars. Contributing to the advancement of science through content sharing capabilities, LabRoots is a powerful advocate in amplifying global networks and communities. Founded in 2008, LabRoots emphasizes digital innovation in scientific collaboration and learning, and is a primary source for current scientific news, webinars, virtual conferences, and more. LabRoots has grown into the worlds largest series of virtual events within the Life Sciences and Clinical Diagnostics community. With Mobi, you can send any money to anyone anywhere. BTCC today introduced Mobi, a new global multicurrency bitcoin wallet for iOS and Android. Mobi makes it easy to use bitcoin as money with conversion between 100+ currencies, instant money transfers to any Twitter account or mobile number, and an optional debit card that lets users spend bitcoins anywhere Visa is accepted. Mobi is the only mobile app that allows instant conversion, storage, and transfer of more than 100 currencies, including the United States dollar, the British pound, the Japanese yen, the euro, gold, silver, and bitcoin. Mobi accounts are linked to users mobile numbers; all that is needed to use Mobi is a smartphone. Mobi users can instantly transfer funds to any of the 2 billion other global smartphone users using Mobis private blockchain. Mobi also supports bitcoin transfers on the bitcoin public blockchain. Uniquely, Mobi allows customers to send money in any currency, including bitcoin, to any of Twitters 319 million users. Mobi eliminates friction in money transfer, making money truly global, said Bobby Lee, BTCCs chief executive officer. With Mobi, you can send any money to anyone anywhere. Mobi comes with an optional Visa debit card. The debit card is linked to users Mobi accounts, and allows them to withdraw cash in any currency at ATMs worldwide or spend their funds at any retail points of sale that support Visa. The debit card automatically deducts funds from customers wallet balance. Mobi will take bitcoin mainstream, with mobile-number accounts, Twitter payments, 100+ currencies, and a Visa debit card, Lee said. Mobi is the killer app for bitcoin. Mobi is accessible worldwide with support for 15 languages, including English, French, German, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish. Download links are below: iTunes App Store: https://bt.cc/mi Google Play Store: https://bt.cc/ma About Mobi Mobi is a global bitcoin app that allows storage, conversion, and transfer of more than 100 currencies. Mobi is a hosted wallet, which uses bitcoin as its underlying digital asset, and comes with an optional Visa debit card. A mobile phone number and an iOS or Android smartphone is all that is needed to use Mobi; there are no complicated signup and login procedures. Mobi is available worldwide in 15 languages. Learn more by visiting https://mobi.me/. Download the app on the iTunes App Store (https://bt.cc/mi) or Google Play Store (https://bt.cc/ma). About BTCC BTCC plays a leading role in every segment of the bitcoin ecosystem, offering digital currency exchanges, mining pools, physical bitcoins, and mobile wallets. The diverse products and services BTCC offers allow its customers to engage in all aspects of the digital currency spectrum in one integrated platform. Headquartered in Hong Kong, BTCC serves a global customer base and has become an industry leader for security, risk mitigation, credibility, and technological innovation. BTCCs mission is to provide the world with the most convenient and trustworthy digital currency services. More information about BTCC and its products can be found at https://www.btcc.com/. Sengenics, an immuno-diagnostics and therapeutics biotechnology company, today announced the launch of its new custom protein cloning and expression service, ProSys, at the Biomarker Summit being held at the Hilton San Diego Resort & Spa. ProSys uses the patented BCCP folding marker technology to ensure that proteins expressed are functional. Sengenics Chief Scientific Officer, Professor Jonathan Blackburn said, Expression of human proteins in heterologous systems such as bacteria, insect or mammalian cells can result in a low yield of proteins due to the production of incorrectly folded proteins. Our technology utilizes the biotin carboxyl carrier protein (BCCP) as a protein folding marker and protein solubility enhancer that reports on protein folding, helping to ensure that every protein cloned and expressed using our Immunome technology is correctly folded and functional. In the last 6 months, Sengenics has secured commercial projects with 5 out of the 10 top pharmaceutical companies in the world. These projects involve producing selected non-human proteins using mammalian and bacterial expression systems which are then spotted on custom Immunome arrays. These are being used for a variety of pharmaceutical screening and drug discovery applications, said Matthew Rawlings, Sengenics Commercial Director. Sengenics is offering a flexible protein production service from gene cloning to purified protein. Customers can choose the type and number of proteins as well as the expression system that suits their protein of interest. The technology has been successfully used for protein production using Baculovirus, E.coli, Yeast and mammalian expression systems. About Sengenics Sengenics is an immuno-diagnostics and therapeutics biotechnology company. Our key focus is leveraging the patented Immunome protein array technology which was spun out from research that was commercialised as a joint collaboration between the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge. The four key applications of Immunome are; Discovery of antibody-based therapeutics, discovery of autoantibody biomarkers, on-array kinase and DNA binding assays, and predictive immuno-toxicology assays. Most of Tanaza's success is due to its vendor-agnostic approach Tanaza, the Wi-Fi cloud management company, increased its business in Canada in 2016, by partnering with more than 15 Wi-Fi hotspot providers, with its most strategic partners in Ontario and Quebec. At the same time, Tanaza also experienced incredible growth at a global level, doubling its number of authorized Reseller Partners in less than one year. Tanaza participates in the strong growth of the Canadian Wi-Fi market. Data from the Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunication Commission (CRTC) shows that wireless service providers have increased the number of public free and paid Wi-Fi hotspots across the country from 14.000 by the end of 2014, to over 21.000 by the end of 2015. More recent data confirmed that the growth trend in the Wi-Fi offering is set to continue at a very rapid rate. In 2016, Tanaza, together with its partners, established more than 100 deployments in Quebec City in the retail and food sector. Some of Tanaza's deployments include networks for bank offices and ATMs, restaurants, touristic places and education institutes. Tanaza meets the needs of small and medium businesses and their partners, by providing them with an all-in-one powerful software for cloud-based Wi-Fi management and social hotspots. One of the main advantages of Tanaza's offering is the possibility to empower low-cost devices from different brands with Tanaza's firmware, actually adding new features to them without any additional cost. "Most of Tanaza's success is due to its vendor-agnostic approach. Tanaza allows any solution provider to free himself from the high costs related to mono-vendor hardware and software. With Tanaza, any network administrator can choose the access point that works best for their Wi-Fi network, whether it's from TP-Link, D-Link, Ubiquiti or Netgear." declares Sebastiano Bertani, Tanaza's CEO. For this and other reasons, many of Tanaza's partners decided to switch from Enterprise-grade hardware and mono-vendor software to Tanaza's more flexible and multi-vendor SaaS offering. Health Information Management Studies - Parker University We are so excited that Parker University is the first university in the DFW area and only one of three in the entire state of Texas to offer a CAHIIM accredited Health Information Management program - Janell Gibson, Vice President of Academic Operation Parker University becomes the first university in the DFW area to offer a CAHIIM accredited Bachelor of Science Degree in Health Information Management (HIM). Health information management professionals connect people, processes, technology, data and information security in the health care environment. HIM graduates work with cutting-edge technology to manage people, processes, systems, and big data. They keep our health information accurate, organized and secure. Earning a degree in health information management will prepare students for multiple career paths. We are so excited that Parker University is the first university in the DFW area and only one of three in the entire state of Texas to offer a CAHIIM accredited Health Information Management program, says Janell Gibson, Vice President of Academic Operations. She adds, Upon completion of our program, our graduates will be eligible to sit for the Registered Health Information Administrator (RHIA) certification. This is great news for hospitals, doctors offices, imaging centers, and X-Ray labs virtually any health care facility in need of qualified health information managers. CAHIIM, The Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management Education, specializes in serving the public interest by enforcing quality accreditation standards for Health Informatics and Health Information Management educational programs. CAHIIM program accreditation assures students and employers that graduates have completed a rigorous curriculum and have earned the expected knowledge and skills relevant to todays electronic health record environment. The Health Information Management field continues to grow with a 17% increase in jobs in the next ten years. Graduates can expect more than 56,300 relevant jobs to be filled with a median salary of $94,500.* The job market includes health care facilities such as hospitals, physician practices, acute-care centers, nursing homes and more. For more information about Parker Universitys HIM program, please visit http://www.parker.edu or call 972.438.6932. About Parker University Dallas-based Parker University is one of the world's leading educators of health and wellness professionals. Founded in 1982, this private, nonprofit, institution prepares men and women for a variety of careers in the practice, business and technology of health care. For more information about Parker University, visit http://www.parker.edu. # # # *https://www.bls.gov/ooh/management/medical-and-health-services-managers.htm Antelope Island Rum Fresh spring water "is something that sets us apart." Antelope Island Rum was awarded a Silver Medal at the prestigious Denver International Spirits Competition. The Denver International Spirits Competition (DISC) is the region's largest double blind professional spirits competition. The DISC ranks amongst along with only 3 other International spirit competitions worldwide (San Francisco, London, New York). Dented Brick Distillery was extremely honored to achieve this level of award given the level of competition. The competition included entries from Bacardi, Sazerac, E&J Gallo and Beam Suntory and other corporate giants. Dented Brick's Antelope Island Rum was previously awarded a bronze medal at the American Craft Spirits Association peer reviewed competition. It has been reeview in Got Rum? magazine with a buy rating, and received a 91 from The Tasting Panel. Spirits judging is based on a 100-point scale and by price categories yielding the fairest ratings. The Denver International Spirits Competition is conducted double blind by a seasoned panel of beverage professionals. The judging panel consists of sommeliers, retail buyers, journalists, mixologists and beverage directors. All judges undergo a daily calibration class designed to maintain consistent evaluation and scoring of all spirits. Utah's newest distillery opened March 25, 2016, with its Antelope Island Rum. Named after one of Utah's most famous landmarks, the white rum is made with organic cane sugar, molasses and Utah spring water. The distillery's location, in an industrial area of South Salt Lake, was selected because there was a natural artesian well on the property. The fresh spring water "is something that sets us apart," said Ethan Miller, Dented Brick's Head Distiller. The company's state-of-the-art facility is one of the few in the country built specifically for distilling. With a 28-foot-tall Vendome copper still from Kentucky, Dented Brick will be able to increase its capacity in the future, eventually reaching 3,000 cases a month. "We can make any spirit we want: vodka, gin or whiskey," Miller said. Not everything about the 14,000-square-foot facility is new, though. Old bricks even dented ones were pulled from the site's original structure and incorporated into the building, giving inspiration for the distillery's name. Cost $26.96 for a 750-ml bottle. Mouth cancer claims more lives every year than testicular and cervical cancer combined. We need to change this. To help raise awareness of mouth cancer, Chrysalis Dental Practice will be offering free mouth cancer examinations to people in the local area of Bedford, England. The practice, based on Goldington Road, will be offering free oral health checks with mouth cancer examinations between 3pm and 6pm on 29th April 2017. The new initiative, headed by Dr. Minesh Patel, is intended to give back to their local community and make everyone in the area aware of mouth cancer and the importance of regular check-ups in protecting against this life-threatening disease. Dr Patel from Chrysalis Dental Practice said: Mouth cancer does not have the public awareness that other forms of cancer does, yet shockingly it claims more lives every year than testicular and cervical cancer combined. We need to change this. Organised by the Oral Health Foundation, Mouth Cancer Action is aiming to reduce the amount of lives lost to mouth cancer by ensuring we are all aware of the symptoms and causes of the disease." Chief Executive of the Oral Health Foundation, Dr Nigel Carter OBE added: We are thankful for the support of Chrysalis Dental Practice. We rely on the support of the dental industry and with their support we will save lives. Dr. Minesh Patel, from Bedford, said: Mouth cancer is one of the UKs fastest increasing cancers, with cases up by almost 40 per cent in the last decade alone. Public awareness remains vital to combatting the disease and through us all being Mouthaware and spotting mouth cancer early enough, we are giving everyone the best possible chance to be successfully treated and have a good quality of life. I would advise everybody in the local area to take Chrysalis Dental up on this opportunity. Survival rates for those with mouth cancer have not improved in the last 20 years and examination initiatives like this can make a real difference. Last year in the UK around 7,000 people were diagnosed with mouth cancer while the disease claimed more lives than cervical and testicular cancer combined. Common symptoms include, mouth ulcers which do not heal within three weeks, red and white patches in the mouth, and unusual lumps or swellings. If you notice any of these, please make an appointment youre your dentist as soon as possible. To book your free mouth cancer check contact the Dr. Minesh Patel Dentist at Chrysalis Dental Centre here. To find out more information about mouth cancer, please visit http://www.mouthcancer.org Cover of Anne-Marie Jennings' novel, "Not Alone on the Voyage" Author Anne-Marie Jennings has released her debut novel, Not Alone on the Voyage, a compelling fiction based in the Canadian Arctic. The book follows a woman named Sandy who thought she knew everything about her husband Jack, until he died suddenly. Destroyed by grief, she sifts through his belongings and discovers a journal he kept before they met about his time in the small Arctic Circle town of Holman. In search of answers, Sandy reads Jacks journal and visits the town. She meets people who not only help her learn more about her husband, but also help her find a strength within she never knew she had. Along her journey, she also meets a man named Charlie who knows a secret her husband had been hiding that will change her life forever. Writing is my passion, said Jennings. I wrote this book because the characters spoke to me. Its a labor of love, a story that wanted to be told, and one which wouldnt leave me alone until I had it down on paper. Not Alone on the Voyage switches between passages in Jacks journal and Sandys own journey. It focuses on how people deal with loss and can find the strength and courage to move forward. To learn more about the author and the book please visit http://www.AnneMarieJennings.com. Not Alone on the Voyage By Anne-Marie Jennings ISBN: 978-1-4917-9952-9 (SC), 978-1-4917-9954-3 (HC), 978-1-4917-9953-6 (EC) Available at AnneMarieJennings.com and Amazon About the author Anne-Marie Jennings has been writing all her life. Whether its for newspapers, government departments, or her own enjoyment, writing is her one true passion. Not Alone on the Voyage is Jennings first novel, but not her last, as she plans to write additional fiction stories in the future. Born in England and raised in Ottawa, Canada, she currently calls the Arctic her home. For Review Copies & General Inquiries Contact: LAVIDGE Phoenix Lauren Dickerson ldickerson@lavidge.com 480-998-2600 Sophie Rutherford, VP of Business Development, to lead educational webinars "Many members of the JumpTech team come from hospital supply chain departments, and have studied automation and improvement of business processes used in hospitals, so were pleased to offer insights and ideas to other supply chain leaders." Jump Technologies, Inc., an innovative software company with solutions that improve supply management in hospitals, today announced three new webinars have been added to the Spring 2017 event calendar. JumpTech focuses on solving some of the most frequently-occurring problems in provider organizations, including inventory overstocking, stock-outs, hoarding, waste and high labor costs. In addition to offering smart, cost-efficient solutions, JumpTech strives to support hospital supply chain professionals with continuing education opportunities, updates on new technology, and advancements that move the industry toward a new era of healthcare supply chain optimization. Spring webinars now include: 1. Set Your Sights on Demand Planning AHRMM-accredited for 1.0 hour of Continuing Professional Education Wed., March 28, 2017 - 1:30 PM ET (10:30 AM PT). Companies with demand-driven supply chains carry 33% less inventory, improve delivery performance by 20% and make dramatic reductions in supply chain costs1. In this 1-hour webinar, industry experts Sophie Rutherford, vice president of Business Development, and Douglas Lowe, senior implementation consultant, Jump Technologies, discuss common barriers, signals and opportunities found inside the hospital environment. Attendees will learn 10 steps they can take to build a more demand-driven system. 2. Product Education Webinar JumpStock Inventory Management Wed., April 5, 2017 - 12:30 PM ET (9:30 AM PT). Join Seth Larson, CMRP, director, Supply Chain Management, Chesapeake Regional Healthcare and Sophie Rutherford for this live discussion and demo of JumpStock Inventory Management. Seth Larson will share his experience using JumpStock at Chesapeake Regional Medical Center, including changes in business processes and specific results of improving inventory management practices throughout the hospital. 3. Product Education Webinar InnerTrack Receiving and Package Tracking Wed., April 12, 2017 - 12:30 PM ET (9:30 AM PT). Sophie Rutherford will be joined by the corporate director, Supply Chain Information Management, from a major hospital system in the northeast. This webinar will provide a live demo, along with an overview of improvements in receiving and delivery processes at the health system, including productivity measurements before and after implementation of InnerTrack. Its important for supply chain professionals to stay up-to-date on new technology, as well as improvements in business processes, said Sophie Rutherford, vice president of Business Development, Jump Technologies. Because many members of the JumpTech team come from hospital supply chain departments, and have studied automation and improvement of business processes used in hospitals, were pleased to offer insights and ideas to other supply chain leaders. Its never been more important for hospitals to identify new ways to remove costs while also improving efficiency and visibility. Jump Technologies continues to expand its portfolio of cloud-based mobile solutions that reduce labor, reduce costs, improve cash flow and enable more automated and accurate supply management in hospitals and health systems. 1 The Boston Consulting Group (May 2012) # # # About Jump Technologies, Inc. Healthcare providers are changing the way supplies are managed from demand through use with powerful tools from Jump Technologies. JumpTech delivers cost-effective, cloud-based solutions that streamline and automate supply management in healthcare systems. In fact, solutions from JumpTech solutions are designed to put supply chain leaders in control, helping them to powerfully and confidently manage supplies within the health system. Visit http://www.jumptech.com or call (888) 373-7226, follow the company on LinkedIn and Twitter (@JumpTechNews). Margot Lee Shetterly The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG) today announced that Margot Lee Shetterly, best-selling author of the book Hidden Figures, will present the commencement address to the universitys 2017 graduating class on Friday, May 12, at the Greensboro Coliseum. Hidden Figures was made into a major motion picture nominated for multiple Oscars and Golden Globe awards. We are honored to welcome Ms. Shetterly to UNCG as our 2017 Commencement speaker, said UNCG Chancellor Franklin D. Gilliam, Jr. I cant think of a better person to address our graduating class with a message of excellence and opportunity that regardless of your background or socioeconomic status, incredible things are possible with hard work and commitment. Hidden Figures brings to life UNCGs values of inclusion, opportunity and excellence. As our 2017 graduating class looks to the future, we are confident that they too, like the real-life heroes portrayed in Hidden Figures, will go out into the world and accomplish great things. The book and film tell the story of the pioneering female mathematicians, known as human computers, who worked at NASA during the space race. Hidden Figures has a direct connection to UNCG; alumna Virginia Tucker 30 was one of five trailblazing women to join the first human computer pool at Langley Memorial Aeronautical Laboratory (now Langley Research Center) in 1935. Langley was the main research center for the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA), the precursor to NASA. When World War II broke out in 1939, more women were recruited as computers to conduct wind tunnel testing and other critical research for the military. Tucker recruited heavily at institutions across the East Coast, including UNCG (known then as the Womans College of the University of North Carolina). In fact, UNCG graduated one of the largest cohorts of women who went on to work as human computers. Commencement speakers at UNCG date back to 1893, with then-Governor Elias Carr addressing the students. Since that time, the university has welcomed ambassadors, governors, authors, university presidents, professors, bishops, ministers and other notable speakers throughout its history. About The University of North Carolina at Greensboro The University of North Carolina at Greensboro, located in the Piedmont Triad region of North Carolina, is a high-research activity university as classified by the Carnegie Foundation. Founded in 1891 and one of the original three UNC system institutions, UNCG is one of the most diverse universities in the state with more than 19,600 students and 2,500 faculty and staff members representing more than 90 nationalities. With 86 undergraduate degrees in over 100 areas of study, as well as 52 masters and 28 doctoral programs, UNCG is consistently recognized nationally among the top universities for academic excellence and value, with noted strengths in education, health and wellness, the performing arts, business and the arts and sciences, among others. For additional information, please visit uncg.edu and follow UNCG on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. About Margot Lee Shetterly Writer, researcher, and entrepreneur Margot Lee Shetterly is the author of Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race (William Morrow/HarperCollins). A 2014 Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Fellow and Virginia Foundation for the Humanities grantee, Shetterly is the founder of The Human Computer Project, an endeavor that is recovering the names and accomplishments of all of the women who worked as computers, mathematicians, scientists and engineers at the NACA and NASA from the 1930s through the 1980s. She is a native of Hampton, Virginia, where she knew many of the women behind the history in Hidden Figures. She lived for many years in New York and Mexico before moving to Charlottesville, Virginia, where she lives with her husband, writer Aran Shetterly. She is a graduate of the University of Virginia. For more information, visit http://www.margotleeshetterly.com ### Denville law firm Einhorn Harris announces that 19 attorneys from the firm have been selected for inclusion in the 2017 New Jersey Super Lawyers and Rising Stars lists published by Thomson Reuters. The following Einhorn Harris Partners were included in the 2017 New Jersey Super Lawyers List: Michael Ascher (Criminal Defense), Patricia M. Barbarito and Bonnie C. Frost (Family Law), Gary R. Botwinick (Estate & Probate), Stephen P. Haller, Thomas J. Snyder and Mark Wechsler (Family Law), Andrew S. Berns (Business Litigation), Christopher L. Musmanno (Personal Injury: Plaintiff), and Thomas F. Dorn, Jr. (Workers Compensation). The following attorneys were included in the 2017 New Jersey Super Lawyers Rising Stars list: Partners: Jhanice V. Domingo and Cimmerian A. Morgan (Family Law), Timothy J. Ford (Civil Litigation: Plaintiff), and Matheu D. Nunn (Appellate Law); Counsel: Stanley J. Zator (Personal Injury General: Plaintiff); and Associates: Matthew S. Coleman and Dorothy Kenney (Family Law), Christine M. McCarthy (Personal Injury General: Plaintiff) and Kristi L. Terranova (Family Law). Einhorn Harris Partners Ascher, Barbarito, Frost, Haller and Wechsler have been selected to the New Jersey Super Lawyers list every year since its inception in 2005. For over 50 years, Einhorn Harris and its team of experienced attorneys has diligently represented our clients interests, says Managing Partner Patricia M. Barbarito. We are extremely proud of the work our attorneys do and are honored to continue to be recognized by Super Lawyers year after year. Super Lawyers, a Thomson Reuters business, is a rating service of outstanding lawyers from more than 70 practice areas who have attained a high degree of peer recognition and professional achievement. The annual selections are made using a patented multiphase process that includes a statewide survey of lawyers, an independent research evaluation of candidates and peer reviews by practice area. The result is a credible, comprehensive and diverse listing of exceptional attorneys. Each year, no more than 5 percent of lawyers in the state are named to Super Lawyers, and no more than 2.5 percent are selected to the Rising Stars list. Attorneys selected for Rising Stars are 40 years or younger or in practice for 10 years or less. The Super Lawyers lists are published nationwide in Super Lawyers Magazine and in leading city and regional magazines and newspapers across the country. Super Lawyers Magazine also features editorial profiles of attorneys who embody excellence in the practice of law. For more information about Super Lawyers, visit SuperLawyers.com. ABOUT EINHORN HARRIS Established in 1961, Einhorn Harris, based in Denville, New Jersey, is a comprehensive, full-service law firm devoted to serving a broad range of legal needs. In its more than 50 years in business, Einhorn Harris and its attorneys have earned a reputation for dedication to the community. The firm specializes in many areas of practice including Family, Criminal and Tax Law; Accidents/Personal Injury; and Commercial Litigation. http://www.einhornharris.com. Join us at Hyatt Place in Riverhead, New York on April 4, 2017 Attracting the right customers and providing them the ultimate, intimate experience they want turns a one-time guest into a loyal repeat customer. CellarPass, the leading online guest management platform designed for the fine beverage industry announces their inaugural roadshow, hosting tourism seminars geared for tasting room managers on April 4th in Riverhead, New York and April 6th in Leesburg, Virginia. What makes this tourism series unique is that it combines the online reviews leader Yelp and craft beverage event registration expert CellarPass coupled with wine industry spokesperson Debbie Gioquindo and Washington D.C. based publicist Maura Morton. Executives from all three pillars of the tourism market will speak about how wineries, breweries and craft distillers can significantly boost tourism by integrating media outreach, digital marketing and social media strategies into their marketing plan. The Long Island wine country was selected by the group because of the recent growth in the area. With Long Island wineries producing more than 500,000 cases annually, New York has quickly risen to become the 3rd largest wine-growing region in the U.S. With this rise in production and more tasting rooms being built, new types of tasting experiences are popping up all over, posing a challenge to tasting room operators to rise above the rest while engaging guests effectively. Northern Virginia was selected as the roadshows second stop to pay homage to the states rich wine heritage predating the well-known Thomas Jefferson grape harvesting by 150 years. Back in 1619, each colonist was required to plant at least 10 grapevines. Times have certainly changed in the last 400 years. Virginia wines win coveted awards and wineries offer hospitality experiences that are on par with the most-visited tasting rooms in Northern California. With limited budgets, tasting rooms need to better understand how to attract and engage wine consumers and tourists who are seeking to discover and book intimate and elevated wine tasting experiences cost effectively, says Debbie Gioquindo, also known as the Hudson Valley Wine Goddess. Attracting the right customers and providing them the ultimate, intimate experience they want turns a one-time guest into a loyal repeat customer. CellarPass supports craft beverage producers by simplifying the reservation and booking process for tasting room visitors. For the past 5 years, we have perfected our guest management platform with the leading, most-respected wine brands in the U.S., says Sarah Elliman, co-founder of CellarPass. The roadshow is designed for the small to medium-sized winery and tasting or tap room owners who are looking to learn how the latest online marketing strategies can significantly boost visitors and ultimately tourism in their local communities. A little investment on their part will go a long way towards wineries, breweries and spirit makers meeting their 2017 sales goals. For more information about the tourism and marketing seminars and how to register, visit http://www.cellarpass.com/register About CellarPass Launched in 2012, CellarPass is the leading real-time winery, distillery and brewery tour and tasting reservation service that offers consumers easy and free access to confirmed tickets and reservations, online or through a mobile-friendly website. With offices in San Francisco, Napa, Seattle and New York, CellarPass provides a guest management platform that provides wineries, distilleries, cideries and breweries an enterprise-level guest management and marketing system to promote their events nationwide while connecting with guests, enhancing the visitor experience and building long-lasting relationships. For more information about CellarPass, visit http://www.cellarpass.com. Follow CellarPass on Facebook at http://facebook.com/cellarpass, on Twitter at http://twitter.com/cellarpass http://instagram.com/cellarpass to get fresh updates. # # # There a huge need for privacy-friendly analytics and marketing technology, and Piwik PRO is uniquely positioned in the market to capture this need. Wroc Piwik PRO, a Clearcode company, today announced it has closed a $2 million Series A funding round. Warsaw Equity Group (WEG), a Polish-based venture capital and private equity investment company led the round, with additional private investment from Tim Schumacher, co-founder and former CEO of Sedo.com and Chairman of Eyeo, the company behind Adblock Plus. Piwik PRO will use the investment to accelerate development of its comprehensive marketing technology stack, which includes web and mobile analytics, a data management platform, tag management, and content personalization. Piwik PRO will provide any enterprise or organization 100 percent data ownership and privacy compliance in an on-premise or cloud environment. Additional funds will be used to support marketing and sales efforts. "There is a huge need for privacy-friendly analytics and marketing technology, and Piwik PRO is uniquely positioned in the market to capture this need. It is a great company, with a great team, said Tim Schumacher. Piwik PRO is a superbly managed company, with a team of high-class developers experienced in building custom advertising and marketing software for the enterprise, said Micha Koata, Investment Manager from Warsaw Equity Group. The companys strong corporate culture and product execution, combined with its potential for significant growth and profitability made Piwik PRO a perfect fit for our portfolio. Over the years, weve seen great traction with enterprises using our on-premises enterprise web analytics product. Through the lens of that experience and intimate market knowledge, we saw a growing demand for more comprehensive marketing technology solutions in an era of sensitive data and strict privacy regulations. This has created an enormous opportunity, and the financing will allow us to allocate additional resources to execute our vision and product development, said Maciej Zawadzinski, CEO. About Piwik PRO Piwik PRO was founded by Clearcode, a full-service advertising and marketing technology software development house. Piwik PROs flagship platform is a comprehensive, fully-integrated marketing technology stack that includes web and mobile analytics, Data Management Platform, tag manager, and content personalization. The platform provides any enterprise or organization 100 percent data ownership and privacy compliance in an on-premise or cloud environment. The company is headquartered in Wroclaw, Poland with offices in Germany and the U.S. To learn more about Piwik PRO visit https://piwik.pro. About Tim Schumacher Tim is an internet entrepreneur and investor. In 2001, he co-founded Sedo.com, the world's largest domain marketplace. Since selling the company, he has continued to be an active entrepreneur and investor in various start-ups, like Eyeo (makers of Adblock Plus), Ecosia, Stuffle, BasicThinking, Aklamio, Miomente, Home, Convida, Joblift, Apptopia and others. About Warsaw Equity Group Warsaw Equity Group (WEG) is a privately held venture capital / private equity investment company, created by entrepreneurs with over 20 years experience of successfully supporting business ventures, both by investing their own capital, as well as by providing ongoing operational and strategic support for active investment projects. Warsaw Equity Group has contributed to the success of companies such as: Artifex Mundi one of the worlds best developers and publishers of adventure games, VIGO System global leader in uncooled infrared detectors and ZMorph producer of multi-functional 3D printers. For more info visit http://www.warsawequity.com. Consolidated Construction Co. Inc., a full-service design/build firm headquartered in Appleton, Wisconsin, announces the expansion of its owners and leadership team to accommodate its market growth and now nationwide presence. John Schneider, formerly vice president, will assume the role of president. Schneiders career spans more than 25 years in construction operations management, corporate planning and strategy development. Former president, Rick Bickert, will move into the role of CEO. Bickert joined the company as the first non-family member president in 2002 and has helped the company reach new vertical markets and geographic reach, and triple its average project size. Company sales during his tenure have risen more than 700%. Additional leadership will allow our team to deepen our roots locally, and continue our expansion beyond the Midwest, Bickert said. More resources and expertise will allow us to serve new and existing clients in the best way possible. The companys newly appointed vice president of finance, Steve Diedrich, has had a thirty-year career in commercial lending, bank leadership and economic development. He has led the companys economic development division since 2010, navigating public- and private-sector financing for customers, resulting in increased project starts and greater client returns on investment. Vice president Pam Talavera will move into the role of COO and will oversee operations for finance, IT, human resources and administration. Talavera will continue to be an integral leader in project delivery and pre-construction processes. She joined Consolidated Construction in 1989 and has been instrumental in developing internal programs that have resulted in greater capacity and growth. Gene Schleusner has been appointed senior vice president of business development. Schleusner has been with Consolidated Construction since 2008, and is largely responsible for the companys successful growth in the hospitality market. He will manage and develop all business development representatives assigned to vertical markets throughout the country. Consolidated Constructions geographical reach now covers more than 20 states with branch offices in Bismarck, North Dakota, and most recently, Rapid City, South Dakota. The companys customer base and projects have grown significantly in complexity, diversity and size, requiring greater technical support and expertise. Once known for building mostly small- to mid-size local manufacturing facilities, Consolidated Construction recently signed a $32 million new food processing plant located in Joplin, Missouri. The company is also under contract for several other significant projects, including a hotel and casino project in Deadwood, South Dakota, a senior living facility near Houston and a six-story bank and commercial center in Bismarck, North Dakota. After experiencing 700% growth throughout the last 10 years, Consolidated Construction continues to deliver expert design/build services across the country and looks forward to even greater growth with the help of its expanded leadership. About Consolidated Construction Consolidated Construction Co., Inc. consolidates financing assistance, architecture and construction into a single source to provide streamlined building services to commercial, hospitality, industrial and food industry clients throughout the country. Company headquarters are located in Appleton, Wisconsin, with additional offices in Bismarck, North Dakota and Rapid City, South Dakota. The companys delivery model has resulted in national awards for design/build ingenuity and cost reduction. Project information and company history can be viewed at http://www.1call2build.com. ### Photos attached for media use: John Schneider, President Rick Bickert, CEO Steve Diedrich, Vice President of Finance Pam Talavera, COO Gene Schleusner, Senior Vice President of Business Development Nashville has become the it city and some neighborhoods have developed a reputation for being particularly cool. In the eyes of many, Wedgewood-Houston is one of those undeniably cool areas. Once a less desirable part of town, it is now bustling with coffee shops, trendy restaurants, and hipsters living in newly renovated, million dollar homes and apartments. However, the murder of one Wedgewood-Houston resident revealed that a great up-and-coming neighborhood does not eliminate the risk of crime and home invasions. On February 28th, a 23-year-old nurse Tiffany Ferguson was stabbed to death in her upscale apartment building. According to The Tennessean, the perpetrator allegedly broke into the house and stabbed Ferguson to death. It is reported that the victims roommate found her severely wounded and screaming in her bed. She was rushed to the hospital but succumbed to her injuries. The alleged killer entered through the front door. Many people think that living in a nice neighborhood means that they dont need to protect themselves, said security consultant Alan Young. Today's trendy neighborhoods were yesterday's bad neighborhoods and crime has really increased everywhere. So does this mean that Nashvilles current and future residents should be concerned about the safety of this rapidly growing city? According to The Tennessean, approximately 85 people move into the Nashville area every day. Will incidents like this deter new residents from moving into areas like Wedgewood-Houston when moving into town? This isnt an issue with Wedgewood-Houston or Nashville being dangerous. Said Young, in the past several years there have been home invasions in suburban areas such as Brentwood and Belle Meade. This also isnt about Nashville being a particularly dangerous city. Nashville is a very safe city, relative to other cities its size. This is about residents needing to understand the importance of securing their homes and protecting their families, regardless of where they live. Mr. Young recommends that homeowners take a few simple steps to secure their homes. First, make sure that windows and doors are visible to neighbors and are not covered by large shrubs or trees. An increased cover gives thieves more time to work. Second, make sure that the perimeter of your home is well lit. Thieves are less likely to attack a well-lit home. Next, Place an alarm sign in your yard or front window, whether you own an alarm or not. Studies have shown that thieves are less likely to break into homes with alarms. Finally, while the steps above may help deter a thief, Mr. Young recommends that all homeowners install grade 1 deadbolts on their doors and reinforce their doors with a product like Door Armor, a do-it-yourself product that is guaranteed to stop kick-ins and costs about $70.00. Door Armor can be purchased at most Lowes stores or online at armorconcepts.com. Mr. Young concluded, Living in a great area means that you have something worth taking. It also means that you have something worth protecting. It takes about 10 seconds for an intruder to kick in a door and be inside of your home. Contrary to what people think, security does not need to cost a lot. With some common sense and a few economical steps, many home invasions can be prevented." Alan Young is CEO of Armor Concepts LLC, a Nashville based company that specializes in the development and implementation of physical security solutions. Since 2004 Armor Concepts has secured more than 250,000 doors with its proprietary Door Armor, FIX-A-JAMB and Armor Latch products and has been featured on The CBS Early Show, Fox News, Bloomberg and the TODAY show among others. For more information on Armor Concepts, visit armorconcepts.com. There are close to 1.6 billion Muslims worldwide, and according to the Pew Research Center, Islam is the fastest growing organized religion. Despite the continued spread of Islam, misconceptions and misunderstandings of Islamic teachings often tarnish the reputation of the entire belief system. In A Closer Look at Islam, author Syed Ali looks to stop the spread of misinformation, educating critics and believers alike on the history and ideology of the worlds second largest religion. His book dispels false allegations against Islam, examines the difficulties in understanding the Quran and the complexities of Islamic history, and helps the reader understand the true teachings of the faith. Additionally, Alis work showcases material in an unbiased manner and thoroughly counters slanders of Islam. Weve seen a steep rise in Islamophobia in recent times, with false claims arising from plain ignorance, Ali said. This has resulted in negative attitudes towards the Muslim community. Critics seem to be unaware that over time, Islamic history has failed to crystallize into one uniform version. A Closer Look at Islam attempts to explain the teachings of Islam from material that is acceptable to all Muslims. A Closer Look at Islam By Syed B. Ali ISBN: 9781524516994 (hardcover), 9781524516987 (softcover), 9781524516970 (e-book) Available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble and Xlibris About the author Syed Ali is the author of A Closer Look at Islam, a book which dissects common misconceptions about the popular religion. Ali is passionate about stopping the spread of misinformation that has misrepresented Islamic teachings, and instead hopes to inform believers and non-believers of Islams true credos and doctrines. Review Copies & Interview Requests: LAVIDGE Phoenix Satara Williams 480-998-2600 x 586 swilliams(at)lavidge.com General Inquiries: LAVIDGE Phoenix Jacquelyn Brazzale 480-998-2600 x 569 jbrazzale(at)lavidge.com Juanita Glenn, Minuteman Press franchise owner, Upper Marlboro, MD The cost to start up the company is nothing compared to the support that you get from headquarters and locally. I am so thankful and blessed to be a franchise owner with Minuteman Press. Past News Releases RSS Minuteman Press International Gets... Minuteman Press Owner Mark Calis... Minuteman Press Franchise in... Juanita Glenn is the proud owner of her brand new Minuteman Press design, print, and marketing franchise located at 892 Largo Center Drive in Upper Marlboro, Maryland. "We offer a myriad of services to people who are interested in business cards, banners, signs, postcards, notary, web development, mobile apps, and more," says Juanita. She adds, "With two graphic and web designers at our location, we can put together any type of design that a person can dream or imagine." Prior to joining the Minuteman Press franchise family, Juanita Glenn worked as an administrative assistant at a local university in the Washington, DC area. Her passion for web development and graphic design then led her to pursue a degree in computer studies. "Afterwards, I landed a job as a Technical Specialist and Web Developer which took my career to another level. With that, I focused a lot more on graphic and web design. I became more passionate about this profession and I continued to enhance my skills." While working full-time, Juanita decided to start her own web development, graphic design, and computer training company. Her experiences as an entrepreneur led her to Minuteman Press, as Juanita explains, "As I was outsourcing work to be printed for my clients, I was oftentimes dissatisfied with the online printing service I was receiving. I started wondering what it would be like to have my own printing shop. I prayed that God would allow this to happen for me one day." Juanita continues, "As faith would have it, in 2015, I happened to be working on a logo design for a client in Brooklyn, New York and she mentioned Minuteman Press as the company she uses for printing. To my surprise, I had never heard about Minuteman Press. After I got off the phone with my client, I went in research mode. I found out so many wonderful things about Minuteman Press that I had to contact the office for more information. Although I was not ready to start becoming a franchise owner just yet, I wanted to do my homework so that when I was ready I had all of the information needed to make my decision." Franchise Research Pays Off When Juanita's job was downsized in 2015, she knew she had an important decision to make: "I felt that after 27 years of service at my previous job, it was time for me to change careers. After praying and seeking advice, I took a leap of faith and left my job. Once I completed graduate school in 2016 with a degree in management, I felt ready to hone in on what I had learned from school and the skills I had obtained over the years. I wanted to be my own boss and I knew Minuteman Press was the right franchise for what I wanted to do. I was comforted in knowing that Minuteman Press had been around for over 40 years and the company was well-established with a great business model and structure." Along with the business model, Juanita also appreciated the training and ongoing support Minuteman Press offered her on both the corporate and local levels. She says, "There are several things that impress me about Minuteman Press, but the one thing that I am most intrigued about is the support from their corporate headquarters in New York. During my training in New York, Mike Jutt, Minuteman Press International Executive VP and Director of Training, was very helpful in making sure that I received the equipment needed for my new shop. I hit an expected bump in the road and Mike Jutt stepped in to help the process move forward." As for the local support she has received back home in Upper Marlboro, Juanita Glenn could not be happier. She explains, "Bob Heimbuch, Regional VP for Minuteman Press International and Eric Shank, Field Representative, have been so helpful in making sure my Minuteman Press store was up and running as well as keeping me on track with the setup and marketing. Bob made sure he found the location I was looking for to start my Minuteman Press franchise. He was instrumental in keeping me abreast of the things necessary to help with the operation of the store. Afterwards, Eric Shank was able set up the store, organize it, establish accounts with the vendors and assist me constantly with marketing the business. I am totally grateful for their help because I would not have known what to do if I was out there alone." Satisfaction from Running the Business When asked about the most rewarding thing about being her own boss and running the business, two words stick out to Juanita Glenn: Satisfaction and teamwork. She comments, "What I get the most satisfaction from is being able to interact with all types of people. I am very people-oriented and it gives me great pleasure to meet people from all types of background." Juanita elaborates, "Furthermore, I've always wanted to have a family-friendly environment where employees would love to come to work. My employees are very loyal to the business and I consider them as my team. I don't throw my weight around because I'm the boss and I let them know that we are a team, but every team has a leader. We make sure that we all help each other out as much as possible in order to keep work flowing in an expeditious manner. One of the things that I am proudest of from my team is that we exude professionalism and it is evident when people tell us that from the way we answer the phone to how we treat them when they come into the store. I have always felt that a business should be run by treating people with respect and professionalism and that is what makes me most proud of the team that I have working with me." The support she received from her parents and church family also makes this experience especially rewarding for Juanita: "I am grateful for my parents and church family who have given me lots of love and support as I was getting the business started. My father who has his own company, Jones Construction Company, was the person that helped me during the renovation of the store. I am grateful that he was a part of the process and I get many compliments on how beautiful the store looks. I feel so proud and thankful that my father was a part of this great process." Getting Involved in the Community and Giving Back Being a business owner gives Juanita Glenn a chance to really make a difference in the community, and she has already received positive feedback from clients that have welcomed her with open arms. She says, "It is so important to give back and I believe that we are on earth to help one another. It feels good to help someone who needs my type of service. I oftentimes hear from clients that I was needed in the community. Hearing that gives me a great feeling!" She expands, "I am very passionate about church and youth activities. This helps to keep me grounded and humble. Also, I recently became a part of a networking group called the Business Leadership Council of Prince George's County Maryland. This opportunity came from a client who felt that I would be a good fit for the organization. I am very excited to become a part of this because it will give me more exposure and bring about additional opportunities for the business." Typical Day For Juanita Glenn, a typical day as a Minuteman Press franchise owner consists of managing and marketing the business: "The typical day for me at Minuteman Press in Upper Marlboro is making sure that all of my clients get their work completed in a timely manner. I make sure my team is not stressed out and that things are flowing orderly in the store. It can be hectic at times when we get bombarded with lots of projects, but we all work very well under pressure. When I am not out marketing, I am in the office helping the team as well as following up with those I have previously marketed to." When she is not working on the business, Juanita enjoys her time at church and with her family. She says, "I love to attend bible study and church service because it gives me so much peace and fulfilment. I also like reading things that are very meaningful, spending time with my husband and our dog Eli. While I have been extremely busy since starting Minuteman Press, I enjoy every bit of quality time I can spend with my husband. He has been my greatest supporter during this entire process and I am thankful for his love, support and encouragement." Business Goals and Advice for Others Like any business owner who is just starting out, Juanita Glenn is working hard to grow her business. As for her immediate goals for the business, she states, "My goal for 2017 is to elevate the business to another level by networking with other groups and organizations. I plan to get government and local contracts by registering with those agencies that need this type of service." When asked about what advice she would have for other aspiring business owners, Juanita answers, "My advice to anyone who is looking to own a franchise is that Minuteman Press is an A-1 company. It's no wonder they are rated the #1 Marketing and Printing Franchise within the industry by Entrepreneur several times over." Juanita thoughtfully concludes, "Being your own boss is so rewarding in so many ways because you have the freedom to do what you love and be creative. The cost to start up the company is nothing compared to the support that you get from headquarters and locally. I am so thankful and blessed to be a franchise owner with Minuteman Press." Juanita Glenn's Minuteman Press franchise is located at 892 Largo Center Drive, Upper Marlboro, MD 20774. For more information, call Juanita and her team at (301) 456-2587 or visit their website: http://uppermarlboro-md.minutemanpress.com About Minuteman Press International Minuteman Press International is a number one rated business marketing and printing franchise that offers world class training and unparalleled ongoing local support. Started in 1973 by Roy Titus and his son Bob, Minuteman Press began franchising in 1975 and has grown to over 950 business service franchise locations worldwide including the U.S., Australia, Canada, South Africa, and the United Kingdom. Minuteman Press is ranked #1 in category by Entrepreneur for 14 years in a row and 25 times overall, including 2017. We are the modern version of the printing industry, providing high quality products and services for businesses that go way beyond just ink on paper. Today our stores produce promotional products, custom apparel, direct mail advertising, large format printing (banners and posters), signs, and much more. Prior experience is not necessary to own and operate a successful Minuteman Press franchise. Learn more about Minuteman Press design, printing, and marketing franchise opportunities by calling 1-800-645-3006 and access Minuteman Press franchise reviews at http://www.minutemanpressfranchise.com (Adds comment from minister) LONDON, March 20 (Reuters) - The weekend's meeting of G20 finance chiefs was not "very good" and has caused uncertainty about policy coordination between the world's top economies, Indonesia's finance minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati said on Monday. Finance ministers and central bankers from the world's biggest economies, the Group of 20, met in the German spa town of Baden Baden at the weekend. Breaking a decade-long tradition, they made only a token reference to trade in a communique released on Saturday and they dropped a key pledge to keep global trade free and open. "It was not a very good and encouraging meeting," Indrawati said at an event in London. "The current meeting is more creating uncertainty about the global economy, about the policy and coordination across the major economies of the world." Speaking to Reuters on the sidelines of the event after her speech, the minister added: "Trade is a very important source of growth for many emerging markets. Trade is also contributing to poverty reduction in the last five decades. "So the direction of the policy, which is more on inward-looking protectionism, will definitely affect many developing countries." (Reporting by Claire Milhench and Marc Jones; Editing by Gareth Jones) George Braziller, who began his career in books in the 1930s and published such international literary stars as Jean-Paul Sartre and Andre Malraux, died in New York City on March 16. He was 101. Born in Brooklyn in 1916, Braziller got his first job in publishing at the age of 20; he was a clerk for a remainder book company. It was there that he learned the basics of the book industry. In 1941 he quit, after the company refused to give him a $1 raise, and founded The Book Find Company, which bought and resold remaindered books under a subscription model. In a 2015 interview with PW, Braziller said the Book Find Company offered low prices for low-income readers. Braziller explained the business this way: Id buy a remainder for 25 and sell it for 50. Braziller was drafted into the army in 1943 and published his first book, about his artillery unit, while serving in Europe. After the war he returned to New York and to the Book Find Co., which had continued to grow under the management of his wife, Marsha. Although the Book Find Co., and the Seven Arts Book Club, a similiar company he founded after war, were both flourishing, Braziller said he grew bored with the remainder/book club business and wanted to expand his original publishing. He sold the two companies to Time Life in 1969 for $1 million. He had founded George Braziller, Inc., earlier, in 1955 and began to publish a long list of critically acclaimed postwar international literary authors. Three of his authors--Claude Simone, Orhan Pamuk and Jean-Paul Sartre--would go on to win the Nobel Prize in Literature. In order to compete against the bigger U.S. houses, Braziller went to Europe to acquire literary titles. He later added art books to his list, publishing acclaimed titles on art history and modern art. The George Braziller list featured such distinguished authors as Nathalie Sarraute, Janet Frame, Buchi Emecheta, Beryl Bainbridge, Langston Hughes, Carlo Emilio Gadda, Ned Rorem, and Charles Simic. In 2011, at the age of 95, Braziller retired and turned his publishing house over to his two sons: Michael Braziller (the current publisher) and Joel Braziller. At the age of 99, Braziller published Encounters: My Life in Publishing, a memoir on his life in book publishing. The book was published by the house he founded. Robert B. Silvers, the co-founder of the New York Review of Books and its editor since 1963, died on the morning of March 20. He was 87. The NYRB announced the news via its Twitter account on Monday afternoon. With great sadness we must announce that Robert B. Silvers, founding editor of The New York Review, died this morning after a short illness. NY Review of Books (@nybooks) March 20, 2017 Silvers founded the NYRB with fellow editor Barbara Epstein, who died in 2006, together with publisher A. Whitney Ellsworth and writer Elizabeth Hardwick. He has since been a mainstay in New York literary and intellectual circles. After graduating from the University of Chicago in 1947, the Long Islandborn Silvers attended Yale Law School before dropping out to work as press secretary for then-Governor of Connecticut Chester Bowles in 1950. In 1952, he moved to Paris, where he served with the U.S. Army at the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe. While in Paris, Silvers attended the Sorbonne and Ecole des Sciences Politiques, joined the editorial board of The Paris Review in 1954 under George Plimpton, and became Paris editor at the Review in 1956. He served a stint as associate editor of Harper's from 1959 to 1963 before joining the NYRB, where he would remain for the rest of his career. Silvers was also the editor of the book Writing in America and the translator of La Gangrene, which describes the torture of seven Algerian men by the Paris Security Police in 1958 under Charles de Gaulle. "Bob Silvers liked to describe his position as being someone in the middle distance, standing between his writers and the readers," NYRB publisher Rae Hederman said. "He always wanted to give complete support to his contributors but never to put himself forward to the public; he wanted the public to know his writers, not him. His always exhausting work schedule was known to many as was his determination to make each article the best it could be. He was unrelenting in his support of what he believed was right and fair and those efforts made him and The New York Review forces for the good." This article has been updated with comment from the New York Review of Books. SYCAMORE, Ill. (AP) A former gymnastics instructor accused of sexually abusing girls has pleaded not guilty. Joseph R. Hannon has been in custody since December when he was arrested on charges that he abused a 9-year-old. More charges were added and the number of alleged victims is now six, all younger than age 13. The (DeKalb) Daily Chronicle reports the 22-year-old pleaded not guilty Friday to charges that carry a potential penalty of life in prison. The DeKalb County Public Defender's office, which has represented Hannon, didn't immediately return an Associated Press request for comment Sunday. Hannon is due in court May 4. Energym hired Hannon in 2015, when he was on felony probation for a 2013 felony drug case. Gym owner Andy Morreale has said Hannon was hired without a background check. An unusual Moline shop offering books, jewelry, decorative minerals, psychic card readings, vinyl records and more is closing its doors at the end of March. Readmore Book World and Rock Shop, 1518 15th St., has been in business at that address since 2010, as the latest -- and now, quite likely last -- incarnation of a Readmore Book World brand that goes back to the 1950s. Until the closing on March 31, the shop will be offering deals on its varied wares. Even after the bookshop's closing, the stones, psychic readings and vinyl records will find outlets elsewhere. Randy Pearson bought Readmore Book World, then in Moline's City Line Plaza, in 2004. He closed the store two years later but continued offering books on order from his home, including accounts with schools and libraries. Mr. Pearson decided to give a store another try in 2010, with the additional attractions to lure customers. Most of those additions have been provided by his wife, Vicki, the general manager, who does psychic readings and has extensive knowledge of jewelry, gemstones and minerals, including those believed since ancient times, by some, to have healing properties. "Vicki wanted to get back into the retail thing, but we needed another profit generator," Mr. Pearson said. "It's hard to make it as a bookstore -- all media is kind of under onslaught from online retailing. "So when we re-opened in 2010 at this location, we wanted to have the additional focus with the jewelry and psychic readings. Both of those things have to be done person-to-person. Jewelry is a much more tactile, one-of-a-kind, unique thing. You actually need to be there in person." The shop's stones have differing appeal for different customers, Vicki Pearson said. "I have people interested just simply from a geology standpoint, and I can talk to them, or to people who are interested in a spiritual way," she said. Holding up a colorful crystalline rock, she said, "The Romans actually used purple amethyst, a form of quartz, to ward off hangovers." Tourmalines and several other kinds of quartz, as well as jade, turquoise, diopside and many other stones, sparkle in the shop. As a card reader, Ms. Pearson said, "I joke that I'm a practical psychic. That's an oxymoron." But she says that she hasn't had paranormal experiences such as seeing mythical creatures or being "taken up by aliens." Instead, "I just know my little part of the world," and has a clientele for her readings. The thousands of vinyl record albums in a back room of the Readmore shop have been on offer on consignment from Scott and Mary Schnabel, of Moline. The inventory includes hard-to-find collector's items. Scott Schnabel said these will continue to be sold out of the couple's home. "We'll have an eternal garage sale," Mr. Schnabel said. Collecting the vinyl is "an obsession," he said. Watch for garage-sale ads in the newspaper, he added. Vicki Pearson's sale of minerals and gems and her card readings will continue at the Herb Cellar, 2114 E. 11th St., Davenport. For more information, call 563-359-4565. The bookstore part comes to an end, however. "We're closing this time mostly because I'm not as interested in staying in retail anymore," Randy Pearson said. "I'll be 66 in a couple of months. I want to travel, and the bookstore had morphed into something that wasn't in my area of interest so much. And you've got to have the fire in your belly to keep going, especially in independent retail, and stuff that has small profit margins like this." The ongoing struggles for independent bookstores is a shame, he said, in the wake of digital and online competition. "I've always loved bookstores," Mr. Pearson said. "I still get a charge out of finding a rare, hard-to-find, out-of-print book for somebody. That's something that as a(n) (independent) bookstore you can offer." The name Readmore Book World dates to the 1950s, when brothers Aleck, Hyman and Marvin Andich opened a news agency in Rock Island. Readmore Book World later opened another bookshop in Moline. The stores were purchased in 1988 by Tobias Investments, of Madison, Wis., who in turn sold the remaining Readmore Book World in Moline to Mr. Pearson. Mr. Pearson is a former co-owner of Co-Op Records, from 1972 to 1984. Scott and Mary Schnabel formerly owned a Co-Op store in Waterloo, Iowa. SILVIS -- Municipal sales tax numbers throughout the Quad-Cities are on the rise. While challenges continue for some cities, local officials say the increasing revenues are a good sign for future progress in the area. In Silvis, for example, sales tax dollars have nearly doubled over an eight-year period. City administrator and public works director Jim Grafton said that increase has been put to good use. "I think it's a pretty simple formula," Mr. Grafton said. "You attract residential, and business will follow. "We don't pick and choose what's important to us," he said. "Every business is important to us -- whether it's the mom-and-pop shop that might want to locate downtown or a bigger project that takes several years to get off the ground." As a result of high sales tax revenues, Mr. Grafton said Silvis lowered its property tax rate for taxes payable this year. "For a $100,000 home, that saves about $30 a year," he said. "It's not a huge amount, (but) we said we wanted to return that back to our residents." The subject of sales tax dollars has been a topic among candidates vying for office in the April 4 municipal elections. To a person, they all say it is vital for get those dollars into their respective communities. The growth differs among area cities, however. Moline, for instance, took in $19.2 million in 2016 -- more than 50 percent of the amount collected in total for Rock Island County, according to Moline finance director Kathy Carr. Moline's municipal sales tax in 2016, she said, is about $3.1 million more than the city received back in 2008. "We have had a very successful retail sales tax history, and it continues to increase," said Ray Forsythe, Moline's planning and development director. He said the city council has made strategic investments in projects to help increase opportunities. "This includes ValleyView Village, which includes the Menards, Sam's Club and Green Hyundai," Mr. Forsythe said. "The former Menards redevelopment also allowed several new national retailers to enter the market. "SouthPark Mall redevelopment and the car dealership agreements continue to provide new sales taxes and opportunities," he added. Mr. Forsythe said Moline's central location in the Quad-Cities -- and the traffic counts along Avenue of the Cities and John Deere Road -- provide excellent opportunities for its retail sector to continue to expand. "Proposed projects -- including Dolan Commons on Avenue of the Cities, the former Ryan's and adjacent property redevelopment, SouthPark mall outlets and the Mills Chevrolet site -- will continue to bring new retail and restaurants to Moline," Mr. Forsythe said. In Davenport, sales tax numbers since 2009 have increased by more than $2 million, or roughly 14 percent. Iowa is different from Illinois in how that sales tax revenue is distributed to municipalities. "All sales tax collected within Scott County is distributed to the cities in the county based on population, rather than the sales tax collected in a city remaining with that city as it is in Illinois," said Lauren Gonner, Davenport's budget and performance officer. Ms. Gonner said 60 percent of Davenport's local sales tax revenue is used for property tax relief in the form of debt service levy reduction. The remaining 40 percent is used for capital improvements and equipment. Rock Island Mayor Dennis Pauley said increasing sales tax revenue is a big challenge for the city. Although those numbers are increasing -- from $4.9 million in 2012 to $5.5 million in 2016 -- Mayor Pauley said it's vital for the city to come up with additional sources of sales tax receipts. "We can't keep raising property taxes," Mayor Pauley said. "It gets to the point where you can't afford anything. "The best source is sales tax," he said. "We're looking to bring in business that provides the best sales tax so we can increase our sales tax base." He added the city wants to use the 11th Street -- prepped site for a failed Super Wal-Mart project -- to attract potential retailers. "That's 23 acres on a ready-to-build site," Mayor Pauley said. "We're 95 percent built out. We have to find locations that have retail," he said. "That's the best site. After that, we can look to the southwest." MOLINE -- Teachers from throughout the Quad-Cities area are expected to flock to Hamilton Elementary School next month for an un-conference. Matt DeBaene, assistant superintendent of the Moline-Coal Valley School District, said educators will gather from 8 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. April 29 at the school, 700 32nd Ave., for an EdCamp. The attending educators will write items they want to learn about on Post-It notes, then gather those ideas so individuals can volunteer to present programs on those topics. The event is teacher-led and dialed into their interests, according to Mr. DeBaene. Since its inaugural session in 2010 in Philadelphia, more than 700 EdCamp conferences have been held in 25 countries. In addition to Molines event, Edcamp.org lists 42 other April sessions planned in the U.S., Canada and Thailand. According to the EdCamp Foundation, the sessions allow educators to engage in organic, participant-driven professional learning experiences. The goal is to improve job satisfaction, increase workforce retention and impact student learning. Last year, 35 educators attended Molines EdCamp. Mr. DeBaene said this year's event already has 48 educators already signed up to attend. Last year's EdCamp led to a May meeting in Moline focused on topics that included Maker Space, formative assessment, cooperative learning, behavior strategies and computer coding. The EdCamps are completely free; educators pay nothing to attend and are not compensated by districts for their time. While Mr. DeBaene expects most attendees to hail from the Quad-Cities metro area, he also expects a few from further out. Mr. DeBaene said he expects the tech focused sessions to again be popular at this years event. The internet has opened up so much for teachers, it can be overwhelming, he said. He said the EdCamp tech sessions can help illustrate how tech can be integrated into the classroom for the best results. Sponsors provide snacks, Mr. DeBaene said, but otherwise the event does not allow vendors. Educators know they are attending a learning-focused event, not a slew of sales pitches. For EdCamp information and registration, visit Edcamp.org. When Jacinda Ardern was rattling off the things that matter most to all of us incredible Kiwis - it rang a little hollow when held up against Labours record. 6 hours ago Mura Masas Infectious hit Love$ick ft. A$AP Rocky grew from an alternative hit to a commercial crossover success story. Now with 40 million global streams under its belt, as well as an Australian Platinum certification, Mura Masa unleashes 1 Night ft.Charli XCX, this weeks #1 New Single Release. Skipping alternative radio and heading straight for commercial this time around, the new track demonstrates why theres so much hype behind the 20-year-old heat seekers forthcoming debut album, and its sure to enjoy spillover buzz from XCXs new mixtape of cutting-edge pop and recent chart success. TMN Charts Manager Daniel Respall said: Love$ick is a tough act to follow for Mura Masa, though hes well armed with new single and guaranteed hit, and Charli XCX is coming off [Lil Yachtys hit] After The Afterparty so its shaping up to be his biggest release to date. At #2 is the new single dropped by Nicki Minaj, No Frauds ft. Drake & Lil Wayne. Armed with an impressive feature list, its Minajs response to Remy Mas diss track Shether and is already enjoying more radio love than Ma did the biggest support came from the Ash London Live show, while Hit107 was also one of the early adopters. Last weeks #1 new release, Norwegian songwriting and production duo Stargate (Tor Erik Hermansen & Mikkel Eriksen) take this weeks Most Added with their debut single as lead artists, Waterfall ft. P!nk & Sia. As predicted in the March 13 Singles Report, the track saw very little competition, scoring additions to 78 stations. Both commercial and regional Hit stations added the track across the board while it also had some love fromAsh London Live. The debut single from Stargate went down a real treat with commercial radio, said Respall. Waterfall proved a favourite for the Nova Network, while seeing adds across every other major network. Stargate are hitmakers with a pedigree the duo have collaborated withNe-Yo on a number of the R&B stars chart successes (and co-wrote Beyonces Irreplaceable with him) and have had nearly a dozen hits withRihanna, but their discography stretches back to 1999 withS Club 7s S Club Party. Elsewhere, Ed Sheeran is still standing strong at #1 on the Artist Top 50 and Hot 100, though that might not be the case for much longer. The Chainsmokers andColdplays Something Just Like This and Lordes Green Light are edging closer and closer to the top. Download your FREE Australian Singles Report here Deep snowpack at higher elevations, an early spring thaw, and heavy rainfall are severely affecting rail lines in the Pacific Northwest, particularly in the panhandle of northern Idaho. At one point during the past week, the main lines of BNSF, Union Pacific, and Montana Rail Link were all suffering service disruptions simultaneously, shutting off an important freight corridor to and from the Northwest, with Amtraks Empire Builder getting caught up in the fray. On March 15, a section of rain-saturated roadbed on UPs main line five miles north of Moyie Springs, Idaho, gave way under a passing grain train, sending several loaded hoppers down a steep embankment. No injuries were reported. While crews spent the next several days repairing this vital UP connection to the Canadian border, local service was maintained to customers throughout northern Idaho, including interchange traffic off of short line Pend Oreille Valley Railroad at Sandpoint. Through service on UPs line to Canada was restored as of March 19. On March 16, a series of landslides in the Kootenai River Canyon blocked BNSFs Northern Corridor at Katka, Idaho, just west of the Montana state line. Service was restored through Katka by early the next day. Among the first trains through were Amtraks westbound Empire Builder, which had been held overnight in Whitefish, Mont., and the eastbound Empire Builder, which had waited in Spokane, Wash. Early on March 17, while BNSF was still cleaning up its Katka slide, a washout on MRL at Kootenai, Idaho, just east of MRLs connection with BNSF at Sandpoint caused the derailment of more than 50 cars and a rear DPU locomotive on an empty coal train. MRL reported no injuries and no hazmat material released in the incident. Traffic was able to begin moving through the siding at Kootenai on March 18 while work to clear and restore the main line there continued. Following more heavy rain, BNSF reported additional landslides near Katka on the afternoon of March 18. Once again, Amtraks Empire Builder service was held westbound at Whitefish and eastbound at Spokane. Amtrak arranged for special equipment moves to allow an extra departure of westbounds Nos. 7 (to Seattle) and 27 (to Portland) out of Spokane the morning of March 19 while the regularly scheduled No. 7 was delayed east of the Katka slide zone. By mid-morning of March 19 Katka was reopened, allowing Amtrak and BNSF trains to begin moving between Spokane and Whitefish. While there continues to be widespread reports of flooding, washouts, and track slippage in northern Idaho, some trains have been detoured over alternate routes. But, with BNSF, UP, and MRL normally moving a combined flow of more than 70 trains per day through the Sandpoint-Spokane area, intermittent service outages are causing a substantial back-up of traffic into neighboring states and Canada, as well. Elsewhere in the Northwest, short lines have been suffering their own washouts and flooding, while BNSF has struggled with high water on its main line between Spokane and Pasco, Wash. Early on March 19, Amtrak reported a service disruption due to landslides between Edmonds and Everett, Wash. Amtrak in a statement said that BNSF, which owns the tracks, has suspended all traffic in the area for 48 hours, until March 21. Welcome to Railway Gazette. This website uses cookies to improve your experience. By continuing to browse this site you are agreeing to our use of these cookies. You can learn more about the cookies we use here. OK Googles claim against $8,000 fine by Russian antimonopoly watchdog to be heard in April MOSCOW, March 20 (RAPSI) The Moscow Commercial Court has set the examination of a lawsuit Google Ireland Limited initiated to abolish a 500,000 rubles ($8,000) fine imposed on it by the Russian Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS) on April 3, the court records read on Monday. Google petitions the court to overrule the FAS decision of November 2016 to prosecute the corporation for its failure to comply with the agencys order. Earlier, the Moscow Commercial Court postponed the examination of a lawsuit Google filed against a 438 million rubles ($6.7 million) fine imposed by FAS until April 4. The watchdog held that Google Ireland Ltd. and Google Inc. had violated anti-monopoly law by abusing their dominance on the Russian market of mobile applications. The Moscow City Court dismissed a lawsuit against the watchdog in March 2016. The Ninth Commercial Court of Appeals has upheld the ruling. In early August, FAS announced that it had fined Google 438 million rubles ($6.7 million) for violating administrative legislation. On September 18, 2015, the Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS) found Google guilty of violation the legislation. On November 2, the watchdog fined the companies 500,000 rubles ($8,000) each for their failure to comply with its order. On November 30, FAS announced that it had filed a lawsuit with a commercial court against Google, forcing it to follow the order. Yet in September, Igor Artemyev, the Head of FAS, stated that the agency was ready to fine Google every two weeks if the company failed to comply with the order. In case we see the process is dragged out, we will meet every two weeks to impose new fines on them for failing to comply with the order, Artemyev said. It will continue until the final victory [is achieved - ed.] and final court judgement [is passed - ed.], according to Artemyev. Prosecutors to seek punishment for Bolotnaya case defendant Panfilov on March 27 MOSCOW, March 20 (RAPSI) Prosecutors are to seek the punishment for Maxim Panfilov, a defendant in the Bolotnaya Square riot case, on March 27, lawyer Maria Kurakina told RAPSI on Monday. Earlier, the Zamoskvoretsky District Court of Moscow has extended the detention of Panfilov until June 14, 2017. On April 8, 2016, the Basmanny District Court in Moscow ordered the detention of Panfilov. The day before, he was charged with participation in mass riots and use of violence against a law enforcement officer. According to investigators, the accused snatched a helmet off a riot policemans head on May 6, 2012. The march on Yakimanka Street and the rally on Bolotnaya Square in May 2012, both authorized by the officials, resulted in mass riots and clashes with the police. Dozens of people were injured, over 400 protesters were detained. The riot organizers, Sergey Udaltsov and Leonid Razvozzhayev, were sentenced to 4.5 years in prison. Other participants received prison terms from suspended sentences to four years. Several defendants were pardoned; one is undergoing compulsory mental treatment. The convicts supporters believe that the riots were provoked by police. Making good on a promise to heed public input, Ohios top education official announced last week that he would delay submitting a federally-required education plan. The submission of the state's Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) response should be an event that unites us, Superintendent of Public Instruction Paolo DeMaria wrote in an open letter explaining the delay. In recent weeks, we've heard from stakeholders who feel their input was not reflected in the ESSA template. The announcement was met with a sigh of relief from those who were critical of the state's plan. In rare bipartisan fashion, state officials, educators and lawmakers from across the political spectrum agreed that a delay was in the state's best interest. Part of the reason was the state's unprecedented outreach for public input. And the public didn't disappoint. Going Above and Beyond for Stakeholder Outreach In all, more than 15,000 Ohioans provided feedback on the state's ESSA implementation plan: about 3,100 people participated in webinars; more than 1,500 people attended meetings with Philanthropy Ohio, a statewide charity network; Ohio Department of Education (ODE) staff participated in more than 70 meetings and presentation; and there were more than 11,000 responses to an online survey. The [Ohio education] department went above and beyond what they often do in terms of stakeholder engagement, said Lisa Gray, project director for the Philanthropy Ohio Education Initiative, which directed ten engagement sessions across the state last year. Philanthropy Ohio also published a white paper on that engagement, which was just one part of the states outreach plan. We met with anybody and everybody who wanted to talk to use about this, said Chris Woolard, Executive Director for Accountability at the state education department. Ohios outreach efforts caught the attention of Priscilla Wohlstetter, a distinguished research professor at the Teachers College of Columbia University who commended the department for its actions. The Plans Purpose: Strategic Vision or Technical Exercise? Drafted by a Republican Congress and signed into law by a Democrat president in December 2015, ESSA was hailed as one of the few bipartisan successes of Barack Obamas presidency. Republicans supported the legislation because it returns a large chunk of authority back to the states and local districts; Democrats backed the bill because it moves away from the standardized testing requirements of No Child Left Behind. But before states can act on the law, they are required to submit an implementation plan. State officials were required to gather input from a wide range of stakeholders, including parents, business leaders and educators, and were given two deadlines for submission: April 3 and September 18. The law requires that Gov. John Kasich be given 30 days to review it so any changes must be wrapped up by early August. Ohio originally intended to meet the April deadline, after which federal officials would have four months to provide comments and suggestions or to accept the plan outright. However, after releasing a draft of the plan ODE officials began receiving vocal criticisms that the plan focused on technical matters to the exclusion of strategic goals. The criticisms raised a central question: Is the purpose of the plan to fulfill a federal requirement or provide a grander framework for students, parents, and teachers? To meet federal requirements, the states plan addresses standards, assessments, teacher evaluations and accountability and improvement systems designed to measure district and school performance and target those that are struggling. The draft overview available to the public broke down each major component into three sections: what ESSA requires; what public feedback indicated; and the states proposed response for how to meet requirements based on what Ohioans want. Kay Wait, an instructional planner in Toledo who has also taught elementary and middle schoolers, was disappointed when she saw what the state planned to submit. She participated in one of the Ohio Philanthropy listening sessions and criticized officials focus on technical items. I saw slides of the plan and kept thinking, Youre kidding. Where are the changes? said Wait. ESSA is offering an opportunity for states to envision what they education should look like instead of education just fitting a plan. The draft looked like what theyre following from Race to the Top. Melissa Cropper, president of the Ohio Federation of Teachers, the states largest educator union with 20,000 members, took a more balanced view. I commend the department for doing that amount of outreach, but it wasnt really a discussion about the direction of education, stated Cropper. We would have preferred a discussion about what has worked well in our system and where do we see some challenges. Instead of asking questions about what has not gone well, what do we want to see different, where are the gaps, it was too focused on technical things. However, both Gray and Woolard stressed that critics did not understand that the ESSA plan and the state's broader vision are two separate items. Theres been a misconception about what ESSA is and what it isnt, said Woolard of the Department of Education. Its not wiping the slate clean on education reform. What ESSA requires is a similar framework to No Child Left Behind, but ESSA creates the opportunity to have the much larger conversation [about a vision]. Thats not part of the states plan because its not supposed to be. The actual plan we have to submit is a technical document. But some believe that a strategic vision can be part of the ESSA plan, including being part of the submission. Dont be a lemming and just go along with the way [the federal law] was written, admonished Jim Lloyd, superintendent of the Olmsted Falls School District in northeast Ohio. Pushback on the feds to say, We need more time. We should put forth a plan that says, These are our structures. If the federal government wants local governments to take control of their education, why wouldnt they provide us the kind of control we need to get it right? Thorny Issues Remain Unresolved As officials collected feedback, questions emerged about the role of testing, teacher evaluations and accountability, along with detailed technical considerations, such as how large do student subgroups need to be in order to find an accurate representation of progress among minority students or those with disabilities. DeMaria, the State Superintendent of Public Instruction who has been on the job since June, announced the formation of the Superintendents Advisory Committee on Assessments that will consider the volume of tests students are required to take and how best to provide meaningful data to educators. Officials will also continue working with the Educator Standards Board for recommendations on revamping the teacher evaluation system. At a recent hearing before the Ohio Joint Oversight Committee, Lloyd said that the majority of speakers called on ODE to delay submitting their plan and to reduce the amount of mandated tests students take. In his opinion, statewide assessments are akin to looking in a rearview mirror; theyre only good for telling you where youve been. However, many fear that the state will maintain whats seen as an overwhelming amount of testing that goes above what is required at the federal level. Theres a lot of heavy lifting to do and a lot of policy work to be done, Lloyd said. That shouldnt be done in a vacuum. Is it better to check off a box and send it in? Or is it better to get it right? From my perspective, its better to get it right. It appears that these criticisms resonated. Ohio will spend the next several months addressing these issues in the hopes of presenting a unified and cohesive plan come September. Jessica R. Towhey is a contributor to RealClearEducation. One of the root causes of the current crisis in Ukraine is the state of the local energy sector. The situation has grown tougher because radical politicians have blockaded delivery of coal from the Donbass region (the unrecognized Peoples Republic of Donetsk) to the rest of the country. This campaign might lead to large-scale power cuts throughout the country, because current coal stocks cannot cover the needs of power plants. A state of emergency has already been declared once over energy shortages and it might happen again. Discussions are underway about what Ukraine needs to do to overcome its energy shortfall and become less dependent of non-renewable resources such as coal. Konstantin Grigorishin owns considerable assets in the energy sector through his Energy Standard Group. He faces political blowback from Russia because he identifies strongly with Ukraine and acts in its national interests. Grigorishin is well known not just as an industrialist. His education and doctorate in physics give him the credentials to critique Ukraines politics and its economic future. What follows is a question and answer interview with foreign policy expert Lloyd Green. Q: You are a Ukrainian businessman and know your country well. How would you describe Ukraine today? A: It is quite a paradox. The real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of Ukraine is similar to that of some central African countries. Yet Ukraine isnt like Somalia. It is much more akin to a poor European nation. The reason: Ukraines social and physical infrastructure was built by a previous generation. That infrastructure is obsolete. Todays Ukrainians can use it, but its doubtful that future Ukrainians will be able to. Ukraine is also an unstable country today. Experts are leaving, resources are being used inefficiently. Q: What can the government to do? A: Lets begin with strategic directions. Ukraines real GDP should correspond to the GDP of at least the Eastern European countries. Not of the Netherlands, Denmark or Germany, but at least of the Czech Republic or Poland. Yet, the discrepancy today is 4 or 5 times less than those countries! The government should create programs to eliminate the existing GDP gap and to achieve economic growth of 6-8 percent annually during the next 20 years. If it does not do this, the country will not survive. Today, our future is like that of post-conflict countries like Iraq, Libya and Afghanistan. The government must change its attitude and vision of Ukraine and not accept that our limit is 2 percent growth per year. It may be unable to understand the situation fully. When you have daily commitments, it is difficult to see the bigger picture from the outside. Q: What can the West the USA, Western Europe do for Ukraine? A: Many European Union (EU) bureaucrats are telling us that 6 to 8 percent of GDP growth annually is impossible. Thats not true! It is impossible, say, for modern Germany. Yet modern Ukraine is starting at a very low level. Germany and France were increasing their GDP from 1947 to 1973 at a rate of 7 percent a year. Ukraine is in the same situation now. Correspondingly, we need a new Marshall Plan. After World War II, the Marshall Plan provided $20 billion-to-$25 billion of investment by the U.S. Today the amount could be worth $200 billion. This is not such a big sum for many countries. If Ukraine is given technologies and a market, we can achieve the growth rate I have mentioned. Though, Id like to stress, the Marshall Plan is only one of the options. Q: What would you suggest? A: Roughly 20-30 years ago, Ukraine belonged to the Top-10 group of European economies. Ukraine still has some natural advantages. It still has an educated and qualified population that can work for the space industry, for example. Im stating the obvious. We have a good climate, we still have good logistics; our infrastructure is still operational. Ukraine is a unique destination for infrastructure investments, with acceptable risks and high returns. Ukraines infrastructure is worn out, but this it is an excellent opportunity for Ukraine to build everything from scratch. This would include a cutting-edge energy-efficient system. To benefit investors, the state can invest massively and test new technologies in green energy and technological convergence. Ukraine can offer an efficient production platform (including highly educated and inexpensive workers) and a huge market. Q: Does Ukraine have any other advantages except those you have already mentioned? A: It does. For the last one hundred years, the world has lived by the technologies invented at the turn of the 20th century: railways, internal combustion engines, electricity, radio and new means of production. Machines, television and radio were improving, but the principles remained. Today, the principles have changed. Human civilization is changing with the Internet, renewable energy, electric cars, and many other things. Unfortunately, Ukraine has an exhausted infrastructure. What we need to do is create a new infrastructure for the 21st century. A hundred years ago, General Electric, Siemens and other corporations were the first to realize that the world was changing. They started making new instruments for the new world. Why doesnt Ukraine try and create new corporations and new infrastructure that will become suppliers for the new world? I think there is potential in new kinds of transportation, probably in the artificial intelligence realm as well as new kinds of chemical and food production, renewable electricity, energy storehouses (this will be a big new industry in the near future). This is the first idea. The second idea is to invest in infrastructure. It would be a huge boost for GDP growth. If one invests billions of dollars in infrastructure, one can build your own industry, production and then export to neighboring countries. In fact, Ukraine has a chance to start anew on a higher level using external financial backing from the West and probably even from China. Ukraine has human resources, especially in engineering, needed to develop infrastructure wisely and to make use of technological advantages from more developed countries. That is to say, we have the real potential to become a laboratory of new technologies. Q: Judging by your business, you are an expert in the energy sector. Is the government ready to follow the way you have suggested for this sector? A: Not so long ago, our team participated in discussions about a new government program for developing the energy sector in Ukraine for the next 20-30 years. There are several options. The first is a traditional approach built around a centralized energy supply. Basically, it is the approach of the 19th century or the beginning of the 20th. Our suggestion is different. We should forget about coal and outdated plans for centralized heating. Instead, we believe green renewable energy is the future. We should forget about oil because in 20-30 years, electric cars will be widely available. We should not reconstruct the old infrastructure but introduce complete modernization of the Ukrainian energy system in line with the latest industry trends. This would create an attractive business case for foreign investors and thus speed up economic growth. Energy storehouses and renewable electricity can be offered to the whole of the Ukrainian market as well as to Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan. This electric power model of Ukraine can be more stable and much more profitable than the old one. Besides, Ukraine also has an abundance of natural gas, at least enough to be independent and also to export during the next 30 years. Q: How can the West help? A: Estimates of investment in Ukrainian economy are about $100 billion over the next 20 years. Unfortunately, within the next 20 or 30 years we cannot move to only renewable energy because we do not have the technology or energy storehouses necessary to make it happen. That is why the best temporary solution for Ukraine during the transition is to have a green phase -- new, combined-cycle natural gas power plants. We do not have as much money as nations rich in oil and gas resources. But we do have experts. Money can be invested in them. If we enter into a partnership with the West, we will be able to create technologies for the new generation. We can also establish services and new investment in gas and oil production right here, localized in Ukraine. We need credit resources and the settling of the situation in the Crimea and the Donbass Region. And we need corporate partners and a long-term strategy with corporations at the level of General Electric, UTC and Boeing. Q: To put these grand investment plans into effect Ukraine needs peace. But what is to be done with Russia? A: Of course, Ukraine should be thinking about how to solve the problem in Eastern Ukraine. Yet it is not always a military solution. In todays world that is not effective. It is perfectly evident that the West is not going to unite against Russia to return the Crimea to Ukraine. Even if it happens I am not sure that it will be good for Ukraine. Q: Again, it means that Ukraine needs peace. But what kind of road leads to peace? A: It is evident that peace with Russia should be restored. But not the way Victor Pinchuk put it in the Wall Street Journal: Lets surrender and we are ready for peace. I am sure that Ukraine has arguments with Russia and that Russia understands Ukraine will never recognize annexation of the Crimea. Like I said, it does not mean that Ukraine should solve this problem via a military operation. Ukraine has many other tools: sanctions, political pressure to name a few. Ukraine needs this time to offer citizens of the Crimea persuasive arguments. It is not enough simply to say, You must be Ukrainians and speak Ukrainian. Ukraine must strive to become an attractive state that all people are willing to join. Crimea will fade as a problem when Ukraine proves that its economic and social model is preferable. Q: What is your opinion of the current state of relations between Ukraine and the West and how would you change it? A: Unfortunately, Ukraine is not a voice in international politics at the moment. We are being governed from the outside. All the way up to the top governmental appointments, the major criterion of selecting applicants is loyalty. Nevertheless, it is the U.S. that should strategically become an example for Ukraine. In comparison with Russia, we have more technologies here; we have a better developed society. And the relations should be strategic. Ukraine has those objective advantages, which I have mentioned. If the U.S. helps us to reach a higher level of production, American companies will want to be in our market for many years to come. We shouldnt pretend to be a victim and we shouldnt blindly take in all ideas of globalization. It is silly to take seriously the economic nonsense that Ukraine is to become an agricultural superpower. Are we living in the 17th century? What is an agricultural superpower? Do we have to live in small villages and be farmers? Is it our future? Taking into account the fact that value-added in agriculture is low, it is impossible to become a superpower on the basis of agriculture. Q: What should be changed in Ukraine? A: We should think not about the past but about the future. Our advantage is our creativity. Here we have a historic mix of Slavs, Jews, and Muslims. I have a friend in the United Kingdom, he is a lawyer; once he asked me, What do you think is the main export of the U.K.? Its main export is its language and its legal system, not technologies or goods. So, what can be the main export of Ukraine? Minds and ideas. In the postindustrial society, those can be our main assets, not coal or natural gas. It was a telling moment when China's President Xi Jinping rose on January 16, 2017, to proclaim himself the new champion of free trade in the great conference hall of Davos, Switzerland, the citadel of globalization. This proclamation came just four days before the inauguration of the newly elected U.S. president, who has traditionally served 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 , We're sorry, this article is not currently available As the Centre faces multiple hurdles, BJP-governed states such as Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat have swiftly moved in to usher in radical reforms as they aim to take a larger share of the FDI pie. On Labour Day (May 1) last year, Union Minister of State for Labour Bandaru Dattatreya wanted to create a feel good factor. He launched a programme of consolidating multiple provident fund accounts. He invoked BR Ambedkar to announce pro-worker steps like fixing a minimum wage and extending social security schemes to unorganised workers. However, Dattatreya was silent on the long-pending labour reforms. Refusing to bite the bullet, he said, As a founding member of the ILO, India is committed to the principle of tripartism. The ministry has put in its best efforts to reach a consensus on all issues and many tripartite discussions have been held before taking decisions. Under fire from trade unions over multiple issues, the government decided to put its ambitious labour reforms on the backburner. So much so that Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in an interview to a foreign publication, discounted the impact of labour reforms on economic growth. As the Centre faces multiple hurdles, BJP-governed states such as Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat have swiftly moved in to usher in radical reforms as they aim to take a larger share of the FDI pie. States need to understand that such changes will be favourable to them for creating a job market, cooperative federalism is always positive, the official said. According to reports, the Centre has made changes to the draft of the Factories Act, 1948, to allow states to take a call on the number of workers a unit has to employ to be covered under the law. Rajasthan has been the pioneer in labour reforms. It has relaxed the provisions of the Factories Act, Industrial Disputes Act, Apprentices Act and Contract Labour Act. Madhya Pradesh has amended at least 20 labour laws, including 17 central ones, such as the Industrial Disputes Act, Factories Act and Shops and Establishments Act. The Maharashtra law department, according to a notification, has amended the Contract Labour (Regulation and Abolition) Act to make it applicable only to establishments in which 50 or more workers are employed. This means smaller units employing up to 49 workers will not be required to register themselves with the government. We will ensure strict compliance of the law, Shweta Singhal, deputy secretary, labour, said. Owen Jolie, a researcher at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, says, If the Union government is unable to introduce comprehensive investor-friendly labour laws at the national level due to political resistance, it will remain incumbent on Indias states to decide if they want to take the political risks necessary to enact difficult reforms such as deregulating labour laws." However, with a favourable outcome in Uttar Pradesh, expectations of resuming the process have revived. According to labour ministry officials, the government plans to introduce two labour Bills in the second half of the Budget session, a move that will be opposed by labour unions. These Bills are the Industrial Relations Code Bill, 2016, and the Wage Code Bill, 2016. If passed, the Industrial Relations Code would facilitate easier hiring and retrenchment in factories, the first official said. A previous draft of the proposed law suggested that companies need not seek approval for retrenching up to 300 employees in the case of an emergency. The Wage Code will consolidate all wage laws, and the a proposed Social Security Code will amalgamate all social security laws including Employees Provident Fund and Miscellaneous Provisions Act, Employees State Insurance Act and Maternity Benefits Act. Labour ministry officials say all formalities including tripartite consultations with trade unions have been done and the approval of the law ministry secured. For nearly two years, the labour law consolidation process is almost in cold storage. Though the labour ministry has done a lot of work over these labour codes for a year, the administration was not very enthusiastic, maybe due to political reasons, said one of the two officials. The Wage Code Bill was sent to the cabinet by the labour ministry, but has been returned to the GoM, headed by Jaitley, for review. If it is not possible to pass these in this session, it expects to definitely do so in the next session, said a senior labour ministry official. Trade unions say they see no visible positive impact of labour law reforms on the job market. Have we seen the job situation improving in those states? No. Have we seen vigilance going down? Yes. These are attempts to snatch away the fundamental rights of workers. We had taken to the streets in Rajasthan, we will oppose this too, Brijesh Upadhyay, general secretary of the Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh, the trade union wing of the ruling BJP government, told Business Standard. Will the government be ready to bite the bullet and with electoral support behind it? Photograph: Adnan Abidi/Reuters Mangoes from India are popular in the Middle East, the Far East, the United States and European countries. Mango exports from India might see a significant jump this year after South Korea allowed imports of this exotic fruit following stringent pest risk analysis. South Korea imported mangoes worth $48 million in 2016, mainly from Thailand, the Philippines, Taiwan, Vietnam, Pakistan, Australia, Peru and the United States. Indias entry into the South Korean market will intensify competition. Mangoes from India are popular in the Middle East, the Far East, the United States and European countries. In an advisory on March 14 to its members, the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (Apeda), said: The South Korean animal and plant quarantine agency has finally agreed on importation of Indian mangoes into South Korea after vapour heat treatment. Export will be allowed for produce sourced from registered farmers under the Apeda Hortinet system. Interested exporters may book their slots for processing of mangoes for export to South Korea. Indias exports of fresh mangoes declined nearly 15 per cent last year. Apeda estimates Indias exports of fresh mangoes were 36,329 tonnes in 2015-16 compared to 42,998.31 tonnes in a year ago. In value terms, however, exports remained flat at $49.49 million in 2015-16 against $50.26 million in the previous year. The United Arab Emirates imports over 50 per cent of Indian mangoes in volume terms and 60 per cent in value terms followed by the United Kingdom. We have started booking orders and are enquiring with suppliers. By now, we could have dispatched some consignments, said Dheeraj Patel, owner of the Ahmedabad-based VB International, a mango trader and exporter. Australia, too, has hinted at liberalising norms for import of mangoes from India. The Australian government has accepted the operational work plan for export of irradiated mangoes from India as another post-harvest quarantine measure. Leading exporters like Desai Fruits, a unit of Deepak Fertilisers and Petrochemicals, have dispatched the first consignments of this season. Others like Mohammad Ashfaq and Co, a Lucknow-based mango exporter, are yet to start shipments. Trade sources expect shipments will start in full swing in a week with the arrival of export-quality mangoes. Cold weather followed by a sharp increase in temperature have affected the mango crop this season. Mango flowering remained high this year, which led to expectations of a higher fruit output this season. A normal monsoon last year prompted the government to forecast a 3 per cent higher mango output this year. But the cold wave hit the early variety. Normal and late varieties of mango were also affected by a heat wave. Also, there were reports of intermittent rainfall in the north-east, a major mango growing region. Photograph: Reuters Idea Cellular on Monday approved its amalgamation with Vodafone India and Vodafone Mobile Services, a move that will create the country's biggest telecom services provider with a customer base of over 394 million. The board of directors of Idea Cellular at its meeting held on Monday approved the "scheme of amalgamation of Vodafone India Limited (VIL) and its wholly owned subsidiary Vodafone Mobile Services Limited (VMSL) with the company", Idea said in a regulatory filing. The transaction is subject to necessary approvals from concerned authorities, including SEBI, department of telecom, Reserve Bank of India etc. "Upon the amalgamation becoming effective, the entire business of VIL and VMSL, excluding VIL's investment in Indus Towers Limited, its international network assets and information technology platforms, will vest in the company," the filing said. The turnover of Vodafone India is Rs 5,025 crore and of VMSL is 40,378 crore. Idea Cellular's turnover is Rs 36,000 crore. The net worth of VIL is 12,855 crore, VMSL's 3,737 crore and of Idea Cellular is Rs 24,296 crore, as per the filing. Vodafone's market share was 18.16 per cent with 204.68 million mobile customers and that of Idea was 16.9 per cent with 190.51 million at the end of December 2016, as per TRAI data. At present, Airtel, with a market share of 23.58 per cent and a customer base of 265.85 million, is the country's largest telecom player. "The implied enterprise value is Rs 828 billion (USD 12.4 billion) for Vodafone India and Rs 722 billion (USD 10.8 billion) for Idea," the filing said. Idea and Vodafone in a joint statement said themerged entity will be jointly controlled by Vodafone and Aditya Birla group as per the shareholders agreement. Vodafone will own 45.1 per cent of the combined company after transferring a stake of 4.9 per cent to the Aditya Birla group for Rs 3,900 crore in cash concurrent with completion of the merger, the filing said. Idea will hold 26 per cent of the combined entity while the rest will be owned by public shareholders. The Aditya Birla group will have the right to acquire more shares from Vodafone under an agreed mechanism with a view to equalising the shareholdings over time, the joint statement said. The merger will result in substantial cost and capex synergies with an estimated net present value of approximately USD 10 billion after integration costs and spectrum liberalisation payments, with estimated run-rate savings of USD 2.1 billion on an annual basis by the fourth full year post completion, the statement said. Vodafone India will be deconsolidated by Vodafone on announcement and reported as a joint venture post-closing, reducing Vodafone Group net debt by approximately USD 8.2 billion. The transaction is expected to close during calendar year 2018, subject to customary approvals. The statement said that if Vodafone and the Aditya Birla goup's shareholdings in the combined company are not equal after four years, Vodafone will sell down shares in the combined company to equalise its shareholding to that of the Aditya Birla goup over the following five-year period. Until equalisation is achieved, the voting rights of the additional shares held by Vodafone will be restricted and votes will be exercised jointly under the terms of the shareholders' agreement. Given the present spectrum holding, revenue and subscriber base, both the companies need to work on synergy to comply with rules. According to the merger and acquisition rules, an entity should not hold more than 25 per cent spectrum allocated in a telecom circle and 50 per cent of spectrum allocated in a particular band in a service area. The merged entity should also not have more than 50 per cent revenue and subscriber market share. As per CLSA report, the merged entity would breach revenue market share, subscriber and spectrum caps in five markets. The combined entity as per present scenario will breach spectrum cap in 900 Mhz band in Maharashtra, Gujarat, Kerala, Haryana and UP West and in 2500 Mhz band in Maharashtra and Gujarat, it said. CLSA estimated that the excess spectrum which would need to be surrendered or sold off is valued around Rs 5,400 crore and for the merger both the companies will also have to shell out Rs 5,700 crore for liberalising radiowaves that they were allocated administratively. 'I hope he will continue to be what he is. And by doing so, he won't be much different from those whose example he is being given right now,' says Utkarsh Mishra. Like it happened during the United States presidential election and the Brexit poll in Britain last year, the section referred to as liberals was once again proved wrong on Saturday afternoon. They thought Yogi Adityanath, the firebrand MP of Gorakhpur who doesn't shy away from making 'controversial' statements, would never be elected chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, especially after the Bharatiya Janata Party won such a massive mandate in the state, in which it was said a substantial amount were Muslim votes. But it happened, defying all odds and expectations. And, once again, outrage followed. Two very famous journalists quoted their 'sources as saying' that they voted for the BJP, but if they knew that Yogi would be the UP CM, they wouldn't have done so. Well, if those journalists were honest to their profession, they should have asked those 'BJP voters' a follow-up: Had Yogi Adityanath been the BJP's CM candidate, whom would they have voted for? Akhilesh Yadav or Mayawati? Can either politician be called 'secular'? And when was India secular in the true sense of the word? Go back to September 2013. When Narendra Modi was named the BJP's prime ministerial face, there was similar outrage. The Janata Dal-United, the BJP's ally for 17 years, snapped ties with the saffron fold protesting this move. Why was a section so against Modi's candidature despite him getting a 'clean chit' from the Supreme Court over the 2002 riots issue just days before his elevation as the PM candidate? Maybe because he took out a 'Gaurav Yatra,' or Procession of Pride, soon after the 2002 riots; maybe because he mocked the then chief election commissioner J M Lyngdoh for not allowing early polls in Gujarat, referring to him by his full name, James Michael Lyngdoh, again and again, to make a point about 'who' he was. Perhaps the JD-U had a problem with that, but the majority of India had long forgotten it. Modi won a thumping majority and continues to do so. Now he has become a 'sabka saath, sabka vikas' man. People say they didn't expect Modi to let a person like Adityanath become UP CM. But there was a time when Modi was seen as an Adityanath-like figure, and the 'sabka saath, sabka vikas' man was Atal Bihari Vajpayee, famously advising the then Gujarat CM to follow 'raj dharma' after the 2002 riots in Gujarat. Go back further in time to December 5, 1992 and see the same Vajpayee reportedly asking a crowd in Lucknow to 'level the ground' (external link) at the 'Ram Janmabhoomi.' The Babri Masjid was demolished the next day, and the then PM P V Narasimha Rao hesitated to take any action to prevent it. Why? Perhaps he knew that it would afflict only a small section of people. Rao had to confront this crisis only because his predecessor from the Congress, Jawaharlal Nehru's grandson Rajiv Gandhi, ordered the opening of the locks at the Ram temple even when the matter was sub judice. With this move, Rajiv aimed to calm down hardline Hindus unhappy at his decision to overturn the Shah Bano verdict. The same Rajiv had replied to the brutal massacre of Sikhs in the aftermath of his mother Indira Gandhi's assassination with his infamous 'When a big tree falls...' remark. How different is it from Modi's 2002 'Gaurav Yatra'? Indira Gandhi was assassinated because radical Sikhs, whose ambition her Congress party once fanned to oppose the Akalis, had turned into a Frankenstein's monster. Keep going back in time to find a secular India. Perhaps, when you arrive at the Nehruvian era, you may be able to say that India gave a mandate to a truly secular leader. But the same India opposed the reformist Hindu Code Bill Introduced by Nehru and Dr B R Ambedkar. Dr Ambedkar, then India's law minister, was not allowed to speak in Parliament. Anguished and dismayed, he resigned. Where do you find a secular India? What did the Communist government in Bengal do to migrant Bangladeshis? How did the 'messiah of Muslims' Mulayam Singh Yadav's party responded to the Muzaffarnagar riots in 2013? Why single out Adityanath or Modi then? The liberals asked Modi to be like Vajpayee. Now, they ask Adityanath to be like Modi! I hope it ends here. I hope Yogi Adityanath will not let such people forget everything. He should not let them use himself as an 'example' for his successors. I hope he will not euphemise himself after securing office as others from his party did. I hope he will continue to be what he is. And doing so, he won't be much different from those whose example he is being given right now. Better still, he will not be putting on a facade like they did. DON'T MISS the columns in the RELATED LINKS below... IMAGE: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Bharatiya Janata Party President Amit Shah, Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the swearing-in ceremony in Lucknow, March 19, 2017. Photograph: Sandeep Pal Will he take Modi's 'sab ka saath, sab ka vikas' route? Or will he turn UP into Egypt under Morsi, asks Syed Firdaus Ashraf. When Yogi Adityanath was sworn in as Uttar Pradesh chief minister on Sunday many secularists and Muslims in my circle exclaimed, "This is it, this is the end of secular India!" Some Muslim friends called it the end of the Ganga-Jamuna tehzeeb (composite culture) they were brought up in. Another friend commented that the Muslim vote has become irrelevant in India if you are voting against the Bharatiya Janata Party or Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Social media was abuzz with videos of Adityanath's speech in which he said if a Muslim marries one Hindu woman and converts her, Hindu men will marry 100 Muslim women and convert them. According to his election affidavit filed in 2014, the UP chief minister has been charged under the Indian Penal Code's Section 435 (mischief by fire or explosive substance), Section 506 (criminal intimidation), Section 307 (attempt to murder), three charges related to punishment for rioting under Section 147, Section 148 (rioting, armed with deadly weapon) and two charges under Section 297 (trespassing on burial places). Given this long list of 'accomplishments,' a secular friend asked if it was right to appoint such a man to a high Constitutional position. "It is the will of the people of UP that they want a BJP government to lead them," I replied. "And it is the BJP that decided that Yogi must lead them. So there is no option for Muslims and secularists but to accept him as chief minister." "Oh, so you have sold your soul to Yogi," my friend taunted me. I didn't know how to respond to my friend's taunt, but a lecture I attended about Africa some months ago came to mind. Muslims and secularists confront three possibilities of how things can unfold: a. The Algerian way (not possible). b. The Morsi way (possible). c. 'Sab ka saath, sab ka vikas' (possible). When elections were held after three decades in Algeria in the early 1990s, it was clear that the Islamic Salvation Front would win the people's mandate. Unhappy with the outcome, the Algerian military stalled the electoral process, thwarted the Islamists, and triggered off a brutal civil war. Closer home, when the Muslim United Front complained in 1987 that the Jammu and Kashmir state election was rigged by Farooq Abdullah's National Conference and its ally, Rajiv Gandhi's Congress party, its protests went unheeded. Disillusioned by the rigged election, one MUF candidate, Syed Mohammed Yusuf Shah, crossed over to Pakistan, took the name Syed Salahuddin, and formed the terrorist organisation Hizbul Mujahideen to wage war against India. Recalling all this is merely by way of background. I am sure no one in UP would ever tread this path nor is it a viable option for anyone. Violence is abhorrent and can never be accepted. Which takes me to the second possibility. Will the UP chief minister do what Mohammed Morsi did in Egypt? In January 2011, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak was forced out of power in the wake of the Arab Spring. In a subsequent election, the Muslim Brotherhood and its leader Morsi were elected to rule Egypt. Morsi soon started implementing divisive policies, tinkered with the Egyptian constitution to give it an Islamist slant. Angered by the Muslim Brotherhood's antics, General Abdel Fatah el-Sisi and the Egyptian army forced Morsi out of office, jailed him and the Brotherhood's top leadership where they stay till this day. I asked a friend, then working in Egypt, why Morsi wanted to change the constitution. "All fundamentalist parties are thick skinned," my friend explained, "they will never compromise on their ideology." "Even if that ideology results in destruction," he added. "And this is exactly what Morsi did." Adityanath, like Morsi, has ridden to power in the wake of a provocative and divisive election campaign. 'Love jihad,' 'kabristan versus shamshan,' 'Hindu exodus,' 'triple talaq' were issues the BJP highlighted in the UP election. The first and most divisive decision Adityanath could take is shut down all mechanised slaughter houses in UP as the BJP promised before the election. If that step is taken, it would lead to thousands of job losses, affecting UP's economy. Meat exports would suffer and many businessmen would go bankrupt. Will Adityanath take Modi's 'Sab ka saath, sab ka vikas' route? Or will he turn UP into an Egypt under Morsi? We will know in a few weeks from know. Until then, both secularists and Muslims need to accept the people's mandate for what it is. MUST READ features in the RELATED LINKS below... 'Whenever Yogiji said something which was against the party line, we distanced ourselves from that.' 'He will not speak his personal opinion now.' When Sudesh Verma, the Bharatiya Janata Party's national spokesperson, spoke to Rediff.com's Shobha Warrier a day after the election verdict in Uttar Pradesh, he explained that 'India's youth want a different country'. Shobha spoke to Sudesh again after Yogi Adityanath's election as UP chief minister. Yogi Adityanath's election came as a big shock to many people. He is someone who believes in Hindutva while Narendra Modi throughout the election campaign in UP and elsewhere spoke of vikas. I don't agree that a hardcore RSS person would believe only in Hindutva and not adopt development politics because Narendra Modiji himself is a hardcore RSS person. Everyone in the BJP leadership has their background in the RSS. So, it is very difficult to say one is more hardcore and the other is not. In this era, development and vikas are the key words. So whoever becomes chief minister would have to follow the vikas mantra and implement development. This is the promise the party made to the people of the state. The party also made the promise sab ka saath, sab ka vikas. So, whether it is Yogiji or anybody else, or for that matter the chief ministers of other states, they would do the same thing. During the election campaign, Narendra Modi did not speak of Hindutva. On the other hand, Yogi Adityanath is perceived as a Hindutva man. That is why people are surprised by the choice. See, this perception is created by the media. If you look at any of the statements made by Yogi Adityanath, you will not see any statement that is anti-Muslim. He only spoke of discrimination and how the state government was functioning, which is giving preference to one community over the other. People may have problems with his saffron robes. When Uma Bharti became chief minister of MP, the media did not have any problem with her though she also wore saffron. Yogiji, I don't think, is in any way a hardliner. When you see him perform as chief minister, you will be surprised and say we made the correct choice. What about all those virulent hate speeches he made against Muslims? He has been elected MP five times, from the age of 26. Had he made any of those hate speeches, he would have been arrested. As an MP, it is against the Constitution to make hate speeches. I am very sure that what they are playing on TV channels is taken out of context. Whenever Yogiji said something which was against the party line, we distanced ourselves from that. So, he spoke against the party line! Actor Anupam Kher once said a person like Yogi Adityanath should not be in the BJP. I don't recall what you are saying... We distanced ourselves from some of his opinions when they did not follow the party line. Now that he is the party chief minister, he will follow the party line. He will not speak his personal opinion now. He will now act sab ka saath, sab ka vikas. So you believe now that he is a Constitutional head, he will speak with utmost care and discipline? I would put it this way. The mandate is for Narendra Modiji's vision of development. We have come with an agenda for the transformation of Uttar Pradesh from one of the most backward states to where it should be. India cannot develop without UP developing. Yogiji has been given the responsibility of developing the state. He understands the mandate and will act according to the mandate. After he was chosen, he himself said it would be sab ka saath, sab ka vikas. The criticism is that the vikas mantra was just a mask behind the Hindutva card. This is too Westernised a thinking. You need not wear pants to be a development man; you can wear a saffron robe and be an icon of development. There is no contradiction between Hindutva and development. Hindutva is never against development. Actually even when you say Hindutva, we are talking about a more inclusive society. I think there is a perception gap and I am sure once Yogiji starts working, it will change. When I asked you last week about the Ram temple issue, you said it was for the courts to decide. Now we hear the Ayodhya MLA talking about building a Ram temple. With such a huge mandate, are we going to witness communal tension in UP? Not at all. There will not be any communal tension in UP. There will only be peace and harmony because all sections of society have voted for the BJP. This kind of a mandate is not possible if only one section of society votes for you. We are very clear about the Ram temple; it will be either by a court order or by consensus between two communities. It was reported that Manoj Sinha was Modi's choice for CM, but the RSS wanted Yogi Adityanath. Does that mean the RSS has the dominant role in the choice? I don't think so. Those was media speculation and after such speculation, they put the blame on our organisation. Of course, the RSS is the parent organisation, but the decision of who the chief minister will be is taken by the party in consultation with the prime minister because the mandate was for his vision on development. So, the party felt Yogi Adityanath to be the right man to implement the vision? If you know Yogiji's qualities, you will understand why he was chosen. He is just 44 and is an energetic person. He can work several hours a day. We need someone like him because we have to deliver very quickly the promises we made. We are going to face elections in 2019. We need a strong, honest, leader who can roll out the Centre's development schemes. Yogiji is a clean, honest, politician; there is not a single corruption charge against him. We need a person like him to deliver our programmes and he will do it. MUST READ features in the RELATED LINKS below... IMAGE: Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Uttar Pradesh Governor Ram Naik and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. Photograph: Sandeep Pal 'The new normal is Hindutva politics.' 'The BJP has has shifted the idea of India to the framework of Hindutva politics.' The selection of no other chief minister in recent times has evoked as much discussion as Yogi Adityanath's as he took over the helm of India's most politically decisive state. Dr Manzoor Ali of Lucknow's Giri Institute of Developmental Studies, tells Rediff.com's Archana Masih that though he does not expect the revival of the Ganga-Jamuna Tahzeeb, the new chief minister should follow his party's manifesto of 'sabka vikas' without discrimination. What does the choice of Yogi Adityanath mean for UP politics? The choice vindicates the point of many scholars that this election was fought by the BJP on the idea of Hindu unity vis-a-vis the Muslim 'other.' It was a communally polarised election where Yogi played a major role, even bigger than Modi. The RSS used Yogi Adityanath throughout the state for communal polarisation. He campaigned in Western, Central and Eastern Uttar Pradesh. So, his selection for the top post in the state is honouring the sentiment of communal majoritarianism. Secondly, the decision was taken to satisfy upper caste Hindus who have been feeling deprived despite their share of representation in the assembly and jobs always having been greater than other social groups. The issue was the command over the decision making process, which was with the Yadavs and Jatavs respectively. In a nutshell, I think it is to satisfy the upper castes and continue the process of Hindutva. He comes with long political experience in Parliament, but is also controversial for his hardline Hindutva. What can one expect from him as CM? I certainly don't expect the revival of Ganga-Jamuna Tahzeeb. Anti-minority is the oxygen of Yogi and his ilk. He should go by his party's election manifesto and do 'sabka vikas' without discrimination. How are Muslims and minorities going to view this elevation? We can discuss the impact at three levels -- economic, political and social. Politically, they have been pushed to become opponents in the literal sense. The BJP does not have any Muslim MLA. The 24 Muslim MLAs are from the SP and BSP. So, they will sit in the Opposition. Economically, Muslims will remain indifferent unless and until commercial properties are vandalised during riots. There has been tokenism by other parties like the SP, which was blown out of proportion through communal propaganda. Even this government will maintain that tokenism. My biggest concern is at the social level. The so-called Hindu unity/awakening will treat Muslims as new age 'untouchables' and any assertion will be taken as an offence by Hindutva. Humiliation and fear will be an inherent part of their everyday life. Is the Muslim honeymoon with the SP over? No. After the Muzaffarnagar riots, it was believed that Muslims would vote for Mayawati. Mayawati on her part stitched a Dalit-Muslim coalition which is not a natural alliance. Mulayam Singh Yadav had built the Yadav-Muslim alliance over years and it was accepted. It exists both at the organisational and government levels. Muslims find ownership with the SP. They have forgotten Muzzaffarnagar and believe it was an act of the RSS and BJP, unlike Narendra Modi which they will never forget. The BJP has said many Muslims voted for the BJP. What changes does this election portend for the Muslim voter? After the 2014 election, it was also said that there was overwhelming support by different communities including Muslims. When we calculated, there was a 1% increment from the previous time. 5% to 7% Muslims have always supported the BJP. The logic of the BJP winning Deoband is the division of votes. The votes that the BSP and SP won is bigger than the BJP. It is not the first time that the BJP has won Deoband. The BJP's performance strike rate in reserved Dalit constituencies is 89%. In Muslim concentrated constituencies it is 52%. When we say the BJP is winning constituencies with a high concentration of Muslims, there are two reasons" 1. Division of votes. 2. There are other available social groups which gravitate towards the BJP. With the Samajwadi Party out of power and with a paltry representation in the UP assembly, how can it satisfy the aspirations of young Yadavs? There will be some kind of frustration in the younger population of Yadavs. Most who have supported Akhilesh Yadav on development are not opposed to Modi's agenda of development. In fact, they are more comfortable with Modi's agenda of development. They know that the UP government will basically be led by Modi and will fulfill what it has promised. So there won't be frustration on the economic front. But at the social level, this political combination will give a sense of social powerlessness to the Yadav community. During the election campaign the BJP propagated that the fruits of the SP's development went to the Yadavs and Muslims. The propaganda was on two levels -- the communalisation of the development issue and the Yadavisation of UP under the SP. There was an urge at the grass-root level to teach a lesson to the Yadav and Muslim communities. There will be a changed power equation and social friction, but not at the economic level. Did the SP lose non-Yadav OBCs who drifted to the BJP since it is in a better position to fulfill their aspirations? They drifted long time back. The voter of Uttar Pradesh was unable to find an alternative to the binary politics of the SP and BSP. Now they have got it in the form of the BJP and have shifted because it provides an alternative and a better economic model. Moreover, the BJP has been able to manage the non Yadav voter well and has been working to win over the non Yadav castes for a decade. The RSS is working at the cultural and social levels and bringing them into the fold of Hindutva politics by telling them that we are all Hindus, we should forget our differences and be one political unit. This is bearing fruit for the BJP now. The SP was late in introducing 17 OBCs in the SC list. They did it just before the election. It is also the failure of the social justice movement in UP. What is the future for Akhilesh Yadav? He has emerged as the sole leader of the Samajwadi Party. The party has moved to the second generation of leadership, not only at the top level, but also at the district and booth level. As an organisation, the SP is in a better position than Mayawati to come back. When we went to the field we found that people were voting for the BJP MLA, but their first choice as chief minister was Akhilesh. He is popular, strong and has managed his image very well. The SP has the support of more castes than Mayawati. The BSP has turned into a Jatav caste party and even that support has become liquid -- open for others to grab it. You said the performance of the SP and BSP represented the failure of the social justice movement in UP? What do they need to do if they have to remain relevant? You have to look at the broader picture where they can reinvent themselves in a different form. As I see it -- within the framework of secular politics, there was a continuum in the Congress starting from Nehruvian politics which turned centrist and then lately moved to the soft Hindutva line. Now that framework has changed. The new normal is Hindutva politics. That is now the decisive framework of Indian politics. There are different continuums within that framework. Vajpayee had a centrist approach while Modi has moved to the right. At the grass-root level, the organisation is responding in that fashion as well. The BJP has not only moved to the right, they have shifted the idea of India to the framework of Hindutva politics. What are the choices and alternatives that other parties can create? Can the SP and BSP provide that alternative or not is the question? Whether they provide it within a secular framework or within the Hindutva framework with a different continuum is to be seen. Even the BJP is balancing caste equations at the grass-root level with development at the macro level. If Akhilesh only plays developmental politics, he knows it is not going to pay off. They have to seriously go back to the agenda of social justice. They have to move from Yadavisation to cater to the aspirations of other castes. IMAGE: Yogi Adityanath's supporters celebrate his election as Uttar Pradesh chief minister. Photograph: PTI Photo MUST READ features in the RELATED LINKS below... TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - Mar 20, 2017) - Tanzanian Royalty Exploration Corporation (TNX.TO)(NYSE MKT:TRX) (the "Company") is pleased to announce the appointment of Jeffrey R. Duval as Acting Chief Executive Officer. Prior to this appointment, Mr. Duval held the position of Vice President of Project Logistics in the Company since 2015. He is a licensed General Engineering Contractor with a previous quarter century history in corporate executive management, project development and project management for some large US construction firms. Mr. Duval's management skills, efforts and involvement were instrumental in the Company obtaining the Special Mining License (SML) for the Buckreef Project from the Ministry of Energy and Minerals in Tanzania with a renewal term of ten (10) years. His strengths in international diplomacy and negotiations between the Company and STAMICO have achieved a good working relationship with the government of Tanzania. Among Mr. Duval's numerous achievements and contributions to the Company - he led the team overseeing the design, planning and development of the new Gravity/Carbon-In-Leach process plant presently planned at the Buckreef Project. "The new plant will establish a solid foundation for our initial production goals, and it's designed to allow us to add additional processing capacity as we grow our production in the future." Acting Chief Executive Officer Duval said. The Company's updated independent NI 43-101 compliant feasibility study is near to release due to his diligence and oversight in expediting the Company's compliances. James E. Sinclair, who previously served as President and Chief Executive Officer since the Company was founded has become the Executive Chairman. Executive Chairman Sinclair said, "As we approach the most important point in our Company's history, we sought to realign and restructure our management team to maximize efficiency and utilize each member's proven skill sets. This will ensure that all of the Company's immediate and specific requirements and needs will be managed by the right expert with the proper authority and responsibility, and in the most timely manner. As Executive Chairman, I will continue to have an active role in the operations of the Company with an overall focus on corporate strategy and financial/investment matters." Sinclair continued, "Jeff Duval has the management expertise and industry skill sets to advance our corporate mining agenda to efficiently mine and produce gold as a commercial gold producer. Jeff has the talent, expertise and ability to bring the Company to new and extraordinary levels of success." Story continues Mr. Duval is in the process of enhancing the final designs of the Company's production plant to improve efficiency to 4-5 times the initial designed plant capacity levels. The SML granted to the Company with a renewal period of ten (10) years, makes these enhancements vital. The renewal period of SMLs is directly related to the quantities of optimized and mineable reserves from the initial mineral resource base as reported and published in various NI-43-101 compliant reports on Buckreef Gold Project. The tenure is renewable at expiry as more resources are established through on-mine and around-mine exploration program as mining progresses. Extended renewal periods for mining licenses have a direct relationship to the anticipated longevity of the mine, and therefore the amount of gold to be mined expected to be mined, as per updating of the NI-43-101, during that renewal phase. "I enthusiastically undertake this new role in the Company, and believe we are approaching a very exciting time for the gold mining industry. I am a significant shareholder in the Company and my qualifications in management and industry will assist me in serving the Company as we progress toward our impending and soon to be prosperous mining endeavors. It is my mandate from the Board of Directors and my personal objective to mine and produce as much gold as efficiently and expeditiously as possible," Mr. Duval said. "As a commercial gold producing Company we needed to diversify management into areas of specialization," Duval continued. "Mr. James E. Sinclair's leadership, dedication and financial expertise sustained the Company through challenging times in the gold market place, and he must be acknowledged and appreciated for all of his successes and accomplishments which preserved and enabled our Company for the coming prosperity," Duval concluded. Mr. Duval returned last week from business travel to Tanzania to ensure matters of interest to the Company are proceeding in order. Although he is focusing and directing corporate matters for the continued success of the Buckreef Project, he is also examining opportunities for the development of Kigosi and Itetemia. He has a vision not only for the Buckreef Project but for the Company moving forward. "We believe in the vision Jeff has for the Company going forward to mine and process gold, and deliver tremendous value to our loyal shareholders. Jeff and I look forward to working together and providing updates as this exciting year unfolds for our Company," Sinclair concluded. ABOUT TANZANIAN ROYALTY EXPLORATION CORPORATION: Tanzanian Royalty Exploration Corporation is a mineral resource company, which engages in the acquisition, exploration and extraction of gold and other natural resources in the United Republic of Tanzania, Africa. The Company, after successfully exploring for Gold has identified three development projects, Buckreef, Kigosi, and Itetemia. In early 2016 in conjunction with our first gold pour, the Company was deemed a commercial gold producer by the Tanzanian Government. The Company is presently focused on its Buckreef Gold Project located in North central Tanzania. Further information can be found in the Company's 43-101 reports, which can be viewed together with other reports and updates on the Company homepage at: www.TanzanianRoyalty.com Respectfully Submitted, James E. Sinclair, President and CEO Tanzanian Royalty Exploration Corporation The Toronto Stock Exchange and NYSE Amex Equities have not reviewed and do not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release This news release contains certain forward-looking statements and forward-looking information. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein are forward-looking statements and forward-looking information that involve various risks and uncertainties. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the Company's expectations are disclosed in the Company's documents filed from time-to-time with the British Columbia, Alberta and Ontario provincial securities regulatory authorities. Certain information presented in this release may constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements are based on numerous assumptions, and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, including risks inherent in mineral exploration and development, which may cause the actual results, performance, or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any projected future results, performance, or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Investors are referred to our description of the risk factors affecting the Company, as contained in our SEC filings, including our annual report on Form 20-F and Registration Statement on Form F-10, as amended, for more information concerning these risks, uncertainties, and other factors. A Bahujan Samaj Party leader was shot dead in a remote part of Allahabad district in Uttar Pradesh on Sunday night, triggering tension in the area. Mohammed Shami, 60, was gunned down by assailants close to his residence in Mauaima police station area, 40 km from Allahabad city, according to Senior Superintendent of Police Shalabh Mathur. Following the incident, his supporters squatted on the Allahabad-Pratapgarh highway demanding immediate arrest of the culprits and adequate security to his family members. The SSP said Shami had been a five-time president of the Mauaima block. He was allegedly involved in a number of criminal cases, many of them relating to heinous offences like murder and dacoity. According to BSP sources, Shami had joined the party last year soon after losing the panchayat polls, ending his long association with the Samajwadi Party. He had also contested the assembly polls in 2002 on an SP ticket from Kunda against controversial independent MLA Raghuraj Pratap Singh alias Raja Bhaiya who went on to become a minister in the previous Akhilesh Yadav government in Uttar Pradesh. He was also said to be involved in a feud with local leaders of the BJP and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, the sources claimed. Adequate deployment of police has been made in the area to keep the situation under control and Shamis supporters who were squatting on the highway have been dispersed, the SSP said, adding that a search was on to nab those named in the first information report lodged by Shamis family members. Photograph: ANI China on Monday warned India not to go against its "core concerns" to avoid "disruption" in bilateral ties after New Delhi invited the Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama to an international Buddhist seminar in Bihar. "In recent days the Indian side, in total disregard of China's stern representation and strong opposition, insisted on inviting the 14th Dalai Lama to attend the international conference on Buddhism held by the Indian government," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying told reporters in Beijing. "China is strongly dissatisfied and firmly opposed to it," she said. "We urge the Indian side to clearly see the anti-China splittist nature of the Dalai group and honour its commitment on Tibet and related questions, respect China's core concerns and avoid China-India relations from being further disrupted and undermined," she said. The 81-year-old Dalai Lama inaugurated an international seminar on Buddhism on March 17 in Rajgir in Bihar's Nalanda district, about 100 km from the capital Patna.Buddhist monks and scholars from various countries participated in the seminar 'Buddhism in 21st Century'.Earlier this month, China had objected to India permitting the Dalai Lama to visit Arunachal Pradesh which it regards as Southern Tibet.China is strongly opposed to the Dalai Lama visiting disputed areas, Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang had said."China's position on eastern section of 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," he had said.China views the Nobel Peace laureate, who fled into exile in India after a failed uprising against Chinese rule in 1959, as a dangerous separatist.China in the past held talks with him for reconciliation after he fled from Tibet. But no such talks were held after President Xi Jinping took over as the new leader in 2012 and Beijing kept pressure on various countries not to host him. The head priest of Hazrat Nizamuddin Dargah, who along with another cleric had gone missing in Pakistan for days, returned home on Monday with their disappearance still shrouded in mystery amid reports they had been picked up by the ISI. Syed Asif Nizami, 80, the chief priest of the sufi shrine and his nephew Nazim Ali Nizami flew back by a Pakistan International Airlines flight and met External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, who had taken up their case with Pakistan Prime Minister's Adviser on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz. Though the two clerics did not divulge much about what happened during this period, Asif Nizami, however said, he was blindfolded and taken to some undisclosed place. "I was sitting at the Lahore Airport, carrying my boarding pass when suddenly some people came and told me there were some details lacking in my passport. "When the flight was about to depart, I was asked to accompany them. I felt helpless. Soon 8-10 people surrounded me and I was taken out through another gate," he said. Asif Nizami said they "put a cloth over my head and took us somewhere." He, however, said the stay was "comfortable" and the room he was kept in had bed, pillows and an AC. Union Ministers of State M J Akbar and V K Singh, besides Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar were present when the clerics met Swaraj. Both the clerics briefly met reporters in New Delhi but did not throw much light on their disappearance last Wednesday. While Asif Nizami had gone missing from Karachi airport, his nephew Nazim disappeared from Lahore airport before news broke on Saturday that they had been traced. However, Sajid Nizami, son of Asif Nizami, alleged that the duo was "taken away" after a news report appeared in a Karachi-based Urdu daily which claimed they had links with Indian external intelligence agency RAW. On reports that both of them could not be contacted as they were in interior Sindh where there was no communication network, Nazim Ali Nizami strongly rejected the claim. "We did not have visa for Sindh interior region, so how could we have gone there? The reports that we could not be contacted because of network issues is totally false," Nazim told reporters. On whether they were detained by Pakistani authorities, Sajid said, "Yes". When asked if ISI was involved in their disappearance and whether they were harassed, Sajid said "no force or coercion was used" against them. After meeting Swaraj, Nazim Ali Nizami thanked the Indian government, particularly the minister, for their safe return and said they had gone to the neighbouring country with a message of peace and love. "We were not among those who were involved in any illegal activities. We had gone to Pakistan to spread the message of love and peace. Some people may not have liked our message. I will again go to Pakistan with greater resolve," he said. Nizami also thanked the Pakistan government for the cooperation extended by it to enable their return. Pakistani newspaper Ummat had in a report claimed that the clerics worked for RAW and Muttahida Qaumi Movement movement, an organisation of Muslims who had migrated to Pakistan from India during partition. The MQM has been often locked in confrontation with the Pakistani establishment. The two clerics were given a warm welcome on their return to the dargah and special prayers were offered to "thank the Almighty" for their safe return. Two two clerics had gone to Lahore on March 8 but went missing last week following which India took up the issue with Islamabad. The main purpose of the visit of Asif to Pakistan was to see his 90-year-old sister in Karachi. On Saturday, Pakistan had conveyed to India that the clerics had been traced and had reached Karachi. Some Pakistani media reports had said the two had been in "interior Sindh where there was no communication network" and that was why they could not inform their relatives about their whereabouts. Earlier, Pakistani sources had said they were in the custody of Pakistan's intelligence agency over their alleged links with MQM. When asked as to why they were "interrogated", Nazim said they were asked about their visa and other immigration details. "We thank Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and Swaraj and well wishers from all religions who prayed for our return," Nazim said. IMAGE: Indian clerics, Syed Asif Nizami, the head priest of Hazrat Nizamuddin Aulia Dargah, and his nephew Nazim Ali Nizami, who went missing in Pakistan last week, arrived at the IGI Airport in New Delhi on Monday. Photograph: Kamal Singh/PTI Photo In a rare disclosure, Federal Bureau of Investigation Director James Comey on Monday confirmed that the agency was probing Russia's meddling in last year's presidential polls, including possible links between the Trump campaign and Moscow. The FBI chief also trashed President Donald Trump's allegation that his Trump Tower was wiretapped on the orders of his predecessor Barack Obama in the run up to the November 8 presidential election. Testifying before the powerful House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, the Federal Bureau of Investigation chief said that the decision to confirm the ongoing investigation is rare as the agency as a matter of policy does not confirm any ongoing investigation. However, the Department of Justice in larger public interest has given its consent to do so in this case, he said. "I have been authorised by the Department of Justice to confirm that the FBI, as part of our counter-intelligence mission, is investigating the Russian government's efforts to interfere in the 2016 presidential election," Comey said. "That includes investigating the nature of any links between individuals associated with the Trump campaign and the Russian government, and whether there was any coordination between the campaign and Russia's efforts," he said. Comey, however, refused to divulge any details of the ongoing probe. On wiretapping allegations, Comey said, "With respect to the president's tweets about alleged wiretapping directed at him by the prior administration, I have no information that supports those tweets, and we have looked carefully inside the FBI." Responding to a question from the members on Trump's allegation, he said the Justice Department had also looked for evidence to support Trump's allegation that his Trump Tower in New York -- the headquarters of his presidential campaign -- was wiretapped but could not find any. "The Department of Justice has asked me to share with you that the answer is the same for the Department of Justice and all its components, the department has no information that supports those tweets," Comey said, noting that no US president can unilaterally order a wiretap. Acknowledging that the probe on Trum-Russia link was very complex, the FBI Director said that there is no timeline to complete this investigation. "I can promise you we will follow the facts wherever they lead," he said. "As you know, our practice is not to confirm the existence of ongoing investigations, especially those investigations that involve classified matters. But in unusual circumstances, where it is in the public interest, it may be appropriate to do so. This is one of those circumstances," he said. In his opening remarks, Congressman David Nunes, Chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence alleged that the Putin regime has a long history of aggressive actions against other countries, including the outright invasion of two of its neighbours in recent years as well as its brutal military action in Syria to defend the Assad regime. But its hostile acts take many forms aside from direct military assaults, he said. Nunes alleged Russia has a long history of meddling in other countries' election systems and launching cyber attacks on a wide range of countries and industries. The Baltics and other Russian neighbours have long decried these attacks, but their warnings went unheeded in far too many nations' capitals, including our own. "The fact that Russia hacked US election-related databases comes as no shock to this Committee, which has been closely monitoring Russia's aggression for years," Nunes said. Joining Nunes, the Ranking Member Congressman Adam Schiff said last summer at the height of a bitterly contested and hugely consequential presidential campaign, Russia, a foreign adversarial power, intervened in an effort to weaken US democracy and to influence the outcome for one candidate and against the other. The direction in this regard was issued by "its autocratic ruler Vladimir Putin, in order to help Donald J Trump become the 45th president of the United States," Schiff alleged. "The Russians successfully meddled in our democracy and our intelligence agencies have concluded they will do so again. Ours is not the first democracy to be attacked by the Russians in this way. Russian intelligence has been similarly interfering in the internal and political affairs of our European and other allies for decades," Schiff said. Soon after Comey's Congressional hearing, Democrats demanded that Trump apologise to Obama. "President Trump owes the American people and President Obama more than just an explanation, but an apology. He should admit he was wrong, stop the outlandish Tweets, and get to work on behalf of this country," said Senate majority leader Charles Schumer. "The FBI director has now confirmed what members from both parties in both the House and the Senate have said: 'President Obama did not order a wiretap on Trump Tower'. No matter what else happened, there are no ifs, ands, or buts about it -- President Obama wiretapping Trump Tower did not happen," he said. "By tweeting this claim and attempting to put unproven theories from the fringes of the American media into the mainstream, President Trump has severely damaged his credibility, which is essential to being president. He needs to retract his claim immediately," Schumer alleged. FBI Director James Comey testifies before the House Intelligence Committee. Photograph: Joshua Roberts/Reuters Officials from India and Pakistan discussed problems relating to Indus Basin at the two-day Indus Water Commission meeting which began in Islamabad on Monday after a gap of nearly two years. The 10-member Indian delegation led by Indus Water commissioner P K Saxena held a close door meeting with the Pakistani side which was headed by Mirza Asif Saeed. During the meeting, Pakistan was expected to highlight concerns about the three Indian hydro projects being built on the rivers flowing to Pakistan. They are 1000 MW Pakul Dul on Chenab, 120 MW Miyar, located across Miyar Nalla which is a right bank main tributary of River Chenab, and the 43 MW Lower Kalnai hydro project on Lower Kalnai Nalla, a tributary of river Chenab. Pakistan contends that the projects were violating the Indus Water Treaty of 1960, which has come under strain during the current tension between the two sides. Pakal Dul and Lower Kalnai are being built in Jammu and Kashmir at a cost of Rs 7,464 crore (November 2008 price level) and Rs 396 crore respectively. Miyar hydroelectricity project, located in Himachal Pradesh's Lahaul Spiti district, is estimated to cost Rs 1,125 crore. Mondays meeting is the 113th session of the Permanent Indus Waters Commission which was established in 1960. The last meeting of the commission was held in 2015. Another meeting planned in September 2016 was cancelled due to tension following the Uri terror attack by Pakistan-based outfits. Pakistans Minister for Water and Power Khawaja Asif said that Indus Waters Treaty is one of world agreements, which provides amicable solution of serious water issues between Pakistan and India. Addressing a news conference in Islamabad, Asif on Monday said secretary-level talks on Ratle hyderoelectric plant will begin on April 12 in Washington between the two countries. Asif expressed the hope that things will move in the positive direction as a result of meeting between Permanent Indus Commissioners of Pakistan and India. He said outstanding problems relating to Indus Basin will be discussed during the meeting, Radio Pakistan reported. Khawaja Asif said the two-day meeting will discuss the design aspects of Pakal Dul, Lower Kalnai and Miyar hydroelectric plants, flood data supply by India. He said Pakistan has welcomed the readiness of India for talks at Indus Water Commissioners level. To a question, he said Pakistan is pressing for implementation of arbitration courts decision on Kishanganga. United States President Donald Trump has said that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un was acting very, very badly, hours after Pyongyang conducted a ground test of a new type of high-thrust rocket engine. He is acting very, very badly, Trump told reporters after he held meetings on North Korea with his national security staff at his Florida residence. Trump returned to the White House on Sunday night. Today, President Donald J Trump held meetings regarding North Korea and China, the White House said in a brief readout of his meetings of the day. It said the President also met with military personnel. In brief interaction with reporters at Mar-a-Lago, Trump said that over the weekend he held meeting with his officials on North Korea. North Korea conducted a ground test of a new type of high-thrust rocket engine on Saturday at the Sohae launch site, according to the Korean Central News Agency. It said Kim called the test a great event of historic significance for North Koreas indigenous rocket industry. In the last few weeks, the Trump administration has ramped up its rhetoric on North Korea. The US alleges that these tests have been carried out in violation of the UN Security Council resolution. Trumps remarks came as Secretary of State Rex Tillerson headed back home from a three-nation -- Japan, South Korea and China -- trip wherein Pyongyang dominated his deliberations. During his three-nation Asia trip, Tillerson not only denounced North Korean tests but also said that the US is open to any pre-emptive strike against Pyongyang. A top Republican lawmaker supported Tillersons remarks. The closer that the North Korean regime gets to being able to deliver a nuclear weapon, were going to have to be in a position to take some type of preemptive strike. We hope that it doesnt come to that, chairman of the House Select Committee on Intelligence Congressman David Nunes told Fox News. In Japan, Tillerson said that the diplomatic and other efforts in the past 20 years have failed and thus there is need for a different approach. In the face of this ever-escalating threat, it is clear that a different approach is required. Part of the purpose of my visit to the region is to exchange views on a new approach, he said. A day later, Trump used tweeter -- his favourite social media platform -- to slam North Korea. North Korea is behaving very badly. They have been playing the United States for years. China has done little to help, said the US President. Kathleen Stephens, a former US Ambassador to South Korea, said that all this indicates that the US is toughening its stance against North Korea. Senator Bob Corker, Chairman of the powerful Senate Foreign Relations Committee, too has supported Tillerson on North Korea. By itself the 'Coffee With MLA' event may not amount to much, but what it indicates is a changing, assertive, public doesn't want to be taken for a ride anymore, discovers Rediff.com's A Ganesh Nadar. IMAGE: Members of the public ask questions of 'MLAs' during an event in Chennai, March 19, 2017. Photographs: A Ganesh Nadar/Rediff.com Arappor, a Tamil Nadu NGO, has two objectives. One, to fight corruption, and the other, to encourage citizens to participate in the democratic process. Arappor says it is not enough to vote, a citizen must exercise the right to question one's legislator each time s/he does something citizens do not approve of. With this objective in mind, Arappor organised a meeting in Chennai, which saw a turnout of almost 2,000 people -- couples, teenagers, the elderly. At the registration desks, attendees were given two postcards, one addressed to the President of India to tell him if one was happy with the present government in Tamil Nadu. The other was addressed to the local legislator and said: 'I would like to have coffee with you and also ask you a question.' The event was meant to have legislators present to answer questions from voters. No MLA turned up since recent political developments in the state have shown the political class in poor light and no politician apparently wants to be questioned over their role in it. As no legislator turned up for the event, the organisers wore masks of various political leaders, and asked the people present to ask them questions. The events following then chief minister J Jayalalithaa's death clearly have not gone down well with the voting public, and this was evident from the questions posed at the event. Most attendees wanted to know what AIADMK legislators were doing at a resort near Chennai during the tussle for leadership of the party between V K Sasikala and O Panneerselvam, before the vote of confidence in the state assembly. The 'MLAs' were asked why they did not seek the opinion of their constituents before deciding to opt for Sasikala. IMAGE: An organiser asks the attendees to start asking questions of their legislators, to be more assertive. One voter wanted to know if his legislator was dead for he has not been seen in the constituency after the assembly election in May last year. One speaker told the gathering that the Tamil Nadu government-run TASMAC, which has a monopoly on liquor sales in the state, was buying liquor from a company eventually owned by Sasikala, currently imprisoned in a Bengaluru jail. Another speaker told the audience that while everyone voted, no one questioned MLAs, MPs or even ward councillors, and this had to change. He asked the audience to inform Arappor if they spotted anyone distributing money for votes in the run-up to the April 12 by-election in R K Nagar, the late Jayalalithaa's constituency. The public had a free run with the 20 volunteers on stage sporting masks of MLAs from various constituencies, including from both factions of the AIADMK as well as the Opposition DMK. AIADMK 'MLAs', true to style, would start their replies with "In the manner of revolutionary leader respectful Amma followed by respectful Chinnamma I will say that..." as AIADMK legislators are known to do. The one wearing the O Panneerselvam mask was asked: "Tamil Nadu has so many problems, but you never ran to Amma's grave but the minute your chair was taken from you, you went there straight and started meditating. You didn't think any other problem was worth meditating for?" The question to the man wearing DMK leader M K Stalin's mask was about his torn shirt during his exit from the assembly during last month's trust vote. "That's a very good question," 'Stalin' began. "In the manner of Anna and the path shown by the tireless work of Doctor Kalaignar (his father M Karunanidhi) I must tell you that in 1980..." before being cut short by the man who asked the question. "I wasn't born then, I am asking about last month's events, not four decades ago," the questioner said. When it was time for the 'MLAs' to leave, one of them stood and up and said, "You have always voted for me and never asked questions. What is this new habit of asking questions? This is not good. You must go back to your old habits of not asking questions." By itself, the event may not amount to much, but what it indicates is a changing, assertive, public does not want to be taken for a ride anymore. Arappor in Tamil means Dharma Yudh, and the movement the NGO has ignited is no less than a crusade. British Prime Minister Theresa May will trigger on March 29 the two years of complex negotiations over the United Kingdom's exit from the European Union, it was announced on Monday, nine months after the country voted to leave the bloc. The UKs ambassador to the EU, Sir Tim Barrow, formally informed EU Council president Donald Tusk to expect May's letter next Wednesday. "We said it would be by the end of March and thought it would be helpful to say when it will happen. We want negotiations to start promptly. We expect it will be a two-year process and we are confident that is what we will achieve. So Britain will exit the EU on 29 March 2019," a Downing Street spokesperson said. The UK expects to receive a response to Barrow's notification from the EU Council within 48 hours. Meanwhile, an EU spokesperson told reporters in Brussels that they are "ready and waiting" for the letter. The move comes nine months after Britain voted 51.9 per cent to 48.1 per cent in favour of Brexit in a referendum on June 23, 2016. Talks on the terms of the UKs departure and future relations with the EU are not possible until the UK formally notifies the EU it is leaving. May has already announced that she will make a statement to the House of Commons shortly after invoking Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty. After Mays letter reaches Tusk, he is expected to distribute draft guidelines for the negotiations to the 27 other EU member states. He will also summon the leaders of the countries for a summit to endorse the final guidelines, expected in early May. "Within 48 hours of the UK triggering Article 50, I will present the draft Brexit guidelines to the EU27 Member States," Tusk tweeted. The process will give a negotiating mandate to the EUs executive arm, the European Commission, with chief EU negotiator Michel Barnier going ahead with the process of scheduling talks with his British counterpart, Brexit minister David Davis. "The government is clear in its aims: a deal that works for every nation and region of the UK and indeed for all of Europe a new, positive partnership between the UK and our friends and allies in the European Union," Davis, secretary of state for exiting the European Union, said. Meanwhile, May is in Swansea, Wales, as part of a UK-wide tour, which will cover Northern Ireland and Scotland, before the formal Brexit notification next week. Her aim is to enforce a message of unity in the wake of Scotland demanding a second referendum over its independence from the United Kingdom. The developments come as an independent think tank warned that up to 15 new bills could be needed to deliver Brexit. The Institute for Government said in a report titled 'Legislating Brexit' that the extra 15 measures would cover areas including immigration, agriculture and customs. They would be in addition to the Great Repeal bill, which will end EU legal authority in the country by scrapping the 1972 European Communities Act. "Brexit will place a huge burden on both Parliament and Government departments," the report warns. EU leaders have said they intend to conclude Brexit talks within 18 months to allow the terms of the UK's exit to be ratified by the UK Parliament and the European Parliament, as well as approved by the necessary majority of EU states. May has said that Britain's House of Commons and Lords will have a vote on the deal she negotiates but she has insisted the UK will leave anyway even if Parliament rejects that deal. Two slaughterhouses were sealed by the authorities on Sunday night, a development that comes within hours of Yogi Adityanath taking over as the Uttar Pradesh chief minister. Almost an year ago the National Green Tribunal had ordered the closure of these two slaughterhouses, an official said. "We sealed one slaughterhouse each in Atala locality of the city and at Naini, on the outskirts, last night. The NGT had ordered closure of these in May, 2016", the district's Veterinary Officer Dheeraj Goyal said. He said that the step was taken "following reports that though these slaughterhouses had been shown as shut on paper, business was running there as usual." Goyal said that the NGT had similarly recommended closure of another slaughterhouse in the area but as there have been no reports of illegal business, his department had requested the police to keep a watch. Significantly, the action was taken within hours of the swearing in of a new cabinet in Uttar Pradesh. In his first press conference at Lucknow, the new Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had asserted that his government will take steps to fulfil promises made regarding slaughterhouses by the BJP in the run up to the state assembly polls. The BJP had announced, in its manifesto titled "Lok Kalyan Sankalp Patra" that after coming to power it will take "stern steps for closing down all illegal slaughterhouses besides banning mechanized slaughterhouses". On Monday, at his first interaction with senior officials in Lok Bhavan, the chief minister directed officials to declare their assets within 15 days, a day after issuing a similar order to his ministers. Separately, Adityanath directed state DGP Javeed Ahmed to ensure that there was no laxity in improving law and order situation, hours after a BSP leader was shot dead in Allahabad. "It was an introductory meeting with UP government officials. The officials were told that the Sankalp Patra has to be implemented," Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya, who was also present, told reporters after the meeting. The chief minister also asked officials to declare their assets -- immovable and movable -- within 15 days, Maurya said. The meeting was attended by around 65 senior officials. The officials were given a copy of BJP's Sankalp Patra and instructions have been issued to them to prepare a roadmap for their respective departments, a senior BJP leader said. "As uprooting corruption is the main agenda of our party, the CM in his first introductory meeting with his new ministers directed them to give details of their income, movable and immovable properties with 15 days," cabinet minister Srikant Sharma had said on Sunday. Photograph: PTI Photo FILE PHOTO: A technician adjusts French flags on stage during the 2-day National Front (FN) political rally to launch the presidential campaign in Lyon, France, February 5, 2017. REUTERS/Robert Pratta/File Photo By Jeremy Gaunt LONDON (Reuters) - Americans angry with their lot elected the anti-establishment Donald Trump despite a U.S. economy running at an annual rate of around 3.5 percent and unemployment at a meager 4.6 percent. Britons believing they were being left hanging voted to leave the wealthy European Union trading bloc regardless of an economy gaining a relatively solid 2.2 percent year-on-year and joblessness steadily falling to 4.9 percent at the time. In the Netherlands this past week, economic growth rising to 2.3 percent year-on-year and unemployment at just 5.3 percent helped the center-right win, although it did not stop the anti-establishment, anti-European Union Geert Wilders from coming second - albeit faring less well than some had expected. So what of France, the next big test of populist ire with its presidential first round coming on April 23 and the run-off on May 7? It is not in nearly as good shape. "The recent (French) data shows improvement. Investment intentions have picked up. The labor market has improved," said Wiliam De Vijlder, group chief economist for BNP Paribas. But, he added: "Do people look at the overall unemployment rate or do people look in certain cities look at factories that were once full, but no longer are?" The gist here is that voters are more likely to cast their ballots on how they feel rather than on what the numbers say the economic case is. Hence, the shock to Britain's elite in the Brexit referendum that great swathes of northern England felt left behind, or to America's chattering class that rust-belt voters in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Michigan were not happy. In France, which will drop some key data in the coming week, the numbers have been looking better, but not exactly robust. GDP turned up on a quarterly basis in last year's third quarter but was only running at around 1 percent year-on-year. Unemployment dipped in December - but to 10 percent. By contrast, consumer confidence has recovered somewhat from the years of euro zone financial crisis. Story continues But the subsection on how consumers see their future financial situation - a strong indicator, according to De Vijlder - remain negative, if off its previous deep lows. TEST TO COME So to some extent the French election is being played out against a completely different economic background to the three countries where anti-establishment sentiment has triumphed or at least risen. Whether this helps far-right National Front candidate Marine Le Pen or a centrist reformer like Emmanuel Macron remains to be seen. It certainly does not look to be helping the current Socialist administration. But it does mean that the economic data in March and April may have at least a tangential impact on the result. The coming week brings flash purchasing manager indexes for France, Germany and the euro zone as a whole. French business activity jumped in February. Another climb could add to the idea that the economy is at least improving. It will be a week later before consumers give their latest soundings. In the meantime, last month's euro zone and German PMIs were pretty strong. Another set along the same lines will suggest the recovery is showing signs of sustaining itself. The coming week will also provide some more evidence of whether Britons really are shrugging off the potential impact of Brexit or beginning to sense things may not run as smoothly as before. Tuesday sees the Confederation of British Industry's latest trends report and Thursday the release of British retail sales data for February. (Editing by Tom Heneghan) 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 Sudan now world's fastest growing refugee crisis UN refugee agency Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 17 March 2017 Cite as UN News Service, South Sudan now world's fastest growing refugee crisis UN refugee agency, 17 March 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/58cf92614.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 number of South Sudanese fleeing their homes is alarming, the United Nations refugee agency today said, announcing that 1.6 million people have either been displaced or fled to neighbouring countries in the past eight months ago. A famine produced by the vicious combination of fighting and drought is now driving the world's fastest growing refugee crisis, the spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Babar Baloch, told journalists at the Palais des Nations in Geneva. He added that the rate of new displacement is alarming, representing an impossible burden on a region that is significantly poorer and which is fast running short of resources to cope. Refugees from South Sudan are crossing the borders to the neighbouring countries. The majority of them go to Uganda where new arrivals spiked from 2,000 per day to 6,000 per day in February, and currently average more than 2,800 people per day. The situation is now critical, said Mr. Baloch, warning that recent rains are making the humanitarian situation more difficult. The UN agency is reiterating its calls for financial support. Aid for South Sudanese refugees is only eight per cent funded at $781.8 million, and UNHCR's funding appeal for Uganda urgently needs $267 million. The situation in Uganda is a first and major test of the commitments made at the Summit for Refugees and Migrants last September, the spokesperson said. RELATED: World leaders at UN summit adopt 'bold' plan to enhance protections for refugees and migrants One of the main achievements of the Summit was to create a refugee response framework that integrates humanitarian and development efforts. This translates into giving refugees land and allowing them to access job markets, for example. The situation of refugees in Uganda could impact how the UN and humanitarian partners are working to support national authorities in the other neighbouring countries the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya and Sudan. No neighbouring country is immune, said Mr. Baloch. 'Security situation continues to deteriorate' Also today, the head of the UN peacekeeping mission in the country (UNMISS), David Shearer, warned that the security situation in the country is worsening, and national authorities are not taking action. The situation in South Sudan continues to deteriorate and generate profound human suffering for the population of that country suffering in which local and ethnic divisions have been exploited for political ends, David Shearer told a meeting of the African Union Peace and Security Council on South Sudan. He added that the recent escalation of fighting in Equatoria considered the food basket of South Sudan has led to a significant displacement of civilians and disrupted food production for the country. Intense fighting is also reported in the Upper Nile. Satellite imagery shows much of one town, Wau Shilluk, destroyed and deserted. The senior UN official reiterated concerns about the humanitarian situation in the country, calling the ongoing crisis entirely man-made. An estimated 100,000 people are facing starvation and an additional one million are classified as being on the brink of famine. Mr. Shearer, who is also the Special Representative of the Secretary-General in the country, urged access for humanitarian organisations and the UN mission. EU-UN cash transfer plan for education aims to reach 230,000 refugee children in Turkey Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 17 March 2017 Cite as UN News Service, EU-UN cash transfer plan for education aims to reach 230,000 refugee children in Turkey, 17 March 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/58cf92e84.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 European Union and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) have launched a large-scale cash transfer project to increase the number of refugee children attending school in Turkey. "Education in emergency situations is a top EU priority. Our moral duty is to save this generation of refugee children and invest in their future," said EU Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management, Christos Stylianides, in a joint press release on EU's largest-ever humanitarian contribution, valued at 34 million euro, to the Conditional Cash Transfer for Education (CCTE) project. "Thanks to the EUs generosity and Turkey's leadership, UNICEF and our partners are already helping thousands of children to go to school and learn. The CCTE will help us reach 230,000 children - a major step in preventing a lost generation," said UNICEF Executive Director Anthony Lake. Turkey is currently host to more than three million refugees, almost half of whom are children. Of them, half a million are already enrolled in school. However, an estimated over 370,000 remain out of school. By May 2017, bimonthly cash-transfers will be made to vulnerable refugee families whose children attend school regularly. The project also includes a strategic child protection component in order to ensure the continued school enrolment and attendance of the most vulnerable refugee children as well as their referral to complementary child protection services as required. The CCTE project will be implemented jointly by the Government of Turkey, UNICEF and the Turkish Red Crescent. More than 14,000 asylum-seekers relocated from Greece and Italy, says UN migration agency Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 17 March 2017 Cite as UN News Service, More than 14,000 asylum-seekers relocated from Greece and Italy, says UN migration agency, 17 March 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/58cf936e4.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. European Union countries have welcomed more than 14,000 asylum-seekers from Greece and Italy since October 2015, the United Nations migration agency today announced, encouraging EU member states to follow through on their commitments. "Not only does relocation demonstrate cooperation, solidarity and a genuine Union," said Laura Thompson, Deputy Director of the International Organization for Migration (IOM), "it has also made a big difference for each of the nearly 14,500 people that have relocated from Greece and Italy to start new lives in other EU member States." The majority of the beneficiaries are Syrian and Iraqi, at 81 per cent and 14 per cent, respectively. Germany (3,093), France (2,764) and the Netherlands (1,486) have received the most asylum-seekers to date under the programme. In addition, Finland and Malta have accepted large numbers of people. About 207 unaccompanied migrant children have been accepted by Finnish authorities, IOM noted. The programme is being implemented by IOM in close cooperation with Greek and Italian authorities and other agencies, with the continuing support of the European Commission, EU member and associated States, and other partners. To help people integrate into their new communities, the UN agency holds pre-departure and post-arrival orientation and reception sessions, providing information about individual rights and obligations. According to its press release, IOM provides additional support and care to unaccompanied migrant children, pregnant women, newborns and migrants with special medical needs, such as escorts during travel and interpreters. In Europe, UN envoy urges political and financial support for Yemenis Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 17 March 2017 Cite as UN News Service, In Europe, UN envoy urges political and financial support for Yemenis, 17 March 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/58cf93e24.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 Special Envoy for Yemen today called on the international community to do everything in its power to stop the fighting in the country, provide humanitarian aid, and promote a negotiated political settlement to the two-year long conflict. "The conflict has already killed and maimed tens of thousands and displaced many more. How many more need to lose their life before the parties assume their moral responsibility and commit to a peace process and an end to the fighting," said Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, wrapping up an official four-day visit to Europe. The tour included meetings with senior political officials in France and Germany, as well as discussions with civil society leaders in Berlin. In London, the Special Envoy took part in the Quint meeting, which includes representatives of the United Kingdom, as well as Oman, Saudi Arabia and the United States. According to a note to correspondents, the officials discussed potential solutions to the conflict, including the current humanitarian needs. Almost 80 per cent of households in Yemen are worst off economically than they were before the fighting began, according to UN figures released earlier this week. New data also shows that an estimated 17 million of the Yemeni people are hungry, an increase of 21 per cent since June 2016. "It is imperative that the situation in Yemen remains high on everyone's agenda," Mr. Ould Cheikh Ahmed said. "UN humanitarian agencies and their partners have developed plans to assist civilians in need, but the needs far outweigh available resources." Toll on refugee and migrant children continues to mount one year after EU-Turkey deal UNICEF Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 17 March 2017 Cite as UN News Service, Toll on refugee and migrant children continues to mount one year after EU-Turkey deal UNICEF, 17 March 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/58cf94814.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 Children's Fund (UNICEF) warned today that one year after the Balkan border closures and the European Union-Turkey Statement, which were aimed at stopping mass migration flows, refugee and migrant children face greater risks of deportation, detention, exploitation and deprivation. "While there has been a major decrease in the overall numbers of children on the move into Europe since last March, there has been an increase in the threats and distress refugee and migrant children endure," said Afshan Khan UNICEF Regional Director and Special Coordinator for the Refugee and Migrant Crisis in Europe. UNICEF staff in Greece report deep levels of distress and frustration among children and their families, including one child as young as eight attempting self-harm. Despite recent improvement in living conditions some unaccompanied children in shelters, suffer psychosocial distress, with high levels of anxiety, aggression and violence and demonstrating high risk behaviour such as drugs and prostitution. War, destruction, the death of loved ones and a dangerous journey exacerbated by poor living conditions in camps around Greece or the lengthy registration and asylum procedures, can trigger post-traumatic stress disorders. "It has become a vicious circle - children flee suffering, and they end up either fleeing again, or facing de facto detention, or just utter neglect," underscored Ms. Khan. In response, UNICEF, in collaboration with the Greek Government and non-governmental organization partner, are prioritizing appropriate care for refugee and migrant children to meet their mental health and psychosocial needs. Imminent transfers back to Greece in line with so-called 'Dublin regulations,' are likely to add even greater strain to the situation facing children and further pressure to existing services. RELATED: 'Refugees need protection, not rejection,' UN says in wake of EU-Turkey deal Instead of stemming the flow, border closures and the EU-Turkey statement, have led to children and families taking matters into their own hands and embarking on even more dangerous and irregular routes with smugglers, as UNICEF and partners warned a year ago. Even in 2017 nearly 3,000 refugees and migrants - with about a third children - have arrived in Greece despite the full implementation of the EU-Turkey Statement and strict border control. Many continue to slip through borders into Bulgaria, West Balkans and Hungary, said UNICEF. Children stranded in Greece and West Balkans have already lost nearly three years of education and now face several hurdles like different languages and education systems and yet another year without schooling. UNICEF is supporting the Ministry of Education's strategy to integrate stranded refugee and migrant children in Greek schools. However only 2,500 children out the 15,000 school age children so far that benefit from the national scheme in Greek language. Despite significant efforts - from government and partners - about half of the 2,100 unaccompanied children are still living in substandard conditions, including nearly 200 unaccompanied children in facilities with limited movement early March (178 in reception and identification centres on the Islands and 16 in "protective custody" in police cells). Security Council extends mandate of UN mission in Afghanistan for one year Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 17 March 2017 Cite as UN News Service, Security Council extends mandate of UN mission in Afghanistan for one year, 17 March 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/58cf94b74.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 Security Council today extended the mandate of United Nations assistance operation in Afghanistan until 17 March 2018, stressing the political mission's role in supporting an inclusive Afghan-led and Afghan-owned peace process. Unanimously adopting a new resolution, the 15-member Council also requested the Secretary-General to conduct a strategic review of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) and report back on the results of this exercise by July 2017, in order to ensure effective support for the Mission. On the human rights front, the Council requested continued support efforts to strengthen the protection of children affected by armed conflict, and reiterated the importance of accelerating the establishment of a fair and transparent justice system. In that vein, the Council emphasized the importance of ensuring access for relevant organizations to all prisons and places of detention in Afghanistan. Further in the text, the Council reiterated its support for the Government of Afghanistan, and in particular to the Afghan National Defence and Security Forces (ANDSF), in their fight against terrorism and violent extremism, calling upon the Afghan Government, with the assistance of the international community, to continue to address the threat posed by the Taliban as well as by Al Qaida, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL/Da'esh) affiliates and other terrorist groups. Angola: Respect Women's Right to March Publisher Human Rights Watch Publication Date 17 March 2017 Cite as Human Rights Watch, Angola: Respect Women's Right to March, 17 March 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/58cf95664.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 Angolan government must allow protesters to exercise their rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch said today, ahead of a planned demonstration in Luanda for a woman's right to have an abortion. The protest, scheduled for March 18, 2017, is in response to the new draft penal code currently before parliament, which punishes, without exceptions, those who have or perform an abortion with up to 10 years in prison. "We have often seen Angolan police use unnecessary and excessive force against peaceful demonstrators," said Deprose Muchena, Amnesty International's regional director for Southern Africa. Parliament approved an amendment on abortion on February 24, as part of the process of replacing Angola's penal code from the 1886 colonial-era version. The government had proposed a bill that would criminalize abortion, except in cases of rape, or when the mother's health is in danger. But parliament rejected that proposal and made abortion, without exceptions, illegal. The final vote on the draft penal code is slated for March 23. Under the current penal code, abortion is also illegal. The organizers of the protest want the new code to end the ban on abortions. Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch call for the decriminalization of abortion in all circumstances. The protest organizers informed the Office of the Governor of Luanda Province, Gen. Higinio Carneiro, of their intention to march at 10 a.m. Central African Time from Santa Ana Cemetery to the Heroines Monument (Largo das Heroinas). As of March 17, the group had not received a reply. "The right to protest is protected both under the constitution and international law, so the Angolan authorities have a duty to ensure that these protesters can march freely and without any intimidation," said Dewa Mavhinga, Southern Africa director at Human Rights Watch. "Especially as elections approach, authorities should show that they will tolerate dissenting views." Copyright notice: Copyright, Human Rights Watch Iraq: Strengthen Domestic Violence Bill Publisher Human Rights Watch Publication Date 19 March 2017 Cite as Human Rights Watch, Iraq: Strengthen Domestic Violence Bill, 19 March 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/58cf95e34.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 Iraqi parliament should set penalties for the crime of domestic violence, remove provisions that prioritize reconciliation over justice, and improve victim protections in a domestic violence bill, Human Rights Watch said today in a letter and memorandum to the speaker of parliament. Parliament is completing its review of the draft Anti-Domestic Violence Law, which was introduced in 2015. Parliament should make key amendments and then urgently approve the bill. "A strong domestic violence law could help save Iraqi women's lives," said Rothna Begum, Middle East women's rights researcher at Human Rights Watch. "The Iraqi parliament should make sure the final bill includes essential provisions to prevent domestic violence, protect survivors, and prosecute the abusers." Domestic violence is a global phenomenon and remains a serious problem in Iraq. The Iraq Family Health Survey (IFHS) 2006/7 found that one in five Iraqi women are subject to physical domestic violence. A 2012 Ministry of Planning study found that at least 36 percent of married women reported experiencing some form of psychological abuse from their husbands, 23 percent reported verbal abuse, 6 percent reported physical violence, and 9 percent reported sexual violence. While more recent national studies are not available, women's rights organizations continue to report a high rate of domestic violence. The strengths of the draft bill include provisions for services for domestic violence survivors, protection orders (restraining orders) and penalties for their breach, and the establishment of a cross-ministerial committee to combat domestic violence. However, the memorandum identifies several gaps and approaches in the bill that would undermine its effectiveness. The draft law calls for the parties to be referred to family reconciliation committees and for prosecutions of abusers to be dropped if reconciliation is reached. But women in Iraq are often under tremendous social and economic pressure to prioritize the family unit over their own protection from violence. United Nations guidance provides that mediation should be prohibited in all cases of violence against women and at all stages of legal proceedings because mediation removes cases from judicial scrutiny. Promoting such reconciliation incorrectly presumes that both parties have equal bargaining power, reflects an assumption that both parties may be equally at fault for violence, and reduces accountability for the offender. "By promoting family reconciliation as an alternative to justice, the draft law undermines protection for domestic violence survivors," Begum said. "The government should send a message that beating up your wife won't be treated leniently through mediation sessions, but instead be regarded as a crime." While the draft law defines domestic violence as a crime, it fails to set penalties. It also does not repeal provisions in the Iraqi Penal Code that condone domestic violence. These include provisions that husbands have a right to punish their wives and that parents can discipline their children. Those responsible for "honor" violence or killings can benefit from reduced sentences as the Penal Code provides for mitigated sentences for violent acts including murder for so-called "honourable motives" or if a man catches his wife or female relative in the act of adultery or sex outside of marriage. Other recommended changes include: Setting out specific duties for both the general police and specialized police officers in responding to domestic violence. Police play an important role in responding to domestic violence and can help determine whether a victim is able to pursue remedies through the justice system. Outlining various types of evidence that can be considered in domestic violence cases. Attacks tend to happen in homes behind closed doors where often there are no witnesses other than children, who typically cannot testify. Distinguishing between short-term emergency orders and longer-term protection orders, including making clear that short-term orders can be issued without all parties present on the basis of a victim's testimony, whereas a longer-term order would allow for a full hearing and review of evidence. The bill provides for the establishment of government shelters, but it should require coordination with local women's rights organizations on the administration, training, and operation of such shelters, and permit privately run shelters for survivors of domestic violence. This is particularly important given that women's rights nongovernmental organizations, which have provided such shelters, have often been subject to physical attack and threats by offenders and have faced hostility by some government officials, Human Rights Watch said. Women's rights groups in Iraq have campaigned for years for legislation on domestic violence. The Iraqi constitution expressly prohibits "all forms of violence and abuse in the family." But only the Kurdistan Region of Iraq has a law on domestic violence. Iraq's Anti-Violence against Women Strategy (2013-2017), and the National Strategy on Advancement of Women in Iraq, adopted in 2014, call for legislation on domestic violence/violence against women. Iraq has international human rights obligations to prevent and respond to these abuses. Several international treaty bodies, including the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, which oversees the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) treaty, have called for states parties to pass violence against women legislation. Iraq ratified the treaty in 1986. Some members of parliament have voiced concerns that the bill might be against Islamic principles. However, women's rights organizations and some parliament members met in February 2017, with prominent clerics in Najaf, south of Baghdad, the capital, and found that they had no objections to the bill. Moreover, most Muslim-majority countries outside of the Middle East and North Africa region have adopted such legislation. In recent years, several countries and autonomous regions in the Middle East and North Africa have also introduced some form of domestic violence legislation or regulation, including Algeria, Bahrain, the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, and Saudi Arabia. These laws vary in the degree to which they comply with international standards. Several other countries, including Morocco and Tunisia, are considering draft legislation on domestic violence. "Iraq should ensure that its legislation on domestic violence is in line with international standards, as a model for the region," Begum said. Copyright notice: Copyright, Human Rights Watch Search Refworld and / or country All countries Afghanistan Albania Algeria American Samoa Andorra Angola Anguilla Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Armenia Aruba Australia Austria Azerbaijan Bahamas Bahrain Bangladesh Barbados Belarus Belgium Belize Benin Bermuda Bhutan Bolivia Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana Brazil British Virgin Islands Brunei Darussalam Bulgaria Burkina Faso Burundi Cambodia Cameroon Canada Cape Verde Cayman Islands Central African Republic Chad Chile China Cocos (Keeling) Islands Colombia Comoros Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Cook Islands Costa Rica Cote d'Ivoire Croatia Cuba Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark Djibouti Dominica Dominican Republic Ecuador Egypt El Salvador Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Estonia Eswatini Ethiopia Falkland Islands Fiji Finland France French Guiana French Polynesia Gabon Gambia Georgia Germany Ghana Gibraltar Greece Greenland Grenada Guadeloupe Guam Guatemala Guinea Guinea-Bissau Guyana Haiti Holy See (Vatican City State) Honduras Hong Kong (Special Administrative Region of China) Hungary Iceland India Indonesia Iran, Islamic Republic of Iraq Ireland Israel Italy Jamaica Japan Jordan Kazakhstan Kenya Kiribati Korea, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Republic of Kuwait Kyrgyzstan Lao People's Democratic Republic Latvia Lebanon Lesotho Liberia Libya Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Macau (Special Administrative Region of China) Madagascar Malawi Malaysia Maldives Mali Malta Marshall Islands Martinique Mauritania Mauritius Mexico Micronesia, Federated States of Moldova, Republic of Monaco Mongolia Montenegro Montserrat Morocco Mozambique Myanmar Namibia Nauru Nepal Netherlands Netherlands Antilles New Caledonia New Zealand Nicaragua Niger Nigeria Niue Norfolk Island North Macedonia Northern Mariana Islands Norway Oman Pakistan Palau Palestine, State of Panama Papua New Guinea Paraguay Peru Philippines Pitcairn Poland Portugal Puerto Rico Qatar Romania Russian Federation Rwanda Saint Helena 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 Sudan Spain Sri Lanka Sudan Suriname Sweden Switzerland Syrian Arab Republic Tajikistan Tanzania, United Republic of Thailand Timor-Leste (East Timor) Togo Tokelau Tonga Trinidad and Tobago Tunisia Turkiye Turkmenistan Turks and Caicos Islands Tuvalu U.S. Virgin Islands Uganda Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland United States of America Uruguay Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela Viet Nam Wallis and Futuna Western Sahara Territory Yemen Zambia Zimbabwe Nigeria: Thousands forced to flee their homes amid gunshots and tear gas Publisher Amnesty International Publication Date 17 March 2017 Cite as Amnesty International, Nigeria: Thousands forced to flee their homes amid gunshots and tear gas, 17 March 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/58cfaf1c4.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. Residents at the Otodo-Gbame waterfront community in Lagos, Nigeria, arebeing forcibly evicted and their homes destroyed by bulldozers as security services used tear gas and live bullets to clear the area, Amnesty International reports. The eviction, which is ongoing at the time of writing, is being carried out in direct violation of a court ruling issued in January specifically prohibiting it. Residents were not served any notice prior to the forced eviction which came as a total shock. "The scene at the moment is chaotic and dangerous for the thousands who live in the Otodo-Gbame community. The military and police are out in full force and are using tear gas and live bullets to disperse the residents. There are four bulldozers ripping through the settlement," said Morayo Adebayo, Amnesty International's Nigeria researcher. "This brutal and illegal act flies in the face of human dignity as well as a High Court Ruling that prohibited the eviction taking place and instructed the authorities to instead seek a settlement with the affected communities. The Lagos State Government should ensure that the families who have been rendered homeless this morning are given emergency relief including adequate shelter, water, food and any medical care they may require." Julius Oladele, who along with his wife and two children, is a resident of Otodo-Gbame witnessed the eviction and told Amnesty International: "Almost all the houses in the community have been demolished, the only ones left are those on the water. They did not allow anyone to take their properties. They are chasing people away. My own house was destroyed this morning before I could rush back from work." Amnesty International is calling for an immediate end to the ongoing eviction and for the authorities to respect the court ruling which prohibits them from carrying out forced evictions in waterfront communities. Background: Amnesty International has been documenting forced evictions in Lagos State for over ten years. These evictions are carried out without adequate prior consultation, adequate notice, and compensation or alternative accommodation. On 9 and 10 November, 2016, over 30,000 residents were forcibly evicted from the Otodo-Gbame community. Following that forced eviction, residents rebuilt their structures, and have since then continued to suffer repeated attacks by private actors and security operatives seeking to evict them from the land. Today's eviction follows the 26 January, 2017 ruling of the Lagos State High Court in the above case in which the judge held that forced evictions are inhuman cruel and degrading, and a violation of section 34 of the Nigerian Constitution. The court subsequently ordered the parties to explore out of court settlement. According to the judge, "the eviction/threat of forcible eviction of any citizen from his home at short notice and without any immediate alternative accommodation or sufficient opportunity to arrange for such alternative accommodation before being evicted from his current abode totally undignifying and certainly inhuman, cruel and degrading" Copyright notice: Copyright Amnesty International Angola: Respect Women's Right to March Publisher Amnesty International Publication Date 20 March 2017 Cite as Amnesty International, Angola: Respect Women's Right to March, 20 March 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/58cfafb74.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 Angolan government must allow protesters to exercise their rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch said ahead of a planned demonstration in Luanda for a women's right to have an abortion. The protest, scheduled for March 18, 2017, is in response to the new draft penal code currently before parliament, which punishes without exceptions those who have or perform an abortion with up to 10 years in prison. "We have often seen Angolan police use unnecessary and excessive force against peaceful demonstrators," said Deprose Muchena, Amnesty International's Regional Director for Southern Africa. Parliament approved an amendment on abortion on February 24 as part of the process of replacing Angola's penal code from the 1886 colonial-era version. The government had proposed a bill that would criminalize abortion, except in cases of rape or when the mother's health is in danger. But parliament rejected that proposal and made abortion, without exceptions, illegal. The final vote on the draft penal code is slated for March 23. Under the current penal code, abortion is also illegal. The organizers of the protest want the new code to end the ban on abortions. Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch call for the decriminalization of abortion in all circumstances. The protest organizers informed the office of the Governor of Luanda Province, General Higinio Carneiro, of their intention to march at 10 a.m. Central African Time from Santa Ana Cemetery to the Heroines Monument (Largo das Heroinas). As of March 17, the group had not received a reply. "The right to protest is protected both under the constitution and international law, so the Angolan authorities have a duty to ensure that these protesters can march freely and without any intimidation," said Dewa Mavhinga, Southern Africa director at Human Rights Watch. "Especially as elections approach, authorities should show that they will tolerate dissenting views." Copyright notice: Copyright Amnesty International Sudan: Elevation to OPCW's governing body a slap in the face for victims of chemical attacks Publisher Amnesty International Publication Date 17 March 2017 Cite as Amnesty International, Sudan: Elevation to OPCW's governing body a slap in the face for victims of chemical attacks, 17 March 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/58cfb0164.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. Sudan's appointment to the vice-chairmanship of the Executive Council of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) despite credible evidence that it used chemical agents against the population in the Jebel Mara region of Darfur is a slap in the face for victims, said Amnesty International today. "It is a total disgrace that a government accused of using chemical weapons is now at the centre of the organization set up to prevent such attacks," said Michelle Kagari, Amnesty International's Deputy Regional Director for East Africa, the Horn and the Great Lakes. "Instead of being investigated for its alleged flagrant violation of the chemical weapons ban, Sudan has been rewarded with a seat at the high table. This is not only disappointing to victims, but also amounts to a conflict of interest since the suspect is now the sheriff." Sudan's ambassador to the OPCW, Rahma Salih Elobied, was picked as one of four vice-chairs of the chemical weapons watchdog's Executive Council at its four-day meeting in The Hague last week, after having been nominated by the organization's African member states. Amnesty International in a report published in September 2016 revealed shocking evidence of the repeated use of what are believed to be chemical weapons against civilians in the Jebel Marra region of Darfur from January to August 2016. Copyright notice: Copyright Amnesty International UAE Decision not to release Osama al-Najjar 'indefensible' Publisher Amnesty International Publication Date 18 March 2017 Cite as Amnesty International, UAE Decision not to release Osama al-Najjar 'indefensible', 18 March 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/58cfb06e4.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 Arab Emirates (UAE) authorities must immediately release 28 year old activist Osama al-Najjar said Amnesty International the day following the expiry of his prison sentence. Osama al-Najjar was arrested on 17 March 2014 and sentenced to three years in prison after sending tweets to the Minister of Interior expressing concern that his father had been ill-treated in prison. Amnesty International considers both men to be prisoners of conscience. "The UAE government's decision to keep Osama al-Najjar behind bars after having served the entirety of his sentence is indefensible and yet another unjustified attack on freedom of expression," said Samah Hadid, Director of Campaigns at Amnesty International's Beirut Regional Office. "Osama al-Najjar was unjustly imprisoned for three years, merely for exercising his right to freedom of expression, including his advocacy on behalf of his father. The UAE authorities have had ample time to investigate any case against him over the past three years. An attempt now to extend his imprisonment amounts to arbitrary detention. He is a prisoner of conscience and must be immediately and unconditionally released." Following his arrest, Osama al-Najjar was denied access to a lawyer for over six months. He was held in solitary confinement at a secret detention facility for four days after his arrest, during which he said he was tortured and ill-treated. "The UAE government must immediately open an independent investigation into Osama al-Najjar's torture allegations," said Samah Hadid. Osama al-Najjar's father, Hussain Ali al-Najjar al-Hammadi, is serving an 11 year prison sentence. He is one of a number of prisoners of conscience convicted in 2013 following the grossly unfair mass trial of 94 government critics and reform advocates. In its latest annual report, Amnesty International highlighted the ongoing crackdown on freedom of expression and dissent in the UAE. The authorities continue to arbitrarily restrict the rights to freedom of expression and association, detaining and prosecuting government critics, opponents and foreign nationals under criminal defamation and anti-terrorism laws. Enforced disappearances, unfair trials and torture and other ill-treatment of detainees also remain common and a concern. Copyright notice: Copyright Amnesty International Trial of RSF's Turkey representative to resume on 21 March Publisher Reporters Without Borders Publication Date 20 March 2017 Cite as Reporters Without Borders, Trial of RSF's Turkey representative to resume on 21 March, 20 March 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/58cfb6da4.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. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) reiterates its call for as much pressure as possible on the Turkish authorities to abandon their prosecution of RSF's Turkey representative, Erol Onderoglu, whose trial is due to resume in Istanbul on 21 March. RSF is sending an international delegation to Istanbul to attend the resumption of the trial of Onderoglu and his two fellow defendants Sebnem Korur Fincanc, the head of the Turkey's Human Rights Foundation (TIHV), and the writer Ahmet Nesin. They are facing possible imprisonment for taking part in a campaign of solidarity with the Kurdish daily Ozgur Gundem. Representatives of RSF's international secretariat and German section plan to observe the hearing at a courthouse in the Istanbul suburb of Caglayan, which is scheduled to start at 11 a.m. on 21 March. RSF wants its presence to be seen as a show of support for Onderoglu, Fincanc and Nesin, for all the other participants in the Ozgur Gundem solidarity campaign, and for Turkey's journalists in general, who are being subjected to unprecedented levels of harassment. "Those who had the courage to campaign in defence of pluralism in Turkey deserved to be rewarded, not prosecuted," RSF secretary-general Christophe Deloire said. "The frightening number of media outlets that have been shut down in recent months has confirmed the importance of their fight. "We again call for the withdrawal of the absurd charges against Erol Onderoglu and his colleagues. The restoration of pluralism in Turkey is all the more urgent given the imminence of a referendum that is crucial for the country's future." Onderoglu, Fincanc and Nesin are accused of "terrorist propaganda" because of their participation in a campaign from May to August 2016 in support of pluralism in which 56 well-known figures took turns acting as the editors of Ozgur Gundem, a newspaper that had been persecuted by the justice system. A total of 38 of the campaign's participants have been put on trial and so far 13 of them have been convicted and (in most cases) have been given suspended prison sentences. Arrested on 20 June, Onderoglu, Fincanc and Nesin remained in pre-trial detention until they were freed conditionally ten days later, following a major international campaign for their release. The trial began on 8 November. Turkey is ranked 151st out of 180 countries in RSF's 2016 World Press Freedom Index. The already disturbing media situation in Turkey has become critical under the state of emergency declared in the wake of last July's failed coup. Ozgur Gundem's offices were placed under seal in August and it was dissolved by decree on 29 October. A total of 176 other media outlets have been shut down in the same way and more than 100 journalists are currently detained and denied any effective legal recourse. At least 775 press cards have been rescinded and the passports of hundreds of journalists have been withdrawn without any form of judicial proceedings. Censorship of the Internet and social networks has reached unparalleled levels. Democratic debate has been drastically curtailed by these restrictions as Turks prepare to vote in a referendum on 16 April on constitutional amendments that, according to the Council of Europe, would result in a "dangerous step backwards" to a "one-person regime." As negotiations over the Republicans Obamacare replacement plan come down to the crunch, President Trump appears to be slamming the door on some last-minute conservative demands for fear of driving away moderate backing. Joseph Antos, a health care expert with the conservative leaning American Enterprise Institute, said on Monday that everything about the bill is problematic from a political and practical standpoint, and that Trump and House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) must thread a needle in devising compromises to placate all sides in the controversy. Related: Ryan Says House GOP is On Track to Repeal Obamacare and Pass the ACHA With a vote on the GOPs American Health Care Act looming on the House floor as early as Thursday, the White House notified three prominent conservatives senators over the weekend that they likely wont get some of the changes they have been seeking, including an accelerated schedule for phasing out expanded Medicaid coverage in 31 states and the District of Columbia and efforts to eliminate red tape for the insurance industry. The proposal to speed up the time table for phasing out Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act from early 2020 to late 2018 has been sought by members of the arch conservative House Freedom Caucus and prominent Republican senators including Rand Paul of Kentucky, Ted Cruz of Texas and Mike Lee of Utah to make good on the GOP campaign pledge to dismantle Obamacare and further reduce spending on health care. But moderate Republicans in both chambers and some GOP governors whose states have benefited from the additional health care coverage for 11 million mostly childless, able-bodied low-income adults are threatening to torpedo the proposed replacement legislation if conservatives prevail in their demand. Total Medicaid spending increased by 11.6 percent in FY 2015, rising to $556 billion. Most of the growth was the result of an increase in federal spending, which rose by 16.0 percent and is a direct result of Medicaid expansion under Obamacare. In comparison, overall state spending on Medicaid increased by only 4.7 percent. Story continues Last month, four Republican senators with states that expanded Medicaid under Obamacare including Rob Portman of Ohio, Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia, Cory Gardner of Colorado and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska signed a letter saying they couldnt support the House GOP bill because it wont protect people enrolled in the health care entitlement. Related: With Medicaid Costs Soaring, Republicans Plan Dramatic Eligibility Changes Politico reported yesterday that during a meeting at Trumps Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida on Saturday, several of the presidents top advisers including Steve Bannon told Cruz, Lee and House Freedom Caucus chair Mark Meadows (R-NC) that it was increasingly apparent that the replacement plan would fail in the Senate with the accelerated Medicaid phase-out provision attached to it. Cruz told Politico last week, We can fix [the legislation] by meaningful Medicaid reform in particular: Freezing Medicaid expansion immediately, not holding open expansion for three more years to allow states to put yet more healthy childless adults onto an already overburdened Medicaid system. Antos said that the idea of a quick phase-out of the expanded Medicaid program was highly impractical as well as politically infeasible because states participating in the program had to pass conforming legislation or other regulatory action to take part. If the much shorter phase-out deadline were enacted, Antos said, I dont think the states would be able to realign their programs in time. Many moderates are also alarmed by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) forecast that as many approximately 14 million people would opt out of insurance because the mandate would be eliminated and another 10 million would lose their health insurance over the coming decade if Medicaid expansion was ended or curtailed. Related: Trump's Health Chief Fails to Convince Patients They'll Get the Care They Need In replacing the Obamacare tax subsidies, the Republican plan would provide fixed credits to individuals making up to $75,000 a year and families making $150,000 a year, with older people receiving higher credits than younger people because their medical costs typically are much higher. However, the CBO analysis showed that while the House GOP bill would bring down overall premiums on individuals in the private market by about 10 percent by 2026, older people would end up paying far more for their premiums than younger Americans. For example, a 64-year-old person who would pay $1,700 in average premiums under Obamacare would see premiums skyrocket to $14,600 a year under the GOP plan a 750 percent increase. By contrast, a 21-year-old who pays about $1,700 under Obamacare would pay only $1,450 under the GOP approach. Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, a prominent moderate who has been highly critical of the GOP plan, said on Sunday on NBCs Meet the Press, We have to do something about the fact that the House bill disproportionately affects older, rural Americans while wiping out coverage for millions of Americans across the board. House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) said yesterday that he is pushing for an increase in the tax credits to help older people 50 to 60 years of age to purchase insurance and to allay the concerns of moderate Republicans. Related: Trumps Hard Power Budget Gives Billions to Defense, Guts Domestic Programs Conservative are likely to have their way on several other matters, including imposing work requirement on able-bodied childless adults receiving benefits under expanded Medicaid and allowing states to choose between two alternatives to continuing to treat Medicaid as an open-ended entitlement program. States would be allowed to opt for a per-capita payment for Medicaid beneficiaries in their states with a cost of living adjustment or a fixed block grant that they could use to cover much of their annual Medicaid costs but have more flexibility in setting eligibility rules. The average annual cost per capita of a Medicare beneficiary in 2016 was $6,502, although some states are much higher. New York averages $8,910 per beneficiary; Rhode Island, $8,229; New Jersey, $8,309; and Florida $8,887, to name a few. The House Budget Committee approved both measures last week and they are almost certain to be part of a package of amendments attached to the GOP replacement plan when it is brought to the floor late this week. However, many conservatives complain that the House GOP approach doesnt move quickly enough to repeal all the Obamacare mandates and taxes and the expanded Medicaid program. The problem is, see, we as conservatives ran on repeal of Obamacare, Rand Paul said yesterday on ABCs This Week. I was elected in 2010, right after it came into place, to repeal it. We never ran on a replacement of Obamacare Lite. We never ran on making the entitlement subsidies permanent. We never ran on an individual mandate or keeping the taxes or keeping the Medicaid expansion. We ran on repealing Obamacare because it doesn't work. Trump predicted late last week that the House would approve the GOP plan and he told reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday that efforts to line up support for the bill are going well. The president plans to meet with Republican lawmakers at the Capitol on Tuesday to make a final pitch for support, with the outcome of the vote still up in the air. Top Reads from The Fiscal Times: Russia: journalist threatened with expulsion to Uzbekistan Publisher Reporters Without Borders Publication Date 17 March 2017 Other Languages / Attachments Russian Cite as Reporters Without Borders, Russia: journalist threatened with expulsion to Uzbekistan, 17 March 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/58cfb76a4.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. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) is extremely concerned about Khudoberdi Nurmatov, an Uzbek journalist also known as Ali Feruz, who was arrested as he left his Moscow home yesterday and is now threatened with extradition to Uzbekistan. RSF urges the Russian authorities not to send Nurmatov back to his home country, where he could be tortured. After assisting various human rights groups, Nurmatov had been working for more than a year for the Moscow-based independent newspaper Novaya Gazeta, writing articles on Uzbek domestic policy and the appalling conditions in which Central Asian immigrants live in Moscow. The Russian authorities accuse him of violating their immigration laws. The document they have given to his lawyers refers to article 18.8 of the administrative code, which provides for deportation. Although Nurmatov does not have a valid passport, he has requested asylum, which is sufficient to allow him to remain in Russia. Under both Russian and international law, he should not be sent back to his country until his asylum request has been examined. Nurmatov fled Uzbekistan in 2009 to escape growing pressure from the Uzbek intelligence services, which wanted to recruit him as an informer. His mother lives in Russia and has Russian nationality. After spending most of yesterday in a police station, Nurmatov was hospitalized in the evening with a kidney ailment exacerbated by a flu virus. His lawyer, Maria Kurakina, said today that the hospital's management had been pressured to discharge him as quickly as possible so that he could be taken before a court. "Sending Khudoberdi Nurmatov back to Uzbekistan would be illegal and would put him in great danger," said Johann Bihr, the head of RSF's Eastern Europe and Central Asia desk. "His journalistic activities and defence of human rights expose him to the worst in a country where torture is systematically used. We call on the Russian authorities not to deport this journalist and to quickly examine his asylum request." Uzbekistan is ranked 166th out of 180 countries in RSF's 2016 World Press Freedom Index. The regime has a complete monopoly of news and information, and independent journalists who try to keep working are exposed to the worst reprisals. Many reports have documented the widespread use of torture in Uzbek prisons. In a statement released yesterday, Novaya Gazeta expressed full support for Nurmatov and said he was the victim of a targeted arrest, not a routine police check. It is not clear if Uzbekistan has requested his extradition, but the Russian and Uzbek governments are linked by security cooperation accords that are often invoked to the detriment of international humanitarian law. Several Uzbek citizens who had been seeking asylum or had been granted refugee status have gone missing in Moscow in recent years only to reappear some time later in Uzbek jails. Russia: judicial harassment of women arrested during peaceful demonstration on March 8 Publisher International Federation for Human Rights Publication Date 17 March 2017 Cite as International Federation for Human Rights, Russia: judicial harassment of women arrested during peaceful demonstration on March 8, 17 March 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/58cfb87e4.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. FIDH and its member organisation Anti-Discrimination Centre (ADC) Memorial denounce arrests of women who came out in Saint Petersburg on International Women's Day on 8 March 2017 for an impromptu demonstration (or walk) to support the fight of women all over the world for their rights. Some women brought signs protesting against domestic violence and calling for the protection of women's reproductive rights and gender equality in the socio-economic and political spheres. Police officers stated that "women with feminist views" were violating the procedures for holding an event and started detaining people who brought signs, people who were singing songs, and people who tried to hold onto one another in solidarity with those detained. A total of 14 people were arrested; the majority (at least 10) were accused of violating the rules for holding events (Article 20.2) and with failing to obey the orders of police officers (Article 19.3). Those charges are generally lodged against peaceful demonstrators detained in Russia. The participants of the walk were officially accused that they "chanted the slogans "Freedom, Equality, Sisterhood," "Russia will be Free," with the goal of expressing their opinion and shaping the opinion of the people around and listened to and participated in discussions about the issue of equality of women in society, i.e. participated in holding a meeting that was not coordinated with the Committee for Law, Public Order, and Security of Saint Petersburg". Several of the women detained were wounded by the police officers' actions - one reported that she suffered two injuries (contusions) as a result of the harsh treatment, and another two had to urgently address to a doctor because of health problems (trouble breathing, panic attack). The detained women were held for an inordinately long time in police cars and then in a room that lacked sufficient seating (some stood or lay on the floor until the evening). The police department chief (OP 78) told two of the detainees (a man and a woman), that they could also be charged under an article of the Criminal Code (Article 318 of the RF Criminal Code, violence against a police officer), even though according to the witnesses there were no grounds for this accusation against them. The protesters were released on the evening of March 8. People who came to support them were repeatedly chased out of the precinct, and OMON officers and Russian Guards troops used physical force to disperse the group of supporters. Trials are expected to take place later, but no official notice of the date was announced yet. FIDH and ADC Memorial deplore the break-up of this peaceful demonstration to protect women's rights and the use of physical force against people who went for a peaceful walk on the internationally recognised day of women's rights to draw attention to gender inequality, femicide, and the violation of women's economic rights. Belarus crackdown: more than 200 arrested or detained in two weeks Publisher International Federation for Human Rights Publication Date 17 March 2017 Cite as International Federation for Human Rights, Belarus crackdown: more than 200 arrested or detained in two weeks, 17 March 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/58cfb8dc4.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 new repression of peaceful protesters currently ongoing in Belarus confirms the absence of political change, declared FIDH and Human Rights Center (HRC) Viasna today. One year after the EU lifted sanctions against Belarus, the government is resorting to harsh and violent repression to break the most massive protests seen since December 2010 Presidential election. The wave of protests rose against the construction of a business center near Kurapaty, the site of massive executions under Stalin, and against the so-called "social parasites fee" Presidential Decree No. 3, imposing a tax on unemployment. Among the more than 200 opposition members, journalists, activists, human rights defenders and average citizens detained at the protests on-going since the beginning of March are several former political prisoners and opposition leaders. Pavel Seviarynets was arrested on 12 March and sentenced to 15 days of administrative arrest for participating in a demonstration in Orsha; Vitali Rymasheuski, Anatol Liabedzka and Yuri Hubarevich were arrested on 10 March and sentenced to 15 days of administrative arrest for participating in a demonstration in Molodechno, which prevented all of them from participating in the planned and authorised 15 March demonstration. A number of other opposition and civic activists were for their part arrested prior to protests in order to prevent them from participating in the demonstrations. For example, on 12 March the chairperson of the Orsa United Civic Plateform (UCP) party Valiantsina Ihnatsenka was threatened with arrest and forced to stay at home. Another UCP activist from Mahiliau, Vladimir Shantsev, was preventively arrested ahead of the 15 March protests while UCP activist in the city of Homiel, Vladimir Nepomniashikh, was arrested the morning of 15 March. Despite these detentions, on 15 March, several thousands of citizens took to the streets in Minsk, Mahiliau, Hrodna, Vitsebsk and other cities. At least 70 protesters were detained on 15 March and 54 were sentenced to up to 15 days in detention the following day. Most people were arbitrarily arrested and detained on their way to the demonstrations and on non-related charges: asocial behavior, swearing in a public place, etc. Others were picked up and detained upon returning home after the demonstrations, either on the streets nearby or in public transport on their way home. The arrests were carried out by unknown men in civilian clothing and people were taken to police stations in unmarked vehicles. Many, including women and minors, were violently beaten. Two independent online media websites charter97 and Belarusian Partisan, operating from abroad, were blocked during the demonstration. Police searches were carried out in several cities targeting the offices of the opposition parties and movements, but also private houses and flats. Prior to the 15 March 15 , FIDH member organisation HRC "Viasna" reported the arrests and harassment of 126 persons, sanctioned for exercising their right to peaceful assembly. One person was placed in a psychiatric facility for several days and later released. According to the Belarusian Association of Journalists (BAJ), 18 journalists and bloggers were among those detained on 12 March alone. They were arrested while covering mass protests in several cities. Police officers used different pretexts to hinder journalists' work: identity checks, fining for parking, suspecting of car jacking, disobeying the police, and violating media related legislation. It is clear that the objective was to prevent journalists from obtaining and disseminating information about the ongoing events. BAJ particularly underlined that impeding media work that particular day had been obviously coordinated by the authorities. Additionally, two days earlier in Babruysk, 155 copies of Novy Chas newspaper were confiscated during a search of civil activists' offices. Two journalists were later sentenced to heavy fines, three were condemned to up to 15 days of administrative detention and four are still awaiting trial. Today,17 March 2017, two human rights defenders, Leanid Sudalenka and Anatolii Paplavni, both members of the Gomel chapter of the Human Rights Centre "Viasna" are being tried for participation in unauthorised protests. Leanid Sudalenka is the person who submitted over 200 citizens' complaints against the provisions of the Decree No. 3, which is believed to be at the origin of the mass protests. If found guilty , both face an administrative fine of up to 350 euros or risk being placed in administrative detention for up to 15 days. In addition to the repression following the mass protests against the unemployment fee, others have been detained for their actions against the construction of the commercial center near the Kyrapaty memorial complex. Former political prisoner and leader of youth movement "Molodoi Front" Dzmitry Dashkevich was sentenced to three days of administrative arrest on 10 March 2017 for participating in unauthorised mass events. His detention relates to protests that erupted on 23 February 2017 against the construction of a business centre next to the site of execution and burial of thousands of victims of Stalin's political repression. Authorities eventually suspended the construction. Furthermore, another civic activist, Siarhei Palchevskii, was sentenced to 3 days of administrative detention on 7 March 2017. Background For more information, please see FIDH and HRC Viasna reports below : On arbitrary "administrative" detention in Belarus and conditions of detention : "Arbitrary Preventive Detention of Activists in Belarus" https://www.fidh.org/en/region/europe-central-asia/belarus/16113-release-of-a-report-arbitrary-preventive-detention-of-activists-in-belarus HRC Viasna: Report on the Results of Monitoring Prison Conditions in Belarus, 2013, http://spring96.org/files/book/en/2013_prison_conditions_en.pdf FIDH HRC Viasna: Conditions of Detention in the Republic of Belarus, 2008, http://www.fidh.org/IMG/pdf/Belarus500ang2008.pdf FIDH: Belarus. Restrictions on the Political and Civil Rights of Citizens Following the 2012 Presidential Election, 2011, http://www.fidh.org/IMG/pdf/rapport_Belarus_En_web.pdf On forced labor practices and the pervasive violation of workers' rights in Belarus: Forced Labor and the Pervasive Violation of Workers' Rights in Belarus: https://www.fidh.org/en/region/europe-central-asia/belarus/forced-labor-and-the-pervasive-violation-of-workers-rights-in-belarus Burundi: The situation of the Tutsi, including the Tutsi elite; their treatment by the authorities and by society; and protection provided to them (December 2015-February 2017) Publisher Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada Publication Date 6 March 2017 Citation / Document Symbol BDI105750.FE Related Document(s) Burundi : information sur la situation des Tutsis, y compris les Tutsis provenant de l'elite; le traitement qui leur est reserve par les autorites et par la societe; et la protection qui leur est offerte (decembre 2015-fevrier 2017) Cite as Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Burundi: The situation of the Tutsi, including the Tutsi elite; their treatment by the authorities and by society; and protection provided to them (December 2015-February 2017), 6 March 2017, BDI105750.FE, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/58cfb9f14.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. Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Ottawa 1. Overview of Situation Sources qualify the current crisis in Burundi as "political" (UN 9 Sept. 2016, para. 18; FIDH and Ligue Iteka Nov. 2016, 106). A number of sources state that the victims of the crisis in Burundi are both the Hutus and the Tutsis (African Arguments 22 Jan. 2016; AI 15 Feb. 2017; Human Rights Watch 25 Feb. 2016). Sources report that the government targets anyone who opposes it (ibid.; FIDH and Ligue Iteka Nov. 2016, 106; researcher 23 Feb. 2017). In correspondence sent to the Research Directorate, a researcher in residence and member of the Franco-Peace Centre in Conflict Resolution and Peace Missions (Centre Franco-Paix en resolution des conflits et missions de paix) of the Chaire Raoul-Dandurand in Strategic and Diplomatic Studies at the Universite du Quebec a Montreal (UQAM), whose areas of interest include peace missions in Africa and the international and African human rights protection system, explained the following: [translation] The current political and military tension in Burundi stems from an electoral crisis that opposed those called the "opponents of the third mandate" and President Pierre Nkurunziza and his supporters. [] It was therefore primarily and originally a political tension that subsequently became ethnic in nature because certain political leaders thought that they could use this instrument as a way to awaken former antagonist Tutsi-Hutu mobilizations that existed in the country and in the region, and that created thousands of victims. (researcher 23 Feb. 2017) In a report published in 2016 on Burundi, the International Federation of Human Rights League (Federation internationale des ligues des droits de l'homme, FIDH) and the Burundian Human Rights League (Ligue burundaise des droits de l'homme, Ligue Iteka) state that, while the ethnic factor is not always the primary motivation for crimes committed by the Burundian security forces, it tends to become an "indicator" of the violence exercised by the Burundian authorities against those they suspect of being opposed to the President's third term (FIDH and Ligue Iteka Nov. 2016, 161). The same source states that "Tutsi populations are thus perceived as being opposed 'by nature' to the power in place and are persecuted for this reason" (ibid.). Similarly, in correspondence sent to the Research Directorate, an associate professor at the Georgia State University, whose areas of interest include ethnicity, violence, genocide and Burundi, wrote the following regarding the current Tutsi situation in Burundi: "Burundi's ongoing political crisis has not occurred primarily on ethnic lines. Nonetheless, in some places in the country violence has taken on explicitly ethnic dimensions. In most instances of ethnically-charged violence, this violence has targeted Tutsis" (associate professor 12 Feb. 2017). The United Nations Committee Against Torture states in a report published in 2016 that [UN English version] "this ethnic dimension of the conflict risks being exacerbated by the repressive measures taken in neighbourhoods inhabited mainly by Tutsis" (UN 9 Sept. 2016, para. 18). Similarly, an article published in 2016 by African Arguments, an Internet site that publishes analyses of African current affairs and politics (African Arguments n.d.), states that the "signs of ethnic tension are unmistakable, especially in those communes of the capital where Tutsi elements predominate" (ibid. 22 Jan. 2016). Jurist, a legal research Internet site led by a law professor from the University of Pittsburgh (Jurist n.d.), published in 2016 an academic commentary on the "genocide rhetoric" in Burundi (ibid. 19 Jan. 2016). According to that commentary, demonstrations against the third term of Pierre Nkurunziza as president were contained by "fierce reprisals [by police]" in the "Tutsi-dominated suburbs of Ngagara, Nyakabiga, Musaga, Cibitoke, Mutakura and Jabe" (ibid.). According to Leonce Ngendakumana, one of the Hutu signatories to the Arusha Peace Agreement and President of the Frodebu-Sawanya opposition party, the Nkurunziza regime [translation] "commits violent attacks on Tutsi neighbourhoods and young Tutsis who, when arrested, are quickly killed, while young Hutus are generally arrested for 'reform'" (La Libre Belgique 26 Feb. 2016). However, the author of the academic commentary published in January 2016 by Jurist states the following about the situation in Burundi: Although Burundi has experienced atrocious acts over the last eight months, mostly in Tutsi-dominated suburbs of Bujumbura, the killings do not amount to acts of genocide targeting Tutsi group as such. Given the fact that the spring demonstrations against the third term of President Nkurunziza were carried out by people predominantly living in these suburbs, the targeting of these areas is politically motivated and localized. Other Tutsi-dominated areas such as Rohero, Kiriri, Kinindo and countryside have been spared from police reprisal acts. [] In conclusion, an evidence-based inquiry into the facts suggests that the killings and other degrading and ill-treatment acts are targeting people who are against Nkurunziza third term. They are in no way attacks on any Tutsi for his or her ethnicity as such. [] However, from a human rights perspective, and for the time being, even if the[] [analyses] cannot found allegations of genocide, most of the horrible acts are in no way justifiable, under the law []. [] Burundians are all affected by the current crisis, irrespective of their ethnic or political affiliation. (Jurist 19 Jan. 2016) According to a brief prepared in March 2015 and provided to the Research Directorate by the Associate Professor at Georgia State University, the current crisis has not led directly to polarization along ethnic lines because many prominent members of the ruling party, largely made up of Hutus, opposed President Nkurunziza's move to seek a third term (associate professor 12 Feb. 2017). Similarly, Armed Conflict Location & Event Dataset (ACLED), an Internet site that "codes the dates and locations of all reported political violence and protest events in over 60 developing countries in Africa and Asia" (ACLED n.d.), published in 2016 a report on the crisis in Burundi (ibid. May 2016). It states that the Burundian conflict opposes regime supporters against regime critics (ibid., 12). According to the Researcher at UQAM, [translation] "people who oppose the third term, whether they are Hutu or Tutsi, have all been subjected to the repression impacting the various political and social forces, as long as they are suspected of belonging to the opposing party" (23 Feb. 2017). 2. Treatment of Tutsi by the Authorities Among the conclusions in the 2016 Report of the United Nations Independent Investigation on Burundi (UNIIB), established pursuant to Human Rights Council resolution S-24/1, it states that [UN English version] "the experts are alarmed [that] [] State officials, including at the highest levels, use language that can only provoke (previously bridged) division and mistrust [...] among ethnic groups in Burundi" (UN 20 Sept. 2016, para. 136). In correspondence sent to the Research Directorate, a representative of Rwanda and Burundi at Amnesty International writes that "the current government has sought to reinforce the Hutu-Tutsi divide through its politics and actions" (AI 15 Feb. 2017). The Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination cites "the frequent use of hate speech and incitement to ethnic violence by Government officials" (UN 21 Nov.9 Dec. 2016). Similarly, the FIDH and the Ligue Iteka, relying on the testimony of a Burundian intellectual, state that at the end of each month, Gelase Ndabirabe, a spokesperson for the ruling party, appears on national television saying that they "must be vigilant, because the Tutsi want to return to power" (FIDH and Ligue Iteka Nov. 2016, 110). That same source states that Pascal Nyabenda, [former] President of the ruling party and President of the National Assembly, is one of the "drivers of this divisive, anti-Tutsi language and rhetoric" (ibid., 157). Similarly, a United Nations (UN) press release states the following about [UN English version] "inflammatory statements by public officials": [UN English version] In a statement on 16 August 2016 that was published on the CNDD-FDD [National Council for the Defence of Democracy - Forces for the Defence of Democracy (Conseil national pour la defense de la democratie - Forces de defense de la democratie)] website, Pascal Nyabenda, who was at the time President of the CNDD-FDD party and President of the National Assembly, suggested that the genocide in Rwanda was a fabrication of the international community ("montages genocidaires contre le Gouvernement dit hutu de Kigali") that was used to remove the Hutu government that was in place at the time. (24 Aug. 2016) With respect to the treatment of Tutsis by the authorities, the Researcher at UQAM stated that [translation] "there is no special treatment for Tutsis in Burundi" (researcher 23 Feb. 2017). According to that same source, in Burundi [translation] "there is no visible persecution directed exclusively against Tutsis" (ibid.). The Researcher at UQAM summarized the situation as follows: [translation] Tutsis are only targeted by the repression of the Burundian authorities when their members are from or suspected of belonging to the "great coalition" (civil society, opposition parties, journalists and human rights defenders) that opposes keeping President Pierre Nkurunziza in power. It is clear that in this situation, the sanction imposed on them has a particular focus. [] When they are targeted, they are subjected to restrictions to freedom of expression; arbitrary arrests and detention; extrajudicial executions; sexual abuse; acts of torture and other cruel, inhumane or degrading treatment. (ibid.) 2.1 Incidents Involving Security Forces The UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination states that it is concerned about the killings, summary executions, disappearances and torture, "many of which appear to have an ethnic character" (UN 21 Nov.9 Dec. 2016). The UN Special Adviser on the prevention of genocide expressed concern that the youth wing of the CNDD-FDD party (the Imbonerakure) was [UN English version] "associated with the human rights abuses and is reported to have threatened ethnic violence [] [while] the Minister of the Interior of Burundi had confirmed that the Imbonerakure formed part of the national security strategy" (UN 24 Aug. 2016). According to an article published in 2017 by African Arguments, security forces and the Imbonerakure have increasingly targeted the Tutsis since December 2015 (20 Jan. 2017). Similarly, the FIDH and the Ligue Iteka state that many victims reported being arrested and/or tortured after being identified as Tutsi (FIDH and Ligue Iteka Nov. 2016, 11). The same source states that between April 2015 and April 2016, over 8,000 people were detained for political reasons and thousands more were arrested-members of the Tutsi minority were the prime targets (ibid., 30). Human Rights Watch states that "in some cases, members of the security forces, intelligence services, or Imbonerakure have hurled ethnic insults at Tutsi as they arrested, or ill-treated them" (25 Feb. 2016). Relying on testimony, Human Rights Watch reports the following incidents: on 25 June 2015, police officers and National Intelligence Service (Service national de renseignement, SNR) agents tortured a police officer by alleging that he had a grenade that he was going to "give to Tutsis to kill Hutus"; the police and intelligence officers beat about 20 people in a courtyard and one of the attackers yelled [translation] "You are Tutsi terrorists" (ibid. 7 July. 2016); and some Imbonerakure tortured a taxi driver in the forest and one of them said to him: "You'll have to wait at least 200 years until there's a Tutsi president" (ibid.). In a weekly bulletin published in 2016, the Ligue Iteka states that on 29 January 2017, the Imbonerakure tortured [translation] "a Tutsi police officer and detained him for over four hours before releasing him, accusing him of collaborating with rebels" (Ligue Iteka 30 Jan.5 Feb. 2017, 4). Relying on testimony, the same source reports that the Imbonerakure threaten [translation] "the Tutsi population with death" (ibid.). The UNIIB report states that a Tutsi woman from Nyakabika was [UN English version] "severely beaten, stabbed [] and raped" "by four men in police uniform" and that "[o]ne of them reportedly said to her 'I do this because I want you to carry my Hutu children'" (UN 20 Sept. 2016, para. 77). Similarly, relying on testimony, an international observer told the FIDH and the Ligue Iteka that the Imbonerakure were encouraged to rape Tutsi women (Nov. 2016, 92). 2.1.1 Incidents on 11 and 12 December 2015 An article published in 2016 by the UN News Centre states that a [UN English version] "search operation" was carried out by the police and the armed forces on 11 and 12 December 2015 in the neighbourhoods of Musaga, Nyakabiga, Ngagara, Citiboke and Mutakure and Bujumbura, following attacks on three military camps: [UN English version] According to information gathered from inhabitants of various neighbourhoods, some of the victims of human rights violations during the search operations that followed the 11 December events were targeted because they were Tutsis. [] In Bujumbura's Nyakabiga neighbourhood, another witness claimed that Tutsis were systematically killed, while Hutus were spared. And, in the Muramvya neighbourhood, the decision to arrest people was also reportedly largely made on an ethnic basis, with most Hutus being released, according to several different witnesses. (UN 15 Jan. 2016) Human Rights Watch states in its World Report 2017 on Burundi that on 11 December 2015, police, military and Imbonerakure [Human Rights Watch English version] "forced their way into houses [] [,]some shouting ethnic slurs at Tutsi residents. They killed scores of people in Nyakabiga and Musaga and carried out large-scale arbitrary arrests" (Jan. 2017, 2). Similarly, the FIDH and the Ligue Iteka state that on 11 December 2015, "members of the army, the police and the Imbonerakure asked people to specify their ethnic group, and directed racist insults [] at Tutsis" (FIDH and Ligue Iteka Nov. 2016, 32). According to that same source, most of the victims were Tutsis (ibid.). Amnesty International states that [AI English version] "[m]ost of those killed on 11 December were residents of Musaga, Mutakura, Nyakabiga, Ngagara, Cibitoke and Jabe - all districts mostly inhabited by members of the minority Tutsi ethnic group" (AI 22 Dec. 2015). That same source explained that these districts are considered by the authorities [AI English version] "to be pro-opposition areas" because "the protests [] against President Nkurunziza's bid for a third term in office started in these neighbourhoods" (ibid.). 2.2 Treatment of Tutsi in the Security Forces The UNIIB report states that [UN English version] "divisions [between the ethnic groups in Burundi] are starting to manifest themselves within the security forces" (UN 20 Sept. 2016, para. 136). The FIDH and the Ligue Iteka report the following: [UN English version] Anti-putsch measures, aimed predominantly at ex-FAB [former Tutsi-dominated Burundi Armed Forces (Forces armees burundaises) (FIDH and Ligue Iteka Nov. 2016, 17), (ibid., 11)] members, were quickly implemented, and many Tutsi members of the military were retired from their commands, transferred, or "dispersed" to isolated provincial locations. Various witnesses have remarked that many Tutsi officers of the Special Brigade for the Protection of Institutions (BSPI) have been replaced by former CNDD-FDD fighters, and that ex-FAB officers are less well-equipped than their counterparts from the CNDD-FDD. Similarly, special police and army units involved in spear heading the oppression are "more than 95% Hutu", according to a source close to the security services. (ibid., 36) Similarly, the Representative of Amnesty International stated that arrests of ex-FAB members, in service or retired, as well as searches of their homes, continue to be reported (AI 15 Feb. 2017). According to Natacha Songore, a Burundian refugee, journalist and member of the Women and Girls Movement for Peace and Security (Mouvement des femmes et des filles pour la paix et la securite) in Burundi, [translation] "the regime has marginalized and eliminated" ex-FAB members (International Crisis Group 31 Oct. 2016). According to Vital Nshimirimana, a Burundian refugee and Delegate General of the Forum for Strengthening Civil Society (Forum pour le renforcement de la societe civile) in Burundi and president of the citizen's movement Stop the third term (Halte au troisieme mandate), the conflict [translation] "is becoming more ethnically driven against the Tutsis [and] is more about the military" (ibid. 19 Oct. 2016). In September 2016, the president of the Association for the Protection of Human Rights and Detained Persons (Association pour la protection des droits humains et des personnes detenues, APRODH), a Burundian apolitical association and NGO (APRODH 28 Nov. 2011), stated that translation [translation] "soldiers belonging to the former Burundian military prior to 2002, the ex-FAB, were threatened by the power" (All Africa 6 Feb. 2017). According to the FIDH and the Ligue Iteka, among the 48 ex-FAB members transferred from Bujumbura to the interior of the country, 46 were Tutsi (FIDH and Ligue Iteka Nov. 2016, 36). Relying on a military source, the FIDH and the Ligue Iteka state that "since mid-April 2016 the authorities have also been planning to retire 700 ex-FAB members, of whom only 3 are Hutu" (ibid.). However, Agence Belga, relying on the information reported by German radio broadcaster Deutsche Welle, states that [translation] "[s]ome 300 Burundian ex-FAB soldiers," most of whom are Tutsi, "were retired under an order made on 31 December [2016]" (Agence Belga 4 Jan. 2017). According to the FIDH and the Ligue Iteka, "since the beginning of the crisis several dozen ex-FAB members have been victims of targeted assassinations, abductions, and possible forced disappearances" (FIDH and Ligue Iteka Nov. 2016, 36-37). That same source reports that "blacklists" were prepared, that included that names of "undesirables" within the National Defense Forces, who "are nearly all Tutsi" (ibid., 37). Sources report that soldiers were arrested following an incident near the Mukoni military camp in January 2017 (RFI 27 Jan. 2017; Ligue Iteka Jan. 2017, 12). Ligue Iteka reports that at least 12 Tutsi soldiers were arrested and tortured by SNR officers and the Imbonerakure during the incident (ibid.). Radio France Internationale (RFI) reports that 18 soldiers were arrested (27 Jan. 2017). 3. Treatment of Tutsi by Society Scarce information on the treatment of Tutsis by society could be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response. In their report on Burundi, the FIDH and the Ligue Iteka state that on 1 April 2016, the day before the funeral of Lieutenant-Colonel Darius Ikurakure, messages circulated on social networks, including the following one: [FIDH and Ligue Iteka English version] "Dear HUTU, wake up! Tomorrow we will be burying another hero of the fight against the Tutsi." (Nov. 2016, 108) According to Fulvio Beltrami, a journalist and analyst based in Uganda, "Nkurunziza is not supported by the majority of Hutu in the country" (IBT 9 Nov. 2015). Similarly, according to a consultant at International Crisis Group, [translation] "the Burundian population does not seem to fall into the trap of ethnic division: the confrontations are not community wide and only involve militants of the opposition and the security forces" (Jeune Afrique 10 June 2016). 4. Situation of the Tutsi Elite Scarce information about the treatment of the Tutsi elite could be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response. According to the consultant of International Crisis Group, [translation] "many of the financial and political elite left the country" because of "the poison of the growing ethnic division, fear and poverty that undermine social cohesion and political coexistence, which were already fragile before the crisis" (ibid.). Similarly, the representative of Amnesty International explained that the people who belong to the elite are likely to be more visible and are therefore more at risk of being targeted if they are perceived as "opposing or potentially opposing the current CNDD-FDD government" (AI 15 Feb. 2017). According to that source, "being a real, suspected or potential opponent (either peaceful or armed) of the government" is the primary reason for being targeted (ibid.). The Researcher at UQAM writes the following: [translation] Tutsis are only targeted by the repression of the Burundian authorities when their members are from or suspected of belonging to the "great coalition" (civil society, opposition parties, journalists and human rights defenders) that opposes keeping President Pierre Nkurunziza in power. (23 Feb. 2017) Human Rights Watch states the following about the current crisis: While there are many Tutsi in the government, many of the powerful positions in the ruling party and the security forces are held by Hutu. The government seeks to portray the opposition as predominantly Tutsi, even though it includes many Hutu. While most national institutions include both Hutu and Tutsi, the current crisis is making some members of each group distrustful of one another. This has been exacerbated by inflammatory rhetoric by some ruling party members and opposition figures. (25 Feb. 2016) 5. Protection Provided to Tutsis Scarce information about protection provided to the Tutsi could be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response. According to the Associate Professor at Georgia State University, there is no specific support system for Tutsis, as the government "insists that it is the government of all Burundians" (12 Feb. 2017). However, the UQAM researcher wrote the following about protection and support services for the Tutsi: [translation] Burundians and any person in Burundi are subject to protection under the Constitution, as elsewhere [] Furthermore, Burundi belongs to a number of international human rights instruments, namely, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights [] The Burundian authorities also ratified the International Criminal Court Statute [] Therefore, formal protection exists for the population, including Tutsis. However, in practice, the government does not provide any credible protection or support services for Tutsis. There is also no protection for all those who oppose the president's staying in power. The government fails to assume its responsibility of protecting each person in Burundi. (researcher 23 Feb. 2017) This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim for refugee protection. Please find below the list of sources consulted in researching this Information Request. References African Arguments. 20 January 2017. Richard Moncrieff. "Three Lessons About Burundi's Crisis from Speaking to Those Who Fled It." [Accessed 15 Feb. 2017] African Arguments. 22 January 2016. "In the Shadow of Genocides Past: Can Burundi be Pulled Back from the Brink?" [Accessed 13 Feb. 2017] African Arguments. N.d. "About African Arguments." [Accessed 14 Feb. 2017] Agence Belga. 4 January 2017. "Crise au Burundi - Trois cents militaires ex-FAB, principalement Tutsi, mis a la retraite (radio)" (Factiva) All Africa. 6 February 2017. "Il n'y a pas de purge au sein de l'armee burundaise." (Factiva) Amnesty International (AI). 15 February 2017. Correspondence sent to the Research Directorate by a representative. Amnesty International (AI). 22 December 2015. "Burundi. Des enquetes doivent etre menees sur les executions extrajudiciaires et les homicides systematiques." [Accessed 6 Feb. 2017] Armed Conflict Location & Event Dataset (ACLED). May 2016. "Country Report: Burundi Crisis Year One." [Accessed 14 Feb. 2017] Armed Conflict Location & Event Dataset (ACLED). N.d. "About ACLED." [Accessed 14 Feb. 2017] Associate professor, Georgia State University. 12 February 2017. Correspondence sent to the Research Directorate. Association pour la protection des droits humains et des droits des personnes detenues (APRODH). 28 November 2011. "Bienvenue sur le site Web d'A.P.R.O.D.H." [Accessed 17 Feb. 2017] Federation internationale des ligues des droits de l'homme (FIDH) and Ligue burundaise des droits de l'homme (Ligue Iteka). November 2016. "Repression and Genocidal Dynamics in Burundi." [Accessed 6 Feb. 2017] Human Rights Watch. January 2017. Rapport mondial 2017 : Burundi. [Accessed 13 Feb. 2017] Human Rights Watch. 7 July 2016. "Burundi : Intelligence Services Torture Suspected Opponents." [Accessed 13 Feb. 2017] Human Rights Watch. 25 February 2016. "Burundi: Abductions, Killings, Spread Fear." [Accessed 13 Feb. 2017] International Business Times (IBT). 9 Nov. 2015. "Burundi Hears Echoes of Anti-Tutsi Hate Speech that Sparked Rwanda Genocide." [Accessed 17 Feb. 2017] International Crisis Group. 31 October 2016. Mathilde Boddaert. "Refugies burundais : l'avenir insaisissable." [Accessed 15 Feb. 2017] International Crisis Group. 19 October 2016. "Refugies burundais : fuir la repression." [Accessed 15 Feb. 2017] Jeune Afrique. 10 June 2016. Thierry Vicoulon. "Burundi : anatomie du troisieme mandat de Nkurunziza." [Accessed 15 Feb. 2017] Jurist. 19 January 2016. Pacifique Manirakiza. "The Genocide Rhetoric in Burundi." [Accessed 13 Feb. 2017] Jurist. N.d. "FAQ." [Accessed 14 Feb. 2017] La Libre Belgique. 26 February 2016. "Les jeunes Tutsis arretes sont rapidement tues." (Factiva) Ligue burundaise des droits de l'homme (Ligue Iteka). 30 January-5 February 2017. "Bulletin hendomadaire 'Iteka n'ijambo' n44." [Accessed 16 Feb. 2017] Ligue burundaise des droits de l'homme (Ligue Iteka). January 2017. "Rapport mensuel 'Iteka n'ijambo'." [Accessed 16 Feb. 2017] Radio France Internationale (RFI). 27 January 2017. "Burundi : multiplication des arrestations au sein de l'armee." [Accessed 17 Feb. 2017] Researcher, Universite du Quebec a Montreal (UQAM). 23 February 2017. Correspondence sent to the Research Directorate. United Nations (UN). 21 November-9 December 2016. "Prevention of Racial Discrimination, Including Early Warning and Urgent Action Procedures." [Accessed 13 Feb. 2017] United Nations (UN). 20 September 2016. Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. Rapport de l'enquete independante des Nations Unies sur le Burundi (EINUB) etablie conformement a la resolution S-24/1 du Conseil des droits de l'homme. Unofficial translation. (A/HRC/33/37) United Nations (UN). 9 September 2016. Committee Against Torture. Observations finales du Comite concernant le rapport special du Burundi, demande conformement au paragraphe 1, in fine, de l'article 19 de la Convention. CAT/C/BDI/CO/2/Add.1. United Nations (UN). 24 August 2016. "Declaration du conseiller special pour la prevention du genocide, Adama Dieng, sur la situation au Burundi." [Accessed 13 Feb. 2017] United Nations (UN). 15 January 2016. United Nations News Centre. "Nouvelle vague 'alarmante' de violations des droits humains au Burundi (ONU)." [Accessed 14 Feb. 2017] Additional Sources Consulted Oral sources: Director, Centre de formation et de recherche pour la paix (Universite du Burundi); Ligue burundaise des droits de l'homme "Iteka; Ligue des droits de la personne dans la region des Grands Lacs; Postdoctoral researcher, Netherlands Institute for the Study of Crime and Law Enforcement; Professor, Concordia University; Professor, Ottawa University. Internet sites, including: Agence France-Presse; BBC; Burundi - portail du gouvernement; Conseil national pour la defense et la democratie - Forces de defense de la Democratie; La Croix; Freedom House; The Guardian; Mali Actu; Minority Rights Group International; Le Monde; United Nations - Refworld; United States - Department of State; Voice of America. Burundi: Issuance, appearance and content of civil status documents, including death, birth and marriage certificates and excerpts of such certificates; issuance, appearance and content of a death certificate excerpt issued by the Civil Registrar [Bureau d'etat civil] of the commune of Mukike, Bujumbura (2012-2016) Publisher Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada Publication Date 6 January 2017 Citation / Document Symbol BDI105709.FE Related Document(s) Burundi : information sur la delivrance, l'apparence et le contenu des documents d'etat civil, y compris les actes ou extraits de deces, de naissance et les certificats de mariage; information sur la delivrance, l'apparence et le contenu d'un extrait d'acte de deces delivre par le Bureau d'etat civil de la commune de Mukike, Bujumbura (2012-2016) Cite as Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Burundi: Issuance, appearance and content of civil status documents, including death, birth and marriage certificates and excerpts of such certificates; issuance, appearance and content of a death certificate excerpt issued by the Civil Registrar [Bureau d'etat civil] of the commune of Mukike, Bujumbura (2012-2016), 6 January 2017, BDI105709.FE, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/58cfd6014.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. Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Ottawa 1. Issuance of Civil Status Documents Articles 24, 25 and 35 of the Persons and Family Code [Code des personnes et de la famille] of 1993 stipulates the following: [Translation] Article 24 The Minister responsible for the Interior creates civil status offices, establishes their responsibilities and appoints civil registrars and assistant registrars. Article 25 Each civil status office includes the following four registries: a birth registry; a marriage registry; a death registry; a registry for other events. Article 35 The civil registrar is responsible for issuing certified true excerpts and copies of certificates listed in the registers of the office he is appointed to, to anyone who justifies a legitimate interest. (Burundi 1993) In correspondence sent to the Research Directorate, the charge d'affaires of the Embassy of the Republic of Burundi in Ottawa states that [translation] "[e]ach commune or each municipal office has a department that issues civil status documents" (ibid. 14 Dec. 2016). The 2010 civil status guide of Burundi's Ministry of Interior stipulates that the commune administrator, [translation] "in his capacity of civil registrar, oversees the civil status office" (ibid. Jan. 2010, 15). According to the same source, the civil registrar's role is to [translation] "[r]eceive and preserve civil status certificates[;] [a]uthenticate civil status certificates[;] [p]erform marriages[;] [e]nter notations in the certificates [and] [i]ssue copies or excerpts of civil status certificates" (ibid.). Similarly, according to the Burundi Reciprocity Schedule published by the US Department of State, birth and death certificates are issued by the civil registrar in the city of birth or death upon written request (US n.d.). In correspondence sent to the Research Directorate, a lawyer practising in Burundi explains that, since 1980, [translation] "[c]ivil status documents are issued by commune administrators or by civil registrars on their behalf" (20 Dec. 2016). Similarly, according to the Internet site of the French embassy in Bujumbura, [translation] "Burundi civil status registers have existed since April 1, 1980: all civil status events that have occurred since that date are recorded in the registers" (France, 20 Mar. 2013). The same source reports that [translation] "[c]ivil status events that occurred prior to 1 April 1980, are not listed in any register" (ibid.). The Internet site of the French embassy in Bujumbura states the following about unregistered civil status certificates or missing registers: [Translation] If, through negligence, an event that occurred after this date [1980] failed to be recorded in the civil status registers, or if a register is missing, the "late declaration" process should be followed. It is preferable to consult the attache of the civil registration office of the Mairie de Bujumbura for more information. Upon completion of the process, the civil status event is added to the registers and a complete copy in A3 format can then be issued. (ibid., emphasis in original) The same source states that in order to obtain a civil status document for an event that occurred prior to April 1, 1980, [translation] "a notarial certificate must be obtained in lieu of a birth, marriage or death certificate" (ibid.). A 2015 article on new technologies and the updating of the civil status registry published by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) reports the following on administration in Burundi: [Translation] [T]he administration is organized in such a way that in each "colline" [subdivision of a commune], a chief, called "Nyumbakumi," is responsible for 10 families. These individuals have information that is helpful in the updating of the civil status registry, such as information on births, marriages and deaths, and even population movement (UN 16 Apr. 2015). The same source reports that in Burundi, [translation] "discussion and implementation of a modern, effective civil registration service have yet to translate into concrete application" (ibid.). According to the 2010 civil status guide, [translation] "Burundi's civil status system has some shortcomings that stem from the commune administration's failure to adopt the service and the socio-political crisis that lasted for over a decade" (Burundi Jan. 2010, 20). The same source explains that the civil status system "is highly centralized," that "most commune administrators have not yet understood the role of civil registration in [their] commune" and that "[t]he socio-political crisis of 1993 pushed many state officials into exile, including civil registration officials" (ibid.). Similarly, in a press release published in 2012, UNICEF states that the relatively low birth registration rate in Burundi is attributable to "[t]he remoteness and lack of means of civil registration; [t]he cost of registration after the free registration deadline has passed ; [a]s well as the consequences of the civil conflict on civil registration services, including the destruction of archives" (UN 16 Mar. 2012). 1.1 Birth Certificates Article 37 of the Persons and Family Code stipulates that [translation] "[b]irths must be declared within 15 days to the civil registrar in the jurisdiction where the mother resides" (Burundi 1993). In the Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2015 on Burundi, the US Department of State explains that "[t]he government registers, without charge, the births of all children if registered within a few days of birth. The government fines parents who do not register a birth within the time limit" (US, 13 Apr. 2016, 33). The charge d'affaires of the Embassy of the Republic of Burundi in Ottawa states the following on birth certificates: [Translation] [B]irth certificate excerpts are issued by the administrator upon receipt of the hospital's attestation of birth, and one of the child's parent must be accompanied by three witnesses confirming the birth of the child. The administrator represents civil registration services; at the mairie level, this role is played by the civil registrar. Each commune and each mairie charge a municipal tax for obtaining this document. (Burundi, 14 Dec. 2016) For more information on birth certificates, consult responses BDI104036 and BDI103183, published in March 2012 and June 2009, respectively. 1.2 Death Certificates Article 41 of the Persons and Family Code stipulates that [translation] "[d]eath certificates are issued within 15 days of the statements of two witnesses given to the civil registrar in the last place of residence of the deceased" (Burundi 1993). The charge d'affaires of the Embassy of the Republic of Burundi in Ottawa states that [translation] "death certificates are issued by the administrator on the basis of a document from a doctor showing proof of death" (ibid. 14 Dec. 2016). For more information on death certificates, consult response BDI104808, published in March 2014. 1.3 Marriage Certificates The charge d'affaires of the Embassy of the Republic of Burundi in Ottawa states that marriage certificates [translation] "are issued by the administrator or civil registrar upon consultation of the civil registry confirming that the individuals concerned celebrated their marriage" (ibid.). The US Department of State explains that applicants requesting marriage certificates from the civil registrar, Mairie de Bujumbura, must provide their full names, the date and place of marriage, and the name of the person who performed the marriage (US n.d.). The same source reports the following on marriage certificates: Persons married in accordance with Christian religious ceremonies in places of worship duly licensed for the purpose are issued the certificates without cost by the officiating minister of a recognized religious denomination. Many marriages fail to be registered because they are performed in the interior on the basis of tribal rather than Christian rite or civil law procedures. (ibid.) 2. Content and Appearance of Civil Status Documents Articles 30, 39, 40 and 42 of the Persons and Family Code describe civil status certificates as follows: [Translation] Article 30 Civil status certificates indicate the place, day, month and year in which they are received, the names and the position of the officer who issues them, the name, place, date of birth, occupation, residence and nationality of the applicants and the witnesses, and insofar as possible, of all the individuals listed in them; they indicate the proof, if any, submitted or presented by the persons appearing. Article 39 Birth certificates indicate the date and place where the child was born, the child's gender, the child's family name and any given names, as well as whether the child is legitimate, the first and last names of the mother and father, as well and their residence. Article 40 Birth certificates of natural children list only the mother, unless the father simultaneously recognizes the child. Article 42 Death certificates indicate the date and place of death, the first and last names, occupation and residence of the deceased and of their father, mother and spouse. (Burundi 1993) The lawyer in Burundi states that civil status documents [translation] "are issued in the form of certificates for events prior to (April) [1980] or excerpts (birth, death and marriage certificate excerpts [or] other events)" (20 Dec. 2016). According to the Internet site of the French embassy in Bujumbura, "[c]omplete copies of birth, marriage or death certificates are exclusively issued in A3 format [42 cm by 29,7 cm]" (France 20 March 2013, emphasis in original). No copies of civil status documents could be obtained among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response. 2.1 Marriage Certificates The US Department of State states that marriage certificates measure approximately 17 by 13.5 inches (US n.d.). 3. Death Certificates from the Commune of Mukike Information on death certificates issued by the commune of Mukike was scarce among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response. The lawyer in Burundi states that [translation] "[t]he commune of Mukike is 1 of 129 communes in the country and maintains four registers pursuant to Burundi's Persons and Family Code (birth registry, death registry, marriage registry, and registry for other events)" (lawyer, 20 Dec. 2016). According to the same source, the Mukike commune apparently has no landline (ibid.). The lawyer in Burundi explains that there are no formalities for obtaining a civil status certificate; that [translation] "all one has to do is go to the commune's capital and request one orally" (ibid.). Corroborating information could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response. This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim for refugee protection. Please find below the list of sources consulted in researching this Information Request. References Burundi. 14 December 2016. Correspondence sent to the Research Directorate by the charge d'affaires of the Embassy of the Republic of Burundi in Ottawa. Burundi. January 2010. Ministere de l'Interieur. Leonce Segamba. Guide de l'etat civil au Burundi. [Accessed 15 Dec. 2016]. Burundi. 1993 (amended in 1999). Code des personnes et de la famille. [Accessed 15 Dec. 2016] France. 20 March 2013. Embassy of France in Bujumbura. "Les documents de l'etat civil au Burundi." [Accessed 8 Dec. 2016] Lawyer, Burundi. 20 December 2016. Correspondence sent to the Research Directorate. United Nations (UN). 16 April 2015. United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Moubamba Moubamba. "Les nouvelles technologies au service des elections transparentes au Burundi." [Accessed 22 Dec. 2016] United Nations (UN). 16 March 2012. United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF). "Burundi : une campagne d'enregistrement tardif des naissances pour retablir les enfants dans leurs droits." [Accessed 22 Dec. 2016] United States (US). 13 April 2016. Department of State. Burundi 2015 Human Rights Report. Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2015. [Accessed 22 Dec. 2016] United States (U.S.). N.d. Department of State. Burundi Reciprocity Schedule. [Accessed 16 Dec. 2016] Additional Sources Consulted Oral sources: Burundi Embassy of Burundi in Belgium, Embassy of Burundi in France, Government of Burundi; lawyers in Burundi; Lawyers Without Borders Burundi; Mairie de Bujumbura. Internet sites, including: Burundi Government of Burundi, Mairie de Bujumbura, ministere du Developpement communal; European Union Public Register of Authentic Travel and Identity Documents Online (PRADO); Factiva; Keesing's Document Checker. Kenya: Ability of refugees with a refugee identity card to travel outside Kenya; whether such travel affects refugee status or card renewal; ability to reinstate status (2011-October 2016) Publisher Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada Publication Date 7 November 2016 Citation / Document Symbol KEN105671.E Related Document(s) Kenya : information sur la capacite des refugies munis d'une carte d'identite de refugie de voyager a l'exterieur du Kenya; information indiquant si ces voyages ont une incidence sur le statut de refugie ou le renouvellement de la carte; information sur la capacite de retablir le statut (2011-octobre 2016) Cite as Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Kenya: Ability of refugees with a refugee identity card to travel outside Kenya; whether such travel affects refugee status or card renewal; ability to reinstate status (2011-October 2016), 7 November 2016, KEN105671.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/58cfd97e4.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. Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Ottawa 1. Ability of Refugees with a Refugee Identity Card to Travel Outside Kenya In correspondence with the Research Directorate, the Head of Programs and Policy Development at the Refugees Affairs Secretariat [formerly Department of Refugee Affairs] of the Ministry of Interior and Coordination of National Government of Kenya stated that "any refugee has a right to travel outside Kenya," with the exception of travel to the refugee's country of origin, "as long as he [or] she meets the criteria for travel" (Kenya 28 Oct. 2016). In correspondence with the Research Directorate, the Country Director for Kenya of RefugePoint, an Massachusetts-based NGO which "focuses on the individuals that have fallen through the net of humanitarian assistance" among refugees in Africa (Aid for Africa n.d.), likewise indicated that "[t]ravel outside Kenya, if legally done, does not affect the refugee status of a legally recognized refugee" (RefugePoint 2 Nov. 2016). 1.1 Conventional Travel Document According to sources, in order to travel outside of Kenya, recognised refugees must obtain a Conventional Travel Document [also known as Convention Travel Document] (CTD) (RefugePoint 2 Nov. 2016) from the Commissioner for Refugees (Kenya n.d.). According to the website of the Kenyan Ministry of Interior and Coordination of National Government, "[a] refugee may apply in person to the Commissioner for Refugees to be issued with a [CTD] for the following reasons: resettlement, education, medical, employment, business, family, humanitarian or leisure" (ibid.). The Country Director gave the examples of attending conferences and the Olympics as reasons CTDs have been obtained (RefugePoint 2 Nov. 2016). The Head of Programs and Policy Development indicated that the CTD is not to be confused with the refugee identity card, which is not a travel document (Kenya 28 Oct. 2016). The same source stated that the CTD "is valid for 2 years and can be renewed," and added that the document is an equivalent of a national passport which is internationally recognized by ICAO [the International Civil Aviation Organization]. Such documentation operates just like any other national passport and the holder will be required to use it as per national and international requirements governing travel documents (ibid.). The use of the CTD is governed by Section 34 of the Refugees (Reception, Registration and Adjudication) Regulations, 2009 (ibid. 2009). The relevant Section is attached to this Response. 2. Whether Travel Affects Refugee Status or Refugee Identity Card Renewal and Ability to Reinstate Status The Country Director stated that the CTD "is issued on the understanding that the refugee will be allowed to return to Kenya legally, and reclaim their refugee status" (RefugePoint 2 Nov. 2016). The same source added that "the document allows the refugee to legally and safely return to Kenya" and that "[a] number of refugees have travelled with the CTD and safely returned" to the country (ibid.). The Head of Programs and Policy Development stated that using a CTD for travel outside of Kenya "does not affect [the refugee's] status at all, as long as the document is not abused," adding that "if the document is misused, the refugee is penalized by the law and this may affect his [or] her legal status" (Kenya 28 Oct. 2016). The same source also noted that the use of a passport from a refugee's country of origin as a travel document while concurrently holding a refugee identity card would be "a violation of the law and a ground for revocation of the refugee status" (ibid. 1 Nov. 2016). In correspondence with the Research Directorate, a representative of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Kenya, likewise stated that the impact on the refugee status in Kenya of a refugee would depend on whether they had "travelled legally or illegally" (UN 5 Nov. 2016). According to the UNHCR Representative, "the Kenyan government has an unofficial policy of denying re-admission to refugees who travel irregularly outside Kenya" (ibid.). The UNHCR representative indicated that"[i]f a refugee returned to their home country then their status is deemed to have ceased and they need to register afresh and undergo [refugee status determination] afresh" (ibid.). The RefugePoint Country Director similarly stated that "if [refugees] travelled to their countries of origin and returned [to Kenya], their refugee status may cease and they may have to undergo a status determination process to prove that they are still in need of international protection" (RefugePoint 2 Nov. 2016). According to the same source, the status of a refugee who legally travelled outside Kenya does not cease if they leave the country. If they left illegally, which a number do, then the government may have problems admitting them back into the country and will need the UNHCR and the [government] agency tasked with managing refugees (formerly [known as the] Department of Refugee Affairs [now Refugee Affairs Secretariat]) to intervene and prove that they were recognized [as] refugees in the country. If they find their way back to the country, they can present [themselves] to the government agency and explain where they have been (this is if their documents expired in their absence). (ibid.) The Head of Programs and Policy Development explained that if a refugee identity card has expired, "the holder is expected to renew it and [it will be deemed] to be invalid unless it is renewed" (Kenya 28 Oct. 2016). The same source added that both refugee identity cards and CTDs must "be renewed in the country and [the interested person] has to come back" to file renewal applications (ibid. 1 Nov. 2016). Concerning CTDs specifically, however, Section 34 of the Refugees (Reception, Registration and Adjudication) Regulations, 2009 indicates that a CTD 34. (9) b. shall be valid for a period of two years and may be renewed by the Commissioner; or where the refugee is outside Kenya, by the representative of the Republic of Kenya. (ibid. 2009) Further information on the process for the renewal of refugee identity cards could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response. This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim for refugee protection. Please find below the list of sources consulted in researching this Information Request. References Aid for Africa. N.d. "RefugePoint." [Accessed 2 Nov. 2016] Kenya. 1 November 2016. Ministry of Interior and Coordination of National Government, Refugees Affairs Secretariat [formerly Department of Refugee Affairs]. Correspondence from the Head of Programs and Policy Development to the Research Directorate. Kenya. 28 October 2016. Ministry of Interior and Coordination of National Government, Refugees Affairs Secretariat [formerly Department of Refugee Affairs]. Correspondence from the Head of Programs and Policy Development to the Research Directorate. Kenya. 2009. Refugees (Reception, Registration and Adjudication) Regulations, 2009. [Accessed 28 Oct. 2016] Kenya. N.d. Ministry of Interior and Coordination of National Government, Refugees Affairs Secretariat [formerly Department of Refugee Affairs]. "FAQ's." [Accessed 28 Oct. 2016] RefugePoint. 2 November 2016. Correspondence from the Country Director for Kenya to the Research Directorate. United Nations (UN). 5 November 2016. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Kenya. Correspondence from a representative to the Research Directorate. Additional Sources Consulted Oral sources: Danish Refugee Council Kenya; Jesuit Refugee Service Eastern Africa; Kituo Cha Sheria; Norwegian Refugee Council Kenya; Refugee Consortium of Kenya; Xavier Project. Internet sites, including: Amnesty International; ecoi.net; Factiva; Georgetown University Institute for the Study of International Migration; Human Rights Watch; International Crisis Group; International Organisation for Migration; IRIN; Kenya Department of Immigration Services, Directorate of Immigration and Registration of Persons, National Commission on Human Rights; The Penn Spectrum; The Star (Kenya); United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Refworld; United States Library of Congress; Urban Refugees. Attachment Kenya. 2009. Refugees (Reception, Registration and Adjudication) Regulations, 2009. Section 34. [Accessed 28 Oct. 2016] Kenya: Types of affidavits used, including difference between court-issued and notary-issued affidavits; requirements and procedures for the issuance of affidavits; availability of fraudulent affidavits (2014-July 2016) Publisher Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada Publication Date 10 August 2016 Citation / Document Symbol KEN105566.E Related Document(s) Kenya : information sur les types d'affidavits utilises, y compris la difference entre les affidavits delivres par les tribunaux et ceux delivres par des notaires; les exigences et la marche a suivre pour la delivrance d'affidavits; la disponibilite des affidavits frauduleux (2014-juillet 2016) Cite as Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Kenya: Types of affidavits used, including difference between court-issued and notary-issued affidavits; requirements and procedures for the issuance of affidavits; availability of fraudulent affidavits (2014-July 2016), 10 August 2016, KEN105566.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/58cfdb7a4.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. Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Ottawa 1. Use of Affidavits In correspondence with the Research Directorate, a lawyer at Ashitiva and Company Advocates, a Kenyan law firm that specializes in corporate and commercial litigation, and conveyance law (Ashitiva and Company Advocates n.d.), indicated that [a]n affidavit is a written statement of facts voluntarily made by a deponent under an oath or affirmation administered by a person authorized to do so by law. This is basically a written statement from an individual which is sworn to be true (ibid. 29 July 2016) Affidavits are regulated under the Oaths and Statutory Declarations Act, Chapter 15 of the Laws of Kenya (ibid.; Lawyer at TripleOKlaw Advocates 28 July 2016). A copy of the act is attached to this Response (Attachment 1). Sources indicated that affidavits vary according to their "purpose" (ibid.), "circumstances" (Lawyer at Gitonga-Mwangi & Company Advocates 29 July 2016) or "subject matter" (Lawyer at Ashitiva and Company Advocates 29 July 2016). According to the lawyer at Ashitiva and Company Advocates, affidavits can be issued for things such as confirming marital status and spousal consent for some transactions under the Land Act and Land Registration Act (ibid.). In correspondence with the Research Directorate, a representative from Kituo Cha Sheria, a Kenyan NGO "committed to helping the disadvantaged people in Kenya access justice" (Kituo Cha Sheria n.d.), indicated that affidavits are also used to change personal identification information and for marriages (ibid. 29 July 2016). In correspondence with the Research Directorate, a lawyer at Gitonga-Mwangi & Company Advocates, a Kenyan law firm that specializes in property and conveyance law (LSK n.d.), indicated that "many" government offices require affidavits for "all sorts of applications and processes where they wish to have additional comfort on the facts presented before them" (Lawyer at Gitonga-Mwangi & Company Advocates 29 July 2016). According to two sources, there is no difference between court-issued affidavits and notary-issued affidavits (Lawyer at TripleOKlaw Advocates 28 July 2016; Kituo Cha Sheria 29 July 2016). However, the lawyer at Ashitiva and Company Advocates explained that court affidavits are those affidavits that are sworn by witnesses for purposes of giving evidence in court during court proceedings and are usually relied upon as testimonies while adducing evidence. Notary [p]ublic administered oaths or taken affidavits can be used universally because their jurisdiction is applicable in [other] countries. (29 July 2016) An example of an affidavit for a lost passport, available on the website of the Embassy of Kenya in Washington, DC, is attached to this Response (Attachment 2). Further information on the different types of affidavits being used in Kenya (apart from court-issued affidavits) could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response. 2. Issuing Authorities The Oaths and Statutory Declarations Act, Chapter 15, indicates the authorities who can issue and swear affidavits in Kenya (Kenya 2003). Sources indicated that notaries public can also issue and swear affidavits (Lawyer at TripleOKlaw Advocates 28 July 2016; Lawyer at Daly & Inamdar Advocates 28 July 2016). In correspondence with the Research Directorate, a lawyer at Daly & Inamdar Advocates, a Kenyan law firm that specializes in corporate, commercial, and property law, as well as civil litigation and arbitration (Daly & Inamdar Advocates n.d.), specified that there is a difference between a commissioner for oaths and a notary public. Whereas a notary has all the powers that a commissioner for oaths possesses, a notary is used in instances where affidavits are to be used outside the Kenya jurisdiction (especially outside the commonwealth countries). (28 July 2016) Similarly, other sources indicated that documents to be used internationally are attested by a notary public (Lawyer at TripleOKlaw Advocates 28 July 2016; Lawyer at Gitonga-Mwangi & Company Advocates 29 July 2016). Sources indicated that a notary public must have at least five years of practice as an advocate (Lawyer at Gitonga-Mwangi & Company Advocates 29 July 2016; Lawyer at Ashitiva and Company Advocates 29 July 2016) and must be registered with the High Court of Kenya (ibid.). 3. Procedure to Obtain an Affidavit In correspondence with the Research Directorate, a lawyer at TripleOKlaw Advocates, a Kenyan law firm with expertise in practice areas including banking, intellectual property, and procurement (The Legal 500 n.d.), explained that the process of getting an affidavit in Kenya follows the three understated steps: The deponent or a lawyer draws up the affidavit; The deponent takes the oath in the presence of a commissioner for oaths/notary public/magistrate; The commissioner for oaths/notary public/magistrate swears and issues the affidavit. (9 August 2016) The lawyer at Daly & Inamdar Advocates explained that affidavits are "usually drawn up by lawyers" and "endorsed before a commissioner for oaths/notary public/court officer" who "must be different from the lawyer who drew up the affidavit" (Lawyer at Daly & Inamdar Advocates 28 July 2016). The same source underlined that the "deponent personally appears before the [c]ommissioner for [o]aths" (ibid.). According to the lawyer at Gitonga-Mwangi & Company Advocates, [o]ne can prepare [an affidavit] themselves, or have an [a]dvocate draw it up. However, once drawn, it has to be signed before a [c]ommissioner for [o]aths, who attests the execution. (29 July 2016) The lawyer at Ashitiva & Company Advocates described the procedure to obtain an affidavit as follows: The commissioner for oaths[,] after ascertaining [that the deponent] is 18 years old and of sound mind[,] gets the facts and subject matter of the affidavit from the deponent; The commissioner for oaths prepares an official affidavit document with the sworn statement based on the deponent's information and belief; The deponent executes the affidavit in the presence of the advocate [serving as a commissioner for oaths]; The commissioner of oaths attests to the affidavit by stamping and executing the document. (29 July 2016) The lawyer at TripleOKlaw Advocates stated that if the affidavit is to be used in any legal proceedings, it must be drawn up by the party in person or by a qualified advocate as defined in Section 34 of the Advocates Act, Chapter 16 of the Laws of Kenya, (Lawyer at TripleOKlaw Advocates 28 July 2016), a copy of which is attached to this Response (Attachment 3). According to the same source, "the information in the [a]ffidavit should first be verified by the [m]agistrate, [c]ommissioner for oaths/[n]otary [p]ublic before execution" (ibid.). Sources stated that any individual is allowed to depose an affidavit, with the exception of minors or persons not mentally capable to comprehend the oath (Lawyer at Ashitiva and Company Advocates 29 July 2016; Lawyer at TripleOKlaw Advocates 28 July 2016). According to the lawyer at TripleOKlaw Advocates, "companies cannot swear [a]ffidavits" (28 July 2016). However, according to the lawyer at Ashitiva and Company Advocates "directors or officials of a company or any legal entity can swear an affidavit on behalf of the company" (29 July 2016). 4. Provision of Supporting and Identity Documents in the Issuance of Affidavits According to sources, the deponent's identity card or passport ["or some form of identification" (Lawyer at TripleOKlawAdvocates 28 July 2016)] is normally required when swearing an affidavit (ibid.; Lawyer at Ashitiva and Company Associates 29 July 2016). As far as supporting documents are concerned, the lawyer at TripleOKlaw Advocates stated that the deponent must provide proof of the information they declare, "unless the deponent or the information is personally known" to the magistrate, commissioner for oaths, or notary public (28 July 2016). Without providing further details, the lawyer at Daly & Inamdar Advocates indicated that the required exhibits, or supporting documentary evidence, are attached to the affidavit and depend on the contents and nature of the affidavit (28 July 2016). In addition, the lawyer at Ashitiva and Company Advocates stated that "it is a requirement" that the deponent present original supporting documents (29 July 2016). 5. Affidavit Fees and Issuance of Receipt The Oaths and Statutory Declarations Act, Chapter 15, indicates that "[a] commissioner for oaths shall, in the exercise of any of the powers mentioned in subsection (1), be entitled to charge and be paid such fees as may be authorized by any rules of court for the time being" (Kenya 2003, Sec. 4 (2)). According to sources, the issuance of a receipt by the commissioner for oaths is not mandatory (Lawyer at TripleOKlaw Advocates 28 July 2016; Lawyer at Ashitiva and Company Associates 29 July 2016). Also, the lawyer at Gitonga-Mwangi & Company Associates indicated that fees for the commissioning or notarizing of documents are not regulated (Lawyer at Gitonga-Mwangi & Company Associates 29 July 2016). Sources indicated that the issuance of a receipt depends on the practice of the issuer (ibid.; Kituo Cha Sheria 29 July 2016), but deponents receive a copy of the affidavit (ibid.). The Lawyer at Ashitiva and Company Advocates indicated that the deponent pays the required fees to the commissioner for oaths and receives a receipt, although it is not mandatory (29 July 2016). 6. Verification of Affidavits The lawyer at TripleOKlaw Advocates indicated that the "only" means to verify an affidavit is by asking the magistrate, commissioner of oaths or notary public who was present when the deponent was signing the affidavit (28 July 2016). Similarly, the lawyer at Daly & Inamdar Advocates explained that "[o]ne can go to the extent of getting the contact details of the commissioner for oaths/notary public and calling them to confirm that indeed the affidavit was sworn by the specified deponent before him/her" (28 July 2016). The lawyer at TripleOKlaw Advocates explained that all commissioners of oath and notaries "must have a valid Practicing Certificate for the current year," and a notary public must have, in addition, an "Annual Notarial Certificate," which could assist in determining if the issuer was entitled to sign the document at that point in time (Lawyer at TripleOKlaw Advocates 28 July 2016). In addition, sources indicate that "rolls of commissioners" are kept by the Registrar of the High Court (ibid.; Kituo Cha Sheria 29 July 2016) and the Chief Justice, which "the commissioner has to have signed" (ibid.). The lawyer at Ashitiva and Company Associates similarly indicated that the roll of commissioners is open to the public and that the name of the commissioner for oaths can also be confirmed by the Law Society of Kenya (29 July 2016). The lawyer at Ashitiva and Company Advocates stated that affidavits are verified by confirming their security features (29 July 2016). However, the lawyer at Gitonga-Mwangi & Company Advocates gave the view that the "only verifying element would be confirmation from the person commissioning or notarizing the affidavit" (29 July 2016). Information on the existence of a registry of court-issued affidavits could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response. 6.1 Security Features on Affidavits The lawyer at Daly & Inamdar Advocates stated that the affidavit "must take the form prescribed under the Oaths and Statutory Declarations Act, Cap 15. of the Laws of Kenya (if it is a statutory declaration) [or] the format as prescribed under the Civil Procedure Rules (if it is an ordinary affidavit)" (28 July 2016). Sources indicate that affidavits must have a jurat section which has the signatures of both the deponent and the issuing authority (Lawyer at TripleOKlaw Advocates 28 July 2016; Lawyer at Daly & Inamdar Advocates 28 July 2016). According to the Lawyer at Daly & Inamdar Advocates, [t]he [c]ommissioner for [o]aths/[n]otary [p]ublic before whom an oath or affidavit is taken or made must state truly in the jurat or attestation at what place and on what date the oath or affidavit is taken or made. The jurat must be in the body of the affidavit and not in a separate page. (ibid.) Sources indicate that affidavits have a stamp or seal of the commissioner for oaths or notary public (Lawyer at TripleOKlaw Advocates 28 July 2016; Kituo Cha Sheria 29 July 2016; Lawyer at Daly & Inamdar Advocates 28 July 2016). The lawyer at Daly & Inamdar Advocates stated that while the format remains the same affidavits sworn before officers of the court are signed by the officer, stamped with the courts stamp and also sealed with the courts seal. Notary-issued affidavits and commissioner- issued affidavits are signed and stamped with [the] notary's or commissioner's stamp that bears his/her name and address plus the tag notary public or commissioner for oaths. (28 July 2016) The lawyer at Ashitiva and Company Associates indicated that affidavits also have the deponent's identity card or passport number (29 July 2016). Corroborating and additional information on the security features of affidavits could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response. 7. Availability of Fraudulent Affidavits Sources indicated that there are fraudulent affidavits in Kenya (Kituo Cha Sheria 29 July 2016; Lawyer at Gitonga-Mwangi & Company Advocates 29 July 2016; Lawyer at TripleOKlawAdvocates 28 July 2016). The lawyer at TripleOKlaw Advocates gave the view that forgeries and fraudulent affidavits "abound" in the country (ibid.). The same source indicated that "[m]any people" forge signatures and stamps of magistrates, commissioners of oaths, and notary public (ibid.). The lawyer at Gitonga-Mwangi & Company Advocates indicated that fraudulent affidavits are "[h]ighly likely," but that it is "hard to assess in the absence of statistics" (29 July 2016). The lawyer at Daly & Inamdar Advocates indicated that "while fraudulent affidavits exist, we cannot establish accurately the frequency of such practice" (28 July 2016). The Oaths and Statutory Declaration Act, Chapter 15, prescribes penalties associated with "unlawfully acting as commissioner for oaths" and "false declaration[s]" (Kenya 2003). This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim for refugee protection. Please find below the list of sources consulted in researching this Information Request. References Ashitiva and Company Advocates. N.d. "Who We Are." [Accessed 3 Aug. 2016] Daly & Inamdar Advocates. N.d. "Our Profile." [Accessed 3 Aug. 2016] Kenya. 2003 (amended 2012). Oaths and Statutory Declarations Act (Laws of Kenya, Chapter 15). [Accessed 27 July 2016] Kenya. 1989 (amended 2012). Advocates Act (Laws of Kenya, Chapter 16). [Accesssed 3 Aug. 2016] Kituo Cha Sheria. 29 July 2016. Correspondence from a representative to the Research Directorate. Kituo Cha Sheria. N.d. "Home". [Accessed 3 Aug. 2016] Lawyer, Ashitiva and Company Advocates, Nairobi. 29 July 2016. Correspondence with the Research Directorate. Lawyer, Daly & Inamdar Advocates, Nairobi. 28 July 2016. Correspondence with the Research Directorate. Lawyer, Gitonga-Mwangi & Company Advocates, Nairobi. 29 July 2016. Correspondence with the Research Directorate. Lawyer, TripleOKlaw Advocates, Nairobi. 9 August 2016. Correspondence with the Research Directorate. Lawyer, TripleOKlaw Advocates, Nairobi. 28 July 2016. Correspondence with the Research Directorate. The Legal 500. N.d. "TripleOKlaw Advocates". [Accessed 3 Aug. 2016] Additional Sources Consulted Oral sources: Kenya - Kenya Police Service, Ministry of Interior and Coordination of National Government; Kenya Human Rights Commission; Law Society of Kenya; Nine lawyers in Nairobi. Internet sites, including: Amnesty International; ecoi.net; Factiva; Human Rights Watch; Jeune Afrique; Kenya News Agency; Standard Digital News; Transparency International; UN - Refworld; US - Department of State. Attachments Ethiopia: Requirements and procedures for obtaining police reports, such as criminal complaints, from within the country as well as from abroad; format, including appearance and whether legislation is referenced in a police report, signatures, letterhead and stamps; variations between federal and municipal reports; availability of fraudulent police reports (2015 - January 2017) Publisher Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada Publication Date 3 February 2017 Citation / Document Symbol ETH105730.E Related Document(s) Ethiopie : information sur les exigences et la marche a suivre pour obtenir des rapports de police, tels que les plaintes penales, de l'interieur ainsi que de l'exterieur du pays; la forme de ces rapports, y compris leur aspect et la question de savoir si les dispositions legislatives en cause y sont enoncees, les signatures, l'en-tete et les tampons; les differences entre les rapports federaux et municipaux; la possibilite d'obtenir des rapports de police frauduleux (2015-janvier 2017) Cite as Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Ethiopia: Requirements and procedures for obtaining police reports, such as criminal complaints, from within the country as well as from abroad; format, including appearance and whether legislation is referenced in a police report, signatures, letterhead and stamps; variations between federal and municipal reports; availability of fraudulent police reports (2015 - January 2017), 3 February 2017, ETH105730.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/58cfdcb44.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. Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Ottawa 1. Requirements and Procedures for Obtaining Police Reports In correspondence with the Research Directorate, an attorney at law based in Addis Ababa stated that "[t]he rules guiding police reports and procedures of investigations and prosecutions [are] contained in the criminal procedure code of 196[1][,] which lays down principles applied both at the federal and regional levels" (Attorney at Law 12 Jan. 2017). The Criminal Procedure Code of Ethiopia is attached to this response. However, according to the attorney at law, The [Criminal Procedure Code] does not provide [information] about obtaining police report[s] from abroad, nor about obtaining such reports from within [Ethiopia][,] apart from providing how such reports are compiled and sent to the office of the prosecutor. (ibid.) In correspondence with the Research Directorate, a legal and human rights consultant based in Addis Ababa who is also an attorney at law before the Ethiopian federal courts indicated that there are no clear rules about police reports and that one, it is not clear whether some part of the police report is good enough for the prosecutor to open a prosecution or not[;] second[,] it is not clear whether the accused has the right to demand to see and review all parts of the police reports[;] or third[,] it is not clear whether the entire or part of the police report is something that can be demanded and obtained by any other interested party[,] including the victim or the media. As [a] result of this, [there is no] clear process under which [part or the entire] police report can be obtained by anybody. (Legal and Human Rights Consultant 26 Jan. 2017) According to the same source, some parts of the police report [are] filed as part of the prosecutions' case and even in this instance, the legal practice of [the Ethiopian] court system is that anybody who wants to get a copy of a court document needs to show power of attorney or need[s] to be the named party to the case. (ibid.) The Legal and Human Rights Consultant also noted that [d]ue to the lack of clear rule[s], police reports are considered as merely internal reports, which only serve the police and the public prosecutor in their collective endeavor to bring a prosecution case[,] but not necessarily justice or even a justifiable conviction. Therefore, it is difficult if not absolutely impossible to get the whole or even part of the police reports especially from anybody or any institution affiliated or linked with a foreign nation or international organization. (ibid.) Further and corroborating information on the requirements and procedures to obtain police reports within Ethiopia and from abroad could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response. 2. Format of Police Report According to the attorney at law, the content and features of [the] police report are described in the criminal procedure code, and all police reports are required to adhere to these requirements. [T]he reports cite the provisions of the relevant criminal procedure code. The report is written on a paper with a letter head or with a letter head stamp where there is no such paper. [I]nvariably[,] such letters are signed by the investigator or one who is head of the office. (Attorney at Law 12 Jan. 2017) The Legal and Human Rights Consultant stated that "police reports are not one single document" but rather a "collection of different form[s]" (Legal and Human Rights Consultant 26 Jan. 2017). The same source indicated that police reports contain the following: A "separate note" describing the crime, which is "sometimes written in a prepared form or [on] a normal piece of paper." In both instances, "they have to be signed by the police who prepared them" and "stamped for legality[;]" A witnesses' statement form, which has the caption "witness form." "This form contains the statements of the witness, testifying about the crime under the report. If the testimony of a witness goes [beyond] one page, each subsequent page shall be numbered in sequence and each page will be signed by the witness and by the recording police officer. Once finished[,] [a] stamp [is] put on each page[;]" The statement of the accused, if there is any, which is "usually recorded using a prepared form. The accused and the recording police officer shall both sign each page before the station puts [an] official stamp in each page[;]" The accident map, "if the crime involves [a] car accident or any other crime which needs to show the physical aspects of the crime. The federal police [has] a separate form, which clearly says accident map[;]" The "final reports of the technical investigation," if the crime involved a technical investigation, like an "autopsy or laboratory evaluation of vehicles or any other materials[;]" Any other forms of evidence, including "photographs, videos, exhibits or any other objects" (ibid.). The Legal and Human Rights Consultant further explained that in Ethiopia there is no clear procedural or evidentiary rule which clearly outlines what things must be put in the police report to be considered full or not. Hence, depending on the choice of the police and by the decision of the public prosecutor, some or all of the different forms stated above can be finally filed to the trial court as the police report of the crime along with a formal charging paper. (ibid.) 3. Variations between Federal and Municipal Reports Without providing further information, the attorney at law stated that "there should be no variation[s]" (Attorney at Law 12 Jan. 2017). The same source indicated that "the law is the common denominator, and the federal constitution, [Article] 13, is a binding law requiring adherence to principles of human rights instruments adopted by Ethiopia" (ibid.). However, the Legal and Human Rights Consultant indicated that if the "witness form" found within police reports is filed by the federal police[,] this form contains a federal police logo and the text is written in Amharic, the official language of the federal government[;] [if filed by] the regional governments' police, the form contains the different regional police logos and each region will use its official language in this form. (Legal and Human Rights Consultant 26 Jan. 2017) The same source also noted that "it is common" for the "statement of the accused" to bear "the specific logo" of the respective investigating police authority, whether this be "federal or regional" (ibid.). 4. Availability of Fraudulent Police Reports According to a 2012 World Bank study on corruption in Ethiopia, [t]he most common form of corruption involves bribes solicited by or offered to police to ignore a criminal offense, not make an arrest, or not bring witnesses or suspects to court (which can cause a provisional adjournment of the case). Traffic police are the worst offenders. (World Bank 2012, 184) The World Bank study also states that "among the most common complaints involving police" is the act of "taking of bribes to alter evidence" (ibid., 214). According to the 2013 Global Corruption Barometer survey conducted by Transparency International (TI), 42% of respondents believed the police in Ethiopia to be corrupt or extremely corrupt and 36% of respondents who came in contact with the police within 12 months prior to being surveyed indicated that they had paid them a bribe (TI 2013). A 2014 press release by the same source notes that "Ethiopia's citizens and institutions suffer from high levels of bribery" (ibid. 6 Oct. 2014). The attorney at law indicated that he has "no knowledge" of any "correct statistics" documenting the prevalence of fraudulent police reports (Attorney at Law 12 Jan. 2017). The Legal and Human Rights Consultant stated [i]n order to ensure the correctness and reliability of police reports, one has to review the entire[ty]of the police reports. Given that this is not possible in [Ethiopia], it remains always open for speculation as to [whether] the police or public prosecutor tampers a part [or] even whole parts of the police reports. (Legal and Human Rights Consultant 26 Jan. 2017) The same source indicated that that he would "not be surprised to know that fraudulent activity exist[s] in modifying police reports in Ethiopia for various reasons. Especially, in matters [which] involve political issues, the possibility for tampering with police reports is a great possibility" (ibid.). Corroborating information could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response. This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim for refugee protection. Please find below the list of sources consulted in researching this Information Request. References Attorney at Law, Addis Ababa. 12 January 2017. Correspondence with the Research Directorate. Legal and Human Rights Consultant, Addis Ababa. 26 January 2017. Correspondence with the Research Directorate. Transparency International (TI). 6 October 2014. "Transparency International Data Shows Ethiopia Suffers From High Levels of Bribery." [Accessed 23 Jan. 2017] Transparency International (TI). 2013. "Ethiopia." Global Corruption Barometer. [Accessed 23 Jan. 2017] World Bank. 2012. Diagnosing Corruption in Ethiopia. Perceptions, Realities, and the Way Forward for Key Sectors. Edited by Janelle Plummer. [Accessed on 23 Jan. 2017] Additional Sources Consulted Oral sources: Ethiopia - Embassy in Ottawa, Federal Police Commission, Ministry of Federal Affairs; Fikadu Asfaw and Associates Law Office; Getnet Yawkal Law Office; International Organization for Migration, Special Liaison Office in Ethiopia; Liku Worku Law Office; US - Embassy in Addis Ababa. Internet sites, including: Abyssinia Law; All Africa; Amnesty International; BBC; Capital Ethiopia Newspaper; Ecoi.net; Ethiopia - Embassy in Ottawa, Embassy in Washington D.C., Federal Police Commission, Ministry of Federal Affairs; Ethiopian Reporter; Factiva; Fikadu Asfaw and Associates Law Office; Freedom House; Getnet Yawkal Law Office; Human Rights Watch; Institute for War and Peace Reporting; International Crisis Group; International Organization for Migration, Special Liaison Office in Ethiopia; IRIN; Keesing's Reference Systems; Federation internationale des ligues des droits de l'homme; Liku Worku Law Office; Minority Rights Group International; Radio France internationale; Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty; United Nations - Development Program, Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Refworld, UN Women; US - Department of State Bureau of Diplomatic Security, Embassy in Addis Ababa. Attachment Ethiopia. 1961. Criminal Procedure Code of Ethiopia, Proclamation No. 185. [Accessed on 23 Jan. 2017] Ethiopia: Appearance and information contained in identity cards and birth certificates issued in the Somali Region (2014-September 2016) Publisher Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada Publication Date 24 October 2016 Citation / Document Symbol ETH105630.E Related Document(s) Ethiopie : information sur l'aspect des cartes d'identite et des actes de naissance delivres dans la region Somali, et sur les renseignements contenus dans ces documents (2014-septembre 2016) Cite as Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Ethiopia: Appearance and information contained in identity cards and birth certificates issued in the Somali Region (2014-September 2016), 24 October 2016, ETH105630.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/58cfdd3a4.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. Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Ottawa 1. Identity Cards Information on identity cards issued in the Somali Region could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response. For information on Ethiopian Kebele cards, the appearance of identity cards and birth certificates issued in Addis Ababa, or the availability of fraudulent documents, please refer to Responses to Information Requests ZZZ104428 of May 2013, ETH104950 of October 2014, and ETH105567 of July 2016, respectively. 2. Birth Certificates Sources indicate that the Vital Events Registration Agency launched a nationwide registration of vital events in Ethiopia on 4 August 2016, announcing that registration of vital events would start on 6 August 2016 (ENA 4 Aug. 2016; UN 4 Aug. 2016). The website of UNICEF Ethiopia states that this is a "permanent, compulsory and universal registration and certification of vital events," including birth, death, marriage and divorce (ibid.). The website also indicates that, in the past, "birth death and marriage certificates were issued by hospitals, churches and municipalities in an un-systematic and fragmented manner" (ibid.). Further information on birth certificates in the Somali Region, including appearance, could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response. This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim for refugee protection. Please find below the list of sources consulted in researching this Information Request. References Ethiopian News Agency (ENA). 4 August 2016. "Ethiopia to Start First Ever Vital Events Registration." [Accessed 29 Sept. 2016] United Nations (UN). 4 August 2016. UN Children's Fund (UNICEF). "Vital Events Registration Kicks Off in Ethiopia." [Accessed 12 Sept. 2016] Additional Sources Consulted Oral sources: Canada Embassy in Addis Ababa; Ethiopia Embassy in Ottawa, Vital Events Registration Agency; Ethiopian Lawyers Association; International Organization for Migration; a lawyer and former Chief Justice of the Somali Region in Ethiopia's Supreme Court in the Somali Region; School of Law, Jijiga University; UN Children's Fund Ethiopia. Internet sites, including: Addis Fortune; Africa Confidential; All Africa; Amnesty International; BBC; Capital; ecoi.net; Ethiopia Central Statistical Agency, Ethiopian Government Portal, Vital Events Registration Agency; Factiva; Federation internationale des ligues des droits de l'homme; Human Rights Watch; International Organization for Migration; Migration Policy Institute; Norway Landinfo; Radio France internationale; Somalistate.com; The Reporter; UN Development Programme, High Commissioner for Refugees, Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Refworld, Reliefweb, United Nations University Migration Network; US Department of State. In keeping with his image of making impactful and at times controversial statements, U.S. President Donald Trump recently urged a few North Atlantic Treaty Organization or NATO member nations to loosen their purse strings and cough up a fair amount. In a joint press conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, on Mar 17, Trump expressed his disapproval of how a few nations including Germany owe vast sums to the U.S. as well as NATO. He described the situation as a very unfair one, especially for his country. Notably, in another of his debatable tweets, Trump particularly targeted Germany for having the benefit of an expensive defense base at the cost of the U.S. Whats Germanys Reaction? In response, Merkel applauded the Presidents acknowledgement of the importance of NATO. She further pledged that her nation will raise its own contributions and meet the target of spending 2% of GDP on defense for the NATO alliance by 2024. Later, German defense minister Ursula von der Leyen vehemently protested against Trumps claims, stating thats not how NATO works. She also added that NATO does not hold any debt account. According to Leyen, the nations defense spending goes into UN peacekeeping missions, European missions as well as into the fight against IS terrorism, making it difficult to shell out more for the alliance. How Did the Others React? Trumps claims were strongly opposed by experts in the U.S. as well. In particular, Ivo Daalder former U.S. Ambassador to NATO responded to Trumps tweets by saying that the U.S. can only decide for itself in terms of contribution to NATO. He also appreciated the fact that the NATO allies who currently spend less than 2% of GDP on defense are increasing their budgets. Whats the Real Story? NATO is an intergovernmental military alliance based on the North Atlantic Treaty, which was first signed in 1949. Currently it constitutes 28 member countries who offer defensive protection to each other in events of any hostile attack from external nations. In its 2014 Wales summit, NATO members reaffirmed their commitment to spend 2% of their GDP for defense and achieve that target by 2024. Story continues Herein we note that Germany is among NATO members countries that have come up short of the 2% target and spend 1.16% of GDP in 2016. In comparison; the U.S.s spending was 3.2% of GDP. Probably from this point of view, Trumps describing U.S.s situation to be an unfair one can be taken into consideration. However, Trumps claims of Germany owing money to the U.S. as well as the NATO are clearly baseless and mischaracterize the commitments that NATO members currently follow. They are under no strict obligation to spend 2% of GDP anytime before 2024 and to anyone apart from NATO. Which Stocks Are Likely to Gain? Although Trumps comments were widely criticized, the U.S. is the largest contributor to NATOwith the volume of defense expenditure representing 72% of the total defense spending of the alliance. Considering this, Trumps pressure on NATO members to spend more on defense is expected to increase defense funds for the allied members as a whole. Clearly, defense biggies in the U.S. that generate a substantial share of their revenues from international customers will be the direct benefactors of the situation. Lockheed Martin Corp. LMT: Being the largest defense contractor in the world, Lockheed Martin is a global aerospace and security company that manufactures military aircraft and helicopters and related advanced technologies, missile system, government satellites and similar products. In 2016, 27% of the companys total sales were derived from its international customers. Lately, the company has been witnessing strong demand for its equipment, ranging from C-130J aircraft in France and Germany to helicopters in Poland to missile defense systems in the Asia Pacific, Europe, and Middle East. Over the past five years, the companys EPS witnessed growth 9.1%, outperforming the Aerospace Defense industrys gain of 5.5%. The Boeing Company BA: Being the largest global aircraft manufacturer, Boeing manufactures military as well commercial aircraft, rotorcraft, rockets and satellites. In 2016, 31% of the companys total sales were derived from international customers. At the end of 2016, its defense business had a healthy backlog of $57 billion, 37% of which was derived from international customers. Moreover, the company completed digital flight deck upgrades on the first of 14 NATO Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) aircraft in 2016. Over the past five years, the companys EPS witnessed growth 10.6%, outperforming the Aerospace Defense industrys growth of 5.5%. 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The company currently has a P/E ratio of 20.81, compared to the corresponding industrys P/E ratio of 64.10; thereby making this high-profile stock a low-priced investment oprtion. Textron, Inc. TXT: Textron Inc. is a global multi-industry company that manufactures aircraft, automotive engine components and industrial tools. In 2016, 38% of the companys total sales were derived from its international customers and 14% from Europe alone. Over the past five years, the companys EPS witnessed growth 13.3%, better than the Aerospace Defense industrys growth of 5.5%. Zacks' 2017 IPO Watch List Before looking into the stocks mentioned above, you may want to get a head start on potential tech IPOs that are popping up on Zacks' radar. Imagine being in the first wave of investors to jump on a company with almost unlimited growth potential? This Special Report gives you the current scoop on 5 that may go public at any time. One has driven from 0 to a $68 billion valuation in 8 years. 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Zacks Investment Research Nepal: Information on the Human Rights Organization of Nepal (HURON), including location of the office, listings of leaders and staff; whether HURON issues letters of support for people who are political targets or victims of attacks by Maoist groups; format, appearance and information contained in such letters; requirements and process to obtain a letter of support from HURON and other human rights organizations in Nepal; availability of fraudulent support letters from human rights organizations (2014-June 2016) Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Ottawa 1. Overview of HURON According to their website, HURON was "one of the first human rights organizations in Nepal," was founded in 1988, and has developed into a movement with membership representing individuals of "all political persuasions" (HURON n.d.a.). In correspondence with the Research Directorate, a General Secretary of HURON stated that the organization "has been playing a leading role to institutionalize democratic change" in Nepal and that it was founded by "a consortium of human rights activists, freedom fighters, professionals, academia and social reformers" (ibid. 1 July 2016). The same source indicated that the organization is registered in Kathmandu, with five regional offices, 75 district chapters and an affiliation of over 25,000 members (ibid.). The HURON website lists its location as: Anamnagar, Kathmandu, and its mailing address as G.P.O. Box 5424, Kathmandu, Nepal (ibid. n.d.b.). The Himalayan Times, a Nepali English-language newspaper, reports that as of December 2015, Indra Prasad Aryal is HURON's chairperson and Govinda Dhakal is a member (The Himalayan Times 4 Dec. 2015). Lists of members and leaders of HURON, as found on their website, are attached to this Response, including a list of leaders and members of the Central Executive Committees between Nepali years 2069 and 2072 [mid-April 2012 to mid-April 2015] [1] (Attachment 1), and as of 2072 [Mid-April 2015] (Attachment 2), as well as lists of leaders and members of HURON chapters in the Eastern, Central, Western, Mid-Western, and Far-Western "Development Regions" in 2016 (Attachment 3). In correspondence with the Research Directorate, the Nepal researcher for the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC), an independent Hong Kong-based NGO "which seeks to promote greater awareness and realization of human rights in the Asian region" (AHRC n.d.), described HURON as "a very little known organization" (ibid. 28 June 2016). The same source stated HURON was based in Kathmandu and engaged in human rights protection activities in the past, but that they are not aware of any activities conducted by the organization "in recent years" (ibid.). In correspondence with the Research Directorate, a representative of the Nepal Peacebuilding Initiative (NPI), a Kathmandu-based non-profit organization which researches local and national peacebuilding policies (NPI n.d.), and has worked on Nepal's conflict and peace processes for 10 years, stated that HURON has two part-time staff in Kathmandu, and "a few collaborative organisations in the districts" (ibid. 27 June 2016). The Himalayan Times reported in December 2015 that HURON released an investigative report regarding violence in the southern plains of Nepal, based on a 4-day field visit to the region in November 2015 (The Himalayan Times 4 Dec. 2015). The same source indicates that a three-person team from HURON interviewed families of deceased people, injured people, journalists, human rights activists and security personnel in this region (ibid.). Corroborating information could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response. Further information on activities of HURON in the period of 2014-2016 could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response. 2. Support Letters from HURON According to a Secretary General of HURON, the organization "issues letters in favor of victims requesting concerned authorities and parties to honor their right to life and [human rights] during conflicts" (HURON 1 July 2016). The same sources stated that there is no standard format for the letters, and that the content varies depending on individual cases (ibid.). In follow-up correspondence on 12 July 2016, the Secretary General indicated that HURON issues such letters on official letterhead paper, with its logo and seal (ibid. 12 July 2016). The source further noted that HURON's central office issues the support letters, and that the organization's "president, general secretary, secretary and office bearers can sign the letters" (ibid.). The Secretary General of HURON indicated that to obtain a letter "as a general practice, the person first should contact [the organization] with adequate information, and upon verification, HURON decides whether to issue letters based on reliability and circumstantial evidences (ibid. 1 July 2016). The same source added that to apply for a support letter, victims or their relatives can come to HURON to register grievances, "with or without evidence," but that most applications are accompanied by "supporting documents issued by the local police, administration and other agencies" (ibid. 12 July 2016). The Secretary General further stated that HURON "prefers the victim to be present in person, if possible, [but] if not, relatives or representatives may be allowed to complete the process" (ibid.). The source also indicated that HURON verifies "the accompanying documents, statements of victims and other circumstantial evidences to establish the claims by utilizing local chapters and other sources" (ibid.). In contrast, in correspondence with the Research Directorate on 12 July 2016, the Canadian Consulate in Kathmandu provided the following information, which they obtained from their own conversations with HURON: [HURON] confirmed that they had issued letters during the period of conflict certifying that people had been political targets or victims of attack or threats by Maoist groups. Their source of information used to be letters and/or recommendations from the local authorities (such as the office of the local municipalities). Based on information provided by the local authorities, HURON issued such letters certifying that people had been political targets or victims of attack or threats. As there are no more conflicts in the country, HURON no longer issues such letters. (Canada 12 July 2016) Further and corroborating information could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response. 3. Support Letters from Other Human Rights Organizations in Nepal The NPI representative indicated that human rights organizations in Nepal issue letters of support, but only after verifying the facts in the field, with the district police, and with the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) (NPI 24 June 2016). The same source provided the opinion that since 2006, there have been "hardly any threats for political reasons in Nepal;" after enquiring with Nepali human rights organizations the source found that "none of the credible human rights organizations have issued letters of support [recently] as they see no reason for this right now" (ibid.). In correspondence with the Research Directorate, a representative of the Informal Sector Service Centre (INSEC), a Kathmandu-based human rights NGO (INSEC n.d.), indicated that their organization issues support letters to victims of threats and political targets, but only after verifying that the human rights violation(s) for which the person seeks a letter of certification is recorded in their Nepal Human Rights Yearbook and/or on Inseconline, their own human rights monitoring system (ibid. 27 June 2016). The same source stated that if INSEC does not have records of the human rights violations in the above mentioned sources, they do not issue a letter of support, even if the victims have other evidence (ibid.). Without providing further information, the INSEC representative also noted that the letters are issued to the victims themselves or "sometimes to government authorities and stakeholders if they ask"; letters are printed on INSEC letterhead paper, are given the organization's stamp, and are issued only by the central office and signed only by INSEC's Chairperson or Executive Director (ibid.). The same source added that letters of support can only be generated "if the victim and their family visit [the central office] personally" and that they do not respond to requests by email or phone (ibid.) According to the AHRC researcher, prior to 2006 [2], "in very rare cases" human rights organizations provided letters certifying that people were targeted politically or threatened by Maoist groups (AHRC 28 June 2016). The same source further stated that for the period of 2014-2016, organizations "may issue a letter if the case is known to the public, and the case has been covered by the media," however, it continues to be a "rare practice" (ibid.). Further and corroborating information could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response. For further information on threat letters sent by Maoists, refer to Response to Information Request NPL105569. For further information on activities of extortion, kidnapping and land capture by Maoist groups and affiliated student groups, refer to Response to Information Request NPL105360. 4. Availability of Fraudulent Support Letters The AHRC researcher stated that in Nepal "you can easily design a letter head [and] stamp for less than US$5" (28 June 2016). The same source further gave the opinion that fraudulent support letters would be more difficult to use at the domestic Nepali level than internationally, as the Nepali government would be able to identify forgeries (ibid.). The NPI representative provided the opinion that "a letter issued by the NHRC is more authentic" than those issued by other human rights groups, adding that to his knowledge "since 2006, no such letters have been issued [by NHRC]" (NPI 24 June 2016.). According to the HURON Secretary General, their organization "is not aware of forgeries of [HURON] support letters to date" (HURON 12 July 2016). Further and corroborating information on the availability and prevalence of fraudulent support letters could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response. For further information on the availability of fraudulent documents (police reports, medical reports and employment records) in Nepal, please refer to Response to Information NPL105570. This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim for refugee protection. Please find below the list of sources consulted in researching this Information Request. Notes [1] Nepal uses the "Bikram Sambat" calendar, which is approximately 56 years and 8 months ahead of the Gregorian calendar (Nepali Calendar N.d.). In Nepal, the new year starts in the middle of April (ibid.). [2] In November 2006, a Comprehensive Peace Agreement was signed between the government and Maoist groups that had fought an insurgency since 1996 (Carter Center 20 Aug. 2015, 4). References Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC). 28 June 2016. Correspondence from a researcher at the Nepal Desk to the Research Directorate. Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC). N.d. "About Us." [Accessed 28 June 2016] Canada. 12 July 2016. Consulate in Nepal. Correspondence from an official to the Research Directorate. The Carter Center. 20 August. 2014. Political Transition Monitoring in Nepal, 2009-2014. Final Report. [Accessed 4 July 2016] The Himalayan Times. 4 December 2015. Rastriya Samachar Samiti. "More than 48 dead, over 1000 hurt in Madhes agitation: HURON." [Accessed 28 June 2016] Human Rights Organization of Nepal (HURON). 12 July 2016. Correspondence from a Secretary General to the Research Directorate. Human Rights Organization of Nepal (HURON). 1 July 2016. Correspondence from a Secretary General to the Research Directorate. Human Rights Organization of Nepal (HURON). N.d. a. "About Us." [Accessed 22 June 2016] Human Rights Organization of Nepal (HURON). N.d.b. "Organization Structure." [Accessed 22 June 2016] Informal Sector Service Centre (INSEC). 27 June 2016. Correspondence from a representative to the Research Directorate. Informal Sector Service Centre (INSEC). N.d. "Vision Mission Goal (VMG)." [Accessed 27 June 2016] Nepali Calendar. N.d. "Official Bikram Sambat Nepali Calendar." [Accessed 28 June 2016] Nepal Peacebuilding Initiative. 24 June 2016. Correspondence from a representative to the Research Directorate. Nepal Peacebuilding Initiative. N.d. "About Us." [Accessed 28 June 2016] Additional Sources Consulted Oral Sources: Associate Professor of Political Science, Wright University; Friedrich Ebert Stiftung Nepal Office; Nepal National Human Rights Commission, Superior Court of Justice; Professor of Political Science, Western Michigan University; Research Centre for Nepal and Asian Studies, Tribhuvan University, Nepal. Internet sites, including: Amnesty International; Asia Foundation; BBC; ecoi.net; Factiva; Federation internationale des ligues des droits de l'homme; Human Rights Watch; International Crisis Group; IRIN; Jane's Intelligence Review; Republica; NepalMonitor.org; Nepal - National Human Rights Commission; Nepal News; Radio France Internationale; UN United Nations Development Program, Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights Nepal, Refworld, Reliefweb; US Department of State. Attachments 1. Human Rights Organization of Nepal (HURON). N.d. "Twelfth Central Executive Committee (2069- 2072)." [Accessed 27 June 2016] 2. Human Rights Organization of Nepal (HURON). N.d. "Thirteen Central Executive Committee 2072." [Accessed 22 June 2016] 3. Human Rights Organization of Nepal (HURON). N.d. "HURON Chapters." [Accessed 22 June 2016] Liberia: The Sande secret society, its activities, organization, leaders and consequences of refusing the role of leader; Sande's power, its treatment of those who speak out against or oppose its practices; state protection for individuals threatened by Sande (2012-November 2016) Publisher Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada Publication Date 22 February 2017 Citation / Document Symbol LBR105687.FE Related Document(s) Liberia: The Sande secret society, its activities, organization, leaders and consequences of refusing the role of leader; Sande's power, its treatment of those who speak out against or oppose its practices; state protection for individuals threatened by Sande (2012-November 2016) Cite as Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Liberia: The Sande secret society, its activities, organization, leaders and consequences of refusing the role of leader; Sande's power, its treatment of those who speak out against or oppose its practices; state protection for individuals threatened by Sande (2012-November 2016), 22 February 2017, LBR105687.FE, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/58cff6114.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. Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Ottawa 1. Sande and Secret Societies in Liberia In a December 2015 report on traditional practices in Liberia, the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) describes secret societies as follows: [UN English version] The Sande and Poro societies are the trusted custodians of "culture'" in much of Liberia and have been present in the region for centuries. These societies are traditionally believed to inculcate values and teach skills conducive to communal harmony and to prepare children for the rigors of adulthood. They also have a spiritual dimension, though they are not considered to be religious institutions as such, and most Sande and Poro members are also adherents of Christianity or Islam. (UN Dec. 2015, para. 14) Sande is a secret female society (Norway 30 Mar 2010, 3; Equality Now 2 Oct. 2015, 2). Poro is its male equivalent (IBIS 18 Apr. 2012, 7; UN Dec. 2015, para. 7). For more information about that society, please refer to Response to Information Request LBR27521, published in August 1997. Sande and Poro have a presence in the north and the west (IBIS 18 Apr. 2012, 7; UN Dec. 2015, para. 15) as well as in central Liberia (ibid.). However, they have very little or no presence in the southeast (ibid.; IBIS 18 Apr. 2012, 7). There are other secret societies in that region, but they differ from the others in that the girls are not necessarily subjected to female genital mutilation (FGM) (IBIS 18 Apr. 2012, 7; UN Dec. 2015, para. 16). A charity organization named 28 Too Many, which works to put an end to FGM, reports that 85 percent of the Liberian population is composed of Sande-practising ethnic groups (28 Too Many Dec. 2014, 9, 31). Sources indicate that Sande is mainly active in rural areas (AFP 30 March 2012; 28 Too Many Dec. 2014, 10). In addition, the UNMIL report indicates that individuals from the poorest segments of the Liberian population are more likely to be members of Sande (UN Dec. 2015, para. 8). According to the Demographic and Health Survey 2013, prepared by the Liberia Institute of Statistics and Geo-Information Services (LISGIS), 49.8 percent of Liberians between the ages of 15 and 49 are members of Sande (LISGIS et al. 2014, 276). 1.1 Definition, Role and Activities Sande's role is to prepare girls for womanhood (Norway 30 Mar. 2010, 3; Equality Now 2 Oct. 2015). According to the sources, the initiation teaches them the following: how to become wives and take care of their husbands (Pulitzer Center 30 Mar. 2012; IBIS 18 Apr. 2012, 7; VOA 13 Oct. 2016); how to manage their homes (ibid.; Pulitzer Center 30 Mar. 2012); how to become mothers (IBIS 18 Apr. 2012, 7); correct sexual behaviour (VOA 13 Oct. 2016); social etiquette (ibid.; IBIS 18 Apr. 2012, 7); how to hold societal positions (Equality Now 2 Oct. 2015). During the initiation process, they learn "secret[s]" that are not to be shared (Pulitzer Center 30 Mar. 2012; 28 Too Many Dec. 2014, 20). For information about those secrets and Sande in general, please refer to Response to Information Requests LBR27521 from August 1997 and LBR38472 from March 2002. Sande member training takes place in bush schools [Sande bush, Sande grove, forest camps] (UN Dec. 2015, para. 46; VOA 13 Oct. 2016). Young girls take the time to get trained for domestic and social life, and they leave eligible for marriage (ibid.; Equality Now 2 Oct. 2015; IFEECH 14 Oct. 2015). FGM is allegedly part of the initiation ritual (UN Dec. 2015, para. 15; US 13 Apr. 2016, 16; VOA 13 Oct. 2016). 1.2 Organization, Hierarchy, Operation Sande is led by zoes, traditional practitioners (UN 20 Mar. 2014, 13; UN Dec. 2015, 19; 28 Too Many Dec. 2014, 9) who lead the bush schools, perform FGM and act as birth attendants (ibid.). Sources indicate that zoes hold significant influence in their community (International Crisis Group 30 Jan. 2004, 21; 28 Too Many Dec. 2014, 9). A chief zoe exercises authority over the Sande societies at a national level (UN Dec. 2015, para. 19). The Sande is hierarchically organized (Lavenda et al. 16 Feb. 2007 in Australia 6 Apr. 2009, sect. 1; Bledsoe 1980 in Norway 30 Mar. 2010, 6). The hierarchy is based on secrecy: the higher a person's status, the greater the secret knowledge that is revealed to them (ibid.; Lavenda, Robert et al. 16 Feb. 2007 in Australia 6 Apr. 2009, sect. 1). It is also tied to age: Young initiates are lowest in status, but have more prestige than the few people in their tribal group who are not members of the secret society, for many people believe that non-initiates are ignorant of important cultural secrets. [] In general, the older people are, the more status they have in secret society, even if they do not hold office. (Bledsoe 1980 in Norway 30 Mar. 2010, 6) 1.2.1 Selecting Zoes In Sande, according to B.L. Bellman, author of The Language of Secrecy [1984], a zoe's power is hereditary and is passed from mother to daughter (Australia 12 June 2007, sect. 5). It is typically passed on to the eldest daughter, but the selection for the replacement may also take into account the child's interest in and skill at working with "medicines." (ibid.). Corroborating information or any information about the consequences for an individual who refuses to take on the role of zoe could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response. 2. The Relationship Between the State and Secret Societies 2.1 The Power of Secret Societies The Sande and Poro secret societies are seen as powerful institutions (Norway 30 Mar. 2010, 3; Thomson Reuters Foundation 4 Aug. 2016) and "influential" (Equality Now 2 Oct. 2015; UN Dec. 2015, para. 15). The UNMIL report states that they are held in high esteem by the public because of their role in passing on values and skills from one generation to the next (UN Dec. 2015, para. 7). Secret societies hold power over the communities, resolving disputes (International Crisis Group 6 Apr. 2006, i; Australia 5 Aug. 2009, 1) and condemning members who have defied established social norms (ibid.). In addition, the village's important political decisions are made by the secret societies (International Crisis Group 8 Dec. 2004, 26; Pulitzer Center 30 Mar. 2012). Some sources describe membership in a secret society as a condition for exercising power in your community (28 Too Many Dec. 2014, 20; Equality Now 2 Oct. 2015). Families who opt out of secret societies are considered "sinners" and are "treated as outcasts" (Pulitzer Center 30 Mar. 2012). Only individuals who are members of the Sande and Poro societies can take part in decisions concerning the village (Thomson Reuters Foundation 6 Feb. 2014; Pulitzer Center 30 Mar. 2012). International Crisis Group also reported in 2004 that since the zoes have considerable power and influence in the communities, politicians are using them to win support and legitimacy in rural areas (International Crisis Group 30 Jan. 2004, 21). They are also trying to become members of the secret societies and control them (ibid.). Corroborating information could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response. According to UNMIL, the chief Poro zoe is the head of the National Council of Chiefs and Elders (NCCE), the representative body of traditional authorities in Liberia (UN Dec. 2015, para. 20). The council is [UN English version] "highly influential" and is consulted by state authorities on all matters related to society; it plays an advisory role on internal affairs in the country and it is mandated to help the government maintain peace (ibid.). Corroborating information could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response. 2.2 The State's Power over Secret Societies UNMIL explains that in Liberia, two departments oversee secret societies: the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA), which supervises the activities of secret societies and the NCCE, but the minister of which is second in authority (to the chief Poro zoe) with respect to cultural affairs; and the Ministry of Information, Cultural Affairs and Tourism (MICAT), which promotes and preserves culture but does not oversee traditional practices or cultural societies (UN Dec. 2015, para. 21-22). Corroborating information or additional information about the state's power over secret societies could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response. 3. Sande's Treatment of Individuals who Speak out Against or Oppose its Activities During their initiation, Sande members take an oath not to reveal anything about what has taken place in the bush (Pulitzer Center 30 Mar. 2012; Thomson Reuters Foundation 6 Feb. 2014; UN Dec. 2015, para. 18). They are forbidden from disclosing the practices of the secret society, at the risk of facing supernatural or physical sanctions (28 Too Many Dec. 2014, 20). Those sanctions can even include death (Pulitzer Center 30 March 2012; UN Dec. 2015, para. 13 and 18). Non-members are also prohibited from discussing the secret society's activities or attending them, under threat of various sanctions (ibid., 13). According to 28 Too Many, those sanctions can include forced initiation (28 Too Many Dec. 2014, 21; AFP 30 Mar. 2012), while other sources mention FGM (AFP 30 March 2012; Equality Now 2 Oct. 2015). Sources indicate that activists and journalists who speak out against FGM or secret societies are putting themselves in danger (Thomson Reuters Foundation 6 Feb. 2014; 28 Too Many Dec. 2014, 10). For example, Phyllis Kimba [head of the National Association on Traditional Practices Affecting the Health of Women and Children (NATPAH) (28 Too Many Dec. 2014, 10)], had her house burnt down after she made a speech criticizing FGM before the UN (28 Too Many Dec. 2014, 10; PRI 19 Nov. 2012) in March 2012 (ibid.). Liberian journalist Mae Azango, who published a report on the Sande ritual of FGM in the Liberian daily titled Front Page Africa on 8 March 2012 (Front Page Africa 8 Mar. 2012), was threatened by Sande members (Pulitzer Center 30 Mar. 2012; AFP 30 Mar. 2012; Thomson Reuters Foundation 6 Feb. 2014). According to Agence France-Presse (AFP), she received anonymous telephone calls, was sought after at her home and at the newspaper, and her daughter was almost taken by force to be cut (AFP 30 Mar. 2012). According to sources, she received death threats (AI 13 Mar. 2012; PRI 19 Nov. 2012), and other sources report that she had to go into hiding (AFP 30 Mar. 2012; Thomson Reuters Foundation 6 Feb. 2014; IFEECH 14 Oct. 2015). UNMIL states the following: During the reporting period, HRPS documented seven cases (involving 11 victims) of the Sande society forcibly initiating or attempting to forcibly initiate adult women. In at least five of these cases, FGM was used as a threat or as a punishment for perceived wrongs committed against Sande members. For example, in February 2012, in Tweh Town, Tappita District, Nimba County, five women were allegedly threatened with forcible initiation following an argument with two zoes. In January 2013, in Bacconee, District 5, Grand Bassa County, a woman and her three-month-old child were abducted, and the mother was allegedly subjected to FGM, allegedly in retaliation for insulting a Sande member. In July 2013, a 48-year-old nurse in Zuluyee Town, Nimba County, was threatened with forcible initiation and FGM for stating that traditional birth attendants should encourage pregnant women to use the local health facility in order to prevent maternal deaths. Her statement was reportedly considered an affront to Sande culture and tradition. (UN Dec. 2015, para. 63) In January 2010, a village chief sentenced Liberian Ruth Berry Peal to undergo FGM and be forcibly initiated into Sande because she had an argument with some initiates (28 Too Many Dec. 2014, 21 and 58; Equality Now 2 Oct. 2015). When she launched proceedings against the women who cut her against her will, her husband and children were threatened by Sande zoes because she had disclosed Sande secrets (ibid.). 4. State Protection Liberia's penal law criminalizes some activities that may be associated with traditional practices, including assault, kidnapping, felonious restraint, endangering the welfare of a child or negligent homicide (UN Dec. 2015, para. 41). Some of the secret societies' practices are officially prohibited under Liberian law, including forcible initiation, sassywood and ritualistic killings (ibid., para. 39-41). Performing FGM on children or on adults without their consent is also prohibited by law (ibid.; UN 29 Oct. 2015). However, sources indicate that secret societies, including Sande, act with impunity in Liberia (Equality Now 2 Oct. 2015; UN 18 Dec. 2015). According to UNMIL: Despite the domestic legal framework prohibiting some of those practices, these and other harmful practices are largely left unaddressed by the formal justice system because they are widely considered as being part of the national culture and traditions. Hence these hinder the rule of law and the protection of victims. (UN Dec. 2015, para. 3) In Liberia, according to some sources, there is a traditional system of customary law that operates beyond the official justice system with respect to issues involving culture and traditions (Australia 5 Aug. 2009; UN 29 Oct. 2015; UN Dec. 2015, para. 10). According to a Liberian lawyer, who cited the case of Mae Azango as an example, [translation] "there is nothing the law can do" when a customary law such as FGM has been violated (AFP 30 Mar. 2012). UN agencies report that authorities hesitate to intervene in issues involving secret societies, for political (UN 29 Oct. 2015; UN in Australia 5 Aug. 2009) or financial reasons (ibid.). If they oppose them, they could lose votes (UN 29 Oct. 2015; 28 Too Many Dec. 2014, 10). Others are simply scared (AFP 30 Mar. 2012; UN Dec. 2015, para. 18) or loyal, such as civil servants who are themselves sometimes members of these societies (ibid.). Sources indicate that Liberian authorities have made efforts in recent years to try and provide a framework for secret society practices in order to curtail abuse, such as forcible initiation (UN 20 Mar. 2014, 13; UN Dec. 2015, para. 105). In 2012, the government announced a shutdown of Sande's activities and stopped issuing permits that allow zoes to perform FGM (28 Too Many Dec. 2014, 58; Pulitzer Center 30 Mar. 2012) in the wake of the uproar of the Mae Azango affair (ibid.). The NCCE recommended abolishing forcible initiation of children and non-practising adults (UN Dec. 2015, para. 106). These commitments were reiterated by the government in 2013 (UN 20 Mar. 2014, 13; Equality Now 2 Oct. 2015). However, in 2014, the United Nations Human Rights Council concluded that kidnappings, forcible initiation, FGM and bush schools were continuing, despite state protection (UN 23 Feb. 2015, para. 32-33). According to UNMIL, the guidelines issued by the government presumed that any prosecution would take place within the traditional justice system rather than the formal justice system since zoes may only be tried under customary law (UN Dec. 2015, para. 45). Corroborating information could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response. According to sources, in 2016, in order to have the new Liberian domestic violence bill brought before the House of Representatives, the ban on FGM had to be removed as it risked costing representatives votes during the 2017 elections (Front Page Africa 4 Oct. 2016; Thomson Reuters Foundation 4 Aug. 2016) and because it went against Sande interests (ibid.). 4.1 Examples After her forced initiation and forced FGM, Ruth Berry Peal was able to take her attackers to court, thanks to national and international support, and they were convicted (28 Too Many Dec. 2014, 21; Equality Now 2 Oct. 2015). However, they have never been arrested (ibid.). In 2015, the victim will still being threatened by Sande and, according to Equality Now, the state did not take any measures to protect her (ibid.). Corroborating information could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response. With respect to the case of Mae Azango, which resonated internationally and resulted in a call from Amnesty International (AI 13 Mar. 2012), Liberia's Minister of Information of Liberia ensured that all "necessary precautionary measures," including a police investigation, had been taken (The Daily Beast 23 Mar. 2012). He informed AFP that [translation] "the police were ordered to protect the journalist" (AFP 30 Mar. 2012). This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim for refugee protection. Please find below the list of sources consulted in researching this Information Request. References 28 Too Many. December 2014. Country Profile: FGM in Liberia. [Accessed 2 Nov. 2016] Agence France-Presse (AFP). 30 March 2012. "Liberia: une journaliste menacee pour ses enquetes sur des pratiques d'excision." [Accessed 9 Nov. 2016] Amnesty International (AI). 13 March 2012. Liberia. "La police doit prendre des mesures immediates pour proteger une journaliste." (AFR 34/001/2012) [Accessed 9 Nov. 2016] Australia. 5 August 2009. Refugee Review Tribunal (RRT). Liberia: Please provide information on state protection in Liberia. Would the police protect someone who refuses to be initiated into Poro (tattoos) by the family? [Accessed 9 Nov. 2016] Australia. 6 April 2009. Refugee Review Tribunal (RRT). Liberia: 1. Please provide information on the Kpelle, including their traditional practices, and their location within Liberia. 2. Is conversion to Christianity and refusal to adhere to traditional practices a problem for Kpelle living in Liberia? 3. Please provide information on the NPFL and their use of child soldiers, including information on the peace agreement and their demobilisation. 4. Please provide information on passport procedures in December 2007 and whether it is possible to get a passport through connections or bribes. 5. Please advise if there is a special deal between Liberia and China re entry into and employment of persons. 6. Please provide brief information on the current political environment in Liberia. [Accessed 9 Nov. 2016] Australia. 12 June 2007. Refugee Review Tribunal (RRT). Liberia: 1. What evidence is there of the existence of the Neegee Society? 2. Does the Society operate in particular provinces of Liberia and if so which ones? 3. Is there any information about the purposes or practices of the Society? 4. How are members of the Society recruited? 5. Is there any information on leadership of the Society? Is there a group of elders (Zoes) and if so how are elders selected? 6. Is there any documented evidence or research on recruitment and succession practices of any other secret societies in Liberia? 7. What is the attitude of state authorities towards secret societies such as the Neegee Society? Are people found to be members of such a society punished in any way? 8. How strong is the rule of law throughout Liberia currently? 9. Are state agencies able to protect people in rural areas? 10. Are refugees and others who fled Liberia or were internally displaced during the war able to return to their homes and reclaim property? 11. Would a person with no family be able to survive independently in Monrovia today? [Accessed 9 Nov. 2016] The Daily Beast. 23 March 2012. Danielle Shapiro. "Liberian Writer Mae Azango Forced into Hiding for Story on Female Genital Cutting."[Accessed 23 Nov. 2016] Equality Now. 2 October 2015. Information on Liberia for Consideration by the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women at its 62nd Session (26 October 20 November 2015). [Accessed 2 Nov. 2016] Front Page Africa. 4 October 2016. Mae Azango. "FGM in, Affirmative Action out Where Does Liberia Stand on Women's Rights." (Factiva) Front Page Africa. 8 March 2012. Mae Azango. "Growing Pains: Sande Tradition of Genital Cutting Threatens Liberian Women's Health." [Accessed 23 Nov. 2016] IBIS. 18 April 2012. Building the Future Together. Country Strategy for IBIS in Liberia, 2012-2016. [Accessed 2 Nov. 2016] International Crisis Group. 6 April 2006. Liberia: Resurrecting the Justice System. Africa Report No. 107. [Accessed 14 Nov. 2016] International Crisis Group. 8 December 2004. Liberia and Sierra Leone: Rebuilding Failed States. Africa Report No. 87. [Accessed 14 Nov. 2016] International Crisis Group. 30 January 2004. Rebuilding Liberia: Prospects and Perils. Africa Report No. 75. [Accessed 23 Nov. 2016] International Freedom of Expression Exchange Clearing House (IFEECH). 14 October 2015. "Profile - Mae Azango." (Factiva) Liberia Institute of Statistics and Geo-Information Services (LISGIS), Ministry of Health and Social Welfare [Liberia], National AIDS Control Program [Liberia], ICF International Inc. 2014. Liberia: Demographic and Health Survey 2013. [Accessed 17 Feb. 2017] Norway. 30 March 2010. LandInfo: Country of Origin Information Centre. Temanotat - Liberia-Sierra Leone: Poro/sande og andre "hemmelige samfunn." [Accessed 9 Nov. 2016] Public Radio International (PRI). 19 November 2012. "A Dangerous Job: Fighting Against Female Genital Mutilation in Liberia." [Accessed 21 Nov. 2016] Pulitzer Center. 30 March 2012. Mae Azango. "The Costs for Girls: 'Why I Welcome Leaders' Decisions'."[Accessed 1 Nov. 2016] Thomson Reuters Foundation. 4 August 2016. Kieran Guilbert. "Lack of FGM Ban in Domestic Violence Law Fails Liberia's Girls, Activists Say." (Factiva) Thomson Reuters Foundation. 6 February 2014. Emma Batha. "Secret Societies Make Liberia One of the Hardest Places to end FGM." [Accessed 22 Nov. 2016] United Nations (UN). December 2015. United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL). An Assessment of Human Rights Issues Emanating from Traditional Practices in Liberia. [Accessed 2 Nov. 2016] United Nations (UN). 18 December 2015. UN News Service. "Liberia: UN Report Calls for Ending Sometimes Deadly Cultural Practices that Violate Human Rights." [Accessed 2 Nov. 2016] United Nations (UN). 29 October 2015. Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW). "Le Comite pour l'elimination de la discrimination a l'egard des femmes examine le rapport du Liberia." [Accessed 22 Nov. 2016] United Nations (UN). 23 February 2015. Human Rights Council. Compilation Prepared by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in Accordance with Paraaph 15(b) of the Annex to Human Rights Council Resolution 5/1 and Paraaph 5 of the Annex to Council Resolution 16/21 Liberia. (A/HRC/WG.6/22/LBR/2) [Accessed 20 Feb. 2017] United Nations (UN). 20 March 2014. Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW). Examen des rapports presentes par les Etats parties conformement a l'article 18 de la Convention - Septieme et huitieme rapports periodiques devant etre soumis en 2013 - Liberia. (CEDAW/C/LBR/7-8) [Accessed 9 Nov. 2016] United States (US). 13 April 2016. Department of State. "Liberia." Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2015. [Accessed 2 Nov. 2016] Voice of America (VOA). 13 October 2016. James Butty. "Liberian Girls Discuss Hurdles to Their Education." [Accessed 2 Nov. 2016] Additional Sources Consulted Oral sources: Action Aid Liberia; Equality Now; Forum for African Women Educationalists; Inter-African Committee on Traditional Practices; Kvinna Till Kvinna Foundation; Open Society Initiative for West Africa. Internet sites, including: ecoi.net; Federation internationale des ligues de droits de l'homme; Freedom House; Human Rights Watch; IRIN; ReliefWeb; United Nations Refworld. United States: Loss of permanent residence status, including whether it is automatically lost as a result of remaining outside the US for a period of time; whether proof of such a loss is issued by authorities; procedure for cancelling permanent residence status granted to a refugee, including whether submitting USCIS form I-407 is sufficient; requirements and procedures for reacquiring permanent residence status (2014-November 2016) Publisher Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada Publication Date 2 December 2016 Citation / Document Symbol USA105691.E Related Document(s) Etats-Unis : information sur les circonstances dans lesquelles les autorites des Etats-Unis saisissent le passeport et/ou d'autres pieces d'identite d'un demandeur d'asile, y compris lorsqu'une personne est detenue avant son entrevue visant a determiner la credibilite de la crainte; information indiquant si une personne se voit remettre une copie des documents saisis ou peut demander une copie des documents saisis; si les demandeurs d'asile qui en font la demande se voient remettre des copies d'office Cite as Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, United States: Loss of permanent residence status, including whether it is automatically lost as a result of remaining outside the US for a period of time; whether proof of such a loss is issued by authorities; procedure for cancelling permanent residence status granted to a refugee, including whether submitting USCIS form I-407 is sufficient; requirements and procedures for reacquiring permanent residence status (2014-November 2016), 2 December 2016, USA105691.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/58cff75d4.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. Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Ottawa 1. Loss or Abandonment of Lawful Permanent Resident Status The website of the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) indicates that once a person becomes a Lawful Permanent Resident (LPR), also known as a Green Card holder, LPR status is maintained until the person applies and completes the naturalization process or until the LPR status is lost or abandoned (US 17 Feb. 2016a). According to the same source, a person "will lose [their] permanent resident status if an immigration judge issues a final removal order" against them (ibid.). USCIS reports that an individual "may lose" their LPR status by intentionally abandoning it, or, the person may be found to have abandoned their status by: Moving to another country with the intention of living there permanently; Failing to file income tax returns while living outside of the US for any period of time; Declaring oneself a 'nonimmigrant' on one's US tax returns (ibid.). According to the website of the Chodorow Law Offices, which is a law firm based in Beijing specializing in US immigration matters (Chodorow Law Offices n.d.), "if it appears [that a person has] abandoned [their] Lawful Permanent Resident status and [they] are not willing to voluntarily give it up, the [Customs and Border Protection, CBP] officer may refer [the person] to Immigration Court for a judge to determine whether [the person has] lost [their] status (ibid. 20 Feb. 2016). Corroborating information could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response. 1.1 Lawful Permanent Resident Status and Absence from the US The USCIS webpage about maintaining LPR status indicates that remaining outside of the US for an extended period of time may result in a person losing LPR status, unless the intention of the departure is a temporary absence, which can be demonstrated by showing: the reason for the trip, the length of the intended absence, and any events that may have prolonged the person's absence (US 17 Feb. 2016a). The website of the USCIS provides the following information on whether travel outside the US affects a person's LPR status: Permanent residents are free to travel outside the United States, and temporary or brief travel usually does not affect your permanent resident status. If it is determined, however, that you did not intend to make the United States your permanent home, you will be found to have abandoned your permanent resident status. A general guide used is whether you have been absent from the United States for more than a year. Abandonment may be found to occur in trips of less than a year where it is believed you did not intend to make the United States your permanent residence. While brief trips abroad generally are not problematic, the officer may consider criteria such as whether your intention was to visit abroad only temporarily, whether you maintained U.S. family and community ties, maintained U.S[.] employment, filed U.S. income taxes as a resident, or otherwise established your intention to return to the United States as your permanent home. Other factors that may be considered include whether you maintained a U.S. mailing address, kept U.S. bank accounts and a valid U.S. driver's license, own property or run a business in the United States, or any other evidence that supports the temporary nature of your absence. (US 17 Feb. 2016b) The website of Chodorow Law Offices indicates that if a person spends more than six months outside of the US, they risk abandonment of their LPR status, noting that "this is especially true after multiple prolonged absences or after a prior warning by a [US CBP Officer] at the airport" (Chodorow Law Offices 10 Feb. 2016). According to Chodorow Law Offices, in terms of how long a person with LPR status can stay abroad, the website states that "there is no specific time limit for what 'temporary' means" (ibid.). The same source provides a definition of a "temporary" stay abroad from the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit: we hold that a permanent resident returns from a 'temporary visit abroad' only when (a) the permanent resident's visit is for 'a period relatively short, fixed by some early event,' or (b) the permanent resident's visit will terminate upon the occurrence of an event having a reasonable possibility of occurring within a relatively short period of time. If as in (b), the length of the visit is contingent upon the occurrence of an event and is not fixed in time and if the event does not occur within a relatively short period of time, the visit will be considered a 'temporary visit abroad' only if the alien has a continuous, uninterrupted intention to return to the United States during the entirety of his visit. (ibid.) USCIS notes that obtaining a re-entry permit from USCIS prior to departure, or a returning resident visa (SB-1), obtained from a US consulate abroad, may assist a lawful permanent resident to demonstrate that their absence from the US was intended to be temporary in nature (US 17 Feb. 2016a). According to sources, the re-entry permit is valid for up to two years from the date of issuance (ibid. Oct. 2013; Chodorow Law Offices 10 Feb. 2016). USCIS indicates that a re-entry permit is obtained by filing Form I-131, Application for Travel Document, while physically present in the US and no fewer than 60 days before leaving the US (US Oct. 2013). According to the Chodorow Law Offices, having a re-entry permit does not guarantee that the permanent resident will be able to re-enter the US (Chodorow Law Offices 10 Feb. 2016). In correspondence with the Research Directorate, an associate at Niren and Associates, a Toronto-based firm specializing in US and Canadian immigration law, also stated that "after a Permanent Resident of the United States has been outside the US for more than one year without having an approved I-131 in hand, that individual will have to make an active application as a Returning Resident (SB-1)" (Attorney 24 Nov. 2016). The same source notes that in such cases, the reasons for one's absence must be "fully documented" and demonstrate "a valid reason that is outside of the individual's control" (ibid.). Copies of Form I-131, Application for Travel Document (Attachment 1), and Instructions for Form I-131 (Attachment 2) are attached to this Response. 2. Procedure on Voluntarily Abandoning Lawful Permanent Residence Status The website of USCIS explains that Form I-407 is used to voluntarily abandon one's LPR status (US 9 Mar. 2016). Sources report that there is no filing fee for Form I-407 (The National Law Review 20 Apr. 2015; US 9 Mar. 2016). The website of the US Embassy and Consulates in Canada states that "there are several ways to abandon LPR status, most of which do not require an individual to appear at a US consulate or embassy" (ibid. n.d.). According to the same source, relevant forms can be submitted by mail to USCIS or at a port of entry (ibid.). A copy of Form I-407, Record of Abandonment of Lawful Residence (Attachment 3) and Instructions for Form I-407 (Attachment 4) are attached to this Response. Information provided on the website of the US Embassy and Consulates in Canada further states that if a person wishes to abandon their LPR status in person before a Consular Officer, but does not wish to apply for a non-immigrant visa, an appointment with a Consular Officer must be made (ibid.). Such an appointment is made by emailing a consulate or embassy with the subject line "Request for Appointment to Abandon LPR Status" and providing the following details: full name; date of birth; place of birth, including city and country; and the "A" file number as listed on the Alien Registration Receipt Card, which is also known as the I-551 or Green Card (ibid.). The same source indicates that the applicant is required to bring the following to the appointment with the Consular Officer: Completed I-407 Form, which is to be signed during the appointment (ibid.). The website of USCIS explains that when Form I-407 is submitted by mail, it is imperative to sign the form at "'Part 1, Item Number 13.a., Signature of Alien'" (ibid. 9 Mar. 2016); The Alien Registration Receipt Card (ibid. n.d.). If the card has been lost, stolen, mutilated or not available, it needs to be indicated in Part 1, item 11.b (ibid.); Any other issued USCIS booklets and cards, if applicable (ibid.); Proof of sole legal custody if both parents do not sign Form I-407, in the case of minors (ibid.). Sources indicate that the abandonment of Lawful Permanent Resident status is irrevocable (ibid.; Knapp n.d.). The website of the US Embassy and Consulates in Canada explains that once the LPR status is abandoned, the previous status as a non-immigrant applies (US n.d.). According to the attorney at Niren & Associates, the request to abandon one's LPR status is essentially not revocable, "unless it can be proven that the individual did not voluntarily relinquish the permanent residen[t] status" (Attorney 24 Nov. 2016). Information on alternative or specific procedures for abandoning the LPR status granted to a refugee could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response. 3. Proof of Loss of Permanent Resident Status The USCIS website states that following the submission of the I-407 form, USCIS "will then update [the applicant's] records to show that [the person is] no longer an LPR" (9 Mar. 2016). Concerning whether US authorities issue documents proving a loss of LPR status, the attorney indicated that "there should be such a notice provided but it is not always the case, particularly with cases [where LPR status is] 'voluntarily relinquished' at a Port-of-Entry" (Attorney 24 Nov. 2016). According to an article posted on 20 April 2015 in The National Law Review, a print and online resource providing legal analyses (The National Law Review n.d.), once the LPR status is abandoned, the "[C]onsular [O]fficer will provide the individual with a formal signed copy of the [I-407] Form" (ibid. 20 Apr. 2015). The same source indicates that: the official signed [I-407 Form], received after the consular appointment/interview, demonstrates the individual's clear intent of relinquishing immigrant/[L]awful [P]ermanent [R]esident status and can be used when filing for future visas to enter the [US] (ibid.). An article by Kyle Knapp, a US immigration attorney whose practices focuses on helping organizations to hire authorized non-US citizens to work in the US (Nolo n.d.a.), which was published on the Nolo website for "consumer friendly legal information" (ibid. n.d.b.), similarly states that the stamped copy of the completed I-407 Form received at the appointment with the Consular Officer is needed for future trips to the US (Knapp n.d.). Knapp further states that in cases where the documents required to abandon LPR status are not submitted in person, it is important to keep copies of the correspondence, the completed I-407 Form and the Alien Registration Receipt Card (ibid.). 4. Reacquiring Lawful Permanent Resident Status The website of the US Embassy and Consulates in Canada explains that abandoning one's LPR status "does not affect [one's] ability to apply to immigrate to the [US] at some future time" and that "the usual application process" would have to begin anew (US n.d.). Similarly, Knapp indicates that "surrendering the green card does not preclude someone from making another application for [LPR] status in the future," but that this would require the person to "start over from square one" (Knapp n.d.). According to information provided by the US Embassy and Consulates in Canada, "an individual who relinquishes [L]awful [P]ermanent [R]esident status must qualify again for such status" (US n.d.). This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim for refugee protection. Please find below the list of sources consulted in researching this Information Request. References Attorney, Niren & Associates, Toronto. 24 November 2016. Correspondence with the Research Directorate. Chodorow Law Offices. 10 February 2016. "Green Card Holders Who Stay Abroad Over 6 Months Risk Abandonment." [Accessed 24 Nov. 2016] Chodorow Law Offices. N.d. "Contact Us." [Accessed 25 Nov. 2016] Knapp, Kyle. N.d. "How to Voluntarily Abandon Lawful Permanent Residence (a Green Card)." [Accessed 24 Nov. 2016] The National Law Review. 20 April 2015. Ali Brodie. "Abandoning Lawful Permanent Resident Status: Procedure & Considerations." [Accessed 22 Nov. 2016] The National Law Review. N.d. "FAQs and All About the National Law Review."[Accessed 22 Nov. 2016] Nolo. N.d.a. "Kyle Knapp." [Accessed 2 Dec. 2016] Nolo. N.d.b. "About US." [Accessed 24 Nov. 2016] United States (US). 9 March 2016. Citizenship and Immigration Services. "I-407, Record of Abandonment of Lawful Permanent Resident Status." [Accessed 14 Nov. 2016] United States (US). 17 February 2016a. Citizenship and Immigration Services. "Maintaining Permanent Residence." [Accessed 14 Nov. 2016] United States (US). 17 February 2016b. Citizenship and Immigration Services. "International Travel as a Permanent Resident." [Accessed 24 Nov. 2016] United States (US). October 2013. Citizenship and Immigration Services. "I am a Permanent Resident. How Do I Get a Reentry Permit." [Accessed 24 Nov. 2016] United States (US). N.d. US Embassy and Consulates in Canada. "Abandonment of Lawful Permanent Resident (LPR) Status." [Accessed 15 Nov. 2016] Additional Sources Consulted Oral sources: Benach Collopy, LLP; Davies & Associates, LLC; Fox Rothschild LLP; Kriezelman Burton & Associates, LLC; Law Office of Geri N. Kahn; Law Office of Negar Achtari; US - Citizenship and Immigration Services, Embassy in Ottawa. Attachments United States: Circumstances in which US authorities seize an asylum claimant's passport and/or other identity documents, including whether this happens if a person is detained prior to their credible fear interview; whether the person is given a copy of the seized documents or could request a copy of the seized documents; if requested, whether asylum claimants are provided copies as a matter of course Publisher Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada Publication Date 28 April 2016 Citation / Document Symbol USA105506.E Related Document(s) Etats-Unis : information sur les circonstances dans lesquelles les autorites des Etats-Unis saisissent le passeport et/ou d'autres pieces d'identite d'un demandeur d'asile, y compris lorsqu'une personne est detenue avant son entrevue visant a determiner la credibilite de la crainte; information indiquant si une personne se voit remettre une copie des documents saisis ou peut demander une copie des documents saisis; si les demandeurs d'asile qui en font la demande se voient remettre des copies d'office Cite as Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, United States: Circumstances in which US authorities seize an asylum claimant's passport and/or other identity documents, including whether this happens if a person is detained prior to their credible fear interview; whether the person is given a copy of the seized documents or could request a copy of the seized documents; if requested, whether asylum claimants are provided copies as a matter of course, 28 April 2016, USA105506.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/58cff8a94.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. Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Ottawa 1. In Cases of Detention and/or Removal The Department of Homeland Security (DHS)'s Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) branch manages the US civil immigration detention system (US n.d.b). In correspondence with the Research Directorate, a unit chief of the ICE's Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) stated the following: Upon initiation of proceedings for the removal of an alien, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) will generally confiscate any foreign and domestic government-issued documents either in the alien's possession or submitted to ICE ERO by the alien. ICE ERO will generally retain all confiscated documents during the pendency of proceedings, as well as with regard to aliens subject to a final order of removal, even if released from ICE ERO custody. Upon release of an alien from detention, the decision to retain or return any particular document will be made on a case-by-case basis, and be based on operational and evidentiary needs. Copies of passports and other identification documents retained by ICE ERO may be provided to the alien upon assessment of the alien's expressed need, unless there is an operational concern to restrict access. (ibid. 28 Apr. 2016) The unit chief indicated that there is no legislation concerning the circumstances in which documents are seized and that "ICE officers seize documents under their authority as immigration officers" (ibid.). In correspondence with the Research Directorate, the Deputy Legal Director for Human Rights First (HRF), a "non-profit, nonpartisan international human rights organization based in New York, Washington, DC and Houston" (HRF n.d.) that provides free legal representation to asylum applicants and advocates on refugee and asylum issues, provided information based on her experience and observation (Deputy Legal Director 11 Apr. 2016). She stated that if an asylum claimant is detained, DHS "routinely seizes whatever identity documents the person has in his or her possession" (ibid.). The same source explained that this typically happens when a person requests asylum upon arrival in the US or shortly after crossing the US-Mexico border and is detained before their credible fear interview (ibid.). She noted that the practice of seizing passports and other identity documents is "universal" in cases where the asylum claimant is detained and has the documents with them at the time of the detention (ibid.). Corroborating information could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response. The Deputy Legal Director of HRF stated that the passport is supposed to be returned to the claimant after the claimant wins his or her case or is removed from the US by DHS, unless the document is found to be fraudulent, in which case it is retained permanently (ibid.). However, she noted that the documents are not always returned when a claimant is granted asylum, particularly if the claimant and/or his attorney fail to ask for them at that time, after which she described the process of recovering original documents from the DHS as "notoriously difficult" (ibid.). The same source explained that if a claimant was detained by DHS, released, and sought asylum in Canada before their immigration proceedings in the US were concluded, their passport and other identity documents would typically remain in the possession of DHS (ibid.). Similarly, a procedural manual for asylum representation published in 2015 by the National Immigrant Justice Center [1], reports that if DHS obtains the client's passport, it will not be returned until the proceedings in the US have ended (Oct. 2015, 64). The Deputy Legal Director said that, in her experience, the claimant is not always given a copy of the seized documents by DHS, and that "the situations where DHS spontaneously gives a copy of those documents to the asylum claimant are in the minority" (Deputy Legal Director 11 Apr. 2016). Corroborating information could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response. The Deputy Legal Director noted that government counsel is required to provide a copy of the document to the asylum claimant if they are introducing it as evidence, and, in other circumstances, will usually provide a copy if it is requested, particularly if the request is made in court or at a hearing (ibid.). However, she stated that, if a person is released from detention without having received a copy of any documents seized from him or her by DHS, getting a copy of them from DHS counsel could prove logistically difficult (due to file transfers and lack of staffing of the case while it is between courts) and as a practical matter this would likely require the filing of a request under the Freedom of Information Act. (ibid.) 2. Cases Not Involving Detention In correspondence with the Research Directorate, a senior liaison officer with the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) explained that the process by which USCIS handles original documents submitted by asylum claimants is outlined in the Affirmative Asylum Procedures Manual [2] (US 12 Apr. 2016). The manual indicates that when a claimant provides an original document, the asylum officer makes a copy of the document, signs it and writes "'original seen and returned'" along with the date (US Dec. 2015, 16). The manual also states the following: [a]n Asylum Officer may receive a document as evidence and consider it in conjunction with the adjudication of the asylum application. The Asylum Officer may retain the document for purposes of determining its authenticity until the conclusion of the adjudication. When an adjudication is complete and a document has been determined to be authentic and to belong to the bearer and is not needed by USCIS for any other lawful purpose, USCIS must promptly return the document to the applicant. The Asylum Office may give the original document to the applicant at the time he or she picks up the decision or may mail the document to the applicant. If the Asylum Office returns the document to the applicant in person, the applicant should sign on the file copy of the document that he or she received the original. If the Asylum Office mails the document, it must be sent via certified mail with a return receipt. After the completion of the adjudication by the Asylum Officer, a fraudulent document or document that was fraudulently obtained may be retained. The Asylum Officer does not need the applicant's permission to retain the document. (US Dec. 2015, 16-17). The Deputy Legal Director of HRF stated that, [w]here an asylum seeker is never detained, DHS may or may not come into possession of the person's passport or other identification documents and may or may not retain them. Lawyers typically offer to make such original documents available to DHS counsel for their review when a case is in removal proceedings, and DHS counsel may or may not avail themselves of that option. (Deputy Legal Director 11 Apr. 2016) In correspondence with the Research Directorate, a senior attorney at Freedom House Detroit, a temporary home for asylum seekers in Detroit that assists claimants in the affirmative asylum, stated that it is not common for US authorities to seize an asylum claimant's passports during the affirmative process, unless it is suspected of being fraudulent or containing fraudulent information, but it is "more common" during the defensive asylum process (Senior attorney 19 Apr. 2016). Regarding the procedures for requesting the return of original documents submitted to USCIS "to establish eligibility for any immigration benefit," the USCIS senior liaison officer said that there is a form and instructions for requesting the return of original documents (G-884) (US 12 Apr. 2016). This form, G-884, Request for the Return of Original Documents (Attachment 1), as well as the document, Instructions for Form G-884, Request for the Return of Original Documents (Attachment 2), are attached to this Response. For a pending case, the USCIS website instructs requesters to submit the G-884 to the USCIS district, sub-office or service center that is processing the claim, or, if a final decision was issued, to the "USCIS office or service center that performed the last action on your case" (ibid. n.d.a). The website of the DHS's ICE branch notes that requests for documents in Alien files (A-files) are under the control of USCIS and requests for documents should be directed to USCIS (ibid. n.d.c). This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim for refugee protection. Please find below the list of sources consulted in researching this Information Request. Notes [1] The National Immigrant Justice Center (NIJC) is a program of Heartland Alliance, an "anti-poverty organization" that "works in communities in the US and abroad to serve those who are homeless, living in poverty, or seeking safety" (Heartland Alliance n.d.). The NIJC advocates for and provides legal services to immigrants, refugees, and asylum seekers in the US with the help of pro bono attorneys (NIJC n.d.). [2] According to the USCIS website, there are two ways of obtaining asylum in the US: the affirmative process and the defensive process (US n.d.d). Claimants who are physically present in the US, regardless of their immigration status, can apply for asylum affirmatively by making an application to USCIS (ibid.). The defensive process is for applicants in removal proceedings and those claims are brought before an immigration judge in adversarial ("courtroom-like") proceedings (ibid.). In cases where affirmative asylum claims are rejected, USCIS refers the case to the immigration courts for the defensive process (ibid.). References Deputy Legal Director, Refugee Representation, Human Rights First (HRF). 11 April 2016. Correspondence with the Research Directorate. Heartland Alliance. N.d. "About Us." [Accessed 25 Apr. 2016] Human Rights First (HRF). N.d. "About Us." [Accessed 25 Apr. 2016] National Immigration Justice Center (NIJC). October 2015. Basic Procedural Manual for Asylum Representation Affirmatively and in Removal Proceedings. [Accessed 12 Apr. 2016] National Immigration Justice Center (NIJC). N.d. "About NJIC." [Accessed 25 Apr. 2016] Senior attorney, Freedom House Detroit. 19 April 2016. Correspondence with the Research Directorate. United States (US). 28 April 2016. Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO), Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Correspondence from a unit chief to the Research Directorate. United States (US). 12 April 2016. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), Department of Homeland Security. Correspondence from a senior liaison officer. United States (US). December 2015. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Asylum Division: Affirmative Asylum Procedures Manual (AAPM). [Accessed 12 Apr. 2016] United States (US). N.d.a. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), Department of Homeland Security (DHS). "G-884, Return of Original Documents." [Accessed 19 Apr. 2016] United States (US). N.d.b. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Department of Homeland Security (DHS). "Detention Management." [Accessed 19 Apr. 2016] United States (US). N.d.c. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Department of Homeland Security (DHS). "FOIA Overview." [Accessed 19 Apr. 2016] United States (US). N.d.d. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), Department of Homeland Security (DHS). "Obtaining Asylum in the United States." [Accessed 20 Apr. 2016] Additional Sources Consulted Oral sources: America Immigration Lawyers Association; Americans for Immigration Justice; National Immigration Justice Center; United States - Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Department of Homeland Security, embassy in Ottawa. Attachments United States (US). N.d. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), Department of Homeland Security (DHS). "G-884, Request for the Return of Original Documents." [Accessed 19 Apr. 2016] United States (US). N.d. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), Department of Homeland Security (DHS). "Instructions for Form G-884, Request for the Return of Original Documents." [Accessed 19 Apr. 2016] UNHCR seeks equal treatment for all Rohingya in Bangladesh Publisher UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Author Vivian Tan Publication Date 20 March 2017 Cite as UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), UNHCR seeks equal treatment for all Rohingya in Bangladesh, 20 March 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/58cffab14.html [accessed 7 November 2022] At a glance, Mostafa and Sohel* have a lot in common. As a young man in 1992, Mostafa fled violence in the northern part of Rakhine state in Myanmar to seek refuge in Bangladesh. Twenty-five years later Sohel took the same journey. After weeks of violence amid a security operation in his village, the 22-year-old had to be carried across the Naf River to safety earlier this year, his body burnt and swollen. Pointing to the scars on his feet, Sohel said: "They beat us senseless and left us to die in a ditch. We were five people in the group, only three survived." Both men found refuge in Bangladesh, where Mostafa recently guided Sohel to a hospital to received treatment for his injuries. But despite their common Rohingya background and circumstances, Mostafa and Sohel are being treated very differently. As part of the influx of refugees in the early 1990s, Mostafa is among 33,000 registered refugees living in two government-run camps serviced by UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, and its partners in south-eastern Bangladesh. He has a home in Kutupalong camp and access to basic services including food assistance, healthcare and education for his wife and three children. Now in his 50s, he has learnt to speak English well and is working as a photographer in the camp. In contrast, Sohel has no legal status in Bangladesh as one of more than 70,000 Rohingya new arrivals who are believed to have fled a security operation between October 2016 and February 2017. He lives with people from his home village and keeps a low profile. He receives ad hoc assistance if he is lucky. A third category consists of an estimated 200,000 to 500,000 undocumented Rohingya who arrived in Bangladesh between the two influxes. They live in makeshift sites and local villages, and until recently had no access to humanitarian aid. "The current situation is not sustainable," said Shinji Kubo, UNHCR's Representative in Bangladesh. "Regardless of when they came and where they live, these people have the same needs and deserve equal access to protection and assistance." The new influx has highlighted the urgent need to verify the number and location of the new arrivals. Without this information, vulnerable refugees risk falling through the cracks while others could be receiving duplication of assistance. "We are advocating for a joint verification of the new arrivals with our partners as soon as possible," said Kubo. "This exercise will help the government and humanitarian agencies to better target assistance to those who need it the most, be they new arrivals, refugees who came earlier or locals who host them." UNHCR works with humanitarian agencies such as the International Organization for Migration and the World Food Programme in Cox's Bazar. Several thousand new arrivals are believed to be hosted in the two official camps, straining the capacity of existing refugees and the infrastructure. The water supply in Nayapara camp is expected to run out by the end of March and there are fears of disease outbreaks as a result of overcrowding and poor sanitation. Many more new arrivals are living in existing makeshift sites or new ones that have sprouted spontaneously. In Ukhiya district, a site called Balukhali has emerged in the last two months and now hosts 1,600 families, according to a local politician helping them. Located beyond some rice fields, it is a mish-mash of flimsy shelters and latrines made of thin plastic sheets, dried leaves, tree branches and bamboo. These structures could constitute safety and health hazards unless proper site planning is undertaken. Miriam*, 65, has just moved to Balukhali with her son's family. "We were living in a local village for more than two months but the leader said we can only receive assistance if we go to a camp," she said as her son cleared some land to build a shelter. "We have nowhere else to go, we'll have to stay here." The Bangladesh government has announced it will extend a 2016 census of undocumented Rohingya living outside the two camps to include the new arrivals. "In the long run, we hope that all Rohingya in Bangladesh can be documented to ensure full respect for their rights," said UNHCR's Kubo. "Knowing the profile of this population will also help us to identify longer-term solutions for them." Despite his traumatized state, Sohel is clear about one thing: "Here I am living in someone else's house and I worry about the future. If we are given status in Myanmar, we will definitely go back. *Names changed for protection reasons Former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers had strong words for President Donald Trump's administration on Sunday, warning that the White House could be squandering one of its most valuable assets. "I think that making policy based on facts, advancing issues based on analysis, is central to the effective functioning of government. And so I'm very concerned by the repeated tendency to engage in alternative facts and to assert things that are not supported by reality," Summers told CNBC from the China Development Forum in Beijing. "And I think over time that will do great damage to credibility, and in many ways in governing, credibility is the coin of the realm." Summers also addressed Saturday's communique from the G-20 finance ministers and central bankers , which appeared to break the long-standing practice of strongly endorsing open trade. That outcome indicated a victory for Trump's representative, Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin, and a defeat for nations like Germany who sought a strong defense for free trading principles. "I certainly wasn't encouraged and it certainly wasn't a favorable development," Summers said of the communique. "Having been involved in writing many G-7 and G-20 communiques, I don't think the world is hanging on that prose, so I think the real question is not what words there were in the communique, but what will happen over time." If there arises a global acceptance of protectionism, Summers said, then "that could be really quite damaging." But the G-20 message won't be "hugely consequential," he explained, if there is no movement toward increased tariffs. Follow CNBC International on Twitter and Facebook. More From CNBC Voting on Tuesday? Check here to get the information you need By David Shepardson and Mark Hosenball WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. authorities are planning to ban passengers travelling on certain U.S.-bound foreign airline flights from carrying into the cabin larger electronic devices in response to an unspecified terrorism threat, U.S. officials told Reuters on Monday. The new rule is expected to be announced as early as Monday by the Department of Homeland Security, the officials said, adding that it had been under consideration since the U.S. government learnt of a threat several weeks ago. A source said the rule would cover nearly a dozen foreign airlines. A separate government official confirmed an Associated Press report that the ban will impact 10 airports in eight countries in the Middle East and North Africa. Reuters reported earlier the ban would include airlines based in Jordan and Saudi Arabia. The officials did not name the other countries. The officials said no American carriers were affected by the ban, which would apply to devices larger than a cell phone, and none travel directly to the airports impacted from U.S. cities Passengers would be allowed to carry larger devices in their checked luggage like tablets, portable DVD players, laptops and cameras. Royal Jordanian Airlines said in a tweet on Monday that U.S.-bound passengers would be barred from carrying most electronic devices aboard aircraft starting Tuesday at the request of U.S. officials, including those that transit through Canada. Passengers can still carry cell phones and approved medical devices. Al Riyadh newspaper, which is close to the Saudi government, reported that the civil aviation authority had informed "airlines flying from the kingdom's (Saudi) airports to U.S. airports of the latest measures from U.S. security agencies in which passengers must store laptops and tablets" in checked in baggage. Al Riyadh quoted a civil aviation authority source as saying that these measures from senior U.S. authorities were relayed to the Saudi interior ministry. Saudia Airlines confirmed in a tweet that U.S. transportation authorities had barred carrying larger electronic devices in cabin luggage. The White House declined to comment. A spokesman for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, David Lapan, said the agency has "no comment on potential security precautions, but will provide an update when appropriate. Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly called congressional lawmakers this weekend to notify them of the plan, congressional aides said. In July 2014, the Homeland Security Department stepped up security of U.S.-bound flights, requiring tougher screening of mobile phones and other electronic devices and requiring them to be powered up before passengers could board flights to the United States. (Additional reporting by Yara Bayoumy; Editing by Sandra Maler, Toni Reinhold and Lisa Shumaker) Chinese President Xi Jinping (1st L) and Tajik President Emomali Rahmon (2nd L) attend the groundbreaking ceremony of the Tajikistan section of Line D of the Central Asia-China gas pipeline in Dushanbe, capital of Tajikistan, Sept. 13, 2014. After two decades of investing in Central Asia's energy sector, China appears to be shelving its gas pipeline expansion plans, prompting doubts about its economy and demand for the cleaner fuel. According to Russian reports, the fourth branch of China's far-flung pipeline system to carry gas from Turkmenistan through neighboring Uzbekistan has been put off "indefinitely." "The project has been postponed indefinitely with the agreement of the Chinese side," an unnamed official of the state oil and gas company Uzbekneftegaz told Interfax on March 2. Chinese officials have yet to comment on the suspension. Western media cited an initial report by Russian state news service RIA-Novosti that spending for the 210-kilometer (130-mile) Uzbek part of the project was left out of this year's state investment program, despite a rescheduled start date in April. After at least two previous delays since late 2015, the reports suggest that the planned project known as Line D, approved by President Xi Jinping in 2013, has been dropped. If the largest planned link in China's supply network from Central Asia has in fact been cancelled, it could mark a turning point on several levels as the country's economy cools. When gas started flowing through China's first 2,000-kilometer line (1,242-mile) from Turkmenistan in late 2009, Chinese investment and future gas demand were regarded in the region as virtually limitless. Everything has changed But with declines in global energy prices and China's lower economic growth rates, all that has changed. Despite environmental pressures and bullish projections, China's gas consumption growth has moderated since the start of the economic slowdown. Consumption rose 5.6 percent in 2014, 3.6 percent in 2015 and 8 percent last year, reaching 205.8 billion cubic meters (7.2 trillion cubic feet), according to official data and estimates by Platts energy news. The increases are a shadow of the double-digit growth rates of the previous decade. In November, a researcher at state-owned China National Petroleum Corp. (CNPC) said the country could face a gas surplus of 50 billion cubic meters (bcm) a year by 2020 due to long-term contracts for imports of liquefied natural gas (LNG) and pipeline expansion plans, Platts reported. The utilization of China's import pipelines stood at "around 50 percent" last year, said Feng Chenyue, senior economist at CNPC Research Institute of Economics and Technology. The outlook may have doomed the Line D project to add up to 30 bcm of annual capacity to the 55 bcm already in service from the three existing strands of the Central Asia system. Last year, China imported 72.1 bcm of gas including LNG, according to Platts. The numbers suggest that the Line D plan has become a casualty of the same overcapacity problem that has plagued the coal and steel industries, despite government efforts to switch more of China's energy consumption to the cleaner fuel. And although the government pushed CNPC to make big investments in the China-Central Asia system, it never devised a pricing policy that would avoid losses on gas imports or make the pipelines pay for themselves. "The economic justification for Line D was always dubious," said Edward Chow, senior fellow for energy and national security at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington. Aside from the economics, the Line D plan holds a special place in China's regional policy because it called for a new route through Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan to the Chinese border, unlike the first three strands through Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan. China's routes from Turkmen gas fields had previously bypassed the two poorest countries in the region, in large part because of a history of diversions by Kyrgyzstan from Russia's Soviet-era pipelines and fears of instability. The calculations changed in 2013 after CNPC acquired a one-third interest in Tajikistan's Bokhtar oil and gas field, which was said to be a giant discovery with 3.2 trillion cubic meters of gas reserves. The Line D route offered a chance for China to tap a major new regional resource and knit the region together at the same time. But prospects for Bokhtar development have been stalled by lack of financing and further complicated by legal disputes since last year. Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli (R) meets with Russian natural gas company Gazprom CEO Alexei Miller in Beijing, Feb. 15, 2017. Credit: Xinhua Lower energy prices The economics of the costly project also appear to have been overtaken by lower energy prices. "I have to imagine, whatever the geological findings might be, that their exploration interests waned considerably after the drop in oil and gas prices last July," Chow said. The problems for Line D are reminiscent of the false start to China's "go out" policy for Central Asian energy development in 1997, when it first promised to invest U.S. $9.5 billion (65.5 billion yuan) in Kazakhstan. The plans were set back for years after the onset of the Asian currency crisis. If the Line D cancellation is a replay of the 1997 experience, it may also be a measure of China's current economic concerns. The indefinite postponement of the Line D project stands in contrast to official statements about China's big investment in its "One Belt, One Road" initiative to promote trade routes and infrastructure for exports. Speaking during China's annual legislative sessions this month, a top planning official said the country had invested more than U.S. $50 billion (345 billion yuan) in "Belt and Road" countries since 2013. He Lifeng, head of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), said progress under the initiative was "better than expected," the official Xinhua news agency reported. Judging by the Plan D stoppage, the same does not apply to infrastructure investment for energy imports. "This episode also raises questions about the Belt and Road strategy when political aspirations meet economic reality," Chow said. If the pipeline cancellation turns out to be a watershed for China's energy investment in Central Asia, it may also be a turning point for its regional influence. In 2013, the plan for a transit route through the previously bypassed countries of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan suggested that China might advance its hegemony in Central Asia and provide a measure of energy security. Unlike Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, both Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan are importers of oil and gas. During a visit to Kyrgyzstan in 2015, Turkmenistan President Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov played up the security benefits of the Line D project. "The issues we are discussing concern the energy security and transport corridors that are of great importance not only for the region but also for the whole world," Berdymukhammedov said, according to an Interfax report at the time. Pulling in its horns As China pulls in its economic horns and limits foreign investment with tighter capital controls, those prospects for the region may be diminished. Western reports have highlighted the negative fallout for Turkmenistan, which has become almost exclusively reliant on the Chinese market for gas sales after having lost its business with Russia and Iran. China has made huge investments to support development of Turkmenistan's vast but technically challenging gas resources since providing an initial U.S. $3-billion (20.7-billion yuan) loan for developing the Galkynysh gas field in 2009. In 2011, China Development Bank agreed to lend an additional U.S. $4.1 billion (28.3 billion yuan) for second-stage development at the mammoth field, which ranks among the world's largest. In December, a CNPC official said gas imports from Turkmenistan had reached 152.9 bcm over the seven-year period, including 52.4 bcm produced by CNPC from Turkmenistan's Bagtyyarlyk contract territory under a production-sharing agreement. But if the Line D setback is a letdown for Turkmenistan, it may also be bad news for Russia, which has been investing in its Power of Siberia gas pipeline to China without the benefit of Chinese financial support. By the end of February, Russian monopoly Gazprom had completed 500 kilometers (311 miles) of the 3,000-kilometer (1,864-mile) project, which would eventually deliver 38 bcm per year through an eastern route to the Chinese market. Completion was initially scheduled for next year but initial supplies have since been predicted for 2019-2021. Whether China will need Russian pipeline gas by then remains to be seen. Gazprom has more than doubled its budget for investment in the Power of Siberia project from 72.1 billion rubles (U.S. $1.2 billion) in 2016 to 158.8 billion rubles (U.S. $2.7 billion) this year. But the increase falls short of the 250 billion rubles (U.S. $4.25 billion) that the company had projected earlier, Interfax reported in January. On March 10, the company announced plans to complete 663 kilometers (412 miles) of the Power of Siberia route this year. But earlier this month, a Gazprom official indicated that prospects were poor for Russia's preferred pipeline project to reach China from the west through Xinjiang due to weakening demand. "The process of talks has slowed down a little bit due to objective reasons," Gazprom deputy chairman Andrei Kruglov told the South China Morning Post. Kruglov cited "transformational changes" in China's economy as affecting gas demand, while the country's gas industry was "undergoing reform," the paper said. Cambodias ruling party under Prime Minister Hun Sen has created a climate of fear as the government widens a crackdown on the opposition and activists ahead of commune elections in June, a group of Southeast Asian politicians said Monday. In a report titled Death Knell for Democracy, the ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights (APHR) said democracy in Cambodia is being systematically dismantled, calling recently passed amendments to the countrys law on political parties the culmination of an ongoing effort to undermine the capacity of the political opposition. Over the course of the past two years, an assault on free expression, dissent, and opposition by the ruling Cambodian Peoples Party (CPP) has targeted nearly all segments of Cambodian political life, the report said. This has significantly impacted the oppositions ability to functionboth within Parliament and outside itand has created a climate of fear, which casts a dark shadow over all of Cambodian society. Opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) officials have warned that the CPP seeks to prevent its candidates from standing in the upcoming elections through a variety of different measures, including the passage of amendments to the political party law approved by the National Assembly on Feb. 20, despite an opposition boycott of parliament in protest. The new law bars anyone convicted of a crime from holding the top offices in a political party and forced former CNRP president Sam Rainsy to resign last month to preserve the party. Other amendments put the party at risk of being dissolved for fanning disunity, which observers say is deliberately vague. Since a culture of dialogue broke down with the CNRP in mid-2015, the CPP has launched a series of politically motivated cases, eroded parliamentary immunity protections, and orchestrated violence against opposition politicians, according to the APHR, a group made up of former and serving Southeast Asian lawmakers. The CPPs tactics have increasingly threatened not only the safety of opposition parliamentarians, but the credibility and effectiveness of democratic institutions themselves, including the capacity of the Parliament to serve its legislative, representative, and oversight roles, the report said. The report noted that at least 17 opposition parliamentarians, out of 66 in the National Assembly and Senate combined, have been direct victims of harassment and attacksjudicial or physicalwhile others face what it called looming threats in an unpredictable and hostile political climate. Renewed dictatorship Phil Robertson, deputy director of the Asia division of Human Rights Watch, told reporters in Bangkok at the launch of the report that Cambodia is suffering from a disease of renewed dictatorship. There is a renewed attack, not only on the opposition parliamentarians, but also on civil society, on independent media, on human rights defenders, on community-based groups and organizations who are trying to defend their area, their way of life, their land, he said. At this rate Cambodia is more on its way to the one-party rule wearing an ill-fitting robe of democracy that you see in places like Vietnam or Laoswhere the outcome is never in doubt and the candidates are vetted and controlled by the party. Robertson called the passage of the amendments to the law on political parties the capstone to what has been going horrible the whole year in Cambodia, adding that it had basically put a gun to the head of the CNRP ahead of elections the CPP is afraid of losing. Hun Sen was all for democracyor the facade of democracybut he's actually not prepared to accept any real challenge to his power that comes through that system, he said. People realize that he is the head of a party that has been looting the Cambodian economy for years He's now figuring out how you rule without popular support. The answer, with the political party amendment, is that 'if you don't like me, well make sure there are no other choices. Cambodias government spokesman Phay Siphan on Monday dismissed the APHR report as a political attack and said it violated ASEAN statues prohibiting member countries from interfering in one anothers internal affairs. They act like the puppet of a political group that is manipulating the terms of justice and freedom in Cambodian law for their propaganda, he said. Cambodia have followed the election laws. Elections have been held regularly in accordance with the will of Cambodians. Several parties have participated in each election. Cambodia is much better than some ASEAN countries [at holding elections]. Kings appeal Also on Monday, Cambodias top electoral body, the National Election Committee (NEC), published for the second time a rare open letter penned by the countrys King Norodom Sihamoni, urging all registered voters to cast their ballot in the June 4 commune elections. In the letter, dated Feb. 20, the king exhorts registered voters to take part in the election, which he pledges will take place in accordance with the democratic and multiparty principle, where voters can cast their ballots in secret. Voters should not be afraid to choose candidates who best represent their interests, despite outside influences, Sihamoni adds. Do not feel pressured, threatened or intimidated by any individual or political party, the letter reads. Please exercise your right to cast your vote with your own conscience and faith to a candidate of political party of your own choosing. The CPP won more than 70 percent of the vote and secured 1,592 of 1,633 communes in Cambodias 2012 local elections, held before the CNRP was formed. The opposition party won nearly half of the vote in the general election the following year. Observers say the CNRP could give the CPP, which has ruled Cambodia for more than 35 years, a run for its money in the June pollsa race that many believe may foreshadow the general election in 2018. Reported by Sereyvuth Oung and Maly Leng for RFAs Khmer Service. Translated by Nareth Muong. Written in English by Joshua Lipes. Authorities in China's rebel village of Wukan have threatened a local resident with the covert assassination of her U.S.-based son after he and other activists spoke out about round-the-clock surveillance and intimidation since clashes there last September. Wukan officials paid the mother of Zhuang Liehong a visit on March 17 after he and others spoke to the media about recent visits to the beleaguered village by rights activists. The campaign is a bid by Chinese activists to visit the village under cover, penetrating several layers of police checkpoints and camera-based surveillance to report on the situation on the ground following the expulsion of foreign journalists after the September crackdown. "At about 9:00 a.m. Beijing time on March 17, several government officials took my mother away from our home for questioning, and didn't release her again until past 5:00 p.m.," Zhuang told RFA. "An old lady who lives nearby was also detained that morning, because she had hosted [visiting activist] Cheng Yongzhong from Guangxi a few days earlier," he said. "But there has been no news of her yet." Police had told her that Zhuang could be assassinated by covert agents operating in the U.S., he said. "My mother was kept in a small interrogation room, in the chair used for interrogating suspects," he said. "More than a dozen officials hurled threats and insults at her the whole time, slamming the table with their fists, and threatening to go after me." "'We'll beat you to death, old lady,' they told her. They were particularly angry that I had tried to intercept President Xi Jinping's motorcade [during his U.S. trip], and they said they'd send someone to the U.S. to have me assassinated," Zhuang said. Security cordon More than a year after a police raid ended months of daily demonstrations, Wukan is under a security cordon six or seven levels deep, with residents under constant surveillance from security cameras. But last week, Chen Yongzong, a farmer-turned-rights activist from the southern region of Guangxi, made an incognito visit to take a look for himself, and to check up on the relatives of overseas natives of Wukan. The village in southern China's Guangdong province has been largely incommunicado since hundreds of armed police in full riot gear raided the village on Sept. 13, firing rubber bullets and tear gas into crowds of protesters who fought back with bricks from behind makeshift barricades. Chen said he had sneaked in past police checkpoints by night, but that it had been impossible for him to completely avoid security cameras once inside the village. He described local residents as being too frightened to speak to strangers, and the terror sparked by his visit to Zhuang's family home, as relatives feared possible reprisals. Zhuang said his mother was made to sit for hours with no food during the interrogation. "She was insulted and interrogated," he said. "After they were done, the officials tried to make my mother sign some documents, but she refused." "So they took her hand and forced her to make a fingerprint where her signature should be," he said, adding: "She said it was like the oppression of local people by the county government in the old days." Sun Zhigang, an overseas supporter of the campaign for Wukan, said Zhuang's mother should never have been questioned for receiving a visitor. "These are normal dealings between friends, between ordinary people; are they expected to report them to the police?" Sun said. "This is a very long way from the rule of law." Prison sentences A court in Guangdong in January sent nine Wukan residents to prison to begin serving sentences ranging from two to 10 years for their involvement in resistance to the armed police raid, without giving them a chance to appeal. The nine were sentenced by the Haifeng County People's Court on Dec. 26 for their part in resisting a raid that put an end to months of daily mass protest in Wukan following the loss of village land and the jailing of its former leader Lin Zuluan. They were found guilty of charges that included "unlawful assembly," "disrupting public order," "disrupting traffic," "obstructing official business," and "intentionally spreading false information." Wukan villagers have been campaigning for the return of land sold out from under them by former village chief Xue Chang, who was fired for corruption after an earlier round of protests and clashes in 2011, sparking fresh elections that saw Lin Zuluan take the helm. But even Lin and his newly-elected village committee found it hard to secure the return of the land amid powerful vested interests, political changes higher up, and a tangle of complex legal issues. September's raid by police on Wukan came after a court in Guangdong's Foshan city sentenced Lin to more than three years' imprisonment on "bribery" charges that local residents said were trumped up. Reported by Wong Lok-to for RFA's Cantonese Service, and by Qiao Long for the Mandarin Service. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie. Lee Ming-cheh (C), a Taiwan community college manager and lifelong member of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party, in an undated photo. A Taiwan community college manager and lifelong member of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) is incommunicado after arriving in mainland China to seek medical treatment for a sick relative. Friends and relatives of Lee Ming-cheh, who works as a manager at a community college in Taipei, say they haven't heard from him since his flight landed in Macau on Sunday. Cheng Shiowjiuan, who heads the Taipei Wenshan District Community College where Lee works, told RFA on Monday that he had been en route to a hospital in the southern Chinese province of Guangdong. "His mother-in-law is in a Taiwan hospital, and is too sick to move, so he had taken her medical notes over there for an assessment," Cheng said. Lee had boarded an Evergreen Airlines flight from Taipei to Macau at around 8 a.m. on Sunday morning, which was scheduled to land at 10.40 a.m. "He is incommunicado," Cheng said. "We haven't been able to contact him since he got on the plane [and] a friend who went to meet him at the airport waited for four hours, but he never showed up." "That's why his wife has started a campaign to save him," she said. Cheng said Lee's wife has contacted the Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF), a government-backed nonprofit that functions in the absence of formal diplomatic ties with mainland China, for assistance. She said Lee is a former secretary of the DDP party executive in Taoyuan county, and has had a lifelong involvement in human rights, democratic activism and nongovernment organizations (NGOs). "I think we can rule out the possibly of ordinary criminal proceedings," she said. "We think a more political explanation is possible." She said many lecturers at Taiwan's community colleges collaborate with NGOs in mainland China. Draconian NGO law Cheng said she fears his disappearance may be linked to China's draconian NGO law, putting control of NGOs in police hands and clamping down on funding from overseas. "The Chinese government recently brought out a law that brings in more stringent controls on NGOs and their staff and representatives," she said. "We are worried that he may face trumped-up charges because of this." A spokesman for the Taiwan government's Mainland Affairs Council said Lee's wife had been advised by the SEC to file a missing persons report with police in mainland China. "The SEF has been shown immigration records which show that Mr. Lee entered mainland China at 11.51 a.m. on March 19," spokesman Chiu Chui-Cheng said. "However, there are no records of him having been formally detained by police, nor of his having checked into a hotel," Chiu said. Chiu said current bilateral arrangements between Taiwan and mainland China allow for the mutual reporting of criminal cases involving the others' citizens. "But if the case involves considerations of national security, then they probably wouldn't report it, so we should think about that," he said. A border official who answered the phone at the Beihai immigration checkpoint, the crossing point from Macau to neighboring Guangdong, declined to comment. "You may think [he was detained], but we can't tell you anything about this," the official said. "If law enforcement really did take him away, then we wouldn't be allowed to tell you anyway." "His direct relatives or next of kin can always get in touch with the police themselves," he said. Another attack on civil society The Overseas NGOs Domestic Activities Management Law, which enables police to engage in daily supervision and monitoring of foreign civil society and rights groups operating in China, went into effect on Jan.1. Passed by the National People's Congress last April, the law was immediately criticized by rights groups as yet another attack on the country's embattled civil society. The legislation hands full authority for the registration and supervision of foreign NGOs in China to the country's ministry of public security, and police across the country. Chinese police are now able to enter the premises of foreign NGOs and seize documents and other information, as well as examine groups' bank accounts and limit incoming funds. They will also have the power to cancel any activities, revoke an organization's registration, impose administrative detention on its workers, as well as take part in the annual assessment of foreign NGOs, required for the renewal their operating permit. Police can also blacklist NGOs deemed guilty of national security-related crimes like subversion or separatism, although definitions of such crimes remain vague. The DPP once campaigned on a pro-independence platform, and while the party's rhetoric has softened in recent years, President Tsai Ing-wen has stopped short of endorsing a 1992 agreement with the Chinese Communist Party signed by her predecessors in the nationalist Kuomintang (KMT), angering Beijing. Taiwan began a transition to democracy following the death of Chiang's son, President Chiang Ching-kuo, in January 1988, starting with direct elections to the legislature in the early 1990s and culminating in the first direct election of the island's president Lee Teng-hui in 1996. Recent opinion polls indicate that there is broad political support for de facto self-rule in Taiwan, where the majority of voters identify as Taiwanese rather than Chinese. But while the Chinese Communist Party has never ruled the island, Beijing regards it as part of Chinese territory and has threatened to invade if Taiwan seeks formal independence. Reported by Ng Yik-tung and Sing Man for RFA's Cantonese Service, and by Hsia Hsiao-hwa for the Mandarin Service. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie. By Heather Somerville SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Ride services company Uber Technologies Inc has been thrust deeper into turmoil with the departure of company president Jeff Jones, a marketing expert hired to help soften its often abrasive image. Jones quit less than seven months after joining the San Francisco company, an Uber spokesman said on Sunday. In a statement to Reuters, Jones said he could not continue as president of a business with which he was incompatible. "I joined Uber because of its mission, and the challenge to build global capabilities that would help the company mature and thrive long term," Jones said. "It is now clear, however, that the beliefs and approach to leadership that have guided my career are inconsistent with what I saw and experienced at Uber, and I can no longer continue as president of the ride sharing business," he added. Jones wished the "thousands of amazing people at the company" well. Jones' role was put into question after Uber earlier this month launched a search for a chief operating officer to help run the company alongside Chief Executive Travis Kalanick. Jones had been performing some of those COO responsibilities. He joined Uber from Target Corp, where he was chief marketing officer and is credited with modernizing the retailer's brand. "We want to thank Jeff for his six months at the company and wish him all the best," an Uber spokesman said in an emailed statement. Uber's vice president of maps and business platform, Brian McClendon, said separately he plans to leave the company at the end of the month to explore politics. "I'll be staying on as an adviser," McClendon said in a statement to Reuters. "This fall's election and the current fiscal crisis in Kansas is driving me to more fully participate in our democracy." Jones and McClendon are the latest in a string of high-level executives to leave the company. Last month, engineering executive Amit Singhal was asked to resign due to a sexual harassment allegation stemming from his previous job at Alphabet Inc's Google. Earlier this month, Ed Baker, Uber's vice president of product and growth, and Charlie Miller, Uber's famed security researcher, departed. Technology news site Recode first reported Jones' departure on Sunday. Uber, while it has long had a reputation as an aggressive and unapologetic startup, has been battered with multiple controversies over the last several weeks that have put Kalanick's leadership capabilities and the company's future into question. 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 that is being led by former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder. Then, Bloomberg released a video that showed Kalanick berating an Uber driver who had complained about cuts to rates paid to drivers, resulting in Kalanick making a public apology. And earlier this month Uber confirmed it had used a secret technology programme dubbed "Greyball," which effectively changes the app view for specific riders, to evade authorities in cities where the service has been banned. Uber has since prohibited the use of Greyball to target local regulators. Uber is also facing a lawsuit from Alphabet Inc's self-driving car division that accuses it of stealing designs for autonomous car technology known as Lidar. Uber has said the claims are false. Jones joined Uber in August and was widely expected to be Kalanick's No. 2. Jones was tasked with overseeing the bulk of Uber's global operations, including leading the ride-hailing programme, running local Uber services in every city, marketing and customer service, and working with drivers. The Independent Drivers Guild, an organisation that advocates for Uber drivers, on Sunday was critical that Jones "has left the company without making a single improvement to help drivers struggling to make a living," said Ryan Price, executive director of the guild. (Reporting by Heather Somerville in San Francisco and Subrat Patnaik in Bengaluru, Editing by Alistair Bell, Himani Sarkar and Gopakumar Warrier) Wirathu, an outspoken member of Myanmar's ultranationalist Ma Ba Tha Buddhist movement, stands silently behind a lectern in Mandalay, March 2017. Religious authorities in Myanmars Mandalay have warned an outspoken and controversial figure in an ultranationalist Buddhist movement to not give sermons under a one-year ban on making public speeches because of his repeated hate speech and anti-Muslim rhetoric, a religious official said Monday. The Mandalay Sangha Maha Nayaka Committee informed Ma Ba Tha Buddhist organization member Wirathu that if he does not follow an order issued by the State Sangha Maha Nayaka (Ma Ha Na), it will take action against him, committee secretary Razeinna told RFAs Myanmar Service. The State Ma Ha Na is a government-appointed body of high-ranking Buddhist monks that oversees and regulates the Buddhist clergy in Myanmar. On March 10, the Ma Ha Na barred Wirathu, who frequently speaks out against Muslims, from making public speeches for one year because he repeatedly delivered hate speech against religions to cause communal strife and hinder efforts to uphold the rule of law, according to a statement issued by the religious body. The statement did not state what punishment he would receive for violating the ban. We called U [honorific] Wirathu and read him the order from the State Sangha Maha Nayaka Committees order and asked him to sign that he is aware of it because he said he didnt know the committee had banned him from making sermons, said Razeinna. We told him that we will take action against him if he doesnt follow the order from the State Sangha Maha Nayaka, he said. After the ban was issued, Wirathu attended sermons in Ayarwaddy and Mandalay regions and northern Myanmars Kachin State where he stood with his mouth taped shut in protest against the order. Ma Ba Tha has called the ban on sermons unconstitutional and has demanded an explanation for the decision. Wirathu supporters defamation lawsuit In a related development, a Yangon resident has filed a defamation lawsuit against the chief editor of the independent online news service Myanmar Now, a lawyer representing the journalist told RFA on Monday. Thet Myo Oo filed the lawsuit against Swe Win at Kyauktada Township court under Article 295(a) of Myanmars Penal Code, said Khin Maung Myint, Swe Wins lawyer. Article 295(a) prohibits deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs. The court has referred the case to the township police station to investigate, Khin Maung Myint said. Swe Win faces a maximum of three years in prison if convicted. 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, accusing him of committing a major violation of parajika [the Buddhist monastic code]. Wirathu demanded an apology from Swe Win within seven days, and Kyaw Myo Shwe, a Ma Ba Tha member and follower of Wirathu, filed a lawsuit under Section 66(d) of the Telecommunications Law, accusing him of defaming the monk. Section 66(d) prohibits use of the telecom network to defame people and carries a jail sentence of up to three years and a fine for those who violate it. Kyaw Myo Shwe withdrew the complaint earlier this month after being pressured by his family to do so. Now Kyaw Myo Shwe himself is being sued for defamation under Section 66(d) by a woman who claims he posted insulting comments about Myanmars de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi on his Facebook page. Kyaw Myo Shwe faces a maximum of three years in prison if convicted. At least 43 cases have been filed under Section 66(d) since March last year, when the current government came to power. Reported by Kyaw Thu for RFAs Myanmar Service. Translated by Khet Mar. Written in English by Roseanne Gerin. CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story erroneously identified Wirathu as vice chairman of Ma Ba Tha. Nearly 200 Tibetan residents of Sichuans Kardze county were taken into custody following the self-immolation at the weekend of Pema Gyaltsen, a Tibetan farmer, in the countys main town, sources in the region say. Meanwhile, details of Gyaltsens condition remain unclear, with some sources reporting he is now lying in critical condition in a hospital in Kardze instead of in the provincial capital Chengdu, where his family had wanted him taken. Gyaltsen, a native of Nyagrong (in Chinese, Xinlong) county in the Kardze (Ganzi) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, set himself ablaze in Kardze town at around 4:00 p.m. on March 18, sources told RFAs Tibetan Service. Pema Gyaltsen, who is from Nyagrong, staged his fiery protest at a crossroads in Kardze town and was taken away by police, one local source said, with another saying the protest took place near the towns bus station. Police quickly dispersed Tibetan onlookers, taking nearly 200 into custody, one source outside the region said, citing contacts in Kardze. Nearly 200 Tibetans who attempted to support Gyaltsen in his protest by raising cries in solidarity were taken away, the source said, adding, Police also confiscated the mobile phones of many of those who were detained. The source refuted earlier reports that Gyaltsen had been taken to a hospital in the provincial capital for treatment. His family asked the authorities to allow them to take him to Chengdu, but they refused because of concerns over custody issues, the source said. He was alive on March 19, when he was taken to the hospital in Kardze, but he was reported to be in critical condition, the source said. Gyaltsens protest brings to 147 the number of self-immolations by Tibetans living in China since the wave of fiery protests began in 2009. Most protests feature demands for Tibetan freedom and the return of the Dalai Lama from India, where he has lived since escaping Tibet during a failed national uprising in 1959. Reported by Lhuboom, Dawa Dolma, Sangye Dorjee, and Pema Ngodup for RFAs Tibetan Service. Translated by Karma Dorjee. Written in English by Richard Finney. Chinese police in Sichuans Ngaba county detained a Tibetan monk and woman last week after the two launched solo protests two days apart calling for freedom for Tibet, sources said. In the first protest, Lobsang Dargye, a monk belonging to Ngabas Kirti monastery, began to shout slogans on a main road of the county seat on March 16 but was quickly overpowered by police and taken away, a local source told RFAs Tibetan Service. Tibetans who witnessed the protest said that he called out for Tibetan freedom and the return of [exiled spiritual leader] the Dalai Lama to Tibet, RFAs source said, speaking on condition of anonymity. Unfortunately, his protest coincided with the presence in Ngaba of large numbers of security forces because of the March 10 anniversary, and he called out for only a short time before he was seized by police. On March 10, 1959, Tibetans in Lhasa rose up against Beijings tightening political and military control of the formerly independent Tibetan region, sparking a rebellion in which thousands were killed, and Chinese authorities in recent years have clamped down heavily in Tibetan areas on each anniversary, fearing further protests. This year, Chinese security personnel both in uniform and in plain clothes can be found almost at every five steps, RFAs source said, adding that the heightened security measures in Ngaba are expected to last until March 25. A second-year student at Kirti monastery, Dargye is a native of Upper Charu township in Ngaba. His fathers name is Gonpo, and his mothers name is Sonam Kyi, the source said. His relatives are really worried and concerned about his present condition, he said. Mother of two held Meanwhile, a Tibetan laywoman named Dukpe was taken into custody after launching a solo protest in Ngaba town on March 18, a second local source told RFA, also speaking on condition he not be named. Before her protest, she was in charge of maintaining the grounds near a statue of the Buddha in front of Kirti monastery, the source said. So far, no one knows where she has been taken, the source said, describing her as married and the mother of two children. Her fathers name is Ngakchung and her mothers name is Wangkyab, and she is a native of Ngabas Raru township. All her family members are worried about her, he said. Dargyes and Dukpes protests are the second and third to be reported from Ngaba county this year, and follow a similar protest by Kirti monastery monk Lobsang Tsultrim on Feb. 25. Kirti monastery and Ngabas main town have been the scene of repeated self-immolations and other protests in recent years by monks, former monks, nuns, and other Tibetans opposed to Chinese rule. Reported by Kunsang Tenzin for RFAs Tibetan Service. Translated by Karma Dorjee. Written in English by Richard Finney. A Catholic priest in Vietnam on Monday dismissed official claims that activists instigated a violent confrontation with local authorities during a February protest over the governments handling of a toxic waste spill off the countrys central coast. Dang Huu Nam of the Phu Yen parish, under central Vietnams Roman Catholic Vinh Diocese, told RFA he wrote a letter rejecting accusations by officials in Nghe An province that activists protesting Hanois settlement with the Formosa steel plant over its toxic waste spill had touched off the clash. I just sent a reply today, following letter number 1022 of the Nghe An Peoples Committee about the march on Feb. 14, Nam told RFAs Vietnamese Service. We reiterate that there was nothing wrong in what priest Thuc and his parishioners did. What they did was civil and should be encouraged. The government should have helped the people to exercise their rights. On Feb. 14, Catholic priest Nguyen Dinh Thuc led around 500 mostly Song Ngoc parishioners to deliver a petition to authorities in in Ha Tinh provinces Ky Anh district demanding adequate compensation for the losses caused by the spill in April, which poisoned much of the central coast. Police set upon the group, beating and arresting several demonstrators, sources told RFA at the time. Thuc claimed to have been beaten in the melee, but was rescued by fellow petitioners. On Monday, Nam told RFA that thousands of parishioners gathered Sunday for a church service in Song Ngoc and then marched to the local government office to protest Formosa. Parishioners from Manh Son, Vinh Yen, Cam Truong and Phu Yen went to Song Ngoc to attend a prayer servicethere were 7,000 people at its peak, Nam said. After the service, we marched to the Quynh Ngoc village office to express our concerns and then returned home, he said, adding that authorities observed the march, but did not intervene. Toxic spill In June, the Taiwan-owned Formosa Plastics Group acknowledged it was responsible for the release of toxic chemicals from its massive steel plant located at the deep-water port in Ky Anh district. The spill killed an estimated 115 tons of fish and left fishermen and tourism industry workers jobless in four central provinces. Vietnam's government said in a report to the National Assembly in July that the disaster had harmed the livelihoods of more than 200,000 people, including 41,000 fishermen. The company pledged U.S. $500 million to clean up and compensate people affected by the spill, but the government has faced protests over the amount of the settlement and the slow pace of payouts. Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc had ordered compensation for the affected people by the end of 2016, but many have yet to receive any money. Vietnams one-party communist state closely controls and monitors the Catholic community, the second largest religious group in the country after the Buddhists. Vietnamese Catholics have also been at the forefront of Formosa protests. In August, more than 200 policemen blocked and assaulted some 4,000 Catholic parishioners who tried to march to Ky Anh townships administrative offices to protest government inaction over their loss of livelihood following the massive pollution-linked fish kill. Before that, the marchers tried several times to demand relief from provincial authorities, but the police always stopped them, according to protesters. Formosa Plastics U.S. $10.6 billion steel complex in Ha Tinh province includes a steel plant, a power plant and a deep sea port, and is one of the largest foreign investments in Vietnam. Reported by RFAs Vietnamese Service. Translated by Viet Ha. Written in English by Joshua Lipes. A leading rival to Russian President Vladimir Putin has been attacked on a street during a campaign stop in Siberia. Aleksei Navalny's face was sprayed with a green substance on March 13 in the latest disruption in his attempt to run in next year's election. He later used his own video blog to mock the attack. An appeals hearing for former Bosnian Croat leader Jadranko Prlic and five others will begin at the United Nations war crimes tribunal in The Hague. The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) in 2013 sentenced the six Bosnian Croats to sentences of 10-25 years for war crimes and crimes against humanity during the 1992-95 war in Bosnia-Herzegovina. The hearing is set to begin on March 20 and is expected to last seven days. Prlic, now 57, was sentenced to 25 years in prison on charges of murdering and deporting Muslims during the war. He was a former president and later also prime minister of the self-declared Bosnian Croat state of Herceg-Bosna. Also appealing their sentences are former Defense Minister Bruno Stojic, and four senior military officials: Slobodan Praljak, Milivoj Petkovic, Valentin Coric, and Berislav Pusic. In sentencing the defendants, judges ruled the crimes were committed as part of a joint-criminal enterprise with the then-leaders of Croatia, which led to longer sentences. The six deny there was a criminal enterprise and are seeking to have a new trial or have their sentences reduced. A ruling is expected by November of this year. Based on reporting by AFP, Total Croatia News, 24heures.ch, and Balkan Insight Talks between Russia's defense and foreign ministers resume after a three-year hiatus. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and German Chancellor Angela Merkel announce visits to Moscow. On this week's Power Vertical Briefing, we ask: Is Russia's post-Crimea isolation history? Joining me is RFE/RL's News Editor Steve Gutterman. Enjoy... NOTE: The Power Vertical Briefing is a short look ahead to the stories expected to make news in Russia in the coming week. It is hosted by Brian Whitmore, author of The Power Vertical blog, and appears on Mondays. According to Dmitry Peskov, it just doesn't matter what Ukraine thinks about Russia's illegal seizure of Crimea. Asked in a televised interview this weekend about whether Kyiv would ever recognize the annexation, the Kremlin spokesman said "it's not that important." Those words speak volumes. They say to Ukraine: What's mine is mine and what's yours is negotiable. And they pretty much sum up Moscow's attitude toward all of its former Soviet vassals. It's not important what Georgians think about the fact that Russia occupies 20 percent of their territory. It's not important what Moldovans think about the Kremlin stoking a frozen conflict in Transdniester. It's not important that strong and consistent majorities in Ukraine and Georgia favor joining European institutions. It's not important because, in the words of Vladimir Putin, Ukraine isn't a real country and in the words of State Duma deputy Pavel Shperov, Russia's neighbors are "so-called countries." And it's not important because the Kremlin has pretty much gotten away with treating its neighbors as colonies. In fact, even the international isolation that followed the Crimea annexation three years ago appears to be easing. Today, for example, Japan and Russia will resume their two-plus-two talks between their defense and foreign ministers, which were suspended after the annexation. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is reportedly planning to visit Moscow next month. And German Chancellor Angela Merkel will visit Russia in May. So it's no wonder that the Kremlin thinks that it just doesn't matter what the Ukrainians think about Russia seizing their territory. Keep telling me what you think on The Power Vertical's Twitter feed and on our Facebook page. The URL has been copied to your clipboard The code has been copied to your clipboard. WASHINGTON -- The director of the FBI has confirmed ongoing investigations into communications between Russian officials and President Donald Trump's aides. James Comey made the statement on March 20 at a hearing of the House Intelligence Committee, one of several congressional investigations into Russian actions during the 2016 U.S. presidential election campaign. During its first two months in office, the Trump administration has been dogged by intelligence reports of Russia's alleged meddling and by press reports that the FBI was investigating Trump's associates. In his opening remarks, Comey confirmed to the House committee that such investigations were ongoing. "And that includes investigating the nature of any links between individuals associated with the Trump campaign and the Russian government and whether there was any coordination between the campaign and Russia's efforts," Comey said. The FBI director also said neither he nor the U.S. Justice Department had any information supporting Trump's allegations that his private offices in New York had been wiretapped by his predecessor, President Barack Obama. Trump made the extraordinary assertion in a posting to Twitter on March 4. "I have no information that supports those tweets and we have looked carefully inside the FBI," Comey said. "The Department of Justice has asked me to share that the information is the same for the department and all its components." At the hearing, Republican committee Chairman Devin Nunes joined Democratic Representative Adam Schiff in saying there was "no physical wiretap" of Trumps offices. But Nunes suggested there might have been other types of ongoing surveillance. The House committee is one of at least five congressional committees looking into alleged Russian meddling and influence efforts during the 2016 election. Meanwhile, U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) Director Mike Rogers on March 20 strongly rebutted another allegation suggested in recent days by officials in the Trump administration -- that the NSA had asked its British counterpart, the GCHQ, to spy on Trump. That suggestion has roiled historically close ties between Washington and London, with British officials calling it absurd, and the usually taciturn GCHQ issuing an extraordinary statement to refute the allegation. "That would be expressly against the construct of the 'Five Eyes' agreement that's been in place for decades," Rogers told the committee, referring to an intelligence-sharing agreement between the United States, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and Britain. U.S. intelligence agencies released a report in January saying they assessed that Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered an "influence campaign" to interfere in the presidential election. The report said the Russian campaign aimed to use computer hacks, leaks, and other methods to undermine faith in the U.S. electoral system and denigrate Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton. The report also concluded Russia developed a clear preference for Trump. Russia has denied any attempts to sway the November 8 vote and Trump has rejected suggestions that he or his campaign had improper contacts with Russian officials. Trump repeated those denials in a series of Twitter posts published hours before the March 20 House hearing began. "The Democrats made up and pushed the Russian story as an excuse for running a terrible campaign," he wrote. "The real story that Congress, the FBI and all others should be looking into is the leaking of Classified information," Trump said in a subsequent tweet. "Must find leaker now!" As the hearing continued, the White House sent out another post on Twitter, insisting that the testimony from Comey and Rodgers showed that Russia did not influence the U.S. election campaign. Comey and Rogers did not say that. Trump forced Michael Flynn out as national security adviser in February after it was revealed that Flynn misled Vice President Mike Pence and other White House officials about his conversations in December with the Russian ambassador to the United States, Sergei Kislyak. That was followed by accusations that Attorney General Jeff Sessions misled senators by saying during his confirmation hearing that he did not meet with any Russian government official during the campaign. Sessions later admitted meeting with Kislyak at least twice, and has recused himself from the investigation. As attorney general, Sessions is the head of the Justice Department and has oversight of the FBI. Democratic lawmakers have been eager for Comey to make a clear statement debunking Trumps wiretap claims after lawmakers from both the Republican and Democratic parties said on March 19 that they had yet to see evidence supporting Trumps claim. Republicans, meanwhile, have sought to broaden the focus of attention to include leaks of classified information to U.S. media. The confirmation by Comey that an FBI investigation was under way as early as July 2016 into possible links between Trump aides and Russian officials has prompted frustrated statements from former members of Clintons presidential campaign. In late October, shortly before the November 8 vote, Comey publicly confirmed that the FBI was looking at files found on a laptop belonging to a top Clinton aide to see if the material was classified and had been improperly handled. The FBI typically does not disclose an ongoing criminal probe of any sort. Coming in the midst of a heated election campaign, Comeys statement about the Clinton aides computer was criticized by some as political interference. Comey later said FBI agents found no evidence of illegal activity. But the disclosure of the probe cast a cloud over the final days of Clinton's campaign. Some of her supporters say it helped tilt the election in favor of Trump. With reporting by AFP, Reuters, AP, The Hill, and The Washington Post Over the past five years, Iranian officials and state media have touted the "indigenous" ingenuity in the Islamic republic's mass-produced Mohajer-6 combat drone, which Russia has deployed in its war against Ukraine. But a new investigation by Schemes, the investigative unit of RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service, has found that electronic components underpinning Tehran's production of the Mohajer-6 are far from homegrown. The Mohajer-6 drones contain components produced by companies from the United States and the European Union, both of which have sanctions restricting the export to Iran of such technology that can be used for both civilian and military purposes dual-use technology. The presence of these components in the Mohajer-6 does not mean their producers are in violation of U.S. or EU sanctions, and RFE/RL does not have evidence that this is the case. The investigation also found Mohajer-6 components produced in China, including a real-time mini-camera made by a Hong Kong firm that said it was "very sorry" that its products were being used in war. At least one major foreign-produced component of the Mohajer-6 has previously been identified by reporters in a Mohajer-6 recovered from the battlefield by the Ukrainian military: an engine made by the Austrian manufacturer BRP-Rotax GmbH & Co KG, a subsidiary of the Canadian company Bombardier Recreational Products. But Ukrainian intelligence assesses that the Iranian combat drone contains components from nearly three dozen different technology companies based in North America, the EU, Japan, and Taiwan, the Schemes investigation has found. A majority of these companies are based in the United States. A Schemes reporter who personally inspected the foreign-made drone parts identified components produced by at least 15 of these manufacturers. These include parts made by the U.S. technology firm Texas Instruments, which said in a statement that it does not sell into Russia or Iran and complies with applicable laws and regulations. To identify these components, Schemes reporters examined parts of the Mohajer-6 drone that the Ukrainian military shot down over the Black Sea near the Mykolayiv region coastal town of Ochakiv. They also reviewed Ukrainian intelligence records on the sources of these components. The drone also contains a microchip bearing the logo of a California technology company and a thermal-imaging camera that Ukrainian intelligence says may have been produced by a firm based in Oregon or China. Both Western officials and experts on illicit technology transfers say Iran has built a broad, global procurement network using front companies and other proxies in third countries to obtain dual-use technology from the United States and the EU. "Exporters will look at the request coming from the [United Arab Emirates] or another third country, and they'll think that they're selling to an end user based there, when really the end user is in Iran," Daniel Salisbury, a senior research fellow with the Department of War Studies at King's College London, told RFE/RL. In September, the U.S. Treasury Department imposed sanctions specifically targeting Iranian companies that Washington links to the production and transfer of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to Russia for deployment in its war on Ukraine. Fighting rages with no sign of an end more than eight months after Russian President Vladimir Putin launched an unprovoked invasion on February 24. "Non-Iranian, non-Russian entities should also exercise great caution to avoid supporting either the development of Iranian UAVs or their transfer, or sale of any military equipment to Russia for use against Ukraine," U.S. Undersecretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian Nelson said in a statement announcing the sanctions. Chinese Cameras, California Chips Development of the Mohajer-6, the latest model in a series of drones Tehran has used since the 1980s Iran-Iraq War, began in 2017, while mass production began the following year. During a ceremony commemorating the Islamic Revolution, then-Iranian Defense Minister Amir Hatami said that the new tactical drone could perform surveillance, reconnaissance, as well as help destroy targets. Hatami extolled what he described as the drones domestic design, a portrayal echoed in later reports by Iranian media. "The homegrown drone was made through cooperation among the army, Defense Ministry, and Quds Aviation Industries," the English-language Tehran Times quoted an Iranian military official as saying in July 2019. The dismantling of the Mohajer-6 drone recovered by the Ukrainian military shows that the UAV is packed with foreign components. One of these parts is a bright-orange real-time mini-camera produced by the Hong Kong-based company RunCam Technology. Documents seen by Schemes show that Ukrainian intelligence has also identified RunCam as the producer of the camera, which likely assists in remote guidance of the drone. Founded in 2013, RunCam is involved in the development and production of so-called "first-person-view" real-time cameras. "Our users are our friends," the company's website states. The site says that RunCam has two authorized Iranian dealers. Reached by Schemes for comment about the use of its camera in the Iranian drone deployed by Russia in its war on Ukraine, RunCam said in an e-mailed response: "We are very sorry to know that RunCam's products were used in warfare. RunCam is specialized in producing products for model aircraft hobby. We never contact any customer related to military." The provenance of the Mohajer-6 drone-s thermal-imaging camera is more difficult to determine. A Ukrainian intelligence assessment reviewed by Schemes indicates it could be the Ventus Hot model produced by Sierra-Olympic Technologies, based in the U.S. state of Oregon, but that it also resembles a cheaper analog available for sale by the Chinese company Qingdao Thundsea Marine Technology. Qingdao Thundsea Marine Technology said in an e-mailed statement that the company did not "have any business with Iran," because "it will affect our business." The company said it specializes in marine services and is not involved in manufacturing. It also said that it did not have a single successful order for its online advertisement of the thermal-imaging camera resembling the one recovered from the Iranian drone. Sierra-Olympic Technologies did not respond to a request for comment on the possible use of its thermal-imaging cameras in Iranian combat drones in time for publication. Microchips recovered from the drone also featured the logos of the California-based company Linear Technology Corporation and its parent company, the Massachusetts-based semiconductor company Analog Devices, Inc. (ADI). ADI did not respond to an e-mailed request for comment on the possible use of its technology in the Iranian combat drone. Schemes reporters also observed among the components of the Iranian drone a voltage step-down converter produced by Texas Instruments. The company said in an e-mailed statement that it "does not sell into Russia, Belarus, or Iran." "TI complies with applicable laws and regulations in the countries where we operate, and does not support or condone the use of our products in applications they weren't designed for," Texas Instruments said. Schemes reporters also saw several components produced by the California-based technology manufacturer Xilinx, whose parent company is the multinational semiconductor company Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), also based in California. According to Ukrainian intelligence, one of these Xilinx components was integrated into a video data-link module located in the wing of the Mohajer-6 that helped carry out attack missions. "This module transmits information from the board to the missile head. That is, guidance for the missile. With the help of this module, it was possible to guide the missile to the target," a Ukrainian military intelligence representative told Schemes. AMD did not respond to a request for comment in time for publication. 'No Authorization' Previous media reports about the components of the Mohajer-6 drone, including by CNN, have shown evidence that its engine was produced by the Austrian manufacturer BRP-Rotax GmbH & Co KG, whose parent company is the Quebec-based Bombardier Recreational Products (BRP). The Canadian company responded to the reports on October 21, saying in a statement that it "has not authorized and has not given any authorization to its distributors to supply military UAV manufacturers in Iran or Russia." "As soon as we were made aware of this situation, we started an investigation to determine the source of the engines," BRP said. . But Schemes reporters found that the authorized Rotax distributor listed on the Austrian manufacturer's website advertised itself as a Rotax aircraft engines distributor for Iran as recently as December 2020. The distributor, the Italian company Luciano Sorlini S.p.a., has posted multiple magazine advertisements on its websites in which it describes itself as a Rotax distributor for numerous countries. Prior to January 2021, Iran was listed among these countries. The Rotax website also lists a Tehran-based company -- MahtaWing -- as an official service center for its engines. The company, known in Persian as Mahtabal, conducts repairs of Rotax engines, including the Rotax 912 iS, the engine that was found in the Mohajer-6 combat drone recovered in Ukraine. BRP said in an e-mailed statement on November 4 that while Luciano Sorlini S.p.a. is the appointed distributor of Rotax aircraft engines in Iran, "since 2019, no Rotax engines have been sold in Iran, and we will not sell any engines to Iran moving forward." The Canadian company said it had "internal controls" that "significantly" restrict the sale of its products for military purposes. "For example, the sale of any BRP product to operators with any military activity in Iran, Turkey, and Russia is strictly prohibited," BRP said. "We conduct our business in compliance with all EU, Canadian, and U.S. applicable regulations." BRP described the Iranian company MahtaWing as a "local service center" that "offers maintenance services for previously sold aircraft engines." Shahriar Siami of RFE/RL's Radio Farda contributed to this report. (Adds CDS move, updates bond prices, adds background) LONDON, March 20 (Reuters) - Ukraine's dollar-denominated bonds fell across the curve on Monday, with longer-dated maturities touching their lowest since early December, after the International Monetary Fund delayed a decision on disbursing more aid. The 2026 and the 2027 bond lost more than 0.5 cents to trade just above 90 cents in the dollar before trimming their losses, according to data from Tradeweb. Five-year credit default swaps for Ukraine, which traders use to hedge against default risk, rose on Monday to 627.59 basis points (bps), according to data from IHS Markit, up from 620 bps at Friday's close. "The IMF delay is a technical issue," Sergei Voloboev, chief economist at Norvik Banka told a conference in London. "I recognise this is a short-term negative for Ukraine assets and we see the prices on the screen reflecting that delay today." The IMF and Kiev announced on Sunday that the fund had postponed a decision to disburse more aid to Ukraine in order to assess the impact of an economic blockade Kiev imposed on separatist-held territory. Ukrainian authorities have now halted all cargo traffic with rebel-held territory in the east of the country, formalising an existing rail blockade by Ukrainian activists that has led to the worst political crisis in nearly a year. The IMF's Executive Board had been due to meet on Monday to approve more assistance as part of a $17.5 billion bailout programme for the war-torn nation, in exchange for the pro-Western government passing reforms and tackling corruption. (Reporting by Karin Strohecker and Sujata Rao; Editing by Jamie McGeever, Larry King) Iraqi police and hospital officials say a car bomb in Baghdad has killed at least 23 people and wounded 45 others. That attack on the night of March 20 targeted a commercial area in the Iraqi capital's southwestern Amil neighborhood. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, but so-called Islamic State (IS) militants have been behind similar Baghdad bombings in the past. The attack came as Iraqi forces engaged in fierce combat against IS militants in the government's U.S.-backed offensive to recapture the northern city of Mosul. Fighting on March 20 was continuing in an area near western Mosul's Old City. The Mosul offensive began in October. Government forces declared eastern Mosul "fully liberated" in January. The government's urban offensive against IS militants in the more densely populated west of Mosul began in late January. Based on reporting by Reuters, AP, and AFP U.S. President Donald Trump has told a delegation from Iraq that "nobody" can figure out why former President Barack Obama signed a nuclear agreement between Iran and world powers. At the start of his first meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi on March 20, Trump said Iran was one of the issues his team would discuss with the Iraqi delegation. Trump said he also would address what he described as a "vacuum" that was created when so-called Islamic State (IS) militants took over large swaths of territory in western and northern Iraq. The president also said that "we shouldn't have gone in" to Iraq in the first place. Abadi's visit to the White House came as Trump prepares to host a 68-country meeting geared toward advancing the fight against the IS extremists. Trump campaigned on a promise to dramatically increase the battle against IS militants. He has vowed to eradicate "radical Islamic terrorism." Based on reporting by AP, AFP, and Reuters A Kazakh blogger who has criticized President Nursultan Nazarbaev's government has fled the country, saying she fears for her safety. Zhanar Akhmet told RFE/RL that she and her 9-year-old son had arrived in Kyiv on March 17 and plan to settle in the Ukrainian capital. Akhmet said she decided to leave Kazakhstan after facing several court hearings in recent months for alleged legal violations including jaywalking. She believes the accusations are politically motivated. The last straw, Akhmet said, was learning from sources that she may face trumped-up charges of "organizing an illegal group" using the Internet to advocate self-immolation. Akhmet said that Ermek Narymbaev, a Kazakh opposition activist who fled to Ukraine in 2016, had met her and her son at Kyiv airport. At least three other Kazakh rights activists -- Moldir Adilova, Aidos Sadyqov, and Natalya Sadyqova -- have also fled to Ukraine in recent years. Nazabaev, who has held power in the Central Asian nation since before the 1991 Soviet breakup, tolerates little dissent. Johannes Hahn, the European Union's enlargement commissioner, plans to visit Macedonia on March 21 in another attempt to help break a political deadlock that has left the country unable to form a government since December's election. A group called "For A United Macedonia" -- which supports the agenda of the nationalist VMRO-DPMNE party -- has called for a demonstration outside the EU mission's Skopje office during Hahn's visit. The group says it wants to send "a clear message to Hahn" that members oppose a government that would "ruin the unitary character" of Macedonia by making Albanian an official language. Three ethnic Albanian parties have demanded Albanian become an official second language as a condition for joining any coalition government. VMRO-DPMNE leader and former Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski refused to meet those demands. Social Democratic Union leader Zoran Zaev tried to form a coalition with the ethnic Albanian parties. But President Gjorge Ivanov, also from the VMRO-DPMNE, refused to give Zaev the official mandate to do so. Ivanov argued that the language issue was an attempt to destroy Macedonia's independence. With reporting by Reuters and AP Breaking The Ice Whether shooting Moscow street scenes from a chauffeured car, or writing home about their experiences, U.S. Army Major Martin Manhoff and his wife Jan were piecing together an intimate, vivid portrait of life behind the Iron Curtain in the early 1950s. Martin's official duties as assistant army attache at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow were to serve as a liaison to Soviet military contacts. In all likelihood, however, he was also there to gather intelligence and peer into the vast changes going on in the U.S.S.R. as it emerged from the devastation of World War II and the Cold War deepened. The large collection of color photographs and 16 mm film he shot reveals the rapid development of Soviet infrastructure. Martin's images clearly show the construction of the Stalinist skyscrapers known as the "Seven Sisters," and other projects intended to symbolize the U.S.S.R.'s emergence as a superpower. But they also stand on their own artistically, evidence of an eye drawn to streetscapes, skylines, and people's everyday lives, not to mention the pageantry intrinsic to communist rule. A former member of the Moldovan parliament has been arrested amid allegations he spied for Russia, according to news reports on March 19 that cited unidentified law-enforcement officials. Iurie Bolboceanu has been in custody since March 17 after a search of his home that was aimed in part at gaining access to information on mobile phones and other devices, the Interfax news agency reported, citing an arrest warrant. Bolboceanu maintained contact with people interested in obtaining information of national importance, including with the aim of "destabilizing the socio-political situation in the country," the warrant reportedly said. According to Interfax and news site mewsmaker.md, the warrant claimed that Bolboceanu had been in contact with an aide to the military attache at the Russian Embassy in Chisinau. The reported arrest comes amid heightened concerns about Russian influence in Moldova, a small and poor former Soviet republic bordering Ukraine and Romania. The government warned officials earlier this month not to travel to Russia, citing what it said was abuse and harassment by security officers that it believes are retaliation for its probe into an alleged $22 billion scheme to launder Russian money through Moldova. Based on reporting by Interfax and newsmaker.md A Russian opposition activist jailed for assaulting police during a protest in Moscow has been handed an additional two years in jail. Sergei Mokhnatkin was found guilty of "disrupting operations of a penitentiary" on March 20 and sentenced the same day, activist Tatyana Pashkevich wrote on her Facebook account. The Arkhangelsk regional prosecutor's office told Interfax that Mokhnatkin's remaining time in a maximum-security penal colony will end 2 1/2 years from March 20. Mokhnatkin was sentenced to 4 1/2 years in prison in 2014 after being found guilty of assaulting two police officers during a December 2013 protest in Moscow. Mokhnatkin's lawyers say he was severely beaten by penal-colony guards in March 2016 after he refused to be transferred to a detention center without a written ruling. He was then charged with insulting a guard and disruption of the penal colony's operations. In June, Mokhnatkin was found guilty of insulting a guard and sentenced to an additional 11 months. That prison time runs concurrently with his March 20 sentence. Mokhnatkin first came to prominence in 2009 when he was sentenced to 2 1/2 years in prison after being convicted of attacking a police officer during another opposition rally. He was pardoned by then-President Dmitry Medvedev in April 2012. Japan and Russia have pledged closer economic and security cooperation in so-called "two-plus-two" talks as they look to end a decades-long dispute over a small chain of islands. The one-day meeting of foreign and defense ministers in Tokyo on March 20 was the first of its kind since an initial gathering in November 2013. It came amid rising tensions in the region, as North Korea continues with its banned ballistic-missile program with several recent launches that have sent missiles into Japanese territorial waters. Long strained over the island dispute, Japan-Russia ties worsened in 2014 after Moscow seized Crimea and supported separatists in eastern Ukraine, and Japan joined Western nations in imposing sanctions in response. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has said resolving issues between the two countries and strengthening relations is important to regional stability given China's growing power. "The development of bilateral relations focused on the future is very important, especially taking into account the worsening situation in security in the region," Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida told reporters after the talks. "It is very important to deepen mutual understanding between Japan and Russia, particularly taking into consideration North Koreas nuclear and missile threat," Kishida added. He said Russia and Japan agreed to jointly urge Pyongyang to refrain from missile launches and adhere to the relevant UN Security Council resolutions. Abe will visit Russia in late April to meet with President Vladimir Putin, Kishida said. However, the March 20 talks produced no breakthrough in the dispute over a group of islands north of Hokkaido that Russia calls the Southern Kuriles and Japan calls the Northern Territories. Tokyo claims the islands, but Moscow has held them since they were seized by Soviet forces at the end of World War II, hobbling relations ever since and preventing the two countries from signing a peace treaty to formally end the conflict. Kishida said that, while Japan has concerns over Russias military activities on the islands, Tokyo put forward a package of proposals on joint economic activities on the islands at the meeting. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Moscow also introduced proposals for joint activities, as well as discussing ways to simplify procedures for visits by Japanese citizens who used to live on the islands. With reporting by AP, The Japan Times, Interfax, and TASS Russian opposition leader Aleksei Navalny has made the best of what appeared to be the latest attempt to trip up his effort to run for president. After being doused with green antiseptic while opening a campaign office in the Siberian city of Barnaul on March 20, Navalny said that whoever did it had done him a favor. "Maybe in the Kremlin they think I won't make this video with a green face, but I definitely will, because even more people will watch me," Navalny said in a clip posted on his website, suggesting that President Vladimir Putin's administration was behind the attack. "This will certainly not stop me." With his face and hands covered in "zelyonka" -- a green liquid used by Russian parents and doctors for decades to treat skinned knees and other minor injuries -- he called on viewers to turn out for rallies he is trying to stage nationwide on March 26 against alleged government corruption. "It could be The Mask, Avatar, or Shrek," Navalny wrote. A wave of memes followed on social media, with supporters of Navalny taking selfies in green face paint and one covering the face of Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev -- the target of Navalny's most recent corruption allegations -- in green. Navalny, a prominent opposition politician and anticorruption campaigner who helped lead large street protests in 2011-12, is seeking to run for president in March 2018 -- a direct challenge to Putin, who is widely expected to seek a new six-year term. Russian authorities say that Navalny will be barred from the ballot if a conviction on financial-crimes charges is upheld on appeal, but he has pushed ahead with campaign-style appearances. He denies wrongdoing and says his convictions in two separate cases were politically motivated punishment for his opposition to Putin. He has faced numerous obstacles while opening campaign offices across Russia in recent weeks. In Novosibirsk, protesters tried to pelt Navalny with eggs. In Tomsk, doors of apartments belonging to Navalny's team members and exhaust pipes of their cars were covered with insulation foam. In Nizhny Novgorod, protesters met Navalny at the railway station holding placards suggesting that he was a traitor and should be jailed. In Ufa, Navalny was challenged by dozens of protesters holding his portraits with a U.S. flag in the background and inscription saying "U.S. agent." By Felipe Iturrieta SANTIAGO (Reuters) - The labour union at the world's largest copper mine, BHP Billiton's (BHP.AX) (BLT.L) Escondida in Chile, called a fresh offer of talks by management to end a 39-day strike "manipulative." The union told Reuters on Sunday that it will decide whether to attend a meeting with the company after holding two assemblies for its 2,500 members on Sunday and early on Monday. The company has proposed talks for Monday afternoon. Escondida said on Friday that it had agreed to meet with the union and was offering better salaries, bonuses and benefits in response to workers' three main demands. "We're sorry to say that all of that is just manipulation and deceit," the union told its members in a statement late on Saturday about the new proposal to end the strike, which has put pressure on global copper prices. The union wants Escondida not to trim benefits in its existing contract, not to make shift patterns more taxing, and to offer the same benefits to new workers as existing ones. BHP, which owns a 57.5 percent stake in the mine, did not immediately respond to requests for comment. (Reporting By Felipe Iturrieta; Writing by Mitra Taj; Editing by Sandra Maler) After a year of negotiations on the small print, Russian President Vladimir Putin gave his formal approval this week for the signing of an intergovernmental agreement on the modalities for the incorporation of "some military units" of Georgia's breakaway Republic of South Ossetia into the Russian armed forces. Details of precisely how many South Ossetian servicemen are involved remain unclear, although the revised version of the agreement reportedly preserves at least partially the independent military capacity that the region's de facto president and defense minister have consistently insisted is essential to deter and/or repel an anticipated attack by Georgia. The agreement in question is one of a series of ancillary accords deriving from the framework Treaty on Union Relations and Integration between the Russian Federation and the Republic of South Ossetia (RYuO) signed in March 2015. That treaty made provision for "individual units" of the South Ossetian army to be subsumed into the Russian armed forces within the framework of a "common defense space." That provision encountered stubborn resistance, however, from within the South Ossetian Defense Ministry, which construed it as heralding the downsizing, or even the abolition of the region's armed forces. In his annual address to parliament in February 2016, South Ossetia's de facto President Leonid Tibilov declared that "in order to preclude a repeat of the August 2008 [entrance into South Ossetia by the Georgian army], South Ossetia needs its own national military formation, not necessarily a large one, but disciplined, mobile, well-armed, and professionally trained to conduct military operations effectively in mountainous and forested terrain and within populated areas." Tibilov recalled that, in 2012, he succeeded in persuading President Putin to annul an agreement his predecessor Eduard Kokoity had concluded with Moscow on downsizing South Ossetia's military, and thus "we managed to preserve our army." Maximum Benefit For Moscow De facto Defense Minister Ibragim Gasseyev similarly argued that "the republic should have an army that is capable of resisting aggression in the event of an attack on our country," and for that reason, "the Defense Ministry is not prepared for a significant down-sizing of the RYuO armed forces." Piecing together sporadic cryptic references to the negotiation process, it would seem that the Russians sought to extract the maximum benefit in terms of gaining additional manpower, but were hindered by the need to ensure the final text of the agreement does not violate existing Russian laws. Alan Djussoyev of the social movement "Your Choice, Ossetia" had already pointed out that there is no such legal concept as the subsuming of military units of one national army into another, and no precedent for doing so. Tibilov told journalists in early April 2016 that in order to bring it into line with Russian legislation, the provision of the initial draft providing for the transition [] of individual South Ossetian army units into the Russian armed forces would be amended to refer to the acceptance [] of individual servicemen into the Russian army. The revised version of the treaty makes it clear, however, that individual South Ossetian servicemen who opt to sign up as contract servicemen serving at Russian military bases must first resign from the South Ossetian army. The official designation of the agreement as "regulating the inclusion of South Ossetian army units into the Russian armed forces" is therefore both inaccurate and misleading. Moreover, according to an unnamed RYuO Defense Ministry official quoted by RFE/RL's Echo of the Caucasus, only some 200 South Ossetian servicemen meet the standards set for Russian army contract servicemen. It thus appears that South Ossetia will retain a tiny army, given that President Putin has told the Russian Defense Ministry it may make only any minor changes that may prove necessary prior to the official signing of the agreement. The fate of the General Staff is not clear. Defense Minister Gasseyev was quoted in January by civil.ge as saying "we managed to preserve the number of armed forces of South Ossetia this way, the ministry of defense will keep its combat units." At the same time, he said, unspecified "changes to the organizational and staff structures" will be implemented after the agreement is signed. Georgia has denounced the agreement as "yet another Russian provocation aimed at destabilizing the region." The news portal Caucasian Knot quoted Deputy Defense Minister David Dondua as admitting that it will not change the situation on the ground. At the same time, he said it constitutes a violation of the cease-fire agreement of August 12, 2008 that ended the so-called "four-day war." The views expressed in this blog post do not necessarily reflect those of RFE/RL. A former executive director of the Russian space agency, Roskosmos, has been found dead in his jail cell with stab wounds. A public prison oversight committee said on March 20 that Vladimir Yevdokimov had been moved to a cell without CCTV cameras a month before his death. Yevdokimov, 55, was arrested in December on suspicion of fraud and placed in pretrial detention in Moscow. The Investigative Committee opened a criminal case on suspicion of murder after his body was found on March 18 in the cell he shared with 11 other inmates. Authorities said he had two stab wounds in his chest and one in his neck. Former officials put in pretrial detention in Russia are usually kept in separate cells with 24-hour video monitoring. But members of the Public Monitoring Commission said that Yevdokimov, 55, had been transferred to a regular cell without a video monitoring system in February. Based on reporting by RBK, TASS, and Interfax Crimean journalist Mykola Semena has gone on trial on separatism-related charges in the Russian-controlled territory, telling reporters minutes before the hearing that he is innocent. The judge adjourned the trial on March 20 for two weeks shortly after it got under way, following a motion by the defense to provide for a more open and accessible process by holding it in a larger courtroom. The trial is scheduled to resume on April 3. Semena, an RFE/RL contributor, is being prosecuted for an article he wrote criticizing Moscow's seizure of the Black Sea peninsula from Ukraine in 2014 and expressing support for a blockade of the territory initiated by Ukrainian activists. The trial at a Russian court in the Crimean capital, Simferopol, began amid mounting international pressure on Moscow to drop the case against Semena, 66. He faces up to five years in prison if convicted. The charges stem from a 2015 article he wrote for RFE/RL's Krym.Realii (Crimea Realities) website that Moscow-installed authorities in Crimea allege called for the violation of Russia's territorial integrity. "We do not admit guilt," Semena told journalists outside the court before the trial, referring to himself and his lawyers. "My article does not include calls for the violation of Russia's territorial integrity," he said. "Crimea's status is in dispute." The column was part of a wide-ranging discussion on the website about options for Crimea and was a response to an earlier column that opposed a blockade. Semena is barred from leaving Crimea and must request permission to travel outside Simferopol. At the hearing on March 20, defense lawyer Aleksandr Popkov called for the trial to be held in a larger courtroom in order to let more journalists cover it and provide more space for the participants. He said that there was not enough room for he and the other defense lawyer to organize their papers and no table at all for Semena. Prosecutor Svetlana Udinskaya argued strenuously against the motion, calling the defense team "capricious" and adding, "Next time, the defense will demand coffee in bed." But the judge, Nadezhda Shkolnaya, had already promised that a larger space would be found and said it would take some time. She adjourned the trial until April 3. The start of Semena's trial followed a European Parliament resolution last week calling on Moscow to free more than 30 Ukrainian citizens who are in prison or face other conditions of restricted freedom in Russia, Crimea, and parts of eastern Ukraine that are controlled by Russia-backed separatists. The nonbinding resolution urged Russia "to allow all the above-mentioned people to travel freely, including Mykola Semena, who is being prosecuted for his journalistic work for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty." Washington last week also called on Russian authorities "to drop spurious charges against Mr. Semena and release him and all other Ukrainians held by Russia for political reasons." And 10 members of the U.S. Congress signed a letter urging prosecutors to drop the charges, which they said appeared to be "part of a concerted effort by Russian and Russian-backed authorities to clamp down on independent media." Russia seized control of Crimea in March 2014 after sending in troops without insignia, engineering a takeover of the regional legislature, and staging a referendum that was swiftly dismissed as illegitimate by Ukraine, the United States, and a total of 100 countries in the UN General Assembly. Both the European Union and the United States used the occasion of the third anniversary of the seizure of Crimea to denounce it. Moscow has portrayed its takeover of Crimea as necessary to protect ethnic Russians and other residents of the peninsula from oppression by pro-Western officials that took power in Kyiv following the 2014 ouster of former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych. That narrative is rejected by Ukraine and Western governments, which accuse Russian-backed authorities in Crimea of rights abuses against Crimean Tatars and others opposed to Moscow's rule there. Natalya Poklonskaya, the former Russia-installed prosecutor-general in Crimea who filed the charges against Semena and who now serves in the Russian parliament, has accused RFE/RL's Krym.Realii of providing "justification for acts of sabotage and extremism" and inciting "ethnic hatred." Semena's words to reporters on March 20 echoed remarks he made to RFE/RL late last month, when he said there was no evidence he committed a crime because "the status of Crimea is not clear, even within the framework of the Russian Federation." He said Crimea "is a disputed territory which is the subject of an animated discussion all over the world," and that he has the right under international law and Russian legislation "to participate in this discussion" and express his point of view. With reporting by RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service 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 the country's 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 agreed 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 Washington'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 ON MY MIND Ukraine's decision last week to suspend all cargo traffic with areas held by Moscow-backed separatists is the latest sign that Kyiv and the de facto Russian occupied protectorates are parting ways. Russia has failed in its efforts to force Ukraine to reintegrate the territories in the Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts on Moscow's terms -- terms which would have effectively turned Ukraine into a failed state. So the Kremlin turned to Plan B: freezing the conflict and trying to make the territories economically viable. Moscow is now recognizing documents issued by the separatists, is encouraging use of the ruble, and is supportive of separatist moves to seize enterprises owned by Ukrainian oligarchs. Ukraine says the the suspension of cargo traffic will continue until the separatists relinquish control over enterprises they seized and until Moscow and its proxies comply with the Minsk agreement and return the border to Ukrainian control. And since none of that will happen any time soon, Kyiv too appears ready to settle for a frozen conflict -- although it will never admit this publicly. IN THE NEWS Vladimir Yevdokimov , the former executive director of the Russian space agency, Roskosmos, has been found dead in his jail cell with stab wounds. Iurie Bolboceanu, a former member of the Moldovan parliament has been arrested amid allegations he spied for Russia, according to news reports citing unidentified law-enforcement officials. FBI Director James Comey is set to testify in a highly anticipated session before the U.S. House committee looking into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential campaign. The foreign and defense ministers of Japan and Russia have begun meeting in so-called "two-plus-two" talks, with both sides saying regional security and a decades-long dispute over a small chain of islands will be discussed. Ukraine says the International Monetary Fund has postponed a review of the disbursement of a new $1 billion loan following Kyiv's imposition of a trade embargo on areas controlled by Russia-backed separatists in the east of the country. Authorities in Belarus on March 19 detained at least three organizers of protests against a controversial tax on the unemployed, as hundreds took to the streets in the latest in a series of demonstrations against the levy in the tightly controlled former Soviet republic. U.S. Representative Devin Nunes says he has seen "no evidence" of collusion between President Donald Trump's campaign and Russia during last years presidential campaign. Moscow city authorities have banned an anticorruption rally planned by opposition leader Aleksei Navalny. Russia plans to host international talks on the conflict in Afghanistan on April 14, a high-ranking Afghan official said. LATEST POWER VERTICAL PODCAST In case you missed it, the latest Power Vertical Podcast, The Belarusian Spring, looks at the ongoing protests in Belarus and at Minsk's ongoing disputes with Moscow. NEW POWER VERTICAL BRIEFING On the new Power Vertical Briefing, we look at the resumption of high-level talks in Japan this week and ask: Is Russia's isolation easing? WHAT I'M READING The Money Drain Novaya Gazeta has a piece, based on a report by the Organized Crime And Corruption Reporting Project, on who benefited from 700 billion rubles that were siphoned out of Russia. The OCCRP report will be released later today. Trump's New Russia Expert Michael Weiss has a piece in The Daily Beast looking at Fiona Hill, co-author of the book Mr. Putin: Operative In The Kremlin, who is expected to join Donald Trump's National Security Council as senior director for Europe and Russia. Russian Investment in Trump Properties Reuters has a special report on how members of the Russian elite invested $100 million in Trump buildings Russia's War On Europe James Kirchick, author of the recently published book The End Of Europe: Dictators, Demagogues And The Coming Dark Age, has a piece in Politico arguing that "the road to a free Europe goes through Moscow." Russia's Mental Health Facilities Kevin Rothhrock has translated a piece by Russian journalist and mental health activist Vera Shengelia for Global Voices: A Visit To A Moscow Mental Health Center. The Resistance In Kharkiv Peter Dickinson has a piece in Business Ukraine on how Kharkiv resisted Russia's hybrid war. More On Russia's Defense Budget Military analyst Michael Kofman, a fellow at the Kennan Institute, takes a look at the Russian defense budget. In the piece, Kofman takes issue with a report in IHS Janes that claimed Russia is reducing its defense budget by 25 percent. With Or Without Europe Lilia Shevtsova has an op-ed in the Financial Times on how Russia can't live with Europe -- and can't live without it Russia's Cyber War Handbook Sheera Frenkel has a report in in BuzzFeed on how Russia is writing the handbook for modern cyberwarfare. Russia's Brain Drain Rachel Ansley has a piece about Russia's brain drain on The Atlantic Council's website. Putin's Tough Year Ahead In his column for Bloomberg, political commentator Leonid Bershidsky explains why 2017 will probably be a tough and lonely year for Putin. Vigilantism And Legitimacy In Ukraine Nikolai Petro and Josh Cohen have a piece in The National Interest on how vigilantism is creating a legitimacy crisis for the Ukrainian state. Ukraine And Decentralization Balazs Jarabik and Yulia Yesmukhanova have a report for The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace: Ukraine's Slow Struggle For Decentralization A schoolteacher in Uzbekistan has been dismissed after a video that appears to show her threatening and striking pupils was posted on the Internet, an education official says. The mobile phone video posted on March 16 shows a primary school teacher shouting in a nearly three-minute rant in a classroom, calling the children "animals" and appearing to hit at least two of them with a textbook. "Ill kill you if you keep staring at me," the teacher says at one point. An official in the education department of the Ferghana provincial government said that the video was recorded at a state school in the eastern region in February. Speaking on condition of anonymity to RFE/RL's Uzbek Service, the official said that the teacher has been dismissed and a criminal investigation opened. It is unclear who recorded and posted the video online. The incident came weeks after state media in the tightly controlled country released footage showing a nursery-school employee in the southern Surkhandaryo province beating and berating children and threatening them with a knife. Surkhandaryo authorities said that at least three employees have been jailed and several other officials were dismissed in connection with that incident. Just as the United States looks to take a more protectionist tilt, Brazil is talking up its push towards free trade. At this weekend's meeting of G-20 finance ministers, Brazil was one several nations to point out dangers of anti-globalization a message crafted largely for listeners in the United States. The country's finance minister, Henrique Meirelles, said in an interview with The Wall Street Journal that, "we had adopted during the last years some protectionist measures for some sectors of the economy, and the net result was not positive." "At the end of the day, the products became more expensive and Brazilbecame less competitive," he told the newspaper. "In Brazil, we are moving toward a more open trade policy." The Latin American giant is attempting to recover from an economic recession which hit under the 13-year leadership of the populist Workers' Party. That control ended last year when President Dilma Rousseff of the Workers' Party was impeached. Her successor, President Michel Temer, has called for greater openness on trade. Ease of Doing Business ranking Source: World Bank "Doing Business in 2017" survey, JPMorgan Asset Management. "As a result of many years of a wary attitude to trade, the comments you hear from Brazilian officials today have a different flavor, a more open flavor," said Alejo Czerwonko, emerging market strategist at UBS Wealth Management. "The new rhetoric toward more trade openness in Brazil is important," he said. But, "Brazil remains a relatively closed economy. Opening up takes time." Other analysts agree. "There are very many different models and in Latin America specifically, Brazil is learning from the countries Mexico, Colombia and Chile," said Gabriela Santos, global market strategist at J.P. Morgan Asset Management. As for any lessons on how protectionism might affect U.S. growth, "it's much too early for us to speculate," Santos said. "Looking forward, the shift in tone is important but you also have to see the implementation of change." Story continues Brazil got hit by more than just protectionism It's important to note that there are few if any economists who suggest that Brazil entered a recession because of trade barriers alone. The country is largely dependent on commodities exports, and those prices have plunged from where they were two years ago. Brazil also is hampered by rampant corruption though it has made serious progress going after bad actors in government and industry in recent years. Still, Brazil's efforts toward opening up its borders to trade contrast with U.S. President Donald Trump 's threats of tariffs on imports and an "America First" policy. As a result of that stance from the world's largest economy, the G-20 finance ministers this weekend removed a commitment made in China last year to "resist all forms of protectionism." Instead, leaders said they will "strive to reduce excessive global imbalances" and seek fairer policies in "pursuit of economic growth." That said, the economic consequences for the U.S. likely stop at rhetoric for now. "You cannot really make a straight comparison between what happened in Brazil under the Brazilian Workers' Party and what could happen in the U.S.," Czerwonko said. "One of the reasons the Brazilian recession was so deep was this corruption scandal that erupted." "It looks like the U.S. has a different level of institutional development that should prevent such widespread practices," he said. UBS generally likes Brazilian assets, particularly the currency and local bonds, but is neutral on stocks. After five years of sometimes sharp double-digit declines, the Brazil Bovespa index jumped nearly 69 percent last year in U.S. dollar terms and is up more than 13 percent so far this year. More From CNBC Capital One Financial Corp. has bought a building in Shockoe Bottom that two local businessmen are planning to turn into an incubator for startup businesses. The financial services company closed Monday on the purchase of the five-story building at 1717 E. Cary St., which had been acquired last year by local businessmen Will Loving and Brad Cummings. Loving and Cummings announced in November that they planned to convert the former tobacco warehouse into an incubator that would provide work space and mentoring opportunities for local entrepreneurs and startups. They sought backing from the local business community. Since we bought the building ... we have been out talking to local businesses and community leaders, Cummings said. There is a ton of interest in what we are trying to do for the community by creating this high-growth business incubator. Capital One stepped forward to help support the venture by acquiring the building. With Capital One buying the building now, that takes away the burden of overseeing the real estate and really lets us focus on growing the incubator and getting it right, Cummings said. Cummings said Monday he was not at liberty to disclose the purchase price. The sale of the building had not yet been recorded at the Richmond Circuit Court. Proceeds from the sale will go to Startup Virginia, a nonprofit that will operate the incubator, Cummings said. Renovations are underway but he did know when the building will be ready to open. The 36,000-square-foot building between 17th and 18th streets was built in 1917 as the Virginia Bonded Warehouse. Before Loving and Cummings acquired the building, it was owned by John and Laura Crank, whose 1717 Design Group business was housed there but has since relocated. Capital One plans to occupy two floors of the building and lease space back to Startup Virginia. The incubator will be on three floors. We were always planning on having an anchor tenant on the fourth and fifth floors, and always planned on the incubator being on floors one, two and three, Cummings said. Were just excited to have found a match with Capital One. Capital One employees in the building will work collaboratively with the startup businesses in the incubator, the company said. About 50 people from Capital Ones West Creek campus in Goochland County will work in the downtown space at any one time, rotating in and out and working on product innovation and consumer research. Those staffers will provide startups with access to experts in areas such as product development, software engineering and digital design. Were excited to partner with Startup Virginia as part of Capital Ones Future Edge community investment initiative, Mike Wassmer, Central Virginia market president for Capital One, said in a statement. Capital One started its Future Edge initiative in 2015 as a five-year community investment program that provides grants and other support for individuals, families and entrepreneurs. Through the Future Edge initiative, the company is already working with a variety of local partners in Richmond, including business accelerators such as Lighthouse Labs and workforce development organizations like RVAWorks. This community-driven business incubator will be a great catalyst for both startups and the local tech and innovation ecosystem here in Richmond, Wassmer said. Startup Virginia recently created a new program to educate local, budding entrepreneurs. Its nine-week Co.Starters Virginia course, scheduled to start in April, will teach aspiring entrepreneurs how to turn business ideas into action. Cummings and Loving also are working on raising capital for a fund called the Trolley Ventures that will help support startup ventures in central Virginia. The goal is to raise $5 million to $10 million for Trolley Ventures. Richmond was the first city in the world to have (electric) trolley cars, so we thought that would be a good name, Cummings said. Loving is an investor and chief executive officer of Altron Corp. Cummings is an investor and partner in Free Run Wine Merchants. We have a little over $1 million committed, but we are just starting to go out to raise that, he said. It will be local individuals. Sales trends at Acorn Sales Co. Inc. began shifting in 2002 when Adam Raidabaugh began focusing the family company on e-commerce business. That has transformed the company, said Raidabaugh, the companys CEO. E-commerce sales now represents 85 percent of the companys revenue, with the remaining 15 percent as a mix of existing accounts and walk-in customers. Acorn Sales, which makes and sells self-inking rubber stamps and embossing seals, has sales worldwide even though the majority of its revenue is still in the United States. The products we make are going all over the country and all over the world, from Australia to Abu Dhabi, said Holly Raidabaugh, the companys vice president and Adam Raidabaughs wife. It really broadens the scope of who we are working with. The Henrico County-based company manufactures everything from notary seals to save-the-date stamps for weddings. Professionals that require an official seal, such as architects, engineers, geologists and transportation officials, use many of Acorn Sales products. Each profession in each state has a different setup for seals and stamps, and we have the setups for all 50 states and some international localities as well, Holly Raidabaugh said. The company also makes customized stamps for branding. Lamplighter Coffee uses our stamps for their coffee bags, Adam Raidabaugh said. Proper Pie Co. uses different stamps for different pies, and the gift shop at Quirk Hotel uses our embossing seal. We help others brand their business. Alan Smith, green coffee buyer for Lamplighter Coffee Roasters in Richmond, said Acorn Sales offers customization solutions. Most importantly, they produce everything in house, he said. We love supporting other local/small businesses, and the fact that everything is done here means that we can have a really quick turnaround time and get face-to-face design and application advice on the fly. In addition to its own e-commerce website, Acorn Sales also sells its products on sites such as walmart.com, Amazon, Etsy, eBay, Zazzle and Zulily. Acorn Sales is always looking at ways to increase efficiency in order to meet growing demand. In September, Adam Raidabaugh purchased a high-performance robot to increase efficiency. Sawyer, as the robot is called, can take on multiple tasks such as loading and cutting wood down to size. He is built to do the dull, dirty and dangerous work, Adam Raidabaugh said. He can do extremely repetitive work. When Adam Raidabaugh first bought Sawyer last September, he wasnt sure how the robot would fit into the process. He has had a positive impact on employee morale, he said. Our workers dont have to do repetitive jobs anymore. That helps keep them focused on more engaging, enjoyable work. Sawyer can work 24 hours a day nonstop. He can even work on weekends, he said. You dont have to have someone there with him when hes working. Acorn Sales has changed dramatically in how it makes and sells products since it was founded in 1964 by Raidabaughs grandfather, John Raidabaugh. When he retired in 1980, he turned the company over to Raidabaughs father, Dan Raidabaugh. When my grandfather started the company, he was selling many of the same things we sell today, said Raidabaugh, who took over from his father in 2002. My grandfather named the company Acorn because he wanted to be at the front of the telephone book. During his time tenure, Dan Raidabaugh spun off a secondary signage company, Acorn Sign, which the company sold in 2002. We will be venturing back into some small signage such as nametags, desk signs, interior signage and name plates, Adam Raidabaugh said. The companys revenue was flat in 2016. Since January, revenue is up 25 percent from the same time period last year. The chief executive of German manufacturer Bosch said the reduction of free global trade is a concern, and that it will be very difficult for President Donald Trump to recover U.S. manufacturing jobs, lost over the decades to low-cost locations. Volkmar Denner, CEO at Bosch, told CNBC at the China Development Forum on Sunday that having free trade is beneficial to all countries and industrial players. "I think generally it's a concern to reduce all kinds of free trade," he said, responding to a recent meeting of G-20 finance ministers, which saw the world's largest economies drop a pledge to keep global trade open. That outcome after a two-day meeting failed to reach a compromise, indicated a victory for Trump's representative, Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin, and a defeat for nations like Germany who sought a strong defense for free trading principles. Speaking about German chancellor Angela Merkel and finance minister Wolfgang Schaeuble, Denner said it was likely the two leaders will be disappointed with the outcome. "I think they have promoted, personally, free trade, and therefore I think they most probably will be disappointed because Germany is a country that's relying heavily on export. And since we are (a) strong industrial nation, we rely on good relations (with) all the countries we do trade with," he said, adding that the difficulty of realizing free trade agreements in the current environment is becoming a concern for German industry. The Trump administration has put emphasis on having "fairer" trade deals with other countries, vowing to renegotiate existing agreements like the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) with Mexico and Canada. Since taking office, Trump also pulled the U.S. out of a key 12-member Pacific trade deal. That trend, Denner said, is a big concern for Bosch, which has an extensive presence in the U.S. through manufacturing and R&D facilities. "So far we consider the NAFTA region as one region economically. If this is changed, especially in the relation between the United States and Mexico, this of course is a burden for us and we urgently need to know what the real regulations will be in terms of taxes or whatever...we need clarity," he said. Story continues Trump has also underpinned his "America First" message by urging U.S.-headquartered manufacturers to consider moving jobs back to their home country and threatening to impose penalties on those planning to shift jobs abroad. Denner said the administration's emphasis on recovering manufacturing jobs lost to low-cost overseas locations was understandable, but the road will likely be tough. "The policy that we have been following in Germany, I always considered to be a better one because we really are proud to manufacture goods and we have done a lot to keep manufacturing inside the country competitive, although we also have very high wages," he said. Denner added that Germany kept itself competitive by driving innovation and high-tech manufacturing. But, he acknowledged, the situation in Germany is different to the U.S. "To turn this around for the United States, having lost so many manufacturing jobs over time, I think will be very, very difficult." Many critics have said one of the countries that can benefit tremendously from a more protectionist stance from the U.S. is China Chinese leaders have slowly drummed up their support for more free trade globally . On China , Denner said that market had the second largest number of Bosch employees after Germany with more than 60,000 employees as well as 45 manufacturing sites and 23 technical centers, and that he was very positive on the country. "We have a very, very strong local footprint and this helps us to enjoy significant growth. We didn't publish the official numbers yet, but (last year) we had double digit growth of our sales in the country, so it's very favorable," he said, adding that Bosch's strategy in the mainland is to bring new technologies into the country. Denner said he did not see a lack of access to the Chinese market, a common criticism against Beijing from foreign companies, but added certain Chinese regulations such as restrictions imposed on moving local profits out of the country were headed in the wrong direction. More From CNBC MILFORD For her 90th birthday, Mike Trahos accompanied his mother back to her old home place, about 75 years after she and her family had to leave the mountain where they lived because the state was gobbling up land for the new Shenandoah National Park. Using a walking stick for balance, Dorothy Dyer Trahos marched with purpose leading a small army of nieces, nephews and others into a place that looked nothing like it had in her childhood: Homes, barns and corn sheds had been demolished, leaving only remnants of foundations like archaeological relics of lost generations. Barely discernible indentations in the ground marked paths between buildings once trod by the feet of her family. Plants and trees had overtaken the once cleared landscape. Even so, she found her way to the family cemetery where she discovered something that made her heart sing: a rose bush, living but barely, that she had planted all those years before at her grandmothers grave. It brought tears to my eyes, Mike Trahos recalled. Trahos returned to the family cemetery two weeks ago to fulfill his mothers final wish: to have her ashes buried on her beloved mountain. She is now back home. She died as she had lived: a kind, good-hearted woman. But even after a long and satisfying life, she never forgave the powers that be that took her familys home. Her sentiments, even at the end, were very uncharitable, her son said. She was a real good Christian woman, Trahos said, but she was bitter with the park service. She was still pretty hard-hearted about it. Trahos trek into the mountains of his mothers childhood with the permission of the park service and the help of a retired park ranger who helped him find the old home site came just a few days before my March 12 story on the Blue Ridge Heritage Project, a grassroots effort to erect monuments in the eight counties bordering Shenandoah National Park that lost land when the park was created. The monuments featuring stone chimneys that symbolize all that was left of some of these homes after they were burned or bulldozed will honor the hundreds of families displaced by the park. The first monument to be completed is in Madison County, along the old Blue Ridge Turnpike in Criglersville. Dyer is one of the names on the plaque. Trahos emailed me last week to tell me about his mother. I wanted to hear more, so I drove to his farm in Caroline County where his mother lived her final years. She died in 2012 at age 95. Trahos is a semi-retired dentist who over the years had offices in Washington and around Northern Virginia and who still practices a few mornings a week in a building a few steps from his historic farmhouse. When I arrived, he had filled his dining room table with pictures of his mother and artifacts from her life, such as the Bible she read as a child and one of her schoolbooks. Her formal education didnt extend beyond seventh grade, but you will see that she proved to be exceptionally smart and capable. She was the oldest of eight children four girls came first, then four boys. Her family lived in something of a family compound on Robertson Mountain, next to Old Rag Mountain, and her elders included her great-grandfather, Edward Paul Dyer, who, as they say, wasnt from around there. He was a native of Maine, a Union soldier who deserted his poorly equipped unit after the Battle of Fredericksburg. Wounded and suffering from pneumonia, he disappeared into the mountains. For an enemy soldier in foreign territory, he must have been a charming fellow: a local woman, Sarah Catherine Berry, nursed him back to health, and she became his wife. Years later, he built a pie safe for the wedding of his grandson Dorothys father and when she was 12 Dorothy painted it green. The pie safe resides in Trahos dental office, sturdy and weathered and still green. The family operated a sawmill and a gristmill and, like others who lived in the mountains, were remarkably self-reliant. They had to be. But the Dyers, through the lumber they sold, had something many mountain people didnt: cash. They didnt live in luxury, but they were far from poor and underprivileged, as mountain residents were generally portrayed by park advocates making the case that displacement would be beneficial for those losing their homes. The commonwealth of Virginia acquired the land that would be turned over to the federal government for creation of the park. Some landowners sold and moved out during the decade between when the park was announced and it was dedicated in 1936; the state acquired the rest through eminent domain. In all, 180,000 acres of land were acquired for the park, and though hundreds of families were affected only 7 percent of the acreage was owned by residents, said a park spokeswoman. The remainder came from absentee owners, along with businesses such as mining and lumber companies. The Dyers moved in the early 1930s to a farm in the community of Leon in Madison County, and Trahos said his mother always felt the relocation had destroyed a way of life where the generations were interdependent on each other. She likened her life to The Waltons, Trahos said. She said it was much like that. Around age 18, she moved to Orange County to work briefly for the duPont family that at that point owned James Madisons Montpelier. The duPonts were familiar with her family, having come to the mountains to fish for trout with Dorothys father at White Oak Falls. She also worked at a silk mill in Orange before moving with a sister to Alexandria and taking a job in quality control at the U.S. Naval Torpedo Station, a factory on the banks of the Potomac River that built torpedoes for aircraft and submarines (it has since been converted into an arts center). While in Alexandria, she ate in a restaurant operated by Greek immigrants on King Street. One day, a son of the owners cut his hand removing a soft drink from the ice box for her. She helped bandage his hand, which was Dorothys introduction to her future husband, Norman Trahos, their son said. Norman Trahos went on to become a dentist on Capitol Hill. The family lived in Arlington, where Dorothy, the country girl from the mountains with the grade-school education, raised azaleas and roses and moved with determination and grace among the prominent and influential. One neighbor was friends with then-Sen. John F. Kennedy, who visited occasionally. Norman and Dorothy eventually moved back to Madison to a farm, where they raised a granddaughter after their daughter died of cancer. Norman passed at age 86, heartache not being a stranger to Dorothy: As the oldest, she not only had helped raise her seven siblings, but she helped bury them all as well. Before her death, she had watched the park services view of the displaced evolve as it revamped the exhibits in its Byrd Visitors Center at Big Meadows to reflect the sacrifices of the displaced and the less-than-stellar manner in which they were treated. A photo of her family appears in the exhibit in the doorway of a home under eviction notice and her voice can be heard on a park service video. It was a full life well lived. Trahos buried his mothers ashes on Robertson Mountain beneath a marker bearing the words: A Woman of Uncommon Capacity. I thought, Trahos said, it captured Moms essence. The victim in a shooting early Monday in Richmond's Mosby Court has been identified. Kendell L. Coward, 34, was found suffering from a gunshot wound shortly after 2:15 a.m. inside an apartment in the 1900 block of Raven Street, police said. Coward was pronounced dead at the scene. Detectives believe Coward was shot while entering the apartment. Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to call Major Crimes Detective Marshall Young at (804) 646-3926 or contact Crime Stoppers at (804) 780-1000 or at www.7801000.com. Richmond School Board Chairwoman Dawn Page said she is not happy that school system administrators failed to tell the board it likely would end the fiscal year with at least $8.3 million to spare. We did not know. We had not been informed, Page said Saturday, adding that she has requested a full accounting of the money at todays School Board meeting. This entire process has been unacceptable. At issue is the timing of the estimate, which surfaced at a City Council meeting weeks after the School Board voted to request more than $16 million in additional local tax dollars for the budget year beginning July 1. Board members had considered issuing a more modest plan in a nod of cooperation toward incoming Mayor Levar Stoney, whose first spending plan was hamstrung by the citys limited debt capacity. But after hearing from school funding advocates, they voted 7-1 to approve a $301.6 million operating budget for 2017-18. Meantime, Stoney proposed a budget that earmarked $6.1 million above last years school funding level without knowing how much extra the school system could have to work with. A Richmond Public Schools spokeswoman said administrators were not comfortable throwing out a number that had not been fully vetted. The estimate is included in an annual post-mortem of the prior fiscal year, but the report has not been certified or issued, she said. The balance in concept is nothing new for the school system, which has had so-called unassigned funds ranging from just over $500,000 to about $6.4 million in the past six fiscal years. But the sequence of events fomented momentary distrust among school funding advocates and riled some City Council members who questioned whether the administration of Superintendent Dana T. Bedden had been holding out. Bedden held meetings, emailed school leaders and took to social media to counter concerns about the perception the school system somehow was hiding money. His message resonated with the founders of the grassroots school funding advocacy group Support Our Schools, who expressed disappointment in how the information was relayed. We do not believe that RPS quietly stowed this money away with the intent to keep its existence from the City or general public, as previously intimated, the group said in response to questions. We find it discouraging that this information was released and reported in a manner that casts doubt on the management of school finances. School Board members said they felt blindsided and voiced concerns that the revelation would damage relationships with Stoney and their counterparts on the City Council, who ultimately have a final say on how much money goes toward schools. I feel like this is a step backward, because weve had some good collaborations between the city and School Board so far, 1st District School Board member Liz Doerr said. That being said, I really do believe we cant let petty politics derail our forward momentum. Reached by phone Sunday, a spokesman for Stoney said the mayor was committed to working hand-in-hand with the School Board and the City Council. The prospect of a surplus was noted far down in budget presentations made to the School Board, but board members said they were not aware of the extent of the savings. School Board member Scott Barlow, who represents the 2nd District, said he did not know how much money the board was projected to have until he read about it in the Richmond Times-Dispatch. We knew about this in concept, as most organizations end the year with some cushion, but not the amount, he said. I was frustrated. Doerr agreed. As a board member, I would expect to be notified, she said. It was frustrating not to have a full accounting of the funds. Those savings come mostly from employee turnover and historically have gone toward covering unforeseen expenses. Any amount not used by years end reverts to city coffers under state law. But in the past, the school system and the city have had a gentlemans agreement that allowed for some or all of the balance to stay with the schools. Richmond Public Schools communications director, Kenita Bowers, provided correspondence from 2016 with members of the City Council in which the concept of a fund balance was discussed. Officials interviewed all said it was not the existence of the money, but the amount and timing of the public discussion, that gave them heartburn. I think it would have been strange if they were holding back, Doerr said of school officials. But I am confused as to why they didnt bring it up. I believe in the context of budget deliberations, we should have had that conversation. Doerr expressed her disappointment publicly in a Facebook post Thursday that was shared hours later to the Support Richmond Public Schools group page. The Richmond Public Schools account responded to the post that afternoon and explained that extra funds are not appropriate for annual general operating cost but typically are used for emergencies and/or one time cost which we have already been in conversation with the city about receiving. Bowers said the post was made from Beddens phone during a meeting and that the two often collaborate on statements posted to social media. Page, who represents the 8th District on the School Board, said she would like to see some of the money go toward one-time purchases now included in the boards adopted budget, such as security upgrades and teacher laptop computers. The school systems most recent Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, issued for the fiscal year that ended June 30, 2015, noted that no School Board policy exists for the use of money not restricted or designated for a specific purpose. Asked whether guidelines should be drafted, school officials provided a policy employed by Alexandria Public Schools that establishes a framework for how those dollars should be used. Bowers said the administration will make changes to how information about the fund balance is presented upon the School Boards request. Baker Elementary School in eastern Henrico County will be closed at least today and Tuesday after a fire damaged the building Sunday morning. Henrico County firefighters responded to the school in the 6600 block of Willson Road, near the intersection of Darbytown Road and Laburnum Avenue, about 7:50 a.m., said Capt. Taylor Goodman, spokesman for the Henrico Fire Division. Crews from a station around the corner from the school were on the scene quickly and found smoke and fire coming from the roof. Due to the complexity of the fire difficulty locating exactly where the source of the fire was a second alarm was called bringing additional resources in, Goodman said. Crews split up to the front and rear of the building, and once the source of the fire was determined, it was extinguished very quickly, Goodman said, adding that no injuries to civilians or firefighters have been reported. Sunday evening, fire marshals concluded that the blaze was cause by an electrical problem, Goodman said in an email. Henrico schools released a statement Sunday afternoon to announce that the school would be closed for at least two days. Roof damage, along with water and smoke damage, will prevent us from opening the building on Monday or Tuesday, and likely beyond, schools spokesman Andy Jenks said in the statement. Baker Elementary School students should not report to school on Monday or Tuesday. Baker staff members will receive additional instructions later from the school principal. Jenks said the school system is weighing different plans for getting Bakers students back into the classroom. We are evaluating all of the available options including the temporary usage of nearby school facilities, he said. A team has been meeting since early this morning to develop plans and make arrangements for the Baker school community. For now, we are taking it one day at a time. To the Baker ES families, please join us on Monday, March 20, at 6 p.m. in the Varina High School auditorium for a community meeting to share plans and answer your questions. If you are unable to attend the meeting, we will continue to update you via email, voicemail, and on our website at www.henricoschools.us. Powell made outlandish accusations Editor, Times-Dispatch: I was shocked that you chose to publish Scott Powells Commentary column, Obama, Dems go low vs. Trump. It was not only inflammatory, but absurd. It advances the very undermining of democracy it claims to be exposing. Powell accuses former President Obama of wrecking the presidency whatever the cost to the country; creating a leak mechanism to ruin Donald Trumps presidency; sympathizing with Marxism; engaging in Soviet-style propaganda; embracing a philosophy of the ends justifying the means; staging mass protests to Trumps presidency; encouraging a war on police and purposely trying to socially and financially ruin the country because socialist transformation first requires collapse of the old order. I find these claims hard to square with the no-drama Obama who told his administration that Trumps election was not the apocalypse, that the United States is going to be all right. Throughout his presidency he demonstrated unflappable decency, took moderately liberal positions, respected Republican ideas and sought a grand bargain with Republican leaders to solve some of our biggest problems. Unfortunately, Republican leaders tried to deny him any accomplishments. The irony of Powells article is that some of his claims apply better to the Republicans in Congress and it is Trump whose behavior is undermining trust in our democratic institutions. It is laughable that Powell claims Trump is a bold leader with the courage to take on corruption in the media when in actuality Trump labels the most distinguished news sources as fake news and freely makes up whatever accusations he wants. Im prepared to give Trump a chance. I want him to have accomplishments that truly benefit the U.S. and the world. But be aware: This man is dangerous and so are the outlandish accusations by Powell. Ryan Ahlgrim. Donald Trump Wall Street has been eagerly looking forward to corporate tax reform since President Donald Trump's election Trump and congressional Republicans, however, have chosen to work on overhauling the US healthcare system first, an effort that has run into some stumbling blocks Delays in healthcare reform could lead to delays in tax reform, which could threaten recent gains in the stock market Tax cuts have been at the top of Wall Street's wish list of policies to come out of President Donald Trump's administration. While administration officials have been promising that cuts to corporate and personal taxes are coming soon, investors have had relatively little to grab onto in terms of details of a plan. And the recent fight over healthcare reform has added to these concerns. The Republican bill to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, the healthcare law better known as Obamacare, has taken the front seat in the legislative agenda for Trump and the GOP, sidelining hopes for a major tax-reform initiative until after the plan has been passed. With delays and possible roadblocks looming for the reform bill, the American Health Care Act, there has also been growing doubt that tax reform is coming as quickly as the Trump administration promised, and analysts think delay could make investors jittery. High expectations The Trump administration has long taken the stance that it wants to significantly cut taxes for businesses. Trump expressed his desire as far back as September 2015 to cut corporate taxes to 15%, and he frequently brought the issue up on the campaign trail. After being elected, Trump also told airline CEOs that he wanted to slash the current federal statutory corporate tax rate of 35% to about 15% to 20%. While few companies actually pay the full statutory rate JPMorgan has estimated that US corporations pay an effective rate of about 20% after tax credits a cut could certainly reduce a significant expense and lead to larger profits for corporations. Story continues While Republicans have been advocates of lower corporate rates for decades, Trump's election and the timeline set out by the president have encouraged investors that the tax cut could be coming soon. The timeline for the tax proposal has been ambitious. During a meeting with manufacturing CEOs on February 9, Trump said he was "going to be announcing something over the next, I would say, two or three weeks that will be phenomenal in terms of tax." Five weeks later, a full plan has not been released. Other Trump administration officials have also promised that the reform is on the way. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin told CNBC that he wanted new tax policy to be signed by Trump in time for Congress' August recess. Given the strong words, investors have been getting more bullish on stocks' and companies' prospects, but the healthcare overhaul could dampen those hopes. Checking the calendar The hang-up for tax policy seems to be coming from the GOP's desire to redo the Affordable Care Act first. Trump said in a speech in Nashville, Tennessee, on Wednesday that he wanted to "cut the hell out of taxes" but that there was a problem. "But, but before I can do that I would've loved to have put it first I'll be honest there's one more very important thing that we have to do," Trump said. "And we are going to repeal and replace horrible disastrous Obamacare." Republicans are using a process known as budget reconciliation to pass the AHCA. This means they need only 50 votes in the Senate to pass the bill and avoid a Democratic filibuster. It also means they can change only parts of Obamacare directly dealing with the federal budget, and since they are amending the fiscal-year 2017 budget, they have to get the process done in the next several months. But the AHCA is broadly unpopular across the political spectrum. Conservative and moderate Republicans as well as Democrats, conservative think tanks, major medical associations, and, according to polling, a majority of Americans oppose the AHCA in its current form. So, Wall Street is worried a delay for the AHCA may be coming. A vote on the bill by the House is expected later in the week, and there's a real danger of the act not passing unless substantial changes are made to appease conservative members of the House Freedom Caucus. The head of the Freedom Caucus, Rep. Mark Meadows, told reporters he had 40 to 50 votes against the current form of the AHCA, which would be enough to block the bill. That would push back the tax-reform changes Wall Street so desperately wants, according to Compass Point analyst Isaac Boltansky. "Assuming no Democratic support, GOP leadership can only lose 21 of its 237 seats and still pass the AHCA," Boltansky wrote in a note to clients on Monday. Boltansky also wrote: "Notably, during an interview that aired on Sunday, House Freedom Caucus Chair Meadows (R-NC) estimated that ~40 House Republicans were still opposed to the measure. If AHCA fails, or continues to dominate the agenda well into 2Q17, the market will likely be forced to begin discounting the prospects of tax reform and other fiscal policy changes." JPMorgan's Adam Crisafulli said the AHCA vote could not only delay tax reform but also signal to investors just how likely it is that the tax overhaul will get passed. From Crisafulli's Monday note to clients (emphasis added): "The biggest event by far for equities will be the House floor vote on Ryans HC bill (scheduled for Thurs 3/23) failure to advance this legislation would likely materially undermine market confidence in the GOP tax reform agenda. The fact Ryan even scheduled a vote suggests some confidence on his part in being able to secure passage although this is by no means guaranteed. Even if Ryan manages to get his bill out of the House, passage in the Senate appears very unlikely which raises the larger issue of how much time and political capital Republicans wind up devoting to this issue at the expense of more market-friendly initiatives (namely tax reform)." By many measures, the recent run in stocks has pushed the market into expensive territory if there is not a serious uptick in earnings. One of the drivers of the recent stock rally, according to analysts, is the baked-in expectation that lower tax rates will increase corporate profitability. So for investors, the failure of Trump and the GOP to pass the AHCA could signal a longer and possibly nonexistent road to tax reform. To be fair, healthcare and taxes are two different beasts, and support within the Republican Party will probably not line up similarly on both issues. A major delay on tax reform, however, could seriously wound the recent surge in investor confidence. NOW WATCH: 7 mega-billionaires who made a fortune last year More From Business Insider A Place for All Conservatives to Speak Their Mind. WASHINGTON (AP) FBI Director James Comey confirmed Monday that the bureau is investigating possible links and coordination between Russia and associates of President Donald Trump as part of a broader probe of Russian interference in last year's presidential election. The extraordinary revelation, and the first public confirmation of an investigation that began last summer, came at the outset of Comey's opening statement in a congressional hearing examining Russian meddling and possible connections between Moscow and Trump's campaign. He acknowledged that the FBI does not ordinarily discuss ongoing investigations, but said he'd been authorized to do so given the extreme public interest in this case. "This work is very complex, and there is no way for me to give you a timetable for when it will be done," Comey told the House intelligence committee. The hearing, providing the most extensive public accounting of a matter that has dogged the Trump administration for its first two months, quickly broke along partisan lines. Democrats pressed for details on the status of the FBI's investigation, while Republicans repeatedly focused on news coverage and possible improper disclosures of classified information developed through surveillance. Under questioning from the committee's top Democrat, Rep. Adam Schiff, the FBI director also publicly contradicted a series of tweets from Trump that declared the Republican candidate's phones had been ordered tapped by President Barack Obama during the campaign. "I have no confirmation that supports those tweets, and we have looked carefully inside the FBI," Comey said. The same was true, he added, of the Justice Department. Comey was the latest government official to reject Trump's claims, made without any evidence, that Obama had wiretapped his New York skyscraper during the campaign. Rep. Devin Nunes, a California Republican and chairman of the House intelligence committee, also rejected it earlier in the hearing. Comey was testifying along with National Security Agency Director Michael Rogers, who also disputed allegations that surfaced last year that British intelligence services were involved in the wiretapping. Trump took to Twitter before the hearing began, accusing Democrats of making up allegations about his campaign associates' contact with Russia during the election. He said Congress and the FBI should be going after media leaks and maybe even Hillary Clinton instead. "The real story that Congress, the FBI and others should be looking into is the leaking of Classified information. Must find leaker now!" Trump tweeted early Monday as news coverage on the Russia allegations dominated the morning's cable news. Trump also suggested, without evidence, that Clinton's campaign was in contact with Russia and had possibly thwarted a federal investigation. U.S. intelligence officials have not publicly raised the possibility of contacts between the Clintons and Moscow. Officials investigating the matter have said they believe Moscow had hacked into Democrats' computers in a bid to help Trump's election bid. Monday's hearing, one of several by congressional panels probing allegations of Russian meddling, could allow for the greatest public accounting to date of investigations that have shadowed the Trump administration in its first two months. The top two lawmakers on the committee said Sunday that documents the Justice Department and FBI delivered late last week offered no evidence that the Obama administration had wiretapped Trump Tower, the president's New York City headquarters. But the panel's ranking Democrat said the material offered circumstantial evidence that American citizens colluded with Russians in Moscow's efforts to interfere in the presidential election. "There was circumstantial evidence of collusion; there is direct evidence, I think, of deception," Schiff said on NBC's "Meet the Press." ''There's certainly enough for us to conduct an investigation." Nunes said: "For the first time the American people, and all the political parties now, are paying attention to the threat that Russia poses." "We know that the Russians were trying to get involved in our campaign, like they have for many decades. They're also trying to get involved in campaigns around the globe and over in Europe," he said on "Fox News Sunday." The Senate Intelligence Committee has scheduled a similar hearing for later in the month. Though Comey would not discuss specific evidence, he went far beyond his testimony from a hearing in January, when he refused to confirm or deny the existence of any investigation exploring possible connections between Trump associates and Russia, consistent with the FBI's longstanding policy of not publicly discussing its work. His appearances on Capitol Hill since then have occurred in classified settings, often with small groups of lawmakers, and he has made no public statements connected to the Trump campaign or Russia. Any lack of detail from Comey on Monday would likely be contrasted with public comments he made last year when closing out an investigation into Clinton's email practices and then, shortly before Election Day, announcing that the probe would be revived following the discovery of additional emails. WASHINGTON A man drove up to a White House check point shortly after 11 p.m. Saturday and told a Secret Service officer that theres a bomb in the trunk, authorities said. As he was being pulled to the ground by a uniformed Secret Service officer, the man allegedly said, according to a D.C. police report, this is a test. The man was taken into custody and his vehicle was searched. There was no indication that anything was found. The police said Sean Patrick Keoughan, 29, of Roanoke was charged with false bomb threats, as well as unauthorized use of a vehicle. According to the report, the car was reported stolen in Roanoke. A Roanoke Times reporter visited a residence associated with an individual by that name on Sunday evening. There was no response. The incident occurred at the vehicle check point at 15th and E Streets N.W. It does not give access to the White House grounds, but only authorized vehicles are permitted to pass. The security incident was the second of the day at the White House. In the earlier one, a man was spotted about 12:40 p.m. in a prohibited area on the sidewalk in front of the North Lawn of the White House, according to a D.C. police report. The man was behind an auxiliary security barrier that stands in front of the fence that encloses the White House grounds. The auxiliary barrier is about 40 inches tall and resembles a bicycle rack. The man behind the barrier was yelling nonsensical statements, a uniformed Secret Service officer said, according to the D.C. police report. Police said Sunday night that William Bryant Rawlinson, 58, of Silver Spring, Maryland, was arrested on a charge of unlawful entry. Two people this month have been taken into custody and accused of trying to breach White House security. The more recent event took place earlier Saturday when someone climbed over a crowd-control barrier outside the White House. After that incident, it was reported that the president was not in the White House, but had gone to Florida. In a more serious incident on March 10, a man made it onto the White House grounds and reportedly spent 16 minutes there before being arrested. The 15th and E Street checkpoint figured in a fatal incident in 2013. A woman who drove into that checkpoint was later shot by law enforcement officers near the U.S. Capitol. Casey Fabris of The Roanoke Times contributed to this report. Sherman Shiffletts father was a true mountain man: rugged, resourceful and resilient. Born in a log cabin on top of a mountain in Rockingham County, Harvey Shifflett wasnt what youd call book smart he didnt attend school past the second grade and he could barely sign his name but he was plenty sharp. He could do math without pencil and paper, and he kept his family fed, even in the leanest times. He was brainy in the ways of living, and when he put his mind to it he could figure out how to do just about anything. However, he could never quite come to grips with living off the mountain. His was among the hundreds of families forced from their homes in the 1930s to make way for the Shenandoah National Park as state authorities used eminent domain to acquire private property that would be turned over to the federal government. After leaving their homeplace in 1933, the Shiffletts settled in the foothills of Albemarle County, but Harvey Shiffletts heart never relocated. Decades later, still bitter at the way his family had been treated and longing for his mountain home, he would have his children drive him to the park on weekend mornings. There he would sit for hours on one of the stone walls along the Skyline Drive. The old man spent the time whittling, watching the tourists drive by and soaking in the highland beauty. My dad wasnt upset about the money. He was upset about the way they were treated. He said they were treated real shabbily, said Sherman Shifflett, 74, who was born after the family moved downhill, though his four oldest siblings were born on the mountain. Shiffletts father was told later their home had been burned, a common practice to discourage former residents from returning, or squatters from resettling. Several generations had been up there on top of the mountain, said Shifflett, now retired after a career in teaching and administration at Louisa County High School, with old family photographs scattered about his kitchen table . They were fiercely independent. They worked hard. They eked out a living. My dad never stopped talking about it. He was really hurt. He never got the mountains out of his system. The story of people who lost their homes for the Shenandoah National Parks creation was obscure for years and is steadily fading. The youngest of those forced from the mountains are well into their 80s. The Blue Ridge Heritage Project is breathing new life into the story of displacement although Sherman Shifflett says his father never used the term displaced to describe his experience, believing evicted better captured the feeling by promoting the development of a monument site in each of the eight mountain counties where land was acquired. The monuments will recognize those who were displaced and tell visitors about the lives and culture of the people who dwelled in the mountains. The first monuments went up in Albemarle and Madison counties. The Rappahannock County monument will be dedicated in April, while ones in Page and Greene counties are in the works with Augusta, Rockingham and Warren counties to come. The monuments are being developed by committees within each county that will oversee site selection, design and fundraising. The monuments will differ slightly in terms of materials and construction, but the focal points of each will be a stone chimney. The symbolism is intentional, said Bill Henry, who founded the nonprofit Blue Ridge Heritage Project. If you go up in the park today, youll find quite a few chimneys still standing, Henry said. The first chimney I came across in the backcountry was a very powerful experience. I didnt know the whole story back then. It was like, Wow, somebody lived here. Once I learned about the people being evicted and the houses being burned the chimneys left standing really had a lot of meaning to me. The chimneys show the determination and spirit of the mountain people. Henry, a retired school teacher, has no personal connection to the displaced people. He became interested in their story when he began attending meetings of The Children of Shenandoah, a group of descendants of the displaced that was formed in 1994. Their mission was to preserve the heritage of their ancestors, in part, by encouraging the national park to help them tell their story to visitors in a way that wasnt demeaning, like they felt was the negative tone of earlier narratives. Henry, who grew up in Fairfax County and regularly visited the park with his family, went to the meetings because he was interested in learning about the parks history. I started going to hear the speakers, and then I got to wondering why all these people were so damn angry, he recalled. Lisa Custalow, who co-founded the descendants group The Children of Shenandoah with her husband, Curtis King Custalow, acknowledged the considerable simmering anger. Her mother was born on High Top Mountain and she was not even school age when her family had to leave their home. Custalows grandparents rented their home, so they werent financially compensated for their trouble. I remember as a young child I would ask my mom, Why did you have to leave the mountain? recalled Custalow, who grew up in Charlottesville and still lives there. She would become quiet. She would have tears in her eyes, and she would say, When the government tells you you have to go, you have to go. That was my signal to be quiet because you dont want to make mama sad. As she grew older, Custalow would stop at the Harry F. Byrd Visitor Center, where the exhibits put the most positive spin on the story of how the park was created, but in doing so overshadowed the mountain people. What we were angry about was the truth wasnt being told, Custalow said. You cant take the park back. We could never move back. But at least we wanted the truth to be told about our families and how they lived. The Children of Shenandoah got the attention of park officials, and the two entities worked to revamp the exhibits and videos, focusing considerable attention on the experiences of the people who were displaced. Claire Comer, an interpretive specialist for the park assigned to the visual media department, said The Children of Shenandoah was a fantastic partner for us to get that perspective. The collaboration, she said, was part of an ongoing effort by the park to tell the story very comprehensively and objectively. We wanted to just present the facts and let people draw their own conclusions, Comer said. Its made for wonderful discussion for school groups and visitors alike: What is the greater good? What about eminent domain? Is it a good or bad thing? Is the end result of the park worth the heartache of those people who were displaced? This is really a story of colliding passions, she said, noting that on one side were those who wanted to preserve the beauty of the area while establishing a viable economy that was not an extracting industry, namely tourism, while on the other were the people who called the mountains home. Comer brings an empathy to the story as her family also was touched though in not such a dramatic way: Her great-grandfather had to sell his mountain land that he used for grazing cattle in the summer. He had to give up a cabin, though not his family farm, which was nearby but not on land that became part of the park. Still, she understands the sense of place and loss that infuses the feelings of descendants of the displaced. Thats why she considers her work incorporating a more complete account a really fulfilling part of my career. Having come from the local area, it was really a great thing for me to have the opportunity to tell that story, she said. Custalow is extremely pleased with how the modern-day park responded but said her groups biggest accomplishment might have been inspiring Henry someone without a personal stake in the issue to take an interest in their efforts and carry it forward. Having sensed the pain that was still palpable among descendants, Henry thought more could be done to honor the displaced. He began working on the idea for the Blue Ridge Heritage Project in 2012 asking Custalow to serve on the board and eventually proposed a single site with eight monuments. Later, a monument in each county was suggested, making the logistics more complicated but the final result more compelling, he said. One of the things Ive learned is its not just one story, but its thousands of stories, Henry said during an interview on a cold, blustery day at the Madison monument next to the now-closed Criglersville Elementary School on Old Blue Ridge Turnpike, which in the days before the park was a main thoroughfare over the mountains to the Shenandoah Valley. They had different experiences, and they had different ways of dealing with it. Everybodys family saw their part of it, and quite often they dont know how big this was, which is one thing thats really great about having eight counties with eight sites. Jim Lillard led the effort for the Madison monument, having picked out the fieldstones that went into the building of the chimney. His family goes back centuries in the area, several of his ancestors having fought in the American Revolution, and his grandfather had to abandon his 154-acre farm. It made Lillard feel better when he searched the records and discovered his grandfather had been offered $1,700 by the state, held out for $2,117 and wound up buying a 216-acre farm with a two-story house elsewhere in Madison for $2,000. Asked if he was gratified to have the first monument in Madison, he replied, I surely am. Depending on your evaluation, those who developed the park may not seem purely admirable or high-minded. As one of the first national parks in the East when it was established in 1926, Shenandoah presented challenges the park system had not encountered in the open spaces of the West on land already owned by the government namely, residents. Taking land by such an authoritarian governmental process seems harsh today, and such a seizure would be unlikely or unsuccessful in our contemporary political climate. Yet Harry Byrd, who commanded Virginias arch-conservative political machine for decades, avidly supported the park project as the states governor and U.S. senator. It wasnt entirely the park systems doing. Local promoters of the notion of a national park in the Blue Ridge, including a local businessman who operated the Skyland Resort (in what is now the park), touted the economic benefits of a national park in the majestic Blue Ridge. Park advocates described the mountain land as pristine and uninhabited. In truth, the area was far from uninhabited. A census taken in 1934 showed approximately 435 families needed to be relocated before the park was dedicated in 1936, but the NPSs Comer said no one is sure of the total number of people who were displaced in the decade between when the park was authorized and when it was dedicated. County records show landowners were paid for their property, but those who were tenant farmers or migrant workers or simply didnt have a legal deed as those who had lived for generations in a remote area might certainly not have were not. Some sold willingly, while others resisted. A few older residents were given life estate rights to live out their days in their homes. Everyone else was ushered out, sometimes with eviction notices and a visit from local law enforcement. The people scattered. Some traveled a few miles into the foothills to settle, while others relocated in farther-away places such as Baltimore, where jobs were more plentiful. The government established resettlement communities in several counties, charging a monthly rent in a sort of rent-to-own arrangement. Larry Lamb, who helped get the Albemarle monument constructed and also serves on the Greene monument committee, has family ties to residents displaced in four counties. The Blue Ridge Heritage Project is important, he said, because most people who visit the park today have no understanding of how it was created or the lives it adversely affected. It lets people know that part of the story, he said. Lamb, 65, who retired as a service engineer in the University of Virginia radiology department and lives in Albemarle, said he has been visiting the park since he was a child. Ive always loved it, he said. The question lingers in the mountain air: was displacing mountain families wholesale worth what was achieved? Todays park, nearly 200,000 acres, preserves and protects vistas that are world-renown. In addition to the economic benefits of tourism, the Shenandoah National Park is also an expansive environmental preserve. But some families paid a tremendous price for such a high-minded creation. Lamb has often hiked into the backcountry, visiting family gravesites and the remains of a log building at the farm where his great-great-grandparents lived. When you get up there, its unbelievably beautiful, he said. Those mountain people knew how to pick sites to build their homes. They were very smart. A DRIVER was arrested after a 64-year-old man died when he was knocked over in Dalton. Specialist road traffic officers asked witnesses to come forward after the incident on Doncaster Road at 8.20pm on Saturday. Police said a blue Honda Civic was reported to have hit the man as he crossed the road outside Silverwood Miners' Welfare Club. He was pronounced dead at the scene. A spokesman said: A 20-year-old man driving the Honda has been arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving. Officers investigating the collision want to hear from you if you saw what happened or saw the Honda in the area prior to the collision. Anyone with information is asked to call 101 quoting incident 1018 of March 18. A PREDATOR who molested a young girl and threatened to kill her if she told anyone has failed to convince top judges that his jail term should be cut. Lee Matthew Walsh (49), of Henry Street, Rotherham, was jailed for four years at Sheffield Crown Court on August 5 last year. He was convicted of sexual assault of a girl aged under 13, Sir Kenneth Parker told Londons Appeal Court last Wednesday. Walsh touched the girl and then threatened to kill her if she told anyone about the incident. He argued his jail term was far too tough and ought to be cut but Sir Kenneth said the judge who jailed Walsh was well placed to assess the gravity of his crime. He was entitled to pass a sentence at the top of the range given the victim was very young and the threats to kill her. Walshs lack of relevant previous convictions was of very limited assistance in deciding his punishment. The appeal judge, who was sitting with Lord Justice Flaux and Mr Justice Popplewell, refused the appeal. It all starts with stones - it is they that give impetus, determine the image and embodiment Maxim Selikhov is the founder of the SelikhoV Diamonds brand launched in 2006, and the company manufactures unique handmade jewellery with rare high-quality gemstones. He is also known as a collector of unique and large-size jewellery stones who considers... Our technologies CVD machines and growing technology are game changers, asserts Arnaud Flambeau, Executive Chairman, 2DOT4 Diamonds LLC Arnaud Flambeau is the Executive Chairman of 2DOT4 Diamonds LLC, Dubai, a fully integrated lab-grown diamonds company. The Company provides rough 'as grown' diamonds, in-house polished IGI certified loose polished diamonds and high-quality... Stargems brings the DaVinci system to Botswana Stargems, which was founded by Shailesh Javeri in 1981, has diversified into manufacturing, wholesaling, retailing and tendering or auctioning of diamonds and diamond jewellery. It is also one of the leading players in the manufacturing, wholesaling... Coloured diamonds are the best investment option if anyone would like to invest in diamonds Dr Sergio Calqueiro, the President and Managing Director of the Dubai-based Foz Gold & Diamonds Trading has been dealing in polished diamonds, gold, Import & Export, International trade and development for the past six-plus years. Sergio is also the... India's exports of cut and polished diamonds recorded at $ 2.41 bn in Feb. 2017 as compared to the US$ 2.34 bn in the same month in Feb.2016, a rise of 3.27%, according to provisional data released by The Gem & Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC). Rough imports during Feb. 2017 at $ 1.51 bn were down 2.9% in value terms compared to $ 1.55 bn imported during February 2016. In volume terms, 17.8 mn cts of rough were imported during the month, a rise of 14.1% compared to imports of 15.6 mn cts during Feb. 16. Imports of cut and polished diamonds were down 19.8% to $ 177.89 mn in Feb. 2017 from $ 221.73 mn in the same month a year earlier. Exports of cut and polished diamonds for the Apl 2016-Feb. 2017 period were up 11% to $ 20.92 bn as compared to $ 18.84 bn during the same period a year earlier. During the fiscal year to date, Import of rough diamonds rose to $ 15.46 bn, an increase of 22.17% as compared to $ 12.66 bn a year earlier. In volume terms, imports rose by 10.63% from 123.4 mn cts in April 16- February 17 to 136.5 mn cts in the same period this year. Aruna Gaitonde, Editor-in-Chief of Asian Bureau, Rough & Polished Dominion Diamond Corporation has released its guidance for sales, Adjusted EBITDA, unit operating costs, and capital and exploration expenditures for fiscal 2018 (ending January 31, 2018). Sales are expected to be between $875 and $975 million, an increase of 62% compared to fiscal 2017 sales. Adjusted EBITDA is forecast to be between $475 and $560 million, reflecting a high margin ore mix, combined with ongoing cost containment and efficiency initiatives. The cash cost of production is expected to be between $70 and $80 per tonne processed and between $35 and $40 per carat produced. The average price per carat sold is expected to range from $70 to $90 per carat. Growth capital expenditures are expected to total between $115 and $140 million, demonstrating a commitment to investment in growth. Sustaining capital expenditures, including capitalized production stripping, are expected to total between $160 and $190 million. Combined production at the Ekati mine (100% basis, fiscal 2018) and the Diavik mine (40% share, calendar 2017) is expected to be between 9.1 and 10.0 million carats. "We continue to execute on our long-term strategic plan and to deliver results. Our strong sales and Adjusted EBITDA forecasts for fiscal 2018 are driven by high value production from Koala and Misery Main, as Ekati moves to the first full year of the new phase of the mine plan," said Jim Gowans, Chairman of the Board of Directors. According to the company, the diamond market continues to recover from the impact of demonetization in India. The guidance for fiscal 2018 foresees the sale of a higher volume of lower value diamonds that were previously held back from sale due to the weaker market conditions following the demonetization. This is expected to affect the average price per carat sold as well as the number of carats sold, Dominion notes. Alex Shishlo, Editor of the Rough&PolishedEuropean Bureau in Brussels Crime connected to jewelery industry rose 6 percent year-over-year in 2016 for the first time since 2012, the Jewelers Security Alliance study shows. According to the report, the total number of crimes committed against U.S. jewelry firms and reported to the JSA last year was 1,245, compared with 1,177 in 2015. This is the first time since 2012 that the number of jewelry industry crimes reported to the JSA has risen. The numbers overall still are relatively small though, JSA said, and industry crime remains well below what it was in decades past. Outside of credit card fraud--only a fraction of which gets reported to the JSA, the most frequent type of crime perpetrated against jewelers last year was grab-and-run thefts. The number of grab-and-runs rose 40 percent year-over-year, from 301 in 2015 to 420 in 2016. The number of robberies fell from 231 in 2015 to 174 in 2016, a 25 percent decrease. The number of attacks on traveling salespeople as well as crime against jewelers at their homes or other places outside their stores, fell to a total of 48 in 2016. Theodor Lisovoy, Rough&Polished, Moscow Ahmed Bin Sulayem, the 2016 KP Chair and Executive Chairman of the Dubai Multi Commodities Centre today announced the nomination of Maryam Al Hashemi, the UAE KP Director as the 2017 Chair of the Committee of Participation and Chairmanship (CPC) of the Kimberley Process. The CPC assists the Chair of the Kimberley Process in handling the admission of new participants and advises if a Participant fails to comply with requirements, which can lead to their removal from the scheme. It also reviews and assesses candidates for the position of Vice-Chair. The Committee's findings are presented at the plenary meeting. The CPC is made up of previous KP Chairs, representatives of the WDC and Civil Society Coalition. The previous year's KP Chair becomes CPC Chair the following year. After completing her formal education at Dubai Womens College, Maryam joined DMCC in 2003, making her one of its longest current serving employees. Ascending to her current position, as Director of the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme, as well as becoming a member of the DMCC leadership team in January 2007, Maryams responsibilities specifically cover a wide range of initiatives including planning annual department objectives as well as supporting long-term strategic planning towards operational excellence. Ahmed Bin Sulayem said: As someone who understands the necessity of constantly evolving in line with the various sectors and markets to stay ahead of the curve, Maryam is an ideal person to bring forward this important work which involves bringing on board new participants and observers to continue the excellent goals of the Kimberley Process. Maryam Al Hashemi commented: The fact that we continuously evolve to stay relevant in an exceedingly fast paced and multifaceted environment is one of the most exciting parts of my job and I am looking forward to bring the same spirit to the Kimberley Process during 2017 in this important year that KP will review its processes and bring forward change. Aruna Gaitonde, Editor-in-Chief of Asian Bureau, Rough & Polished Yury Trutnev on situation in jewelry industry: We have lost everything 20 march 2017 News Yury Trutnev, Deputy Prime Minister and Presidential Envoy to the Far Eastern Federal District visited Vietnam and India on a business mission last week. TASS is carrying excerpts from a conversation with Yury Trutnev on the results of this trip and further plans for the development of the Far East. TASS: In India, a significant part of your visit was devoted to enhancing cooperation in the diamond and jewelry industry, with ALROSA participating as the main player in this segment of the Russian market. This company changed its president this week. What transformations in the companys strategy, sales and external economic policy should be expected with the advent of Sergey Ivanov? Yury Trutnev: The company has a management team and a board of directors. The companys tactics of operation is their competence, and in terms of strategy I am interested in that the company provides as many benefits to the economy of the country and that of the Far East as possible. We visited the diamond exchange in Mumbai, where ALROSAs diamonds are being processed. There are 40 thousand people working there and if you multiply that number by the number of their family members it will turn out that no less than 120 thousand people in one way or another are related to this work. What does this mean? That we have lost everything because our regulators have created such a customs and tariff system that all this business went away from us. So, it is necessary to change everything. Is it normal when Indians - not our people - are proposing to restore the Russian Cut brand during our negotiations with KGK? And why do we not talk about this? Why do we have a whole lot of restrictions related to the turnover of stones, with a value-added tax, with export duties on precious goods, which are simply killing the industry? But this does not mean that everything should be dumped on ALROSA and make it build diamond cutting facilities and jewelry factories. ALROSA should not do it, but it should take part together with the government in the development of a system of measures that will allow this business to be established in the country and let those companies that already exist to survive, creating conditions for further development. It is interesting that our Indian colleagues also understand that otherwise there will be an unequal game, they understand that we have reasons to wish leaving in Russia more value from processing, cutting and making jewelry. We are still regulating this industry in a very poor manner. It looks as if there is every condition in place to make all this business flee from this country. TASS: What can improve the situation? Is there any need in a separate regulatory law? Yury Trutnev: We need to analyze the entire chain associated with the regimes of gem turnover to create conditions for the market, for making jewelry. Right now, to make a jewelry piece using a Russian stone cut in India and then sell this piece, you have to face a whole array of problems. It turns out that this is more expensive just because for some reason we have introduced additional customs tariffs for jewelry. Although the general practice is to establish tariffs for exporting raw materials and to stimulate the export of finished goods. TASS: Will you discuss this situation with the Federal Customs Service? Yury Trutnev: The FCS does not decide this, they are executors. This should be discussed with the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Economic Development. Well, ALROSA should participate in the negotiations, as the position of our largest company is also important. But we need a detailed analysis of this industry with a view to its recovery in the economy of the Russian Federation. Eighteen students died at the scene while two others died in hospital. 11 more were receiving treatment. Some people are reported missing. A combined team of police and fire service personnel attended the accident site, in a bid to rescue those trapped by the tree. The victims were Geography students of the Wenchi Senior High School. We extend our condolences to the families of the dead and pray for the injured, Ghanas tourism minister Catherine Abelema Afeku said in a statement. Kintampo Waterfalls is a must see attraction in Ghana. The waterfalls are shaded by tall trees which is good as ambient for a picnic but very bad if people swim in water during storms. The pilot overshot the runway, dropping onto an unpaved ground. The planes right wing hit a car and a fire started on the right side of the plane but the crew managed to evacuate everyone. The plane carried 40 adults and three children. There were also 5 crew members.Twenty-five were taken to hospitals, but only three of them , with minor injuries, remained hospitalized. It is miraculous, completely, said Ateny Wek Ateny, the South Sudanese presidential spokesperson. Most of the passengers were South Sudanese with two foreigners, one each from China and Eritrea.The aircraft was destroyed by fire. Initial reports suggested all people had died in the crash. The Antonov An-26 is a twin-engined turboprop civilian and military transport aircraft, designed and produced in the Soviet Union from 1969 to 1986. MTA/Patrick Cashin The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) seeks board approval this week to award a contract to accelerate the rehabilitation of the L train's Canarsie Tunnel under the East River. The contract award calls for the tunnel work to be completed in 15 months, three months shorter than the previously discussed 18 months. Two stations would also see improvements made and a substation would be built that would allow more trains to run on the L Line, increasing capacity. The $477 million contract, to be awarded to a joint venture consisting of Judlau Contracting, Inc., and TC Electric, also adds $15 million in incentives to complete the tunnel project in 15 months. Contractual provisions were included to expedite demolition, encourage acceleration of the tunnel work, deter delays and enable traffic mitigation work and the testing and commissioning of systems. The heavy damage sustained by the Canarsie Tunnel during Superstorm Sandy requires a full reconstruction in order to ensure the integrity of the tunnel and the safety of riders, said MTA Interim Executive Director Ronnie Hakim. The work under the contract will address the salt water damage caused by Superstorm Sandy in the tunnel to improve service and reliability for the riding public. The work in the tunnel will be completed during the closure of the tunnel between Brooklyn and Manhattan that is now planned to begin in April 2019. Prior to the tunnel closure, extensive station work will be performed that will increase operational efficiency and improve accessibility and circulation. Station improvements at the 1 Av and Bedford Av L stations will include new stairways, and four ADA-compliant elevators and other work to improve customer flow. Construction of a new Avenue B substation and other infrastructure will address power requirements that, combined with the existing CBTC signal system, will allow more trains to run on the line to accommodate growing ridership. MTA New York City Transit has taken several steps to ensure the Canarsie Tunnel remains reliable until permanent repairs can be performed. The agency is inspecting the tunnels walls more frequently, and has installed redundant power cables to ensure the pumping system will operate without interruption. AmTrust Financial Services (AFSI) announced Friday that its financial statements dating back to 2014 should be disregarded after errors were discovered in the logging of some revenue and bonuses. The company has also delayed its filing of its 10-K annual report with the SEC. AmTrust Financial Services gapped open sharply lower Friday and declined until mid-morning. Shares finished with a loss of 4.03 at $17.58 on the highest volume of the year. The stock plunged to a new low for the year. For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com Business News UBS Group AG (UBS) is "very pessimistic" about reaching an agreement with French authorities to settle a case of alleged tax fraud that forced the bank to post a 1.1 billion-euros bond to cover any potential penalties three years ago, Journal du Dimanche reported. France's financial prosecutor is seeking a 1.1 billion-euro fine from UBS to settle the case with no admission of guilt from the lender, the French newspaper said Sunday,. UBS has been pushing to settle the French investigation for less than the 300 million euros it paid to resolve a similar issue in Germany in 2014, people familiar with the matter said earlier this month. The Swiss bank is looking to pay less than what it cost to resolve the German case as the French wealth-management market is much smaller. For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com Business News Hansteen (LSE: HSTN), the investor in UK and continental European industrial property, reported that its IFRS pre-tax profit for the year ended 31 December 2016 declined to 119.9 million pounds from 171.4 million pounds in the prior year. This decrease was largely due to the high property revaluation on the total portfolio in 2015 (131.0 million pounds) that was not repeated in 2016 (45.8 million pounds). Profit attributable to equity holders of the parent dropped to 109.5 million pounds or 13.8 pence per share from 148.2 million pounds or 19.4 pence per share in the previous year. Normalised Income Profit or "NIP", which excludes profits or losses from the sale of properties, essentially the recurring earnings of the , increased by 29.4% to 61.1 million pounds. Normalised Total Profit ("NTP"), being NIP plus profits and losses from property sales and realised profits from one-off items, was 66.0 million pounds which was an increase of 4.4%. EPRA EPS was 6.7 pence, compared to 2.2 pence in the prior year. Revenue for the year grew to 112.6 million pounds from 85.3 million pounds in the prior year. The interim dividend paid on 18 November 2016 was increased by 4.8% to 2.2p per share (November 2015: 2.1 pence per share). The second ongoing dividend is being increased more substantially in the light of the very strong income growth. A dividend of 3.7 pence per share (May 2016: 3.15 pence per share) represents an increase of 17.5%. The full year dividend of 5.9 pence per share has increased by 12.4% from the 2015 full year dividend of 5.25 pence per share. Separately, Hansteen announces that it has agreed to dispose of its German and Dutch portfolios for 1.28 billion to entities owned by funds advised by affiliates of The Blackstone Group L.P. and M7 Real Estate or the "Buyer". The price represents a premium of approximately 76 million (6 per cent.) to the Year End Valuation which itself included a valuation uplift of 34 million over the 31 December 2015 valuation. Completion is expected to occur before the end of June 2017. Conditions to Completion include Hansteen's Shareholder approval and the Buyer obtaining anti-trust clearance in Germany. The Buyer will acquire the Subsidiaries which own property in Germany. The property value allocated to the Subsidiaries is 974.3 million. The Buyer will acquire the properties owned by Hansteen in the Netherlands for 302.4 million. The German and Dutch Portfolio is to be acquired on a debt free basis and the consideration will be satisfied in cash. Following Completion and repayment of the debt secured against the German and Dutch Portfolio (and satisfaction of other incurred costs) Hansteen intends to distribute a substantial portion of the net cash proceeds of the Transaction to its Shareholders. For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com Business News NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg will visit the United States from Monday to Wednesday. On Tuesday, he will meet with the Secretary of Defence, James Mattis and other senior US officials. On Wednesday, the Secretary General will attend a meeting of the Foreign Ministers of the Global Coalition working to defeat ISIS. Stoltenberg will also have bilateral meetings during his visit, NATO said in a press release Monday. For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com Political News A painting of former Chinese Communist leader Mao Zedong by Andy Warhol will be auctioned in Hong Kong and it could go to a Chinese buyer. Andy Warhol was an American artist who was a leading figure in the visual art movement known as pop art. Warhol's famous portrait of Mao was created in 1973. It is based on a photo in Mao's Little Red Book and is one of the most famous images of the 20th Century. The Mao portrait was sold in London for $9.4 million in 2014. The current owner, who has not been identified, has now put the silk-screen portrait for sale with Sotheby's in Hong Kong, the BBC reported. The auction is expected on April 2 and a sale of the portrait is expected to fetch up to $15 million. However, Warhol's portraits of Mao were excluded from the Beijing and Shanghai legs of an Asian tour to mark the artist's 25th death anniversary in 2012, citing "political sensitivity." Mao, also known as Chairman Mao, was a Chinese communist revolutionary and founding father of the People's Republic of China. A controversial figure, Mao is regarded as one of the most important individuals in modern world history. His supporters credit him with driving imperialism out of China and modernizing the country. Art lovers in China, the biggest buyers of art in the world, are increasingly buying Western art. For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com Business News Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Sunday that India should become an diamond trading hub ' title=' international diamond trading hub '>international diamond trading hub in addition to its present status as cutting and polishing hub. Addressing the audience at a charity dinner at the International Diamond Conference in Mumbai through video conferencing, Modi said India has made rapid strides since the Gems and Jewellery Export Promotion Council of India was set up 50 years back. He said: "India is now the world's largest manufacturer of cut and polished diamonds, and gems and jewellery sector is one of the leading sectors in India in terms of value of exports as well as employment generation." Modi said India has emerged as the leader in diamond manufacturing and export in the last four decades and exports of gems and jewellery from India account for 15 per cent of India's total merchandise exports. "This is one of India's success stories. From just 28 million dollars in 1966-67, exports reached one billion dollars in 1982-83 and two billion dollars in 1987-88. It crossed 10 billion dollars in 2003-04, 20 billion dollars in 2007-08 and is now nearly 40 billion dollars." Modi said Indian importers had to go abroad to view and purchase rough diamonds till recently, which reduced the efficiency of the supply chain. The Prime Minister said amendments have been made to the laws to enable rough diamonds to enter and exit, duty free for the purpose of viewing, and the Special Notified Zone at the Bharat Diamond Bourse, which became operational in November, 2015, has already shown good results. Modi said only 80 to 90 big merchants used to get access to global rough diamonds by travelling to Belgium, Africa and Israel, and now about 3,000 small and medium merchants have this privilege through the new Special Notified Zone. "Many of the most reputed international names in the diamond industry have conducted over 244 days of viewings. My intention is to make India, which is already the cutting and polishing hub, into an international diamond trading hub," he said. "Our goal is to transform India in one generation. Since taking office, this government has placed emphasis on many transformative initiatives. 'Make in India' is one of them. Our aim is to make India a preferred destination for manufacturing," Modi added. He said the gems and jewellery sector had accounted for 475 billion dollars of exports despite India having little diamond or gold production. Referring to Skill India initiative of the government, Modi said it aims to ensure that new entrants to the work force have the necessary skills to contribute to the economy of the 21st century. "The gems and jewellery sector employs 4.6 million people. Out of this, one million people are in the diamond industry alone. Thus, the gems and jewellery sector is a prime example of the potential of 'Make In India' and 'Skill India'," he said. Referring to the presence of ministers from several African countries, Modi said India would support them in developing their gems and jewellery sector. Modi said India's future is much bigger than cutting and polishing alone and there is a lot of unexplored potential. He suggested documenting the legacy of India, which is of relevance to the jems and jewellery trade, and using it for designs. He said diamonds are being used in spectacles, watches and pens. "Can't our jewellers, with their skills, strengths and heritage, create and change global tastes and fashions?" The Prime Minister said that India has acquired a global brand for high skills and excellence in software but is yet to do that in jewellery. Modi said: "The Council should consider taking a census of the lowest-paid and least prosperous persons in your industry. Can the industry ensure that every one of them is enrolled in the government's low cost social security schemes?" Noting that India will celebrate the 75th anniversary of its Independence in 2022, Modi asked the gems and jewellery industry to set goals for itself. He said the government can consider changes in regulations based on specific and practical suggestions. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Sunday said that the two Indian clerics, who had gone missing in Pakistan, will be back in India on Monday. In a tweet, Sushma Swaraj said: "I just spoke to Syed Nazim Ali Nizami in Karachi. He told me that they are safe and will be back in Delhi tomorrow." The two clerics of Delhi's Hazrat Nizamuddin Dargah were reportedly found in a remote village of Sindh province with no mobile connectivity. Syed Asif Ali Nizami, 80, and his nephew Nazim Ali Nizami, were visiting Data Darbar in Lahore when they went missing on Wednesday. Local media reports, citing unnamed sources, said both clerics were traced in Karachi's Nazimabad neighbourhood, where they had apparently gone to "(rural) Sindh to meet their followers, where there was no communication network", which is why they could not inform their relatives about their whereabouts. At least 18 Haryana Police personnel, including a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) and women police officials, were injured on Sunday in Fatehabad district of Haryana when Delhi-bound Jat community protesters clashed with them, police said. The police personnel were trying to stop them at a barricade to prevent them from moving towards Delhi. The clash took place on the Sirsa-Hisar-Delhi Highway near Dhani Gopal village in Fatehabad district, around 200 km from here when the protesters, who were on tractor-trolleys, were stopped. Police used force, including cane charge and lobbed teargas shells, as the protesters pelted stones. The injured police personnel were rushed to hospital in Fatehabad. The DSP was reported to be seriously injured. The Jat mob even set two buses on fire and damaged police vehicles. Police officials said that the Jat protesters were carrying sharp-edged weapons on the tractor-trolley when they were stopped. As the protesters argued with the DSP and other police officers, one youth allegedly hit the police officer with a wooden log on the head from behind. Soon other protesters also attacked the police personnel and some media persons present there with stones. The protesters outnumbered the police force present at the barricade. Authorities in Haryana had imposed a ban on the movement of tractor-trolleys in districts bordering Delhi to foil a call given by Jat leaders to lay siege to Delhi and hold a protest outside Parliament, which has now been put off on the assurance of Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar. The United Naga Council (UNC) lifted the economic blockade in Manipur after 130 days from Sunday midnight. The decision was taken following an agreement reached during a tripartite talk on Sunday involving two UNC constituents -- All Naga Students' Association Manipur (ANSAM) and Naga Women Union (NWU) -- and representatives of the central and Manipur governments. The UNC agreed to lift the blockade as the government assured them to address all their issues. The blockade was imposed on November 1 in protest against the creation of seven new districts. The Nagas maintain that the "lands of the Nagas" left by their forefathers cannot be taken away in this manner. Several trucks were torched, drivers attacked and security personnel ambushed by unidentified persons along the highways during the blockade. Manipur had been reeling under acute shortage of all essential commodities, including fuel, due to the blockade. Hardly 300 trucks and oil tankers could lift essential commodities twice a week, which proved to be the proverbial drop in the ocean. The BJP-led government in Goa will crumble soon, Shiv Sena spokesman Sanjay Raut said on Monday, while calling the ruling alliance of the BJP, two regional parties and two Independents a "corrupt nexus". "Manohar Parrikar came to Goa from the Defence Ministry to stabilise the government and stay in power. But he knows he is not on firm footing and his feet will crumble soon. This is a corrupt alliance," Raut told the media. He said the BJP had "stolen" a mandate which was against the party and that regional parties like the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party and Goa Forward, which had contested the elections on an anti-BJP plant but later joined the saffron party, were traitors to the Goan electorate. "Both these parties contested the elections against the BJP but did not lose time to join the BJP after the votes were polled. This is a betrayal of the Goan people and they will never be pardoned." Raut also said that despite the rout the Shiv Sena faced in Goa, its work would continue in the state. "We aren't here for elections alone. Uddhav Thackeray (Shiv Sena President) will be coming to Goa next month and a big meeting will be held where the future course of action for Goa will be announced." The BJP, which won 13 seats in the February assembly polls, formed the government with the support of the two regional parties and two Independent legislators. The Congress accused the ruling outfit of using illicit means to cobble together an alliance. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Monday issued fresh notice to televangelist Zakir Naik to appear before it in a case where he stands accused of promoting enmity between groups on religious and racial grounds. Through the notice, the agency has asked the 51-year-old Islamic preacher to appear at NIA headquarters in the national capital on March 30. The agency had earlier this month issued the first notice to Naik, asking him to appear before it on March 14, which the self-exiled preacher avoided. An NIA official said that the notice was served at Naik's Mumbai-based Jasmine Apartments in Mazgaon area. Naik first shot into the limelight when his name cropped up during the investigations into the terror strike at an upscale restaurant in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on July 1. One of the terrorists involved in that attack allegedly claimed to have been inspired by Naik's speeches. The NIA later filed cases against Naik under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act for allegedly promoting enmity between groups on religious and racial grounds, and raided over a dozen offices, residential premises, his Peace TV offices and other locations, besides freezing a bank account of his NGO. Naik, who is believed to be staying in Saudi Arabia to evade arrest after his activities came under scanner, is the founding trustee of the Islamic Research Foundation (IRF), IRF Educational Trust and the Islamic Dimensions Trust. Besides, Naik has close connections with Peace TV channel, Harmony Media Pvt. Ltd., Longlast Constructions Pvt. Ltd., Right Property Solutions Pvt. Ltd., Galaxy Multichannel Network Pvt. Ltd., Majestic Perfumes Pvt. Ltd., and Alpha Lubricants Pvt. Ltd. The Enforcement Directorate has also lodged a money-laundering case against Naik and his NGO. Media persons on duty at sensitive places in Haryana will get body protectors and helmets to ensure their safety during violence, a top officer said on Monday. Director General of Police K.P. Singh, who was in Fatehabad town to enquire about police personnel and media persons injured in a clash with Jat protestors on Sunday, said media people also required protection during mob violence. Singh said rioters involved in the attack were being identified. "The video footage of the incident is available and the faces of anti-social elements are clearly visible," he pointed out. He said para-military forces in the area assisted the police force that was under attack. The officer met the injured at the Fatehabad Civil Hospital. Over 20 people, including 18 police personnel and three media persons, were injured when Jat protestors moving towards Delhi on tractor-trolleys clashed with the police after being stopped for carrying sharp-edged weapons in Fatehabad district on Sunday. Singh announced that the entire expenditure of treatment of the injured media persons would be borne by the district administration and they would also be given financial assistance of Rs 5,000 each. "They would also be honoured at the state-level Independence Day celebrations on August 15." He said the media persons would also be compensated by the district administration for the loss suffered by them due to damage caused to their cameras and mobile phones and also for the cash snatched by the rioters. "At times, both the police and the media have to work in difficult circumstances. We appreciate the bravery and courage with which the media persons and the police personnel faced the rioters. "Had the police not acted wisely, many precious lives could be lost," he said, specially praising the women police personnel injured in the incident. He said the police personnel would be honoured for courage. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Monday directed senior officials of the state to prepare a roadmap for "good governance and transparency" for all departments. Presiding over a meeting of the officials, Yogi handed them the Bharatiya Janata Party's vision document -- Sankalp Patra -- for the 2017 state assembly elections, and asked the bureaucrats to study the document and ensure its "speedy and complete implementation". Officials present at the meeting told media that the "maiden meeting with the new CM was good" though it had its "share of anxious moments". They pointed out that they knew very little about the new Chief Minister, who is known for his firebrand Hindutva-oriented politics. Yogi also asked policemen to ensure that law and order situation in the state improved within a week. He referred to the late-night killing of a BSP leader in Allahabad and directed the Director General of Police (DGP) to bring the guilty to book. The Chief Minister was slated to attend a high tea hosted by Governor Ram Naik at Raj Bavan for the new ministers. Earlier in the day, Yogi moved into the official Chief Minister's residence at 5, Kalidas Marg. But before he moved in, seven priests from the Gorakhnath temple in Gorakhpur, of which Yogi is the presiding priest, propitiated the gods -- performing a "Shuddhi Hawan" and "Vastu Puja" -- before a "Kalash" was placed as a sign of house warming. A priest also made the auspicious 'Swastik' symbols on both sides of the tall gate of the heavily guarded CM's residence, which was occupied by former Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav for well over five years. The sprawling bungalow will now be home to the 44-year-old Chief Minister, who is a bachelor, and some of his companions of many years, who, an insider said, would take care of the "routine puja-paath". Before moving into the 5, Kalidas Marg, the Chief Minister spent the night at a luxury suite in the state's VVIP Guest House, where many senior officials visited him and sought directions. Prominent among those who visited him included Chief Secretary Rahul Bhatnagar, Director General of Police Javeed Ahmad, senior Indian Police Service officer Sultan Singh and Surya Kumar Shukla. At least 16 people died on Sunday after a huge tree fell on tourists and revelers at a waterfall at Kintampo in Brong Ahafo Region, police said. Several others who have been injured in the accident are receiving treatment at the regional hospital, Kintampo divisional police commander Desmond Boampong has confirmed to media. There are currently different versions of casualties. Another police officer Desmond Oppong Boanu told media the death toll was 18. The victims, who are mostly senior high school students, were on an excursion and swimming beneath the fall when a rainstorm accompanied by a strong wind and thunder forced the tree to fall over them. Personnel of the Ghana National Fire Service and the police service are currently at the scene to rescue those trapped under the fallen tree. The Kintampo waterfall is one of the highest waterfalls in Ghana. President Mamnoon Hussain on Sunday gave his approval to the Hindu Marriage Bill, 2017 on the advice of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, turning it into law. The law aims to protect marriages, families, mothers and their children and safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Hindu families. It is a consolidated law for solemnisation of marriages by Hindu families residing in Pakistan, according to a government press release. Nawaz Sharif said the government was focused on the provision of equal rights to minority communities residing in Pakistan. "They are as patriotic as any other community and, therefore, it is the responsibility of the state to provide equal protection to them," he said. The passage of the bill will enable Hindu families able to solemnise marriages in accordance with the customary rites, rituals and ceremonies. The law also provides for procedures relating to restitution of conjugal rights, judicial separation, void and voidable marriages, termination of marriage, The law also provides for procedures relating to restitution of conjugal rights, judicial separation, void and voidable marriages, termination of marriage, the financial security of spouses and children, alternate relief in termination of marriages, and termination of marriage by mutual consent. It also provides divorcees with the right to marry again, the entitlement of remarriage by a Hindu widow at her own will and consent after the stipulated time, and the legitimacy of children. Marriages solemnised before the law comes into effect will be retroactively validated, but family courts would need to be petitioned for the relevant registration and documentation. The law also provides for punishments of imprisonment and fines up to Rs100,000 or both for contraventions. All offences under the law shall be non-cognisable and non-compoundable and can be tried by a first class magistrate. On March 10, the National Assembly unanimously passed the Hindu Marriage Bill, 2016 by endorsing amendments made by the Senate in February. A day earlier, the bill was moved by Human Rights Minister Kamran Michael. Addressing national opioid crisis is happening in Salina Salina organizations are joining the effort to fight and educate people on the crisis that nation is facing with opioid addiction. Brain cancer researcher Robert Wechsler-Reya will run a program to find better treatments for pediatric brain cancers at Rady Childrens Hospital San Diego, under an alliance with Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute. Wechsler-Reya has been named program director for the Joseph Clayes III Research Center for Neuro-Oncology and Genomics at Rady Childrens Institute for Genomic Medicine. An expert on medulloblastoma, the most common pediatric brain cancer, he will remain director of SBPs Tumor Initiation and Maintenance Program. In the short term, doctors and researchers will examine brain tumor samples not only for their mutations, but the patterns of gene activation and suppression, a field known as epigenetics. This molecular profiling will be more precise than just conventional examination of the cells physical characteristics, Wechsler-Reya said. Advertisement In the longer term, drugs may be directly tested on individual patient samples, to get an idea of which drugs work best for each particular patient. Such drug screening is common in the pharmaceutical industry as part of testing drugs for clinical effectiveness, but not as part of direct patient care. Rady Childrens Hospital allies with Sanford Burnham Prebys to improve care for pediatric brain cancer. Adding knowledge of which drugs show more effectiveness in a cell culture from the patient to be treated could help oncologists decide which drugs are most likely to be effective when given to the patient, he said. That takes advantage of resources we have at Sanford Burnham Prebys, Wechsler-Reya said. This is something weve been doing in the lab, and its not yet being done, to my knowledge, anywhere clinically. But its something wed like to build into the equation as well. An advantage of this drug screening is that it would directly tell doctors if a drug was likely to work or not, even if they cant figure out the mechanism, he said. I have no idea how well it will work, I have no idea how predictive it will be, but right now it seems a crime to me not to get that information. The ability to genetically profile individual tumors was made possible by the rapid fall in the price of DNA sequencing, Wechsler-Reya said. This is so new, occurring only within the last decade, that clinicians are still catching up to the newfound ability to deploy this technology. That vision of applying DNA sequencing to childhood diseases propelled Ernest & Evelyn Rady to give $120 million to establish the Rady Childrens Institute for Genomic Medicine at the hospital. And last March, a $10 million donation established the Joseph Clayes III Research Center for Neuro-Oncology and Genomics within the Rady Childrens Institute for Genomic Medicine. My Uncle Joe would be so proud to know hes helping these vulnerable childrenand so proud of the efforts within the Center to stop this terrible disease for future generations. Trulette Clayes said in a statement. She is Joseph Clayes niece, and co-trustee with Brendan Holmes, of the Clayes Charitable Trust. Science Playlist On Now In a first, scientists rid human embryos of a potentially fatal gene mutation by editing their DNA On Now Space station flyovers visible from San Diego this week 0:55 On Now UCSD's 'ghost drivers' begin testing people's reaction seemingly empty cars 1:29 On Now 10 interesting facts about Mars On Now Kids can add years to your life On Now LA 90: SpaceX launches recycled rocket On Now Big passions, big giving: Malin Burnham 2:30 On Now Big passions, big giving: Darlene Shiley 2:40 On Now Big passions, big giving: Joan and Irwin Jacobs 2:45 On Now Ocean temperatures warming at rapid rate, study finds bradley.fikes@sduniontribune.com (619) 293-1020 You know San Diegos iconic buildings the Hotel del Coronado, the Santa Fe Depot, Balboa Parks California Tower. On March 25-26, local architectural buffs are throwing what their leader describes as a free architectural mystery tour. The San Diego Architectural Foundation is putting 47 places on view in and around downtown in its first full-fledged Open House tour program, becoming only the third U.S. city to do so, after New York and Chicago. There are 33 others internationally with more being added each year. The local program is called OH! San Diego. Advertisement All thats required is to visit one of the sites listed with full details on the foundations website, sdarchitecture.org grab a passport and guidebook and see as few or as many places as you like. Some include self-guided tours and others offer guided tours and require reservations. Volunteers and property owners or representatives will be onsite to answer questions. The sites are generally open between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. but hours vary, so check in advance. We wanted sites that are significant and contribute to the fabric of the city, said OH! San Diego founder Susanne Friestedt. Besides well-recognized landmarks, other notable but less familiar stops include The Barcelona apartments, 326 Juniper St., built in 1921 and designed in Spanish Colonial style by Eugene Hoffman; Sparks Gallery, 530 Sixth Ave., a 1924 building for vaudeville, carriage repairs; Sterling Hardware, redesigned in 2015 by Architects Hanna Gabriel Wells; and La Esquina, 2222 Logan Ave., a mixed-use, live-work project by Hector Perez and completed in 2012. Victoria Thornton, a British advocate for designing livable cities, founded Open House in London in 1992 and reports last years worldwide participation at 750,000 visitors who made 1.7 million visits. Visiting Santiago, Chile, before heading to San Diego to kick off the local event, she said by email that the tours are meant to have locals and tourists try out new places. In many instances what you thought was the best building to visit doesnt turn out to be so, she said. Rather like an architectural mystery tour. The San Diego Architectural Foundation is the same group that sponsors the annual Orchids & Onions program that calls out good and bad architecture and urban design. It also sponsors annual Context forums and periodic Pecha Kucha talkbacks on interesting places that speakers have visited. Program Chairwoman Maxine Ward said the foundation sought a free program and has raised more than $30,000 from sponsors to make it happen. We wanted to have this public outreach and enable anybody interested in learning about architecture to have a conduit to that, Ward said. With so many places to see, Ward suggested concentrating on one neighborhood and walking or taking public transit from one stop to another. In coming years, she hopes Open House can expand to include ever more neighborhoods, a smartphone app and perhaps online video clips. Next years edition is expected to include Point Loma. London grew to include more than 750 stops last year and organizers say out-of-towners have begun planning their vacations around Open Houses in the participating cities around the world. They range from Thessaloniki, Greece, to Lagos, Nigeria, and Buenos Aires in Argentina. Five years ago, Friestedt read about the program after having worked with local architectural, urban design, engineering and biotech firms as a corporate communications and marketing consultant. She also joined the Urban Land Institute to keep up on urban development issues. She traveled to London and Melbourne, Australia, to see their programs in person and then partnered with the San Diego Architectural Foundation. I was about to become semi-retired and was looking for a way to give back to my city in a meaningful way, the native San Diegan said. A one-day trial run of 40 sites was organized two years ago before launching the full-fledged Open House this year. The 2015 event tallied about 1,500 visits and Friestedt hopes to triple turnout this year. Participating cities pay the worldwide organization 500 British pounds (about $620) as a joining fee and an annual fee of 100 to 500 pounds depending on budget. The 28-page, all-color guidebook is a worthy souvenir even if you dont visit a single place. Downloadable at the foundations website, it includes summaries of each site, the name of the architect and year of construction and several question-and-answer interviews with representatives of the five neighborhoods featured this year: Bankers Hill-Balboa Park, Downtown-Little Italy, Gaslamp Quarter-Marina District, East Village and Barrio Logan. Theres a list of Orchid winners and historic sites on the tours and tips for getting more involved. There are greetings from Mayor Kevin Faulconer, the program leaders and a message from Thornton: Well-designed buildings and public spaces are vital in creating and sustaining a vibrant and equitable city, and Open House enables the wider community to become more knowledgeable , engage in dialog and make informed judgments about the architecture of their city now and into the future. Thornton also will lead off six Oh! Talks from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Saturday, March 25, at the Central Library, 330 Park Blvd. A seventh talk will take place at 12:30 p.m. the same day at the offices Carrier Johnson + Culture, 1301 Third Ave. Designer Casey Mahon will speak on The Impacts of Technology on Architecture. No reservations are required. A third way to participate is to take along a smart phone or camera and snap photos of an interior, exterior or a detail. Upload them to a special Flickr account by April 2 that will be detailed on the Open House website. A three-photographer jury will pick the winners as a winner. Open House San Diego: Best bets Suggested starting points in each participating neighborhood that are open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. both days: Bankers Hill-Balboa Park: Hollander Design Group at the Design Center, 3603 Fifth Ave. Hollander Design Group at the Design Center, 3603 Fifth Ave. Downtown: Santa Fe Depot, 1050 Kettner Blvd. Santa Fe Depot, 1050 Kettner Blvd. Gaslamp Quarter: San Diego Chinese Historical Museum, 404 Third Ave. San Diego Chinese Historical Museum, 404 Third Ave. East Village: Makers Quarter, 15th and E streets Makers Quarter, 15th and E streets Barrio Logan: San Diego Opera scenic studio, 3064 Commercial St. 10 Places not to miss: Bankers Hill The Barcelona, 326 Juniper St. Hubbell & Hubbell Architects, 1970 Sixth Ave. Downtown American Institute of Architects San Diego, 233 A St., Suite 200 Fire Station No. 2/Bayside (under construction), 875 W. Cedar St. Gaslamp Quarter Roesling Nakamura Terada Architects, 363 Fifth Ave. Sparks Gallery, 530 Sixth Ave. East Village Basile Studio, 840 11th Ave. Mitra, 340 15th St. Barrio Logan LPA Inc., 1600 National Ave. Tecture, 1861 Main St. More information: sdarchitecture.org/program/openhouse Business roger.showley@sduniontribune.com; (619) 293-1286; Twitter: @rogershowley San Diegos poorest renters could be hit hardest under a $6.2 billion cut proposed by the Trump administration for the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Right now, HUD provides yearly rental assistance to roughly 25,000 San Diego County families with more than $242 million in Section 8 funds. There are about 100,000 families on the waiting list for assistance across the county. Many of the cuts were identified in budget documents as not demonstrating results and part of an overall effort by the Trump administration to reduce federal spending. All cuts need to be approved by Congress. Advertisement The proposed budget keeps rental assistance at the same levels but doesnt take into account increased housing costs. It also cuts programs to build more subsidized housing units and eliminates down payment assistance projects for first-time buyers. The high rents in the region mean we are paying more per unit, said Kelly Duffek, assistant director of the county Housing and Community Development Services. You dont have to be a mathematician to figure out that if you have a set amount of money, and the rents are going up, it means fewer people that we can help each month. The administrations budget would eliminate the Community Development Block Grant, typically used for sidewalks, playgrounds, fire trucks, home repairs for elderly and disabled county residents, and other community improvement programs. This program in San Diego County received $2.3 million in funding from HUD the last fiscal year. Right now, for all intents and purposes, it looks like we wouldnt be able to fund those types of improvements, Duffek said. The proposed budget would also cut the Home Investment Partnerships Program, used for down payment assistance for lower income first-time buyers to purchase homes, as well as some short-term rental assistance for foster children aging out of programs and families of drug court participants. The program, which allocated $3.6 million to San Diego County last fiscal year, also funds the development of more subsidized housing. Projects the grants have recently help pay for include the Eastgate Apartment complex in San Marcos with 42 subsidized units, Silversage Apartment complex in Lakeside with 60 subsidized units, a playground at Clemmens Lane Park in Fallbrook and a playground at the Mountain Empire Community Center in Campo. The Trump budget proposal said the block grant, in particular, was not financially viable. The Federal Government has spent over $150 billion on this block grant since its inception in 1974, the budget document read, but the program is not well-targeted to the poorest populations and has not demonstrated results. With Congress still having final approval on the budget, some housing advocates are taking a cautious approach. Rick Gentry, CEO of the San Diego Housing Commission, noted new HUD Secretary Ben Carson told his staff in an email to please take some comfort in knowing that starting numbers are rarely final numbers, said The Washington Post. SDHC continues to apply prudent fiscal management principles to our programs on an ongoing basis, which will help to mitigate the impact of budget decisions in Washington, D.C., Gentry wrote in an email. Douglas Rice, a senior policy analyst with the left-leaning Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, reasoned the budget would need to cut housing vouchers which make up 85 percent of HUDs budget if it is serious about eliminating such a sizable portion of its spending. Cuts in vouchers would increase and prolong homelessness and other hardships for seniors, people with disabilities, and families with children, he wrote. HUD funds are distributed in the city by the San Diego Housing Commission and most of the rest of the region is handled by the San Diego County Housing and Community Development Services. Encinitas, National City, Carlsbad and Oceanside have their own housing authorities. Business phillip.molnar@sduniontribune.com (619) 293-1891 Twitter: @phillipmolnar ALSO The vanishing San Diego single-family home Pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca takes the prevention of sexual harassment in its workplace seriously. The company provides mandatory sexual harassment training to all of its employees. It has a written sexual harassment policy that defines sexual harassment. Company policy tells employees how and to whom to report such conduct. The policy explains that employees who violate the policy will be disciplined and assures employees that they will not be punished for making a complaint under the policy. But when a Fresno area sales representative made a routine sales call at the office of a family doctor to whom she was assigned, the doctor allegedly sexually assaulted her by forcibly kissing her and rubbing himself against her body. The assault resulted in the sales rep, according to her complaint, suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and ultimately losing her job. Advertisement Pause: The assault was tragic, but how was it AstraZenecas fault legally? The doctor was a customer of the company, not one of its employees. What was AstraZeneca supposed to do when the sales rep complained about the assault that the company policies had not already done to prevent it? Under California law, an employer of even a single employee may be liable for unlawful harassment -- whether sexual, racial, or otherwise based on a protected class -- that occurs at work. If the harasser is a supervisor, it doesnt matter if the company knew or should have known about the unlawful harassment. Putting someone in a position of authority exposes the employer to virtually automatic liability if that person engages in unlawful harassment. If the harasser is a lower level co-worker, the employer is responsible only if the employer knew or should have known of the harassment and failed to take prompt and effective action to correct and deter the harassment. In 2004, California made employers liable for unlawful harassment committed by a third party of which the employee was aware or should have been aware if the employer fails to take appropriate corrective action. The extent of the required response depends in part on the amount of control the employer has over the offender. An employer may be separately liable if unlawful harassment is found to have occurred and it is further found that the company failed to take reasonable steps to prevent and correct the harassment. It is in fulfilling that duty to prevent and correct, said the federal judge considering the sales representatives claim against AstraZeneca, where the company appears to have fallen short. The federal judge found that AstraZeneca had done enough to prevent harassment from occurring by taking the steps that it did all of which were directed at its own workers. What the company hadnt done, according to the court, was to take steps to correct the doctors assault of the sales representative. What the company should have done, and what other companies faced with these kinds of employee claims should consider doing upon learning of an employees complaint of third-party unlawful harassment, was to: (1) question the harasser (in this case, the doctor) about the incident; (2) admonish him to change his behavior; (3) at least consider discontinuing any business relationship with the harasser; and (4) stop requiring its employees to deal with the harasser, at least in person. The drug companys apparent failure to do any of that kept the company from getting the sales representatives case dismissed. Last fall, according to court records, AstraZeneca paid a court-recommended undisclosed sum to settle the matter. Lesson learned. Lesson taught. Dan Eaton is a partner with the San Diego law firm of Seltzer Caplan McMahon Vitek where his practice focuses on defending and advising employers. He also is an instructor at the San Diego State University Fowler College of Business where he teaches classes in business ethics and employment law. He may be reached at eaton@scmv.com. His Twitter handle is @DanEatonlaw. At American Lithium Energys Carlsbad headquarters, President and co-founder Jiang Fan opens a padlocked door to the companys battery testing chamber. Here, squat machines puncture batteries with nails, crush them with a weight and pump so much voltage into them during recharging that they swell like miniature balloons. This abuse could spark explosions or fires in typical lithium-ion batteries. Yet American Lithiums cells dont blow up or ignite. Theyre misshapen but harmless. Advertisement The small company, which mostly supplies batteries to the U.S. military, believes it has come up with technology to improve safety in rechargeable lithium-ion batteries the power source for a growing number of electronic gadgets ranging from cellphones to laptops to electric cars to home energy storage.. The technology, branded Safe Core, is complicated, and Fan isnt revealing many details. But Safe Core stems from a U.S. Department of Energy project to deliver high-energy electric vehicle batteries that wont catch fire in a crash, and it has been applied to wearable bullet safe batteries for soldiers. What we did was put a fuse inside the cell, so when something is wrong inside, our fuse will kick in and break the current and then the battery will be safe, said Fan, who has doctorate in solid state chemistry from Arizona State University. Though rare, reports of lithium-ion batteries bursting into flames have made headlines over the years most recently with Samsungs Galaxy Note 7. The South Korean electronics giant spent $5.3 billion recalling the flagship smartphone, which became infamous at airports as passengers heard announcements for months that the Note 7 wouldnt be allowed on-board. American Lithium, which has delivered more than 20,000 batteries to Department of Defense customers since 2011, recently spun out a new company called Amionx to commercialize Safe Core technology. It has two patents issued and four pending. It hopes to license the technology for use in lithium-ion batteries globally. The company isnt alone in trying to make lithium-ion batteries safer. Several start-ups and research labs are working on new techniques including using solid materials that are less volatile than those used in todays lithium-ion batteries. But that transition to next-generation batteries likely is still likely several years away. American Lithium contends its technology can be rolled out in existing battery production lines in as little as six months without a significant increase in capital equipment costs or bill of materials expense.. Fan said the company has included the technology in its own battery manufacturing operation for its military customers. People who dont know about this, at first they will probably be skeptical, said Fan But when they look at our facility, we have the same facility they have. It is not a lab project. It is at real scale, and it has been validated by the U.S. military. American Lithium may be onto something, said Brian Morin, president of Dreamweaver International, a provider of advanced technology for batteries. Not having dug into their technology but having read the patent, the concept works, said Morin, a board member of the National Alliance for Advanced Technology Batteries, a trade group focused on electro-chemical energy storage technology. Whether the implementation works or not I dont know. But the concept works. Morin added that American Lithium is taking a novel path toward improving battery safety. There are not 10 other guys trying to do the same thing, he said. So if they have made it work, they have something that is a unique approach. First brought to market by Sony in 1991, lithium- ion batteries have significant advantages over nickel cadmium in terms of energy density, rapid recharging and cost, according to Tirias Research. Their chemistry and cell structure, however, present a potential risk of fire, estimated at anywhere from one in a million to one in 50 million. To mitigate the risk, sophisticated battery management software is used to prevent overcharging and detect problems. Fire retardant chemicals and hardened shells are sometimes included with battery packs to boost safety though they can hurt performance. These steps havent always worked. In 2013, Boeing was forced to ground all 787 Dreamliners for a few months following a battery fire. In 2006, millions of notebook PCs with Sony lithium-ion batteries were recalled after reported fires. More recently, a recharging hoverboard has been linked to a house fire in Pennsylvania that killed a 3-year-old girl. A passenger on a flight from Beijing to Australia reported her headphones suddenly began sparking flames before being extinguished by the flight crew. Many of these failures have been blamed on manufacturing defects. The higher quality cells are always better, said James Kaschmitter, a co-founder PolyStor and now head of research firm SpectraPower. The reason vape cigarettes and hoverboards go off is they are cheaply made cells. The market is growing, driven in part by electric vehicles and the surge in number of smartphones, tablets and other mobile devices. Allied Market Research forecasts that the lithium-ion battery market will grow from $30 billion in 2015 to more than $77 billion by 2024. Telsa is currently building a battery factory, called the Gigafactory, in Nevada that it estimates will eventually produce enough batteries to power 500,000 Tesla cars. There also is increasing pressure to get more power out of batteries for mobile video and other energy-hungry applications. As people try to put more energy into the cell, they end up making compromises, said Morin. Each one is just a little compromise in terms of safety, but it makes the whole system less robust. So the level of manufacturing defects (the battery) can withstand is lower. You can write it off to manufacturing defects and try to avoid them, but what a lot of people are trying to do is build a more robust system that wont be as sensitive to manufacturing defects. Techniques to boost safety include external cooling shields and other safety systems deployed outside the battery itself. They can confine a failing cell and prevent extreme heat from spreading to other cells in a battery pack. Start-up KULR Technologies has worked with NASA to develop a lightweight, carbon fiber-based heat sink for battery packs. The company has a research and manufacturing center in San Diego. Its technology could be used in electric vehicles, aircraft and industrial energy storage, according to Michael Mo, KULRs chief executive. NASA has been our primary development partner, said Mo. They have very strict space constraints and weight constraints. That is the market we are initially targeting, where customers really value weight and space. American Lithiums technology works inside the battery cell itself, killing it when temperature, voltage or current thresholds are exceeded. We are trying to make the battery safer from the inside rather than relying on all the outer mechanisms, said Jenna King, chief executive of Amionx. Founded in 2006 by Fan and Robert Spotnitz, American Lithium worked on a project to develop a thin, wearable bullet-safe battery that slips into a soldierss vest to power communications gear. In a video from a military test lab, American Lithiums wearable battery is shot three times with a high powered military rifle. It doesnt explode or heat up beyond the militarys design threshold. The company, which has less than 50 workers, believes Safe Core potentially can boost the shelf life of batteries by limiting corrosion. It works not only with lithium ion but other battery chemistries, including emerging solid state configurations. Retired Qualcomm President Steve Altman, who helped create the mobile giants technology licensing arm, is an investor and Chairman of Amionxs board of directors. The company declined to say how much it has raised to spin out Amionx. While fire and explosions caused by lithium-ion batteries are relatively infrequent, the damage when they do occur can be costly and devastating, Altman said, including major recalls, damage to brand reputation, personal injuries and even fatalities. The market for Safe Core includes every product application that uses lithium-ion batteries. Business mike.freeman@sduniontribune.com; Twitter:@TechDiego 760-529-4973 The El Cajon City Council denied businessman Robert Zakars appeal last week to open a crematorium on North Marshall Avenue, saying its the wrong location. By a 3-1 vote, the council upheld a February ruling by the Planning Commission, which rejected the proposal. Everyone is in agreement that this is not the proper location, but the concept of ruling one out in the city has not been determined, Mayor Bill Wells said. I hate to see you not keep trying, you gotta find the right location. Advertisement Zakar runs East County Mortuary & Cremation Service, a funeral planning company at 374 N. Magnolia Avenue. He currently uses cremation services in Vista for his clients. Councilman Bob McClellan cast the lone vote in favor of a crematorium at 1150 N. Marshall Ave. Councilman Ben Kalasho abstained, because he said he felt there would be a conflict since Zakar had helped him bury his grandfather earlier in the week. More than a half dozen people spoke on Zakars behalf at the March 14 City Council meeting. Two people shared their concerns about smells and sounds they feared would emanate from a crematorium on that property. The site Zakar had planned for the crematorium is about 1,000 feet away from Flying Hills Elementary School and residential homes, said Tony Shute, director of community development. Businesses in the area include a welding supply company, a plumbing supply company, a Helix Water District maintenance facility, El Cajons public works yard and the citys animal shelter. Am I disappointed? Yes and no, Zakar said after his appeal was denied. You go into this thing knowing theres a chance youre not going to win Im disappointed that there is a need I cant fill, with astronomical numbers. There is an absolute need for it in East County. I cant think of a bigger necessity than a crematory. Shute said Zakar would do well to look at spots in the city that are the least populated and least detectable. He cited a location just off North Marshall Avenue, near Friendship Drive. Much of that area backs up to Forrester Creek. Zakar told the council he wasnt sure what his next move would be. In its report, city staff found: A crematorium could hinder an existing employment center, which staff said also means it would not be in alignment with the citys General Plan. The site is on a major street in a highly visible and developed industrial area and may present what it called psychological distress to surrounding businesses. Odors, smoke and particulate matter that could result if there was a failure of a machine on the premises. Before the council vote, Zakar showed a short video he produced that highlighted the success of Cortez Cremations & Funeral Services, which has been open for more than a year in National City. The crematoriums owner, Angela Cortez, was at the meeting and spoke in favor of a crematorium for El Cajon. The council also peppered Zakar with questions ranging from how he could bring in sales tax revenue to worries about air quality. In 2011, the San Diego Air Pollution Control Board closed a Neptune Society of San Diego crematorium in unincorporated El Cajon due to aging equipment. Neptune now uses off-site cremation services. Zakar, president San Diego County Funeral Directors Association, has been hoping to open a site to handle cremations in El Cajon for several years. He told the council that of 4,000 funerals conducted in East County in 2015, nearly 2,600 of those were by cremation. There are only five crematoriums in San Diego County, he said, compared 13 in Orange County which has roughly the same population size as San Diego County. Guitar legend George Benson and saxophonist Kenny G are joining forces for a joint concert trek. Dubbed the Breezin & Breathless tour, it opens May 13 in Oklahoma and concludes Oct. 31 in Minnesota. The tour includes four California dates, including Sept. 10 at Humphreys Concerts by the Bay and Sept. 17 at the Greek Theater in Los Angeles. All tour dates and ticket information appears below. Benson and G have no scheduled concerts together in July, when the guitarist will be on tour in Europe. G is currently embarked on a series of spring shows that include a March 29 performance in Anaheim. Advertisement Benson, who turns 74 on Wednesday, is a 10-time Grammy Award-winner and a 2009 NEA Jazz Master honoree. His mid-1970s hits Breezin and This Masquerade helped pave the way for the rise of smooth jazz and, with it, Kenny G in the 1980s. The critically reviled saxophonist (real name: Kenny Gorelick) has won only one Grammy Award. But G, 60, ranks as the top-selling pop instrumentalist ever, with worldwide album sales of more than 75 million. Both Benson and G were airplay mainstays on San Diego radio station KIFM 98.1, which was at the forefront of smooth jazz radio in the 1980s and 1990s. Anemic ratings led KIFM to abandon smooth jazz in 2011, when it turned to a more overt pop format. The station is now known as Sunny 98.1. However, KIFMs smooth jazz programming has been resurrected on HD-enabled radio at 98.1 HD2. Tickets for Benson and Gs tour will be available starting Friday through Ticketmaster, although on-sale dates vary from city to city. An online-only Kenny G Breathless VIP package pre-sale begins today at 2 p.m. local time and is priced at $399 per person for the San Diego show. A pre-sale for American Express card holders begins Tuesday at 10 a.m. George Benson & Kenny G Breezin and Breathless tour dates May 13 - Choctaw Grand Theater - Durant, Okla. May 24 - Kauffman Center - Kansas City, Mo. May 26 - Chicago Theatre - Chicago, Ill. May 27 - Soaring Eagle Casino - Mt. Pleasant, Mich. June 01 - Fraze Pavilion - Kettering, Ohio June 03 - Seneca Casino - Niagara Falls, N.Y. Aug. 25 - South Shore Music Circle - Cohasset, Mass. Sept. 07 - The Mountain Winery - Saratoga, Calif. Sept. 09 - Ironstone Amphitheater - Murphys, Calif. Sept. 10 - Humphreys By the Bay - San Diego, Calif. Sept. 15 - Mesa Arts Center - Mesa, Ariz. Sept. 17 - The Greek Theater - Los Angeles, Calif. Oct. 21 -Treasure Island Casino - Welch, Minn. Twitter @georgevarga george.varga@sduniontribune.com Social media is abuzz with U.S. military veterans posting their photos and memories of the first day of Operation Iraqi Freedom, when U.S. troops invaded Iraq in 2003. Camp Pendletons 1st Marine Division was part of the drive from Kuwait up into Iraq, and the San Diego cruiser Bunker Hill was one of the U.S. warships that fired Tomahawk missiles toward the Iraqi capital. The Navy posted a video of the Bunker Hill unloading its Tomahawks that day. Advertisement #OTD in 2003: Operation Iraqi Freedom begins after #USSBunkerHill #CG52 is among the first to launch tomahawk missiles on Iraq. pic.twitter.com/36XXzcw0Q9 U.S. Navy (@USNavy) March 20, 2017 The war began with airstrikes before dawn on March 20, 2003. By the time the U.S. military pulled out of Iraq in December 2011, nearly 4,500 Americans and more than 120,000 Iraqis had lost their lives. A military region, San Diego shared in the pain: 68 service members who hailed from San Diego died in combat -- most of them during the first half of the conflict. Another 389 of the dead were stationed here, most at Camp Pendleton, according to a U-T analysis of data from the Pentagons Statistical Information Analysis Division. Fourteen years later, some veterans are sounding off with pride that they served. Proud to be an #OIF Vet! March 20, 2003 ground forces began their campaign. pic.twitter.com/92G7MrPUUG Celso Pacheco Jr (@celpachjr) March 20, 2017 Veterans are remembering friends they served with. We will never forget, said the group Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America in a Tweet. Today marks the 14th anniversary of the war in Iraq. We will always remember. pic.twitter.com/7QhT9BVWrR IAVA (@iava) March 20, 2017 Joe Plenzler, a former Camp Pendleton Marine who is now a spokesman for the American Legion, posted a photo of himself with now-Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, in Iraq. Mattis was in command of Pendletons 1st Marine Division at the time. 14 years ago: Me, "Bunge" Cook and some dude who wanted his photo taken with us. @1stMarDivision #OperationIraqiFreedom pic.twitter.com/CdSOUGr1Kf Joe (@JoePlenzler) March 20, 2017 Others commented on the wars utility and cost. Others noted that U.S. troops are still in Iraq. A few thousand American troops are in an advise and assist role, trying to help Iraqi forces defeat the jihadist group known as the Islamic State, or ISIS. That behind-the-scenes effort still has been deadly for U.S. forces. As one person on Twitter noted, Temecula resident Louis Cardin, a Marine Corps staff sergeant, was killed in northern Iraq just one day short of the invasion anniversary last year. Were you there, 14 years ago today? Post your memories in the comments below, or on the @sdut Facebook page. What do you remember most about that day? Welcome to The Intel, a blog examining the hot military news of the day Military Videos On Now D-Day paratrooper from Coronado jumps again in France at age 96 On Now Remembering war's fallen, one name at a time On Now In Ramona, an airplane and an aviator provide living lessons on World War II 1:43 On Now Video: Navy's newest vessel sails into San Diego and a new future in surface warfare On Now Video: U.S. Navy files homicide charges over warship collisions On Now Stopping Marine hazing On Now Video: U.S. Navy Air Crew Grounded After Creating Vulgar Sky Drawing On Now Navy says Asia Pacific ship collisions were avoidable On Now Hundreds of recruits get sick at Marine boot camp On Now Cutler Dawson Talks Navy Federal jen.steele@sduniontribune.com Facebook: U-T Military Twitter: @jensteeley Two men who intentionally tried to sink their commercial fishing boat in an effort to collect insurance money were sentenced to probation Monday. U.S. District Court Judge Michael Anello sentenced Christopher Switzer, 39, and Mark Gillette, 37, to 18 months of probation. Both pleaded guilty in February to conspiring to sink their commercial fishing boat, The Commander. Advertisement The incident occurred on Oct. 11 when the two were rescued by the U.S. Coast Guard from the sinking boat in an area about seven miles south of Dana Point. Gillette had reported the boat was taking on water and was in danger of sinking. It did not, however. The next day, an inspection by divers of the boat as it lay in the open ocean showed evidence the boat had been intentionally damaged: pipes that supply water to bait tanks and fish holds were broken and valves to the pipes were in the open position. The boat was towed back to San Diego and the salvagers confirmed the damage appeared intentional. A few days later, an investigator on the boat overheard an argument between Gillette and an insurance adjuster who had arrived to inspect the damage. Gillette said he didnt want the adjuster on the boat because the adjuster was using accusatory language, the affidavit said. A few days later, Gillette notified the Coast Guard he would not be filing an insurance claim. In the plea agreement both men admitted to trying to sink the boat by destroying the PVC piping, pumping sea water onto the boat and puncturing the bulkhead. They made several false statements to authorities, including that their first sign that something was wrong was an unexplained loss of power, and that they didnt know why their boat was flooding, the plea agreement said. Both men were co-owners of the boat and of Eclipse Sportfishing, based in Mission Bay. In a sentencing memo Switzers lawyer said that the pair were losing money in 2016 due to a combination of repair costs for the boat and a decline in charter fishing trips. Twitter: @gregmoran greg.moran@sduniontribune.com Those who support President Donald Trumps increased immigration enforcement frequently say that immigrants should get in line to come to America, rather than enter without authorization. But, what line? For most people who might want to come to America, there is no line. Potential immigrants generally need a family member or employer in the U.S. as a sponsor before they can seek entry. And those who have such a host face waits that many would consider unreasonably long. Advertisement Mexican brothers and sisters of American citizens who applied to come to the United States legally almost 20 years ago are just now getting green cards. For siblings in the Philippines, the delay is even longer 23 years. Siblings from India have waited 14 years. Both sides in the immigration debate have used the concept of an immigration line in their rhetoric over the years. Those who want stricter limits on immigration say that unauthorized immigrants should wait their turn in line to come to the United States. But even advocates of immigration reforms designed to accommodate unauthorized immigrants have talked about such a line. President Barack Obama pushed for allowing unauthorized immigrants to get in line to obtain legal status when Congress last considered an overhaul of immigration laws. Some immigration attorneys took issue with the phrase when it was used in that context as well. Immigration attorney Edward Orendain said that the line is a misconception. I can understand that some people feel theyre frustrated that people are cutting in line, but there is no line for some people, and for those who can get in a line, the waits are ridiculously long in some cases, Orendain said by telephone. There are a few legal options for people from other countries who want to move permanently to the United States: Family members or employers can petition for their green cards. If they are from a country that has historically low rates of immigration to the U.S., they can join a lottery for a diversity visa. If theyve been persecuted or tortured, they can be sent by the United Nations as refugees, or they can come straight to the U.S. border and ask for asylum. Some people dont qualify for any of these options. For those who do qualify, the wait can take decades. Karla Rivera, 34, was born in Mexico when her mother gave birth a month early while visiting family in Mexico. Rivera has been waiting most of her life for legal entry to the U.S. Riveras mother received a green card in the 80s as part of Ronald Reagans amnesty program. Rivera lived with her grandmother in Mexico until her mother was able to bring her to the U.S. at age 5 under a family unity program created for immediate relatives of amnesty green-card holders. Riveras mother began trying to file the paperwork for Rivera to get a green card in 1991 and successfully filed all of the forms in 1998. Rivera is still waiting for her green card. You want to get to the finish line, but it doesnt seem like youre ever going to get there, Rivera said. Riveras attorney, Ginger Jacobs, said Rivera has a hybrid status because of the family unity program. She is neither unauthorized nor a resident. Rivera excelled in school, but she was not eligible for any federal funding to go to college. She now works as a nanny. Every two years, she has to renew her status with the family unity program, which costs more than $500 with each renewal. When she finally gets her green card, Rivera said, shes going to apply to become a U.S. citizen as soon as she can. When people say, The system is broken, and people say, Well, they need to obey the law - Karla and her mom obeyed the law, Jacobs said, and she still has no green card. Wheres the justice in that? Family members fall into four categories, and most categories all of those besides immediate relatives, like spouses and unmarried children under age 21, of U.S. citizens are capped annually. The cap for family-sponsored visas is 226,000 per year, and employer-sponsored is 140,000, according to the State Department. Those caps have created backlogs. By law, no countrys citizens can have more than seven percent, or 25,620, of the capped visas given out each year. That means the wait for citizens of certain countries is, in some cases, much longer than others. For a sibling, thats a ridiculously long amount of time to wait, Orendain said. Life doesnt stop just because youre waiting for a visa to become available. People, their lives change. They get married and have children. Some of them die. How do we know where were going to be 20 or 23 years from now? Orendain added. Its impossible for people to really make plans and be able to prepare for anything. Waits for employer-sponsored visas are not as long as family-sponsored visas, but some are still more than a decade. Potential employee immigrants from India face the longest delay, at 12 years for a skilled and professional worker visa. Vaani Chawla, a local immigration attorney, said one of her clients who came to the U.S. on a temporary work visa has been waiting for his green card since 2005. Because of a change in law in the early 2000s, Chawla said, her client has been able to stay working in the U.S. while he waits his turn. Living in that limbo can limit a persons ability to advance his or her career through changing jobs during that time period, Chawla said. Theyve been waiting for a very long time, Chawla said. Children grow up in that much time. Rohan Bavadekars application for a green card has taken so long that his immigration attorney moved from Houston to San Diego during the process. Bavadekar, 39, applied for an employer-sponsored green card in September 2010 and knows he likely still has years left to wait. The State Department is currently processing applications from 2008 for his visa category if the applicant was born in India. There is this whole debate going on about immigration reform and everything. The people who get talked about more often are those people who came here illegally, Bavadekar said via telephone. I dont see a word being spoken about people like us who are already here, who have been paying taxes, who have been always in status, and nothing has been done for us or even spoken about our situation. That is the most disappointing thing. Bavadekar, who lives in Houston, is originally from Mumbai and has lived in the United States since 2001. He came first on a student visa to get his masters degree in engineering in Texas. When he graduated, he switched to an H-1B visa, a temporary work visa. He said he would like to see more priority given to those like him who have advanced degrees. There are longer delays for employment visas for those born in China, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico and the Philippines as well because of the annual caps. Those who support Trumps immigration policies want more restrictions on who can stand in the lines to begin with. Many push for fewer visas for family members, a move away from the U.S.s historical emphasis on policies that prioritize family reunification. Some have suggested adding restrictions based on a hopeful immigrants economic situation or moving to a merit-based system. Those who oppose Trumps immigration policies want the U.S. to offer more legal routes to residency to increase the options for lines to stand in and reduce wait times. No matter which direction policy ends up moving, there are likely to be people who do not qualify to come to the U.S. through any program. Those who have no line to stand in may try to come anyway. Migrant advocates say that if people get desperate enough, they will come whether theyre allowed to or not. Even U.S. Border Patrols union, which has vocally supported Trump, seems to agree with that sentiment. When it comes to people, weve found that you build a 20-foot fence, they build a 21-foot ladder, said Shawn Moran, vice president of the National Border Patrol Council, shortly after the November election. kate.morrissey@sduniontribune.com, @bgirledukate The winters welcome wet spell has brought at least an unofficial end to Californias drought. But has the rain washed away the most obvious lesson of the Golden States dry weather? Quite possibly. The Democrats who control state government say the right things about continuing to push water conservation and to move away from unmetered water systems. But when it comes to perhaps the droughts most obvious lesson the need to sharply increase water storage capacity their silence is deafening. With large new dams and reservoirs, California could easily collect vastly more water every year. Advertisement California was once a world leader on this front, building 10 massive reservoirs from 1927 to 1979. Since then the Golden State has added 15 million residents while building no new reservoirs and its leaders dont even appear interested in trying. Senate President Kevin de Leon, D-Los Angeles, is crafting a bond measure that could go before voters in 2018 that in its latest iteration calls for spending $1.5 billion on water projects but nothing on dams. A recent column in The Los Angeles Times noted that de Leon was open to more water spending if Gov. Jerry Brown would be supportive, but that Brown appears to now be more skeptical of bond spending than ever. State lawmakers are eager to joust with the governor over big new state bonds but for transportation projects, not water projects. Yes, the need for such transportation spending is clear. Many roads and bridges are in sad-to-scary shape. Yet its hard to figure out why it is a higher priority than adding water storage as well as improving the condition of existing dams and reservoirs to prevent a repeat of last months nightmare at the Oroville Dam in Northern California. As Peter Gleick, a high-profile water expert from the Bay Area, points out, the drought is only over if one is thinking in conventional terms. If the most straightforward definition of drought is the simple mismatch between the amounts of water nature provides and the amounts of water that humans and the environment demand, California is in a permanent drought, Gleick wrote recently in Wired magazine. Even in a wet year in California, natures bounty of water is no longer enough to satisfy all the states demands. Those who have followed Gleick over the years know he is no fan of dams. But his analysis of the Golden States dry and dire straits is spot on. If Californians think the recent five-year dry spell was an ordeal, NASAs got some bad news for us all. Barring strong global progress in reducing greenhouse-gas emissions, there is a 12 percent short-term chance and a 60 percent long-term chance that a megadrought lasting 20 years or more will hit the Southwest, including the southern and most populous third of the Golden State, according to a 2015 report prepared for the space agency. This big picture should matter more to Californias leaders than it appears to especially to a governor in legacy-hunting mode. There are decades-old plans to build what would be the seventh-largest reservoir in California near Colusa. Building it would be a start. But more needs to be done. Twitter: @sdutIdeas Facebook: UTOpinion At some point during their 23-year marriage, a husband playfully suggested to his wife that she snap a nude photo of herself and send it to him, a little digital flirtation to add a new spark to their relationship. The wife laughed off the suggestion, until one day in November 2012 when her husband was leaving for a work trip and asked, How about that picture? Again, she treated it like a joke, but that night she snapped a cellphone photo of herself and emailed the intimate image to her husband. Over the next few months, she took another racy photo. And another. And another. Advertisement Twenty-one in all. They felt sacred and beautiful because they were done in love, for a man I was deeply in love with, the woman, who lives outside California, wrote in an email to U-T San Diego. (Her name is not being revealed in this story to protect her privacy.) They were my gift to him, she wrote. Months later, the woman got a call from stranger who told her that her photos were on a website called You Got Posted. There, thousands maybe even millions of people could ogle what had been private pictures, and those of other women and men whose nude images were uploaded to the site without their consent. Its a practice commonly referred to as revenge porn, because photos are often submitted by spurned exes. Last week, a San Diego jury found Kevin Bollaert, 28, guilty of more than two dozen felony counts related to UGotPosted.com and its sister site, ChangeMyReputation.com, through which some of the victims were charged hundreds of dollars to get their photos taken down. The case is being described as a landmark in California, the first conviction for an operator of a revenge porn website. Just because youre sitting behind a computer, committing what is essentially a cowardly and criminal act, you will not be shielded from the law or jail, Attorney General Kamala Harris said in statement issued the day after the verdicts. The offices eCrime unit was created in 2011 to investigate identity theft and technology crimes including cyber-exploitation, the term Harris has said is more accurate to describe this type of crime than revenge porn. At least one of the victims in the Bollaert case would agree. FOR A GOOD TIME, SHE CAN BE FOUND AT THIS ADDRESS, a commenter wrote on You Got Posted under the photo of the aforementioned wife, a mother of two teenagers who ran a daycare out of her home. The commenter typed her house number and street name. Her hometown was posted as well. This was not porn, she explained in her email. These postings were like hate crimes. The Attorney Generals Office prosecuted Bollaert in San Diego, and is preparing to go to trial in Napa County on a similar case involving Casey Meyering, who is accused of running a website called Winbystate.com. It, too, featured nude photos that were posted without the subjects permission and required them to pay as much as $250 if they wanted the photos taken down, prosecutors said. Were talking about large scale operators, said Daniel Suvor, Harris chief of policy. Going after the big fish is sort of the way that were thinking about this. In 2013, California adopted a law against cyber-exploitation, making it a misdemeanor punishable by fines and jail time. A dozen other states, including Arizona, Illinois and Maryland, have passed similar laws. New Jerseys 2003 invasion of privacy law, enacted before the term revenge porn became prominent, is considered the broadest. Californias law was expanded this year to including protections for selfies, photos taken by the victims themselves. The previous version only protected photos taken by others and it required prosecutors to prove the suspect had intentionally inflicted emotional distress upon the victim, both criticisms of the original law. The American Civil Liberties Union had opposed the initial bill, citing free speech concerns. The first person convicted under Californias revenge porn statute was Noe Iniguez of Los Angeles, who was accused of posting a topless photo of his ex-girlfriend on her employers Facebook page, along with several derogatory comments. He was sentenced in December to a year in jail and placed on probation for 36 months. Experts say revenge porn, or cyber-exploitation, is a bigger problem than many people realize. Hundreds of sites exist on the Internet, each of which can attract hundreds of thousands of visitors. In its first case against a revenge porn operator, the Federal Trade Commission announced late last month that it had reached a settlement with Craig Brittain of Colorado Springs, whose site was called Is Anybody Down. Brittain is now banned from publicly sharing nude videos or photos of people without their permission. Last year, Hunter Moore, described in media accounts as a revenge porn pioneer and the most hated man on the Internet, was arrested for running the site IsAnyoneUp.com, which at one point boasted up to 350,000 unique visitors in a day. Hunter was indicted in Los Angeles federal court along with Charles Evens on 15 felony counts including conspiracy and unauthorized access to a protected computer and aggravated identity theft. Moore is accused of paying Evens to hack into emails to steal the sexually explicit photos featured later on Is Anyone Up. The site is now defunct. According to a 2012 article in Rolling Stone, Moore contended his site was protected under the federal Communications Decency Act of 1996, which shields online service providers from legal action because of content posted by a third party. Its the law that allows Facebook, Twitter and Yelp to operate, said Teri Karobonik, a staff attorney with the New Media Rights program at San Diegos California Western School of Law. You can see how it can get particularly dicey for a lot of sites when it comes to how they monitor content. The case is headed to trial in March. Deputy Attorney General Tawnya Boulan Austin argued in the Bollaert case that the defendant wasnt merely providing a forum for others to post content, but that he actively curated the images and comments. He was convicted of 27 counts of identity theft and extortion, felony crimes that could land him behind bars for up to 24 years. He is now in jail, awaiting sentencing in April. Some victims in the Bollaert case used the Digital Millennium Copyright Act to try to get their photos removed from the website, claiming they each of the individual victims owned the copyright. Karobonik said copyright law has helped some victims get photos removed from a website like UGotPosted.com, but the photos often reappeared elsewhere on the Internet. It actually becomes a whack-a-mole problem of trying to track down all of these sites, she said. The wife who took racy photos for her husband said her images have appeared on hundreds of websites since 2013. She contacted the webmasters and hosting companies, and most agreed to take down her photos within 24 hours. Bollaerts site was different, she said. It took much more effort, and hiring a lawyer, to get her photos removed. I went into hiding, she explained. I couldnt go out. I thought, I cant meet anyones eyes. I was thinking they might recognize me. Her nightmare took a turn right after the verdicts, when Bollaert was taken into custody. I feel like I have a new life, she said. Coalville, UT -- (SBWIRE) -- 03/20/2017 -- Stephen Hopkins was from Hampshire, England. He married his first wife, Mary, and resided in the parish of Hursley, Hampshire. They had three (3) children: Elizabeth, Constance, and Giles; all baptized there. It has long been claimed that the Hopkins family was from Wortley, Gloucester, but this was disproven in 1998 with the discovery of his true origins in Hursley. http://mayflowerhistory.com/hopkins-stephen/ Stephen Hopkins went with the ship Sea Venture on a voyage to Jamestown, Virginia in 1609 as a minister's clerk, but the ship wrecked in the "Isle of Devils" (Bermuda). Stranded on an island for ten months, the passengers and crew survived on turtles, birds, and wild pigs. Six months into the castaway, Stephen Hopkins and several others organized a mutiny against the current governor. The mutiny was discovered and Stephen was sentenced to death. However, he pleaded with sorrow and tears. "So penitent he was, and made so much moan, alleging the ruin of his wife and children in this his trespass, as it wrought in the hearts of all the better sorts of the company." He managed to get his sentence commuted. Eventually the castaways built a small ship and sailed themselves to Jamestown. How long Stephen remained in Jamestown is not known. However, while he was gone, his wife Mary died. She was buried in Hursley on 9 May 1613, and left behind a probate estate which mentions her children Elizabeth, Constance and Giles. Stephen was back in England by 1617, when he married Elizabeth Fisher, but apparently had every intention of bringing his family back to Virginia. Their first child, Damaris, was born about 1618. In 1620, Stephen Hopkins brought his wife and children Constance, Giles, and Damaris on the Mayflower (child Elizabeth apparently had died). Stephen was a fairly active member of the Pilgrim group shortly after arrival, perhaps a result of his being one of the few individuals who had been to Virginia previously. He was a part of all the early exploring missions, and was used as an "expert" on Native Americans for the first few contacts. While out exploring, Stephen recognized and identified an Indian deer trap. And when Samoset walked into Plymouth and welcomed the English, he was housed in Stephen Hopkins' house for the night. Stephen was also sent on several of the ambassadorial missions to meet with the various Indian groups in the region. Stephen was an assistant to the governor through 1636, and volunteered for the Pequot War of 1637 but was never called to serve. By the late 1630s, however, Stephen began to occasionally run afoul of the Plymouth authorities, as he apparently opened up a shop and served alcohol. In 1636 he got into a fight with John Tisdale and seriously wounded him. In 1637, he was fined for allowing drinking and shuffleboard playing on Sunday. Early the next year he was fined for allowing people to drink excessively in his house: guest William Reynolds was fined, but the others were acquitted. In 1638 he was twice fined for selling beer at twice the actual value, and in 1639 he was fined for selling a looking glass for twice what it would cost if bought in the Bay Colony. Also in 1638, Stephen Hopkins' maidservant got pregnant from Arthur Peach, who was subsequently executed for murdering an Indian. The Plymouth Court ruled he was financially responsible for her and her child for the next two years (the amount remaining on her term of service). Stephen, in contempt of court, threw Dorothy out of his household and refused to provide for her, so the court committed him to custody. John Holmes stepped in and purchased Dorothy's remaining two years of service from him: agreeing to support her and child. Stephen died in 1644, and made out a will, asking to be buried near his wife, and naming his surviving children. BAPTISM: 30 April 1581 at Upper Clatford, Hampshire, England, son of John and Elizabeth (Williams) Hopkins. FIRST MARRIAGE: Mary, possibly the daughter of Robert and Joan (Machell) Kent of Hursley, co. Hampshire, prior to 1604. SECOND MARRIAGE: Elizabeth Fisher on 19 February 1617/8 at St. Mary Matfellon, Whitechapel, co. Middlesex, England. CHILDREN (by Mary): Elizabeth, Constance, and Giles. CHILDREN (by Elizabeth): Damaris, Oceanus, Caleb, Deborah, Damaris, Ruth, and Elizabeth. DNA HAPLOGROUP: R1b-M269 Contact Adam Green! c: 801-809-7766 e: g3president@comcast.net Master Christopher Jones and several business partners purchased the ship Mayflower about 1607. Its origins prior to that remain uncertain. Its first documented voyage of record was to Trondheim, Norway, in 1609. Andrew Pawling hired the ship to take a cargo of London goods to Norway, sell them off, and buy Norway goods (lumber, tar, and fish) to return back to England. Unfortunately on the return voyage, the Mayflower encountered a severe North Sea storm and the master and crew were forced to toss most of Pawlings goods overboard to lighten the ship. The home of Master Christopher Jones: Harwich, co. Essex, England. http://mayflowerhistory.com/ Following that, Christopher Jones seems to have stuck with safer trading routes. The Mayflower made numerous trips primarily to Bordeaux, France, returning to London with cargoes of French wine, Cognac, vinegar, and salt. The Mayflower could freight about 180 tons of cargo. The Mayflower also made occasional voyages to other ports, including once to Malaga, Spain, and twice to Hamburg, Germany. Upon returning from a voyage to Bordeaux, France, in May 1620, the Mayflower and master Christopher Jones were hired to take the Pilgrims to Northern Virginia. This was the first recorded trans-Atlantic voyage for both ship and master, though Christopher Jones had several crewmembers, including pilot and master's mates John Clarke and Robert Coppin, who had been to the New World before. The Mayflower was supposed to accompany another ship, the Speedwell, to America, but the Speedwell proved too leaky for the voyage so the Mayflower proceeded alone. Departing on 6 September 1620, the ship was at sea for 66 days, arriving November 9. The ship and crew overwintered with the Pilgrims and departed back for England on 5 April 1621, arriving back to England on May 6. Christopher Jones took the ship out for a few more trading runs, but he died a couple of years later in March 1621/2. The ship was appraised for probate purposes in May 1624, and was referred to as being "in ruins." It was only valued at 128 pounds sterling, and was almost certainly broken up and sold off as scrap. The End of the Mayflower: "Mayflower's End," by Mike Haywood. The Mayflower returned to England from Plymouth Colony, arriving back on 9 May 1621. Christopher Jones took the ship out on a trading voyage to Rochelle, France, in October 1621, returning with a cargo of Bay salt. Christopher Jones, master and quarter-owner of the Mayflower, died and was buried at Rotherhithe, co. Surrey, England, on 5 March 1621/2. No further record of the Mayflower is found until May 1624, when it was appraised for the purposes of probate and was described as being in ruins. The ship was almost certainly sold off as scrap. The claim, first originating from J. Rendel Harris' book The Finding of the Mayflower (1920), that the Mayflower ended up as a barn in Jordans, England, is now widely discredited as being a figment of an overzealous imagination on the tercentenary anniversary of the Mayflower's voyage, combined with a tainted oral history. None of the evidence has withstood subsequent investigation. Regardless of the lack of evidence for its authenticity, it has been featured in National Geographic on several occasions and is a tourist destination. It is important to realize that in 1624, when the ship was scrapped, it was not at all famous, and nobody would have thought twice about letting it rot away. Coalville, UTAH General Society of Mayflower Descendant, Adam Paul Green (Ancestor Stephen Hopkins / Gen.No. 86,723) Reveals New Geneology Support Website for Local Enthusiasts http://www.news.adampaulgreen.com The Pilgrims did not leave behind any lists of the items they brought with them on the Mayflower, but historians have used a provision list put together by Captain John Smith (of Pocahontas fame) to take an educated guess. However, in 2012, Caleb Johnson, Simon Neal, and Jeremy Bangs started transcribing and studying a rare manuscript (a page of which is here illustrated) in the possession of the Massachusetts Society of Mayflower Descendants, that was written by one of the investors in the Pilgrims' joint-stock company. This manuscript actually contains several lists of suggested provisions the colonists should bring with them. It is the closest thing we can get to a list of what the Pilgrims would have actually brought. A summary of some of the key items on the provision lists: http://mayflowerhistory.com/pilgrim-history/ -Food and Drink: Biscuit, beer, salt, (dried) beef, salt pork, oats, peas, wheat, butter, sweet oil, mustard seed, ling or cod fish, "good cheese", vinegar, aqua-vitae, rice, bacon, cider. -Clothing: Monmouth cap, falling bands, shirts, waistcoat, suit of canvas, suit of cloth, Irish stockings, 4 pairs of shoes, garters. Slippers, plain shoes, little shoes, French soles, sewing needles. -Bedding: Canvas sheets, bolster "filled with good straw", rug and blankets. -Arms: Light armor (complete), fowling piece, snaphance, sword, belt, bandoleer, powder horn, 20 pounds of powder, 60 pounds of shot. -Household: Iron pot, kettle, frying pan, gridiron, two skillets, spit, platters, dishes, spoons of wood, napkins, towels, soap, hand mill, mortar and pestle. -Tools: Broad hoes, narrow hoes, broad axe, felling axe, steel handsaw, whipsaw, hammers, shovels, spades, augers, chisels, gimlets, hatchets, grinding stone, nails, locks for doors. Adam Paul Green was born to a multi-talented beauty queen Mother and a Father who, in addition to being a US Army Spy and a Counter-Intelligence Special Agent, was also a highly accomplished entrepreneur. Adam was taught at a young age that, in both life and business, loyalty is a requirement for success. He's had the honor of working directly with his father in several of the family businesses. In fact, this is where he learned crucial entrepreneurial skills and honed his talents with international business strategies and venture capitalism. http://www.AdamPaulGreen.com, http://www.ImAdamGreen.com Adam earned his Bachelors of Science Degree in International Business and Marketing from the University of Utah. He was hand-picked by the President of the University's renowned School of Business to compete with dozens of other ambitious nationwide-graduates for the opportunity to secure a lucrative job within a prestigious Fortune 100 company. http://www.Twitter.com/AdamPaulGreen http://www.ImAdamGreen.com Adam's hard work and creativity helped him land this job of a lifetime. He obtained incredible business experience there and spent years innovating, improving processes and setting sales records. Although this dream job in Traditional Corporate America was a fun challenge for him, and something he truly enjoyed mastering, Adam's natural entrepreneurial spirit kept nudging him to do something more significant with his time and talents. http://www.MyChocolatePod.com, http://www.Facebook.com/AdamPaulGreen Since 2001, Adam has been involved in the Health and Wellness Industry as a successful Entrepreneur, Broker, Product Developer and Manufacturer of Cosmeceutical products. During his career, he has worked with some of the most recognizable Fortune 500 businesses along with many top international Network Marketing companies. Adam has consistently proven his unique ability to help his clients achieve their goals through creative Distribution-Channel Placement, innovative Product Development and custom Manufacturing. Adam currently owns three profitable businesses. http://www.ImAdamGreen.com Admittedly, Adam was not initially a fan of Network Marketing. He did not understand the business model because it was new to him. However, once he learned that the REAL focus of Direct Sales is to help average people get a taste of entrepreneurialism --- with minimal risk and at a low cost --- Adam was absolutely convinced of the potential with Multi-Level Marketing. http://www.ImAdamGreen.com About MayflowerHistory.com MayflowerHistory.com, the Internet's most complete and accurate website dealing with the Mayflower passengers and the history of the Pilgrims and early Plymouth Colony. The website was first created back in 1994 (when the web was still mostly text!) as a simple, but complete, passenger list of the Mayflower. It has grown over the past twenty years as the author, historian Caleb Johnson, has researched and compiled material. http://mayflowerhistory.com Salem, NH -- (SBWIRE) -- 03/20/2017 -- ImageFIRST, a provider of medical scrubs and uniforms throughout NH and the rest of New England, announced that the company will attend The Beryl Institute Patient Experience Conference 2017. This year, the conference will be held at the Hyatt Regency Denver and will take place from March 20 to March 22, 2017. The annual Patient Experience Conference is the biggest independent, non-provider hosted event that brings together healthcare leaders, practitioners and vendors who work in the medical industry all over the globe. Through breakout sessions, networking events and keynote presentations, the event provides a space in which attendees share ideas and information on how they can improve the patient experience. During this event, attendees also have the opportunity to build new professional relationships. The Beryl Institute is a global community of practice dedicated to improving the patient experience through shared knowledge and collaboration. The Institute defines the patient experience as the sum of all interactions, shaped by a company's culture, that impact patient perceptions across the continuum of care. To learn more about The Beryl Institute or the Patient Experience Conference 2017, please visit the event's official website. ImageFIRST promises its customers that its linen rental and laundry programs are the cost-effective solution for greater patient satisfaction. The company offers laundry services and medical linen products backed by a quality assurance process that includes hand inspection of all products. To learn more about this provider of patient gowns, uniforms, healthcare bed supplies and other medical linen and laundry services in NH and New England (as well as throughout the US and Puerto Rico), please visit http://new-england-nh.imagefirst.com or call 800-932-7472. About ImageFIRST New Hampshire Founded in 1967, ImageFIRST is the largest and fastest growing national linen rental and laundry service specializing in the outpatient medical market. ImageFIRST's 36 locations nationwide serve over 6,000 medical offices every week, providing linen, patient gowns, scrubs and much more while partnering with facilities to better manage linen inventory. With a customer retention rate of over 95%, ImageFIRST is dedicated to improving patient satisfaction through quality linens and remarkable service: their Comfort Care gowns product line increases patients' favorable perception of a facility by more than 50%. For more information about ImageFIRST New Hampshire, the cost-effective solution for greater patient satisfaction, please visit http://new-england-nh.imagefirst.com/. A new species of tapaculo called the Tatama tapaculo (Scytalopus alvarezlopezi) has been discovered in the cloud forests of Colombias Western Andes. The Tatama tapaculo was first spotted in June 1992 in Colombias Risaralda department by Dr. F. Gary Stiles, an ornithologist at the Institute of Natural Sciences at the National University of Colombia. Now studies of the birds vocalizations and DNA have confirmed it to be a unique species. The discovery is outlined in the April 2017 issue of The Auk, the official publication of the American Ornithologists Union. We take pleasure in naming this species in honor of Humberto Alvarez-Lopez, the dean of Colombian Ornithology, for his many contributions to the knowledge and study of this countrys birds over nearly half a century, Dr. Stiles and co-authors said. We suggest the English name of the Tatama tapaculo for Scytalopus alvarezlopezi because the majority of localities for this species are in the middle sector of the Western Andes near the border between Risaralda and Choco Departments, in which the most prominent and best-known mountain is Cerro Tatama. The tapaculos, a group of passerine birds in the family Rhinocryptidae, are small to medium-sized birds, with a total length between 10 and 23 cm and a weight between 10 and 185 grams. They have short, broadly rounded wings, straight bill, longish legs, strong feet for scratching in the earth; most with short tail. Most species are reddish brown or gray, with spots or bars; those of woodlands are darker than those of open scrub country. The Tatama tapaculo is a medium-sized, blackish tapaculo. Males are black above, the rump slightly tinged dark brown; dark grayish-black below; the posterior flanks, extreme lower abdomen, and crissum are broadly and slightly indistinctly barred black and dark rufous; the primaries and tail are dark brownish-black, the researchers said. Female and juvenile plumages are presently unrecorded. The new species forms part of a distinctive clade of Scytalopus tapaculos that also includes the Stiless tapaculo (S. stilesi) and the Magdalena tapaculo (S. rodriguezi), which occur on the Central and Eastern Andes of Colombia, and the Ecuadorian tapaculo (S. robbinsi) from Ecuador. The bird is easily diagnosable from its near relatives by its song and mitochondrial DNA; differences in plumage exist but are more subtle. It inhabits dense understory vegetation on the floors and lower slopes of ravines in cloud forest at elevations of 1,300 to 2,100 m. Dr. Stiles and his colleagues Dr. Oscar Laverde-R. of the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana and Dr. Carlos Daniel Cadena of the Universidad de Los Andes believe that the Tatama tapaculo is not threatened at present, but could be potentially vulnerable due to its restricted distribution. At present, we would consider the Tatama tapaculo to be Nearthreatened or at most, Vulnerable, because of its limited distribution and restriction to intact forest, but because its habitat at least in the Tatama region is fairly continuous and for the most part not threatened, and because it is locally common to abundant, we see no reason to raise any higher red flags, they explained. However, because of the potential effects of climate change, its abundance and elevation range should be monitored into the future. _____ F. Gary Stiles et al. 2017. A new species of tapaculo (Rhinocryptidae: Scytalopus) from the Western Andes of Colombia. The Auk 134 (2): 377-392; doi: 10.1642/AUK-16-205.1 [ACCRA] A programme is building the capacity of African researchers to understand climate change impacts and develop evidence-based solutions to help policymakers tackle climate change challenges. The Climate Impact Research Capacity and Leadership Enhancement (CIRCLE) fellowship an initiative by the African Academy of Sciences and Association of Commonwealth Universities seeks to help early-career researchers undertake research to address climate change in Africa. The five-year, 4.85 million (almost US$ 6 million) programme funded by the UKs Department for International Development has selected 37 researchers from about 100 applications as visiting fellows, according to Benjamin Gyampoh, CIRCLE programme manager. There is a research uptake component where the researchers are supported to identify the key stakeholders of their work. Benjamin Gyampoh, CIRCLE programme The third cohort of fellows are from 25 universities and research institutes based in nine countries Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Tanzania, South Africa, Sudan, Uganda and Zimbabwe. The fellows attended an induction workshop last month (10-12 February) in Kenya. The 25 institutions nominated the researchers to the programme, and their applications went through rigorous review processes. The programme, which started in 2014, select fellows to spend a year in a different African research organisation or university, guided by a supervisor to focus on areas of agriculture, energy, health and livelihoods, water and policy. Gyampoh tells SciDev.Net: There is a research uptake component where the researchers are supported to identify the key stakeholders of their work from the beginning and work with them throughout the research phase and explore together to implement the findings. Berchie Asiedu, a fellow from the Department Water Resources at Ghanas University of Energy and Natural Resources, explains that the programme has been beneficial in terms of publications and advocacy of climate change impacts including water quantity and quality to aid fish farming. Asiedu is undertaking her fellowship at the Department of Aquaculture and Fisheries Management at the University of Ibadan, Nigeria. Table: Research publications by CIRCLE visiting fellows (CVFs) since 2014 The deserts of southern California are blossoming with wild flowers in the last few days. This is happening because of unusually heavy winter rains, which hit the region. Anza-Borrego, which is California's biggest State Park, and Walker Canyon (found in the town of Lake Elsinore) have been covered with colorful flowers since mid-March. Bloom is a term used to describe wildflowers that don't fall under the class of normal spring flowers. Other areas close to the Borrego valley have been blossoming with flowers for the past few days. The area is loaded with wildflowers like the red monkey, purple canterbury, poppies, desert lily and dandelions "What's happened in the last four or five days is remarkable. We truly haven't had this sort of a bloom since 2005. The desert has truly woken up," expressed Kathy DeMunck who is the assistant director at the Anza Borrego Desert's nature center, as per National Geographic. The range around the Henderson Canyon Road is also blooming with wildflowers. This wildflowers bloom can be defined as one of the best in several years. There are several reasons which may have prompted to this blossoming of wildflowers on the desert scene. The heavy rains prompted to the completion of the dry season and it was trailed by frosty climate, which more likely than not bolted the dampness into the betray ground. As per Huffington Post Previously, Southern California families would go trekking or watch the blossoming wildflowers at Anza Borrego desert every year. But, for the last five years, it was impossible due to the dry season. Presently, after the blossoming, though, these outings or trips have started once more. People from Europe, Asia and Africa are also visiting the desert in an offer to look at this blossom, which is prompting to a ton of congestion near these regions. The pictures of the bloom are moving on social networking sites, which has prompted to its popularity. This is also the reason why people are visiting the site from everywhere in the world. In 2016, the same sort of bloom was seen in California's Death Valley. It is described as the driest and the hottest place on Earth, yet it had been blooming with flowers. Titan is the only other celestial body (apart from Earth) that is known to host stable liquid bodies. However, in the light of new experimental evidence as well as the data sent by the NASA Cassini spacecraft, scientists from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), California, have revealed that the lakes present on its surface are like "cosmic soda cans" that erupt due to changes in the ambient temperature and methane to ethane ratio. The NASA Cassini spacecraft has done numerous flybys of the Saturn's largest moon Titan, during which it has found that the surface temperature of Titan is around -179.5C (-291F). Its atmosphere is composed of around 95 percent nitrogen and 4.9 percent of methane and ethane. These gases rain down in their liquid form and create the illustrious lakes and seas. According to New Atlas, the NASA scientists created artificial lakes like that of Titan's and tried to replicate the environmental conditions existing on it, to study the nature and properties of the actual ultra cold lakes of Titan. They found that the lakes absorbed higher amounts of nitrogen when the lakes were rich in methane and the surrounding environment had higher pressure and lower temperatures. However, the situation becomes opposite, i.e., the lakes bubble out nitrogen whenever there occurs a slight increase in temperature or change in the methane to ethane ratio. The images previously captured by the NASA Cassini spacecraft had shown the existence of floating bodies (islands) in the Titanic lakes and seas. However, these islands were found to be extremely unstable and most often disappear in subsequent images. Scientists are of the opinion that the magic islands were in fact incredibly large nitrogen bubbles that are transient in nature, The Christian Science Monitor reported. Furthermore, the NASA scientists are of the opinion that the fizzy nature of Titan may potentially impact the functioning of the robotic probes to be sent in the future. On the bright side, the celestial beauty and periodically erupting lakes of Titan may make it a space tourism attraction. Archaeologists found an ancient burial box that is inscribed with the name of Jesus or "Yeshua" in Hebrew and some relics believed to exist in the time of Jesus. They were discovered in a roomy warehouse where Israel deposits its archaeological treasures. Gideon Avni, the head of the archaeological division of the Israel Antiquities Authority, announced that there is good news. "Today we can reconstruct very accurately many, many aspects of the daily life of the time of Christ." The Israel Antiquities Authority aims to manage and control excavation, conservation and promote research. It is responsible for implementing the 1978 Law of Antiquities. It was headed by director-general Shuka Dorfmann and has its headquarters in the Rockefeller Museum. The IDAM or the Israel Department of Antiquities Museums administers the small museums and is responsible for Israel's antiquities that involve curation of the antiquities, maintaining and storing the antiquities and the sites as well as inspecting them. Recently, as preparation for the Easter, the Israel Antiquities Authority uncluttered the storeroom to reporters on Sunday to look for uncovered artifacts from the time of Jesus. The warehouse, which the Antiquities Authority dubbed as "Ali Baba cave" of ancient treasures, lies ancient jugs and pottery sherds and finds from the time of Jesus, according to Phys.org. They discovered limestone drinking cups and dishes that were used by Jews for the ritual purity of their food. They also found a limestone burial box known as ossuaries, in which the families placed the bones of the deceased person inside the said box. The discovered burial box belongs to the high priest Caiaphas, who delivered Jesus to the Roman authorities who crucified Jesus. Other finds include another Jewish burial box in northern Jerusalem dated first century A.D. Inside the box was a heel bone pierced by an iron nail with wood fragments on each end. This was the only proof discovered of a victim of Roman crucifixion buried according to Jewish custom, which the archaeologists believed that Jesus may have been crucified in the same manner. They also found a stone depicting a carving of the Second Jewish temple that was uncovered in 2009 located at the ancient synagogue on the shores of the Sea of Galilee. The archeologists said that Jesus may have gone preaching in the said synagogue. Archaeologists have not found physical evidence of Jesus, which is a "trivial mystery," according to Yisca Harani, an Israeli scholar of Christianity. She asked, "Why do we expect in antiquity that there would be some evidence of his existence?" She said that ruler or military men had their memory inscribed in stone and artifacts, yet what remained of Jesus "are His words." FLORENCE, S.C. GE Healthcare will be holding a groundbreaking ceremony Tuesday at their facility on 3001 West Radio Drive to initiate a $40 million expansion that will create approximately 100 new jobs. State and county leaders, along with GE Healthcare executives and other prominent figures in the Florence area, will attend the groundbreaking scheduled for noon on Tuesday. According to Greg Cunningham, human resource business partner of GE Healthcare, a select few VIPs will be touring the facility prior to the groundbreaking ceremony. A press release with further details on the expansion and hiring will be circulated Tuesday morning prior to the ceremony. This expansion comes in the wake of the 16-acre solar farm constructed last summer and a $17 million addition in 2013. Dale Wolf, shop operations executive at GE, said the company is eager to grow during what is a very progressive time for the Florence area. Were excited to build an even larger presence in Florence County and work with even more talented South Carolinians, Wolf said in an op-ed sent to the Morning News. We are fortunate to operate in a state that recognizes the importance of manufacturing and is actively supporting additional growth. Florences 500,000-square-foot facility is responsible for building components for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) devices and other medical imaging systems. Wolf said each MRI magnet is made up of 2,500 different parts made by 170 different suppliers, and that one component of that single GE product supports 8,400 jobs. Currently, GE Healthcare employs approximately 350 people in the Florence area, and with the expansion and additional hires, Wolf said GE Healthcare hopes to continue to be an economic leader both locally and statewide. We are committed to Florence, and we are honored that Florence and the state of South Carolina is so committed to us in return. Watching top Republicans explain their proposed Affordable Care Act replacement can make you wonder who hijacked the English language. For example, if you're like me, you might have been shocked by the news that 24 million fewer Americans will have health insurance by 2026 if the Republican-proposed alternative passes, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office including 14 million fewer people in the next year alone. But that's OK, say Republican congressional leaders. House Speaker Paul Ryan, a Wisconsin Republican, already had declared such gloomy outlooks to be a "bogus" metric. It's not "coverage" that counts, he said; it's "access." "What matters is that we're the lowering costs of health care and giving people access to affordable health care plans," Ryan said in a news conference. Ryan, a self-described "policy wonk," was excited. He loves the mere sound of words like "freedom," "choice" and "access" even when the reality of "access" amounts to having the freedom to be offered decent health insurance but also being too poor to buy it. And he's not alone. "Insurance is not really the end goal here," Office of Budget and Management Director Mick Mulvaney later told NBC. "We're choosing instead to look at what we think is more important to ordinary people: Can they afford to go to the doctor?" OK, call me old-fashioned, but I thought being able to afford to go to the doctor is why we have insurance. But, no, said White House Chief Economic Adviser Gary Cohn to host Chris Wallace on Fox News on March 12 about the prospect of millions of people losing their health insurance: "It's not just about coverage, it's about access to care. It's about access to be able to see your doctors." So where did I get the idea that the goal was coverage? Maybe President Donald Trump had something to do with that when he promised a Republican plan that would provide "insurance for everybody." But he also said in a White House meeting with House Republicans after the Grand Old Party's proposed legislation was unveiled that it "will lower costs, expand choices, increase competition and ensure health care access for all Americans." There's that word "access" again. By now, I suppose, we should know from experience that only the president's most recent version of the truth should be believed, if that. What gives? Is promising "access" a nice-sounding squishy doublespeak way to say, "We're not giving you any more money to help you buy insurance?" That's the biggest reason why the CBO and other analysts expect to see millions of people lose coverage under the Republican plan. Yet Ryan and other GOP leaders are more excited by the $337 billion that the CBO says the federal government will save over the next decade by shifting most of the ACA's health care burden back to the states and to individuals. The Republican plan would remove mandates that require everyone to buy insurance, which enables the ACA to bar insurance companies from denying coverage because of pre-existing conditions. It would replace subsidies with tax credits to help low-income people buy insurance and expand health savings accounts so more people could save more of their own money to pay for their own health care. But market-driven incentives work best for people who can afford them. I like HSAs, for example, but households that are living paycheck-to-paycheck often find they simply can't afford to salt away much savings. One health crisis can eat up your health savings overnight. And there goes your "access." All of which makes it all the more poignant or sad, as President Trump might tweet that the biggest losers in what's being called "Trumpcare" probably would be the core supporters of President Trump's election campaign. The same lower-income, older voters who voted for him in rural red-state America stand to lose more in federal insurance subsidies than any other demographic, according to an analysis of country voting and tax credit data by Noam Levey of the Los Angeles Times. That's the political base that Trump in his inaugural address lauded as the forgotten men and women to whom he had given a political voice. Now the burden is on Trump to show whether "access" to health insurance is as good as the real thing. Email Clarence Page at cpage@chicagotribune.com. On Sunday, 29 March, the Panama-flagged box ship MSC Anzu owned by Mediterranean Shipping Company made the historic 1,000th transit through the new locks, heading northbound from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean. Built in 2015, MSC Anzu measures 299.98 m in length and 48.23 m in beam with a carrying capacity of 9,008 teu. During its transit, the ship called at Panamanian port terminals on the Pacific and Atlantic to discharge and load cargo on the way to its final destinations. The MSC Anzu vessel is part of the SAWC-USA-NWC service between Europe, the United States and the South America West Coast that was consolidated last year to take advantage of the expanded Panama Canal. The MSC ANZU transit showed the industrys strong adoption of the expanded canal and its successful operations thus far, said Panama Canal administrator Jorge L. Quijano. It is a significant milestone for the expanded canal, which is experiencing a steady flow of traffic including containerships, and LNG and LPG vessels. Other segments like dry bulk carriers, vehicle carriers, and crude product tankers have also transited through the expanded canal. The container segment accounts for nearly half the transits through the new locks and represents its principal source of traffic with 53%; while LNG vessels that began transiting the waterway last July for the first time after the new locks inauguration and so far, 5.2 LNG vessels have transited the Canal per week on average, above the original forecast of one weekly transit. As of March 2017, an average of 5.9 neo-panamax vessels transit the new lane per day. Although the full impact will be felt gradually over time, we are very encouraged by the success of the expanded canal thus far as trade patterns continue to shift in favour of the route, said Panama Canals executive vice president of planning and business development, Oscar Bazan. Major liner services have already re-directed services to the waterway to take advantage of the economies of scale the waterway provides and 13 neo-panamax liner services have been deployed through the new locks, primarily on the US East Coast to Asia trade route. On 1 April, two additional neo-panamax liner services are expected to follow, bringing the total liner services to 15 further demonstrating the benefits of the waterway. Although the expansion was our largest undertaking since the original canal was constructed, this is merely the first step in bolstering the capabilities of the waterway and the logistics offerings in the country, said Quijano. Offshore and subsea services group Ezra has been hit by a series of claims and statutory demands over the past weeks, after its 40%-owned joint venture EMAS Chiyoda Subsea (ECS) filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on 28 February. The Ezra Chapter 11 filing is intended to optimise the scope and extent of the restructuring options available and to protect the interests of all stakeholders of the company (including its creditors and shareholders) from hostile actions that could harm the company and its stakeholders by diminishing the groups value, Ezra stated. The moratorium afforded under the Ezra Chapter 11 filing stays claims against the groups entities and enforcement actions against their assets. Ezra pointed out that holders of a SGD150m 4.875% notes due 2018 may seek to assert rights in the Chapter 11 case. The company will be reaching out to HSBC Institutional Trust Services (Singapore) Limited as trustee for the noteholders to begin this process with the noteholders as soon as practicable. The company intends to include the SIAS (Securities Investors Association Singapore) as it engages with the noteholders, Singapore-listed Ezra said. The Singapore Exchange (SGX) also announced that it has taken steps to aid holders of the Ezra notes by requiring Ezra to convene a meeting with noteholders. The woes of Ezra arose mainly from its exposure of approximately $900m as a guarantor to ECS. While ECS had filed for bankruptcy, Ezra said earlier that the filing unfortunately does not deal with ECS charter hire liabilities, where a substantial amount of these liabilities of around $400m is guaranteed by Ezra. Most recently on 17 March, Ezra announced it has faced a $4.45m claim from Serimax North America owed by Ezra as guarantor to a Promissory Note between Serimax and ECS. On 12 March, Ezra was hit by a hefty claim of $194.5m by Chinas ICBC Financial Leasing relating to a sale and leaseback arrangement for a pipe-lay vessel between the Chinese bank and EMAS Offshore Limited (EOL), subsidiary of Ezra. EOL, also lited on SGX, has suspended trading since 6 March. VT Halter Marine (VTH) and Forland Subsea also issued statutory demands on 9 March and 7 February, respectively, for claims totalling $6.31m against Ezra acting as guarantor for ECS. Ezra has another subsidiary listed on SGX, Triyards Holdings, which has requested for trading halt on 20 March. The severe downturn of the global offshore oil and gas sector has tanked activities and eroded earnings, with Ezra being the latest to fall victim to the markets very difficult operating conditions. Swiber, another Singapore-listed offshore services firm, has been placed under judicial management since August 2016. Offshore vessels owner Swissco filed to be placed under judicial management in November 2016 and a hearing has been fixed on 24 March this year. A giant planet that is scorchingly close to its star may not survive for long, a new study finds. The planet started a death spiral more than two billion years ago, and may have just a few hundred thousand years of life left before it gets torn apart. The blazingly hot skies of this doomed world could shed light on how the atmospheres of alien planets work, the study's researchers said. This research could one day help astronomers detect signs of life on distant worlds, the scientists said. In the past 25 years, astronomers have confirmed the existence of more than 3,450 worlds outside the solar system. These discoveries have revealed that some of these exoplanets are very different from Earth and its sibling planets, with the finds including "hot Jupiters," gas giants that orbit their stars closer than Mercury does the sun. [7 Ways to Detect Alien Planets] The latest frontier in exoplanet science involves analyzing the atmospheres of these distant worlds to learn more about their weather and composition."The ultimate goal of such exoatmospheric studies would be to measure the presence of a biomarker molecule," study lead author Thomas Oberst, an astrophysicist at Westminster College in New Wilmington, Pennsylvania, told Space.com. Biomarkers can serve as evidence of biological activity such as photosynthesis, he explained. Although the technology to detect biomarkers in the atmospheres of Earth-like exoplanets is likely still several decades away, "we can study the atmospheres of hot Jupiters right now using current technology and telescopes," Oberst said. "As such, hot Jupiters are currently the most valuable 'laboratories' for building and refining our understanding of and techniques for observing exoplanetary atmospheres." The scientists investigated a hot Jupiter named KELT-16b using the Kilodegree Extremely Little Telescope (KELT), which consists of a telescope in Arizona and another telescope in South Africa. The researchers found that the giant planet has about 2.75 times Jupiter's mass and is 1.4 times as wide as Jupiter. KELT-16b orbits the star KELT-16, which is about 1.2 times the mass of the sun and located about 1,300 light-years from Earth. Observations of KELT-16 suggest that, in addition to its planet, the star also possesses a companion red dwarf star, which orbits at least 286 astronomical units from KELT-16. An astronomical unit (AU) is the average distance between the sun and Earth, about 93 million miles (150 million kilometers). KELT-16b its star at about 0.02 AU, which is about 1/20th the distance between Mercury and the sun. The planet can reach searing temperatures of about 4,000 degrees Fahrenheit (2,200 degrees Celsius). Based on current models of giant planet formation, the researchers said they suspect KELT-16b might once have orbited much further from its star than it does now, perhaps more than 5 AU. Gravitational tugs from the companion star might have disrupted the planet's orbit, sending it closer to its host star. The fact that KELT-16b orbits so closely to its star means the planet experiences extreme heat and powerful tides. The researchers estimated that the planet likely began a runaway spiral to its doom about 2.1 billion years ago, and that tidal forces may shred the world apart in as little as another 550,000 years. "Most if not all hot Jupiters are likely to end up being tidally disrupted," said Keivan Stassun, study co-author and a researcher at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee. For KELT-16b in particular, the researchers have precise details on the age of the system and the way in which it evolved, so they can pinpoint the likely timing of the planet's death - "and it is imminent," Stassun told Space.com. KELT-16b is the sixth planet discovered so far whose year (the amount of time it takes the planet to complete an orbit around its star) is less than a day long, Oberst said. The regularity with which KELT-16b passes in front of its star will make it easier for astronomers to examine starlight passing through the planet's atmosphere; this information can yield clues about the atmosphere's composition and activity, the researchers said.The planet's large size and the amount of light it gets from its star will also make gleaning atmospheric details about KELT-16b easier "than [with] most other hot Jupiters," Oberst said. The researchers said they hope this giant planet will help answer questions such as what happens at the boundary line between night and daylight, called the terminator, on such a highly irradiated world. "If its temperature cools enough in going from the dayside to the nightside, KELT-16b may have rain showers of titanium oxide and vanadium oxide at sunset," Oberst said. Further analysis of KELT-16b's doomed orbit can shed light on how exoplanets evolve over time. "Although we now have many examples of what solar systems can look like, a complete picture requires understanding how often planets don't survive," Stassun said. "In other words, we need information about 'planet mortality' in order to make complete sense of the planet census." The scientists detailed their findings online Feb. 7 in the Astronomical Journal. Original article on Space.com. The kea parrot in New Zealand has been dubbed "the world's smartest bird" because of its playful, curious nature and ability to foil humans. It can learn how to open beer bottles and tear apart cars. The clever bird even emits a laughter-like call when having a good time - and new research has found that the call has the effect of putting other listening kea parrots in a playful mood. Calls with such a powerful influence on others are known as "emotionally contagious." It was previously determined that, in addition to humans, chimpanzees and rats produce emotionally contagious playful vocalizations, but the kea is the first known non-mammal to do so. The findings are published in the journal Current Biology. "The warble or play call is akin to human laughter in the sense that it has a similar effect on the emotional state of the receiver," Raoul Schwing, lead author of the paper, told Seeker. "Both put the receiver in a more positive emotional state." Schwing, a researcher at the Messerli Research Institute in Austria, noted that the bird's behavior is perhaps most similar to children who giggle while playing. "Laughter in adults is more often associated with humor," he remarked in reference to humans. "Nonetheless, it still has an emotional contagion effect, as can be seen by the inclusion of the laugh track in situation comedies." Schwing became interested in the kea play call after analyzing recordings of the parrot's full vocal repertoire, which is impressive. He then wondered how kea in the wild would respond if they heard the recorded play calls. To find out, he and his colleagues played the calls to groups of wild kea for a period of five minutes. They also played other kea-made sounds, as well as calls from a South Island robin, as controls. RELATED: When Tickled, Rats Giggle at a Supersonic Level When the birds heard the play calls, they started playing with other kea. If alone, they would play with a nearby object or perform aerial acrobatics. Apparently enjoying themselves, the playful birds would then often emit the same call. The below video, shot by Raoul Schwing, shows a perched adult male and female kea listening to a recording of another bird's play call. Upon hearing it, they engage in a tussle-chase bout of play. World-famous physicist Stephen Hawking plans to join an eager lineup of customers for Virgin Galactic suborbital flights. In an interview on Monday with the British program Good Morning Britain, the physicist and cosmologist said that he's been wanting to visit space ever since he experienced a weightless flight aboard a plane that flies parabolic loops to simulate zero gravity. He was likely referring to a Zero Gravity Corp. flight in 2007 aboard a specially-modified Boeing 727-200 aircraft called G-FORCE ONE. "My ambition is to fly into space," remarked Hawking, speaking with a computerized voice from his wheelchair. "I thought no one would take me, but [Virgin founder] Richard Branson has offered me a seat on Virgin Galactic." Virgin Galactic has been aiming to fly tourists into space for more than a decade, aboard SpaceShipTwo. The flight plan calls for SpaceShipTwo to be lifted to 50,000 feet aboard a carrier ship, called WhiteKnightTwo, before being released. SpaceShipTwo will then rocket into suborbital space, long enough for tourists to experience five minutes of weightlessness before returning to Earth. RELATED: New Virgin Galactic Spaceship Takes First Flight Technical difficulties and a fatal test flight in October 2014 have pushed the first tourist launch date of Virgin Galactic forward indefinitely. Virgin resumed test flights in 2016 and has a reported wait list of 700 people waiting for their chance to experience space. A ticket is reported to cost $250,000. Hawking has a condition called ALS, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Popularly known as Lou Gehrig's disease, the condition causes the death of neurons that control voluntary muscles. Hawking was diagnosed in 1963 and was initially expected to live only two years. Four decades later, however, he remains an active physicist. In 2016, Zero Gravity Corp. co-founder Peter Diamandis described the difficulties in flying Hawking on the 2007 flight, which simulated weightlessness for a few seconds at a time. While Hawking was certified by multiple doctors to fly, the Federal Aviation Administration expressed concern that he was not able-bodied enough to participate. "To maximize the chance of a safe flight, we set up an emergency room onboard G-FORCE ONE and supported Professor Hawking with four physicians and two nurses accompanying him on the trip (monitoring heart rate, respiration, blood pressure, etc.)," Diamandis later wrote. While Diamandis was hoping to fly two 30-second weightless arcs with Hawking on board, the physicist did so well that he experienced eight. "On the heels of this successful flight with Hawking showing a disabled individual could safely fly in Zero G, I was very proud that we next had the amazing opportunity to fly six wheelchair-bound teenagers into zero gravity," Diamandis noted. "These were kids who had never walked a day in their lives, yet they got to soar like Superman on their flight." OFFICIAL STATEMENT OF LP SENATORS: VP'S VIDEO MESSAGE TO UN TELLS WORLD PH ENJOYS DEMOCRACY Vice President Leni Robredo's video message to a United Nations event is within her prerogative as an elective official and citizen of the country. The video message showed the world that the Philippines enjoys democracy where dissent is respected. We urge Senate President Koko Pimentel to focus on the numbers that matter: the thousands of unresolved murders, the rising prices of basic goods, and the 13-million hectare undersea region rich in minerals and biodiversity of Benham Rise. These are the numbers that we should all be focusing on, not the 100 votes of congressmen on the impeachment case threatened by House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez and Solicitor General Jose Calida on Vice President Robredo. Instead of the life and death issues that confront our people every day like putting food on the table and our children's safety, security, and future, politics is dominating the national discourse. Let us, the country's elected national leaders, all return the focus on what the people sent us to the Senate to do: to improve their and their children's lives. Press Release March 20, 2017 Transcript Press Conference of Senate President Koko Pimentel SP Pimentel: When it becomes law, the exemption will be taken away. That means there may be more payors of VAT, raising revenue for the government. Yun po yung idea doon. Q: Will the Senate support the inclusion of cooperatives? SP Yes. The tax reform package which the party is supporting as crafted by the department of finance, involves income tax relief which will now result in revenue loss of P140 billion. Sa mind natin, negative P140B na yun, hence there must be corresponding revenue raising measures or adjustments like in the VAT to tighten the list of ex3empted entities and transactions so that we can raise an amount not lesser than P140B so that ang tawag dyan, the result would be revenue neutral. So in effect, from the point of view of the macro, from the point of view of the national government level, nothing has changed as far as our flow of revenue is concerned. But the proposal actually is not revenue neutral. It is plus P240 billion. In effect, if the revenue package is passed, compensation income taxpayers will feel relief in the tune of P140 billion but then there will be new taxes to the tune of P240 billion. In effect, the government raises P100 billion pesos, because of the focus of infrastructure or the promises of adjusting the salaries of our police, soldiers, and hopefully our teachers, so kailangan din po ng pera, ng additional revenue flow ng gobyerno. Q: May assurance ba na hindi dehado yung tax payers? SP: Ang assumption, lahat naman tayo taxpayer, lahat tayo tatamaan, but more of luxury tax yung pang-bawi. Q: So mayayaman yung tatamaan? SP: Yes, so yung binibigyan mo ng relief are the compensation income earners. Ang assumption mo rito are the people who are not into business, the non-tycoons, the non-millionaires, the non-multimillionaires, so they will be given relief, and then yung tax will be on Mercedes Benz, luxury vehicles, etc. On the moves to impeach VP Leni Robredo. SP: In the first place, wala pa po yan, it is theoretical, so if ever may masabi man ako, it is also theoretical. If chances in the House, better ask the house people, especially the Speaker. But what I know of is that the Speaker has 230 plus followers in the House of Representatives. From party mates alone, he has 109. It is more than the threshold number of 100. You better interview them for their individual sentiments. On destabilization and the UN video. SP: Actually hindi ko pa napapanood pero even if after napanood ko na yun, I will keep my sentiments to myself. Actually depende sa laman. Tandaan ninyo yung mga grounds. May ground doon na it is a very political ground, betrayal of public trust. It is a very political ground that is not defined in any law. Look at the dictionary, wala rin doon yun. It is addressed to the people who will ultimately decide. Q: Pero sir, is it appropriate for the House Speaker to file the impeachment? SP: He is a member of Congress, he can file what he wants. House Bill No. 1, kanya. He was able to file. Q: There is nothing judgmental about that statement? SP: Kahit siya siguro, before he goes to sleep, kaya niyang isipin yun. One-third of 294, about 100, PDP 109, 230 super majority, di ba niya kaya yun? Magaling din si Trillanes. Q: You have also thought about the impeachment kay Pangulo na hindi possible sa House? SP: Yun na nga, 230 followers sa super majority, i-minus mo na lang yung maybe hindi, 60, we need a minimum of one-third. Q: If maimpeach si VP Robredo, you will be the vice-president? SP: No. The relevance of the Senate President is he becomes acting president if there is a simultaneous vacancy in both the president and the vice-president. The Senate President never becomes president. He only becomes acting-president to supervise the election. Q: Do you see that happening? SP: Wala. Walang connection. Sa Constitution natin, if there is a vacancy in the VP, the president chooses among the members of Congress. Subject to confirmation by Congress. Like what happened to Guingona. Q: What will happen to the protest case ni Bongbong if that happens/ SP: Sa pagkakaintindi ko, dapat tuloy because the protest case, ang question is to determine who really won in the last VP election. Hence, theoretical ito, if there is a vacancy in the VP because of impeachment, the successor chosen by the president from Congress, holds the position subject to the outcome of the election protest. Q: Yung message ni VP Leni, will it not fall under freedom of expression? SP: Lahat naman ay may freedom of expression, but there is also betrayal of public trust. The rights are not absolute. Ang example nga niyan, you are in a movie house, sumigaw ka ng fire, nagkagulo, may nasaktan, you cannot be sued because sasabihin mo, freedom of expression. Hindi. May limits ang freedom of expression. Depende on a case to case basis. Basta, rights are not absolute even if they are in the Constitution. Q: Yung kay VP, kahit totoo yung sinabi niya, pwede pa rin... SP: Yun na nga yun, that is why you have responsible elected officials to decide the issue. Hindi naman basta-basta lang, so two levels din ang impeachment. One sa House, one sa Senate. On the 7,000 EJKs in the country SP: Hindi ko pa napapanood. If ever it reaches the Senate, it is the job of the prosecution to present a case. Hindi lang naman yun you watch the video, and then you decide. You will have a theory of the case. Hintayin na po natin yan. Tandaan natin na wala pang complaint hanggang ngayon, so this is all theoretical. Q: Nagsalita po si Presidente before he left for Myanmar, he reiterated that his war on drugs will be brutal. SP: Ang laman ng vocabulary ni Presidente, when he said brutally, kamay na bakal. Talagang the full force of the law. Yan ang pagkakaintindi namin. Parati nating sinasabi na actually this is the first time that we have an administration hell-bent on enforcing all our anti-drugs laws, no-holds barred, but at the same time, parati nating sinasabi, do it with accordance with law, and in accordance with our Constitution. The purpose is to arrest so that they can answer for their crimes. On the President's statement allowing China to construct structures on Panatag SP: Hindi yata niya sinabing he is allowing. Nagiging practical lang siya na you cannot stop, but he never said he is allowing. Hindi naman sa walang gagawin, of course may mga note verbale, diplomatic protest. Of course, confrontations wise, blocking forces, wala. Q: May basis to be wary of China? SP: We have a problem with China because they have the nine-dash line, claiming all the waters inside the dashes as Chinese waters. Tayo naman, we are claiming some of those waters as some of our EZ. That is the clash. Q: We have to be wary of these intrusions? SP: Not only with China, but every other country which have been interested in our EEZ or some of our territories. Q: Hindi kayo kinakabahan after napatalsik yung ibang miyembro ng committee chairmanship? SP: Ang daming napatalsik, but sabi nila we are still supportive of the president. They understand what the Speaker did. Q: Just in case na mafile-an ng impeachment complaint si VP Robredo, first time ba na sabay na may impeachment complaint ang VP at presidente? SP: Iyan ang hindi ko alam, iresearch niyo na lang kung first time na sabay, pero sa pagkakaaalam ko, first time nga na magsasabay. Q: Ano ang implication noon sa peace and stability ng bansa? SP: Wala, nasa Constitution po iyon, ang impeachment process. So we respect the people who resort to impeachment, but we also respect the process. So it is a combination of the legal and the political, so ganoon lang yun. On the line of succession in case SP: Iba kasi yoon, because there will be no simultaneous vacancies, since two separate trials yoon. When the President is on trial, the Chief Justice is the presiding officer. When the Vice President is on trial, the Senate President is the presiding officer. Ubos ang oras natin doon kung parehong trial, but pero umabot sa amin, we have to do our duty, nasa Constitution. When we ran for senator, alam naming yoon, we have a another hat - or potential hat - which is to be a judge at an impeachment proceeding. Q: SI VP, pwede niya ba macorrect ang impeachment if she corrects her statement na allegedly 7,000 ang namatay sa war on drugs? SP: That is a "betrayal of public trust," when the trust is distort, so wala na. Depende pa rin iyon. Mahirap sagutin iyan since ina-assume mo na the impeachment complaint focuses on that, na that is the ground. Lalo na if you are feeding an international organization with what are supposed to be facts, then you correct. Wala namang problema iyon. May impeachment o wala, gawin natin iyon. Q: Yung Committee on Electoral Reforms, kay Senator Leila de Lima po iyon diba? May plan po ba na ibigay ito sa ibang vice chairman? SP: Hindi naman ibigay, but he works, Senator Dick Gordon works on the workload of the committee. But I am sure he is coordinating with the committee chair. Q: Do you have a statement on the passing of former Senator Leticia Ramos-Shahani? SP: Of course. Personally, I'm saddened. I never got the chance to work with her as a legislator, but my father did, and they were very close. And then of course, Senator Shahani was our recognized voice or leading expert in foreign relations, so we will miss her and the chance for her to advice us on matters of foreign relations, especially now that is more important than ever, or more relevant than ever. We condole, I condole with the family. I personally know her three kids, especially Ranjit. I know Ranjit, I condole with them. Q: Sa Thursday na po ang necrological services? SP: Oo nga, I will follow up muna the details of her necrological service. Q: May suggestion po si Associate Justice Carpio, na to rethink our relationship with China. Ano po ang tingin niyo, since ang Senate naman ay part ng formulation ng foreign policy? SP: Well lahat naman, si President Duterte rethought our relationship with the US. So parati naman tayong nagrereview, palagi naman na fluid iyan especially there are abuses. Ganoon ang mangyayari. So far, China has been acting like a friend, except that it is a friend consistent with its belief that all the waters inside the 9-dash line are all its internal waters. Tayo naman as a friend, we have not been convinced that those are internal Chinese waters. Sa atin ang EEZ of the Philippines, so tuloy lang po tayo. We can be friends, and yet still be unconvinced of the position of the other side. But let us maintain civil and cordial relations and focus on what unites us and what allows us to be friends rather than what makes us enemies. Q: That issue, napagusapan na po ba iyan sa National Security Council? Or bahala na po ba muna ang President to deal with that issue? SP: I'm sure na ganyang ka-importanteng issue, they talk about it. The President thinks about it a a lot and his closest advisers, the National Security Adviser, I'm sure briefs him about that. Q: On the Senate sentiment re: Panatag Shoal SP: Oh ang Senate kasi diba collegia body kami. Kung maymagfile ng proper resolution, we will refer it to the proper committee and it is referred to the plenary, and then the if the Senate approves it, it become the sentiment of the Senate. Pero it takes time, yan ang kapalit ng isang collegial body, it takes time. And then we are on a break, so hanggang Mayo na yan. Q: On the process of impeachment for the Vice President SP: Si Leni Robredo is the proclaimed Vice President, so she is now de facto, de jure Vice President. If you want to remove the Vice President, you impeach her, that is the process of removal. But if you to replace her as the winner of the last vice presidential elections, election protest is the process. So if the impeachment succeeds, she loses her position as vice president, but if someone is claiming that position in an electoral protest, then you should allow the election protest to continue. But that impeachment does not make the protestant the winner. He should win the election protest, not the impeachment. Hiwalay po iyon. Q: So kung sino po ang papalit after the impeachment? SP: Kung sino man ang papalit after the impeachment, it was chosen by the President from the two Houses of Congress. He or she holds that position subject to the outcome of the election protest. That is my position. So yung tumatanggap doon, para siyang may binili na titulo na may nakasulat doon, "Notice of Dispendence, subject to the outcome of the case." That's my personal position, since first time mangyayari iyan. Ultimately, aabot sa Supreme Court iyan. Q: Kapag nanalo si Vice President Robredo sa election protest, balik ulit siya? SP: Ibig sabihin noon, siya talaga ang nanalo noong election, unfortunately, removed by impeachment. Basta the election protest puts at issue, "Who is the real winner?" The impeachment process, the issue is, "Do we remove that sitting official?" Yung isa removal, yung isa winner. Dalawa po iyon. Q: They are asking you to concentrate more on the numbers of those who were killed in the EJK instead of the 100 makukuhang boto sa... SP: Tama. 'Yun din ang pakiusap ko sa inyo sa media, di ba? Na magconcentrate muna tayo sa trabajo, huwag muna sa (inaudible) discussions pero ang point ko ay ganito, let us say na wala kang handle LP sa filing of the impeachment process. Ang tanong ko ay sino bang unang sumuntok? 'Yung ang tanong dito, sino ba ang unang nanuntok? Let us say walang handle LP dito, I hope they denounce the people behind the impeachment process, they are not denouncing this kaya tuloy nagdududa na if they are not behind it, they are part of it. Q: Impeachment against Duterte? SP: Against Duterte. Reaction lang ito ni Speaker, eh. Sinong unang nanuntok? Napa-react tuloy si Speaker and he has the numbers. That's the problem, ang ginising ninyo sleeping giant. Sabi ni Speaker, titignan n'ya kung (inaudible) nag-round para hindi kayo sabihin gantihan pero ginising nila ang sleeping giant na si Alvarez. Q: So matakot? SP: Siguro sa LP tama sila, they have been very productive pero siyempre bigay naman sila ng credit that they had also been productive when they were part of the Super Majority. Tama 'yan, let us concentrate on the problems of the country. Pakiusap ko na rin sa media, stop your obsession with the impeachment. Q: Sa party mate n'yo, Sir... SP: Reaction na lang 'yun kasi may nag file against our chairman, siyempre nagising...ang ginising n'yo sleeping giant pa. And then of course, if they are really not behind this impeachment, they should denounce. Denounce the impeachment against Duterte, denounce the people behind the impeachment against Duterte. Q: Sir, pag-nagdenounce 'yung LP hindi ba mukhang pre-judgment? SP: The filing....kasi ayaw ng nila nang politika. Sabi nila "concentrate on the real problems of the country"...nag file ng impeachment, tumahimik sila. That distracts us from the real problems of the country. Agree ko naman sa kanila. I don't know the truth. Let them tell the truth...who is behind this and that they have nothing to do with it. But let them say that it also distracts them. They should be concentrating on the problem, sabi nila tumataas daw ng presyo, eh pag kumikilos naman ang Partidong PDP at tinamaan mga oligarchs because of changing our society.... Q: Sir, but if they denounce it, eh hindi na sila majority. SP: Freedom of speech, doesn't mean na parati ko-kontra sa majority. Gawin naman nang tama. Actually, tama naman sila na just concentrate on the basic problems of our country. But all of a sudden, Duterte is a basic problem of our country kaya agree sila sa impeachment. Walang ganunan. Q: Sir, 'yun sa filing of impeachment by the Speaker, it doesn't mean naman that the President is behind it? SP: Hindi. It's the Speaker's original idea. Nagising eh. Para siyang nagising doon sa pag-file ...there is this avenue of impeachment which he pointed out to us. Q: The President should also denounce, in case the filing for impeachment pushes through? SP: Hindi. Si Presidente actually ay hands off...ang nakikita (inaudible) ko ay sa goings-on ng Congress ay hands off. Press Release March 20, 2017 Villanueva urges gov't to exert "extra effort" to protect PH's sovereign rights over Benham Rise Senator Joel Villanueva has called on the government to exert "extra effort" at ensuring that the Philippines' sovereign rights over Benham Rise is protected. Several reports have surfaced recently with regard to the presence of a Chinese surveillance ship in the 13-million hectare underwater plateau near Aurora. The area is said to be a rich source of natural gas and other resources like heavy metals. In April 2012, it was confirmed by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) that the Benham Rise is part of the Philippines' continental shelf. Three years after, the UN Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (UNCLCS) also approved the Philippines' claim for the Benham Rise to be part of the country's extended continental shelf. These rulings have therefore given the Philippines sovereign rights over the area. "We call on the government to augment their presence in the Benham Rise and to ceaselessly defend and protect our sovereign rights over our continental shelf," Villanueva said. The senator has further heightened his call by co-authoring the bill filed by Senator Sonny Angara, Senate Bill No. 312, that establishes the Benham Rise Development Authority (BRDA) which seeks to "promote, coordinate and facilitate the active and extensive participation of all sectors to effect the exploration, study and development of the Benham Rise." If passed into law, the BRDA will be an attached agency of the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) and it will be tasked to lead scientific research and exploration in Benham Rise. "We need to expedite the passage of this bill to ensure our country's presence in that area. The surveillance of Chinese ships into Philippine waters surrounding Benham Rise is alarming and we must take up the cudgels for the sake of our sovereign rights over this area," Villanueva stressed. Meanwhile, the Philippine Coast Guard is set to patrol Benham Rise in May. This would be the first time for the PCG to embark on such mission since the United Nations commission declared Benham Rise as part of the Philippines' exclusive economic zone. Water once again began cascading from the heights of Hetch Hetchy Reservoir down through Mountain Tunnel and to faucets across the Bay Area last week. The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission is now delivering 80 million gallons daily from the Harry Tracy and Sunol Valley water treatment plants after a 60-day hiatus. The shutdown was part of an inspection of the 19-mile Mountain Tunnel, which snakes through Tuolumne County just outside of Yosemite National Park. After two months offline, residents beloved Hetch Hetchy tap water is back. The PUC had planned to restore its service March 7, but after a swell in water levels at local reservoirs because of winter storms, the date was pushed back. In the meantime, the PUC drained down local reservoirs, including Calaveras, San Antonio, Crystal Springs, San Andreas and Pilarcitos. We have so much water locally in our reservoirs that we wanted to drain them down, PUC spokesman Charles Sheehan said. We didnt start as early as we wanted to but for good reason. The tunnel was red-flagged 25 years ago for major repairs, and PUC reports later tagged it as at catastrophic risk of collapse. But inspection crews found the waterway in better shape than expected, potentially freeing the PUC from having to build a new tunnel. Crews made patch repairs during the inspection, smoothing sections of the tunnel where concrete had crumbled or collapsed. A tunnel collapse could take 270 days and cost more than $100 million to repair. A new tunnel could cost $620 million, which the commission hopes wont be necessary. The pipeline normally closes for maintenance for 30 days each year, and the last time it closed for double that time was in 1980, also for a thorough inspection. Mountain Tunnel is not expected to go offline again this year, though routine shutdowns could happen over the next decade to make patch repairs. Even though our system was built to stand the test of time, we still need to upgrade and maintain all of our facilities to ensure we can continue to deliver water 24 hours a day, seven days a week, said PUC General Manager Harlan Kelly. The successful inspection and repair of Mountain Tunnel furthers that goal and will help us continue to deliver some of our nations highest quality water for the next 100 years. But some parts of the city will soon get San Francisco groundwater mixed with that pure mountain water as the agency begins adding it to the Yosemite stock. Officials say it will hardly change the taste of the water. The blend will start at just 3 percent of the underground cache and work its way up to 15 percent over the next four years. The concoction unrelated to the Mountain Tunnel shutdown will go to 60 percent of the city, predominantly on the west side but also Pacific Heights, Nob Hill, Glen Park and Bernal Heights. When youre pouring a glass of water from a faucet or drinking fountain, youre not going to notice a difference, Jeff Gilman, a hydrogeologist who is spearheading the groundwater program for the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, said in February. The more than 650 cubic feet of water now rushing through Mountain Tunnel every second has also restored power generation at Moccasin Powerhouse and Kirkwood Powerhouse, which was taken offline during the repair for unrelated maintenance. The PUC is currently generating 5,400 megawatt hours per day, and the agency expects to surpass its average annual generation of 1.6 billion kilowatt hours because of above-average snowpack, Sheehan said. Record levels of water are rushing through the powerhouses, generating more electricity for Bay Area residents. We typically dont generate as much in the November, December and January time frame, he said. We probably would have generated more earlier this year because of the amount of precipitation, but we werent able to. Its unique that two of them were down. Lizzie Johnson is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: ljohnson@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @LizzieJohnsonnn BART directors have tapped the brakes on a call to declare the popular commuter line a sanctuary system after being warned that the word might be seen as provocative by the Trump administration, possibly putting millions of dollars of federal funding in peril. Nobody knows what is going to happen at this point, BART board President Rebecca Saltzman said after Tuesdays meeting, where concerns about the policys language surfaced. At issue was the call to officially declare BART a sanctuary transit system and not cooperate with federal immigration enforcement authorities. Given the Bay Areas politics, one might have thought that BART joining a movement already embraced by cities such as San Francisco, Oakland and San Jose would sail through the approval process. But a chill went through the room when BART General Manager Grace Crunican said she wanted it read into the record that the financially strapped system received about $55 million from the federal government last year. The money went for everything from upgrades to the lines aging tracks and train control systems to $1.6 million for police, including $200,000 for BARTs canine unit. Crunican said the unpleasant facts are that the Trump administration has made threats about cutting funding to sanctuary cities and to sanctuary transit agencies as well. BART General Counsel Matthew Burrows also noted that while the threatened funding cuts may ultimately be ruled illegal, using the word sanctuary could be seen as provocative. The next thing you know, board members were talking about changing sanctuary to something less controversial, like declaring BART a safe zone or welcoming place. Nothing was decided, and the measure then went back to staff for a rewrite. However, Director John McPartland said that if no better word could be found, sanctuary should be the word. Well see exactly where the language lands, Saltzman said, but the important thing is that our immigrant community will know that they will be safe and well treated by BART. San Francisco Chronicle columnists Phillip Matier and Andrew Ross appear Sundays, Mondays and Wednesdays. Matier can be seen on the KPIX TV morning and evening news. He can also be heard on KCBS radio Monday through Friday at 7:50 a.m. and 5:50 p.m. Got a tip? Call (415) 777-8815, or email matierandross@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @matierandross Directors of the renowned San Francisco Girls Chorus are citing fallout from President Trumps stalled travel ban as one reason the ensemble has canceled a summer trip to Scotland to perform at an international music festival. But some of the chorus parents say the move was way off-key. Many of the roughly 40 teenage girls who make up the groups elite Chorissima ensemble were said to be in tears after program leaders recently notified them that the long-anticipated trip to the Aberdeen International Youth Festival in late July was being scratched. Chorus leaders cited financial considerations, as well as plans for the group to record its first CD in years, as reasons for calling off the overseas trip. But they also pointed to the uncertain travel restrictions. Then in a follow-up email to skeptical parents on March 10, chorus board President Shelton Ensley wrote that the current and volatile situation regarding international travel makes a trip this summer impossible. Since our meeting, reports of travelers being detained or denied entry have only increased, he wrote. For the safety and well-being of choristers, faculty and staff, and until there are no concerns with customs and immigration, the chorus cannot make plans for any international travel. Some parents arent buying it. One who preferred not to be named told us the mix of chorus members is pretty darned white and Asian and wealthy, and I cant imagine there are any undocumented girls in there. The consensus among many parents, she said, is that the chorus leaders preferred to focus on preparing for the world premiere of new pieces they had commissioned to further burnish the the groups music credentials on the world stage. However, Andrew Bradford, who started just last week as the new executive director, said the safety of the chorus and staff was a top priority in the boards decision to cancel. And after seeing what has happened around the country with other artists getting stopped and having trouble coming back in, we didnt want to ... have the remote possibility that our young girls might have issues like that, he said. By any other name: BART directors have tapped the brakes on a call to declare the popular commuter line a sanctuary system after being warned that the word might be seen as provocative by the Trump administration, possibly putting millions of dollars of federal funding in peril. Nobody knows what is going to happen at this point, BART Board President Rebecca Saltzman said after Tuesdays meeting, where concerns about the policys language surfaced. At issue was the call to officially declare BART a sanctuary transit system and not cooperate with federal immigration enforcement authorities. Given the Bay Areas politics, one might have thought that BART joining a movement already embraced by cities such as San Francisco, Oakland and San Jose would sail through the approval process. But a chill went through the room when BART General Manager Grace Crunican said she wanted it read into the record that the financially strapped system received about $55 million from the federal government last year. The money went for everything from upgrades to the lines aging tracks and train control systems to $1.6 million for police, including $200,000 for BARTs canine unit. Crunican said the unpleasant facts are that the Trump administration has made threats about cutting funding to sanctuary cities and to sanctuary transit agencies as well. BART General Counsel Matthew Burrows also noted that while the threatened funding cuts may ultimately be ruled illegal, using the word sanctuary could be seen as provocative. The next thing you know, board members were talking about changing sanctuary to something less controversial, like declaring BART a safe zone or welcoming place. Nothing was decided, and the measure then went back to staff for a rewrite. However, director John McPartland said that if no better word could be found, sanctuary should be the word. Well see exactly where the language lands, Saltzman said, but the important thing is that our immigrant community will know that they will be safe and well treated by BART. Going places: Rumors have begun circulating that San Franciscos former U.S. attorney Republican Joe Russoniello might have his eye on returning for a third tour of duty. The 75-year-old Russoniello, who served two separate stints as Northern Californias top federal lawman first under President Ronald Reagan and then a second time under President George W. Bush that overlapped into Barack Obamas administration tells us he hasnt ruled out applying for his old job. But at this point the Trump administration hasnt set out a process or discussed its terms for the job. So Im just monitoring that ... until they decide what they want to do, he said. Meanwhile, San Francisco lawyer and Republican National Committeewoman Harmeet Dhillon has been interviewed for an assistant attorney general position, heading up the U.S. Justice Departments civil rights division. Dhillon, who gave one of the invocations at the Republican National Convention in Detroit last year while wearing a traditional Sikh head scarf, has won high praise for her legal skills. However, her California-tinged politics have raised the hackles of the GOPs far right. San Francisco Chronicle columnists Phillip Matier and Andrew Ross appear Sundays, Mondays and Wednesdays. Matier can be seen on the KPIX TV morning and evening news. He can also be heard on KCBS radio Monday through Friday at 7:50 a.m. and 5:50 p.m. Got a tip? Call (415) 777-8815, or email matierandross@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @matierandross Uber President Jeff Jones said Sunday that he is quitting the San Francisco ride-hailing company, citing a culture at the hard-charging and often polarizing startup that he said clashed with his professional values. Jones resignation comes barely six months after he took the job and marks the latest blow in whats been a turbulent few months for the popular ride-services app. Several high-level executives have resigned as CEO Travis Kalanick faces scrutiny over his abrasive management style and the company reels from allegations of widespread sexism. The beliefs and approach to leadership that have guided my career are inconsistent with what I saw and experienced at Uber and I could no longer continue as president of the ridesharing business, Jones said in a statement to The Chronicle. Uber Technologies Inc. spokeswoman Sophie Schmidt confirmed Jones departure Sunday, saying that the company wanted to thank Jeff for his six months at the company and wish him all the best. Schmidt declined to discuss the issue further. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 2 1 of 2 Eric Risberg/Associated Press Show More Show Less 2 of 2 Cindy Ord/Getty Images for Target Show More Show Less Jones came to Uber in August from Target, a hire widely seen as a way for the firm to soften its image as a brash, hyperaggressive company. He formerly worked as Targets chief marketing officer, and at Uber, he handled operations, marketing and customer support worldwide. There are thousands of amazing people at the company and I truly wish everyone well, Jones said in his statement Sunday. In announcing Jones hiring in August, Kalanick said the two had met at a technology-industry conference in Vancouver, British Columbia. Within minutes we were debating how Uber could improve its reputation, Kalanick said. This month, a video emerged showing Kalanick berating an Uber driver in a discussion about company prices. The clip prompted him to acknowledge that he needed leadership help and announce he would be making another hire: a chief operating officer to assist him. How that position would have affected Jones job, in which he primarily oversaw the companys core ride-hailing business, is unclear. Several high-level personnel changes have taken place at the company recently. This month also saw the departure of Ed Baker, Ubers former vice president of product and growth, who left the company after three years, reportedly citing his desire to work in the public sector. In February, Amit Singhal, Ubers former senior vice president of engineering, resigned after reports emerged that he failed to disclose a sexual harassment allegation made against him while he was employed at Google. Singhal has denied the harassment charge. Just days before that, Susan Fowler, a former Uber engineer, penned an explosive post online that chronicled what she described as a deeply embedded culture of sexism and sexual harassment at the company that was allowed to persist because of dysfunctional leadership. Uber was also sued late last month by Waymo, the self-driving car company created within Google. Waymo says Uber stole sensor technology that autonomous vehicles use to see the world around them. Uber has made a substantial push into self-driving vehicles in recent years. The San Francisco district attorneys office said this month that it is investigating the company for the use of a tool called Greyball, which shows different versions of the app to different users, for example hiding available cars from local regulators or law enforcement personnel seeking to enforce bans on its operation. Uber said it would stop using the tool on local officials. In January, Uber was also criticized for appearing to take advantage of protests in New York against President Trumps immigration ban by eliminating surge pricing. Critics saw that as a way to break a strike directed at the ban. Uber has said it had no intention of affecting the strike. The move gave rise to a viral #DeleteUber campaign to encourage users to get rid of the app. Ubers recent troubles, including the Fowler post, appear to have given that campaign fresh life. Chronicle columnist Thomas Lee contributed to this report. Dominic Fracassa is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: dfracassa@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @dominicfracassa In a small community center tucked away at the back of a business park in Hayward, dozens of men and women sat fidgeting with their phones. As lawyers explained that the devices they held and everything stored on them could be searched at a U.S. border crossing, the men and women exchanged glances. Like most of us, they store everything on their phones photos of their children, sensitive work emails, passwords, social media accounts. Even, perhaps most damningly, conversations with friends and family back home, perhaps in Sudan, one of the six countries targeted by President Trumps travel ban. Whether youre a citizen or a green-card holder or youre coming here on a visa, (Border Patrol agents) can look through everything, including your phone and your laptop, Brittney Rezaei, a civil rights attorney with the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said at the meeting last month. As they listened, several in the audience began to examine their phones. They clicked the screens on and off, shifted and turned the devices, passing them nervously from one palm to the other. For immigrants and Muslim Americans, border crossings over the past two months have become increasingly fraught with anxiety over heightened security and search practices that, in some cases, would not be legal elsewhere inside the United States. Lawyers and tech-security experts have begun to advise travelers to leave their phones at home or erase all personal information before traveling. Now let me ask you a question: If Im traveling and they start to ask me all these questions, is it best to answer? To not answer at all? asked Mohammed Salih, an American citizen whose wife immigrated from Sudan just days before Trumps first travel ban took effect on Jan. 27. Do we have to hide our identity now? Just be mindful that whatever we put on the Internet and whatever is on your phone may be searched by the government, answered Christina Sinha, a staff attorney with the Asian Law Caucus. You dont have to hide who you are and, at the very least, lets be honest, we cannot hide our skin color. So no matter what you do, you may still be targeted. Lea Suzuki/The Chronicle At U.S. borders, agents have powers domestic law enforcement officers do not. The Fourth and Fifth Amendments, which protect against unreasonable search and seizure, and self-incrimination, respectively, lose power. Unlike their police counterparts, Border Patrol agents do not have to wait for a court-issued warrant to search travelers and dont need to state a reason for the search. Muslim Americans and travelers connected to the six Muslim-majority countries cited in Trumps revised travel ban which sought to continue to block foreign nationals from Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen from entering the United States for 90 days out of national security concerns should take extra precautions, Sinha said. Customs and Border Patrol officers can search any object crossing a U.S. border within 100 miles of the border, including electronic devices. They can seize and keep those devices for up to five days without giving an explanation. The best thing to do, the best thing you can tell your relatives to do, is leave their phone at home. Just dont bring it, Sinha said. Get a temporary phone for when you travel and use that instead. An NBC News investigation last week found numerous cases of American citizens being stopped at border crossings and made to hand over their phones and passwords. Of the 25 identified by the news network, 23 were Muslim. Department of Homeland Security data show that phone searches, a practice that began under George W. Bushs administration, have increased markedly over the past two years growing fivefold from 2015 to 2016. Fewer than 5,000 peoples phones were searched in 2015, but by 2016, the agency had records of about 25,000 searches. Last month alone, nearly 5,000 devices were searched, on par with all of 2015. No one questioned by border agents is required to turn over passwords or PINs, legal experts said. That may change, however. John Kelly, secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, has proposed that foreigners traveling to the United States be required to hand over their social media passwords before theyre allowed entry as a means of further vetting the activities and connections of anyone suspected of having terrorist ties. Cybersecurity advocates and human-rights groups have objected. In an open letter signed by more than 50 nongovernmental organizations and nearly 100 individuals, experts argued it would violate fundamental privacy rights while failing to meaningfully increase the security of U.S. citizens. It would expose travelers and everyone in their social networks, including potentially millions of U.S. citizens, to excessive, unjustified scrutiny, the letter, written by the Center for Democracy and Technology, said. The first rule of online security is simple: Do not share your passwords. No government agency should undermine security, privacy, and other rights with a blanket policy of demanding passwords from individuals. But refusing agents at the border isnt always easy. It can be very hard to say no in that circumstance, Sinha said. People dont always know their rights. You might be traveling alone. You might be held back there for several hours. Someone might be particularly frail or may not have a good understanding of English. This is all being used to coerce them to give up more information than they might when theyre not afraid or feeling pressured. Last month, Sidd Bikkannavar, a California-born NASA engineer, was detained and asked to give up his smartphone password at the Houston airport. Despite his explanation that his phone contained sensitive government information from his job at NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory, border agents persisted, threatening him with detention. Eventually, he gave in. Agents took his PIN and phone and disappeared, he said. Half an hour later, they gave it back. In that time, experts said, officers could have extracted sensitive work emails, information about his contacts, messages, geo-location data and more. Your phone is the skeleton key to your life, said Quincy Larson, founder of online coding school FreeCodeCamp.com, who wrote a blog post last month about why he will never again bring his own phone on an international flight. They only need a few minutes with your phone to gather nearly all of your most personal, private information. Once that data are collected, they are entered into a federal database. That information can then be stored for up to one week, though it may be kept longer if the information is relevant to immigration, customs and other enforcement matters, according to a privacy assessment the DHS published in 2009. Legal and tech experts said one reason they find such searches worrisome is their potential to set an international precedent, allowing or encouraging other countries such as China to begin asking for tourists phones, PINs and passwords. All law-abiding citizens should be concerned about this, Larson said. Im a suburban dad. Im a teacher. I pay my taxes. And Im a white male, an American citizen, a native English speaker. Even Im feeling terrified. Marissa Lang is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: mlang@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @Marissa_Jae Best border practices Dont travel with your personal phone If possible, dont bring your personal phone. Use a temporary pay-as-you-go phone or swap out the SIM card in your device for a clean one; that way no private data will be with you should your device be confiscated. Enable password protections on apps Some apps, like banking and financial managers, allow you to enable a password. Do so. Also, activate two-step verification which will confirm log-in attempts via text or email whenever possible. Dont use your fingerprint to unlock your phone Using your fingerprint to unlock your phone may be more convenient, but its less secure, studies have shown. Law enforcement can also more readily compel you to use your thumb to unlock a phone, though they cannot force you hand over your PIN or password. Have a strong password Create a password with six characters or more that limits the number of repetitions and is not 123456. Know your rights If you are a U.S. citizen, a Border Patrol agent can detain you, but without any probable cause must eventually let you into the country. Those traveling on a visa or green card should consult an immigration attorney with questions and concerns. In conjunction with Lynn Hershman Leeson: Civic Radar, a Yerba Buena Center for the Arts retrospective of the revolutionary career of the Bay Area artist and filmmaker, Hershman Leeson was in conversation with fellow artist and filmmaker Eleanor Coppola (moderated by Amelia Jones) on Wednesday, March 15. The two women, who collaborated on projects more than 40 years ago, met in 1969 when both were in a carpool, mothers with children at whats now Laurel Hill Nursery School in San Francisco. Coppola, newly moved to Northern California from Los Angeles, didnt know a single soul, she said. To connect with Lynn was a lifesaver. After agreeing on their inability to get galleries or museums interested in showing their work Hershman Leeson described having a work thrown out of an art museum because I used sound they began making trouble, as they put it. Who needed a museum anyway? said Hershman Leeson (who as of right now has something like 10 shows at a variety of museums and galleries around the country and in Europe). An early project involved installations at the Dante Hotel in North Beach, in rooms that were rented for what they remember was $27 a month. Hershman Leesons works used wax figurines displayed with the artifacts of the living. Coppola had a real live man inhabiting a room for three months; audiences stopped by at all hours. When Coppolas husband, the already famous director Francis Ford Coppola, was out of town, the two women threw a party for collectors and art dealers from Los Angeles and San Francisco. Also invited were women from Call Off Your Old Tired Ethics, the prostitutes union known as COYOTE; guests were told they were in the crowd, but the specific women werent identified. As guests arrived, the hostesses greeted them from a basement ballroom. Specially arranged rooms included a bedroom wherein a video of Coppola giving birth played (the screen was tipped, she said, so people could hear it, but not quite see it). In the kitchen, guests were invited to peel potatoes, as homage to Joseph Beuys statement: Even the act of peeling a potato can be an artistic act if it is consciously done. Cooking expert Joyce Goldstein changed clothes at regular intervals, walking around the party in as many outfits as she could. It was art, it was out there, it was fun. But the two young artists realized when they planned the event that most guests would turn up not to consider the art, but to get a glimpse of Francis Ford Coppolas five Oscars. At the time, said Ellie Coppola, wives of Academy Award winners were given inch-tall gold charms in the shape of Oscars, wearable around their necks. She had the loop at the top of each filed off, and the five tiny Oscars were displayed in a case. If you cant use your creativity, it turns against you, said Coppola. And thats why Lynn was such a lifeline. P.S. The Hershman Leeson exhibition is at YBCA until May 21; her Tales From the Crypt is at the Anglim Gilbert Gallery until April 8. Coppola directed, wrote and produced her first feature film, Paris Can Wait, which opens at the Embarcadero Cinema on May 19. Following up on last weeks item about Donald Trump and Law & Order: Audrey West was watching a Golden Girls rerun from 1992, where one of the women was dreaming about being on Jeopardy. When Merv Griffin walked on to tell her that the answer shed thought was correct was actually wrong, she said: Mr. Griffin, please. You are the most beloved man in America. You are bright, you are charming, you are the anti-Trump. Even dedicated environmentalists need rewards. Point Reyes National Seashore Park Ranger Doug Hee put out a call for volunteers on Saturday, March 18, to help the dune restoration team remove European searocket, an invasive plant at Abbotts Lagoon in Point Reyes. Afterwards, have lunch watching the crashing waves and spend about 30 to 45 minutes doing yoga on the beach with the well-traveled and certified yoga instructor Diana May Oppenheim. Master of the bon mot Strange de Jim says that when the doorknob of a Starbucks came off in the hands of another customer in search of coffee, de Jim observed, Wow! You really know how to destroy an entrance. Leah Garchik is open for business in San Francisco, (415) 777-8426. Email: lgarchik@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @leahgarchik Public Eavesdropping I like spring more than I remembered I did. Persian New Year (Nowruz) marks the beginning of spring. Celebrated on March 21 each year, it marks a renewal of life. Its also a holiday that has strong ties to food, including the traditional ceremonial haft-sin table setting. In Farsi, haft-sin features seven items that begin with the letter sin (s in the Persian alphabet), including sumac (somagh), which represents the sun; apple (sib), which symbolizes health and beauty; and dried jujubes (senjed) for love. And for chef Hoss Zare, the holiday is particularly special. Zare, who grew up in a large family in Tabriz, the capital of Iranian Azerbaijan, was forced to flee the country in 1986. Two years ago, Zare (now a U.S. citizen) returned to his native country for the first time in nearly 30 years. Last year, he returned once more, this time to celebrate the new year. When hes not traveling to Iran to visit his family and get culinary inspiration, the chef, who sold his SoMa restaurant (the Fly Trap) last summer, has been working with Bon Appetit Management Company, traveling around the country training the companys chefs in the fundamentals of Persian cuisine. Persian New Year is a celebration that brings people together, says Zare: Everybody celebrates this day; it doesnt matter who you are or where you come from. Liz Hafalia/The Chronicle During this visit, he used his cooking as a way to reconnect with his six sisters. I was appearing before them as a new brother with a different look and different age and I wanted to show them who their brother is now and how I play with Persian food. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 2 1 of 2 Sarah Fritsche/Sarah Fritsche/The Chronicle Show More Show Less 2 of 2 Sarah Fritsche/Sarah Fritsche/The Chronicle Show More Show Less In particular, Zare chose to make tahdig for his family, a crisp rice dish that translates to the bottom of the pot in Persian. Rather than make a traditional version like his parents used to make, Zare made a variation using whole fish. Food Guide Top 25 Restaurants Where to eat in the Bay Area. Find spots near you, create a dining wishlist, and more. Its a beautiful interpretation. He cooks the fish in saffron-infused melted butter and tops it with citrus zest and fresh thyme. Then he adds al dente par-cooked basmati rice tossed with fresh dill, cooking it all togther until both the fish and rice are golden a showstopper of a dish. Another meaningful Nowruz dish that Zare likes is a variation on a popular Azerbaijan dish, pomegranate soup with meatballs. Savory yet slightly sweet, intensely aromatic and full of fresh herbs, the soup represents growth, life and wealth. Or, as Zare puts it: All good wishes for spring. Sarah Fritsche is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: sfritsche@sfchronicle.com Twitter/Instagram: @foodcentric Berkeleys mayor announced a plan last week to end the citys homeless problem: move people through mini-villages and then into permanent housing. My colleague Kevin Fagan wrote that key elements of the plan were drawn from techniques used in San Francisco. Its pretty ambitious. But, right now, theres no plan to pay for that plan. At a press briefing for what is being called the Pathways Project, Berkeley Mayor Jesse Arreguin said money could come from foundations, private donations, nonprofits and ballot-box funding. The money is definitely not coming from the federal government, because the current administration is licking its chops as it prepares to take a huge bite out of social services spending. Even before the war on social welfare was declared, homeless services werent very well funded. If Berkeley or any Bay Area city wants to help people get off the street and into housing, there must be places for those people to live. And they must be affordable. But because it appears the stifling housing market isnt relenting anytime soon, cities seeking to solve homelessness need to make a significant investment. That means Berkeley has to become a landlord. Its the only way you can corner a market on housing where you hold the market where you want it, said Terrie Light, the executive director of the Berkeley Food & Housing Project. You dont have to charge market-rate rent, and you can let people into your building that are way beyond subprime credit and rental history. The 135 shelter beds in the city arent enough for Berkeleys homeless population, which some city officials estimate is around 1,200 people. Without a roof over their heads, many people camp in tent cities under highway overpasses. Living in tents is more safe and more dry than sleeping in doorways on cardboard mattresses. But tent cities often raise sanitation and drug-use issues, which is why Berkeley frequently clears camps with plows, scooping belongings into dump trucks only to see the camps sprout a few blocks away, if not in the same place that was just cleared. As a service provider, breaking up encampments makes our work harder, Light said. Because well go out, develop a rapport and know where people are. Well say, Well come back tomorrow, and well go back and peoples stuff is gone and we dont know where they went. Its sort of disruptive. Its hard enough for a person living outdoors and then to lose all of their things. 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. Berkeley Food & Housing Project, which has provided homeless support services for four decades, serves meals for 90 to 120 people per day. The agency also provides temporary shelter and transitional housing for women. But Light knows a lasting impact will be made only through building dedicated permanent housing. The city has donated a parking lot on Berkeley Way for the Berkeley Food & Housing Project to develop with Bridge Housing, a developer of affordable housing for working families and seniors. Light hopes to submit design documents to the citys planning department in a month or two for a housing project that would be years away from completion. Its great the land was donated so a nonprofit could build housing, but the city needs to go further. Too many people have been shut out of housing. Even with a secure job, its hard to get an apartment because theres intense competition for a limited number of units. Now, imagine if you lost your job and then your apartment. How hard would it be for you to bounce back? San Francisco Chronicle columnist Otis R. Taylor Jr. appears Tuesday and Friday. Email: otaylor@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @otisrtaylorjr Berkeley police recovered a cache of weapons, ammunition, drugs, and materials used to make fake credit cards while investigating a car break-in on Sunday morning, officials said. The operation started around 5:25 a.m. as police responded to reports of a possible auto burglary in progress at Durant and Telegraph avenues, officials said. When officers got to the intersection, they approached three people in a parked BMW. One of the passengers turned out to be 35-year-old Oakland resident Steven Manning, who had $50,000 in outstanding arrest warrants, police said. Police said Manning was in possession of $2,000 cash and what they suspect is heroin. The front passenger in the car, 32-year-old Oakland resident Meredith Rains, also had a warrant for her arrest, police said. When officers pulled her out of the car, they said they found methamphetamine on the floor. The person in the backseat of the car was later identified as 46-year-old Rakim Washington of Berkeley. Police said he initially gave them a fake name. Police searched the car and found a digital scale with suspected methamphetamine and marijuana residue on it. 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. All three suspects were booked in jail in Berkeley. Officials later secured a search warrant for Mannings home where they said they recovered more than 1,000 pills consisting of five different drugs, packaging materials for drugs, narcotics scales, a loaded AR-15 assault pistol without a serial number, ammunition, a credit card embossing machine, a card reader and card stock. Evan Sernoffsky is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: esernoffsky@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @EvanSernoffsky The Aurora reigns supreme in Bay Area theater for intellectual debate. Never will you see flashy spectacle in the Berkeley companys two chamber-size spaces. Instead, the Aurora specializes in dramatizing the unanswerable questions of our time, in pared-down storytelling driven by conflicts of ideas. Its Bay Area premiere of Leni, which opened Thursday, March 16, exemplifies this forte, though Sarah Greenmans play about filmmaker Leni Riefenstahl, whose films Hitler supported financially and used as propaganda, is by no means perfect. Under the direction of Jon Tracy, the show opens with one of those moments thats possible only in the most intimate of venues: You unconsciously stiffen your whole body and muffle your breathing, lest the slightest stir should disturb the hushed magic of hallowed contract between performer and audience. After an offstage outburst in German, Leni (Stacy Ross) enters the Auroras very small, upstairs space to find a simple, spare film set. She gropes about the almost pitch-black stage, surveying the ladders, stage lights and her audience with wistful wonder. Then, all at once, the stage lights flash on, violating a shared private moment: Everything is out in the open now. Its at this instant that Leni snaps into movie director mode, barking orders. In other words, little actually happens in these initial moments, much of it inscrutable, but that testifies to the caliber of Ross performance; in her hands, even a nondescript sequence feels charged, sacred. Shes joined in this two-hander by Martha Brigham as a younger incarnation of Leni, meaning that this production brings together two of the finest Bay Area actors of their generations. As the pair bicker over their different visions of their life, taking turns acting in and directing a film that, supposedly, will finally tell their story accurately, the two actors highlight related but distinct contradictions in this multifaceted figure. In Brighams rendering, a martinets brusqueness shades Lenis every phrase until, on a tangent, she might wax rhapsodic about Paris, her cadences all slurred and swooping. Its a portrait of an artist we dont often get to see women embody a creator whos assured and adamant in her vision but also allowed flights of artistic reverie that the play takes seriously. Ross seasons this portrait with the wisdom of experience. Shes more practiced in her outbursts, but her Leni, having suffered interrogation upon interrogation after World War II, has also learned likability, humility. Whether Ross apologetic smiles are genuine or performed gets at the the plays heart: What did Riefenstahl know about the Nazis and how they were using her films, and when? How could she not know? When postwar tribunals, when history asked her if she felt regret for making the films Triumph of the Will and Olympia, what were they really asking? What, after all, does performed remorse give posterity? And to what degree were these lines of questioning influenced by Riefenstahls gender and beauty? Leni is at its best when it dives full bore into those knotty issues, letting you ping-pong back and forth with each new point raised. It also shows Riefenstahl footage thats so stunning, so pioneering that you weep to think what she might have gone on to create had she not come of age in the wrong time and place. (After 1954, she never directed another feature film, though she lived to be 101.) The show falters only in its framing device. Leni doesnt make clear why its so urgent that the two versions of Leni collaborate on a film about her life now. Characters seem to know different amounts of information at different times, as a matter of playwriting convenience, and the rules of their space shift constantly, frustratingly: Are they actually filming something? If so, the actors perform as if their set is a giant blob, never locating the few physical realities of their dreamlike world in particular places. These flaws dont glare, though. Leni, a worthy testament to its complicated subject, epitomizes what the Aurora does best. Lily Janiak is The San Francisco Chronicles theater critic. Lets talk theater: ljaniak@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @LilyJaniak Leni: Written by Sarah Greenman. Directed by Jon Tracy. Through April 23. 80 minutes. $36-$65. Aurora Theatre Company, 2081 Addison St., Berkeley. (510) 843-4822. www.auroratheatre.org To see Riefenstahls Olympia: www.youtube.com/watch?v=qt51j9bmZAU To see Riefenstahls Triumph of the Will: www.youtube.com/watch?v=GHs2coAzLJ8 As U.S. Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch faces his Senate confirmation hearings, Sen. Dianne Feinstein , D-Calif., is labeling him an extremist on such issues as worker protections and reproductive rights. As a federal appeals court judge, Gorsuch has consistently sided with employers and corporate interests, a news release from Feinsteins office said of President Trumps selection. The release said Gorsuchs record on cases involving birth control and Planned Parenthood showed that Trump was keeping his promise to choose a pro-life extremist. The Senate Judiciary Committee, on which Feinstein is the highest-ranking Democrat, begins hearings Monday on Trumps nomination of Gorsuch to succeed the late Justice Antonin Scalia. The Republican-controlled Senate refused last year to consider President Barack Obamas nomination of appeals court Judge Merrick Garland to succeed Scalia, who died in February 2016. Gorsuch, a judge on the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver since 2005, is a professed admirer of Scalia, who was the courts most outspoken conservative. Republicans are hoping to sway at least eight Democrats or independents to back his confirmation and thwart a possible filibuster. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 2 1 of 2 Noah Berger/Special to The Chronicle Show More Show Less 2 of 2 J. Scott Applewhite/Associated Press Show More Show Less On cases affecting workers, the release cited Gorsuchs dissenting vote in favor of a trucking company that fired a trucker for driving off in his cab to find help after being stranded for hours in freezing weather that had disabled the brakes on his trailer. It noted another case in which he wrote a ruling upholding a universitys refusal to provide more than six months of sick leave for a cancer-stricken teacher. Gorsuch also ruled in favor of the religious rights of a corporation, the Hobby Lobby arts-and-crafts chain, allowing it to deny contraceptive coverage to its female employees, a ruling later upheld by the Supreme Court. The Feinstein release said it illustrated his approach to issues of both workers rights and birth control. The release also cited his dissenting vote in 2015 in a case that would have allowed the governor of Utah to block funding to Planned Parenthood, a funding freeze that would be partially imposed at the federal level by the health care bill backed by Trump and Republican leaders. Feinsteins office criticized him for his hostility to the Supreme Courts doctrine of deferring to government agencies interpretations of unclear federal laws. He has called the doctrine a violation of the constitutional separation of powers. The release said he could also further weaken the tottering government regulations of political campaign financing. In a 2014 opinion, he called the act of contributing to campaigns a basic constitutional freedom entitled to the highest level of constitutional protection. Bob Egelko is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: begelko@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @egelko Every night at her Eastern Mediterranean restaurant in the Mission, Azhar Hashem plans for 10 percent of the people who have made reservations simply not to show up. Most nights, shes close to her expectation. Hashem is the owner of 10-month-old Tawla, and like many of her peers, she often deals with last-minute cancellations and diners who dont honor their reservations. That can mean empty chairs in her 62-seat dining room, a significant hit when it comes to the razor-thin profit margins of the restaurant industry. Especially for a place our size, a no-show means a missed opportunity to bring in another guest to dine, which is important when the restaurant is so small, Hashem said. For almost as long as guests have stood them up, restaurateurs and reservation services alike have sought out solutions. Now, with the continued development of new technology, new tactics are being employed, from requiring partial or full payment in advance of dinner all the way to more extreme measures like blacklisting chronic no-shows. Over the years, technology has helped streamline the reservations process, with companies like OpenTable and Resy that shifted the booking model from phone calls and little black guest books to screen swipes and mouse clicks. Yet an unintentional byproduct of this new efficiency is the prevalence of no-shows, according to Bay Area restaurateurs. About 70 percent (of diners) are really great. Theyll call, even if its the last minute, said Gayle Pirie of Foreign Cinema. Then theres this 30 percent. They make multiple reservations across the city as part of a strategy, then they just make a decision at the last second and dont notify the places they didnt choose. Its hard on the kitchen, hard on the clients, she said. Every day you look at the book and you check the weather, trying to find some clues about potential no-shows. It really is a day-to-day process. There is no formula. Last month, online Australian booking site Dimmi the countrys largest, with 4,000 restaurants on the platform made global headlines when it put nearly 40,000 diners on a blacklist for being no-shows. The policy seems to be working: Dimmi has seen a 25 percent drop in no-shows since. Theyre essentially just trying to eliminate no-shows, said Nick Kokonas, the founder of Tock, a Chicago reservation ticketing service used by several high-end Bay Area dining destinations, including San Franciscos Lazy Bear and Healdsburgs Single Thread. Through Tock, a diner will pay either a portion or the entire cost of the upcoming dinner, sometimes months in advance, as part of making a prepaid reservation. Its a system closer to theater or concert tickets than traditional dinner reservations. Kokonas sees the older reservation platforms as outdated, even debilitating, in todays dining environment. For example, restaurants overbook to account for the potential no-shows, and when the no-shows are fewer than anticipated, some diners are left without accommodations. Overbook and have a bar to wait in. Thats the business model now, Kokonas said. Thats bad hospitality. According to Kokonas, the no-show rate for businesses using Tock is a mere 0.64 percent. Part of that success may be that it is favored by high-end restaurants where meal costs almost always reach triple digits. This year, several of the Bay Areas top fine-dining destinations are making the switch to Tock, led by the Restaurant at Meadowood in St. Helena, where tickets range from $90 to $500 per person, and Atelier Crenn in San Francisco ($325 per person, after April 17). However, the major online reservation service remains OpenTable, a San Francisco company started in 1998 and purchased by Priceline in 2014 for $2.6 billion. That acquisition has proved problematic; last year, Priceline had a $941 million write-down of OpenTable. OpenTable has a four strike policy: If a user is a no-show for four reservations within a 12-month period, the account is terminated. The company also reports that its national no-show rate is approximately 20 percent lower than the no-show rate for diners who book via phone. The National Restaurant Association encourages business owners to require credit card confirmations to facilitate reservations, with the idea that a small cancellation fee will reduce no-shows. Food Guide Top 25 Restaurants Where to eat in the Bay Area. Find spots near you, create a dining wishlist, and more. Penalty systems, or charging a diner a fee for skipping out on a reservation, prove effective but require a delicate balance. Tawlas Hashem said cancellation fees can leave a bad impression on potential diners; requiring a diner to input a credit card number may also dissuade them from even making a reservation. We apply it judiciously for groups of five or more since, it's hard to be able to fill a table for a large group last minute, Hashem said. At Tawla, if the cancellation fee is assessed, it is usually put toward a gift card to be used at the restaurant at a later date. Most restaurants dont want to require a credit card or prepay for a meal, so its not surprising that were not seeing a trend on our site toward more restaurants opting to require a credit card at the time of booking, Alyssa Faden, a member of OpenTables public relations team, said via email. The National Restaurant Association advises restaurants to make the cancellation process easier for diners, going so far as to recommend outsourced reservation services. But last-minute cancellations can be just as problematic as no-shows; OpenTable users have until 30 minutes before the booking time to cancel a reservation. Foreign Cinemas Pirie said there is no real solution to the no-show issue, at least in the foreseeable future. It has always plagued restaurateurs and most likely will continue to do so. In what she describes as a perfect storm of accessibility, efficiency and an absence of human interaction, Pirie said diner etiquette is no longer what it once was. With the de-socialization of society, its completely easy for people to not worry about no-showing, she said. They dont even want to cancel a reservation on the phone because they dont want to deal with a person. Its society. Everybody is so isolated. Justin Phillips is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jphillips@sfchronicle.com Twitter @JustMrPhillips When Patricia Glasser was 22, she visited the San Francisco Soundwave Chorus for the first time and was instantly hooked by their enthusiasm. Now, 29 years later, she is still thrilled to rehearse with them every Thursday night at the St. Anne of the Sunset Church on Judah Street. You get in there and you think, Im kinda tired, she said But then you start singing and you start moving, you get energized and laughing and having a great time, she said. Whether in sparkling tracksuits, shiny mermaid costumes or a full wedding gowns adorned by veils, the women of the chorus amuse and surprise their audiences in the yearly international competition. Getting dressed up in outlandish outfits is a unique twist to the San Francisco group that sets them apart from the others on stage. You feel like you can get out there and put on a show. Be bigger and larger than your own personality, she said. Over the years the chorus has become a core group of women friends that have been there for her through the best and worst parts of her adult life. Its been a wonderful support group, in so many ways. she said. She performed nine months pregnant with her daughter, Kathleen, and then gave birth to her just a week later. In the most recent years, the women in the group have been a great comfort to her when first her mother and then her father passed away. Ive met the most amazing women as a part of this organization. All ages, all backgrounds, all interests, all different beliefs, but everyone comes together because we all love to sing. she said. Watch an accompanying video at www.sfchronicle.com/theregulars/. The Regulars is a weekly photo and video column that offers a glimpse into the lives of ordinary people in the Bay Area, caught in routine activities of modern urban life. If you know a regular, email kduncan@sfchronicle.com. A 45-year-old man was found dead from a stab wound Monday morning on a street in the Tenderloin neighborhood of San Francisco, police said. The fatal attack occurred around 8:09 a.m. near the intersection of Golden Gate Avenue and Jones Street, about two blocks from the Tenderloin Police Station. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate The next time you're at the beach, look down. You may see something quite unusual. Members of the UC Davis Bodega Marine Laboratory recently observed 19 pelagic red crabs in Bodega Bay they've seen dead ones on occasion, but this was the first time they've ever seen them alive. According to Bay Nature, the last time live pelagic red crabs were spotted in the region was 1985 on the heels of another El Nino. The little squat lobsters normally live off Mexico and are rarely found north of San Diego. But, according to Bodega Marine Lab research coordinator Jackie Sones, this year they've been found as far north as Oregon. Their record-breaking travels are likely linked to 2015-16 El Nino, says Sones. "I don't think the exact mechanism is known that causes the pelagic red crabs to appear at northern locations," Sones told SFGATE, "but it's possibly related to warmer ocean temperatures or changes in ocean currents stronger poleward flow that are associated with El Nino conditions." MORE: After near-record Northern California storms, signs of El Nino rise Last year, biblical plagues of red crabs washed ashore in Orange County, covering the beaches in red. Scientists speculated that they'd been enticed by unusually warm waters offshore referred to as "The Blob." Eighteen of the Bodega Bay crabs are being studied at the lab in the hopes that researchers will be able to determine if the crabs are moving in to stay or just passing through. The winter can be particularly fruitful for unusual animal finds. The combination of strong ocean flows and the residual El Nino effects can lure critters far north. The red crabs aren't the only surprise visitors. Sones also spotted a purple sea snail at Salmon Creek Beach. The bright violet snails are normally found in tropical waters. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate San Francisco fashion boutique Modern Appealing Clothing has sued Ivanka Trump's company over unfair competition. The class action lawsuit was filed in San Francisco Superior Court on Thursday. The lawsuit claims Ivanka Trump Marks, LLC, has gained an unfair advantage in the marketplace "from Donald J. Trump being the President of the United States and from Ivanka Trump and her husband, Jared, working for the President of the United States." The lawsuit claims Ivanka Trump's brand got a boost from Donald Trump's tweets blasting Nordstrom for dropping her line, and from Kellyanne Conway telling people to "go buy Ivanka's stuff" during an interview with Fox News. Modern Appealing Clothing is a longtime San Francisco brand with stores in Hayes Valley and the Dogpatch. The Chronicle described the stores as "San Francisco's fashion wonderland" and the brand is "beloved not just in San Francisco, but worldwide." MAC has been in San Francisco since 1980. Despite Nordstrom and other retailers like Sears and Kmart dropping Trump's line, Courthouse News reports the brand's sales grew 346 percent between January and February. The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages on behalf of women's clothing retailers operating in California since January, and for an order preventing the Ivanka Trump brand from being sold in California. Uber will dramatically curtail the number of employees it will move into its Oakland headquarters next year and instead expand in San Francisco, company officials said Monday. A few hundred workers will be stationed at the 380,000-square-foot Uptown Oakland office, rather than the nearly 3,000-person staff Uber initially forecast. In San Francisco, the ride-hailing company said it has purchased a stake in the new Mission Bay Warriors arena project. An Uber spokeswoman said the company wanted to take a thoughtful and measured approach to its Oakland debut, but didnt elaborate on the reasons for the deceleration. Orson Aguilar, president of the Greenlining Institute the Oakland nonprofit that has pushed for Uber to provide community benefits with its new headquarters, such as local hiring and a guaranteed living wage said it appeared that Uber was retreating from the city. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 5 1 of 5 Scott Strazzante/The Chronicle Show More Show Less 2 of 5 Scott Strazzante/The Chronicle Show More Show Less 3 of 5 4 of 5 Scott Strazzante/The Chronicle Show More Show Less 5 of 5 Citizens here are more demanding of corporations, and it could be that they just werent ready to deliver, he said. Are they just stalling so they can come into Oakland more quietly over the next few years? Uber purchased 1955 Broadway which it calls the Uptown Station in 2015 from developer Lane Partners, which bought the seven-story property the year before from Sears for $24.25 million. The developer and an architecture firm are midway through what was projected to be a $40 million overhaul of the building. Up to half of the Oakland office will now be rented out to other tenants, according to the San Francisco Business Times, which first reported the developments. Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf said the company notified city officials a few weeks ago that it would be scaling back its staffing at the Uptown Station. Ubers sole decision to initially open its Oakland offices with fewer employees than originally planned does not negate the fact this prime office location will be put back into full use and made available for rent to other businesses and nonprofits, in addition to the presence that Uber will have there, she said in a statement. We continue to make ourselves available to Uber to help ensure the best possible transition to Oakland, including offering a number of ways in which they can positively impact the community. It wasnt immediately clear what financial impact Ubers move would have on the city. Michael Hunt, a spokesman for the mayor, said any lost business-tax revenue expected from Uber will be counteracted by additional money the company will pay acting as a landlord. Kimberly Veklerov is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: kveklerov@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @kveklerov Following the passing of rock pioneer Chuck Berry on Saturday, tributes flooded in from all corners of the music-loving world. East Bay punk icons Green Day, however, were less about words and more about action, as Rolling Stone reported. After hearing about my first visit to Tastee Steam Kitchen in Oakland two of my well-traveled Chinese friends were intrigued; they had never heard about a "steam" restaurant, so I took them there. At Tastee Steam Kitchen all the tables have a steamer with a clear dome built into the center. Below the dome is a steaming rack resting on a bowl. Diners first choose a flavored rice which is added to the bowl. Then they pick what they want to eat from more than 60 items. Waiters use a digital timer, also built into the table, so each item is cooked properly. Throughout the night as the ingredients steam, the excels liquid drips down to flavor the rice below. San Franciscans live with the sense that their dear city is always changing. But while construction cranes and shop closures often signal shifts, it can be difficult to get the perspective needed to see just how different the city looks now than a generation or two ago. To help us find that perspective we went digging into the San Francisco Chronicle archives for historic aerial photos. To provide context for the photos we found - many of which hadn't been seen in decades - we asked KCBS aerial traffic reporter Ron Cervi for some images from his popular Instagram feed. As you can see in the gallery above, there were few perfect before-and-after matches. Yet each historic photo and accompanying modern perspective creates a mini scavenger hunt to spot the projects that have changed the lives of city residents. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate The estranged daughter of a local "Deadliest Catch" reality TV fisherman is accusing him of molesting her as a toddler, despite a decades-old trial that exonerated him of abuse. Melissa Eckstrom, now a 28-year-old attorney in Seattle, claims she retains memories of her father, Sig Hansen, sexually assaulting her in 1990 when she was about 2 years old. Hansen is captain of the Seattle-built and -based fishing vessel "Northwestern," which is regularly featured on the Discovery Channel series that has aired annually since 2005. Eckstrom sued Hansen last year, using only his initials to protect his identity as a public figure. However, their names have since gone public in court filings and the case now heads to the state Court of Appeals on a question of whether Eckstrom can use her parents' sealed divorce file to support her claims of abuse. King County Superior Court Judge Suzanne Parisien issued an order Monday that sends the case to the appeals court. Eckstrom's parents separated in 1990 and initiated divorce proceedings. After an authorized private visit with her father that summer, she complained of pain on her "bottom" and her family members noticed discoloration in the area and took her to Harborview Medical Center, according to her complaint. At the time, she claimed that her "daddy" hurt her. A doctor specializing in sexual assault treatment determined that Eckstrom exhibited signs of trauma and that "All of these findings are rarely seen in children without a history of sexual abuse," according to court filings. Eckstrom also saw a therapist, who noted that she imitated the sexual abuse her father allegedly inflicted using dolls and drawings, reports indicate. However, a forensic expert on Hansen's behalf determined the girl was not molested. At the time, he cited a syndrome in which children demonize a parent without justification, a theory that has since been widely discredited by legal and medical experts. A CPS investigation in 1992 led to Hansen's arrest in Snohomish County, but prosecutors there never brought charges against him, court records say. A judge in the divorce case determined in March 1992 -- about a week before the CPS report was issued -- that Hansen did not assault his daughter. Hansen signed away his parental rights to Eckstrom as part of the divorce battle, apparently in response to threats to raise tax fraud issues, Eckstrom said in her complaint. She has been estranged from her father for most of her life. However, memories of her abuse still remain, she said. "I do remember being hurt by my father," she wrote in court documents. "I have memories of my father hurting my genital region. Memories of being in a room alone with my father and crying out in pain." As a result of the alleged abuse, she claims to have suffered depression, eating disorders, inability to form normal relationships, thoughts of suicide and regular nightmares. She claims to be consistently triggered by her father's appearances on TV. "I have brought this case against my father because I am seeking justice as a person that has been sexually molested," Eckstrom wrote. "... I am a victim of sexual molestation, and to date I have not been afforded the opportunity to bring my case and to testify." Hansen, speaking with The Seattle Times, claimed the allegations are fabricated. "This is nothing more than an old-fashioned shakedown," he said, according to the Times. "It's a completely frivolous lawsuit full of lies that my ex-wife made up to take away my daughter, and still uses to try to extort money from me. It's blackmail." Now, Eckstrom seeks to use documents in her parents' divorce case to prove her claims. At the time, the case records were sealed, but Eckstrom argues she was not party to her parents' divorce case and that she has the right to access her own medical records contained in the filings to prove her allegations against her father. Meanwhile, Hansen requested that the case be dismissed, to no avail as it now heads to appeals court. Some 40 light years away, there are seven Earth-sized planets orbiting the ultra-cool dwarf star TRAPPIST-1. We think they are mostly in the habitable zone. We believe they are rocky. We really, really want to know more -- not that we'll travel there any time soon, but knowing if they have water and, gasp, life would be pretty slick. Want to help? Well, you'd have to be pretty skilled in the ways of science and astronomy but you can dig in. NASA announced this week that its astronomers were quick to point the Kepler spacecraft at the solar system in December, just after the discovery of several of the planets was announced. The mission was dubbed K2 and ran until March 4. NEW YORK David Rockefeller Sr., the heir to a vast and storied family fortune who, as president, chairman and chief executive of Chase Manhattan Bank, transformed a listless business into one of the worlds largest financial institutions, died Monday at his home in Pocantico Hills, N.Y. He was 101. A spokesman, Fraser Seitel, said the cause was congestive heart failure. Mr. Rockefeller was the last surviving grandchild of oil baron John D. Rockefeller, who became one of the richest men in the world by the time he died in 1937. The younger Mr. Rockefellers four brothers, John III, Nelson, Laurance and Winthrop, carved prominent careers in philanthropy, politics, conservation and politics, respectively. David Rockefeller became a banking stalwart. He was a globe-trotting financial diplomat and twice declined President Richard Nixons offer to become secretary of the treasury because he felt his position at Chase gave him more influence. In 1979, he used his contacts at the highest levels of government to bring the ailing and deposed Shah of Iran to the United States for medical treatment. Mr. Rockefeller was a celebrated philanthropist. He donated millions of dollars to the Museum of Modern Art, his alma mater Harvard and the Council on Foreign Relations, where he served as chairman from 1970 to 1985. He turned his family-sponsored medical research center into Rockefeller University in New York. In 1998, President Bill Clinton awarded Mr. Rockefeller the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nations highest civilian honor, for co-founding the International Executive Service Corps, a volunteer organization that since 1964 has sent American business executives to developing countries to provide management expertise. Mr. Rockefeller was most remembered for his influential role in banking. When Mr. Rockefeller arrived at Chase in 1946, New York law restricted the banks business to the city. Using family connections particularly his brother Nelson, a Republican who was then governor of New York he got the restrictive laws overturned in 1960. Chase expanded into Westchester and Nassau counties. Eventually, the banks reach extended across Europe, Latin America and Asia. The bank made loans to Panamanian ranchers, financed bowling alleys in Europe and backed a bus line in the Virgin Islands. By the early 1960s, it had become the second-largest bank in the country. Timothy R. Smith is a Washington Post writer. WASHINGTON On the opening day of his confirmation hearings, Judge Neil Gorsuch promised that if he were elevated to the Supreme Court, he would strive for independence and integrity. I will do all in my power, he said, to be a faithful servant of the Constitution and laws of this great nation. Gorsuch gave his opening statement Monday before the Senate Judiciary Committee. In what may have been an oblique reference to President Trumps attacks on judges who have ruled against him, Gorsuch thanked my fellow judges across the country. His polished opening statement came after hours of remarks from members of the Senate Judiciary Committee that confirmed a stark partisan divide on his nomination. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 3 1 of 3 STEPHEN CROWLEY/NYT Show More Show Less 2 of 3 Melina Mara/The Washington Post Show More Show Less 3 of 3 Republican senators portrayed Gorsuch as a highly qualified and independent jurist. Democrats said they were troubled by a judicial record they said was animated by a cold and literal reading of the law and skewed toward business interests. Gorsuch said he tried to follow the example of Justice Byron White, for whom he served as law clerk. He modeled for me judicial courage, Gorsuch said of his mentor. He followed the law wherever it took him. Pledging to dispense equal justice to poor and rich, Gorsuch said the judicial role was not about politics. Rather, he said, a judges plain black robes reflect a different role, representing independence. The robe does mean something to me, he said, and not just that I can hide the coffee stains on my shirt. The hearing opened with a starkly partisan tenor. One might think it was about the man who might have been: Judge Merrick Garland, rather than the nominee. Democrats were always expected to highlight Republicans refusal to even meet with former President Barack Obamas nominee last year. But the frequency and ferocity of their attacks in their opening statements were notable out of the gate. Amid the complaints about last years process, Democrats on Monday described themselves as taking the high road now. Meeting with Gorsuch and participating in the hearing, Illinois Sen. Richard Durbin said, represented a courtesy which Senate Republicans denied to Judge Garland. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, used his remarks to defend his partys decision to hold open the vacancy caused by the death of Justice Antonin Scalia, arguing that allowing Obama to fill the seat would have endangered Scalias legacy. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., issued a blistering attack on the U.S. Supreme Court led by Chief Justice John Roberts, listing more than a dozen decisions in which the court had voted 5 to 4 to limit voting rights, increase the role of money in politics and favor business interests. In each, he said, the five Republican appointees were in the majority. If Gorsuch fills the seat left vacant by Scalias death last year, he will return the court to a familiar dynamic, with a five-member majority of conservative justices, all appointed by Republican presidents, and a four-member bloc of liberal justices, all appointed by Democratic presidents. Matt Flegenheimer, Carl Hulse, Charlie Savage and Adam Liptak are New York Times writers. Uber President Jeff Jones said Sunday that he is quitting the San Francisco ride-hailing company, citing a culture at the hard-charging and often polarizing startup that he said clashed with his professional values. Jones resignation comes barely six months after he took the job and marks the latest blow in whats been a turbulent few months for the popular ride-services app. Several high-level executives have resigned as CEO Travis Kalanick faces scrutiny over his abrasive management style and the company reels from allegations of widespread sexism. The beliefs and approach to leadership that have guided my career are inconsistent with what I saw and experienced at Uber and I could no longer continue as president of the ridesharing business, Jones said in a statement to The Chronicle. Uber Technologies Inc. spokeswoman Sophie Schmidt confirmed Jones departure Sunday, saying that the company wanted to thank Jeff for his six months at the company and wish him all the best. Schmidt declined to discuss the issue further. Jones came to Uber in August from Target, a hire widely seen as a way for the firm to soften its image as a brash, hyperaggressive company. He formerly worked as Targets chief marketing officer, and at Uber, he handled operations, marketing and customer support worldwide. There are thousands of amazing people at the company and I truly wish everyone well, Jones said in his statement Sunday. In announcing Jones hiring in August, Kalanick said the two had met at a technology-industry conference in Vancouver, British Columbia. Within minutes we were debating how Uber could improve its reputation, Kalanick said. This month, a video emerged showing Kalanick berating an Uber driver in a discussion about company prices. The clip prompted him to acknowledge that he needed leadership help and announce he would be making another hire: a chief operating officer to assist him. How that position would have affected Jones job, in which he primarily oversaw the companys core ride-hailing business, is unclear. Several high-level personnel changes have taken place at the company recently. This month also saw the departure of Ed Baker, Ubers former vice president of product and growth, who left the company after three years, reportedly citing his desire to work in the public sector. In February, Amit Singhal, Ubers former senior vice president of engineering, resigned after reports emerged that he failed to disclose a sexual harassment allegation made against him while he was employed at Google. Singhal has denied the harassment charge. Just days before that, Susan Fowler, a former Uber engineer, penned an explosive post online that chronicled what she described as a deeply embedded culture of sexism and sexual harassment at the company that was allowed to persist because of dysfunctional leadership. Uber was also sued late last month by Waymo, the self-driving car company created within Google. Waymo says Uber stole sensor technology that autonomous vehicles use to see the world around them. Uber has made a substantial push into self-driving vehicles in recent years. The San Francisco district attorneys office said this month that it is investigating the company for the use of a tool called Greyball, which shows different versions of the app to different users, for example hiding available cars from local regulators or law enforcement personnel seeking to enforce bans on its operation. Uber said it would stop using the tool on local officials. In January, Uber was also criticized for appearing to take advantage of protests in New York against President Trumps immigration ban by eliminating surge pricing. Critics saw that as a way to break a strike directed at the ban. Uber has said it had no intention of affecting the strike. The move gave rise to a viral #DeleteUber campaign to encourage users to get rid of the app. Ubers recent troubles, including the Fowler post, appear to have given that campaign fresh life. Chronicle columnist Thomas Lee contributed to this report. Dominic Fracassa is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: dfracassa@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @dominicfracassa Berkeley police recovered a cache of weapons, ammunition, drugs, and materials used to make fake credit cards while investigating a car break-in on Sunday morning, officials said. The operation started around 5:25 a.m. as police responded to reports of a possible auto burglary in progress at Durant and Telegraph avenues, officials said. When officers got to the intersection, they approached three people in a parked BMW. One of the passengers turned out to be 35-year-old Oakland resident Steven Manning, who had $50,000 in outstanding arrest warrants, police said. Police said Manning was in possession of $2,000 cash and what they suspect is heroin. The front passenger in the car, 32-year-old Oakland resident Meredith Rains, also had a warrant for her arrest, police said. When officers pulled her out of the car, they said they found methamphetamine on the floor. The person in the backseat of the car was later identified as 46-year-old Rakim Washington of Berkeley. Police said he initially gave them a fake name. Police searched the car and found a digital scale with suspected methamphetamine and marijuana residue on it. All three suspects were booked in jail in Berkeley. Officials later secured a search warrant for Mannings home where they said they recovered more than 1,000 pills consisting of five different drugs, packaging materials for drugs, narcotics scales, a loaded AR-15 assault pistol without a serial number, ammunition, a credit card embossing machine, a card reader and card stock. Evan Sernoffsky is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: esernoffsky@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @EvanSernoffsky A former law school student of Judge Neil Gorsuch claims that President Trump's nominee for the U.S. Supreme Court once said women manipulate companies to benefit from maternity leave. Since Jennifer Sisk shared her concerns in a letter to the Senate Judiciary Committee days before Gorsuch's confirmation hearing, several former law clerks signed a letter addressed to the committee in support of his nomination. Sisk sent her letter to the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and Ranking Member Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif on Friday. It was later posted online on Sunday by the National Employment Lawyers Association and the National Women's Law Center. Sisk was a student at the University of Colorado Law School in 2016 and took Gorsuch's Legal Ethics and Professionalism class. She writes that Gorsuch presented in his class on April 19, 2016 a hypothetical about a female law student interviewing with firms. The student was presented as seeking a job to pay off student debt and as also planning to start a family with her husband "in the near future." During the discussion, Sisk alleges Gorsuch "asked the class to raise their hands if they knew of a female who had used a company to get maternity benefits and then left right after having a baby" When a small number of student raised their hands, Sisk wrote that "Gorsuch became more animated saying, 'C'mon guys.'" She added: "He then announced that all our hands should be raised because 'many' women use their companies for maternity benefits and then leave the company after the baby is born." Since the letter was published, several people have come forward and commented on Sisk's statement. NPR reports that one student in the class has disputed Sisk's account and 11 women who worked for Gorsuch as law clerks have spoken out in his defense in a letter. "We each have lived long enough and worked long enough to know gender discrimination when we see it. Some of us have experienced it professionally on occasion," they write. "When we collectively say that Judge Gorsuch treats and values women fairly and without preference or prejudice based on their gender, we do not say that in a vacuum. We say it with the perspective of those who know that unfortunately, even in 2017, female lawyers are not always treated as equals." After the media reported on Sisk's letter, it has also come out that she worked for Democratic Sen. Mark Udall of Colorado and the Interior Department during the Obama administration Gorsuch's confirmation hearing for a seat on the U.S. Supreme Court started Monday. 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. Karen Fiorito is no stranger to taking on big public figures in big public ways. In 2004, the Santa Monica, Calif.-based artist did a billboard featuring then-President George W. Bush and members of his administration and accused them of lying to the American public. Now, Fiorito is back, this time taking on President Donald Trump on a billboard in Phoenix, Ariz. And, this one is also drawing lots of attention. Trump is centered on the billboard with mushroom clouds and dollar signs in the shape of swastikas on either side of him. WALL WORK: Texas city considers barring contractors from working on wall from city work A Russian flag lapel pin has also been added to Trump's picture - a reference to Russian hacking in the election and Trump's friendly language toward the long-time adversary of the United States. On Facebook, the billboard is drawing reaction from fans and foes of Fiorito's. Danny Sirko posted to Fiorito's Facebook page, but seemed something less than pleased with the art work. "A slave of Darkness by the spread of RADICAL LEFT-WING LIBERAL PROGRESSIVISM," Sirko wrote. AIMING HIGH: Mexican congressman scales border wall to make point to Trump Others, though. were more enamored of the art. " i love this! but it IS strong in reality..." wrote Rula Kaliroi. "I felt I needed to make a very strong statement. I am glad you like it!," Fiorito responded. >>>Scroll through the gallery to see some of the most opinionated, colorful signs in protest of Donald Trump In Norway, oil prices have fallen, a threat to one of its main industries. Across much of the country, average daytime temperatures still hover around the freezing point. And yet, Norway is the happiest country on Earth, according to the 2017 World Happiness Report, an annual ranking of 155 countries published by the Sustainable Development Solutions Network, a U.N. initiative. The Scandinavian country unseated Denmark for the top spot on this years list, published Monday in conjunction with the United Nations International Day of Happiness. Not far behind Norway are Denmark, Iceland, Switzerland and Finland. Tied for ninth are the Netherlands, Canada, New Zealand, Australia and Sweden. The Central African Republic, a landlocked nation that has seen increasing violence between warring factions, came in last. The United States fell in at No. 14, down a spot from last year. The U.S. has never cracked the Top 10 since the rankings were first published in 2012, when it came in at No. 11. Why measure happiness? Some experts say that it is a better measure of a nations progress, and that using social well-being as a goal drives better public policy, according to the report. Its the human things that matter. If the riches make it harder to have frequent and trustworthy relationship between people, is it worth it? asked John Helliwell, lead author of the report and an economist at the University of British Columbia, according to the Associated Press. The material can stand in the way of the human. The World Happiness Report rankings are based on data from the Gallup World Poll, which uses a simple measure called the Cantril ladder. People are asked to envision a ladder, with their best possible life being a 10 on the top rung, and the worst possible life being a 0. Where does their life fall on that ladder? Six key variables are then used to explain those happiness scores, according to the report: income, healthy life expectancy, having someone to count on in times of trouble, generosity, freedom and trust, with the latter measured by the absence of corruption in business and government. All of the countries in the Top 10 scored highly in those six areas, with Norway as the leading example of how those factors contribute to the happiness of their residents. This is also the first year the report has included a chapter called Restoring American Happiness. The author of that chapter, economist and Columbia University Professor Jeffrey Sachs, states that Americas declining happiness is a social crisis, not an economic crisis. This American social crisis is widely noted, but it has not translated into public policy, Sachs wrote. Almost all of the policy discourse in Washington, D.C., centers on naive attempts to raise the economic growth rate, as if a higher growth rate would somehow heal the deepening divisions and angst in American society. This kind of growth-only agenda is doubly wrongheaded. Amy B. Wang is a Washington Post writer. [Content Note: Misogyny.] This morning, I read a notably nasty and substance-free attack on Hillary Clinton, other members of her family, and her supporters, written by Will Rahn of CBS News (h/t Shaker Eastsidekate). Its title, "The Odd Persistance of Clinton, Inc," immediately tells us two things: Hillary Clinton cannot exist as her own person, but must be subsumed into her family identity (so we can hold everything that Bill Clinton has ever done against her as well!) and (b) the use of "odd" to further sexist narratives is alive and well. I don't think I'm being unfair when I say it can be summed up as: "Why won't Hillary go away? And Chelsea had better not start getting any ideas." I mean, how else do you explain an opening like: The Clintons, Americas foremost would-be presidential dynasty, are apparently sticking around. Chelsea Clinton has new childrens book in the works. Its called She Persisted, a title provided by kid favorite Mitch McConnell. Yes, they're "sticking around," as opposed to taking up residence in an abandoned fishing village on the coast of Newfoundland with no access to internet, tv, telephones, shortwave radio, or semaphore flags, all in order that people like Will Rahn don't have to deal with occasionally hearing about them. How inconsiderate! And the evidence of their evil "dynastic" ambitions are...Chelsea is writing a children's book. How objectionable! How sinister! How... "odd"! Chelsea's Twitter followers are discounted (only some of them are "actual human beings,") her age is mentioned (she's "closing in on 40"), and her professional accomplishments downplayed (she's never had "what many would consider a real job") in order to argue that the only thing she's qualified to do is "run for office one day." Is there a point to this nastiness? I mean, other than to demonstrate once again, how very accomplished a woman has to be to be considered...unqualified. A man with an undergraduate degree from Stanford, two master's degrees (one from Oxford and one from Columbia) and a doctorate (in International Relations from Oxford) might be qualified to do, oh, something. And a man with work experience at an investment firm, NBC News, Columbia and New York University, as well as extensive experience at a major international charity, on many boards, consulting, and oh yes, playing a major role on a presidential campaign, might be said to have real work experience. But, oddly, a woman with that resume (she's also written a book for middle schoolers) has no qualifications, so STAY IN YOUR LANE, Missy! It's almost as if there's a double standard at work, or something! But wait, that's just Chelsea! Hillary has also had the absolute temerity to speak in public! She said she wants to "come out of the woods!" Holy Walden Pond, Batman, we can't have that. Ran informs us that there are two movie projects in the works about Hillary Clinton and complains that "we've been threatened with" a film about the 2016 election as well. In case you happen to be one of those folks who knows that Clinton was judged one of the most honest politicians in America, Rahn reminds you that no, no, this woman is a dirty liar, via snarking on a proposed movie regarding her time in Alaska: Being Hillary, shes told a few different versions of the story over the years, which should provide the screenwriter with a little extra room for creative license. Ah yes, of course! Because she's not actually a robot, and occasionally tells stories the way humans do, with different words and memory lapses and things like that, she's a fucking liar! THANKS FOR REMINDING US! Rahn is just puzzled, puzzled, that anyone would consider making a film about the woman who has ranked at the top of Gallup's Most Admired Women list a record number of times. It must be because the only people who want to know about her are moneyed elites: Im no actuary, but if Hillary Clinton: Fishmonger costs very little to make, and everyone on the Upper West Side buys a ticket to see it, maybe it could make a modest profit? For the record, I'm no inhabitant of the Upper West Side (let alone an actuary, or a " political correspondent and managing director, politics, for CBS News Digital"). But I would watch the fuck out of "Hillary Clinton: Fishmonger." Rahn just can't imagine why anyone would be interested: For whatever reason, [enthusiasm for Clinton] persists. He questions the very existence of Clinton supporters, outside of: the high-professional class the urbanites who work in, say, publishing and the movie industry. The ones who can spend a few million on a ghostwriter for Chelsea and an ingenue to play Hillary. Again for the record: I do not have a million to spare, or even a thousand or a hundred, really (the dog's medical bills kinda wiped that out). But I exist, I like Hillary Clinton, I admire her, I am interested in her, and yes, I care about how she might be portrayed in popular culture. And I am not alone. We are feminists of all sizes and creeds. We are white people and people of colour. We are cisgender, trans, and genderfluid. We are straight, we are L, we are G, we are B. We are people with disabilities and without. We are poor, middle class, and (yes) some of us are well-off or even wealthy. We are in Georgia and Indiana and Texas and, yep, New York. We are people of all genders, we are HIV positive and negative, we are immigrants and native born, we are so many different things. We are little girls lighting up when we meet a woman who dared to run for president. We are middle-aged women who have seen this shit too often before, an overqualified woman losing out on a job to a vastly underqualified man. We are older women who have dreamed so long of equality, and who appreciate the fight that Hillary has been in her entire life. And for all of us: this is not the first time we've seen a man earning a paycheck for publishing a sexist, substance-free screed in which a woman has to work twice as hard to be considered half as good. It has to be some of the laziest journalism in existence to simply posit that Clinton's supporters just don't exist outside of a few wealthy enclaves, and that you just can't imagine why anyone would want to hear from Hillary, or Chelsea, ever again. How about logging on to the Twitter? How about reading a blog or two, how about getting out of your own bubble and actually talking to someone who would (like me) be pretty stoked for a decent movie about Hillary Clinton's young activist days? We exist, we're here, and we're not invisible. Perhaps that's it. Perhaps that's why Mr. Rahn is in such a nasty mood. Not only do those old ladies Hillary and Chelsea not know that they need to shut up and disappear, but neither do those who support them and, yeslike them. Liking women is still a radical act. For "whatever" reason, we persist. Migrants and tourists continued to flock to New Zealand in record numbers in the year to February, although the net inflow may be showing signs of leveling off. Annual net migration rose to a record 71,333 in the 12 months ended Feb. 28, up from 67,391 in the same period a year earlier, Statistics New Zealand said. The number, however, was on a par with the previous annual record set in January. People arriving as permanent and long-term migrants outnumbered those departing by 128,816 to 57,483 in the latest 12 months. Of those arriving, 57,156 were bound for Auckland while 9,970 were headed to the capital city of Wellington. In the South Island, 12,720 were bound for Canterbury. In terms of departures, 21,843 left Auckland while 5,884 left Canterbury. "About a third of all migrant arrivals for the year were people coming to New Zealand on work visas," population statistics senior manager Peter Dolan said. "Just over a quarter of all work-visa migrants were from the United Kingdom and France." Westpac Bank acting chief economist Michael Gordon doesn't expect the numbers to dip any time soon. "We expect net migration inflows to remain strong for some time, with NZs positive economic story, including its labour market, making us an attractive destination," he said. The Reserve Bank, however, which has been confounded by persistently high migration and its impact on the city of Auckland and its property prices in particular, expects the net inflow to abate as growth reignites in other economies. China continued to make up the biggest source of permanent and long-term arrivals on residence visas, rising 26 percent to 3,508, while the total residence visas rose 17 percent to 16,833. Work-visa migrants from the UK rose 12.2 percent to 7,210 while those from France rose 15.1 percent to 3,441. Short-term visitor arrivals, which include tourists, people visiting family and friends and people travelling for work, reached 3.544 million in the year ended February, up 10.7 percent from a year earlier, Statistics New Zealand said. That number also equaled the previous annual record set in January 2017. Visitors from Australia rose 5.3 percent to 1.42 million while visitors from China were up 9.4 percent to 402,832. Visitors from India jumped 14.8 percent to 53,424 while visitors from Hong Kong were up 23.1 percent to 46,288. Statistics New Zealand also noted New Zealand residents set a new annual record of 2.66 million overseas trips in the February 2017 year, up 10 percent from the February 2016 year. BusinessDesk.co.nz Comments from our readers No comments yet Add your comment: Your name: Your email: Not displayed to the public Comment: Comments to Sharechat go through an approval process. Comments which are defamatory, abusive or in some way deemed inappropriate will not be approved. It is allowable to use some form of non-de-plume for your name, however we recommend real email addresses are used. Comments from free email addresses such as Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail, etc may not be approved. Anti-spam verification: Type the text you see in the image into the field below. You are asked to do this in order to verify that this enquiry is not being performed by an automated process. Related News: OCA - Notice of Half Year Result Announcement Westpac 2022 Full Year Financial Results Announcement David Mair Announced as Newest Board Member for Sanford HFL - Financial results for the year ended 31 August 2022 November 7th Morning Report SKC - ADDITIONAL US PRIVATE PLACEMENT FUNDING SECURED Spark New Zealand Limited's Annual Meeting Results 2022 Fonterra Australia settles class action proceedings PFI - Q3 Dividend, Development and Divestment Update November 4th Morning Report Fletcher Building was quizzed by analysts and investors over why industry rumours were circulating about losses from a major construction contract before they were disclosed by the company today in a surprise move that wiped more than $650 million off its market value. On a conference call today, chief executive Mark Adamson said he "took full responsibility for the current situation". He was unable to comment on industry rumours and had to rely on his own chain of command. "The reality is we were already aware of those issues last year." Questioned by analysts he said the review of the construction division began in the second week of November, which was about the time chief financial officer Bevan McKenzie started in his role. It was also just weeks after the company's annual meeting, where Adamson told shareholders that in New Zealand "every indicator points to another good year in the construction sector". Instead, on Feb. 22, the company's first-half results showed New Zealand construction generated operating earnings of just $1 million even as gross revenue surged 54 percent to $1.15 billion. But the first-half results were also light on details of the problems in the construction division, referring to "losses incurred on a major construction project" among a list of issues that had held back the division in the first half. At the same time, the company affirmed its full-year earnings forecast. Today, four weeks later, Fletcher has cut its full-year operating earnings forecast by $110 million to a range of $610 million to $650 million, saying the revised guidance "is due to the identification of additional estimated losses and downside risk in the buildings and interiors (B&I) business unit of the construction division." Fletcher Construction's major projects include the $300 million Justice and Emergency Services precinct in Christchurch, which was due to be handed over at the end of this month, but according to a Ministry of Justice spokesman quoted by The Press is now not expected to open until the third quarter of 2017 after the company put the hand-over date back to June 30. The spokesman described the precinct as "the largest multi-agency government co-location project in New Zealand's history." While Fletcher won't disclose the contract on which it has incurred losses, citing client confidentiality, it has also characterised the project as complex - starting with "certain engineering issues that had not been resolved" and that "caused the initial delay" and that was "exacerbated" by changes to the design brief for the "unique" building. Adamson said the critical thing with a major project was to stay on programme and if there was slippage in the timetable it was hard to get back and could have "almost an exponential multiplier effect". He confirmed that for the loss-making development and a second one where the company had issues, Fletcher had been given the design rather than developing it in-house. In the wake of the review, new managers have been or will be appointed for the construction business and the company has reviewed its bidding processes. "It's clear there will be buildings to be built (but) we will pick and choose," Adamson said. "There's enough work out there." It is now applying "a far more stringent filter" on the nature of contracts and clients. Asked about the makeup of the company's $2.7 billion backlog of building work and whether it had a concentration of risk, Adamson said roughly $1.5 billion was work within B&I. McKenzie added that within B&I, the 20 biggest projects accounted for $1.4 billion. Those had largely been from bids won in 2016 or before but have subsequently been reviewed with the new team in place, he said. McKenzie said the information presented to the market at the first-half was accurate at the time and today's announcement was prompted by new information. The stock fell 94 cents to $8.28 and earlier touched a six-month low of $8.035 when it resumed trading after being halted on Friday pending the announcement. "It's not a great look," said Paul Richardson, chief investment officer at Mint Asset Management. "The company has now been reasonably upfront but there are still more questions and wider questions about the construction division." While the problems related to complicated projects, "aren't these the people who handle complicated contracts," he said. The problems at Fletcher Construction may also point to industry-wide issues, given the recent performance of Metro Performance Glass and Opus International. "We may be seeing cracks in the whole New Zealand construction story," Richardson said. Fletcher said today that the major unidentified project represented about half of the earnings downgrade while another major project has attracted provisions for losses due to significantly higher costs needed to complete it, and a number of smaller jobs also faced lower earnings. One of the projects was expected to be completed within the next few months and the other has a target date for the 2019 financial year. Fletcher said the main problems were in the complexity of design, subcontractor management and building programme delivery, which delayed the projects and led to higher costs. As a result, Fletcher has appointed a chief operating officer and a new head of risk and governance for the construction division, while a new general manager of the B&I unit will start soon. Asked whether there was scope for a claim against other parties involved in the loss-making project, Adamson said there was "no doubt the board and I are preparing for (those) conversations. We're not taking this lightly." As one of the country's biggest building firms, Fletcher participates in many major development projects. All but one of its major projects underway in B&I were either a fixed price lump sum or guaranteed maximum price contract, which was standard practice in the commercial construction industry, it said today. The company said growth in the B&I business wasn't driven by a deliberate strategy to boost volume growth for its building products division, which traded with the construction division on an arm's length basis. Other major construction projects include Auckland's convention centre and Hobson Street hotel, a $700 million contract, the $425 million Commercial Bay development in Auckland for Precinct Properties, and roading work including the Waterview Connection, and Puhoi to Warkworth. BusinessDesk.co.nz Comments from our readers No comments yet Add your comment: Your name: Your email: Not displayed to the public Comment: Comments to Sharechat go through an approval process. Comments which are defamatory, abusive or in some way deemed inappropriate will not be approved. It is allowable to use some form of non-de-plume for your name, however we recommend real email addresses are used. Comments from free email addresses such as Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail, etc may not be approved. Anti-spam verification: Type the text you see in the image into the field below. You are asked to do this in order to verify that this enquiry is not being performed by an automated process. Related News: OCA - Notice of Half Year Result Announcement Westpac 2022 Full Year Financial Results Announcement David Mair Announced as Newest Board Member for Sanford HFL - Financial results for the year ended 31 August 2022 November 7th Morning Report SKC - ADDITIONAL US PRIVATE PLACEMENT FUNDING SECURED Spark New Zealand Limited's Annual Meeting Results 2022 Fonterra Australia settles class action proceedings PFI - Q3 Dividend, Development and Divestment Update November 4th Morning Report KOLKATA: The Future Group is expecting its fashion business to grow 30 pct in the next financial year to touch Rs 10,000 crore, a company official said on Saturday. "We expect our fashion business to grow by 30 pct in FY18 and it is expected to touch 10,000 crore in the next year," Group's CEO Kishore Biyani said here. The group is also expecting to sell 22-23 crore garments by March 2018 and more than 80 crore of garments in the next four-five years, he said. The group, which has about 300 FBB stores, has planned to open additional 80 outlets in the next financial year. "We will be reducing prices by three-five per cent of the garments every year what you see today," he said at the opening of country's largest store here. According to him, the retailer has been able to scale up its fashion business with improved supply chain and adopting technology. "With the efficiency, we would be able to reduce the prices of fashion products every year," Biyani said. On Saturday, Biyani was in West Bengal's Burdwan district to open its second largest distribution centre. "Consumer market in the east is the most stable than markets anywhere in the country," he said, adding that the retailer will open another store here on Monday. Fashion business contributes about 45 pct of the Group's revenue while food and household item segments cover the rest. The Future Group has envisaged to 60 crore for setting up a garment factory in the city. "We are working on the garment factory in the city and we have taken the space," he said but declined to make give the exact location of the factory. Biyani expects that more efficiency will come with the rolling out of Goods and Services Tax. "We are hoping to see the lowest tax rate under the GST regime," he added. Read Also: Russia In Talks With M&M To Scale Up Aviation Tie-Up ALS Inks Pact With Singamas For Cold Chain Logistics NEW DELHI: E-commerce firms like Snapdeal and Amazon will have to mandatorily deduct up to 1 pct TCS (Tax Collected at Source) while making payments to their suppliers under the GST regime which is expected to kick in from July 1. The model Goods and Services Tax (GST) law, finalised by the GST Council, provides for 1 per cent TCS to be deducted by the e-commerce operators. The model law provides that every electronic commerce operator, not being an agent, shall collect up to one per cent TCS, as may be notified on the recommendations of the Council, of the net value of taxable supplies made through it by other suppliers where the consideration with respect to such supplies is to be collected by the operator. Experts had raised concerns saying this would mean that a similar amount will have to be levied on inter-state movement of goods, taking the total TCS deduction to 2 pct. "We have included the word 'up to' in the final model GST law. This would mean that TCS would not exceed 1 per cent of the sale proceeds," an official said. Industry has been expressing concern over the TCS provisions saying it would mean a lock-in of capital and also dissuades companies from selling through online aggregators. E-commerce companies will also have to file returns on the TCS deductions, but in case of return of goods by the consumer, these companies will not have to deduct TCS as there is no actual sale. The model law had defined 'electronic commerce' as supply of goods or services, including digital products, over electronic network. 'Electronic commerce operator' would mean those persons who own, operate or manage digital or electronic facility or platform for electronic commerce. Read Also: Trump To Appeal Rulings On Revised Travel Ban Facebook Videos Dominate Social Media: Report NEW DELHI: Japanese consumer electronics firm Panasonic is working to offer solutions to business enterprises in India to expand its presence in the country beyond offering consumer products. The company has identified offering solutions in mobility, energy storage and security and surveillance as key areas for its next phase of growth. "We still are small in terms of B2B revenue in India and my intention is that in the next five years time, a revenue of 50 per cent would come out from B2B solutions," Panasonic India and South Asia President and CEO Manish Sharmatold PTI. Panasonic India had a turnover of Rs 8,700 crore last year. For FY2016-17 it is targeting sales of Rs 10,800 crore, in which consumer durables are expected to contribute around Rs 4,800 crore and mobile phones around Rs 2,500 crore, while the B2B vertical is expected to contribute Rs 1,000 crore. Elaborating on the company's B2B strategy, he said: "There are three pillars on which we will focus -- mobility solutions, energy storage solutions, and security and surveillance solutions." Going forward, he said the company would shift from product selling approach to a solution selling approach. "So far the strategy was to concentrate on few areas and therefore we concentrated our resources into building consumer business platform which now is ready," he said. The company is looking opportunities in seven categories - high definition video conferencing, PBX, rugged notebook & notepads - Toughbooks & Toughpad, security & surveillance, display panels, projectors and document solutions. Under mobility segment, Panasonic is focusing on toughpad and smartphones, while lithium ion batteries under energy segment. In security and surveillance solutions, the company has presence with range of security cameras and accessories. Panasonic, which is going to celebrate 100 years of its foundation next year, is looking for a major role expansion in 2017 "2017 is playing a major role for us because this run up for our 100 years. We are making two approaches towards 2018. One is how we are becoming more as a solutions company by collaborating with the ecosystem itself and how to become more sustainable for future," said Sharma who is also Executive Officer, Panasonic Corporation. According to him, in that process "not only the consumer division would continue to drive growth but we would also create diversity of the portfolio in the coming time for making this company sustainable in India." Read Also: Trump To Appeal Rulings On Revised Travel Ban Facebook Videos Dominate Social Media: Report HOUSTON: An Indian-American CEO of a Chicago- based property firm has been ranked fourth on a list of top 25 overpaid CEOs in the U.S., according to a new report. Sandeep Matharani, CEO of General Growth Properties, has been listed fourth on the list of top 25 overpaid CEOs in America, according to the report from the nonprofit 'As You Sow'. The non-profit organisation promotes environmental and social corporate responsibility and takes a close look at CEO pay. Matharani, with a total compensation of USD 39.2 million in 2016, is overpaid by USD 26 million, according to the report. Using a regression analysis that ties CEO pay to performance and other indicators such as the portion of pay that is offered in options and returns on corporate capital, 'As You Sow' has determined which CEOs are paid above and beyond their performance. So the gap between CEO's performance to his pay is the criteria for the rankings. The report cites Leslie Moonves, CEO of CBS, as the most overpaid chief executive in the country. Moonves earned compensation worth USD 56.7 million in 2016. Marc Benioff ofSalesforce ranks second on the list with a total compensation of USD 33.4 million. Discovery Communication's David Zaslav comes in third with a compensation of USD 32.4 million. Not only are many of the CEOs on the list overpaid, but the report argues that their companies underperformed on the S&P 500 last year, so they may also be a drag on shareholder returns. Among the top 25 overpaid CEOs on the list, 15 were appearing on it for a second time, and 10 of them have been on the list three times. Mathrani joined General Growth Properties as the company was emerging from bankruptcy in 2010 and refocused the mall owner to high-end shopping centres. His name has been mentioned several times as a potential candidate for a position in the Trump administration. The company operates approximately 126 retail properties in 40 states. Headquartered in Chicago, General Growth Properties Inc has 1,800 employees. Read Also: Indian-American To Lead PWE Department In Houston Indian-American Sworn-In As Top U.S. Healthcare Agency Head Source: PTI STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- The ailing business corridor along Bay Street is being fueled with money from a $1.54 million grant to help revitalize the commercial strip from Stapleton to St. George. The Staten Island Chamber of Commerce announced it has been awarded the $1.54 million grant from the New York City Department of Small Business Services (SBS) Neighborhood 360 program, which helps community-based organizations promote economic development. The funding will be used to support improvements, such as cleanliness and beautification projects, district marketing, and property owner and merchant organizing, according to the Chamber. GRANT SELECTION The Chamber was selected to lead these efforts through a competitive grant process that took place late last year. "The Staten Island Chamber of Commerce has proudly served our community for over 120 years from offices on Bay Street in the heart of Downtown Staten Island," said Linda Baran, president and CEO of the Staten Island Chamber of Commerce. "From our unique vantage point, we've seen many changes to the neighborhood through the years. Now, with so much exciting large-scale development happening in the area, it's poised to emerge as a major commercial hub. This investment by the city is exactly the boost needed to support its revitalization," she added. BUSINESSES EXCITED And business owners along the strip are excited about the upcoming renaissance. "With all the new businesses opening up and all the new residents moving in, anything we can do to clean up Bay Street is great. It'll be good for everybody," said Phil Errigo, owner of Paulie's Pizzeria and Errigo's Restaurant, which opened last year on Bay Street. Like many newcomers to the area, Errigo said he wanted to get in on the ground floor of the pending renaissance that is predicted to unfold as several large scale projects take shape, including the N.Y. Wheel and Empire Outlets. In early 2016, in collaboration with SBS, the Chamber conducted a Commercial District Needs Assessment -- an intensive process of data collection and analysis -- to determine specific areas of need and opportunity along the corridor. "The needs that were highlighted in the Commercial District Needs Assessment are truly important to the revitalization taking place on Bay Street," said Gary Angiuli, CEO of The Angiuli Group and partner in the law firm of Angiuli and Gentile on Bay Street, as well as the owner of Minthorne Street, a 33,000-square-foot building predicted to be the borough's next hotspot. "This funding will go a long way toward achieving the goals highlighted in that report. The Chamber of Commerce is the perfect strategic partner to oversee this project." ADDITIONAL FUNDING In addition, the Staten Island Chamber of Commerce has been awarded a separate $50,000 grant through the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) Commercial Corridor Challenge. Working in conjunction with the Neighborhood 360 program, the LISC grant (funded by LISC and Citi Community Development) will allow for immediate storefront and streetscape improvements and retail attraction and retention in the area. The Chamber has hired Janet Dugo as project manager for the Neighborhood 360 initiative. She brings a wide range of experience to the position, including a stint on Wall Street, over 10 years as a small business owner, and a deep understanding of the Staten Island business environment. FOLLOW TRACEY PORPORA ON FACEBOOK STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- A Staten Island resident who once served as the No. 2 man in an upstate Hells Angels chapter, was among six members and associates of the group charged with racketeering, drug crimes, money laundering and beating a rival gang member with a hammer, said authorities. Thomas Schmidt, 52, is a former vice president of the New Roc Hells Angels which operated in and around Westchester, Putnam and Dutchess counties from at least 2008 through August 2014, said federal prosecutors and the FBI. The gang trafficked cocaine, oxycodone and marijuana and traded in extortion, contraband cigarettes, altered motor parts and prostitution, authorities allege. They also laundered money, said authorities. In December 2012, Schmidt, along with a co-defendant, Joseph Kaplan, 30, of upstate Valhalla, slammed a member of a rival motorcycle gang, the Diablos, on the head with a hammer in a Poughkeepsie restaurant, an indictment alleges. The defendants were retaliating against the Diablos, who had encroached on the New Roc Hells Angels' territory, said authorities. Prosecutors did not provide a street address for Schmidt, although public records indicate he lives in Mariners Harbor. Schmidt is the only Staten Islander charged in the case. "As alleged, through the sale of cocaine, oxycodone and marijuana and their violent conflict with rival gangs, members of the New Roc Hells Angels wreaked havoc on the streets of Westchester, Putnam and Dutchess counties," said Joon H. Kim, acting U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York. Schmidt was charged with racketeering conspiracy and narcotics conspiracy for which he potentially faces up to life in prison, prosecutors said. He's also accused of assault in aid of racketeering activity and money laundering conspiracy, which each carry maximum penalties of 20 years behind bars. Schmidt was recently arraigned in Westchester federal court and pleaded not guilty, online court records show. Schmidt's lawyer could not immediately be reached for comment. traffic Traffic is delayed about a half hour Monday morning on the Staten Island Expressway. (Staten Island Advance/File photo) STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.-- Traffic is bad. Like, worse than usual. Drivers on the Staten Island Expressway headed toward Brooklyn on Monday morning should expect delays of about 30 minutes, according to CBS New York. Traffic is backed from the West Shore Expressway to the Verrazano Bridge, according to the report. The traffic, in turn, has delayed nearly every bus route on Staten Island, according to MTA website. Delays also are reported on the West Shore Expressway Northbound. Screen Shot 2017-03-19 at 6.16.27 PM.png Small Business Development Centers (SBDC) are hosting their first SBDC Day. (Courtesy of Staten Island SDBC) STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- In an effort to celebrate their accomplishments, Small Business Development Centers (SBDC) across the country are hosting their first SBDC Day on March 22. The centers will be posting accomplishments through social media to highlight the program. Located on the grounds of the College of Staten Island, with satellite offices in New Dorp and Brooklyn, the Staten Island SBDC, a program of the U.S. Small Business Administration, has served as a primary resource for small business owners for more than 20 years. Staten Island SBDC will be posting using the hashtags, #SBDCDay and #SISBDC. The center will be participating in the virtual celebration by requesting quotes, photos and stories from clients and resource partners. The Staten Island SBDC asks you to print out their sign, which you can find here, and fill out what the SBDC means to you. You can take a photo of yourself holding the sign or a photo with your team. Take your photos and email them to megan.ernst@csi.cuny.edu and they will post the photos throughout the day. If you are unable to send a photo, the SBDC asks if you can reply with a quote about what the SBDC means to you or share a story on how the SBDC has helped you. Malliotakis.jpg Pictured, from left to right, are: Rev. Protopresbyter Nicholas Petropoulakos; Presvytera Patricia Petropoulakos; Toula Lellos; Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis. The assemblywoman presented Assembly citations to Presvytera Patricia Petropoulakos and Lellos in recognition of their service to Staten Island's Greek-American community. (Photo courtesy of the Office of Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis) STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Here's a recap of what some of Staten Island's lawmakers have been up to recently. GREEK HERITAGE Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis recently presented Assembly citations to Presvytera Patricia Petropoulakos and Toula Lellos, in recognition of their service to Staten Island's Greek-American community, during her annual Greek Independence Day celebration at Holy Trinity-St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox, Bulls Head. "The United States and Greece have a long-standing friendship dating back to when the United States gave Greece a military ship and its quest for freedom from the Ottoman Empire ... It is fitting that we recognize and celebrate our long-standing relationship by honoring members of our Greek-American community," said Malliotakis (R-East Shore/Brooklyn). The 196th Anniversary of Greece's independence from the Ottoman Empire will be formally celebrated on Saturday. Petropoulakos was honored for her involvement in the Greek-American community. Lellos currently serves as Holy Trinity's church chanter, and is involved in numerous activities -- including serving as a volunteer cook for the annual Greek Festival. "Both Presvytera Pat and Toula are very deserving and exemplify the wonderful contributions Greek Americans have made," said Malliotakis. GUN OWNERS' PERSONAL INFO Assemblyman Ron Castorina Jr. recently introduced a bill seeking to provide uniform state protections regarding the personal information of those who own a gun. "We need to make sure that the information provided during the application process for a gun license stands protected," said Castorina (R-South Shore). "We cannot give localities the ability to undermine state protections to information." Statewide databases are exempt from the Freedom of Information Law, yet municipalities may grant access to these very same records at the local level. For example, New York City permits access to firearm registration to the public. The proposed legislation would standardize the processes throughout the state and apply the same protections to localities as is given to the state database. "Allowing municipalities to access this information challenges state law, and this bill would uniformly protect the personal information citizens use to apply for a gun license," said Castorina. SAVE VANISHING SPECIES Rep. Daniel Donovan this month introduced the Multinational Species Conservation Funds Semipostal Stamp Reauthorization Act. This bill extends the availability of the Save Vanishing Species Semipostal Stamp, a special postage stamp that helps fund conservation programs for endangered animals at no cost to the taxpayer. "I want my daughter to grow up in a world where the animals she learns about in the classroom, or sees at a zoo, can still be found in the wild. This legislation is a small step in helping ensure our wildlife will be preserved for future generations," said Donovan (R-Staten Island/Brooklyn). The Save Vanishing Species Semipostal Stamp enables consumers to support wildlife conservation every time they purchase a stamp. The stamp -- which is also known as the "Tiger Stamp" -- costs 13 cents more than a normal first-class stamp. The revenues from the stamp are allocated to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to support the Multinational Species Conservation Funds for tigers, rhinos, elephants, great apes and sea turtles. "The Save Vanishing Species stamp makes the act of conserving wildlife as easy as mailing a letter," said John Calvelli, Wildlife Conservation Society's executive vice president of Public Affairs. According to the Wildlife Conservation Society, more than 30 million specialty stamps have been sold since their introduction in 2011, raising more than $2.9 million. The funds have supported more than 3,500 grants in more than 54 countries to help save endangered species from extinction. This bill extends the sale of these stamps for an additional four years. carr.jpg In this 2015 file photo, Gwen Carr, Eric Garner's mother, attends a vigil in Tompkinsville on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Arrested in January outside Trump Tower in during a protest against President Trump's Supreme Court nominee, she learned Monday the charges will be dropped if she stays out of trouble. (Staten Island Advance) STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- A Manhattan judge on Monday told Eric Garner's mother and the Rev. Al Sharpton's daughter charges filed against them for protesting outside Trump Tower two months ago would be tossed provided they keep out of trouble, according to a published report in the New York Post. Gwen Carr, 67, and Ashley Sharpton, 29, were among a group arrested for allegedly blocking traffic on Jan. 31 on Fifth Avenue while protesting President Donald Trump's nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court, Neil Gorsuch. The defendants were arraigned in Manhattan Criminal Court on non-criminal charges of disorderly conduct for obstructing traffic and refusing to move. Their cases were adjourned in contemplation of dismissal, meaning the charges will be dropped in six months if they don't get arrested again. Garner, 43, died in police custody on July 17, 2014, when officers attempted to arrest him for allegedly selling untaxed, loose cigarettes in Tompkinsville. Page Content Speaking at the Aruba Day Awards Ceremony held at SOIL on Sunday evening, Prime Minister William Marlin said that Aruba Day is a special celebration not only for Arubians at home and abroad, but for those we might call the extended family of Aruba which includes friends and well-wishers all over the world, but particularly in St. Maarten where the Chuchubi Foundation has been the standard bearer for Aruba for quite a while now. Many St. Martiners the Prime Minister said were born on Aruba, actually the 50% of the Ministers making up the present government were born on our sister island as well as the acting Governor. The celebration of Aruba Day this year has featured several activities which began on Friday and the Awards Ceremony can therefore be considered the icing on the cake of the Aruba Day celebrations on St. Maarten. The ties between St. Maarten and Aruba go beyond our shared history of being part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It is even deeper, I dare say, than our cultural bonds. Blood ties make us family, and many of you here this evening are living proof of this. Marlin said that visiting Aruba, particularly San Nicolas is like being in MRegion or Cole, the family ties have never been broken, but have rather remained strong. It is for this reason that when St. Maarteners go to Aruba, they instantly feel at home, and I am sure the same goes for Arubians who come here. We are two nations with deep-rooted love and admiration for each other. The Prime Minister said that he always feels at home in Aruba, like he recently did when he was there for meetings and had the privilege to meet with his friend and colleague, Prime Minister of Aruba, Mike Eman. Prime Minister Marlin borrowed a quote from Franklin Roosevelt who once said: Friendship among nations, as among individuals, calls for constructive efforts to muster the forces of humanity in order that an atmosphere of close understanding and cooperation may be cultivated. I am sure it is that atmosphere of close understanding and cooperation that the Chuchubi Foundation seeks to cultivate with its activities, the Prime Minister stated. Prime Minister Marlin told those present at SOIL that it is the intention of his government to continue to work diligently to further strengthen the understanding and cooperation that exists between St. Maarten and Aruba at all levels. One area that needs urgent attention if we were to increase contact between our people is transportation. I can speak from personal experience of the difficulty passengers have been encountering in getting from St. Maarten to Aruba and vice versa. We need to first go to a foreign country outside of the Dutch Caribbean and then fly to Aruba or back to Sint Maarten. We need to work closely with the government of Aruba he said, to ensure that our people can travel straight to and from Aruba and Sint Maarten. We will seek to address this issue in a manner that will result in better, more affordable and more efficient air connections between our two destinations. Of course, both St. Maarten and Aruba are leading tourism destinations in the Caribbean. Cooperation in this field cannot be limited to just learning from each other from afar but should result in closer and intensified collaboration between our respective tourism authorities that would bring mutual benefits. We need to learn from each others mistakes and build on the best practices developed over the years. We cannot continue to see each other as competitors for the tourism dollar, but rather as partners in providing opportunities for our people to thrive in a very competitive field. As the curtain is drawn on the official celebration of Aruba Day, the Prime Minister quoted words by essayist, poet and philosopher, Henry David Thoreau who said: The language of friendship is not words but meanings. When we speak locally we simply say: action speaks louder than words. The Chuchubi Foundation, with these awards, is proving just that. The Prime Ministers ended his remarks saying: More than friends with Aruba or friends of Aruba, we are family. Congratulations to the recipients of this years awards. Once again, Happy Aruba Day! The Prime Minister and Chairlady of Parliament, Mrs. Sarah Wescot-Williams then handed out the awards on behalf of the Chuchubi Foundation to radio personality, Miss. Lady Grace Blijden of PJD-2 and Funny Man Comedian, Fernando Clark. SOIL, St. Maarten, March 18, 2017 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 Since then, North Korea has fired a medium-range missile that appeared to show significant technological advances. This month, it launched a barrage of four missiles, three of which landed within Japan's exclusive economic zone. While the missiles themselves weren't new, the tactic was, analysts said. The simultaneous firings appeared designed to outsmart the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense antimissile battery that the United States is deploying to South Korea, which would have difficulty shooting down four targets at once. The former student took the stand for a second day on Monday, where he defended his account of the alleged assaults under cross-examination by defence barrister John Masters. Peter Cuzner, 61, is on trial in the ACT Supreme Court this week charged with two counts of indecent assault. Prosecutors allege Mr Cuzner had touched the year 9 boy's groin on two occasions while purporting to look for a pulse. A defence barrister has sought to question the memory of the man who accused his former Catholic school teacher of sexually abusing him while at Daramalan College in the 1980s. Conceding his memory may have faded over time, the witness said, "but some things that happen in your life stick vividly in your mind, and are never going to be erased". The witness has told the court that twice in one year, first after they had gone for a drive and parked in an empty car park at the old Canberry Fair, and another after he helped the teacher with the garden at his home, Mr Cuzner had touched him near the groin. Mr Masters questioned the witness on inconsistencies between the accounts given to police in two interviews, one in 2015 and another in 2017, and his evidence-in-chief last Friday. In the 2015 interview, police had asked the man about the first thing he recalled about Mr Cuzner. The witness had said it was that Mr Cuzner was his year co-ordinator in year 10. The teacher was in fact the boy's year co-ordinator in year 9. A police officer attempting to arrest a dangerous driver at a home in Kambah was bitten by a dog on Sunday evening. ACT police were searching for a 23-year-old Macquarie woman who had failed to stop numerous times and had been driving dangerously. An ACT police officer came off second best against a dog when trying to make an arrest. Credit:Rohan Thompson They tracked her to the house in Kambah, where the officer was bitten during the arrest. The police officer received minor injuries. The ACT opposition will push the territory government to adopt laws giving childcare centres the right to turn away unvaccinated children. Canberra Liberal Elizabeth Kikkert will call on the Barr government to support 'no jab, no play laws' when the ACT parliament sits on Tuesday. Immunisaiton experts say the government's No Jab No Pay policy needs careful evaluation. Credit:Getty Images Currently ACT children do not need to be immunised to attend daycare. However if an outbreak occurs, any unvaccinated children will have to stay home until the danger has passed. Selling a house used to be about a picket sign in the front yard, a listing in the window of the local real estate office and a printed flier in mailboxes. Welcome to 2017 - where a modern real estate marketing campaign encompasses Facebook video, champagne openings and a photo shoot straight from an F. Scott Fitzgerald novel. Glamorous pool party - the 'hero' shot for the 44 Frome marketing campaign. Credit:Adam McGrath Canberra real estate agent Holly Komorowski is behind a new marketing campaign for 44 Frome Street, Griffith - a Kenneth Oliphant house and one of the first privately-built homes in the inner south. The marketing campaign is a hark back to Oliphant's art deco design roots and Ms Komorowski has gone all out, giving the house its own brand and leading with digital marketing to build anticipation for the red brick home before it hit the market. Each tumour that was removed from Sharon Dei Rocini's brain or lungs would have another in its place within weeks - until she began a revolutionary drug. The "living hell" began when a melanoma she had removed returned five years later and spread to her blood, eventually resulting in more than 20 tumours. The chance of the cancer coming back was a mere one per cent. Sharon Dei Rocini who had multiple tumors after a melanoma spread into her blood. She will be marching in the Melanoma March on March 19th. Credit:Rohan Thomson "When I got my first tumour there wasn't a lot of treatment, but because of research we have come such a long way," the Canberran said. "Since I started on the treatment, Keytruda, I have been able to fight back the cancer cells." A man and a woman who were woken by three balaclava-clad men who broke their Canberra apartment, assaulting the pair and fleeing the scene, have recovered. But ACT Police are still seeking witnesses to the violent home invasion a week after the incident last Tuesday at about 9.50pm at the Manhattan Apartments on Bunda Street in Civic. Detective Station Sergeant Matt Reynolds has appealed for information related to a home invasion and robbery in a Canberra apartment building. Credit:Daniel Burdon Detective Station Sergeant Matt Reynolds said police were investigating the crime, including talking to the owners of the apartment building, but had not yet found out whether there could be CCTV footage to help identify the offenders. He said a 31 year old man and 26 year old woman were woken by the three men, all of whom were wearing balaclavas, but two of whom were identified as Caucasian. A severe thunderstorm warning has been issued across much of regional New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory. The Bureau of Meteorology issued a warning about the thunderstorm, which could bring with it heavy rain and flash flooding, late this afternoon in regions including the south coast, Snowy Mountains, central and southern tablelands, ACT, Bateman's Bay, Goulburn, Cooma and Yass. A severe thunderstorm warning has been issued across much of regional New South Wales. The storm has already passed through the Illawarra and mid-north coast districts. State emergency services have advised people against driving or riding through creeks and flood water, to stay indoors if possible during the storm and keep children and pets indoors. Virgin Australia has confirmed Melbourne will be its Australian destination for a new service to Hong Kong starting mid-year. The airline flagged its first venture into the Chinese market in mid-2016 and confirmed in February it would launch a Hong Kong service but until now has not said if it would fly from Sydney or Melbourne. Virgin said on Tuesday it would fly Airbus A330-200s five times return every week starting on July 5. The announcement follows the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission granting interim approval for Virgin's tie-up with Chinese carriers HNA, Hong Kong Airlines and HK Express. The alliance means passengers will be able to connect from Hong Kong to 13 destinations in mainland China. Those flying from Hong Kong on Hainan Airlines, Hong Kong Airlines, Capital Airlines and Tianjin Airlines will connect to Virgin's domestic and trans-Tasman network under the alliance. It's a dangerous thing to talk a big game before taking the field. Treasurer Scott Morrison did that pre-departure for the weekend G20 finance ministers meeting in Germany. He's been left trying to claim a big loss was actually a win. Monty Python's dismembered Black Knight comes to mind. Last week Morrison told Fairfax Media he would take no part in any weakening of the G20's pro-trade stance but that's just what happened. The G20 was right royally Trumped, its public free-trade commitment blown out of the water. The mealy-mouthed platitudes of the final communique mean nothing. That's why the US was prepared to go along with it. Instead of the previous pledge to resist protectionism, members only say they'll be "working to strengthen the contribution of trade to our economies" which could mean anything at all and that they would "strive to reduce excessive global imbalances, promote greater inclusiveness and fairness and reduce inequality in our pursuit of economic growth". That bit sounds ominous as Trumpland believes it's the victim of excessive trade imbalances and has been treated unfairly by unequal treaties. This G20 communique could be waved as approval for Trump to disregard the World Trade Organisation, tear up agreements and dubiously insist on "America first". Strata fees could fall in buildings that allow owners to list their properties on Airbnb, under a building program launched by the home sharing platform this week. The Friendly Buildings Program, which has been piloted in the US, will redirect a recommended 5 to 15 per cent of an Airbnb booking fee back to the strata body, giving it a cut of the lucrative home sharing market. The program required Airbnb hosts and their owners corporation to sign an agreement, that includes a "rule book" for home sharing in the building, as well as insurance of $1 million for every booking. It will also make way for a "multi-stack" arrangement, whereby tenants in a rental property can rent out a room or home on Airbnb, while ensuring a profit share for both the landlord and the owner's corporation. Ben Harley had always wanted a Weber barbecue. For about $750, he thought it was a worthwhile purchase from a reputable brand. So when he headed online to buy one, Mr Harley was buoyed to find a deal that would snag him a discount of more than $200. "I searched online for the model I wanted and clicked one of the first ad links. They were offering it for $506 at the time, so naturally I was very interested," he said. ACTU secretary Sally McManus has admitted she made an error when she accused building company Grocon of "killing workers", but continued to defend her stand against unfair industrial laws. During an interview on the ABC's 7.30 Report last week, Ms McManus said Grocon was fined $300,000 for "killing" five workers. "While it was not accurate to say 'Grocon was fined $300,000 for killing five workers', it is accurate to point out that the huge discrepancy in fines paid by the company and the CFMEU is a glaring example of the inherent unfairness in our industrial relations laws," Ms McManus said. In a statement issued on Monday night, Ms McManus said Grocon did not have the best record for workplace safety. Workers sleep in bed rolls between shifts. Fair Work Commission vice-president Graeme Watson approved the enterprise agreement in February 2013, saying it passed the so-called better-off overall test. The test ensures workers are better off overall under a proposed enterprise agreement than they would be under the relevant award. A former partner at law firm Freehills, Mr Watson was the last remaining Coalition appointee in a senior role at the commission and a strong dissenter in favour of business. He said the commission was "partisan, dysfunctional and divided" when he announced his resignation from it in January. Traffic is often congested in Mascot. Credit:Dallas Kilponen In his decision, Mr Watson said the minimum three-hour shifts under the Aerocare enterprise agreement was a "disadvantage" to workers compared to the minimum four-hour shifts required under the award. "I do not believe that a three-hour work period followed by a subsequent one-hour unpaid meal break is consistent with the award requirement that employers roster part-time employees for a minimum of four consecutive hours on any shift or the minimum payment of four hours for casuals," he said. Workers bed down in 'Third World conditions' between shifts, unions says. This is being allowed to happen because airports and airlines are outsourcing work to low-cost companies and not giving a damn about the workers. TWU national secretary Tony Sheldon "I propose to consider this change as a detriment to both part-time and casual employees." However, considering all the circumstances, Mr Watson said he was satisfied the advantages within the enterprise agreement outweighed the disadvantages. TWU secretary Tony Sheldon says airports and airlines 'don't give a damn' about the workers. Credit:Louise Kennerly "In my view the benefits of the agreement are substantial," he said. However, Jason said Aerocare workers were being paid so poorly they "didn't care about their jobs" and safety standards had started to suffer. "The pay and conditions were pretty bad, but my main issue was the safety issue, the fact that people are being so poorly remunerated they don't care about their jobs," he said. "They are budget providers and this is not an industry that you should employ people on a budget." TWU national secretary Tony Sheldon said the footage showed "the reality of work behind the shiny facade of our airports". "Workers are struggling on slave wages and sleeping on bed rolls because they have to spend long days at work to support their families," he said. "This is being allowed to happen because airports and airlines are outsourcing work to low-cost companies and not giving a damn about the workers in their supply chains that it affects." In February, Qantas posted a statutory net profit after tax of $515 million, down 25 per cent on the previous year's result. Aerocare said it was negotiating a new workplace agreement. Chief executive Glenn Rutherford said he was focused on improving its rostering system and securing more contracts to help employees get longer shifts. "It obviously isn't our preference to have shorter shifts but rostering is driven by the needs of our customers, with rosters determined by flight schedules and noting that it generally takes three hours to fully service an international aircraft," he said. But any suggestion its employees were being "forced" to camp out in secure areas of Sydney airport while they wait for their "split shifts" was "false". "No Aerocare employee is forced to do anything and it is difficult to comprehend how anyone could make such a claim given that last year alone we had over 180 safety and security related audits all of which were passed," Mr Rutherford said. "We would never knowingly allow any of our employees to sleep at the airport as the safety and well-being of our employees is paramount to our operation. "Our employees enjoy improving wages, and safer conditions than those offered by many of our competitors and we have spent millions of dollars improving our rostering system to maximise the duration of employee shifts." A Sydney Airport spokeswoman said it worked closely with airport partners, including the AFP and Border Force, to ensure a safe and secure environment. "Any matters raised at the airport are resolved in consultation with our partners, in accordance with the relevant legislation," she said. Jetstar, which is owned by Qantas, said the union claims were part of negotiations for a new pay deal between Aerocare and their employees and was "a matter between them". "Aerocare's airline customers like Jetstar do not determine the pay and conditions of Aerocare's employees," the spokesman said. Employers and union officials will face up to ten years' jail and companies will be fined as much as $4.5 million if they give or receive secret payments designed to corrupt a union official under new laws the Turnbull government will introduce. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said Australians were "horrified" that unions could trade away workers' entitlements in return for improper payments from companies. The government would take up recommendations of the Heydon royal commission into unions by making it a criminal offence for improper payments or benefits to pass between employers and unions. Companies would face penalties of up to $4.5 million and individuals fined $900,000 or jailed up to ten years if they make or receive, solicit or offer payments or benefits intended to corrupt a union official. The death of Chuck Berry over the weekend at the age of 90 has led to an outpouring of respect for a man widely recognised as one of the most important founding figures of rock and roll. His place in the music canon is undoubtedly deserved, and is likely to be enduring. Berrys musical legacy sits alongside another aspect of his life which is all too familiar in the music industry a history of mistreatment of women. Berry spent time in prison in the early 1960s after being convicted of transporting a 14-year-old girl across state lines for the purpose of prostitution. While there is some question about whether this was an instance of an overly broad law being applied in a racist way, less ambiguous is the estimated US$1.2 million settlement he paid to 59 women in the early 1990s after being accused of installing a hidden camera in the ladies bathroom of his restaurant in Missouri. Obituaries to Berry released over the last few days vary greatly some omit or minimise this material, while others include frank accounts of these events. The New York Times has given a thorough account of his darker side, as well as his accomplishments: Some of the most extensive work on these issues in Australia has been done at the University of South Australia's Centre for Work+Life through regularly surveying large sample groups of randomly selected Australian workers. Its latest (2014) survey found that workers who flourished with mental health characteristics such as optimism, resilience and engagement were more commonly those who had a good fit between their actual and desired working hours. Really? Is that the best we can do? Mr Willox said we should instead be talking about how Australia's workplace relations system could be more productive and flexible. Did it not occur to him that our workplace relations system could be more productive and flexible precisely if more people were able to choose the working patterns that best fit their lives, including four-day weeks and six-hour days? The Herald does not make light of the aspiration for world peace. But nor do we make light of the idea of a four-day work week, which met with a predictable howl of dismissal from the business lobby when raised by Greens leader Richard Di Natale at the National Press Club. "Fanciful and unaffordable," snapped Innes Willox, chief executive of the Australian Industry Group. The end of the world as we know it, cried Liberal senator and former employment minister Eric Abetz. It would have "a devastating impact on the Australian economy and its productive capacity", is what he actually said. Ah, the four-day work week. It's a bit like the paperless office, or world peace. Many agree it's a great idea, and we should do it, but somehow we never get there. The surveys look at "work-life interference", a more useful and realistic concept than the popular but elusive "work-life balance". They found not surprisingly that long working hours more than 48 hours a week are associated with high work-life interference. Long hours get in the way of all the other important things workers not only want but need to do with their lives, such as caring for loved ones, whether children, elders or partners, nurturing relationships, participating in community life, playing sport, expressing creativity or simply enjoying some good old-fashioned leisure time. Just over a third of employees, men and women, would prefer to work at least four hours fewer each week, and that goes for three-quarters of those working the longest hours. We know, as Senator Di Natale said, that 16 per cent of people would like to work more hours. Most of them are men in part-time work, the Centre for Work+Life survey shows. We know that about a third, or 33 per cent, of employees would rather work fewer hours. Putting those two numbers together suggests that roughly half the Australian workforce has trouble flourishing because people can't work the hours they'd like. Workers who can flourish mentally will be more productive. Encouraging more women into the workforce has been identified as one of the best ways to lift Australian workforce productivity, but given that the burden of care and housework is overwhelmingly still theirs more so in Australia than in most comparable countries it's not going to happen without more flexible working patterns. To be effective, work-life policies need to work not just for working mothers but for everyone, without stigma and the fear of being sidelined in a career for wanting to work less. We need to rethink the aspects of work culture that encourage or require long hours: workloads, performance expectations, staffing levels, job design and organisational culture. We need to re-examine the conservative culture that demands work be prioritised over all other life considerations, including for women, who are also expected to keep home and hearth running so they don't interfere with men's work. Policies will need to be carefully calibrated so that it's not just the rich who can afford to prioritise time over money, as is now the case. Addressing the problem of housing affordability is part of it. As the workforce ages, and the burden of elderly care becomes more concentrated on those who are working, business will be left with no choice. The question is not whether we can afford to move closer to a norm of four-day work weeks or six-hour work days. The question is, how much longer can we afford to stay in denial about it? The Turkish-Dutch row has gone beyond any norms of diplomatic niceties. Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan accused the Dutch leadership of Nazi practices and "broken morality", and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte rebutted Erdogan's remarks as "vile falsification". While Erdogan escalated the war of words, Rutte has been careful to be nuanced in his response, although to no avail so far. What does all this mean for Turkish-European Union relations and its implications for Muslims in Europe? Some commentators view the Erdogan-Rutte row as symbolising a clash of civilisations. Others have been sanguine and regard it as largely posturing for electoral gains, as Erdogan faces a referendum to transform his position into an executive president, and Rutte sought (successfully) another term in office. On the evidence available, it is more a political than civilisational row, but it carries the risk of pitching Islam against Europe and making life very difficult for Muslim minorities in that continent. Erodgan's relations with several of his European counterparts have steadily deteriorated over his severe crackdown on Turkey's opposition since the failed attempted coup against him in July 2016. He has skilfully and forcefully resorted to a kind of Turkish Islamic nationalism to howl down his opponents, thousands of whom have been arrested and dismissed from their jobs on the grounds they were behind the coup and were followers of his one-time ally but, since 2013, mortal political foe, cleric Fethullah Gulen, who lives in exile in the United States. Erdogan is angered by the fact that many European leaders have not supported his treatment of the opposition, and have accused him of human rights violations in a quest to become Turkey's unchallenged Islamic ruler. He perceives these accusations as a slap in the face given all he and his country have done, as a critical member of NATO, for the Syrian refugee exodus, including substantially stemming the outflow to Europe from early 2016. Erdogan's expectations have all along been that, in addition to financial aid, the Europeans would accelerate the process of Turkey joining the EU, the prospects for which now look very bleak. Two Australians in Nauru believed to be working with detention centre contractor Wilson Security have been detained by local police and will be deported back to Australia. The Nauruan government confirmed on Tuesday two Australian citizens were awaiting deportation after being detained under the country's immigration laws, but did not explain the reasons for their arrest. The Nauruan government confirmed two Australian citizens were slated for deportation. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen "They are being provided with consular access. The government reserves the right to revoke any visa by a foreign national if deemed to be in our national interest," Nauru's media and public information unit said in a statement. Fairfax Media has learnt through multiple sources the two people, understood to be a man in his 20s and a woman in her 30s, work for Wilson Security at the Australian-run detention centre on the island. Malcolm Turnbull's "Snowy Hydro 2.0" could set Australia on a path to 100 per cent renewable electricity generation by 2030 energy sector experts claim. Just weeks after spruiking the merits of "clean coal" generation, there is surprise at the scale of the Prime Minister's pumped hydro plans among academics who study reducing emissions in the electricity industry. Tim Forcey, a 35-year veteran of the power sector, warned the new Snowy Mountains scheme could turn out to be "the most expensive pumped hydro that anyone could conceive" unless its real objective is actually to support a fully-renewable electricity grid. And Professor Andrew Blakers from the Australian National University said the $2 billion idea would be cost-effective because it would effectively make solar and wind a "baseload" source by ironing out shortfalls and providing power at peak times. 1. FBI confirms Russia investigation It has been an extraordinary few hours in Washington where FBI director James Comey has been giving what has been an, at times, gripping testimony to the congressional House Intelligence Committee. Donald Trump spent his Monday morning tweeting extensively about "FAKE NEWS" pushed by the media and Democrats in relation to Russia, in anticipation of Monday's hearing. Comey's confirmation that the FBI is investigating whether there was any collusion between the Trump campaign and the Russians during the US election was widely expected - but nevertheless still sensational. [Fairfax] If the politicians have cooked up a "done deal" for mere minimalism on constitutional recognition, Aboriginal people will say no. Substantive reform, or nothing at all. That was the clear message relayed at the Victorian dialogue in Melbourne this weekend. It is a message we, as convenors of the gathering, support 100 per cent. We facilitated the Melbourne First Nations regional dialogue, the seventh in the series of 12 being run by the Referendum Council. Following on from dialogues in Hobart, Broome, Dubbo, Darwin and Sydney, it was a robust, passionate and ultimately inspiring discussion. The dialogue was understandably emotional. There are few opportunities for Aboriginal people to get together to reflect on our past and discuss our aspirations. At times it was heated. We discussed our history: our hard fought wins and our shared losses. We talked about our hopes and dreams, about the risks and dangers, about our sovereignty and possibilities for self-determination. What would diminish it? And what might enhance it? We talked about current challenges: the ongoing rate of youth suicide, the injustice of incarceration, the continuing loss of our language and culture. And we asked how constitutional recognition could help address these things because if this reform does nothing to help our day-to-day struggles, it should not be pursued. Eastern suburbs socialite Elizabeth "Lizzie" Buttrose has had allegations she threatened to injure her son dismissed during a brief court appearance. Dressed all in black, wearing a large diamond ring, pearl jewellery and carrying a Chanel handbag, Buttrose, 47, the niece of media identity Ita, attended Waverley Local Court on Monday with her fiance Zoran Stoper. Lizzie Buttrose and her fiance Zoran Stoper outside Waverley courthouse on Monday. Credit:Ben Rushton Her son, Andrew Spira, did not appear, his lawyers telling magistrate Michael Barko that he was in Queensland and would not be returning to NSW for any further court matters. Buttrose was charged last October after she allegedly threatened Spira with violence in relation to him giving evidence in another court case. She pleaded not guilty at a hearing last October. Fashion designer Dan Single remains in a Paris hospital after falling from the third floor of a hotel last week. A friend of the Ksubi jeans co-founder and Bondi socialite told Fairfax on Monday that he is now "out of intensive care" after being put in an induced coma following the fall. Dan Single with wife Bambi Northwood-Blythe at a NYD party on January 1. Credit:Watsons Bay The Daily Telegraph reports that he "shattered every bone from the bottom of his spine to his heels" after landing "feet first" from a window of the Grand Hotel Amour in the 10th arrondissement. The 36-year-old is married to model Bambi Northwood-Blyth, 25, and has a 10-year-old son, Justice, with former partner, P.E. Nation designer, Pip Edwards. Kim Kardashian West relived for the cameras the night masked robbers broke into her Paris apartment, held her at gunpoint and stole millions of dollars worth of jewellery. On Sunday's Keeping Up with the Kardashians, the 36-year-old said she mentally prepared herself to be raped during the ordeal on October 3 last year. "He duct tapes my face, like my mouth, to get me to not yell or anything and then he grabs my legs - I had no clothes on under. He pulled me towards him at the end of the bed and I thought, 'like OK, this is the moment, they are going to rape me' and I fully mentally prepped myself and then they didn't," she said. "Then he had the gun up to me and I knew that was the moment, they are totally going to shoot me in the head. I just prayed that Kourtney [Kardashian] is going to have a normal life after she sees my dead body on the bed." A Sydney mother is honouring her daughter's last wish to highlight the need for Australia's first dedicated hospice for adolescents and young adults By hoping to raise funds from the sale of her award winning images. Sian Grahl was a talented photographer with several awards to her name. Last year she won a prestigious Life Framer award for her fine-art work, which was exhibited in galleries around the world, including New York, Rome and Tokyo. Blue Self. Credit:Sian Grahl Tragically Sian died last November. She was just 25. Sian was born with a rare form of spinal muscular dystrophy and was wheelchair bound from 13. She was immensely active as a photographer. She also found some respite from her crippling condition at Bear Cottage one of only three hospices of its kind. Australia was meant to be the gift of a lifetime for Mohsin Awan. The young Pakistani man crossed the globe, arriving in Newcastle six months ago, embracing all that the region had to offer: he joined a cricket club, knuckled down in his studies at the University of Newcastle and enjoyed day trips in the picturesque Hunter Valley. The 23-year-old's Australian adventure turned to tragedy on Sunday night, after he was swept away in rough surf at Nobbys Beach. Authorities now fear the worst for Mr Awan, who was last seen taking photographs with a friend in the rock-ringed area known as Soldiers Baths, at the southern edge of the beach. Less than a fortnight after North Sydney Council was rebuked by the Berejiklian government for its petty rivalries, councillors walked out on the mayor as she called for a "line in the sand" to be drawn following a report into the council's dysfunction. North Sydney mayor Jilly Gibson began addressing the chamber on the findings of a public inquiry into the council, when four councillors left their seats and exited the room, leaving Monday night's meeting temporarily without a quorum. North Sydney mayor Jilly Gibson's calls for unity were not heeded on Monday night, as councillors walked out on the meeting. Credit:Daniel Munoz "It would be good after this if we can put this matter to bed, draw a line in the sand and move on," Cr Gibson began. But her colleagues - councillors Melissa Clare, MaryAnn Beregi, Jeff Morris and Zoe Baker - left the chamber as she outlined her views on the "exhausting and harrowing" inquiry process, which she said had "vindicated" her. A Supreme Court judge has blasted former NSW Labor MP Eddie Obeid and his sons for bringing an "unreasonable" and "irresponsible" lawsuit against the corruption watchdog and ordered the family to pay a multimillion-dollar legal bill. In a scathing judgment delivered on Monday, Justice David Hammerschlag said there was "every reason why" Obeid and his sons Moses, Paul and Eddie jnr should pay the costs of every person sued in the case. From left, lawyer Nick di Girolamo, Moses Obeid, Eddie Obeid jnr, lawyer Tim Breene (back) and Paul Obeid at the Supreme Court last year. Credit:Peter Rae This included former Independent Commission Against Corruption chief David Ipp, QC, against whom the Obeids had made baseless allegations of misconduct that Justice Hammerschlag described as "of the gravest kind". Legal sources said the bill would easily exceed $2 million, on top of the Obeids' own costs. Regional Express is removing from all of its planes propeller gear boxes and shafts of the same series as those on a Saab 340 aircraft that was forced to make an emergency landing after one of its propellers fell off in mid-flight. The airline has also praised the actions of the pilots of flight ZL-768 on Friday for demonstrating "enormous composure and discipline under extraordinary circumstances". The 34-seat Regional Express plane, carrying 16 passengers and three crew, was about 19 kilometres from Sydney Airport when its right-hand propeller flew off, leading the two pilots to declare a PAN, which is one step down from a full-scale Mayday. In a decision it described as due to an "abundance of caution", Regional Express said the gear boxes and shafts of the same series would be immediately removed from service while it waited for air-safety investigators to "determine the root cause of the incident". There are grave fears for an international student who was swept into the water at a beach in Newcastle on Sunday, with the search once again suspended overnight. Mohsin Awan, a 23-year-old Pakistani student, was on a rock face near Nobbys Beach with another foreign student, also 23, when they were swept off rocks by huge swells on Sunday night. A group of bystanders managed to get the second man back to shore, but Mr Awan - who was wearing a navy blue t-shirt and black jeans - disappeared. Emergency services began to search for him, before they were hampered by hazardous conditions and the search was called off. Thankfully you haven't lost any of the movies you redeemed through EzyFlix or JB Hi-Fi, but to watch them after April 13 you'll need to download Flixster and link it to your UltraViolet account. The demise of EzyFlix and now JB Hi-Fi NOW Video leaves Flixster as the last man standing in Australia although Flixster doesn't have much of a presence here beyond offering its apps for iOS, Android and Windows Phone. UltraViolet launched with great fanfare in 2013, introducing a new digital download service for those redemption codes which come with some new movies on disc. Instead of giving you the choice of a free iTunes or Google Play download, you instead had the option of redeeming the code with local retailers which offered their own streaming apps that supported UltraViolet; namely EzyFlix, JB Hi-Fi or Flixster. Aussies are losing yet another way to watch movies on their smartphones and tablets, with JB Hi-Fi NOW Video set to close its doors in April. UltraViolet was always doomed to fail in Australia because the movie studios took no responsibility for its success or failure instead it all rested on the shoulders of retail partners. JB Hi-Fi and EzyFlix were expected to build their own streaming service and negotiate individual streaming deals with each movie studio. These days most movie studios use UltraViolet except for Disney and its subsiduaries, which favour "Digital Copy Plus" that grants you an iTunes or Google Play download. Unfortunately Disney has scrapped Digital Copy Plus in Australia, claiming that it's no longer necessary because we have so many alternatives which is laughable when you consider that Digital Copy Plus is still available in the US even though Americans really are spoiled for choice when it comes to digital content. When you buy a new release movie on disc it's unlikely to be available via a subscription streaming service like Netflix. Hollywood expects you to buy a separate digital copy if you want to watch it on your mobile devices, and Australians don't even have the right to rip their movie discs thanks to our archaic copyright laws. In the US, UltraViolet has flourished thanks to the backing of retail giants like Walmart's Vudu and Best Buy's CinemaNow, but Hollywood clearly doesn't care whether UltraViolet withers on the vine in smaller markets like Australia. Once again we're treated as second-class digital citizens, simply there to be fleeced. Do you redeem the codes supplied with new movies on Blu-ray, or do you consider digital downloads and perhaps Blu-ray discs to be redundant? But there's no evidence of a truck ever hitting the Flemington Road bridge. Metro Trains said it was informed of a "bridge strike" by Victoria Police and sent engineers to inspect the damage. Police were told a truck hit the Flemington Road rail bridge on the Upfield line shortly after 5pm. Peak-hour train travellers faced lengthy delays after a truck reportedly hit a rail bridge in Melbourne's north on Monday. "There was no truck there when we arrived," a Metro spokesman said. Similarly, police said there was no truck in sight when officers arrived at the scene. Nevertheless, trains were stopped and hundreds of passengers forced to find other means of transport. One commuter described scenes at nearby Macaulay station as "absolute chaos". Engineers declared the bridge safe about 5.40pm, but it was too late for commuters already facing half-hour delays. A man accused of murdering a woman in a Kew apartment eight months ago has also been charged with assaulting and robbing a man of the drug ice about a week before the woman's death, according to court papers. Alexander Dow Freeburn, 28, made a brief appearance in Melbourne Magistrates Court on Monday charged with murdering Elizabeth Wilms, 29, some time between June 30 and July 5 last year. Police at the scene in Kew last year. Credit:Wayne Taylor It took police several days to find Mr Freeburn before he was arrested near Warrnambool. He was later released without charge and, it has been reported, extradited to NSW where he was in custody on unrelated offences. A 72-year-old man, charged following the stabbing of a beloved Catholic priest in front of shocked worshippers in Melbourne's northern suburbs, has been released on bail. Reverend Tomy Mathew was about to begin the 11am Italian mass at St Matthew's Catholic Church in Fawkner on Sunday when the man allegedly approached with what was believed to be a kitchen knife. Father Tomy Mathew. Reverend Mathew had been in the foyer when the man attacked, police said. On Sunday night the Fawkner man was arrested over the stabbing. He was charged with intentionally and recklessly cause injury on Monday morning. Premier Daniel Andrews said "a number of commercial parties" were interested in buying the Heyfield timber mill businesses but the government would step in as a "purchaser of last resort", reports Benjamin Preiss. "This is a viable business," he said. Mr Andrews urged the owners of Heyfield to engage with the government in a "meaningful way" in coming days and weeks. He said he hoped the mill could continue under the volumes of timber VicForests had agreed to supply. A farmer texted his son-in-law, writing "I'm on my way Davey boy," before fatally shooting him because he suspected he was having an affair with his wife, a trial has heard. Maxwell John Pain had a rifle and a shotgun in his ute as he drove from his Neilborough farm, north of Bendigo, to the Raywood property owned by his daughter and her partner on the night of June 10, 2014, a Supreme Court jury has been told. At 7.10pm Mr Pain sent David Paris the text message, and within minutes shot his son-in-law in the abdomen with the gun, the jury was told on Monday. Mr Paris died at the scene. Prosecutors allege Mr Pain killed Mr Paris, 36, over the belief he was having an affair with Mr Pain's wife, Tracy Bush. Mr Pain, 55, has pleaded not guilty to murder. Pressure is mounting on the newly formed state government to address laws that enable convicted child rapists to return quietly to school as outraged parents rallied outside Parliament House on Monday morning. It comes after three boys, two convicted and one accused of child rape, were allowed to return to Perth schools in the past month, with teachers, parents and students unaware of their alleged offences due to laws that effectively gag schools from being able to warn parents of a student's criminal history. Parents protesting about convicted child sex offenders being allowed to return to school. Credit:Heather McNeill "Your child could be sitting in a classroom next to a child sex offender and you just don't know about it and there's no way of knowing because you actually don't have a right to know," said one concerned parent outside Parliament. "Those kids need to be schooled alternatively, they have a right to be schooled... but it shouldn't be at the risk of our children that are vulnerable to being their prey or to being sexually fantasised about while their in class." A controversial poll privately funded by a group of prominent Perth businessmen last August revealed the Liberal government would have won 10 of the 11 marginal seats polled if Colin Barnett stepped down. The ReachTEL poll of 10,748 people across 11 Perth seats - partly funded by John Poynton and builder Nigel Satterley - suggested Labor would win 10 of those seats at the March 11 election and seize government from the Liberals while Barnett was leader. But for the first time the whole results of the poll have been revealed by Radio 6PR's Perth Live, showing a staggering 29.2 per cent of pollsters would have voted for the Liberals if Mr Barnett was not Premier. With Barnett booted out, the coalition would have won 10 of the seats polled instead of losing them. A man has been fined for trying to smuggle more than 4000 insects, 27 spiders and seven scorpions on to a flight from Perth to Abu Dhabi. The Czech national was boarding a flight last month when his bags were searched by Australian Border Force officers who seized the insects. The man tried to fly 4000 insects, 27 spiders and seven scorpions to Abu Dhabi. Credit:Auscape ABF says the insects were housed in plastic boxes, ziplock bags and plastic bottles. Most were packed in wood shavings infused with ethyl acetate except for a few moths and butterflies, which were housed in wax paper envelopes in a plastic box. Power was cut to about 1700 houses in Kewdale after a car, occupied by two teen girls, crashed into a power pole last night. 9 News Perth reporter Scott Cunningham said fire crews rushed to the scene on the corner of Wright Street and Armadale Road in the early hours of Monday morning. About 700 homes were still without power by 7am, according to the ABC's Graeme Powell. "It's caused a fair bit of damage, it has brought down some power lines with it," Mr Cunningham said. One of the severed roots. The arborist advised the tree had been healthy and sound and of low risk, but the severing of the roots so close to the stem had rendered it unsafe. Worse, had he been consulted prior, he said, he would have been able to recommend a likely safe distance at which the roots could have been cut. The tree originally. The tree was now unstable and, given its enormity, represented an immediate danger to life and property. The next day, the couple took urgent action on the recommendation to cut the tree down. It was difficult to get contractors to do this, given it was so close to Christmas, and the couple eventually ended up spending the holiday period watching a team of men spend four to five hours to reduce their tree to a five-metre stump. The arborist explained the stump would not be able to support any new growth. WAtoday has viewed the arborists' invoices totalling $850 and the bill of almost $5000 to cut the tree down. The couple said that after the discovery of the cut roots, they ran into their soon-to-be neighbours on the block next door. They alleged their neighbours displayed some local council information on their mobile phones, which said they were within their rights to sever any roots encroaching on their property. They then contacted the building manager, who confirmed the building plans did not warrant root removal and that the action had not been undertaken by him or his subcontractors. The couple twice wrote to their neighbours to ask whether they had cut, or paid someone to cut, the tree roots and if so, on what evidence of danger or nuisance. In the second letter, they asked for financial compensation. The arborist had used the Australian Thyer Tree Valuation Method and the tree's original dimensions to estimate a dollar value of more than $26,000. The couple had sought quotations for the purchase, transport and planting of a mature replacement tree of that species. The largest available, a 10-metre specimen, could cost up to $30,000. In their letter, the couple asked if the matter could be finalised informally, or if not, through mediation. They mentioned that they hoped to put this behind them and resume normal neighbourly relations. In February, they finally received a letter from the neighbours' lawyer that denied any cutting of tree roots, but nevertheless emphasised they were lawfully entitled to cut encroaching tree roots if they chose. The identity of the person who cut the roots remains unknown. The couple has now resorted to engaging a lawyer who drafted a letter to the neighbours on Tuesday claiming damage and financial losses. Legal Aid WA's website says anyone cutting a neighbour's tree root on their side of the property should "take care not to cause unnecessary damage". New South Wales and South Australia have tree or tree-owner protection law but WA does not instead, the responsibility is delegated to local councils. The City of South Perth has a Significant Tree Register featuring similar lemon-scented gums. "Our tree's ratings on height, girth, and canopy as well as its ratings on other National Trust attributes such as age, landscape value, community opinion, scarcity, potential threat, and wildlife habitat, mean it would very likely have qualified as a Category One Significant Tree. Significant Trees in the COSP are given Tree Protection Orders requiring COSP approval before they are pruned or their roots impacted in any way," Ms Gillieatt said. The couple will need to remove the stump at some point, work that has been quoted at $1600. A West Australian Coles supermarket manager has been slammed by the retail workers union after asking staff to work for four hours on a Sunday night without pay, but plenty of pizza. The manager of the store posted a note in the shop, asking his 65-people workforce "to give me 4h free labour" to clear a backlog of stock in a storeroom. No pay, but pizza: The note posted at a WA Coles store. Credit:ABC News "Yes, it is a big ask and I would not be requesting this unless it was absolutely necessary." The reason, so the note said, was an "enormous amount of stock out in the back". Beijing: The closure of Beijing's last big coal-fired power station, which had dominated the skyline of the city's outskirts for 18 years, has been welcomed by environmental groups, who hope China will maintain momentum on its ambitious clean energy targets. Beijing had promised in 2013 to have its four coal-fired power stations shut down by this year. Boys look at a phone next to a coal-fired power plant on the outskirts of Beijing in November. Credit:Getty Images The Huaneng Beijing Thermal Power Plant shut its coal-fired power generator on Saturday. The move was trumpeted in state media as making Beijing the first coal-free city for electricity and heating in China. Beijing's mayor, Cai Qi, was quoted as saying: "Replacing coal with clean energy is not only to deal with air pollution but also a requirement of the company's transformation." Bali: Byron Bay woman Sara Connor has decided not to appeal the four-year sentence handed down to her by a court in Bali for the fatal group assault that resulted in the death of police officer Wayan Sudarsa. Speaking outside Bali's Kerobokan jail Robert Khuana, a lawyer for Connor, said that her legal team had urged her to appeal, conscious that the prosecution had said on Friday that it would do so. "We spoke to Sara," he said. "We advised that since the prosecutor had appealed, if she didn't appeal she will likely get a heavier sentence. Because [if she did not appeal] the judge will only consider the argument from the prosecutor. High Court can [then] only rule the same [sentence] or heavier." It is standard practice in Indonesia for prosecutors to appeal when the sentence is less than two-thirds of that requested. In this case, the prosecutors had requested eight years' jail. NPPDs Preliminary Official Statement and the information contained therein is subject to completion, amendment or other change without any notice. The bonds described therein may not be sold, nor may offers to buy be accepted prior to the time the Official Statement is delivered in final form. Under no circumstances shall the Preliminary Official Statement constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of any offer to buy, nor shall there be any sale of these bonds in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the applicable securities laws of any such jurisdiction. A Preliminary Official Statement is available for review at http://www.nppd.com/assets/publications/2017PreliminaryOfficialStatement/ . Donald Trump's tweets about Barack Obama and wiretapping have been described as "evidence-free" allegations. Credit:Bloomberg Here are five things to watch at Monday's House Intelligence Committee hearing: 1. Can Republicans stop the bleeding? Can Democrats unearth a smoking gun? US Attorney-General Jeff Sessions had two interactions with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak during the 2016 election campaign. Credit:AP Republicans have been scrambling to help the president avoid the spectre of scandal since allegations first surfaced about contacts between Trump's team and Russian officials. Nunes has repeatedly said he believes there is no evidence of improper contact, taking pains to shift the focus of the investigation toward ferreting out who leaked information about such contacts to the media - saying that the leaks are the only "major crimes" that occurred. Russian ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak met Mr Flynn. Credit:AP But Trump complicated Republicans' efforts with his insistence that the Obama administration wiretapped his phones in Trump Tower - an assertion GOP leaders could not, and did not try, to defend. In recent days, some influential Republicans have even called on Trump to apologise to former president Barack Obama. Democrats have yet to find a smoking gun firmly establishing that the president, or his top surrogates, colluded with Russian authorities to swing the election in Trump's favour. That is a tall order, based on the conversations thus far disclosed: Flynn and Sessions bowed out of their roles because they had misled the vice president and lawmakers, respectively, not because they admitted to discussing anything improper with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak. Expect Democrats to focus on links not just between people who served in Trump's administration and Russian authorities, but also between top campaign surrogates such as former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort and adviser Carter Page, who have had financial and business ties to Russians and their allies. 2. Will Comey admit to an investigation? News outlets have reported that the FBI and the Justice Department are conducting probes into the allegations surrounding Russia, the 2016 elections and the Trump team. But Comey has yet to admit to this publicly on Capitol Hill. His silence - predicated on his insistence that he never comments on ongoing investigations - has irked members of both parties and invited bipartisan charges that Comey is stonewalling Congress. Democrats allege that perhaps Comey is biased: They say he was perfectly willing to talk about Hillary Clinton's emails - though Comey says he commented in that case because it was a closed investigation. Others have said the director is simply being uncooperative. Some of that vitriol has lessened in recent days, after Comey arrived on Capitol Hill to brief the Gang of Eight - senior lawmakers who receive Congress's highest-level intelligence briefings - on matters related to Russia. Members also secured a promise from the intelligence community that committee members will be privy to the same information provided to the Gang of Eight, a concession lawmakers say is necessary for them to conduct their investigation. Still, many members of the Senate Judiciary Committee have been clamouring for Comey to publicly state that the investigation exists and is ongoing - and members of the House Intelligence Committee are likely to use Monday's forum to challenge him to answer that question. 3. Is it just about wiretapping - or could there be other surveillance involved? We now know that the Justice Department had no information to back up Trump's claim that the Obama administration was tapping his phones in Trump Tower. Comey had been pushing the Justice Department to come clean about that for awhile. What we still do not know, though, is whether there were wiretaps of Trump's affiliates outside the tower - or, in the course of other investigations, whether the intelligence community picked up on communications the president or his team had with Russia during the campaign or the transition period. This sort of "incidental collection" has already helped to take down one member of Trump's team - Flynn, caught on tape speaking with Kislyak, whose communications were being watched. Nunes has suggested there could be others popping up in such indirect surveillance - possibly even the president himself. The House Intelligence Committee is still waiting on answers to a request for a complete list of names of people who have been "unmasked" during surveillance operations. Committee leaders announced Friday that the NSA "partially" responded to their request for that list. But the FBI and CIA have not. A complete list is not likely to make it to lawmakers' hands before Monday morning, so expect a few questions on this subject. And remember: Though Nunes has laid to rest speculation the government bugged the phones of Trump Tower, he has not yet commented on whether there were wiretaps of others connected to Trump, outside the tower. The committee's request covered a very wide range of individuals - including Trump's business associates, his relatives and his friends. Look for members to grill Comey and Rogers for a fuller reckoning. 4. Will Republicans cross the White House? An investigation that began as a probe focused on allegations that Russia meddled in the 2016 elections has expanded - and not just to include whether Russian authorities had direct contacts with campaign officials. The investigation now encompasses going after leakers in the administration for publicising the information linking Trump surrogates to Kremlin officials. It also includes the query about incidental collection, to see whether the intelligence community adhered closely to the law as it was doing its job. In this highly charged atmosphere, where members choose to direct their questions for Comey and Rogers could reveal a great deal about where they stand. Democrats will undoubtedly focus on the potential connections between the Trump team and Russia. But watch Republicans: Those who pursue similar questions will be knowingly and openly crossing the White House. It is far safer for Republicans to focus on questions about leaks, which are what the Trump team - and Nunes - say are the real crime. Still, the GOP is not united around Trump here. As Republican Senator John McCain said a month ago: "All of us know that leaks happen in this town, and we all don't like it - but the fact is that you now have a much larger issue to address." 5. Where do we go from here? The pomp and circumstance surrounding this hearing is considerable - and understandable, given the investigation, the politics surrounding it and the guest list. But how much new information will we really learn? The answer may be not much at all. Comey has been very careful about what he says publicly and privately on this matter. More than once, he has come to the Hill for closed-door briefings and members have emerged frustrated - in a public hearing, the FBI director is even less likely to cut loose. Rogers is a bit chattier - but also not likely to divulge state secrets or say anything revealing how the investigation is being conducted, for fear of unmasking sources, methods and classified procedures central to the investigation. Dili: They rode ponies, steered boats and walked for kilometres along cloud-shrouded mountain paths to vote in East Timor's presidential election on Monday. The vote will be a key to the future of Asia's newest democracy amid concerns the half-island nation's oil and gas revenues are rapidly running dry. "I'm really happy most of the eight candidates are good men who could help my country," said Mateus Lucas, a 49-year-old father of three, who voted at a school in Dili. "I voted amid fear in 1999 but now I am free to vote for whoever I like," he said, referring to a violence-hit United Nations referendum where Timorese voted to break away from Indonesia. London: Britain has set its date with destiny confirming its two years of negotiations to split from the European Union will begin next Wednesday, March 29. The announcement makes good on Prime Minister Theresa May's pledge to the Tory conference last year that she would pull the trigger, Article 50 of the Lisbon treaty, by the end of March 2017. MPs who campaigned for Brexit were jubilant on Monday, when Downing Street confirmed to British political reporters, known as "The Lobby", that the Mrs May would pull the trigger on Wednesday week. Brexit Secretary David Davis said the UK's permanent representative to the European Union, Sir Tim Barrow, had informed the European Council earlier on Monday. Moscow: An unknown assailant splashed Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny on Monday with a green liquid known to be hard to wash off as the vocal Kremlin critic opened his campaign headquarters in the Siberian town of Barnaul. A video filmed by a Navalny supporter shows the anti-corruption activist walking along a street in Barnaul, more than 3000 kms from Moscow, and shaking hands with residents when a man approaches him and throws the liquid at him. The green solution, known as "zelyonka", is sold as an antiseptic in Russian pharmacies and while not harmful, it is known for being hard to wash off. Other opposition figures have been splashed with the liquid previously. Navalny is touring Russia ahead of the 2018 presidential election in which he will challenge incumbent Vladimir Putin. Washington: Russia's parliament has called for an investigation into American media operating in its country in response to what it says are attacks on Russian media in the US, particularly state-funded broadcaster RT News. The state Duma, or lower house of parliament, called on its committee on information policy, information technology and communications to conduct an "audit" of Radio Liberty, the Voice of America, CNN and other US media "for compliance of their activities with Russian legislation," according to the legislative body's website. Russian President Vladimir Putin and RT's Editor-in-chief Margarita Simonyan in Moscow, Russia. Credit:AP VOA is a federal entity, while Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty is a private, non-profit organisation funded by a grant from the US Congress. Konstantin Zatulin, a member of parliament from the pro-Kremlin United Russia party, requested the probe on Friday to combat what he called a "repressive" move by the US against RT. MARIGOT:--- A very low voters turnout on Sunday for the first round of the Territorial Election has left three of the eight political parties that contested the election to battle next Sunday in the second round.58.6 % of the voters did not vote on Sunday, leaving only 42.4 % of the voters to determine who will govern the French side for the next five years. Of the 20275 registered voters, only 8642 voters cast their votes for the eight political parties that contested the election. Despite the low voter's turnout Team Gibbs 2017, headed by Daniel Gibbs scored 4077 of the votes, while the MJP headed by Louie Mussington came in second with 1,141 votes and MVP headed by Alain Richardson, third with 1026 votes. Team Gibbs 2017 won in all 19 of the polling stations. The other five political parties that contested the election in the first round have been eliminated from the second round. Daniel Gibbs from had said during the campaign that he would have taken the election with one shot but the low voter's turnout stopped him. For Team Daniel Gibbs to win outright in the first round on Sunday he would have had to secure 50 %t plus one percent of the votes cast on Sunday, as well as 25% of the total registered voters, which means Gibbs would have had to secure just over 5000 votes in this first round, clearly he was lacking just over 200 votes to make history on St. Martin. At the end of the election, Sunday night Team Gibbs and his entire party rushed to the Collectivity in a parade honking horns and waving their party flags celebrating their victory in the first round. However, the leader of Team Gibbs made clear during his remarks that the work is far from being finished since his team has to do what it takes to bring out those voters that did not vote in the first round. Gibbs said that he is grateful and full of emotions with the results but made clear that the people have sent a strong signal to the politicians and they already expressed whom they wanted to govern for the next five years. Gibbs also commended the President of the COM Aline Hanson for her bravery, even though ill she still defended her mandate. He said the past five years was not at all easy for the President but she did not give up, instead, she persevered to the very end and even formed a list to contest this election. Team Gibbs won the battle but not the war --- MJP Leader of MJP Louie Mussington in his remarks said that the work for his party has now begun because while Team Gibbs won the battle during the first round he is yet to win the war next Sunday. Mussington said that his party is willing and open to negotiate with their opponent but they will lead the fight since the people have spoken. The MJP leader and his team plan to do whatever it takes to win next Sunday. He credited President Aline Hanson whom he said is ill but still did what she needed to do during the past five years, and was even present Sunday night to deliver the preliminary results. Mussington said that he will begin negotiations as early as Monday morning and on Monday he will be making a statement on their way forward. On more than one occasion Mussington said that his party is willing to negotiate and form an alliance to win the election next Sunday, however, he maintained that he will be leading. Asked by SMN News if he was ready and willing to work with Alain Richardson, his first cousin with whom he started his political career, Mussington said that he is ready to negotiate with everyone. While delivering his speech at the Collectivity, he said that its time the people of St. Martin realize that there must be a set of people that are ready and willing to change the course and work in the interest of the younger generation. The Absentees won this election --- MVP Leader of the MVP Alain Richardson in his remarks Sunday night said no one won the election on Sunday night, those that won the election are those that did not vote. He said that almost 60% of the voters did not leave their homes to cast their votes and as such, they won. Richardson also said that he was the last to form a list and to contest this years election and during a very short time he managed to mobilize almost 1000 voters to put their confidence in him and his team. Richardson also thanked the President of the COM Aline Hanson who braved her illness and fulfills her mandate and even defended it on Sunday. With the eight political parties that contested Sundays election confused the voters as it is clear that the politicians are divided and are not able to work together in the interest of the people. Even though the eight political parties that contested the election on Sunday changed their partys name and logos that did not do the trick as the same faces were heading the lists. The voters seemed disgusted and even betrayed by those they elected in past. In 2012 the RRR headed by Alain Richardson won the election, Richardson sat for one year as president but was condemned by the Council of State for violating the election rules. Even though the current government is the RRR government, all those that was elected on the RRR slate abandoned the leader and party and formed their own to contest the 2017 elections. If Mussington and Richardson do not find common ground by next Sunday then there will be three political parties contesting the second round. Click here to view 2017 Territorial Council Round One Election Turn Out Statistics. POINTE BLANCHE:---- Port St. Maarten officials returned from a successful Seatrade Cruise Global Conference & Expo that took place at the Broward County Convention Center from March 13-16 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Acting Minister of Tourism & Economic Affairs Rafael Boasman who led the Sint Maarten delegation to the conference and expo, received a first-hand experience of who are who and the dynamics of the cruise sector. In our discussions with our strategic cruise partner Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd., the destination will see a 13 percent increase in cruise passengers or approximately 100,000 for the 2017-2018 season. In addition to the 13 percent increase, we are busy looking at the trends in order to increase the numbers further. Management has been working aggressively with its direct marketing approach. The port is busy compiling all brand numbers for the 2018-2019 season and will step up its marketing approach as additional ships currently under construction come online. In our discussions with Royal Caribbean, our performance as a port has increased substantially where it concerns ratings for safety and security as well as in several other categories. The port is busy with a survey and we are studying this very closely in order to further enhance and improve the destination experience for our guests, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Mark Mingo said on Sunday. During the conference and expo, Port St. Maarten Management and stakeholders received an update at the State of the Global Cruise Industry which was a highlight on the calendar for all executives in the maritime world that took place on Tuesday, March 14. The 2017 State of the Global Cruise Industry also set the course for the week-long cruise industrys premier global business-to-business event. Port St. Maarten Management also renewed relations with cruise line executives and other cruise stakeholders, and was able to give them an update about current destination developments, the home porting facility, and other port-cruise related and destination matters. Seatrade Cruise Global is the leading annual global business-to-business event for the cruise industry, which brings together buyers and suppliers for a four-day conference and three-day exhibition. Port and Government officials learned that 2016 was an exciting year for the growth of the cruise industry with over 30,000 berths and a total investment of close to US$7.5 billion being invested. Over 10-ocean-going cruise vessels set sail in that year adding capacity to the global cruise market. The 2017 State of the Cruise Industry Outlook, by Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), the worlds largest cruise industry trade association, says an increase in cruise travel is expected to continue throughout 2017, with an estimated 25.3 million passengers expected to sail in 2017, a strong surge from 15.8 million just 10-years prior (2007). More ships are to set sail in 2017, with cruise lines set to debut 26 new ocean, river and specialty ships in 2017 for a total investment of more than US$6.8 billion in new vessels. From 2017-2026 the industry is expected to introduce a total of 97 new cruise ships totaling an estimated investment of US$53 billion through 2026. Cruise industry expenditures generated US$117 billion in total output worldwide, supporting 956,597 full-time equivalent employees who earned US$38 billion in coming in 2015. Officials were also informed about the trend in alternative fuels. The Aidaprima features dual-fuel engines for direct supply of LNG to fuel hotel energy needs while in port. New orders of luxury and upper premium ships are a trend as the market continues to grow. The conference annually draws more than 10,000 registered attendees, over 700 exhibiting companies from 93 countries and more than 300 international journalists. Experts, leaders, and thought-makers of the cruise industry from the worlds largest cruise companies are the highlight of the conference. The conference programs offered attendees a comprehensive roster of panel discussions and workshops featuring experts, leaders, and thought-makers from the cruise industry. The next Seatrade Cruise Global conference and expo will take place from March 5-8, 2018. Speaking at the Aruba Day Awards Ceremony held at SOIL on Sunday evening, Prime Minister William Marlin said that Aruba Day is a special celebration not only for Arubians at home and abroad, but for those we might call the extended family of Aruba which includes friends and well-wishers all over the world, but particularly in St. Maarten where the Chuchubi Foundation has been the standard bearer for Aruba for quite a while now. Many St. Martiners the Prime Minister said were born on Aruba, actually the 50% of the Ministers making up the present government were born on our sister island as well as the acting Governor. The celebration of Aruba Day this year has featured several activities which began on Friday and the Awards Ceremony can therefore be considered the icing on the cake of the Aruba Day celebrations on St. Maarten. The ties between St. Maarten and Aruba go beyond our shared history of being part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It is even deeper, I dare say, than our cultural bonds. Blood ties make us family, and many of you here this evening are living proof of this. Marlin said that visiting Aruba, particularly San Nicolas is like being in MRegion or Cole, the family ties have never been broken, but have rather remained strong. It is for this reason that when St. Maarteners go to Aruba, they instantly feel at home, and I am sure the same goes for Arubians who come here. We are two nations with deep-rooted love and admiration for each other. The Prime Minister said that he always feels at home in Aruba, like he recently did when he was there for meetings and had the privilege to meet with his friend and colleague, Prime Minister of Aruba, Mike Eman. Prime Minister Marlin borrowed a quote from Franklin Roosevelt who once said: Friendship among nations, as among individuals, calls for constructive efforts to muster the forces of humanity in order that an atmosphere of close understanding and cooperation may be cultivated. I am sure it is that atmosphere of close understanding and cooperation that the Chuchubi Foundation seeks to cultivate with its activities, the Prime Minister stated. Prime Minister Marlin told those present at SOIL that it is the intention of his government to continue to work diligently to further strengthen the understanding and cooperation that exists between St. Maarten and Aruba at all levels. One area that needs urgent attention if we were to increase contact between our people is transportation. I can speak from personal experience of the difficulty passengers have been encountering in getting from St. Maarten to Aruba and vice versa. We need to first go to a foreign country outside of the Dutch Caribbean and then fly to Aruba or back to Sint Maarten. We need to work closely with the government of Aruba he said, to ensure that our people can travel straight to and from Aruba and Sint Maarten. MARIGOT:--- The first round of the territorial elections is finally over, but the results have shocked many politicians on the French side who believes its alright to change the names of their political parties and colors in order to contest elections and mostly to fool voters. That time of day has passed based on the voters turn out on Sunday for the first round of the territorial election and especially the way those that cast their votes voted. The voters on Saint Martin has seen which of the eight political parties that contested the election stayed focus and on track except for the newcomers such as MOCSAM, New Direction, and Generation Hope. Another clear signal the voters gave politicians on Sunday is that it is not alright for them to go independent after being elected on one political slate and then form a political party to contest the election. Betrayal does not seem to sit well with the voters on the French side. Of the eight political parties that contested the election on Sunday the only one that kept his party name but reshuffled candidates is TEAM DANIEL GIBBS 2017. Gibbs only changed the year behind the name of his political party and that certainly helped him. Another big win for Gibbs was the full backing he received from former Mayor Albert Fleming who took to the campaign trail with Gibbs to rally the voters. However, this week both Fleming and Gibbs would have some more work to do in order to get some more voters out of their homes for the second round slated for Sunday, March 26th. Another clear signal that came from the voters that abstained is that they seem not to know who many of the people that placed their names on political lists are. 208 candidates on 8 political lists did not send the right message to the voters, especially those that have been following the trend over the past couple of years. The current President while being ill for some time now should have realized that after being in politics for over 40 years under different leaders that it was time for her to leave the political arena in good standing, bear in mind that even though President Hanson did stay the course during the last five years, she is not in good health, just last week the President was hospitalized, yet she was there on Sunday doing her job as the President of the Collectivity of St. Martin and the leader of one of the new lists that were formed for the 2017 election. While it is a known fact that the voter's registration is not at all perfect and that list surely needs to be cleaned up because the 20275 registered voters are far from being accurate. Persons that are deceased or those that are not on the island are still on the lists which make it impossible for anyone to have the real numbers of registered voters that are actually on St. Martin. This, of course, cannot remain the way it is and it has affected the elections on Sunday. Comparing the 2012 elections to 2017 it shows that in 2012 55.2% of the voters voted in the first round, some 9,871 votes were cast compared to 2017 where a number of voters increased only 42.4% (8,601) votes were cast. This alone is food for thought for politicians that contested the election and the three political parties that are eligible for the second round. The second and third runner ups MJP and MVP have some work ahead of them as they got a good whipping at the polls on Sunday, not only they have to move the voters and convinced them enough in less than a week from now but they also have to realize that TEAM GIBBS 2017 is way ahead of them even if they chose to put their years of differences aside and join forces they only have 2,167 combined while TEAM GIBBS has 4,077. Based on the results and the abstention it is clear that several things worked against the politicians namely: Consistency, loyalty and putting the country above self Lack of mobilizing and convincing the voters with a strong plan Voters are tired of the same old tricks by changing party lines, colors, and names Voters registration needs a massive clean-up. Click here to view 2017 Territorial Council Round One Election Turn Out Statistics. Sennheiser See The Future Of Audio At Art Basel In Hong Kong WEDEMARK, GERMANY and HONG KONG, CHINA (Marketwired) 03/19/17 Great art is all about the realization of a vision as is great sound. For , its driving vision is to push the boundaries of what is possible to shape the future of audio. At Art Basel in Hong Kong, held from March 23 25, 2017, the audio specialist will explore the convergence of art and audio: in the Collectors Lounge, Sennheiser is presenting KYMAT, an installation by musician Sven Meyer that visually renders sound into dynamic, interactive art. The collaboration with Sven Meyer is the latest exciting development in Sennheisers Future Audio Artists Program. Art Basel is a showcase for the best in Modern and contemporary art, and celebrates the coming together of human creativity and skills to offer new perspectives and experiences, said Pierre Eloy, ?Managing Director, Greater China at Sennheiser Electronic Corporation. This powerful combination of innovation and imagination also drives Sennheisers vision to shape the future of audio and give listeners new ways to experience sound. Sennheiser is the Official Audio Partner of Art Basel, the world-renowned series of international art shows that are staged annually in Basel, Hong Kong and Miami Beach. The engagement with Art Basel is a highlight of Sennheisers commitment to the arts both by providing innovative technologies that expand the limits of creative possibility and also by working directly with artists to support their work. The audio specialists Future Audio Artists Program, launched last year at Art Basel in Hong Kong, exemplifies this commitment. The ongoing program involves collaboration with some of the worlds most exciting sound artists to create new art works. Sennheiser provides assistance and technical expertise. At last years Art Basel show in Miami Beach, Hamburg-based music producer, composer, DJ, and artist Sven Meyer, was announced as the latest artist to join the project. Now, at Art Basel in Hong Kong the results of his collaboration with Sennheiser are revealed. If Sennheisers technology presents one way to experience the future of sound, Sven Meyer offers a different yet complementary perspective. At Art Basel in Hong Kong, Meyer will be presenting KYMAT an installation and live show that visually renders sound. In KYMAT, a pool of water is placed on a speaker. The sound waves form patterns on the waters surface, which are filmed and dynamically transformed into beautiful and hypnotic works of interactive art that will be projected live onto the walls. The work evokes both the seeming chaos of the natural world and the order of mathematical laws. It also powerfully enacts the ability of ideas to change the world words spoken into a pool of water instantly become part of the installation, altering the ability of the viewer to experience. We perceive sound with greater awareness if we can see it at the same time, explains Meyer. In KYMAT, my visual rendering is not the translation of a machine it comes straight from nature itself. I send a certain frequency into water such as the words Future of Audio which creates a shape that suddenly calls to mind animals, snow and even the division of cells. The fascination that such an installation evokes can be explained by its capability to make sound visible in an aesthetically striking way. At each Art Basel show, Sennheiser has offered visitors a range of entirely unique ways to experience sound, both through artworks such as KYMAT, and by enjoying Sennheiser Listening Experiences. During Art Basel in Hong Kong, there will be a rare chance to listen to the Sennheiser HE 1 the best headphones in the world. As the successor to the legendary Orpheus from 1990/91, the HE 1 redraws the benchmark for audiophile sound and is the epitome of the audio specialists art. Just like KYMAT, the HE 1 is itself a sensual phenomenon, explains Pierre Eloy. It is an opportunity to perceive sound as never before. To learn more about Sennheisers vision to Shape the Future of Audio please visit: Audio specialist Sennheiser is one of the worlds leading manufacturers of headphones, microphones and wireless transmission systems. Based in Wedemark near Hanover, Germany, Sennheiser operates its own production facilities in Germany, Ireland and the USA and is active in more than 50 countries. With 19 sasles subsidiaries and long-established trading partners, the company supplies innovative products and cutting-edge audio solutions that are optimally tailored to its customers needs. Sennheiser is a family owned company that was founded in 1945 and which today has 2,750 employees around the world that share a passion for audio technology. Since 2013, Sennheiser has been managed by Daniel Sennheiser and Dr. Andreas Sennheiser, the third generation of the family to run the company. In 2015, the Sennheiser Group had sales totaling EUR 682 million. Founded in 1970 by gallerists from Basel, Art Basel today stages the worlds premier art shows for Modern and contemporary art, sited in Basel, Miami Beach, and Hong Kong. Defined by its host city and region, each show is unique, which is reflected in its participating galleries, artworks presented, and the content of parallel programming produced in collaboration with local institutions for each edition. Art Basels engagement has expanded beyond art fairs through a number of new initiatives. In 2014, Art Basel launched its Crowdfunding Initiative, in collaboration with Kickstarter. This initiative presents jury-selected art projects to potential benefactors, which include Art Basels vibrant audience and the Kickstarter community. The initiative has catalyzed much needed support for outstanding non-commercial art projects worldwide and so far has helped pledge over $1.4 million to creative projects around the world. For Art Basel Cities, launched in 2016, Art Basel is working with selected partner cities to develop vibrant and content driven programs specific to the individual city. Connecting them to the global art world through Art Basels expertise and network, Art Basel Cities supports its partners to develop their unique cultural landscape. For further information please visit artbasel.com. Image Available: Image Available: Image Available: Mareike Oer T +49 (0)5130 600 1719 M +49 172 519 7719 Vicky Chau T +852 3412 8436 From 1941 to 1945, more than 16 million Americans went to war. In arid deserts, dark jungles, and shattered cities; in the air, on land and sea, and beneath the sea, they took up arms against a perverse and tyrannical ideology. Most of these young Americans were not professional soldiers. They were farm boys, car mechanics, and coal miners. They were bus drivers, store clerks, and students. And they won the war. For their service, many received medals and decorations from the government. Typically a few inches of ribbon or a narrow strip of medal, these honors may seem like small items, but they told of service that was, in many cases, too great for words. Some who earned medals never received them. For a host of different reasons bureaucracy not least among them a number of these veterans came home without the recognition they deserved. Time passed. And while many veterans try later in life to get their long overdue honors, they are not all successful. This was the case for Walter Piasecki, a World War II Army veteran in Kearney, Nebraska. Walter passed away in 2012, but his son, Roger, hoped to retrieve his dads medals. He knew it was a way to honor his fathers service. It was also part of his familys heritage. Despite his best efforts, Roger was unable to get his dads medals. Frustrated, he reached out to my office in February. My diligent staff went to work at once. They contacted the National Personnel Records Center, the federal agency responsible for tracking the service of veterans from all branches of our military. The agencys research team then verified Walters service to determine which honors he was owed. I am proud to report that Roger now has his fathers World War II Victory Medal and Honorable Service lapel button. At the moment, my office is also in the process of helping Roger obtain his fathers service records. This is just one example of the many kinds of constituent service work my office performs on behalf of Nebraska families. Through mobile office hours, my staff assists Nebraskans in navigating federal agencies and answers questions about legislation. They provide help in grant applications and give guidance on veterans issues and resources for military families. They also shepherd applicants for nominations to attend our nations military academies. Every constituent case is important; there is something that stands out about ensuring the proper honors for our veterans. Valor does not dim with the passage of time. Families do not forget the courage of their loved ones. Neither should we. The past is important. The Greatest Generation made great sacrifices that seem almost mythical to us today. Yet greatness is available to us, too. It requires a clear sense of purpose and a willingness to sacrifice for that purpose. It requires courage. It requires love. But it is absolutely within our reach. Thank you for your participation in our democratic process. I look forward to visiting with you again next week. Reduxio Raises $22M of Series C to Enable Hybrid IT Data Storage and Accelerate Customer Growth SAN FRANCISCO, CA and TEL AVIV, ISRAEL (Marketwired) 03/20/17 , the innovation leader in storage and data management solutions for the enterprise with to-the-second recovery capability, announced it has secured $22.5 million USD of its Series C funding in a round anticipated to total up to $32 million USD. The round was led by London-based C5 Capital (C5), a specialist investment manager focused on cyber security, data analytics and cloud computing. This round more than doubles the amount of capital invested in the company, and will fund continued innovation and global marketing of the companys leading software-defined storage platform. All previous investors, including Jerusalem Venture Partners, Carmel Ventures, Intel Capital and Seagate Technology also participated in this fundraising round for Reduxio, signaling their confidence and continued support for the companys strategy to build the leading software platform both in the cloud and on premise. C5s investment will complement the existing investor group with a specialist focus on cloud infrastructure and cyber security, as well as a strong network that will enhance Reduxios growing ecosystem of channel sales and technology partners. The future of data storage and protection lies in delivering high performance, easy-to-use solutions designed for the rapidly coming era of hybrid IT this is precisely why we started the company. Reduxios next generation architecture was purpose-built to address this challenge. Our vision and focus align perfectly with C5s vision, and we welcome their unique expertise to the Reduxio team. This latest round of funding will allow us to continue our exponential growth to meet the needs of our rapidly growing customer base. Now and again, investors encounter a top team in a new company with the potential to seriously disrupt a market. Reduxio is clearly one of those companies. Reduxios technology is reshaping the storage space as we know it. Its software-defined storage technology is built on top of truly unique and ground-breaking IP that provides tangible benefits to on premise, hybrid, and cloud-based customers. Its solution is also being widely seen as one of the key tools to fight the growing threat of ransomware attacks. My partners and I are very proud to be invested in a company as unique as Reduxio. For more about Reduxios technology visit: Reduxio delivers high performance enterprise storage solutions with unique data management capabilities enabled by the Reduxio TimeOS, a new storage operating system. Reduxio TimeOS puts data at the middle of its architecture and allows complete virtualization of all types of storage, delivering the most effective storage for the most demanding enterprise applications. Reduxio is backed by C5 Capital Cloud Partners, Jerusalem Venture Partners (JVP), Carmel Ventures, Intel, and Seagate Technology PLC. Learn more at and follow us on and . The appeals court ruled Riders trial attorney was ineffective because she failed to object to the warrantless seizure of Riders cell phone related to the 2017 shooting death of Julii Johnson, outside the Warren home of her boyfriend. Our View: Your vote, whatever it is, is a vote for democracy Today's Debate Georgetown, SC (29440) Today Sunny. Near record high temperatures. High 81F. Winds ENE at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight Partly cloudy skies. Slight chance of a shower throughout the evening. Low 59F. Winds NNE at 10 to 15 mph. Layers of haze above Pluto, as documented by the New Horizons mission, which flew by the dwarf planet in July 2015. Scientists from the New Horizons mission to Pluto are making their case that the dwarf planet should be considered a planet again and science popularizer and "Cosmos" host Neil deGrasse Tyson came out vehemently against them on late-night television. While speaking on "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" Wednesday (March 15) Tyson pointed out that Pluto's orbit crosses Neptune's from time to time. "That's no kind of behavior for a planet. No!" deGrasse Tyson exclaimed. ['Land' on Pluto's Icy Plains in This Amazing New NASA Video] "You've got to stay in your lane," Colbert responded. "Stay in your lane!" deGrasse Tyson shouted, repeating, "Stay in your lane!" You can watch the clip on YouTube. In 2006, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) agreed that to be considered a planet, an object would have to orbit the sun, be round and be large enough to clear the local neighborhood of debris a definition that excluded Pluto. This definition came under renewed scrutiny after New Horizons' 2015 flyby of Pluto revealed a world with vast mountains and other surprising terrain for such a small world. The IAU definition will be contested in a poster session at the Lunar and Planetary Science Conference in The Woodlands, Texas, on March 21. Johns Hopkins University Ph.D. student Kirby Runyon, who worked on the New Horizons mission, will lead the session. His proposal, which he drafted in collaboration with several other members of the New Horizons team, offers a new definition of planethood. "In a short paragraph, they define a planet as 'a sub-stellar mass body that has never undergone nuclear fusion' and that has enough gravitational heft to maintain a roughly round shape, even if it bulges at the equator because of a three-way squeeze of forces created by its gravity and the influence of both the sun and a nearby larger planet," Johns Hopkins representatives said in a statement. Unlike the IAU definition, the new proposal makes no mention of the planet's surroundings being cleared. Previously, New Horizons principal investigator Alan Stern said the IAU's definition of "planet," if applied strictly, wouldn't even apply to Earth, Mars, Jupiter and Neptune, which share their orbits with asteroids. Under Runyon's definition, there would be roughly 110 planets in our solar system instead of the current eight. In the statement, he said that would be an excellent way to engage the public in exploration, as objects defined as planets would naturally carry more weight and draw additional interest. In the early 2000s, Tyson, who directs the Hayden Planetarium at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City, endorsed a new exhibit describing Pluto as an object more akin to icy bodies in the outer solar system, together known as Kuiper Belt objects. However, Pluto's official status change only came after a flurry of discoveries of similarly sized bodies, most notably by California Institute of Technology astronomer Mike Brown. "People like Mike Brown, who discovered the objects in the outer solar system that forced that vote he's guilty. His Twitter handle is called @plutokiller. He admits it!" deGrasse Tyson said to Colbert. "Who's this Mike Brown you're throwing under the bus right now?" Colbert asked. "He put himself under the bus," deGrasse Tyson quipped. "I'm pointing it out." Follow Elizabeth Howell @howellspace, or Space.com @Spacedotcom. We're also on Facebook and Google+. Original article on Space.com. Two Columbus residents were injured in an accident on Sunday afternoon in North Bend. The accident occurred at 4:42 p.m. at U.S. Highway 30 and Cottonwood Street, when a westbound motorcycle driven by Timothy Gutz, 63, of Columbus struck a northbound pickup driven by Ethan Bang, 22, of North Bend. Gutz and a passenger on the motorcycle, Dixie Gutz, 61, of Columbus were flown by LifeNet helicopters to Nebraska Medicine-Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha. Timothy Gutz was listed in fair condition at the medical center on Monday morning and Dixie was listed in serious condition. Bang was released at the scene, said Investigator Mike Ough of the Dodge County Sheriffs Department. Bang was cited for failure to yield. The investigation is ongoing. North Korea's Sohae Satellite Launch Station, as seen by a satellite in November 2012. North Korea recently performed a test of a powerful rocket engine at the site, the nation announced on March 19, 2017. Once again, North Korea has tested technology that could help get satellites or long-range missiles off the ground. North Korean state media announced over the weekend that the nation had performed a ground test of a powerful rocket engine that "would help consolidate the scientific and technological foundation to match the world-level satellite delivery capability in the field of outer space development." But the nuclear-armed rogue nation has also stated that it's close to developing an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), and it has threatened many times to obliterate South Korea, Japan and the United States. As such, some experts don't believe that the country designed the newly tested engine for peaceful purposes. "This was a comprehensive test for the first-stage rocket for an ICBM, and that is why it was dangerous," rocket expert Kim Dong-yub, of the Institute for Far Eastern Studies in Seoul, told Reuters. "It appears that North Korea has worked out much of its development of the first-stage rocket booster." But the engine looks a lot like the one that North Korea tested last September, aerospace engineer and rocket-propulsion expert John Schilling noted. That engine was assessed as "being better suited for use in satellite launch vehicles than ballistic missiles," Schilling wrote today (March 20) on 38North.org, a North Korea analysis site. Moreover, the newly tested engine apparatus appears to be too large to fit into any of North Korea's known ICBM prototypes, he added. "Of the North Korean rocket and missile projects that we are currently aware of, the best fit for this engine would be as the second stage of the new satellite launch vehicle provisionally known as the 'Unha-9,'" Schilling wrote. It's possible, however, that North Korea is working on an ICBM design that the United States and its allies don't know about, he added. (The rogue nation is famously unpredictable, after all.) "The North Korean regime has never been shy when it comes to bragging about their missiles," Schilling wrote. "This time, it seems they are bragging about [their] space program. Whenever they get around to showing us their new satellite launcher, we'll know for sure." Follow Mike Wall on Twitter @michaeldwall and Google+. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook or Google+. Originally published on Space.com. 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. Kahl: We see IS activities in Libya. And we are watching activists in Sub-Saharan Africa who used to be called Boko Haram but who now must be assigned to Islamic State. We are seeing IS in Afghanistan, we are seeing IS on the Sinai Peninsula. SPIEGEL: Are those distinct cells or is there a larger network? Kahl: There are repeated efforts to undertake operations on behalf of IS, but it then takes some time before they are recognized by IS headquarters. But that doesn't mean that everything is controlled centrally. Some of the things that have taken place in Germany as well were not ordered by Raqqa or some other command post. The treacherous thing about this terrorist entity is that it can ignite itself largely on its own. SPIEGEL: There is a theory which holds that the more pressure is placed on IS territory, the greater the risk of attack in Europe becomes. Is that true? Kahl: I wouldn't formulate it so deterministically. Of course IS will ensure that it remains visible and generates successes for its followers. SPIEGEL: What is more dangerous, that IS fighters wander from one region to another or that people ignite themselves, as you put it? Kahl: The dangers exist concurrently. First, there are the returnees, the trained jihadists. They are dangerous if they once led lives in the West and are familiar with it. Second, there are those who come as part of the migrant stream. They might not yet have been given a mission, but they radicalize here. Third are those who have lived here for a long time and have become radicalized. The number of Salafists has increased substantially in recent years to 9,700 -- a large reservoir of people who could become violent at some point ... SPIEGEL: ... because they become indoctrinated in mosques and training centers. Such sites are financed by Gulf states, with whom Germany has tight relations. Kahl: We have noticed improvements in this regard. It also makes no sense to combat terrorism in the Middle East when missionaries in Germany are promoting it. That is why several members of the German government have traveled to the Gulf states. That has had visible results back home. SPIEGEL: Since the NSA revelations from Edward Snowden, we have been talking almost exclusively about technical surveillance methods. Are there still classic spies of the type one meets in John Le Carre novels? Kahl: They still exist too. We cannot forego human intelligence, the classic surveillance techniques with informants. We even want to expand the technique. But of course I don't like talking much about it. SPIEGEL: But we should. Currently, one of your informants is being tried in court. Ali R. spent months supplying information about IS from Syria to the BND and other German agencies. Now he is facing a long prison term for membership in a terrorist group. What is your view of BND informants being convicted? Kahl: Wait until there has been a verdict in the case! Generally speaking, though, we have to make sure that people who provide us information aren't punished for doing so. SPIEGEL: How can you? A human informant in IS has automatically broken the law because he is a member of IS. Kahl: You have to make a distinction here between a real membership and a membership that is a kind of cover. As a matter of practicality, however, that is a difficult distinction to make because members are forced to prove their loyalty and courage, which could result in the commission of crimes. It is an extremely difficult situation. SPIEGEL: Islamic State is allegedly running low on money . Can you confirm this? Kahl: It won't go bankrupt and lose its ability to act in the foreseeable future. But income from oil production is dropping, we can see that much. So too are the taxes and fees, because each loss of territory means a loss of population that can be extorted. SPIEGEL: What are the consequences? Kahl: The fighters are no longer able to arm and equip themselves as well as they used to. At some point, the coffers will be empty. SPIEGEL: In the fight against IS, Turkey is one of Germany's most important allies. Given those ties, what is your view of the recent friction between the German government and the regime of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan? Kahl: It isn't my job to comment on relations between the German government and foreign governments. From the perspective of the rule of law, there have been developments in Turkey that are anything but reassuring. The question is: will the country remain a partner in the security alliance? SPIEGEL: At the moment, Erdogan seems intent on worsening his relationship with the West. Kahl: There are always better and worse phases. Intelligence agencies must also work together with states that don't conform to our constitutional principles. Because of its geographic location, we don't want to destroy these channels. SPIEGEL: Erdogan has claimed that the cleric Fetullah Gulen was behind the coup attempt last July. More than 100,000 civil servants lost their jobs in the aftermath and thousands have been imprisoned. Was Gulen really behind the coup? Kahl: Turkey has tried to convince us on a number of different levels. But they haven't yet been successful. SPIEGEL: What is your explanation for the coup attempt against Erdogan? Was it staged by the government? Kahl: The coup attempt wasn't staged by the state. Even before July 15, the government had launched a large wave of purges . That is why elements within the military thought they should quickly launch a coup before they too were purged. But it was too late and they were purged as well. SPIEGEL: That doesn't sound like the kind of vast conspiracy of the kind that President Erdogan always claims. Kahl: The consequences of the putsch that we have seen would have happened anyway, if perhaps not as deep and radical. The coup was likely just a welcome pretext. SPIEGEL: Is the Gulen movement an extremist-Islamist movement? Is it perhaps even a terrorist group? Kahl: The Gulen movement is a civilian association for religious and secular education. For years, it was a collection of tutoring centers and training facilities that worked together with Erdogan. SPIEGEL: Would you call the movement a sect? Kahl: I wouldn't say that. That's an explanation that is more prevalent in Western societies. One can, though, say that the Gulen movement wasn't a meaningless minority. SPIEGEL: Loosely translated, Erdogan said that he wanted to shake up the world. Kahl: Yes, that was a rhetorically interesting formulation. I wouldn't attach too much importance to his words, which were intended more for a domestic audience. SPIEGEL: One could also interpret them as saying that Turkey has an interest in influencing German parliamentary elections in September. Kahl: No. Turkey merely wants to influence the Turkish citizens who live in Germany with an eye toward the upcoming referendum on the constitutional amendment. Thus far, we have no indications that Turkey is seeking to interfere in the German elections. Others are doing so. SPIEGEL: You mean Russia. America has accused Russia of significant interference in the presidential election there last November. Could the same thing happen here? Kahl: We should at least plan for the possibility that it could happen here. In the past, we haven't just experienced it in Germany, but also in other regions of Europe where elections are approaching. Putin's goal hasn't changed: Despite Brexit and the new president in the U.S., Germany continues to support sanctions against Russia. This is something Putin would like to change. As such, it would make sense for him to make a small investment in the hope that the German election leads to change. That would be a motive. SPIEGEL: A motive doesn't necessarily mean that any crime has been committed. Kahl: We have to prepare for phenomena like those in Lithuania ... SPIEGEL: ... where there were accusations of rape leveled at German soldiers ... Kahl: ... small bits of fake news that find their way through the Russian media before making waves in social networks here. We have observed the pattern often enough. By making it transparent, we are of course hoping that Russia will be more careful. Putin doesn't have an interest in being caught red-handed. SPIEGEL: What you are describing are just propaganda activities. But the Russians demonstrated years ago that they are capable of paralyzing an entire country. Estonia. Kahl: There are reasons to believe that the attacks against the server in the German parliament were influenced by Russia. It followed the same pattern that was observed in operations targeting neighboring states. SPIEGEL: Then it must frustrate you when the German government says that there isn't conclusive evidence for Russian participation. The relevant report written by the BND and the German domestic intelligence agency wasn't made public, despite initial promises to do so. Kahl: That doesn't frustrate me. On the one hand, there is the small gap between evidence and proof that will hold up in court. On the other, our mission remains that of getting to the bottom of the incident. SPIEGEL: How could Russia influence the German elections, aside from the standard propaganda? Kahl: Think for a moment about the hacking attack on German parliament. There are many possibilities for how one could influence the German campaign. SPIEGEL: Some say that WikiLeaks is also partially controlled by the Russians. Do you have any evidence of that? Kahl: It is, at the very least, rather conspicuous that the propaganda I have just described reaches the public through three channels: the television channel RT, the website Sputnik and the whistleblowing platform WikiLeaks. SPIEGEL: Who represents the greater threat: Russia or IS? Kahl: I see terrorism at the very top of the danger list. That is the worry that is greatest among the population. Our agency has to get results. The Russian threat has become greater, which is why we are taking it extremely seriously. It isn't just the propaganda threat. Conventional issues are likewise returning to the agenda. SPIEGEL: What do you mean? Kahl: The things that are taking place militarily and with armaments. Russia has doubled its forces on its western border -- and we aren't just talking about Iskander missiles. There are also a lot of missiles in the Crimea region. And conventional armed forces. You can't interpret all that as being part of a defensive stance against the West. It also must be seen as a potential threat. SPIEGEL: Particularly when you look at Russia's so-called Zapad military maneuvers, which will take place in cooperation with Belarus again this year. Are we soon going to be witness to a Russian invasion of the Baltics? Kahl: There is a tank army based in western Russia. If it advances into Belarus as part of these maneuvers, I'll be interested to see if anyone will seek to justify it as a defensive tactic. SPIEGEL: Edward Snowden, who made the tactics of intelligence agencies more transparent than ever before, is still in Russia. Looking back, were the revelations he made public exclusively negative from an intelligence perspective or was there a positive side to them as well? Kahl: By the time I took office, the Snowden issue was basically over. But from my perspective, nobody can welcome a situation in which new security risks arise because secret information is made public. I think the damage is greater than the benefits. SPIEGEL: Without Snowden, we never would have held the debate over the role of intelligence in our society. And you wouldn't be president of the BND. Kahl: Leaving aside my personal career, the cost-benefit analysis of the Snowden discussion should be undertaken after more time has passed. In issues relating to state protection, prioritizing transparence above the working conditions intelligence agencies need to ensure the country's safety is a Pyrrhic victory from my perspective. Not to mention the impression that many now have that our trade is somehow distasteful. Things will be seen differently with a bit more distance. SPIEGEL: We will have a more skeptical view of Snowden 10 years from now? Kahl: I certainly hope so. There is an imbalance in the debate leading to the inability to call an act of treason by name. And which glorifies criminal offenses. SPIEGEL: Mr. Kahl, we thank you for this interview. Pretoria (South Africa), 20 March 2017 (SPS) - South Africa's ruling party African National Congress (ANC) pledges Sunday to make of 2017 a year of support to the Saharawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR) at the African Union (AU) and to intensify efforts in this respect at both continental and international levels, media reported. In a document about the party's foreign policy for 2017, which will be presented at the next annual meeting, the ANC stressed that "Western Sahara people's struggle for self-determination and independence will remain one of the party's priorities." South Africa's ruling party announced the launch of an international campaign to "denounce Morocco's hindrances to the implementation of the resolutions issued by the United Nations and the African Union" in relation to Western Sahara conflict. The ANC added that "all options are possible, including the isolation of the Moroccan regime." The African National Congress expressed wish that Morocco's joining of the African Union would "contribute to the intensification of efforts for the decolonization of Western Sahara." Western Sahara was added in 1966 to the UN list of non-autonomous territories, about which the UN General Assembly issued Resolution 1514 that includes the Declaration on Granting Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples. Western Sahara is the last remaining colony in Africa, as it has been under Moroccan occupation since 1975 with the support of France. (SPS) 062/090/700 As one of the countrys largest landowners, the National Trust wants to play its part in addressing the dramatic slump in UK species and improve soil quality and water quality in the countryside. An in-depth study last year found 56 per cent of species were in decline. The conservation charity, which was set up to protect places of natural beauty, hopes to create and restore Priority Habitats, areas identified by the government as threatened and in need of conservation support, on 10 per cent of its land. Farming will remain vital to the Trusts approach to countryside management and the charity will work in partnership with tenant farmers to see how they can help deliver nature-rich, productive, fertile landscapes which are good for wildlife and good for farming. Supporting sustainable farming will be crucial for the plans to succeed. Many of the Trusts 1,500 farm tenants are already farming in a way which benefits wildlife. The charity said that it wanted to discuss, listen and learn from them and other groups as it explores how nature-friendly measures could be introduced or enhanced across all of its farmed land. The aim is that at least 50 per cent of farmland will be nature-friendly by 2025, with protected hedgerows, field margins, ponds, woodland and other habitats allowing plants and animals to thrive. The Government, tenant farmers and conservation charities have all welcomed the Trusts approach. Peter Nixon, Director of Land, Landscape and Nature at the National Trust, said: Our charity was founded to protect our natural as well as cultural heritage and we believe we should be playing an active role in reviving nature by doing what we can on our own land. Nature has been squeezed out to the margins for far too long. We want to help bring it back to the heart of our countryside. Despite the battering its taken over many decades, nature has an incredible ability to rejuvenate and revive if given the conditions to thrive. Birds such as the lapwing, cuckoo, and curlew are part of the fabric of our rural heritage. But theyve disappeared from many parts of the countryside. We want to see them return to the fields, woods and meadows again, along with other wildlife which was once common and is now rare. The Trust will look to implement the better, bigger, more and joined up approach to nature called for in a Government commissioned review by Sir John Lawton. Planting more hedgerows, which act as wildlife corridors for birds and bats, establishing more lowland meadows and creating wetlands where appropriate could all help establish new habitats and will be considered in partnership with tenant farmers and other stakeholders. The Trusts approach could also involve: Better: Adapting drainage systems, removing invasive non-native species, re-naturalising rivers and adapting farming practices to help improve the condition of habitats. Bigger and More: Enlarging existing small areas of habitat, to make them more resilient. Sometimes this will mean more of the same, allowing a habitat to spread out. At other times it will be best to create a complementary habitat. Joined up: Seeking ways to improve landscapes so that wildlife can move through them and make use of all the area rather than just the patches of habitat. The Trust has outlined plans to help support farmers post-Brexit, when 2.6billion of EU subsidies for the industry will end, and the charity said tenant farmers would continue to be essential partners in helping to restore the health of the natural environment. Mr Eustice met William Utley of Bridge End Farm in West Scrafton, as well as Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority (YDNPA) officers, Adrian Shepherd and Helen Keep. The officers were representing the Northern Upland Chain Local Nature Partnership (LNP). Mr Utley is receiving payments for producing good quality habitat for breeding waders such as curlew, snipe, lapwing and redshank. Unlike other agri-environment schemes, he has no land management prescriptions to follow, but can farm as he sees fit in order to achieve positive environmental outcomes. 19 farms in the Wensleydale catchment area are taking part in the three-year Results Based Agri-environment Payment Scheme. It is one of only two pilots in the UK, in a project being co-ordinated and managed by Natural England. Mr Eustice, who also met members of the recently established Northern Hill Farming Panel, described the northern uplands as precious. He noted the importance of cutting red tape and of having simple agri-environment schemes. He also discussed how in the future, schemes could be designed to fit the locality, rather than a one-size-fits-all national approach. He said: As we prepare to leave the EU, we will be designing a food and farming system tailored to our needs. It was great to visit Yorkshire to hear local farmers ideas about how they can become more productive, while protecting the hills and dales and dry-stone walls that make the Yorkshire landscape so iconic. We want everyone to have their say and help shape the discussion around our exit from the EU, to ensure we build the right policies. We are determined to get the best deal possible and not least for our farmers. Connecticut landed 17 billionaires on the 2017 installment of an annual ranking by Forbes, up from a dozen a year ago, with Greenwich residents Ray Dalio and Steve Cohen included among the 100 richest people in the world. More Business Trump drops 220 spots on Forbes list of billionaires Bill Gates is the wealthiest person on the planet for the fourth year running and has been for 18 of the past 23, with Forbes estimating the Microsoft co-founder grew his fortune by $11 billion last year to give him a net worth of $86 billion. Berkshire Hathaways Warren Buffett gained nearly $15 billion to rank second with $75.6 billion, with Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos padding his assets by $27.6 billion in a single year to push his totals to $72.8 billion. Michael Cummo / Hearst Connecticut Media STAMFORD A Waterside man faces criminal charges after threatening another with a knife over the weekend, authorities said. Police received a call Saturday night from a man who said a Greenwich Avenue resident threatened to kill his child, according to the report. When officers arrived in the residential area, they found several people intoxicated, including the complainant and the suspect, Sgt. Robert Shawinsky said. T rade union GMB wrote to Unilever investors on Monday urging them to stop the manufacturer pursuing a slash and burn route, after it emerged its spreads could be sold for 6 billion. The letter to investors, including BlackRock and Legal & General, came after the consumer goods giant last month rejected a 115 billion takeover bid by Kraft Heinz. The Dove soap-to-Marmite maker has since said it is reviewing options to accelerate delivery of value for shareholders. It is understood to be looking at offloading its Flora and Stork spreads arm. GMBs letter said: We are concerned that the value sought by Unilever will rely on job cuts, reduced working conditions and pension reforms. Unilever declined to comment. Jessica Ground of Schroders a Unilever shareholder said investors in the City had expected Unilever to jettison the business, because its priority is shampoo over fish fingers. Former City minister Lord Myners earlier hit out at UK takeover rules, saying Britain is a garage sale and everything is up for sale if the price is right. L ast week Nicola Sturgeon stole the headlines by firing the starting gun on another Scottish independence referendum, but it is London that stands to lose the most from Brexit. To borrow the Prime Ministers favourite phrase, now is not the time for London to foot the bill for this hardest of all hard Brexits. Sturgeon complained that the Government has ignored the wishes and interests of Scotland, leaving her with no choice but to push for independence. Londons economy is double the size of Scotlands and there are almost twice as many people living in London as in Scotland, so why have the capitals interests been totally sidelined and why isnt Londons voice being heard? Throughout history there have been great cities that are essentially also states in their own right Rome, Athens, Singapore and Hong Kong. London given its predominance in our economic, social and cultural national life certainly fits the bill too. What all great cities have in common is an ability to change with the times. If London is to retain its position as the pre-eminent global city we must recognise that this is not a Brexit that will work for the capital this is a Brexit for the Europhobe hardliners on the Tory backbenches. This Brexit at any cost, regardless of the consequences, will be absolutely catastrophic for London and our place in the world. But as things go pear-shaped, there is a way out of this and nothing should be off the table when it comes to protecting the strength and future prosperity of our capital. Whitehall has begun the devolution of control over adult skills, criminal justice services and employment support to City Hall, but Brexit changes everything, so it is perfectly rational to consider more radical proposals than piecemeal devolution. Lets not forget that 60 per cent of Londoners voted to Remain. The referendum result sent a shock wave through the capital, but as the dust begins to settle, London finds itself increasingly constrained by and at odds with the policies and priorities of our central Government. If Scotland can have another referendum on independence, then why cant we have a well-overdue debate about London becoming more autonomous and independent from the rest of the country? If Brexit was a victory of smalltown conservatism, resurgent nationalism and anti-immigrant sentiment, then Londons status as the financial and cultural capital of Europe depends on resisting these shifts. Earlier this year the London Finance Commission proposed a comprehensive London devolution package in light of Brexit, including additional control over the tax paid by Londoners and London businesses to bring us into line with our global competitors. New York keeps around 50 per cent of the taxes raised in the city and Tokyo keeps almost three quarters, so a comprehensive settlement to enable London to keep more of the taxes generated here would give the capital the tools we need to mitigate the impact of Brexit and stay ahead in the global race. Take the issue of immigration. Huge swathes of our nation including the ministers calling the shots around the Cabinet view freedom of movement as a problem so severe that we must leave the single market in a desperate bid to reduce net immigration to the tens of thousands, regardless of how much it hurts our economy. But London would grind to a halt without European migrants coming to the capital to work, and separate visa arrangement will be essential to enable London to maintain access to the talent it needs to grow. What is Article 50? Fast forward a couple of years and Londons status as the worlds pre-eminent global city will be under threat. Our position as the financial services capital of Europe is at risk and could disappear overnight if there is a flight of capital and talent to cities on the Continent. Over the course of the next two years as the reality of Brexit begins to bite, the economic, social and political cleavages between London and other parts of the country will become more pronounced. Londons status as a de facto city-state will become clearer and the arguments for a London city-state to forge a more independent path will become stronger. London already accounts for just under a third of all UK tax revenue up a quarter in real terms since 2005 so it beggars belief that the interests of the capital have been completely overlooked when planning for Brexit. The Treasury is increasingly reliant on London to subsidise expenditure and investment in other regions so embarking on a course that will hurt London economically is bad for the whole country, not just the capital. The Office for Budget Responsibility estimated the cost of Brexit at around 60 billion in additional borrowing over the next five years, and it is London that will foot the bill. We cannot afford a lost decade. We are already seeing London schools hit by huge cuts as money is shifted from the capital to the shires. Local authorities in the capital are already on their knees after seven years of swingeing austerity. This is the last thing we need when urgent attention and huge investment is crucial to address the capitals housing crisis and a deepening chasm between top earners and workless poor in many London boroughs. We cant go back to the Seventies: needles strewn across our public parks; our schools falling apart; the National Front marching on our streets; political paralysis, civil unrest and economic turbulence. What has become clear since June is that the Government will not fight Londons corner in the Brexit negotiations. The case for a London city-state has never been stronger. As Sturgeon told the SNP conference: we are not powerless, we can still decide which path we take. If you identify with Londons values, its time to fight for them. David Lammy is Labour MP for Tottenham T he Governments failure to get to grips with the challenge of air pollution is evident to all of us: its plans for reducing levels of nitrogen dioxide have twice been declared inadequate by the courts. There are new proposals due to be published at the end of next month, and MPs are prepared to subject them to close scrutiny. To that end, it is welcome that four separate Commons committees are to hold simultaneous enquiries into the toxic air scandal. Ministers may be taken aback at the prospect of such a wide-ranging inspection but it is needed. In London alone it is estimated that up to 9,400 people die prematurely each year as a consequence of air-bound pollutants. Correcting this dire statistic should be one of the Governments priorities. By taking a co-ordinated approach, MPs on the relevant committees (health, transport, environmental audit and food and rural affairs) have made clear that there is no simple solution to the problem; but there is a willingness to work together across parties for a solution. One part of that will be tackling vehicle emissions, not least by encouraging the use of cleaner forms of transport. When it comes to the development of greener vehicle technology, there is another potential win for the UK: we can take a global lead in this area. Ministers make much of the importance of Britains tech sector to our future outside the EU. Cleaning up our air is imperative for the health of the nation. Done right, it could also boost the economy. Crime and punishment The Mayor has launched a new four-year Police and Crime Plan for London. Its central element is the commitment to visible street policing, an approach popular with the public and which every mayor and Met Commissioner commits to but which is not always realised in practice, though Sir Ian Blair while Commissioner did make good on the policy. In this case, Sadiq Khan has promised extra dedicated ward officers in all of Londons 629 local neighbourhood wards, so we may realistically hope for more police. The most troubling aspect of spending pressures by central Government is that they seem likely to reduce visible policing; the Mayors new plan and his extra funding may counter that. Crucially, the Mayors plan also gives priority to the needs of young people apposite, given the fatal shooting of a teenager in Barking last night. There will be more dedicated officers in schools. Police will take a robust approach to knife crime prevention. There will be focused policing at youth crime hotspots public spaces where teenagers do not feel safe. There will be a review of community provision of alternatives to custody to break the cycle of youth reoffending. These and other proposals make clear how many-sided an effective strategy for youth protection must be, including education, early problem detection, creative approaches to punishment, and a police presence in troubled areas. A complex problem needs a range of solutions. The Mayors plan offers hope that crime against and by young people can be dealt with; for their sake, we must hope he succeeds. Make them funny Red Nose Day is on Friday and as part of this papers Evening Stand-Up campaign, the comedian Aisling Bea advises Londoners preparing to launch their own joke sessions to abandon their inhibitions and prepare to look silly. This paper has once again joined forces with Comic Relief to raise funds for the Dispossessed Campaign. Lets give it a go. The world would be a better place for more and funnier jokes and London is better for Comic Relief. Have you ever taken acid? If you were applying for a job at Apple in the 1980s, this was an interview question you might have been asked by Steve Jobs himself, who used it to test potential recruits. I know that sounds like something youd be asked at a hippie commune, not a technology company, but its actually not so bizarre when you look at the history of Silicon Valley. As Fred Turner explains in his book From Counterculture to Cyberculture, Californias technology industry was shaped by the utopian movements of the 1960s and 1970s. As well as being at the heart of the digital economy, California was the epicentre of the countercultural hippie philosophy that swept across the western world, embodying a set of radical ideas that challenged the established order. West Coast technologists couldnt help but be influenced by these intellectual currents, and you see this in the products and companies they built. One example is the way that countercultural thinkers rejected traditional authority and top-down control. When the internet was created, its structure was deliberately designed to reflect this non-hierarchical worldview, which is why all users were given equal rights to access and share information. That revolutionary thinking is the reason anyone can write a tweet or blog post and share it with people around the world without asking permission. This in turn enabled the democratisation of information, giving rise to Wikipedia and WikiLeaks, as well as Twitter. That kind of open sharing, with no central authority in charge, was a hippie vision made real by technology and its not the only one. Its the same with the idea that private property could be replaced by a sharing economy where people dont need to own cars, but instead hitch rides wherever they want to go. Or the vision of a world where anyone can communicate freely with anyone else, at zero cost. And the dream that everyone should be able to travel the world cheaply, crashing in spare rooms instead of expensive hotels. If you think about it, these classic countercultural ideas are central to modern Silicon Valley companies like Uber, Facebook and Airbnb. Of course its ironic and paradoxical that these hippie values are being brought to life by hugely powerful private sector corporations worth billions of dollars. But the intellectual background of these Silicon Valley giants helps explain why theyre running into conflicts across Europe. The West Coast mindset is that people should be able to share information freely, which is the reason Facebook and other social media sites are clashing with the German government, who want hate speech to be removed more quickly. Meanwhile, Paris authorities are clamping down on Uber and Airbnb for upending the established taxi and hotel industries. Right across the board, European regulators are butting heads with Silicon Valley companies, on issues from copyright to privacy. This isnt just because of European Union protectionism its due to the fundamentally different philosophies of Californian technologists and European lawmakers. Its a clash of civilisations, and it isnt going to go away. When we leave the EU, well have to decide whose side were on. O ne of the richest boroughs in London also has the highest number of residents having extramarital affairs, according to new research. Leafy Islington tops a new infidelity index, listing the capitals boroughs where the highest percentage of inhabitants appear to be cheating on their partners. The pricey north London postcode takes the cheating top spot from Kensington and Chelsea, which dropped to second place, having topped the index last year. 5.94 per cent of Islingtons adult population are cheating on their partners, according to IllicitEncounters.com - a dating website for married people. Loading.... On the other end of the scale, it's Ealing that is crowned as London's most faithful borough, with just 1.7 per cent of its population being unfaithful. According to the website, extramarital affairs are booming in London, thanks to spiralling house prices. Unhappy couples cannot afford to split and set up two homes, and are seeking 'discreet' fun elsewhere. Affluent boroughs such as Kensington and Chelsea, Hammersmith and Fulham and Tower Hamlets all made the top 10 most adulterous boroughs, while less affluent boroughs such as Ealing, Havering, Hackney and Haringey made up four of the top five most faithful. 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. But if youre worried about your partner playing away, there is some encouraging news for Londoners - the capital itself ranked as one of the least adulterous city in the entire country, with just 1.47 per cent of its adult population seeking that extra bit on the side. T he son of a former British ambassador blew almost 10,000 on his mothers stolen credit card to feed his 300-a-day drug habit, a court heard. Benjamin Fretwell, 50, used the card while staying at his parents 2.5 million Kensington apartment, withdrawing cash to fund his addiction to heroin and crack cocaine. Hammersmith magistrates heard he stayed clear of drugs while working as a ski instructor in the Alps and tending to his family homes in France and Spain, but succumbed to overwhelming temptation during a spell in London in December last year. His mother, Mary Fretwell OBE, founder of pressure group Passports for Pets which campaigns to change animal quarantine laws, was in court to see her son sentenced to eight weeks in prison suspended for a year. However, his father Sir John Emsley Fretwell, British Ambassador to France from 1982 to 1987, did not attend court for the sentencing hearing. Lady Fretwell reported her son to police in January after realising through her credit card bill that he had spent 9,484 in just over a month on his drug habit. Fretwells parents have now paid for him to go into rehab at a private centre in Essex to tackle his latest drug relapse. Duncan Jones, defending, told the court: This was an opportunistic act by a man in the grip of an addiction to drugs. He has let down his mother and father, who over the years have supported him. He is addicted to crack cocaine and heroin and has been for the last 10 years and there was an overwhelming temptation when he saw his mothers bank card. His addiction consumed his thoughts and actions and he descended into a 300-a-day drug addiction. Mr Jones said Fretwell is drug-free while living in Europe but succumbs to bad influences during stays in London. He added that Lady Fretwell called police to get help for her son and did not want him to be prosecuted or jailed. The desire of the family is that Mr Fretwell is allowed to continue that privately funded therapy and not be a drain on public funds, he said. The court heard Fretwell is now planning to sell his flat in Pimlico to repay his mother, who has control over the property and her sons bank accounts. Sentencing Fretwell on Friday to 200 hours of community service, magistrate Robert Westlake told him the suspended prison term would be hanging over your head if he slipped back into drugs. Your mother wants to help you and we are really pleased you are doing something to help yourself, he said. Fretwell, who pleaded guilty to fraud by false representation and theft, said his mother would pay 200 in court costs and fees and he would try to pay her back. A murder investigation has been launched after a teenager was shot in the head in east London. The 18-year-old victim is thought to have been shot dead in front of a block of flats in Barking. Scotland Yard said detectives had arrested a 20-year-old man in connection with the shooting in St Anns just after 7pm on Sunday. The killing was the third in London in the space of 24 hours. Scene: the aftermath of the shooting in Barking / Twitter On Saturday night a one-year-old boy was killed in an attack in a Finsbury Park flat which also left his twin sister critically injured. The children were named locally as Gabriel and Maria. A 33-year-old man, believed to be the twins' father, was later arrested. The children, named locally as Gabriel (front) and Maria A separate murder investigation was also launched after a man was found "unresponsive" at a block of flats on Hoxton's Cranston Estate at about 12.30 on Sunday. The man, thought to be in his 20s, was pronounced dead at the scene and a 28-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of murder. Scotland Yard said armed police were called to the scene of the shooting in St Ann's in Dagenham where they found a man who had been shot in the head. He was rushed to hospital but was pronounced dead just over three hours later. One person wrote on social media that the shooting took place in front of his friend's house, posting: "A man just got shot in the head in Barking". A Met Police spokesman said the victim's next of kin had been informed. Anyone with information should call police on 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. A cyclist was left injured in the road with a broken arm following a hit-and-run crash in north London. Police are appealing for witnesses after a van driver fled the scene in broad daylight following the crash with the cyclist in Edgware on Tuesday afternoon. The cyclist, a man aged 48, suffered a broken arm during the collision with a yellow Ford Transit panel van, on Burnt Oak Broadway, at just after 2pm. Nearly one week on from the crash, traffic officers with the Met Police are appealing for anyone who saw what happened to come forward. The driver of the van, who made off from the scene, has since been traced. No one has yet been arrested and enquiries are continuing, police said. Anyone who witnessed the crash is asked to please call the Serious Collision Investigation Unit at Alperton on 020 8991 9555 or tweet @MetCC. A former member of an illegal white supremacist group has been caught on camera saying that murdered MP Jo Cox deserved to die. Prominent National Action activist Garron Helm, who was jailed after tweeting anti-Semitic abuse in 2014, was filmed talking to an undercover reporter as part of an ITV news investigation into the group. He is heard saying that Mrs Cox a human rights campaigner and activist - did have it coming when she was brutally murdered in 2016. Helm was filmed at a weekend survival camp in the Peak District attended by a number of people with links to National Action and other far-right organisations. Undercover: Helm was caught on camera saying the MP 'had it coming' / ITV News National Action was banned by the Home Office last year - meaning that it would be a terrorist offence for it to exist and could carry a jail term of up to ten years. Before it was criminalised, the group had celebrated the death of Mrs Cox who was murdered on her way to her MP surgery in Birstall. Helm was secretly filmed discussing the murder of Mrs Cox and claimed police used the MPs death to pursue National Action. Murdered: The MP was killed by a far-right extremist / Jo Cox Foundation He said: It was after that camp we did last year that they really came down on us, and then Jo Cox got murdered didnt she? So they just used that as a f***ing excuse to come after us. Its not our fault she was killed, I mean she did have it coming. The 23 year-old added: You see a lot of the lads are bitter over it. I mean some of the areas they are growing up in are so rough and so infested with you know, ethnics, that theyve literally got no tolerance for people anymore they believe to be committing treason. Convicted: Helm previously tweeted anti-Semitic abuse to an MP / ITV News I do think if youre committing an act of treason against, you know, your own ethnic group then by right you should be put to death. National Action adopted the words of Mrs Coxs killer death to traitors, as its motto. In 2014 Helm, from Liverpool, was jailed after sending an anti-Semitic tweet to Jewish MP Luciana Berger. The offending tweet showed a Nazi-style yellow star superimposed on Ms Bergers face with the words '#Hitler was right'. D etectives were today continuing to question a father over an alleged hammer attack on his twin babies which left one dead. Bidhya Sagar Das, 33, was arrested last night after a 20-hour manhunt. The hotel receptionist was being questioned at an east London police station today. The two 18-month-olds were found with critical head injuries at their home in Finsbury Park at 11pm on Saturday. Witnesses told how the childrens mother, Cristinela Datcu, ran out into the street crying: My kids! My kids! The couples son, Gabriel, was pronounced dead in hospital early on Sunday. His sister Maria remains in a critical condition today after surgery. Mother Christinela Datcu, pictured with Das Mihai Manea, 29, who lives on the second floor of the three-storey building, said the children lived on the top floor with their Romanian mother and Indian father. She said: They seemed a normal family. Das said they were eventually going to get married. Mr Das was arrested in Hackney at 7.15pm last night. Staff at the Pembury Hotel, where Ms Datcu works as a maid, said he quit his job there two days earlier after seven years. Ms Datcus best friend, who declined to be named, told the Standard she had spoken to her on the phone two hours before the attack. Police at the scene in Finsbury Park / PA She said: We spoke on Saturday night at 9pm or 9.15pm. She was saying she was fine. I know she was not fine. I was so shocked. Gabriel was best friends with my son. They were always playing together. A hammer was found in Somerfield Road near the familys one-bed flat. Detective Chief Inspector Dave Whellams, of the Homicide and Major Crime Command, said: I would still like to hear from anyone who may have any information regarding this terrible incident. Those with information are asked to call the incident room on 020 8345 3775 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. A Cambridge-educated law lecturer is forcing his Tesco security guard brother out of their 750,000 flat in Hampstead thanks to a contract they agreed at their local Costa. Filip Saranovic, 29, drew up papers for the property deal and explained the basics to his ill-educated brother, Nikola, 41. He did not tell him about a clause allowed either sibling to force through the sale of the flat. Nikola, faced with being left without a home, challenged the legality of the deal. He claimed his younger brother, who was educated at Cambridge and Harvard and is now a lecturer in maritime law at the University of Southampton, had taken advantage of his trust. However, a judge at Central London county court has ruled Filip did nothing wrong and that Nikola should have sought legal advice before signing. The brothers bought the flat in Holmdale Road in June 2014 with money given to them by their mother, discussing the deal at the coffee shop before signing documents drawn up by Filip. While Nikola was looking at the flat as a family home, his brothers primary reason for buying it was a lucrative plan to develop several attached garages. Judge Michael Berkley agreed Nikola had no express knowledge of the sale clause and had relied on his brother to explain that important part of the transaction. But he ruled Filip had done nothing wrong and that Nikola, who is not a details man, hadnt paid enough attention to the papers he was signing. Rift: Nikola, pictured with his wife Bojana has now been given two months to vacate the flat / Richard Gittins/Champion News: Nikola, his wife Bojana and their four-year-old daughter have now been given two months to vacate the flat, and could face a 200,000 bill for the cost of the legal battle. Judge Berkley found Filip, who owns two other flats in Cambridge and Southampton, had lived up to the duty of candour he owed his brother and was entitled to expect Nikola would take independent advice before signing. Under the terms of the deal, Nikola could live at the flat rent-free but a clause was inserted to allow either brother to force the sale of the property after a year. Martin Young, for Nikola, said the brothers previously enjoyed a good relationship but the legal battle had caused a deep divide in their family. The flat at the centre of the row / Richard Gittins/Champion News What Nikola wanted all along was to keep the home that he thought would be his for as long as he wanted it, he said. Filip knew that Nikola was relying on him to know the nature of the document he was signing. He thought the flat was going to buy a home for him and his family for the foreseeable future. Jonathon Upton, for Filip, said: Nikola didnt ask anyone to explain [the deed] to him. He didnt read the covering letter. He didnt take any care. In his ruling, Judge Berkley said Nikola is not as dynamic as Filip and trusted his brother to explain the document, but was willing to sign whatever Filip told him to sign, provided that he had the basic impact explained to him. I find that Filip chose not to explain the detail of the express power of sale and in particular the fact that either party could elect to sell the property against the others wishes after a year. I cannot find anything that Filip did wrong. It is very unfair and inequitable to say that Filip asserted undue influence in anything that he did. The judge ordered that the flat can go on the market in a month to give Nikola and his family some time to adjust to the idea of leaving their home. He also said he would consider a written plea for a reduction of Nikolas costs from the court case, estimated at 200,000. A murder probe has been launched after a young man was found dead at flats in east London. Metropolitan Police officers were called to Hoxton's Cranston Estate after the victim, in his 20s, was found unresponsive shortly after 12.30pm on Sunday. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Scotland Yard said a 28-year-old man had been arrested on suspicion of murder. He is being held at an east London police station. Taped-off: A man, in his 20s, was found dead at a block of flats in Hoxton / David Churchill A Met Police spokesman added: The victims next of kin have been informed. Formal identification and a post-mortem examination will be scheduled in due course. Enquiries continue to establish the full circumstances of the events. It came amid a weekend of violence in London. On Saturday night a one-year-old boy was killed in an attack in a Finsbury Park flat which also left his twin sister critically injured. The children were named locally as Gabriel and Maria. A 33-year-old man, believed to be the twins' father, was later arrested. The children, named locally as Gabriel (front) and Maria In a separate incident an 18-year-old man died after being shot in the head in Barking. Scotland Yard said detectives had arrested a 20-year-old man in connection with the shooting in St Anns just after 7pm on Sunday. Anyone with any information on the Hoxton murder is asked to contact the HMCC on their incident room number of 0208 721 4054 or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 1111. A British jihadi who stored Islamic State propaganda on a USB stick disguised in cufflinks is facing jail. Samata Ullah, 34, offered his services to the Cyber Caliphate Army online, making training videos and amassing terrorist material, including guided missile manuals, at his Cardiff home. When it was raided by police last September, officers found 30 pairs of cufflinks with USB drives hidden inside and evidence he used one to upload material online. It is thought he ordered 50 of the cufflinks from a Chinese auction site. He confessed to five terror charges this month. The guilty pleas can be reported today after the Attorney General agreed to drop a sixth charge of directing terrorism for IS, which Ullah denied. The terrorist, who was not present at the Old Bailey today, has been remanded in custody until sentencing on April 28. Ullah, who has been diagnosed with autism, confessed to providing terrorist training between December 2015 and last September. He pleaded guilty to membership of a proscribed organisation, training terrorists, preparation for terrorism and two charges of possessing articles connected with terrorism. T wo teenagers have been quizzed by police over a vicious homophobic attack on a gay couple after a Valentine's Day dinner. Police are still hunting for two other men wanted in connection with the alleged attack on Phil Poole, 35, and boyfriend Zbynek Zatloukal, 26, who were travelling together on a train from Reading to London. The pair were set upon by a group of men in the early hours of February 15 after falling asleep and missing their stop. Mr Poole said he was sleeping on his boyfriend's shoulder when he was awoken by a punch to his face. Victim: Phil Poole. The brutal attack is then said to have continued, leaving Mr Poole unconscious and with severe cuts and bruises. His partner suffered a suspected broken eye socket and had his front teeth knocked out. Following the alleged assault, British Transport Police released CCTV stills of four men they wanted to speak to. CCTV: Police still want to speak to these two men. / British Transport Police On Friday, police said a 16-year-old boy from Hounslow and a 17-year-old boy from Uxbridge had come forward. They have since been voluntarily interviewed and reported for assault, police said. No one has yet been arrested and police still want to speak to two other men. They have re-released CCTV stills of the two other suspects. A BTP spokesperson added: We are continuing to appeal for information regarding two other men officers would like to speak to in connection with the incident. Anyone with any information should call police on 0800 40 50 40 or text information to 61016 quoting reference number 30 15/2/17. A doctor has admitted misleading other medics after concealing nurse Pauline Cafferkeys raised temperature hours before she fell seriously ill with Ebola. Dr Hannah Ryan took the temperature of the Scottish nurse as they waited to go through Ebola virus screening at Heathrow Airport, medical watchdogs heard. They had been working in Sierra Leone as part of a team of UK medics helping treat victims of the deadly virus which killed thousands in west Africa in 2014. But after flying home for Christmas, Dr Ryan took Ms Cafferkey's temperature which was 38.2 centigrade - above the 37.5 centigrade threshold which is a warning sign for Ebola, a Medical Practitioners Tribunal was told. Dr Ryan was in a state of "disbelief, fear and panic" at the raised reading and instead of alerting Public Health England (PHE) medics at Heathrow, she recorded a lower temperature of 37.2. This allowed Miss Cafferkey to catch her connecting flight to Glasgow to go home. She fell seriously ill the next day and tested positive for Ebola. Recovery: Pauline Cafferkey, right, at Hampstead's Royal Free Hospital / Royal Free Hospital Dr Ryan has admitted misleading others and "acquiesced" in the wrong temperature being given, but denies misconduct by her actions at the airport and during a subsequent investigation by Public Health England. Fraser Coxhill, representing the General Medical Council, said that when the pair returned to the UK the Ebola screening area at Heathrow was "crowded, noisy and chaotic". The Tribunal heard that some medics were worried they would miss connecting flights to Glasgow due to delays in the screening process. Trying to help PHE staff with the process, they agreed to take and record their own temperatures. The two medics and another nurse with them, Donna Wood, discussed the reading, "during which someone said, 'Let's get out of here'," Mr Coxhill told the tribunal. Ms Cafferkey's temperature was then recorded as 37.2C, the form was passed to PHE staff and the medics went on their way. Mr Coxhill continued: "Whilst there is no doubt that Dr Ryan is a practitioner of hitherto unblemished character who undertook important selfless work in Sierra Leone, it is submitted that the events of 28th December 2014 and 2nd January 2015 appear to demonstrate someone whose first instinct is to mislead and be dishonest." The tribunal was adjourned until Tuesday morning. A isling Bea has revealed her top tip for stand-up lose the filters. The 8 Out of 10 Cats star said the world of social media makes us try to look as nice as possible but comedy is about stripping it all away and having no inhibitions. The comedian, who shot to fame after winning the So You Think Youre Funny award at the Edinburgh Fringe four years ago, said: Dont be afraid to look silly, you are only holding yourself back if you are afraid of looking silly or failing. In this modern world where we have filters to make us look as nice as possible its good to take off the filter and go, I could look stupid here. Youll learn something and be better for it. Fundraising: Aisling Bea is throwing her support behind Red Nose Day / Alex Lentati People who succeed in my job are people who are not afraid to look silly. And you are looking silly for a very good cause. It might open up your personality, or make people at work see you in a different light. Go for it. Other tips included keeping eye contact with an audience: You cant foster confidence if you dont have it. These are tricks to fake confidence. Bea, 32, insisted that just because she is a professional stand-up it doesnt mean her sets have never gone wrong. Once it becomes your profession it doesnt mean you are good at it forever. You just get better at dealing with the failure, she said. I have had jokes that have bombed. Every stand-up comic dies [on stage] once a month ... or every two months. Scarlett Moffatt makes commuters laugh for Comic Relief The Irish star, pictured, a regular on Never Mind The Buzzcocks, urged Londoners to face the nations biggest fear and tell a joke in public this Red Nose Day. She said the capital must step up to the challenge and host a jokeathon or a sponsored stand-up in the workplace or at home as part of our Evening Stand Up campaign. It seems to be peoples greatest fear, speaking in public. Jerry Seinfeld has a gag about peoples biggest fear being death followed by speaking in public.So Id say challenge yourself. Do a joke, do the worst joke you can possibly think of. Even the worst comedy lightens the mood. I would call on Londoners to face the nations greatest fear and tell a joke in public. Make a rule that everyone has to clap and laugh even if its dire. A joke-athon is a great way of getting your dad jokes out of your system. A great opportunity, if you like being funny in front of your friends. This year the Standard has again partnered with Comic Relief, which in recent years has donated 5 million to our Dispossessed Fund helping Londons most vulnerable people.Bea said that with the world becoming more isolationist ... we can help each other by giving outwards. We can help others by doing things that do not necessarily help us. When you see people getting involved in Comic Relief, especially in tough times or times of recession, thats very positive.[Comic Reliefs funds] help people that are not immediately involved in our lives, which is better for us as a society. To order your free fundraising pack, please log on to rednoseday.com. A n estate agent today told of his shock after a blog post about his "chaotic and hilarious" valuation visit to the home of a London mother-of-two went viral online. Dan Stevenson, 26, became an internet celebrity after his visit on Friday to the Wandsworth home of Lorna Hayward and her two girls Elsie, three, and Marnie, 18 months. In the past three days he has had countless messages from mothers asking him out or for him to value their homes after an adorable picture of him with the girls was posted by Mrs Hayward on her Instagram page. Full-time mother and blogger Mrs Hayward said she took the picture after her girls took a real shine to him and followed the estate agent around the house asking for cuddles and whether he was he staying the night. They also hung on to the leg of Mr Stevenson and asked him if hed like some of their dinner before Elsie announced to the agent, she had done her biggest poo yet it was a bit spikey though, so please can you wipe my bum. Mrs Hayward, who runs the site themumblings.co.uk, posted the cute picture online and to the Facebook group of honest parenting group The Motherload. She said: I thought it was the kind of thing the Motherload would love as it is a typical situation faced by lots of mums - your children being chaotic and hilarious and you frantically apologising for them. Mrs Hayward told the Standard she then went out for the night with her friend and her phone started going crazy. She added: I wasnt on my phone so I wasnt replying and I think everyone thought I had run off with him. I think the members wanted to find out more about him. Some members then started tweeting with the #findDan hashtag - with over 30,000 people either tweeting, sharing or commenting on the post online in the past few days. Many were attempting to track down Mr Stevenson to ask out the "hunky estate agent" or get him round for a valuation. Mr Stevenson was eventually revealed as a south-west London estate agent working for the Purple Bricks website. Mr Stevenson told the Standard he was out on Friday night when he started getting a number of friend requests and messages from random women talking about his visit to the Haywards home. He said: I couldnt find the article they were talking about so I had no idea what was going on really. [During the valuation] Lorna had said she was a blogger and she did take a picture but I didnt really expect what happened. My CEO emailed me on Saturday explaining what had happened and then I finally found it [the article]. I am shocked with the response. I didnt do anything different to a normal visit. It was a normal day for me. Affordable five for two Housing explainer The agent said he had lots of cousins in his family so was quite used to dealing with young children, adding: They are two lovely girls. Purple Bricks are now offering to sell Mrs Haywards house for free following the post. Mr Stevenson also added that, if anyone wants to have him sell their home, they can look up his name on the Purple Bricks website and ask for him specifically. Kate Dyson, CEO & Founder of The Motherload, said: The website and community is a great network of brilliant mums who come together to discuss the highs and lows of parenting in a supportive, non-judgemental way. We absolutely loved watching #FindDan unfold, with nearly 2.5k likes on the post, and hundreds of comments as our 23500 members sought to find Dan and bring him into the fold. T he family of a 13-year-old girl who went missing after getting a train to London have spoken of their relief after the girl was found. Police were growing concerned for Alice Brindley, the daughter of London Excel centre boss Paul Brindley, after the teen vanished at Cambridge railway station at around 6.30pm on Sunday. She had not been seen since and Suffolk officers believe she travelled to King's Cross before heading to the Islington area. On Monday evening, her father, who is executive director of the ExCeL centre in Newham, tweeted: "Alice has now been found safe and well and would like to thank all of your for the fantastic support in helping to get the awareness out. Alice Brindley / Suffolk Police Earlier, he had written: "Can everyone please retweet. My lovely little girl has gone missing any help to find her would be greatly appreciated to bring her home. Mother Sarah also appealed for information, writing: "Please help me find my little girl. I need her home and safe please help her find her way home. The teenager is from, Ixworth Thorpe, near Bury St Edmunds, but had been visiting Cambridge with friends when she went missing. A local politician today warned that central London councils risked being run only by people with trust funds, after resigning because she cannot afford to live in her area. Maeve McCormack, 30, stepped down as a Labour councillor representing the Gospel Oak ward of Camden because rising house prices mean she cannot afford to buy in the area. People who do not live, work, or own property in a local authority area cannot stand for election. Ms McCormack warned that there was an issue across inner-London boroughs of politicians being forced out because of the housing crisis and resulting rising rents and house prices. Im aware of three of four councillors in Camden alone and there are other boroughs where this is a growing issue too, she said, adding: There is a risk of local politicians being increasingly unrepresentative. We cant just have people who are retired or with trust funds making decisions for our communities. A Conservative Camden councillor, Tom Currie, announced last month that he would not stand in next years local elections, citing one reason as the need to find a home thats a bit more affordable than central London. Ms McCormack, a PR consultant, earns more than 40,000 a year but could not afford to buy a flat in Camden where she has lived for the past eight years where the average property price is more than 1 million. Her basic allowance as a councillor was 9,751. Top 10 fastest growing London boroughs in terms of housing prices She was elected in 2014. She said: Councillors are just elected residents, theyre not a different species of human being, so they just go through the same thing as anyone else. London Councils, the body representing local authorities in the capital, would not comment specifically on the issue of councillors being priced out of their communities. However, it did refer to previous statements supporting more affordability of housing in London. Trendy micro-breweries 'spark big leap in London house prices' A spokeswoman said: London Councils has maintained a one-size-fits-all approach will not work and that we must see a variety of homes, of a range of tenures built to offer housing solutions for all Londoners. A suspected shoplifter has been hit by bus after "fleeing a TK Maxx store" on a busy south London high street. Police sealed off Brixton Road just after 12.15pm on Monday after a man was hit by a bus. According to witnesses, the man, believed to be a shoplifter, fled TK Maxx and headbutted the TfL double decker. Ric Baker wrote on Twitter: Shoplifter just headbutted a @TfL bus running out of TK Maxx Brixton in chaos. Scotland Yard confirmed police had been called to a collision between a bus and a pedestrian in Brixton Road. A spokesman said a man was treated by paramedics from London Ambulance Service but his injuries are not believed to be life-threatening. The road was reopened shortly after 2pm. S adiq Khan has warned that concessions on business rates granted in the Budget do not go far enough and that many London businesses will fail as a result. The Mayor said he would maintain pressure on ministers to make it easier for entrepreneurs to set up and grow businesses. His comments came after Chancellor Philip Hammond announced 435 million of measures to ease the burden on businesses when new valuations come into force next month. But Mr Khan said: I have warned the Government of the devastating impact rising rates will have on Londons business community. "While I am pleased that the Chancellor addressed some of these concerns in the Budget, the measures that he announced did not go far enough and the fact is that many London businesses could be forced to close for good as a result. I will continue to push home the message to ministers that businesses need to be given the incentive to grow. Speaking ahead of the Asian Business Awards last Friday, he praised the huge contribution to London made by one of largest and most diverse Asian communities in the world. T heresa May will fire the starting gun for Brexit on Wednesday next week, Downing Street officially revealed today. She will move Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty and make a statement in the House of Commons on March 29, finally setting in train Britains formal departure from the European Union. The historic start of the process, 44 years after the UK joined the EEC in 1973, will trigger a two-year countdown for negotiations over the exit terms and any interim trade deal. Brexit will take place by March 29 2019 at the latest, No 10 confirmed. Loading.... The UKs permanent representative in Brussels, Sir Tim Barrow, this morning notified European Council president Donald Tusk that the Prime Minister has chosen Wednesday March 29 as the day to obey the instructions of the British people given in last Junes in-out referendum. What is Article 50? We want negotiations to start promptly, said the Prime Ministers offcial spokesman this morning. Asked if that would mean Brexit happening by March 29 2019, the PMs spokesman said: We have said we expect this to be a two-year process and we are confident that is what we will achieve. The starting move will be a hand-delivered letter from Mrs May to Mr Tusk, launching the exit procedures set out in the Lisbon Treaty. Mr Tusk said recently that EU leaders would respond within more or less 48 hours of the letter, starting possibly the most complicated series of negotiations in British history. Brexit start: Theresa May, seen here on Monday signing a new investment deal in Swansea, will trigger Article 50 on March 29 / Ben Birchall/PA Brexit Secretary David Davis said: Last June, the people of the UK made the historic decision to leave the EU. Next Wednesday, the Government will deliver on that decision and formally start the process by triggering Article 50. We are on the threshold of the most important negotiation for this country for a generation. The Government is clear in its aims: a deal that works for every nation and region of the UK and indeed for all of Europe a new, positive partnership between the UK and our friends and allies in the European Union. Mrs Mays spokesman appeared to rule out an early general election at the same time as revealing the date of Brexit, saying: There is not going to be one. The date means Mrs May will have met her conference pledge to trigger Brexit by the end of March by just two days. Preparations are understood to be highly advanced, with the letter to Mrs Tusk already drafted and Britains opening demands in the Brexit negotiation prepared. The Prime Minister was in Wales today on a pre-Brexit tour of the UK designed to show she is listening to the views of every region. March 29 is anti-Brexit campaigner Sir John Majors 74th birthday - and the wedding anniversary of fellow Remain campaigner and ex-PM Tony Blair. J eremy Corbyn has endured an "explosive" meeting of Labour MPs and peers amid a row over claims of a left-wing takeover plot. The Labour leader was heckled by MPs as he addressed the Parliamentary Labour Party (PLP), with some said to be angry at the suggestion that they were focused on infighting rather than campaigning. Others felt their questions on Mr Corbyn's strategy to revive support were not being answered. Deputy leader Tom Watson was supported by a number of Labour politicians after publicly warning the party's future was at risk from supporters of the leader who appeared to be plotting a "secret deal" with Unite union boss Len McCluskey. Row: Labour's deputy leader Tom Watson / PA Mr Watson warned about apparent plans of Momentum, the grassroots activists group that helped propel Mr Corbyn to the leadership, to link up with Unite. It came after a stormy meeting of the shadow cabinet earlier on Monday, after which Mr Corbyn and Mr Watson issued a joint statement agreeing to strengthen party unity. At the PLP, its chairman John Cryer dismissed suggestions that Mr Watson was isolated at that meeting. A source acknowledged that the deputy leader was "laid into" by senior figures. But the source insisted they were "the people who you would expect" and that other shadow cabinet ministers did not speak or were more measured in their response. The row comes after a recording emerged of Momentum founder Jon Lansman saying he expected Unite to affiliate to the group if Mr McCluskey wins his battle for re-election as its general secretary. After the tape emerged, Mr Watson warned collaboration between the activist group and the union could "destroy" Labour. Later, Mr Corbyn and Mr Watson agreed to call for party unity and insisted "no one speaks for the leadership except the leadership themselves" - viewed by supporters of the deputy as a slap-down to Mr Lansman. In the joint statement, the leader and deputy said: "The shadow cabinet agreed on the need to strengthen party unity. "It recognised the right of groups across the spectrum of Labour's broad church to discuss their views and try to influence the party so long as they operate within the rules. "The leadership represents the whole party and not any one strand within it. No one speaks for the leadership except the leadership themselves and their spokespeople." After the PLP meeting, a source close to Mr Corbyn claimed most Labour MPs and peers agree that groups within the party are free to try to influence it as long as it is within the rules. "I think the message that Jeremy gave to the (PLP) meeting is that we need to be a united party and we need to be talking about the issues that affect our voters and the people who need a Labour government and Labour councils up and down the country, and that's what we should be discussing, not the internal affairs of the Labour Party. Additional reporting from Press Association. T hree former Conservative chairmen today urged Theresa May to rule out holding a snap general election or risk speculation getting out of hand. In interviews with the Standard, Margaret Thatchers election-winning former chairman Lord Tebbit warned that going to the country early could backfire with voters who wanted Westminster to get on with the job. Grant Shapps, who chaired the party at the 2015 election, warned that if rumours continued to mount, Mrs May could suffer the fate of Gordon Brown, who was accused of bottling it in 2007. A third former party chair, Baroness Warsi, simply said: I would say No. The warnings came after days of feverish chatter at Westminster and reports that all the main parties are making contingency plans for election campaigns. Downing Street has consistently said that Mrs May was against holding an election before 2020 - the date currently set by law - but has stopped short of firmly ruling one out. Asked three times to rule out the possibility this morning, a senior No 10 spokeswoman replied with the same stock answer: The Prime Minister does not think there should be an early general election. Theresa May: Now is not the time for Scottish independence referendum The phraseology leaves wriggle room for Mrs May to change her mind and argue that she was forced to bring forward an election by opponents, such as Scotlands First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, who last week questioned the PMs mandate to govern. However, Lord Tebbit said: I think it could cause more trouble than she wants. I would not be advising her to take that risk. He said that under the law, Tory MPs would have to back a vote of no confidence in the Government to force an election. He also said voters had become less predictable, adding: Electorates tend to say, For goodness sake, get on with the job. Mr Shapps said: She needs to make clear now that she will not do it. What she is in danger of is a 2007 situation, where Gordon Brown let the story run on that he was testing the water. Head-to-head: Theresa May v Nicola Sturgeon Labours election co-ordinator Andrew Gwynne said the party was on a war footing in case of a May 4 polling day. Tory sources last night confirmed that discussions about an early election took place between her parliamentary aide George Hollingbery, Tory chairman Sir Patrick McLoughlin and chief whip Gavin Williamson. Some MPs believe Mrs May could announce an early election next week when she triggers Article 50, beginning the Brexit process. A Brit who travelled to Syria to fight ISIS has said he will always be proud" of what he did. Josh Walker, from Bristol, fought alongside the Kurdish Militia and the YPG against Islamic extremists during a six-month stint. He told the BBC that he wouldnt have forgiven himself if he had not joined hundreds of volunteers who travelled to the war-torn country. According to The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights more than 400 people joined the militia by 2015. 'Caring man': Ryan Lock was killed along with four others / Facebook Mr Walker fought with fellow Brit 20-year-old Ryan Lock from Chichester, West Sussex, who died in December after "turning the gun on himself" to avoid being captured by terrorists. He returned to the UK and was arrested at Gatwick Airport under the Terrorism Act, but was later released on bail. He told the BBC's Inside Out programme that, despite bombing raids and mortar attacks which left him "terrified", he will "always be proud of what he did". He added: "I hadn't gone out in a gung-ho manner but if I was under attack I was going to fight. "All you can do is keep your head down and hope it stops," he said. Mr Walker made his way to Syria after travelling from Bristol to Istanbul in Turkey, then to Iraq before reaching Rojava in Kurdish-held northern Syria. The Foreign Office advises against all travel to Syria, adding there is a "high threat from terrorism" and a "very high threat of kidnapping" throughout the country. P rince Harry wore a garland of flowers at a ceremony to celebrate 200 years of co-operation between the UK and Nepal. The prince was given the garland at the Nepali embassy in London, marking the end of celebrations for the milestone. After unveiling photographs of the 13 Gurkha soldiers who have received the Victoria Cross, he chatted and joked with comrades he met when he was attached to the 1st Battalion The Royal Gurkha Rifles in Afghanistan for three months in 2007/08. Rifleman Vinod Budhathoki, 32, who lost both his legs in an accident in May 2010, remembered Harry as very down to earth during his tour with B Company. Celebration: Harry watches a Nepali cultural performance / Getty Images Mr Budhathoki, who also met Harry when he competed in the Invictus Games three years ago, said: "He just never let us feel like he was from the Royal Family. We just treated him as a normal officer. "He was so nice, and just made us work quite easy with him." Corporal Hari Budha Magar, 37, said Harry had joked "stop following me" after they met last week as he and the Prince of Wales presented Afghanistan operational medals to Gurkhas at Buckingham Palace. Cpl Magar, from Kent, who lost both his legs above the knee in 2010, told Harry about his attempt next year to become the first double amputee to scale Mount Everest. Warm words: Prince Harry at the embassy / Getty Images He said: "I am training at the moment in Nepal and Scotland, and he said, 'All the best for it'." Harry also joked with Captain Lalit Bahadur Gurung, who he trained with before they served together in Afghanistan. The prince told him: "Good to see you again, how are you? Last time I saw you you were wearing this (his uniform) - you do have other clothes?" Kate dazzles in three different outfits in Paris 1 /16 Kate dazzles in three different outfits in Paris Duke and Duchess of Cambridge during for a dinner hosted by Her Majesty's Ambassador to France, Edward Llewellyn, at the British Embassy in Paris, as part of their official visit to the French capital PA The Duchess of Cambridge attends a dinner hosted by Her Majesty's Ambassador to France, Edward Llewellyn, at the British Embassy in Paris, as part of an official visit to the French capital with her husband the Duke of Cambridge PA The Duchess of Cambridge departs after meeting French President Francois Hollande at the Elysee Palace during an official visit to Paris, France PA The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge attend a dinner hosted by Her Majesty's Ambassador to France, Edward Llewellyn, at the British Embassy in Paris, as part of their official visit to the French capital PA The Duchess of Cambridge speaks with French actor Jean Reno (right)during a dinner hosted by Her Majesty's Ambassador to France, Edward Llewellyn, at the British Embassy in Paris, as part of an official visit to the French capital with her husband the Duke of Cambridge PA The Duchess of Cambridge (centre) attends a reception at the British Embassy in Paris, during an official visit to the French capital city. PA The Duchess of Cambridge (centre) attends a reception at the British Embassy in Paris, during an official visit to the French capital city. PA The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge attend a reception at the British Embassy in Paris, during an official visit to the French capital city. PA The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge depart after meeting French President Francois Hollande (right) at the Elysee Palace during an official visit to Paris, France PA The Duchess of Cambridge departs after meeting French President Francois Hollande at the Elysee Palace, along with her husband the Duke of Cambridge, during an official visit to Paris, France PA The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge prepare to depart after meeting French President Francois Hollande (right) at the Elysee Palace during an official visit to Paris, France PA The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge attend a dinner hosted by Her Majesty's Ambassador to France, Edward Llewellyn, at the British Embassy in Paris, as part of their official visit to the French capital PA The event was held to mark the signing of the Treaty of Segauli in March 1816, which established formal relations between Nepal and the UK. Harry was presented with a traditional Nepali khukuri knife, before watching cultural performances and a knife dance by Gurkha soldiers. In a speech to dignitaries, he described Nepal as a "captivating country", adding: "It is no exaggeration to say that the people of Nepal, and the Gurkhas in particular, hold a very special place in the heart of the British public and in my family." Harry travelled to Nepal last year to visit areas ravaged by the 2015 earthquake, and he lauded the way they the country has dealt with the devastation. He said: "I saw first-hand the unbreakable spirit and resilience of the Nepali people as they set about it. I hope you and they can continue to draw comfort from the fact the British people stand with you on that journey." Additional reporting by the Press Association. B BC presenter Richard Hammond has been badly hurt after falling off a motorbike during filming for The Grand Tour, it has been reported. The former Top Gear host, 47, was injured while shooting the Amazon Prime show in a remote part of Mozambique, east Africa, according to the Sun. Co-star Jeremy Clarkson told the newspaper: "He really did hurt himself quite badly." But asked if Hammond went to hospital, Clarkson joked: "We don't do hospitals." 'Badly hurt' Richard Hammond is treated by medics / Christopher Furlong/Getty Images The accident comes 11 years after Hammond was left in a coma following a high-speed smash while filming for the BBC show in 2006. Giant busts of Jeremy Clarkson, James May and Richard Hammond spotted in London The presenter was in a coma for a fortnight following the 288mph accident but made a full recovery despite having life-threatening head injuries. A baby boy was pulled from a lake after his mother drowned and his father was found shot dead in a burning house. Mother Cristy Campbell was spotted driving a 4x4 car into the lake in south Illinois, USA just minutes after emergency services were called to reports her family home was on fire. Firefighters discovered the body of her ex-husband, Justin Campbell, who had been killed from a gunshot wound, inside the burning house. A quick-thinking paramedic saw the vehicle submerged in the lake and swam through icy water to rescue the three-month-old baby, Julian, and perform CPR on the infant on top of the cars roof. The infants mother, Cristy Campbell, 32, had drowned in the car. A gun was later found in the 4x4 but it is not known whether it is the weapon used to shoot Mr Campbell, 37. Six other children managed to escape the fire at the house, which happened at around 5am on Thursday near Silver Lake in Highland. The children lived in the house with their divorced parents, who had a history of domestic violence. Madison County Coroner Steve Nonn told the Associated Press news agency that nothing in the autopsy suggested the gunshot wound was self-inflicted. On arrival at the house fire, paramedic Todd Zobrist said he saw car headlights which were submerged in about 5 feet of water. After swimming to the car he said: "It looked like two feet and two hands. And at first I thought it was just a doll, a kid's toy of some sort." Cristy Campbell's body was found hours later in the lake. Preliminary autopsy results determined she died of "environmental exposure and drowning," coroner Steve Nonn said. An investigation has been launched into the cause of the fire. Reporting by Associated Press. A British backpacker who was murdered in India may have been gang-raped before she was killed, her family lawyer claims. Danielle McLaughlin, 28, was strangled and had her face slashed with a broken bottle during an attack in Palolem, Goa, last week. Prime suspect Vikas Bhagat, 23, has been charged with murdering and raping the teen, alongside 20 thefts against tourists. But family lawyer Vikram Varma claimed Bhagat was not strong enough to overcome Ms McLaughlin on his own. He told MailOnline: Bhagats story is that he was alone with Danielle which is doubtful. Danielle McLaughlin: Her family's lawyer wants police to look for more attackers / Facebook There has to be more than one person involved. I have no doubt. He would not have been able to overpower Danielle on his own. I have a feeling that it was more than one person but we have to verify everything with evidence. The lawyer, who also represented the family of murdered British 15-year-old Scarlett Keeling who was killed in Goa in 2008, is now urging Indian police to search for more attackers. He said: These small criminal gangs operate in groups of four to six people. They share the spoils of their exploits. They are very loyal to each other. The backpackers best friend Nicole Farren also appealed for more information on the attackers. She said: We understand there is a lot of pressure on you the local people to protect criminals operating in the area who have a lot of power. Sometimes it is time to stand up and take a stand and say No, enough is enough. We want justice for Danielle, she deserves justice. B illionaire philanthropist David Rockefeller has died aged 101, a family spokesman has announced. The influential banker and political spokesman was the chairman and chief executive of US banking giant Chase Manhattan throughout the 1970s. Reuters news agency reported that he died in his sleep at his home in Pocantico Hills, New York, on Monday. He was the last surviving grandson of oil tycoon John D Rockefeller and was the youngest of six children born to John D. Rockefeller Jr. Family: The five Rockefeller Brothers pose for photos in New York in 1967 From left: David Rockefeller, Winthrop Rockefeller, Frank Pace, John D. Rockefeller 3rd, Nelson Rockefeller, and Laurence Rockefeller. / AP He was the guardian of his family's fortune and head of a sprawling network of family interests, both business and philanthropic, that ranged from environmental conservation to the arts. To mark his 100th birthday in 2015, Rockefeller gave 1,000 acres of land next to a national park to the state of Maine. Despite never seeking public office - unlike his siblings - David Rockefeller wielded power and influence through other means. David Rockefeller: the billionaire philanthropist died on Monday / AP Rockefeller graduated from Harvard in 1936 and received a doctorate in economics from the University of Chicago in 1940. He served in the Army during World War II, then began climbing the ranks of management at Chase Bank. That bank merged with The Manhattan Company in 1955. He was named Chase Manhattan's president in 1961 and chairman and chief executive officer eight years later. He retired in 1981 aged 65 after a 35-year career. Washington: David Rockefeller, left, shakes hands with President Ronald Reagan at the State Department (1984) / ASSOCIATED PRESS In his role of business statesman, Rockefeller preached capitalism at home and favored assisting economies abroad on grounds that bringing prosperity to the Third World would create customers for American products. He parted company with some of his fellow capitalists on income taxes, calling it unseemly to earn $1 million and then find ways to avoid paying taxes on it. New York: David Rockefeller, second left, and Center President Richard H. Voell, left, and New York City Board of Education President Joseph Barker, right, slice up an eight-foot-tall culinary replica of Rockefeller Center / AP He didn't say how much he paid in taxes and never spoke publicly about his personal worth. In 2015, Forbes magazine estimated his fortune at $3 billion. Under Rockefeller, Chase was the first U.S. bank to open offices in the Soviet Union and China and, in 1974, the first to open an office in Egypt after the Suez crisis of 1956. In his early travels to South Africa, Rockefeller arranged clandestine meetings with several underground black leaders. "I find it terribly important to get overall impressions beyond those I get from businessmen," he said. David Rockefeller: The billionaire died aged 101 / AP But Rockefeller took a lot of heat for his bank's substantial dealings with South Africa's white separatist regime and for helping the deposed, terminally ill Shah of Iran come to New York for medical treatment in 1979, the move that triggered the 13-month U.S. embassy hostage crisis in Tehran. Rockefeller maintained the family's patronage of the arts, including its long-standing relationship with New York's Museum of Modern Art, of which his mother had been a fervent patron. His private art collection was once valued at $500 million. His philanthropy and other activities earned him a Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor, in 1998. Rockefeller and his wife, the former Margaret McGrath, married in 1940 and had six children - David Jr., Richard, Abby, Neva, Margaret and Eileen. His wife, an active conservationist, died in 1996. In celebration of this years International Day of Happiness on Monday 20 March, the World Happiness Report 2017 revealed the worlds happiest and saddest countries. Norway ranked at the top of the list as the happiest country in 2017. Following Norway, Denmark, Iceland, Switzerland and Finland make the top 5 of the list. And Rwanda, Syria, Tanzania, Burundi, and Central African Republic make the bottom 5; the world's saddest countries in 2017. The top four countries are the same ones that held the top four positions in World Happiness Report 2016 Update, with Norway moving up from 4th place to overtake Denmark at the top of the ranking. Denmark is now in 2nd place, while Iceland remains in 3rd, Switzerland is now 4th, and Finland remains in 5th position. Netherlands and Canada have traded places, with Netherlands now 6th, and Canada 7th. The remaining three in the top ten have the same order as in the World Happiness Report 2016 Update, with New Zealand 8th, Australia 9th, and Sweden 10th. In Figure 2.2, the average ladder score differs only by 0.25 points between the top country and the 10th country, and only 0.043 between the 1st and 4th countries. The 10 countries with the lowest average life evaluations are somewhat different from those in 2016, partly due to some countries returning to the surveyed groupthe Central African Republic, for example, and some quite large changes in average ladder scores, up for Togo and Afghanistan, and down for Tanzania, South Sudan, and Yemen. Compared to the top 10 countries in the current ranking, there is a much bigger range of scores covered by the bottom 10 countries. In February 2017, the United Arab Emirates held a full-day World Happiness meeting, as part of the World Government Summit. Now International Day of Happiness, March 20th, provides a focal point for events spreading the influence of global happiness research. The launch of this report at the United Nations on International Day of Happiness is to be preceded by a World Happiness Summit in Miami, and followed by a three-day meeting on happiness research and policy at Erasmus University in Rotterdam. The main innovation in the World Happiness Report 2017 is the focus on the role of social factors in supporting happiness. Even beyond the effects likely to flow through better health and higher incomes, it is calculated that bringing the social foundations from the lowest levels up to world average levels in 2014-2016 would increase life evaluations by almost two points (1.97). These social foundations effects are together larger than those calculated to follow from the combined effects of bottom to average improvements in both GDP per capita and healthy life expectancy. The effect from the increase in the numbers of people having someone to count on in times of trouble is by itself equal to the happiness effects from the 16-fold increase in average per capita annual incomes required to shift the three poorest countries up to the world average (from about $600 to about $10,000). Click here for the World Happiness Report 2017 U p to 20 people have been killed and many more injured by a fallen tree in a freak accident in Ghana. Crowds of students and tourists were swimming at the popular Kintampo waterfalls, the highest waterfall in the country, when the accident happened. It is thought stormy weather caused the tree to fall to the ground. Police and firefighters fought to rescue those trapped by the tree but 18 students were pronounced dead at the scene and two others died in hospital, emergency officials said. They added that 11 people were in hospital, including one of the school staff members in charge of the trip, the BBC reported. Some reports put the number of wounded at more than 20. According to radio news station Starr News, an eyewitness said: A huge tree fell at the top when the rains began and crashed the revellers. Most of them are students of the Wenchi Senior High School. Others are tourists. We are trying to save those who are trapped by cutting the trees with chainsaws." Those who have been injured are being treated at the Kintampo Municipal hospital, the BBC reported. Ghanas minister for tourism, Catherine Abelema Afeku, said: "We extend our condolences to the families of the dead and pray for the injured. The Kintampo waterfalls are surrounded by woodland and are a popular beauty spot for visitors in the west African country. T heresa May has said Donald Trump was just "being a gentleman" when he held her hand during her visit to the White House. The Prime Minister spoke out for the first time about the incident during an interview with fashion magazine American Vogue. Mrs May, who was interviewed about her taste in clothes as well as her politics, also posed for a series of photos taken by renowned portrait photographer Annie Leibovitz - whose previous subjects include John Lennon, the Rolling Stones and the Queen. The interview, conducted by Gaby Wood, took place just days after Mr Mays visit to the White House and the publication of the, now infamous, pictures. May: The Prime Minister with her husband Philip / Annie Leibovitz/Vogue/PA Wire Laughing off the images, which showed her holding hands with Mr Trump as they walked from the Oval Office to a press conference, Mrs May told the magazine: "I think he was actually being a gentleman. "We were about to walk down a ramp, and he said it might be a bit awkward." Interviewer Ms Wood pressed Mrs May on her discussions with President Trump, asking if she had heeded to the demands of thousands of women who asked her to confront him on previous comments he had made about women. She responded: Well, I dont . . . . We dont comment on private conversations that take place. Special relationship: The images emerged showing the Prime Minister holding hands with the President (AP) / EPA All I would say is, Ive been very clear: Im not afraid to raise issues. And the nature of the relationship is such that we should be able to be frank and open with each other. The Prime Minister was pictured at her official country residence Chequers wearing a dark blue coat and dress by LK Bennett. Mrs May and her husband were also pictured out walking, with the Prime Minister wearing a long red coat and knee-high patent boots. Despite the recent furore over the Prime Ministers expensive leather trousers, Vogue described her style as "decidedly no-drama" and says that she operates under "a carefully preserved carapace of conformity". Asked about the 1,000 Amanda Wakeley trousers worn by Mrs May for an interview with The Sunday Times the Prime Minister retorted: "Look, throughout my political career, people have commented on what I wear. Watch: Theresa May and Donald Trump holding hands "That's just something that happens, and you accept that. But it doesn't stop me from going out and enjoying fashion. "And I also think it's important to be able to show that a woman can do a job like this and still be interested in clothes." Discussing her home life with Philip, she revealed that their most common argument is over what to watch on television, with her husband preferring history programmes while she wants to watch crime drama NCIS. May: The Prime Minister with her husband Philip / Reuters Despite their long-standing rule that "I cook, and he puts everything in the dishwasher", Mrs May revealed that Philip has surprised her by rustling up "a very good mushroom risotto" since her busy schedule as Prime Minister has left her less time for the kitchen. Mrs May was also asked about her constant comparison to former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. Ms Wood asked her if being always compared to Mrs Thatcher frustrated her, to which she replied: There can only ever be one Margaret Thatcher. Im Theresa May. I do things my way. R ussia may have been behind the claim that GCHQ spied on Donald Trump, a former British ambassador to Washington suggested today. Sir Peter Westmacott, who was the UKs top diplomat in the US until January, also urged the White House to pubicly accept British assurances that the allegation about GCHQ is nonsense. White House press secretary Sean Spicer sparked anger among British intelligence chiefs last week by repeating an unsubstantiated claim on Fox News that British intelligence had spied on the president. An allegation had also been made in a report on Russian TV channel RT that GCHQ passed intelligence on Mr Trumps campaign to US intelligence bosses. Asked about this on BBC radio, Sir Peter said: We do know that the Russians are engaged in information warfare against the United States, the United Kingdom, a lot of western democracies. British Government's Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire. / EPA They have peddled stories in the past which have turned out to be not true and which were deliberately put out by them. So if the story comes from RT, it would indeed be part of the fairly standard Russian playbook with which all western democracies at the moment are having to cope. Trump on wire tapping and whether he ever regrets Tweets Sir Peter also warned that the claims against GCHQ, which the spy agency took the rare step to publicly deny, risked damaging intelligence sharing between the UK and US. Meanwhile, the directors of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and National Security Agency were due to speak publicly today about the claims of alleged links between Russia and president Trumps campaign. FBI boss James Comey and NSA director Admiral Mike Rogers were due to be questioned during a rare open congressional intelligence committee hearing. Former CIA analyst says wire tapping claims could bring down Trump The Kremlin has denied that it meddled with the US elections. T his is the terrifying moment a suspected Islamic extremist grabbed a soldier from behind at Paris' Orly Airport before being shot dead. The security footage shows Saturday's attack, which caused panic and shut down the French capital's second-biggest airport. It shows the attacker grabbing the soldier around the shoulders as her companion patrols slightly ahead. He drops his shopping bag, which authorities said contained a flask of fuel. Holding a revolver loaded with birdshot, he pulls her backwards. Attack: The gunman grabs the soldier from behind / AP For a few moments, almost no-one reacts. One passenger rolls a suitcase past the hostage soldier and the second soldier continues on his way. Then, suddenly, people start backing away en masse as the attacker pulls his hostage towards them. Shot: The man lies on the terminal floor / AP Yelling that he wanted to kill and die for Allah, according to the Paris prosecutor, Ziyed Ben Belgacem can be seeing trying to wrestle away the soldier's assault rifle near the small cluster of people. The video shows the attacker using her as a shield after he apparently manages to get control of the weapon, but he exposes himself by standing up, giving her comrades a clear shot to kill him. The hostage soldier crawls away from her attacker on her hands and knees. Lockdown: French police forces patrol at Orly airport / AP The entire episode took less than three minutes. No-one at the airport was injured. Earlier on Saturday, a police officer was shot in the face with birdshot when officers stopped Belgacem for a traffic violation. Authorities say Belgacem, a 39-year-old Frenchman, had a long criminal record of drug and robbery offences. Post-mortem toxicology tests found traces of cocaine and cannabis in Belgacem's blood, according to the Paris prosecutors' office. He also had 0.93 grams of alcohol per litre of blood when he died on Saturday, the prosecutors' office said. That is nearly twice the legal limit for driving in France. Prosecutors said Belgacem was at a bar early on Saturday. In an interview on Sunday with French radio station Europe 1, a man identified as the suspect's father said Belgacem was not a practising Muslim and drank alcohol. G eorge Clooney shocked residents at a care home near Reading by dropping in to meet one of his oldest fans. The Hollywood star took time out from his busy schedule to visit Pat Adams on her 87th birthday, after receiving letters from staff to tell him that she talked about meeting him every day. Clooney, who is expecting twins with wife Amal, arrived at the Sunrise Senior Living of Sonning with a card and a bunch of flowers to surprise Mrs Adams on Sunday. Staff member Linda Jones, who contacted Clooneys people through their Wish Upon a Star programme, posted a photo of the meeting on Facebook. The lady in the picture, loves George Clooney and mentions everyday how she would love him to meet him, especially as he lives so near to where I work, she wrote. So letter have been sent asking would it be possible for her dream to come true. And what was extra special it was her birthday in the week. George Clooney arrives at Social Bite 1 /6 George Clooney arrives at Social Bite Selfie time George Clooney visits Social Bite sandwich shop in Edinburgh where he met owner Josh Littlejohn and Alice Thompson and formerly homeless staff Rex Media frenzy George Clooney is surrounded by media and fans as he arrives at a Social Bite cafe in Edinburgh after accepting an invitation to meet workers at the sandwich shop which helps the homeless Danny Lawson/PA Just your average day in Edinburgh George Clooney visits Social Bite sandwich shop in Edinburgh where he met owner Josh Littlejohn and Alice Thompson Rex Crowds gather George Clooney Visits Social Bite Sandwich shop Edinburgh Rex Here's a fiver! George Clooney visits Social Bite sandwich shop in Edinburgh where he met member of staff as he handed over his fiver to Ciara Whelan staff Rex She added: He popped in today, while I was on shift. We didnt know he was coming. Clooney and his wife own a home not far from the retirement and assisted living facility in Berkshire. Twitter reacts: George and Amal Clooney expecting twins The couple recently confirmed that they were expecting their first children, after Clooneys best friend Matt Damon first revealed the news. We are really happy and really excited. It's going to be an adventure. We've sort of embraced it all with arms wide open, Clooney said during an interview on French show Rencontres de Cinema. K im Kardashian has recalled how she mentally prepped to be raped after she was bound and gagged during the attack at her Paris apartment. The reality TV star, 36, was in tears as she broke her silence on the terrifying ordeal that took place during Fashion Week last October. Kardashian said she pleaded with her attackers to spare her after she spotted they were armed with a gun and feared that her sister Kourtney would find her dead body in the bedroom. Speaking on Keeping Up with the Kardashians she described hearing footsteps on the stairs while she was in bed and called out as she thought it was Kourtney, but became suspicious when there was no response. Opening up: Kim Kardashian with her sisters Khloe and Kourtney / E! And then at that moment, when there wasn't an answer, my heart started to get really tense, she said. I knew something wasn't quite right. The mother-of-two saw two men dressed in police uniforms holding down the concierge who was handcuffed. What I've heard from talking to him afterward is they said, you know, Where's the rapper's wife? Let us up to her room! in French, she said. He ended up being our interpreter because I couldn't understand them, they couldn't understand me. Emotional: Kim Kardashian wanted to tell fans everything / E! The concierge told her to give them her ring before they dragged her out to the top of the stairs. I was looking at the gun, looking down back at the stairs, she said. I have a split second in my mind to make this split decision like am I going to run down the stairs and either be shot in the back or if I make it and they dont, if the elevator does not open in time or the stairs are locked then Im f***** and there is no way out. Then he duct tapes my face and my mouth to get me to not yell or anything and then he grabs my legs and I had no clothes on under. He pulled me towards him at the front of the bed and I thought OK this is the moment theyre going to rape me and I fully mentally prepped myself and then he didnt. Then he had the gun up to me and I knew that was the moment they were totally going to shoot me in the head. Kim Kardashian - In pictures 1 /96 Kim Kardashian - In pictures AFP via Getty Images Just married Kim Kardashian and Kanye West 'Just Married' wedding image in 2014 E! Going for gold Kim Kardashian Ultra Beam 2017 Shoot Kim Kardashian Family Robert Kardashian, Kourtney Kardashian, Kendall Jenner, Kim Kardashian, Kylie Jenner, and Khloe Kardashian arrive at the KIIS-FM's 2008 Wango Tango concert held at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater on 10 May 2008 in Irvine, California Noel Vasquez/Getty Images Emotional on E! Kim Kardashian cries on E! in 2012 asking herself if she should end her marriage with Kris Humphries E! Bikini selfie Kim Kardashian posts a picture of her posing in a selfie wearing a white bikini in 2013 Kim Kardashian Breaking the Internet Kim Kardashian breaks the Internet with the front cover of Paper Magazine in 2014 Paper Magazine 2006 Paris Hilton and Kim Kardashian arrive at the International Launch of Dom Perignon Rose Vintage 1996 Champagne by Karl Lagerfeld on 2 June 2006 in Beverly Hills, California Getty Images 2007 Kim Kardashian blows out her birthday cake candles at her birthday party at Les Deux on 21 October 2007 in Los Angeles, California Noel Vasquez/Getty Images 2007 Kim Kardashian walks the runway at the Christian Audigier Fall 2007 fashion show during Mercedes Benz Fashion Week held at Smashbox Studios on 21 March 2007 in Culver City, California Mark Mainz/Getty Images 2008 Television personalities Kim Kardashian, Khloe Kardashian, Kourtney Kardashian, and Kris Jenner attend the season two launch of 'Keeping Up With The Kardashians' at Les Deux on 19 March 2008 in Hollywood, California Charley Gallay/Getty Images 2008 elevision personality Kim Kardashian arrives at the 7th Annual "Los Premios MTV Latin America 2008" Awards held at the Auditorio Telmex on 16 October 2008 in Guadalajara, Mexico Gustavo Caballero/Getty Images 2009 TV personality Kim Kardashian arrives at the 61st Primetime Emmy Awards held at the Nokia Theatre on 20 September 2009 in Los Angeles Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images 2009 Kim Kardashian arrives at the 51st Annual Grammy Awards held at the Staples Center on 8 February 2009 in Los Angeles, California Frazer Harrison/Getty Image 2010 TV Personalities Khloe Kardashian, Kourtney Kardashian and Kim Kardashian make an appearance at Borders Century City to sign copes of their book "Kardashian Konfidential" on 2 December 2010 in Los Angeles Frazer Harrison/Getty Images 2010 Kim Kardashian attends Heidi Klum's 2010 Halloween Party at Lavo on 31 October 2010 in New York Getty Images 2010 Gabrielle Union, Kim Kardashian, Ciara and Kelly Rowland attend Tracy Reese Spring 2010 fashion show at the Salon at Bryant Park on 14 September 2009 in New York Bryan Bedder/Getty Images 2010 Kim Kardashian visits the Oktoberfest on 22 September 2010 in Munich, Germany. Florian Seefried/Getty Images 2010 Kim Kardashian on a visit to London on 12 September 2010 Chris Jackson/Getty Images 2010 Kim Kardashian arrives at the 62nd Annual Primetime Emmy Awards held at the Nokia Theatre L.A. Live on 29 August 2010 Frazer Harrison/Getty Images 2010 Reality television star Kim Kardashian poses next to her wax figure on 1 July 2010 at Madame Tussauds, New York Stan Honda/AFP/Getty Images 2010 Kardashian and Justin Bieber attend the TIME/CNN/People/Fortune 2010 White House Correspondents' dinner pre-party at Hilton Washington Hotel on 1 May 2010 Larry Busacca/Getty Images 2010 Kim Kardashian walks the runway at the Heart Truth Fall 2010 Fashion Show during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week at The Tent at Bryant Park on 11 February 2010 in New York Jemal Countess/Getty Images 2011 Kim Kardashian arrives at the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards at Nokia Theatre L.A. LIVE on 28 August 2011 in Los Angeles, California Jason Merritt/Getty Images 2011 Kris Humphries and Kim Kardashian attend the Kardashian Kollection Launch Party at The Colony on 17 August 2011 in Hollywood, California Jason Merritt/Getty Images 2011 Kourtney Kardashian (3rd from L), Khloe Kardashian and Kim Kardashian pose with models backstage at the Beach Bunny Swimwear 2011 fashion show during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Swim at the Raleigh on 16 July 2010 in Miami Beach, Florida Andrew H. Walker/Getty Images 2011 Kim Kardashian poses during her fragrance launch at Debenhams, London on 8 June 2011 Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images 2011 Musician Elton John and TV Personality Kim Kardashian attend the 19th Annual Elton John AIDS Foundation Academy Awards Viewing Party at the Pacific Design Center on 27 February 2011 in West Hollywood, California Larry Busacca/Getty Images 2011 Producer Sean 'Diddy' Combs and TV personality Kim Kardashian arrive at The 53rd Annual GRAMMY Awards held at Staples Center on 13 February 2011 Larry Busacca/Getty Images 2011 TV personality Kim Kardashian arrives at the 17th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards held at The Shrine Auditorium on 30 January 2011 in Los Angeles Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images 2011 TV personality Kim Kardashian arrives at the 16th annual Critics' Choice Movie Awards at the Hollywood Palladium on 14 January 2011 in Los Angeles Christopher Polk/Getty Images 2012 Kim Kardashian attends 2nd Annual Midori Green Halloween Party at Avenue on 27 October 2012 in New York Getty Images 2012 Kim Kardashian and Kanye West leave the Valentino Haute-Couture Show as part of Paris Fashion Week Fall / Winter 2012/2013 at Hotel Salomon de Rothschild on 4 July 2012 in Paris, France Julien M. Hekimian/Getty Images Kanye West and Kim Kardashian arrive for the screening of "Cruel Summer" at the 65th international film festival, in Cannes, southern France on 23 May 2012 Francois Mori/AP 2013 Kim Kardashian arrives at The Hollywood Reporter's 22nd Annual Women In Entertainment Breakfast at Beverly Hills Hotel on 11 December 2013 in California Jason Merritt/Getty Images 2013 Kim Kardashian and Kanye West attend the Costume Institute Benefit at The Metropolitan Museum of Art on 6 May 2013, celebrating the opening of Punk: Chaos to Couture Timothy A.Clary/AFP/Getty Images 2013 im Kardashian surrounded by Los Angeles County Sheriff Deputies leaves the Stanley Mosk Courthouse after attending her divorce hearing from Kris Humphries on 12 April 2013 Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images 2013 Nicki Minaj and Kim Kardashian attend the 21st Annual Elton John AIDS Foundation Academy Awards Viewing Party at West Hollywood Park on 24 February 2013 Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images 2013 Kourtney Kardashian, Kim Kardashian and Kelly Osbourne and actress/singer Miley Cyrus attend the 21st Annual Elton John AIDS Foundation Academy Awards Viewing Party at West Hollywood Park on 24 February 2013 in California Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images 2014 Rihanna and Kim Kardashian attend The Inaugural Diamond Ball presented by Rihanna and The Clara Lionel Foundation at The Vineyard in Beverly Hills, California on 11 December 2014 Getty Images 2014 Kim Kardashian arrives to promote her new fragrance "Fleur Fatale" at a Spice Market event on 18 November 2014 in Melbourne, Australia Scott Barbour/Getty Images 2014 Kim Karadashian set pulses racing with her cover for British GQ Magazine GQ Magazine 2014 Lewis Hamilton, Nicole Scherzinger, Kim Kardashian and Kanye West attend the GQ Men Of The Year awards at The Royal Opera House on 2 September 2014 2014 Kim Kardashian and Kanye West kissing at their wedding in Florence, Italy E! News 2014 Kanye West and Kim Kardashian attend attend the "Charles James: Beyond Fashion" Costume Institute Gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on 5 May 2014 in New York Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images 2015 TV personality Kim Kardashian arrives at the LACMA Art + Film Gala in Los Angeles, California, on 7 November 2015. Reuters 2015 Kanye West (L) and Kim Kardashian attend the 'China: Through The Looking Glass' Costume Institute Benefit Gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on 4 May 2015 in New York Mike Coppola/Getty 2015 Kim Kardashian, Kanye West and Kris Jenner attend the Balmain show as part of the Paris Fashion Week Womenswear Fall/Winter 2015/2016 on 5 March 2015 in Paris, France Getty Images 2015 Alia Wang, Aimie Wang, Kim Kardashian, North West, Kanye West and Nicki Minaj attend the Alexander Wang Fashion Show during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Fall 2015 at Pier 94 on 14 February 2015 in New York Craig Barritt/Getty Images 2015 Kim Kardashian, North West and Kanye West attend the Alexander Wang Fashion Show during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Fall 2015 at Pier 94 on 14 February 2015 in New York Craig Barritt/Getty Images 2015 Kim Kardashian attends The 57th Annual GRAMMY Awards at the Staples Center on 8 February 2015 in Los Angeles Larry Busacca/Getty Images 2016 Kim Kardashian attends the Givenchy show as part of the Paris Fashion Week Womenswear Spring/Summer 2017 on 2 October 2016 in Paris Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images 2016 Fashion model Kim Kardashian West is seen on day five Paris Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2017 on 1 October 2016 in Paris, France Rex Features 2016 Kim Kardashian attends the Balmain show as part of the Paris Fashion Week Womenswear Spring/Summer 2017 on 29 September 2016 in Paris, France Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images 2016 Kim Kardashian at the Balmain show after party during Paris Fashion Week on 28 September 2016 Rex 2016 Kim Kardashian West attends the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards at Madison Square Garden on 28 August 2016 in New York Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images 2016 Television personality Kim Kardashian attends "Famous by Kanye West", a private exhibition event at Blum & Poe art gallery in Los Angeles, California on 26 August 2016. Rachel Murray/Getty Images 2016 Madame Tussauds staged a waxworks party in honour of the Queens 90th birthday attended by stars chosen by the public, with a selfie-taking Kim Kardashian, Benedict Cumberbatch, Adele, Barack Obama and David Beckham among the guests in attendance. Alex Lentati 2016 Kim Kardashian West arrives for the Gala to celebrate the Vogue 100 Festival at Kensington Gardens on 23 May 2016 Jeff Spicer/Getty Images 2016 Kim Kardashian West attends the "Manus x Machina: Fashion In An Age Of Technology" Costume Institute Gala at Metropolitan Museum of Art on 2 May 2016 in New York Larry Busacca/Getty Images 2016 Kim Kardashian posted a topless selfie with Emily Ratajkowski weeks after her nude selfie Kim Kardashian 2016 Kim Kardashian attempts to break the Internet again posting a naked selfie on 07 March 2016 Kim Kardashian 2017 Kim Kardashian attends Harper's BAZAAR Celebration of "ICONS By Carine Roitfeld" at The Plaza Hotel Getty Images 2017 Kim Kardashian is seen at 'Jimmy Kimmel Live' in Los Angeles, California Splash News 2017 Kim Kardashian Ultra Beam 2017 Shoot Kim Kardashian 2018 Calvin Klein campaign led by Kim Kardashian West, Khloe Kardashian, Kourtney Kardashian, Kendall Jenner and Kylie Jenner Calvin Klein 2018 Kim Kardashian posing topless on her social media channel Kim Kardashian 2018 Kim Kardashian with pink hair in Tokyo Rex Features 2020 Kim Kardashian's 40th Birthday Kim Kardashian Kim Kardashian's 40th Birthday Kim Kardashian Kim Kardashian's 40th Birthday Kim Kardashian 2020 Kim Kardashian announced her family's iconic reality show is over after 14 years on air E! Fighting back tears she continued: I just prayed that Kourtney was going to have a normal life after she saw my dead body on my bed. She then recalled the moment she feared she would die: I have a family I have my kids, my husband, my mum Im not going to make it out of here. I know how these things go. Her bodyguard Pascal Duvier arrived soon after the robbers fled and called the police. Kourtney, Kendall Jenner and Kris Jenner were with Kim minutes later. KUWTK - season 13 - trailer Kris described the ordeal as one of the worst nights of my life. Kanye West was told the news midway through a concert in the US which he stopped to fly to his wife's side. Kardashian explained to fans ahead of the episode that she would not hold back in recalling the life changing incident. Tonight's episode is going to be very tough for me, she wrote on Instagram alongside the last picture taken of her and her family taken in Paris. However, I thought it was important to share this story through my eyes and not in an interview where my own words could be twisted. I have always shared so much &and I'm not going to hold back when this was probably one of the most life changing experiences for me. I would never wish this experience upon anyone, but have learned some valuable lessons and feel so blessed to be safe home with my babies and husband. She finished: To my friends, family, and loved ones I can't thank you enough for being there when I needed you the most. To the French police, thank you for your incredible hard work. S ir Michael Caine has gone on a health kick and lost two stone amid fears that his days are numbered. The veteran actor, 84, says he has cut down on drinking and eating sugar and salt as he wants to see his grandchildren grow up. I know my days are numbered and thats the main worry, he told the Sun on Sunday. Ive had to cut back on the drinking and Im always looking up whats the best thing against cancer, so Ill eat that or do this or not do that. Saviour: Michael Caine credits wife Shakira with helping to turn his life around / Dave Benett The Alfie actor added: Ill probably drop dead talking to you but you know Ive lost 13 kgs just because I want to see my grandchildren. Theyre twins of six and a boy of seven. Id like to get to 17 for the boy. Sir Michael went on to credit his wife, Shakira, with helping him to cut down on his drinking and smoking. Without her I'd have been dead long ago, he said. "I used to drink a bottle of vodka a day and smoke several packs of cigarettes." The star said that he would only stop acting when the offers of work stop coming in. When the offers of work stop I will say I have retired. The film business will have to give me up, not the other way around, he said. The much-loved actor appears in forthcoming heist comedy, Going in Style, directed by Scrubs star Zach Braff. A ctor Charlie Heaton says his humble upbringing helped him understand his character in hit Netflix drama Stranger Things. The British star, 23, is from the North Yorkshire town of Bridlington. He moved to London at 16 to become a musician and then went into acting. His role in sci-fi series Stranger Things was his first major part. He plays a loner called Jonathan whose younger brother goes missing in mysterious circumstances from the fictional town of Hawkins, Indiana. The boys mother is played by Winona Ryder. Heaton told GQ Style: I wasnt a total outsider at school like Jonathan, but I wasnt necessarily the popular kid either. Similarities: Charlie Heaton talks Stranger Things / Paul Wetherell I felt I understood why Jonathan was the way he was a bit of an older soul I had a very humble upbringing like him and was also brought up by my mother. I also liked the idea of how hes trying to discover himself and work out who he is and where he belongs. Stranger Things, Season 2 - in pictures 1 /6 Stranger Things, Season 2 - in pictures She's back Winona Ryder returns as Joyce Byers - and is that a new character on the right? Netflix Downside Up Will Byers is back to reality after spending Season 1 in the Upside Down Netflix Dream team Nancy and Jonathan are teaming up again Netflix Worse for wear Chief Hopper looks as disheveled as ever in the new series Netflix Who ya gonna call? The kids dress up as Ghostbusters for Halloween Netflix Netflix recently announced that the Emmy award-winning series will return for a second season. Heaton said: I didnt know what to expect about where the show was going. But it trumped whatever I was thinking. A lot of things are going to be addressed. The [original] script felt very different from the start. And then when I got to see the scenes we were making on the monitor, I could tell it was something special. I remember thinking, Wow, this could be a classic. Stranger Things 2 is expected to be released in October. Cover star: Travis Scott is on the cover / GQ Style Read the full interview in the spring/summer issue of GQ Style, out now. C elebrations This week I went to Rumpus Resort in Cheshire, one of my amazing stockists for Rosie Fortescue Jewellery to celebrate their 10th anniversary. It was amazing to meet all of my customers and celebrate the stores success! Here I am outside the shop. Rosie Fortescue/ Instagram Eating out I discovered two incredible restaurants this week. The first is Uni in Belgravia, which is the most unbelievable Peruvian Japanese. Feast: Peruvian Japanese food at Uni in Belgravia / Rosie Fortescue/ Instagram The quality of the food is exceptional and I have already booked to go back! The second is Aster in Victoria, which is new Nordic/French restaurant. The menu was full of incredible dishes, and their puddings are utterly divine! New opening: Nordic/French food at Aster in Victoria / Rosie Fortescue/ Instagram On shoot I had a super cool photo shoot with Jo Malone this week and it was such an honour to work with one of my all time favourite brands. I had taken my mum into store beforehand to treat her for Mothers Day with a hand and arm massage and to find her new favourite scent. The packaging, especially for Mothers Day, is so pretty with these flowers inside! Mother's Day: Rosie treated her mum to a Jo Malone cologne / Rosie Fortescue/ Instagram The photo shoot will all be revealed soon but for now here is a sneak peek! I cannot get enough of the set design. It was INCREDIBLE! Secret shoot: Rosie has teamed up with Jo Malone / Rosie Fortescue/ Instagram Primed to perfection My beauty product of the week this week is the new Nars Radiance Primer. Its the perfect way to prep your skin and keeps my face hydrated as well as glowing. Coming up This week I am looking forward to my Rosie Fortescue Jewellery campaign shoot. I cannot wait to launch my next collection and will be giving some sneak peeks soon! In a sign of the Iranian governments increasing openness over its involvement in Syrias civil war, state television will air a documentary during the Iranian New Year known as Nowruz praising the thousands of pro-Iranian fighters who died in Syria over the years. The documentary is in 13 parts and will air for 13 days, corresponding with the 13-day celebration of New Year in Iran. The documentary, which will present pro-Iranian Pakistani and Afghan fighters as the guardian of Zeinab shrine, a major Shiite holy site in Syria, will be aired on Irans official TV Channel, IRIB 2 in a show titled From Heaven. Experts say that by airing the documentary during Nowruz, Iran wants to ensure that it reaches most of its citizens in the country, because television viewership increases dramatically during the holiday season in the country. Schools and most organizations are closed for literally 13 days in Iran for Nowruz, and TV is a big part of that long holiday, said Majid Beheshti a British-based former TV producer at Iranian TV. State TV traditionally airs New Years programming that highlights Nowruz festivals and stories of Iranian history and origin. But this year will mark a break with that tradition. Iranian government has often glorified its military involvement in Syria, but this is the first time that a documentary about fallen fighters in Syria is going be aired on prime time at one of the three major TV channels of Iran, Nureddin Yousefi, a Tehran based TV and movie critic, said. Defending The Shrine Tehran claims its forces are in Syria only to protect the Zeinab Shrine in Damascus, a Shi'ite holy site. But since 2012, Iran has acted as a major ally of the Syrian regime in Damascus, and backed Syrian troops in their war with rebel groups across the country. The Iranian presence in Syria initially began with Iranian advisers going there, but later on, the country expanded its role by deploying elite forces from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which has a strong footprint now on almost all front lines where Syrian government forces engage with the rebels. Iran has been trying to justify the legitimacy of its presence in Syria and win domestic support for its continued involvement in the conflict on behalf of President Bashar al-Assad. The new documentary seems to be part of those efforts to camouflage the Iranian military presence into defending a noble and religious cause in a foreign land. State Propaganda But critics, like British-based former Iranian TV producer Majid Beheshti believe it will do little to achieve that goal. Nowruz programs are mostly of happy themes and comedies when people can forget about routines and have some fun among families. Bringing a program with that propaganda theme on one of the most viewed Iranian TV channels in Nowruz prime time is not probably going to win peoples hearts and minds, Beheshti said. Amir Khorshidi Fard, the producer of the show where the documentary about the shrine defenders will be aired, argued that it will present a clear picture of who the defenders are and will shed light on their diversity. The show, which features the Iranian militias killed in Syria trying to figure out the identity of those martyrs will also tackle rumors about the high salary they receive to defend the shrine, Amir Khorshidi Fard told VOA. Khorshidi added that focusing on family members of the fallen fighters in a documentary will give people a better understanding about shrine defenders and will humanize them. Among shrine defenders in Syria, there are large number of foreign fighters as well, including Afghans and Pakistanis who are lured by various incentives to fight for Iran in support of Assad in Syria. Western media outlets estimate the number of Afghans fighting in Syria to be between 10- and 12,000 fighters they are part of the Fatemiyon Brigade. Iran also has recruited more than 1,000 Pakistan Shiites to fight alongside Iranian-backed fighters supporting government forces in Syrias civil war. Pakistani fighters are part of the Zainabeyon Brigade. Pakistani authorities recently banned a local humanitarian organization for luring and sending Shiite youths from several northwestern areas in Pakistan to Iran. Shiite youths were reported receiving military training before their deployment to Syria. For years since Irans military involvement in Syria began in 2012, funerals of the fallen foreign fighters were kept from public view. But recently Iranian authorities have begun to go public about them and glorify them. Last month, Tehran municipality held a ceremony commemorating fallen Afghan fighters in Syria. Mehdi Jedinia wrote this story for Voice of America Russia plans to host international talks on the conflict in Afghanistan on April 14, a high-ranking Afghan official said. Hanif Atmar, the Afghan presidents national security adviser, told RFE/RLs Radio Free Afghanistan on March 18 that 12 countries, including the United States and the five Central Asian nations, have been invited to attend. Atmar, however, pointed out that no invitation is being sent to the Taliban. "There is no agreement about the Talibans participation in any conference," Atmar said, adding the conference in Russia "is a meeting between states." Russian news agencies quoted Atmar as saying Kabul was prepared to engage in direct negotiations with the militant group. The Taliban "should sit down at the negotiating table with the Afghan government, rather than participating in the conference," Interfax quoted Atmar as saying. Moscow in February organized talks on the situation in Afghanistan -- without the involvement of the West -- with representatives from Afghanistan, China, India, Pakistan, and Iran taking part. A U.S.-led invasion drove the Taliban regime out of power in 2001. But Afghan forces are facing mounting pressure from the resurgent militant group, which is seeking to reimpose its rule. Since peaking at a force of about 100,000 troops, some 8,400 U.S. service members remain in Afghanistan after most NATO forces pulled out in 2014. 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. With reporting by Interfax, dpa, and RIA-Novosti TORRINGTON, Wyo. Excitement and enthusiam over the pending visit by Temple Grandin can almost be felt in the air of Goshen County. A world renowned author and a professor in the animal science department at Colorado State University, Grandin will welcome more than 700 people to the Eastern Wyoming College Fine Arts Auditorium at 6:30 p.m., Monday, March 27. Among her most enthusiastic fans is Sarandon Keeran, 18, a senior at Torrington High School. She is not hesitant about her excitement and enthusiasm in being part of Grandins visit. It is that energy and admiration that influenced the planning committee to select the Keerans as the host family. Shes an incredible lady, Sarandon said, noting the challenges Grandin faced. To overcome autism and become a public speaker is just amazing. Im so excited that were the host family, I cant explain it. My sister, Aleighica and I are big fans, and its just amazing that she will be with our family. I know shell fit right in. According to Sarandon, she was in about 6th-7th grade the first time she saw Grandins first movie, and about 12 or 13 when she read her first book. She still revisits them from time to time. The biggest thing I wanted in life was to meet her. I cry every time I watch her movie, Sarandon said, adding that she has learned a lot by listening to and watching Grandin. I really take to heart what she is saying. Sarandon, a member of the Bent Barrels & Crooked Arrows 4-H Club, and the Torrington/Lingle FFA chapter, isnt the only young lady in Goshen County who admires Grandin. Emily Zavorka, another Bent Barrels & Crooked Arrows member, is also a member of the Southeast High School FFA, and has participated in promoting Grandins visit. She has a special interest in the program because she plans to become a veterinarian. Thats one reason it is so important to me to be involved, Zavorka said Wednesday evening. Temple Grandin is my role model, and I look forward to going to Colorado State University, where she is. Im really excited to be involved with my 4-H and FFA in this event, she said. Were part of the fund raising, and well benefit from it. And Mr. Clapper (FFA advisor at Southeast) can incorporate some of it in teaching. I think it is important for students to have someone like Temple Grandin to look up to. Sarandons older sister, Aleighica, has also taken an active role in promoting Grandins visit. A former 4-H member, she now teaches first grade in Torrington, and is a 4-H leader. I think its good for 4-H and FFA members to have such a good role model come to town, Keeran said during a break in selling tickets in a bank lobby. She shows that you can still be successful and accomplish things, even with challenges like autism. She was my first role model. Thats one reason I continue to learn. And its why Im so excited to have Temple come to Torrington. Aleighica believes that Grandins visit will be good for the community as a whole. Its very good publicity for our small town, and its a great thing for our small community to experience, she said. This entire exciting experience is the result of a conversation between Geri Zeimens and Dr. Jennifer Lanier, members of the Goshen County eclipse committee. Zeimens is also a director of the Expanding Environments youth program sponsored by the Western History Center. Participants learn life skills while participating in archaeological research. Lanier was a Temple Grandin student, and after discussing the possibilities, she contacted Grandin about doing a program in Torrington to benefit FFA, 4-H and the Western History Center. Grandin agreed to come. While here, Grandin will meet with EWC officials, visit local businesses and see some of the countryside. And its almost guaranteed that she will inspire another group of youngsters as much as she has the Keerans and Zavorka. According to the Nebraska Chapter of the Alzheimers Association, about 12 percent of Nebraskas population suffers from some form of dementia related disease; and the numbers will only continue to grow. Until the day when Alzheimers disease, Parkinsons disease and other forms of dementia can be prevented or cured, providing ongoing care to its victims is the best caregivers can do. Using a neighborhood concept, Heritage Estates in Gering locates its memory support patients in one of three areas, according to how far the disease has progressed for each individual. With the neighborhood concept, we shrink the environment to make it more homelike, said Kim Johns, community relations coordinator with Heritage Estates. We have capacity for 16 to 18 residents in a neighborhood with an individual dining area. This gets away from the huge, cafeteria style dining area. Deb Grove, Social Service Coordinator for Heritage Estates for the past 36 years, said all the programming is set up for residents to have purpose in their lives in everything they do. In early stage memory support, residents are still ambulatory, able to dress themselves and assist with their own meals. As dementia progresses, we can see these residents start to withdraw and isolate themselves, Grove said. They need more assistance and know theyre not quite fitting in. Once these residents are moved into the middle stage neighborhood, they start to blossom again because theyre on the same level as everyone else. The transition will happen again as patients enter the later stage of the diseases progression. Everyone who is hired goes through training to learn about dementia and how to communicate with the residents, Grove said. That way, our residents lives continue to have purpose. She added the neighborhoods have schedules that are loosely structured. Everything is geared toward what residents want. If a resident wants to stay up late, he or she can do that. The same applies for the early risers. There are many things that both early and middle stage residents can do together, Grove said. But there are also parts of the day when each group has its own activities. Johns said shes proud of the staff for how they create individual memories for each resident. Each resident is different, so the staff has to always be adapting to the different environments each person brings with them. Alzheimers Association statistics for the state show about 81,000 individuals serving as volunteer caregivers, with the total cost of care exceeding $1.1 billion annually. By 2025, an expected 40,000 Nebraska seniors will be living with dementia. Of course, the top risk for dementia is longevity. While one in nine people age 65 and over have the disease that number increases to one in three after age 85. Not surprisingly, a 2014 survey showed that American adults feared Alzheimers as the most life-threatening disease beating out cancer, heart attack, stroke and diabetes. Over a period of eight to 10 years, its always fatal. Because stress is always a factor that affects patients families, Heritage also sponsors a monthly support group for family members and caregivers families. Johns said its comforting for people to share with others who are experiencing the same challenges of caring for family members with dementia. Sometimes, its even harder on the family to see a loved one slowly slip away. The past eventually becomes the present for every dementia patient. Thats why its important for us to learn about them and their families, Grove said. It gives us a better understanding of their lives so we can help them with where they are today. Contentment, pleasure and purpose is what were about. Volunteering at the West Nebraska Family Research and History Center can be challenging, but rewarding work. Volunteers sometimes see parts of a persons genealogy that might not be known by that persons family. We can come down here and do our own research, but we also get to help other people. Thats where you get that adrenaline high is when you find that connection for somebody else, Barb Goldman said, one of the volunteers at the center. Ruth and Allen Vance have volunteered every Friday since the center opened. We just help people learn more about genealogy and learn how to do it. We help them do it when they stumble into something they cant do, Ruth Vance said. There are seven volunteers at the center who work different days of the week. Each of us is a volunteer. Most of the ladies work behind the desk putting the obituary information in an index form. That index goes onto the webpage, Ruth Vance said in a recent meeting with a group of volunteers. The volunteers dont have a regular meeting time but they do try to put together a forum on a general topic every month. Some of the monthly forums include DNA, a tour of Germany after WWII, preachers in Nebraska, Japanese settlements and people researching genealogy and where it led them. We had instructors from the college come and talk to us about research and help with ideas, Ruth Vance said. Allen Vance does a lot of work with maps and obituaries, as well as microfilm work. How we got started is that when we got married my wife had gone to school with three of her cousins and didnt know them, Allen Vance said. Ruth Vance said she has been searching for her family since she got married. Her family never visited anybody and nobody visited but she curious enough to find out who her relatives were. She spent a lot of vacation time finding out about her relatives. She then started a collection of names and figured out who was in her family. The Vances came in during the open house when the center first opened. Ruth Vance said the center started with around 50 books and grew from there. Ruth Vance said others started coming through the door after the center opened. Most of the books have been donated. Some of them have been purchased, but most of them are donations, Goldman said. Today, there are books that people can check out and others that stay at the center for research. (Floyd Smith III) basically decided he wanted to share his books with others, Ruth Vance said. There are city directories, old phonebooks, military resource books and lots of books on using resources to track down genealogy. There are also annuals from just about every county in the Panhandle. People can also use the computer to access ancestry sites which people can use for free. There is also a whole section on Germans from Russia. There are even books on every kind of nationality. The center also has obituaries from the day they opened plus the obituaries from the Gering Courier published in 1887 to 1985. All of the Mitchell Index newspapers are also at the center. There are also drawers crammed with family information so if another family member comes in and wants to know about other family members it is already categorized for them. Judi Widmaier, a volunteer at the center has done research for people in Texas and West Virginia. A man from Texas was looking for family information from the eastern part of the state, and I managed to find it or for him, different areas that his family had come from, Widmaier said. We do a lot of telephone information. Widmaier said the person she helped in West Virginia sent in $100, but there is no fee for their services. I didnt charge for my time because I enjoyed doing it, Widmaier said. She said there are people who send in money even before they know what the center is going to provide them. Ruth Vance said the center mostly survives on donations and they appreciate what they get. She said they are open to memorial funds from anybody who would like to support history. They also like to use money to put covers on old books that come in. They try to put a new cover on the books and have them bound. They put some periodicals in book form, too. Though there isnt a charge for research, it does cost 20 cents per page for each copy made. Another option to get the information people want is to bring in a flash drive and they can upload anything they want on it for free. Widmaier said there are different charges based on the work done and it is usually a rotating fee based on what a person needs. We get people that get ahold of us from all over because we have a website, Ruth Vance said. Ruth Vance said they see an influx of visitors in the summer and people who come in because of the high school reunions. The volunteers at the center have stories about people that came in or that wanted information about their family that lived in the area. Allen Vance said they might find information about families that could be seen as negative, but is also a part of peoples lives. Sometimes there are big surprises such as when a visitor came in and found out that her family history consisted of mostly Native Americans. Ruth Vance said they could help people in a big way and there might be businesses that contact them sometimes too. I had an insurance guy give me a call one time and trying to find a family because they had some inheritance coming to them and they had moved, and he lost track of them. I was able to find the family in Alliance, Ruth Vance said. The center is located on Avenue A in Scottsbluff. There, visitors will find a friendly staff ready to help and also interesting artwork as well as a mural that is painted underneath the main desk. Ruth Vance painted the mural and it features the early history of Nebraska. It starts with the Mormons coming through and depicts farming in the area as well as early transportation methods. There is also a family quilt hanging at the center which Ruth made it is of Allens family on the Vance side. Each block is significant to family. There are 100 blocks on it, Vance said. The quilt starts with Allens dad and mother. For the Vances, genealogy research has given them a reason to be interested in places where their family lived or were from. Allen Vance found out his great-grandparents owned a plantation in North Carolina, so they decided to go there for a trip recently. The original house that his family lived in was still standing. They saw the cook stove, which was a hearth where Allens family cooked in their kitchen. They had taken it out but they were going to put it all back in, Ruth Vance said. They also found out the family had around 100 slaves and married couples lived in log shacks. Ask Geotripper Is there something about geology that you are curious about? Do you have questions about the scientific aspects of political controversies? I can try to provide a scientist's perspective. Your questions and possible answers could be a springboard to a blog discussion, or they can be private. Anonymity is always assumed. Contact Geotripper at hayesg (at) mjc.edu. 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. When we moved to Statesville from Charlotte in 1984, my wife worked for two years with her brother as an assistant manager, while I worked in manufacturing jobs. During this period, we met a young man who was legally blind, but a brilliant student. He walked almost daily from his home with his mother near the airport to downtown Statesville, where he helped out at the store where my wife worked. For whatever reason, he was permitted by the Driver's License Bureau to obtain a license, and I was the one that was tasked with teaching him to operate a vehicle, something which has quite likely shortened my life expectancy by several years. He eventually obtained his license, with restrictions, which he frequently violated, especially the one about only driving during sunlight hours. He drove down to North Myrtle Beach to spend a few days with us and arrived about 1 a.m., driving right past us standing in the street shouting for him to stop. I had to chase him down in our van. A number of 16 foreign citizens, of whom five are Pakistanis and 11 are Iraqis, who tried to illegally enter in Romania, with the purpose of reaching countries in the west of Europe have been detected on Monday by border policemen within the Territorial Inspectorate of Timisoara County Border Police. "This morning, around 05:50 hrs, the border policemen of Naidas, Caras-Severin county, have started a specific action related to fighting illegal migration, following which they detected, on the route of Iam village, 11 foreign citizens who were heading from the border with Serbia towards the country. The persons in question, who didn't justify their presence in the area, were led at the Border Police headquarters for investigations," the release points out. Within the preliminary checks it was established that the persons in question are Iraqi citizens - five men, four women (one of them stating she is pregnant) and two minors, aged between six and 34 years. The persons in question claim that they tried to illegally cross the border from Serbia to Romania, with the intention of reaching countries located in the west of Europe. In this case, investigations are conducted under the charge of fraudulent crossing the state border, the necessary measures are to be taken when the investigation is complete. On Monday morning also, border policemen within the Sector of Lunga Border Police, in cooperation with policemen within the Precinct 12 of Periam Police have detected, a little before 05:500 hrs, near the Grabat border village, five foreign citizens who couldn't justify their presence in the area. Following checks it was established that the citizens are from Pakistan, also men, aged between 22 and 30 years, who had no identification documents on them. In this case, investigations are conducted under the charge of fraudulent crossing the state border and necessary measures are to be taken when the investigation is complete. agerpres. Google apologized on Monday for allowing ads to appear alongside offensive videos on YouTube as more high-profile firms such as Mark's & Spencer and HSBC pulled advertising for British markets from Google sites. The British government has suspended its advertising on YouTube after some public sector ads appeared next to videos carrying homophobic and anti-semitic messages, prompting a flood of major companies to follow suit. Britain is the largest market for Alphabet Inc.'s Google outside the United States, generating $7.8 billion mainly from advertising in 2016, or nearly 9 percent of the U.S. giant's global revenue. "I would like to apologize to our partners and advertisers who might have been affected by their ads appearing on controversial content," Google EMEA President Matt Brittin said at the annual Advertising Week Europe event in London. Besides well-known British brands pulling the plug, some of the world's biggest advertising companies responsible for placing vast amounts of marketing material for clients, said they were reviewing how they worked with Google. The boycott is the latest clash between advertising companies and the internet giants that have built up dominant positions in digital advertising by offering not only huge audiences but also the ability to apply their user data to make ads more targeted and relevant. For big advertising groups such as WPP, internet firms are both a client and a competitor, while traditional media groups such as newspapers and general online news publishers are having to compete with them for online dollars. Hostile industry "Google faces a hostile industry of media owners in Europe ... and we expect they will be all too happy to highlight future brand safety failings," said Brian Wieser, a senior analyst at Pivotal Research Group. "Overall, we think that the problems which have come to light will have global repercussions as UK marketers potentially adapt their UK policies to other markets and as marketers around the world become more aware of the problem," he said. WPP, the world's largest advertising firm, said on Monday it was talking to clients and media partners such as Google, Facebook and Snapchat to find ways to prevent brands from being tarnished. "We have always said Google, Facebook and others are media companies and have the same responsibilities as any other media company. They cannot masquerade as technology companies, particularly when they place advertisements," said Martin Sorrell, the founder and head of the British firm. Publicis, the world's third largest advertising firm, said in a statement on Monday that it was clear Google had fallen short of meeting advertising standards and that the French company was reviewing its relationship with Google. Google said on Friday it worked hard to remove ads appearing on pages or videos with hate speech, gory or offensive content but with 400 hours of video uploaded to YouTube every minute it did not always get it right. Brittin said Google had made a commitment to doing better and would simplify advertiser controls, add safer defaults and increase investment to enforce its ad policies faster. A spokeswoman for Google UK said it would look again at the way it defines incendiary commentary and hate speech to raise the bar on videos and sites allowed for advertising. On Friday, Google executives were called in to face questions from the advertising industry and Britain over the issue. Representatives for retailers Marks & Spencer, Sainsbury's and Argos, British banks HSBC and RBS, McDonald's, the UK branch of advertising group Havas and the BBC told Reuters their firms had stopped ads. A source at Lloyds Banking said the lender had pulled the plug as well. Others such as Vodafone, Barclays and Tesco were reviewing policies, their representatives said. Additional reporting by Eric Auchard, Rahul B, Gwenaelle Barzic, James Davey and Lawrence White. The last building that was part of the historic Pevely Dairy complex wont be standing for much longer. St. Louis University last week filed for a demolition permit for the structure at South Grand Boulevard and Chouteau Avenue. A SLU spokesman said Monday demolition should begin in the next two weeks. Its not a surprise. In November, the universitys redevelopment plan for the area targeted the 1915 structure for demolition. St. Louis had granted the university master-developer authority in a 400-acre swath of land encompassing its medical and academic campuses in the midtown area. SLU plans to guide development in a key portion of the regions central corridor expected to see an influx of investment, first and foremost a new $550 million hospital with medical provider partner SSM Health. Those redevelopment powers, under Missouris Chapter 353 redevelopment statute, allow the university to bypass historic preservation review, which would otherwise be needed to tear down the historic structure. For preservationists, the war had already been mostly lost when SLU in 2012 opted to demolish the other buildings on the Pevely campus: the iconic smokestack with PEVELY spelled in white brick and the old milk factory. The red Pevely sign across the remaining building was also removed. Plans for the site had mostly been on hold while SLU pursued a new medical partner and then set out to create the redevelopment corporation, which will act like the entities overseeing Cortex and the area around Washington Universitys medical complex. In place of the Pevely complex, SLU plans a major new educational facility, according to its plan. Officials have said it may house several medical disciplines and would be located just north of the new hospital. According to the permit, the demolition is estimated to cost $886,600. SLUs plan also calls for the demolition of the Missouri Belting Building. Its not officially a historic structure, but some preservationists had wanted to see it saved. SLU plans to apply next week for a demolition permit for that building, which is just south of the Pevely site. Dog whisperer Cesar Millan and son and sidekick Andre work with local dogs in an episode of "Dog Nation" airing at 8 p.m. Friday, March 24, on Nat Geo Wild. In the episode, taped here last fall and titled "Meet Me in St. Louis," the two work with Serendipity German Shepherd Dog Rescue with a puppy mill rescue named Bruce Wayne that is anxious and fearful around people. Missouri won't look good as the episode declares the state the puppy mill capital of the country. "Bruce Waynes story is sadly a common one," the release says. "The Millans take this opportunity to meet with some local heroes who have been fighting puppy mill abuse in the state." In addition, the Millans help a shepherd mix named Roxie whose owner died suddenly, leaving the dog with extreme separation anxiety. This week, the Washington University School of Law has been celebrating its 150th anniversary with special events for alumni and friends. On Wednesday, U.S. Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr., Chief Justice of the United States, presided over "The Case of Tom Sawyer" in Washington. The "case" is a fictional flight based on Mark Twain's famous story about Tom Sawyer and the whitewashed fence, wherein Tom convinces his friends to pay him to do his work. The friends later decide to file suit against Sawyer. Roberts served as head judge, while St. Louisan Raymond Gruender, a federal judge with the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals, was one of the assistant judges on the "Supreme Court of The State of Twain." Also in attendance from the university was Chancellor Mark Wrighton and law school dean Nancy Staudt. Just 20 minutes was the difference of life or death for Todd Hodges. On Oct. 12, 2000, Hodges was stationed on the U.S.S. Cole when it was bombed by Islamic terrorists at a fueling station in Yemens Aden Harbor. The suicide bombing ripped a hole in the hull of the ship, killed 17 soldiers and injured 39 more. The attack, attributed to Al Qaeda, foreshadowed the 9/11 attack. The blast completely destroyed the ships kitchen. Hodges, a cook, was in the kitchen moments before. The day started out pretty normal, Hodges said. We were told we were pulling in for a refueling. We were preparing the meals for the day, getting close for lunch and off-loading trash. I was up in the ward room getting ready to serve the officers and I had it all prepared and ready to go. I had just sat down to eat my meal before I fed them and thats when you just feel the ship just jump out of the water and all the lights go off. The aftermath was organized chaos. Hodges said the surviving and able-bodied crew members tended to the wounded and fought the ensuing fire. When I ran out there was nothing but smoke everywhere, Hodges said. A lot of it was running and finding the injured to get them topside to the medical personnel on the ship. Having previous first-aid training, I was able to help to a point to make sure people were okay and to relay messages. His best friend, Ron Santiago, was among those killed. Santiago was in the kitchen when the bomb went off and took the brunt of the blast. It was crazy knowing I was just down there 20 or 30 minutes prior and then it happened, Hodges said. I was like, I was just down there and its gone. With 325 people you see every day, you get pretty close to these people and become family. Once the chaos subsided, Hodges and the rest of the crew were able to call family back home to let them know they were okay. There was no conversation on the satellite phone. The sailors were only allowed to say their name, state that they were okay and then hang up the phone. Still, the news was what Hodges family waited the whole day to hear. His aunt, Diana, called it the longest day in their familys lives as they watched the news reports from Yemen and worried about Todds safety. The damage to the ship created issues for the remaining crew, especially at meal time. The ship would remain docked in Yemen for a month-and-a-half, getting repaired before it was towed back to the United States. But without a kitchen, nearly 300 men still had to be fed somehow. We had food and cleaning supplies brought in from another ship. While we were stranded out there, I got up early to set-up tables, serve food, make sure it was the proper temperature and that everything was sanitary enough for the crew to eat, Hodges said. Afterwards, I would break everything down and put it away and wed do that every day until the ship was ready to be towed. He was awarded the Navy Marine Corps Achievement Medal for being able to set up, prep and ensure a clean food station without proper equipment, and also for serving food in a battle zone. Hodges returned home to an emotional greeting. When we flew in, my dad was actually in Norfolk (Va.) waiting for the plane to land, Hodges said. As we drove home, there was a sign just off the road and we had a barbecue with a bunch of people there, including my grandma and friends and family. Hodges then went to Pascagoula, Miss., where repairs on the U.S.S. Cole were completed. Eventually he was transferred to Norfolk, Va., where the effects of living through the bombing continued to affect him. When they finally gave me a permanent duty assignment, I was assigned to actually cook the food and I was unable to do that because being around all the pots and pans was too hard to do, and I had to report that, Hodges said. After speaking with his doctor, Hodges spent the rest of his time in the Navy doing kitchen-related duties, including set-up, clean-up and serving. Hodges, 36, has come a long way to overcome the trauma of living through the attack. He works as a box maker and has a 13-year-old son and a 12-year-old daughter. The Northwest High School alum now lives in Dittmer, Mo. Hodges doesnt consider himself a hero, just someone who did his job. But he still uses the skills and discipline gained through his service in civilian life. I go to work every day, Hodges said. I know whats important. I say a lot of yes sirs and no sirs. Theres a lot of how you carry yourself in the military that you still do now. JEFFERSON CITY Before leaving town for a weeklong spring break, Missouri Republicans checked another box on their aggressive pro-business agenda last week when they sent a proposed law to Gov. Eric Greitens establishing new courtroom standards for expert witnesses. The measure, one piece of a series of long-sought and controversial changes to the states legal system, attempts to make sure an expert witness meets certain criteria to provide testimony at jury trials. For business groups such as the Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the proposal now on the governors desk is designed to make the state more friendly to businesses looking to relocate to the Show-Me State. For far too long, Missouris lax witness standards have allowed junk evidence into our courtrooms, a situation that has contributed to our states status as having one of the worst legal climates in the nation, said Chamber President Daniel Mehan. The proposal, which was approved in the Senate on Wednesday by a 21-11 vote, would allow judges to weigh whether an experts testimony would be reliable and based on sufficient facts and reliable principles and methods, as well as being reliably applied to the facts of the case. Thats a higher standard than is currently used, in which judges can admit expert testimony if it is based on facts reasonably relied upon by experts in the field. Opponents argue the standards will make cases more expensive because of the added time needed by lawyers to find witnesses who will pass judicial muster. Previous attempts to alter the standard were blocked by former Gov. Jay Nixon, a Democrat who served as attorney general before his eight years as chief executive. In vetoing the 2016 version, Nixon said the tightened criteria would clog the court system and put an unfair burden on trial judges who make the determinations, forcing them to conduct unnecessary hearings and become quasi-experts on complex subjects. Supporters counter that its a standard used by 42 other states and in the federal court system. But with Nixon now working in the private sector and Greitens serving his first months in office, Republicans who control the House and Senate have made a strong push to enact what they describe as business-friendly legislation. They also have the backing of a political action committee that will be running advertisements on St. Louis television in support of the changes. Missouri Rising, which is an offshoot of the America Rising super PAC, earlier announced an ad campaign seeking to draw attention to Missouris legal system. In response, the Missouri Association of Trial Attorneys, which opposes the changes, is backing an organization called Balance the Scales. In a recent email, the group mocked America Rising for using a picture on its website of a Capitol building that is not Missouris. For Senate President Pro Tem Ron Richard, the goal of changing the laws regarding lawsuits and courtrooms would allow businesses to expand and grow without worrying about legal costs. In January, we pledged to make Missouri more competitive with our neighbors, said Richard, R-Joplin. Every piece of legislation the Senate has passed so far has been an effort to make the Show-Me State more attractive to investments. We are focused on legislation that will help facilitate economic growth and build stronger communities across the state. Senate Majority Floor Leader Mike Kehoe, R-Jefferson City, said the states civil court system is outdated and is forcing businesses out of the state. These reforms create a better business climate, so businesses can hire employees rather than waste money on frivolous lawsuits, Kehoe said. Opponents say the measures will limit a citizens access to the court and potentially reduce damage amounts for people who are injured or defrauded. House Minority Leader Gail McCann Beatty, D-Kansas City, said the first half of the Legislatures session has been dominated by special interest legislation favored by wealthy GOP supporters. A few mega-donors spent millions of dollars to elect Republican lawmakers to do their bidding, and they are getting everything they paid for, McCann Beatty said. Unless you have a fat wallet and a willingness to open it, you have no say in the Missouri Capitol. In addition to the expert witness proposal, lawmakers also are expected to head into the final months of the legislative session continuing to push for changes that would alter the states employment discrimination law and workers compensation statutes. HILLSBORO Thomas Horejes was driving home from a high school dance when the flash of a police officers blue and red lights filled his car. He pulled over, and tried to adjust his hearing aid to hear the commands coming from a microphone on the police car. He then rapidly pointed to his ears and extended his hands away from them, shaking his head to try to tell the officer he was hard of hearing. The next thing I know, two more police cars show up, and two officers approach my car with their guns drawn, he said Wednesday. As soon as they saw my hearing aid, they understood I was deaf. But not all of us wear hearing aids, and it might not always be that obvious. Horejes, 38, recalled the moment Wednesday for about 50 deputies and commanders at the Jefferson County Sheriffs Department during training set up by Sheriff David Marshak. It is the latest in a growing number of police departments to undergo training from Deaf Inc., a nonprofit that provides interpreting services and raises awareness of issues about the deaf and hard of hearing. A grant from the Jefferson Foundation paid for the training, which will include bringing Jefferson County deputies to the nonprofits Webster Groves office to teach those who are deaf or hard of hearing how to better interact with the police. The topic has been particularly timely, after a trooper in North Carolina tried to stop a 29-year-old deaf man for speeding and fatally shot him after a high-speed chase in August 2016. Regardless of whether it was their fault or not, it creates an incredible fear in the deaf community, said Horejes, the groups executive director. Some departments, such as Washingtons, have specialized units for policing the deaf. About 150,000 deaf or hard-of-hearing people live in the St. Louis area policed by dozens of different departments, Deaf Inc. community advocate Devon Whitmore noted. Locally, Robert Kim, described as profoundly deaf, sued Bridgeton alleging that two police officers beat him and used a Taser to subdue him in 2012 after he called for help with a flat tire and fell into diabetic shock. The city and officers denied the claims, and the suit was dismissed by all parties in December 2014. That lawsuit prompted Deaf Inc. to create a training program. Officers from Frontenac, Chesterfield, Webster Groves and Richmond Heights have gone through the training. Jefferson County sought the training after a deaf resident complained about an officers response to a property damage call. Even though the investigation proved officers acted appropriately, Marshak wanted to ensure all officers would do so as well, Capt. Gary Higginbotham said. Deaf Inc. also helped the department update its protocols, Higginbotham said. Fear causes a lot of these issues, he said. Fear on the part of the deaf person and fear on the part of the officer especially if the nature of the conversation is complex. Deaf Inc. leaders hope to also train firefighters, said Whitmore, who joined Horejes during Wednesdays training. Interpreters translated their sign language for the room of officers. A police officer could be screaming commands at a deaf person, and, if they cant see them, the deaf person doesnt know it, Whitmore said. Officers seemed surprised when the men told them only about 30 percent of the English language can be read on lips. Imagine reading someone their Miranda rights, Whitmore said. We dont want [a crime] to be waived for a technicality like that. The men explained how frightening it is for deaf people who use their hands to communicate to be handcuffed, and officers should assure a deaf person they will have the opportunity to communicate once more. Whitmore also said many people with hearing problems also have balance issues. For him, his balance is worse at night which could make him appear intoxicated during a traffic stop. The men walked the officers through several scenarios to help them better understand when its appropriate to call for an interpreter which can take as long as an hour and cost $50 to $60 an hour. Providing them is required by the Americans with Disabilities Act, and the absence of an interpreter in certain situations can lead to a cases being dismissed. Routine traffic stops rarely require an interpreter; domestic violence and arrest situations do. Other lessons were simpler: Dont knock on a deaf persons door. Ring the bell, as most are connected to lights in the house. Look at the deaf person, not the interpreter in conversation. Dont blind a deaf person with a flashlight, because they cant see your lips. But Horejes and Whitmore also urged officers to understand that the deaf and hard of hearing need to be held accountable. Just as police learn about the deaf culture, the deaf should learn about police culture. For example, sign language can appear threatening and animated, so the nonprofit urges its clients to limit their hand gestures to a smaller frame and keep their hands visible. And while its common for deaf people to touch others to get their attention, its never good to touch a police officer unexpectedly. That lesson resonated with Deputy Jonas Allen, whose mind flashed to a moment about 15 years ago. He was serving a fugitive warrant at a home when a woman ran out of a bedroom and put her hands on his partners shoulders. The suspect told the officers she was deaf, but if he hadnt, Allen said, he would have feared his partner was about to be assaulted. Allen and almost every officer spent about 20 minutes thanking Horejes and Whitmore at the end of the hour-long training and sharing a universal sign: a handshake. Robert Patrick of the Post-Dispatch contributed to this report. UPDATED at 4:30 p.m. with news that victim is not expected to live. ST. LOUIS A man injured in a shooting on the MetroLink platform at Busch Stadium late Sunday is not expected to live, police said at a news conference Monday afternoon. The man was on the platform, thought to have just exited the train, when he was shot in the head when a gun went off inside a train, apparently as a group of people accosted other passengers and tried to rob them late Sunday night. The injured man was taken to a hospital after the shooting. His condition were grave, said Capt. Mary Warnecke at the news conference. Homicide detectives were immediately called in to investigate the confusing shooting. The injured man was 57, police said. Although early reports indicated the victim might be homeless, police found an address for him, Warnecke said. St. Louis Police Chief Sam Dotson gave this account based on the initial investigation: A man, 51, and his 29-year-old son were riding on a westbound MetroLink train in Illinois shortly before 11 p.m. when a group of four males and two females boarded in the Metro East. The ages of the people involved weren't available. The group began pestering the father and son for money. About the time the train arrived at the Stadium station at 400 South Eighth Street, the son relented and reached to give $5 to the group asking for money. The group wanted more money, and someone grabbed $5 from the son and began pistol-whipping him in the face. The gun apparently went off during a struggle on the train, and a bullet sailed through a train window and struck the man standing on the station platform. Police said they believe he had just gotten off the train when he was hit. Police believe the group that included the attacker fled from the train at the Stadium station. The man and son who had been assaulted stayed on the train and met up with police at the Central West End station. They were treated at hospitals for facial injuries. Authorities had surveillance video, but were not releasing it. They released a photo of someone they want to question. Warnecke was careful to not call the person in the photo a suspect, but stressed police want to question him. The person pictured is about 16- to 19-years-old and black. He was wearing an orange coat, black pants and purple flip-flop style shoes and was carrying a purple Adidas bag. He was last seen at the Central West End MetroLink station. "We think this individual may have some information as to who may have been on that train," Warnecke said. Warnecke said there were no MetroLink employees or security officers on the train or on the platform when the shooting occurred. MetroLink passengers were bused between Union Station and the 5th and Missouri station in East St. Louis for a time as authorities investigated. MetroLink service later resumed. The four men and the two women who boarded in East St. Louis and were bothering the father and son appeared to know one another, Warnecke said. Anyone who can identify the person pictured is asked to call CrimeStoppers at 866-371-8477. Updated 11 a.m. Monday with the victim's name. ELLISVILLE An elderly woman was killed early Sunday in a house fire in Ellisville, authorities said. Phyllis Olsten, 82, was found dead in her kitchen after a fire in her home early Sunday morning, according to Ellisville police. She lived in the 1000 block of Ridgeway Meadow Drive, off of Kiefer Creek Road. She was alone in the home at the time; no one else was injured, according to Michael Thiemann, a spokesman for the Metro West Fire Protection District. The fire started in the kitchen and caused smoke damage throughout much of the home, Thiemann said. It was unclear if the home had working smoke detectors. Firefighters had not yet determined a cause but do not believe it was suspicious. Police were called to the home about 2:15 a.m. because of a burglar alarm that was likely tripped by a window shattered by flames, Thiemann said. Police summoned firefighters at 2:26 a.m. Firefighters put out the blaze in about 20 minutes. As the House Intelligence Committees hearings into Russias interference with last years U.S. presidential election opened Monday, a phrase from systems engineering came to mind: normalization of deviance the gradual process through which unacceptable practices or standards become acceptable. Investigators used it to explain the production and oversight flaws that caused the space shuttles to crash. In politics, its whats happening with Donald Trumps administration. On Monday, the intelligence committee heard extraordinary testimony by James Comey, the director of the FBI: Since last July, his agents have been investigating Russian interference in the U.S. election. Comey said one aspect of the investigation involves contact with Russian operatives by Trump campaign associates. Comey also addressed Trumps tweeted allegations on March 4 that President Barack Obama had tapped his phones during the campaign: We have no information to support that. Seated next to Comey was Adm. Mike Rogers, director of the National Security Agency. Asked about allegations, recycled by the Trump administration, that the Obama administration had enlisted British intelligence help to spy on Trump, Rogers said he agreed it was utterly ridiculous. Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., the committees ranking member, put the issue into the proper perspective: If the Trump campaign, or anybody associated with it, aided or abetted the Russians, it would not only be a serious crime, it would also represent one of the most shocking betrayals of our democracy in history. But committee Republicans, led by Chairman Devin Nunes of California, focused not on what happened, but on how information about it was leaked to the press. Trump himself did the same, tweeting falsely: The Democrats made up and pushed the Russian story as an excuse for running a terrible campaign. Big advantage in Electoral College & lost! The FBI began its investigation in July, before Democrats needed any excuse. The new normal is outrageous falsehoods and distractions. Congressional Republicans are ignoring the elephant in the room while they focus on who let the elephant off the leash. Its like blaming Deep Throat for Richard Nixons Watergate cover-up. This story isnt going away. At the very least, Russians interfered with the election. They wanted to hurt our democracy, hurt her (Hillary Clinton) and help him, Comey said. Did Russias interference inflict enough damage to turn the election in Trumps favor? Thats not knowable, but its possible. Its ironic that Comey should be in this position. He obtained permission from his bosses at the Justice Department to testify openly about an investigation that could hurt Trump. In mid-October, without the permission of his bosses, he wrote a letter to Congress saying a new batch of Clintons emails had turned up. Clintons poll numbers took a dive. Congress must ignore the new normal of deviant partisanship. Its only the integrity of Americas democratic process thats at stake. What has happened to our powers of discernment and our ability to see these people for what they are, which is that they care nothing for us? Federal Minister for Water and Power Khawaja Asif urged that both India and Pakistan need to respect the Indus Waters Treaty as it was in the interest of both the countries. The minister held a press conference on Monday as talks commenced in Islamabad with an Indian delegation regarding the designs, disputed by Pakistan, of the three controversial water projects being built on River Chenab. A 10-member Indian delegation led by Indian Indus Water Commissioner P.P. Saxena arrived on Sunday for two-day talks, two years after water experts of the two sides at the level of Permanent Indus Commission last met. The water experts of the two sides last met in May 2015 in New Delhi and could not hold mandatory annual meetings since then despite repeated requests by Islamabad. The Pakistani delegation is being led by Pakistans Indus Water Commissioner Mirza Asif Beg. Addressing the media, Asif said that the talks would focus on three power projects with varying capacities of power generation: Pakul Dal (1,000MW), Miyar (120MW) and Lower Kalnai (48MW). "To respect this agreement [the Indus Waters Treaty] and find a solution through it is in the interest of both countries," the minister said. The minister also spoke regarding the controversial Kishanganga and Ratle hydroelectric projects on which Pakistan is seeking international court of arbitration (ICA) through the World Bank. Asif said delays had been witnessed in the past in the handling of the Kishanganga project, claiming that "when we [Pakistan] went to the court of arbitration our position was not as strong as it could have been if we had approached the court in a timely manner." However, he added that the country's position regarding the Ratle project is "very strong." "We are working to make changes to the design of the project that are in Pakistan's interest and which are in accordance with the treaty," the minister said. "Since the Indus Waters Treaty was signed [in 1960], no dispute has been handled including the Ratle dam dispute," Asif said, adding, "We are in the position to fully protect our interests." The two sides would not discuss the controversial Kishanganga and Ratle hydropower projects on which Pakistan is seeking international court of arbitration (ICA) through the World Bank, a senior official earlier told Dawn. The teams led by Mr Saxena and Pakistans Indus Water Commissioner Mirza Asif Beg would open formal talks on Monday before leaving for Lahore in the evening where the talks would conclude on Tuesday. The visiting delegation would leave for New Delhi the same day. Tehmina Janjua on Monday assumed charge as the new foreign secretary of Pakistan, becoming the first woman in the history of the country to do so. Janjua replaced Aizaz Chaudhry, a career diplomat who has taken up charge as the new ambassador to the United States. Janjua, the first woman appointed to the Foreign Office's top post, was long considered a favourite for the position. Having joined the Foreign Service in 1984, Janjua's experience has mainly been in multilateral diplomacy. Her only remarkable bilateral posting had been as ambassador to Rome from December 2011 to October 2015. Among her other overseas postings are stints at the UN in New York a Tehmina Janjua has assumed charge as the Foreign Secretary of Pakistan w.e.f. today, 20th March 2017 pic.twitter.com/4wRWotnIiG M. Nafees Zakaria (@ForeignOfficePk) March 20, 2017 nd Geneva. Janjua has not served on a major territorial desk at the headquarters, except for a year-long posting at the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe desk at the start of her Foreign Service career. At the headquarters, she worked as a director at the foreign secretarys office, director general strategic planning, and briefly as spokesperson in 2011. The Foreign Office on Monday said it is investigating reports concerning the abduction of Pakistani engineer Ayaz Hussain Jamali in South Sudan by rebels. "We have been informed about the reported abduction," FO spokesman Nafees Zakaria told media, adding that the FO does not have much to share at the moment. "We do not have a mission in South Sudan. Our mission in Ethiopia's Addis Ababa is working with the South Sudan government to provide us with a clear picture of the situation," added the spokesman. According to reports, South Sudanese rebels said on Monday that they had kidnapped four oil workers, including a Pakistani national, in a bid to force a Chinese and Malaysian consortium to leave the country. A resident of Sindh's Badin district, Jamali was an employee of DAR Petroleum Operating Company. Ayaz's younger brother, Babar Jamali, who also works in the same oil company, informed the family in Badin that Ayaz was kidnapped over a week ago. Fighters loyal to former vice president Riek Machar said they had seized the four oil workers from Upper Nile state the second group of oil workers abducted this month. There was no immediate comment from DAR, a consortium which includes China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC), China's Sinopec and Malaysia's Petronas. South Sudan, which split away from Sudan in 2011 after decades of conflict, has been mired in civil war since President Salva Kiir sacked Machar in 2013. The fighting has forced three million people to flee their homes, split much of the population along ethnic lines and paralyzed agriculture, leaving the country facing famine, according to the United Nations. South Sudan's government said it was using "diplomatic channels" to negotiate the workers' release and accused the rebels of demanding a ransom. Rebel spokesman Lam Paul Gabriel had dismissed that allegation. "There are no conditions for their release, but we want to make it clear to their country of residence and the government that we do not want their company to operate in South Sudan," he told Reuters. Sri Lankan named Commonwealth Young Person of the Year 2017 View(s): The co-founder of a foundation which supports persons with disabilities in Sri Lanka has been named Commonwealth Young Person of the Year 2017. Krystle Reid co-founded Enable Lanka Foundation to break stereotypes and stigma, and was recognised along with three other outstanding regional winners in this years Commonwealth Youth Awards for Excellence in Development Work. Through her foundation, Krystle and her team have helped disabled young people to secure employment and become self-sufficient. She was also part of the first ever campaign in Sri Lanka aimed at encouraging participation of persons with disabilities in the electoral process. On learning of her award, Krystle said, Winning this award means that people do believe in our work and admitting the fight for the largest minority in the world is real. This award will definitely be advantageous as it would give more credibility to the work we do at Enable Lanka Foundation and bring more opportunities to collaborate with other organisations and like-minded people. Its an opportunity to tap the many potential resources within the Commonwealth and to expand the work we do for the greater good. The Commonwealth Youth Awards for Excellence in Development Work, an initiative of the Commonwealth Secretariats youth programme, celebrate outstanding young adults aged under 30 who are leading initiatives ranging from poverty alleviation to peace-building. This years winners, drawn from over 200 entries, are recognised for spearheading projects that will contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals a set of 17 global targets that governments have committed to achieve by 2030. At the awards ceremony on 15 March at Marlborough House, the Commonwealths headquarters in London, regional awards were presented to three other young people chosen from a shortlist of 17 finalists: Charles Lipenga from Malawi Commonwealth Africa Young Person of the Year Jacqueline Joseph from Papua New Guinea Commonwealth Pacific Young Person of the Year Tricia Teekah from Guyana Commonwealth Caribbean Young Person of the Year The awards were presented by Commonwealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland, who praised all this years finalists for their efforts to deliver the Sustainable Development Goals. The Secretary-General said, With our Commonwealth Youth Awards we honour exceptional individuals whose practical sense of purpose is uplifting, and whose passion inspires us. I encourage anyone who thinks they cant make a difference to follow the example of these youth leaders who are working in imaginative ways to make our world safer, and our societies fairer and more inclusive. Through determination and dedication these Commonwealth Youth Award nominees and finalists have achieved astonishing things for the common good. Throughout the Commonwealth young people such as these are taking action as pioneers and change-makers whose contributions are essential to achieving national and global development goals, from halting the human impacts of climate change to countering poverty and discrimination. The awards were chosen by a panel of judges including representatives of Commonwealth High Commissions, Commonwealth organisations and young leaders. This years Commonwealth young persons of the year were drawn from a shortlist of 17 finalists from 13 countries: Australia, Bangladesh, Canada, Guyana, Jamaica, Malawi, Nigeria, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Sri Lanka, Saint Vincent and The Grenadines, Uganda and United Kingdom. The community got a first-hand look at the power of the WandaTrak system on the weekend. Russell Christian from Tauranga Land Search and Rescue Tauranga LandSAR demonstrated the WandaTrak Tracking System at the Trustpower TECT Rescue Helicopter Open Day on Sunday. This system is used by Tauranga LandSAR and NZ Police to search for people living with dementia related illnesses and autism, who regularly wander from their place of residence. We have three systems in Tauranga, says Russell. One in Papamoa, one in Greerton and one here, so we can triangulate around the city and find out where the person is when they go missing. Developed by Canterburys Ian Trethowen, and made in Waipara, North Canterbury, Wandatrak tracking units are held at police stations and Tauranga LandSAR, and uses a simple radio frequency. Each client is given a tracking device to wear which can be a keyring, pendant or wrist device. It can also be sewn into their clothing. This device emits a pulse which is detected using a radio tracking unit and a directional finding aerial. As the tracking unit approaches the pendant or watch, the stronger the pulse will be. The benefit of the WandaTrak is that it gives peace of mind to families and helps to reduce the stress on the missing person. It also reduces the resources required by Tauranga Land SAR and Police when searching. There are about 30 people in the Tauranga region who have the Wandatrak device since it was introduced about three and a half years ago, says Senior Constable Jennie Wright. We frequently get individuals suffering from Alzheimers Disease or dementia related conditions that go off wandering and many of them dont have a Wandatrak. The system is nationwide, says Russell. If they travel anywhere else in the country and go missing we can tell the LandSAR guys in that particular part of the country what the frequency is and they can go and find them too. Its a great system and cuts down on the manpower and time when people go missing. Its similar to what the Department of Conservation use when they go looking for kiwi in the bush. People caring for someone who is living with dementia or autism and who is regularly wandering off from their home are encouraged to email Sergeant Craig Madden, Tauranga Police SAR on cmf733@police.govt.nz or Senior Constable Jennie Wright on jwf609@police.govt.nz Tauranga LandSAR accepts donations to assist with the costs of the program. Each pendant or watch costs $290 and the battery replacements which are done every six months cost $60 each time. Donations can be made by cheque to Tauranga Search and Rescue Inc or by direct credit to bank account 12-3146-0251893-00 The Race Relations Commissioner has paid tribute to New Zealanders who are behind a series of events in provincial and urban communities to celebrate Race Relations Day throughout the month of March. A lot of New Zealanders care deeply about race relations and it shows: this year we have an unprecedented number of events planned, says race relations commissioner Dame Susan Devoy. With race relations events planned from Oamaru to Gisborne, Wanganui to Invercargill, whats great is that we are celebrating race relations in our provinces and smaller towns not just our big cities. While we have our tough times we do care about and respect each other and it shows. More than 30 events are being held throughout March with more being added to the list every day. The International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination March 21 annually marks the 1960 Sharpeville Massacre when 69 black South African citizens, including 10 children, were shot dead by their own Police for protesting against racial apartheid laws. Whats poignant this month is we also mark the recent passing of Murray Ball, a passionate anti-apartheid activist, brilliant cartoonist and social commentator, says Dame Susan. In 1985 Dog wrote an open letter to the New Zealand Rugby Union explaining why he couldnt be the mascot if they were touring Apartheid South Africa and in doing so a guy from heartland New Zealand showed all of us how to be a human rights activist and he did it in the most Kiwi way possible. "Thirty two years later Dog is a mascot the Human Rights Commission would be proud to adopt." For more information about race relations events visit https://www.hrc.co.nz/your-rights/race-relations-and-diversity/race-relations/our-work/race-relations-day/ A proposal to attract northern hemisphere movie television and internet productions to the Bay of Plenty is being endorsed by the Tauranga City Council. The council Economic Development and Investment Committee is recommending to todays council meeting that it approve the Bay of Plenty Film Trusts request for $75,000 for three years, to establish a BOP regional film industry office. Priority One CEO Nigel Tutt told committee members its a small investment for a potentially large return. What will happen is the decision will be by an internal staff submission via the Annual Plan process, which is already underway. If its approved, Priority One will administer the $75,000, which is to be raised by a levy on the commercial rate. What they will also do before that happens is they will get feedback from the business community, says committee chair Max Mason after the meeting. They will put that together which will come to the annual plan process. The reason they are doing that is this will be a targeted rate so we will be increasing the commercial rate by $75,000. Its estimated the $75,000 works out to about $3.40 per business with assets of $250,000 a typical small business. Which is I have to say a very small layout for what could be a very good return to the business community, says Max. The council endorsement means Bay of Plenty Film Trust trustees Anton Steel and Kylie DellaBarca Steel can continue plans to attend the Association of Film Commissioners International, Locations, Global Productions and Finance Conference in Los Angeles. Councillors were shown the video prepared for the event, show casing the Bay of Plenty region as a location destination. Part of the plan is to use the kiwifruit industrys idle summer storage spaces as pop-up studios. Auckland and Wellington have insufficient production and facilitation capacity to accommodate the scale of demand from international film production companies which represents a significant untapped economic growth opportunity for Tauranga and the Bay of Plenty. The New Zealand screen media industry is currently worth $3 billion each year. The North Island, outside of Auckland and Wellington, currently accounts for only one per cent of that. Auckland Film Studios are booked out until 2018, Wellingtons Stone Street Studios are pencil booked until 2020. Last year NZ lost two $100 million productions because of the lack of available studio space. While kiwifruit cool stores are used during the 6-9 month packing season, Anton Steel says they are empty for 3-6 months a year - the same three to six months that overseas productions look to base themselves in New Zealand to take advantage of the southern hemisphere summer during the northern hemisphere winter. Already under the microscope for claims of sexual harassment and questionable labor practices, Uber this week said it would ban the use of a controversial technology to block regulatory authorities from monitoring its operations. The companys greyballing technology is designed to hide the standard city app view in specific cases for example, from former riders blocked for being abusive, or to prevent fraud. However, some drivers have used it to circumvent local regulators, a practice that Uber no longer will allow, according to Chief Security Officer Joe Sullivan. Uber has started a review of the different ways the technology has been used up to now, he said, noting that it will take some time before the prohibition can be enforced fully. A number of organizations have reached out for additional information, Sullivan said, although he did not specify whether they were government regulators or other organizations. Uber will respond to their inquiries after the review is completed, he added. I am baffled that it took Uber public scrutiny and a weeks time to come to this conclusion, said European Parliament member Marietje Schaake. I expect at least full disclosure of every city in which Uber used greyballing for this purpose, so that the relevant authorities can get to the bottom of this and take appropriate actions, she told the E-Commerce Times. Uber has used its greyballing technology to thwart regulators in various U.S. cities, including Boston and Las Vegas, as well as in a number of overseas markets, including Paris, where it has been under scrutiny, The New York Times reported earlier this month. Serious Blowback Uber has faced a heavy backlash in cities where it has faced off against entrenched taxi and private car services that transport tourists, business travelers and local passengers to and from local airports, rail stations and hotels under a completely different set of operating costs and regulatory requirements. Hundreds of taxi drivers in South Africa blocked traffic to the O.R. Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg to protest Uber operations there. Following publication of the NYT story, Schaake last week appealed to the European Commission for an investigation of the greyballing tool in connection with local competition rules. The rule of law should apply to everybody, online and offline. I want to know what the European Commission proposes to do after what we learned about Uber. It should be a no-brainer that if you actively create measures and tools to circumvent local laws, you should be held accountable, she said. Some cities have very rigid rules against the ride-hailing market, Schaake noted. We need rules to ensure principles are preserved and we have a level playing field. As a liberal, I am not in favor of companies that aim to monopolize transport services under the guise of being collaborative companies. Sexual Harassment Claims The greyballling controversy marks the latest disruption for Uber, which has prided itself as the ultimate Silicon Valley disruptor, following a major backlash against the companys coziness with the Trump administration. Uber drew protesters ire in particular when it attempted to circumvent a work stoppage by local taxi drivers at JFK International Airport in January, which was intended to protest the presidents controversial ban on the admission of refugees and visitors to the U.S. from certain Muslim-dominant countries. A big scandal erupted just last month, when a former engineer at Uber alleged widespread sexual harassment that the company allegedly tried to bury before forcing her out. Uber hired former Obama administration AG Eric Holder to investigate the sexual harassment claims, and since has fired Amit Singhal, senior vice president of engineering. Long Lens Uber has committed a rash of unforced errors in recent months, according to Michael Harley, executive analyst at Kelley Blue Book. However, its way too early to bet against Uber weathering the storm. While there will be countless riders who will abandon the app-based company and jump over to rival Lyft, dont discount Uber just yet, he told the E-Commerce Times. Uber just landed a permit to test autonomous vehicle driving in California, which is another potentially lucrative market for the emerging business of ride sharing with driverless cars, Harley noted. Pushing the technology envelope, while carefully managing its public image and next steps, should help extinguish much of the negativity, he said. Uber has certainly been under pressure in recent months, acknowledged Steven Polzin, director of mobility policy research at the University of South Floridas Center for Urban Transportation Research. Still, its prudent to take a longer view of the ride-sharing industrys potential, he said, cautioning against drawing conclusions about Uber and Lyft based on current events. The technology is important and will be around, Polzin told the E-Commerce Times. The pricing and delivery structure, regulatory environment, and capacity remain to be validated and are likely to keep changing. Samsung has officially announced its own digital assistant, dubbed Bixby, which will debut in the upcoming Galaxy S8. The assistant will have its own dedicated button on the left side of the phone, just below the volume controls, and aims to differentiate itself from Apple's Siri and Google Now by offering a "deeper experience" than its rivals, thanks to its "completeness, context awareness and cognitive tolerance". According to InJong Rhee, executive vice president and Head of R&D Software and Services at Samsung, Bixby will essentially be able to control almost every task that the application is capable of performing using the conventional interface, rather than supporting only a few selected tasks. This 'completeness' will make the assistant less confusing as to what actions users can perform or not. Much like Google Assistant, Bixby will also be context aware, which means that users will be able to call on the assistant at any time and have it understand the current context and state of an app. But it reportedly goes a step beyond by letting users combine voice and touch interactions, whichever they feel is most comfortable and intuitive, without losing progress of the task at hand. Lastly, in the area of 'cognitive tolerance', Samsung says its digital assistant will be able to understand commands with incomplete information, executing the command in piecemeal by taking care of what it did understand and prompting users to provide more information as needed. Samsung is framing Bixby as more about controlling complex tasks within apps using your voice, rather than being an extension of search that can offer quick facts and silly jokes. Right of the bat it will only work with 10 Samsung apps, however, which will significantly limit its usefulness. It will also be limited to just English and Korean at first, with Chinese and US Spanish to be added shortly after launch. The vision for Bixby doesn't end with smartphones. Samsung says eventually the assistant will be embedded within all its appliances, so you can control your air conditioner or TV through Bixby. Global warming has been a cause for concern for quite a while and everyone, from governments to citizens of a country, is concerned about the implications of climate change. Apparently, global warming along with climate change can affect the size of an animal considerably. According to a new study, nearly 50 million years ago, when the Earth suddenly heated up, three species of mammals shrank considerably. This phenomenon can occur once again according to the researchers and this time, it can affect humans as well. The Study Based on the analysis of fossil teeth dated 54 million years old, due to the sudden heating of the planet, an early compact horse reportedly decreased in size by 14 percent, from 17 pounds to 14.6 pounds. The study suggests that with the increase in global warming, mammals are expected to shrink more rapidly. Two of the group of species discovered during the study showed prominent shrinkage. Professor Philip Gingerich, the co-author of the study, claimed that if Earth continues to experience the same temperature change, the day is not far when even humans may decrease in size. However, since humans are placed high on the food chain, the result will be comparatively less severe as compared with those of animals. Dwarfing affects herbivorous animals more when compared with carnivorous mammals. Abigaill Carroll, the lead author of the study, however, believes that global warming effects won't actually have any impact on the size of humans. 'We, as humans, are very good at controlling the environment around us. We're good at finding ways or seeking shelter to cool off, whether using air conditioning when it's hot, or simply packing up and moving to a cooler place," said Carroll to MailOnline. According to Carroll, since humans are really good in finding places or shelters to cool themselves, as well as stay under air conditioners during the summers, the dwarfism terror may have lesser effect on them when compared to animals. Why? As animals have supposedly lesser control over their surrounding environments. Factors That May Have Caused Animal Dwarfism Climatic changes are known to affect both plants and animals in a way which are rather impossible to fathom. Both the authors listed some possible reasons behind the triggering of dwarfism in animals. They state that lack in availability of food, due to the changing climate of the region, may have forced animals to evolve into smaller sizes. This change would have enabled them to consume less food. PETM And ETM2 During the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM), which took place about 55 million years ago, mammals like primates, as well as other groups which include horses, were said to have decreased in size during the bout of sudden heat on Earth. The second wave of global warming took place 53.7 million years ago and is known as the Eocene Thermal Maximum 2 (ETM2). To get a clear idea about the maximum impact of global warming on the size of mammals, the researchers analyzed various animal fossils from the time period to make a comparative study regarding body sizes. Fossils of Arenahippus pernix, an ancestor of horse, teeth from Diacodexis metsiacus an ancient rabbit among many others were taken for examination and analysis. It was then found that A. pernix and D. metsiacus displayed a significant change in size during those two global warming waves. During ETM2, the body size of A. pernix shrank about 14 percent in comparison to a drastic change in the body size of Sifrhippus, another ancient horse relative, by 30 percent during PETM. Photo: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center | Flickr 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Though it had an undeniably amazing run, everything must still come to an end, as the saying goes. Sony will finally stop manufacturing any more units of the PlayStation 3, at least in Japan, according to reports. PS3 Production Stops In Japan The halt comes a little over a decade after the PlayStation 3 was first released in 2006, one of that generation's most successful and popular home consoles, alongside Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii. Notice of the halt was first spotted by Gematsu, whose report states that PlayStation official Japanese website has been updated with the message: "Shipments are scheduled to end soon." The PS3 Will Still Be Here The halt in the Japanese market, however, doesn't imply a global halt. Other countries received the PS3 later on in its shelf life, so while the Japanese and Western markets are relatively rapid when it comes to adopting new technology, as noted by GameSpot, PS3 shipments may still see some continuation in other parts of the world. Take Brazil for instance, which received the said console in 2010, four years after its original release. This means that the PS3 could see a longer sales tail in that country and others as well. Upon release, one of the many gripes consumers had with the console was its steep price point, alongside rumors that it was a system that was hard to develop games for. The console did, however, enjoy late acclaim as it ambled through its lifespan, being home to many an acclaimed titles the likes of Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, The Last of Us, and God of War 3, among others. While the Wii was the undisputed winner of that generation's lineup of consoles in terms of sales figures, at least, the PlayStation 3 went head-to-head with the Xbox 360 in terms of graphical performance, with the two consoles cornering much of the hardcore gaming demographic. PS3 And Other Consoles' Lifetime Sales The PS3 moved past 84 million units in its lifetime, according to GameSpot's report, a figure that puts it near parallel with that of the Xbox 360. Both Microsoft and Sony, however, have stopped disclosing sales for these home consoles, so actual and exact numbers are everybody's guess. The PlayStation 2 is still the best-selling console of all time with over 155 million units sold. It's followed by the Nintendo DS, which is the best-selling handheld console of all time with nearly 155 million units sold. The PS4, the successor to the PS3, was released in November 2013, but not before Sony released several editions of the PS3, including a Slim and Super Slim models. The PS4 is the best-selling home console of its generation, usurping sales of Microsoft's Xbox One and Nintendo's ill-fated Wii U. Whether PS3 production in the West will also halt remains to be seen. Thoughts about Japan ending PS3 production? What are some of your best memories associated with the beloved home console? Feel free to sound off in the comments section below! 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Local farmers are looking to the weather for planting in North Iowa. Concerns for timely planting are always forefront, Iowa State University Extension Field Agronomist Angie Rieck-Hinz said. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration forecast for March through May shows 33 to 40 percent chance of above average temperatures for most of Iowa as well as a 33 to 40 percent chance for above average precipitation for the northern third of Iowa. Given this forecast I would anticipate we will have normal to possibly warmer soil temperatures at planting, but soil moisture conditions might hamper planting. Rieck-Hinz said. We will just have to wait and see. The one concern is the possibility of a wet spring that could cause delays. Farmers are beginning to prep equipment and assess conditions before planting. It will be crucial to assess soil conditions prior to planting each field as conditions change from field to field, Rieck-Hinz said. This will help ensure uniform planting depth, uniform stands and mostly importantly, uniform emergence that can lead to maximizing yields. Due to flooding and excessive rainfall in several areas through North Iowa last fall, conditions may not have been ideal when farmers harvested. This may have left ruts, large clods and areas with standing water that wont drain due to compaction, Rieck-Hinz said. Consequently, these areas may require greater attention to planting this spring or may delay planting. Warmer conditions in February and early March have caused decent growth for spring cover crops, such as cereal rye. Rieck-Hinz said that farmers with a cereal rye cover crop may need to rethink termination since cereal rye may have more growth, more biomass to terminate prior to corn or bean planting. Warmer temperatures this spring may bring an early arrival of insects from southern states, such as black cutworm and armyworm. Armyworms are attracted to green cover such cover crops. They may feed until the cover crop is terminated before moving to corn, Rieck-Hinz said. This will be a spring to scout for insect activity, Rieck-Hinz said. Russ Euken, an ISU Extension field specialist focusing on livestock, said that there are always concerns with each season between weather, disease, markets and more. It is hard to know whether anything will develop, Euken said. Risk management is important. Lower and more stable corn prices are effecting feed costs in the industry. Corn is a major feed ingredient for most livestock, so feed costs increase or decrease as the price of corn goes up and down, Euken said. Market prices for livestock in general have been lower as well, but with lower feed costs, there are opportunities to be profitable. There is some concern within the industry surrounding Mexico, as some officials have threatened to no longer buy U.S. corn in response to comments made by President Donald Trump. Iowa State Extension Farm and Ag Business Management Specialist Kelvin Leibold said Mexico is an important trading partner, buying dried distiller grains from the ethanol industry. A tariff would impact Iowa corn farmers, but it is still speculation, he said. The Iowa Corn Growers and other agriculture organizations are sending letters to the Trump administration and continuing to promote U.S. Corn in Mexico. The letters ask to continue open and duty-free access on corn, beans, pork, beef, ethanol, and dried distiller grains with Canada and Mexico. Google is reportedly working on the successor of the Google Pixel 2, which is expected to be a premium handset. Earlier in March, the company's SVP Rick Osterloh revealed that the next-gen Google Pixel smartphones will be arriving later this year. "There is an annual rhythm in the industry. So, you can count on us to follow it. You can count on a successor this year, even if you don't hear a date from me now," noted Osterloh. His admission confirmed that Google would indeed release the Pixel XL 2 and Pixel 2 smartphones. No sooner did the news of the Google Pixel 2 and the Pixel XL 2's impending arrival came into light, more rumors about the handset have started emerging online. Here's a look at all that we know about the Google Pixel 2 so far. Display Speculations are rife that the Pixel 2 will boast a 5-inch screen and offer a resolution of 2,560 x 1,440 pixels, just like the current-gen Pixel XL. Water Resistant The Google Pixel 2 will reportedly be waterproof and have the ability to withstand not only splashes, but also an accidental dunk in the swimming pool. This feature will be welcomed by consumers as the Google Pixel is not water and dust resistant. The smartphone can only handle some splashes. It is believed Google did not equip the handset with these capabilities as it did not have sufficient time. No Audio Jack Google is reportedly looking to eliminate the 3.5-mm audio jack in the Pixel 2. If it indeed takes this route, the Pixel 2 will be one of the few Android handsets to do so. Superior Camera The Google Pixel 2 is also tipped to have a superior camera and the company is reportedly "focusing intensely" on this aspect. The smartphone's camera will apparently be improved and have enhanced performance even in low-light conditions. While the camera will not have massive megapixels, it will reportedly make up for the same with alternate capabilities. Powerful CPU The Google Pixel 2 is rumored to house a Snapdragon 835 processor and 4 GB of RAM. Some reports have hinted at the possibility of the company testing two CPU options for the handset. One is the Snapdragon 83X chipset and the other has an Intel one. Battery Google is expected to enhance the battery in the Pixel 2 for better performance, as well as reduce battery drain. The Google Pixel 2 will likely offer support for Quick Charge 4.0. Daydream VR 2 The Google Pixel 2 is expected to support second-gen Daydream VR. This move will be welcomed by consumers, especially in light of the growing popularity of VR. Operating System The Pixel 2 will likely be the first smartphone to come with the alleged Android 8.0 Oreo, also named Android O, operating system out of the box. Release Date And Pricing Google traditionally unveils its smartphones in October, followed by a November release. It is likely that the Google Pixel 2 will follow the same path. The Google Pixel 2 codenamed the Walleye will likely be priced in the same range as the Google Pixel, which costs $649 for the 32 GB option and $749 for the 128 GB model. 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Adding a page to the book of regenerative medicine that is all about treating body parts and repair of tissues with engineered alternatives, scientists at the University of Ottawa have demonstrated that human tissues can be grown on apples. In technical terms, this type of tissue development is known as biohacking. Andrew Pelling, who is heading the Pelling Laboratory at Ottawa University's Laboratory for Biophysical Manipulation, has been spearheading research to go beyond the possibilities of genetic and chemical manipulation of cells. Pelling's objective was to study the behavior of cells when physical surroundings change. The method was successfully tested on lab mice by injecting the cellulose scaffolding under its skin. Currently, it is in the developmental stage, and the method is yet to be used in human beings. The study has been published in PLOS One. The new strides in biohacking are demonstrated at Pelling's lab, where an ear enclosed in a dish on a sheet-metal is on display. It could be mistaken for a human ear, but in reality, it is an apple carved in the shape of an ear. Making The Apple Ready Good preparation goes into making the apple grow human tissues. Removing cellulose is the first part to populate the human tissues. To extricate the cellular material, apple is bathed in boiling water and liquid dish soap to break open the apple's cells. When the apple's cellular material is gorged out, rigid cellulose scaffolding remains, to which the mammalian cells are appropriately packed. "Biohacking is the new gardening," notes Pelling. The new method is inspiring scientists to grow human tissues not only on apples but in other plant products as well. More options will mean regenerative medicine getting a fresh leg up with more scaffolds to graft skin and bone. Paradigm Shift This open-source approach is cost effective because no proprietary host is sought, and a biomaterial such as an apple is quite cheap and readily available. That makes a cost difference of shelling out $1,000 versus a few pennies for a scaffold. In creating alternatives for body tissues, the traditional focus has been on animals. There was obvious reluctance to leverage the plant kingdom despite its flexibility to offer a wide variety of architectures that can handle the requirements of human physiology. For doctors, the challenge has been creating organs using the right materials that can grow new cells in the desired shape and structure. Polymer vs Collagen In open-source biohacking, collagen structures are prepared to colonize the proprietary cells of a patient by scrapping the dependence on polymer molds. That takes away the big cost burden induced by organic biomaterials that are manmade and commercially produced by companies. "This kind of exploratory work is important, because it expands the toolkit," commented Jeffery Karp, a biomaterials expert at Harvard Medical School. He said fundamental discoveries like this would provide better options for practitioners of translational medicine. The experiments at Pelling Lab are also buoyed by the support of Canada's somewhat-liberal regulatory regime in health care. The regulatory climate is a bit different from the scene in Europe and the United States, where resistance is high against genetically modified organisms. Canada encourages biohacking for possible applications in medicine. Pelling, on his part, is trying to broad base the methods for involving the general public in the experiments. His vision is that by merely tweeting the experiments to the lab and working on do-it-yourself projects from home, the public should contribute to biohacking by working on their own equipment and biomaterials around them. "Imagine people set up cell cultures the same way they donate computer power to SETI," adds Pelling. Hitachi Chemicals Takes Over Regenerative Company Meanwhile, Japan's Hitachi Chemical will acquire PCT, a leading American company in regenerative medicine. The Asian company will expand its equity base from the existing 19.9 percent to take the remaining 80.1 percent from Caladrius Biosciences to make the U.S. company a wholly owned subsidiary. Hitachi Chemical plans to produce cells used in treatments for cancer and other diseases at a new Yokohama facility for rapid international expansion. 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. The population of bees is declining and Cheerios maker General Mills wants to help so it decided to send free wildflower seeds packets across the country. Bring Back The Bees Campaign The company recently gave out 1.5 billion wildflowers seeds that are meant to be planted across the United States but the "Bring Back the Bees" campaign is facing controversy. Despite the good intentions, some think the move could be dangerous to some local ecosystems. Critics cited that the company adopted a one-size-fits-all approach. The seed mixes were not region-specific, which means that some of the wildflowers can be potentially invasive to certain areas. Invasive Species Different regions in the country have different ways of reacting to different flowers. The Forget-Me-Not, which is among the flower seeds given away, for instance, is banned in Massachusetts, where it is considered a noxious weed. Another flower seed, the California poppy, is considered an invasive plant in the southeastern states. Ecologist Kathryn Turner, who specializes in invasive plants, was among those concerned about the campaign. "No plant is inherently 'bad', but many species can and have caused a great deal of damage when they are introduced into locations outside of their native range," Turner said. Turner explained that invasive species of plants can outcompete the native species that they encounter by taking up all the spaces and using all the resources. They also spread disease and cause physical changes that can have unwanted effects on the native species and even on humans. Some of the seeds Cheerios distributed were not even native to the United States so these may not even be helpful for the bees. Cheerios' Response In response to issues that its campaign may pose threats to some ecosystems, Cheerios said that the seed varieties included in the mix were not invasive. "The flower varieties within the 'Bee Friendlier Mix' were selected for their flowers which produce nectar and pollen that are attractive to bees and other pollinators. The mixture contains annuals, biennials, and perennials that produce flowers throughout the entire growing season (early, mid, and late) in a wide range of colors," Cheerios said. Declining Bee Populations The population of bees have significantly dropped over the past years due to a range of factors such as diseases, climate change, and use of pesticides. Scientists have been developing technologies that may do the work of the insects such as pollinating drones but these do not defeat the bees as expert pollinators. The role of the insects in crop production and food security underlines the need to save them. The Pennsylvania State Beekeepers Association (PSBA) said that a third of the food that humans consume are from insect-pollinated plants and 80 percent of insect pollinations are done by honeybees. Saving the bees does not just involve planting flowers though. Bee experts said that doing away with use of pesticides can also help save the pollinators. Seventy percent of all bee species also nest underground so experts recommend leaving patches of bare soil without mulch to help underground bee nesters. 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Starting from before the launch of the Nintendo Switch, there have been several reports on connectivity issue with the left Joy-Con of the hybrid console. While not all owners are experiencing the reported problem with their left controller, Nintendo Switch owners who are doing so are finding it difficult to play games properly on the hybrid console while in tabletop mode. Nintendo Switch Left Joy-Con Problem The problem has been noted even from before the March 3 launch of the Nintendo Switch, as various review units of the hybrid console came with the problem. The left Joy-Con kept disconnecting while in use, resulting in sabotaged gameplay. To play properly while in tabletop mode, it was said that gamers had to slot the Joy-Cons into the $70 Pro controller accessory being offered for the Nintendo Switch. There was hope that Nintendo would address the problem before the device was launched through a day 1 update, but the fix never came. Instead, Nintendo gave suggestions on how gamers can avoid the reported connectivity issues with the left Joy-Con, including placing the Nintendo Switch in a spot with little to no interference, moving other wireless devices away from the hybrid console, and restarting the Nintendo Switch. Unsurprisingly, even with the suggestions, there were still some gamers complaining about the issue. This prompted a response from Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime, who said in an interview that they were just starting to gather facts about the problem. What Is Causing The Left Joy-Con Connection Issue? Nintendo has not released an official statement on possible causes for the connectivity problems of the left Joy-Con, though the company has claimed that the issue is not as widespread as it is reported to be, with the number of requested replacements or repairs for the controller considered to be "not significant." That has not stopped people from trying to find out the root of the issue on their own, though. Several users have discovered that the antenna assembly of the two Joy-Cons are different, with the right Joy-Con featuring a separate antenna while the left Joy-Con has an antenna that is built into its circuit board. The construction of the antenna, however, is not considered to be the culprit of the connection problems. A large metal piece found to be located next to the antenna of the left Joy-Con is possibly causing interference for gamers who are experiencing the issue What You Should Do If Your Left Joy-Con Is Dropping Connections In another response by Nintendo regarding the left Joy-Con's connectivity, the company reiterated that there are no widespread technical issues with the Nintendo Switch, with all reported problems being handled promptly. Nintendo added that it is continuously updating the customer support website for the Nintendo Switch and that it remains committed in answering questions coming from owners of the hybrid console. As such, for Nintendo Switch customers who are experiencing connection problems with their left Joy-Con, they are recommended to contact the customer service team of Nintendo. Nintendo reiterated that the number of replacement and repair requests for the Nintendo Switch, including its Joy-Cons, are not significant and just consistent with all past new hardware released by the company. 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Since humans first landed on the moon, they have been trying to do more than just exploring the lunar surface. Furthering this dream will be a global competition known as Google's Lunar XPrize. This competition proposes an experiment by brewing beer with yeast on the moon. This test is to prove the survival of yeast in the space and how it will react in the gravity of the moon. The winning prize is $20 million and currently, four of the best teams are a part of this competition. Among these four teams, one is TeamIndus from India, which is planning to land on the moon and bag the prize. Which Teams Made The Cut? In 2011, at the beginning of the competition, there were 30 teams of which only 4 remain post-elimination. Apart from TeamIndus, the other teams include MoonExpress, which is led by Naveen Jain. The third team is SpaceIL and comprises three Israeli engineers. The fourth team is Synergy Moon. The fifth team from Hakuto, Japan, will be sending a rover on the spacecraft of the Indian team. The teams will be launching their spacecraft for the moon expedition on Dec. 28, 2017, according to reports. TeamIndus, which is led by Rahul Narayan, is preparing hard for the journey ahead. In 2012, Narayan started working toward the moon mission and later left his job and shifted to Bangalore to pursue his work. TeamIndus is one of the first privately funded company from a developing country to take part in a global competition such as Google's Lunar XPrize. TeamIndus needs $70 million for the project, but it has only managed to arrange $16 million. It has taken investments from family, friends, and entrepreneurs. The team plans to arrange money through corporate sponsorship and crowd funding. The team also has unplanned ideas to develop another satellite program or solar drones after the completion of the global competition. No Help From The Indian Government? What is surprising though is that the team will not be getting any support from the government of India. Jitendra Singh, who is Minister of State in Prime Minister's office, stated that TeamIndus is a privately-owned group and so it will not receive monetary aid from the Indian government. He also clarified that the mission would not be administered by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO). However, it still remains to be seen whether the team can manage to get hold of the funding before the final date of the mission and if it will be able to beat the other contenders. Photo: Chris Lexow | Flickr 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. The launch of the much-awaited phone from Microsoft, the rumored Surface Phone, seems to be delayed again. Reports say that the Surface Phone may launch in 2019 as the company is channeling all its efforts into developing another device. If rumors are to be believed, then this new phone that Microsoft is working on will be an addition to the company's Lumia smartphone lineup. Lumia Phone 2017 A new report reveals that Microsoft is leaving no stone unturned to build this supposed Lumia smartphone. It is expected that this mysterious handset from Microsoft may debut this year itself. It comes as a surprise why Microsoft would look to replenish this line, especially with its parting ways with Nokia. Rumors that Microsoft was working on an advanced Lumia handset emerged online in the past. However, this assertion never saw the light of day. The Lumia line was held back under Microsoft according to reports, due to the dearth of popular apps and novel services. Because of these setbacks, the Windows Phone line which was struggling to find favor with consumers was further pushed to the back burner. Owing to the falling market share and dismal performance of its Windows Phones, tech experts opined that Microsoft would need to reassess its approach to stay afloat. Microsoft has been rumored to have a top-end device in the works, which could be potentially a game changer. Whether the device in question is the Surface Phone or the new Lumia handset is still unknown. It is not known when Microsoft will reveal the new Lumia smartphone. No details of the device's alleged specs and features are available either. Setback For Surface Phones Microsoft is still working on the Surface Phone, which will reportedly come in three variants. However, some reports have hinted that the company may cancel the said device due to the dismal performance of the Windows platform. The future of the smartphone looks bleak but some rumors hint at a delay in its release, possibly 2018, and not a cancellation. This rumored handset is said to sport a 5.5-inch display, with the business variant having a 6-inch screen. Rumors also suggest that it could house Intel's 14nm Kaby Lake processor or Qualcomm's Snapdragon 835 CPU. The enterprise version of the handset may have 6 GB of RAM, whereas the consumer version will have 4 GB of RAM. The Surface Phone could also be equipped with a fingerprint sensor, as well as the Surface Pen. The device may start at the $750 mark. 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Allan Johnson, of Northwood, was honored with the Christensen Elite Award, presented by the Iowa Simmental Association at its annual banquet, held Feb. 12 at the Prairie Meadows Convention Center in Des Moines. The award, the top honor given by the association, recognized Johnson's decades of involvement in the Simmental cattle business, and his work done on behalf of the organization. Johnson has been involved with Simmental since the breed was imported to America in the early 1970s. In the 1980s, he joined with friend, the late Buck Pangburn, in the business and he also formed Sterling Cattle Company, which he operates today. He has multiple partnerships with young farmers and ranchers, assisting them in getting into the Simmental business. He joined the Worth County Cattlemen's Association in the 1990s, and was inducted into the Worth County Cattlemen's Hall of Fame in 2012. He is a member of the Iowa Cattlemen's Association, and served on its board of directors from 2009-14. He is also on the board of the Iowa Simmental Association. He and Carol, his wife of over 60 years, have seven children, 15 grandchildren and eight grandchildren. Nokia 5 Is Expected To Cost Rs 14,000 In India | TechTree.com After the Nokia 6, HMD Global unveiled the relatively compact Nokia 5. Much like its elder sibling, the Nokia 5 features a seamless metal body. Each of this handset is engineered out of a single block of aluminium. Compared to Nokia 6's 5.5-inch screen, the Nokia 5 comes with a smaller 5.2-inch IPS (In Pane Switching) display. It is powered by the Snapdragon 430 chipset. The phone has 2 GB RAM, 16 GB internal storage, and a microSD card slot. The Nokia 5 packs-in a 3000 mAH battery. In Europe, the handset is set to cost 189. According to an Indian price aggregating website, the Nokia 5 is likely to be priced at Rs 14,000. That seems like decent pricing considering the build quality this phone has to offer, but going by the specs alone, the phone is going to be a hard sell. TAGS: Nokia MASON CITY The Mason City Area Chamber of Commerce will host the 35th Annual Ag Breakfast at Wednesday at the North Iowa Events Center. The event begins at 7 a.m. in the All Seasons Building. The breakfast has become popular in the area, bringing in hundreds of people. Typically there are 400 to 500 in attendance, Mason City Chamber of Commerce Program Director Kativa Eckholt said. There are a variety of attendees ranging from FFA students, Century farm owners, business people and local agriculture supporters. Speakers include farmer and blogger Cristen Clark as the keynote speaker and special guest Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey. Northey also spoke at the 2007 event. We are very excited for the guests coming to the breakfast, Eckholt said. Clark is an Iowa farmer and creator of the blog, Food and Swine, where she talks about food, family, farming and more. Her family raises soybeans, corn, pigs, and cattle. In her blog, she also offers tips to help farms grow and produce more food using fewer resources. Northey will discuss opportunities in renewable energy as well as promote science and technology for the conservation of air, soil, and water quality. The breakfast will also feature made-to-order omelets prepared by local business people. Blue Zones-friendly omelet options will be available upon request, Eckholt said. Egg whites, fresh veggies and plenty of milk. The event is organized by the Chamber's Agribusiness Committee. Tickets are available in books of eight at $75 for Chamber members and $88 for nonmembers. Individual tickets are $11 each in advance or at the door. For more information, contact the Mason City Chamber of Commerce at 641-423-5724. "We are in an irreversible stage of the climate change damage, which has been caused by the capitalist, destructive, and highly polluting model," the Bolivarian leader stressed. | Read More The Iowa Soil Conservation Committee Research and Demonstration Fund has assistance available for research, education or demonstration projects focused on reducing nonpoint pollution, according to a recent release. Funds are available to collaborative teams of scientists, farmers, institutions, soil and water conservation districts and educators. Applications must be submitted to the State Soil Conservation Committee by May 19. A July 1 start date for selected projects is anticipated. Projects should be focused on sustaining and improving the environmental quality of our soil and water. We all recognize that we still have a lot to learn about protecting and improving our soils and water, and these funds are targeted towards projects that will improve their sustainability, said Bill Northey, Iowa Secretary of Agriculture. Successful projects should be focus on sustaining and improving environmental quality or the natural resource base on which agriculture depends. Applications should also explain how the projects would enhance the quality of life for farmers, rural communities, and society as a whole. Expected outcomes for the project and how they will assist in working toward these objectives, how project outcomes will be evaluated, and the impact of projects should all be clearly explained in the application. Funding for the grant program is expected to be $150,000 this year. Individual grants cannot exceed $50,000 total over a three-year period. More information about applying for assistance can be found at IowaAgriculture.gov and then click on Conservation at the top of the page. Interested applicants can also contact Jim Gillespie with the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship at 515-281-5851 or Jim.Gillespie@iowaagriculture.gov. OSAGE | To celebrate the importance of Agriculture in Mitchell County, March 23 has been set for the Mitchell County Ag Breakfast, during National Ag Week, at the Cedar River Complex Event Center, 1006 Chestnut St., Osage. Breakfast will be served at 6:30 a.m. with keynote speaker, ISU Dean, Dr. Wendy Wintersteen, joining the breakfast at approximately 7 a.m., concluding by 8 a.m. Dr. Wintersteen is the Endowed Dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Iowa State University and the Director of the Iowa Agriculture and Home Economics Experiment Station. Dr. Wintersteen will discuss the issues of nitrogen phosphorus, streams and rivers and what farmers and the state need to be doing to think about addressing the issues. Individual tickets are available at the Mitchell County Extension and Outreach office, 315 Main St., Osage. If interested in a table, being an event sponsor or having a booth at this event, contact Darla Olson at daolson@iastate.edu or call 641-732-5574. Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Leader Awards were presented at the Iowa Agricultural Leaders Dinner held on March 7 in Des Moines. The winners, including Sheffield-based Sukup Manufacturing, were recognized for their progress, innovative solutions and commitment to serving Iowa communities. Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey created the Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Leader Awards to honor citizens, companies and organizations who have made significant contributions to the state's agriculture industry. It is a tremendous honor and privilege to recognize these leaders that contribute so much to our state and the agriculture industry, Northey said in a release. These Ag Leader Award recipients epitomize the values of Iowa agriculture that makes our state a leader nationally and globally. Sukup was honored with the Innovation in Agriculture Manufacturing award. Sukup was founded in 1963 when Eugene Sukup patented a stirring machine which improved in-bin drying for thousands of farmers in the United States. Since then, innovation has been a company priority. In the last 20 years, Charles and Steve Sukup have emphasized advanced manufacturing methods and the development of new product lines. Today, 80 percent of sales come from products that didnt exist two decades ago. The new product lines with patents include grain dryers, grain bins, material handling equipment and pre-engineered steel buildings. Sukup now holds 85 patents and has sales in all 50 states and more than 80 countries. It employs more than 500 people and has global distribution locations in Denmark and Ukraine. Since the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, Sukup Manufacturing has designed and delivered 240 Safe T Homes to the people of Haiti, which provide element-resistant safe housing. Made entirely of metal, they are earthquake-proof, hurricane-proof, and combine innovation with humanitarian need. Other winners included: Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy Science Team (Leadership in Conservation award), Sehgal Foundation (Outstanding Service in Agriculture award), and The Coalition to Support Iowa Farmers (Leadership in Collaboration award). A Baton Rouge lawyer and former state liquor lobbyist who was set to stand trial this week on federal child pornography charges is now expected to be tried in October. Christopher Young's attorneys cited scheduling conflicts in asking U.S. District Judge John deGravelles to push the trial back seven months, to the week of Oct. 23. The judge, who granted a defense request to continue the trial, had not approved the new date as of Monday afternoon but was expected to do so. Federal prosecutors are not opposing the defense request. Young, the brother of former Jefferson Parish President John Young, is accused of forwarding videos of boys engaging in sex acts with donkeys to friends, family and clients in 2013 and again in 2015. Young, who faces charges of possession of child pornography and distribution of child pornography, testified at a prior pretrial hearing that he did so as a crude joke. He insists he's not a child pornographer. +2 Baton Rouge lawyer says 'crude joke' led to child porn charges A Baton Rouge lawyer and former state liquor lobbyist on Thursday characterized as a "crude Young also contends he is being selectively and vindictively prosecuted for refusing to cooperate in a federal public corruption investigation and because he was a lobbyist at the time. Young terminated his lobbying business and registration after a federal grand jury in Baton Rouge indicted him in May. Last month, deGravelles indicated he disagrees with the government's decision to charge Young but refused to throw out the case against him. Young, according to prosecutors, distributed child porn bestiality videos on 33 occasions to 38 people. The man named Monday in the fatal shooting of a sheriff's deputy at a hair salon off O'Neal Lane had been convicted of crimes in the past, including aggravated battery, and was being questioned in the rape of a 15-year-old girl at the time of the incident. Brandon Wiley, 30, struggled with Sgt. Shawn Anderson and another East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff's deputy at the Classic Cuts hair salon, 1962 O'Neal Lane, Saturday night when shots were fired that killed Anderson and injured Wiley, said Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Casey Rayborn Hicks. Anderson, who was with the Sheriffs Office for nearly 18 years, died later at the hospital, Hicks said. Wiley remains in critical condition, but was booked remotely into Parish Prison on first-degree rape, resisting an officer and tattooing minors, according to Louisiana State Police Trooper First Class Bryan Lee. The investigation into the shooting was turned over to State Police, as is protocol when a deputy is involved in a shooting, Lee said. Following the investigation, more counts could be filed against Wiley, Lee said. State Police declined on Monday to release any details on the incident that led to Anderson's death, including whether Wiley was armed, did the gun discharge during the struggle and who shot Wiley. Lee cited the ongoing investigation as the reason why he could not provide more information. The second deputy was not injured and has since been placed on paid administrative leave as is policy for officers involved in shootings, Hicks said. She declined to identify him. Wiley has a prior felony conviction in East Baton Rouge Parish and was also sentenced to four months in jail following a 2010 conviction for unlawfully tattooing a minor, according to 19th Judicial District Court records online. Wiley was arrested in 2004 on two counts of attempted second-degree murder after he was accused of shooting two men during a fight. Those charges were reduced to aggravated battery in a plea agreement in 2005, and he was sentenced to 13 months in prison, according to court records. He was also sentenced to two years in prison in 2011 for "inciting a felony" after he was arrested on a count of indecent behavior with a juvenile, the records state. Wiley was accused of lifting up the shirt of a 10-year-old girl and inappropriately touching her after her mother, a friend of Wileys, asked him to take the girl to Wal-Mart to get snacks, according to court records. The charge was reduced from indecent behavior with a juvenile to inciting a felony in a plea agreement so the victim would not have to testify at a trial, according to notes written on a bill of information. On April 28, 2010, Wiley was indicted by a federal grand jury in the Middle District of Louisiana for being a felon in possession of a firearm, said Corey R. Amundson, acting U.S. Attorney, on Monday. Wiley was detained pending trial at the request of prosecutors, Amundson said. He was later convicted and sentenced to 37 months in federal prison, followed by 2 years of supervised release. Wiley was released from the federal Bureau of Prisons on Aug. 8, 2014, and completed his term of supervised release in 2016, Amundson said. In an interview with a photographer for The Advocate following the August flood, Wiley identified himself as an employee of the Classic Cuts salon. At the time, he was applying for Federal Emergency Management Agency benefits, saying he had lost his possessions in the flood. He has a company registered with the Secretary of State's Office called The Preferred Look LLC, which lists Classic Cuts address as its business location and advertises tattoo work under that business name on Facebook. Wiley is not licensed or registered with the Department of Health to perform commercial body art, according to the department's spokesman Bob Johannessen. His Facebook page also promotes several late-night tattoo parties at the salon, at least one of which Wiley wrote in a December post would run from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. The owner of Classic Cuts, Lilnetta Roach, said Monday that all her employees had their own keys to the strip mall location and it wasn't uncommon for some of her workers to be at the location until late into the night because of how long some hair appointments can take. However, Roach said she did not know of any tattooing going on in her store. She said Wiley had worked as a barber and stylist at her shop since the summer and had always been professional; showing up on time, being respectful to customers and wearing his uniform. She said she was surprised by the accusations against Wiley. "These allegations, I'm not saying they're not true, I just didn't encounter them at the shop at all," Roach said. Roach said Wiley has a young daughter. He was a very good father figure, Roach said. Can't see the video below? Click here. MASON CITY | One person was hurt when a car went off the road and flew into the air near Mason City on Saturday. The crash was reported at 9:21 p.m. in the 16000 block of 210th Street, about three miles south of the Mason City city limits. Investigators believe a 1999 Mercury Grand Marquis driven by Angela Kaspar, 27, of Rockford, was going east when it went into the ditch. The car hit a field drive, went airborne and then landed back in the same ditch, according to a Cerro Gordo County Sheriff's Office statement. Kaspar was taken to Mercy Medical Center--North Iowa for what deputies believed were non-life-threatening injuries. The crash remained under investigation on Monday. -- Molly Montag A region still raw from the loss of law enforcement officers in recent months must now mourn another officer who died doing his job. East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriffs Office Deputy Shawn Thomas Anderson, 43, was fatally shot while struggling with a rape suspect at a Baton Rouge hair salon on Saturday night. The suspect, 30-year-old Brandon Wiley, was also shot during the incident and was listed in critical condition at a local hospital Monday. Hes been booked on several charges, including first-degree rape. Louisiana State Police officials are investigating the shooting. Anderson had attracted media attention last year after he helped a woman deliver her baby. He was the fourth law enforcement officer in East Baton Rouge Parish to die within the past eight months. Last July 17, a disturbed gunman shot six Baton Rouge area lawmen, killing three: EBR Sheriffs Deputy Brad Garafola and Baton Rouge Police Department Officers Matthew Gerald and Montrell Jackson. The circumstances surrounding Andersons shooting are unclear, and we hope that the LSP investigation can help clarify what happened. But the consequences of Saturdays tragedy are evident enough. South Louisiana residents must lay to rest yet one more lawman killed in the line of duty. James Tullier, the father of Deputy Nick Tullier, who is still struggling with the serious wounds he received in the July 17 attack, was among the first residents to offer condolences to Andersons family. The Tullier familys presence in coverage of Anderson was a powerful reminder that long after daily media attention has moved elsewhere, tragedies involving law enforcement officers continue to impact households. That reality was vivid last week, when Crimestoppers of Greater New Orleans honored four area officers who had died as a result of their work: NOPD Officers Natasha Hunter and Jude Williams Lewis; Jefferson Parish Sheriffs Office Deputy David Michel; and Westwego Police Department Officer Michael Louviere. During a deeply emotional Fallen Heroes award ceremony, family members of the departed officers received tearful standing ovations as the crowd gathered at the Hyatt Regency rose to its feet. The resolve of these suffering families, which was apparent during last weeks ceremony, must now become our own as we grieve another tragic loss of life in local law enforcement. Residents read of Andersons death in the morning paper on Monday the first day of spring, a time when the hours of daylight and darkness divide just about evenly. That sense of balance has seemed so elusive in our local life these past few months, as the incidents claiming law enforcement officers sometimes make us wonder if darkness is winning out. But weve seen the ultimate sacrifice in the thin blue line protecting us all. Such courage compels us to hope for a better spring. The Gulf of Mexico: Book is a deep dive into the world's 10th-largest body of water MASON CITY | A Mason City man police say smashed a pool stick into someone's head at a local bar faces criminal charges. Joshua Homan, 37, was charged with felony willful injury and misdemeanor fifth-degree criminal mischief. He's accused of hitting someone three times in the head with a pool stick early Sunday morning at Burke's Bar & Grill, 1221 N. Federal Ave., according to court documents. Police say the incident was reported just before 1 a.m. The victim had an open wound or gash on the head. Homan was released from jail later Sunday on $5,000 bond. -- Molly Montag The Federal ALP, Greens and Independent Senator Jacqui Lambie will introduce a Bill on Tuesday to invalidate the Fair Work Commission's decision to reduce Sunday penalty rates for retail and hospitality workers. The bill aims to protect Sunday and public holiday penalty rates at their present levels and is identical to one Opposition Leader Bill Shorten introduced into the lower house of the Federal Parliament on Monday. The bill will be introduced in the Senate on Tuesday and is expected to be debated this week. Although it is unlikely to pass through the lower house where the Coalition has the numbers, it is designed to draw out crossbenchers Nick Xenophon, Pauline Hanson and Derryn Hinch and test their positions on cuts to penalty rates. Opposition employment spokesman Brendan O'Connor said Labor was giving the crossbench, including One Nation, Nick Xenophon and Derryn Hinch, "a chance to put up or shut up". Brazil's President Michel Temer, confronting a corruption scandal tarnishing the country's lucrative meat industry, met on Sunday with executives and foreign diplomats to assuage health concerns tarnishing a sector responsible for $US12 billion in annual exports. The hastily called meetings, following raids by police on Friday investigating whether companies paid bribes to conceal unsanitary conditions at meatpackers, come as Temer works to protect one of the few vibrant sectors in Latin America's biggest economy, hit by two years of recession. Brazil's President Michel Temer, left, hosts a dinner for diplomats at a traditional Brazilian barbecue restaurant. Credit:AP The inspection scandal throttled the share prices of JBS SA, the world's largest meat producer, and poultry exporter BRF SA, after both were targeted in "Operation Weak Flesh" along with dozens of smaller rivals. Addressing diplomats from Europe, the United States, China and elsewhere, Temer said Brazil's government "reiterates its confidence in the quality of a national product that has won over consumers and obtained the approval of the most rigorous markets". Gina Rinehart has consolidated her position as Australia's wealthiest person with the prominent magazine Forbes saying the mining magnate's net wealth jumped to $US15 billion ($19.4 billion) over the past 12 months. In what was a record year for the number of uber-wealthy around the world, Forbes said Ms Rinehart's position on their annual index skyrocketed from 127 in 2016 (with a fortune of $US8.8 billion) to the 69th spot in 2017, making her the only Australian in the top 100. According to the index, her wealth has climbed by $US6.2 billion ($8 billion) over the last year. It was a different story for the newly minted US President Donald Trump, whose wealth shrunk to $US3.5 billion on the back of a softening New York property market. It sees Mr Trump tumble more than 200 spots to no.544 on the list. The magazine said Ms Rinehart was the female billionaire who had the "best year" but noted that with Ms Rinehart's wealth built on iron one, "her fortune can either jump or plummet depending on the price of the commodity." Donald Trump has been US President for two months now. He continues to say the most outrageous things. He still nurses dangerous ideas. And it's very early in a four-year term. Yet the worst fears of a Trump presidency have not, so far, been borne out. No nuclear war has broken out. In fact, no new war at all. Not even a trade war. All America's allies are anxious yet alliances still stand. All America's rivals are circling the new president, yet, so far, only one is actively provoking him. That's North Korea, which continues to test missiles forbidden it by UN Security Council resolutions and in defiance of Trump bluster. Contrary to expectations, Trump seems to be taking time to assess, rather than rushing to irradiate. What's going on? Thomas Wright, director of the Brookings Project on International Order and Strategy and also now a non-resident fellow at Sydney's Lowy Institute, was one of the Washington analysts who predicted the most serious consequences in the shortest possible order. Only 23 per cent of sexual offences reported to police get to court, according to the Victorian Crime Statistics Agency. United Nations statistics put the rate of rape in Australia at about twice the international average. We have a dreadful problem. There is a pressing need to change the legal system; victims are terrified of reliving their trauma in prolonged court proceedings that submit them to brutal questioning and to sharing space with the alleged perpetrators of such heinous violence. There is a pressing need to improve treatment of victims within the legal system. There could be no more compelling an example of the long-overdue need to make the court process far less intimidating for victims than the coverage today by writer Miki Perkins of the situation of Amy (not, for legal reasons, her real name). It is harrowing to read and contemplate. But it is important that as many people as possible read it, for it shows why the system must be revamped. One evening in November 2015, Amy, then 14 years old, was allegedly raped in Geelong by three brothers, Kevin Andrew Wild, Allan Mark Wild and Brodie Wild. These men were charged with multiple counts of rape. They pleaded not guilty to all charges, and were committed to stand trial. The process was such an ordeal that Amy and her parents reluctantly decided to drop their pursuit of justice; they discontinued the trial. A common refrain in the 30 years since the collapse of the Soviet Union is that things were simpler during the Cold War. This grim nostalgia is startlingly apt now when a resurgent Russia gives geopolitics an almost retro feel. It's like we're watching "Cold War: the sequel", only to find the subtitles messed up and familiar plot-lines turned inside out. In the early years of Ronald Reagan's presidency, Russia was "the evil empire", the term "mutually assured destruction" rolled off the tongue and into an acronym of perfect clarity, and I came of age dancing to the hit compilation album 1982 with a Bullet. Yes, it was a depressing and scary era, the two superpowers circling one another through proxy wars, but at least you could figure out who's who and what's what. Politics had an almost geometric simplicity: the terms "left" and "right" still held together, albeit like battered suitcases. Leftists were, at best, apologists for Soviet aggression abroad and repression at home and at worst, a fifth-column motivated by hatred of the West. Travelling rightward along the spectrum, you reliably encountered patriots and Russia-phobics, hyper-vigilant about perceived threats to Western interests. Maybe I'm a true Virgo after all because I found these clear battlelines oddly comforting. Even if, and probably because, in my family's Eastern European Jewish milieu the Russia-question was more ambiguous. While the Soviet's mal-intent towards the West and its freedoms was never refuted, that knowledge co-existed with a lingering awe for the Red Army that had helped rid the world of Nazi Germany and a soft-spot for the Marxist-Leninist ideology on which so many Jews once pinned their hopes of equality and acceptance, even if those hopes had been comprehensively shattered. When in 1999, NATO, prodded by Bill Clinton, bombed Russia's bosom-ally Serbia over the Kosovo war my mother took it personally. The head of the competition watchdog, Rod Sims, is fighting union claims he broke the public service code of conduct by publicly endorsing Colin Barnett's $11 billion power privatisation plan just four days before West Australians went to the polls this month. Australian Public Service Commissioner John Lloyd has received an official complaint against Mr Sims, the chairman of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, alleging he breached his responsibility to remain "apolitical" during the WA election. During the final week of the WA campaign, Mr Sims' comments in favour of the Liberal Party's planned sell-off of Western Power were splashed across the front page of the state's only daily newspaper, The West Australian. "If Western Power was privatised, that would lower power prices because the new owner would be more efficient," Mr Sims told the newspaper. "The new owner would not be allowed to just increase prices." Business and economics students Johnetta Lili, Annemary Serat and Jollanda Methew at the University of Papua New Guinea. Credit:Robert McKechnie Managing director Peter Botten, sometimes called "the No.1 man in Tari", now chairs the hospital board. In the first nine months of 2016, we are told, the ramshackle hospital performed a staggering 635 serious surgeries, dealt with 26,305 outpatient presentations and had its budget increased to $6 million in order to become a regional hub for 400,000 people. Botten tilts his head. Twenty minutes down the road, amid this entrenched poverty, is one of the biggest gas fields in south-east Asia. He concedes the benefits of this do not always reach people on the ground. "One of the fundamentals of PNG is you actually have to bring communities along with you," Botten says. "If we get this wrong, we will be shut down." Students at the opening of a library at Kuluanda Primary School in Hela province. Credit:Robert McKechnie/Save the Children Stephen Howes, a former chief economist at AusAID and now the director of the Development Policy Centre at ANU, is nonplussed about the reliance on corporate charity. "It may not be ideal but in the circumstances it's great," he says. "PNG is a very resource-rich country it is going to have these big resource projects and you want those companies to contribute." At a library opening at Kuluanda Primary School, parent Doreen Pipiki thanks Oil Search for her ongoing job at Tari hospital, where she works in family planning. It's an especially important task given the hospital does not perform terminations. Her own daughter Marianne-David is in the fifth grade and achieving solid results. But most children here don't start school until they are seven or eight years old. By then, says Pipiki, "it's too late". Mother Martina and daughter Angeline, centre, with other children at the Nine Mile settlement outside Port Moresby. Credit:Robert McKechnie/Save the Children Those who start school are extremely unlikely to finish. Statistics can be difficult to nail down in PNG, but it is estimated just 2 per cent of children who start year 1 will go on to complete year 12. "I think that's really alarming," says 22-year-old Johnetta Lili, an accounting student at the University of Papua New Guinea. Her friend Jollanda Methew is the first in her family to go to university. Both study at a new business faculty headquarters funded by Australian aid. Men might dominate PNG's power structures, but on the ground, it's women who are doing the hard yards. Women like the softly-spoken Martina, who lives in the impoverished Nine Mile settlement outside Moresby, and sells her crops at the local market each morning to support her parents and daughter Angeline. Women like Esther Mwayemwanna, a teacher for 31 years and principal of Caritas Tech, a Catholic secondary school for girls who have fallen out of the public system. And women like Lucinda Gulluman-Kisip, who helps establish libraries for preschool children. "There's a lot of change happening," the 39-year-old says over a meal on the flight back to Port Moresby. "A lot of the things we're doing are against the traditional practices. We're seeing a lot of women taking on work and being breadwinners, even. It's really hard for a Papua New Guinean man for his wife to be a breadwinner. It does create how should I say this conflict between the new and the old." Continuity and change, perhaps. It is evident at the Duffy Cafe in Port Moresby, a regular hangout for diplomatic types. It's easy to see why: cold-drip coffee and avocado on toast make it a veritable home-away-from-home for Australians. But this oasis can only exist in a heavily-guarded compound, behind two sets of security gates, such is the omnipresent danger of Moresby's streets. At the Boroko police station and remand centre, cops dressed immaculately in patent leather shoes proudly lead us around the redeveloped cell block. There are still no beds and no mattresses. As many as 15 people will be interred in each cell, for as long as two or three months, a constable says. Outside the station, two women shelter from the heat under a gazebo, waiting to talk to the police. They have come to report again their husbands' violence. Siniva, 24, says her husband flies into a jealous rage if she so much as acknowledges another man on the street. "If I'm smiling or if I say hello, when I go back to the house he hits me," she says. "He cuts me with [a] knife, both my thighs. I always go to police station but they don't help me." Macklyn, 25, is beaten weekly by her husband. "He says that I'm a lousy wife, I have no money. He doesn't want to sit down and listen," she says. "He always tells me that he will never change." In just a few days in PNG, Fairfax Media meets countless women who have survived violence and are now working to stop it. But there's also an uneasy question: where are the men? One of the politicians in our delegation, Victorian Nationals MP Damian Drum, makes the point during a briefing with Oxfam. "This is not a women's problem. It's a man's problem," he says. "We can't have women telling men they have to change their behaviour we need to have men telling men." Ian Lapu, a case manager at Oxfam, is trying to do exactly that. In his workshops and conversations with men, he talks about the law and human rights a foreign concept for many of his compatriots. He appeals to their sense of nationalism: treat women with respect and they will raise healthy children, the country's future custodians. It's an odd pitch but apparently it works. "Everybody wants to make world a better place," Lapu says. "But they will not make the world a better place until they end violence." Tackling gender inequity is one of the key pillars of Australia's aid program in PNG, and the ANU's Howes says we can take credit for "positive trends" in getting the problem taken seriously. In other areas it's a mixed bag. ANU research found between 2002 and 2012, educational outcomes improved, with more teachers, better classrooms and more children going to school. But the health system went backwards at the same time. The massive GDP growth that accompanied the liquefied natural gas boom has given way to collapsed commodity prices, a fiscal crisis and a country that cannot fund basic services. MASON CITY | A Mason City man risked his own life to help people from a burning house Sunday night. Toyon Hamilton, 33, saw flames overtaking 22 N. Jefferson Ave. from his house across the street. It was about 11:15 p.m. The fire already covered the front of the home from the bottom of the front door all the way to the top of the house, Hamilton said. He tried to go through the front door, but the flames were so intense he had to go in a side door to alert residents, which included three clients of Opportunity Village and a caretaker. Then it went so quick, he said, of the flames. It was going so quick I was like, Oh, my God. He went inside the home twice to help residents out of the building, including a woman he believed passed out at the top of the stairs due to the smoke. She passed out and I had to get her up, he said. The four people in the house, and Hamilton, were taken to Mercy Medical Center North Iowa for evaluation. Right now everybody is fine and uninjured, said Opportunity Village Spokeswoman Megan Byrd. Theyve been housed in temporary accommodations and were waiting on the fire marshals report. Firefighters say Hamiltons assistance was critical. The outcome could have been different without his actions in notifying the residents and assisting them out of the building, according to a Mason City Fire Department statement. Investigators believe the fire was started on the porch from improperly discarded smoking material. Check back at globegazette.com for more on this developing story. Update: 5 to hospital for evaluation after Mason City house fire, family says MASON CITY | Four occupants of a burning house and a neighbor who warned them of the blaze were sent to a Mason City hospital for evaluation, family members say. The blaze broke out late Sunday night in a two-story home at 22 N. Jefferson Ave., Mason City. Three clients of Opportunity Village and a staff member were home at the time of the fire, said Mason City Fire Marshal Jamey Medlin. He said their conditions did not require a transport to the hospital by ambulance, but he believed all were taken to the hospital by private vehicle for evaluation. Medlin and a family member of one of the victims said the occupants were alerted to the fire by a neighbor, and also helped from the building. The fire remained under investigation Monday morning. Check back at globegazette.com for updates on this developing story. Our earlier story Fire damages Mason City home MASON CITY | The Mason City Fire Department is investigating a fire that happened in the 00 block of North Jefferson Avenue in Mason City overnight. Fire Marshal Jamey Medlin was sifting through charred debris on the front porch of the home this morning. Information on the cause of the fire or if there were any injuries was not immediately available. Check back at globegazette.com for more on this developing story Park's responsible for the latest trend, wire nails, which appeared on her Instagram eight weeks ago and quickly went viral. In many ways it was a minimalist approach; a clear polish base and thin gold wire were the two ingredients. Park says she got the idea from neon signs, where the tubing is bent to achieve stunning results. The reason we know of her is due in large part to her incredible nail creations on Instagram , although these days, she's equally lauded for her collaborations with magazines like Vogue and InStyle. If you're into nail art in any way, then you probably already know about Eun Kyung Park. She's the president, and head designer, of the now famous Unistella nail salon in Seoul, South Korea. This is not the first time Park has set the nail art world on fire. She's also designed pomp pom nails, crystal nails and even nails with tiny gummy bears stuck on them. But the wire nails, according to experts, are for "low maintenance" nail fans. To this I say a big HUH? I mean, it's wire sticking out of the nail, you can't exactly get the look in five minutes and it's not like you can do the dishes once it's on. Which brings me to the unseen privilege of manicures. Yes, I said privilege. Thousands of years ago, painting your nails especially if they were long was a sign of wealth in Egypt and China. Makes sense, doesn't it? You can't do too much manual labour with long talons. But perhaps more pertinently, you can't sit doing nothing while a person massages your cuticles if you don't have the time. It only takes half an hour and costs about $20 but unlike a hair salon, you can't multi-task while you're getting a manicure. You can't use your phone while someone files down your nails, which is why women often go in pairs and groups, and on celebratory occasions like a hen's day, or, you know, a plot pivot on Real Housewives. Australia should move to bigger class sizes if it wants to improve its education system without spending more money, according to the OECD's top education guru Andreas Schleicher, and he has the data to prove it. The highest performing countries in the OECD's PISA tests have classes significantly larger than Australia's average, he said. But it's not the class size that's the key, he explains it's giving teachers less class time so they can focus on high-quality teaching. The trade-off in a finite education budget for having teachers doing just 12-16 hours of class time a week is that you have to fit more kids into their classes. The brother of slain standover figure Wally Ahmad has been arrested as he stepped off a flight from the Middle East in relation to one of Sydney's unsolved gangland killings. Almost a year after he travelled to Lebanon following a fatal shooting in the south-western suburb of Condell Park, Mahmoud "Brownie" Ahmad touched down at 7.40pm at Sydney Airport on Monday night. Brownie was swiftly taken into custody by police when he stepped off the Qatar Airways flight from Doha and was taken to Mascot Police Station. The 34-year-old has been charged with murder. Two men who survived a helicopter crash off the coast of central Queensland are lucky to be alive, according to one of their sons. Helicopter Pilot Robert Van Kuyl and passenger Garry Carroll had flown from Caboolture on Friday and were around Curtis Island when one of the helicopter's engines reportedly failed. Helicopter pilot Robert van Kuyl is in hospital in Brisbane recovering from spinal surgery following a helicopter crash off the coast of central Queensland. Credit:Facebook/Robert van Kuyl Mr Van Kuyl's son Tim told 7 News the men were fortunate to be rescued. "To be able to do an emergency water landing with split seconds to spare while the cabin was filling up, to get them both to shore safely," he said. A man who repeatedly raped a woman he randomly snatched off the street will spend at least the next decade in prison. In court on Monday, a judge described the rapist's crimes as "every woman's worst nightmare". Mark Shandley spotted his 29-year-old victim as she was walking in Shepparton in the early hours of February 18 last year court documents say. He walked up behind her and held a large knife to her chest, causing her to scream and drop her mobile phone. Shandley threatened to slit the woman"s throat if she did not stop screaming and pushed her into a nearby orchard. Ben Cousins' lawyer has told a court the troubled former West Coast player is willing to go to rehab to avoid further jail time, despite tapped phone calls while he was behind bars revealing he had no intention of quitting drugs. The Brownlow Medallist pleaded guilty in Armadale Magistrates Court on Monday to 11 offences, including aggravated stalking, several breaches of a violence restraining order and drug possession. Cousins outside court in December. Credit:Heather McNeill His lawyer Michael Tudori said a rare opportunity had come up for a spot in a residential rehab program, but the police prosecutor said they were seeking a prison sentence. The 38-year-old has been in custody since February 24 when his bail application was refused. A policewoman has held back tears as she described in a Perth court the moment she saw a three-year-old girl's head on fire in her cot, allegedly at the hands of her father. Edward John Herbert is on trial in the WA Supreme Court accused of setting alight his daughter and dousing her seven-year-old sister with an accelerant at the family's Doubleview home in August. Eddy Herbert is alleged to have set fire to his children in Doubleview. Credit:Facebook Stephanie Bochorsky was off-duty at the time and watching television in her home when she heard an altercation between Herbert and his partner. The officer testified on Monday that when she asked the woman if she was OK, she replied: "No, he's setting the kids on fire." Arizona police have arrested four suspects in an apparently anti-Semitic act of vandalism that made headlines across the US in December. The Chandler Police Department said that a 19-year-old man and three boys were responsible for dismantling a Jewish family's PVC pipe menorah (a sacred, branched candlestick) and turning it into a swastika. The Ellis family's home at the beginning of Hanukkah, left, and in the morning, when the menorah was vandalised, right. Credit:Washington Post courtesy of Naomi Ellis The police said Clive Jamar Wilson, 19, will face charges of criminal trespass and aggravated criminal damage for the destruction of the family's yard decoration. Three boys, who were not named because they are under 18, face the same charges in juvenile court. Car Sharing Service Featuring Nissans Ultra-Compact Electric Vehicle Launches In Japan YOKOHAMA, Japan - March - 20, 2017: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. and the City of Yokohama are introducing a round-trip car sharing service today featuring the Nissan New Mobility Concept, an ultra-compact electric vehicle. The service, Choimobi Yokohama, enables users who register online to pick up and return cars in 14 locations around Yokohama Station. Cars can be reserved 30 minutes in advance and can be driven within the city. The service costs 250 yen per 15 minutes plus a 200 yen basic charge, with a maximum daily charge of 3,000 yen. Users need a Japanese drivers license, a smartphone and a Japan-issued credit card. Registration is available on the Choimobi website: https://nissan-rentacar.com/choimobi-yokohama/. Nissan and the City of Yokohama previously conducted a two-year trial of Japans first one-way car sharing service using ultra-compact electric vehicles, starting in October 2013. The aim was to encourage low-emission transport options, improve the quality of transportation and promote tourism. In October 2015, the partnership began renting cars to local tour operators and businesses. The new round-trip service is meant to further promote ultra-compact mobility and build a sustainable business model through public-private cooperation. The service will also include guided tours around central Yokohama and long-term car rentals for businesses. Nissan and the City of Yokohama will continue usability and feasability studies by encouraging various local entities to join the program. As the leader in zero-emission mobility, Nissan continues to seek ways to harness ultra-compact electric vehicles to improve transportation and the quality of life. Outline of service: 1. Implementing party: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. Operator: Nissan Car Rental Solution Co., Ltd. (Car sharing system developer: Sage Co., Ltd.) 2. Project duration: March 17, 2017, to March 2019 3. Cars: 25 Nissan New Mobility Concept vehicles 4. Pick-up/drop-off locations (car stations): 14 locations around Yokohama Station (25 cars): Bay Quarter Yokohama (1), Yokohama Mitsui Building (2), Nissan Global Headquarters (3), Yokohama i-Mark Place (4), MinatoMirai Grand Central Tower (5), Yokohama Museum of Art (6), Mark IS Minatomirai (7), Yokohama Bay Hotel Tokyu (8), Yokohama Landmark Tower (9), Colette Mare (10), Osanbashi Yokohama International Passenger Terminal (11), Yokohama City Hall (12), Yamashita Park parking lot (13), Yokohama City Vocational Development Center (14). 5. Free private parking spaces 12 locations (23 cars) 6. Driving area: Within the city of Yokohama. The vehicles are restricted from driving on expressways and highways (with speed limits exceeding 60km/h). 7. Usage charge 200 JPY (basic charge) + 250 JPY/15 minutes; maximum charge 3,000 JPY/day. 8. To use the service, enroll through the Choimobi website using a registered means of identification (valid Japan driver's license, FeliCa-embedded transport IC card or smartphone). Registrants are required to watch a video featuring operating instructions and information on driving safety. Users must also have a valid Japanese driver's license (for regular-size cars), a smartphone with e-mail, and a Japan-issued credit card. Additional details are available online. MASON CITY | The blaze that destroyed a rural Mason City home on Monday was sparked by a garbage fire, officials say. Plymouth firefighters were called at 10:36 a.m. to a report of fire at 19288B 280th Street, a rental home about a mile north of North Iowa Area Community College. The house was completely engulfed in flames when they arrived. Crews from Nora Springs and Rudd were dispatched to assist. Mason City firefighters were also called to the scene. An investigation determined the fire started when the garage was ignited by a trash fire that had been lit several hours before, according to the Cerro Gordo County Sheriff's Office. Deputies say a 19-year-old resident of the home had been burning cardboard. After the fire broke out, the resident -- one of three people who lived in the home -- went inside the burning house to save the family's dogs. He was evaluated at the scene by paramedics. The Iowa State Fire Marshal's Office was called in to investigate the blaze. Check back at globegazette.com for updates on this developing story. Fire consumes house in rural Mason City MASON CITY | A rural Mason City house engulfed in flames was being fought by multiple fire departments Monday morning. The blaze was reported at 10:36 a.m. on at 19288B 280th Street, which is about a mile north of North Iowa Area Community College. Cerro Gordo County deputies and Mason City Police set up road blocks along 280th Street. Multiple departments are on the scene. Flames and thick black smoke could be seen more than a mile away. Check back for more on this story. if the people of Biafra want Republic of Biafra, it will be a reality during my administration. ----Donald Trump Donald Trump I wi... Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 20/03/2017 (2058 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. A man who expressed remorse and said he was swearing off alcohol was given more jail time and supervised probation by a sympathetic but firm presiding judge. Russell Marc Joseph Peloquin entered guilty pleas to one count of assault and one count of breaching a no-contact order in Steinbach court last Thursday for an incident on Jan. 4. Judge Ken Champagne was presented with a joint recommendation from Crown attorney Boyd McGill and defence lawyer Mitch Mraovic which called for a 10 day jail sentence and 12 months of supervised probation. Conditions to complete counselling, keep the peace, and avoid contacting the complainant were also incorporated, with McGill leaving a no-alcohol condition to the discretion of Peloquins probation officer. Peloquin, a Winnipegger who lived in Steinbach as recently as last summer, possessed a criminal record that included several alcohol-related charges. A dispute arose. Why? Frankly, who cares? It doesnt matter. What matters is that it ended in violence again, McGill said. Mraovic, however, painted a different picture, referencing a scuffle involving shoving, pushing, and a headlock that left the complainant with a bloody lip. It was the outreach of the victim that led to that no-contact breach, although he did embrace that outreach when he shouldnt have, Mraovic added. Peloquin was a victim too, Mraovic argued, describing incidents of abuse from his clients past that led down a path of alcohol dependency, anxiety, depression, and two suicide attempts in the past decade. I know that I made a mistake, said Peloquin. This guilt and remorseto me is worse than a jail sentence. Its eating me aliveIll never ever touch a bottle again. He described how he had been drinking for 27 of his 39 years and explained he had been working on obtaining his Class 1 drivers license before his run-ins with the law. Its clear from hearing you that you recognize your problem, said Champagne, who acknowledged the impact of past abuse suffered by Peloquin. You dont have much of a criminal record, sir, but its all related to alcohol, the judge observed. Youre cleaning up your matters and youre putting this behind you. Its all about the future. Good luck to you, said Champagne, who agreed to the joint recommendation, plus a $200 victim fine surcharge. Peloquin is expected to return to court at a later date to face charges of assault, uttering threats, mischief, and weapons possession connected to a July 2016 incident in Steinbach. McGill noted Peloquin will remain in custody because of these earlier charges, unless he seeks bail via his counsel. Hassan Aden had all the right paperwork. The 30-year law enforcement veterans passport proved his U.S. citizenship; the frequent flier even had pre-check clearance with the Transportation Security Administration. But when Aden landed in New Yorks John F. Kennedy International Airport last week, customs officers allegedly detained him. In President Donald Trumps America, Aden had the wrong name. A former chief of police in Greenville, North Carolina, Aden now works as a consultant on criminal justice reform issues. The job has him traveling weekly and typically without incident, Aden wrote in a Saturday Facebook post. But when Aden landed at JFK after visiting his mother in Paris last week, the warm welcome he had come to expect from customs agents was gone. Instead, he was hustled into a makeshift detention room, where he believes he was wrongfully detained, all because his name had allegedly been flagged on a watch list. On all of my prior trips, I was greeted by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers with a warm smile and the usual, Welcome home sir, Aden wrote in his Facebook post. Not this time. This time, a CBP officer allegedly took issue with something in Adens U.S. passport. Are you traveling alone? the officer allegedly asked him. When Aden answered yes, the officer allegedly told him Lets take a walk. The invitation was not optional, Aden soon learned. I was taken to a back office which looked to be a re-purposed storage facility with three desks and signs stating, Remain seated at all times and Use of telephones strictly prohibited, Aden wrote, my first sign that this was not a voluntary situation and, in fact, a detention. Contacted by The Daily Beast on Sunday, CBP declined to comment on Adens case, citing privacy regulations. Due to the Privacy Act, we cannot comment on specific cases, but all travelers arriving to the U.S. are subject to CBP inspection, a CBP spokesperson said. At times, travelers may be inconvenienced as we work through the arrival process to ensure those entering the country are doing so legitimately and lawfully. But Aden contended that parts of his detention were unreasonable. When Aden pressed a CBP officer for details on his detention, the officer allegedly told Aden that his name had been flagged as suspicious. He explained that my name was used as an alias by someone on some watch list, Aden wrote. Hassan Aden is a fairly common name. Nearly 100 Hassan Adens live in the U.S., public records indicate. But no-fly lists are notoriously opaque, with many members unaware that their names have been added. After 9/11, these lists ballooned from small databases of several dozen people, to sweeping catalogues that contained some 47,000 names in 2013, the Department of Justice reported. And for people mistakenly included on the no-fly list, or people mistaken for others on the no-fly list, the consequences can be serious. Rahinah Ibrahim, a Malaysian architect with four children and a doctorate degree from Stanford University spent a decade fighting to clear her name from the watch list. During the ten-year legal fight, Ibrahim was added and removed from the list multiple times, for reasons that are still unclear to her. Authorities were never able to explain why she may have posed a terrorist threat. In other instances, an innocent person can be barred from travel due to their names similarity with another name on a watch list. Former Sen. Ted Kennedy was stopped at airports multiple times in 2004, due to the inclusion of a different T. Kennedy on a government watch list. In other incidents, authorities have flagged babies and toddlers as potential flight risks, as was the case when JetBlue blamed a computer glitch for barring an 18-month-old girl named Riyanna from a flight. Kennedys aside, these cases of no-fly mishaps disproportionately affect people with Muslim-sounding names, like Hassan Aden. For ninety minutes, Aden says he waited in the makeshift detention area, while officers forwarded his information to a different agency so that I could gain passage into the United States.my own country! he wrote. While he waited he asked officers how long a detention was considered reasonable. An officer allegedly responded that Aden was not being detained. But Im not free to leave-how is that not a detention? Aden responded. He had missed his flight, his passport had been confiscated, and he had no access to his phone. Eventually a shift change saved him, when a new CBP officer took charge of his case and cleared him to enter the U.S. Ironically, he said, he was able to speed through security and board the next plane to D.C., due to his special TSA pre-check clearance. If someone with Adens level of clearance can be targeted at the border, anyone with a Muslim-sounding name can be, he wrote. Prior to this administration, I frequently attended meetings at the White House and advised on national police policy reformsall that to say that if this can happen to me, it can happen to anyone with attributes that can be profiled, Aden wrote. No one is safe from this type of unlawful government intrusion. This experience has left me feeling vulnerable and unsure of the future of a country that was once great and that I proudly called my own. This experience makes me question if this is indeed home. My freedoms were restricted, and I cannot be sure it wont happen again, and that it wont happen to my family, my children, the next time we travel abroad. By Allison Graves Less than 24 hours after meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel , President Donald Trump took to Twitter to criticize Germany for not keeping up with its defense payments to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and the United States. Despite what you have heard from the FAKE NEWS, I had a GREAT meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Trump wrote in a tweet March 18. Nevertheless, Germany owes vast sums of money to NATO & the United States must be paid more for the powerful, and very expensive, defense it provides to Germany! Trump has repeatedly called on NATO member countries to contribute more to that military alliance, so we decided to fact-check his claim about Germany. What we found is that Trump is misunderstanding how NATOs joint defense is paid for, and that Germany doesnt own anything. Germany owes vast sums of money to NATO NATO, formally the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, was created in 1949 to provide collective security against the Soviet Union. Currently, 28 countries, including the United States and Germany, are members. The members agreed that an armed attack against one or more of them shall be considered an attack against them all and that following such an attack, each member would take such action as it deems necessary, including the use of armed force. We never heard back from Trumps team about what money Germany owes. But Trump likely was alluding to the fact Germany has not yet met the NATO target commitment for overall defense funding. As of 2014, NATOs collective agreement directed members to spend 2 percent of their GDP on defense spending by 2024. According to NATO , only five counties meet that obligation today: the United States, Greece, Estonia, Poland, and the United Kingdom. Germany, on the other hand, spends 1.2 percent of its GDP on defense spending. German leaders have said they intend to boost military spending . The problem with Trumps claim is that Germany doesnt pay that money to NATO or to the United States or to any other country, said Daniel Benjamin, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution. Germany has, like many members, fallen short of its commitments, which is obviously not good, Benjamin said. But there is no central bank this money goes into, and there is no transaction. Other experts we consulted agreed. The United States decides what level of military spending it wants to have , as do all other NATO members. The relatively low levels of military spending among U.S. allies is completely rational, said Christopher Preble, the vice president for defense and foreign policy studies at the libertarian-leaning Cato Institute. They dont see a pressing need to spend more. Trumps argument that the United States needs to be paid more also misrepresents how NATO works, experts told us. Trump seems to represent the NATO alliance as a licensing dealone in which countries like Germany pay the United States for its power and influence, said Laicie Heeley, a military budget expert at the Stimson Center, a defense policy think tank. This is not the case. The United States does provide a large military commitment to NATO, but this is not done as a favor to Europe; its done to benefit all countries in the alliance, experts said. And the United States has several high-profile military bases in Germany that are vital, serving as a key launching point for attacks against terrorists in the Middle East . PunditFacts ruling Trump said Germany owes vast sums of money to NATO and the United States must be paid more for the defense it provides to Germany. NATO members agreed to spend 2 percent of their countrys GDP on defense by 2024. But thats not in payments to NATO. Each country funds its own defense, while NATO serves as an umbrella organization meant to protect all members. Experts say Trump is mistaken. We rate this claim False. In a time of fake news and alternative facts, we have lost Jimmy Breslin, a brave and brilliant teller of deepest truth. Early Sunday morning, this 88-year-old genius newspaper columnist and novelist roused his wife, Ronnie Eldridge, with a question. How do you open a can of soup? She got up and the two of them spent a magical hour together, sipping soup and talking. They finally returned to the bed and he reached for The New York Times, which he always read so he could declare it unreadable. She drifted off after asking him not to get up again without letting her know. He of course disobeyed her and was up and around when she woke up again shortly before 7:30 a.m. He approached the bed and she asked him how he felt. He told her he felt terrible. He then pitched over onto the mattress. On thousands of other days, Breslin had set out with pad and pen to cover the latest story, often pulsing with the adrenaline burst that comes with a tight deadline, pushing himself yet again to do his very best, hyper-focused so as not to miss the telling details, opening himself up to feel what the subject was feeling, almost becoming the subject, composing the narrative in his mind even as it unfolded. He had been the doctor on duty when John F. Kennedy was rushed into a Dallas emergency room and the gravedigger who prepared the presidents resting place and a scared young soldier in Vietnam and Mafia boss Vincent Chin Gigante and a young woman waiting for the results of a life-or-death medical test and a family living without heat in cold so bitter the walls of the apartment were covered with ice. He had also been a father of a murdered cop and a detective who captured a famous serial killer but then had to go to his second job lugging birdseed at a warehouse because he needed the extra dough to make ends meet and a Mexican immigrant who traveled to New York to feed his family and ended up drowning in a sub-standard cement pour and a little girl who proved to be the toughest kid in Brooklyn, sitting down at a murder scene and doing her homework for the next day. Breslin would then hurry back to write if time allowed. If it did not, he wrote the column by hand and got on a phone to dictate it, often coming in at exactly the right length. He in all circumstances paid particular attention to verbs and to the sound as well as the sense of sentences so they expressed the feeling as precisely as the action, just as his favorite poet Yeats would. The result was a joining of letter and spirit that is truth. His particular truth ran even deeper because he sought it in people who are often overlooked or ignored. Editors who did not understand what he was doing would call it color or an angle. Anyone attentive on the scene would know that he had chosen his latest subject as the best way to tell the full story. But now, on Sunday, Breslin was at his own death scene and there was nobody for him to be but himself. And this was one story that a lesser talent would have to write. Two uniformed cops from the Midtown North precinct responded to the Breslin apartment. Representatives of the Frank E. Campbell Funeral Home arrived in the late morning and showed the same kind of respect as that long-ago gravedigger as they set to work. They placed the great bard in a blue velvet body bag and zipped it up. He was rolled in a gurney from the bedroom and into the foyer. His novels and nonfiction books were on the shelves. Framed pages from a hand-edited draft of a Yeats play hung on a wall. If there is an afterlife, Breslin will surely be communing not only with William Butler Yeats, but also with Fat Thomas Rand, the 400-pond bookmaker who had often appeared in his columns. Some Breslin detractors insisted Fat Thomas was a fictional character. Among those who could attest otherwise were the hotels in the south where he checked in during a tour in the civil-rights era, registering as Martin Luther Fat and liberating shoeshine stands by sitting on them. Whats doing? Breslin would have said on reuniting with his friend Fat Thomas in the hereafter. How do you like it? Fat Thomas would have replied. And you can be sure that Breslin would give the cry that those of us who love him so well remember. J.B. Number 1! If there is only the here and now, Breslin still lives on in work that really does make him J.B. Number 1 as a result of hard work and brilliance rather than the bluster his imitators copy. And he leaves a pantheon of people he introduced to us in his continuing quest for the true greatness of America and therefore the human spirit, They prominently include Thomas Ridges, who grew up in toughest Brooklyn and was a teen when he first met Breslin more than three decades ago. He was a true gentleman, he judged people by who they were, not what they looked like, Ridge said. Think about it. I was a 15-year-old black kid from the Sumner Houses and he gave me the time of day. Instead of just writing about me, he spoke to me. He mentored me. Ridges graduated high school and college and joined the NYPD. He served with the Emergency Service Unit while he went to law school. He ran short of money at one point and he had only needed to call Breslin. I was able to finish law school and look at me now, Ridges said. Ridges went from being a prosecutor in Brooklyn to his present position as the 51-year-old special counsel to the district attorney of Staten Island. For me that story became a happy ending, Ridges said. A positive about the Sumer Houses. Anybody can do a negative. As Ridges grieved in his present home in Staten Island, the funeral home representatives were wheeling the gurney bearing Breslins remains down a hallway in his Manhattan apartment building. Upon reaching the elevator, they discovered that the gurney was not going to fit in the usual position. Breslins son, James, watched as they gently and respectfully tipped the gurney and his father upright. James understood that his father would have been delighted. He left his residence standing, James said. The funeral home representatives continued on to the street and a waiting hearse. There will be no story about a gravedigger for Breslins place of rest. He was to be cremated. If you haven't filed your tax return yet, perhaps it's because you know you'll have to pay the IRS instead of collecting a refund. While you're collecting forms and thinking about your financial situation, we've got one more chore you should add to your list. Point your web browser to https://treasurer.nebraska.gov/up/ and enter your name. Perhaps you'll have a pleasant surprise the state is holding unclaimed property for you. Entertainer Dick Cavett found that out during a visit to his home state last month when the Nebraska State Treasurer's Office presented him a check for about $600 that belonged to his parents' estate. He is the son and stepson of Alva and Dorcas Cavett, well-known Nebraska educators honored by the name of Cavett Elementary School in Lincoln. Cavett, a Gibbon native who grew up in Lincoln, was set to perform at the Lied Center in Lincoln, Wayne State College and in Hastings when the state took the opportunity to spotlight the $170 million in unclaimed property held by the state. Nebraska Treasurer Don Stenberg wants to return it to some 350,000 Nebraskans, former Nebraskans and heirs. It's commonly uncashed paychecks, refunds, rental deposits, utility deposits, stocks, dividends, insurance payments, savings bonds, trusts, matured CDs and lost IRAs. Nebraskans aren't the only Americans who don't always keep track of funds they are due. The IRS announced it is holding more than $1 billion in refunds for about a million taxpayers who didn't file a 2013 federal income tax return. More precisely, the median expected refund would be about $763, and that doesn't include any unclaimed tax credits such as the Earned Income Tax Credit or education credits. Altruistic taxpayers can sometimes be heard to exclaim that paying taxes is the price we pay to live in our free society. That said, there's no reason not to accept funds or property to which we are rightly entitled. This editorial appeared in the March 9 edition of the McCook (Nebraska) Daily Gazette. A recent study has found evidence of racial and ethnic bias in the earliest stages of a physicians career: medical school. Researchers examined membership in the prestigious medical honor society Alpha Omega Alpha and discovered that acceptances may not be entirely equitable. Each year, L.D. Britt reviews hundreds of applications for his departments residency program at Eastern Virginia Medical School. The first thing somebody looks at, they look at [test] scores and then they look at AOA, but they usually look at AOA first, says L.D. Britt, chair of the Department of Surgery. The honor society, founded in 1902, recognizes achievements in scholarship, leadership, professionalism, and service. The first step to becoming a member requires a medical student to be in the top 25 percent of their class. From those students, a committee at each school then selects no more than one-sixth of the total class size to be admitted into the society. Students who make the cut are widely recognized as being the best of the best and AOA membership is an honor that theyll carry through their entire careers. However, a new study published in the medical journal JAMA Internal Medicine highlights a large racial gap in AOA admissions. Diversity is already an issue in the medical field, said Nicole Nettey, a third-year family medicine resident at Marshall University. And the primarily white honor society can make it feel even more exclusive. You do see that youre not as predominant in the medical field, she said. And sometimes you do feel like its a white boys club and youre just an outsider. The study analyzed incoming applications for medical residency programs at Yale Medical Center, including programs like anesthesia, neurosurgery, and internal medicine. From those applications, the researchers separated out who was a member of AOA and who was not and compared the racial makeup of the two groups. They found that the likelihood of a white student being in AOA was twice as high as an Asian students and a whopping six-times greater than a black students. Dowin Boatright, lead author of the study, clinical instructor in the Department of Emergency Medicine at Yale, and a fellow in the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Clinical Scholars Program, noticed that past studies had pinpointed instances of racial and ethnic bias at later stages of a medical career, But we really hadnt seen any literature looking at that for medical students, he said. As a black woman, these findings dont surprise Nettey. I have a different perspective because I went to a predominantly African-American [medical] school, she said, But when I speak to other friends and even at my residency, I see that most of the people that are inducted (into AOA) are usually not of color. Multiple studies have shown that physicians of color are much less likely to be promoted to rank of full professorship than their white colleagues, and theyre also less likely to be granted research funding. Boatright, who is not a member of AOA, thinks that the racial disparities in AOA membership are likely a result of implicit bias. I believe implicit bias plays a role and I think we could have these findings without explicit racism, he says. Boatright points out that in his study, they were able to show a disparity in AOA selection, but because they didnt know the class rank of each student, its unclear where they bias stems from. Its unclear if the bias was actually happening at the level of the selection committee or if theres so much systematic bias in medical school that maybe minorities arent even becoming eligible for AOA, he said. In a statement released by AOA in response to the study, the national leadership states, AOA Councilor and Chapter Best Practices encourage blinded elections, removing student identifiers, and not revealing the names of the candidates until after the process is completed, thereby minimizing any cognitive or implicit bias. AA Councilor and Chapter Best Practices also prescribe that Chapters use a rubric of agreed-upon specific categories as the basis of election. AOA will continue to strive to overcome biases of all types and is committed to diversity and inclusion for all members of its society. Danny Wongworawat is an Asian physician and head of the Loma Linda University School of Medicines AOA chapter. He says to make their AOA new membership selections the committee first looks at who is in the top 25 percent of their class after completing the first two years of medical school and then who is still in the top 25 percent after the third year. The committee includes Wongworawat and another faculty member, both appointed by the dean, and two students, both of whom are already inducted into AOA and then voted onto the committee. With this system, Wongworawat said he doesnt see how their chapters selection could have any inherent bias. But other schools process might. We may be one of the few programs that use students in the top quarter of both sections, Wongworawat said. Some people just do top quarter and then weed out by hand, meaning some chapters may have a more subjective process. And either process fits with the AOA constitution. The national organization requires committees to have two faculty members, the councilor and the secretary/treasurer, and two students who rotate out each year. To narrow the field of students, the constitution states that the selection committee may use scholastic achievement, as well as leadership capabilities, ethical standards, fairness in dealing with colleagues, demonstrated professionalism, potential for achievement in medicine, and a record of service to the school and community at large. But because the AOA selection committees tend to keep their process private, its hard to nail down what the driver really is. We dont know what those conversations are behind closed doors, says Boatright. And those closed doors are part of the problem. Early in their careers, neither Boatright nor Nettey knew a lot about AOA or its selection process because it just wasnt talked about. I knew the society existed, but I knew so little about it, says Boatright. Nettey said that her class was told, that you want to be in AOA because its very prestigious and it will be easier for you to get into residency. But as for the selection process, its criteria, or who did the selecting, Nettey says her class wasnt given that information. Nettey notes that the lack of discussion around AOA and its process might be particularly detrimental to people of color. I didnt have [a family member] in the medical field and there are a lot of first-time physicians still now in the African-American community, she said. The lack of transparency and communication is problematic given the level of influence AOA membership can have on a medical career. Membership has been linked to what academic rank physicians achieve in their career as well as what kind of residency programs medical students are likely to be accepted into (PDF). In fact, AOA membership may even be keeping certain medical specialities less diverse. Some specialties, they dont even interview you if youre not AOA, Britt said who notes that his program is much more interested in a students experience rather than their AOA status. Some of these very select specialties like ophthalmology or sometimes orthopedics. Other competitive specialties include dermatology and neurological surgery (PDF), which have many more applicants than they have positions available. This is a fact that many of Adesoji Oderindes students worry about. Oderinde is an associate professor of internal medicine at Morehouse School of Medicine and head of the schools AOA chapter. He says students come to him often, lamenting over AOA acceptance and their residency prospectsbut he said that Morehouse residency programs do not exclude candidates solely based on AOA status. Because some programs wont even consider non-AOA students, the majority of medical students will never get the opportunity to become a physician in one of the more competitive fields like neurosurgery or orthopedics. Oderinde, who didnt have an AOA chapter at the medical school he attended in Nigeria and became a member while he was a resident at the historically black Morehouse School of Medicine, says while he didnt feel disadvantaged per se, having been a member as a medical student wouldve opened more doors for him. When Valencia Walker, now a neonatologist at UCLA and the immediate past president of the Association of Black Women Physicians, was a fellow, she remembers a white faculty member quizzing her on various medical facts, asking how much she studied. When she aced the professors line of questioning, What this faculty member said to me was, Oh, I guess you are smart enough to be here, Walker said. There are many layers to that, she says, but I would say had I had on my application that I was AOA, there wouldve been an assumption that I was smart enough to be there. There wouldnt have been something for me to prove. Nettey said she was even asked about AOA during recent job interviews, even though shes wrapping up a successful residency. It kind of made me feel uncomfortable, she says, Do they think less of me because I wasnt [AOA]? Are they thinking Im not a hard worker? Boatright thinks paying attention to the diversity of the selection committee itself would be beneficial. Not much is known about the composition of the selection committee, but perhaps making sure that the selection committee is diverse would help, he says and points out that most schools have a chief diversity officer that could assist with those goals. But Walker thinks, regardless of whos on the committee, they should undergo implicit bias training. Anyone can have bias, she says. We need to make sure things are transparent and if theres subjectivity, we need to find out why is it subjective and can we make it more objective, says Britt, paraphrasing Louis Brandeis, The best disinfectant is sunshine. Back in 2009, when President Obama was trying to pass his stimulus package, conservative Erick Erickson accused then-Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of spreading a cancer of capitulation. To help drive this point home, Erickson launched a controversial campaign to send Mitch some balls. Today, as the Senate seems on track to confirm Neil Gorsuch to the U.S. Supreme Court, Erickson is giving credit where credit is due. Though I have my disagreements with Senator McConnell, Erickson tells me, it seems very clear that his refusal to entertain the (Merrick) Garland nomination incentivized continued conservative engagement in the 2016 election and probably helped President Trumps election more than most realize. It is not absurd to suggest that, more than anybody else, McConnell deserves credit (or blame) for ensuring that Justice Antonin Scalias Supreme Court seat would stay in conservative hands. What is more, by keeping this seat open, McConnell made it a 2016 presidential campaign issue. It was a gutsy gambit that paid off. A confession: When I first heard McConnell, now the majority leader, announce that the Supreme Court vacancy created when Justice Antonin Scalia died would not be filled in 2016, I thought it was a mistake. My concern wasnt that Hillary Clinton would win the presidential election and then appoint a more liberal judge, but that McConnell shouldnt have telegraphed his intentions. I expected the press to have a field day with this sort of reflexive and transparent obstructionism. Wouldnt it have been shrewder to at least feign an open mind and perpetuate the charade of at least considering a Democratic nominee? That would have bought time. Then, once President Obama nominated a liberaland he would surely nominate a liberalyou could retroactively identify a weakness. This is why Mitch McConnell, and not your truly, is the Senate Majority Leader. The American people should have a voice in the selection of their next Supreme Court Justice. Therefore, this vacancy should not be filled until we have a new president, McConnell said last February. (The should not language briefly left the door open, but it quickly became apparent that McConnell meant will not.) McConnells decisive statement, even before there was a nominee, was chivalrous and humaneyet shrewdly strategic. When Obama then nominated an eminently qualified and decent man in Garland, it was already clear that McConnells opposition wasnt at all personal. (Its not you, its me.) What is more, by making his announcement so swiftly and without reservation, McConnell rendered the nomination and subsequent media buzz a moot point. Amazingly, the story about a presidential nominee not even receiving a hearing was buriedovercome by other crazy things happening in the news cycle. The nomination fight (if you want to call it that) was barely even an election subplotat least, in terms of negative media coverage. Where it did matter, however, was to Republican voters who might otherwise have stayed home on Election Day. As long as Ive been alive, Ive always heard that the Supreme Court nomination was the most important reason to vote every four years. This mantra has been drilled into the heads of every conservative for decades, and for good reason. Anyone who had reservations about voting for Donald Trump now had a transcendent cause to overcome those objections on Election Day. By preserving the replacement of Justice Scalia, McConnell ensured it was one of the key motivators for people to get out and vote during the 2016 presidential election. As the Washington Posts James Hohmann wrote, The election was very narrowly decided, and many conservatives who live in the suburbs of Milwaukee, Philadelphia and Detroit found Trump odious but rationalized voting for him because of the court. It was amazing to witness how well it worked. Even U.S. Senator Ted Cruz, who had publicly attacked McConnell before on the Senate floor, commended him for holding the line. Make no mistake, it was a bold move and a risky one. Had Hillary Clinton won the election, Republicans might well have regretted not confirming a moderate like Garland. What is more, McConnell had no way of knowing that Donald Trump would emerge as the Republican nominee when he made his announcement. (Yes, other Republican candidates would have benefitted from higher stakes, but nobody would have benefitted more from having a big unifying issue that galvanized everyone on the right than Trump.) In politics, sometimes the shrewdest thing you can do is to be transparent. Nobody expected McConnell to play his hand this way, which is why it was a brilliantly devious move. As Politico observed at the time, The swiftness of McConnells statement coming about an hour after Scalias death in Texas had been confirmed stunned White House officials who had expected the Kentucky Republican to block their nominee with every tool at his disposal, but didn't imagine the combative GOP leader would issue an instant, categorical rejection of anyone Obama chose to nominate. Depending on your perspective, McConnells decision was brilliant, heroic, and gutsyor it was shameless, obstructionist, and evil. But here is the ultimate irony: On the right, it has become commonplace to suggest that McConnell is a patsythat he always caves to liberal pressure and doesnt fight. Yet, it is entirely plausible to suggest that McConnell gave the GOP a Republican president and singlehandedly stole a Supreme Court pick from Democrats. Even some of McConnells fiercest critics on the right have acknowledged this. When Judge Gorsuch is confirmed as Justice Gorsuch (and barring some surprising turn of events, that confirmation is imminent), Mitch McConnell will deserve the credit. She famously posed for a naked selfie with Kim Kardashian, with both women flipping the camera the bird. Now Blurred Lines dancer and model Emily Ratajkowski is making her own best effort to break the internet single-handedly, by posting a vacation shot on Instagram last night of her swimming nude in a seaside bathing hollow in Mexico. Ratajkowski, who describes herself on her Instagam page as Model, actress, activist, has previously defended naked selfies as a form of female empowerment. In an interview with the feminist author Naomi Wolf, she said: The whole idea is that when Kim takes a nude selfie, shes just seeking attention. Thats not the issue. A woman can be seeking attention and also make a statement. They dont need to be mutually exclusive. She added, When Lena Dunham takes her clothes off, she gets flak, but its also considered brave; when Justin Bieber takes off his shirt, hes a grown-up. But when a woman who is sexual takes off her top, it plays into something. Of the infamous naked selfie with Kim, Ratajkowski said: A selfie is a sort of interesting way to reclaim the gaze, right? Youre looking at yourself and taking a photo while looking at everyone. But also who cares? Kims allowed to do what she wants. So I issued a series of tweets; she sent me flowers, thanking me, which was very sweet. We ended up running into each other and had this idea to take a similar selfie with our middle fingers up. A federal jury awarded $10.2 million to the family of an Oklahoma Army vet who died after spending days in a Tulsa jail cell with a broken neck. On Monday afternoon, jurors sided with the estate of Elliott Williams, whose final moments were captured on surveillance video. The footage, which garnered national attention, showed a paralyzed Williams, lying naked on his back and grasping for food and water that detention officers dropped out of his reach. Jail employees believed Williams, who was African-American, was faking paralysis despite his pleas for help, and they placed him in a video-monitored cell to catch him moving, according to trial testimony and an internal probe by the Tulsa County Sheriffs Office. The verdict came after 10 hours of deliberations that began on Friday afternoon and ended Monday. Jurors ordered Tulsa County to pay $10 million and former sheriff Stanley Glanz to pay $250,000 in punitive damages to Williamss estate. Don Smolen, an attorney for Williamss estate, had asked jurors for $51 million in compensatory damagesor $1 million for every hour Williams was left suffering in his cell. (The surveillance footage of Williamss death was 51 hours long.) Smolen asked for $1 million for every hour that Elliott Williams was left suffering in his cell, covered in feces and urine, suffocating as his lungs began to collapse slowly over the course of several days, unable to feed himself, unable to drink, begging for water, and begging for help that never came. While he didnt ask jurors for a specific amount for punitive damages, Smolen said, If ever there was a case where punitive damages were appropriate, its this one. Williamss older brother, Kevin, began crying after the verdict was read, the Frontier reported. Outside the courthouse, Kevin Williams told reporters he was satisfied with the jurys decision but believes someone at the sheriffs office should have been charged criminally over his brothers death. Somebody should have been charged. Im not satisfied fully but Im content with the decision, he said. When asked by a reporter if he had closure yet, Williams shook his head. No amount of money is going to bring him back, Williams added. Clark Brewster, an attorney for Glanz and the sheriffs office, said they plan to appeal to jurys verdict. The chances of the appellate court reversing this is about 100 percent, Brewster told The Daily Beast on Tuesday. If I sat down with this jury and told them what they didnt hear, they would be furious, he added. The proceedings stem from a lawsuit against former Tulsa sheriff Stanley Glanz and current sheriff Vic Regalado, in his official capacity as a sheriffs department representative. The jails private medical operator, Correctional Healthcare Companies Inc., settled out of court. According to the complaint, cops arrested Williams at an Owasso hotel in October 2011 while he was having a mental breakdown. The veteran, whose wife had just left him, was charged with misdemeanor obstruction. Williams died from complications of vertebrospinal injuries due to blunt force trauma, the medical examiner ruled. He was also dehydrated at the time of his death The three-week trialfocusing on Williamss treatment and allegations of widespread misconduct within the county lockupwas a scathing indictment of the agency and former sheriff Glanz. Indeed, to win their case, attorneys for Williamss estate had to demonstrate that jailers were deliberately indifferent to the Army vets constitutional rights and aware of departmental issues that contributed to the violation of those rights. They needed to show that Williamss negligent care was more than an isolated incident involving a single inmate. Brewster told jurors there was no evidence that detention officers knew Williams was paralyzed. In closing arguments, he suggested Williams may have died of a heart ailment and that video of Williams dying in his jail cell was possibly manipulated in some way. Williams ran into a wall and ultimately caused a back injury, Brewster said. We didnt cause that. We didnt cause his heart condition. So I guess the issue for counsel is that somehow after he became paralyzed and we believed it was a psychological situation instead of a medical one, suddenly we should have second-guessed the doctors and did something differently the defense lawyer added. We didnt cause the injury. We werent deliberately indifferent to him, Brewster told jurors. We were acting on the information we received. Brewster concluded his summation by expressing his bond with the former sheriff: Im proud to represent Stanley Glanz, who counsel has pointed out is a friend. I truly love the man, and Ill stand there right beside him. Brewster had previously argued that not all of Williamss movements were captured on the jails motion-activated cameras. He said the devices failed to capture Williams allegedly drinking and eating. Still, by several accounts, the Tulsa jail was described as a big house of horrors. Former staffers testifying for Williamss legal team described it as a place where deputies allegedly punished prisoners by pouring water on their meals or placing inmates on suicide watch when they werent suicidal. And its a place where a doctor administered injections through inmates jugular veins, according to a 2012 internal memo presented in court. That document showed the jails psychiatrist had expressed concerns over the use of saltwater placebos for one patient and methadone for another prisoner, who was pregnant. Jailers also allegedly performed CPR on dead inmates. A former director of nursing testified that detainees werent allowed to be pronounced dead until after they left the jail to prevent bad publicity and crime scenes inside the facility. African-American employees were allegedly troubled by the jails practices, too, and filed racial discrimination suits against the department. Those cases, settled in 2011, cost Tulsa County nearly $1 million, the Tulsa World reported. As The Daily Beast previously revealed, Sheriff Glanz testified that he was OK with deputies calling black suspects n*gronoids or n*groids. Another attorney for Williamss family, Daniel Smolen, told The Daily Beast that he learned of the departments alleged use of the racist terminology after discovering a 2006 memo with the letters N or W marked next to employees names. When Smolen asked Glanz about the memo, the ex-lawman testified he didnt have any problem with the terms because when I was a young police officer, the FBI designated races by the term coin, Caucasian, oriental, Indian and N*groid. And all of the reports that I dealt with when I was in the policing agency, I was an ID man and that was a designation that the FBI used in the 60s and 70s, Glanz testified, according to court transcripts. Glanz also admitted that he didnt watch the video of Williamss death until 2013, on the day before his deposition in the case. You did not think that reviewing the video of Mr. Williams dying in your jail was an important thing to do; correct? Smolen asked Glanz. I thought it was important for me to do what was recommended by my staff to examine, Glanz replied, and that was not one of their recommendations. Its unclear what caused Williamss fatal injury. Security footage shows Williams walking in Tulsas booking area on Oct. 22, 2011. An Owasso cop told state investigators that he slammed Williams to the ground while cuffing him inside the jails booking room. But the officer said Williams appeared to be fine with no injuries, court records show. A fellow inmate said Williams fell after ramming his head into the door of his holding cell, according to an internal review by then-sheriffs corporal Billy McKelvey. Williams told deputies he thought his neck was broken, McKelveys probe found, but he was left alone in the cell for the next 10 hours. In court, Dan Smolen appeared to cast doubt on claims that Williams rammed his head and asked Glanz why the only witness was a prisoner interviewed two months after Williams died. Glanz testified that he had no explanation. Don Smolen referred to this during closing arguments, too, telling jurors: Nobody really knows what happened to [Williams]. The only person that alleges to have seen him hit his head is an inmate that didnt come here to testify. After Williams had urinated and defecated on himself, detention officers dumped him several feet from a gurney and into a shower, where his head slammed against a concrete floor, McKelveys report stated. Officers told McKelvey they left Williams, who remained motionless, in the shower for 30 minutes. But Dan Smolen presented a handwritten logbook indicating Williams was left there for nearly two hours. The Daily Beast previously reported that supervisors tried to get Williams into the shower but he couldnt move. One nurse told Williams he should be ashamed of himself, to quit faking and to get his nasty ass in the bath, court papers allege. Earlier in the trial, Oklahomas deputy medical examiner testified the sheriffs office failed to provide the video of Williamss death. The agency also allegedly withheld crucial details from the coroner about his complaints of a broken neck, said Dr. Joshua Lanter. The information was initially that he refused to move and that he was certainly on suicide watch and wanted someone to cut him open and that he was in pain, Lanter said of the reports he received from the sheriffs office. They said he refused to move, not that he was unable, Lanter added, according to the Frontier. The state conducted the autopsy without the video footage. It was only after Williamss family ordered a second, private autopsy from a forensic pathologist that the state coroner determined the cause of death, Lanter said. A spinal cord injury, accompanied by a fractured vertebrae in Williamss neck, likely caused him to suffocate on the floor of his cell, Lanter told jurors. Williams could have struggled to breathe for hours, Lantner testified. Meanwhile, McKelvey described an alleged pattern of records falsification and failure of protocol in Williamss case. One detention officer recorded two checks for every one she made on Williams but was never disciplined for it, McKelvey testified. Another officer claimed to deliver Williams the last meal of his life: breakfast at 5:15 a.m., and her notes stated, Mr. Williams was able to feed himself. We watched the video. The jurys watched this video. You watched this video as part of your IA investigation. Was Mr. Williams feeding himself on October the 27th of 2011 at 5:15 a.m.? Smolen asked, to which McKelvey replied, No. Smolen asked if the cop falsified the record and McKelvey said, Yes. When asked whether he thought Williamss death was a system screw-up, McKelvey replied, I think this was a complete failure with respect to detention staff and medical staff, the communications, the follow through. It was just a complete failure, McKelvey added. The system failed. Guy Fortney, of the sheriffs legal team, questioned McKelvey about his definition of a systemic failure. Jailers followed the system, Fortney suggested, by consulting the medical unit on inmate health issues as they were trained to do. As reflected in your report, they relied upon medical, didnt they? Fortney asked, and McKelvey answered in the affirmative. Fortney then asked about Dr. Stephen Harnish, the jails psychiatrist who put Williams in a surveillance cell because he believed he was feigning his injury. And you wouldnt have expected any detention officer to question Dr. Harnishs note that he doubted the cause of Mr. Williams paralysis, would you? McKelvey said no. As early as 2007, private and government auditors found lapses in Tulsa County jails medical care, including delays in prisoners receiving meds. A 2011 review by the Department of Homeland Security found a prevailing attitude among clinic staff of indifference. That audit, by the agencys Office of Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, was completed weeks before Williams died. Dr. Scott Allen, who conducts audits for the Office of Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, reviewed Williamss case as an expert for the plaintiffs attorneys. (Allen was not involved in the 2011 DHS audit.) Tulsas jail suffered from a culture of inhumanity that led to Williamss allegedly preventable death, Allen testified. The expert, who is employed by the University of California, Riverside, School of Medicine, pointed to scant records of Williamss medical careand no documentation that he ever received a physical exam. The only vital record available was a handwritten note entered into the jails system months after Williams died, Allen said. According to Allens review of the case, Williams would have survived if jailers had provided timely and adequate medical care. The way he was treated and what we can observe from the available records and video, it is so unresponsive, as to be inhumane and did not respect his human dignity, Allen testified. More than 20 witnesses, including former jail staffers, testified over the span of 17 days, according to the Frontier. The sheriffs office called three: a physician who audited the jail, a chaplain who claimed to speak to Williams, and a maintenance supervisor who runs the jails motion-activated video system. Dr. Howard Roemer testified that he was asked to review the jails medical unit in September 2011 and that he believed employees made a good-faith effort when it came to inmate care. You know, in both reviewingreviewing the records, watching care being delivered at the jail, I always felt there was a good-faith effort by all the people there to try to take care of complex situations in a complex system, he said. The supervisor, Steven Miller, testified that the jails new video system was installed Oct. 22, 2011the day Williams entered custody. The system records 24 hours a day but only saves footage that shows movement inside a cell. Miller told jurors he believes there are many times when the system didnt capture Williams moving his hands, court transcripts show. Brewster asked Miller if the camera, which records when detecting changes in pixels or lighting, missed Williams moving because he was lying on a black blanket and was a darker-skinned individual. Miller replied that was possible. Miller said detention officers moving outside Williamss cell or dropping food trays inside triggered the saved recordings. When questioned by Smolen, however, Miller said he did not believe Williams was walking, eating or drinking as Brewster, the attorney for the sheriff, stated. The defenses final witness, chaplain Charles Bradshaw, said he sat outside the metal door of WIlliamss cell and spoke to him through the bean hole, or food port. After a brief conversation, Bradshaw said he prayed for Williams. Bradshaw said that he checked on Williams after receiving a phone call from his father, Earl, on the morning of Oct. 27, 2011. Earl Williams said the medical unit wouldnt allow him to visit his son, who was on suicide watch. When the chaplain got there, he allegedly tried telling Williams he would be removed from suicide watch and see his dad soon. Now, I repeated that three times to him because I wanted to be sure he understood me. I felt like, you know, he wasnt really paying much attention to me, Bradshaw testified, according to court transcripts. Under questioning by Smolen, Bradshaw testified that Earl Williams sounded desperate to see his son. But, according to the chaplain, jail policy doesnt allow phone calls or visits for inmates on suicide watch. Earl Williams pleaded for days to see his son in jail, according to an Oklahoma Bureau of Investigation report. Smolen dug into the chaplains claims, saying the surveillance footage from Williamss cell does not show Bradshaw at the hour he claimed to pray with Williams. Instead, the timeframe revealed a medical staffer outside the door. Smolen questioned whether Bradshaw spoke outside another inmates suicide cell by mistake. Bradshaw replied, No, sir . This was cell 1. I know cell 1 very well. The attorney also asked about Bradshaws initial claims to state investigators that Williams was wearing an orange jumpsuit and that he rolled over. In the video, I didnt see him rolling over. Did you? I just saw movement, Bradshaw replied. You know, all I can say is at that time whenever I had the interview, I remembered that he moved he didnt really roll over, as such. He moved. During a wide-reaching congressional hearing on alleged Russian involvement in the 2016 presidential election, FBI Director James Comey attempted to put to bed a wild accusation from President Trump that former President Obama wiretapped his phone in Trump Tower. Im not going to try and characterize the tweets themselves, Comey said during a line of questioning from House Intelligence ranking member Adam Schiff. All I can tell you is we have no information that supports them. Its been over two weeks since Trump took to Twitter on a Saturday morning and, without providing any evidence, said: 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! Multiple reports after the thread of tweets took place indicated that Trump had based his tweets not on official intelligence he had received, but on a story he had read on Breitbart. The president stated, quote, Is it legal for a sitting president to be wiretapping prior to a race for election, turned down by court earlier, a new low, unquote, Schiff pressed on during the hearing. Director Comey, can you answer the question, would it be legal for president Obama to have ordered a wiretap of Donald Trump? I'm not going to characterize or respond to the tweets themselves, Comey reiterated. I can tell you in general, as Admiral Rogers and I were just saying, there is a statutory framework in the United States under which courts grant permission for electronic surveillance, either in a criminal case or a national security case based on a showing of probable cause. Its a rigorous, rigorous process that involves all three branches of government and its one weve lived with since the late 1970s. Thats how it works. So no individual in the United States can direct electronic surveillance of anyone. It has to go through an application process, ask a judge, the judge can then make the order. Comey was far from the first person to explicitly say that Trumps tweets lacked any real evidence. Later on in the hearing, Comey was even given the opportunity to respond to the president falsely tweeting from his official account during the hearing that "The NSA and FBI tell Congress that Russia did not influence electoral process," with a link to part of the hearing. Asked about that misleading tweet, Comey said: It certainly wasnt our intention to leave that impression today. While Comey didn't go so far as to suggest it, former Obama Pentagon and CIA chief Leon Panetta told The Daily Beast that Trump should say sorry for the claim he made. He ought to accept the responsibility of acknowledgingthat there is no evidence that in fact, President Obama ordered any wiretapping, Panetta said. He ought to acknowledge the mistake that was made. He ought to apologize to President Obama, andmove on. This whole episode has kind of hurt his credibility, Panetta said, adding that if he were Trumps chief of staff, I would recommend he stop tweeting. Last Thursday, Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Richard Burr and ranking member Mark Warner issued a statement echoing Comeys assessment of the wiretapping tweets, after a briefing from the FBI director. Based on the information available to us, we see no indications that Trump Tower was the subject of surveillance by any element of the United States government either before or after Election Day 2016, the statement read. In addition, House Speaker Paul Ryan and House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes similarly said they had seen no evidence to back up Trumps claims. But that didnt stop Trump and White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer from standing by the original accusation. During a press briefing last Thursday, Spicer said that Trump stands by the original claim and that he would be vindicated when the process of investigation is all over. Trump himself spoke to Tucker Carlson on Fox News last week and asserted "Wiretap covers a lot of different things. I think you're going to find some very interesting items coming to the forefront over the next two weeks." Additional reporting by Kimberly Dozier On Sunday evening, John Oliver opened the latest edition of his Emmy-winning Last Week Tonight by following in the footsteps of his network-mate Bill Maher: by tackling President Trumps campaign to alienate each and every one of our allies in accusing the British government of wiretapping him on behalf of former President Obama, and his Curb Your Enthusiasm-level-awkward meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Making things more awkward was the fact that on the campaign trail, candidate Trump accused Merkel of ruining Germany and repeatedly criticized her immigration policies.Its gotta be awkward to meet someone youve talked so much shit about. Personally, thats why I never leave the house because I know Johnny Depp is somewhere out there presumably vaping into a supermodels vagina while he mansplains acting, joked Oliver. And if you are thinking Trump made an extra effort to smooth things over you would be wrong, because watch what happened when the media in a photo op made a very routine request. Yes, President Trump, when repeatedly asked by photographers to shake Merkels hand at the White House, and when personally asked by MerkelDo you want to have a handshake?appeared to pretend to not hear the requests, choosing to look at the ground and mope. Oh, shake her hand, you weird, weird, man! exclaimed Oliver. It is not often that you can genuinely say, Trump really should have touched that woman, because look at it! Hes just staring straight ahead, refusing to make eye contact. Hes treating the chancellor of Germany like a drunk guy masturbating in a subway car. Oliver then went off on Trumps unsubstantiated claim that British intelligenceor the Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ)helped former President Obama wiretap him. He didnt use the NSA, he didnt use the CIA, he didnt use the FBI, and he didnt use the Department of Justice. He used GCHQ, declared Trumps press secretary Sean Spicer at a press conference recently. Wow. Now that is going to piss off the British, and you do not want to piss off the British, because if you do, we will say, Oh dear, shake our heads, swallow the anger, and carry it around until we die, joked Oliver. Because think about what hes actually alleging there: He is suggesting a U.S. president enlisted a foreign intelligence service to spy on a political adversary. That is an explosive charge. Perhaps that is why the NSAs deputy director told the BBC it was errant nonsense revealing a complete lack of understanding in how the relationship works, and for their part, GCHQ called the accusations utterly ridiculous. And yet, rather than distancing himself from Spicer, Trump decided to back him up. Trump, as is his wont, told the media during a joint press conference with Merkel, That was a statement made by a very talented lawyer on Fox, and so you shouldnt be talking to me, you should be talking to Fox. No! We should be talking to you about it because youre the fucking president, and youre repeating it! He said it because he heard it on television is barely an acceptable excuse for why your parrot said a racial slur, offered Oliver. If that werent enough, the very talented lawyer Trump referred to is Fox News contributor Andrew Napolitano, a former TV judge with a rich history of touting conspiracy theories, including questioning whether Osama bin Laden was really killed and suggesting the 9/11 attacks were some sort of inside job. Its hard for me to believe that it came down by itself, Napolitano said of the World Trade Center on The Alex Jones Show back in 2010. I think 20 years from now, people will look at 9/11 the way we look at the assassination of JFK today. It couldnt possibly have been done the way the government told us. What a very talented legal mind! joked Oliver. The comedian then called it frankly telling that even Fox News wouldnt stand behind the claim, with anchor Bret Baier stating on air, We love the judge, we love him here at Fox, but the Fox news division was never able to back up those claims. That is like how you talk about a racist grandparent: We love Nana, we love her very much, but we cannot stand behind the things she says, nor would any of us use those specific words, said Oliver. And you know if Fox News admits a story is bullshit, then it is BULLSHIT. And all the Trump team had to do was apologize and move on, and they were so close to doing that. News reports claimed that Spicer and the White House issued a private apology to the U.K. governmentuntil Spicer disputed the claim, saying, The administration had no regrets. Oliver thought that was absurd. That is Sean Spicer saying he has no regrets, which is amazing, because if anyone on this planet should have fucking regrets, it is you, Madam Ghostbuster. You should regret everything: every life decision that brought you into this regretful job that you regretfully hold, he said. At this point, you should really be more regret than man. A Regrettitor if you will: half-man, half-regretful beast, cursed to roam the planet until one day youre finally released from your prison by the inevitable firing youll receive in, oh lets say, two-and-a-half weeks, shall we? My entire life, my grandmother walked before the women in my family, making everything look easy. She was the matriarch, serious, but with a quirky sense of humor. Gram never said I love you, perhaps a product of her Finnish roots. She was strong, and she was independent. And then she got dementia. That was when the program Id known in an abstraction called Meals on Wheels became a rudder holding my family steady. It was a lifeline, and for a time we desperately needed it to survive a quickly approaching storm. The story of my grandmother is far from rare. At the time I write this, 2.4 million elderly and disabled people across the United States receive a hot, nutritious meal daily through the program. It sounds so simple, but in reality this meal is far more than food. It is daily support thats desperately needed to stay not just afloat, but also out of the hospital or nursing home. And if President Donald Trump has his way, this lifeline could lose millions of dollars in federal funding. At first, Grams dementia had begun showing itself in her repeating stories. She had a tale for every part of her life in her past. She rescued animals. She raised three children. She devoured books. She worked as a nurse for decades. She volunteered at several organizations with a frequency that I assumed all adults did until I grew older and realized most people took days off when they werent at work. She had lived a life fueled by her own curiosity and strength. Throughout my younger years, watching her was the closest I had ever come to seeing someone living truly fiercely. But then, her stories were repeated a little too frequently. In the backyard last summer, I held my breath as she began to tell me about the same owl she had talked about hours before. I listened. I looked up at the sky and wondered if she was telling me about the past because she knew what uncertainty was in her future. And I wondered if I was going to be brave enough to face that future by her side, knowing I wasnt going to have a choice either way. Later, on my way back to my home a few states away, as I thought about it and cried, one refrain kept repeating itself in my head: I am scared. Simply and completely. Then, in the fall, her stories started to lose their threads of reason. Suddenly new acquaintances were melding into old figures of her past. More and more, the plot lines stopped being coherent. Over dinner, Id meet eyes with other family members as she talked, trying to communicate silently the confusion, the grief we felt without letting her know. It was as if we were watching her walk toward the door without saying goodbye. We were helpless to guide her back. Her mind was leaving us without ever taking a step. Finally, it was time for help. My grandmother had lived on her own ever since my grandfather died in 1996, and she liked it that way. Noshe insisted on it that way. My mother shouldered the weight of bearing the news that changes needed to be made. The kitchen faucet had been left on too many times, flooding the linoleum. The cat wasnt being fed with the same regularity. She needed help, and so did my mother, who at that point was caring for her daily on top of her full-time job as a nurse. On one of her good days when she was lucid, my mom sat down with my grandmother and told her about the days when she was unreachable, how scary it felt. My grandmother looked her in the eyes and seemed to realize all at once the reality of beginning to lose her mind, and the future of becoming a burden on her daughter. That must be hard for you, she said, mourning her own life and her daughters pain. They made a plan. The car would be taken away, and she would get visited three times a day: by a home health aide in the morning, by Meals on Wheels for lunch, and by my mother after she got out of work. Each of these visits was crucial in ensuring that she could stay home and also stay safe. For my mother, Meals on Wheels meant that there was someone knocking on my grandmothers door every day at the same time, checking on her to make sure she was safe. They had my mothers contact information if for any reason Gram failed to answer. Every day, she had reassurance that someone was looking out for her mother, helping her keep this balancing act together. Her mother was safe, fed, and cared for, while still being able to live at home. That meant my mom could go to work. Without that program, the whole system would have fallen apart, causing my mother to either quit her full-time job to care for Gram, or to send her to a facility prematurely, denying her these last few months on her own. For those months, we knew what was coming, but none of us wanted to speak it out loud. The matriarch of the family, with her stories and her strength, would have to move to a nursing home for the rest of her life. The independence she cherished would be gone, and she would be confined to days she didnt choose, to a life she had never hoped to live. But for those short months with Meals on Wheels, she got to live at home with her cat named Regis. She got to fully live out the twilight of her independence. They dont tell you before something like this happens that when someone you love becomes reliant on others to stay alive, every day feels like a tightrope walk, a careful balance to keep everything in place and everyone afloat. Every day has the potential to undo everything. So, every day you hope the world is a little kinder than youve been told it is on the news. You start to pray to whatever could be listening up there, just in case it might tip the scales in your favor. Here, here is my heart, you tell the world. It lives in this woman who some people dont think is worth their tax dollars. She is everything to me, and please, just part the waves for her to reach tomorrow. Every day, that knock on Grams door from Meals on Wheels was a sigh of relief for my mother who was working a couple towns away. Every day, that knock meant that each of Grams family members scattered across the neighboring states could keep going about their days with a little less worry for her weighing them down. The people of Meals on Wheels couldnt have known how many hearts were tied to this woman with her straight-faced jokes and the cat she had to hold back from the door, but we were there, each day, so grateful. Gram was fed. She was visited. In fact, she was even excited to tell us about the meals she got each day and the people who came to bring it. It was a bright spot in her otherwise uneventful day. She knew she couldnt drive herself somewhere else, and this weighed on her, but the Meals on Wheels delivery was something she could look forward to. And that was truly invaluable. After a few months of visiting nurses and Meals on Wheels, those final months of Grams independence came to a close. A compression fracture in her spine led to a hospital stay that extended into a rehab visit, and ended in a permanent residence at a nursing home. Now, Medicaid pays for her nursing home, a fact that lingers in my mind. Does Trump know that Meals on Wheels delayed her permanent move into a nursing home, a far more expensive alternative? Gram cost Medicare around $7 per day for her Meals on Wheels lunches (in addition to around $25 per hour, nine hours per week for her home health aide). Now that she has moved to a nursing home with her care being funded entirely by Medicaid, she costs taxpayers $400 per day. It isnt hard to do the math to see that the time that she was given Meals on Wheels home care to delay her move to the nursing home saved the government money, as well as helping our family keep their full-time jobs. So now, we are in a new phase of relying on others to care for our matriarch. Now, we ask for the nursing home staff for her to stay afloat. We visit. We listen to her stories. We know that each day is a tightrope. We keep walking. Rep. Trey Gowdya favorite of Tea Party activists and Fox Newshinted strongly that reporters should face federal prosecution if they publish classified information. This came during an exchange with FBI Director James Comey at the House Intelligence Committee hearing on Russian efforts to influence the 2016 election. Gowdy, who chaired the House investigation into Benghazi, asked Comey if there was any law protecting reporters who want to break a story from publishing classified information. Thats a harder question, as to whether a reporter incurs criminal liability by disclosing classified information, Comey replied. The statute does use the word published, doesnt it? Gowdy replied. It does, Comey said. Thats a question I know the Department of Justice has struggled with through administration through administration. Gowdy didnt sound particularly sympathetic with that struggle. Lots of people have struggled with it, but youre not aware of an exception in the current dissemination of classified exception for reporters? he asked. No, Im not aware of anything carved out in the statute, Comey said. I dont think a reporter has been prosecuted, certainly in my lifetime. There have been a lot of statutes for which no one has been prosecuted or convicted, and that does not keep people from discussing those statutes, namely the logan act, Gowdy replied. In recent history, the U.S. government hasnt prosecuted journalists who publish classified information. Gowdys comments indicate there may be an appetite on Capitol Hill for that to change. The South Carolina Republican is on the House Judiciary Committee, which oversees the Justice Department. The views among Trump allies on prosecuting journalists certainly vary. When Vice President Mike Pence was a member of congress, he pushed for a federal shield law protecting reporters from being forced to reveal their anonymous sources. A Columbia Journalism Review piece published in 2007 dubbed him journalisms best ally in the fight to protect anonymous sources. Westworld star Thandie Newton has said that she has struggled to get parts in British dramas because there are no roles for black actors in popular British period dramas like Downton Abbey. Newton, 44, who plays the part of rebellious android prostitute Maeve in HBOs hit science-fiction thriller, was speaking to Britains Sunday Times after it was announced she had landed a role in an as-yet-untitled Star Wars spinoff about Han Solo and ahead of an appearance in BBC crime drama Line of Duty, in which she plays a senior cop being investigated by an anti-corruption unit. She told The Sunday Times Magazine: I love being [in the U.K.], but I cant work, because I cant do Downton Abbey, cant be in Victoria, cant be in Call the Midwifewell, I could, but I dont want to play someone whos being racially abused. Im not interested in that, dont want to do it... there just seems to be a desire for stuff about the royal family, stuff from the past, which is understandable, but it just makes it slim pickings for people of color. She said: Im talented at what I do, but Ive had to struggle against racism and sexism. But Im glad of it, in a way, that I survived and overcame. There has been a simmering row in U.K. thespian circles for some time now about whether or not period dramas should be color-blind. Julian Fellowes, the Downton Abbey creator, recently said his new musical would be sticking with an all-white cast despite criticism because, We are trying to reproduce [the tiny port village of] Folkestone in 1900, and I think you must produce something that is believable, he said. Newton, who has a Zimbabwean mother of the Shona tribe and a British father, has previously told how her family was the target of racist abuse growing up in Cornwall in rural England. Newton has a record of being an outspoken critic of the film industrylast year she risked the ire of her peers by revealing she was groped by a co-star and warned of a widespread problem of sexual abuse in every single industry. The actress has also previously told how a director filmed up her skirt during an audition in her early career and later showed the footage to his friends. Nothing in House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nuness background indicates a natural interest in espionageand his three degrees in agriculture and agricultural business suggest a very different passion. In fact, the man charged with oversight of our nations spies is a dairy farmer. But after eight terms in Congress, the low-key congressman has risen to become the head of one of Congress most secretive panels. As a close ally of former Speaker John Boehner, he was appointed to the committee in 2011, and rose quickly to become the chairman in 2015. Nunes will be thrust into an uncomfortable spotlight Monday as the House Intelligence Committee holds its first open hearing on Russian interference in the U.S. elections. For the public, especially those that do not follow the minutiae of congressional politics, it may be their first introduction to the manone who, by his own admission, is a pretty boring person. Im pretty simple, he told The Daily Beast in an interview, after being asked what he enjoys doing outside of work. I like agriculture. Nunes also believes his agriculture background informs his work on intelligence due his familiarity with various farming technologies that have overlap with intelligence, such as the Global Positioning System. He announced he was running for Congressand leaving the farming business, at least temporarilyright after Sept. 11, 2001. This is about national security, and most people know that the number one job of the federal government is to protect the American people, Nunes told The Daily Beast in response. There needs to be a mix. There needs to be people [in national security] who dont have a military base in their district, dont have some type of intelligence agency in their district thats very important for the process. Still, the cows are not far from his mind. He keeps in regular contact with his brother and father about their dairy farm; he has a small stake in two wineries; and he lives in the town of Tulare, Californiapart of the rural, agriculturally-focused district where two-thirds of voters supported him in the 2016 election. It is the Mississippi of California, the absolutely most right-wing part of California, said Art Rodriguez, a Democratic activist from the area. Its the forgotten spot. And he can still nerd out about agriculture in his districtall told, 300 different crops are grown there, he said as he began listing out various products like Bubba describing different ways to cook shrimp in Forrest Gump. (Californias 22nd District produces almonds, walnuts, grapes, livestock, olive oil, citrus, and much more.) Greg Gomez, a Democratic city council member in Farmersville, which is inside Nuness district, said he had only met the congressman once, calling him robotic and reclusive to his constituents. Progressives, a minority among his constituents, wonder openly why a representative with no significant military or intelligence assets in his district would focus so much time overseeing the nations spies. Youve got the conservatives that are really proud that someone from Tulare County has risen to the position of power, Gomez said. Liberals think it is a joke that hes pushing a partisan agenda rather than helping his community. One of his closest friends in Congress, California Rep. David Valadao, represents a district that is next to Nuness. He does have a sense of humor, Valadao insistedbut when asked whether he had an anecdote that showed Nuness funny side, Valadao replied hastily, No, not really. That sense of humor with an edge was present during the government shutdown crisis in 2013, when he was known for quippy quotes. At one point he admonished fellow Republicans who were willing to shut down the government over Obamacare, calling them lemmings with suicide vests. Later, he slammed fellow GOP House member Justin Amash as al Qaedas best friend in the Congress due to Amashs criticism of government surveillance programs. Since then Ive made up with Amash, Nunes said regarding the incident. But he doesnt regret making the comment. I dont regret anything. You cant have regrets in this business. If not, every day youd have multiple regrets. You have to learn from your mistakes and go on. When Nunes first became chairman of the committee, he began to shy away from press engagement. Hes not one to go chasing the camera, thats for sure, Valadao said. When he took intel chair, thats what a lot of us thought, that he wouldnt be doing a lot of press. But the circumstances of the 2016 presidential election, and the evolving furor over the Trump campaigns possible ties to Russia, have made a low-key chairmanship impossible. Already he has held three press conferences to address the House Intelligence Committees ongoing investigation into the matter, with no signs of letting up. When it comes to the Russia investigation, a straightforward chairman may not be such a bad thing, especially when President Donald Trump cannot be trusted to make careful and nuanced statements. Nuness challenge is convincing the public that he is undertaking a transparent, bipartisan investigation that thoroughly reviews whether his partys presidential nominee colluded with Russia during the campaign, and what role Russian interference had in the election. And on this issue he has already stumbledindeed, Nunes has tried to minimize the importance of his own panels investigation, and there are signs that he is already pre-judging the outcome of the probe. Nunes has told reporters he didnt think Russia wanted Trump to win the election, contradicting the intelligence communitys assessment of Russias intentions. Hes also stated that he didnt see any evidence of collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia, something his Democratic counterpart, Rep. Adam Schiff, has refused to rule out in this early stage of the investigation. And hes called a reporter on the White Houses behalf regarding ties between Russia and Trump associates, prompting some critics to argue that he is undermining the independence of his ongoing Russia probe. Nunes has warned against a witch hunt against Americans who have ties with Russia, and has called the notion of an independent investigation into Trump and Russia almost like McCarthyism revisited. Democrats on his committee are taken aback by his continued insistence that there is less than meets the eye on Russia, even before the investigation has concluded. I thought he has been very, very fair as chairman, the two-plus years Ive served under him, Democratic Rep. Mike Quigley, a member of Nuness intelligence committee, told The Daily Beast. Im very surprised by his initial, dismissive comments about the nature of the investigation. Nunes wasnt a strong Trump endorser during the campaignin fact, he would only say that he would support the eventual Republican nomineebut he extended an offer to all candidates to brief them on national security issues, something Trump took him up on in March 2016, according to Politico. Since the election, Nunes has inched closer to the White House, serving on the Trump presidential transition team. He claims credit for boosting two candidates into the cabinet: Gen. Jim Mattis for secretary of Defense and fellow House Intelligence Committee member Rep. Mike Pompeo for CIA director. But his loyalty is not unlimited, and in recent days has shown indications of slipping. Nunes has been showing a recent willingness to correct the the president, in particular on the unproven allegation that the Obama administration wiretapped or surveilled Trump Tower during the campaign. I would preferred for him to have checked it and asked the question, versus make the allegation, Nunes said Friday. And one thing is clear: As he gavels open the House Intelligence Committees first open Russia hearing on Monday morning, Nunes wants Putin to pay for his meddling. I was warning about Russias involvement in a whole host of issuesincluding in our election processfor a very long time. Many, many years, Nunes said Friday. And Ive been completely clear about that. Hes dead serious about his work. Asked if one of the commonalities between farming and intelligence was the manure, Nunes responds, straight-faced, no, no. Although Minnesota and local school districts spend considerable time and money on standardized tests, their usefulness is limited. Too many local educators have difficulty interpreting and using the state test data to help students. And over the years, the tests were used to attempt to measure too many things. Those are among the findings of a recently released state legislative auditor's report. The results should prompt state officials to reevaluate and streamline required student testing. Minnesota requires districts to administer two exams each year the Minnesota Comprehensive Assessment (MCAs) and the ACCESS test for English Language Learners. Both are given to meet federal testing rules. Last year, the state spent $19.2 million on standardized tests, with the federal government picking up one-third of that amount. A majority of state school districts set aside at least three to five weeks for MCA testing in 2016. Staff often are diverted from other duties and nearly one in five districts and charter schools hired additional staff to administer the tests and had to cover the additional costs. A requirement that tests be given electronically also means some districts spend time rotating students among available computers, which adds to the time needed for testing, according to the report from the respected Office of the Legislative Auditor (OLA). A large majority of teachers and principals who responded to the OLA survey said MCA scores help pinpoint achievement gaps and determine whether students meet standards. Still, they believe the local exams they select and pay for are more helpful in evaluating student needs. Among the OLA's key recommendations are: The Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) should collect more information for local schools on the costs and impact of state tests to help inform policy choices; the education department should expand support to schools to help understand and use the test data; and the Legislature should remove or re-examine certain legal requirements that prescribe specific test designs or reporting formats, and instead clarify overall testing priorities. Those are smart starting points to reevaluate what the tests should accomplish. The report noted that the exams are now used for multiple purposes, including measuring growth, proficiency, evaluating teachers and course placement at state colleges. Those legislative efforts to make the MCA measure too much generally didn't work, according to the OLA. However, before changes can occur state officials must have a clear understanding of how the new Trump administration interprets testing rules. Under current federal law, testing is mandated in reading, math and science in middle and high school. But other specifics of federal requirements from the new administration are unknown. MDE officials called the OLA report "thorough and fair" and agreed to increase outreach to school districts to help them use the test data successfully. And to MDE's credit, the OLA said the department has done a good job of selecting and monitoring its test vendors. The auditor was originally asked to study state testing, in part, because of a couple of highly publicized test results mistakes that occurred a few years ago. Ultimately, state officials need to settle on a test that aligns with state and federal standards and allows for district-to-district and state-to-state comparisons. They need to focus on setting priorities for what they want from the tests and make sure that local districts have the support they need to use the results effectively. This editorial appeared in the March 13 edition of the Minneapolis Star Tribune. President Trumps recent attacks on the so-called judges whove halted his administrations two attempts at a travel ban have prompted an importantand unusualpublic discussion about the role of the courts. When Judge Neil Gorsuch is asked about those comments, along with his judicial philosophy and legal views, at his Supreme Court confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee this week, it will provide him an opportunity to reaffirm some key principles about the rule of law: 1. Courts have the power to review actions by the other branches of government. When the courts first heard challenges to the travel ban, the administration took the position, both publicly and in court (PDF), that Trumps executive order was unreviewableeven if it violated the Constitution. Thats not how our government works. Courts regularly hear challenges to actions by the executive branch or Congress, even when they involve sensitive areas like national security. Their job is to evaluate whether they pass legal and constitutional muster. This is not to say that courts owe no deference to policy assessments by the other branchesthey do. And procedural hurdles sometimes keep courts from getting to the merits of a case. But it should be beyond debate that, in the words of the Supreme Court, Congress and the executive branch lack the power to switch the Constitution on or off at will. Gorsuch has the chance to explain this principleand assure us he agrees with it. 2. Personal attacks on judges for their rulings should be off-limits. Gorsuch should also take the opportunity to expand on his remarks to senators during private meetings indicating that Trumps attacks on judges were demoralizing and dishearteningand explain exactly why they crossed the line. To be clear, there is nothing wrong with criticizing a judicial ruling. But that is very different from personal attacks on the character or legitimacy of a judgewhich is what Trump did when he suggested that the judges hearing his case were biased and political, or when he used the term so-called judge. This kind of personal targeting, especially by the president, can put judges safety at risk. (Just look at the reported threats against judges hearing cases against the travel ban.) It also undermines hard-fought norms that help insulate judging from inappropriate political pressure, and it risks delegitimizing courts in the eyes of the public. This is more than just disheartening, and Gorsuch should tell us why. 3. For courts to operate effectively, we need judicial independence. Gorsuch can also put his defense of the courts in broader contexttelling us why our constitutional system tasks courts with the job of interpreting the law. Federal courts are far more insulated from politics than the other branches of government. Judges are appointed, not elected, for example, and they enjoy lifetime tenure. This is no accident. Judicial independence is crucial to courts ability to defend individual rights and the rights of racial and other minorities, and to protect our political institutions. As Alexander Hamilton explained, judicial independence enables courts to be bulwarks of a limited Constitution. But this system only works if political actors respect the difference between politics and judging. For example, as Chief Justice William Rehnquist recounted, there is a long-standing political norm, dating to the 1805 impeachment trial of Supreme Court Justice Samuel Chase, that judges should not be impeached for their rulings on the bench. Such principles, in Rehnquists words, have been enormously important in securing judicial independence. In the face of Trumps heated rhetoric about courts, Gorsuch should talk about why we need judicial independence, and explain what puts it at risk. 4. Even if you think the court got it wrong, everyone, including the president, must obey judicial rulings. Finally, Gorsuch should address a lingering subtext to Trumps recent attacks on the courts: the suggestion that the president might not follow a court order he disagrees with. No modern president has defied a court ordernot even when President Nixon was ordered to hand over the White House tapes that effectively ended his presidency. While there are historical examples of so-called presidential non-acquiescence, they are rare and have usually precipitated (or been precipitated by) crises. Respect for judicial rulings is rooted in the structure of our constitutional system, where no one, not even the president, is above the law. As Chief Justice John Marshall wrote in Marbury v. Madison more than 200 years ago, The government of the United States has been emphatically termed a government of laws, and not of men. Court decisions are not optionaland to suggest otherwise is a grave threat to our constitutional democracy. Supreme Court confirmation hearings are often national civics lessons. In this moment, Gorsuchs hearing is an invaluable platform to educate the public about the role of the courts. Despite a spate of recent snowstorms and cold temperatures across much of the country, spring officially sprung first thing this morning. With the new season comes not only good weather and a reprieve from winter but a breath of fresh air and the promise of rebirth and renewal. In that spirit, there is a slew of new restaurants to eat in, drinks to try, and books to read. (Your cabin fever has officially broken.) Here are my favorites, so you can get the most out of spring. RESTAURANTS TO EAT IN Tavernetta, 1889 16th Street, Denver Frasca Food and Wine helped put Boulder, Colorado, on the culinary map. Its founders, Bobby Stuckey, Lachlan Mackinnon-Patterson and Peter Hoglund, are opening their first restaurant outside Boulder in nearby Denver this spring. It will be located near Union Station and have 125 seats. Jackrabbit, 545 SW Taylor Street, Portland, Oregon The latest project from celebrity chef Chris Cosentino will feature a raw bar, shared dinner plates, and an extensive gin cocktail menu. Many of the ingredients will be locally sourced, including its whole fried hot chicken with chicken Scotch eggs and pickled vegetables. Bien Cuit, Grand Central Market, New York One of New Yorks top bakers, Zachary Golper, is opening a new location inside iconic Grand Central Terminal this week. It will not only feature his signature bread but also several new items, including a dark chocolate mousse cake, a honey whole wheat eclair, and a pecan granola cookie. Bellecour, 739 Lake Street East, Wayzata, Minneapolis Over the last 10 years, Minneapolis has developed a thriving restaurant scene and one of its stars is chef Gavin Kaysen. His first restaurant Spoon and Stable has quickly become one of the citys best and his latest establishment, Bellecour, which features traditional French food just opened right outside the city. Proxi, 565 W. Randolph Street, Chicago Fans of the Michelin-starred Sepia will be excited for Proxis opening this June, which is the second restaurant from the same group. (The two establishments will also be right near each other.) Its menu will center on street foods from around the world and chef Andrew Zimmermans travels. BOOKS TO READ Two and Two: McSorleys, My Dad, and Me by Rafe Bartholomew ($27) Few bars in America are as storied as New Yorks McSorleys Old Ale House, which dates back to 1854. No matter if youve had the pleasure of enjoying a pint of its signature dark beer or not, youll enjoy Rafe Bartholomews memoir of his experience working at the establishment alongside his father. It comes out on May 9. A Really Big Lunch: Meditations on Food and Life from the Roving Gourmand by Jim Harrison ($26) The world lost one of its most unique and gifted food writers when Jim Harrison passed away last March. (He also wrote essays, poetry, and novels, including Legends of the Fall, which was later turned into a movie.) This collection, which goes on sale March 24, brings together his culinary writing from across his career and includes an introduction by celebrity chef Mario Batali. Its a must buy for any Harrison fans. Shake Shack: Recipes & Stories by Randy Garutti, Mark Rosati, & Dorothy Kalins ($26) Its hard to believe that the international hamburger sensation, Shake Shack, started as a hot dog cart in New Yorks Madison Square Park but the rest is, of course, history. If youre a Shack fanatic youll soon get access to the chains recipes and stories in its new book, which will be available on May 16. At Balthazar: The New York Brasserie at the Center of the World by Reggie Nadelson ($27) Anybody who is anybody eats at legendary restaurateur Keith McNallys upscale New York bistro, Balthazar. Journalist Reggie Nadelson was able to get unfettered access to chronicle the inner workings of this enduringly popular establishment and produced a detailed and fascinating study that even includes recipes. Look out for it on April 4. On Vegetables: Modern Recipes for the Home Kitchen by Jeremy Fox with Noah Galuten ($50) Just a few pages into the new book, On Vegetables, and acclaimed California chef Jeremy Fox makes a startling admission: I am not a vegetarian. Not only is he a proud meat eater but he insists that the work is more of a tutorial on cooking plants than a vegetarian cookbook. What you do with that knowledge is up to you, even if you plan to serve your veggies with a steak. The lavishly illustrated tome comes out on April 17. ALCOHOL TO DRINK Grgich Hills Estate 40th Anniversary Chardonnay ($55) The name Grgich strikes fear in the heart of French wine makers. Miljenko Mike Grgich created one of the winning American wines in a 1976 tasting with French rivals that has become to be known as the Judgement of Paris. In celebration of the founding of his own eponymous winery this spring he is releasing a special 40th anniversary chardonnay, which should be hitting shelves now. Champagne Taittinger Brut Millesime 2009 ($84) Start your spring on a sparkling note with this new vintage Champagne from famed producer Taittinger. The special bubbly, which was just released, contains an equal amount of chardonnay wine from the Cote des Blancs region and pinot noir wine from the Montagne de Reims and the Marne Valley. Michters 10 Year Kentucky Straight Rye ($150) When legendary American whiskey master distiller Willie Pratt stepped down from his post in the fall of 2015 he was succeeded at Michters by the talented Pam Heilmann. The 10-year-old straight rye that is now hitting shelves is Heilmanns first special release. Hochstadters Family Reserve 16 Year Straight Rye Whiskey ($200) Celebrate the new season with the latest release from Cooper Spirits. There are just 7,500 bottles of this 16-year-old straight whiskey made from 100-percent rye. Its high-octane, 123.8-proof, and will no doubt be snapped up quickly. It should be on sale shortly. 1 800 Families Sue Saudi Arabia for 9/11 SEE YOU IN COURT Why craft drinks packaging is a hot topic Liz Wilks, Director of Sustainability & Stakeholder Engagement Europe for Asia Pulp & Paper, examines the role of packaging in the craft drinks industry and the current debate over labelling standards Liz Wilks Asia Pulp & Paper Go to any bar, and you are likely to see a range of quirky, bright and unique art but this art isnt on the walls, its on the bottles themselves. The craft drinks industry is known not just for its quality beers and spirits, but for the creative packaging and labelling that draws a consumers eye. Designers work hard to give every brand its own artistic style and attention-grabbing package, a feature that differentiates craft drinks from big-brand manufacturers and has elevated craft drinks packaging into its own form of cultural statement. However, the future of craft drinks labelling is a heated topic of debate between those in the industry and health campaigners, who say that packaging should be aimed towards consumer safety with minimal design and information about the risks of drinking. As the Government contemplates stricter packaging legislation, drinks manufacturers and packaging designers are seeking to better define labelling guidelines in conjunction with health advocates views to protect craft drinks unique, artistic packaging. Setting the stage: the debate over drinks packaging Current best practice for consumer safety in drinks labelling is to include warnings about the risks of drinking while pregnant, the chief medical officers guidelines about responsible consumption and the products alcohol content. This is a voluntary arrangement the drinks industry adheres to, also called a responsibility deal." While most alcoholic beverages in the UK already comply with this regulation, health campaigners say these warnings need to include further information to flag high calorie content and the dangers of drinking too much Those in favour of more stringent packaging laws are advocating not just for increased information on drinks labels, but also for toned-down packaging, similar to that of tobacco.As of 2016, tobacco products in the UK are required to have a standard, plain packaging with graphic health warnings and stripped of any strong branding. This proposal for a complete overhaul of labelling guidelines is the one meeting the most opposition from craft drinks manufacturers and their packaging providers These new guidelines would mean drinks were packaged in a uniform way, with the labels emphasis being on the health effects of drinking rather than on the brand. Craft drinks manufacturers argue that uniform packaging will have the opposite effect, driving consumers to purchase higher quantities of cheaper product rather than lower quantities of high-quality craft drinks. Drinks manufacturers and their packaging designers also say these regulations will push smaller drinks producers out of the market and lead to a reduction in enjoyment of social activities. Packaging plays a big role in the entrepreneurial aspect and marketing of craft drinks. An exciting label is what helps customers choose one bottle over another on the shelf, and makes up the bulk of their advertising. Designers are proud of their artistry and the role it plays in driving the market forward Packaging professionals are also alarmed at the cultural and social implications of these proposed regulations. According to experts, apart from enjoying a drink, craft packagings focus on design allows consumers to enjoy a unique brand of art. Packaging designers see health campaigners proposals as a threat to the rich, vibrant aesthetic related to social activities. Towards a definition and a resolution At the core of the issue is defining where alcohol packaging fits into the wider range of labelling consumable products. Those advocating for plain packaging and larger warnings do so based on the premise that alcohol is more dangerous to public health than a normal food or drink. While drinks manufacturers do not necessarily dispute that alcohol is different than other beverages, they also say it is not as dangerous as more controlled substances like tobacco and therefore does not require the same packaging measures While tobacco packaging regulation is quite strict, the best practices on labelling for most food and non-alcoholic drinks include flagging any coloured dies, allergens, calorie content, ingredients and the use of genetically modified ingredients. Some European countries use a traffic light labelling system based on calorie, fat and sugar content. Red, for example, stands for the least healthy product, while green signals the healthiest choice. Drinks manufacturers and packaging suppliers are looking for a way forward that incorporates more stringent food and drink guidelines without needing to take a tobacco-like approach to labelling. Drinks manufacturers, academics and campaigners have proposed ideas such as altering packaging in small ways, such as including more warnings on existing drinks labels or instituting a drinks-based traffic light system based on calorie and alcohol content. Drinks manufacturers and health campaigners may be able to work together to find alternative solutions that do not affect packaging. For example, Herve Grandeau, the president of the Federation des Grands Vins de Bordeaux, thinks prevention and training around drinking would be more effective in ending problematic drinking during pregnancy than trying to change peoples behaviours through a label. Public Health England also suggests other methods, such as higher taxation on drinks, to cut down on problematic consumption behaviours. Defining alcohols place as a consumable will help drinks packagers to find their best plan of action to maintain the thriving artistic industry of craft drinks packaging. Increasing the amount of consumer information on labels to reflect other food packaging guidelines may help, as can conversations with health campaigners about the importance of labelling not just to the drinks industry, but to creative designers and packaging providers as well. 20 March 2017 In the 46 years since I was born, Britain has become one of the most nature depleted countries in the world. More than one in ten of our native species are now threatened with extinction and many others have seen their populations plummet by two thirds since 1970. Deforestation, industrial farming, building development and climate change are having a hugely destructive impact on wildlife habitats across the nation. The fate of the badger has become a lightning rod issue about the future of our green and pleasant land and the wildlife that inhabits it. In Britain today despite being a protected species, thousands of badgers are illegally snared, gassed, shot, baited with dogs or have their setts destroyed. If this tidal wave of cruelty and destruction was not enough, the badger has now also become a political pawn in the future of our livestock and dairy industry. Over the past four years over 40 million of public money has been spent killing just under 15,000 badgers in England in an attempt to lower bovine TB in cattle. None of the badgers killed have been tested for TB. (Why not? That's a story in itself, but maybe those who decided preferred not to know how few badgers were infected.) Many have taken over five minutes to die of multiple bullet wounds, blood loss and organ failure, as the result of a free shooting method which is considered cruel and ineffective by the government's independent expert panel and the British Veterinary Association. Where is the evidence? Despite this huge destruction of a protected species, the government has provided no evidence to prove that killing badgers is having any impact on lowering bovine TB in or around the badger cull zones. They also refuse to accept a growing mountain of scientific research, which indicates that badgers largely avoid any interaction with cattle in pasture areas or farm yards and that it is very difficult for a badger to transmit bovine TB to a cow. I wrote Badgered to Death to shed light on the incompetence, negligence and deceit at the heart of the badger cull policy. Its tells the story of disastrous mistakes in livestock disease control policy, the manipulation of science for political purposes and the danger of demonising wild animals for short term political and economic interests. The book is also a story about the caring compassionate British public who have taken the campaign to protect the badger to the streets of our towns and cities into the fields and to the steps of the High Court. Since the book was published in August 2016, it has become one of the best selling wildlife books in Britain. I have travelled the length and breadth of the country talking to hundreds of people about the important issues it raises, from schools and colleges, to conferences, exhibitions and book shops. ZUG, Switzerland, March 20, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- GUESS Watches proudly announces the addition of watches powered by Android Wear, Google's smartwatch platform, to their GUESS Connect wearable tech timepiece category, available Fall/Winter 2017. Photos accompanying this announcement are available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/af105dd9-9ab3-41f2-9192-fb8085473140 http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/c6181395-df74-4328-9343-64830cdf6238 The global fashion powerhouse recognizes the importance of providing smart, hi-tech value on the wrists of their young, sexy, and adventurous consumers. GUESS was one of the first fashion brands to embrace the trend of wearable technology with the launch of GUESS Connect in 2015. Now, with the announcement of GUESS Connect, GUESS Watches are extending their lead in the growing display smartwatch segment. The new relationship with Google and Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. perfectly pairs a leader in fashion with pioneers in technology. GUESS Connect will run Android Wear 2.0, the most significant update Google has made since the platform launched over two years ago. The new timepieces are powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 2100 processor, especially designed to support new and enhanced wearable experiences for consumers. This highly integrated processor aims to support sleek designs and always-on connectivity, while delivering smart sensing use cases. GUESS Connect works with both iOS and Android smartphones. GUESS Watches takes this lifestyle connectivity and combines it with style in its collection for Ladies and Men. The customization features and personal creation of the watch speaks to the diverse audience of the GUESS brand. From dressing to impress or casually comfortable, showing off to sport styling, GUESS offers true functionality for every occasion. Paying special attention to size, the Ladies version is a comfortably chic 41mm case. Clear crystals surround the case in a variety of silver, gold, and rose gold variations, making this a stand out look for today's fashionista. A sleek 44mm case hosts a variety of dress and sport styles for the man who wants versatility in his watch accessory. Over a hundred combinations of display face, color, and sub dials are available. A signature GUESS watch style becomes the canvas for consumers to control their own creation. With a simple swipe, our GUESS girl has a casual look for the day and glitzed out style for night. For the GUESS guy who wants to be active while looking attractive, fitness apps can be personalized to achieve daily goals. Customization continues with a collection of trendy interchangeable straps to compliment dial choices. Messaging has never been so easy with the new input methods of a keyboard, Smart Reply, and handwriting recognition. Swipe, speak, text, track- all with touch technology. "This relationship is truly fashion at your fingertips with touch technology in a trendy, versatile way giving consumers fun ways to create their own watch wardrobe all while staying connected - a true blend of fashion and lifestyle functionality," says Elizabeth Thompson, Senior Vice President Global Product and Marketing for GUESS Watches. ABOUT GUESS WATCHES GUESS Watches launched its collection in 1983 with a line of men's and women's fashion watches. Consistent with the GUESS image, the ever evolving watches appeal to young, fashion-driven consumers around the world. GUESS Watches are produced and distributed by Sequel AG, A Timex Group company, headquartered in Zug, Switzerland. Android, Android Wear, Google, Google Play, Google Play logo and other marks are trademarks of Google Inc. Android Wear requires a phone running Android 4.3+ or iOS 9+. Supported features may vary between platforms. Visit g.co/wearcheck on your Android phone or IPhones to see if your device is compatible Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. is a subsidiary of Qualcomm Incorporated. Qualcomm and Snapdragon are trademarks of Qualcomm Incorporated, registered in the United States and other countries. Snapdragon Wear is a trademark of Qualcomm Incorporated. Other products and brand names may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners. Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear is a product of Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. COMARE was quickly infiltrated by the nuclear industry faithful, and produced one biased report after another exonerating Sellafield as a cause of the child cancers. It used the same 'dose' argument as BNFL in the documentary, as did NRPB's evidence to Sir Douglas. Initially COMARE toyed with the idea of population mixing and an unknown virus as the cause, but conceded there was no population mixing at Sellafield. However, its latest 17th Report, published last year, finally gave way and decided that it was population mixing after all. Contamination of the seashore? What contamination? This seashore contamination has, since 1983, spread to the coast of north Wales where it is measured and where there was a 18-fold child cancer excess by 2004, and to Carlingford in Ireland (see Wolves of Water, Busby 2007) with similar effects. Well, what is the fuss about? What should the locals and holidaymakers be afraid of? Video: 'Windscale - The Nuclear Laundry', first broadcast on Yorkshire TV, 1st November 1983. I was sent a scanning electron microscope (SEM) photograph by Cumbrians Opposed to a Radioactive Environment (CORE) the local anti-nuclear NGO. A sample from the tidal estuary of the river Esk near a popular coastal path collected on 12th March 2015. I was asked to comment. I show the SEM picture in Figure 1 (above right). It was collected by CORE for Arnie Gundersen during his brief visit to Cumbria and given to Dr Marco Kaltofen from Boston MA, USA who measures particles. Marco told me on the phone that there were many such particles found in this mud sample. His machine also uses X-ray fluorescence, and can identify the elemental composition of any particle. The XRF spectrum is inset. It shows that the particle is made from Plutonium and Americium. I knew already that the mud in that area was highly contaminated with plutonium. CORE had sent me samples in the 1990s which I still have and which I use to calibrate my gamma spectrometers. One of those had 22,000 Bq/kg Plutonium-239 together with about the same amount of Cs-137 and a host of other nasty isotopes. Killer isotope of the future: Americium 241 But this is the first time I had seen the villain of the piece, the hot particle. You need some fancy gear for that. Plutonium-241 is a major effluent from Sellafield, a beta emitter with a half-life of just 14 years turning into the alpha emitter Americium-241 with a half-life of 432 years. For this reason, the concentration of the Am-241 in the Irish Sea sediments is increasing, even if they shut the pipeline tomorrow. Waves of this material reached the Irish coast in the late 1990s and by now has contaminated the beaches near Dublin and will soon (or may have already) reached Waterford. It has been along the coast of Wales since the 1980s, building up in the Menai and on a big tidal sediment bank called the Lavan Sands. Marco used gamma spectrometry to show that the bulk sample had a radioactivity of 390 kBq/kg (390,000) with signals from Caesium-137 and Americium 241. A Becquerel is one disintegration per second. One click on a Geiger counter. So what about the individual particles? The one in the picture is about 50 microns diameter. Marco says the XRF suggests about 50% Americium and perhaps 20% Plutonium. I can use these figures to calculate that the activity of the particle itself is about 150,000 Bq of alpha radiation and about 500,000 Bq of beta radiation. This is a single particle of diameter slightly smaller than the average human hair, invisible to the naked eye. Such a particle is easily resuspended in the air by wind, and indeed will automatically fly itself into the air as a result of the electrostatic charge it builds up as it emits charge in the form of beta and alpha radiation. That such material is brought ashore over kilometre distances by 'sea-to-land' transfer was discovered by scientists from Harwell in the 1980s. Plutonium from Sellafield has been measured in childrens' teeth right across England [2]. Radiation levels on Sellafield beach 50 times inland levels We can get some idea of the general level of contamination here. CORE have a Geiger counter which they have used for a long time to astound journalists, school parties, students and campaigners. The meter jumps from a background inland of 5 to 10 to 200 to 300 counts per Second in the area where the sample was taken. This equates to a dose rate of about 3 microSieverts per hour (uSv/h) over the contamination. That fits reasonably well with Marco's result for the bulk sample. Prof Imanaka from Kyoto University visited the area in 2014 and took some samples back to Japan: he found Cs-137 and Americium-241, but at lower levels, around 1,000 Bq/kg. In passing, there are some odd results in the official data, the annual Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries RIFE reports. They seem to be misreporting the dose rates over the contamination. In the latest 2015 report we see 500 Bq/kg of Cs-137 and 1,200 Bq/kg Am-241. If we assume a depth of 50cm, this translates into a surface activity of about 400 kBq/m2, which is roughly what Prof Sanderson found in his 1990 aerial gamma survey. It is technically straightforward [3] to turn this surface contamination into a gamma dose rate at 1 metre above the ground. We get 1.9 uSv/h. So this roughly agrees with CORE since my calculation is only for the Cs-137. But RIFE reports around 0.1 to 0.2 uSv/h. Perhaps they took their gamma readings at high tide? Reducing measurements by 90% So although RIFE contamination levels agree with the independent measurements, the official dose rates (including Prof Sanderson's) are about 10 to 20 times too low. Of course, at estuary high tide, all this gamma activity is covered by water and the dose rate will fall by a factor of 10. Maybe RIFE only get out their gear when the water has covered up the contamination? What do all these numbers mean to the non-scientist? Well, the Geiger counter dose rate of 3 uSv/h tells us that the area contamination is about 900 kBq/m2 in that tidal area of the River Esk. The particle analysis tells us that the radioactivity is mainly in Plutonium and Americium hot particles with some Caesium-137. This hot particle scenario is the same as in the inner Chernobyl contamination zones. The dose rate is about equal to the level of contamination in the 30km zone of the Fukushima reactors shortly after the disaster. Recently, BBC reporter Rupert Wingfield Hayes measured 3 uSv/h in the Fukushima exclusion zone; the clip being where radiation expert Geraldine 'Gerry' Thomas made her classic arithmetical gaffe. The United Nations developed a contamination classification scheme after Chernobyl. Its definition of contaminated land was 37-185 kBq/m2. The Chernobyl Zone of Permanent Control was set at 185-555 kBq/m2 [4]. So we can say that the estuary is 'radioactively contaminated land' and should be a 'zone of permanent control' under the United Nations definition. Suppressing the inconvenient truth A number of questions arise in the mind of the man on the Clapham Omnibus. First, how is it that it took a TV company to draw attention to the dead bodies of the children, rather than the health authority? Second, how is it that it takes the investigation of a sample obtained by ordinary people and a helpful scientist in America to show a picture of what there is in the sand and mud down there? Why wasn't this done by COMARE, NRPB, BNFL, Harwell, and so forth? Third, how is it that none of the authorities there have measured the radioactivity and the particles and fenced it all off? This would have happened in the Soviet Union; it would happen in the USA. CORE have consistently complained to the local authorities and the Sellafield Environmental Health watchdog Group about these contaminations, but have been ever ignored or fobbed off. They tell me that one Sellafield PR response was that it did not matter as people usually wore gumboots. Finally, how is it that no one connected the hot particles with the childhood cancers and calculated the huge doses that even one of these particles, inhaled and internalised, would deliver to local tissue in organs of the body? Well the answer is simple. It is that the nuclear military complex, lobby, mafia, however you describe it, it is powerful and real, and continues to keep a death grip on the scientific picture of radiation and health. And COMARE, like the other 'independent' scientific agencies and committees that provide the governmental theatricals, are populated with idiots, placemen and dodgy characters. COMARE was intended by Sir Douglas Black, at the Seascale Inquiry, to provide investigative research independent from NRPB. But they share the same site at UK Atomic Energy Research Harwell. One of the first secretaries, John Cooper, went on to become Director of NRPB, now called Public Health England, though he disappeared rapidly when the German sea-dumping documentary caught him out on TV (below). Death in a grain of dust On COMARE there's Richard Wakeford, ex BNFL. And there's Frank de Vocht, who writes for Sense about Science and attacks all my published papers. SAHSU, the epidemiological wing of this cover-up (now known in epidemiology circles as the 'cluster-busters') is no better: it spent its energy (and government money) developing epidemiological tools to prove the childhood leukemia clusters like Seascale, were due to random chance. I wrote a poem about this in 2003 entitled 'Paul Elliott' after its Director. At Sellafield, along that coast, Out of the corner of your eye You'll maybe see a little ghost A girl who didn't have to die If you're lucky, you may see her dance Sadly along that altered shore It's certain she's only there by chance That's what I'm told: I can't say more. So let's look at the overall picture. Sticking with poetry, TS Eliot's line, "I will show you fear in a handful of dust" seems the most appropriate summary. Only it's worse: death on Sellafield beach is lurking in a single grain of dust so tiny as to be invisible, yet spitting out 650,000 alpha and beta particles every second. And Sellafield, the largest legitimized source of radioactive pollution in the world, has turned that beautiful coast into Eliot's Waste Land. But there are no United Nations warning notices at the beaches and estuaries near Sellafield. The areas should be fenced off. The coastal villages must be evacuated. Chris Busby is an expert on the health effects of ionizing radiation. He qualified in Chemical Physics at the Universities of London and Kent, and worked on the molecular physical chemistry of living cells for the Wellcome Foundation. Professor Busby is the Scientific Secretary of the European Committee on Radiation Risk based in Brussels and has edited many of its publications since its founding in 1998. He has held a number of honorary University positions, including Visiting Professor in the Faculty of Health of the University of Ulster. Busby currently lives in Riga, Latvia. See also: chrisbusbyexposed.org, greenaudit.org and llrc.org. References 1. Black D. Report of the Independent Advisory Group. Chairman: Sir Douglas Black. HMSO: London; 1984. Investigation of the Possible Increased Incidence of Cancer in West Cumbria. 2. Busby C (2007) Wolves of Water. A Study constructed from Atomic radiation, Morality, Epidemiology, Science, Bias, Philosophy and Death. Aberystwyth: Green Audit. Available from Amazon UK. 3. Handbook of Radiological Protection. London HMSO 1972 4. Savchenko VK (1995) The Ecology of the Chernobyl Catastrophe. Paris: UNESCO p11. A descendent of Robert Smalls will be the guest speaker at the Booker T. Washington National Monument's sixth annual Legacy Dinner on April 22. Michael Boulware Moore is president and CEO of the announced International African American Museum in Charleston, South Carolina and the great-great-grandson of Robert Smalls, an enslaved African American who during the Civil War gained freedom and became a ship's pilot, a sea captain and later a representative in the South Carolina legislature and U.S. Congress. Located on the spot where almost half of all enslaved Africans brought to the United States took their first steps in the new world, the museum will tell the often untold stories of their history and contributions in building America, Moore said. The Museum is scheduled to break ground in late 2017 and is estimated to cost $75 million. Moore is an experienced business executive, having led Coca-Cola and Kraft Foods in senior leadership. He received a bachelors degree from the Maxwell School of Government at Syracuse University and an MBA from the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University. The legacy dinner, which celebrates Washingtons birthday and the anniversary of the end of the Civil War along with the emancipation of millions of enslaved persons from slavery, will be held at Trinity Ecumenical Parish from 6 to 9 p.m. The theme of the evening is The Measure of a Man. The program will also include recognition of the recipient of a $500 scholarship awarded by the Friends of Booker T. Washington National Monument to a graduating senior from Franklin County High School. The dinner will feature a silent auction, music and door prizes. Tickets are $25 for Friends members, $30 for non-members or $200 for a table of eight. Proceeds will be used to support the operations and educational programs sponsored by the Friends. For tickets, sponsorships and advertising, call Edith Morgan at (678) 360-3495. Trinity Ecumenical Parish is located at 40 Lakemount Drive in Moneta. The Friends of Booker T. Washington National Monument was established in 2008 to support the preservation of the monument and to promote public awareness and appreciation of the legacy of Washington. Last week, Kristine Tompkins signed over one million acres of land to the Chilean government for the creation of a series of national parks. Decades in the making, this land was saved from industrialization and preserved for both wildlife and ecosystem prosperity as well as for the people to sustainably enjoy these wild spaces. Kristine is the former CEO of Patagonia. In 1993, she retired, married The North Face founder Doug Tompkins, and they both moved to southern Chile. Why Chile? At the time, South Chile was facing a growing threat from forestry, mining, hydro dams, and industrial aquaculture. The pair believed it had great potential in terms of conservation so they set out to purchase acres upon acres of land with the plan to preserve it. While first met with huge skepticism from the Chilean people who though they were out to steal parts of the country out from under them, the couple soon won everyone over as they worked for a quarter century to create and expand national parks in Chile and Argentina including Pumalin Park, a public-access 800,000-acre nature reserve in the south of Chiles Lakes Region. They worked hard to recover imperiled wildlife, demonstrate organic agricultural practices, promote healthy local communities, and support leading-edge activism. These efforts continue today under Tompkins Conservation that Kristine still runs. The idea was always to hand back much of the land for the Chilean people to enjoy and last week that was made official. Sadly, Doug did not live to see the signing he died in a kayaking accident back in 2015. I know that if Doug were here today, he would speak of national parks being one of the greatest expressions of democracy that a country can realize, preserving the masterpieces of a nation for all of its citizenry, Kristine said. The Chilean government will match the donation with a further 949,000 hectares or roughly 2.3 million acres of land. The land will create 17 different parks that stretch from the Chilean city of Puerto Montt down to Cape Horn, some 2,000km (1,250 miles) to the south. Who wants to go visit?! March 20, 2017 AkzoNobel has repurchased 148,000 of its own ordinary shares in the period from March 13, 2017 up to and including March 17, 2017, at an average price of 75.47 per share. The consideration of the repurchase was 11.14 million. This is part of a repurchase program announced on December 12, 2016. The total number of shares repurchased under this program to date is 1.73 million ordinary shares for a total consideration of 109.99 million. The purpose of the program is to neutralize the dilutive effect of stock dividends paid in 2016. For more information, visit https://www.akzonobel.com/for-investors/shares/share-buyback-overview - - - AkzoNobel creates everyday essentials to make people's lives more liveable and inspiring. As a leading global paints and coatings company and a major producer of specialty chemicals, we supply essential ingredients, essential protection and essential color to industries and consumers worldwide. Backed by a pioneering heritage, our innovative products and sustainable technologies are designed to meet the growing demands of our fast-changing planet, while making life easier. Headquartered in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, we have approximately 46,000 people in around 80 countries, while our portfolio includes well-known brands such as Dulux, Sikkens, International, Interpon and Eka. Consistently ranked as a leader in sustainability, we are dedicated to energizing cities and communities while creating a protected, colorful world where life is improved by what we do. Not for publication - for more information Corporate Media Relations Corporate Investor Relations T +31 (0)88 - 969 7833 T +31 (0)88 - 969 7590 Contact: Andrew Wood Contact: Lloyd Midwinter Safe Harbor Statement This press release contains statements which address key issues such as AkzoNobel's growth strategy, future financial results, market positions, product development, products in the pipeline and product approvals. Such statements should be carefully considered, and it should be understood that many factors could cause forecasted and actual results to differ from these statements. These factors include, but are not limited to, price fluctuations, currency fluctuations, developments in raw material and personnel costs, pensions, physical and environmental risks, legal issues, and legislative, fiscal, and other regulatory measures. Stated competitive positions are based on management estimates supported by information provided by specialized external agencies. For a more comprehensive discussion of the risk factors affecting our business please see our latest annual report, a copy of which can be found on our website: www.akzonobel.com. COLLECTIVE MADNESS Soft despotism is a term coined by Alexis de Tocqueville describing the state into which a country overrun by "a network of small complicated rules" might degrade. Soft despotism is different from despotism (also called 'hard despotism') in the sense that it is not obvious to the people." French English Paris (France), Munich (Germany), Irving, Texas (USA), March 20th, 2017 - Atos, a global leader in digital transformation and Siemens, a global engineering leader, announce today they have entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) and will leverage their portfolios to help customers establish an integrated first line of defense against cyber-attacks. Siemens and Atos work together in the area of cybersecurity for industrial companies, providing customers in the manufacturing and processing industries with comprehensive security services and products. The Atos and Siemens partnership in the U.S. is part of a global agreement around cybersecurity including common go-to-market and shared research and development efforts to target Information Technology (IT) and Operational Technology (OT) security for any market. Atos, with its unique capabilities in the field of IT, including identity access management, real-time security analytics, next-generation cryptography and software-defined security architecture; and Siemens, with its deep domain know-how and solutions for OT cyber, including security program design, security life cycle management, plant security monitoring and incident response, are well-positioned to help companies with an integrated approach to protecting against, detecting, and correcting threats quickly and efficiently. As utilities companies increasingly use software to become more efficient and reliable, there is a corresponding need to boost cyber defenses - going beyond compliance regulations to secure operations. In oil and gas, digitalization brings a convergence of IT and OT connectivity that enables data to travel from the field, to the control room to the enterprise network - underscoring the need for a unique set of solutions to address the crossover between IT and OT. A recent study from the independent Ponemon Institute shows that nearly 70 percent of U.S. oil and gas cyber managers said their operations have had at least one security compromise in the past year, resulting in the loss of confidential information or OT disruption - highlighting the need for the oil and gas industry to increase its cyber defenses. "We are pleased to have the opportunity to expand the Siemens and Atos relationship as U.S. utilities, oil and gas industries are realizing the extent of cybersecurity challenges when moving into a digitized and connected ecosystem," said Michel-Alain Proch, Group Senior Executive Vice President and CEO North America, Atos. "With our combined end-to-end suite of solutions and innovative approaches to security analytics and better detection and response capabilities, customers will see tangible advantages in cost and risk reductions, as well as enhanced performance and flexibility gains." "As the energy industry benefits from digital technologies and solutions, there is a need to guard against growing cyber threats. This new cooperation is part of our broad effort to deliver cybersecurity solutions to America's energy sector. By bridging operational technology and information technology capabilities, we can strengthen our customers' defenses against costly and disruptive attacks," said Judy Marks, CEO Siemens USA and Executive Vice President of New Equipment Solutions for Dresser-Rand. The Atos-Siemens alliance, founded in 2011, forms one of the largest strategic relationships ever between a global engineering company and a global IT provider. About Atos Atos SE (Societas Europaea) is a leader in digital transformation with circa 100,000 employees in 72 countries and pro forma annual revenue of circa 12 billion. Serving a global client base, the Group is the European leader in Big Data, Cybersecurity, Digital Workplace and provides Cloud services, Infrastructure & Data Management, Business & Platform solutions, as well as transactional services through Worldline, the European leader in the payment industry. With its cutting edge technologies, digital expertise and industry knowledge, the Group supports the digital transformation of its clients across different business sectors: Defense, Financial Services, Health, Manufacturing, Media, Utilities, Public sector, Retail, Telecommunications, and Transportation. The Group is the Worldwide Information Technology Partner for the Olympic & Paralympic Games and is listed on the Euronext Paris market. Atos operates under the brands Atos, Atos Consulting, Atos Worldgrid, Bull, Canopy, Unify and Worldline. For more information, visit: www.atos.net About Siemens Siemens Corporation is a U.S. subsidiary of Siemens AG, a global powerhouse focusing on the areas of electrification, automation and digitalization. One of the world's largest producers of energy-efficient, resource-saving technologies, Siemens is a leading supplier of systems for power generation and transmission as well as medical diagnosis. With approximately 351,000 employees in 190 countries, Siemens reported worldwide revenue of $88.1 billion in fiscal 2016. Siemens in the USA reported revenue of $23.7 billion, including $5.4 billion in exports, and employs approximately 50,000 people throughout all 50 states and Puerto Rico. For more information, visit www.usa.siemens.com Press contacts Atos USA : Kim Marie Testa | + (214) 223-5343 | kim.testa@atos.net Europe : Terence Zakka | + (33) 1 73 26 40 76 | terence.zakka@atos.net Siemens Jeff Grappone | + (202) 368-3854 | jeffrey.grappone@siemens.com How a $1.1M grant could help put Burlington on the conservation map Here's a look at the $3.1 million plan to showcase the sites and experiences that gave rise to the founding father of conservation. GLENS FALLS, N.Y., March 20, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Feigenbaum Cleaners, one of the oldest dry cleaning businesses in New York State, is celebrating its centennial anniversary. The Glens Falls, New York company was founded in 1917 by Herman Feigenbaum and his wife Jennie, both emigrants from Austria-Hungary. They met and married in New York City in 1909. Todd Feigenbaum, the third generation owner explained, After working as a tailor for years in the crowded garment factories of New Yorks Lower East Side, Herman decided to leave New York City to purchase a tailor shop in Whitehall, New York. On their way to Whitehall, the family of five decided to spend a night in Glens Falls, a small city 50 miles north of Albany. After exploring the community and falling in love with its charm, they decided Glens Falls would be their new home. Herman opened his tailor shop and soon realized there was no dry cleaner north of Albany, so he decided to incorporate dry cleaning into his business. For many years the business operated out of the family home, where eventually all six children helped out. After returning from the service in World War II, sons Louis and Bill joined their parents and expanded the company into a larger location near the home. By 1952 the business grew again with the construction of more space, including a large fur vault, which was added to the building. During the 1950s and 60s Feigenbaum Cleaners grew with an expanded delivery service and their busy store located in downtown Glens Falls. Louis and Bill ran the business after Herman and Jennie retired. Herman died in 1958, Jennie in 1968. Todd Feigenbaum took the helm shortly following Louiss death in 1986. He and his wife Julie continue to run the company with business partner, Bonnie Smith, who joined them in the management of Feigenbaum Cleaners in 1992. Over the past 30 years the business has grown to include additional stores in Saratoga Springs, Wilton, and Queensbury, NY with delivery routes as far south as Albany. Businesses come and go. Its unusual that a business survives to pass from one generation to another. Here we have one continuing on to a third generation and reaching the milestone of 100 years, said John Jack Diamond, Mayor of Glens Falls. Feigenbaum Cleaners and generations of the Feigenbaum Family have contributed to our business community and many civic and government organizations for many years. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate The Fleishers Craft Kitchen restaurant closed Saturday on Riverside Avenue in Westport, three years after it was created as an outlet for fresh meat from its next-door companion Fleishers Craft Butchery. Founded in Kingston, N.Y, in 2004, Fleishers supplies retail customers and restaurants throughout the tri-state area, including many in Fairfield County. First reported by CT Bites, the closing comes amid Fleishers plans to focus on its butcher shop element in addition to impending competition from M-EAT, a high-end butchery, which plans to open in the Bedford Square development downtown. Fleishers restaurant opened several years ago as a way to showcase methods of preparing the brands products as well as to balance inventory, said former CEO and now advisory chairman Ryan Fibiger in an email Monday. Fibiger and his business partner Paul Nessel launched Craft Butchery in Westport in 2011 before they merged with Fleishers in 2014. When buying whole animals from local farms, one of the most difficult side effects is that its difficult to balance inventory, Fibiger said. Some cuts might sell well one week and not the next, and there is always the issue of not being able to sell enough ground beef ... to efficiently move through the whole carcass before the next weeks supply arrives. The restaurant helped us balance our inventory by focusing heavily on burgers and adding specials each week that moved through cuts that were heavy in the butcher shop. But the restaurant portion of the business didnt match the growth of Fleishers Craft Butchery, Fibiger said, adding he hopes a future tenant might find a similar use for the space. In a March 18 letter to customers, Fibiger said Chef Emily Mingrone is planning her own venture, without giving further details. We have been forever frustrated by the fact that we werent able to commit the time or resources to the restaurant that it required to truly thrive, Fibiger told Hearst Connecticut Media. The tears and hugs were plentiful on Saturday and reminded us that we created something special that meant a lot to the community. We hope to find a partner in the next few weeks that will continue our legacy in the space. With the best meat in the country just next door, it would be a shame if it werent leveraged by the next owner. In October 2015, Fleishers Craft Butchery expanded to Greenwichs Cos Cob neighborhood. Today, the company has five locations, including in New York City. The Fleishers brand also offers classes, private workshops and formal training for aspiring butchers. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate NORWALK Norwalk High School would see its basement level auto shop converted into an educational space as a part of the Board of Educations revised five-year school facilities plan. In total, $9.5 million would be spent on fixing up the school over the next five years, including addressing all issues within the school ranked as priorities one through four as a part of the the districts facilities study. The plan to convert the auto shop into an educational space has earned the support of Mayor Harry Rilling, who fully funded the project in his capital budget recommendation for the city put forth last week. Though community members recognize the move could be a way for the district to position itself should it decide to act on an idea floated the past few weeks to consolidate Norwalk Pathways Academy the city's only alternative high school into the shop space at Norwalk High, many believe its money well-spent to renovate a space that would need it regardless. I think either way that money has to be allocated to fix and repair that area of the school, said Marc DAmelio, a Norwalk High School parent. One way or the other we have to convert this space. DAmelio, also president of the school's Parents Club, said the school community has been exploring different ways to take advantage of the currently vacant space on the basement level of the school that was previously used as an auto body shop. We feel, DAmelio said, we need something in that space that brings Norwalk High School into the 21st century. The school community had its wheels in motion to create an innovation lab, DAmelio added. The idea was to have some sort of music studio, art involvement and a graphic design studio. He said Superintendent of Schools Steven Adamowski attended a Thursday evening School Governance meeting where parents were able to express the idea to him. DAmelio said Adamowski previously had no idea what the plans were, but that he seemed pretty open to the idea and said nothing has been decided yet. The possible consolidation was outlined at a school meeting earlier this month by Norwalk Public Schools Chief of School Operations Frank Costanzo, who said the idea is a recommendation the superintendent might make to the Board of Education as a means to both plug part of the districts anticipated $1.3 million operating budget gap and address an apparent inequity that Pathways students face. The idea for consolidation, Costanzo said, would be to move the roughly 90 Norwalk Pathways Academy students out of their current building and into the unused former auto body shop spaces. The students would take most of their classes in those rooms, but have the ability to eat lunch in the cafeteria with Norwalk High students, take electives and other courses with Norwalk High students and be in the same space to more readily be able to participate in the schools extracurricular activities. However, the idea has been met with stark opposition from the community. Pathways parents argue that their students chose to go to that school to get out of the general high school environment to begin with. Pathways students cite a continued need for more personal interaction with teachers and a smaller learning environment. Norwalk High community members argue that they are already limited on space. In a situation where we have a growing student enrollment we need to figure out ways to put programs into a space like that that lifts Norwalk High School up, DAmelio said. Mike Lyons, chairman of Norwalks Board of Education, said funding to renovate the schools shop into an education space was included in the boards original capital budget proposal back in January, long before the consolidation idea was floated. This is moving forward with the original plan to renovate the space and make it useful for either NHS if Pathways isnt moved or for Pathways if it is, Lyons said. Although the board hasnt yet looked at the suggestion, Lyons said its his sense that it isnt likely to happen this year, if at all. DAmelio seemed to agree. Im not concerned, he said. Im just glad they are fixing the space. KSchultz@thehour.com; 203-354-1049; @kevinedschultz This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate NORWALK In celebration of the vindication of his military record along with his longevity as a valued Norwalk resident Hubert Edward Spires, 91, was honored Sunday afternoon by the District D Democratic Committee at its annual spring fundraiser. Earlier this year the U.S. Department of Defense upgraded Spires 1948 discharge from the U.S. Air Force from undesirable to honorable, thanks to active help from Connecticuts legislative team, as well as the Yale Law School. The original classification, which denied him benefits, was prompted after Spires was identified as gay following two years of service. Im thrilled that these people here wanted to honor me in some way, (but) I didnt do anything, Spires said of this honor. I just fought the United States Air Force for 70-some years, (but) if thats worth an accolade of some kind, Ill take it. This is a time of renewal, even though some very crazy things are going on, said Dorothy Mobilia, who chaired the event, which drew around 35 people to the home of Tish Gibbs and former Mayor Bill Collins. Theres always hope, she said, and there are always obstacles, but when you know youre right, you press on. Official statements from several officials were read, including a letter from U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, who was instrumental in the status reversal. For nearly 70 years our military unjustly denied you benefits, such as healthcare and education and, even more important, the respect and dignity you so rightly deserve, Blumenthal wrote. With your favorable change in discharge status, justice prevailed. For some in attendance the vindication reflected a positive answer to what they feel are troubling national trends, including Spires husband and partner of 58 years, David Rosenberg. It used to be funny, he said of the Donald Trump presidency, but its not funny anymore. Hes going to ruin this country, Spires said, adding he hoped this celebration of his victory might in some way serve to help soften the attention on that guy. Rosenberg said their decision to talk openly about the ongoing battle for vindication was an antidote of sorts to those concerns. The more you open up, the more you speak up, I think the better it is, he said, noting that Spires notoriety with the case reflects his openness. There are other people who have gotten upgrades on their discharge, (but) usually dont like to talk about it, Rosenberg said. But we were very open about it. We were happy to talk about it, especially these days, in these dangerous times. Lets just hope its not all going to become undone, said Gibbs, but at least Trump isnt going to undue this. Were so pleased that he finally got justice, she said, noting the couple had been great neighbors for decades. Its well-deserved. Hes such a brilliant guy and hes done such amazing things, she said. Along with his professional career in theater and decorative arts, Spires played a key role as artistic supervisor and design engineer for Norwalks St. Philip Church. This man has been very valuable in the community, said Mobilia. In spite of this setback he committed himself to this community and to the church. He hasnt given up, said Rosenberg, who shared that they had found new admiration for both the political process and the law. When you go through a process this like with the law and politics then you realize how much good they can do, he said. Your attitude changes when you see how these things can be effective. Cadillac If you dream of owning a stable of automobiles but your budget doesnt really lend itself to the lifestyles of the rich and famous, Cadillac may have a service for you. Cadillac parent company General Motors wants to offer an option to car enthusiasts who are already spending a few dollars each month on things such as Netflix and Blue Apron. Back in January, GM launched Book by Cadillac, a luxury vehicle subscription service that the company says is ideal for drivers that dont want to worry about insurance premiums, taxes, maintenance or mileage restrictions and no long-term commitment. Lithuanian English Vilnius, Lithuania, 2017-03-20 18:29 CET (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The audited consolidated net profit of INVL Baltic Real Estate group amounted to EUR 4,507 thousand, the revenue was EUR 6,290 thousand for the period of 2016 (for 2015 consolidated net profit was EUR 4,096 thousand, revenue was EUR 5,694 thousand). The audited net profit of INVL Baltic Real Estate itself amounted to EUR 4,710 thousand in 2016 and EUR 3,282 thousand in 2015. Additional information: The real estate investment company INVL Baltic Real Estate had consolidated net operating income from the properties it owns of EUR 2.3 million in 2016, or 16 per cent more than in 2015 (EUR 2 million). INVL Baltic Real Estates consolidated revenue last year was EUR 6.29 million, up 10.5 per cent the from 2015 (EUR 5.694 million), and included a 21.5 per cent increase in leasing income from owned properties to EUR 3.6 million. Last year we continued to focus on effective asset management, giving a lot of attention to presenting our newest property the premises at the Vilnius Gates business centre to potential tenants. Also, after a 9-million-euro share offering in March last year, in December the company obtained a closed-end investment company licence and since then has operated as a fund, said Vytautas Baksinskas, Real Estate Fund Manager at INVL Asset Management, which manages INVL Baltic Real Estate. He said the properties held by INVL Baltic Real Estate last year demonstrated improving performance indicators and most of them had high occupancy. The biggest changes took place at the Vilnius Gates complex, the acquisition of which was completed in January last year. Since mid-2016 it has been home to the Rise Vilnius innovation and IT startup space, and at the start of 2017 a department of Swedbanks non-financial service unit moved in. Based on lease agreements signed through the end of 2016, once eight INVL Technology businesses move in at Vilnius Gates by the start of 2018, its calculated that the overall occupancy of the Vilnius Gates premises which belong to the company will reach about 80 per cent. INVL Baltic Real Estates consolidated equity value at the end of 2016 was EUR 31.1 million, or EUR 0.47 per share. Taking into account the effects of an asset revaluation and other one-time factors, the company had a consolidated net profit of EUR 4.5 million last year, or 10 per cent more than in 2015 (EUR 4.1 million). On the basis of INVL Baltic Real Estates 2016 results, its management company is proposing an allocation of dividends for last year of EUR 789 000, or EUR 0.012 per share. A decision on the proposal will be made by a general meeting of the shareholders of INVL Baltic Real Estate which will take place on 11 April this year. INVL Baltic Real Estate manages 58,000 square metres of real estate at strategically attractive locations in Vilnius and Riga valued at EUR 52 million: office and commercial premises at the Vilnius Gates complex in the Lithuanian capital, the IBC Business Centre near Konstitucijos Avenue, office buildings in the Old Town on Vilniaus Street and in Siaures Miestelis, office and warehouse premises in Kirtimai, and the Dommo Business Park manufacturing, warehouse and office complex beside the Riga bypass. Since 22 December 2016, INVL Baltic Real Estate has operated as a closed-end investment company (UTIB). Management of the company has been assumed by INVL Asset Management, one of Lithuanias leading asset management firms. The company will operate with UTIB status until 2046, with extension possible for another 20 years. Currently Reading The best SEEN photobombs from St. Patrick's Day Dear Annie: Our 4-year-old will be in pre-kindergarten in the fall. His elementary school offers a Spanish immersion program, and we cant decide whether to enroll him in it. The program was one of the things that influenced our decision to buy a house in this area. But now that decision time is here, were having second thoughts. His school day would be 80 percent taught in Spanish. In the class, there would be 10 kids who speak Spanish at home and 10 kids who, like my son, dont speak any Spanish. My wife and I value the ability to speak a second language, and starting this early, our son might be able to speak as well as a native speaker. But it would be a huge commitment. The school expects people who commit in pre-kindergarten to stay in the program through fifth grade, and its now or never; he couldnt start in the future. That is scary for us. We dont really know our sons learning style or whether this would be a good fit for him. And hed be with the same 19 kids for seven years. What if he were not to get along with them? Una Pregunta Dear Pregunta: This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that will beget a lifetime of further opportunities. Being bilingual is a bigger asset than ever in todays globalized society (and increasingly competitive job market). Learning a foreign language has been shown to build multitasking skills, improve memory, make students more perceptive, hone decision-making skills and do so much more. I think youd regret not trying this program out much more than youd ever regret trying it. See whether you can talk to some of the parents of the third-, fourth- and fifth-graders who are in the program. Get a sense of the workloads and how children like the tightknit learning environment. Ask parents what they wish they had known when going into it. Whatever you decide, its clear that you and your wife care deeply about your sons education, so I have no doubt hell turn out just fine. Dear Annie: A fellow churchgoer doesnt like to drive, so she always asks others to pick her up for church, take her to visit her father in the nursing home, shuttle her to the grocery, etc., etc. She lives 30 minutes out of the way for most of us, and she has a car and a license. She never offers to pay for gas, leaving some of us feeling taken advantage of. Should we just put our frustration aside and try to show some Christian love, or can we help her understand that others dont want to be taken advantage of? Feeling Used Dear Feeling Used: Just because she has a license doesnt mean she should be driving, and if she feels uncomfortable or unsafe driving, then good for her for making the very smart decision to get help. However, that help neednt be from friends or congregation members every single time. Many community-based transportation services exist for seniors. An excellent database is available from AAA at http://seniordriving.aaa.com/local-transportation-programs. The most generous thing would be to help her help herself by getting her plugged in to some resources. Annie Lane, a graduate of New York Law School and New York University, writes this column for Creators Syndicate. Email questions to dearannie@creators.com. WOOD RIVER, Neb. Nebraskas cranes of spring have increasingly been arriving on the wings of winter. Large numbers of migrating sandhill cranes are arriving earlier and earlier in Nebraska with so much regularity that a Crane Trust biologist says its a trend. What the creeping calendar means and the impact it has on the big birds and the ecology of the Platte River that is their ribbon of survival is unknown, said Andy Caven, lead biologist at the Crane Trust near Wood River. Im interested in why this is happening, he said. An estimated 404,000 sandhill cranes were in the Big Bend stretch of the Platte River between Chapman and Overton in central Nebraska last week. The birds have stopped here for millennia to rest and refuel for a few weeks during their migration to northern nests from their wintering grounds in the south. More than 80 percent of the worlds population of sandhill cranes about 500,000 birds converges in Nebraska in waves during a six-week period each spring. The mid-March peak population of cranes along the Platte isnt unusual. The statistic that caught Cavens attention is how early cranes have hit the 150,000 mark in a weekly, aerial census he conducts along a 90-mile span of the river during the migration. The count of 150,000 cranes on the river is becoming earlier by 1.4 days a year, according to a review of statistics from 2002 to this year, Caven said. As recently as 20 years ago, aerial counts of cranes typically didnt hit 150,000 birds until late March. It was April 5 in some years. Now that milestone occurs in early March or earlier. The last two years weve had more than 150,000 cranes near the end of February, which is not normal, Caven said. Its a statistically significant trend. Caven acknowledged that a statistical truth isnt the same thing as a fact. Scientists arent often as open as they should be about the uncertainty of science, he said. But it is the best set of data we have on this issue, he said. It is the most amount of information, but it is not irrefutable fact. Few things in life are. Almost nothing in ecology is. This is early-stage research. Still, Cavens statistical model indicates there is a 99 percent chance that he is dealing with a long-term trend. Caven said he thinks temperature is a driving factor in the cranes earlier arrivals. But it could be that theyre staying longer because of the food resources, he said. They might be coming here hungrier and skinnier. There are a whole number of reasons they could be coming earlier and staying longer aside from climate. Nicole Arcilla, an avian ecologist who is the Crane Trusts lead scientist, said the early-arrival phenomenon may not have a negative impact on the birds, but it will have an impact. We just dont know what that is, she said. Arcilla said cranes inspire people around the globe. People love cranes, she said. Theyre big birds. Theyre so charismatic. They seem to be having fun. They dance. They get excited. Theyre all socializing. Arcilla said the courting behaviors exhibited during the cranes Nebraska stopover make it easy for people to imagine the birds lives. Theyre more human-seeming than, maybe, a cardinal you dont see so much, she said. This is a very romantic journey. The migration spectacle attracts thousands of people from around the world to central Nebraska each spring. Among them last week were retirees Jim and Mary Ernhart of Elk River, Minnesota. Mary Ernhart added the trip to her bucket list after viewing a sandhill crane program on PBS. They signed up for a Crane Trust tour package that included up-close observations from a river blind. The noise is just amazing, Mary Ernhart said. We dont experience this. I love it. Jim Ernhart said it was a life-changing experience to witness cranes returning to the Platte at sunset to roost in the shallow river or leaving to feed in meadows or farm fields in the morning. Its pretty special, he said. It significantly enhances the fact that we need to preserve this. Rick Brandt of Roca, a Nebraska Game and Parks commissioner viewing cranes from a blind for the first time, said he was in awe. The sound! Its like music. Great opera, he said. The Crane Trust, established in 1978, scientifically monitors and evaluates the ecology of the Big Bend region of the Platte. It purchases, restores and manages habitat for cranes and other migratory birds. Upward of 45,000 people pour through the trusts visitor center off Interstate 80 each year. Caven said the next decade of crane counts when researchers will have a quarter-century of data to study will help shed light on the crane migration. This trend could reverse, he said. The return of one cold winter, however, wont reverse the trend, Caven said. The last two Nebraska winters have been among the warmest in recorded history and winters globally have been warmer much of this century. Research is now at the whats happening stage, he said. Our job is to try to figure it out. HASTINGS This past fall, Michella Marino and students in her oral history class at Hastings College engaged in a service learning oral history project to conduct and preserve a series of interviews related to the Vietnam War era. Marino had worked with Hastings College students previously on local oral histories but discovered that, once the interviews were completed, nothing of note happened with the finished products. This led her and her class to build the Hastings Oral History Initiative (HOHI), which launched to the public last week. The HOHI is a free online archive that features oral histories from the Vietnam era conducted last fall, as well as digital oral histories originally created for Mary Lanning Healthcares 100th anniversary three years ago. Plans include adding additional oral histories submitted by community members. The interviews as part of the two collections are available online as MP3 files to download and listen to. Complete transcripts are available for some of the interviews. For our Introduction to Oral History class in the fall, we were able to interview people from the Vietnam War era, which provides insight into local history and experiences of people from our region during that time, said Marino, an assistant professor of history at Hastings College. The class conducted many interviews, covering military service and experiences during the war, media coverage of the war, growing up in that era, family life, student resistance and more. Other interviews highlight such topics as NASA and the space race, she said. The class also helped create forms and processes for the Hastings Oral History Initiative. While the HOHI launched with oral history collections from the two original projects, the initiative is open to the community to add more oral history interviews. Information and forms on the website explain how to submit oral histories to HOHI. When we started building the website, we wanted to create a way for community members to contribute their oral history and expand the HOHI over time. The documents and forms section of the site explains the process, plus we provided resources on how to create an oral history, said Brian Whetstone, a junior history major from Kearney. Whetstone worked with Marino to create the website and organize files and transcriptions. This is a great way for the Hastings community to get involved with local history. By making the interviews available to everyone, its an opportunity to engage in and make connections to our local, national and global communities through our shared history, Marino said. Whetstone said the HOHI is a work in progress, but thats the beauty of the project. Having people tell their own stories using their own words is a fascinating way to look at and understand history, he said. Were hoping in the future to have community workshops focusing on oral history and potentially expand the project to convert existing oral histories housed elsewhere in Hastings to a digital format and add them to the HOHI website. The Hastings Oral History Initiative website can be found at https://sites.google.com/hastings.edu/hohi. Because of file sizes, many audio files will not play directly from a web browser. The listener will need to download them to listen. BROOKFIELD NEWS, March 20, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Board of Trustees of Brookfield Canada Office Properties (TSX:BOX.UN) (NYSE:BOXC) announced a distribution of $0.1092 per trust unit payable on April 13, 2017 to holders of Trust units of record at the close of business on March 31, 2017. The distributions are declared in Canadian dollars. Registered unitholders resident in Canada will receive payment in Canadian dollars and registered unitholders resident in the United States will receive the U.S. dollar equivalent unless they request otherwise. The U.S. dollar equivalent of the distribution will be based on the Bank of Canada closing exchange rate on the record date or, if the record date falls on a weekend or holiday, on the Bank of Canada closing exchange rate of the preceding business day. Beneficial unitholders will receive payment in Canadian dollars unless they request to receive the U.S. dollar equivalent. About Brookfield Canada Office Properties Brookfield Canada Office Properties is Canadas preeminent Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT). Our portfolio is comprised of 26 premier office properties totaling 20 million square feet in the downtown cores of Toronto, Calgary, and Ottawa, in addition to a development site in Calgary. Our landmark assets include Brookfield Place and First Canadian Place in Toronto, and Bankers Hall in Calgary. Further information is available at www.brookfieldcanadareit.com. Important information may be disseminated exclusively via the website; investors should consult the site to access this information. Brookfield Canada Office Properties is the flagship Canadian REIT of Brookfield Asset Management, a leading global alternative asset manager with approximately $250 billion in assets under management. For more information, go to www.brookfield.com. A Maryville man pleaded guilty Wednesday to aggravated DUI for allegedly striking and killing a Swansea woman with his pickup truck on Interstate 55. The incident happened around 8 p.m. on Oct. 23, 2015. Steven L. Willis, 38, pleaded guilty to one count of aggravated DUI Resulting in Death. Police have said that Samantha S. Miller, 27 of Swansea, had been standing outside her stalled car on the side of the road when Willis struck her with his Chevrolet Silverado. The truck then struck her car with her children inside. A 3-year-old boy suffered the most serious injury, a fractured skull, according to a news release at the time from Madison County States Attorney Tom Gibbons. Two other children, a 6-year-old girl and an 8-year-old boy, were also taken to the hospital for treatment. Miller was pronounced dead at the scene, according to information from the Madison County Coroners Office. This was a terrible tragedy for the victim and her family and loved ones, I pray that we can provide some measure of healing for them by bringing the defendant to justice, Gibbons said in the release. Gibbons also thanked his prosecutors and those who responded to the crash scene including Illinois State Police, the coroners office, and emergency medical personnel. Willis has been released on bond until his sentencing by Associate Judge Neil Schroeder. He faces three to 14 years in prison of which he will be required to serve at least 85 percent. Miller was a member of the Confluence Crush roller derby team, based in Belleville, where she skated under the name Slam Van Diesel. A post made by the team shortly after her death stated that Slam will be remembered for her hard work and dedication to our league. Not only was she at almost every practice, but she filled league roles like attendance tracker, helping set up events, interleague committee, and our newly-elected Smitten Kittens B-team Co-captain. She was always at league events ready to promote CCRD and have fun with her derby sisters. Slam embodied crush, and everything the league stands for. Not only was she dedicated to derby, but to her family as well . . . We miss you already and love you Slam keep on skating. Miller graduated from Belleville East High School and had worked at Scott Air Force Base. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin EDITORIAL (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Mon, March 20, 2017 Few may doubt that turnaround specialist Elia Massa Manik is sufficiently qualified to helm state oil and gas company PT Pertamina. With his Midas touch, oil and gas service company PT Elnusa, Pertaminas publicly listed subsidiary, and state plantation holding company PTPN III have returned to profitability. But Pertamina is not a conventional company. It is the epitome of an inefficient and sleazy state enterprise where key corporate actions have largely been shaped by the interests of ruling politicians ratehr than by sound business calculation. With US$9 billion in cash in its coffers, Pertamina is at the top of the list of state companies that contribute non-tax revenues to the state budget. Its $7 billion capital expenditure and more than $10 billion worth of long-term projects are an irresistible temptation for people close to power. Already hindered by the complexity of bureaucratic culture and low productivity in Elnusa and PTPN, Elia will have to confront similar challenges in Pertamina, but with surely far bigger interventions from members of the ruling elite. He will have to juggle between keeping Pertamina profitable, ensuring good governance and pleasing those members of the ruling elite, who regularly draw up policies that only expose the fact that they treat Pertamina as their cash cow. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Ibrahim Kholilul Rohman (The Jakarta Post) Guimares, Portugal Mon, March 20, 2017 Mobile telephony has played a crucial role in closing the digital gap. The diffusion of devices has seen a leap-frog process, where an increased penetration rate happened at low cost and quickly. Current technology has produced the advanced fifth generation (5G) to give ample opportunities in the future. The 5G technology will provide greater benefits with sizeable capacity and reliable speeds for mobile broadband. The technology also links with the new wave of innovations, such as connected cars, virtual reality, 3D printing and artificial intelligence. It will shift our daily lives amid widespread impacts on smart cities, environmental sustainablity, health care, transportation and more. 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. Contact Information: Valeant Elif McDonald 514-856-3855 877-281-6642 (toll free) elif.mcdonald@valeant.com Media: Renee Soto or Chris Kittredge/Jared Levy Sard Verbinnen & Co. 212-687-8080 Nicox S.A. Gavin Spencer Executive Vice President Corporate Development, Nicox +33 (0)4-97-24-53-00 communications@nicox.com Investor Relations: Europe NewCap Julien Perez, Valentine Brouchot +33 (0)1-44-71-94-94 nicox@newcap.eu United States Argot Partners Melissa Forst 212-600-1902 melissa@argotpartners.com Media Relations: United Kingdom Jonathan Birt +44 7860-361-746 jonathan.birt@ymail.com France NewCap Nicolas Merigeau T +33 (0)1-44-71-94-98 nicox@newcap.eu United States Argot Partners Eliza Schleifstein 917-763-8106 eliza@argotpartners.com BAUSCH + LOMB AND NICOX ANNOUNCE PDUFA DATE FOR NOVEL GLAUCOMA CANDIDATE LATANOPROSTENE BUNOD PDUFA date set for August 24, 2017 LAVAL, QUEBEC and SOPHIA ANTIPOLIS, FRANCE - March 20, 2017 - Valeant Pharmaceuticals International, Inc.'s (NYSE: VRX and TSX: VRX) wholly owned subsidiary, Bausch + Lomb, and Nicox S.A. (Euronext Paris: FR0013018124, COX) today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has set a PDUFA date of August 24, 2017 for its decision on the New Drug Application (NDA) for latanoprostene bunod ophthalmic solution, 0.024%. Latanoprostene bunod is an intraocular pressure (IOP) lowering single-agent eye drop dosed once daily, for patients with open angle glaucoma (OAG) or ocular hypertension (OHT). If approved, latanoprostene bunod would be the first nitric-oxide donating prostaglandin F2alpha analog for ophthalmic use. "This is an exciting development in our journey to bring this new treatment option to the more than 3 million patients in the U.S. with open angle glaucoma and ocular hypertension, and address a significant unmet medical need," said Joseph C. Papa, Chairman and CEO of Valeant. "Valeant is committed to delivering therapies that make a difference in patients' lives, and our work on latanoprostene bunod is a strong example of that." "If granted, the FDA's approval of latanoprostene bunod will allow for the introduction of the first truly novel medication for these patients in many years," said Michele Garufi, Chairman and CEO of Nicox. "Additionally, latanoprostene bunod would represent the first commercially available therapy to use our proprietary nitric oxide-donating R&D platform, which we will continue to apply in the development of future innovative ophthalmic compounds." Latanoprostene bunod was licensed by Nicox to Bausch + Lomb. About Latanoprostene Bunod Latanoprostene bunod ophthalmic solution, 0.024% is an IOP-lowering single-agent eye drop dosed once daily for patients with OAG or OHT. In the eye, latanoprostene bunod is metabolized to two moieties. The first, latanoprost acid, is an F2alpha prostaglandin analog, while the second, butanediol mononitrate, releases nitric oxide, which activates the soluble guanylate cyclase-guanosine-3',5'-monophosphate signaling pathway. Latanoprostene bunod is believed to lower IOP by increasing outflow of aqueous humor through both the trabecular meshwork and uveoscleral routes. About Glaucoma Glaucoma is a group of eye diseases which can lead to the loss of peripheral vision and eventually total blindness. Glaucoma is frequently linked to abnormally high pressure in the eye (intraocular pressure, IOP), due to blockage or malfunction of the eye's drainage system. Abnormally high IOP does not cause any symptoms itself, however it can lead to optic nerve damage and vision loss over time if left untreated. Drug therapy is used to reduce IOP and therefore prevent further vision loss, typically through either reducing aqueous humor production or by increasing the drainage of intraocular fluid by relaxing certain muscles in the eye. Several large trials have demonstrated that reducing IOP can prevent the progression of glaucoma in both early and late stages of the disease. A significant proportion of patients with elevated IOP require more than one medication to maintain their IOP within target levels, highlighting the need for more effective treatments. About Valeant Valeant Pharmaceuticals International, Inc. (NYSE/TSX: VRX) is a multinational specialty pharmaceutical company that develops, manufactures and markets a broad range of pharmaceutical products primarily in the areas of dermatology, gastrointestinal disorders, eye health, neurology and branded generics. More information about Valeant can be found at www.valeant.com. About Bausch + Lomb Bausch + Lomb, a Valeant Pharmaceuticals International, Inc. company, is a leading global eye health organization that is solely focused on protecting, enhancing and restoring people's eyesight. Our core businesses include over-the-counter supplements, eye care products, ophthalmic pharmaceuticals, contact lenses, lens care products, ophthalmic surgical devices and instruments. We develop, manufacture and market one of the most comprehensive product portfolios in our industry, which is available in more than 100 countries. About Nicox Nicox S.A. (NYSE Euronext Paris: FR0013018124, COX) is an international ophthalmic R&D company utilizing innovative science to maintain vision and improve ocular health. By leveraging its proprietary expertise in nitric oxide donation and other technologies, the Company is developing an extensive portfolio of novel therapies that target multiple ophthalmic conditions, including glaucoma. Nicox currently has two products at the pre-approval stage with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and a promising pipeline including next-generation stand-alone nitric-oxide donors, with the potential to treat a range of ophthalmic indications. Nicox is headquartered in Sophia Antipolis, France, is listed on Euronext Paris (Compartment B: Mid Caps; Ticker symbol: COX) and is part of the CAC Healthcare, CAC Pharma & Bio and Next 150 indexes. For more information on Nicox, its products or pipeline, please visit: www.nicox.com. Forward-looking Statements This press release may contain forward-looking statements which may generally be identified by the use of the words "anticipates," "expects," "intends," "plans," "should," "could," "would," "may," "will," "believes," "estimates," "potential," "target," or "continue" and variations or similar expressions. These statements are based upon the current expectations and beliefs of the management of Valeant and Nicox and are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, risks and uncertainties discussed in Valeant's most recent annual or quarterly report and detailed from time to time in Valeant's other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Canadian Securities Administrators, which factors are incorporated herein by reference. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on any of these forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date hereof. Neither Valeant nor Nicox undertakes any obligation to update any of these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this press release or to reflect actual outcomes, unless required by law. ### Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Jessicha Valentina (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Mon, March 20, 2017 11:24 2058 a291276806121264c0bd211cde57c33f 1 Food Good-France,French-cuisine,French,food,#food,dinner,fine-dining Free The Gout de France food festival, which opens on March 21, is an annual event that aims to commemorate French cuisine being named as a feature of UNESCOs Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2010. First introduced in 2015, Gout de France takes place around the world with chefs showcasing their French-inspired delicacies. This year, the event reportedly involves 2,000 chefs in five continents. Those looking to join the celebration may want to make a reservation in these nine recommended restaurants. According to Institut Francais Indonesia (IFI), 5 percent of the sales will be donated to non-governmental organizations working in the fields of health and the environment. Jakarta Lyon at Mandarin Oriental Lyon is a French restaurant located in Mandarin Oriental hotel, Central Jakarta. For the upcoming Gout de France executive chef Cyril Calmet has geared up a wide array of dishes, including seared ahi tuna nicoise salad, black Angus striploin rossini with foie gras and roast cod fillet with grenobloise sauce. The set meals start from Rp 358,000 (US$28.81) and will be available from March 21 until 25. Mandarin Oriental Hotel, Jl. MH Thamrin, Central Jakarta. T: 021 2993 8888 Join us as we celebrate the best of French gastronomy with Executive Chef Cyril Calmets special menu inspired by his childhood time in the south of France. The 2017 Gout de France set menu will be available on 20-25 March starts from IDR 358,000++ per person. #GoodFrance #MOfoodies #LyonJakarta A post shared by Mandarin Oriental, Jakarta (@mo_jakarta) on Mar 16, 2017 at 9:09pm PDT Amuz Gourmet Amuz Gourmet is one of the fine-dining French restaurants in the capital helmed by chef Gilles Marx. This time around, the restaurant is offering a Gout de France degustation set menu. Available from March 21 until 31 for lunch and dinner, the package is priced at Rp 480,000. The Energy Building, Second Floor, SCBD Lot 11A, Jl. Jend. Sudirman Kav. 52-53, South Jakarta. T: 021 250 5064 Emilie Tucked away on Jl. Senopati, Emilie is another French fine-dining restaurant. For the third edition of Gout de France, the restaurant is offering a set menu, which includes Zealand green lip abalone with champagne emulsion, foie gras royal with truffle juice and iberico pork pluma with raisin sauce and Romanesque. The set meal is priced at Rp 1,380,000++. Jl. Senopati No. 39, South Jakarta. T: 021 521 3626 A post shared by Emilie French Restaurant (@emilierestaurant) on Mar 11, 2017 at 8:09pm PST Bandung, West Java Fresco restaurant Nestled inside Hilton Bandung hotel in West Java, Fresco restaurant is set to join the French gastronomic celebration. From March 21 until 26, the restaurant is offering a package priced at Rp 299,000++ per person. The menu includes appetizer, main course and dessert. Jl. Tjokroaminoto No. 41-43, Bandung, West Java. T: 022 8606 6888 Read also: Michelin gave a star to the wrong restaurant Yogyakarta Paprika restaurant Paprika is a restaurant situated in The Phoenix Hotel, Yogyakarta. Similar to the other restaurants on this list, Paprika is also offering special menus. Priced at Rp 600,000, guests can enjoy five-course meals with wine. Jl. Sudirman No. 9, Yogyakarta. T: 0274 566 617 A post shared by The Phoenix Hotel Yogyakarta (@phoenixhotelyogyakarta) on Mar 8, 2017 at 8:08pm PST Mediterranea Restaurant Helmed by Camille Massard Combe, Mediterranea restaurant specializes in French-Mediterranean cuisine. For the upcoming Gout de France festival, the restaurant is presenting a set menu that includes foie gras mi-cuit (half-cooked foire gras), fresh salmon ravioli and vanilla pannacotta. Jl Tirtodipuran No. 24A, Yogyakarta. T: 0877 8805 5536 A post shared by #MRBYKAMIL (@mediterranea_r) on Aug 9, 2016 at 10:34pm PDT Surabaya, East Java The Consulate The Consulate restaurant in Surabaya, East Java, is set to participate in Gout de France as well. Offering a set menu priced at Rp 1,000,000, guests can enjoy Hokkaido scallop, Kerguelen Island toothfish, Angus beef, French cheese and durian. Jl. Darmo Kali 10, Surabaya, East Java. T: 0815 521 7055 A post shared by The Consulate (@theconsulatesurabaya) on Jan 4, 2017 at 1:52am PST Bali Mozaic Restaurant Mozaic restaurant in Ubud, Bali, was named as one of Asias 50 Best Restaurants in 2013. Under the watchful eye of the owner and executive chef Chris Salan the restaurant is also participating in the upcoming Gout de France festival. The offered menu combines local delicacies with a French touch, resulting in unique dishes such as bumbu rujak, Indian Ocean prawns, grilled king oyster mushrooms served with tropical fruit and tamarind reduction, pan-seared black cod with Balinese basa gede oil lemon and turmeric reduction, spiced cauliflower and laksa leaf as well as kenari nut ice cream, kenari praline, ras-el-hanout gel and longan berry. Jl. Raya Sanggingan, Ubud, Bali. T: 0361 975 768 A post shared by MozaicRestaurant Gastronomique (@mozaicrestaurantubud) on Feb 5, 2017 at 6:16pm PST Teatro Gastroteque Teatro Gastroteque is a fine-dining restaurant located in Seminyak, Bali. On March 21, the restaurant is presenting a special Gout de France menu. Priced at Rp 700,000 per person, the menu includes foie gras, scallop, sea bass, braised lamb shoulder and Valrhona chocolate textures served with lychee and mascarpone. (asw) Jl. Kayu Aya, Blok C No. 1-2, Seminyak, Bali. T: 0851 0170 0078 A post shared by Teatro Gastroteque (@teatrogastroteque) on Jan 16, 2017 at 3:51am PST Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Arya Dipa (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Mon, March 20, 2017 10:12 2058 a291276806121264c0bd211cde576e81 4 Lifestyle tiger,military,TNI,social-media,meme,Cisewu,Cisewu-Tiger Free Siliwangi Military Command (Kodam) commander Maj. Gen. Herindra on Friday ordered all military units in West Java and Banten to ensure that tiger statues in front of their posts were consistent with the appearance of the original mascot. The command symbols are the pride of all soldiers in the territory, and Herindra said they represented bravery, courage and a spirit of not retreating. The two-star Army general said he did not want to see a repeat of the recent mockery on social media after a Twitter user posted a photo of a beaming tiger mascot at Cisewu Military Command in Garut regency. It went viral nationwide and even attracted attention internationally after the British Broadcasting Corporation interviewed Herindra about the comical statue. The statue was demolished on Monday and replaced with a new version that was much closer to the intended symbol. Read also: Comical tiger statue at military base torn down but netizen frenzy remains This morning [Herindra] ordered all soldiers to not only care about the tiger statues but also about the environment and society, Siliwangi Military Command spokesperson Col. Desi Ariyanto told The Jakarta Post on Friday. The statue in Cisewu became a source of laughter on social media and even in print and on TV, because it was very different to the ferocious looking tiger on the official logo. Members of the public created various memes, such as comical grinning tiger statues on movie posters. The statue had been in Cisewu for years but only attracted widespread public attention as a result of the social media exposure. Some people described it as a toothless tiger, drawing comparisons with the current military situation. After the fall of Soeharto in 1998 and the nations adoption of democracy, the military lost its social and political powers and was assigned to concentrate only on external defense affairs. Famous painter Barli created the symbol a few years after the countrys independence in 1945, on the order of the legendary military leader Abdul Haris Nasution. It was based on the appearance of the now-extinct Javan tiger. Siliwangi is one of the most prestigious Kodam in the country in light of its history and because many of its former commanders have become prominent figures at the national level. West Java is Indonesias most populous province and has a history of rebellions in the 1950s. Captain Eko [the sculptor] never saw a Javan tiger, said Desi, in an effort to explain the reasons behind the appearance of the statue in Cisewu. Desi said there were as many as 500 military posts in Siliwangi and all of them were required to abide by the instruction. Some of the military bases currently do not use tigers as their emblems but feature scorpions or white rhinos. We have around 400 to 500 units. From districts, regencies, cities, detachments to battalions, he said. All the statues should reflect the nobleness of values that we inherited from our ancestors in West Java, Desi added. The Cisewu tiger has now been destroyed, but not before it inspired many jokes and rib-tickling memes. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin William Chen (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Mon, March 20, 2017 09:19 2058 a291276806121264c0bd211cde57370e 4 Art & Culture #shortstory,short-story Free When I was a small child, I kept some treasures in a tin box hidden under my bed. In fact, my mother also put many crates, boxes and bags of different sizes there, too. We had to use all the space under all the beds in the house after we rented out our third floor to a rich married woman. I was quite happy to have so many things there as I found them useful as camouflage to divert any would be thiefs bad intentions toward my tin box. Very often, I had the urge to look at my treasures. To retrieve that box of mine was not an easy task. First, I needed to crawl under my bed and push aside all those dusty crates and other boxes, or I had to pull them out before I could reach it. This tedious work was not enjoyable, but I had to do it from time to time to ensure my peace of mind. During the cold winter days, it was less tiring for me to take it out. However, in the hot summer, the sticky humid air under the bed, mixed with the dust and my sweat could be quite a messy experience. Usually, my white shirt became quite black as a result. Often, my mother scolded me for dirtying my clean shirt within a day. Well how could I blame her for that, after all, it was mother who had to hand wash all our clothes every day. However, the final moment of happiness belonged to me alone when I opened the lid of my box to see the treasures I had collected over the years: the colorful marbles, the white flint stones and the eight blue miniature porcelain horses in eight different postures. I found them in a small junk shop in the back alley behind my mothers house in Shanghai. Sometimes, on a bright Sunday morning when my brothers were out of the house, I would seize the opportunity to give all my treasures, except the flint stones, a cold-water bath. I placed them in water in a large washbasin on the balcony. Then I would watch with fascination as the sunrays played tricks on the water, making the marbles grow bigger and more colorful. But it was also disappointing to see my lean, handsome porcelain horses becoming fat and their slender long legs crooked and shorter than before. Later I would dry them one by one with a piece of soft cloth and very carefully line them up on a table for a long, close look. It was often in such a silent magical moment as my eyes inched closer and closer toward the edge of the tabletop that the porcelain horses, all of a sudden, would become alive and in high spirits. They would parade before me as a group and then each of them would show off its skills in different postures before they tossed their long manes and bushy tails in the air and galloped away. Sometimes I would watch them chase one another wildly on the tabletop. One time, one of the horses ran so fast it failed to stop in time when it reached the edge of the table. It fell to the floor below and broke all his slender legs. I spent the whole day using glue to repair it broken legs but it never regained it former posture. It walked with a limp. I usually had one other important ritual to perform. It was to take out a ang pau hidden among layers of paper, from the bottom of my tin box. It was a very private moment. I did not want anybody to see me holding it in my hand while squeezing it gently to get a feel of its contents. Then I would take a peep through its small opening to make sure that all my new banknotes were safe and sound. They were pocket money I had saved over the long years plus the ang pau money given to me by my mother at Chinese New Year. I felt rich when I counted the money and at the same time inhaled the unique smell of the new crisp banknotes repeatedly. Every time after I had finished the grand inspection of my treasures, I would return them to their usual hiding place. Sometimes while I huddled under my bed with my tin box, I wondered if adults could really understand or appreciate a childs strong emotions attached to his collection of toys and his very own saved up pocket money, stashed away in his own secret place. One day, I heard that my elder brother needed money to cover our household expenses. Shanghai was then under Japanese occupation, and the war had cut off the lifeline between our father in Indonesia and us in China. Just the way he commanded me to let him have my money upset me most. It was as if the sky was falling when he finally forced me to take my new banknotes out of my box and hand them over to him. I was so powerless. I finally broke out in a loud cry, went straight to my mother and cried and cried until my heart ached. Mother did her best to calm me down, but she could not help me much other than to urge me not to cry. She also tried to hide the sad and worried look on her face by looking away from me. Later that day, my brother gave me a check for the money he took from me. He said I could cash it at a bank if I wanted to. I was then too young to understand what a check was. His act confused me as I took it from his hand anyway while my tears were still pouring down my cheeks. Reluctantly, I inserted the check into my empty ang pau. However, I found the good old wonderful feeling that used to accompany me whenever my hands touched it was now missing. Things were never the same again! Some months later, my brother finally broke my heart and destroyed my hope when I discovered that his check was nothing but a piece of worthless paper. I became very depressed after that episode. Gradually, I began to neglect my tin box. At night, I dared not even think about it. One afternoon, feeling lonely, I crawled under my bed to get a look at my little box. I found that the big crates and boxes were squeezed into a dark corner. It was so sorrowful to see my once cheerful shiny box, now so pitiful and covered with a thick layer of dust. I did not have the heart to take it out for a look because I knew it would break my heart and make me sad again. I do not remember what had happened to my colorful marbles, the white flint stones and the beautiful blue porcelain horses. What I do know is that they once gave me a sense of happiness and pride and the sweet dreams of my childhood. Moreover, they were a very important part of the character forming years of my life. One day, many years later, I saw under the maidservants kitchen table a similar tin box: the sort that contained Jacob crackers. She kept spoons and forks in it. Perhaps I gazed a bit too long at her box because it brought back again that distant bad memory. That bitter feeling inflicted upon me so very long ago could still hurt me. *** The writer is a retired art and antique collector. He likes to write short stories based on his childhood and life experiences in his spare time. Born in Shanghai in 1932, he left for Jakarta at the age of 19. Topics : shortstory@thejakartapost.com We are no longer accepting short story submissions for both online and print editions. New submissions towill not be published. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Mon, March 20, 2017 10:45 2058 a291276806121264c0bd211cde5798ea 4 Science & Tech Swatch,smartwatch,technology,#technology,#smartwatch Free Swatch has announced that it will also be joining the smartwatch trend, putting it in direct competition with Android Wear and the Apple Watch. According to Bloomberg (https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-03-16/swatch-takes-on-google-apple-with-operating-system-for-watches), the Swiss company's smartwatch will hopefully be released in stores by the end of 2018 and boasts better battery life and security than other wearables. It will also run on its own operating system and will likely be built by one of the Silicon Valley-based firms that have been in contact with the company. But there are some people who think this may be a wrong move on Swatchs part. Read also: 5 smartwatches tech-savvy people should watch for Tech website The Next Web (https://thenextweb.com/google/2017/01/05/google-is-bringing-its-clever-assistant-to-android-tv-smartwatches-and-cars/#.tnw_eFB1hCnQ) believes that the nearly two-year waiting period for the phone might hinder Swatch as many more features may give Google and Apple an edge during that time, citing Googles AI that it is already planning to bring to Android Wear. Im not convinced, said Luca Solca, an analyst at Exane BNP Paribas who follows the luxury industry, to Bloomberg. People use smartwatches expecting to use the same apps they have on their mobiles. A proprietary operating system defeats the object. (sul/kes) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Michael Hegarty (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Mon, March 20, 2017 10:05 2058 a291276806121264c0bd211cde576de7 4 Books SBY,Susilo-Bambang-Yudhoyono,book-review,Indonesian-politics,corruption-eradication-commission,KPK,#books,#bookreview Free If one were to call Central Casting looking for a veteran Western news reporter who has spent decades covering the ups and downs of politics and society in Asia, one would no doubt seek a great bear of a man. Ideally, he would be hunched over his Remington typewriter furiously hammering out his copy as he swiped away a mane of grey hair, while thinking about his next meeting in some backstreet shebeen or at the State Palace in pursuit of another lead. John McBeth certainly seems to fulfill this caricature admirably. Presenting his book The Loner, President Yudhoyonos decade of trial and indecision at a recent Jakarta Foreign Correspondents Club event in the Writers Bar at Raffles Hotel, he described himself as an oldfashioned journo a typewriter, paper and ink man for his 55-year journalism career. He started his career at his hometown paper in New Zealand, where he learned the trade, and then over the best part of half a century in Southeast Asia. McBeth knows of what he speaks when it comes to the politics and personalities of Indonesia; over time he has amassed a hoard of sources, and has tapped this to its fullest extent in his critical examination of the presidency of Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. It was McBeths original intention to title his book The Lost Decade but friends and colleagues advised him against it for being too harsh. Anyone who lived through the 10 years of the Yudhoyono presidency, a decade of remarkable growth, peace and prosperity in Indonesia, would probably concur with the decision. McBeth accepted the advice and went instead with the title The Loner, for that is the characteristic of the notoriously prickly sixth president of Indonesia that struck McBeth the most. Yudhoyono is painted as a man with few personal friends and allies. His closest and most listened-to advisers are his formidable wife Kristiani and other members of his immediate family circle, who as a result sought to build a coalition as wide as possible, on consensus rather than loyalty to him as leader. The absence of basic personal loyalty is a failing about which McBeth is most scathing not a lack of it from subordinates, however, but Yudhoyonos own disloyalty when it came to hanging out to dry his finance minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati and vice president Boediono during the Bank Century fiasco. However, given that the 10 years of Yudhoyonos two terms might in later years be seen almost as a golden decade in Indonesian history (as described by the World Economic Forum), what is it about Yudhoyono that McBeth finds most disappointing? Fundamentally, it is about missed opportunities. A fresh new leader, widely regarded as competent and free from corruption, Yudhoyono swept into office on a tide of great goodwill; he could have done anything he chose but ultimately left office having achieved little of any real or lasting substance, with the obvious exception of peace in Aceh. Yudhoyono, despite being a four-star general, was a remarkably timid man when it came to implementing tough policy decisions, says McBeth. Particularly when it came to the absurdly ballooning fuel subsidies, which could easily have been tackled with determination early in his presidency, thus freeing up valuable resources, both financial and political, for more complex issues later in his term. McBeth describes how Yudhoyono was obsessed with the fear that rising fuel prices brought down Soeharto, despite the perfect storm of other crises that led to the end of the New Order Era. Conversely, Yudhoyono convinced himself that cutting fuel prices led to his reelection in 2009, an election in which McBeth believes he was in fact already a shooin. Ultimately, it was the problems that began to gather steam on his watch that will be Yudhoyonos legacy, the baleful effects of which are becoming apparent today. Among these is his failure to support the work of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK). When the KPK successfully prosecuted the father-in-law of Yudhoyonos son, Agus, it appeared that Yudhoyonos anticorruption credentials had been vindicated. However, McBeth writes that within the First Family, the reaction was profound and pressure on the KPK began to increase. The ramifications of this period, and the later jailing of then KPK chief Antasari Azhar, have begun to unravel in recent weeks. Ultimately, it is the instigation of economic nationalism, particularly with relation to mining giant Freeport, the ramifications of which are also front-page news today, that McBeth sees as the worst blot on Yudhoyonos copy book. Overall, McBeth weighs Yudhoyonos record in a balanced manner; his presidency was by no means a litany of failure far from it but the fact remains that while his decade in office was not lost, much of it was nonetheless squandered. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Jessicha Valentina (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Mon, March 20, 2017 15:52 2058 a291276806121264c0bd211cde58e607 1 Science & Tech LGBT,YouTube,#YouTube,video,#LGBT,#LGBTRights,video-streaming Free American video sharing website YouTube has been accused of being a platform of anti-lesbian, -gay, -bisexual and -transgender (LGBT) sentiments as it has a restriction feature that has filtered out content related to the topic. The Guardian reported that a British YouTuber, Rowan Ellis, had posted a video regarding the website's restriction mode on Thursday, pointing out that the feature had taken 40 LGBT-themed videos off her channel. The restricted mode is apparently not a new feature. However, Ellis had only recently noticed it. In the video, Ellis also mentioned that a fellow British YouTube user, Neonfiona, had had similar experience. When a YouTube profile is set on restriction mode, Neonfiona's videos that mention her girlfriend or bisexuality were taken off. Neonfiona later shared a screenshot of her YouTube channel with and without the restriction on her Twitter. She tweeted that a video that discusses sex was not flagged by the website, while the one with "LGBT" in the title was hidden. I want to note that "An Honest Chat About Being Single" discusses sex. My bi videos don't. It's just any and all LGBT+ titles being flagged. fiona (@neonfiona) March 16, 2017 Read also: Subtle (very) 'gay moment' in new Disney film generates buzz For several hours, #YouTubeIsOverParty became a trending topic on Twitter. According to the YouTube help page, the restriction feature was aimed at screening out potentially inappropriate content. The filter function was based on an age restriction, community flagging and other signals. The feature is off when in default mode, but a user can choose to turn it on. The company responded on Sunday via its official Twitter account by saying that the feature was meant for a tiny group of users who want a more limited experience. LGBTQ+ videos are available in restricted mode, but videos that discuss more sensitive issues may not be. (kes) A message to our community ... pic.twitter.com/oHNiiI7CVs YouTube Creators (@YTCreators) March 20, 2017 Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Mon, March 20, 2017 20:07 2058 a291276806121264c0bd211cde59c643 1 City West-Jakarta,public-spaces,RPTRA-Jakarta Free West Jakarta residents will have more options for outdoor activities as the municipal administration has reiterated its plan to build 20 child-friendly integrated public spaces (RPTRAs). West Jakarta Public Housing and Settlement Agency head Kelik Indriyanto said that the plan was almost finalized, as it only required a decree from the West Jakarta mayor. "We have determined the locations. We only need a mayoral decree [to start the project]," Kelik said on Monday, adding that the administration had allocated Rp 31.4 billion (US$2.36 million) from the city budget for the project. "We hope that we can start construction in mid-April," he said. West Cengkareng, North Meruya and Wijaya Kusuma subdistricts are among locations picked for the parks, Kelik added. (fac) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Dylan Amirio (The Jakarta Post) jakarta Mon, March 20, 2017 15:07 2058 a291276806121264c0bd211cde589ca1 1 Business Alibaba,UCWeb,investment,content-providers,browser Free Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba groups UCWeb Inc will invest up to Rp 400 billion into content development and distribution in Indonesia and India for the next two years, after seeing the rising usage of the UCWeb browser in the market. The main focus for the investment will be for the We-Media program, which encourages unique content creation for the UCNews platform and builds a local content ecosystem for the platform as well. The Rp 400 billion investment affirms our commitment to the development of the We-Media content industry in Indonesia, seeing as theres considerable scope for the surge in content that is differentiated by contributors different styles, UCWeb Indonesias general manager, Donald Ru, explained on Monday. To drive the community, UCWeb announced the We-Media Reward Plan 2.0 on Monday, which aims to recruit up to 1,000 media writers in Indonesia and India to write for the UCNews platform under a minimum income of Rp 10 million per month for their work. Ru said to achieve greater digital consumption, the browser would continue to explore partnerships with local and international content creators. We-Media is an effort by UCWeb for UCNews to drive the personalized and unique content by independent contributors such as bloggers, and its appearance in Indonesia, as they claim, will open the door to more opportunities for Indonesias writers. (ags) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Mon, March 20, 2017 19:57 2058 a291276806121264c0bd211cde59b74e 1 City jakarta,ground-water,control Free Following the merger of Jakartas two water firms, sewage company PD PAL Jaya and water utility PAM Jaya, the City Council has called for more supervision of groundwater usage. The head of the councils Commission D overseeing development affairs, Bestari Barus, said on Monday that groundwater usage in Jakarta was quite exploitative. Jakarta is home to hundreds of high-rise buildings that accommodate hundreds of thousands of people, thus absorbing a huge amount of groundwater every day. The city administration needs to control the utilization of groundwater to ensure ecological sustainability, Bestari said as quoted by beritajakarta.com. He said such supervision could help preserve the natural environment in Jakarta. Bestari urged the administration to increase its services for residents, especially in providing clean water. (dea) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Mon, March 20, 2017 20:35 2058 a291276806121264c0bd211cde59d121 1 City Bekasi,school-building,classroom Free The Bekasi administration is expected to build 152 more classrooms for state-run elementary schools and junior high schools this year, allocating a total budget of Rp 60 billion (US$4.5 million). Bekasi Housing, Settlement and Land Agency head Dadang Ginanjar said Monday that the current number of classrooms in the city were far below the adequate level. He said that currently the city had 3,254 elementary school classrooms and 955 junior high school classrooms, while they need 5,194 and 1,137, respectively. Meanwhile, Bekasi Education Agency secretary Inayatullah said that the lack of space had forced the agency to crowd more students into existing classrooms. "The ideal number is 30 students for each classroom. We have 40 students now, she said as quoted by tempo.co. She added that schooling was done in two shifts, allowing a room to be used in the morning by one class and in the afternoon by another. The plan to add more classrooms comes less than a month after a roof collapsed at State Senior High School 1 Muara Gembong in February and injured 28 students. (idb) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Mon, March 20, 2017 06:42 2058 a291276806121264c0bd211cde56cc80 1 National Bio-Farma,cancer,breast-cancer,drugs Free State-owned vaccine producer Bio Farma plans to sell more affordable drugs for breast cancer patients as compared to the current drugs on the market. Senior researcher at Bio Farma Erman Tritama said on Sunday that the research and development team had been creating a biosimilar drug that would be released to the market by 2019. The firm planned to sell the biosimilar drug, a biological product, which is made from tissue, cell, DNA and protein of living creatures, cheaper than biosimilar drugs produced by Swiss health-care firm Roche, which sells similar drug for about Rp 25 million (US$ 1,873) per dose. Bio Farma plans to sell its version 30 percent cheaper than the current price, which is at Rp 7.5 million. Biosimilar drugs for breast cancer have been patented for 19 years and the patent right will expire in 2019, Erman said as quoted by antaranews.com. (Read also: Foreign boost might get Indonesian healthcare airborne) Biosimilar drugs for breast cancer contain trastuzumab, which is used to streamline the chemotherapy process by reducing the side effects of the procedure and accelerating the healing process. Biosimilar drugs are used at least five times during the treatment, which means a patient needs to pay for at least Rp 125 million worth of biosimilar drugs. He added that Indonesia needed to prepare to release the drug as other companies from other countries are also preparing to release the drug in 2019. We have to be fast, which is one of the ways to compete to sell it at a cheaper price, Erman added. Bio Farma also has been developing cheaper vaccines for typhoid and pneumonia. (rdi/rin) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Mon, March 20, 2017 11:14 2058 a291276806121264c0bd211cde57a679 1 City House,robbery,crime,Tangerang Free A group of people broke into a luxury home on Jl. Kramat II in Karawaci, Tangerang, on Sunday and locked the houses occupant, a 45-year old disabled man named Cucu, up in a bathroom. Cucus family found him in a weak condition on Sunday afternoon with his hands tied and mouth gagged in the bathroom. He was rushed to the hospital. Karawaci Police chief Munir Yaji said police were hunting down the perpetrators, estimated to be five persons. (Read also: Six killed in alleged robbery in Pulo Mas) He added that the burglars had entered the house after breaking the front door. The victim was in his bedroom when the perpetrators came and clamped him, Munir said as quoted by kompas.com. The burglars made off with Cucus cell phone, money and ring. (vny/wit) Topics : House robbery crime Tangerang Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Prima Wirayani (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Mon, March 20, 2017 17:24 2058 a291276806121264c0bd211cde595f97 1 Business cement,cement-factory,#cement,Baturaja Free State-owned cement producer Semen Baturajas profit dropped by 21 percent to Rp 274.09 billion (US$20.6 million) last year due to the company's revenue growth being lower than its costs. According to the public company report published by the Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX) on Monday, the company recorded Rp 348.34 billion in net profit in 2015. Semen Baturaja said its revenue increased by 4.1 percent to Rp 1.52 trillion last year versus Rp 1.46 trillion in 2015, while its costs climbed by 4.4 percent to Rp 1.01 trillion. The firm sold Rp 1.06 trillion worth of packaged cement and Rp 455.45 billion of cement in bulk during the period. Bulk cement is usually sold to companies managing infrastructure projects while packaged cement is for retail consumption. Semen Baturaja expects a 23 percent annual increase in its sales this year on the back of a new factory, which is projected to start operating in June. After the new plant has opened, total annual production capacity will be 3.85 million tons of cement. The company has allocated Rp 617.8 billion for capital expenditure this year, significantly lower than the Rp 2.3 trillion disbursed in 2016, as construction of the factory is almost complete. (dan) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Panca Nugraha (The Jakarta Post) Mataram Mon, March 20, 2017 15:45 2058 a291276806121264c0bd211cde58e260 1 National West-Nusa-Tenggara,sanctuary,deer Free West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) plans to build a deer sanctuary this year to reverse the decline in the deer population. NTB Natural Resources Conservation Agency (BKSDA) head Widada said on Monday that the planned 1.5-hectare sanctuary for the animal, which is the mascot of West Nusa Tenggara, will be located in Gunung Tunak Nature Park in Central Lombok. We will place 20 to 30 deer within the sanctuary, Widada said, adding that the deer population in the province was no more than 2,000, scattered around Mount Rinjani, Mount Tambora, Moyo Island, the protected forests in Lombok and Sumbawa, and in breeding centers. In 2005, the deer population reached 6,000 in Lombok and Sumbawa, he added. Illegal hunting, climate change and habitat destruction were the reasons behind the decreasing number, said Widada. The BKSDA coordinator for forest ecosystem control, Tri Endang, said the ecosystem of the deer sanctuary would be made similar to that of their natural habitat. Hopefully they will breed well within the sanctuary, said Tri, adding that the deer reproduction cycle was one year. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Marguerite Afra Sapiie (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Mon, March 20, 2017 Even with their feet buried in concrete blocks for five days in front of the State Palace, the protests by a group of farmers from the Kendeng mountain area against a cement factory in Rembang, Central Java, have apparently been ignored. President Joko Jokowi Widodo is expected to inaugurate the state-run cement maker Semen Indonesias factory next month, according to State-Owned Enterprises (SEO) Minister Rini Soemarno following her visit to the factory on Friday. The factorys development has been completed, and it will operate smoothly [] but, the inauguration will wait for the results from the KLHS [strategic environmental assessment], which hopefully, will be completed in April, Rini said. Repeated calls by the farmers for Jokowi to shut down the cement factory are not a problem for Rini, who claimed that the farmers only represented 5 percent of locals who opposed the construction and that the majority of villagers supported the cement factory. The Mount Kendeng Community Network (JMPPK) has staged protests against the issuance of the new environmental permit for Semen Indonesia in Jakarta since Monday. Whatever the [governments] plan is, we will continue to oppose the cement factory in Rembang. The environmental damage is too high and the karst ecosystem in the area should be protected, Joko Priyanto, an activist with the JMPPK, told The Jakarta Post. In October last year, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of farmers and ordered Semen Indonesia to cease its activities. Central Java Governor Ganjar Pranowo revoked the permit on Jan. 16, but he issued a new environmental permit on Feb. 23. From 10 farmers seen protesting under the sun on Monday, the fifth day of the protest on Friday saw 50 farmers who were committed to cementing their feet until Jokowi responded to their calls. Gun Retno, a farmer from Pati, said water supply during draught season in areas around Kendeng mountain had been decreasing due to mining sites and deforestation. With high population density, Java needs to preserve the environment and ensure water supply. Without water its impossible for [farmers] to plant. How can we produce food for people to eat? Gun told the Post. Two state rights bodies have stepped up to support the farmers in a quest to preserve karst ecology, which according to the Indonesian Institute of Science (LIPI), is on the brink of crisis with only 5,500 square kilometers, 4 percent, of total land area on Java. National Commission of Human Rights (Komnas HAM) commissioner Muhammad Nurkhoiron urged the government to immediately issue a government regulation on karst ecology to ensure preservation and utilization of karst regions for common interests without violating human rights. What these farmers are fight- ing for is not only for us but for future generations as well, Nurkhoiron said. Last year, Jokowi ordered Rembangs cement factory to cease operations until the KLHS report was complete. Presidential Chief of Staff Teten Masduki said the KLHS would take about a year. Yanuar Nugroho, a deputy in the Presidential Office, said they could not confirm whether or not President Jokowi would inaugurate the cement factory next month. We are monitoring the progress of the KLHS report, which is currently in the hands of the Environment and Forestry Ministry, Yanuar told the Post. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Mon, March 20 2017 United States technology giant Apple Inc. has secured official approval to once again sell its signature iPhone mobile phone series in Indonesia after fulfilling a requirement to use a minimum of 30 percent local components in smartphones distributed throughout the country, locally known as TKDN. The Industry Ministrys director for metals, machinery, transportations and electronics, I Gusti Putu Suryawirawan, confirmed on Sunday that the ministry had granted the approval after Apple agreed to build supporting infrastructure to fulfil the requirement. Apple is now establishing innovation centers [here] with investment value worth US$44 million, Putu told The Jakarta Post via text message, without elaborating on the exact location of the innovation centers. 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 Rita Widiadana (The Jakarta Post) Yogyakarta Mon, March 20, 2017 The National Population and Family Planning Board (BKKBN) and the Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Program (JHUCCP) Indonesia are set to organize the National Adolescents Summit at the Hyatt Hotel Yogyakarta from March 21 to March 23. The event will bring together academics, experts, international agencies, civil society groups and hundreds of young people from across Indonesia to comprehensively discuss ways to enhance access to quality information on reproductive health for adolescents in a bid to curb teen pregnancy and birth rates among adolescents. The meeting aims to invite all parties to join hands in implementing adolescent programs, said Fitri Putjuk, one of the executives of the organizing committee. Currently, there are so many programs for youth but they are implemented separately by different parties, each with its own target. An illustration of a happy little family.(Shutterstock/File) Putjuk, who is also the country representative for JHUCCP, said the outcome of the summit was expected to be a comprehensive program involving all stakeholders, including the government, donor agencies, UN agencies, civil society organizations and adolescent groups. A number of influential figures, including Melinda Gates, co-founder of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and Dr. Chandra-Mouli from the WHO, are listed as speakers in the first ever National Adolescents Summit. (Read also: Teen pregnancy rate remains high in Yogyakarta) Data from the Long-Medium Term National Development (RPJM) Survey indicates that access for adolescents to reproductive health information is still low, with no significant improvement between the years 2002-2015. Furthermore, less than 50 percent of adolescents receive information regarding pregnancy and birth issues, such as Family Planning, pregnancy prevention and contraception. The data also says that adolescents are increasingly permissive in their sexual behavior. In 2015, around 5 percent of unmarried adolescents had had sexual intercourse. About 0.1 to 0.4 percent of boys and girls had their first experience of sexual intercourse when they were 15-17 years old. (bbs) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Nethy Dharma Somba (The Jakarta Post) Jayapura Mon, March 20, 2017 08:59 2058 a291276806121264c0bd211cde572fa6 4 National Papua,National-Police,Tito-Karnavian Free Papuans have praised National Police chief Gen. Tito Karnavian for appointing a native to the country's eastermost region as a police chief in Java. Tito has appointed Adj. Sr. Comr. Semmy Ronny Thabaa, former Nabire Police chief in Papua, as the new chief of Tegal Police in Central Java. This is the first such appointment. We give our highest appreciation to General Tito, chairman of Meepago customs council John NR Gobay, who is also a secretary of the Papuan Customary Council, told The Jakarta Post. (Read also: Political risk of neglecting inequality in Papua) The assignment given to Semmy by Gen. Tito who was once a Papua Police chief, as he saw it, shows a changing perspective on the way Javanese people see Papuans, who are often considered behind in education and development. He said now people from other parts of Indonesia could learn that Papuans were well-educated, had good achievements and could perform well in the tasks entrusted to them. Semmy is a 1995 graduate of the Police Academy. Before he was assigned in Tegal, he was a police chief in Paniai, Jayawijaya and Nabire, all in Papua. John said Semmy was assertive but a populist, proactive in handling cases and had good communication skills with all walks of life, including those holding different opinions. Papua Police chief Insp. Gen. Paulus Waterpauw also appreciated the police chief's move, saying that he hoped Semmy could become a role model for young Papuan police officers. (wit) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Mon, March 20, 2017 21:13 2058 a291276806121264c0bd211cde59de47 1 National e-KTP,graft Free Golkar Party politician Melchias Mekeng filed a criminal complaint with the police on Monday against a businessman who mentioned his name in court as one of scores of people who allegedly accepted kickbacks from the nearly Rp 6 trillion (US$451 million) e-ID card project. Melchias claimed he did not even know Andi Narogong, the businessman who won the e-ID card tender. He accused Andi of giving false statements to the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) and of slandering him. "Ive never seen him in person," Melchias told reporters after filing his report with the National Polices Criminal Investigation Department (Bareskrim). Melchias was first mentioned in a Jakarta Corruption Court hearing in 2010 by former Democratic Party treasurer Muhammad Nazaruddin, as one of his fellow lawmakers who had received kickbacks from the alleged embezzlement that caused state losses of Rp 2.3 trillion. The mega corruption case has implicated dozens of politicians, former government bureaucrats and businesspeople. Among the bigwigs are House of Representatives Speaker Setya Novanto and former home minister Gamawan Fauzi. Melchias is also planning to file a criminal complaint against Nazaruddin, who is serving 13 years imprisonment for corruption and money laundering in an unrelated case. Melchias was a former chairman of House Commission XI overseeing finance in 2009 to 2014, while the e-ID scheme began at the end of January 2010 when the Home Ministry sought Rp 6.9 trillion for the demographic administration information system project. (hol) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Mon, March 20, 2017 13:46 2058 a291276806121264c0bd211cde583a32 1 National e-ID,corruption-case,GolkarParty,setya-novanto Free Melchias Mekeng, a Golkar Party politician who was also the chairman of House of Representatives Commission XI overseeing finance from 2009 until 2014, reported on Monday Andi Narogong to the National Police Criminal Investigation Department (Bareskrim) for accusing him of accepting money in relation to the e-ID graft case. "I'm here to find justice," Melchias said when entering Bareskrim. Melchias claimed he was not involved in the e-ID case and therefore felt that Andi's statements had damaged his reputation. (Read also: Gamawan Fauzi denies receiving fee from e-ID project) Melchias' name was mentioned first in 2010 by former Democratic Party treasurer Muhammad Nazaruddin, as one of the people who allegedly accepted embezzled money from the e-ID project. In February, Andi Agustinus alias Andi Narogong, a businessman who was a supplier in the Rp 5.9 trillion e-ID project, also told the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) that during the period of September to October 2010, he had given money to Melchias several times, amounting to US$ 1.4 million, to smoothen the project's budget approval at the House. Andi claimed the transactions between them happened in the office of Setya Novanto, currently Golkar chairman, and the office of Mustokoweni Murdi, another Golkar lawmaker, on the 12th floor of the House. The e-ID case has rattled the country's political elite, as it has implicated politicians such as Setya and Melchias, as well as former high-ranking bureaucrats such as former home minister Gamawan Fauzi. (hol/wit) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Mon, March 20 2017 A fire destroyed several houses, a furniture warehouse and a retail store in the area of Kramat Bunder in Senen, Central Jakarta, on Sunday afternoon. The blaze broke out at 4:30 p.m. from a rented house and spread quickly to other nearby buildings. Central Jakarta fire department deployed 31 fire engines to extinguish the fire. 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 Haeril Halim (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Mon, March 20, 2017 15:57 2058 a291276806121264c0bd211cde58ed71 1 National coral-reefs,raja-ampat,Caledonian-Sky,environment,EnvironmentConservation,Papua,cruise-ship Free Environment and Forestry Minister Siti Nurbaya said on Monday that the government is considering taking the recent incident involving a UK cruise vessel, the MV Caledonian Sky, to an international tribunal as the company announced it would settle the case with its insurance. Environmentalists and academics estimate that Indonesia might suffer losses of US$18.6 million from damage to coral reefs in Raja Ampat, West Papua, caused by the Caledonian Sky cruise ship earlier this month. The damaged area totaled 13,532.6 square meters. Siti said the cruise company had offered payments for the losses through insurance, but the government is concerned that the compensation paid this way would be too little. We are worried about such an arrangement because insurance is always smart about finding arguments so that it will pay as little compensation money as possible, Siti told reporters at the State Palace. (Read also: Caledonian Skys captain made similar mistake in Medan) As an alternative, Siti said that the government of Indonesia was considering the option of bringing the case to the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea. My office is currently collecting all necessary documents to support the move, Siti said. Siti said that the Indonesian government would strengthen its argument to support the possible plea using Law No. 5/1999 on conservation of live natural resources and the ecosystem, Law No. 32/2009 on environmental protection and management and the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. (wit) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Anton Hermansyah (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Mon, March 20 2017 The insurance industry is being urged to directly invest in infrastructure projects as the industry, including pension funds, has capacity to invest hundreds of trillions of rupiah, a significant sum needed in infrastructure development. Financial Services Authority (OJK) commissioner for non-banking financial industry Firdaus Djaelani said the superbody had been pushing insurance companies to take action and invest in infrastructure. It held a meeting with insurers and state-owned enterprises (SOEs) in the construction industry three months ago, during which the SOEs presented all of their current infrastructure projects. 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 Mon, March 20, 2017 19:22 2058 a291276806121264c0bd211cde59b4a5 1 City jakarta,waste-bank Free The Jakarta Environment Agency expects 1,000 of the 2,700 community units (RW) in the capital to establish waste banks this year to help with waste management in the city. Agency head Isnawa Adji said Monday that 400 RWs had already established waste banks in their neighborhoods. A waste bank is a collection point for trash, where residents can drop their pre-sorted household waste in return for cash. The waste is divided into organic and non-organic. Organic waste gets turned into compost, while non-organic waste is divided further into three categories: plastic, paper and bottles and metal. We hope that mayors and district heads will take part to support the establishment of such facilities in their areas, he said as quoted by beritajakarta.com. He said that with the city's 10 million residents producing 7,000 tons of garbage per day, most of which was dumped at the 110-hectare Bantar Gebang landfill in West Java, waste management had been a problem for years. More waste banks will reduce the volume of waste at Bantar Gebang, he said. (idb) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Elaine Kurtenbach (Associated Press) Tokyo Mon, March 20, 2017 The foreign and defense ministers from Japan and Russia met in Tokyo on Monday, with both sides expressing hope that discussions on joint development of islands claimed by both countries might help them move closer to resolving the territorial dispute preventing them from forging a peace treaty. The talks are the first "two-plus-two" meeting since Russia's annexation of Crimea from Ukraine. The one-day meeting is largely focusing on regional security, especially how best to deal with North Korea's launches of missiles and its nuclear program. Russia's Foreign Ministry said before the talks that its envoys would raise the issue of a plan by the US and its ally South Korea to deploy a state-of-the-art missile defense system known as THAAD, which has antagonized China and Russia. Joint efforts in fighting terrorism and drug trafficking were also on the agenda. Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida was meeting with his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, while Japanese Defense Minister Tomomi Inada sat down for talks with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu. The four ministers will also hold joint talks on international and bilateral issues. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Mon, March 20, 2017 21:49 2058 a291276806121264c0bd211cde59ec56 1 National blasphemy,trial,Semarang Free The Semarang District Court in Central Java sentenced a man named Andrew Handoko to one-and-a-half years in prison for blasphemy on Monday. Presiding judge Puji Widodo said Andrews action of tearing up the Quran was found to have violated Article 156 of the Criminal Code. According to the law, anyone who publicly expresses feelings of hostility, hatred or contempt toward one or more of the people of Indonesia can face a maximum four years imprisonment or a maximum fine of Rp 4,500 (36 US cents). Puji said the defendant had been proven guilty of doing so, through his intent and actions in tearing up the Quran and its translation, as it is the Muslim holy book and the scripture of all faiths should be respected. He added that as the defendant was educated, there was no reason for him to not be aware of his actions. "The act of the defendant offended Muslims and met the elements of defamation of religion," Puji said as quoted by Antara news agency. Andrew was indicted for allegedly tearing up a Quran at his ex-girlfriends boarding house in Surakarta in October 2016. The woman reported him to the Surakarta Police, but the trial was moved to Semarang for security reasons. (dis) Topics : blasphemy trial Semarang Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Stefani Ribka (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Mon, March 20, 2017 The Industry Ministry plans to open six polytechnic schools by 2019 in an effort to help fill the gap of skilled workers in the country's manufacturing sector. The ministry's training and education center head, Mujiyono, said the new education facilities would add to the existing 10. All the new polytechnic schools will adopt a dual system that allows students to learn both theory and practice, he said recently. (Read also: Industry Ministry eyes 220,000 certified workers in 2017) The schools will be established in Semarang, Central Java, specializing in furniture; in Bantaeng, South Sulawesi, specializing in metal processing; in Dumai, Riau, specializing in palm oil processing; and in Batu Licing, Souh Kalimantan, for the steel industry. Two other schools offering skills training to support miscellaneous sectors will be built in Bintuni, West Papua and Sei Mangkei, North Sumatra. Businesses have highlighted difficulties in finding manpower with proper skills despite a workforce of 100 million people in the country. The manufacturing sector needs a workforce of 589,447 people this year, with ministry data showing the number will increase to 619,732 people by 2019. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Mon, March 20, 2017 11:43 2058 a291276806121264c0bd211cde57d2c6 1 National weaponry-modernization,F-16,F-16-Fighting-Falcon,Indonesian-Military,RI-US Free Five F-16 jet fighters granted from the United States government will arrive at the Iswahjudi Air Force Base in Magetan, East Java, on Monday. "Five F-16 fighter aircraft type F-16C/D from the US government will arrive today at Iswahjudi Air Force Base, Magetan," Head of public information at the Iswahjudi Air Force Base, Magetan, Mayor Tamsir, said on Monday as quoted on kompas.com. (Read also: Two squadrons of F-16s grounded after crash) The five jet fighters are a portion of the 24 aircraft the US government granted to Indonesia. Indonesia has received 14 aircraft until now. "So there are still five more to come. According to schedule, they will arrive by the end of the year," said Tamsir. Tamsir said one pilot from Iswahjudi would be one of the five pilots who flew the aircraft from the US to Indonesia. Tamsir added that the five aircraft would received directly by Danlanud Iswahjudi, Marsma TNI Andyawan MP at the main base. It was earlier reported that five F-16s from the US Air Force had arrived at Iswahjudi on Wednesday. The aircraft have been upgraded so that their ability is equivalent to a new plane. The five aircraft are expected to strengthen Indonesias main weaponry system. (dis/wit) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Mon, March 20, 2017 14:18 2058 a291276806121264c0bd211cde584436 1 National FreeportIndonesia,Papua,student-protest,US-Consulate,bali Free Dozens of students grouped under the Papuan Students Alliance (AMP) in Bali protested on Monday in front of the United States Consulate General on Jl. Hayam Wuruk, Denpasar. They expressed their rejection of the presence of gold and copper miner PT Freeport Indonesia in Papua. Before the protests, they marched from the east parking area of Renon. The students carried handouts that read "Freeport has to rehabilitate environmental damage", "Freeport came, human nature in Papua lost", "let us make our own choices". (Read also: Indonesia prepares company to manage Freeport) The leader of the protest, Gidion Logo, said in 51 years, Freeport had not given any real benefit to the community in Papua. AMP coordinator Nipson Murib said the protest only aimed to fight for the fate of the people and the land of Papua. "When Freeport came, they destroyed our natural resources. We lived off the land through farming, not gold mining," Murib said as quoted by kompas.com He said local communities faced intimidation in Papua. The rally ran peacefully under police escort. (dis/wit) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Hans Nicholas Jong and Moses Ompusunggu (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Mon, March 20 2017 Though it may sound like a conspiracy theory, the Indonesian government has taken seriously allegations that foreign researchers have used all kinds of ways including disguising themselves as tourists to steal the nations genetic resources. Indonesia is home to some of the richest biodiversity in the world and government officials are concerned that foreign parties are developing and exploiting local genetic resources without obtaining consent from or providing fair compensation to Indonesia as stipulated in the Nagoya Protocol, which Jakarta has ratified. The Research and Technology and Higher Education Ministry, therefore, has recently issued a regulation to prevent this suspected biopiracy. 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 Hans Nicholas Jong and Moses Ompusunggu (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Mon, March 20, 2017 Though it may sound like a conspiracy theory, the Indonesian government has taken seriously allegations that foreign researchers have used all kinds of ways including disguising themselves as tourists to steal the nations genetic resources. Indonesia is home to some of the richest biodiversity in the world and government officials are concerned that foreign parties are developing and exploiting local genetic resources without obtaining consent from or providing fair compensation to Indonesia as stipulated in the Nagoya Protocol, which Jakarta has ratified. The Research and Technology and Higher Education Ministry, therefore, has recently issued a regulation to prevent this suspected biopiracy. The 2017 ministerial regulation, released in February, stipulates that the government will no longer provide recommendations for foreign researchers to conduct research in less-explored regions prone to natural resources theft such as Papua and Maluku islands. While the regulation does not impose a total ban on research in those areas, it makes it more difficult for foreign scientists to obtain a permit for research there. We will give the opportunities to our local researchers first to conduct research in those areas, where new species of flora and fauna have been found, the ministrys secretary of foreign research permits, Sri Wahyono, told The Jakarta Post recently. Sri said the threat of biopiracy in Indonesia was real. He argued that the governments free-visa policy for 169 countries, aimed to boost foreign tourist arrivals to Indonesia, had made it easier for foreigners to access local biodiversity resources. Right now, the common modus operandi includes ecotourism, where foreigners come to Indonesia with a visa on arrival to visit our protected forest areas and sanctuaries. Some of them have been caught red-handed [stealing resources]. In February, Environment and Forestry Ministry (KLHK) investigators arrested a French national, identified as DL, in Papua for allegedly attempting to smuggle a rare butterfly species named Ornithoptera Goliath, which is widely known as Goliath birdwing and is the second-largest butterfly on the planet. Using a tourist visa, DL arrived at Manokwari in Papua on Feb. 25 and then continued his journey to Mokwam village in Arfak Mountain where he allegedly collected the species. The butterfly is one of the rarest species [of butterfly] and was about to be smuggled to France, said KLHK investigator Adrianus Mosa. It has not been confirmed yet if DL has made an attempt to commit biopiracy, but the government is treating it as such, saying DL was not the first. As an example, Sri cited a 2012 case where several teenagers from the UK were caught collecting samples without permission at the Murung Raya protected forest in Central Kalimantan. Visa abuse aside, Indonesia has seen an increase in the number of foreign researchers visiting the country to conduct cutting-edge science projects, including those that have huge economic potential. In the past, Indonesia only issued around 200 research permits per year. Since 2010, we issued around 500 permits. The interest is growing, especially in biodiversity, such as zoology, botany and marine biology, Sri said. The regulation thus also aims to fight a subtler and more controversial form of biopiracy: unfair research cooperation agreements between local and foreign scientists. Rosichon Ubaidillah, the head of zoology at the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) biology research department, claimed to have evidence showing that many agreements signed by Indonesian universities and their foreign counterparts tend to benefit the latter. Foreign researchers may have collected research materials legally, but what they have been doing is not always ethical, Rosichon said. LIPI, he said, had to cancel scientific cooperation with a German institution last year because the latter refused to change a material transfer agreement (MTA) LIPI deemed as disadvantaging Indonesia. Dominique Roubert, press officer for the French Embassy in Jakarta, said they could not give any comment regarding this issue and would let Indonesian authorities continue the investigation process. We will fully abide by Indonesian law, Dominique said. (hol) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Liza Yosephine (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Mon, March 20 2017 Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi during a visit to Malaysia stressed a commitment to protect migrant workers in the neighboring country, where more than 1 million Indonesian workers are registered. Retnos visit to Penang and Johor from Wednesday until Saturday came almost 50 years after a visit to the same two states by then foreign minister Adam Malik in 1969. According to Foreign Ministry data, there are some 360,000 Indonesian workers registered at the Indonesian Consulate General (KJRI) Johor Bahru and about 80,000 at KJRI Penang. 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 Ivany Atina Arbi (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Mon, March 20 2017 Building managers need to conduct regular inspections to determine the safety of their elevators to prevent accidents following an elevator free-fall at Blok M Square shopping mall in South Jakarta on Friday. The Indonesian Association of Manufacturers and Contractors for Elevators and Escalators (APPLE) said it would immediately conduct familiarization sessions on elevator and escalator safety standards with all elevator and escalator contractors, as well as with building managers in the capital. APPLE will pro-actively conduct the dissemination [of information]. Otherwise, there will be many more victims [if similar accidents happen], APPLE chair Budi Pahlawan told The Jakarta Post on Sunday. 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 Mon, March 20, 2017 12:49 2058 a291276806121264c0bd211cde57faa7 1 National cement-factory,Rembang-factory,Kendeng-farmers,environment,Jokowi-administration,joko-widodo Free Having buried their feet in concrete blocks in front of Jakartas State Palace for eight days, Kendeng residents are receiving growing support from other groups in demanding President Joko Jokowi Widodo revoke a license for a cement factory for PT Semen Indonesia in Rembang, Central Java, which they fear endangers their hometown. On Monday, 50 Kendeng residents will see 10 activists from Jakarta join them in pouring concrete on their feet in front of the palace as an expression of solidarity. The support comes from farmers from Teluk Jambe in Karawang, West Java, and from Batang, Central Java. Organized in the group United Farmers, they have come to the palace to perform a ritual to bring luck. (Read also: Disputed cement plant in Central Java stays on track) Bandung residents, meanwhile, expressed solidarity with the protestors during the citys Car Free Day event on Sunday. The Association of Independent Trade Unions of Bandung and the Working People's Party (PRP) also voiced their support for the Kendeng protest. Volunteers from the Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI) helped with soup kitchens, providing food and other needs for the protesters. They also raised donations by selling T-shirts to support the cost of the action. In addition to the action by Kendeng residents in front of the palace, opposition to the cement factory echoed in the villages around the plant in Rembang. On Sunday night, Timbrangan villagers sent their prayers for safety and victory. (dis/wit) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Callistasia Anggun Wijaya and Winda A. Charmila (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Mon, March 20, 2017 Support from the family of former president Soeharto, the longest ruler of the country, for the Jakarta gubernatorial ticket of Anies Baswedan and Sandiaga Uno to win the upcoming election could be harmful for the pair, analysts have said. In late February, Soehartos daughter, Titiek Soeharto, declared her support for Anies and Sandiaga, contradicting the official stance of her Golkar Party, which backed incumbent Jakarta Governor Basuki Ahok Tjahaja Purnama and his running mate, Djarot Saiful Hidayat. Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) political analyst Siti Zuhro said that the Cendana family still had a significant number of supporters. Titiek Soehato is a lawmaker from Golkar while Tommy has a new political party. They wont be approached if they dont have a base of supporters, she recently said, citing the names of Soehartos children who had voiced their support. Siti said the large numbers who attended the commemoration of the March 11 Indonesian Presidential Executive Order (Supersemar), which Soeharto had used to wrest control from his predecessor, first president Sukarno, showed that the family still had a large following. During the commemoration, Soehartos children, also known as the Cendana family, invited the chief patron of the Gerindra Party, Prabowo Subianto, and the Anies-Sandiaga pair to be honored guests at a mass prayer in the At-Tin Mosque in East Jakarta. In the event, which was attended by four of Soehartos six children Titiek, Siti Hardiyanti Rukmana, Siti Hutami Endang and Hutomo Mandala Putra the patron of the hard-line Islam Defenders Front (FPI), Rizieq Shihab, who had helped orchestrate large protests against Ahok, was given the stage to deliver a tausiyah (sermon) to the participants. Political observer Ray Rangkuti of the Lingkar Madani Foundation said the support might result in more votes for Anies and Sandiaga, but voters from the middle and upper classes could be turned off by the apparent closeness between Anies and Sandiaga and the Cendana family. The middle and upper classes, likely to be more educated, might be more sensitive to the stigma attached to the New Order, including the rampant corruption, collusion and nepotism within the family, as well as the human rights violations during Soehartos reign, he said. Army general Soeharto was allegedly involved in several human rights abuses, such as the Tanjung Priok Massacre in early 1984, the 1989 Talangsari incident in Lampung, as well as the May 1998 riots between citizens and the military that resulted in many deaths and injuries. Soeharto ordered a serious of mysterious shootings between 1982 and 1985, known as Petrus, which reportedly killed about 2,000 people across the country, with the Indonesian Military (TNI) and the National Police deemed to have actually carried them out, according to reports by the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) in 2012. Even first-time voters who were born after the fall of the New Order in 1998 might be aware of the various human rights violations and examples of corruption done by Soeharto and thus would not be swayed to vote for Anies and Sandiaga, according to State Islamic University (UIN) political analyst Adi Prayitno. First-time voters made up nearly 200,000 of the 6.8 million registered voters in the first round of the election in February, according to data from the General Elections Commission (KPU). There would be 21,000 more firsttime voters registered in the second round of the election. Even though they [first-time voters] dont know how it was like to live in the Soeharto era, schools must have taught them. Even people in villages know. Jakarta residents are educated, Adi told The Jakarta Post on Saturday. If I could suggest, gubernatorial candidate pairs do not need to have romantic affiliations with that family. Just work hard on wooing swing voters to get more votes. Besides, the support from the Cendana family would not make a huge difference because the political power of the family had waned, he added. Symbolically, support from the family is considered influential, but they do not have big political power, Adi said. Ray echoed Adis sentiment. While Titiek was a legislator, her constituency was in Yogyakarta, Ray said. Hutomo, popularly known as Tommy, meanwhile, did not have a strong organization or political party that could contribute votes to the pair, he said. The family could also no longer rely on the Golkar Party, Soehartos political vehicle for decades, since the party officially endorses Ahok and Gatot, Ray said. Instead of helping Anies and Sandiaga to gain more votes, it is the Cendana family that stands to benefit more from the move, he said. For instance, the family could use this partnership to rejuvenate its popularity and influence among the people by spreading claims about the accomplishments of their father during the New Order. If the gubernatorial election tickets are not careful, it is feared that the election could provide momentum to the family to spread their political [power], Adi said. Middle class could stay away from Anies if he remains close to Cendana family Even for young voters association with Soeharto brand could negatively impact candidates prospects. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Mon, March 20, 2017 09:22 2058 a291276806121264c0bd211cde5740d7 1 City jakarta,traffic-congestion,vehicles-taxes Free The Jakarta Taxation and Retribution Agency (BPRD) has recorded that the owners of 3.8 million vehicles in Jakarta are still behind in their vehicle tax payments. The 3.8 million vehicles comprise 3.2 million motorcycles and 600,000 cars, said Jakarta Police traffic law enforcement division head Comr. Budiyanto said. The situation, therefore, has urged BPRD to search vehicles, he said. The BPRD and the Jakarta Police traffic unit will cooperate in conducting a search on vehicles around Jakarta, which will take place in late April or early May, he said as quoted by wartakota.tribunnews.com on Sunday. (Read also: Ahok proposes higher vehicle taxes to ease traffic) The BPRD and the police hope to give the owners of the vehicles a lesson through the search, Budiyanto said. Other relevant agencies such as the Jakarta Transportation Agency and the Jakarta Public Order Agency (Satpol PP) will also take part in the searches, he said. Under a bylaw implemented in 2015, vehicle tax is set at 2 percent of vehicle price. The second vehicle owned under the same name will be taxed 2.5 percent and so forth based on a progressive system.(dea/wit) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Ina Parlina (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Mon, March 20, 2017 Timor-Leste is voting for a new president on Monday, in an election believed by many as important to determine the future of the country. Eight candidates, including a female candidate, are running in the election, the fourth since its independence in 2002, with a potential second round in April before the parliamentary election in July. Francisco Lu Olo Guterres backed by Fretilin, the left-leaning party that led the independence struggle and Democratic Party politician Antonio da Conceicao who is also the education minister are the two leading candidates in Mondays election. Other candidates are Antonio Maher from the Socialist Party of Timor, Angela Freitas from Trabalhista or the Labor Party and Jose Luis Guterres from Frenti Mudanca, while three independent hopefuls, Amorim Vieira, Jose Antonio das Neves and Luis Alves Tilman, are also in the race. Timor-Lestes Election Committee recorded over 747,000 registered voters scattered in the 13 districts in the country with 1,332 overseas voters expected to take part in both the presidential and parliamentary elections, the Dili Weekly reported. Francisco Jeronimo from the East Timorese consulate in Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara Timur, said the condition in his country was stable ahead of the election,tempo.co reported. The news portal also reported that Dili was quiet on Sunday morning, unlike on the final day of campaigning on Friday when the East Timorese flocked to political rallies. Most Dili residents left the capital and returned to their hometowns to vote since voters can only cast their ballots in their residency shown on their electoral cards. Dili is quiet as many residents have returned to their hometowns, Dili resident Fabiana Meneses said on Sunday. Technical Secretariat for Electoral Administration (STAE) director Acilino Manuel Branco told Dili Weekly that his office has provided ample time for citizens to update or change their electoral card details to be able to take part in the elections in 2017. Amid persistent poverty, unemployment and corruption in Asias youngest democracy, Mondays presidential poll and the July parliamentary elections have been regarded as a critical time as the new leadership will face a lack of oil revenue, as warned by Dilibased think tank Lao Hamutuk. Charles Scheiner of Lao Hamutuk said the challenge for the incoming government would be to diversify its sources of income to include agriculture and manufacturing, as the Bayu-Undan field is predicted to dry up in the next five years. The energy sector in TimorLeste accounted for about 60 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP) in 2014 and more than 90 percent of government revenue. As its closest neighbor, Jakarta expects the presidential election to run smoothly, said Foreign Ministry spokesman Arrmanatha Nasir. Whoever gets elected, Indonesia is ready to maintain cooperation with Timor-Leste, which will mutually benefit the two countries and contribute to stability and welfare in the region, he said on Sunday. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Apriadi Gunawan (The Jakarta Post) Medan Mon, March 20, 2017 12:17 2058 a291276806121264c0bd211cde57fa65 4 National indigenous-people,indigenous-people-rights,AMAN,environment,customary-forest,forest-conservation Free The fifth congress of the Indigenous People's Alliance of the Archipelago (AMAN) has elected Rukka Sombolinggi as its new secretary-general for the next five years. The native of Toraja, South Sulawesi, has been elected to replace Abdon Nababan from North Sumatra. She was chosen through a deliberation during the congress, which was held in Tanjung Gusta, North Sumatra, last week. We had a discussion and shared our collective goal to develop AMAN and indigenous peoples. Thats why we have chosen our sister, Rukka Sombolinggi, as AMAN secretary-general for the 2017-2022 period, said Mina Setra, who was among the other four candidates that ran for the post on Sunday night. (Read also: After the customary forest recognition) AMAN is the forum of indigenous peoples in the country that have fought for their rights for years, including rights to cultivate customary land. The groups next congress in 2022 will be held in Papua. (wit) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Stefani Ribka (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Mon, March 20, 2017 15:14 2058 a291276806121264c0bd211cde58b23b 1 Business Germany,investment,nickel-processing,Gas,Europe,visit Free Buoyed by Indonesias economic growth despite the global crisis, two German firms have expressed interest in investing in the countrys lucrative nickel processing and gas sectors, Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM) chief Thomas Lembong says. One firm is eyeing a project to build a US$800 million nickel smelter with an Indonesian state-owned firm, while another is keen to enter the gas sector with an unspecified amount of investment, Lembong said Monday. Lembong is leading the boards delegation on a March 15 to 22 visit to Europe, which also covers France, Sweden, the United Kingdom and Denmark. We used this working visit as a chance to meet German firms that are keen on investing in Indonesia, he said in statement. (Read also: Kadin secures US$875 million from German firms) Lembong emphasized that Indonesias continued growth of about 5 percent against the backdrop of a global economic slowdown remained a pull factor in attracting investors to do business in the country. Realized foreign direct investment in Southeast Asias largest economy annually rose by 8.4 percent to $28.9 billion last year, with Germany contributing 4.6 percent of the figure. In the past five years, Europes largest economy spent $13.3 billion in Indonesia, according to BKPM data. (lnd) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Rachel Zoll (Associated Press) New York Mon, March 20, 2017 They sat on either end of the congressmen's couch, one a Jewish healthcare executive whose parents fled Germany in 1936, the other the Kashmiri Muslim chairman of a well-known American furniture chain. The men, Stanley Bergman and Farooq Kathwari, came to draw attention to an outbreak of hate crimes. But Bergman and Kathwari hoped their joint appearance would also send a broader message: that U.S. Jews and Muslims could put aside differences and work together. "What drove us was the growing prejudice that has emerged in the United States," Bergman said. "What starts small, from a historical point of view, often grows into something big." The men lead the Muslim-Jewish Advisory Council, created last year by the American Jewish Committee and the Islamic Society of North America, amid a flowering of alliances between members of the two faiths. U.S. Muslim and Jewish groups have been trying for years to make common cause with mixed success, often derailed by deep divisions over Israel and the Palestinians. But bigoted rhetoric and harassment targeting both religions since the presidential election has drawn people together. Jews have donated to repair mosques that were defaced or burned. Muslims raised money to repair vandalized Jewish cemeteries. Rabbis and imams marched together against President Donald Trump's travel ban targeting majority Muslim countries. "I would never have thought I would see some people in conversation, or anywhere near each other. Then I saw people on Facebook standing next to each other at protests Muslims and Jews," said Aziza Hasan, executive director of NewGround: A Muslim-Jewish Partnership for Change in Los Angeles, which has run community relationship-building programs for more than a decade. Yet despite this surge of goodwill, questions remain about whether these new connections can endure. The sense of vulnerability Muslims and Jews share, and their need for allies at a difficult time, have not erased tensions that in the past have kept them apart. "This is a start and we'll see how it goes," said Talat Othman, a financial industry executive and Muslim-Jewish Advisory Council member, who offered an Islamic prayer at the 2000 Republican National Convention. "We are hopeful." Jews and Muslims comprise the two largest non-Christian faith groups in the United States and have a long history of trying to work together. The chancellor of the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York, the flagship institution of Conservative Judaism, initiated a dialogue with Muslims in 1956, according to documents in the school's archive. Rabbi Jack Bemporad, a pioneer in Muslim-Jewish dialogue and founder the Center for Interreligious Understanding in New Jersey, said his efforts started in the 1970s when he led a Dallas synagogue and local imams started attending his weekly Bible classes. Over the years, many initiatives on improving relations between the two faiths were organized internationally by governments and peace groups, while some American synagogues and mosques attempted to build friendships locally. Some progress was made, yet relations were often derailed when violence, war and policy disputes erupted in the Middle East. In Los Angeles, Hasan said local discussions between Muslim and Jewish leaders would falter when participants from one faith would demand those of the other condemn an action in Israel and the Palestinian territories. "It would go back and forth, then eventually Jews asked Muslims to condemn something they couldn't so they walked away from the table," Hasan said. Then came the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, prompting a backlash against American Muslims, and efforts to create connections with Jews began moving "at warp speed," said Rabbi Burton Visotzky, a Jewish Theological Seminary scholar and a longtime leader in Muslim-Jewish cooperation. Visotzky's outreach has ranged from a 2008 global interfaith meeting convened by King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia to serving collard greens at a soup kitchen alongside members of a New York mosque. Still, the deep divide over Israel and the Palestinians remained an obstacle. Some Jews and Muslims pledged to avoid any mention of the Mideast as they sought common ground. Others hit the issue up front, but their talks foundered. Yehuda Kurtzer, president of the Shalom Hartman Institute of North America, an educational organization with extensive interfaith programs, said U.S. Muslims and Jews, had become "proxy warriors" for conflicts thousands of miles away. At the same time, advocates for building ties between the faiths regularly encountered skepticism or outright hostility from within their own communities. "Many Jews feel that Muslims around the world are a source of threat to Jews, then why be in dialogue?" Kurtzer said. About six years ago, Bemporad organized a conference on Islamic and Jewish law, but the event was closed to the public, in part to avoid pushback against participants. "We had to break the ice somehow," Bemporad said. "We thought the way we did it, you could be free to say whatever you wanted." He said religious leaders working on such projects are much more open now. Still, the growth of the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement against Israel and in support of the Palestinians has further complicated relations. The movement, known as BDS, is decentralized and its supporters use different strategies, but many backers say interfaith dialogue with Zionists undermines the Palestinian cause. It has become common for American Jewish organizations to draw a hard line against working with backers of BDS from any faith. Meanwhile, BDS activists consider it traitorous for Muslims to work with supporters of Israel. This issue came to the fore over the Shalom Hartman Institute's Muslim Leadership Initiative, which brings American Muslims to Israel to study Judaism and Zionism. Kurtzer said the first year of the program was kept "completely under the radar." When the participants became known in 2014, Muslims who took part were accused of allowing themselves to be manipulated and violating BDS. Among the participants was attorney Rabia Chaudry, a specialist in countering extremism and a longtime supporter of Palestinian rights. She acknowledged the risks from participating in the program, but said she did so hoping to find a new way forward. Last October, the Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago dropped plans to present her an achievement award because of her work with the Shalom Hartman Institute. Chaudry, now a member of the Muslim-Jewish Advisory Council, said she was not angry. "They felt terrible about it. They got even more criticism for rescinding it," she said. Since Trump's election, members of both faiths seem more willing to set aside such differences as they work on civil rights and other issues, said Abdullah Antepli, who was the first Muslim chaplain at Duke University and is co-director of the Shalom Hartman Institute's Muslim Leadership Initiative. It's impossible to know definitively whether harassment based on religion has increased. The FBI's most recent data on hate crimes is from 2015. Still, the last year or so has seen some dramatic examples of bigotry, including the waves of phoned-in bomb threats to Jewish Community Centers around the country. Mosques in Florida and Texas were recently set on fire, and authorities were investigating whether the suspected arsons could be considered hate crimes. "It's particularly a Trump effect," Antepli said. "External forces make the Muslim and Jewish communities need each other's friendship." When New York Arab-American activist and BDS supporter Linda Sarsour recently helped raise more than $150,000 for the damaged Jewish cemeteries, some Jews debated whether it would be ethical to accept the donation. But in a sign of changing attitudes, several mainstream Jewish leaders who had worked with her previously defended her. This new dynamic was evident at a recent New York vigil organized by the Sisterhood of Salaam Shalom, a national organization that brings together Muslim and Jewish women. The gathering at the Jewish Theological Seminary was part of the organization's response to Trump's travel ban. At their vigil, they walked to the front of the room in pairs a Muslim and a Jew to offer readings and prayers in Arabic and Hebrew. After the ceremony, the women hugged and posed together for selfies. "There's a sense of immediate rapport and connection," said Donna Cephas, a national board member of the Sisterhood, which has added dozens of chapters in the past year. "There is a significant yearning to be in community with people who stand for what we stand for." Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Mon, March 20, 2017 15:37 2058 a291276806121264c0bd211cde58cc03 1 Politics election-bill,house-of-representatives,voting-problem Free During its working visit to Germany, the special committee tasked with deliberating the election bill found that the country was no longer implementing e-voting because it was prone to hacking. The committee was on a controversial working visit to Germany and Mexico, from March 11 to 16. "We confirmed in Germany that e -voting is just as problematic. There is no supporting data and its prone to hacking," committee member Johnny G. Plate said at the legislative complex in Senayan, as quoted by kompas.com on Monday. Johnny said at the beginning of the election bill discussion, the committee determined that the one major problem surrounding elections in Indonesia was the high number of election disputes. Geographical challenges also served as obstacles in monitoring traditional ballot counting across the archipelagic nation. The committee then came up with the idea of implementing e-voting, e-counting and e-witnessing. The NasDem Party politician said his faction believed e-voting was not necessary. (dis/wit) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin (The Jakarta Post) Mon, March 20 2017 The loss of Dutch ultranationalist and anti-Islam leader Geert Wilders in the general election proves that voters finally used their common sense and made a rational decision in electing a political leader. However, xenophobic figures will continue to emerge and will play a decisive role in politics when a nation fails to identify and resolve the roots of unrest in its society. The March 15 general election in the Netherlands attracted worldwide attention, not because of the geopolitical importance of the European Unions sixth largest economy but more because of fears that Dutch voters would give a landslide mandate for Wilders to realize his menacing ambition. His victory could have been devastating for the 28-member EU and triggered waves of intolerance and even hatred because Wilders rise has boosted the stature of similar leaders such as in France and Germany. The continent is facing a crisis of refugees, many of them Muslims, and attacks of terrorists abusing Islam. The decision of Britain to exit from the 60-year-old EU sparked movements elsewhere to leave the organization. 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 TheJakartaPost Please Update your browser Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below. Just click on the icons to get to the download page. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Apriadi Gunawan (The Jakarta Post) Tanjung Gusta, North Sumatra Tue, March 21 2017 For the first time in history, the archipelagos indigenous people have a woman leading them for the next five years, giving more power to indigenous women who often face violence and discrimination in their fight for fair treatment. Rukka Sombolinggi of Toraja, South Sulawesi, was elected secretary-general, the highest post, of the Indigenous Peoples Alliance of the Archipelago (AMAN), replacing Abdon Nababan of North Sumatra. She was elected during the fifth congress in Tanjung Gusta, North Sumatra, that ended Sunday night. She was elected by acclamation, defeating four other candidates for the chance to lead the organization that has 2,332 member communities, or some 17 million individual members. The election proves that indigenous communities do not pressure women into lower positions, Rukka claimed, adding that the communities appreciated the existence of women and wanted the role of women to grow in an increasingly dynamic society. 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 (Philippine Daily Inquirer/ANN) Davao City Mon, March 20, 2017 President Rodrigo Duterte on Sunday said he would not stop China from building on a disputed shoal near the Philippine west coast because it was too powerful. Duterte made the statement in reaction to reports that China would set up an environmental monitoring station on the Scarborough Shoal also known as the Panatag Shoal off the coast of Zambales province. We cannot stop China from doing those things. Even the Americans could not stop them, he said during a press conference in Davao City shortly before flying to Myanmar for a state visit. What do you want me to do? Declare war against China? I cant. We will lose all our military and policemen tomorrow and we [will be] a destroyed nation. Duterte said he would tell the Chinese: Just keep it [the waters] open and do not interfere with our Coast Guard. Benham Rise He also brushed aside concerns over Chinese survey ships that had been seen near Benham Riseresource-rich waters east of the main island of Luzon that were recognised by the United Nations as Philippine territory in 2012. Earlier this month, Defence Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said he was very concerned that the Chinese ships had been seen at that location, sometimes for as long as a month. But on Sunday Duterte said: So what if they stop there? They admit it is within the territory of the Philippines. That does not satisfy you? He described the complaints against China as nit-picking. Dutertes predecessor, Benigno Aquino III, had actively challenged Chinas claim to control most of the South China Sea, despite counterclaims by several other nations. But Duterte, who took office last year, has reversed that policy and was seeking billions of dollars worth of investments and grants from Beijing. We are now improving the economy because of the help of China. Why will you be so shameless just because they are passing by? he told reporters on Sunday. Beijing has already reclaimed large areas around several islets and reefs in the Spratly Islands and elsewhere in the South China Sea, and installed military facilities on some of them. Warning by analysts However, analysts warned that Chinas building on Scarborough Shoal would radically change the situation since it is just 230 kilometres (143 miles) from Luzon. Outposts on the shoal would put Chinese jet fighters and missiles within easy striking distance of military bases in the Philippines, some of which could host US troops. The shoal also commands the northeast exit of the sea, so a Chinese military outpost there could stop other countries navies from using the waters. China seized the strategic shoal, which is also claimed by the Philippines, in 2012 and Washington has warned Beijing against carrying out the same land reclamation work there that it has done in other parts of the South China Sea. Monitoring stations Xiao Jie, the mayor of what Beijing calls Sansha City, an administrative base for disputed South China Sea islands and reefs it controls, said China planned preparatory work this year to build environmental monitoring stations on a number of islands, including Scarborough Shoal. The monitoring stations, along with docks and other infrastructure, form part of island restoration and erosion prevention efforts planned for 2017, Xiao told the official Hainan Daily. The report comes ahead of a visit to Beijing at the weekend by US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, where he was expected to reiterate US concern about Chinese island building. Tillerson has called the activity illegal and last June, then US Defence Secretary Ash Carter warned that any move by China to reclaim land at Scarborough Shoal would result in actions being taken by the both United States and by others in the region which would have the effect of not only increasing tensions, but isolating China. This article appeared on the Philippine Daily Inquirer newspaper website, which is a member of Asia News Network and a media partner of The Jakarta Post Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Allan Nawal and Frinston Lim (Philippine Daily Inquirer/ANN) Davao City Mon, March 20, 2017 They can do their worst. Thats how President Rodrigo Duterte on Sunday shrugged off threats of being sued before the International Criminal Court (ICC), or impeached as a result of his bloody war against drugs. I will not be intimidated by the ICC [and] impeachment, he told reporters before flying for a three-day visit to Burma [Myanmar] and Thailand. He said he welcomed both developments. I can do better in my performance as a worker in government, period. This is a democracy, he said. Duterte said if it was his time to go, nobody could prevent it. If that is part of my destiny, it is my destiny to go. In the meantime, he said he was focused on fulfilling his campaign promise to eliminate corruption, drugs and criminality. Even if it would cost me my life, my honor and the presidency. I can lose them all but I will comply with my promise, he said. In response to criticisms against his war on drugs, Duterte said: Suppression includes all. Drop the shabu [crystal meth] if you want to be alive. If you do not want trouble with government, stop trafficking. Its as simple as that. I will not be for a moment be out of focus on that. Referring to the impeachment complaint filed against him last week by Magdalo partys lawmaker Gary Alejano, the President said: I will rise on what I promised, I will fall on it. To prevent more deaths, he said non-commission of crime and the observance of the law would suffice. Of course we just follow the rules provided for by law and it is found in the Revised Penal Code, he said. Follow the law and we will be all right drop the shabu and nobody will die tomorrow. Duterte added. If you are a criminal and you are caught in the act, do not fight because if you place the guys [law enforcers] life in jeopardy, my order is to shoot you, he said. I do not want to see military men and dead men on my side, killed. Id rather that the criminals, however thousands or millions they are, should be the first to go, he added. Duterte denied he had a hand in the planned filing of an impeachment complaint against Vice President Leni Robredo. He said he would not speculate on Robredos involvement on moves to unseat him. I will not be surprised if she is there. I will not speculate that shes not there [either]. I am not interfering in her life. I hope she would not meddle in mine, he said. I never lifted a finger against anybody. Im beyond politics. I do not want to tinker with it, he said. This article appeared on the Philippine Daily Inquirer newspaper website, which is a member of Asia News Network and a media partner of The Jakarta Post Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Jeannette I. Andrade (Philippine Daily Inquirer/ANN) Manila Mon, March 20, 2017 Germany joined a growing list of countries and groups expressing concern over the antidrug campaign of the Philippine government which, to the international community, was focused on putting offenders to death instead of instituting massive reforms that would disable, if not eliminate, the drug menace. Germanys human rights commissioner cited the passage in the House of Representatives as one of the highly regrettable actions being taken by the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte in the fight against drugs. Barbel Kofler, federal government commissioner for human rights policy and humanitarian aid at the German federal foreign office, said in a statement that the push to revive the death penalty ran counter to the Philippine signing of a second optional protocol of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. The covenant binds the Philippine government to a commitment to shun executions of convicts as a penalty for grave crimes. Since the signing of the international agreement, Kofler said Germany considered the Philippines as a close partner of those who, like the federal government [of Germany], reject this inhumane punishment under all circumstances. This situation is highly regrettable, said Kofler, adding that Germany and the Philippines had been closely cooperating in the United Nations on many campaigns, among them on human trafficking, poverty reduction and climate change. In her statement, Kofler also called on the Duterte administration to withdraw conditions it had set for the visit of the UN special rapporteur on extrajudicial killings to take a closer look at Dutertes war on drugs. With at least 8,000 deaths in the drug war, Kofler said it was important for the UN special rapporteur to visit the Philippines. The German official also called for a speedy and fair trial of Sen. Leila de Lima, who had been sent to jail by Duterte administration officials for alleged involvement in the drug trade. This article appeared on the Philippine Daily Inquirer newspaper website, which is a member of Asia News Network and a media partner of The Jakarta Post Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Raimundos Oki (Associated Press) Dili Mon, March 20, 2017 Timor Leste voted for a new president Monday in an election that will test Asia's newest and poorest nation. Francisco "Lu Olo" Guteres, a former guerrilla leader from the leftist Fretilin party, was up against seven other candidates. He and the Democratic Party's Antonio de Conceicao, the minister of education and social affairs, were the front-runners. While Timor Leste's president has a mostly ceremonial role, the prime minister heads the government. Guteres, 62, lost to current President Taur Matan Ruak in the 2012 presidential election. But in Monday's election, he had strong support from former Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao, a resistance leader who remains influential in politics. Ruak was not up for re-election and is expected to make a run for prime minister in July's parliamentary elections. Timor Leste voted overwhelmingly in 1999 to end 24 years of brutal Indonesian occupation that left more than 170,000 people dead. Its transition to democracy has been rocky, with its leaders battling massive poverty, unemployment and corruption as the nation continues to recover from the bloody break for independence more than a decade ago. More than 740,000 of the country's 1.1 million people were expected to vote Monday. While an early quick count will give a reliable indication of the election outcome within hours of the polls closing at 3 p.m., official results are not expected until Wednesday. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Desy Nurhayati (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Mon, March 20, 2017 11:47 2058 a291276806121264c0bd211cde57debe 4 News bali,Nyepi,hindu,tradition Free March 28 this year will mark the beginning of the Hindu New Year of Saka 1939. On this annual observance, known locally as as nyepi, the usually bustling island of Bali will grind to a peaceful halt for 24 hours. Between the hours of 6 a.m. until the following morning at the same time, everyone on the resort island will stop their daily activities, refrain from using electricity and remain in their homes. The entire island will come to a standstill, with no scheduled incoming or outgoing flights from the airport. The seaport will also be closed, broadcast stations (including cable networks) will go silent, streets will be empty of all traffic, all shops will be closed and visitors will be confined to their hotel or villa for the entire period. Everyone on the island, both residents and visitors, is required to abide by the Hindu religious rules called Catur Brata Penyepian. Encouraging meditation and reflection on this day of seclusion, the rules consist of amati geni (no open fires or flames), amati lelanguan (no pleasurable activities), amati karya (no work or labor) and amati lelungan (no journeys). During this day of dedication to complete silence, community law enforcement officials called pecalang make their rounds to ensure that no persons, no light and no noise are emanating from any homes in the neighborhood. Nyepi rituals There is a series of rituals conducted before and after the day of Nyepi, which take place in every part of the island. Below are some of the most notable of these rituals. The first one is called melasti, a procession that features a pilgrimage to the sea to purify each temples religious paraphernalia. Usually performed three to four days before Nyepi, this ritual event incorporates a beach component, with pilgrims from various villages all over the island bearing temple heirlooms making long journeys on foot toward the coast. The second is the Bhuta Yajna ritual, which is performed one day before Nyepi, in order to vanquish negative elements and create a balance with God, mankind and nature. On this day, Hindu adherents conduct ritual sacrifices, with different levels of sacrifice determined by the slaughtering of different types of animals, such as chickens, ducks and pigs. Just before sunset, which is around 4 to 5 p.m., the ritual of Pengrupukan takes place. At this time, locals parade the streets carrying ogoh-ogoh, giant demonic statues made of bamboo and paper, symbolizing malevolent spirits, while passionately playing a deafening mixture of the kulkul traditional bamboo bell and gamelan music. On the evening after the paradewhich is actually the Saka New Years Eve, the ogoh-ogoh are ceremoniously burned in an all-encompassing inferno. The burning symbolizes the eradication of all evil influences in the lives of adherents. The peak of this religious celebration is on the third day, when people retreat from all daily activities into the silence of their homes. One day after the silence, Balinese Hindus perform the ngembak geni ritual, in which they visit relatives to exchange forgiveness. Topics : bali Nyepi hindu tradition Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Markus Makur (The Jakarta Post) East Manggarai, Flores, East Nusa Tenggara Mon, March 20, 2017 10:41 2058 a291276806121264c0bd211cde578ebd 1 Destinations Colol-coffee,Flores,East-Nusa-Tenggara,destination,#destination,tourism,travel,Colol-hamlet Free Several hamlets in Flores are home to picturesque coffee plantations. Visitors to Lembah Colol, Tangkul, Biting and Ngkiong Ndora hamlets can expect a panoramic view of greenery and locals working on their farms. Colol coffee is said to be particularly well-known, including in the United States and Europe. Local residents of East Pocoranaka district rely on the coffee plants to make ends meet and pay for their children's education. (Read also: Discovering the land of 1,001 coffee shops) A waterfall in Biting hamlet can be found within Colol coffee farms.(JP/Markus Makur) "Coffee association members in East Manggarai regency told me that the quality of Colol coffee was very good and the price was very high when marketed outside the country," a resident of Tangkul hamlet, Alfonsus Sumardi, recently told The Jakarta Post. "Therefore, East Pocoranaka has a lot of potential for agrobusiness tourism development, where visitors can explore local coffee farms and participate in harvesting coffee." The proliferation of coffee farms in Manggarai, West Manggarai and East Manggarai is said to begin from Colol hamlet, a noted coffee producer in Flores, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT). In addition to coffee, senior journalist Frans Sarong said that edelweiss could also be found at Lake Rana Poja, which is located in Banggarangga Forest, the only conservation area of its kind in NTT. (kes) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Masajeng Rahmiasri (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Mon, March 20, 2017 18:29 2058 a291276806121264c0bd211cde59876b 1 News Education,events,event-management,prasetiya-mulya,#education Free In parallel with the growth of the tourism industry in Indonesia, the event management sector has started to also be considered seriously in the country. Prasetiya Mulya University in Bumi Serpong Damai, Tangerang even started to run an undergraduate event program in 2015. In the program, students will be taught both the scientific and practical knowledge needed to execute events professionally, be it on a local or international scale. Ida Bagus Dita Agastya, a Prasetiya Mulya student, said he decided to enroll in the program as he has been interested in the subject since his days as head of the student body at a high school on Bali. I realized that I was more interested in non-academic activities, such as the ones I did with the [student body] organization. I want to work seriously in this field, he said. (Read also: Singaporean school named best university in Asia) Sheila Bonetha, a student in the same class as Bagus, saw the event sector as an industry that has good financial prospects. Sheila, who aspired to be an event consultant, was not concerned about taking such a new program as she saw positive developments in the industry. Even the smallest institutions need their own event divisions, she said. She also said that she deliberately chose to take an undergraduate program as she wanted to obtain the academic title. We cannot deny that an academic title is still being considered as a standard when applying for jobs, she said. (Read also: Tips to consider before applying to American universities) Peni Zulandari Suroto, the manager of the undergraduate event program in Prasetiya Mulya, said there are plentiful career choices for the students. There is still the wrong notion that studying event management will only make you an event organizer, she said. She stated that as event management is now needed in every line of industry, students can choose to work in national or multinational companies, or even to be entrepreneurs, such as stage builders, sound system rental agents, or venue owners. Peni said they can also work with the government to develop Indonesias meetings, incentives, conferencing and exhibitions (MICE) sector. (Read also: Five online classes taught by celebrities) Peni Zulandari Suroto (left), Sigit Purwa Septiadi, Dynand Fariz and Lukminto Wibowo during an EVENTNESIA 2017 talk show at Prasetiya Mulya University in Bumi Serpong Damai, Tangerang on Saturday.(JP/Masajeng Rahmiasri) Such career prospects were conveyed to the parents and prospective students during EVENTNESIA 2017, an event organized by the first cohort of undergraduate event program students at the Prasetiya Mulya University BSD campus last Saturday. In the talk show session, Lukminto Wibowo, general manager of the Kompas publications events, said that the media industry has started to expand its focus to event management as clients have begun to demand more engagement than just what it may obtain through advertising in publications. Sigit Purwa Septiadi, executive vice president of retail and passenger services at PT Angkasa Pura Solusi, who previously worked as Garuda Indonesias corporate event and protocol manager, said that event management is also considered important in corporations, as events are regarded as media for representing brand identity outside and inside the corporations. (asw) Ricardo Morales dishes on his firing, says hes never seen this level of mendacity in city gov: https://t.co/KQd9yUKvHx via @nypmetro Sally Goldenberg (@SallyGold) March 19, 2017 Ricardo Morales, the former city official who lifted deed restrictions at Rivington House, is talking about his firing. The deputy commissioner at the Department of Citywide Administrative Services (DCAS) was terminated in late February, on the same day Mayor de Blasio was being grilled by federal prosecutors about his campaign finance practices. Morales and his attorney are speaking out in the New York Post. Morales is not going quietly: Hes Mayor de Blasios fall guy. The only city official fired in the just-concluded federal and state probes into de Blasio says he was axed for one reason to let other civil servants know that they had better keep their traps shut, or else. It was a message to any other deputy commissioner or assistant commissioner that if you step out of line, there will be retribution . . . They made sure I got hit, said Ricardo Morales, a former deputy commissioner with the Department of Citywide Administrative Services. In November of 2015, Morales signed off on the deed changes, which set the stage for the luxury condo conversion of the former nursing home. Multiple investigations later found that other higher ranking officials in the de Blasio administration were well aware of the situation but failed to act in time to save the longtime community facility. Federal and state prosecutors said last week that their investigations of the mayors fundraising were being dropped. More from the Post: Staffers with the city Department of Investigation and city comptroller quizzed Morales last March and April about two real-estate transactions that allegedly benefited developers and lobbyists who gave donations to the mayors campaign and the mayors nonprofit, the Campaign for One New York. Morales also received a federal subpoena in May They asked me to answer questions honestly about transactions I had managed and I did, Morales said. After Morales talked to government investigators, he and his lawyer, Guy Oksenhendler, met with the mayors lawyers at Carter Ledyard & Milburn. De Blasios lawyers knew Morales had been subpoenaed by the feds. They peppered him with questions to strengthen their defense of the mayor. They asked the same questions any interested prosecutor would have wanted to know the answers to, Oksenhendler said. City officials have said Morales dismissal was unrelated to Rivington House. Lisette Camilo, commissioner of the Department of Citywide Administrative Services, told a City Council committee that she could not discuss the personnel matter because it is, very sensitive. While de Blasio has said he was angered by the handling of Rivington House and convinced that the developers duped the city, no one in his administration (at least not officially) has been held accountable. The mayor has also said city lawyers do not believe they have grounds to sue the previous and current owners of the building. Valerie Derbyshire, University of Sheffield Though it is more commonly known these days for its part in the Disney Princess franchise, Beauty and the Beast is an enduring tale which has sparked film adaptations and novelisations across centuries. Though originally published in 1740 by Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve, the most famous version of the tale, La Belle et la Bete, was produced by French writer Jeanne-Marie le Prince de Beaumont in the 1750s. Wikimedia Diane de Joannis de Chateaublanc, Madame de Ganges, the original Beauty. De Beaumont published approximately 70 volumes during her literary career and was celebrated as a writer of fairy tales. But rather than just fantasy or fable, her rendering of Beauty and the Beast is actually more a critique of womens rights of the time, hidden behind layers of marital guidance. Surprising though it may seem more modernly, some have interpreted Beauty and the Beast as a tale of Stockholm Syndrome rather than romance when you look at de Beaumonts other work it makes sense. The original Belle Before her Beauty adaptation, the writer translated the tragic tale of Madame de Ganges, based on the real-life tragic history of Diane-Elisabeth de Rossan . The protagonist has an unfortunate story: a wealthy, beautiful and virtuous young woman remarries after becoming widowed. She makes a poor choice, however, and marries a jealous husband with two villainous brothers, both of whom fall in love with her. When neither succeeds in corrupting her virtue, their anger is so great that they decide to murder her with the endorsement of her husband. The heroine is ordered to choose the method of her own death: poison, stabbing or shooting. But in a twist in the tale, Madame de Ganges ends up the victim of all three: she is not only forced to swallow the poison, but when she attempts to escape, she is stabbed by one of the brothers, and shot. Ultimately, it is the poison which finishes her off: details of the characters autopsy in a later translated version reveal that it had burnt the coats of her stomach, and turned her brain quite black. The beauty of the young woman was transmuted into the beast of a blackened husk. Interestingly, in de Beaumonts version of Madame de Gangess tale, written as a moral for young women, she seemingly attributes some culpability to the Marchioness in her own downfall. Her husbands jealousy arises because she gad[s] about so much, enjoying being admired for her beauty. This incurs the wrath of her jealous husband who chides her to stay more at home. But de Beaumont almost seems dissatisfied with concluding that Madame de Ganges should have complied with her husband because lions and tygers are tamed at last; a man must be of a fiercer nature than those animals, not to be gained by a complying, prudent, and discreet wife. And so she rewrote the tale again, this time as a fairy tale: Beauty and the Beast Beautys judicious choices In this version, the Beauty is distinctly comparable to the too-beautiful Madame de Ganges. Like the Marchioness, Beauty willingly goes to, but then is forced to submit to the will of a ferocious beast. Unlike the Marchioness, however, Beauty is able to tame the beast by being a complying, prudent, and discreet wife, and effect the beasts transformation into a prince. It is the conclusion of the tale which is most interesting in de Beaumonts version, for it is here that she hints at the unsatisfactory nature of the place of women in her society and uses her story as feminist critique . Beauty, the youngest of three sisters, is portrayed as a charming, sweet-tempered creature who loved the Beast even though his deformity scares her. Her sisters, on the other hand, are proud and wealthy and refuse to marry anyone less than a duke or earl. The wicked creatures are so cruel to Beauty that they rub onions into their eyes to feign crying when she leaves their family home to live in the Beasts castle. Beauty, (said this lady,) come and receive the reward of your judicious choice; you have preferred virtue before either wit or beauty, and deserve to find a person in whom all these qualifications are united: you are going to be a great Queen; I hope the throne will not lessen your virtue, or make you forget yourself. As to you, ladies, (said the fairy to Beautys two sisters) I know your hearts, and all the malice they contain: become two statues; but, under this transformation, still retain your reason. During de Beaumonts time, couverture was law for women, meaning that, in Anne Mellors words, all women were legally covered over or absorbed into the body of their husbands, fathers, brothers, or sons. She might yet still retain reason, but she is as a statue, effectively silenced and unable to act for herself". The writer seems to be implying, that for the majority of women in the 18th century marriage market, there was little potential for happy ever afters, and only the exercise of judicious choice would ensure the attainment of one. For Beautys sisters, they chose to value wealth and status above all else, making them beasts within and ultimately becoming their downfall. As the end of uni moves ever closer you are probably considering your next move. Would you like a career where you can go home each day knowing youve made a difference? If so, then now may be the time to consider teaching. Teaching is a great way to make your degree, skills, and knowledge, really count. Whats more, it also offers great training and opportunities for progression. So why doesnt it always get the recognition it deserves? We have debunked five of the most common myths about teaching: Myth 1: Its March havent all the top graduate deadlines passed by now? Reality: FALSE If youre grappling with overlapping graduate scheme application deadlines, youll be pleased to hear that applications for teacher training are open until later summer, and there is tailored help and support available throughout the application process. Nevertheless, popular courses fill up fast - so, if youre thinking of training to be a teacher, there is plenty you can do now to prepare, including thinking about your references and gaining first-hand experience in the classroom. Just visit getintoteaching.education.gov.uk. In fact, early in the year is one of the busiest times for registrations, with popular courses filling up fast, so, if youre thinking of training to be a teacher, there is plenty you can do now to prepare, including thinking about your references and gaining first-hand experience in the classroom. Myth 2: I dont have a degree in the subject Id like to teach I cant become a teacher Reality: FALSE Don't hold back from applying for teacher training in biology, geography, maths, physics, chemistry, computing, design and technology, or languages because of your subject knowledge. You may still be able to train to teach these subjects (and be eligible for the bursaries they attract) by building up your existing knowledge with a subject knowledge enhancement (SKE) programme. SKE courses are fully funded so you wont have to pay any tuition fees and you may be eligible for a training bursary. Courses are available across the country and you can find out more about your options by visiting education.gov.uk/teachSKE. Myth 3: Teachers are underpaid Reality: FALSE When you choose to become a teacher, youll be joining a profession that offers a competitive starting salary with plenty of opportunity for career progression. Newly qualified teachers can expect to start on a minimum salary of at least 22k, or 28K in inner London. On average, a teacher earns 37,800 a year, and schools have more freedom to develop local pay offers for teachers than ever before to help them to attract and retain the good teachers they need. To train as a teacher, a range of tax-free bursaries of up to 25k and prestigious scholarships are available. In addition, there are other great benefits available including at least 13 weeks of holidays and competitive pension schemes. Becoming a teacher doesnt just offer you financial reward. Youll get the chance to make a difference to students lives on a daily basis. In fact, research for the Get Into Teaching campaign found that teaching tops the charts as a rewarding career. A quarter (25%) of the general public dont ever recall experiencing 'a moment that gives them goosebumps' in their working lives, while over three-quarters of teachers (77%) have enjoyed one of those magical moments within the last eight weeks. Myth 4: I want big challenges and to further my knowledge and skills teaching is about the students, not me Reality: FALSE There are many opportunities for career progression as a teacher. This includes the possibility of rapid progression into a leadership role if thats your ambition. The great thing about teaching is the array of opportunities it presents so if youre looking to specialise in areas such as curriculum development, youre free to shape your own career path. Laura Causer, a French and German teacher from County Durham who qualified in 2013, experienced this and commented: I graduated with a BA in Modern Foreign Languages and landed a job in a large, multinational consultancy company. I used my language skills every day, but I found the work repetitive and unfulfilling. Teaching really appealed to me as I knew every day would be different and I wanted to be part of a challenging and fulfilling profession. Even during my first school placement, I was inspired by how passionate my colleagues were, and they were keen to help me progress as quickly as possible. Now I use my language skills to equip the next generation to communicate across the globe and have good fun doing it. Myth 5: Training to teach means going back to university again. I want to start earning after university Reality: FALSE Whether you want your training to be led by a school or a university, theres a training route available to suit you, and you could get a tax-free bursary of 25k, or scholarship. On a school-led training course, youll get the chance to learn on the job in at least two schools, learning from experienced colleagues in the classroom and being part of a team from the start. Youll be putting your new skills into practise from day one while you gain qualified teacher status (QTS), and most courses also offer a postgraduate certificate in education (PGCE). You could earn a salary by training on a School Direct (salaried) programme. If youre already working at or have an existing relationship with a school and want to take the next step, then you may want to consider this route. Trainees on the salaried programme are recruited and employed directly by schools, and often continue teaching in their school following training. Has this made you feel differently about a potential career in teaching? To explore your options as a teacher, contact the Get Into Teaching line on 0800 389 2500 or visit getintoteaching.education.gov.uk. There is a particular demand for teachers in a range of subjects including maths, physics, chemistry, computing, geography, biology and languages. YouTube has come under fire from users and been accused of discrimination after videos around LGBT subjects appeared to be hidden from view in the services Restricted Mode. Several prominent LGBT creators on the site reported videos posted by themselves and others on topics ranging from inspiration to dating and even music videos disappeared from search results and from their pages when the feature, which is off by default, is switched on. YouTube's new "restricted mode" blocks showing the 'Born This Way' Music Video when searched 'Born This Way'. pic.twitter.com/6VTXGu0C74 LVL GAGA (@LVLGAGA) March 19, 2017 The backlash was swift, with #YouTubeIsOverParty soon trending on Twitter on Sunday evening as news of the apparent filtering spread. YouTube was also quick to respond, posting a statement to its Creators Twitter account that said the site was proud to represent the LGBT community. We regret any confusion this has caused and are looking into your concerns, YouTube said. However for many the damage had already been done, with personalities including popular creator Tyler Oakley noting that some videos that contained no obviously mature content appeared to be part of the filtering. Hi @YouTube, An aspiring future Youtuber here. I am reconsidering doing YouTube or not. Thanks to the discrimination policy you adopt. Sammy // BLESSED (@TSGujarat) March 20, 2017 Kids can't see videos about coming out or being trans. YouTube has historically been a resource for struggling kids. Your intent is flawed. https://t.co/yWyLdg28jm Jazza John (@JazzaJohn) March 20, 2017 there's no point keeping the youtube app if all the good content is gone, stay gay and support the LGBT community dudes pic.twitter.com/7U09GDT4gH rach (@skylinelynn) March 20, 2017 As a counterpoint, it has been suggested the tech behind the feature could be at fault, with questions raised as to whether the algorithm being used for Restricted Mode perhaps needed tweaking. Switching the feature on also removed several Taylor Swift music videos from view for example suggesting a wider issue with the filtering set-up. However, YouTube has said the aim of Restricted Mode was to provide a more limited experience the filter is even referred to as strict within the apps settings. The incident comes at the end of a rough week for the video platform, after it was heavily criticised over its advertising system, which saw government-funded adverts appear alongside extremist content on the site. It led the chair of the Home Affairs Select Committee, Labour MP Yvette Cooper, to accuse the site of profiting from hatred. YouTube and parent company Google were quick to say changes would be made and that it can and must do more. There's also a new meme that has Meryl Streep yelling to all your favourite songs, and what's not to love about that? Maybe, just maybe this new Drake release will help take away Ed Sheeran's control of the charts! Not that 'the charts' have anything to do with the best new music coming out. There's this lot for starters. Check out our selection of this week's best new tunes below.Paisley's answer to LCD Soundsystem, The Vegan Leather are back with art-pop banger 'Shake It'. The track bursts with kaleidoscopic grooves and infectious beats, promising to get you ready for a night out to remember (or perhaps forget).Matt Wills is already receiving love from BBC Radio 1 and his heroes The Kooks thanks to new track 'Emily', a heartfelt ballad that sees Wills croon soothingly over a gorgeous piano melody and slick electronic beats. Influenced by the likes of Ben Howard and The 1975, he's definitely one to keep on your radar.Andrew Rinehart has made a name for himself as one of the leading voices in Louisville's DIY scene and his latest output 'Protect' cements that reputation. Moody yet emotive, it's an eerie slice of dark electro-pop written in late 2014 "as a kind of protection spell against sociopaths" - its release to the public only now being a fitting indicicator of our current political climate.'Fire Breathing Lady' sounds exactly as you would expect it to: stomping, angry and full of feminist empowerment. High Wycombe's The Nyx have released this in ancitpation of their self-titled debut EP, and if this track is anything to go by it's going to be a fun one.Leeds post-punk quartet Post War Glamour Girls wrote 'Organ Doner' as "a love song, or at least as close as [they're] ever gonna get to one". Love song or not, it still incorporates the dark themes, darker sound and trippy visuals that make them so beloved in the UK's underground scene. They're set to tour the country in May in support of their upcoming third album - don't miss it.Currently on tour with NME before hitting the festival circuit, pop's latest indie darlings Fickle Friends have also just released their latest single following last year's 'Brooklyn'. Already on the hunt for tunes to get you buzzing for summer? Look no further.'VondelPark' comes following Jess Kemp's tour last year in Amsterdam: "It was definitely the best time of my life, setting up camp in the middle of VondelPark with my band, friends, family and a load of strangers just playing a load of my songs!" The Manchester newcomer has been quietly gaining traction since the release of her debut single 'Stars' two years ago, and this latest acoustic pop gem should take her even further.Maybe it's because they're performing it in a church, but there's a lovely sense of serenity about London quartet Flyte's live video for their single 'Victoria Falls'. A collaboration with the producer behind Courtney Barnett's debut, it's cinematic indie synth pop coated in lush harmonies and soft nostalgia.Iggy Pop's a fan, and it's easy to see why. Taken from their new EP Gutter Press, 'Comfort Consumption' mixes punk riffs with emotive songwriting to create a thoughtful but energetic anthem that calls back to the glory day's of Camden's punk rock scene.With a voice that's been compared to Kate Bush and a sound that's been described as "avant-garde", the latest single from Sweden's Cajsa Siik is suprisingly accessible, and also one of the best tracks you'll hear this week. Dreamy yet quietly uplifting, it's a tight-knit production that features haunting vocals and melancholy synths over a mesmerising drum machine. Her third album Domino is set for release this summer - keep your ears peeled. Hundreds of people gathered in central London to march against racism amid debate about the place of migrants in Britain after its exit from the European Union. Protesters carrying brightly coloured placards gathered outside the BBC offices in Portland Place, near Oxford Street, shortly after noon on Saturday. (Peter Cary/PA) They marched to Parliament Square, where guest speakers included former Guantanamo Bay prisoner Mozzam Begg and shadow attorney general Shami Chakrabarti. Thousands of protesters have made it to Parliament Sq on today's #MarchAgainstRacism pic.twitter.com/92zImzbCL2 Peter Cary (@PeterCary1) March 18, 2017 The event, organised by campaign group Stand Up To Racism, saw protesters of all ages take to the streets, with children scrawling Stand up to racism on the pavements in coloured chalk. (Peter Cary/PA) Lindsey German, convenor of the Stop The War Coalition, drew boos from the crowd with a mention of former chancellor George Osborne, who was announced as the new editor of London newspaper the Evening Standard on Friday. A mention of @George_Osborne draws boos from the crowd after being named editor of the London Evening Standard on Friday #StandUpToRacism pic.twitter.com/2UHcI6tVct Peter Cary (@PeterCary1) March 18, 2017 She criticised the papers vicious campaign against Sadiq Khan in the London mayoral election last year, and said Osborne should not take the job. She said: He is a disgrace, and he shouldnt be allowed to do this. I'm outside the BBC offices in London's Portland Place, where hundreds of protesters have gathered to #MarchAgainstRacism to Parliament Sq pic.twitter.com/AlY0wTqdov Peter Cary (@PeterCary1) March 18, 2017 Ether Onatskaia, 17, a Cambridge sixth form student who is originally from New York, said: I think racism is a problem in the US and UK and we need to speak out against it. I feel like, because Im white, Im not so affected by it, so I need to make a stand. (Peter Cary/PA) As the crowds began the march down Regent Street, small groups led the chant Say it loud and say it clear, refugees are welcome here, while drumming groups beat out a rhythm behind them. 30,000 out saying stand up to racism in parliament sq #MarchAgainstRacism pic.twitter.com/MFDndt12QF Stand Up To Racism (@AntiRacismDay) March 18, 2017 The march came after a series of demonstrations against hatred of migrants and the presidency of Donald Trump in February. Things are getting lively on the #MarchAgainstRacism on Regent Street pic.twitter.com/0CcfsrH6AS Peter Cary (@PeterCary1) March 18, 2017 Gerry Ford, 61, from Islington, who carried a placard through Piccadilly Circus, said she believes the decision to break from the European Union had been driven by racism. She said: This is a racist issue. People dont realise it, but it is. D-Day has landed, and its next Wednesday. Not sure what were on about? Theresa May will trigger Article 50, officially, finally, for sure, on March 29. It will probably go down in history as Brexit day or something, but what else has happened on that day? 1943 Former British prime minister Sir John Major was born. (Yui Mok/PA) Sir John probably wont be happy with his early birthday surprise, having campaigned to remain in the EU. He recently criticised the ultra brexiteers for lashing out with vitriolic and personal attacks after having won the referendum with fake facts and bogus promise. Happy Birthday! 1461 Literal political upheaval. King Edward IV (PA/PA Archive) The bloodiest one-day battle in English history raged for 10 hours in the village of Towton in Yorkshire. More than 28,000 died as Henry VIs Lancastrian forces were crushed and the throne was claimed by Edward IV. Need we say any more? 1886 Coke was born! (Jonathan Brady/PA) A new fizzy drink was launched by graduate chemist John S Pemberton in Atlanta, Georgia. Described as an esteemed brain tonic and intellectual beverage, it is now better known as Coca-Cola. 1980 Tony Blair married Cherie Booth. (Victoria Jones/PA) Yet another big day for a remain politician, this year the Blairs will celebrate their 37th wedding anniversary. Blair is basically still campaigning to remain in the EU, which probably tells you all you need to know about how he will be feeling next Wednesday. 2004 The Republic of Ireland took one for the team. (Adam Davy/PA) On this day in 2004 the Republic of Ireland became the first country in the world to ban smoking in all workplaces, including bars and restaurants. If you ever wanted to visit Willy Wonkas Chocolate Factory as a kid, you might just be getting your wish. Currently in construction in Flawil, Switzerland, is a huge chocolate-themed adventure world. During an interactive tour, visitors will be able to experience live how chocolate is made, be able to live the dream of being a chocolate tester and be able to make some delicious chocolate treats of their own. After all that, you can entertain yourself in the cinema or in the cafe. Courses and events will be available for groups. The plan is for the Chocolarium to be open seven days a week and offer an answer to the question: why does chocolate make people happy? The loving relationship between chocolate and the Swiss started in 1819, when Francois-Louis Cailler opened one of the first mechanised chocolate production facilities, in Corsier. Doing this established the oldest brand of Swiss chocolate that we, nearly 200 years later, can still get our grubby fingers on! From Cailler came other entrepreneurs and visionaries. Daniel Peter combined chocolate with milk in 1875. Roldophe Lindt a name Im sure were all familiar with developed conching, which created the worlds first melting chocolate. With all that history, it would make sense that it was Switzerland that finally decided to make this chocolate dream a reality. So maybe we wont ever see a chocolate river or all day meal of bubble-gum, but in Flawil, we might just get a little closer to living the chocolate-y dream. 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Our aim is to transform India in one generation Our aim is to make India a preferred destination for manufacturing," he said. In the past 50 years, the Prime Minister said, the gems and jewellery sector has accounted for $475 billion of exports despite not having domestic production of either gold or diamond. By giving employment to over 4.6 million people, the industry is a major contributor to the government's skill India initiative, Modi said. "Skill India initiative seeks to make sure that new attempts are made to ensure that the workforce has the necessary skills to contribute to the economy of the 21st century. The gems and jewellery sector employs 4.6 million people, out of this, 1 million are in the diamond industry alone. Thus the gems and jewellery sector is a prime example of the potential of Make-in-India and Skill India," Modi said. "This sector has come a long way from where it was. However, it is still far, far behind where it should be. Our strongest area is diamond cutting and polishing. In terms of the global value, our market share is much lower than it should be. Our future is much bigger than cutting and polishing. We have a lot of unexplored potential," he said. To give a fillip to the implementation of Bharat Stage VI emission norms, the Supreme Court on Monday directed Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM ) to provide details of all unsold inventory and month-wise figures of BS-III vehicles manufactured after December 2015. Give us details for your unsold inventory and month-wise figures of BS-III vehicles manufactured after December 2015, the court said. The decision came after Indias two-wheeler manufacturer Bajaj Auto moved to the SC seeking to cease sale of BS III vehicles from April 1. Earlier, the court had directed SIAM to collect and submit the data by 24 February. Not to forget that the government on January 2014 notified all vehicles-passenger and commercial must be BS-IV compliant. The Bharat Stage (BS) is the vehicular norms launched by the government in 2000 to keep a check on air pollution. In 2016, the Indian government announced that it would skip the BS-V norms and adopt BS-VI norms by 2020. Barely a few hours after Yogi Adityanath was sworn-in as the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, a Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) leader Mohammad Shami was shot dead in Allahabad on Sunday night. According to reports, some assailants on bike shot Shami near his house and he died on the spot. Five bullets had been fired at Shami, police said. In the recently concluded Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, Shami had contested against Raghuraj Pratap Singh, a six-time winner from the Kunda constituency. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had a resounding triumph, winning 325 seats out of 403 with its allies in the recently concluded Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections. The state's Regional Cancer Hospital (RCH), Indira Gandhi Medical College, Shimla, has been facing trouble with the non-functional nuclear medicine facility, since the last six months. The nuclear medicine facility is only provided at RCH and in the absence of adequate infrastructure and equipment, the cancer patients are left in a lurch. While many patients are forced to visit hospitals outside the state weighed down by high and extra expenditure, others who cannot afford are waiting helplessly in their fight with cancer. According to sources the nuclear medicine facility was rendered non-functional after the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB), Mumbai during its visit in mid last year to the hospital found some discrepancies. Following the discrepancies, the licence to run the nuclear medicine was not renewed by AERB, Mumbai who issues licence for the radiation regulated activities, which has strict standards as regards the area required and layout specifications. The AERB had found the existing current area grossly inadequate to meet the current requirements, revealed the sources. It had recommended for radiation monitoring instrument and had asked for shifting the OPD area out of the radiation zone area as per the AERB guidelines. Department of Radiotherapy head Rajeev K Seem said, We have taken up the issue with the higher authorities and are in the process of fulfilling the requirements that includes area requirements, keeping in mind the expansion needs of the hospital space and creation of space for the equipments. We have also sent a proposal to install a new hybrid SPECT/CT Gamma camera to replace the old one, he added. Absence of the facility has rendered many a cases pending that include bone scan, thyroid scan, urology cases, the Nuclear Medicine under Department of Radiotherapy was started in the year 1994 and since then the Nuclear Medicine facility ha been functioning from the same space of cancer hospital building which is inadequate. Since last over two decades, the field of Nuclear Medicine has grown in leaps and bounds and encompasses a wide range of diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. The SPECT Gamma Camera in the department was installed in the year 2005 in the centre, which has now completed its shelf life that is around 10 years. It is rendered defunct and cannot be used even after repairs in the absence of renewal of licence. Nuclear medicine is a branch of medical imaging that uses small amounts of radioactive material to diagnose and determine the severity of or treat a variety of diseases, including many types of cancers, heart disease, gastrointestinal, endocrine, neurological disorders and other abnormalities within the body. Since nuclear medicine procedures are able to pinpoint molecular activity within the body, they offer the potential to identify disease in its earliest stages as well as a patients immediate response to therapeutic interventions. A day after Yogi Adityanath was sworn in as the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, two slaughterhouses were on Monday sealed by the Nagar Nigam authorities in Allahabad. BJP president Amit Shah had on Friday said that he had promised to shut down all the slaughterhouses running in the state ahead of the Assembly elections. "Uttar Pradesh will soon be on the map of developed states of the country. We will wipe the BIMARU tag from the state," Shah was quoted as saying to a news website. The ban on legal as well as illegal slaughterhouses was one of the main agendas of the BJP manifesto in the recently concluded elections. Reports suggested that there are about 130 legal slaughterhouses in the state employing over two lakh people. The net worth of the entire beef industry in UP is approximately Rs 17,000 crore. The beef row started after a man was lynched to death in Dadri after rumours that he had stored beef in his refrigerator. (With inputs from agencies) In a major development to the Narada sting operation case, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Monday registered a preliminary enquiry into the sting operation that purportedly showed TMC leaders taking bribes. In the preliminary enquiry, the CBI named MPs, West Bengal ministers, police officers, ex-MLA and seized laptop, spy cams used by Narada. The CBI team was at at SBI bank in Kolkata on Saturday to collect evidence on the same issue. On Friday, the Calcutta High Court had ordered the CBI to conduct a preliminary probe into the Narada sting operation. A Division Bench of acting Chief Justice Nishita Mhatre and Justice T Chakraborty had asked the CBI to complete its preliminary inquiry in 72 hours. Meanwhile, reacting to the Calcutta High Court order, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday had said that her government will challenge the order in the Supreme Court. "Will challenge before the Supreme Court against Calcutta HC order directing preliminary inquiry by the CBI on Narada sting operation," the chief minister had said. A Congress leader in Uttar Pradesh on Saturday put up a poster outside the party office in Lucknow, announcing a reward of Rs. 5 lakh for finding poll strategist Prashant Kishore and bringing him before the party workers. Kishore was hired by the Congress to help partys win in the state assembly elections. Looking for answers in the recent poll debacle by the party, Rajesh Singh, a four-time secretary in the UP Congress Committee claimed to have put the poster on behalf of all Congress workers "For the last one year, we did all the hard work. We followed him (Kishor) without any ifs and buts. We thought it was best for the party. But now we need answers," Singh said. However, Congress state president Raj Babbar directed party workers for immediate removal of the poster and later said it is too early to blame anyone for the embarrassing defeat. They might remove the posters, but this is what many Congress workers are thinking and they would say the same sooner or later," Singh said. She has been working hard, but this time it is for humanity. Deepika Padukone, who has been in the news for her debut in Hollywood film with xXx: Return of Xander Cage with Hollywood star Vin Diesel, is busy promoting and shooting for her upcoming flicks, such as Raabta and Padmavati. But she has been taking time out to help the needy in a special way. Apart from her busy schedule, the Bollywood beauty is committed to her Bengaluru-based initiative Live Love Laugh. Live Love Laugh works to help people suffering from mental health to cope with anxiety, depression and stress. Deepika, whenever she is in the city, works actively with the expert team of counselors and specialists. But when she is not around in the city, the actress keeps herself updated with developments at the foundation and also attends extensive conferences. On his first day in office, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Monday directed all his ministers to declare their income sources and assets movable and immovable, to his secretary and to the party within 15 days deadline. A day after swearing in as the new UP CM, Adityanath said curbing corruption will be his government's main agenda. The government would fulfill all the promises made in the Lok Kalyan Sankalp Patra, the BJPs election manifesto, Adityanath said. The Hindutva hardliner also said his government will work for all sections of the society without any discrimination regarding religion, caste and creed. This government will be dedicated to public welfare, and will work equally for all sections of society without any discrimination. The government and administration will be made sensitive and answerable, Adityanath said. Earlier in the day, Adityanath met with the state police chief, expressing concern over the killing of BSP leader Mohammad Shami who was shot dead by some assailants on bike in Allahabad on Sunday night. The 44-year-old priest-politician was on Sunday sworn in as new UP Chief Minister at Kanshiram Smriti Upvan in Lucknow in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah. In a shocking revelation to the missing clerics incident, Nazim Nizami one of the missing clerics who reached India safely on Monday said that there is a newspaper in Pakistan which had printed false statements about the two clerics being RAW spies. "There is a newspaper in Pakistan which has printed false statements of the two clerics being RAW spies," Nazim Nizami said soon after his arrival in India from Pakistan. The two Sufi clerics, identified as Syed Asif Nizami and Nazim Nizami, have returned from Pakistan on Monday and will meet External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj with their family members. Swaraj had on Sunday said in a series of tweets that she spoke to one of the two clerics, who were later found after going missing in Pakistan. "I just spoke to Syed Nazim Ali Nizami in Karachi. He told me that they are safe and will be back in Delhi on Monday," she had said in a tweet. Syed Asif Nizami, the head priest (Sajjadanashin) of Hazrat Nizamuddin Aulia Dargah and his nephew Nazim Nizami had gone to Pakistan on March 8 as part of annual exchanges between Hazrat Nizamuddin and Garib Nawaz, who is venerated at the Data Darbar Sufi shrine in Lahore. The two Sufi clerics who returned from Pakistan on Monday morning met External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj along with their family members. Reports suggest that Syed Asif Nizami and Nazim Nizami, the two clerics, thanked the governments of India and Pakistan for their safe return but remained silent what led to their disappearance. Nazim Ali Nizami, one of the clerics has even rejected Pakistani media reports that they were in interior Sindh claiming that they did not have any visa for that region. "We did not have visa for Sindh interior region, so how could we have gone there? We come from the school of sufi which teaches peace and brotherhood. There are good and bad elements and those who go against the teachings they have to suffer humiliation," he was quoted as saying to a news agency. Swaraj had on Sunday said in a series of tweets that she spoke to one of the two clerics, who were later found after going missing in Pakistan. "I just spoke to Syed Nazim Ali Nizami in Karachi. He told me that they are safe and will be back in Delhi on Monday," she had said in a tweet. Syed Asif Nizami, the head priest (Sajjadanashin) of Hazrat Nizamuddin Aulia Dargah and his nephew Nazim Nizami had gone to Pakistan on March 8 as part of annual exchanges between Hazrat Nizamuddin and Garib Nawaz, who is venerated at the Data Darbar Sufi shrine in Lahore. The two Sufi clerics have returned from Pakistan on Monday and will meet External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj along with their family members. Swaraj had on Sunday said in a series of tweets that she spoke to one of the two clerics, who were later found after going missing in Pakistan. "I just spoke to Syed Nazim Ali Nizami in Karachi. He told me that they are safe and will be back in Delhi on Monday," she had said in a tweet. Pakistan had on Saturday also conveyed to India that the two missing clerics had been traced and that they had reached Karachi. Syed Asif Nizami, the head priest (Sajjadanashin) of Hazrat Nizamuddin Aulia Dargah and his nephew Nazim Nizami had gone to Pakistan on March 8 as part of annual exchanges between Hazrat Nizamuddin and Garib Nawaz, who is venerated at the Data Darbar Sufi shrine in Lahore. By calling for an EVM ban, losers in the just concluded Assembly elections are only deluding themselves. The Election Commission of India, instead of dismissing calls of the Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayavati and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal questioning the reliability of the Electronic Voting Machines by stating they are infallible and tamper proof, should have brought out the voter-verified paper audit trails (VVPATs) introduced at random in 20 constituencies, counted them to validate the EVM count, and dispelled all doubts for the future. VVPAT allows a voter to print out his vote which is dropped in a ballot box and kept sealed. To claim that the EVMs manufactured by the public sector Bharat Electronics and the Electronic Corporation of India, the two suppliers to ECI, cannot be tampered with, is not true. Not so long ago a Hyderabad technologist procured one EVM of the ECI from Mumbai and demonstrated in a television show how it could be hacked. Instead of accepting the reality, ECI launched a witch-hunt against the technologist. The integrity of Indian EVMs is derived from the fact it has just a one-time programme built into it, like a calculator, and it is not networked. For a huge country like India having the worlds largest electorate, EVMs are a necessary tool to facilitate timely elections. The ECI has close to two million EVMs. When elections are called, a computer makes randomised selection of which machine should be sent to which constituency as a first step to avoid tampering. As soon as the final candidate list is out, which is about two weeks prior to polling date, the machines are tested in the presence of the candidates or party agent, and their signatures obtained in a certificate that the EVMs are in order. On polling day, a mock polling for an hour is conducted to see all the buttons are working properly and not rigged. A decade ago Subramanian Swamy, then president of the Janata Party, organised an international convention on the use of electronic voting machines in Chennai. Among the participants were scientists and psephologists, including GVL Narasimha Rao, present national spokesman of the BJP, who presented his seminal book, Democracy at Risk, Can We Trust Our Electronic Voting Machines? One of the positive outcomes of the international convention was the Supreme Court ordering the ECI to allow demonstration of hacking an EVM before its technical committee then headed by the late Professor Inderesan, former director of Madras IIT. When the demonstration was progressing and finding it was succeeding, he walked out. The Supreme Court eventually ordered the ECI to incorporate VVPAT in all its EVMs and the ECI has given an undertaking to have them ready in the 2019 general election. It is left to the Narendra Modi government to release adequate funds to the EC to enable it achieve the target. The University Grants Commission has decided to grant autonomy to more colleges even without on-the-spot inspection by an expert committee. This is a major development in the academic sphere under the BJP dispensation. However, the concept still seems to be a mirage as the criteria for granting autonomy have been left rather vague. The establishment of autonomous colleges, as envisaged under the New Policy of Education of 1986, was expected to be a trend-setter. But the centres of excellence proved to be a non-starter. The idea was welcome as the plan envisaged that autonomy would be granted on the basis of good performance. It was intended to decentralise authority from university administrators to university departments and from universities to colleges. The faculty would be responsible and accountable for all the academic programmes, including restructuring of courses, the quality of teaching and assessment of students performance. The idea was to allow these colleges to become centres of excellence without being affected by the over-bureaucratisation of the decision-making processes. When the UGC announced that St Xaviers College in Kolkata would become the first undergraduate college in Bengal to acquire the status of an autonomous institution, it was supposed to be in fulfilment of the state governments pledge to have at least one autonomous college. But the issue of autonomy for Presidency College turned out to be a dilemma. Autonomy still remains an ill-defined term and this has given rise to misplaced fears among academics. Although the scheme has been a grand success in many advanced countries, it is yet to make substantial headway in India. Certain pronouncements from Delhi nearly four decades ago sounded like a recognition that an autonomous college was an idea whose time had come. Official circulars were issed throughout the country. Theoretically, the concept, as enunciated in 1978, became a significant step towards improving the quality of higher education in India. However, it was in 1948 that the first proposal for autonomous colleges was mooted by the erstwhile University Education Commission. In 1964, the committee on colleges, with Professor Mahajani in the chair, advised the UGC to select a few colleges and give them an autonomous status with freedom to experiment with new ideas. A committee on standards of university education reiterated the need in 1965, and the National Policy on Education for 1986 stated: Autonomous colleges will be helped to develop in large numbers until the affiliation system is replaced by a free and more creative association of universities and colleges. The first such college came into existence in Tamil Nadu in 1978 and the number started growing, but rather sluggishly. In 1981, an Indian delegation studied the functioning of autonomous colleges in the USA and recommended to the UGC that the process of establishing autonomous colleges should be accelerated. So the idea was strongly recommended in the National Policy, 1986, and confirmed again in the Programme of Action 1986 and 1992, and all these documents were approved by Parliament. While the Seventh Plan envisaged autonomy to 500 among 7000 colleges, only 100-odd colleges were made autonomous. If Presidency College had decided in the past not to seek autonomy, it is also a matter of concern that none of the leading colleges in Delhi ever expressed its willingness to enjoy autonomous status due to opposition from the teachers associations as also the unwillingness of the university to amend its acts to make autonomy possible. In fact, the initial enthusiasm for the novel scheme has waned considerably. What is worse, there is lack of awarness in the institutions themselves that they are in need of liberation. True, teachers sitting in the staff rooms denounce their university for the deficiencies of the curriculum and the unreliability of the education procedures. But if the syllabus is defective, would they draw up a better one? If the teaching routine that the university prescribes is not agreeable, would they suggest a more effective way of teaching and learning? If the present style of examination and evaluation needs change and improvement, what would they want to do? To answer these questions and put the answers into practise is the true meaning of autonomy. What autonomy would facilitate is a deliberate and conscious use of the freedom to frame and develop the syllabus. Freedom from self-governance ought to be manifest in two levels: i) the institutional level where the college is free to determine its policy and programme; ii) the individual level where the teacher is given the freedom to learn and to teach. Learners should also have the freedom to choose those courses which they think would help them grow (Carneigie Commission Summary Report, 1974). Autonomy envisages a two-pronged liberation ~ first, liberating the universities from the burden of conducting examinations for numerous students which deters them from fulfilling their responsibilities of giving academic and administrative leadership in the higher educational field. Second, autonomy is also intended to liberate the colleges from excessive control of the universities and allow them the freedom to chart out their plan of action, including courses, curriculum and examination management subject to the overall supervision and control of the universities. However, the setting up of autonomous colleges has been very slow largely on account of the indifference of the universities. This is reinforced by the strong resistance from teachers unions. The teaching fraternity is also concerned over the increase in workload, paucity of funds and the operational problems in implementing the scheme. Furthermore, as autonomous colleges are non-conventional institutions, the degrees offered by them might be suspect. Grades or marks may be manipulated in the absence of an external monitoring agency. Moreover, they might foster eliticism. Autonomous colleges have been remarkably successful in effecting innovations in higher education by introducing new courses relevant to the needs of students and society. Besides, they are able to continuously restructure their approach and methods to cope with the changing global educational scenario. Tamil Nadu has the highest number of autonomous colleges in the country. At another remove, autonomy has been a failure in Ravenshaw College, Cuttack. According to UGC officials, the process was not fully implemented. Besides, funds were also held back by the state government. Autonomy, thus, calls for a supportive role of the universities and the state governments. The success of the scheme depends largely on the level of cooperation between the teachers and the managements. It is time for direct intervention by the UGC in order to ensure that autonomy for colleges is not merely a policy document but an example worthy of emulation throughout the country. (The writer is former Associate Professor, Dept. of English, Gurudas College, Kolkata) The Chinese government on Monday reported several companies and local administrations that have breached environmental protection measures within the country. After a four-day inspection, a total of 202 irregularities were found, such as the unauthorised restart of production despite a government ban or failure to comply with emission reducing measures, according to the Ministry of Environmental Protection. The irregularities were discovered by 18 inspection teams sent to 16 cities, including Tianjin and Beijing, where a blue alert was issued on Saturday due to air pollution, Efe news reported. Inspection teams urged local governments and companies to investigate and rectify the situation as soon as possible. Earlier this month, the Chinese government presented a plan dedicated to improving air quality with a 3 per cent reduction of emissions of the main pollutants sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide. Reduced mining and consumption of coal, cutting down excess generation of electricity through coal and a decline in steel production were among the measures announced. With the security situation in Afghanistan deteriorating by the day due to the resurgence of the Taliban, Russia has decided to convene a 12-nation meeting on Afghanistan on 14 April to review the progress in peace efforts in the battle-scarred nation. Apart from the six nations ~ Russia, China, India, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran ~ which had attended the meeting on Afghanistan held in Moscow in February, the United States and the five Central Asian Republics of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan are expected to be invited to the 14 April 14 meeting, it is understood. This will be the first time that the US would be present at such a meeting being hosted by Moscow, signaling the growing realisation that a solution to the Afghanistan crisis could not be found without the active involvement of its neighbours as well as the Western powers. Afghan National Security Advisor Hanif Atmar, who was in New Delhi earlier this month, had informed his Indian interlocutors about Russias proposal to hold another round of peace talks on Afghanistan. Kabul is believed to have impressed upon Moscow the necessity of involving the US in the talks, considering the stakes that Washington has in Afghanistan. The process of informal consultations on Afghanistan was initially started by Pakistan, Russia and China when representatives of the three countries met in Moscow in December last year. However, Afghanistan strongly objected to that meeting, saying a solution to the Afghan issue could not be considered or found without the involvement of the legitimate Afghan regime. Kabuls reaction encouraged Russia to invite the representatives of Afghanistan, India and Iran to the second meeting held in February. Meanwhile, Moscow has sought to dispel the impression that it was in agreement with Pakistans position on involving the Taliban in the peace talks without a firm commitment by the militant outfit that it would eschew violence and abide by the Afghan Constitution. Moscow has publicly also announced that it was not in any supporting the Taliban. However, Pakistan is said to be insisting on involving the Taliban in the peace talks. The Afghanistan-Pakistan Fault Line The U.S. will be engaged in military and intelligence operations at the Afghan-Pakistani border for many years. Kamran Bokhari Summary At a time when the world is focused on repairing the Islamic States damage to the Iraq-Syria border, another key international boundary between Afghanistan and Pakistan faces increasing pressure from jihadism. In fact, the Afghanistan-Pakistan frontier is where transnational jihadism took root nearly two generations ago. It is also the battlespace for the longest war in American history , which started in 2001. Though it has been overshadowed by events in the Middle East since the 2011 uprisings, the jihadist war in Southwest Asia is likely to preoccupy the United States for many years to come. Located at the crossroads of the Middle East, Central Asia and South Asia, Afghanistan has historically been a conduit for different powers pushing into different directions. The jihadist conflict on the Afghan-Pakistani border is just the latest form of warfare in an area that has experienced conflict for centuries. In the here and now, conflict in Afghanistan is once again spreading eastwards and destabilizing Pakistan. While the Afghan-Pakistani border will not go the way of the Syrian-Iraqi frontier, Pakistan will deal with war on its western flank for many years to come. Introduction On March 2, Pakistans Cabinet approved a plan to integrate the Federally Administered Tribal Areas into the adjacent province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa a move that will end the autonomous status of the region that straddles the border with Afghanistan and has been a global hub of transnational jihadist activity. Meanwhile, official trade between Afghanistan and Pakistan was suspended on Feb. 15 when Islamabad closed its three main border crossings after a surge in tensions with Kabul. Unrelated to the border closure, Pakistani troops have been shelling what they claim are jihadist sanctuaries on the Afghan side of the border. Furthermore, Pakistans newly appointed army chief, Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa, threatened that his forces could cross the border and attack the Afghan hideouts of Taliban rebel factions responsible for the recent surge in terrorist violence after a decline in such attacks over the last two years. In February, at least 100 Pakistanis were killed in bombings across Pakistan; one of the bombings occurred at a popular shrine located in a rural area of the southeastern province of Sindh. Such incidents are rare in this area, as most attacks take place closer to the Afghanistan border. Afghan women in a cart enter Afghanistan from Pakistan at the border crossing in Torkham, in Nangarhar province on June 18, 2016. A major Afghan-Pakistan border crossing reopened that day after it was closed for several days following deadly clashes between the two countries after the construction of a gate on the Pakistani side to control cross-border movement, officials said. NOORULLAH SHIRZADA/AFP/Getty Images Formation of Southwest Asian Borderlands The roots of the contemporary Afghanistan-Pakistan jihadist conflict in the cross-border region date to at least the 10th century. The historical caliphate that was presided over by the Abbasids declined in the late 9th century, enabling the rise of multiple Persianate, Turkic and Mongolian dynastic dominions that controlled what we now call Afghanistan. One such Turkic polity was known as the Ghaznavid dynasty (977-1186); during its reign, Afghanistan became a springboard for these Muslim forces to invade India. For the next eight centuries, successive Muslim dynasties from Central Asia, which all had a foothold in Afghanistan, invaded and ruled India (which included current Pakistani territory). The most notable of these dynasties was the Mughal Empire (1526-1857). This process continued until the decline of the Mughals in the 18th century. By 1857, all of Southwest Asia was either under British influence or ruled directly by the British. However, the area had been in a state of flux long before British borders prevented territories from frequently shifting hands. The current 1,510-mile border between Afghanistan and Pakistan, called the Durand Line, was established by Britain during the heyday of British colonial rule. It was named after Sir Henry Mortimer Durand, who concluded an agreement with Afghanistans emir, Abdur Rahman Khan, in 1893. Designed to delineate the western periphery of British-ruled India, the Durand Line rendered Afghanistan a buffer state between British-controlled South Asia and Russian-controlled Central Asia. The Durand Line, adjusted slightly in accordance with a 1919 treaty, has been the de facto Afghan-Pakistani border since 1947, when the British partitioned the South Asian subcontinent into the two sovereign nation-states of India and Pakistan. Rise of Jihadism Afghanistan refuses to officially recognize the Durand Line as its international border with Pakistan because it effectively divides ethnic Pashtuns into Afghan and Pakistani citizens and removes territory that Afghans claim ownership over. During the days of British rule, the Afghans were in no position to challenge the Durand Line. However, after Britains departure, King Mohammad Zahir Shahs monarchical regime in Afghanistan supported Pashtun separatism in Pakistan. To counter this separatist Pashtunistan movement and the ethnic nationalism that was associated with it, Pakistan fortified its national identity by using Islam. Pakistan also began supporting Afghan Islamist groups several years prior to the1978 coup that allowed the communists to come to power in Afghanistan, and the Soviet military sent troops to prop up the communist regime the following year. Over the course of the next decade, Pakistan served as the launchpad for the U.S.-led international effort to fight Soviet troops and their allied Afghan communist government. Radical Islamists from Arab countries and the wider Muslim world had to travel through Pakistan before arriving in Afghanistan to fight against the communists. For the first time, Islamists of different national, ethnic and linguistic backgrounds operated in a singular battlespace. In this way, the landlocked Southwest Asian country became the crucible in which transnational jihadism took shape. Moscow was forced to withdraw its troops from Afghanistan in 1989, and the Soviet Union imploded within two years. These developments, along with a decade of battlefield experience, had a major psychological impact, especially on the international veterans of the Afghan war. It emboldened both the Afghan and foreign fighters to feel that they could serve as a global Muslim vanguard. The foreign fighters had come to Afghanistan to help fellow Muslims liberate their lands from the invading Russians but ended up subscribing to the view that an Islamic political order could be created through armed insurrection. The Afghan experience thus reinforced the beliefs of those who already felt that jihad was the only way to establish Islamic governance. In addition, it rendered these beliefs, which until then had been organized along national lines, into a transnational movement under the banner of al-Qaida. Meanwhile, Afghanistan continued to descend into chaos as the Afghan Islamist insurgents, united in their fight against the communists, immediately turned their guns on each other when Afghanistans Marxist regime was toppled in 1992. The resulting intra-Islamist civil war, which ensued for the next four years, was critical because the anarchy created large swathes of ungoverned spaces . This allowed al-Qaida to establish its global headquarters in Afghanistan. The Emergence of the AfPak Battlespace The Taliban emerged from southern Afghanistans Pashtun population as a new faction, and many of its members had previously fought the communists as members of other jihadist groups. When the Afghan Taliban took Kabul in 1996, the movement eclipsed the factions that had successfully fought against the Soviets. While it adhered to nationalist jihadism, the Afghan Taliban regime provided al-Qaida-led transnational jihadists a major platform from which to operate and launch the 9/11 attacks. Pakistan had thrown its lot behind the Taliban as early as 1994, when it became clear that the organization was emerging as the dominant force in the Afghan Civil War. However, the Pakistanis ignored al-Qaida, not realizing that the transnational jihadist entity was competing with Islamabad when it came to influence over the Taliban. The 9/11 attacks created a major crisis for Pakistan whereby Islamabad was forced to align with the United States against its Afghan proxy. When the Taliban regime was toppled, decades of Pakistans efforts to install a friendly regime in its western neighbor crashed down. Islamabads decision to align with Washington led to the rise of a Taliban rebel movement within its borders. During the early 2000s, an anti-Pakistan jihadist insurgency took shape in the tribal areas from which Pakistan had supported the anti-Soviet Islamist insurgents and, later on, the Afghan Taliban. It was this outcome that forced Pakistan to try and balance its need to support the U.S.-led war against jihadism with its need to allow the Afghan Taliban to operate from its soil. From Pakistans point of view, the Americans have the option of packing up and leaving. The Pakistanis, however, cannot escape the geography that forces them to deal with fallout from Afghanistan. However, the balancing act did not work. By December 2007, Pakistani military, intelligence and police forces had become a key target of a vicious insurgency planned by a well-organized domestic Taliban movement that has since claimed as many as 70,000 lives. The rise of this Taliban movement was aided by al-Qaida, which relocated to Pakistan after the destruction of its Afghanistan facilities in late 2001. While the Afghan Taliban distanced themselves from al-Qaida, the Pakistani Taliban fully subscribed to al-Qaidas transnational outlook. As a result, the jihadist war spilled from Afghanistan into Pakistan and created what has come to be known as the AfPak battlespace. Over the next two years, Pakistan lost control of not only the tribal badlands along its northwestern border with Afghanistan but also many districts of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. In addition, jihadists established roots in major urban centers across the country and in the core province of Punjab. Furthermore, growing religious ultraconservatism has provided Pakistani jihadists with an enabling environment. Further complicating matters, the Pakistani state has been unwilling or unable to deny sanctuary to Afghan Taliban and anti-India militants; in other words, Pakistan lacks either the will or ability to crack down on these groups. The Pakistani Position Since 2009, the Pakistani state has gradually regained the upper hand in the physical war against jihadists. That year, it retook the Swat district, which had become a de facto Taliban emirate deep inside the country. Islamabad also launched a major offensive in Pakistans northwestern tribal areas, with the exception of North Waziristan, which is home to not only anti-Pakistan jihadis and their al-Qaida allies but also the Haqqani faction of the Afghan Taliban movement. It took another five years for the Pakistanis to mount an offensive in North Waziristan in June 2014, and the offensive gained further momentum after the December 2014 attack on an army school where 132 children were gunned down. The frequency of attacks in Pakistan has considerably declined over the past two years, especially large-scale attacks. However, the recent wave suggests that the jihadist rebels retained their capabilities during the crackdown by going underground. During this time period, the Islamic State has set up shop both in-country and in neighboring Afghanistan. After fighting the Taliban insurgency and training Afghan forces to assume this role on its departure, NATO had withdrawn a significant portion of its Western troops by 2014. After the NATO drawdown, the Taliban insurgency gained considerable strength. The pullout of western forces, coupled with the Pakistani offensive on its side of the border, has led jihadis of various stripes to regroup in eastern Afghanistan. It is thus ironic that anti-Pakistan jihadis have found safe havens in Afghanistan while Afghan Taliban continue to enjoy safe haven in Pakistan. Relations between the Afghan and Pakistani states have not been good since the post-Taliban regime was founded in 2002. However, infighting among various anti-Taliban factions within the Afghan state has created a situation where Kabul is becoming increasingly incoherent and unable to control its territory. This has led Afghanistan to increase its criticism of Pakistan for not delivering on its promise to crack down on the Afghan Taliban. Conversely, Islamabad accuses Kabul of allowing Pakistani Taliban to operate from Afghan soil. Both countries struggle with their respective jihadist insurgencies, and very little cross-border cooperation takes place between Afghanistan and Pakistan. Instead, the Kabul-Islamabad clash works to the jihadis advantage, especially those who would like to replicate the conditions that exist on the Syrian-Iraqi border at the Afghan-Pakistani frontier. However, transnational jihadis are unlikely to realize this desire because Pakistan is a much stronger state than both Syria and Iraq, and the core of the Afghan Taliban remain a nationalist force focused on gaining power in the country. Conclusion: No End in Sight The international strategy for managing the war at the Afghanistan-Pakistan border has revolved around the notion that the Afghan Taliban needs to be negotiated with. For the longest time, Pakistan was seen as the one state actor that could bring the Afghan Taliban to the negotiation table and steer it toward a settlement. However, Islamabad has lost its influence over the group over the last few years, so this has not happened. The Afghan Taliban has the upper hand over the Afghan government on the battlefield, which serves as a disincentive for the group to seriously enter into talks . Additionally, the Afghan Taliban is still very much an insurgent movement. As a military organization with very little political experience, it has not developed into a movement that could be incorporated into the existing political setup, and the war cannot be brought to an end until that happens. Furthermore, the political mainstream itself is virtually non-existent, and it therefore becomes difficult to integrate the Taliban. The Afghan Taliban seeks to replace the current dispensation with one that it can dominate, so it continues to push for a significant change to the current setup. The Taliban are used to an autocratic form of governance, which was the setup they used while in power from 1996 to 2001. Because of this, they cannot function as a party in a democratic system and thus they push for the restoration of their old emirate. There is also a historical precedent for this type of system, which was in use from the 18th through the 20th centuries. The fate of the current Afghan polity remains unclear at best. While the Afghan Talibans ambitions remain limited to Afghanistan, its ideology overlaps with those jihadis who seek transnational caliphates. This explains the linkages between the various jihadist groups in Afghanistan, Pakistan and beyond. Patnaik's close aides say that to understand him, one has to understand his empathy By Pratul Sharma/Photos Sanjay Ahlawat Bulging US inventories on the top of swelling crude and shale production have pulled down oil prices to a three-month low. After rallying above $58 a barrel, Brent faced a steep decline to around $51. Saudi Arabia seems to have lost patience with its co-members in the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). We will not bear the burden of free riders, warned Saudi Arabias powerful Energy Minister Khalid al-Falih at a recent oil meeting in Houston. Everything worked out in the manner as OPEC planned to curb output by 1.8 million barrels a day from January 1. Oil prices began to pick up even as the production cut was agreed upon. Prices jumped 30 per cent above last year's low thanks to the first OPEC production cut deal in eight years. With the signing of the six-month deal on November 30 and the level of compliance climbing up to almost 90 per cent, Brent prices surged to $50 a barrel. It started hovering above $55 after non-OPEC countries Russia and Mexico cooperated with the cartels cut deal. In panic, buyers signed long-term contracts to insulate against higher price punches after the next OPEC meeting in Vienna on May 25. The fall happened at a time when the price was projected to touch $60 before the term of OPEC deal closes in June. Kingdoms yoke Oil market breathed a sigh of relief when Saudi Arabia brokered a deal to curb global glut, shouldering most of the burden. Crude prices surged as the members agreed to trim production by 1.8 million bpd. OPEC building and logo in Vienna. File photo: Reuters A bombshell broke on March 14: An OPEC release said Saudi Arabia produced 10.011 m bpd in February, up from 9.748 m bpd in January. Market signalled a glut again and the prices began to tumble down. However, the Kingdom announced that it was sticking to the production cut deal. It clarified that its actual supply for February was only 9.9 million bpd in contrast with 9.99 m bpd in January. Saudi Arabia said that the surplus 263,000 barrels a day was meant for storage adjustments and the actual flow of oil into the market was maintained as per the OPEC deal. Saudi Arabia believes that oil cheats in the OPEC and outside are pumping beyond their limit to garner profit of the price upswing. Mistrusting members of the cartel suspect one another of lying about their actual production level. However, the OPEC verifies output figures provided by members with secondary sources and by using granular tracking of shipments. Saudi Arabia, de facto leader of OPEC, is likely to take a tougher line in the next round of discussion, energy analysts predict. The largest exporter of oil says it has no intention of backing out of the deal. Its position is that the burden of balancing must be shared. A slump in oil market is a concern for Saudi Arabia when it is readying for the initial public offering of Saudi Arabian Oil Co, or Aramco. The oil major controls more than a tenth of the global oil market with reserves topping 260 billion barrels. Saudi Arabia claims Aramco is worth $2 trillion, but industry analysts have valued it $1.0 to $1.5 trillion. Critics of the Saudi Arabia suggest that Kingdom, which owns 18 per cent of the worlds proven petroleum reserves, is seeking market advantage by confusing investors, traders, buyers and producers alike. They point at the sharp upswings in the past, which hugely profited the Kingdom. In 1998, Venezuela was at its receiving end. As prices fell in 2014, Saudi Arabia did not allow OPEC members' move to cut down production. But times have changed. Countries have built up huge oil reserves to handle a future oil crisis. With its foreign reserves fast depleting, it is doubtful how long Saudi Arabia can prolong an oil war. Everybody knows there is a glut in the market, but it is difficult to ascertain the actual level of output by each exporter. Some OPEC members have increased production to reap benefits of higher prices even as they swore by the deal. Libya and Nigeria, which were excluded from the cut, pumped more oil. Russia, a major producer, cut only 100,000 barrels a day though it had agreed to cut 300,000. OPEC members Venezuela and Angola and non-OPEC members Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan too reportedly failed to keep up to their pledged figures. Non-compliance by OPEC members and increased production in other countries have greatly negated the impact of the OPEC deal. OPEC seems to be in a state of confusion with the US inventory building up and more rigs being added. US game OPEC's high price target is actually encouraging investments in American oil rigsrigs have gone up by 30 per cent since November 2016. After OPEC hiked the prices, US shale producers hurriedly ramped up production. Crude oil storage tanks in Oklahoma, USA. Fiel photo: Reuters The biggest impact on prices was caused by the increase in US crude production. Average daily production went up by 330,000 bpd this year, compared with 2016. The three-month period from October 2016 saw a double increase740,000 barrels. This is the time for seasonal maintenance in the US rigs, so the inventories will be rising further in the coming days. The US inventories of crude and petroleum products are 20 per cent above the average five-year figures. It has reached a new recordin the last week, 8.2 million barrels were added to the stockpile to take the total to 528.4 million barrels. The figures are 30 per cent up from the 2010-14 inventory levels. Prices have already fallen back to the pre-OPEC deal times owing to oversupply. The downtrend seems to persists for a long time. Tumbling oil prices have added pressure on OPEC leaders which are left with no option but to abandon the deal if the US oil producers reap profits of the OPEC production cuts. Heading for a crash? Beyond 2020, International Energy Agencys five-year oil market projection says, global oil could be heading for a crisis. Rising demand will overtake dwindling supply because of slackening investment. With prices falling, OPEC production cut seems to be losing its teeth. Global oil stockpile has actually gone up at a time when OPEC guessed that it would drop. In February, China built up a stockpile of 30 million barrels. A glut of natural gas has also dragged the futures down by 25 per cent in just 75 days. These are signs that a new oil price war is in the offing. If the deal fails, Saudi Arabia might direct its anger towards other OPEC members. It may sell crude to its Asian customers at the lowest price to teach the oil cheats a lessonAsian market accounts for 70 per cent of demand growth. If OPEC deal breaks down and members are allowed to pump as they wish, the oil market is set to collapse. In what can be hailed as a celebration of artisanal excellence, fashion designers Didier Lecoanet and Hemant Sagar are showcasing their 36-year long fashion journey through a unique exhibition that houses some of the masterpieces of the designer duo. The exhibition, titled 'Paris, New Delhi: From Haute Couture to the Technologies of Elegance', will be held at Bikaner House, New Delhi from March 19 to 22. It will be inaugurated by His Excellency Alexandre Ziegler, Ambassador of France to India. The designers have dedicated a special area for displaying nearly 80 of their exclusive piecessome of which date back to the 1980s and 1990s, created in Paris and others created in their Gurugram Atelier from 2000. On display are also pieces that are hand developed, hand assembled and contemporary industrial products. The exhibitions not only reflects our journey but also showcases the direction that we are going into, Sagar said. The idea is to spread awareness about the need to invest in research and design that can be instrumental in placing India on the global fashion map. The show would demonstrate the intrinsic research that goes into developing certain designs by hand and the way it has been re-developed to become an exceptional commercial product. In India we don't have organised retail. It's more about consignment. We have dedicated a part starting at the separation that is hand developed and made with all the technicians and the people specialised in couture training. We also have pieces that may look like a machine-made outfit, but they are actually hand assembled. Enforcing artisans to work this way will help them bring out their capacities to the fullest and reinforce a serial retail creation for people. It will also enhance commerce and creation at a new level. Its important for Indian designers to go West and its high time they should do so, he said. Along with the exhibition, the designers would also showcased a special edit of the GENES-Lecoanet Hemant's ready-to-wear label at the Vayu store at Bikaner House. The collection would have pieces of cotton for both men and women. The people of Punjab heaved a sigh of relief on March 18 as the Congress government under Capt. Amarinder Singh abolished the "halqa incharge" system at its first cabinet meeting. The previous Shiromani Akali Dal government that was thrown out of Punjab like a bad penny, had introduced the post of a "halqa incharge"area incharge. These appointees were all members of the party, and without a nod from them, nothing could be done. In the countryside, it meant no help from the panchayats, and all over the state it meant no complaint would he heard by the police, and no FIR registered , until the halqa incharge approved. Even a loan or any of the subsidies would not reach the poor, until the halqa incharge had okayed it. The much misused post is said to be one of the biggest factors contributing to the decline of the Shiromani Akali Dal and its ouster. The chief minister also asked the police to carry out a manpower audit to immediately withdraw police personnel from personal security and other non-essential duties. On Monday, the people saw some more relief, when the chief minister, in the course of his meeting with the deputy commissioners and senior superintendents of police from all the district, made it clear they had to function under the Right to Service Act, which guarantees time-bound services to people. He asked police officers to crack down on corruption and file chargesheet against the corrupt within three days. Singh asked officers to deliver quality attention in dealing with the public in the departments of sub-registrar, tehsil, sub-division, transport, food and supplies, power and police stations. He asked officers to be present in their offices from 9 AM to 5 PM on all working days, with tours to be announced on website and notice board. Appointment hours should be fixed and appointments should be given on the phone or online, and all applications should be scanned and followed up on computer, he said. Reply should be sent to the applicant via email, SMS or post within the time limit set under the Right To Service Act, Singh told officers. He also focussed on the much abused transport department of the state. While these would percolate down to the people in a few weeks or months, he told the officers to be polite, courteous and kind to the people. They are not at all little steps. (With inputs from agencies) Political scene in Gujarat is beginning to hot up with the Congress holding a meeting on Monday of ticket aspirants and the ruling BJP planning a similar meeting in near future. Assembly elections are expected to be held towards the end of the year. The meeting held in Ahmedabad was also attended by top state Congress leaders and party's in-charge for Gujarat Gurudas Kamat. Besides party MLAs, the meeting also witnessed young ticket aspirants putting up their cases before the leaders and media. About 1,500 Congress party workers were in attendance in the meeting that prominently displayed the banner Navsarjan Congress (Congress rejuvenation). The Congress has been out of power in Gujarat for more than two decades. Meanwhile, opposition leader in the state assembly Shankersinh Vaghela fired a salvo. Addressing the gathering, he said that he withdrew himself from the race of chief minister. According to him, it is a matter to be considered after Congress gets majority. Vaghela later said that he was doing so to avoid race for chief minister among the party leaders. State BJP president Jitubhai Vaghani strongly reacted to Vaghela's statement and said that it would not be Congress' rejuvenation but it would be Congress' immersion. According to reports emerging from the state BJP, a meeting of ticket aspirants in the party will be organised soon. As the politics heats up, a poster of Narendra Modi and Amit Shah was seen blackened in Rajkot. The poster was later pulled down. The Aam Admi Party, which is trying to make a foothold in Gujarat, has been demanding ballot papers in the upcoming elections. Party chief Arvind Kejriwal is expected in Gujarat later this month. The appointment of Hindutva poster boy Yogi Adityanath as Uttar Pradesh chief minister will encourage communalism and put the unity and integrity of the country at risk, said senior NCP leader Tariq Anwar. "It is unfortunate that Yogi Adityanath has become the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh. He has a fundamentalist image. His appointment as the CM would encourage communalism and put the unity and integrity of the country at risk," said Anwar in a statement which appeared to be a doomsday prophecy. Anwar, a Lok Sabha member from Katihar and former union minister, said the BJP has now showed its true intentions and the type of people it wants to promote by making Adityanath the UP CM. "With Adityanath as the UP CM, BJP wants to vitiate the atmosphere of communal harmony by imposing its ideology in the country," he said echoing his party supreemo Sharad Pawar's fears. Talking to reporters earlier in Ahmedabad, Pawar had apprehended that with Adityanath becoming the UP chief minister, the communal politics would may get a boost. Asked about the opposition alleging that the EVMs were tampered with, he said, "This has now become an issue. Even developed nations have shelved the use of EVMs and have now adopted the ballot paper. The issue should be considered seriously." Talking about Bihar politics and projection of Nitish Kumar as prime ministerial candidate, Anwar said the "appropriate time has not come to project him for the top post and his deputy Tejashwi Prasad Yadav as the chief ministerial candidate of Bihar." "Lok Sabha elections will be held in 2019. Issuing such statements will be childish. It will depend on the situation and the alliance that takes place," Anwar added. A small American outpost deep in Kurdish-held territory in northern Syria could soon become the supply hub for a U.S.-backed push on the Islamic State stronghold of Raqqa. It could also become the flashpoint for a showdown between Washington, which wants to knock Islamic State out of its headquarters in Raqqa, and Turkey, which hates the idea of Kurds storming an Arab city. Located near the city of Kobani, a dirt airstrip next to the sandbagged base can handle massive C-17 cargo planes loaded with weapons, ammunition, and other equipment earmarked for Syrian Arab forces and possibly Kurdish fighters, if U.S. generals coordinating the fight get their way. The two top U.S. generals in the region took a small group of journalists including a television crew on a tour of the base and a training ground last week, showcasing the local fighters being prepared for combat by American military advisors. It was no accident that Gen. Joseph Votel, head of U.S. Central Command, and Lt. Gen. Stephen Townsend, the top general in Iraq and Syria, are showing off their preparations. The visit underscored the view of top commanders that Syrian Kurdish forces offer the only viable way to oust Islamic State from Raqqa, where the extremists are believed to be plotting terrorist attacks against Western targets. The visit came just days before the Pentagon delivered to President Donald Trump, as requested, a slew of options to defeat ISIS. As the White House weighs the military options for liberating Raqqa from Islamic State control, Trump faces his first major test as commander in chief, one that will help define the new presidents approach to key allies and adversaries, his relationship with top U.S. commanders, and the future course of the Syrian civil war and the Middle East. Its still unclear if he will heed his generals advice to start arming the Kurds directly and put them on point for the offensive to take back Raqqa. Turkey has demanded their Kurdish foes in the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) who they consider little different from Kurdish terrorists theyve fought for decades be excluded from the operation. Instead, theyve proposed their own plan, which would involve Turkish troops and a largely untested Syrian Arab force armed by Ankara. Townsend said during the tour of northern Syria that Turkeys concerns were understandable and must be taken into account. But the U.S. general described Turkeys strategic choice in stark terms: Someone is going to have influence over the SDF after Raqqa, and after ISIS is defeated. Who would Ankara wish it to be? They can have their pick: Russia, Iran, the [Syrian] regime, or the United States? Using Kurdish troops to take Raqqa carries plenty of risks. It could enrage Turkey, weakening a key brick in Americas bulwark against Iran, not to mention risking an all-out war between Turks and Kurds in Syria. It could also give the Islamic State a propaganda boost if non-Arabs pour into a Syrian city. But waiting until diplomatically suitable Arab forces are ready to fight is also risky, especially for a president who thinks in Manichean terms and who favors quick, seemingly decisive action. As long as Raqqa remains in Islamic State hands, Western governments particularly France worry about a terrorist attack hatched in the ISIS sanctuary. U.S. intelligence agencies have repeatedly warned that Islamic State militants continue to plan external operations out of Raqqa, and regularly pick up chatter and other information indicating the group is plotting terrorist attacks on U.S. and Western interests. When Trump took office, he inherited a detailed military blueprint prepared by the Obama administration that called for taking Raqqa with a combination of Syrian Kurdish and Arab fighters trained and armed by the U.S. military. As recently as January, military planners saw the value in attacking both Raqqa and the ISIS stronghold of Mosul in neighboring Iraq simultaneously, to pile pressure on the Islamic State and build momentum against the extremists. Obama considered giving the green light to the plan in his final days as president, but chose to hold off in deference to the incoming administration, which had asked the Obama team not to go ahead, former officials said. Now, the Trump White House led by new national security advisor H.R. McMaster is reviewing the whole issue, amid public warnings from Turkey against Syrian Kurds playing any role in the liberation of Raqqa. The view is taking it right is more important than taking it quickly, said one Republican congressional staffer. This judgment is bubbling up that it might be better to pause. The SDF includes Syrian Kurdish and Arab components, but U.S. military advisors and top Pentagon leadership consider the Kurdish troops to be more effective and more experienced. For the Raqqa offensive to proceed, the Trump administration would need to formally authorize logistical and other support for the Syrian Kurdish forces a move that would infuriate Americas NATO ally, Turkey. From Ankaras perspective, the 27,000 Kurds in the SDF are little more than an arm of the PKK, a terrorist group that has fought a bloody separatist campaign in southern Turkey for decades. While Washington like the European Union recognizes the PKK as a terrorist organization, and nods to historical links between that group and Syrian Kurds, U.S. policy is that armed Syrian Kurds arent a terror group. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has for months warned that the SDF was in his crosshairs. After pushing the Islamic State out of the northern Syrian city of al-Bab late last month, Turkeys new target in Syria is Manbij, he told reporters on Wednesday. Manbij is a city that belongs to the Arabs, and the SDF also must not be in Raqqa, Erdogan said. Last fall, Ankara pushed several thousand rebels along with Turkish commandos into northern Syria to keep Kurdish fighters from forming an unbroken Kurdish area of influence across Turkeys entire southern border. And skirmishes between Turkish-backed rebels and Kurds around Manbij over the past several days close to where U.S. forces are training Syrian rebels point to more trouble ahead. In a move that further inflamed tensions with Turkey, one local group that has close ties to the U.S., the Manbij Military Council, handed several villages over to Syrian government units this week in an effort to erect a buffer between them and the Turkish forces. Though the Kurds make up more than half of the 50,000-strong SDF, American advisors say the Arab element is growing rapidly, with 4,000 Arab fighters completing U.S. training over the past several months. French and Jordanian commandos are also operating in northern Syria as part of the training program, one American officer on the ground in Syria told Foreign Policy. To placate Turkey, options being floated by U.S. commanders include providing the SDF equipment only on a temporary basis, or limiting their supply of ammunition on a need-to-have basis. Sidelining the Kurds may not be the best military solution, but it might be the smartest move in terms of the bigger picture of regional security. James Jeffrey, a former ambassador to Iraq whose opinion carries weight among Defense Department officials, said it would be a mistake to adopt a battle plan that ignored Turkey, as Washington cannot afford to lose Ankara as a partner in countering Irans influence in the region and addressing the grievances of Sunni Arabs in Iraq and Syria. Its very important that we just not defeat ISIS but that we handle those broader challenges, ensuring the Iranians dont run amok, said Jeffrey, now at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. The former diplomat recommended the United States postpone any assault on Raqqa until after Turkey holds its constitutional referendum on April 16, as Erdogan cannot be seen at home to strike any compromise with the Kurds during the political campaign. But waiting to launch an offensive carries the risk that the SDF will become distracted by other priorities or lose faith in their American patrons. And opting for a Turkey-led operation could backfire if the Arab fighters that Ankara has bankrolled fail to perform as promised. Turkeys plan has other blemishes. To establish a logistical supply line from its force near the border south toward Raqqa, Turkey would have to reach an agreement with the Syrian Kurds, or else have to fight their way through Kurdish-held areas to get to Raqqa. And when Turkey presented its plans for the Raqqa assault to Washington, military officers and Defense Department officials came away unimpressed. Thats not something that passed the rigor of the Pentagon, a former Obama administration official told FP. There is one other, literally America First option, beyond relying solely on quickly-trained U.S-backed Kurds and Arabs, or Turkish-backed Arabs. Until now, U.S. military commanders have ruled out anything beyond some artillery support and an advisory role for U.S. special operations forces. But some officials and administration advisors are open to at least considering the idea of using conventional forces in a full-fledged combat role. Under one possible scenario, American armored units similar to the approach used in Fallujah in 2004 during the U.S. occupation of Iraq could help seize the city before later transferring control to Syrian Arab forces. In testimony to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee last month, Jeffrey raised the possibility of a several thousand-strong U.S. armored contingent punching through to Raqqa. Photo Credit: DELIL SOULEIMAN/AFP/Getty Images Dan De Luce is Foreign Policys chief national security correspondent. He joined FP in June 2015 after working as Pentagon correspondent for Agence France-Presse. Prior to that, Dan reported for the Guardian from Iran until he was expelled by the regime in 2004. After the end of communist rule in Eastern Europe, Dan worked as a freelance journalist in Prague. He later covered the war in former Yugoslavia for Reuters from 1993 to 1995 before serving as Sarajevo bureau chief after the conflict. Born and raised in Los Angeles, Dan lives in Washington with his wife, journalist and author Caitriona Palmer, and his four children. , Paul McLeary is Foreign Policys senior reporter covering the U.S. Defense Department and national security issues. He joined the Washington office in 2015 after working for Defense News, where he was also on the Pentagon beat, and covered stories relating to Pentagon spending and the defense industry. While there, and in a previous incarnation as a New York-based reporter, Paul embedded with U.S. Army and Marine Corps units in Iraq and Afghanistan to cover ground combat operations, where he got inside a secretive drone program being run out of Bagram air base. He has also traveled with the U.S. Navy, covered NATO meetings in Europe with the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and stalked major international arms shows in Paris and London. Ever since Facebook got into trouble with its Trending News section, the multibillion-dollar company has been trying to build tools to combat the epidemic of fake news. Some users have begun noticing that a warning pops up when they try to post a link to an article that has been considered disputed by news agencies such as AP and Snopes. Trump supporters & others are losing their minds that Facebook is now showing this warning when they share a certain "Irish slaves" article pic.twitter.com/fzeU8ZOzjb Liam Hogan (@Limerick1914) March 19, 2017 The feature has not rolled out to users across the world yet, according to some on Twitter. It could be that Facebook is still testing these out in select circles, and will officially introduce them in time. The news of the new feature spread as people found that they could not share an article related to Irish Slavery. AP busts the myth (started by Newport Buzz) that many Irish people were transported to the Americas as slaves. AP says, The false articles, trending on social media as Ireland's national holiday approaches Friday, typically reprint entire sections from a comprehensively debunked 2008 column posted on a website that promotes conspiracy theories. Disputed by third-party fact-checkers When you click on share, the article prominently displays Disputed by Snopes.com and Associated Press in the post with a warning sign. If you go ahead to click on Post, a pop-up appears explaining, Sometimes people share fake news without knowing it. When independent fact-checkers dispute this content, you may be able to visit their websites to find out why. Below, links to the related articles disputing the fake news are provided. You can still click on Post anyway to add the post to your timeline, but the warning is still displayed for those seeing your post on their newsfeed. Twitterers posted screenshots of the pop-up after discovering the feature over the weekend. It's a start I suppose. Problem is you only see this pop up if you SHARE. Passive consumers don't see any warning it's fake news. #Facebook https://t.co/1egZadDq9J Tamara Sword (@tamsword) March 20, 2017 Last year, in December, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg put up a post about combating fake news. In the list of projects that were underway, he mentions third party verification and warnings as possible ideas. There are many respected fact-checking organisations and, while we have reached out to some, we plan to learn from many more, he said, We are exploring labelling stories that have been flagged as false by third parties or our community, and showing warnings when people read or share them. Later on the Facebook Newsroom blog, Adam Mosseri, VP of News Feed, revealed that the organisation is working with fact-checking organisations that are part of the Poynter's International Fact Checking Code of Principles. If fact-checking organisations identify a story as fake, said Mosseri, it will get flagged as disputed and there will be a link to the corresponding article explaining why. He mentioned three more points: to make reporting fake news easier, ranking stories according to how likely they are going to share it, and disrupting financial incentives for spammers. Facebook has started deploying its new weapons in the battle against #fakenews. You can post, but there's a warning https://t.co/ujJdWmcYwa pic.twitter.com/VD5op9ReIH Darren Sibson (@DarrenSibson) March 20, 2017 Criticism against fake news detector However, certain sections of the population still criticise the feature. Most of the disputes arise from not having a common definition of what is considered truth and what is fake. US President Donald Trump's supporters bashed the feature, calling Snopes a biased left-wing outlet. It might be a while before Facebook can cleanly distinguish between what is false news and what is verified news. With the rise of authentic-looking websites that share news that isn't in mainstream media, it gets tough to identify the wolf in sheep's clothing. Like Zuckerberg mentions in his post, We believe in giving people a voice, which means erring on the side of letting people share what they want whenever possible. We need to be careful not to discourage sharing of opinions or to mistakenly restrict accurate content. We do not want to be arbiters of truth ourselves, but instead rely on our community and trusted third parties. German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen on Sunday rejected US President Donald Trump's claim that Germany owes NATO and the United States "vast sums" of money for defense. "There is no debt account at NATO," von der Leyen said in a statement, adding that it was wrong to link the alliance's target for members to spend two per cent of their economic output on defense by 2024 solely to NATO. "Defense spending also goes into UN peacekeeping missions, into our European missions and into our contribution to the fight against IS terrorism," von der Leyen said. She said everyone wanted the burden to be shared fairly and for that to happen it was necessary to have a "modern security concept" that included a modern NATO but also a European defense union and investment in the United Nations. Trump said on Twitter on Saturdaya day after meeting German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Washingtonthat Germany "owes vast sums of money to NATO & the United States must be paid more for the powerful, and very expensive, defense it provides to Germany!" Trump has urged Germany and other NATO members to accelerate efforts to meet NATO's defense spending target. German defense spending is set to rise by 1.4 billion euros to 38.5 billion euros in 2018a figure that is projected to represent 1.26 per cent of economic output, Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble has said. In 2016, Germany's defense spending ratio stood at 1.18 per cent. During her trip to Washington, Merkel reiterated Germany's commitment to the two per cent military spending goal. In a tragic turn of events, former community leader Rabbi Avinoam Malkin faces imminent leg amputation. The need to remove the leg is reportedly due to his inability to cover the expenses of the surgery needed to save the appendage. His state of poverty was highlighted last week with the launch of his fundraising campaign on The Chesed Fund. Rabbi Malkin was reportedly disfigured in a car accident whose driver was uninsured, leaving him without compensation. Since the accident he has been wheel-chair bound, and suffered from chronic pain. The Rav will be in pain this shabbos, as he has been for countless shabbosim. However this Friday he pleads with potential donors to help his family afford the cost of food, so there can be some simcha despite his condition. His campaign page includes a touching personal plea claiming that the incident has torn his family apart. Rabbi Malkin also heavily implies that his mental state has spiralled downward alongside his health. In the video below, his son explains that the Rabbis disability requires that he be accompanies at all times. The Malkin son stresses the dire need to move forward with emergency surgeries, and begs viewers to donate. The footage also displays Rabbi Malkins home, which appears to have fallen into dangerous levels of disarray. A ceiling covered in mold & chipped paint looks nearly ready to collapse. Underneath, Rabbi Malkin sways back and forth in his wheelchair, eyes and fists clenched shut with pain & embarrassment, blessing those who choose to help him. See video below. CLICK HERE TO DONATE CLICK HERE TO SEE THE FULL CAMPAIGN [VIDEO IN EXTENDED ARTICLE] FBI Director James Comey confirmed Monday that the bureau is investigating possible links and coordination between Russia and associates of President Donald Trump as part of a broader probe of Russian interference in last years presidential election. The extraordinary revelation, and the first public confirmation of an investigation that began last summer, came at the outset of Comeys opening statement in a congressional hearing examining Russian meddling and possible connections between Moscow and Trumps campaign. He acknowledged that the FBI does not ordinarily discuss ongoing investigations, but said hed been authorized to do so given the extreme public interest in this case. This work is very complex, and there is no way for me to give you a timetable for when it will be done, Comey told the House Intelligence Committee. Under questioning from the committees top Democrat, Rep. Adam Schiff, he also publicly contradicted a series of tweets from Trump that declared the Republican candidates phones had been ordered tapped by President Barack Obama during the campaign. I have no confirmation that supports those tweets, and we have looked carefully inside the FBI, Comey said. The same was true, he added, of the Justice Department. He also disputed allegations that British intelligence services were involved in the wiretapping. Comey was the latest government official to reject Trumps claims, made without any evidence, that Obama had wiretapped his New York skyscraper during the campaign. Rep. Devin Nunes, a California Republican and chairman of the House intelligence committee, also rejected it earlier in the hearing. Comey was testifying along with National Security Agency Director Michael Rogers. Trump took to Twitter before the hearing began, accusing Democrats of making up allegations about his campaign associates contact with Russia during the election. He said Congress and the FBI should be going after media leaks and maybe even Hillary Clinton instead. The real story that Congress, the FBI and others should be looking into is the leaking of Classified information. Must find leaker now! Trump tweeted early Monday as news coverage on the Russia allegations dominated the mornings cable news. Trump also suggested, without evidence, that Clintons campaign was in contact with Russia and had possibly thwarted a federal investigation. U.S. intelligence officials have not publicly raised the possibility of contacts between the Clintons and Moscow. Officials investigating the matter have said they believe Moscow had hacked into Democrats computers in a bid to help Trumps election bid. Mondays hearing, one of several by congressional panels probing allegations of Russian meddling, could allow for the greatest public accounting to date of investigations that have shadowed the Trump administration in its first two months. The top two lawmakers on the committee said Sunday that documents the Justice Department and FBI delivered late last week offered no evidence that the Obama administration had wiretapped Trump Tower, the presidents New York City headquarters. But the panels ranking Democrat said the material offered circumstantial evidence that American citizens colluded with Russians in Moscows efforts to interfere in the presidential election. There was circumstantial evidence of collusion; there is direct evidence, I think, of deception, Schiff said on NBCs Meet the Press. Theres certainly enough for us to conduct an investigation. Nunes said: For the first time the American people, and all the political parties now, are paying attention to the threat that Russia poses. We know that the Russians were trying to get involved in our campaign, like they have for many decades. Theyre also trying to get involved in campaigns around the globe and over in Europe, he said on Fox News Sunday. The Senate Intelligence Committee has scheduled a similar hearing for later in the month. Though Comey would not discuss specific evidence, we went far beyond his testimony from a hearing in January, when he refused to confirm or deny the existence of any investigation exploring possible connections between Trump associates and Russia, consistent with the FBIs longstanding policy of not publicly discussing its work. His appearances on Capitol Hill since then have occurred in classified settings, often with small groups of lawmakers, and he has made no public statements connected to the Trump campaign or Russia. Any lack of detail from Comey on Monday would likely be contrasted with public comments he made last year when closing out an investigation into Clintons email practices and then, shortly before Election Day, announcing that the probe would be revived following the discovery of additional emails. (AP) Police on Sunday morning 21 Adar report that a toddler was found walking on a sidewalk in the Kiryat Yovel neighborhood of the capital on motzei Shabbos. Police report that the 18-month-old was alone in the area and someone who detected him summoned police. The arriving unit immediately covered the child with warm clothing and brought him into the police car. The parents were found within an hour, explaining they went out and the child was left in the care of a babysitter. Police notified social service who will be probing the matter. (YWN Israel Desk, Jerusalem) [PHOTOS IN EXTENDED ARTICLE] Hundreds of employees of Haifa Chemicals Company took to the streets in protest early Sunday morning 21 Adar, closing major streets in Dimona, in Southern Israel. They protested against the court-ordered closure of the company prior to finding a new venue to continue working, fearing for their source of a livelihood. The approximately 200 protestors explained This is a fight for our lives as about 1,500 are being laid off before Pesach without hope of finding other employment. Police moved in and the roads were opened ahead of the Sunday morning rush hour. (YWN Israel Desk, Jerusalem) President Reuven Rivlin on motzei Shabbos departed for a state visit to Vietnam at the invitation of the countrys president. President Rivlin was accompanied on his visit by a delegation of Israeli business leaders headed by President of Israels Manufacturers Association, Shraga Brosh, and a further delegation of heads of Israeli defense industry firms, led by Director-General of the International Defense Cooperation Directorate of the Israel Ministry of Defense Brig.-Gen. (res.) Michel Ben-Baruch. I am departing now on an important visit to Vietnam, said President Rivlin, this visit represents an expression of the growing friendship between our two countries. He added, Together with me is travelling a delegation of heads of leading Israeli companies from across the market, and a delegation of heads of defense companies in a range of fields. We see in Vietnam a county leading Asia, and we are following with appreciation their impressive economic growth. Security and economic cooperation between us will promote this prosperity and growth of both countries, and will contribute to the stability to each of our regions. The President continued, I believe that cooperation between Israel and Vietnam can contribute to the advancement and improvement of the lives of many. Together we can promote food security, agricultural advancements, water technologies, education, health, hi-tech, and cyber. We hope that over the course of this visit we will be able to advance in a very significant way efforts toward the signing of a free trade agreement between Israel and Vietnam, and to the strengthening of the firm friendship between our peoples. President of Israels Manufacturers Association, Shraga Brosh, commented, I am grateful to President Rivlin for including this prestigious business delegation in his visit to Vietnam. I am sure that this visit will promote trade with Vietnam, open doors, and strengthen the economic ties between the countries. (YWN Israel Desk, Jerusalem) We rely on your support to make local news available to all Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2022. Donate today The United States is looking forward to the first meeting between President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said Sunday, on the final day of a swing through Asia dominated by concerns over North Koreas nuclear and missile programs. In talks with Xi in Beijing, Tillerson said Trump places a very high value on communications with the Chinese president. Trump looks forward to the opportunity of a visit in the future, Tillerson said, in an apparent reference to unconfirmed reports of plans for the two leaders to meet in Florida next month. While few details of his talks have been released, Tillerson appeared to strike a cordial tone during his meetings in Beijing, in contrast to Trumps tough talk on Chinese economic competition during his presidential campaign. Xi told Tillerson that China considered his meetings Saturday with Foreign Minister Wang Yi and top diplomat Yang Jiechi to have been productive and constructive. Both (Trump) and I believe that we need to make joint efforts to advance China-U.S. cooperation and we believe that we can make sure the relationship will move ahead in a constructive fashion in the new era, Xi said. Tillersons Beijing visit followed his remarks in South Korea on Friday that pre-emptive military action against North Korea might be necessary if the threat from its weapons program reaches a level that we believe requires action. China, the Norths biggest source of diplomatic support and economic assistance, hasnt responded directly to those comments, although Beijing has called repeatedly for all sides to take steps to reduce tensions. China has agreed reluctantly to U.N. Security Council resolutions sanctioning North Korea, but is adamantly opposed to measures that might bring about a collapse of North Korean leader Kim Jong Uns regime. Beijing fears Kims fall would send waves of refugees into northeastern China and see South Korean and American forces taking up positions along its border. Beijings patience with Pyongyang appears to be growing thin, however. Last month, China potentially deprived Kims regime of a crucial source of foreign currency by banning imports of North Korean coal for the rest of the year. (AP) Dov Hikind (D, Brooklyn) was enraged to learn that the Brooklyn Public Library is hosting a lecture series by Norman Finkelstein, an anti-Semitic self-promoter who makes his living as a propagandist. Finkelsteins No Free Speech for Fascists series at the library uses tax-supported resources to allow the radical publicist an opportunity to peddle hateful, harmful ideas, explains Assemblyman Hikind. Its no secret that Norman Finkelstein is a despicable, self-hating Jew who has made sickening, dangerous statements like We are all Hezbollah, said Hikind. The question is why would the Brooklyn Public Library allow this vile propagandist to use their facilities to spread his hate to the public? Is the Library also using New Yorkers tax dollars to pay this individual? Are they allowing children to attend this hateful lecture series? Will they allow the heads of the KKK and Neo-Nazi party to lecture at the library next? Hardly a day goes by without a bomb threat to a Jewish center filled with preschoolers and the elderly, Hikind continued. Every week, theres a swastika painted, or a cemetery attacked in the middle of the night. Thats the current reality. And what is the Brooklyn Public Librarys response? To host a modern-day Goebbels who makes excuses for terrorism and denies the extent of the Holocaust. Thats shameful! Finkelstein was denied tenure at DePaul University and placed on academic leave for a year because of the vile things he advocates. Hikind also pointed out that in 2008, Israel denied Finkelstein entry to their country due to security concerns. DePaul University and Israeli authorities understood that espousing hatred leads to violence, said Hikind. The last thing we need in Brooklyn right now is someone who expresses solidarity with Hamas and Hezbollah under the guise of academia stirring the pot of racial hatred. (YWN Headquarters NYC) Following months of discussion, the Ministry of Religious Services has decided to compel Kfar Sabas elderly chief rabbi to step down, HaGaon HaRav Avraham Shalush Shlita. This is being done despite a promise made by Minister of Religious Services (Shas) David Azoulai that the rov would not be forced out against his will. However, in this case, it appears the Ministrys legal counsel, Zohar Porat, sees things differently, sending a letter to the head of the Kfar Saba Religious Council, Shoshan Treblasi. In the letter Porat writes that in light of the result of the hearing given to the rav and as per the instructions of the Justice Ministry, the ravs term will end on Wednesday, 24 Adar 5777. Mr. Teblasi is informed the elderly rav is being forced into retirement and he must therefore prepare the necessary paperwork and stop paying his salary. (YWN Israel Desk, Jerusalem) The Knesset Finance Committee on Sunday morning 21 Adar approved a Ministry of the Economy request to permit grape juice imports from the USA into Israel without charging value added tax ahead of Pesach. The lifting of VAT applies to 100,000 one liter bottles from the USA, doubling the annual amount imported. Economics Minister Eli Cohen explains a great effort was made in a short period of time to permit the grape juice in time for Yomtov. It is reported that over 10 million one-liter bottles of grape juice are sold annually in Israel. 230,000 bottles are imported tax free from the EU and 100,000 additional liters from the USA as per standing agreements. The import agreement from the US is only for one-liter bottles while from EU areas, some of the grape juice arrives in barrels and bottles are filled locally. (YWN Israel Desk, Jerusalem) The US Secret Service has bolstered security at the White House after a man was arrested making threats at one its checkpoints, a third such security scare in just over a week. CNN reported that the man made a threat claiming he had a bomb in his car, and that he was immediately arrested and the car in which he was traveling seized. President Donald Trump was away in Florida at the time. On March 18, 2017 at approximately 11:05 pm, an individual drove a vehicle up to a Secret Service checkpoint located at 15th Street and E Street NW, a Secret Service spokesman said in the latest of a series of White House security concerns. Upon contact with the individual, US Secret Service Uniform Division Officers detained the individual and declared his vehicle suspicious. In accordance with proper protocols, Secret Service personnel increased their posture of readiness, he added. Just hours earlier, a person was arrested after jumping over a bike rack in an apparent bid to reach the fence outside the White House, the Secret Service said. The individual was detained immediately and criminal charges are pending, the agency said in a statement, without identifying the suspect. A Secret Service official speaking on condition of anonymity said that person was not found to be carrying any weapons. The arrest came about a week after a more serious incident that called into question security outside the White House. Just before midnight on March 10, a man scaled three barriers outside the White House a perimeter fence, a vehicle gate and then another fence and walked around the grounds of the executive mansion for 16 minutes before being arrested. That time Trump was inside the building. Total embarrassment Republican Congressman Jason Chaffetz dubbed the incident a total and complete embarrassment. (Homeland Security chief John) Kelly told me that this person was there on the ground for 17 minutes, went undetected, was able to get up next to the White House, hide behind a pillar, look through a window, rattle the door handle, the lawmaker told CNN. According to the Washington Post, that man, who is from northern California, was carrying a backpack and two cans of mace. The White House has seen a string of high-profile trespassing incidents in recent years. In one notable incident in 2014, while Barack Obama was president, an army veteran described as mentally disturbed made it into the White House grounds, sprinted across the lawn and entered the building with a knife in his pocket before being tackled and arrested. Secret Service personnel were also involved in an embarrassing scandal in Colombia when a dozen agents were found to have hired prostitutes during a 2012 presidential trip. And just last week, a laptop was stolen from an agent in New York and remains missing, the agency said Friday, amid reports that the device contained floor plans of Trump Tower. CNN citing law enforcement sources in New York said that though the computer was highly encrypted, it contained floor plans and other sensitive contents. The Secret Service did not detail the contents of the laptop, but emphasized that such devices contain multiple layers of security including full disk encryption and are not permitted to contain classified information, adding that an investigation was ongoing. Trump resided in the luxury high-rise before moving into the White House. His wife Melania and youngest son Barron still live there. The Secret Service, made up of some 6,500 people, is tasked with protecting the US president, former presidents and vice presidents, as well as foreign heads of state on official visits. (AP) The top two lawmakers on the House intelligence committee said Sunday that documents the Justice Department and FBI delivered late last week offered no evidence that the Obama administration had wiretapped Trump Tower, but the panels ranking Democrat says the material offers circumstantial evidence that American citizens colluded with Russians in Moscows efforts to interfere in the presidential election. There was circumstantial evidence of collusion; there is direct evidence, I think, of deception, Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., said. Theres certainly enough for us to conduct an investigation. The House intelligence committee is to begin hearings Monday into Russias role in cybersecurity breaches at the Democratic National Committee, as well as President Donald Trumps unsubstantiated claim that his predecessor had authorized a wiretap of Trump Tower. FBI Director James Comey and Mike Rogers, the director of the National Security Agency, are slated to testify. Intelligence officials have said that Russia was behind the theft of Democratic National Committee emails last summer. The U.S. government later concluded that the Russian government directed the DNC hack in an attempt to influence the outcome of Novembers presidential election. For the first time the American people, and all the political parties now, are paying attention to the threat that Russia poses, committee Chairman Devin Nunes, R-Calif., said. We know that the Russians were trying to get involved in our campaign, like they have for many decades. Theyre also trying to get involved in campaigns around the globe and over in Europe. Nunes said the committee will also examine whether the Russians were trying to sow doubt in the U.S. electoral system or whether they were trying to help Trump get elected to the White House. We need to get to the bottom of that, Nunes said. Nunes and Schiff were among a number of lawmakers who said on Sundays news shows they had seen no evidence that the Obama administration ordered wiretaps on Trump during the campaign. Was there a physical wiretap of Trump Tower? No there never was, Nunes said. The information we received Friday continues to lead us in that direction. Nunes added: There was no FISA warrant I am aware of to tap Trump Tower. FISA stands for the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which requires investigators to seek a warrant from a secret court to wiretap a foreign suspect. Republican Sens. Tom Cotton of Arkansas and Susan Collins of Maine also said Sunday they had seen no evidence that the Obama administration had placed Trump under surveillance at Trump Tower, the Manhattan high-rise that houses Trumps residence, business office and campaign office. Collins encouraged Trump to turn whatever evidence he has of the surveillance over to the congressional intelligence panels looking into the matter. The president repeatedly insisted last week that former President Barack Obama had Trump Tower put under surveillance late last fall. Trumps claims widened to two of the U.S.s staunchest allies. He repeated an unsubstantiated claim that Britains cyber intelligence organization conducted the surveillance at Obamas behest, a claim the agency GBHQ flatly denied; and mentioned during German Chancellor Angela Merkels first visit to the Trump White House the Obama administrations monitoring of Merkels cellphone, a bruising incident in German-U.S. relations. What the president said was just patently false, Schiff said of the Trump Tower allegations, and the wrecking ball it created has now banged into our British allies and our German allies and continuing to grow in terms of damage. And he needs to put an end to this. Nunes spoke on Fox News Sunday; Schiff and Collins appeared on NBCs Meet the Press; Cotton was on CNNs State of the Union. (AP) Russias foreign ministry says the Israeli ambassador to Moscow was summoned to explain an exchange of fire last week between Israeli jets and Syrian government forces. Russia is a top ally of Syrian President Bashar Assad and has provided key military and political backing to his forces, allowing him to turn the tide of the conflict. Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov says Russia expressed concern over the exchange in which Syria fired missiles at Israeli warplanes that were on a mission to destroy a weapons convoy destined for Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed Lebanese militant group. Mondays report in Russias RIA Novosti news agency quotes Bogdanov as saying that Israeli Ambassador Gary Koren was asked about this incident. Hezbollah is also fighting alongside Assads forces in Syrias brutal six-year civil war. (AP) Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahus Chief of Staff, Yoav Horowitz, is off to Washington, DC for talks addressing construction in Yehuda and Shomron. Together with Israels Ambassador to Washington Ron Dermer, they hope to reach understandings regarding construction in communities in Yehuda and Shomron. In recent talks in Jerusalem between Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and President Donalds Trumps special advisor Jason Greenblatt, progress was reported but the sides did not reach agreement. Settlements leaders and the Bayit Yehudi party are angry with PM Netanyahu, insisting Israel is a sovereign nation and it does not require third-party permission for construction, not even from the US. They blame Mr. Netanyahu for complicating the situation for they feel Trump has already signaled the go-ahead for construction during his early days in office but he was halted by Bibi following eight years of a construction freeze in those areas under the Barak Obama administration. (YWN Israel Desk, Jerusalem) Israel Foreign Ministry officials are pleased upon hearing of the release of a citizen who was detained in the Uzbekistan Airport twelve days ago on his way from Israel via Tashkent-Thailand after 13 bullets were found in his bag. His passport was confiscated and he was not permitted to continue traveling but he was not jailed. Foreign Ministry officials received a report of the incident and began probing to gain additional details and then towards his release. The Israeli, a demobilized soldier, was expected to land in Israel on Monday morning 22 Adar 5777. Foreign Ministry officials once again warn Israeli to check luggage for bullets, which may be present from reserve duty. They warn a traveler must check to make certain no prohibited items are present in ones bags to avoid unpleasant situations or worse, including at times, heavy fines. (YWN Israel Desk, Jerusalem) Speaking with Kol Berama Radio on Monday morning 22 Adar, Bayit Yehudi party leader Naftali Bennet called on Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman to back down and leave Bnei David alone. Lieberman has signaled he demands Rabbi Yigal Levinstein apologize and resign from the yeshiva or Bnei David will lose its accreditation. Lieberman was angered over an address given by Levinstein in which he spoke out strongly against women serving alongside men in combat units in the military. Bennet told Kol Berama Lieberman is acting like an elephant in a china shop and would do well learning from IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-General Gadi Eizenkott who works to unite rather than divide. Bennet suggested that Lieberman visit Bnei David and its memorial room where the fallen of the yeshiva are remembered to see the significant contribution the yeshiva has made. Bnei David is the gem of the dati leumi community he added, concluding The authority to remove the yeshivas accreditation rests with me anyway, not with him so his threat is not relevant. (YWN Israel Desk, Jerusalem) The Syrian media on Sunday night the eve of 22 Adar reported that Israels military struck terrorist targets along the Syrian-Lebanon border once again. Israeli officials remain silent in the wake of the report. The Israel Air Force reportedly struck out against Hizbullah targets. According to earlier reports, the IAF targeted a vehicle near Quneitra in which the unidentified driver was killed in an attack earlier Sunday. Israeli officials did not comment on the earlier report either. On Erev Shabbos it was reported that Syria fired missiles at Israeli fighter jets following a series of IAF Attacks. In this case, Israeli officials confirmed attacking several terrorist targets and that defense systems intercepted one of the Syrian missiles. (YWN Israel Desk, Jerusalem) Chancellor Angela Merkel said Monday that her demand that Turkey cease drawing Nazi comparisons with Germany and its allies applies without ifs or buts, and pointed to a government threat last week that it could prevent Turkish politicians entering the country. Merkels comments came after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused her personally of committing Nazi practices. Sundays accusation was the latest escalation in a string of comments by Turkish officials drawing Nazi parallels with present-day Germany and the Netherlands in a dispute over restrictions on Turkish ministers campaigning there for an upcoming referendum. Some local German authorities have decided to block appearances by Turkish ministers, but Merkels federal government unlike its Dutch counterpart so far has made no such decisions. Her chief of staff, though, did say last week that it reserves the right to impose entry bans as a last resort. My comment that the Nazi comparisons on Turkeys part must end is valid without ifs or buts, Merkel said at a joint press conference with visiting Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in Hannover. Unfortunately we see that these comparisons have not ceased, and we are not going to allow every taboo to be broken with no regard to the suffering of those who were persecuted and murdered under Nazism. Merkel pointed to a Foreign Ministry note sent to Turkey last week allowing Turkish referendum polling stations in Germany, in which Ankara was told that appearances by Turkish politicians must respect the principles of the German constitution, and that Berlin otherwise reserves the right to take all necessary measures. Merkels pointed but guarded response was in line with German officials statements over the past week that she has no intention of participating in the race of provocations. Peter Tauber, the general secretary of Merkels conservative party, told N24 television that this is real effrontery toward our chancellor. However, he added that we can allow ourselves to be outraged, stamp our feet and perhaps fight back but the chancellor has to safeguard our countrys interests. The European Parliaments president, Antonio Tajani, wrote on Twitter: An unacceptable attack by @RTErdogan on a democratic country that guarantees all fundamental rights. (AP) Japan and Russia agreed Monday to step up work toward resolving a longstanding territorial dispute through cooperation in a range of areas. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his Japanese counterpart, Fumio Kishida, also joined in urging North Korea to refrain from provocative actions and to abide by United Nations resolutions demanding an end to its nuclear and missile testing. The call came in two-plus-two talks among foreign and defense ministers in Tokyo that touched on a wide array of issues, including the conflict in Syria, drug trafficking, and logistics for travel by elderly Japanese back to disputed islands that have been under Russian control since the end of World War II. The meetings in Tokyo were the two countries first two-plus-two talks since Russias annexation of Crimea from Ukraine. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is to visit Russia in late April and again in September, as the two sides haggle over how to narrow differences in the territorial dispute that has prevented them from reaching a peace treaty officially ending their World War II hostilities. But while the talks appeared cordial and the tone was constructive, tensions remain. Earlier this month, North Korea fired four missiles, of which three landed inside Japans territorial waters. Russia views missile defense systems the U.S., Japans main ally, is deploying in northeast Asia as a threat to regional security, Lavrov said following the talks. The U.S. and South Korea have agreed to install an advanced anti-missile system as a defense against North Korea. The Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense system, or THAAD, has angered both Russia and China. Russia also objects to U.S. missile defense systems in Japan. The U.S. global ballistic missile defense poses a deep risk to the security of the region, Lavrov said. He said it was crucial to avoid upsetting the balance in the region and setting off an even greater arms buildup that could lead North Korea to step up its own military expansion. Lavrov said the installation of the THAAD system was a response completely out of proportion to the threat from North Korea. He accused the U.S. of pumping arms into the region, and called for approaches that might encourage North Korea to engage in dialogue with its neighbors. Lavrov met with Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida, and Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu held talks with his Japanese counterpart, Tomomi Inada. The four ministers then held combined talks on international and bilateral issues. Based on the talks today, we hope to firmly work toward developing Japan-Russian cooperation in various areas, Kishida said afterward. Japan and Russia last held two-plus-two talks in November 2013. Meetings were shelved after that due to the crisis in Ukraine, as Japan joined sanctions against Moscow. As expected, the Tokyo talks did not yield a breakthrough on the conflicting Russian and Japanese claims to islands just north of Japans northernmost main island of Hokkaido Etorofu, Kunashiri, Shikotan and the Habomai islets that came under Russian control in the closing weeks of World War II. But the countries discussed possible visa-free travel between Hokkaido and the area. They also are working toward joint development of fisheries, tourism and other areas that might help bridge the gap. I believe this joint development will become an important step to create an appropriate environment for resolving a peace treaty, Lavrov told reporters. Russia has been eager to enlist Japanese help with development of energy and other industries in its Far East. But while Mondays talks yielded an agreement to keep talking, Japan has concerns over Russias installment of surface-to-ship missiles on Etorofu and other military activity elsewhere on the disputed islands. Disputes between Japan and Russia over territory date beyond World War II to the 19th century, when the Russian and Japanese empires fought for domination of northeastern China, then known as Manchuria, and the Korean Peninsula. Japans victory in the 1904-05 Russo-Japanese war hobbled Russias expansion in the Far East and was the first significant triumph of an Asian country over a European power. A treaty brokered by the U.S. enabled Tokyo to claim territories that were later regained by Moscow after Japans World War II defeat in 1945. (AP) President Donald Trump is deploying an outside and inside strategy to fulfill his campaign promise to repeal and replace Obamacare, seeking support beyond Washington before making an in-person pitch on Capitol Hill. Trump was slated to rally supporters Monday night in Louisville, Kentucky, alongside Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., after meetings and phone calls in Washington aimed at steadying the troubled legislation designed to erase President Barack Obamas signature health care law. He planned to court House Republicans on Tuesday. At the White House on Monday, the president met with House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price and Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel, an architect of Obamas health care law and the brother of Obamas White House chief of staff, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel. Trump was resuming his campaign-style events at the start of a consequential week for his young presidency. Confirmation hearings for his nominee for the Supreme Court, Judge Neil Gorsuch, opened Monday before the Senate Judiciary Committee. The House was expected to vote Thursday on the GOP-backed health care bill. Trumps Louisville rally, his third since his inauguration, followed a daylong congressional hearing in which FBI Director James Comey acknowledged for the first time that the agency was investigating whether Trumps campaign colluded with Russian officials seeking to influence the 2016 campaign. Trumps aides and congressional Republicans spent the weekend trying to woo conservatives and moderate House members who have questioned the health care plan. Rep. Steve Scalise, R-La., the Houses No. 3 Republican and the leader responsible for rounding up votes, wrote Sunday night to his whip team that the next few days could define us for years to come. Theres no such thing as perfect. Each of us has our own ideal plan, but if we want to advance our principles and fulfill our promises, this bold approach achieves our objectives, Scalise wrote. Many hard-line conservatives have pushed for a more complete repeal of Obamas law, including its requirement that policies cover a long list of services, which they say drives up premiums. They also complain that the GOP bills tax credits create an overly generous benefit the federal government cannot afford. Moderate Republicans, meanwhile, have said the tax credits are too limited and would hurt low earners and older patients. They also worry the plan would leave too many people uninsured, pointing to a nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office analysis that estimated 24 million people would lose coverage over 10 years. Republican leaders were working on several revisions to the bill that would be considered ahead of the floor vote. The White House and House Republicans have agreed that the bill will be amended to let states impose work requirements on some healthy Medicaid recipients. States will also be allowed to alter the entire federal-state program for poorer people so states would receive a lump sum federal payment to cover some costs not an amount thats pegged to the number of beneficiaries in the state, as the current bill provides. On Sunday, Ryan said the bill will also be changed to provide more assistance to older people. A CBO report said many older people would receive less aid under the bill than under current law a major concern to many wavering lawmakers. The White House was trying to win over conservatives who are part of the House Freedom Caucus, including the groups chairman, Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C. Meadows joined two Senate conservatives, Ted Cruz of Texas and Mike Lee of Utah, for a weekend meeting at Trumps Florida estate, Mar-a-Lago, with top White House aide Steve Bannon and other White House officials. But several Republicans continue to criticize the bill. Rep. Justin Amash, R-Mich., wrote on Twitter on Monday that he couldnt recall a more universally detested piece of legislation than the GOPs health care bill. He wrote that fellow Freedom Caucus members had suggested several changes but had been rebuffed. The rally Monday night was the Trump administrations second high-profile event in Kentucky in 10 days and took the president to the home state of one of the most outspoken critics of the plan, Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky. Vice President Mike Pence was in Louisville earlier this month to build support for the Trump-backed bill. Paul said Monday to a group of Louisville business leaders that he hoped the Republican bill would fail so that true negotiations could begin. The senator, who was re-elected last year, has dismissed it as Obamacare lite and asserted that the bill had no chance of becoming law. Paul was not attending the rally, saying he planned to fly back to Washington to continue building a coalition to defeat the plan. (AP) The White House did not back down from Trumps unsubstantiated wiretapping claims in todays press briefing, despite testimony from FBI Director James Comey this morning that he has no information that supports the Presidents allegations. We started a hearing. It is still ongoing, Spicer told reporters, saying no the President would not withdraw his the claims in his tweet asserting that former President Obama ordered a wiretap of Trump Tower. More than a dozen top lawmakers and intelligence officials have now said theres no evidence to support President Trumps tweet alleging that former President Obama wiretapped him. The list now includes Comey, as well as NSA Director Mike Rogers as well as the bipartisan leaders of both the House and the Senate, as well as both chambers intelligence panels. In todays briefing, Spicer also continued to deny any collusion between Trump associates and Russia, saying that investigating and having proof are two different things. Following this testimony, it is clear that nothing has changed, Spicer said. Senior Obama intelligence officials have gone on record to confirm there is no evidence of a Trump-Russia collusion. The Obama CIA director said so, Obamas director of national intelligence said so and we take them at their word. Spicer said he was not aware of any White House officials under investigation by the FBI or that any had to do interviews with the FBI. There is a point at which you continue to search for something that everybody [who] has been briefed has not seen or found, Spicer said. He also said that he has no reason to believe that the presidents confidence in Comey has been altered. (Source: ABC News) A Philadelphia accountant feels "humiliated, degraded, victimized, embarrassed and emotionally distressed" after he was refused service by a West Village bar on account of his pro-Trump hat. Greg Piatek, 30, claims he was denied drinks by multiple bartenders and servers at The Happiest Hour on January 28th because he was wearing a red "Make America Great Again" cap. Now, as he suffers from "anxiety and severe emotional distress," Piatek is suing the bar and owner John Neidich for "egregious, unlawful, and discriminatory conduct." According to Piatek's lawsuit, he visited The Happiest Hour with two friends after a day devoted to visiting the 9/11 Memorial Museum, where, according to the lawsuit, they ruminated on "the memory of victims and fallen heroes of the September 11th, 2001 attacks." Piatek's group were initially served drinks, but he claims he was ignored when he attempted to order a second round, allegedly receiving only "a lengthy death stare" from one bartender. Piatek claims the customers to his immediate left and right were served numerous times while he waited; when he finally spoke up and asked to be served, a bartender allegedly replied "Is that hat a joke?" In his retelling of the incident, Piatek claims numerous other members of the staff reproached him for his MAGA hat while refusing to serve him and his friends. "I can't believe you would support someone so terrible and you must be as terrible a person!" one bartender allegedly said. After a manager allegedly told Piatek he was no longer welcome and needed to leave immediately, bouncers escorted his group out of the bar. In his lawsuit against The Happiest Hour, Piatek recalls being shocked by the ordeal because of his "sincerely held set of beliefs in which he felt it was necessary to wear a particular hat in remembrance of the souls who lost their lives and as a symbol of freedom/free speech." "Ignoring me because I'm wearing the hat is ridiculous," Piatek told the New York Post, which deems the incident discrimination "with a liberal twist." Attorney Paul Liggieri, who is representing Piatek in New York Supreme Court, told the tabloid that being kicked out of the bar for his MAGA hat was Piatek's "saddest hour." After being escorted from the bar, Piatek then called the NYPD, remained on the scene, and later explained the ordeal to two officers described in the lawsuit as "sympathetic, accepting, and understanding...as one would expect from any New Yorker who respects others even if they are different," according to court papers. Officers allegedly told Piatek the incident wasn't a criminal matter, and recommended contacting the Better Business Bureau. Before the officers left, Piatek claims he shook their hands and "thanked them for their service." In the days since news of Piatek's lawsuit broke, The Happiest Hour's online pages have been overwhelmed with comments from livid Trump supporters. "I hope he takes you for everything you got- I hope your stupidity, ignorance and shear [sic] disrespect shuts you down," a Yelp user from Pennsylvania wrote. Another Facebook user wrote, "I heard you only served democrats & muslims ?? Is that true ??" on the bar's page. "In my opinion, the motto of The Happiest Hour seems to be: we will accept you, so long as you think exactly like us," Liggieri told The Heavy. "The values displayed by the employees of The Happiest Hour are not the values of our nation. Our nation values acceptance and democracy. It seems to me that The Happiest Hour, however, values hypocrisy." Piatek is suing under New York's laws barring Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress, and is seeking unspecified punitive damages. In other news, many snowflakes are melting today, because with this warm weather NYC is no longer a safe space for them. Investment advisers regularly regale us with ideas about where we should be putting our Isa money. But where do they invest? Jeff Prestridge asks five leading experts how they use their Isa allowance. NEIL ROSSITER Director, Blackdown Financial, Taunton (44, married with two children) I am a big believer in making regular payments into my Isa. I use savings accounts for cash and investments for my Isa. My wife Lisa and my children Libby, ten, and Evie, seven are all into the Isa habit with much of the prompting from myself. My Isa portfolio is 80 per cent equities and 20 per cent bonds. This exposure is through a range of low-cost investment funds managed by BlackRock, Dimensional and Vanguard. Family affair: Neil Rossiter, with wife Lisa and children Libby, left, and Evie I believe firmly in long-term savings. As a result, I am confident using both pensions and Isas. The tax relief on pension contributions, together with the accessibility of an Isa, makes a good combination. Sadly, I am not yet an Isa millionaire but I do have clients who have been investing diligently and successfully for years. Even fairly modest monthly amounts have become large Isa pots. Nothing exciting, nothing magical but it works. If I have one tip to pass on to Isa investors, it is to treat your monthly investment contribution as yet another bill which has to be paid. Invest and then do not check the progress of your Isa more than once a year. Long term, such a strategy will work. JASON HOLLANDS Director, Tilney, London (47, married with two children) When I was young and carefree I used to invest a lump sum in an Isa as soon as April 6 came around. But as I have got older I have become a big believer in feeding money in over a period of time. So I fund my Isa with cash and then drip feed it into stock markets, investing larger sums if there are periods when markets pull back. As a rule, I never hold more than 20 investments investment funds in my portfolio so every year I tend to top up existing holdings. Over the past year, the overseas investments in my portfolio have risen significantly in value because of the pounds weakness. So I am currently topping up my UK funds the likes of Evenlode Income, JO Hambro UK Opportunities and Liontrust Special Situations. The new turbo-charged 20,000 Isa allowance is ample. I will not be in a position to use it all immediately but given my pension fund is coming up against the lifetime allowance limit, Isas will now be my top priority for future long-term savings. My wife Debbie has an Isa while I also save on a monthly basis for my children Isabella, nine, and Matthew, seven, and through Child Trust Funds to all intents and purposes the same as Junior Isas. The money is invested in global investment trust Foreign & Colonial. The only member of the family without an Isa is Archie, our cockapoo dog. My golden Isa tip? Invest regularly and do not get distracted by short-term white noise. BRIAN DENNEHY Managing Director, FundExpert, Kent (59, with two grown-up children) I intend to fully use my Isa allowance before April 5. I will be doing this by topping up my holdings in Japanese funds. Japan is currently the cheapest developed stock market and its smaller companies are cheaper still. I will also add to my holdings in India on the same basis. Its stock market is cheap, it has an economy underpinned by a young population and the government is in reform-mode. I am excited by the new 20,000 Isa allowance and I will use it from day one. But becoming an Isa millionaire is a distant wish. I am way behind the curve, a result of paying school fees for two children now grown up and paying their own way and having fun travelling with them. My partner Fiona has an Isa. She has dipped into it for the occasional purchase of shoes and handbags, which highlights both the attractiveness and weakness of Isas. You can dip in whenever you want. I am worried about markets, especially here and in the United States. If the US equity market falls heavily, the UK market will go in the same direction if not precisely by the same amount. I can easily see the UK stock market the FTSE 100 falling to 6,000 before stabilising. In contrast, I can only imagine a rally up to 7,600. So investors need to be aware that the upside is limited while the downside is much less so. HERE ARE THE FIVE FUNDS THEY EACH RECOMMEND JASON HOLLANDS Artemis Global Income Evenlode Income JO Hambro UK Opportunities Invesco Perpetual Global Targeted Returns Lindsell Train Global Equity BEN YEARSLEY Artemis Global Income GAM Global Diversified GLG Japan Core Alpha Henderson European Focus (trust or fund) JO Hambro UK Dynamic BRIAN DENNEHY JO Hambro UK Equity Income Jupiter India M&G Japanese Smaller Companies Threadneedle UK Property Schroder Recovery DARIUS MCDERMOTT Artemis Global Income Baillie Gifford Corporate Bond BlackRock Continental European Brooks Macdonald Defensive Capital Schroder MM Diversity BEN YEARSLEY Director, Wealth Club, Bristol (40, unmarried) I had already used the current Isa allowance early in the tax year, splitting my money three ways shares in both Lloyds Banking Group and Perpetual Income And Growth Investment Trust, and an investment in Old Mutual UK Alpha Fund. I am incredibly excited about the new 20,000 Isa allowance and will use it from day one on April 6. In terms of where I invest, I am currently in two minds. I am looking at the new Innovative Finance Isa, which invests in peer-to-peer borrowers. It is different, I like buying uncorrelated assets and the idea of supporting the entrepreneurial economy appeals. Any money I put in such an Isa will be used to back small businesses. Alternatively, I may opt to split any new money between funds investing in Japan and Europe. An Isa millionaire? No way. Most Isa millionaires like Lord Lee were investing in Peps, the precursor to Isas, in the 1990s. I was a student for most of that decade and investing was not on my radar. The best way to make money from an Isa is to pick your investments and stick with them long term. Too many investors buy and sell at the wrong time and are not patient enough. DARIUS MCDERMOTT Managing Director, Chelsea Financial Services, London (45, married with two children) I fully utilise my Isa allowance, as does my wife Jane. We do so because we emptied our Isas in 2007 to buy a house. I am nervous about stock markets so the investment funds we have bought inside our Isas this tax year are defensive Church House Tenax Absolute Return Strategies and Smith & Williamson Enterprise. Our two children, Luke, nine, and Isla, seven, have Junior Isas. I contribute into them on a monthly basis and the money is being invested in gold and India. Unilever is drawing up plans to offload its Flora and Stork spreads business to fend off another takeover approach. It is understood the Anglo-Dutch consumer goods giant behind brands such as Marmite, Dove and Colmans mustard, is considering a 6bn sale of the underperforming division. Last month it braced the markets for cost-cutting but did not say which parts of the business faced the knife. Cost-cutting: Unilever is considering a 6bn sale of the underperforming division, which includes the Flora brand It came after US rival Kraft Heinz offered to pay 115bn for the whole company but was swiftly knocked back by chief executive Paul Polman, 56. Kraft could try to swoop on the spreads business, which may also appeal to private equity firms. The takeover approach spurred Polman to ask whether the Government should do more to stop national champions being taken over, and prompted former City minister Paul Myners to attack Britains takeover rules. He described them in the Sunday Telegraph as the most permissive in the world, adding: They do nothing to discourage the likes of Kraft Heinz seeking to buy businesses to turn a profit. Unilever declined to comment. Embattled Barclays executives facing criminal charges over a fundraising deal have made a last-ditch plea for leniency. Eight former bosses have been investigated by the Serious Fraud Office, which is examining a rescue by Middle Eastern investors who pumped 7bn into the bank in 2008 as it teetered on the brink of collapse. Probe: Eight former Barclays bosses have been investigated by the Serious Fraud Office It meant Barclays avoided a state bailout, as well as Government scrutiny of its bonuses and high-risk practices. But the lender is alleged to have illegally paid Qatari investors 322m to take part. The Serious Fraud Office has previously interviewed a string of top Barclays bankers under caution, including former chief executives John Varley and Bob Diamond, and ex-Middle East head Roger Jenkins. Several suspects have now contacted the SFO to explain why they shouldnt be charged, according to Bloomberg. The SFO is expected to make a decision this month. Barclays declined to comment. Delegates from Paris are back in London to woo the Citys leading digital firms to France after Brexit. Othman Nasrou, who is in charge of international affairs and tourism for the Paris region, arrived in London on Sunday ahead of key meetings with financial technology firms. Cultured: Paris hopes to attract businesses worried about losing access to the single market in financial services Paris hopes to attract businesses worried about losing access to the single market in financial services after Britain leaves the European Union. But experts widely believe Frankfurt will be the main beneficiary if any firms do leave the City. We begin this week with another Day of Food, with the observance of National Ravioli Day on Monday. Faun in Prospect Heights offers a hand-made Baccala Ravioli stuffed with either a cod or hake mixture fortified with potatoes, garlic and cream in a butter sauce. On the Upper East Side, Altesi Ristorante tosses ricotta and pecorino ravioli in a butter, sage and prosciutto sauce with aged balsamic. We're also fond of the burrata ravioli at Vai on the Upper West Side and the fresh ravioli being sold at Borgatti's on Arthur Avenue in the Bronx. On Tuesday, the Farm on Adderley transports visitors upstate to the wine-making regions of the Fingerlakes and Catskills. The restaurant will serve a five-course dinner paired with wines from Eminence Farm Road Winery, a winery based out of Long Eddy, New York that uses grapes from sustainably managed Finger Lakes vineyards. The winemakers will be on hand to discuss the process of natural wines. The paired dinner is $85 (plus tax and gratuity) per person; email farmreservations@gmail.com to reserve. If tequila's more to your taste, head to Tom Colicchio's Craftbar on Friday. The restaurant will serve a four-course Mexican menu with each dish paired with either a mezcal or tequila cocktail. Pork Liver Pate with parsnip and sunchoke chips comes with a Puebla York cocktail made with El Buho Mezcal, tamarind and lime; and the Al Pastor Pork Belly pairs with the Herb Albert, a cocktail made with Don Julio Blanco, Illegal Mezcal, oregano, salt, jalapeno and lime. Seatings cost $95 per person; email astone@craftedhospitality.com to reserve a seat. Lobster Place (Facebook) Taking cues from the "early morning sushi offerings at Tskuiji fish market in Tokyo," The Lobster Place inside Chelsea Market now offers a breakfast omakase daily from 9:30 a.m. until 9 p.m. Begin the day with a choice of courses priced between $38 and $68. The smallest meal still includes eight nigiri and a maki roll, while the largest includes soup, an appetizer, 12 pieces nigiri and a hand roll. PIGGS PEAK With dagga harvesting season currently ongoing, women and children are being used for the tough job of separating the dagga buds from the unwanted leaves. Atleast nine people, made up of seven women and two men, were arrested over the weekend after being found in possession of the illegal herb. For such a simple but risky task known as kuncutsa, the workers are said to earn at least E50 to fill up a 10-litre bucket, earning far more than any other casual work available in the region. However, police officers from Buhleni Police Post have been on the lookout for such operations. This resulted in the arrest of the nine people the past weekend. They were allegedly found at the same place where the strong aroma of fresh dagga being trimmed gave police officers a reason to apprehend the suspects. About 77.88 kilogrammes of dagga valued at E62 304 was confiscated during the arrest which took place at an area known as Mgululu. The area is under Mhlangatane, which is near the South African borderline. The suspects were also found with two skins of Impala as well as two skins of warthogs. Police believe the animals may have been killed for the purpose of consumption by the suspects. It is alleged dagga farmers normally take advantage of the availability of wildlife as a source of food as some live in the bushes for several months. Proximity to the South African borderline has made it an easy spot to transport dagga whose initial market is the neighbouring country. It is alleged the skins had been removed from wild animals which had been killed for the purpose of consumption. Acting on a tip off, police officers swooped on the group of women including the men found busy working on the dagga. Chief Police Information and Communications Officer Superintendant Khulani Mamba confirmed the report. He said the suspects were expected to appear at the Piggs Peak Magistrates Court today. Mamba also said the police will continue operations to curb not only dagga dealing but crime in general. MBABANE The Royal Swaziland Police (RSP) could be stuck with the liquor that was confiscated from looters in the Malagwane accident as Swaziland Beverages (SB) has distanced itself from the alcoholic beverages. Copious amounts of Castle Lite beer, as well as Black Label, were taken by vigilant police officers during the freak accident which occurred on Friday along the notorious Malagwane Hill. A truck fully laden with the two brands of alcoholic products from Westville in South Africa headed for SB in Matsapha, overturned while negotiating its way down the treacherous hill. Director of Corporate Affairs at Swaziland Beverages Mphumelelo Makhubu confirmed the fact that the truck which overturned on Friday was destined to their plant at Matsapha. However, we cannot claim ownership of the stock currently in the custody of the police as we had not yet received ownership of the beer, he said in an interview yesterday. Makhubu said the truck had been rented by the supplier and ownership of the product would have been transferred to SB had the truck reached their yard. It wasnt ours yet. Makhubu refused to divulge the worth of the consignment that had been ordered from the South African company by his organisation. Chief Police Information and Communications Officer Superintendent Khulani Mamba had revealed to our sister publication the Times SUNDAY that police officers, who confiscated over 50 six-packs of the stock at the accident scene from looters on Friday, had kept the consignment at the Mbabane Police Station for safekeeping. He said that the stock would be handed over to SB once investigations were completed. When informed of Swaziland Beverages stance, Superintendent Mamba said that while the police could not go into the politics of who exactly was the owner of the beer, they had a mandate to keep it safe. The owner of the beer will approach the police to claim ownership, so we are not worried. Mamba mentioned that he had received information to the effect that the driver of the truck had been to the police station to identify the confiscated liquor and to take stock of how much had been saved. He said as far as the police service was concerned, the beer was kept as exhibits and would be treated as such by all those in the station. It is our duty to keep all exhibits safe. SITEKI The countrys hub, Manzini, has been mentioned among a host of African cities where international crime syndicates run their operations. Writing in the official publication for government of the KwaZulu-Natal Province, Ndabezinhle Sibiya, the spokesperson for the Premier of the province Willies Mchunu, said these syndicates run lucrative criminal enterprises in Africa, Asia and Europe. Sibiyas article was published by the South African online publication iol and other media outlets in that country. Sibiya said for many years, these syndicates have been trading in rhino horns, ivory, abalone, copper, precious wood, precious stones and metals. In charge of these enterprises are professional kingpins who recruit vulnerable unemployed people, especially the youth for illicit activities that generate millions of Rands for them, reads Sibiyas report. He reported that some of the cities where these syndicates run their operations include; Manzini, Cape Town, Johannesburg, Nelspruit, KwaBulawayo, Harare, Durban, Maputo, Nampula, Beira and Luanda. The aforementioned cities are in Swaziland, South Africa, Mozambique, Angola and Zimbabwe. It is alleged that they have networks in organisations including Customs, Home Affairs, South African Revenue Service (SARS), Department of Licensing Offices and insurance companies, he stated. Sibiya said his boss, Premier Mchunu, undertook to root out corruption involving government officials, when he delivered his State of the Province address recently. This report by the spokesperson of the KwaZulu-Natal Premier comes about a month after this publication revealed how these syndicates carry out their operations along the corridor between the Indian Ocean in areas near the intersection of the Swaziland, Mozambique and South Africa borderlines. In the report, this publication exposed how lacklustre security along the borders of the three countries and corrupt officials make it easy for the syndicates to operate freely. It was also reported how dagga dealers, believed to be from Mozambique, had vandalised a house belonging to the Swaziland Government, which is situated at the intersection of the Swaziland, South Africa and Mozambique borders. The structure houses cordon guards, who are Ministry of Agriculture employees, and are responsible for keeping foreign livestock and wild animals from entering the countrys borders. MBABANE Four members of a political party infiltrated their way into the Umbutfo Swaziland Defence Force (USDF) as spies for their entity. The quartet joined the army through a recruitment exercise conducted through all the chiefdoms in the country in 2010. The country has 55 Tinkhundla centres and 385 chiefdoms. In the Hhohho region, there are 14 constituencies and 97 chiefdoms; Manzini region has 16 constituencies and 101 chiefdoms while the Lubombo region has 11 constituencies and 87 chiefdoms. The Shiselweni region has 14 constituencies and 100 chiefdoms. According to impeccable sources in the higher echelons of the army, the recruits were fired four months into their training. The sources alleged that when the foursome enlisted with the army, they presented themselves to be pro-monarchy; yet they were spies seeking to gain access to knowledge and information that compromised the security of the State. It is said the information they gathered while training with the army was forwarded to senior personnel of the political party they are allegedly members of. The sources noted that the four recruits were caught in the act, reporting to superiors of the political formation what exactly they were doing as part of the training exercise. This information was conveyed using cellphones. After passing all the stages of the army recruitment, the people you are referring to started their clandestine activities but we were able to nip their plan in the bud, one of the sources said. The alleged spies of the political entity are said to have been caught with mobile phones within the army training base at Mbuluzi. When caught, it was alleged that they were reporting what they had done on the day. One of the sources said the so-called political spies were caught by the armys intelligence wing. The mobile phones that the four recruits had smuggled in were confiscated and later, data from them was decoded. The impeccable sources, who were interviewed separately, concurred that the quartet, by having cellphones at the training base, had bridged one of the security pre-requisites of the army. The norm is that while recruits are still in training, they are not allowed to bring with them mobile phones or be in contact with civilians while still camped at Mbuluzi. MBABANE Opening of new churches may soon become a difficult project in some parts of the country. In fact, Lushikishini leadership has since banned the opening or building of churches in the area and Ezulwini is looking at imposing same though an official position is yet to be taken. There has been a major conflict in various communities as residents have been informed that opening or building of new churches has since been banned. At Lushikishini, currently operating churches are still going to be investigated and should any of them not meet the requirements, they will be forced to close. The leadership of Lushikishini said the main reason for banning the opening of new churches in the constituency was because they were of the view that people were using the churches as a business. They said people were enriching themselves and making money using the Word of God. They also complained about the increasing number of churches as some use classrooms, school halls and tents to hold their sermons. Chief Somtsewu Motsa from Lushikishini announced the recent development to the residents during the unveiling of the new traditional structures of the constituency. The Constituency Headman Mhlonipheni Msibi confirmed the matter and explained that they were not against the preaching of the Word of God but their main worry was people misusing this to make money out of it. He said some church members break away from their original churches after disagreements resulting in the other party forming a different church. Msibi highlighted that they recently had a problem with people who were not from the community but came to their constituency and requested to open churches. This becomes a challenge for us because we do not even know the backgrounds of some of these people or where they come from, he explained. He said they were working on proposing that all church leaders must have permitted reference letters with a clear background of the individual who leads the church. The headman also complained about the way some churches preached different gospels, especially when it came to culture. For instance, he said some pastors normally convinced the residents that there were no ancestors, which meant that they were criticising Swazi culture and tradition. Meanwhile, Abraham Bhembe, the Constituency Headman of Lobamba Inkhundla, said this was something they were looking into but they were still going to summon the residents and discuss the matter with them. He said he did not wish to unveil more details yet. However, we are now confused by the increase in the number of churches in the constituency, he said. Bhembe explained that the land was now misused in communities and the reason was that people were aware that no one was paying attention to the proper use of land. He said for a church to operate fully, it must be investigated, including its leadership because in some instances we engage unknown pastors to lead the churches only to find that they are after money, not to preach the Word of God. In recent days, the Solar Guy, a Bozeman man who makes his living installing private-solar systems, has shared his views on the legislative demise of House Bill 504, a measure that would have allowed solar developers to directly interconnect large, one-megawatt solar generators to public utilities and demand that the utilities transport their solar power, free of charge, to the solar developers customers throughout Montana. The Solar Guy claimed that the legislation was defeated because NorthWestern simply doesnt want people to have the freedom to choose private generation by installing solar panels on their homes and small businesses. The Solar Guy, and others, say the defeat of HB504 is a big setback for net metering, which allows utility customers to install solar facilities and receive a bill credit for the excess electricity they generate. House Bill 504 went far beyond net metering. It became obvious during the hearing on the bill that the solar industry had not disclosed to legislators what the bill really would have required utilities to do -- subsidize the solar industry. Allowing private solar generators to directly interconnect to utilities, and mandating the utilities transport the solar power to their customers across the state, free of charge, is not net metering. NorthWestern does not object to its customers wanting to generate their own energy -- as long as those customers dont expect NorthWesterns other customers to subsidize their choice. House Bill 504 would have required NorthWestern to pay 11.5 cents per kilowatt hour for every kilowatt produced by the private solar generators. NorthWestern just signed a contract to buy wind power from an 80-megawatt wind farm at just under 3.8 cents per kilowatt hour. There is no reason for Montana to force its utilities to pay nearly three times as much for energy from a solar generator as for energy from a wind generator -- other than to subsidize the solar industry at the expense of Montanans. House Bill 504 died because the solar industrys propaganda machine bumped into the hard truth of real facts. John Alke is NorthWestern Energy's corporate counsel. Sign up for our amNY Sports email newsletter to get insights and game coverage for your favorite teams By Patrick Donachie JAMAICA A Jamaica man was sentenced to 24 years in prison for conspiring to murder a witness to two home invasions he committed in March 2015, the Queens DA said. Edward Leasure, 37, was arrested that month and pleaded guilty to burglary and conspiracy in August 2016, according to DA Richard Brown. Prospective witnesses in criminal cases must be protected at all times from outside interference, intimidation and threats of violence in order to insure the fair administration of justice, Brown said about the sentencing. In this case, the defendant admitted his guilt and the sentence imposed reflects the seriousness of his crimes. Brown said Leasure knocked on the front door of a Queens home on the morning of March 16, 2015. Clad in a ski mask and black jacket, he entered the house and pulled a firearm on a woman and her husband, demanding to see a safe. You had a big party Saturday night. I know you have a safe, Leasure allegedly said in sum and substance, according to the DA. Show me the safe or Ill shoot your wife in the foot! The woman gave him $300 and he fled, entering a nearby home reportedly to evade police capture. He held a woman and a man hostage at gunpoint, according to the DA. Brown said the phone rang at one point, with Leasure directing the man to pick up the phone and speak only English. A man speaking in Bengali asked on the other end of the line if there was a man with a gun in the house, telling the man held hostage to respond that he would see him for dinner if that was the case. OK, OK, OK, yes, dinner, the man said, according to the DAs office. Leasure later conspired with his father, Eddie Marcus, 53, and his girlfriend, Latisha Larrymore, 31, to hire a hitman who would murder the witnesses in the home invasion trial, the DA said. Both Larrymore and Marcus were charged and are awaiting trial. Larrymore told authorities that Leasure told her to meet with Marcus, saying Marcus had found a lawyer who could handle the situation. The DAs office said lawyer was a code for hitman. Leasure was sentenced to 24 years for the home invasion burglaries as well as a concurrent 12-year term for the charge of conspiracy. Sign up for our amNY Sports email newsletter to get insights and game coverage for your favorite teams By Naeisha Rose The Jamaica Muslim Center was packed last Friday as state Sen. Leroy Comrie (D-St. Albans) held a Town Hall Against Hate with representatives from nonprofits and city agencies throughout New York. Its important to get the information out to as diverse a community, Comrie said. The Jamaica Muslim Center is at the forefront of Muslim affairs in bringing peace and harmony to the community. He pointed out that Queens residents must have every chance to protect and defend themselves. One of the members of the center was Kagi Oddin, 36. We are suffering [from hate crimes] and this kind of program is good for us, he said. This will create more dialogues that will benefit our community. Jamaica Muslim Center President Nizam Hassan opened the proceedings. I came here for a better education, to be a better individual, he said. Ive been asked about my time here now and when I initially came to America, Hassan said. I said yes, we need to build a wall, a wall against hate, we need to deport hate not liberty. Comrie was the first panelist to address the crowd. It disturbs my heart the hate speech coming out of Washington, D.C., he said, referring to some of the comments made by President Trump and members of Congress. Comrie added that the rhetoric was causing a divisiveness that should never happen in this country [and it] compels me to say that we need to change the course of this country by voting. Comrie later said that by doing that we can change the country from the inside out. Comrie emphasized that he intends on keeping New York a sanctuary city and that he will combat misinformation that creates anxiety and panic in the Muslim-American community. City Councilman Rory Lancman (D-Hillcrest), spoke about the recent surge in anti-Semitic incidents. The tremendous spike in hate crimes in this city and this country has gone through the roof in the first two months, Lancman said, referring to the period following Trumps inauguration. Not just Jews but Muslims as well, he added. All of us must work together in coalition as friends. It starts with knowing what your rights are, Lancman added. The policy manager from the New York Immigration Coalition, Muzna Ansari, advised Muslims-Americans and immigrants how to proceed in difficult situations. If you are an undocumented immigrant, you should have an emergency plan, she said. If ICE comes to your home, you do not have to open the door unless they have a warrant with your name on it signed by a judge. Ansari further explained how undocumented immigrants should respond to police officers, that they should have a person to provide legal authority over their affairs, to document improper search and seizure and what to do about a deportation notification or court warrant. She also elaborated on arrangements for minor children, travel under the new travel ban and how citizens have the right to deny giving their technical devices to airport officials. Queens Borough Director of Community Affairs Jessica Douglas represented the mayor at the event. I want to relay that for those that might not have the courage to be here tonight we are here to support you, said Douglas. Its only through education that we can eradicate this fear to make this community great not just with citizens, but with immigrants, too. The last main speaker of the night was Carmencita Gutierrez, director of the Queens District Attorneys Office of Immigrant Affairs. District Attorney [Richard] Brown created the Office of Immigrant Affairs so that no one should be afraid if they are the victim of a crime, Gutierrez said. We should not be afraid to seek help, she added. Just like Lady Liberty stands in the harbor to welcome all, Lady Justice, she represents justice for all. A lawmaker from Helena is planning to introduce a bill that would pay for a new state history museum through an increase to the tax on lodging. House minority leader Rep. Jenny Eck, D-Helena, released a statement on the bill Monday as a slew of infrastructure bills worked their way through a legislative committee. The legislation has not been drafted yet, so details were not available about how much the tax would be and how much it's estimated to generate. Montana currently charges a 7 percent tax on lodging, a combination of a use tax and sales tax that in fiscal year 2014 generated $42.3 million. The Montana Historical Society's building in Helena is aging and in need of replacement. The society has sought funding for more than 15 years to replace the facility. An infrastructure bill that failed to pass the 2015 Legislature by one vote would have giveren $25 million to the project. Gov. Steve Bullock this fall proposed to give the project $27.6 million under this session's House Bill 14, the governor's main infrastructure legislation. The bill contained a mix of projects paid for with cash and bonding, but has been stripped down to just bonding bills by a Republican-majority Legislature. Under the budget Bullock introduced in November, cash normally used to pay for projects was swept into the state's general fund to pay for the operation of government. That was necessary to fill gaps left after a drop in revenues taken in from taxes on natural resource extraction. Coming into the session, Republicans in the Legislature said they opposed transferring the cash and relying on bonding. That's led to the governor's infrastructure package being taken apart, with cash projects moved under separate bills and bonding projects left in House Bill 14. On Monday several of the bills that contained infrastructure projects paid for with mostly cash worked with their way through the House Appropriations Committee. The historical society is still under House Bill 14, the bonding bill, but Rep. Nancy Ballance, chair of the appropriations committee, said that bill will be tabled. A statement from Eck on Monday said her bill would put one more option on the table to build a new historical society building. She also said the plan would put the burden to pay for the projects on tourists. "The bed tax, more than any other tax, is paid for by out-of-state visitors," Eck said, adding Montana is still a good deal four tourists. She also said the bill would put some percentage of the revenue toward grants for historical museums to be built around the state so more local museums could benefit from the collections housed in Helena. Eck emphasized the historical society benefits Montana's economy, bringing 30,000 into Helena annually. She estimated that to increase to 100,000 once a new building was complete. On Thursday the House State Administration Committee will hear a bill by Rep. Dennis Lenz, R-Billings, to sell up to $50 million of the museum's items to help pay for a new building. Sign up for our amNY Sports email newsletter to get insights and game coverage for your favorite teams By Bill Parry A Long Island man has been arrested and charged with a hate crime after allegedly attacking two transgender women outside a Jackson Heights McDonalds Friday, according to the NYPD. Patrick OMeara, 38, is accused of shouting anti-gay slurs, punching one of the women in the face and throwing another to the ground around at 4:30 p.m. on Roosevelt Avenue and 82nd Street, police said. He briefly left the scene and returned with a cane, hitting one of the victims in the hand, causing a laceration, they said. Both victims were taken to Long Island Jewish Forest Hills hospital where one was treated for a fractured ankle, police said. OMeara, who authorities say was intoxicated, was charged with two counts of assault as a hate crime, according to the NYPD. Bianey Garcia, an LGBT justice organizer at Make the Road New York, has become a spokeswoman for her community after several attacks in Jackson Heights. We are horrified that transgender individuals in our community have suffered yet another hate attack, Garcia said in a statement. Transgender immigrant women like me are part of the heart and soul of our Jackson Heights, and we will not stand idly by as our community faces discrimination and violence. We will continue to organize in our communities and send a message that Jackson Heights and New York City must welcome and embrace all of us, and that hate has no place in our neighborhood and out city. Sign up for our amNY Sports email newsletter to get insights and game coverage for your favorite teams By Patrick Donachie A 30-year-old woman was arrested and charged with fatally stabbing her aunt last Thursday inside the South Jamaica home where they both resided, the Queens DA said. Elizabeth Sanchez, 30, has been charged with second-degree murder and criminal possession in the killing of her aunt, Maria Palaguachi, 50, District Attorney Richard Brown said. Sanchez is facing charges of attacking Palaguachi with a meat cleaver inside the home, fatally striking her multiple times on the head, neck and shoulder, he said. The defendant now faces a lengthy time behind bars for her alleged actions, Brown said, also revealing that the meat cleaver was recovered at the scene. Police from the 113th Precinct responded to a 911 call at the home near the corner of 137th Avenue and 174th Street at about 11:07 a.m. last Thursday, according to the NYPD. The home is situated a few blocks south of the Rochdale Village complex. When police arrived, they found Palaguachi unconscious and unresponsive. EMS workers also went to the home, but she was pronounced dead at the scene, the NYPD said. If Sanchez is convicted, she faces up to 25 years to life in prison, according to the DAs office. She is currently being held pending arraignment. FBI Director James Comey confirmed for the first time Monday that the agency is investigating Russian interference in last year\s presidential election and notably Moscow\s possible collusion with President Donald Trump\s campaign. He also rejected Trump\s claim that predecessor Barack Obama wiretapped his Trump Tower in New York, saying both the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Justice Department had no evidence to support such allegations. The explosive testimony in the House Intelligence Committee the first public hearing into both controversies came as Trump sought to steer the news focus by calling the Russia issue, which has been a cloud over his November victory, "fake news." His angry tweets added to the huge political pressure from both parties on Comey and Admiral Mike Rogers, the director of the National Security Agency. But the FBI director opened the hearing with a bombshell confirming longstanding reports that his agency is conducting a counterintelligence probe into the Russian government\s covert effort to steer the 2016 presidential vote. "And that includes investigating the nature of any links between individuals associated with the Trump campaign and the Russian government, and whether there was any coordination between the campaign and Russia\s efforts," he said. Comey dated the probe back to July 2016, when the government became aware that Democratic party computers and communications had been broken into by Russia-linked hackers. Documents stolen in that break-in were released in the final weeks of the campaign to embarrass Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton, who was the front-runner going into the November 8 vote. Comey told the panel Monday that Moscow\s effort, allegedly directed by Russian President Vladimir Putin, had clearly sought to damage Clinton\s bid and boost Trump. "Putin hated Secretary Clinton so much that the flip side of that coin was he had a clear preference to the person running against the person he hated so much," Comey said. "They wanted to hurt our democracy, hurt her, help him. I think, all three, we were confident in at least as early as December," he said. Still, Comey and Rogers declined to comment on whether the probe had found that contacts between Trump aides and advisors and Russian officials during the campaign amounted to collusion, citing the need to protect an ongoing investigation. Ahead of the hearing, Trump tweeted that former intelligence chief "James Clapper and others stated that there is no evidence Potus colluded with Russia." "This story is FAKE NEWS and everyone knows it!" The White House said that position supported their view that the Russian issue is being overplayed by Democrats and the media. As Comey was testifying, a senior administration official said in a written statement: "There is NO EVIDENCE of Trump-Russia collusion and there is NO EVIDENCE of a Trump-Russia scandal." But officials soundly repudiated the allegation Trump made earlier this month that his predecessor Barack Obama had wiretapped his Manhattan base of operations and residence, Trump Tower. "With respect to the president\s tweets about alleged wiretapping directed at him by the prior administration, I have no information that supports those tweets," Comey told a public hearing by the House Intelligence Committee. "The Department of Justice has asked me to share with you that the answer is the same for the Department of Justice and all its components. The department has no information that supports those tweets." It was the first time Comey or the department commented publicly on the claim that Trump continued to repeat throughout last week, without offering any evidence. Monday\s hearing made clear the question of Russian interference in the election will continue to trouble the Trump administration. Both the House and Senate Intelligence Committees will have more public hearings in the coming weeks, as well as closed-door sessions with Comey, Rogers and other intelligence chiefs to discuss classified information on the probes. The judiciary committees of both houses are also conducting probes. But Democrats have expressed concerns that the White House and Republicans would like to stifle the issue, and are calling for an independent probe. "I believe that we would benefit from the work of an independent commission that can devote the staff and resources to this investigation that we do not have, and that can be completely removed from any political considerations," said Adam Schiff, the senior Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee. SOURCE: AFP Greek police intercepted eight suspect packages at a postal sorting center in Athens on Monday, after the dispatch of booby-trapped deliveries to the International Monetary Fund in Paris and the German Finance Ministry. Authorities were on the lookout after the two packages laced with gunpowder slipped through checks last week. A Greek urban guerrilla group that sent letter bombs to foreign embassies in Athens and European leaders in 2010 is thought to be behind the attacks. A package containing a book concealing the explosives and addressed to German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble was intercepted by German authorities. A letter addressed to the International Monetary Fund in Paris, exploded, slightly hurting an administrative assistant. "Eight suspect packages which listed as recipients persons in European countries were located and confiscated today," police said in a text message to journalists. It did not specify who the recipients were. A security source said they were "addressed to officials at economic institutions and companies" at various European countries but would not be more specific. A Greek militant group, Conspiracy of Fire Cells, had claimed responsibility for the first suspect package sent to Germany and intercepted on March 15. It has not claimed responsibility for the letter to the IMF that exploded on March 16, but authorities assume the same group is behind it. In both cases, the packages listed as senders members of the New Democracy opposition conservative party. Greece has a long history of urban guerrilla group attacks. Conspiracy of Fire Cells initially conducted arson attacks but turned to bombings in 2009. The group has become prominent since the economic crisis erupted in Greece and is accused by police of carrying out more than 150 criminal acts. In a proclamation in November, the group said that its plan, which it called "Nemesis", was designed to "spread fear into the yards of the homes of our enemy". The group called sending the explosive parcel to Germany "Nemesis- Act 2". SOURCE: REUTERS Senate Republicans are growing tired of waiting for a nominee to fill the Commissioner of Political Practices position. Majority leader Sen. Fred Thomas, R-Stevensville, on Monday pressed his counterpart, Minority Leader Jon Sesso, D-Butte, for a timeline on when the Senate will receive an appointment from Gov. Steve Bullock, also a Democrat. Monday marked the 57th day of the Legislature, which is set to run 90 days and adjourn April 29. The commissioner position has been a hot-button issue from the start of this legislative session. Before lawmakers arrived in Helena in January, a group including two former lawmakers, the outgoing secretary of state and others filed a lawsuit to keep the current commissioner, Jonathan Motl, in office even though both his Senate confirmation and appointment letter from Bullock said his term ended Jan. 1, 2017. Motl was appointed by Bullock and confirmed by the Senate in 2015 to serve out a past appointees six-year term. The lawsuit argued Motl started his own term instead. The Supreme Court ruled in January that Motl's term is over, but that he should stay in office until his replacement is confirmed by the Senate. Our patience is running out and the sessions moving on and there needs to be a nomination sent, Thomas said. Times running out. Sesso said the committee to forward applicants on to the governor is taking more time to see if it can agree on more candidates to pass along to the governor. Giving each side an opportunity to deliberate not in a rush has been useful to the process, Sesso said. He promised to provide Thomas with an update on the process Tuesday. The Nominating Committee has interviewed eight candidates. On March 13 the committee canceled its last meeting scheduled for that day to finalize the confirmation process. Prior to that the committee indicated it was going to forward the name of Benjamin Tiller, an attorney in the state Auditor's Office, to the governor. Other applicants include, Michael Larson, Jaime MacNaughton, Michael Black, Debbie Shea, Jeff Mangan and Robert Hoffman. Charles Mazurek later withdrew. The nominating committee includes House Speaker Austin Knudsen, Senate President Scott Sales, House Minority Leader Jenny Eck and Sesso. They must select at least two and not more than five finalists. We've seen our fair share of fixer-uppers in our weekly look at the most popular properties on realtor.com. Places with potential offered at a discounted price often attract a crazy amount of interest among our readers. But this week's most popular home was something else entirely. This sprawling place isn't exactly a fixer-upperit's a complete tear-down. Located in the Texas town of McKinney, the fire-damaged home hit the market just over a week ago with a deeply discount price. It doesn't appear as if the home can be saved, but maybe that's what's so darn appealing to potential buyers. The property is already pending sale and will likely be razed in favor of a new home. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Congressman Paul Tonko on Sunday condemned the American Health Care Act, calling it a disaster and thoughtless. Speaking at his Albany office, Tonko said House Republicans are rushing the bill through so that a vote can be held on Thursday, the seven-year anniversary of President Obama signing the Affordable Care Act, the bill it would replace. The quick move, Tonko asserts, is to divert attention away from the recent Congressional Budget Office review that stated that by 2026, 24 million people will be stripped of health insurance. "They have come forth with a plan that could have been sketched on the back of a napkin," said Tonko. "It does not accomplish what ought to be our goals as a country, that is to provide affordability and accessibility to health services. ... The bill says no to everyone being covered, says no to more affordability and no to better health care." Instead, he said, the AHCA, according to the Congressional Budget Office, will provide tax breaks to the 400 wealthiest families and insurance executives. "The bill calls for higher premiums, higher deductibles and higher out of pocket costs," said Tonko. "It shifts the costs to the middle class and working families. It hits seniors tremendously hard." Tonko argues that President Donald Trump and Congress focus attention on improving the Affordable Care Act, commonly called Obamacare. But repealing and replacing Obamacare is a promise Republicans have made since it was signed into legislation in 2010. On the campaign trail, Trump said he would repeal it on Day One, repeatedly calling Obamacare a failure. Speaker Paul Ryan said that the House's plan would drive down costs and encourage competition. CBO said it would reduce the federal deficit by $337 billion by 2026. But Tonko believes those deficit savings are a loss for the American people. "This is not expanding health care, it's denying health care," said Tonko. "This will bring us back prior to the days of the ACA. This is not about helping working families. It's a tax cut for the rich." wliberatore@timesunion.com 518-454-5445 @wendyliberatore This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate American Bio Medica, a drug testing kit manufacturer in Kinderhook, claims that its former sales director is poaching its customers, putting a large chunk of its revenue at risk. American Bio Medica, which is publicly traded (OTCPK: ABMC), had $6.3 million in sales in 2015. It claims in a lawsuit, filed Feb. 27 in state supreme court in Columbia County, that it is at risk of losing a long-term contract to supply drug testing kits to the Michigan Department of Corrections that has annually been worth between $800,000 and $1 million. The company is blaming Todd Bailey, its former vice president of sales and marketing, who owns his own drug testing kit company in Minnesota called Premier Biotech. Bailey was originally part of American Bio Medica's executive team but had been working for American Bio Medica as a consultant since 2011. He was let go by American Bio Medica in December, although his contract prohibits him from ever using confidential American Bio Medica information or from pitching American Bio Medica customers for one year. Now, American Bio Medica claims, Bailey has orchestrated a plan to win the Michigan Department of Corrections contract for his company. Bailey filed papers to move the case to U.S. District Court in Albany. A hearing is scheduled for next month. "Within the last two to three months, it has become obvious that Bailey has begun to poach (American Bio Medica's) customers," American Bio Medica's CEO Melissa Waterhouse said in a sworn affidavit dated Feb. 24. Bailey could not immediately be reached by phone or email. Losing the Michigan contract would be a severe blow to American Bio Medica, which saw its net sales drop 10.9 percent during the third quarter of 2016. The company also posted a net loss of $88,000 for the quarter. The company's shares, which are listed on the Pink Sheets, have been trading for about 15 cents per share in recent days. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate New York Republican politicians in New York have been putting together short lists of potential candidates to replace the top U.S. prosecutors in New York City, a hub for terrorism, insider trading and anticorruption trials. Some of the people being talked about as candidates include the son of a former U.S. attorney general, a former Fox News legal analyst and a prosecutor who had a chance to go after the head of the International Monetary Fund but declined. Whoever is chosen by the White House to become the U.S. attorneys in Manhattan and Brooklyn will be inheriting a number of high-profile, potentially politically fraught investigations and prosecutions that were previously being overseen by prosecutors appointed by former President Barack Obama who were abruptly dismissed last week. "I assume everything's going to be expedited," said U.S. Rep. Peter King, a Republican involved in helping draft lists of recommended candidates. Among the people seen as leading candidates to replace Preet Bharara as the U.S. attorney in Manhattan is Marc Mukasey, the son of former U.S. Attorney General Michael Mukasey, who served in the administration of President George W. Bush. Mukasey, a former federal prosecutor, is currently the head of the white-collar defense practice at Greenberg Traurig, where he is a partner with former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who's a close ally of President Donald Trump. Mukasey is Giuliani's favorite for the post, King said, but if picked, he could face potential conflicts of interest because of work he has done as a defense lawyer. One of his clients has been former Fox News chairman Roger Ailes, who resigned amid sexual harassment allegations. U.S. Rep. Dan Donovan, a New York City Republican, said the list of possible candidates to become U.S. attorney in Brooklyn includes Joan Illuzzi, a longtime Manhattan prosecutor who ran unsuccessfully as the Republican candidate for district attorney on Staten Island in 2015. Illuzzi's recent victories as a prosecutor include the conviction of a man in the decades-old case of 6-year-old Etan Patz, who vanished on his way to school in 1979. She was also the lead prosecutor in an aborted case in 2011 against Dominique Strauss-Kahn, the former head of the International Monetary Fund. Strauss-Kahn had been accused of sexually assaulting an immigrant housekeeper in a hotel. Prosecutors dropped the case after having doubts about the housekeeper's credibility. Other Brooklyn prospects, Donovan said, include former federal prosecutor James McGovern, who held a top spot in the Brooklyn office until leaving last year for private practice, and Arthur Aidala, a former state prosecutor who is now a criminal defense attorney and was a Fox News legal analyst. During the election, Aidala appeared on the air to discuss and analyze the FBI's handling of the investigation into Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server to handle State Department business. Illuzzi didn't respond to a request for comment. McGovern and Aidala declined to comment. Among other things, the new U.S. attorney in Brooklyn may have to decide whether to bring civil rights charges against the white police officer who killed an unarmed black man, Eric Garner, in a chokehold. Garner's last words, "I can't breathe," became a rallying cry for the Black Lives Matter movement. Typically, U.S. senators or governors of the same party as the president make recommendations for new U.S. attorneys and federal judges. In New York, those positions are held by Democrats. The Trump administration is working with Federalist Society executive vice president Leonard Leo on the replacement process. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Correction: A headline on an earlier version of this article misstated the federal healthcare program that has expanded in the districts of U.S. Reps. Elise Stefanik and John Faso. Medicaid expanded in their districts under the Affordable Care Act. Washington As the salvos fly in the war over the GOP's "repeal and replace" measure for Obamacare, upstate representatives Elise Stefanik and John Faso are hunkered down in no-man's land, waiting for dust to settle before venturing forth. Which side are they on? Don't hold your breath waiting for a big reveal. Both share the belief that retaining all of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) Obamacare is not an option. For now, however, they are hedging their bets on the GOP replacement, with their spokespersons insisting the lawmakers are weighing options and deep in consultation with "stakeholders" and constituents in their respective districts. Of the two, Faso, a Republican freshman from Kinderhook who is nonetheless a political veteran as former minority leader of the New York State Assembly and the party's unsuccessful 2006 gubernatorial candidate, has come closest to showing his hand. As a member of the House Budget Committee, Faso voted to pass the Republican bill to the House floor where a vote is expected this Thursday. But he was quick to explain in a statement that his vote was procedural and not on the merits. "Simply doing nothing is neither practical nor responsible," he said. Stefanik, R-Willsboro, is an up-and-coming sophomore who notwithstanding a close working relationship with House Speaker Paul Ryan has placed herself in the party's center-right "large-tent" camp. On health care, she has been less up front. Stefanik turned down repeated requests for an interview about which way she is leaning, deferring comment to her spokesman who said, "Congresswoman Stefanik believes we need to repeal and replace Obamacare with common sense reforms that lower costs and increase access for families in our district." The political subtext for both is clear. Together, they represent a wide swath of upstate New York, by turns bucolic, rugged and hardscrabble the artistic landscape of the 19th-century Hudson River School. But as wealth concentrates in cities, suburbs and exurbs, the economies of these predominantly rural districts have fallen behind. Poverty along the U.S.-Canada border in Stefanik's North Country district runs as high as almost 19 percent in St. Lawrence County. In Faso's sprawling district that covers the Schoharie and Hudson valleys, Otsego County also has a poverty rate of nearly 19 percent. So no surprise that the low-income population that receives health care through Medicaid is significant in both districts. Close to 17,000 in both districts benefited from Obamacare's expansion of Medicaid to families just above the poverty line. The expansion would end in 2020 under the Republican plan, with the open-ended Medicaid entitlement capped at 2016 levels. The Republican measure also would change the formula for tax credits. Under Obamacare, it is based on income. Under the GOP plan it is based on age on the assumption that people need more health care as they age. But the GOP plan also permits insurers to charge 60-year-olds five times or more than what they charge those in their 20s. Under Obamacare, the limit was three times. Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and features with our afternoon newsletter. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office concluded the Republican bill would leave 24 million without insurance by 2026 who would otherwise be covered if Obamacare remained. Rural health care providers in Stefanik's far-flung district view the Republican plan with emotions ranging between cautious concern and outright dread. "Some of the mechanics of this plan work against our rural demographics," said Rob Bloom, CFO of Carthage Area Hospital in Carthage, Jefferson County, which has benefited from a rise in Medicaid coverage since 2012. "Our costs are higher because the population is older, with typically higher health care costs per capita." "It's going to hurt," said David Acker, CEO of St. Lawrence Health System, which oversees hospitals in Potsdam and Gouverneur, both in St. Lawrence County. "We all agree the ACA is imperfect, but this is a broad sword cutting us hard." "Stefanik has wisely deferred her position on the legislation until the final product is known," said Harvey Schantz, a political scientist at SUNY Plattsburgh. But don't Stefanik and Faso's constituents deserve to know where they stand? "It won't be a chapter in 'Profiles in Courage,' but then most of those people weren't re-elected," said Larry Sabato, a political scientist who directs the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia. THE ISSUE: Most New York workers are not saving enough for retirement. THE STAKES: The Legislature should enact an automatic payroll deduction savings system for the state's private-sector employers. More Information To comment: tuletters@timesunion.com or at http://blog.timesunion.com/opinion See More Collapse --- New York lawmakers are staring at a crisis that threatens the security of millions of the state's residents, one that can easily be fixed. The crisis is this: Millions of Americans, many within a few years of retirement age, have saved little or nothing for what should be their golden years. A survey released last week by GOBankingRates.com, an online personal finance site, found most Americans falling short in saving enough for a comfortable retirement. More than half said they had either nothing or less than $10,000 saved for retirement. Among those over the age of 54, with normal retirement age barely a decade way, 28 percent have no savings. Fortunately, there is something New York can do at least for workers with a little more time to prepare. Five other states have passed legislation automatically enrolling workers in a deferred savings retirement plan. Under these programs, a small portion of a worker's pay usually 3 percent is automatically deposited into a professionally managed Individual Retirement Account which can be transferred to the person's next job. While employees can opt-out, studies show up to 90 percent participate. Over time, these small contributions grow so that by retirement, people have substantial savings to combine with their Social Security entitlement, which by itself is insufficient to provide a secure retirement. Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and features with our afternoon newsletter. Such savings plans are especially important now as more employers drop pension plans. A recent survey by AARP New York found more than half of the state's approximately 7 million private sector employees lack a pension or 401(k) retirement savings plan at work. While most pension plans are sound, some, such as the Teamsters pension program, have found that shrinking membership has left them with insufficient funds to provide the expected payouts. In New York, legislation to start an automatic retirement savings program has strong bipartisan support in the Assembly, and some key senators are also on board. Private companies would bid to manage these accounts, similar to the way the state's successful 529 college savings plan works. Some, including the state Business Council, oppose the legislation, arguing it's just another costly government regulation. Yet, AARP New York says it has been assured by private payroll service vendors that managing this new deduction would only cost a company about $10 per pay period. For a business with 100 workers, that's an average of 10 cents per employee each paycheck. The costs to launch a state system would be in the range of $1 million a small price considering the security it would provide to millions of state residents. With the state budget due in less than two weeks, and the rush afterward to wrap up the annual legislative session, this measure could easily get set aside, as it did last year. Why lawmakers and Gov. Andrew Cuomo would perpetuate a crisis they could readily solve, we can't imagine. MISSOULA A decision on whether the U.S. Department of Justice can prosecute a Montana medical marijuana provider is in the hands of a federal judge. Jesse Walter Campbell, a Bozeman-based provider, is challenging his case based on a Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals decision that upheld a federal regulation and said federal drug enforcement agents cant go after medical marijuana providers who are obeying their state medical marijuana laws. The problem is that the appeals court didnt address whether the provider has to prove it is in compliance or if prosecutors have to show noncompliance before filing charges. Monday saw the conclusion of a two-day evidentiary hearing into questions of Campbells compliance. The hearing's first day took place in late February. U.S. District Court Chief Judge Dana Christensen asked attorneys for the prosecution and defense to file briefs by April 12 giving their final arguments on both the issue of Campbells compliance with the state law and their view on which side needed to bear the burden of proving whether he was obeying the law. After those briefs are filed, the judge will review them along with the evidence from the hearing before making a decision on if the charges can move forward. The issue is further clouded by the fact that one of Campbells charges is conspiracy, meaning prosecutors may be able to push forward if they can simply show that he knew and played any role in drug trafficking done by his co-defendants. Jesse Campbell's brother Charlton Victor Campbell, who owned the property where Montana Buds was located in Bozeman and did marketing work for the company, pleaded guilty earlier this month to a federal charge of conspiracy to manufacture and distribute marijuana in the case. Charlton Campbell, who has a prior felony conviction, had also been a provider until a law change in 2011 made it illegal for any felon to be a provider. He will be sentenced June 16. Michael James Mason, who is also charged in the case and was a part of the first half of the hearing in February, has since filed a request to change his plea and did not take part in Mondays hearing. During the February hearing, a Drug Enforcement Administration special agent said the agency got a search warrant for Campbells home, which contained his grow operation, based on information from a source who said he routinely bought large quantities of marijuana without a patient card. The agent later said he had never independently verified that the purchases happened. On Monday, Campbell said he never sold marijuana to that man, and that he only knew him for less than a month, not the half a year prosecutors say the transactions happened over. The search of Campbells grow operation found 185 marijuana plants, as well as roughly $80,000 in cash and 35 pounds of processed marijuana, according to a second DEA special agent who testified in February. Campbell said the number of plants was within the state regulations, that he only had 28 ounces of saleable marijuana, and that the rest recovered in the raid was in the process of drying or curing. DEA agents also found cartridges containing hash oil, which were packaged and labeled with Montana Buds information. Campbell said he was experimenting with trying to make his own hash oil and had purchased empty cartridges from the company because they bought at bulk rates. He said Monday that once he filled the containers with his own oil, he put them in packaging and labels provided by Montana Buds to be in compliance with state medical marijuana laws, but denied ever getting drugs from the company or doing any transactions involving marijuana with them. Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Thaggard asked Campbell why, in his 2016 provider permit application, he checked that he owned the property where his grow operation would be when previously he said he was renting it. Campbell answered that at the time, he was in the process of negotiating buying the home from his mother, and had made a down payment to her. Crossogue Preserves has won not one but altogether ten prizes at The Worlds Original Marmalade Awards 2017. The endowing board of experts based in Cumbria, England bestowed gold accolades for the Tipperary Artisan producers Thick Cut Seville Orange Marmalade and Orange and Damson Marmalade. Crossogue Preserves, Founder and Owner, Veronica Molloy has created and perfected her renowned Thick Cut Seville Orange Marmalade for decades; even Paddington would give his paw of approval if it were to reach its way into one of his sandwiches! The Orange and Damson gold winner, perfect with savoury food and meat, gets its exotic taste from cardamom, one of the key ingredients in this moreish marmalade. Orange Chocolate Marmalade reaped a Silver award as did Crossogues Medium Cut Seville Orange Marmalade. Bronze awards were given to the family based companys new Limoncello Marmalade, Fine Cut Seville Orange Marmalade, Tangerine Marmalade, Gooseberry & Lime Marmalade and Lemon and Fig Marmalade, whilst the Reduced Sugar Chunky Marmalade received Commended recognition. Veronica Molloy With more than 2,000 homemade marmalade entries this year, the winning marmalades were on display at the Marmalade Festival & Awards, in two separate locations, Dalemain and Penrith in Cumbria, over the weekend. To celebrate the occasion the town of Penrith turned orange for the day, on Saturday 18th March. Commenting on the numerous awards, Veronica Molloy, Founder and Owner of Crossogue Preserves says, We were thrilled to receive two gold prizes but when eight further awards were announced we were elated. Winning ten accolades at the prestigious Worlds Original Marmalade Awards endorses the quality and pride my team and I invest in creating Crossogue Preserves, Crossogue Preserves was founded by Veronica Molloy in 1995. The mother of six and grandmother of thirteen who grew up in Kenya, Africa, had been making jams for local country markets and delis. She then expanded her outfit due to the popularity of her products and thus Crossogue Preserves was born. 22 years on, the artisan jam making company supplies over 85 varieties of jams, curds, marmalades, chutneys, spreads and coulis to shops and delis throughout Ireland and internationally. As well as creating old favourites, such as strawberry, raspberry and blackcurrant, Veronicas has invented many unique and delicious flavours including Irish Coffee Curd, Lime Tequila Marmalade and her most recent delicacy, Sugar Free Spread. Despite growing demand for the preserves, they are still made in batches of 20 jars and are free from preservatives and additives. Over the years, the brand has won over 60 awards including many gold and double golds at the prestigious Great Taste Awards and The Worlds Original Marmalade awards. Veronica was also honoured to receive a life time achievement award by the Irish Food Writers Guild. Sugar Free Spread is Crossogue Preserves healthy preserve offering, made using xylitol as a sugar substitute As well as containing far fewer calories than sugar, xylitol has health benefits; it fights cavities and is suitable for diabetics - the body does not require insulin to metabolise xylitol. [March 20, 2017] Award for Unparalleled Breakthroughs in Brain Research Goes to Merzenich SAN FRANCISCO, March 20, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Dr. Michael Merzenich has been designated the 2017 recipient of The Charles L. Branch Brain Health Award for Unparalleled Breakthroughs in Brain Research. Dr. Merzenich is Professor Emeritus at University of California, San Francisco and is Chairman and Chief Scientific Officer of Posit Science. The Branch Award is presented by the University of Texas Brain Health Center to a person who has made an extraordinary contribution to the field of neuroscience. The award will be presented at the Reprogramming the Brain to Health Symposium at University of California, Berkeley on Wednesday, March 29, 2017, where Dr. Merzenich will give a keynote address. Dr. Merzenich plans to speak about the ramifications of the discovery of lifelong brain plasticity on how we think of the health of the brain as an organ, and about how applied plasticity technology now enables continuous monitoring and managing of brain health, with simple and affordable mobile apps and devices. Three decades ago, Dr. Merzenich forever changed the way scientists look at the brain with his seminal experiments showing that the adult brain remains plastic capable of changing chemically, physically and functionally, throughout life, based on sensory and other inputs. Previously, scientists believed that the brain was plastic only in childhood. Dr. Merzenich realized that plasticity could be harnessed to create tools to benefit humanity. He first applied plasticity in the co-invention of th cochlear implant, which has restored hearing to hundreds of thousand of people living with deafness. With the wide adoption of personal computers and, then, mobile devices, Dr. Merzenich focused on how to create online (and in app) assessments and exercises that continuously adapt and personalize to monitor and improve individual health and performance. The exercises and assessments in the BrainHQ brain-training platform from Posit Science have been shown effective in a wide range of populations in more than 140 peer-reviewed journal articles. Studies in healthy mature adults have shown gains in standard and real world measures of cognition (eg, brain speed, attention, memory and executive function); quality of life (mood, confidence, self-rated health, functional independence); and everyday activities (balance, movement, driving). In January, academic researchers completed the first systematic review of commercially-available brain training programs targeting older adults. They found that most of the reviewed apps had zero studies to support their claims, but that BrainHQ was the only app with multiple high quality studies showing its effectiveness. The reviewers observed that studies of BrainHQ exercises and assessments have fulfilled the gold standard for clinical trials, and that clearly some commercially available computerized brain training products can assist in promoting healthy brain aging. Last year, Dr. Merzenich was awarded the Kavli Prize, the highest honor in neuroscience. The prior year, he was awarded the Russ Prize, the highest honor in bio-engineering. He has been elected by his peers to both the National Academy of Sciences and to the National Academy of Medicine in the USA. He also is a member of the Norwegian Academy of Sciences and Letters. Dr. Merzenich frequently appears on television and in the press. He is perhaps best known to US audiences for a series of programs on brain fitness that appeared on public television and for the Hack My Brain mini-series on the Science Channel. His work has been featured in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and hundreds of other news outlets. Dr. Merzenich is the author of several books, including Soft-Wired: How the New Science of Brain Plasticity Can Change Your Life. For more information about Dr. Merzenich, contact [email protected] [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 20, 2017] Physicians Medical Group of Santa Cruz Independent Physicians Affiliate With Dignity Health Medical Foundation Dignity Health Medical Foundation (DHMF) has signed a definitive agreement with Physicians Medical Group of Santa Cruz (PMG (News - Alert)), the largest network of independent primary care and specialist physicians in Santa Cruz County, to purchase their Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) health plan administrative functions. The agreement is estimated to take effect in July 2017. This Smart News Release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170320005210/en/ Jennifer Schaab, MBA, Chief Operating Officer of Dignity Health Medical Foundation (Photo: Business Wire) As a result, the health plan administrative functions will be provided by Dignity Health Medical Foundation, the independent physicians will affiliate with Dignity Health Medical Foundation, and PMG will change its name to Dignity Health Integrated Network - Santa Cruz (DHIN). The affiliation will help local physicians stay independent in an ever-changing health care landscape. "As an independent provider, I look forward to working with Dignity Health Medical Foundation and anticipate seeing more affordable health plan options for our patients through this collaboration," said Michael Coulson, MD, family medicine physician with Scotts Valley Medical Clinic. "Locally, we can anticipate even more coordination between health care providers resulting in increased care quality for our members." There is no action for PMG members (patients) to take as a result of this change. Members should continue to see their same primary and specialty care providers and do not need to change health plans. The affiliation's long-term benefits include more integrated and affordable services for patients, additional support for independent physicians, and increased physician recruitment. Members with HMO plas will start receiving information from DHIN after the agreement takes effect. Patients with non-HMO coverage will not experience any changes. "We care about the Santa Cruz community and vitality of the local independent and employed physicians," said Jennifer Schaab, MBA, Chief Operating Officer of Dignity Health Medical Foundation. "In an ever-changing health care landscape it is increasingly challenging to run an independent practice without the support and resources of a larger integrated network. This agreement ensures that the PMG-affiliated providers will continue to remain independent and be able to provide the very high quality of care that the Santa Cruz area has come to expect." Officially launched through this affiliation, the Dignity Health Integrated Network (DHIN) is a managed care health plan contracting entity for independent physician associations in California. In Santa Cruz, DHIN will seek to strengthen the existing relationships with employed physicians, independent providers, hospitals, and other health care delivery systems. The DHIN will also seek partnerships with providers, hospitals, and health care delivery systems in other regions. "We've enjoyed a long and successful relationship with Dignity Health and Dignity Health Medical Foundation and we look forward to building on that collaboration," said Marvin Labrie, CEO of Physicians Medical Group of Santa Cruz. "This agreement will enable us to move forward in the best interest of affiliated providers while allowing us to remain independent. It's also good news for our patients who will benefit in the long run from more integrated services for the community." PMG administrative staff will be offered comparable employment within Dignity Health. PMG and DHMF will also work together to ensure a seamless transition in services, and patient care remains a top priority. "Delivering high quality, compassionate care to our patients and the community is always a top priority," said Mike Castillo, VP and Chief Strategy Officer for Physician Integration at Dignity Health. "Physicians Medical Group of Santa Cruz has been a great health partner and we look forward to further integrating our networks and broadening the services that we offer to offer more affordable choices and further serve the health care needs of the Santa Cruz community." DHMF supports physician medical groups, independent physician associations and network providers, representing 1,500 employed and independent providers across California. In Santa Cruz, Dignity Health Medical Group - Dominican operates 18 medical offices throughout the county and employs 70 health care providers in 12 specialties. About Dignity Health Medical Foundation Dignity Health Medical Foundation, established in 1993, is a not-for-profit organization providing award-winning and patient-centered ambulatory services in a variety of areas including primary and specialty care, diagnostic imaging, vision, occupational health, urgent care, and behavioral health. Dignity Health Medical Foundation supports physician medical groups, Independent Physician Associations (IPAs), and network providers representing 1,500 employed and independent providers across California. For more information on Dignity Health Medical Foundation and the wide range of services it provides, please visit www.dhmf.org. About Physicians Medical Group of Santa Cruz Physicians Medical Group of Santa Cruz (PMG) offers the largest network of independent Primary Care Physicians and Specialists in Santa Cruz County and provides quality healthcare services to the communities of Santa Cruz County. PMG is comprised of hundreds of providers, 42 specialties, and 100 locations. PMG has received recognition in the CAPG Standards of Excellence program since 2007 and maintained "Elite" status. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170320005210/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 19, 2017] WiFi Master Key App Adds 100 Million Users in 3 Months, Now Surges Past 900 Million Users SINGAPORE, March 20, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- On 29 June 2016, WiFi Master Key (https://goo.gl/psLDsg), a free mobile app to grant Internet access, has grown to more than 900 million users, and 520 million monthly active users globally adding its latest 100 million in three months. To view the full multimedia release, click here: http://www.prnasia.com/mnr/wifi_201703.shtml To date, not more than 10 apps have passed the 900 million users milestone. Apps surpassing this milestone besides WiFi Master Key, include apps from Internet giants like Google (YouTube app), Facebook (Facebook app), and Tencent (WeChat app). According to the 2016 statistics for app downloads published by Tencent, the downloads of WiFi Master Key exceeded that of both QQ and WeChat, making WiFi Master Key the most popular productivity app in China. WiFi Master Key continues to grow across 223 countries and regions serving 100 million users outside of mainland China in 19 languages. "It is a good strategy for us to start expanding our reach beyond the Chinese market before the others. We hope to first establish the South-east Asian market with Singapore as the regional hub.", said Founder and CEO of LinkSure, Mr Danian Chen. Additionally, according to 2016's top 20 Internet companies ranking list by iResearch one of the leading market research companies in China LinkSure is the number one growing Chinese Internet company with a growth index of 5.2, which is 10% more than the runner up. The phenomenal growth of WiFi Master Key is due to its capability to empower anyone to go online via free Internet access, especially in developing and underdeveloped countries. According to statistics from International Telecommunication Union (ITU), only approximately 40%, and less than 15% of the population, respectively, have Internet access. Going forward, "Big data is the fundamental pillar on which technology companies strive and grow in the mobile Internet era. WiFi Master Key will focus on big data applications and R&D for contextual Wi-Fi usage revolving around our users and their surroundings; helping small businesses and individuals find new opportunities through the accumulation of the big data know-how. In the meantime, WiFi Master Key hopes to partner with more Non-Profit Organizations (NPOs) to initiate wide-ranging and impactful Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) projects, in order to benefit more people," added Founder and CEO of LinkSure, Mr Danian Chen. ABOUT WIFI MASTER KEY by en.wifi.com WiFi Master Key is a free mobile app developed by LinkSure to enable passwordless Internet access. As of June 2016, the app has 900 million users and 520 million monthly active users making it the world's largest WiFi sharing app. The company holds the record of being one of China's fastest growing unicorn mobile Internet companies to achieve a billion-dollar valuation in 2015, after closing a $52 million Series A funding. Lydia Chow [email protected] +65 67156081 Video - http://mms.prnasia.com/mnr/201703/wifi/video.mp4 Photo - http://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20170310/8521701586-a Photo - http://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20170315/8521701586-h Photo - http://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20170315/8521701586-i Photo - http://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20170315/8521701586-j [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 19, 2017] Labbrand Research Finds 85.6% of Chinese Millennials Use Mobile Payment for Offline Purchases, Almost Double Their U.S. Counterparts NEW YORK, March 20, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Labbrand, a leading global brand consultancy, previewed its findings on U.S. and Chinese millennials' digital drivers. The findings, based on an extensive online survey with young adults aged 20 to 35 years of age in both countries, showed that Chinese millennials use digital tools to satisfy functional and emotional needs -- food, expenditure, socializing -- more prevalently than their U.S. counterparts. Among the key indicators, 85.6% of Chinese millennials use mobile payment in physical shops at least once a week, as opposed to 44.7% of U.S. millennials. Such findings can be leveraged by global brands crafting their digital strategies for these and other international markets. Other noteworthy initial findings of the survey were also revealed. In terms of socializing, for example, Chinese millennials are highly expressive online -- 71.4% post answers to questions on Q&A sites or forums at least once a week, while 77.6% post reviews on movies, restaurants, travels or other activities at least once a week. U.S. millennials fell short of reaching 50% (41.8% on posting answers and 44.8% on posting reviews) on both questions. Overall, the majority of Chinese millennials agree that they tend to share everything they do online (55.3%), whereas only 28.3% of American millennials felt the same way. Labbrand released the initial findings of the survey at the Millennial 20/20 summit in New York. At the event, Denise Sabet, Labbrand's Managing Director of North America, presented on "The Digital World of Chinese Millennials", while also highlighting takeaways for brand marketers in the U.S. "The term millennial has been overused, and the definition has become too broad," said Sabet, "Brands need to uncover deeper and more specific insights on millennial consumers, and to tailor their brand actions to the characteristics of more targeted segments." Based on the Digital Drivers model developed by Labbrand, the survey results also indicated that U.S. millennials are driven to digital platforms mainly by the need to seek pleasure, while Chinese millennials tend to be simultaneously driven by the needs of connection, discovery, actualization as well as pleasure. The Digital Drivers model helps brands to look beyond generic data to gain deeper insights into the drivers behind digital behaviors. A more in-depth analysis of Labbrand's latest survey on U.S. and Chinese millennials' will be released in the coming LABReport on March 31. About Labbrand Labbrand is the leading China-originated global brand consultancy with a rapidly expanding global footprint that includes regional operations in APAC (Shanghai, Singapore), Europe (Paris), and North America (New York). Through brand innovations, we create, grow, and disrupt to be strong and resilient in dynamic markets. We are multi-cultural in approach and cross-disciplinary in research, strategy, naming, design, and digital. Together this gives us the foresight and ability to build brand equity. labbrand.com About Millennial 20/20 Millennial 20/20 Summits are the grand gathering of brands, retailers, corporates, service providers, investors and start-ups to celebrate the modern age of commerce and business powered by the millennials and future consumer generations. The summits focus on the impact of technology, digital and the rise of the internet of beings which is drastically changing how, where and when we consume and interact with brands, retailers and start-ups in the following industry sectors: Fashion & Beauty, Food & Beverage, Travel & Hospitality and Fitness & Health and in the key pillars of retail, marketing, mobile, payments, video, data, social, e-commerce and CRM. Millennial 20/20 has been created with the belief that business events need to advance with the times and deliver a curatorial, experiential and personalized experience for attendees. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 19, 2017] Provenir Unveils Amazon Machine Learning Adapter PARSIPPANY, New Jersey, March 20, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Provenir, provider of risk analytics and decisioning solutions, today unveiled the new Provenir Adapter for Amazon Machine Learning for financial institutions seeking to add machine learning to their toolkit without the time and resources typically associated with development. The latest in Provenir's suite of adapters automatically feeds the predictive score returned by the Amazon Machine Learning model into the risk decisioning process. The Provenir Platform then automates that process, instantly executing a pass, fail or refer result from a risk score. Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/472579/Provenir_Logo.jpg Provenir Adapter Makes Machine Learning More Accessible to Lenders "While Machine Learning has massive implications in financial services, few organisations are able to dedicate full time resources t the development of homegrown machine learning capabilities" said Larry Smith, CEO and Founder, Provenir. "The Provenir Adapter for Amazon Machine Learning makes machine learning accessible to those companies who are focused on their core businesses by eliminating the need for a dedicated expert." Inexperienced Developer Deploys ML Model in Less Than 20 Minutes Smith shared an example. "With no experience in machine learning, one developer on our team was able to build and deploy a machine learning model in less than 20 minutes, operationalizing that model in the Provenir Platform in just hours. Historically, that would have taken a team of people a month to achieve." Visually Configurable, Real-Time, Risk Analytics To meet customer expectations of speed, efficiency and cost, financial service providers need risk management solutions that are visual and intuitive, don't require coding expertise or development skills to update, and are flexible enough to adapt in changing situations. This integration pairs Provenir's visually configurable risk platform with Amazon Machine Learning for real-time, user-friendly, risk analytics and decisioning. About Provenir Provenir makes risk analytics faster and simpler for financial institutions. The Provenir risk analytics and decisioning platform is a powerful orchestration hub that can listen to any channel, integrate with any data service and operationalize any analytic model. Helping clients process more applications with greater efficiency and increase sales conversions with instant, real-time risk decisioning, Provenir serves clients across a broad range of financial verticals including consumer, cards, payments, ecommerce and auto financing. Provenir is headquartered in Parsippany, New Jersey with EMEA operations based in England and APAC operations in Singapore. For more information please visit www.provenir.com. Media contact: Adi Reske Provenir T: 973-316-8680x1117 E: [email protected] [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 20, 2017] Altia-ABM Expands Canadian Operation GLASGOW, Scotland, March 17, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The Altia-ABM group, a global leader in specialist software for use in the fight against crime, today announces a significant expansion of its operations in Canada. The company has opened a new office in Toronto and created a special business development team to meet the growing demand for its tools. Altia-ABM develops specialist software and services to empower organisations in their fight against crime. The company's software significantly helps investigators with financial and criminal investigations and the management of covert and intelligence operations and is used by every police force in the UK and many forces across the world. Altia-ABM's clients also include federal governments, enforcement agencies, tax authorities, the intelligence communities, healthcare providers and commercial financial investigators. In Canada, federal law enforcement and other government agencies already use the company's products. The initial team to drive the growth of the fim in Canada are - Beverly Golchuk, a highly experienced national sales and business development executive, who has been appointed as National Sales Manager and George Harrison, Business Development Director, who is a retired police officer widely recognised for his continuing involvement in the training of police officers across Canada in intelligence management. Ian Watson, CEO of Altia-ABM, said: "I am delighted to announce a very significant milestone for us in Canada where there is a clear and growing demand for the most advanced tools to combat crime. "Beverly and George are joining us at this crucial time in our development and bring the expertise and experience that we need to attract new customers in Canada and to provide professional support to our existing customers. The group has grown significantly in the past 12 months with our wide range of tools used by professional investigators across the world." Beverly Golchuk says: "The UK and Canada have the same issues in terms of increasingly complex crime, terrorism and threats from international criminal networks. Canadian law enforcement agencies today need to achieve a higher standard of analytics in a shorter time-frame - this is exactly what Altia-ABM offers." She added: "Altia-ABM's tried and trusted products offer significant benefits to law enforcement professionals by enabling faster and better data capture and analytics. This is a game changer in the detection and prosecution of criminals, and I am looking forward to offering that specialist expertise to customers in Canada." http://www.altia-abm.com/ Contact: Ramsay Smith +44(0)7788-414856 [email protected] [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 20, 2017] FlowForma Announce Morning Seminar on Regulatory Compliance DUBLIN, March 20, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- FlowForma, the leading provider of BPM tools for Microsoft Office 365 is pleased to announce its partnership with Microsoft Ireland in hosting a morning seminar on Meeting Regulatory Compliance, taking place on the 30th of March 2017 in Microsoft's Sandyford office in Dublin, Ireland. (Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161012/427743 ) (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160908/823123 ) "We understand the pressure on organizations to meet regulatory compliance requirements, respond quickly to incident queries and report seamlessly, so we're pleased to invite Health & Safety, IT, Projects and Facilities Managers to attend our upcoming Incident Management and Risk Assessment Seminar to learn how to tackle these challenges, " said Neil Young, CEO, FlowForma. At this event, Paul Callaghan, ICT Manager at St John of God will share how this Not-for-Profit body deployed FlowForma Workflow to automate their essential incident management process, while driving process efficiency and maximizing their existing Microsoft investments. Attendees will hear how an approach towards no code workflow supports organizations such as charities, sportig bodies and care homes to drive productivity and transparency, mitigate risk and ensure compliance. The FlowForma team will demonstrate how FlowForma's self-service BPM tool is the ideal tool for deploying processes to support compliancy such as incident management, complaints management, electronic vetting and risk assessment processes. Use cases will reveal the intuitiveness of this no code, logic only workflow tool and reveal how power users can build and publish processes to help meet regulatory compliance, with speed and flexibility, with little or no help from the IT department. This is a free event but registration is compulsory. Secure your complementary place today to share your regulatory challenges, network with peers and get best practice advice from both FlowForma and Microsoft experts. Seminar Details When: Thursday, 30th March 2017 from 9.30am to 1.00pm Where: Microsoft Atrium Building, Sandyford, Dublin 18, Ireland Who: Health & Safety, IT, Projects and Facilities Managers This is a free event but registration is compulsory, secure your complementary place today. Supporting Resources To learn more about FlowForma ' s upcoming Meeting Regulatory Compliance event visit: www.flowforma.com/allevents/meeting-regulatory-compliance www.flowforma.com/allevents/meeting-regulatory-compliance To read a case study on how Eurofound adopted FlowForma BPM to drive 75% efficiency improvement visit: www.flowforma.com/flowforma-bpm-becomes-a-strategic-asset-for-eurofound-download To find out how the FlowForma Cloud BPM tool works visit: www.flowforma.com/howitworks To download a free trial of FlowForma BPM visit: www.flowforma.com/trial About FlowForma FlowForma, the leading provider of Business Process Management (BPM) tools for Microsoft Office 365 has been revolutionizing the traditional BPM space with an innovative approach to developing award winning BPM products that empower users to get work done, smarter and faster, on the familiar SharePoint platform, without any coding. FlowForma is a Microsoft Partner, with over 100 customers across Europe, South Africa and North America. The company is headquartered in Dublin with offices in London and Boston and is motivated by its values to innovate, evolve and achieve with employees, customers and partners. For further information, visit http://www.flowforma.com SOURCE FlowForma [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 20, 2017] Deskera Continues Impressive Growth, Expands Footprint in Bangladesh MUMBAI and DHAKA, Bangladesh, March 20, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Majority of the Growth Comes From Mid and Small-sized Businesses as Deskera Reaches out to Global Markets Deskera, a global-provider of cloud-based software solutions for small and mid-sized businesses, is expanding its presence in Bangladesh to bring the country's enterprises the best business software to run their operations. Having seen impressive growth globally, with 400% percent increase in revenue year over year, Deskera is committed to greater investment in the Bangladesh market. (Logo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/450678/PRNE__Deskera_png_Logo.jpg ) "Our increased investment in Bangladesh is integral to our long-term growth in the region and the rest of the world," explained Deskera CEO Shashank Dixit. "Demand for a complete software solution such as ours is high. Our mission has always been to provide world-class technology to mid-sized companies so they can succeed by running more efficiently and keeping their customers happy at an affordable price." As part of the initiative, Deskera has partnered with Sheba Technologies Limited, a sister concern within Sheba Group, Bangladesh, to change the way enterprises do business in the country and thus help them enhance their productivity and growth. "Bangladesh could be one of the fastest growing economies in the coming years. According to a recent report, the country may emerge as the world's 28th most powerful economy by 2030," said Hemanth Dattatreya, Global Head, Channels and Alliances, Deskera. "With local partners like Sheba Technologies Ltd., who have been contributing handsomely to the government's efforts for a Digital Bangladesh, we are determined to help transform local enterprises into global-scale businesses through our software." Deskera has always been at the forefront o helping SMEs improve their businesses, and this improvement will have a particularly positive impact on Bangladesh, as SMEs are the backbone of the country's economy. According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Country Report (2012), SMEs in Bangladesh account for more than 99% of private sector industrial establishments and create job opportunities for 70-80% of the non-agricultural labor force. "We are looking forward to this partnership. We have always admired the way Deskera has been working to provide world-class technology to mid-sized companies so they can grow by running more efficiently. We at Sheba Technologies Ltd. have been pushing Bangladesh towards digital adoption. Together we can leverage our combined strength to help these enterprises compete globally," said Reaz U. Ahmed, COO, Sheba Technologies Ltd. With digitalization, Bangladesh's GDP will continue to grow. It is hovering around the 7 per cent mark. Moreover, Bangladesh has a fast growing working-age population, which will easily adapt to new technology. For the past eight years, Deskera has been providing cloud-based software to companies around the world. Today, more than 3,000 businesses, with approximately 80,000 users, manage their companies with Deskera ERP. In the last year alone, Deskera has been honored with industry awards like the 2016 Vanguard award for innovation and earning a name among the top players in the tech industry at Asia Enterprise BRAND Awards. Deskera was also selected as one of the year's Red Herring 100 Asia Winners and was featured in the Top 20 Finance Technology Solution Providers by CIO Advisor. About Deskera (http://www.deskera.com) Deskera is a global leader in cloud-based solutions for small and mid-sized businesses. The company was founded in 2008 with the vision of using the cloud to bridge the digital divide between entrepreneurs and big business by creating greater access to the best technology. Our sophisticated, simple-to-use technology provides solutions that help all types of companies manage resources more efficiently across departments, from operations to accounting to sales to HR, on one platform. Deskera is headquartered in San Francisco, California with offices around the world including locations in Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia. The company has a pan India presence with offices in Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Ahmedabad and Pune. To find out how cloud solutions can make it easier to run your business, please visit http://www.deskera.com. About Sheba Technologies (http://www.shebatech.com.bd) Sheba Technologies Limited (STL) was formed to participate in various exciting opportunities associated with the efforts of the Government to transform the country into Digital Bangladesh. STL is a subsidiary of Sheba Group which has over 20+ years of management experience with proven track record in rendering technologically advanced products and services. Media contact: Shikha Samant +91-8527083408 [email protected] Muqbil Ahmar +91-9717360398 [email protected] [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 20, 2017] Mushroom Networks and APAC IT Services Leader XPossible Partner to Provide High-Performance Internet Access SAN DIEGO, March 20, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Mushroom Networks, an innovator in Broadband-Bonding and Software-Defined Wide Area Networking (SD-WAN) platforms, today announced that leading IT services firm XPossible Technologies, Inc., has selected Mushroom Networks as a critical technology partner. XPossible provides easily integrated solutions to hotels and enterprises to provide easy, high-performance Internet access. Serving the Asia PAC region, XPossible develops technology platforms that make accessing the Internet convenient and easy for everyone from everywhere. I am one satisfied customer, said Henry Sitoasta, XPossibles Officer-in-Charge at the Charter House. With Mushroom Networks Truffle platform, I can easily check whenever something is wrong with our branch network, be it an issue with my line connection, my Internet provider, or a problem on the access point. Additionally, allocation of bandwidth per customer is very easy to manage, which is critical for our business. XPossible makes extensive use of the Truffle SD-WAN Orchestration and Broadband Bonding appliance, which enables cost-effective and self-healing Internet access for businesses, enterprise branch offices, htels and other multi-tenant buildings. Truffle load balances and intelligently orchestrates up to four (or optionally as many as eight or twelve) Internet lines to increase performance and up-time of applications and services that run over the Internet. Several T-1, DSL, cable modem, MPLS, metro-Ethernet or fiber services from different ISPs can be aggregated to provide increased bandwidth. Truffle provides a quick Return on Investment (ROI) and lower operating expenses. The payback period on the investment is often less than 6 months. Cahit Akin, CEO of Mushroom Networks, said, Truffle is an industry leading example of how SD-WAN technology can provide more efficient and cost-effective solutions to todays IT departments, as well as the channel providers that serve them. As businesses begin to recognize the WAN as the primary performance bottleneck for cloud services and Internet connectivity, there has been a shift away from carrier-managed private networks like MPLS as the sole connectivity resource, due to hosted applications as well as lower cost and higher bandwidth availability. More and more businesses are looking to Managed Service Providers (MSPs) and distributors/VARs for solutions that enable them to remotely and easily manage multiple locations with disparate connectivity. Mushrooms channel partner programs include a wide range of SD-WAN and Broadband Bonding solutions for various vertical markets and are available for qualified resellers and service providers worldwide. About Mushroom Networks Mushroom Networks, Inc., is a privately held company based in San Diego, CA, providing patent pending Broadband Bonding solutions to a range of Internet connection applications. The companys flagship product line serves SMBs, enterprises, multi-tenant buildings, and broadband service providers and bonds dissimilar broadband access technologies forming a single highly reliable broadband pipe that can easily scale based on needs. Mushroom Networks was the winner of the 2015 Most Innovative Product award by CONNECT, finalist for the coveted 2012 San Diego Business Journal Innovation Award, winner of the XCHANGE Tech Innovators Xcellence Award, and winner of the 2008 CONNECT Most Innovative New Product award, Network Worlds "top technology trend of 2008" award. For more information, please visit https://www.mushroomnetworks.com or call (858) 366-9255. Media Contact: Jay Nichols Mushroom Networks, Inc. [email protected] Tel: (858) 366-9255 ext 6039 [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 20, 2017] UAE Exchange India Kicks-off 2017 With a Host of Awards KOCHI, India, March 20, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- UAE Exchange India, a pioneer in financial services has created a niche for itself in the industry by providing users with advanced features in the financial arena to help build mutual relations between the organisation and its customers. Acceptance from every nook and corner of the nation encouraged the support team to challenge the existing system and get more personalized with consumers. (Photo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/478748/UAE_Exchange_Awards.jpg ) (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161121/441477LOGO ) Strong linkage of the organisation with its employees reflected in the acceptance of the company on many social forums. The leading travel portal, UAE Exchange extends its customer support day-to-day with innovative digital services for better customer convenience around the globe. Exceptional services in the travel sector have gained accolades of acceptance from various travel moguls. For the outstanding performance and excellence in services, UAE Exchange was honoured with various prestigious awards. The company has emerged as the most deserving organization for the NBSL Awards 2017 in the category of 'Asia's Best Brand of the Year - Travel Sector'. UAE Exchange Delhi Regional Sales Head, Mr. Rohit Kumar received the award at the red carpet gala award ceremony held on January 28th, 2017/span> at Crowne Plaza Hotel, New Delhi. Blog: http://bit.ly/2nrdw0p UAE Exchange engages employees and customers through exceptional internal and external communications that have been recognised through various forums. The company was honoured with three prestigious awards from PRCI (Public Relation Council of India) for 'Financial Inclusion', 'Best Annual Report' and 'Best In-House Journal'. The financial inclusion award was presented for spreading financial literacy to all strata of society. Blog: http://bit.ly/2mYCRB5 Amidst the business operations, the company shares valuable time for CSR activities across the nation. BAM Awards and Recognitions honoured UAE Exchange for excellent contributions in CSR activities. Mr. Manish Kumar, Cluster Head - Corporate Business Delhi received the award from the dignitaries on 18th February 2017 at the Indian Brand Convention held in New Delhi. "While transforming ahead digitally, we endow strong and transparent business practices for better customer experience. We are really honoured to receive the prestigious awards from various forums for our outstanding performance," shared Mr. V George Antony, Managing Director, UAE Exchange India. Adopting novel features in digital services, XPay Cash Wallet with advanced e-commerce and payment facilities has been introduced to cater to the on-time demand of every consumer. The expert IT team of the company consistently works to bring 'all services in a single touch'. Customer suggestions and feedback assist the review team to get the correct combination on various products and services. About UAE Exchange UAE Exchange India is one of the pioneers of financial services renowned for its penchant quality and optimized service trends, creating a niche for itself in the industry. Connecting people and creating progress with the finest of quality is the vision of the company that has an extensive reach of 377 branches serving a population of 1.25 million people under the proficient support of 3375 employees. The company has been instrumental in providing cost-effective services in Foreign Exchange, Outward Remittance, Money Transfer, Air Ticketing and Tours, Loans, Insurance and Share Trading. The UAE Exchange Mobile App - 'Xpay Cash Wallet' provides seamless options for customer ranging from instant money transfer, mobile/DTH recharge, gifting services, etc. ensuring a safe and secure digital/mobile payment platform. Media Contact: Reeba V K [email protected] +91-9656004356 Public Relations UAE Exchange India [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 20, 2017] StrikeForce Sues Gemalto, Vasco, Entrust & SecureAuth for Patent Infringement EDISON, N.J., March 20, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- StrikeForce Technologies, Inc. (OTC PINK:SFOR) announced today that it has filed patent infringement lawsuits in U.S. District Courts this week against Gemalto, Inc.; Vasco Data Security; Entrust Datacard; and SecureAuth Corporation. The lawsuits against Gemalto and Vasco were filed in the District of Massachusetts and the cases against Entrust and Vasco were filed in the Eastern District of Virginia. These new lawsuits claim infringement of one or more of StrikeForces United States Patent Nos. 7,870,599; 8,484,698; and 8,713,701. These suits are in addition to the three cases filed in June 2016 involving StrikeForces 698 patent that are currently pending in the District of New Jersey against Duo Security, Centrify Corporation and Trustwave Holdings, Inc. We can sit by and watch competitors use our patented inventions without permission, or we can do something about it. Weve decided to do something about it, said Mark L. Kay, StrikeForce CEO. We think competition is healthy, but competitors should create their own original technology, not use what we developed. There has been an increasingly sharp rise in cyber-attacks recently with many international corporations being hacked. This increase in cyber-attacks and the strengthening of regulations, such as the FFIEC in the financial market and HIPAA HiTech and Electronic Protected Healthcare Information (ePHI) in the healthcare market, are prompting an exponential increase in the use of Out-of-Band Authenication, stated Mr. Kay. In light of our having been granted the 599, 698 & 701 Patents, and with increased activity in various markets by enterprises, government agencies and social media, StrikeForce will aggressively continue to protect its intellectual property rights and maximize shareholder value. StrikeForce has retained Ropes & Gray LLP to litigate these cases. Ropes & Gray LLP is a global law firm with 11 offices located in the United States, Asia and Europe. The firm has more than 1,200 lawyers and professionals worldwide, and its clients include corporations and financial institutions, government agencies, universities, and health care organizations. The firm, founded in 1865, is recognized as a leader for intellectual property law and has been named to The American Lawyers prestigious A-List of top 20 firms for six consecutive years. About StrikeForce Technologies, Inc. StrikeForce Technologies helps to prevent Cyber theft and data security breaches for consumers, corporations, and government agencies. It provides powerful two-factor, Out-of-Band authentication, keystroke encryption along with mobile solutions. StrikeForce Technologies, Inc. (OTC PINK:SFOR) is headquartered in Edison, N.J., and can be reached at www.strikeforcetech.com or by phone at (732) 661-9641 or toll-free at (866) 787-4542. Safe Harbor Statement: Matters discussed in this press release contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. When used in this press release, the words anticipate, believe, estimate, may, intend, "expect" and similar expressions identify such forward-looking statements. Actual results, performance or achievements could differ materially from those contemplated, expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements contained herein. These forward-looking statements are based largely on the expectations of the Company and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties. These include, but are not limited to, risks and uncertainties associated with: the sales of the company's identity protection software products into various channels and market sectors, the issuance of the company's pending patent application, and the impact of economic, competitive and other factors affecting the Company and its operations, markets, product, and distributor performance, the impact on the national and local economies resulting from terrorist actions, and U.S. actions subsequently; and other factors detailed in reports filed by the company. Contact Info: StrikeForce Investor Relations Contact: Mark L. Kay (732) 661-9641 [email protected] [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 20, 2017] Wipro Positioned as a 'Leader' in Gartner's Magic Quadrant for Managed Workplace Services, North America Wipro (News - Alert) Limited (NYSE: WIT, BSE: 507685, NSE: WIPRO), a leading global information technology, consulting, and business process services company, today announced that it has been positioned as a 'Leader' in Gartner's (News - Alert) Magic Quadrant for Managed Workplace Services, North America. The report authored by Daniel Barros, Helen Huntley, and Karen A. Hobert was published on January 30, 2017. According to Gartner analysts, "Leaders deliver their service solutions skillfully, have a clear vision of the direction of the service market, and are actively building and improving their competencies to sustain their leadership positions. The Leaders quadrant indicates the direction of the managed workplace services (MWS) market. However, most digital workplace offerings still have low adoption rates. Eight service providers have emerged as Leaders in this Magic Quadrant. Leaders have demonstrated their experience in delivering managed workplace services and understand the requirements to successfully deliver these services. They have proved their ability to execute and their completeness of vision." The report evaluated 21 different software vendors on 15 criteria including their completeness of vision, service delivery capabilities, customer experience, operations, market understanding, strategy, innovation, and has placed Wipro in the 'Leaders' quadrant. The full report is available here. Kiran Desai, Senior Vice President and Global Head, Global Infrastructure Services, Wipro Limited said, "Wipro's positioning as a 'Leader' in Gartner's Magic Quadrant is testament to our industry-leading Digital Workplace services such as LiVE WorkspaceTM. This solution enables enterprises to be digital-ready for next-generation end-users by creating an agile, intelligent, collaborative and mobile workspace. Our delivery excellence coupled with the rich end-user experience and high performance of our workplace solutions will help our clients win in today's digital economy." Wipro's LiVE Workspace solution, powered by the Wipro HOLMES Artificial Intelligence Platform and backed by a strong partner ecosystem, will help enterprises advance to a digitally empowered ser-centric workspace from a traditional desktop system-based approach. The solution is an end-to-end standardized and integrated workplace offering consisting of pre-defined tools, technologies, and processes, that enables users to access their business applications and data, anywhere, anytime, and on a device of their choice. The solution also offers predictive and prescriptive analytics with cognitive capabilities to proactively identify, resolve, and manage critical applications and infrastructure-related snags before end-users experience issues. About Wipro Limited Wipro Limited (NYSE: WIT, BSE: 507685, NSE: WIPRO) is a leading information technology, consulting and business process services company that delivers solutions to enable its clients do business better. Wipro delivers winning business outcomes through its deep industry experience and a 360-degree view of "Business through Technology." By combining digital strategy, customer centric design, advanced analytics and product engineering approach, Wipro helps its clients create successful and adaptive businesses. A company recognized globally for its comprehensive portfolio of services, strong commitment to sustainability and good corporate citizenship, Wipro has a dedicated workforce of over 170,000, serving clients across 6 continents. For more information, please visit www.wipro.com. *Gartner Disclaimer Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in its research publications, and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors with the highest ratings or other designation. Gartner research publications consist of the opinions of Gartner's research organization and should not be construed as statements of fact. Gartner disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. Forward-looking and Cautionary Statements Certain statements in this release concerning our future growth prospects are forward-looking statements, which involve a number of risks, and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in such forward-looking statements. The risks and uncertainties relating to these statements include, but are not limited to, risks and uncertainties regarding fluctuations in our earnings, revenue and profits, our ability to generate and manage growth, intense competition in IT services, our ability to maintain our cost advantage, wage increases in India, our ability to attract and retain highly skilled professionals, time and cost overruns on fixed-price, fixed-time frame contracts, client concentration, restrictions on immigration, our ability to manage our international operations, reduced demand for technology in our key focus areas, disruptions in telecommunication networks, our ability to successfully complete and integrate potential acquisitions, liability for damages on our service contracts, the success of the companies in which we make strategic investments, withdrawal of fiscal governmental incentives, political instability, war, legal restrictions on raising capital or acquiring companies outside India, unauthorized use of our intellectual property, and general economic conditions affecting our business and industry. Additional risks that could affect our future operating results are more fully described in our filings with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission. These filings are available at www.sec.gov. We may, from time to time, make additional written and oral forward-looking statements, including statements contained in the company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission and our reports to shareholders. We do not undertake to update any forward-looking statement that may be made from time to time by us or on our behalf. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170320005626/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 20, 2017] Kentico Supports World Water Day BEDFORD, N.H., March 20, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Kentico Software, a fast-growing software company with offices in Europe, Asia-Pacific, and North America has long been known for taking corporate social responsibility seriously. On March 22, the company is stepping up once again, this time co-sponsoring a public water filtration system for the village of Palla, India, as well as donating web design software for Planet Water Foundation, one of the leading non-profit organizations focused on bringing clean water to the world's most disadvantaged communities. Planet Water is installing 24 water filtration systems next week as part of a program called Project24; with the goal being to bring online the water systems at the rate of one per hour in a single, 24-hour day. Countries where these water projects are going live on March 22 include Cambodia, Colombia, India, Indonesia, and the Philippines. "We are delighted that Raybiztech, one of our most proactive consulting and distribution partners, brought this opportunity to our attention," said Petr Palas, Kentico's Founder and CEO. "It's one thing to bring business software into the world, but it's something altogether different to bring fresh drinking water to a illage of several thousand people for the very first time. Kentico is honored to be associated with a project of such humane intent." About Planet Water Planet Water Foundation is a non-profit organization focused on bringing clean water to the world's most disadvantaged communities through the installation of community-based water filtration systems (AquaTowers) and the deployment of hygiene education programs. Planet Water Foundation projects are focused on children, schools, and rural/peri-urban communities across Asia and Latin America. About Raybiztech Raybiztech is an Information Technology Company providing cutting-edge IT solutions to Fortune 100 enterprises around the globe. Raybiztech helps businesses utilize available resources and manage their operations more effectively by improving efficiency, optimizing services, securing information, and reducing cost. They enable clients to achieve a competitive business advantage. About Kentico Kentico's product line includes Kentico EMS, the all-in-one CMS, E-commerce, and Online Marketing platform and Kentico Cloud, the comprehensive cloud-first headless CMS and digital experience platform. Kentico EMS' rich selection of out-of-the-box web parts, easy customizations, and open API quickly gets websites operational. The all-in-one platform combines a full set of integrated solutions, including Online Marketing, E-commerce, Online Communities, and Intranet and Collaboration. Kentico EMS allows you to manage contacts and campaigns, track the customer journey, provide global e-commerce functionality, and measure and analyze the results to create and manage customer experiences easily in a dynamic business environment. Kentico Cloud is the cloud-first headless CMS and digital experience platform. Users can manage structured content for multi-channel delivery, use the API-first CMS to display that content on any website or device, and track visitor interactions to personalize the digital experience. Kentico Software was launched with one vision in mindto build exceptional digital platforms that allow clients to connect with their customers, help them surpass their business goals, and achieve digital marketing and e-commerce success. Kentico's 24/7 support and 7-day bug-fix policy help customers deliver projects on time and budget. Founded in 2004, Kentico Software is a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner headquartered in the Czech Republic with offices in the US, UK, Netherlands, and Australia. Kentico Software has 1,000 digital solution partners and powers 25,000 websites across 100 countries. Customers include Gibson, Twinings, Ingram Micro, Mazda, Kingspan, Hunter Fan, Starbucks, and Allergan. All product and company names herein may be trademarks of their respective owners. Media Contact: Jim Panagas Director, PR & Analyst Relations Kentico Software Phone: 1-781-462-8461 Email: [email protected] To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/kentico-supports-world-water-day-300425007.html SOURCE Kentico [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 20, 2017] Lookout Expands Mobile Endpoint Security Solution to Enhance Productivity Across iOS Enterprises SAN FRANCISCO, March 20, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Lookout, the global leader in securing mobility, has expanded its enterprise security solution, Lookout Mobile Endpoint Security, to address the most pressing needs of iOS-centric organizations and accelerate the adoption of secure mobility. Lookout and Apple understand mobile is transforming the way business is done, and as mobile productivity increases, enterprises are developing their own apps to take advantage of this transformation. As a new Apple mobility partner, Lookout is introducing enterprise app review to enable enterprises building their own iOS apps to rapidly analyze them for data policy compliance and security risks. With enterprise app review, custom iOS apps are uploaded into the Lookout Security Cloud for correlation against a 40-million-app database to uncover anomalies before distribution via internal app stores. Many enterprises have unique compliance policies that specify how corporate data should be stored and transmitted, including while in use on mobile devices and in apps. Some mobile apps or public Wi-Fi networks compromise company or industry policies. For example, enterprise apps developed by third parties and distributed through internal app stores may lack sufficient encryption to protect customer or patient data. "Enterprises must be confident that their data is secure while employees are working anywhere in the world," said Santosh Krishnan, Lookout chief product officer. "This new functionality is addressing mobile compliance as part of our collective mission to help organizations seamlessly embrace mobile productivity in the workplace." In addition to reviewing custom apps, Lookout Mobile Endpoint Security can also review apps downloaded from the App Store. While vetted and approved through Apple's stringent App Store approval process, some apps may automatically send contact or location information to an external server which may directly contradict corporate policy. Plus, with the rise of mobile productivity on the go, employees are frequently connecting to public Wi-Fi networks which could expose corporate daa in transit. Lookout Mobile Endpoint Security extends the built-in security of the iOS platform by leveraging the Lookout Security Cloud to provide enterprises with visibility and protection across network threats and suspicious behaviors for apps that are built in-house and distributed via MDM for iOS. Lookout customers will be able to: Identify risk within in-house built apps: As enterprises develop apps to create mobile workflows that improve productivity among employees or customers, developers will be able to quickly submit apps for review. This review provides immediate data on non-compliant app behaviors, malware, and code vulnerabilities, while also providing visibility into whether an app has unsanctioned or private APIs written into its code. As enterprises develop apps to create mobile workflows that improve productivity among employees or customers, developers will be able to quickly submit apps for review. This review provides immediate data on non-compliant app behaviors, malware, and code vulnerabilities, while also providing visibility into whether an app has unsanctioned or private APIs written into its code. Enable employees to work safely on the go: Lookout secures employee devices and data through an automatic on-device analysis of network connections to defend against attacks and ensure information is being securely transmitted. secures employee devices and data through an automatic on-device analysis of network connections to defend against attacks and ensure information is being securely transmitted. Take steps towards reaching compliance on mobile: Enterprises now have visibility into apps installed within their employee base that may be out of compliance with corporate security policies and/or industry regulations. Exclusively for iOS, enterprises can see which apps connect to cloud services and those that could potentially violate corporate data policy, such as sharing contact and location information. Lookout will also provide enterprises with insights into whether iOS apps are taking advantage of the newest security features in iOS. Lookout Mobile Endpoint Security is sold through Lookout's Channel Partner Program. For iOS-specific enterprise employees, the Lookout app can be downloaded from the App Store. To learn more about Lookout Mobile Endpoint Security visit www.lookout.com. About Lookout Lookout is a cybersecurity company that makes it possible for tens of millions of individuals, enterprises and government agencies to be both mobile and secure. Powered by a dataset of virtually all the mobile code in the world -- 40 million apps and counting -- the Lookout Security Cloud can identify connections that would otherwise go unseen and predict and stop mobile attacks before they do harm. The world's leading mobile network operators, including AT&T, Deutsche Telekom, EE, KDDI, Orange, Sprint, T-Mobile and Telstra, have selected Lookout as its preferred mobile security solution. Lookout is also partnered with such enterprise leaders as AirWatch, Ingram Micro, Microsoft, and MobileIron. Headquartered in San Francisco, Lookout has offices in Amsterdam, Boston, London, Sydney, Tokyo, Toronto and Washington, D.C. To learn more, visit www.lookout.com, subscribe to the Lookout blog, and follow Lookout on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/lookout-expands-mobile-endpoint-security-solution-to-enhance-productivity-across-ios-enterprises-300426073.html SOURCE Lookout [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 20, 2017] SmartCEO Honored Greater Washington's Top Executives, including Julie Holdren of KoolSpan, at the 2017 Executive Management Awards Washington SmartCEO celebrated this year's Executive Management Award winners at a cocktail reception and awards ceremony on Thursday, March 9 at The National Press Club. Greater Washington executives were recognized for their creative management vision, leadership philosophy, innovative strategy and undeniable work ethic. The 2017 EMA (News - Alert) winners collectively generate more than $3.63 billion in annual revenue. "Behind every great CEO is a team of smart, driven executives dedicated to ensuring a company's growth and success. This year's EMA winners are perfect examples of all-star executives. Not only do they inspire their own teams to achieve greater heights, they also believe deeply in their companies' missions, are consummate community stewards and are dedicated to excellence, always," says Jaime Nespor-Zawmon, President of SmartCEO. "We're honored to share their stories and celebrate their great accomplishments." KoolSpan (News - Alert) is delighted that Julie Holdren, Chief Product and Operations Officer was selected for this prestigious award. "Julie is transforming the company by introducing critical elements that enabl the company to grow and scale; such as processes, improved documentation and communications," says Nigel Jones, KoolSpan CEO. "Julie implements these practices while enhancing the innovative culture of a fast paced start-up." More than 200 executives, friends and family attended the business cocktail event to celebrate the winners and their achievements. The evening kicked off with a cocktail hour and high-level networking. Each Executive Management Award Winner was honored on stage during the video-packed awards presentation and applauded for their impressive achievements. About KoolSpan KoolSpan is the leading provider of robust, cross-platform, end-to-end communication security on mobile devices. KoolSpan offers multiple encryption solutions supporting Android and iPhone (News - Alert) smartphones. KoolSpan's security and privacy solutions address the growing threat of loss or theft of intellectual property, vital information and proprietary assets. Customers include government organizations and enterprises in over 60 countries worldwide. KoolSpan is FIPS 140-2 validated and has 33 issued patents with dozens more pending. KoolSpan is privately held and based in Bethesda, Md. For more information, visit https://koolspan.com/, or follow KoolSpan on Twitter (News - Alert) @KoolSpan. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170320005192/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 20, 2017] Avangate Affiliate Network Is Shortlisted for Performance Marketing Awards 2017 ATLANTA, March 20, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Avangate, the global eCommerce and subscription billing platform that maximizes revenue for software, SaaS and digital solutions, today announced that its Affiliate Network was named a finalist in the Performance Marketing Awards 2017 in the Industry Choice of Network category. Avangate Affiliate Network Is Shortlisted in Industry Choice of Network A photo accompanying this announcement is available at //www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/0d1ec39f-58c6-4361-aab4-38cdf25db42e The Awards, launched in 2007, showcase exceptional work across the performance marketing space, with a particular emphasis on innovation and achievements helping to spur the industry forward. The judges were tasked with identifying the most outstanding campaigns among a multitude of entries across 24 categories that address all aspects of performance marketing. Industry Choice of Network entries were assessed on their ability to meet strict criteria, including platform innovation, tools and features, leadership, results achieved for customers and clients feedback. It's been fantastic to see the number of truly exceptional entries, with numeros awards so keenly fought that only the smallest margins separate the winners, said Leo Harrison, chair of the judging panel that selected this years shortlist for the Performance Marketing Awards. Were very proud of this nomination, which recognizes our efforts to help both publishers and affiliates achieve better business results and revenue growth in an efficient manner. Were thankful to all our partners who will trust us with their vote, said Adriana Iordan, Chief Product Officer at Avangate. Voting period The Avangate Affiliate Network is short-listed in Industry Choice of Network. Voting is open between March 1 and April 7, 2017. The winners will be announced at the Performance Marketing Awards 11th edition, taking place at the Grosvenor Hotel in London on April 25, 2017. The Avangate Affiliate Network was named the Leading Network Focused on Software and Digital Goods by mThink Blue Book for three years in a row. In addition, Avangate ranked fifth in Publishers' Choice of Network and the first network specialized in software and digital goods in AffStat, the 2016 Affiliate Marketing Benchmark Report. To learn more about how Avangate can grow your software and online services sales, read an overview of the Avangate commerce solutions. To cast your vote for the 2017 Performance Marketing Awards, visit the voting page of the award. About the Performance Marketing Awards Last April saw the finest in performance marketing descend on the Grosvenor House, Park Lane for the Performance Marketing Awards. Welcoming over 1,000 advertisers, publishers, networks, agencies and technology providers, the event continues to celebrate the phenomenal achievements in measurable marketing across the year. Embracing those companies, individuals and campaigns driving Performance Marketings successes, the 2017 Performance Marketing Awards returns on April 26 to celebrate its 11th anniversary, and to reward the innovation and excellence demonstrated by this evolving channel throughout 2016. For more information about the Performance Marketing Awards, please contact Kezia McAuley on +44(0)117 203 3010 or email [email protected]. About Avangate Avangate, a Francisco Partners portfolio company, is the digital commerce provider that helps Software, SaaS and digital solution providers to sell their products and services via multiple channels, to acquire customers across multiple touch points, to increase customer and revenue retention, to leverage smarter payment options, and to maximize sales conversion rates. Avangate's clients include ABBYY, Absolute, Bitdefender, FICO, HP Software, Kaspersky Lab, Telestream and many more companies across the globe. More information can be found on www.avangate.com. For further information contact: Delia Ene, Avangate Email: [email protected] Tel: +31 20 890 8080 ext: 4654 [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 20, 2017] Johnson & Johnson's CaringCrowd, work by CI&T and R/GA, Takes Home SXSW Interactive Innovation Award AUSTIN, Texas, March 20, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Johnson & Johnson's CaringCrowd, along with its strategic partners CI&T and R/GA, received the SXSW Interactive Innovation People's Choice Award at the 20th annual SXSW Interactive Innovation Awards. CI&T and R/GA collaborated on the interactive and design work. Out of 65 finalists, Johnson & Johnson's CaringCrowd was voted the winner by the SXSW Interactive community at the Interactive Innovation Awards Finalist Showcase on March 12. Known for celebrating the most inspiring, creative advancements of the year, the SXSW Interactive Innovation Awards embrace the evolving scope of the digital industry by reflecting its increasingly diverse ecosystem of platforms, software, apps and devices. "It is an immense honor for our collaboration and strategic partnership with Johnson & Johnson CaringCrowd to be recognized by the SXSW Interactive community and especially with the People's Choice Award," said Bruno Guicardi, President, CI&T. "A recognition from our fellow innovators means the world to us and it continues to validate our commitment to strategizing, designing and delivering top-notch advanced technology solutions to help our partners achieve their vision." Johnson & Johnson's CaringCrowd is a crowdfunding platform built to support public health initiatives in communities worldwide. CaringCrowd unites users in its mission to crowdfund for global public health projects and empowers passionate people to change the lives of vulnerable communities worldwide. Knowing that it needed a partner that could lead end-to-end delivery of the project, Johnson & Johnson selected CI&T to build out all aspects of the platform, working with R/GA on the design. CI&T delivered by incorporating Drupal as the platform's content management system. In addition to the back-end execution, CI&T identified and delivered on front-end needs including building the technical platform allowing a panel of public health experts to review projects to ensure each one aligns with CaringCrowd's mission and fulfills legitimate needs. With the organizations verified, users needed a simple way to donate the more hoops they have to jump through, the less likely they are to donate. CI&T presented and implemented a slution based on ease of use, global familiarity, and security. The Awards Ceremony honored 13 of the best and latest advancements across categories including Health Med & Biotech, Innovation in Connecting People, Innovative 3-DIY, Music & Audio Innovation, New Economy, Privacy & Security, Responsive Design, SciFi No Longer, Smart Cities, Student Innovation, Visual Media Experience, VR & AR and Wearable Tech. Six additional honors were awarded at the Ceremony, including: David Carr Prize, Best of Show, People's Choice, Breakout Trend of the Event, Speaker of the Event and Meme of the Year. Johnson & Johnson's CaringCrowd had been nominated in the Responsive Design Category for outstanding digital design and excellence in terms of content, aesthetics, and functionality. Functionality is truly of critical importance because so many of the nonprofits that benefit from pledges received at CaringCrowd.org are based in parts of the world where mobile is their primary means of accessing the internet. Organizers work in the field and generally have limited access to computers or offices from which to operate. Being able to manage their local projects, no matter the device or speed of connectivity is of paramount importance. Additionally, many CaringCrowd project owners cite the site's pleasing and compelling aesthetics as influential in driving credibility, which fuels pledges. "I thank the SXSW community for choosing CaringCrowd for this award. It is gratifying to know that this crowd cares and wants to see technology deployed to serve fundamental health needs around the world," said Derek Fetzer, Director of CaringCrowd at Johnson & Johnson. "I also thank the innovative teams at CI&T and R/GA for designing and delivering an exceptional platform, which provides a seamless user experience and allows the user to focus on global public health efforts." Last week at SXSW, CI&T hosted Agile Carnival, a Brazilian Carnival-themed interactive lounge coupled with a series of talks on lean digital cultures, agile design sprints, and machine learning for exceptional customer experiences. The "sold out" panels featured the brightest minds in innovation, marketing and design, including speakers from: Coca-Cola, Digiday, Doberman, Fandango, Forrester Research, Google, HomeAway, Hulu, Kohls, Nationwide, The Lean Enterprise Institute and TechCrunch, among others. Watch the moment Johnson & Johnson and CI&T accept the People's Choice Award, and the complete winners' ceremony on SXSW's YouTube page, then check out the full list of SXSW Interactive Innovation Award finalists and winners here. About CI&T CI&T, the digital technology agency for the world's biggest companies, is a pioneer in the application of agile and lean methodologies and next-gen tech including Machine Learning/AI, Advanced Analytics, Cloud and Mobility. For over 20 years, CI&T has been a trusted partner for the most complex global engagements inside companies including Coca-Cola, Johnson & Johnson, AB-InBev, iHeartMedia and Motorola. With over 2,500 digital business experts and engineers in the USA, Brazil, UK, Australia, Japan and China, CI&T is big enough to scale to the needs of Fortune 100 clients yet agile enough to achieve the speed to market today's customers demand. For more information, visit www.ciandt.com. About SXSW Interactive SXSW dedicates itself to helping creative people achieve their goals. Founded in 1987 in Austin, Texas, SXSW is best known for its conference and festivals that celebrate the convergence of the interactive, film, and music industries. The event, an essential destination for global professionals, features sessions, showcases, screenings, exhibitions, and a variety of networking opportunities. SXSW proves that the most unexpected discoveries happen when diverse topics and people come together. SXSW 2017 will take place March 10-19, 2017. SXSW 2017 is sponsored by Esurance, Mazda, Monster Energy, Bud Light, Capital One, McDonald's, The Austin Chronicle, Sonicbids and Pandora. To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/johnson--johnsons-caringcrowd-work-by-cit-and-rga-takes-home-sxsw-interactive-innovation-award-300425765.html SOURCE CI&T [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 20, 2017] Top 5 Vendors in the Global Colonoscopy Devices Market From 2017-2021: Technavio Technavio has announced the top five leading vendors in their recent global colonoscopy devices market report until 2021. This research report also lists 14 other prominent vendors that are expected to impact the market during the forecast period. This Smart News Release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170320005524/en/ Technavio has published a new report on the global colonoscopy devices market from 2017-2021. (Graphic: Business Wire) The research study by Technavio on the global colonoscopy devices market for 2017-2021 provides a detailed industry analysis based on the product type (fiberoptic colonoscopy devices and video colonoscopy devices), technology (instruments and accessories; and colonoscopy devices service), and geography (the Americas, EMEA, and APAC). "The global colonoscopy devices market size is projected to grow to USD 2,006 million by 2021, at a CAGR of close to 5%, over the forecast period. The increasing guidelines from healthcare organizations and rising popularity of minimally invasive surgeries are driving the growth of the global colonoscopy devices market," says Barath Palada, a lead analyst at Technavio for medical imaging research. Competitive vendor landscape The global colonoscopy devices market is highly fragmented with the presence of large tier-1 and medium-scale tier-2/tier-3 companies. The new product launches and advances in technology will increase the competition among vendors. The vendors in the market are focusing on strategic initiatives such as M&A and growing R&D activities to develop advanced products to gain revenue share in the market. Vendors compete based on pricing, product differentiation, capital support for product or technlogy upgradation, and distribution partnerships. Request a sample report: http://www.technavio.com/request-a-sample?report=55861 Technavio's sample reports are free of charge and contain multiple sections of the report including the market size and forecast, drivers, challenges, trends, and more. Top five vendors in the global colonoscopy devices market Boston Scientific Boston Scientific develops, manufactures, and markets high-quality medical devices used in the treatment of a wide range of medical conditions. Through its divisions and subsidiaries, the company provides a wide range of product portfolio. Some of its colonoscopy products include EndoChoice FUSE colonoscopy devices. Fujifilm Holdings Fujifilm Holdings engages in the R&D, manufacture, sales and services of various medical devices including MI surgical products such as colonoscopes. The company is operating in three business fields, which include healthcare, highly functional materials, and document. Some of its colonoscopes include standard, slim, super slim, dual-channel colonoscopes with wide insertion tube diameters. HOYA Group HOYA Group offers colonoscopes through its division, PENTAX Medical. The company engages in the development of medical imaging equipment worldwide. It offers colonoscopes, sigmoidoscopes, upper GI gastroscopes, and duodenoscopes. KARL STORZ KARL STORZ is a medical device manufacturing company. It designs, develops, manufactures, markets, and distributes endoscopic colonoscopy equipment in over 38 countries. It provides medical devices used in neuro-endoscopy, anesthesia and emergency medicine, gastroenterology, gynecology, and urology. OLYMPUS OLYMPUS engages in the R&D activities, and manufacturing and marketing of medical devices in Japan and worldwide. It offers imaging systems, medical systems, life sciences and industrial products, and MI surgical devices. The company provides advanced products, services, technologies, and solutions for early diagnosis and treatment of diseases. Browse Related Reports: Global Medical Imaging Market 2017-2021 Global Intraosseous Infusion Devices Market 2017-2021 Global Dental Imaging Market 2017-2021 Become a Technavio Insights member and access all three of these reports for a fraction of their original cost. As a Technavio Insights member, you will have immediate access to new reports as they're published in addition to all 6,000+ existing reports covering segments like patient monitoring devices, urology devices, and vaccines. This subscription nets you thousands in savings, while staying connected to Technavio's constant transforming research library, helping you make informed business decisions more efficiently. About Technavio Technavio is leading global technology research and advisory company. The company develops over 2000 pieces of research every year, covering more than 500 technologies across 80 countries. Technavio has about 300 analysts globally who specialize in customized consulting and business research assignments across the latest leading edge technologies. Technavio analysts employ primary as well as secondary research techniques to ascertain the size and vendor landscape in a range of markets. Analysts obtain information using a combination of bottom-up and top-down approaches, besides using in-house market modeling tools and proprietary databases. They corroborate this data with the data obtained from various market participants and stakeholders across the value chain, including vendors, service providers, distributors, resellers, and end-users. If you are interested in more information, please contact our media team at [email protected]. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170320005524/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 20, 2017] Eureka's New Solutions to Housecleaning Cater to Consumers' Needs CHICAGO, March 20, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Eureka, a floorcare brand acquired by Midea in 2016, is offering innovative solutions to housecleaning with three new vacuum cleaners that have wowed attendees at the 2017 International Home + Housewares Show (IHHS) at the McCormick Place Exposition Center in Chicago, Illinois. The trade fair, hosted by the International Houseware Association (IHA), has one of the world's largest audiences for home goods and housewares. Eureka's Ultimate Clean Pet Max (AS3451A) immediately captured the crowd's attention as a furry canine friend named Oliver helped to demonstrate the ultimate solution to shedding pets. "Designed with great attention to detail, this vacuum cleaner provides everything pet owners need, from superior suction that can remove stubborn hair and debris to SuctionSeal Technology that prevents crumbs and debris from scattering around as well as the Pet Power Paw turbo nozzle," explained Ting Ting Cheng, vice general manager, Floorcare, Midea North America Corp. Eureka also demonstrated the Professional (AS1057A), a powerful vacuum designed for households with high cleaning demands. Combining SuctionPro Technology for deep cleaning with professional-grade Pet Pal cleaning tools this powerful bagged vacuum has top-notch filtration and the ability to trap a large amount of dust. "By satisfying the different needs of modern homes, the innovative features of the new Eureka vacuums provide professional results to keep the home fresh and clean while making users feel like a professional," Cheng said. About Eureka Founded in 1909 in Detroit, Michigan, USA, Eureka offers a full line of vacuums, including uprights, canisters, sticks, handhelds, battery-powered vacuums, steam cleaners, home build-in systems and home cleaning systems. Eureka also manufactures original and replacement parts such as bags, belts and filters for nearly all makes and models of vacuum cleaner. For over 100 years, Eureka continues to innovate and bring to market new and exciting products, making it a household name in North America and all around the world. Eureka was acquired by Midea Group, Ltd. in 2016, a partnership that combines Eureka's heritage with Midea's extended manufacturing capabilities and full market coverage. For more information, visit www.eureka.com. About Midea Kitchen Appliance Division Founded in 1968, the Midea Kitchen Appliance Division is affiliated to Midea Group, a Fortune 500 company and one of the largest household appliances manufacturers in China. The division is among the world's largest kitchen suppliers with annual sales revenue exceeding US$22 billion and is the world's No.1 large appliances producer, No.1 microwave oven manufacturer and No.3 dishwasher manufacturer. In addition to its four production bases and two R&D centers in China, Midea also operates one production base in Belarus and five international R&D centers in Bologna, Italy, Louisville, KY, Silicon Valley in the US and soon in Germany and Japan. For more information, visit Midea at www.midea.com/global. Contact: Carrie Ke Email: [email protected] To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/eurekas-new-solutions-to-housecleaning-cater-to-consumers-needs-300426153.html SOURCE Midea Kitchen Appliance Division [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 20, 2017] Rosetta Stone to Host 2017 Investor Day on May 9 Arlington, VA, March 20, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Rosetta Stone Inc. (NYSE:RST), a world leader in technology-based learning solutions, today announced it will host an Investor Day event at the New York Stock Exchange in New York City on Tuesday, May 9, 2017. Coinciding with the Companys 25th anniversary week, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, John Hass and other members of the Rosetta Stone management team will present the Company's strategic priorities, initiatives and outlook. Event: Rosetta Stone 2017 Investor Day Date: Tuesday, May 9, 2017 Time: 10:00 a.m. ET to 1:00 p.m. ET Location: The New York Stock Exchange, New York, NY Rosetta Stone's 2017 Investor Day is an invitation-only event. Interested sell-side analysts and institutional investors may request an invitation via telephone at 703-387-5876 or e-mail at [email protected]. A webcast of the event will be streamed through the Investor Relations page of Rosetta Stone's website at http://investors.rosettastone.com. A replay will be made available soon after the live event is completed. About Rosetta Stone Inc. Rosetta Stone Inc. (NYSE: RST) is dedicated to changing peoples lives through the power of language and literacy education. The companys innovative digital solutions drive positive learning outcomes for the inspired learner at home or in schools and workplaces around the world. Founded in 1992, Rosetta Stones language division uses cloud-based solutions to help all types of learners read, write, and speak more than 30 languages. Lexia Learning, Rosetta Stone's literacy education division, was founded more than 30 years ago and is a leader in the literacy education space. Today, Lexia helps students build fundamental reading skills through its rigorously researched, independently evaluated, and widely respected instruction and assessment programs. For more information, visit www.rosettastone.com. Rosetta Stone is a registered trademark or trademark of Rosetta Stone Ltd. in the United States and other countries. [March 20, 2017] Mamamia Women's Network Partners with SintecMedia to Drive Growth using Operative.One NEW YORK, March 21, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- SintecMedia, Inc., the global leader in advertising business management solutions across digital and broadcast, today announced their partnership with Mamamia Women's Network to support its digital advertising business. The partnership gives Mamamia access to the Operative.One platform, enabling the company to more efficiently sell, deliver and bill across their suite of video, display and mobile offerings. With Operative.One, Mamamia can provide advertisers with innovative products and audiences while staying focused on content creation rather than increased cost of operations. Logo - http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/465524/SintecMedia_Logo.jpg "Mamamia Media is a trusted destination for millions of Australian women, sparking conversations acrss our digital platforms, social and our podcast network," said Kylie Rogers, Managing Director at Mamamia. "As our range of products expands and our audience grows, we need better tools to help us manage that growth. Operative.One helps us keep track of what has been sold across all our ad products. Processes and reports that used to take several days to build are now available on demand." "Operative's SaaS technology is designed for digital specialised publishers like Mamamia to sell, deliver and profit from its product catalogue across all advertising types," said Lorne Brown, President of SintecMedia. "Media companies are dealing with enormous complexity as consumer behaviour fragments and advertiser demands become more sophisticated. We help media companies maximise yield by objectively empowering sellers, simplifying delivery and ensuring accurate billing." About SintecMedia SintecMedia is the preferred broadcast management for linear and digital, and a software partner for over 300 of the world's top media brands, including NBCU, CBS, ABC, AT&T, STARZ, Star India, Seven Australia and Sky. No other software company brings a comparable depth of experience to create truly innovative software that performs across all platforms, revenue models and business units. Since 2000, SintecMedia has grown to over 1,200+ employees in 12 offices around the world and processes more than $40 billion in linear and digital advertising revenue for the best-known companies in the industry. For more information, visit www.sintecmedia.com. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [March 20, 2017] G. A. Baird & Company Announces New Financial Technology Initiative in Stamford CT With Stamford's proximity to one of the largest financial centers in the world and home to many alternative investment managers, Stamford CT and its region is an epicenter for capital, technology and talent. As the banking and financial services industry evolves, new technologies and initiatives in data processing, mobile banking, cyber security, block-chain and cloud-native computing are delivering better products and services. The region benefits from an organized effort to improve collaboration and investment. The Financial Technology Project is expected to garner input from private and public efforts, one of which is organized by G. A Baird & Company, a private investment and technology firm headquartered in Stamford CT. "We are excited about being involved and contributing. We see multiple benefits in these types of projects to promote awareness and develop new technologies," says Gordon A. Baird, the founder of Baird & Company and former Chief Executive Officer of Independence Bancshares and a former Citigroup executive. The project explores the needs and opportunities to expand modern banking infrastructures including cloud-native applications, artificial intelligence capabilities, complex event processing, cyber security, cryptogrphy and functional programming. "Stamford is beginning to emerge as a center for innovation for financial technologies and media businesses. We are very interested in encouraging these types of initiatives and being involved," explains Jackie Lightfield, the Executive Director of the Stamford Partnership, a 503(c) organization dedicated to promote and support area businesses and economic development. The project will include informal meet-ups, and presentations as well as potentially educational series and professional networking events. Eventually, the organizers hope to see new businesses emerge, new technologies created and a robust interconnected financial technological ecosystem develop. Sheelah Quinn, the general manager at Workpoint, a co-working space located in Stamford adds, "We would like to see Stamford's collaborative business activities grow. We invested in a state of the art video production facility to promote and support these types of projects." The project organizers envision a series of educational and community outreach programs. "The effort can lead to educational and training programs for recent graduates to learn valuable technical skills while expanding their professional networks. These skills are highly transferable and in demand across multiple industries and regions. It could act as a springboard for people seeking a career change or an opportunity to participate in better wages offered by the growing technology sector," explains Mr. Baird. "There are opportunities to expand infrastructure investments to include education, student loan programs, small business finance, banking, and cyber security." Mr. Baird is also a member of the board of directors of the Macquarie Global Infrastructure Total Return Fund. The project initiative is expected to be headquartered in Stamford CT and include participants throughout the New York metropolitan area. About G. A. Baird Partners & Co G. A. Baird Partners & Co (d/b/a Baird & Company) is a private investment, consulting and technology firm based in Stamford, Connecticut. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170320006242/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Election day information: voting times, polling centers and races Residents will have their final chance to cast votes in local races on Nov. 8, including seats on both the NLCS and MCS boards and Sheriff. 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... What is worrisome about the large number of Trump campaign officials and political appointees whove been forced to admit to meetings with Russian government officials is not the existence of the meetings, but the fact that they were willing to lie and commit perjury to cover them up. Why are they so desperate to hide their connections to a hostile foreign power? Could it be that there is some truth to the rumors that Trump colluded with the Russians to skew the results of the national election? This is an impeachable deed, according to the Logan Act, which calls for sanctions against unauthorized citizens who negotiate with unfriendly foreign governments. Gene Bild, Champaign DECATUR Three-year-old Sophie Baggett had just gone eyeball-to-eyeball with the official Illinois State Reptile on Sunday afternoon, and her Mom was delighted. Sophie looked a little less joyful as she confronted a live painted turtle during a program at Decatur's Rock Springs Nature Center that taught her about the critters, vegetation and minerals that have become official state symbols. Sophie was there with her parents Katie and Mike Baggett, who believe hands-on education broadens young horizons. I think it's very important for kids to get outside in nature to learn about nature, said Katie Baggett of Decatur. And we come to classes out here all the time. It turns out that the Land of Lincoln has acquired 18 state symbols. We have everything from a state folk dance, the square dance; to a state snack food, popcorn; to a rather gross state fossil called the Tully Monster, which looks like a maggot with wings and a mouth connected to a hose pipe. The Rock Springs Pre-School Peepers class, attended by a 12-strong audience of kids and parents, also learned about the state bird, the cardinal, along with the state fish, bluegill, and the state tree, white oak, among a bunch of others. But is it all too much? State Sen. Tom Rooney, R-Rolling Meadows, says the list length has got ridiculous. He proposed legislation that would gut the symbols down to only a state flag, state seal, state motto and the state song, Illinois. Katie Baggett says politicians who seek to take away things people enjoy are likely to regret it. She remembers how former Gov. Rod Blagojevich wanted to shut down state parks to save money. That backfired on him, she added. And trying to take away our state symbols will go in the same vein: It will backfire on the politician. People will rebel. Sunday's state symbol program was taught by Macon County Conservation District naturalist Chuck Hirst. He said if they serve no other purpose, having symbolic animals and plants and even a state mineral, fluorite is a great teaching tool. You can cover areas like biology and geology, and it's a good way to teach science, Hirst said. And he said showing children the wonders of the wildlife about them means those kids will likely care more about it as they get older and want to protect it. If we're not willing to have set-asides for wildlife habitat, all we're going to end up with is rats and crows, he added. With all sorts of mysterious chat bots and cryptic videos flying around these past weeks, its been an exciting build up to Northlanes brand new single Citizen, which finally dropped today when the chat bot decided to get back in contact with anyone whod previously entered into a weird convo with it. The new track is out now through UNFD, and shows off a sleek new sound for the band, captured by David Bendeth (Bring Me The Horizon, A Day To Remember, Paramore) at his New Jersey studio. Citizen is a song that was written about the First World police state and our willingness to live under the watch of those in power, for their means, while those who blow the lid on it suffer, guitarist Josh Smith explains. Writing this one was quite a mission, we went through five completely different sets of lyrics and the final incarnation of the song was the eighth revision. It took a lot of work but we are proud of it and beyond excited to share it with you all. This new track follows the recently-teased M E S M E R, revealed as part of the chat bots scheme, as well as Intuition, which was played as a surprise for fans at their set at Unify Gathering earlier this year, and has had their huge upcoming national/international tour named after it dates below. Northlane 2017 Tour Dates Presented by UNFD & New World Artists w/ special guests Hands Like Houses Tickets on sale now Wednesday 10th May Enigma Bar, Adelaide SA With Void of Vision & Levels Thursday 11th May Karova Lounge, Ballarat VIC With Void of Vision & Winfield Friday 12th May The Wool Exchange, Geelong VIC With Void of Vision & Amberyse Saturday 13th May Chelsea Heights Hotel, Chelsea Heights VIC With Void of Vision & Pridelands Wednesday 17th May Academy, Canberra ACT With Whitefall Thursday 18th May Home Tavern, Wagga Wagga NSW With Rumours Friday 19th May Uni Bar, Wollongong NSW With Graves & Vices Saturday 20th May Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle NSW With Graves & Set Me On Fire Wednesday 24th May Coffs Hotel, Coffs Harbour NSW With Meridian Theory Thursday 25th May Miami Tavern, Miami QLD With Saviour & She Cries Wolf Friday 26th May Spotted Cow, Toowoomba QLD With The Brave & My Friend The Betrayer (Hands Like Houses not appearing) The Big Pineapple Music Festival Saturday 27th May Big Pineapple Complex, Woombye, QLD Two nights of Manos Hadjidakiss and Antonio Vivaldis music await the audience of the Athens Concert Hall in the coming week Two nights of Manos Hadjidakiss and Antonio Vivaldis music await the audience of the Athens Concert Hall in the coming week. I am in a concert hall. They are playing Vivaldi, and as the opening theme plays, I see the seat next to me, empty A howling storm has erupted a whistling sound tears the polis in two letting the sound of an old cymbal emerge All these merged within me, together with an exceptional Vivaldi theme that I had heard some days ago, and that insisted to torture my memory with its recurrence in it These were the words of Manos Hadjidakis on Antonio Vivaldi, written some 50 years ago. In 1964, Hadjidakis was in New York, when he saw a woman passing through the crowds of a parade without being noticed. Her gaze and loneliness moved the composer who turned her image into music, produced eventually by legendary producer Quincy Jones. The work, of course, was Giocondas Smile. On March 23 and 24, as parades will again be held in Greece and New York, the Camerata-Orchestra of the Friends of Music will present at the Athens Concert Hall a concert bringing together the sounds of a selection of Vivaldis concerts in the first part of their performance, and the iconic Manos Hadjidakis record in the second. Conducting the acclaimed orchestra, which is internationally known as Armonia Atenea, will be its celebrated artistic director Yiorgos Petrou. When: March 23, 24 at 20:30 Ticket prices: 11 40 Admission for students, unemployed, youths, individuals with disabilities: 6,5 Admission for parents of large families, the elderly: 8,5 For further information, please contact the Athens Concert Hall at www.megaron.gr 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 Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias said Germany had a hegemonic role in Europe and was demanding more austerity measures from Greece in an interview to magazine National Interest. In his interview given to the magazines publisher J. Heilbrunn, Mr. Kotzias argued Germanys goal was to drain Greece and not bring growth to the country. The powers structure in Germany is grounded in economic, not in political or democratic power, Mr. Kotzias said, adding that this meant the Germans had a stronger role in the EU bloc. They [Germany] believe Greece should be punished due the behaviour of its [Greeces] elite. The Greek Foreign Minister said that Greece has been harshly punished by the refugee crisis and accused German Chancellor Angela Merkel of misjudging the extent of the problem because she was absorbed in domestic economic affairs. He added that Europe lacked any leadership at the current moment, stressing there had been little democratic discussion about what kind of Europe they wanted for the 21st century. 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 BUSHTON -- Morgan Township, northeast of Mattoon, has a good share of people who served in World War II. They are proudly remembered by the four plaques up on a township building wall. One of those, a 91-year-old veteran, was honored Saturday for his service during the dedication of the plaques. Jack Boyds name is one of 93 names that now have a more permanent recognition in the Morgan Township building. Previously, these names were listed on white boards that have since deteriorated. A local committee that is focused honoring veterans of foreign wars set out to make a more permanent recognition of the soldiers who were either from the township when they enlisted or lived there. Boyd was given an American flag that had been flown over the Illinois State Capitol, as well a World War II Victory Medal. Boyd said he considered war, in general, as a waste of time; however, he still was honored by Saturday's ceremony. He was presented the flag by state Rep. Reggie Phillips, R-Charleston. He said he never believed when he was on the USS Cascade in the South Pacific that he would be recognized for his work. Boyd served with the Navy as a deckhand and mailman on the destroyer tender, which served as a supportive maintenance ship, in the Pacific around Tokyo from 1944-48. Boyd and his wife, Janis, have lived in Fairgrange all their lives. After his stint in the service, Boyd worked for the railroads for 30 years. Tom Michael, 90, who served in the South Pacific during WWII, was another veteran who attended the dedication. Meredith Von Lanken, a member of the foreign wars committee, said Michael and Boyd are the only WWII veterans living in the area or from the area as far as the committee knows. Michael had been a boatswain in the Navy. Michael said he helped steer his destroyer, the USS Norman Scott. Michael said his ship traveled to several islands in the South Pacific front, including Iwo Jima. Michaels ship took a beating throughout much of the war. Holes from shrapnel would become commonplace, he said. Michael said 22 men were killed on the Norman Scott. Michael was one of 57 injured there, leading to an honorable discharge . He said it was humbling to see his name on a plaque. During his service, however, recognition was far from his mind. I was growing up, 17, and everybody was getting drafted and going to service, Michael said. I thought that was the thing to do so, hell, I volunteered I didn't know any better. Michael had two brothers, Bill, who served in the Air Force during the war; and Bruce, who was in the Army. I heard about those guys sleeping in fox holes and this and that and everything, he said. I thought, Well, hell, lets get on a ship where you have a place to sleep and something to eat. After the war, Michael became a building inspector in Charleston. Lanken said there was a misunderstanding that Michael was deceased. It was found out later, close to the time of the dedication, that he was not. Plans are being considered to honor Michael in a similar fashion to Boyd. She said both would have been honored in the same way had organizers known in time for the dedication. The project to get Michael, Boyd and the WWII soldiers from Morgan Township a more solidified place in township history started last summer, Lanken said. Roy McNabb, whose father, Paul McNabb, was a veteran from the area, proposed the idea. He came to us and asked if we could do something, maybe a plaque indoors, that would be more permanent, Lanken said. The committees goal is to ensure that those on the plaques represent all of the township's WWII veterans. The committee is planning on representing all the Morgan Township veterans from the other wars in the township building eventually. Lanken said anyone with information about a veteran from these wars can call her at (217) 348-1438 or can fax Morgan Township at (217) 348-1005. A very interesting analysis about the real fate of the Greeks of Asia Minor. What is important about it is that it has been written by a Turkish researcher and is being presented in the website of an organization -Philos Project- that is not affiliated with Greece, hence it could not be accused of been biased: Tension is running high between Greece and Turkey. The cause? Turkish Chief of the General Staff Gen. Hulusi Akar paid a visit to Imia, a pair of two small, uninhabited Greek islets in the Aegean Sea, on January 29. He was accompanied by the commanders of the Turkish land, naval and air forces. Imia which Turkey calls Kardak was a subject of yet another crisis in 1996 that brought Greece and Turkey to the brink of war. Although armed conflict was ultimately averted, Turkey still claims that the islands are Turkish, even though the islands in the Aegean are historically and legally Greek. Greek President Prokopios Pavlopoulos and Deputy Foreign Minister Ioannis Amanatidis have criticized Akars recent visit to the Greek island, describing it as a serious violation and a show for Turkeys domestic audience. Since then, Turkish government officials and politicians have continued to bring the issue of Kardak to the attention of the Turkish public in a tone that calls on Greece to know its place. The latest Turkish political leader who offered his opinions on the issue was Devlet Bahceli, chairman of Turkeys Nationalist Movement Party, the third-largest party in Turkeys parliament. If the Greeks want to fall in the sea again, the Turkish nation is ready, Bahceli said in his parliamentary speech on February 28. Bahceli was referring to incidents that occurred in September 1922, when the armed forces of Greece together with Christian residents of the city of Smyrna, on the Aegean shore in Ottoman Turkey were literally thrown into the sea by Turkish forces. The current Turkish name of that city is Izmir. Smyrna: A Historical Background Christians in Turkey and the rest of the Middle East are often thought of as immigrants or communities that have always been minorities in the region. But nothing could be further from the truth. Asia Minor and Smyrna have enormous importance for Christianity. The Metropolis of Smyrna, an ecclesiastical territory (diocese) of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, retained its ecclesiastical autonomy until 1922. Smyrna was also one of the Seven Churches spoken of by St. John in the biblical book of Revelation. Janene Keeth, a scholar of Christian education, wrote that Smyrna has been described as the most beautiful of the seven cities. Presumably, this church was founded during Pauls ministry in Ephesus (Acts 19:10). Greek culture has never been some foreign way of life in Anatolia. On the contrary, the region was predominantly Greek before Turkic people began to invade it in the 11th century. According to the International Dictionary of Historic Places: Southern Europe, ancient Greeks were the ones who raised Smyrna to heights of power and glory in the seventh century B.C. Smyrna passed into the hands of the Christianized, Greek-speaking Byzantine realm following the formal division of the Roman Empire. Smyrna was ruled by Christians for centuries. The Eastern Roman (or Byzantine) Empire fought fierce defense wars against Arabic, Seljuk and Ottoman Islamic armies. Riding from the steppes of Central Asia, the Seljuq Turks targeted Asia Minor by combining their centuries-long tradition of invasion with newfound Islamic zeal. The Islamic invasion of Asia Minor was completed by the Ottomans. During the Middle Ages, Smyrna was the scene of many struggles, the fiercest of which was directed by Timur against the Christians. Timur historically known as Tamerlane a Turco-Mongol conqueror, stormed and sacked Smyrna in 1402 (then held by the Knights of St. John, who had recaptured it from the Ottoman Turks in 1344). A mass beheading was carried out in Smyrna by Timurs soldiers. The city was then captured by the Ottomans in 1424. The 1922 Great Fire of Smyrna The events surrounding the Greek landing at Smyrna in 1919 and the great fire in the city in 1922 could be better understood if analyzed as part of the systematic campaign against Christians by Ottoman Turkey. During World War I, the decaying Ottoman Empire adopted a policy that many scholars have called the forced Turkification of Asia Minor. Author George Makredes described the period as follows: Imagine a life where its a crime to celebrate or reveal your ethnic heritage; where the law requires you to abandon your ways and culture and meld invisibly into one indistinguishable mass with the majority, or suffer the consequences. And woe to anyone caught reading, speaking, dressing as, or playing music of another culture. Welcome to Asia Minor during the early part of the 20th century. It was during this grim period when over 1.5 million Armenians were systematically exterminated. Whether you were an Armenian man, woman or infant, you were fair game to be cut down on sight, per order of the state. Unarmed and powerless, Greeks witnessed this horror, terrorized with the fear that they were next. What they feared soon became a reality. Greeks also fell victim to the same Ottoman campaign of systematic extermination of Christians before, during and after World War I (19141923). According to the Greek Genocide Research Center, atrocities against Greek people during that period included massacres, forced deportations and death marches, summary expulsions, boycotts, rape, forced conversion to Islam, conscription into labor battalions, arbitrary executions, and destruction of Christian Orthodox cultural, historical and religious monuments. At the end of World War I and with the Armistice of Mudros that ended the Ottoman front in the war, the allies launched a series of peace talks that focused on the future of the Ottoman Empire. According to James Marketos, an American Hellenic Institute board member, By 1919, the allied winners of World War I England, France, Italy and the U.S. were still arguing over how to divide up the defunct Ottoman Empire, which had sided with Germany. In May that year, the Greek army was permitted to land at Smyrna and establish an administrative zone. Scholars Evangelia Boubougiatzi, Ifigenia Vamvakidou and Argyris Kyridis write in Greeks Identities in Smyrna, 19th 20th Century Local and Global Parameters that In that society, Greeks had the dominant position, both in a demographic and economic level. Smyrna was also one of the centers of Greek enlightenment culture, with several schools erected, such as the Evangelical School and the Philological Gymnasium. From ancient times, and through the Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman ages, the city remained essentially Greek, Marketos said. The later centuries saw the advent of Armenian, Turkish, Jewish, European and American influences, but through it all, the predominant spirit remained Greek. But this ended when Turkish military forces attempted to take back Smyrna from Greek administration on September 9, 1922.The military attacks against the Greeks and Armenians of Smyrna began with looting, rape and murder. Marketos wrote, They started in the Armenian quarter and then spread through the Greek portion of the city. This drove even more people to the narrow seafront. Then, on September 13, a fire started in the Armenian part of the city. A strong breeze blew the fire away from the Turkish quarter and quickly spread it to the rest of the city, driving still more horrified thousands of Greeks and Armenians to the harbor where they were now trapped between the raging flames at their backs and the harbor in front. And still the Allied warships watched as the refugees on the seafront were subjected to unspeakable atrocities by Turkish soldiers and residents. After four days, the fire burned itself out. Beautiful Smyrna lay in ruins. Thousands of Greeks and Armenians had perished, either in the fire, or through slaughter in one form or another, or through simple exposure. Hundreds of thousands of others were eventually evacuated. But either way, the 20th centurys first holocaust effectively ended the Christian presence in Asia Minor. And all the while, Allied warships, pledged to neutrality, watched from their anchorages as an immense humanitarian tragedy rapidly unfolded a few hundred yards away. Sadly, this dark page of history remains mostly forgotten or ignored. Only a handful of scholars have shed light on and exposed the persecution of Christians in Smyrna in 1922. One is Lou Ureneck, Boston University professor and journalist, who penned The Great Fire: One Americans Mission to Rescue Victims of the 20th Centurys First Genocide. In it, he described the harrowing story of an American Methodist minister Asa Kent Jennings and an American naval officer Arthur J. Hepburn who helped rescue more than 250,000 Christian refugees during the burning of Smyrna by Turkish forces. A half a million people, packed into a narrow strip of pavement, maybe a mile and a half, two miles long, as a giant fire comes at them, basically pushing them into the sea, Ureneck said in an interview with the Bostonia magazine. And many of them did jump into the sea, either trying to swim to ships, or committing suicide, or their clothes and packages had caught on fire. Turkish soldiers burned and plundered Smyrnas Christian neighborhoods, murdering defenseless residents. According to the statistics of the church, of the 459 bishops, metropolitans and clergy of Smyrna, some 347 were murdered in an atrocities manner. Scholar Speros Vryonis reported that among them was Chrysostomos, the last metropolitan of Smyrna. Men, women and children none were spared. Turkish soldiers forced Greek men to join labor battalions. Some were sent on death marches to the interior. The lucky ones were able to flee their homes in the city to seek shelter in Greece and other states. Ureneck wrote, This was no ordinary city fire. Huge even by the standards of historys giant fires, it would reduce to ashes the richest and most cosmopolitan city in the Ottoman Empire. The fire would ultimately claim an even more infamous distinction. It was the last violent episode in a 10-year holocaust that had killed 3 million people Armenians, Greeks and Assyrians, all Christian minorities on the Turkish subcontinent between 1912 and 1922. Before it burned itself out, the fire would destroy 13,100 buildings homes, hospitals, school, warehouses, businesses, churches and factories and cause $250 million in damage, billions of dollars in todays terms. Only the Turkish and small Jewish quarters of the city and a few patches at the perimeter would remain unburned. The number of dead would never be firmly established, though some would place it on this night in the tens of thousands. Due to the persecution of the Christians, Anatolia was almost completely cleansed of its Christian population by the time the Turkish republic was founded in 1923. Journalist Ioanna Zikakou wrote that the great fire of Smyrna was the peak of the Asia Minor catastrophe, bringing an end to the 3,000-year Greek presence on Anatolias Aegean shore and shifting the population ratio between Muslims and non-Muslims. But discrimination against the tiny minorities of Greeks, Armenians, Assyrians/Syriacs and Jews who remained has continued up until the present day. In addition, the Turkish government has been trying to cover up its role in the fire and the slaughter of Greek and Armenian Christians. For decades, the Turkish official state ideology has glorified September 1922. We have buried the Greeks in the sea is a common and proudly used expression in Turkey. If they [the Greeks] want to fall into the sea again if they feel like being chased after again they are welcome. The Turkish nation is ready and has the faith to do it again. Someone must explain to the Greek government what happened in 1921 and 1922. If there is no one to explain it to them, we know how to stick like a bullet on the Aegean, rain from the sky like a blessed victory, and teach history to the couriers of ahl al-salib [the people of the cross] all over again, the MHP leader, Bahceli, said in his parliamentary speech. Even 95 years after the unspeakable crime committed in Smyrna, many Turks including state authorities, politicians and academics not only distort the facts surrounding the fire and other genocidal attacks against Ottoman Christians, but they also take pride in and attempt to justify them. And some openly threaten Greece with a repeat of the atrocities that the Turks perpetrated on hundreds of thousands of innocent people. Source: philosproject.org 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 A change in legislation giving access to the public health system to some 2.5 million Greeks without social insurance has put financial strain on hospitals A change in legislation last April has given access to the public health system to some 2.5 million Greeks who did not have social insurance but has also put a financial strain on hospitals, whose funding has not increased. Treating uninsured patients cost public hospitals in Athens 57.2 million euros last year. Across Greece, 23.5 million euros was spent on providing free lab tests to about 204,000 people. Our experience shows that the number of uninsured people coming to the hospitals is increasing, the vice president of the Athens-Piraeus Hospital Doctors Association, Ilias Sioras, told Kathimerini. But the hospitals do not have adequate funds. State funding is at 1.1 billion euros this year, the same as in 2016. 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 She called on Turkish President Erdogan to refrain from using comparisons to Nazis German Chancellor Angela Merkel warned Turkey that she would not hesitate to ban high level Turkish government officials from holding rallies in Germany following the new verbal attacks unleashed by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan against Germany. Mrs. Merkel said the German government reserved the right to reevaluate permits given to Turkish politicians to hold rallies in favour of President Erdogan in light of the April 16 referendum, during a joint press conference with Japanese PM Shinzo Abe in Hannover. Mr. Erdogan attacked the German Chancellor personally on Sunday, reiterating his accusations of practices resembling Nazi tactics. You resorted to Nazi practices, Mr. Erdogan said referring to Mrs. Merkel during a speech. 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 Al Ruwayeh & Partners (Asar), a leading corporate law firm said it had acted as law counsel to Kuwait, acting through the Ministry of Finance and represented by the Kuwait Investment Authority, for the establishment of its Global Medium Term Note (GMTN) Programme and Kuwait's inaugural dual-tranche $8-billion issuance. One of the regions top tier law firms, Asar said the Notes were offered and sold in reliance on Rule 144A and Regulation S and were admitted to trading on the Irish Stock Exchange and the London Stock Exchange. According to Asar, the proceeds from the issuance will be utilized for Kuwaits expected funding needs for this fiscal year. Citigroup Global Markets, HSBC Bank and JP Morgan Securities acted as the arrangers and joint lead managers, while Citigroup Global Markets, Deutsche Bank, London Branch, HSBC Bank, JP Morgan Securities, Standard Chartered Bank and Watani Investment Company (NBK Capital) acted as dealers. Clifford Chance advised Kuwait as to English law and United States law. Ibrahim Sattout, a partner at Asar, said: "We are delighted to have been involved in the establishment of Kuwaits GMTN Programme and its dual-tranche inaugural issuance thereunder." "We have a long and established history of acting as Kuwait law counsel in high quality debt capital market transactions, and this sovereign bond issuance is no exception," he stated. John Cunha, a partner at Asar, dubbed it as a landmark transaction in Kuwait. "We are particularly happy to see that it was so well received by global investors. Asar has a long established history of acting on precedent setting bond issuance transactions and this current transaction is no exception," he observed. With dedicated offices in Kuwait and Bahrain coupled with its associated offices and relationships, Asar provides clients across an extensive range of industry sectors with bespoke, practical legal advice and support for their business activities in Kuwait, Bahrain, across the GCC and beyond. The firm has been consistently rated as the leading corporate and commercial law firm in Kuwait by reputable legal guides such as the International Financial Law Review (IFLR), Chambers Global Guide, and the Legal 500. In 2016, Asar was awarded with the IFLR National Law Firm of the Year Award; an award which Asar has been delighted to receive for the 8th consecutive year.-TradeArabia News Service Huawei Tech Investment Saudi Arabia has forged an alliance with Industrial Systems Group (ISG), an affiliate of Al Abdulkarim Holding, aimed at exchanging expertise to manufacture un-interrupted power supply (UPS) units in Saudi Arabia. As part of the agreement, Huawei will provide ISG the technology, materials, manufacturing training and supervision. ISG will establish and manage the manufacturing facility. The UPS units built by ISG will carry their brand and logo, said a statement. This manufacturing collaboration with Huawei follows the visit of King Salman bin Abdulaziz to China, where Saudi Arabia and China agreed to bolster cooperation in the ICT industry to accelerate deployment of smart city innovation in Saudi Arabia, in line with the kingdoms Vision 2030, said a statement from the company. Khalid Al Abdulkarim, CEO of Industrial Systems Group, said: As a leading manufacturer and supplier of electrical, telecommunications, electromechanical, instrumentation and process analytical components across numerous industries in the kingdom such as electrical, mining, oil and gas, petrochemical and communication, ISG is committed to helping its customers achieve operational excellence and is constantly looking to manufacture innovative products and solutions to match and exceed customers satisfaction. Through this collaboration with Huawei, we are able to deliver on our commitment with best-of-breed technology, he added. Huaweis global industry leadership is attributed to its extensive focus on research and development, and ISG is pleased to be collaborating with an organisation that has R&D in its DNA. Ramadan Ding, CEO of Huawei Tech Investment Saudi Arabia, said: As a fully registered Saudi company, we are committed to supporting His Majestys vision to transform the kingdom. By partnering with ISG to manufacturer UPS units in the kingdom, our company is delivering on its long-term commitment to contribute to the countrys digital transformation, he added. The partnership was signed during the Saudi-China Investment Forum which was held on March 16 to coincide with the Kings visit. The Saudi-China Investment Forum was organised under the supervision of the Ministry of Commerce and Investment, in cooperation with Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority (SAGIA) and the Council of Saudi Chambers (CSC) with facilitation by Saudi Aramco. The forum focused on the Kingdoms Vision 2030, the roles that the private sectors of both countries can have in the implementation of that vision, and the Belt and Road Initiative. The programme also included signing ceremonies and agreements between various Saudi and Chinese companies and entities, it stated. TradeArabia News Service Ooredoo Oman has extend its support as Diamond Sponsor of the Smart City Summit Oman, an event dedicated to exploring and examining the benefits and possibilities of cities built on technology in the sultanate. The event will be held at the Oman Convention and Exhibition Centre on March 28 and 29. The Smart City Summit will make a significant contribution to the success of new cities, developments and redevelopments planned and under construction, such as Madinat Al Irfan and the Mina Sultan Qaboos Waterfront, a statement said. Ooredoos Monther Al Mamari, director - business product management, said: Thanks to the digital strategy of the Information Technology Authority (ITA), the sultanate now has a solid future-proof ICT infrastructure. The country is in a position to address the ambition of building smart cities and working towards, making Oman a smart nation. As plans for these smart cities progress, Ooredoo looks forward to providing an eco-system of innovative fixed and mobile assets, connectivity and communication, through which they operate and thrive. Ooredoo looks forward too, to supporting the residents and businesses of these digital communities, by providing inspiring products and services to take full advantage of the smart city lifestyle and all its possibilities. Smart cities leverage technology to enrich the lives of their populations, improve public services, transport, traffic flows, power, water supply, waste management, security and more. They are well known not just for the quality of life of their inhabitants but also for their ability to attract businesses and investment, it said. Striving to become data experience leaders, Ooredoo delivers a range of state-of-the-art mobile, fixed, fibre, broadband internet, and corporate services tailored to meet the needs of consumers, communities and businesses across the sultanate, as well as ministries and government organisations. TradeArabia News Service InvestCloud Launches New Division, Expands European Base with New Soho HQ InvestCloud Inc., a global FinTech firm, has announced a new division to add further accounting and Robo capabilities to its digital wealth management platform. The creation of the InvestCloud icMAC (Modeling, Accounting & Custody) division follows the firms $20 million acquisition of London-based Babel Systems, announced in January 2017. Its launch completes the integration of Babel into InvestCloud, with Babel founder Steve Wise appointed to head up the new division. The company will now relocate its European headquarters to larger premises on Londons Shaftesbury Avenue, as it targets growth in the region. InvestClouds European team has already doubled its headcount since 2016, with the firm signing a number of new wealth management and investment clients in the UK and Switzerland. The launch of icMAC brings the regional offices headcount to 60, incorporating a mix of sales, pre-sales, professional services and market data experts alongside former Babel staff. Steve Wise, EVP of icMAC, said, The launch of icMAC tackles the greatest challenge facing wealth managers and financial institutions as they digitalize their services the dependency on legacy technology. Those businesses looking to move on will find our approach particularly appealing, combining our market-leading Digital Warehouse with trading, accounting and middle office capabilities that provide a complete, modern solution currently absent in the market. With an existing client base including leading Robo-advice provider Nutmeg as well as other progressive wealth managers, family offices and banks, the icMAC division provides the most modern trading and accounting platform in the international marketplace. Will Bailey, EVP for Europe and Innovation, said, Both InvestCloud and Babel were born with the same idea to transform the financial services industry. The two complement each other perfectly, and combining them ensures firms of all sizes will be able to access a low-friction, cost-effective and massively flexible platform. Commenting on the new offices, Bailey added, Siting our new offices in the heart of Londons creative industries in Soho mirrors the location of our global headquarters at the Pacific Design Center in Los Angeles an environment that appeals to designers, UX professionals, developers, data architects and financial services players alike. Our new base will act as a hub for European wealth managers and financial institutions to collaborate with us on innovative, user-centric solutions. For more information on related topics, visit the following channels: DECATUR Scattered thunderstorms are expected throughout parts of Central Illinois this morning. The National Weather Service at Lincoln that some storms from Interstate 74 northeast could be strong until midmorning, with the capability to produce hail along with lightning and heavy rains. The weather service said the storms would diminish from the west during the afternoon. In Decatur, the forecast called for a 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 1 p.m., and mostly cloudy skies with a high near 67 degrees. The weather service issued a hazardous weather outlook early Monday for counties including Macon, DeWitt, McLean, Moultrie, Piatt, Shelby, Champaign and Coles. Looking forward, the weather service said thunderstorms would be possible in the area from Friday night to Saturday morning. French Polynesia is home to some of the best beaches in the world, and it is this very reason why legendary actor Marlon Brando decided to purchase his very own paradise here. Called "The Brando," the actor purchased this private island in 1967. In 2014, it re-opened as an exclusive resort. The place is is usually frequented by A-listers and travelers seeking for the best hospitality service the world can offer. Marlon Brando partnered with hotelier Richard Bailey, and through their impressive collaboration, this extra-special, really exclusive eco-resort is born. Even Herbret FREI, the president of PIKAIA LODGE, has nothing but high praise for the resort. "We have been fortunate enough in our lives to experience some of the best Hotels and Resorts in the world, but the Brando tops anything we have seen so far," he said. "The Brando is not a 5 star Resort, it deserves to be considered a 7 star Resort! The Brando is leading a new era, where luxury hospitality and conservation go hand on hand. This is very rare to find in our industry." To get there, guests must first fly via a private airplane to the resort, where the bird's eye view of this whole paradise a delight to the eyes of every guest. The whole resort is made up of ultra-luxurious villas, split into two sides of the island-Turtle Beach and Mermaid Bay. Although it's common knowledge for some big-time Hollywood stars to frequent this place, sadly, you only have a slim chance of having an encounter with them, as privacy is paramount in the resort. All the villas are equipped with the best amenities in the world, complete with an infinity pool overlooking the ocean and a private beach access. But even though the whole place is teeming with elegance and advancement in technology, it remains a sensitive eco-resort. Brando wants to preserve the beauty of the whole island, and with that in mind, he and partner Richard Bailey has devised a system in which all resort features-over the top they may be, must still be environmentally conscious. See Now: The U.S. had the highest number of Most Wanted properties, dominating the Hotels.com Loved By Guests Awards 2018 Japan's Ministry of Agriculture Forestry and Fisheries might have employees who could not get enough of the iconic digital pop princess Hatsune Miku they had to make her a culinary tour guide for local and international travelers. One might notice her design to be a bit more realistic, but she has lots to offer in terms of culinary knowledge. According to Inquirer, Hatsune Miku stars in her own music video named "Oishiii" hosted in Taste of Japan's website -- the official website for the Ministry of Agriculture's culinary campaign. The renewed campaign is in favor of Japan whose cuisine from traditional to modern the UNESCO recognizes as an "intangible cultural heritage." The music video "Oishiii Trip" shows Miku greeting a virtual travel companion from overseas (given they're was reading a book about Japan before the end of his or her flight) in the airport. Then proceeds to bring them to different Japanese locales singing about different Japanese ingredients to food and other sites to see around Japan. The complete lyrics to her song are in the Taste of Japan's website. In Taste of Japan's Instagram -- embedded in Rocket News 24's report -- are short looped cutscenes of the music video. The videos show Miku eating Kani or crab sticks, which is a staple in most Japanese dishes, and other delectable items and the video features sushi, ramen and other specialty dishes found from Hokkaido to Tokyo. The character originated not from an anime series but rather from Yamaha Corporation's newest singing synthesizer program in 2004 -- the first "vocaloid" of the world. Different companies would produce the voices for the synthesizer program. One company, Crypton Future Media, created Hatsune Miku -- who was only a box-art design that "characterizes" the voice contained in the vocaloid. The company used samples of voice actress Saki Fujita and used it as part of the program -- giving birth to an iconic digital superstar. She was the first "breakthrough" for any similar composing software in Japan and the rest of the world. See Now: The U.S. had the highest number of Most Wanted properties, dominating the Hotels.com Loved By Guests Awards 2018 The National WWII Museum will now offer fast torpedo rides to the public from a WWII boat in Lake Pontchartrain, New Orleans on April 1. The PT-305 Patrol Torpedo boat, the world's only fully restored combat-veteran vessel, will bring interested locals and travelers into a 90-minute ride on the waters and another 45-minute deck tour about the history of the patrol boats. The PT-305 is believed to be one of the four remaining patrol boats in the country. It rested at Back Bay Boat Yard in Galveston, Texas where it was acquired by the National WWII Museum in April 2007. It took over 105,000 hours for volunteers to finish the restoration project within the span of ten years. National WWII Museum Executive Vice President, Stephen Watson, told ABC's WGNO, "By restoring and preserving the PT-305, the museum can now offer new generations an even deeper connection to the Greatest Generation - the chance to actually walk, and ride, in their footsteps." People who volunteered to help with the project consisted of WWII veterans, naval engineers, electrical engineers, retired Coast Guard captains, historians, and students. Torpedo rides are only offered on Saturdays and are priced at $350 per person and $305 for seniors, children ages 12-17, military, and Museum Members, according to its website. Meanwhile, deck tours are offered on Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Sundays cost $15 per person and $12 for seniors, children ages 12-17, military, and museum members. Those who wanted to avail a shuttle service from the museum to the lake will cost $29 per person round-trip. The PT-305 can only accommodate 18 people on its deck with seating arrangements in designed "ammo cases." Patrol boats during WWII were built in New Orleans by the Higgins Industries, helping the American Army from 1944 until the end of the war. After its service, it became a fishing boat until it was found by the Museum. See Now: The U.S. had the highest number of Most Wanted properties, dominating the Hotels.com Loved By Guests Awards 2018 Delicious deep fried dough coated with sugar and icing sounds like a fried doughnut-- but New Orleans calls them beignets. When traveling New Orleans, one must eat at their perceived best cafe their very best beignets. Before it became an iconic dessert of New Orleans, beignets were from Europe and they carry with them a distinct history. According to What's Cooking America, the history of the beignet could be Islamic in origin. From the 16th century exists many French beignet recipes but the website cites Food Historian Cathy Kaufman who said evidence that beignets originated from Andalusia and made its way into Spain and France indicated the Islamic origins of the dish. "Spanish beignets" also existed and were well-known during the Middle Ages, Kaufman's article states. Colonists from France brought beignet to New Orleans during the 18th century. The 1902 Picayune Creole Cook Book indicates this event in detail as beignets, compotes, souffles, and gelees became common among local coffee shops served with dark roast coffee or hot milk. In detail, Nola.com cites several Picayune periodical posts including an early 1927 that said beignets were "not the conventional doughnut" yet "they are better." Before they were called beignets, they were known as "French Market doughnuts" from the 20s until the early 60s. An article by Times Picayune writer Howard Jacobs made clear that some French shops called their "doughnuts" beignets -- further elaborating that a beignet is a "Belgian donut" and is known as "fritters" in America. According to 10best, the best beignet venues in New Orleans incorporate some unique twists to beignets. One is SoBou where chef Juan Carlos Gonzales serves a modern-style sweet-potato beignet combined with fondue and duck. Another is La Petite's crab-fused beignets served with malt vinegar aioli. For less unique and more traditional beignets, the website recommends the New Orleans Coffee & Beignet Co. that serves the original sugared version of beignets with coffee -- along with other non-radical variants. See Now: The U.S. had the highest number of Most Wanted properties, dominating the Hotels.com Loved By Guests Awards 2018 Disney has been stirring up the imaginations of people with live-action remakes of its famous princess movies. Too bad that these magnificent castles, lofty towers, and gorgeous walls can only be seen in movies. But what if you had the chance to turn fantasy into reality? Well now, you can do that with these five surreal castles in the world. Neuschwanstein Castle, Germany This 19-century castle with a Romanesque ambiance rests upon the hills of the Hohenschwangau village. The castle was built by Ludwig II, King of Bavaria, to serve as his private refuge away from the world. But when the castle finished construction in 1886, the king also died in the same year, and it was only then after seven weeks when Neuschwanstein opened its gates to visitors. Lichtenstein Castle, Germany Just a couple of miles away from Neuschwanstein is the Lichtenstein Castle. According to Hivino, this Neo-Gothic-styled structure was built in the 19th century some time between 1840 to 1842. If you think it looks familiar, it's because it looks similar to Cinderella's Castle in some of Disney's theme parks. But visiting this place is like hitting two birds with one stone because just 500 meters away is the ruins of the "Old Lichtenstein" castle. Ljubljana Castle, Slovenia Slovenia is just a marvel with its picturesque views and stunning attractions. But what makes it more beautiful is its 11th-century old castle that's located in its capital Ljubljana--one of the biggest and most popular castles in the country. Chateau de Chinon, France France's Loire Valley is already a cornucopia of medieval castles and structures of royalty which is a symbolism of the heritage of the 15th and 16th centuries. But the Chateau di Chinon surpasses all its rivals in the valley being built in the 10th century. In 1429, it was at this castle where Charles VII met with Joan of Arc to liberate France from England. Kronborg Castle, Denmark Located on the borders of Denmark and Sweden, this 15th-century old castle was home to princes and princesses. According to The Telegraph, the castle was then renovated in the early Renaissance period by Frederick II, King of Danes, and is the setting for the tour de force Hamlet of William Shakespeare. See Now: The U.S. had the highest number of Most Wanted properties, dominating the Hotels.com Loved By Guests Awards 2018 Cornwall should be protected from ethnic oppression and ''Disneyfication'' of its culture and heritage according to the Council of Europe. The protection of national minorities has always been seen neglected by the UK government which only recognized Cornwall and its inhabitants as "minorities" by the start of 2014. The council wanted to revive the Cornish language by reinstating it and providing more funding for the promotion of the usage of the tongue. Only about 500 people left are believed to be fluent in Cornish. The Council of Europe also invites more media personalities to broadcast in Cornish. Criticism was also set against the government for the lack of funding for cultural events and festivals like the St Piran's Day on March 5, the national day of Cornwall, according to The Telegraph. Meanwhile, the Cornwall Association of Local Historians has battled out the fact that the Tintagel Castle in Cornwall has been "Disneyfied" over the years when the English Heritage has turned it into almost a theme park. Known as the legendary birthplace of King Arthur, the castle and its surroundings have been planned to boost tourism by carving Arthurian characters in stone monuments and statues. Last year, the group protested over the carving of a face at the entrance of Merlin's Cave, where the wizard took the king when he was a baby. English Heritage also planned on erecting an eight feet statue of a knight and install what was believed to be a diorama of the knights on the round table by Tintagel Castle. The association was horrified to know that one of Cornwall's most historic sites will be turned into an amusement park for tourists. Both the Council of Europe and the Cornwall Association of Local Historians has grieved over the neglect of the care for Cornwall. A 50-page study was even made to record the plights of the said county. See Now: The U.S. had the highest number of Most Wanted properties, dominating the Hotels.com Loved By Guests Awards 2018 Childrens Museum + Scovill Zoo = one pass For the first time this year, Scovill Zoo and Childrens Museum of Illinois are offering one pass for their adjacent facilities in the Scovill Park area. The ZooMu pass costs $155 a year and families can get admission to the zoo and museum every day of the regular season, get discounts on parties, camps, classes, train rides and carousel tickets, plus four museum Make Space coupons, four Z.O.&O Express Train tickets, four sno-cones at the zoo and more. For more information or to purchase a pass, call Scovill Zoo at (217) 421-7435 or the Childrens Museum at (217) 423-5437. Clean out your garage for free Need to get rid of large items, but no time to hassle with scheduling a pickup? The city is partnering with Advanced Disposal for the cleanups at the Decatur Civic Center parking lot, which are scheduled for: 2-6 p.m. Wednesday, April 26; 2-6 p.m. Tuesday, June 13; 8 a.m. to noon Saturday, Sept. 23; 2-6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 26. Residents will be allowed to dispose of large items for no charge. Items must be placed in roll off bins within the parking lot. Items can include old furniture, mattresses, and household items. A limited amount of tires will be accepted. No electronics, paint or yard waste will be allowed. Find free kids meals Looking for somewhere family-friendly and affordable to eat with your kids? Check out our list of great local options where kids eat free or almost for free! Schedule your grocery pickups Kroger ClickList started several months ago in Decatur and has proven wildly popular with busy shoppers, parents or not. You can place your order online, choose a scheduled time for pickup and an employee will bring the food right to your car. Check out our comprehensive list of summer camps From outdoors to arts to sports, the Decatur area offers a ton of summer camps for kids. Who has time to compare? Weve collected an overview of all of them in one place to help you out. Free summer lunches in the parks The Decatur Park District offers a free lunch program on weekdays, with park leaders distributing the food to children in 12 neighborhood parks. The lunches are available to anyone 18 and younger. The program is funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and administered by the Illinois State Board of Education. Take advantage of free movie showings The Decatur Public Library has started offering free movies in its Madden Auditorium. Upcoming titles include Happy Feet, Guardians of the Galaxy, and Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. In the summer, the Decatur Park District also schedules free family-friendly films in the parks once a month. Paris and other parts of France are still on high alerts after an assailant tackled a police officer at Paris Orly Airport, with motives suspected to be related to terrorism. The suspect, identified as Ziyed Ben Belgacem by the French Police, was shot dead by officers stationed at the Orly Airport. Belgacem reportedly went to the airport Saturday morning, carrying a weapon and a can of gas with him. At the South Terminal, he attempted to wrestle a gun from a stationed female Special Forces soldier and apparently shouted, "Put down your guns. Put your hands on your head. I am here to die for Allah. In any case, there will be deaths." After a few minutes, the other officers present in the area found an opening and shot the assailant dead. No soldiers were hurt in the encounter. Although it's still not known whether Belgacem was acting along or part of a group, the French Intelligence reported that his madness actually started way earlier in the day, when he injured a police officer at a traffic stop when he was flagged for driving without headlights and speeding. The incident happened at 6:55 am near Stains in Paris. Belgacem was a person of interest to the French government because his house was included in the search of November 2015 when a suicide bomber killed more than a hundred people in Paris. Aside from that, he also did time for nine counts of armed robbery and drug trafficking. Since November 2015, France has been in a state of emergency following several terrorist attacks including the terror-related incidents during January on that same year. Security patrol on public places such as airports and train stations have been tripled since then. "I want to salute the courage and the exceptional behavior of the security forces who managed to put away the individual and to do so in an extremely complex situation because this occurred in Orly Airport," said President Francois Hollande in a news conference. The incident is still currently under investigation. See Now: The U.S. had the highest number of Most Wanted properties, dominating the Hotels.com Loved By Guests Awards 2018 "The Big Bang Theory" spin-off titled "Little Sheldon" is now becoming a reality. As per Jim Parsons, the actor who plays the genius physicist in the show, he is an amazing child. Iain Armitage was chosen because of his resemblance to the lead character Dr. Sheldon Cooper. Armitage is currently working with Nicole Kidman, Reese Witherspoon and Shailene Woodley in "Big Little Lies." The 8-year-old actor plays the role of Woodley's character's son according to Today. The spin-off will focus on the life of Dr. Cooper when he was only 9-years-old living with his family in Texas attending high school. He has a very right-wing family that is not used to having a prodigy in their midst. CBS CEO Leslie Moonves said as reported by Fuse, they have a terrific actor in Armitage and a terrific script. Jim Parsons who is also one of the executive producers will narrate the show about his young life. Showrunner Steve Molaro and Chuck Lorre are co-producing with Parsons. Jim Parsons' role in "The Big Bang Theory" has earned him four Emmys for Best Actor in a Comedy since the show started in 2007. His performance on the show also got the critics' praise at the Golden Globes awards and two others. "The Big Bang Theory" which is one of the longest-running comedy shows on television has also made its major actors TV's top earners. Kaley Cuoco, Johnny Galecki, Simon Helberg, Jim Parsons and Kunal Nayyar are all receiving $1 million per episode. Recently, Mayim Bialik and Melissa Rauch got salary increases with portions of the five actors' salaries allocated to the two actresses. The show is currently running and this early, the two-season renewal has already been negotiated. "The Big Bang Theory" spin-off "Little Sheldon" has no release date yet but probably it will air between 2017-2018 TV seasons. See Now: The U.S. had the highest number of Most Wanted properties, dominating the Hotels.com Loved By Guests Awards 2018 Victoria Falls is one of many dream adventure travel destinations listed in Acacia Africas March Madness Promo (TRAVPR.COM) Africa, 17th March, 2017 - After Will Smiths recent visit to the Victoria Falls, the adventure hub is likely to be one of the most sought after destinations in Africa, the A list actor fulfilling his 20 year long dream of bungy jumping from Victoria Falls Bridge. The Victoria Falls is listed in Acacia Africas March Madness promo. The adventure travel specialist is discounting 45 of its camping overland tours by 15%, the itineraries ranging from four to 58 days. The offer applies to selected April and May departures booked before 31 March. Arno Delport, Sales & Marketing Manager at Acacia Africa comments, "The reintroduction of the KAZA univisa between Zimbabwe and Zambia has also boosted the popularity of the neighbouring countries as adrenaline junkies are now able to combine activities on both sides of the falls more easily." SAVE 264pp (15%) 23 day Kruger, Victoria Falls & Zanzibar overland tour now from only 1,501pp (no single supplement) + Adventure Pass from 180pp including transport, camping accommodation, most meals and services of a tour leader/driver. Departing 20 April and 18 May. Starts Johannesburg - ends Dar es Salaam. Full tour price 1,765pp. South Africa is still an appealing destination its weak Rand allowing adventurers to safari for less. Definitely the right time to explore more of the Rainbow Nation, why not journey into the countrys smaller and even more affordable parks and reserves on the following discounted tour? SAVE 87pp (15%) The 12 day Coast Lesotho & Cape Town camping tour includes safaris by overland truck in the Mountain Zebra National Park and the Addo Elephant Park. From only 498pp (no single supplement) + Adventure Pass from 70pp including transport, camping accommodation, most meals and services of a tour leader/driver. Departing 08 April and 20 May. Starts Durban - ends Cape Town. Full tour price 585pp. Go ga ga over Uganda, the Pearl of Africa making headlines after the recent gorilla baby boom. The itinerary includes gorilla trekking in the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and chimp viewing in the Queen Elizabeth National Park. SAVE 90pp (15%) on the six day Troop to the Gorillas camping overland safari from only 515pp (no single supplement) + Gorilla & Chimp permit from 540pp including transport, camping accommodation, most meals and services of a tour leader/driver. Departing 30 May. Starts Kampala - ends Kampala. Full tour price 605pp. -ends- All prices exclude return flight. Independent flight prices available on request. Acacia Africa (020 7706 4700). SATSA membership No. 1931, ATTA membership no. 20151, ATOL No. 6499 and ABTA No. W4093 PROTECTED. ### Enter the LOVEWINE Promotional Code and Be Rewarded (TRAVPR.COM) USA - March 18th, 2017 - Carmel, CA, March 18, 2017 - Vendange is celebrating its fourth birthday this April and May! Book 2 consecutive nights and receive two bottles of complimentary award winning Monterey County Wine to help us celebrate our Fourth anniversary. Wine is being provided by Holman Ranch, Twisted Roots, Cima Collina and Manzoni Wines. To learn more about our wine partners visit: www.holmanranch.com; www.twistedrootsvineyard.com; www.cimacollina.com and www.manzoniwines.com. This package is only available Sunday Thursday from April 1 May 21st in the Holman Ranch, Twisted Roots, Cima Collina and Manzoni Wine themed rooms and available while supplies last. Code:LoveWine (Wine will be selected by the manager on duty upon arrival based on availability.) Offer note valid on holidays and black out days. Promotional code must be entered at the www.vendangecarmel.com website for the discount to apply.) Disclaimer: Call 831-624-6400 to see if the promo is still available for that room type you are requesting. Vendanges unique partnerships From the McIntyre Vineyards room with its impressive 100-year-old grapevine section to J. Lohrs wine barrel on the balcony, every winerys room offers a signature luxury experience. The participating wineries include: Blair, Cima Collina, Dawns Dream, Galante, Holman Ranch, J. Lohr, Joullian, Manzoni, McIntyre, Otter Cove, Tudor, Twisted Roots, and Ventana. Each room boasts sleek, modern bathrooms, with imported Spanish marble. Sleeping areas have memory foam-top beds, deluxe linens, and high-definition flat-screen televisions. The separate Cottage Suite offers 650-square-feet of space, with a California king bed, 50-inch HD television, and a kitchenette. Its the perfect place for a honeymoon or romantic getaway. The Inn offers breakfast daily and wine tasting on weekends. Vendange is at 24815 Carpenter St. in Carmel, a short drive from the Monterey Peninsula Airport, just off of scenic Highway 1, with free parking for guests. Its minutes from downtown Carmels shopping, fine dining, scenic 17-Mile Drive, and the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Telephone 831-624-6400; email: reservations@vendangecarmel.com Contact: Marci Bracco Cain Chatterbox PR Salinas, CA 93901 (831) 747-7455 http://www.vendangecarmel.com ### Search News Archive : Fast Travel News Promotion Via Search, Social Media + Email Follow Us On : GLORIOUS INDIA ORGANIZED A PRE-EVENT GET-TOGETHER IN THE US Industry: Events Glorious India expo is the mega Indian Expo in USA with B2B and B2C sessions. The Business Expo is designed to be the largest USA-based exhibition displaying assorted product categories. (TRAVPR.COM) USA, INDIA - March 18th, 2017 - As a precursor to Glorious India Mega Trade Expo scheduled on 27th-28th May in New Jersey, Glorious India get-together was organized with pomp and gaiety at TV Asia Studios in Edison on 11th March, 2017. The function witnessed overwhelming participation of many Indian community associations representing the states of Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra, West Bengal, Haryana, Punjab and Karnataka, who all came together to attend the function and added color and charm to the occasion. The function featured the welcome speech by Paras Patel, MD, Praveg Communications Limited, the organizer of Glorious India, followed by an informative presentation providing an outline of the event programmes and various ways of registering and participating in the event. Many programmes focusing on cultural and people aspects have been planned concurrently with the trade expo, including a vast repertoire of Indian cultural music, Hindustani classical instrumental music, Bollywood musicals and soul-stirring musical session exclusively by Kabir Cafe Band as well as Fashion Show. Presidents of various Indian community associations like North American Telugu Association (NATA), Gujarati Samaj of New York (GSNY), Maharashtra Mandal of New York (MMNY), Karnataka Cultural Organization, Brindavana (KCOB) and Cultural Association of Bengal, North America (CAB) have vouched their support to promote the event among their community members. Representatives of many US-based trade associations also attended the function. Glorious India is the first-ever Indian event to be organized in New Jersey, USA with participation of Indian community from all the states of India. The exuberance and enthusiasm of the members from various states towards Glorious India augur well for a large scale attendance of NRIs at the event. The organizers have also approached the American trade associations and invited the American community to participate in this India-centric trade expo. The event was marked with the felicitation of H. R. Shah, CEO and Chairman, TV Asia, who has been conferred India's prestigious PadmaShri Award by the Government of India. Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Shah appealed to all the attendees to participate in the event with all their friends, relatives and business associates. To encourage registration of more B2B delegates from the US, Glorious India Expo has announced special privileges to B2B delegates, including meals and refreshments and special access to the exclusive B2B lounge. The event culminated on a high note with a networking dinner as well as a stronger commitment and conviction among the key stakeholders towards carving out a huge success for Glorious India Expo. Detailed information about the event can be obtained by visiting http://www.gloriousindiaexpo.com About Praveg Communications Limited Praveg Communications Limited is the leading event management company with a track record of executing over 600 events in India and abroad. For more than 15 years now, Praveg has created new standards of event design, execution and management with its continuous concerted efforts and commitment to high standards of quality and efficiency at work. Contact Praveg Communications Limited Abhilash Udayarajan 919712922124 info@gloriousindiaexpo.com ### Please contact the person or company listed above for information regarding the content of this press release. TravPR.com are not the issuers of this press release and are not responsible for the accuracy of the content. Share Release : CONTACT INFORMATION Name: Abhilash Udayarajan Company: Praveg Communications Limited Phone: 919712922124 Email: gloriousindiaexpo@gmail.com Web: PRESS RELEASE TAGS The neighboring Dodecanese islands in Greece have taken the biggest piece of the total volume of blue cruise charter sales this season. (TRAVPR.COM) CANADA - March 18th, 2017 - An industry that has been around for over 2 decades, blue cruise holidays have been the top choice in better value luxury sailing vacations on the turquoise coast. Turkey has been and still is the capital of gulet cruises drawing thousands of blue voyage enthusiasts for many years. In the last two years there has been a decline in charter sales from ports in Turkey. Despite this decline, there are still healthy bookings numbers for 2017, according to Mirya Yachting Turkey. There is a positive outlook for 2017 and we are not only receiving bookings for itineraries in Turkey from local tourists but also from old and new clients from the USA, Canada, Australia and Europe - who know that it is still safe to enjoy a gulet holiday in Turkey, explains Mr. Baris, official at Mirya Yachting Turkey. The neighboring Dodecanese islands in Greece have taken the biggest piece of the total volume of blue cruise charter sales this season. As an established blue cruise destination, gulet travellers have already been on many different itineraries in Turkey. Now they are looking to try out different routes, according to Mirya. Most of the charters will begin from the ports of Kos and Rhodes. Guests will have the choice to either travel in the North Dodecanese all the way up to Patmos, or sail in the southern islands as far down to Halki. We even have a few charters from Samos. The Greek island ports will be super busy this summer, right until October we expect and this is excellent news for the Turkish gulet industry and also good news and more business for the vendors in the Greek islands, says Ms. Melissa from Mirya Yachting Canada. Gulet holidays continue to retain strong interest and the preferred holiday style because it caters to all budgets, all types of groups, great for children and families, and one of the best ways to enjoy the treasures of the Aegean and Mediterranean seas, says Mr. Baris. Just when the industry thought to experience a slow season, between continued charters sales in Turkey and recording breaking bookings for the Greek islands, it looks like its just another successful gulet charter season for 2017. ### Cubaaz.com is the groundbreaking touristic search engine that delivers the ultimate Cuban vacation. (TRAVPR.COM) CUBA - March 19th, 2017 - Dont book your trip to Cuba until youve checked out www.cubaaz.com, the touristic search engine that personalizes your Cuban vacation to provide a unique travel experience that suits your interests. Cubaaz, the travel resource that focuses entirely on Cuba. Last year, the doors to Cuba were flung open as the island nation put out the welcome mat for the world. The country that was controlled by Fidel Castro is no longer closed to Americans who, along with visitors from all over the globe, are seeking an opportunity that will make their travel experience smooth and memorable. How do you get there? 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In order to understand just how Cubaaz.com are going to facilitate your travel to Cuba, you need to meet the man whose vision has made Cubaaz such an innovative travel site. Mosse wants to make one thing clear: he wasnt born with a silver spoon in his mouth, he made his own way. Self-educated, Mosse founded the First Real Transac group in 2013 and has advanced to the point where his international interests include real estate, cutting-edge technology, trade, and the import/export of international goods. He brings that knowledge to the newest tourist destination, Cuba. About Cubaaz Cubaaz.com is UK based start-up business to be launch in 2017, it is a tourist search engine, specialized in providing unique travel experiences in Cuba at affordable rates. The platform includes a peer-to-peer marketplace and homestay network, that enables people to list or rent short-term lodging in residential properties in Cuba. 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They inform on the place for you, giving you the best insights you can never get elsewhere. Cubaaz.com has an IOS and Android App through which its possible to organize the holidays. The App contains a touristic map of Cuba, available online and offline ### Rajinder Nagarkoti Tribune News Service Chandigarh, March 20 To increase the revenue generation of the cash-strapped civic body, the General House of the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation today resolved to levy entry tax on commercial vehicles entering the city on the pattern of Delhi. The decision was taken on the agenda placed in todays monthly House meeting that proposed a slew of taxes to increase revenue generation. Meanwhile, the MC House deferred agenda items to increase water tariff threefold and 10 per cent increase in property tax. It was resolved that the agenda on the hike in water tariff will be discussed only after the MC would start providing 24-hour water supply to city residents. opposed the imposition of taxes on the city residents, including commercial tax. On commercial tax, the MC is working out the modalities on the pattern of the Delhi Municipal Corporation.The tax range between Rs 100 (taxi and other commercial vehicles) and Rs 800 (10-wheels truck). The agenda reads, The tax structure of various leading MCs has been studied and these taxes, which have been imposed by several MCs, can be considered for Chandigarh. The agenda included toll tax on the pattern of the Urban Development Department, National Capital Territory of Delhi, which could be imposed on the commercial vehicles Rs 100 to Rs 2,000 per vehicle per entry. MC Commissioner B Purushartha informed the House about the financial condition of the MC. He said that for the next financial year, the UT Administration had allocated grant in-aid of Rs 419 crores to the MC. Of the total amount, Rs 100 crores was for the Smart City project and Rs 50 crores for the Kajauli Watersworks. As much as Rs 300 crores will account for salaries, leaving a deficit of Rs 30 crores. The corporation earns revenue of nearly Rs 120 crores. Fee for fire NOC The House unanimously approved that the fee be charged for the issuance of no objection certificate (NOC) and renewal of fire certificates on the pattern of Mohali Municipal Corporation. The fee will be charged from multiplex buildings, cinema halls, malls, gas agencies, hotels, marriage palaces, educational institutions and hospitals to name a few. These will be charged Rs 5,000. A committee has been constituted for conducting a survey of different types of buildings and framing modalities. Tax now on advertisements The House also accorded nod for levying of tax on advertisements, other than advertisements published in newspapers. Tribune News Service Panchkula, March 20 A 22-year-old youth killed his 65-year-old father by attacking him with a sharp weapon in a village near Morni here, today. While the victims wife, Bhud Ram, had left him, accused Sanjay is a bachelor. The father-son duo lived together. Sanjay was the only son and lived in Maun village. They both worked as daily wagers. To make extra money, they also made handicrafts. This afternoon, they both quarreled over handicraft work which further escalated and involved other family issues. At 4 pm, Sanjay attacked his father with a sharp weapon mocha in the head. Hearing his cries, neighbours rushed to the spot but by then Bhud Ram had died. The Morni police post In-charge, ASI Jile Singh, was informed by a neighbour who reached the spot and arrested Sanjay. Manohar Singh Gill In early 1997, when I was the Chief Election Commissioner of India, the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) criticised the Election Commission. In 1977, the Electronics Corporation of India was asked to develop an Electronic Voting Machine. Subsequently, Bharat Electronics was also involved. Machines worth Rs 75 crore were manufactured to an Indian design. In 1982, they were tried in 50 polling booths in Kerala. Legal challenges arose and further efforts to use the machines were given up. Later, they were tried in a few small constituencies in Sikkim. The political parties and the EC did not have the will to push this great idea forward. In 1997, the CAG criticised the Election Commission for letting this money to go waste. I was not willing to accept criticism of the Commission. We examined the problem and decided to go forward, using the EVMs in selected constituencies in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Delhi. I went to Jaipur, where we put the machines in the market square. We asked housewives who were shopping to try them. All of them liked the machines. A minister from Madhya Pradesh said that if these machines were installed in villages, illiterate people would not be able to use them. I said the machine is friendly and neutral to both, the literate as well as the illiterate. Even in the paper vote, we have the name, the party symbol and the box for putting a cross. The machine too has all these. Instead of marking, we press a button. We used the EVMs in the historic November 1997 election in these three states. The test was a success. After that, I pushed the use of EVM to the state level. Everywhere people were happy. One remembers the Delhi election. Sahib Singh Verma was the Chief Minister and the Bharatiya Janata Party lost badly. Sheila Dikshit came in for the first time but the BJP did not object to the result of even a single polling station. That was a test of fairness. Political parties had begun to see the fairness of this remarkable machine. No boxes to be stolen, no ink to be poured into the boxes, no spoilt votes. Rapid counting and results by mid-day. I observed that the EVM had removed all the quarrels, accusations and tensions of the Indian elections. Such was the miracle of this new technology. I had conducted paper elections as a young Collector. Nobody accepted the results. Counting continued for days and days. T. N. Seshan, my predecessor, took a week as the process of continuous mixing, rebundling, and physical counting continued. Officers were kept locked in for days and days. How many complaints were heard then. We rapidly expanded the use of EVMs, quickly moving to entire states and many states together on a single day of polling. It is natural for losers to have doubts and to challenge the results. Before introducing the machines, I held meetings with all the 52 recognised political parties and accepted their suggestions and ideas. Some leading political figures wanted machines in their constituencies and I was happy to oblige. However, when the worthies lost they complained. The complaints were on two fronts. First was that technology could be fiddled with. I invited the losers, called the MDs and engineers of the ECIL and BEL and cleared their doubts. The second was invariably a legal challenge. The late Jayalalithaa challenged the EC in the Madras High Court, Chief Justice Bench. After a long and full hearing, the challenge was dismissed. Incidentally, later she asked me if I had been annoyed at her challenge. I answered, No, after all if the Election Commission lectures the country, the citizens too have the right to challenge us. In later years, challenges were made in the Karnataka, Delhi and Kerala High Courts, perhaps elsewhere too. All have lost the argument against the EVMs and the courts have gone to great length to ensure that the Indian citizen is not cheated by the EVM. The system settled down and became the envy of the world. As CEC, I was shown a Canadian machine that they thought I would buy. I told them your machine is too expensive, and too complicated even for your citizens. The credit goes to ECIL and BEL that our machine is inexpensive, simple to use, robust and cannot be be easily damaged. We carry it to high mountains and the desert on camels and elephants, across rivers. It has never failed and the world knows it. What is more the world admires India for this achievement. Don't knock it down. Twenty years have passed since the EVMs were first used in November, 1997. We have held untold state elections and many Parliamentary ones. All parties have won and lost and the habit of complaining after a loss had almost disappeared, till this current controversy. In August 2009, the Commission once again invited one and all, to demonstrate the flaws of the machine if any. No one won the "swayamvar". I am surprised at the broad and vague accusations being levelled now. The present challenge is from those who lost heavily in Uttar Pradesh. Some others fearing a loss in the coming city elections, are perhaps doing a peshbandi. Accusations against this remarkable reform of the national election system, should not be made casually. However, we are a democracy and if any questions are raised legally or technically, the Election Commission must respond. I am sure the Commission will be only be too happy to respond to any legal challenge, in order to remove any doubt. If anyone can bring up a credible technical question, this too the Commission will happily examine, as has always been the policy and practise of the Election Commission of India. The writer is a former Chief Election Commissioner of India Argam Abrahamyan, son of Armenias former prime minister Hovik Abrahamyan, currently serves as the mayor of Artashat, a town of some 22,000 in Ararat province. Argam is also running in the April 2 parliamentary election in the 5th district that encompasses a part of the province. As a candidate, Argam has filed a financial disclosure with the Central Electoral Commission. Hetq has extensively covered the business interests of the Abrahamyan family. After the series, Argam Abrahamyan withdrew from several companies as a shareholder. He remained their true owner. Argam Abrahamyan declared 170 million AMD in revenue (US$352,00). He declared 300 million AMD and $250,000 in cash holdings. The National Hotel and Imperium Plaza in Yerevan He also owns 200 square meters of land in Yerevan (28 Isahakyan St.) where the Terrazza cafe is located. Argam Abrahamyan owns a 2,512-square meter palatial home opposite the Haghtanak Park on Azatutyun Avenue. The home resembles the building housing Armenias National Assembly. Naturally, the financial disclosure doesnt include all Argams holdings. Many have been registered under the names of confidantes, like Gagik Poghosyan, Artashats deputy mayor and a relative. Top photo: Argam Abrahamyans Facebook page Sushma Ramachandran THERE has been much jubilation within the NDA over the landslide victory in Uttar Pradesh. But the time has now come to begin the hard work of meeting the expectations of voters to achieve better living standards. With Yogi Adityanath as the new Chief Minister, the concern now is that voters have sought development but the new regime may put Hindutva as a priority. Despite these worries, one can only hope that there is a concerted effort to meet the hopes and aspirations of the young voters who are looking forward to the creation of more jobs instead of having to migrate to other regions. The big question is, can the people of UP be given an improvement in their economic status to put them on par with other more affluent states in the country? Judging by the history of the state, one would have to say that the prospects are bleak for UP to achieve high economic growth. The politics of identity, caste and religion have so overwhelmed the mindset of past governments that all economic policies have been skewed to meet the needs of specific groups and communities. Currently, UP is the third largest economy in the country, after Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu. The number of people below the poverty line were estimated at roughly 30 per cent of the total population in 2011-12 going by the Tendulkar formula while the Rangarajan committee pegged it at nearly 40 per cent. There is no doubt that the states economic growth was fastest at 7 per cent when Mayawati was Chief Minister. Subsequently, growth slowed to 3.9 per cent when Akhilesh Yadav took over. It improved to about 6.1 per cent by 2014-15. This is much lower than that of surrounding states. Madhya Pradesh at the time grew by 6.8 per cent, Chhattisgarh by 7.9 per cent, Haryana by 8 per cent, Jharkhand by 11 per cent and Bihar by 15.6 per cent. These figures are reflective not just of a slowdown during the regime of the Samajwadi Party, but also the fact that the states growth has nearly always remained lower than the national average. An interesting fact is that UP also has one of the highest remittances into the state along with Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Punjab, indicating the need for people to migrate to other parts of the country or abroad to eke their livelihood. Another fascinating nugget of information is that it is way down at 31 in per capita income and equally low at 29 in literacy levels in the country. In other words, the new state government has a gigantic task ahead of it. But it is by no means impossible. The infrastructure in the state has to be improved significantly even though the Akhilesh Yadav government did take some steps in this direction. Critics of his performance say the creation of the Yamuna expressway was meant to be a visible indicator of growth and thus influence voters. But reports indicate that apparently there was a genuine effort to upgrade roads and highways which are critical to industrial linkages. The complaint is that these have not been laid between industrial clusters and have been instead located in areas of high visibility. As far as agriculture is concerned, the states performance has been lagging behind despite good rainfall in recent years owing to uneven distribution. Clearly, the lack of widespread irrigation facilities continues to be a problem even though western UP has always been one of the granaries of the country. The SP government tried to provide palliatives to farmers but the need of the hour is policies that have a long-term impact rather than doles or freebies that provide succor in the short run. Industrial growth has been the big weakness in the state. While all other states have been vying for both domestic and foreign investments, UP has been letting opportunities pass it by. If the new dispensation is dynamic, it will try and move towards an investor-friendly manufacturing regime that could benefit from the availability of cheap skilled labour in the state and lure new industries to set up shop. One major area that has been neglected is the wealth of handloom and handicrafts industries in the state, especially in cities like Varanasi. The traditional weavers and artisans are moving on to more lucrative professions as these age-old crafts are not yielding enough revenue to earn even a basic livelihood. Many Central government schemes in the past have been launched to modernise these sectors but nothing has managed to really vitalise these small units. It is high time that politicians stop paying lip service to the voters in these regions and evolve carefully structured packages of incentives to revive these traditional employment-oriented industries. Regional variations of economic development also need to be addressed in the state. It has always been a truism that western UP is relatively more affluent as compared to the more poverty-stricken eastern region. This uneven development needs to be addressed urgently. Apart from more robust agriculture, even industries and manufacturing hubs tend to be in the western region. The longstanding neglect of a critical region needs to end immediately. The fate of UP is somewhat like that of India after coming under colonial rule. A rich state at the time of independence has now become a poor one. The lack of interest in economic development by the leadership of all parties which have at some time or another been at the helm here is responsible for the decline and fall of the most populous state in the country. It has turned into one of the so-called BIMARU states that are the weakest in economic terms in the country. Yet politically, it remains a key state with all parties vying to grab hold of it. It is now time for it to become equally important in economic status to ensure that the people of the state have a standard of living that matches the rest of the country. Yogi Adityanath has a huge task ahead of him. One can only hope that he and his team eschew the path of divisiveness and knuckle down to the hard work of building the economy. Washington, March 20 Indian-Americans, particularly Hindus and Sikhs, have become victims of Islamophobia and xenophobia in the US, the community members said as they held an awareness rally against hate crimes in front of the White House seeking President Donald Trumps intervention in the matter. Hindus have been recently affected and victimised (in the US) as a result of Islamophobia. It does affect our community as well, Vindhya Adapa, 27, a Virginia-based corporate lawyer, said outside the White House on Sunday. Adapa along with a few dozen Indian-Americans representing various Indian-American groups from in and around the Greater Washington Area held a peaceful demonstration in view of the recent surge in hate crimes against the community. A recent example of that is recent shooting and murder of an IT personnel in Kansas, who was mistaken for being an Arab and a Muslim. I do think that the current political climate is eventually going to target all communities including Hindu-Americans, said S Sheshadri, a young Indian-American doctor and Adapas friend. We are here today to raise awareness against hate crimes particularly against people of Indian origin. This is not necessarily a protest against the Trump Administration. We are here to seek bipartisan support against the hate crimes that has been happening recently against Indian-Americans, Adapa said, urging the President to acknowledge and condemn what is happening. I would say what is happening against the Indian-American community is a result of xenophobia, Islamic phobia and the anti-immigrant statements that have come out from the Administration, she alleged. A lot of Sikh people and Hindu people are mistaken for being Muslim, for being Middle Eastern, she said, adding that the way to tackle that is to spread awareness about these different communities. In a petition memorandum submitted to President Trump, the recently established Coalition of Indian American organisations of the USA, which organised the event, urged him to intervene in the matter and take steps to punish the culprits under federal hate crimes law. It also urged the President to allay the fears of the Indian-American community and show his support, and take remediation steps to eliminate the hate. A message should go out to the people of this country from the administration that no citizen should take the law into their hands and it will not be tolerated by the government, said the petition. The peaceful protest was organised in the aftermath of a series of hate crime incidents against Indian-Americans. Indian engineer Srinivas Kuchibhotla, 32, was killed and his colleague Alok Madasani and an American, Ian Grillot, were injured in a shooting by a Navy veteran who told them Get out of my country! at a bar in Olathe City, Kansas last month. A 43-year-old Indian-origin convenience store owner, Harnish Patel, was shot dead outside his home in Lancaster County, South Carolina on March 2. A day later a 39-year-old Sikh was injured by a partially masked gunman, who shouted Go back to your own country! and shot him outside his home in Kent, Washington. An Indian-origin girl was racially abused on a train by an African-American in New York on February 23. He reportedly called her inappropriate names and yelled Get out of here! when she was travelling in a commuter train. On March 10, a 64-year-old Florida man tried to set an Indian-owned convenience store on fire because he thought the owners were Muslim. Indian-Americans and the Indian Diaspora are in distress and are concerned for the safety of their families as the racially motivated hate crimes have been perpetrated against them across the countries in form of gun violence, vandalism, and oral harassment shouting Go back to your country, the petition said. We have assembled here together to register our protest against recent hate crimes against Indian-Americans. The White House and the new President should acknowledge that the contribution of the Indian-American community, said Shreekanta Nayak, a community leader from Maryland. Puneet Ahluwalia, who was a member of the Trump Campaigns Asian-American Pacific Islanders Advisory community, said that it is time to show solidarity with the Indian-Americans in the country. We really want to appreciate what President Trump said condoning hate and violence. As a proud Republican, a proud American, I want to support my community members in raising awareness and bringing attention to the crimes or ignorance of a lot of people who are attacking Indian Americans and other minorities, Ahluwalia said. PTI Houston, March 20 Indian-Americans will honour a 24-year-old American who was injured while trying to intervene during a racially-motivated shooting in Kansas that left an Indian techie dead and another injured. Ian Grillot was injured when he tried to intervene in the shooting by a Navy veteran targetting Indians at a bar in Olathe, Kansas last month. Srinivas Kuchibhotla, 32, was killed and his colleague Alok Madasani was critically injured in the shooting. Grillot will be honoured as A True American Hero, at the 14th annual gala of Indian House Houston here on March 25. Without all the prayers and positive support from everybody, I wouldnt be doing as well as I am right now. Its been a blessing to be alive. I am looking forward to attend India House Gala event on March 25, in Houston, TX. You guys are wonderful and I thank you all for such a support, Grillot said. The annual Gala is the main fundraising event of the India House, with all proceeds going to the day to day community programmes and expansion of India House. We are privileged to honor Ian Grillot at our biggest event of the year. We invite all Houstonians to come, celebrate Ians true American spirit and support India Houses annual fundraising event, said Jiten Agarwal, Board Member and 2017 Gala Chair of India House. Guests of honour this year include many dignitaries including Indias Ambassador to the US Navtej Sarna, former US Ambassador to India David Mulford, former US Assistant Secretary of State Nisha Biswal, Mayor Sylvester Turner, Harris County Judge Ed Emmett and Master Chef Vikas Khanna. PTI Tribune News Service Jhajjar, March 20 All-India Jat Aarakshan Sangharsh Samiti (AIJASS) chief Yashpal Malik said that police officials were responsible for the violence and arson in Dhani Gopal village of Fatehabad district yesterday. Interacting with mediapersons after addressing Jat protesters at Rashalvala Chowk here today, Malik said that the samiti would file complaint against such officials for their misdeeds. He said that members of the Jat community were not at fault and the officials present at the spot started the violence after lobbing teargas shells. I shall be able to comment further over the issue after meeting the injured in the evening, said Malik. At least 18 police personnel, including DSP and two inspectors, suffered injuries and two police buses were set on fire when Jat agitators turned violent near Dhani Gopal village yesterday. About lifting of dharnas, Malik said a meeting of the AIJASS executive committee would be convened on March 26 to discuss the prevailing situation, feedback from the community members and response of the state government to their demands. The final call about the dharna will be taken at the meeting. However, the community members staging dharnas in the interior areas like Bawal, Nangal Choudhary and Palwal have been asked to take a decision about the dharna on their own, he maintained. Sushil Manav Tribune News Service Chandigarh, March 20 A day after Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar brokered peace with Jats, his partys MP Raj Kumar Saini on Monday questioned the wisdom of holding a joint press conference with quota leader Yashpal Malik when his men were attacking police in Fatehabad. The BJP MP from Kurukshetra said the country was asking if the government of the day has become so timid that they keep begging for peace even when its police force is being beaten up. Who would people look up to, for their safety and security, he questioned. Saini said he has been receiving calls since yesterday with people asking him these questions. Being a part of the ruling party I just want to humbly ask the state government that if the matters which are pending before the courts are to be decided by show of strength on roads, how people will have faith in the courts? Saini said. He said he was astonished that while Supreme Court has already once rejected reservation for Jats and now, the High Court is yet to give its verdict on it, assurance has been given to Malik that the government will include this in 9th Schedule of the Constitution after the court verdict. Given the fact that inclusion in the 9th Schedule involves several surveys, passage of it in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha and then its approval by the President of India, shall we assume that those who gave this assurance to Malik are bigger than the Parliament and the President? Saini said. He alleged that due to weakness shown by the government, Malik has been dictating terms day in day out. He said though Khap Panchayats had already discarded Malik, he has been thriving by misleading youths like those who attacked cops and media persons at Fatehabad yesterday. He said if the government meant what it promised to Jats, it is going to take unconstitutional steps and if it has done so only to buy time and avoid the march to Delhi, it is deceiving them and will have to face consequences. Saini said people can wait for development but safety and security of people is the prime duty of the government. He asked the government to take firm steps to bring to book those responsible for yesterdays attack and also speed up trials of those booked for February 2016 violence so that peoples faith in democratic set up is not shattered. Sushil Manav Tribune News Service Chandigarh, March 20 Director General of Police (DGP) KP Singh today said some anti-social elements carrying arms had mixed up with Jat agitators at Dhani Gopal in Fatehabad yesterday. They had attacked police personnel in which 18 cops, including a DSP and two inspectors, were injured. Singh, who visited Fatehabad today to meet the injured cops and take stock of the situation, said the miscreants attacked the police and mediapersons and also teased women cops who were on duty. Two women cops were also among those injured. He said he had met the cops and the three mediapersons injured yesterday and was relieved that none of them had suffered serious injuries. The DGP announced Class I certificates for all police personnel injured in the clash and an award of Rs 5,000 each for them as well as the injured mediapersons. The government would felicitate the cops for their bravery. The police will not spare anyone. The miscreants will be brought to book and stern action under the law will be taken against them, he said. Some persons had been named in the case registered while several unnamed persons had also been booked, the DGP said. He praised the police for acting with restraint and said had the police used excessive force due to the provocation, damage could have been greater. He had directed the SP to bear all expenses of the medical treatment of the injured. He would request the DC to compensate the mediapersons for the financial loss they had suffered, Singh added. The agitators had held three mediapersons hostages, snatched their mobiles, took out cash from their wallets and smashed their cameras in yesterdays incident. Tribune News Service New Delhi/Chandigarh, March 19 After a number of positive but inconclusive rounds of meetings with the Jat protesters of Haryana, the state government today finally managed to broker peace with the All India Jat Aarakshan Sangharsh Samiti, which decided to call off tomorrows choke Delhi and Parliament gherao programme. The truce was reached following a four-hour meeting of the AIJASS, led by Uttar Pradesh leader Yashpal Malik, with Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar and senior ministers of the Narendra Modi Cabinet, Ch Birender Singh and PP Chaudhry, at the Haryana Bhawan in New Delhi today. (Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd) The two sides arrived at an agreement for implementation of the demands of the Jat community. Later, an announcement to postpone the Dilli kooch karo (move to Delhi programme) was made in the national capital at a joint press conference conducted by Khattar and Malik. Malik said the AIJASS would wind up the double dharnas in districts in a couple of days while the executive of the AIJASS, scheduled for March 26, would decide how many dharnas will continue beyond that. We are satisfied with the assurance and will wind up most of the dharnas barring a few. These will be gradually wrapped up once the government starts meeting our demands, Malik stated. He, however, added that it will take him five-six days to meet all those participating in the ongoing protests in Haryana to convince them. Chief Minister Khattar announced that the Central government will commence the process of putting the Jat community on the list of reserved castes once the chairman of the National Backward Classes Commission is appointed. In Haryana, he said as and when the court case ends, the Jats will be included in the reservation list under Schedule 9. He was referring to the Indian Constitutions Schedule 9 which makes it immune from judicial intervention. The state will review all cases registered during the previous Jat reservation agitation (February 2016) and promised jobs for all those who were disabled during the last agitation, the CM said. He promised a probe against all those responsible for violence during the last agitation. In the national capital, 24,000 paramilitary personnel had been mobilised to maintain peace. Metro and road transport had been curtailed and several schools closed ahead of the stir. Deepender Deswal Tribune News Service Hisar, March 20 The Fatehabad police have registered two cases against Jat protesters for allegedly assaulting police personnel and mediapersons near Dhani Gopal village yesterday when the protesters went on rampage. The police have booked 46 persons and other unknown persons under Section 307 (attempt to murder) and 436 (mischief by fire or explosive substance with intent to destroy house) of the IPC and other sections of the Arms Act and the Damage to Public Property Act. While another case of assault, illegal confinement and dacoity was registered on the complaint of mediapersons who were attacked and robbed of their belongings while covering the incident. Fatehabad Superintendent of Police OP Narwal said that investigation had started in both the cases but no one had been arrested so far. The Jat protesters clashed with the police when they were barred from proceeding to the dharna site in Dhani Gopal village in tractors. Around 18 police personnel, including a DSP, were injured in the assault by the protesters. Three mediapersons were also assaulted and robbed of their cash and other belongings by confining them and damaged their equipment. Leaders of the All-India Jat Aarakshan Sangharsh Samiti (AIJASS) contacted the injured mediapersons for a meeting, but they refused to hold any discussion with the samiti. Fatehabad, March 20 Jat leaders demanded action against policemen who used force against peaceful protesters, inciting the violence. Seeking formation of a government panel to probe the violence, the All-India Jat Aarkashan Sangarsh Samiti (AIJASS) said the panel must identify errant police officers and punish them. AIJASS president Yashpal Malik said "some irresponsible officers are behind the clash that took place yesterday". "Some irresponsible officers used force against peaceful protesters in a wrong manner which should be probed by a committee of the government," he said. He claimed that Jat protesters were heading toward Delhi when some policemen attacked them in a well-planned strategy. He said the community would lodge a complaint against the officers. Besides, an application will also be submitted to the National Human Rights Commission on the issue, he said. Malik earlier met the injured people and enquired about their well-being. He said the symbolic sit-ins by the Jats at various places in Haryana would continue. Meanwhile, the Jats' protests continued in the state for the 51st day on Monday. The AIJASS is spearheading the ongoing quota stir in Haryana. Besides the reservation for the Jats in government jobs and educational institutions, their demands also include the release of those jailed during the last year's agitation, the withdrawal of cases slapped during the stir and the government jobs for the kin of those killed and injured in the agitation. Eighteen police personnel, including an SP and a DSP, were among 35 injured yesterday when the Jat protesters clashed with police on being prevented from marching towards Delhi. The protesters also allegedly set afire two police buses during the clash that took place in Dhani Gopal village on Sirsa-Hisar-Delhi national highway. PTI Sunit Dhawan Tribune News Service Rohtak, March 20 Members of the Jat community staging a protest at Jassia village in the district since January 29, have welcomed the agreement between the All-India Jat Aarakshan Sangharsh Samiti (AIJASS) and the government. The dharna committee has decided to celebrate Vijay Diwas here tomorrow. Agitators said that they were satisfied with the move to call off todays Delhi kooch plan and amicable settlement of the issue. We are satisfied with the settlement reached between the AIJASS leaders and the government and hope that the authorities concerned fulfil the promises made by them, said Narender of Sanghi village. Sukhbir of Bhaiyanpur Ladhaut village hailed that decision to call off the Delhi kooch plan, stating that it could have led to confrontation with the security forces. Rampal, Ashok and Bijender of Sunaria village also welcomed the move and agreement, though they maintained that certain points still needed to be cleared. They hoped that samiti leader Yashpal Malik, who is slated to attend the dharna tomorrow, would clarify all aspects. On the other hand, Dharampal of Makdauli village said the dharna would continue till the youths arrested during last years agitation were released from jails. Meanwhile, as per intelligence inputs, around 10,000 people are likely to gather at Jassia to attend the dharna tomorrow. The dharna is likely to continue though it will be more of a token protest after tomorrow. Sources maintained that several khap representatives and other community leaders were not happy as nothing concrete had been promised to members of the community. Hetq has revealed that no soldier injured during last years July 4 Day War on the Artsakh frontline has been treated abroad with assistance from the Armenian government, despite a series of official decisions that such aid would be forthcoming. On April 21, 2016, after fighting ceased in Artsakh, the government of Armenia passed Decision 410-N, specifying that soldiers injured during conflict would be treated abroad with government assistance. According to data provided Hetq by Armenias defense and health ministries, only three soldiers have received such assistance. In 2016, a mere 0.02% of Armenias national budget was allocated to cover medical expenses for two soldiers. To date, this year, one solider was sent abroad for medical treatment at a cost of 1.3 million AMD (US$ 2,689 at todays exchange rate). The three soldiers sent overseas received gunshot wounds while on military patrol duty in 2013 and 2014. For injured soldiers to be treated abroad at government expense, the government set up a committee of experts to evaluate each case. The committee includes specialists from the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Defense, and representatives from the National Security Service. When necessary, doctors treating an injured soldier are invited to participate in the evaluation. Rehabilitative treatment abroad, according to the government decision, is only permitted when such treatment is unavailable in Armenia. This was the clause cited by former health minister Armen Muradyan when asked why soldiers injured in the April 2016 conflict and being treated in Armenia werent being sent overseas. Armenias Ministry of Health says that 159 soldiers were injured in the 4 Day War. According to data received from the health ministry, it received only five applications for overseas treatment. Three were approved. The ministry refused to provide Hetq with the names of the soldiers turned down, arguing secrecy. The Ministry of Defense also only provided Hetq with the names of soldiers approved for medical treatment overseas. The three -Ashot Grigoryan, Mher Petrosyan and Ruzvelt Torosyan received gunshot wounds in 2013 and 2014 while on military patrol. In all, the government allocated some 28 million AMD ($57,909) to treat all three. In 2016, Grigoryan went to Russia, and Petrosyan to Germany. Torosyan went to Russia for treatment in 2017. The Ministry of Defense says that three soldiers injured during the April 2016 conflict are currently overseas. Two left with funds collected on their behalf and the third is being assisted by a charitable organization. Thats to say that the evaluation committee found that all three could be treated in Armenia, and thus refused them government aid. In their responses received from the health and defense ministries, the names of the soldiers now overseas due to fundraising arent mentioned. One of them is Arman Lazgiyan. Armans father, Mikayel, was finally able to get his son transferred to the Asklepiosklinik Barmbek Hamburg clinic in Germany. Despite being promised state aid by former health minister Armen Muradyan, Arman is being treated in Germany due to fundraising and charitable donations. Ruben Arakelyan, also injured during the 4 Day War is being treated at a Bonn hospital. He too hasnt received any state aid. Ruben and his mother Anahit travelled to Germany again due to charitable donations. Anahit told Hetq that a portion of her sons 100,000 Euro medical treatment was donated by government officials, out of their own pocket, and the rest came from individual donations. From left: Arman Lazgiyan and Ruben Arakelyan in Germany Parents of the two soldiers believe that being treated overseas has produced positive results. Mikayel Lazgiyan says his son is improving daily. Anahit wonders whether such treatment is available in Armenia, since it requires state of the art equipment. Ruben Arakelyan now uses an electric wheelchair for mobility and can now move his hand. He couldnt while being treated in Armenia. The parents say they are not inclined to raise the issue of the lack of state assistance for their sons. Theyve raised the necessary funds and the rehabilitation process is underway. The lack of state aid, however, left Anahit at the mercy of a mediating agency to organize travel to Germany for her and her son. She told Hetq the entire process was like entering a den of thieves. Hetq will provide details at a later date. Top photo courtesy of Hakob Poghosyan Tribune News Service Chandigarh/Kurukshetra, March 20 A day after Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar brokered peace with Jats, BJP MP from Kurukshetra Raj Kumar Saini today questioned the wisdom of holding a joint press conference with Jat leader Yashpal Malik when his men were attacking the police in Fatehabad. If governments become so timid that they keep begging for peace even when its police force is beaten up, who could people look up to for their safety and security? he questioned. Being part of the ruling party, I just want to ask the state government that if the matters that are pending before courts are to be decided by a show of strength on roads, how will people have faith in justice? said Saini. He said he was astonished that while the Supreme Court had already rejected reservation for the Jats and the High Court was yet to give its verdict, assurance has been given to Malik that the government would include this in the Ninth Schedule of the Constitution after the court verdict. Given the fact that inclusion in the Ninth Schedule involves several surveys and approval by the President, shall we assume that those who gave this assurance to Malik are bigger than Parliament and the President? he questioned. The MP alleged that due to the weakness shown by the government, Malik had been behaving as law unto himself. He said though khap panchayats had already discarded Malik, he had been thriving by misleading youth like those who attacked the police and mediapersons in Fatehabad yesterday. He said Mailk had several cases pending against him in Haryana and his team had created an atmosphere of insecurity by holding protests across the state. The MP said Malik should have been taken into custody and not allowed to hold meeting with the government. A section of the bureaucracy was working to mislead the CM to ensure supremacy of a particular caste, he alleged. Saini demanded the state government to release caste-wise population data and their respective share in the government jobs. Rights of constitutionally recognised OBCs cannot be allowed to be infringed under arm twisting tactics of a section of society, he said. Azhar Qadri Tribune News Service Srinagar, March 20 National Conference president Farooq Abdullah filed his nomination papers on Monday for the upcoming parliamentary byelection to the Srinagar constituency as he continued to hit out at the BJP and warned it of a storm if the countrys multi-religious character was threatened. Farooq filed his papers at the District Election Office here. He has been fielded jointly by the National Conference and the Congress as the two parties agreed to a pre-poll alliance. The 79-year-old Farooq was accompanied by his son and former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, Congress state president Ghulam Ahmad Mir, who is the alliances candidate for south Kashmirs Anantnag constituency, and Tariq Hameed Karra, whose resignation from the Lok Sabha and the PDP last year necessitated the bypoll. Karra joined the Congress last month. Farooq had lost the 2014 parliamentary election to Karra from the Srinagar constituency. Farooq has twice represented Srinagar in the Lok Sabha, first in 1980 and then in 2009. Immediately after filing the papers, Farooq along with other leaders headed to the partys headquarters at the Nawa-e-Subh complex, where he addressed a large gathering of workers and leaders of the two parties. The NC president urged the workers of the two parties to work together to defeat the enemy. This will be a tough election, they (coalition) will use every excuse, Farooq said. The former parliamentarian warned that any change to the countrys multi-religious character would ignite a storm. We have to protect not only this state but also the entire country from the fire that is raging. This country belongs to everyone, not to one religion, but to every religion, he said. We are connected till this country remains everyones and if it does not remain so then God knows what storm will come, the NC leader said. Farooq said it was now up to the young leaders to save not only Jammu and Kashmir, but also India and Pakistan. Our Kashmir will not survive till India and Pakistan become friends. All leaders will have to work for it. It shall happen when this alliance will also take place inside our hearts, he said. Country belongs to all We have to protect not only this state but also the entire country from the fire that is raging. This country belongs to everyone, not to one religion, but to every religion. We are connected till this country remains everyones and if it does not remain so then God knows what storm will come. Farooq Abdullah, NC President Arteev Sharma Tribune News Service Jammu, March 20 In a startling revelation, University of Jammu (JU) Vice Chancellor Prof Ramji Dass Sharma has said the selection of nearly 800 people without a proper and fair selection procedure by his predecessors has blocked the fresh recruitment of meritorious manpower for the next 25 years. The VC has flagged the issue of unfair recruitments made on the campus in the past 12-15 years on a social media site in the wake of the ongoing strike of about 1,600 non-teaching and non-gazetted employees of the university. The strike entered the 18th consecutive day today and has crippled the functioning of the university. The strike has put the varsity administration in a tight spot in view of ending of the financial year, crucial meetings of top bodies and with the JU convocation fixed on April 8. Casting aspersions on the unfair selection procedure adopted by his predecessors, the VC has tried to give a clean chit to the selected people, saying these 800 people are not responsible for such unfair recruitment. According to sources, a number of selections, including for the posts of assistant professors, were made on considerations other than merit. Besides, relatives and family members of university staff were accommodated on the campus in utter violation of prescribed norms. ..I feel extremely very sorry for such a situation but 10-15-year-old complicated issues take time to be resolved in the manner prescribed and not on pressures as we are a state-funded university being run on tax paid by the masses. We have already put in the process of regularising about 800 people selected in the JU about 12-15 years ago without a proper and fair selection procedure, the VC said in his post on Facebook. He said the regularisation of 800 persons selected through the unfair procedure was being done just to meet a bigger social responsibility of saving the future of the children of those selected. This in fact debars the JU to recruit fresh hands on merit for the next 12-15 years as such excess unfair selection already done is being adjusted against posts falling vacant in days to come, thus virtually pushing the university about 25 years backward in terms of recruiting meritorious manpower. In the past 15 years, Prof Amitabh Mattoo, who is currently the Advisor to the Chief Minister, has served as the Vice Chancellor of the university from 2002 to 2008. He was succeeded by Prof Varun Sahni (from 2008 to 2012) and Prof Mohan Paul Singh Ishar (from 2012 to 2014). Though these 800 people are not, in anyway, responsible for such unfair recruitment as they might have understood that the way they were getting adjusted could have been perceived only the procedure prescribed in JU and that is why half of them have already been regularised and rest were in the regularisation process, the VC said without expressing any intent of ordering a probe into the excess unfair selections. The VC said the university could not afford to spoil the future of about 1,30,000 students in Jammu province just on account of the strike. Tribune News Service Srinagar, March 20 Nazir Ahmad Khan of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) today filed his nomination for the Srinagar parliamentary seat. The byelection is scheduled for April 9 in the constituency. Nazir was accompanied by senior PDP leaders Muzaffar Hussain Baig and Imran Ansari during the filing of nomination papers before Returning Officer Farooq Ahmad Lone. Immediately after filing the nomination, party leaders hit out at NC leader Farooq Abdullah and Kashmiri separatists. Farooq is a discredited politician, Nazir said. Farooq is the NC-Congress alliance candidate for the Srinagar Lok Sabha seat. The PDP candidate claimed that when he contested the Beerwa Assembly elections in 2014 he had won the polls. However, Omar Abdullah was announced as the winner. Later at a rally at party headquarters, Nazir said Abdullahs of Kashmir had ruined everyone from Pakistan to Hurriyat to mainstream politicians from time to time. He (Farooq) is now contesting with the support of the Congress. The NC should admit that it is handicapped to contest the polls alone, he said. The NC is a discredited party, which has always taken the interests of people and the state for granted for the sake of power. Time and again, the NC has made compromises and it is now a group of a few individuals with no specific and clear agenda. The only thing the party wants is to grab power and for that it will go to any extent. Lashing out at the Hurriyat, Baig said, They have built homes on the graves of young people. He said the PDP-BJP government could not do much during the past two years mainly due to the death of Mufti Mohammad Sayeed and later due to the unrest. However, we have four years and will ensure the work is done, he said, adding that any delay in the implementation of the peace and development was only due to uncongenial atmosphere and unfortunate happenings ever since the party formed the government. Baig also welcomed Imran Ansari, who had resigned from the state Cabinet. Tribune News Service Srinagar, March 20 The All Parties Sikh Coordination Committee (APSCC) today urged the Centre and the state government to initiate a fresh probe into the Chattisinghpora massacre. In a statement, APSCC chairman Jagmohan Singh Raina urged the government to go in for a fresh probe into the incident. He regretted that even after 17 years, the people, especially the Sikh community of the Valley, were still waiting for the justice to 35 Sikhs who were massacred on this day in 2000 at Chattisinghpora in south Kashmir. It is unfortunate that the government is maintaining silence on the issue which was highlighted throughout the world. We shall not rest till the real culprits of the massacre are brought to justicethe government should allow the Justice Pandan Commission to conduct further investigation in the incident as the Brackpura and Chattisinghpora cases are interlinked, he added. Pointing out that the Central Government had blamed separatist militants for the massacre, Raina said: But the questions still remain unanswered. According to the police, nearly 20 unidentified gunmen carried out the massacre at Chattisinghpora and so far only five have been caught and killed, which was later proved wrong. The persons massacred which the police claimed to be militants were actually innocent residents of Brackpura, proved by the judicial inquiry of the Justice Pandan Commission. He added that the people in Kashmir were questioning whether the men killed on that day were actually involved in the Chattisinghpora killings or not as the police have failed to produce any hard evidence regarding their involvement. Raina also regretted that promises made by politicians in the past had not been fulfilled. After the killing of innocent Sikhs, the then Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah publicly assured that the culprits will be arrested soon as they were having some clue and assured of all the assistance needed by the Sikhs of Kashmir. But to date, the promise has proven to be a hoax, he said. Mona The year 2017 started on a rather high note for celebrated classical musician Salil Bhatt. He began with receiving and restoring Mohan Veena, his guru and father Pandit Vishwa Mohan Bhatts creation. A warrior from the bygone era, is how Salil refers to this veena, but he was pretty miffed that it lay unkempt, uncared for in a private collection. It took three years of co-ordination, for father and son, to give it a new lease of life. The Satvik veena player, who came calling to Chandigarh on the invite of Pracheen Kala Kendra, shares excerpts from his journey so far. Can you tell us about your association with the Pracheen Kala Kendra? I share a long and strong bond with Pracheen Kala Kendra. The Kendra introduced first my father, I and then my son Satvik to Chandigarh audiences and I respect them for that. Not only is the Kendra one of the premier institutes in the country, its also my second home. It is sheer hard work of Guru Ma Shobha Koser and late Guru Madan Lal Koser that each year as many as three lakh students take the classical music exams. Now that Mohan Veena is under your due care, how does it make you feel? Did getting it back create any unpleasantness between you and Panditji? I share a very formal relationship with my father; he is more my Guru and even when addressing him I use Guru Ji, Pandit Ji or Baap Ji Huqm words, according to our Rajasthani culture! I felt for a while that Guru Ji (that he corrected me later that I was wrong) wasnt giving due importance to my request. The entire coordination took us three years. Mohan Veena is not just a unique instrument that my Guru Ji made from a German guitar, but carries a legacy, as it kept him company for long 35 years. Half a century old, it was in a jarred shape when I received it, but restoring it to working condition was a creative and fulfilling process. Now that I have this piece of virasat with me, I am happy. Whats year 2017 planned like? By Gods grace and Guru Jis blessings, I have been touring for concerts. Thats what I dreamt of! Since January I have been travelling almost each day, except for a week when I was unwell. From Chandigarh, I am back to Delhi, then Patna for Bihar State Day, followed by Jaipur, then concerts in Shimla and Assam. I am totally criss-crossing the country and loving the process. Do you still drive your modified Scorpio to your concerts? Driving remains one of my passions, but now I have an assistant to back me when I get too tired. I loved the way I have modified my SUV for there arent many modes of transport that I am comfortable with at my six feet four inches frame. How has the classical music scene changed in our country from when you started? This is the golden era of classical music. Gone is the cliched for the classes and not masses. You should see how people are pouring-in for our concerts and that sure is heartening for the artistes. Any dreams left unfulfilled? Like any artiste, I too dream of reaching heights. I also dream of a house where I can have everything a mini-auditorium, a theatre and more. It would be lovely to own a sprawling place in Delhi. What is your message to young musicians? Compared to 50 or 100 years back, today you have everything in your palm just a click way. Think of the time as students waited for years to be instructed by their Gurus! Value what you have. Also, everyone must visit and listen to our rich classical music with the same passion as we follow western music. mona@tribunemail.com Satya Prakash Tribune News Service New Delhi, March 20 Realtor Gopal Ansal on Monday told the Supreme Court that he had filed a mercy petition before President Pranab Mukherjee requesting him to pardon his one-year sentence in the 1997 Uphaar tragedy case. Fifty-nine people had died of asphyxia during the screening of Bollywood blockbuster Border on June 13, 1997. On behalf of Gopal Ansal, senior advocate Ram Jethmalani requested a three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice JS Khehar to stay the order for his surrender later in the day as he had filed a mercy petition before the President under Article 72 of the Constitution. (Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd) Jethmalani said since the President was not available, the bench should waive the rules of procedure and stay his surrender during pendency of his mercy petition. But the CJI told him to go to the President. How can we grant you injunction? Justice Khehar asked Jethmalani. When the senior counsel asked the bench to at least ask the President to expedite his decision on the mercy petition, the bench shot back: How can we tell the President? After his last-ditch effort failed, Gopal will have to surrender by Monday evening to serve the remainder of his sentence at Tihar Jail. The Supreme Court had on March 9 dismissed Gopal Ansals plea for modification of its February 9 order asking him to surrender in four weeks to serve the one-year sentence. A bench headed by Justice Ranjan Gogoi had ordered him to surrender on March 20 to serve the remainder of his sentence. On behalf of Gopal, senior counsel Ram Jethmalani had said he deserved a clean acquittal but I am asking only for parity with his brother--a co-convict who was spared a jail term. Jethmalani had argued that Gopal was surviving on charity and deserved to be given parity with his brother as his health condition had worsened. But the court wasnt convinced. 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 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. Amaravati, March 20 The ruling Telugu Desam Party on Monday dealt a blow to the opposition YSR Ccongress winning three seats of the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Council in the biennial elections from the Local Authorities Constituencies (LACs). With this, the TDP makes a clean sweep of all the nine council seats from LACs that went to polls recently. The TDP nominees defeated YSRC candidates in Kadapa, Kurnool and SPS Nellore LACs, for which elections were held on March 17. The counting was taken up on Monday. With this, the TDP has won all the nine Council seats from LACs, having already got its candidates elected unopposed from six LACs that went to polls earlier. These are Srikakulam, East Godavari, West Godavari (two seats), Anantapuramu and Chittoor LACs. Members of Panchayat Raj institutions and urban local bodies form the electorate in LACs. The biggest shock for the YSRC came from its stronghold Kadapa where its candidate YS Vivekananda Reddy was defeated by TDPs B Ravi by a margin of 34 votes. Vivekananda is uncle of YSRC president YS Jaganmohan Reddy and had earlier served as an MP, MLC and MLA for many terms. Kadapa is their home turf but the TDP, rather unexpectedly, got the better of Vivekananda. Stung by the defeat, the YSRC alleged that the ruling party purchased voters by spending over Rs 200 crore. Chandrababu (TDP supremo and Chief Minister) has become an expert in buying votes and he excelled in it in this election, Jagan said, as news about the defeat of his uncle came. Is this (buying votes) a victory? he asked. In Kurnool, TDPs sitting MLC Silpa Chakrapani Reddy got re-elected defeating Gouru Venkat Reddy of YSRC by a margin of 56 votes. In Nellore, Vakati Narayana Reddy, a who crossed over to TDP from the Congress, retained his LAC seat defeating Anam Vijaykumar Reddy of YSRC by a margin of 87 votes. The TDP heaved a sigh of relief after the results as the party feared of a possible cross-voting in Nellore. The victory reflected the good performance of the government. It also denoted the growing strength of the party in the Rayalaseema region, TDP state president K Kala Venkata Rao said. Two of the incumbent MLCs will retire on March 29, while the term of seven others will end on May 1 which necessitated the biennial election. PTI New Delhi, March 20 The two Indian clerics, including the head priest of Hazrat Nizamuddin Dargah, who went missing in Pakistan last week, returned here today. Syed Asif Nizami and his nephew Nazim Ali Nizami were welcomed at the airport by their family members and a group of well wishers. (Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd) Amir Nizami, son of Asif Nizami who is the head priest (Sajjadanashin) of Hazrat Nizamuddin Aulia Dargah, thanked the Indian government for its intervention in ensuring the return of his father and Ali Nizami. "Both are fine. We care thankful to the Indian Government for all the support in securing their return," Amir told PTI. The two clerics did not speak to the waiting media. Ibrahim Nizami, grandson of the 80-year-old head priest, said special prayers will be offered today at the Nizamuddin Dargah to "thank the almighty" for their return. Asif Nizami and Nazim Ali Nizami had gone to Lahore on March 8 but went missing in the middle of last week following which India took up the issue with Islamabad. The main purpose of the visit of Asif to Pakistan was to see his sister in Karachi. On Saturday, Pakistan had conveyed to India that the clerics were traced and had reached Karachi. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj had taken up the issue with Pakistan Prime Minister's Adviser on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz and requested him to trace the missing clerics. Yesterday, Swaraj had spoken to Asif Nizami and said they were safe. According to Pakistani media reports, both clerics had been in "interior Sindh where there was no communication network" and that is why they could not inform their relatives about their whereabouts. Earlier, Pakistani sources had said the two clerics were in the custody of Pakistan's intelligence agency over their alleged links with the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM). They were offloaded from Karachi-bound Shaheen Airlines on March 14 at the Allama Iqbal International Airport, Lahore, the Pakistani sources had said. PTI Satya Prakash Tribune News Service New Delhi, March 20 The Election Commission of India has supported the idea of debarring convicted politicians from forming a political outfit and becoming a party office bearer, saying it would help to clean up the political system. In an affidavit filed in the Supreme Court, the Election Commission also favoured setting up special courts to try the cases involving politicians and bureaucrats. If the top court accepts these suggestions and issues orders accordingly, convicted politicians such as RJD supremo Lalu Prasad and Indian National Lok Dal leader Om Prakash Chautala can no longer hold any position in their respective party. The Election Commission said its recommendations for de-criminalisation of politics were pending with the Law Ministry. It has also suggested a host of other measures, including making paid news an electoral offence, proscribing political advertisements 48 hours before polls and amendment in the election law to check bribing of voters and enforcing the limit of election expense. These suggestions have been filed by the commission in response to a PIL seeking the courts direction to the government and the commission for electoral reforms to rid the political system of criminal elements. The commission, however, said it could not prescribe minimum educational qualifications and a retirement age for a politician, saying it was beyond its purview as it fell in the domain of the legislature. Petitioner Ashwani Upadhyaya a BJP leader wanted the court to issue orders to ban convicted politicians from contesting polls for life, forming a political party and becoming its officer. He has also demanded setting up of special courts to try politicians and bureaucrats facing criminal cases. Upadhayaya contended there should be some minimum educational qualification for contesting polls and a retirement age for politicians. He demanded implementation of recommendations of the Law Commission and Justice Venkatachaliah Commission on electoral reforms. Satya Prakash Tribune News Service New Delhi, March 20 Chief Justice of India JS Khehar today said the Memorandum of Procedure (MoP) for appointment of Judges had been cleared and that vacancies of Judges in High Courts would be filled expeditiously. This comes 15 months after the tussle between the NDA government and the apex courts collegium over certain issues in the MoP, including rejection of appointments on grounds of national security. Hearing PILs on judicial vacancies and pendency, CJI Khehar said the vacancies were being filled on a war footing. (Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd) The CJI, heading a three-Judge Bench, said: Things will come in the open quickly. The Bench disposed of the PILs, saying a committee consisting of all Chief Justices of High Courts had been constituted to look into judicial vacancies. It referred some of the PILs to the committee. The CJIs predecessor, Justice TS Thakur, had blasted the government several times over the delay in clearing judicial appointments. The Bench noted that the top court had recently passed detailed directions for filling vacancies in subordinate courts. However, it turned down the petitioners demand to direct the government to increase the number of posts of High Court Judges, saying the existing vacancies had to be filled first. It said 25 per cent of the Judges strength had been increased recently. A few steps had already been taken Judges had been appointed in the top court as also CJs in High Courts the CJI said. The government and the judiciary had been at loggerheads over judicial appointments ever since a Constitution Bench in October 2015 declared the NJAC Act, which gave some say to the executive in the Judges appointment, as unconstitutional. There was a breakthrough after both sides ceded some ground to the other. While the collegium accepted the governments demand to include a clause on national security in the MoP, the latter agreed that the former would have the last word. On the issue of an independent secretariat, both sides are said to have budged from their stated stand, and now there will be a secretariat but not exactly in terms of the December 2015 Supreme Court verdict. Meanwhile, the number of vacancies in High Courts has crossed more than 45 per cent. The apex court had revived the collegium system of judicial appointments put in place in 1993. However, it admitted that there were lacunae in the system. Later in December 2015, it delivered another verdict recommending steps to make the collegium system transparent. It said the MoP for appointment of Judges should be redrafted in consultation with the Centre. Melbourne, March 20 In an apparent racist attack, a Catholic priest of Indian heritage was stabbed in the neck at a church in Melbourne by a man who called him unqualified to say mass as he was an Indian. A man armed with a knife approached Kerala-based Tomy Kalathoor Mathew, 48, in the church foyer moments before the Italian-language mass at St Matthew's Parish in Fawkner yesterday. (Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd) It's believed that the offender told the priest that because he was Indian, he must be a Hindu or a Muslim and therefore unqualified to say mass, local media reported. "There was some shouting and a lot of movement at the back of the church and then I saw Father Tommy coming to approach me. He waved me over and asked me if I could look at his neck because he said 'I've just been stabbed'," said Melina, one of the parishioners. A 72-year-old man from Fawkner was arrested and charged with intentionally and recklessly causing injury. He was bailed to appear in Broadmeadows Magistrates' Court on June 13. "At this stage, we believe the incident is isolated. There's nothing to suggest he's a danger to anyone else," Detective Senior Constable Rhiannon Norton told reporters. Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne spokesman Shane Healy described the incident as "appalling". "People should never be treated like this. This fellow is doing wonderful work for his parishioners and this is really a blight on the great work that many, many Catholic priests are doing," he said. Father Tomy Mathew suffered minor upper-body injuries and remains in a stable condition at The Northern Hospital. Vicar General Monsignor Greg Bennet said the priest was doing well in the hospital and wanted to get back to work soon. PTI Simran Sodhi Tribune News Service New Delhi, March 20 Even as Indian officials sat down with their Pakistani counterparts to hold a meeting of the Indus Water Commission in Lahore today, two other parallel movements threatened to raise tension again. Sources in the government said as far as the Indus talks were concerned, Pakistan, in private, expressed happiness at the fact that the talks were finally happening. It is also being seen as a positive development in the India-Pak narrative that has seen only tension in the last one year. (Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd) A 10-member delegation from India arrived in Lahore today to hold talks. The Indian delegation is led by Indias Indus Water Commissioner PK Saxena and comprises Ministry of External Affairs officials and technical experts. The Pakistan delegation will be headed by Mirza Asif Saeed. However, two parallel movements threatened to raise tension again. One: The two Sufi clerics who went missing in Pakistan last week today accused a Pakistani daily for the drama as it ran the news that the two were working for the Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW) and Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM). Syed Asif Nizami and Nazim Ali Nizami, the two clerics of the Nizamuddin Dargah, alleged they were detained by Pakistans law enforcement agency for questioning based on the untrue report run by a newspaper Ummat. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj had to step in and take up the issue with Pakistan PMs Adviser on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz. Secondly: Indias Deputy High Commissioner in Pakistan JP Singh was today summoned in Islamabad over alleged unprovoked firing by Indian troops in the Kotli area along the LoC on March 17. Thiruvananthapuram, March 20 Human rights activist Irom Sharmila, who had a disastrous debut in the Manipur Assembly polls, on Monday said people of her home state are "hypnotised" by money and muscle power of electoral politics. Sharmila, who is in Kerala for a month-long sojourn, said she would no more be in electoral politics but would continue her fight for the repeal of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) by gaining support from people across the country. At a meet-the-press programme organised by Kerala Union of Working Journalists, she welcomed the lifting of economic blockade in Manipur imposed by the United Naga Council. "Our experience following blockade is that political parties benefit (out of it)...on the other side, people were suffering...Now it has been lifted," she said. Asked whether she was welcoming the lifting of the economic blockade, in force for the past 150 days, she said "why not?" On a question that if the new government in Manipur was committed to the cause or just playing politics on the issue, she said "it is positive". Sharmila also wanted her newly-floated People's Resurgence and Justice Alliance (PRAJA) party to flourish and progress in the home state. "Our people in Manipur are already hypnotised by the system of money and muscle power based electoral politics....," she said. On whether she was disappointed with her defeat and garnering only 90 votes in the recently concluded assembly elections, she said, "Politics is parts and parcel of our life... but though I know nothing about it, I dedicated my ability, sincerity and sense of responsibility towards the betterment of society. "People let me down and I am really shattered. If you (people) do not want me involved in politics and do not want to use your right to choose correctly, then let it be," said Sharmila, who was on a fast for the past 16 years against AFPSA before contesting the elections. Talking about the new BJP government in Manipur, she said, "I have no more opinion on BJP and Congress...two powerful...most corrupt parties." On her meeting with Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and ruling CPI(M) state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan here today, Sharmila said she was overwhelmed by the support offered by them for her cause. "They assured helping me to fight against the draconian law (AFPSA)," she said. Sharing her experiences in Kerala, a smiling Sharmila said she saw the sea for the first time after she came to the state. She arrived in the state last week and is planning to spend nearly a month in Attappadi, a tribal settlement in Palakkad district. PTI Satya Prakash Tribune News Service New Delhi, March 20 Chief Justice of India JS Khehar on Monday said the Memorandum of Procedure (MoP) for appointment of judges had finally been cleared and vacancies of judges in high courts would be filled expeditiously. This comes after 15 months of tussle between the NDA government and the top courts collegium over some tricky issues in the MoP, including rejection of appointments on grounds of national security. (Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd) During hearing of PILs on judicial vacancies and pendency, CJI Khehar said filling of judicial vacancies was being done on a war footing. The CJI--who was heading a three-judge bench--said, Things will come in the open quickly. The bench disposed of the PILs, saying a committee consisting of all chief justices of high courts had been constituted to look into judicial vacancies. It referred some of the PILs to the committee. It noted that the top court had recently passed detailed directions for filling up subordinate court vacancies. However, it turned down petitioners demand to direct the government to increase the number of posts of judges in high courts, saying the existing vacancies had to be filled first. It said 25 per cent of the judges strength was recently increased. A few steps have already been taken... the CJI said. The government and the judiciary had been at loggerheads over judicial appointments ever since a Constitution Bench declared the NJAC Act--which gave some say to the Executive in judges' appointments--unconstitutional in October 2015. But a breakthrough was achieved after both the sides ceded some ground to the other. While the collegium accepted the governments demand to include a clause on national security in the MoP, the latter had to agree that the former would have the last word on it. As the government and judiciary indulged in a slugfest over MoP, the number of vacancies in high courts has crossed more than 45 per cent. Out of the close to 1,100 posts of judges in 24 high courts, around 500 were lying vacant. Three of the 31 posts in SC were also vacant. The SC had revived the collegium system of judicial appointments put in place by a judicial order in 1993 under which top judges of the Supreme Court appoint judge to the SC and high courts. However, it admitted that there were lacunae in the collegium system that needed to be rectified. Later in December 2015, the same Constitution Bench delivered another verdict that recommended measures to make the collegium system transparent. It said the Memorandum of Procedure for appointment of judges should be redrafted in consultation with the government. But the issue has been hanging fire for two years as the government and the collegium had failed to reach a consensus on the contentious issue. The government wanted to have public interest and national security as grounds for rejection of names for judgeship which was not acceptable to the collegium. Last month, the Supreme Court had said it would finalise the MoP soon. Justice Khehars predecessor Justice TS Thakur had blasted the government several times over delay in clearing judicial appointments. New Delhi, March 20 The United States had conveyed to India that there was no significant change in H1B visa regime, Commerce Minister Nirmala Sitharaman told the Lok Sabha today. Replying to questions from MPs over reported job losses to Indians after the Donald Trump regime-enforced change in visa rules, Sitharaman said the government was in constant touch at several levels with the US administration. She said even she had raised the issue recently with visiting Congressional delegation led by Bob Goodlatte, and so did commerce and foreign secretaries during their visit to the US in March-first week. (Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd) The Minister said Indias concerns on visa issues were articulated during the Strategic and Commerce Dialogue 2016 and Trade Policy Forum 2016 held in October last. She said India had decided to continue their engagement on visa issues and reiterated their shared resolve to facilitate the movement of professionals. Sitharaman said a number of industry bodies had raised concerns on US visa policies and these concerns were conveyed to the US authorities by the government. The minister said the US monitored the policies of 73 countries and India may be one of them. TNS Jupinderjit Singh Tribune News Service Chandigarh, March 20 Dismantling the police structure put in place by the SAD-BJP government, the Capt Amarinder Singh-led Congress government in Punjab today ordered the end of the controversial halqa in-charge system that had enabled Akali leaders to influence police functioning in their Assembly constituencies. Edit: Well begun At a meeting with senior officers here, Amarinder said the DCs, SSPs, SDMs and area SHOs would be held accountable for any failure to check drugs, corruption and mafia in their jurisdictions. Making clear that he meant business, Amarinder said he was aware of complaints of corruption against field officers holding various ranks, including that of DSP and SHO. These directions come amid growing disquiet among Congress leaders who want police officials who were favoured by the earlier SAD-BJP dispensation to be shifted. These leaders have reportedly met the CM against the officers posted in Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Khanna and Patiala. An IG-rank official, known as Jathedar IG, continues to hold an important posting, pointed out one of them. (Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd) Also, officers who had manhandled Congress leaders in Ludhiana during a Chitta Ravana protest, have been posted back in the district. Two officers, known to be close to the Akalis, are heading the district police as SSP. Sources said the CM was yet to take a call on the matter, adding that he usually stood by his decisions. Already, the CM has shown faith in the DGP, Suresh Arora, who was appointed to the post by the earlier government, disregarding the fact that the husband of one of his party MLAs was a candidate for the post. Aman Sood Tribune News Service Patiala, March 20 Travelling on a road leading to the houses of Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh and his Cabinet colleague Brahm Mohindra makes for one bumpy ride, thanks to potholed roads. Besides the CM and Brahm Mohindra, two more ministers hail from the city. The road from Theekriwala Chowk to New Moti Bagh Palace was repaired a few times during the SAD-BJP tenure in the past 10 years, but was never relaid. The stretch was last spruced up during the Capt Amarinders government when the city hosted the India-Pakistan Games in December 2004. Funds meant for the district were always diverted to Bathinda. The past 10 years saw no development. My government will ensure that the city is brought back on the path of development, Capt Amarinder had said while canvassing in Patiala in January. On the evening of March 13, when Capt Amarinder reached his house after winning the elections, a battery of ministers, workers, bureaucrats and heads of departments came from across the state to congratulate him. They were, however, surprised to see the state of the road. Paucity of funds with the Local Bodies Department was said to be the reason for repairing or relaying only a few roads in Patiala during the past SAD-BJP rule, claimed Improvement Trust former chairman KK Sharma, a confidant of the royal family. It is hoped things will change when Capt Amarinder visits for the first time as the Chief Minister. His first visit is pending and we hope that the work will start soon, he said, adding that development of the city is governments priority. The condition of roads across the district is bad, with the Municipal Corporation (MC) and the Public Works Department claiming shortage of funds. Substandard work is the reason for the poor state of the roads, a Congress worker said. The MC will soon start the patchwork on all roads in the city. There are certain issues pertaining to relaying of roads. The civic body will take up the matter soon, said MC Commissioner Gurpal Chahal. Saurabh Malik Tribune News Service Chandigarh, March 20 Inching towards expeditious disposal of cases, the Punjab Government has decided to approach the Punjab and Haryana High Court for taking up batch-matters or similar cases on Saturdays. The state has also decided to cut down unnecessary litigation and file an appeal only where legal issues of significance or magnitude are involved. Besides this, Advocate General Atul Nanda has been holding interactive sessions with the district attorneys for providing effective assistance to the subordinate courts. Emphasis is also being laid on scientific methods of investigations for securing justice to the victims of offence or implication. One of the first moves of the government is to identify similar cases, particularly in service matters, that can be decided by the Bench together. For the purpose, Nanda says he will be holding consultations with the Chief Justice and the Judges. The feasibility of taking up such cases on Saturdays will also be discussed, he added. On dealing with criminal cases expeditiously, Nanda quotes the example of rape to say the investigation, more often than not, is over within 10 days. But the final investigation report or challan is presented on the 89th day to prevent the concession of default bail and that too without the forensic science laboratory report as the same is awaited. The delay in conclusion of the trial is detrimental to the interest of the victim as the possibility of witnesses turning hostile over a period of time increases. The victim of implication, on the other hand, has to undergo life behind bars without conviction and social stigma till acquittal. The AG office is working with the police and the home department for fast-tracking such reports. His assertion is significant as the High Court had already said: Accused keep on languishing in jail due to non-receipt of FSL report by the investigating agency. This inordinate delay leads to violation of Article 21 of the Constitution. A HC judgment also says the police report in several drug cases is not presented within the statutory period or even during the extended period granted by the courts. The explanation offered is delay in receiving forensic reports. Nanda adds that the district attorneys too are being further sensitised as one of the ways on cutting down litigation to provide justice at the very first instance. This is the first time an AG is meeting district attorneys. The intention is to provide justice in the subordinate courts as cases will not culminate into appeals. In any case, not everyone can afford filing appeals, he pointed out. THE Indian Opinion publishes a letter by Mr. P.K. Desai who describes a scene on board a steamship which was conveying him and other Indian passengers from Durban to Bombay recently. Before the ship sailed two officers went on it to arrest two Indians for having gold coins in their possession. It was represented to the authorities that every Indian passenger had gold coins which they knew was unlawful, but for personal use. The officer seized the gold and marched the whole lot to the court, but on second thoughts, he brought them back to the steamer and persuaded them to take 35 each in gold and the rest in treasury notes which would be cashed at Bombay by a bank. Tribune News Service Mussoorie, March 20 Members of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidhyarthi Parishad (ABVP), the student wing of the BJP, met the newly appointed state Cabinet Minister Dhan Singh and asked him to introduce new professional courses such as hotel management and B.Lib for poor students, who attend the Municipal Post Graduate College in Mussoorie. They also demanded stopping of the encroachment on the college land in the town and construction of a play ground on the college land. The delegation was led by ABVP college union president Abhilash and Sapna. They also demanded a grant of Rs 10 lakh for the library. Tribune News Service Mussoorie, March 20 In order to give clear message to people that the newly-elected BJP government meant business, state minister Dhan Singh Rawat (portfolio still awaited) wielded the broom and clean the Mall under the Swachh Bharat campaign being led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Mussoorie today. Dr Dhan Singh Rawat, after paying homage to martyrs at Shaheed Sthal here, carried out the cleanliness drive on Mall Road, right from Shaheed Sthal to Library Chowk, a stretch of one kilometre along with Mussoorie MLA Ganesh Joshi and other public representatives from the town. The minister also visited the public toilet at the Mussoorie Library bus stand and was apprised by the people that the services were not available to tourists as the toilet was locked most of the time. The minister, taking cognizance of the matter, directed Executive Officer DS Rana to re-open public toilets in one week. He also directed the SDM and other government officials to ensure that the people-friendly activities of party workers were given due importance. He advised the officials to work like a 24-carat diamond which meant service of the people 24 hours and that too with transparency. Later at a function, he told party workers that cleaning the roads of the town was symbolic of the government resolve of providing transparent and clean government. The minister thanked the MLA, Mussoorie, for his support to the Swachh Bharat campaign in the town. He said the government was committed to the cleanliness and hygiene in the country under the guidance of Modi. He also said corruption by officials would not be tolerated. He also asked party workers not to seek favours for their kin from him and come with only public interest matters. Earlier, he inaugurated the handloom and craft mela that began at Vikas Hotel. Ganesh Joshi demanded from the minister to release funds for the combined health centre near the Civil Hospital so that it was completed soon. The local unit president Mohan Petwal, general secretary Kushal Rana, senior BJP leader Meera Saklani, Anita Saxena, senior BJP leader Vijay Ramola and others were present on the occasion. Nainital, March 20 In a landmark judgment, the Uttarakhand High Court on Monday accorded the status of "living human entities" to the Ganga and Yamuna, two of India's most sacred rivers. (Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd) Exercising extraordinary jurisdiction vested in the court, a division bench of Justices Rajeev Sharma and Alok Singh of the High Court said, "Holy rivers Ganga and Yamuna have been declared to be treated as a living human entities." Agreeing with advocate MC Pant, the court cited the example of river Whanganui in New Zealand which has been given such status. Giving the "legal status" of living humans to the holy rivers, the court ordered that the Director, Namami Gange project for cleaning and rejuvenating the river, the Chief Secretary and the Advocate General of Uttarakhand will act as the "legal parents" of the holy rivers and work as a the human face to protect, conserve and preserve them and their tributaries. These officers will be bound to "uphold the status" of the two rivers and also promote their "health and well being", the court said. The matter related to mining and stone crushing along the banks of the Ganga. On a PIL filed by Haridwar resident Mohammad Salim, the court ordered the Dehradun District Magistrate to remove encroachment from the Shakti canal of the Ganga at Dhakrani within the next 72 hours. It ordered that the DM be suspended if he failed to comply with the directive. The petitioner contended that though the holy rivers connect the two states of Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh, there is "no effective distribution of properties attached to their tributaries between them". The court also ordered the authorities to work out the division of various properties between the neighbouring states under Uttar Pradesh Re-Oganization Act, 2000, a matter pending since the inception of Uttarakhand in the year 2000. The court also directed the government to form a Ganga Management Board within the next eight weeks in accordance with an earlier order of the court in December 2016. On the court ruling, Union minister for water resources Uma Bharti said, We have always considered Ganga as mother and a mother is a living person. The court has endorsed our point of view. PTI/ANI Brasilia, March 20 Brazil has tried to reassure the world that its huge meat industry poses no threatwith President Michel Temer even inviting ambassadors to a steak dinnerdespite allegations that corrupt exporters sold tainted products. Temer on Sunday smiled as he invited diplomats to a traditional Brazilian meat restaurant called a churrascaria, saying if you accept the invitation we will be very happy. Nineteen of the 33 envoys who met with him accepted the offer. But Temer had the serious mission of calming a scandal threatening the reputation of the worlds biggest beef and poultry exporting nation. The scare started Friday when police said a two-year probe had found major meat producers bribed health inspectors to certify tainted food as fit for consumption. At least 30 people have been arrested, with police raiding more than a dozen processing plants and issuing 27 arrest warrants. A poultry-processing plant run by the multinational BRF group and two meat-processing plants operated by the local Peccin company were shut down, the Agriculture Ministry said. Brazilian meat is exported to more than 150 countries, with principal markets as far apart as Saudi Arabia, China, Singapore, Japan, Russia, the Netherlands and Italy. Sales in 2016 reached USD 5.9 billion in poultry and USD 4.3 billion in beef, according to Brazilian government data. In his address to the ambassadors, Temer acknowledged that the scandal had generated major concern. But he insisted that the bad meat and faked certificates occurred in only a very few businesses and did not represent a wider problem. Calling Brazils inspection system one of the most respected in the world, Temer said: I want to reiterate our confidence in the quality of our products. In 2016, 853,000 consignments of animal products were exported, Temer said, yet just 184 of them were deemed by importers to be in violation. Earlier, Luis Eduardo Pacifici Rangel, secretary of agricultural protection, told reporters that there was no risk for population, neither for exports. Meat processor BRF also went on the counter-offensive, taking aim at allegations that cardboard was mixed into chicken products. There is no cardboard of any kind in BRF products. Theres been a big misunderstanding in the (audio) recordings of the police, the company said in a statement. There have been no reports of people made sick as a result of the alleged practices. However, Brazil is worried the scandal will hurt attempts to negotiate a trade deal between South Americas Mercosur group with the European Union. The EU ambassador to Brazil, Joao Cravinho, tweeted yesterday that he wanted complete, urgent clarifications from the agriculture ministry. It really complicates negotiations, admitted Brazilian under secretary general for economic and financial affairs at the foreign ministry, Carlos Marcio Cozendey. The authorities have not yet detailed where tainted products were found, but say that in some cases carcinogenic substances were used to mask the smell of bad meat. AFP BRUSSELS, March 20 Prime Minister Theresa May will trigger Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty, the formal notification of the United Kingdom's intention to leave the European Union, on March 29, a spokesman for the British leader said on Monday. The United Kingdom has informed European Council President Donald Tusk's office of May's intention, May's spokesman said, confirming an earlier Reuters report from Brussels. "Last June, the people of the UK made the historic decision to leave the EU. Next Wednesday, the Government will deliver on that decision and formally start the process by triggering Article 50," Brexit minister David Davis said in a statement. The move will begin a two-year negotiating period in which the British government and the EU hope to agree on the terms of Britain's exit and reach a separate deal on the shape of their future relationship, most importantly on the terms of trade between the two. "We are on the threshold of the most important negotiation for this country for a generation," Davis said. "The Government is clear in its aims: a deal that works for every nation and region of the UK and indeed for all of Europe a new, positive partnership between the UK and our friends and allies in the European Union." Reuters Washington, March 20 The directors of the FBI and NSA are to give keenly awaited testimony before Congress on Monday on what ties President Donald Trump may have with Russia and his explosive allegation that he was wiretapped by his predecessor Barack Obama. Federal Bureau of Investigation Director James Comey and Mike Rogers of the National Security Agency will speak publicly for the first time about two issues that have riveted the American public for weeks and further divided the countrys two ever-at-odds political parties. The stakes for the tycoon-turned-world-leader could hardly be higher. Comey will testify before the House Intelligence Committee at a hearing aimed at probing Russias interference in the 2016 election campaign. Rogers is also scheduled to testify. Trump and his entourages possible ties with the Russia of President Vladimir Putin have been the subject of much speculation since before he was elected on November 8. US intelligence agencies in January took the extraordinary step of stating publicly that they had concluded that hackers working for Russia broke into the email accounts of senior Democrats and released embarrassing ones with the aim of helping Trump defeat Hillary Clinton. Even since then, the question of whether Trump and company were or are somehow in cahoots with Russia has dominated the national conversation. A congressional panel so far has found no evidence that Trumps campaign colluded with Russia, its chairman said Sunday. Based on everything I have up to this morningno evidence of collusion, by Trumps team and Moscow, Representative Devin Nunes, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, told Fox News. Was there a physical wiretap of Trump Tower? No, but there never was, and the information we got on Friday continues to lead us in that direction, Nunes stressed. Moscow has denied involvement in the hacks, and Trump has denounced the tumult over alleged Russia connections as a total witch hunt. Mondays hearing was also expected to address a second explosive issue: Trumps unsubstantiated accusations that the Obama administration wiretapped his phone at Trump Tower in New York during the campaign. Trump on March 4 tweeted that Obama had tapped his phonea charge that has consumed political debate in the US capital. Several congressional panels have launched investigations into Russias alleged interference, including the House and Senate intelligence committees, which have jurisdiction over the nations 17 intelligence agencies, and the House and Senate judiciary committees. AFP Seoul, March 20 North Koreas latest rocket-engine test showed meaningful progress, South Korea said on Monday, while an analyst said it was a dangerous step towards the Norths goal of developing a rocket that could hit the United States. The Norths KCNA news agency said on Sunday the engine would help North Korea achieve world-class satellite-launch capability, indicating a new type of rocket engine for an intercontinental ballistic missile. The Norths announcement of a successful engine test came as US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson was in Beijing at the end of his first visit to Asia for talks dominated by concern about North Koreas nuclear and missile programmes. Through this test, it is found that engine function has made meaningful progress but further analysis is needed for exact thrust and possible uses, Lee Jin-woo, deputy spokesman for the South Korean defence ministry, told a regular briefing. State-run North Korean media reported that leader Kim Jong Un had hailed the successful test of a new high-thrust engine at its rocket launch station as a new birth of its rocket industry. Lee said the test featured a main engine supported by four supplementary engines. However, he did not elaborate on the progress the test showed the North had made, nor comment on whether the engine could be used for an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), saying the South Korean military was conducting analysis. US President Donald Trump told reporters he held meetings on North Korea at the weekend at his Florida resort. While he did not refer specifically to the rocket-engine test, he said Kim Jong Un was acting very, very badly. Ominous A South Korean analyst said the test was an ominous development. This was a comprehensive test for the first-stage rocket for an ICBM, and that is why it was dangerous, said Kim Dong-yub, an analyst at Seouls Institute for Far Eastern Studies. It appears that North Korea has worked out much of its development of the first-stage rocket booster. North Korea has conducted five nuclear tests and a series of missile launches in defiance of UN sanctions, and is believed by experts and government officials to be working to develop nuclear-warhead missiles that could reach the United States. North Korean leader Kim said in January his country was close to test-launching an ICBM. That would put parts of the United States in range. Last week, Tillerson issued the Trump administrations starkest warning yet to North Korea, saying in Seoul that a military response would be on the table if it took action to threaten South Korean and US forces. The United States has long called on China to do more to rein in its ally, North Korea. China resents being pressed to do more, saying the problem is between North Korea and the United States, although it too objects to the Norths nuclear programme. No formal agreements were announced during Tillersons visit to China although the two sides said they would work together to try to make North Korea take a different course. China has called for a dual-track approach on North Korea, urging it to suspend its tests and the United States and South Korea to suspend military exercises so both sides can return to talks. Beijing has also been infuriated by the deployment of an advanced U.S. anti-missile system in South Korea, which it says will both harm Chinas own security and do nothing to ease tensions. China says the systems powerful radar will extend into the countrys northeast and potentially track Chinese missile launches, and maybe even intercept them. Russia also opposes the system, for the same reasons. Reuters Manila, March 20 A lawyer for late dictator Ferdinand Marcos today filed an impeachment complaint against Philippine Vice-President Leni Robredo for her strong criticism of the administrations bloody war on drugs. The complaint for violation of the constitution and betrayal of public trust was sent by Oliver Lozano to the office of House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez, a staunch ally of President Rodrigo Duterte. Alvarez had for several days been studying whether to file a complaint himself. She is the termite of the government, Lozano said in a letter seeking endorsement for his six-page complaint. Robredo, who is not a member of Dutertes party and was elected in a separate contest, may have landed herself in trouble after issuing a strong rebuke of the popular Presidents war on drugs in a video sent to the United Nations. Alvarez said that was irresponsible. This is the first time a high government official has sent a video clip maligning our country, he said in a radio interview on Monday. Robredos lawyer, Barry Gutierrez, was confident she had done no wrong. Truth-telling can never be an impeachable offence, he told reporters. The complaint comes amid bitter squabbling between Duterte and his loyalists and the opposition Liberal Party and its allies, loosely along political lines going back to the time of late President Ferdinand Marcos, who was ousted by a People Power uprising in 1986. It was filed four days after lower House representative Gary Alejano filed an impeachment complaint against Duterte, accusing him of offences ranging from conflict of interest and assets concealment to drugs-related extrajudicial killings. Reuters Islamabad, March 20 In a goodwill gesture, Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Monday ordered the immediate reopening of the border with Afghanistan to facilitate the movement of Afghan citizens and resumption of lucrative cross-border trade. The Prime Minister also hoped that the Afghan government would take measures to address the reasons for which the borders were closed by Pakistan. He said recent incidents of terrorism in Pakistan have been traced back to anti-Pakistan elements in Afghanistan. According to an official statement, Sharif also said that he reiterated time and again that durable peace in Afghanistan is imperative for peace and security in Pakistan. He said Pakistan would continue to collaborate with Afghanistan to eliminate the menace of terrorism from the two countries. The busy border was closed last month for indefinite period following a string of deadly militant attacks for which Pakistan accused terrorists hiding in Afghanistan. The border remained shut except its temporary opening for two days to let more than 50,000 stranded people cross over. Since then, traders have complained of daily losses and prices of goods imported from Pakistan rose sharply in Afghanistan. Sharif ordered that the border should be reopened immediately "as a goodwill gesture," the statement said. "The decision to re-open the border is being taken as closure of the border for a long time in the backdrop of religious, culture and historical ties between the two countries would not be in the interest of the people and the economy," said Sharif. Pakistan's border with Afghanistan is more than 2,400 km long and is the main route of trade between the two countries. The two-way annual trade is between USD 1.5-2 billion. The two sides had planned to increase to 5 billion dollars but frequent closure of border by Pakistan due to security reasons is one of the hurdles to increase the trade, an official said. The decision to reopen that border came after last week's meeting between the Adviser on foreign affairs Sartaj Aziz and Afghan National Security Adviser Hanif Atmar in London. UK's National Security Adviser Mark Lyall Grant hosted the meeting. Afghan side had expressed anger and frustration at the closure of the border, sources said. PTI Islamabad, March 20 Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif today ordered the immediate reopening of Pakistan's border with Afghanistan in a goodwill gesture, even as he hoped that the Afghan government would address Islamabad's concerns on cross-border terrorism. "The decision to re-open the border is being taken as closure of the border for a long time in the backdrop of religious, culture and historical ties between the two countries would not be in the interest of the people and the economy," said Sharif. He said recent incidents of terrorism in Pakistan have been traced back to anti-Pakistan elements in Afghanistan. PTI Ask anyone I work with; one of my favorite holidays of the year is Kansas Day. Never heard of it? You are not alone. Outside of the state of Kansas, Im not sure of anyone who knows about Kansas Day. Thats why when I moved to Wisconsin, I make it a point to share my Kansas pride with my coworkers, friends, and Facebook community every January 29. In case youre wondering, Kansas Day celebrates the day Kansas became a state, but for me, it is also an opportunity to celebrate where I came from and what it means to be a Kansan. For my coworkers, it means eating a Kansas-themed treat, maybe dodging some Kansas decorations, and enjoying a constant stream of Kansas facts (of which I have many). I share this example because throughout the year, we have many opportunities to be equally excited and equally over-the-top about agriculture in general and dairy specifically. Especially in the world of social media, our enthusiasm about the industry that not only provides our livelihoods but that also gets us glowing with pride and excited to wake up in the morning can reach people in a way no scientific paper or press conference can. One such day we can capitalize on is National Ag Day. This year, that holiday falls tomorrow, March 21. Celebrate it however you want. Maybe celebrate with just your employees, or maybe make a post on your Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram pages to share with a wider community. This is a day where we can be proactive in telling agricultures story; a day where we can celebrate the fullness agriculture has brought to our lives. Or perhaps, tomorrow isnt the day that works for you. Then celebrate National Milk Day on January 11, June Dairy Month, or National Ice Cream Day on the third Sunday of July. The point is that the greatest impact we can have is when we show how much we truly care about something or someone. When we do that, we change hearts and minds. National Ag Day has been celebrated since 1973, when the Agriculture Council of America organization was founded to increase public awareness of agricultures role in society. Oklahomans, on the whole, never professed much affection for the Affordable Care Act. They may not like the current repeal-and-replace bill any better. Policy experts say the American Health Care Act doesnt do much to improve Oklahomans health care, and in some cases is likely to make it more expensive and harder to get. That opinion was shared, to various degrees, across the board, from the conservative, free-market Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs to the left-leaning Oklahoma Policy Institute, and by health care providers and advocates. The closest thing to an endorsement came from insurance underwriter Michael Stephens, who said he would like to see the ACHA pass because he thinks it could be a stepping stone to long-term improvements. Obamacare has truly almost destroyed the system, but this could be even worse at first, Stephens said. His hope, Stephens said, is that the federal government will eventually give up on the idea of dictating health-care access through private insurance and let the free market take over. A major underlying criticism is that the ACHA appears to do even less to control costs than the ACA, or Obamacare. Obamacare did nothing to address costs, Stephens said. This new system does nothing to address costs. All theyre doing is talking about financing coverage. The No. 1 problem is not coverage, its cost, said OCPA President Jonathan Small. Sixty percent of bankruptcies are because of medical expenses, and of those, 80 percent have major medical health insurance. From OCPAs perspective, the new law depends too much on federally regulated health insurance and not enough on innovation and controlling costs. Some of the goals of the bill are good, Small said. Overall, though, (it) needs a lot more work. Carly Putnam, a policy analyst for the Oklahoma Policy Institute, said the AHCA puts affordable health care out of reach for many Oklahomans. The proposal, she said, will hit older Oklahomans and rural parts of the state particularly hard. She referred to a Congressional Budget Office analysis that found a 64-year-old making $26,000 a year would pay more than half his income for health insurance, even after subsidies are figured in. Asked about promises the ACHA will deliver better coverage at lower cost, Putnam said, I dont see a way this does any of that. I dont see any way it doesnt make things worse. While Putnam said the ACA did initiate some cost-saving measures, principally in the area of improved outcomes, Stephens said that from an insurance standpoint it actually encouraged inefficiencies. For instance, the requirement that at least 85 percent of premiums be spent on claims eliminated incentives for carriers to negotiate costs, he said. That means carriers have to operate on 15 to 20 percent, Stephens explained. Then the question becomes, would you rather operate on 15 percent of $250 million or 15 percent of $500 million. The proposed bill, he said, does not address that particular issue. Most analyses of the bill predict fewer Americans and fewer Oklahomans would be covered under the AHCA than under the current law, and net cost to most of those buying insurance through the federal exchanges will be higher because of smaller premium subsidies. In addition, many observers expect the AHCA will result in reduced Medicaid services. Thats because the bill transitions Medicaid from an entitlement, which means everyone who qualifies receives benefits, to a capped block grant in which each state receives only a predetermined amount each year. Former Tulsa mayor and Oklahoma secretary of state Susan Savage, now executive director of Morton Comprehensive Health Services, says her experience suggests that when Washington talks about increased flexibility, it usually means more financial burden being pushed onto state and local governments. That adds up, to me, as unfunded mandates, Savage said. Someone will have to pay for the uninsured. Thats a concern for Morton, where half the patients have no insurance meaning they dont qualify for Medicaid or federal health-insurance premium subsidies and assistance from the states Medicaid program has dwindled considerably in recent years. The problem has been kicked down to the level of the communities, she said. The philanthropic sector has stepped up to provide a certain level of support, but its not a sustainable model. Clinics like Morton, which serves primarily low-income patients, are not the only ones concerned. Lucky Lamons, chief advocacy officer for St. John Health System, said his organization opposes the AHCA on several grounds. No health care reform legislation should reduce coverage for the most vulnerable populations, Lamons said. Unfortunately, the American Health Care Act does just that. Bluntly put, many providers are leery of a proposal that the CBO analysis says would take $1.2 trillion out of the nations health care system over 10 years. For Erin Taylor of Oklahoma City, those figures are starkly personal. Her young son is significantly disabled and relies on Medicaid for daily living. Taylor fears a contraction of Medicaid funding to the state will mean not only a loss of her sons assistance, but an even longer list of Oklahomans waiting for help. In our state, 7,500 are on the waiting list, and some of them have been on the list for 10 years, Taylor said. Some of these people are over 70 years old. You can presume their parents are dead, they have no one to take care of them. Putnam said there is no evidence that experimental block grant programs touted as potential models for Trump administration policy have in fact produced better outcomes. Savage says lawmakers cant lose sight of those most affected. We need to remember who is being served, she said. I know how difficult it is for some of our patients to even get here. We have a lot of folks for whom getting to a clinic is a real challenge, and health-care access is a daily struggle. According to UK reports, negotiation talks on Neighbours have stalled between Channel 5 and FremantleMedia. While Channel 5 is keen to retain the series, the problem lays with its parent US company Viacom looking at the costs whilst failing to recognise the sentiment associated with the show in the UK. Neighbours was screened by the BBC and saw around 21 million viewers tuning in at its peak in 1990. It switched to Channel 5 nine years ago where it still airs twice daily. If a license deal attracts a lower rate, and that may be a best case scenario, it isnt clear how it would impact on cast size and production. If Channel 5 drops the show it would need to find a new home in order to survive. TEN lowered its Australian licence fee for the show when it moved to ELEVEN. Its rating around 200,000 in Overnight numbers in Australia, not enough to justify its considerable size and costs. But the UKs love for the show, where generations have grown up watching the show, has kept it ticking over. Ironically, this week the show features London-filmed storylines surrounding Toadie (Ryan Moloney) and Dee (Madeleine West). UK fans are swinging into action with an online petition already attracting over 6,400 signatures. FremantleMedia declined to comment. Source: Mirror SUNDAY Excelsior 1-1 Ajax (Tete 26og; Kluivert 32) Ajax slipped six points behind Dutch frontrunners Feyenoord after being held in Rotterdam, but it could have been worse following Kenny Tete's own goal. Justin Kluivert's first ever Eredivisie strike earned the Amsterdam giants a share of the spoils. Antalyaspor 0-0 Besiktas Senol Gunes's men had to make do with a second consecutive draw in the Turkish Super Lig, yet they maintained their two-point advantage at the top after Istanbul Basaksehir also drew. Deportivo 0-1 Celta (Aspas 74) Celta ended a run of two Liga losses and clinched their first win in five in Spain courtesy of Iago Aspas's 15th effort in the division this season. On target against Krasnodar in midweek, the 29-year-old volleyed in at the near post to seal the points. Alexandre Lacazette scored for Lyon Getty Images Paris 2-1 Lyon (Rabiot 34, Draxler 40; Lacazette 6) Alexandre Lacazette's 23rd Ligue 1 strike of the campaign was not enough for Lyon to come away with a positive result from the French capital. Champions Paris responded twice in the first half to leave OL 14 points shy of a top-three berth with a game in hand. Middlesbrough 1-3 Man. United (Gestede 77; Fellaini 30, Lingard 62, Valencia 90+3) Marouane Fellaini celebrated a first Premier League goal since December 2015 as Manchester United continued their push for a top-four spot. Jose Mourinho's charges now lie four points outside of the UEFA Champions League places in fifth. Mainz 0-1 Schalke (Kolasinac 50) Sead Kolasinac was the unlikely hero as Schalke lifted themselves to ninth in the Bundesliga. Wearing a protective mask, the full-back conjured up a left-footed winner for his third league goal this term his highest ever tally. Not in action: Anderlecht, Genk In some makeshift sites around Bangladesh's Cox's Bazar area, humanitarian agencies have built tube wells that provide a much-needed source of drinking water for undocumented Rohingya living outside the official camps. UNHCR/Saiful Huq Omi UKHIYA, Bangladesh - At a glance, Mostafa and Sohel* have a lot in common. As a young man in 1992, Mostafa fled violence in the northern part of Rakhine state in Myanmar to seek refuge in Bangladesh. Twenty-five years later Sohel took the same journey. After weeks of violence amid a security operation in his village, the 22-year-old had to be carried across the Naf River to safety earlier this year, his body burnt and swollen. Pointing to the scars on his feet, Sohel said: They beat us senseless and left us to die in a ditch. We were five people in the group, only three survived. Both men found refuge in Bangladesh, where Mostafa recently guided Sohel to a hospital to received treatment for his injuries. But despite their common Rohingya background and circumstances, Mostafa and Sohel are being treated very differently. "They beat us senseless and left us to die in a ditch. We were five people in the group, only three survived. As part of the influx of refugees in the early 1990s, Mostafa is among 33,000 registered refugees living in two government-run camps serviced by UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, and its partners in south-eastern Bangladesh. He has a home in Kutupalong camp and access to basic services including food assistance, healthcare and education for his wife and three children. Now in his 50s, he has learnt to speak English well and is working as a photographer in the camp. In contrast, Sohel has no legal status in Bangladesh as one of more than 70,000 Rohingya new arrivals who are believed to have fled a security operation between October 2016 and February 2017. He lives with people from his home village and keeps a low profile. He receives ad hoc assistance if he is lucky. A third category consists of an estimated 200,000 to 500,000 undocumented Rohingya who arrived in Bangladesh between the two influxes. They live in makeshift sites and local villages, and until recently had no access to humanitarian aid. The current situation is not sustainable, said Shinji Kubo, UNHCRs Representative in Bangladesh. Regardless of when they came and where they live, these people have the same needs and deserve equal access to protection and assistance. Recent arrival Sohel (left) shares his experiences with long-stayer Mostafa (centre) as a UNHCR worker listens in. UNHCR/Vivian Tan The new influx has highlighted the urgent need to verify the number and location of the new arrivals. Without this information, vulnerable refugees risk falling through the cracks while others could be receiving duplication of assistance. We are advocating for a joint verification of the new arrivals with our partners as soon as possible, said Kubo. This exercise will help the government and humanitarian agencies to better target assistance to those who need it the most, be they new arrivals, refugees who came earlier or locals who host them. UNHCR works with humanitarian agencies such as the International Organization for Migration and the World Food Programme in Coxs Bazar. Several thousand new arrivals are believed to be hosted in the two official camps, straining the capacity of existing refugees and the infrastructure. The water supply in Nayapara camp is expected to run out by the end of March and there are fears of disease outbreaks as a result of overcrowding and poor sanitation. Many more new arrivals are living in existing makeshift sites or new ones that have sprouted spontaneously. In Ukhiya district, a site called Balukhali has emerged in the last two months and now hosts 1,600 families, according to a local politician helping them. Located beyond some rice fields, it is a mish-mash of flimsy shelters and latrines made of thin plastic sheets, dried leaves, tree branches and bamboo. These structures could constitute safety and health hazards unless proper site planning is undertaken. "We hope that all Rohingya in Bangladesh can be documented to ensure full respect for their rights. Miriam*, 65, has just moved to Balukhali with her sons family. We were living in a local village for more than two months but the leader said we can only receive assistance if we go to a camp, she said as her son cleared some land to build a shelter. We have nowhere else to go, well have to stay here. The Bangladesh government has announced it will extend a 2016 census of undocumented Rohingya living outside the two camps to include the new arrivals. In the long run, we hope that all Rohingya in Bangladesh can be documented to ensure full respect for their rights, said UNHCRs Kubo. Knowing the profile of this population will also help us to identify longer-term solutions for them. Despite his traumatized state, Sohel is clear about one thing: Here I am living in someone elses house and I worry about the future. If we are given status in Myanmar, we will definitely go back. *Names changed for protection reasons Somali refugees look back anxiously as they prepare to board a smuggler's boat to cross to Yemen from Somalia, November 2007. Alixandra Fazzina The UN Refugee Agency, UNHCR, condemns last Thursdays incident in which 42 people, including refugees, were killed when a boat carrying around 145 passengers - among them women and children - came under fire off Yemens west coast, near Al Hudaydah. Over forty lives have been lost in this unwarranted attack on helpless civilians fleeing violence and conflict, said United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi. Many questions remain unanswered on the circumstances of this horrific event. We call on all parties to the conflict to make proper inquiries to ensure accountability and to prevent this from happening again. While the circumstances surrounding Thursdays attack are still unclear, according to international law, civilians must not be attacked and warring parties must do everything possible to protect civilians. Civilians are disproportionately bearing the consequences of the conflict and the humanitarian crisis in Yemen, said Grandi. More than ever, peace is urgently needed in Yemen. Only a peaceful political solution can put an end to the current suffering and misery. UNHCR staff on the ground have been giving support to families of the victims and survivors of the attack. Yemen is immersed in a humanitarian crisis and is at risk of famine. Of the three million Yemenis displaced by the conflict, one million have returned to their homes under precarious conditions and two million remain displaced. The country is also hosting almost 280,000 registered refugees and asylum seekers, mostly from Somalia. Last year, more than 117,000 refugees and migrants arrived in Yemen. For further information: Google is prepping up the release of its next major Android OS. Which would also mean a lot of speculation and rumors would also start coming in thick. Android O artificial intelligence Perhaps one feature that is to be expected is an improved AI interface. The feature is not far-fetched considering Google Assistant would have been fully rolled out to all android devices by the time Android O comes out. Android O rumored features Android O is said to be a substantial update from that of Nougat. The first speculated feature is its ability to provide new notifications, including a picture-in-picture mode, according to 9To5Google. It is not exactly clear at this point, what "new notifications" mean for the upcoming OS. It could only be speculated that the notification feature might have a new interface on how it presents itself from that of the system used in Android N. Like those featured in iPads, Android O is speculated to feature Picture-in-Picture mode. How this is to be executed in mobile phones is still unclear, or it could be assumed that the feature will be mostly used in Android-powered tablets running Android TV. Active notifications will have App icon badges in Android O. Accordingly, the user would be able to tell at a glance how many notifications they have for any given app by merely looking at the home screen. A welcome feature that should have been implemented for years, says pundits. Another feature speculated to be incorporated into Android O is called "Copy Less." It apparently works much like a "smart text selection floating toolbar" that supposedly copies relevant information from any given app and then resurfaces them when needed. It is also vague on how another rumored feature will pan out, called "Adaptive Icons." It could probably mean that the icons change appearance or colors once the app is active or in use, much like the feature that is currently in use with Google Pixel. Android O is also speculated to have lots of improvement to its MediaRecorder API. Whatever improvement to be done here is definitely welcome. It is certainly hoped that it features a smoother interface in capturing audio and video. Tons of Enterprise stuff is also being floated for Android O. Whatever this could mean and what it incorporates is still subject to more speculations. However, Google has been adding enterprise features to Android for several years. Whatever new enterprise functions are to be incorporated, we all have to just wait and see. It is expected that Google will unveil Android O during it I/O conference to be held on May 17-19. Accordingly, the search giant will release a series of work-in-progress developer previews, if history is to be observed ahead of the public launch in fall, Digital Trends reported. Detroit has coined dozens of great nameplates for its vehicles over the last century-plus of auto-making. Many of those great names live on, in models that have evolved to meet the changing wants and needs of car shoppers. But some of the Detroit Three's very best names have been laid to rest, at least for now. Here are three iconic names that could -- and should -- be revived for all-new up-to-date models that preserve the spirit of the originals. A new spin on one of Ford's best-ever names Over the last century-plus, Ford Motor Company (NYSE: F) has come up with some of the greatest model names to ever grace automobiles. Some, like Mustang, are still around and aren't going anywhere. But one of the most evocative model names Ford ever came up with hasn't been seen in a while: Thunderbird. Ford's first Thunderbird, launched in 1955, was an Americanized take on the European idea of a sporty two-seat convertible. Those early T-Birds are now much-desired collector's items. It gained a back seat in 1958, after which sales soared Four seats made the Thunderbird a lot more practical, boosting sales. The model kept its two-door shape, but it got bigger (and more square-edged) over the years, until it was revitalized with a trim new aerodynamic shape in 1983. The Thunderbird continued to evolve as a sort of two-door family car until Ford ended its run in 1997. The name was briefly revived for a modernized take on the original T-Bird from 2002 through 2005, but it has been gone from Ford's global lineup since. The T-Bird name deserves a reboot Unfortunately, the reality of today's market is that there probably isn't a place in Ford's lineup for an upscale rear-wheel-drive coupe like the original Thunderbirds. (If there were, it would probably be in the Lincoln division.) But what if we think a little bit outside the box? What if Ford gave the Thunderbird a reboot, on a dramatically styled, powerful, plush electric coupe? What if Ford took a big step into the future, going head-to-head with the likes of Tesla with one of the greatest names from its past? A coupe-styled four-door might be a little more realistic in today's market. I think that would be fine if the styling were right. How about it, Ford? GM could use a great Jeep fighter Ford's Bronco is another classic icon, but a Bronco revival is already in the works. Ford has confirmed that an all-new Bronco in the spirit of the original Jeep competitor will go into production in 2019. I think that's a great move, given the huge global demand for SUVs and the enduring popularity of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles' (NYSE: FCAU) own icon, the Jeep Wrangler. But it raises a question: How might General Motors (NYSE: GM) jump into this market? GM is no off-road slouch, but the closest things it has right now to something like the Wrangler (or Bronco) are the 4x4 versions of its midsize Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon pickups. They're well-regarded, but they're not the same thing. But what if GM used those pickups' frames as the basis for a new off-roader? We could call it...the Chevrolet Blazer The original Chevy K5 Blazer, as it was called, was based on GM's full-size pickup architecture. But it was very much in the spirit of the Bronco -- a two-door short-wheelbase SUV with (for a few years, anyway) a convertible top. (Think of a shorter, two-door version of the Tahoe and you'll have the idea.) A later "S-10 Blazer" used a smaller pickup frame. Eventually, it evolved into just another four-door kid-hauler SUV, called TrailBlazer, which was phased out in the U.S. in 2009 in favor of GM's car-based crossovers. (The name lives on in some foreign markets.) But now, the time might be just right for GM to take the Blazer name back to its roots, with a Colorado-based SUV that could go head-to-head with Jeep's best. What do you think? It's time to take this Jeep tease to production Speaking of Jeep, back in 2005, the company now known as FCA absolutely stole the North American International Auto Show with a Jeep concept vehicle called the Gladiator. The Gladiator is a pickup with styling and features that echo the most iconic Jeep of all, the Wrangler. The show truck was built on a Ram pickup frame, but the idea was that a production version might be a Wrangler sibling. The Gladiator had a short pickup bed that could be extended into the cabin via a "midgate" (a retractable canvas roof that gave it some of the appeal of a Wrangler) -- and a great name. Jeep has a long history of building pickups Best of all, that Gladiator name had a history with Jeep. The original Jeep Gladiator was a pickup based on the big Jeep Wagoneer frame, built from 1962 to 1971 (and under other names until 1988). It's one of several different Jeep pickups to have come and gone over the years. None sold in anything like the numbers that we associate with big pickups today, but they had a following -- because like all of the best Jeeps, they were both fun and useful. Jeep's latest hint that a pickup is in the works FCA has dropped more Jeep-pickup hints in recent years, including a very Gladiator-like concept based on the Wrangler Unlimited last year. The Jeep Crew Chief 715 Concept, built on the idea of the 2005 Gladiator show truck, incorporates some of the styling cues from the original 1960s Gladiators. After years of hints, FCA finally confirmed in January that it will build a Jeep pickup alongside the next-generation Wrangler. The new "JL" Wrangler is set to debut as a 2018 model, but the pickup may not arrive until late 2019 or 2020. Will it carry the great Gladiator name and the spirit of that wonderful 2005 concept truck? We'll find out. 10 stocks we like better than Ford Motor Company 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 Ford 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 John Rosevear owns shares of Ford and General Motors. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Ford and Tesla. The Motley Fool recommends General Motors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Those who are working full-time and want to further their career find themselves in a dilemma whether to give their day job and study or not. Enrolling in an MBA program is very demanding; however, there are other alternatives that will not require them to make those sacrifices. Here are five MBA programs for full-time professionals. University of California - Berkeley (Haas) The part-time MBA program offered by Haas takes the top spot among similar schools with a 47.4 percent acceptance rate. Furthermore, their students have an average GMAT score of 694. Part-time MBA programs are in the evenings or in Saturdays. The whole part-time program will take three years to finish. University of Chicago (Booth) The Booth School of Business at the University of Chicago offers different concentrations, such as economics, marketing, accounting, international business, and finance. Part-time programs are in the evening and weekends at $6,590 per credit. After graduation, 84.9 percent of Booth graduates are employed. New York University (Stern) The Leonard N. Stern School of Business has a 58.8 percent of acceptance rate with 82.1 percent of its graduates fully employed. Those who enroll in Stern's MBA programs are grouped together in blocks. These groups study together, eat together, and compete with other blocks. Students can specialize in three areas and take dual degrees. Some of Stern's most notable alumni include Jack Abernethy, CEO of Fox Television and Alan Ennis, former CEO of Revlon. University of California - Los Angeles (Anderson) The Anderson School of Management at the University of California has a 62.6 percent acceptance rate and 73.8 percent of its graduate are in full-time employment after graduation. It's tuition for the part-time program for in-state and out-of-state students is $39,852 a year. Some of their programs include concentration in accounting, manufacturing and technology, and marketing. Northwestern University (Kellogg) The Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University offers part-time MBAa programs in the evening and weekends. Some of the concentrations and departments they offer are general management, finance, health care, real estate, and more. Those who pursue an MBA are also given an opportunity to earn additional credentials in design innovation. Students have been named to the 2017 National Youth Orchestra of the United States of America. Students at the Academy for Allied Health Sciences in Scotch Plains are Juliette Duguid of Westfield and Kingston Ho of New Providence. Carnegie Hall has also announced the names of the 116 talented young musicians that were selected from across the country for the fifth annual NYO-USA. During a comprehensive and highly competitive audition process at Carnegie Hall's Weill Music Institute, the two were chosen for the 2017 orchestra among the finest players in the country. Duguid plays the viola and Ho is a violinist. They were among the nine student musicians from New Jersey and 38 musicians aged 16 to 19 that were chosen nationwide from the 33 U.S. states. For the names, instruments, and hometowns of the members of the 2017 National Youth Orchestra of the United States of America people may visit the Carnegie Hall website. This summer, they will also feature 28 returning musicians and 10 musicians who participated last season in NYO2, which is a program for younger players aged 14 to 17. Both NYO-USA and NYO2 are free for all participants, to ensure that all young musicians have the opportunity to take part. NYO-USA members will undergo a three-week training residency on the SUNY Purchase College campus in July. They will then go on tour and perform under the direction of conductor Marin Alsop. The program will also feature the world premiere of a new Carnegie Hall-commissioned work by Gabriela Lena Frank. The program will also include composer John Adams' "Short Ride in a Fast Machine" and Mahler's Symphony No. 1. Their schedule will include performances in New York, Ecuador, Mexico, and Colombia on the Orchestra's inaugural Latin American Tour according to NJ.com. Yonkers Daily Voice reported that on July 21 the orchestra will be heard by music lovers worldwide via the Carnegie Hall Live broadcast and digital series. In partnership with WQXR, the series will be distributed nationally by WFMT Radio Network and streamed live online for free by medici.tv. The art museum at Indiana University plans to make the building more engaging for visitors by undergoing a lengthy $30 million renovation. The museum is expected to close for renovations on May 14 and will re-open on the fall semester of 2019. David Brenneman, Eskenazi Museum of Art director said the renovation is necessary because the building is old. The museum's building was designed by world-renowned architect I.M. Pei. Pei is a Chinese-American architect known for his style and designs, such as the John F. Kennedy Library in Boston, National Gallery of Art and the Louvre Pyramid in Paris to name a few. Eskenazi Museum of Art's construction began in 1978, and it was completed in 1982 after opening in stages according to U.S. News. Brenneman said that the renovation is also necessary because it is extraordinary for a small Midwestern city to have a museum with an extensive collection. He also said that many people are not aware of the gems hidden in the museum's triangular concrete structure in the heart of Indiana University's main campus. They have already begun moving the museum's collection out of the building. Brenneman added that one of their greatest challenges is that no one knows what's inside the building. The museum received a $15 million generous gift from Indianapolis-based philanthropists Sidney and Lois Eskenazi to help fund the renovation project according to The Indianapolis Business Journal. The donation was the largest cash gift given to the museum since its opening in 1982. Sidney Eskenazi founded Sandor Development Company and a real-estate developer in Indianapolis, where he serves as chief executive. They have also donated nearly 100 works of art from their personal collection. Most of the art they donated were European and American prints from the 20th century, which also included pieces by Spanish artist Joan Miro. Iowa State University president Steven Leath is reportedly on the "short list" of Auburn University's picks for its next president. The university's Board of Trustees will be voting on Monday for President Jay Gogue's successor. Opelika-Auburn News reported that multiple sources claimed Steven Leath, Iowa State University president, is included in the list. He is believed to be an attractive pick for Auburn University because of his experience in agriculture and leadership at a land-grant institution. There are faculty members, though, who have expressed their disappointment in the search process. This is because it only included one public event and, while it has had various meetings with constituent groups at the beginning of the process, they did not have an opportunity to be involved in the final decision. Birmingham businessman and Auburn trustee Raymond J. Harbert is leading the 14-member committee as well as the presidential search. Harbert has worked with executive search firm R. William Funk and Associates for the process. Back in 2007, when current university president Jay Gogue was appointed, he met with the public before he got selected. This time, however, no candidates have been announced in the duration of the search and not one was given the chance to meet the community. According to Iowa State Daily, executive search firm R. William Funk and Associates has previously said that the candidates would not be announced if they are active presidents in other institutions. This is because the search may jeopardize the candidates' careers. Nonetheless, Earlon McWhorter, former board of trustees member, said that the next president should have land-grant experience. This would definitely be an advantage for Leath. Leath has served Iowa State University since 2012. He also served as vice president for research at the University of North Carolina. Des Moines Register noted that Leath has been recently criticized after an audit by the Iowa Board of Regents found that he used a university-owned airplane for personal benefit. Apparently, he used the plane for medical appointments in Minnesota, personal flight lessons as well as for trips on his North Carolina home. He has since reimbursed the university for said flights. After spending billions of dollars to expand its midstream business over the past few years, Phillips 66 (NYSE: PSX) released a capital budget that was on the lighter side this year. That was partly due to the upcoming completion of a big part of its major projects, but it also reflected the fact that the company didn't have as many compelling growth options as it had in the past. That said, the company appears poised to add a new expansion project to its backlog after launching an open season to build the Rodeo Pipeline in a scorching-hot portion of the Permian Basin. Taking a breather As the slide below shows, Phillips 66 started to ramp up its investment spending in 2014: One of the drivers of that spending increase was the decision to invest $3 billion in building two major midstream projects: Sweeny Fractionator One and Freeport Liquefied Petroleum Gas Export Terminal. In addition to that, the company also became a 25% partner with Energy Transfer Partners (NYSE: ETP) and Sunoco Logistics Partners (NYSE: SXL) on their Dakota Access Pipeline and the Energy Transfer Crude Pipeline projects, which cost $4.8 billion. That said, the company has since completed all those projects. Sweeney Fractionator One, for example, entered service in late 2015. Meanwhile, the company finished up the Freeport LPG Export Terminal late last year, and oil is expected to start flowing through the Dakota Access Pipeline this week. Because Phillips 66 has now completed most of its major capital projects, its capital budget for 2017 will be the smallest in years. Though, CEO Greg Garland also noted in the press release announcing the company's 2017 budget that "returns on our investments are important, and the reduction in capital spending from prior years reflects that fewer projects meet our return thresholds in the current business environment." Opening up a new option However, the company appears to have found a new project that just might meet its return threshold: the Rodeo Project. That proposed oil pipeline would ship crude from the red-hot Delaware Basin to storage terminals near Wink, Midland, and Odessa, Texas, with the latter terminal to be constructed by the company's master limited partnership, Phillips 66 Partners (NYSE: PSXP). Phillips 66 envisions a 130,000-barrel-per-day pipeline that would enter service in the second half of next year, with the potential to expand its capacity up to 450,000 barrels per day in the future. That said, the company does need to secure enough shippers for the project to justify the investment. However, given how quickly producers are ramping up production in that basin, it shouldn't have any problems in that regard. The pipeline would focus on production coming from Reeves, Loving, and Winkler counties in Texas. That's a region where drillers have spent billions of dollars over the past couple of years to lock up acreage. For example, WPX Energy (NYSE: WPX) paid $2.75 billion in 2015 to acquire property in the region, the bulk of which is in Loving County. Meanwhile, earlier this year WPX Energy followed that up with a $775 million transaction to add acreage in both Reeves and Loving counties. As a result of these deals, WPX Energy has the capability to grow its oil output by 30% this year, with plans for 55% oil growth next year and 30% to 40% compound annual growth through 2020. Meanwhile, RSP Permian (NYSE: RSPP) spent $2.4 billion to buy drillable land in Loving and Winkler counties last year. That deal will help fuel remarkable production growth for RSP Permian over the next few years, with the company expecting its output to surge 82% to 95% this year, and grow by over 30% in 2018 and 2019 at $55 oil. Overall, RSP Permian picked up more than 3,000 future drilling locations in the region, which gives it years of production growth potential. Given how much oil output is expected to grow in this area, it appears that Phillips 66 shouldn't have any problem finding takers for the capacity of the Rodeo Pipeline. In fact, this project could prove to be a springboard to more projects in the future, including additional pipeline-capacity expansions, more terminal additions, and other infrastructure projects. Investor takeaway While Phillips 66's growth prospects have contracted over the past few years as a result of several recent project completions, the company isn't without growth options. In fact, it could be on the cusp of another expansion wave given the growth projections coming out of the Permian Basin. 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 has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. March 20 2017 Gokay Deveci, professor in architecture at the Scott Sutherland School, has released the first indicative visual of a proposed dolphin centre at Greyhope Bay, close to Torry, incorporating a viewing platform, classrooms, a theatre, restaurant and conference rooms.Brainchild of marine scientist Fiona McIntyre the vision forms part of a build-up to a 12 May launch event, including a 3d tour, in a bid to drum up support for the 10m venture from the local authority, business and wildlife organisations.McIntyre commented: I developed Greyhope Bay as a project in a bid to provide a facility which would spark interest and inspire others to connect with and value Aberdeens marine setting, its natural heritage and culture.Our plans have gained traction and support, with significant finance raised, architectural designs drawn up, business case validation, and Greyhope Bay is at a really important stage.Greyhope Bay is among the best locations in Europe from which to observe bottlenose dolpins. Oct. 26, 2022 U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. Cadets got the unique experience of interacting with and learning from the 12 Outstanding Airmen of the Year for 2022 at the U.S. Air Force Academy Sept. 27-29. The National Character and Leadership Symposium sponsored the visit and three days of activities.The 12 UTSA community invited to have coffee with the Interim president Dr. Pedro Reyes wants to hear from UTSA students, faculty and staff. (March 17, 2017) -- University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) Interim President Pedro Reyes wants to hear what's on the minds of UTSA students, faculty and staff over coffee. Reyes is hosting 'Coffee with the President' on Thursday, March 23, from 2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the University Center Ski Lodge (UC 1.01.00) on the UTSA Main Campus. "I'm excited to meet more of our students, faculty and staff," said Reyes. "I want to start an open dialogue with the entire UTSA community to find out their needs and visions for the university. They can depend on me to advocate their best interests." Seating is limited to the first 50 guests, and the president's office will provide complimentary coffee. Attendees can RSVP on Reyes' Facebook page. Reyes plans to hold the 'Coffee with the President' series every few weeks. Look for schedule updates on Facebook. Reyes was named Interim President of UTSA on March 3. He will hold the position until a new permanent president is named, prior to the start of the fall 2017 semester. Reyes brings more than 30 years of higher education experience to UTSA. He's served as the Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs at The University of Texas (UT) System and as Associate Vice Chancellor for Academic Planning and Assessment at the UT System, Office of Academic Affairs. He also was Associate Dean of Graduate Studies and Professor of Education Policy and Administration at The University of Texas at Austin. Reyes is passionate about education policy. He's also raised more than 22 million dollars in research development grants from numerous foundations and authored several books. UTSA is ranked among the top 400 universities in the world and among the top 100 in the nation, according to Times Higher Education. - Courtney Clevenger ------------------------------- Learn more about Interim President Pedro Reyes. Connect with Pedro Reyes on Facebook. Connect with UTSA online at Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram and LinkedIn. UW Town-Hall Meeting Tuesday on Enrollment, Other Issues University of Wyoming employees are invited to learn more about UWs Strategic Enrollment Management Plan, and hear updates on a variety of issues, during a town-hall meeting Tuesday, March 21, from 3-5 p.m. in the Wyoming Union Ballroom. The town-hall meeting is being combined with UW President Laurie Nichols annual spring faculty meeting. UW employees are granted release time from 2:45-5 p.m. to attend. The scheduling of release time should be a collaborative discussion between employee and supervisor to ensure the effective and efficient operation of the unit. The meeting will be streamed online via the WyoCast system at https://wyocast.uwyo.edu/WyoCast/Play/91b0c81719624ec19f4ebed5ec4ddde91d. The town-hall meeting will begin with a report on the work of UWs 46-member Strategic Enrollment Management Task Force which, in consultation with Huron Consulting Group, has developed UWs Strategic Enrollment Management Plan. The plan will guide the universitys efforts to recruit, retain and graduate undergraduates for the next five years. Provost Kate Miller will discuss work being done to implement the plan, including formation of several working groups, as well as the timeline for implementation. This effort will require coordination and collaboration across our Office of Admissions, colleges and departments, our marketing and institutional communications group, and our faculty, Miller says. For us to succeed, we will all need to embrace and lead new approaches to recruiting students and guiding them once they come to campus, so that each achieves their educational goals. The second half of the town-hall meeting will include: -- An update on strategic planning and academic program reviews by Miller. -- A review of the 2017 legislative session by Vice President for Governmental and Community Affairs Chris Boswell. -- An update on the 2017-18 fiscal year budget reduction plan and the Wyoming Excellence Fund by Nichols, Vice President for Administration Bill Mai and David Jewell, associate vice president for budgeting and fiscal planning. -- An update on the implementation of WyoCloud, the universitys new cloud-based finance, administrative, research support and business intelligence reporting system. -- A report on UWs sexual assault prevention campaign, by Dean of Students Sean Blackburn. -- And updates on the search for a chief diversity officer, by College of Health Sciences Associate Dean David Jones; the search for a vice president for research and economic development, by College of Engineering and Applied Science Dean Michael Pishko; the search for a vice president for student affairs, by Vice President for Information Technology Robert Aylward and College of Arts and Sciences Dean Paula Lutz; and the search for a dean of the Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources, by the provost. A question-and-answer session also is planned. Though there are different savings avenues you can take to build your nest egg, the IRA, or individual retirement account, is one of the most useful tools and least restrictive options for working Americans. If your goal is to make the most of your IRA, here are four moves to make right away. 1. Open an IRA immediately if you don't have one already There's a reason a large number of Americans don't have a 401(k) -- over 40% of workers aren't given access to an employer-sponsored plan. Saving with an IRA, however, is much simpler, as you don't need to work for a particular company to open one. Yet surprisingly, 33% of Americans don't have an IRA. If you're one of them, now's the time to get that paperwork rolling. The sooner you begin saving with an IRA, the more time you'll give your money to grow. As an example, saving $3,000 a year in an IRA for 25 years would leave you with an ending balance of about $190,000, assuming your investments generate an average annual 7% return. But if you only leave yourself 15 years to save that much, you'll have just $75,000 for retirement. The power of the IRA lies in its tax-deferred (or, in the case of a Roth, tax-free) growth, so the sooner you get started, the more opportunity you'll have to capitalize on the beauty of compounding. 2. Max out your contributions Though IRAs don't come with the same generous annual contribution limits as 401(k)s, they still offer a sizable savings opportunity -- especially if you max out your contributions year after year. Currently, workers under 50 can contribute up to $5,500 annually to an IRA. If you're 50 or older, you get a catch-up allowance that raises the limit to $6,500. If you were to max out your IRA at $5,500 a year from age 30 to 50, and then max out your contributions at $6,500 from age 50 to 65, you'd have an impressive $785,000 in time for retirement, assuming an average annual 7% return on investment. 3. Convert your traditional IRA to a Roth account Traditional IRAs are an appealing savings option because contributions are made with pre-tax dollars. The downside, however, is that withdrawals in retirement are subject to taxes, and once you turn 70 1/2, you're required to start taking minimum distributions from your account. Roth IRAs, on the other hand, don't offer an immediate tax break for contributing, but once that money is in your account, it gets to grow tax-free. Better yet, when the time comes to take withdrawals, you won't lose a dime to taxes. Furthermore, Roth IRAs don't impose required minimum distributions, so you can let your money sit and grow for as long as you'd like. That said, not everyone can contribute to a Roth IRA directly. Currently, you can't fund a Roth if you make more than $133,000 a year as a single tax filer, or $196,000 as a couple filing jointly. What you can do, however, is contribute to a traditional IRA and then covert that account to a Roth. Now if you go this route, you'll have to pay taxes on whatever amount you move over the year your conversion takes place. But if you're able to manage those added taxes, you stand to reap the many benefits of a Roth later in life. Even if you can't convert your entire IRA to a Roth, moving over even a portion of your savings could prove quite beneficial in retirement. 4. Find low-fee investments Once you contribute to an IRA, you get to choose how your money is invested. While mutual funds are a popular investment choice for IRAs, they also tend to come with high fees that can really eat away at your returns over time. A better bet is to look at index funds, which typically offer significantly lower fees. Funds like the Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (NYSEMKT: VOO) give you broad exposure to the market at a minimal cost, which can be instrumental in building your nest egg. Remember, as your assets grow over time, the amount you'll lose to fees will increase as well, so the more low-cost investments you have in your IRA, the more you ultimately stand to gain. The choices you make with your IRA could have a huge impact on your retirement. If you start saving as early in your career as possible, max out your yearly contributions, put some money into a Roth, and limit your investment fees, you'll be setting yourself up for a financially secure future. The $16,122 Social Security bonus most retirees completely overlook If you're like most Americans, you're a few years (or more) behind on your retirement savings. But a handful of little-known "Social Security secrets" could help ensure a boost in your retirement income. For example: one easy trick could pay you as much as $16,122 more... each year! Once you learn how to maximize your Social Security benefits, we think you could retire confidently with the peace of mind we're all after. Simply click here to discover how to learn more about these strategies. Maurie Backman has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Social Security is, for a majority of retired workers, a financial lifeline that ensures they can meet their month-to-month expenses during their golden years. While the average retired worker is only netting a little more than $16,000 a year from Social Security, 61% of beneficiaries count on their benefits to comprise at least half of their monthly income. Social Security is 17 years from the tipping point Social Security is also a cause of major worry for many retirees and pre-retirees. According to the latest report from the Social Security Board of Trustees, the program's more than $2.8 trillion in spare cash is slated to run dry by the year 2034. This is primarily a result of the ongoing retirement of baby boomers and the subsequent lowering of the worker-to-beneficiary ratio. There simply aren't enough workers to replace those boomers that leave the workforce. If Congress doesn't act and find a solution to boost revenue for the program, the Trustees estimate a benefits cut as steep as 21% may be needed to prolong payouts through the year 2090. For added context, a 21% cut in the average retired workers' benefit would put him or her just a few hundred dollars above the federal poverty level for the full year, based on 2017 dollars. Clearly, this is an issue that has the full attention of seniors and pre-retirees, and it should have the attention of Congress. Unfortunately, despite a full complement of possible solutions, neither political party in Washington has been able to come up with a fix they can agree upon. Payroll taxes are the key Despite a lack of action on Capitol Hill, one simple plan remains in play that would quickly and easily fix Social Security's long-term woes and allow the program to continue paying out benefits without the threat of a cut: adjusting the payroll tax rate. All working Americans pay a payroll tax, often referred to as the FICA tax, based on their income. These FICA taxes come to out 15.3% per individual (12.4% for Social Security and 2.9% for Medicare), although most workers only pay half (7.65%). If you're employed by someone else, your responsibility is to pay 6.2% to Social Security on earned income between $0.01 and $127,200 (the maximum taxable earnings for 2017), and 1.45% to Medicare (which has no earnings cap). Your employer picks up the remaining 7.65%. And don't worry, FICA taxes are automatically taken out of your paycheck, so it's rarely something you need to worry about, unless you're self-employed or a business owner. According to the 2016 Trustees report, Social Security was running an actuarial deficit of 2.66%. In plainer English, this means an estimated 2.66% increase in total payroll taxes (thus 15.06% instead of 12.4%) would completely resolve Social Security's budgetary shortfall through 2090. For most workers, we're talking about parting ways with an extra 1.33% in earned income. This simple solution would lead to a 30% increase in benefits, but there's a catch However, a separate payroll tax increase proposal that was examined by the Office of Retirement Policy estimated a positive median benefit increase of 30% for beneficiaries by 2050. Based on the current average payment for retired workers of $1,362.64, we're talking about the average retiree taking home about $1,771.43 a month (in 2017 dollars) by 2050. That would be a major improvement that would place tens of millions of today's working Americans on more solid footing come retirement. Now, for the bad news. The suggested proposal involved more than a 2.66% payroll tax hike. The proposal examined by the Office of Retirement Policy assumed a 15.2% payroll tax rate for Social Security (thus 7.6% for employees) beginning in 2026 and lasting through 2055, then jumping once more to 18%, or 9% for most workers, in 2056 and every year thereafter. In this model, every last Social Security beneficiary would receive a larger payout, with a median income boost of 30%. A similar proposal was also recently examined by Social Security's actuaries that involved the same payroll tax hikes (15.2% and 18%) but pushed the implementation dates for both back by three years, to 2029 and 2059, respectively. Above you can see the summary of these measures, with the payroll tax hikes more than compensating for the programs' more than $11 trillion budgetary shortfall. Essentially, seniors could be guaranteed a 30% pay raise through 2090, but it would mean that workers would need to part with an extra 1.4% of their income beginning in 2026 or 2029, depending on the model, and another 1.4% in 2056 or 2059. For the average American earning roughly $50,000 a year, we're talking about paying an extra $1,400 in income (in 2017 dollars) into Social Security by 2056 or 2059. These are the sacrifices that may have to be made in order to ensure that seniors have ample income during retirement. Little support for payroll hikes of this magnitude Of course, this is a tall task. The 2016 Voice of the People (link opens PDF) survey that questioned nearly 8,700 people in selected states about their willingness to accept a Social Security payroll tax hike found that 76% of respondents would accept an increase in the payroll tax of 0.4% (0.8% including the employers' portion) to 6.6%. However, when questioned about a 0.7% increase to 6.9%, or a 1% hike to 7.2%, approval rates dropped to just 45% and 19%, respectively. Mind you, the first hike in the above models would bring most workers' payroll tax responsibility to 7.6%! Needless to say, it would be difficult to garner the support needed to lift median payouts to beneficiaries by a median of 30%. I've previously opined that a long-term fix for Social Security is probably going to entail some combination of increasing revenue and decreasing benefits. Trying to work entirely on one side of the equation or the other is going to make things difficult on workers, current retirees, or future retirees. Though raising the payroll tax rates and/or adjusting the maximum taxable earnings is probably a smart move to consider, it may not be a solution by itself. In the meantime, the Social Security debate continues. The $16,122 Social Security bonus most retirees completely overlook If you're like most Americans, you're a few years (or more) behind on your retirement savings. But a handful of little-known "Social Security secrets" could help ensure a boost in your retirement income. For example: one easy trick could pay you as much as $16,122 more... each year! Once you learn how to maximize your Social Security benefits, we think you could retire confidently with the peace of mind we're all after. Simply click here to discover how to learn more about these strategies. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. TransCanada (NYSE: TRP) has now grown its dividend for 17 straight years. Even better, the company has accelerated the rate of growth in recent years and plans to continue growing its payout at that accelerated rate through 2020. While the company's guidance doesn't currently extend past that year, its backlog of growth projects certainly does. Furthermore, thanks to some recent news, it's becoming increasingly likely that the company will move forward on two big projects and continue growing the payout well into next decade. Drilling down into the backlog TransCanada currently has 23 billion Canadian dollars of commercially secured near-term projects in its backlog. Most are natural gas pipeline projects, including CA$5.7 billion in its home country of Canada, $7.1 billion in the U.S., and $2.5 billion in Mexico. The company also has several billion dollars of liquids pipelines and power projects in development. These are very high-return projects, which should fuel 8% to 10% compound annual dividend growth through 2020, with the growing likelihood that future increases will come in toward the high end of that range. That's quite an acceleration from the 5% compound annual growth rate the company had delivered from 2010 through 2015, which was the year it put its accelerated growth plan into motion. In addition to those near-term projects, the company has CA$45 billion of longer-term projects farther down the line, including four transformational projects. While there is some uncertainty surrounding these projects, TransCanada recently received some good news on two of them, which is taking the company a little bit closer to moving forward on those projects in the future. Baby steps forward The most recent piece of good news came this week when TransCanada announced that it was seeking approval to build the North Montney Mainline Project in northeast British Columbia. The company has already secured new 20-year commercial contracts with 11 shippers for 1.5 billion cubic feet per day of capacity. With those contracts in hand, the company is one step closer to moving forward with the construction of this CA$1.4 billion project, which could start as early as next year, and enter service in phases over a two-year period beginning in early 2019. That said, what's noteworthy about this project is that it comes with a catch. One of the conditions to proceed with the project is a positive final investment decision on the Pacific Northwest LNG Project. That CA$36 billion project won approval from the Canadian government late last year, though its developer, Malaysian liquefied natural gas (LNG) giant Petronas, has yet to give it the green light. However, the fact that TransCanada is seeking approval for the North Montney Mainline Project suggests that Petronas might be getting closer to making a positive decision. That favorable decision would then likely trigger the go-ahead of an even larger project for TransCanada: Prince Rupert Gas Transmission. That proposed CA$5 billion project would move gas from the North Montney Mainline Project to the coast of British Colombia in support of the Petronas project. While Petronas is still reviewing the project, it had hoped to start exporting gas to Asia by early next decade, which would put Prince Rupert's in-service date around that time, assuming a final go-ahead comes soon. Meanwhile, TransCanada also recently received some good news on another West Coast LNG project after Royal Dutch Shell (NYSE: RDS-A) (NYSE: RDS-B) said that it still sees its LNG Canada project as a viable opportunity to bring Canadian gas to the global LNG market. That announcement by Shell came on the heels of its decision to cancel another Canadian LNG project at Prince Rupert, which will likely put Enbridge's (NYSE: ENB) recently acquired Westcoast Connector Gas Transmission project on ice. Enbridge's loss, however, appears to be TransCanada's gain, because it secured the rights to build the CA$4.8 billion Costal GasLink Pipeline project, which would move gas from the Montney region to Shell's LNG Canada project. Investor takeaway While neither LNG Canada nor the Pacific Northwest LNG Project has received positive final investment decisions just yet, there is growing cause for optimism that both Shell and Petronas will eventually build these projects. Those approvals would trigger more than $10 billion of growth projects for TransCanada, which would give the company the visibility it needs to extend its dividend growth forecast well into the next decade. 10 stocks we like better than TransCanada 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 TransCanada 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 has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Enbridge. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. German Chancellor Angela Merkel (R) and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe arrive at the official opening of the CeBIT technology fair in Hanover, central Germany. (Odd ANDERSEN/AFP) "We want free and open markets," Merkel said in a speech in Hanover, a day before the world's biggest computer trade fair, CeBIT, kicks off in the central German city. The event is partnered with Japan this year. "In these times of inter-connectedness, we want to link together our societies and work together in an equitable way. That's what free trade is about," she said. She made no direct reference to US President Donald Trump, elected on a protectionist "America First" platform promising to slash trade deficits, but noted that the European Union and Japan are negotiating a free trade deal that may be reached this year. "At a time when we are arguing a lot over free trade, open borders and democratic values, it's a good sign that Japan and Germany are not arguing" over trade, she said. Abe, who is in Hanover as part of a European tour, said that Japan "wants to be the champion upholding open systems alongside Germany". He said it was through connectedness that economies would grow, and called for a swift conclusion to the EU-Japan trade deal. But he added: "We must not create conditions by which wealth becomes concentrated among only some people." At a fraught G20 meeting in the German spa town of Baden-Baden on Saturday, the US challenged long-standing global principles surrounding free trade, refusing to renew past anti-protectionist pledges and threatening to reopen negotiations on World Trade Organisation deals. Since taking office, Trump has withdrawn the US from a trans-Pacific free trade pact and attacked export giants China and Germany over their massive trade surpluses. Chunks of beef are displayed at a supermarket in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Yasuyoshi Chiba/AFP) Temer smiled as he invited diplomats to a traditional Brazilian meat restaurant called a churrascaria, saying "if you accept the invitation we will be very happy". Nineteen of the 33 envoys who met with him accepted the offer. But Temer had the serious mission of calming a scandal threatening the reputation of the world's biggest beef and poultry exporting nation. The scare started Friday when police said a two-year probe had found major meat producers bribed health inspectors to certify tainted food as fit for consumption. At least 30 people have been arrested, with police raiding more than a dozen processing plants and issuing 27 arrest warrants. A poultry-processing plant run by the multinational BRF group and two meat-processing plants operated by the local Peccin company were shut down, the Agriculture Ministry said. Brazilian meat is exported to more than 150 countries, with principal markets as far apart as Saudi Arabia, China, Singapore, Japan, Russia, the Netherlands and Italy. Sales in 2016 reached US$5.9 billion in poultry and US$4.3 billion in beef, according to Brazilian government data. HIGH STAKES In his address to the ambassadors, Temer acknowledged that the scandal had generated "major concern". But he insisted that the bad meat and faked certificates occurred in only "a very few businesses" and did not represent a wider problem. Calling Brazil's inspection system "one of the most respected" in the world, Temer said: "I want to reiterate our confidence in the quality of our products." In 2016, 853,000 consignments of animal products were exported, Temer said, yet "just 184 of them were deemed by importers to be in violation". Earlier, Luis Eduardo Pacifici Rangel, secretary of agricultural protection, told reporters that there was "no risk for population, neither for exports." Meat processor BRF also went on the counter-offensive, taking aim at allegations that cardboard was mixed into chicken products. "There is no cardboard of any kind in BRF products. There's been a big misunderstanding in the (audio) recordings of the police," the company said in a statement. There have been no reports of people made sick as a result of the alleged practices. However, Brazil is worried the scandal will hurt attempts to negotiate a trade deal between South America's Mercosur group with the European Union. The EU ambassador to Brazil, Joao Cravinho, tweeted on Sunday that he wanted "complete, urgent clarifications from the agriculture ministry". "It really complicates negotiations," admitted Brazilian under secretary general for economic and financial affairs at the foreign ministry, Carlos Marcio Cozendey. He urged that any response to the crisis be "proportionate". "I hope that this is not used to unjustifiably close markets," he said. PR CAMPAIGN The authorities have not yet detailed where tainted products were found, but say that in some cases carcinogenic substances were used to mask the smell of bad meat. In addition to the giant BRF firm, which owns the Sadia and Perdigao brands, companies under investigation include JBS, a world leader in meat sales and owner of the Big Frango, Seara Alimentos and Swift brands. JBS took out a full-page ad in the newspaper O Globo to say that the federal office conducting the investigation had made no mention of health problems stemming from JBS products. The BRF group is running similar ads, saying its products pose no health risk "whatsoever". An ad in which actor Robert De Niro testifies to the quality of JBS's Seara ham - with its "authentic Italian flavor" - has gotten heavy play on Brazilian television. Drawing on your experience as an observer of investment movement, can you tell us what has attracted investment to the central region? Central Vietnam is undergoing an aggressive process of industrialisation, modernisation, and global integration. With the governments recent efforts to improve the investment climate, business environment, and policy mechanisms to increase dynamic efficiency, I believe Central Vietnam will soon be a focal point for investments. With its strategic location, Quang Nam province and Central Vietnam play a critical role connecting the north and south of Vietnam. It also acts as an important gateway to the Pacific Ocean, supporting trading activities between Vietnam and Laos, northeast Thailand, Myanmar and other countries in the Greater Mekong Sub-region, and the Indian Ganges River economic areas. Aside from its geographical proximity, investors come to the area to take advantage of the labour force in the region. Not only are labour costs low, but the overall population in the region is young, dynamic, diligent, and well-educated, and could easily be trained to master new technologies and processes. Central Vietnam has a number of different zones in which investors can establish a manufacturing presence [industrial zones and economic zones]. Firms investing in these zones typically enjoy preferential governmental policies and advantages, like modern infrastructure and greater access to utility services, on top of preferential tax and/or tariff rates. The Vietnamese government is now offering the most favourable incentives in terms of land use and taxes to draw investors to the central region. Do you think such incentives will prove enough to attract more investors, or will something else be needed to enable investors to quickly make decisions? In general, not only will attractive investment incentives be taken into consideration, but investors are also concerned with the enhancements of investment processes and administrative policies. The government recently put a lot of effort into strengthening the investment environment, improving disciplines, fighting back against corruption, and resolving recent environmental issues. In addition, Central Vietnam also needs to help investors save time and unofficial expenses by enhancing a more co-operative mechanism on administrative procedures for registering conditional projects of enterprises. Well-developed infrastructure is also key to attracting investors. While there are already a number of international airports, deep-water seaports, and road and railway networks in the region, the standards are not yet up to international levels. Improving infrastructure and facilitating connectivity and continuous flows of cargo and passengers will be one of the key focus areas to give the region a higher status among investors. Investing in people is also important as we will need to enhance labour standards to meet international best practices, as well as reforms around labour standards. Concentrating on the adoption of best practices and blessed with convenient regional positioning, Central Vietnam is emerging as the countrys next big opportunity At present, heavy industries such as oil refineries, petrochemical, power, and non-smoke-emitting industries such as tourism are fast-developing in central cities and provinces. As an investment advisor, what do you think must be addressed so as to enable these industries to develop in line with the regions sustainable growth strategy? The activities of certain industries, such as hydropower plants and forestry, are essentially incompatible. Throughout 2016, we have seen the Vietnamese government broadening dialogues with businesses in an effort to reconcile the differences between different industries. Nevertheless, laws and policies generally provide a legal framework only. But much more than a framework for businesses to resolve the problem is required. Indeed, when conflicts arise, the parties involved will need to come together to negotiate and be open to certain modifications to their businesses. This mutual commitment will help both parties accept win-win solutions. With more large-scale projects set up in central provinces such as Quang Nam and Quang Ngai, will KPMG make a strategic move to expand its network in the region? Gauging its potential, many international investors have already poured money into Central Vietnam. It enables professional service providers like KPMG to widen their client base. In late 2015, we opened a representative office in Danang to give businesses operating in the area easier access to the international-standard audit, tax, and consulting services we provide. KPMG is now working with some organisations to promote the central region. Could you shed some light on this? Complexity is a constant in todays business environment. Its inherent in the evolving changes in public policies and regulations, the continuing virtualisation of business processes, and even in the potential opportunities major business transactions may offer. Technology and other market forces are disrupting business models, blurring the lines between industries, and requiring an entirely new way of thinking and developing relevant business strategies. Going for Gold is the theme of our co-activities to promote investment in Central Vietnam. Together with our strategic partners in the region, including organisations such as the Investment Promotion Agency, the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and EuroCham, we will facilitate the mutual sharing of best practices, expertise, and knowledge of both parties in providing support and services to investors as well as in promoting the destination. We will work shoulder-to-shoulder with these organisations, our clients, and our business partners, and engage them in networking events, conferences, workshops, and seminars. We will provide investors with insights and data regarding the market, legal regulations, financial policies, investment procedures, partners, and potential for socio-economic development and investment opportunities in Central Vietnam. KPMG professionals serve as trusted advisors to many of the leading organisations both in Vietnam and around the globe. We know our insights and guidance will help investors to better understand market dynamics and address the root causes of the complex challenges affecting their business decisions. Billions of revenue, negative profit In early March, FTSE Vietnam Index announced removing HVG from its portfolio by March 17, 2017. Although the volume of stocks that the fund will sell is not large (only 3 million shares), on the short run, the increasing supply will influence HVGs stock price, while on the long run, HVGs recovery will hang on its ability to pay off trillions VND of debts. HVGs business called attention to itself after releasing its audited financial report 2015-2016, which contained numerous differences compared to the unaudited one. Particularly, after being audited, HVGs 2016 revenue decreased from VND20 trillion ($875.66 million) to VND18 trillion ($788 million). The after tax profit of the parent company was also trimmed from a VND257.7 billion ($11.28 million) profitto a VND49.3 billion ($2.16 million) loss. Immediately, in the written explanation, HVGs leaders stated that these differences were due to some numbers being accounted in the wrong fiscal year, and some assets not being recognized as the legal procedures to recognize HVGs ownership over them have not been completed yet. However, investors are worrying about the sharp increase in HVGs receivables and liabilities. Specifically, as of the end of the fiscal year 2015-2016, HVGs liabilities were up to VND13.336 trillion ($583.89 million), VND2.2 trillion ($96.32 million) higher than at the beginning of the year. This amount accounted for 80.3 per cent of the firms total assets, and was 4.13 times as much as its owners equity. In particular, short term debts made up 57 per cent of total liabilities (nearly VND7.5 trilion$328.37 million), short-term payables were VND3.561 trillion ($156 million), and long-term debts were VND1.059 trillion ($46.4 million). The high proportion of debt leads to high interest expenses (VND470 billion$20.58 million), a 45 per cent increase compared to the same period in 2015. Enterprises usually maintain a debt-to-equity ratio lower than 1.5, only some specific fields, such as real estates and the construction industry perform at a ratio higher than this. Thus, HVGs investors raised concerns over its debt-to-equity ratio of 4, mostly derived from short-term debts. This means that one third of its gross profit was used to pay interest expenses, not to mention a range of production costs and operating expenses. Therefore, it is hard to distribute high dividends for shareholders. Recently, HVG has released its unaudited financial report for the first quarter of 2017. The report shows that HVGs gross profit margin decreased to 5.2 per cent and profit was about VND10 billion ($437,828), despite a revenue of nearly VND6 trillion ($262.7 million). With a high revenue, low profit, and high proportion of debts, HVG has managed to disappoint shareholders. Besides, looking back at HVGs history of numerous changes in the audited financial reports, it is unavoidable for shareholders to raise plenty of questions whether this report itself is for reference only, and the huge changes after auditing are to be expected. Challenging prospects for 2017 In the last two years, the domestic and international seafood market posed a lot of unfavourable factors to HVG and other similar firms. Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (Vasep) assessed that the US, the biggest importer of Vietnamese pangasius, is having a lower demand than China and the EU. If the US keeps maintaining low demand, it is likely that China and Hong Kong will take it over as export destinations. Many seafood enterprises are already preparing to seek out new markets, including China and other Southeast Asian countries. The domestic price of raw pangasius in the Mekong Delta has been continuously increasing from VND22,000 ($1) per kilogramme in January, 2017 to VND25,000 ($1.1) per kilogramme at the beginning of March 2017. VASEP also said that the increasing price resulted from a lower yield and less farming area. Supply meets only 50 per cent of processors demand, causing significant difficulties for HVG and other seafood firms. HVG has taken advantage of its joint ventures, affiliates, and subsidiaries, such as Viet Thang Feed Joint Stock Company (VTF), Angiang Fisheries Import Export Joint Stock Company (AGF), and Sao Ta Foods Joint Stock Company (FMC), to create a closed supply chain in production. AGF is a strong company in seafood export and a leading company in exporting pangasius to the US and the EU. VTF, with a 14 per cent market share in the aqua feed segment, has provided HVG a self-sufficient feed source and increased its revenue in the aqua feed industry. FMC is one of the biggest shrimp exporters company in Vietnam. However, this chain does not seem really efficient, as it cannot help HVG improve its gross profit margin and reduce expenses. Instead, it further burdened HVG by forcing it to borrow to invest in these companies. To deal with the export markets difficulties, at the 2016 shareholders meeting, HVGs leaders said that they were negotiating to purchase 50 per cent of Russian Fish Company, a leading Russian fish distributor with over 5 per cent market share, teaming up with Coop Mart and local authorities to sell its products in local markets and supermarkets. However, this plan seems to have been abandoned. Previously, in the 2015 shareholders meeting, Duong Ngoc Minh, HVGs chairman and general director, announced a target revenue of VND40 trillion ($1.751 trillion) in 2018, as the 15-year milestone since HVGs establishment. The company also aimed to collect VND25 trillion ($1.095 trillion) in revenue in 2016, but this target was not reached. While VN-Index continuously hit new records, HVGs stocks have plummeted by 50 per cent during the past year. After HVG publicised the audited financial report in the fiscal year 2015-2016, the Ho Chi Minh City Stock Exchange (HoSE) put the ticker on warning due to the negative after-tax profit of the parent company. Duong Ngoc Minh has devoted all of his efforts and enthusiasm to HVG. He is also the biggest shareholder, with 40 per cent, and is acknowledged as the person who made Vietnamese pangasius well-known around the world. Vietnams pangasius processors share HVGs distress. Numerous pangasius exporters, including Cuu Long Fish, Cadovimex, Anvifish, Nam Viet Corporation, and Aquatex Bentre, also suffered from falling after-tax profits either in 2015 or 2016, or both. Vietnam Securities Depository have issued a warning on some of their stocks due to their negative profit. Of all pangasius firms, Vinh Hoan Corporation seemed to be affected the least by the difficulties of the pangasius export industry. Despite a decline in profit to VND323 billion ($14 million) in 2015 from VND439 billion ($19.3 million) in 2014, Vinh Hoan recovered and earned VND555 billion ($24.3 million) in after tax profit in 2016. Solutions to overcome these hefty financial obstacles are what the loyal shareholders of HVG are waiting to see in the next shareholders meeting, which will be held in April 2017. Win It All is a lot like every other Joe Swanberg movie, a shaggy comedy set in Chicago. Facts & Figures In Asia in total 28.7 per cent of the food is lost and wasted Reducing food losses and waste can add to 30 per cent of the aimed increase of production 18 per cent people in Southeast Asia experienced food insecurity in 2014-2015 18.4 per cent Vietnamese children under five suffer under-nutrition that causes stunting Aiming to bring together a broad range of high-level delegates from governments, international organisations, NGOs, knowledge institutes, and the private sector, the conference will focus on concrete contributions to the implementation of several Sustainable Development Goals. The ASEAN+6 is one of the regions which are most vulnerable to climate change. This is an alarming reality since the economy activities in the region largely depend on agriculture, and climate change has already made its impacts on the level and quality of agricultural production and food systems. In addition, for a fast growing region, factors like population growth, urbanisation, and rising incomes are resulting in increase in demand for high-quality nutritious food and putting pressure on already scarce natural resources. Vietnam is taking the initiative to organise Lets get to work. Building a food secure future conference based on a national sense of urgency to come up with solutions for climate change and growing demand for high-quality food. The conference is an invitation to share, discuss and demonstrate ideas for converting challenges into opportunities, and global objectives into clear and concerted regional actions. Therefore, a regional action plan for the implementation of Sustainable Development Goals is expected to be made and agreed upon by the end of the conference. Gacday is made of gac puree and other superfruits. The lycopene content of the gac fruit is 70 times that of tomato and betacarotene content of 10 times that of carrot. Lycopene helps prevent cancer while betacarotene helps improve eyesight and skin health. Gacday helps cure melasma, and the effect can be clearly seen after 30-40 days of use. It helps decrease the risk of tumour and cancer due to oxidation, helps decrease side effects of chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and protect healthy cells, prevents growth of cancerous cells, prevents relapse and spreading of cancer after surgery, enhances the immune system, helps users sleep and digest better and rids the body of toxins. We hope Gacday is going to become a companion for Vietnamese when preventing and fighting cancer, Nguyen Trung Kien, deputy business director of Nafoods Group, said. I always carefully choose natural health and beauty products to introduce to people. As a mother of three, I look for a product that helps me look young and beautiful and keep my family in good health, said MC Oc Thanh Van Gacday, formerly Frutagac, not only helps brighten your skin but also helps prevent cancer. Not only me but many other celebrities love this product. I am proud to be invited to work with Gacday to aim for a beautiful and cancer-free Vietnam. Nafoods Group, established in 1995, has been bringing Vietnamese specialty agricultural products to the world through its brand of juices, concentrates and other products. Last December, Nafoods Group signed a contract with food company AMC Group from Spain, in which AMC Group would produce FrutaGac, now Gacday, from gac and clean super fruits from AMCs farm, and Nafoods would sell the products globally. AMC Group has been a strategic partner of Nafoods Group for many years in research to create natural drinks that are good for health, and also imports and distributes nutrition products from Vietnam. Nguyen Manh Hung, chairman of Nafoods Group said the company would continue to cooperate with AMC Group to bring to customers products that meet international standards. Ts Group is the exclusive global distributor of Gacday. Its network spreads in 64 cities and provinces of Vietnam as well as 14 countries and territories. Ts Group is the first choice of domestic and foreign companies that are looking for a partner to kick off a new product or brand. It is the only distributor in Vietnam that promises a certain amount of revenue for investors when they want to launch a product. SonKim Lands COO Han Suk Jung received IAIR Awards 2016 on behalf of the company SonKim Land had the highest score in this category as a leading real estate developer in luxury projects, including residential, hospitality, retail, and office buildings. It also received points for using modern design methodologies to create economically and environmentally integrated, self-sustaining master developments. Nguyen Hoang Tuan, chairman of SonKim Land, said, We are very proud of winning this prestigious award, as this is the result of IAIRs annual surveys to provide a qualitative and quantitative review of the best global firms with a focus on sustainability. This award once again proves SonKim Lands reputation as a successful property development company in the Vietnamese market, focusing in the premium and luxury segment through developing projects in prime locations. SonKim Land is developing the sky villa project (Serenity Sky Villas) in Ho Chi Minh Citys District 3 a true luxury project in the heart of downtown Ho Chi Minh City. In addition, customers have high trust in the companys premium residential project Gateway Thao Dien, and the luxury apartment project called The Nassim, a joint venture project with HongKong Land, a reputed global developer. SonKim Lands ongoing development projects are on schedule, demonstrating stable growth while affirming our strong financial strength of SonKim Land, Tuan said. This award creates the premise for SonKim Land to become the leading real estate development and investment company in the country, as well as in the region. Recently, SonKim Land has announced the successful closing of its international round of fundraising. Through the Lemongrass Master Fund, Japanese investors have poured $100 million into SonKim Land. An IAIR Award is among the worlds leading prizes for excellence in the global economy, innovation, and sustainability. For this years award, the organising board surveyed its 150,000 readers and gathered information from its editorial staff located around the globe. It has also received important feedback from its main partners Marcus Evans, Opal Group, IDC, and more that conduct leading market research, organise industrial conferences, and host international business summits. IAIR Awards is a global roadshow held in strategic financial centres such as Hong Kong, Dubai, London, Singapore, Milan, and New York. Some of its past winners and top-ranked companies include Morgan Stanley, Bank of China, Rockefeller, BNP Paribas, IBM, HDFC Ergo, Freshfields, UBS, Novartis, BlackRock, Deutsche Bank, Aviva, Vodafone, Russel Investments, BASF, and Daimler. US President Donald Trump during a joint press conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel at the White House. (Photo: AFP/SAUL LOEB) "I don't think he heard the question" posed by Merkel when she suggested they shake hands, in full view of press cameras, spokesperson Sean Spicer told German weekly Der Spiegel published Sunday (Mar 19). The quote was translated into English from Der Spiegel's online German website. The veteran German chancellor had arrived for her first meeting with Trump at a snowy White House hoping to reverse a chill in relations after Trump's incendiary election rhetoric, in which he called Merkel's acceptance of refugees a "catastrophic mistake" and suggested she was "ruining Germany." The visit on Friday began cordially, with the pair shaking hands at the entrance of the White House. But later, sitting side-by-side in the Oval Office, Merkel's suggestion of another handshake went unheard or ignored by Trump -- an awkward moment in what are usually highly scripted occasions. German media pointed to the incident as another marker of the meeting's general icy mood between the cautious German chancellor and impulsive US president. In a frequently awkward joint press conference in the East Room, Trump and Merkel showed little common ground as they addressed a host of thorny issues including NATO, defense spending and free trade deals. For most of the 30 minutes, Merkel was stony-faced as Trump ripped into Washington's NATO allies for not paying for their "fair share" for transatlantic defense and demanded "fair and reciprocal trade" deals. On Sunday, Germany's biggest-selling daily Bild said that throughout the White House meeting, not once did Trump look her in the eye. FBI Director James Comey is set to testify today before the House Intelligence Committee on President Donald Trumps wiretap claims. A U.N. peacekeeper from Brazil sidesteps an abandoned doll left on a street of the Cite Soleil slum last month in Port-au-Prince. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said peacekeepers operation in Haiti should close by Oct. 15. 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. 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. Youve heard of beer and food pairings. How about beer paired with authentic Florida experiences? Join us as we explore the state through the flavors of Floridas craft beer culture. By Stephen Kubiak You wouldnt really expect to find a dog hanging out at a place called Idyll Hounds Brewing Company. After all, its just a name, right? Yet as soon as I opened my car door, a gray dog happily greeted me, nudging my leg with its wet nose to say hello. Just down the same road as Grayton Beer Company, Idyll Hounds sits along the edge of a pine forest where the road dead ends. Theres nothing big and flashing outside directing people to the taproom because we are a production facility, said Shawn Sherman, co-owner of the brewery. But if you come all the way back to find us, that lets you in to try the beer. Youre in our club, adds co-owner and brewmaster Frasier Hansen with a laugh. I sat with Hansen and Sherman at the taproom bar as they explained how they met each other in the South Walton restaurant scene. Hansen had been home-brewing for a while and eventually got Sherman into it. Two years later, they opened Idyll Hounds. Were able to be creative, make beer, do what we wanted and work for ourselves, said Hansen, noting the reasons why they wanted to open a brewery. That was a big allure of it all. Stepping away from everything and saying, Screw it. This is what were going to do. The name of the brewery is an homage to Hansens father, who was nicknamed the Hound in his younger years. That was a nickname that my father carried forever since he was young, said Hansen. He was a successful business owner for over 46 years in Salt Lake City. He always supported me. When the time came to open the brewery, he backed us fully and shared his business knowledge with us. That knowledge helped the entrepreneurs tap into the Northwest Florida market, which, as Sherman noted, was one of the last frontiers for the craft beer movement. Ten years ago, it was all Bud and Coors Light, said Sherman. Now you have craft beer bars popping up and more and more craft breweries opening. Were the new kids on the block, but we now have people coming up to us asking how they can start brewing. In the Hounds production facility, taproom patrons have ringside seats next to fermentation tanks and bourbon casks. Stacks of cans tower along the back walls and bright tanks shine under the well-lit warehouse lighting. The taproom consists of little more than a small bar with several taps, a Wii, a corner with merchandise and a couple of tables and chairs thrown together. At the roll-down warehouse door, the gray dog sits and watches the parking lot, waiting for customers to pull in. Its comfortable and casual, but this place is about the love of the product. You drive down to the dead end for great beer. Youll only get some of our small-batch stuff (in the taproom), said Hansen. We test to see what people like. Most of these taps are things Im playing with. Theres a lot of room to play on the small batch, so we get a lot of cool, interesting flavors that end up in the taproom. I keep telling him to just brew, said Sherman. Brew whatever you want, just brew. And Hansen does just that, making flavors like Big And Fluffy, a smooth, sweet stout brewed with marshmallows, vanilla, cinnamon and coconut, and Strawberry Shortcake with Kiwi, a flavorful sour ale. But even the brewerys two main canned and distributed beers, Divide & Conchr, a double IPA, and Man o Wheat, a pale wheat ale, push the boundaries of standard craft fare. When we came out with Divide & Conchr, our first beer we brewed, people were like, Your first beer is going to be a double IPA, here in the middle of nowhere in the Florida Panhandle? In Lager land? said Hansen. Yes, shut your mouth and try it, added Chas Swanson, a brewer standing behind the taproom bar. Sherman and Hansen both laughed. Its our biggest seller, said Sherman. Its huge. Guest taps from other Florida breweries, like Apalachicolas Oyster City Brewing and Tampas Cigar City Brewing, round out the taproom selections. Even nearby Grayton Beer has a tap. We have a great working relationship with Grayton Beer Company, said Sherman, noting that there isnt animosity between the two despite the proximity. Theyre right down the road so if we run out of something we can run down and get it and vice versa. Theyre the first people we call and a great bunch of folks. The tall pines and surrounding forest may shroud Idyll Hounds, but that hasnt stopped visitors from as far away as Illinois and Ohio from following the scent of bitter hops to the brewery doors. We get people that come from all over, yet this area is one of the last places craft beer has taken hold, said Sherman. They can come down now and find good craft beer. Visitors might not know about the areas great beer, but they do know about the white sands and emerald waters of South Walton. Just on the other side of US Highway 98 from the brewery, along scenic Highway 30A, the 16 neighborhoods that make up the Beaches of South Walton are strung along 26 miles of coastline. Youll find Idyll Hounds brews at local hangouts like Growler Garage 30A, a craft beer bar in Santa Rosa, and Red Bar, a funky juke joint in quirky Grayton Beach. For those looking to take their beer cans on the white sands of Walton County, the beaches from Miramar down to Rosemary are great spots to kick off the flip-flops, thrown down a beach towel and plant an umbrella. The whole reason we went with cans is that they are beach friendly, said Sherman. The death of former deputy prime minister Sok An in Beijing on Wednesday has once again brought into question the quality of medical services in Cambodia and the use of overseas treatment by the countrys elite. An died on Wednesday of a long-term illness in Beijing hospital at the age of 66, becoming the latest in a line of high-level officials and royalty to seek medical treatment abroad. San Chey, executive director of Affiliated Network for Social Accountability Cambodia, said that while officials in neighboring countries did not need to seek treatment abroad, Cambodian medical services were seen as inferior, prompting the elite to engage in medical tourism. Lee Kuan Yew, as far as I know, died in his country. The king of Thailand died in a hospital in Thailand. But for the leaders and high-profile figures in Cambodia, including former King Norodom Sihanouk and now Sok An, they died in foreign countries, he said. This point reflects clearly that the quality of the service or the confidence in Cambodias medical service is in trouble, meaning that there is a lack of confidence in curing serious disease, he said. Meas Ny, a social researcher, said the lack of confidence the Cambodian elite showed in its medical services was the difference between medical treatment in our country and in Thailand. Not only do our people not trust our heal service, but also senior officials dont trust it, he added. Mam Bunheng, minister of health, and ministry spokesman Ly Sovann, could not be reached. Other senior officials, including Prime Minister Hun Sen and Pen Sovann, a former prime minister, have also been known to seek treatment abroad. News that the funeral for the late deputy prime minister, Sok An, will cost the state $750,000 has provoked dismay among critics in the impoverished country. Sok An died in a Beijing hospital on Wednesday and his body was repatriated on Thursday last week. After it was revealed that Prime Minister Hun Sen had requested $750,000 be set aside from the national budget for Ans funeral expenses, social media users in Cambodia went online to question the decision. Kem Monovithya, opposition leader Kem Sokhas eldest daughter, Tweeted: $750,000 funeral, from national budget. Who said #Cambodia is poor? Sok Eysan, ruling Cambodian Peoples Party spokesman, however, said the cost was justified. With this amount of money, we will not spend it all, he said. We dont know how much will be spent. This money is reserved for solving the problems that are happening now. San Chey, executive director of Affiliated Network for Social Accountability Cambodia, accused the government of political bias, comparing the lack of expenditure on the funeral of Pen Sovann, a former prime minister and opposition lawmaker, who died last year with the apparently lavish plans for Sok An. The United States on Thursday issued a statement offering condolences. Samdach Dr. Sok An had an extraordinary career in the economic, legal, education, religious, cultural preservation, and diplomatic fields. He was a longtime partner with the U.S. Embassy on cultural preservation through his role as President of the Apsara Authority. He likewise made significant contributions to the Royal Governments efforts to establish the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC) through his role as chairman of the Task Force on the Khmer Rouge Trial, it said. Sok An was cremated on Sunday at Botum Vatey pagoda in Phnom Penh. Cambodian police have visited two hotels as part of a probe into the death of Kim Jong Nam, the estranged half-brother of North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un, according to hotel staff. Jong Nam died at Kuala Lumpur airport in Malaysia on February 13 after apparently being smeared with the VX nerve agent, a chemical listed as a weapon of mass destruction by the United Nations. Doan Thi Huong, from Vietnam, and Siti Aisyah, from Indonesia, were arrested in Malaysia shortly after the attack. They were charged with the murder and could face the death penalty if found guilty. Both women have said they believed they were participating in a prank for a reality television show. Huong reportedly spent time in Phnom Penh in January, according to posts on her Facebook account cited in media reports. Long Panha, a manager at the V Hotel in Phnom Penh, where Huong reportedly stayed, said police officers had visited the hotel in late February and requested records and copies of security camera footage. Japanese newspaper the Asahi Shimbun reported this week that the alleged killers had rehearsed the attack several times, including in Cambodia. Em Sopheavuth, a manager at the Okay Boutique Hotel, where Huong also reportedly stayed during a January visit to the capital, said police had also visited that hotel with a warrant, seeking documents and security camera tapes. They were with an IT expert. They said they were with the police investigations team, he said. It was not immediately clear whether a foreign government had made an official request for an investigation to take place. Counsellor Norjufri Nizar Edrus of the Malaysian Embassy in Phnom Penh declined to comment as the case was ongoing. Efforts to reach the Vietnamese and North Korean embassies in Phnom Penh for comment were not successful. Y Sok Khy, head of the polices anti-terrorism department, and Kirth Chantharith, police spokesman, could not be reached. General Khieu Sopheak, interior ministry spokesman, said he was unaware of any request for assistance. Chum Sounry, foreign ministry spokesman, said while a request may have been made, he had no knowledge of it. The spokesman of the foreign ministry does not know all information at the ministry, he said. U.S. And South Korean officials have said that Jong Nam was assassinated on the orders of Pyongyang. He had lived in exile in the Chinese territory of Macau since falling out of favor with the regime. A year after a group of U.S. Congressmen created the Congressional Cambodia Caucus, its founders say that their mission, to educate their fellow members about the developing political situation in Cambodia, has broadened their understanding of Cambodian affairs. Representative Alan Lowenthal, co-chair of the Caucus, said the group was pleased that everyone in the House of Representatives now understands that there is a very serious political situation taking place in Cambodia. And the United States is encouraging the Cambodian government to rectify the situation and allow free and fair elections as they agreed back in 2013. The Caucus was created on March 21 last year by Democrat Congressman Alan Lowenthal and Republican Congressmen Steve Chabot. Cambodian politics changed in 2013 when the newly formed Cambodia National Rescue Party secured 55 of parliaments 123 seats, bringing the ruling Cambodian Peoples Party majority down from 90 to 68. Next years general election is shaping up to be a bitterly fought contest, as critics say Prime Minister Hun Sen has for months sought to lay the foundations for another CPP win by using the courts, pro-government media, and legislation to discredit and disrupt the opposition. Hun Sen has even taken the extraordinary step of leaking a private phone call between himself and the oppositions then-deputy president, Kem Sokha, in which he suggests that legal proceedings against Sokha would disappear if he were to publicly attack the former party president, Sam Rainsy. Rainsy resigned from the party leadership in February after Hun Sen passed amendments to the law governing political parties that made it illegal to hold a senior position in a party with a criminal record. Rainsy was convicted several years ago of defaming a former foreign minister, Hor Namhong, which meant if he had stayed in his position the interior ministry and Supreme Court would have had the power to dissolve the CNRP. Hun Sen, however, has denied he is attempting to sow division in the CNRP. Lowenthal said the recent developments were a step too far. Its at a critical point now, he said. The point is what can the United States do? Weve now informed the secretary of state. This past week, Ive heard conversations with the Asia desk of the secretary of state to talk about the deteriorating relationship. He added that the Caucus would soon meet to hammer out a strategy. Its very serious ... there is definitely an overt attack now by the Prime Minister, Mr. Hun Sen, against the CNRP being able to be a viable political opposition, he said. Analysts and activists said Hun Sens leaking of the phone call with Sokha was a clear attempt to divide the CNRP. Navan Cheth, a community organizer in Long Beach, CA, said: Even a three-year-old kid understands that this is a cheap game and it is a set up that the majority of Khmers in and outside of Cambodia cannot accept. In September, the Caucus lobbied for the adoption of House Resolution 728, aimed at promoting human rights in Cambodia. Cheth said this was a legal weapon the Cambodian people should use ahead of the elections. If someone wins the election, the winner will get a peaceful hand over of power without any war, [but] as we have already witnessed in Cambodian history, there is no transfer of power without shedding blood, he said. Yaing Saing Koma, founder of the Grassroots Democracy Party (GDP), said the United States still had a crucial role to play in promoting human rights in Cambodia. The US has a role and obligation to ensure that Cambodia properly implements the multi-party policy, which means to conduct a free and fair election, he said. The GDP will compete for the first time in the June 4 local elections. Saing Koma said initiatives such as the Caucus would give a warm assurance to the Cambodian people who will feel that the international community has not abandoned them yet. There are still people who pay attention to political developments in Cambodia. David Josar, U.S. Embassy deputy spokesman, said: We support an open and transparent political process that represents the will of the people. The Embassy, through USAID, has been supporting the National Election Commission (NEC) and civil society organizations on election preparations, in cooperation with international partners. In order for Cambodia to demonstrate to the international community that elections are free and fair, all political parties must be allowed to campaign freely. U.S. President Donald Trump will host Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi for talks Monday that are likely to include the ongoing offensive to recapture the key northern city of Mosul from Islamic State militants. Last month, the two leaders discussed the battle against Islamic State during a phone call, but on Monday they will have their first face-to-face meeting. Before departing for Washington, Abadi said he wanted to talk with Trump about "how to complete the final stages to defeat ISIS and those who are helping them." Iraqi forces have been battling the militants on the ground with the help of air support from a U.S.-led coalition that has been targeting Islamic State since August 2014. Battle for Mosul The battle to regain control of Mosul began late last year and has so far resulted in Iraqi troops capturing the eastern part of the city and making gains in the western portion. Iraqi helicopters on Sunday fired rockets near a key mosque in western Mosul as ground forces closed in on the site where Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi declared a self-styled caliphate in 2014. U.S. and Iraqi analysts have eyed the mosque as the jihadists' unofficial administrative headquarters. At one point late Sunday, witnesses reported Iraqi ground forces within 100 meters of Mosul's wrecked Iron Bridge, pressing slowly toward the nearby mosque in an offensive slowed by narrow roadways and the presence of hundreds of thousands of civilians. "The difficulties are the presence of families, how to avoid opening fire on families who are used as human shields" by the jihadists, said General Abbas al-Juburi in comments to the French news agency. Juburi also linked the slow pace of the days-old offensive to the lack of artillery in the ancient neighborhoods of the Old City, where buildings are too close together and roadways too narrow to support the use of such weaponry. More ethnic Yazidis freed In other developments, the Kurdish news agency Rudaw said eight more captive ethnic Yazidi women and children were rescued Sunday from their IS captors. Details were sketchy. But the report quoted Kurdish rescue official Hussein Koro as saying the operation was coordinated with Kurdish peshmerga fighters and security agencies north of Mosul in Duhok province. Koro said 2,000 Yazidis have been rescued since Islamic State seized much of Kurdish northern Iraq three years ago. But he said 3,400 others remain captive. Islamic State kidnapped thousands of Yazidi women and children in August 2014 when it attacked their homes and villages in northwestern Iraq near the Syrian border. Iraqi Kurdish forces backed by U.S. airstrikes have since recaptured some of that territory, but many children have been orphaned and many young women are believed to have been taken into slavery. Escapees say the slaves are often victims of rape and subjected to forced labor. Runaways also have reported that slaves are closely tracked and that many of them are recaptured, only to face more punishment. As the U.S. government proposes severe cuts in foreign aid, Africa and its neighbors are experiencing a massive hunger crisis, with 20 million people facing possible starvation in Somalia, South Sudan, Nigeria and Yemen. Aid officials say the proposed cuts would have a deep and disastrous impact in those countries and others. The United States is the largest single donor to the United Nations World Food Program, contributing just over $2 billion last year. In dire times like these, says WFP East Africa spokeswoman Challiss McDonough, the aid agency needs more help than ever. Famine has been declared in parts of South Sudan, and in one remote village of 20,000 people, McDonough says, WFPs meager food drops -- consisting of a bit of sorghum, a handful of split peas and a few spoonfuls of vegetable oil -- serve as a lifeline. Without those airdrops, if we werent able to keep those planes flying and to keep the food moving, to keep the helicopters flying, then people would literally have nothing," she told VOA from Nairobi, Kenya. "The only thing that is standing between them and catastrophe is the food assistance that we can bring to them. That word -- catastrophe -- has come up often in global reactions to the proposed U.S. budget, which seeks a nearly 30 percent reduction in international programs, like the U.S. Agency for International Development. In a statement, the president and CEO of aid agency Save the Children, Carolyn Miles, said, "These cuts will be catastrophic for millions of families in developing countries, adding that U.S. aid has had a massive global impact in the last two decades, reducing childhood deaths by more than 50 percent. Ben Parker, a London-based editor and analyst with IRIN, a news agency specializing in humanitarian issues, says the international aid community is readying itself for a shock over the loss of aid. Its going to hurt, he said, and its going to have consequences were not even sure about at this point when you look at the scale of the cuts, potentially, particularly to the U.N., which the administration has a particular lack of appetite for. WATCH: Related report by Margaret Besheer Mick Mulvaney, director of the White House Office of Management and Budget, said the proposal will absolutely reduce funding to the U.N. -- to which the U.S. is the largest single donor. Parker, however, says the U.S. has to respect certain financial obligations to the U.N. if it wants to retain its powerful vote on the Security Council. [W]hen youre a member of international organizations, you have various types of funding obligations which you cant get out of easily, he said. And these in the U.N. cover things like the core budget and also the peacekeeping operations... And it cant just not pay -- or if it does not pay, if it is a deadbeat -- it may then lose its right to vote in the organization." Unfortunately, he adds, it appears the easier cuts would be to things like emergency relief. The proposed cuts dont just affect the poorest of the poor. The U.S. government considers South Africa an upper middle income country, but its international development agency contributed about $256 million to local aid groups last year. Twenty-four million dollars of that went to Right to Care, a health care organization that works on HIV prevention, treatment and other support. CEO Ian Sanne says his organization needs every penny of that money -- South Africa has the worlds highest prevalence of AIDS and the worlds largest HIV treatment program. Still, his biggest concern about the proposed U.S. budget isnt President Donald Trump's plan to cut international aid. It's the plan to cut nearly 20 percent of funding to one of the worlds leaders in disease research, the U.S. National Institutes of Health. Its not clear which disease areas the funding will be cut to, but certainly in HIV-tuberculosis, the current agenda of research would be significantly impeded by such a substantive reduction in funding, he told VOA from Johannesburg. The TB drug development arena is almost entirely dependent on the funding from the NIH, and an interruption in funding would lead to a potential expanse of the TB epidemic -- and particularly drug-resistant TB epidemic -- worldwide. The World Bank reports Africa will receive the bulk of the $75 billion the International Development Association, or IDA, will spend to finance life-saving and life-changing operations over the next three years mainly in 30 of the worlds poorest, most fragile countries. The IDA is a part of the World Bank which supports anti-poverty programs in the most poor developing countries through long-term, no interest loans. The World Bank reports the African region will receive $45 billion of the $75 billion allocated for development purposes. It says other recipients will include small Pacific island states threatened by climate change and fragile countries in the Western Hemisphere, such as Haiti. The fund, which runs from July 1 through June 30, 2020, also will support specific development projects in 82 additional fragile states, including Guinea, Nepal, Niger, and Tajikistan. Axel van Trotsenburg, vice president for Development Programs at the World Bank, says the aid package will make a huge difference in the lives of hundreds of millions of people. For example, he says it could deliver essential health and nutrition services for up to 400 million people. We will or expect to train up to 10 million teachers to benefit 300-plus million children. We intend to immunize between 130 and 180 million children and would undertake investments that could improve the access to improved water resources for up to 45 million people, he said. Long-term and emergency assistance While IDA is largely focused on supporting long-term development projects, it does have provisions for helping people in crisis situations. Van Trotsenburg tells VOA that IDA has just announced a $1.6 billion support package for emergencies, with critical support going for famine relief in Yemen, South Sudan, Somalia, and northern Nigeria, where an estimated 20 million people are at risk of famine. The financial support will be a combination of recently approved operations that we have been in the last six, eight months that were already started to target, for example, the north of Nigeria to the remaining resources that are still available in our crisis response window, he said. Van Trotsenburg says IDA still has about $360 million left over from development projects executed over the past three years. He says that money will be used for famine relief. An attacker shot a journalist to death Sunday in the Mexican state of Veracruz, adding to the toll in a region plagued by drug gang violence and allegations of government corruption. Journalist Ricardo Monlui was leaving a restaurant with his wife and a son in the town of Yanga, outside the larger city of Cordoba, when a man who appeared to have been waiting shot Monlui twice and fled, local police chief Carlos Samuel Hernandez said. The wife and son apparently were unhurt. Monlui is at least the 11th journalist to be slain in just over six years in Veracruz state, but the first since former Gov. Javier Duarte quit last year and vanished in the face of corruption charges. New Gov. Miguel Angel Yunes, who took office in December, expressed indignation at the killing. As a battleground for rival drug cartels, Veracruz is one of Mexico's most violent states. The governor reported that eight people, including five police officers, also were killed Sunday during a gunbattle in the Coxquihi municipality in a mountainous area of northern Veracruz. Yunes said it wasn't yet clear what happened. Monlui was head of the Cordoba region's press association and was a columnist for the new newspapers El Sol de Cordoba and Diario de Xalapa as well as the magazine Analysis Politico. Hernandez said officials were trying to identify the killer and were not yet sure of a motive. The Washington-based Committee to Protect Journalists has said that Mexico is the most dangerous part of the hemisphere for journalists and that Veracruz, on the Gulf of Mexico, has been the most deadly part of the country. The committee says 86 journalists have been killed in Mexico since 1992, 37 of them for motives directly related to their work and 49 for reasons not yet clear. Britain says it will trigger Article 50, formally signaling the country's intention to leave the European Union, on March 29. A government spokesman made the announcement Monday, saying the EU has been informed of the development. Article 50 of the EU's treaty covers how a member can withdraw. The breakup began with a June 2016 referendum in which British voters narrowly chose to leave the EU. The vote appeared to be driven by anti-establishment sentiments and the feeling the EU governing structure has taken too much control away from the common British citizen. The referendum also brought the resignation of former Prime Minister David Cameron, who during a re-election campaign had promised to hold the vote. A car bomb has killed at least 23 people and wounded 45 more in Baghdad's southwestern Amil neighborhood, Iraqi officials said.No one has claimed responsibility for the Monday evening attack, but Islamic State has carried out similar attacks in Baghdad and other cities as their hold on Mosul weakens. The blast happened at 1600 UTC, a busy time in a business district of Baghdad. Islamic State militants have suffered a string of defeats over the past two years, losing more than 60 percent of the territory they once held in the country. Iraqi forces, backed by the US-led international coalition, are now closing in on retaking Mosul, Iraq's second-largest city. The militarized Federal Police say they are about 500 meters from al-Nuri mosque, where Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi made a rare public appearance in July 2014, announcing a self-styled caliphate in Iraq and Syria. The attack comes as U.S. President Donald Trump is to meet Monday with Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi in Washington for talks that are likely to include the ongoing offensive to recapture the key northern city of Mosul from Islamic State militants. The four children of undocumented farm worker Lucia de la Cruz dive into the bushes on their way home from school when they see anybody who might be an immigration agent. "They live in fear," De la Cruz said, afraid they will be deported on the way to or from school in Homestead, Florida. Her children no longer want to attend classes. "It's like a ghost that can separate us. I'm the only one left because their father was already deported," De la Cruz said. She wants her children to grow up in the U.S., and not in her homeland of Guatemala where she fears the armed gangs that are there. But "imagine if I am deported; it is just like a death sentence. There is not much justice there," De la Cruz said. Reports of recent crackdowns on illegal immigration have sparked alarm among advocates, citizens and immigrants in the United States, who worry about the effects on the children of undocumented parents. Witnessing a loved one being arrested and deported may have significant effects on the mental health of children, says Lawrence Palinkas, a professor of social policy and health at the University of Southern California. "The most common impact is anxiety and depression. Anxiety over the lack of stability and security in the family unit," Palinkas said. "Certainly, children tend to observe very closely the behavior of parents." The long-term impacts can vary, he added, from experiencing elevated levels of anxiety and fear to being more likely to report depressive symptoms during adulthood. Traumatic symptoms L.M., who asked to be identified only by initials, has been living in the U.S. for more than 17 years. She said her 10-year-old child has been "very nervous lately," and wants to go "with me wherever I go." Speaking in Spanish, L.M. said the family of five is made of undocumented parents, two undocumented children and the 10-year-old, who is a U.S. citizen. Some immigrants have chosen to avoid sending their children to school. But L.M., who works as an immigration advocate in Virginia, refuses to take her daughter out of school and change the family's daily routine. When the 10-year-old comes home from school, she "hugs me tightly and says how glad she is that nothing happened to me. "She has been having nightmares. The nights she has bad dreams she refuses to sleep alone; she wants to sleep with me," L.M. said. "She says sleeping with me is the only way she feels calm." Palinkas said symptoms, such as those described by L.M., can be directly related to stress. Other traumatic forms of behavior are acting out in school or at home, bed wetting, and difficulties in school or poor school performance. "One way or another, any child under these circumstances is likely to be impacted," he said. The American Psychological Association says reuniting deported parents with their children may take years due to difficult immigration regulations and financial barriers; the more complicated the reunification, the greater the likelihood that those children will suffer psychologically. Two reports released in 2015 by the Migration Policy Institute and the Urban Institute show that the effects of a parent's deportation can be aggravated by economic and social instability and unauthorized status. Permanent separation At the extreme end, the study reports, some families became permanently separated as parents lose contact or custody of children. That's one of L.M.'s biggest fears. "I don't want my child to go into the system. ... I don't want them to be up to adoption," she told VOA. L.M. and her husband have asked a relative to take care of their children in case something happens, and power of attorney papers have been signed. "It's sad. For us, it was really sad to think about that. We never asked for government benefits. We've always paid everything ourselves. ... We have done everything this country has asked us to do," she said. A spokeswoman for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) acknowledged immigrants' fears of family separation. In an email response to VOA, Jennifer Elzea said the agency "is committed to ensuring that law enforcement activities, including detention and deportation, do not necessarily hamper the rights of foreign parents or guardians of minors." ICE told VOA that parents presented with a deportation order must decide whether to bring their children with them. If parents choose to have their American child accompany them, ICE tries to meet, as much as possible, the efforts of parents to make arrangements for their children. "As practicable, ICE will coordinate to afford detained parents or legal guardians access to counsel, consulates and consular officials, courts, and/or family members in the weeks preceding removal in order to execute documents [e.g., powers of attorney, passport applications], purchase airline tickets, and make other necessary arrangements prior to travel," Elzea wrote in a statement. But L.M. believes a 10-year-old should not be living in fear. "[My daughter] is an American citizen, too. Does she [have] less value than the others?" she asked. East Timor is voting for a new president in an election that will test Asia's newest and poorest nation. Francisco "Lu Olo" Guterres, a former guerrilla leader from the leftist Fretilin party, is up against seven other candidates Monday. He and the Democratic Party's Antonio de Conceicao, the minister of education and social affairs, are the front-runners. While East Timor's president has a mostly ceremonial role, the prime minister heads the government. Current President Taur Matan Ruak is not running again and is expected to make a run for prime minister in July's parliamentary elections. East Timor's transition to democracy has been rocky, and its leaders have battled massive poverty, unemployment and corruption in a country still recovering from a bloody break for independence from Indonesia over a decade ago. While Donald Trump's political fortunes were rising, his net worth was dropping to a mere $3.5 billion, or roughly a third of what he claimed during his successful campaign for the U.S. presidency, according to the latest Forbes list of the world's billionaires. Trump tumbled more than 100 spots to No. 544 on the magazine's 31st annual list, largely because of the impact of the slumping New York real estate market on his holdings. "Midtown Manhattan real estate is down; therefore, so is Donald Trump's fortune," the business magazine said in a statement. The developer-turned-politician, who ranked No. 205 last year, fell further behind to Bill Gates, the list's perennial leader. Gates, the philanthropic co-founder of Microsoft Corp , was followed this year by Berkshire Hathaway Inc Chairman Warren Buffett at No. 2 and Amazon.com Inc founder Jeff Bezos at No. 3. While Trump's net worth slipped, more people were qualifying for the list. This year Forbes ranked a record 2,043 billionaires. "Booming stock markets, higher commodities prices and plain old-fashioned entrepreneurship helped make this a record year in terms of wealth creation around the globe," Forbes editors Luisa Kroll and Kerry Dolan said. Trump's current $3.5 billion net worth compares with $3.7 billion in October, when Forbes published its list of the 400 wealthiest Americans and a month before his Election Day upset against Democrat Hillary Clinton. While campaigning for the Republican presidential nomination in May, Trump's team filed a personal financial disclosure form that said his net worth was more than $10 billion. Critics have said he has inflated the true value of his wealth, saying his tax returns would provide a more accurate snapshot of his financial status. But Trump has defied convention and refused to release his returns. Neither the White House nor the Trump Organization, which Trump's sons have run since their father's inauguration, immediately responded to a request for comment on the Forbes list. Gates maintained his No. 1 spot for the fourth year in a row, with his $86 billion fortune up from last year's $75 billion. Buffett, the legendary value investor known as the "Oracle of Omaha," reclaimed the No. 2 berth after a two-year hiatus. His net worth surged to $75.6 billion from $60.8 billion. Third place went to Bezos, who apparently was the biggest winner on the 2017 list. His wealth jumped to $72.8 billion, a gain of $27.6 billion from last year, Forbes said. A Beijing-backed panel will gather next Sunday to select the next leader for this city of 7.3 million people. The vote follows several years of unrest and uncertainty in the former British colony. Although the 1,194 voting members of the Election Committee will cast secret ballots, observers say China has already made clear which of the three candidates it prefers and has even issued a veiled warning through pro-Beijing media that the committee should not trigger a constitutional crisis by voting against the choice of the central government. The risk of that happening ought to be small. A little more than a quarter of the body derives from the pro-democracy camp, which has decided to vote as a bloc. The other three-quarters of the committee are controlled by Beijing. The leading candidate is former chief secretary Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, a career civil servant who stepped down as the citys number-two official in order to run and is widely believed to be Beijings preferred candidate. Critics call her C.Y. 2.0 and she already has negative poll ratings, below even those of current chief executive C.Y. Leung when he assumed office. The second choice is the more laid-back and popular John Tsang Chun-hwa, a mustachioed former financial secretary who also resigned his cabinet post to be a candidate. Hes been nicknamed Pringles for his resemblance to a potato chip logo. The third candidate is retired judge Woo Kwok-hing, a surprise entrant with no government experience. Hong Kongs pan-democratic groups do not back him even though his positions on issues may be the closest to theirs. Ronny Tong, a former legislator who now heads the Path of Democracy think-tank, told VOA in an online interview that he doubts if any of the three candidates could be popularly accepted. Look at the way Carrie (Lam) is being vilified every day. Go to her (Facebook) page and you will see the opposition is so much greater than when C.Y. was elected. On the other hand, John Tsang is not getting any support from the pro-government people or Beijing, and I fear if he gets elected we may face a greater constitutional crisis -- divided over where we are going, over how One Country-Two Systems should go on -- (and) everything Beijing stands for the pan-democrats will oppose, he said. One Country-Two Systems is the China-approved constitutional arrangement under which Hong Kong is allowed a capitalist system, the Common Law legal system and a high degree of autonomy. The winning candidate must get at least 601 votes, one more than half the official size of the 1,200-member election committee. Leung received 689 votes in his election, a number that became his pejorative nickname thereafter. The pan-democrats hold some 325 votes on the election body. In the absence of a truly popular mandate, Beijing wants Lam to secure no less than 700 votes and preferably more than 800 in order to have a victory that appears convincing. Leverage David Zweig, chair professor of social science at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology and a longtime analyst of politics here, said this small-circle method of choosing the territorys leader has little to do with a free election. The population in general has very little leverage on the candidates because it doesnt really matter what the population thinks about them. You want to please these 1,200 people and you want to please 800 of them if you want to have a decent electoral victory and thats it. Zweig says Lam appears to have been all but anointed as victor in the pro-Beijing news media, making it likely that she will carry the day. Tsangs chances as a challenger recently took a major hit. Some thought tycoon Li Ka-shing, who controls numerous votes through his family, affiliated businesses and friends, might vote with the pan-democratic bloc, giving Tsang a shot at victory. But the Li group recently indicated that its supporting Lam. The worry that Tsang wont deliver also puts him at a disadvantage, said Jean-Pierre Cabestan, head of the Political Science Department and professor at Hong Kong Baptist University Clearly, John Tsang is more of a unifier. Now the trouble is whether he will be able to deliver. He has made some promises in terms of relaunching the political reform platform and trying to convince Beijing to be more flexible on universal suffrage pledges that China may not support, the professor said. Zweig said Lam has benefited from Beijings arm-twisting. People were definitely pressured. The central government in Beijing, as far as we know, has put pressure on lots of people in the committee to vote for Carrie, because they prefer Carrie and Carrie wants to be able to get at least 800 votes of this 1,200. Political reform plan Under Beijings political reform plan, which sparked months of street protests and was rejected by the Hong Kong legislature in 2014, China would have controlled the process of selecting candidates, but these nominees would have then had to stand in a general election by universal suffrage. Zweig said any further discussion of reform appears off the table. My contacts, people that I know who work in Hong Kong for the government in Beijing, make it very clear that there will be no discussion within the next five years and that as far as theyre concerned the democrats shut the door on what Beijing saw as some gradual progress. But Tong, who formerly belonged to the pro-democratic Civic Party, disagrees. Dont underestimate the value of the process of trying to restart political reform, he said. If we do it in a rational way and start engaging each other, it will improve relations, even if we ultimately will fail. The appointment of a controversial Hindu religious leader, Yogi Adityanath, as Chief Minister of Indias most populous state, Uttar Pradesh, has surprised many and raised questions about whether Prime Minister Narendra Modis Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is moving toward a hardline Hindu agenda. The 44-year-old saffron-robed priest turned politician, known for his anti-Muslim rhetoric, took office on Sunday, a week after the BJP won a resounding victory in the state. After taking his oath, Adityanath said he would focus on development for all communities in a state where Muslims make up almost 20 percent of the population. The BJP also sent out reassuring signals. Prime Minister Modi tweeted that "Our sole mission and motive is development. When U.P. [Uttar Pradesh] develops, India develops." Another top leader, Venkaiah Naidu said, "This mandate is against caste politics, religious politics," Naidu said. Concerns But Adityanaths elevation to the top post in Uttar Pradesh has unsettled many including liberals, opposition parties and political observers. Calling it a baffling choice, independent political analyst in New Delhi, Ajoy Bose said, Everybody is a little confused as to why the Prime Minister and party president chose this name. The discomfiture about Adityanaths appointment arises from the incendiary speeches and remarks laced with anti-Muslim sentiment the Hindu leader, who has been a member of parliament, has made in the past. He recently praised the first travel ban ordered by U.S. President Donald Trump to block immigration from a group of Muslim-majority countries, saying India needed something similar to tackle terrorism. He has also said minorities who oppose yoga should leave the country and once compared top Bollywood star Shahrukh Khan to a terrorist. He was reprimanded by election authorities for calling on Hindus to convert 100 Muslims for every Hindu that adopted Islam. In campaign rallies, he supported the building of a Hindu temple on the site of a 16th-century mosque that was razed in the 1990s, igniting religious riots. Greater polarization feared The Times of India newspaper called the selection of the saffron hardliner a defiant assertion of the BJPs Hindu nationalist credentials. In a sentiment echoed by many opposition leaders, Congress Party spokesman Manish Tewari, said the BJP's decision to appoint Adityanath was a "harbinger to greater polarization". And although BJP leaders defended Adityanaths appointment, political observers say it would dent the the ruling partys image, which had been boosted hugely by its recent success in regional elections. The BJP's sweeping success in Uttar Pradesh had put the party in a strong position ahead of the 2019 elections. A lot of people feel kind of let down, said Bose. This was a huge victory and had really made Mr. Modi quite invincible in some ways and this was the time really to move on and to tell people that now we are in power in Delhi and in Indias largest state and political heartland, we will get onto the modernizing agenda. Many in the country have thrown their support behind Modi because they see him as a strong leader who can deliver on promises of wiping out corruption, reviving the economy and creating jobs. But they want him to steer away from anything that would hurt Indias secular credentials something that Modi has done by emphasizing that his main agenda is development for all. Bose said people will watch carefully to see how Adityanath conducts himself as Chief Minister. If he keeps away from a divisive agenda, gives a good government, there is some development in U.P. then these concerns will lessen. In a sign of the Iranian governments increasing openness over its involvement in Syrias civil war, state television will air a documentary during the Iranian New Year known as Nowruz praising the thousands of pro-Iranian fighters who died in Syria over the years. The documentary is in 13 parts and will air for 13 days, corresponding with the 13-day celebration of New Year in Iran. The documentary, which will present pro-Iranian fighters as the guardian of Zeinab shrine, a major Shiite holy site in Syria, will be aired on Irans official TV Channel, IRIB 2 in a show titled From Heaven. Experts say that by airing the documentary during Nowruz, Iran wants to ensure that it reaches most of its citizens in the country, because television viewership increases dramatically during the holiday season in the country. Schools and most organizations are closed for literally 13 days in Iran for Nowruz, and TV is a big part of that long holiday, said Majid Beheshti a British-based former TV producer at Iranian TV. State TV traditionally airs New Years programming that highlights Nowruz festivals and stories of Iranian history and origin. But this year will mark a break with that tradition. Iranian government has often glorified its military involvement in Syria, but this is the first time that a documentary about fallen fighters in Syria is going be aired on prime time at one of the three major TV channels of Iran, Nureddin Yousefi, a Tehran based TV and movie critic, said. Defending the Shrine Tehran claims its forces are in Syria only to protect the Zeinab Shrine in Damascus, a Shi'ite holy site. But since 2012, Iran has acted as a major ally of the Syrian regime in Damascus, and backed Syrian troops in their war with rebel groups across the country. The Iranian presence in Syria initially began with Iranian advisers going there, but later on, the country expanded its role by deploying elite forces from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which has a strong footprint now on almost all front lines where Syrian government forces engage with the rebels. Iran has been trying to justify the legitimacy of its presence in Syria and win domestic support for its continued involvement in the conflict on behalf of President Bashar al-Assad. The new documentary seems to be part of those efforts to camouflage the Iranian military presence into defending a noble and religious cause in a foreign land. State propaganda But critics, like British-based former Iranian TV producer Majid Beheshti believe it will do little to achieve that goal. Nowruz programs are mostly of happy themes and comedies when people can forget about routines and have some fun among families. Bringing a program with that propaganda theme on one of the most viewed Iranian TV channels in Nowruz prime time is not probably going to win peoples hearts and minds, Beheshti said. Amir Khorshidi Fard, the producer of the show where the documentary about the shrine defenders will be aired, argued that it will present a clear picture of who the defenders are and will shed light on their diversity. The show, which features the Iranian militias killed in Syria trying to figure out the identity of those martyrs will also tackle rumors about the high salary they receive to defend the shrine, Amir Khorshidi Fard told VOA. Khorshidi added that focusing on family members of the fallen fighters in a documentary will give people a better understanding about shrine defenders and will humanize them. Among shrine defenders in Syria, there are large number of foreign fighters as well, including Afghans and Pakistanis who are lured by various incentives to fight for Iran in support of Assad in Syria. Western media outlets estimate the number of Afghans fighting in Syria to be between 10- and 12,000 fighters they are part of the Fatemiyon Brigade. Iran also has recruited more than 1,000 Pakistan Shiites to fight alongside Iranian-backed fighters supporting government forces in Syrias civil war. Pakistani fighters are part of the Zainabeyon Brigade. Pakistani authorities recently banned a local humanitarian organization for luring and sending Shiite youths from several northwestern areas in Pakistan to Iran. Shiite youths were reported receiving military training before their deployment to Syria. For years since Irans military involvement in Syria began in 2012, funerals of the fallen foreign fighters were kept from public view. But recently Iranian authorities have begun to go public about them and glorify them. Last month, Tehran municipality held a ceremony commemorating fallen Afghan fighters in Syria. The Iraqi army, backed by helicopters, advanced on western Mosul and pushed into the area around the al-Nuri mosque on Sunday. Taking the mosque where Islamic State leader gave a much publicized sermon in July of 2014 is a symbolic victory for the government. But retaking the Old City of Mosul is riddled with challenges. Iraqi troops have to use extra caution to spare civilians and ancient structures as they fight Islamic State in the Old City of Mosul. The government says its forces have made new advances in western Mosul, but the militants, who are holed in the densely populated civilian areas, are putting up fierce resistance. "It is one of the toughest areas, and in fact it is difficult, chaotic and very tight, but our forces managed to get out of their vehicles and enter the Old City," Lieutenant General Haidre Yusuf Abdulla, of the Iraqi Federal Police, said. Militants are believed to be using suicide bombers to block the advance of government troops. Military officials say fighting in the densely populated Old City is extremely difficult. "The challenges are, firstly, how to avoid hitting civilians because they (IS) are using them as human shields. And secondly, the area is difficult because it is in an ancient neighborhood and we use less heavy weapons," Brigadier-General Abbas Al-Juburi, a commander with the Iraqi Rapid Response Division, said. Civilians are streaming out of western Mosul with meager possessions and people wounded by landmines or booby traps. "There are bodies lying on the ground; they were killed by booby traps under the car at this corner. They passed and stepped on the wire. There are 15 dead bodies; they've started to rot. We wanted to take them, but the militants didn't let us. They shot at us," Mosul resident Abu Dunia said. The Iraqi government launched a massive U.S.-backed operation in October to retake Mosul from Islamic State. About 250,000 people have been displaced from the area since that battle began. "The situation is terrible. Islamic State militants have destroyed us. There is no food. There is no bread. There is nothing," said a man fleeing Bab el Beit in West Mosul. But those who have escaped feel lucky. More than a half-million civilians remain trapped by the militants in the Old City of Mosul. Japan is building up its influence in the South China Sea, the most widely contested body of water in Asia, to curb Chinese expansion and garner support for its broader military as well as economic interests. In May, Japan will send its Izumo helicopter-carrying warship to the South China Sea for three months of port visits in Southeast Asia before directing it onward to the Indian Ocean for drills with the United States, according to the U.S. Naval Institutes news website. You see this warship more as a multipurpose platform, said Collin Koh, maritime security research fellow at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. It can do humanitarian assistance and disaster relief. It can do anti-submarine warfare, so a few signals Japan wants to send via this deployment. 'Causing trouble' Last week, Chinas foreign ministry spokesperson reacted to word about the warship by urging that Tokyo refrain from causing trouble in the region and respect related countries' efforts to maintain peace and stability, according to the official Xinhua News Agency. Japan does not claim the South China Sea, a 3.5 million-square-kilometer body of water prized for fisheries and possible undersea fuel reserves. Six other governments call all or part of it their own, creating friction since the 1960s. Over the past decade China has angered the others by using landfill to expand tiny islets and built military installations on some to fortify its claim to about 95 percent of the sea. Japan, which does have maritime territorial disputes with Beijing in the East China Sea, will send the ship as part of a longer-term effort to vie with Chinas influence in Southeast Asian coastal states while cooperating with the United States to bolster a broader power base in Asia, analysts say. Like China and the U.S., Japan is trying to consolidate its role as a leader in the region, said Jonathan Spangler, director of the Taipei-based South China Sea Think Tank. Part of this effort involves demonstrating that it has the capacity and courage to operate in areas well beyond its own borders. Island-building The United States hopes to stop Chinese island-building in the South China Sea and ensure freedom of navigation, an agenda that has angered Beijing but found a match in Tokyo. Japan also cares about the safety of undersea communications infrastructure and Chinas compliance with international laws, Koh said. Japan and China dispute the eight uninhabited Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea. Analysts say Tokyos influence in Southeast Asia, along with its close U.S. security relationship, could draw wider sympathy to its Senkaku claim. Tokyo controls the islets, which are 200 nautical miles (370 kilometers) southeast of Okinawa and called the Diaoyudao in China. It regularly reports spotting Chinese military aircraft flying over nearby waters. Japan wants to form a united front with Southeast Asian countries, said Carl Thayer, emeritus professor of politics at The University of New South Wales in Australia. Brunei, Malaysia, Vietnam and the Philippines contest parts of Chinas maritime claims in the South China Sea. It does not want the Senkakus to be just an isolated incident. Broader context is Chinas assertiveness and growing power in the Indo-Pacific, he said. The endgame is stability and getting China to stand down on assertive actions on the Senkakus. Economic influence China and Japan already vie for economic influence in Southeast Asia, a hotbed for investment and a vibrant consumer market of about 600 million people. Japan has given the region development aid since the 1950s. Last year it pledged to raise the amount. The aid builds political relations while keeping doors open for low-cost investment by Japanese factories. Vietnam and the Philippines are exploring ways to cooperate with China over the disputed sea, adding urgency for Japan. China offers aid and investment to much of Southeast Asia as well. Japans foreign ministry said last year it hoped China would comply with a July 2016 world arbitration court ruling against the Chinese claim to about 95 percent of the sea. The Philippines had filed for the arbitration. China rejected the ruling. Japan is continuously proactive in terms of providing assistance to the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) countries in terms of conducting ... patrols in the region and also sending the warships to ASEAN countries, very much in line with their emphasis on the rule-based behavior, said Andrew Yang, secretary-general with the Chinese Council of Advanced Policy Studies think tank in Taiwan. Chinas dialogue with other countries had improved relations in the region, Xinhua said. Beijing distrusts Japan for what it perceives as an unrepentant stance for its pre-World War Two invasion of mainland China. It also frets over the Japan-U.S. military alliance that U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis reaffirmed in February. Japanese influence China is used to Japans influence in Southeast Asia, analysts say. Japan sent three amphibious ships to the Philippines in 2013 for relief after Typhoon Haiyan killed about 6,300 people in the Southeast Asian country. Last year, Japan gave the Philippines two patrol vessels and said it would lease training aircraft, adding to an earlier offer of 10 coast guard ships to an otherwise militarily weak nation. Japan agreed in 2014 to sell Vietnam six used maritime surveillance vessels and two months ago pledged to sell it six new patrol ships. The Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said Japan had inflamed the (South China Sea) issue recently, much to the dissatisfaction of the Chinese people, Xinhua reported. Unless Japan shifts direction, the news agency said, China will definitely respond to any action that harms China's sovereignty and security. Expect a "continuation" of Japanese military cooperation in Southeast Asia, Thayer said. The foreign and defense ministers from Japan and Russia met in Tokyo on Monday, with both sides expressing hope that discussions on joint development of islands claimed by both countries might help them move closer to resolving the territorial dispute preventing them from forging a peace treaty. The talks are the first "two-plus-two" meeting since Russia's annexation of Crimea from Ukraine. The one-day meeting is largely focusing on regional security, especially how best to deal with North Korea's launches of missiles and its nuclear program. Russia's Foreign Ministry said before the talks that its envoys would raise the issue of a plan by the U.S. and its ally South Korea to deploy a state-of-the-art missile defense system known as THAAD, which has antagonized China and Russia. Joint efforts in fighting terrorism and drug trafficking were also on the agenda. Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida was meeting with his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, while Japanese Defense Minister Tomomi Inada sat down for talks with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu. The four ministers will also hold joint talks on international and bilateral issues. Japan and Russia last held "two-plus-two" talks in November 2013. Meetings were shelved after that due to the crisis in Ukraine, as Japan joined sanctions against Moscow. The Tokyo talks are not expected to lead to a breakthrough on conflicting claims to islands north of Hokkaido -- Etorofu, Kunashiri, Shikotan and the Habomai islets -- that came under Russian control after Japan's defeat in World War Two. But the countries see more room for agreement on joint development of fisheries, tourism and other areas that might help bridge the gap. Kishida said he intended to work in a "speedy manner" to move closer toward reaching a peace treaty, especially making progress on joint economic development. Lavrov agreed, saying at the outset of the talks that "I believe this joint development will become an important step to create an appropriate environment for resolving a peace treaty." Earlier, a Japanese foreign ministry official said Tokyo would raise concerns over Russia's installment of surface-to-ship missiles on Etorofu and other military activity elsewhere on the disputed islands, and seek an explanation from Moscow. It does not plan to push harder than that, said the official, who briefed reporters on the condition he not be named. Japanese officials also said the talks would include work on planning a visit by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to Moscow later this year. Logistics of visits by Japanese former residents of the disputed islands will also be addressed, they said. Turkish security forces carried out mass arrests of pro-Kurdish activists in the run-up to Tuesday's Nowruz celebrations, which mark the start of the Kurdish new year. Nearly 1,000 activists have been arrested in a week-long nationwide sweep by Turkish security forces. Authorities say the detentions are aimed at preventing possible attacks by the PKK Kurdish insurgent group, which has been fighting the Turkish state for greater minority rights. Turkey considers the PKK a terrorist organization. Critics argue the crackdown has little to do with fighting terrorism. "All of those who have been arrested are local HDP activists," said Ertugrul Kurkcu, parliamentary deputy of the pro-Kurdish party. "The government wants to keep the Kurdish masses out of squares and streets and out of the political context," he argued. "It's obvious the Nowruz celebration is an opportunity for a political awakening and the horizon of Nowruz this year is the referendum." Turkey will hold a referendum next month on giving President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sweeping powers, and the HDP is in the forefront of campaigning against that vote. Security concerns have also been cited for banning Nowruz celebrations in Turkey's capital, Ankara, and Istanbul, which is home to the world's largest Kurdish population. Permission has been granted for celebrations in Diyarbakir, the main city in Turkey's predominantly Kurdish southeast. Nowruz is widely acknowledged as the most important event of the year for Kurdish cultural identity. For decades, it was banned in Turkey. U.S.-based Human Rights Watch, in a report released Monday, highlighted what it described as an alarming crackdown on pro-Kurdish groups in Turkey. "It's deeply damaging to Turkey's democracy that the government is locking up the leaders and MPs of an opposition party that received five million votes in the last election," said Hugh Williamson, Europe and Central Asia director at Human Rights Watch. "The fact that the curbs come during a vital national debate about the country's future is doubly disturbing." "We have not seen anything on this scale for many, many years," said Emma Sinclair Webb, chief Turkey researcher for Human Rights Watch. She said the timing and scale of the arrests, which includes 13 HDP members of parliament, are of concern. "In the run-up to the referendum, there is a huge crackdown on Kurds in Turkey and a crackdown on the second opposition party in Turkey's parliament, which has a lot of its members in prison, including the leaders of the party," said Webb. Moreover, Webb said on the local government level, "you have got 82 municipalities basically brought under government control and co-mayors of those municipalities jailed. They've seen 5,000 of their party officials jailed as well. There is no coincidence in the timing of this crackdown; it's entirely intended to frustrate the activities of a big parliamentary opposition party." The government refutes such allegations, arguing it is engaged only in fighting terrorism. Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu has promised no let up in the crackdown, despite concerns over the forthcoming referendum. "The arrests and detentions are upsetting our regular [campaign] work creating a shortage of experienced and seasoned organizers and activists," said parliamentary deputy Kurkcu. Kurkcu said the "No" campaign is adapting, going in an "unsusal direction." "The campaign is not run by organizing [traditional] outdoor rallies," he said, "but through door-to-door campaigning and this campaigning is conducted by everyone available. This doesn't require political leadership, but political courage and political will." Most opinion polls predict the outcome of the referendum remains too close to call. Analysts point out the crackdown on pro-Kurdish groups also plays well with Turkish nationalist voters key constituents in Erdogan's bid to win the referendum making any let-up in the wave of detentions unlikely. "They really cannot step back from what they have done, what they've engaged in, because we do have a referendum and they cannot make any maneuver that would look like they are capitulating,"said Soli Ozel, an international relations expert at Istanbul's Kadir Has University. Malaysia is gunning for a revamp of its aging naval fleet, as countries in the region prepare to face threats from the influx of Islamic State (IS) militants fleeing Mosul, and from rising tensions in the South China Sea. Defense spending in the Asia Pacific region is expected to hit $250 billion from 2016-20, IHS Janes Defence Weekly said in December, and Malaysia intends to improve on its capabilities alongside other states in the hotly contested South China Sea, even as its defense budget narrows. Malaysia's navy aims to replace all 50 vessels in its aging fleet as the country cut its total defense budget by 12.7 percent to 15.1 billion ($3.41 billion) this year. That will be led by the procurement of four littoral mission ships (LMS) built in collaboration with China. "The LMS are designed for many aspects of maritime security such as dealing with cross-border crime, piracy, anti-terrorism, and search and rescue operations," Malaysian navy chief Ahmad Kamarulzaman Ahmad Badaruddin told Reuters in an interview. "These ships would be very capable of dealing with the threat posed by Daesh and other maritime security concerns," Kamarulzaman said, referring to the Arabic acronym for IS. Malaysia is expected to formalize the LMS deal with China at the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition (LIMA) this week to build four LMS and acquire the technology to construct more of the ships at home. The navy hopes this will enable them to obtain a total of 18 LMS. Plans to acquire four LMS from China were first announced in November. Over 500 exhibitors from 36 countries will parade their wares at this year's LIMA, which is held every two years on the northern duty-free island of Langkawi. Kamarulzaman said they are also in the final stages of negotiations with French shipbuilder DCNS to launch a program to build the larger littoral combat ships (LCS), which he said should be formally announced in August or September this year. The navy is also looking to acquire three new multi-role support ships (MRSS) and two more submarines to round off the fleet. Competing needs The naval buildup in the region comes as tensions rise in the South China Sea, where Beijing's creation of artificial islands has alarmed some Asian countries and stoked friction between China's navy and the U.S. air force. China claims most of the South China Sea, through which $5 trillion in ship-borne trade passes every year. The Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan and Brunei also have overlapping claims. Under President Joko Widodo, Indonesia's total defense spending jumped around 26 percent, and last month Thailand's military government approved a 13.5 billion baht ($389.05 million) submarine deal with China after putting the purchase on hold last year. Members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), however, need to share intelligence if they want their big-ticket buys to be of any use, said Shahriman Lockman, a senior analyst with the Kuala Lumpur-based Institute of Strategic and International Studies. Shahriman said asset upgrades like Malaysia's LMS program are important, but stressed that such high-value procurements would end up sailing blindly without strong intelligence sharing among the 10 ASEAN members, supported by a wide network of surveillance equipment. "We're talking military patrol aircraft, radars, drones ... and in bigger numbers. Quantity is a quality of its own. It doesn't make sense to aspire to top-of-the-range equipment but in small numbers," Shahriman said. "Equipment that contributes to maritime domain awareness ought to be the priority for all. You can't fight what you can't see." Monitors say a 24-year-old Tibetan man set himself on fire Saturday outside a monastery in China's southwestern Sichuan province, a region heavily populated by ethnic Tibetans who protest China's policies in their nearby homeland. A statement Sunday from the organization "Free Tibet" said the man self-immolated Saturday afternoon, drawing a large detachment of police and security personnel who took him into custody. Witnesses are quoted as saying Pema Gyaltsen was thought to be alive when arrested. But the statement said activists have been unable to confirm his current condition or whether he survived the ordeal. The statement also said police remained in the area to prevent the spread of information, and that Internet service in the region was cut. Analysts say Saturday's self-immolation is the first in the disputed region since December, when another male set himself on fire and died. Free Tibet says more than 140 Tibetan protesters have set themselves on fire since 2009, when anti-China protesters -- most of them monks and nuns -- began self-immolating to protest what locals describe as Chinese interference in Tibetan customs and religious practices. The majority of those protesters have died. Protesters also have sought to bring attention to demands for the return of their exiled Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama. Chinese authorities last decade criminalized self-immolation protests, and local courts have imprisoned scores of people for their alleged roles in supporting the protests. Jermaine Anderson keeps going back to the same memory of Donald Trump, then a candidate for president of the United States, referring to some Mexican immigrants as rapists and murderers. "You can't be saying that (if) you're the president,'' says Anderson, a 21-year-old student from Coconut Creek, Florida. That Trump is undeniably the nation's 45th president doesn't sit easily with young Americans like Anderson who are the nation's increasingly diverse electorate of the future, according to a new poll. A majority of young adults - 57 percent - see Trump's presidency as illegitimate, including about three-quarters of blacks and large majorities of Latinos and Asians, the GenForward poll found. GenForward is a poll of adults age 18 to 30 conducted by the Black Youth Project at the University of Chicago with The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. A slim majority of young whites in the poll, 53 percent, consider Trump a legitimate president, but even among that group 55 percent disapprove of the job he's doing, according to the survey. "That's who we voted for. And obviously America wanted him more than Hillary Clinton,'' said Rebecca Gallardo, a 30-year-old nursing student from Kansas City, Missouri, who voted for Trump. Trump's legitimacy as president was questioned earlier this year by Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga.: "I think the Russians participated in helping this man get elected. And they helped destroy the candidacy of Hillary Clinton.'' Trump routinely denies that and says he captured the presidency in large part by winning states such as Michigan and Wisconsin that Clinton may have taken for granted. Overall, just 22 percent of young adults approve of the job he is doing as president, while 62 percent disapprove. Trump's rhetoric as a candidate and his presidential decisions have done much to keep the question of who belongs in America atop the news, though he's struggling to accomplish some key goals. Powered by supporters chanting, "build the wall,'' Trump has vowed to erect a barrier along the southern U.S. border and make Mexico pay for it - which Mexico refuses to do. Federal judges in three states have blocked Trump's executive orders to ban travel to the U.S. from seven - then six - majority-Muslim nations. In Honolulu, U.S. District Judge Derrick Watson this week cited "significant and unrebutted evidence of religious animus'' behind the travel ban, citing Trump's own words calling for "a complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States.'' And yes, Trump did say in his campaign announcement speech on June 6, 2015: "When Mexico sends its people, they're not sending their best...They're bringing drugs. They're bringing crime. They're rapists. And some, I assume, are good people." He went farther in subsequent statements, later telling CNN: "Some are good and some are rapists and some are killers.'' It's extraordinary rhetoric for the leader of a country where, by around 2020, half of the nation's children will be part of a minority race or ethnic group, the Census Bureau projects. Non-Hispanic whites are expected to be a minority by 2044. Of all of Trump's tweets and rhetoric, the statements about Mexicans are the ones to which Anderson returns. He says Trump's business background on paper is impressive enough to qualify him for the presidency. But he suggests that's different than Trump earning legitimacy as president. "I'm thinking, he's saying that most of the people in the world who are raping and killing people are the immigrants. That's not true,'' said Anderson, whose parents are from Jamaica. Megan Desrochers, a 21-year-old student from Lansing, Michigan, says her sense of Trump's illegitimacy is more about why he was elected. "I just think it was kind of a situation where he was voted in based on his celebrity status versus his ethics,'' she said, adding that she is not necessarily against Trump's immigration policies. The poll participants said in interviews that they don't necessarily vote for one party's candidates over another's, a prominent tendency among young Americans, experts say. And in the survey, neither party fares especially strongly. Just a quarter of young Americans have a favorable view of the Republican Party, and 6 in 10 have an unfavorable view. Majorities of young people across racial and ethnic lines hold negative views of the GOP. The Democratic Party performs better, but views aren't overwhelmingly positive. Young people are more likely to have a favorable than an unfavorable view of the Democratic Party by a 47 percent to 36 percent margin. But just 14 percent say they have a strongly favorable view of the Democrats. Views of the Democratic Party are most favorable among young people of color. Roughly 6 in 10 blacks, Asians and Latinos hold positive views of the party. Young whites are somewhat more likely to have unfavorable than favorable views, 47 percent to 39 percent. As for Trump, 8 in 10 young people think he is doing poorly in terms of the policies he's put forward and 7 in 10 have negative views of his presidential demeanor. "I do not like him as a person,'' says Gallardo of Trump. She nonetheless voted for Trump because she didn't trust Clinton. "I felt like there wasn't much choice.'' ___ The poll of 1,833 adults age 18-30 was conducted Feb. 16 through March 6 using a sample drawn from the probability-based GenForward panel, which is designed to be representative of the U.S. young adult population. The margin of sampling error for all respondents is plus or minus 4 percentage points. The survey was paid for by the Black Youth Project at the University of Chicago, using grants from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and the Ford Foundation. Respondents were first selected randomly using address-based sampling methods, and later interviewed online or by phone. A new law designed to protect the marital rights of Pakistans minority Hindu community is also expected to help prevent what Hindu activists say are forced conversions to Islam of teenaged Hindu girls. The law makes it illegal for Hindus to marry before they turn 18. According to journalist and rights activist Jai Prakash Moorani, that takes away the incentive for forcefully converting underage girls. If those who are forcing these girls to convert cannot marry them, then they wont have an interest in converting them, Moorani said. Pakistans Hindu community has long complained that conversion and marriage were being used as legal cover for the kidnapping of young girls, who were allegedly threatened with harm or harm to their families so they would give false statements in court. Limited impact Ramesh Kumar Vankwani, a Hindu member of Pakistans parliament, disagreed that the new law provided any protection to such girls. The act as it was passed, he pointed out, only applies to the Hindu community, so if a girl was forced to convert, it did not apply to her. He thought a better solution would be to not allow persons under 18 to convert at all. If you dont allow persons under 18 to get married, to get drivers licenses, to get national identity cards, why do you allow them to convert?" he asked. The law does state that any Hindu marriage may be annulled by court if the consent of the petitioner was obtained by force, coercion, or by fraud. In Sindh province, where most of Pakistans Hindus live, police officials said many of the converted girls were not kidnapped. Many times, they said, poor Hindu girls eloped with affluent Muslim men and converted because a Muslim cannot marry a Hindu. Hindu activists maintained that such girls were too young to be allowed to make life-changing decisions. What does a 12-,13-year-old know about love? asked Ravi Dawani, the general-secretary of All Pakistan Hindu Panchayat. Girls between 12 and 18, he said, were often lured away with false promises and later threatened so they would lie in court when their marriages or conversions were challenged. Often, he added, their parents were not allowed to meet them. Hotchand Karmani, the president of Pakistan Hindu Council, said the community wanted the judiciary to intervene and give such children, whether boys or girls, time to think about their decision. Many of them have no idea of Islam or any other religion, he said. They convert in the name of love and then have problems a year or two later. Legal issues Pakistani Hindus also expressed reservations over another clause that allowed a court to terminate a marriage if one of the two partners converted to another religion and filed a petition in court. This, they said, opened doors for the kidnapping and conversion of young Hindu married women similar to forced conversion of unmarried teenage girls. If someone wanted to terminate their marriage, they should do so before converting to another religion, not immediately after, Vankwani said. Kapil Dev, a rights activist, said he was surprised to find the clause in the act since the Human Rights committee in the Senate promised to have it removed. Despite those concerns, Pakistans Hindus in general welcomed the passage of a law that allowed for their marriages to be legally registered. Hindu marriages were not recorded through any government document previously, creating problems when spouses applied for identity cards and passports, or tried to get benefits for their husbands or wives. And if a marriage broke down, there was no legal recourse for either spouse. President Mamnoon Hussain signed the Hindu Marriage bill into law on Sunday. It applies to three of Pakistans four provinces. Sindh province has passed its own version of the bill. Firefighters made progress Sunday in battling a small wildfire that forced people to flee hundreds of homes in the mountains just outside downtown Boulder, Colorado, and authorities said they believe the blaze may have been human-caused. Light winds pushed the flames in the wooded area a couple of miles west of Pearl Street, the shopping and dining hub in the heart of the university city. Crews partially contained the fire that had burned just over 60 acres, but officials worried that stronger gusts that could fan the flames might develop overnight. The Boulder Office of Emergency Management said 426 homes were evacuated before dawn and residents of an additional 836 were warned to get ready to leave if conditions worsened. The evacuation orders will remain in place overnight, said Boulder County Sheriff's Cmdr. Mike Wagner. There were no reports of injuries or damage to homes, emergency officials said. Several aircraft were dropping water and retardant on the flames, and a community center opened as an evacuation shelter. The fire started in the Sunshine Canyon area, which is dotted with a mixture of expensive homes and rustic mountain residences. Boulder County Sheriff's Cmdr. Mike Wagner said the area is used by hikers and by transients for camping, leading authorities to believe the blaze was human-caused. Wagner said officials ruled out any lightning strikes or downed power lines. Wagner said fire crews will monitor the blaze overnight and focus on full containment and mop-up on Monday. Seth Frankel, who was warned that he and his family may need to evacuate, said he had packed up "generations of things" that can't be replaced and was ready to go if the air quality got worse. He said smoke was pouring toward neighborhoods and many dead trees were combusting and sending black smoke into the air less than a half-mile from his home. But he and his wife, a Boulder native, and three daughters have dealt with fires and floods before. "It's always alarming and always on your mind, but it's not an uncommon sensation around here," said Frankel, who has lived in Boulder for 20 years. In 2010, a wildfire destroyed nearly 200 houses in the mountainous area west of the city, home to the University of Colorado, Boulder. Frankel got word of the fire early Sunday from a neighbor who received a warning call, and he was outside with neighbors watching the flames and smoke. But he let his daughters, 9, 11 and 13, sleep in. "It's still alarming, but there's no panic," Frankel said. "We will be long since gone when parents are no longer smiling." Pakistan and India, after a gap of nearly two years, have revived talks on a World Bank-mediated treaty that regulates sharing of the Indus river and its tributaries between the nuclear-armed rivals. The two-day meeting of the Indus Water Commission began Monday in Islamabad and officials said the discussions focused on designs of three controversial hydropower projects India plans to build on the Chenab River. Pakistan believes the planned Pakal Dul, Lower Kalnai and Miyar power generation facilities violate the 1960 Indus Water Treaty, or IWT, and could disrupt water flow into Pakistan. Eighty percent of Pakistan's agricultural land is irrigated, and this irrigation depends on rivers flowing into the country from India. India's participation in talks welcomed Pakistani Minister for Water and Power Khwaja Asif welcomed the Indian decision to attend the talks and said he hoped the meeting would help resolve bilateral issues under the IWT framework. He said that settling disputes under the historic treaty would serve interests of both India and Pakistan. The minister said that flood data supplied by India and tour programs of inspection, as well as meetings by Pakistan and India to the sites of interest in the Indus Basin, are also on the agenda of the talks. The last meeting of the commission took place in May 2015, but a spike in political and military tensions prevented the two sides from holding the usually-annual meeting in 2016. Last year, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi threatened to revoke the 57-year-old Indus Water Treaty. The bilateral treaty assigns the Ravi, Beas, and Sutlej rivers to India, and the Chenab, Jehlum, and Sindh rivers to Pakistan. Modi suggested that the sharing of water resources could be conditional on Pakistan preventing militants from undertaking cross-border terrorist attacks in India and divided Kashmir. Islamabad, which denies Indian terror charges, condemned Modi's statement and warned such a move would be viewed as an act of war. Pakistan's objections ignored New Delhi also recently intensified work on proposed power station projects on rivers in Kashmir flowing into Pakistan, ignoring objections from Islamabad and warnings these projects will deprive the country of its due share of water. While India has resumed talks with Pakistan on water-related issues, it has refused to resume a wide-ranging bilateral dialogue aimed at normalizing political ties and finding solutions to outstanding disputes, including Kashmir. New Delhi continues to cite Islamabad's lack of action against anti-Indian militants. The two countries have been locked in military skirmishes across the Kashmir border in recent months, raising fears of another war between India and Pakistan. Pakistan opened all border crossings with landlocked Afghanistan for travelers and trade convoys Monday, a month after closing them on grounds terrorists were using Afghan soil for plotting deadly attacks against the country. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has taken the decision as a goodwill gesture and hoped the Afghan government would take steps required to address the reasons that triggered the border closure, according to an official announcement. Despite the fact those involved in terrorist activities in Pakistan have a connection with anti-Pakistani elements in Afghanistan, the closure of the border between the two countries, having centuries old religious, cultural and historic relations, was against the economic and public interests, Sharif said. A welcomed move A presidential spokesman in Kabul has welcomed the Pakistani decision but reiterated that closing borders is not the way to address political issues between the two countries. Pakistan and Afghanistan share a 2,600-kilometer largely porous border, with five dedicated crossings for legal movements, including bilateral and transit trade convoys, transporting imported goods to the landlocked country from the Pakistani port of Karachi on the Arabian Sea. Authorities abruptly shut the border in mid-February after a string of suicide bombings in Pakistan killed scores of people. Militants linked to the anti-state Pakistani Taliban and local affiliates of Islamic State claimed responsibility for the violence. Islamabad blamed terrorist sanctuaries on the Afghan side for plotting the attacks and demanded action against them. Kabul rejected the charges and in turn repeated long-running demands for Pakistan to uproot alleged militant training facilities on its soil insurgents use for attacks in Afghanistan. Financial cost The protracted border closure has cost businesses on both sides tens of millions of dollars and fueled bilateral tensions. The abrupt move stranded thousands of trucks loaded with fresh fruits, vegetables, poultry and other food items, sharply increasing prices of imported goods in Afghanistan. The lucrative border crossings, including Torkham and Chaman, have been been closed five times within the last year due to tensions in relations and Pakistan's attempts to build new facilities there. Members of Pakistan Afghanistan Joint Chamber of Commerce and Industry last week urged their respective governments to segregate business and trade ties from political tensions, and separate security and political issues from economic activities between the two countries" to ensure free flow of trade. Peruvians are struggling to cope with avalanches, mudslides and extensive flash flooding caused by torrential downpours that killed have at least 75 people and left more than 100,000 homeless since January. In the Peruvian capital, Lima, residents lined up for drinking water Sunday after clogged water treatment systems caused restrictions on running water. Schools have been closed in Lima and, with some areas without running water for three days, supermarkets are reporting a shortage of bottled water. A sudden and abnormal warming of Pacific waters off Peru has unleashed the deadliest heavy rains in decades with raging rivers sweeping away people and vehicles, clogging highways and destroying crops. Air travel has also been affected. The rainy season has delivered 10 times more rainfall than usual. Authorities have declared half the country in emergency to expedite resources to the hardest hit areas. The National Emergency Operations Center said 99,475 Peruvians had lost everything since the beginning of the year, while 626,928 had suffered less serious damage to their homes. And there is more to come as forecasters predict more rain ahead. Humanitarian aid, from the government and individuals, was being sent by plane or ship to affected areas. Peruvian President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski affirmed he is coordinating international assistance to address the emergency in the country. "We must help each other in solidarity with those who are victims," Kuczynski said, adding that every state minister has been tasked to coordinate aid in a determined region, and that National Civil Defense Institute, Armed Forces, and National Police are working constantly to cope with the difficult situation. A plane that was carrying more than 20 people has crashed in the South Sudanese city of Wau, causing some injuries, but reportedly no deaths. South Supreme Airlines, which operated the plane, said all 21 people on board were safely evacuated after the plane crashed Monday while attempting to land. It said some of the passengers are receiving treatment at Wau Hospital. An aircraft engineer at the Wau airport, Paul Charles, said the plane tried to land in bad weather and hit a damaged truck on the side of the runway. "Visibility is a problem at the center, so that's why it crashed," Charles told VOA's South Sudan in Focus. "The pilot I think was not seeing well, was not seeing the runway well." He says the plane burst into flames after the crash. Wau State Information Minister Bona Gaudensio confirmed there were some injured who were rushed to the Wau hospital, but did not give further details on their condition. "Now we [are] just receiving patients and after one or two hours we will give information through the media," he told VOA. South Supreme Airlines said the plane had been carrying 45 people, but said 24 passengers disembarked the plane at its first stop in Aweil town. Syrian government representatives will attend upcoming peace talks in Geneva, Russia's state RIA news agency reported on Monday, citing Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov. Bogdanov said Moscow hoped that Syrian armed opposition would be able to attend the peace talks. Bogdanov also said the United Nations' Special Envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, would visit Moscow ahead of the Geneva talks. De Mistura is trying to mediate a political agreement between Syria's warring sides, and after a procedural round of talks in Geneva ended on March 3, he plans to bring the negotiators back for in-depth discussions on March 23. Opposition leader Alexei Navalny has been doused in bright green liquid by an unknown assailant in the Siberian city of Barnaul. Navalny tweeted Monday: "I will be opening a headquarters in Barnaul as if I am from the film The Mask! Cool. Even my teeth are green!" He was referring to the Hollywood film that features a superhero who wears a green mask. The green liquid, a common Russian antiseptic that remains on skin for days, was reportedly sprayed in Navalny's face as he went to shake a man's hand. Navalny is currently traveling around Russia opening headquarters and campaigning to stand in the 2018 presidential elections. A criminal conviction for fraud officially bars him from running, but supporters say the charges are politically motivated. U.S. House Republicans are working on changes to their health care overhaul bill to provide more generous tax credits for older Americans and add a work requirement for the Medicaid program for the poor, House Speaker Paul Ryan said on Sunday. Ryan said Republican leaders still planned to bring the health care bill to a vote on the House of Representatives floor on Thursday. Speaking on the Fox News Sunday television program, he said leaders were working to address concerns that had been raised by rank-and-file Republicans to the legislation. Republicans remain deeply divided over the health care overhaul, which is President Donald Trump's first major legislative initiative. It aims to fulfill his campaign pledge to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, popularly known as Obamacare, the signature health care program of his Democratic predecessor, Barack Obama. Millions could lose care Democrats say the Republican plan could throw millions off health insurance and hurt the elderly, poor and working families while giving tax cuts to the rich. "We think we should be offering even more assistance than the bill currently does" for lower-income people age 50 to 64, Ryan, the top Republican in Congress, said of the tax credits for health insurance that are proposed in the legislation. Ryan also said Republicans were working on changes that would allow federal block grants to states for Medicaid and permit states to impose a work requirement for able-bodied Medicaid recipients. Trump told reporters in a brief conversation aboard Air Force One that he had meetings about health care reform in Florida at the weekend and that the effort to sell the proposal was going well. He has been wooing lawmakers to vote for the bill and won the backing of a dozen conservative lawmakers on Friday after an Oval Office meeting in which the president endorsed a work requirement and block-grant option for Medicaid. Trump is set to meet Ezekiel Emanuel, a health policy special adviser under Obama who helped shape the Affordable Care Acton, at the White House on Monday, along with Ryan and Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price. Medicaid program Block grants would give states a set amount of money to cover people on the Medicaid program and provide flexibility in spending decisions. However, there is no guarantee funding would keep up with future demands. While Ryan said he felt "very good" about the health bill's prospects in the House, a leading conservative lawmaker, Representative Mark Meadows, told the C-Span Newsmakers program that there were currently 40 Republican "no" votes in the House. Republicans hold a majority in the chamber but cannot afford to have more than 21 defections for the measure to pass. Meadows and two other Republican opponents of the bill, Senators Mike Lee of Utah and Ted Cruz of Texas, met at Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida on Saturday "negotiating with the president's team, trying to fix this bill," Cruz told CBS' Face the Nation. North Carolina Republican Meadows said the changes being considered for the Medicaid program would not go far enough if they left it up to states to decide whether to put in place work requirement. Price acknowledged the tough negotiations, telling ABC's This Week: "It's a fine needle that needs to be thread, there's no doubt about it." The health care bill would face significant challenges in the Senate even if it were to pass the House. Senator Tom Cotton, a conservative Arkansas Republican, said the bill would not reduce premiums for people on the private insurance market. "It's fixable, but it's going to take a lot of work," Cotton said on CNN's State of the Union. Moderate Republicans have also expressed concerns about the bill, and their worries are often not the same as that of conservatives. Older Americans Speaking on NBC's Meet the Press, Republican Senator Susan Collins of Maine worried the bill would harm older Americans, and shift Medicaid costs to states -- something critics say a block-grant approach would only make worse. Collins said coverage issues must also be dealt with, citing a report from the Congressional Budget Office that said 14 million people would lose health coverage under the House bill over the next year and 24 million over the next decade. Affordability has been one of the bigger concerns that insurers and hospital groups have raised about the legislation. To the extent that a change in tax credits makes health care more affordable for some people, insurers and hospitals could stand to benefit. The BlueCross BlueShield Association emphasized the need for the replacement to be affordable when the draft of the health care bill was released earlier this month. The association represents BCBS insurers that cover the vast majority of the roughly 10 million people enrolled in 2017 Obamacare plans. President Donald Trumps Supreme Court nominee, federal appellate Judge Neil Gorsuch, made clear his conservative leanings by speaking out against judicial activism Monday during the first day of confirmation hearings before a sharply divided Senate panel. Its for this body, the peoples representatives [in Congress] to make new laws, Gorsuch said. If judges were just secret legislators, declaring not what the law is but what they would like it to be, the very idea of a government by the people and for the people would be at risk. Republican praise; Democrat concern Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee praised Gorsuchs conservative judicial philosophy, while Democrats voiced concerns that he would solidify what they view as the Supreme Courts pro-corporate leanings. No matter your politics, you should be concerned about the preservation of our constitutional order, and most importantly the separation of powers, said the committees chairman, Chuck Grassley, an Iowa Republican. Fortunately for every American, we have before us today a nominee whose body of professional work is defined by an unfailing commitment to these principles. Our job is to assess how this nominees decisions will impact the American people, and whether he will protect the legal and constitutional rights of all Americans, not just the wealthy and the powerful, said the committees top Democrat, Senator Dianne Feinstein of California. The Supreme Court has the final say on whether a woman will continue to have control over her own body, or whether decisions about her health care will be determined by politicians and the government, Feinstein added. It decides whether billionaires and large corporations will be able to spend unlimited sums of money to buy elections. Trump nominated Gorsuch to fill the seat once occupied by conservative Justice Antonin Scalia, who died early last year. He is the second nominee for the lifelong position. Republicans refused to consider former President Barack Obamas pick, Merrick Garland, arguing that no one should be elevated to the Supreme Court during the heat of a presidential campaign. Democrats made clear that the past is not forgotten. Your name is part of a Republican strategy to capture our judicial branch of government, Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois said, addressing Gorsuch directly. That is why Senate Republicans kept this Supreme Court seat vacant for more than a year. The Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee will extend to you a courtesy which Senate Republicans denied to Judge Garland: a respectful hearing and a vote, Durbin added. Experience not in doubt Republicans argued that Democrats would have done the same had a Republican president been in a position to name a high court nominee in the waning months of an administration, and that Gorsuchs legal qualifications are beyond reproach. I would encourage my colleagues to carefully consider the nominee on the merits and nothing else, said Senator John Cornyn of Texas. No Democrat implied that Gorsuch, who has been a federal judge for more than a decade, lacks the experience to serve on the Supreme Court. [Corporate] Special interests are now spending millions and millions of dollars campaigning to push your nomination, said Senator Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island. They obviously think you will be worth their money. These special interests also supported the Republican majority keeping this seat open. Republicans responded by noting that many of them voted to confirm liberal high court nominees despite disagreeing with them on ideological grounds. Originalist judicial philosophy For his part, Gorsuch pushed back against any portrayal of him as a one-sided judge who always rules in favor of powerful economic interests. In my decade on the bench, Ive tried to treat all who come before me fairly and with respect, and afford equal rights to poor and to rich the nominee said. The Supreme Court is tasked with applying the Constitution to legal disputes. Gorsuch is often described as a believer in originalism that Americas founding document be applied as it was written more than two centuries ago and amended in subsequent years, not interpreted and expanded for application in modern cases. Gorsuch did not speak on any originalist beliefs he may harbor. But Democrats did not hold back. I find this originalist judicial philosophy to be really troubling, Feinstein said. It severely limits the genius of what our Constitution upholds. I firmly believe the American Constitution is a living document intended to evolve as our country evolves. Gorsuch will face at least two days of direct questioning by all senators on the committee. Later, the panel will vote on whether to recommend his nomination to the full Senate. Republicans hold a slim two-seat Senate majority and would need eight Democrats to support Gorsuch should a three-fifths vote be required to advance his nomination in the full chamber. Taiwan's government, worried about being used as a pawn by China and the United States, said on Monday the self-ruled island must protect its own interests as concerns in Taipei rise ahead of an expected meeting of U.S and Chinese leaders. China has never renounced the use of force to take back what it deems a wayward province and has been pressuring Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen, who leads an independence-leaning ruling party, to concede Taiwan is a part of China. The United States is Taiwan's only major political ally and sole arms supplier. "We call on the United States and China, when they improve relations, to not use Taiwan in their own interest or as a chess piece," Catherine Chang, Taiwan's minister in charge of China affairs, the Mainland Affairs Council, told reporters. Chang urged Beijing to communicate with Taipei "in order to maintain stability and peace in the Asia Pacific region." The comments come after U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson told Chinese President Xi Jinping on Sunday in Beijing that U.S. President Donald Trump anticipates a meeting "soon." At issue for Taipei is whether a Trump-Xi meeting will harm Taipei's interests as Washington begins considering a big, new arms package for Taiwan, a move sure to anger China. "We should seek the greatest advantage in the interaction between the United States and China, to reduce the possibility of Communist China guiding and manipulating the U.S.-China-Taiwan relationship," said Peng Sheng-chu, chief of Taiwan's National Security Bureau. Peng, who was answering questions at a parliamentary session, didn't elaborate on what steps Taiwan should take, but said that based on the bureau's current intelligence, it was not likely that a new communique that could hurt Taiwan's interests would result from a Trump-Xi meeting. "But we do not rule out the possibility," Peng said. In December, Taiwan had celebrated a diplomatic coup when Trump, as president-elect, took a congratulatory phone call from Tsai and raised questions about whether he would stick with the four-decade-old "one China" policy. Trump changed tack last month and agreed to honour the "one China" policy during a phone call with Xi. Tillerson left China with warm words from Xi on the weekend, ending his first trip to Asia since taking office with an agreement to work together with China on North Korea and putting aside trickier issues. Xi praised increasing communications in recent weeks between Beijing and Washington, and said he is "confident" of seeing bilateral relations moving in the "right direction." Taiwan was discussed during the meeting, but details were not provided. Tanzania has announced a plan to send 500 doctors to Kenya after a doctors' strike paralyzed health services in the neighboring country for months. Kenyan doctors, however, say the government should not hire any foreign doctors but instead employ the more than 1,000 trained physicians who are unemployed. Tanzanian President John Magufuli announced the plan to dispatch the doctors after a recent meeting in Dar es Salaam with a visiting Kenyan delegation that included Kenya's health cabinet secretary, Cleopa Mailu. Mailu said this was a deal that would benefit both countries. We have so many government health centers that need doctors," said Mailu. "Yes, we have doctors in our country; we recently had a doctors' strike and one of their reasons for their strike was that there were not enough doctors to attend to patients. The doctors were spending a lot of hours attending to the patients. Doctors from public hospitals in Kenya went on strike last December to demand a pay raise and improved working conditions for physicians and patients. A deal struck by the doctors' union and the government opened the way to negotiations that ended the 100-day-old strike. According to Mailu, it is because of the doctors' demands that the push to recruit foreign physicians was realized. There is so much work and we will continue looking for more doctors; we will continue negotiations with the government to see if they will provide us with more doctors so that we can strengthen our health services here in Kenya, said Mailu. Dr. Elly Nyaim of the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Board says the move may not have been clearly thought out. As per the World Health Organization recommendation, we still have a shortage even with the ones we produce from our universities, that state actually cuts across the entire East Africa... so Tanzania is actually even worse off than we are in terms of the doctor-patient ratio, said Nyaim. The physician's union says Kenya currently has 1,400 doctors who have not been absorbed into the workforce. Low doctor-to-patient ratio According to the World Health organization, the Tanzanian doctor-to-patient ratio stands at 1 doctor for every 20,000 patients. In Kenya, it's 1 doctor for every 16,000. The recommended doctor-patient ratio is one to 300. It would be very unfortunate that you are actually exporting when you do not have enough yourself; it should not be done at the expense of denying qualified Kenyans positions because you are bringing foreigners, said Nyaim. In a press briefing held after the meeting with the Kenyan delegation, Tanzania's president welcomed the new deal with the Kenyan government. "By good luck our friends have said they will pay good salaries and the payment will be in dollars. They will be given accommodation and security," said Magufuli. Health Secretary Mailu says the Tanzanian doctors will start working in Kenya in April and will be given two to three-year contracts. And he says there are plan underway to also hire doctors from Cuba. Blood tests determined Sunday that a suspected Islamic extremist consumed drugs and alcohol before a frenzied spree of violence that ended when he took a soldier hostage at Paris' Orly Airport and was shot dead by her fellow patrolmen. The Paris prosecutors' office said toxicology tests conducted as part of an autopsy found traces of cocaine and cannabis in the blood of the suspect, Ziyed Ben Belgacem. He also had 0.93 grams of alcohol per liter of blood when he died Saturday, the prosecutors' office said. That is nearly twice the legal limit for driving in France. The 39-year-old Frenchman with a long criminal record of drugs and robbery offences stopped at a bar in the wee hours Saturday morning, around four hours before he first fired bird shot at traffic police. Then, 90 minutes later, he attacked the military patrol at Orly, causing panic and the shutdown of the French capital's second-biggest airport. Yelling that he wanted to kill and die for Allah, Belgacem wrestled away a soldier's assault rifle but was shot to death by two other soldiers before he could fire the military-grade weapon in Orly's busy South Terminal, Paris prosecutor Francois Molins said. In an interview Sunday with French radio Europe 1, a man identified as the suspect's father said Belgacem wasn't a practicing Muslim and drank alcohol. "My son was never a terrorist. He never attended prayer. He drank. But under the effects of alcohol and cannabis, this is where one ends up," said the father. Europe 1 did not give his name. The father was released from police custody overnight Saturday. Belgacem's brother and a cousin were released later Sunday. Belgacem called his father and brother early Saturday morning, minutes after he fired at a police traffic patrol, injuring an officer in the face, to say that he had made a stupid mistake, according to Molins, the prosecutor. "He called me at seven, eight in the morning and said, 'There you go, Papa.' He was extremely angry, even his mother couldn't understand him," the man identified as the father said on Europe 1. "He told me: 'I ask for your forgiveness. I've screwed up with a gendarme.'" A subsequent police search of Belgacem's flat found cocaine, Molins said. Belgacem had been flagged as having been radicalized during a spell in detention in 2011-2012, Molins said. His house was among dozens searched in November 2015 in the immediate aftermath of suicide bomb-and-gun attacks that killed 130 people in Paris. The Orly attack forced both of the airport's terminals to shut down and evacuate, sent passengers and workers fleeing in panic and trapped hundreds of others aboard planes that had just landed. According to the soldiers, the attacker yelled: "Put down your weapons! Put your hands on your head! I am here to die for Allah. Whatever happens, there will be deaths," Molins said. The drama, which caused no injuries except for the light wound to the traffic police officer, further rattled France, which remains under a state of emergency after attacks the past two years that have killed 235 people. Every day, thousands of people are fleeing Mosul, Iraq many running as the walls of their homes collapse. Bombs, airstrikes and helicopter attacks rain down in crowded city neighborhoods while Islamic State militants fire at the families running away. It was a storm of mortar and gunfire," says Mariam Hassan, a grandmother of 17 at a camp east of Mosul. You could not even go out the front door. We hid under the stairs while the militants and the Iraqi forces fired at each other. Pace of fighting picks up And as the pace of the battle with Islamic State militants accelerates, so too does the crisis for Mosul families. More than a quarter million people have fled their homes since operations began to retake the city began in October, and the most densely populated areas under IS control are quickly becoming battle zones. Aid workers say a million people might be displaced from Mosul by the time the war is through. In recent weeks, the fighting between Iraqi forces and Islamic State militants has intensified, and soldiers say the battle that began last week for Mosul's Old City could be the deadliest yet. Militants posing as refugees And as crowds arrive in the rapidly growing number of camps surrounding Mosul, security forces are cautious. They say IS militants are attempting to sneak out of the city, posing as refugees. We have sources reporting IS militants in cities, towns and villages, says Iraqi soldier Ali Hussein, while guarding a camp as families arrive. We also have photographs and know if someone is giving us a fake ID. Conditions are tough Families say the camps are often short on medical care, food and electricity, but these conditions are often better than the war they fled. We used to store water in tanks, but when shrapnel hit them it was gone," says Hussain, a father of four who was an electrician before Islamic State militants moved into Mosul. We also ran out of food. The United Nations says it needs $37 million in additional funding to keep operations going over the next month as Iraqi forces attack IS in the most densely populated parts of Mosul. President Donald Trump's budget director says the proposed government spending plan is the vision on which the president ran and that he actually is following through on his promises to the American people. Mick Mulvaney told NBC television's Meet the Press Sunday that means "more money for defense, more money to secure the border, more money for law enforcement generally." Although the proposed budget slashes spending for the arts, environmental protection and social services, Mulvaney described what he calls its "compassion." "Not just the compassion in terms of where the money goes but the compassion of where the money comes from. Could I as a budget director look at the coal miner in West Virginia and say 'I want you please to give some of your money to the federal government so that I can give it to the National Endowment for the Arts?'" Mulvaney said Trump's proposed budget increases spending on his priorities without adding to the deficit. He told NBC that a detailed budget will be ready in May, and says it will include an outline for balancing the federal budget within 10 years. State Debate: We can learn from experiences of Irish immigrants, former UW President Kevin Reilly insists Despite U.S. President Donald Trumps strong rhetoric about restraining the North Korean nuclear threat, U.S. policy options seem to be essentially the same as they were under former President Obamas Strategic Patience strategy. Under former President Barack Obamas Strategic Patience policy, the U.S. refused to engage with the Kim Jong Un regime until it committed to end its nuclear program, while also responding to provocations with increasing military deterrence, economic sanctions and diplomatic isolation. I think there are basically three choices. One is to surrender and appease North Korea, just give them everything they want. The second option is preventive war, and the use force to disarm North Korea. And I think the third option, which is the best of the three and the default option, is deterrence and containment, said Northeast Asia security analyst Daniel Pinkston with Troy University in Seoul. Strategic patience The Kim government has reacted with defiance to the U.S. led punitive measures, that include harsh United Nations sanctions, and has openly declared North Korea a nuclear state and accelerated nuclear and ballistic missile tests. While visiting Seoul last week U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson expressly rejected the Obama Strategic Patience strategy, but also reiterated some of its basic tenets by voicing unwavering support for military alliances in South Korea and Japan, and in refusing a Chinese proposal to freeze the Norths current nuclear capability in exchange for halting U.S., South Korea joint military exercises. The very premise of the Strategic Patience policy, which is unless the North Korean leadership demonstrates genuine intentions to denuclearization as opposed to a temporary freeze, the United States will not engage in any negotiations with Pyongyang. That premise is still the very foundation of the new policy, said political analyst Bong Young-shik with the Yonsei University Institute for North Korean Studies. Even though Tillerson did not rule out taking military action against an imminent North Korean attack or an existential threat posed by an advanced weapon, he stressed that the priority of the Trump administration is much like Obamas policy; to pressure the Kim government to change course through increased military deterrence and economic sanctions. ICBM threat Recent technological advances indicating Pyongyang is moving closer to developing a nuclear-armed intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) capable of reaching the U.S. mainland have raised concerns that time is no longer on Washingtons side. While Tillerson was in Asia, North Korea conducted a more powerful rocket-engine test South Koreas defense ministry spokesman said showed meaningful progress. But the ministry did not specify if the engine can be used in an ICBM. However, the North's KCNA news agency said on Sunday the engine would help North Korea achieve world-class satellite-launch capability. Over the weekend President Trump told reporters he held meetings on North Korea at his Florida resort. While he did not refer specifically to the rocket-engine test, he said Kim Jong Un was "acting very, very badly." China President Trump has been critical of Beijing for not taking stronger measures to restrain its ally in Pyongyang. China recently halted all coal imports for this year, but has also indicated it is reluctant to implement harsh measures that could trigger widespread instability and the collapse of the Kim government. But the U.S. secretary of states meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Saturday seemed more conciliatory. Xi said afterwards that he appreciated Tillersons comment that the China-U.S. relationship can only be defined by cooperation and friendship. To what degree the two world powers are willing to cooperate to resolve the North Korean nuclear threat remains an issue of debate. Some political analysts like Bong say behind closed doors Tillerson may have suggested a grand bargain, offering China major concessions on long standing issues of contention in exchange for ending the North Korean nuclear threat. The list of the conditions that are likely to be proposed by Beijing would include Chinas core interests in the South China Sea and no U.S. meddling in any domestic affairs, said Bong. There have been rising regional tensions over Chinas aggressive moves in the South China Sea, including the building of man made islands for military outposts, and claiming control over contested areas and important international shipping routes. Angered by criticism Beijing has also been angered by criticism from the U.S. and the international community over alleged human rights violations concerning the arbitrary arrests of dissidents and censorship. Other analysts say China is unlikely to take significantly harsher measures against the North in a way that may strengthen the U.S. and South Korean positions in the region, and uncertain whether China has enough leverage to force North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons. Pinkston said the Trump administration may move to impose unilateral sanctions against more Chinese companies working with North Korea, but that too is something the Obama administration was doing as well. Maybe the new administration wants to take greater risks, or try different tactics and methods, to go after those firms and individuals and to put pressure on North Korea, but that is just a tactical implementation and not a change in policy in my view, he said. FBI Director James Comey has confirmed that his agency is investigating whether President Donald Trump's campaign aides criminally colluded with Russian interests to help him win during the 2016 election. At a hearing before the House of Representatives Intelligence Committee Monday, Comey also debunked Trump's explosive claim that former President Barack Obama wiretapped him in the weeks before last year's presidential election. "I have no information that supports [Trump's] tweets" claiming that Obama eavesdropped on him at his Trump Tower headquarters in New York, Comey said. WATCH: Comey on Trump's claim Obama had him wiretapped Despite that statement, White House spokesman Sean Spicer later said Trump will not withdraw his wiretapping allegation. "We've started a hearing, it's still ongoing," Spicer said. "There's a lot of areas that still need to be covered. There's a lot of information that still needs to be discussed." Comey told the panel that because the counterintelligence investigation of Russian efforts to interfere in the U.S. election is classified, "I cannot say more about what we are doing and whose conduct we are examining." He said congressional leaders have been briefed behind closed doors. But Comey said he has been authorized by the Justice Department to confirm that the Federal Bureau of Investigation probe "includes investigating the nature of any links between individuals associated with the Trump campaign and the Russian government, and whether there was any coordination between the campaign and Russia's efforts." WATCH: Comey statement about Russia investigation Hours earlier, Trump derided any suggestion that his campaign colluded with Russian interests to help him win the White House, saying it was an excuse "made up" by Democrats for losing the election. In a string of messages on his Twitter account, Trump said James Clapper, the director of national intelligence under Obama, and others "stated that there is no evidence" that he joined with Moscow to help his cause. "This story is FAKE NEWS and everyone knows it!" Trump declared. Two months into his presidency, Trump said Democrats "made up and pushed the Russian story as an excuse for running a terrible campaign," adding that the campaign of former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was presumed to have a "big advantage" in the country's Electoral College that determined the outcome, and still lost. In other tweets Monday, Trump said "the real story that Congress, the FBI and all others should be looking into is the leaking of Classified information. Must find leaker now!" Trump has often complained about leaks of information that have cast a wide shadow on his performance The White House last week suggested that Obama may have asked the British intelligence agency to wiretap Trump. But Admiral Michael Rogers, the director of the country's National Security Agency, told the House panel that did not occur and that the U.S. and Britain do not spy on each other under a long-standing agreement between the allies. WATCH: Rogers on British wiretap allegation Comey said that Obama could not have unilaterally ordered a wiretap on a U.S. citizen such as Trump and would have had to secure a court order to do so, which did not happen. For more than two weeks, Trump has refused to back down on his wiretapping allegation, even as a string of officials, including House Speaker Paul Ryan and the top Republican and Democratic lawmakers on both the Senate and House Intelligence Committees, have said there is no evidence to support the president's March 4 claims made in a series of Twitter comments. Republican Congressman Devin Nunes, the chairman of the House panel, acknowledged at the outset of the hearing that there was no evidence of the Obama wiretap on Trump, which Comey later confirmed under questioning from the committee's top Democrat, Congressman Adam Schiff. Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who oversees the Justice Department and was a staunch Trump supporter during the presidential campaign, said last week he never gave the president any reason to believe he was wiretapped in the weeks before the November election. DNC hack Last week, the leaders of of the Senate Intelligence Committee, Republican Richard Burr and Democrat Mark Warner, said in a joint statement, "Based on the information available to us, we see no indications that Trump Tower was the subject of surveillance by any element of the United States government, either before or after Election Day 2016. The wiretapping allegation is part of broader investigations by the FBI and lawmakers into the conclusion by the country's intelligence community that Russia meddled in the election to help Trump defeat Clinton. U.S. investigators say Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the hacking into the computers at the Democratic National Committee. The anti-secrecy group WikiLeaks subsequently released thousands of emails from the files of Clinton campaign chief John Podesta in the month before the election, showing embarrassing, behind-the-scenes efforts of Democratic operatives to help Clinton win the party's presidential nomination. But the Trump administration has rebuffed any contention that its campaign aides colluded with Russian officials in that cyberattack. Nunes, the House Intelligence panel chairman, also said he has not seen signs of collusion. Three men of Lebanese origin and allegedly linked to an attack claimed by so-called Islamic State on a German Christmas market were arrested at a Turkish airport heading to Europe, Turkish media reported Monday. The Turkish daily Milliyet said the suspects were German citizens of Lebanese origin and were stopped by anti-terror police at Istanbul's main Ataturk Airport after authorities received "intelligence tips" that the men were headed to Europe with a terror plan. The reports do not specify how the men are connected to Anis Amri, who drove a truck through a Berlin market December 19, killing 12 and injuring dozens. Amri was killed four days later by Italian police after he fled to Milan. The arrests come a week after Turkish police in Izmir arrested a man they say ordered the Berlin market attack. The suspect, a German citizen of Jordanian origin whose name has not been released, reportedly entered Turkey from Greece. According to Turkish newspaper reports, the suspect gave the order for Amir to carry out the Berlin attack. Amir's phone records link him to suspects in Turkey, according to Turkish media reports. Another suspect also linked to IS was arrested in Izmir March 11. He reportedly told police that he was getting ready to go to Europe to carry out an attack. Turkey's Interior Ministry said Monday that 70 suspects tied to IS were detained in the last week. Analysts say the crackdown shows that despite heightened diplomatic strains between Turkey and European countries, law enforcement authorities in Turkey and Europe are cooperating. Turkey's president has ratcheted up tensions with the European Union, as he campaigns ahead of an April referendum to extend his presidential powers. The unprecedented rhetoric is raising concerns as to whether Turkish-EU relations can recover. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has accused EU members Germany and the Netherlands of being fascists and Nazis. But despite the rhetoric, cooperation between the Turkish Intelligence Agency and its European counterparts has been strengthened because of the common enemy IS, said Metehan Demir, a Turkish military and intelligence expert. "The arrest of three IS suspects at Istanbul's Ataturk Airport is a concrete example of that developing cooperation," he said. "Intelligence sharing led to these arrests." A high-level Turkish official in Washington told VOA that Turkey remains committed to international cooperation in the fight against IS. "Turkey has been and continues to be an active part of the international coalition against IS," the official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity. Two key U.S. officials are set to testify publicly about whether there is any truth behind the explosive, but unsubstantiated, claim by U.S. President Donald Trump that former President Barack Obama wiretapped his Trump Tower headquarters in the weeks before last year's presidential election. Both Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director James Comey, and National Security Agency chief Admiral Michael Rogers likely would have known about the eavesdropping if it occurred. They are to appear Monday before the House of Representatives Intelligence Committee as part of a hearing into Russia's efforts to influence last November's presidential election. For more than two weeks, Trump has refused to back down on his allegation, even as a string of officials, including House Speaker Paul Ryan and the top Republican and Democratic lawmakers on both the Senate and House Intelligence Committees, have said there is no evidence to support Trump's March 4 wiretapping claims he made in a series of Twitter comments. On Sunday, Republican Congressman Devin Nunes, the chairman of the House panel, told Fox News that new information lawmakers received Friday from the Justice Department about the possibility of a wiretap has not changed his conclusion. 'There never was' "Was there a physical wiretap of Trump Tower? No, but there never was, and the information we got on Friday continues to lead us in that direction," Nunes said. Neither Rogers nor Comey has spoken publicly about the president's allegation. But Comey, as the FBI chief, sought to get the Justice Department, which oversees the FBI, to disavow Trump's claim shortly after the president made it, but the agency has not released any statement. Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who oversees the Justice Department and was a staunch Trump supporter during the presidential campaign, said last week he never gave the president any reason to believe he was wiretapped in the weeks before the November election. Trump's White House spokesman, Sean Spicer, last week suggested that the wiretapping was carried out by British agents, citing a statement on Fox News by a legal analyst, Andrew Napolitano. The British electronic intelligence agency, the GCHQ, said the report was "utterly ridiculous and should be ignored," but when asked about it Friday at a White House news conference, Trump deflected any blame for linking the British to his wiretapping allegation. "All we did was quote a certain very talented legal mind who was the one responsible for saying that on television,'' Trump said of the claim that Obama had enlisted the British to eavesdrop on him. "You shouldn't be talking to me, you should be talking to Fox." Fox replies A short time later, a Fox News anchor said, "Fox News cannot confirm Judge Napolitano's commentary. Fox News knows of no evidence of any kind, that the now president of the United States was surveiled at any time, in any way. Full stop." Last week, the leaders of of the Senate Intelligence Committee, Republican Richard Burr and Democrat Mark Warner, said in a joint statement, "Based on the information available to us, we see no indications that Trump Tower was the subject of surveillance by any element of the United States government, either before or after Election Day 2016. The wiretapping allegation is part of broader investigations by the FBI and lawmakers into the conclusion by the country's intelligence community that Russia meddled in the election in an effort to help Trump defeat his Democratic challenger, former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. U.S. investigators say Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the hacking into the computers at the Democratic National Committee. The anti-secrecy group WikiLeaks subsequently released thousands of emails from the files of Clinton campaign chief John Podesta in the month before the election, showing embarrassing, behind-the-scenes efforts of Democratic operatives to help Clinton win the party's presidential nomination. But the Trump administration has rebuffed any contention that its campaign aides colluded with Russian officials in that cyberattack. The Trump administration has released its first weekly report documenting the failure of some local law enforcement agencies to help federal immigration authorities apprehend undocumented immigrants. The report was mandated in President Donald Trump's executive order, "Enhancing Public Safety in the Interior of the United States," to expose sanctuary jurisdictions, meaning those who choose not to cooperate with federal immigration agents. From January 28 to February 3, the report says local police failed to honor 206 detainers issued by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). A detainer is a request that local law enforcement hold on to individuals who ICE believes are subject to deportation. 'Safer for everyone' During that week, ICE issued 3,083 detainers. Ten jurisdictions failed to honor 157 of the 206. Clark County, Nevada, topped the list with 51 declined detainers, while Nassau County, New York, followed with 38. Detainers include charges or prior convictions for offenses ranging from drunken driving to aggravated assault and homicide. ICE said the refusal to cooperate undermines ICE's ability to protect the public safety, and added that the number of detainers will rise as more immigrants are targeted for deportation. It is much safer for everyone the community, law enforcement and even the criminal alien if ICE officers take custody of the alien in the controlled environment of another law enforcement agency, as opposed to visiting a reported alien's residence, place of work or other public area, ICE said in a statement. 600 places of sanctuary The National Immigration Law Center estimates there are 600 sanctuary cities and counties, as well as some states. These counties, cities and local law enforcement agencies have decided not to cooperate with every detainer for fear that members of the community will be afraid to cooperate with police, even in cases where they are helping to prevent and stop crime. There also are concerns about due process. Trump has ordered that federal funding to these jurisdictions be cut. The weekly detainer report is intended to better inform the public regarding the public safety threats associated with sanctuary jurisdictions, he said in his executive order. The weekly report is part of a larger effort by the Trump administration to gather data that feeds the administration's policies. Uruguay will soon pull its soldiers out of a United Nations stabilization mission in Haiti that began operations in 2004 and is facing sharp cutbacks, the leader of the South American country announced Monday. President Tabare Vazquez said at a public event that his country's troop contributions to the Haiti mission will end this month and the roughly 250 Uruguayan peacekeepers will return home in early April. The country had as many as 1,000 forces deployed in Haiti at the height of the mission. U.N. deputy spokesman Farhan Haq in New York expressed appreciation for Uruguay's contribution and said, "If their rotation is going to be ending now and they'll be moving out, what we're going to try to do is make sure that they can be quickly replaced so that there's no security void in the country." The announcement by the Uruguayan leader comes days after U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told the world body's Security Council that he believed that "the military component should undergo a staggered but complete withdrawal of the 2,370 personnel" in Haiti. The soldiers come from 19 countries. In a March 16 report, Guterres called for the military component of the Haiti mission to be wrapped up six months after its current mandate expires in April. He also wrote that the number of U.N. police officers should be cut from 1,001 to 295 to continue efforts to strengthen the Haitian National Police and ensure "a progressive testing" of their capacity to assume full security responsibilities. The U.N. Security Council is due to debate Guterres' recommendations and vote on the future of Haiti operations in mid-April. The U.S. administration of President Donald Trump has pushed for cutbacks in an operation that costs $346 million a year. Washington, the Haiti mission's main check-writer, is reviewing all 16 U.N. peacekeeping missions. Col. Luis Antonio Ferreira Marques Ramos, deputy commander of the Brazilian peacekeeper contingent in Haiti, recently told The Associated Press that "the important thing is to leave in a good way." The U.N.'s first-ever "stabilization" mission came to Haiti in 2004 following a rebellion that ousted President Jean-Bertrand Aristide and had the chronically troubled country on the brink of collapse. They sat on either end of the congressmen's couch, one a Jewish healthcare executive whose parents fled Germany in 1936, the other the Kashmiri Muslim chairman of a well-known American furniture chain. The men, Stanley Bergman and Farooq Kathwari, came to draw attention to an outbreak of hate crimes. But Bergman and Kathwari hoped their joint appearance would also send a broader message: that U.S. Jews and Muslims could put aside differences and work together. "What drove us was the growing prejudice that has emerged in the United States," Bergman said. "What starts small, from a historical point of view, often grows into something big." The men lead the Muslim-Jewish Advisory Council, created last year by the American Jewish Committee and the Islamic Society of North America, amid a flowering of alliances between members of the two faiths. U.S. Muslim and Jewish groups have been trying for years to make common cause with mixed success, often derailed by deep divisions over Israel and the Palestinians. But bigoted rhetoric and harassment targeting both religions since the presidential election has drawn people together. Jews have donated to repair mosques that were defaced or burned. Muslims raised money to repair vandalized Jewish cemeteries. Rabbis and imams marched together against President Donald Trump's travel ban targeting majority Muslim countries. "I would never have thought I would see some people in conversation, or anywhere near each other. Then I saw people on Facebook standing next to each other at protests Muslims and Jews," said Aziza Hasan, executive director of NewGround: A Muslim-Jewish Partnership for Change in Los Angeles, which has run community relationship-building programs for more than a decade. Yet despite this surge of goodwill, questions remain about whether these new connections can endure. The sense of vulnerability Muslims and Jews share, and their need for allies at a difficult time, have not erased tensions that in the past have kept them apart. "This is a start and we'll see how it goes," said Talat Othman, a financial industry executive and Muslim-Jewish Advisory Council member, who offered an Islamic prayer at the 2000 Republican National Convention. "We are hopeful." Jews and Muslims comprise the two largest non-Christian faith groups in the United States and have a long history of trying to work together. The chancellor of the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York, the flagship institution of Conservative Judaism, initiated a dialogue with Muslims in 1956, according to documents in the school's archive. Rabbi Jack Bemporad, a pioneer in Muslim-Jewish dialogue and founder the Center for Interreligious Understanding in New Jersey, said his efforts started in the 1970s when he led a Dallas synagogue and local imams started attending his weekly Bible classes. Over the years, many initiatives on improving relations between the two faiths were organized internationally by governments and peace groups, while some American synagogues and mosques attempted to build friendships locally. Some progress was made, yet relations were often derailed when violence, war and policy disputes erupted in the Middle East. In Los Angeles, Hasan said local discussions between Muslim and Jewish leaders would falter when participants from one faith would demand those of the other condemn an action in Israel and the Palestinian territories. "It would go back and forth, then eventually Jews asked Muslims to condemn something they couldn't so they walked away from the table," Hasan said. Then came the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, prompting a backlash against American Muslims, and efforts to create connections with Jews began moving "at warp speed," said Rabbi Burton Visotzky, a Jewish Theological Seminary scholar and a longtime leader in Muslim-Jewish cooperation. Visotzky's outreach has ranged from a 2008 global interfaith meeting convened by King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia to serving collard greens at a soup kitchen alongside members of a New York mosque. Still, the deep divide over Israel and the Palestinians remained an obstacle. Some Jews and Muslims pledged to avoid any mention of the Mideast as they sought common ground. Others hit the issue up front, but their talks foundered. Yehuda Kurtzer, president of the Shalom Hartman Institute of North America, an educational organization with extensive interfaith programs, said U.S. Muslims and Jews, had become "proxy warriors" for conflicts thousands of miles away. At the same time, advocates for building ties between the faiths regularly encountered skepticism or outright hostility from within their own communities. "Many Jews feel that Muslims around the world are a source of threat to Jews, then why be in dialogue?" Kurtzer said. About six years ago, Bemporad organized a conference on Islamic and Jewish law, but the event was closed to the public, in part to avoid pushback against participants. "We had to break the ice somehow," Bemporad said. "We thought the way we did it, you could be free to say whatever you wanted." He said religious leaders working on such projects are much more open now. Still, the growth of the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement against Israel and in support of the Palestinians has further complicated relations. The movement, known as BDS, is decentralized and its supporters use different strategies, but many backers say interfaith dialogue with Zionists undermines the Palestinian cause. It has become common for American Jewish organizations to draw a hard line against working with backers of BDS from any faith. Meanwhile, BDS activists consider it traitorous for Muslims to work with supporters of Israel. This issue came to the fore over the Shalom Hartman Institute's Muslim Leadership Initiative, which brings American Muslims to Israel to study Judaism and Zionism. Kurtzer said the first year of the program was kept "completely under the radar." When the participants became known in 2014, Muslims who took part were accused of allowing themselves to be manipulated and violating BDS. Among the participants was attorney Rabia Chaudry, a specialist in countering extremism and a longtime supporter of Palestinian rights. She acknowledged the risks from participating in the program, but said she did so hoping to find a new way forward. Last October, the Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago dropped plans to present her an achievement award because of her work with the Shalom Hartman Institute. Chaudry, now a member of the Muslim-Jewish Advisory Council, said she was not angry. "They felt terrible about it. They got even more criticism for rescinding it," she said. Since Trump's election, members of both faiths seem more willing to set aside such differences as they work on civil rights and other issues, said Abdullah Antepli, who was the first Muslim chaplain at Duke University and is co-director of the Shalom Hartman Institute's Muslim Leadership Initiative. It's impossible to know definitively whether harassment based on religion has increased. The FBI's most recent data on hate crimes is from 2015. Still, the last year or so has seen some dramatic examples of bigotry, including the waves of phoned-in bomb threats to Jewish Community Centers around the country. Mosques in Florida and Texas were recently set on fire, and authorities were investigating whether the suspected arsons could be considered hate crimes. "It's particularly a Trump effect," Antepli said. "External forces make the Muslim and Jewish communities need each other's friendship." When New York Arab-American activist and BDS supporter Linda Sarsour recently helped raise more than $150,000 for the damaged Jewish cemeteries, some Jews debated whether it would be ethical to accept the donation. But in a sign of changing attitudes, several mainstream Jewish leaders who had worked with her previously defended her. This new dynamic was evident at a recent New York vigil organized by the Sisterhood of Salaam Shalom, a national organization that brings together Muslim and Jewish women. The gathering at the Jewish Theological Seminary was part of the organization's response to Trump's travel ban. At their vigil, they walked to the front of the room in pairs a Muslim and a Jew to offer readings and prayers in Arabic and Hebrew. After the ceremony, the women hugged and posed together for selfies. "There's a sense of immediate rapport and connection," said Donna Cephas, a national board member of the Sisterhood, which has added dozens of chapters in the past year. "There is a significant yearning to be in community with people who stand for what we stand for." The Zimbabwean government on Monday made an international appeal for $200 million to help its citizens who have been affected by widespread floods. Officials said since December, 271 people had died due to floods. The United Nations said it was important to quickly come into the country with medical aid and control infectious diseases that are spreading. Vice President Phelekezela Mphoko made a passionate plea to diplomats and United Nations agencies in the southern African country to help people who have been affected by the floods. The amount of destruction that has been caused by the good rains, it is good rains, it is good on the other side, the other results are terrible. All we are saying to you: give hand to our people," said Mphoko. "The destruction is so massive; schools have been destroyed, bridges, roads destroyed, lives, quite a number of people have died, 271, and quite a number of diseases are coming up. We are appealing for your assistance. Worse floods in 35 years Finance Minister Patrick Chinamasa said his country was affected by floods that struck all of southern Africa. Bishow Parajuli, the United Nations resident coordinator in Zimbabwe, says he has been to some of the flood-affected areas and he was one of the diplomats Harare made a plea for assistance to on Monday. Sadly this flooding comes at the middle of a major drought, [the worst] Zimbabwe faced in 35 years, so it is the same people suffering with the drought and now facing the floods," he said. "This is very sad, while the same community was hoping to have a good harvest, thousands have been left homeless; they have faced this tremendous loss and suffering. What is really needed is rebuilding the lost individual housing and also supporting community regaining their livelihoods. We take note of the appeal; what is really critical at this stage is to prevent from some of the infectious diseases diarrhea etcetera which has started resulting in typhoid and in some areas, cholera. Last week, Zimbabwe said two people had died of cholera in one of the areas hit by floods on its eastern border with Mozambique. Zimbabwe declared a state of emergency in early March and launched an appeal for $100 million. Now Zimbabwe says it needs $200 million to fully recover from the floods. FBI Director James Comey has debunked President Donald Trump's explosive claim that former President Barack Obama wiretapped him in the weeks before last year's presidential election and also confirmed that his agency is investigating whether Trump campaign aides criminally colluded with Russian interests to help Trump win. "We don't have any information that supports (Trump's) tweets" claiming that Obama eavesdropped on him at his Trump Tower headquarters in New York, Comey told the House of Representatives Intelligence Committee. WATCH: Comey on Trump's claim Obama had him wiretapped Comey, the chief of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the country's top criminal investigative agency, told the panel that because the counter-intelligence investigation of Russian efforts to interfere in the U.S. election is classified, "I cannot say more about what we are doing and whose conduct we are examining." But Comey said he has been authorized by the Justice Department to confirm that the FBI probe "includes investigating the nature of any links between individuals associated with the Trump campaign and the Russian government and whether there was any coordination between the campaign and Russias efforts." WATCH: Comey statement about Russia investigation Comey's dramatic testimony came hours after Trump derided any suggestion that his campaign colluded with Russian interests to help him win the White House, saying it was an excuse "made up" by Democrats for losing the election. In a string of messages on his Twitter account, Trump said that James Clapper, the director of national intelligence under former President Barack Obama, and others "stated that there is no evidence" that he had joined with Moscow to help his cause. "This story is FAKE NEWS and everyone knows it!" Trump declared. Trump, two months into his presidency, said that Democrats "made up and pushed the Russian story as an excuse for running a terrible campaign," adding that the campaign of former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was presumed to have a "big advantage" in the country's Electoral College that determined the outcome and still lost. In his tweets, Trump did not mention his wiretapping allegation. Trump said Monday "the real story that Congress, the FBI and all others should be looking into is the leaking of Classified information. Must find leaker now!" Trump has often complained about leaks of information that have cast a wide shadow on his performance, but did not say specifically what disclosure he was concerned about. The White House last week suggested that Obama may have asked the British intelligence agency to wiretap Trump. But Admiral Michael Rogers, the director of the country's National Security Agency, told the House panel that did not occur and that the U.S. and Britain do not spy on each other under a long-standing agreement between the allies. WATCH: Rogers on British wiretap allegation Comey said that Obama could not have unilaterally ordered a wiretap on a U.S. citizen such as Trump and would have had to secure a court order to do so, which did not happen. For more than two weeks, Trump has refused to back down on his wiretapping allegation, even as a string of officials, including House Speaker Paul Ryan and the top Republican and Democratic lawmakers on both the Senate and House Intelligence Committees, have said there is no evidence to support the president's March 4 claims he made in a series of Twitter comments. Republican Congressman Devin Nunes, the chairman of the House panel, acknowledged at the outset of the hearing that there was no evidence of the Obama wiretap on Trump, which Comey later confirmed under questioning from the committee's top Democrat, Congressman Adam Schiff. Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who oversees the Justice Department and was a staunch Trump supporter during the presidential campaign, said last week he never gave the president any reason to believe he was wiretapped in the weeks before the November election. British wiretapping allegation Trump's White House spokesman, Sean Spicer, last week suggested that the wiretapping was carried out by British agents, citing a statement on Fox News by a legal analyst, Andrew Napolitano. The British electronic intelligence agency, the GCHQ, said the report was "utterly ridiculous and should be ignored," but when asked about it Friday at a White House news conference, Trump deflected any blame for linking the British to his wiretapping allegation. "All we did was quote a certain very talented legal mind who was the one responsible for saying that on television,'' Trump said of the claim that Obama had enlisted the British to eavesdrop on him. "You shouldn't be talking to me, you should be talking to Fox." A short time later, a Fox News anchor said, "Fox News cannot confirm Judge Napolitano's commentary. Fox News knows of no evidence of any kind, that the now president of the United States was surveilled at any time, in any way." Last week, the leaders of of the Senate Intelligence Committee, Republican Richard Burr and Democrat Mark Warner, said in a joint statement, "Based on the information available to us, we see no indications that Trump Tower was the subject of surveillance by any element of the United States government, either before or after Election Day 2016. The wiretapping allegation is part of broader investigations by the FBI and lawmakers into the conclusion by the country's intelligence community that Russia meddled in the election to help Trump defeat Clinton. DNC hack U.S. investigators say Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the hacking into the computers at the Democratic National Committee. The anti-secrecy group WikiLeaks subsequently released thousands of emails from the files of Clinton campaign chief John Podesta in the month before the election, showing embarrassing, behind-the-scenes efforts of Democratic operatives to help Clinton win the party's presidential nomination. But the Trump administration has rebuffed any contention that its campaign aides colluded with Russian officials in that cyberattack. Nunes, the House Intelligence panel chairman, also said he has not seen signs of collusion. Bill Berry: Immigrants need us to learn, and then act We accept many different kinds of announcements. Just click on the button below and submit a form. Go to forms President Donald Trump has instructed his Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson, to reduce by half the USs financial participation for UN expenses over the next three years. This decision was made following the request for an audit of Nikki Halley, the UN ambassador to the Security Council. Since July 2012 and the appointment of Jeffrey Feltman as the head of the UN Policy Department, UN resources are used by the US Deep State to pursue its goals to remodel an expanded Middle East and to cut the two silk routes. Although we must wait for the press campaign presenting President Trumps decision as having a goal which is contrary to peace [1], the truth is the complete opposite. At present, the wars against Syria and Donbass have been organized from New York. We will not be able to restore the UN to its original functions without first ridding it of representatives of the US Deep State and subjecting it to the remedy of austerity. Rex Tillerson has written to the NGOs sitting at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, indicating to them the need to reform the Organization or to leave it. It is worth highlighting that this Council had validated the false allegations that the Libyan Arab Jamahariya armed forces had bombed a rebel district of the capital, Tripoli. This lie provided the foundation for the Security Council to request Nato to protect the civil population from the dictator, which was code for authorizing a regime change in the purest form of colonial tradition. Voltaire Network: Thierry Meyssan, your new book Sous nos yeux. Du 11-Septembre a Donald Trump (Right Before Our Eyes. From 9/11 to Donald Trump) has just been released, 10 years after the previous one. What is the subject, and why have you waited so long? Thierry Meyssan: Sixteen years ago, I denounced the September 11th coup detat. What I was anticipating at the time did happen: those responsible for this operation established a permanent state of emergency in the United States and embarked on a series of imperialist wars. Many people have retained from this book only the short passage on the Pentagon bombing, but it is a book of political science that should have been taken more seriously. I do not understand when I am asked if I still "believe" what I wrote in 2002: I see it, I see it every day. Political science is an empirical science; one can only distinguish between hypotheses, those which are true from those which are false, through their consequences. And time has proven me right. France has been under a state of emergency for more than a year, while the wars have devastated the enlarged Middle East and already killed more than 3 million people. They are in the process of overflowing into Europe with migratory flows and terrorist attacks. In Sous nos yeux, I wanted to revisit their planning. Explain who decided, why and how. Westerners approach this phenomenon sequentially. For them, in general, there would be no connection between what happened in Afghanistan, Iraq, Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Yemen and Syria. All these peoples would have aspired to democracy, but none would be able to establish it. Behind these discontinuous appearances, there is a general plan which first struck the enlarged Middle East and now extends to the West. Voltaire Network: In fact, your book appears at the very moment when the expression "post-truth" is particularly in vogue in the mass media (to denounce exclusively the pseudo propaganda of Putins Russia and the supposed Trump lies). And where the "Atlantist Reverence Journal" is self-proclaimed as a sort of MiniVer (Ministry of Truth) with its ineffable Decodex ... Your work shows how much the values are reversed and how we live more than ever in a world become really Orwellian. Is there still hope? Thierry Meyssan: In the West, with the anti-Trump campaign, we are just entering the first phase of propaganda itself. Because this is the first time the system has attacked the Presidency which it claimed to be supreme. On this occasion, there is a contradiction between the techniques of "public relations" and those of "propaganda". Indeed, Donald Trump is a specialist of the former and a victim of the latter. One of the characteristics of propaganda is to replace the critical spirit. When we were at school, we did not think that a text had more value depending on its author, but according to its content. We learned to read it critically. Democracy is founded on this principle: we must pay the same attention to what each citizen says, while the Old Regime validated only the voice of the nobility and the clergy (todays journalists and politicians). The Decodex does exactly the opposite. It describes a priori an article as right or wrong depending on its author. It is intellectually stupid and profoundly anti-democratic. It has not escaped you that the Decodex is at the same time linked to the Media Agreement created by a mysterious NGO, First Draft, and to the military headquarters of the European Union. In fact, Le Monde, taking this initiative as its own, is far from being able to claim to be a mere press organ. And to answer your question, as in the Second World War, there is no hope in the media in general, but there is hope as long as we are able to resist. Voltaire Network: The intensive use of propaganda to sell a war is certainly not a novelty, but with Libya and Syria, one has the impression of having reached peaks, levels rarely before reached, if only at the height of the First World War, as Patrick Cockburn, among others, recently pointed out in CounterPunch. Thierry Meyssan: Yes, but this comparison is valid only for the United Kingdom (or, more exactly, its metropolis) and the United States whose territory was not affected by the war and who had control over modern propaganda . At the time, neither Russia, nor Germany, nor France knew these techniques. The first novelty is the place that todays audiovisual sector holds and the use, more frequent than one thinks, of fictional images presented by the televised newscasts as authentic reports. I think for example of sequences on the pseudo "green revolution" in Iran or to others on the so-called arrival of the rebels on Tripolis Green Square in Libya. This blend of fiction and truth has triumphed with Hollywoods award of a documentary prize to Al-Qaeda for its staging of White Helmets in Aleppo. The second novelty is the creation of international coordination between Allied governments to credit their propaganda. This began with the Office of Global Communications of the White House and Downing Street. Today, it is the StratCom Task Force of the European Union and the NATO Strategic Communication Center. Voltaire Network: Everyone knows that "in times of war, truth is the first casualty", everyone has in memory at least some manipulations and lies relayed unanimously by the press in the past. And yet, everyone falls for it again and again! Sometimes you get the impression that "the bigger the lie, the more it is believed": as long as most of the media are talking about it. But journalists (and politicians) are not all stupid or sold out: how to explain this collective blindness, this consensual trance of the media and the politicians? Thierry Meyssan: The press has changed dramatically in recent years. The number of journalists in the United States has declined by two-thirds since 9/11. In fact, there are almost no journalists, but many editors who adapt agency dispatches of to different audiences. It is not at all the same. Furthermore, commercialism has largely prevailed over the concern to inform. Violating the Munich Charter, which sets out the rights and duties of journalists, has become daily for most of them without provoking the least disapproval of either the profession or the public. For example, no one protests when the press releases the accounts of a bank or a law firm, apparently to flush out fraudsters. Or when a newspaper publishes a verbatim transcript covered by a judicial publication ban, supposedly revealing the turpitudes of the accused, but what about the confidentiality of these professions? Do you really want the press to disclose your bank interactions and divorce records? Do you wish to be designated as guilty after being questioned by a magistrate? So why do you accept it when it comes to known people? Finally, the press and its readers in general no longer seek to understand the world and have become wicked. Twenty years ago, my readers wrote to me reproaching me for criticizing so and so without mentioning their merits. Today it is the opposite, they reproach for paying tribute to a person or another without mentioning their flaws. It is because we have accepted this drift that we have become gullible and not the reverse. Politicians have adopted our collective behavior. For example, when President Hollande was asked why he had made a foreign policy decision, he said that he had to react well to the expectations of the press. That is, he does not set his policy after being informed by his administration and having discussed it with his advisers, but by reading the newspaper. We have come to a circular system: journalists follow the policies that follow journalists. No one has any hold on reality. Voltaire Network: Many works have dealt with the "Arab Spring", almost all of them offering a simplistic reading of events as spontaneously unfolding (the famous "wind of freedom" sweeping dictators from power), reminiscent of romantic, even naive, parisian visions of the French Revolution. In this context, your book is surprising - to say the least! How is your analysis justified, or to put it another way, why is it not purely and simply "conspiracy theory"? Thierry Meyssan: First, during the French Revolution, the kings betrayal was in seeking foreign armies to suppress his people. He was therefore dismissed. But in none of the seven countries where the Arab Spring took place was the Head of State dismissed by his people. Strange is not it? Secondly, we have many testimonials and several documents that attest to the preparation of these events by the Anglo-Saxons since 2004. Since there is always a discrepancy between the moment of decision-making, the deployment of the necessary teams and the concretization of the project, and since we have no memory, we were surprized by what had been previously announced to us. Do not misunderstand me: there were protest movements in each of these countries, but in no case was it a revolution aimed at overthrowing the head of state and democratizing society. We project our fantasies on events that are of a different nature. The "Arab Spring" is only the re-edition of the "Great Arab Revolt of 1916": a movement that at the time everyone believed spontaneous. Today, all historians agree that it was entirely conceived and manipulated by the British. Except that this time there is no romantic figure like Lawrence of Arabia believing in the promises of his superiors in London. All this was conducted with perfect cynicism. Voltaire Network: Thierry Meyssan, those who follow you and read you regularly know that you are a man of peace. You have been present in the field of conflicts for more than 6 years, your eyes and your analyzes are valuable and deserve at least to be listened to. However, you tell us how you have also been an actor in events (Syria, Libya, Iran and Russia), hence this question: without accusing you of being "the friend of the mullahs and worse dictators "- which would be simply stupid - can we not legitimately think that your struggle against imperialism blinds you? That you are not "objective"? Or that you are permeable to the propaganda of the other side? To wit that youre a vector! Thierry Meyssan: I ask myself this every day, and I hope that you too, who live across the border, are asking yourself. Wherever one lives, one is always influenced by ones environment. Your situation in Europe is no better than mine here. Each of us must make an effort to become objective. Its not spontaneous. In a conflict, we must seek to understand how our adversaries analyze situations. Not to fight them better, but to eventually bring us closer to them. Having said that, and knowing that political responsibility is always to choose the least bad solution, I do not claim to have served the saints, but the best. Thats why I did not serve George W. Bush or Barack Obama who destroyed the extended Middle East, nor Nicolas Sarkozy who destroyed Libya, nor Francois Hollande who destroyed Syria. On the contrary, I served Hugo Chavez who pulled out his people from illiteracy, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad who industrialized Iran, Muammar Gaddafi who put an end to slavery in Libya and Bashar al-Assad who saved the Syrian Arab Republic from the jihadist hordes. I have never been asked to do something that would have embarrassed me and if I had been asked, I would not have done it. Voltaire Network: To read you, one is really seized with vertigo. So much of what you write is radically different from the current Western narrative. How is this possible ? Thierry Meyssan: There are no authoritarian regimes in the West, yet the propaganda is there on a daily basis. It is not imposed from above, but expected from below. It only triumphs because we do not want to know the truth; Because we do not want to know the crimes that are committed on our behalf. We are like ostriches that bury their heads in the sand. The best proof of what I say is the presidential election campaign in France. To date, virtually none of the major candidates has outlined what he would do as a president. They all explain what their prime minister should do on economic matters, but none dare to talk about the presidential responsibility they aspire to: foreign policy and the defense of the Motherland. In the era of globalization, it is simply impossible to achieve economic results without first repositioning the country on the international stage. But few dare to analyze international relations, it has become taboo. Voltaire Network: The terrorist attacks of Daech and Al Qaeda in France over the last two years have changed the media discourse, especially after the carnage on November 13 in Paris. All of a sudden, the media here and there are giving a little echo to the dissonant voices - hitherto inaudible - that questioned the merits of French policy in Libya and Syria, and also the special and privileged relations that our Leaders have had with Qatar and Saudi Arabia. And then we quickly returned to the status quo ante, "Bashar" the executioner must leave ... Thierry Meyssan: Again, you take things upside down. The Director General of Homeland Security, Patrick Calvar, told a parliamentary committee that he knew who had sponsored these attacks, but that he would not say. It is in fact not his job to say, but is is the job of the President of the Republic, Francois Hollande. As I explain in Under Our Eyes, Alain Juppe and Francois Hollande made secret international commitments that they could not keep. Duped, Recep Tayyip Erdogan sponsored this attack and that of Brussels for which he congratulated himself in advance. These two operations were conducted by separate commandos, with the exception of Mohamed Abrini of the British MI6 who participated in both. Our successive governments have made such abject decisions that they do not dare admit them. I have addressed this situation in my articles, but only in covert terms. This situation can no longer hold. I can no longer bear to see our compatriots die at the Bataclan and on the terrace of the cafes. I wrote this book to unpack the dirty laundry, all the dirty laundry, and that we may change. Voltaire Network: With this book, you will plunge us back into a past that is nevertheless close and which seems to be over: I am thinking in particular of the flamboyant speech of peace of Dominique de Villepin at the UN in 2003 and the illegal military intervention against Libya In 2011. How did France see in so short a time (8 years) the total triumph among our "elites" of the US neocon theses and their self-fulfilling prophecy of "clash of civilizations" and "war without end against terrorism"? Thierry Meyssan: First of all, in my opinion, there is no prophecy: the "clash of civilizations" and the "war on terror" never existed. There is just a war of an Empire and its allies against the peoples of the broader Middle East and the Donbass. The novelty being that the Empire is no longer governed by the White House, but by the deep state, of which we have identified several of the leaders. Then, the alignment of the European elites with the Obama administration is a classic phenomenon of collaboration with the strongest. It continues today against the Trump administration. So that the Europeans have gone into to the service of the US opposition. Voltaire Network: On this subject, you make a noticeable difference between the Sarkozy and Holland presidencies, the latter having revived the war in Syria that the former had certainly begun but, through pragmatism, was preparing to withdraw ... Thierry Meyssan: Yes, although President Sarkozy wisely retired from the Syrian conflict, he had previously pursued the fight against Cote dIvoire and Libya to their limits. But the most important is elsewhere. The Sarkozy governments were divided regarding French participation in the British plan of the "Arab Spring". We should therefore pay tribute to those who convinced President Sarkozy to make peace. This is where things get complicated: they have almost all been punished by the System. While Alain Juppe is praised by the media, Prefet Edouard Lacroix was physically eliminated, Claude Gueant was sentenced to prison, Bernard Squarcini and Francois Fillon are prosecuted. Only Gerard Longuet has come out of it OK. Understand that this kind of example chilled all those who could today put an end to the war. Voltaire Network: Your book opens with the following United Nations resolution: "All States must refrain from organizing, assisting, fomenting, financing, encouraging or tolerating subversive or terrorist armed activities intended to change by violence the regime of another State and to intervene in the internal struggles of another State ". This pertinent reminder of the foundation of International Law seems to be completely ignored by most of our political leaders and by journalists and the media who relay their words without questioning them. Thierry Meyssan: This quotation is taken from the resolution which details the meaning of the UN Charter. This is a reference text that of course all diplomats and specialized journalists have studied. To forget this indicates that there is no longer any intention of defending the principles of international law. We now live in a hypocritical world where political leaders and UN officials are claiming the Charter as their own, but are constantly violating it. As I show in detail in this book, the current wars in the Middle East and Donbass are run politically and logistically from the UN by the organizations No. 2 man, Jeffrey Feltman. Voltaire Network: In this book, unlike the previous ones, you decided not to reference your remarks, not to use notes. Why this choice, which exposes your flank to all the accusations of fabrication that will not fail to be made against you? Is it a gamble on the intelligence of readers? Thierry Meyssan: In 2002, in The Big Lie (on September 11th), I quoted official sources on the Internet. That was not in vogue at the time. Moreover, few people already had access to the Internet. I was criticized for not relying on the only serious source: the paper. In 2007, in The Big Lie 2 (about the war that had just taken place against Lebanon), I quoted hundreds of agency dispatches and official reports. There, as no one could reproach me, the press ignored the book. This time I did not give any references. The people I am challenging will perhaps deny and accuse me of a making up the story. If they want to unpack in public, I am ready to answer them. You know, between 2002, 2007 and 2017, I have lived a lot, learned a lot and matured a lot. Nobody in France took part in the events like I did. Voltaire Network: 10 years ago, your book "The Big Lie 2: Manipulations and Misinformation" had not been the subject of any review in the media. In fact, your image had been so denigrated that the booksellers - also victims of propaganda - received it with reluctance, not placing it in a visible way on display (like any new work of a successful author) but generally sheltered from viewing in shelving, or even concealing it outright from the public in storerooms. It did, however, sell itself very well. Given the climate of near-hysteria that surrounds Bashar", Putin and Trump, it is obvious that this one will not be better received: can we be optimistic about the success of its disclosure? Thierry Meyssan: The times are different. A few years ago, almost all of us believed anything, provided it was covered by Le Monde. Today, the majority question the contradictions of righteous rhetoric. For example, assuming that Al-Qaeda is a group of anti-Western militants who have committed the September 11 attacks, how is it that General Carter Ham (commander of AfriCom) was compelled to rely on al-Qaeda in Libya - which provoked his protest and the end of his mission? Why did Laurent Fabius support the Arab states according to whom Al-Qaeda "is doing a good job" in Syria? Why did France send ammunition to Al-Qaeda in Syria? We can hope, then, that individually, one after the other, the French in general - and therefore the booksellers too - will reconsider what they thought they knew since the beginning of events. If, in appearance, the facts are inconsistent, at what level does their logic lie? Voltaire Network: Thierry Meyssan, thank you for your time and more for this extraordinary book that I invite your readers to discover and share as widely as possible around them. A final word to conclude? Thierry Meyssan: Everyone must now position themselves facing what began in the enlarged Middle East. It started in distant countries, but its happening at home now. The attacks on the one hand, and the war propaganda on the other, are already there. If we refuse to see the truth in the face, we will be crushed by the forces with which we continue to ally ourselves. The longer we wait, the more difficult it will be to defend our freedom, here at home. Positive Meeting on Trade Issues with Liam Fox The Chief Minister Fabian Picardo and the Deputy Chief Minister Dr Joseph Garcia today held a positive meeting with the Secretary of State for International Trade Dr Liam Fox MP in London. Dr Fox has visited Gibraltar several times over the years and was particularly involved during his time as Secretary of State for Defence. He was already well-informed about Gibraltar issues and was very keen to make sure that the interests of Gibraltar were fully taken into account going forward. The Chief Minister took the opportunity to discuss the potential inclusion of Gibraltar in whatever trade deals the United Kingdom might conclude with the rest of the World in a post-Brexit scenario. This was one of a series of meetings during a busy day in London. The Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister had earlier split up for different meetings. During this time, Dr Garcia met with the Liberal Democrat Leader in the House of Lords, Lord Newby, in order to brief him on the impact of Brexit on Gibraltar. The opening moments of this weeks Big Little Lies might as well have an image of Anton Chekhovs face plastered over them, what with his old adage about guns onstage and all. Over the first few episodes, we were treated to little tastes of Janes locked nightstand drawer and the handgun she keeps inside it, along with flashes of a gun interspersed and overlaid with the crashing ocean in the opening credits, like a particularly threatening Sears Portrait Studio background. Now the guns are out and firing albeit at a shooting range and theyre coming along for a literal ride when Jane goes rogue to San Luis Obispo. There better be a shooting by the end of this series, or that poor Russian is going to be spinning in his cold Moscow grave. Its no surprise Jane carries a gun, really. Even among the moneyed, kombucha-drinking citizens of Monterey, shes so haunted by her rape that she regularly imagines encountering her rapist and putting one through his skull. (Although sleeping with the gun unsecured under her pillow seems like suspect parenting, to be honest.) She readily admits to Madeline the peace of mind it brings her. They say just holding one can have psychological benefits for people who have been through trauma, she says. But the presence of the gun along with Janes bang-on accuracy at the shooting range, where she puts five through the head of the target weigh down this episode with heavy foreboding. Not to mention a reminder that someone dies at the end of all this. Jane-whos-got-a-gun is definitely a bit of a loose cannon this week. Enraged over Renatas accusation that Ziggy is abusing Amabella after a bite mark appears on her shoulder, Jane is slamming her fists on the table at Blue Blues and hurling her phone off a cliff. So the notion of a road trip to San Luis Obispo (thats the term Madeline uses, road trip like theyre all going wine-tasting in Napa or exfoliating in Ojai) to check out the interior-design office of her potential rapist feels more and more like a dangerous idea. Ed worries that Jane, Madeline, and Celeste will find themselves in a bad situation, but really Saxon Baker should be afraid of the three of them. When Jane zips off to San Luis Obispo alone, grabbing a joint (from what appears to be a rather sizable stash) and lighting up in the car, its easy to see that this is headed nowhere good. Inside Bakers office, she cant help but notice the similarity between his mannerisms and her rapists. But is it him? That much is unclear. Jane, weighted down with the handgun in her bag, flees the office and soars homeward, only to face flashing police lights. We dont find out if she ran because the sight of her rapist terrified her, or because the sight of an innocent man brought about a realization of how bloated her obsession has become. Madelines life, too, is careening full-speed down the highway, stoned and packing heat metaphorically, at least. First, her attempt to copycat what she thinks is Celestes hot sex life ends with her panties wadded up her butt, when Chloe wanders in and catches her and Ed in the act. Next, she spots a picture of Abigail on Facebook that has a caption under it from a friend who asks if its for her special project and whether its sexy/slutty enough. And then, shes caught in a situation all adulterers would dread: A truck smashes into the car shes in with Joseph while hes imploring her to leave her family and run away with him. Although they talk their way out of full-blown exposure, Ed and Josephs wife both clearly suspect theres more to the story. But the episode belongs to Celeste. Its hard to overstate just how magically Nicole Kidman owns this role, how easily she projects the tiniest shifts in Celestes psyche as she combats internal contradictions about what she calls her and Perrys volatile relationship. A tug at the sleeve of a sweater distills a whole host of emotions. Even in absolute stillness, her face spins through a Rolodex of emotion. With this opportunity to spread the development of a character over a seven-hour spread, Kidman is making the case for even more A-list actresses to abandon the big screen for the small. When Perry ambles up to their front door like a Ralph Lauren ad come to life, you like me and Celeste might have fallen for his smooth swagger all over again, despite knowing that hes a sick, sick man. The gloss of money and charm coats every move he makes until he strikes, in this instance not just pummeling Celeste, but dumping a bucket of toys over her head to humiliate her. Even their non-rage-induced sex begins and ends with his hand around her neck. But through it all, Perrys smart suits, Brylcreemed hair, and glowing white teeth all remind us that looks and money are a straight ticket to getting away with hideous, gut-twisting behavior. Celestes solo visit to the couples therapist she and Perry visited previously is one of the series best extended scenes. Like HBOs In Treatment, in which each episode followed the therapy session of an individual, the scene goes on so long, its practically in real time. At first it appears that Celeste has come alone to receive affirmation from the therapist that her and Perrys mere attendance at therapy is sign enough of hope for their marriage. But the scene evolves as each womans agenda becomes clear. The therapist wants to bring Celeste to a moment of honesty about the violent nature of her marriage; Celeste wants to offer just enough information to encourage sympathetic help from the therapist. She doesnt realize that, as with addiction, admitting the full extent of the problem is the only type of first step that counts. The exchange offers one of the most complete explanations of what it means to be in a relationship Ive ever seen on TV: the way a bond can be forged with poisonous and enriching strands, so tightly intertwined that a couple cant even tell them apart. Eventually, the therapist coaxes a silent confession from Celeste. And when she introduces the idea to create a plan for the next time Perry hits her, Celestes silence is a tacit recognition that her marital situation is untenable. Although she leaves the office and rushes to the airport to wrap Perry in a tearful embrace, its clear that some switch inside Celeste has been flipped. The trailer for Big Little Lies showed Jane, Madeline, and Celeste all sprinting down a windy beach, hair whipping back in the breeze, arms and legs furiously pumping. It implied some competition between the women, as they determinedly edged past one another. Although there is certainly a hearty dose of spatting and brawling among the women of Monterey, the beach-running scene which plays out in full on this episode isnt just more catfight theater, in which audiences can smugly revel in the tacky, unfeminist character assassinations women attempt on one another. Instead, its clear that each of the three women is only able to push herself because the others are there to provide ballast. At its core, this is a show about female friendship in all its intricacy, including the inability some women have to share their lives worst aspects with even their most intimate friends. The scene, then, is a gloriously subverted image of the modern stay-at-home mother: It seems like she has all the time in the world, able to work out on a beach with her friends in the middle of the afternoon, untethered from the ding of a Slack conversation or the pileup of email. But the audience knows what theyre keeping from one another. We see that their firmly set mouths arent just a symptom of their elevated heart rates. We see how much they need to run because of everything that might happen when they stop. Photo: Bettmann/Getty Images At age 90, Queen Elizabeth II has the distinction of being Britains longest-living monarch of all time. (She also recently achieved a bit of resurgence stateside with the popularity of Netflixs The Crown.) However, as outlined in The Guardian in a fascinating new feature, due to her advanced age, the palace and many facets of the British communication apparatus as a whole have already conjured up air-tight plans for how they will cover the event of her death. Adhering to established protocol, the queens long-time private secretary will contact the prime minister with the news; upon the completion of that exchange, civil servants will use secure lines to declare London Bridge is down. The news will then go out from the Foreign Offices Global Response Centre to 15 governments outside the U.K. where the Queen is also the head of state, and the 36 other nations of the Commonwealth for whom she has served as a symbolic figurehead. Within minutes, every news station across the world will know what happened. But back home in Britain, broadcasters have been establishing (and honing) their death-coverage plans for many, many years. Radio programs, for instance, already have preselected music for when the news breaks. For people stuck in traffic, or with Heart FM on in the background, there will only be the subtlest of indications, at first, that something has happened. Britains commercial radio stations have a network of blue obit lights, which is tested once a week and supposed to light up in the event of a national catastrophe. When the news breaks, these lights will flash, alerting DJs to switch to the news in the next few minutes and to play inoffensive music in the meantime. Every station, down to hospital radio, has prepared music lists made up of Mood 2 (sad) or Mood 1 (saddest) songs to reach for in times of sudden mourning. On television networks, precise words to announce the queens death have also already been chosen. But there will be no extemporising with the Queen. The newsreaders will wear black suits and black ties. Category one was made for her. Programmes will stop. Networks will merge. BBC 1, 2 and 4 will be interrupted and revert silently to their respective idents an exercise class in a village hall, a swan waiting on a pond before coming together for the news. Listeners to Radio 4 and Radio 5 live will hear a specific formulation of words, This is the BBC from London, which, intentionally or not, will summon a spirit of national emergency. Networks also frequently participate in rehearsals for when the news eventually breaks. The Guardian reports that for 30 years, BBC news teams have been coming in to work on occasional Sunday mornings to perform mock story lines. The main reason for rehearsals is to have words that are roughly approximate to the moment. It is with the greatest sorrow that we make the following announcement, said John Snagge, the BBC presenter who informed the world of the death of George VI. (The news was repeated seven times, every 15 minutes, and then the BBC went silent for five hours). According to one former head of BBC news, a very similar set of words will be used for the Queen. The rehearsals for her are different to the other members of the family, he explained. People become upset, and contemplate the unthinkable oddness of her absence. She is the only monarch that most of us have ever known, he said. The royal standard will appear on the screen. The national anthem will play. After the announcements, the funeral, and the lavish procession, Charles will be crowned king. The only real legacy is children, Bette tells Victor, as her co-star lavishes praise upon the star he so admires for both her work and for embracing the gay community. Its a new insight into what makes Bette Davis tick, and plays into the episodes theme. In Mommie Dearest, a new side to both Bette and Joan is explored: that of mother. Is it a little heavy-handed? Sure. That doesnt mean that getting a better look at our girls beyond their personas as larger-than-life actresses is any less welcome. It adds new, arguably softer layers to their motivations. A lady can be a boss bitch and still be vulnerable. The best of them are usually both. Before we get into Bette and Joans parenting techniques, a round of applause for the best scene of the episode: Bette and Joan sitting down together for drinks. Whew, boy. I never wanted this to end. This scene proves that Feuds use of the documentary framing device to dole out exposition is so unnecessary. Bette and Joan can get their own backstories out just fine, thanks. Also, when Bette and Joan open up to one another about their mothers and their own childhoods, it allows each woman to see her rival in a new light. For a hot minute, Joan even tells Hedda not to run a story about Bettes body odor, since now she understands they are both single mothers working in Hollywood. But dont worry its only a momentary lapse in their burning hatred for one another. What did these two chat about? Joan matter-of-factly discusses losing her virginity to her stepfather at age 11, and how he really loved her something her mother could never do. She craved real love and affection as a child, and that explains a lot about her needs as an adult. Not to mention that her stint at school with nuns offers an origin story to her extreme discipline and cleanliness. Bette is legitimately shocked that Joan doesnt recognize (or worse, doesnt care) that what she experienced was child abuse. Bette goes on to talk about her closeness with her mother, who she suspects was her only female friend, and her tough upbringing at boarding school. Honestly, Feud could just be long, extended scenes of Susan Sarandon and Jessica Lange circling each other in conversations that go from real to hostile and back again. Okay, there should also be some door-slamming, and definitely people putting on and taking off their sunglasses while smoking. But mainly, it can be the conversations. Both of these revelations carry over into Bette and Joans story as mothers. If Joan seems overprotective and strict (!!!) with her kids, its because no one cared about her well-being as a child. Much has been written about Joan Crawfords relationship with her oldest daughter, Christina most infamously the controversial memoir, Mommie Dearest, from which this episode borrows its name but Feud takes place when Christina is off making her stage debut, and Joan is at home with just her twin daughters, Cindy and Cathy. According to Bette, the twins are like a pair of well-trained Pomeranians. Joan dresses them alike, as if theyre her own little dolls. She doesnt want to admit that theyre getting older. Steak instead of fish sticks?! Where does the time go? One evening, she comes home from work to an empty house. She calls for her girls, forgetting that theyve gone to camp for two weeks. Shes upset and confides in the only person left: Mamacita. Shell just have to get used to this the silence. Its the plight of so many women, she realizes, that your husband leaves you, your kids grow up, and youre left all by yourself. Joan attempts to pull herself together, to embrace the change of things to come, but she still winds up watching a movie and eating sandwiches in Mamacitas bed. Joan refuses to be left behind, and later marches herself over to the local orphanage. She wants to adopt another child. Unfortunately, she hears a response shes heard all too often by now: Shes too old. Theyre rejecting her application. Joan is gutted. And furious. Bette, meanwhile, is having a bit of a different experience with B.D. After Bette and Joan forced Bob to fire the hot neighbor girl, Bob (who is totally on the same page as Bette regarding never sleeping together again) suggests they let B.D. have the part. Bette worries about Joans reaction to the news for maybe three seconds those aforementioned drinks were meant to stop Joan from making a scene but still agrees to it. B.D.s never acted before, but itll at least give her more of an appreciation of what her mother does. Well, turns out Bob is totally wrong and the apple falls very, very far from the tree. B.D. is terrible, and Bette realizes it immediately. They run lines and Bette looks horrified. After watching some dailies, she makes sure Bob knows to credit her as B. D. Merill, not Davis. Its her adopted name, she says. Please, God, let no one realize shes my daughter, she thinks. Meanwhile, Bette learns that the person she was afraid of being totally terrible (Im sure his Falstaff is the talk of Tijuana) is actually talented. And so it is Vince, not her own daughter, who wins a coveted rehearsal with Bette. She can barely look her daughter in the face. But after a visit from Hedda, who after Bette refuses to give into her prodding for more gossip about the mood on set threatens to run a story about B.D. being so terrible shes going to ruin the film, Bette shows her true feelings. Yes, she insults B.D. in the process, but she also makes sure her daughter isnt dragged through the papers. B.D. is wholly unaware of her lack of talent. After she wraps, she cries to her mother. She wanted to do a good job; she doesnt want to ruin the picture. Her mother makes it look so easy. Maybe its because Bette got exactly what she wanted from the experiment, or maybe she really does feel for her daughter probably a bit of both but she goes to B.D.s side and reassures her that she did so well for her first movie. Plus, she adds, if Joan Crawford cant ruin the picture, no one can. Its odd to see Bette so tender (and even more so when she calls her mentally challenged daughter, Margo), but its a great reminder that these women arent caricatures. Theyre human, flaws and all. What About the Picture, Bob? What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? wraps, but not without some top-notch feuding for us to go out on. Any goodwill between the ladies after sharing stories from their past is lost, when Bette reads a Hedda Hopper column about her apparently having let Joan have the Best Actress category at the Oscars, only submitting herself for Supporting Actress. Joan attributes it to Bettes kind offer to support the movie in any way possible during their gab session. It is deliciously devious. Bette goes ahead and shows just how supportive she can be by having a big Coca-Cola cooler wheeled onto set. So, yeah, things are about the same. Their animosity toward one another is on display in a glorious montage set to Mama Said. Its full of takes ruined on purpose, Joan wearing weights during a scene where Bette has to carry her around, and Bette accidentally kicking Joan in the head. The kick weve all been waiting for, certainly. Their fighting continues even as the production goes on location to shoot the final scene of the film: Joans big beach death scene. If you believe the story Joan tells Hedda, youd think Bette was the one causing all the problems that day. But as we see, it is quite the opposite because Joan is completely drunk. She holds up production repeatedly because she keeps driving back to her trailer to have her neck tightened. Joan cant control her kids getting older or being left alone, but she can certainly control this. When Bob and Jack watch the scene back, they are quite dismayed. Joans character is supposed to be dying, but every time they cut back to her, she looks better and better. They end up reshooting it in the studio and we hear dialogue that is a not-so-thinly veiled attempt to talk about the BetteJoan dynamic: that these sisters spent their entire lives fighting one another, but all along, with a little healing conversation, they couldve been friends. Too bad weve already watched Bette and Joan have a conversation, and it is clear theyll never be friends. When production wraps, both women leave the studio without saying anything to each other, but with the films impending release and award nominations to quickly follow, this war is only getting started. Much of whats happened in this final season of Girls is about looking forward to the future and imagining what these characters lives might be like after the show ends. That continues in Full Disclosure, especially as Hannah continues to grapple with her pregnancy and what her future might hold, as well as asking herself who she wants to keep in her life. Big pieces of the episode are devoted to Hannah thinking about whether to contact Paul-Louis and tell him about the pregnancy, something she makes a half-hearted attempt to do, but cant follow through. This, by the way, is a place where Girls has been admirably evenhanded in its treatment of the pregnancy question. Both possibilities telling him or not telling him have been presented and considered, and although contacting Paul-Louis would probably be a good idea, its hard to deny Hannahs counterargument: She knows who he is. He wears puka-shell necklaces, and his days off are Tuesdays and Thursdays. But setting aside the question of Paul-Louiss future involvement, as we get further and further into this season, its become obvious that Girls is as interested in looking back as it is forward: American Bitch was a response to, and continuation of, the issues from One Mans Trash; Painful Evacuation was about long-threatened consequences finally coming to fruition. Even the premiere episode, with Hannah off in a beach bubble of the Hamptons, was a reconsideration of who exactly she has become. We saw a lot of this backwards-vision in last weeks Gummies, but its become particularly pointed in Full Disclosure, where nearly every plot point is a referendum on where these characters have come from and the choices theyve made. For Hannah, thats obviously her decision to become a mother, but its also a reconsideration of who her friends are. Jessa comes storming into Hannahs apartment calling herself a dear friend, all wounded and furious that Hannah hasnt consulted her about the pregnancy. Hannahs response is ice cold: They were never really friends, she tells Jessa. However much Jessa rails furiously against the way Hannah has cut her off, against the simple erasure of everything that came before, Hannah is unmoved. She just doesnt care. However you feel about Hannahs actions last season, or about her epic, potentially unwarranted grudge against Jessa and Adams relationship, cutting Jessa out of her life now feels like one of the healthiest things she could do. Jessa has always been more aspiration and irritation than shes been support, and you only have to look back on earlier Jessa moments to see the truth of that reality: She abandoned Hannah at her parents weird house upstate. She made Hannah come pick her up from rehab, even though she was obviously still a mess. More recently, she tanked poor Shoshannas sad entrepreneurship mixer, utterly unsympathetic to Shoshs sincere dismay. The last several episodes have depicted her as manic enough to even raise questions about her sobriety. Cutting ties with Jessa may not make Hannah more stable at this point, but it could hardly hurt. The same could be said for Marnie, whos also come smack up against the consequences of her decisions over the last several seasons. Harnessed to a musical partner and former husband who seems to hate her, their music, and himself, shes stuck at a sad Jersey club called LaVue, performing for her mothers best friends babely birthday party just so she can fulfill the terms of her miserable touring contract. And because Desi shows up too high to perform, shes sitting up there onstage with her mother, who is singing backup, scatting, bombing abysmally, and introducing them as The Michaels Sisters. It is excruciating. But you cant say this isnt something Marnie has wrought, that she hasnt brought every bit of it upon herself. And its just as hard to say that she doesnt deserve it particularly given her behavior this season. While Hannah seems to be pulling herself together, Marnie has been hollowed out, made even worse and less sympathetic than she ever was. Shes swerved into nearly pure parody in the last several episodes: treating Ray terribly, demonstrating myopic self-interest in Desis therapy session, and, in one of the most hilariously horrible lines of the episode, responds to Hannahs pregnancy announcement by pointing out how great it would be to have someone else to consider. Its funny, really: Marnies probably the most overtly comedic aspect the show has this season. But especially when compared with Hannahs sudden seriousness, Jessas relatively complex breakdown, and the depths Shoshanna has demonstrated over the past two seasons, Marnie looks like shes being drawn in caricature, while everyone else gets something closer to realism. Marnies self-examination if its even happening, which is a little dubious is about the choices that have brought her to this moment, sitting onstage at LaVue next to her mother, while her ex-husband fails to drive away on a motorcycle. Elijahs is about acting, and whether its something he should seriously pursue. He certainly isnt terrible, which we know thanks to a goofy little scene between him and his co-worker played by another Hamilton alum, Jasmine Cephas Jones at a leather-goods store. Elijah also apologizes to Hannah for the cruelty of his words in Gummies, promising her that she wont be a terrible mother and that he wants to be a part of her childs life. Its hard to see him as being particularly helpful, but his apology is sincere. Obviously, the most explicit self-consideration of Full Disclosure is Adams (47-minute) movie Full Dis:closure, which Hannah finally makes herself sit down and watch at the end of the episode. The surface layer of the premise is that Hannahs being forced to look at herself as seen through Adams reconstructed memories to look at this embodied vision of who she used to be. Its hard to imagine a more explicit way of measuring whether or not youve changed than watching someone play you in an indie-film story of your past self. (Speaking of indie film, its pretty hard to believe that Adam and Jessa couldve actually put together a script, found an actress to play Hannah, filmed the whole thing, edited it, and figured out how to pay for any of it in the short period of time since they came up with the idea. But Im kind of into the whole conceit, dumb name aside, so whatever.) Watching the movie, Hannahs forced to look at herself. Even more, shes looking at Adam as he watches her past self, and shes struck by some strong emotion. What is she thinking in that moment? Is it longing? Regret? Surprise? Does she want him back? Does she understand something new about their relationship? Full Dis:closure is about Hannah, Jessa, and Adam being required to take a step back from the emotional weight of their current positions and think again about everything that came in the past. Hannah may well want to erase Jessa, but erasing Adam proves much harder. Gummies demonstrated how thoroughly Jessa had constructed her own understanding of Hannah and Adams relationship, and how little that matched up with Adams recollection. Adam, meanwhile, is desperate for Hannah to watch the movie so that he can know whether his memory of their time together (intense, fraught, loving, angry, codependent) matches hers. Its also about Girls watching itself, and reminding us that, all along, most of our experience of this narrative has been filtered through Hannah Horvath. Shes hardly an omniscient narrator, and theres been plenty of this show that happens outside of her experiences. But think of how often episodes end just like Full Disclosure does, with a close-up of Hannahs face. Think of how many of its standalone episodes are constructed around Hannahs perspective, and framed through her emotional arc. Adams movie is making Hannah do exactly the thing Marnie so glibly wishes for: consider someone else. It does the same thing for us as viewers, showing us the briefest slice of a similar but distinct version of Girls. I dont want to argue that Adams movie is entirely faithful to reality; his credit-sequence scene of meeting Mira while shes stealing almonds at a store is made up. The point remains the same, though: The gutsiness and controversy and purpose of Girls has always been drawn from Hannahs perspective, even as it necessarily eliminates other viewpoints. Here, briefly, is a little acknowledgment of that, for us and for Hannah. Full Disclosure ends with a close-up of Hannahs face, but the main episodes final image of Full Dis:closure is a very Hannah-esque close-up of Adam. However we want to think about it, moving into the future requires reckoning with whats already happened, and thinking about other versions of events we may have preferred to ignore. A person has been taken into custody in Florida following a deadly house fire in Princeton. The fire was reported at 12:50 a.m. March 13 at 103 S. Farmer St. A person, who authorities have not named, was found dead inside the home while the fire was being investigated. Investigators had said earlier in the week the fire was suspicious. Princeton Police Chief Matthew Bargenquast announced at a press conference Saturday that the death is being investigated as a homicide. He said a person of interest was taken into custody on a probation warrant by Florida authorities who were assisted by U.S. Department of Justice. Princeton firefighters were aided by Ripon, Markesan, Montello, Neshkoro and the Fond du Lac Rapid Intervention Team. The State Fire Marshals and Green Lake County Sheriffs offices and the state Division of Criminal Investigation are assisting the Police Department with the investigation. Anyone with information concerning the fire is asked to call the Princeton Police Department at 920-294-4000. Ellen Pompeo as Dr. Meredith Grey. Photo: Richard Cartwright/ABC After 13 years of prime-time dominance, one might assume that Greys Anatomy creator Shonda Rhimes a.k.a. the reigning queen of ABCs Thursday drama block has relaxed a little in front of her talent. Not so much, Greys actress Chandra Wilson told Vulture at the shows PaleyFest panel event in Los Angeles on Sunday night. Her mind never stops, gushed Wilson, adding that shes still in awe of her showrunner, more than a decade since they first collaborated on the series pilot, and even after having directed 15 episodes of Greys herself. To run something with your name on it that has this many branches and all this focus Ive learned from her. During the panel, Wilson also reminisced about the second-season episode in which her character, Dr. Miranda Bailey, gave birth and how a line in that episode, Stop looking at my vajayjay! prompted a nickname that nearly became a household word the next day. It turned into something really kind of incredible, the whole vajayjay thing, Wilson said of the series catchy pet name for vaginas. Id also just had a son myself [at the time], so I was able to remember what labor pains were and where I put my legs. Sadly, Rhimes wasnt able to attend the PaleyFest event, but that didnt stop the rest of the cast from reflecting on their favorite Greys moments and sharing their hopes from the rest of the shows thirteenth season. Justin Chambers misses McDreamy (and McSteamy) When a fan asked which fallen character Chambers, who plays Dr. Alex Karev, misses most, he said departed actors Eric Dane and Patrick Dempseys iconic heartthrobs Dr. Mark Sloan and Dr. Derek Shepherd. I love them, I miss em, he said of the departed characters, lovingly dubbed McSteamy and McDreamy, respectively. Debbie Allens favorite part of the show is having mad old sex with Dr. Webber The TV icon, who plays Dr. Catherine Avery, and James Pickens Jr., who plays Dr. Richard Webber, shared a brief kiss onstage before she promised a season finale that fans wouldnt stop talking about: Im telling you right now, the end of this season is hot, honey. Hot. Ellen Pompeo wants to make fans cry in her upcoming directorial debut I was a little nervous about the technical aspects of directing, Pompeo said about the episode, set to air March 30, in which Maggies (Kelly McCreary) mother dies. The death of a mother is something so quintessentially Greys Anatomy. How I lost my own mother at a very young age its a subject matter I was going right into, she said. I couldnt wait to make everyone cry. Kevin McKidd wants more scenes with the male actors Although McKidd (Dr. Owen Hunt) clearly enjoys playing Caterina Scorsones significant other (regardless of the level of dysfunction of Owens onscreen relationship with Dr. Amelia Shepherd), the actor said hes ready for a little more screen time with his fellow dudes. Any of the men! he said. Whenever I have a scene with a guy Im like, Oh my God! Sorry, theres no drama on the set Its lighthearted, actor Jesse Williams, who plays Dr. Jackson Avery, told the crowd of their work environment. We crack a lot of jokes and save the drama for whats onscreen. We talk a lot of shit. Photo: Disney Once the Pandoras box of what constitutes an exclusively gay moment in a Disney movie is opened, it might never be closed. In an interview published today in New Straits Times, Malaysian film censorship board (LPF) chairman Abdul Halim expounded on exactly which parts of the new, live-action Beauty and the Beast were not appropriate for his nations audiences. Turns out his board requested that four minutes and 38 seconds in total be removed from the film prior to its release, including what seems to be an entire song. There are three parts which we feel are inappropriate for Malaysian audiences, he explained. The first is during the performance of a song where a male character (LeFou) hugs the other (Gaston) from behind. Secondly is the suggestive song lyrics with sexual innuendos and the third is a scene that takes place at the end of the movie. Halim also pointed to the films director Bill Condon as part of the issue, saying, Maybe if Condon had not mentioned the gay element, people wouldnt be so curious and we could let it go with a potentially minor cut. And this whole thing may not have been an issue. We at LPF want to preserve films as much as how they are intended by the director, but the moment the gay element is thrown into the mix, we have to protect ourselves. Disney has so far declined to make the requested edits, leaving only one question left unanswered: Which song are we talking about here? Prince with Wendy Melvoin from the Revolution. Photo: Nick Elgar/Corbis/VCG via Getty Images Though Prince was one of pop musics very brightest stars, he knew that he could shine even brighter surrounded by a great band. And none of his backing bands were greater than the Revolution, who supported his Purpleness from 1979 to 1986, a period which includes the commercial peak of Purple Rain and during which Prince made the bulk of his most important music. On the one-year anniversary of their former bandleaders death, the core members of the Revolution guitarist Wendy Melvoin, keyboardists Lisa Coleman and Matt Fink, drummer Bobby Z., and bassist Brown Mark will reunite for a tour beginning April 21 in Minneapolis. In advance of those concerts, the musicians shared their favorite Prince stories, which feature a cameo from Princes heroine Joni Mitchell and one very annoyed flight attendant. Wendy Melvoin For my 20th birthday, Prince decided to throw a surprise party for me at a club called Tramps in Minneapolis. He even flew in my twin sister Susannah. At one point during the party, he said, Do me a favor and sit down at this table and wait. So I waited, and then in comes Prince and Joni Mitchell to sit with me, and she gave me three of her lithographs as a present. It was one of my most profound moments. Prince was a fan of Jonis, just like Lisa [Coleman] and I were, so to get to know her was incredible. I remember a time when we were in California, and Prince called me and said, Lets go out and have dinner at Jonis place in Malibu. I just thought Oh my god! The three of us get in the car and we played Blue on the drive to her place. We got there and opened the door and Joni was calling for her cat Puss-Puss in that beautiful voice of hers. The walls of her house were covered with her portraits of people like Miles Davis it was amazing. So were on the couch, having these incredibly deep conversations with Joni Mitchell, and Prince walks over to the piano and starts playing A Case of You. Then Joni says, Oh wow! Thats really pretty. What song are you playing? We all yelled, Its your song! Prince got such a kick out of that. Matt Fink Princes sense of humor was legendary. He was funny, but he also loved for other people to make him laugh. I used to do this thing it was on one of the first tours we ever did, warming up for Rick James in 1979 and 1980 where I would fake throwing up. Id pretend to be really, really ill and blow lunch. Prince thought that was hilarious. We were on a flight one day, and Prince leaned over and said, Hey Matt, when the stewardess walks by, take the barf bag from your seat pretend to throw up in it. I said, Well, why would I do that? And he goes, Itll be hilarious. Please do it! Please! He was begging me. So sure enough, when the stewardess comes over to ask if wed like anything to drink, I started pretending to throw up. She believed it was real, panics, and runs away to get another barf bag for me. Meanwhile, Prince is cracking up. When the stewardess realized I was faking she was not amused. The fake throw-up became a running joke for a while. Prince just loved to have us as his court jesters: Matt, do the throw up! And youd do it. It was so much fun. Actually, this reminds me: Prince did a thing once where he got into a wheelchair at an airport and Andre Cymone, who was our bass player at the time, was rolling him around while Prince pretended to be disabled. It was in poor taste, of course, and you wouldnt do anything like that now but he was just an extremely funny person. Brown Mark Mines not a funny story, but its important to me: my very first encounter with Prince. I was a cook at the Pancake House when I was 14 years old. At that time, in 1976 or so, Prince was dating a waitress there named Kim Upsher. And one day, Im flipping pancakes in the kitchen, and I see a little guy with a big Afro walk into the restaurant. I was young, but I was already playing in bands, and Id heard about Prince and looked up to him. So when this little guy with the big Afro walked in, I was sure it was him I was freaking out. So Kim comes running into the kitchen and says, I need you to cook the best doggone pancakes you ever made! And I was like, Is it for Prince?! Let me tell you, I cooked some absolutely delicious pancakes for that man. Much later on, at a rehearsal after Id been in the band for a while, I told him about the pancakes. Then he said, You made those pancakes? and just started laughing so hard. Bobby Z. This is something that happened in, I imagine, 1982 or so: We always used to rehearse in these suburban Minneapolis warehouses that Prince would transform into Princedoms, with carpeting and decorations. At one of these rehearsals, Prince showed up with a handheld VHS video camera. It was the first time any of us had ever seen one of these things. Instead of rehearsing, he put a tape in the machine and we spent the whole day shooting skits it turned into Princes version of Saturday Night Live. It was crazy. He had us chanting Testify! and dancing around with brooms and buckets on our end. Im sure the tape is in the vault somewhere. Ill never forget that day. It changed Princes life, because now he had easy access to creating for a visual medium. But it turned into a nightmare because he was watching every rehearsal. The video camera was our mirror; it became everything to him. Lisa Coleman It was 1981, and the band had gone out on tour, and when we came back I was homeless, so I went to live with Prince at his purple house in Chanhassen, Minnesota. One day he started talking to me about getting my own place and having my own life in Minneapolis. Like, Now youre here, Lisa, so what are you gonna do? He was giving me a talking to about moving out, but I didnt quite understand that was what the conversation was about. It just felt tense. So after our talk, I went for a walk to think about what had happened. I walked to the center of the town to get a beer there was only one bar. A few minutes latter, Don Batts, Princes musical tech guy, came into the bar. He came over to me and said, Prince wants to talk to you. He feels bad. So I went back to the house. Prince was down in the basement in the studio. He came came out, gestured to me to come into the studio, and said, I hope I didnt hurt your feelings. I wrote you a song. In that short time Id only been gone an hour or two Prince had written and recorded a song as an apology to me. It was called A Strange Way of Saying I Love You. I was stunned. Music was always how he communicated best. These interviews have been edited and condensed. Robert Downey Jr. Photo: Ian Gavan/Getty Images Robert Downey Jr. has found his postIron Man gig. After hes done donning the suit in the Avengers installments (and Iron Man-ing some more in Spider-Man: Homecoming), hell be Hollywoods next Doctor Dolittle. Downey will don the stethoscope and talk to animals in The Voyage of Doctor Dolittle, which will be shot after both Avengers installments, according to Deadline. The oddball doctor who prefers animals as his patients originated in the 1920s childrens book series by Hugh Lofting. This update will be written and directed by Stephen Gaghan (Gold), from a draft written by Tom Shepherd. In its most recent adaptations, Dolittle was played by Eddie Murphy. In the 1998 movie, Murphy hung out with a guinea pig voiced by Eddie Murphy and a sick tiger voiced by Albert Brooks. Update, March 28: Robert Downey Jr. will don Dolittles stethoscope for a May 24, 2019, release date, according to Entertainment Weekly. The May weekend is also the expected opening of Star Wars: Episode IX. Robert Redford. Photo: Bryan Bedder/Getty Images for FIJI Water As the beneficiary of a government grant dedicated to the arts, Robert Redford is a fan of the National Endowment for the Arts. Which means he was not thrilled last week when President Trumps proposed budget cuts included the elimination of the NEA. In an open letter on the Sundance Institutes website, Redford wrote that the NEA Must Survive and Thrive. He explains: The proposed defunding of the NEAs budget would gut our nations long history of support for artists and arts programs and it would deprive all our citizens of the culture and diversity the humanities brings to our country. This is entirely the wrong approach at entirely the wrong time. We need to invite new voices to the table, we need to offer future generations a chance to create, and we need to celebrate our cultural heritage. Redford started the Sundance Institute in 1981, partially with grant money provided by the NEA. The Sundance Institute has since supported thousands of American independent filmmakers in creating their original works. The Sundance umbrella has also grown to include the prestigious Sundance Film Festival, which Redford cites as bringing millions of dollars to Utah during the ten-day annual festival. The NEA originally supported the Sundance Institute with a $25,000 grant. Girls and Robyn will forever be synonymous thanks to that immortalized scene in season one where Hannah Horvath worked out her endless emotions with an impromptu dance party in her room with Marnie to Robyns Dancing on My Own. (Remember, this was back when Hannah and Marnie were both still good friends, a little endearing, and slightly likable.) As the series nears its end, it will go out as it came in: with Robyn soundtracking the best moments. (Spoilers follow!) At the end of last nights episode, Full Disclosure, as it dawns on Hannah that she and Adam may have unfinished business or at the very least that what they had will soon be validated in Adams film about their relationship shes played to credits by an old friend. Related Stories Girls Best Musical Moments In comes a new and ever-infectious song from Robyn that, according to sleuths who Shazammed it, is called Honey. Robyn teased her reunion with Girls on Facebook in the lead-up to the episode, but said nothing of the specifics. In a new post on Instagram, Robyn has explained that Honey is one of many songs shes been working on that Lena Dunham heard and wanted to use for Girls, but it was unfinished at the time; Robyn made the version heard in the episode specially for the show. I wouldnt want to miss out on making music for Adams movie for anything, she wrote. Lena added: We knew the last season needed some Robyn after all, Hannah would not be Hannah without a lot of dancing on her own. (She also confirms that Robyn is working on a new album.) Endure a scene of Adam and fake Hannahs meet-cute from his film talking over Honey in the clip above to really get the full effect. And listen to a rip of the song below. This post has been updated throughout. Theres some debate over how to translate the sound of the sad trombone to the written word. I always thought waaaa waaaaaaa was the best interpretation of that low, vaguely flatulent lament. These days, whomp whomp seems to be en vogue. However you spell it, thats the sound playing in my head after watching this episode of The Walking Dead. After taking a big step forward last week, the show falls back with another slow, mostly meaningless chapter. Sure, we finally get a brief glimpse into Jesus and Rositas backstories. We also have a semi-definitive answer to the question of where Eugenes loyalty lies. But otherwise, were left with little more than a dumb plan getting dumber. The mostly silent opening sequence sets the tone for the episode: a series of scenes with the women of Hilltop, led by Maggie, preparing for war. Theres Daryl, looking sullen. Theres Enid, laying out a snack tray. Theres Sasha, all emo at the Sarges grave. Im having trouble dealing with the fact that Sasha is so broken up over Abraham. Look across the yard at Maggie: Her sister was shot to death, her dad was crippled before being decapitated, and shes preggers with her murdered husbands kid. Yes, Sasha lost her brother (RIP, Tyreese) and Bob Tainted Meat Stookey. But she hooked up with the Sarge for what couldnt have been more than a couple months. I mean, she didnt even give him a taillight necklace! (But she sure took one, right, Rosita?) Although theres a lot of commotion at Hilltop, nothing significant really happens. The Saviors arrive unexpectedly, and for a second, it sounds like Simon he of the expressive face and affinity for tequila and cardamom gelato has come looking for Maggie or Daryl. But no, hes here to replace the doctor who Negan turned into Physician Flambe with the dead guys brother, the Hilltop doc whos taking care of Maggie. Enid has a creepy run-in with a Savior who dislikes the word veggies with unusual passion; Maggie barely stops Daryl from killing that grammar Nazi. Greg seems to have developed a full-blown drinking problem and continues to kiss as much Savior ass as he can; in fact, hes so successful at boot-licking that Simon invites him to the Sanctuary, as long as no shenanigans occur. Theres no doubt Greg is a total goner. The only questions at this point are: Who will he take out along the way, and how satisfyingly gruesome will his demise be? The only semi-surprising development on Boredom Hill relates to Enid, who emerges as a confident little-sister type and gives Sasha an ultimatum: Tell Maggie about your suicide mission in 10 minutes, or I will. Sasha calls her the future of this place. (Guess theyll need a strong young woman to replace Sasha and/or Rosita?) Oh, and also, Jesus grew up in a group home and is gay. What I really want to know is: Who hollowed out that book where Sasha was hiding her bullets? Ever try to do that? I did once, and its a real pain in the ass. In what should come as no surprise at all, Mags finally confronts Daryl about blaming himself for Glenns death. Maggie says it wasnt his fault. He says it was. She says no. He cries. She cries. Youre one of the good things in this world, she says. Now Im crying. But Daryls biker-crossbow-enthusiast-with-heart-of-gold routine has been milked too often. Need a sensitive, tearjerking moment? See Daryl cry, or at least give good lip quiver. After sneaking away from Hilltop as the Saviors arrive, Rosita and Sasha continue their uncomfortable do-si-do. Rosita was the one who asked Sasha for help, but since then, shes iced Sasha out at every turn: Im not here to play get to know you, she scolds. You want to play it safe and take Negan out sniper style, Sasha? Well, I want to run into a heavily fortified industrial compound with hundreds of armed goons led by a homicidal maniac. Their relationship thaws after Sasha asks the question weve all been waiting to hear: Will you show me how to tie some sweet knots? At last, Rosita reveals where she picked up her many skills: her ex-slam pieces. Johnny the survivalist taught her about bombs. Marcus the mechanic taught her about cars. Guys wanted to protect her; in return, she learned their shit, banged em, then bounced. (You go, girl, I guess?) What made Abraham different was that he saw she could take care of herself and for that, Sarge, we salute you. Its not his death that angers them. Its that he didnt get the chance to go down swinging. Backs are had, and the unlikely duo gets ready to rumble. Of course, their plan heads south when they try to rescue Eugene, who still has that sock monkey in his pocket and refers to himself as Eugene Porter, chief engineer, also known as Negan, who I am. Rosita thought he was playing some angle, and so did I. Instead, he tells them hes staying with the Saviors. Its possible hes playing some longer con; perhaps, like Morgan, hes method acting, biding his time to strike at Negan when he least expects it. With this show, theres no way of knowing for sure. (Remember how Glenn was obviously dead for a few weeks until he wasnt?) The bigger twist comes moments later, when Sasha somehow locks herself inside the fence and locks Rosita out. Go, Sasha says. Its not your time. Theres gotta be a point to it, right? They need you. With that, she smiles and charges into the Sanctuary, guns blazing. Rosita has no choice but to run, until she sees a figure in the dark. Who is that shadowy man with what appears to be a crossbow in his hand? Now Ricks rebellion will kick off in full force, right? Not so fast. There are still guns to be given to the Junkyard Dogs, Oceanside ladies to recruit, forces to be united, a grand battle plan to be drawn up, and an affordable babysitter with flexible hours to be found for Judith. Maybe the war will officially commence in the finale. Or at this rate, perhaps in season ten. Halverson's is the latest supper club casualty in a time when many of the traditional dining establishments are disappearing from the Wisconsin landscape. The Stoughton supper club broke the news that it was closing on its Facebook page Sunday. "After 90 years on the shores of Lake Kegonsa we regret to say we have decided to close our doors indefinitely. We love our customers and all the years of your patronage. We will miss you," the note said. The post drew 75 comments and 145 shares. Brenda Waldron, Halverson's manager and chef, confirmed that the restaurant closed after dinner service Saturday. "The supper club atmosphere, that's what they all loved about it, and our great salad bar that we used to do," Waldron said. Waldron, who worked at the restaurant for six years, and ran it for the past year and a half, called it "her" salad bar. "I brought that back from way back when, because I worked here when I was a lot younger -- back in the day," she said. Halverson's was popular through the years because it was "just a cozy place," she said. "Not like your chains that you have out there. People just enjoyed the supper club atmosphere because you don't have a whole lot of those out there anymore." Waldron didn't know what would be going into the old restaurant building, and owner Larry Midtbo was unavailable Monday morning. Midtbo owns the restaurant with his sister Sherry Sweeney, Waldron said. According to a 1998 State Journal review, Midtbo took over Halverson's in 1998 with Brian Johnson, and his father, Stan Midtbo, who passed away in 2013. Harold and Bernice Halverson bought an old house on a farm just before the Great Depression, and had a bulldozer drag it down to the lake. They turned the house into one of the first grocery stores in the area, according to a 2003 State Journal story. Taking advantage of the lake setting, Harold cut down oak trees on the farm, left the bark attached, and built a resort of log cabins for travelers and fishermen. Eventually, he added a restaurant, according to a Cooks' Exchange column by Catherine Murray that gave the recipe for the supper club's hot bacon dressing. "Halverson's Restaurant, though it has changed hands through the years, retains its popularity today as a favorite dining spot with a history rich with smiles and fond memories when Sunday meant chicken 'n dumplings for $2.50, a full house each Friday night with their famous fish special for $2.50, 'all you can eat deep fried chicken' Wednesday night for $2, and the unforgettable tangy hot bacon dressing nestled in the salad bar to drizzle over fresh spinach leaves," Murray wrote. At one time, Halverson's, at 1965 Barber Road, was Stoughton's best-known restaurant. And even after a number of ownership changes, it kept the original Halverson's name from 1927, except for a short stint when it was called the Kegonsa Shore Supper Club. In 2000, Halverson's was named one of the cleanest restaurants in the county by Dane County health officials. Johnson, one of the owners at the time, told the State Journal he didn't mind having inspectors show up. "You need someone looking over your shoulder. That's their job. Sometimes it's a little thing that can turn into a big problem.'' WASHINGTON A divided Supreme Court struggled on Monday over a Wisconsin property rights dispute that could make it tougher for state and local governments to limit development in coastal areas. The case involves the Murr familys effort to sell part of its land on the banks of the St. Croix River in northwestern Wisconsin. The family planned to use the money from the sale of a vacant lot they own to pay for improvements on a cabin that sits on the parcel next door. But St. Croix County officials nixed the sale for violating local conservation rules and treated the lots as a single property that cant be split up. The family says thats unfair and claims the government should pay what the vacant parcel is worth up to $400,000. The government argues that when viewed as a whole, the land remains quite valuable and the family is owed nothing. The case has drawn interest from property rights and business groups that say such rules let the government avoid paying landowners for restricting land use. The Constitution requires compensation if regulations take away a propertys economic value. During a one-hour argument, the courts four liberal justices seemed to side with state and local officials, while conservative justices were generally more skeptical. Justice Anthony Kennedy often a swing vote in close cases asked tough questions of both sides. The courts ruling could affect more than 100 cities and counties across the U.S. that have similar merger restrictions. The Murrs lawyer, John Groen, told the justices the lots should be viewed as independent, discrete, and separate parcels because that is how they originally were drawn up and have been taxed for years. But Justice Elena Kagan said the Murrs seem to rely on state law as it originally drew up the property lines, but ignore revisions to the law that treat side-by-side lots as a single parcel if they have the same owner. If were looking to state law, lets look to state law, the whole ball of wax, Kagan said. Wisconsin Solicitor General Misha Tseytlin argued that the two lots have merged for all relevant purposes under state law. He said state officials also considered the reasonable expectations of the property owners. Chief Justice John Roberts said it seemed a little quirky that the Murrs cant treat the properties separately, but if they had purchased them under separate names they would be in an entirely different situation. The case began in 2004, when four Murr siblings wanted to sell the vacant lot. Their father had purchased the two 1.25-acre lots separately in the 1960s. They were later transferred to his children in the 1990s. St. Croix County officials blocking the sale point to regulations passed in 1976 that bar new construction on lots in the area to prevent overcrowding and pollution. A grandfather clause exempted existing owners. But the county wont apply that exemption to the Murrs empty lot alone, since it is connected to the familys other land. A Wisconsin appeals court sided with the county, saying zoning rules did not take away the propertys value because the Murrs could still use both lots as a vacation property or sell them as a whole. The county argues that a ruling against it would undermine its ability to minimize flood damage and maintain property values in the area. It argues that the family has treated both parcels as a single lot and says they could build a new home on either lot. Justice Anthony Kennedy criticized lawyers on both sides. He said the familys argument seemed to ignore market factors. But he also said the state should have to consider the reasonable investment-backed expectations of the owner. The high court took the case up more than a year ago, but waited several months before scheduling arguments. Property rights issues often divide the high court along ideological lines and the delay prompted speculation the justices were waiting for a ninth justice to join them. Yet only eight justices heard the case on Monday, the same day that confirmation hearings began for Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch. He could be confirmed in time to sit for arguments in April. A ruling is expected by June. An Arena man arrested for his alleged eighth drunken driving offense Sunday afternoon topped four such arrests in Iowa County on Sunday, with the other three taking place early Sunday morning. Keven Hughes, 52, was stopped by a deputy at about 5:45 p.m. on Highway YZ near Highway Z, taken into custody on his eighth OWI arrest, the Sheriff's Office said. Hughes was not released on Sunday pending a hold from the Wisconsin Department of Corrections. At about 12:45 a.m. Sunday, Gary Christopher, 60, of Cobb, was arrested on a first offense drunken driving charge, booked and later released to a responsible party. About 15 minutes later, Adam Federman, 29, of Mineral Point, was arrested on his third alleged drunken driving offense, after being stopped by a deputy on Highway 39 near Highway QQ. He was booked and released later after his bail hearing. At about 3:20 a.m., Fernando Reyes, 39, of Belmont was stopped on Highway 18 near Montfort for his first alleged drunken driving offense. He was booked and later released to a responsible party. A battle pitting big-box retail giants including Menards and Wal-Mart against Wisconsin towns and cities is headed to the Legislature. Republican-backed proposals, written in conjunction with the League of Wisconsin Municipalities, are designed to close the so-called dark store loophole and increase how much the mega-retailers pay local communities in property taxes. The bills come in reaction to court rulings in Wisconsin and nearby Midwestern states starting in Michigan that have helped the retail giants lower the value placed on their stores for levying property taxes. The retailers have successfully challenged their tax assessments in communities across Wisconsin, and the Midwest, by arguing they are overtaxed and should pay the same rate as a store that is closed and vacant. That results in a shift of the property tax burden to smaller retail stores and property owners, said Jerry Deschane, executive director of the League of Municipalities. We just think thats fundamentally unfair, he said. The bottom line with the property tax is it has to be uniform. The cities will have to overcome opposition from the powerful state chamber of commerce and deep-pocketed retail giants that stand to lose millions from a change in current practice. Wisconsin Department of Revenue rules require that assessments be based on the fair market value of a property. The stores argue that the value of the underlying real estate should be determined by looking at comparable building sales, prices that usually fall far below the assessment of an operating store. Assessing the building as if it were empty has long been the standard in Wisconsin for determining its value, said Don Millis, a Madison attorney who has represented Target and other retailers in assessment challenges. Millis is also lobbying for the Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce against changes to the law. You value the sticks, bricks and mud, Millis said. Cities have been incorrectly assessing the property based on the potential lease value, he said. We dont think theyre being undervalued, he said. We think assessors are being overly aggressive. But Republican state Sen. Duey Stroebel, who plans to introduce a bill next month addressing the issue, said the potential lease value of the property should be considered when valuing it for tax purposes. That is what the bill he and others are working on will do, he said. Millis warned that changing the law could have long-term unintended consequences affecting how all property is valued. Big-box stores including Menards, Lowes and ShopKo have filed more than 20 lawsuits against Wisconsin municipalities in the past year challenging their property assessments. In one, Menards successfully argued last year that the value of its store in Fond du Lac assessed by the city at $9.2 million should be no more than $5.2 million. A similar lawsuit from Target argues that Fond du Lac should reduce its taxes on the retailer by about a third. The dilemma for small cities is that the cost of defending lawsuits can equal or exceed the amount of property tax revenue at play, so they are more inclined to settle than fight it, said Deschane, whos with the League of Municipalities. Lawmakers in nearby states have had mixed success in tackling the issue. A proposal in Michigan that attempted to require the taxable value to be based on the highest and best use of a property failed to pass last year. But in Indiana, the Republican-controlled Legislature, along with then-Gov. Mike Pence, enacted legislation to block what opponents call a tax loophole. The Wisconsin bill is modeled after the Indiana law. A wanted man accused of kidnapping his former girlfriend from an East Waco home in late November was arrested by Dallas police Friday, Waco police Sgt. W. Patrick Swanton said. Damien Rashaun Steward, 31, was arrested in Dallas after police discovered an outstanding Waco warrant for aggravated kidnapping and bond forfeiture for unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon. Steward was named as a suspect in the Nov. 30 kidnapping of his 39-year-old former girlfriend from a home in the 1700 block of Dallas Circle. Police were called to the area after Steward and the woman were heard arguing before Steward allegedly forced the woman into her daughter's car at gunpoint. He threatened her with the gun before they drove around for a while and later ended up (in Bell County), Swanton previously said. She was finally able to get away from him down there later that night and contacted (Killeen) police, who assisted us. With the assistance of Killeen police, officers found the woman's vehicle, but Steward was not found. Killeen located the woman shortly after the kidnapping and took her to a local hospital for medical treatment for injuries she suffered during the incident. A U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force and local authorities continued to search for Steward as he was considered armed and dangerous. Steward remained in custody in Dallas on Monday and is awaiting extradition on his Waco police warrants. MONONA The issue of marijuana possession comes before the Monona City Council on Monday night, and council members will vote on whether to reduce the fine for possession to just $1 for those over 21. Under the citys current ordinance, those who possess 25 grams or less of marijuana are fined $200. I figured this would come up, Monona Ald. Mary OConnor said during a debate with her opponent for Monona Mayor, Phil De Villers, Sunday at the Monona Library. The question about how shed vote surfaced during an audience Q&A at the end of the 90-minute forum. OConnor, 65, said shes gone back and forth on the issue, wondering what message cutting the fine to $1 would have on young people. At the same time, she said the money spent enforcing marijuana laws could be better used on bigger issues such as heroin. One day I think Id vote no and another day Id vote yes, she said, declining to answer the question. De Villers, 48, who has a business background and no government or public service experience, said lowering the fine to $1 sends a message that people shouldnt be locked up over marijuana. I would make it completely legal, if I could, he said, also noting that hes never done a drug in his life. Monona will vote for its new mayor in the April 4 election because incumbent Bob Miller is not seeking another two-year term. OConnor, in asking for the votes of the 30 or so people who attended the forum Sunday, mentioned that early voting is currently underway. OConnor, who has been a member of the city council since 2012, and has served on numerous committees and boards, touted her extensive public service experience in her opening and closing remarks. She has a masters degree in library and information studies from UW-Madison, and retired in 2013 from her job as a librarian for UW-Extension. De Villers, who has a degree from UW-Madison in accounting, and has worked as the chief financial officer for a New York company, admitted hes new to public service. He moved to Monona 13 years ago and his only political experience, he said, has been on the board of his Monona Drive condominium. They say all politics is local, of course. And you dont get any more local than a board at a condo development, he said. What he emphasizes in business all the time is, block and tackle, and sticking to the basics, De Villers said. He repeated the block and tackle mantra a number of times throughout the debate. He said he worries about the ever-increasing rates for internet services, and part of why he decided to run was to pursue a more local internet provider for Monona, he said. De Villers described himself as a progressive or liberal, but as a CPA, he understands balance sheets and how to make businesses work, he said. OConnor called herself a common-sense progressive, but fiscally conservative. I think I have a reputation for listening to people, having strong organizational skills and working hard. She said shes very interested in local government and has the time to devote to the office. De Villers criticized Gov. Scott Walkers signature Act 10 legislation curtailing collective bargaining limits, but twice called it Act 11. He said the challenge is to keep Monona great despite the forces of Walker, (House Speaker Paul) Ryan and Trump. Funding for local governments is going to be cut drastically and Mononas budget is going to face a lot of pressure, he said. OConnor contradicted De Villers by pointing out that the city isnt impacted much by cuts at the federal level. She added that besides some money for roads, Monona doesnt get much funding from the state, either. She called attention to maintaining critical city services in a time of fiscal constraints, but also said the city needs a long-range plan to develop some of Mononas aging buildings and infrastructure. OConnor is looking forward to getting the riverfront redevelopment project rolling, which will increase the citys tax base, she said. Redevelopment of that Broadway corridor has been going on since the 1990s, while successful retail and commercial developments such as Pier 37 and River Place have created a gateway into the city from Monona Drive. The Yahara riverfront project is seen by many as a potentially transformative development for the city. OConnor said the city is currently in negotiations with the developer and they hope to make an announcement in the next couple of weeks. DALLAS When Texans ask state and local officials for public records detailing their operations, more and more the answer is no. The reason why is in dispute, partly because of the lack of some public records. Among the materials that are, in theory, publicly available: checks cut by a school board, tapes of 911 emergency calls, text messages between city council members. A quirk of the Texas records law, adopted almost 45 years ago, says that when officials deny the public the right to see something, they usually have to run that decision by the state attorney generals office. The number of those denials has been soaring. In the fiscal year that ended in August 2001, governments forwarded about 5,000 denied record requests to the attorney generals office for review. That number had jumped to more than 27,000 in 2016. Much of the increase has occurred in the last decade. The overall number of denials is actually larger than the data indicate. More than 80 agencies and local governments have gotten permission from the attorney general to automatically deny certain kinds of requests, such as those that reveal a persons birth date. Some experts say the prevailing attitude among governments in Texas has turned from a presumption that records should almost always be available to a belief that officials should release as little as possible. I think more governments have become more desirous of withholding information, many of them out there have a knee-jerk reaction, said Kelley Shannon, executive director of the Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas, which is largely supported by journalism organizations. But lawyers and government spokespeople say they are being flooded with demands for documents, many of which dont exist or that legally they arent allowed to make public. Requestors are submitting more requests, said Justin Gordon, the open records chief for the Texas attorney generals office. Reporters say one reason may be that officials have started demanding that they file open-records requests for information the government used to release without question. Getting to the truth is tough, in part because no statewide data exist on the total number of requests, so there is no way to know if the overall number is rising as fast as the attorney general reviews. Its also unclear if certain kinds of requesters such as reporters, private citizens, public-interest groups or businesses account for an outsized portion of the denials. The attorney generals office told The Dallas Morning News it could not release the names of those asking for records without weeks of review to ensure that every original requestor is not covered by privacy exemptions. For example, if the original requester was a victim of a crime, his or her name could not be released. The office says it does not keep tabs on how many requests involve certain kinds of information, and does not analyze the outcome of its reviews. It does post its rulings online, but in a format that is difficult to search and does not include the names of requesters. In at least some cases, the office makes government officials release some of the information they want to withhold, according to a review by The News of requests for the month of July going back more than a decade. But how often that happens is unclear. Requests up in smaller cities The two most populous cities in Texas, Dallas and Houston, actually referred fewer cases to the attorney general in 2016 than they did in 2005. But some smaller cities and large suburbs, especially in North Texas, submitted far more, The News found. Plano, the fast-growing suburban city 20 miles northeast of Dallas, asked for 85 reviews in 2015, up from none in 2005, according to state records. City attorney Paige Mims said officials are simply following state law and that many denied requests involve police records. Curtis Howard, legal adviser for the Plano Police Department, said the percentage of referrals had been holding steady at about 11 percent a year, but the sheer number of requests has jumped in the last few years. In 2015, Howard and his staff fielded 5,670 requests for records from the police agency, he said. In 2016, that number rose to 7,055 requests, a 24 percent jump. For the most part, police arrest records can be released, as long as someone has been charged, he noted. But arrests that do not result in a conviction or acquittal are not required to be made public. Police record requests are made by the media for newsgathering, but also by private citizens for use in divorces, vetting of potential employees and litigation. In Killeen, the number of information requests and the number of initial denials are rising fast. The city received 1,811 requests in 2010 and initially denied 173, or 9.5 percent, and forwarded those to the attorney general for review. Six years later, the number of requests had grown to 2,910. Of those 603, almost 21 percent, were sent to the attorney general. Traci Briggs, Killeens deputy city attorney, said many of the records people request are complaints that cant be released under privacy rules, describing them as who turned in my dog, who reported the water dripping behind my house records. A whistleblower at the embattled Tomah VA Medical Center emerged in last years campaign as a blistering voice faulting former Sen. Russ Feingolds oversight of the center, where failures in care for veterans was found to have contributed to their deaths. Now Ryan Honl says hes gunning for another Democratic politician he feels failed to respond to red flags at Tomah: U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin of Madison, whos seeking re-election next fall. My unfinished business is seeing Tammy Baldwin ... head to the private sector like Russ Feingold, Honl said in an interview last week. Wisconsin Republicans have signaled theyll keep hammering Baldwin during the 2018 campaign for what the party describes as her failure to act promptly after receiving a Department of Veterans Affairs report in 2014 citing problems with over-prescription of opioid drugs to veterans at Tomah. Baldwins campaign responded to the attacks with a statement saying partisan special interests are now trying to use the tragic death of a veteran for political gain. Thats referring to Jason Simcakoski, a U.S. Marine whose death at Tomah later was found to be linked to deficiencies in care he received there. No matter the attack, Senator Baldwin will continue to fight to bring reforms that ensure that our veterans receive the timely and high-quality care they have earned, Baldwins campaign manager, Scott Spector, said in the statement. Republicans have found a uniquely potent ally in Honl, who said hes not yet sure what role he might play in the campaign. In 2016 he spoke out in interviews and cut an anti-Feingold ad for Freedom Partners Action Fund, a Koch Brothers-funded super PAC that helped Republican Sen. Ron Johnson of Oshkosh retain his seat after having fallen behind in polls. Feingold, meanwhile, strongly denied the substance of the ad. Honl now says hes focusing on Baldwin and U.S. Rep. Ron Kind, D-La Crosse. Honl says he faults both for what he describes as playing political damage control instead of focusing on fixing the issues at Tomah. Theyve been pushing out bills ... and not accepting their failures, Honl said. Last year Honl briefly mulled running against Kind before deciding against it. Honl said hes not ruling out a run in 2018, though he said hes leaning against it. In recent years, various groups have pointed fingers at Baldwin, Kind, Feingold and Johnson for not responding to problems at Tomah. Whoever bears the blame, there is consensus the fallout has been lethal. A former psychologist at Tomah, Christopher Kirkpatrick, committed suicide in 2009 after being fired when he raised concerns about its treatment of veterans. In 2014, Simcakoski, of Stevens Point, died at the facility. A VA report later found deficiencies in care at Tomah contributed to Simcakoskis death from mixed drug toxicity after he took 13 prescribed medications. Also in 2014, Baldwins office received a VA inspector generals report of multiple allegations made by a series of complainants about Tomah. It found no proof of wrongdoing, but cited potentially serious concerns with over-prescription of opioid drugs to veterans at Tomah as well as with a pervasive fear of retaliation among the facilitys staff for questioning any of its practices. Five months later, media reports detailed the inspector generals report as well as allegations by current and former staffers. Baldwin initially defended, but also apologized, for her response, acknowledging she could have done more to force action. Baldwin has taken further steps since. She initiated a staff shake-up, firing one staffer and cutting the pay of at least two others, including her chief of staff. The fired staffer, Marquette Baylor, filed one of three complaints with the Senate ethics panel that questioned her firing and Baldwins handling of Tomah. All three were dismissed by the panel as lacking merit. Baldwin also authored a bill named for Simcakoski that strengthens opioid prescription guidelines for VA care providers. The changes proposed in the bill were signed into law last year by former President Barack Obama. Spector noted Simcakoskis family supported Baldwin in crafting the legislation. Tammy was honored to work alongside the Simcakoski family to pass the Jason Simcakoski Memorial Opioid Safety Act, which has brought real reforms to Tomah and VAs across the country, Spector said. Kinds campaign declined to respond. Honl said he knows some will dismiss him as a partisan operative for singling out Democrats for blame for Tomah. Honl has said his brief stint at Tomah influenced the shift of his political views from Democratic to a libertarian Republican. He also has become an advocate for providing veterans more options for health care outside the VA system. But he insists his involvement in recent campaigns has nothing to do with partisanship and everything to do with what he describes as the failures of a few elected officials. Im not gonna do ads for just any Republican, Honl said. For me, its about those individuals. Australia's workforce is sharply divided on the basis of sex and is set to get even more-so as young men and women defy expectations and increasingly self-select into traditional fields of study. The proportion of women pursuing tertiary studies in traditionally "female" or "caring" fields such as education, health and hospitality has climbed since 2000 while the proportion of men studying science and information technology has soared. "The sex-segregation has, if anything, become more stark," the Reserve Bank's first female chief economist, Luci Ellis, told a gathering to launch a new network of female economists in Parliament House on Monday. Women make up 70 per cent of the students studying to be teachers at university, more than in 2006, but only 10 per cent of those study information technology, much less than in 2006. Finland's model works for them, I and some brave academics argue because they have a unique cluster of characteristics including a high-quality early childcare system, and a largely culturally homogenous society with a small population. Indeed, holes are being punched into the Finnish miracle, with the Program for International Student Assessment showing that Finland's status is slipping (if you're going to judge things by standardised tests, that is). In 2012 the latest scores available Finland fell out of the international top 10, with top PISA performers all hailing from Asia. Australia, meanwhile, is a dog's breakfast of starting ages. In NSW, children can start kindergarten if they turn five by July 31 but by law they must be in school by their sixth birthday. In Victoria, by contrast, children need to turn five by April 30. NSW parents are increasingly holding their children back. NSW Department of Education data revealed that in 2006, 19 per cent of children were six when they started school. Last year that figure was 22 per cent. Six! No wonder my children, now in Year Five, share a classroom with boys with beards and girls with breasts bigger than mine. For us, the stigma is heightened by the fact that in our neighbourhood, it seems, some parents would gladly hold back their spawn until puberty. At the local Rudolf Steiner pre-school, I see children taller than I was at 12. Ok, I'm shortish, but still. I can't help thinking as I go by: "why aren't you in school?" So why did we send our twins at four? (specifically, it was four years and seven months; they turned five in June of their kindy year). Lack of quality long day care, for one. I needed childcare until at least 6pm; like most working mothers, the option of pre-school with its laughingly anachronistic nine to three format was the stuff of dreams. I felt like I had won the lottery when I found a centre that was nurturing and multicultural, but a few years down the track, it descended into Fawlty Towers-style anarchy after being taken over by another operator. For me, the last straw was when I dropped in one day to find a room of bored kids watching Dora The Explorer on a sunny day. Dora, as every parent knows, is unimaginably bad there is really no excuse to watch it ever, even on rainy days. Why were we paying $30,000 a year (pre-childcare rebate) to have our children watch TV and play with glue sticks? And the twins were curious, maddeningly so, always asking questions, wanting to learn. What are shooting stars, where do jellyfish come from, how do rockets fly, why are some people ticklish they needed to be fed intellectually, not sedated and patronised in the modern-day holding pens that is bad (note, as opposed to good) childcare. Perhaps if I had access to better long day care, I wouldn't have sent them. Who knows? In any case, off they went to kindy the next year. Obviously a sucker for punishment, I also split them up ("don't twins have a special bond?," was the chorus this time). My son's teacher approached us in the first two weeks, saying he was too young take him out, she advised. I still feel the sting of guilt when I met the child who had already turned six in his class a spread of over 15 months from youngest to oldest. But my son was happy and keen to be there. And if I pulled him out, where would that have left his twin sister, equally thirsty to learn? A body of research points to boys faring better if they start school later, but how does this help us parents of boy/girl twins? How does this apply on an individual level? In any case, my children have remained in the NSW school system. They started their second last year of primary school this year (gulp) age nine, and yes, they share a classroom with 11-year olds with stubble. They enjoy learning (mostly), are in the middle of their cohort academically, have a good social group, do coding and debating, and play lots of sport. Loading He blasted Barack Obama as a "son of a whore", unleashed at a United Nations envoy as a "son of a bitch" and now a fire-laced insult targeting Australia's Julie Bishop looks certain to be next. Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, who has fast earned a reputation for shooting from the lip, had nothing but praise for Australia's smooth-talking foreign minister, even when asked if Australia raised concern over the delicate question of almost 8000 Filipinos killed in his so-called war on drugs. "We never discussed human rights. They are so courteous," Mr Duterte told local media at the weekend. "Because if you say that, if you utter those things in my presence, you'll get an insult. So what we did was to discuss transnational crimes, terrorism." Fewer Dane County residents are going to emergency rooms for dental pain, but black residents are 10 times more likely than whites to do so, a new report says. Emergency rooms at SSM Health St. Marys, UnityPoint Health-Meriter and UW Health had 2,093 visits for dental pain in 2015, down from about 2,549 visits in 2010, according to the report released Monday by Public Health Madison and Dane County. Still, the ER visits for non-traumatic dental pain in 2015 amounted to $2.5 million in charges, and the high rate among blacks is concerning, said Debi DeNure, oral health coordinator for the health department. If dental care was affordable and accessible to everyone equally, we wouldnt see this many people with dental infections that have escalated into emergency situations, DeNure said in a statement. The Madison Dental Initiative, a clinic at the Salvation Army for people with little or no insurance, has helped some underserved patients. Health officials have adopted a standard approach to dental emergencies, including little or no opioids for pain and the most effective antibiotics for infections. But only a third of adults on Medicaid in the county get regular dental care, DeNure said. Its difficult to find a dental clinic that will accept new patients with Medicaid, and as a result, people are ending up in pain and going to the ER, she said. Dr. David Gundersen, president of the Oral Health Coalition of Dane County, said: Its going to take many levels of solutions and system changes to make an impact. Image: Jones Communications Slaves to the Chinese State dont get to travel at their whim while working in The Bahamas Deputy Prime Minister (PLP), Philip Brave Davis indicated the government was concerned that the travel documents of Chinese workers here at Bahamas Mar were withheld from them. The Tribune article says Mr. Davis even went on to say It is like modern day slavery, which has been identified not just in the Bahamas, but around the world. He even pointed to their knowledge of this and the Trafficking In Persons Act that makes withholding employee documents illegal here, yet they did nothing about it. As all and sundry know, the Chinese workers were/are here under the umbrella of China Construction America an arm of the Chinese Government it would appear, so to suggest the government is now concerned about this practice is nothing more than seeking cover for being complicit in the action. The world knows Chinese workers are slaves to the Chinese state with few or no labour rights. Find out more here For the Bahamian government to feign concern at this stage is an outrage. Isn't aiding and abetting a crime an offence? If you have an event you'd like to list on the site, submit it now! Submit BATON ROUGE -- The Louisiana Justice Reinvestment Task Force today handed Governor Edwards and legislative leaders a comprehensive plan for safely reducing the states highest-in-the nation imprisonment rate. Based on a year-long examination of sentencing and corrections trends and research, the bipartisan Task Force came to consensus on strategic reforms designed to get more public safety for each taxpayer dollar spent. If adopted into law, the recommendations would reduce the states prison population by 13 percent over the next decade, reduce the number of people supervised in the community by 16 percent, and save taxpayers $305 million. Louisiana is not only the incarceration capital of the country, we are the incarceration capital of the world, said Governor John Bel Edwards. For too long this has been a stain on our reputation and a drain on our communities. Its not a reflection of who we are and what we stand for. We now have a roadmap that will allow us to keep our streets safe while shrinking our bloated prisons. It is now time for us to act. The Task Force found that taxpayers were not getting a good public safety return on the two-thirds of a billion dollars that the state spends each year on the correction system. Among the key findings: One in three people return to prison within three years of release. Louisiana sends people to prison for drug, property, and other nonviolent offenses at twice the rate of South Carolina and three times the rate of Florida, even with nearly identical crime rates. Among those sentenced directly to prison rather than probation, the top 10 crimes were all nonviolent, the most common by far being drug possession. Over half of the people sent to prison in 2015 had failed on probation or parole by violating supervision conditions or engaging in new criminal activity. Louisiana is tough on crime, and were going to keep it that way, said Senate President John Alario. But part of being tough is realizing that we cant just throw money at problems. We have an obligation to taxpayers to spend their money in a way that makes them safe. The expert panel also examined state budget decisions, and reported that spending on prisons dwarfed investments in effective prison alternatives, programs that reduce recidivism and services that support crime victims. A lot of our low-level drug and property crime is driven by addiction, said House Speaker Taylor Barras. We can save millions and also have less crime by focusing prison beds on those who pose a more serious public safety threat and making smart investments in probation and drug treatment for nonviolent crimes. The Task Force recommendations are designed to: - Ensure consistency in sentencing and release practices. - Focus prison beds on those who pose a serious threat to public safety. - Strengthen community supervision. - Clear away barriers to successful reentry into the community and the workforce. - And reinvest a substantial portion of the savings into evidence-backed alternatives to prison, programs that reduce recidivism, and services to support victims of crime. Theres no question that this package of reforms will help us save money and reduce reoffending, said Department of Corrections Secretary Jimmy LeBlanc. Reinvesting some of those savings into programs that reduce recidivism and support crime victims will be crucial to getting the best results for communities across the state. The Task Force conducted an extensive review of corrections data trends and research on what works to reduce recidivism. Members held public meetings, town halls, and roundtable discussions with crime survivors. They formed three subcommittees that examined sentencing and corrections practices from other states focusing on sentencing, release practices, community corrections, and financial policies. It was a great honor to serve on this Task Force, said Chief Justice Bernette Johnson. This report is the product of months of study and deliberation and our final recommendations set Louisiana on a path toward more safety and greater justice. Throughout the process, the Task Force received information and guidance from a broad range of stakeholders across the state, including judges, court administrators, corrections practitioners, law enforcement officials, behavioral health experts, service providers, formerly and currently incarcerated individuals and their families, justice reform advocates, business leaders, and faith leaders. The members of the Task Force are: Secretary James LeBlanc (Chair) Louisiana Department of Corrections Sheriff Mike Cazes West Baton Rouge Senator Daniel Claitor Louisiana State Senate Flozell Daniels Foundation for Louisiana Public Defender James Dixon Louisiana Public Defender Board District Attorney Bo Duhe 16th Judicial District Chief Justice Bernette Johnson Louisiana Supreme Court Hon. Lori Landry 16th Judicial District Court Representative Terry Landry Louisiana House of Representatives Representative Walt Leger Louisiana House of Representatives Representative Sherman Mack Louisiana House of Representatives Senator Danny Martiny Louisiana State Senate Rev. Gene Mills Louisiana Family Forum Hon. Laurie White Louisiana Sentencing Commission Thank you as well to the Hon. Bonnie Jackson, 19th Judicial District Court, for her participation on the Task Force. The state received technical assistance from The Pew Charitable Trusts as part of the Justice Reinvestment Initiative, a public-private partnership between Pew and the U.S. Department of Justices Bureau of Justice Assistance. The entire Louisiana Reinvestment Task Force Report is available on the Louisiana Supreme Courts website: http://www.lasc.org/documents/LA_Task_Force_Report_2017_FINAL.pdf 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. Astros take World Series title over Phillies in six games By West Kentucky Star Staff Mar. 20, 2017 | 04:19 PM | MARSHALL COUNTY, KY Three people were arrested Saturday after police reportedly found drugs inside a Marshall County home. According to the Marshall County Sheriff's Office, deputies began investigating after receiving information that drug activity was taking place at a home on Briensburg-Tatumsville Road. A search warrant was obtained and during a search of the home, police reportedly found methamphetamine and marijuana. Deputies arrested 30-year-old Christina Dubbles of Paducah on charges of possession of methamphetamine and posession of drug paraphernalia. Also arrested were 25-year-old Chas Gipson of Paducah and 30-year-old Leslie Powell of Benton. Both were charged with possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia. All three were lodged in the Marshall County Detention Center. Advertisement By West Kentucky Star Staff Mar. 20, 2017 | MURRAY, KY By West Kentucky Star Staff Mar. 20, 2017 | 02:02 PM | MURRAY, KY Authorities in Murray are asking for the public's help with a robbery case. The Murray Police Department says the robbery happened at around 9:15 a.m. Monday in the Murray Walmart parking lot. Surveillance video reportedly showed a dark colored vehicle, possibly a Toyota Camry or Corolla, with a Tennessee license plate circle the parking lot several times. The vehicle backed into a parking space to wait for an elderly driver to park and exit her vehicle and walk past. As the victim walked past, the suspect lunged out and grabbed her purse, dragging her to the ground in the process. After a brief struggle for the purse the suspect then got back into her car and sped off, almost striking the victim with the vehicle. The suspect is described as a white woman in her early 20's with dark brown or blonde hair, and an average build. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Murray Police Department at 270-753-1621. Advertisement By West Kentucky Star Staff Mar. 19, 2017 | MAYFIELD, KY By West Kentucky Star Staff Mar. 19, 2017 | 06:10 PM | MAYFIELD, KY Two people are charged with shoplifting at a Mayfield store. According to the Mayfield Police Department, officers responded just after midnight on Sunday to Walmart in reference to a shoplifting complaint. Upon arrival, officers found was made with a 42-year-old Robin Bates of New Concord, and 52-year-old Terry Stubblefield of Hazel. Police say the two went into Walmart and filled a shopping cart full of merchandise. Bates and Stubblefield then pushed the shopping cart out the front doors of the store without paying for the merchandise. The total value of the stolen merchandise was $1.028.53. While investigating the incident, officers say Stubblefield and Bates were also identified by Walmart staff as two subjects that had stolen merchandise at an earlier date as well, totaling $768.00. Stubblefield was charged with two counts of theft by unlawful taking over $500. Bates was charged with two counts of theft by unlawful taking over $500, and carrying a concealed deadly weapon. MCGRADY SAYS HE'S LOOKING AT "ALL THE OPTIONS" IN THE HENDERSONVILLE WATER ISSUE SAYS HE DOES NOT SEE THIS AS A "TAKE OVER" THE DEADLINE FOR INTRODUCING THE NECESSARY LEGISLATION COMES EARLY NEXT WEEK Henderson County State Representative Chuck McGrady says his mind is not made up yetand that hes considering all the optionsregarding the Hendersonville water system. County commissions last week indicated that McGrady is the main one theyll be turning to to take control of the water system away from the city that owns and operates itand put control under the North Carolina utilities Commission. McGrady has shown support for such a moveas he puts itto keep water rates more equal for city residents and for water customers who live outside the city. On his way back to Raleigh Sunday afternoon, McGrady said the local news media is off bas calling this a take overhe said he sees it as protecting water customers outside the city. The whole thing, says McGrady, started with his attempt, along with former State Representative Tim Moffit of Buncombe County, to fix problems and inequities with the Asheville water systema legislative attempt that was rejected by the state Supreme Court a few days before Christmas last year., Any legislation involving Hendersonvilles water system, says McGrady, will be differentand hes looking at all the optionshas really committed to nothing at this pointbut he says he does not want to go back to the way it was or is. Hendersonvilles mayor, city council, and city manager have all expressed strong opposition to losing control of the city water system; county commissioners in a 3 to 1 vote adopted a resolution last week in favor of the city losing controland McGrady says hes hearing from them allbut still is looking at all possible options. Time is running out thoughthe deadline for introducing legislation to do this with Hendersonvilles water system is early next week. If legislation is introduced in the House, itll also have to pass in the state Senate and be signed into law by Governor Cooper. And indications are, if all that happens, the city of Hendersonville will likely go to court to keep control of its water system. That failed attempt to take over the Asheville water system, by the way, cost water customers and taxpayers a million dollars in legal fees. By Larry Freeman 03/19/17 Updated 4 pm Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 20/03/2017 (2058 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. AWARDS The Manitoba College of Social Workers and the Canadian Association of Social Workers (CASW) have announced that Fred Nelson and Megan McLeod are the Manitoba recipients of the 2017 CASW Distinguished Service Award. As psychosocial specialists with the Winnipeg Regional Health Authoritys Medical Assistance in Dying Clinical Services Team, Nelson and McLeod have been shining examples of knowledgeable, competent and dedicated social workers. The Winnipeg Chinese Cultural and Community Centre has announced that Doug Harvey, president and CEO of Maxim Truck and Trailer, and Ben Lee, managing director of PharmEng Technology, are the recipients of the 2017 Golden Dragon Citizen of the Year Award. The awards will be presented at the Golden Dragon Gala Nov. 9 at the RBC Convention Centre. Founded in 1989, the Golden Dragons are given biennially to community members who have demonstrated outstanding leadership to our city, province and country. BOARDS The Winnipeg Chinese Cultural and Community Centre has unveiled its Board of Directors and Advisory Board. The members of its Board of Directors are: Dr. Joseph Du, president; Hon. Philip Lee, vice-president-special projects; Dr. Patrick Choy, vice-president; Ben Lee, vice-president; Malinda Lee, vice-president; Terry Prychitko, treasurer; Jack Zhou, associate treasurer; and directors Dr. Tina Chen, Dr. Frank Guan, Frank Lavitt, Hsiang-Hsin Liu, George Pao, Rui Wang, Jade Wang, and Steven Wu. The members of its Advisory Board are: David Cheop, honourary solicitor; David Chin; Dr. Charles Lam; Dr. Hermann Lee; Eva Luk; Shirley Mar; Pearl McGonigal; Harry Ong; Herb Stephen; and W. Scott Wright. PEOPLE Dr. Digvir S. Jayas professor and vice-president (Research and International) at the University of Manitoba, has been appointed chair of the Board of Management of TRIUMF. Based in Vancouver, TRIUMF is Canadas national laboratory for accelerator-based science and nuclear and particle physics research. Steven D. Derksen, Ashlyn Neufeld, Robert James Penner, and Mahipaul (Monty) Sidhu have attained their professional designation from the Appraisal Institute of Canada (AIC). The AIC is the leading real property valuation association with more than 5,000 members in Canada and around the world. COMPANIES People Corporation has announced the appointment of Paul Asmundson to the newly created position of executive vice-president and chief corporate development officer for the company. People Corporation determined the creation of this new role was important to broaden its corporate development capabilities. Asmundson will lead the corporate development function, overseeing all initiatives and activities aimed at origination and execution of mergers, acquisitions and investments aligned with the companys strategic plan. He has nearly 20 years of investment banking and corporate development experience, and brings extensive expertise on a broad range of strategic and financial transactions. Most recently, he was senior managing director in Deloitte LLPs Corporate Finance business, which is based in Winnipeg. People Corporation, which has offices across Canada, is a national provider of group benefits, group retirement and human resource services. Great West Life: The University of Winnipeg Foundation and the Faculty of Business and Economics have announced Great-West Life will continue to support the Great-West Life Business Student Scholarship and Work Placement Program for another three years. Created in 2008, the scholarship has already received more than $170,000 in funding from GWL, and has been awarded 40 times to the best and brightest of UWinnipegs Faculty of Business and Economics students. Successful candidates of the student scholarship and work-placement program not only have the potential to receive full tuition and cost of books, but also paid, full-time summer employment at GWL. Got a promotion or a new contract? Email your submission to: bizlistings@freepress.mb.ca. Opinion Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 20/03/2017 (2058 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Allow me to be the first one to say it: welcome to spring, Winnipeg! If you happen to be looking out your window at this exact moment which would be difficult considering you are also reading the newspaper I know what you are thinking. You are thinking: Spring?! Exactly what kind of drugs are you taking, Doug? Jus trying to balance an egg here. What could go wrong? Yes, I know your barbecue is still half-buried in sloppy snow and your yard is littered with half-frozen gifts deposited by neighbourhood dogs, but thats not the point. The point is today marks the unofficial first day of spring. According to the website TimeandDate.com, the March equinox rolled into town this morning at 5:29 a.m. central daylight time. What Im trying to say is today is the astronomical first day of spring in the Northern Hemisphere, as opposed to the climatological first day of spring, which is still a little ways off, which means today you should at least feel spiritually warmer, although in physical terms, you might still want to wear that goofy toque with the little furry ball on the top. For the record, the spring equinox also known as the vernal equinox, the northward equinox or the March equinox marks the moment the sun crosses the celestial equator, the imaginary line in the sky above the Earths equator, from south to north. What that means is, if you stood on the equator at that exact moment today, you would see the sun pass directly overhead. Q: Is that exciting, or what? A: Well, it would be if you were wearing a Hawaiian shirt, a pair of Bermuda shorts, cheap sunglasses, flip-flops, a gallon of SPF 4,000 sunscreen and had an extra-large margarita clutched in one hand and a cold brew in the other. Those of you who remember Grade 5 geography class will know the spring equinox is the time when the sun shines directly on the equator and the length of night and day are (hold on while we activate the caps lock feature on our keyboard) ALMOST EQUAL, hence the Latin-derived word equinox, which means equal night. The question you need to concern yourselves with at this precise moment is this: as a Winnipegger, a heroic person who has suffered through yet another brutal winter and survived with most of my medically valuable organs intact, how am I going to celebrate the arrival of astronomical spring, a traditional time of renewal and rebirth? The truth is, you dont have a clue what you are going to do, do you? Well, fortunately, I have a few excellent ideas for a special spring celebration, including; Bake a loaf of bread shaped like a (naughty word goes here) I am not kidding about this. According to several websites I visited, modern pagans like to pay tribute to Dionysus, their god of fertility, wine, flowering plants and poetry, via the technique of whipping up a loaf of bread that resembles a special part of the male anatomy that we normally do not mention in a family newspaper if you catch my drift. Just be careful how you slice it, OK. Take a trip to Mexico I do not mean you should do this because they make excellent margaritas. No, you want to head down to the main pyramid at Chichen Itza, because that is home to arguably the most famous ancient spring equinox celebration. Christopher Reynolds / Los Angeles Times Chichen Itza, the Mayan archaeological wonder in the interior of Mexico, is home to one of the most famous ancient spring equinox celebration. TimeandDate.com notes, The main pyramid also known as El Castillo has four staircases running from the top to the bottom of the pyramids faces. The staircases are built at a carefully calculated angle which makes it look like an enormous snake of sunlight slithers down the stairs on the day of the equinox. Of course, after you are finished watching The Mildly Disturbing Staircase Dance of The Snake of Sunlight, you are expected to cap off the party with a human sacrifice. You could probably try that at home, but your neighbours would start wondering why all your postmen keep disappearing on the first day of spring. Balance an egg on its end This is my favourite thing to do on this day. Let me explain: according to an ancient legend, the arrival of spring on the vernal equinox is the ONLY day on which it is possible to perfectly balance a raw egg on its end. Google it if you think I am making this up in a light-hearted effort to amuse you via comical hijinks. The theory, at least the parts that I partially understood, states that because the Earths axis is perpendicular to the sun today, causing day and night to be of roughly equal length, the sun is therefore equidistant between the poles of the Earth, meaning special gravitational forces apply, blah blah blah, making it possible to stand an egg on its end. So while you are staring at pyramids in Mexico or baking loaves of anatomically correct bread, I personally will be sitting at my dining-room table this morning with a carton of eggs watching with growing frustration as each one wobbles its way off the table and onto the floor. Which leads to my other favourite way to celebrate the arrival of spring making scrambled eggs for breakfast. doug.speirs@freepress.mb.ca Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 20/03/2017 (2058 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Close your eyes and imagine Assiniboine Park. Youre picturing the pavilion, arent you? It is, after all, one of the parks most recognizable landmarks. Heck, its one of Winnipegs recognizable landmarks, its iconic bell tower reaching for a blue Prairie sky, Canadian flag flapping in the breeze. In 2016, the pavilion shut its doors for eight months so it could get a little TLC. The $2.3-million renovation to the pavilion was not scheduled as part of the Assiniboine Park Conservancys $200-million redevelopment plan, but, as Trevor Clearwater, the conservancys senior director of business development and sales, says: When you start seeing moisture around priceless works of art, things tend to move a little quicker. RUTH BONNEVILLE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS The pavilion at Assiniboine Park has undergone extensive renovations and is now the home to WAG @ The Park, a series of art exhibits hosted in conjunction with the Winnipeg Art Gallery. In 2015, the conservancy noticed water damage in the third-floor Ivan Eyre Gallery, which was the result of condensation build up and a leaky roof. The roof was redone, as well as a complete gutting and redesign of the gallery. From there, an energy efficiency assessment was conducted on the exterior, resulting in new windows and insulation. The discovery of moisture created a few headaches, to be sure, but it also created an opportunity to reimagine the pavilions role as a civic art gallery. The pavilion is home to the largest collections of works by Manitoba artists Eyre, Walter J. Phillips, and Clarence Tillenius. After an extensive restoration in 1998, the pavilion began hosting free art exhibitions featuring works from these collections. As I was looking to create new reasons to visit, I began talking to Stephen Borys, the director of the Winnipeg Art Gallery (WAG), Clearwater says. A partnership was born. WAG @ The Park was launched in the fall of 2016. The WAG will curate free art exhibits that draw from both the conservancys collections and the WAGs collections. As a curator of Canadian art, its just fantastic, says Andrew Kear, who is the curator of historical Canadian art at the WAG. The improvements theyve made to the third floor are spectacular. These pristine white walls, top-of-the-line gallery lighting. RUTH BONNEVILLE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS The second floor is home to the Winnie the Pooh Gallery. The new third-floor space is bright and airy; windows that were covered during the 1998 restoration have been opened to allow for natural light. The rotating art exhibits at the pavilion will always include works by Eyre, Phillips and Tillenius, augmented with works from the WAG. This may sound somewhat counterintuitive, but I love limitations, Kear says. I love when you are thrown into exhibition situations where you have to deal with a limited number of works, or a limited number of artists, or a limited theme. When limitations are imposed on you, you think more creatively. The Kear-curated Competing Natures, which opened this month in the second-floor John P. Crabb Gallery, is a good example of that creativity, bringing together the sublime landscapes of Phillips and the strange hybrid creatures of Winnipeg-born, New York-based artist Marcel Dzama. The show will run for the next few months, as will Wasteland Dreamland: Early Works by Ivan Eyre on the third floor. The WAGs annual Through the Eyes of a Child student exhibit opens this week at the pavilion. With the galleries back up and running, the focus is on finishing the main floor. Clearwater says those renovations, which include the pavilions idyllic restaurant space, are weeks away from completion. The atrium dining room has been outfitted with new windows and insulation. The light fixtures are in, and the first coat of paint is up. A wall to an underused meeting room has been removed, creating space for a 35-seat lounge in addition to the dining room. On the patio which is a hidden gem in the city the pavers have been lifted and levelled, and the interior of the pond has been redone. RUTH BONNEVILLE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Trevor Clearwater takes a load off in the John P. Crabb Gallery. It really is an overhaul, Clearwater says. Not that it wasnt beautiful before, but it needed work. All the pavilion needs now is a restaurant tenant to fill a gap left by Terrace in the Park. Assiniboine Parks other flagship restaurant, the Park Cafe in the Qualico Family Centre, has been a boon to visitors, but it closes at 4 p.m. Theres nowhere to grab a bite and enjoy a glass of wine on a warm summer night. Clearwater says the conservancy has an open mind when it comes to prospective restaurant concepts for the 5,250-square-foot space. The key is to have someone with the creativity and capacity to open something compelling, and animates that amenity again for the park and the city, he says. At the end of the day, thats what were after. While there are a lot of shiny new places popping up in Assiniboine Park, the pavilion remains an important part of its identity. Clearwater shares a story about being at the airport in Denver and seeing a photo of the pavilion on the screen at the Winnipeg departure gate. It was being used as a visual representation of Winnipeg to international travellers. When youre from Winnipeg, you understand its an important place, but then you see things like that, and it really drives home that its one of the most iconic and historic buildings in all of the city, he says. We take a great deal of pride in that. It is the figurative heart of the park. RUTH BONNEVILLE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS The windows and insulation in the atrium dining room have been replaced. jen.zoratti@freepress.mb.ca Twitter: @JenZoratti Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 20/03/2017 (2058 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Manitoba is updating several pieces of legislation in anticipation of the federal legalization of marijuana. On Monday, Justice Minister Heather Stefanson introduced a bill that would make it illegal to smoke pot in a public space or indoor workplace or make it illegal to consume marijuana inside a vehicle travelling on a street or road. Were actually the only province across Canada that has brought forward this kind of legislation now to help deal with some of these safety and health issues. So were in front of this, she said. Pot is weighed at a medical marijuana centre in the U.S.. (Todd McInturf / The Associated Press files) This bill will make changes that will make our roads safer, respect smoke-free places and ensure that, where appropriate, marijuana will continue to be treated as it is now in public schools and in mental-health and anti-exploitation laws, she told the legislature as she introduced the bill. Bill 28 (the Cannabis Harm Prevention Act) would amend seven provincial laws, including the Highway Traffic Act. It would allow for 24-hour licence suspensions if a police officer believes a driver is under the influence of the drug and unable to operate a vehicle safely. Drivers in the graduated licence program could face further consequences if they receive a 24-hour suspension. Cannabis would need to be stored in a secure compartment, such as a cars trunk, so that it was inaccessible to people riding in a vehicle similar to rules governing open liquor. The Off-Road Vehicles Act would be amended to create similar transportation and consumption prohibitions for off-road vehicles as for those added for vehicles under the Highway Traffic Act. The Mental Health Act would be amended to ensure residential patients who are not allowed to receive illicit drugs continue to be prohibited from obtaining marijuana. The Public Schools Act would be clarified to ensure students using, possessing or being under the influence of marijuana while at school could still face disciplinary consequences even if the federal government legalizes pot. As well, the Child Sexual Exploitation and Human Trafficking act would be amended to ensure the legislation continues to apply to individuals who use marijuana as a tool to exploit or traffic another person. Since forming government last year, Premier Brian Pallister has repeatedly expressed concern about the effects of legalizing marijuana use, and he has urged Ottawa to proceed slowly. Last week, Stefanson said she is very concerned about the safety of Manitobans in light of the anticipated federal initiative. Stefanson said she is troubled by the results of a drug and alcohol roadside survey that found that one in 10 Manitobans tested positive for some form of drug. She noted that more than half of drivers with drugs in their systems in the Manitoba Public Insurance-sponsored survey tested positive for cannabis. I cant predict what the federal bill is going to look like. All we can do is control what is in our purview and thats exactly what well do in this legislation, she told reporters last week. NDP Justice critic Andrew Swan encouraged the provincial government to work co-operatively with the federal government as Ottawa rolls out its legislation instead of continuing to pick fights with Ottawa. He said he would be very surprised if the feds simply imposed a new law without giving the provinces time to react and respond to it. This may be the first bill of its kind; it may not be the best, he said of Bill 25 Time will tell. Meanwhile, MADD Canada said in a statement it supported any mechanism governments can put in place to reduce the threat of impaired driving. Manitobas legislation helps to send the message that driving under the influence of marijuana is dangerous and unacceptable, said Andrew Murie, CEO of MADD Canada, in a statement contained in the government news release. larry.kusch@freepress.mb.ca Opinion Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 20/03/2017 (2058 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. The highlight of this past weekends Manitoba NDP policy convention may have actually come the day before it started. For it was on Friday we learned NDP members from the Concordia riding had proposed a resolution to pressure Air Canada and WestJet to establish direct, daily flights between Winnipeg and Costa Rica to cut down on the amount of time it takes Premier Brian Pallister to escape to the vacation property he owns in the tropical Central American country. It was a wonderful political barb, delivered in a clever way. It was also a reminder to the 600 or so New Democrats gathered in Winnipeg that Pallister and his Progressive Conservative government have numerous weak spots that can be exploited by the right party led by the right leader. RUTH BONNEVILLE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS NDP members vote on various party motions during conference at the Indian and Metis Friendship Centre Saturday. March 18, 2017 Unfortunately, when the highlight of a critically important policy convention is a tongue-in-cheek resolution poking fun at the Tory premier, it suggests the rest of the weekend was a bitter disappointment. And so it was. There was lots on the NDPs to-do list this weekend. First and foremost, the party needed to do something to remove the lingering stench of the mishandling of sexual-harassment allegations against former MLA Mohinder Saran. He has been ejected from the NDP caucus, but the delay in reaching that decision and the inappropriate meddling of interim leader Flor Marcelino has not been fully addressed. The party also needed to revamp the rules that would govern this falls leadership convention. In the end, the party fell considerably short of what it needed to avoid the manipulations of past leadership battles. Some progress was made. Labour organizations will no longer be given an automatic allotment of delegates based on the total number of members in their unions. Now, the calculation would be based on the number of actual NDP members within a particular union, dramatically reducing the total number of delegates handed out. As well, several proposals to establish a one-member, one-vote (OMOV) system for electing leaders was also rejected. Although widely embraced in other parties, OMOV is viewed by many within the NDP as ripe for abuse, particularly among those leadership candidates who have shown a propensity for generating enormous membership sales in a handful of ridings. The last major item on the to-do list was to unveil an array of candidates interested in the leadership of the party. To date, only Michelle McHale has launched a formal challenge, while other potential candidates remained in a holding pattern. Although she generated substantial media attention for her efforts to establish the first Pride Day parade in Steinbach, McHale is still an unknown quantity to many within the NDP. Curiously, McHale reportedly kept a very low profile over the weekend policy convention. She was present throughout, but did not seem to be making an effort to be conspicuous, a strategy that would have served a candidate who is still a bit of a mystery within NDP circles. One reason for McHales low-profile effort may have been the fact not a single other candidate stepped forward to enter the race. MLAs Wab Kinew, Nahanni Fontaine and Matt Wiebe, along with former MLA Steve Ashton, are all rumoured to have some interest in leading the party, but none stepped forward on a weekend when the provinces attention was focused on this convention. Kinew, who delivered a couple of forceful and spontaneous speeches at the convention, told journalists he is still assembling a campaign team and will be making a final decision soon. Fontaine is reportedly waiting to see what Kinew does. Wiebe said hardly anything all weekend, although it appeared he was trying to get out and about during the convention. As for Ashton, who has twice fallen short in leadership bids, the former Thompson MLA continues to bask in the speculation he will make one final bid to lead the party. As all the potential candidates weighed their options, they might have considered the value of jumping into the race this past weekend. The NDP is on life support right now and needs to demonstrate quickly it is still a going concern. Nothing would have done that better than a policy convention where it became clear the leadership would be contested by three or more candidates who are not named Ashton. Ashtons continued interest in the leadership defies all common sense. Not only did he lose his seat in the last election, but he also helped author the most contentious scandal of the NDP years through his dogged attempts to get the government to purchase flood mitigation equipment from a company represented by a close personal and political friend. Ashton does have some support within the party from members who have been largely ignored by the party establishment. Like the residents of the Island of Misfit Toys, these disaffected party members see Ashton as a champion of the little guy. In actual fact, Ashton has proven time and time again he is really only a champion of Ashton. Regardless of who decides to enter the leadership race, time is running out. Thanks to a measure of organizational procrastination on a truly profound scale, the NDP has left leadership candidates only about 90 days to sell memberships and build a base of support to challenge for delegates. That is precious little time for anyone to mount a serious campaign. This policy convention presented the NDP with its best opportunity since the April 2016 election to put a charge into the partys membership base, and build some excitement heading towards an October leadership vote. Instead, the NDP fell short of its goals this past weekend. Instead of taking the first critical steps toward a rebranding, the NDP could only muster a few clever one-liners about the current premiers affinity for Costa Rica. As entertaining as those were, its just not going to get the NDP where it needs to go. dan.lett@freepress.mb.ca Opinion Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 20/03/2017 (2058 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Party conventions are opportunities to demonstrate capabilities, unity and vision. The three-day provincial NDP convention that wrapped up Sunday did little in that regard. There is no sense its moved beyond the debacle of an inside-party revolt in 2015 and then destruction in last springs provincial election. Instead, it is a party that still remains deeply divided and in need of leadership. The convention, held at the Indian and Metis Friendship Centre, began with interim leader Flor Marcelino calling for unity. Ovide Mercredi, the party president who did not seek re-election, also urged the party to come together. It is clear, however, divisions remain. Former MLA Theresa Oswald, who headed the internal revolt against then-premier Greg Selinger, was at the convention for mere minutes before a photo of her was tweeted out blaming her for the partys loss. A standing ovation to thank Selinger for his service Sunday was brief, with MLA Andrew Swan remaining seated. When asked why the member of Oswalds so-called Gang of Five didnt stand, Swan replied he was busy. He wasnt the only one who was too busy. There were others who remained seated. RUTH BONNEVILLE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Former NDP MLA Steve Ashton speaks at the convention. In September, a new leader will be chosen. Its obvious MLA Wab Kinew is going to run. He was everywhere at the convention, glad-handing with party faithful and on Sunday stepping up to the microphone to speak to resolutions in what can only be described as stump speeches. He was joined by former MLA Steve Ashton, who is also likely to run and also made a point of priming the crowd. If he does, it will be the third time Ashton has attempted to win the leadership. He lost twice to Selinger. Meanwhile, the only declared candidate, union representative Michelle McHale made a point of getting to know the delegates. Saturday was spent debating the ins and outs of how the next leader will be determined, which quickly became mired in process, causing one delegate to yell in frustration: We have too many rules and not enough action. That summed it up for many. This is the party that was in power for nearly 17 years. It is the party considered by many to be Manitobas natural governing party. It is now a party that spent a weekend morning arguing about how to elect a leader and then sticking with the status quo, with one small exception is the length of time one must hold a party membership in order to vote. It is now the party that hasnt found its ground game as the official opposition, with an interim leader who is weak and completely ineffectual. Its the party that badly handled sexual-harrassment complaints involving Maples MLA Mohinder Saran before it finally kicked him out of caucus. It is now the party that has faced criticism from a longtime supporter because of the manner in which it held the nominations for Point Douglas, a riding held by Kevin Chief, who resigned his seat, despite being considered by many a frontrunner to replace Selinger. The nomination was shut down early, acclaiming Bernadette Smith as the NDP candidate, much to stalwart supporter Sel Burrows dismay. He suggested when you hold a nomination contest, you build momentum for the party. Unity remains ephemeral for the NDP, which is rudderless and lacking vision and capabilities. It will elect a new leader like it did the last, and likely to the same end to end up in opposition. At the March 13 Learning Club meeting, Richard Shields, retired Winona State University physics instructor presented information on Albert Einstein and the birth of quantum mechanics. He applied quantum mechanics to the nuclei of atoms, to solids and to gases and explained why lasers, transistors and modern devices work. ROCHESTER, Minn. (AP) Educators like Silver Ajal know that students who are new not only to a school, but to the country often take a little more effort to connect with. And thats where Ajal, 57, who speaks seven languages, has found something as simple as greeting a student in their native language can put a student at ease. It opens the door to other things, he said. The more languages I can speak, the more people I can reach. Bridging cultural differences for those students is also key to their success here. And with those children whove had traumatic life experiences, Ajal can relate, as he was a Ugandan refugee who arrived in the U.S in 2004. Since 2008 hes been a paraprofessional in the Rochester School District, currently assigned to Kellogg Middle School, but now hes going to school to become a teacher through a grow your own program in Rochester an effort to get more teachers of color into the district to better reflect the student population. Its well-known that theres little diversity in Minnesotas struggling teacher workforce. Last month, a state report revealed that not only do districts struggle to recruit teachers, they also have trouble retaining the ones they have and its even more difficult when it comes to teachers of color. Statewide, just 4.2 percent of Minnesotas teacher workforce is non-white. So earlier this month, legislators introduced a bill they hope will offer some relief, and get more teachers like Ajal into Minnesota schools, by providing the tools local school districts need to recruit and retain more teachers, including those of color. Sen. Carla Nelson, R-Rochester authored the bill, which would provide funding for five main efforts, including mentorship programs, teacher loan forgiveness and expanding grow your own programs. The bill would also fund an expansion of the Urban Educators of color program to include Greater Minnesota and make adjustments to the teacher pay system to include incentive pay for teachers who show strong results closing achievement gaps. We cannot continue to just talk about it, Nelson said at the E-12 Finance Committee hearing for the bill earlier this month. Its time that we take some concrete steps to actually lower that achievement gap. With the states achievement gap one of the worst in the country and a growing population of non-white students, Nelson said its time to diversify the teacher workforce so that it better resembles the student population. Its important for students of color to have role models in school who look like them and that they can relate to, said many of the representatives from the states diversity councils who testified at the hearing. Its kind of the perfect storm here, Nelson said on Tuesday. So its time we do this. The bill aims to double the number of teachers of color American Indian by 2020, so that they make up 8 percent of the teacher workforce. The other major goal: ensure 20 percent of candidates in pathways to becoming a teacher are of color or American Indian. In the past, districts, including Rochester and Austin, have tried out-of-state recruiting, but, for the most part, efforts fell flat. The thought: Instead of working so hard to find talent elsewhere, why not develop whats already in your own community? In Southeast Minnesota, grow your own efforts which are attempts to train non-licensed educators or classroom aides who are already employed with districts to become teachers are already underway in school districts such as Austin and Rochester. Both districts are struggling with an increasingly diverse student population that isnt reflected when it comes to their teachers. In Rochester, just 2.9 percent of teachers are teachers of color, according to district data far from resembling the 37 percent of the student population that identifies as non-white. In Austin, there are just four non-white teachers among the districts 396, according to Austins human resources director Mark Raymond, while students of color account for a growing 45 percent of the population. Both districts are partnering with Winona State University. Participants are mainly people of color who worked for the two school districts as paraprofessionals, and now theyre finishing up a a two-year program to become teachers set to graduate 12 students in Rochester and 26 in Austin this spring. Students, who are currently paraprofessionals in the district, enter the two-year program and come out with an undergraduate degree. In Rochester, the district has tried to make it easier for the paras to go to school and continue working by ensuring the courses are offered at night and on weekends. The district also added contract language two contract negotiations ago to continue paying former paras at their para salary, while theyre student teaching in the district. We know they cant drop their income while theyre going through student teaching, Rochester Superintendent Michael Munoz said. The Rochester school district also plans to offer an introductory career course next fall about teacher, to expose students to the profession. WSUs Tarrell Portman, dean of the College of Education, said shes excited about the bill because of the grow your own and loan forgiveness portions. Both are effective methods of recruiting students in small communities. Its about that community and having roots in the community and that, to me, is one of the best ways to diversify, Portman said. Both districts said they plan to continue their programs year after year, in hopes of adding teachers and diversity to the districts. Were just very excited. Number one, that were giving our students the opportunity, but also the quality of the students that are going through the program is just phenomenal, said Austin Superintendent Dave Krenz. Its really going to benefit everyone. No vote was taken on the bill earlier this month. It is being considered for inclusion in a larger education bill. Its about that community and having roots in the community and that, to me, is one of the best ways to diversify. Tarrell Portman, dean of the College of Education at WSU If you like Cold War-style thrillers and dont mind getting the bejeebers scared out of you, we recommend an article by arms control expert Jeffrey Lewis titled North Korea is Practicing for Nuclear War. On the edge of your seat already, right? North Korea is Americas strangest adversary: isolated, paranoid, belligerent and heres the worst part armed to the teeth. Earlier this month the regime of Kim Jong Un simultaneously test-fired four missiles in the direction of Japan on an arc leading directly toward the U.S. Marine Corps Air Station at Iwakuni, Japan. Removing any doubt, North Korea announced that it was testing its capacity to strike the bases of the U.S. imperialist aggressor forces in Japan. Lewis said that calling this provocation a missile test underplays the threat. North Korea has a proven ability to fire missiles that could reach Japan and South Korea. It also has nuclear weapons and is developing the ability to put them on warheads. These arent missile tests, they are military exercises, Lewis wrote in Foreign Policy. North Korea knows the missiles work. What the military units are doing now is practicing practicing for a nuclear war. His thesis is that North Korea, the U.S. and its South Korean ally are embarked on a dangerous course of gaming out first-strike capacities. Currently the U.S. and South Korea are conducting annual joint military exercises that appear to be dress rehearsals for a pre-emptive strike against North Korea, which would come in response to a threat. The practice efforts include taking out Kim and assaulting his nuclear and missile facilities, according to Lewis. North Korea hates these exercises and responded with its multiple-missile test. The significance of firing four rockets is that firing a quartet would increase the chances of eluding a sophisticated U.S. anti-missile defense system known as THAAD. This system, Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense, can shoot down an incoming short- or medium-range missile while its still high in the atmosphere. With Kim acting tough, the U.S. Army says its moving as quickly as possible to deploy THAAD in South Korea. What disturbs Lewis is the idea that in the event of a crisis, Kim might decide to use his nukes before the U.S. and South Korea can find and destroy his missile units. He has to go first, if he is to go at all, Lewis wrote. Gulp. His point is that too much attention is paid to North Koreas obsession with developing ICBMs capable of striking the United States. That threat is likely years away, but the North soon may be able to launch a nuclear attack on U.S. installations in Japan or South Korea that gets past THAAD before President Donald Trump has time to tweet about it. Instead of counting on THAAD (or Trumps tweets) to save humanity, we have another idea for the president: Game out scenarios in which the U.S, South Korea, Japan, China and Russia acknowledge the North Korean threat and cooperate to exert pressure on Kim to come to the table to discuss security guarantees in exchange for economic benefits. This group of countries has worked together previously to negotiate with North Korea, so there is precedent. The obvious counterargument is that previous talks have produced no resolution. But this time the stakes are higher as Kims weapons programs move forward. Everyone at the table would be more nervous than ever. Consider the Chinese position: They fear THAAD because the systems powerful radar can peer beyond North Korea into China, theoretically identifying Chinese missiles and scoping out troop movements. Thus it could upset the balance of power with the U.S., setting off an increased arms race. So the Chinese would enter talks knowing that if they dont want THAAD in the neighborhood, they have to help restrain North Korea. This week Secretary of State Rex Tillerson will be in Beijing, ahead of an expected meeting in the U.S. next month between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping. North Korea certainly will be on the agenda, but dont expect immediate breakthroughs: China is North Koreas only powerful friend and has interests other than shooing away THAAD. For one, China doesnt root for a North Korean collapse because it would send millions of refugees over the border into China. For another, there is Chinas audacious moves to control the South China Sea. But China mistrusts Kim. Remember last months strange assassination of Kims half-brother in Malaysia? He had been living under Chinese protection in Macau. In apparent reaction, the Chinese made a show of shutting down coal deliveries from North Korea. Heres whats also true: China has no more interest than anyone else in waiting for North Korea to set off World War III in Asia. So amid the scary stories of North Korean brinkmanship, there is an opportunity for the Trump administration to work with whoever is willing to find a better ending to this chilling prospect. West Baraboo is interested in buying 40 acres of forest land from the city of Baraboo, and has been saving money for the purchase. The Baraboo City Council has made selling excess properties a priority this year. It has directed City Administrator Ed Geick to get cost estimates for having appraisals conducted on several surplus properties, including the school forest located in the village of West Baraboo. On Tuesday, Village President Dave Dahlke told city leaders West Baraboo is short on park space and wants to buy the land off U.S. Highway 12 for possible use as a nature conservancy. It fits really nicely into our park plan, he told the City Councils Finance Committee. An appraisal conducted two years ago set the lands value at 9 cents per square foot if used for park space, 75 cents per square foot if developed. That would set the lands value at more than $150,000 even if it all were to be used as park space. Leaders of the two municipalities agreed a new appraisal would need to be conducted if a deal nears. The markets moved quite a bit the past year, year-and-a-half, Baraboo Mayor Mike Palm said. Although its located in the village, the land was donated to the city in 1950 for use by the local schools as an outdoor laboratory. At that time, the city owned and operated the school system. Split by the highway, the land near Terrytown Road has gone largely unused in recent years. But developers of the Ice Age Trail see an opportunity to extend their path through the forest, which could help link the Great Sauk Trail south of Baraboo with the 400 Trail in Reedsburg. You may have a partner, Geick told Dahlke. What an opportunity for those three trail heads to meet at the school forest, Dahlke said. It would be a quintessential opportunity, if we could buy it, to tie all that together. Discussions about the city selling the forest to the village have gone on for a generation, and in recent years West Baraboo has set aside money for the purchase. Selling the forest could help Baraboo afford its share of another trail project, a foot bridge planned for the Riverwalk. The city Parks Commission recently granted its blessing to sell the forest, with hopes that most of the property would remain green space, and that the money would be used for park projects. Leaders of both municipalities agreed once its lost, open space is difficult to get back. Dahlke said village residents agree the forest presents an attractive opportunity. Everything I got from constituents was that would be a great addition to the park plan, he said. MADISON (AP) A battle pitting big-box retail giants including Menards and Wal-Mart against Wisconsin towns and cities is headed to the Legislature. Republican-backed proposals, written in conjunction with the League of Wisconsin Municipalities, are designed to close the so-called dark store loophole and increase how much the mega-retailers pay local communities in property taxes. The bills come in reaction to court rulings in Wisconsin and nearby Midwestern states starting in Michigan that have helped the retail giants lower the value placed on their stores for levying property taxes. The retailers have successfully challenged their tax assessments in communities across Wisconsin, and the Midwest, by arguing they are overtaxed and should pay the same rate as a store that is closed and vacant. That results in a shift of the property tax burden to smaller retail stores and property owners, said Jerry Deschane, executive director of the League of Municipalities. We just think thats fundamentally unfair, he said. The bottom line with the property tax is it has to be uniform. The cities will have to overcome opposition from the powerful state chamber of commerce and deep-pocketed retail giants that stand to lose millions from a change in current practice. Wisconsin Department of Revenue rules require that assessments be based on the fair market value of a property. The stores argue that the value of the underlying real estate should be determined by looking at comparable building sales, prices that usually fall far below the assessment of an operating store. Assessing the building as if it were empty has long been the standard in Wisconsin for determining its value, said Don Millis, a Madison attorney who has represented Target and other retailers in assessment challenges. Millis is also lobbying for the Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce against changes to the law. You value the sticks, bricks and mud, Millis said. Cities have been incorrectly assessing the property based on the potential lease value, he said. We dont think theyre being undervalued, he said. We think assessors are being overly aggressive. But Republican state Sen. Duey Stroebel, who plans to introduce a bill next month addressing the issue, said the potential lease value of the property should be considered when valuing it for tax purposes. That is what the bill he and others are working on will do, he said. Millis warned that changing the law could have long-term unintended consequences affecting how all property is valued. Big box stores including Menards, Lowes and ShopKo have filed more than 20 lawsuits against Wisconsin municipalities in the past year challenging their property assessments. In one, Menards successfully argued last year that the value of its store in Fond du Lac assessed by the city at $9.2 million should be no more than $5.2 million. A similar lawsuit from Target argues that Fond du Lac should reduce its taxes on the retailer by about a third. The dilemma for small cities is that the cost of defending lawsuits can equal or exceed the amount of property tax revenue at play, so they are more inclined to settle than fight it, said Deschane, whos with the League of Municipalities. Lawmakers in nearby states have had mixed success in tackling the issue. A proposal in Michigan that attempted to require the taxable value to be based on the highest and best use of a property failed to pass last year. But in Indiana, the Republican-controlled Legislature, along with then-Gov. Mike Pence, enacted legislation to block what opponents call a tax loophole. The Wisconsin bill is modeled after the Indiana law. When a customer came into Roberta Condons downtown Portage gallery one recent overcast afternoon, Condon took the opportunity to invite her on a first-of-its-kind journey. On the Threaded Streams Fiber Arts Trail, Condons shop is one of 16 milestones. The journey through galleries, stores, studios and other venues where fiber artists do their work in Portage, Baraboo, Lodi and Prairie du Sac starts Thursday. But even though the grand opening activities wind down on Saturday, the trail will always be open for anyone who cares to meander through it. With an array of classes, presentations, exhibits and open studios from Thursday through Saturday, the Threaded Streams Fiber Arts Trail becomes the fourth of its kind in the country. But before the question What is a fiber arts trail? can be addressed, it helps to start by asking, What are fiber arts? Some fiber arts are exactly what you think of when you associate the words fiber and art quilting, weaving, lace-making, embroidery, or the creative use of dye. Others might not be so well known. Take, for example, Condons specialty. Using the needles from the long-leaf pine a tree that grows mainly in the southern United States she weaves baskets of various colors, shapes and motifs. Or, consider the work of Katherine Harline McMahon, who will offer a class called Eco-Printing on Paper from 10 a.m. to noon Thursday, Friday and Saturday at DSquared Studios, 141 Lodi St. in Lodi. At those classes, participants will create note cards with flowers and plants, using not only the plants shape and texture, but also their natural colors. (To register for this or numerous other classes, go to www.midwestfiberartstrails.org/threaded-streams-grand-opening-weekend-2017. Descriptions, fees and locations can be found at this site.) Condon defines fiber art as any art form that uses fibers natural or synthetic, plant or animal. And a fiber arts trail is an area where people can find fiber artists, learn about various fiber arts and learn to create them. Thats the thing you have to know where to look, she said. Thats what the trail is about, helping people to find fiber arts. Condon noted that all the fiber artists featured during the grand opening weekend are women, and that most practitioners of fiber art are female. But there are many wonderful male fiber artists, and I dont want to leave them out, she said. Often, but not always, fiber arts can best be practiced in groups like the quilting bees that farm and pioneer women held a century ago, or Irish women gathering in a cottage to make lace. But all fiber art, Condon said, could be characterized as a thinking persons activity, requiring concentration and a keen eye. The Midwest Fiber Arts Trails website lists four trails, of which Threaded Streams in Columbia and Sauk counties is the newest. Even the name incorporates fiber-related imagery intentionally. If you look at this area from the air, Condon said, you can see how the Wisconsin and Fox rivers weave, with little islands in the water. It looks like a braid. Condon said planners are already thinking about the second weekend event, with even more activities expected, about a year from now. I think people are really ready to stop looking at their phones, work with their hands and go find these old ways of doing art, she said. The following companies are subsidiares of PerkinElmer: 2Cure LLC, Analytica of Branford, Applied Biosystems, Arnel Inc., ArtusLabs, Beijing Huaan Magnech Bio-Tech Co. Ltd., Beijing Meizheng Bio-Tech Co. Ltd., Beijing Meizheng Testing Lab Co. Ltd., Beijing OUMENG Biotechnology Co. Ltd., Bio Evolution SAS, BioLegend, BioLegend CNS Inc., BioLegend China Beijing Ltd., BioLegend Europe B.V., BioLegend France SAS, BioLegend GmbH, BioLegend Inc., BioLegend Japan KK, BioLegend Shenzhen Ltd., BioLegend Taiwan Ltd., BioLegend UK Ltd., BioLegend Ventures LLC, Bioo Scientific Corporation, Biosense Technologies Pvt Ltd., Boulder Diagnostics Europe GmbH, Caliper Life Sciences, Caliper Life Sciences Inc., Cambridge Research & Instrumentation Inc., CambridgeSoft, Ceiba Solutions, Chengdu PerkinElmer Medical Laboratory Co. Ltd., Cisbio Asia Pacific Ltd, Cisbio Bioassays SAS, Cisbio China Ltd., Cisbio.com, DIA.Metra S.R.L., DNA Laboratories Sdn. Bhd., Dani Analitica S.r.l., Dexela, Dharmacon Inc., EUROIMMUN AG, EUROIMMUN Brasil Medicina Diagnostica Ltda., EUROIMMUN Diagnostics Espana S.L., EUROIMMUN France SAS, EUROIMMUN Hangzhou Medical Laboratory Diagnostics Co. Ltd., EUROIMMUN Italia Diagnostica Medica S.r.l., EUROIMMUN Japan Co. 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Ltd., Signature Genomic Laboratories, Singapore Biosciences Pte Ltd., Solus Scientific Solutions Ltd., SonoVol Inc., Suomen Bioanalytiikka Oy, Surendra Genetic Labs, Suzhou PerkinElmer Medical Laboratory Co. Ltd., Suzhou Sym-Bio LifeScience, Suzhou Sym-Bio Lifescience Co. Ltd., Synthetx Limited, Tulip Diagnostics, Tulip Diagnostics Pvt Ltd., Vanadis Diagnostics, Vanadis Diagnostics AB, ViaCell, ViaCord LLC, VisEn Medical, VisEn Medical Inc., Wallac Oy, Wellesley B.V., Xenogen Corporation, ZeLab SAS, and chemagen Biopolymer-Technologie AG. Read More 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 I have learned the hard way not to put my personal life on the Internet. But suffice it to say that, God willing, things should be pretty much back to norm... 3 weeks ago Survey under way of Fukushima Daiichi 1 vessel 20 March 2017 Share A robot has entered into the primary containment vessel of the damaged unit 1 of the Fukushima Daiichi plant and provided Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco) with radiation and temperature measurements within it. The company hopes the data, together with video footage, will enable it to locate the molten fuel in the unit. The PMORPH robot within unit 1's PCV (Image: Tepco) On 18 March, Tepco inserted the PMORPH robot into unit 1 in the first of a series of four planned robot explorations of the basement area of its primary containment vessel (PCV) around the pedestal, on which the reactor pressure vessel sits. The investigation is part of preparatory work for the eventual removal of fuel debris. The PMORPH robot was developed by Hitachi-GE Nuclear Energy and the International Research Institute for Nuclear Decommissioning (IRID). It can assume a long, straight shape for passing through narrow spaces, such as pipes. Alternatively, it can rotate its crawlers by 90 degrees in relation to its central body to assume a U-shape, with the crawlers providing better stability when travelling over flat surfaces. Court says government partly liable for accident Negligence by Tepco and the Japanese government contributed to the March 2011 accident at the Fukushima Daiichi plant, the Maebashi District Court ruled on 17 March. In a case brought by 137 people evacuated from Fukushima Prefecture - 61 of whom left on their own accord - the court said the operator and the government were negligent in preparing anti-tsunami measures at the plant site. The court awarded a total of JPY 38.55 million ($342 million) in damages to the plaintiffs, who had sought a combined JPY1.5 billion in damages for emotional stress. The ruling marks the first time a court has recognized that the government was liable for negligence. The robot features a combined total of five cameras and also includes a winch used for lowering and raising a sensor unit that incorporates an underwater radiation-resistant camera, LED and a dosimeter. In the latest investigation, the robot travelled along a section of the first floor grating, on which it measured a radiation dose of 7.8 Sieverts per hour. The robot also lowered its sensor unit into the water that has collected at the bottom of the primary containment vessel. At a height of about 1 metre above the PCV basement floor, Tepco recorded a dose level of 1.5 Sv/h. The robot also recorded temperature measurements within the PCV of 14-23C. Last month a "scorpion-shaped" robot developed by Toshiba and IRID was sent into the primary containment vessel of unit 2 of the Fukushima Daiichi plant. "In that case," Tepco said, "although the robot was obstructed from reaching all the way into the pedestal area, important information was obtained about the conditions at the base of the reactor." Readings indicate the temperature within the area of the containment vessel where the robot stopped was around 16.5C and the dose rate was about 210 Sv/h, significantly higher than those measured in unit 1. Tepco said the latest reading and images obtained from unit 1 will now be examined in greater detail. "The conditions of the PCV basement floor will be examined later," it noted. The insertion of the PMORPH robot follows an investigation of the unit's containment vessel by another shape-changing robot in April 2015. That was the first time a robot had entered the containment vessel of any of the damaged units. However, after taking several images and measurements, that robot got stuck in the grating and stopped working. Tepco is preparing to conduct similar investigations using a robot in unit 3 at the plant. Researched and written by World Nuclear News Related topics Maple syrup is made from the xylem sap collected from sugar maple, black maple, or red maple trees during the spring. However, maple syrup can also be made from other species of maple tree. During cold seasons, the maple trees store starch in their roots and trunks before the winter. In late winter and early spring, the starch is then converted to sugar. Maple syrup is collected by drilling holes into the trunks of maple trees, and the trickling sap is collected. The sap collected is then processed through heating for much of the water to evaporate thus leaving behind the concentrated maple syrup. The History Of Maple Syrup The indigenous peoples residing in the northeastern region of North America were the first people to have produced maple sugar and maple syrup. According to archaeological evidence together with indigenous oral evidence, maple syrup was being collected and processed into syrup long before the region experienced an influx of Europeans. There exists no factual accounts as to just how the production and consumption of maple syrup started, but a number of legends exist. One of the most famous legends includes the use of maple sap instead of water to prepare venison served to a chief. Indigenous tribes established rituals around the making of sugar such as the Maple Dance to celebrate the Sugar Moon which was spring's first full moon. Production Of maple syrup A farm where maple syrup is produced is called a sugar wood or Sugarbush. During processing maple sap is often boiled in a sugar house popularly known as a sugar shanty or a sugar shack (French: cabane a sucre) which is an establishment with louver ventilation on top to vent out the steam emitted from the boiling sap. A maple tree begins to be tapped when they reach an age of between 30 and 40 years. Each Maple tree supports about one to three taps with an average tree producing about 9.2 gal to 13.2 gals of sap per season or 3.2 gal of sap per day. The Top Maple Syrup Producing Provinces In Canada Following the rapid growth of maple production in the 1990s, Canada produces over 80% of maple syrup in the world with about 7,000,000 gals produced in 2004. A great percentage of maple syrup produced in Canada comes from the Province of Quebec making it the largest producer of maple in the world with about 75% of the global production accounting for 6,3000,000 gals in 2005. The number of maple syrup farms in Quebec, Canada is 7,639 farms, the highest of any province in the country. Ontario is the second largest Canadian province with a number of maple syrup farms with about 2,673 farms which produce much smaller amounts of maple syrup. The third largest Canadian province with the number of farms is New Brunswick with 191 farms. Other provinces with maple syrup farms include Nova Scotia, British Columbia, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Prince Edward Island, Alberta and Newfoundland and Labrador. Significance Of Sugar Shacks To The Canadian Culture Sugar shacks are an important aspect of the Canadian culture, particularly in Quebec. Many families spend their Easter dinner dining together at a Sugar Shack to consume some of the traditional culinary coated with maple syrup. Usually, people consume food coated with maple syrup while enjoying the rhythm of Quebec folk tunes. The Bahai (Baha'i) religion was founded in the 19th Century in Iran by Baha'u'llah. It grew out of Babi religion in Qajar Persia before spreading to adjacent countries and finally to the rest of the world. The members of the faith were estimated to have reached 5 to 6 million in the early 21st century and ranks as the second most geographically widespread religion in the world after Christianity. The countries which did not have followers of this religion by the year 2008 were only North Korea and the Vatican City. The religion is, therefore, a global religion with India having the largest membership subscribing to this faith. 1. India India has the worlds largest population of Baha'i people approximating 1,897,651 members by 2015. Indias Baha'i population represents about 40% of the total Baha'i population distributed in about 200 countries and territories. The history of the religion dates back to 1860s when two members of Afnan clan living in Bombay became Baha'is religious converts. A Baha'i teacher was sent to Bombay in 1872 and that marked the beginning of the religion in India. The religion grew because of the nature of the progressive philosophies that it adopted. Initially, the target group was elite members of the society in Bombay, but it later became universal. It also started with several local independent units which were subsequently united in 1923 through the formation of the National Spiritual Assembly. 2. United States The Baha'i Faith in the United States was introduced around 1845/46 with the first record of the religious group being made in 1846 by the New York Mirror. The estimated Baha'i population is 512,864 by 2010 and it is the second largest religion in the state of South Carolina (2014). The Baha'i Faith spread slowly throughout the US states with the integration of the leadership into a national assembly which enabled effective governing. The first national convention was held in 1909 and was attended by 39 delegates from 36 states. The Star of the West periodical was established in 1910 but was later replaced by Baha'i News in 1924. The periodicals were essential in spreading the message to the members and potential followers. The religion is both in mainland US and the islands like Hawaii and Alaska. The teachings of Baha'i Faith was done through tablets that were written by the founder Bahaullah and were compiled into Tablets of the Devine Plan. 3. Kenya The origin of Baha'i Faith in Kenya can be traced to 1945 arrival of Mrs. Marguerite Preston, and since then, the religion has been expanding with an estimated population of 422,782 (2010). In 1950/51 missionary activities in Tanganyika, Kenya, and Uganda were initiated by the Baha'is in the United Kingdom. The religion grew fairly fast, and by 1963 there were 118 local assemblies, 346 groups, and 131 isolated Baha'is. The first election of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of Kenya was conducted in 1964, and a songbook was subsequently produced in 1973 Tuimbe Pamoja, Baadhi ya Nyimbo za Baha'i. The primary teachings of Baha'i faith were centered on making the life of humans better through empowering the poor through education, health promotion, and development of water sources. The Baha'i Faith emphasizes the spiritual unity of all humankind through its three core principles which establish all of its teachings. The three core principles all stand in accordance to the unity of humanity. The faith was founded in the 19th Century by Bahaullah in Persia. In its early years it received huge opposition from Islamic clergy and today it still persecuted by Muslims in Iran. The founder was exiled from Iran and spent the last 40 years of his life in different forms of house arrest under the Ottoman Empire. At the time of Bahaullahs death in 1892, the faith was only in Persia and Ottoman Empire, and by 1910s it had been established in America and Europe. By 1960s, it had spread to all parts of the world. Presently, Bahai faithful in the world are estimated to stand at 5 million in more than 200 countries and territories. The three Pillars of Bahai faith are the Unity of God, Unity of Religion, and the Unity of Humanity. The Unity Of God The Baha'i faith supports a single supernatural being who is the creator of the universe and is omniscient, omnipresent and also imperishable or immortal. According to Baha'i faith teachings, God conveys His message to humanity through his messengers. His power is too great for the comprehension of humanity which makes humanity understand Him only through His manifestations. The Baha'i Faith believes that the attributes possessed by God are used by human beings to make them more appealing in the eyes of God as through this they have unity in all of the mankind. Unity Of Religion The Baha'i Faith teachings say that there should be total unity between all of the worlds religions. The Baha'i Faith believe that there is only one religion which is revealed by manifestations of God through His messengers, and all religions only have some small differences, but the core values and teachings of all religions are the same and from the same God. The Baha'i Faith also states the messengers of all the religions are divine and holy as they come from the same God but physically they may differ in name and age. The differences in the revelation of all Gods manifestation through his messengers is always the same to the characteristics possessed by God and always relate to the worldly and human factors as per the time the messenger existed. Unity Of Humanity The Baha'i Faith core teachings are also the unity of humanity, and it says that all of the mankind was created in the image of God and God discriminate by race which makes all of humanity equal and should live in unity and harmony. The Baha'i Faith teachings promote the unity of all mankind and for all of mankind to live where the world is loved by all of the humanity. The Baha'i teachings also state that because humanity is equal, all of mankind has the same capacity regardless of race or gender. The Baha'i teaching also states that the ignorance of humanity and selfishness is a hindrance towards the unity of humanity. It also advocates for diversity. The Baha'i Faith teachings all emphasize the unity of humanity. The Suez Crisis, also known as Sinai War or Kadesh Operation was the invasion of Egypt by Israel, the UK, and France in late 1956 with the aim of gaining control of the Suez Canal and also overthrowing Gamel Abdel Nasser, the Egyptian president. However, political pressure from the US, the UN, and the Soviet Union forced the three invaders to withdraw causing humiliation to the Great Britain and France and to strengthen President Nasser. The three countries attained some military objectives, but the Suez Canal was closed for six months from October 1956 to March 1957 with the UN forming UNEF Peacekeepers to monitor the Egyptian-Israeli border. History Of The Suez Canal The Suez Canal was opened in 1869 after the completion of its construction which was financed jointly by the French and Egyptian governments. It was managed and operated by the Universal Company of the Suez Maritime Canal with the surrounding area remaining an Egyptian territory. The canal enhanced trade between countries and assisted the European colonial powers to have control of their colonies. In 1875, Egypt disposed 44% its share of the canal to the British with the French maintaining the majority shares. When the UK invaded Egypt in 1882, they took control of the country including the canal proper. The canal was declared a neutral zone in 1888 during the Convention of Constantinople. The canal was strategically important during World War I and II as a shipment route. After the Second World War, the British consolidated and strengthened its position at the Suez. The canal became a source of growing tension in Anglo-Egyptian relation. In 1951, Egypt abrogated the Anglo-Egyptian Treaty of 1936 which granted the British a lease on the canal for 20 years. However, the British refused to withdraw leading to a military coup on July 25, 1952, which established Egypt as a republic. The Dispute Egypt subjected cargo and shipment from and to Israel to search and seizure while passing through the Suez Canal. In 1951, UN Security Council prevailed upon Egypt to terminate the restrictions and to cease all interference with such shipping. In 1954, Nasser sponsored raids into Israel triggering series of reprisal operations. He also pursued policies that frustrated British aim in the Middle East, thus increasing hostility between Egypt and Britain. In July 1956, Nasser nationalized the Suez Canal and froze all the assets of the Suez Canal Company and closed the canal to Israeli shipping. The British decided on military intervention as a means or regaining control of the canal. Nassers action also infuriated the French government who also decided on the military intervention. The Invasion The Israeli military planning for the operation focused on capturing the Sharm el-Sheikh town which would enable them to have access to the Red Sea. Gaza Strip was also a target since it was the training ground for the Fedayeen group. The Israeli Air Force began the conflict on October 26, 1956, at 1500 hrs with series of attacks on Sinai. The Egyptian forces mounted a spirited defense but were overpowered on the first day reporting a casualty of 260. On October 30, 1956, the Egyptian Navy dispatched its warship to Haifa. However, the ship was overpowered by the Israeli forces damaging the ships engine. On October 31, the British forces joined the war at the northern Red Sea. The war would intensify in the next five days with France also taking part in the war. The political pressure and threats of economic sanctions forced the British to call the ceasefire on November 6, 1956. Casualties Resulting From The Suez Crisis The casualty is estimated to be over 3000 with Egypt reporting the highest number. British recorded 16 deaths and 96 wounded while French casualties included ten dead and 33 wounded. Israeli recorded 231 deaths and 900 injuries while Egyptian casualties included 100-3000 deaths and 4000 injuries. What Are Biotech Companies? Biotechnology is the use of advances in life sciences in the production of marketable goods. A biotech company, therefore, is an enterprise that produces products and services by utilizing biotechnology. Many biotech companies exist around the world. This article takes a look at some of the largest biotech companies according to market capitalization values. The Largest Biotech Companies in the World 1. Johnson & Johnson The largest biotech company in the world is Johnson & Johnson, founded in 1885 as a provider of ready-to-use surgical dressings. Today, this company is a multinational pharmaceutical, medical devices, and first aid supplies manufacturer. Some of the most well known Johnson & Johnson brands include: Tylenol, Neutrogena, Band-Aid, Acuvue contact lenses, and Clear and Clear. It operates in 60 countries with sales in more than 175 countries and headquarters in New Brunswick in the US state of New Jersey. It employs approximately 127,100 individuals and had global sales of around $70.1 billion in 2015. In 2016, Johnson & Johnson had a market capitalization of $314.1 billion. 2. Pfizer Pfizer is the second largest biotech company in the world. It was founded in 1849 as a chemicals company and began to grow significantly in the 1880s after producing and selling citric acid. Today, Pfizer is a global pharmaceutical company that specializes in vaccines and medicines for a wide range of health fields, including: oncology, immunology, diabetology, neurology, and cardiology. Some of its most well known brands are Celebrex, and Lipitor. Its corporate headquarters are in New York City, with research headquarters in Groton in the US state of Connecticut. This company has approximately 78,300 employees and had a 2015 revenue rate of $48.85 billion. In 2016, Pfizer had a market capitalization of $196.3 billion. 3. Roche The third largest biotech company in the world is Roche, founded in 1896 as a provider of vitamins. It was the first company in the world to mass-produce synthetic vitamin C. Today, it is a multinational pharmaceuticals and diagnostics healthcare company. Some of the most well-known Roche products include: Valium, Bactrim, Avastin, and Naprosyn. Its headquarters are located in the city of Basel in Switzerland. Over the years, Roche has acquired a number of biotechnology companies with the most recent being Tensha Therapeutics for $115 million, announced in January of 2016. This company has around 88,509 employees and a 2014 revenue rate of $47.65 billion. In 2016, Roche had a market capitalization of $192.1 billion. 4. Novartis Novartis is the fourth largest biotech company in the world. It was founded in 1996 after a merger between Ciba-Geigy and Sandoz Laboratories. It is a multinational pharmaceutical company with headquarters in Basel, Switzerland that produces a number of drugs, consumer health products, and animal health products (for pets and livestock). Some of its most well-known pharmaceuticals include: Diclofenac, Clozapine, Letrozole, and Ciclosporin. Novartis is a member of the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations, the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, and the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations. This company employs 118,700 individuals around the world and in 2015, had a revenue of $50.359. In 2016, Novartis had a market capitalization of $170.5 billion. The chart published below provides a more complete list of the largest biotech companies in the world. Email Sign Up For Our Free Weekly Newsletter Sign Up Free | The WPJ Weekly Newsletter Relevant real estate news. Actionable market intelligence. Right to your inbox every week. Go Thank you for your interest! You will now be receiving our Weekly Real Estate Newsletter. Real Estate Listings Showcase According to Knight Frank's recently released, there is a change in ultra high net worth individuals (UHNWI) property investment patterns, driven by political uncertainty, cooling measures and barriers affect traditional markets. Education, lifestyle and alternative safe havens are overtaking as priorities, and savvy investors are looking for new opportunities.Knight Frank's Wealth Report identifies five of the best neighbourhoods around the world poised to outperform in the following key categories:Neighborhoods similar to New York's Lower East Side, aptly described by the New York Times as where "gritty meets trendy", have traditionally been overlooked for more established postcodes. However, recent housing developments, such as the US $1bn Essex Crossing Development, are acting as a catalyst for wider gentrification.Elsewhere, buyers looking for an authentic bohemian atmosphere, coupled with high-quality, good value housing, are turning to areas like Quartier Des Paquis, Geneva. Alex Koch de Gooreynd, Partner, Knight Frank predicts this artisan quarter is poised to "outperform the rest of the city by some margin over the next five to ten years", paralleling the transformation to that of London's Notting Hill in the 1970s.Buyers might be surprised to see long sought after locations, such as Mayfair, London, which provide some of the most stylish housing in the world on the value hunter list. However, relative value p/sq.ft. redefines the postcode as more financially accessible and the arrival of some of the world's most prestigious developments secure its position. Cosmopolitan neighborhoods similar to the 10th Arrondissement, Paris, which are centrally located yet offer lower property prices are popular with creative industries. Hip inner city areas such as Woodstock, Cape Town, which are offering Urban Development Tax Incentive schemes, are seeing average property prices sharply rise to 2.2m rand. Alternatively, buyers looking for a beachfront location should consider the South Coast, Barbados with new projects such as the Capri development.With the recent boom in the technology and creative industries, high-tech sectors are shaping the residential and cultural landscape of neighborhoods. Zhangjiang, Shanghai, previously known as a manufacturing and industrial area, has transformed into a major residential community as an IT hub. Mumbai's largest tech firms are queuing to set up offices in the previously overlooked area, Majiwada-Kasarvadavali, resulting in an influx of tech HNWI's and rapid improvement to social infrastructure. Mediaspree in Berlin, where hip clubs sit alongside Coca-Cola and Mercedes Benz will see its first high-rise skyline due to a surge in housing demand.Regeneration and expansion of public works, including major train lines, roads, airports and hospitals, are attracting developers and residents alike to urban and suburban areas. Notable development to infrastructure has cemented Dubai South as the emirate's flagship urban project, with the highly anticipated first two residential communities due to complete 2019. Neighborhoods such as South Main, Vancouver, seen as a gateway to downtown have seen recent land banking as developers anticipate growth alongside improvement to transport connections. The Victorian state Labor government and the Construction Forestry Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU) are working intensively with the major energy companies to suppress working-class opposition to this months shutdown of the Hazelwood power plant in the Latrobe Valley, east of Melbourne. The closure, announced by French energy multinational ENGIE last November, will exacerbate the social crisis in the region. Tens of thousands of jobs have been destroyed in the power sector and related industries over the past three decades, overseen by successive governments and the trade unions. Unemployment in Morwell, near the plant, is estimated at 19.7 percent, with endemic youth unemployment and growing poverty. Other regional towns, including Moe and Traralgon, also have been devastated by job-shedding. In a bid to defuse anger over the closure, the state government, backed by the CFMEU and other unions, unveiled a $22 million transfer scheme partnership on March 9, claiming that 150 Hazelwood workers could be redeployed to other electricity generating plants. The scheme is a fraud. It will not save a single job, nor do anything to address the widespread unemployment. Instead, it will seek to pressure 150 workers at the Loy Yang A power plant to take early retirements. This is part and parcel of the efforts by the Labor Party and the unions to prevent any industrial or political struggle against the corporate elites ongoing cutting of wages, working conditions and jobs. CFMEU national president Tony Maher hailed the scheme as a breakthrough in best practice. He claimed: Hundreds of directly affected workers and their families will breathe a little easier tonight, knowing there is a commitment to their families futures. Australian Council of Trade Unions president Ged Kearney, who has overseen countless job-cutting arrangements across the nation, said it was an example of what is possible when government, employers and unions work together. Kearney congratulated the Andrews government for supposedly listening to the Latrobe Valley community. In reality, the workers who might be offered redeployment comprise just one fifth of Hazelwoods total workforce. Thus far, AGL is the sole employer to sign onto the deal. Hazelwood workers will get a job only if Loy Yang A workers take government-subsidised retirement packages, based on three weeks pay per year of service, capped at a maximum of a years pay. In other words, the Andrews government is handing over millions of dollars to AGL, another large energy corporation, to push through further job cuts via retirements, without any guarantee of long-term employment for the redeployed Hazelwood workers. The announcement was scanty on details, leaving many unanswered questions. Among them are whether the redeployed Hazelwood workers will still receive their redundancy payments, and whether they will be treated as new hires, with few rights and substandard conditions at Loy Yang A, where sweeping wage cuts are taking place. Yallourn Power Station, which is owned by Energy Australia, has also been earmarked as a potential site for redeployment. However, there is widespread speculation that the ageing plant, which has a large carbon emissions output, is likely to close. Another plant, Loy Yang B, which employs 150 full-time staff and 40 contractors, is being sold by ENGIE, leaving its future uncertain. Comments given by workers to the Age last week shed light on the bluster and lies of the unions and the Andrews government. Dale Foster, a 58-year-old worker who started in the power industry at the age of 16, said he planned to retire. He noted: Theres going to be a lot of really well trained people looking for something to do. John Soles, 60, an electricity worker for 18 years, said he faced forced retirement. He commented: Itll affect my lifestyle, because superannuation-wise Im not that well off financially. Its going to be a big change in our disposable income, and Im not sure how were going to manage. At a community meeting in Morwell last week, Don Duthie, a resident in the area for over 60 years, said the Hazelwood closure would smash the region. This is going to be like a sledge-hammer Its going to cause massive problems throughout Latrobe Valley and Victoria, he said. Similar promises of retraining and redeployment have been used by state and federal governments and the major auto companies to carry out the destruction of the car manufacturing industry. Such schemes have done nothing to halt the emergence of depression-era social conditions in former car-making centres such as Elizabeth, in Adelaide, which last year registered an unemployment rate of 33 percent. The unions and the Andrews government are overseeing a stepped-up assault on workers in the Latrobe Valley that will create a similar crisis. In January, the Fair Work Commission, the federal industrial tribunal established by the Rudd Labor government with the support of the unions, endorsed AGLs termination of the enterprise bargaining agreement at Loy Yang A. The move threatens to push highly-skilled workers onto a base rate of pay, with wage cuts of 30 to 65 percent. The CFMEU cancelled a one-day strike last December, and said it had already agreed to 30 to 40 major concessions in order to reach an agreement with AGL. Elsewhere, the CFMEU is directly imposing wage reductions. At Australian Papers nearby Maryvale mill, the union pushed through a pay cut of 5 percent last month, intimidating the paper plants 900-strong workforce by joining the company to threaten closure. The line-up of the unions, the Labor government and the energy companies behind the transfer scheme underscores the need for workers to build independent organisations, guided by a new political perspective that rejects the subordination of social life to the profit needs of the energy corporations and their wealthy shareholders. Rank-and-file committees are needed, totally independent of the unions, to coordinate industrial and political action by workers throughout the Latrobe Valley, including strikes and factory and plant occupations. These committees could make a powerful appeal to other sections of the working class around the country and internationally for joint action. The defence of jobs and wages requires a struggle against capitalism, and the fight for workers governments to implement socialist policies, such as placing the energy giants under public ownership and workers control. The official death toll from the intense rain and flooding that has hit the Pacific coastal zone of Peru rose to 72 Sunday, with an estimated 115,000 homes destroyed and over 100 bridges washed out. The natural disaster, caused by the El Nino phenomenon caused by a sudden rise in ocean temperatures, has exposed the inability of the Peruvian government to either prepare for or properly respond to increasingly frequent climatic catastrophes, leaving the poorer and rural Peruvians to their fate. From Tumbes on the border with Ecuador to Arequipa, the largest city in southern Peru, incessant heavy, tropical rain returned this week to flood cities and destroy tens of thousands of arable hectares. According to the Spanish newspaper El Mundo, in addition to the death toll, at least 72 people were injured, with 11 missing and police searching for survivors in many areas, including villages that had been cut off by rising waters. The Civil Defense Institute (Indeci) stated that more than half a million people have been affected by the flooding, while Perus roads have been cut off by avalanches resulting from the excessive accumulation of water in the Andes. Due to the rapidly rising water, beginning on Wednesday March 15, the Rimac and Huaycoloro rivers flooded as they passed through the capital city of Peru, Lima. Luis Castaneda, mayor of Lima Metropolitana, ordered the closure of all schools and cut off the drinking water supply in 27 districts of the city beginning on Thursday. Tens of thousands of Limenos joined long lines at the markets to stock up on food, especially bottled water, anticipating further flooding and avalanches that could leave them isolated for several days. Due to the pandemonium created by the threat of floods and avalanches, public transportation was extended in Lima until the early hours of the morning. However, there were places in the city that buses could not access. Castaneda asked the President of Peru, Pedro Pablo Kuczynski (PPK), to declare a state of emergency and allow a strong recovery of infrastructure because that means sources of work, according to El Comercio. He added: I hope the government gives us an emergency law so that all provinces and districts can respond quickly to this aggression of nature. According to Castaneda, the president declined his request, and instead answered by asking him to close the portion of the Pan-American Highway that goes around the city of Lima, connecting the north with the south of the country, but the mayor refused to do. PPK asked the public to have faith in facing what he called an unexpected Biblical Flood that occurs every 50 years. The rains, added the head of state, are causing flooding, roadblocks, bridge collapses and many bad things. He said the problem was not a shortage of money, but a mismanagement of resources. Prime Minister Fernando Zavala told La Republica that 800 million nuevos soles (US$ 245 million) had been allocated to deal with the damage in the north, the countrys most affected area. Perus north coast, especially the department of Piura, has been the hardest hit. The sewers of the city of the same name were not good enough to filter the waters. The population defended itself by piling up sacks of sand. Gorges turned into deadly avalanches of mud, logs and stones. During the week, the flood reached the Plaza de Armas in the center of the city of Piura. According to El Comercio, the water leaked through several floodgates until reaching the Plaza de Armas, flooding streets, homes and commercial premises. According to COER (Regional Emergency Operations Center) in Piura, the rains and overflows of the Piura and Chira rivers left 191,930 affected. Education will be disrupted for a long time as the floods have left 177 schools unusable. The rivers Tumbes and Zarumilla overflowed into the city of Tumbes. So far 1,500 hectares of rice and 1,650 of organic bananas, plus 120 of fruit trees have been inundated by the rains. COER Tumbes reports that 400 meters of irrigation canals have disappeared. The total number of affected in the city is reported at 13,000. Two people have died: one child drowned in the river Tumbes and one adult in Papayal. Access routes have been interrupted. In Cajamarca, the main access route to the coast was under the water of the Jequetepeque river. In the department of La Libertad, the historic center of the city of Trujillo was flooded, destroying some of the most beautiful cultural heritage of Peru, including three mansions, jewels of the 19th Century architecture. In the surroundings of Lima, avalanches in Chosica, Punta Negra and the Chilca river have left buildings destroyed and people homeless. Three gorges were flooded, and the waters destroyed a childrens shelter, damaged crops and blockaded the South Pan-American Highway. The emergency situation caused by the El Nino phenomenon has led politicians to make hollow speeches on the need to invest in infrastructure. The reality is that much of the death and destruction could have been mitigated if the governments that have ruled Peru over the past decades had placed any priority on investments in material and social infrastructure. Instead, the entire concentration has been on attracting billions of dollars in foreign capital dedicated to mining for export dollars, which go into the pockets of a tiny layer of Peruvian millionaires and their foreign counterparts. According to data from the Ministry of Energy and Mines (MEM), Peru has a portfolio of 47 mining projects worth approximately US$47 billion. Compared to this figure, the amount that Prime Minister Zavala released to rebuild the northern regionUS $246 millionamounts to 0.52 percent or 2.25 percent of the approved mining projects. Protests took place across Europe Saturday to coincide with United Nations (UN) Anti-Racism Day. This year, what is known as International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination falls on March 21. The day was proclaimed by the United Nations in 1966 to mark the anniversary of the Sharpeville massacre in South Africa in 1960. Marches were held in 10 countries across 45 cities. Up to 30,000 people demonstrated in London, with protesters assembling in Portland Place before marching to a rally in Parliament Square. Around 3,000 marched in Glasgow, Scotland and 1,000 in Cardiff, Wales. Up to 15,000 people reportedly marched in Athens, Greece, which only has a population of 11 million. The march was organised by the United Movement Against Racism and the Fascist Threat, which is backed by various pseudo-left groups and sections of the trade union bureaucracy. Many were refugees from the various camps built by the Syriza government. Many of those demonstrating attacked the Fortress Europe policy of the European Union (EU) and demanded the rescinding of the EU deal with Turkey that seals off Europes borders to the millions of refugees fleeing war zones in the Middle East and North Africa and facilitates the mass deportation of refugees arriving in Greece. Protesters demanded the opening of borders across Europe and chanted slogans including Asylum and housing for refugees and No to deportations. Protests were also held in Greeces second city, Thessaloniki, and in Patras, Ioannina, Heraklion, Chania, Volos, Xanthi. Several thousand attended protests in Amsterdam in the Netherlands and the Austrian capital, Vienna. Thousands marched in a number of Danish and Polish towns and cities. The London protest was significantly larger than those held in other European capitals. It was organised by Stand Up to Racism (SUTR), a coalition that has the backing of the Trades Union Congress (TUC), a number of national unions and Labour MPs. Yet here, the organisers, including the pseudo-left Socialist Workers Party and Counterfire, ensured that there was scarcely a reference to the reactionary anti-immigration policies of the EU that their co-thinkers in Greece were busily protesting. To do so would cut across the narrative of the main trade unions that continued EU membership provides a progressive alternative to Brexit and Prime Minister Theresa Mays alliance with Washington. Instead, announcing the march, SUTR wrote that it was Taking place in the wake of the election of Donald Trump and as Theresa May makes the moves to trigger Article 50 and the UKs Brexit from the European Union, a progressive movement is growing to turn back the tide of racism. The SWP, for its part, dutifully backpedalled on its previous anti-EU pro-Brexit position and insisted, To defend freedom of movement, we need unity no matter how people voted. The unity they speak of preserving is not the unity of the working class, which would mean opposing both the pro-and-anti-Brexit wings of the British bourgeoisie and the labour and trade union bureaucracy, but their own unity with the TUC. Those speaking offered no perspective to defend immigrants, refugees and asylum seekers. While there was no end of outrage emanating from the platform condemning the reactionary policies of May and Trump, the organisers glorified a UN initiative that has, from its inception in 1966, carefully avoided criticism of any government, including the main European powers. While calling for the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, the UN resolution allows signatories to do exactly as they please. It states, This Convention shall not apply to distinctions, exclusions, restrictions or preferences made by a State Party to this Convention between citizens and non-citizens. The resolution adds, Nothing in this Convention may be interpreted as affecting in any way the legal provisions of States Parties concerning nationality, citizenship or naturalization, provided that such provisions do not discriminate against any particular nationality. Speakers, including Trades Union Congress leader Frances OGrady, were happily able to declare token opposition to the treatment of refugees by May and Trump, which commits them to doing absolutely nothing. Particular focus was placed instead on a moral appeal to the May government for special treatment for unaccompanied children. The Dubs Amendmenta parliamentary amendment put last year by Labour peer Lord Alfred Dubs aimed at allowing into Britain a few more lone child refugees from the Jungle camp at Calais in Francewas universally hailed. The reality is that such was the public outcry at the height of Europes refugee crisis at the plight of thousands of children and teenagers living unaccompanied in terrible conditions in the Calais camp, that Lord Dubs proposed an amendment to the Immigration Act 2016. This proposed bringing just 3,000 of the Calais children to Britain. In the end, just a few hundred were allowed in by the May government under the amendment clause, before the scheme was scrapped entirely this year. Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn did not attend the march, instead sending in a video message in which he once again cited a series of commonplaces. He solemnly declared, Its the United Nations Anti-Racism day, adding it was necessary to redouble our efforts in fighting racism, Islamophobia, anti-Semitism and all forms of discrimination. Corbyn told the audience, We will not be divided. In place of division, we must all come together to celebrate our diverse communities and shared heritage. The Labour Party knows this and its at the heart of what we do, he stated, adding, This week I met with Alf Dubs and met with young refugees who thanks to his efforts now live safely in Britain. Corbyn said the May government had thwarted Alfs efforts at every turn. The focus of the speakers at the rally, including Corbyn, on the Dubs Amendment also provides a political amnesty for the broader militarist agenda of British imperialism. One would never have known that Corbyn is the leader of a party which has supported every single war waged by the US and Britain over the past three decades. Or that Corbyn is fully complicit in allowing this to continue. In November 2015just two months after being elected Labour leader on a platform that included opposition to warhe capitulated to Labours right wing by agreeing to their demands for a free vote on military action in Syria. This was specifically aimed at reversing a 2013 vote against the war in parliament. Corbyns action gave then-Tory Prime Minister David Cameron the majority he soughtreversing the defeat he suffered two years beforewith UK bombing in Syria beginning just hours later. As for defending the rights of EU nationals living and working in Britain, in January, in yet another capitulation to the Labour right, Corbyn reversed his previous opposition to limits and quotas on immigration numbers. He stated in a speech in Peterborough, a city that voted strongly in favour of leaving the European Union in last years referendum and has a large Eastern European migrant population, Labour is not wedded to freedom of movement for EU citizens as a point of principle. In line with their refusal to address the predatory role of Britain and the European powers, there was not a single reference to the crisis of capitalism or imperialismwhich is responsible for the wars that have resulted in the creation of tens of millions of refugees globallyin the material produced by Stand Up to Racism for the event. Stand Up to Racism instead urged only, Yes to a world free of racism, Islamophobia and anti-Semitism. Yes to a world where refugees and migrants are welcome. Yes to a world where black lives matter and we build bridges not walls. As US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson completed his weekend trip to China, President Donald Trump again compounded tensions in North East Asia by condemning North Korea for its latest rocket-engine test, announced on Sunday. Trump told the media yesterday the North Korean leader Kim Jong-un was acting very, very badlywith the implied threat that the US would take action, including possible military strikes. Trumps remark was also designed to ramp up the pressure on Beijing to use its economic levers to force Pyongyang to bow to US demands to dismantle its nuclear and missile programs. It echoed a tweet by Trump last Friday declaring: North Korea is behaving very badly. They have been playing the United States for years. China had done little to help! Tillersons trip to Asia over the past weekto Japan, South Korea and finally Chinawas designed to deliver the same message to the Chinese government. While his public remarks in Beijing were relatively muted, Tillerson had already made clear in Seoul that all options, including military ones, were on the table if the Chinese government did not bring Pyongyang to heel. Referring to the Obama administrations policy of step-by-step sanctions, he said: Let me be very clear. The policy of strategic patience is over. We are exploring a new range of diplomatic, security and economic measures. In Beijing, Tillerson met with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Foreign Minister Wang Yi. Wang appealed for the US to adopt a cool-headed approach to North Korea and said he and Tillerson both hope to find ways to restart the talks with Pyongyong. The US secretary of state, however, insisted that any discussions were contingent on the North Korean regime reversing its nuclear weapon and missile programs. The Trump administration last week flatly rejected a proposal by Wang for a suspension-for-suspension approachNorth Korea would suspend its nuclear and missile programs and the US would call off its massive joint military exercises in South Koreaas a means for starting negotiations. The joint war games, involving more than 320,000 military personnel, an aircraft carrier strike group and stealth war planes, are a rehearsal for war with North Korea. In his only in-depth media interview during his trip, Tillerson told the right-wing Independent Journal Review that the imminent threat from North Korea had propelled it to the top of the agenda in Beijing. He suggested that broader sanctions on North Korea could be considered, adding: Its not our objective to force [Pyongyang] into some brash action. Yet it is precisely the threat of US military action that the Trump administration is using to try to muscle the Chinese government into imposing crippling sanctions on the North Korean regime. Beijing has already taken harsh punitive measures against Pyongyang, including suspending the import of coalNorth Koreas largest export earner. Further sanctions could trigger a major economic and political crisis in Pyongyang. China accounts for at least 70 percent of North Koreas trade and most of its imported oil. The Chinese government has been hostile to North Koreas nuclear tests, which provide the excuse for a military build-up by the US and its allies. But Beijing also wants to avoid the collapse of the North Korean regime, which could result in a unified pro-US Korea on its northern border. China has been particularly hostile to the US decision to begin installing a Terminal High Altitude Area Defence (THAAD) anti-ballistic missile system in South Korea. While nominally directed against North Korea, the THAAD deployment is part of an expanding anti-missile system that is primarily aimed at fighting a war with China. In Seoul last week, Tillerson publicly called on China to refrain from taking economic retaliation against South Korea over the THAAD deployment. In Beijing, he undoubtedly used the threat of more US anti-ballistic missile systems in Asia to try to force the Chinese regime to take action against its North Korean ally. North Koreas test last weekend of what it claimed was a high-thrust rocket engine and hailed as a great victory, only played directly into US hands. Far from defending the North Korean people, the rocket test, coming on top of a series of missile launches this year, provides a pretext for the Trump administration to deal with the supposed imminent threat through military means. A chilling piece appeared in the New York Times on Saturday by Max Fisher entitled, The risks of pre-emptive strikes against North Korea. The article reflects the calculations now being made in US strategic and military circles about the costs of war on the Korean Peninsula. Almost any plan would bring a high risk of unintended escalation to all-out war, Fisher wrote. It would place millions of South Korean and Japanese civilians in the cross hairs of North Korean weapons with few guaranteed benefits. The article outlines three optionsa single strike on a missile launch, a series of attacks to devastate North Koreas nuclear and missile facilities, and an all-out war to destroy the Pyongyang regime, its military apparatus and industrial base. Fisher concludes that any of these plans would result in retaliation by North Korea that could result in mass deaths. The article cites General Curtis Scaparrotti who told a congressional committee in 2016, when he was head of US forces in South Korea, that a war with North Korea would be more akin to the Korean War and World War IIvery complex, probably high casualty. Fisher concludes with a quote from North Korean analyst Jeffrey Lewis. Its a bad strategic idea, but you can understand why military planners would gravitate towards it, Lewis said, calling the plans the best of a bad lot. Yet when Tillerson declares that all options are on the table, he is referring to these reckless US acts of aggression. Whatever the pretexts and the starting point, a US-led war against North Korea would not only devastate the Korean Peninsula. It could rapidly draw in other powers, including Japan and China, and lead to an unprecedented world conflagration involving nuclear weapons. In the vacuum left by the abrupt and ignominious collapse of the filthy and blood-stained cart of the Romanov monarchy, to use Lenins words, a precarious configuration of dual power emerged in Petrograd. Two political centers of gravity coalesced around competing social forces within the February upheavals. On the one hand , there was the Provisional Government, a hasty arrangement of liberal democrats, reformists and populists, the authority of which was immediately recognized by the foreign imperialist powers. On the other hand, there was the Petrograd Soviet, consisting of elected deputies from factories and military regiments, which enjoyed mass support, especially among the poorest sections of society. While the Provisional Government favored a continuation of the war and the maintenance of capitalist privileges, the Petrograd Soviet became a magnet for popular demands for peace and radical social change. Outside of these bodies, the forces of reactionthe established church, the aristocracy, the old tsarist bureaucracy, landlords, and military elitehad been dealt a blow, but victory was far from assured. Differences emerged within the Bolshevik Party as Kamenev and Stalin, returning from exile, sought to adapt the party line to the Provisional Governmentto the alarm of much of the partys rank and file. Meanwhile, Lenin began transmitting his prescient Letters From Afar, in which he warned that the new bourgeois government could not be trusted and would ultimately side with the reactionaries against the working class. He declared: He who says that the workers must support the new government in the interests of the struggle against tsarist reaction. .. is a traitor to the workers, a traitor to the cause of the proletariat, to the cause of peace and freedom. Hand-written manuscript of Lenins Second Letter from Afar While still in exile in Switzerland, Lenin writes the first of his four seminal Letters from Afar. In them, Lenin develops his analysis of the February Revolution, explaining that it is the result of a peculiar confluence of divergent political and social interests. That the revolution succeeded so quickly andseemingly, at the first superficial glanceso radically, is only due to the fact that, as a result of an extremely unique historical situation, absolutely dissimilar currents, absolutely heterogeneous class interests, absolutely contrary political and social strivings have merged, and in a strikingly harmonious manner. Namely, the conspiracy of the Anglo-French imperialists, who impelled Milyukov, Guchkov and Co. to seize power for the purpose of continuing the imperialist war, for the purpose of conducting the war still more ferociously and obstinately, for the purpose of slaughtering fresh millions of Russian workers and peasants in order that the Guchkovs might obtain Constantinople, the French capitalists Syria, the British capitalists Mesopotamia, and so on. This on the one hand. On the other, there was a profound proletarian and mass popular movement of a revolutionary character (a movement of the entire poorest section of the population of town and country) for bread, for peace, for real freedom. With the temporary convergence of these essentially hostile interests, the current stage of the revolution is marked by its transitional character and the phenomenon of dual powerthe bourgeois Provisional Government, which is committed to continuing the war and safeguarding private property, on the one hand, and the Soviet, on the other hand, which Lenin describes as the embryo of a workers government. Lenin strongly warns against any support for the bourgeois Provisional Government. Instead, Russian workers should look to their class brothers and sisters in the other belligerent countries. They should fight for a democratic republic and complete victory of the peasantry over the landlords, instead of the Guchkov-Milyukov semi-monarchy, and then to socialism, which alone can give the war-weary people peace, bread and freedom . Berlin, March 20: Workers elect Marxist Franz Mehring as deputy to the Prussian State Parliament By-elections are held in Berlin and Potsdam for a successor of Karl Liebknecht as deputy in the Prussian State Parliament and in the Reichstag. The by-elections were scheduled because Karl Liebknecht had been deprived of his mandates by a military court. He was sent for four years into prison, where he lived under severe conditions, for having organized and addressed an anti-war demonstration on May 1, 1916 on Potsdamer Platz in Berlin, under the slogans: Down with the War! Down with the Government! On the day of his trial on June 28, 1916, 55,000 metal workers went on strike to demand his release. Liebknecht had called to put his co-fighter, Franz Mehring, on the ballot so that he could take his seat in the parliament and stand against the candidates of the pro-war Social Democratic Party (SPD), the liberal Progressive Party and others. Together with Rosa Luxemburg and Liebknecht, who are at this time both imprisoned, Franz Mehring heads the Marxist tendency International within the SPD, also known as the Spartacus group, named after its regular publication, the Spartakusbriefe (Spartacus Letters). From the very beginning of World War I, this group conducted a principled and courageous struggle against the line of the SPD leadership under Philipp Scheidemann, Friedrich Ebert and the trade-union leader Carl Legien, which has supported the imperial government and its war effort. The Spartacus group fights for a revolutionary program to mobilize the proletarian masses to overthrow the imperialist governments to end the war and establish socialism. On the basis of this program, Franz Mehring wins 341 electoral votes in the 11th election district of Berlin. By contrast, the pro-war candidate of the SPD receives only 48 votes, and the candidate of the bourgeois liberal Progressive Party wins only 44. Nevertheless, to receive a seat in the Reichstag, the SPD and the liberal Progressive Party join forces and, by this maneuver, win against Franz Mehring in the more rural election district of Potsdam-Havelland. The election result in Berlin indicates growing opposition to the war among class-conscious, socialist-minded workers in the industrial centers of Germany. They clearly feel encouraged by the revolutionary events in Russia. A police spy, who mingled with the women in the queues in front of grocery stores in Hamburg, reports: Events in Russia seem to have left their impression on the masses. On several places opinions were voiced like: We only have to do it [as the workers did] in Russia, then it soon will become different [here] as well. London, March 20: Imperial war cabinet meets Leaders of the United Kingdom, for the first time at a war cabinet, are joined by the Dominions of the British Empire (Australia, Canada, Newfoundland, New Zealand and South Africa), as well as representatives from the colonial administration in India, to discuss the progress of the war. Explaining the need for such a meeting in December 1916, British Prime Minister David Lloyd George told Britains House of Commons, We feel that the time has come when the Dominions ought to be more formally consulted as to the progress and course of the war, as to the steps that ought to be taken to secure victory, and as to the best methods in garnering in the fruits of their efforts as well as of our own. The imperial war cabinet has been a longstanding demand of the Dominion governments. Britains acceptance of the proposal reflects the growing strength of the capitalist class in the Dominions, and a weakening of British imperialism. Nonetheless, the British government retains a dominant position in policy-making, maintaining its own war cabinet meeting where decisions concerning British war aims are made separately. Meetings of the imperial war cabinet will continue until early May, before being revived again in 1918 in Paris as the war draws to a close. Washington, March 22 (March 9, O.S.): US formally recognizes the Provisional Government At a formal ceremony, US ambassador to the Russian Empire, David Francis, grants American recognition to the new Provisional Government, the first nation to do so. He is received by the Provisional Government Council of Ministers, headed by Foreign Minister Pavel Miliukov. In two telegram dispatches to Washington, DC the same day, Francis reports that Miliukov welcomes the moral effect American recognition will have on Russia. Workmen returning to work, tramways operating, Francis writes. Petrograd, March 23 (March 10, O.S.): Introduction of the eight-hour day The Soviet and the Society of Factory and Works Owners agree on the introduction of the eight-hour work day. Thus, they legitimized what had de facto already been established in numerous plants, including the Putilov, the Metal, the Cable and the New Lessner works. Since the very inception of the labor movement, the demand for a shortened work day played a central role in working class struggles in Russia. In 1896, a shorter working day, which back then often lasted well over 14 hours, was the main demand put forward in the strike of some 30,000 textile workers in St. Petersburg. According to historian Allan Wildman, in advancing the demand for a 10-hour work day, the Petersburg workers had been influenced by the pamphlet Rabochii den (Working Day). This pamphlet was issued and distributed widely in the first half of 1896 by the social democratic group Soiuz borby za osvobozhdenie rabochego klassa (Union of Struggle for the Emancipation of the Working Class), which was led by the young Lenin. Shaken by the strike, in 1897, the autocracy felt compelled to introduce the first-ever restriction of the working day, officially limiting it to 11.5 hours. In the revolution of 1905, the eight-hour work day became one of the main rallying slogans of the revolutionary masses, but the demand remained unfulfilled. Following the February Revolution in 1917, it was the factory committees, which mushroomed throughout the country after the overthrow of the Tsar, that took the lead in the struggle for the eight-hour day. In Petrograd, the introduction of the eight-hour day leads to a diminution of the average working day from 10.2 hours to 8.4 hours. However, the eight-hour day is not legally binding to all employers and at small workshops and non-factory industries, where the average working day continues to exceed 10 hours. Overtime work, too, remains widespread after the revolution, since the factory committees, which are still dominated by Mensheviks and SRs, agree to overtime in order to guarantee supplies to the front for the war effort. Paris, London, and Rome, March 24 (March 11, O.S.): Allies recognize the Provisional Government After the recognition of the Provisional Government by Washington, Paris, London and Rome now follow suit, simultaneously recognizing the Provisional Government. Their move confirms Lenins analysis from his first Letter from Afar, in which he emphasized that British and French imperialism had conspired with leading Russian liberal politicians to replace the Tsarist regime by a bourgeois government, better capable of conducting the war. The Allies are desperate for Russia to maintain the Eastern Front, drawing German and Austrian forces away from the fronts in the West and the Alps. British Ambassador George Buchanan later wires London to express concern that the Provisional Government will not deal ruthlessly enough with the Soviet. He says, of discussions with Prince Georgy Lvov, head of the Provisional Government: Lvov does not favour the idea of taking strong measures at present, either against the Soviet or the Socialist propaganda in the army. On my telling him that the Government would never be masters of the situation so long as they allowed themselves to be dictated to by a rival organization, he said that the Soviet would die a natural death, that the present agitation in the army would pass, and that the army would then be in a better position to help the Allies to win the war than it would have been under the old regime. Right-wing US socialists call for armament, endorse Wilson US preparation for entry into the European war begins to split the American Socialist Party into opposing factions. A left wing, led by longstanding leader Eugene Debs, opposes the war under all circumstances. The party machinery, however, is controlled by a reformist element led by Morris Hillquit, which, while mouthing anti-war rhetoric, is adapting itself to national patriotism. This is not enough for the right wing, which, in two resolutions signed by prominent socialists, demands military preparedness and political support for Wilson. The signatories include: novelist Upton Sinclair; millionaire philanthropist James Graham Stokes and his activist wife Rose Pastor Stokes; Charmian London, widow of novelist Jack London; author William English Walling; journalist Charles Edward Russell; poet and playwright George Sterling; feminist author Charlotte Perkins Gilman. Petrograd, March 25 (March 12, O.S.): Lev Kamenev and Joseph Stalin return from exile Lev Kamenev and Joseph Stalin, both members of the Bolshevik Central Committee throughout 1917, return to Petrograd from their exile and soon assume editorial responsibilities at the Bolshevik central newspaper, Pravda (the Truth). In this capacity, they strongly adapt to the Menshevik two-stage conception of the Russian Revolution, according to which the overthrow of the tsar ushers in a prolonged, bourgeois democratic phase of the revolution. Thus, in its first issue after the overthrow of the tsar, Pravda declares: The fundamental problem is to establish a democratic republic. Just like the Mensheviks, they call for support of the Provisional Government in continuing the war against Germany in defense of the revolution. Their line reflects what is at this time a dominant mood in significant sections of the Bolshevik leadership in Russia. Thus, the Bolshevik Alexander Shliapnikov later recalled: We agreed with the Mensheviks that we were passing through the period of the breakdown of feudal relations, and that in their place would appear all kinds of freedoms proper to bourgeois relations. Trotsky commented in his History of the Russian Revolution: The fear to go beyond the boundaries of a democratic revolution dictated a policy of waiting, of accommodation, and of actual retreat before the Compromisers. This line is opposed, however, not only by Lenin and Trotsky, but also by the influential Vyborg District Committee in St. Petersburg and other local party organizations. The following weeks and months become a period of bitter inner-party struggle over the strategy and perspective of the Bolshevik Party in the revolution. New York, March 26 (March 13, O.S.): American socialists bid farewell to Trotsky More than 800 socialists attend a farewell celebration for Leon Trotsky at Harlem River Casino on 127th Street. Nearly $300 is collected for Trotsky to carry back to Petrograd to assist the revolution. In barely 10 weeks in the US, Trotsky built up a large and enthusiastic personal following, according to early American communist Ludwig Lore. He had created a movement, a political faction too powerful to ignore and ready to fight, in the words of biographer Kenneth D. Ackerman. Now, with the Russian Revolution, he emerged as a unifying figure on the far left. Trotsky speaks for two hours, delivering his remarks in Russian, and then repeating them in German. His remarks are powerful and electrifying, in the words of anarchist Emma Goldman, who is present. Trotsky expresses regret at having to leave the US, but, he explains, when revolution calls, revolutionaries follow. A New York Police Department spy captures Trotskys remarks as follows: I am going back to Russia to overthrow the Provisional Government I want you people here to overthrow the damned rotten capitalistic Government of this country. The conflict within the US ruling elite over charges of Russian interference in the US elections is set to come to a head today with the public testimony of Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director James Comey before the House Intelligence Committee. Comey is to speak publicly and under oath on the two issues the committee and its Senate counterpart are investigating: the claim by Democrats that Russian intelligence agencies hacked the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and the Clinton campaign during the presidential election, and the claim by President Trump that the Obama administration conducted illegal surveillance of his campaign during the same period. No evidence has been presented to support either claim, although the corporate media has treated the allegations of Russian hacking as virtually proven because they come from anonymous sources within the military-intelligence apparatus. The Trump claim, by contrast, is treated as baseless, with backing only from the far-right commentators on Fox News and talk radio. Behind the mutual mudslinging and claims of Obama spying and Trump campaign collusion with Russia are real but largely unstated conflicts within the US ruling elite over foreign policy. The bulk of the US national security apparatus is opposed to Trumps apparent shift in foreign policy away from immediate confrontation with Russia, which has been stoked up steadily over the past three years since the US-backed ultra-right coup in Ukraine. The Democrats also used the allegations that Russian hacking was involved in the release of emails from the DNC and Clinton campaign Chairman John Podesta to distract attention from the content of the emails, which exposed efforts by the DNC to rig the outcome of the Democratic primary campaign for Hillary Clinton and against Bernie Sanders. The emails also provided the texts of Clintons lavishly paid speeches to Wall Street banks, showing her groveling before the financial speculators and pledging to safeguard their interests. After eight months of media attacks on his alleged connections to Russia, Trump responded March 4 with a series of tweets claiming that Obama had ordered the wiretapping of his campaign offices in Trump Tower. When challenged to provide evidence of this claim, the White House asked the House and Senate intelligence committees, already investigating the Russian hacking allegations, to look into his allegations as well. Speaking on Sunday television interview programs, on the eve of the House Intelligence Committee hearing, the Republican chairman of the committee, Devin Nunes, and the ranking Democrat, Adam Schiff, both said that Comey would deny that the Obama White House had ordered any wiretapping of Trump Tower or the Trump campaign, or that any such surveillance had been conducted in the course of an FBI investigation into alleged Russian interference into the US elections. Nunes told Fox News Sunday that the FBI had informed him Friday that there had been no warrant obtained under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act for wiretapping of the Trump campaignthe legal step required to authorize such an FBI operation as a counterintelligence measure. There was no FISA warrant that Im aware ofto tap Trump Tower, he said. Schiff confirmed this, speaking on NBCs Meet the Press program. He said, Once again, no evidence to support the presidents claim that he was wiretapped by his predecessor. He added that he expected Comey to say as much when he testifies before the committee, so that we can put an end to this wild goose chase. Nunes added on Fox that there was no evidence in any of the briefings he had received from the FBI of collusion between the Trump campaign and alleged Russian hacking of the Democratic campaign. The only crime that he was aware of, Nunes continued, was the leaking of classified information about US government surveillance of the Russian ambassador to Washington, Sergey Kislyak, which had revealed conversations between Kislyak and retired General Michael Flynn during the period that Flynn was President-elect Trumps top national security aide. Flynn was forced to resign after only 24 days as White House national security adviser after he was revealed to have lied about the content of his conversations with Kislyak before taking office. His deceptions were exposed by transcripts of the telephone conversations obtained through FBI surveillance of Kislyak and leaked to the media. Additional uproar was created by Trumps declaration, through his press secretary, Sean Spicer, that the British government had been the instrument of Obamas alleged wiretapping, through its surveillance agency the General Communications Headquarters (GCHQ), the equivalent of the US National Security Agency. The notion that the GCHQ would conduct surveillance against an American target at the request of the US government is not at all bizarreonly the attribution of the request to Obama personally, when it would have come from the intelligence agencies. As detailed in the exposures of former NSA contractor Edward Snowden, the security agencies of the US, Britain, Canada, Australia and New Zealand regularly share intelligence under the so-called Five Eyes program. In particular, because of US laws that bar the NSA from spying on Americans, and similar laws in each of the other countries, it is routine for the NSA to ask the GCHQ to spy on a targeted American, and for the GCHQ to ask the NSA to spy on a targeted Briton, essentially subcontracting the surveillance to evade the legal limitations. Spicers remarks produced a short-lived international incident, as the GCHQ took the unusual step of issuing a public statement denouncing his comments as ridiculous and unbelievable, while the White House agreed not to repeat the allegation. The real concern on the part of the spy agencies, both in Britain and the US, was that for political reasons Trump and his aides had drawn attention to a relationship they preferred to keep hidden. VALDOSTA, Ga. (WTXL) - Police have arrested a 25-year-old man they believe robbed a Valdosta salon at gunpoint. The Valdosta Police Department said that RaShun Daniels was arrested and charged with armed robbery. They said that on Friday around 10:00 p.m., they were called to "Beauty and Things" salon on Madison Highway. When they arrived, witnesses told them that an unknown African-American man entered the business with a gun and pointed at store employees, demanding money. MADISON COUNTY, Fla. (WTXL) - Officials have reported a wastewater leak in Madison County. Florida Division of Emergency Management issued a report on Monday saying that an unknown amount of wastewater is currently releasing from a force main for unknown reasons in Madison. They said that no storm drains or waterways were reported to have been affected. No clean up actions have taken place as of now. We will continue to update this story as we confirm more details. You are the owner of this article. People are once again attempting to open the Crusader fortress Chateau Pelerin for public access, taking it out of IDF control. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter The castle, also called Atlit fortress and Castle Pilgrim, is an 800-year-old fortress hailed by many as one of the most beautiful archeological sites in Israel. It is located near Atlit on the northern coast of Israel and is currently in a closed military zone which serves as a training area for IDF Naval commandos. As such, civilian access to it is forbidden. Now, a decade after protests failed to open the site for public access and tourism, the struggle over its control has resumed. The castle was under the control of the Knights Templar during the 13th century and was never placed under siege due to its excellent strategic location. In the 1950s, the fortress was seized by the IDFs navy, which made it into a secret base for its commando unitShayetet 13. Jacob (Koby) Sharvit, director of the Marine Archaeology Unit in Israels Antiquities Authority, explained that the places beauty stems from its island-like location. It is a very fortified castle, bigger than anything like it in Israel: its outer and inner walls are all still there, as well as its fortified gates. When you visit the site you can even see the halls and facilities used by the Knights Templar, like baking ovens and remnants of the church." A wondrous sight Dan Hamizer, a resident of the area and an activist in the Blue & Green Association, which now fights to return the military controlled zones in Atlit to the public, said that The citys beach and the fortress were officially closed in 1970 under a military decree. What is that? Its military occupation. Hof HaCarmel Regional Council Mayor Carmel Sela estimated that opening the site for international tourism will generate an income of millions of shekels. He also noted the site's historical significance by saying, The fortress will turn 800 this year... the site was the most important fortress in the Middle East. It housed the entirety of the Crusaders' upper ranks, including their commander, and even contained their bank. It is an extraordinary tourist attraction that we, the public, cannot enjoy. A combatant who serves in the navy commando reserves took pride in the fortress which has become a symbol of the commando, reciting his units mantra: only those who passed our training and got the combatants badge can feast their eyes on the fortress. IDF Naval commandos (Photo: Gadi Kabalo) At the residents' pleas, the former combatant showed sympathy and expressed understanding, saying there was a time when we used to gather our units special armaments in the Atlit bay and it was justifiably a secret. But, nowadays, anyone can pilot a drone from the nearby town to just look at whatever he wants at the base. From a military perspective, I dont think it will be any problem to move the Shayetets base of operations to the Eilat harbor." He then ended by saying that the Atlit beach has a magnificent sea with Zionist history from the time of the British Mandate and its unfortunate that anyone who doesnt have family serving in the navy would never get to see the place. Archeologists, though, have seen much improvement in the armys treatment of the site, which may be the reason why the Antiquities Authority are no longer taking part in the fight for control over the site. In the past, the military used to hold ceremonies at the site, involving crowds and pyrotechnics, and even used the fortresses walls as target practice, but it stopped altogether and now grants researches and scientists permission to work and excavate there, maintaining field security protocol. Some claim the site is better off that way, noting that without visitors it can be well kept. Under the sea, deep underneath the bay, hides one of the most interesting diving sites in Israel. In the last few years, the remains of an ancient fishing village from the Neolithic period were found well preserved about 10 meters below the surface. It included huts, graves, a well, fire pits and even a mysterious ritual site. The French excavation, which found skeletons of crusaders buried at the site for almost 800 years A few years ago, French researchers excavated several graves in the crusader cemetery near the fortress, and by studying DNA samples from the remains found a connection between the buried knights and their decedents now living in France. In the meantime, Hamizer is left with only the memories of the time when he visited the fortress as a child. It was a really special place to visit, it has been years and I would love to visit it again, he said, summarizing that at the end of the day, the people at the Ministry of Defense are like the biggest real estate agents in the country. Even if the navy relinquishes control of the site, they can say no way, this is our turf, and keep it. The IDF responded that the naval commando base in Atlit was founded and maintained according to procedures and hosts a wide range of defense activities every day of the week. Its position and overall area are the result of the unique operational necessities of the units active in it, which requires the navys continued operations in its current facilities. We also note that entry of state-authorized researchers is now being allowed in a procedure arranged with the navy, the Defense Ministry and several other authorities. Currently, work is being done in cooperation with the Antiquities Authority to prepare the fortress towards its planned opening to the public, which will happen several times a year. (Translated & edited by Lior Mor) Two advisors to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu were not part of the delegation to China and instead, flew to Washington, DC, where they will try to reach an understanding with President Donald Trump's administration, notably on the issue of the settlements. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter The US president's Middle East envoy Jason Greenblatt had recently concluded a round of talks with both Israeli and Palestinian officials, during which Netanyahu claimed that there is no political feasibility to freezing settlement construction. Netanyahu and Greenblatt (Photo: Kobi Gideon, GPO) Netanyahu sent his two advisors to Washington to join the talks held by Israeli Ambassador to the US Ron Dermer along with Greenblatt, in an attempt to reach an understanding on a variety of subjects. The importance of the mission is evident due to the fact that the two consultants did not join Netanyahu on his trip to China. Greenblatt and Dermer head a team established by Trump and Netanyahu in an attempt to come up with a formula for settlement construction. Israel is seeking approval to build in the area of municipal jurisdiction which consists of 8 to 10 percent of the West Bank. The Americans oppose this notion, though agree to construction within already existing residential areas. They are also emphasizing the need to form a collaborative mechanism regarding Israeli announcements on the settlements so as to avoid embarrassment to the Trump administration. The prime minister was originally scheduled to attend the AIPAC conference at the end of this month and meet with President Trump, but the trip was canceled. The parties are trying to reach a middle ground, which both sides could potentially live with. During his visit, Greenblatt held an unprecedented meeting with two settler leaders, Yossi Dagan, the head of the Samaria Regional Council, and Oded Revivi, Mayor of Efrat, during which the two expressed concern over the looming possibility of the freezing of construction. (Translated and edited by N. Elias) The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is applauding the release of the Israeli citizen who was detained in Uzbekistan 12 days ago after 13 bullets were found in his carry-on bag. His passport was taken from him and he was not allowed to continue to his destination of Thailand, but was released from his custody at the airport. The civilian, a former soldier, is set to arrive in Israel Monday noon. President Reuven Rivlin on Monday slammed threats made by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to go to early elections should the crisis over the Israel Public Broadcasting Corporation (IPBC) not be resolved. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter "To say that this is a political crisis over which a government should be dismantled is crazy," Rivlin told Ynet during a state visit to Vietnam "The State of Israel is facing so many problemsdiplomatic, economic and security problemsthat going to early elections over something like this is completely unnecessary," the president went on to say in his first public reaction to the issue. Rivlin meets with Vietnam President Tran ai Quang (Photo: EPA) He asserted the crisis over the IPBC was an "artificial" crisis, adding that governments should only get dismantled over "serious crises." "It appears to me like the media's name is spoken in vain in an effort to mix the issue of the IPBC with going to early elections," Rivlin opined. "It appears to me that the people threatening to dismantle the government over this issue are merely trying to send a message without having any serious intention to dissolve the government over this." Rivlin is not alone, all heads of the coalition came out against Netanyahu's threat to go to early elections over this issues. "Israel needs stability, not elections," Bayit Yehudi leader Naftali Bennett said. "Israel needs to invest in its citizens, not in the polls." His comments were echoed by Yisrael Beytenu leader Avigdor Lieberman and Shas head Aryeh Deri. There have been widening fissures between Netanyahu and Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon over the fate of the Israel Broadcasting Authority (IBA) and the new Israel Public Broadcasting Corporation (IPBC). Netanyahu has withdrawn his support for the IPBC, which is due to start broadcasting at the end of April, deciding instead to fight to keep the existing IBA on air by combining the two public broadcasting bodies. In a meeting on Saturday with Likud ministers, Netanyahu summarized that he will stand against establishing the IPBC, adding, "If we don't reach an agreement with Kahlon, we will hold elections." The prime minister asserted that restructuring the IPBC would not require further spending and that "the cost of keeping the IBA running is tens of millions of shekels cheaper than erecting the IPBC"assertions Kahlon and the Finance Ministry have rejected. Netanyahu has also tried to get Kahlon to support legislation he is trying to push through that would give the Israeli government control over public broadcasting, something the finance minister opposes. Kahlon and Netanyahu (Photo: Olivier Fitoussi) Netanyahu and Kahlon's representatives met late Sunday night in an effort to reach a compromise on the issue, but while the meeting was defined as "good," no agreement or understandings were reached by the end of it. Finance Ministry Director-General Shai Babad and Tourism Minister Yariv Levin (Likud) met for two hours to seek solutions for the issues of media supervision and the supervision and monitoring of the IPBC, as well as a solution for the fate of employees at the IBA, which is set to close to make way for the IPBC. One of the possibilities being discussed is removing the heads of the IPBCCEO Eldad Koblenz and chairman Gil Omer. Kalon is not expected to oppose this move, so long as the IPBC starts airing at the end of April, as has already been agreed on. Babad was set to meet with Communication Ministry Director-General Shlomo Filber on Monday to continue talks on a compromise. Another meeting on the topic on Sunday night was between coalition chairman MK David Bitan (Likud) and Kahlon's spokesman Nadav Sheinberg at a Tel Aviv pub. Earlier in the evening, Kahlon insisted in talks with senior coalition members that "the IPBC will be launched and start airing on April 30." In public comments, Kahlon promised to address the issue of the IBA closure and the fate of its employees. "Others failed to take responsibility, but we will," he said. "The previous government did what it did to them, and then dumped (the problem) on me. Right now there are problems and unfortunately the IBA employees whose fate hasn't been determined properly have fallen between the cracks." Moran Azulay and Yuval Karni contributed to this report. (Translated and edited by Yaara Shalom) Its been a long time since we saw had a consensus here. Apparently, when the right nerve is hit, there is a burst of solidarity that we didnt even think existed. If there is one issue that all the coalition factions agree on today, its that there is no reason to dissolve the government and call elections Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter Its not, God forbid, because they are so concerned about the nation, or because they fear for the billions of shekels that would be wasted because of one mans whim. Its solely due to personal interests: None of the coalition faction leaders has a reason to seek elections, whether it's because of the prestigious ministry he leads, the number of Knesset seats the polls predict for his party, or the possibility of an inconvenient coalition after the elections. If the Netanyahu family could get one shekel each time someone said on Sunday that a government cannot be dissolved over a media-related issue, it wouldnt need any donations to fund its lavish lifestyle. That was, in fact, the motto repeated by all factions: from Bayit Yehudi through the ultra-Orthodox parties to Yisrael Beytenu. And never mind the coalition factions. The Likuds veterans cant remember the last time there was such an agreement among the factions ministers. Apart from the doormats who are accustomed to serving His Royal Highness, no one is willing to place his or her future in the hands of a reckless prime minister. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Transportation Minister Yisrael Katz, who represents the majority of Likud members on the election issue (Photo: Marc Israel Sellem) The first one to set the tone was Transportation Minister Yisrael Katz, whose comments on the morning shows left no room for question: The prime minister did not consult the Likud leadership, Katz said, scornfully dismissing Netanyahus consultation forum, which included Ministers Miri Regev, Yariv Levin and Tzachi Hanegbi. The issue, he said, was not brought up for discussion at the Likud ministers forum, and it was not brought up at the faction or at the Likud institutions either. If it is brought up for discussion, Katz warned, "I'll make my position heard and I'm confident I won't be the only one of that opinion." He was right. For quite a few faction members, elections mean the end of the political chapter of their life, and no one intends on following the prime minister as if he were the Pied Piper of Hamelin, straight into the abyss. The transportation minister was also the one to first utter the slogan: elections cannot be moved up over a media-related dispute. Katz says he is not alone in his position. The last time Netanyahu dissolved the government, he had an oppositional bloc in the coalition led by Yair Lapid and Naftali Bennett, while the Likuds natural partners were outside the government. The decision to call early elections was coordinated with the ultra-Orthodox parties, which promised to recommend that the president task Netanyahu with establishing the new government. This time, Katz argues, its the exact opposite: If the Likud goes to early elections, it will get a worse coalition and a smaller number of Knesset seats. On the backdrop of the security situation, he says, it would be inconceivable to call elections over the Israel Public Broadcasting Corporation. Asking the public to vote in favor or against the IPBC? The public wont forgive us. One things for sure: Katzs message gave his fellow Likud members the backing they needed. Most of the faction members who spoke their mind Sunday evening were against elections. Even Coalition Chairman David Bitan, according to sources in the Likud, spoke against elections in private conversations. Culture Minister Miri Regev, who in the morning said with contempt that Katz represents no one but himself, was the one required to provide explanations in the evening. How is it possible that a Shabbat observer like herself traveled to the prime ministers residence on Saturday to discuss an issue that is not exactly a matter of life and death? Or could it be that her God lives at the prime ministers residence? And who does Katz represent? Thats a question she got an answer to: He represents the majority of Likud ministers, the Likud faction, the Likud voters and even the majority of the Israeli public, which is having trouble understanding what the prime minister wants. What is this IPBC anyway? But Regev is just the messenger. The person who found himself completely isolated Sunday evening (with about a billion and a half Chinese people) was Israels prime minister. From the position of a sole ruler with an odd forum of advisors and an emergency meeting on Saturdayone like we have never seen beforehe was basically left all alone. His recklessness, emotional-driven behavior and the irrationality of his actions left him with no support. Its clear to everyone, after all, that the IPBC is not the issue. That Netanyahu is grabbing the opportunity presented by the IPBC crisis for personal reasons, out of a personal interest. Or as a wise and experience man said: Bibi does not see the country before his eyes. All he sees is himself. But if Netanyahu intended on leading Israel to elections because of the police investigations against him, he found himself even more weakened. The investigations will proceed against his will. He wont be able to prevent it. And if the police recommend that he be indicted, he will be even more isolated. In his attempt to threaten elections over the IPBC, he lost his power of deterrence. Now, he knows that his coalition members are unwilling to commit political suicide for him. Even Shas leader Aryeh Deri placed a gun on the table Sunday. There will be consequences, he said. The lesson Netanyahu learned over the past two days is extremely important. He cant take a personal agenda and expect others to carry it for him. The response from coalition factions and his own party members left no room for doubt: This is the fate of someone who tries to lead people to a place they are not interested in being in. (Translated and edited by Sandy Livak-Furmanski) Iran's Supreme Leader Sayyid Ali Khamenei accused Israel and the West on Sunday morning of promoting women's exploitation for the purpose of earthly pleasures, calling it a "Zionist conspiracy" aimed at destroying human society. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter In quotes relayed by Iranian news agency Mehr, Khamenei, who was speaking at an event that mostly focused on women's position in Islamic society, mocked the West's ideal of gender equality, claiming that raising certain topics in support of womens rights actually undermines their position in society, which is predetermined by God. Iran's leader Ali Khamenei at an anti-Israel conference (Photo: AFP) These aberrant and neglectful people humiliate the role of a housewife while a housewife is actually in charge of raising and educating the most valuable product, which is a human being, said Khamenei, adding unfortunately, sometimes inside the country and in some Islamic environments, tasks and expectations are ascribed to women that in fact collapse and humiliate their roles. The Iranian leader then referred to some similarities and differences between men and women as decided by God, saying despite sharing similar goals like rising to spiritual positions, leadership, and the ability to guide human beings, men and women are different when it comes to responsibilities in management of life. Ayatollah Khamenei, while referring to promotion of concepts like gender equality and gender justice in the West, said justice means recognizing and nurturing God-given potentials of men and women, not burdening them with false freedom. Today, Western scholars and those who pursue issues like gender equality all regret their actions for the corruption they caused, he claimed, expressing hope that views of those who raised similar issues inside the country were not based on the Western alleged misconception. (Translated & edited by Lior Mor) The mayor of Herzliya called on residents to attend the funeral of a Holocaust survivor, set to take place at 3pm on Monday. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter "Dear citizens, a Holocaust survivor and resident of the city Ilana Blumenfeld passed away today," Herzliya Mayor Moshe Fadlon wrote in a Facebook post on Sunday. "Born in Sharhorod in the Ukraine, she lost her father and grandfather to Nazi murderers at the age of six. She was left with only her brother Jacob to survive the harsh German winter. Against all odds, and under the constant threat of the Nazis, she managed to survive," Fadlon added. Ilana Blumenfeld Fadlon noted that Blumenfeld spent her entire life commemorating the victims of the Holocaust, speaking every year on Holocaust Remembrance Day, telling her story so as to keep their memory alive. "I spoke to her daughter, asking her permission to write this after being concerned that very few people will attend her funeral," the mayor wrote, explaining Blumenfeld has few family members remaining, especially since she lost her husband several years ago and her son before that under tragic circumstances. "It is unthinkable that a funeral for woman like this will be so small," Fadlon concluded, calling on residents of the city to attend her funeral at the Herzliya cemetery. "It is time to come and bid farewell to the woman who survived the horrors of the Nazis." Ilana Blumenfeld was survived by daughter Yafit and two grandchildren. (Translated & edited by Lior Mor) The United States said Monday that it "strongly and unequivocally opposes" a discussion at the UN Human Rights Council on "Human rights situation in Palestine and other occupied Arab territories," with the State Department saying the agenda item showed the council's bias against Israel. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter "Todays actions in the Council are yet another reminder of that bodys long-standing bias against Israel," State Department acting spokesman Mark Toner said in a statement. "No other nation has an entire agenda item dedicated to it at the Council. The continued existence of this agenda item is among the largest threats to the credibility of the Council." The US therefore decided not to attend the discussion on the matter and to vote against any resolution put forth under that agenda item, saying it "does not serve the interests of the Council to single out one country in an unbalanced matter." The UN Human Rights Council chamber (Photo: AP) Earlier this month, US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Erin Barclay told the council in Geneva that the Trump administration was reviewing its participation in the council , with an eye to reform and a balanced agenda that ends the forum's "obsession with Israel." "The obsession with Israel through Agenda Item 7 is the largest threat to this council's credibility. It limits the good we can accomplish by making a mockery of this council," Barclay said. She stressed that "The United States will oppose attempts to delegitimize or isolate Israel, not just in the HRC, but wherever it occurs. When it comes to human rights, no country should be free from scrutiny, but neither should any democratic country be regularly subjected to unfair, unbalanced and unfounded bias." The United States is currently an elected member of the 47-state Geneva forum where its three-year term ends in 2019. Reuters contributed to this report. (Edited by Yaara Shalom) Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan drew criticism on Monday from Germany and elsewhere in Europe for accusing Chancellor Angela Merkel of "committing Nazi practices." Sunday's accusation was the latest in a string of Turkish comments drawing Nazi parallels with present-day Germany and the Netherlands in a dispute over restrictions on Turkish officials campaigning there in a referendum campaign. Peter Tauber, the general secretary of Merkel's conservative party, told N24 television that "this is real effrontery toward our chancellor." However, he added that "we can allow ourselves to be outraged, stamp our feet and perhaps fight backbut the chancellor has to safeguard our country's interests." Merkel has made clear that she doesn't intend to respond to swipes from Turkey, and the government's response was guarded. Last week her spokesman, Steffen Seibert, said she "has no intention of participating in the race of provocations." "The German government is watching this very attentively," Ulrike Demmer, another spokeswoman for the chancellor, said when asked about Erdogan's latest comments. "It remains the case that Nazi comparisons are unacceptable, no matter in what form." The relatively large number of airstrikes in Syria that have recently been attributed to the Israel Air Force and the escalating Syrian response to these attacks are part of what can be described as a battle over the next war. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter Iran and Hezbollah have initiated this battle in an effort to turn Syrian into another front against Israel if a war breaks out between either of them and the Jewish state. An S-200 anti-aircraft missile (Photo: EPA) Hezbollah and the Lebanese are afraid that in the next war, Israel will quite literally demolish Lebanon in its fight against the terror organization's strongholds and rocket launching sites in southern Lebanon. Hezbollah and the Iranians have more or less exhausted the potential in turning Lebanon into their base of operations against the Israeli home front and its northern communities. That is why they need a new front from which they could also launch rockets, missiles and drones towards Central Israel, while at the same time launch terror attacks on the ground against border-adjacent Israeli communities in the north. This is what they want to establish in the Golan Heights. In early 2015, Iran and Hezbollah already mounted a major attempt to establish this front in the Syrian Golan, but that attempt was foiled whenaccording to foreign reportsIsraeli aircraft attacked a convoy transporting the commanders of that front, including Jihad Mughniyeh, an Iranian brigadier general and commanders in the Syrian army. After that assassination, the efforts to turn the Golan Heights into another front against Israel have died down. But now an additional, slightly different attempt is underway, starting on the tail end of 2016. This time, the idea is not just to use the front line in the Golan Heights as a base from which attacks and rockets can be launched, but rather turn the all of Syria into a new base of operations for Hezbollah and Iran. A possible reason for this renewed effort is the increasing difficulties Iran is facing in its efforts to transfer quality, strategic weapons to Hezbollah in Lebanon through Syria. It is possible the Iranians and Hezbollah realized their efforts were rather transparent as reports point to attacks against many of the arms shipments. But what's more important is that Lebanon does not have an anti-aircraft apparatus that could protect Hezbollah's rockets and missiles. Meanwhile, Syria has everything Hezbollah needs: Starting with factories in northern Syria where rockets and missiles are being manufactured for the Shi'ite militia, through launch sites scattered all over the countrywhich is also far larger than Lebanonto Assad's anti-aircraft apparatus. Syria's air defense apparatus has hardly been damaged in the civil war, and it is capable of providing Hezbollah and Iran with the protection they need should they decide to launch missiles from Syria at Israel, as well as protect facilities in Syria to manufacture and store the missiles for Hezbollah. In other words, Iran and Hezbollah want to add another base of operations in which they would not only be protected by Syria's anti-missile and anti-aircraft apparatus, but also by the Russian presence in the country. The Syrians believe Israel wouldn't dare attack so close to Russian forces, despite Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's understandings with Putin not to hurt shared interests in Lebanon. All this means that as long as Israel doesn't try to undermine Assad's regime and doesn't aid the rebelsdirectly or indirectlyRussia will allow the IDF to have freedom of operations. The Russian protection, which increased the Syria regime's self-confidence, on the one hand, and the pressure from Hezbollah and Iran to start responding to Israel's attacks on the other hand are what led the Assad regime to fire an anti-aircraft missile at Israeli jets. Assad's securities Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is pretty sure that as long as the Russians are interested in the continuation of his rule, Israel would not dare cause him any real damage. That is why he allows Hezbollah and the Iranians to develop their base of operations in Syria. The Shi'ite array in Syria includes facilities to manufacture and store missiles and rockets, launch sites, and finally terror cells to carry out attacks and short-range shooting of rockets into Israel from the Syrian Golan. As part of this base of operations, the Iranians asked Assadand receivedtheir own pier in the port of Latakia in northern Syria's Alawite stronghold, through which they could transport raw materials as well as weapons manufactured by the Iranian military industry. After his most recent meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told reporters that "We see Iran is trying to build a military force, with military infrastructure, in order to establish a base in Syria, including attempts by Iran to set up a sea port. All this has severe implications for Israels national security... I clarified to President Putin our vehement opposition to the establishment of Iran and its tentacles in Syria... I said this will be destabilizing and will harm the possibilities for the diplomatic arrangement that he intends to achieve." This new formation of an additional front in Syria that would serve the radical axis is dangerous and holds destructive potential to Israel. The fact Hezbollah, Iran and Syria's high trajectory weapons are dispersed across the territory of two countriesLebanon and Syriawill make it harder for the IDF to deal with this challenge. It might even require action on two fronts at the same time. In addition, it would force Israel to allocate far greater forces to protect the communities in the Golan Heights than it currently has. This is why the number of attacks in Syria attributed to Israel has increased. These attacks are meant to thwart Hezbollah's plans to manufacture and store rockets and missiles in Syria and even launched from there, as well as to form local militias with the help of the Assad regime to carry our border-crossing attacks against Israel or fire into the Israeli Golan. What happened over the weekend demonstrates that well. Early Friday, Israeli fighter jets attacked weapons manufactured in Syrialikely Scud-D missiles with a range of 700 kilometersbound for Hezollah. Everything is possible in this semi-covert war being waged between Israel and the radical Shi'ite axis led by Iran over Syria. On Friday, the Russians joined the fray as well. They summoned the Israeli ambassador to Moscow to answer questions about the attack, probably because the strike occurred close to where Russian soldiers are stationed. It's possible that the Russians were angry over what they deemed as Israel endangering their troops, and it's also possible that Assad demanded them to rebuke Israel for its alleged involvement in the attack, and the Russians decided to keep him happy. The Syrian president is now trying to thwart a large assault by the rebels on Damascus, and it appears the Russians are trying to curb Israel for himat least for now. In any case, government officials in Jerusalem and military official at the Kirya base in Tel Aviv are sending messages that Israel has no intention to ease the pressure until Iran and Hezbollah abandon attempts to open a new front. The strong Syrian respond to the airstrikes were meant to narrow and limit Israel's area of operations, but the IDF was not impressed and operatedaccording to Moscoweven near areas where Russian troops have been deployed. Ahlam Tamimi the convicted terrorist who helped carry out a suicide bombing at a Sbarro restaurant in Jerusalem in 2001 will not be extradited to the United States, a Jordanian court ruled on Monday in response to the extradition order issued by the US Justice Department last week. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter The court upheld a previous decision made by an appeals court in Amman. According to a Jordanian legal expert, the US and Jordan signed an extradition agreement in 1995, but it was never approved by the Jordanian parliament and is therefore not valid. Ahlam Tamimi in prison (Photo: Dan Balilty) Tamimi, a Jordanian citizen, drove the suicide bomber, Izz al-Din Shuheil al-Masri, to the restaurant in Jerusalem after having scouted out the location. Al-Masri, who was in possession of an explosive device packed with nails, nuts and bolts, detonated the bomb when the restaurant was at peak occupancy, killing 15 people and wounding 130 others. Among the fatalities were seven children and a pregnant woman. For her role in the attack, Tamimi was sentenced to 16 life terms, but was released eight years later as part of the Gilad Shalit prisoner exchange deal between Israel and Hamas. After her release from prison, Tamimi became a television star in Jordan and symbol of the struggle against Israel. In an interview with Hamas, Tamimi said, "It was a calculated act conducted with conviction and faith in Allah. A Jihad warrior is always ready for martyrdom, imprisonment or to succeed in the mission. I succeeded in overcoming prison and I was releasedwhy should I be regretful?" In addition to the extradition order from the Justice Department, the FBI added Tamini to its list of Most Wanted Terrorists Acting Assistant Attorney General for National Security, Mary B. McCord, and Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI's Washington Field Office, Andrew Vale, made the announcement, in which they described Tamimi as an "unrepentant terrorist." (Translated and edited by Yaara Shalom) Israel is expected to annex a widespread ocean territory of which Lebanon also claims ownership. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter It was recently decided to bring a bill to define the maritime economic border with Lebanon to be read and voted on by the government and the Knesset. The move comes after years of delaying the ruling on Israel's maritime border, partially due to efforts by the United States and the United Nations to mediate between Israel and Lebanon. Maritime gas drilling site (Photo: AFP) The proposed bill includes a large territory still under dispute with Lebanon. Israel-Lebanon maritime border The bill is aimed to claim Israel's sovereignty over the area, mainly for the purpose of harvesting natural recourses like oil and gas. According to international law, dividing territory between states that reside near the same maritime area is done through their mutual agreement and is largely based on the "mid-point" between the two. Though Israel and Lebanon have been in dispute over what the mid-point between their maritime borders is, both countries are fighting over an 800 square kilometer trianglular maritime area (seen in the picture as areas 1-3), with both claiming they have the right to extract oil and gas from the area. After Lebanon recently broke the status quo, advertising a tender to search for natural resources in the disputed area, Israel began promoting a bill that aims to define the area within the Israel's maritime territory. Minister of Environmental Protection Ze'ev Elkin and Minister of National Infrastructure, Energy and Water Resources Yuval Steinitz (Likud) consolidated other agreements regarding what government body would have the authority over the area, eventually giving it to the Ministry of Energy. The Ministery of Environmental Protection agreed to stay as a non-authority advisory agency. The Ministry of Environmental Protection responded that "the bill has many positive aspects regarding the environment, as it promises certainty of the application of environmental laws in the area. However, the ministry is not satisfied with the current arrangement which does not clarify what agency will be the one overseeing the impact on the environment." (Translated & edited by Lior Mor) Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was welcomed on Monday in China. The eastern superpower is looking to boost its technological cooperation with Israel as well as to step up its tentative engagement with the Middle East at large. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter Meeting in Beijing's Great Hall of the People, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang praised Israel's advances, saying it was a world leader when it came to certain technologies. Netanyahu (L) and Li (Photo: EPA) "The Chinese people and the Jewish people are both great peoples of the world," Li said. Li (L) and Netanyahu pass Chinese armored guard (Photo: Reuters) Netanyahu said there was much to talk about in tech cooperation. "At the same time there is a great deal of convulsion in the world, including in our part of the world," Netanyahu said, in comments made in front of reporters. "I would like to have the opportunity to exchange views with you and to see how we can cooperate together for the advancement of security, peace and stability, and prosperity," he added. Deng Li, director general of the Chinese Foreign Ministry's West Asian and North African Affairs Department, said at a briefing that both countries had agreed to step up free trade talks. "Personally I am very confident and optimistic about the future of this free trade agreement," Deng said. He added that Premier Li had said that China does not have its own interests on the Palestinian issue and would like to see the issue properly solved at an early date in line with United Nations resolutions and the international consensus. Chinese envoys occasionally visit Israel and the Palestinian Territories, but Chinese efforts to mediate or play a role in that long-standing dispute have never amounted to much. China also has traditionally had a good relationship with the Palestinians. The Middle East, however, is fraught with risk for China, a country that has little experience navigating the religious and political tensions that frequently rack the region. Behind closed doors, China and Israel have close security ties too, rarely discussed in public. Boosting trade and economic ties China's economy may be 35 times larger than Israel's, but Netanyahu is hoping to use that to Israel's advantage during a three-day visit to Beijing, as he looks to reorient Israel's economy towards Asia over Europe and the United States. Netanyahu (Front, seventh from right) in a group photo with Israeli businesspeople during his visit to China (Photo: Haim Tzach, GPO) A week after US chip giant Intel agreed to buy Israeli technology firm Mobileye for $15.3 billion, Netanyahu wants to enlarge Israel's hi-tech presence in China while encouraging further Chinese investment in Israel, where infrastructure and construction projects are growing apace. More than 100 technology executives have joined Netanyahu on the visit, with meetings planned with Chinese business leaders. Bilateral trade has been hovering at around $8 billion for the last few years, but over the past decade, Israel's exports to China have tripled to $3.3 billion in 2016, with technologyfrom cybersecurity to agri-techleading the way. According to the Economy Ministry, half the investments in Israeli funds in 2015 involved at least one Chinese investor, and 40 percent of funds raised by Israeli venture capital firms came from Chinese backers. "Israel is pivoting towards Asia in a very clear and purposeful way," Netanyahu said last month in Singapore, which he visited along with Australia. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Israel in the summer, underpinning the Asia trend. On a political level, Asia tends to put far fewer demands on Israel than the European Union does. And while the EU remains Israel's largest trading partner, Asia is steadily closing the gap. Matan Vilnai, Israel's former ambassador to Beijing, has stated that China's interests in Israel are almost purely economic. Chinese leadership seeks to learn from Israel's culture of hi-tech innovation and doesn't push beyond that. "It's very simple: technology, technology, technology," he said. Chinese firms are driving major infrastructure projects in Israel, including Tel Aviv's metro system and new Mediterranean ports in Haifa and Ashdod. A deal for 6,000 Chinese construction workers to come to Israel was signed earlier this year, with the possibility of extending it to 20,000. Ilan Maor, Israel's former consul-general in Shanghai and the managing partner of Sheng BDO, a business advisory firm, said he thinks China's leadership is keen to limit discussions with the Israeli delegation to economics, even if Beijing has become more outspoken on Middle East issues. "The place (Netanyahu) can make a significant contribution is opening the door to more trade, moving forward to free trade, and sending a clear message that we want Chinese investment," he said. The countries are, in fact, negotiating a free-trade agreement, although it remains unclear how far advanced those alks are. From Netanyahu's point of view, while China and Israel may be vastly different in terms of population, physical size and resources, there is a strong fit: whereas Israel seeks to innovate, China concentrates on mass marketing and commercialization. "Given the basic infrastructure of initial and secondary developmentairports, sewage lines, wateronce you've done that, the way to go up and up and up is to constantly improve your products and services and utilities with technology," Netanyahu told Chinese business leaders in Bejing. "We are your perfect junior partner for that effort." Demonstrators were singing "We shall not yield, we shall not bow down" in a paraphrase of Mordechai's determination not to submit to the decrees of Haman. In other words, the ultra-Orthodox will not back down in the face of the ploy to draft Haredim as God stands with them. Route 412 was blocked in both directions as a result of the demonstrations. The protests follow the arrest of three Yeshiva students turned soldiers, who defected from the army. The IDF is planning lengthy sentences in military prison. Lebanese journalist, Maria Maalouf, stirred the Lebanese pot over the past few days, garnering resentment in Lebanon after publically wondering via Twitter why Israel is not liquidating Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter Maalouf, who belongs to the Christian-Maronite community, is well-known for her hawkish attitudes toward Hezbollah and the Syrian regime. In recent days, she wrote, "If Israel really wants peace, then it should go ahead and prove it by signing an agreement with Hezbollah. To this day, we have yet to rid ourselves of Hassan Nasrallah, who had led us awry in his war against it." She then further wondered: "If Israel considers Hassan Nasrallah an enemy, then why hasnt it carried out an airstrike to relieve us of this burthen? Journalist Maria Maalouf As expected, reactions were quick to follow and included quite a few insults. "Israel should carry out an attack to relieve us from you, and anyone like you, you filth," wrote one respondent. At the same time, there were those who argued that this would not happen because Nasrallah and Israel go together. "Hassan Nasrallah, the Satan, what concerns him is to defend Iran and the Jews. May Allah take them both at once," wrote another. This is not the first time controversial Maalouf gets into a bind, as she has also been known to work for vehemently anti-Hezbollah TV channels in Lebanon. Much like in other cases, there are those who are trying to encourage the authorities to silence Maalouf. Two lawyers have filed a complaint against Maalouf with the Lebanese Public Prosecutors Office on a number of charges, including incitement to murder, conspiring with the enemy, a crime against the state, weakening national sentiment and increasing racial and religious fanaticism, as well as incitement to civil war and ethnic conflict. Hassan Nasrallah Maalouf, however, has not remained passive and wrote a sarcastic tweet aimed at Shiites, sayin that she was shocked that anyone who spoke ill of the purest woman on earth, Aisha, is also speaking ill of Maria Maalouf for going against terrorist Hezbollah and Iran." Aisha was one of Prophet Mohammeds wives and is often considered to have been his favorite, but is especially despised by the Shiites. These days, it seems they are having a difficult time deciding who they hate moreher or Maalouf. On the backdrop of Maaloufs controversy, Deputy Commander of the Dubai Police, Dhahi Khalfan, posted several surveys on his Twitter account regarding Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasralla, in an attempt to show how hated he actually is by the Arabs. The surveys included the following questions: "Would you like to send a message to Nasrallah that he is a traitor of the nation?" And "Is Hassan Nasrallah a hero or a criminal to you?" Other surveys included: "What would you say to Nasrallah, if you were to catch him? 1. May Allah guide you. 2. You would imprison him for life. 3. You would execute him because he is a murderer," and "You think getting rid of Nasrallah is: 1. Most essential. 2. Not important. 3. I dont know." At last, Khalfan signed with, "I hope Nasrallah sees the polls so that he understands how hated he is in Arab society." (Translated and edited by N. Elias) The Syrian SA5 missile with a warhead carrying 200 kilograms of explosives was supposed to hit the Jordan Valley. The crew that activated the Arrow 2 defense system reached the decision to intercept in less than a minute. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter An initial investigation conducted by the Israeli Air Force revealed that the Syrian missile was supposed to fall in the Jordan Valley. The unusual event occurred on Friday morning, after which Israel was forced to admit that Syria had fired an anti-aircraft missile at the jets attacking a Syrian military outpost in the country. The target of the assault was apparently a concealed weapons delivery bound for Hezbollah. Missile remnants in Jordan X The Syrian missile launch was carried out from a base near the city of Homs, approx. 400 kilometers from the northern Jordan Valley. According to the findings of the investigation, around 2:40am, less than a minute after the Syrian missile was detected and identified as a threat, the aerial defense forces took the initiative to launch the Arrow. An S-200 anti-aircraft missile (Photo: AP) It is a heavy-weight Syrian armament," said a senior officer in the Air Force on Monday, clarifying that the Israeli response was justified. "We didnt care if it was a surface-to-surface missile or a surface-to-air missile. There were no dilemmas or doubts, no budgetary considerations. The missile was supposed to hit the Jordan Valley. The Arrow was chosen in accordance with the level of threat and the availability of the defense systems on hand. There was no other option except to intercept. We operate with manual control, since you can never know how a given missile would behave in flight. Its engine or other components can decompose along the way, changing its intended course, said the IAF officer. The official also added that the Syrian missile was outdated and did not pose any threat to the F-15s that carried out an attack shortly beforehand in Syria. "I assume the Syrians did not intend to fire the missile as a ballistic threat, but that's not the point," he said. An Arrow missile (Photo: Defense Department) This issue was explicitly addressed Monday by the commander of the IAF's Aerial Defense, Brigadier General Zvika Haimovich: "The missile fired posed a threat to Israeli citizens. The guidelines are to protect the people of Israel and that is what we did last week. There are absolutely no dilemmas or question marks when it comes to such situations." The IAF also revealed Monday that Israel's multi-tier air defense missile system will be fully operational early next month with the deployment of the David's Sling interceptor. David's Sling, designed to shoot down rockets fired from 100 to 200 kilometres away, will be the final piece of a shield that already includes short-range Iron Dome and long-range Arrow-2 and Arrow-3 missiles. David's Sling is designed to intercept large targets such as heavy rockets weighing hundreds of kilograms and accurate missiles at ranges of tens to hundreds of kilometers. David's Sling will be able to protect the majority of the country's territory, as opposed to Iron Dome and the Arrow. The IDF has taken into account more advanced aerial assault weapons developed by Hamas and Iran-backed Hezbollah, which is why the next versions of Israels aerial defense systems will be specifically equipped to deal with such future threats. (Translated and edited by N. Elias) Youngstown Air Reserve Station welcomed 82 noncommissioned officers (NCOs) and senior NCOs to a three-day Enlisted Leadership Workshop March 1-3, 2017 here. The goal of the workshop was to present the Airmen information on things they may not have heard about before like the new blended retirement system and to give them new information about other topics like enlisted performance reports, fitness and special duty assignments, said Chief Master Sgt. Bob Potts, 910th Airlift Wing (910AW) Command Chief. Each day there I had a theme in mind, Potts said. Day one was themed Information is Power, and attendees heard presentations from the Judge Advocates office, Force Support Squadron, the Inspector Generals office and a special guest who spoke about fitness. Tech. Sgt. Timothy Kelly, 315th Airlift Wing safety office, Joint Base Charleston, South Carolina, shared his story about fitness and how it may have saved his life. Kelly was a body builder and suffered a stroke in 2008. Not only did he survive the stroke, but he was able to rebound and is still serving in the Air Force Reserve today, according to Potts. Day two focused on leadership and professional development. The Airmen learned about bullet writing for performance reports and awards packages, special duty assignment opportunities, resiliency and public speaking. You can be an MTI (military training instructor) as a TR (Traditional Reservist), said Potts. Master Sgt. Carlos Recoder, 433rd Training Squadron instructor supervisor, Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas, talked to the group about MTI opportunities available. He stayed through the weekend to talk to anyone interested in this special duty assignment. Senior Master Sgt. John Wood, 910AW senior recruiter, informed the group about opportunities in recruiting. He talked about the Get 1 Now program and opportunities for Airmen to join the recruiting team. Get 1 Now is a smartphone application that allows current Air Force Reserve Airmen a chance to recruit new members by submitting a referral on their phone through this free app. Anyone who would like more information on recruiting or who is interested in becoming an Air Force Reserve recruiter should contact Wood at 609-1394. Leading into the discussion on resiliency, the 910AW Honor Guard did a demonstration as if they were participating honors in a funeral detail. The Honor Guard brought in a six-person flag detail and the casket, Potts said. Even though I knew that casket was empty, when I was presented that folded flag I got choked up. The Honor Guard has a casket they use for training new members and for practice so they are prepared to present honors at funerals. The Honor Guard demonstrated to the attendees how they conduct the flag fold at an actual funeral detail. This led into the discussion on resiliency by Terri Ann Naughton, 910 AW Director of Psychological Health. With our troops recently returning from deployment, the timing was right for a discussion on resiliency; its a good topic, said Chief Master Sgt. John Koehl, 910th Force Support Squadron member. The final day was tailored to strategic leadership, and the Airmen got to hear from and ask questions of the Command Chief Master Sergeants from 22nd Air Force and Air Mobility Command. They also got to hear from the fifth Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force (CMSAF) Robert Gaylor. The 87-year-old retired chief traveled from his home in San Antonio, Texas to talk to the group and to be the guest speaker at the 910AWs Annual Awards Banquet. His answers are very relevant to todays Air Force, and he is very good at discussing how things relate to the past, said Koehl. Gaylor is the oldest living of the Air Forces 18 CMSAFs. He knows whats going on at bases and in communication, Potts said. His mastery of current events is outstanding. He is completely aware of what is going on in the military and in the world. The event was a huge success in Potts opinion. Even when Mother Nature chose to participate by giving the base a snow delay, the event adapted by condensing the speakers on the last day to ensure the Airmen got all of the information intended to be presented. I want to thank everyone who attended and who assisted to make the event a great success, Potts said. He plans to host an event like this every other year to keep the Airmen informed on ever-changing hot topics in the Air Force and Air Force Reserve. Reservists came from YARS as well as Scott Air Force Base, Illinois; Dobbins Air Reserve Base, Georgia; Pittsburgh International Airport ARS, Pennsylvania; Seymour Johnson AFB, North Carolina; and Luke AFB, Arizona and 15 Air National Guardsmen from around Ohio also participated. I hope they walked away with a better understanding and learned something new, Potts said. I want everyone to be better equipped on a wide variety of topics. Airmen with the 379th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron play a major role in the upkeep of living and operating conditions at Al Udeid. Since 2015, one initiative that has kept Airmen with the squadron working hard is the replacement of 50 old cadillacs, outdoor restroom and shower facilities that span the installation. Tech. Sgt. Dominique Knowles, project manager with the 379th ECES Water and Fuels Section, is currently the Airman heading the replacement plan. Knowles, a reservist from Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri, has been the lead for the Caddy Land project while deployed at Al Udeid AB. As a water and fuels technician, Knowles was tasked to manage the replacement portion of the 379th ECES cadillac trailer plan, one part of the continued improvement of facilities at Al Udeid AB. Master Sgt. Alan Vong, section chief with the 379th ECES Water and Fuels Section, explained that when Knowles arrived at Al Udeid, the 379th ECES was dealing with one of the largest quality of life upgrades in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility, and they needed a sharp NCO to lead the charge. Thirty caddies in 30 weeks, Knowles was told. My priority is the replacement of old latrine caddies, and with the help of my right hand man Chirinos, I have high hopes as to the progress we will make. Knowles explained that Staff Sgt. Alex Chirinos, also a water and fuels technician with the 379th ECES, helped him get his footing when he arrived here and has been a wealth of knowledge when it comes to their water and fuels field. Chirinos is just one of the many personnel Knowles coordinates with on a daily basis though. In the course of replacing a cadillac, first a call is made to the heating, ventilation and air conditioning shop to remove old air-conditioning units. Knowles then contacts the electrical shop to disconnect all electrical wires, and the water and fuels section to coordinate disconnecting water and waste lines. Service contractors on base are also informed to fill water tanks, empty sewage tanks and replace cleaning supplies. The shop with the biggest part in the replacement process are the Dirt Boyz, construction Airmen with the 379th ECES. The Dirt Boyz transport the old and new cadillac latrines, perform ground preparation, place the new caddies and demolish the old ones. Some of these projects are simple, while some require a lot of coordination, said Knowles. One of the toughest jobs so far was the caddy we replaced at the passenger terminal, because of all the foot traffic and clearances that had to be obtained from airfield management. Since November 2015, Airmen with the 379th ECES have replaced 33 cadillacs of the 50 originally selected to be replaced; eight of those were accomplished by Knowles in his first two months here. The disconnect, demo, replacement and reconnection of a caddy takes approximately a week, and with the few months I have remaining I plan on finishing what I started during my stay at Al Udeid, said Knowles. There are so many facets to the 379th ECES that one person cannot manage everything, which is why Airmen like Knowles are assigned as lead coordinators for large projects explained Tech. Sgt. Ryan McBee, day shift NCO in charge with the 379th ECES Water and Fuels Section. With Knowles at the helm of this project, I have complete confidence the mission will be executed successfully, enabling the shop to execute their other duties and ultimately ensuring we continue to keep water flowing, sewage draining and caddies functioning 24/7, 365 days a year, said McBee. Vong added that Knowles was hand selected for this duty and has worked tirelessly from the start. Tech. Sgt. Knowles was a blessing in disguise when he arrived to us in January, said Vong. He has worked relentlessly to plan, coordinate and execute caddy installs with a high level of quality and efficiency that is second to none. He is with without a doubt, one of the most talented NCOs I have had the pleasure of working with. Uniform policy changes for air reserve technicians Air Force Reserve Command has directed all air reserve technicians will wear military uniforms while on duty in order to facilitate cohesion between the Reserve and active-duty components. This change affects ARTs represented by the bargaining unit and will take effect April 17. The interaction between active duty and Reserve components has been seamless for years, said Col. Douglas Gullion, 507th Air Refueling Wing commander. Wear of the military uniform reflects that AFRC is an integral part of the Air Force and a vital part of the Total Force. Unlike traditional reservists, ARTs are dual status employees who hold full-time Department of Defense civilian positions on the condition they maintain membership in the Air Force Reserve. According to Air Force policy, the Air Force has required ARTs to wear the military uniform while performing civilian duties in their military technician position since August 2007. However, at Tinker AFB, ARTs represented by the American Federation of Government Employees Council 214 bargaining unit were required to negotiate the implementation of the uniform policy. Now that negotiations are complete, the Air Force has met its obligation with the national unions. The Air Force Material Command and AFGE C214 memorandum of agreement states employees are expected to be in uniform while on duty. The MOA outlines several provisions to include: - Employees may change into and out of uniforms before or after their shift. - Wearing the military uniform does not subject ARTs in civilian status to the UCMJ. - ARTs will continue to be subject to civilian rules and requirements while in civilian status. - While in civilian status, they will be required to adhere to military uniform standard requirements, grooming standards, customs and courtesies, etc. - Employees who do not adhere to military standards will be subject to discipline under civil service rules. - Bargaining unit position ARTs in a civilian status will continue to be represented by the union while in uniform. For more questions regarding this policy change, contact your supervisor or your union representative, or reference Air Force Instruction 36-703, 36-801 and 36-2903. Shafey Danish Yes we can is a fine slogan. But it looks a trifle unfinished as a sentence. Like Yes we can.? What? Change? As in yes we can. change? Except that it looks like a conversation you had with a waiter suspicious of your ability to pay. Let us try it out without the dots and the question mark. Yes we can change. Better, but can we really? (change I mean). We cant change. We will remain the same blundering idiots that we always were. We keep on making mistakes. Dont believe me? Ask anyone. Hell tell you at least of 3 mistakes of his life, or of somebodys, standing in for the life of the Common Man. A cutout of the Humphrey Chimpden Earwickers that we all are. And if you ask a man called Chetan Bhagat, hell write you an entire book about it. You, ever gullible, would actually buy it, thus adding to the long line of your mistakes. Since you are not a writer you wouldnt hawk it to the beguiled public at a profit. Which would be another mistake. No, we do not change, and if truth be told, neither does Mr Obama. He didnt change his strategy, and he didnt change his slogan. So yes we can all be made precious fools. Obama once said to his fund raiser in the very early phase of his career, when he was running for the Illinois senate, something to the effect that if he(fund raiser) was able to raise $4 mn, he would stand a 40% chance of winning, if he raised $6 mn, he would stand a 60% chance of winning, and if he could raise $10 mn he, Obama, could promise that he would win the election. Obama won that election. His strategy hasnt changed since then. He has raised money hand over fist. Much more than Hillary, the early fund raising stalwart, and much, much more than McCain the Republican hopeful. The half-finished sentence of a slogan is a beautiful ploy: it lets the potential voter complete it as he or she wants. To some it is Yes we can have cheaper oil to others Yes we can let the tax cuts remain. It allows Obama to be different things to different people. Poor Hillary. Poor rich Hillary. The rumour has it, that she cant pay her bill (or Bill, or bills. Whatever). One reason she lost the race was because she didnt handle the Race thing well. She moved in with a bludgeon where others fear to tread. Hillary suffers from another drawback. The blood boiling in Obamas inspired veins is suitably multicultural. In person he is the ultimate representative of the melting pot, the very symbol of America. That he is ever in denial is another matter. He never forgets to hammer home the point that his mother was quite white, honest. And though his father was a Muslim he isnt, he is as true and as blue a Christian as any. Another thing. Hillary is a method actor. Obama a stand up artiste. Sample this: Alright, alright folks the excitement is over (dramatic pause)or it is just beginning (clap, clap. Standing ovation). He says that sort of thing off the cuff. Whenever Hillary opens her mouth to say something off the cuff she sounds like a school marm giving you a lecture on economics, politics, taxation, foreign policy, etc, all in one full sentence. Still wondering how he won the race? See his pic with the bicycle. YEREVAN, MARCH 20, ARMENPRESS. President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan addressed a congratulatory letter to President of the Islamic Republic of Iran Hassan Rouhani and Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Sayyid Ali Khamenei on the occasion of Nowruz, press service of the Presidents Office told Armenpress. President Sargsyan wished that 1396, new year based on solar calendar, will be a year of further development, innovative achievements and success for Iran. The Armenian President stated that during the past quarter century the Armenian-Iranian friendly relations constantly developed covering broad circle of various fields, starting from high-level political dialogue up to close trade-economic cooperation, from contacts between people to scientific-educational and cultural mutual cooperation. Serzh Sargsyan expressed confidence that based on this firm ground the Armenian-Iranian inter-state firm ties will further expand and deepen for the benefit of peaceful and prosperous future of the two peoples. The President wished Irans President and the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution health, prosperity and fruitful activity full of achievements, and lasting peace and welfare to the friendly people of Iran. YEREVAN, MARCH 20, ARMENPRESS. Turkeys Foreign Ministry summoned Germany's ambassador to express its anger over a Kurdish march in Frankfurt where many protesters carried symbols of the PKK, Deutsche Welle reports. Some 30,000 pro-Kurdish protesters attended the rally to call for a 'no' vote in an April 16 referendum on expanding the powers of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The demonstration prompted an angry response from Turkey. Officials in the foreign ministry accused Germany of hypocrisy for allowing the march to go ahead despite preventing Turkish ministers from campaigning there for a 'yes' vote. We condemn this fake approach. We expressed our anger to the German Ambassador, the Turkish MFAs statement says. YEREVAN, MARCH 20, ARMENPRESS. A significant activeness in tourism flows from Iran to Armenia is expected on the occasion of Nowruz - the Iranian New Year. Zarmine Zeytuntsyan, chairman of the state tourism committee, told a press conference in ARMENPRESS significant works have been done for hosting the Iranian tourists. First of all, tourists were informed on holiday opportunities in Armenia through tourism websites with information available in both English and Iranian. A hot line was launched which will operate 24/7 in Iranian. The hot line was advertised on billboards on the Meghri-Yerevan highway. It is possible for the Iranian tourists to have some kind of issues. This hot line will help in getting information and responding quickly. By the way, the information billboards also included Nowruz congratulations pointing out attractive sights of Armenia, namely Noravank, Tatev Monastery, Jermuk, Zeytuntsyan said. A deal was made with private companies who give information materials to Iranian tourists in Iranian language in border checkpoints. Agreements were also made with Armenian law enforcement and the healthcare ministry in order to have greater focus on tourists arriving from Iran to Armenia by cars overnight. We have the goal on informing Iranian tourists on Armenias appeal during the whole year, we plan to film a short movie on Armenia and present to Iranians, Zeytuntsyan said. She said during the last years an increase in the number of Iranian tourists is seen. In 2016, tourism growth in Armenia was 5.7%. Within this growth, 31% was the share of the Iranian tourists. 144 thousand 160 Iranian tourists visited Armenia in 2015, and in 2016 181 thousand. YEREVAN, MARCH 20, ARMENPRESS. Locum tenens of the Armenian Patriarch of Istanbul Archbishop Garegin Bekchian on March 19 departed for Germany from Turkey, Armenian Zhamanak daily of Istanbul reported. After arriving in Cologne primacy, he issued a short announcement stating that he will move forward the working stage for the election of a patriarch according to church traditions. He expressed confidence that that stage will be passed in harmony and solidarity conditions. Bekchian told the newspaper that he would leave Istanbul for a week since he has an already scheduled important meeting in Germany. YEREVAN, MARCH 20, ARMENPRESS. Armenias Minister of Emergency Situations Davit Tonoyan on March 20 held a meeting with Assistant UN Secretary-General, Director of the Bureau for Policy and Programme Support (BPPS) Magdy Martinez-Soliman and UN Resident Coordinator for Armenia Bradley Busetto, press service of the Ministry told Armenpress. During the meeting the expansion of cooperation between the Ministry and the UNDP based on the results of a joint work within the frames of disaster risk management was discussed. The sides mainly discussed issues related to deepening the joint work and develop programs in the spheres of disaster risk reduction, increasing the preparedness and resilience level of the people, as well as using drones in the process of humanitarian demining and disaster risk reduction. An importance was attached to Armenias regional role in the field of emergency situations through the Armenian-Russian humanitarian response center which is the only one in the region. The UNDP representatives once again reaffirmed the commitment to assist Armenias Government aimed at implementing the Sendai Action Plan for disaster risk reduction and the Sustainable Development Goals. At the end of the meeting the UNDP guests together with the Minister visited the National Center for Crisis Management to get acquainted with the centers technical equipment and works. YEREVAN, MARCH 20, ARMENPRESS. Yerevan has planned a number of events for the Iranian tourists, Gevorg Orbelyan Head of Tourism Department of Yerevan Municipality, told a press conference in Armenpress. The Yerevan Municipality dedicated 10 days, March 20-31 to host the Iranian tourists. Starting from today Yerevan city tour two-story bus will organize interesting spring tours in Persian. Exhibition entitled Dialogue of Cultures related to the Iranian heritage will be opened in the Yerevan History Museum which will be held until March 31. Boards were installed in a number of places of Yerevan which welcome and congratulate the Iranian tourists, Orbelyan said. By the initiative of the Yerevan Municipality, the volunteers will distribute bilingual maps, information brochures to Iranian tourists in the Northern Avenue, Republic and Freedom squares. The Iranian tourists except Yerevan also want to visit various places in Armenia. Founder of Rest-tour company Aram Bleyan said in recent years certain activeness is realized among the Iranian tourists visiting Armenia. There are many interesting things for them in Armenia. Armenias freedom, the affordability of prices attracts them very much, many Iranians visit Armenia for shopping, the liberalization of visa regime is also an important factor, Aram Bleyan said, adding that the Iranian tourists mainly want to visit Garni, Sevan, Tsaghkadzor, there are directions over which works are being carried out to diversify the tourism packages. To the view of reporters who said that the Iranian tourists are often cheated, especially by taxi drivers, Zarmine Zeytuntsyan President of the State Tourism Committee, said she is aware of the problem. Recently I received a call that an incident was recorded when a taxi driver took the passenger from the city center to one of the shopping malls for 17.000 AMD. This is the issue which we cannot intervene at a state level in the private business, but I believe the problem will be settled when the Iranian tourists are informed. Works are being done on this path. The same problem exists in various countries as well, thus, the tourist must be informed about the price policy from the very start, she said. On March 21 Iranians celebrate their New Year, Nowruz. Every year on this day a large number of Iranian tourists arrive in Armenia to celebrate their holiday. YEREVAN, MARCH 20, ARMENPRESS. Russian blogger Anton Nosik has courage to freely speak about and express his opinion over the ongoing developments in Azerbaijan, reports Armenpress. Participating in the International Bloggers Forum in the Republic of Artsakh, Nosik said Azerbaijan doesnt have to be offended by what he writes since he writes not only about the Azerbaijani leadership. There are various countries where people of different views live side by side, hold debates and discussions, there are also countries where a person can be prosecuted all over the world for expressing certain opinion and condemned. My work is to express free opinions. There are regimes that accept this, there are some that want only their opinion to exist, and in other regimes people are sent to jail. I am not ready to reckon with these regimes. If they want to scare, I dont want to be scared, he said. Commenting on Alexander Lapshins extradition, the blogger said this was a gross violation of international law. In the post-Soviet space Lukashenko runs a cunning policy. The relations with Baku over gas and oil are important for him, whereas the human rights, freedom of speech have no value. I am not ready to take into account these interests, Anton Nosik said. YEREVAN, MARCH 20, ARMENPRESS. In January, 2017, over 607,2 million AMD construction was carried out under the state budget funds in Armenia, according to the data of the National Statistical Service, reports Armenpress. In January, 2016, 601,6 million AMD construction was carried out, which means that its volume increased by 4.4% in January, 2017. According to the presented data, 5.1 million AMD construction was carried out in January, 2017 at the expense of community resources, whereas in January, 2016 this number was 25 million AMD. The decline was 78.9%. In January of this year, 966.1 million AMD construction was implemented at the expense of international loans, whereas in January of the previous year the construction was 4 billion 122.1 million AMD which means that this year it decreased by 75.8%. However, the construction volume in this number carried out at the expense of World Bank funds increased by 69.5%. The construction share carried out at the expense of international loans in January, 2017 comprised 14.8% in aggregate volume of Armenias construction. The construction volume carried out with humanitarian funds significantly decreased. The decline comprised 56.6%. In January, 2017 it was 4.2 million AMD, whereas in January, 2016 it was 10 million AMD. At the same time the construction volume implemented with organizations funds comprised 4 billion 308,5 million AMD, whereas in January, 2016 this number was 1 billion 999.3 million AMD. In January, 2017 its volume increased by 2,2 times. A construction of 543.5 million AMD was carried out at the expense of foreign investments, which increased by over 4.5 times compared to the 124.9 million AMD of previous year. 1 billion 665.1 million AMD construction was implemented in January, 2017 at the expense of the populations funds in Armenia, whereas compared to January, 2016 it was 1 billion 489.6 million AMD. The increase comprised 15.6%.